EXTENTION

Due to a few factors, there is an extention on the deadline of our Family Night Challenge. The new deadline will be Nov. 21st to include those who may be out of town (Eric), and those who have gone back to work and are trying to settle in to a new schedule :) (me)...Im excited to see what everyone comes up with. Okay, Im excited to steal ideas. Details details.

AMENDING

I must amend the post of my accident, "No Excuses"! It has been brought to my attention, and I fully agree, that a few things should have been mentioned!!

My poor mother-in-law was in the front passenger seat and was trapped in the car due to the fact that the door was smashed at the hinge and unable to open. She was a good sport about sitting there while we got everything figured out. Sorry, Mom!

I also forgot to mention that we were saved!! The car, being that it was not operational, was towed away and we were left to fend for ourselves. My mother happened to be close by and on her way home when she got our S.O.S.! Without batting an eye, she came to our rescue. All four of us, plus luggage, packed into her car and we were returned home safely!! Thank you, Mom!! AND, I apologize for the neglect of mention in the first post! I was selfishly blinded with sadness and not looking at the whole picture. We would have been hurtin' for certain without you to save us! THANK YOU!!

TAGGED Huh?

Hmmm. Six random facts about me? Sad to say that I am not that interesting of a person but I can....no I WILL come up with something entertaining....so, here goes!

1. If I could be anything I wanted, I would be a singer/songwriter. Cant really see it can ya? But, its the truth!

2. If I had Gate's or Trump's wealth, as unrealistic as it may seem, I would set up a community for struggling families. Low income housing community with its own grocery, daycare, gas station, etc to create jobs and vocational training to help them develop skills to get back on their feet. There's more to it but you get the jist.

3. My favorite show is Ace of Cakes!! I love Baltimore's Charm City Cakes!! If I was not married and did not have a child, I would drop everything and go out to apply for a job!! Careful Michael and Coshell, I may do it anyway!

4. I am a list person! I have to have lists for everything. Cleaning my house, errands, pros and cons of my decisions, projects, everything. But they are my secret. So sshhhhh!

5. I dont really have a favorite food, but I have a LEAST favorite food...PIZZA! Funny huh, since it is what I made and sold for 8 years. Really, Really dont like the stuff! I will eat it, but I would so rather not!

6. I love staying up late at night. It is the only time that I can really feel the immense peace in the universe. I know that our world is in turmoil, but at night, when everything is quiet, and everything is sleeping, you can hear the sound of hope, the sound of real peace. At least at my house LOL.

Now, here is the saddest part of all! There are only 4 people I know that have blogs. I happen to know that they have all been tagged already...so, can I come up with something else? I dont hear any objections so here is my challenge.

We all know that we are heading into a time of struggle, if we are not already there. (We are anyway) I have been trying to come up with cheap ideas for everything. So, I challenge you to have a Family Night of fun! Come up with some creative ideas for games, treats, and a lesson. Document it with your camera and share your ideas with us all! We can all learn from eachother and use the ideas for our own families. The biggest challenge will be, YOU CANNOT SPEND ANY MONEY ON IT!!

I expect to see a Post on each of your blogs, Hillarie, Jen, Terra, and Mindy by November 7th! And I will have one also!

Then, I throw the baton to Terra, to come up with another challenge of the same caliber. A fun dinner idea, an activity, or a craft, etc. No Money, just fun family time! Ready? GO!

No Excuses!

I have to apologize to all those who actually check on my blog...I have been a complete failure lately. It is not to say that I have not thought about it. I think about it all the time :). I have no good excuses though.

Where to begin?

Coshell is doing great in school! She is not only the tallest in her class, she is also at the top of her class!! We are very proud of her!

Michael's parents were able to come see us last week. It was fun to have them out for a little while. They LOVED seeing there only grandchild and tried very hard to spoil her. BUT...before they had a chance to do that, their visit started off with a BANG!

On Wednesday October 15th, we drove to Sea-Tac airport and picked them up. We were on our way back discussing our plans for the day. We were in my new car (new to ME) which I LOVE and cant say enough good things about!!!



The first time in my driving career that I have been able to go out and actually PICK the car I WANT! And not buy a car NOW because my last one died. I am in love. Sad, but true.

So, we were traveling on the freeway that leads to the two major freeways away from the airport. We were in the left lane approaching the exit for I-5 when a little silver car aparently didnt see us and decided to come over to my lane, it didnt work.

THE RESULTS:



She plowed my front right tire and fender. Doesnt look as bad as it felt, let me tell ya! But, she hit the tire pretty square so that is what took most of the brunt. Her car was pretty smashed. (Santa Fe's ROCK!)



I swerved to miss the little dear, but there were construction barrels on the shoulder. The little round dent is from the flashing light on top of the barrel. Nice, huh?



Since my swerve was obviously not enough to keep her from hitting me, the impact her car had on mine sent us slamming into the concrete barrier. So, if you are ever leaving the airport on 518, check out the concrete barrier, it has a nice maroon scrape. That would be mine! (the red coat is the lovely young woman who hit me! In her roommates car!)

If it had to happen, it couldnt have happened any better! We all walked away. The car is a total loss because of the damage to the wheels and drive train on top of all the body damage. It was totally undriveable. The worst things that happened was, I hit my hand and bruised a bone, and have whiplash to the side. My side airbag deployed saving me from hitting my head on the window. It was SO SCARY!

Not surprisingly, the girl who hit me immidiately began to lie about the whole incident but regardless, Allstate has been amazingly wonderful through this whole thing! They are paying for everything and then going after her insurance. I know that is how it is supposed to work but its so nice not having to take them on by myself. Now, Im just waiting for a check from the car so that I can buy another one. My Santa Fe took the beating like a champ and handled sursprisingly well through the whole thing! I am so glad we were in it! AND I am so glad I MADE Coshell go to school that day instead of letting her go with us. That would have been terrible!! So, that is where we are at. Exciting but not in a fun way.

OH! I almost forgot...I talked to my old warehouse manager at Costco and will be going back to work seasonal. I am very excited to work with my people again and earn a little extra $$. Lets just hope my back holds out! Love to everyone!!!

Jen I will try to get better!! :)

FOR SHAME!

Has it really been that long? What a loser I am! Oh well. It has been a fun and interesting and at times, stressful summer! It is my goal this week to post a photo gallary of our summer.

Coshell is due back tomorrow!! I am so excited! I have missed my baby so much! (a big reason I havent posted for a while, no one cute here to write about :) )

Okay, I need your help! I have decided to join an online craft store and sell my stuff. Scary! I, however, need a clever name for my so called 'business'. Any ideas? I have looked into it a bit and a few words that are overused are 'unique', 'creations', 'cute', etc.

Im looking for something fun, maybe a play on words. Anyway, I hope someone can help me. Otherwise I will just put it all under 'icantthinkofanythingcleversojustbuymystuff.com'

And Terra, I am so happy for you!! Im so sorry you had to go through hell, but you are a strong and inspirational woman. Lots of love to you and your family!!

Missing my baby!

Well, it has been a week now since Coshell left for Utah to be with her dad. I cant lie and say that Im not enjoying a quiet house...but I do really miss her! Those of you in Utah, I will give you her contact information and maybe she can come up and play with the kids.?. She would really love to see her cousins! She was very bummed that she wont be able to go to the reunion. Her dad signed her up for Cheer Camp at the same time as the reunion. She actually cried and said she would rather go with us, but the camp was already paid for. Next year!! I have gotten two phone calls from her since her departure and she sounds very sad. This makes my heart cry! But, alas, I am making it through!

For the reunion, I have been put in charge of Breakfast Saturday morning, with Gabe and Jens help. And what a breakfast it will be!! We have to fill everyone up good because we will all need plenty of energy for the games. The games that I am also in charge of (with Holly's help)! Let me just tell you, it will be our own little version of 'survivor' or 'big brother', which ever show you like. Because our family is in NO way competitive! It is going to be SOOOO much fun! I have officially named it "Pinnock Family Battle of the Bad-Bums" (because it would be inappropriate to call ourselves Bad-Ass's with all the little children around.) It will be complete with penalties and prizes (including a big one-of-a-kind trophy made my yours truly) I wish I could give you more details but it would be unfair for the rest of the family! All I can tell you is, do your stretches, physically and mentally! I am so excited for this!! I know you guys are looking forward to the Basket Ball game but, it will pale in comparison!!!

I have also thought of the little kiddies. The games are actually designed so that EVERYONE can join in, BUT the little ones that wont take defeat, or getting yelled at (in an excited way only of course) very well, I have made a HUGE twister game, and a tiny activity bag for them. Once the winning team has been crowned, the games continue with a friendly game (is there such a thing in the Pinnock family) of volley ball. HOWEVER...not a conventional game. Details to be released on a need to know basis, and right now, you dont need to know! :)

I cant wait to post pictures of it when we get back! We will probably all have the same pix but oh well.

Bitter Sweet

Summer...This is the time of year when kids are singing "No more pencils, no more books..." and parents are gearing up for vacations. Camping trips, Disneyland, reunions.

As for me...While I am so excited to see the sun and feel the temperatures go up, my heart breaks. But wait...lets start at the beginning.

Friday the 13th of June, was the last day of school! Who thought of that??? Anyway, I promised Coshell I would take her and a friend to the Drive-In. (What possesses me with these ideas???) We waited until Monday, so there would be less people. Coshell chose her very best friend in the whole world, her BFF (I told her that if you sound it out, it sounds like she is calling her a fart noise, but thats just me). We went to the dollar store and loaded up on treats. There is no better place than Dollar Tree!!! Once we picked up Aeryal, we were off to the boat.

When we got to the Island, we picked up Grammy and headed to the Drive-In. We were so excited to drive the go-karts and play video games and we got there in plenty of time for both. It was a beautiful evening but it was windy and very chilly. No one noticed at first. Grammy helped me set up the back of my car with a pad, and blankets and the girls set up their lawn chairs and sleeping bags. They made sure that ALL their treats were within reach at all times!


Once everything was set up, we went to drive the go-karts...but they werent running them that night! WHAT??? What were we going to do for the next 2 hours? Well, the arcade was going to have to do. IT WAS LOCKED UP! This could not be happening. Was there really going to be a movie???? They finally let us into the arcade, the only arcade in the country that only costs ONE TOKEN per game and not FOUR! Not only that, a lot of the games spit out tickets depending on your score which you can then trade in for prizes. The girls found their favorite game, a light runs a circle and you hit a button to stop the light, then depending on where it stops you get tickets. The girls were getting 10 here and 10 there...Grammy was wracking up points on the skee ball game. All of a sudden, a siren and bells go off and lights were flashing. I turned to see Aeryal standing there shocked. It was spitting out tickets like crazy. It just kept going and going! She had hit "Jackpot". In all, she won 300 tickets, and Coshell had 150. This did not sit well with Coshell but she moved on (eventually). Then it was time for them to trade them in for toys and treats. That took forever!! 5 tickets for this, 20 tickets for that...the poor kid behind the counter was patient. We finally left with tattoos, candy, balloons, stickers, and a sticky hand that I continued to get hit with. Then it was time to entertain ourselves until the movies began.

The girls had bag races, bag dances, rolled down hills (for a long time we didnt have ANY cars near us). They were giggling so much they couldnt breath. It was a lot of fun to watch! The girls began to get impatient for the movie to begin. We let them into the car with us for a while.

Grammy and the girls

The sun is finally going down! So is the temperature! The cartoons started and the girls were so excited! Grammy remembered back to when she used to go to the movies, and they had played the same cartoons and ads. Finally the movie started. First movie: KungFu Panda. It was hilarious! Gotta LOVE Jack Black!

As cold as it got, the girls were determined to stay in their chairs.

Where did they go???

Once I offered to turn the heater on, they were in the car in a flash! It was tight but fun and we could all see! We had a bathroom run after the first movie and they were actually awake enough for the second. We saw MOST of Narnia. Enough to say it was a good movie and that I would really like to see it again.

By the time we got back to Grammy's house, it was 2:30am and there were still giggly! I didnt hear the giggles stop until 3am or so! Who gave them sugar? For shame!

I got up at 10:30 and they were still asleep. Grammy started to make breakfast and I went out to clean the car. WOW! What a mess! Apperantly the smell of breakfast woke them up pretty quick! We had chocolate chip pancakes, sausage, hashbrowns and eggs. MMMMM! The girls hardly touched it. They were too busy planning their play. Grammy and I were entertained with a fashion show as well.

On our way to the boat, we stopped off at "castle park" for a short time. The girls had fun getting lost and working off the rest of the sugar that some irresponsible soul fed them.

I told the girls to wave, and the little boy turned with excitement and waved too! :)

The girls had such a good time! It was sad when it was over, to hear Coshell say "I guess I will see you next school year" as she sadly walked away from her best friend.
It is so hard for me to have to give up my baby for the entire summer! I am so glad though, that we are able to make these wonderful and fun memories for her to take with her (and to ensure that she will want to come home :) )

I really hope that all you family members in Utah will get a chance to see her at some point. Let me know how shes doing.

PIX

Okay, I know that I need to get more pics on here but, unfortunately I dont take a lot of pics. Shame on me!! I will regret it I know. But, good news is...Coshell likes to take pics of herself and jumps at the chance to be center stage when Michael takes the camera out. This one of the latest 'Ham' jobs.

What she is, is a mystery. To me she looks like a pink ninja frog, but your guess is as good as mine. She is a riot! Here is another one of her 'poses'. Reminds me of a tampon commercial or something but believe it or not, it took several takes to make her happy with the actual picture.

But I think my favorite picture of all time is this one. It was taken a while ago but she is in her 'Manager' jacket, and her exact words were "Mom, take a picture. This is me thinking".

I will make it a continual goal to get more photos, recent photos, of all of us...but I cant promise anything. Just that I will try!

The Eighth Wonder of Washington State

The strangest thing happened yesterday! The morning started off normally enough. I put Coshell on the bus and went in the house to start my day. Halfway through breakfast there was a strange stream of light peeking through the window. I went out into the backyard and couldnt believe what the thermometer on the fence said. I looked up into the sky and there was a very large, very bright, ball of what seemed like fire! It was making my backyard hot...85 degrees to be exact. What could it possibly be? I wondered to myself if this had ever happened before. I turned the news on to see if they had anything to say about it and I couldnt believe my ears. They called it the SUN! I marveled at its wonder.

I decided to go to the park and play some basketball. It was just me, myself and I...so we couldnt really play one on one. Myself sat out for a game so Me and I played. We were going to play shirts and skins, but there was NO way I was going to take off my shirt, and I couldnt get Me to do it either so we just shot some hoops. I got bored after a while and decided to take the dog for a walk. I didnt think I was outside for that long but...

apparently I was.










THEN, on my way back to the house I found a black stripe on the sidewalk.





At first glance I thought it was a crack in the asphalt. But it was moving. When I got closer...

They were ants! It was actually amazing to see them all going back and forth in the same line. It reminded me of A Bug's Life. There were a few straglers away from the line and I swear I could hear them screaming "IM LOST, IM LOST".

Well, its chore time. Gabe do you remember chore time? Or otherwise known as Saturday. I thought I was going to get out of it once I was grown up and had my own house and family...but, aparently Mom had a secret meeting with Michael at some point. Its chore time. :(

THANK YOU

You are all right...well, maybe not the PB&J thing :) but you are all right! I worry way too much about things that may or may not change. Pray for the strength to do what I need to do in the NOW and hope that my efforts make a difference...but in the mean time...I need to enjoy the TODAY!

By the way, Happy Mother's Day! It was a great day for me. Last night we had dinner at Grammy and Papa's house to celebrate Mother's Day, SweetPeas 10th!, Papa's birthday (he is a whopping 39! hee hee) and Michael's birthday. Coshell stayed over with Grammy so my day was quiet and calm. Coshell was kind of sad when Michael reminded her that it was mother's day but I assured her that it was alright for her to stay with Grammy. She made Michael promise that he WOULD NOT serve me breakfast in bed. How is that fair to me? I dont remember it being Coshell's day....it is mother's day right??? Anyway...he promised that he would wait for her to come home before he would serve me breakfast in bed. So, I got breakfast for dinner in bed. It was great!

Oh yeah, yesterday was also Me and Mom day at the zoo. Coshell and I, and a friend of mine and her daughter (who is 26) went and spent the day at the zoo. We had a great time! Although I was a little upset that the penguins were at another location. I got over it. And Gabe, your request has not been ignored. We have a new internet connection and it is easier for me to upload images. So, it is my mission this week to get plenty of pix for y'all to see! And without getting too sappy...I want to thank you all for your comments! They were all very insightful and sorely needed! It is always fun to hear from you! Love to all!

D-Railed!!

I have no excuses, well, no good ones anyway. I am still trying to make fitness a habit, rather than just this annoying thing I SHOULD do. It would help if I had more support at home but I guess that could just be considered another excuse. If anyone has any secrets or helpful hints that help them stay on track, I would LOVE to hear them! Its like I need someone to hold my hand and lead me in the right direction. Then stay there and make sure I do it! Why does this have to be so hard for some and not hard for others? I know we are all given our challenges and we are never given more than we can handle. I know that I have had seemingly harder challenges place before me. BUT, why is THIS such a struggle? The lamest part about this...I have succeeded before! Anyway...this is just too heavy for today...ha ha, excuse the punn, HEAVY...guess its the word of the day. Sorry, its a lame post...but I had to get it out of me and leave it to float in the lonely abyss of the internet. Tomorrow will be better...right?

Rejoice with me sistas!!!

I have done the impossible!!

At least it seemed to me :) I bought myself a treadmill and started walking four weeks ago! I disciplined myself and walked everyday for at least 15 minutes but averaged 20+ minutes, and ran for about 5 minutes of that(had to start off easy). I did this for two weeks without weighing myself (I had Michael hide the scale). At two weeks I was feeling stronger and better. I stepped on the scale (cuz I found it, not cuz Michael told me where it was). I waited patiently as the numbers blinked...and...I GAINED 3 POUNDS!!! I was devistated!! Now, most of you know that I have struggled with my weight for several years. Up, and down, and up again...and well...mostly up!

I consoled myself with an eclair! Not the best decsion but hey, I forgave myself. I missed a couple of days on the treadmill but talked myself into realizing that the weight gain was probably muscle building. Right? I did feel stronger. Heaven knows I probably didnt have much muscle under there :). So, I got back to it! I started walking more and running more of the time. (I have also been eating good and drinking lots of water). I decided that even if it wasn't going to result in weight loss, it made me feel better and I would keep it up...Okay, yeah right! I wanted there to be weight loss!

Michael hid the scale again and I got back on the treadmill. I put a movie on my computer and watch as I walk (it is also a great time to use my teeth whitening strips). It has now been a week an a half since my devestation. I have notice that my pants are starting to slip, in the downward direction :) ....now, not to get too personal here but...as I was getting ready for my shower, I realized something....girls, I hope you can relate at what a big deal this is...

MY BOOBS STICK OUT FARTHER THAN MY STOMACH!!!!!!

At least when when I stand up. My next goal is to have them bigger than my belly when I sit. Baby steps Chelsie, baby steps! Anyway...I found the scale again (he doesnt hide it very well, cuz I dont even try to find it, I just happen upon it). I have lost 5 pounds! Its probably water weight but who cares cuz the numbers on the scale were smaller either way.

No matter what, it is part of my morning routine now and I feel so much better. By the reunion I should be smaller! That would be so fantastic! And Hillarie...if I keep this up, I might be able to jog with you at Chelan!! Yay ME!! *patting myself on the back*

I know its probably vain being so exctied about this but I have to rejoice in the small successes!!

Cheers!!

Pix trouble

I finally find some pix to post and most of them wont upload...any advice??? Oh well, I got a few. The pic of Coshell's room is what it used to look like. She is growing up so fast that she is starting to grow out of it :(. I worked too had on that room to let her just give it up...so we compromised. i will get pix of that uploaded soon...hopefully!

Coshell's birthday party is on Saturday...heaven help us! She has invited 10 girls. Am I nuts? We have decided that starting this year, we will only have parties every other year. So I get next year off *whew*. Her last party, she had a slumber party. All the girls were wearing glow-in-the-dark braclets and necklaces...sounds fun right? Has anyone every seen the movie 'Miss Congeniality' (SP?) with Sandra Bullock? Remember the scene where they go to the bar and are playing the drums, covered in glow-in-the-dark paint??? That was my downstairs bathroom!! They had cut them all open and spread it everywhere! The girls had it on their faces and clothes, all over the walls and floor! Luckily it wares off and cleans up okay, but wow! Wont make that mistake again!! Im sure they had fun though :)

A lot can happen in a day!

WOW what a weekend!! Grammy and Papa dropped Sweet Pea off after a fun sleepover at their house. While we were visiting, an aid car pulled up to the neighbors' house. The father of one of Sweet Pea's friends had had a heart attack and was taken away in an ambulance. It was very scary but he is home and doing well. Our prayers are with them as they have had several challenges recently. THEN, last night I got a phone call from a friend that I was supposed to meet up with for dinner. She was in a head-on collision! They are doing fine considering but are still pretty shaken!!

I have turned my spare room into a project room. And I have serveral projects going in it. To organize my supplies I purchased several boxes from IKEA...I LOVE IKEA!!!! I fastened them together in an arch over my project table so they are all at my fingertips, but I still have lots of table to use!! I was so excited!! I have been fighting with this issue for a long time (as I stated before). I was also able to set up my sewing table, a desk with my computer to work on my stories, AND my treadmill so I can run when I 'run' out of ideas!! I promise, pix are coming soon!

Now I must print Sweet Pea's invitation for her party....SHES GONNA BE 10!!! Wish me luck :)

Back on track...

Not that anyone would know this but I have been in somewhat of a rut lately. My running had become off and on and my creativity seemed blocked. For whatever reason, this morning I woke up with a new drive! It felt great!

Yesterday I was trying to figure out a specific organization issue in my spare room (treadmill and art projects). I worked on this issue for hours and to no avail. Last night at about 11:30pm, just as I was dozing off, it struck me! I figured out a solution...but of course I couldn't work on it, everyone was asleep. So that is my project today. With Billy Joel in the CD player, the animals (one dog and two cats) lazing around downstairs, and no one home until 4pm...the day is ALL MINE!! Usually my days are packed with errands whether they are mine or not. But this week is all for me! To tell the truth though...I miss working. I miss the interaction with other adults! Childish adults at that :). I had to quit my job (in December) after 8 years because my back was just getting too bad. I love being at home for my family, but I do miss work.

Well, that was short and very blah...but I must finish my project and have it clean before hubby gets home...nothing like living with an AR OC. That is another story for another day :)
Laugh daily! Its a great work out for the stomach!!

In the beginning...

Ive wanted to do this for a long time but have always thought..."who wants to read about me?" but hey...who wouldnt??? To start with, I'm a mom...a fulltime mom. Wait, since I gave birth to my daughter I have been her mother every minute ever since so...why do people say 'fulltime mom'? Do you have the choice of taking only part time? Maybe I should have talked to my Doctor about that before the birth. Just kidding, I love my daughter!!! She will be 10 in less than two weeks!!! It has gone by so fast! Forget the fountain of youth, I want a pause button!!

I got remarried 3 1/2 years ago and we would like to have another child. I guess we will see if it is in the cards. In the mean time, I keep myself occupied with my hobbies while 'SweetPea' is in school. I dont really like to call myself 'crafty', it sounds a little too Holly Hobby-ish. I do however love to use my creativity to make things.

I have been really into watching The Biggest Loser! I am so glad that Ali won! I have to say that they all deserved it! Its motivating watching it but its hard to keep that motivation! I have struggled with my weight for a long time and I am tired of it. I had back surgery two years ago, I thought it would be easier to exercise but its not. Who was I kidding? I have actually been keeping a journal about it, taking pics and measurements to see any progress but its not going so well. Blah Blah Blah

Im hoping that this can be somewhat humorous...I read other blogs and some of them can get pretty deep...this is pretty much just a way for me to ramble and tell my imaginary friends (until I get real ones lol) about what is going on in my life. Hence, the Blah-ger...

Until next time!!!