Another month? Srsly?

How annoying is it when a person types/texts abbreviations like srsly?  Is it really annoying? ha...I do it all the time.  Anywho, I hope the above photo of Belli Boo (Bella) will erase any annoyance I may have already caused. 

If adorable pugs aren't your *thing* maybe the above tombstone will make you smile!  Normally, I don't post graveyard images with a busy background.  I like the focus of my photo to stand alone with only minimal nature in the back.  However, I could not pass up posting this one.  It caught my eye as I wandered - what a moving expression is presented.  Just beautiful!

Okay, so.. yeah, it's been another month since I posted here.  Where does the time go? I need to catch everyone up, in this little blog world of mine, how super exciting the past month has been for me!!

Not really, but it's fun to portray that image - right?

All lameness aside, it's not been too bad around here.   One morning, last week, we had loads of fog roll through Cincinnati.  As the Demon and I set out for school I noticed a bunch of amazing spider webs in the neighbors bushes.  Ahhh!!!  Fall is just around the corner.  I have to keep repeating that fact because, currently, the weather is still TOO warm for my liking.  I know that picture isn't the best quality, but I'm super impressed considering it was taken with my phone!

I've been a walking maniac lately.  And by maniac I mean like 5 miles a day.  I am sure to most people 5 miles is no big deal.  To me?  It's huge.  I've spent many months not wanting to do anything.  Not wanting to get out of bed.  Not wanting to get off the couch.  This burst of energy and motivation is a good thing.  I also attribute my sudden motivation on the fact that I am one of the most competitive people you will know.  Most of you know my love for the video dance game - Just Dance.  I am a beast!!!  I must beat everyone I play.  And, not just beat them..it's my mission to  crush  them.  That leads me to walking... My brother and I each bought a Samsung Galaxy Gear Neo 2, smart watch.  It's now my mission in life to walk more steps in a day than he does.  It's super hard for me, considering I am sitting for 7 hours a day at work while he works on his feet.  I have to cram in as much walking as my fat little body can handle in the moments I have after work.  It's taken me a few days, loads of sweat, and a few blisters..but I think I've found my groove.  I'm pretty proud of myself!  It's also very therapeutic for me to throw my ear buds in and just go..

moment of truth - i do laps in my living room if i have to, in order to annihilate his amount.  let's keep that secret here..

As I take the Demon to school we drive passed these towers.  Every.single.morning I say "Oh, that would have been a beautiful photo.  This day...I captured it!

Something is so picturesque about the metal giants sitting against the beautiful sunrise sky.  It's just amazing.

So, that's about it.  My days consist of waking up entirely too early, driving the Demon to school, working, picking him up, and walking.  Thrown in there are moments of family laughter, homework arguments, and a couple nights filled with dancing.  All in all - not such a bad situation.  

I'll end today's recap with a huge thank you to everyone that still reads this little area of the internets.  A huge thank you for any new readers out there.  I've been told that a few of my Instagram friends have been reading - what a huge honor!  I really appreciate you all for your support over the last few years.  It's meant more than you realize.

I hope to check in soon!  I mean, it's my most favorite time of the year!!  I have to bombard you all with my Autumn obsessions.

Who *is* that masked man!?

Whoa.. so much has happened since my last blog post.  I am not going to get into too much detail (because I believe I currently have some blog stalking going on right now.. ) but it's been crazy!

Any who, yesterday we went for a late night Target run and the boys stumbled upon the Superhero aisle.  They went a little crazy and, although I've posted all of these on my Instagram, I wanted to save these gems here, too!

As we continued to make our way back up the the check out lanes they found more items they found interesting.

Who knew they were closet One Direction and Justin Bieber fans!  haha, They are too much fun.

Before I leave I wanted to show off the new and improved Spike.  He is the absolute WORST pet to capture in a picture.  He never sits still long enough to get a good one..

Every time we bring one of the cats back from the vet we have to keep Truck caged a bit longer because they are very skittish.  Speaking of coming home from the vet - every time we bring Spike or Mao home from the vet Mao insists on hissing and growling at Spike.  It's almost as if Mao forgets who Spike is while they are apart.  Mao is such a bully.   Okay, back to the picture.. Spike got shaved!  He is adorable!  Hopefully, I'll be able to sneak up on him and get a better pose.  He's too cute and so very soft. 

Enjoy your Monday!

school's out!

He did it!  I am now the proud momma of a high school freshman.  It's cliche, I know, to say that time flies...but it really does.  I remember walking him to the line of his kindergarten class and waiting with him while they said the Pledge of Allegiance and walked inside for the first time.  Last night, my baby graduated the 8th grade!  It was not an easy road, but we're here and we're happy to look toward brighter times.  I've been told that the 4 years of high school are the fastest 4 years of a parent's life - and I believe it!

The weather here is getting hot, hot, HOT.  Is it really the end of May?  I haven't accomplished one photo-a-hour yet.  Ooops!  Let's hope I get my act together for June.  Maybe I should let the Demon use the camera for a day while I'm working and see what he thinks is worth capturing for the photo-a-hour challenge.  That sounds like a great idea!  Speaking of June.. I guess I should take a look at my list of goals and try to see where I stand.  I have a feeling I have loads of catching up to do before the end of the year.

Enjoy your day!

Summer 2013

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend.  I did close to nothing - which is okay with me!  It is getting crazy hot here again and I'm not loving anything about it.  Today it's supposed to hit 90° F!  Ugly.. just ugly. 

The Demon is graduating 8th grade next week and we're both excited about no school for the next 3 months.  Last week, we were going through a rough patch here at Casa de la Raisingkane.  It was like a switch was flipped on my well behaved, respectful 14 year old and the lying, mean, disrespectful teen was loud and in charge.  After a couple of bad days we agreed on a household contract.  After we typed that up (I plan to print the contract and find a frame and convenient place to display said contract!) we also thought it was a good time to set up a 2013 Summer Bucketlist.  I wanted to share that here to hold us accountable.  Here we go!

01.  The Demon ride DiamondBack!
02.  Go to Cincinnati Museum Center @ least once.
03.  Go on more bike rides around town.
04.  Go canoeing at Winton Woods.
05.  Go to a Reds game! done!

06.  Go on at least two day trips.
07.  Read 3 books.
08.  Go to the Root Beer Stand.
09.  Spend a day downtown Cincinnati.
10.  Explore local parks.
11.  Visit one other local museum.
12.  Visit the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

I love this list!  It was nice sitting down with him and hearing the excitement about all the activities that he chose.  I have to be honest, I am definitely more excited about some of the ideas than others.  I'm not too thrilled about the idea of getting out on a canoe.  Not thrilled at.all...but I hope to fight through my fears and spend that time with him for him.

I wanted to end this blog with a huge thank you to my friends for being super supportive of me after my last blog entry.  I have received so much positive feedback and love - both online and in person.  It wasn't an easy decision but I feel a weight has been lifted.  

I am currently in a very good place in my life and I can honestly say I am happy.

♥

35 and...

not long ago i was chatting with some friends online and i made a comment and it wasn't until after i hit enter and reread it that i stopped and really thought...

"i'm 35 and i've never been married!"

when i sat back and read that i thought to myself - i wonder if i had been told at 21 "you're going to be 35 and never have been married."  if i would've believed them?  probably not.  in fact, at 21 i was on my way to marriage so let's go back even further.  at 16, i never would've imagined being 35 and single!

then,  i read it again and again then thought "what a loser!"  would've been my feeling back at that age.

however, a few weeks have passed and now i've had loads of time to think about that comment.  

"i'm 35 and i've never been married!"

there are so many positives that come along with being a single 35 year old.  i don't sit around and wonder where my prince charming went.  i don't watch chic flicks and think "where is my knight in shining armor?".  there isn't much compromise happening in casa de raisingkane... it's my way or no way!  and that's the way i like it.  (admit it, you're now singing - that's the way.. uh huh uh huh.. i like it!)  in fact, the only time of my life when i think "crap, i wish i had a dude around" is during the times when i need the ice scrapped from my windshield  or if there is something wrong with the Jeep or house and i long for a handyman hubby.

i could list example after example of the positives of being single but it's not necessary.  single or married happiness is what matters...and i'm actively working on  my happiness, and for that reason alone, i'm far from a loser that is 35 and has never been married.

enjoy your tuesday.  the demon leaves tomorrow - i hope they have great camping weather!

stickygram... i love 'em!

i have no idea if i've mentioned stickygram on this blog in the past.  i suppose i could go to the handy dandy search engine and put the name in and check - but i'm lazy.  anyway... if you're on instagram and you are looking for a way to display your pictures and  you have a metal surface in your house stickygram is the way to go.

i know, right now they seem a bit messy, but, it'll do for now!  the demon and i sat down, together, and chose enough pictures for 6 more sheets for this most recent order.  stickygram was offering a great deal - buy 2 get 1 free so i jumped at the chance to get caught up with printing out which instagram pictures i wanted to display.

i knew i had to print up a couple of my favorite collages. 

wtf happened with the coloring of this pic? 

the demon insisted that this one be turned into a magnet...

these only appear blurry in these pictures, in person they are great!

as i'm posting this i'm watching dawn of the dead so i thought it was appropriate that i include the picture of the demon proudly holding his Zombie Survival Guide.  after watching this movie again, i may need to read up on this topic - pronto!!

i hope everyone is enjoying their weekend.  it's beautiful here, but i'm not feeling too hot.  my mission, today, includes laundry and loads of TV watchin'. actually, that's usually my mission every weekend. 

*i'm not getting any type of payment for my endorsement of StickyGram.. but it would be awesome if i had been!*

take the time.

last night the demon and i were channel swapping between the NBA All Star Basketball coverage and The Collector.  during the random times when both channels were showing commercials we had some fun with the camera.  with each silly face we would laugh harder and harder. 

everyone should do this at least once a week.  no matter how awful you may think life is.. take the time to smile with your kids.  take the time to BE in pictures with your children.  they do not care how you look.  be brave enough to be "ugly" with your kids.. it's tremendous for the soul. 

things i love thursday.

this episode of TiLT is brought to you all by target.  seriously, when am i going to stumble upon a huge bag of unmarked bills that i can spend willy nilly (yes, i just said willy nilly) at target?!  everything here can be found at Target.

i have no where to put this in my house but i.must.have.it.

i love the pillows currently on my couch but this is a definite choice for my new recliners!

i still do not have salad bowls.  the above bowl almost matches the criteria i have set for purchasing some.  the only problems i've found are 1.  they are black and i definitely do not want black & 2.  they are cereal bowls.  i guess the fact that they are cereal bowls shouldn't matter but i am thinking they aren't big enough for what i want.

what a beautiful bookcase! 

this wristlet  on the right is labeled as orange but it looks more coral in the picture.. right?  either way these would be perfect for a day spent at the waterpark at kings island!  i may have to get one of these.

for once, i'm actually posting something that i really do need.  our toaster is a piece of crap!  but i'm not sure i can rationalize spending this much on one... but, it is a beaut! 

i hope you're enjoying your thursday.  get a load of me... 2 TiLT in a row!!  go me!

just eat it.

...and by it, the demon means snow!

no kidding, this kid goes out of his way to find untouched snow to eat.  then goes on and on about how cold his hands are. he's so fun!  he received this face mask for christmas.  he asked for VERY little this christmas.  he said all he wanted was a nook and a switchblade comb.  really, a switchblade comb!    however, he's been begging for a face mask for years.  so, he finally got one.  (he did get the tablet and, of course, a switch blade comb)

*** i wanted to point out that i have added a linkie do up at the top for my project: 365.  it was suggested that i may want to start a fresh place for my photos and after doing so, i could not have agreed more!  i have to say, it took me forever and 3 days to figure out what i have figured out (so far) in word press.  it was not an easy road for my brain to travel.  however, once i mastered the art of uploading a picture that was larger than a freakin' thumbnail.. it was a breeze.

by starting the second blog, i will be able to post daily pictures (only) and continue to use this blog as my "vent about everything - not trying to impress anyone - ramble on and on - blog."  the most important part of doing this project is having the memories of the year for me.  because of that, starting the second blog will streamline each picture without the clutter of words.  while some, if not most, pictures will appear on both blogs, there will most definitely be more pictures on my 365 blog.  i do hope that you occasionally check in over there.. thanks!***

i hope everyone has a fantastic weekend.  i spent new year's alone..but i have a weekend full of the demon - all is well in my world.

it's not time, yet!

(please bear with me and my retelling of this story.. i do seem to blabber on.)

my brother came over yesterday and commented about my christmas decorations being up. (growing up the decorations would be put up the day after thanksgiving and come down new years day)  i informed him (after i researched for myself) that the correct time to take down the decorations is the twelfth night of christmas.  that falls on january 6th.  when he asked why,.. i had to inform him all about the epiphany and how the three kings came to visit the baby jesus on that day.  he looked at me confused and claimed that we were taught that the three kings came well before the 12th day of christmas (and to be honest, that's exactly what i remembered too.. but being as i enjoy giving him grief - i continued to spew my wiki knowledge).

true to form he started to return the grief.  "Well then, in that case, no nativity should come with kings!"  it was then that i was reminded of a friend teasing me about how we put baby jesus in the nativity at the same time we put them on display (instead of putting him in on christmas eve/day).  my brother then threw out the idea that that next year we should do things differently.  we should start the kings at the edge of the mantle and each night (after christmas) we'll ease them on down the road toward the nativity - as if they are following the star all the way - down our lengthy mantle - to the baby jesus.  then he had a brilliant idea (and trust me those don't come very often for him).  i had told him the reason i gave my friend for putting our baby jesus out early was that if i held him back, i'd be sure to forget to add him on christmas.  he said that instead of our christmas mouse that fills each little pocket of our christmas countdown calendar we use our baby jesus!!

seriously!?  i can picture him saying "whaaaaaaat!?  i'm the baby jesus yooooo!

OH EM GEE.  i busted out laughing.  what a great concept!!  i can't wait for december 1, 2013.

12.29.12 more SNOW!

i've been sick since before christmas.  it started with a sore throat and morphed into the plague!  because i've not been feeling well, i've not been able to really get out and get some nice pictures of the recent snowfall.  however, what few pictures i have taken i've been going post crazy over on instagram (raisingkane1) showing them off.  here are a few of them...along with some random pictures i managed to snap with my camera.

i sure wish i knew the secret to getting pictures from my computer over to instagram.  any ideas?!  if you know, i'd appreciate being let in on the secret.  :)

the last few pictures were taken after the first round of snow.

i've discovered that taking pictures of the snow (and especially when the days are dreary) it's almost as if we live our lives in black and white.  nice!

i hope you all enjoy your weekend. 

history repeating itself...

11.14.11 i was feeling almost the same as i'm feeling today.  very weird.  i know my reasons for feeling funky, probably, are very different from last year - but, regardless... i'm down.

recently i've been doing a lot of retail therapy.  it's not something i *should* be doing and normally it's not something that makes me feel good - but this time it's different.   i'm forcing myself to buy some new clothes.  not just new clothes but clothes that i would not normally wear.  nice sweaters, leggings, boots, even tanks to go under the pretty sweaters.  twice last week i forced myself to dress a little nicer.  and, guess what?  i felt pretty on those days!

i felt nice.  i felt a little less funky.

no, i haven't lost weight.. in fact i've gained weight.  yes, i still hate everything about trying on clothes.  this is something i had to force myself to do.  i'm thankful i did.  

as superficial as this is to type - a fresh hair dye, lovely fall finger nail polish, a new sweater and a comfy pair of boots made all the difference in the world to me, last friday.  i felt good.

in my post from last year, i asked the question if people choose to stay sad?  i'm still not sure of the answer but i do know that i'm doing my best to make a conscious effort to not be sad.  i just need to find a cheaper way to cheer myself up - that won't continue to pack on the pounds! 

i have to throw a shout out to a blogger that i've been following for quite some time now.   Rachele, over at The Nearsighted Owl, has been an inspiration for me.  she is consistently so positive and supportive and, it may be silly to say, finding her blog may have totally changed my life.  i'm sure i'm not the only one that reads what she says and has had their lives touched.  her attitude on body image and empowering women is something that i needed exactly at the time in my life that i stumbled upon her blog -and through her blog i've also found many other positive women bloggers.  i know i've said it before, but, i really need to share these blogs with the few ppl that read mine! 

please take some time today to visit and browse her blog - you won't be sorry!

it's time to start my day.. i hope everyone is enjoying their week.

he cracks me up.

if you have kids i'm sure you've had the thought... "OMG!  I need to write that down so I can always remember that he/she said that!"  (or did that!)?  that's the exact moment i'm having right now.

i mentioned that i bought a new couch.   it's being delivered today and the old one is on the front porch.  sitting here, watching mindless television, i remembered what the Demon said right after i told him about getting a new couch.  i was expressing my excitement.  he didn't seem phased?  it wasn't like him.  

"Aren't you excited?"

"Eh, I guess."

"What's wrong?"

"I have a lot of good memories on the old couch."

"Aww, cuddle memories?"
"Oh, well yeah.  That.  But that's where we laughed and did the butt juice!"

(cracks up)

he kills me!!!  when he was first diagnosed with UC he was prescribed medicinal enemas.  to help relax him and turn the entire ordeal from embarrassing to hilarious - we started to call it "butt juice".  as i was sitting here thinking of all the times we've laid there and cuddled...his first memory of that couch is the hilarious butt juice.

he's amazing, and this is one story that i don't want to forget.

enjoy your weekend!

things i love thursday

orange.  and loads of it!  if i could, i'd redecorate my entire house - room  by room.  let's take a moment to see what my kitchen would look like.  you know, if i won the lottery.

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these appliances are BEautiful.  sickening. 

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wallpaper?  anyone?  yes, please!

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as i continued on my hunt for the perfect kitchen i stumbled onto this microwave!  perfection.

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have i mentioned i am looking to replace my dining room table?  i guess i just did.  i know this type of design isn't typically, seen in a dining room, but, i'm anything but typical.  either way, my freakin' kitchen is way too small for a table set.

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i'd definitely have to substitute the orange vinyl!

finally, what kitchen of mine would be complete without this..

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well, maybe i'll just settle on just this clock with my crappy kitchen!  it's sure to make me smile whenever i walk by.

if you're curious as to how the shadowing day went yesterday... amazing!  he's not stopped talking about every detail about his day.  a huge weight has been lifted from my heart.  enjoy your day!