June Round Up

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

I am reading. Yes, you read that right. I am in the middle of a book. What am I reading? I am reading The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. I already renewed the book once from the library so I've been reading for 4 weeks now. This is the book they are reading in the MOMS Club bookclub. Last book they read I never finished. I'm determined to complete this one. I have by July 18 to complete it so I've been reading on the treadmill at the gym and biking as well. I just can't seem to find the time at home to read.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

No time for movies this month. I almost saw Sex in the City last week but I became ill and never made it there. I'm actually going tomorrow so that will be a July post.

I did, however, go to see a play with the kids at the college. We saw "The Little Red Hen". The story was like my life. 3 friends (my children) who don't help out. Now, when they don't want to help out I remind them about the little red hen and tell them that they would be rewarded if they do it. The kids enjoyed the play so much that I got tickets for their birthday in August to see Winnie the Pooh's Birthday.

We continue to watch Samantha Who and The Big Bang Theory reruns.

What special days did I celebrate and how?

Our 13th Wedding Anniversary was on June 25. It was like every other day. Nothing special. We did go to Friendlies for dinner with the kids so at least I did not have to cook. He also gave me a card.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

Cranium Hullabaloo Game. The triplets gave this to one of their friends for their birthday. We already own this game and play it quite often. It's a fun game for the kids.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

Naomi had an ear infection. She was on antibiotics for 10 days.

Justin had a fever when we went to the beach. He complained of ear pain too so off to the doctor's office we went. He did not have any infection.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

We did so much in the month of June. Lots of play dates, sprinkler events, beach, Cherry picking, Great Adventure, Puppet Show, Play, Blue Berry Bash, Spraygrounds.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?

Nothing really new this month.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

After reading I'm an Organizing Junkie's entry on a beach cart I went and purchased one for myself. I searched Walmart and finally found one (last one) for $20. I already used it 2 times this month so it was well worth it.

After reading Katie the Scrapbook's entry on photography I went and purchased these digital filters for my Canon Rebel. I have them now but need to learn when to use them.

What were this month's disappointments?

June 22 we realized our cat Diamonds was missing. We have been searching everywhere for her. We looked both inside and out. We sent out flyers to neighbors, reported her missing to animal control and also left a flyer at our vet's office. I am really heartbroken. She was with us for 13 years. We actually got her the same week we got married 13 years ago. She has no claws and has never been outside. We recently lost my other cat Rocky back in October. So to have them both gone I'm so sad.

What were my accomplishments this month?

I actually cleaned and organized the play area and got that completed. Next month we will be working in our bathroom.

I also completed my first newsletter for the MOMS Club with lots of editing. Soon I will be working on my next one.

Anything else noteworthy to record?

--------------------------------
Backup your digital pictures to cd/dvd and upload them to an online site or two for an extra backup. Send the links to the online albums to friends and family.

Choose photos (or digital layouts) to be printed out and get that done while you are thinking about it.

Make sure your scrapbooking area is cleaned up and organized. Put away new purchases (or organize your hard drive if you are a digi scrapper)

Look over the calendar for the coming month and make note of upcoming events you will want to capture for your scrapbooks.

May 2008 Roundup

I don't know what's going on here but I can't add any pictures today. I don't know if my computer is acting up because I've filled up my hard drive with all the downloads I've been doing for the past couple of days. So need to back up again and remove stuff. Anyway, it's time for the monthly roundup. Where did May go?

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Books:
Well, I'm the slowest of slowest when it comes to reading. I have taken out from the library a book called Goodnight nobody / Weiner, Jennifer for the MOMS Club book club. What was I thinking? I'd have time to read? I have renewed the book 2 times already and have only read 100 pages. I think the problem is that this book jumps around a lot and I can't seem to follow it and it could be the lack of time in the day.

Magazines:
I received a free edition of "Every Day" by Rachel Ray. I actually read this magazine in one sitting sitting in the yard and getting sunburned. There were quite a few recipes in it that I tore out. I don't know if I will get a subscription because money is still tight.

I also finished a Family Fun Magazine. I had this in my bathroom so would read it while there. I know too much information! Well, it's the only time I really have free time to read it. Unfortunately, I'm I think 3 months behind! I did tear out some fun things to do with the kids and some really cool ads that I thought would be great as a scrapbook page. This is where I got the idea of starting a journal for each child. See my purchases this month entry.

I started to read my Organize Magazine. I actually got this magazine and flipped through it from cover to cover. I love looking at the photos. Then I actually sit down and read it from cover to cover when I have time that is. I'm only about 1/2 way through it. This is only my 2nd issue and I say I love this magazine.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

My husband and I are watching the reruns of Samantha Who and the Big Bang Theory
and of course, LOST.

We rented Dan in Real Life. It was a good I enjoyed it. My husband said it was an average movie.

What special days did I celebrate and how?

My youngest daughter, Naomi did her dance recital. She did a tap dance to a song from Elvis Presley called Hound Dog. She looked adorable in her pink and orange dress. I didn't think she would dance on stage but she did and I got it on video which I need to edit.

We celebrated Memorial Day at my mother-in-laws.

A couple days before Mother's day we went out to dinner (Chinese) to Crown Palace. On mother's day my husband just cooked me dinner and gave me a card. Nothing really special.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

I have been decluttering the kids rooms and I donated 10 bags of stuff that included clothing and toys to Vietnam Veterans.

My in-laws gave me a green shirt for mother's day.

I received a beautiful tag and button from my friend Bonnie from South Africa.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

My grandmother had surgery and found out that she has stage 3 cancer which went into her lymph nodes. She is undergoing Chemo and Radiology treatments. We are praying that by Thanksgiving she will be in remission.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

We went to Great Adventure safari and theme park by ourselves. That's right I went alone. I bought season passes. I had passes last year too but this year I had to pay for the kids. I guess it was well worth it too since last year they didn't go on any rides and this year they want to go on everything.

We went to Animal Kingdom with the MOMS Club.

We went to Grounds for Sculpture and Sayen Gardens to walk around.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?

I didn't do so well with the meal planning this month. I kind of got stressed out and it fell on the back burner. In conclusion we did a lot of take out because of this.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

I took the plunge and bought a Zutter Bind it All. I wanted to start making my own scrapbooks and recipe books. So far I have only made one book which I'm sending to my grandmother as a cheer me up package in the mail this week. I will post pictures of it sometime this week.

While shopping yesterday I picked up 3 beautiful spiral bound journals. All are different. I plan on using these journals for each child noting anything special that happens in their lives or things that they have said or done. Now, if only I can remember to write in them on a daily basis.

What were this month's disappointments?

I didn't get to my son's closet or even the play room as much as I wanted to. Luckily, it's my goal for next month to tackle the play room.

What were my accomplishments this month?

I sold 20 photo tickets for the MOMS Club photo fund raiser which entitles me to many photos for free. The event was sold out. We sold over 120 tickets total as a group which raised $1,200 for Sandra's family who passed away from breast cancer at age 42.

I completed 49 scrapbook pages and didn't even include the last couple of days in that total.

I started to convert my laundry from folding to hanging. I managed to get my husband to add a new shelf in the girls closet. I got rid of a ton of toys and some clothing that they out grew.

Anything else noteworthy to record?


For more roundups go to Katie the Scrapbook Lady's Blog.

March - Round Up

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

I took out from the library The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn. Well, I didn't know how big this book was until I went to pick it up at the library. It is over 900 pages! A text book! I am a very slow reader and the library only gives you 3 weeks to read it. So I read about 100 pages and then skipped around the index and read here and there. When it was time for it to be due back I tried to renew it but someone else wanted it so I couldn't renew it. So off it went back to the library. What did I learn from it. There wasn't much since I didn't read the entire thing. I did like the food recipes she had in there and some of the kids craft things.

When I returned the above book I decided to take out finally a regular book with a regular story. I've been reading so many self help about organizing I figured it was about time I finally relaxed and read something enjoyable. So with recommendation from a friend I took out Escape by Carolyn Jessop. It is over 400 pages long. In one week I read over 100 pages. I've been trying to read at night and I think today I'm going to the gym and just going to walk in the treadmill so I can read more. The book is about a woman who is about my age. Actually she's only 2 years older than me. She tells about her childhood as she grew up in a polygamous family and how she escaped the FLDS Church. Hopefully I will finish the book before it's due back. Wish me luck.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

Well, my husband now has me watching Lost. Now, I never watched it before so as I'm watching this season my husband is filling me in on everything. It's a little hard to get into and since my husband is talking a lot throughout it I'm not so sure I'm enjoying it. I don't have time to watch the other seasons. As a matter of fact, we used to have a membership to netflix and since my life has had not much little extra time I just this month cancelled it. Oh, it wasn't because I didn't love netflix. It was because I just had not time to watch the movies that came in the mail and since our financial situation is getting worse we had to cut some of our extra spending. When my time frees up and we have more money we will definitely be going back to netflix.

What special days did I celebrate and how?

1. My niece Alexa had her birthday at gymnastics studio. She turned 5. Her birthday isn't until April but they had her party in March because for her birthday she's going to Disney World.

2. Easter was also celebrated. We went to a restaurant with my family. It was a buffet dinner which turned out to be quite expensive. $70 for just my husband and I and the food wasn't even good. Luckily the kids weren't charged since they ate really nothing but the pasta and dessert. Next year my husband wants us to host it so we don't have to pay that large price for a crappy dinner.

3. We did 2 Egg Hunts. One was with the MOM's Club. It was held at Stacy's house again. It was 50 degrees outside. The kids had a blast. The 2nd egg hunt was where I work. The kids had fun finding eggs that were filled with Wacky Money. They were a little disappointed that candy was not in the eggs but they did have a fun time looking for the eggs.

4. The kids went bowling for the first time. It was the longest game. It took 2 1/2 hours. We had 10 children from the MOMS Club that went. I think the kids enjoyed it though. Naomi did the best score, then Justin, then Victoria. My niece Amanda also went with us.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

My friend had a baby on my birthday last month. When I saw her mom at the dancing school that my daughter and her daughters take I gave her money so she could order out pizza for her twins. I am not the best cook and thought it would be better than not giving her anything. Every little bit helps.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

In March the kids got runny noses. Nothing to be concerned about, however, at the end of the month both me and my husband got some type of cold. The kind where your head feels like it's going to explode and the nose just drips! Yuck! Luckily with all the stock piling I did of tissues we had enough to get through.

My grandmother started to have some spotting. They did some tests and she had laparoscopy surgery last week. We were all concerned due to her age (78). She is now home and we are waiting results of the scrapping that they did. Please pray that everything is okay.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

Egg Hunts and Bowling (See above)

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?

There is way too many new recipes that I have tried. You can see all of them and my reviews on my menu plan monday posts.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

I didn't really make any special purchases this month, however, I am using CVS more for my health and beauty products and cleaning products. I used them so much this winter that yesterday I earned $8.25 in extra care bucks. Not bad for just shopping there often. I stopped getting my HABBA and Cleaning from the regular supermarket. I'm still spending as much as I had but doing lots of stockpiling. I so do not need any more razors and or shampoo and toothpaste for a very long time. Hopefully, since I purchased so much in March that my April spending will be cut down a bit. Wishful thinking.

What were this month's disappointments?

I never got to my closets like I had hoped. Since I am following I'm an Organizing Junkie's monthly challenges. This month they were working on the dining room. Since my dining room didn't need anything done to it I wanted to do my closets. Well, when I went off to work and the kids had off from school my mom actually went through my closets and cleaned 2 of them. No she didn't get rid of anything. She just took everything out. Grouped everything together and then put it back in. I will post a photo soon. I unfortunately, don't think I have a before photo though.

What were my accomplishments this month?

39 digital pages done for March. It's not bad of a total but a lot less than I normally do. I just had so much going on in March that time just flew.

Anything else noteworthy to record?

Backup your digital pictures to cd/dvd and upload them to an online site or two for an extra backup. Send the links to the online albums to friends and family.

Choose photos (or digital layouts) to be printed out and get that done while you are thinking about it.

Make sure your scrapbooking area is cleaned up and organized. Put away new purchases (or organize your hard drive if you are a digi scrapper)

Look over the calendar for the coming month and make note of upcoming events you will want to capture for your scrapbooks.

You can find the roundup at Katie the Scrapbook Lady's blog.

February - Roundup

Wow this month went fast. Can't believe it is Roundup Time already.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

This is a major accomplishment for me. I actually read an entire book! I took out from the library this book Order from Chaos: A Six-Step Plan for Organizing Yourself, Your Office, and Your Life (Paperback)
by Liz Davenport (Author). I had it for 3 weeks. 3 days before it was due I tried to renew it since I was only 1/2 way through it. Well, I couldn't renew it because someone requested it. So for 3 days I took the book with me to the gym and read while walking on the treadmill. I did finish the book and returned it on time. What did I learn from the book? Well, I now have an air traffic control book. I bought one from CVS this week on clearance for only $1.75. You can see a photo of it in my previous post this week. I have this book next to my computer and I am using it to jot down all my to do's. I used to have post it notes all over my desk and now I have this one central book to refer to. Author Liz Davenport gives some good advice on organization by utilizing a 6 step method: Organize your desk, manage your task in 1 system, create a pending file, make decisions immediately, prioritize your tasks, and make them all daily habits. All of the information is solid. It was a good book to read.

Magazines: I got 2 new subscriptions this month: All You and Organize I read them from cover to cover. All You had tons of coupons and some quick articles to read. Of course, the big thing in my life now is coupons. I am so set on saving money that I've been trading coupons and shopping sales only. Organize is really cool too. I loved the neat articles and all the photos. I just love photos of the way people organize things.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

I watched the season finale of Nip Tuck. This season was very bazaar. I cannot look at a stuffed bear the same way again. It just gives me the heevie-jeevies to even think about it.

Didn't see any movies that I can remember.

What special days did I celebrate and how?

Well, February 13 was my birthday. I turned 38. My husband bought me a special dinner with a brownie as my cake. He also sent me a dozen roses and 2 balloons one which said Happy Birthday and one which said Happy Anniversary. No, it wasn't my anniversary. It was an error on the florist part.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

I went away to an SDV (Scrapbookers Dream Vacation) for 3 days. No children and no husband. It was a lot of fun and great to be able to relax for a little while. My mom watched the children. This was my birthday gift.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

We had a stomach virus pass through this month. Victoria and Justin had thrown up. Luckily, Naomi didn't catch it.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

We did a valentine day arts and craft.

I took the kids to the Children's Museum and met my friend Dawn there. I printed out from map quest the directions and then used my GPS system to get there. Unfortunately, both directions were different. I was almost there when my GPS died. It was kind of scarey to be with the kids and lost. When I called my husband he wasn't around and then I called my friend Dawn and she gave me directions. For a trip that should have been only an hour it took us a little over 2 hours! Luckily I packed the kids lunches so they were able to eat their lunch while I tried to find this place. The kids had a blast.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?

I took the kids to Pizza Hut one day after their gym class. They loved going out with Mommy alone to eat lunch. They were very good too.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

I did a lot of stock piling this month as I had tons of coupons for items that were on sale. Let's see, my husband just commented on this one. Why do we have 11 jars of peanut butter and 8 jars of Ragu sauce? Well, it's because I literally got them for almost free. Maybe 50 cents a jar. I don't think we will need any peanut butter or pasta sauce for a while.

What were this month's disappointments?

The loss of my triplet mom friend Helena.

What were my accomplishments this month?

56 pages completed for February. I had done a lot because I was away for 3 days where I completed 40 pages.

Anything else noteworthy to record?

The kids had their preschool orientation. I was informed by their teacher that she felt that they were delayed in speech. So I called the school district and made an appointment for an evaluation. Turns out that they needed to be delayed in more than one area which they are not. So we either can take them to an outside speech therapist or just wait till they turn 5 and get help during kindergarten.

Backup your digital pictures to cd/dvd and upload them to an online site or two for an extra backup. Send the links to the online albums to friends and family.

Choose photos (or digital layouts) to be printed out and get that done while you are thinking about it.

Make sure your scrapbooking area is cleaned up and organized. Put away new purchases (or organize your hard drive if you are a digi scrapper)

Look over the calendar for the coming month and make note of upcoming events you will want to capture for your scrapbooks.

Thank you Katie the Scrapbook Lady for organizing the round up each month.

January 08 Roundup

I have been doing the monthly roundups for a couple months now. If you want to find out more about Roundups please visit Katie the Scrapbook Lady's blog here.

Can you believe tomorrow is February? Where did January go? Man it flew by me so quickly. Well, here is my roundup for January.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

I am trying to add some reading time to my hectic schedule. I read very slowly so bare with me. I started to read "Five-Star Families Moving Yours from Good to Great" by Carol Kuykendall. I am on page 35. It has 220 pages. I received this book from my friend Jennifer from MOPS for Christmas. I have the book in my pocketbook so if ever I get somewhere and have nothing to do I can pull it out. That's what I did when I was at the movie theatre waiting for my friend to arrive.

The other book that I am reading I rented from the library. It's called "ORDER from CHAOS" a 6-Step Plan for Organizing yourself, your office and your life by Liz Davenport. I am on page 41. It has 211 pages in it. I actually brought this one to the gym with me and read on the treadmill. Right now I'm reading about paper clutter and how to file faster.

Magazines - I got my first issue of Digital Scrapbooking. No, I never had this magazine before. Are you laughing? I normally just use the internet or Creative Keepsakes mag for my inspiration. I only read a few pages in my magazine. It's in my bathroom for when I have a few minutes to just sit and read.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

I rented The Heartbreak Kid. My husband would consider this a girly movie but I think men would like it as well because of all the sexual content. Besides that I liked the movie. I usually like Ben Stiller movies. I think he's funny.

I actually got to see 2 movies in the theatre this month. A record for me. I went once with the MOMS Club to see Juno and once I took Justin to the movies alone as my mom had the girls we saw "Alvin and the Chipmunks". Both movies were really good. Of course, the chipmunks really reminded me of my children. Now, when they are bad I'm screaming, "ALVIN"

What special days did I celebrate and how?

There were no special days this month. We did add 2 new things to our schedule though. Gold's Gym and Wacky Gym. Oh, we did go to our friend Cameron's birthday party. He turned 2.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

We gave Cameron a cute little toy camera. I am always taking photos of him so when I saw the camera I knew I just had to get it for him.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

The children suffered from ear infections again! I had to pick up Naomi from school one day because she had a fever and complained of ear pain. Went to the doctor but she said that there was fluid in her ears and that she couldn't give her any medication because she had no infection.

The worst thing that happened this month was that Justin closed Naomi's small finger in the pantry closet door. She lost her finger nail from this incident. She's been wearing a bandaide for like 2 weeks now. I was so scared when it happened and almost rushed her to the ER as the blood was really bad. Luckily my husband was there to calm me down. I could never be a nurse.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

My mom took the girls to get their hair cut and I took Justin to the car dealer to purchase our car and then to the movies. It's not very often that I just get one on one with my children so this was special.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?

Well, I have been meal planning every Monday. This certainly has been helping with the question, "What's for dinner?" which I really hate. I made spinach brownies which was really good. Broccoli, Sausage pasta was really good too. These recipes can be found on my blog this month. No new restaurants.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Stockpiling for my pantry. Let's see! I got tons of peanut butter, ketchup, Ragu pasta sauce and cereals. I have been using coupons for the items that are on sale and getting them for free to $1 each! I've been saving from $30-$80 reducing our grocery bill.

What were this month's disappointments?

Naomi getting her finger caught in the door and her losing her fingernail from the incident.

What were my accomplishments this month?

42 scrapbook pages completed.

Anything else noteworthy to record?

Great website for the month: Hot Coupon World

I have been trying to cut down our grocery spending. I normally spend from $800-$1,000 a month. I actually spent $784 and saved $278 using coupons and price plus only purchasing things on sale and stocking up on certain products that we use often. I also mailed in rebates that total $36 so I should be getting that back in February. I best deal I did was at CVS where I spent .59 and saved $27.92 on Ragu, Skippy Peanut Butter, Twizzlers, Purex laundry detergent getting $8 back in extra bucks to use next time.

Backup your digital pictures to cd/dvd and upload them to an online site or two for an extra backup. Send the links to the online albums to friends and family.

Choose photos (or digital layouts) to be printed out and get that done while you are thinking about it.

Make sure your scrapbooking area is cleaned up and organized. Put away new purchases (or organize your hard drive if you are a digi scrapper)

Look over the calendar for the coming month and make note of upcoming events you will want to capture for your scrapbooks.

December 07 Roundup

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Not one book did I read this month. Still no time! I don't think I read any magazines either except for Creating Keepsakes magazine. I tend to read them and then rip out the pages for future pages but do I ever go back and look at the torn pages? No! I don't know why I even bother!

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

MOVIE DITZ MOMENT: I wasted my time and rented Basic Instinct 2. I'm a real ditz. I got this movie confused with another (Fatal Attraction). Now, my husband won't let me rent any more movies. Only joking. I don't know how I got the two movies confused. I kept telling my husband boy she looks so different from part 1. I thought she had curly hair. Then my husband said to describe the 1st movie and yes, I sure did have the wrong movie. I remembered the bathtub scene and the bunny on the stove. My husband immediately said, "You got the wrong movie." No wonder why I didn't like it.

TV Shows: Well, we started to watch "Life" reruns. We have 2 more episodes to watch which we will be watching tonight of season 1. We are really enjoying it. You can download the episodes at the link I provided above.

My husband had me watch the pilot of Dexter on Show Time. He watched the first season without me and said it was very good show. It is sort of like Nip Tuck and Six Feet Under that we both watched. I'm sure I will probably be watching the rest of the season since there is nothing left to watch on tv because of the writers strike.

What special days did I celebrate and how?

We celebrated Hanukkah. It came and went so fast. We bought the kids so many gifts that they still haven't opened up everything. It got too overwhelming for them. We went to the synagogue for one of the nights and saw them light the big menorah. We also went on our drive and see the lights one night. We found a really cool house that had lights that blinked to the music which was quite amazing. We celebrated Christmas day briefly at my sisters house. Unfortunately, my kids had gotten sick so only Naomi went with us to my sisters. We got to eat and run. We didn't get to stay for dessert because my mom had to still eat.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

We gave the kids their own computers. Yes, 3 of them. My husband got a good deal. They are learning to use the mouse and they like the PBS Kids website for games. They also got new desks, some games for their leapster, some board games, dolls and cars.

I got from my husband a Canon Digital Rebel, a GPS system and a digital frame that I still need to learn how to use. I love my new camera though. I used to have the Canon EOS Rebel SLR camera. I loved it but my husband wanted us to go digital so he gave me these point and shoot things and for 3 years I used them but I so missed my Rebel. Now, I can use my lenses again. Plus the photos come out so much better than a point and shoot. Stay tuned for some great photography in the coming months.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

We had double ear infections on Christmas Day. I saw the doctor for my yearly check up and she said she thinks I am suffering from anxiety or depression. She gave me some medication that I can't drive with so I haven't taken any of it. I am usually on the go so I can't take medication that will confine me to my house. I guess I will just have to deal with my anxiety the best I can.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

We went for our yearly drive around the neighborhood to look at the Christmas lights on all the houses. My mom came with us. We saw a house that had lights that went with the music. My kids would say it was "AMAZING".

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?

I participated in 2 cookie exchanges this month. One for MOPS and one for MOMs Club. I made Ricotta Cookies and Sour Cream Sugar Cookies. Both were really yummy. I also tried a new recipe (meatloaf) made in the microwave by Loonyhiker. Thanks Loonyhiker for coming to my rescue one night this week when I came across that horrible question "WHAT'S FOR DINNER."

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

My husband got my parents a GPS system for their car. I thought it was a bit unusual but that's what my mom wanted for the holidays.

What were this month's disappointments?

We didn't get to spend the entire holiday with the family because the kids were sick.

What were my accomplishments this month?

I completed over 500 scrapbook pages for the year. I have to recalculate Dec but last I checked it was over 500! My goal was 400 for the year so I way passed my goal for the year. I also had 3 books printed of my digital pages. One for each child for the year 2007. I started a brag book for 2007 and am halfway down with it. Can't wait to have these small pages printed up.

Anything else noteworthy to record?

Backup your digital pictures to cd/dvd and upload them to an online site or two for an extra backup. Send the links to the online albums to friends and family.

Choose photos (or digital layouts) to be printed out and get that done while you are thinking about it.

Make sure your scrapbooking area is cleaned up and organized. Put away new purchases (or organize your hard drive if you are a digi scrapper)

Look over the calendar for the coming month and make note of upcoming events you will want to capture for your scrapbooks.

Get those December memories rounded up!

November Round Up

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Okay, now don't laugh. I am reading a technical book. That's right you read that correctly. My husband just laughs and says, "He has never met anyone who reads a tech book from cover to cover." What am I reading? I'm reading a book called "Digital & Hybrid Scrapbooking & Card Making" by Patty Debowski. My friend Katie the Scrapbook Lady posted on her blog about this book and I just had to have it. I was so hesitant about purchasing it because I thought I knew a lot about photoshop elements but hey, I wanted to learn more. I am so glad I purchased this book. It's a great tool and I have already learned some new short cuts and now I'm using the photoshop organizer to organize all my scrapbooking digital elements.

Magazines - I ordered Digital Scrapbook magazine, renewed my creative keepsakes magazine and ordered Family Fun.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?

For the first time in 4 years I actually skipped a whole week of Days of Our Lives! Okay, are you still standing or did you just pass out? I tivo the show so I normally watch it when the kids go to bed but after I had 5 shows sitting there and my tivo wasn't taping more shows I deleted the entire week. I just got stressed and ran out of time for me! Okay, I'm really mad I did this because I did miss John's funeral and whatever happened at the college I missed with Stephanie. I also missed the divorce of Sammy and Lucas. I did catch the wedding to EJ and Belle's wedding to Shawn. It's not like me to miss an episode.


I rented "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" with Adam Sandler and Kevin James. It was an okay movie. I thought it would be funnier though. I really like Adam Sandler movies. My husband said not to watch it as it wasn't that great and he was right. I didn't laugh at all. I don't know if that is because I have been stressed out and or suffering from depression. I haven't had a good laugh in a very long time.









My husband rented from netflix The OH in Ohio. He said I would enjoy this movie. I think he was trying to tell me something. It's about a woman who marries her high school sweetheart and never had an orgasm. Then she goes to sex clinics and learns how to pleasure herself. Okay, I hope I didn't offend anyone. This is a movie that children cannot watch. The funny thing is Danny DeVito plays a role in this movie. It certainly is a weird part for him to play.

What special days did I celebrate and how?

NO MORE DIAPERS for Naomi. Since she has been in diapers for over a week her Daddy took her to Walmart and she was allowed to pick out a toy for her success. She picked out a baby doll. Of course, it was the most expensive doll there was. She got a disney doll called Belle. It came with a tea set and she moves her arm and she says a couple of phrases. She's not a very comfy doll. She is very hard and her legs are stiff and Naomi can't get her to sit by herself so she's always asking me to help her sit. This doll was $50! YIKES! She's not even soft. Of course, Naomi wouldn't leave the store without her though. And she sleeps with her every night. Once the other two are trained they too will be rewarded for their efforts.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?

I finally bit the bullet and listed some things on freecycle. We have so much junk from the triplets that everything took over the garage and now both cars can't fit! So my goal is to get rid of all this crap so I can get the car back into the garage. It's getting cold outside and I hate getting in the car in the rain and cold.

Best gift received would have to be my new Canon Digital Rebel XT. My Sony Cyber-shot camera wasn't working properly. I was getting dark and or white photos in doors. We will be getting that camera fixed because my Canon Digital Rebel is quite heavy and cannot be taken to amusement parks and things like that. I am very happy with my new camera. I had the Canon EOS Rebel S that took regular film not digital and I loved it. So much so that I took a photography class in the local college before the children were born and received an A. I loved my camera but my husband wanted me to go digital so he got me point and shoot cameras that I was using. But they are so not like the Rebel. The best part about the new camera is I can use all my old lenses again. Way cool! Stay tuned for some great photos.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?

November was horrible. First Justin and Victoria complained of ear pain. I took them both to the doctor. Justin had an ear infection yet Victoria they said had only a cold and we had to wait it out. Justin got antibiotics. Meanwhile, Victoria continued to cough and had runny noses. Then Naomi started screaming a couple of days later that her ear was hurting so again we went to the doctor with her and Victoria as she was still not feeling herself. Naomi did have an ear infection. Victoria they said she had just a cold and again she was sent home without any medication. Naomi received antibiotics. Then Victoria started to get worse. Her fevers weren't going down. She was laying on the cough lethargically for a couple of days. She was still coughing and green stuff was coming out of her nose. Yuck. She even vomited a couple of times and was not eating. This was on Saturday. Doctor said to switch from tylenol to motrin to try to get her fever to go down and if that didn't work to come in first thing Monday morning. So there we were Monday morning. Victoria wound up with an ear infection and pneumonia. She was put on antibiotics and in just one day she was back to her old self. Meanwhile, when all this was happening I too developed a sinus infection and my husband too had a bad cough. Both of us were put on antibiotics. While we were sick my friends from MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) sent over food for us to eat. I am very thankful for that as we were so out of it for 2 weeks. Thank you guys. They made us meatloaf, scalloped potatoes, carrots, strawberry pie, baked ziti, pasta dish with olives and cookies. Wish they were around when I first had the triplets as the meals would have helped so much back 3 years ago. We are all back to normal. Knock on wood!

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?

I hosted the MOMS Club Annual Thanksgiving Feast. It was a lot of fun. The best part was that they had 2 people set up and 2 people clean up so I actually didn't have to do anything.

We also hosted Thanksgiving for our family. Unfortunately, my sister-in-law didn't attend and my grandfather was ill so he didn't attend. My grandmother, my parents, my in-laws and my sister and brother-in-law were here.

I taught a class (scrapbooking) at my friend Lucrecia's house. It was our 2nd meeting. Unfortunately, only 2 people showed up. They didn't even call to say that they weren't coming. It's very disappointing when you have no shows. At least they prepaid for their supplies. There was only one person who didn't pay and I still have their supplies.

I also did my first craft fair selling cards that I had made. Unfortunately, that didn't go very well. I sold only 14 cards =( I certainly am not a good sales person. I did wind up buying some Creative Memories (new adhesive), pampered chef (new items that I didn't have) I'm very addicted to their products as I've been to many many parties. I also ordered from Discovery Toys some new games for the kids. They are so into playing games now.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?

I did not try any new restaurants this month. I did try some new recipes for thanksgiving. I made this cranberry relish. Only my dad liked it. So I probably will not make that again. I also made my very own pecan pie. I made it from scratch along with the crust. It came out really good.

I'm still struggling with the question "What's for Dinner". I just cannot get my act together. If only I had time to preplan everything. Why does dinner stress me out so much? I always wait till the last moment and then I am frantically trying to get dinner on the table. I have been using Menus for moms more and more. It really helps most nights.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?

I didn't purchase this in November but I did prepurchase books at memory makers a month or so ago. I finally uploaded my layouts and ordered books for each kid for 2007. Since I went digital I haven't printed any of my layouts until now. I haven't yet received my books so I can't recommend them quite yet. Last year I used shutterbug and was pleased with the book.

What were this month's disappointments?

Only 2 people showing up at my scrapbooking class.

Only selling 14 cards at a craft fair.

Many potty accidents.

Getting in trouble for posting e-mails in MOMS Club about cookie exchange and scrapbooking club. Can you believe they are only allowed one night out a month!

What were my accomplishments this month?

Getting my 2007 layouts printed in a book. Nothing like waiting till the last moment to print all your pages up. Well, actually I didn't print everything up but I did print most of my layouts for my children.

Finally put things up on freecycle.

My husband made me a wall unit for my laundry room. I didn't think he'd get it done as it takes him forever to just change a light bulb but he did do it in like 2 days so I'm very thankful it wasn't a project he wouldn't complete. I organized my laundry room and got rid of a ton of things both in the garbage and had a garage sale.

All 3 in undies. NO MORE DIAPERS.

Anything else noteworthy to record?

Backup your digital pictures to cd/dvd and upload them to an online site or two for an extra backup. Send the links to the online albums to friends and family.

Choose photos (or digital layouts) to be printed out and get that done while you are thinking about it.

Make sure your scrapbooking area is cleaned up and organized. Put away new purchases (or organize your hard drive if you are a digi scrapper)

Look over the calendar for the coming month and make note of upcoming events you will want to capture for your scrapbooks.