Did I say Tuesday? I meant Thursday! Winner announced...

So I went to the random number site two days later then I said I would...my bad! But the good news is that we have a lucky winner.... Kari Shotley, come on down! You have won $40 to spend on you and only you!!! So if you could please email me (mtortoricee@yahoo.com) your email address you will be receiving an email from our friends at www.csnstores.com  with all the details. Thanks for all those that participated. Kari are you pumped? Go buy some lovely white rockers for your front porch with a nice chunk of change to apply to them.

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:6Powered by RANDOMG.OR



This weekends forecast:Sat

85° | 66°
Yeah!!!

New Designs...

I love the fact that you can change up your background templates! Thank you Blogger! I really wish I knew more about graphic design. Like everything else in my life I like change. So that is why I am always changing things up here. More or less to keep my interest. I want to find out about more programs to customize a header, etc. I have asked some of my techy friends and the typical response is,"It is so easy, I can definitely do that for you." Then it is never brought up again. I have googled it and it seems more complicated on some sites than others. So if you know of a site to learn some of the tricks of the trade do share.

Anthonyism...

Last night Anthony had a birthday party for his little buddy Gavin. They have been friends since they were just learning to walk and they adore each other. He got home around 8 pm last night and he was TIRED. Anthony is already going through the phase of choosing whether he is going to give me a goodnight kiss or wanting to snuggle me. He is only 6. Seems too little to be doing that already but he is. So when he crawled up on my lap last night I was gracious.

He snuggles in looks up at me and the conversation goes as follows:

Anthony: "Mom, we have not snuggled since before I went to Grandma's and I really missed you."
Me: "I missed you too and I am so happy to snuggle with you."
Anthony: "Mom, how old are you going to be when I am 17?"
Me: "Hmm, let's see...I will be 43."
Anthony: Giggles..."How old will you be when I am 30?"
Me: "Oh no, I will be 56."
Anthony: "I will probably be a dad."
Me: "How many kids do you think you are going to have?"
Anthony: "Probably two. If they are boys I am going to name the Conicker (sp?) and Anthony like me. If they are girls I will probably name them Sally and Rosa."
Me: "What do you think your wife's name is going to be?"
Anthony: "I will have a wife?!"

I wish I had a recorder connected to my hip to catch everything that comes out of these boys' mouths. Alex says funny things every day and I tell myself to remember so I can record it and when it comes to writing it down I forget! He has been calling me Mommy Melissa lately. Following Anthony's direction in any way he can to please him. Which includes being pretty darn funny at times and sassing like he is also 6.

Oh and another big milestone for Big Al is he is now in a big boy bed. That was long overdue, he has been sleeping so much better. It probably has to due with the fact that he can actually stretch out and not sleep in a cocoon any longer.

If you have forgotten to comment here please do. I have been the lucky winner of some pretty cool things from Gust Gab and want to pay it forward to one of you. I thought that give aways were kind of hokey until I started winning some of them. Now I love them! Besides for $40 you can buy something pretty decent just for you or the family if you care to share.

$40 to spend on you?! Giveaway for you...

As mothers it is natural that we don't think about us often when out and about shopping. Even if I go out looking for myself I will find myself in the children's area or at the check out with 10 things for them and one for me. So if you had a chance to spend $40 on yourself, what would you buy? Would you start small with a sun-dress, maybe a new pair of shoes, or would you save your dollars and buy this gorgeous line of le creuset? 


Well I want you to think about what you would spend your $40 dollars on. Think hard. 
Go check out these great sites: www.allmodern.com, www.cookware.com, www.luxebycsn.com and take some time to imagine what you would want to buy just for you. If your not able to find just the right table runner, frame, or a piece of le creuset that suits your fancy stop over at www.csnstores.com that has thousands of items for you to choose from.


If you get overwhelmed I certainly can help you spend your $40. So how do you win this $40 to spend on only you? Leave a comment and share what you would like to spend it on. Leave a comment just to say hi. Leave a comment so you can win a gift card that is able to be spent at any of the above websites. I will pick a random number from the lucky number website and will announce it on Tuesday who the lucky winner is.


Good luck and again, if you need help I can give you a laundry list of things I would like for me and only me.

So true...

Hosted by Krystyn

Genius Idea!

I never take any pics of myself and the kiddos. If we do it is  playing around with the camera and I have zero makeup on with crazy bed-head. My boys are in Baudette for the week with  my parents so I am going to have to start making an effort to take part in this when they get back. I thought I would be loving the fact that I didn't have to give baths last night or get up crabby kids this morning. I already miss them.

Summer Pics

Some learned to play ball...

Others how to bike and use hair gel...

Some played with a bird house and got stung by a wasp (poor Alex)...

Others got married...

And some are just plain hairy (meet Betty)...

It's all good!

I was going back and forth about what we were going to do this weekend. It is suppose to be really nice so I thought maybe we should go to the lake. Maybe I should be a responsible adult and stay home with the kiddo's and try to find my laundry room floor again. Nah! We are going on a road trip!

My sister had planned to go see my parents this weekend to get them prepared for a family reunion we are having in August at their place. Erik told me that he has to work tomorrow. So I said,"that's it, I am done, single parenting is for the birds!" So the boys and I are going to jump in with my sister or actually her with us and we are headed north. I have been anxious to see my dad since the accident and could use some extended family help with my children where they have lots of room to run outside. Not to mention bodies of water to swim in and grandparents to love up on.

I was hesitant about going with them because of the laundry list of things to do but my Aunt Nancy came to the rescue and said bring them. Because of the tears rolling down my face of frustration, exhaustion, and I am a bad mom guilts I thought she was probably right. It just has been one of those weeks. Instead of talking through me teeth to the boys all weekend wanting to rip out my hair we are going on a mini vacay.

Hasta la vista baby!

My dad is sad...

It is killing me! My dad is a man who rebounds, he gets up, and shakes it off. My entire life he has coached me to be this way. There was not a lot of empathy in our household. It was meant to be for our benefit. My parents are definitely not cold people by any means. But when something happened you were given a day or two to feel you pain, anger, sadness and then it was time to move on. We could revisit the subject down the road but it was important that you focus on the new day.

I called my dad twice on Tuesday and he was very quiet, very disconnected. Very far away. I called him four times yesterday and was unable to reach him but spoke to my mother. She told me he is very emotional and very sad. He has been crying randomly (this does not happen) and keeps repeating that they really all thought they were going to die on that boat. He was trapped underneath in a tarp under the water and he sincerely thought he was not going to make it. The terror he saw in Gary's eyes was something he would never forget, I think it is haunting him. My Uncle Fred called my dad yesterday. He was on the boat, a marine, a man with a tough exterior. He left a voice-mail for my dad and at the end said "love you guys".

I have incidents in my life where I felt I was close to death but I cannot say that I have looked it in the eye and begged to not go yet. This is what I think happened to these men on this boat. Now my dad is sad and I don't know how to fix it. It is killing me. My heart hurts for him, I want to hold him and tell him that everything is okay, that they made it, and I love him. But since we have been somewhat conditioned to not operate that way it is hard for me. It's easier to make a joke or simply ask if he is okay. My dad is sad and I feel helpless.

When my Grandma June passed I thought about what I wanted to say to her my entire life, I pictured myself next to her in a bed, and me sitting next to her telling her everything I thought of her. How I was so proud of her, she was my best friend, and  the love I felt for her was one of the strongest I had ever felt. I think I manifested the situation to happen. Because even though she had 12 children w/ spouses and countless grandchildren her and I ended up alone together the night before she died. I told her EVERYTHING I had ever wanted to say to her. She was still coherent and able to respond. The affirmation I felt after having that night with her is something I will never be able to explain. It was simply beautiful.

I think these are things I should be saying to my dad. He should hear these things while he is a strong, living breathing miracle. He needs to hear these things now. My dad is sad and I need to help. My heart feels his hurt and my tears are proving mine. I love him so much. I am so proud of him. I want him to be okay.