Feather in your Cap

Morning, you guys :) Today was a good day. It was funny, I was SO excited to snuggle with "laundry man" and when I woke up, he was clear on the other side of the bed. I must have been rough with him. ROFL! Poor "laundry man". Got any better names for him???

Captain America was on Facebook when I woke up, and I messenged him for a bit. Then hurried and got ready for the dentist. And made sure the kids were up and doing well, and I headed out.

It was funny, because the dental assistant was like, Oh, we'll hurry and get you out of here. I was like, Um, yeah, take your time! I'm pretending like it's a spa for my teeth - ROFL! She thought that was funny :)

They fitted my crown, and I was on my way. I wasn't supposed to eat solid foods for the day. But I think I forgot.... Ok, so I know I forgot. Oops :)

On the way home, I stopped by Walmart and picked up the supplies for Tom's science project. He wanted to do the same one from last year. And at this point, I don't even care. So I got some plants, and some containers to hold them in, and some things to water them with. I picked up a few other things, and I headed home.

I had about an hour to cook mini pizzas, get the kids ready, and bake some cookies. I'd bought the refrigerated dough yesterday. But you know what? Those cookies don't look pretty. Maybe the stuff in the tube is better? Those little squares taste good, but look funky.

We got the water bottles, and the flavor packs, and the pizzas, and the cookies, and the presents, and all of the stuff together, and loaded in the truck. And the kids loaded. Jim, once again, couldn't understand why he needed shoes. LOL. Cause it's winter, silly boy! Sunny and 54, but still!

We had one table with gifts, and one table with food. And we all had SO much fun!!! Kari and kids, Rebecca and kids, Veronica and her kids, Maggie and her kids, Terra and kids, Liz and kids, Kim and kids, Erin and kids, and me and my kids were all there. That's like 28 kids, give or take a few. Some of the older ones weren't there :)

Liz and I

Terra and I

Maggie and I

Erin and I
Me and Kim
We ate, and let the kids play for about an hour, then had the kids pass out the presents to the people they'd bought for. And they all opened them up in a big mass of confusion. It was awesome. Everyone seemed lot love what they got :) ($5 price cap, remember) Jake got candy. He was THRILLED. Tom got a $5 bill and some candies. Eme got some Sterling Silver earrings. Joe got a set of G.I Generic action figures. And Jimmy got gum (SUPER happy) and a Cards Uno game. It was a super awesome Christmas tradition!

All the kids headed home, and Kari and I ended up staying and chatting longer. Her parents were in town for a long time, and I've missed her! We needed to catch up. But she needed to go home and take a nap, because they'd been running and running and running all week long. And yeah, that sounded like a good plan. hehe.

So I went home, and I took a nap too! Oh yeah it was nice. I woke up refreshed, and almost put up my Christmas decorations! Aren't you proud of me! hehe :) I went out with the kids for a little while, but they had trashed the house. And they were everywhere. Playing video games. And being noisy. So yeah, that didn't last long. I installed iTunes and stuff on my phone, and synced it with my computer.

Then went to take a bath. Nice and relaxing. See the theme for the day? Relaxing and hiding. LOL. By 7pm, the kids were being really loud. And I needed a break. I needed to go for a trip somewhere. hehe. I decided to try the PX and see if they had an anti-barking collar. Because I as SO tired of Boxer barking at everyone/everything that walked by. Maybe this would help.

I headed out, and Leo and Joe decided to go to Leo's house. And I noticed a box on the front porch! It was my Miche rewards box! Score!!! I threw it in the car, and then got a text from Veronica. I'd brought home a dish of hers from the party, and she said that she had a cheesecake she needed to get rid of. And thought of us. hehe.

They're going to California for Christmas. So we swapped. The dish for the cheesecake. Pumpkin spice cheesecake, even. Yum!!! And then I headed to the PX. And nope, they didn't have the anti-bark collar. So what now? I wasn't ready to go home... So I went to Walmart.

And yeah, EVERY parking spot was taken. Not a good sign. I finally found one, and went straight to the dog isle. I found a harness collar, and an anti-barking collar. And paid in the electronics section. I still had to wait for about 4 people. But it was better than the HUGE lines up front. Then I headed out.

I wanted to give it one more shot, and see if anywhere in El Paso had the iPhone dock extenders. Best Buy was my best bet. Cause the Apple store sure didn't. And nope, Best Buy didn't either. I told the guy that they should have it. That he would look into it, and talk to whoever was in charge. hehe. He was like, yeah, I know. They don't listen to me. ha!

So, defeated (hehe), I headed home. I came back on post, and worked for WAY too long getting the harness collar on the dog. Those things are tricky. And the directions and useless. I eventually figured it out. And the dog seemed MUCH happier with the harness on. His rash on his neck came back. I looked at the anti-bark collar, and decided to look at it more later. Tomorrow.

I went in my room to blog, and the kids were watching Phineas and Ferb on Netflix. I said they could stay up until the movie was over. Jake came home from whoever's house he'd been at (hehe) - I think it was Justin's, and I put all the kids to bed.

It's now 11:30pm. I'm finishing up this episode of X-Files. Then I'm gonna go sleep. I have a therapy appointment for myself in the morning. And we are working out with Rebecca at 10. Then going to a park with the kids. Should be a good time! Christmas is coming, closer and closer each day!!!

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Cute! Never would have thought to use it with Disney pictures!!! Wonderful job, Sharon!!! Glad to see you are feeling a tad bit better!!!

Dog Days

Hey girls :) Another day down, another day closer to when Captain America gets home!!! I didnt sleep well again last night... Not having laundry man is REALLY throwing me off...

My alarm went off at 8am, and I hopped right up and got in the shower and got ready for the day. I wanted to wear my new white hat with the purple scarf, and the white fuzzy boots. What do you think of the finished product???
Jake was already awake, and I had him get ready for his Therapy appointment. And we headed out at 8:50am. His session went well, and I chatted with another mom while he was in there. Then, after the session, I asked Jake if he could handle a trip to the mall. I told him that since it had JUST opened, that it wouldn't be so bad. He agreed. I left it in his hands, though. I know that going there stresses him out. Poor kid. He was a great dislike/fear of crowds.

Anyway, we swung by the mall, and it was SO much better than last time. Thank goodness! We went into the Apple store, and i got my new iPhone 4S! Woohoo! I opted for the 64GB one. Go big or go home, right? hehe. I looks exactly the same as my old iPhone 4, but has just a few different features. It's gonna take a while to get used to it :)

Jake and I headed home, and spent the rest of the morning there. Check out my Christmas Cactus from last year!!! We discovered today that it was blooming again!!! SO pretty! Captain America had bought it for me last year :)


After noon, Kim texted to see if the Kids and I wanted to come and hang at her house. Of course we did! Tom and Eme opted to stay home and play, and Jake and Joe and Jim and I headed over. I brought my new and old phones, and had Kim and Tim show me how to use it.

We hung for a bit, and the kids played. Then Kim asked if I wanted to come with her to run a few errands. Sounded good to me. We dropped Jim off with Tom, and took Hunter (her 13 year old) and his friend to his friends house. Then we went to the EFMP office, and she got some paperwork to fill out, and some guidance on how to proceed. Her family is getting ready to PCS to Germany, and she needed a little bit of advice on how to proceed with her "exceptional family members".

After we got the paperwork, we made a quick stop at the UPS store, then headed across town to the doctors office. The one that Scotty goes to. The one that saw Jake at Peaks. She and I both needed follow up appointments for our boys. And she needed the paperwork filled out.

We got there, dropped off the paperwork, got the new appointments set up, and I found the BIGGEST poinsettia I've EVER seen in my life! Ha!
I didn't know they got that big, did you???

After we got the papers dropped off, and since we were all the way on the west side, we decided to continue on to the Outlet mall. Kim wanted to go and look at the Disney Outlet and see if there was something for the kids' gift exchange there. She was SO excited because she had 3 girls to buy gifts for - hehe ;) She has 4 boys, you know...

I found a few t-shirts for the kids on my list, and we popped our heads into the Jewelry Box, and I picked up a few things for the 9 year old that I had gotten. Then we hustled out. But got stuck at the Mexican Snack Shop. hehe :)

Check this out! The churro is filled with chocolate pudding! Oh yeah, it was SO good! LOVED it :)

And this... Mexican Corn in a Cup. Not a fan.. It tasted tangy. It had juicy corn that was slightly undercooked. It was a bit chewy. And I could handle that. The texture wasn't horrible. And lots of butter. Butter is good. And chili powder. So it was spicy. And then something that made it tangy. Lime juice? Lemon juice? I'm not sure what it was...

But the nachos were good! And Kim didn't tell me that a Large was WAY too large! I should have got a small. hehe. At least I had some extras to bring home to the kids, right? ha! Here's what I had left.
Kim and I on the way back to post.
We made a very quick trip to the commissary to grab some food. And dog food for Kim. I picked up a few essentials for my family.

Quick, what does this say???

Kim and I both read it as black head. ROFL! It says block heads. hehe. Too funny!

And another picture of me. I know, I know. I'm cocky. But hey, I don't shower often. I've gotta make the most of it, right? hehe :)

Kim dropped me and my groceries off a my house, and we got them put away. I texted her, and asked her to ask Joe and Jake if they wanted to come to Big Lots with the rest of us to look for Gift Exchange gifts. They opted out. And decided to spend the night over there.

So Eme and Jim and Tom and I loaded up in the Saturn, and headed to Big Lots. Check out this cool dog bed we found for Boxer! And it was SO much cheaper than the other beds that I'd been looking at for him. No point spending a lot of money on something that he's just gonna tear up, right?
We found stuff for the kids for the gift swap, I found something for Captain America, and a few other random things. And this. I thought it would be good for my Miche Prima shells! Believe me, I had a plan... a vision. hehe ;)
We paid and headed home. I got the kids some dinner, and had them do a round of chores. And since Jake was gone, I had them work together to get his chores done. It was trash night. And then I started working on my Shell Holder project. What do you think???
I thought it turned out pretty good :) Then, I started on my next project. Since I couldn't seem to sleep without laundry man, I needed something to replace him. Without the giant pile of laundry.

So, I bought a big, fuzzy, soft blanket at Big Lots. And then sewed it up like a pillow case. And stuffed it full of clothes that didn't fit anyone. And used safety pins to close the end. What to you think? I just need a better name. He's not laundry man anymore... Any ideas???
Even without a name, I love him :) I'll let ya know how it goes tonight :)
I sat down to blog soon, and before I knew it, it's 11pm. I've gotta be at the dentist tomorrow at 8:30am. To get my crown put on. hOpefully it fits this time, right? My kids are still awake. I should go and put them to bed. Then go to bed myself. I'm excited to sleep with my new Pillow Man thing... Yeah, he needs a catchy name :)

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Sharon, bless her heart, is under the weather and sick. Poor girl! So I volunteered to do the layout. Yeah, THIS is why I don't scrap. hehe :)

Gift Horse

So, it was a busy day today. I was up at 7:30am getting ready to go and play with Kim. Our kids were gonna play back and forth between our two houses, and her hubby was home on a vacation day, so it was perfect. hehe :)

She picked me up, and we headed to get her paperwork signed. Tom was the only one awake in my house. He had the phone, so we'd be in contact.

We headed to the University Medical Center, and dropped off some paperwork for the doctor to fill out for Hunter. He's got some funky heart thing, or something... Anyway, she filled out the paperwork, left it for the doctor, and we headed to the East side to Savers.

And Captain America called! I got to talk with him, on the real phone, for 2- 15 minute session! I was excited :) He's doing pretty well. Not too many more days, and he'll be back home! They moved out of the nice rooms, and into the temporary tents things. They'll be there for about a few weeks, I think.

It was Blue tag day, and also 50% off of everything else with the Super Savers card! Score it!!! I decided to wrap up everything that I bought, and put it under the tree - hehe :) I got jammies for kids, and some t-shirts, and a jacket or two for people. It was a great time :)

And yeah, Savers is a BIG sucker of time. hehe. It was close to noon before we left! We swung by Verizon real fast so I could changed Captain America's phone number (he needed a local number for here). Luckily, it was a fast fix. I just had to turn his phone back on...

Next stop, back to the hospital to pick up the paperwork. Then on to Little Cesaers to grab some $5 pizzas for the kids. And some breadsticks. Cause if you texted your number to the store, they'd give you some for free! And then a 2nd bag for only $0.99! Score!

Next stop was a random little Mexican place on Montana. I'd never been there, but it was SO good :) Rainbow Fruit Flauta or something like that. Kim had been there before, and loved it. We got a pineapple smoothie, and she and I and Tim (bringing it home to him) got a shrimp cocktail. And home we headed to drop off the food.

We dropped the food off at her house first, then off at my house. Kids seemed perfectly content at my house. And happy, too. Very happy to have the pizza and the bread sticks. Kim and I sat outside of my house eating the shrimp cocktail. OMGosh, it was great! Big juicy shrimp, and the sauce was sweet and spicy at the same time. Very good. I'd definitely have it again!

Then, we headed over to the West side. Kim had a check that she needed to send through UPS to her Dad (big check), but the 3 stores that we tried all had broken machines. Um, yeah, that's not so cool. So we headed to Burlington Coat Factory. But tried the boot store next to it first. They had a few pairs that we liked, but they seemed a bit pricey.

And then we went to Burlington Coat Factory. I really thought it looked like Ross. Just a little more upscale. We tried on some hats, and found a few that we really liked. Let me tell you, it's really hard to find a hat that fits my giant melon. hehe. And it's hard to find a hat small enough to fit Kim's tiny melon. ROFL! We have the opposite problems :)

The boot section was next. We found the CUTEST pair of white knee boots!!! But there was only one of the size 10!! Then, we saw some chickies across the way trying on the same ones! And the little boy with them swooped between us, and grabbed the gray pair out from under us. Um, rude! Luckily, I'd taken the black pair before they could. Ha! And, I had that one white boot in my cart. Yeah, I wasn't gonna give it up. Just on principle. hehe. So take that, rude people. Beside, I don't think that chick could have gotten the boots zipped up over the legs. Not to be rude, but she seemed to be struggling with the zipper quite a bit. It was getting suck on her calf...

We walked around for a while more, and kept peeking back at the shoe department, trying to outlast those ladies. We SO wanted the boot! I knew they had that other single size 10. And I wasn't gonna give it up. I could hold out longer - hehe :) Finally, we came back, and they were leaving. And they left ALL of the boots there. We found the single size 10, and another complete size 10 white. And the gray pair.

Kim ended up getting the gray pair and a white pair. And I got a white pair and the black pair. I had to, JUST on principle, right? hehe. And I ended up getting 2 SUPER cute hats that fit my giant head :)

We waited FOREVER in line, then paid, and headed home. But had to stop at Albertsons and buy toilet paper for Kim's house before we got there. That's something important to not forget, right? hehe.

We also got a few other supplies while we were in there, then paid, and headed back home. As we came on post, Kari texted, and said that Boxer was loose. Oh crap... So I called Jake and Tom and had them go and look for him. Kim helped me carry my stuff inside, and Brian (Kari's hubby) called and said that Boxer came to their house, and he took him inside. So I walked on over, retrieved the dog, and brought him home. Dumb dog! Sigh. And Jake and Tom were still wondering the neighborhood in search of the dog...

They eventually came back, though. Jake was super mad. He tried to blame everyone else for his dog getting out. Really, Boxer tries to escape when he's not walked and doesn't get attention. And he doesn't get walked. And he gets no attention. So, the fault lies with Jake. Sorry, Jake, but it does.

And Jake was upset, so he went and laid down for a nap. And ended up falling very asleep. For dinner, I picked the chicken that I cooked in the crock pot yesterday, added Miracle whip and Garlic and Onion seasoning, and we ate it with crackers. It was SO yummy! The kids even ate it :)

And I had the kids go to bed early. Cause they'd been on electronics all day today. And they didn't even complain that much. I wrapped up the presents that I bought today (in shirt boxes I bought on huge clearance last year), and put them under the tree. And turned on some X-files. And here it is, 8:17pm. I'm gonna watch one more episode, and go to bed. I'm super sleepy today. All that running around with Kim tired me out, I think. hehe ;)

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LOVE the kit that you used, Sharon!!! It's perfect!!! Very Christmasy, and cheery! I'm loving it!

Hog Wash

Well, I didn't get back to blog, obviously. But we did go to church! Thankfully :) I woke up at 8am, and hit snooze. Not good. hehe. We ended up with about 25 minutes to get ready. Yeah, we were in major hustle mode. But, we made it in time. There weren't 2 little rows together, so we ended up taking 2 little rows with one in between. It's ok, because Kristal was in between me and Tom/Eme/Joe. And she was fine with smacking them for me - LOL.

The kids were pretty good today, even. I only had to confiscate things one time. Jake had smuggled in his new video camera he'd bought yesterday. Um, yeah, NOT what you do during sacrament... hehe. He wasn't so happy, but I did get it from him.

The kids sang a Christmas Song, and they did SO good. I only have 3 kids left in Primary! Crazy! Tom was SO excited that he was old enough not to have to do it - hehe.

After Sacrament meeting, the kids headed off to class, and I sat in the hall. I just didn't feel up to Sunday School. I was hoping that Captain America would be on Skype, but no such luck...

During Relief Society, I did notice something in the bulletin that I was SUPER excited about!

12:30 church, baby! That means some sleeping in for us!!! Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to it - hehe :)

Rebecca (the RS president) and Sister Peterson convinced me that I should join the Choir for the Christmas program next week. And I LOVE the choir. But have so many kids, that it's kinda difficult. Expecially Jake. He doesn't like to come to the regular 3 hour block of church, let alone extra time.

I had a talk with him, though, and explained that I really wanted to do it, and that he could come and sit with me. And he said it would be ok. He's really a sweet kid :)

We went into the primary room, and practiced for about 45 minutes. 2 of the songs were Hymns, and were pretty easy. That other one, though, was pretty tough. But After a few times, I got it, mostly.

We loaded up, and headed home. The kids had bagel sandwiches, and when Joe went to get more from the freezer, he noticed that the freezer wasnt working. So I took all the frozen stuff out of there, and we cooked up all the stuff. French fries, and fish sticks, and chicken nuggets, and bits and pieces of all sorts of stuff. Later, after giggling a wire in the back, it started working again. Dang!

After lunch, the kids worked really hard to get the house/chores cleaned, and I designed the last batch of freebies for December. And I watched some X-Files. Then around 3, I laid down to take a nap. And the kids kept cleaning until around 4pm. Then got their electronics. Jake got mad that I wouldn't come out sooner and check his progress, and went to take a nap (or something like that - I was napping - ha!). But it felt REALLY good to get a Sunday Afternoon nap.

When I woke up, the kids were playing nicely, and the house was mostly cleaned. They had dinner, and Terra dropped off some of Eryn's birthday cake that their family couldn't finish. My kids inhaled it - ha!

At around 8 or so, Kim came over to help me pick out Miche shells to close out my party. I had $80 worth of free products, 3 1/2 shells, and 30% off of the rest of my order. Then, I also qualified for the vault deal, AND I got to pick a Hostess shell. I still can't decide which one to get. I like things about each one!!! Still trying to decide...

I cleaned up my room a little bit, and organized for a while. Kim looked at Pinterest for a while, and worked on getting her nail polish off. We're not pleased with how the acrylics turned out at the beauty school. They already are falling off. After only 5-6 days... So not cool.

Her youngest, Austin, came to play with my kids, and we decided to let him stay and spend the night. The kids were playing very nicely. And Kim painted a Sock Monkey on my thumb!!! didn't she do a fantastic job??!!!
She headed home a little after 11am, and I put my kids to bed. It's now 12:20pm. Kim and I are gonna run a few errands in the morning, then go to Savers. I wanna pick up a few Stocking Stuffers. And hey, it's Monday. And Savers... Right? hehe.

Wish me luck for the 2 weeks with the kids at home. ha!

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Awesome, Sharon! Loving the bathtime layout! Great take on the WordArt!!!

Eagle Eye

My internet is having some serious issues tonight. Seriously. I can't grab the preview to post it. I can't get my photos from facebook. I can't get box.net to work. Strange, too, because just 30 minutes ago, I was on facebook chatting, and on Walmart.com shopping. I guess I got the important stuff done, right? hehe :)

So, once again, I'll come back and blog for real tomorrow. I'm making it a habit, right? It was a good Saturday, though. Up at 8am, got Eme her free bike from school (Trek, and REALLY nice at that!), went to her game, went to Tom's game, took Jake to Youth center, went to Kim's friends christmas party, got Jake, Jake and I went to the Verizon store (no iPhones), went to the mall to the iStore (it was close due to water leak), and we learned that Jake HATES crowded malls, then back home for the evening. Yeah, that's my day in a nutshell. It's 9:30pm. I'm sleepy. Gonna go to bed. Like I said, WHEN the internet is better tomorrow, I'll blog for reals :)

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I like this one, Sharon! Love the white on the WordArt! Sweet :)

Doghouse

Hey guys, I just wanted to show you guys some of the AWESOME stuff in the Secret Santa box! Check out the gloves!




Here's Joe with his candy cane and Christmas patch. He LOVED it!
It was a normal morning in the Harty Household. I got up, and made sure that the kids were getting ready. I went in to get Joe and Jim up and going, and I found this strange thing on Joe and Jim's desk. I thought it looked and felt like a giant melted down and molded crayon...
But they told me it was charcoal. No, I told them. That's not what charcoal looks and feels like. But then I remembered that I got a bag of Charcoal from Amanda when she moved. And it was open. And sitting just inside the garage.... Those freakin' kids took one out, and dipped it repeatedly inside their Scentsy! Sigh. Naughty kids! I confiscated it immediately!

Soon, it was time for the bus. I walked the kids over, and chatted with Suzanne for a while. She drove me home after. Here's Jake getting ready for school. Jake and his dog. Aren't they cute!

My head was hurting (could have been from the 4 hours of sleep a day ago, right?), so I took some meds and went back to sleep after Jake got on the bus. And yeah, it was just what I needed. When I woke up, I had a lot of texts.

Check out Amanda's new house!!! It's a duplex, I think. Or a 4-pex. I can't remember which she said.

And a text from Kari, asking if I wanted to come to lunch with the kids at school! It was early release day, and the Kinders had lunch at 10:10 am. It was 9:45am, so I had just enough time to get ready and get out the door and get up there :)
Here's Jimmy! He was excited to see me at lunch! And I had fun chatting with his friends and him. Ever since I came and volunteered in his classroom, they all LOVE me - hehe :)
Kari and her parents came up next, and sat by us, and Josephine ate lunch with her friends. Then Joe came up. I somehow failed to get a picture of Joe and I. But I did get a picture of Cassie! hehe :)

Leo came next. Then Eme. It really was a good lunch hour. My head wasn't all the way good, and the cafeteria was super loud. So I took some more meds, and hoped that it would feel better soon.

Kari and her parents were headed to Walmart after lunch, and asked if I wanted to come along. I LOVED Kari's parents, and thought it sounded like a great time! So I went :) Cause I'm always up for a good time. We weren't gonna be gone long, because school got out early, and the bus was gonna be on post at 12:30pm.

Check out Kari and I in the toy isle! hehe :)

I'm Captain America!!!
We got the few things that Kari's parents needed, then headed to the quick check out to pay. And headed back towards post. And got there JUST as the bus arrived. Perfect timing, eh??? The kids got off of the bus, and mine had wrapped gifts!!!

Apparently, the school had provided a give for each of my youngest 3 kids! They were super excited! I'm not sure why, but they did :) Jim got a 5 pack of Hot Wheels, and some Spider Man coloring stuff. Joe got a big Army Man set. Eme got a Bratz "Laptop" thing. They were great gifts!

We all hung out at home for a bit, and the kids played with their toys. Jake went to the Youth Center, and the other kids played some electronics and watched some TV. I eventually went and took a hot, relaxing bath. It had been a long week...

Around 3:30, I texted Kim to see if she wanted to go on a Girl Trip to the Mall with Eme and I. She did! So we headed out. But stopped to do a few errands for Kim first. But eventually made it to the mall.

First stop, Jewelry box. I got 3 things, and Eme got 3 things. She was super excited :). Check out this creepy spider ring that Kim found! Ha!
Then, I surprised Eme with a trip to Claire's to get her ears pierced! I was gonna wait till she was 12, but figured that if I had to get her a bra, that she was old enough to get her ears pierced, right? hehe :)

She was SO super excited!!! Here's her ears before...
What a goofy face. I have no idea where she gets it from...

Ready, set, SHOOT!
She said that it didn't hurt! She was expecting it to be a LOT worse than it was. hehe. The 2nd side hurt a little worse because she knew what was coming and expected it. Poor kid! She was still super excited about it, and listened real close to the directions on how to care for it and everything.
She picked out the birthstone for December, because she wanted to remember, every time she looked at them, that December was the month that she got her ears pierced. Awe, how sweet :) We looked around the store for a bit more, and I found the COOLEST pair of boots, and got them. They were only $15 because they were 1/2 off. I asked the girl if there was a pair of 10's in the back. She went to look, but said they only had 9's and 6's. Then, when I was paying for Eme's ear piercing, the girl found a pair of 10's behind the counter! Score! So I bought them.

Then, Kim came to pay. And got some Christmas earrings and some hats and scarfs and stuff. And the same boots as me. She told the woman that they were right behind the counter. Whaaaaaat? Oh crap. I'd JUST bought them! Are you kidding me??? It's a good thing she likes me, right??? I told her that she could totally have them for $15!!! She wanted to try on the 9's and see if they'd work. Thankfully, they did! When we left, we saw the ear piercing lady getting a talking to for selling something that was behind the counter. Oops :)

Next, we headed to Hot Topic. Tom had asked for a hat from there. And, since he hasn't been babysitting consistently, I've just been buying him random stuff as "payment". So today it was gonna be a hat. Check out the ones that I tried on!

Is it too much? ROFL!
This is the one that I ended up getting for me.
After the sale and my military discount, they came out to $15 a piece. No too bad for a trendy hat, right? Cause those buggers are expensive usually!

We also stopped at a cell phone case store on the way out of the mall. I ended up getting 2 Otter Boxes for our iPhones. Cause I'm getting ready to get the iPhone 4S, and gonna give Captain America my iPhone 4. So I got him the Army green one, and got myself the white one. And was able to get the dude to knock off $5 per case, AND throw in the belt clip for Captain Amerca. Nice.

At first, he wasn't gonna cut me a deal. And I kept insisting. "So, what kind of deal will you cut me if I buy 2". I think I said that 3 times. hehe. I think he was getting tired of me, so he caved... ROFL! Those cases are a pretty penny! But, I guess you can throw them at the wall, and the phone is safe. Good to know! hehe :) We're a little rough on things in our house...

Then, it was time to RUN home for games. Kim's hubby called and said that he wanted to meet her at the mall. So Eme and I took her car, and we headed back to post. And got Joe and Jim, and gave Tom his Chewbacca hat. He LOVED it.
And we headed out to the games. We drove to Joe's game, and I made him run inside. He was very late, but there. Then, I drove on over to Jim's game. He was only 4 minutes late. Kari texted and said that her mom was there, and that she'd supervise him, and that I should come back to Joe's game. Sweet :)

So I drove back to Joe's game, and hung with Kari and her dad. I only got to see about 20 minutes of the game before it was over. But it was fun :) Then we headed back to Main Post to pick up Jim.

But I got a call from Kari's hubby, Brian, saying that he was at Josephine and Jim's game, and that he'd picked up Jim and take him home for me. Super nice! Tom and Eme were both home, so it was good.

Joe and I swung by the Youth Center, and picked up Jake (he'd been ready since about 5 to come home, but I'd been busy), and he told me all about his day. He'd gone Paintballing with the Youth Center, then come back and played pool. And all sorts of fun things. He talked about wanting to join the Swim team next year, and I was just so excited for him. Those new meds really are doing good things!

We got back home, and I dropped Kim's car off at her house. And we grabbed our bags, and walked the rest of the way home. I got a text from Kari asking if I was still planning on stopping by the going away party for Adela. Oh yeah! That was tonight.

So I got the kids situated, and changed clothes real fast, then texted her that I was ready. And we walked over to a different Kim's house (Adela's BFF and neighbor). She's just down the road, near where Andrea used to live. Adela and her family are moving to Italy next week. Cool duty station, huh???

A different Kim (Andrea's friend) was there too, so we got to catch up. Her son had gotten back from deployment, and had some issues with hearing and vision and PTSD and such. Poor guy. We filled each other in on kids and spouses and future plans and everything. She's a lot of fun. A few years older than Kari and I, but SUCH a lot of fun! We both love Kim! (what's up with having SO many friends named Kim, right??)

We stayed till around 10:30, visiting and chatting and eating. Well, I ate. Cause I hadn't had dinner. I guess that Kari had gone to Chili's with her family. The appetizers were really good! And I had one chocolate covered strawberry. And I brought 2 Diet Dews. The other girls were drinking (Not Kim (andrea's kim) and Kari or I), and there were kinda 2 conversational circles going on. But really, it was a lot of fun. I'm glad that I went! And Adela, I hope that you have a GREAT time in Italy, and that the 2 day travel experience is a smooth one!

Kari and I headed home, and I got my kids to bed. I told them that in the morning, that they needed to do chores and clean rooms before they got electronics. Cause the house was messy... Story of my life.

At 8am, Eme and I are going to pick up her bike that she won. Then at 9, we have a basketball game for Eme. And at 11, a game for Tom. And Kim invited me to an Ugly Christmas sweater party around 2. Should be a good time! We'll see how much energy I have, right? hehe.

Click on the link below to go to my account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

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Ha! That puppy IS in the doghouse. So was mine today! Freakin' dog... But I digress... Great layout, Sharon!!!