Diet Coke Update...

As many of you know, I am in the throws of trying to give up Diet Coke. Apparently it is REALLY bad for your health, and to top it all off, it has the evil side effect of helping to keep a person a little on the plump side.

My mom enjoys finding me in the funny papers, and I clearly channel the main character in the "Cathy" comic strip, since she often sends it to me. She clipped this one this week and it arrived in my mailbox yesterday. It would probably be even funnier if I didn't still REALLY want a cold diet coke from Sonic... if Sonic were open, which it isn't.I hope it comes out large enough to read it. It is worth a chuckle! Happy Friday!

UPDATE!***My very technological friend, Shelley, has discovered that if you click on the comic, it enlarges it, so you CAN read the words. That helps, as comic strips are generally only funny if you can actually READ them!! :-)

WANTED: One Bad Cat

Our little town has a no-kill animal shelter called "Huts for Mutts", which is a really great organization for a town of any size, much less a small town of less than 3,000. They are always having adoption events and special rabies-shots events and things of that nature. This week they sponsored an event called "Nickel Neuter", which was just for male cats. For a mere FIVE CENTS, you could take your male cat in to be neutered. Yes, you read that correctly, FIVE U.S. CENTS. Not five dollars, FIVE CENTS. A nickel. Amazing! I called and got our one remaining tom cat, Cole, on the list. I was to have him there at 8:30 A.M. I'm thinking, no sweat. Cole was here the night before, purring like a little engine on the porch. He does run around, but he almost always is around in the morning hours if he was present and accounted for the night before. Well, clearly, someone tipped ole' Cole off about what was coming his way. He knew we didn't say. "Hey! Let's take the cat in to be TUTORED."... He knew what we planned to do with his manhood, and he was having no part of it! When the morning dawned, clear and bright, Cole was GONE. We looked. We called. We tried to lure him to the porch with cat chow. No sir - he was Gone (with a capital G!) I had to call the nice Huts for Mutts folks and say, "I'm sorry - My tom cat is out tom-catting around, and I cannot find his sorry behind." I don't think they were particularly impressed with me.

That evening, once the event was over, guess who I found on my porch? That's right, Cole was back, fat and sleek, looking very smug and proud of himself. The sorry sucker! He's the mac-daddy of our little "kitty harem", and I think he intends to stay that way. Luke said he really respected Cole's efforts to keep his Mo-Jo. I just shook my head... it must be a male thing!

Our other tom-cat, Chester Henry, (the sweet yellow one who was a lover and not a fighter) is gone for good, I'm afraid. He hasn't been around for well over a month. The children are so sad. Luke and I secretly wonder if Cole didn't have something to do with his sudden disappearance... He is a crafty fellow... I think he would be the prime suspect.

Blogger Block!

Hello, bloggy friends - I have been out of touch for a few days - I am experiencing "blogger block"!! I can't think of a thing to write about! Usually "my cup runneth over" with humorous stories and such from the girls, but I guess it has been a rather dull week at the Killian Household! Anyway, we are all fine - we're just boring right now! I'm sure that the action will pick up soon!!!!

Solar System Project - Complete!

Katie has a big Science project that is due on Thursday. But we finished early! That is SO unlike us! The teacher assigned it several weeks ago , which gave us lots of time to plan and work. She decided she wanted to make a model of the Solar System on a poster using styrofoam balls as the planets. So, mom made a run to Waco and bought a basket full of foam. Then we proceeded to cut them in half. Have you ever cut foam balls in half? It is not easy. I tried with a regular knife and the styrofoam laughed at me. Ummm... Houston, We have a problem!!  I finally decided that this project called for power tools. Oh, wait. We don't own a lot of power tools! So, I did what any good housewife would do. I used my electric turkey-carving knife!! The kids laughed and laughed. Katie finally said she needed to take a picture. I let her. This was the scene at our house a few weeks ago on the night we slaughtered the styrofoam...Not a pretty sight.

Anyway, she painted and planned and googled facts about the planets, so last night we sat down to assemble the massive work of art. Gracie was totally engrossed in "Scooby Doo, Where's my Mummy?" on the DVR, so we got it put together really quickly. She drew in the asteroids and pasted on the facts and I helped her hot-glue the planets in place. She was really proud of it when we finished. It was getting late and she wasn't quite finished yet, so she even got to stay up late to complete it. I told her that we should just finish it and get it turned in before Gracie had a chance to destroy it. (Don't laugh... she has destroyed before, and she WILL destroy again. She's like a ticking time bomb! ha ha!)

The project turned out looking like this:
Pretty cute, huh?

(Also, just as an FYI, did all of you KNOW that they have changed the rules for what qualifies as a planet? Pluto is NO LONGER A PLANET!!!!!!! Kate was telling me this, and I kept disagreeing with her, so finally we went online to check it out and SHE WAS RIGHT!!! "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas" no longer works... nowadays the kids say "My Very Excellent Mother Just Served Us Nachos". It is official... I am old... my acronyms are no longer relevant!!!!!!!!)

It'a an aqua-mystery, Scooby Doo!

(That title is only funny if you know how much Scooby Doo my youngest child watches right now... she is obsessed. We have AT LEAST 20 episodes on our DVR right now)... Any-hoo... on with the story!

We have had a sudden disappearance in our family.

We have a cute little fish tank with three goldfish, one for each child.

It looks something like this...
Look how happy those fish are swimming in that tank! Well, when we left to go to Ruidoso last weekend, there were three fish in the tank. When we came back from Ruidoso, there were two fish in the tank. Where did the fish go? At first I thought maybe it flopped out, but the tank has a lid. Then I thought it might have gotten trapped in the filter, but it doesn't have a big enough hole in it to trap a fish. I cleaned out the tank, and there were NO fish-y parts in there... not a bone, not a single eye-ball. Finally I decided that the other two fish must have eaten it. Those two little goldfish got together and voted the other little goldfish off of the island in proverbial Survivor style, and then he was lunch.

How do you explain something like this to kids? They finally decided he must have flushed himself down the toilet like the fish did in Finding Nemo. I didn't have the heart to explain cannibalism to them just yet.

So, with tears in her eyes, Abby asks, "Can you buy me another fish?"

Absolutely, baby. I will go to Wal- Mart this very day.

And, I did.

We now have a new family member named Peach.

100 Facts about ME...

1.  My full name is Elizabeth Gail Killian.

2.  I have been called "Betsy" since birth.  I don't know why.  I wish there was some explanation, but there isn't...

3.  My maiden name was Elizabeth Gail Killian.

4.  No, we aren't related (except now, by marriage).

5.  No, our children do not have three heads.

6.  But, yes, I am originally from Arkansas! (ha ha)

7.  I was born on September 23.

8.  I am 36 years old.  (Had to take a deep breath when I typed that!  That sounds OLD!)

9.  My parents are Robert and Sarah.  They are awesome.  

10.  I only have one sibling, a brother, Bill.

11. Bill is married to my sweet S-I-L, Roxanne.

12.  Bill and Roxanne have three kids, Sarah, Caleb, and Aidan.

13.  My nieces and nephews call me "Aunt B" 

14.  I am married to a wonderful man, Luke.  He's the best husband and father around.

15.  I'm pretty sure I got the better end of the deal when we got married! :-)

16.  I have three daughters.

17.  Kate

18. Abigail

19.  and Grace.

20.  I have a dog who is 13 ears old.  His name is Bandit.  He is a black Pomeranian.

21.  Bandit is so old that he has thyroid issues and is gaining weight and losing all of his hair.

22.  I felt sorry for Bandit this winter because it was so cold, and I bought him a doggie jacket.

23.  He looks ridiculous, but he's warm.

24.  We have 6 cats presently.

25.  Their names are Diamond and Cole (the parents), and Gato, Whiskers, Scaredy Cat, and Peppy (the kittens). (Peppy is short for Pepperoni).

26.  I did not name the cats.  My daughters did.

27.  We currently only have 3 cows, as we have just sold the calves.  The cows are named Bluebonnet, Rose, and Daisy.

28.  I did name the cows.

29.  We also currently have a bull, but he is leased.  You all can surely figure out WHY we have a leased bull.

30.  We have three goldfish.  

31.  Over the weekend, we had a goldfish death and were down to 2, but we have fixed that problem.  All is well in the tank again.  (This is a long story, and I'm sure I'll blog about it later...)

32.  The current goldfish are named Toto, CiCi, and Peach.  I did not name the Goldfish.

33.  Luke comes from a large family - there are four children in his family.

34. Sam is the eldest brother,

35.  Then Luke,

36.  Then Sarah,

37.  and Matt is the youngest.

38.  Sam is married to Sara, and they have three kids - Claire, Luke, and Jane.

39.  Sarah is married to Mike, and they have three kids - John, Colin, and Beth.

40.  Matt is single.

41.  I am actively looking for a good woman for ole' Matt.  :-)

42.  He is awesome, and we are going to marry him off yet.

43.  SO, if you know of any good, single women, let me know! ha ha!

44.  I grew up in rural Arkansas on a farm that is quite eerily similar to the farm where I live now.

45.  We moved to Texas when I was 15 years old.

46.  I hated it.

47.  We lived about 5 miles from Mexico.

48.  Did I mention that I hated it?

49.  I could not wait to leave for college!

50.  I went to college at Baylor U.

51.  I had a great time.

52.  I learned a lot.

53.  I think I grew up a lot.

54.  I met Luke at Baylor, and things were never the same again!!

55.  I got my Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education.

56.  I loved Baylor so much, I stayed and got my Master's degree in Educational Psychology.

57.  I am certified to teach K-6, and I am a certified school counselor.

58.  I married Luke on May 28, 1994.

59.  It was a great day.

60.  We went to the Cayman Islands on our honeymoon.  I still want to go back.

61.  My first real job was teaching third grade in Watauga, Texas.

62.  Watauga is one of the tiny towns between Dallas and Ft. Worth.

63.  I taught while Luke was in Medical School.

64.  After Med School, Luke went to residency in North East Arkansas.  It was kinda like "going home" for me.

65.  I taught third grade in Bay, Arkansas, for 2 years.

66.  Then I had Katie, and I quit teaching.

67.  I'm a Mom.

68.  Some day I want to teach again.

69.  After residency, we moved back to Texas.

70.  We moved to College Station, Texas.

71.  I loved College Station, though I am not an Aggie.  However, I met some wonderful friends in CS, and many of them ARE Aggies.  I still miss them a lot.

72.  While in CS, I had Abby.

73.  I thought we would live there forever, but

74.  God had a different plan for our family!

75.  A job came open in the tiny town of Hamilton, Texas, that was too good to pass up.

76.  Luke's Mom grew up in Hamilton, and his family has had a farm in Hamilton since he was a child.

77.  Taking this job and moving here was kinda like "going home" for Luke.

78.  After we made the decision to take the job and move, we learned I was pregnant.

79.  This was a big shock, since I had fertility issues with the first two pregnancies.

80.  BUT... not this time!  Grace arrived, and has been "blessing" our family ever since!

81.  I love living in a small town.

82. I feel like my kids are safe here.

83.  We have found a church that we both love, and our church loves us back.  

84.  We have built our "dream house" out in the country.

85.  I love our house.

86.  I love the school here.

87.  I have made some great friends here.

88.  I love to read.

89.  I am currently a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do.

90.  I have been taking Tae Kwon Do lessons for about two years.

91.  I am currently taking a break from Tae Kwon Do because I injured my knees.

92.  But, my knees are feeling better, so I about to start my lessons again.

93.  There are days when it feels really great to kick the *@#%$!! out of a punching bag!

94.  I can now say that I can break boards with my hands and feet.

95.  I am currently TRYING to give up Diet Coke.

96.  It is HARD,

97.  because I am ADDICTED to it.

98.  But, I will give it up because it is not good for me and...

99.  I want to be around for A LONG TIME to be with my family, because

100. I LOVE my family.

There it is!  Hope that didn't bore anyone too badly!  Happy 100 posts!

100th Post Today!

I can hardly believe that I have had enough to write about to fill 100 posts, but it seems I have. I have started to write a list of 100 little known facts about me in honor of my 100th post, but I'm really not very exciting... it may take me awhile to come up with something!! ha ha!! I'll post it some time soon...

I am still crawling out from under the pile of laundry, but thought I would take a minute to post some more photos of our trip. My internet is SUPER SLOW tonight, so we'll see how many I actually get loaded!


Here is one of my favorite pics... the hotel where we stayed had an indoor pool. Each night the girls got to go swimming, and to be honest, they probably liked the swimming better than the skiing! Here they are, dressed and headed for the pool.Here they are, swimming with their Daddy.
And this picture is SOOOOOO Gracie. She is about to chunk a snowball at the camera. Excellent.

I won't bore you all with too many vacation photos, so we'll leave it at that. Happy Tuesday!

Home Again, Home Again.

We are home.  We are tired, but we are home.  More photos will come later, after we have all had some sleep.  Mountains of laundry are waiting for me, but they can wait until tomorrow, because I, my friends, am going to sleep in MY BED, in my own room, with my children in another room. I appreciate the small things in life... Good Night!

SKI !!!!

We have had a GREAT time so far, though it has been a real "learning" experience for Luke and me. We have had to learn that "kid skiing" is WAY different than "grown-up skiing". They have a real time limit. They get tired really fast, and trying to carry everyone (and their gear) up the mountain at th same time is not pleasant for anyone. ha ha! But, we finally figured out a system, and everyone is happy.

First we went sledding. Here is a cut pic of Abby and Gracie on the tubing hill.Here is Kate just after getting her lift ticket, ready to carve up the slopes.
Here I am with the two little ones, enjoying some lunch in the lodge.
This is the cutest... Abby and Gracie were both SO tired after the first ski day... I guessed we pushed them too hard! Gracie took almost a two hour nap with me holding her in the lodge, and after Abby came in from her ski lesson, she fell asleep on the lunch table. Gracie was awake by then, so I managed to get a picture of her. Such a sleepy little ski bunny!
We skied for two days, and so I will post some more pics when we get back home. Pray for safe and easy travels tomorrow!!! Back to the real world...

We're Here!

We left today to go on a "mini" vacation.  We played hooky from school and left this morning to drive to Ruidoso, New Mexico, to try and take the girls skiing.  (This may be a bad idea... we'll let you know how it goes!! ha ha!!)  We made it with only a few threats of bodily harm to the occupants of the back seat.  Now we're at our hotel and the girls are in the bath tub and I am MOBILE BLOGGING!!!!!  Can you believe it?  I am so high-tech, I just don't know what to do with myself!!

Can't promise I'll update each day, but I promise to try and take some pics to post later.

Happy Skiing!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

First of all before we get started on the events for the day, let me just show you the flowers that hubby sent me for V. Day...WOW, right? These are BY FAR the most beautiful flowers I have ever gotten. He has outdone himself this year!!!! Thank you, babe. I love you!

The big event for the day was Abby's big kindergarten tea party. Instead of having a "traditional" Valentine party, the kids boarded a school bus and were driven to Circle T Arena where they had lunch in the cafe' there and were served tea. They have been learning about proper manners, so the "gentlemen" practiced pulling out the chairs for the "ladies". Everyone used their proper table manners and dipped their tea bags and added lumps of sugar before drinking their tea out of real china tea cups. (I was impressed... not one tea cup was broken during this event!) The "ladies" dressed up for the even in dresses or skirts, and the "gentlemen" wore nice clothes as well, some with a western theme (since it was in a rodeo arena.)

Here are Abby and Lainey, excited and ready for the big event.

Abby, waiting on her tea to steep before sipping it like a real "lady".
After the meal and tea party, the children got to go out to the dance floor, where they got to show off some of their "moves". They have been learning the two-step and the waltz at school. It was cuter than I can describe, so I'll not even try. Here is Abby with her friend, Cade, ready to boogie to some great George Strait tunes.
And, finally, here is Abs with good ole' Mom, just to prove that I was actually there at the event! It was a great day. I took A LOT of photos, but blogger has been cantankerous tonight, and it has taken me A LONG TIME to post these. Maybe I'll try to get some more up tomorrow.

For now, Happy Valentine's Day! And, I have changed my comment restrictions, so all you people who say that you don't post comments because you don't have a blogger account, no more excuses! You can post as "anonymous" now!!

Awesome.

Today one of my best friends here in the big H. is making a MAJOR life decision.  She is going to become a surrogate mother.  She has always dreamed of doing this, and after birthing her own beautiful 3 kids, she is still willing to do this for someone else.  Her husband completely supports her.  She has had YEARS of paperwork and psychological evaluations and physical evaluations and waiting, and now a couple has chosen her to bear their own biological child.  It is AWE INSPIRING to me. What a gift to give someone.  She goes today for the transfer.  Pray that it works and that God blesses this child (or children, if it's twins) that she will carry and nurture and grow and then give back to the biological parents in nine months.

Sad Day...

Those of you who know me know that I love Sonic's Diet Coke. (I am maybe just a little bit obsessive about it... it is really only good from Sonic. Something about the ice and maybe the styrofoam? I don't know...)

Any-hoo... I'm driving up to Sonic on Sunday, and what do I see? SONIC HAS BURNED!!!!! IT IS CLOSED, AND MY PERFECT DIET COKE SUPPLY IS GONE!!! I am absolutely stunned and heartbroken, friends. Heartbroken.

Then this morning my Mom calls to tell me that there is a segment on Good Morning America that I should see... it was all about how Diet Drinks are bad for you. They somehow mess up your metabolism in your brain or some such information. I missed the segment, but my Mom was insistent that I go to their website and read about it, because I would SURELY stop drinking them now.

Then I told her that Sonic burned, and she was sure it was a sign... the perfect time to go cold turkey.

I'm not so sure, because I can't see past my caffeine-withdrawl headache far enough to agree with her.

Gratitude...

Just a quick list of 10 things I'm thankful for today... (In no particular order!)

1.)  78 degree days in February.  (Gotta love Texas!)

2.)  Kittens that love to play with my children.

3.)  Chemotherapy.  (Apparently, it has worked, and the doctors say that my Mom as well as Luke's Dad are cancer free.  Praise God!)

4.)  My husband.  He's good for a lot of things, not the least of which is easy and affordable medical care.

5.)  Healthy, happy, wonderful, normal children.

6.)  Diet Coke from Sonic.  (Why is it better from Sonic?  Is it the ice or the styrofoam?  This is 

one of the mysteries of life.)

7.) Cows.  (I know, I know, random, but I'm watching them out the kitchen window, and they are so calm and peaceful.  I only love them now because we got a fence and they are not in my yard! ha ha)

8.)  Teachers who care about my children almost as much as I do. 

9.)  A super-sized washer and dryer (and believe you me, I have made them EARN their keep today!  They have worked non-stop!)

10.)  Being wonderfully and mercifully forgiven.

Have a great weekend!

Schoolhouse ROCK!

Yesterday Katie's 3rd grade class presented a musical that featured the songs from "Schoolhouse Rock". It was a flashback to childhood for me! Can you still sing "Conjunction Junction"? How about "I'm just a bill, yes I am only a bill, and I am sitting here on Capitol Hill." I LOVE those songs! Her music class sang "We the People " (preamble to the constitution), "Three is a Magic Number", "Interjections", and "Interplanet Janet". It was really great! During "Interpanet Janet, Katie had a solo - she was the planet Mercury.Her class did a really great job, and they had me singing all day! "Interplanet Janet, she's a galaxy girl! There's never been a planet Janet hasn't seen!"

Diagnosis by Grace

Just a quick Gracie story, because, really, she cracks me up...

Tonight we were in the church nursery, playing with our little friends.  Gracie picked up a baby doll that had little freckles all over its face.  She came running over to me and, (just like a good Doctor's daughter) said, "Look!  She gots the chicken dots!"

A knee slapper, I say.

On-Line Shopping

Yay!  My 2nd attempt at "Works for Me Wednesday"!

I must admit, I love on-line shopping.  We live in the middle of NOWHERE, and it isn't easy to make it out to a "real" store when you need "stuff". (And with three daughters, we NEED stuff! haha)  SO..... here are my all-time favorites!

My newest favorite is to shop Sephora.com for make-up.  I know what you are thinking... Make-up?!?!?!  On-Line?!?!?!?  Yes, my friends, make-up online.  The nearest make-up counter is, at best, an hour away from my house.  My computer is wireless AND a laptop.  I can shop on my couch in my pajamas!  I already know the brands and colors that I like, and Sephora has all the brands I like (and many more I'd like to try!!)  My newest find there is called "Bad Girl" mascara by Benefit.  (If you know me in person, you are laughing out loud right now, because I am SOOOO not the "bad girl!"  I also don't wear a ton of make-up!)  But, this mascara is unreal... I have thin, straight lashes, and this mascara is just right.  The brush is super thick and it does not clump.  Love it, love it, love it!  What I also like about Sephora is that the have free shipping if you spend over a certain amount (can't remember the exact amount, but if you wait and buy your stuff all at the same time, it is pretty easy to spend that much.)  The shipping is fast.  They also allow you to choose some "samples" at check-out.  Who doesn't love a good sample?  It is fun to try a new perfume or lotion sometimes!

My other favorite old stand-by web site is Overstocks.com.  Love the bargains.  Love the cheap shipping.  Love the variety.  Everything I've ever gotten from there has been good.  

On-Line shopping really "Works for Me!"

Ballet Begins...

My two younger girls, Abby and Gracie, began ballet class today. I took a few photos of the class, so take a quick peek...

Abby, completing a lovely curtsy.Here's our good friend, Emiley, pretending to be a "raindrop fairy".

A good shot of the whole class... look at that concentration!

And then there was Grace... her concentration wasn't so good, but she sure was entertaining!

See what I mean?

Do you notice anything strange about these photos? If you think that it looks like these lovely ballerinas are twirling around my living room, that's because THEY ARE!!! The building where the teacher was going to begin having class was busy today, so we decided to just hold class here. I moved all the furniture in our living room OUT, and we turned the living room into a dance studio! I know what you are thinking... that's a little drastic there, Bets, but BELIEVE ME! We have lived here for 3 1/2 years, and have been WAITING for someone to teach dance... My kids enjoy it so much! I was willing to do anything I could to convince the teacher that she should GO FOR IT!!! Luckily, the class went well, so maybe she'll continue!

BIG Birthday Party!

Yesterday we had a BIG roller skating party to celebrate Katie's 9th birthday and Gracie's 3rd birthday. WOW! It was so much fun! We had lots of kids of all ages come out to celebrate with us, and lots of moms and dads, too, who were good sports and strapped on the skates! Here are some of the highlights...

Here is Katie, rockin' and rollin' around the rink!

Here's Gracie, taking a break with Dad.

Here's Abby, getting some help under the limbo pole from our friend, LeeAnn.

Happy Birthday to you, Katie! Blow out those candles!

Blow out your candles, big three-year-old!

At the end of the party, they let the kids ride the "turtle scooters" around the rink. Tis was DEFINITELY the highlight of the party! All the kids had a BLAST! They could really GO on those scooters!

Abby, scootin' as fast as she could go!

Here's Katie on her scooter.

Gracie was big enough to scoot with the best of them!!

Thanks to all our great friends who came out to help us celebrate, and Happy Birthday, girls!