Today was our wedding anniversary. Hubby took me to dinner at a nice local restaurant and we enjoyed our time without children or dogs. The 'grammas' stayed home with the kids. I went all out and ordered a Strawberry Daquiri at dinner. Now, for those who aren't familiar, I don't drink. I can't remember the last time I had an alcoholic beverage. Ok, shoot forward twenty minutes, Abbie can't find the potato on her fork that she swore she just scooped up. I started to giggle and that was it. It was all down hill from there so I pushed the drink to the other side of the table. Only about half of it was gone at that point. To regain my composure so as to not embarass myself or my hubby, I just sipped at it the rest of the evening, occasionally. It really did help take the edge off. It is amazing how much tension builds up in my body through the course of a day. Kids squealing, dogs barking... it was a help having G (my mother in law) with me. she is so good with the kids and truly helps out alot. I can run to the bathroom and not hav to worry about dragging T with me. Oh! Another treat today, both girls slept all night in their beds in their room. All night. It was like an anniversary miracle! Hubby and I got to sleep together all night alone. OK, we had two dogs between us, but hey, it's better than a set of feet kicking me in the head all night.

Serenity Now!!

♥Abbie

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Notation added Thurs AM.. Thanks for all the wonderful comments! Rosie asked what we had to for dinner so here it is.. I had baked salmon with lemon, butter and seasoned breadcrumbs (yummy!) a baked potato (and sour cream, of course!) and my hubby had prime rib with 'homestyle' mashed potatoes.. don't ask what that means, I have no idea! lol! They served green beans 'family style' (one bowl for both of us) and the usual salad and bread. It was very simple yet very good. Although I could have been eating a McDonald's cheeseburger and a Coke, as long as we were alone, it wouldn't have mattered! Oh! I almost forgot we shared a brownie sundae for dessert. (another yum!)

OK. I've been tagged by Anke to share with you seven random things about myself. Well, seven things would be quite boring, so I thought I'd try to put pics with each. I just love to peruse images from others peoples lives so I thought I'd share the Good, the Bad and the Ugly about Abbie.

1.) I was a very homely child. No kidding and no laughing. OK. You can laugh. I know I do, every time I peek at this pic.

2.) My daughters did not inherit my looks.. Praise the Lord! hehehe...
3.) I spent ten days in Russia when it was still under Communist Rule. I was blown away by the the subway in Moscow. Here is a pic I took of it..

4.) I have two brothers, the one on the left is heading to Afghanistan in two weeks and it terrifies me.

5.) I have always dreamed of having my own shop ever since I had my picture taken in front of this one, somewhere in the United Kingdom. I don't recall where it was, but it stayed with me. Someday I hope to open a 'real' shop, complete with art supplies, scrapbooking items, trims and specialty fabrics. (Yep.. that's me, I know. I still hadn't 'blossomed' yet..)

6.) I am married to my dream man and live in my dream home. (house pics in previous post..)

7.) Although I am all backed up and behind on my Christmas wrapping and I have no holiday spirit this year, I am grateful for my screaming children, barking dogs, dirty dishes and loads of laundry for they signify how absolutely rich my life truly is and I would be completely lost without them.

PS.. Only six days 'til Christmas! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!

oh.. and I have to tag 3 people.. do I even know three people? hmm... OK.. Rosie, Donna, and Anne. For those I've tagged, it is purely optional, and you may definitely wait 'til after the holidays! Cheers!

I started an exercise routine the other week. I got up in the morning and before the kids woke up, did sit ups, push ups (girly ones) and leg lifts. I was sore for three days and haven't done it again. That pretty much sums up my fitness program. Does anyone else a problem staying inspired? It is so hard to keep up the momentum, but my belly is paying a fair price for my lack of enthusiasm. As some of you know, I am a very petite woman, and am not over weight. Just ridiculously out of shape. As I get older, and with each additional child, it seems like I have body parts sagging I wasn't even aware that I had! Frustration hits and the only kisses that help squash the pain are Hershey's.

It's time for a revolution! A fitness, nutrition revolution! More Water, must drink more water. OK, I need to drink any quantity of water. Right now I drink none. Zip. Zero. I am a Coke addict. Coca-Cola, that is. The original, no diet or caffeine free for me! It is my carbonated, cold coffee sans the creamer. Deep therapy and water. Inner peace. I'll start tomorrow.

Well, I got the kitchen table stripped and the mantle cleared off.. I tend to gravitate to symmetrical decorating. It must be a little bit of the mathematician in me. Pretty barren, eh?

I also took some pics of my son. The school pictures always seem to come out either awful or hilarious and I wanted something this year that reflected him, not the photo company machines that stack and shuffle the children. I took about thirty and got 4 that I really like. We sang the Macho Man song and I got him to smile and laugh in a couple. Above is my favorite.

OK.. I've been tagged to share with you three things about myself.. the random, the weird and the funny.

the Random.. My father was in the Air Force and I grew up in Europe. Mostly Germany, but I also lived in Italy for a spell. I was able to visit Russia when it was still under Communist Rule. Wow. that opened my eyes.

the Weird.. when I was in college I had a partially shaved head, blue hair (what was left) and a pierced eye brow and I got a tattoo.. (I still have the tattoo)

the Funny.. we are a middle class family, very comfortable and secure. If I have $20 dollars, I take a trip to the local junk shop instead of the clothing store. I only have two pairs of pants (one of which I bought a week ago!) Almost all my socks are worn so thin they have built in air conditioning and most of my clothes are hand me downs from my mother and grandmother. (perhaps I should ask for some clothes for Christmas.. NAAAAHHH!! I want a gift card to Micheal's and some cash for my junk shop addiction!)

This is a post I pulled from one of my old blogs.. I reread it this evening and it made me laugh outloud! I am now 32 and I have gracefully accepted my wrinkles. My face is not tan, and I use only one facial mosturizer.

"Hit thirty and everything went to hell in a handbag. WRINKLES! Arrhhhagghh! There are wrinkles everywhere! They sneak in, a small almost invisible line and WHHALLLOOPP! CRACK!! a large fissure has taken its place overnight. Actually, I am fairly wrinkle free if I remain completely expressionless. No more smiling. Or frowning. Looks of confusion. No more glaring at my son.The preservation has begun. At what age is it OK to have wrinkles? 50? 40? Did those few years of sneaking cigarettes from my mothers purse hurt my skin so badly? How about sun tanning? Do I need to be pale and washed out for an eternity? Or is orange better from the fake tanners? I truly look best with some sun my face. I think most people do. A natural glow. Provided by mother nature herself. Does mother nature really hurt us so badly that we have to use four different products to cover our skin from her? What about fresh air? Vitamin D? Screw Wrinkles! If I have a few maybe they will be unnoticed on my bare, tan face! HA!"

jesus

Holy Crap!! This is TOOOO funny! (those who are devout Christians may not want to watch)