Love and Kisses

Kisses that are easily obtained, are easily forgotten.

Life is a gift of nature, love is a gift of life, kisses are the gift of love.

Kissing is like drinking salted water, as you drink--your thirst increases.

You can't fake kissing.

Never mock love, for you too might fall victim to it.

Tears are like kisses. Both come from the heart when there are words you just can't say.

Kisses are jumper cables for the heart.

If in doubt, kiss.

The loves that survive the longest are those that didn't begin with finding the perfect person.

We never laugh or cry as much as when we are in love.

Nothing breaks the silence like a kiss.

Be happy with your love. Don't keep looking over your shoulder to see if there is anything better coming along.


Idolizing is when you put someone on a pedestal; true love is when you put someone on a pedestal but are there to catch them if they fall.

You aren't wealthy until you have something money can't buy.

....taken from the book "A Thousand Paths to Love"

How do I love thee?....let me count the ways

As you all probably know, Valentines Day is a mere 2 weeks away (from tomorrow) and I thought I would see if anyone could offer any suggestions of what I could get my hubby...??? I usually give him what I wish he'd give me (an elaborate candlelit dinner, bubble bath and so on....) and while I am sure he appreciates it..I don't think that is his cup-of-tea so to speak. Last year I planned this whole big "event" that I completely ruined. See, I hate to admit it, but I suppose I can be a bit of a perfectionist at times...and I had found this adorable pair of undies that I wanted to wear on Valentines Day...however, the big dilemma was that I couldn't find a bra to match. So...I spent from about 1 pm till about 6 pm on Valentines Day driving all over this huge town looking for the "perfect" bra. By 6 pm, I was almost in tears because I still hadn't found "it" and Matt was already at home waiting on dinner--that I hadn't even began cooking yet. Mom had been keeping the kids for me all day (and was supposed to keep them overnight) but called and said she might as well bring Grant home since he was almost ready for bed. I was so bummed out that if it weren't for my sweet, tolerant husband...the day would have been completely ruined...but he eventually cheered me up and we ate a late dinner of pink and red heart shaped pasta, chicken and salad.
Anyway, I didn't intend to tell that whole story...but now you know. So, rather than have a repeat performance of something like that..I am trying to just think of a gift I can buy. So...I am open to any suggestions any of you might have...
And if for some odd reason my sweetheart reads this....all I want for Valentines is for you to take me on an elaborate date that you planned out all by yourself! (that's not asking for too much, is it?)

Yo Yo-- Wassup?

If any of you have called my cell phone recently...you have probably heard the message Brooklyn left on there for me (Yo Yo--Wassup?) It is SO cute and was actually her own idea. So anyway, I just thought I'd let you know that I did go on my weekend rendezvous to paint my niece's ENTIRE house. It wasn't quite as relaxing as I had imagined (we worked for 10 hours straight) but it was fun. One thing about my brother and his family....they are always having fun and making each other laugh! I always know it's gonna be a good time when we all get together...I also always know I am going to WAY over-eat--so it's probably a good thing we don't get to get together too terribly often! ha ha Anyway, so..we did end up getting her whole house painted and it turned out really good. We painted all the walls "Brown Sugar" except for one wall in her bedroom that we painted "Red Hot". Her bedroom decor is all black and white tiger...so it is going to be awesome when she gets it all done! I know she'll read this at some point or another...so I just want to say, Rachael....I am SO unbelievably proud of you and Matt! You guys are starting off better than a lot of our family will end up! Way to Go!!! Keep up the good work!
As for me coming home a better wife...well, I think Matt would agree. I can't believe how much being away for a night can make me miss my family!
Well, that's about all that's new for me. I am going to work on my taxes a little bit tonight before the Bachelor comes on. I am crossing my fingers that we'll get a decent return and can have our upstairs finished (professionally) and that Matt will be able to build his work shop! We'll see!

An excerpt from my brain...

Hi ya'll! Not really a lot new going on so I thought I'd ask how many of you keep up with the ONLY two TV shows that I watch...The Bachelor and The Biggest Loser. Actually, last night was the first time I've watched Biggest Loser this season. It was very inspiring though. The "finale" is next Wednesday at 8 pm on ABC. If you haven't watched this show...you should watch next week. It was my intention last night when I sat down on the couch at 8 to cuddle up next to my hubby and grub down on a big bowl of ice cream....but then we started watching The Biggest Loser and there was NO way I was about to eat! I felt like I should get up and exercise instead! ha ha No, but really...it is very encouraging to see how much weight you can actually lose in 10 days if you really apply yourself and stick to a plan. I've always said that I am just not built "cute and tiny and petite" like all the girls I think look good. I am built stocky and thick...or so I've always said. Maybe that has just always been my excuse for being overweight though...!!?? Anyway, I've decided to make myself prove that I can't look that good. If I diet and exercise for the next 6 months...then I should be at an ideal weight by my 28th birthday in July. I should also be able to have my body pretty toned by then as well. If, after all that, I still don't look good (or at least what I consider good in my mind) then, I will have proven that it's just not possible for me. BUT!!!, if I do look "good" then, well...I'll look good for summer! Yeah! ha ha... Okay, I feel like a dork rambling on and on. Anyway, back to the T.V. shows...if any of you watch the Bachelor, leave me a comment and tell me which girls you like the best. This is my observation: Susan is beautiful and more "together" but Sarah is cute and more "impulsive". I think his heart says Sarah and his mind says Susan. I guess we'll see! Okay...I better get to work. I am leaving town in the morning to go stay a couple of days with my niece and her husband. They are moving into their new house tomorrow and we are going to put forth a team effort and try to get the WHOLE thing painted in one day so they can begin moving in on Saturday. For those of you who don't know this about me...I LOVE LOVE LOVE to paint. It's like some kind of therapy for me or something. I prefer to paint some kind of design or object over just painting wall after wall of the same color...but still, any painting is fun and will be a welcome relief form my day-to-day life. I think this will be a great way for me to get rejuvenated! So, if my hubby ever reads this...Thanks, honey for keeping the kids and letting me go! I think I will be a better mom and wife when I get back! I love you!
Okay everyone...Bye for now! Hope you all have a great weekend!
Jen

Love

Seeing as how Valentines Day is only about 3 weeks away..I thought I would share some thoughts on Love with you.

The predicament of love--searching for it, falling into it, falling out of it, and living it--is the one abiding obsession of humankind.

Love is its own reward.

Finding love that is without jealousy is like trying to find a candle that doesn't throw shadows.

Hate is easy---love takes courage.

It is not only necessary to love; it is also necessary to say so.

It's easy to fall in love--the hard part is finding someone to catch you.

A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't. A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.

There are two times when men and woman don't understand each other--before marriage and after marriage.

Love is having someone who understands your past, believes in your future, and accepts you today just the way you are.

Love is like war: easy to begin, hard to end.

***Correction***

Okay, so, I know I've never been good at math...but I really goofed up on that post where I said it would be only 60 cents a day for that playset thing. I don't know how I figured $20/week breaks down into 60 cents a day...but the correct amount should have been $2.85/day. Good thing when I worked at the bank, they didn't let me touch the money! ha ha

Here she is! As of right now, her name will probably be Girlfriend, thanks to Brooklyn. Cute, huh?  

We's kuntry foke now! 

The men of my dreams! 

Here is a pic of our bedroom...not really done..but this is it so far. 

We have a new baby!

Hi everyone! It's a quiet Saturday at my house and I thought I'd do a quick post while I have a minute. Guess what? We bought our first horse today!!!--a filly about 6 months old. She is a bay and she is SO PRETTY! I will take a picture today or tomorrow and post it so you can all see. I am so excited about this because the kids will be able to grow up with her and spend their childhood riding her! Plus, when we have friends over...we'll have a horse to ride. I am sure we will get another one or two later on...but for now...she'll be our baby. We haven't named her yet. We were planning to let Brooklyn name her...but like all of her baby dolls, she wanted to name her Jessica! She has an obsession with her teenage cousin, Jessica--thus the reason for naming every inanimate (and living, apparently) object Jessica. Anyway, maybe you guys can give me some suggestions for a name. I want it to be something original, but not weird.
Okay, quiet time is up...boy, that was quick. But, Grant is waking up from his nap now, so I guess I should end this! Hope you all have a great weekend!

What's it amount to?

Hi everyone! My mom and I took the kids to Carls Jr. for lunch today. I have never been a big fan of Carls Jr. and I am especially NOT a fan now that we got our french fries with hairs in them! DISGUSTING!!! But anyway, we went there because they have this huge, cool playset thing that Brooklyn has been begging me to take her to since we moved to this area. So anyway, after we ate, and the kids were playing, I began thinking..."I wonder how much a big playset thing like this would cost?" So I asked my mom if she had any idea. She said that when restrurants first started putting them in, she checked into the prices and that they were very expensive. I said, "Like what? $10,000 or something?" and she said "Yah, that's about right." Okay, so at first that sounds like a lot of money..but then I started breaking it down...my kids would play on something like that for at least 10 years between the two of them. So, that is a thousand dollars a year--which is 83 dollars a month---which is approximately 20 dollars a week--which is a mere 60 cents a day. I would gladly pay 60 cents a day for something that would keep them occupied for a while each day and give them some exercise (this was proven when Brooklyn was dripping with sweat and very red-faced after about 20 minutes of play today). So, now I just need to find someone who will let me pay them out in 60-cent-a-day increments for one of those playset things! Ha Ha....
Anyway, what this post was really supposed to be about was how interesting it is to find out how much you really spend on things when you add them up by the month or year. For instance, Matt and I both have to pay a 40 cent toll everytime we go anywhere from our new house. So, on a minimum, assuming we only go into town once a day 6 days a week...we are spending $9.60/week on tolls...which is about $38.40/month or $460.80/year!!! That doesn't include the fact that we both have to fill up our vehicles with gas about every 5 days which costs approximately $80 each time (for both of us)which comes out to $5,840/year!!! Add that with the amount we pay on tolls and we are spending over six thousand dollars a year (not including car payments) just to get back and forth to work and church!
Oh, and anyone who has ever bought a house knows how completely depressing it is to see how much you will have paid for your house at the end of 30 years!!!
Okay, I won't bore you with any more of my "figuring" but if you have a minute or two...pick something out that you do regularly such as getting your nails done or eating out...and multiply the cost times the number of times you do it a year and I promise, you'll be shocked at how much you really spend!
Okay, that is your math lesson for today! hee hee

How can a pair of cotton panties cost $21???

Okay girls...this is probably a strange topic to share with the world...but I just want to know how many of you agree that underwear are way overpriced? I was in Dillards today and saw that they had tubs of underwear for $2.99/each. I thought, "Wow! That's not bad." So, I begin studying and analyzing each of them and making myself a small pile. (Guy's wouldn't understand, but all of us girls know how important it is that the waistband and legs of panties be wide enough, not too tight and if you're into the stringy kind...well, you gotta make sure that's to your liking too.) So anyway, I make my final selections and head to the register to check out. But, as the lady begins ringing them up, I notice they aren't ringing up for the promised $2.99. I point that out to the saleswoman who then points me to the fine print on the sign that says "and up". UGH! I hate those two little words when referring to sale signs. It's just a ploy to make you think that there is some real great deal...when there might actually be only one lone item on the rack that is actually that low price...the rest are in the "and up" category. So, back to my story...the underwear that I had picked, of course, were actually on sale for $5, $7 and $9. I settled for only getting the $5 pair but what I am referring to when I say underwear are way overpriced is that...those underwear were originally $10, $14 and $18!!!!! GIVE ME A BREAK! I am talking cotten undies...not Victoria Secret lacy things or anything. I admit, the most expensive ones were Ralph Lauren, but still...who, in their right mind, would spend $18 for a pair of cotton panties? Maybe I am just cheap? I am the one who had never spent more than $12 on a bra until this past year when I was introduced to Gap Body who makes an AWESOME bra! It's $36 for the one I like...but it's totally worth it. But then there is Victoria Secret...I could spend a fortune in there. You can't even get a simple satin nightgown in there for less than about 60 bucks.
Okay, well, back to reality..I could probably write a book on shopping so I better put a stop to this! I need to go get dinner ready. Tonight must be a special occasion...I am cooking a $15 brisket, squash and zucchini, mashed potatoes, salad and rolls...and wearing $5 panties (orginally $10)!!! Ha Ha!

A special message for Brooklyn's buddy, Trey!  

The outside of the house...the finished product. We can't wait to see it in the summer when everything is green! 

The kitchen (my favorite part of the house!) 

Another angle of the kitchen. 

The living room. 

The front entryway. 

Part of the living room. 

Our dining room. 

The laundry room. 

This is the new buffet we bought that matches our dining room table. 

Grant's bedroom. 

Brooklyn's room (not yet painted). 

The temporary play room...will eventually be a guest room. 

Brooklyn's room. 

A party fit for a Princess!!! Brooklyn, Rachel, Abby, Skylar, Olivia, Karlie and Alecia. 

Mom and Brooklyn on her "actual" birthday. 

He's gonna be a heart-breaker! 

Brooklyn on Christmas with her new microphone! Watch out American Idol!!! 

"thirty packets of ketchup".....from the movie Big Daddy

Okay...we need to play catch-up! It's been so long since I've really written on here...you might need to prepare yourself for a book! ha ha Let me see..last time I talked to you all was January 11th. I can't believe I posted on that day without saying Happy Birthday to my sweet little Brooklyn! She turned 5 on January 11th! It's baffling to me how the time has flown by! I see her every day and she just seems like my baby girl...but then occasionally I really look at her, and I see she has blossomed into this mature little girl who is no longer teeny, tiny and who has become very independent. She is capable of way more than I give her credit for. Anyone who knows her knows she has an amazing mind and vocabulary and will likely become some kind of singer/dancer as that seems to be her passion.
So, anyway, we celebrated her birthday by taking her out to dinner (since her b-day fell on a Wednesday) but we had her party this past Saturday (yesterday). We invited 7 of her friends from school and they all came dressed in their favorite princess clothes. Rather than giving them goodie bags already made up, I gave them empty bags and they had to use clues to hunt for their prizes. There were 8 different prizes which included such things as lip gloss, hair bows, Disney Princess fruit chews, gum balls, a Kit Kat and Disney Princess crayons). I took a few pictures with my new camera but couldn't get very many since I don't have a memory card yet and my internal memory was almost full already.

As for everything else that has been going on since I posted on Christmas day...well, mostly a lot of unpacking, organizing and cleaning. Every few days or so I try to unpack a couple of boxes and find places for all the many things we have aquired over the almost 8 years we have been married. What's crazy is, I can't think of a thing I am missing, yet there are still probably 10-15 boxes that haven't been unpacked. Well, I take that back...I still haven't found my black pepper or Lawry's season salt. It's the weirdest thing. Those are probably my 2 most used spices and they have mysteriously disappeared. I finally gave up on ever finding them yesterday and went and bought new.

I am beginning yet another weight-loss goal this week. Like most people do, I took the holiday's "off" from dieting and though I haven't braved the scale yet...I am certain I put on at least a pound or two (either that or my pants are shrinking! ha ha) Anyway, I am thinking that if I start now, maybe by summer, I can be down another size or two and make my husband do a double take when I put on my swimsuit. I'll keep you updated on my progress.

As for the boys around here....Well, Matt has been keeping busy building us a backyard fence. We'd hoped to be able to let the kids "run free" now that we are in the country..but we've come to realize that it's just too dangerous to not have them confined. Twice now, we have found Grant in our front yard, which is very near a 50 mph road, by himself. Apparently he has learned how to open doors since we've moved. Just thinking about how easy it would have been for him to walk right into the street makes my stomach turn. Thus the reason we are putting up a fence. Plus, Sam, our dog, who is morbidly obese, likes to risk death by moseying right up next to the road. I joke about it, but seriously, I don't know if he could move out of the way fast enough if a car were to come speeding by. So, the fence will benefit us all. Next up on the To-Do list for Matt is building his workshop. We were blessed to be given a lot of left-over lumber from the construction of our home, so we have a good jump-start on the materials we will need for the workshop. Once he frames it out, we will have the concrete poured and we can get started.

Grant is growing up so much! He is talking a lot more and keeps us all entertained. He has trouble with his "R's" so he says things like "Awk" which means "rock" (when he wants us to rock him to sleep) and "caw" instead of car. Hopefully he will outgrow this with time, but for now, it's adorable!
I am taking both of the kids for well child checks this Wednesday so it will be interesting to see how they rank on the percentile charts. Grant is usually high on his height percentile and low on his weight percentile. He still seems pretty tiny to me, but we'll see. I know he can fit an 18-months pants in the length but they fall right off of his waist. (If only I could have been given a figure like that! hee hee) By the way, he turned 20 months old on Friday!!!

Well, that's about all I can think of for now. I hope you are all doing well and making the most of the new year! Leave me a comment and let me know you are still reading this! Love and miss each and every one of you! (especially our friends and family in Duncan!) Jen

okay...so I am addicted....

Hi everyone! I have internet again....HOORAY! Well, I know you are all just SO thrilled to get to read about my exciting life again (hee hee) but I am making this short and sweet. I have about 72 e-mails to catch up on...so I will save the really good, juicy stuff for later when I have more time. For now I will admit one tiny secret to you all....Having not had internet for more than 2 weeks, I can positively say I have come to realize I am addicted to it. Yes, it's sad but true. I didn't even care about getting my phone turned on all that much...just give me my DSL!!!!!! For those of you who don't know this...I've only been aquainted with the world wide web for about a year now. I didn't think I really needed the internet...but I also had a suspicion that I would "fall in love" if I ever did have it. I guess I know myself pretty well. I feel like I have literally been disconnected from earth for the past 2 weeks. I couldn't chat with my friends, I couldn't check the weather with a simple click, I couldn't find out what movies were playing in an instant. Worst of all (for me) I couldn't ramble aimlessly to you all about my oh-so-interesting life! Ha Ha! well, anyway....that's it for now...Grant is waking from his nap and he must have woken up on the wrong side of the crib because he is SCREAMING! Later alligator!