My "3" is pretty simple:

There are three more days left in August! I simply can't believe it is August 28th already, and that September 1st is literally right around the corner! My oh my, how time flies! And of course, if you read my blog, you know my enthusiasm for the fall season!

So, as we count down the last few days of the month, I will be counting the days 'till the first day of the new season!

When fall officially begins:
September 22, 2008 at 11:44 am EDT

Ten Things You Didn't Like About School

1. Clicks
2. Homework
3. Studying
4. Choir performances in front of the student body
5. Most of the other girls-I had all guy friends mostly
6. Deciding what to wear every morning!
7. Getting up!!
8. Having to ride the bus
9. My History and Math class
10.My locker- I could never remember the combination! :)

I always struggled in school, in more ways than one. I barely graduated high school, and the kids were just not nice. I switched schools a couple of times in junior high, so that left me as sort of an odd one out for a while. Then in high school, I was focused more on boys and one serious boyfriend until my senior year. That, once again, left me as kind of the odd one because I wouldn't socialize too much with the rest of my class (He was in the class ahead of me). I kind of shunned people away because I was just too busy with him to have any friends. I really regret that to this day, and I wish people from my class could've known me better. I wish I would've let them know me. But the past is the past, and it made me who I am. Boy, this weeks Ten on Tuesday sure brings back memories ;)

1. What are you up to today? Be specific. We’ve talked about your morning routine before, now walk us through a typical Monday for you after breakfast is over. How do you feel about Mondays? A fresh start to your week? Or do you dread the drudge of getting back to the same old routine?

Well, it's not as busy this Monday as it will be on a "typical" Monday from now on. I got Gabriel off to his first day of school, which is the big thing for today. He said he wanted brownies for a snack, so I will be making those here in a little bit (I let him pick out food choices for today). Then, I will head to the bus stop a little after 11:00 to get Gabriel (It's only a half day today). Then, it will be lunch time, play time for the kids, rest time soon after, karate, dinner and bed time! When he starts a full day it will much busier and I will be feeling the crunch! Especially on MWF. I believe this Monday is a fresh start because this is the beginning of the rest of the school year! It's very exciting! Now, when I start school, I might have a different attitude, but hopefully not! :)

2. Earworms - we all get them from time-to-time. What tune do you have stuck in your head at the moment? How important is music to your life? List some of your favorite songs - and I’m talking about songs that evoke a strong emotion in you; joy, anger, sadness, etc. Do you have one particular song that brings back a certain time period in your life? What is the song and what is the time period?

I have a Brandon Heath song in my head. The name of it is "Steady now". This is going on the second week. It doesn't help that Ariana goes around singing it! The only song I can think of is the song that Rob and I call "our song". It's by East 17 (they are a European group) and it's called "stay another day". I get the flutters in my chest when I think of or when I hear that song. It played on the radio in Germany when we had our smooch!!

3. Who have you needed to say thank you to lately? Who is this person and what did he/she do to prompt a thank you?

I need to thank my children for all of their love and affection! I never really say that to them! They need to hear it too, because they are extra sweet! :)

4. How many candles will be on your birthday cake this next birthday? What do you think about the age you are now? Are you comfortable with what you’ve accomplished in life so far? Or do you wish you could have achieved more? You’re being granted one birthday wish - what is it?

On my next birthday, there will be candles on my cake but probably not too many! Rob might put 11 candles on there. Can you quess how old I will be? Also, I am proud of what I've done in my life. I'm not done with my accomplishments though, there is so much more to come! I will be proud of myself if I get through the next phase starting in February, and I'm going to need all the guidance I can get! :) I love my life, and I wouldn't change it for the world! I am not just saying that either, I truly love my life! I am very blessed to have the husband and children I have, and equally blessed for the love and support I receive.

As far as a birthday wish, if I told you, it wouldn't come true now would it? :)

If you want to participate, click here!

First day of first grade!!

It's hard to believe that another school year has started already. Gabriel headed off with daddy this morning to his first day of first grade. I had that feeling as soon as I got him out of bed this morning. You know, that surreal feeling like this wasn't really happening. I said to myself, "already?" I am truly happy for him though, and excited myself! Thankfully, he is also very excited to see what 1st grade will be like! I feel like here lately I need the structure that school provides. We will have a set schedule as soon as he starts a full day, which is this Wednesday. Between homework, dinner, karate 3 days a week, and everything in between, it's going to be very busy to say the least. You have to have a set time for everything with that kind of schedule. It will be interesting to see how long it takes us to get in the swing of things! :) To all of you reading this who are going through the same thing, I wish you luck and hope that God guides you through every step!

Here are some pics of our little man! He's getting so big!

My personality by time of day

You are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life. You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary.
You are a person of reflection and meditation. You start and end every day by looking inward.
Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy. You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts.
All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

Want to know what time of day you are? Take the quiz!

1. Dancing to the music while with my kids makes me laugh!

2. The last time I flew on an airplane I nearly got sick!

3. When I drive I relax and talk to God.

4. I saw my son standing at the top of our steps during rest time.

5. Give me a peace of mind, give me Peace in my house, give me a little more money!

6. Next week I am looking forward to taking my son to school for his first day in first grade!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to having friends over and nice conversations, tomorrow my plans include clothes shopping for the girls and going to chuck e cheese and Sunday, I want to go to the store and prepare for Gabriel's first day of school!

1. Are you right- or left-handed?

Right Handed

2. Any nicknames they have (or have had) and the story behind them?

Nope

3. Do you need to do laundry right now?

Of course, always! It's not as bad as it could be though! :)

4. What CD is in your CD player/music on your iPod right now?

I have Brandon Heath in the CD Rom that I've been listening to every now and then. I love him! And my kids love him too! They sing along with me!

5. How/when did you learn to ride a bicycle?

I was about 5 years old and a neighborhood boy taught me how on his little red bicycle. He was my age, but he had known how for a while. Ya know what's crazy?! My son is six years old, and he's still got training wheels on his bike. You know what he said yesterday? " Mommy, I don't want the training wheels off my bike, they're cool!" How cute is that?!

6. What is your favorite weird food combination?

A jelly and butter sandwich, Peanut butter and banana sandwich (my husband thinks it's weird), a baked potato with macaroni on the side :), and that's about all I can think of at the moment! :)

7. What is something you have that is of sentimental value?

I have a couple of items that used to be my Grandma's. Well, I actually grew up calling her Yay yay, which is Grandmother in Greek. No, we're not greek, she just told us that's what she was to be called because "Grandma" made her sound "old". She was such a hoot! One of items is a small, round, glass holder with a very unique lid. The other is a velvet lined box, and I'm ashamed to say I don't know where it is. We also own a framed writing of the Lord's Prayer that was my husband's Grandmother's. She passed away 2 years ago, and I called her Grandma. The picture is hanging in our living room, right by the window. It's beautiful. It looks like it's written on gold leaf. I keep some other things out that were part of my husband's family, and each item is such a reminder of the ones lost and still loved. I believe it's so important to keep those things as part of your home.

This is the framed Lord's Prayer


Here is a close-up of it

Gabriel's karate testing!

Gabriel had his karate testing last Friday night, and he did great! He went from an orange belt to being an orange belt decided. There is a black stripe on this one instead of being just a solid orange. After this, comes the yellow belt. I'm so proud of him, and he is truly proud of what he does. Although, he won't show us any karate moves. Rob peeked outside one day and some Gabriel doing some moves on the deck, but as soon as Rob opened the door, he stopped. He refused to show Rob what he was doing! :) It was cute. I think he feels like this is his own thing, so he wants to keep it to himself. Here are some pictures:


Here he is hanging out with friends before hand. He is the blonde sitting down.
Here they are warming up!

They are all bowing here to start the testing.

Here he is testing. The woman there does the moves with him. All of the younger kids do this.

More testing!

Here is our karate boy with his new belt! Yeah Gabriel!

Thursday Thirteen- 13 reasons I'm looking forward to fall

~13 Reasons I'm looking forward to fall~

1. School starts! ~ The kids and I are both ready! Gabriel starts 1st grade, and the girls will be in pre-school opposite days of the week. We are all ready for the structure that school provides. Summer is a break for the hustle and bustle of the school year, but now that August is halfway through, enough already!

2. Crisp days, cool nights! ~ I think we could all agree that there's something about the fall air. Although the temps. here haven't been bad at all, the feel of fall air as soon as it hits your face is just breathtaking! It seems like you can actually smell the air! I love it!

3. Keeping the air conditioner off, for good! ~ I think this one speaks for itself!

4. Hayrides and fall festivals galore!~ I love the activity of festival hopping! If there isn't such thing, well, I just invented it! :) When it's fall, it seems at every turn there is sign posted for a festival that's taking place. Most of them are free, or atleast pretty affordable, so we attend them pretty often. In the fall we always know that if all else fails, we can get in the car and go to a festival!

5. Mums! ~ I love mums! They are, to me, a sign that you know fall is soon to come. They have beautiful blooms and beautiful colors, and they are so harty! I planted some in my garden last season, and what do ya know, they came back!! I had to pick the blooms off of them in July because they started to bloom so soon! I was so excited though to them come back. I got my money's worth, and I will be buying some from the kids school to decorate the porch. They are one of the first things I put out! I just love them!

6. Picking pumpkins~ What greater tradition in the fall than picking a pumpkin to carve! Or in our case, picking 4, one for us, and one for each of the kids. We just started carving together last year ( I let the two older kids help with theirs) and they loved it! Something magical for them to look forward to!

7. Two birthdays! We celebrate the girl's birthdays! Ella's is in mid September, and Ariana's is just two days before Halloween! This year, I'm doing something different and I will be making Ariana's cake myself. I have chosen to make it a fall theme, of course! I'm excited about that, and I'm sure she won't mind. :) It's a busy time for Birthdays here in the fall, but we love it!

8. Decorating~ For those of you who don't know me, decorating is a hobby of mine and a passion. I love to experiment with my house, and it seems I'm always rearranging furniture or pictures! It's always a work in progress, but I just love to make our house warm and inviting! I especially look forward to putting my fall decorations up outside, as well as inside. Every surface is decorated with something "Fall", but in a very tasteful way. I even have fall hand towels for the kitchen! I don't think it's too much, I just think I'm providing an environment for every season. The fall season even inspired the color I picked for an accent wall in our living room. It's called mid evil gold, and it just reminds me of the season. I want to follow that same idea in our bedroom, dining room and bathroom. This color below is similar to the color on our accent wall.



9. Trick-or-Treating~ Once again, this one speaks for itself, doesn't it?! The kids are on cloud nine from the time they wake up till the very late time they go to bed. I love seeing them so happy!

10. Snuggling (even by myself) under a warm blanket- I have to admit, I love to relax and watch T.V. as soon as I put the kids to bed. As it starts getting cooler outside though, I can add a blanket to the scenario, and what a better way to end the hectic day!? Who says you have to be in bed to cover up! ;)

11. Wearing my comfiest pajamas!~ Once again, this ties in with #10. I love to get comfy and toasty on cool days and nights. I'm talking fleece EVERYTHING and socks and slippers on top of it all! Head to toe fleece usually doesn't happen until later in the fall though! :)

12. Going leaf collecting with the kids!~ This is one of our family traditions, and we do it on more than one occasion. Last year, I took the girls around the neighborhood while Gabriel was in school. This year, I'll try to take them on the weekend so he can be involved in our initial leaf hunt. And it's a learning experience on top of it, and you can't beat that!

13. And last, but certainly not least, the colors of fall! ~By far, my big reason for loving fall! Golds, oranges, deep browns, reds, yellows, the colors are everywhere! There's nothing more beautiful than a spread of trees that have been hit with the season! Natures beauty is amazing and shows it's splendor in the fall more than any time of the year!
Here is a picture of some beautiful fall foliage just north of here. Spectacular!

My First Blog Award!

I received my first blog award from my good friend Dawn!
Thanks so much, and not only are you a friend and supporter of my blog, you are a true friend in life minus the internet! :) Anyone who is reading this, I hope you have a friend like her in your life, because she has truly blessed mine. Thank you.

1. The winner can put the logo on his/her blog.
2. Link to the person you received the award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links to those blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the people you have nominated.

I haven't been a blogger for very long, but these are people that have either visited my blog, or they are ones that I found and visit often. Thanks so much you all and enjoy your award! I appreciate you all so much and you are some of the first blogs I ever visited!

So, here are the people I nominate:

Heather and Reese: kicking-it-in-crazyville!

Life in Words

My life as Annie

Kelli

Jodi

Karen- I love the Monday Morning Meme!

5 minutes for mom!

1. What is the last thing you attempted to quit? How did you do it and were you successful?

Well, I attempted to quit school last year, but I realized I needed to keep going and had to tell myself, "I can do this." I continued, and although I'm not going into the program I was originally going for, God had different plans and I'll be heading to an LPN program!

2. Are you a roller coaster sort of person (impulsive, takes chances, likes to live in the fast lane), or a merry-go-round sort of person (slow, steady, predictable, peaceful)? This is an excellent excuse to do a little self-analysis!

I have to say, I don't like either ride :) I get sick when I go in circles, and I can really only tolerate those small, wooden coasters. I once rode a standing roller coaster, and I have never felt so scared. I can't believe I didn't get sick! To continue though, I am a merry-go-round sort of person. Although my moods vary from day to day it seems, I love my as a mother and wife. I love our home, and I love to take care of it. I like to go on a hike or two and absolutely LOVE to travel, but that is about as adventurous as I get!

3. Have you ever worn your slippers, or pajamas, in public? If so, when and why? If not, would you ever consider leaving your house looking less than your best? What do you think of people who do so? (Be honest, we all judge on some level).

I have never worn my pajamas or slippers in public during my adult years. In high school I think we had a pajama day and I wore my lounge pants, but that's as far as I've gone and will go! :) I like to wear track pants with tennis shoes to run errands on occasion, but most of the time you can find me in blue jeans of some kind!
Also, when I see people in very "relaxed" clothing, I just think, "to each his own". They're comfortable in what they are wearing and that's simply their decision...I just choose not to go that way. :)

4. If you could go back and tell your 13-year-old self one thing about the future, what would you say?

I would most definitely tell myself to take it all in! Take in what your teachers are telling you and stop socializing, enjoy the environment and don't sweat the small stuff! I would also tell myself that I can go to college and do well, so make sure to try it!

Gabriel's new lunch bag

I bought a lunch bag online today for Gabriel. I have been looking , and it seems they are all either too tiny or have some kind of character on them. Well, Gabriel is not really into any characters at the moment, so I decided to just order one from L.L. Bean. I wanted to go with one that was sturdy and more affordable than the other ones. What's nice is, without the shipping cost, it is only a few more bucks than the tiny ones you can get at most stores. I figure Gabriel needs one that is going to last and hold up to his roughness (he's definitely not as gentle as the girls with his belongings). I really love the quality of their products, and plan to buy them for the girls when they start school (and maybe get their backpacks from there as well). Any way, here is a picture of the one I ordered. He chose this print out of all the colors. I hope he still likes it when he sees it! You never know with kids!

This bag has got a lot of room inside and the reviews sound great! It's supposed to be bigger than it looks and easy to clean. And with Gabriel, darker colors are always good! :)

1. My favorite bedtime attire is soft, comfy pants and an even softer shirt! :)

2. The perfect meal would include pasta with a hearty side of breadsticks and salad and a big glass of Riesling wine!!

3. The most memorable girl's night out I've ever had was when my good friend Corrie had her baccelerate party. That was in 19__/2007. I was 27-years-old.

4. My earliest memory is playing in the apartment complex we lived in when I was four. I don't remember much from that age, so I can't believe that I can remember that!

5. The family is gone for the evening and I will spend my time cleaning a little with a glass of wine and then sitting down with a movie on and candles lit. Ahhhh!!

6. Right now I am needing to eat some lunch and thinking of things I need to be getting done!

7. When I am done blogging, I am going to put Gabriel Karate uniform in the wash, eat something, put Ariana down for a nap and then enjoy a little time to myself, hopefully!

1. You know you're old when you're up past your bedtime... at 8 PM!

2. My heart is divided between being critical of my husband and just loving him.

3. A chill pill is what I need RIGHT NOW!

4. I have felt the love , I have known the depths of it as well.

5. Gah, won't these people open up their eyes and know they're blessed.

6. Make life a good time as soon as you can!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to going to Gabriel's Karate testing and seeing a good friend, tomorrow my plans include nothing concrete and Sunday, I want to make a nice breakfast for the kids and spend time with Rob and the kids!

Things you can do in your own backyard!

So, the kids got to experience something new and exciting this weekend. Can you quess what? Well Sunday, at the last minute, I decided to let the kids camp out in the backyard! They got to camp with a friend, which is even better! And thanks to my good friend Gretchen, who provided the tents and firepit, they had a full-fledged camp-out experience! They roasted marshmallows, and we made smores of course! They looked up the entire time they roasting just admiring the stars, every last one. I am so glad we made that decision at the last minute. If we would've waited for the "perfect" time, it probably wouldn't have happened. It turned out to be a perfect night for it though, weather and all.

My friend and I slept with the boys in a bigger tent, and Ella and Ariana slept in a tiny little tent that was all their own. It was uncomfortable for me and I got little sleep, but a friend reminded me, "You'll do it again for your kids". "Yes, I will", I thought.

Here are some pics from the "camp out". Didn't get too many because it started getting dark out. Enjoy these though! And next time you're trying to think of something free to do with your kids that is different and fun? Just consider camping out in your own backyard! And don't forget the smores!! :)


Here are Gabriel, Ella and Samuel jumping on the trampoline while we get things ready!

Here are the tents all set up!

Here are the kids and their friend Samuel with his mom Gretchen. We're getting ready to roast!

Enjoying the warm fire! :)

Our neighbor and friend Mark also joined in on the fun! He got a helping of lasagna I made for helping with the tents :) There's Rob at the right of him


It was something they won't soon forget, and I have a feeling we'll be hearing more requests for a "camp out" as some time passes!! :)