Handmade By Me!

I've seen something like this on a few different blogs. The first time, I missed being part of the first five.Here is the deal:
The first five people to comment on this post will get something made by me.This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:
1- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make.
2- What I make will be just for you.
3- It'll be done this year.
4- You have no clue what it's going to be. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5- I reserve the right to do whatever I want!
The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must re-post this on your own blog and offer the same deal to 5 of your own lucky blog readers. So, the first 5 people to leave a comment telling me they are in, win a FAB-U-LOUS homemade gift by me! Oh, and be sure to post a picture of what you win when you get it.
Let the games begin!

Taylor turns Sweet 16

I can't believe that my niece Taylor is now Sweet 16. It seems like just yesterday she was born. I know that my mom is very proud of this sweet girl. I am proud of her in everything that she has accomplished in her life. We got to visit with her back in Feburary. We wanted to try and surprise her for her birthday but wasn't able too but her dad did. I am sure that it was a great surprise for her.

This picture was taken in Fresno when we went up in Fresno. I know it isn't a great pic but it was funny. This is at a gas station.

Taylor with her dad, stepmom Melissa, and stepbrother Willie. This was taken in October of 2007.

Taylor with Grandma in 2006. This is one of the last pictures of Taylor and her grandma taken.

Taylor with me and Eric at Thanksgiving 2008.

Taylor with her Great Grandma Mealey. Thanksgiving 2008

Taylor with her Great Granpa and Grandma Mealey at Thanksgiving 2008.

She is growing up just to fast. I wish I was able to see her more often. But it is great when we are able to get together and see her. Hope you had a great Sweet 16 Taylor.

Phil Keoghan the host of Amazing Race in Vegas

So Phil Keoghan the host of Amazing Race is riding across country for MS and he stopped in Vegas today. He was down at the GNC on Blue Diamond road. So after taking Eric to the airport for his two week training trip me and the boys stopped by to see him and get some autographs. It was great while we were there he talked to a guy on the phone who just had surgery for his MS. He is such a great inspiration to us all.

Jake went up and got his GNC hat signed and was excited to meet him.

Here is a pic of the boys next to the trail that Phil's dad drives around with him.

Phil was nice enough to even give us a card that was signed just to the boys Uncle Tim. Uncle Tim is a big fan of Amazing Race and will get a great kick out of the autograph. The card is actually personalized to him.

The boys then took pictures together with him. I think it is a great thing that he is doing. I would love to help bring the awareness about MS to everyone. It is a very hard disease that cripples so many.

You can go to www.philridesacrossamerica.com to find out more about what he is doing and what states and cities he will be visiting.

St. Patty's Day 2009

Well yesterday was St. Patty's Day and our traditional Irish dinner was fun. This year we decided to do Cornbeef Sandwiches. I bought some lunch meat at the Smiths Deli to make great sandwiches. Jake actually tried it and liked it. I think he ate like 3 sandwiches. But they were small little sandwiches that were supposed to be in the shape of shamrocks. Here is what they looked like.

I also go Sour Cream and Onion chips. There are green flecks in the chips. We also had Tortilla chips and Gaucamole dip that was green. I went to a place called the Cupcakery and bought cupcakes. Here is what they look like.

The flavors are Grasshopper, Bailey's Irish and Cream and Indulge oh my Ganouch. They were very good. We had them with Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

The boys got to have some fun too. They had their St. Patty's Day shirts on from Old Navy and then I got them hats and some bead necklaces. They had a great time with it. Here are some pics of the boys in their St. Patty's day attire.

The boys goofing around.

Jake posing after his little Irish jig.

Trent pretending to drink green beer.

Ode to my Mother

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She would have been 64 years old. I just wanted to say that she was a great mom to me and my big brother Rick. We loved her very much. I miss her everyday but know that she is in a better place and watching over us like she did here on earth. She was also a great grandma to my boys and to my niece Taylor. They miss her very much but are they also know that she is in a better place and she is out of pain now. Growing up my mother always made sure that we had what we needed to get through school and to help us become the parents that we are today.

My parents were married in Dec of 1966 and they were happy up until I was 12 years old. Then they divorced and my mom took me and my brother to raise us. She never talked bad about anyone not even my dad. She was still in love with him just couldn't live with him is what she always told us. But even though she was alone raising us she made sure that we got to and from school and all of our church activities.

I got to go to Canada with my Grandma Mealey, my mom and my brother when I was little. She made sure that we knew who are family was and were we came from. This is a picture of 4 generations that was taken when we went up to Canada. My Granny Souch (Grandma Mealey's mom), My Grandma Mealey, My Mom and me. I think I was 8 years old in this picture.

My mom made sure that I graduated from High School. She was so proud of me that day. I was so happy that she was there for me too. My Senior year was tough with having to have a surgery at the beginning and having to be out of school for 3 months. She helped me fight to be able to go to the prom, grad night and actually be able to paricipate in my high school graduation ceremony. I am glad that she was such a fighter for me.

She was always a big cheerleader for me and my brother in everything we did. She was also a great supporter to all of my friends that were around me too. When ever there was anything that they needed she tried to help them out.

Even when we made bad choices she never told us that she told us so. She let us make the choices and then learn from what we did. Like when I married my first husband Travis Anderson. She never told me that I wasn't going to be unhappy and wished us both the best in our marriage. And when that marriage failed she let me come back home and try and pick up the pieces after the hurt that I was going through. She helped me get back to church and make the right choices with my next one. She was extremely happy when I found Eric and went to the temple to be sealed and take out my own endownments. She supported me the whole way through it. Even with having a cast on her hand from having surgery she was there for me.

She was so excited that the day she became a grandma when my niece Taylor was born. She was the best grandma to her and my boys. I know that her life has been changed the day that my mom passed away. She is a great young women today for some of the things that my mom did for her.

This was the last picture takem of my mom with her grandsons. They were very excited to have a great grandma like my mom. She was so great to them. I believe that they are going to be great young men because of some of the things that she taught my boys. Plus she taught me how to be a great mom for my boys. The day that I learned that I needed to say goodbye to my mom was a hard one for me. But she taught me that I will see her again and with my temple blessings and hers I will be able to do that. I am so glad that she was my mom and was able to teach me to be a great mom too.

Christmas 2008

This year we had a small Christmas at home with just our family. Since we traveled for Thanksgiving it was nice just to be here with the family. We had a great suprise the week before Christmas and had company come into town. Eric's brother Tim(TJ)'s wife Mary, daughter Lizzie and mother-in-law came into town to try and avoid the snow on their trip home from Texas and instead they it the snow here in Vegas and wasn't able to drive through it. Also Mary's mom got sick and they ended up staying until Sunday.


Also on Saturday Eric's, Aunt Debbie and Uncle Bob came through town on their way to Arizona for Christmas. We got together and had dinner with them at the South Point Buffet. It was nice seeing them again. We hadn't seen them since my dad had passed away in 2002 and we had gone up to Washington for his memorial. They hadn't seen my boys since Jake was 2 and Trent was only 6 months old. And they had never met Lizzie before. It was a great visit. We stayed at the buffet for 2 hours.

Well Christmas day was just small. But we actually like that.

This is the second Christmas that we have had since my mom has passed away and it is really different without her around to help me get my house all decorated for Christmas. And then with the snow we really weren't able to get into our garage to get the house all decorated up the way that we want it each year. But we did finally get one of our tree's up on Christmas eve and get some decorations on it in time to celebrate Christmas. We took around some bags of goodies to our friends in the ward. We had alot of fun doing that.The boys didn't believe us when we told them that if they weren't good through out the year that all they would get from Santa this year was buckets of coal. Well they each got buckets of coal. One small stocking with a Toontown card in it and a little lego. But I don't think that they really minded that they got a bucket of coal from Santa. They did get other gifts from mommy and daddy and they enjoyed those.

We got Bruce, Eric's dad, some sweats for USC and a digital photo frame that he has been asking for lately. Eric just asked to get his car fixed so that he can drive it again. I got a new camera that I can keep in my purse to be able to take pictures of cute when it happens. I also got a ihome for my ipod to be able to listen to it in my room.

On Friday we took the boys ice skating for the first time. They enjoyed it. We didn't last long at the rink though. My feet really started hurting and the boys I think got bored with it. I really am the only that can ice skate to be able to help the boys but we got them out there and they started to have fun.

It took me to coax them onto the ice by helping each of them by themsleves.

We were able to find these metal walkers that helped the boys skate on their own.

I think that they did very well for the fact that it was their first time being on skates.

In fact on Saturday Trent actually asked if he could go ice skating again. So to me I think that means he had fun.

Eye doctor and Glasses

I finally got all of my boys into the eye doctor. Trent was the first to go because his teacher was worried about his eye sight. It was taking him along time to copy something off of the whiteboard. So we took him in and he actually did need glasses for reading and looking at the board in school. So he doesn't need to be wearing them while playing outside. But he looks really cute in his glasses. But he could grow out of having to wear glasses.
So I finally got Jake and Eric to the eye doctor too. Jake got a good clean bill of eye sight. He actually has 20/20 eyesight. We were really proud of him for that. The next was Eric to see the eye doctor. He actually has good eyesight but in his left eye it was blurry. So he actually needed to get glasses to see long distance. He has to wear them when he is driving or watching tv at a distance. I think he looks handsome too.