My Little Artist!

I keep meaning to blog about Blake's art show.  But I keep forgetting.  Oops.  I'm a slacker.  But hey, I'm writing the blog now so all should be forgiven!

Two weeks ago, Blake had two pieces of art selected for the county-wide art show.  I was very proud of him since his art teacher at school told me it was quite a feat (to have not just one but TWO pieces in the show)! YAY for Blake!  His pieces were awesome!  I'm so proud of him and am a wee bit jealous of his artistic abilities.  Basically a stick figure is about all you'll see from me.  And even then, it isn't great.  Yeah.  I'm pretty bad.  But Blake?  Well, he rocks!

Blake next to his piece!  Which I think is amazing!

Blake next to his Statue of Liberty!  I love it!

Lola was happy just to hang out in the school cafeteria!

HAPPY! :)

I'm starting to think my readers are getting tired of my endless "happiness!"  Or at least my once a week happiness!  But alas, I will continue.  Because in my boring, mundane (single...i.e. living without my husband) life.....it makes me pause for a few minutes a week to go over some positive things.  I'm hoping my peeps start leaving more comments soon.  I'm feeling vulnerable! ;)  Okay so here we go!

1.  I'm happy because I painted my toenails AND my nails red.  That's right.  RED.  I needed some color in my life!  I'm always happy when I paint my nails for the first time (after a long winter of naked nails, as I call it).

2.  I'm happy Butler is in the final four again.  Am I a die hard Butler fan?  Pshaw.  Am I the Pope?  Of course not.  But since I live in the Indy area, I figured with my team (go Cards) long gone, I might as well go local.  So let's go Butler!  Do the state proud!

3.  I'm happy because I have a treadmill!  WOO HOO!!!  I'm staring at it right now!  I was able to purchase it on Saturday from a good friend.  Irony?  I can't use it.  Somewhere between her house and our house (about 3 miles), the start key was lost.  Yeah.  It's my luck!  So instead of using it, I ate a whole bunch of food yesterday and today and gained about 2 pounds.  Go me!  I ordered a replacement key and will run my little heart out when it gets here.  Until then, I will keep eating.......We all need a break from our diet every now and then, right?!?

4.  I'm happy because we are taking a mini vacation this weekend and surprising Blake with it!  Yay for tax returns!  And yay for actually spending some time together as a family!  Boo for all the things I have to get done before this can happen!

5.  And finally.  I'm happy because I just opened an ice cold diet Dr. Pepper and I need to go retrieve it from the kitchen.  So I'm done.  With this blog.  For now.

Happy Monday to everyone!  Remember to count your blessings! :)  Oh and yay for my friend, Mike, who also posted a blog about things that make him happy!!!!  That is something else that makes me smile! :)

Baths and Tornadoes!

So I decided Lola definitely needed a bath tonight.  When I went to run the water, I found about half of Lola's toys strewn about the tub.  Yeah.  I'm pretty sure there is HARDLY room for her.  I laughed.  And then I took a very poor quality photo with my phone.  Check it out!

Then I realized we were under some severe weather warnings.  And because Lola had already dumped half her water onto the bathroom floor, I figured it was time for her to get out anyway. 

We went downstairs and started watching American Idol when the tornado sirens started to go off.  I would have been content to hang out on the couch but Blake insisted we go to our "safe" room.  Said "safe" room is our TEENY half bathroom.  So here's how it went:  Blake was near tears, clinging to me.  Lola found the soap dispenser and was shaking it all over the place.  The dog was sitting at my feet.  And I was on the floor blocking the door so Lola would be trapped (even though she was occupied with the soap, she also wanted to get out of the small space).  Here is what I was thinking while listening to the sirens:

1.  Crap.  My hair is RIDICULOUS tonight.  Ya see, I washed my hair and let it air dry (preparing for the flat iron later tonight).  This resulted in a frizzy mess (and for some reason, looking a little bit like a mullet).  I really didn't want to end up trapped or something and have someone find me looking like that!

2.  Well, at least the safe room is in the bathroom.  So we all have a toilet handy, should we need it.

3.  I should have charged my phone.  The low battery light was flashing.  Oops.

So those were my thoughts.  Hmmmm......guess I wasn't TOO worried about the weather!!!

Then I finally got the kids to bed and came downstairs.  This is what I saw:

So of course I took another poor quality photo with my phone.  And then I wondered if the tornado ended up in my living room?!?  It sure looks like it!

In other news:  I'm eating a weight watcher meal and the zucchini tastes like it has sand in it.  Blech.  What a wild, crazy, and WEIRD night!!!

HAPPY! :)

I almost forgot to write this post tonight.  Hmmm.....what does that mean?  It could mean that I can't think of five things that are making me happy!  But listen, you should ALWAYS be able to find at least FIVE things that are making you happy!  So I'm going to (wo)man up and write this post-haste!

1.  How could I NOT be happy that the weather was AWESOME today?!?  I loved it!  It was warm and it was sunny!  I love you, Spring (Billy, don't be jealous)!  We all love Spring!

2.  I'm happy because I'm watching a show with a super cute baby on it.  And A LOT of my friends are pregnant!  YAY for new babies!  And may my sickly pregger friends feel better soon!!! :)  Oh, and no.....I'm not having a baby or wanting to have a baby!  Sorry!

3.  I'm happy that I have my Easter decorations out!  And I'm happy that I got some Easter candy over the weekend.  I can hear it calling me and tempting me from the pantry (I really think candy can taunt you...).  I'm resisting the urge and am staying on my diet!

4.  I read a whole book today.  In one day.  I liked it.  It made me laugh.  YAY for English writers and their funny words! 

5.  Blake telling me tonight that he plans on being the "mini Jimmer."  Yup.  The next lil' Jimmer is in da house.  MY house! ;)

Heartbreak City!!!

Be still, my sad, sad heart.  I can't believe my beloved Louisville Cardinals are out of the tourney.  Well, actually I can believe they are out.....given that they played like one of Blake's basketball teams (no offense to Blake)!  I think I could have thrown on a uniform and taken down the Cardinals by myself.  It was THAT bad.  It was so bad that I actually changed the channel from time to time and watched other games.  And not only are they out?  They messed up my whole bracket!  I guess when you have faith in your team, you always have them winning the national championship.  I'm glad I didn't put any money on my bracket.  But I WAS trying to win that $1,000,000 for a perfect bracket (online contest).  So thanks to MY own team, I will not be a millionaire (because I'm pretty sure I would have won.....or not;).

I guess it's safe to say the luck of the Irish was not with me today.  :(  Well, on a positive note, my kids had a fun St. Patrick's Day.  Of course we had brinner again with green eggs and ham (turkey bacon was substituted for the ham), and green pancakes.  Yum (maybe???)!

In other news.....Blake went to Cub Scouts for the first time tonight.  He was ever so excited!

That's about all, folks!  I'm going to keep watching basketball even though I'm dying on the inside (sniff sniff)....

HAPPY! :)

WOW!  Well since this week kicks off March MADNESS....I have a lot to be happy about!  So number 1 is oh so easy!

1.  BASKETBALL!!!!  WOO HOO!  I have already entered my awesome bracket in about 3 different contests.  Show me some money! ;)  And of course I will be cheering on my Louisville Cardinals all along the way!

2.  In thinking of sports....I was reminded of Blake's super cute comment yesterday.  And I know my happy posts are all supposed to be "in the moment".  But my thoughts are indeed "in the moment."  Blake told me that when he's a professional soccer player, he would like it if I moved to England so I could watch him play every game.  I agreed.  I hope he also knows he will have to hook me up with some living accommodations!  :)

3.  I'm still NOT happy about daylight savings time.  But I am happy that Lola has done reasonably well with the time change.  Blake?  He's been so-so!  Me?  I'm pretty darn tired, too.  And I'm still raising an angry fist in the air questioning WHY the crazy time change?  Yeah.  I really do.  And I look exceptionally cool doing so!

4.  I found a house I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE in Louisville.  This makes me happy.  It makes me sad that my own house is STILL for sale and if it ever sells, the house I love will more than likely be gone.  I love looking at real estate.  But it's kind-of a crazy torture I put on myself.  I fall in love.  Then it is ripped away (and by that I mean....someone else buys it).  So the moral?  I guess I should stop looking at houses online.

5.  I'm happy because my family is safe.  I think we were all astounded at world events this week.  My thoughts and prayers are with those who are struggling and in need of comfort (and so much more...)!  I'm happy that Billy's brother and his family are safe in Japan.  I'm happy that his brother is safe in Hawaii.  And I'm happy that his family is safe in Seattle.  Nothing can make anyone happier than that, right?!?

I hope everyone has an awesome week!  Don't forget to fill out those brackets!  And don't forget to root for my team!  And if you don't.....well, then I will be SOOOOOOOO not happy! ;)

Entertainer of the Year.....

Goes to Blake Matthews.  Well, maybe not entertainer of the year.  But definitely entertainer of the weekend!  Blakeism of the day:  it occurred after trying to play a dvd from the library.  The dvd was totally scratched up and looked terrible.  Blake's comment, "Did they have thorns in their dvd player?"  He had a valid point.  Cuz that's pretty much what the disc looked like.  HA HA HA HA HA HA!  I laughed.  A lot.

Last night as we were all sitting around (like we usually do), the kids got bored.  SHOCKER!  My mom sent a couple brown paper bags up with Billy this weekend. Oh, and they did have something in them.  She didn't just send empty bags.  Although she could have, really.  Blake decided to make a paper bag head.  Lola soon wanted one of her own.  It was pretty good entertainment (and cheap, too) for a while!

Blake designed this himself.  And yes, we still have the movie Elf sitting around.

Lola was playing peek-a-boo with hers so Billy helped her hold it on so I could get a photo!

In other news......it's time to move the clocks forward.  I only get TWO chances a year to complain about how much I DESPISE daylight savings time.  I really do.  Here goes....thank you for messing children's schedules up all over the country, world, planet.....who knows.  I'm not sure who follows the silly rules of daylight savings.  Goodbye one hour of sleep.  I will miss you.  (Just so you know....that was a really mild complaining session)!!!

In other OTHER news......tomorrow is selection Sunday.  You will surely understand why I can't be bothered....pretty much from tomorrow until the end of the NCAA tournament in April.  Good luck to those of you filling out brackets.  And for those of you who aren't (the horror), well, I can't imagine why you aren't.  So I can't think of anything to say.  What could be better than this basketball tournament?  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  GO CARDS!

Stuff!

Get ready for some action!  That's right.  We've been getting into some serious stuff over here at the Yadon home.  Okay, not really.  But we have experienced a couple of firsts for Lola.  And they are pretty (majorly) significant!  First of all, Lola ate her first ice cream cone.  Of course she has eaten ice cream before but she's never had her very own cone.  And I know it's still cold outside.  But to me?  Ice cream is always in season.  Anyway, to say she liked it would be an understatement.  She couldn't get enough!  It was WAY too cute!
*Side note*  Of course it was necessary for me to help her eat some of her tasty treat before it melted all over the place.  Mmmmmmm......ice cream!

Then there is Sandy.  You know, the penny horse at Meijer?  Yeah.  Blake used to LOVE Sandy.  I had to make sure I brought a satchel (yeah, I said satchel) full of pennies whenever I went grocery shopping with him.  And I know the sign says not to leave your children unattended.  But I'm pretty sure if I had left Blake with said satchel of pennies, he would have stayed on that horse FOREVER (or until he ran out of pennies....)!
*Side note* Of course I never really left him on the horse......

Lola?  Well, she has been TERRIFIED of Sandy.  I kept trying and trying to get her to take a ride (I'm not sure why when it was clearly torture to her).  But she wasn't buying it.  She wasn't down with gettin' a little crazy at the store.  Until recently.  I remembered (light bulb) that she is now OBSESSED with horses (and saying, "yee haw").  We just so happened to be at Meijer last weekend.  And this time, Lola cried when we finally made her get off the horse.  Yup.  It's safe to say she has joined the Sandy fan club!  She might even be the new president!
*Side note* Of course I will never leave her unattended on Sandy.....tempting as it may be!

And the final news for the day?  Well, I'm hanging out and watching basketball (like I have been non-stop for the last several days).  My brother in-law happens to be AT the Big East tournament with his father, which is way cooler than watching on TV.  Anyway, they go every year.  I'm totally jealous.  But I was even MORE jealous when I saw him on TV sitting RIGHT behind the Louisville bench.  Yeah.  He was that guy.  So of course I had to take some photos of the TV.  I'm that girl!  Anyway, I'm happy he is there.  But is it bad to wish it was me?  Nah.  GO CARDS!
*Side note* Of course I don't think I have ever been more jealous of anything in my life.  Brandon, those seats ROCK!!!!

Lola and her ice cream!

Lola and Sandy (and a lot of bags of salt....)!

Lola and Blake.  Blake was finally reunited with his beloved Sandy!

Yup.  That's Brandon.  And Terrence Jennings. I 'm not sure why Brandon isn't trying to hand Terrence his water.  Or taking some water for himself.  He could.  Because it's RIGHT there.  Have I mentioned I'm jealous?  Okay.  Just so you know!

And my favorite photo.  Brandon checking out Pitino's finger.  And the dude on the right?  Yup.  He's picking his nose.  This is EXACTLY what I worry about when I sit courtside at the Pacers games.  Not that I'd be picking my nose, of course.  But man, you have to be careful when you are gonna be on camera.  Sorry, random dude.  But I caught ya with your finger up your nose!

Choo Choo!

Have I mentioned that I'm a little bit crazy?  And A LOT sleep deprived?  And I'm driving the crazy train?  Yeah.  It's getting worse!  I think my kids are in cahoots!  Saturday night, Lola thought it would be awesome to scream at the top of her lungs (what does that even mean???) at 3:30 AM.  And she kept going, and going, and going (Energizer bunny much?).  Did I get any sleep that night?  Nope.  Then Sunday night, Blake was in and out of the room about every hour starting at midnight.  I finally caved and let him sleep in his sleeping bag on the floor of my bedroom.  Monday night, Blake pulled the same stuff.  Mind you, every time he comes in, it scares the bleepers out of me.  So I let him camp out again (because I wasn't in the mood for multiple heart attacks from him creeping in and out of the room).  Last night.  Oh last night.  Lola was up and screaming at 11:45. I let her cry for a good thirty minutes but then I was scared there was something wrong.  Whenever that happens, she ends up sleeping in my bed.  And by sleeping, I mean she tosses and turns, sneezes and coughs, and whatever else she can do to make sure she keeps me up!  All.  Night.  Long.  And I even moved my book husbands out of the way to let Lola in my bed.  Yes, when Billy is gone, his side of the bed is mostly taken up with my books ("book husbands").

Oh sleep.  How I miss you.  Now here is my other problem.  After things like this happen, the nights to come will usually be just as bad.  Even if the kids decide to sleep (yes, please), I'm up because of nervous anticipation.  I'm listening to the baby monitor every five minutes to see if Lola is making any noise.  Then I'm turning toward the door to see if Blake is standing there watching me sleep.  Yay for insomnia (sarcasm)!

So I'm pretty sure I'm officially mental (yeah, yeah.  I'm always kinda crazy).  You can tell just by looking at me.  My left eye will NOT stop twitching.  It feels like I have a creature living behind my eyeball.  It is less than pleasant.  I think this comes from stress and lack of sleeping.  Or maybe something really is living there.  Who knows.  I just know I need some rest.  And a makeover.  And some new clothes.  And a weekend getaway.  And heck, while we're at it, I could use a million dollars, too.

But guess what?  Pretty soon, there will be no time for sleep! March madness is coming our way!  WOO HOO!  And if you know me, you know basketball is my thing (understatement of the year).  And this is my favorite time of year.  Forget major holidays.  This is it for me!  Go CARDS!  So I guess my sleep will have to wait a little bit longer.  It can't get much worse.  Right?  I might need a new train conductor, though.  So if anyone else wants to drive the crazy train for a while, please let me know! :)

HAPPY! :)

It's time to reveal the five things that are making me happy right now!  For those of you who don't read my blog (GASP), I do this every Monday!  So it is time to tell you all what is making me smile!

1.  I didn't leave the house at all today!  It was fun!  And I'm not saying I go somewhere day in and day out!  It just makes me happy to know that I got to be lazy most of the day!

2.  I FINALLY cleaned out Blake's closet and dresser drawers.  I guess after WAY too long of fighting with the clothes and trying to get everything to stay in the drawers, I caved!  Blake is old enough to clean his own room but for some reason, it never gets done!  Of course it was a ridiculous mess before it looked better at all.  Why?  Because Lola kept herself busy pulling all of his toys out while I was trying to sort clothes.

3.  I'm totally caught up on the shows on the DVR.  I can't believe it.  It's taken FOREVER to get where I am!  And hooray!  I'm finally there! :)

4.  I got all my bills paid!  WOO HOO!  It's always frustrating to pay bills!  But it's also always kinda fun to write checks and balance the checkbook! Yeah, I know.  I'm weird.  But I really do like it!  I never like the balance after paying bills but the process is what I enjoy!  It would be EVEN more fun if I had a million trillion dollars!  Just sayin'!!!

5.  My soup is ready!  And I'm HUNGRY!  And I'm watching The Bachelor!  YAY!

I hope all my readers have a lovely evening and a super fantastic week! :)

Hockey Time!

I haven't been to a hockey game in YEARS.  And secretly, I've always been a tad frightened of getting hit (and killed) with an errant puck.  Well, I put my fears aside and returned to the minor league hockey scene.  Thanks to our friends, Beth and Alan, we got super great seats!  It wasn't cold, I didn't get hit with a puck (not even close), and we had a GREAT time!  Oh, and I love watching the zamboni.  And I often wished I could drive one!  So if you know anyone with connections....just sayin'!!!

Blake was super excited to go to his first hockey game.  He was sitting on the edge of his seat.  And unlike me, he was hoping to catch a fast-flying puck.  Until I explained that it would hurt.  A lot.  Then he was okay just kicking back and watching the players.  He was also very interested in the fights.  Although there weren't that many.  My favorite entertainment bit for the evening?  Whoever was doing the music at the game.  When a fight would start, "Keep 'Em Separated" would come on.  When a silly foul was called, "Innocent Man" would pipe in.  I giggled.  And wished I had that job.....

Lola had a blast!  She, of course, was very interested in the mascot.  She was hoping for Boomer (the Pacers' mascot) but what she got was a big old snow monster thing (the Indiana Ice is the name of the team).  I guess they couldn't use an ice cube or something for a mascot.  So a Yeti thing would have to do.  And I think his name was Big-E-Foot or something cool like that! :)

I am now a converted hockey fan.  And I may or may not be going to an NHL game in a couple weeks.  Okay, I am.  But it's a surprise for Blake so don't tell! :)  Maybe one day I will get to sit in the first row at a game.  I will pounding on the glass like the rest (best) of them!  And heckling the players in the penalty box.  GO HOCKEY!  I kinda love you now!  (Who couldn't love a sport that plays all kinds of AC/DC at their games?!?)