So… I just saw this cool tag on Jessica Bolton’s Blog (FAVORITE DESIGNER EVER!!!) and I just had to get into full stalker mode and do it myself!

The object of this tag is to list ten things that make you happy this very minute – I like this kind of tag – easy, don’t think to hard, and be happy kind of tag -
Ready for this joy ride???

1) NOT BEING SICKLY – sigh, read yesterdays post, but what a relief

2) Focus (I’ve got it right this moment, and goodness knows that is a rare gift around here)

3) 9:30 am and a full day ahead of me

4) G’s Desk… I have this new habit of taking it over when he is at work, I can listen to music or watch movies on his computer while I work, and I feel ever so much more productive at an actual DESK. (sorry g, I’m cluttering it up again!)

5) Pilates – G and I have officially started our new years resolution this week and we’ve done pilates three nights in a row now – I can’t even tell you how much better my body feels with my ab muscles all tightened up and my whole body more stretched and strong… If we can keep this up all year I’m telling you I’ll be a hottie by christmas (hopefully a very very PREGNANT HOTTIE)

6) babies

7) having my own babies

This new mug that my sister got me for christmas actually LAST year, but that I’ve been using to store my make up in…. on a whim, I dumped it on the counter this morning and washed it out to drink my coffee out of… I it is just the perfect shape for my hand and it conducts the perfect amount of heat through it, so I feel all warm everywhere when I pick it up… (yes… I love my coffee THAT much)

9) Well now that I’m on this track – mmmmm, that perfect pot of coffee, I love when I brew a pot of coffee in the morning, and pour that cup and it is just perfect, just strong enough and rich enough, nice and hot – it is beautiful I tell you (yes… I REALLY DO love my coffee THAT much)

10) Feeling rich, and full, of life… and that hopeful bliss that life couldn’t possibly get any better than this… but somehow you just know it will….

sigh… well now that was a good few minutes!

Okay now you have to play along- there is nothing better than a few minutes of sheer enjoyment of your own life… No specific tags, but if you are cool you’ll do it! and link back here too so I can read what makes you all warm inside

Back to the 9 am focusing! Oh and a sip of that blissful perfect coffee in the perfect cup!

Well! Gosh! I can’t believe it’s been eight days since I posted last! You could ask me what I’ve been doing…. But I swear… I have NO IDEA….

We had lots and lots of snow… for three days last week school was canceled and we were trapped inside the house home-bound… It was agonizing… unlike all the other crazy people in the universe I find snow to be crazy making… we were trapped in our house… and everyone else was too, plus Gareth was home from school, and he was totally bored… and… well it was COLD!

At one point on a day that G had to stay home from work because there was way too much snow for driving, we all went out in the back yard… and i got some fun pictures, and we all threw snow balls and stuff…. but THIS is the face I made:

My pal Jill scrapped this page of me being grumpy in the snow for our assignment for the Digi Scrapping Race (go see our Team Blog to see Jill’s grumpy page I scrapped, and to see all the awesome and edgy stuff we’ve been up to!)

Well, I have to tell the truth – my grudge about the snow didn’t only have to do with the fact that it is FREEZING (because seriously it is people) but also – On Tuesday morning when it really started coming down, my appointment with the high risk pregnancy specialist that I’d been waiting on for SIX MONTHS was canceled because the Dr. Couldn’t make it in to the office… I was so bummed! The good news is that they were able to schedule it for the very next week… meaning TODAY! AND….

I’m SOOOOO excited because the Dr. gave us the green light to try for little Clingerman baby number 4! Sigh…. seriously this is SUCH a weight off for me, not only because it means that we can FINALLY complete our family. But also because it means that the liver problems are OFFICIALLY IN MY PAST! I’m soooo relieved to finally feel like I’m really moving forward!

You should see how excited the kids are too – although they don’t know the nitty gritty, they have been asking and asking when we get to have another little baby, Owen is DYING for a little “girl baby” and Gareth I think has plans for a boy… but they both knew that we were waiting to talk to the Dr. about if it was safe, and they both have been counting down the days with me until this appointment – it is too sweet. And when I told Owen that the Dr. said yes, he literally jumped up and down and said “We’re gonna have a baby!!!!” I did have to explain that we had to wait till God gives us a baby now… Gareth we’ve had to tell that you have to “work for a baby” so now of course he’s reminded us that we need to get to work . It is seriously sweet, and I really feel blessed to have kids that are as excited about growing our family as I am.

SOOO, now ofcourse… the new waiting game begins – waiting to get pregnant! Keep me in your thoughts because goodness knows I’m SOOOOOO ready!

Okay, well, although I don’t have much else to tell you, I am super busy getting together some stuff for this weekend, and for Sweet Shoppe, I should have more to show you soon! And until then, here is one more page for you that I’ve finished up about gareth and his game boy:

This is actually using a quite girly kit called called Girls On Film (LOVE those reds and greys!) but I definately think I boy-ed it up! Soda Tab and tape by Amanda Rockwell, brush by Michelle Coleman, staple by Manda Bean.

Well! I’m so excited to announce to you how incredible my hubby is! He has been awarded a MVP (most valuable professional) award from Microsoft for 2007!

Since this summer g has been very active in the XNA game development community. Basically, in non programmy-untechie-speak XNA is a game programming thingy created by Microsoft so that techie type people (or techie type wannabies) can create games at home – AND they can actually create games for the xbox 360 – g created a tutorial site HERE and you can go there to try to learn more because goodness knows I don’t know what I’m talking about!

What I DO know is that being a Microsoft MVP is a huge honor, and programming games is something G really loves – so being recognized BY Microsoft for that is really a big deal – and around here we are all very proud!

Last week G got a package from Microsoft with his award and other cool goodies – so I took pictures of him opening it up and then I made this page in honor of him:

I used the “Book Bag Essentials” kit that I got from Gina Cabrera a long time ago, but still use ALL THE TIME! I also threw in a great “Flirty Flourish” that is new from Zoe Pearn at Sweet Shoppe, and the little Date tag thingy is from Laura Deacetis also at Sweet Shoppe.

Aside from his awesome award, g got a cool leather box filled with cool geeky stuff, including a laser Pointer, which is basically the bane of my existence…. I HATE those things and I’m pretty sure I fell in love with g because he did NOT have one… So now I’m left questioning everything I’ve ever believed in!

But all in all I’m still super proud – and I think I’ll stay with him just because of his cool title – I like being the Mrs. behind the MVP

Okay G, so for you, now I’m going to do my 5 things – G tagged me on his blog over a week ago, and I’ve been avoiding it because honestly I don’t know what to say – I feel like for the most part I am a totally open book, and whatever isn’t “out there” is probably hidden away in the vault for a reason . But I do owe it to G, and besides he tagged Theresa and Bob, and THEY both did it, so I guess I should get my act together!

So the tag was to reveal 5 surprising or secret things about yourself – and I’m going to try to shock your socks off – in reality though, I’m probably just going to make you laugh at me – which is something I seem to have quite the knack for!

1 – I lose things - and I don’t just mean misplace things, I mean, there are things that I had, and then didn’t have with in a matter of seconds, and for the life of me I can not find them. I have come to refer to the place I put them as my “crazy place” and believe it or not I have two sets of keys that I keep there (for safe keeping of course) and countless amounts of papers and do dads that have honestly vanished from existence. I don’t know how it happens, and often I can remember very specifically holding the thing, and then about a minute later I can remember NOT holding the thing… but the in between I just don’t know – it is in the crazy place I tell you! We’ve torn the house up on several occasions looking for the crazy place – but apparently crazy me is quite clever and very good at finding hiding places.

2 – Well, Laser pointers – I hate them, seriously HATE them…. they scare me, and I have a feeling they are going to come out in ten years that the things cause radiation poisoning – I really really really don’t like them and I can vividly remember how irritated I was in highschool at the assemblies when the laser pointers would come out, and suddenly no one was safe – at any point in time you could have a lazer pointing at your nipple and not even know it. UGGG the last thing I would like is radiation on my boob thank you very much!

3 – I was prom queen - seriously gotta work that one in there , because it is pretty much the only claim to popularity ever that I will have – I don’t know what happened or how it happened because I was SOOOOO not a groupie, and most of my fame (or infamy) came from the fact that I was little and that I was a goodie goodie… so it was a shock to my system, and actually it was not that great of a night, my boyfriend at the time had just recovered from a really sever car accident, and I spent the whole night worried about him, plus my dress that I had made was made quite a bit too low cut (talk about nipples not being safe!) Plus the guy that won prom king was pretty much scary, and one of the biggest perverts alive…. so it was sort of a big joke me up there dancing with him… anyways, i still have my crown somewhere (oh who am I kidding, I am wearing it right now!) and I save this little factoid for when I really want to impress someone way uber cool…. LOL yeah…

4 – okay, running out of things here… I never finished college, there how about that one…. you can read g’s things for the details – but nope, I never got through the four years of school and quite frankly it is a HUGE insecurity of mine…. I have a huge pet peeve for when people throw their degree’s around like it makes them more important than anyone else… but really my irritation probably stems from insecurity and from jealousy … someday maybe, but I’m just refocused at this point in my life…. so it isn’t on the tippy top of the to-do list. The cool thing is, I’m only 26 and I know I have time… so we will just see what the future brings I guess.

5 – five five five – have I mentioned that I’m forgetful and indecisive… because this seems like the perfect place for that…. I am not a decision maker – like really really really – I hate standing in the snack isle and looking up and down at the 2307 varieties of crackers and trying to make a choice about what I want the most…. I could be STARVING craving crackers in a serious way, I could be on the verge of DEATH and still it would take me atleast 15 mins to make up my mind…. I just can’t do it, I can’t handle all the options and all the choices I face each and every day, and sometimes it really seems like a joke that I’m responsible for 3 other little human beings and am supposed to make decisions on a regular basis about what they should wear and do and eat…. I can barely pick out my socks so honestly it is all quite overwhelming. A nightmare for me would being a political figure or an owner of a big buisiness and having to make descisions for zillions of people EVERY DAY…. whew… my head is starting to spin just thinking about it!

So now I have to tag 5 people Pam, Litzie, Kristi, Melissa, and Brenda (I know you’re here girly!) (Casey, I spared you because I know you’ve done this one before, but I’m all about more Casey facts if you are willing to play!)

Okay g, I hope you’re happy now – Congrats to you! The boys and I are so proud!

Yes we actually have snow! Look at what I woke up to this morning!

It actually started last night, a bit before dark, and came down in a mad flurry – the boys and I rushed to get some hats and gloves because we are all very used to snow not lasting very long here in the land of mild temperatures -

Gareth was, of course, most interested in snowball fights, and threw his share of snow (my camera wasn’t quite safe in that frenzy though so no pictures) the neighbor kids came out and everyone was running and yelling and throwing snow – it felt very festive

The other thing that totally interested him was trying to catch an illusive snowflake on his tongue – and he spent quite a bit of time in this doofy pose-

Owen, on the other hand was NOT interested in being hit by snowballs, but he was VERY interested in eating snow – and I was surprised to see how much snow he munched.

At one point Owen totally surprised me by throwing caution to the wind and laying flat on the ground to make a snow angel – he is such a contrast of pious caution and a thurough love of life and experience – it is an amazing combination in a human being – sometimes I just love to watch the way Owen lives. Just look at that smile:

Reece, although he refused to touch the snow for the most part, loved the running and the yelling, and he totally insisted that he would DID NOT want to go inside even though the poor little man looked so cold! He’s got a will of steel, and I’m pretty sure he would have kept us “outside” on the sheer principal of the matter. He was so so so excited about the “Snowman” which is what he calls any amount of snow anywhere – earlier in the day when it started snowing he ran up to the window excitedly and exclaimed “Raining Snowman!” – now isn’t that just too cute?

We had such a fun time – although mommy got cold FAST – unlike every one else in the universe, I don’t see a whole lot of use for the snow (other than for really cool pictures!) So I personally was glad when the kids finally got cold and ready to go inside and warm up!

Today I have G home, It is just MUCH too icy out there for the 40 mile drive to work… and they say it is just getting colder… meaning that this particular snow might just stick around for a little bit more – imagine that!

I swear – I’m moving in slow motion right now! I’ve been working on a new kit since thursday – and all though the papers were very quick to come to me the elements have been completely AGONIZING! Maybe it’s the fact that I’m working on doing a girl kit and for me that is completely new territory – so it is sort of feeling like pulling teeth -

Well for now here is a teensy sneak peak:

I am very proud of myself – G was gone this weekend from Early Thursday through Late Monday – so 5 days all along for me and the boys – and we actually all survived! I was truly tired though by Monday night – mostly not from the boys as much as from getting NO SLEEP – I just don’t do well sleeping alone… So I guess I’ll have to keep G around for a while …. Really though, it is SOOOO nice to have him back – just feels like such a weight lifted off my shoulders when I’m not the only grownup in the house he definitely feels home feel like home… So it’s not at all the same with out him.

In other news – I finally called my OB again because I’ve been waiting for a prenatal consult with a high risk specialist since SEPTEMBER to see if it is safe to start trying for the final little Clingerman…. Well, when my nurse called me back she was furious that I had been waiting for 6 months and I heard back from the Specialists office with in a few hours! I’m so excited that I get to go in NEXT TUESDAY to see what the Dr. thinks about getting preggers after all the liver troubles. After my tests all came back normal, and then after really actually feeling better for a few months now, I’m REALLY hopeful that I’ll get a thumbs up…. keep me in your prayers because we are ALL baby crazy around here

Okay g, I know I still have my five things, I was thinking I’d do them right now but I’m feeling all this pressure and I don’t know what to say! So we’ll have to wait till I’ve got it figured out.

Okay so before I go, let me share my page I did this month for the Scrap With the Sugar babes challenge – I’m actually a bit sad, because I made the decision this week to step down as a Sugar Babe, I LOVE LOVE LOVE being on the babe team there, but as I get more and more engrossed in the Designer end of things at the sweet shoppe, I started to feel very torn. So – time to make the transition completely and leave the position to someone who can really get into it with their whole heart!

Here is the final Page I did as a Scraplift of Keela Fox:

You can see all the Credits HERE at the sweet shoppe gallery.

I’ll definitely miss the Lifting and the Challenges, but the idea is that I will still play along, so my blog won’t be ever free of Sweet Shoppe Pages

Okay – time to do some more work on the kit! Wish me luck!