there's something about Miley

back to school

Today was the first day of school. The first day with brand new shoes, backpacks and a dozen freshly sharpened number 2 pencils. It was also a day of newness, and butterflies in the tummy.

The kids went back to school today to a brand new school, and to be honest, I was a little nervous. For the past 5 years we have been at a private christian school, and today my kids made the leap into the big bad public school system. I won't lie..I was and am nervous of what they will pick up that they shouldn't this year and in years to come.  I am worried they will have a hard time with the transition..but after the first day, it seems like we are going to be ok. There were no tears..and there were smiles at pick up time.

 

Brenna changed her mind on what to wear no less than 5 times this morning, and aside from a hair crisis she as good to go. She got bangs cut yesterday and I think she is still not sure that was a good idea, although I am loving not having it hang in her face. I have no clue what she learned today, or what she thought of 2nd grade..but I did learn that she "definately has the cutest backpack". That's my girl. lol

how can you look at this photo of Drew and not just smile? I don't know if it's the hat or the shoes...but this photo screams "rockin cool kid" to me. Doesn't he look grown up? Man..when did that happen? He was very quiet today,(which is TOTALLY out of character) and I   think he did fine! I was freaking out though when he wasn't outside on the sidewalk after school. Apparently his teacher got him confused with someone else who was suppose to go to child care (wonder where that kid ended up?..lol)so she send him to the gym and so he was missing after school. Just the time the sweats  and the urge to send out an amber alert hit, he was found. When the teacher finally got him back to me, she said.."you know, he has got to be the sweetest little boy..I could just squeeze him" He seems to have that affect on the ladies. lol That was a good sign that he was going to be ok..because it means he was typical Drew today.

And then there is Cole. He's was the first to cheer when we told the kids they weren't going back to their old school..but today was a different story. He was a nervous wreck, and I think he realized that he had it pretty good where he was, in terms of friendships and familiarity. When I walked him over to his class at drop off, he turned around and said.."maybe we should just go back to Concordia"...and then the biting of the lip started. Changing schools when you are in 5th grade is a scary thing...so I hope he transitions well.  He looked relieved at pick up, and apparently has found a friend or two already. The only turmoil of the day was getting "screamed at" (or so he says) by one of the office ladies for wearing his hat. Apparently they aren't allowed to wear them, but we had no idea. I had called the school and asked about any dress code issues I should know about, and they told me there wasn't any..so I assumed hats would be fine..apparently not. lol

So all together a successful day! I realize this post was boring, but my brain is much frankly from staying up far to late to watch the Olympics, and now I am running behind on getting the boys to football practice. The end.

 

update on Drew

no phone call for Drew. Although there seems to be quite the story brewing over this whole situation, (we aren't even sure if the team has fully been selected yet or what)I have nothing further to say at this point..as I am trying to peel my 8 yr old off the floor, and trying really hard to be objective and upbeat for my little guy.  Hell hath no fury like a mama scorned, I tell ya.

We are out the door to go buy a new hat, as he is refusing to wear the one he has now. SO sad. So very very sad.

...it's worse than Hall of Fame call day around here

I really thought the days of sitting by the phone waiting for it to ring were over for me. I hung up my scrapbook contest gloves and swore off anything that required an entry form. Apparently I can run but I can't hide.

As I said in my last post YESTERDAY(...take that hatters...2 blog post in a row....lol) the boys have baseball tryouts this week. If you don't know by now, baseball is right up there with breathing in our family. Greg has played since he was little, and now plays division one ball in Alabama, and cole and drew have been playing since, well, before they could even walk, they were throwing the ball. Brenna was darn near raised in a pack n play at the ball fields when she was little. So it's kind of a big deal in our house.

So,  here in Nebraska, what we call "select" baseball starts at 8 yrs old, and really gets started seriously at 9yrs old. Drew played this season on an 8 yr old team for the same organization that Cole plays for, which is regarded as one of the best, if not the best ball program in our area.  He was asked to play, because they were throwing together an 8 yr old  team at the last minute, and they knew Cole had a little brother who was the right age, and so he made the team, with no try out. For NEXT season though, they have to go through the official try out process, and compete with any other players that show up for the try out.  Last night was the 9 yr old try out for Drew. His first "official" select baseball tryout.

Drew did really well WE thought, but you just never know. There were a couple kids shy of 40 players there, and they are only taking 11 for the team. They told the boys if they are offered a spot, they would get a phone call by 7pm tonight. If they don't get a call...they are not on the team.

Poor Drew is a mess right now.

He has been up since about 7:30 this morning, and has been walking around with the phone in his hand. He told Bryce last night that he should probably stay home all day today, in case they call. He told me that every time the phone rings, he feels like he has to throw up. 

I believe I have created a monster.

This reminds me all too well of how I have behaved in the PAST when it came to scrapbook contests and calls. I don't think my friends will ever let me forget Hall of Fame rejection day 2003. Oh yes, this was the year I just KNEW I would win HOF, I mean come on..I used a freakin etch-a-sketch on one of my layouts. Totally.serious.I.tried.to.rock.the.etch-a-sketch.and.failed.  It's still stings. Brief moment of silence for the etch-a-sketch moment. Oh how I wish I had a scan of that layout to share today..lol. But I digress..it obviously wasn't meant to be, as I was beat HARD by the likes of Ali and Tracy Kyle, and the fabulously talented and OH SO BLEW my etch-a-sketch out of the water Karen Russell. As you can see..I was living in the land of delusional when I thought I stood a chance. But by the phone I sat for 2 or 3 days, waiting for Lisa B to call. I didn't leave my house for 3 days. I sat glued to 2peas for 3 days straight. I yelled at friend Kelly everytime she called, because I darn near peed myself everytime the phone rang. Finally, after the last call had been confirmed, and the last HM had gone out..I found myself in a fetal position...curled in my bed in the middle of the afternoon swearing to never scrapbook again. Cue the pathetic sad music...it was devistatingly pathetic blog nation. Fortunately, it was nothing that an evening of karaoke and booze couldn't cure, and it wasn't long before I had rebounded back into some sort of scrapbooking frenzy.

All that to say...I am so worried about Drew today. I want him to get a call so badly I can't stand it. Of all the boys, he has the most enthusiasm and heart for playing...but he doesn't have the most natural athletic ability. The other 2 boys don't even really have to work at it..it just comes. Drew is a lefty, and has really had to work harder to compete, and work hard he does. He has spent the last week at the ball field TWICE a day with Greg working on fundamentals. Ground balls fired at him over and over and over again. Base running. Pitching, Pop flies, you name it...he was out there working on it. So what he might not have in raw talent, the boy has more than made up for with determination and pure will. He wants it bad.

So he's got passion for th game, but he's also the most tender hearted of ALL the Johnson clan, so he's going to take the rejection even harder if it comes to that. I am just praying like crazy today that he gets a call. How can they say no to a face like this?? And seriously...no posed photos here. This was the scene at lunch today, waiting on his turkey sandwich..phone in hand. I believe it's time for an intervention. Although I am thinking karaoke and booze are not really appropriate for handling 9 yr old rejection, so let's all think happy positive thoughts..and WILL him to get a spot so we can celebrate this evening...that sound like a MUCH better idea!    

Hello again...

So I'm not quite back to daily posting, but this is better than nothing, and frankly I am tired of making excuses..lol.

It's just another fabulous Monday. We just got home from a 9 day trip to St Louis for a baseball tournament, and I am up to my eyeballs in laundry, so this will be a post and run entry for sure.

Since I last posted we survived dance recital...and Brenna joined the dance team. 3 days of dance a week until the end of July and then we start fall classes. She seems to be loving it..although I could do with out the constant leaping and turning that seems to be going on all the time now. My oven door has become her mirror to perfect her turns and leg holds. It's quite comical.

Please excuse the blatant over exposure of dancing brenna, grandma reads this blog, and she needs her photo fix.

In addition to  dance, we have been as usual spending unusual amounts of time at various ball parks across the midwest. The season officially wrapped up for both boys on saturday, and now we move onto try outs for next season, and football starts in August. Oh happy day.

A few ball photos to share of Cole. I don't have ANY photos of drew..which is extremely sad...I really have to do better about dragging my camera around.

 

So now we wind the summer down with days at the pool, and back to school shopping. ( For the first time ever the kids will not be required to wear uniforms to school as we pulled them out of the private school they were attending and will be sending them to public school in the fall. It was a hard choice, but I think in the long run, it is a good one. ) Brenna is THRILLED beyond belief to know there is life beyond the polo shirt and khaki skirt. She is beside herself with the possibilities. My wallet isn't ready for it, that is for sure. The boys had a "polo and uniform pant burning ceremony" on the last day of school..and declared they will never wear a belt again. (that's what they think)

Let's see..what else is happening? Oh! I took the summer off basically from all things Uppercase Living. We had some family situations that prevented me from really focusing on it the way I wanted to, and with the kids schedules, it was best to just put it on the back burner until I could come up for air.

The new catalog however, has sparked new life into me, and has motivated me to start up again. If you want to check out the new catalog, just log into:Uppercaseliving and register as a new customer using my demonstrator id: 753311 amd the registration token: JOHNSON. This will give you full access to the catalog, and the custom design center as well.  There is a TON of holiday product, and some really really FUN new expressions.. I absolutely ADORE the create piece on page 68, it would be perfect to accent a scrapbook space. I am also really looking forward to getting the advent calendar on page 99, it looks like a fun fun way to celebrate the holiday season! Go check them out! I am offering a 20% discount on any individual order placed between now and August 1st, so if you find something you can't live without, let me know!

Ok, the laundry is calling my name...all 46 loads of it.

tom brady..and the rest of the bunch

Can you tell I am avoiding cleaning my house? I am. There is no other explaination for two posts in one morning.

They are out of school for the summer and right now at this very minute they are hiding from me. We have to go to go begin the annual, "hey school's out, so let's make you miserable and clean out the playroom instead of going to the pool and having fun like every other kid in america is doing right now" process.

I have a feeling I am going to hear ALOT of whining and complaining...so I am avoiding it myself.

On another note..hasn't the dog grown? He's recovering from a REALLY bad haircut. I mean BAD people. He could easily qualify for the ugliest dog in american contest right now. You can't tell from these photos..and I am frankly embarrassed to show you a photo of the full damage. Maybe tomorrow. Let's just say, when the groomer asks you if you want to give your dog a "summer haircut"..you should probably say, um..no. I knew I was in trouble when I went to pick him up and the technician who was working at the time, who apparently hadn't seen Brady yet, gasped and said..ooooh...that's...wow. That's a haircut all right.

hello..is it me your looking for?

I'm not even going to address the obvious. Let's just start over shall we? Just pretend I was on a reeeeally long vacation, like when friend Becky went to Washington last month and we were all like, 'um hello, is becky EVER coming home?"

I started this blog a couple of years ago when I was at the height of my scrapbooking obsession. EVERYONE was doing it. It was a window into the lives of the almighty scrap gods, and for the obsessed fan (speaking of myself here, not you the reader..lol) it was like a daily dose of the latest reality show..only not quite as tacky as living lohan or denise richard's new show..not that I would know what those shows are really like mind you..I don't watch them (live anyway, I tivo.)

I was pretty darn committed to the blogging phenominon back in the day. Almost a daily poster. I don't know what changed between now and then..well I do kind of. I got a tad bit shy and paranoid. Somewhere along the way blogs went from being rainbows and sunshine to becoming kinda nasty in the scrapbooking world. One or two turns of being mentioned on THOSE blogs and I was rocking back and forth in a fetal position, ready to eat everything in site. (I freak out=I eat.) So, I crawled under a rock and stopped posting for fear of being eaten alive and getting my feelings hurt. After way to long of an absence, I realized, who am I kidding? Who do I think I am..lol. I said to myself, Self, so what if you get mentioned on the anonymous blogs..until you show up on Perez's blog you ain't got nothin to cry about.

but by then it was just too late.. I was out of the habit of daily blogging and frankly I just got lazy about it all together. I fell out of the routine of checking in, and decided what do I have to say that is relevant any way? No one wants to listen to me go on and on and on about nothing. Been there done that. It was called Seinfeld Miley, and they've all seen it done a million times on reruns by now. So I just stopped talking.

i told the girls last week at dinner(the bagels=kelly becky she who is as bad as me about blogging Becca Holly denise Lisa ) that my plan was to start blogging again and have a REALLY big give away right of the bat..like she does and give away like a trip or something..and how funny it would be because NO one would even know about the give away because who am I kidding, I have no following, and second of all anyone who was bored and used to read this blog stopped oh, FOUR months ago due to the weeds growing up around the edges.

So basically this will now be a home for me to talk to myself..because lord knows no one is actually reading anymore, and if you are well then you have either the patience of a saint to have stuck around, or you lead a really really boring life and should probably come to my house and help me clean.

Speaking of cleaning, remember oh, back in JANUARY when I was going to clean and purge my scrapbook room? Yeah. About that. It's still not done. In fact, it's worse than it was. I haven't done much (any) scrapbooking since like January. It's safe to say I USED to be a scrapbooker. Not so much anymore. I lost that loving feeling. Which led to me leaving the garden at 2peas last month. That was I have to say,a sad sad day for me. A "kick a girl when she's down" moment in my life. While in my head I knew I had no business being a garden girl anymore, as I was not pulling my weight and had nothing creative to offer, my heart was hurting at the thought of not being a part of that group of women anymore, so I held on by my toenails longer than I should have. I think I held on so long because I knew the  minute the lights are turned off on you, and your name is taken off the list, you are alone. You spend several years of your life talking and becoming friends with a group of people and BAM! you no longer can chat with them and are thrown back into the general pea population where you have no one familiar.  Sounds pretty pathetic doesn't it?  Without sounding even more stupid, I just became really dependant on that group of girls..and I don't know if they even realize it.  I miss them every morning when I sit down at the computer. They were a constant in my life that I won't be able to replace. I miss them terribly.

So today I start over.(again) By then end of the week I HOPE I will have a new look to this blog. A make over. It needs one. I have things to share. Stories to tell. So let's give it yet another go..and if this time I fail miserably, I will hang up my blogging shoes forever.   

Hello new year

Christmas is finally over, the last of the decorations are all put in the rubbermade totes. The kids are back in school, and it's time to start thinking about doing all those home improvement projects that have been on my list for quite some time now. First, I would REALLY REALLY like to have a microwave in my kitchen that actually works, and doesn't spark and sound like a nuclear bomb when cooking chicken nuggets. Running up and down from the basement to the kitchen is slowly wearing on me. I would also like to replace our dishwasher in our kitchen, as the soap dispenser does not work. The lid is broke off, so it's always a gamble as to whether the dishes will actually get cleaned, or if remnants of last nights spaghetti will linger and greet me when I open the door to unload. I really really hate that.

My list also includes moving my boys out of the same room, and into separate bedrooms. They are convinced they want their own rooms, I personally, like them to contain the carnage of dirty boy to one room in the house. I am not winning this battle. Daily I hear from them about having their own room. Mainly from Drew, as Cole has discovered axe body spray, and is convinced Cole is slowly killing him off with the fumes.

I also have a wee bit of a problem growing in my basement. The scrapbook room is out of control. Imagine if you will, the worst you can visualize a scrapbook room to be, and then double it. It's probably really close to what I have going on in my basement. Boxes and boxes of product, and layouts, and more product and uppercase living clutter..all shoved into (not so well I might add, it's spilling out into the hallway now.)one room. I have turned into one of those packrats that are always featured on Oprah and Montel. Seriously. Friend Kelly keeps telling me she will come over and help me clean it out, (or at the very least be the voice of reason in telling me to throw out the early 2005 Paper Fever paper, if I haven't used it by now I never will)  but I know what that means. It means 90 percent of what I have in the room will be GONE. Friend Kelly doesn't mess around. She is a purging machine. I'm not gonna lie.That scares me a bit. What has become of me? I have gone from being organized and everything has it's place in this space, to being the lady from the Today show who couldn't throw away any gift bag or tissue paper she had ever received. EVER. Her whole house was like a discount gift wrapping emporium. Mine, is a starting to look like Archivers without the pretty fixtures.

In other news. We have a new member of the family. Santa is not a very smart man apparently, but a sucker for a good Christmas list. You see he knows, that when a 10 year old who is teetering on the brink of believing ,(no thanks to the big mouths in his class who can't bear to let the magic continue for someone else, but have to make everyone around them a cynic as well. Don't get me started..lol) asks for something really big you do whatever it takes to hold onto one more year of the magic.

The note that was left, crumpled in his bedroom, under a pile of dirty socks and baseball cards read:

'Dear Santa,

I don't think you are real. I think it's all fake. BUT, just in case you ARE real, the only thing I really want is a dog. One that my mom won't kill or give away. So if you are real, you will make this happen. If I don't get a dog, then I will know you are fake because my mom would NEVER in a million years get another dog. It would be a Christmas miracle.

Love,
Cole #9

So as you can see, apparently Santa thought it was a good idea to deliver.  We have had a couple fatalities in the pet arena over the years, so I am pretty sure Santa took one look at the letter and immediately felt horribly sad for Cole, and would have brought him a pony had that been on the list. (In my defense, I have never done bodily harm to a dog before, our weiner dog got ran over, we gave away the boxer because he was just too much dog for us, and frankly, everyone, including the dog was miserable. The guinea pig, the cat, the hamster and several fish over the years? Well, we won't go down that road today. lol Don't judge me. I really am a good pet owner, I am.

So Tom Brady is officially a member of the family. Yes, his name is Tom Brady. Brady for short, or several other choice expletives at 4 in the morning when all I wanted to do was stay under the covers, but he decides to go out and romp around in the snow for a piddle.

Time to run. The dryer is beeping at me, and I have a couple Uppercase Parties to close out. Speaking of Uppercase Living..lol. We have a new catalog out! TONS of new items, plus a brand new embellishment library that brought back a lot of different pieces from previous catalogs. To view the catalog, go to www.uppercaseliving.com register as a new customer by using my demonstrator id: 753311 and the registration token: JOHNSON. To view the embellishment catalog you just click on customer resources and it is under there. :) I am one recruit away from promoting to Director, so the push is on. I can't believe how quickly that has happened! Wish me luck, or just sign up to sell...lol :) Under me of course...:)  

I have discovered the "ugly cry" christmas song of 2007

Bring him home santa

It's $.99 to download, and a portion of the profit goes to St Jude's Children's Hospital. A good cause for sure. Now go download it...and I dare you not to cry..lol

I will be back soon..I have a give away to finish from the last blog post! Bear with me!

Tis the season...

to neglect the blog..but who am I kinding, you all know that already. Love me..don't judge me ok? lol

Today is November 30th, and if you are wondering where I disappeared to this month, this is the date that has caused me to drop off the face of the earth. Yes, this is ANOTHER ode to Uppercase Living. It has become the new obsession, the new love of my life. November 30th, today, is the last day to get orders in for a guaranteed in time for Christmas deliver. It has been an INSANELY busy busy month. As of tonight, at the stroke of midnight I will have closed I believe 18 or 19 parties. I lost track somewhere around 12. lol That's a whole lotta letters. A whole lotta words..and apparently even polka dots too! (I LOVE Kelly's laundry room..it turned out SOOO good!) I am tired..and I need a nap. But it has been really really fun. I am addicted to designing these things, and am always tickled by the things my customers come up with to design..and then when they send me photos of the final product..it makes me smile even more. This is a current favorite. I loved working with this customer. She basically turned me loose, and said...just design me something fun. She wanted a piece for her daughter's room that would speak to her personality..and I think we got it right!

In this same house, I designed a bunch of inspirational quotes to go around the top of the wall in a very cool sitting room/piano room. The photos just don't do the room justice..I LOVE how this turned out..the colors, the fonts..it just makes me happy!

 

The tomato red walls with the terra cotta quotes is just SO neat I think...here's a view of another wall in the room..imagine the quotes going around the entire room...which they do..lol. :)

The photos aren't the best quality..apparently I don't know how to use my point and shoot camera right..because the photos are coming out like poo...either that or I am a spoiled girl who is too used to big honkin camera quality. lol

  I have a few other shares...but those will have to wait a few days...I can leave you with this one. It is a favorite..one I have to REDO..A. because it is crooked, and it was driving me nuts..lol...and then B because I broke it, after I fell down the steps of a customers house carrying a bunch of samples from an open house. Not one of my more graceful moments. How embarrassing. lol

Oh! And this one! How can I forget this one! :) It's a happy happy scrapbook area...and I LOVE the quote...:)Isn't it just so true?

Alrighty then. Here's to Friday. :) It's going to be a good day..I can feel it. It has to be right? Running out the door to get together with the bagels for an impromtu meeting of the minds..(read..the mommies were dying for adult non buggery nose interaction..lol) Then home to work on projects for 2peas. :) :) Hooray! If you find yourself desperate for Uppercase Living today, feel free to email me...or go check the catalog out!..or maybe you need to get off the fence and sign up to sell this in your area...you know you want to! I would love to talk to you about it! :)  The catalog is here..and you can use my demonstrator id: 753311 and the registration token: JOHNSON to look at it, and to design custom pieces! I can ship directly to your house! (sorry. I am such a used car salesman aren't I?..lol)

In fact, if you go register online to look at the catalog, and then come post here..I will enter you into a drawing. A little uppercase living goodness especially for you! I can't show you yet what it is..because it has to stay under cover until tomorrow, but let's just say I'm feeling festive, and in the holiday spirit! :) If you find something you want, and place an order..I will enter your name in said drawing twice. How's that for upping the anty...? (is that the word, anty? or is it annie? or ali?...you get the picture..lol) ok..gotta run! :) 

Happy weeeeen...

As baby Ella would say...:)

Behold..I give you: Frankenstein, Captain Underpants, and Marilyn Monroe...(my husband says she looks like a drag queen..lol)

Have a safe and happy evening! :)