Scrappy Exposed (The G Rated Version)

Okay I will be the nosey one. I know you and dr. hubby met and married young, so I have wondered... did you work and slave away to help pay for the school years for your dr. hubby?

Nope. When I had Manga Dork in 1995 I became a SAHM. We lived on med school loans from 1998 - 2002.

Did you go to college?

Yes, I attended Marshall University and recieved a 2 year Associates Degree in Office Technology specializing in Medical. I was preparing to eventually work with Dr. Hubby in his office.

Do you ever think about going for more education now?

Spring 2002 I went back to Marshall University majoring in Elementary Education. After shadowing a teacher for a couple months I decided that was not for me.

If so what would you want to study and why, or in other words, although I totally see motherhood as completely the most important job you could be doing, do you ever wonder if you would like to work and if so, doing what?

I think right now that I would either like to own a small business or be a travel agent. In the past I have also considered real estate. A professional blogger would be good too...LOL! When all the kids are in school I may work at Dr. Hubby's office a few days a week.

And lastly, how do you like living on the farm? Just an observation here, but you strike me as more of a city dweller at heart.feel free to reciprocate.

Boy, I get that one ALOT! LOL! I love the greenery of the country, but I love having lots of things to do. If there is such a thing as reincarnation (I know there is not) then I would have been the guy who said "Hey let's put a huge park in the middle of NYC." I love that you can be in there and feel like you are surrounded by the beauty of the country, but then you can walk right back out to the busy city!

Tell your 3 wishes.

Ok these are not my top 3...just 3 random ones floating in my head...

1. I wish I was already at my goal weight.
2. I wish I had a close group of girlfriends to hang out with...kinda like in the movie The Women...minus the lesbian.
3. I wish I was Martha Stewart in my housework...Julia Child in the kitchen...and Carmen Electra in the bedroom...LOL!

I was wondering how long you've been homeschooling.

I do not currently homeschool and I don't have plans to do it in the future. I homeschooled Manga Dork from 1st grade to 3rd grade. We loved it...one on one. When the babies came...not so much. I don't see how mothers of several children do it...I am in awe of their talents.

If you could do anything in the world, job wise, what would it be?

I want to be on a reality show (is that a job?) or HOST a reality tv show! There you go!...move over Ryan Seacrest....

I just want to know your real first name! Time for a big reveal???? Or a hint?????

Ummm...no...anyway I am thinking of legally changing all our names to our bloggy alias. LOL! Just joking. You can find everyone's name on my blog except for Dr. Hubby's...am I going to tell you where?...nope...happy hunting!

Tell us plans for your New Moon Party! What are you asking for your Birthday?

I am not sure what my plans are yet. I am currently busy planning Manga Dork's 14th bday party for September. Then I will start thinking about mine. I also have no idea what I want for my bday...hmmm...

Scrappy, I have a question, where do all the ladybugs fly to? Do they migrate? Do they die? Where do the new ones come from? Thanks in advance for the info. Nobody ever talks much about the ladybugs.

I have no idea. I think they all hide in my scrappy schoolhouse and annoy me when it warms a little bit. I suck oodles of them up in my vacuum in the winter. And don't make the mistake of squashing one...P*U...they stink!

Sorry to the girls who wanted to see hot men...I only know one hot man...and I'm not willing to share!

Thou Shalt Not Weigh More Than The Refrigerator

At my TOPS weigh in yesterday evening I was hoping for just one measley little pound so I could say I had lost 20 pounds...I'm all about those "divisible by 5" numbers. Well I lost 3/4 of a pound...I am 1/4 of a pound away! LOL! This totally bugs my organized brain for some reason...I like nice normal round numbers...I feel "off." I am such a nerd.

During my visit to my parents' home I got to spend about an hour with my grandparents. They are both SO focused on my FAT! My grandpa has even offered me $1,000 to lose 50 pounds! They always ask me how much I have lost...they have started doing Manga Dork this way too. I hate it. Well, during this visit my grandma said a sentence that has haunted me. She said, "Sometimes I just sit and look at your wedding picture and cry." What?! Now that is pretty talented...not only does my fat depress me...it depresses my grandma. I guess I can check that off my to do list...she is crying over my fat for me! Gee!

An Apple A Day

For this Tablescape Thursday I played with some of my mom's dishes while I was visiting.

Her kitchen and dining room are decorated with apples. This Longaberger basket holds her collection of apples...every time she finds a different one she adds it to the pile. She made the doily...her crocheting is almost as gorgeous as her quilting.

Mom has had this wooden fork and the matching spoon since the early 70s. It was a gift from one of her school teachers. They remained close all through the years.

A few years back mom let me redecorate her dining room while I was a consultant with Home Interiors.

She had fallen in love with this picture.

Mom has a china cabinet full of neat treasures. I loved this strawberry pitcher and glass set. She said it belonged to my grandfather's mom. He is 88 so I figure it is very old.

Lil Sis taught Mom how needle felt during one of her visits. They said it took 6-7 hours to complete...yikes! Not sure I would have been that dedicated.

I love the chandeliers my parents installed in 1971 when they built their home.

This chandelier hangs above the dining room table shining on my 2nd attempt at tablescaping...

An Apple A Day Tablescape

Mom made the quilt...Basket by Longaberger...Birdhouse Candlesticks and Florals by Home Interiors...Tealight candles (by Yankee Candle...Salt and Pepper Shakers and Bean Pot by Home and Garden Party...

All the dishes and glassware are Corelle by Corningware...the silverware were given to her by her inlaws.

Thanks for visiting!

Build A Bear Workshop Experience

On Monday Wild Child and I traveled to Charleston, WV to meet my mom and Cutie Patootie at the Town Center. We decided to take the 2 munchkins for their first Build A Bear experience. You begin by picking your animal. Wild Child chose a Jack Russell Terrier that looked like Lil Sis's dog Morgan. Cutie chose the owl. I was so happy...the new owl is adorable!

Then they began the adoption process. The adoption counselor (or whatever her title is) put the kids names on their animal's tag.

Then they got to choose if they wanted their animal "soft and huggable" or "full." They stepped on the pedal and began filling their new friend...

Next they had to choose a heart for their animal.

They rubbed and shook to jumpstart the heart...

they rubbed it on their heads to make it smart...

They rubbed it on their tummies to give it a good appetite. She asked the girls what their fave thing to eat was...Wild Child said "Food!"

They rubbed it on their muscles to make it strong...

They rubbed in on their funny bones to make it laugh...

They rubbed it on their hearts so it would love...

Then they closed their eyes, put the heart on their nose, and made a wish for their new friend...

One little kiss...

and they put it inside their new friend and the lady sewed them up.

Next they took them to the fluff and brush area to get them good and clean...

Then it was time to dress them up...

They had everything from wigs...to shoes...to sunglasses...to leashes...wow!

Cutie had the lady tie a bow on her owl...

Then we had to name them...Wild Child named her dog Deedle McFurry. Everytime I asked Cutie what she wanted to name her owl she said, "Cheeseburger and fries." We go through the McD's drive thru WAY too much. Finally when I got her focused she said, "Owl."

This was a fun experience! We made it out the door with 2 animals, a leash and collar set, a short and tshirt outfit, a jogging suit, high heel shoes, and a bow for $81. They have carried them around nonstop. So worth it...

Have you had a Build A Bear experience?

Help!

**For your own safety...there are no pictures in this post.**

I am praying to make it for one more hour today...

The 2 little ones have fought all day...they have cried...they have got into the fridge 2,467 times...they have stripped naked...covered themselves in hand soap...and jumped on the trampoline. I am sweaty...still in pjs...BRA~LESS...smelling "ripe"...with oily hair that hasn't even been brushed. I never have company and the grandma to Manga Dork's BFF just stopped by. We sat in my semi-clean living room (I tried not to sit in front of a fan...LOL) and talked or at least tried to talk. My children were so mean! They hit her with toys, climbed on her, talked right in her face, pulled on her arms...and I kept telling them to quit, but they wouldn't listen. I "jiggled" over and smacked Cutie on the butt. I rarely spank in front of anyone, but nothing was working. I am so humiliated and I feel a headache coming on...please Lord just let me make it til 9pm.

Sorry...I had to get this out. I need to read Red Riter's post about missing this kind of stuff again!

Crafty But Not "Campy"

While I was at my mom's house we got a little crafty. I am participating in an ATC swap at AMR and these cuties are due at the end of July.

We stamped the butterflies and flowers with Versamark and heat embossed them in black. Then we colored them with my Stampin' Up pens and punched them out with their coordinating punches. So much fun! I made a bookmark for the sweet hostess Marilyn.

And what were my sweet darling doing while all this scrappy fun was taking place...

Covering themselves in stickers sent over by BFF Ruth (who was away being a counselor for church camp).

Manga Dork and her friend Tay took over my mom's quilting room...they pulled the blinds...got pillows and blankets...and turned it into their very own movie watching bat cave.

Manga Dork and Tay are camping with my inlaws...thank goodness she has someone to take her to do one of the activities at the very bottom of my list of things I am willing to do...yuck!

{{hugs}}

Scrappy

Weekend Wrap Up

This weekend we only had Wild Child...Cutie is with my parents and Manga Dork is camping with my inlaws. We drove to PA to the Tanger Outlets...so pretty and lots of great stores...Wild Child loved this horse statue. The petunias smelled divine!

We saw the guinea pig movie...GForce in 3D...very cute and perfect for boys age 6 - 12! It lost Wild Child's attention in the middle though. Great previews for upcoming movies...Chipmunks the Squeakuel (Christmas day)...Mad Hatter 3D starring Johnny Depp (March).

Wild Child put on her hat and boots to help Dr. Hubby with the cattle and horses Sunday afternoon. Please ignore my rustic porch...it is going byebye with the renovations we are making soon and I have left it "as is."

After all that farm work we settled down and flew a kite...

If you are feeling stressed this is the activity to try. Fly a kite OR lay on your back underneath one and just watch it fly. Ahhh...

What activity helps you relax?

Happy Monday! We are off to pick up Cutie and do Build A Bear!

Christmas In July Blog Party!

Welcome to my blog and official Christmas in July Blog Party post! Grab some hot chocolate and make yourself comfortable on the sofa...I want to share a few of our holiday traditions with ya!

The Christmas season begins for our family as soon as Thanksgiving dinner is cleaned up and the Thankful leaves are read. The ladies all get out there copy of the local paper and begin to look through the Black Friday ads...we always have a very strategic plan and usually walk away with every item on our list...we have gone to extremes...last year I sat on top of two trampoline boxes! The man behind me got his stolen by someone else...I wasn't taking any chances!

After that crazy day of shopping I usually meet my mom in Charleston, WV for a 2 day spending spree the first week of December...complete with overnight stay at the Town Center Marriott. I cherish this time with my mom.


Oops I forgot to start the chocolate advent calendar! The girls did such a good job sharing.

The shopping trip with my mom usually puts me headfirst into the Christmas spirit. So the first weekend in December we pop in a holiday CD and put up our tree while singing...this is our puny pitiful $15 tree Dr. Hubby and I bought our first Christmas together. I am such a sentimental mushy romantic that I could not part with it...until last year...part of it fell off.

Buzz Lightyear (Christmas edition) guards our presents every year...or at least every year since I got him FREE at KB Toys for spending a hideous amount of money!

Why yes they are...

in the doorway between our dining room and family room...even Annie Louise has one!

After trimming the tree we sit down to watch our favorite holiday movie...our favorite part?..."Does somebody need a hug?"...we never get tired of seeing that raccoon jump on him!

Before any presents can be wrapped the 3 girls must pick out their special wrapping paper. This makes finding each person's presents so much easier.

Last year I dreamed of taking a cute picture of the 3 girls for a photo Christmas card...I failed and we didn't even send cards...I know I know...so shameful...

maybe I'll try again this year!

Our 2 little ones still believe in Santa and they think that the deer that come in my parents' yard are Santa's reindeer...they give them treats...so they think they are getting up close and personal with the reindeer all year long...so cute!

On Christmas Eve a man from our community comes to our home dressed as Santa...the 2 little ones bring tears to my eyes...so innocent and cute.

The rest of the holiday is spent juggling presents and food from one house to the other...lots of holiday family time! It isn't a successful holiday until we are all over stuffed with turkey sitting with family playing with new toys and goodies!

Be sure to click on the big invitation at the top of my blog and go visit the other parties...just don't eat the fruitcake! Thanks for visiting...come back soon!

Leave me a comment to win 5 handmade Christmas cards w/ envelopes!