A Little Early

I couldnt help but make my own holiday background. I know I jumped the gun a little bit early on the christmas background, but I was so excited.

Making Life A Little Easier

I have some very talented friends that are making lives a little easier for the holidays. Check out some of their sites.
If you love holiday goodies, you will love Tiffany's Sweet Tooth. She has all kinds of baked goodies that she makes herself and they are amazing. Just looking at her blog makes me hungry!
T.J designs her own blog backgrounds on her Sugar and Spice page. If you get tired of the same old designs on The Cutest Blog on the Block, then check out T.J's creative page. My own background is a fun example of the pages she makes. And she added some winter ones to get in the holiday spirit.
I just found Sarah's new blog, Sarahs Custom Digi Creations. If you ever stress about those family holiday Christmas Cards, Sarah can help with that stress by making them for you. One less thing checked off my "to-do" list sounds great to me! (My favorite was the blue snowflake card:)
Thank you ladies for making my life a little bit easier, and I hope everyone enjoys your sites!

Happy Veterans Day!!!!!

I love Veterans Day! I love that there is a day to show our support for all the military personnel that have served our country. Thank you Veterans! And of course a big thanks to Gregory!

Speaking of Gregory...Gregory was invited to an awards program at the VA yesterday.
His social worker submitted his name for a special quilt, and he was one of the 10 chosen. Their service ranged from the Vietnam war to the OIF/OEF war.
Actress Connie Stevens was there to hand out the quilts and give them hugs! I really didn't know who she was, but I guess she play "Cricket" in some beach movies. One of the AZ quilters guild made the quilts.
This is the message that was on each quilt given out:
Quilt of Valor
This quilt was created for you out of our appreciation, admiration and respect for your service to our country. With heroes such as yourself America will continue to be the best in the world. We salute you and hope this quilt brings you comfort and cheer when you need it.

Channel 5 was there and The Arizona Republic. Here is the link to the channel 5 http://www.kpho.com/video/17951053/index.html. It shows Gregory, holding Trevor, accepting the quilt. I still need to go get a copy of the paper this morning and check it out.

After the awards, I took my mom to get pedicures. It was her birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday Mom! And then I ended up staying at John and Keri's to watch the Cardinals football game, that they won by the way! It was a long, Great day!

Here is Cody thinking maybe he should get an award as well

G.N.O For My Birthday!

I just wanted to let everyone know in advance that we are having one of our famous Girls Night Out for my birthday and everyone is invited! It will be Friday December 5th @ 7. We will be meeting at the Shout House at Westgate. Hope everyone can make it! Can you leave your RSVP under comments? Thanks!

Happy Birthday Natalie!

Today is my friend Natalie's birthday...Happy Birthday Nat!

Last night 12 of our friends got together to celebrate at T.G.I.F. We always have so much fun everytime we get together, and with this group of beautiful ladies, there is never a shortage in conversation topics.

The birthday girl, Natalie and me
Tina, me and Jacy

Me, Meghan, and Jeanne

Red

What's The Fastest Way To Canada?

Does anyone know that quickest way to Canada, because that's where we should be heading! America as we have known it for so long will never be the same...EVER. I am so sick to my stomach with the thought of having Obama as our President! This is a sad, sad day for America.

Trunk or Treat Round 2

Friday, for Halloween, my Mom's church also had a trunk or treat. It was a lot of fun. They had one of those big bouncy things for kids to play in, which Cody loved! The had a big BBQ, games, a dance, and of coarse candy. Cody was actually really shy and pretty scared of all the grown up's costumes, but he still had fun. I didn't bring Trevor's stroller, so I ended up carrying him the whole time! Ok, my son is a chunk and my arms are still dead...its Sunday, what can I say.





Cody showing off his dance moves to impress the ladies
Going fishin for some candy

ski ball!

And still the cutest pumpkin in the patch

Photoshop Elements 7

I am so excited for Photoshop Elements 7. I downloaded my free 30 day trial this morning (because I couldnt wait for Christmas) and have had so much fun trying it out! It's great for all you blooming photographers and Digital scrapbookers. If you want, check it out at www.adobe.com and go to downloads, then Photoshop Elements 7 and click on Try. Enjoy!
Hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween.

La Loma Ward Trunk or Treat

Last night was the La Loma ward trunk or treat. Cody was some type of Military person, and Trevor was the cutest pumpkin in the patch. Then Friday, my moms church is also having a trunk or treat, so I'm sure there will be a lot more candy! Enjoy the pictures!

Cody would not stand still long enough for me to get a good picture of him.

For those of you who haven't seen me, this is my new hair cut. I need to put a better picture of it on here.

Military person and Peter Pan, AKA Cody and Caden. And the back of the Jokers head, aka Owen
Daddy taking a bite out of the pumpkin

Cody and Trevor checking out all the candy they (Cody) got
Trevor double fisting the suckers...one in each hand.

Dont Read This Post

This is a ridiculously long post about Tank, and I don't expect anyone to read it. I had to write it for myself so if I ever print my blog into a book, I will have it.

Tank was born August 15, 2002 which I always thought was kind of funny, because Greg and I were married just 5 days before. In October, we were at the local Yuma pet store. We walked in and immediately saw Tank and his big old head. The price on his cage was very low, and we knew it wasn't right. Some girl working there had wrote the wrong price, and the owner wasn't too happy, but they had to honor it. We weren't even looking for a new dog at the time, but both Greg and I fell in love with him and had to get him. Tank was 10 weeks old when we got him and he was a great dog from the very beginning. We only had him for 2 months before Greg was shipped to Iraq. He and Cass were my companions for the 9 months Greg was gone and he was raised just like Cassidy...like a child. This one time, my 3 best friends came down to visit us and LeAnne ended up naming him 'flower' which I always thought was so funny. Tank didn't get any socialization with people while Greg was gone except with some of the girls I worked with. That made him skiddish around people and especially guys. But when Greg got home, Tank remembered him. I should also say that Tank earned his name. He could go through anything. He chewed through a metal fence, a cement kennel, yes concrete!, doors, a wall in our garage, and lots of wood. This one tine out in the desert, we were playing with Tank and he came running straight at me. I thought if maybe I turned around and had my back facing him, he wouldn't run into me...I was wrong! Because before I knew it, I was staring up at the sky, flat on my back. Greg was cracking up and I actually thought it was pretty funny too. We would go for long walks out in the desert behind our house and he would go in front of us 30ft, then turn around to come back and check on us. We would always tell him, 'go play Tank, go be a dog' but he just wanted to be right next to us. I remember one day out in the desert, Greg taught Tank to jump into his arms, then onto his back, which was really funny to watch! We had lots of great walks with Tank.

Tank also loved to swim! He was great swimmer, which was kind of funny because he was a great big ball of muscle. Every weekend during the summer in Yuma, Greg and I would take him to swim in the Colorado river. It had a pretty good current and he loved it! He really loved anything to do with water.

He loved playing in the hose in the backyard and he had to be there to watch the boys get their baths. We called him our life guard. One of Tanks other favorite things to do was play on the spring pole. He was so excited anytime he saw us getting the rope ready. He also loved to dress up...Ok, I have to explain this. We were so excited when they finally built a Petsmart in Yuma, and we always took Tank with us. We would always put the dog cloths on Tank and he loved it! He would prance around because he knew he was hot stuff and looked good. One time in February, they had all their Valentine clothes out and we put this shirt on Tank that said 'Heart Breaker' and this lady walking by said "Why, Yes you are". It was really funny. We ended up getting him this aviator style jacket, and he always walked a little taller when he had it on. Tank was also great with the boys! Cody and Trevor could pull on his ears, his tail, jump on him, ride him, and he seemed to love it. Anytime Greg and I went up North, Tank was always the dog we took with us because he was so good. Tank was the most obedient dog we have ever had. I loved having him around because I always knew I was safe with him. Most people that saw him, were instantly scared of him. Even people that have worked with dogs for years were a little uneasy about him, but we knew the truth. He was an 58lb cuddle bug, lap dog, and lover who would rather get loves than a dog treat. He only wanted to please us and that was what made him happy. He was always by my side and I will be forever grateful to him for the joy that he brought to my life.

My Days Keep Getting Worse

Today we lost a very special member of our family. Tank was a great dog and we will miss him very much!...I'm so sorry Tank!
Tank: August 15,2002-October 25, 2008

Need Help Choosing A Candidate?

Everyone knows that this up coming election is a big one for our country. Here is a little table with some of the issues and how the candidates voted. I added some of my own commentary to help you out. Oh, and by the way, these are all true.

Favors new drilling offshore US:
Yes-McCain
No-use up all our oil,clean us out dry, aka Obama

Will appoint judges who interpret the law, not make it:
Yes-McCain
No-Osama

Served in the US Armed Forces:
Yes-McCain
No-Hussein Osama Obama, whatever your Muslim name is...aka Obama

Amount of time served in the US Senate:
22 YEARS-McCain
173 DAYS-Kennedy wannabe

Will institute a socialized national health care plan:
No-McCain
Yes-gets all the retarted celebrities votes, aka Obama

Supports abortion throughout the pregnancy:
No-McCain
Yes-Baby killer, aka Obama

Would pull troops out of Iraq immediately:
No-McCain
Yes-Doesn't support the troops, aka Obama

Supports gun ownership rights:
Yes-McCain
No-I guess he's afraid someone might shoot him, aka Obama

Supports homosexual marriage:
No-McCain
Yes-Rosie O'Donnell lover, aka Obama

Proposed programs will mean a huge tax increase:
No-McCain
Yes-more money in his own pocket, aka Obama

Voted against making English the official language
No-McCain
Yes-Forgot this is AMERICA, aka Obama

Voted to give Social Security benefits to illegals:
No-McCain
Yes-what the heck were you thinking?!, aka Obama

CAPITAL GAINS TAX
MCCAIN-0% on home sales up to $500,000 per home (couples). McCain does not propose any change in existing home sales income tax.
OBAMA-28% on profit from ALL home sales. (How does this affect you? If you sell your home and make a profit, you will pay 28% of your gain on taxes. If you are heading toward retirement and would like to down-size your home or move into a retirement community, 28% of the money you make from your home will go to taxes. This proposal will adversely affect the elderly who are counting on the income from their homes as part of their retirement income.)

DIVIDEND TAX
MCCAIN-15% (no change)
OBAMA-39.6% - (How will this affect you? If you have any money invested in stock market, IRA, mutual funds, college funds, life insurance, retirement accounts, or anything that pays or reinvests dividends, you will now be paying nearly 40% of the money earned on taxes if Obama becomes president. The experts predict that 'Higher tax rates on dividends and capital gains would crash the stock market, yet do absolutely nothing to cut the deficit.')

INCOME TAX
MCCAIN-(no changes)
Single making 30K - tax $4,500Single making 50K - tax $12,500Single making 75K - tax $18,750Married making 60K- tax $9,000Married making 75K - tax $18,750Married making 125K - tax $31,250
OBAMA (reversion to pre-Bush tax cuts)
Single making 30K - tax $8,400Single making 50K - tax $14,000Single making 75K - tax $23,250Married making 60K - tax $16,800Married making 75K - tax $21,000Married making 125K - tax $38,750Under Obama, your taxes could almost double!

INHERITANCE TAX
MCCAIN- 0% (No change, Bush repealed this tax)
OBAMA-Restore the inheritance tax.
Many families have lost businesses, farms, ranches, and homes that have been in their families for generations because they could not afford the inheritance tax. Those willing their assets to loved ones will only lose them to these taxes.

NEW TAXES PROPOSED BY OBAMA
New government taxes proposed on homes that are more than 2400 square feet. New gasoline taxes (as if gas weren't high enough already) New taxes on natural resources consumption (heating gas, water, electricity) New taxes on retirement accounts, and last but not least....New taxes to pay for socialized medicine so we can receive the same level of medical care as other third-world countries!!!

6 Quirks!

I was tagged by my famous friend Natalie (check her out on http://www.tipjunkie.com/) to share 6 quirks (or odd habits) about myself. Everyone knows I'm a little crazy, so this shouldn't surprise any of you:)

1. Probably my most disturbing quirk... Every time I read a book, I read the very last page first...I can't stand not knowing what happens in the end, so I peek.

2. My kids clothes must match! I could never be one of those moms that lets their kids wear some random non-matching outfit. I don't mind if it's something crazy, just as long as it matches.

3. I hate onions! In high school, I got out of a biology project b/c I told my biology teacher that I was allergic to onions. I got a pass to the library for that one! Even in restaurants, I tell them I'm allergic so they make sure no onions secretly appear in my food.

4. I have to put perfume on everyday. Even if I'm not going anywhere, I put it on.

5. I cant stand wearing socks or people looking at my feet! Both instances just freak me out.

6. I am super paranoid of getting a flat tire, even though I can change one (thanks to my dad who made me change one, so I would know how) When I had to drive back and forth to Yuma every weekend, I always had my tires checked before I left just to make sure.

I'm An Esme

Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

My cousin Mykelle had this on her blog (thank you) and of coarse I was automatically drawn to it. I took it a couple of times with different answers, just being curious, and it gave me the same results everytime. Take it, and let me know what you get.