I've been slacking off in the chore department. Bleh. Makes me irritated.
Mike and I went to Gambardella's for dinner last night. I had shrimp ravioli, and he had Fettuccine Alfredo. It was yummy, and we had a nice date. :o) Before we went, I went home, and curled my hair, and put on a new springy dress I recently got at Old Navy. :o) We went to dinner, and then to Petco, and Wal-mart, then home. Well, when we got home, we watched a movie, and seriously... I completely forgot about my Monday chores! I didn't remember until I got to work this morning. Thus, the UGH.
So... tonight I have double duty. Well, that's what I get for forgetting. Go me. I suppose I'll let you know how my night goes tonight, tomorrow. Hopefully I do actually get my Monday and my Tuesday chores done. Bleh.
Anyways, hope you all are having a fabulous day. ;o)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
The Weekend
We had a great weekend. :o)
Friday night, Heidi came over, and we ran to the store right quick to get some stuff, then we headed back to the house and started the baking process. :o) We baked two cheese cakes, and while they were cooking, cleaned the house. My house was a wreck, but it's all pretty now. Yay. :o) Well...except for the spare room, but we're SO not going there. :o)
Saturday morning, we got up, and I finished cleaning my house like a mad woman. :o) Then we went to the airport to pick up Tori and Lanae`! YAY! SO good to have them home. :o) So, we ran back to our house, and Emily piled in the truck with us, and we all headed up to Moose Mt. It was a PERFECT day for snowboarding, in my opinion. :o) We had just gotten some fresh powder, and it was really soft, and smooth. The temps out were great. Not too warm, not freezin your bum off! :o) We got up there at about noon, and boarded until 5:00. I was proud of myself, I was actually hitting jumps all day! Haha, granted I didn't get very much air at all, but hey, baby steps. :o) I'm just trying to get comfortable going off jumps to start with. But, it was probably our last time for the year to go. We'll see though. Anyways, we all had a great time snowboarding. It was Mason and Shannon's first time, and they both did really well. :o)
After we were done boarding, we all headed to Taco Azteca for dinner, which was where Tori picked to go. Heidi and I headed back to my house ahead of everyone, to get the last minute things ready for Tori's birthday party. We made 3 different kinds of berry sauce for the cheesecakes, and made sherbert and ginger ale punch. Everyone showed up, and we had a blast. The Degerlunds were there, Tori, Lanae`, Mason, Tyler, Brian, Jenni, Emily, Heidi, and Mike and I. Haha, I think that's all, but there were a lot of us. :o) We tried popping a few kernels of corn with cell phone signals, but I think we decided that was a hoax. :o) Then we all sang Tori (and Elmer!) Happy Birthday, and dug into cheesecake, which was a big hit. It was so tasty. :o) And we all just sat around watching a snowboarding video. It was so much fun having people at my house. I loved playing hostess, it was a blast!
Anyways, it was a great weekend. How did your weekend go? Do anything fun? Maybe just get some stuff done? Well, whatever it was, I hope you had a good one! :o)
*oh, and there WERE pictures taken up on the hill and at my house, so hopefully I can get them emailed to me (off of everyone else's cameras) and I'll get them up soon! :o)
Friday night, Heidi came over, and we ran to the store right quick to get some stuff, then we headed back to the house and started the baking process. :o) We baked two cheese cakes, and while they were cooking, cleaned the house. My house was a wreck, but it's all pretty now. Yay. :o) Well...except for the spare room, but we're SO not going there. :o)
Saturday morning, we got up, and I finished cleaning my house like a mad woman. :o) Then we went to the airport to pick up Tori and Lanae`! YAY! SO good to have them home. :o) So, we ran back to our house, and Emily piled in the truck with us, and we all headed up to Moose Mt. It was a PERFECT day for snowboarding, in my opinion. :o) We had just gotten some fresh powder, and it was really soft, and smooth. The temps out were great. Not too warm, not freezin your bum off! :o) We got up there at about noon, and boarded until 5:00. I was proud of myself, I was actually hitting jumps all day! Haha, granted I didn't get very much air at all, but hey, baby steps. :o) I'm just trying to get comfortable going off jumps to start with. But, it was probably our last time for the year to go. We'll see though. Anyways, we all had a great time snowboarding. It was Mason and Shannon's first time, and they both did really well. :o)
After we were done boarding, we all headed to Taco Azteca for dinner, which was where Tori picked to go. Heidi and I headed back to my house ahead of everyone, to get the last minute things ready for Tori's birthday party. We made 3 different kinds of berry sauce for the cheesecakes, and made sherbert and ginger ale punch. Everyone showed up, and we had a blast. The Degerlunds were there, Tori, Lanae`, Mason, Tyler, Brian, Jenni, Emily, Heidi, and Mike and I. Haha, I think that's all, but there were a lot of us. :o) We tried popping a few kernels of corn with cell phone signals, but I think we decided that was a hoax. :o) Then we all sang Tori (and Elmer!) Happy Birthday, and dug into cheesecake, which was a big hit. It was so tasty. :o) And we all just sat around watching a snowboarding video. It was so much fun having people at my house. I loved playing hostess, it was a blast!
Anyways, it was a great weekend. How did your weekend go? Do anything fun? Maybe just get some stuff done? Well, whatever it was, I hope you had a good one! :o)
*oh, and there WERE pictures taken up on the hill and at my house, so hopefully I can get them emailed to me (off of everyone else's cameras) and I'll get them up soon! :o)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
There's A Baby Boy Who Needs Our Prayers...
I guess I was lying on Twitter when I said I was done posting for the day...
So, I have been reading a lady's blog for the past several months. She lives down in the states, and apart from her blog, I do not actually know her. But she is a sweet woman, who is absolutely enamoured with her MSC (Many Small Children). Last summer, when she was pregnant with her fourth baby, problems started developing early on in her pregnancy. Then those problems went away. But new ones, totally unrelated cropped up. The baby in her womb, a boy, named Stellan, had a severe heart condition, called Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT). He then went into heart block, which the doctors told her was irreversible, and that IF he survived, he would have lifelong problems because of it. Then they were told that their baby would die. Jennifer (famously known as MckMama (if you want to know about this, you'll have to just go read her blog) on her blog) was in the hospital for several weeks. That day that they told her that he would die, they didn't expect him to make it through the night. All through this, she kept her blog updated. It was an outlet. Her blog readers set up a prayer vigil on Stellan's behalf, and people around the country were literally praying 'round the clock. There was not a single hour over the course of two days when someone was not praying for little Stellan. Then a miracle happened. The first of Several. Stellan's completely irreversible heart block was reversed. While he still had SVT, the fact that his heart block was reversed gave him a chance to live.
Fast forward a bit. They released her from the hospital when Stellan's condition continued to improve. Since he still had SVT, she would be monitored several times a week. She made it to their goal of 37 weeks, and had a scheduled c-section. Before Stellan was born, the doctors had several plans for what would need to be done, given that Stellan survived the birthing process. If he survived it, then depending on how his condition was outside the womb, there were several things that might have had to be done. One option was a pace-maker for him, and another was medication for the rest of his life. They had the NICU team standing by, waiting to wisk him off. They estimated that he would have to be in there a minimum of a week, but more than likely much longer than that. But when Stellan was born, came the biggest miracle of all: he was born a completely healthy baby. His SVT was gone, with no signs that he had ever had it in the first place. They took him to the NICU just to be sure but almost immediately brought him back up. He was completely fine. Talk about the power of prayer! They told the parents to be careful because it could come back at any point, but that the first two months were the most likely. But time went by, and Stellan was a completely healed baby. And the SVT never came back.
Until now. The SVT didn't come back on it's own though. MckMama took him into the ER because he was sick, and having a very hard time breathing. They ordered a nebulizer treatment for him, which helped a lot. But, as they were getting ready to be discharged, he had a huge coughing fit, and couldn't clear the phlegm out of his throat and chest, and was struggling for breath once again. So, they ordered another one, which ended up causing him to go into SVT. If you want to know the rest of the details, then you can read them here. And you can stay updated with what is going on if you wish.
Stellan's heart rate was up in the 300's, but has come down a bit to the 220's area. His poor little body can't take this much more. Please pray for this baby. If you go on MckMama's blog, there are pictures of him in recent posts she has done. He's the cutest sweetest baby, and is dearly loved by his 4 year old brother, his 3 year old brother, and his 1 1/2 year old sister, and his mommy and daddy. AND all of her blog readers, which are many. He is fighting for life right now, please beseech the Lord to give the doctors wisdom on how to flip his heart out of the high rate, back down to normal levels. Please pray for his parents, who are leaning wholly on God, and have a peace about whatever the outcome may be, but who naturally don't want to lose their miracle baby boy.
I'm sorry this has been so long, and if you've made it this far, thank you. :o)
So, I have been reading a lady's blog for the past several months. She lives down in the states, and apart from her blog, I do not actually know her. But she is a sweet woman, who is absolutely enamoured with her MSC (Many Small Children). Last summer, when she was pregnant with her fourth baby, problems started developing early on in her pregnancy. Then those problems went away. But new ones, totally unrelated cropped up. The baby in her womb, a boy, named Stellan, had a severe heart condition, called Supra Ventricular Tachycardia (SVT). He then went into heart block, which the doctors told her was irreversible, and that IF he survived, he would have lifelong problems because of it. Then they were told that their baby would die. Jennifer (famously known as MckMama (if you want to know about this, you'll have to just go read her blog) on her blog) was in the hospital for several weeks. That day that they told her that he would die, they didn't expect him to make it through the night. All through this, she kept her blog updated. It was an outlet. Her blog readers set up a prayer vigil on Stellan's behalf, and people around the country were literally praying 'round the clock. There was not a single hour over the course of two days when someone was not praying for little Stellan. Then a miracle happened. The first of Several. Stellan's completely irreversible heart block was reversed. While he still had SVT, the fact that his heart block was reversed gave him a chance to live.
Fast forward a bit. They released her from the hospital when Stellan's condition continued to improve. Since he still had SVT, she would be monitored several times a week. She made it to their goal of 37 weeks, and had a scheduled c-section. Before Stellan was born, the doctors had several plans for what would need to be done, given that Stellan survived the birthing process. If he survived it, then depending on how his condition was outside the womb, there were several things that might have had to be done. One option was a pace-maker for him, and another was medication for the rest of his life. They had the NICU team standing by, waiting to wisk him off. They estimated that he would have to be in there a minimum of a week, but more than likely much longer than that. But when Stellan was born, came the biggest miracle of all: he was born a completely healthy baby. His SVT was gone, with no signs that he had ever had it in the first place. They took him to the NICU just to be sure but almost immediately brought him back up. He was completely fine. Talk about the power of prayer! They told the parents to be careful because it could come back at any point, but that the first two months were the most likely. But time went by, and Stellan was a completely healed baby. And the SVT never came back.
Until now. The SVT didn't come back on it's own though. MckMama took him into the ER because he was sick, and having a very hard time breathing. They ordered a nebulizer treatment for him, which helped a lot. But, as they were getting ready to be discharged, he had a huge coughing fit, and couldn't clear the phlegm out of his throat and chest, and was struggling for breath once again. So, they ordered another one, which ended up causing him to go into SVT. If you want to know the rest of the details, then you can read them here. And you can stay updated with what is going on if you wish.
Stellan's heart rate was up in the 300's, but has come down a bit to the 220's area. His poor little body can't take this much more. Please pray for this baby. If you go on MckMama's blog, there are pictures of him in recent posts she has done. He's the cutest sweetest baby, and is dearly loved by his 4 year old brother, his 3 year old brother, and his 1 1/2 year old sister, and his mommy and daddy. AND all of her blog readers, which are many. He is fighting for life right now, please beseech the Lord to give the doctors wisdom on how to flip his heart out of the high rate, back down to normal levels. Please pray for his parents, who are leaning wholly on God, and have a peace about whatever the outcome may be, but who naturally don't want to lose their miracle baby boy.
I'm sorry this has been so long, and if you've made it this far, thank you. :o)
Thanksgiving Day Food
Alright, Random Picture Post time. :o) I took these pictures when I was making food for Thanksgiving. I made 2 pumpkin logs, mini cheesecakes, and a loaf of bread.
All my ingredients. :o)
Powdered Sugar on a towel for my logs.
All my ingredients. :o)
Powdered Sugar on a towel for my logs.
The batter is so yummy....
Finished logs! :o)
That is chocolate play-dough. :o)
They're starting to look like pumpkins!
This is me baking bread, haha. :o)
Mini pumpkin cheesecakes! This pan is too cool. The bottom of each little cup pushes out, for easy removal of the cheesecakes. :o)
The finished product
Isn't my little snowman platter ADORABLE??? :o)
Well, there ya go. Certainly overdue, but whatev. :o)
I Hate Thinking Of Post Names...
Well, my Monday went pretty good. I ran to Joann's last night to get some elastic for a project I'm working on, then went home. Tori called me, so I talked to her for a bit. Then Lanae` called me back, so I talked to her for a bit as I got dinner started. I made spaghetti with chicken pieces on top, and garlic bread for dinner. It was pretty yummy, even though I don't really like spaghetti. :o)
After I got dinner done, I did my Monday chores! This is the THIRD week in a row that I have gotten my Monday chores done, and I gotta say I'm proud of myself. :o) Because, my Monday chores are to sweep and mop downstairs. And I hate doing it. But, I'm discovering that the more often I do it, the easier it is, and the less amount of time it takes, because the floors don't get that dirty from week-to-week, like they do if they go for a long time without being mopped. Gee, what a concept. :o)
Anyways, as I was waiting for the floor to dry, Mike wanted me to lay down on the couch with him, so we cuddled for a while (my favorite thing ever. :o) That's my love language right there. And hey! His is when I take care of things around the house, so we were both getting our love tanks filled) and we ended up falling asleep. We woke up and I told him that I was tired and ready to go to bed. So, we went upstairs and went to sleep at 9:30. Haha, I felt like such an old person, but I have been SO tired in the last couple of weeks, so getting almost 10 hours of sleep was AWESOME! :o) I feel really good today, and it's SO nice. :o) The only thing I'm bummed about with getting to bed so early was that I didn't work out like I was planning to. I'm determined to do it tonight though. I might actually do it on my lunch though, because Mike has a dentist appointment today, so he won't be home for lunch. So, instead of sitting on my bum doing nothing, I could work out. On the other hand though, I haven't finished the book for Jenn's book club meeting on Thursday, and really, I need to get that done. Hmmm...well I guess we'll see. :o)
I'm going to try to do another random picture post today, but we'll see. This is already my second post of the day (I posted on my fitness blog) but we'll see if I can muster up another one. Haha. :o) Ok, gonna go now. Hope you all are having a wonderful day! :o)
After I got dinner done, I did my Monday chores! This is the THIRD week in a row that I have gotten my Monday chores done, and I gotta say I'm proud of myself. :o) Because, my Monday chores are to sweep and mop downstairs. And I hate doing it. But, I'm discovering that the more often I do it, the easier it is, and the less amount of time it takes, because the floors don't get that dirty from week-to-week, like they do if they go for a long time without being mopped. Gee, what a concept. :o)
Anyways, as I was waiting for the floor to dry, Mike wanted me to lay down on the couch with him, so we cuddled for a while (my favorite thing ever. :o) That's my love language right there. And hey! His is when I take care of things around the house, so we were both getting our love tanks filled) and we ended up falling asleep. We woke up and I told him that I was tired and ready to go to bed. So, we went upstairs and went to sleep at 9:30. Haha, I felt like such an old person, but I have been SO tired in the last couple of weeks, so getting almost 10 hours of sleep was AWESOME! :o) I feel really good today, and it's SO nice. :o) The only thing I'm bummed about with getting to bed so early was that I didn't work out like I was planning to. I'm determined to do it tonight though. I might actually do it on my lunch though, because Mike has a dentist appointment today, so he won't be home for lunch. So, instead of sitting on my bum doing nothing, I could work out. On the other hand though, I haven't finished the book for Jenn's book club meeting on Thursday, and really, I need to get that done. Hmmm...well I guess we'll see. :o)
I'm going to try to do another random picture post today, but we'll see. This is already my second post of the day (I posted on my fitness blog) but we'll see if I can muster up another one. Haha. :o) Ok, gonna go now. Hope you all are having a wonderful day! :o)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Back At It
Well, I have to say that after posting so much recently, I missed the blogging world over the weekend! There was some time on Friday morning while Mike was working, when I could have posted and stuff, but naturally, we got the worst room in the hotel as far as problems with connecting to the Internet goes. :o) So, I really was cut off from the outside world, especially after my phone died. Oi with the Poodles already! ;o) Haha, I hope at least SOME of you got that. :o)
Anyways, moving on. Our weekend was GREAT. We really enjoyed the conference, and learning how to communicate better, and more about each other. Not everything was perfect about the presentation (such as the segment on salvation, and "Pray this prayer, and you will be saved". The salvation message was actually pretty good, up to that point though.) but we walked away with some good information, which was the point of going. So, overall, I was happy with the conference. The people were sure nice, and really great speakers. Very motivating, and great examples of parenting. Got a lot of parenting advice that I look forward to putting into practice one of these days. :o) Other than that, it was just good for Mike and I to get away together. We definitely needed it. What a blessing and a refreshment!
So, the girls put together a "Biggest Loser" blog, which I think is great, and am really excited for all of them to come together, and motivate each other, in a friendly competition. :o) I was thinking about joining their blog. Not because I'm trying to lose a bunch of weight, or really any, but because I'm not in shape. And I have fitness goals that I never really follow through with, so I thought it might be fun to have people that are doing some of the same things I am, to stay motivated and stuff. But, I decided that since I'm not actually trying to lose weight, and be The Biggest Loser, that I would just do it on my own. :o)
But, I feel a little weird, posting all my fitness stuff on this blog, and I don't want the fitness stuff to completely take over this blog, which would result in me not posting about any "every day" stuff. So, all this to simply say: I have started a fitness blog! I'm excited about it. :o) It's set to private (I'm not embarrassed about my weight or anything, I just don't want the whole world reading about it is all) so if you wanna read, then just leave me a comment with your email address, and I would be more than happy to add you to it. :o) So, just be sure to leave me your email addresses! :o)
Hope you all are having a marvelous day. :o)
Anyways, moving on. Our weekend was GREAT. We really enjoyed the conference, and learning how to communicate better, and more about each other. Not everything was perfect about the presentation (such as the segment on salvation, and "Pray this prayer, and you will be saved". The salvation message was actually pretty good, up to that point though.) but we walked away with some good information, which was the point of going. So, overall, I was happy with the conference. The people were sure nice, and really great speakers. Very motivating, and great examples of parenting. Got a lot of parenting advice that I look forward to putting into practice one of these days. :o) Other than that, it was just good for Mike and I to get away together. We definitely needed it. What a blessing and a refreshment!
So, the girls put together a "Biggest Loser" blog, which I think is great, and am really excited for all of them to come together, and motivate each other, in a friendly competition. :o) I was thinking about joining their blog. Not because I'm trying to lose a bunch of weight, or really any, but because I'm not in shape. And I have fitness goals that I never really follow through with, so I thought it might be fun to have people that are doing some of the same things I am, to stay motivated and stuff. But, I decided that since I'm not actually trying to lose weight, and be The Biggest Loser, that I would just do it on my own. :o)
But, I feel a little weird, posting all my fitness stuff on this blog, and I don't want the fitness stuff to completely take over this blog, which would result in me not posting about any "every day" stuff. So, all this to simply say: I have started a fitness blog! I'm excited about it. :o) It's set to private (I'm not embarrassed about my weight or anything, I just don't want the whole world reading about it is all) so if you wanna read, then just leave me a comment with your email address, and I would be more than happy to add you to it. :o) So, just be sure to leave me your email addresses! :o)
Hope you all are having a marvelous day. :o)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
My Weekend Starts In an Hour...
Well, I have tomorrow off, and am SO excited about that. :o)
Tonight, Mike and I are taking off, heading to Anchorage for a weekend away together. :o) We're going to attend a marriage conference called A Weekend To Remember, hosted by a Christian organization called Family Life. I have heard lots of good things about this conference. David and Eleanor (the people I babysit for) have been to two of them, one in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks, and they loved both of them, so they decided to send us to the one in Anchorage this year, and are paying for our registration. Isn't that sweet of them??? :o)
I'm really looking forward to getting away from everything here (work, day to day responsibilities, DOGS) and doing something that focuses on us and on our marriage, and learning how to improve things. I really think it's going to be great for us, and I'm looking forward to coming out of it with a better understanding of my husband and my marriage, and striving to be a better, more Godly wife. Pray that the Lord blesses us in this!
I'll get back to posting on Monday, but this is it for the weekend. Hope you all have a great one!
Tonight, Mike and I are taking off, heading to Anchorage for a weekend away together. :o) We're going to attend a marriage conference called A Weekend To Remember, hosted by a Christian organization called Family Life. I have heard lots of good things about this conference. David and Eleanor (the people I babysit for) have been to two of them, one in Anchorage and one in Fairbanks, and they loved both of them, so they decided to send us to the one in Anchorage this year, and are paying for our registration. Isn't that sweet of them??? :o)
I'm really looking forward to getting away from everything here (work, day to day responsibilities, DOGS) and doing something that focuses on us and on our marriage, and learning how to improve things. I really think it's going to be great for us, and I'm looking forward to coming out of it with a better understanding of my husband and my marriage, and striving to be a better, more Godly wife. Pray that the Lord blesses us in this!
I'll get back to posting on Monday, but this is it for the weekend. Hope you all have a great one!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Oh How I love a White Chocolate Mocha...
I got a white chocolate mocha at Starbucks on lunch. Yummy. :o)
Well, it's Tuesday. And it is dragging on FOREVER. Goodness.
I took Evie to Petco today to get groomed. I'll be picking her up after work. Maybe this time I'll get a picture of her before she rips the bow out of her hair. :o) then I have to run to Joann's to grab a couple things, so I'm gonna take her in there with me, because she needs more socialization. She gets scared when she's around people she doesn't know, and we need to fix that if we're gonna breed her.
Anyways. I thought I would update you guys on how I've been doing with my chore calendar. :o) I'm actually quite impressed with myself. Last week, I got my Monday chores done, and I also got my Tuesday ones done too. I didn't do my Wednesday chore, because it honestly didn't need to be done. On Wednesday I'm supposed to vacuum the rug in the living room (I pick something easy for Wednesday nights because of church) and it just wasn't dirty at all. I'll do it this week though. Anyways, I got my Thursday chores done as well. Fridays I left free for myself, then Saturday I did laundry. And yesterday I got my Monday chores done again! I kinda did more last night though. I got ALL the clutter cleaned up downstairs last night. You can actually see our breakfast bar now. It's crazy. And our table. :o) It feels SO good to have a decluttered home. Tonight will be the decluttering (AKA picking up all my laundry all over our room...oops.) of the upstairs, and vacuuming upstairs (Mondays are mopping downstairs). I'm really enjoying the structure of this schedule, and as much as I hate chores, I'm actually finding joy in doing them. It's amazing the way God blesses you when you're doing things to improve your marriage, and honoring Him through it all. Imagine that. :o)
I had a good weekend. I got Mike sent off to play on the snow hill all day with Jordan, and started on a few things around the house. I threw my laundry in, and Heidi came over and picked me up and we went and changed her laundry out, and then ran a couple errands for her, then went and picked her laundry up, and then went back to my house to change my laundry over again. We were standing out in the hallway, in the common area of our condo, doing the laundry, and Heidi walked out of the house, and closed the door. Which was locked. We had no keys. No phones. Just Evie and a bag of quarters. Hmm, probably not gonna get us very far. So, I knocked on my neighbors door, who luckily was home (that's all we'll say about that). I used his phone and called Mike, who then made a couple other calls, and Larson's ended up coming out and picking the lock for us. Haha, we had a good time just hangin out on the washing machines. :o) Evie tried to kill herself by jumping off of my lap onto the linoleum floor. Anyways, after that we went to ACS and then Carl's Jr then Famous Footwear, then Old Navy. Then we went home and watched a movie till Mike got home.
Well, that was the excitement of my weekend. :o) Did everyone have a good weekend? Hope you're all doing well. Talk to you later! :o)
Well, it's Tuesday. And it is dragging on FOREVER. Goodness.
I took Evie to Petco today to get groomed. I'll be picking her up after work. Maybe this time I'll get a picture of her before she rips the bow out of her hair. :o) then I have to run to Joann's to grab a couple things, so I'm gonna take her in there with me, because she needs more socialization. She gets scared when she's around people she doesn't know, and we need to fix that if we're gonna breed her.
Anyways. I thought I would update you guys on how I've been doing with my chore calendar. :o) I'm actually quite impressed with myself. Last week, I got my Monday chores done, and I also got my Tuesday ones done too. I didn't do my Wednesday chore, because it honestly didn't need to be done. On Wednesday I'm supposed to vacuum the rug in the living room (I pick something easy for Wednesday nights because of church) and it just wasn't dirty at all. I'll do it this week though. Anyways, I got my Thursday chores done as well. Fridays I left free for myself, then Saturday I did laundry. And yesterday I got my Monday chores done again! I kinda did more last night though. I got ALL the clutter cleaned up downstairs last night. You can actually see our breakfast bar now. It's crazy. And our table. :o) It feels SO good to have a decluttered home. Tonight will be the decluttering (AKA picking up all my laundry all over our room...oops.) of the upstairs, and vacuuming upstairs (Mondays are mopping downstairs). I'm really enjoying the structure of this schedule, and as much as I hate chores, I'm actually finding joy in doing them. It's amazing the way God blesses you when you're doing things to improve your marriage, and honoring Him through it all. Imagine that. :o)
I had a good weekend. I got Mike sent off to play on the snow hill all day with Jordan, and started on a few things around the house. I threw my laundry in, and Heidi came over and picked me up and we went and changed her laundry out, and then ran a couple errands for her, then went and picked her laundry up, and then went back to my house to change my laundry over again. We were standing out in the hallway, in the common area of our condo, doing the laundry, and Heidi walked out of the house, and closed the door. Which was locked. We had no keys. No phones. Just Evie and a bag of quarters. Hmm, probably not gonna get us very far. So, I knocked on my neighbors door, who luckily was home (that's all we'll say about that). I used his phone and called Mike, who then made a couple other calls, and Larson's ended up coming out and picking the lock for us. Haha, we had a good time just hangin out on the washing machines. :o) Evie tried to kill herself by jumping off of my lap onto the linoleum floor. Anyways, after that we went to ACS and then Carl's Jr then Famous Footwear, then Old Navy. Then we went home and watched a movie till Mike got home.
Well, that was the excitement of my weekend. :o) Did everyone have a good weekend? Hope you're all doing well. Talk to you later! :o)
Monday, March 16, 2009
This Post Didn't Turn Out Anything Like I had Planned...
Wow. It's Monday again. Time is a funny thing, don't you think? Over the weekend, Mike and I passed our 9 month anniversary. Wow. 9 months. That's crazy. I know it might seem like nothing to some of you, but it seems like a lot to me. :o) And at the same time, it feels like it was just yesterday. In 3 more months, it will be a year. So much can happen in a year. So much can (and it has) change. It's just crazy to see the growth, and difference (not good, not bad, just different) in yourself, and others, over the course of a year. Maybe some would argue that I haven't grown in the past year. But I think I have. I'm trying anyways. You may not see it, but I am. I want to be what the Lord wants me to be, and I've been striving to do what I know is right in my life, and to honor Him in what I do. That's not always an easy road to travel. In fact, I think it never is. And sometimes it hurts. A lot. But, somehow you just know that by going through this little bit of hurt (even though at the time it feels like a lot) now, as He is molding you, you know that it will ultimately save you a lot of hurt later. And that when that "later" comes, you will be the beautiful vessel that He has always meant for you to be. Wouldn't you rather be that, than a pile of broken clay? I would. And so that is what I have been, and will continue to strive for.
Hoping the Lord is blessing you in some way on this beautiful day that He has made. :o)
Hoping the Lord is blessing you in some way on this beautiful day that He has made. :o)
Friday, March 13, 2009
It's Friday :o)
Wow, I can't say how glad I am to have the weekend here. Today is dragging on like molasses at -50* though.
I have a massage tonight that's part of the gift certificate that Mike got me for Christmas for Parfait Dix. I'm so excited. :o) And next Thursday night I'm going to do the other half of it, which is get a manicure and pedicure done. My hubby is so sweet to me, don't you think? :o)
Looks like Mike is gonna go snowboarding with Jordan again tomorrow. I'm opting out this time. I'm not gonna go again till I have some girls to go with. :o) Nope, I'm gonna stay home tomorrow, and get some stuff done. Then Heidi is gonna come over and we're gonna hang out until Mike gets done snowboarding. I'm looking forward to a pretty chill weekend. Just relaxing, and getting a few things accomplished. Sounds good to me. :o)
What are your weekend plans? Hope you all have a great one! :o)
I have a massage tonight that's part of the gift certificate that Mike got me for Christmas for Parfait Dix. I'm so excited. :o) And next Thursday night I'm going to do the other half of it, which is get a manicure and pedicure done. My hubby is so sweet to me, don't you think? :o)
Looks like Mike is gonna go snowboarding with Jordan again tomorrow. I'm opting out this time. I'm not gonna go again till I have some girls to go with. :o) Nope, I'm gonna stay home tomorrow, and get some stuff done. Then Heidi is gonna come over and we're gonna hang out until Mike gets done snowboarding. I'm looking forward to a pretty chill weekend. Just relaxing, and getting a few things accomplished. Sounds good to me. :o)
What are your weekend plans? Hope you all have a great one! :o)
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Hunter Lee Pelham
Hey everyone. Just a quick note to ask for prayer for my cousin Hunter. He is a RANGER in the Army, and he is stationed in Ft. Benning, Georgia. He was scheduled to go on another tour to Iraq in May, but they have decided that him and three other guys are going to do something else. And that "something else" more than likely means "something more dangerous". Since he's a RANGER, everything that he does is confidential, secret mission stuff. The family knows nothing at this point. Not where he's going, when he's going, or when he's coming back. They haven't even told him what he's doing yet. The only thing the family knows is that he is now in Virginia, with no warning. He just had to leave one day. They probably won't know anything until a couple days after he ships out, in which case, they will get a letter in the mail.
Anyways, if you think of him, please pray that God would keep him safe, and bring him home soon.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Curtains!
Alright, here are pictures of my new curtains! Ugh, just ignore the plastic in the pictures. As soon as it gets warmer, that will be coming off! :o) And hopefully this summer we'll be able to get our door/windows replaced, so things will look a bit cleaner and nicer. :o) I love my new curtains though, and love the way they make my home look so much cozier. Decorating is awesome. :o) I got the material for these curtains in the clearance section at Joann's. I got the lighter material for $7/yard and I got the darker stuff for $2/yard! Yay! :o) The cast iron hangers that I used are actually garden hooks, to hang plants outside with. I got those on sale for $7 each. The picture frame I also got at Joann's, but I've had it for a while. I got it on sale, but I can't remember how much it was. And the flower set on the coffee table I got at Bed, Bath and Beyond several months ago with my wedding gift cards. :o)
They look even better in person, so if you wanna come over some time and check them out, feel free! :o)
Monday, March 9, 2009
Bag Holder
So, I'm starting to dive into the many pictures that have been on my camera for months. Various pictures that I've been meaning to post, but never got around to. They won't be in order, just whatever I feel like posting at the time. :o)
So, here is one of my recent projects. I had seen on another lady's blog a simple pattern for a plastic bag holder, so I decided to give it a try. It was SO easy to make, and I loved it. It only took me maybe a half an hour or 45 minutes.
I started by sewing two pieces of material together (the green and the black/white). I can't remember what the measurements were. There weren't really any "rules". You just kinda did what you want.
Then I took a piece of black and white eyelet lace, and folded it in half and sewed it along the original seam. then you add the elastic at the bottom, and sew it into a tube and Presto!:
you have a bag holder. :o) I do have complete instructions that I could make copies for anyone who wants to make one of their own. Just let me know. :o)
The Weekend
Well, it was a pretty good weekend, all in all. We went snowboarding on Saturday. It was fun, but hard. Really, really hard. We got a lot of wet, heavy snow, and then there was a ferocious wind storm on Friday, which made the snow really bumpy. They didn't groom the hill at all, so we had to battle the snow all day. This is only the second time I have been this year, and I didn't get to go at all last year, so my body just isn't used to it anymore. We had a good time (Mike and I went, and Jordan came with us, and Sam and Elmer caught up with us later in the day), but it wore me out. I actually ended up sleeping in the lodge on a bench for about an hour. :o) Then after that, I went up twice more with the boys, and called it quits at about 4:45 or so. They did the last run without me. My legs were on fire, and hurting so bad I literally could not hold myself up any longer. I felt like I was having muscle failure. I was really annoyed with my body, and mad that I couldn't go up any more. :o) I have pretty much decided that I don't want to go again unless I have a girl to board with. I can usually keep up with the boys ok, but Saturday was hard. And they weren't too incredibly interested in waiting for me, which I get, but it made it kind of a bummer day. Anyways, I am glad that I went, I just need a girlfriend next time. :o) I think in between now and then though, I'm going to do some SQUATS and get my legs in shape! Sheesh. ;o)
Anyways, we went home, and Mike headed out to Jordan's to play the Wii with all the boys, and Heidi came over and hung out at my place for a while. :o) We had a good time. We got my curtains hung up, but I don't have pictures...yet. I will though, I promise. :o) They're gorgeous, and I LOVE the way they pull things together, and are making my house look more like a home now. :o) After we finally got the curtains hung up, and a couple other decorating touches, we watched a movie, then she headed home. Mike got home, and we went straight to bed, since it was 12:30 because we had to set the clocks forward. :o)
Then Sunday was church, and lazing around the house. Mike filed our taxes, and we're getting money back! Yay! :o) Hopefully we will be able to have his truck paid off this month or next. What a blessing that will be!
Anyways, that's all for now. Hope you all are having a great day! :o)
Anyways, we went home, and Mike headed out to Jordan's to play the Wii with all the boys, and Heidi came over and hung out at my place for a while. :o) We had a good time. We got my curtains hung up, but I don't have pictures...yet. I will though, I promise. :o) They're gorgeous, and I LOVE the way they pull things together, and are making my house look more like a home now. :o) After we finally got the curtains hung up, and a couple other decorating touches, we watched a movie, then she headed home. Mike got home, and we went straight to bed, since it was 12:30 because we had to set the clocks forward. :o)
Then Sunday was church, and lazing around the house. Mike filed our taxes, and we're getting money back! Yay! :o) Hopefully we will be able to have his truck paid off this month or next. What a blessing that will be!
Anyways, that's all for now. Hope you all are having a great day! :o)
Friday, March 6, 2009
Cleaning House
So, I have made myself a calendar that has a different chore for each day. I did this a couple months ago, but it didn't exactly stick...actually, I did this back in October. And that calendar is still up on my fridge. Hmmm. Should probably take that down. Anyways, here's my new one:
Hopefully this time I can stick with it better than last time. I guess we'll see. :o)
Well, while we're on a cleaning/organizing note, I guess I'll post some pictures from a while back of a cleaning/organizing project of mine. :o)
One night when Ang was over, working on her quilt, I decided to clean out my spare room closet. Unfortunately, I'm embarrassed to admit, this is what it looked like when I started:
But, with some time, and organizational skills, this is what it looked like when I was finished. Ahh. Doesn't just looking at that make you feel better? It does me! :o)
Alright, well there's my little update. Hopefully I can stick to my cleaning schedule. Wait, no, I will be sticking to my cleaning schedule, from here on out. There. That's better. :o) Hope you all have a great evening, and a great weekend! :o)
Interesting Night
Well, I did get most of my kitchen cleaned. not all of the dishes would fit into the dishwasher, and I was going to hand wash the left-over ones, but then Heidi showed up, so I decided to put it off. Imagine that. :o)
So, we spent a little while looking around for the screw gun, and then for some screws to hang up the brackets for my curtains with. We found the screws, but Mike had the screw gun with him in his back pack. When I went out to the garage to look for the screws, Mike had the garage door opened, and was holding a shoe box. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Nothing." kinda like a little boy who gets caught doing something that he's a little bit embarrassed about. :o) I stood there and watched him for a couple minutes, and realized that he had gotten his truck stuck in the freshly plowed snow bank across the street from our house. You see, we share a parking spot with our neighbor, and it's first come, first serve. So, when they're parked there, he has to park across the street. Which normally isn't an issue, but with the recent massive amounts of snow, the snow bank is bigger, and farther out into the road than normal. So, when he tried to park over there, the snow sucked him in, and got him stuck GOOD. Or bad. Whichever way you want to look at it. Anyways, a couple trips to the store, and roughly 2 1/2 hours later, we got it out. Goodness. :o)
anyways, Heidi and I didn't get the curtains hung up, because I had to help Mike with the truck, so she just went home. Hopefully we'll get to that another night soon. And when we do, I'll have pictures. :o)
Tonight, I plan on getting some Laundry done! Ugh, it needs it real bad. And, I'm going to get the rest of my kitchen cleaned as well. :o) as for the rest of the house... I need to start brainstorming for organization solutions. the house desperately needs to be de-cluttered. I just get overwhelmed with all the stuff laying around. It drives me crazy, and I don't know what to do with it all, so it just keeps piling up until I want to explode and just THROW IT ALL AWAY!!!! *ahem* I'm done now. :o) Any suggestions for cutting back on clutter, and staying organized? what do you guys do? I love feedback, so come on, spill!
Alright, I better get going for now. I've got a bunch of pictures from the past couple months that I want to get posted, so hopefully I can get started on that today. See ya! :o)
So, we spent a little while looking around for the screw gun, and then for some screws to hang up the brackets for my curtains with. We found the screws, but Mike had the screw gun with him in his back pack. When I went out to the garage to look for the screws, Mike had the garage door opened, and was holding a shoe box. I asked him what he was doing and he said, "Nothing." kinda like a little boy who gets caught doing something that he's a little bit embarrassed about. :o) I stood there and watched him for a couple minutes, and realized that he had gotten his truck stuck in the freshly plowed snow bank across the street from our house. You see, we share a parking spot with our neighbor, and it's first come, first serve. So, when they're parked there, he has to park across the street. Which normally isn't an issue, but with the recent massive amounts of snow, the snow bank is bigger, and farther out into the road than normal. So, when he tried to park over there, the snow sucked him in, and got him stuck GOOD. Or bad. Whichever way you want to look at it. Anyways, a couple trips to the store, and roughly 2 1/2 hours later, we got it out. Goodness. :o)
anyways, Heidi and I didn't get the curtains hung up, because I had to help Mike with the truck, so she just went home. Hopefully we'll get to that another night soon. And when we do, I'll have pictures. :o)
Tonight, I plan on getting some Laundry done! Ugh, it needs it real bad. And, I'm going to get the rest of my kitchen cleaned as well. :o) as for the rest of the house... I need to start brainstorming for organization solutions. the house desperately needs to be de-cluttered. I just get overwhelmed with all the stuff laying around. It drives me crazy, and I don't know what to do with it all, so it just keeps piling up until I want to explode and just THROW IT ALL AWAY!!!! *ahem* I'm done now. :o) Any suggestions for cutting back on clutter, and staying organized? what do you guys do? I love feedback, so come on, spill!
Alright, I better get going for now. I've got a bunch of pictures from the past couple months that I want to get posted, so hopefully I can get started on that today. See ya! :o)
Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Goins-on Around Here
Well, I just thought I would do a "word" post now, since I've done so many "picture" posts lately. :o)
Things with me are going good. Just been working, and loving my husband lately. :o) Haha, that sounded bad. Not that I haven't been loving him in the past. Oh, never mind. :o) Anyways, I'm just sayin, things are good right now. And it's nice. :o)
I do have some problem areas though. Like MY HOUSE!!!! Oh my. It's such a mess. BUT I'm going home tonight to clean it. I already took care of the living room, and the kitchen table on lunch. So, tonight I need to tackle my kitchen. HOW ON EARTH does it get SO messy? Goodness. I don't even know how it happens. I turn around and BAM! it's a disaster. Sheesh. Well, tonight it shall be taken care of. Mike has a side job out in North Pole for a little while tonight. So, while he's gone I'm going to clean, and then Heidi is going to come over and help me turn the material that I got at Joann's on Monday night (on SALE!) into curtains for our poor living room window/door. Yay. :o) I'm really excited to get some curtains up, since I've been in our house for almost 9 months (9 month anniversary coming up next Saturday!) and have done practically NO decorating. So, I'm looking forward to a productive night, and am feeling quite motivated at the moment. Pray that I STAY motivated. :o) That's always my problem. I'm always PLENTY motivated at work to get stuff done at home, then I do get home and all I want to do is chill. Hopefully that won't be the case tonight. Ok, no. It will not be the case tonight. I have to determine to get it done, and I am. There. :o)
On another note, it is snowing like CRAZY here. We woke up to around 4 - 6 inches on the ground this morning. When I got to work, they were plowing the parking lot, and when I went to lunch at noon, there was almost as much snow on the ground as there had been before they plowed this morning. It's been snowing moderately all day, but now it's REALLY coming down. It's expected to continue snowing tonight through tomorrow. Crazy. Everyone is complaining, but I like it. :o) We're going snowboarding on Saturday, and I'm SO excited. This will be the second time of the year going, and with all this snow, it's going to be AWESOME. So far it's only Mike and I going, so anyone else in the area wanting to come, PLEASE DO!!!! It'll be fun!!! Come on.... you know you want to. ;o)
Alright, well I think that's enough out of me for one day. :o) Hopefully I'll have pictures to post soon of my new curtains! :o) Hope you all have a good night. :o)
Things with me are going good. Just been working, and loving my husband lately. :o) Haha, that sounded bad. Not that I haven't been loving him in the past. Oh, never mind. :o) Anyways, I'm just sayin, things are good right now. And it's nice. :o)
I do have some problem areas though. Like MY HOUSE!!!! Oh my. It's such a mess. BUT I'm going home tonight to clean it. I already took care of the living room, and the kitchen table on lunch. So, tonight I need to tackle my kitchen. HOW ON EARTH does it get SO messy? Goodness. I don't even know how it happens. I turn around and BAM! it's a disaster. Sheesh. Well, tonight it shall be taken care of. Mike has a side job out in North Pole for a little while tonight. So, while he's gone I'm going to clean, and then Heidi is going to come over and help me turn the material that I got at Joann's on Monday night (on SALE!) into curtains for our poor living room window/door. Yay. :o) I'm really excited to get some curtains up, since I've been in our house for almost 9 months (9 month anniversary coming up next Saturday!) and have done practically NO decorating. So, I'm looking forward to a productive night, and am feeling quite motivated at the moment. Pray that I STAY motivated. :o) That's always my problem. I'm always PLENTY motivated at work to get stuff done at home, then I do get home and all I want to do is chill. Hopefully that won't be the case tonight. Ok, no. It will not be the case tonight. I have to determine to get it done, and I am. There. :o)
On another note, it is snowing like CRAZY here. We woke up to around 4 - 6 inches on the ground this morning. When I got to work, they were plowing the parking lot, and when I went to lunch at noon, there was almost as much snow on the ground as there had been before they plowed this morning. It's been snowing moderately all day, but now it's REALLY coming down. It's expected to continue snowing tonight through tomorrow. Crazy. Everyone is complaining, but I like it. :o) We're going snowboarding on Saturday, and I'm SO excited. This will be the second time of the year going, and with all this snow, it's going to be AWESOME. So far it's only Mike and I going, so anyone else in the area wanting to come, PLEASE DO!!!! It'll be fun!!! Come on.... you know you want to. ;o)
Alright, well I think that's enough out of me for one day. :o) Hopefully I'll have pictures to post soon of my new curtains! :o) Hope you all have a good night. :o)
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Hawaii Pictures, Part 4
Alright, well I've gotta say that I'm pretty proud of myself for getting these pictures posted so quick. :o) Maybe I'm getting better at this. Or maybe it's a fluke. :o) anyways, on with the show.
Beautiful hibiscus flowers at one of the stops on the Hana Highway.
So, we stopped at an arboretum along the way, and there was a steep drop off and this was what was at the bottom. Just looking at it freaked me out, because right before you get to this stop there's a sharp curve, so it's definitely not hard to imagine how this happened. *shiver*
The trees were amazing.
These trees were my favorite. they're called Paint Trees (or something like that anyhow) and their color intensifies when they're wet. Lucky for us, it had just poured. :o)
Ugh, these pictures don't do them justice. They were so cool.
Look! People!
The end of the trail.
These orange flowers were so cool. they grow in the tops of the trees though, so unfortunately I couldn't get a close up view.
More Paint Trees. :o)
Aren't these roots cool??? Alaska trees are SO boring.
Lanae`'s potty. Haha, ok not really. It was a joke we had going though. You just had to be there. :o)
I just love this picture. I completely used manual focus on my camera and I love the way it turned out.
Lava rocks
On our way back to the first waterfall, a second time.
Mike swimmin in the water. :o)
On our way to the airport.
Hehe, love my Tori. :o)
Do you see how disgustingly tan mike is?!?!? I mean, I came back pretty tan too, but nothing near what he is - obviously, since I'm standing right next to him in the picture.
Anyways, there you have it. They're all done. :o)
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