Monday, December 31, 2007

New Year's Resolutions

Ok, so we do it every year; make some sort of resolution or promise to ourselves, but do we ever stick to them? Last year, my resolutions were to lose weight, get in better shape, and keep my house clean. WELL, I actually didn't do so bad. I did lose 59 lbs. I did get in better shape, just from losing the weight. And, my house while it isn't spotless all the time is less cluttered.

This year my resolutions are a continuation from last year. I am going to lose that last 60lbs. I am going to get in better shape, but this time from actually working out more. And, I am going to keep my house cleaned up, mostly from purging old junk and things I don't actually use.

What is your resolutions this year? No matter what they are, I hope you have a wonderful, exciting, invigorating New Year. Here's to looking great in 2008! Cindi

Friday, December 28, 2007

A few things I have worked on this weekend.

These are a few of the things I have been working on. I like to give the school secretaries a goody every month, so I am working on January's while I am home from school for break.



An altered clipboard and a bookmark made from a giant paperclip.

These are a gift for Meredith. I hope to see her again tomorrow, if not I will drop it in the mail for her. She is in pharmacy school in Kingsville, TX. I hope these remind her how proud we are of her.


Small clipboard.

I originally wasn't sure how to make this work. I didn't think I could paint on the clipboard like the wood ones call for. I improvised and modge podged the paper to the back of the clip board. It worked. I think this will be for the secretary at my school. She uses small notebooks to note tardies and absences. This should fit her notebook fine.




Post-it Note Holders

I think these are adorable. I am taking one to each of the secretaries at the church as well as the part time secretary at my school.

What do you think?

Two Drivers

Well, its official. The Albrightson household now has two teenage drivers. Ari got her permit yesterday. She hasn't been able to drive "legally" because the weather has been iffy. The roads are clearing off and she and her Daddy have plans to go hunting this weekend. She is the official chauffer for her and Daddy's hunting trip.

Brittni had some trouble learning to drive, she doesn't like to take advice from people. Especially not her parents. Ari, on the other hand, has been driving in the fields for years and asks all sorts of questions about why did you do that? why did you do this?

We are still winding down from the holidays. I plan on taking my tree down right after New Years and getting my house back in order. We go back to school on the 7th and I want everything back in its pre-holiday place before then.

Our daughter, Meredith, was here for a visit Wednesday night and Thursday. She has gone on to Brandi and Jesse's wedding and hopefully will be stoping back through tomorrow on her way home to Dallas.

Enjoy your weekend. I hope to post some of the things I have been working on in the next couple of days. I would love to have more time to stamps and craft, but I just don't with 4 kids at home.

Have a great weekend, cindi

Monday, December 24, 2007

Dirty Santa




Since I was the first to steal in our game of dirty santa, I wanted to post the picture of me trying to decide what to take. I really wanted these cute chip board shapes that Mary had, but I decided on the purple scrapbooking tote that Christa had because Mom can put my name on it. We had lots of fun and I can't wait to do something with "the cousins" again soon.

I wanted to post a pic of this really cute gift I received from cousin Tamara for being the Host of our dirty santa, but I am having trouble getting a good picture. She made me a chipboard folding frame spelling out the word NOEL. It is adorable, I can add pictures to the back side of the letters. Since there are 4 panels, I can use for each child. I think I can even turn it around and leave the picture side out all year long. Then at Christmas, I can turn it around and the NOEL side showing. CUTE, CUTE, CUTE. Thanks Tam

Merry CHRISTmas

Courtney and I participated in an adopt a senior program through our sunday school class. Yesterday was the day to deliver the goody baskets. Courtney and I chose to deliver a basket to a sweet eldery couple who is suffering from some serious health troubles. He has cancer and is very weak, she hurt her back caring for him.

We stopped after church yesterday with 5 frozen meals and a goody basket full of things like lotion, hankies, houseshoes, calendars, candles, coffee mugs, hot tea, blankets, note cards, stamps, etc. They were shocked. They were thrilled. They were touched. WE WERE TOUCHED. I was not ready for Christmas, I was tooooo busy to remember what Christmas was all about. After delivering that basket, I was ready for Christmas. They reminded me what the season is all about. The birth of our Lord, Jesus. We have to slow down and remember it is not about the Christmas plays, the presents, the food, the anything. It is about CHRIST and what he has done for us.

I am so thankful to have been the ones to deliver to this sweet couple. Courtney and I have decided to continue to take meals in on our own. We plan on taking 5 meals every two weeks. I know Christmas is tomorrow, but see what you can do to help someone else. What a great feeling and a real reminder of the truth behind this season.

God Bless You All,
Cindi

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Diet Disaster

Ok, its offical! I can't diet during the holidays. I signed up to be a diet buddy on another blog, and I tried, really tried to stay with it, but I can't. I really wanted to wait until Monday to go off my diet, but I didn't make it. I went off yesterday and thought I could pick up today and then stick with it until Monday, but NO! I have eaten stuff today that I haven't eaten since March. I have decied to let it go! No worries, no feeling guilty, no DIET! I am bound and determined to start back up in January and make it to my goal. I am only 56 pounds from my goal right now. If I can eat carefully over Christmas I can stay with in 60 pounds.


Here's to lookin great in 2008!!!

Friday, December 21, 2007

Catching Up

Wow, sorry for the delay in posting. It seems things are getting busier and busier. My cousin's just left after a fun night of Dirty Santa. I have to say, they are very nice. There was only a little stealing and no fighting. We will have to work on that for next year. It was a lot of fun! I won, acutally I stole, a scrapbook tote. I thought I would see if my mom would embrodery my name on it!

One of the gifts was a key chain that beeps when you whistle. It started to drive us crazy, so Brittni hid it from Paul. She later gave it back. I think it is a great gift. I lose my keys all the time. I even heard someone say they should put it on their cell phone.

We are off for Christmas break until January 7th. I am so excited to be off. I want to sleep, sleep, and sleep. I am having everyone over for Christmas and then the next day one of my college kids, Meredith, is coming "home". She is traveling through on her way to the wedding of two of my other kiddos, Brandi and Jesse. Jesse was the sweet child who brought us fire wood two times in one week. He also is the one who comes to tutor my girls in AP Calculus and Geometry. I hope we get to go to the wedding too, but we are waiting to see what the weather does and if Courtney can get off work.

The kids are excited for Christmas. I am hoping to get some wrapping done this weekend so I have Monday to buy any last minute items I might have forgotten.

By the way, if you haven't checked on Ashley lately, she is home for Christmas--her very first Christmas at home. Check out her blog ashleyadamsjournal.blogspot.com for more details.

I hope you all have a blessed Christmas. Cindi

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Movie Update

We watched, Wild Hogs. I highly recommend it. We laughed, and laughed. There wasn't a whole lot of bad language and the boys watched it with us. I love, love Tim Allen, John Travolta, and Martin Lawrence. One of the funniest though, was the other guy whose name has escaped me. He was on ER for a while, in Fargo and Jurassic Park. He did a great job playing the "geek". Brittni says my laugh makes the whole room laugh, well he gave me a lot to laugh at! Try it if you want to smile!


***Edit***Thanks to another one of my fabulous college kids, the other actors name is William H. Macy! Thanks, Amy.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Ice Storm, 2007

Well, we got ice, but not near as bad as the ice storm of 2002. We do have about 1/2- 3/4" of ice, but the wind isn't blowing at all. So, for now we have power. We are out of school today, but I hope to be back tomorrow barring more ice. They say we have a chance of more tonight, but the system could move past us and we would get only what is on the ground now.

The kids are enjoying their day off and to be honest so am I. Courtney had to go to work this morning. It took him 20 minutes to get out of the neighborhood. There was a guy stuck trying to go up the hill by Kaiser Sign, so they had to get him up the hill before Courtney could try. With his big work truck it was no problem, but it took him 15 more minutes to get to work instead of about 6. He keep all his guys home today and told them to go on "Call Out Status Only", so they can do paper work and such from the house. If they get a call, they will call him first. I think he wants to keep everyone off the roads today. I hope he will be home soon and we can watch some movies with the kids.

Some of our college kids came over last night to help the girls with homework. They both needed advanced math help and it was over my head. I was glad to hear one of the college students say, if you don't use it, you lose it. It made me feel a little better about being an educated woman who couldn't remember how to do Calculus. After homework we played Dance Dance Revolution. Jesse and Hunter were so cool when they did it, they kept their hands in their pockets. On the other hand, when Brandi and I did it, we had to use our hands as balance to keep from falling over. Connor looked like a scene from American Bandstand, because he was shaking his booty they whole time. Kelsey, Zeb and Ari like to dance at a faster pace than the rest of us. It is fun to watch them, but I sweat just watching them. It was a fun night.

Well, enjoy your Monday. I am off to wrap some Christmas presents.

Cindi

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Preparing

Ok, so living in Oklahoma we are used to changes in the weather. But we NEVER like the change that is supposed to be coming our way. We are awaiting arrival of an ice storm. Now we have lived through little mini ice storms. You know the one with slick roads and cold temeratures. We have also lived through the big ICE STORM of 2002. We had no power for 8 days.

They are telling us to prepare for that type of ice storm. I don't want that kind of ice storm. Now, I would like a few days off from school, but not like this. I can see myself getting lots of Christams wrapping done, but I can also hear my children...I want to play Toontown, I want to play Playstation, Can we watch a movie?, Let's have family night? Well, while all of those sound grand, without electricity there won't be any of it. It gets dark here at about 5:45, so without electricity we will be bored out of our minds, and sitting in the dark by then. I don't know about you, but spending 1 hour without electricity doesn't sound much fun, and surely 8 days will be a killer.

So, we are preparing. I have done all the laundry. I went to the store and bought water, although we never worried about losing water last time. I have batteries. I bought some new books,and a few board games. I bought craft stuff for me and the girls to do. There is new colors and construction paper for the boys. We have firewood, courtesy of our adopted kids--check out the post below this one. We have food, toilet paper and paper towels. Now all we need is for the weatherman to be wrong, which in Oklahoma is really not that hard to hope for. So, here we sit waiting!

If you don't hear from me for a few days you will know, we have no power. We can do this, we just don't want to!