Happy New Year!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy New Year and I hope 2008 is the best year ever for everyone!
We will be home celebrating in front of our new fireplace! My parents will be coming over tomorrow.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Moving Day is over, well sort of.....

We got most of the essentials on the truck, but need to make a couple more trips for the stuff out of the garage and cleaning up. It is so nice to be in our BIGGER home! There is so much more room. My muscles hurt, but that is a good thing, right?

Jaden picked out his room. He seems very excited! Cassidy also seems very excited! I think they love the new house!

Now, for our old landlord....

Jeff is talking with her right now. She is wanting us to have the house painted and the carpet cleaned. Wow! Unbelievable! I think we would rather her keep our deposit and do it herself. I think that is what she is agreeing to do. UGH! We are on a month to month lease and we gave her a thirty day notice. I am just furious. Jeff is so much more calm than me! He can deal with those things so much better than me!

I will have Christmas pictures posted in a few days!

Christmas Eve (again)

Christmas Eve was a blast. Now, the kids are both sleeping and we are waiting for Santa! ;)

Jaden and I made cookies today while Cassidy took her nap. They got their bathes and we headed to church. Jaden and Cassidy did not sit well through the service, so Daddy and Cassidy spent half the service in the atrium.

We came home and the kids each got to open one present! Those were a big hit. Jaden sprinkled reindeer food outside, wrote a letter to Santa, and set out the cookies and milk! He doesn't seem very excited, but I think that he really is! Merry Christmas everyone!

(Jaden and I thought it would be a good idea for him to be shirtless while making cookies! LOL)

The kids love their new toys:

And now, the kids are ready for bed!

Merry Christmas Eve!

We are so excited today. We can't wait for Santa to come tonight.

It's almost here.....

.....and I am prepared! I have all of the gifts bought and the stocking stuffers. Jeff is making a last run today. I have an order for buckeyes I need to make today. Tomorrow will be filled with baking and cleaning. We can't wait for Santa to get here. We will make cookies for Santa, make more buckeyes for the family, sprinkle reindeer food in the yard, go to church, and open one gift! We can't wait. I just love Christmas time!
Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Santa Claus is here!

Well, the kids finally went to see Santa. Jaden was so excited. He couldn't wait to tell him he wanted a pirate ship and a camera. H practically jumped into his lap. As for Cassidy, she wasn't too thrilled. Poor thing yelled for Daddy as she sat on his lap. Maybe next year she will be excited!

We are still packing (slowly). Jaden is counting down the days until Christmas. He is so excited this year. I have tried not to pack anything in the living room, so it will look as normal as possible on Christmas morning.

Jaden and I made buckeyes this morning for Jeff to take to work tomorrow. I hope the guys enjoy it! It is one of Jeff's favorite candies.

Christmas Party!

We had so much fun yesterday at my Uncle's John and Aunt Judy's Christmas party. They always come up with cute little games to play! The kids had a great time! They got to open some gifts! They loved them. I tried to get a cute picture of the kids by the Christmas tree, but that is almost impossible. Jaden was a shepherd in church yesterday. That was the cutest thing. He really loves to get on stage! He didn't sing though, LOL! He was the cutest little shepherd up there!

We are looking forward to getting into our new house. There are boxes piled everywhere in our house. I can't wait to get them moved! I just want the moving process to be over with. But, I am very thankful that I am home to do this slowly and we are not rushed.

Jaden is looking forward to Christmas. Only 8 days left! We still haven't mailed out our cards yet, and the kids have yet to see Santa. Wow, the time flies by. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Snow!

We are stuck inside today. Jaden was suppose to have basketball this morning. Then, he had musical practice at church and we were going to see Santa afterward. Well, looks like our plans have changed. The snow has been falling for several hours. Basketball was cancelled and I am sure that the practice will be too. So, we will probably come up with some crafts to do, that does not require food! LOL
Tomorrow, we are heading out of town for a Christmas party at my Uncle's house. That will be fun. We look forward to that every year! We will be going to church in the morning instead of evening so we can see Jaden in the Christmas musical. I can't wait! I will try to get some pictures.
Have a great weekend and be careful out there!

Boxes and more boxes!

Well, our life pretty much consists of stuffing things in boxes right now. We have 23 days until we move, but with Christmas coming, we know the time will go by fast. I am trying to get as much stuff packed now so we won't be in a rush when it comes. Luckily, Jeff will be taking vacation when we move!

So far, it doesn't look like these are going to go smooth with our landlord (even though we gave her 30 days notice!). She is upset that it is Winter and she will have a hard time renting it out in the winter. And because, she has to keep the house heated until it is rented. Wow! I can't even believe the things she said to Jeff. At church Sunday, we just learned how we should not play the victim. And, wow, our landlord is really playing the victim! Did she think we were going to live here forever? We are on a month to month lease and all we had to do was give 30 days notice. I really don't know why she is complaining. I pray that things go a little more smoothly.

Now, we are on to Jaden's friends house then, back home for more cleaning and packing.

We bought a house!

We have finally bought a house. We decided to move to Indy because of Jeff's job. He will only be 20 minutes away from work now! That will be so nice.

I am so excited about buying our first house, but also nervous. I hope the nervousness goes away soon. The payment is much higher than what we have now and it will be starting all over again! That makes me nervous. We will still be coming back here to go to church every Sunday.

Here are some pictures

Entry:

Living Room:

Kitchen and nook area:

Master Bedroom:

SNOW!

Jaden had so much fun in the snow yesterday. I always love when it snows!

We made some Christmas crafts the other day. I caught a great picture of the kids together the other day! Here are the pictures!

Surgery

My sister in law made it through her surgery and all is well! We are so proud of her. Now begins the weightloss. I bet she is so excited.
There hasn't been much going on here. Just a lot of down time. We really needed that. Also trying to save money for a house, and that keeps me home a lot. Especially with the price of gas. Jeff has been spending $100 a week on gas! UGH! It really drives me crazy.
It snowed in Indy last night, but not here! I am a little disappointe, as was Jaden. It is flurrying outside today and looks so pretty.
I hope everyone is having a great week!

and the tree is up.....

We finally got our Christmas tree up. It really didn't take much time this morning. We enjoyed some Christmas music while I (I mean we) set up the tree! I love getting the tree up. It just looks so pretty at night.
Next week, my sister in law will be undergoing surgery, bariatric surgery. Our prayers are with her. I hope that everyone can say a little prayer for her. I am sure God will be watching over her.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I started by working out at the YWCA. They had a "turkey burn", where you could pay $5 and take some classes. I worked out for a full 2 hours! I still can't believe I did it. I cycled for 1 hour, did TAG (thighs abs and glutes) for 30 minutes, and step aerobics for 30 minutes!! Wow!!! But, it made me feel better about eating all of that food. Here is a picture of our two turkeys! LOL

As I am typing this, Clay Aiken is singing his last song in South Bend. We decided not to go. We are really trying hard to save money for a house, and we have found that it was just not in our budget right now to go. I am a little disappointed, it was our anniversary celebration, but a house would be much nicer!

Everyone is doing well here. Pepboys closed some stores and we are very thankful that Jeff's store was not one of them!

God has really been blessing us lately with a lot of things. It is amazing how God works and I am so happy that I am seeing it now!!!

Have a great week! Here is a cute picture of Cassidy!

Cards are done!

Well, I got my Christmas cards done. They will be going in the mail in December! It always feels good to see them all finished. I also got some other Christmas projects done this week and got some laundry finished today. I got some Christmas shopping done last night and now I need to find a place to hide them. The attic usually works pretty well! Jaden had his last Fall basketball game and got a metal! He was so excited. He has already started Winter basketball!
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. It is Jeff's favorite holiday (he has so many special memories of this day). I actually dread it because I know I will eat too much! But, I have been really good this week. I am hoping it won't hurt me too bad!
Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Our little lady (she loves to carry mommy's purse!):

Under the Weather...

Yesterday, I woke to a horrible headache. I felt miserable all day. I ended up with a fever and a headache all day! I was so thankful Jeff was home to take care of the kids. Although, today, I have a big mess to clean up! I am feeling better, just a slight headache left.
I don't know if anyone noticed, but I am FINALLY another pound down. It is so hard this time of year to lose weight. But, I know I can do it!
Today, I begin making my Christmas cards. This is always such a big task, but I love the look of all of them when they are finished. And I do think that people appreciate the homemade cards more.
I hope everything is having a great turkey week!!! By the way, time to thaw those turkeys, LOL!

We are Elves!

Didn't you know that?

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9526911756

Pampered Chef and holidays...

My Pampered Chef show was a success! Thanks everyone! I got $40 in free stuff, a half off item, and 20% off everything else!! I am so excited for it to come in! I can't wait to make a microwave cake!
There is something about November that always gets me depressed. It must be the thought of money and time! We never have enough money to get the kids what we really want to get them. I am excited about what we have decided to get. We also hate that we never make it to Cincinnati for the holidays. Jeff's schedule is just so hectic during the holidays. We are always so sorry that we can't make it. We hope to get there for a Christmas party or something this year!
But, there are things to look forward to.
1. Clay Aiken's Christmas concert! (can't wait!!!)
2. Family
3. Renewed Faith
4. Cold weather (I love it!)
5. Friends
6. Parties
7. Gingerbread lattes and Peppermint mochas
8. The looks on children's faces
9. Food (unfortunately)
10. Making cards! (I hope I have time this year)

I always look forward to December! I can't wait to get the decorations up!
On to other news. We have decided we will probably sell Jaden's loft bed. We just don't think he is going to be ready for it, and he desperately needs a bigger bed. So, we will probably sell the loft bed and buy a twin bed. Maybe we will do the loft bed when he gets older.
I hope everyone is having a great week. We went to the park yesterday and enjoyed a very long walk.

Bye Bye Aquadots...

So, after the recall of Aquadots, I told Jaden we needed to get rid of them! He did not want this! I told him they could make him sick. So, he decided he wanted to take a picture of the snail he made before we took it ToysRUs to get our refund. So, I wanted to post the picture.

Bye Bye Snail!

Baptism video

Please watch this video. This is what happened at church last Sunday. This is such a great moment in my life and I would like to share it....

Mom's Night Out!

What fun I had at Mom's Night Out this month! I got stuffed!! We had a Thanksgiving dinner! Turkey, mashed potatoes, noodles, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, apple pie, cherry pie, I could go on and on!!!!!! It was great getting together with all of the ladies! What a great night!

Jaden and Cassidy had some fun with Daddy. They went to Dairy Queen and Walmart. Cassidy got a little stuffed Blue. She is in love with it!!!!!!

Have a great weekend!

Baptism!

Very excited to tell everyone, I got baptized last night! I could feel God calling me in church as the pastor spoke. I knew it was time and there was no going back! Along with me, the church baptized 35 people last night! God was there in our church last night, I could feel it! Everyone should listen to the sermon from last night about baptism! The time is now!!!!!
Just check out http://feeds.feedburner.com/exchangepodcast. It will show up as Old School o3.
I am very thankful for Scot, Jack, and this church. I definitely feel that it is where Jeff and I should be! Also, the kids love it!
Tomorrow night is my Pampered Chef party. As usual, not very many people can make it. I am starting to feel that it has something to do with me! LOL. I sure hope not! Our house is small, so it can't fit many anyway! But, I expect everyone to come when we move into a bigger house! LOL
See some of you tomorrow! Plan to eat and spend lots of money!!!!!!
Have a great week!

Pampered Chef

I am having a Pampered Chef party this Tuesday! I would like to get some outside orders! Everyone, ask your friends! They can go online, http://www.pamperedchef.biz/raenic, and order there. It can also be shipped to them! Just have them put in my name!!!!
Thanks for the help.
Also, everyone who is coming, please bring a friend!!!!!!
The more the merrier ( and more cramped, LOL!).
See you then!

Halloween

We had a great Halloween! I have so many pictures to share! Cassidy even learned how to say "trick or treat"! Jaden loved being a pirate and Cassidy adored her witch hat. She would cry everytime it fell down! They were even on the news! We took them to the library to get a free book, and the weatherman was there. He asked our kids to come over and he asked them a couple of questions! Very cute!

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone is enjoying their Halloween. This morning, the kids woke up to spiced pumpkin pancakes, shaped like ghosts and pumpkins. Jaden really enjoyed that. We went for a walk in the park. I really enjoy these nice Fall days. I am anxious for tonight. Jaden is so excited about trick or treating! The kids are just especially cute this year!

Jeff is still sick. He has been fighting his cold for a week now. The kids are almost over it. I was sick yesterday, but it seems to be going away already!

I am having a Pampered Chef show this Tuesday. I am excited about that! If anyone wants to order anything, please email me!!!!!

Have a great Halloween!

A brand new week!

We had so much fun the other night at the park. They have an unhaunted halloween train ride there every year. This year, Cassidy also got to enjoy it. The kids dressed up and Cassidy even got her picture taken by one of the park people. Maybe her picture will be in the paper!

Jaden had a great time also. He loves his pirate costume!

I will post pictures after Halloween, I want some people to be surprised when they see them!

I love Mondays. I feel like I get to start fresh! This week I plan on thoroughly cleaning the house, after everyone has been sick, I feel like this needs to be done! I also plan on losing another pound. My body is being very stubborn this time around. I only have 18 pounds left! It is coming off very slowly!

Have a great week everyone!

Pumpkins, Vaporizers, and New Hairdos

Well, as I said the other day, I got my hair chemically straightened. I can now post a picture! It's not the best picture ever, but at least everyone can see my hair:

This morning I decided to buy a vaporizer. I have often told myself we needed one, but have never bought one. I think it made a huge difference in Cassidy's throat! She is feeling so much better! I have had it on all day, and now it is in her room while she sleeps. Jeff is also not feeling well now! We need more of those vaporizers!

We carved Jaden and Cassidy's pumpkins tonight! They had so much fun. Cassidy couldn't stay out of the trash, hahaha! Here are a few pictures!

Jaden's Jack O'Lantern:

Cassidy's Jack O'Lantern: