Dude, where is everyone?

My email box is empty, there's little to no updates in my Google reader, and there's nothing going on in scrapworld it seems. I guess these really are the lazy days of summer. I have felt like doing nothing lately. Last week was crazy so I just feel like I needed to chill this week.
One HUGE thing to talk about this week is this:

This is Megan taking her very first steps on her own last Saturday! I set her on the grass out front (which I know, desparately needed to me mowed!)and she just decided to go for it! She stood up all by herself and took about 2 steps and then fell back down. She didn't give up, she just kept trying. It was so cute! She's of course still mostly crawling, but tonight she just walked across the room to me. So exciting! She'll be ready to run by the time we go on vacation next month!
I just finished a new miniBook this week too. It was my first attempt at a "clear" one. You can see it here
I don't have much else to report...Back to chillin for now.
See ya :)

Sinfully Delicious

Just look at it! Oh it's so good. And I don't even like chocolate that much. I know, I'm strange. This is a piece of the cake I made the other night. Thought I'd post the recipe just in case you were interested. Grab a glass of milk, or whatever sweet diluting beverage you prefer! The recipe comes from our church cookbook, but I think it's pretty common..I've seen it online a few times. In fact, while making this I referred to another version of it just so I could be sure my cookbook was right. It's LOADED with sugar. So, if your diabetic or watching your carbs, I don't recommend you even look at this cake!
It's very, very easy to make so don't let the whole "from scratch" thing scare you. Easy Peasy! If I can do it, certainly anyone else could.
Cake:
2 cups sugar (yes, 2 whole cups!)
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
Mix the sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla. Set aside. In a small saucepan, bring butter, water and cocoa to a boil. Beat cocoa mixture into the flower mixture until well blended. Beat in egg/buttermilk mixture. Poor into a 9x13 inch greased pan and bake at 350* for 30 minutes.
Mine took a bit longer than 30 minutes. Just do the toothpick trick to make sure it's done in the middle. You can also make this as a sheet cake in a cookie sheet/jelly roll pan, and reduce the cooking time to about 20 minutes.

The last 5 minutes of cooking time, start making the sinful frosting:
Frosting:
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
2 Tbsp cocoa
3 Tbsp milk
2 to 2 and half cups of powdered sugar (plan on using about a hole 16oz box) *yikes*
1/2 tsp. vanilla
In a small saucepan, stirring constantly, bring butter, cocoa and milk to a boil. Add vanilla and then beat in the powdered sugar until smooth. If it's too stiff, add a little milk. You can also mix in some chopped nuts, but me personally...I don't think nuts and chocolate should me mixed. I know, I'm strange.
Now, take that frosting and poor it over the hot cake! YUMMM. This cake is best eaten warm, right out of the oven. But if you make it in advance, you could certainly zap it in the microwave for (seriously) only 5 or 6 seconds.
Delicious! Let me know if you try it. Back to normal posts tomorrow!

uhhh, yeah....I've got another mess to clean up. As you can see. Yesterday's recipe: Dunkin Hines baby! All you need is a Pampered Chef Easy Accent Decorator, and you can make anything look delicious! Today's recipe is from SCRATCH and it is OH SO DE-Licious and FATening! I will post it tomorrow maybe or over the weekend.
Pictures: yep, all the recent uploads, including today, yesterday and the banner were taken with the new Canon. The banner was taken strait out of the box. Gotta love it.
Ok, clean up time! see ya :)

I have a huge mess to clean up now. See ya :)

Dessert week in the Wilcox house

MMMMMM blackberry cobbler. Made this on Sunday just to be nice to Pete and I got "this is really good". Which is saying a lot. He usually doesn't complement food too often. I'm calling this week "dessert week" because dang if I'm not making 3 desserts this week....maybe even more. I made the blackberry cobbler on Sunday. (you can find the recipe here...this is a totally awesome blog by the way...oh and her regular blog is pretty cool too..) Anyways, tomorrow night I'm making cupcakes for Jake to take to Grandma's Wednesday...it's his birthday :) THEN Wednesday night I'm making a chocolate cake to take to work for someone elses birthday. Dessert week for sure. Saturday I'm thinking of making homemade ice cream...it's what we always did for birthdays when I was little and I'd like to make it a tradition for my kids too...since both their b-days are in August.
I hope I don't gain all my weight back before I go to Hawaii!...This is why I'm eating Lien Cuisine for lunch all week.
This is very interesting and kind of really sad. I saw it on someone elses blog. I've heard of this website before, but I guess I didn't really think it was real?? I don't know I never gave it much thought, but this video kinda makes you step back and think a bout the world.
That's all I got. I will be practicing with the new camera this week....which I have another story about but will have to wait...I need to get to bed.

Hey there Gorgeous...

Look at her...isn't she beautiful? Her battery is being charged right now. I can't wait to play with her! Ok, I'll stop refering to it as "her".
Thanks so much for the bit of advice...I really took all of it into consideration. I really don't think I could have gone wrong with either one..the Canon or the Nikon. I chose the Canon because it just felt right when I held it...and man that shutter speed blew me away! Oh, yeah and I got a really good deal. I told the guy at Best Buy that Fry's had this same camera for 649 including a 2G memory card and he believed me....when I went back and looked at the add..it really didn't included the memory card. oopsie. His bad for not checking. I so wish I can get to know this camera and get to know it's full potential.
Thanks Mom!!! You have no idea how awesome this is!! :)

little bit of randomness

Thought I'd better post while I have the chance...Pete is still up at the ranch and won't be home for another 1/2 hour or so...Kids are sleeping soundly so I'm taking advantage.
I'm totally rested up from the time off work and camping trip. Seriously it was just SO needed. I actually had some work to do today. It felt good to have something to do! I actually only cruised SIS maybe like 3 or 4 times. That's totally sayin' something! Cuz dudes, if I'm not careful, they're like totally going to kick me off that site too.
Sunday I got home from camping, uploaded all my pics to Costco and picked them up Monday afternoon. I am SO loving Costco right now. One hour photo, totally awesome quality. Only, I swear I picked matte finish and they gave me glossy. I really don't like glossy, but oh well. Every time I get pics back I think I have to scrap them like RIGHT NOW. The only thing is....is that without some thoughtful preparation...the pages turn out kind of so-so. So I haven't posted any to any galleries or anything. I'm just kinda holding on to them for now to see if they maybe grow on me or something. I'm totally feeling the need to refurbish my stash. I have to admit, I'm one that totally gets inspired by NEW stuff. I LOVE having new stuff. I'm also really content to use what I got, too....because I'm totally cheap. If I think I can "make-do" with something else, I will. Maybe it's all the CHA stuff that is plastered on all the scrap sites...total overload with all the coolest new stuff. Makes me want it. Seriously, scrapbook companies hardly need to pay for marketing. They can practically get it for free. It's like: "Paper? Someone said paper?...oooohhhh paaaaperrr....Must have new paaappperr." Ok, I'm getting weird. But I know you girls know what I'm talking about. It's a serious addiction. Where is the 12 step program? I need rub-ons....and chipboard...
Ok, wow...that was a tangent!
Cameras! So yeah, mom graciously donated to the "Corey needs camera fund" and I get to get a DSLR! Whooo Hooo! Problem: I still don't know which one to get! I totally thought I knew. I was all stoked up for the Nikon D40...which is Nikon's newest DSLR/comparable to the D50 (which is what Melissa has) It's really reasonably priced, has AWESOME reviews on EVERY site I've looked at. I even went to Flicker camera finder, and guess what, the thing takes freakin radical pics. Ok so why the debate then, right? Well, Monday I head over to Best Buy (seriously, why they call themselves Best Buy, I will never know. They are freaking expensive!!) Anyways, I felt I really needed to HOLD the camera....and of course they had the Canon Rebel sitting there too. So I feel I really need to hold BOTH of the cameras. Uhhh. They are really both awesome. First-the Canon....LIGHTNING fast shutter speed. I mean it almost was scary how fast that thing shoots. AWESOME. Nikon-still pretty fast, but NOTICEABLY slower. How much does this matter? I don't know. The LCD screen on the Nikon was very noticeably larger than the Canon, and the menu seemed slightly more user friendly. Also, ALL the reviews of the Canon are awesome too. So I'm just torn. I don't want to spend all this money and find out I bought the wrong camera. But it kind of seems like I can't go wrong with either of these. I'm not a professional, nor do I ever expect to be. This is my first SLR and honestly, I'm not really going to know what to do with it! I'm really looking forward to learning a LOT more about photography. So with all that said...I'm going to pose this question one more time just to get a consensus....Canon? Or Nikon? Which would you rather have. I know Chrissy and Melissa both have either and both are happy so any opinions, pros or cons would be greatly appreciated!
Ok, off to bed!

I *heart* camping

Hi there! Been gone a long time from here! Now that I can't blog at work, I really have no time. But I'm not going to dwell on that anymore. It is what it is. I made this bed, now I've got to lie in it.

Ok back to stuff.....We went camping this weekend. Camping is probably one of my favorite things to do...besides scrapbooking and going to Disneyland. We didn't go camping last year because by summer, I was just about ready to pop with Megan. We almost didn't even make it this time. We were supposed to leave Thursday night after Pete got home from work. But he had some ranch stuff to take care of and didn't get home till 7:30. There was no way we were going to go up at that point. Anyways, we got up early Friday morning and got to the campground around 11:30 and stayed until Sunday afternoon. I love camping, but you know, I never realized until I got older, how much work it is! The planning, the gathering of stuff, the cooking and the cleaning. I never realized how hard my mom worked every time we went camping when I was growing up. But despite all that, I still had a great time. I still love it and want to go again. It was nice just to get away and relax. We both, but especially Pete, really needed it. It was hard pulling him away from work and the ranch. I know he kept thinking of all the other stuff he could be and should be doing. But I knew if I could just get him up there, he'd enjoy himself. I was totally right. He really kicked back and enjoyed the nothingness of the weekend. It was just what he needed. For reals.

This time we met friends, Mike and Erin, up at Spicer Reservior. It's about 2-2 1/2 hours from here in the Sierra mountains. Spicer is a beautiful lake surrounded by granite rocks and pine trees. Mike and Erin got up there on Thursday and got us a spot. They've got 3 kids. Matt-5, Amanda 3, and Ryan-9 months. The kids had such a great time. I was a little worried because Matt and Jake don't usually get along all that well. But they did great this weekend. They played HARD and were good to eachother. Amanda did pretty good too....she tries real hard to keep up with those boys. She likes to boss Jake around but he will have nothing of it. No little girl is going to tell him what to do! The babies were great. Really, they were. Some people would probably think we're crazy taking little babies into the woods for the weekend...but really it was pretty easy. Erin and I just tagged teamed them when ever we could. I would feed them both and she would be cooking or cleaning up. OR the other way around. It worked out great and the babies really seemed to enjoy each others company. Yep, they got dirty, but so what. Pete brought our solar shower. He bought it years ago and has never used it. What a great thing! It's basically a little tent and you hang a big 10 gallon water bag from it and it has a shower head on it. It's not like the shower at home, but it will get you clean in a pinch. We used it both days to get the boys cleaned up as they were the dirtiest. Oh yeah! I almost forgot...Saturday was my birthday. Yep, I'm the big 3-0 now. Jeeze. Anyways, my dad came up to the campground Saturday afternoon. It was great. I haven't seen him in a really long time. He brought up a cake, a really pretty necklace for me and a big gawdy beach bag for when we go to Hawaii! So nice! They stayed all afternoon and took the kids for walks and just hung out with us all. Good times. :)

One more thing.....Thanks to my mom, I get to get the best birthday present ever! I'm all giggly over it! I finally get to get the camera I've been obsessing about! woo hoo!!!! THANKS MOM! You rock!!

Ok here is a slide show of the weekend. Enjoy!

Letting go

So Jake has found himself a new friend in the neighborhood. He's a little older than Jake...I think he starts Kindergarten this year. His name is Cody and he is a really great kid. Doesn't mind at all that Jake is a little less sophisticated than he is. Extremely well mannered. He's very generous and shares. Jake says "hey Cody, look at my new shoes!" Cody says "hey buddy, those are super!" He's just a real cool little kid. Jake saw him outside last night and I let him go out front and play for a little while. It was late though, already 8 o'clock so I only let him stay out for about 20 minutes. Cody promised Jake he'd come over tomorrow and knock on his door so they could play again. So he came knocking about 11:30 this morning.
So, why am I over here pacing the floor, peeking out the windows to make sure Jake is alright? I keep thinking to myself...Maybe I should go get him. (he's only been over there for 45 minutes) Every time I hear a car coming, my heart races just a bit, hoping he's not standing in the middle of the street. I told Jake he had to stay outside and could not go in their house. I'm paranoid for what reason, I have no idea. I met Cody's dad last night. Nice guy. So what the heck am I worried about? My kid is so good, he's not stepped one foot in the house over there.
So anyways, what the heck is wrong with me? When did I turn into this crazy protective hovering mother bird? When I was a kid, even as young as Jake, me and the kids in my neighborhood ran all over the place. My best friend (she's still my best friend today) Kari and I met each other when we were 3. We were constantly at each others houses, walking in unannounced...So why can't I let go of Jake like my mother did with me? I know times are different then they were in the 80's. But still. Did my mother have little panic attacks like this too? He's turning 4 in 2 weeks, certainly I can let off the leash a tiny bit? It just freaks me out that he's growing up. And that obviously, I'm not good enough entertainment anymore! LOL!
Really, I'm so happy he has someone to play with. I know how bored I used to get growing up.
Anyways, so I better go check on him, right? Right.

*Scrap-a-licious*

Been doing a lot of scrappin this week. Most of them are just kind of git-er-done type. But hey, they're done and they're in the book. The last one is my favorite.

Trouble, trouble, toil and bubble...

Or however that goes...
Not a whole bunch to talk about but I feel like I better post now or ya'll won't hear from me for days. I got in Blog Trouble. Apparently, I've been spending just a tad too much time on the 'ol internet at work. Yeah. Came in to work Thursday, there was no emails and no files...the start of another boring day. So what do I do...I start pulling up my favorite blogs, of course. And then *BAM!* "ACCESS DENIED DUE TO SOCIAL NETWORKING". What?? WTH?? Every single blogger site I tried, I got the same stinkin message. Freakin heck. What do they expect me to do now? They made my every day hell just that much worse. Funny, I can access Typepad accounts and Yahoo groups, but no Blogger. It's really making me hate my job! LOL!! I say LOL, because really, you almost just have to laugh. It's like....uggggg!!!! I don't even know!
The thing is, there is just nothing to do at work. Nothing. I maybe work on one or two files a day. That's it. It's so bad, that I even went out and bought puzzle books. I've been sitting at my desk desperately trying to figure out how to play Sudoku (does anyone have a trick? Sudoku is Su-dinkin' hard!!!) You'd think they'd lay me off by now, you know? I mean this is not just a phase, it's been like this for months and months. Since April. (that's when I started this job btw) I seriously don't' know how much more I can take. I'd call in sick, but I haven't accrued any sick time yet...and I really need the money. The worst part of everything is that you know, I sit there all day and twiddle my thumbs...My 2 beautiful children are practically being raised by their grandmother (at least it is her...I have that to be thankful for) But I'm gone for 12 hours a day and do nothing. I've got an hour and a half ~ 2 hours every evening to get in the door, get dinner going, eat, clean up, get baths, put jammies on and get them back in bed. Oh yeah, then after that we do laundry, pick up, take our own showers and then try and get in bed ourselves at a decent hour; so I'm not late to work; so I can twiddle my thumbs for 9 hours...AGAIN. That's the worst part. Sitting there with my thumb up my @$$ (please excuse the vulgarity--just keepin real, you know) knowing there is so much more important stuff I could be doing. And then they go and take away Blogger! So, could you guys all switch over to Typepad for me? LOL!! Just kidding. I'm going to try bloglines to see if that will work, but they block all kinds of stuff out of my email too. buggers.
That's all I got. Pete is at the ranch the rest of the weekend. I think they're stringin' fence today. My mom was here this morning for a while..we had a good little visit. That's it. Nothin else new.

I *heart* cowboys

Good Lord. Isn't he the cutest?! Oh, I just want to squeeze him! This is Jake when he was about 18 months old. He got himself in Pete's boots all by himself. I topped him off with daddy's hat . I dug up this picture last night because I just thought it fit so appropriately!
I just have a thing for cowboys. Every time I see a man in cowboy hat and Wranglers, I get a little tingle. Maybe it's the fact that cowboys are real men. They work hard and they sweat. Maybe it's that they can wrassle a cow to the ground! We live in a pretty suburban area...but Tracy is surrounded by dairy farms, creameries, cattle ranches and alfalfa fields. It's not uncommon to see a stray cow on the road. Or to see a cowboy in Safeway. Which I did last night. This man was so good looking! Good lord. He was dirty, and had leathery tanned skin and a mustache. If he had a southern accent, I might have melted right there. He was way older than me, but men just seem to get more handsome as they get older, you know? Why is that? Do not get me wrong people, I love Pete. And he is HOT. I don't now how I snagged me such a good looking man. But I still have quite an affection for cowboys. Like some women have a thing for guys in uniform (which I like too!). Maybe it was growing up listening to country music. Or the fact that my Pa-Pa had every single John Wayne movie on video. Or maybe that my Pa-Pa himself was a born and raised Texan and he didn't leave the house without his cowboy hat. My dad is a little rough around the edges himself. Really, I think even though I try and deny it, I am a country girl at heart.

Just Because...

Here are some pictures just because :o)

I like the lighting on this one...


Jake took this one:
Nothing really to report. Been a lazy, lazy weekend. I was going to go to my dad's but I was just lazy. I didn't want to drive all the way up there by myself. Pete was at the ranch all weekend. (They now have all the post holes dug for the fence.) I did go to the GAP outlet yesterday and scored some capri pants for $6.99. They're Army green, but hello! $6.99. You can not pass a deal like that up. Do you ever have those days where you have some cash burning a hole in your pocket but you just can't find anything to spend it on? Yesterday was kind of like that. I was really going shopping looking for stuff for Megan. She's really growing out of stuff fast. And I haven't gotten my supply of hand-me-downs from my best friend up in Sacramento for a while. But I swear...every baby in Tracy must be her same size. Cuz there was nothing. So I was going for her and ended up with pants for me and flip flops for Jake. Couldn't pass those up either because they had the strap around the back (cuz he just won't wear regular ones) and they were only $3 dollars. Walked out of the GAP with 2 cool things for less than 12 bucks.
We also made the weekly round to Target. Actually, now that I think about it...since I've started my new job I think I go Target 3 or 4 times a week now cuz it's so close to my office. But anyway, I went there for a purpose...to get Jake a new car seat. Megan is still cruising in her infant seat (because I'm lazy and cheap) But she is really, really growing out of that. And, in another month she'll be able to sit front-ways. She needs Jake's seat. And he too, is growing out of his seat. So anyways I've been doing light research...found a good deal on a Graco booster at Target for $50 bucks. So I head strait back to the baby/kids/car seat isle...and wouldn't you know it....They are out of just about every car seat on the isle. Out of the 20 different car seats they had on display...they only had like 2 boxes down below. And both of those were infant seats. So there went that idea. (yes, i did ask someone if they had any in the back...but of course, they did not have the one I wanted)
So, there ya have it. I got nothin! Boring weekend. Hope yours is supercalifradulousticexpialidosious. Not sure how you really spell that. But you know what I mean. :)

Not myself yesterday

Do you ever feel like someone or something else has taken over your mind and body? No really. I'm serious. Yesterday I was just not myself. Something else was controlling my brain.
Example 1:
Wednesday night I got my CK magazine in the mail. I flip through it briefly and see an add for the Nikon D40. I think to myself...hmm, I think that's the camera Melissa says she uses. I see they have a special website for this particular camera...they gave it out in a town in SC to 200 people and let them use it. Huh, I think, maybe I'll check that out tomorrow at work. I shut the magazine, put it by my purse so I remember to take it with me the next day, and I go about my evening as usual. So, I get here to work yesterday and of course I've finished my daily duties within the first 20 minutes of my day. So I pull out my mag and start flipping through....And there I see that add once again for the Nikon. So, I pull up the website and start browsing. Then all of a sudden, it was like my brain went, "click", and that extra terrestrial possession took over. All of a sudden my brain was telling me I had to have this camera. No. I NEEEEEDED to have this camera. Now. OCD clicked in and I started completely obsessing over it. I went to every website I could find with reviews, like Consumer Reports and Best Buy and all kinds of other ones. I considered going down to Wolfe Camera on my lunch break to check it out. I started plotting how I was going to obtain said camera. Where could I get the money? Maybe I could apply for a credit card and get it! Yeah!
Ok, wait...let me back up a second.....You might think this is normal behavior. But for me it is SO not. This camera is like $600. I do not spend money. For essentials, yes. Scrapbook stuff, yes, but I haven't bought one SB thing in 2 months. *gasp* I freak out when I go to Target and spend over $100 bucks. I. do. not. spend. money. Especially on frivialise things for myself. I also have this thing were if I can't pay cash for it, then I don't need it. (except for, of course, a house, a car, etc...) I don't have credit cards. So thinking of applying for a credit card just to get something I think I need is just completely out of character for me. fast forward...
So, I'm sitting at my desk and I just can't stop thinking about the camera. I call Pete. He's at work:
Me: Hi. Can I spend $600 dollars?
Pete: Huh?....What? What??! No! I gotta go.
Me: dang it.
We hang up. He didn't even ask me what I wanted to buy. More internet browsing..... Then my mom calls on my work phone:
Me: (in the spirit of every good only child) Mom, could I borrow $600 dollars?
Mom: What for?
Me: a new camera.
Mom: No.
Me: Please?
Mom: No.
Me: But I said please!
Dang it!.........Dang it, dang it! Why does no one understand that i MUST have this camera now?
Well, I still kept thinking about it all day. I talked to Pete about it again when he got home. He actually said I could have it. Just not yet. So now, I've stopped obsessing. He said we could probably get it before we go to Hawaii. *yeah!* We'll see. I might have a panic attack in the store and put it back. ( I do that sort of thing all the time)

Example 2 of brain take over:
Again, this happened yesterday. I'm on my way home (still thinking about the Nikon) and I stop at a red light. The car next to me goes right on through the red light. hey, that guy just ran a red light. I watch the cross traffic go....I watch pedestrians cross the street. The light is still red. And I'm looking right at it. All of a sudden my right foot lifts off the break, moves over to the accelerator and I move forward. I'm in the middle of the intersection when I look up and the light is still blaring red. WTH?!!! I just full on ran that red light after sitting there for like at least 60 seconds. What in the heck possessed me to go? It was so strange. I gasped out loud and looked around. And everyone is staring at me. What was I to do but keep going? Luckily, there was no cross traffic, and there were no pedestrians and about 5 or 6 seconds later the light actually did turn green.
Has this ever happened to you? It was just crazy!
*sigh* That's all I got I guess. Hoping for a good weekend. I think I'm going to go see my dad tomorrow. :)

Too.Much.Coffee.

Blagh. Why do I do this to myself? I've only in the past maybe 2 years or so decided that I like coffee. I am a coffee wimp. For those of you that go to Starbucks and order a Vente anything I say wow. If I order a Grande, that is pushing it. Mostly I can only handle a Tall. Anyways today I got here to work and for some reason I decided I needed 2 cups of coffee. I dont' know. Maybe it's the fact that I think I'm mildly lactose intolerant or just coffee in general is just too harsh for my system. But I'm practically bent over typing this. My tummy is just in knots right now! Note to self: ONE CUP IS ENOUGH. Blagh, blagh, blahg!
I digress...
I almost forgot my friend Ronda tagged me the other day. So here goes. 7 random things about me. (I don't know why, but this was kind of hard!)

1. I have never, ever, ever dyed my hair. Not even highlights. And I'm paranoid to do it. My hair is my one thing. People pay lots of money trying to get this color. Mine is natural so I figure why mess with it?
2. I sound like a little girl. Solicitors call my house and ask if my parents are home. If I'm in a particularly good mood, I'll tell them No, they left three days ago for the store and I haven't seen them since...I'm all alone and really scared. And then I quickly hang up. I'm sure I'll be punished somehow for that one, huh? I know, I'm evil aren't I? Bad Corey!
3. When I was in grade school and Jr. High I played the clarinet. In 7th grade I switched to the bass clarinet. They are huge. I was a nerd. I loved it.
4. I am scared of heights. Like if I'm on a ride at an amusement park, that's ok...But if I'm in a tall building I can't get near a window without feeling dizzy. (and I just happen to work on the 10th floor of this building!) Same thing if I'm in the mall on the 2nd story. Total freak out.
5. I'm also freaked out about escalators. I hate them. I'll ride them, but I have to really concentrate when getting on and off. I'm scared that my shoe lace will get stuck, or I'll trip getting on or off. And then there's the heights factor again. And the dizziness sets in.
6. i love scrapbooking. but you probably already knew that.
7. I had braces for about 4 years. Got them right about the time I started playing the bass clarinet. Great mix...red hair, freckles, braces and a band geek.

Well, that's all I got. I tag anyone who hasn't done this one yet. I know it's been going around for quite a while now. So if you haven't done it yet, DO IT! Cuz I said so. ;o)

Where, oh where have I been?

Settle in, get a snack...this might be a long one....
So, where have I been? Well, nowhere interesting. Why did I take a break? Well, I thought if I posted one more time about how boring my job is...you all might just think I was crazy. I went back and read some of my older posts and I just thought, wow...I sound so negative. I sound like I'm not a happy person. It just wasn't good. Because really, I AM a happy person. I really am. I was digging through some old stuff and found my journal from 12th grade English class. Dude, seriously, I was like Dang, do I EVER have anything positive to say? I remember my senior year being one of the best of my life...yet there in the journal it sounded like it was horrible. I talked about how bored I was all the time. (Sound familiar!?? ha ha ha!) But I realized something...that's just how I am. I've always used writing as a way of venting. I'm so afraid of confrontation that I tend to bottle up everything inside and let it out here. So anyways, I just needed a break. I needed to just hang out and enjoy life. I needed to relish in the positive and good. I spent time thinking, thinking, thinking. I'm an only child. Only children are great thinkers! I spent time reading, and scouring the Internet for creative inspiration, cuz that's kind of been a no-go lately too. I tried my hand at some art cards. I really liked my first one, but uh after that one I just couldn't do any more. We had BBQ last weekend and hung out with good friends. (here's Pete with his mouth wide open and a farmers tan. And Megan center stage on the table) We haven't done that in forever. It was really fun. On Wednesday (4th of July) it was just us. Just me and Pete and the kids. And that was really fun too. We just hung out and enjoyed the company of each other. It took some coaxing, but I finally got Pete to go up to the pool. (There's Jake with his silly floatation device that does absolutely nothing....especially since he will hardly get in the water!)We just had fun. Together.

And then there's me... (not bad, eh? I've lost about 15 pounds since January. Yeah for me!)

I've been thinking of my upcoming birthday. Yes it's the big 3-0. Dude, I have no idea what my problem is, but I can't even say it out loud. I can't even write it. One of my good friends had her birthday in January and it was like I could barley wish her a happy birthday. That is horrible isn't it? How selfish am I? Jeez. But in my mind it was like if I acknowledged that SHE was 30 then I had to accept the fact that I too was going to be 30. I certainly don't want to be 20 again. That is for sure. It was a fun time then, but I'm over it. I'd take 25 in a heart beat I suppose, or 26 because I was a mommy by then. And surely, I wouldn't give that up for anything. I've been married for 7 years. I've owned 2 houses, and I have a good job. I've been an adult for quite a while. But for some reason 30 seems like the point of no return. It's like once you hit 30 that's it. You have to be responsible and be a real grown up. At least that's what my head thinks. I know in my heart it doesn't really matter. I'm a firm believer in "you're only as old as you feel". And I don't feel much older than say...... 26 :o) I've been thinking of what's to come in the next 10 years. And I've decided that my 30's are really going to be great. I have 2 little kids that are going to grow up to be teenagers in the next 10 years. I remember how much I loved being a kid and I totally have that to look forward to with my kids. I've got little league, and soccer and ballet and piano lessons; summer vacations, kindergarten, and school plays all to look forward to. The last few years have been tough. You know, car seats and strollers and bottles and diapers. That's all about to go away. Yes, I've enjoyed it all but I feel like there's a whole new beginning out there waiting. So, I've accepted it. 25 days from now I will celebrate happily, the first anniversary of my 29th birthday!

Anyways, I need to get to bed. So more later I suppose.

Here's to enjoying life!

tick,tock...

30 days till the 1st anniversary of my 29th birthday. *sigh*
Still officially on my blog break as I don't have anything inspiring to talk about. I've been working on a few things though...
Happy 4th of July everyone!! Today is my favorite holiday and I plan on making a good day out of it. Even if someone (a.k.a. PETE) is being a party pooper right now.

taking a bloging break

be back soon
*hugs*
-Corey

Tagged...

I've been tagged! Thanks Melissa for keeping me occupied at work!
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?My great grandma was named Cora.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?mmmmmm...I don't remember but it was probably yesterday.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?Most of the time.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Turkey
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yep 2. Jake and Megan
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?Totally yes because I'm really cool
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? see #6 but honestly, not a whole lot.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yep
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Never ever, ever. Not in a million years
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I don't really like cereal but if I have to...something boring like Special K
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? heck no. Does anyone?
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Not at all.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Vanilla. boring huh?
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Teeth
15. RED OR PINK? Today? Pink. Tomorrow maybe red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? I'm too sensitive
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Grandma
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Sure, why not!
19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? No pants. I'm wearing a black skirt and black shoes.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Southwest Chicken Salad from McDonalds. Not bad. But that was yesterday at lunch. Yeah, I'm kinda hungry now.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? People in my office talking...Keybords clicking.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Orange
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Pete's face after he shaves. My kids fresh out of the tub.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Somebody from L.A...work related
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Totally, she rocks!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Basketball
27. HAIR COLOR? Red
28. EYE COLOR? Brown
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Nope
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Mexican.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Scarry movies with happy endings. I totally like both
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Flicka
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? White
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? 100% SUMMER. I HATE to be cold
35. HUGS OR KISSES? hugs
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? ummm I don't know. Who ever is bored like me.
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Jude. Because she takes forever between posts! :o)
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? ummm I think it's called Vanished. I can't remember who wrote it. But it's really good! I'm almost done with it.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Apparently, my company is too cheap for mouse pads. 41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Nothing. :o)
42. FAVORITE SOUND? my kids laughing at eachother
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Totally Beatles. But like before Srgt. Pepper. "Yesterday" will always be one of my favorite songs
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Washington DC
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? ummm I don't know. My thumbs are double jointed. 46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? North Hollywood, CA.
47. WHAT SUPERPOWER WOULD YOU LIKE? me and Jake both would like to be able to fling webs at eachother like Spiderman.

I tag............BEM and Carla

So, I've really been trying to persevere through the boredom today and not post. Not because I didn't want to post, but because I don't want to bore you all or make you all think I'm a boring or unhappy person. Sometimes it's so much easier to see negative things. Why IS that? It should totally be opposite. There are so many good things right in front of us. I've been searching online all day. I've been looking at container gardens. Gardens in general are just inspirational. It's living art, really. I've been looking at container gardens because I live in a very small space. My house is large enough....but the space IT dwells in is not. We don't have too much yard, it's really just a small patio. I've really been wanting to spruce it up. It's dusty and dirty out there. And the plants I do have look a little bleak. I am no green thumb. That would be my mother. But I think gardening in containers...such as terra cotta pots and things like that might be something I could tackle. I have been able to keep my african violet alive for 2 years now...and it blooms profusely all the time. Everyone I know always says their african violets never bloom. I figure I must be doing something right. Right? So anyways, that's on my list of to-do's. That list, by the way, seems to grow bigger everyday. I have a list for so many things. List of scrapbook pages, list of new artsy things I want to try, list of things to buy, list of places to go, and looky here....here's a list of lists. See how easily lists are created? My list of creative things to do has just been growing and growing. Partly from this nothing to do all day and then combined with the power of the internet. So much coolness out there. Like this. Most of you crafty ones have probably been to this blog before. But if you haven't...its pretty neat. These two ladies live on different coasts and every day they post a picture of their morning. Just pictures. No words. In all my boredom today, I browsed through all 150 (or something like that) days. It's amazing how something so mundane can be so visually beautiful and inspiring. And then there is this. Daily art cards. Really, really cool. And my friend Kim has been doing some of her own. This last one is super cute! Sitting here all day with nothing to do, sure makes me dream about all things I could be doing! I keep thinking I could tackle these art cards, but so far I have yet to start any. And of course there is Kal. My goodness. Nuff said. Right now as I type this, I've got 10 different things going through my head about different projects I want to do. I'm meant for more than this. I just know it. If I think lightly about the first 6 months of 2007, I'd probably not have very many positive things to say about this year. But truly, when I really think about, this year has really been a lot about self discovery for me. I'm really learning about who I want to be and what I really want to do. (when I grow up! ha ha ha!)
Well, I guess I better be off. I just got a call from my MIL. Jake just threw up. *ugh* i don't get it. I don't know what it is wrong.