Bad Boys, Bad Boys...

"Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do when they come for you..."

Yesterday, Sean and I enjoyed a typical Tuesday evening. None of the shows we watch were on, so after we put Gracie to bed, he went his way and I went mine, for some much needed personal down time. Bedtime rolled around, Sean took our dog out for a walk, both things typical of any night during our week. But, when Sean walked back through the door last night, he looked concerned.

"I think our neighbor is in trouble. They're searching his car..."

And so, with those simple sentences, our evening became a little less typical. Sean explained that there were three police cars outside of our apartment building and that the cops, including their police dog, were not only searching our downstairs neighbor's car, but his apartment, and the grounds around our apartment complex. Now I should mention, we really like this guy and his girlfriend, they are friendly, they have a little dog that intrigues our dog, Bentley, and they seem to be good, hardworking people. But, when three police cars turned to six, and we could not only see, but hear, what was going on right outside of our second-story window, we had to wonder, what did he do? Where is his girlfriend? We started asking ourselves questions, and our inner-detectives began to surface. All of a sudden, events from that very afternoon started to become evidence. I had spoken to him, while struggling out to the car with Bentley and Gracie for a walk, and found it odd that A) he was home during the day on a Tuesday B) he was walking their dog (I've never seen him walk the dog, ever.) C) he spoke to me, but seemed strange, and I actually thought maybe we'd annoyed him that morning, being his upstairs neighbors and all...

Anyway, Sean and I just couldn't turn away from the window, or from the excitment brought on by a police dog on the search, followed by six policemen, and then, thank God, the girlfriend...Seriously, I was worried about her.

All of a sudden we heard one of the officers say, "That's my good boy, that's my good boy!", and then, "We've got it!", followed by a lot more love for the successful police dog. As Sean and I squinted to see what in the world they were gathered around, one of the officers pointed his flashlight to the ground. And what do you think it was that we saw laying right outside in our very own "backyard"?

A lovely, moonlit handgun. Nice.

This is when I became ever so grateful to the gorgeous german shepard who sniffed that gun out, and to the officers who came to the aid of a woman who we assumed had been threatened and was in need of some back up. As Sean and I snuggled in for the night, feeling safe and sound, I thought about all of the "good boys", and girls, who risk their lives daily to protect the innocent and put the "bad boys" where they belong...

Titan, served 18 months before he was killed while pursuing a suspect.

It's tough to put this type of gratitude into words, but here's a personal "Thank You" to my brother-in-law, Michael, our good friends, Kurt and Tom, my uncle (who served for years before retiring), and so many others who have risked, and are risking, everything for the sake of peace and justice. And to those who have lost their lives while on duty, your sacrifice will never be forgotten...

I just couldn't end this post without also saying a special "Thank You" to my fire-fighting friend, Chris, and another brother-in-law, Clay. These guys fight fires, save lives, and humble me with the risks they take, as well.

I'm so thankful to have so many heroes in my life. We do not take what any of you do everyday for granted!

Day 140...Handprint Reindeer

I wanted to thank Kim for posting such a cute craft idea today on her blog, Mom Tried It! I sort of grabbed whatever construction paper I had within my scrapbook supplies and tried to make the colors work! We're fans of pink around here, so we love the results of our Handprint Reindeer! Plus, it was fun to get the finger paints out and get creative. :)

Ready to Paint!

Precious Little Hands...

Gracie's Handprint Reindeer!

Just having fun...

On our walk this afternoon...

Day 139...Gracie Went "Pee-Pee"

During Gracie's bath this evening, she stood up and insisted on getting out and sitting on her little potty. We aren't potty training her yet (she's 18 months old), but I've had her "big girl" potty out in her bathroom for a while now, just so it's not such a "new" thing when the time comes. Anyway, I was surprised that she was so determined to sit on the potty, so I told her she could sit there as long as she wanted, wrapped her towel around her shoulders, and sat down beside her. We sat together like that for about 10 minutes, while she kept repeating, "pee-pee, pee-pee". It was all very interesting to me because she really seemed to think she needed to be on that potty, yet nothing was happening...

Finally, after another 5 minutes or so, she stood up, pulled her towel off, and proceeded to step over to me with her little arms reaching out for a hug. This is when all of that "pee-pee" she'd been talking about made its appearance, all down the side of my pants. She realized what had happened, yelled, "pee-pee!", and began clapping! I quickly joined in her excitement, but tried to explain the "pee-pee" belongs in the potty, not running down Mommy's leg. :)

So, for those of you who have potty trained/are potty training/are gearing up for potty training, any advice or thoughts? Should I continue to just sit back, relax, and let her lead the way? This is one of those things I have no clue about!

Not Me! Monday...Time to Confess: The Ceiling Fan Fiasco

  So, I completely skipped last week's Not Me! Monday because the one major thing that I did NOT do, I really did not want to share! I found myself ashamed and embarrased by my reckless, and let's face it, childish behavior. I've bottled it up inside, threatened my husband when he so much as thought about telling a soul, and have shaken my head in disbelief for the past week whenever I look up at my beautiful, most favorite light fixture/ceiling fan. Once upon a time, it looked like this:

Now, it looks like this:

How, you must wonder, could I have had anything to with the ruin of this lovely fixture? And, you may ask, is it really ruined if all that's missing is the bowl that covers the light bulbs? Well, for now, the light no longer works. My hubby does have an electrical background, so maybe, just maybe, he will be able to fix it for me. But, will he want to...

All I wanted was a little bit of attention from my husband. I was in a silly, giggly mood and wanted him to play along. So what do wives craving attention from their husbands do to grab it?

They do not do cartwheels in the house, send their feet flying towards heavy glass, and bring the whole bowl from the ceiling fan shattering down. Not good and NOT ME! It was also not me who had a 2 inch cut across my back where the glass fell and it was not my poor husband who looked on in shock and horror, certain that he was going to have to whisk me off to the hospital for stitches.

One thing is for sure, I got his attention...

Luckily, Gracie was asleep during this whole fiasco, and I'd like to think that I wouldn't be so careless with her in the room. Even so, I feel like an idiot and wanted to publically apologize to my husband, because he's the one who had to deal with the broken glass and my whining, and to my dog and cat, who I scared half to death.

Now that that is off my chest, Happy Monday! Only 11 days until Christmas! :)

Day 138...

Somehow, this weekend flew by and felt so very busy, even though we didn't do much at all! It was cold and rainy, so we stayed warm and cozy inside together. I didn't take many pictures today, but I got this photo of Gracie's little face this evening. I used to be in the picture, too, but you know how that goes...I like it much better just like this. :)

Day 137...

Gracie loved trying out Rice Krispie Treats for the first time! :)

Every Penny Counts...

...and I am literally trying to save as many of them as possible! I'm a stay-at-home mom, which means we've made the decision to make it on one income, and honestly, that income has come and gone over the past couple of years. We're finally putting that part of our lives back together, but I am blessed to be moving on with lots of life lessons. Anyway, I'm a coupon cutter and it makes me smile to see just how much I can save by participating in that simple act.

My lovely sister just introduced me to a neat website: CouponMom.com. You may already be familiar with this site, but I was not! I've been to coupon printing websites before and found myself dissapointed when very few coupons were offered for the items I use on a regular basis. I finally went to CouponMom this morning and was pleasantly surprised with the amount of coupons I printed, and for items we really use! This site offers coupons from brands such as: Kellogg's, Green Giant, Pillsbury, and Progresso, all brands you would find in our refrigerator/freezer/pantry. In addition, I ran across lots of links to other money-saving websites and coupons for a few non-food items such as Playskool toys and Disney Children's Vitamins.

I just thought I would pass that little tidbit on to anyone who's interested, because during the holidays, and everyday, every penny counts! Now, we're off to the grocery store!