ooooooh, i need photoshop.....

heehee.... (***Jenny Rosser...NOOO PEEKING!!!!)
soooo, i made a layout, due to my hub being gone, and to my friend having a birthday (this would be her present, sucky friend i am eh? homemade gift...sheesh)...
BUT, i need a teeny tiny bit of HELP...
the photo is of my son's soccer team...i obviously can't post it on peas w/ all the kids faces because, well, i wouldn't want someone posting my kidlets on the internet w/o my permission...
SO, being computer illiterate <----ok, moment of jessica here....couldn't spell illiterate....had to ask my sister who i'm on the phone w/....who is iming april... Made me giggle "gab, how do you spell illiterate"....OH MY GOSH! THAT is just WRONG..... OK....so being computer illiterate...i send the lo to my sister to blur out the kids faces (minus my son, my friends son, and my hubby)... well, she can't figure it out...

and sends me this...

which makes me laugh outloud and we promptly turn it into this...(gabby)

and this...(me) Moral of this story....If anyone can fix this lo, will you email me??? HA!!! xxxe

CONGRATULATIONS.....

to my SISTER....for making it on the Scrapologie design team....how cool is THAT?
I would have posted it yesterday but alas, she told me after i updated the bloggage...stinker ;)
Also Congrats to Meg and everyone else that was chosen....VERY COOL! xe

the bad, happy, funny and mike....

sooo, i not only posted my cj layout on 2peas, BUT i'm updating my blog as well...
big day for e.
now, if my house was clean and dinner was cooking....i'd be set.

the bad- my hubby left this morning at 5am.
he started his new job today and will live in temporary housing until our house sells.
MAJOR bummer.
especially since, being the eternal ray of sunshine optimist i am (NOT)...i think our house will NEVER sell ;)
BUT, it's really not that bad...it was worse when he moved here, and the boys and i were still in iowa....and he couldn't come home on the weekends.
he can come home on the weekends...so it'll be ok.
heck, i live in a military town....i see husbands leave for a year at a time...
(amazing those military families...truly)...
this is a piece of cake in comparison.
(cake gab, cake)

the happy- i purchased some lovely flamingo ornaments for my tree this weekend ...
i will post pictures (a la april, erin and kristi) as soon as i get the tree up.
which will be next weekend.
i'm so excited....i LOVE Christmas time...
heehee...

the funny- what's cracked me up ALL day?
(hopefully gabby doesn't mind me sharing ;) )
my sister emails me.....and on one acc't i'm e, and on another i'm "colin" (which is my hub's name)....so she forgets, and emails the "colin" email, which on that acc't happens to be colin's work email.
now...
colin has left that job.
so, the funny part of this story is that the email she sent colin, which was intended for me...
went to colin's old boss AND the manager that's filling in for him.
for some reason, i found this hysterical.
probably because she signed it w/ tons of x's and o's....
so i can only imagine what the people reading colin's email were thinking.
heehee...
(then again, i'm easily amused)

the mike- yes, uncle mike, I'm talking to you ;)
So my dear sweet brother-in-law, gabby's husband, MIKE....teaches Jack something absolutely adorable this weekend. (Insert my kids saying "and that would be sarcasm" here.)
Now when you ask my son
"what kind of haircut do you want Jack?"
he replies w/o hesitation ...on cue ...
"MULLET!"
oooh yes... mullet.
just you wait....when you have kids....noisy toys are coming your way ;)
yes they are....

...and.....before i sign off...

HANNI is a finalist in the Basic Grey's BE BOLD album contest!!!!
i'm so excited for her....she's such a sweet girl, and just so ridiculously talented, it's unfair ;)
she just awes me constantly....
anyway...congratulations dear Hanni.

And....ERIN has a BLOG!!! Which i'll have gabby link on mine...because, well, i won't lie...i don't know how. Love miss erin keener.....another sweet amazing talent i've been blessed to meet.

ok, i had a wonderful thanksgiving, and will hopefully have some FLOTILLA photos to share SOON. (not digital remember...slight delay)... have a good evening loveys xxxe

Happy Thanksgiving to you....

Getting ready for some REALLY amazing food... I can hardly wait!!!

Hope you all have a blessed Thanksgiving with those you love...xxe

ps. he made the team ;)

(the only one there that did)...YAY!!!!

more when I'm back Sunday......

Babies and baked goods.....

Ooooooh how cute is that baby???
That's Jack right after we moved here....
his first trip to the ocean.
He was so thrilled w/ himself...
Wow...is time flying or what?!?
I just had a moving company here giving an estimate on the move and I'm showing her all the schtuff we've accumulated and I realize how much I could get rid of if I could just decide about having another baby....
Babies have a lot of things for being so teeny....
Swings, carseats, saucers, highchairs, toys, cribs......holy cow.
Anyway......I think maybe I'm done, and then I see this baby face...and I know I'm not.
hmm.....I love babies.
Maybe that should be a prerequisite for my new neighbor...
"must have baby".
Maybe that would end the baby lust....
because really....
It's much easier now....with the boys older, potty trained...and somewhat manageable ;) sigh......

How is everyones turkey day festivities coming along?!? I'm heading to Gabby's on Thursday...SO excited. I LOVE Thanksgiving. Making pies and rolls tomorrow....yummm....
My house will smell lovely.......maybe someone will buy it if I throw in some baked goods?!?
OK, off to look at some houses in my "new town" ...so exciting...
and the big has tryouts for the travel (soccer) team there....see the trend....soccer...soccer and more soccer...yikes....I'll let you know how it all goes tomorrow....xxe

As heard in my van.....

"Mom....how many more days till Christmas?" -Colten

"Ummm...I'm not really sure? Maybe 40?" -Me

"Mom...how many more days till Easter?" -Jack

"Oh boy...I have no idea buddy, not for a long time" -Me

(question directed to Jack) "Why did you ask mom?" -Colten

"Why are you calling me mom?" -Jack

"I'm NOT....Why did you ask mom?" -Colten

"WHY ARE YOU CALLING ME MOM?" -Jack

"IM NOT! WHY DID YOU ASK MOM ABOUT EASTER?"-Colten

"I don't know...NOW STOP CALLING ME MOM!" -Jack

"erika needs"........

SO....Missy did it.....April did it....Colleen did it.....so of course I had to ;)
"But Mom...all the cool kids were doing it!!!"...yeah....yeah.....

So you go to google....and you type in your name and needs in quotes...like "erika needs"....
hit search...and write down the first 10 things.....
Funny funny stuff....

1. erika needs to eat a steak sandwich while doing sit-ups
2. erika needs her rest in order to be ready for the Ball.
3. erika needs coffee (true that)
4. erika needs to have research herself on Prometrium when she is talking to the doctor.
5. erika needs 2 shut up her fat ass.....(hmmm....THAT is not nice....)
6. erika needs devine healing
7. erika needs to have her own stamps to mail the letters.
8. erika needs to sing and work and be clean.
9. Walter, in all his youthful naivety, thinks that he will conquer the iron maiden's heart by wooing her, which is in fact the last thing erika needs.
10. erika needs to learn how to open up and trust again.

I do not need wooing from Walter...
I should probably do some sit-ups....minus the sammy, because lets face it....I can't even convince myself to do the sit-ups...much less coordinate eating AND doing them.....
#5 that was just not nice.....April can relate to google being hateful....
and that's all folks...xxxe

My weekend in review.....

See the well deserved medals to the right....
My son played a tournament this weekend, and walked away w/ 2nd place...pretty cool, huh?
The boys worked so hard....and the excitement was contagious.
I am sooo proud of that kid.
He's going to be such an amazing man....
He's such a cool kid...
Really.
Oh, and one of those medals is mine actually.
From the coach I feel never quite understands what I do for him as manager...well, he told the organization that he wanted a medal for me too.....ahhh-hhh...such a sweet gesture. ;)
Of course Jared was thrilled "Now you can SCRAP one mom!"...heehee....yep.....now I can.

My picnic basket has cooties,
which is a problem for a basket that is really designed to hold FOOD....
Yep....I bought it from a friend who is getting rid of her longaberger basket collection. (Sidenote. She would be one that "collects" the baskets, and has them all over her home...I have 4, well, 7 if you count the boys Easter baskets, but I wasn't)
OK, so I have been drooling over Gabby's picnic basket for 2 years now....so when I was offered one that is pristine for 1/2 price....I said heck yeah......my friend then had to go and get the flu.....like the flu flu...the coughing sniffling chills sick for weeks flu......but lucky me....she managed to bring the basket to me at preschool....cooties and all.....so now, the irrational hypochondriac (aka me) has the basket sitting on top of the frig....it's met the lysol....it's pretty....but I'm convinced it's going to somehow...give me the flu.....so it's just going to sit ....for a long, long time... no one can tell me otherwise.....

Froggy came to visit this weekend, Jack showed him a good time. Froggy is the preschool mascot....a stuffed red frog.
It was our weekend w/ Froggy, you keep a journal, and then Jack gets to share it w/ the class. Well, you realize this meant I "had" to scrap the visit...of course ;) The best part was that Jack did a number of drawings documenting the visit. The one I found most amusing was titled "Jack and Froggy go Swimming at the Hotel Pool" ...umm, we didn't go to a hotel, and in fact, we didn't go swimming. Funny funny kid that one.

Gabby came to visit Friday, and enabler that I am, I "helped" her spend a buttload on FABULOUS turkey day decor....
Ooo-la-la.....target has the best crap, really....I do love it so.
SO, my sister is going to be VERY martha this thanksgiving....I can't wait.
She got turkey goodies....I got a vacuum.....lame lame lame.
unfortunately for my coolness level....the vac was exciting for me....THAT is sad, very very sad.

Final note...if anyone knows something that might get RED gatorade out of the WHITE jersey (shown in the top photo).....help a sista out...ok? It's now a pink jersey....and w/ another tourney this weekend....this is BAD...very very BAD. And the laundry fairy is at a loss.

Nothing else tooo exciting to report from the weekend.
Pretty much just soccer and beautifying the house for the move....

Ok, one last picture, because he's soooo cute, I could just eat him up ;) xxxxe

Because I'm postally challenged.....

Missy....

This has been done for QUITE some time...
but alas....I SUCK at going to the post office...
(see the post below, under 2 truths, 1st one...uh-huh)...
ok, but I swear it will be there someday....when all these songs are really really old ;)
You know I still adore you....and I promise your cd won't move w/ me....

ok, now I'm leaving...
I'll post this weekend about my picnic basket that has cooties, and the frog that's "visiting" from preschool...
xxe

Dangnabit...I'm "IT"....

Is there no ghoul for these things?!?
Ghoul in Wisconsin-speak is "safe"...
You know...Can't tag me....nahnah...I'm on ghoul.....
When I say things like ghoul, or bubbler (water fountain)...or "where's the tyme machine?" (ATM)....people look at me like I'm from another planet.....
It's worse now, because I have sort of a southern-wisconian accent...and people are just like ...?!??!
ok,....anyway..I'm stalling...

here you go gab....

names you go by
1. erika
2. e....not much you can do w/ erika....sigh....

2 parts of your heritage
1. Swedish (a quarter)
2. German

2 things that scare you
1. Something happening to one of my boys
2. Flying...in planes...aka fear of heights.

2 of your everyday essentials
1. Blistex
2. Mascara

2 things you are wearing right now
1. grubby jeans
2. my flotilla t-shirt...almost flotilla time....awww-yeah...

2 of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment)
1. Jewel
2. DMB

2 favorite songs (at the moment)
1. Jesus Walks...Kanye West
2. Boyfriend...the little sister Simpson

2 things you want in a relationship (other than real love)
1. Laughter ...stole gab’s answer
2. Comfort

2 truths
1. I'm queen of all who procrastinate
2. I could easily be a vegetarian (Colin however could NOT) :)

2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex)
1. Eyes
2. Voice

2 of your favorite hobbies (besides scrapbooking??)<--- yes, that's the obvious
1. photography
2. reading..

2 things you want really badly
1. to be debt free
2. a lense for my camera that's not brokenish :(

2 places you want to go on vacation
1. Disney....I’m a dork w/ kids
2. Hawaii, but that involves flying....

2 things you want to do before you die
1. Go on vacation w/ just my husband
2. See my kids grow up to be happy adults

(Someday I'd like to open a photography studio also...but that's #3...and I only get 2) :)

2 ways that you are stereotypically a dude/chick
1. I have very stereotypical "jobs" around the house....mine and his.....(bad I know)
2. I'm very moody during a certain week of the month...and tend to become completely irrational then....sort of took your answer again huh gab? whoops...but true...."The shoes are in the trash"...ah yeah

2 things you are thinking about now
1. Moving...how I should be cleaning and not blogging...
2. Cleaning....how I am moving and shouldn't be blogging....noooo wait...er.....

2 stores you shop at
1. Target
2. MiniBoden

Whew.
xe
Oh wait....crap....who hasn't been "it" yet?!? ahhh, erica? ash? mara? you're it?!

We got the bottle....you got the cup.......

Come on everybody let's get ffffff...................
(Colin will now ask....why did you start your blog w/ that!?? It's sort of whatever gets stuck in my head babe..and beastie it is....;) )

Gabby said UPDATE...so I update...
Let's see...where to start?!? THAT is the question....
SOOO....I'm moving....I guess that's sort of big blog-worthy news.
This will be the reason for any unexplained longer then normal absences from the bloggage. We're staying in North Cack....this makes my sister and Jenny Rosser happy.
Which is really all that matters, right??? heehee...
We're moving to the coast, which makes me a little happy I think.
At least now I can actually (maybe) really have a "beachy cottage" that's not just in my head ;) ....nice thought anyway. I worry though because everyone here just says "OHHH, well, it's beautiful there....it's just very...umm....rural." Which can mean small town charming rural, or hellishly small and backwards rural... Praying for the charm....ohh yes, I am.
Trying to get my house ready to put on the market, which would explain why two things happened yesterday......
First happened while taking jack to school. Jared decided to "warm" up his english muffin....in the micro....for 2 minutes....on a tupperware mickey mouse plate.....came home to a house filled w/ toxic fumes....thanks j, that's going to be a real selling point. (At least he didn't burn the house completely down though, which is good.) He's now banned from all electrical appliances while I'm gone.
Second thing that happened......thank you karma......is that jack while running away from his attacking brothers, "forgot" to set down the red marker....and tripped....and now there is a LOVELY red line on my carpet....yet another fantabulous selling point.
AHHH YEAH.....

Nooo more moving talk though, cuz it makes me nervous.....
FUN news....
I am now sporting a VERY fabulous pink scarf....made by my only real ville-ian friend Jenny.
It's gorgeous...and has much flair, so I may wear my side ponytail w/ this one baby.
Thank you Jen, I adore it. If anyone wants one...let me know....she sells them....southern fab I tell you...
Except technically I'm not actually sporting it YET...as it's 85 degrees here today. ;)

Oh, I'm also losing my mind....which is, I guess, important news as well......
completely forgot today was pajama day at preschool...jack shows up fully clothed, do-rag and all, and his entire class, teachers included...were all in jammies. Of course, jack being jack...looked at them all like they'd lost their freaking minds....which made me giggle. I also brought vegetables for the food drive and it's tuna week.....soooo, hopefully my memory improves, or it could be a most interesting move.

Ok, my final note is that my friend HELENA has been lurking...and is now actually leaving comments, which makes me the HAPPIEST!!!!!
So this pic is for her.....
AREN'T THEY CUTE?!?!?!?!?
That's her gorgeous daughter Taylor...(aka my future daughter-in-law), and my Jared ......my ringbearer, and my flower girl.....dancing the night away....
jared was hot, hence the stripper attire (and pullup! HA!)....
Anyway love to my Helena and her beautiful trio of girls back in WI ...I miss you girl!!!!