Janellybellys World

I am one happy camper right now. Mark and I just got back from finishing the Christmas shopping for the kids. How 'bout that?? It feels SOOOOO good and it was fun shopping with Mark for a change. I feel bad, every year I end up doing the shopping late at night while he babysits, so he misses out on the fun part of picking things out. My MIL took the kids to the zoo, so we took advantage. We are storing the stuff at one of our neighbors house that dosen't have kids, so its super secret. The kids have NO clue where the stuff is. Muaahhahhaaha!! I love it! Since I was able to go early this year, everybody is getting what they wanted. Its gonna kill me to have to wait till Christmas for them to open it all. We can really feel the pressure easing up already just having it all done. Hoepfully we can just relax and concentrate on what the season is all about now. AND, I should now have no problem getting to the gym, I just have to worry aobut my parents(they are all getting pictures-we're having them taken next week-easy!) and Mark, which is also just a matter of coming up with ideas. We don't really do siblings, we are all too poor. ;)

Anyway.... I havent' quite made it to the gym yet. I'm definetly flabbing out. I was supposed to do a garage sale this morning, I was aobut 80% ready, but then Sadie had this horrible stomach cramps and a splitting headace, she came home early from her sleepover, I started to worry about her. Its been an ongoing problem that has been gettin worse. I took her to urgent care, thy sent us to the ER, we were there till 1:30 am, with no result. Mild urinary tract infection. I was so frustrated. I'm gonna have to take her to a pediatric gastroenerologist. Nice. So that sucked and then Mark was like...just screw the sale, do it next week. I still gave it an attempt, but in a nutshell, I ended up not doing it at all. I have to look at the stuff for another week in my garage, but oh well, I can handle 1 more week. When I do get rid of it....My garage will be picturesque. It will be half empty!! FOr a big family like us, that is just incredible. I can't wait, the thought is so fabulous. Plus I will hopefully be a couple hundred dollars ahead of the game as well.

I have a very busy week next week, I want to get Christmas put up as well, that will be toward the end of the week. I will get back in the gym though. You know how it is when you have been away for a while, its just hard to get back but once you take that step, it comes back. I just need 3 days in a row, and I'll be totally back on track. Well, I have a few messes to clean up and get ready for a party this afternoon for a friend. I want to come home to spotlessness! Have a great weekend!!

I hope everybody had an awesome day today. I was blessed to be with almost my entire family, everything turned out great. The kids sang and were a big hit. Sadie recited a turkey poem. It was so cute. I have my neice all weekend which is a huge bummer, its just so chaotic. My brother has to work, dammit. Oh well, I need the extra cash, and she needs to be with us, so I will put myself aside I guess.

I have to spend tomorrow getting ready to do a yard sale on Saturday. Again, the extra cash. I was cleaning out the garage and realized that I really have a quite a bit, and some neighbors are gonna add to it. It will be nice to get that all over with before I drag out the Christmas crap. Dosen't it seem like we just had Christmas?? I swear, it was like 5 months ago!

Anyway, back tot oday, I am still SO uncomfortably full! I can't really say I ate too much, I just had the 1 plate with a little bit of everything, but man, I am stuffed. Then my mom made this cherry cobbler thing and this pumpkin crumble thing, plus regular pumpkin pie. So delicious! We ate on the back porch and my centerpieces were really pretty. We ended up with 8 kids and 20 adults. It was fun and everybody had a good time. I'm gonna try to relax on Sunday, I have a busy week coming up but I'd like to get some more shopping done and get the house decorated. Oh yeah, and the most important part......back on track for the gym and good eating this weekend!! I'm not kidding, tomorrow I'm back on it. LBWO and 30 minutes of cardio, I can't wait!!

Things are rolling, its been crazy. My fitness program is a little off right now, I just need to get through this week and then I will get it back. The whole gang is coming over on Thursday, and I still have tons to do. Same old story.

Its so hot here!! Its going to be 79 on thrusday, and we are eating out on the back porch. Any suggestions on how to remind Mark (again) that the yard HAS to be fixed up without sounding like a big nag? Its making me depressed to see it every day and I will be mortified if something dosent get done with it. I don't have time though, unless I do it tomorrow night. Grrrr. Frustrating!

OK well time to get to WORK, seems like the only thing motivating me right now is Christmas music. LOL It makes me realize that I DON"T have time to be sitting here!!! AAACK!

Everythings good. And busy. The yard we did turned out gorgeous, wish I had a picture. I am getting my Thanksgiving prep underway, and relaxing this weekend.

Hey, heres something new:

I went to the music store today and got some new Christmas music. It was just a big book of traditional songs that the kids will sing along with. All the classics plus a bunch of the stuff you hear on the radio. Hard enough to be interesting to listen to, but easy enough for me to pick out, practice and play by Christmas. But heres the other cool thing.....I was able to get a piece of sheet music that I used to play called "Bumble Boogie" and this thing is a monster. It was kind of the last big jaw dropping piece I learned, it is so super fun. The girl at the store handed it to me and it was the exact same version I used to have and when I was holding it I got all choked up. How silly is that?? I was just so happy to have another chance to play it again. My goal is to have it performance-ready by the end of the year. Its coming back faster than I expected. Who I will perform it for, I have no clue. I start talking about it and Marks eyes glaze over, hes not interested in the least. I may have to videotape myself and put it on here or something. LOL Anyway, I feel like a kid in a candy store with all the new songs to learn.

Back to the gym monday, I am looking forward to it. Tomorrow is food prep and menu making day. Going strong till January 11!!

We had a great Halloween! I had to take most of the pics on a disposable camera, so who knows when I'll use all the pics up and get them posted. I need a new camera...WAAAAAAA!!!!! Hopefully before too long. The kids looked SO CUTE!! I looked pretty cute too, I must say. I went as a cat, it was fun. Big hair, cat eye makeup,the kids loved me dressnig up. We went to the coolest haunted house that some friends from church do, it was great. The kids were really scared! I did have some candy, but I didn't go crazy, just a couple pieces.

And now that that is over...its THAT time of year. Most people do spring cleaning, I do fall cleaning. Its now tme to overhaul the house and yard. I hate it, but I love it when its done, so it is worth the work. I am going to start working out at our friends motocross track more regularly to earn Christmas money. Mark already works there on race weekends doing a "cruise around on the 4 wheeler and help out with whatever" kind of job, I will be doing some vending. I've done snow cones before, but this weekend I am gonna do glow necklaces, cotton candy in bags, and red ropes. I hope I can get everything together before friday. I'm going out there friday night and saturday. Which leaves a babysitting issue that makes me nervous but I'll figure it out. Mark is actually doing a scorpion prevention job friday morning as well, which altogether we could between the 2 of us clear $1,000 for the weekend! Not too shabby, and totally worth the headache! I'm gonna get a little religions here and tell you that this is a huge answer to prayer. When Mark started the academy we knew we'd need to make lots of side money to get us through the end of the year, and we have been very blessed with opportunities to work. We also donate 10% of all of our earnings to the church, and it seems like the better we are at doing that, the more blessed we are. Things really seem to work out for us. It is certainly not easy, I'll tell ya, we have so much going on, to add extra jobs to that is tough, but we have been able to make it work. Mark is spread really thin, but is doing well anyway. In fact, he is doing EXTREMELY well at the academy, which I feel is another huge blessing. He is excelling socially and academicaly, which as you could guess, they are equally important in a "boys club" type of environment like police work.

ANYway, We are gonna work extra super hard, and hopefully get christmas done early and then be able to enjoy the season. Its not going to be anything huge and fancy, I'd just be happy with less stress.

So with that said.......Let the cleaning overhaul begin!!!!!! Its time to make a spreadsheet!!!!!!!!