Normal Day Monday

The more I think about it-- there is nothing normal about this week! But oh well, this is the week I am doing this and the kids think I am weird to be taking pictures of every little thing.

But normal everyday is telling the kids to get their clothes off the bathroom floor!

And I make Jadyn's lunch everyday. This consisted of Guacomole with fiber crackers, corn, and fruit cocktail.

Started laundry finally!

And ran on the treamill...

while Bridger laid in my bed working on some school stuff on the computer.

This pictures ensures me that I need to do something with this room. It is so plain still with no bedside lamps or curtains. I am thinking a new comforter and wall color also. It is also having hardwood floors laid on the 20th. Big Changes coming!

Bridger and I made Chicken Dumpling soup which we will also be eating today.

And the kids picked our first watermelon which was terrible tasting.

And I fell asleep reading this book way too late may I add.

Rate My Space

Apparently I have a couple things that I have made that is on the website-- Rate My Space. I have been told by a couple of people through Etsy that they saw me over there. Lord, I hope this doesn't get me into further trouble, but I went over there and sure enough I found one pretty quickly.

Sunday normal

A few pics of my sunday, though it was not all normal. Generally I do not work on the weekends at all and I pretty much did all weekend in light of a show coming up on the 4th.

I did go to church



And I didn't do laundry

But he had a good day


I forgot to take a picture of the lost cat that wondered into your backyard and we found his owner soon after. Mean cat is what is was and once again, the tyler animal shelter holds true.

wordle of my blog

the biggest words are the ones I use most often on this blog....

thanks karin

He is 39 today!

Today is Keith's birthday, but I won't be able to talk to him because he has been gone to play army in the Hindu Kush mountains. I know he is secretly hoping to engage the enemy today as his birthday present...I am hoping not! Next year, hopefully it will be more fun. Maybe the Cowboys will win and that would be a good present too (if they are playing this weekend?)

Normal Day number 2-- I guess this is normal for a saturday. I just do a bunch of things I didn't get done over the week, though if Keith were here I don't know if this would be considered normal. I worked on a ton of vinyl stuff, drove Bridger to a pool party, painted, worked on the computer, cleaned out the hermit crab cage, dishes.







I love lottery scrach offs-- got a few of those and didn't come out ahead, of course

Read my awesome mag on blogging

And a friend made this paperchain for me. It represents every payday that Keith will be gone. It was only made for 12 months (as opposed to 15) because we are really hoping that is what it will be. There are 19 more to go!

Go Make One!

I have been playing with this website for a while but I finally made a piece of art to print out and I am going to frame it for sure. Go check it out.
www.wordle.net

Look at what I made
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style="padding:4px;border:1px solid #ddd">

The normal

this week I am playing along with some other bloggers to capture a week in ones life. The normal things that people don't think twice about. The kids are making fun of me for taking pictures of things they don't deem picture worthy, but I think it could be fun, if it is only for one week.

I started last night, had a get together at my house which was fun. And I haven't done it since Keith left so it reminded me that I should do it way more often. Create my own fun.

Not going into an explaination of each pic, that takes the fun out of it me. So here is a Friday night.

I was tired....

and now I am not anymore. For weeks I have been running on empty, so tired all the time and a bit grouchy. After a full day of running around Austin with the FRG group I came home, caught up on some of my TV shows and went to bed early. Keith refrained from his usual midnight phonecall even though I still put the phone in my bed just in case. I woke up this morning feeling completely refreshed. I will need a couple more nights like that to be 100%, but I am now more convinced that going to bed at a decent hour is worth it. Everyone should try it!

Last week, I took the kids to the Dallas World Aquarium for a 'field trip' that I thought I would share here. Jadyn was supposed to go with her class, but when the school told me that I could not help drive the kids because I had Bridger with me, I just took matters into my own hands. The school does not have buses so they get parents to help drive and no one has ever told me who can drive in my car and who can't. So I informed them via a letter that I would be more than happy to Jadyn out of school that day and to drive to Dallas with just Bridger and Jadyn. By doing so, we got to hang out there for 5 hours instead of the 2 hours the school did. Worked out way better than I expected.


This place is a rainforest and an aquarium. Just about the coolest one I have ever seen and we have been to several all around the country. Behind the kids is a waterfall that goes into a big pool that has alligators, manatees and just about the biggest catfish you have ever seen. In the center of this pool is an island called monkey island.

We had lunch there also and this was our view from our table while eating. Very entertaining.

Here is a friendly bird that put up with Jadyn mauling it. I had to drag her away so others could get a turn petting it.

I have a feeling that Jadyn is going to find herself doing something with animals when she grows up. I have been trying to figure out what her passions are so I can help her foster it. With Bridger there has never been any doubt in my mind, the boy is going to do something with construction. I have tried to look into things for him to do, but I run into insurance problems with his age. Habitat for Humanity will let him help build houses, but not until he is 16. Jadyn has been bothering to me contact a human society so that we can foster some animals, but I have held off because we don't have fence yet. I suppose we could foster some kittens...

I love to blog

really I do!!! I think about it nearly everyday and I have at least 10 good blog stories going on in my head at any given time. I just rarely act upon them. I was thinking about keeping a notebook of my ideas so I can just follow up on them anytime inspiration hits. A lot of time I download pictures of something I was going to blog and then I think about it for a while and change my mind because the idea was turned lame on me.

So today, I am going to share some pictures that were taken back in May but I am just now messing around with them, playing with the color and getting them printed, amazingly enough. I'm slow....
Anyhow, we had out family photos done while visiting Utah. I wish I like hell I was thinner then, but I wasn't. So I have just decided that I am going to happy with them and better luck next time!

Tyler family on the path of life

Tyler family by the pond

We are in this together


Anyhow, about being thinner. There are definitely periods in my life that I am more motivated then others. Last week wasn't one of them, but I am happy to say that I am maintaining an 8lb weight loss. That is really too slow, but I will pick up the pace a tad bit more. Really, I will!!!!

I have many more experiences to put on here soon but one that is killing me right now is a conversation I had with Jadyn this week. This girl is quite funny though I don't think she means to be. Just this last week they were supposed to go to school dressed like what they wanted to be when they grow up. She rubbed white fur fabric all over her black shirt and told everyone that she wants to be a chinchilla and ferret breeder when she grows up. She didn't win at school, but I thought it was hilarious and quite creative. I mean, have you ever heard of that job??

We also had a conversation that went like this.
Jadyn: Mom?
Me: Yes?
Jadyn: If I were to get pregant the same way Mary got pregnant with Jesus, would you make me take a lie detector test?
Me: (my eyes bugging out of my head)Oh, I think I would make you do more then that! Why are you asking me this? You are not as virtuous as you think child! Don't think you can get away with this when you are 16 or 17!!!
Jadyn: well I don't think that would happen, I was just wondering.

With that kind of entertainment, what is there not to love about blogging!

An American Girl

I am behind on blogging...I know. I have barely reading them though I think about it all the time. I love my blogs, really, but it is one of the first things I drop when I get busy.

Over Labor Day weekend, I sent Bridger off to church camp and Jadyn and I went to Dallas to spend the day at the American Girl store for the her 10th Birthday. We had a good time spending our day shopping, ice skating and eating. Day 1 was spent at the American Girl store and then ice skating. Day 2 consisted of shopping for school clothes and to a 10 year old, some 'unmentionables'.

Here are some pics of Jadyn shopping.



Here is a picture of the American Doll we brought along with us. We just bought her this new outfit and Jadyn has the skirt that matches.


At the Bistro, they let your doll sit and eat with you.


The super cute Birthday cake


Elizabeth and Mary Reilly joined us too


Jadyn feeding her favorite baby


I mentioned before that I was eating like a China man-- right? I bought the dishes that makes it more official.


And last night when I asked Jadyn what she wants in her lunch, her answer is that she wants to eat sushi all week. I am on to something here! So I made enough vegetable-only california rolls to last all week. I don't dare mess with the fish aspect of it at home. Maybe if I lived on the coast........