Second Hand

A few days ago, I went Christmas shopping for the first time this year. I had already decided that this year I was going to shop at second hand stores to find what I could and then from there, I'd hit stores like Ross and Big Lots, and if I had to after that, I'd shop at Walmart and Target. The last few months for us have been tight and I thought it would be a fun thing anyway. I love second hand stores, not because I'm cheap. I have no problem spending money when I have it, believe me. It's because I find things there that I'd never dream of seeing anywhere else. It's like finding a hidden treasure somewhere. I feel like Mikey on the Goonies and I get all excited. Yesterday I found some really great deals on toys at Big Lots. That store is right next door to my favorite store to shop for clothes for the boys, Once Upon A Child. Believe it or not, Shar and I got our couches at Big Lots. I then headed over to DI in Mesa. I wish they had more than one but let me tell you, it is worth the drive! Good condition children's books for 50 cents. I got a big stack. I got two nice shirts for Marce at two bucks a piece, and I got about 5 VHS movies. I figure I have a VCR and even though they are bigger and take up more space and are a little less vibrant as far as sound and vision go, Marce can't break them and for one to two bucks a piece...totally. I had so much stuff it seemed at the checkout, I was getting a little nervous as she rang me up, you know that feeling at the checkout when you have a specific budget and you can't go over. When she was finished and told me my total was $21.00, I almost laughed. I already want to go back there. Second hand store shopping is quickly becoming a hobby for me. At DI, there was this big trunk I wanted. It was heavy duty and beautiful. It was priced at fifty dollars. It looked like a Pottery Barn piece. I wish I could have gotten it but maybe next time I go back I can, if it's still there.

I LOVE Once Upon A Child so much. I have been shopping there since Marcelus was 2 months old. I have found the best brands and the cutest clothes there. I'm excited to venture out though to other types of second stores. I have never been in a Good Will or a Savers, but I love DI!

And seriously, if any of you out there are on any kind of Budget for Christmas shopping, check out Big Lots. Their stuff was nice and clean and they also had a lot of cute Christmas decor and wrapping paper. I went to Ross but Big Lots had a lot of the same toys for 3-4 dollars cheaper.

Mother Knows Best

Yesterday Sharrid had planned on going down to the Social Security office in Casa Grande to turn in some paperwork for something he needed to obtain from them. He called first and the lady there said that the paperwork could not be handed in but had to be sent in (In fact it was going to a totally different state in the midwest...). I kind of listened to his conversation on the phone and then asked him questions after he got off, like "What did she say?" "Are you still going?" and "So, can you just turn it in?" Easy questions...Sharrid didn't really answer my questions. When he doesn't answer my questions to my satisfaction and then tells me he's going down to the office, I get a little worried. I can see exactly what is happening. He got good info on the phone and is now disregarding it. What's worse is I begin to tell him to not go down to the office and to just send in the paperwork like the lady said. Shar had his mind set on going down there in person (He often drives all the way to Tempe to turn in school work when I'm sure it can just be sent in...???) Sure enough, he gets back and I said what's the deal and he told me, yeah it has to be sent in. (He says this sort of apologetically...if he were a puppy, his tail would be between his legs...) Hmm, what did I just say an hour ago, further more, what did the lady on the phone who knows say? I rest my case. What a waste of time and gas! When will he learn? I don't rub it in his face. I'm waiting for him to learn to take my advice and listen to me. He is not really learning yet though. The same thing happened about 8 months ago when Shar was speeding behind a cop. He thinks that if an ambulance or cop is speeding in front of you, a good idea is to just pop right in behind him, you'll get there faster and there's nothing like an ambulance to clear away traffic right? Wrong, like I said. You will get pulled over. I don't understand why he thinks he wouldn't. So, yes we got pulled over. I don't know why the cops just keep warning him. They are awfully nice because he still has a perfect driving record. Maybe he let us off because I was big as a house pregnant with Phoenix...or maybe it was Sharrid's soft tender voice coupled with his politeness. I know if Sharrid was a Cullen, he'd be Jasper. But in this case, I am Carlisle; the ever knowing wise father, and I told him exactly what was going to happen approximately 30 seconds before it happened.

Like I said, this same pattern keeps happening and I just wait for him to learn....Sharrid hasn't really had a mom since he was 8 or so....maybe that's why he doesn't know. MOTHER KNOWS BEST.

"Cocky Sister!"

Cocky Sister is exactly what Marcelus' Cookie Monster sounds like. He doesn't watch Sesame Street often, but often enough to know the main characters. Lately he has been complaining if his diaper does not have cookie monster on the front. I buy Pampers and they are Sesame Street but some have Elmo and some have Big Bird and stuff. So he's just going to have to get over that.

Marce has really been into Trains and planes lately. Trains especially. Anytime he sees a train on a movie or in real life, he says "Train!" over and over again until I acknowledge that yes, it is in fact a train.

Marce will sometimes watch Saturday morning cartoons. They aren't like they used to be when I was a kid. They are pretty lame, but Spiderman is one of them. Yesterday Marce pulled out my DVD case instead of his and he found Spiderman (the one with Toby McGuire) and asked to watch it. He was so excited to find something familiar that I put it on without even thinking that it was PG-13. I tried to find the flying action and fast forward all the violence. That worked once but now I just need to hide it and get one of the animated cartoons on DVD for Christmas for him. It's kind of cute that he likes Spiderman because a lot of the things he loves still reminds me that he's very young, but some things, like Spiderman make me realize he is turning into a little boy pretty fast!

By the way, I left my cameras at my mom's so no pictures on the blog until I get those which could be as late as Christmas, sorry...

Sharrid has to work on Thanksgiving so we are not doing anything so I told him that weekend we'd just set up Christmas and pretty much surpass Thanksgiving. Even if we did do the whole Thanksgiving feast, I don't think it would be any fun with just our little family. Bring on Christmas, because I get to go home! Shar has to work on Christmas and the days surrounding it so we are celebrating our Christmas either before or after the real Holiday on a weekend. We haven't decided.

Lastly, my keyboard is getting worse and worse. The W couldn't be any worse, but the " and ' are horrible, and a few other keys also. It's pretty annoying. My sister said that maybe my parents have an extra, if that's true I'll get it during Christmas. The funny thing is I haven't been blogging as much as usual...just haven't had much to say. I have no pictures from Veterans at my moms because my camera was dead the whole time, and now that I left my camera there, there really won't be any pictures to post at all for a while.

Milestone

It's official! Phoenix is crawling! He won't be 6 months until the 25th. So I guess he's about 5 3/4. Pretty good for crawling. He is pretty much sitting up too, but still could use some work in this area. But I sit him up and walk away and he'll eventually be on the ground but he's good enough that I don't need to stay there and help or anything.

Today is clean the whole house and de-junk day. There are things that I have that we just don't use or that the kids have never liked, for instance my travel swing. Maybe I could sell some stuff to Once Upon A Child. I could use the money to get something for Marcelus for Christmas.

Speaking of Marce. My keyboard is pretty damaged by the juice he spilled. I don't even care because my attitude towards "things" has altered quite a bit over the last 6 or so months. I will just pick up a keyboard sometime at DI or Goodwill. A keyboard is a keyboard to me. I don't care what it looks like. Just for your information, my W, X, ', ", and Q are very sticky and hard to make work. So it will just be annoying if anything til I can replace it but if any of you have an extra keyboard laying around you don't want, sell it to me.

Anyway, I'm also starting on a homemade gift for Marcelus and for my sister's kids. I'm hoping they turn out pretty special.

Tagged: 4th file, 4th picture

Yeah, I don't think I was really tagged but I just feel like any tag I want to do, I do anyway so hope you don't mind...this is what was in my 4th file as my 4th picture...lovely.

Stress

Yeah, isn't it wonderful. I thought I would post tonight since I've been gone for the last week at my parents. I hope my keyboard continues to work. Marcelus spilled apple juice all over it tonight. I guess I'll add that to the ever growing "replace" list. Either that or it will just be sticky and smell like wine forever...

Like I said, I've been at my mom's the past week. It was great to get away again and be home. A couple days into it I could feel my energy waning. I didn't work out the whole time I was there. I don't feel bad really...but more energy would have been nice. What is it? When you hit a certain age, man, it's like I'm working out pretty good every other day, I'm taking my prenatal and iron pill, trying to be consistent...I am on a constant quest for energy. Maybe it's just not going to happen until Phoenix is weened. That's fine but if I can just see the light at the end of the tunnel. It feels like walking across my front room is such a chore. I had a lot of energy as a kid and it just makes me a little sad. That's all.

A few days into the trip Phoenix started teething pretty bad. No teeth popping through yet but he also improved his crawling and I believe within a couple weeks he will be crawling. He can army crawl and get anywhere now, but I mean real crawling. I can't wait!

So we left early Sunday morning to make it to my parents one o'clock ward. My sister made Pomegranate Jelly with my mom. I made homemade bread with my mom. We played Nintendo 64. I played a one on one game of basketball with my brother. We went to the park and played soccer. Mom and I started to de-junk a little, and we went to the Veteran's Day Parade.

Everyone helped out with the kids a lot. I meant to take them for a walk to the school grounds but never did. I enjoyed everything I got to do there. Whenever I'm able to go home, it is never long enough to do everything I want. I always wish I could stay longer and I just feel like I'm rushing to fit as much in as I can til next time. I hate that. I would post pictures of the trip but I left my cameras at my mom's and the batteries were all dead on me too. The only thing I got was video of my sister marching in the parade for the high school band. A lot of things I did were so simple, make bread, basketball with Lan...but those are the little things I love. I think my favorite highlight of my whole trip was going to the park and playing soccer. My mom stayed with my dad and watched the kids so I could go and play with Michaela, Tib, and Landon for an hour or so. We missed Connie and Kira...but whenever enough of us get together and especially all of us, I feel such a strong feeling of unity. We were meant to be together. It's so easy. As my own little family grows and grows, and becomes stronger together and we move forward, one thing never changes. My immediate family is more important to me than it ever was. I would give anything to be with them everyday. If there was a feeling of separation, or independence if you will, that was supposed to happen when I got married or shortly thereafter....it never did happen, and at this point I don't think it ever will. I'm happy about that. However unrealistic, one of my dreams has always been that my whole family live next to each other. Just a cul-de-sac. I don't know, someday the dream might come true. One of my favorite quotes is from the movie Rudy. Pete says "Having dreams is what makes life tolerable." Isn't it true.

Random Thoughts

Nov. 2nd was my 17th baptism anniversary

I accidently cut my fingernails WAY too short

Oprah is driving me nuts, and I don't even watch her show!

AND...

This makes me so very happy!