Mommy Hood (Motherhood) and Step Parenting at it’s very best in a blended family!
Hi there, I'm Nicole. I have many titles, but for the purposes of this
blog, I am a mom of five. I am also a freelance writer by profession, as
well as a Close To My Heart (CTMH) Consultant. My hobbies include scrapbooking,
photography, stamping, reading and writing.
Mom. Step-Mom. Future Wife. Christian. Blended Family. 34. SAHM. WAHM.
Writer. Scrapbooker. Bookworm. Creative. Playful at heart. Midwest girl.
Loves scrapbooking, photography, horseback riding, words, animals, and walks
in nature. Hates spiders, cleaning and messes. Ironic eh?
If you need to contact me for any reason, please email me at simplywriting
(at) gmail (dot) com.
This was a fun one to find a photo for. I got the entire family involved and we voted on our favorite pictures and why. (that was cool!) We wound up deciding on four pictures because they tell a story.
Here was our favorites for the theme of High, and why.
This is the stairway leading to the top of Cahokia Mounds. We were just out driving around one day and suddenly decided to attempt the big climb. It’s a blast and a huge rush when you reach the top. This is about halfway up!
When we got to the top, the view was absolutely breathtaking. Even the kids enjoyed it!!
I loved that I was able to zoom in and get this photograph of ‘home’. You can see it from the photograph above, how truly far it was from where we were standing. Yeah, good zoom lens!
My precious kiddos at the top! Just before we made the long trek back down (which was easier, but not by much!)
I thought of a series of photographs from my step-daughters birthday party. They all got on the coffee table and were singing and dancing to Karaoke. If you’re wondering about why everyone is wet - it was a pool party and they threw the clothes back on to come in for cake and ice cream. This was just after that and look at them go. My step daughter is the one on the left side in lime green, her best friend a little boy is in the blue next to her and my daughter Brie is the one on the right shaking her wet butt (also in lime green with pink shorts). So funny! Ahhh to party like a kid!
1. Packing and moving some stuff into storage, grabbing an extra bed from storage and beginning work on a cool bedroom we’ve been working on. Yahoo! I’ve been waiting for this and I am excited!
2. Watch a movie or something else with my two youngest girls, perhaps bake cupcakes because they have been asking. And because Mike is taking the two oldest to see Spiderwick. Yeah!
3. Laundry - because when don’t I?
4. Horseback Riding Lessons - I am actually kinda happy. It’s super relaxed and awesome there right now ’cause 12 horses are at a really well-known show in Mississippi right now. It’s super quiet and really nice.
5. Get some serious writing done because the month of March we’ll be hectic - my kids are off school for three weeks on cycle break so I need to get some writing done before that.
6. Stalk the UPS guy for my awesome boxes coming. I love working for myself! (actually I don’t think the boxes will be here until Tuesday maybe…gotta check the tracking).
7. Purchase some curtains for the new room we are working and actually get them hung up before Mike returns to work.
8. Make something new Sunday night for dinner. I’ve been planning something new coming up. and I guess I am doing that Sunday ’cause well - I just want to.
9. Buy some posterboard, I have some HUGE signs to make this weekend. More on that later. I’m really excited!
10. Need to sort through some pictures this weekend to find the rejects. More on that later.
11. Move some firewood into our garage to dry out because we are planning a bonfire soon.
12. Groom Max. He needs a bath and nail clippings. A few trims here and there and we’re good. But it takes a bit of time to do it.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Name one thing that is unique about you. Dang, I don’t know. Nobody is totally unique. I guess I’m a mom of five, so that makes me a bit more unique than lots.
Soup
Fill in the blank: My favorite _________ is __________ but I like _________ too. My favorite thing to do is scrapbook but I like writing too. Gee, did ya know that about me?
Salad
What type of wood do you have for your home’s furnishings? Oak in most of the house, but in the guest room and my daughter’s bedroom its Cherrywood.
Main Course
Who do you talk to most often on the phone? Lisa
Dessert
What level of responsibility do you have in your job? Well, I am manager, CEO, Supervisor and President. I OWN my job so I guess I have a LOT of responsibility!
It has been a terribly long time since I have participated in a Friday Feast and they were honestly one of my favorites. Since the kids are off school today, I took the day “off work” and am just hanging out while they are eating breakfast. Since it has been so long since I participated, I snagged last week’s also and added it to the end of this one. It’s a two for one deal!
Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of cereal? I absolutely love Honey Bunches of Oats. I don’t get it too often because of all the sugar and I try my darndest to avoid sugar at breakfast. (yeah it’s harder than you think!) Next in line would be Golden Grahams, another one of those ones I have to avoid. I usually have a piping hot bowl of oatmeal, and yes it has sugar in it.
Soup
When was the last time you purchased something for your home, what was it, and in which room did it go? Hmm…we haven’t really bought anything for awhile “for the home”, but I did recently pick up a piece of sheet metal which I spray painted white and currently have in my scrap room to use as a magnetic board for my ideas, favorite quotes and inspirational advice to live by as well as cute cards that people have sent me. Guess that’s it.
Salad
What is the funniest commercial you’ve ever seen? I’ve seen a ton that are super funny, but I am also embarrassed to admit the one I just love. It’s that stupid tax commercial where the wife is irritated because the man purchased a program (and didn’t hire people). It goes like this: The husband is sitting at a table, looking at mail. “We’re getting audited.” he says. She then proceeds to offer “Really? Well, maybe we should see the people that did our taxes,” …dramatic pause… “Oh, that’s right. We didn’t use people. We used a box. Well, Greg, let’s ask the box what we should do now.” She proceeds to hold the box up to her ear. Greg asks, ‘What’s it say?”
“Nothing” she replies “It’s a box.”
I’m sure the only reason that that make me laugh is because its so pathetically sarcastic, but it cracks me up everytime she says the box part. hehehe. Hey - you asked!
Main Course
Make up a name for a company by using a spice and an animal (example: Cinnamon Monkey). The Paprika Giraffe. I have no idea WHAT I’d sell, LOL perhaps oversized items? Or things for really tall people?
Dessert
Fill in the blank: I haven’t ______ since ______. I haven’t participated in Friday’s Feast since December 7, 2007 and before that November 16, 2007. What in the world happened? I promise to do better!
Last Weeks Friday Feast
Appetizer
How many times per day do you usually laugh? Wow probably WAY over a dozen or more. I love to laugh, I laugh at stuff my kids say, Mike says, the things I read on blogs, books, articles, you name it.
Soup
What do your sunglasses look like? I have a pair in the car that I am not even sure I could describe. They have black plastic frames and pretty dark lenses. I guess that’s about it.
Salad
You win a free trip to anywhere on your continent, but you have to travel by train. Where do you go? I would love to travel Route 66, but you can’t do that by train and you said anywhere, meaning one place. So I guess I would say I would travel to PA, because I have people I want to visit there.
Main Course
Name one thing you consider a great quality about living in your town/city. It is so incredibly family friendly, small town within a big town, love it! Plus, for the most part we actually get all four seasons and I love that. Oh, you said one - oh well.
Dessert
If the sky could be another color, what color do you think would look best? Uhm. I have no idea. Yellow? I don’t even like the color yellow. Tan? I really hope it isn’t any other color but blue ’cause that’s my favorite!
Now, most anyone who visits my blog on a regular basis, absolutely knows without a doubt how much I adore my kids and that they are positively the #1 thing that makes me happy. Mike does too of course, but I am talking about the simple things in life. These are just a little bit different.
Thirteen Simple Things That Make Me Happy
Seeing the UPS guy coming up to the door with a package.
Finishing a scrapbooking layout.
A hot cup of coffee. (especially Starbucks - yum!)
When Max snuggles with me.
Silly notes from the kids.
Coffee chats with Lisa.
Getting pictures developed or uploaded on the computer.
A good find at a garage sale.
A new scrapbook supply. (who am I kidding … new scrapbook supplies.)
Hugs.
Getting an unexpected card from Mike.
Double chocolate chunk brownies. (and almost anything else sweet).
My blogs. Yes, my blogs make me happy, because they are my connection to you.
Hope you enjoyed this installment of Thursday Thirteen.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
I get stuck sometimes trying to think of ideas for Thursday Thirteens. I hate stealing from others, so I try to think of original things to do. Anyway, this weeks I stole from Monday Through Sunday. It’s what she did last week. Next week will be my New Years Resolutions and the following week will be charms that I want for my Italian Charm Bracelet. (that describe me more or less)
13 Memories from 2007
The Lake. That’s all I can say. It was an absolutely fantastic spring/summer/fall getting to enjoy the quiet serenity of the peaceful waterfront world and lots of sun and sand (it is too a beach Erin!).
Two family trips to Lake of the Ozarks. That was so incredibly awesome and it was an incredible gift from a dear friend of mine, Cheri. Thank you so much Cheri for allowing us to use your condo for two separate trips this year and for allowing us to do it completely free of charge. You are an incredibly generous person (as is Doug) and we just want to let you know how much we love and cherish your entire family. Thank you for reminding us what living in a God like way means.
Participating in and winning NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) ‘07. My grand total was over 50,000 words and my step-daughter met and surpassed her goal too.
Getting Max, our tiny Shih-tzu pup and watching him grow. (shhh!! don’t tell anyone, we’ll have another addition in 2008 when the litter is born but its not a Shih-tzu this time.)
Watching Vanessa get honored for being in the top 10% of her class in middle school.
Vanessa and Ryan went from two kids awkwardly holding a long black instrument into two well rounded members of the band playing the Clarinet.
Finally I got my hair cut and styled for the first time in years and I just love it.
Seeing our blended family come together this past year and truly getting a taste of what step-parenting is all about. It’s a sweet job that is rewarding, even during the most trying times.
While I’ve been a Christian all my life, over the past year I have become a much stronger Christian, and over the past five months my walk with Him has become the largest part of my life.
We had three of our five kids on the honor roll this year. One was not because he is homeschooled, the other was not because she isn’t old enough to qualify for honor roll. Our kids are doing very well academically.
Celebrating our one year anniversary as a blended family was amazing. A trip to DQ and lots of reminiscing of our year together. Plus, we just celebrated our second Christmas together. Thank you God for the gift of this amazing family.
One negative - our mishap with all the WRONG dogs. Unfortunately we learned the hard way but they are all doing great where they have wound up. Max is the perfect dog for us, well trained, obedient, amazingly smart and the biggest cuddler I have ever owned.
Living out of boxes as we continue to get the house in order to sell. It has been a challenge, but it has also caused us to de-clutter our lives a lot. This is a good thing.
There are tons more memories, but these are 13 of my favorites.
Hope you enjoyed this installment of Thursday Thirteen.
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
Must. Have. Coffee. Daily.
- Through the lens, I can see anything.
- My Joy, My Passion, My Life - Writing.
- The hobby I am most passionate about.
-My precious pup, 
- Can’t have 5 separate charms, so I’ll go with one. It sums it up.
- This needs no words.
- This probably doesn’t either.
- I figure if they tell me I am all the time, I deserve the charm to go with it. 
& 
- My two most favorite TV shows.
- I’d rather be riding then making this TT list 
- Avid reader.
- Well, I do.
