day 55: "i am thankful for......FENCING!"

ryan had his last fencing class friday night.  he has been going every week since sept.  he is not into team sports like his brother.  i wanted to get him involved in some kind of sport or activity...in order for him to meet new people...  i also wanted him to get active, move his body....get away from the video games.  so, i thought, what boy wouldn't want to swing a sword around at people!  he loved it....he did not want to miss one class!  i am so proud of him.  he not only learned how to 'lunge' and 'parry'...he also tried to make friends.  (well...kinda ;))  i also tried to meet new people (i'm not social either..).  here are a few pics of ryan in his full  fencing gear..

hey, you never know!  maybe he will be an olympic fencing star!  all i know.....is that i am so proud of him...not only for trying something new, but for sticking with it until the end.  way to go ry!



........so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 54: "i am thankful for......'MY WISH'!"

....i was listening to my playlist on you tube last night.  this is one of the songs that i put on it a while back.  the words remind me of what i wish for my boys.  good words....good song.  i love you boys...

....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 53: "i am thankful for.....PLUNGERS!"

.....and it seems that mom is the ONLY one in this house that knows how to use them!  (yes, you guessed it....a little annoyed at my boys this morning ;))

i guess that is why they come is such pretty colors these days........they are not only functional, but they go with any bathroom decor~!  bonus for all moms out there...

UGH.



......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 52: "i am thankful for.....FAMILY PORTRAITS!"

here are a few portraits taken yesterday at a local photo studio.  i think they turned out great!  it's hard to get a good photo of all four of us...but, i think we got one...or two...! 

and here are a few silly ones...for our Christmas cards this year!  i got the 'stacked' idea off the internet.  all three of my 'boys' were great.  they went along with whatever mom wanted..thanks guys ;)

....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 51: "i am thankful for......"YOU TOO"!"

.....every morning, i drive the boys to school.  i prefer driving them instead of them taking the bus....mainly because i get to sleep in for an extra 1/2 hour and also i get to spend some more time with them.

so, once we get to the school parking lot, there is an assembly line of moms and dads dropping their kids off.....it's a quick and painless process.  the boys open the car door....i spill out all the 'have a great day'...'i love yousss'...'have fun'.... and every morning, sam just smiles...and walks aways...but, my ry guy...he always turns to me before closing his door ...and says ''you too!''...it's the little things that catch my heart off guard.  two little words like 'you too' make my day.   (maybe i need to get out more.... ;))


.....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 50: "i am thankful for......MY CROWN!"

....because it's been a looooonnnnngggg time comin.  last winter, my tooth chipped.  i mean, it was down to just a tiny bit of tooth left (too many m&m's).  so, i guess it was time to hunt down a good dentist in the area.  i asked my neighbor for any ideas, and she told me about her "handsome greek God" of a dentist...ok, dokie!  that's all well, and good...but, i need a GOOD dentist! so, i made an appointment with her 'greek God'....and what do ya know?  he's not only handsome, but he's a damn good dentist to boot...not many of those around....  so, long story short...last february, i had my tooth pulled and filled with some kind of bone stuff.  he said it had to sit and heal and harden for at least 3-6 months.  geeezzz.....so, needless to say, i had a toothless grin for over 6 months!  finally, in Sept, he said it healed/hardened enough to drill the implant.  thank you God.
i asked him to send me a picture via email of my implant.  i think it is the most daunting thing.....and it felt as strange going in....i'm thinking it's what a piece of sheet rock must feel like being screwed to a stud!

here is the 'screw' in my mouth!

they put a temp crown on top of it....and today, my friends, i get my permanent crown.  i get a tooth back... !!!! (only $1,00000000's of dollars later) 

i also go vote today......i pray for my fellow ohioans....that they make the RIGHT choice....



.........so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 49: "i am thankful for......HALLOWEEN!"

.....because the boys love to dress up, have fun, and share their chocolate with mommy :)

i kinda like the brunette look...what do you think?!

this year, actually, i did not steal all their chocolate....the boys donated 1/2 their candy to our dentist office so they could mail it out to our troops over in afghanistan.  great idea, and great cause....  i didn't eat ANY of their candy this  year!  i'm very proud of myself...and i'm very proud of my boys for giving some of their precious hard earned loot away! 

......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 48: "i am thankful for......SCHOOL PARTIES!"

......so i can go into school to smooze the teachers, see the others kids my boys hang out with all day, and to embarrass them ;)

yesterday, i brought in some treats for my boy's halloween parties.  first i went to sam's classroom.  all the 6th graders were gathered in one room.  they were very loud and very excited to eat all the goodies the parents had brought in for them.  i asked one of the attending teachers to take a picture of sam and me.  it was tough, but i got one...he is at the age of being quite embarrassed of his mother!  how did this happen?!  i don't like it...but understand it.

check out that look!  poor sam.....:)

at least i still have an 8 yr old that beams at the site of his mommy, even in front of his classmates!  no embarrassment from my ry guy :)  the third graders played games, and ate treats.  they were  able to dress up, so it was fun to see all the different costumes, from a beautiful bride, to a killer jester (my ry).

the'killer jester' and me

i will post some more halloween pictures soon....



......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 47: "i am thankful for.......NOT COOKING!"

my husband slaved in the kitchen last night creating his awesome potato and ham soup for dinner....it was soooo good!  perfect meal for a cold, wet, fall day.  i am always thankful when someone else cooks for me.  soooo thankful :)

and i am also thankful when there are left overs for lunch.....bon appetite!

......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 46: "i am thankful for.......COMPLETION!"

....because our roof is done! 

and the choir sang......"Hallelujah!  Hallelujah!  Hallelujah, Hallelujah...Hallleeeeluujah"!!

you know those things in life that you vow NEVER to do again??!  well, ladies and gents, i have now added roofing to my 'never' list ;) 



.....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 45: "i am thankful for......BABAR BARNES!"

babar barnes...aka....babs...was  my sisters cat for 18+ years.  he was such a blessing to her for so many years.  he will truly be missed, not only by her, but by all who knew him.  God bless you babs....and thank you for being such a huge blessing to my sister.  you were the best...we will miss you :)

my sister and babs....on one of the happiest days of her life (earning her doctorate!)

......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 44: "i am thankful for.......GUESTS!"

i love having guests.  it not only gives me some company...but, it gets me motivated to clean my house! my in-laws were here all week.  they are such a blessing.  i feel very lucky to have them in my life.  thank you sandra and eddie for making our week extra special!  we love you....

here are a few pics taken yesterday:

......so, what are you especially thankful for?!

day 43: "i am thankful for......BREAKS!"

i'm gonna take a break from my blog for a while....no more 'daily' posts.  i will post when i want!  no more pressure.....to perform ;) 





.....so, what are you especially thankful for today?!

day 42: "i am thankful for......MY VERY OWN LIVE-IN BABYSITTER!"

aka....my 11 yr old son!  sam is one trustworthy kid...and i am so thankful he can be relied on enough to babysit his 8 yr old brother.  i am also thankful for not needing to find a babysitter at the last minute anymore.  they are hard to find....especially since i don't know anyone to call here in ohio!  i had a gem of a babysitter in ny.  i was very blessed to have a girl that just lived up the street.  here in oh though, i haven't branched out to meet people....so, that is why i am SO thankful that sam is not only old enough, but mature enough to babysit now. thank you sam for being one hell of a good kid!

here is my handsome babysitter.....

.......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!  

day 41: "i am thankful for......"OK MOM"!

monday night, i got creative at the 'mom job' and came up with a great idea!  i created two jars....one for sam and one for ryan.  they are just simple glass mason jars that i wrapped a piece of paper around....labled with: sam's 'ok mom' jar and ryan's 'ok mom' jar.  i have been feeling a little cranky and down right bitchy lately because i get...complaining, bickering, arguing, pia attitude!....when i ask my boys to do something, whether it's 'please pick up your clothes off your floor' or 'please wash your hands' or 'please do your homework'....etc.  you get the idea.  i'm just sick and tired of it!!  so, i am putting my foot down.  they have to respect their mother!

when the boys fill their jars with hershey kisses, they get to go to the store....and buy something (under $10).  well worth the money in my opinion.  they are both on board, and have already earned 1/3 of their kisses!  oh, i also make them kiss me before they get their 'hershey kiss'!  win, win! way to go boys....! and way to go mom...for this brilliant idea!  hey, what ever makes my life easier...i'm all for it.

......so, what are you especially thankful for today?!