A Little Bit of ME to go Around...

 Well, I guess this is where I say, "HI! My name is...BLANK, hahaha (inside joke), and this is my life...  BUT, me, being me, I'm forced to be different!  I am, or so my mother or husband would tell you, very stubborn, sometimes bull-headed, and mostly set in my ways... But all-in-all, trying not to sound too conceited, I think I am a very likable human being!  I have many interests, which is a good quality for a friend you like to talk to, because honestly, I could talk for hours, if you really get me going on something I feel firm about! I am a good listener, also good "friend quality"... I am kind, and gentle, and practically harmless most of the time, but I can be stern, if need be...

I have four, (yes, FOUR) children. My oldest, my son Austin, will be 14 in July... My next, is my daughter Alyssa, and she will be 12 in May... I have a six year old daughter named Taegan, and a daughter, Piper, who will be four in March.  I have to say they all have their own personalities, that's for sure! And they all keep me on my toes!

Austin lives with his Dad, which is only three miles away from where I live, so it's not so bad... It took me some getting used to, as he lived with me right up until he was 12, but I understand that a boy needs his father, and living with a bunch of girls wasn't his "cup of tea", so-to-speak!  He knows that I am always here for him, no matter what, and nothing would ever change that. As he gets older, his voice is changing, he is "calming down", and starting to get the "real deal" on life, and I know that he is doing just fine, and he WILL do fine throughout his life. He is very talented, especially when it comes to that Wii! He is artistic, (like mom!) and he loves music, and dirt bikes, snowmobiles, and the internet!  I can actually picture him being a stunt man when he gets older... lol...funny, but true, because I am a nervous mom when it comes to doing things that can get you paralyzed!  ANYHOO- he is a good kid, and deserves great things in life, and I don't just say that because he's my kid either...

Alyssa, my almost 12 year old daughter is becoming a woman!  (yeah...ouch) Just a few weeks ago, I had to show her how to shave her legs... Needless to say, I had been putting this off for weeks, as she asked me a long time ago. (my' bad?) So I don't want my baby growing up! Is that so bad???  To get back to the legs, she yelled to me from the shower, I went in to see what she wanted... "Will you show me how to shave my legs now???" she pleaded.  What was I going to say? "Wait until we get sharper razors"? I can't use that excuse anymore! She knows I have razors! SO... I reach in, being careful not to move the shower curtain too far, because she is freaky about that too, now! I grab a razor from the top shelf, and tell her, "Put your leg up here on the side of the tub..." She does it...  I say, "Now give me the shaving cream...MOM'S shaving cream! Not Toms!" ... I put the shaving cream on her leg to show her how to do it, then I say, "Now start at the ankle, and swipe up...SLOWLY..." and I place the razor where it goes, she is holding onto it, I'm just guiding her, and she made the first swipe...EVER! I wanted to go write it in her baby book! "First time shaving legs: age: almost 12"  I was so bummed!  I felt...OLD! Like I will be having GRANDCHILDREN soon!  I just wanted to cry! But, I didn't... I just gave a long moan as I walked out of the bathroom. Alyssa thought it was funny. I did NOT...  She is a "high-honer-roll student" and I have the bumper sticker to prove it! She plays the clarinet, she's beautiful, funny, and I couldn't ask for a better kid.

Ha ha...TAEGAN! My little "Taegan-ator"!  She was eight pounds, two-point-three ounces, and twenty and a half inches long... My LARGEST child at birth.  Now, she is six, weighs eighty-six pounds, and is four foot exactly... She is a head taller than the tallest boy in grade-K!!!  And dammit, she is PROUD of it!  She is also talented in the art department, she has a HUGE imagination, she is very strong,she loves animals, and interestingly enough, she may be our next scientist! Maybe an astronaut, or professional football player! WHO KNOWS with this child! She has a harmonica, and a karaoke machine, and she SINGS! I swear I've got the next set of "American Idol's" right here under my roof! My favorite soundtrack right now, "August Rush", is ALSO one of Taegan's favorites! If you have ever listened to it, or get a chance to, listen to "Raise It Up" and the little girl singing in that song is Taegan's favorite!

Now PIPER, on the other hand, (yes, I got her name from the show "Charmed"!) She IS a "charmed-one"!  She is so smart, it is UNREAL! Literally... she comes up with the oddest things! Not neccessarily ODD, but odd for her age...  She talks like you, or I, corrects herself when she is wrong, she shows MAJOR interest in the universe... (Science magazines I have laying around...no more...they are HERS now!) She even brings them in the blazer with us for "reading material"!  She writes her name, and others names, "pretends" to read the newspaper...ha ha, she holds it up in front of her, and you see her eyes scan the pages, back and forth, back and forth... What a kid! She plays the playstation better than I do half the time, and she has her own "Cool School Computer" (I suggest this toy to ALL parents!) She memorizes Dora the Explorer, and Go, Diego,Go, and tells me about animals and places I never even heard of before! She is the youngest, and the LAST! UNLESS, of course, I leave it up to my husband, who wants another SON!!!

Ah, my husband... The love of my life... The one I frequently call "Maximus"... Ha ha... Another insde joke... The biggest PAIN IN MY ASS! Yet, where would I be without him? WHAT would I DO with myself without the "All-Mighty King Thomas"???  I love him dearly, and I can joke about him, if I wish... I am the one destined to spend the rest of my life with this man.  He is hot, (I think) which is what attracted me to him to begin with... He is funny, sarcastic, he is a "Tom-of-all-trades", but on a daily basis, he is an iron-worker/certified welder/erector who works out of town Monday through Friday, and I get to see him only on weekends... What a life, eh? I swore I would never have a long-distance relationship...Well, I got a long-distance marraige instead...  Brilliant, aren't I? 

Anyhow, now that I have bored you with my family, let me tell you a little about myself!  First of all, my hobbies include writing, (duh) drawing, reading, movies, astronomy, astrology, history, science, The Craft, LEARNING AS MUCH AS I CAN, ABOUT AS MUCH AS I CAN... I am a "part-time" Partylite Consultant. For those of you who don't know what Partylite is, check it out at www.partylite.com ... It's mainly scented candles, candle accessories, lotions, reed diffusers, things to make your home look and smell good. The key word is AMBIENCE... Creating ambience within your surroundings... I started doing this last year, and I actually haven't done that great with it, but I haven't exactly gone out there and promoted myself either...  I like the products... My home is full of Partylite candles, and Partylite this, and Partylite that... If anyone ever wants any information, just ask me!  Also, I have been looking into finding friends that I went to school with, so I made a page on www.facebook.com and I was surprised at how many of my old friends were on there!  I suggest this site to anyone interested.

I am going to add a couple of my sketches I have done in the past.  In 2005, I began taking classes through the mail from Art Instruction Schools. Unfortunately, I did not follow through with this. I made it to the 13th lesson, and I had to stop the lessons, because of financial problems at the time, (it was $120/month) and I never started it back up... Maybe someday I will return to that hobby... Until then, maybe you will enjoy the pics I add here. I will only add my favorites, or however many I am allowed...