absolutely me

... but swamped with fabrics and paint. It's kind of funny, I ordered some fabric online from Joann, and then when it arrived, I really didn't like it. See, I'm making new curtains for the back door (it's one of those sliding doors and we used to have blinds there), new pillow covers (because we got new slipcovers for the couches) and I'm re-upholstering the dinning room chairs. And so, I ordered different fabrics that I thought would match. Very orangy-yellowish, those are the colors we chose for staging the house. Anyways, when I saw the fabric, I was very tempted to return it, but instead, I started the first chair today... And I think it looks AWESOME!!! I just finished cutting all the fabric for the back of the chairs, tomorrow I'll be busy sewing. Can't wait to see the first one finished. I'm actually getting EXCITED! Bought a couple of lamp shades, too, and I'm almost done painting the tables black (coffee and end tables). Of course, the kids ...

Last night, I was making a mini scrapbook for a nice couple who sent Coco a Christmas present. After a little while, I went to the kitchen for a nice cold iced coke... only to find out we were out. I knew Brian had drank the last one, so I went and asked him if he bought some more, since he was the one who finished the coke. Of course, he didn't. I already knew this, since he didn't leave the house after dinner. It was sort of a passive-aggressive trick I was trying to use on him, but of course, it didn't work. Brian HATES the passive-aggressive approach. He will always tell me he needs me to tell him exactly what I expect or want him to do. Anyways, I went back to my little office, and kept working. After a while, I decided to go to bed. As I started going upstairs, I stopped and hand had this nagginsation (conversation mixed in with the nagging element) with Brian, as he read on the couch: Me: "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a glass filled with ice and coke right...

I'm still trying to take in this newest masacre. Why? How can we all live amongst this much evil and not see it? How can parents not care what their kids become? How can these beings lose their souls and all hope, and let evil live in their hearts? I called my friend Amy as soon as I heard. Thankfully she was home today, and not at NIU at class. She's the mother of Coco's "life friend" Matthew, and has taken care of all 3 of my kids. She is now studying for her masters there. I also got an email from my friend Linda, who works in the next building. She was the room parent for her daughter's room Valentine's party, so she left early today. That made me happy. But I feel such a heavy heart. I can't think what can we do or where can we go to raise our children. A place where God hasn't been banned from schools and from life. I cannot imagine raising my children in this maddness... God help us all.

I mean, seriously: Who wouldn't be happy having this magnificient specimen of a man back home??? I can't be happier, really. These two days working from home are just so nice. Very quiet, we don't get into each other's business. It's just nice to have a chance to glance at him and smile. Life is good. I love my baby boy. I love seeing Connor doing these kinds of thing. He is the cutest thing I love it even more when Coco and Connor play and get along so good (and Cesar, too, only Cesar doesn't let me take pictures of him!) Diggy boy got a haircut, because in the winter I refuse to cut his hair (I'd have to do it outdoors, and I won't freeze out there!) He looks so cute, but oh-so-not-happy! (he hates looking good!) Coco had a school event on Friday, and I took them to dance a little. It was just AWESOME to see them having so much fun... Now, we need to get serious here. Need to get the house ready and staged to get it in the market, which has been horrib...

Last week, Brian came back from his training in Ohio to have our Christmas dinner with my co-workers and the owners of the company I work for. So, my nephew came over to babysit, and of course, my sister came as well. We had a very nice time at my company's dinner, the guys are always a lot of fun, and Brian was his silly self, as usual. Hilda and Gus spent the night here. (just in case you are wondering, I'm the fat lady with the short hair... Yup! I haven't been doing the diet thing, and I really don't care to do it at all!) The following day, we went to look at model homes around the corner (almost literally) from where we live, and she decided to come along. I'm still scratching my head thinking how we went from looking at, to buying one, but by the end of the day, we ended up the new owners of a new home YAY!!! Best part is, my sister called her husband, and in two hours convinced him to buy a new home around the corner from us. So, there goes the neighborhood...

This is what happens when your husband is the person in charge of the Christmas decorations: Every day I find a new thing around the house that should be in one of the Christmas boxes. Jingle bells. Poinsettias. Red velvet bows. Something . I still have to say, it was the BEST feeling to come home to a nicely decorated home. So thoughtful of Brian. Only next time, I'll volunteer to take over...

I have my new camera! Since I was a little girl, dad taught me to love NIKON cameras. To me, there is no other option. And I found a superdiduperdy GREAT offer at Amazon, so I was able to get my NIKON D40 with a 17-55 ml and a 55-200 ml zoom. YAY!!!! It's been years since I had my SLR, but I still remember the basics. Will need to check my manuals a little bit, since I've never used a digital SLR before. Brian is leaving tomorrow to Ohio, where he will have his training. I would've gone with him, only SOMEBODY needs to stay with the kids, believe it or not! So, here are just a few pix that I was able to take with my Nikon... Pretty bad, I know, but at night there's not much that you can take a picture of without the flash... So happy!!!

Brian got the job he wanted, so he will be working from home right along side me!!! YAY! Well, not quite so. We both are pretty loud, so i don't think we could co-exist in the same room. Sooo... we have decided that we'll re-decorate our bedroom so taht we can accomodate his mini office in it. I will be working from my office downstairs. I am very excited. I know I may sound like a geek, but Brian is my best friend and we do get along very, very well. So, I really am excited to have him around. He will be going to Ohio for his training, probably next week. We'll see how this goes... Thanks for all your prayers. God is good to us. Even when we don't understand His plans, He takes care of us and looks after us. Many blessings to you!

Brian has had a series of phone interviews with a company based in Ohio, and yesterday he actually met with them at O'Hare for the interview in person with 3 of the officials of the company. They are calling him tomorrow to "talk numbers" (men are sooo weird when they say those kinds of things. "We'll discuss an offer" or your salary. But no. They're going to talk numbers) We are hoping this is a good offer, because the best part of the job is that he'd be working from HOME - YAY !!! I'm soooo excited! Actually, we really get along so well, and we have been handling being in the same very small house without stepping on each other's toes, I think this will work fantastically. As a matter of fact, when I get off work and come downstairs, he asks me how was my day, because he has no clue ;) It will be very, very well received, since we need health insurance SOON (ours will expire by the end of the month). Cesar had mono, probably for the la...

I've been visiting blogs today, but Bloggeroo doesn't love me today. I cannot post comments any longer. Don't know why he's mad at me. I'll try again later (or tomorrow... most likely tomorrow!)

This New Year's Eve, just like all of our New Year's Eves, we played it low key. Our dear friends Bill and Ann invited us over for the most delicious tacos, and the kids played until they were tired and ready for bed. Brian, Bill, Ann, Cesar and Evan (their oldest kid, 12) played a pretty neat game of ping pong, and some pool, and some air hockey. We had a wonderful time, even if we came home early. Two nights ago, I was recording Coco with my little coolpix Nikon camera, and I set it down, still on and with the lens opened, to look for something I needed. I came back to sit down, and of course, I sat down ON my camera. Needless to say, it is gone, the lens could not survive the ample abundance of my behind. I'm so not happy with myself! I NEED my camera. I really do. Today was the Epiphany Feast, the Three Wise Men day, and of course, I couldn't take pix of my kids opening their presents to upload to my blog. I'll have to wait until I send the roll in, and o...

I love to see the snow falling. I can sit and just watch it fall... isn't it pretty? This is Connor having breakfast. Yes, that is a CANDY CANE that he had for breakfast yesterday. Nope, his daddy didn't see this (Brian already says I am a softy... I'm NOT telling him!;) And Coco's breakfast? GARLIC BREAD!!! She's kind of weird. Well, what can I say? She's a Weirdan, after all! And this is Cesar, being as geeky as it gets... He got several gift cards, and what did he go and buy??? LEGOS! The best part, is that he was playing with them. Seriously. He had them fighting each other, and going at each other with their swords. Nope, Coco, Connor, Brian or I were not playing with him. All by himself. Geek. I found this paper that Coco did at school around Thanksgiving time. It's just the cutest thing. It reads: "How to cook a turkey from the kitchen of: Coco Ingredients: Turkey Corn Bred (sic) Flower (flour) Directions: Put them in a pot. Mix them together. B...

Let me start by telling you that I have 4 sisters, all younger than myself. And my sister Maria Luisa (the one right in the middle of us five) just checked my bloggeroo yesterday. She's the one who posted the comment in Spanish, and she was complaining (formally) that I don't have any pictures of HER daughter on my blog. And so, although not entirely true (She's in the family picture that I posted back in October when I came back from Mexico), I introduce to you my niece (and Goddaughter) Andrea. Isn't she such a beautiful thing? Her mom and dad are very proud of her. My beautiful niece is now 15 years old, and the sweetest thing in the whole wide world. She lives in Mexico with her parents, very close to my parents. The first time I ever saw her, it was through the window of the nursery at the hospital, and the nurse was bathing her. She was sound asleep when they started, and she never woke up. She went through the whole bath absolutely asleep, and she remained sleep...