Here today, gone tomorrow!

That's the fun part of Christmas money and gift cards...it burns a hole in my pocket until I use it all and use it for FUN stuff!! Shopping with no stress about the pocketbook...it doesn't get much better!

This year I scored a $40 gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond and $25 Visa card from parents in my room as TEACHER GIFTS!! Hello - awesome!! Then, I got a $50 gift card and $200 in cash from family to blow. Needless to say, I was set! And my first mission was to turn this guest room that somehow became a dog room back into a guest room!! Seriously, this is where Kevin slept when he was in trouble (the doghouse) and apparently Jax uses this bed all day to look out the window for me (see how spoiled he is? I leave the blinds up enough for him during the day! ha!)

Before: After: (thank you Kohl's...the sale even threw in the sheets for free!)
Next on the list...work on the guest bath (aka Kevin's bath that is slowly transforming to a Razorback bathroom). I am trying to do it subtly without just big HOGS everywhere...so here is the new shower curtain with Razorback red in it.
And then, to bring in the Hog theme...this is what holds up the shower curtain:

I still wasn't finished spending freely...I got some Bath & Body Works stuff (great sale, LOVE that store), 2 CD's, and my Boxer calendars for the year. Woo-hoo!

THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to my spending FUN!! :-)

Thursday Thirteen

**been awhile since a Thursday Thirteen ~ missed 'em? heehee! I've been a bit sentimental this week for some reason, so I thought I'd have a grateful post ~ just in time for Thanksgiving season too!

Thirteen Things I am Grateful For:

(in no certain order ~ I tried and it was too hard to rank them!)

1. Family ~ ALL my family...that includes Kevin's family too. I love them like my own already!

2. Fur Kids ~ you know how much my fur kids mean to me (even Simba! LOL! There is no cat like him and he gives me so many stories to share. Jax should get his own number. You know, he is even sleeping in the bed with me these days. Rotten doggie! Nala is just special in her own right. She is my fluffy princess.)

3. Friends ~ where would I be without them? I have some of the best friends a girl could ask for! I only hope I am as good a friend to them as they are to me!

4. A good warm, friendly, Christian workplace ~ I could not be surrounded by better people everyday. What a difference that makes!

5. My house ~ I love my house...it is a HOME. It is where I am most comfortable and love to be.

6. Gas prices ~ hello! I saw gas for $1.87 today!! I am super grateful for that!! It is like getting a pay raise where my gas guzzler is concerned.

7. I am also grateful that while it seems like I am always broke these days and scraping the bottom of the barrel, I can pay my bills. My bills are always paid and paid on time. In this crazy time, that is something to be grateful for!

8. I am grateful my aunt is hosting Thanksgiving this year! Whew! I have hosted for the past 3 or 4 years...it was fun, but I am ready for a break and to get to talk to people!!

9. Scrappin' nights ~ scrap nights with my peeps are priceless!

10. Mexican food ~ already had it twice this week and could eat it again tomorrow!

11. Bible Study ~ I am grateful that my co-worker and I were finally able to put a plan into action that we've talked about for a year (yay Jill!). This is my first Bible Study group, and I am super excited about it!

12. John 3:16 ministries ~ I am grateful that Bryan and Beverly have given their lives to helping others overcome addictions. Because of them and John 3:16, Kevin and I have been given a second chance. We have a fresh start, and I am getting a brand new man!

13. My Mom ~ My mom is more than a mom. She is my friend and my rock. I only want to make her proud! I am grateful that I can call her for anything at any time and she will listen and tell it to me straight (even if it isn't what I want to hear.) Her strength is an inspiration to me, and I don't know what I would ever do without her. I love you, Mom!

STUPID weedeaters & GREAT neighbors...

Anyone remember how last summer I had lawnmower trouble all season? Couldn't keep one running...this year, the lawnmower is running (knock on wood), but the STUPID weedeater or should I say weedeaters plural are worthless!!! URGH! I got one last year at the beginning of yard work season that was battery powered. Loved it! It was light weight, and I didn't feel like my arms were going to fall off after weedeating. Well, this year, the battery won't hold the charge. It would take 3 days of charging and weedeating to get the yard done. So, Kevin has a big gas powered weedeater. I hate that thing, but it doesn't matter b/c it is sitting in the garage in pieces from him working on it over a month ago and not being able to fix it. Enter my parents weekeater that I borrowed a few weeks ago. My neighbor came over yesterday to help me get it started. After getting me started and having a good laugh because I would scream everytime it got to going too fast ~ have I mentioned I HATE gas powered weedeaters? ha! Anyway, my poor neighbor had to re-start it three times for me. Then, I finally got on a roll and the stupid line ran out! URGH! I now have not one, not two, but three worthless weedeaters in my garage and a backyard that still needs to be done! I have the worst luck with lawn equipment!! Any good recommendations for a weedeater that is lightweight?

Seriously though, I have the BEST neighbors!! On Saturday, they came over to check on me because they hadn't seen me in awhile. In this neighborhood, awhile equals anything over a week. There are days that we all get our lawn chairs and set outside and talk until it gets dark. So, they came over to check in, and I let them know about Kevin and what all had been happening over here. They were very supportive. They also love Kevin - he won them over with his cooking too! ha! So, Sunday, Greg helped me with the weedeater, and tonight Kenya called and was making my favorite meal (beans and cornbread & fried potatoes) and told me to come eat! NO ONE can cook good 'ole southern food like Kenya!! YUM! She didn't have to ask me twice! Before Kevin came along, Kenya fed me on a pretty regular basis because she would just shake her head at what I was eating. hee-hee! Thank goodness for good neighbors!

I thank God for Jax!

How could I not love that face! This is the face of the BEST dog in the world!! He has been by my side and gotten me through many bumps in the road of life. Jax is 10 1/2 years old now and was by my side as my constant companion through a very lonely marriage. I didn't really have the close friends I have now when I was married. I pushed most people away so they couldn't see inside and know what my life was truly like. My ex-husband was "out" 5 or 6 nights a week, but Jax, he was always there and happy to see me. He was there through the crying, depressing divorce days and re-adjusting to a new life. And he's still here...I don't know what I will do when it's his time to go. There will never be another dog like him for me. He holds a very special place in my heart.

Yesterday was a down day. Our first Saturday home without Kevin. Jax was a good cuddler and more than happy to get up in the bed with his momma and let out a few toots so I would feel like there was a "man" around! ha! You know last week was just as hard on the poor dog as it was me. Whenever I am upset, so is he. He was pacing and had an upset stomach. This week he whines for no reason. Think he misses Kevin too?
When I count my blessings today, I count Jax high on the list. He's already had to hug Momma a few times today and let me cry. So many emotions...I miss Kevin, and I just want to see him or talk to him and know he's ok. But then, I am still mad at him too. I found some empty bottles today when I was cleaning. I know alcoholics hide bottles. I know I shouldn't be surprised, but it still made me MAD to find them. MAD at him for hiding things and lying. MAD that he hasn't been able to beat this. At the same time, it broke my heart. And that is where the best dog ever comes in to mend my heart and soak up my tears.

So much to smile about...

• My fish get to go back in their pond tomorrow!
• I got a brand new dry erase board in my classroom today! yippee!!
• Tomorrow is Friday!! Thank goodness!
• Grey's Anatomy is on tonight!
• Kevin doesn't have to work ALL weekend (it's been awhile!).
• I have 15 workdays left until summer vacation!

Bliss...

When I got out of my BORING after school meeting today about testing, I had a voicemail from Kevin saying he was home working in the garden. I was giddy trying to get home to work in the yard with him (and jealous that he had a head start! ha!). The weather was gorgeous today!

I am not ashamed to admit that today when I got home, I felt completely happy and content to be working in the backyard with Kevin. I have found my soul mate and am truly happy. We piddled around all afternoon with no phones or anything (sorry to both our Mom's who tried to call us! ha!) It really is the little moments that count!

Oh, and turns out, Mr. Toad is a MRS. Toad ~ see the baby toad beside her:

Facials, Feet and Field Trips...

Yesterday I went for my reward time to get my facial and pedicure. It was my first facial and hopefully not my last! Wow! So relaxing....it really is a facial massage with creams and masks and the relaxing music. She massages your head too, and I think when she massaged my ears was my favorite...I thought I was in heaven! I recommend everyone do this at least once!! It lasted about 45 minutes and I was so relaxed I was half asleep! Then, I got my pedicure...If I ever have lots of money, I will get a pedicure on a regular basis! That is a promise! Here are my toes with Jax as my backdrop! LOL! And, then today was our field trip to Delta Rivers Center in Pine Bluff. It was fun!! The kids loved it and were so good.

The Eagles were absolutely gorgeous. They only keep animals here that cannot survive in the wild for one reason or another. The Eagles both had a bad wing and couldn't fly.
This is how I felt at the end of the day too....maybe I should've saved that spa treatment for one more day! Ha!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, and whew!

First, thanks for my Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble gift cards! I had fun spending them ALL yesterday & still have $8 left at B&N. Exciting stuff! Have I mentioned how I love gift cards? hee-hee! Later in the week, you'll see what I spent my Christmas money on from Kevin's Mom! :-)
Second, thank you to Kevin for this WONDERFUL cajun meal last night! I know I've said it before and I'll say it again ~ that boy can cook! This is shrimp creole and boudian ~ YUM!!
Next, thank goodness I finally have a new washer!!! As of this morning ~ no more laundrymat or leaking washer...isn't she purdy? This washer apparently does it all and saves on energy and water. I know one thing, she has a BUNCH of towels going right now and is SUPER quiet! I have days of laundry piled up from not having a washer, so I'll see how it goes and give a full review! ha!

**Lastly, I must put an end to the wondering and the guessing. I wasn't ignoring your pregnancy questions, I just honestly wasn't sure! Yep, we were in the midst of a pregnancy scare! I have taken 3 or 4 tests (who's counting? ha!), and I really think that it is just the new pills my doctor put me on. I won't go into all the girly stuff, but I am not pregnant....YET! :-)

I.HEART.GIFT.CARDS!!!!!

Gift cards are the bomb!!! I spent today shopping for FREE! And, I haven't even spent all my cards or Christmas money!! I tell you ~ I am just giddy like a kid! LOL! Look at all this stuff!!! And, I only went to Kohl's and Target today (two of my favorite stores!). I went to Kirkland's too, but they were cleaned out big time! I'll try back later in the week! :-)

I don't think anyone should think gift cards are a lame gift to give...they make me extremely happy! I am getting to re-do the bedroom and bathroom and have money for other stuff too! Here's today's haul: (that I almost left on the counter at Target! HELLO? My brain was already shopping at the next store I guess. Luckily, I ran into family while shopping, and they chased me down to give me my loot! Thanks Kayce!)

I got the new comforter set (at Target for just $100!!) and it has the comforter, bedskirt, and pillow shams! 2 new scrapbooks (Kohl's on sale $10 each!), a picture frame, new wallet (I have a wallet fetish...but that's another post! ha!), bath towels, bath rugs, sweater, pair of black pants, and 3 packages of socks!!! YIPPEE!

Now, this weekend I am going to Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, Wal-Mart & Petsmart to spend the rest of my money. Oh, and Lowe's for paint...we (or probably me since it's my bright idea) are going to paint the bedroom. Ahhhh! This is fun!

Oh, another good part of gift cards for Christmas is that everything is on sale, so you get twice the stuff!!

THANK YOU to everyone who enabled me to shop today!!! BIG HUGS!! I had a blast!

Thankful...

It really is that time of year where you have to reflect on all the good in your life and take the time to be grateful. I like to think that I do that on a regular basis, but I know life gets busy sometimes and things are taken for granted. I know I am blessed and have so much to be thankful for...here are a few things in no certain order:

1. I am thankful to have Kevin back in my life. We were such good friends for so long. I missed him when I moved and our lives went separate ways. He was one of those friends I could always count on. And, now he is back in my life where he should be. I am grateful for the way he makes me feel loved on a daily basis and can make me feel like the most beautiful person in the world. I also love that we have common interests - like camping - and enjoy spending time together. He is my best friend!

2. I am thankful for my family (even with all their drama! ha!). We are very fortunate in our family (not that we see it all the time) but we are. We have not really had to suffer any loss or major illnesses in my immediate family. We have had two cases of breast cancer in recent years and both were survivers!!! yay! Now, that is something to be thankful for!! I love being with family...my Mom is awesome! I am glad she has blocked my teenage years! ha! My cousins are more like friends than family. I know that for the most part, family is my safe place to fall when I need it.

3. I am thankful for friends...ALL of you! My BFF, my scrap girls, my work friends, my blog buddies, my family friends....Life wouldn't be the same without friends! You are my rock!!

4. I am so thankful for my pets!! You know I am nutso about them! They are my babies!!

5. I am thankful that I have a house of my own where I can have pets. I know being a teacher and not making much money, that after the divorce, I could've easily ended up in an apartment. But I searched and searched until I found a house I could afford...I had four pets to think about! ha! I downsized, but I wouldn't trade it for the world! I love my cozy little house!!

6. I am thankful to love my job again!! AHHH!! And thank you to all my friends who helped make that happen by giving me the push I needed! My new job is the best!

7. I am thankful to be back involved in Church again and reading/studying my Bible. It brings about such a peace...

8. I am thankful that the gas leak the gas company just repaired did not harm me, Kevin, or any of my pets! Whew!

HOPE EVERYONE HAS A GREAT TURKEY DAY!!!

THANK YOU!!

Thank you just doesn't seem like big enough words for the amount of love, prayers and support that you all have given me and Kevin. We BOTH thank you ALL from the bottom of our hearts. He read all the comments yesterday, and for him, it helps him to know that people actually understand what he is going through and don't automatically think "loser". He can't help but worry about that. For me, just knowing that I have support and can call on that support, it gives me the strength I need to support him!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! The internet is truly amazing! Because a good friend of mine read this and told one of her friends, we are blessed with some Celebrate Recovery information in our area. I really believe that was God's wake-up call to us that no matter how busy we are with our new jobs, we cannot put off finding a recovery group or AA meeting that Kevin WANTS to attend, and we cannot put off finding a home church. So, those two things are our #1 priority right now!!

Love you all! Have a great weekend! I will be scrapbooking all weekend!! :-)

Today I am grateful for...

My first load of school stuff unloaded and stacked in the garage! (and for the 3 boys at school who carried it all to the car for me!!! If only they could've unloaded it too! ha!)
My sweet puppy dog, Jax, who thinks I hung the moon! He only looks pitiful here b/c I made him sit still for a picture! The nerve! :-)
My daylillies are blooming! yay! It brings a smile to my face every year as I wait to see all the beautiful colors come to life. The peach ones above are so delicate looking...
... And the deep red with the orange center are my favorites.
And last, but certainly not least, I am grateful for reliable teenage boys (Tanner, one of the coolest, neatest kids...I mean...teenagers EVER!). Thanks for mowing my devil of a backyard! Love you!

Uh-Oh!

Well...CRAP!! First a snake, my kiddo's are HYPER at school, and now a flat tire! Tires - yuck! This is such boy stuff! ha! Luckily, I made it home, and I don't know how low it was while I was driving home. My friend, Laura, stopped by to pick up her scrappin' bag and noticed it! Thank you Laura!!!! Otherwise, I know I would've driven on it to TaMolly's for dinner tonight. I am so frazzled with all the stuff that I have to do for end of the year that I can't keep up with anything right now!

So...with a boyfriend living 3 hours away, I had to phone-a-husband to borrow! :-) Thank you Sandy for loaning out your honey to come rescue me!!

And the biggest THANK YOU to Troy for changing my flat tire!!! I couldn't have made to TaMolly's without you! LOL!

Now, I am ready for my 3 day weekend please!!! I have a snake to find, a tire to get patched, and a couch calling my name!!!!

Sidebar news...

CHECK OUT MY ADDITIONS TO MY SIDEBAR!!

I am sooo excited! You know it's the little things in life that get me going! ha!
My ex-hubby is a programmer, and we worked on this for at least 2 hours. Hats off to all programmers & Lindsay - I don't know how you whip out a whole new blog in just hours!!

HUGE THANKS to Alan for helping me!!! I sure didn't know what all that stuff meant (and still don't!) But, I think I can change my profile pic by myself now...so I did learn something AND the links to my 100 things about me and you might not know - I did those all by myself! After he told me it was the same as adding a favorite read. Who would've thought!?!

My favorite new addition is a slideshow in the sidebar!! That is what gave us fits for so long. But, we (or rather Alan) figured it out! Yay!

To sum it up, we deleted one line between the quotes and added a slideshow.
We changed my picture and added two new links under the profile.
Sounds easy right? HA!

So, please, feel free to oohh and aahhh over the new stuff in my sidebar! LOL!

Benefit of a small town...

I went to see Kevin this weekend & the town he is living in right now is SMALL!! If you blink driving through, you will miss it! There isn't even a stoplight!! His Mom says they don't need one b/c everyone already knows where everyone else is going! LOL! Ok - you got the picture...

I have been struggling for almost 2 months now to get my hitch installed on my Jeep and the wiring done, so I can finally pull my pop-up camper I bought. Apparently, all I needed to do was visit the Napa store in Small Town USA!! Why didn't someone share this little tid-bit?

Kevin's friend runs the Napa store, so Kevin went ahead and got the part Dad said I needed to finish up my wiring last weekend. His friend told him any idiot could do it, so Kevin decided to try it himself. Realizing quickly that any idiot couldn't do it, we headed up to the Napa store for assistance from his buddy. They are both under the Jeep grunting like Tim the Tool Man Taylor & decide it isn't the right part. URGH! They can't do it after all...does that make them idiots? ha!

So....remember - we are in Small Town USA, the customer at the counter is also wiring his lights for his hitch, and the next thing you know, HE is under the Jeep trying to figure it out....then HIS dad gets in on the action. His Dad says he can wire it up for us...are we in a hurry?... why don't we just follow him back to his place and he'll take care of it. HELLO!?!! Is he for real? Yep...he was! He wired it up in no time and only charged us $20!!! This stuff NEVER happens in the city ... gotta give some points up for the small town! :-)

Blessings...

With everyone seeming to be down on their luck lately or having tragedies or hardships, I decided it is time to turn things around & think positive! So, let's take a minute and count our blessings and think sunflowers, sunshine, and happiness!!! :-)

I'm counting my many blessings tonight and here are just a few:

1. Jax does not have a tumor - rather a ruptured ACL. He is having surgery on Tuesday, but it could be alot worse!

2. I have a roof over my head & a house to call my own that I love!

3. I have a job to go to everyday where I can say I make a difference in lives, and my job has meaning!

4. I have a wonderful family that is super supportive!!

5. I am healthy & happy!

6. I have an awesome boyfriend that makes me laugh and smile, & we have fun together!

7. I have so many friends and family that care about me that my phone rings off the hook with people checking on me when things go wrong - how did I get so lucky? There are lots not as fortunate!

8. I have critters to greet me at the door when I get home from a days work!

9. I have an ex-husband that I can call a friend and am fortunate enough not to be one of those bitter divorced people.

10. I have neighbors who are the best you could ask for (that cook a mean dinner and remember their single neighbor who doesn't cook b/c she hates it! ha!)

Now....stop for a minute in your busy schedules and count some of your blessings & smile! I did! :-)