We are going to be late.

Before the Dudes arrived I had a living room with a recliner, love seat and couch. I also had a coffee table and two end tables. With lamps. Then the Dudes arrived and my little living room became a little crowded with all their baby paraphernalia so the coffee table was removed to the attic. We trucked along and then the Dudes got mobile. They started crawling and pulling lamps off tables. Grrr....After a million tumbles the lamps left the living room. I was convinced that there would be a broken light bulb in the near future. Then the Dudes started climbing. So the end tables left the living room. All that was left was a couch, love seat and recliner. I had the living area and kitchen gated off so that the Dudes could not go into the rest of the house. It was just easier that way. Toys took over the living room and my house started resembling a daycare. I hated it. Then in March-ish sometime we took the gates down. We let the Dudes venture upstairs. This was successful. The toys move...

Growing up my Dad (Mr. A to the world when I was growing up) used to tell me all the time that newspaper was excellent at cleaning windows. When I learned how to drive he would let me use his old Dodge truck under the condition I cleaned it. Widows included. He would always say that if I wanted it to be streak free I should use newspaper. Being the teenager I was I thought Dad was crazy. Newspaper. I don't think so. I'm sure it would leave black smudges on everything. I have carried on the past 15+ years with that same attitude. Newspaper. That's the craziest thing I have ever heard. Though Dad still maintains it works. Fast forward to 2012. I have two glass doors (3 if you count my storm door in front). I also have two 1 1/2 year olds and a 5 year old AND two dogs. My doors take a beating. They always look terrible. I used to have a housekeeper who I loved. She kept my doors (and everything else) looking fantastic. Then I let said housekeeper go and took on the task myself...

I'm sure saying "Cancer Sucks" doesn't really surprise anyone. Everyone can agree on that. I think most people have been affected by cancer in some way either directly or indirectly. I was around 9-ish the first time I heard the word cancer. A woman who I had grown up with was diagnosed with breast cancer. I remember watching her struggle and fight. I remember her losing her hair. But, most of all I remember her spirit. She stayed so positive through the whole experience. Even today she is one of the most positive people I know. Three months after Mr. Mayer and I got married Walt  was diagnosed. The next 8 months were some of the toughest of my life. To this day it has had a profound impact on my life as well as Mr. Mayer's. You don't get over something like that.  My heart breaks every time I hear about someone being diagnosed. My heart aches for them, for their families, then I feel a little relief that it's not me. Then I feel guilty for that relief. ...

I am a terrible liar. And I'm even worse at doing surprises. So, when Betsy and I decided to surprise her sister Jackie I was ner-vous ! "Aunt Jackie" as she is called around our house was graduating from UNLV. A very big deal in my book. I think any graduation is a big deal. You work hard to get there. Aunt Jackie and Olivia are very close. Betsy and her parents (Nana Karen and Papa Brad) were flying out for graduation. We had talked about going. I wasn't sure since Olivia was still in school. It happened that graduation fell on one of our very few free weekends. Mr. Mayer thought that I should go. It would be fun to get away for a while. So....it was decided. Olivia and I would go to Vegas. The surprise part came in a round about way. I didn't want to tell Olivia about the trip MAINLY because I didn't want the million and one questions that come with it AND because every day until we left I would hear "Is today the day we go see Jackie?"She wo...

My flowers that is. Well. My children too, but mainly my flowers. I have shared ( here ) with you all before about my love of a pretty yard and how I wish I had such a yard. Reality being that I kill everything and can't even grow weeds. I'm hoping this year is the year it will happen. Papa Brad helped me kick start my flower beds this year. He got everything in good shape, planted some new shrubs and cleaned up the front. All I had to do was pick out some colorful flowers and plant in the flower beds and fill my pots up. I can handle that. Sunday Mr. Mayer and I went and loaded up on flowers and a few items for my little vegetable garden in the back. I spent the majority of the day planting my new treasures and marveling at how pretty everything looked. *Sigh* The Dudes were fascinated in what I was doing. I would plant a flower and Owen would pull it up. All. Day. Long. I mean really. If these flowers survive my kids it's going to be a miracle. Then they have to live thro...