Little Morning Glory

Moving

2011-12-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

After years of blogging here, I've decided it's time for an upgrade. Please join me over at littlemorningglory.wordpress.com to see my new digs!

Chili Season (vegetarian-style)

2011-11-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

It's officially chili season in our house! In the past, I made traditional chili with meat, beans, chili seasoning, and cheese. However, since we're always trying to eat a bit healthier, I came across this Weight Watchers recipe that has quickly become our favorite chili (yes, the husband loves it!) to make. And, get this, it's vegetarian! You won't even miss the meat, because bulgur is a whole grain that, once cooked, has a meaty consistency to it. Add all the awesome vegetables in there, and it's soo delicious. It makes great leftovers, too, since all the ingredients soak in the delicious flavor.

Note I make the recipe almost exactly as printed below; however, I only use 1/4 of a poblano pepper, because I tend to like things on the milder side. Even cutting the darn pepper makes me tear up and start coughing. This Irish-German gal just can't take the heat. I also add one whole bell pepper to supplement the rest of the poblano pepper. It works wonderfully!

Bulgur and Bean Chili

Ingredients


	1 1/2 tsp olive oil
	1 cup(s) (chopped) onion(s)
	2 medium poblano chile, or cubanelle peppers, chopped
	2 Tbsp chili powder
	1 Tbsp minced garlic
	2 tsp ground cumin
	3 cup(s) water
	28 oz canned crushed tomatoes in tomato puree
	3/4 cup(s) uncooked bulgur
	1 tsp table salt, or to taste
	1 cup(s) yellow corn, fresh or canned
	15 1/2 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
	1/2 cup(s) cilantro, leaves, fresh, chopped
	1/2 tsp fresh lime juice, or to taste

Instructions

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and pepper; sauté until almost tender, about 5 minutes.
Add chili powder, garlic and cumin; sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add water, tomatoes and their puree, bulgur and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir in corn and beans (and a bit of water if chili seems too thick); simmer, covered, over medium heat, until corn and bulgur are tender, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in cilantro; finish with a squeeze of lime juice. Yields about 1 1/4 cups per serving.

Home Updates

2011-11-06T11:21:00.000-08:00

I'm excited to share some home updates with you, seeing as we decided to do some flooring on a whim last Saturday. Thanks to a great deal ending at the beginning of November, Randy and I scheduled a flooring place to rip up the old vinyl flooring in our bathrooms, laundry room, kitchen, and breakfast nook, lay the new ceramic tile, and move all the necessary furniture for said project. I can't tell you how thrilled I was to actually pay a company to do it all. It took two guys two days to complete, and I didn't have to lift a finger. Awesomeness. Here's the end result:

And just as we were putting things back in order after the flooring, what should happen? Our sink faucet begins spraying water out of the side of the base like it's a super-soaker. My typical reaction would be frustration and annoyance; however, I just happened to be eyeing some new, modern facets at Home Depot the other day. So, it was a good time to look for a replacement. Then, Randy had to mention possibly replacing the sink, which was fine with me. Our old sink was only 7" deep, which meant that if you used the sprayer in the sink, you'd inevitably get wet. I was good with a new sink, too. Randy, the wonderful, handy person he is, replaced the sink with no problems. So, I can happily report to you that I have a new sink (that also came with a nice faucet) all before we host our family's Thanksgiving feast in a couple weeks. Excellent.

October Wrap Up

2011-10-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Is it seriously mid-October already? Where has the time gone? I've been working like a dog at school. From day one, it's been crazy busy. I currently have 98 kids on my caseload.... yikes!!!! I do have a friend to help me out at the middle school, but overall, I'm still responsible for these kids. It's hard to fit much else in between therapy, evaluations, meetings, and PAPERWORK. Ugh. I hate paperwork. Therefore, because my life has been insanely busy, I figured a wrap-up of the October events would be more efficient than a bunch of small posts. Without further ado,

- In early October, Randy and I met my cousin and his awesome wife in Austin for the weekend. We really wanted to experience the "weirdness" that Austin is trying to keep.... however, it was slightly disappointing. I was hoping for a quirky, sustainability-minded city with a heavy influence of live music, but instead, I just found a dirty place with lots of homeless people. Not quite the Emerald City of green-living I was hoping for. And I definitely prefer St. Louis over Austin for the live music scene. Overall, Randy and I were both glad we decided to move to the Dallas area... much cleaner for sure.

- Last weekend was a weekend without a husband. Randy went road trippin' up to Wisconsin to have a "sports-a-palooza" weekend with his friends from back home. He flew to St. Louis, so he could meet his friends for a road trip to see the Packers vs. Rams football game. Although he's not a huge fan of either team, Randy said the experience was cool, as the stadium was pretty historic. Then, by the grace of the sports Gods, he and his friends were able to get last-minute tickets to the St. Louis Cardinals game, in which the Cards clenched the National League Championship title. Needless to say, Randy was in heaven. He had a blast, no doubt.

While he was away, I enjoyed a little quiet time with the pugs, visiting with family, and hanging out with my SLP friend and co-worker. We enjoyed a matinee at the movies. We saw 50/50, which I would definitely recommend. It's an interesting twist on the typical story of a person diagnosed with cancer. And, unlike many of them, it has a good ending. Definitely a good combination of drama and comedy.

- Fall weather has finally arrived in Texas!!! Hallelujah! I suppose I should clarify that statement with this: There are no changing leaves... no falling leaves to rake up. Rather, the temperature has not exceeded 90 degrees in the past week. It's been soooo nice outside! The past couple days, it's been in the upper 60's and actually quite chilly at night. I busted out the down comforter, which was nice to wrap up in. (Disclaimer for those wondering about fall in Texas: we do have colorful leaves that will make an appearance in late November/early December, as our first frost isn't until mid-late November).

- We finally can say we've survived the biggest state fair in the country... the State Fair of Texas! It was really nice, actually. Although it was pricey, I'd go again next year. The food was good. The attractions were fun. Randy liked the car show. I liked the dog demonstration, where they had trained rescue dogs do frisbee tricks, long jump into water, and race.

- This coming Saturday, we're taking a trip to Six Flags Fright Fest. I'm pretty excited.... it's been a long time since I've been on a roller coaster, and I'm hoping I'm not too old for them. When we were walking past the rides at the state fair, I was looking at all these whirling rides that I used to love as a kid. All I could think about was getting dizzy at just the sight of them. I think my age is starting to set in. I hope this won't be the same response when I see these roller coasters, because I used to love me some roller coasters!

Hope your October has been eventful (but not as busy) as mine!

Retail Therapy

2011-09-25T15:03:00.000-07:00

Work lately has been stressful and exhausting. With a caseload that is nearly 100 kiddos, I've been feeling a bit run down, and it doesn't help that I've been getting over a little cold. This weekend was just what I needed. I slept in (with the help of some nyquil), relaxed with some family members for a belated birthday party, and strolled around town on this lazy Sunday looking for some good deals. And boy, did I get some!

Fall is in the air with the weather finally cooling down into the 90's. And while I try not to clutter my house up with seasonal decor that will be stored in the attic for the majority of the year, I do have a soft spot for wreaths and candles. So, when I went into Michaels and saw some wreath/candle centerpieces, I just had to make one. This is what I came up with.... (I think it looks nice in the space and could be used for more than just the fall season with an easy candle switch).

And then, I wandered into Pier 1, a store I hardly frequent because I could buy out the whole darn place in the blink of an eye. I've been itching to get these (whimsical, but awesome) peacock curtains that look like they were always meant to live in my home. I eyed them almost a year ago, and after getting a belated birthday gift adorned with peacock ribbon from my cousin and his wife, I was inspired to meander over to the curtain section to just see if the curtains were still in stock. Not only where they in stock, but they were on sale. *Cue angelic song from above* Needless to say, a pair of peacock curtains are happily hanging in my dining room. They look lovely, if I do say so myself.

On a side note, we finally got around to hanging up a picture we picked up from Home Goods a week or so ago. Even though we originally bought it for the dining room, I think the breakfast nook was a better space for it.

Survival

2011-08-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence to the blogosphere.... I've been focusing on surviving the first (and usually the worst) two weeks of school. I began in early August with optional trainings and conferences, which was a nice way of getting back to work. Seeing my coworkers and friends was a nice welcome back to a full-time job. Plus, getting paid extra to earn CEU's was nice, too.

Then week one of professional development began. Since I'm at two new schools (one elementary and one middle school), it was the third year in a row of meeting new people and moving a crap-load of stuff into my room(s). Ahh... I'm a pro at it now and know better than to throw any moving boxes out! Despite the hassle of moving, meeting new faces, and learning new systems, I was relatively pleased how everything was going. Both schools are very friendly, and I can't beat the 15-minute commute (with only 5-minute commute between schools). So, week one seemed pretty harmless.... except for the daunting task of coming into someone else's system and cleaning up whatever mess she may have left.

Week two, however, has been the beginning of stress. By that time, the kids have arrived at school, and the nightmare of scheduling begins. My elementary school was pretty much a breeze, as kids don't move around too much during the day. But holy geez louise, middle school is a whole other story. There's got to be a better way to organize a middle school schedule. I'm talking 4 different lunches that change depending on 4th period teachers' schedules, seven periods that go from funny, nonsensical times like 8:13 until 9:27, and teachers that feel like little Johnny missing one class period two times every grading period will just put him so far behind with no hopes of graduating the 8th grade. *Whew* Exhausting. And of course, speech must be accommodating.... even though state law mandates the prescribed speech services must be provided fully. Somehow some teachers don't understand that. Alas, my mantra this year is (in Tim Gunn-style) "Make it work."

That brings us to this week. The first full week of seeing kids officially. It feels good to get back to working with them again... kinda like what I went to school for 6 years to do. Not paperwork. Not sitting in meetings. Working hands-on with the kiddos hoping to make a dent in whatever they need help with. And I must say, the kids (both elementary and middle school) are really great. For the most part, they're respectful, funny, and good kids. Kinda refreshing.

Let's see if I can hold on to this good feeling before too many evaluations are needed and reports are due. Ahh... did I mention that I'm *this* close to booking a cruise for this coming summer? It's a-gonna happen :)

goodbye, hair!

2011-08-09T11:48:00.000-07:00

It's that time! Chop, chop! Hello, pixie cut. It's nice to see you again!

A shower

2011-08-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, I'm going to a baby shower. Now, it's been common knowledge that baby showers really aren't my favorite places to be with all the silly baby games and the ooing and ahhing over baby items of which I know nothing about. But, for good friends I make an exception. DeAnne, a former co-worker, is having a baby boy soon, and while I already helped throw a baby shower at school for her (I know, I know... I threw a baby shower. Amazing!), I wanted to be there for her "friend" shower. Instead of getting her another gift off her registry (which I did for her school shower), I wanted to make this one a little more special. So, I made something for her and baby Blake. Behold....

"Pee-pee Teepees"

So.... I never really thought about it, but when changing baby boy's diapers, I guess the lucky individual changing the diaper can get a sort of unexpected "shower" at times. Therefore, these pee-pee teepees come in handy (or so I've read). I originally got the idea from my friend over at Homemade by Jen, and I followed the pattern according to Little Birdie Secrets. I must say, these little guys were so much fun making! They were the perfect project for me, as they maybe took 30 minutes in total to make, but they turned out really well. So easy and hopefully useful! (A quick side note to anyone wanting to make them: I followed the pattern given by Little Birdie Secrets; however, instead of fleece, I used pre-washed and dried cotton fabric. I wasn't sure if cotton would be sturdy enough; however, in the end, I had no doubt they would work well.)

And for DeAnne, I made....

shea butter & organic green tea soap

These soaps smell soooo good! Made with a base of shea butter, I added some organic green tea grounds to the mix to help with gentle exfoliation. A few drops of plumeria fragrance was added to finish the job. After all, a brand new mama needs a little pampering too!

Hopefully she'll love her handmade gifts as much as I loved making them.

House plants

2011-07-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

Up until now, I've not been much of a house plant-type person. Usually forgetting to water or fertilize them, I often end up throwing them out. But I'm turning a new leaf. I'm starting to practice the responsibility one needs to be a good caretaker of flora. Meet my new additions:

our new buffet & Fittonia plant

(also known as "Forest Flame")

It originates from Peru

Our Snake Plant

(aka Mother-in-Law's Tongue)

Fun, aren't they? Especially the Spider Plant! I'm excited about that one, as it's thick leaves will grow straight up 3 or 4' tall. Hopefully I'll be able to keep it alive long enough to grow that tall! Here's to giving it the good ol' college try!

Living Art

2011-07-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

I've been doing a little research online lately about living walls (aka vertical gardens), and I think I want to try it. They range in size from small to large. These are some examples...

Obviously, I'd like to start small, and I'm thinking the dining room walls are a bit bare. Because I'm a picky shopper when it comes to wall art, I think I'll try the living wall there on a wall above our new buffet. That way, I won't have to pick out a pricey art piece that really doesn't mean much to me; instead, I'll be able to have an ever changing piece of living art.

The company I've been looking at is called Woolly Pocket. The concept seems pretty darn easy, so it might be a good place to start. They can be a bit pricey, but considering the product is made from recycled plastic and is manufactured in the good ol' USA, I think it could be worth it. After all, somebody has a birthday coming up in a couple months....

For more info, check out the video.

Bringing home a little Vegas...

2011-07-20T06:45:00.000-07:00

In addition to my post below, I thought I'd share a little Vegas with y'all. The Dancing Fountains at the Bellagio was one of the coolest free things to see in Las Vegas. Enjoy....

Vegas Vacation

2011-07-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

We're back! Las Vegas has officially taken (a little of) our money. After tirelessly comparing hotel deals and prices, we decided on a 3 night, 4 day stay at the Monte Carlo. And although our hotel rate (with included free buffet for 2 per day) was very reasonable, the longer you stay in Vegas, the more money you will inevitably lose.... and I'm not just talking about gambling!

Instead of spending most of our time in the casinos, we decided to really tour the city for all the free (and some not-so-free) things to do. On our first full day, we decided to walk the strip. Our little map made it look so easy. See? Everything looks so close!

Let me be perfectly honest: MAPS ARE DECEIVING. From the Monte Carlo, we walked the entire strip, which looks harmless. Ha! I bet we walked 5+ miles that day. Yes, perhaps the strip is not a full 5 miles, but we also made stops along the way in order to visit all the hotels and see their "sites". Now, you may be saying, "Jenna, why didn't you take the complimentary tram that's so easily located on the map?" Well..... I'm cheap. When I see "tram", I think money. Everything in Las Vegas costs money, so why wouldn't a tram? Well, after our first walk of the strip, my feet hurt so badly, I finally asked a hotel employee, only to learn that the tram is free. Blah. Lesson learned. Ask first!

Like I said, I'm glad we walked, because we got to see a lot of sites we easily would've missed on a tram. Like these....

the painted ceilings at the Venetian

the conservatory at the Bellagio

a Jelly Belly Statue of Liberty at New York, New York

A drum head signed by all 4 members of AC/DC (signed drum head = $1,750. Picture = free.)

We also decided to take in a couple shows, seeing as we found some good half-priced ticket booths on our walk. We were able to see the Blue Man Group (my third time, Randy's first) and the Jabbawockeez (dance crew that won MTV's America's Best Dance Crew). Both shows were great!

After 4 days of Vegas, it was time to go home. After all, 3 pooches were waiting for us. And, with no hard feelings of being left behind, Sophie, Henry, and Mabel were happy to see us.

A Balance

2011-07-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Opposites attract. At least, that's been true in my relationship with my husband. I'm a planner; he goes with the flow. When I'm a high-strung, he is pretty mellow. I tend to be impatient and lose interest easily; he's painstakingly focused. And while these personality differences are what balance us (life's all about balance, right?), there's an imbalance in our lives that we've been thinking a lot about lately.

I've become settled with a job that I love. Surrounded by much of my family, meeting and making some great friends, finally having time to think about the places I want to go and things I want to experience, I'm in a good place. But it's hard for me to fully enjoy all the possibilities for my life when my husband, who has selflessly supported me for years, is not in that same place. For the majority of six years, he's been through the corporate and blue collar grind. Presently, working 60+ hours for someone who takes advantage of his excellent work ethic and continues to push off requests for adequate compensation, Randy is burnt out. Where I'm in a great place professionally and personally, he's struggling under the pressures of living to work.

And while I don't want this post to become a discussion about the hard times of recession, I do acknowledge that some, if not most, people are forced to work their lives away to make ends meet. Understandable. However, when there's another option available, despite the risk, shouldn't one take it? Randy and I have been discussing the possibility of branching out into his own business. Specifically, he's looking into becoming a paintless dent repair (PDR) technician. He's known about this line of work and has been familiar with it ever since he has worked as an estimator, and now manager, of an auto body shop.

With any change, there are pros and cons. He'd get to make his own schedule (mostly working 4-6 months out of the year and pulling in enough money to be comfortable), have time for both personal interests (e.g. music) and collective interests (e.g. traveling), and become his own boss. However, the trade off is that we'd have to cut way back for a few months, so he can train with an experienced PDR tech. He'd also need time to build up his clientele and skills. Plus, tools are a costly investment.

And while I don't have much good to say about working in auto body shops, I must say Randy knows the right people to make this happen. The PDR technician that Randy's shop employs has already agreed to take Randy on as an apprentice, if Randy chooses the PDR route. After a few months, Randy would be sent out on jobs by himself, and the technician would take a small cut of the profit. Once Randy feels comfortable enough with his abilities, it'd be up to him to find the clientele to sustain his own business. The good thing is that Randy has the connections he would need to start on his own, and he could use his great work ethic to benefit himself directly, rather than putting a lot of money into someone else's pocket.

We'll see where this takes us. Things have a way of working out (remember my last-minute decision to move to Texas?). I'm not sure what the future holds, but if it's my turn to be the support system for him, I'm ready. I want him to find something that he can do to support the kind of lifestyle he wants to live. That is, if we don't win our millions in Vegas.

Stay tuned....

Tiny House, Big Whim

2011-07-11T11:41:00.000-07:00

Randy and I have been doing some talking lately about grown-up things, like his next job maneuver, what we want/don't want out of life, etc. I can't tell you how many times we've discussed making X amount of dollars versus having more benefits/time off. It's always seemed absurd to me that employees can be okay with only ever having 2 weeks vacation, no benefits really to speak of (high deductible health care plans don't register as a benefit in my book), and long days (10-12 hours a day, on average). Our conversations usually leave me wanting to sit down with the owner of the company and give him a piece of my mind, mainly consisting of studies showing health risks of employees that are overworked & down-in-the-dumps employee morale that slow company production and growth. But, alas, that will never happen.

So, our very serious conversation yesterday about this matter took a whimsical turn when I (very aloofly) suggested that we sell our house and move into a tiny house. Therefore, we'd live mortgage free, allowing Randy to quit his job, become a part-time musician, and free us both up to travel in the summer. How wonderful! Except, my whimsical seed took a fast root into Randy's brain. While I know we are both very naive on this subject, we most certainly wasted a good couple of hours searching "tiny houses" online yesterday afternoon.

There were definitely a few things we quickly learned. First off, a "tiny" house (some being only 90 square feet) will probably be way too small for us to begin with... or ever to end up with. Our idea quickly expanded to a possible "small" house, being less than 900 square feet. This one in particular was one we liked. But then, we were faced with many issues of which we know absolutely nothing about, like where to build (land can be pricey and most neighborhoods have restrictions on a minimum house size), city regulations, and other ins-and-outs of daily functioning. And of course, price plays a major factor in the mix. If we want to be mortgage free immediately, we'd need to somewhere in the $50,000 range or less, which is near impossible after buying land, hiring a contractor, and paying for materials. Like I said, it was just a whim. But fun to think about, nonetheless.

If you're interested, here's where it all got started....

And for things a little closer to home

Party!

2011-07-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

July has been a busy month already. Yesterday, I threw a birthday party for my husband and my grandpa... with a 4th of July theme. Hopefully my husband likes red, white, and blue, because with his birthday being on the 4th, he's doomed to have very patriotic birthday every year :)

All in all, everyone seemed to have a great time. The drinks (read: Sangria) and food went over well, and the cake and cupcakes were great, too. I'm glad everything went off without a hitch, because our weekend didn't start out so soothly. After a deep freezer debacle and our air conditioner capacitor going out, things were not looking so hot. Subsequently, because the air in our house was out, my cake's icing starting dripping off. So, after refrosting it (and changing up the design), everything seemed to fall into place. Here are some of the pics of the evening...

Viva Las Vegas!

2011-06-22T01:16:00.000-07:00

It's booked. Our trip to Vegas is official! I'm so happy to be taking my husband away on a little vacation, since he hasn't had a real vacation in over 4 years (the week off to move to Texas doesn't really count...). So, we'll be spending 3 nights, 4 days in Sin City at the Monte Carlo. And while we don't really have much of an agenda, I'm thinking we'll have no problem finding things to do. Shows (kinda pricey), gambling (what's that? the slots are calling my name...), lounging by the pool (the only thing to do outside in July in Nevada). Whatever we choose, it'll be better than Randy's typical 10-12 hour work shift.

Our hotel

And hopefully, no one will get roofied...

I'm in love

2011-06-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

I'm cheap. It's been a way of life for most of my life. I've been raised on the idea of buying only what you can afford with cash (minus a car and house payment), and when buying, buy only things on sale/clearance. It's been a good way of life for us, since grad school delayed my getting a "real job" for a couple years.

However, moving to Texas and getting a significant raise in salary, I've begun to enjoy splurging a little here and there. After a bad hair dye job, I decided to pay for a good hair cut (which means more than my $8.99 Great Clips coupon). And now, I've spent a small fortune (in my opinion) for some mineral makeup. Well... not just any mineral makeup. It's BareMineral makeup.

I used to use Physician's Formula Mineral Foundation, which was a bit pricey but had a better effect than a liquid foundation. But, after trying a really nice, expensive brand of loose mineral makeup, I'm hooked! I went and had a tutorial done yesterday where I actually got my makeup done by someone trained. It was really nice! I totally used to be one of those people who never understood why others paid for expensive makeup brands. But, I'm definitely converted, because the result is just so much better.

Coming to an Etsy store near you...

2011-06-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

It was a productive day in the crafting department. Definitely feels good to get back to being creative!

Hello curls. Nice to see you again.

2011-06-07T18:41:00.000-07:00

After my hair dye catastrophe, my curly hair wasn't too happy with me. After my hair cut, moisturizing treatment, and Redkin distressed hair moisturizing mask (which is a miracle in a bottle for curly hair!), my curls made their appearance again. As much as I complain about curly hair, it's nice to have them back.

Short.

2011-06-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

I wasn't planning on getting a haircut.... actually, I was going to let my hair grow long again. But..... when champaign blonde met golden blonde, disaster happened. I could tell as I was stepping into the shower to wash out the color that something wasn't right. The ends had a bit of a green tint (think summer chlorine + blonde = greenish nastiness), and there was no curl to be found on the top layer of hair. Yikes. After washing it all out, I starting picking out my hair, and sure enough, had clumps of fried hair. Not cool.

I've had this happen once before in high school, and that was the last time I'd had a mishap with at-home hair color. Maybe (just maybe) I'll start going to a salon to color it..... as I got a little, kind lecture from my stylist at Ulta. But, after a moisturizing treatment and many inches cut off (I wanted to go super short again but decided against my "just chop it all off" tendency), I have a cute, versatile bob that will look good both curly and straight. I've had something very similar before, so it's nice to be back. Here's a few photobooth pics...

Summer's coming...

2011-06-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

This week, although it's been a shortened one, seemed to drag on foorreevveerrrr. I'm so ready for the summer! After an out-of-state move, a new job, Texas education systems, and a caseload of up to 86 kids (eek!), I'm ready to recharge with something else besides work. I've become more energized when I think of house projects, craft projects, and cooking. But alas, I have one. more. day. Icandothis.....

Today, however, was a crazy day at school. Our school invited parents to attend the award ceremony where kids get awards like "most improved," "good citizen award," and "perfect attendance." I decided to attend, since I usually don't get to enjoy these celebrations due to paperwork, therapy, etc. I must have picked the right day, because it was quite the experience. Within the hour, I saw a mother pull down her shirt and breastfeed her baby during the ceremony in front of a few hundred K through 5th graders. Yikes. I can only imagine a kid going home explaining to his parents what he saw... Thank goodness our assistant principal quickly escorted the lady to a more private and appropriate place to conduct her business. Believe me, I'm an advocate for breastfeeding your child.... just in the appropriate place and time. THEN.... I also noticed an interesting parent sitting in the front row with his/her significant other. I say his/her because I'm not quite sure what he/she was. A girl? With stubble? Dressed in men's clothing? But with boobs? Geez louise. Again, not raining on transgendered people's parades, but it was just the weirdest sight to me. I should come to these more often.

So, anyway.... back to how it's almost summer. Hallelujah. I figured I'd end this post with a list of things I'm inspired to do (at this moment) for the summer.

* paint/update bathrooms .... I could really go all out here with new fixtures, mirrors, refinishing cabinets, etc. But, we'll see what the budget allows.

* get back to crafting... I have some silkscreening to do, as well as fusing glass & sewing

* cook! I just bought a book by the Sneaky Chef. My friend, Dominique, has turned me on to her recipes after letting me try some baked goods. Yummy!

* get some exercise in.... I really need to utilize our wonderful neighborhood to walk and get some exercise. Now that I have the summers off, I have no excuse to be "too tired" after work

What does summer have in store for you?

Ideas, please...

2011-05-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

I must say, I've been in the "house project" mood since putting in the new floors in our main living area. I love the way it makes everything look cleaner and warmer. It was definitely money well spent. And now, with the summer just around the corner (which means more free time for me to get things done), I'm looking for the next project to get started on. I'm thinking the bathrooms.... really one of the only places that remain unpainted. I've been thinking of starting with our master bath.

Right now, the wall color is pretty vanilla, but I was hoping to create a nice spa feel. A color I was liking at the moment was a light sea glass green like this....

but, I'm still looking for inspiration pictures to get ideas. So, I'm relying on my (more decorative-savvy) friends for ideas and recommendations of their favorite decor/design websites. Any ideas would be gladly appreciated!

P.S...

this isn't our master bathroom, but you can get the idea of what color walls and cabinets we currently have...

And done.

2011-05-15T17:16:00.001-07:00

It's finally done! I couldn't be happier with how it turned out! Hooray for no nasty carpet in the main living areas! Now, it's time to enjoy what's left of the weekend.

In progress....

2011-05-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

After 2 days, lots of sore muscles, and a large dose of patience, we have almost finished the new flooring. Here's a sneak peak...

before... disgusting carpet. never again.

entry way is cleared and ready to begin!

Randy was quite the carpenter with the measuring and cutting.

It's progressing slowly. Every crevice takes a while to cut out.

Ah ha! We're getting somewhere finally!

And the pugs did not even help. Jerks.

Final pictures to come... if I get muster up any strength to put the room back together and take pics.

Weekend Whirlwind

2011-04-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

Ever had a weekend where you feel like you need another just to recover? That was me this past weekend. I had so much fun and spent some great time with family and friends, but it all caught up with me with a springtime cold. I won't dwell on my stuffy & runny nose, cough, and lack of two senses, though....

Friday started the weekend festivities with an open house for relatives and friends in celebration of my cousin's wedding. So fun! We brought yard games, had great food, and met the bride's family, who were really friendly and great.

Saturday was the big day... after seven years of dating, my cousin married his high school sweetheart, Dana. It was a beautiful ceremony and reception. And I'm pretty sure I cried way more at their wedding than at my own. That night, we yeehawed our way to Southern Junction to have a huge steak and baked potato dinner. It was quite the experience; you pay for the dinner, go pick out your cut of meat, and then cook it over hot coals (or pay $2 more to have someone cook it for you... but what fun is that?!). It was delicious, if I do say so myself. Then, we had some drinks and an impromptu pool tournament. And who was the star player of the night?? None other than my dad! Two words: pool shark.

Sunday was Easter... so more family time at my grandparents' house. We had a mighty battle of washers, a yard game that we brought from Illinois. And fun was had by all.... but geez louise. I'm getting too old to have so many activities in a weekend. I like my lazy days with sleeping in and pajamas until 10am. But enough gabbing... here are some of the wedding pics I took....

Going Green Part 5: Market Excitement

2011-04-08T14:34:00.001-07:00

Lately, I've been scouring the internet for a market close to Rockwall that is open and ready for business. Farmers markets (most of them, anyway) don't start until May, which I think is a little weird, since Texas gets warm pretty early on in the year. But, for whatever reason, there are none to be found in the immediate area... yet. My hope was to do the majority of the shopping at the markets and then supplement the other items at the grocery store. This way, we can reduce the plastic wrappings of food (even produce is typically stuck in a bag for easy hauling and checking out at the grocery), and we can support local farmers.

After much searching, I found this little gem, which I'm dying to try this Saturday. It seems like there are more vendors than I'm used to at farmers markets.... dairy, meat, cheese, produce, etc. I'm hoping that it's everything the website makes it out to be, because if so, I'll do my grocery shopping for the summer months at the market.

With the emphasis on the market produce, Randy and I are trying to make recipes that are fresh food oriented. I've bought a few recipes books that are centered around this idea, and I'm falling back on one of my favorites... the Readers Digest Homemade book. I'm really excited to try a frozen yogurt recipe, which would work well with my ice cream maker attachment for my Kitchenaid mixer. If it works well, I'll be sure to post the recipe.

Cheers to the weekend, ya'll :)

Going Green Part 4

2011-04-06T16:03:00.000-07:00

My cousin's wedding is coming up in a couple weeks, and I've heard many of my relatives talk about what they are going to wear. It seems that when a wedding comes up (which doesn't happen very often), no one has anything really suitable to wear. Same goes for me. I mean, I guess I have clothes to wear... work clothes perhaps. Maybe they could be styled up for a more formal occasion. But, to me, they are work clothes that I rotate through every couple weeks. So, I decided I needed something new.

I was thinking about going to Kohls for their latest sales or perhaps JCPenny, seeing as we have what seems to be a mecca of JCPennys. But, after reading a blog from the Zero Waste Home, I was once again inspired to do what Bea does. Twice a year she goes clothes shopping to buy new things for her family... except the clothes she acquires are not entirely new. She goes thrift store shopping for the majority of her purchases. It's the green set of mind: don't buy new what you can get used. Obviously, it helps to give the clothing, which may have otherwise been found in the garbage, a new life. So.... on my lunch hour today, I decided to visit the thrift store just right down the road. I'd never been there, but it looked pretty big and pretty comparable to the Goodwill I used to shop at in Illinois. And man, was I excited!

Furniture, housewares, clothing (up the wazoo!), books, fabric.... it was great! I started looking at the dress section and found a few dresses right away that warranted a visit to the try-on room. I quickly settled on a black dress from American Living (a JCPenny brand that is usually out of my price range). It was a halter-like sleeveless black dress that falls just below my knees with a gathered waste. I know what some of you may be thinking... black? for a wedding? in spring? Yes. It's a staple piece that I think I'll be able to rewear lots of times, which lends itself well to the green idea. Plus, I have an adorable plum cardigan sweater to wear over it and dress it up with one of my grandma's brooches. I'll add a pair of nude heels (thatI'veneverreallyworn) to tie it all together. All for $12.98. I'll tell you what... this going green thing also lends itself well to my frugal mindset. To quote the looney toon, Charlie Sheen, that makes me "winning."

(note: not the exact dress, but very similar... minus the rhinestone neck and slit)

Weekend Recap + Getting Greener Part 3

2011-04-03T13:46:00.000-07:00

The weekend is winding down, and there's been so much we've done in just a couple days. It's been a nice combination of work and play, and I just so happened to take pictures of most of it....

We started Saturday with a visit to Lowes to pick up flowers and mulch for the front yard. It's amazing how just a little mulch can increase curb appeal.

I spent most of the morning planting 12 vinca plants, 2 African daisies, 6 celosias, and 6 snapdragons. I also ended up picking up a fuchsia plan in the pot near our front door.

After working outside for most of the morning, we cleaned the house inside, which also meant that we were able to hang a mirror in the breakfast nook. It's getting a little closer to being completely done (a new light fixture would be the next step...)

Saturday night was a night out with friends, Marianne and Jorge. We be-bopped around the Harbor area, having an awesome dinner at El Potrillo de la Sandia, where the frozen mango margaritas were amazing. I pretty much could have parked it there all night, but we did enjoy the beautiful night (around 70s with a slight breeze near the lake) by strolling around and visiting neighboring bars.

Sunday morning, we decided to get back to work on house projects. We've been interested in getting a compost bin, but we haven't been too happy with the prices and customer reviews of the ones in our price range. So, Randy had a wonderful, thrifty idea to google "homemade compost bin." That's something I should've thought of, but I must say, I was pretty darn proud of Randy coming up with the idea himself. We found this neat video link showing how to make your own bin from a trash can. So, we now have a compost bin.... although it does just look like a trash can. It'll be making compost in about 6-8 weeks. And we paid about $20 for the whole thing. Awesome.

Also in green news, we have 3 little tomatoes growing like crazy. I've heard that tomatoes don't really grow well here, but as far as I can tell, they're doin' just fine! Can you spot them?

Hope your weekend was relaxing and/or productive.... and maybe a little greener :)

Seriously. Cool.

2011-03-26T12:41:00.000-07:00

I think it's a little ironic that I my blog has taken an environmentally-friendly turn lately, and I've been talking about making small changes to turn into good habits. Well, how about I make a big change? Like... a brand new 2011 Prius?

Meet Lexi (as in Sexy Lexi... per Randy. Yep. she is sexy). This is our new addition to the family. And while the old ride (our 2005 Equinox) was one of my favorites... the 17mpg wasn't cutting it. Since my commute has changed (I used to live 3 minutes from where I worked), I really started feeling the gas prices hitting me hard. After much deliberation between old and new, a model II or III, price, color, and everything else you could think of, we just decided that this one was the one we wanted. I love the silver... mostly the best color to choose from since the colors are so limited. I also love the navigation system, bluetooth capabilities, and XM radio (hello, station 51, Coffee House), not to mention the absolute amazing gas mileage I'm getting. It's unbelievable.

It's pretty darn amazing how much technology goes into this car. There's most definitely a learning curve to driving it (start button, park button, keyless entry, camera for backing up, different drive modes, etc). It's made me into one careful driver, that's for sure, especially when there's no sound at all until you hit about 30mph. It's quite a weird thing to experience. I'm now just getting the hang of changing between driving modes. Power mode for get-up-and-go. Eco mode for cruising and major gas-saving. Hats off to you and your fine product, Japan.

She even looks good from behind. It definitely makes going green look good :)

Getting Greener: Part 2

2011-03-22T18:09:00.000-07:00

With cloth napkins being made, I started thinking of more, easy ways to become Earth-conscious. Taking some ideas from Bea at Zero Waste Home, I've ordered this castile soap to start making my own cleaning solution (however, castile soap can be used for more than just a home cleaning product). With just 1 1/2 teaspoons of castile soap, 3 teaspoons of vinegar, and 4 cups of water, I can have an Earth-friendly (not to mention non-toxic) alternative to an all-purpose cleaner. In addition to the castile soap, I threw in a 3-pack of Caldrea scrub brushes, which are made from Beechwood and other natural fibers.

I also bit the bullet (after much hesitation) and bought "The Keeper", which is an alternative to tampons or pads. I think this product is just making its way to the states, but I've heard nothing but great things about them. So, I'm excited to try it out. I'm sure my husband wouldn't mind never having to buy tampons for me again (although he's never complained... such a great guy).

Like I said before, I'm trying a few things at a time.... making small changes that will replace wasteful habits with more conscious ones. Can't blame a girl for trying....

Getting Greener: A start

2011-03-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

After discovering an article on Yahoo about a zero-waste family, I've become intrigued by their story. I found the mother's blog (here) and have been reading ever since. While I think she takes it to an extreme (e.g. I'm not sure how my local grocer would take me bringing glass jars to buy meat and cheese from the deli), I can appreciate the motives behind living minimally and with minimal waste. She also points out that this lifestyle is impossible to create over days, weeks, and even a year. She's spent years making changes to her family's lifestyle; however, it did get me thinking of little things I could change to start towards being a little less wasteful.

My start to producing a little less waste: cloth napkins. I'm saying good bye to paper napkins that are easily used and tossed without a thought to where they'll land up. And while I'm sure they will break down faster than other wasteful items I use (e.g. plastic pens, tooth brush heads, etc), I feel like it's something I can do that I don't even have to think about. Plus, it gives me small little sewing projects to satisfy my project ADD (we all know I get bored quickly with lengthy, complex projects....). Here are the first of my napkins... they just so happen to be the rest of the curtain material from the kitchen and breakfast nook valances.

With some more reading and inspiration, I hope to post some more of my small changes to hopefully get others thinking of what they could do as well. Let me know your ideas...

Planting time!

2011-03-19T14:25:00.000-07:00

It's the middle of March, and it's planting time in Texas! The weather has been absolutely lovely... days mostly in the 70's or low, breezy 80's. This weather has been so nice for my spring break! I find myself still stuck in the Illinois mindset: don't plant anything in the ground until at least April, be prepared for a rainy or even snowy spring break, hope that the weather is in the 50's or 60's. But I've been assured by my grandpa (who does know lots of things about weather and planting due to tuning in to his weekly radio horticulturist, Neil Sperry), that now is the time to plant. So, planting we've done!

We started out with planting two Red Rocket Crape Myrtles in our backyard. Although I can hardly take credit for them.... three wonderful employees of the nursery came and planted them for me. Sometimes paying someone to do it is just the right thing to do. Nothing worse than dropping some $$ for trees and then killing them by improper planting procedures. Here's the result:

Then, today we visited Lowes (along with everyone else in Rockwall) to pick up some items for our vegetable garden. Because we're still unsure of the permanent layout of our backyard, we wanted containers for our plants this year. So, we bought a big plastic bin (which is not technically for plants but seems to work very well given some holes drilled in the bottom), lots of soil, and some tomato plants. Here's the end result with some pug additions :)

We've got two tomato plants, scallions, bell peppers, and lettuce growing. I also have some cilantro, chives, and parsley in indoor herb pots. I'm overall very happy with how easy it was to do. Hooray for smaller-scale gardening (and weeding)!

Hello, sewing... it's been a while

2011-03-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

After much debate, I decided to add some window treatments to our kitchen and breakfast nook. I love, love, love the fabric from World Market, so I bought it as a huge curtain and trimmed it down to fit the windows. After dusting off the sewing machine and getting reacquainted with it, I knocked it out in a few hours. I think it turned out very nicely. And I even have enough fabric left over for some napkins. Fun!

Spring Break Projects

2011-03-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

Hopefully someone, somewhere, is relaxing on spring break. Not this gal. I have projects on my list that need doing. Randy actually helped jump start my projects with a kitchen backsplash. We both decided that we really loved our old kitchen's backsplash and how easy it ended up being, so we wanted to do it again. Plus, it would help our house look a little more personalized. In about five hours, we had it up and looking good!

Monday came, which meant it was time for painting. With Randy off to work, I taped, edged, and painted both the kitchen and some of the breakfast nook walls. All the cabinetry and backsplash made the process a little lengthy, but I think it was well worth it. We now have a kitchen that's warm and welcoming, versus stale and blah.

Next, I need to find a few decorations for the barren breakfast nook wall and perhaps a new light fixture for over the table. But, all-in-all, I think my spring break is off to an awesome start!

Weekend Review

2011-03-06T15:12:00.000-08:00

I had the highest hopes for this weekend. On the list was getting lots of pots for container gardening, going to a nearby nursery to pick up a few trees for our bare back yard, and planting up a storm. So, Saturday, Randy and I went to Garden Ridge, a warehouse of all sorts of things ... including (what I thought to be) cheap garden pots and planters. Man, I was wrong. They had a large assortment of all sorts of pots, but none of them (including the fake real-looking pots) were cheap. Disappointing, to say the least. I'm using pots for my vegetable gardening this year, since we're in the planning stages for landscaping our back yard. I don't want any permanent garden boxes yet, so I was on the look-out for decently priced pots.... Garden Ridge was not the place to go. Instead, we came away with a still pricey, but nice looking medium-sized pot for our front porch. Whatever. I'm over you, Garden Ridge.

So, we took our search to Walmart, the place I try not to completely support but usually do because they have the best prices. And, as I waltz into the garden area.... there are beautiful gleaming pots.... for cheap. Red... green.... gold...

So, planters, check. Got a red and green one, as well as some herb pots for indoors. We also picked up a indoor little greenhouse for starting seedlings. Lettuce, peppers, scallions, parsley, cilantro, and chives are all planted and sitting nicely in the sun in the dining room.

Sunday, we decided, would be the nursery day. We were looking for 2-3 trees that would provide some privacy, as well as eye-appeal, since our house sits a little up on a hill, which allows our neighbors to view right into our back yard. Crape Myrtles are very popular and grow well in north Texas, so we were hoping for some like this...

But.... after waking up on Sunday morning with a runny nose and endless sneezing, I am sitting here still in pajamas. No trees for us today. Randy mowed the yard while I cleaned the house. But other than that.... I've been useless. Hopefully this work week will go quickly... next week is our spring break, so I can get my gardening and planting done then. I also hope to paint and spruce up the kitchen with window treatments and the like.... lots to do! I don't have time to be sick for long!

Weekend Thoughts on a Weekday

2011-02-22T16:54:00.000-08:00

This week has been quite a week... already. So, it really makes me happy to see in my planner (which is full of work-related scratch-outs, reschedulings, meetings, trainings, etc) that this Saturday has a neatly written "Melting Pot with friends" on it. Hallelujah. It really couldn't have come at a better time.

I've been fortunate enough to meet some really great work colleagues, who have turned into some really great friends. So this weekend (for the second time), Randy and I are going out with our friends Marianne and her husband, Jorge. Last month, we all enjoyed some really great tapas at Cafe Madrid, which then led to listening to some tunes at a local bar afterwards. This month (ooo so excited), we're headed to my favorite restaurant... the Melting Pot. Delicious. Everything about it is awesome - drinks, cheese fondue, salad, the main course meats, & to-die-for chocolate fondue. And with great food will come good conversation... Marianne and I are both speech therapists, afterall.

I'm also excited for this Saturday, because I bought Marianne's children (Jennasey & Mateo) my favorite children's book, Unlovable. Jennasey (an awesome 8-year old who is one of the few children who could convince me that having kids is a good thing...) came over one afternoon with Marianne, and we all made glass pendants. She fell in love with our pugs, so I thought it was fitting that I give her the book, which is all about a pug named Alfred. So cute. A good lesson. I know they'll love it.

Snow Day Fun

2011-02-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

Three days of unexpected free time has allowed my creative juices to flow after a long hiatus. After two hours of mulling around at Hobby Lobby, I came away with some goodies.

I made a little window box for our master bathroom window. I used turquoise, red, golden, and plum flowers to give some much needed color to our bland bathroom.

I've also had a renewed interest in homemade soaps/body products. So, I whipped up a body scrub infused with patchouli essential oil. It's also sitting on my bathroom window sill just ready for me to use with a calming bath.

And, to round off the bath theme, I played around in the kitchen with some ingredients for soap.

The pug soap was made with mashed banana for moisturizing dry skin. It actually doesn't smell too much like banana, which is good, since that scent isn't my favorite.

This one is green tea soap infused with tea tree essential oil. Super fun. Can't wait to use them both.

Viva Grant, Oklahoma!

2011-01-30T09:59:00.000-08:00

After finally biting the bullet and hiring a pet nanny to watch our pooches so we could have a night away, we're back home and enjoying a lazy Sunday. All is well. The pups lived. We didn't blow our entire savings account. Life is good.

A few weeks ago, Randy's coworkers planned a trip to the closest casino around, which happened to be in Grant, Oklahoma (Texas doesn't have casinos). While initially Randy blew it off and used our dogs as an excuse not to go, we both started mulling over the idea that maybe a night away would be a good trial period for the pooches and a pet nanny. So, we booked a room at the hotel & casino for a fun night away. I even planned our route to drive us by Paris, Texas, so we could see the 65' eiffel tower, complete with a cowboy hat on top.

We set out late afternoon. Our first stop was the eiffel tower. Disappointment would sum that sucker up in one word. After 2 road closings and a GPS that was a little unsure of re-routing, we said forget it. (Sidenote: when you name your town after one of the most chic places in the world, you should at least try to live up to it. There was nothing but run-down houses and a few scattered cows. Blah). Here's a googled picture of what we were supposed to see.

After we gave up that little mission, we headed on to Grant, Oklahoma to meet our soon-to-be fortune. We checked in, crashed at the hotel a bit (which was really nice and clean), ate at the buffet (pretty good food, too), and then decided to get the night started at the ATM.

Let's just say this.... we didn't loose everything. At one point, we were up $30 (too bad it was only 10 minutes in to gambling), then we were down almost everything, and we regained most of it to end up only $50 behind. Not bad. Especially since we were at the place for 5+ hours (okay, so I got a little addicted to a certain spot.... I can see how people can get caught up in the thought process of "If I just keep playing, I could recoup what I've lost. Maybe this next time will be the big one"). But we did stop. And I thought, for $10 an hour of entertainment, we had a great time. I was more impressed that Randy and I outlasted all of his coworkers. We were the first ones there, and the last ones to leave. It was nice to prove to myself that I'm not as old as I act during the week (my current bedtime is around 9:30, with a shower and in pj's by 8:00). And, in the morning, we visited the breakfast buffet, which turned out to be awesome, since our tab was picked up by a really nice couple who had a coupon for $30 worth of food... which they did not use entirely. Awesome. It was our lucky day....maybe we should've tried the slots again....

All in all, Randy and I enjoyed each other and a weekend away. We need to do it more often (like maybe next week... I feel like we could hit it big if we just had another chance..... ha. just kidding.)

Sad, but true...

2011-01-25T19:23:00.000-08:00

Just one of the reasons our educational system is failing....

It's beginning to look a lot like winter!

2011-01-09T12:13:00.000-08:00

Winter has finally arrived in Texas. We had our first snow today! And with some luck, I might even be able to squeak out a snow day tomorrow (our area is in the 3-6 inches range). Hooray for 60-degree weather one day and a winter snow advisory the next.... best of both worlds.

Recap 2010

2011-01-02T18:01:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, friends! Just for fun, the husband and I get a kick out of reading our daily horoscopes. My overall 2011 horoscope read very hopeful for the Virgo (me). Some of it (while quite generic) went something like this...

"This year favors the clean slate approach to all matters of self-help, renewal and transformation of your personality. You're leaving many aspects of your old self behind in order to become a better and more authentic version of who you really are."

So, before I get too far into the new year, let's review 2010... it was quite the year of change!

Happenings of 2010 included:

- having a professional signature ending in M.S., CCC-SLP (I'm a completely certified SLP)

- deciding to take a new job for an unknown district in a completely different state after only a 30 minute phone interview

- putting our first house on the market and moving 12 hours away

- living without my husband for 6 weeks (never again....) and "rooming" with my grandparents (which, while it got old quickly, was a great experience to hear stories, see pictures, and be with people I really didn't know all that much)

- bought our second house for a steal & continue to own our "vacation" home in Alton, IL

- had the opportunity to get the "big family" experience... I love the people in my family... we have a great time!

May 2011 treat you well!

A Day in the Past

2010-12-12T15:51:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to explore Dallas and get in the Christmas spirit, we went to the Heritage Village of Dallas on Saturday. Let me just say .... it was so cool! There were about a dozen or so old buildings that had been moved and reassembled on the site. Dressed fully in period-correct clothing, volunteers would greet visitors in each building and give the information about the previous owners and the time period. Some houses were actually working... for example, the Blum house had a working kitchen, in which a cook was making potato latkes on an old wood stove for the visitors walking through. And, we had an extra treat since it is Christmastime. Vendors were selling warm sugar-covered pecans, hot chocolate, kettle corn, etc. We also enjoyed sitting in the old church and listening to a folk group with an awesome banjo player. Every house was decorated for Christmas as it would have been celebrated at the time. The whole experience was just so fun. Here are some highlights....

Old School House ... lunch pails all lined up

Although we didn't partake, donkey rides were a big hit

They even had a working farm of chickens and sheep. I suspect

more animals are here in the summer, as there were many

empty rabbit cages and horse stalls.

A New Post

2010-12-08T15:23:00.000-08:00

It recently was brought to my attention that I haven't updated my blog in quite a while. Quite true. I sometimes have a difficult time finding topics to blog on when my life pretty much consists of work, eating, and sleeping.

However, with the holidays being a little different this year (this is the first year I'm not going home for Christmas to see see immediate family), I have a new project to blog about. Thanks to my sister's creative idea, I'm on the search for fun items to put in a Christmas present box. Instead of trading requested gifts for requested gifts, my sister thought it'd be fun for each of us to fill a box with items from our new homes. So, I'll be getting things from New Hampshire, and she'll get things from Texas. Fun!

This weekend, I'm attempting to find some of those little Texan treasures, so Randy and I will have to make it a point to go to fun places that represent Texas. While I wish I could send some good Mexican food or a Texas steak... it's not-a-gonna happen (rotten food/meat = not pleasant Christmas gift). Soooo.... I thought this place might have some fun treasures just waiting to be picked up....

It's the Dallas Heritage Village. It's a living history museum, complete with characters in costume and working buildings from 1840-1910. And this weekend is their Candlelight event.... check it out for more info!

Chocolate Soft Serve

2010-11-14T12:02:00.000-08:00

You might have remembered from a previous post our painting adventure in the great room. Well, with visitors coming for Thanksgiving this year, we decided to kick it in to high gear and get our master bedroom painted. We used the "chocolate soft serve" color that looked so atrocious in the great room next to our "katydid" green. Come to find out, the color is quite nice when it's all by itself. With such a big bedroom, the color adds a little bit of warmth. Now, all we need is a few more furniture pieces (e.g. a TV stand, bookcase) that match our new bedroom furniture.

Her Place

2010-11-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

I know it's a bad habit. But she IS the alpha. And Randy's favorite. Often she's referred to as "the first one, and best one." (Don't feel bad for the other two... they have their own little loving names & references, too). But last night, at dinner time, Sophie hopped right up onto one of the empty chairs with a bone in her mouth. She set the bone on the table, as if she was saying, "Here I am. You can start now. What are we having to eat?" So funny, the personality on that one.

So, I just happened to have my camera. I love this girl.

And yes, we have pug salt and pepper shakers. They're adorable. And a little creepy, I'm sure, to non-pug people. But we love them.

Conquering the Beast

2010-11-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

We've almost entirely moved in.... with the exception of one room. And with guests coming in T minus 3 weeks, I really want to get most of the boxes unpacked and outta here. So, this past weekend, Randy and I put our heads together to try and come up with the most efficient way of organizing the (dreaded) craft/music room. You know, it's the room that harbors all of our hobbies and enjoyments... but all of its contents don't really fit with the neat, tidy look of the other rooms. Having a sewing machine is great... but it doesn't really look too pleasing to the eye sitting in our great room.

May I present to you our solution (and I'm super excited about it)...

How could this possibly work as a crafting table? Wait for it...

It folds out into a handy work space for sewing and general crafting! It's on order and should arrive at Walmart in a week or so. Hooray! It got great reviews, and I love the fact that it is also a space saver. Can't wait to get it in the room. Perhaps then, we'll be inspired to finally unpack for good!

Here's Lookin' At You

2010-10-31T08:14:00.000-07:00

I love how these mummy cupcakes turned out for a Halloween get-together at my grandparents' house. They were so fun to make... especially since I have a kitchen with lots of counter space. Such a luxury! It's nice to get back into baking. I have so much decorating stuff to use, and I don't have to go down into a dark basement to retrieve it.

In other weekend news, Randy and I decided to get out and explore a little. We went to the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum and wax museum. Totally fun. We enjoyed seeing the odd and outrageous. Plus, we were able to fit in a quick chat with some old friends...

And Randy found some other stuff to take pictures of....

(and because they're kinda Halloween-ish, I added them)

Happy Halloween!

The mirror

2010-10-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

Per request, here is the mirror on our mantel.

The Pictures

2010-10-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

Here it is... done. (Just imagine beautiful hard wood floors... it'll be coming in the future)

Third Time's a Charm

2010-10-23T20:17:00.000-07:00

For some reason, painting this new house has been a dilemma for me for a while now. Usually, I come into a new space and know exactly what I want to do... in what colors... and it's done before you know it.

Not this time. After three trips to Walmart, two different "neutrals," and many achy body parts later, the painting is done for now. We decided that our color scheme was going to be a fun green (the paint chip is called "katydid"), brown accents (like our couches, drapes, pillows, etc), and a neutral color for the other walls. Well, our first neutral turned out to look like yellow. Soon after getting that color up on the walls, we had a banana theme of brown, green, and yellow. No thank you. Hate bananas to eat... hate bananas on my walls. So, Randy (blesshisheart) ran to Walmart to get more of a brownish/taupe (Yorkshire tan). After slapping that up on the walls... our house now had a beautiful green and (as Randy called it) "soft serve" brown. It looked exactly like soft serve ice cream... only in an unappetizing way against the green. Yuck. We quickly discovered that green, in general, is really hard to pair with another color.

So, we ended up with hazelnut cream.... a very neutral, but very complimentary color to our green. And it's done. Hallelujah!!!

And if you're wondering what we did with all the paint rejects...no worries, no paint will be wasted in our house. The Yorkshire tan will look really good with our black furniture in our master bedroom. And, the yellowish-green ended up working well in our guest room. So, we ended up painting the guest room... so score one for us getting more done than originally planned. Of course, it's past 10 at night, and we started painting at 9:30am. Hm. It's time for bed. Pictures will come tomorrow.

(Almost) Settled

2010-10-18T15:31:00.000-07:00

Time for another picture... slowly but surely, I'll have more up. This weekend, I spent some good time putting up pictures and getting rid of more boxes just piled up in our dining room.

Our large (even though it doesn't look so in this picture) great room. I need help with ideas for paint colors.

QUESTION:

What should we do with the great room?

a) paint the walls a color (we were thinking light green)

b) paint the walls a neutral color

c) paint the walls neutral, but make the fireplace wall an accent color

d) none of the above... I'll write my opinion in the comments section

our mantel

In terms of paint, we were thinking a green that would compliment our wreath

Our guest room... just waiting for guests :)

Even our Henry Hippo is waiting to be a good host.

Hearty Potato Chowder

2010-10-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite season, no doubt. And, I love the food of fall, too. In hopes of creating a little more fall-like atmosphere in the 80-degree weather of Texas, I made a hearty potato chowder tonight. It was, if I do say so myself, delicious. So, I thought I'd share the wealth.

Hearty Potato Chowder

16 oz. frozen potatoes o'brien
1 c. fat-free evaporated milk, divided
1/2 tsp. table salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3/4 c. skim milk
1/4 c. scallions, finely chopped (green part only)
6 oz. bacon bits (can be omitted for vegetarians)

1. Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add potatoes and cook, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 c. of evaporated milk until well-blended. Remove from heat.

2. Remove half of potato mixture and puree in a blender. Add pureed potatoes back to saucepan with the other potatoes. Add remaining 1/2 c. of evaporated milk, salt, pepper, skim milk, scallion, & bacon. Stir well. Simmer for a few minutes to heat through and blend flavors.

*Note: I, being the cheese-lover that I am, added a sprinkling of cheddar cheese to top it off.

All in all, this recipe was super simple and quick. It's originally a weight watcher's recipe, so if you're in to that, it's 4 points for 1 cup. It makes about 4 cups. Enjoy!

Home.

2010-10-03T21:30:00.000-07:00

After a day of buzzing around town doing house things, Randy and I had a choice to make: go to the state fair or go to dinner and a movie. Dinner and a movie won. I think we made a good choice. Our dinner was down by the harbor, so we got to enjoy the beautiful sunset. This is our new home.

One by one

2010-10-03T15:34:00.000-07:00

I've slowly been decorating our new house. I started with the guest bath, because that just seemed less daunting to take on. So, here are the highly sought-after pics.... one room at a time.

And now, the end is near...

2010-09-24T16:22:00.000-07:00

It's true. After almost six weeks, the end of our adventure is almost over. Randy will be a 26' (plus towing a car) monster on the road come Sunday. All of our things (especially, two very cute pugs) will be on that truck just waiting to start a new life in our new home in Texas.

It's been quite the journey... leaving our home in Illinois, taking up residence with my 80-something grandparents, starting a completely new job, and buying a new house. I'll probably never do it again (at least any time soon), but I'm really glad I did it. Taking the plunge and just going for something spontaneous has been a great life lesson. It goes to show that things work out. Maybe not on a planned timeline, but they find their place eventually.

I'll end my update with a little look back at some of the things I'll miss.... and a look forward to the things to come.

Aww... I'll miss:
* my dear friends, Christine & Heston, who quickly became family through our shared love of wine.
* band gigs... reasons for a married mid-twenty-something to be in a bar drinking
* Alton... yes, even Alton... especially in the fall.
* El Mezcal... you speak to my soul.

Hooray! Hello to the new...
* home... only a mere 5 years old. Such an improvement on our 60-year old house
* friends & family... I've never known what big family get-togethers were until now.
* job... I'm finally getting settled in and enjoying the (over double of what I took home in Alton) paycheck.
* lake... Rockwall is situated on a beautiful, huge lake that will eventually have our names written all over it.

Old Dog, New Trick

2010-09-01T16:55:00.000-07:00

Our Mabel was a little slow learning... well, it's hard when there's two other crazy dogs around her, but she finally learned how to sit before eating. I'm a proud mama.

Basic Differences between Texas and Illinois

2010-08-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

For those of you who are familiar with the education system in Illinois (per my experience, at least)... and are curious as to how Texas's education system matches up, I introduce the following:

Texas: ARDs (a.k.a. IEP meetings) are well planned and articulated. Prior meetings are held to go over the student's file before parents are even involved. Yes... it's a bit of a "practice" to make sure every one is on top of things and on the same page. So, you know... everyone looks professional. In addition, ARD meetings are not held unless EVERYONE can make it (even including parents and administrators).
Illinois: Meetings are held at the school's convenience... the parent probably won't show up, so just hold the meeting anyway. Forget about administrators coming, unless you're worried these parents are knowledgeable in the legal system and will sue. Professionalism, what?

Texas: Students are taught discipline from day one. This includes learning "duck tails and bubble mouths" in the hallway. Duck tails means hands are put behind a child's back (sometimes the hands point out giving the appearance of duck tails). Bubble mouths mean that the smallest children (kindergarten, 1st grade, etc) are to blow air in their cheeks... after all, if you have air in your cheeks, you can't talk. Also, yes and no ma'am are required. I quote a teacher in Texas saying... "I better see bubbles in your mouths. I shouldn't have to remind you. You've been in school 3 days now!"
Illinois: Discipline is something that everyone hopes for, but consistency is lagging. Students are not held accountable for their actions, and going to the principals office is "fun." Students running and talking in the hallways are the norm. I would often hear, "You've been in school 6 months, and you still can't follow the rules!"

Texas: $$$$$. And, if you have a master's degree (regardless of it being required), you get $1,000 bonus. Speech therapists receive $500 stipend for materials.
Illinois: You have a master's degree? Stupid you... you should've been a dental hygienist. They make way more on a 2-year degree. And please, don't think about asking for materials. Those diagnostic tests from the '70's are still good.

Texas: SLPs are actually respected when it comes to room issues. I have a huge classroom with ample storage, 2 teacher's work areas, three children's tables/centers, and carpeted floors. And, within the first day of employment, I got keys to the buildings and rooms.
Illinois: You needed a space to work? The hallway won't do? Fine..... I guess you can have this closet with the fake, thin walls. But you'll have to fight the teacher who is using it for storage. It's okay when she yells at you in front of the kids. She does that to everyone. Write her up? Forget it! That never does any good. We're to scared of her. Oh, and you want keys? Well, maybe when the secretary who keeps the keys decides if she likes you or not, you can have them. Just don't make her mad. She'll never give you important messages or mail. She runs this school.

Texas: We have a surplus of money due to our laws that require us to have a balanced budget. Therefore, we're giving all the SLPs ipods to track data. And, we'll buy you business cards. Plus, we'll throw in a free memory stick. We also can afford to bring in speakers that will allow you to get all of your continuing education credits free of charge. In addition, we don't take out money for state income taxes or teacher's unions. We're a right-to-work state.
Illinois: We don't have money. The state owes us millions of dollars, but it probably all went to the crooked politicians. So, we'll actually have to cut all the younger staff, who actually lesson plan and care about the students they teach. Yep. We'll hang on to our tenured teachers who many of which don't give a crap about innovative ideas. They've had this stuff planned since the 1980's. Nothing major in education has changed anyway. At least we have a union that can't get the teachers a raise but will stand by when administrators get one.

Think I like it here? Yep. I do.

Good Morning from Texas!

2010-08-21T10:19:00.000-07:00

I realize I haven't been writing much, especially since the move down to Rockwall. However, this morning, I had my blog in mind. This was our wake-up call...

The Rockwall High School Marching Band! I thought it was so neat that they were parading through local neighborhoods in the morning. They came to our neighborhood around 9am, so it was early, but not crazy. Band Boosters also were running a "bucket brigade" to collect money for the upcoming season. It was so neat to sit out on the front steps of the house and watch them roll by.

Also, for your viewing pleasure... a picture from when my wonderful husband was here in Rockwall. They say everything is bigger in Texas.... everything!

helllloooo, Texas!

2010-08-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

Howdy, ya'll! Randy and myself are just having a grand 'ole time here in the big, wonderful state of Texas!

Whew. How was that? I've been practicing my dialect to fit in with the locals. I think I'm doing okay, but I have pulled a few "sorry, I'm from Illinois" lines when I drive. I'm not used to the medium amount of traffic here compared to Alton. But, my old Chicago suburbs driving is all coming back to me, and I've been getting used to the tons of shopping available just 5 minutes away. It's so nice to think that this is actually the town I will live in and not just visit. This place does have everything, including amazing schools with facilities that rival colleges'.

Anyway, on to the fun news.... we made an offer on a house today! Ha! Surprised you, didnt I? Day 4 here and we might have a house. We went looking around at neighborhoods with our realtor and found one we really liked. It's a foreclosure with an interesting back story, but long story short, the couple that owned it wanted a foreclosure on purpose (?) so the wife could be a stay-at-home mom. They were expecting to be kicked out and were ready to move in with in-laws. Okay. Whatever. So, they took great care of the house, and it looks quite immaculate on the inside (minus stained carpet from 3 kids). Here are some pics & specs...

House specs - click here!

new kitchen cabinets & appliances... lots of counter space & cabinets

master bathroom w/ huge walk-in closet

master bedroom w/ walk-out to patio

Adios.

2010-08-09T09:02:00.000-07:00

Today is the day. Or, perhaps tonight is the night... that I move to Texas. Last night was my last time sleeping in my house as an Illinois resident. Nothing has really hit me yet. I've had a few little twinges of realization, but nothing full blown. It got to me a little last night when I had to say good-bye to my best friends here, Christine and Heston. I feel like I'll see them next week for our Sunday night watching of True Blood. Or, it's like I'll still be seeing her around the school hallways. I'll miss their liberal kinship and hippy ways. But, their nomads, like us, so I'm sure we'll be seeing them around somewhere.

As for the agenda today... final packing of everyday stuff and cleaning the house for the week of showings and realtors. Yep. Our house is officially on the market. Hip hip hooray! I suppose it'd be extremely wishful thinking if we sold the house while we were on vacation in Texas.... right? Ha. Let's just hope it sells period. I'd be happy with that.

Preview

2010-08-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Here are some preliminary pictures of our house, soon to be on the market. A small preview, if you will. Our lives have consisted of cleaning, decluttering, and packing. I'm moving, after all, in four days.

It's a long road, with many more miles to go

2010-07-29T17:19:00.000-07:00

This week has been quite the exhausting week. Tuesday was supposed to be the big day when I was to find out if I got the job in Texas or not. I waited and waited.... no call. I figured it was just another potential employer's failure to contact the person they weren't interested in. Whatever. Annoying.

But then, Wednesday came around. It was just about the time that I decided I was going to stay in Alton another year and plan on moving in the summer of 2011. I was fine with the plan. No big deal. I already had a job, and the moving process would be a lot less rushed and much more planned. But I got a call from the lady asking for different reference numbers. The ones she had tried were not working. SO.... things immediately changed. Why would she want references for someone she was just going to turn down?

After a few more problems with the numbers and e-mails, references had been contacted, and I got the job. Crazy! In two weeks, I'm going to be a Texan, and I'm going to be working for a district that wants to pay me over $11,000 more than my current salary. Um. Okay!

So it's go time to be packing and looking up realtors. With 3 dogs, no apartment place will want to rent to us. And honestly, we're not renters at heart. I'll be living with my grandparents until Randy can sell our house and find a new job in Texas. It'll work out. Things always do.

Here's to bigger and better! I'll try not to get too annoyed with the Texas attitude. It'll probably just be something that is more amusing than anything. Houses are cheap. Jobs are aplenty. Family is close. I can't complain. Here's to change!

What did I just do?

2010-07-23T06:47:00.000-07:00

Things have been quite crazy around our place lately. In our (my) usual fashion, I've gotten a bit impulsive and interviewed for a position with the Garland Independent School District in Garland, Texas. That, of course, means that I may be moving and starting a new job in, oh, 3 weeks. Yikes!

Unlike some of my previous impulsive decisions, my impulse to move to Texas was not without much thought, deliberation, and list-making of pros and cons. Randy's fully on board, as his job is dead-end. There's just a lot to do to get our house ready for the market. We're starting phase 1 of Project Get the Heck Outta Illinois by doing a yard sale and getting our stairs completely finished with wood end caps, railing, and new carpet. After that, it'll just be a bit of staging and photos will be taken. Then, we'll meet with some realtors to get their opinions. That is, IF I get the job..... If no job offer, then we'll sit tight until next summer, when we'll definitely move.

As for the interview I just had, I feel really good about it. I'm not sure how many other applicants there were, but I feel confident with how the interview went. The lady interviewing me was extremely positive in her feedback, and she said that she was "excited that she was able to speak with me." Plus, the experience I've had in the classroom seemed to be of particular interest to her. So, we'll see. I'm very much of the idea that if we're supposed to be in Texas sooner than later, things will work out. They always do. Remember, we're the crazy kids that decided to move to St. Louis, apply for grad school, buy and renovate a house, relocate jobs, and get married all in one year. I think we can handle it. At least I'll have an income this time around!

So... stay tuned.

DOUBLE RAINBOW SONG!!

2010-07-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Surprising how catchy it is.... sing it with me...

"Double rainbow all the way across the sky...."

This guy's nutso!

2010-07-07T13:29:00.000-07:00

Now, don't get me wrong, double rainbows are lovely. But this guy.... he's got a thing for the double rainbows.... just watch. Catch some enthusiam!

My favorite part.... "What does this mean???"

Um... it means that there's a double reflection of the sunlight inside the raindrops. I'm pretty sure that's what it means.

A few things

2010-07-07T11:31:00.000-07:00

I applied to a job opportunity in Rowlett, Texas today. I kinda really hope I get it. It'll mess things up a bit (i.e. Randy and I will probably live apart for a while), but we're young enough for things to be a little messy. Moving is never convenient, so why should I expect it to be now? I'm ready to take a job that I love for a salary that I love. It's out there, I just have to move to get there.

Yesterday I spent almost all day baking yummy things, like focaccia, honey wheat bread, and burnt sugar custard. If you're interested, I've posted some of the recipes for you to share with your family :)

Rosemary Focaccia
4 c. white bread flour
1 tbsp. instant dry yeast
1 tsp. salt (plus more to add to bread in final stages)
3 tbsp sprigs fresh rosemary
5 tbsp. olive oil

Put the flour & yeast in a large bowl with 1 tsp. salt. Stir in the 3 tbsp of oil and 2 cups of lukewarm water. Mix until the dough is soft, adding a little more water if the dough feels dry.

Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Put in a lightly greased bowl & cover with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled in size

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Turn out the dough on a floured surface and cut in half. Roll out each half until 10 inches round. Transfer to a greased baking sheet, cover lightly with plastic wrap/towel for 20 minute, until risen.

Press your fingers into the dough to make deep holes all over. Stick the fresh sprigs of rosemary in the holes, cover in sea salt. Sprinkle with water to keep the crust moist and bake for 25 minutes, until lightly golden. Remove from the oven and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Wheat & Honey Bread (made in a breadmaker)
1 package yeast
3/4 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/2 c. bread flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. honey
1 egg
1 c. plus 1 tbsp. warm water

Put all ingredients in breadmaker according to company settings (usually wet ingredients first). Set breadmaker to dough cycle. After dough cycle is complete, shape dough to desired shape (note: makes enough for 2 french bread-type loaves). Let rise for 20 or so minutes. Bake at 350 degrees until golden.

Changes are a comin'

2010-06-30T08:07:00.000-07:00

It's that time again. I'm getting the itch to make some changes. So many things have happened within the last couple of weeks. It really started with Randy finding this possible new job with Mitchell International. His interview is tomorrow, so we'll see what happens with that. If he gets the job, he'll be in for about 75% travel (traveling 3 out of the 4 weeks per month). The job isn't ideal, but we both agreed it would be a great experience and stepping stone for bigger things. Plus, the benefits and pay can't be beat. However, because he'd be taking care of the Missouri/Kansas area, we could be locked in to this area for at least a couple of years.

Then, my parents kind of sparked some interest in the idea of us moving to Texas. Now, don't get me wrong, I know Texas is not the best place for my liberal ideas to call home, and I'll have to get over the Texas attitude of "bigger is better." But, for $10,000 more a year, I could get over it pretty quickly. Yep. Speech therapists are in demand down there, so I could possibly get relocation help, great benefits, and awesome pay. More pay than I would make in Illinois after 10-15 years experience in the schools. It's a fact. Working for the state of Illinois is a dead end. There's no money. There's no desire to reform education. There's no desire to do what's right by the people. So, moving is inevitable. To where.... perhaps Texas. I have a lot of extended family in the Dallas area, so that's always a possibility. Austin has always been a place of intrigue for us. We'll see.

And just this week, Randy's boss put his 2-week notice in. He's quitting Team1 to go work for an insurance company. That leaves a lot up in the air for the auto body. Randy might move shops because a new estimator will need to be brought in. Plus, a new manager will need to be hired. Randy doesn't necessarily want the manager job, even though he's quite qualified for it. So many things to think about. Stay in the area? Move sooner than later? I'm ready for answers soon, but that's just my impatience talking. I guess we'll find out..... one way or another.

You can't make this stuff up...

2010-06-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday, Randy and I went out to eat with his parents and brother, Jim, to celebrate Father's Day and our wedding anniversary. That's the only way we really see his family: out at a restaurant feeding our faces. On this particular visit, we were supposed to eat at a steakhouse, but Carol got there late due to church responsibilities. So, meeting at a steakhouse at 12:30 on Father's Day didn't work out so well. The wait was over 45 minutes and not worth it, so we decided to go to Fazoli's instead. For those of you who don't know what Fazoli's is, it can easily be understood in a simple analogy. Fazoli's is to the Italian food world as McDonald's is to the hamburger world. Fast, unhealthy, food-like substances.

So, we've done our ordering at the front counter of Fazoli's, and we're now sitting down waiting for our buzzers to go off to pick up the food. We're sitting silently at the table. Usually, if I don't make small talk, or Carol doesn't have something to say, silence will prevail. I didn't feel like being a chatty Cathy, and Carol, I guess, didn't have much to say at that moment. Silence. Then, Carol thinks of something. She's gotten us an anniversary card and wants Jim to go get it from the car. Jim retrieves it, and Randy opens it. There's $50 and a nice card. Geez. She doesn't need to do this. She never needs to do this. But she always does. She can't afford it. It's so unnecessary. We make more than double Don and Carol's combined incomes, so I feel bad taking the money. She insists. Thank you's are exchanged. Carol now becomes talkative, and this is how she begins the conversation...

"I'm mad at our President right now..." Great. I'm thinking there's going to be something about the oil spill or some crazy right-winged agenda that will soon follow that introduction. She goes on to say, "He didn't put a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier like all the other presidents have done." Hm. The poor guy (Obama) just can't make anyone happy, especially my mother-in-law. Yes, of all the crazy sh** that's going on in this world, that's a great thing to get mad about. Geez.

But we were saved from the rest of that conversation by Carol's phone ringing. It was Randy's other brother, Bob. Carol, who is one of those people who speak increasingly louder when she talks on cell phone, is practically broadcasting the conversation over the Fazoli's loudspeaker. Then, she ends the call with "Do you want to talk to Randy?" And promptly, without Bob's answer, hands the phone to Randy. Annoyed, Randy says, "I'll call you later." I know he's thinking it's ridiculous to hold a conversation with someone on a telephone during a lunch with others around. But, Carol interprets this as Randy having a secret agenda to discuss with Bob without the presence of his parents. She's always thinking that we get together with Bob and his family behind her back.

After that wonderful display, we go one to talk about other appropriate lunchtime topics: Jim's lack of health insurance, Jim's spending money at movie theaters every week, Carol's disgust with the school's sub list freeze, etc. At this time, we've gotten our food and have started to eat. Randy and I both got spaghetti. Carol is eating the platter meal, which comes with three large samples of food. She's already put down a salad. And she's got her hand on a breadstick. She takes a large bite of the undercooked, garlic butter-soaked breadstick and says, "These breadsticks are so luscious." At this point, I can't hold it in anymore. Randy can't either. We both laugh. Yes, Fazoli's, the fast-food Italian chain restaurant, is the definition of "luscious." I chime in with my sarcasm, "They're gourmet." I think I've heard it all.

I have to change the subject, or I'm going to die laughing. So, I go to my go-to phrase, "So, is there anything new with you guys? I haven't talked to you in a while." Randy automatically gives me "the look." This look means that I've committed the cardinal sin. I've opened up an opportunity for Don to discuss all of his problems.... and he doesn't disappoint. "Well," Don starts, "the doctors said my kidney is doing better. It was at 106. It was supposed to be at 102. Now, it's down to 104." *Whew* That could have been bad. I was thinking there would be talk about finding kidney stones in urine, having water-filled ankles, etc. But that was good news. No complaining, which is quite unusual. Okay. Not bad. "I do have this flaky skin that's on my arm. I keep picking it off, but it keeps coming back" Don says next. I hang my head. Oh God. In my mind, my plate of food soon becomes flaky skin pieces. I can't eat anymore. Where do these people come from? Who does that? My in-laws.

We stay and talk a bit longer, and I'm thankful that most of the other families around us have cleared out (was that because of us? can't be sure). Right before we go, Carol asks Jim to go up and get one more breadstick. "Would you eat one more?" She asks Don. He himhaws around and says yes. "GET TWO, JIMMY!" She yells across the restaurant, because Jim is almost up at the counter at this point. He brings back two. They inhale their 3rd (luscious) breadstick. And we're up to leave.

"How can we get your parents to live closer?" Randy says as we get into our car. "You need to get on that."

Watch out, Bill Gates...

2010-06-19T13:46:00.000-07:00

I've had another successful farmers market. My sales rose to $68, so I'm getting ideas of what to make next now that I've cleared out a little bit of my inventory. It's been a really fun time chatting it up with the people that come and the other sellers at the market. Such a nice, easy way to make some cash on a Saturday.

Also, I'm officially certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to practice speech therapy where ever I darn well choose, so that's a plus. Hopefully, I can rake in some moolah from working part time in nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, too. Really, it's just a good way for me to keep all that medical stuff still fresh in my mind. All in all, it's been a great weekend. The best part.... it's not ever over yet!

Big Decision

2010-06-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

For a while now, Randy's been talking about *maybe* looking for a new job opportunity. The place he's at now has been fine. Poor benefits. No option of a raise (ever.). No sick days. Dealing with ignorant, low-life customers who want something for nothing and can't understand why you can't give it to them. In return, however, he's had a pretty low-stress job with people he likes and a boss who just lets him be.

After trying out grad school for a while and realizing it wasn't for him, I think Randy's now always trying to find something else. A job that can be his career. It's just kinda time to move on. To grow a little more.

So, he kinda fell upon a job opportunity that is, quite literally, the job that he is 100% qualified for. Everything they were looking for was everything that Randy had experience in. Perfect. He sent in his resume. Two days later, they contacted him back with high interest in him. Today, he talked to the big wig hiring man about what the job entails. And....... with every job, there are positives and negatives. Positives include **major** raise with 10% possible bonuses each year, computer, phone, paid vacation/sick days, and other wonderful things. The only negative is the fact that the job is 60% travel. Major travel. Like he'll be covering 2 states. So, there's potential that Randy will need to be gone a week at a time, come home for the weekend, and be gone for another week. This could happen for three weeks in a row. Then, he's promised a week of working at home.

With this possible circumstance, certain questions come to mind. Will this be okay for our relationship? What happens when I need someone to kill a spider? Mow the grass? Do manly things around the house? Is the money worth it? Isn't this too good of an opportunity to pass up?

There's no doubt many things to think about. But, I know we're both leaning towards going for it. It's a great opportunity to get involved with a good company. The extra money would be hella nice (new house, perhaps? nice vacations around the globe? paying off pesky student loans?). I'm not sure, but I know we'll find out soon enough. For that time... think good thoughts for us, please. Much appreciated.

Woke up. Went grocery shopping. Bought a ......

2010-06-13T17:53:00.000-07:00

POOL!

I'm an impulsive person. Always have been. It's kinda the fun, spunky side of my mostly perfectionist, follow-the-rules way-of-life. So, after we had laid around a bit in the morning, we decided to do our usual Sunday things (e.g. go grocery shopping, do laundry, etc).

We had stopped at Big Lots looking for a canopy for my farmers market stand. And while Big Lots didn't have what we wanted in that department, we had perused by a display of pools. Suddenly, I realized that we needed a pool. What a great thing to add to our home on a 90+ degree day. What was my favorite thing about summers as a kid? A pool!

So, after a quick price check around town, we came back to our good and trusty Big Lots to purchase our very own 15' round, metal framed pool.

The stars must be aligned, because right as we set it up, Mother Nature decided that she'd like to do her part in filling the pool. It began to downpour. All is good, though. We have our pool.

A common theme

2010-06-07T15:10:00.000-07:00

Just a lazy pug Monday...

Success!

2010-06-05T16:07:00.000-07:00

For my first farmers market, I'd say things went well. My goal was to sell 3 items, and I beat that goal by 1! Overall, I have $38 in my pocket (that's with the $10 fee taken out), so I'm a happy camper. The items that went over well were the wine topper and charms (they were bought for a wedding present... very fun, I think). Besides gaining a little revenue, I had fun just sitting and people watching. I chatted it up with passerby's. It was an easy day. Quick set-up and tear-down. I'd definitely do it again. Actually, I had a lot of people ask if I would be a regular at the farmers markets, and I was happy to say "yes, as much as I can be." Next week we'll be a no-show, because Randy and I are celebrating our 3-year wedding anniversary. But, after that, the schedule is wide open. Ready for business :)

Preview

2010-06-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

You're invited to preview my wares before the first farmers market tomorrow here in Alton. I've been hard at work this week trying to build up my inventory and make sure every thing's ready for the big day. It's my first time doing anything like this, so hopefully, I'll find my niche in the farmers market world. I'll be featuring my fused glass pendants, hair pins, wine accessories, and (my new favorite) bracelets! Here's what I have so far.

Partially set up... just taking inventory

A sampling of wares

My new favorite things! The bracelets turned out great.

The sign

Attached some fused glass for fun

I'll have necklaces hanging from here for people to buy

Weekend Highlights

2010-05-31T07:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my parents came for a visit. It was nice to have them down, as they are always very helpful for all the work Randy and I put off.... like weeding and hanging up a new ceiling fan. But, we did have add some fun activities in the mix. We all headed down to the Anheuser Busch beer tour in St. Louis. And man, they keep that place beautiful. Don't think dingy, ugly, industrial buildings. It's beautiful red brick everywhere. Immaculate landscaping. Intricate detailings on walls. The tour ends at the Hospitality Room, where you can have two glasses of the beer selection on tap. And, despite my dislike for beer, I've found that Bud Lite Lime and the Golden Wheat beer is quite delicious on a hot day after you've hiked it on the tour for an hour and a half.

One of over 200+ Clydesdales Anheuser Busch owns.

The tack room. It takes five hours to put the whole regalia on a horse (hair braiding and all...).

A look inside the stables where some of the horses are kept. This wagon was one of the older models used to deliver beer.

The brew house

A look inside the bottling & packaging building

The reason for my absence

2010-05-23T07:30:00.000-07:00

Living in a 1940's house, constant house projects are just a fact of life. Sometimes I don't even recognize the old pictures of our house before we bought it; we've changed it that much. This latest project was kind of a biggie. We re-taped and mudded our master bedroom. Following that, we painted and ripped up all the carpet. Then, laminate flooring was laid and trim was applied. It took a good two weeks of work to finally complete it, but I am happy to say that today, I have no house project agenda (minus the fun stuff, like finding accessories). And, the only place in our house with carpeting is the stairs. Not too shabby, not too shabby at all.

Taping, mudding, and sanding phase

(aka my least favorite phase)

Wha la! New flooring, new paint, and new closet door!

The wall color is distorted here, but it's the lightest shade of

robin's egg blue.

The only thing needed now is accessories... the fun part!

My clientele

2010-05-04T13:28:00.000-07:00

This scenario happened yesterday at work. Seriously. Makes me lose all hope in parenting.

In an effort to teach the kids about plant life and a life cycle, we had kids grow grass seeds in nylons to make into grass heads. They turned out adorable... and looked something like this:

Once they were decorated with a face, the kids got to take them home to share with their families. Yesterday, a parent dropped off her child to our room and had something to ask. The conversation went something like this:

Parent: I have a question about those grass heads.

Teacher: Yes?

Parent: Is that marijuana that's growing at the top?

Teacher: Um. No. It's just grass.

Parent: Oh, my husband was wondering if it was marijuana. I'll have to tell him.

Yep. That's my clientele. First, they a) think that we could possibly grow an illegal substance in our classrooms, b) probably wished the grass was marijuana because it would be an easier profit than actually working, and c) think that having this conversation in front of children is appropriate.

New Things

2010-04-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

It's been a while. I needed a bit of a break from the blogging. For a while there, nothing was really reportable. Nothing new. But you know, life can't always stay that way. Here's the update since the last entry.

I've still been fusing glass pendants. It's a nice hobby to release some creative energy. I've had some success selling them at school, and I've gotten around to inquiring about becoming a vendor at the Alton Farmers Market. We'll see....

Randy's also been doing some soul searching with his career ideas. After a couple graduate classes (which he aced, by the way) and observations, he realized that teaching was not for him. I'm proud of him for trying something completely out of his comfort zone. He's proved to himself that yes, he is smart and can do well in school. But he really didn't want to spend so much time jumping through hoops just to graduate and possibly not get a job. Plus, the big pay cut becoming a teacher was going to hurt, too. So, he'll stay where he is. I'm relieved he's figured it out in a short amount of time, and now, we've got some extra funds from saving for school to use up.... can you say vacation??? We'll see. At least he's happier now.

We also (finally) adopted our Mabel. She's no longer a foster pug.... she's found her forever family. It's wonderful to know that she'll be treated well and given so much love that she missed out on for the first 5 years of her life. Such a sweetie. This is now our life...

f this

2010-04-08T18:16:00.000-07:00

This week is the first week back from spring break, and the kids are reminding me why I dread coming back to work. In a week's time, all rules and sense of good behavior have fluttered out of their little heads.

However, working with little ones always seems to have its entertaining moments, even when no kids are around. For example, the other day I had used some flash cards to quiz the children on their letters/sounds and sight words they were supposed to be practicing over break. This morning, when I came in, I realized that I had randomly set the flash cards on the whiteboard ledge. These were the two cards facing up....

f this

How appropriate. Life just makes sense sometimes...

Spring Break Re-cap

2010-04-05T11:50:00.000-07:00

Where did the week go? My first spring break as a workin' woman flew by, mostly because I kept busy. The vacation included two trips to my parents' house (one planned, one not), making glass pendants, cleaning, organizing, and planting. Overall, it was a great time to have off. The weather couldn't have been better.... sunny and warm most of the days. Here are some of the pics that commemorate my time off

Our newest addition... 2008 HHR. It was a great deal, and Randy's truck is about to die :(

Embellishments! The creativity abounds!

The first pendant I made for myself. Love it!

But, if you'd like something like it, too, I customize them!

A lovely spring day

2010-03-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

This week is my spring break, and so far, it's been a perfect combination of getting things done and getting absolutely nothing done. Today started early with Sophie whining at 4:45 am. I guess I forgot to let the pooches have one more chance outside before bedtime, and so she was doing the potty dance with her whimpers. But, with our dogs, if one is up, then all are up. So, everyone ate and went out in the early morning hour. It was back to bed for us shortly thereafter with three pooches in our increasingly small queen-sized bed.

Needless to say, I slept in until (gasp!) 9:30. That's a rarity nowadays. I've been conditioned to get up at 6:30 on weekdays and 7:00 on weekends. No fun, but it's routine. Alas, it is spring break, so some sleeping in can be forgiven.

Just about when I decided that the day was going to be a wash, I got a bit of inspiration to plant the beans and snap peas that were about ready to choke each other in their starter greenhouse. So, raking, tilling, and planting occurred. It felt really nice to be outside on a day like this. Warm, breezy. Spring is here. I've been in the soil to prove it.

I also caught up with a high school friend, which is rare, as I only still talk to one high school friend on an annual basis. Sad, but that's life. It's okay, we always fall right back into the groove of things. That's nice.

And I rounded out my afternoon with one of my favorite thing.... reading in the sun on our deck. I got a few chapters done before a pesky wasp drove me out of my own space. Although, he's the one with the sharp thing on the end of him.... he can reign for now. I have a plan for him if his kind dominate summer like they did last year. I hate wasps. Plus, the pugs can only take so much heat.

All in all, a wonderful spring day.

New Favorite

2010-03-30T13:50:00.000-07:00

I've been making pendants like crazy lately. It's been fun to design something and see how it turns out after the burning process. I've had some great success by taking them to my work. So far, I've had 9 sales in total, so I took time today to restock my etsy site.

I've been trying something new, and I really like the way it turned out. I've been adding embellishments to the pendants, and I love, love, love the way it's turning out! This one, in particular, is my favorite!

My first etsy sale

2010-03-23T14:01:00.000-07:00

It feels so good to make a sale on etsy! I've finally found my craft... and business is booming. I've already sold 3 and have orders for 2 more. I might just be able to start living the dream :)

A Sale!

2010-03-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

I've made my first glass pendant sale! Hooray. While not an etsy member, my first customer is my SLP mentor at school. She saw the etsy site and is buying the Spring Stringer, which seemed to be a big hit with everyone. So, I don't have to worry about shipping and all that jazz... on Monday morning, my customer will have her item hand-delivered. No extra charge :)

I've dedicated all of today to stocking the store, so please take a second and check it out! I'm very excited about my new hobby!

Coming to the store...

2010-03-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

My kiln for fusing glass has arrived, trials have been made, and the first projects are hot off the presses (or kiln, in this case). Here's what you'll see in my store in the near future....

the first attempt at cutting glass and designing glass

Getting progressively better! Light pink and black confetti glass used here.

Made into a pendant for an easy necklace.

Same idea here... just different confetti color

My favorite one yet! Used glass stringers to make this fun design.

New Endeavors

2010-03-13T06:53:00.000-08:00

For a long time now, I've been trying to find my craft. I'm a woman who doesn't like to do one thing for a long time, but I've really been itching to get into just one thing. I've tried sewing, which ends up disappointing seeing as there are no fabric stores within a twenty-mile radius. I've tried stationary and stamping, which I really enjoy, but I hate to do the same thing over and over. I've been keeping the stationary just for me. I'm looking to really sell something. I've had minor success with the headbands, selling to people from my work. But, as my sister pointed out, the demographic for people who wear feathery headbands is kinda small. I know.

So........ after much thought and deliberation with friends and family, I'm going to try fusing glass. I was hesitant about it at first, as it can get quite expensive for all the materials (kiln, glass bits, jewelry bits, etc). But, wasting money on finding a craft is getting expensive, too. I just bucked up and paid the money. Done. It's on it's way.

Soon, I'll be able to make fun things like:

2 Blogs in 1

2010-03-06T06:45:00.000-08:00

Following the latest blog, here are the pictures as promised.

Kitchen

Our Fur Babies

new addition, sweet Mabel

Mabel, again

Henry Hippo

our little Sophie is growing up so fast....

she loves her keys

Changes

2010-03-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the blogging hiatus. Sickness and busyness has kept me away. But, I'm back... and with a new header! Let springtime come! In the couple weeks away, there have been a few changes. Another project. Another pug (well, kind of).

We started working on the kitchen again.... it's had three paint jobs in three years. I guess I just need to face the fact that the kitchen is just not my favorite place in our house, and updating it won't really make it bigger and better. With that said, this change will be the kitchen's last (I can say that with 99% confidence... give me a break, I need some wiggle room). The color is now a neutral light khaki color. Goes with anything. Everyone (especially potential buyers) likes that color. The fun is in the accents.... like the cute bird and flower measuring spoons I've hung above the sink. We're also adding a bit of backsplash to some of the area. It'll just give it a little personality. Fun. Easy. One weekend. Pictures will be up when it's all completed.

Another change is...... still undecided. We've now had Mabel, our foster pug, since October. She's in love with me. I adore her. Where I end, she begins. She's that attached to me. Understandably so, as I'm the only person she trusts after her previous 5 years in a puppy mill. I can't give her up. She's mine. So, we had a big decision to make. Have 3 pugs and stop fostering? Perhaps find Henry a home where he can be king and continue to foster? Decisions, decisions. We were close to finding Henry a home that might be able to give him as much love as he requires, but that fell through. So, after the thoughts of giving him up made us sad, we are leaning towards just having 3 doggers and stop fostering. But yet, we're still undecided.

More changes will happen soon.... my school district is laying off people left and right. The state is failing Illinois education massively, and talented teachers, like my good friend, are getting axed. It's a crime how much every district is cutting, but alas, the state has not taken responsibility. So, when Randy has finished his master's degree, we're done-zo with Illinois. We're taking a look at places that actually value education, like Austin, Texas. I love the idea of picking up and moving somewhere completely different, and I welcome that change!

Krafts for Katelyn

2010-02-20T20:01:00.000-08:00

I'm writing to tell you about a very important event coming up. Krafts for Katelyn is a little fundraiser put on by a high school friend, Jen, of Homemade by Jen, that will hopefully result in some big profits. A girl I went to high school with has just been diagnosed with AML leukemia, and without health insurance to cushion the medical expenses, she could use all the financial help she can get. Therefore, Jen asked me and a lot of other great crafters out there to donate one of our items to auction off. The item that I chose is the Dramatic Plume headband, as I know Katelyn is the kind of person who can appreciate a dramatic accessory. However, if plume headbands aren't your thing, Waiting for Cider will be donating a wonderful piece from the Copper Poppy. Please, please, please check out Homemade by Jen's blog and all the handmade lovelies, and if one strikes your fancy, put in a bid, as all the proceeds go to Katelyn. Thank you for your time and generosity!

Overhaulin'

2010-02-16T16:53:00.000-08:00

I've been busy crafting. The result can be found at my recently updated etsy site. My new favorite thing is making fun headbands, which has been inspired by desire not to buy any more at ridiculous prices. I really like how they've turned out, so I might just end up keeping those that don't sell. A totally win-win for me! Anyway, check out the store if you have a moment...

Thanks.

just for fun

2010-02-10T18:46:00.000-08:00

This is what's been going on in my craft room lately....

the pug... a constant inspiration

a cloud with an attitude

I've had a thing for eyepatches lately...

and I love that this one has a surprise underneath.

Now the question is.... what to do with them?

Mrs. Witter, I have a question....

2010-02-05T18:53:00.000-08:00

Storytime today went a little something like this...

Me: Okay, guys, come to the carpet. It's storytime.
Student 1: Mrs. Witter, can you tie my shoe?
Me: No, not right now. You don't need a tied shoe to listen to the story.
Student 2: Can you tie my shoe, too?
Me: No, I'll tie your shoe when you need to use it. Right now, you are sitting.

* I then begin to read a story. Children are picking junk off the carpet, playing with the filing cabinets, staring off into space...

Me: You know, class, if you can't listen to a story on the carpet, then we'll have to sit in our desks and listen to the stories there. You really need to pay attention to the story, because I'm going to ask you questions at the end. *blank stares*

* I continue with the story. Kids still aren't paying a bit of attention. Most of them are playing with their untied shoelaces. I'm getting ready to lose it....

Me: Excuse me. You are being very rude to the person reading the story. You are not respecting others, which is one of our school rules. It makes me very sad to see so many people not paying attention. When you become 1st and 2nd graders, you'll need to sit and listen quietly to a story being read.

* All the while, Student 3 is raising his hand with vigor, like he has something very important to add.... I give it a whirl....

Me: Yes, Student 3...

Student 3: Can you tie my shoelace?

Hm. Did I ever mention how much I love working with the little ones? It was just one of those days.

Photography

2010-01-27T18:36:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking lately about creative, fun ways to make more money. Maybe it's all these school district talks about 3.1 million dollars in cuts for the next school year, or maybe it's a new graduate school tuition bill, but whatever the reason, I decided to give photography a try.

I've often thought of photography as a side project/hobby that was a creative outlet for me. But, after taking engagement pictures for family and friends, I decided that I like it enough and was good enough to do some work on the side, if anyone were to be interested. So, what is the first step? Pour my free time into make a website (I love making them).

So, just in case you'd like some cheap photography, here's my page. If you mention this ad, you might just get a discount :)

http://jlittlephotography.webs.com/

Where one ends, another begins

2010-01-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

On any typical day, this is what I see....

Did I ever mention how much I love them?

Bad apple.... complete

2010-01-17T13:30:00.000-08:00

Here's the finished "Bad Apple" bag, as promised! I love the way it turned out.... probably some of my best work. That's right, I had patience. Amazing.

Bad apple

2010-01-17T11:30:00.000-08:00

A while ago, my good friend, Mandi from Mandi's Musings, pointed out to me that I have a knack for loving the whimsical things in life. I was wearing a printed summer shirt with horses patterned all around it. She was right.... I didn't know anyone else who had horse-patterned shirts. The same thing happened a few months ago when she said to me, "Only you could find a blouse with owls on it."

I've embraced this side of me and decided to combine my love of quirky, whimsical things with my new-found love of being a little more environmentally friendly. Thus, my new project is a reusable grocery bag with (what else.....) fruit on it!

It's not finished, yet, as the fruit has taken a little longer due to the stitching details. But, soon enough, it'll be a bag ready for its debut. Take a look....

Yep, he's my favorite.... because after all, you have to watch out for those bad apples. It's always the apples....

New Place = New Bag

2010-01-08T19:59:00.000-08:00

I'm making my first trip to Whole Foods tomorrow, so in the spirit of new experiences, I made a new, reusable grocery bag. It's been quite a while since I've done any sewing project. But, after dusting off the ol' sewing machine and becoming reacquainted with my seam ripper, I made this bag:

Fun and whimsical. And I do love owls. And the lining doesn't

disappoint, either. It has chic dog-walkers and fun fire hydrants.

An Education

2010-01-07T10:52:00.000-08:00

Need some inspiration to eat a little healthier? Care to be less ignorant about the food we eat? Then watch the movie Food Inc. It's a scary documentary about what our food really is, how it gets to the stores and subsequently our tables, and how the farmer is really dealt the short-hand in all of it.

I must warn you, it's not a pretty sight. Hidden cameras capture horrid sights. Workers for major meat industries (example Perdue) are kicking chickens unable to stand due to their genetically-enhanced breasts too heavy and over-developed for their legs. Forklift drivers are prodding lame, sickly cattle in hopes they will stand long enough to slaughter. And that's just the animals. The movie also documents how the big corporate heads of companies manipulate soybean and corn farmers. All the while, the consumer is led to believe by these few, major companies that all of our food comes from a nice little farm with a red barn and black and white cows roaming the lush, green land.

After watching such a eye-opener, there are a few things that I'm going to try to do more of. First, buy locally. I'm looking for a local butcher that gets meat from local farmers. Second, I'm going to go organic as much as possible. Alton isn't the best place to find all-natural and organic food, but I'm willing to drive a bit to get to Whole Foods or even Trader Joes. Third, I'm planning out a bigger, better garden. Plans will follow eventually....

I know topics like this... which interest me very much ... are not for everyone. But once you've been educated on what is actually going on behind your back, it's hard not to strive for better. I recommend the movie to anyone who eats :)

This is what farming has become...

Boys will be boys

2010-01-02T21:24:00.000-08:00

It's past eleven o'clock, and I'm listening to my husband and old college friends have a jam session in the basement. We've truly had a boys' night with a trip to a barbeque joint for dinner, a Blues vs. Hawks hockey game, and now, a jam session. It's fun.

We've had a blast hosting these guys. They've given us a good update on people we used to hang out with when we lived in Elmhurst, and we've definitely laughed a good deal reminiscing on old college stories.
And while I don't miss Elmhurst's expensive rent or snooty stay-at-home moms, I do miss the great people we knew. We hung out with the music crowd, so you could always count on someone having a guitar and jamming out. But now, everyone mostly has jobs and live fairly boring lives. Glad to know we're right on par. And no one has had any kids, so it's another confirmation that I'm not "that" weird.

Tomorrow, my good friends come back home from their extended Christmas vacation, so we'll be doing our usually Sunday night football with them. It'll be good to crack open some wine and chill with them. I've missed them.

Here's to all the boys out there that like barbeque, hockey, and jamming. Good night :)

Following lead

2010-01-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

I've noticed a common thread in the blogs I follow: reflection on 2009 and hopes for 2010. I'm not one to stir the pot (well... I am, but not this time), so I'm following their leads.

2009 Recap
2009 was an exciting year. It was the year that I had always finished with in my "Where I want to be in 5 years" plan. I accomplished my long-time goal of graduating with my masters, and I'm now a certified therapist. It feels surreal sometimes, but they keep paying me, so I guess it's for real. And, at the end of the year, my husband finally got the confidence and motivation to apply for grad school. He'll be starting in ten days!

In other, non-education news, we bought our first car together and paid it off before the new year (thank goodness!). I also recently took the plunge and chopped my hair off (Randy's exact words, "Go short or go home."). It's the shortest I've ever gone, and man... it feels good (especially when it takes 5 minutes to do). We also decided that our love for dogs (pugs, especially) could be more beneficial if we volunteered as foster parents. Ever since, we've had five fosters and have loved them all. It's heartbreaking and rewarding far beyond belief.

I've also met a great deal of wonderful people in 2009. I've never been one to have oodles of friends, but I can say that I've upped the ante last year. We met so many wonderful people through our pug rescue group, and getting hired on in a school helped as well. It's been really nice to hang out with people who share interests and hold good conversations. And, the fact we all enjoy wine is a nice common denomenator.

2010 Here We Come
I'm at a loss here.... like I said before, this is where my planning stopped. And I'm a major planner. So, 2010 might be the year for me to cut a little slack... be more spontaneous.... explore a bit. I'm not setting myself up for failure by committing to a resolution, per se. But, I do want to live a healthier lifestyle. I'm already getting ideas for our new garden. Thanks to my friend, Christine, I'm giving into the neti-pot, which is amazing! It might be the clearest I've breathed in a long, long time. So, we'll see where 2010 leads me. I'd love to think that Randy and I will be traveling, but with his job and grad school, I think we'll have to wait a few more years before major travels take place. It's been something I've dreamt of doing, but priorities are what they are. It's time for me to be supportive of my husband, just as he always has been of me. Besides, we have time.... like when we both have summers off.

Welcome 2010! We're gonna have a good time.