Blogger Lockout??

I'm not sure if this will even post... I've tried so many times. It's almost like I'm locked out of the blog-o-sphere, but I'm trying. I know it's been a long, long time, but I am getting the blogging itch and I have so many new ideas for my little cottage here on the net. I think you'll enjoy it, so please come back soon. The Cottage is getting a make-over!

Happy 2011 To Me... Happy 2011 To Me...

That's right. 2011. March 23, 2011 to be exact. I swear I'm gonna get better about this whole blogging thing. Swears!

So, what have we been up to, you ask? Well, all but 1 of us is a whole year older. I turned 38 last Thursday and I gotta tell you I don't feel a day older than 37. I think once you past 35, it's just a waiting period until the big 4-0. Par Tay!

My b-day was a good one. I went to a casino for the first time in my life and actually came out $110 richer. I didn't understand the computerized slots worth a crap, but I gotta tell ya that any machine you just sit and hit buttons on has to be a brain stumper. And how I lost $5 in the penny slots in less than 1 minute is beyond me. I figured I'd have 500 plays that would keep me there with the other ladies in their Hoverounds for hours. Didn't happen but that's probably ok, when old ladies start stroking the screen and kissing stuffed animals for luck, that's when I gots to go.

My attire was somewhat disappointing. I forget I can't wear heels, but about a week before my birthday I decided I'd get more "dressed up" and I found these CUTE heels that matched my cute cute sweater (for the unexpected 70 degree day) and I just thought I was so cute and are you sick of that word yet? Anyway, those heels did me wrong! Can you say 3rd degree blister? If they don't have "degrees" they should because mine is more than just a little blister, it is a major BLISTER! But thankfully that's just the one on the side of my big toe. I have 1st and 2nd degree blisters on my middle and fourth toes. I am still wearing flip flops which has been ok for that last week but tomorrow it's suppose to snow and be in the 30's. Guess my luck at the 'Spin N Win' has worn off.

Moving on... Everyone is good. The boys are good. The parents are good. I am good. Most of all God is good! And although He doesn't have to prove that to me, He does. He has. The truth is, I had a very rough start to 2011 and it took a lot of strength to get through. Strength I didn't know I had. Strength that only the good Lord above could give. And even though I thought things were at their worst, He showed me that HE has the authority over everything. He can change situations that seem unchangeable. Praise God!

So... don't give up. You might end up a winner.

9 Days and 2 Posts Later

Here I am trying to get into some online freelance writing and I can't even blog a sentence every day for a month. Let's hope that doesn't make it on my resume.

Well, and the fact that the picture below is just too adorable to move down the page!! I just. couldn't. do. it. (Do people still use periods like that?) I'm so out of the "blogging loop".

I've noticed bloggers using "headings" in their posts more lately and I'm liking it. I haven't tried doing it yet, but I think someday I will catch on.

I'm all sorts of behind on posting the goings-on in our lives and in some ways, it's just because I can't. Mr. R and I are doing a little court tango over the baby and it's nasty and ugly but we're getting along at the moment. Last week was the first time he got Baby T by himself. It went fine and he has been nice and decent and that makes it OH so much easier to hand my baby over to him. It is what it is. I think we'll be ok. We have to be.

I think my SAD is back. I hate this time of year. I love fall, I just don't like the cold weather and less sunlight that goes along with it. I have been grouchy and irritable and my skin is dry and I don't feel like doing anything - and then there's the anxiety. I thought it was because of the court situation, but I think it's the SAD at work. I stopped going to the tanning bed a few months ago and I may just have to start back again. I got a little scare when someone I heard about, through someone I knew, died from melanoma. I had quite a conversation with one of her best friends and it really made me think. She left two children behind and I just decided I could not risk doing that to my family for tanner skin. Yes, tanning makes me feel better about myself and yes, I feel I look healthier with a nice tan and yes, it's nice to lay in a warm bed when it's cold outside, but I honestly think it's the light that is helpful this time of year. I may just try to lay in the bed a couple times a week for 10 minutes and see if it helps. I also need to do better taking my vitamins every day and adding some extra Vitamin D. And exercise... we can't foget that. Oh wait, I have a 17 month old, check that off the list, I get plenty of that. (Obviously not the right kind though... my right arm is hurting so bad today... I played bowling and table tennis on the Wii yesterday. Pathetic!)

And speaking of a 17 month old... he is wanting to play cars and trucks with me so I'd better scoot. He has them all lined up at the gate and is saying something in toddler talk. I think it's "UMM, mom, look how adorable I am, don't you want to come and play with me?!"

Well, OF COURSE I DO!!

3 Days Late

I can't believe Halloween came and went and it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and soon after, Christmas. Where did 2010 go?!

So I did a crazy thing and signed up to blog each day this month. It's been a long time since I did the NaBloPoMo thing. I thought I could do it and I've already failed before I started. Oh well, we have a lot going on. I'm trying to do better, really I am.

Baby T turned 17 months old yesterday. 17 months!! Hard to believe. He's doing so much now and getting so big. He thinks he's a big boy but he's still my baby. He's still nursing like crazy and we're not even thinking of weaning at this point. He's got about 8 or 9 teeth and it seems like he's getting a new one every other day. He does great with them. Sometimes he'll get a little fussy and will chew on his fingers and I know he needs Tylenol or teething tablets (yes, I know about the recall and yes, I am still using them) but other than those very few times, he seems to handle them real well.

He's napping now and I have a very small window of time to get my dishes done and more laundry in before dinner so I better grab it while I can. We need to have a decent meal tonight. Monday we went to Applebee's, Tuesday we did the "clean out what's already opened in the freezer" thing, so tonight we need a good homemade meal. I haven't a clue what that will be yet, but I'm working on it.

Writer's Block or Adult ADD

Ever since I got my new laptop I have been wanting to blog every day but just can't. Sure, I could physically type a post out, but can I mentally do so? I think that is the problem. I have so many thoughts running through my head, so many posts that I want to write, so many different ideas, views and topics that I want to cover, but I just can't. It's like I can't get my thoughts together enough to write a post that's not all over the board. I'm chalking it up to the fact that I got away from blogging for a long time and I'm a little rusty. Plus, the fact that I already said I'd like to do something serious with my blog puts a little pressure on me to actually DO something with this blog. I guess I should just start blogging for fun and see where it leads me. I just have so many things going on that I really do have many topics to last for a very long time. For now, I think I'm going to reconnect with some other blogging women and get that re-established, then look into options for my blog. Just thinking about it has my head spinning. But in a good way.

Barefoot Is Best and A 2011 BlogHer Hopeful

Tonight my mom and I took Baby T on a walk. It was a little chillier out so I decided to put some pants and socks on him. I hadn't thought about the fact that this baby probably didn't remember anything about socks. I put brand new white socks on his feet and he just looked at them for a minute and immediately decided those did not belong on his feet. He didn't cry or actually even pull them off, he just tugged on them and made a funny screaming noise like "Hey, get off my feet!". Then he acted like he didn't know how to walk. It was hilarious to watch and when we go back home, I am going to try and recreate the scene while recording it. I know it's one of those "you had to be there" moments and I'm sure you're not laughing your head off like I was, but it was cute. We are a barefoot family for sure.

In the last few days I've been visiting blogs that I haven't been able to read in months. I almost forgot how great the whole blog-o-sphere really is. All the talk about BlogHer has me excited to really get back into blogging and really try to do something with it. Before, it was just a hobby and I really didn't try to network or make a purpose of my blog for anything other than rambling and venting and sharing. But now I'm thinking I'd like to make it more. Some of you have really come a long way with your blogs and they are great! Great information. Great writing. It's very impressive. I certainly won't be going to BlogHer this year, but I would love to get in on some sessions from home if that's possible. I think I know someone who was able to do that, so I might need to contact her and get the information. Who knows... it's just a thought.