Mandy's Blog

Floors full of wrapping paper, laughter and smiles seen for miles, children happy, parents exhausted, that's what the Hughes Christmas is made of...

For Christmas Eve, the kids always re-enact the Nativity Story at my mil's. This year Cregan was Joseph, Elise was Mary, Clay, Papa, Ryan were the 3 Wise Men, I was the inn keeper, Collin and Garrett the shephards.






It's always fun to do this, but it was especially exciting this year because you could almost see the lights coming on in the children's eyes as they learned about Jesus birth.

Last Saturday, I drove to Owens Community College in Perrysburg, OH to pick up Josh! We got there at 11AM and was just in time to see all the buses pull up from the airport, it was exciting to see all the soldiers coming off the buses and all the people with their signs, clapping for the guys!

I found Josh rather easily, he is so tall that it wasn't much of a problem. The kids were so excited to see Josh, we got to talk for a good hour and then the ceremony started. After the ceremony, Josh and I with the kids went to lunch with Hunter and Brianna.

It is so nice to have Josh home, I know I keep saying it, over and over, but geez it's SO true!

My ward had their annual Christmas party on Friday. We had ham, church potatoes and green bean casserole with fruit crisp for desert. The tables were all individually decorated from different members of the church, and then the we all voted on the best tables. We got a visit from Santa, and all the kids got pictures with him and told him what they wanted!

But the best part of the evening to me was when the primary children re-enacted the Nativity scene. Cregan was a sheep and Clay was an angel. The best part was about 3/4 of the way into the program the little kids just started talking to eachother and running around! It was so cute seeing that, next to the more serious children trying to be reverant with the baby Jesus...

Josh will be home in 7 DAYS!!!

That's right I said 7 days, my husband will be home, in my arms, in Ohio!! IN 7 DAYS!

Can you tell I'm a little excited...

This Thursday and Friday the boys both had the day off! They had there parent teacher conferences. What is the school system thinking having conferences in the middle of December anyway... first it's hard on mom's and dad's everywhere to figure out shopping for the kids while the kids are in school, and then there's the whole factor of explaining to the kids "oh you are out of school, but umm no Santa yet..." and finally there's the whole 2 whole days off with my kids when I'm going to be having 3 whole weeks off with them very very soon. I know, I know, I'm complaining.

Especially since I had a great too days with the kiddos. On Thursday we went to the Y, and then to the Schlastic Book Fair and the kids each got a book, and then to McDonald for lunch, and then home for naps and movie, in the afternoon we went to parent teacher conferences, first Clay's and then Cregan's (there teachers raved and raved about them), after that we went to the Festival of Lights in Delaware area and saw Santa. After that we all (Crystal and Zack came with us) went to Krispy Kreme Donuts and got donuts and milk! Great day...

Today (Friday) we went pick up lights and decorations for the Christmas party at the church, then we decorated the church. In the evening we went to the Christmas party, it was so fun, we had a nice dinner and then had a visit from Santa in the Relief Society Room and then we all came back to the Gym and the kids performed the Nativity Scene, Clay was an angel and Cregan was a sheep! It was a great evening too...

So maybe Parent teacher conferences aren't so very bad..

this week has been strange, I had some bad news at the beginning of it, news that devasted me. I was sad, forlorn and just plan in a bad mood. I didn't want to talk to people, I didn't want to see people, I was pissed at myself and at everyone else. Then I talk to my friend Julie, I tell her about my horrible week, I go on and on about how bad MY life is, and how hard MY life is and how much MY life sucks right now. She listens. She sympathizes. Then, she tells me something that is going on in her life, this is like 10 minutes into the conversation after I've gone on and on, she is so patient and just wait. This something that she tells me is a very serious something, and it puts my something in to perspective. My something is meaningless really, her something is reality. She put my something were it needs to be, away, my something isn't significant, my something isn't life altering, my something isn't devasting, it shouldn't make me sad, mad, or forlorn. I have many blessing and it took this simply conversation with my friend to realize that!

Happened upon an memory card, and was pleasantly surprised at the video's on there, probably from 2 years ago. Cregan and Clay were so small!
The first is a video of Cregan "skating", he actually has a tiny toy skate board and is pretending to skate with it. The whole skateboard is covered by his foot! It's too cute. The second is of Clay singing Follow the Prophet, one of our church songs, although he has is own rendition of it, with a GUN!

Even BETTER the 2nd time.... awwww Edward, I love you!

For Thanksgiving at my mother and father in laws, I made some yummy glazed carrots, and this cute cheese ball in the shape of a turkey! I made the cheeseball with cream cheese, steak sauce, dry ranch dressing and shredded cheese. I molded it into a ball, and then separated the cream cheese and added food coloring and then piped the cream cheese on to crackers and gently fanned them on the back of the cheese ball. For the face I cut out a red bellpepper and then cut a piece of cheese into a triangle and attached both with the cream cheese. The only thing missing was pecans that I put on the side of the cheese ball when I got to my mother in law's house, it turned out much cuter than I thought it would!

This Friday I went to see the Twilight movie! It was so good. Ofcourse the movie isn't going to be as good as the book, what movie ever is...??? But I really enjoyed the rendition given. The music was great, I loved Bella's lullaby. The acting was good, I thought Robert Patterson did a good job expressing all the emotions that were needed to express.

I especially liked Charlie, he was cute and the ackwardness of his and Bella's relationship was easily presented. I didn't like Jacob, his wig looked fake, but I'm hoping that the other movie's they will get that right... speaking of other movie's, they set the ending up perfectly for the 2nd book!

Overall, I really, really liked it!!! tell me what you think?

So when visiting with Julie (see prior post), we made Christmas cards and here and a few of my favorite's!

A couple of weeks ago, I got a call from my best friend's husband asking if I could come to Georgia to surprise my friend for her birthday. Ofcourse I said, "Heck ya!" and this past Saturday I dropped the kids off at Papa's house and headed to the airport to hop on a flight to GA. Julie, who's detective skills are uncannily in tune, realized on that Saturday morning that I was coming. What tipped her off beside all the questions from Bryan, of what are her plans for the weekend were and such. No, it was Bryan getting up at 6AM to change the sheets in the spare bedroom!!

So she knew I was coming and picked me up off the plane. We went to Macy's first, our favorite shop, and then over to Lonestar, for a delicious and cholestrol laden meal that was sure to clog my heart, but was just to good to turn down...

We stayed up late that night, and in the morning we all slept in, and missed church... I know, I know... We then played rock band, and just hung out together with Avery and Bryan. In the evening we started making Christmas cards and I found myself really surprise at how much I liked that. That evening we ate Smores and Hot Chocolate while watching Desperate Housewives. It was a great evening!

The next day, Julie and I flew to Dayton (the flight back to Columbus was full, and I was flying stand-by and probably wouldn't get on). We rented a car and drove back to Columbus, we stoppped in Easton and went to guess, Macy's, there we found some amazing deals, like my 2 dresses, marked down from $96.00 to $15.00!!!! And Julie found an Ipod speaker stereo, marked from $49.99 to $6.99! It was wonderful and what could top that??? Cheesecake Factory, need I say more.

So thank you Julie for having a birthday and having me for the weekend! It was so relaxing and well needed!! Being 29++ is just great, I'll let you know, when I get that old you know me being 22 still... :)

$5.35, Inconceivable

That's right, you read it right, $5.35, that's what I paid to FILL UP my car this evening!!!!! It was .34/gallon.... "unbelievable," you say, "outragious," you mutter, "Why not me?," you scream from the top of your lungs... well it could be. Let me let you in on my little secret, it's called, shhh, Giant Eagle.... $1.00 off per gallon of gas per transferred or new prescription and I got .20 off for every $50.00 I spend!!!

If you could of seen me at the gas station, doing a little jig, well let me just tell you it was funny...

My friend Cherie has tagged me... I have to post the 6th picture from the 6th folder in My Pictures file. So here it is, from early spring Megan, Sophie and Vanessa with their kids came over to my house for a playdate.

This week was chaotic. To start on Monday I had a doctor's appointment, for my blood pressure. You see in labs, my BP would always run really high, finally my instructor took me aside and asked me to have it checked out. So I went, it was fine but I asked my doctor about a little spot on my stomach, ohh it's nothing, just an "age spot".... What in the world, I'm stressed to the point of high BP and now I'm getting age spots. What next, fitting me for glasses????

That was Monday...

Tuesday came, I had my clinicals at 8:00 AM, but have to fight traffic so badly that I have to leave 45 minutes before. After Clinical, I go to campus and take my first test in Nursing School.... get my results when I get home, 76!!! Hip HIp Hooray, a 76, I passed, BARELY. You see, in Nursing School, a 76 is the last digit before getting a F for the class. A 76-84 is a C!! That night, my back hurt really bad, so I took 1/2 of a muscle relaxer, did my homework and studied, and slumped off to bed.

Then comes the hazy day, not a weather thing, no a state of mind thing, I was so "out" of it because of that dumb 1/2 pill muscle relaxer... I couldn't function, it took lots of energy drinks, 3 to be exact and a Speedway cola to get me going. Went to class, and came home and studied with some friends in the evening time, until around midnight... Wendesday

Thursday comes, and I get up early, Kayla comes over to watch the kids, I leave early, because if you aren't in class in your seat at 8AM they close the doors and you are just out of luck!! So I was in class and ready, and I actually made an 87 on this test! Not too bad I think, then I had Lab and then came home to Kayla and the kids, and Jack. That night Kayla, Jon and her girls and Racheal and her kids took Clay and Cregan to the Trunk or Treat and Collin and I went to Children's for his sleep study.

I wish I had pictures from his sleep study, it was pretty pitiful, he had so many little electrodes all over his head and face and things all over his body, and in his nose. He cried and cried, and kept tugging at the cords, finally around 2:30AM they came in and put little towel around his arms so that he couldn't bend them. He finally fell asleep and then it felt like a blink of an eye and they were waking us up, he was ready to go home though. He kept saying, "bye, c-ya, go home mommy, go home". He's very cute... anyway, I think he'll have to get his tonsils out, I'll have an appt. with the doctor sometime next week and find out the results of the test...

Friday, I was beat! I sat on the couch and let the kids run free in the house. I got Jack at noon, and then Mike and Sophie went out for the evening and Jack got to spend the night. On Saturday, the kids went to Grandma's and Jack went home and I went to the cannery to can some food storage.

All in all it wasn't an exceptionally bad week, just mentally exhausting (well really only the 2 tests, but you know)...

After Cregan's birthday, and everyone but Jon and Kayla and the girls were left, Uncle Jon pulled out his gift for Cregan... can you guess .... Guns... four noisy, light-up guns, he's definetly getting the Cool Uncle Award this year!! Then he went out and played guns with them for about an hour. This is why he waited for everyone to leave...he wanted to play too!!

Last night, we celebrated Cregan's 5 birthday!! This celebration almost didn't happen, he had been pooping in his pants, sometimes 2, 3 even 4 times a day. I was frustrated with him and used all kinds of tactics to have him stop, one of them was to tell him if he didn't stop he wasn't going to have a birthday party. Well, months went by, and still no stopping of the pooping... I was over at Sophie and Mike's and they saw the whole ordeal with me. The crossing of the legs, the jumping anxiously, then me running to the bathroom with Cregan... well Mike started doing some research and found a disorder that I am 99% sure he has... encopresis. All, and I mean all of the symptoms fit Cregan's situation. Click here to find out more about enconpresis. So we decided to have a party for Cregan and since it was last minute, or rather 3 days prior, it was rushed and put together by lots of phone calls...

Having said (or rather written) that, it turned out spectacular. Cregan had a blast, he was so excited that everyone came to see him and to top it off he got presents! and cake! and ice cream! It was like heaven for the little guy! The only thing that could have made it better was if his daddy were here! Which he will be in 61 days!!!!!!

My precious little newphew entered the world on Thursday, he was 7pnds 6 ozs and 21 inches long. Mommy is doing well, she had a C-section, so I was and still am worried about her, especially now that she's home and will probably go into "overdo-it" mode. So hopefully she'll take my advice, and sit down, be waited on and enjoy it while it lasts, because it won't last long.

Give my baby newphew a kiss from Aunt Mandy, lots and lots of kisses, wish I were there!!

How funny is this, I took this little quiz, just kinda curious to see what it said... and it said I should live in the place where I grew up...

You Should Live in Georgia

If you don't want to live in Georgia, you might also consider: Kentucky Kansas Missouri North Carolina Oklahoma

I'm thinking maybe Cregan has watched a little too much of Nacho Libre. I could be just speculating here but I am thinking maybe I ought to cut back on the Jack Black action. Here is what happened...
We had to go to the doctor for my 2nd round of Hep B shots for school, while waiting for my shots, I'm telling Cregan,

"...you know you are going to clean up all those bread crumbs that you made in the car, right?...

He answers without batting an eyelash, straight faced, as if it was an everyday occurance.

"But mom, it is not bread, but the Lord's chips...."

I sat shocked for about 3 seconds and then bust out laughing, what am I going to say to that...

Racheal spent the weekend with me and we worked on Halloween craft projects. Ryan had to work all day on Saturday and Sunday and it was fun just having some girly time with Rach. We decided to work on a wood project, because I have LOADS of wood in the garage, we got scrapbooking paper from Joann's and buttons and ribbon as well.
Basically, I painted the wood, mod podged the scrapbooking paper to it, and sanded the sides, then tore more scrapbooking paper and put "boo" on with buttons

For this I painted and glued the scrapbook paper on and used already formed letters and buttons for accessory
And lastly, same as the others, except I used foam pieces that I had bought for my Halloween Calender for the wood, this is my least favorite, basically because, I found out later that I misspelled Eeek!!!



Also, I finally finished my Halloween advent calender that I'd been working on with Megan . We decided we were going to do a fall craft and she suggested this calender, at first I thought there was no way we were going to get this done, but Megan is so talented and it turned out very cute. The idea came from last years Pottery Barn halloween catalog, and I would have never had undertaken this project without a lot of assistance from Megan, you can check out her calender here

Happy Birthday Ryan! You know you're getting old when your wife has to use a regular candle, in addition to 27 birthday candles, because she didn't have enough!!
All the kids "helping" Ryan blow out the candles! Notice Elise's Lightening McQueen PJ's (she wouldn't wear the princess ones that Racheal brought, she wanted the Cars PJ's instead)
Garrett finishing off any remnants of icing!

Kayla brought over donuts from Krispy Kreme the other day. Ofcourse, I couldn't resist a donut and appartently neither can Collin. He decided to taste pretty much all the donuts, taking one or two bites out of each one!!

So here's the damage from the winds on Sunday to our house!





We had an Ironrod Swing on the back porch that was on the pool, and a huge tree limb across the fence between the backyard and the pool side, it broke part of the fence and just tree limbs everywhere! No electricity for atleast 24hours, which was interesting, it really made me think of my food storage and all the other things needed in my emergency supplies. Sophie and Mike came over and we pulled all the limbs to the front of the house and cut up what we could, although I'll need a chainsaw for some of the stuff. I can't imagine what Texas must be like!

This weekend, my mother in law and I went to the Fall Home Show at the Expo Center. We got lots of great ideas for our home and we got to see Vern from HGTV! He was very funny (from what I got to hear of him, the kids had to go to the bathroom a lot, when they had stand still for more than 2 minutes). I looked around the whole expo center and had my eye on a KitchenAid, I've been wanting one for years now, and Mike (Sophie's husband), who is a Craig'slist Junkie, found me one on the same day for $100, in great shape!! So turns out it was a good thing I didn't buy one at the Home Show!