walmart invasion

for those of you who don't know my christmas tradition....i find an orphanage a month or so before christmas and my family and friends help me collect donations, volunteer, etc. My whole family gets involved and helps a TON..esp the girls you are about to see in the pics...

So our christmas party is on saturday and Farah, Michelle, and I headed to walmart to do our shopping...shopping for toys for over 100 kids!!! It was INSANE and tons of fun! It was toys galore...our carts were beyond full!

Here's the middle of our adventure through walmart...farah had to take over the kid count (ages,m,f, and how many of each) because Michelle and I kept losing track and were all over the place and so confused...but of course, Farah went through it so smoothly.

check out farah's cart....a kids dream!

Here are all three carts...the pictures do not do them justice! We even had a few things on the bottom of the carts!

And finally the $1,650.00 bill (by the way, no item that was bought was over $12.97)...and this was just the second stop (the first one was at a dollar store warehouse where we bought a shit load of stuff for only $630)!!

Then we had a little dilemma...getting all those bags in the car on top of the boxes we had in there from the dollar store. Take a look at the biggest driving hazard ever!! My car, which by the way is a TAHOE, was full to the rim...none of us could move...literally! I mean does it even look like we're sitting in a tahoe? It was absolutely crazy and so funny!

By the way, we still have more shopping...need to hit up Costco, Michaels, and Party Giant. We are so excited for saturday and can't wait to see the children's faces when the see what we have in store for them...i'll be posting pics of the christmas bash on saturday or sunday.

mcdonald's = weight control

let me explain something haters...

first i'll admit that the day i went to workout after 4 yrs being away from the lovely gym i had mcdonald's AND i didn't regret it one bit because it was so damn good!!! yummy!

second, yes i do think that the lack of mcdonalds the last couple of weeks had thrown my body off and contributed to my 3lb weight gain. This is due to the fact that mcdonald's satisfies me so much that i don't need to snack on anything or think of eating anything else after i have it.

third, I eat a happy meal for gods sake and I'm back on mcdonald's diet so lay off haters!

Speaking of mcdonald's, I made this confession a couple days ago when i decided to save my SMALL fries bag so I could "confess" it...perfect timing!

phat or FAT...

...FAT! That's what my ass feels like right about now! I swear I can't handle this 3lb weight gain. i know some of you are shaking your heads thinking i'm silly, but really i'm not! 3lbs turns into 5lbs...5lbs turns into 10lbs...and then i'm gonna get pregnant and really be a fat ass! I can't do that so....I'm going to the gym tomorrow with Michelle. I can't believe my lazy (not morning person) self is going to wake up at 8:30 and go to the gym. It will be the first time in almost 4 yrs that I will be working out. The last time I ran/worked out I ran a marathon in Alaska...lets just say never again!

In other news, I went to 8am mass on sunday morning....ALONE! I can't do anything alone...really. So it was a big deal for me to go to church alone. It felt good and now I know I don't have to rely on Adam to go.

It's official...I had my first cooking lesson from Michelle today. It wasn't bad at all (the experience, not the food...that was amazing). She taught me how to cut chicken breast without getting rid of half the breast and how to chop garlic...it was actually fun...can't wait for my next lesson Mishy!

So, I was planning on posting a "confession" but i didn't take a picture of it...i'll post it tomorrow. And my scrapbook mood is creeping back up...slowly but surely! FINALLY!

requested...

...by my cousins: a new post! Yeah, I know I've been a shitty blogger guys...but yay for a new post! I will try my best to update my blog daily...but seriously sometimes I just feel like I have nothing interesting to say...I really do have a boring life. But, I will update my blog more often...i kind of miss it anyway.

So I came across this thing on the internet awhile back but I forgot to post about it. I thought it was genius idea. It's a travel picture dictionary! I mean how convenient is that?! I swear, when I was traveling through the Middle East and Europe I said to my mom, who was with me, that I wish we had a dictionary with pictures. And low and behold...here it is..but i found it a bit too late. And michelle, I know what you're thinking...why couldn't we think to invent that! I'm thinking the same thing!




And here's something else I love...it's gum, but i love the packaging! so damn cute and funny!
This is the front...


and this is the back...

incompleted book

This is the book about my mom that i started making a while back. i was hoping to finish it by now but it didn't work out that way. I do plan on finishing it once i get into the scrapping mood and if my heart can bare to look at some of the pics without crying. I will finish it though.

Be prepared...there are 13 or so pics...

it's not fair

it's just not fucking fair!! why does such bad things happen to good people? i just don't understand! did my mother deserve to die at 52 of cancer? NO! does my father, who is ALWAYS putting others before himself deserve such grief? NO! is it fair that my mother didn't live long enough to see her son get married or even her grandkids? NO! It's just not fucking fair!

I'm mad...i'm sad...my heart is just torn into pieces. I actually think that it's turned into stone...i'm bitter. i'm pissed. i don't give a shit about anything. I just want my mom back! I don't know how to spend the rest of my life without the person I loved most in this world!

tagged

I was actually tagged! I'm so happy to know that other people (besides my cousins and a few others) actually read my blog. So yeah! to the tag by Helena Youngs. Here it goes...

1. If you could have $100 worth of scrapbook paper or assorted embellishments, which would you choose?

Although I LOVE patterned paper and have a shit load of it, I think i'd go with the embellishment...can't every have enough embellishments!

2. If you had to choose between using only stamps or rub-ons which would you choose?

Do I really have to choose on this one?! I love them both...stamps AND rub-ons, but i think i'll go with the rub-ons.

3. If you knew how to do both awesome cards and layouts, but could only do one for a year which would you do?

layouts....hands down!

4. Would you rather own a scrapbooking store or have your own scrapping room at home (can't have both, lol)

since I already have a scrapbook room, i wouldn't mind having a store to go along with it...but if i could only choose one i'd go with the store...imagine all the goodies you can get your hands on with own scrapbook store!

5. And then last but not least, what is your current cardmaking or scrapping style?

Eclectic? I think. I love to play with stuff and see what I can come up with. I use ink on EVERYTHING...can never get away from the ink and i'm loving paint too. Clean pages are boring to me so I like to get messy!

So now I have to tag 5 people.....Staci, Candice, Jeniece, Kelley, Tina...and i'm gonna do Stacey too (yeah you stacey bogert) just so she can update her blog!!!

Friends...

and cousins of course! I swear I could have never get through this time without them.

Tonight we had some wine...not sure if that was a good idea for me, but i'm okay right now...and played taboo...i never thought i'd laugh again so soon after my mother's death...thanks guys for chillin with me tonight! There's nothing like good, true friends.....can't live without them! love all of you!

oh and can't forget about the hubby...i love you adam!

Friends...

quote

this is my all time favorite quote...i've loved it for years and came across it today.

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.

Mother Theresa (i love this woman)

Surreal

This is so surreal...Her funeral was today. I just can't believe she's gone. I don't think that it has hit me yet, really. I'm just in such a state of shock. I can't believe I'll never be able to talk to her, hug her, laugh with her, shop with her, nothing....no matter where I look, she's just no where to be found. It scares me and breaks my heart so much!

Mom, I just don't know how I'm going to live my life without you! I love you with all my heart and soul!

This is the speech we said at the funeral today...it describes her perfectly.

Fun loving, generous devoted strong beautiful elegant…these words are only a fraction of what would describe our beloved Fatin. She was an amazing wife mother sister daughter and friend to so many. and touched the hearts and lives of all of us. She was so full of life. Everyone loved being around her because her joy and happiness was so contagious. She was always the life of the party and loved surrounding herself with family and friends.

Equally important as her family and friends, was her devotion to God. Fatin was one of the founding members of St. Toma. She was an active participant in all aspects of the church. Her faith carried her through her entire life, especially during her illness, not once uttering a word of complaint.

Although she lived a short life, it was filled with deep love and joy. She accomplished more than most would hope to in an entire life time. She is such an irreplaceable and unforgettable woman. She will be deeply missed but her spirit and memories will live on through all of us. We never wanted to let her go but we realize she was never ours to keep. She was called home.

November 3, 2007

Today my mother lost her battle with cancer. She died peacefully surrounded by her family. I laid next to her on the bed as I held her hand from 4am this morning until 4:25 p.m. There's an emptiness inside my heart and I know my life will never be the same again.

I love you mom! You have been my everything...can't wait until we meet again. My heart aches for you!