Company from TN

My cousin & her family stopped by for a really quick visit today. It was great to see Amanda & her new husband and kids. It was also great to see Uncle Richard and Aunt Ginger. They were here and gone so fast that I didn't even think about snapping a few photos. I need to get down to Tennessee and visit them. Maybe this summer for a short vacation!

I have been cleaning out the kitchen cabinets these last few days. Items have been tossed out, put in storage, and organized. Some items now have a new place and it will take me forever to find them the next time I need them.

I have already been thinking about this summer and what I will be updating here in the house. I think I will tackle the spare bathroom and a couple more touches in the kitchen. I have been looking for a certain back splash that I saw on TV. I finally found it a few months ago and ran across the flier today while cleaning. I broke the news to Pete & showed him. I think he actually likes it. I know it will really look great in the kitchen and looks easy enough for us to do ourselves. We also need some kind of chair rail because the back of our chairs are really making marks in the wall. One stained piece of wood should do the trick. Ugly wallpaper in the bathroom MUST go. I already have some ideas on color for the walls. The washer/dryer is located in the bathroom and they will probably have to be moved some during the process. The ceiling also needs a new coat of white paint. This project might get started before the summer, I'm really tired of looking at the ugly wallpaper. I often wonder what the previous owners of this house were thinking when they picked out the wallpaper and carpet. I guess it was the 80's and anything goes.

The master bathroom also needs some updating. I plan on putting a fresh new coat of paint on the walls and replacing the border on them. The tub also needs new tile around it, which means someone else will have to help us. I sort of know what I want, just finding it around here is the problem. I really want to get all my projects done before we add onto the house. It will at least be a year before we start our new addition for 2 more bedrooms and possibly one small bathroom. I can't wait until the kids have their own rooms and I have an office. I just wish I could snap my fingers and it will all be done because I know the whole adding on process won't be fun.

More snow = another snow day!

Here is the view out my back door today. After several more inches of snow & sleet overnight, you can compare this photo to yesterdays. Notice a lot more snow piled up on the side of the grill.

That is a pink ruler I stuck in the snow. It is 1 foot deep out the back of the house. One of those tracks is the sidewalk and then Pete made tracks with the 4 wheeler.

Nolen kept falling forward in the snow and got a face full of the stuff. He had a blast playing in it.

Alexis and Mark (one of her favorite 30 something play buddies). He took her on a short 4 wheeler ride. He's the one I called to come play in the snow with her. THANKS MARK!

Pete is not going to work today. After parking in front of the house last night, he still got stuck in the driveway several times. He did finally make it to the road, but decided to take the day off. I think he got a good taste of what his day would be like. A lot of digging!

HEY TINA, HOW'S THE WEATHER IN SAN DIEGO? SEND ME SOME WARM WEATHER!

Snow Day / Sick Day

Here's the view out my back door this morning. Several inches of snow which caused a day off of school. I'm so glad for this snow day because I went to the Dr. last night and found out I have an ear infection in both ears. I can't remember ever having an ear infection in my life! I just thought I had major sinus problems. Last week it started with a runny nose and sore throat. I couldn't breath at all through my nose Thursday night. I did tough it out at work, but I sounded funny when I talked. The sore throat seemed to go away, but Saturday I was dizzy for most of the day. Monday the pressure was so strong in my forehead that I thought my brain was going to pop right out. Luckily I got in the see the Dr. and I'm so glad I went. I would have probably ended up in the ER last night if I didn't go. The pain and pressure was about like having a bad migraine. So this morning I kept the kids since I didn't want to drive in all the snow. Not as much pain and pressure this morning, so feeling better and will be taking my antibiotics and steroids for the next 10 days. Guess I'll grade papers and lay around as much as I possibly can with two kids on the loose. Alexis really wants to go play in the snow and Nolen keeps grabbing his shoes and coat, so I guess he is also ready to go. I think I'll make some phone calls and see if I can get someone else to take the kids out.

If you look closely at the picture you can see two things hanging in my crab apple tree. That would be the two coyotes Pete shot last week. Not for sure why he hangs them in the tree, but that's where they have been for a while. I'm surprised the branches don't break with them hanging there frozen. Probably really gets the attention of everyone driving by. The coyotes have been thick in the area. I have talked to several people who say they are coming up right around the house. Pete baits them with deer remains just so they will come close in order to shoot them. Rabbits spotted this year = 0. Coyotes spotted this year = too many to count. May have to put rabbits on the endangered list soon.

Everyone enjoy the snow today!

4 hours of no stress

Supper out with husband = $30.00

Two tickets to a high school ball game = $6.00

4 hours without kids = PRICELESS

Thanks to mom & dad we had a few hours to ourselves last night. We heard about the ballgame on the radio and decided to go since we haven't been to a high school game since we were in school. The home team did win, but it was close the whole game. Pete even caught a mini basketball from the cheerleaders. We thought Alexis would like it, Nolen would just eat chunks out of it.

Today is mainly laundry and goof off day. Alexis helped me make a chocolate cake that is in the oven right now. I don't think cake is on my diet, but I deserve a treat for all my hard work. Right?

Good Luck In Chicago!

My friend Kelly & I were goofing off with the computer and we snapped this photo of ourselves. Two days later she was off to Chicago to look for a job. She is hoping to find a teaching job. Good luck girl!

10,000 steps a day

Every Wednesday after school for an hour I attend Life Smart. This is a program just for the women where I work. The local hospital sponsors it and it consists of 10 one hour sessions that cover all areas of health. They provide refreshments, free stuff, and useful information. I received my step counter and resistance band today. They say you should do 10,000 steps every day. Most everyone received theirs last week, but I couldn't attend because the kids were sick. I decided to go to the gym after supper tonight and see just how many steps I take in a one hour work out. After 17 minutes on the treadmill, I had went 2,451 steps. I jogged a mile and also had a few minutes of warm up and cool down. I then did some weights and crunches. I jogged another mile at the end. After an hour, I had done 5,289 steps. Wow that is just half of what I need for one day, and I did that in just one hour! So tomorrow I will wear my step counter all day and see how many steps I take during work. If you step harder the counter may count it as more than one step. I did a big jump and it counted that as 10. So I'm not really for sure how many it was counting during my jog since it was a little harder that a regular step.

For an update on the kids: Alexis and Nolen are back to 100%. Alexis finally felt fine around Sunday afternoon. Usually she is sick around her birthday, which is Feb. 11th. I'm hoping she won't get sick again before then. Nolen wakes up around 1 o'clock every morning. He wants to be changed and have a bottle. He is getting better at going back to sleep after the bottle. I just wish he would sleep all night every night. Keep praying that he will soon.

My surprise make & model is ...

You're probably thinking I got a new car. Wrong! The make is plastic and the model is BIFOCALS. Yep, Marla is getting old and needed glasses.

So I'm presenting the NEW ME.

Ok, not the surprise you were expecting, sorry! This has been a big ordeal for me and it is not over yet. I went a year with headaches almost everyday. I knew I needed glasses and I have had reading glasses in the past, but couldn't wear them longer than 30 minutes or I'd get a headache. These glasses were supposed to be here on the 8th, but were delayed due to failing inspection. So they had to be sent back and tested or something like that. So I got the call today that they were in. I made a special trip to town to get them and wore them for a few minutes and put them away. I really didn't look them over closely because I wanted to get back home. I don't have to wear them while driving, thank goodness. So I get home and pull out my new cleaning cloth that I just bought. IS THAT A CRACK IN MY LENS? WHAT THE ....... Pete is this a crack in my lens? Yep it is. Now I'm really ticked off. I have waited this long and now I have to return them tomorrow and wait longer. How in the world did they pass inspection with a crack in the lens? I'm thinking eye surgery might be easier at this point. I took the photo of myself using my web cam in my laptop. I really haven't played around with it much, and it took forever to get loaded to my blog. Anyway, this is what I will look like if I ever get them right. I came home & put them on and Nolen wouldn't come to me for a little while. He was smiling and waving from across the room. I think he was just laughing at mommy & her new glasses.

So there it is, my surprise revealed. I know you all were expecting something really exciting. Sorry!

Obama's new Army!

When Obama announced change for the United States, he wasn't kidding. Not in office yet, he seems to be making new changes in the qualifications column to join the Army.



My mother received a phone call the other day from an Army recruiter. They wanted HER to sign up for the Army. I guess they will take anyone these days. She asked how they got her name and number, but wouldn't tell her. She said "You want a 61 year old woman in the Army"? Click, they hung up. I think they better check their sources a little bit closer. She has never received a call like this before, so it must be that new CHANGE we are all in for. I guess if they send all the Armed Forces back home, they need people to take their place. Guess he figured retired people have nothing else better to do. I just had to pass this along because it was so funny. Picture this...my mother wearing camo and combat boots while carrying a gun. Ok the gun thing wouldn't be too funny, she did shoot a coon out of the tree a long time ago. I'll just leave it at that:)

Home with Alexis & Nolen today

After we got home from picking Alexis up from Day Care, she kept complaining that she was cold. I had her put on her slippers and robe, but that didn't seem to help. I needed to get out of the house since I dealt with Nolen all day, so I went to work out at the gym. When I got home Pete said Alexis now had fever. GREAT NOW I'VE GOT TWO SICK KIDS! Won't be going to work for another day I guess. So at 2, 3, and 6 o'clock this morning, Alexis was vomiting. From 2-3:30 Nolen was screaming. Just a lovely night at the Seals house. So this morning I think Nolen is finally over his sickness, he is playing and happy. I just have to keep him away from big sis. She has been shut up in her room all morning so he doesn't bother her, but just moved to the couch since he fell asleep in the other room. She drank some 7-UP that Grandma & Grandpa Seals went to get for me (THANK YOU!) She has been able to keep it down so far, but she informed me that she wasn't eating lunch because she was sick. Ok, fine, but I'm making her drink some Pedialyte instead. It's 11:00 and she just asked why we were still in out pajamas. We're being lazy today, is what I replied. Lazy & down right tired! Some days I wish I were at work instead of at home. Did I just say that? With two sick kids, I'll take 19 healthy ones any day. I also forgot to mention that I gave Alexis a whistle to blow when she needed me. I couldn't hear her call for me with the doors closed. You can probably guess what happened. Yea, too much whistle blowing for silly things. She was only supposed to blow it for important things, like vomiting. How will the afternoon go? Tune in tomorrow I guess. Will Marla go back to work on a Friday or not? Grade cards are supposed to go home tomorrow and I don't have them completely finished. I just might have to make a trip to the school tonight.

I felt good after my workout last night. Pete said run a mile for me. We'll I jogged a mile for him and one for me. I really thought I'd be more sore than I am. Maybe the soreness stage has worn off. Until next post...

Home with Nolen today

I just knew that when Nolen slept through the night, that something was up. Yep it was his temp that was definitely up, he has a fever. His little cheeks are so red, but he played like normal this morning. So I took Alexis to day care so she could catch the bus for school. He fell asleep before I got home. So is it a tooth that is coming through, or is he just sick? Don't know for sure. He was lucky and didn't get sick earlier when everyone had it. So here I am taking a day off of work. Maybe I'll get the laundry done today. Might even try to work on the scrap books.

New background accomplished!

No the new background is not the surprise, though I am surprised I figured out how to do it. I was almost ready to make some phone calls to a few of my blogger friends. Dealing with dial-up service, a 1 year old screaming, and a 4 year old demanding everything all at once just about made me crazy. I'm sitting here wondering if we will have school tomorrow because the weather man says we are having ice or snow tonight. I have learned to just wait and see and not get my hopes up. Those weather people have been wrong too many times. My surprise should be announced within the next 3 days. To be continued...

Surprise in the near future

Keep checking out the blog, I'll announce a surprise soon. NO IT IS NOT BABY NEWS, I KNOW WHAT YOU ALL ARE THINKING. What will it be? To be continued....

Time to become a loser

We'll it's that time of year. After all the holiday food, the pants seem to have shrunk in the dryer again. Probably not the case, but anyway it's time to hit the gym again. My goal is to get back to the way I was before I got pregnant with Nolen. So I'm working out several times a week and trying to cut back on the sweets. They are my weakness and the house seems to be filled with candy right now. When school starts back on Monday, I'll at least be out of the house and away from it all. Back to eating salads at least once a day. Most people know that I'm a picky eater and just to prove it, here is what I put in my salad: lettuce, grapes, and matchstick carrots. That's it, just 3 ingredients! Dressing? NO WAY, I CAN'T STAND THE STUFF! For dessert I'll have an orange or chocolate pudding. I will never give up the chocolate totally, especially the dark chocolate. I spent the day trying to get caught up on Alexis' and Nolen's scrap books. By the time I got all the photos found on CD's and printed, Nolen's nap was over & I had to clean up my mess. I felt bad because the last page I did for Nolen's was his birth page, and now he is 1. There's a lot I want to put in, but where is the time for it? Maybe a snow day will be the perfect day to finish it all. Will I finish before he turns 2? Wouldn't guarantee it. How many losers do I have out there? Enjoy the New Year!