Happy Weekend!

an almost catastrophe

As you can see my daughter has a best friend. Minnie Mouse, or as I like to call her "Pirate Hooker Minnie Mouse", only because she has a shit load of make up on and wore stilettos until we cut them off. I have tried to replace Minnie with normal looking ones, but she is attached. Olivia would probably bathe with her if we allowed it.Well we almost lost Minnie...for about an hour my daughter refused to go to bed, yelling "where Minnie?" We looked every where....I was even freaking out. We finally found her being the entertainment center. She was so happy. Now, where the heck am I going to find a replacement of "Pirate Hooker Minnie" when her looks go south?
Please excuse the blurry pictures, she was moving a lot.

A day at the beach

It was a bright sunny day is Washington, so I should have known that anywhere we went would be packed. We had every intention of spending the afternoon at the zoo. However, when we got there is was packed and we couldn't find parking. On our way home my 22 month old (23 months on the 28th) pipes up and says" MaMa want to see toot toot", which is her way of asking to go see the trains at the beach.
 Here are some picks of us enjoying our day.

Here is Olivia waving "bye-bye, toot toot"

And an Happy early Birthday to Olivia, Pika (which is what she calls her Grandma's) Violeta bought her a swingset for her birthday.

A little trip down South

No, I didn't go to the real south. I went 3 hours south of me to Portland. I'd only been once before and never really got to do any exploring except for the zoo. My friend Heidi and I left our kids and husbands behind and went on a little adventure.
We arrived Friday afternoon and immediatley headed to an Outlet mall with the intention of buying rain coats because we both forgot ours and it was pouring out. Of course we got there and never bought the jackets, but I did but Saphire some van's at the van's outlet store, Olivia some birthday toys at the outlet Toy's R us and some clothes at the outlet Gymboree. I walked away spending less than a $100 bucks on a boat load of stuff. I love Oregon's no sales tax!
We then checked into our wonderful hotel and embarked on an adventure to find food( in the rain). After searching up and down we found a little asian fusion resturant that was wonderful. The drinks where a little stiff so we ended up stumbling out of there like a couple of lushes :)
After that we ended up at the venue for the concert we had planned the whole trip for, Michael Franti. I'd never seen him before but all I can say in W.O.N.D.E.R.F.U.L. The only thing that bugged me was the parents who had their little kids about Olivia's age there. Dumb.
The next morning we ventured to Voodoo donuts who has the world famous maple bar with bacon on it.We waitied an hour and a half in line...totally worth it!

Check out Voodoo donuts here : http://voodoodoughnut.com/

What have we become

Today was a very hard day for me. I went to visit my Great Grandmother in her nursing home. She has Alzheimer disease and may not have much longer. As I looked around the room I became very sullen, almost on the verge or tears the whole time. We participated in the laughter group (basically a woman acting silly to keep their spirits up) and the whole time all I could do was think, " how many of these people are alone, how many of these people never have visitors, how many of these people will pass alone?" I can not imagine it. I am sad that as a nation we toss our elderly and weak into homes to fight out their final days alone.
I have always felt that God put me on earth to help others in some way. Recently telling my husband that Echo Technician may not be the right career choice for me, as I felt it would not fulfill me emotionally. I want to change the world. Yes, I know that is impossible, but I have always been a believer that one person can make a change...even if it is just to one person. I never imagined myself working with the elderly, but maybe I am stronger than I thought. Maybe this the answer to my prayer for career guidance. 

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I haven't had much to say, so I will leave you with this....

Fever

Ok, I have to admit it. I have baby fever. Everyone around me is getting prego or just gave birth. I wan't another one...but it just doesn't fit into our "plan" right now. Which is to have me at least half way done with school, if not done, and have already gone to Italy. Which is planned for June 2012. The reason the Italy trip is so important is because we never got a honeymoon and I was prego when we went to Mexico in 2008, so all I got to really do was have virgin margaritas and read ALOT of books.

My worst nightmare

I always thought it was strange when women recieved appliances as "gifts". Because you know a women, mainly mothers really need things to help make their lives easier. I rather get a pretty dress, jewelry, a massage, maybe?
But here I am, wanting a bread machine...Who have I become??????
I really want it because of the money it will save. An average bread machine is roughly $50. A loaf of bread (a good loaf without high fructose corn syrup and preservatives) is about $4.00. So do the math.
So if you want to get me something, please get me a bread machine....or a gift card to Anthropologie. You know, so I have something cute to bake bread in :)

My new dress

Hopefully it fits my lard ass, I've never been one to order off line but the other option was driving an hour with Olivia to Seattle...no thanks.

Susie Homemaker

You may not know this about me but I really love to cook. More importantly I love nutrition. For months now I have been doing OAMC or for all you newbs, Once a month cooking. I make healthy nutritious meals for my family and I stick them in the freezer and then come day to eat them thaw and microwave or just pop it in the oven while still frozen.  I do this because eating out is expensive and bad for you, and almost everything has artificial preservatives and fillers. For instance: canned black beans usually have added salt and the cans leak harmful chemicals into the food.
This week I kept my OMAC short and simple because we just moved and I am busy unpacking and chasing around a toddler.
My List of yummies:
Black beans- dry black beans soaked in water over night. After soaking overnight rinse and add about 6 cups of clean water to beans. Simmer for 2 hours or until tender. Rise with cool water and let stand for about 20 minutes. Shovel into ziploc bags (size is your preferance) and freeze. Can be kept up to 3 months.
Wild Rice- Any packaged Wild Rice(Costco has a good brand). Follow per instructions. Let cool and then put in ziploc bags and freeze.
Brown Rice- see above instructions for wild rice.
Blueberry cinammion pankcakes- I used a mix for this because my husband bought some a while back and I wanted to get rid of it. So, mix and add blueberries and cinnamon, as much or little as you like. Cook as usual, let cool(must do or they will stick together) and ziploc bag those suckers and freeze.
Homemade Uncrustables: Make your favorite PB&J and freeze. Of course I use natural peanut butter and homemade jam. PB and honey is great also. Also try to shoot for whole wheat or grain bread like franz which has no high fructose corn syrup.

That sums up my OAMC :)

Cell Phones

Washington recently just passed a law making it illegal to use cell phone while driving. Altthough I think this is for the best since some people are not very good at multitasking. Thankfully, I am not one of those people. I can do loads of shit at one time, sometimes too much. Now my problem with this law is I think it should be illegal to drive with toddlers (yes this is a joke) , but seriously driving with a almost 2 year old is much more distracting than driving with a cell phone ever was. Olivia is going through her "terrible twos" even though she is a few months shy of even being two. The yelling, the I wanna eat, juice, milk, minnie mouse, the outs. It's gonna drive me batcrap! I don't go far with her unless I schedule her nap time during the drive. So until this phase is over, guess Target will be my vacation spot.

P.S. There should be a special place in hell for people who text while driving..

no fat chicks

I'm currently riding the weight gain roller coaster, up and down, I swear I should just throw up... no.
Anyways I lost 20lbs a while back, gained back 10. Now it's time to lose another 20 and Keep it OFF. We just moved so I am going to start walking around our neighbor hood in between unpacking. Wish me luck!

He doesn't want to admit he has a problem :)

Stolen

I stole this from Equal aka Sweetwater :) not that any reads this dang thing but it seemed fun....

1. When do you feel happiest // Being with my family, being close to my family.Extended included.

2. How do you take care of yourself // I shower ? really I don't have time for myself a lot. I got a pedicure for the first time in a year last week. Other than that I usually just veg out or sleep.

3. Are you internally (by yourself) or externally (by others) motivated // Def, internally. I over analyze (it's also called ocd) everything and am always trying to find ways to make myself "better", no matter what it is.

4. What do you do for fun // fun? what is that? I don't understand. I use to go to concerts and shows and just hang out with friends. Every once in a blue moon I get a girls night. Other than that my hubby and I DVR shows and that is our "date night"

5. What intimidates you // the unknown, life in general. I am hoping it all works itself out.

6. What is something you're proud of // being where I am from where I came from. My mom was a drug addict, I was a teen mom. I'd been through pretty much every horrible thing that could happen to a kid. I managed to find my path, although sometimes rocky.

7. Finish this sentence. I never _____________ //  like wearing socks

8. Favorite vacation spot // I like going back to California to see my friends and family, but one day I WILL visit New Zealand.

9. Today is a(n) (rate from 1 - 10) 7, we are super busy packing and moving. Today was hot and we have no a/c and a fan broke.

10. Finish this sentence. If you knew me really well you'd know____________ // I have known my husband since I was 11. He was my first crush(he hated me).

Medical Expenses

I don't get it. We bust our ass to get money to survive, yet we are still living very frugal lives. Yet we make $300  a month over what we need to qualify for medical for the girls. Jeff is not eliable for insurance through his company, and private is way too expensive for us. So now here we are, all uninsured. Jeff and I have been with out health and dental insurance since shortly after my post-natal appointment with Olivia. In order for us to qualify for insurance for the girls again, we would have to have $3,000 dollars in debt in medical bills. Makes no sense AT ALL.
I'm all for helping people in need, I am by no means a crazy Republican against the government intervening in peoples lives. I think everyone should have the equal rights to make a life for themselves. Including, health insurance, food, and clean drinking water. Whenever we can I donate money to charities, as well as donating old clothing, toys, etc. Hardworking people should be given more of a break especially if they are "barely" making it. People who abuse the system should have to go through more extensive background checks or something. I don't know what the answer is to it, all I know is middle class American's or the "normal" American's really get the fuzzy end of the lollipop stick.

Moving!!!

We are moving! We found a larger house that we get the keys to today. SO EXCITED! we have needed this since Olivia started moving around. The current house we live in is about 1,000 sqft for the 4 of us, 5 with Rocket. It wouldn't be so bad if the house was laid out differently, but I often feel like we are in a tuna can.
The house we are moving into is about 1800 sq ft, same amount of bedrooms, but 2 extra bathrooms( we have one, right now) and a dining room, which is what we lack right now.

Pictures to come soon!

It's a long road

Busy, Busy, Busy as the bee.  Saphire starts 6th grade in a few weeks. I am extremely scared for her. I've never mentioned this before but she have Inattentive ADD and Aspergers syndrome. She is still very immature for her age and I am very afraid for middle school for her. Middle school was a war zone when I was a kid. So I can only imagine what it will be like for her. The last few years have been extremely trying. I only hope that there will be a light at the tunnel.




I carry so much guilt, I feel like this could have been prevented had I been a better mom. Or had I not been a teen mom.
I just want her to have a happy healthy life...

blah

Is exactly how I have been feeling lately. I can't go into much detail but some serious stuff has been going down in the last few weeks involving Saphire.Lets just say it's very...uh, Not Good. It's really sucking the life out of me. Not to mention all of life's other crap on top of it. I found out we lost a cousin I was close to growing up(may she rest in peace), money sucks, and I am failing my summer classes. Oh yeah.
 Anyways, my birthday came and went yesterday. I'm 25 now, half way to over the hill. I'd like to say I'm doing pretty good in life for being 25, but I can't say that right now, well, because I feel kinda sucky and pathetic. 

I made a quarter life bucket list...things to do before I am 50:
Join a roller derby team
have a pixie hair cut
travel to New Zealand
Scuba Dive
buy a house
go sailing
lose 30 lbs
finish college
eat healthy
pay my parents back everything I owe them
wear more vintage clothing

I guess it's kinda small and simple, but those are things I'd like to do some time in my lifetime.

Upside Down

It's scary how in a matter of moments your life gets flipped up side down. I am falling apart and I don't know what to do. I really wish this nightmare would end and I would wake up. God please help me.....

YAY ME!

I just finished my second quarter of community college. Math and English. Math kicked my butt on a daily basis, but I managed to pull through even though I had a pain in the ass teacher whom could barely speak English and who was very inconsistent. I came out with a B+. I'll accept that, considering I tried my damn-dist and only really slacked off on my last homework assignment because I was so burnt out. I rocked my English class(ya, I can speak English?) coming out with the highest grade in the class. Acing both my mid-term and my final. I am really proud of myself and it's really helping me find a balance.

Redlands, Here I come.

It's a short trip. Tuesday June 15-21st. But it is official. I plan on getting lots of this

California???!!!

Its still up in the air, but I am about 90% sure I will be in California June 11th-21st. SO HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God is calling

Things are changing. Not my life but my love. I need to light the flame and stop letting my love for Jesus just simmer. Ever since I moved to Washington from California I had a hard time with my walk. Not that it diminished, more like I sat on a rock and started to enjoy the view. But the view took an ugly turn. I started disliking many "Christians", especially the ones I worked with at the time. The company I use to work for often used the name of God in his business but was such a crook. He payed his employees horribly, took away their health care and numerous other things, like shady work that was illegal. Ever since I quit my job after Olivia was born, I have felt a burden taken off my shoulder. Emotionally anyways. Sometimes we could use the extra money.
I didn't realize how "dark" my emotions really where until  Postpartum Depression hit me like a ton of bricks. I'm usually very aware of my emotions, but I didn't know what to do with this and had never experienced it with my first pregnancy. One day after driving home from Target, I asked my husband for help, after visioning myself driving through a red light and crashing into a tree. I started taking med's and seeing a therapist, as well as finding outside things to put my energy into, like school and mom's groups(which I have made some really good friends through).
After coming through this fog, I looked through everything with a new light. All the things in my life have been changing. It's like I finally was able to hear Jesus calling my name, and whispering sweet nothings into my ear. I feel more positive that I ever had, which is totally new to me(I am naturally pessimistic). Now here's to me not stumbling.
Through darkness there is light.

PS. I love the Bible for the Android Phone!

Must sell shoes!

I need these shoes to start selling. Maybe I should have a free giveaway? Any ideas?

Mother's day

 I really need more than 24hours in a day...or it should be optional to require sleep.
This is a few days a little late but better late than never.
I had a wonderful easy going mommies day. Jeff took the kids to the park for I could "veg" out and do some homework and clean up a bit. He brought Olivia's back home nice and tired. From there he BBQ ribs and chicken. He did pretty much everything, except the fruit pie. I had such a great time. It was so nice to just be at home with my family, and the weather was wonderful for Washington in May(it usually rains).
This was my 9th mothers day, and the best yet. I have been blessed by Jesus with 2 wonderful daughters. I could not imagine my life without Saphire and Olivia. Saphire is the sweetest, but sassiest girl I know. I honestly believe she saved my life. God only knows where I would be had she not come to me. I had her at the ripe ol' age of 14 years old and am very proud that I did not become another statistic. I did not end up on welfare and am living a very happy and healthy life. Thank you Saphire for making my life whole!
Olivia added to our already great life. That kid is a character, there is not a day that goes by that I laugh and she makes me smile. She is very advanced for her age (18 months). Saying full sentences, singing songs, and just loving life. Olivia, Thank you for making me your mommy and bring joy to our world!

 Saphire, after being born                                                         10 years later!

Olivia after being born      and 18 months later!                                      

My fur baby

$400 dollars later a great lesson has been learned. Make Olivia sit in her high chair while eating grapes and raisins. This is also true for garlic and onions. These things are apparently VERY toxic to a dog. Especially a little guy like our Rat Terrier. I think he ate 2 raisins at most before we caught Olivia feeding them to him. About 4 hours later he was lethargic, panting heavily and convulsing. I called the Vet and we rushed him there. He ended up spending the night while they ran a blood test, took x-rays, gave him charcoal and flushed his kidneys with fluid. Lucky for us he seems to be okay and did not go in to full renal failure. We take him back in a week for more blood work and to make sure that no permanent damage has been done. This was a risky lesson learned, but I am glad Rocket is okie-dokie now.
Here is a list of things dogs should never eat:

Items to avoid	Reasons to avoid
Alcoholic beverages	Can cause intoxication, coma, and death.
Baby food	Can contain onion powder, which can be toxic to dogs. (Please see onion below.) Can also result in nutritional deficiencies, if fed in large amounts.
Bones from fish, poultry, or other meat sources	Can cause obstruction or laceration of the digestive system.
Cat food	Generally too high in protein and fats.
Chocolate, coffee, tea, and other caffeine	Contain caffeine, theobromine, or theophylline, which can be toxic and affect the heart and nervous systems.
Citrus oil extracts	Can cause vomiting.
Fat trimmings	Can cause pancreatitis.
Grapes and raisins	Contain an unknown toxin, which can damage the kidneys. There have been no problems associated with grape seed extract.
Hops	Unknown compound causes panting, increased heart rate, elevated temperature, seizures, and death.
Human vitamin supplements containing iron	Can damage the lining of the digestive system and be toxic to the other organs including the liver and kidneys.
Large amounts of liver	Can cause Vitamin A toxicity, which affects muscles and bones.
Macadamia nuts	Contain an unknown toxin, which can affect the digestive and nervous systems and muscle.
Marijuana	Can depress the nervous system, cause vomiting, and changes in the heart rate.
Milk and other dairy products	Some adult dogs and cats do not have sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down the lactose in milk. This can result in diarrhea. Lactose-free milk products are available for pets.
Moldy or spoiled food, garbage	Can contain multiple toxins causing vomiting and diarrhea and can also affect other organs.
Mushrooms	Can contain toxins, which may affect multiple systems in the body, cause shock, and result in death.
Onions and garlic (raw, cooked, or powder)	Contain sulfoxides and disulfides, which can damage red blood cells and cause anemia. Cats are more susceptible than dogs. Garlic is less toxic than onions.
Persimmons	Seeds can cause intestinal obstruction and enteritis.
Pits from peaches and plums	Can cause obstruction of the digestive tract.
Potato, rhubarb, and tomato leaves; potato and tomato stems	Contain oxalates, which can affect the digestive, nervous, and urinary systems. This is more of a problem in livestock.
Raw eggs	Contain an enzyme called avidin, which decreases the absorption of biotin (a B vitamin). This can lead to skin and hair coat problems. Raw eggs may also contain Salmonella.
Raw fish	Can result in a thiamine (a B vitamin) deficiency leading to loss of appetite, seizures, and in severe cases, death. More common if raw fish is fed regularly.
Salt	If eaten in large quantities it may lead to electrolyte imbalances.
String	Can become trapped in the digestive system; called a "string foreign body."
Sugary foods	Can lead to obesity, dental problems, and possibly diabetes mellitus.
Table scraps (in large amounts)	Table scraps are not nutritionally balanced. They should never be more than 10% of the diet. Fat should be trimmed from meat; bones should not be fed.
Tobacco	Contains nicotine, which affects the digestive and nervous systems. Can result in rapid heart beat, collapse, coma, and death.
Yeast dough	Can expand and produce gas in the digestive system, causing pain and possible rupture of the stomach or intestines.
Xylitol (artificial sweetener)	Can cause liver failure.

SHOES SHOES SHOES!!!!

so, I started selling squeaker shoes as a consultant. I am so excited about this opportunity. Here are a few pics of my products. Let me know if you would like a catalog or pricing :)(There are a hundred or more shoes, so I can not post all of them) Sizes are 1-12. If you would like a sizing chart feel free to ask.
Wish me luck!

Photography

I've always loved pictures and have always been the kind of person to look at a beautiful thing and say to myself"wow that would be a beautiful picture." Like there is a bus stop that I drive by all the time that has people from Western State sitting at it(Western state in a mental hospital) and you can just sense their emotions from their face. I would love to translate that in a picture. Or last weekend we where driving to my mother in laws and we passed by a old worn down barn with a beautiful meadow of flowers in front of it. I wanted to stop and take a picture.
This has got me debating if I should take a photography class over the summer instead of a class I need. I would only do photography as a pass time and hobby. I by no means expect to become a photographer. What should I do...????
Here is a pic I took with my regular point and click that was actually published in the Seattle metro magazine for an article featuring Islands in the Puget Sound. I asked Jeff for a nicer camera for x-mas.This is a picture of the dock on Anderson Island from under the Steilacoom Marina, which has since burned down.

Earth laughs in flowers-the reason

Not that I have many followers, but I figured maybe people are wondering exactly what " Earth laughs in flowers" means to me and why I named my blog it.
"Earth laughs in flowers" is a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson. A great poet of the 1800s. I actually love a lot of his poems and quotes. I am also distantly related to him.He is my great uncle. Which to me is awesome (my maiden last name is Emerson). I think it is kinda cool to be related to such a great and creative writer.
This specific quote stood out to me because I love to laugh. It's probably my favorite thing. I would have to say that flowers are the Earth laughing. Have you ever gotten a flower and not been happy about it? I'd like to say I would like my life to be like that , popping up beautiful things through laughter and happiness. Now this many not always be the case, but one can be positive, can't they?

“Laughter is the closest thing to the grace of God”