Ten on Ten

Hello!  

I thought that I would share ten random things today on this tenth day of January.  

One

My co-worker left one of those Lifesaver books on my desk and I can't stop eating Lifesavers.  When I was a little girl my Dad would occasionally leave a roll of Lifesavers in my shoe so that I could find it in the morning.  

Two

I have started cooking an egg for our Chiweenie, DD.  We have noticed that the hard food is a little hard for her to chew so I will make her a soft scrambled egg most everyday.

Three

I like to keep Saturday morning completely free anytime that I can.  By Saturday morning I mean until noon or after.  I really like a slow Saturday morning.  

Four

We use an old-school coffee maker everyday.  We have a Keurig but very rarely use it.  We pre-set our coffee maker every night to come on in the morning.

Five

We have four dogs, two on purpose and the other two we didn't look for but we're so glad we found them,  

Six

There are several relationships that I pray will be restored in both mine and David's family.  

Seven

My favorite food is Mexican food and my favorite variety is tacos.  I annoy my cousin, Cristy, because often if we eat out I will order two crispy tacos and that's all.  

Eight

I like all white walls in our home.  We do have a pretty color on our bedroom walls but I want everything nice and white.  We use Sherwin Williams Shoji White

Nine

My first job was a soccer linesman which led to a very steady babysitting gig.  Not too long after becoming a soccer linesman I became a referee.  There was one game that I must have made a very bad call and after the game several players from one of the teams chased me with sodas that they were shaking and spraying on me.  I specifically remember orange soda being sprayed on me.  

Ten

I am 4'11" tall but you better believe that I tell everyone that I am 5' tall.  

Well there are ten random things that you might not have known about me.  Thanks for reading today!

Let's Look!

Hello Friends!

Today I am linking up with A Little Bit of Everything Blog and Mix and Match Mama.  This month we are taking a look at the coziest spot in our homes.  

Look at the fun "Let's Look At..." posts that are planned for this year.

There are two spots in my home that I find the coziest.  First would be my bed!!!

The best feeling is relaxing in bed at the end of the day.  I like to have at least four pillows behind me at all times, even though that leaves David with only two.  I really like the bed to be made everyday but I don't make it.  David makes the bed and then our Chiweenie, DD, lays in our bed all day.  One of the things that makes me crazy is for my bed to be all disheveled.  Sometimes Kambree will get all crazy on our bed and totally destroy it and you wouldn't believe how crazy that makes me.  David made the headboard and I really like it.  Right now I am sitting up in bed typing this post and I'm watching Chopped.   This is the life!

The next coziest spot would be on our couch.  

The spot beside Kambree is my assigned seat.  Look at that tired girl!  When I sat down she leaned on me and fell asleep.  We are in need of a new couch but for now this one will do.  The ends recline and it's really comfortable.  When I'm taking some time to relax during the day this is where you'll find me.  

What is the coziest spot in your house?

Thanks for reading today!

Come Out, Come Out Wherever You Are

Hello, We survived Monday!  Kambree had a great day at school and I had a great day at work too.  David took Kambree to the park after school and they ran into one of Kambree's besties, Brooklyn. These two girls have not been in a class together but they are great friends. 

Kambree was excited to show me that she got "blue" on her behavior calendar.  The last couple of weeks before Christmas break were a challenge on the behavior calendar.  We have talked a lot about a fresh start and being kind.  This morning when we were about to leave I hugged Kambree close and looked at us in the mirror and said, "the McLean girls are gonna rule this day".  She agreed and I had her give me high fives which lead to low fives and then hand shake type stuff.  

Tomorrow is the real test though.  As Kambree was drifting off to sleep this evening she asked me if she has school after this day.  Then she asked what they'll do at school, like if they'll do math or science.  When she stopped asking me questions she fell right to sleep.

Earlier in the evening we had a bit of a scare.  While Kambree was in the shower I thought that I would let Rosie, the chinchilla, out to play a little while.  Rosie's cage is in my office and we have let her out to roam free in my office several times and we have not had any trouble.  There are lots of areas where she can climb and play and she usually runs across the middle a lot so we always know where she is.  Well this evening she got herself wedged behind a shelf and she must have been trapped.  I had no idea where she was so I asked David to come find her.  He destroyed my office looking for her and finally we heard a little scratching sound and he was able to get her out.  We were all so relieved that she was alive.  

Usually we can set her dust bath bowl in the floor and she'll run right into it and we can get her back into her cage but nothing was working.  We know now that my office needs to be chinchilla proofed a lot more than we realized.  Chinchilla's need activity so we like to let her out to roam when we can.  We'll stick to the closed off hallway until we can secure my office.  

That's all for today.  Thanks for reading! Have a great Tuesday!

Bye Bye Holiday Schedule

Hello Friends!  

Happy Monday!  We are getting back to our normal routine after the holidays.  Kambree has school and I'll be back in the office.  I have not been in the office since before Christmas.  I have worked from home which doesn't require an alarm clock or that I get dressed.  I feel that we have prepared ourselves for the routine but we are in no denial that Kambree could have re-entry problems.

Kambree had a very busy week with Grandma taking her on outings.  They had outings four days in a row.  Kambree does best with lots of sleep and while we have tried to get her back into a sleep routine we know there could be melt downs,etc.  

Re-entry is hard and I did have a moment of panic this evening.  Being home for about 2.5 week without having to get Kambree off to school has been great. Kambree was with Grandma all day Saturday so David did a thorough cleaning of her room and that feels like a fresh start.  I washed her bedding and her rug and her room is all fresh and clean.  I have all her uniforms clean and ready to go.  She has new school shoes because her pair from August didn't make it through October.  So, we have checked all the boxes and getting back to school should be easy but we have the child that doesn't do mornings well.  I suspect that the first day could go well but it's day two that I'm really nervous about.  

I'll let you all know how it goes.

I saw this over the weekend and I can relate to all these things!  

I would like to add that finding several pairs of matching socks for Kambree makes me feel like I have really accomplished something.  Friday morning I was sitting on the couch and David asked me something and I spoke very softly telling him that I was trying to enjoy my coffee in silence and I was being very careful to not wake Kambree up.  

Does anyone else feel like maybe you did something wrong if there is an inadequate amount of lint in the dryer lint filter?  Just me?  

Someone shared this on Facebook and I feel like it ties in well with my focus on praise.  I mean on January 1st, just one day into the new year I found myself struggling to focus on praise.  One day in and I was finding it hard, but as my eyes and heart are open I am surprising myself with calming moments or praise.  

May your Monday be the best.  I hope you accomplish all you set out to accomplish and that we'll give ourselves grace for what we don't get to.  

Friday Favorites - Jan. 4, 2019

Happy Friday Friends!!!

I'm having a work from home day today.  I thought that I would share a few things that have been favorites this week.

1.  We got Kambree a Highlights magazine, it's a bonus size that I bought at Lowe's of all places.  I grew up loving Highlights!  Our dentist office growing up always had these available and I remember during a few dental procedures the dental assistant would hold the magazine up for me to search for the hidden items.  It took a few minutes for Kambree to get the hang of it but we have really enjoyed searching the hidden items together or finding the silly things in the pictures.  Having fun with a book definitely makes me happy.

2.  Another book is making my favorites this week.  Thelma the Unicorn 

This is a cute story about wanting to be something that you aren't and how valuable it is to just be yourself.  Kambree likes when I read it with a "country accent" and I do too.  I picked this up at the school book fair for a Christmas gift.  

3. I mentioned this a few days ago, but I have since watched it a second time! The movie,  Mr. Church , has been a favorite this week.  I have enjoyed the story of someone serving others when he didn't have to and in turn receiving so much.  I might just watch it one more time.

4.  I'm sensing an entertainment theme here because another favorite this week has been Chopped Junior on Food Network. I have recorded several episodes and I enjoy seeing the creativity that these young kids have.  I blame the cold rainy weather for all my entertainment based favorites this week.

5.  One last favorite has been Rosie, the chinchilla.  We put up the dog gate in our front hall and it's a perfect play area for her and for the kids too.  Watch how much fun the kids are having with Rosie climbing on them.  The laughter in this video makes me so happy.  

That wraps up my favorites of this week.  Next week Kambree will be back in school and I'll be back in the office.  I'm sure it will be a hectic week of getting back into a routine but we'll make the best of it.  Have a great weekend!

Rain for Days!

Good rainy morning!  It's been raining for two days and since I have been working from home I am totally OK with it.  Our yard is a mess though and our floors are too.  We have a dog door and our dogs don't wipe their little paws when they come back into the house.  

I don't have much of a post today because I got wrapped up watching Mr. Church on Netflix .  I'm not much for watching actual movies because I usually fall asleep but the time was right for this compelling movie.  Eddie Murphy was fantastic and the story was very sweet.  Here is the IMDB description 

"Mr. Church" tells the story of a unique friendship that develops when a little girl and her dying mother retain the services of a talented cook - Henry Joseph Church. What begins as a six month arrangement instead spans into fifteen years and creates a family bond that lasts forever.

Watch this movie!  You'll be glad you did.  

My Mother-in-law is taking Kambree and a friend to the Northeast Texas Children's Museum today while I'm working.  Have any of you tried to work from home with an only child?  Kambree is very concerned that I watch everything that she does - hey Mom watch me take a bite of this chip.  Hey Mom did you see my cartwheel?

 

The thing is that I'm a sucker.  I think she's a very talented chip biter and her cartwheels are pretty darn good.  But Momma has to work!  School will start back next week and right now I'm so thankful for a Grandma what will pick her up and entertain her while we work.  

Anyway that is all that is going on around here.  Work and play and listening to the rain.  I'm watching my office mate, Rosie the chinchilla, and I'm knocking out work projects.  

Have a great day!

What's Up Wednesday - Hello 2019

Hello friends!  Happy New Year (one day late).  We rang in the New Year at home keeping our pup, Sammie, company.  Sammie is terrified by fireworks and there were fireworks all around us.  David and Kambree hung outside a little hoping to see some of the fireworks but I stayed inside not at all interested in the amateur fireworks show.  Kambree lasted until right before midnight and we stayed up another hour or so.  

Kambree and I spent a few hours at the park earlier on New Years Eve.  Our local park has a temporary ice skating rink.  She skated a little while, then she roller bladed, then she played at the park.  There is also a temporary concession stand at the park and we enjoyed hot cocoa.  While we were sitting enjoying our hot cocoa, Kambree asked me if I wanted to talk.  You better believe I want to talk.  She wanted to discuss what each of us really enjoys doing.  She also really thinks we should go to Canada in two days. We ended our time out at Sweet Frog.  It was "no weigh day" at Sweet Frog, which is the only time it's affordable to take Kambree because all those over-flowing candy toppings weigh a lot.  

For lunch on New Years Eve I made spaghetti and garlic bread.  The three of us sat a the table and discussed what our favorite parts of the year were.  We all agreed that our very favorite part was Kambree becoming Kambree Maria McLean.  Kambree also decided that I make the best spaghetti that she's ever tasted.  

We spent New Years Day tidying up around the house.  I packed up all the Christmas decor with the exception of the tree.  David has to get the box out of the attic and he'll get the tree packed up.  As much as I enjoy the Christmas decor I am so ready for everything to get back to normal.  

I'll be working from home Wednesday - Friday. I have so enjoyed this long break.  We have had lots of time at home as a family of three and it's been great.  We have really had fun with Kambree's new chinchilla, Rosie.  One thing to note about a chinchilla - if they're running and playing they are also pooping.  Kambree is getting great experience cleaning up after her.  We have decided that the most ideal place for Rosie is in our third bedroom, which is also my office.  

Happy Wednesday!  Thanks for reading today.