Hello I'm an ADDICT!

So it's hopeless....I am a book addict. I love my books, and I love bookshelves! I love going to the bookstore, and spending hours roaming the rows and rows of books hunting for that yummy one. I love being able to bring them home, and put them on my shelf so when I get to start a new book, I have so many great morsels to choose from!!! ;0) Now Chuck says I am a little crazy when it comes to my books. If I have a series of books, they have to be either all hardbound, or all paperback. I hate mixing the two. I think it makes the set look off. ;0P lol I know I am so lame. But it's the way I am. lol Maybe it's a condition. Maybe I need professional help! lol Maybe there are support groups for something like this....The bookaholics Anonymous!!lol

That's right folks....I am an Addict....I love books!!! lol

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Marine Corps League Crab Feed!

This evening I went to my first crab feed! I have actually never eaten crab before, so I was a little wary if I would like this or not. I love imitation crab, but that doesn't count. So the Diablo Valley Marine Corps League was holding their 6th annual crab feed, and it is a fundraiser for the year for them. Some of the money goes towards mailing packages overseas for the troops, and some to Toys for Tots. The MCL bought a table for Chuck's shop, so we got to go for free. The other tables were sold out, and so over 300 people came to this event in Brentwood. It was pretty cool. Mostly everyone there was either retired Marine Corps, Navy, Army, or Navy. It was fun to watch all the cute ole guys talking about back in the day stuff. They were all pretty cool. They had a live and silent auction, and I bid on a pearl necklace. But alas it sold for $150, I guess that was a lot more than my measly $30 starting bid! lol We had a lot of fun, and I made a pretty good friend from one of the wives here. Her husband is a reservist, so I won't see her to often, but she was pretty cool. And her and her husband are thinking about going active duty. I was surprised that it was a Marine Corps event, and no one got hammered. In fact we were able to enjoy our entire evening without Chuck having to babysit one of his Marines, and we didn't have to drive anyone home!! ;-O I know I was shocked to. That basically never ever happens! lol It was so nice. I got to meet Masterson's girl, and she was pretty cool. I think those two will be getting married pretty darn soon. lol Within the next year at least! But we approve, she is sweet, not obnoxious, and seems like she might be able to handle the roles of a Marine Corps wife. lol The crab was brought out, and well......It was all right. I wasn't that big of a fan of it, it was good, but not great. I didn't eat to much of it, and so ended up cracking crabs for Chuck, so he could just eat. I think he ate 4 or 5 crabs, and I got almost a whole one down! lol Pate's wife Melissa was trying to convince Chuck that we should have a baby, because we have been married 9 years and it's time, and then she can throw me a baby shower!! lol I don't think he bought that though. lol Oh well I guess I will just keep dreaming about this little boy. Well that is all for now. Here are a few pictures of the event. Sorry if a few are blurry....it's the best I could do. ;0)

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Crafty and Talented?

So I wanted to share with you a craft I really enjoy doing. I haven't done it in months, since I had my surgery actually. But the recent interest from one of my friends, made me pull it all out to play with it. I love quilling. It is so fun and relaxing. It does not take any talent at all, just a little Patience. It is good for kids of just about any age, as it is pretty easy to do. A little supervision for the younger ones, but it is safe and easy. And I truly love doing it. You can make cards with it, and just about anything else. Here are some pics of things I have made. The last two pics are the tools I use to make the twirled paper. I hope you enjoy! ;0)

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Legion Review

Today Chuck and I finally got to celebrate his birthday a little. So Chuck wanted to see the movie Legion. I wanted to see Avatar again, But alas we saw Legion. It looked great in the previews, and looked like it had a lot of potential. I really like the actor Paul Bettany. And he usually plays his roles well, and he protects the pregnant lady Charlie really well. The movie started out a little slow, and you aren't to sure where they are going with the story. But then enters Michael the Angle. He cuts off his wings, and loses a ring around his neck that you only can assume is like a tracking device for angels or something. The action starts, and it picks up. The pregnant woman Charlie irritated me the entire movie. I never learned to like her. I felt there wasn't enough bad guy time during the movie, and it ended a little quick it seemed. I was expecting some more Angel time, and more story. The creepy grandma was good. Michael the Angel was good, and I wish we could have seen more of him. The movie had some good action, and not enough story. I wanted to know what was with the baby? Why was that baby chosen to save humanity? Why were we given up on? It was just weird! And where did the little creepy kid with the deep voice go? And why were the humans possessed? Why didn't the things possessing them come as they were? All in all the movie was all right. But I would have wished to see it on paper view, and paid to see Avatar. Oh well. It had good stuff, but not good enough. I would give it a 2.5 stars out of 5. Wait to see this one on Paper View folks.

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Adventures in Babysitting!

Gone are the days where adults are needed to really babysit. Gone are the days where the babysitting bag is needed and you bring fun toys or games over. Gone are the days of supervising the kids to make sure they have fun or stay out of trouble. In are the days of electronic babysitters. In are the days of the Wii!! LOL Yesterday my beautiful friend texted me to see if Chuck and I could watch her kids while she had a nice night out with friends, and took a class since her husband was out of town. We both said yes since we had nothing else planned. We stopped by McDonald's on our way and got some chicken nuggets for the kids. I had my babysitting bag with a few things to do in it, and some good ole movies like Sinbad (cartoon), The tale of Desperoux, and G-Force. But the kids were Hadley interested. The thing that had their attention was the Wii. And who can blame them....that thing is awesome. They were hysterical, and so entertaining. They screamed and jumped, and really got into the game running around. All Chuck and I could do was sit back and laugh. I think we were just as entertained as they were. I wonder if I look like that when racing Chuck!! lol
Bedtime rolled around, and it wasn't to bad getting them to calm down and all climb in bed. We were going to do one story in the girls room, but as it turned out that wasn't deemed fair by all, so we read one story to each kid in their room if they promised to get into bed. I think the funnest one was Wells and his Ogre book. It was very cute, and that book might have to find a home here. lol But the best was by far little Dean. He was struggling to stay awake, and he really fought it. He didn't want to sleep, but once his music was turned on, and the lights went out, he was toast. Oh and he was sooo cute. He curled up on my lap, and had his blanket and stuffed animal. Ohhh my heart just ached when he did that. ;0) He was sooo cute and sweet!
After everyone was in bed, Chuck watched HGTV, and I did some scripture reading. All in all it was a good night. Then around midnight my girl Nicole and I got onto our computers, and chatted until 3am!! lol oops! ha ha ha Here are some pics and the cutest video of the kids jumping around winning their game!!

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Wasting Time and Lovin it!

Today is just one of those days so far, where I just don't want to do anything. Yes I now the day is half over, but I don't want to clean, or study, or anything. I mean I do want my house to be cleaner, and I want to read and study. And I am reading a very good book right now. But I just feel like sitting here and accomplishing a whole lot of nothing! lol

I got accepted to Institute, after first being denied. I didn't understand why they turned me down, but after they did so I wrote them and told them why I wasn't going to school, and that I really wanted to learn more. I really wasn't understanding the whole turn me down thing, since it is free, and they encourage you to bring friends!!! :0) So I asked if I could at least sit at the back of the room and not participate, but just listen. And she wrote back after talking to the teacher, and they decided to say yes!! Woohoo So I am going to take a Book of Mormon class, Doctorine and Covenants, and a prep class for temple marriage. I think it will all be very good and I hope I learn what I need, and want out of it.

So I am really enjoying Windows 7. It is a little different, and some things I have no idea about. But It is pretty user friendly. I like it, and am learning how to use it. One thing I like is the cool web cam program on my computer. It is sooo fun to play with. And it will sure come in handy when Chuck is away.
Chuck has been really busy lately. I feel like we haven't had any time together in months. In October he was gone the entire month. In November he got 1 day off I think, because Toys for Tots took up so much of his time. And I helped out as much as I could with it, so I could at least see him. But it's not like we were talking or anything. I would be in the bay sorting toys, and he would be in his office working. But at least we could see each other. Then in December it was the same story. He got 2 days off, but one of them he still had to go in for an hour or so to work. lol January he has been prepping for this Huge inspection from Washington. It started the day of his birthday. :0( He is done with it now, and he passed!! YES!! But he just has to fix a few things right now. We are hoping that he can take tomorrow off, and we have the day planned with a few things, but knowing Chuck he will work half the day. See that is the good thing and bad thing about him. He is such a hard worker, and takes his work very seriousely. He takes care of his Marines before himself. But at the same time, it's been non stop 4 months of this, and we both need some us time! But oh well. This is what we signed up for I guess. It's just sometimes a girl needs to whine about it! lol

Spanky has been very active at our house. He comes by almost daily to eat our dried corn on the cobb we leave out for him. We bought it last summer or fall, and he never took an interest in it. But I think now that it is winter he is enjoying it...since pickins are slim for him. He is pretty fun to watch. He has gained some weight, and looks a little chunky. But I am not judging!! lol His coat looks really healthy to. I can stand by our front window near him, and he doesn't mind. I can even open the window and stand there, and he is fine with it. But once I step onto the porch, he is outta here. lol

Well I guess this is enough babbling for now. ;0) I should clean up the house a little before the hubs comes home. lol Love you all

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Wish List- Yes Please!

So after playing around on Amazon for a little to long, I found out that you can create a wish list, and anyone can access it! All you do is go to Amazon click on wish list, and then type in the person's e-mail addy. I think it is very brilliant, and suggest all to try it. It is an easy way for my husband to keep up with my interests, and for him to find something cheap and easy and painless for a gift that he knows I will like. Also for those with family far away.....They can find something you want, without having to ask that question of.....what do you want. Because let's face it folks....no one wants to ask that question, and no one wants to tell someone else what to buy them. And so you can just add gobs of stuff to your list, and then if someone likes you enough...they just might buy something for you off of the list. :0) I think it is a very smart thing.
Has anyone else done this at all? You can even have your older kids, and spouse make one, so you can keep up with what they like! :0) Awesome! I would love to hear feedback on what you all think.


XoXo-Andrea Carla

Personal Study Day 1

So I am ashamed to say that even though I love my religion, I do not know that much about the gospel. I do not know how to navigate my way through the scriptures, and do not know the stories that well. So I have really been trying to make it my goal to learn as much as I can. I am not a molly Mormon, and I do not like people who shove their religion down your throat. But I do know that if I believe in this gospel, I need to know about it. Not just feel it is true, but I need to educate myself. What if a friend wanted to know what I believe in. I can't just say that I feel it is true. I should be able to say more than that. So I am all about educating myself right now. And I love to read, so this is fun for me. Now the scriptures are a little tough to navigate. But I am slowly learning.
The sisters came over today to help with my studying and answer any questions I had. This will be a weekly thing for now, and maybe more if they can come. They just pop in whenever they get a cancellation, or have a spare hour or two. They only get 1 hour of personal study each day, so they are excited to help me, and be able to study as well. :0) We had a lot of fun doing this. We spread all our stuff out on the living room floor, and got two hours in of studying. I learned a little about the Atonement, and found it interesting. I also found out something that both Chuck and I are happy about. When the Millennium comes, our friend whose life was taken from them to soon will be able to come back to earth, find a spouse and get sealed to them. The millennium will happen at the beginning of the 2nd coming. It will last for 1,000 years, and during that time Satan will be bound and will not be able to influence others. All that will take place is teachings, baptisms, marriages, and sealings. It will be a time to preach the gospel, and spread our teachings. It was really neat to learn about this, because I had never heard of it before.
Also I learned about how Jesus was sweating drops of blood because taking on all our sins was so painful. Luke 22:39. It is pretty powerful.
The sisters left for a few hours to do some service, and then came back to contact a referral I gave them. I wrapped 2 books, and put a note on it that said You are liked, You are loved. They took it to my neighbor with some Girl scout cookies, and she accepted it. :0) I hope she likes it.
Tomorrow I will be going to the Temple with the sisters and Beau Oyler with a Young man who seems interested in the gospel. :0) I love learning. It's fun. Here are some pics of the sisters and I having a good time messing with my camer!

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Happy Birthday Chuck!

Chuck's Birthday was pretty lame. You all saw his birthday cake and how badly that turned out. Chuck went to work at 6 in the morning, and didn't come home until 9:30 pm. Then he went straight to bed without dinner after opening his presents. He was so tired he didn't want to eat, and I am surprised he could stay awake to open his stuff. Then he got up this morning to do the same. He came home to say hi to me, say hi to the sisters, and then went to YM's, and didn't get back until after 10 p.m.! Then it was straight to bed for him because he was so tired. We need a vacation soon. I feel like I haven't seen him in months. After his month in Africa, 2 months of straight Toys for Tots, and now a full month for this inspection....We both need some down time, to relax together. The more we have talked about it, we are thinking of driving home, and staying at my parents for a week. He doesn't want to see anyone or do anything, but just relax. No family drama! lol And he has more than earned it. So whatever he says goes! lol
Here are some pics of Chuck opening his gift from my family...(Thank you!!) And his gifts from me. Even Harley and Paige got in on some of the action!! I wrapped all his in a few boxes, with a lot of tape! lol He got tons of Gun parts for his gun he has been wanting to build for a while now. :0)

XoXo-Andrea Carla

Chuck's Birthday Cake

I am pretty sure my kitchen has it out for me. Today is Chuck's birthday, and so i decided to make his favorite cake. I am pretty dang good at making cakes, and even though when I decorate them they sometimes come out looking like a 2 year old decorated it....I have never had a problem with them. So today I wrapped Chuck's present. I loaded the first, second, and third box with tons of packing tape. Then I wrapped it in some christmas wrapping paper, then wrapped it agiain in packing tape. Yah I am that guy. I love to make his presents a little hard to get into. Here is some pics to make ya laugh:




While I was taping away, Chuck's birthday cake was cooling on the stove. He has been at work all day, and is super tired. Today was the beginning of his really long and tough inspection from battalion. They came in from Washington last night, and will be here most of the week. :0( Poor guy. So I picked up the house, pulled out some steaks, and then started to frost the cakes. Now you are probably wondering why part of his cake is pink. Well I had left over frosting from the last cake I made, and it was red frosting. But seems to have turned into a now litish red! lol The bottom of the cake turned out very well. Then I lifted on the top part. Chuck's favorite part. I think where I went wrong was not allowing the bottom to cool enough first. So On went the top. And as I was lowering it on.....splat....Well I will let you see the rest in pictures. I hope I at least entertained you a little. At least it still tastes good.....It just looks bad.

XoXo-Nonnie

Confessions from a neglected Kitchen 2

I am pretty sure my kitchen has it out for me. Today is Chuck's birthday, and so i decided to make his favorite cake. I am pretty dang good at making cakes, and even though when I decorate them they sometimes come out looking like a 2 year old decorated it....I have never had a problem with them. So today I wrapped Chuck's present. I loaded the first, second, and third box with tons of packing tape. Then I wrapped it in some christmas wrapping paper, then wrapped it agiain in packing tape. Yah I am that guy. I love to make his presents a little hard to get into. Here is some pics to make ya laugh:




While I was taping away, Chuck's birthday cake was cooling on the stove. He has been at work all day, and is super tired. Today was the beginning of his really long and tough inspection from battalion. They came in from Washington last night, and will be here most of the week. :0( Poor guy. So I picked up the house, pulled out some steaks, and then started to frost the cakes. Now you are probably wondering why part of his cake is pink. Well I had left over frosting from the last cake I made, and it was red frosting. But seems to have turned into a now litish red! lol The bottom of the cake turned out very well. Then I lifted on the top part. Chuck's favorite part. I think where I went wrong was not allowing the bottom to cool enough first. So On went the top. And as I was lowering it on.....splat....Well I will let you see the rest in pictures. I hope I at least entertained you a little. At least it still tastes good.....It just looks bad.

XoXo-Andrea Carla