Life With the Albertson's

You know you are getting old when....

2011-04-06T20:17:00.002-04:00

You get excited about getting a new book of sewing projects, haha. I saw the book 'One-Yard Wonders' at Michael's last week and had such an impulse to buy it. But I was a good girl and went home and looked on Amazon and got it for half the price, haha. I got the book in the mail today and I cannot WAIT to dive into it and make some things. Sewing is such a stress reliever for me. It makes me concentrate on one single thing instead of 2,009,865,976. Then, when I am all done with whatever I was working on, I actually feel like I accomplished something. I mostly get my ideas from online tutorials (which are GREAT), and this book has some pattern work in it so kind of interested to see how that will work out as well. I'll let you know how my experimentation's come out!

This week has been super hard, very bittersweet. My best friend's husband got an amazing new job opportunity with all the bells and whistles, and I could not be happier for the opportunities this brings to them. BUT.....it's allllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll the way in Houston, TX. There's the kicker. The movers came this week and packed up every last item and took it on the road, headed to their new house. It would be strange for any of my friends to move away. But this is a friend that I talk to countless times a day, see almost everyday, and whose kids absolutely adore each other. So, something tells me that this one is going to be a little bit harder. What's worse is that I know how hard it must be on them, and it breaks my heart even more. She is such a strong woman that I know if anyone can pull it together, it's her. She's always looking on the bright side of things. Maybe I'll try that! Now I'll have an excuse to vaca. in TX! Hmmm, somehow that doesn't make it any easier :o(

My hubby is working the Darius Rucker concert tonight, so while he's off rubbing elbows with the rich and famous...I will be here, putting the kids to bed and doing laundry, haha.

Ooh!! P.S.:
Here's a pic. of my little monster in the St. Paddy's Day shirt I posted about!

My First Experience With Freezer Paper

2011-03-10T10:13:00.000-05:00

I have read about people using freezer paper to make amazing stencils to put on clothes and have been wanting to try it for awhile! But today when I saw this post from Skip To My Lou, I couldn't help myself but to run out and get some freezer paper! It's just plain ol' Reynold's freezer paper from Wal-Mart, but so easy and clever!

She used her Silhouette Cutter to cut out her stencil but since I don't have one (hint, hint, Johnny), I just used a Razor Knife. It worked great, once I got the hang of it! But one thing is for sure, I am almost positive that I was not made to be a surgeon.

While you are cutting, don't forget to keep the little circles that go inside of the p's and o's.

I put mine onto a green shirt for J.T. to wear on St. Patty's Day! As tempted as I was to add glitter, I had to stop myself. Not so sure he could pull that off. I could have made one for Madison too, but I saw another tutorial that I am super excited to try out for her!

I just ironed it on and then using some white fabric paint and painted away!

I put a few coats of paint on so the white would be really bright. The bottle of paint says to let it dry flat for 4 hours but to be honest I was exhausted and headed to bed. A little extra drying time didn't hurt it. ;0)

So after we woke up this morning I pulled off the freezer paper and was really impressed with the outcome. I put a thin piece of fabric over the lettering and ironed it to heat seal the paint. I have to wait 72 hours to actually wash the shirt, but I can't wait to see what it will look like on lil man! My wheels have been turning, and I see a lot more freezer paper stencling in my future!!

Spring Cleaning

2010-03-26T11:49:00.000-04:00

The time has come!! I have vowed to myself that I WILL get this house cleaned out and clutter free this week. Usually we are pretty busy during the week and I get backed up on things and never have time for anything extra. But Madison is on spring break this week and we have almost nothing planned! Right now I am excited about it, but I am thinking half way through I will want to give up. I am going to make a list this afternoon, so I can make sure I get everything crossed off.
In other news, the diet is still going good! I have lost 35 lbs.! I am roughly 7lbs. away from pre-Madison weight. Woooo Hooooo! 22 more lbs. to go until my goal weight. I am not doing so well with working out, but just within the last week. I'm not sure why I'm not very motivated right now, but I have to make myself get back into doing it before I lose what muscle I have gained. It's so strange because I see me going down on the scale and growing out of my pants but I don't feel any different. When I look in the mirror, I see the same thing that I always have. I mean sure, I notice little things....but maybe I just focus on what hasn't changed?
We have an easter egg hunt with my mom's group tomorrow, and I am hoping for good weather! So I am sure there will be lots of cute pictures to come! I have been really bad about taking pictures lately, eek! And then on Sunday, my church is having their 1 year anniversary on the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship! It should be amazing, so if you live in the area, please come! We would love to see your smiling faces!

Random Thoughts.

2010-01-21T19:22:00.000-05:00

I am up to 15 lbs. lost since the 1st! But I need to stop weighing myself so much so that when I do weigh myself it will seem like I have actually lost more than .5 lb. Roughly 24 weeks to go until my goal deadline. If I lose at leat 2 lbs. a week it will take me even past my goal, so it is TOTALLY achievable. I have started using a website again that I signed up for a long time ago, sparkpeople. It is GREAT! It does anything you can thing of when it comes to help with weight loss and calorie/fitness tracking.

I did a fast today in remembrance of the victims of the earthquake in Haiti. My heart breaks for them! I wish there was some way I could go over and help out. But needless to say I am not sure if I will get on the elliptical tonight since I haven't really eaten. Johnny is at work, and the kids are asleep so if I were to pass out I would be S.O.L, haha. But it was totally worth it...every time I would be hungry I would think that the people in Haiti are ten times more hungry than I am and I would pray even harder.

On another note, I though I would share a couple of funny pictures from tonight. During dinner, I got a phone call. Normally I wouldn't get it until after dinner but since I wasn't eating and all.....anyways, I was on the phone for 2 minutes and I come back to find this..

Spaghetti EVERYWHERE! If it wasn't for the dogs there to eat it up that would have been horrible to clean up, haha. But how can you get mad at a face like that? We have had a LONG day, but the kids are sleeping peacefully in their bed and I am getting ready to watch my Thursday night line up in peace! More to come soon....I've got to figure out how to post videos.

Headed in the right direction.

2010-01-18T09:00:00.001-05:00

It seems that my new years resolution is always to lose weight, why is that? So I decided this year I was REALLY going to do it and stick with it. I want next years resolution to be something different than what its been for the past however many years. I went at it a little bit differently this time by not doing any crazy diets or programs. I am just simply counting calories and measuring fat/carb/protein intake, and exercising. I wanted it to be something that I could stick with and not have to worry about about making myself a totally different meal than I make my family. So basically, it is just a lifestyle change and I am really looking forward to the kids growing up with a healthy lifestyle. I am doing really well so far! I have got the eating healthy thing down! I have cut my calorie intake back BIG time. I wouldn't even want to count up how many calories I used to eat on a normal day, UGH. Now that I have gone a couple of weeks eating small, healthy portions, I don't really crave junk food. It's nice! So now that I have got my mind going in the right direction it is time to kick up the exercising a notch! I am going to make sure I am either doing the elliptical or walking everyday. I have GOT to make myself do it, and make time for it. Johnny and I have a bet going on and I have a huge incentive to get this weight off my the 4th of July. The only bad part is that Johnny loses weight so much faster than me its frustrating, haha. I know that after I am finished I will be so happy with myself and all the hard work will be totally worth it! It feels like I am going slow with the weight loss but once I sit down and look at the calendar, I guess I have done pretty good. I started my diet January 1st and as of this morning I have lost 13 lbs.! I realize that once I get down to the last little bit it will be harder but the faster I get it off the more time I have to work on it! We've got a full day ahead of us so I am off to get the kids dressed!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-02T13:46:00.002-05:00

I am having so much fun with Christmas this year. Madison is at a great age where everything is "magical" and fun, and J.T. just does whatever his big sister does, haha. I went outside a couple of days ago and put up a few of our Christmas decorations and lights. I still have to finish the outside but am waiting for one of Johnny's days off to help me. The first thing we had to set up was the blow-up Dora. It's a must, according to Madison.

My mom got the kids the cutest Santa P.J's and I have been waiting until December to put them on. So you can bet that they wore them to bed December 1st, haha. It is so hard to find matching pajamas for a boy and girl but I think she did a great job. I am absolutely in love with the pictures I got too, they display their personalities perfectly.

I can't wait for the rest of the month and all the fun things we will be doing! Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I am trying my best to instill some traditions into our little family that they will remember forever and hopefully do the same with their kids when they get older. I just want them to have just as great as memories at the holidays as I do!

Moving in slow motion.

2009-10-15T21:56:00.000-04:00

Not necessarily the best way to start back blogging but I have got to get past this funk! My mind is gone. I can't ever concentrate on anything long enough to make a difference. And forget completing any tasks in any reasonable amount of time. Its like my body and my mind do not connect. I will sit here and think of everything that I want/need to do....and then I don't. Deep down, I want to be super mom, and Betty Crocker, and Martha Stewart. But how do I get from where I am now, to where I want to be? I feel like I have lost total control over my life and it is a horrible, helpless feeling. I have been going to a bible study once a week and the one thing that has been stressed a lot is that you should look to God for everything. I know I do not do that nearly enough. Maybe that is my problem. But take right now for instance. I was supposed to go to the gym and run a couple of errands. I had all intentions of doing that but yet, I didn't. Everything moves in slow motion for me. I spend all morning getting ready to do something only to find my day is almost over and I have not accomplished anything. Is there something wrong with me? Sometimes I think I am just plain lazy but then certain things happen and it's like I just totally lose track of time or something...a connection is not being made. A friend of mine always says I am going to be late to my own funeral and at this rate, she is right. I seriously spend 2 hours getting ready and am STILL late. Maybe I have too much clutter in my life that keeps me down. At bible study today they said if you spend all day cleaning up, you have too much stuff, and that definitely struck a chord with me. Maybe I should just simplify my life and get rid of half of everything, so I have half the work. I know my weight has a lot to do with it too. I struggle with it every second of my life. I am not used to being overweight and it is literally killing me. I need to wake up every morning and start my day off with working out. And then take a walk with the kids after dinner. But where in the heck am I going to fit that in? I am thinking of blogging about it once a week to keep myself on track with losing weight so that way I have people to hold me accountable. Johnny says I need to stop whining and complaining and just take control. Don't wait for something to just happen. And I am just going to have to do that. As much as I want him to be sympathetic and tell me its going to be OK....I am glad he doesn't. We don't ever let each other feel bad for ourselves because then we would just dwell on it that much longer. It feels so much better just to get all of this out. Even if no one ever reads it, it feels better. I am going to have a glass of wine and finish watching Grey's Anatomy and try to get back into the right mindset. My MIL is coming tomorrow and a bomb has hit this house. So my plan of action: Make myself workout in the mornings, get back into making my lists for myself (helps my anxiety), even if that means that I have post-its all over my house. I am also going to look to God for sanity and peace and strength to get my through the day. I am going to push myself to do more than I usually do, and get off the dang computer. I am going to get sleep. I usually get about 4 hours and I wonder if that has a lot to do with it. I know how much sleep can affect a child so it has to have some sort of affect on adults right? I am also going to try and simplify my life to concentrate on what is most important. Whew! I hate to complain and do the whoa is me because I do not want pity. This is so much better than having to unload this on someone else. Back to reality... <3

It's been over a year!

2009-10-13T10:27:00.003-04:00

Wow, can you say slacking? I told myself when I started this that I was going to keep up with it but who knew that going from a family of 3 to a family of 4 would be so time consuming?? Haha. I was looking at a friends blog this morning and found myself very envious of them. They were capturing every moment, every memory, and all the things I don't want to forget. So I took a vow that I wasn't going to lose any more time and take up blogging again to remember all those special moments and be able to share it with you! More to come soon!!

Our House

2008-09-14T17:50:00.016-04:00

We had to move to Leland very quickly for Johnny's job in July of 07 and we decided to rent for awhile instead of rushing into buying a house and then regretting it later. We were living in a very nice house at first, but not our favorite neighborhood. We discovered that the house had some problems getting the air conditioning to all areas of the house and the room where almost NONE came out was Maddie's room. After a few months, we could not handle it anymore so in September, we moved into a great little house in Magnolia Greens. I loved it there! Our lease renewal was coming up and we decided we would rather buy than rent another year. With the economy being how it is and people lowering prices everyday to try and sell their houses we found a great deal on a house and immediately fell in love! We have been living here since June but everything is finally almost how I want it. I love this house though, and the neighborhood is the best. We have lots of kids living in our cul-de-sac for Maddie to run around and play with and the pool is right down the street. We still have some landscaping to do and little things around the house like getting someone to come here and hide the TV/Cable wires in the wall so they don't show etc. Of course, there are some upgrades that we want to do like granite counters, a deck, a shed in the back, etc...but that will all come in due time. OK! So here is a little tour of our new house...

Here is the front of the house and Madison welcoming you inside!

The Foyer.

The view from the Foyer into the living room. Yes, cartoons are always on!

Looking into the kitchen from the Foyer.

Another view of the kitchen from the other side.

The Breakfast nook, but we use it as our dining room.

We changed the light fixtures in this room and turned the original dining room into an office/playroom because we knew we would never use a formal dining room!

Looking into the living room from the office.

Madison's room!

John's room! It is almost done. Still have some curtains and accessories to add.

The kid's ocean themed bathroom.

Our bedroom. That is my pregnancy pillow on the bed, haha. It is strange looking but a lifesaver!

Our bathroom. The shower and garden tub are on the right.

The screened in back porch.

The backyard. It is big, but we have lots of plans for it!

Madison's 1st day of School!

2008-09-02T19:04:00.013-04:00

Where did the time go? My little one started 2-year old preschool today. It was kind of bittersweet to say the least. I really want her to go to get more socialization and get the chance to learn new things. But another part of me wants to keep her to myself until kindergarten when she HAS to go, I just feel like time is slipping through my fingers. She is growing everyday and I will never have that little baby back. I am all for anything that will get her ahead academically though, so off to school she goes! On the bright side, it will give me some alone time with the baby when he comes. I will have 2 morning a week when I can run home and do some housework or slip in the occasional nap if the baby is sleeping. I do need to find something for Madison and I to do, just the two of us, once the baby is born. I know I will miss my alone time with her and I don't want her to ever feel left out. Anyways, back to school....

We got up extremely early for us, right about 6:30am. We never usually get up before 8:30am, so that was an act all in itself. I got up and got a good breakfast fixed for Maddie and then woke her up and let her eat on her little couch and watch T.V. to help her wake up a little more before I rushed her into getting ready. I really did not want to start off the day with a grouchy child. She was so cute though, so sweet and sleepy...

Then I had to rush her off to do our normal daily routine of showers, getting dressed, and doing hair. After I got her dressed, we finally got to put on the backpack that she has been waiting weeks to wear somewhere. It was probably one of the first things that she has been patient for and waited to do and then actually got to do it! She was really excited. Once she was all ready, I of course had to take some more pictures of her! If you think I am bad now, wait until kindergarten!

My big girl all ready for school.

I got everything all gathered up (which was WAY faster than normal since I made myself get all her paperwork done and bags packed the night before, thank goodness) and then headed out to the car. It was such a nice morning out! This is probably one of my favorite times of the year. It's not too hot but still nice enough weather to be able to go to the beach and the pool.

Waiting for me to open the car door.

Showing off her really cute backpack.

On our way to school, the lady in front of my must have forgotten where her turn was because she slammed on the breaks and made her turn really quickly. Well, apparently slamming on the breaks and making Mommy scared to death is extremely funny...

We finally got to school and ON TIME! If you know me, you know that it is difficult for me to get anywhere on time. So, needless to say, I was happy with that. I really didn't want to start the school year off like that! She kept asking where we were "go-nin" the whole way there and once we pulled up she could not wait to get out.

She ran up to the door and then had to wait for Mommy to help her get in. I am not so fast these days due to my lovely waddle...

She was actually one of the first ones in her classroom which I thought might make it harder, but NOPE. As soon as the teacher came and got her, they went inside and put all her stuff in her own special box, and then she immediately went off and started playing. I think I had a harder time with it than she did. I kind of lingered around and waited while a friend of mine dropped off her son just to have an excuse to be in the room longer, haha!

Waiting by her classroom for the teacher to come and get her.

Putting her things in her box.

Miss. Independent off playing.

I wasn't really sure what I was going to do with this free time I suddenly had and felt kinda lost. I have hardly ever been away from Madison since she was born, it was a strange feeling. I ended up running to the bank and then going to Target with a friend of mine who's child is in Maddie's class. Come to find out, Target seems to be the place that all the mom's go when their kids are in school, haha. By the time we were done with that, it was time to go pick them up. The first week is just a short day so they get used to it. When I went in to get her, I met up with them in the hallway on their way out to the drop off/pick up spot. They all have to hold onto this little rope with colored rings on it so they stay together, it was really cute. Maddie got really excited when she saw me and yelled out "Mommy", but kept holding onto her ring and following the kids down the hallway. I ran up behind her and told her it was time to go home and she said she didn't want to, haha! I guess that is a good thing, she really seems to enjoy it. They are working on the color red, so she made a little hat that she painted red all by herself. It is her first artwork from school, so it will def. be saved. The teacher said she did great today, no problems at all! I am SO proud of her, words cannot describe how I feel. I hope she does just as good the rest of the year. Here's to a productive, fun school year!

Madison hanging onto the rope and walking the opposite way that we needed to go, haha.

Madison with her hat on playing once we got home.