25 Random Things about Racheal

I got tagged by Missy on Facebook to share 25 things about myself. I thought I would share them here as well:

1. I love making lists.
2. I do not wear flip flops – ever.
3. I can sing the 50 states in alphabetical order.
4. I want to see the world. So far, I have been to 26 states and 9 countries. (Airports do NOT count.)
5. I have a scar beside each of my eyes. One is from tripping on the step in our first house, and the other is from a waterslide injury.
6. I can crack open sunflower seeds at an impressive rate.
7. When I was little, I wrote a letter to the Tooth Fairy asking for her autograph as proof of her existence. My mom still has it.
8. I won the 5th Grade Spelling Bee.
9. My hair is naturally wavy.
10. I have an uncanny ability to find four-leaf clovers.
11. I also have a weird ability to remember people’s birthdates. (Unfortunately, I am not so good at mailing birthday cards.)
12. I just started wearing eyeliner at age 32.
13. I have the best proposal story ever.
14. I don’t think that spouses should canoe together. My worst fight with Jeff in 10 years of marriage started in a canoe.
15. I have spent a total of 29 hours in labor birthing my 2 children.
16. I get my best parenting advice from the Berenstain Bear books. Mama Bear rocks!
17. I am a poor loser – and a worse winner.
18. Some of my fondest memories from childhood are picking blackberries and strawberries with my Granny.
19. I share a blog with my sisters, but I do most of the work.
20. I love sending out Christmas cards and wrapping presents.
21. I cannot stand to have split ends.
22. I am in charge of making the dressing every year for Thanksgiving. (Actually, for Thanksgiving Eve – we celebrate on Wednesday night.)
23. I love my children more than anything in this world, but I would probably go insane if I were home with them all the time!
24. If I were to give up pharmacy, I would probably make cupcakes for a living.
25. I really think that I could survive on a deserted island with a Swiss Army knife, a deck of cards, and a stash of chocolate.

So, Renee and Amanda, consider yourselves tagged.

Where is Mandi!

Mandi Kay where are you?!? As we all know, Mandi never answers her phone. I swear she is the hardest person in the world to track down, So if any one talks to her tell her to CALL AMANDA! (I don't really have any thing to say, it would just be nice to say hi) and Mandi it would not kill you to email me some pictures of Mary Beth sometime. Love Ya!

Snow Pics

They forecasted 1 inch-no big deal.....We got 5-6 inches!!!!! The kids (and Aaron) had a good time. I even bundled up and went out for a while!!

Who says cats don't like water?

The Duggar Wedding

WARNING: All Duggar-haters (Renee), stop reading now.

For all my fellow Duggar-lovers (you know who you are), I felt the need to comment on last night's show. Just in case you missed it, Josh (the oldest Duggar) got married. My DVR did not record the 8:00 showing, but of course, TLC showed it again at 11:00. Yes, I stayed up until midnight watching the Duggars. Don't judge me!

Most of the show was exactly what you would expect, however, there were a few surprises. First, I was totally grossed out by the two women making the chicken salad for the reception with their bare hands! I mean, they were up to their elbows in it! Secondly, since I was watching Live TV (ugh!), I caught a commercial for Plan B contraception advertised. Very un-Duggar. I know it's a forgone conclusion that the new Duggar couple wouldn't use any birth control, but I was surprised that they included "letting God decide how and when they would have children" in their vows.

Lastly, I was not prepared for the groom serenade. I really wasn't expecting that, but it was pretty much the perfect ending to a very Duggar affair.

It's hard to remain anonymous

I have been helping lead a small group of teenage girls at church for about a year now. Their only forms of communication are texting and Facebook. Long story short, I joined Facebook, but I have been trying to remain anonymous (funny, I know since it's a social network) for several reasons:

1. I think that I'm too old for it.
2. The bad grammar (both texting and on Facebook) kills me!
3. I've heard several people tell stories of how they have accidentally sent out "Friend Requests" to everyone whom they've ever sent an e-mail.
4. Let's be honest, I just don't like socializing that much.

I have really only been using it to communicate with the girls, and I often get "Friend Requests" from random teenagers they know. I have been denying them, but in the last couple of weeks, I have gotten "Friend Requests" from some of my actual friends. At first, my only "Friends" were a dozen teenage girls and Tyler.

So, I'm trying to embrace Facebook. I already have 3 e-mail accounts (work, home, and junk) and my blog, so I'm not sure how often I will check it, but if you want still want to be my "Friend" after my bulleted rant, feel free to send me a request. :)

Undefeated

"We don't keep score, so we're undefeated." - Coach Jerry Wild

Nathan's basketball team, The Penguins, wrapped up their season today. They got trophies at the Awards Ceremony, and then the whole team went to Larry's Pizza for lunch. In between each of the activities, they had the obligatory sugary treat: cookies from one of the mom's after the game, cupcakes from the coach's wife after lunch, and then candy from cashing in the game room tickets! (As I was typing this, Nathan just came up the stairs and asked me for a snack!)

So far, we have been very fortunate to get on teams with nice coaches, good kids, and (mostly) well-behaved other parents. I don't know what activity Nathan will choose next, but we are limiting it to one thing at a time. I think that's plenty for a 6-year-old. And pretty soon, little sis is going to want in on the action! I'm sure Nathan will be her biggest fan.

Winter Playdates

Last Friday it was 3 degrees! Jeremiah and Makayla were out of school so we invited the girls to come over and play. They did everything you can imagine from dress up (see above picture) to paint to play hide and go seek. It helped pass the cold winter day by.

What else do you do with SO MUCH SNOW?

It's been really hard the past few weeks trying to keep the kids entertained while stuck inside with the weather in the single digits. I read about this great idea to fill the kitchen sink with snow and let the kids play with their toys in it. The kids had fun. However it wasn't too long before they were complaining that their hands were cold!!!!

Who in the heck is Antwan?

Nathan was out of school Friday and today for a teacher work day and then MLK. When I picked him up from school on Thursday, he was proudly wearing this "medal".

At first, I thought that he had gotten the wrong one, but there are no kids in his class named Antwan. When I asked why it said that, at first he didn't want to tell me, so he just shrugged. Then I asked if he was trying to write his name backwards (several of the same letters), but I got another shrug. I kept bugging him about it until he finally admitted that there was an example of how to make the medal, and the name on the example was, you guessed it, "Antwan". Too funny!

My Peanut Butter Sandwich Story

One bitterly cold day in December, was it 1980?...no must have been 1981...no, 1980, 1980.

My dad still tells the story of the day Renee and I packed his lunch for him when we were little. I cannot tell the story with the same flair and embellishment that Dad would use, but the short version is that we packed him 2 peanut butter sandwiches that were pretty much bread with a tiny smear of PB in the middle. He thinks they were the best and the worst sandwiches ever.

Last Sunday night, after I had packed the backpacks and lunchboxes for the next day, Nathan said, "Mom, what do you want for lunch? I'll pack it for you." I left what to put in it up to him, so he fixed me a PB sandwich (with an appropriate amount of PB in one big glob in the middle of the bread), a bag of chips, and some applesauce. He packed it for me in an Incredible Hulk lunch box complete with an ice pack and a little note. It was definitely my best sandwich ever.

No more running on the treadmill.... Dr.'s orders

So I went to the Doctor Friday for some lower back pain. It's been bothering me for a couple of months now, but it has gotten to the point where I can't stand up to blow dry my hair without being in excruciating pain. (scale of 1-10, it's a 10). After talking to the doc for a while she said my back pain is from running on the treadmill. Apparently I really screwed my back up (not that it wasn't already screwed up to begin with) She took x-rays and ordered me to one month of physical therapy three times a week!!
This really sucks!!Here I am trying to get healthy and exercise three times a week (which I've been doing for almost five months now-I have to brag a little because I was so proud of myself) and now I can't. She said I could do low impact exercises walking is fine, just not on the treadmill for a while or do the elliptical (which I don't have one) So basically I'm just frustrated about the whole situation. Not just the inconvenience of P.T., I feel like I'm going to lose my momentum.

Alberta Clipper

If you're not from the Noth East the term Alberta Clipper in the weather forecast might not mean much to you, but if you are then you'll know it usually means snow, lots of snow. That's what we've had this week-snow, lots of snow, and some very low temps. It has been the coldest week of the season. A few days the high was only in the single digits. J's school had a two hour delay on Thursday and was completly canceled Friday. He is also out Monday for MLK and Tuesday for teacher clerical day. The bad part about the 5 or so inches of snow is that the kids can't play in it. We tried to bundle up and go out a few times, but after five minutes we have to come back in because it's just too cold. Today while breaking down church and packing it into the trailer Aaron looked at me and said "It's not cold it's only in the 30's". It's funny when 30 seems warm............The snow is beautiful and peaceful. We plan on staying in and napping this afternoon, going sledding when the kids wake up,then going to a friends house to watch the Steelers!!!!

Mommy's Makeup

Ashley likes to put on makeup with me when I'm getting ready in the morning, so I usually put a little blush and lip gloss on her. The other night, I let her have full access (with supervision, of course) to my makeup bag. I gave her an old tube of lipstick, and she loved it! Her favorite thing was the mascara. Since it is usually the most forbidden fruit, she wanted layers and layers of it. But it's not like she really needs it with those eyelashes! They are ridiculously long!

Mount Magazine

We made a quick trip to the Mt. Magazine - the highest point in Arkansas - last weekend. It was a surprisingly short drive, and the new lodge is very nice. We had an unseasonably warm day last Saturday, so I thought we should hike up to the top of the mountain and enjoy the nice weather. However, after we checked in, all that the kids wanted to do was swim in the indoor pool. So, that's what we did: swim, eat, and swim some more. The next morning, we woke up to 35 degree weather and misting rain! After breakfast, we packed our bags and headed home.

Sunset at the Lodge

Water slide at the pool

Ashley at the kiddie pool - the water was supposed to be heated, but it was freezing!

Just hanging out

We all agreed that we would like to come back sometime. Maybe we'll make it to the top!

Big day for "J"

Today proved to be a big day for J. He was moved up into the advanced reading class and he lost his first tooth. Needless to say he is on cloud nine! I took a picture of him, but decided not to post it. It was a little too gross. Toothless pics to follow.

"I'm Not Stuck"

This is how I found Ashley yesterday. I left her (perfectly content) in there while I got the camera.

They make those for adults?

Footed pajamas, that is. Amanda and Mikayla both wore theirs pretty much all New Year's Day!

Storm Trooper

"Thanks, Micah for the Toys R Us gift card." - Nathan

We spent an hour there yesterday with Brandon and Mikayla searching for the perfect toy. Nathan settled on a Star Wars Storm Trooper Voice Changing Helmet - whew, that's a mouthful!