tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-204799162012-01-21T01:26:41.699-06:004guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.comBlogger4891100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-60172318436467231782012-01-20T16:40:00.001-06:002012-01-20T20:21:25.785-06:00

I do not normally buy into laundry gadgets. I am a skeptic through and through after all. I have been burned by many a laundry gadget. Still there are some that are worth the attention. Ever seen a seven year old fold laundry willingly? Without complaint? Check these out... I cannot say that I can take 100% credit for these. I cannot even say that I would have even bought them without

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-59181895665170497272012-01-19T09:55:00.000-06:002012-01-19T09:56:35.581-06:00

I am not sure I will tell my children this, but I have been at it again. I have been baking cinnamon raisin bread, again. That part will be obvious. There will be no hiding that. Fairly soon, my husband will even be coming out of his office and asking what I am making because the smell is infiltrating the house. It smells really good. The part that I have been at again, then? The "tinkering"

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-17936779738887666512012-01-18T20:58:00.001-06:002012-01-19T09:58:23.496-06:00

Tonight at Young Mens meeting they were talking about the upcoming Youth Conference adventure. Introducing it to the kids and parents. It is a trek. Well it was time for some period appropriate games - pioneer time appropriate. I look over to find my oldest son, the one old enough to go in the youth conference trek, Andrew...sitting on the floor with his friends in a big circle playing Duck,

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-54129481719237313602012-01-18T17:14:00.001-06:002012-01-18T17:14:13.786-06:00

The one year anniversary of my hysterectomy pretty much came and went without much fan faire. That is as it should be. Thirty five years old and I can say that I lived to tell about it. The best part is that I do not regret doing it. Many people might question that statement that know me well enough to know what I have been through the past year and a few months, but the truth be told that

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-34591600710344659992012-01-17T14:50:00.001-06:002012-01-18T13:46:29.857-06:00

Walking into a Walgreens, for me, should never be considered my finest moment when I am headed to the pharmacy counter. I will confess it is usually accompanied by emotion, especially as of lately. For the average person this is not a problem. For someone who already has a confessed weakness, this could be the start of a downward spiral. My confessed weakness? Pretzel things that have peanut

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-17219098790680898162012-01-14T13:50:00.000-06:002012-01-16T16:33:22.143-06:00

Andrew was up last. Andrew having a stare down with the camera in his before shot. See I did get at least one before shot. Andrew insisting that I did NOT need to take his picture. A typical teenager. I am not sure what is wrong with him. He is an attractive young man and I kind of like him. He'll thank me one day. Andrew messing with the camera. He did not want me taking his picture

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-10976478823723602782012-01-14T13:05:00.000-06:002012-01-16T16:33:30.979-06:00

Kyle was up next... I kind of got there for the "before" shot. Like I said, this hairstylist worked fast! Almost done. She was getting to the finishing touches and then for the "spiky" stage. Kyle has always had his hair short and spiky as long as he could ask for his hair style. Kyle and his short and spiky hair. So Kyle! "Maybe if I ignore mommy, the camera will go away." Sorry,

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-79199070453486462642012-01-14T12:55:00.000-06:002012-01-16T16:22:40.369-06:00

So with three boys, sometimes we can go a while between haircuts. It isn't anything personal. We just get busy and frankly it can cost a bit of change to take the boys in at one time. Today, I took them. I took them to this place that I found that I liked because of the price and the did a decent job. We got there (fortunately close by) to find that it was temporarily closed for renovations.

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-45001944166170583552012-01-12T16:15:00.001-06:002012-01-16T16:48:38.818-06:00

If you have a fake Christmas tree or even if you do not and just have Christmas lights anywhere in your life, this tool is an absolute must have item to have in your arsenal. Everyone knows that I am a skeptic when it comes to products, but I assure you that this is worth the money you will spend on it. I have not even gotten all the features to work and I am not sure I will ever get them to

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-59503050028623629472012-01-11T17:11:00.002-06:002012-01-11T17:27:00.991-06:00

Please save me from my children. Not one, not two, but all three of my children are putting ketchup on their mashed potatoes! That is just disgusting in the highest degree. They are trying to convince me that ketchup is good on potatoes. I told them mashed potatoes were very different than fried potatoes also known as french fries. They then proceeded to go to the fridge and get the ketchup

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-80659588208597252772012-01-10T07:41:00.003-06:002012-01-10T08:21:57.365-06:00

Last night for dinner, I wanted something hearty. I am not typically a soup person. I prefer something a bit meatier than most soups come. I usually do not go out of my way to torture my children either. Lance does not like soup. He will flat out announce every time, "You know I do not like soup" or "You know I do not like pie." That is pie as in chicken pot pie or beef pot pie. I personally

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-63767933010843167702012-01-09T17:24:00.001-06:002012-01-09T17:24:05.317-06:00

On the way to church yesterday morning, we got an interesting viewing experience. As we crossed the rail road tracks there was a corvette which by itself is not unusual. This corvette was not by itself. It was accompanied by at least five or six others. As we go a little further, there were more. We must have passed about twenty corvettes in a mile stretch of road. Not something you see every

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-90740494582590195242012-01-08T20:21:00.001-06:002012-01-08T20:21:28.830-06:00

I still hold my opinion of the Supreme Bed Wedge. My husband has an opinion. He thinks it is cramping his style. He falls asleep with his arm sticking out and that is not so easy with the Bed Wedge. He seems to be bothered by it. I, however, am relieved that it might modify the behavior. It didn't bother me much because I was usually retiring after he was already asleep so his arm was usually

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-14576766728412799312012-01-08T20:08:00.018-06:002012-01-09T14:13:42.381-06:00

Another round of pizza bites. Yes, this was a serious session. It got messy! The boys wanted to share the yummy deliciousness with their father so we acquired all the necessary supplies and my sister came over and we set at it again. Lots and lots and lots of pizza bites. That's three different sized pans, not us getting crazy with the different sizes on the bites themselves. We used this

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-55964978321963774112012-01-08T20:00:00.001-06:002012-01-08T20:03:47.240-06:00

So I looked my bruise yesterday and it was not so pretty. It was a bit surprising actually. Not what I expected. Maybe I should have. It was just a bit more painful looking than I expected. It hurts pretty bad. No surprises there.

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-41447775128102687022012-01-07T14:31:00.000-06:002012-01-07T14:31:32.996-06:00

I am still under whelmed and undecided about the claims on the Supreme Bed Wedge. I am still giving it a fair chance. I did buy this after I was already searching for relief after a horrible night caused by the very problem the Bed Wedge is supposed to solve. I have to believe that most people are not the upper edge case that I represent and probably were not already pushing "sick" as a result of

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-85997102819447756022012-01-06T13:32:00.002-06:002012-01-06T13:33:49.534-06:00

This past holiday season I made a cheese ball just because I could. I simply wanted to. Again, I cannot take 100% credit for this. A friend of ours, Sonja Anderson's son, Jordon, sold them for his Eagle Scout project fundraiser and we bought one. They were delicious! I decided I was going to make one...or two... A Chocolate Chip Cream Cheese Ball in all of its sweet yummy goodness. I went

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-22704474762549025922012-01-06T12:44:00.002-06:002012-01-06T13:01:09.357-06:00

Both little trees are done and the big tree. Just the mantle, the nativity, and a few other things remaining. Go me! Yes, I've even done laundry in all of this.

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-16689703728582860662012-01-06T11:48:00.051-06:002012-01-09T14:04:11.240-06:00

The big tree and taking all the ornaments off of it is a very methodical process. You probably should not ask the question you do not want the answer to, so don't. First is the snowflakes. Hand crocheted snowflakes. There are not too many, just enough. Enough to make the tree start to look a little different. Then it is the balls. This year, I did not put all of the balls on the tree. I just

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-81089280263783291252012-01-06T10:57:00.002-06:002012-01-06T10:57:45.392-06:00

Look it is only January 6th and I already have one tree stripped of ornaments. See miracles do happen. Anyone who knows me well enough knows that it could be well into February before the Christmas decorations are down. I have pictures to prove it so do not try to dispute it. Disbelief can be stopped. I will be the first to own up to it and admit it out right. This year it might make it

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-57147281187879238002012-01-06T09:23:00.041-06:002012-01-06T10:07:12.246-06:00

Delayed reaction kind of, but OUCH! One of the things that I want to do this year is get the clutter around the house under control and just get better organized. I know, grumble grumble grumble. I am horrible at this so this will be a worthy challenge for the year. The hardest thing for me is that organization can cost a lot of money. It is one of the biggest hold backs for me, as well. There,

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-26038990705305372352012-01-06T05:51:00.001-06:002012-01-06T05:59:02.837-06:00

The Supreme Bed Wedge trial last night was not as great as I hoped it would be. This is blatantly obvious as I am up before 6:00AM and I went to bed at nearly midnight. I did not sleep all that well. It could have simply been the change. I do not always do well with change so I am not throwing it out the window just yet. It was too expensive to give up on just yet. The biggest problem, was the

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-45975969230813178872012-01-05T22:50:00.065-06:002012-01-06T05:53:12.269-06:00

Having bad reflux that is unexplainable makes for some pretty miserable conditions at night. It is bad during the day, but nighttime is the worst. Sleeping sitting up is hardly sleeping in the quality sense. I have found that over the past year, the body has a natural tendency to want to lay flat when it sleeps. It has been extremely frustrating due the the consequences of such actions. Here has

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-15356356367611874302012-01-05T19:07:00.002-06:002012-01-05T21:36:06.453-06:00

We have been attending the same karate studio for 10 years this month when Andrew started at the ripe age of five years old. It has been ten years of growth for him. Now all three boys attend and have been for a while. To this day, however, I take a minute to watch as they go in the door. Many might think that I am just being a cautious mother. To all of you, yes I am. The real reason I hold

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-70931082990537521042012-01-05T09:10:00.002-06:002012-01-05T09:35:41.841-06:00

We have this phrase we like to use around here, "Trust but verify." I think it is relevant in light of last couple treks to school in the morning. This morning I was standing there chatting with the crossing guard again. I really feel bad that I cannot remember her name. She is delightful. I can even remember what street she lives on. I cannot remember her name though. We were chatting about

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-27499968278806533002012-01-05T07:37:00.002-06:002012-01-05T07:45:29.196-06:00

There are a lot of reasons why I love my kids, but sometimes the conversations are just enough to get me through the rough times. This morning, for example, the noise coming from Lance is too much for even a Diet Coke moment to drown out. Here is how our conversation just went: Lance: Can I have some of your cinnamon raisin bread in my lunch? Me: There is some banana bread already cut in there

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-92153396268782421732012-01-04T18:13:00.002-06:002012-01-04T18:18:29.225-06:00

I asked of two of the children on the way home from retrieving the oldest from school, "what do you want for dinner?" I thought that was a fair question. I had two of the three children in the car - Andrew and Lance. It was just me and the boys for dinner as Ben is out of town on business again (first trip of the year). I knew in the back of my mind I would get a perfectly useless response (or in

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-65160043967397245092012-01-04T11:54:00.146-06:002012-01-04T14:08:42.831-06:00

Last night we had something I will call pizza bites for dinner. I would like to take 100% full credit for these, but alas I do have to give credit for inspiration at the very least. I saw something similar being made by a friend of mine, Stephenie Black. She got it out of a cookbook that I actually want. Yes, I just admitted that I want a cookbook. My problem is that I have a lot of cookbooks

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-69860447956761849032012-01-04T10:24:00.003-06:002012-01-04T10:30:06.839-06:00

I am sure most of you were thinking that just posting the loaves of cinnamon raisin bread yesterday and how they went together was just cruel and unusual punishment. It probably was. So today, I will treat your eyes to what the inside of the loaves looked like. Feast your eyes on this... Yes, that is why my kids were begging me to cut a loaf of cinnamon raisin bread last night. That is why my

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-52279372774113668402012-01-04T09:43:00.001-06:002012-01-05T09:09:16.008-06:00

I just have to say that when the crossing guard stops you and asks you to investigate the blinking light way over there you are in for a big surprise. One should also take note of the sheriff that kindly nods to you at the stop sign on the way by on your pleasant albeit a bit chilly morning bike ride commute to school. I'm just saying. Yesterday morning the sheriff was a bit lost. I was

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-91961316802289758762012-01-03T22:42:00.152-06:002012-01-04T00:36:46.369-06:00

I am sure you have all read about how much the cinnamon raisin bread impressed my children by now. If not, they loved it! They want me to make it for them because it is so good. It is right up there next to them admitting to letting the bananas go spotted on purpose. I'll come back to that another day, this is about the making of cinnamon raisin bread in all of its awesomeness... This is what it

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-64630109227253687792012-01-03T21:27:00.002-06:002012-01-03T21:43:30.858-06:00

So anyone who knows me, knows that my toes are rarely hidden - willingly. It can be freezing outside and you will still find me in sandals. That is just how I roll. My feet are happy and I am happy. I do not like having my feet stuck in stuffy shoes. Period. Even worse than stuffy shoes, however, are socks! Who thought of those horrible things? They make my feet feel funny. My skin...I

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-57154731274974380552012-01-03T21:05:00.002-06:002012-01-04T16:52:08.092-06:00

This is how the conversation with Kyle went tonight after cutting a loaf of the cinnamon raisin bread. Kyle: This is even better than the last time! Me: How so? How is it different? Kyle: Did you use a newer thing of buttermilk or an older thing of flour? Me: (grinning) Older thing of buttermilk but that wasn't it. Kyle: What was it? Me: I'll never tell. Kyle: You tinkered with the recipe didn't

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-46318583956264849232012-01-03T14:05:00.002-06:002012-01-03T19:04:05.569-06:00

So I tried this recipe a while ago. It became an instant hit. It was an explosion of yumminess in everyone's mouth. As such they devoured three loaves of the stuff without hesitation. It was a good thing I had three more loaves in reserve. This was back in late September or early October I believe. I can't remember the date exactly. I just know the kids loved it and I had better make it again.

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-3319032166112173202012-01-02T09:35:00.000-06:002012-01-02T09:35:47.061-06:00

Something that I have slacked off on for the past several months and need to get back to doing is building my "home store" resources at "sale prices" and not "when I need it prices." If you understood what you just read, you can quit reading now. If you did not, read on as I will try to explain. Several years ago I found myself upset by something as simple as going to the grocery store. With a

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-85384373461809295022012-01-01T22:17:00.002-06:002012-01-02T09:00:18.588-06:00

Another year has come and gone, but we cannot look back at what has escaped and been left behind. If we do we will miss the opportunities that lay ahead of us. Those are the moments we must embrace with open arms... As we go into 2012, I hope that each one of us will look to find some way to hold our head a little higher and look forward to the things the lay ahead of us. May our chin point us

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-85044385313034217122011-07-07T19:29:00.053-05:002011-07-15T15:23:57.019-05:00

With my sister and her three children moving out, it has set me about the house picking up a few loose ends. This is primarily in the kitchen. Upon moving in, there were several boxes of food that came with her. Stuff from her pantry and cabinets. We have over the past 11 months managed to chew through a good chunk of it, but not all of it. Ann's new husband, Dan, evidently has been living the

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-35164926330413154172011-06-02T21:52:00.050-05:002011-07-18T08:02:10.256-05:00

This morning was the Awards Ceremony at Ulrich Intermediate School for the eight graders. This was supposed to be a get "a little dressier" affair and your parents show up and "let's make a big deal" out of this thing. There was no mention as to what Andrew was getting in the invitation to show up, simply that I should show up. Essentially they were going to tell us how awesome they thought

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0Tomball, TX, USA30.0971621 -95.616054930.0598146 -95.65358739999999 30.134509599999998 -95.5785224tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-4397677755146013932011-05-19T22:39:00.045-05:002011-07-15T15:01:45.512-05:00

Andrew has been playing the cello for 4 years now, but I can honestly say that it does not get old to hear him practice or perform. Each performance can melt a mother's heart.  I am truly grateful as a parent that we have moved away from the strict "no video" policies at Doerre Intermediate because I have gotten some truly unique opportunities to get up close and personal with my son's

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-76684037855825789142011-05-14T20:17:00.093-05:002011-07-12T21:47:02.988-05:00

Today my younger brother, Jonathan Hellewell, graduated from Lone Star College–Tomball. We don't need much reason to celebrate, but this seemed like a perfectly legitimate reason to get together and do it anyway. I do have to say that this was a short, sweet, and to the point graduation ceremony. They did not drag out all the pomp and circumstance like many college do. We were done in about an

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-539825271396823292011-05-09T22:30:00.035-05:002011-07-12T13:24:09.177-05:00

It was that time again for the Annual Klein ISD String Fling event. I have been looking forward to this since Kyle picked up his viola! I have been anticipating doing it again since Andrew participated just a few years ago. Anyway, I digress. The String Fling event is where all the 5th graders in the district who participated in the 5th grade strings program get together and do one single all

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-67843035260007635552011-04-29T22:41:00.111-05:002011-07-11T09:48:56.150-05:00

Tonight was the last Cub Scout Pack Meeting we will attend for Kyle. Tonight was the Arrow of Light and Crossing Over Ceremony for the three boys in the pack that have turned 11 years old in the past couple of months. Each of the boys have worked really hard to finish up all of the requirements for their Arrow of Light Award. Way to go boys! The meeting was held at a local park, Spring Creek Park

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-26484687088195311102011-04-28T22:38:00.073-05:002011-07-09T19:51:03.878-05:00

While this might be Kyle's last Brown Belt test, this is not the last Brown Belt test that I will witness. I still have one more child to go in karate...so that is why this not the last brown belt test. It IS Kyle's LAST BROWN BELT test, but it is not mine. Way to go, Kyle! You have worked hard to get here and I am proud of you! Keep it up, you'll be a black belt before you know it. Now a karate

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-15662939920413721532011-04-14T23:07:00.064-05:002011-07-09T19:10:20.758-05:00

Andrew is a good kid all the way around. There is no denying it. I am his mother so I have to think that, but other people assure me it is the truth. I like to think that they are telling me the truth. I also like to think that sometimes you can be truly rewarded for your hard work and general "awesomeness." Tonight was one of those unique opportunities where you get those "once in a lifetime"

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-68381812712852687822011-04-14T20:29:00.001-05:002011-07-07T22:47:00.492-05:00

I am not entirely sure how the viola came about the name it has, but it has a name. It is Bob. Bob the Viola. I suppose if you are a viola, Bob is as good of a name as any. Bob is mostly loved in our house. We at least encourage Kyle to stroke his strings and just generally pay attention to him - show him lots of love daily. Here is Bob the Viola: A couple of close-up shots of Bob the Viola.  

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-19984183286093256872011-04-14T19:57:00.000-05:002011-07-07T23:00:55.123-05:00

Sometimes you just have to take a picture just because it is something you want to capture forever. I want to always remember the boys' beautiful (err...handsome) smiles right along with their goofy grins. Here is Lance in his finest: May you always have your smile, Lance. Live. Love. Laugh. Smile. Grin.

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-52527551306668068842011-03-24T21:11:00.001-05:002011-07-07T21:22:29.931-05:00

Katlynn is my youngest niece. Today she turned 7 years old. It is hard to believe that she's that old already. She wanted me to make her a cake that had flowers on it. That was a bit more challenging than you would think. Let me confess here that I do not get much opportunity to do flowers. I have 3 boys. I don't do many flowers. Since I was still not feeling super hot health-wise, I wasn't

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-39322713506433679712011-03-20T23:47:00.025-05:002011-07-07T21:24:03.072-05:00

It is hard to believe that it has already been 11 years since you came into this world, but what an amazing 11 years it has been. You keep life interesting, Kyle! Even though daddy was out of town on business, we still got the extended family together to celebrate. It was not hard since 4 of them were residing in the house with us. His Grandma and Grandpa Hellewell, Uncle Jonathan, Aunt Jennifer,

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-31744795564053627422011-03-19T23:29:00.004-05:002011-07-07T21:23:25.722-05:00

We celebrated Kyle's birthday early this year. Daddy was flying out of town for another business trip on his actual birthday so we decided that we were doing cake and ice cream the day before so that he could take part in all the festivities.  Kyle WANTED a mint chocolate chip ice cream cake. Let me preface this by saying that as bad as I was feeling, I did honestly try to find him a mint

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-78818165992783993752011-03-09T23:17:00.059-06:002011-07-07T21:39:44.030-05:00

So Lance tested again in karate tonight. Happy Birthday, Mommy! It wasn't a half bad way to celebrate my birthday I have to say. It has been fun to see Lance progress in karate. He is not the first child we have put in the "Little Dragons" program, but he is the child we have kept in the longest. He has loved every minute of karate. So if anyone is considering karate for their child, girl or boy,

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-1029743633672877182011-03-01T22:59:00.002-06:002011-07-07T08:29:42.613-05:00

Tonight Kyle earned his Webelos rank in Cub Scouts. Way to go, Kyle! Next step is to earn your Arrow of Light Award. Kyle pinning his mom's Webelos pin on her shirt. Yes, mom is wearing a Scout shirt too. Mom is a registered Cub Scout and is fully trained as the Cub Scout Pack Trainer. Kyle and his usual happy self. He has that quirky smile most of the time. Next stop 11 year old scouts in

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-76327954912461340602011-01-29T23:29:00.028-06:002011-03-26T16:58:18.989-05:00

It is hard to believe that it has already been 14 years since giving birth to Andrew. I have tried not to dwell on the fact that he is 14 years old as that would mean that I would have to admit to how old I have gotten. Yes, 14 years have passed. As Andrew has aged, I have aged right along with him. There is no denying it. But this is about Andrew.... I could dote on him and tell you how

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-61060971122731244652011-01-25T22:54:00.001-06:002011-03-26T16:04:29.721-05:00

Tonight was Kyle's last official Cub Scout Pinewood Derby race. I have to say that it won't be his last derby race that he'll ever attend though. Why? Because he still has a little brother that is yet to come in Cub Scouts. His cousin is still in Cub Scouts as well. So there will be a few more races in his future, he just won't be participating in them. I have to say that his car ended up being

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-49880397477217564482011-01-11T23:19:00.005-06:002011-03-26T15:52:24.746-05:00

I have completely enjoyed living in a school district that offers music programs to younger children. The boys' school offers choir in 4th and 5th grades, which Kyle participated in last year, but more to my liking is the 5th Grade Strings program. I have enjoyed the experience each time we have participated. I have to say that it isn't always a painless experience and it isn't always fun, but

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-37983021432011745402011-01-10T09:21:00.000-06:002011-01-10T09:21:02.997-06:00

I roasted another chicken last night for dinner. This one ended up being more tender than the previous ones. My sister, Ann, went to pull the chicken leg off and the bone fell out. *laugh* Of course, I was sitting there grinning from ear to ear inside. I managed to pull of a super moist chicken and I left the thing unattended. I mean, literally unattended for a couple of hours. I mean, left the

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-59317981739403283662011-01-05T21:15:00.005-06:002011-01-09T00:30:28.080-06:00

At church things get done by volunteers. Responsibilities are assigned in a sense. You are asked if you will perform the tasks in a particular position. You never know how long you will be serving in this capacity. The "callings" or assignments range in duties and responsibilities. Until a couple of weeks ago, I had 3 callings. I was released from one of my callings in Sacrament Meeting a couple

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-83087275567200815162011-01-04T23:10:00.019-06:002011-01-05T08:40:37.864-06:00

Today was a marathon day of pre-op appointments. Surgery in 10 days. The cold/respiratory bug that I have caught is kicking my butt. My breathing is now starting to be affected by it. I feel like I have sprinted across the room when the reality is that I simply walked. Not so cool. First appointment was with the gynecologist at 11:00am. It is roughly a half-hour drive to his office. So after

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-26720035790037228882011-01-03T20:27:00.000-06:002011-01-03T20:27:51.599-06:00

I am not entirely sure why I had subconsciously convinced myself that roasting a chicken was a lot of work. I had 2 chickens frozen in my freezer for a while. I got them for an incredibly good price one day at the grocery store. Well, I figured that I would just save them for a day when I was feeling overly ambitious. Let me preface the next statements by the fact that "overly ambitious" is not

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-84775122787261380242011-01-02T23:10:00.003-06:002011-01-03T00:22:11.929-06:00

So I've decided that I have caught the nasty cold bug that is going around. I cannot think of a better way to ring in a New Year. Lance had it last week. He even ran a fever with it. I let it run its course in spite of the nasty cough. Finally, on Friday after him feeling a bit better for a couple of days he had returned to the clingy and lethargic state again so I broke down and took him to

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-63744899092710769622011-01-01T22:49:00.002-06:002011-01-03T00:23:12.609-06:00

I cannot think of a better way to ring in the new year than a trip to the grocery store. OK, so I am completely lying to you and can think of a lot of better ways to ring in the new year than a trip to the grocery store. Alas, we were having bratwurst for dinner and I was going to have to go buy the bratwurst and buns for dinner. Not to mention that I was going to have to go get a few household

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-48283092932967482992011-01-01T10:31:00.001-06:002011-01-02T10:46:40.099-06:00

Well it is 2011 already. I am not sure how this happened, but the years have just crept by. A lot has happened the past few years. Too much to dwell and reflect on now. The fact is, we are faced with another year to make a change in. Or not. I am just looking forward this year. After looking back, I am convinced that simply looking forward is best right now. This year, I hope to get back into

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-14813172124866543392010-10-14T22:15:00.022-05:002011-07-09T18:40:41.288-05:00

I cannot believe you are already 6 years old! Where did the years go? You even started Kindergarten this year. Wow! My "baby" is not a baby anymore. It was another year with another Wall-E cake. This cake pan has gotten more than one use. It is not too bad to do the stars on either. Some are not so fun. Between Bob the Builder and Wall-E we have had some duplicates.  Present time is happy

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-82751745074542008482010-03-20T23:45:00.001-05:002011-07-09T18:41:35.337-05:00

Happy 10th Birthday to my dearest, Kyle. OK, so he's my only Kyle but he's still pretty dear to me. Here are some pictures from the day! The cake. The infamous iPod cake. Complete with scratch just like his own iPod shuffle. I made this cake for the Cub Scout Cake Auction Fundraiser they did and he wanted another one just like it for his birthday. The birthday boy, himself! Kyle! He even

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-76906502047676814762010-03-04T23:43:00.001-06:002010-03-05T09:24:53.811-06:00

You never know when the raw emotions will get a tad irritated, causing them to just spill over. Today I worked on getting my office cleaned and a bit more organized. The kids had managed to trash it – again. This room has a lot of stuff in it and it serves a lot of purposes. It serves as my office, though I rarely use it as such because most days you can rarely step into the room much further

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-68187221732668833322010-03-04T16:05:00.000-06:002010-03-05T08:55:13.540-06:00

We have been in the process of getting his vaccinations all caught up so that he's ready for school this fall. Not a big deal. You would think. He has been so far behind for so long for a variety of reasons, but mostly when he was little he always had stuffy noses or whatnot. Always had problems with reflux and the like. I refuse to vaccinate a remotely sick child. So he fell further and

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-29652264610079326042010-03-04T06:26:00.001-06:002010-03-05T08:32:44.789-06:00

"I'm so happy!" That was Lance's response last night about 10pm-ish when I called him into the room. Why? Why would I lose my mind and let him stay up way way way past his bedtime? Because he was so delighted that I would finish his long awaited for pajamas. It was about 2 weeks ago when I bought the fabric for his pajamas. Every day since then I have heard, "are you going to make my pajamas

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-38877742727319335322010-03-03T11:05:00.002-06:002010-03-05T09:45:54.117-06:00

Just to spice things up around here, I thought I'd add a typical mother's "mishap to-do" list. * Finish off box of Girl Scout cookies. Check. * Go to DPS (Department of Public Safety) office to renew driver's license. Check. * Chicken out at the DPS office due to long lines that have already reached the doors by 8:36am. Check. * Go to fabric store to get a hexagon cutting ruler so that you

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-83357654164881927562010-03-02T21:59:00.000-06:002010-03-05T10:25:15.825-06:00

Everyone knows that I am on the lookout for great deals almost always. I put things off just because I am waiting for a good price and whatnot. Go figure. Well it is Tuesday and I really should get to the grocery store, but I am not entirely sure how I am going to manage that today. Too many things to do and not enough time to do them all in. Lance and I ran out and did some errands earlier this

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-61442698460473088332010-02-23T22:12:00.001-06:002010-03-05T14:38:35.253-06:00

Normally, snow is something that is just out of the ordinary for Gulf Coast Texas. Then comes the 2009-2010 winter season. My goodness. It started snowing again this evening while I was cooking dinner. Insane. I even have pictures to prove that it snowed again in late February of 2010. Big monster flakes too. OK, so they are monster flakes compared to what we normally see. Now let me say that

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-1725742486030531552010-02-21T22:20:00.013-06:002010-02-22T10:38:41.583-06:00

I can't always say, "that was a great lesson" on Sunday. Sad, but true. I just don't always get all that much out of it. At least not to the level where I would say, "wow that was a great lesson." This week was an exception. The Sunday School lesson was awesome. We were talking about the Abrahamic Covenant. I guess that it helps that I've read a lot about Abraham in the scriptures the past

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-50278255452931508542010-02-20T22:17:00.001-06:002010-02-22T11:30:54.740-06:00

Today was the 14th Annual Interfaith Charity Quilting Bee. What a great event! It is just a lot of fun to see all the quilts on display and then to see all the people dutifully tying all the quilts to donate. When I turned in my quilt before lunch, the count was about 270 quilts. All of these quilts go back into the community to families who receive services through the Interfaith Hospitality

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-20487984627774237732010-02-19T23:48:00.001-06:002010-02-22T11:09:52.153-06:00

Tomorrow is the big Charity Quilting Bee and I've almost got my donation completed. I had planned on getting it done completely by tonight, but that did not happen. Tonight I got the binding sewn on. All that is left to do is finish tying it. Tomorrow will just have to be a day with me finishing the tying instead of helping the other sisters in the ward tie the quilts completed by others in the

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-14638783831878154912010-02-17T10:39:00.000-06:002010-02-22T10:47:21.998-06:00

Mom needed to run to the fabric store yesterday to get something for borders for a couple of baby quilts she is making. In my recent state of mind, this was not a big deal. It did not require a whole lot of arm twisting to get me to drop everything and head over to pick her up and take her to the store. I wanted to get the batting for my brother-in-law's quilt anyway. I also needed to get some

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-57288565930010084012010-02-16T09:53:00.000-06:002010-02-16T23:07:47.555-06:00

Andrew came home from school yesterday afternoon to inform us that it was official that he would be going to the new junior high school that will be opening up this fall. I was never in doubt. We live right across the street from the school more or less. Alright, so it is a couple of blocks away. We're less than a block from the subdivision entrance and the edge of the school's property is right

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-7870261471514152732010-02-15T21:43:00.001-06:002010-02-16T22:53:03.539-06:00

Last night as I was dutifully sewing, I managed to just throw things out of whack. I wasn't paying attention to the little knob that held the needle tight in the machine. I was just content to be working on the quilt top for my brother-in-law and getting close to having it done. Since this is his Christmas present, this is a big deal. Well the needle fell out of its perch and kind of slowed

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-62646690001410949812010-02-10T23:27:00.000-06:002010-02-10T23:27:03.248-06:00

Today would have been Margaret's 34th birthday. It is hard to believe that she's been gone almost 4 months. It seems like just yesterday that she was there in the hospital clinging to life with all the ups and downs the illness brought with it. How easily we overlook time when we are consumed in our lives by whatever is right there in front of us. Sometimes it is simply an annoying distraction

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-88620499790058288922010-02-09T22:28:00.001-06:002010-02-10T23:32:26.438-06:00

Tonight was another Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. The cars were ready. Now if I could have gotten rid of the headache, I might have actually enjoyed it more. I even let Lance do a car even though he likely wouldn't get to race it on the track a whole lot. It made him happy to build another one. I am sure he's going to be all about the derby when he gets into Cub Scouts in a couple of years. Kyle

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-25487730842388819642010-02-03T22:15:00.000-06:002010-02-04T09:27:31.131-06:00

Today was a wash of a day, literally with all the rain. Makes you want to just be lazy. I'll confess to being lazy today. Of course, it helps the lazy factor when you've got 1 side of your nose that you just simply can't breathe through because the weather has reeked havoc on your sinuses. I did, however, finish loading the digital picture frame for my mother-in-law. I need to finish doing the

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-42712923054142487532010-01-31T19:37:00.000-06:002010-02-11T17:38:20.517-06:00

They dedicated the new church building today during Sacrament meeting. That was kind of exciting to sit there and be a part of it. It was a beautiful service. It is exciting to be right in the middle of all the changes. Changes sometimes are good. I am enjoying our new little Ward and getting to know new people.

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-38965007838328142972010-01-30T23:37:00.000-06:002010-02-10T23:49:54.034-06:00

In case of not so major emergency, you should know what the stand alone urgent care center will charge verses the full fledged hospital emergency room. After today, I am truly grateful that our health insurance does distinguish between "urgent care" and "emergency room" visit. My sister, Ann, found out this afternoon that hers does not. We stopped at 2 different urgent care centers as you have

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-23734834023055435992010-01-29T10:33:00.002-06:002010-02-10T23:50:27.151-06:00

Tonight Ann is bringing her kids to stay the night. She is meeting up with some high school friends. Ben and I get the kids for the evening. They are staying here overnight and if the weather is good they will head to visit their father in the morning. I am not entirely sure I am ready for 3 more children in the house. Don't get me wrong, I love them, but the noise. . . oh the noise.

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-84506217858309158342010-01-28T23:20:00.003-06:002011-07-09T18:42:33.839-05:00

It is hard to believe that my oldest baby is 13 years old. Where did the time go? Andrew wanted another ice cream cake this year. Let's just say that the "fanci-fill" cake pan my mother-in-law bought me for Christmas a couple of years ago has come in handy. This year was a much more enjoyable experience making the cake. I learned from all the things that didn't go right last year. This year I

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-28669414801528722622010-01-27T22:53:00.002-06:002010-02-08T00:30:53.975-06:00

The long awaited 2nd degree brown belt test was officially taken! Kyle has been waiting several months to take this test. Most of the problem was simply timing – things going on that just made it crazy to get it scheduled where I could be there to watch and record it. Between illnesses, the holidays, and other various activities there was just never a convenient time. I do not have pictures or

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-35555577745153426582010-01-27T18:42:00.001-06:002010-02-07T23:00:09.576-06:00

Early piano tonight. We moved the boys' lesson up by one hour because Wednesday evenings are just insane for me. Their teacher had the earlier time slot come available and offered to let us move it up. I told her that we could try it and see how it goes. That was last week. It worked okay. It worked well enough that we decided to try it again this week. The evening stressful drive was at least

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-73192285565311314272010-01-26T21:36:00.047-06:002010-02-07T23:03:37.284-06:00

Before I send off the digital picture frame to my mother-in-law, I wanted to get some good, current pictures of the three boys together. On that note, I should add that we really need to get a good family picture. I told the boys to get on matching clothes. I left the finer details to them. I was taking a huge risk here. I simply told them that I wanted them to match and they needed to be in

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-39963775029067892792010-01-25T22:12:00.001-06:002010-01-26T08:29:40.145-06:00

When you have a genuinely bad day, sometimes you just need easy. I still was not feeling well from the medicine, so the thought about cooking or eating was nauseating to say the least. That doesn't change the fact that I would have a house full of hungry boys. I did manage to pull out some chicken tenders shortly after lunch that I had intended on stir-frying and serving with rice. I figured the

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-36969759519376848982010-01-24T21:05:00.000-06:002010-01-26T07:58:19.869-06:00

So I've been on strong antibiotics for a few days now. The good news is that my sinus issues are clearing up. The not so cool part? I feel like crap. My stomach hurts so bad. After throwing up last night (wee hours of the morning, not sure, can't remember) I felt a tad better, but my stomach seriously hurt. Don't worry, I am very careful not to take any medicine without food. This yields

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-15991018537973093232010-01-22T09:45:00.009-06:002010-01-22T10:07:58.763-06:00

Lance took his first karate test on Wednesday night. For me, this will be my last "first" karate test. The worst part, I missed most of it. *frown* I was busy running the older 2 boys to and from piano lessons due to Ben being out of town on a business trip. The good news is that my sister did go and watch and record it for me, so while I only get the last 15 minutes or so, I still get to see

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-83014684699574356172010-01-21T08:59:00.000-06:002010-01-21T08:59:08.296-06:00

Sinus stuff just stinks. It is no fun at all. Fortunately, with the antibiotics I am starting to feel a bit better. I don't feel great, mind you, but I do feel better. I don't have a whole lot of energy but my head is starting to feel more clear. I have less brain fog. I even managed to get some sleep last night. While it was not a full night's sleep, it was more sleep. I think I finally fell

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-28660520446659291152010-01-20T08:59:00.000-06:002010-01-20T08:59:50.575-06:00

I have said this before, "Sleep is highly overrated." I'll say it again now, "Sleep is highly overrated." I'll probably say it again. Let's just say that getting some sleep right about now while it would be nice, it is not necessary according *MY* body. Yes, my body has this funky sleep deprivation thing going on. It has always been this way as long as I can remember. It only got worse with

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-88962509407388487492010-01-19T10:11:00.000-06:002010-01-19T10:11:44.494-06:00

I just looked at the weather forecast for the day. I wanted to know how warm it would get - or not. Wow, I am glad that I looked. I need to go turn on the air conditioners again. The predicted high temperature for today will be 75˚F. *big wide eyes* Not so bad, but Wow! Compared to the record low temperatures we have been having, this is looking a little strange. The overnight low for tonight is

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-25558996391823404792010-01-19T09:48:00.003-06:002010-01-19T09:59:15.137-06:00

Lance started karate in October. I didn't think that he could get more excited than the first couple of times he went. He was really excited. I was mistaken in that assumption. Last night Kyle was telling me that they want to do his karate test next week. Great! He'll be testing for 2nd degree brown belt. Lance is more than happy to tell me that he's going to be getting a different belt. What?!

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-22491813291085685022010-01-18T21:46:00.001-06:002010-01-18T21:52:22.381-06:00

Tonight after I picked up Lance from karate, we ran to the grocery store before we had to go back and pick up Andrew and Kyle from the karate studio. The kids had not mentioned that we were down to the last loaf of bread in the house so when I went to Wal-mart this morning and could have bought a couple of loaves of bread, I didn't know we were in need of bread. Thus we needed to run to Kroger to

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-26642820326033868562010-01-18T10:29:00.003-06:002010-01-18T10:34:19.477-06:00

Slept in this morning. It wasn't a peaceful, restful night's sleep due to all the sinus crap in my head making it difficult to (1) breathe and (2) lay down. I slept almost completely upright in the recliner. Kind of defeats the definition of a recliner, huh? Ben woke me about 9am. I helped him finish packing his suitcase. I then sit down at the computer. No surprise there. This is a normal

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-67205945534317779702010-01-17T22:13:00.000-06:002010-01-17T22:13:55.996-06:00

I get sinus infections so frequently (though less often these days than even one year ago), that they are pretty much part of the routine. The fact is that sometimes I get them bad, sometimes not so bad. The symptoms are not always prominent but sometimes they are. Today I am miserable. I HATE SINUS INFECTIONS! Of course if offered other things, I'd dutifully keep the sinus infection. The worst

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-79512571162248670012010-01-16T23:17:00.036-06:002010-01-17T01:47:45.175-06:00

Last night I was hand washing some of the pans that are too big to fit in the dishwasher or are just not dishwasher safe. I had a few minutes before I needed to start dinner and figured I would just get it done. That's what I thought. What it really ended up being was a clogged kitchen sink, both sides. Both sides of the sink were half full with water and it was not draining. To make matters

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-7631639689928525442010-01-15T11:33:00.000-06:002010-01-15T11:33:12.625-06:00

If you really want a laugh, just give a near 13 year old (Andrew) and a 9 year old (Kyle) sleeping bags that are freshly washed and tell them to put them back in the compression bags. I am not kidding, it will have your rolling on the floor in pure hysterics. I am not sure what is funnier the fact that the sleeping bag unrolls faster than they can get the bag on it or the near 13 year old

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-78381857738974192722010-01-14T16:19:00.000-06:002010-01-14T16:19:55.070-06:00

When you work in an industry like web design, you really have to work to stay on top of the latest trends and methodology. I can say that this isn't always the case with me, but I do try to keep up with some of the larger, less radical trends. Right now we're in the process of upgrading servers. This always gets drug out over longer periods of times than I truly want, but it happens. Things just

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-63654977488766982812010-01-14T15:50:00.001-06:002010-01-14T15:50:22.169-06:00

I have been trying to teach Lance to read. It is clear that I am not the ideal teacher, at least to children. I just don't have the patience. So this whole experiment is as much a test of my patience as it is a test of Lance's headstrong will-power. I just don't want him to struggle like Kyle seemingly struggled with reading. I want him to enjoy reading from the get go. So on the recommendation

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20479916.post-71784573283562006162010-01-14T15:21:00.001-06:002010-01-14T15:35:11.767-06:00

Yesterday was Wednesday which means that it was "Wednesday Folder" time for Kyle. That's the work, notes, and whatnot for the past week that comes home every Wednesday. It also has a sheet in there with the conduct issues for the week. It isn't so important to get the grades anymore as Klein ISD now uses Parent Connect to post grades online so you can see those real-time, or at least as

4guysandmehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13370399871925193788noreply@blogger.com0