Happiness Project

I've finally found something that interests me and gets me motivated to enjoy my own time doing it... reading.  Not a big surprise since I was a pretty big reader when I was younger.  The past couple years I've been directed (by our local librarians) toward romance novels.  They are wonderful reads- easy, fast, fairly short, and cut up a bit so it's not such a big deal to be interrupted.  But reading about these romantic men made me realized how far-fetched they are (I don't know too many men like the ones I've read of!), and that I wasn't sure I wanted to keep reading just romance books!
I saw something at the store with the movie The Help on it... I also saw it was a book.  So I checked it out from the library (yes, I'm too cheap to buy any books I'm not going to want to keep forever- and if you've seen our collection of books, you know I don't need to buy ANY books!).  It was an AWESOME read.  Lucky for me that I had 2 plane rides to get through it decently!
Another trip to the library produced a check out of the book called The Happiness Project.  (Click here to check out her blog.)  Another awesome read for me... since I sometimes feel like I need to find out what makes me 'happy.'  It looks like a fun thing to try out, but I don't know if I'm that ambitious!  Anyway, it gives lots of ideas to find yourself, have peace with what you are/do, and project that positive influence on others.  Actually, that is hardly a summarization of the book.  There's so much influence from what and who we are that affects others, especially our kids, that making sure it's positive is really something we should all want.  Sometimes I feel like I am constantly snapping at the boys, breaking up their "fighting," or anything else that's not positive.  So... now that I have someone else's happiness project success to read about, I think I'll give it a whirl.
Maybe that was my subconscious intention of naming my blog Happy Hoots?

(Not) Vacation

I got the chance to go to Tucson with Dave while he's on a business trip.  Grandma & Grandpa Hoots are taking care of the house (boys, dog, whatever else is going on!) so that I can be out here.  Dave warned me this is not going to be like vacation!  Who was he kidding??  Any time I have pretty much no responsibilities, I am on vacation!
So the "downsides" to this trip:

-Dave has to work... usually getting off later than 5 pm, but not too much different than at home

-We are hardly spending any time together alone except to sleep
-I didn't have a vehicle the first 2 days (was NOT a big deal...!)
-It rained the first 24 hours we were here, which was unusual for here and felt like we were at home

The positive things from this trip (so far):
-Our "hotel room" is a massive condo, not "our style" but definitely nice and clean!

-The sun was shining yesterday and today, most of the day

-I got to go shopping today, by myself

-I drove with the windows down because the A/C wasn't cooling me down fast enough

-I got a new purse!

-The mountains and the view are amazing- I could definitely get used to having scenery!

-There is snow on the tops of the mountains, but not down here!

-I have been able to get 2 (very minor) projects done that just haven't gotten done in, oh, forever

-Even though we've been hanging out with the other 2 Cat guys down here with us, we are together

-I'm not worrying about much of anything going on at home... just missing it a bit!

Sunrise pictures

It was a Little chilly, but this lady had hat, gloves, and almost a winter coat.  It was quite hilarious!

Sunset

Tomorrow we head home and we'll actually get home Saturday.  Then 2 weeks with not having a wake up time because Samuel's out of school!  (So nearly 3 weeks of it for me!  I feel like I'm cheating the something or someone somehow...!)

Adrian's "Crazies"

Adrian's hair is and always has been out of control.  After one of his first few haircuts, his hair was officially called the "crazies," since we said we were cutting his crazies off!!  You ask him what his crazies are and he'll tell you his hair.  We have yet to find time to give him a haircut, but last night I was looking at him and he's got this huge bubble of hair that is just insane!  So I decided to go back and look through some pictures and see if he's ever had controllable hair...

Mohawk man after bath...

This 'do is under control!

Flat top... 

Whoa!

This is the current 'do.  Completely crazy and it doesn't know what it wants to do!

Puffy hair everywhere!

Dave says it might be something with his huge forehead (from me, of course) that makes it hard for his hair to look good long.  I just want to buzz it off, but it's almost winter... but he can always wear a hat!  Hmmm... what to do!
Several people have told me it will be fun (???) to style his hair.  But I'm thinking that's for when he's older and can do it himself so we don't embarrass him! :-)

List = Producivity

I cannot live without lists.  Currently, I have 2 on paper next to me, 3+ on Excel on the computer, a weekly calendar with lists in it for each week and more lists for extra things, and probably a dozen lists in my head of things I want to get done!  Oh, I just saw one more list (not mine!) here on the computer...
Since getting a smartphone, I have spread my listing love there.  Cozi is where I have tons of lists- groceries, to do, calendar, and still soon-to-be meal plans.  I am surrounded by reminders of what I need/want to accomplish.  But I guess that's just how I motivate myself!  So I've tried to get and keep our house organized (hard to do with 3 males in the house) and so I like to see just my lists telling me what is next to do!  And crossing off things is even better!
It's really funny- Dave's had a lot of extra vacation time he needs to use up before the end of the year, and today is his only day at work this week.  So this morning I had 3 (not so "easy") things crossed off before 9 am.  I couldn't believe it... how productive I was just because I wasn't trying to get him out of bed or doing extra things he wanted help with.  I don't just sit around, whether he's here or not...  I just get my things done without too much interruption.
And getting to plan for a trip adds to the fury of list-making!  Especially when the boys will be here in care of their grandmother!  So this week has been double duty, since I don't want to wait until I get back to do what needs done next week!  Today I've been planning out the next few days of what I need to do on which days.  I'll probably be panicking by Monday to get it all done, but what's a trip if you don't have the last minute rush? :-)
And is there anyone else who cleans their house before they leave?

Cozi makes me Happy!

A while ago, Dave found a website to help us get organized and have a central location for to do lists, calendars, wish lists, etc.  They send me email reminders to give Rodeo his pill for whatever it is... birthdays that I have on the calendar... and the last email I got told about their newest feature that I am about to go gaga over!!  I mean, if it's blog worthy, it should be exciting!!
They now have a meal planner that looks really easy to use and handy!  Best of all, it's super similar to what I've been trying to do using Excel.  (Dave has me converted to using Excel for everything now!!)  Anyway, they have recipes that you can use of theirs, you can use recipes from any website, or you can type one up that you have in your recipe box.  And then when you select to have that recipe on a certain day, you can have the ingredients put on your grocery list... which then can be printed off or put on your phone to check at the store!!
We just got new phones that we will be able to use this on, so I am excited to learn how to use it and hopefully it will make planning, shopping for, and making meals easier!!  I just had to spread my happy news!

Special Visitors

Apparently we're bad at taking pictures of things that need to be 'captured.'  We had Jennifer Pippin and Koa come for a few days and all we got were pictures of Jennifer working:

and a video of Koa making "mmmm!" sounds while eating rice cereal that has yet to be uploaded.
Then we got a super quick visit with Jennifer Spencer and her kids...

Love these smiling faces!!

And we got a chance to babysit Gwendolyn one afternoon and she and Adrian had a blast together.

Reading under her comfy blanket

I think the reason we are bad about taking pictures is because we just enjoy the moments as they are instead of making time to capture it.  I have so many memories that I just remember that aren't in a picture that mean as much to me as actual pictures...  Maybe someday we'll get better about this dilemma!!

Creativity Gone Wild

Samuel has a knack for making things with paper.  The more paper the better, as well as the more tape, cutting, coloring, etc.  Sticks and dressing up in costumes are somehow usually involved.  He really comes up with some clever things!  He must get that from his dad... I have a hard time being creative.

Costumes he made for himself and Adrian- Batman & Spiderman 'chests'

Policeman/cowboy Sam

Dragon snout with fire coming out, bandanas for wings..

Crowns he made- Dave's was made for the opposite side of the paper... no wasting for him!! :-)

Outfit made at school... vest with Indian symbols, drum, bandana, & noodle necklace

Monkey in the tree!

3 Thanksgiving Meals Later...

This year we got to eat turkey 3 times!  The Saturday before the official turkey day we went to Indiana to eat with my dad's family.  Then Tuesday we got to eat with Dave's Grandma at her assisted living.  And Thursday we ate in Ohio at Kevin & Robin's.  So we should be triply thankful, but we're definitely done with turkey for the year!!
Of course we only got pictures at one of the three, so this is our only evidence...

Hiding under there somewhere is a good piece of ham...

I had to steal the picture from my cousin Ryan to show the pretty dessert I made for the first Thanksgiving we went to... Pretty was all it had going for it in my book.  I liked my pumpkin roll better.

And to make things more interesting, Samuel had to take snack to school on Wednesday.  I wanted to make something fun, but they turned out looking a little different from the Picture...

I couldn't find candy corn, so I used Reese's pieces, and if the grocery store did have the right kind of cookies for the wings & face, I couldn't find them.  So.  They turned out fine, but blurry your eyes was the best way to see what they were supposed to be!
Now that Turkey day is over, let winter be here and get over with!  I'm ready for a little bit of snow and then spring!  (This is going to be a loonng winter!)

A Day of Anticipation

Friday must be my day to sit and feel the need to write.  It's my day of anticipation, too.  With the weekend looming, I get anxious to get all the things on my list crossed off.  Of course I never get half of them done, but it's good to feel like I get a chance at accomplishing something other than the normal hum-drum day-to-day stuff.  Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and 60, so hopefully we'll get some things done outside!
This week was a little busy for us... Jennifer and Koa visited us for a few days, which was a lot of fun to catch up and have time together.  And the boys love to have visitors to stay for a while, so Jennifer and Koa made it to the special place in the boys hearts!  Now to find time to go visit them....!!!
I also had a chance to have a workout buddy- the Y has a free week pass for member's guests this month, so I took full advantage of it!  (Anyone else want to come?  We still have a while before this month is up!!)  It was good to have motivation to be there (on time!) and share the pain with someone else!  Poor Andrea probably felt I beat her up!  I always wonder why I go back, even when I'm still hurting from the last workout, but I know it's good for me and I hope I can keep it up!  20 pounds down from the beginning of the year makes it seem worth it for me...  I just need to curb my appetite for yummy but naughty food choices!
So that's our week in a nutshell.  Looking forward to next week- it ends with my family's Thanksgiving dinner!  Yum!!

Mustache Bash

We attended our first mustache bash and it was a blast!  Here is where you can check the official pictures out... Dave and I took some pictures after we got home (I was less than anxious since my pj's were calling me at that point!) so here's our lovely Charlie Chaplin get-up.

Trying to get organized... and Halloween!

It's nice to reminisce about what we've done recently.  It's funny that I just now (Friday) got a chance to share what happened last Friday!  Even when my calendar hardly has anything on it, I still am rushing around like mad just doing the daily things.  I thought if I divided my big chores up weekly, doing them whenever I found time, I'd be able to stay on top of things.  It's worked for me, just because I feel I do a better job when I'm not completely rushed and I'm not on a 'schedule.'  But I still have no time to just relax!  I've tried to be creative to get the boys to do some things around the house.  After all, they are the ones making most of the messes I can't keep clean!!
Luckily, it was Halloween this week and the boys got a ton of candy.  So now, I tell them they can either do their little chores (putting clothes away, dishes in the sink, picking up their toys, etc) or I can do them for the "price" of a piece of their candy.  They will do their own work just for the sake of saving their candy, but it takes that threat of me taking a piece for them to actually do it... Now to find another 'solution' once the candy runs out!!
Here's some pictures from our trick-or-treating.

Check out that loot!

I zoomed in on Sam because he had chocolate stuck in his teeth
already and he looked like he was missing a tooth or two!!

The extent of our Halloween decor (for you, JP)

We checked out Target's clearance and even found something
for Rodeo... a few days late, but he'll have something next year!

Of course, the best memory I will have is not in a picture.  Dave walked with the boys while I drove the car around a neighborhood that only had a few houses with their lights on.  So I'd drop them off at a cluster of houses and scout out where the next batch of houses were and come back for them.  I loved watching the boys bouncing along in their costumes, anticipating their next big gob of candy.  The excitement of just showing off their costumes was enough, but to add sugar to everything made it even more exciting!!  That's what I love about Halloween!

50th birthday Fun

Dave's oldest sister turns 50 this month, so the other naughty sisters decided to have a little surprise party for her.  It included a show from the Groovin' Grannies, as well as appearances from Al Ziemer and Olive Oldeez and Elvis!  It was a lot of work to get together, but a lot of fun and laughter!

Burr Sitis' plate setting- complete with pill box!

Guess who!

The names were hilarious (not my doing, thank you!)

"Ben Gay" himself

My munchkins before the show

Diane's "throne"

Some of the guests

Oh please don't take my picture!

Gray-hairs and Willie Nelson

Majority of the guests

Elvis himself

Al Ziemer conducting a game during dinner

The "stage"

I can't believe I managed to miss out on a picture of the boys playing with the microphone.  They were definitely not shy about making themselves known.  Samuel was back there with us changing clothes for the "Decades of Diane" and felt he had free reign to change into whatever he thought necessary.  If there's any pictures from this event floating around, I'd like to see them!

Last weekend we also had a Harvest Supper, provided by Rose.  It was wonderful to have good food and fellowship with those not so far from us.  I don't think we thought about taking the camera, so no photos from that.  But it was a good time!

Missing You

“Love is missing someone whenever you're apart, but somehow feeling warm inside because you're close in heart.”

Just a quick thought- I am alone today (Samuel's at school, Adrian is at the Vail's, and Dave's at work) trying to accomplish something.  It's not going very well due to other activities, but a little time alone doesn't hurt.
So I was upstairs and I could have swore I heard a little boy's voice say "Mommy?!"  I almost panicked because I wasn't ready for anyone to be home yet!  But I must have just been anticipating it as I normally do, or I'm just really missing having someone around today!

 


It's crazy how your heart can be pulled in many different directions.  I never thought about it much before until Samuel started school.  Having the boys with me constantly never really made me concerned about how their day is going because I'm right there.  But now with Samuel in school, I feel a tug often wondering what he's doing.  And I actually feel the same with Rodeo... mostly just hoping he's being good wherever he is, but maybe a little because I miss having him around!
Anyway, the next couple weeks looks positive for more traveling.  Maybe I'll be able to get something done then???

Whew 2

I like being busy.  I love to have things going on, things to look forward to, places to go, etc.  BUT I also like to have a little down time, which is becoming rarer than ever!  So here I sit about to write about last weekend when the next one is about to start!  It's been a rather busy week...

To start out, we dropped the boys off with this lovely couple:

They had been wanting them to come over for quite some time, so this was a good opportunity!  They went to the pumpkin patch and got some cute pumpkins "to paint."  (Maybe I'll get some pictures of that later?!?)

Dave & I headed over to this lovely couple's house:








We had a fun weekend for this couple:


Complete with bridal shower and playing paintball!  It was a blast for everyone, but we were zonked when we got home at 11:30!!

So we all had a good weekend and getting back into the grind was a little difficult.  Luckily, Samuel had a class trip to the pumpkin patch on Monday, so at least he was moving a little faster than a snail's pace!