Big Time... What?

First off, I'd like to thank the good Lord that I am still alive & breathing today.  I honestly don't know how I made it through Saturday.  Thank you Lord for helping me to endure the heats of hell!

So this is 'Big Time Rush'!  A boy band from Nickelodeon who have a hit tv show and apparently a very large following among teeny boppers.  I was excited, I'm not going to lie.  I'd like to state for the record that they are all 4 in their 20's so when I was jumping, fist pumping & screaming like my 8 year old daughter on Saturday I didn't feel like TOO much of an almost 30 year old pedophile.

(I will be 30 in..... 17 days) Holy SMOKES!

The event was held at a theme park WORLDS of Fun in Kansas City.  The high on this day was 106 degrees.  Mind you, we were at a theme park full of black asphalt NO SHADE!!!  We got in line to get in at 2:00, gates opened at 4:00.  Got great seats, then had to wait another 5.5 hrs before Big Time Rush came on.

It was during these long hours that I honestly wanted to CRY my eyes out.  I was so hot, so miserable & so being pushed to my limits with the sun I wanted to give up.  I felt like bribing Kaydee with whatever she wanted just so we could get the hell out of there and find some A/C!

Here are a few pics from my journey to hell see BTR:

Me & my big girl!

We survived!!  We're nominating each other for Mother of The Year =)

Daisie & I hung out while Maegan took the big girls on the roller coaster

They were SUPER excited even through the heat =)

Thanks a lot Mix 93.3 for picking the hottest effing day of the year to host this show at a place where there is NO SHADE & metal bleacher seats with no backs.

 Here was my favorite song of the night:

I'm a winter girl, I rarely complain when it's winter.  Even the months covered in ice & snow and bound to your home b/c of the frigid temps.  I can take that!  I love hot tea, a warm blanket & fleece jammies............ please please please bring on winter!  Oh how I miss it!

On a good note, 5 days until I see the (2nd) man of my dreams!

Thank you to the 1st man of my dreams for buying these tickets for us, for my birthday!  Best present EVER!!  I can't wait to hear this mans voice, dance, sing along and enjoy the night with my husband and a few of my other favorite people on the planet =)

Here's my favorite song ever of his ( our wedding song 8 beautiful years ago )

Gives me chills every time I hear it =)

Have a great week!!

Winner winner chicken dinner!

Who doesn't love winning stuff?  Ok, so I'm announcing the winner a day late, apologies.  All of my followers were automatically entered, and additional entries were written out for those of you who emailed, blogged or commented about the give-a-way.  Kaydee wanted to be in charge of the drawing, she's 8 and very trust worthy!  

Since there were 2 Alison's who entered, we needed to be more specific =)

Congrats Alison! From The Life and Times of Alison & Justin

You can email me and I can give you order specifics =)

In other news:

The hubs in on vacation this week.  It came down to use it or lose it on his vacation days, the man never takes off work!  He has 3 weeks to use every year and it always comes down to using them last minute or losing them.

He may be on vacation, but I feel like I'm getting the deal here.  He is really enjoying his days here with the kids & I am enjoying ME time!

We have a big surprise cooked up for tomorrow. Nothing HUGE, but our kids are going to squeal like little piggies when they figure it out!!  I love surprising them!!

I am however NOT liking the temps here in good ole' Kansas.  Highs over 100 every day for the last 6 days, and highs expected over 100 for the next 5!  Ahhh!

Hope everyone stays cool & has a great rest of the summer!  Very sad that school will start in less than a month.  My best days are the days when all 3 kids are home with me.  I miss them like crazy all school year =)

Happy 4th of July!

 Wishing everyone a safe & fun 4th of July!  I'm not a HUGE fan of firecrackers, but I am a fan of big family gatherings & amazing food!  We love our annual get together at my hubbys parents house.  All of our famiy & friends come, we chill (sweat is more like it), eat, watch the kids run swim & play, and then walk a couple blocks over to the lake and watch the big night show!  I do believe this is our 10th year of this party, yay!

This holiday holds a special meaning for me.  9 years ago, I woke up on 4th of July morning, with the nervous suspicion that I was pregnant.

Sure enough!
Let me tell you, that may have been the single best moment of my life!
After having surgery at age 19 and being diagnosed with Endometriosis, having the docs tell me that having babies might not ever happen for me......

I WAS OVER THE MOON!!

 7 months & 7 days later, my baby girl Kaydee June was born!

Speaking of Kaydee June, I'll be heading to watch her dance in the Spirit of Kansas festival this morning!  Go girl!

Here is what my day will involve:

 You bet I will be enjoying a few of these!  My FIL makes the best Mojitos!

 

Nice juicy cheeseburgers!  Fresh from the grill, prepared by the hubs =)

 Hot dogs!  The kids love 'em!

 

 Corn-on-the-cob? Yum-O!  Chris likes to grill it!

Kaydee's favorite!

 Lots of sweet things to munch on all day long!

Oh, one last thing... have you entered my very first give-a-way yet?

Read official details ----> HERE!!

Have a safe & fun holiday everyone everywhere!

My First Give-a-way!

 It's officially July!  Hotter than hell outside (or so I'd imagine).  My car read 108*F yesterday afternoon:

For my dear friend Alison, that's 42.2222 degrees *C!

So, I've been up to this blog non-sense for about 6 months now.  A baby I know, compared to some of you veterans.  I am happy to announce my very first give-a-way!

Christmas time is my favorite time of the year!  I love the sounds, the smells, the spirit, and the family memories that are something money can't buy.  To celebrate this time, now that it's July, here we go!

Here's how you enter:

• You must be a follower of my blog sweet blog - that is 1 entry.
• Mention my give-a-way on your blog post - each time one of your posts mentions the give-a-way I'll add another entry.
• Refer your readers to my blog & give-a-way! They get an entry, you get an entry, happiness all around! (have them comment that they found ME through YOU!)

So, I'm not good with math, but that sounds like it could add up to a lot or entries depending on how many of your followers make there way to me, and how many times you mention my first give-a-way in blog history!

Here's whatcha win:

SCENTSY!

1 large pot of your choice

(here are a few examples)

plus - 2 bars of your choice
so many scents to choose from!

(here are a few examples)

You can browse the catalog & start planning your selection in case you win:
~Click here right here!~

I would like to thank my friend Val, local Scentsy consultant, for assisting me with the give-a-way prize!  Thanks girl!

Entries will be collected through Friday, July 14th 2011.

Winner will be announced Monday, July 17th 2011!

Stampede!

Over the weekend, we attended the annual Country Stampede!  We had 4 day passes, but with Chris working & Ty's baseball we only attended Saturdays concert.  We saw Jarrod Neimann, Blake Shelton & Brad Paisley!  It's once in a very blue moon we let loose and drink like we did that night!  It was killer the next day so much fun!  Hotter than hell, but that just makes the beer taste better =)

Me & Tiffany waiting for the boys to come back with our drinks =)  hair is still down, I'm obviously not hot YET!

We got our drinks, and the hair is back... that didn't take long =)

Mr. & Mrs. Smoot =)

Ran into my friend Val, actually she found me amidst the sea of people ( who were all drunk ).

Ok, now the hair is not only back... but it's UP, this is a sign that I'm in a GREAT mood & loving my drinks =) ( Chris was trying to sing to me ).

Chris & our best man Billy!

The 4 of us had a GREAT time!

Here are a few of my fav songs from the artists we saw:

This year will never top Stampede 2002.  Those memories are made for another blog post sometime soon =)

Happy Tuesday!!

Miscellany Monday - Confessions of an art work junkie

Link-Up! 

Hi, my names Jamie & I am an art work junkie.  A hoarder of sorts I suppose.  It was just this past spring when I was doing some cleaning that I realized how bad this has gotten.  I can't seem to part with anything the kids bring home!  I've got it all, even the scrappy papers with just minor scribbles on it.  Preschool, Kindergarten, messing around the house on weekends.... I've got it all!  Here are a few examples:

Kaydee made this in preschool 5 years ago.

Ty made this pizza this year in Kindergarten.

couldn't even tell you what this is or about, but I have it!

Kaydee getting the hang of writing her name (well).

A sunflower Ty made for Kansas week in preschool.

A cat Kaydee drew in Kindergarten.

Ty was finger painting, I think he was 2.

Not sure what this is either, it appears to be 2 mermaids swimming or 2 people drowning under a ship?  Worth keeping!

I've got art work & worksheets in closets, cabinets, hanging on the wall, framed on the wall, hanging from my rear view mirror (you know those cute little bead necklaces every kid makes), in boxes under my bed, in drawers, EVERYWHERE!

They'll thank me right?  Or will the eventually resent me when one of them has to give up a bedroom to make room for it all?  Ha, kidding.  Anyone else have this problem?  Is there a local support group I can join? =)

Happy Monday everyone!  Prayers for my wonderful grandfather who will undergo surgery in a couple hours again.  After having both knees replaced in April & 2 months of rehab, fell again last week and will start all over.  Surgery on both knees again today.  Love you grandpa!