Tuesday Ten

Ten Things That Make Me Deliriously Happy:


1. Climbing into a neatly made, freshly washed bed.

2. Air conditioning.

3. Reading through a big stack of books with my 3 year old.

4. Naptime.

5. Rocking and cuddling my girls before bed.

6. Putting the kids to bed and relaxing with a brand new fiction book, a comfy pillow, and an ice-cold soda.

7. Unexpected money.

8. Tivo.

9. Popping popcorn and watching a movie with The Hubs on the weekends.

10. Getting an excellent grade on a test.

99

It's blogging tradition to post one hundred little factoids about yourself on your 100th blog post. Since I don't like following rules, I am posting 99 things about myself on my 99th post! I can't believe it took me a year and a half to blog one hundred times. I kept taking long breaks and I messed with the 'flow.' Ready?

1. I was four months pregnant when I got married.

2. I was only 18 when I got married.

3. Everyone thought we wouldn't make it more than a year.

4. We will celebrate four years this summer.

5. I have a broken back, literally.

6. My doctors don't know how I fractured my vertebrae.

7. I was 3 days overdue with my first pregnancy, and 6 days overdue with my second.

8. I didn't experience heartburn until I was 19.

9. I thought I was having a heart attack.

10. My hubby and I were friends with 6 other couples when we were first wed.

11. 5 of those couples are now divorced.

12. My best friend was 9 months pregnant at my wedding. I was 8 months pregnant at her wedding.

13. I hate my name.

14. I read a new book every other 2 days.

15. I often stay up until 1 or 2 AM reading.

16. Last night I read a 250 page book in one sitting.

17. No, I don't consider myself a geek.

18. I sleep alone since DH works graveyard shift.

19. When he sleeps with me on the weekends, I feel cramped even though we have a king sized bed.

20. My first kiss was during spin the bottle.

21. My first real kiss was behind a church.

22. I went to church five days a week during my junior high years.

23. I went to Disney World in 6th grade with a group of friends. We won a creative acting competition and got to compete at Nationals.

24. That was my first time on an airplane.

25. While I was gone my sister got engaged.

26. I have one niece and one nephew, and one more nephew on the way.

27. I would be terrified to have a son.

28. If we ever have a boy, he won't be circumsized.

29. If I won the lottery I would have as many kids as I could.

30. I rarely listen to music.

31. I drive a Durango that gets horrible gas mileage.

32. Every time I fill up my gas tank I nearly vomit.

33. We live in a 2 bedroom apartment approximately the size of a cardboard box.

34. Our rent is DIRT. CHEAP.

35. I enjoy cleaning the bathroom.

36. I've never spanked a child.

37. I was an honor student by day.

38. And a total party girl by night.

39. I didn't shoplift as a kid or teen.

40. I've shoplifted as an adult.

41. I'm allergic to bananas and all kinds of metal.

42. I've never been stung by a bee.

43. I might be allergic to bees.

44. I was assistant manager at two different jobs by the time I was 16.

45. I dated the same guy from 8th grade to 11th grade.

46. He just recently got out of prison.

47. I was friends with pretty much everyone in high school.

48. I have been in too many car wrecks to count.

49. I was voted "Most Likely to Wreck the Driver's Ed Car" in junior high.

50. I hopped a curb in the driver's ed car 2 months later.

51. I still have problems figuring out left from right.

52. I had an eating disorder for many years.

53. I think NASA and the space program is a waste of time and money.

54. I could easily eat hot and fresh French Fries for every meal for the rest of my life.

55. The smell of pickles makes me sick.

56. I decided to use my children's real names on this blog.

57. I am going to school to be a high school geography/social studies teacher. Or an English teacher.

58. Although I really want to be a high school counselor.

59. I went on vacation with my family to Northern Idaho when I was 4 months pregnant with my first daughter.

60. I threw up on the airplane.

61. I haven't been on an airplane since.

62. I had severe post partum depression after my second daughter was born.

63. I have thousands of freckles.

64 . I tried to count them once and got to 200 just on one leg

65. I get sunburns really easily.

66. I love to cook and bake.

67. I enjoy doing homework. And taking tests.

68. I love love love scrapbooking.

69. My favorite number is 11.

70. I am a total homebody.

71. I feel guilty all the time over stupid little things.

72. My favorite two TV shows are Friends and ER.

73. My sister is my best friend.

74. I am the complete opposite of my sister.

75. I grow my nails long.

76. And then go on a biting frenzy and chew them down to nubbins.

77. Although I told everyone I wanted to have a boy, I really wanted my second child to be another girl.

78. I have really intense dreams.

79. I know a little bit about a lot of things.

80. But I know nothing about cars, science, technology and electronics.

81. I type 85+ words per minute.

82. I'm a HORRIBLE housekeeper.

83. When the kids spend the night with my in laws or parents, I sleep until noon.

84. I have a bleeding disorder, my blood does not clot properly.

85. I have been life flighted before.

86. I love learning about other cultures.

87. I am a Democrat.

88. I am a total cheapie, I never buy name brand things.

89. I love yard sales, but not when I have to drag my kiddos along.

90. I can name 140 of the world's countries in five minutes.

91. I love watching documentaries.

92. I'm scared of change.

93. My favorite holiday is Christmas, followed by Thanksgiving.

94. I am named after my paternal grandmother.

95. I'm a total procrastinator.

96. I worked at Dairy Queen through most of high school

97. I gained sixty pounds during my first pregnancy.

98. I am addicted to sunflower seeds and caffeine.

99. I rarely wear shoes.

Thanks for reading! Cheers to 99 more!

My List

I recently created a list of some of the things I want to do before I die. It's a running list, I am adding to it often. A stranger reading this list might look at it and say "Whoa, none of this involves your family or children!" and that stranger would be right.

I've also got a list in my head of the things I want to do with my children, and if they want to tag along with me to all of the continents, that would be just fine. But it is about time I start focusing on ME, things I want to do, things that will better MY life. Because somewhere between changing diapers and exchanging vows and mopping the floor I lost me. Considering I got married and had children at a very young age, I don't think I ever had me in the first place. The list is incredibly ambitious and hard to reach, but they are all experiences that will help me grow and change (for better or worse). Because before I can be a teacher, mother, wife, sister, I have to be me. And if I have to jump off of a bridge to make that discovery, well then, pack up my parachute.

Here is my list, please, make one too. We all have to have something to look forward to right?

*Wave to each of my children as they drive off to college.
*Visit all of the continents.
*Visit all fifty states.
*Take my kids to Disney World.
*Sit in a French cafe and write (with some pastries and espresso).
*Run a 5K.
*Read 100 classic novels.
*Publish a book.
*Live without electricity for a month.
*Live by myself (briefly), because it's never happened before.
*Learn how to snowboard.
*Learn how to garden.
*Lay on a semi secluded beach all day. In a reclining beach chair, with a stack of paperbacks and a large fruity drink.
*Go to the Four Corners in the US.
*Go on a safari in Africa.
*Get Lasik.
*Get a tattoo.
*Fit into (and look good in) a pair of my jeans from high school.
*Finish a 1500 piece puzzle with no help.
*Find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.
*Eat vegan for a year.
*Deliver food and supplies to a village of hungry families.
*Conquer my fear of spiders.
*Buy a beautiful house with a huge backyard.
*Become a foster parent.
*Beat my dad at Monopoly.
*BASE jump off of the
*Appear on Wheel of Fortune with my mom (and win a ton of money).

Chocolate Cheesecake Pudding Cups

Ok, so this is quite possibly my favorite dessert, and the kids love it too. Very simple, easy to make, full of calcium, and very filling.



You will need (for 4 pudding cups):

1 package cheesecake pudding mix
2 packages chocolate pudding mix (or one of the large boxes)
5 1/2-6 cups milk
4 graham crackers
whipped cream (optional)

First, prepare the chocolate pudding according to directions. Immediately distribute HALF of the pudding into four cups (you can use coffee cups, I use clear glasses since it looks so pretty when it is done!) and put into fridge. They only take 5 minutes to set. In a separate bowl, prepare the cheesecake pudding. Evenly pour all of the cheesecake pudding on top of the chocolate in the cups. Stick back into fridge for five minutes. Then add the rest of the chocolate pudding on top (this might have set up already, you can just use a spoon to scoop it on top!) So, you have three layers, chocolate, cheesecake, then chocolate. To make it easier you can just do two layers, or you can mix up the order of the layers if you like cheesecake more.

Set this back in the fridge for just a few minutes to get firm. For the graham crackers, you can crush each one on top of the pudding, break them into large chunks, or (my kids' fave) you can use the graham cracker as a spoon to dip in your pudding! Lastly, add a dollop of whipped cream to the top!

I always use skim or 1% milk, lite whipped cream, and reduced fat graham crackers, but you can mess with it however you like.

A couple of variations...you can also use strawberry or cherry jello in place of the chocolate pudding. We've tried that once and it really was DELISH. You can also use chocolate graham crackers, banana pudding, etc.



Chloe says it is YUM-O!

Ali would give her input, but she is busy right now.