Enough already!

I have been called by a different political candidate/party everyday, several times a day, wanting to talk to me about my primary vote. The commercials are everywhere. The election is all the news/entertainment/tv/radio/internet people want to talk about. Even my HGTV is dogged with commercials from Hillary, Obama, McCain and Mike Huckabee (Really?! Would someone please tell him McCain is not going to ask him to be VP so give up already!) They are even coming to my town and causing traffic problems. (For almost 8 years Bush has been coming here regularly and the traffic kept flowing. Hillary is in downtown for 30 minutes and the interstate is a mess.)

The parties haven't even picked their candidates and I am already tired of "the election." Is there any way to just vote now and skip all of this election stuff for the next 9 months? DON"T MISUNDERSTAND.. I will vote. I believe every person who is able should vote. I will even try to vote early. BUT REALLY! Do we have to hear about each breakfast, lunch and dinner each candidate ate, who they ate with, where they were going, where they stopped, what nit they picked, what babies they kissed and which opponent they bashed... EVERYDAY... for 9 months? End Rant.

On a happier note...
HAPPY LEAP DAY! I know a guy who claims to only be turning 10 today. The world and mirror say different. So cool to be born on leap year though! Think of how much his parents saved on birthday parties and gifts? :)

I went a little crazy in my kitchen today. I'll call it leap day madness. I got up on a ladder to change a light bulb and an hour later all the wall paper had been pulled off my walls! Yeah. I know. What was I thinking? We do plan to texture eventually, but it is not in the budget right now. Soooo... I think I am going to just tint some primer, paint the drywall and live with it until I can figure out what to do next. I'm considering bead board instead of texture. I love the look of painted bead board. But my timing is lousy. There are only two rooms in this house in which I do not have a major project going. Nothing is finished. All of it will take a lot of woman hours on my part as my handy husband just had surgery and can not help much with just one good arm. We are having new floors put in 65% of the house next week and I have not even started packing up stuff or clearing out space in the other 35% of the house for all the furniture from the 65% to be moved to for four or five days. I still have to figure out how we will function without the use of the kitchen and laundry room for two days. What about my refrigerator? I need a plan.. and maybe a clone of me to get this all done. And on top of all this, I pulled down all the wall paper in my kitchen. Today. While changing a light bulb? I need a design/decorating intervention!

I know! The next politico call I get I 'll tell them that I will vote for the candidate who will come (or send some able bodied staffers) to help me finish all my decorating projects... Do you think any of them need my vote that badly? :)

Happy Weekend Bloggies!

P.S. Ella Kate has pink eye. No pictures again this weekend. Should I just give up?

Found the Camera!

Yeah!
(Random post warning)
Rob's doctor's appointment went well. He is still restricted from using his arm and will be in the sling for at least another 4 weeks, but he is back at work. (Yeah! I mean, boo! :) We were able to squeeze in lunch at the Cheesecake Factory before we sped back home for Rob to make his class. The sweet tamale corn cakes and white chocolate macadamia nut swirl cheesecake we split almost made up for the 7.5 hour car trip... But there was this matter of someone moving a house down 290 and blocking all west bound lanes. We traveled 37 miles in about an hour behind that thing. Not fun! Really! House moving down major highways should be against the law! Somehow I am sure that it is.

On a brighter note... Here are some pictures of the samples of the new floor which we will hopefully have installed next week.

This distressed wide plank wood will be in our living areas, dining areas and halls.

The tile will be in the kitchen and laundry room.

This same tile (only 13 inch instead of 18 inch)will also replace the green fake marble ceramic tile around our fireplace. (YEAH!) The guy at the floor store laughed when I said that I personally want to demo that tile. It will give me great joy to take a hammer and smash it all to smithereens!! I am so excited about all of these changes. I've dreamed of replacing these floors since we moved into this house 6 years ago. Can't wait!

And lastly, here are some pictures of little Miss EK aka Tooty-pants.

She loves to play in the kitchen that Santa brought her, but not exactly in the way that Santa, Mommy or the manufacturer envisioned! :0 Happy Wednesday!


P.S. I have a question for you. Be honest now... How many of you regularly (as in never miss unless you are really sick) attend Wednesday night church? I'm just wondering....

Blog much?

No, not lately.
I read your blogs but don't have the words, time or attention span to write for mine.
We have managed to put about a 800 miles a week on the van since we purchased it in January. I stayed in my fifth hotel this month last Saturday night. I have not seen my home church two consecutive Sunday mornings in a row since Christmas. I can not remember when I last saw an empty laundry basket. And WOW! Weeds sure do pop up fast in that backyard!
I'm ready for some down time at home. After this week, I might just get my wish! But first,
Rob and I go back to his doctor in Houston on Tuesday. Back in forth in a day = 7 + hours of driving:( Rob is itching (literally and figuratively) to have his big shoulder pad/pillow and sling removed, along with as some of the restrictions lifted. He wants to get back to work too! He loved being home for a few days, but we are going on day 8 now. I think he has visions of not being able to see the top of his desk for months with all that has likely piled up.
HOWEVER, while Rob was home we were able to go and do something we have wanted to do for a LONG time but never seemed to have the time... We went together to the floor store and ordered new flooring for a big chunk of our house! YEAH! I can't wait to get it in and get the house back up to snuff! I'll post pictures (Which reminds me that I can not find my camera~OOPS! Don't tell!)
Our frequent travels will die down a bit after this week. This is also the last week of basketball for K & R and the first week of soccer R&R . And I just realized I forgot to get EllaKate's 18 month pictures taken! (She is 19 months old and will be 20 months old on March 5th) YIKES! How did I let that slip my mind/to do list???? This is truly one of my most favorite stages. A photo shoot for my littlest Miss is definitely going to have to find it's way on the calendar!
See.
Busy
happy
life.
Just not much to blog about
or time to blog.
How bout you?
What's up?
Does anyone even still read this after my dear friend BST erased me from his link list? :)
Just wondering?

One Arm

Last weekend is a blur. First and foremost Rob's surgery went just as the doctor hoped and all is well...or slowly on it's way to well. Rob's doctor explained that the surgery is the easy part. Rehab and compliance with the restrictions is the hard part. Rob is doing pretty well on both of those fronts, which means he basically can not use his right arm at all. And yes. He is right handed. He can not drive, or write, or open jars. It is hard to do things with one arm when you are used to two.

My dad has had to do that for his entire life. I am always amazed how well Dad does considering he only has one hand that works. Rob may find a new appreciation for my Dad in the next two weeks.. and I may have a new appreciation for my mom!

Robs days are now divided between rehab/exercise, ice, and pain pill intervals. My days are spent keeping up with everyone and helping him keep up with the exercise, ice and pain pills. Ella Kate was scared of Rob's pillow sling at first, but was thrilled to find Daddy home again today. She loves her Daddy! Rhett and Kolby have been really sweet and are trying to help Rob however they can. My parents have helped us so much with the kids the last few days! Our sweet Robby and 'Ria have also pitched in. How do people live without family? I don't know how we would make it without ours! Rob will be home from work for one more week before we head back to Houston to (hopefully) have the doctor release him back to work.

On the home front...
I am wondering how 5 people can create so much laundry in a week. Really! Do we have too many clothes? Are we super sloppy? Why does everything get so dirty so fast? There is not a closet in this house that I do not need to go through and clean out. I should get rid of at least half of the stuff we have managed to once again accumulate. How does it get so out of hand so fast? I feel like I am always cleaning out and putting up, but I never finish. It's a tad overwhelming to be honest. But as Shel Silverstein once said "There is only one way to eat an elephant... ONE. BITE. AT. A. TIME."

Off to start on that elephant! Here's to two functioning arms, eaten elephants and clean closets! Happy Monday!

Happy Valetines Day!

Wow having three kids at Valentines wore me out this year. 9 teachers gifts and over 50 "Valentines" later, I will be a bit happy to see cupid go! :) But no time to rest! Rob and I head down to Houston today to go to his pre-op appointment. Tomorrow morning he will have surgery to repair his torn labrum. I am a little nervous about how he will feel and what he will be able to do in the coming weeks. I 'm also a little nervous because Ella Kate has become quite the Mommy's girl. I hope she will not give my Mom too much trouble. It's hard to leave a little one at this age. But, aside from the surgery, it will be nice to get away for tonight just Rob and me.
The last time Rob had shoulder surgery, he asked me to marry him. Yes. Rob was under the influence of narcotics when he asked me to be his wife. And I still said yes. Wonder what he will ask me while he is "under the influence" this time? Wonder if I'll still say yes? :) On that note...

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

Lipstick

So much for Estee Lauder #710!
Ella Kate has a fascination with lipstick. Yesterday when she fell asleep(or so I thought) watching Elmo in the floor, I thought I could hop in the shower. Mid shower I thought I heard something. I grabbed a towel and went dripping into the living room to find this. It isn't the first time this has happened, just the first time I thought to grab a few pictures before cleaning up. I don't think the rug will survive this one.
This is why God invented Mother's Day Out!

Double Digits

10 Years Old.
My first baby girl is 10 years old today.
Wow.
If I close my eyes and think back, I can almost feel the little warm pink newborn swaddled and sleeping on my chest so early that rainy February morning ten years ago.

We were both exhausted from a long night of labor which had ended around 5am when little Miss Sara Kolby Grosz made her world debut. Rob and I called and woke everyone up early that morning to tell them "It's a Girl!" Everyone says this about their baby, but Kolby really was such a beautiful baby girl. (Well, once they cleaned her up and her nose plumped out from being squished inside the labor canal!)
Kolby seemed to be born with her eyes wide open. I'll never forget my first moments holding her. Those navy blue eyes calmly stared back at me as she took in the first sights of her new world. She was so content for a newborn. She barely even cried when she was born prompting her slightly drugged Mommy to ask "Why isn't she talking?" My question was met by giggles from the nurses. They must have thought "first time Mom."
It sounds so weird to say this, but Kolby was a confident little baby. She knew just what to do to nurse, which was great since I was clueless. She slept at will and let us know if she needed something. She was a pretty easy baby...for the first week or two at least! ;)

And now she is ten. A big girl who likes to listen to her I-pod, play with her Webkinz, and hang out with her friends. She wants to get a cell phone (uh..NO!) and talks about the car she wants to drive someday. (Be still my heart!) But no matter how grown up she thinks she is, when I look at her I can still see that confident blue eyed baby I met so early ten years ago this morning!

Last week one of Kolby's teachers stopped me in the hall at school to say how much she enjoyed having her in class. "I just love your daughter. I wish I had a whole class of Kolby's," she said. I was truly touched by her words and very proud. But I was also a little ashamed because my knee-jerk reaction was almost to say something like "My Kolby? Really?" But I stopped myself because I knew the teacher was very sincere and I know Kolby is a great little girl. In the hustle and bustle of day to day life I'm afraid I loose sight of that. I feel like I am always having to get on her for this and that. Mostly little things. I sometimes forget to sit back and see the big picture. I don't always acknowledge what a great little girl God has given us. But not today. Today I am so grateful for my little girl. God has blessed me through Kolby in countless ways in the last decade. I can't imagine life without her sweet smile and tight hugs!

So Happy, Happy, Birthday my sweet, sweet 10 year old girl! Watching you grow up is one of the greatest blessings and adventures of my life. Though I hope it goes by slowly, because it is hard to let go of something you love so, so much, I get excited thinking about the amazing woman God will form in you in the decades to come... And I don't want to miss a minute of it! I love you forever!
Mommy

Funk Fighters

It's official. I have had my winter funk. But I think it is lifting, thanks to a few days of blue skies and hopefully a break in the winter virus season. I don't like to blog when I feel funky. It feels like I'm spreading gloom. However I have learned a few tricks over the years to help kick the funk. I thought I would share them here for anyone else fighting the dreaded winter funk. These things have really helped me this time around...

1. Clean the house. Or just one room. Really well. Nothing makes me happier than a clean, orderly room that smells of Fabuloso and glass cleaner.

2. Get out of the house. Even if it is just a trip to the library or mall, get out. Walk. See people. Smile.

3. Buy yourself fresh flowers and put them where you can see them.

4. Get out of bed! Drink one cup of coffee (no more) drink tons of water and cut out sweets and carbs.

5. Do something for someone else but don't tell them. Even something little. It will warm your heart.

6. Pray outside of your bed. Pray all day. At stop lights, and in carpool line. Pray for God to use you and remove the funk from your mind and heart so you can think and feel clearly.

7. Pretend your kids are your best friends kids for a few hours. You will be nicer to them and see them in a different light.

8 Make a healthy meal, set the table, don't answer the phone and DINE with your family. Even have a healthy dessert like berries and cream. Dining feeds the soul where as just eating only fills the tummy.

9. Take a long walk. Even if it is cold out- bundle up! If it is too cold, go walk in a mall or find an indoor track. Just walk fast and hard.

10. Plan for spring. Look at your spring clothes.(Yes this can be a bit depressing in pasty white winter skin, but it might push you into thinking of warmer, sunnier days.)


And of course, if you think it might be more than a seasonal funk or rut, talk to your doctor. I have had to do that before. In fact I have many friends who at one time or another needed to get some medical help to fight a funk. There is no shame in that. It will eventually lift, and you will feel better. Believe that.

Have any funk fighting secrets you want to share? I can always use some more to add to my arsenal!

G.N.O.

We had a great time. Here is a look at Kolby's Birthday Girls Night Out (of town).
Yes, I know this music is LOUD! It has to be for you to appreciate the weekend!

Oh yeah... As I thought might happen, after I got it in gear to take the girls THIS weekend because The Hannah Montana Movie Concert was supposed to be only a "1 week run," Disney decided "TODAY" to "let the movie run it's course!" Read it here. But I'm glad we have next weekend at home.
And for those of you sitting on the edge of your seats about the Dodgeball Tournament... In the second biggest sports upset of the weekend, a three-peat championship was not to be had by the "Tuscan Raiders" (aka: old guys). Some young whippersnappers from ACU took them out early. But still, a good time was had by all.