~Half Baked Cafe ~

What a hoot!~

2010-11-17T07:42:00.001-08:00

Hubby and I were on our way home from lifeg roup and got a big chuckle out of the view once entering our drive way. The garage is not done being built yet so the front doors aren’t yet installed. Dave parked his focus (work car) in the middle stall and the sight of it in the big garage tickled our funny bone. It might have been just us but here take a look for yourself……

do you think it doesn’t quite fit there too??? LOLOLOL

Garage update and a little Christmas decor!~

2010-11-16T05:31:00.001-08:00

Well I am pretty sure the garage is almost finished. All except the doors that will come in the next couple of days. We are really pleased with it and it’s size……

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As for the Christmas decorating I just couldn’t help myself. I took advantage of the nice weather this weekend and did some outside decorating and figured I would just do a few things inside. Nothing too major since Thanksgiving hasn’t went by yet…LOL ….

Happy Veterans Day!~

2010-11-11T05:28:00.001-08:00

Huge shout out to all who have served……….

THANK YOU!!!!

Yet another garage update…

2010-11-10T08:20:00.001-08:00

Getting tired of these yet? LOL I’ll keep it short and sweet….they started the siding! woohooo!~

Thanksgiving table idea…………

2010-11-10T08:11:00.001-08:00

It was 2006 and I wanted to do something different for the Thanksgiving table. So I am not sure where I snagged this idea, I think from a friend. I took a table cloth (light colored) and I placed it over a shower curtain on the table. (so the markers would no bleed through). I decorated it with “Thanksgiving” and a family tree before my family arrived. After dinner I handed everyone some makers and had them trace their hands and decorate them with their own THANKSGIVINGS and to their personalities at the time. It turned out Great and I love looking at it ever since! Here are some pictures and after I will show you what I am doing this year…….here take a look……….

the table!~

This is my niece's. you can really see her personality!~

this was mine! right after I passed my nursing boards!~

Love this one too my nephew got his hand caught in a garage door when younger and even put the scar on his hand….love the finger!

My hubby’s, The man loves Harleys,America and God!

My dear sister in laws!~

and this last one is my mothers. I cherish this the most right now seeing she just passed away this June!

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Whats up for this year???? this will be on our table this year! Special Thanks to FINDING HOME BLOG….

Take a look here at laura’s fantastic “Runner of Thanks” idea!!!

(click on the picture to be taken to her blog)

Anticipation……….

2010-11-10T06:17:00.001-08:00

Picture from potterybarn.com

It is only November 10th and I am filing with Christmas anticipation…….Christmas decorating that is!!! I have no idea why either! I mean I have been so blah lately. With the loss of 3 parents in the last 2 years, increased work load and stress at the job and continuing to endure school one would think I wouldn't be that excited about it.

Well maybe it is the new house. I have never decorated for Christmas here before. I am so excited I am thinking about doing

2 trees this year. One on the main floor and one in the landing upstairs. I also think hubby is excited cause I told him we wouldn’t do the lights on the whole house this year lol. I am thinking about just decorating the porch and maybe our “baby” trees if the branches can handle it!

My facebook status yesterday read “

Amy D Wonders if it's too early for her and Jess to be listening to Christmas tunes on pandora in the car???

Jess is my daughter. We were singing to “rocking around the Christmas tree”…lol and having a blast I might add!

I do however need to keep it low key till November 28th…..at least. This is my sons birthday and it is the big 16 this year. It is tradition at our house to have his birthday that day then put up the tree (trees) that night! with music blaring and some type of snack on hand. It is the one tradition we can’t stop doing. That and ever since we homeschooled the kids have insisted we do a countdown paper chain!

I just love this time of year!

Kitchen hardware~

2010-11-06T11:50:00.001-07:00

I finally got the rest of the cabinet hardware installed today! I miscalculated the amount needed in the beginning so we went back to home depot…..BUT guess what? They no longer sold that particular knob! ARGH! It was only a couple weeks before when I purchased them!!! Soooo…..to make along story short I am waiting on them to arrive from the net! What the heck did we do before internet???

Garage update in pictures…..

2010-11-05T10:00:00.001-07:00

Just waiting for the siding and shingle to arrive!~

On it’s way…….

2010-11-02T05:23:00.001-07:00

Well the garage is coming along nicely. With this not being the builders only job it is slow going but they put up the walls and some sheeting on Saturday! Hopefully the Trusses are delivered tomorrow and those can go up this next weekend!

It definitely bigger then I originally was thinking and is taller then the first garage! I am anxious to see the final look. Plain but big enough to store everything!!!!

Garage update….

2010-10-28T04:49:00.001-07:00

Well the storms ripping through the mid west did not slow down our block layers. They were here yesterday, water/mud and all and finished the foundation……….

working out with my IPHONE!

2010-10-27T05:20:00.001-07:00

So I was texting with a friend the other day while working out on the treadmill and she was asking me about motivation. The topic quickly turned to what kinda music I listen to while walk/running…… So I thought it would be neat to share and see what kinda music others are motivated by!

Here are my 27 songs I have right now on my “workout” playlist…

1. All I see (Kylie Minogue)

2. Bad Romance (Lady GaGa)

3. Break your Heart (Taio Cruz)

4. Can you hear me (Enrique Iglesias)

5. Do you remember (Jay Sean)

6. Don’t be Shy (Shwayze)

7. Face Drop (Sean Kingston)

8. For your entertainment (Adam Lambert)

9. FunkyTown (Lipps)

10. Crazy Girl (cant remember)

11. I am free remixed (newsboys)

12. I love a rainy night (Eddie Rabbit)

13. I’m in Miami Trick (LMF)

14. If we ever meet again (Timbaland)

15. It takes Two (DJ EZ Rock and Rob Base)

16. Just Dance ( Lady GaGa)

17. Marchin On (Timbaland)

18. Nasty Girl (Inaya Day)

19. Ring my bells (Enrique Iglesias)

20. Send me on my way (rusted root)

21. The Stroke (Billy Squire)

22. SummerBoy (Lady Gaga)

23. Untouched (The Veronicas)

24. The way I are (Timbaland)

25. We break the Dawn (Michelle Williams)

26. Keep it goin’ louder (Major Lazer)

27 Hey Baby (Pitbull)

These are my favs to get me going at the moment. I am constantly changing them out for new ones as I have over 500 songs at the moment on my phone!

What songs are you working out to right now????

Couponing!!!~ (again)

2010-10-25T14:55:00.001-07:00

I am in love with couponing once again!!! It has been over a year since I couponed. Mainly due to building the house and family illness but whatever the case I went on my first Kroger trip today!

I live in central Ohio and I get my deals from ….

I have to tell you that it started out as more of a hobby but the deals are just so good that I love saving money. One day I will probably go into more details about how I coupon but for now I am just really enjoying getting back into the swing of things. Once you start and get a routine going it is soooo easy!

Here is my receipt from today.

I saved 55% on my total bill which is the lowest I have seen while couponing. I used to average about 60-65% savings!

DO YOU COUPON?? If so leave a link to your site so we can all see!!!!

Here we go again!…

2010-10-24T06:27:00.001-07:00

More construction, more dirt and more mess……

We started the process of building the new garage. Although I hate the mess I must say it is comforting to know I don’t have to live in an apartment till it is done this time!

It will be neat to see what it looks like when it is done. Not that it is elaborate by any means but with the house It will just be neat! We are a very blessed family!

The new garage is 32x36 and will hopefully store everything except out main cars. I mean everything……..even the basement stuff!!!

Home Sick today! YUCK!

2010-10-22T07:30:00.001-07:00

Well I had 8 days off then worked 12 hours last night (actually more like 13.5) and have 6 more days off! BUT, I am spending most of them sick! I am just convinced that thick green sticky stuff should not be coming up my windpipe! So I will post soon but for now all my energy has to go into my nursing paper!

Have a great day!

Does it ever end?

2010-10-21T04:15:00.001-07:00

…laundry that is! What’s the best way to do laundry? Should you do it all in one day? or a little bit everyday? Personally I like doing it all in one day. How often? I guess that just depends on when the natives start yelling for clothes…..LOL

Now, before I had front loaders, I would have never dreamed of doing the laundry all in one day! But they sure do make it nice! Here is the view I had before doing laundry…(and this is a good day! usually there are about 3 loads of darks and 2 whites)

There is already a load in the washer and a load in the dryer!

Sign speaks for itself! LOL maybe I put that up there to remind myself?…….

here are my front loaders! I LOVE them!!!!Yes! this room is NOT the most stylish room but it works. It is upstairs where all the dirty laundry is anyways and that is a huge blessing! I don’t have to lug any up and down the stairs!!!!

now if I can just fix this next dilemma!!!!!!…………………..

NO ONE WANTS TO FOLD SOCKS!!!!!!

So how do you do laundry??? I need TIPS!

A Vacuum in review!~

2010-10-18T17:54:00.001-07:00

First I have to admit I have never bought a vacuum since I have been married. Well maybe one, when we first got married but I don’t remember it. Shortly after marrying Dave, we bought a Kirby! And it has been fabulous for the last 17 years. Only due to a back injury a year ago have I decided I needed something lighter to carry up and down the stairs in our new house. Introducing my recent purchase at Wally world………(cause I wanted cheap and easy):

The Eureka! Clean living 12 amp with antimicrobial on guard and HEPA filter. Sound expensive? Well it wasn’t…..

So, in short, I am thrilled with the purchase so far…..let me show you why! FIRST, let me paint a scenario for you! I come home from a long day at work class and taxing around kids! I decided to clean as my body temperature was rising (yes I am sick) and I am feeling whooped at this point. I vacuumed the house with the Kirby and was carrying it upstairs when I HAD HAD ENOUGH! The thing is heavy for me and I am sure my son is getting tired of lugging it up the steps for me……so off to wally world I go. when I got home I decided to try it out so I made a few swipes across my freshly Kirby swept front room and look what a surprise I got…..

OMG YUCK!!!! I couldn’t believe it!!!! Seriously there is a small kitten in there!!! (yes we have pets) I could not believe the kirby didnt pick this crud up…….

So I decided to check out the stairs and landing as well……..

Seriously? I am just beside myself!!!! I could make a sweater out of the crud in this box!!! all the fluffy part is just the stairs and landing……THAT I ALREADY SWEPT!!!!! I figure some of the dirt is due to the new build but wow I was shocked to say the least!

So needless to say I give this under $80 Vacuum a 2 thumbs up! Only time will tell if it holds up but if it last me a year I figure I am saving so much money on chiropractor, masseuse, carpet cleanings and the like!!!

So the vacuum is now in running with my FAV appliances second to the front loaders!!! (well maybe the French door bottom freezer frig too)…..

What's your favorite appliance???

A little glimpse into my morning….

2010-10-16T05:46:00.001-07:00

I thought it would be neat for you to see where I blog from. I took this picture yesterday morning. It doesn’t show you nearly enough but makes for a good conversation.

As you can see I have a laptop of course…..but I cant stand the mouse pads on these things (loved the mouse ball thingy on my old IBM), so I have a red mouse (wireless) just behind my coffee.

I know , I know it is dangerous to have your coffee so close but what is a girl to do? LOL then the pink book to the back is my Bible (I LOVE PINK). If you could see on the laptop you would see Itunes up and running with podcast in view…..I use Perry Noble and Francis Chan as my daily Bible study podcasts!

Then there is my iphone, earbuds, list of things to do for the day and some random paper in the back. This is my deck in the office so on the back you have the corkboard info center….LOL

On this board is my schedule for work, a reminder for my sons New York trip meeting, a invite to the neighbors roast and the long envelope near the bottom right is my beloved gift cert. for an hour massage that I have been hoarding since February!!!

So that is what my typical mornings look like from my eyes……does it look like anything like yours??

Little bit’o fall!~

2010-10-15T05:48:00.001-07:00

ok I am going to blame it on just moving into the new house a few months ago…….but I know all too well it is just me and my personality. I really don’t do too much ‘seasonal’ decorating. I have, however, done just a little (and I mean little)………..

This is the foyer and as you can see there are some fall flowers in the vase. I did switch this out as there were spring ones in there before!

I also bought this “fall” tray from wallyworld and used it to display a wine vignette. (can you believe those mary janes are still there? neither can I…LOL)

And I even buy “fall” candles to get the house smelling nice…

But that is just about it for the inside……..maybe I am lazy? or just don’t like the extra clutter…….I am really not sure.

But I did do a few things to the outside as well………..I bought a wreath for the door…… it screams FALL…right?

and I even bought mums and pumpkins!!

GO BUCKS!!!!!!

So that is my fall decorating as it stands right now. After looking on other blogs at all the crazy Halloween decorating maybe I will end up doing more as time goes by……..but I doubt it!

Is there anyone else like me out there in blog land????

Blessed…(scrabble tiles)

2010-10-13T20:17:00.001-07:00

I took this idea from a fellow blogger about a year ago and I can’t remember who it was….so just wanted you to know it was not my idea! If it is yours let me know and I will post credit!!!

You can make this little gem any color you want to match your decor. mine of course is black and cherry stain…..here take a peek…….

Of course I used the word “blessed” not only because that is completely what we feel on a daily basis but also due to the fact that both my hubby and I’s names mean BLESSED! Pretty cool uh?

one other thing I thought of was that you could also paint the tiles any color and cricut letters on them! I may try that for Christmas!!!!

Lets Talk Landscaping!

2010-10-13T07:07:00.001-07:00

Let me start by saying , Praise God......!!!! He is too good to us and never ceases to amaze me in even the littlest of details. And yes I am talking about landscaping. He has blessed us with the ability to get the landscaping done this year (being the first summer in the new house). I do have to admit though I am struggling with spending the money on it but I am still learning and trying to walk as close as I can to Jesus and it is a day by day adventure.

Since I haven't blogged much in the past few months you have never seen the landscaping process other then the picture I posted yesterday. So here is a review in pictures for you..........

Back in September we started the process. After the sidewalk was put in we had the landscaping designed locally. the only thing I asked was for them to add the color “purple” due to both our moms liking that color and that they put plants in there that I didn’t have to take care of. the design was approved and we decided to complete it in a 3 step process as to keep all of it paid for out of pocket and keep with our Dave Ramsey budget planning.

So the first step was to landscape behind the parts of the sidewalk and these are those pictures:

I am very please and loved the results. Then came October (yesterday to be exact) and the second stage was completed and I must say I am thrilled!!!! Here are the pictures to that process:

the next step is to do the side of the house. Just a continuation of the front to the left side of the house. We have decided to do this in the springtime! So for now it is time to just enjoy the home and continue to make it ours!!! It’s all in the details and I am convinced they do not have to break the bank!!!

It's been way too long............

2010-10-12T03:58:00.000-07:00

It's been too long since last time I wrote and so much has happened. On June 22nd 2010, my mother died of a short battle with Lou gehrig's disease. What a tragedy....she will be dearly missed and is already. But God is so good!

The house is coming along great and landscaping will be done today! wooohoooo! Here is a sneak peak at how it is coming....

The summer has seemed to just fly by and things were just a blur. But we are doing great! I don't want this to be a long post cause I feel I have so much I want to tell you so I will be splitting it up into several post!
I just wanted to get back to the blog and start new. Some things I will be posting about in the future will be:
Nursing School...
Couponing...
The 80's party we had...
life in the Urgent care...
and much more!

So stay tuned and,

Getting back to routine!~

2010-06-13T05:06:00.001-07:00

Well it certainly has been a whirlwind of a ride here the last few weeks since I have posted last. We moved out of the apartment and into our new home. Not sure why I was thinking there wouldn't be much work when we got all moved in….LOL Had great helpers and got most of the living items moved in a weekend. We are still not completely moved but getting closer everyday. We have so much going on in our lives still it is just nice to get back to somewhat of a ROUTINE!

Everyone ask us “so how is it living in the house”? Well, let me tell you it is pretty awesome! Its not the biggest and its not the fanciest but it is H-O-M-E! I have so many projects to do I can’t wait to blog about them.

Today’s agenda? Clean the boat (oh my what a mess) and take it out on the lake today for the first time!

in the mean time here are just a few “moved in” pics to share!

Be back soon!~

Final Stages! (& loving my black doors!)

2010-05-10T04:22:00.001-07:00

Well we are well into the month of May and all is hectic here as usual. We are all still ready to move and inching our way there everyday. Had to work Mothers Day weekend so that kind of put a damper on the spirits but the house is looking fabulous! Here are some things we have recently done:

1. tilled, seeded and strawed the whole 2 acres

2. painted downstairs interior doors black

3. flooring was delivered

4. painted more trim

5. bought desk to go in office

So all that is really left is final plumbing and final electric, inspections and cleanings! I have to have the appliances delivered after the flooring and that should be getting close to being done! We have lived in the apartment now for 7 months!

Whew! Glad it is almost over. Here are some picture updates!

Love me some Cabinetry!

2010-04-27T21:34:00.001-07:00

Well what can I say? I am off till next Monday….whoooohoooo! But just as busy as ever. With my son being in New York, construction meetings and being with my mom it just is jammed packed the next few days. Oh did I mention I still need to finish the budget, get groceries and be a wife and a mother to our 13 soon to be 14 year old daughter still?

Do they sell time at TARGET!? I am of course kidding because I definitely do not want to tell God he was wrong when he only made 24 hours in a day. Remember that “simplicity” post I did awhile back? Well I think after the final move to our new home I am going to be exercising that more and more to fit into our lives!!!

But for now I will just continue to “Love me some cabinetry”! Lookie what they put in today!!!! (sorry for poor quality , son has digital cam in New York) I am going out to the house myself to see the cabinets in real life. Hubby did the favor of taking these for me tonight while I was at work! I think he is as excited as I am about kitchen cabinets! That and soon he may taste my homemade noodles once again soon!!! YUM! I can almost taste them now!~

Hold on tight gals it’s going to be a bumpy ride!!!

2010-04-25T03:44:00.001-07:00

Thought I would come back and update you all on what has been going on and why I have been absent for so long…..

Busy is not the word I would use to describe how the last few weeks have been…….In face I can’t come up with a word at the moment to describe it. First let me say I have decided that school (my BA in nursing) has to take a back seat right now. I just had to unload some stress and it will be there waiting on me in the fall if I so choose. Second the house is coming along very nice and the last 2 weeks have been filled with painting , painting and more painting…..oh and trim work and staining and more painting!! But we are getting there. Insert our construction mgr quitting the company but hey………what's a little more stress??? All is good at the moment and we are right on schedule! The furnace even got turned on the other day so no more kerosene bills!!!

But the real stressor came as a huge blow during this whole thing……to make a long story short my mother had been having problems with her health. Just thought it was carpal tunnel….even had the surgery and everything….this was her second one. no big deal right? Well she just got worse and worse and this had been a slow moving train since fall. Finally we got her in to see a very good neurologist. She has ALS! WHAT? ARE YOU SURE????? This disease is also called Lou Gehrig's Disease.

you can read about it here: LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE

This is a fatal disease and we are not sure how long she has. My mom is a nurse. We have watched my dad’s mom die of this and I just found out my mom had an uncle that also died of this. So she knows what is coming her way and as you can imagine is scared.

I am not sure what I feel yet. I am not completely sad…..I don’t want to waste time while she is here grieving! There will be plenty of time for that when she is gone. But I am slowing finding myself getting emotionally spent. I am definitely not griping or complaining I just ask for you prayers as we try to make sense of it all and deal with is as best we can as a family. We feel like we are always apologizing to friends and such because we are losing free time to nurture those relationships at the moment but mom comes first!!! That's just how it is.

So please be patient with the blog…..It’s still wants to be a decorating ninja when it grows up and I will post some pictures right after this post for you to see the progress since the last update! Been moving fast!

So again thanks for your love and support and feel free to send me messages……just might take a little longer to get back to you but I promise I will!

IN HIS NAME!

Recent pics from house build:

(me painting my first color on the bedroom wall! I LOVE IT!)

ok I guess we all have mishaps uh? Step right in the paint tray!

This is me again loving the color….it dried so nice. It is called Pennywise from SW.

This is looking out from the dining room to the garage. This color is called “cinnebar” and is much darker looking in person. The color adjacent you ask??? FAVORITE TAN!

My master bathroom. Used the same pennywise as an accent!

master bath walls again..

counter top next to it.

Dave and I trying to imagine what it will be like when we are done and looking out our bedroom window at the view!

Jessie’s room. She actually has two walls the same red color.

corner of my bedroom

grey primier put on dining room before the red.

awwwww. trim work! LOVE LOVE LOVE this little tool!

had great helpers!

The start of the living room. Fav Tan in there too! Its is amazing how much this color changes depending on the room and the light.

more living room

finished living room, kitchen area.

dining room

dining room again

foyer/living room. Foyer color is called something RICE??? again a color from SW and color matched at home depot.

living room

kids rooms

our room from landing

master bedroom

Me, glad it is almost over!

front of house

garage area. already trying to decide where to put second garage before we pave the drive.

Goofing off with new digital camera. The last one broke……can’t imagine why we hardly ever used it…..LOL

just see how the color of the stained wood matches up with the paint color.

spindles and railing for stairs

Grass was getting to Dave so he just had to mow!

felt great to him I am sure.

all the trim!!!! Did I say we would never do the painting ourselves ever again???

Painting Tips and Tricks!~

2010-04-07T07:42:00.001-07:00

Well I would love to tell you I had all kinds of tips and tricks for you from my painting experience but I have not reached that time as of yet. Hubby went out last night and noticed the dry Waller's had the first coat of mud on and we are running around with our heads cut off trying to get the heating going……did I mention the temp is going to drop tomorrow and the furnace is still not hooked up and the house has to maintain a 60 degree reading? anywhooo God is still awesome and this too shall pass!! LOL (I cling to that verse!)

But low and behold I was surfing the blog sphere (on my google reader) and notice this very timely post by “A Soft Place to Land”.

It is she, who has posted some very good painting tips and tricks! And NOWAY do I think it weird that she had “hubster” run for the camera!!! (you’ll soon know what I am talking about)

So here, just click on her button below and enjoy this timely post!!!

Spotty at best!~

2010-04-05T05:57:00.001-07:00

Ok guys, I just wanted to update you on the blogging and house building while I had a spare moment. The blogging is going to be spotty at best seeing how we are in the final stages of the home building process. They installed all the drywall and the paint is all bought. Don’t I won’t forget there are family members that come to the blog for the home updates! I will still post those as they come along!!!

As soon as the painting process starts you will see decor tips and pics galore!!! So please stay tuned:

In the meantime here are the latest update pictures!!!!

Favorite paints??~

2010-04-01T05:33:00.001-07:00

Ok Guys sorry for the short post but this is day #2 of 12 hours shifts in a row!~ You wouldn’t think it was that bad but we have been non stop busy! I am talking no lunch breaks and barely getting to the potty when needed!~ LOL

But I thought I would see if I could get some advice. A Friend told me we could get away with painting out house with one coat primer and one coat paint. The only catch was we had to buy good paint. So my question to you is…….

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE BRAND OF PAINT???

I will be posting painting pictures I am sure soon! Estimated date to start is sometime around the middle of the month!

So send your suggestions soon! And be sure to say “why” that is your favorite brand too!

Thanks for all the help!

small house update~

2010-03-30T11:50:00.001-07:00

Well the siding is done and the floors are poured. Got an update from the construction mgr and this month includes: drywall, heating and cooling, paint and trim along with all doors and cabinets!!!! WOOOHOOOOO!!!!!!

Simplifying my life!~ (starting today)

2010-03-29T19:45:00.001-07:00

You know we all need to take stock of what is really important to us from time to time. I am finding myself totally overwhelmed with everything in my life at the moment and as my hubby stated to me yesterday…. “your the only one that can remove that monkey from your back”. It got me to thinking……These things didn’t happen to me…..I let them happen to me. I am the one that said yes or continues to allow the nonsense to go on in my life. I need to SIMPLIFY my life , starting today. It got me to investigating the “time & joy suckers” in my life. Here are just a few things I came up with:

What things or people are most important to me? This is without a doubt my family! THEY COME FIRST! Team Dalrymple all the way baby!~
Stop being a slave to communication tools. I give up! Do I really need an cell phone, voice mail, a home phone, work e-mail, home e-mail, internet chat technology and Facebook chat? Do I feel guilty for not saying hi to all 400+ friends on facebook. Do I allow that quilt to control my internet usage? What's the solution? Well for starters I am disabling all chat features (this was not too hard due to yahoo messing up my computer….LOL I am also only getting on the computer to check email from hubby in the mornings and limiting my surfing for later in the day. I am not going to feel quilty for not responding to emails right away that can wait a day or two. I will keep track of just how easier it is to make my goals a reality!~ (remember flylady?) Turning off phones until I can get my chores done and thing prioritized! That's what the answering machine if for right???
Make a short list of personal goals! and stick to them! I want to do a few goals very well rather then a lot of goals mediocre.
Stop spending time to save money. Instead, spend money to save time. Dave and I have already adopted this one the past few years. I never thought I would see the day when my hubby would pay to have the oil changed in our cars. His response? “It gives me more free time to do the things that matter most!~” we are finding more and more ways all the time to apply this too!! See first point above: “family comes first”.
Hang around people that you want to be like: i.e……..Happy positive people! Search out and take some of my own medicine “if you want to be happy hang out with happy people…..if you want to be rich , hang with the rich people, if you want to be positive hang out with positive people!” Plain and simple! JUST DO IT!
Learn to say “NO”! this is the hardest of all on my list. I tend to be a people pleaser and it allows me to feel guilty and worry about whether or not I am going to be liked by someone. But I have to nurture me before I can ever nurture anyone else! I am practicing this one here lately!~

This is by far not an exhaustive list but one to start out with. Like I said before the hectic life did not happen TO me I let it happen and I am the one that gets to tell the MONKEY to get off my back! I am starting today!

We can all share in this together as I know there are more of you out there that feel the same way. lets ditch the busy nonsense and nay Sayers in our lives and starting taking back control! Whatever happen to the good ole days when we sat at grandmas house and did absolutely nothing and had a blast?

So what are the “joy suckers” in your life and what do you do to combat them and are you winning????

confession of a Flylady wannabe!~

2010-03-29T07:02:00.001-07:00

Just a few rambling thoughts from a mad blogger!~ LOL No, not upset mad, just crazy stressed mad!! I was sitting in the tub this morning thinking about all I had to do. This being right after I just printed off over 1o0 pages to review (read intently) for my second statistics assignment for the week (mind you it is only worth 5% of my final grade!!!)

I got to thinking………..”I am so ready to freaking move into the new house!!!”. We are still holding on to the end of May as the date for the final move. It is not coming soon enough that is for sure. But, as I was sitting there the word “FLYLADY” popped into my head! If you have no idea who the “Flylady” is or what the whole concept is about then just go to the webpage and explore!

Most of my friends know that if I wake up and put my shoes on right away , “You had better get out of the way”……the house won’t look the same when I am done. This has always been my way of getting motivated to clean first thing. For some reason if I do this I am unstoppable!! LOL And I also love having my kitchen sink sparkling before I go to bed. Just makes me feel better. (and yes I am one of those neurotic people that can’t sit down to watch tv unless the room is clean!…. I also have a nasty habit of cleaning before my quest are gone! I am working on this one!)

But as I soaked in the tub I got to looking around at the bathroom and realized I have not put my shoes on first thing in the morning for quite sometime. I have come to the conclusion that we totally feel disconnected from this apartment that we lovingly call the “BOX”. I haven’t even hung any decor on the walls. well except for these:

Don’t get me wrong I clean but not like I would if it was our own! I keep thinking in the back of me head I will do a major clean when we are moving out! I just never dreamed we would be here as long as we will be!

So off I am to put my shoes on and clean while I study! Be sure to send me some blog love and let me know what quirks you have and what you have to do to feel comfortable in your home when it pertains to “Being Flylady’like”!!!!

Getting in Shape~

2010-03-28T05:18:00.001-07:00

Yesterday in my mailbox I received yet another FREE “Shape” magazine. I love getting free anything but free magazine save a ton of money. If you would like to surf around for some free magazines go here:

All Free Magazines

So I took the magazine to work and was flipping through it and came across an article on “Shape up blogs”. You can view the magazine here:

SHAPE

I must admit I have not surfed all 3 blogs to the extent I would like to but I really love the content. I wanted to get one of them to you asap as I know summer is coming and these will be great motivators for us all! The blog? It is called:

Workout Mommy

She interviews real moms with inspiring stories and has so much more to offer. So jump on the workout wagon and give her a look!

I have 3 months till vacation on the beach! I need your help!!!! What motivators can you suggest to keeping on track with getting into shape? I am happy with my body to say the least but would love to tone up and be healthy! Look forward to hearing your suggestions!

You have to be kidding!~

2010-03-26T04:43:00.001-07:00

This is what we woke up to today! OMG! Really?????

SNOW????

Talk about depression!!! LOL It is no mystery Dave and I have had our share of stress the last two years! With the death of his parents all within less then a year of each other and building a house, dealing with family members problems and some other major changes……. we are still sane and smiling! But the Lord is good and this too shall pass. Yes, I know its just snow but SPRING was here for crying out loud!!! LOL Hope it melts today which I am sure it will there is not much!

ON A MUCH BRIGHTER NOTE: The siding on the house is almost done! Praying they can pour the floors today!~

House update~

2010-03-24T17:11:00.001-07:00

Well we are inching right along! I went out today and took a few more pictures and measurements for my drop cloth curtains! (that will be a future post!)….

here is a picture of the garage with siding on,there will be 4 lights on the garage in all.

This is the back of the house with all the siding on, I can just imagine the deck and patio now!

This next picture just shows that the plumbing and electrical work is in and ready to go.

the next two pictures are of the whirlpool tub and shower in the Master bedroom!

Like I said it is getting closer and closer! Next up paint and window treatment shopping!!!!!

There I was minding my own business!~~

2010-03-22T21:45:00.001-07:00

There I was minding my own business…….trying to get sleepy and surfing my Google reader catching up on the days bloggings! When all of the sudden I felt a sharp stab to my eyes…!!!

ok ok not really but manO’man lookie what I saw on HOMEBODY’s post today! OUCH!!!

The people of wal-mart!~

(Click above title)

Here is the link to the original posting:

“Homebody”

So take a quick gander but please put eye protection on first!!!!

Appliances are bought!~ woohooo!

2010-03-22T03:24:00.001-07:00

Well one chore down! Hubby and I went to sears last night during their friends and family sale and bought our appliances for the kitchen and garage. I am sooooo glad that is over but I have to take a moment and gripe about something. Let me create the senario for you then I will tell you what makes me upset about it all!

We got to Sears and I found my sales lady “Joan”. Wonderful help she was, I am serious! Seems like she was professional gave us some really good tips on our front loaders that will really save us money (Stacie get a hold of me I will share with you also). She was nice curious and gave us all the info we needed on the appliances!

We went to check out and I just figured I would use the debit card (since I transferred all monies earlier) to purchase it all. Well silly me I keep forgetting there is a limit to that stinking card!! Back up about 10 years…….Hubby and I have not one credit card to our name! I wont even open a Kohls card to save money on a purchase there , it just won’t happen.

To make really long story a little shorter I had to have hubby drive me home so I could get the checkbook then drive back to purchase the appliances.

Well then we headed to the tools…….we purchased 3 garage door openers and when we went to cut a check for them it declined my check. Mind you I just purchased a refrigerator, stove, microwave and dishwasher not but 10 minutes earlier with the same checkbook! FUSTRATING! So this time I used the silly little debit card and it worked. It was probably a limit thing!

my GRIPE??? It seems like it is my money I should be able to get to it a little easier, don't you think? I feel like they are forcing us to carry credit cards! I know it would have went through just fine that way. Did I say FUSTRATING? Well you can bet I will be calling telecheck today to ask just why I am not able to spend my hard earned money??? ( I figure it is a fail safe so no one can purchase very much if they steal my checkbook but MAN come on!!!!) I did however get all items purchased and they will deliver when I call them! Wooohooo Glad that is over!

Heres a sneak peek!

Microwave to left

Stove but will be with smooth top surface

it will look like this one but stainless!

dishwasher (nothing fancy)

And the beloved Frig, I splurged just a little on this one I wanted ice/water in the door, freezer on bottom and nice rolling drawers!

It is amazing to me how much of a chore this was and how much research we did on it and how much it was weighing heavily on my brain! Like I said Glad it is over!!!!! And the sales were awesome!

(we even got to the counter and the computer rung up the frig $200 less then the price listed on the tag! Got to love that!!!)

Black Doors (re-visited)

2010-03-20T05:15:00.001-07:00

So, I have been kicking around the idea of painting the interior doors of my first floor black. All except the front which will be black on the inside and barn red on the outside (per DH). I have been looking around the net at the idea and I guess it is more popular then you would think. Here are some pictures I have gathered while researching:

(source links in pictures…just click them)

So I am going go to try this in my home when it is finished (that is the reason I went with stainless steel appliances). I can always paint them to a lighter color if I am like “holy cow what did I do”?…LOL What do you all think?

Here is a link to a the Original “Black Door” post that got me started!

Just a girl

Shaving woes!~ (and more….)

2010-03-18T20:37:00.001-07:00

ok ok it is no secret us women like to have our legs smooth! Well I do at least. Not very nice when hubby pets your legs and purrs like a cat!

So my post today is about shaving your legs…LOL I know it is sort of funny and strange all at the same time. You see I have my own style of shaving as well as you do I am sure. My secret to smooth legs you ask????? Daisy razors (just plain pink ones) and the cheapest hair conditioner at Wal-Mart (Suave). Sounds cheap and you are thinking it probably doesn't work…..well let me tell you I have used hair conditioner for years I probably got the idea out of a magazine!

you want to know what? IT FREAKIN WORKS! The razor just glides over the skin. No razor burn!! Yes I said it……NO RAZOR BURN!!!

BUT today I found myself having to use a more expensive razor (daughters) and my husbands shaving gel (edge)…….all I can say is never again….I don’t even care if I look like sasquatch tolling through Wally world with drool hanging out my mouth looking for my beloved daisy's and conditioner! Which by the way I could kill Mr. Wal-Mart (cause you know Mrs. Wal-Mart would have them there) for not having my Daisy’s………what the heck? where did they go? I didn't even see a tag for them! Just like them, every time I go to get my FAVS they have either hidden them from me or stopped selling them. (which by the way Thanks Mr Maurices for NOT carrying my FAV jeans anymore! Luv you too!)

Anyways I will step off my soap box I just wanted to let you in on a beauty secret of mine! Try it for yourself let me know what you think.

So now I will show you some more of those favorite house building photos!!! We have some siding!! woohoo moving along!~

Beaver busy?

2010-03-18T03:33:00.001-07:00

yup that has been me , I have been busy as a beaver. I worked 2 12 hour days in a row had meeting all day yesterday all while trying to start my school work for the week (at least it is finals week). But I did squeeze in a trip to the house…….lol

I only took 2 pictures I was in such a hurry but when I did a short walk through I couldn't believe it, I thought no one had been there. They had half the duct work done and the fireplace insert installed. Along with a garage full of bathroom items. There was even a whirlpool tub in there…..oohhhhh I can’t wait!!!

Here are the 2 lousy pictures I took. They are supposed to put siding on soon I will take more then!

Getting even more excited!!! I know its silly but you had better believe the very first night we are in the house I am so sitting by the fireplace, I don’t care if I have to turn on the air conditioning! :) Next up is hopefully more progress on the house then Sunday is appliance buying day! Finally!~ woohoooooo!

The Princess and the Pea? (new bed/bedding)

2010-03-15T05:12:00.001-07:00

Well there is no pea under our bed mattress because we sleep like babies!! more on that in a moment……..

You ever have one of those weekends that just feels so right on? One that you know God is with you and walking along side of you? Well this was another one of those weekends. Jessie ended up sick with strep throat and Dave and I were to go out of town to a youth group leadership retreat. Long story short Dave had to go alone! But it was still awesome for both of us. He got to spend some quality time fostering relationships with a church family we are still hesitant to open up to (only due to our own fears, but God is awesome and laying a lot of really cool neat believers in our path). It’s hard to let the walls down when you have been so hurt in the past but at least I can actually see over those walls now!! Never thought that would happen this quick.

But I got to spend some neat time with Jess even if she was sick. We laid in my bed and watched movies and just chilled out together doing nothing else~! Very cool and awesome! I love hanging with our kids!

Saturday night was had a wonderful time with Friends just hanging out watching a local band in town.

Then on Sunday we went to church and ate out, went appliance shopping and Dave and I visited the House together pipe dreaming about where things will go and how we will decorate it. We spent a lot of time talking in the garage……go figure!

But the best part about spending time with Dave is realizing that we are total dorks and love being that way. We were sitting at the dining room table. It is a small oak table about 4ft in diameter? He on one side on his laptop me on the other with my laptop, talking over the screens about our future financial goals and house goals and just anything else comes to mind. I got a facebook chat message just about then that read “your cute!”…….yup you guessed it, it was from him lol. From there it was a flirtfest and I thought to myself. I wonder how many couples actually flirt on the computer with each other with only being 4 ft away from each other. What dorks! But I love it and wouldn’t change us for anything. I just love that man! So all in all we had a great weekend and got to communicate alot and it was much needed. Seems like we have been missing each other throughout the week this past week.

What do you do in your relationship that you wonder if anyone else does???

Oh yes the bedding!!!!! I went shopping Saturday morning. Jess was sleeping and I took a few hours to myself and ran all over north pointe and the mall. This past week Dave and I finally got our new bed. Had to preorder the frame and we love it. It is amazing how much better my back feels in the morning. We ordered a leathers padded headboard so we could sit up in bed and watch our favorite DVR’d shows together. Here are some pictures I took to show you…….

Nothing fancy but better then before , we like it alot!

I got this down comforter at TJMaxx for $39! I thought it was a steel, it is over 400 thread count and I think that is good for the price!

This is the padded headboard!

Just a view of the top of the bed.

I found these quilted shams at TJMaxx for $10. I am liking the store better and better but still won’t shop there a lot. I just had to have to dig and look and look and dig for stuff. I know it is a hang up of mine. I like to get what I want and get out…LOL

I had been looking at these quilts for awhile (I got tan) and I the last place I saw them was ElderBeermans, for $150! Holy Cow Batman. Really? Well needless to say I did not buy it there. I got this one that I am extremely happy with again at TJMaxx. Cost? $29 woohooo!

And lastly I got the decorative pillows all at JcPenny on SALE of course!!!! I can’t believe what they want to charge for these things? I guess I have not shopped like this for awhile and the sticker shock was amazing! LOL

So that is the bed and we love it. I have to say the microsuede sheets are the bomb!!~

Next up: Appliances! Going shopping next sunday evening!!

FYI: Sears at our mall is having a friends and family sale from 6pm-9pm Sunday the 21st!

2010-03-14T19:09:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys for not posting this weekend, been a busy one! But I did buy new bedding and our bed frame finally came in. Soooo I will post on that tomorrow! Got some cool sales and will review the "microfiber sheets" and give you Dave's assessment too! Have a great rest of your Sunday!~

This and That’s…

2010-03-12T04:23:00.001-08:00

Well it is Friday morning! Have had a very exciting week with the build. Still amazed at how much they got done in just two days. Hard to believe we still have about 2 months to go. Now I feel I am cramming….i have to buy some furniture items, appliances, paint , curtains/rods, things like that. Not sure what all I have in storage and what all we threw away when we moved! Got to looking at all the walls in the new house there is no way I have anything to decorate it with….trust me I purged a ton of hand me downs when we moved. This is where all those hobby lobby gift certificates will come in handy! (Thanks to my family and friends who bought them for me)

Dave and I were to go to a retreat with the Youth group leaders this weekend but Jess came home with a temp yesterday and woke up with one again today. So Dave will be going without me! It will be good for him to get away he has had a very stressful week as well.

I am hating this quarter of school. If you are not aware I am a glutton for punishment. I do it to myself. Ever since I went back to work in 2006 I have been studying something it seems. I am getting tired of school but I have less then a year to graduate with my Bachelors degree. Then it will all be over! Or will it? I am still contemplating going ahead and squeezing in 2 more years for my masters! Heaven help me my family!

We have alot of things on our plates at the moment, but God is good!

I actually heard birds singing this morning outside my apartment window! We actually slept with the window open, which is sort a weird due to the fact there is still a hunk of snow on the ground under that same window!!!

So leave me some love let me know what you have or had planned this weekend!!!

Update: Just more construction pics!~

2010-03-11T13:55:00.001-08:00

ok so I have a feeling the last two days went so fast (from block to full framing) that we are now entering the “hurry up and wait” stage! Oh well I am really enjoying these pics today! I am so thrilled right now……Take a look…

MaJoR construction update:

2010-03-11T04:34:00.001-08:00

ok so get this: The lumber was just delivered 2 days ago…..I got a very exciting email from hubby saying that the construction mgr texted him and said the framers were on sight! So naturally I went out to see if they had anything done!! Well Look what they did in a days time:

I am so excited but the construction mgr still says that we are definitely going to be in by Christmas! LOL He just won’t give me an idea of us being done for fear I will hold him to it! LOL

I’m getting excited!~ Now on to buy appliances!!! Friends and Family sale here we come! (aka: mar 21st)

Contact me directly!~

2010-03-10T05:50:00.001-08:00

Ok just a short post to update you on yet just another way to get a hold of me. If I am online with yahoo messenger you can get me by clicking on this button to the left!….

If it says i am off line then I do not have my messenger on and you can still email me! I am working on the email button as we speak!

Cricut Trial #1

2010-03-09T04:26:00.001-08:00

So I went to wally world yesterday ( I know hard to believe) and bought a new sticky mat for the Cricut and replacement blade so I could try it out. When I got home I had the wrong blades…LOL But I went ahead and tried the machine anyways! It worked Fabulous. I just cut out an already made up phrase “Thanks” and here is what it looked like…….

It was very fast!! And the detail is so cool. If you look closely where the “h” and the “a” come together there is a little tiny itsy bitsy hole…….it even cut it out with no left over's! So all I can say is I can’t wait to create on this when we move and THANKS again Tammy!!~~~

Ckick here : For CRICUT post

(I would have so loved to of had this when I was paper scrapping and cutting out the font “Scriptina” by hand!!!)

Giving it up…..

2010-03-08T06:39:00.001-08:00

ok as I stated in a previous post there are just certain things I have to give up at the moment to keep sane……..

here goes: I am going to give up cutting coupons till we move into the house. ARGH! there I said it! I know , how can I give up saving money??? well right now it’s not. I get the paper and cut out coupons (well look at them in the paper) and haven't used them due to time restraints! It’s just so much easier going to Wally world and local stores near me to get our grub! (shhhh don’t tell anyone) I still have my binder ready to go but just can’t find the time……sounds silly doesn't it? There is just not too much I can cut from my life at the moment, just need to finish out my commitments and keep from saying YES to anymore!!!! At least for the time being!

Since my time is so used up I just have to get rid of some things. School has to come first before coupons and it is taking up all my time this quarter! But on a good note I got a good grade on a quiz I thought I would bomb due to not reading any of the 10 chapters it was over and I am still holding a 96% in the class! woohooo!

The weather around here is supposed to be wonderful so if they start building the house this week you will see mounds of photos! STAY TUNED!!!!! (crossing fingers) Actually I know the lumber is being delivered this week but not sure when they will start. I am starting to relax on the house thing but still really ready to move out of the B-O-X!!!!

Things to do this week? TAN AND WORKOUT! (and maybe paint my toenails!! LOL)

Been Busy at work~

2010-03-07T04:18:00.001-08:00

Sorry guys it has been a terribly busy weekend at work! I will be back on Monday morning. While you are waiting visit here and see all the wonderful projects the ladies have put links too! Lots of inspiration for spring!!!~

9th Power of a Paint Party!!~

Just click on the picture. Links are at bottom of the post!

yes, another house update…LOL

2010-03-05T19:03:00.001-08:00

I took these pictures with my camera phone so sorry about the lack of quality they possess!~

Looking good!!!

only 3 and they don’t show much but lovely just the same!!!!

just say “NO!”

2010-03-05T07:48:00.001-08:00

Ok ok bare with me as I am strung out on my favorite drug: COFFEE!!! Aka: Jitter Juice, Liquid Energy, bean juice, black gold, brain juice, morning mud …..MY FAVORITE POISON! (can you tell I like it maybe a little too much?)

I am struggling with the need to start saying “NO!”. Why do I take on too much? Is it the battle of somehow feeling inadequate??? mmmmm have to meditate on that one but then gain I would just have to add it to my list of “to do’s”!

Here is some of my to do list to give you a glimpse of what I am talking about:

RN to BSN weekly assignments…..(I really do believe they forget this is a voluntary major and that we all work as still have families and other obligations….not to mention it is a 10-11 week course crammed into 5!!

Youth Group adult something or other: which I am failing at this moment on. hubby is keeping up though.

Life group member : 2x per month. if I am not working :)

Building a house…. These means I am in charge of talking to builder people and making sure all money is organized and handled correctly…..dealing with EPA …oh what fun and making home life as normal as possible in the BOX….aka: our apartment.

Working part time… I work 2 12’s a week but have taken on some EPIC responsibility which means sometimes I work or have to be at meetings several times a week for hours at a time. When this is over (it was a year long commitment) I am responsible for being the “super user” and train everyone else in my dept!

Department rep on Nursing peer review committee Thank goodness this is only once a month

Responsible for Reviewing nursing charts this is only once a month but I am responsible for 6-8 fellow nurses

Blog writer

Grocery shopper

Taxi driver

dry cleaner

kids personal banker

short order cook

medical educator

nurturer

wife

mother

daughter

sister

housecleaner

financial guru (LOL)

mentor to many (not my choice…but I love it)

Coupon Queen (I have demoted myself to peon!)

ETC ETC ETC….

where do we draw the line? What do I give up to put some SIMPLICITY back into our lives??? I am seriously thinking I have to cut something till the house build is over!!!

any suggestions?

you moms know that the list is forever growing and ongoing…….SOOOOOOOOO?

Where do you find the time for you????
What have you cut out of your lives lately to make you more SANE????

how do you keep motivated???

yes I am looking for suggestions and comments…….and I know I know what most of you will say but go ahead and respond I ~~want~~ need to hear from you and thanks for letting me vent…

Do you have one of these???

2010-03-04T17:24:00.001-08:00

Well I am not talking about decor or paint or even the house build! (can you believe it?) I am actually Talking about one of the loves of my life. He’s my son Jacob! I just love this kid to pieces!~

He not only knows how to push my buttons but he can play with them, fiddle with them and wrap them all the way around every finger!! LOL He has this ability to make me smile when I am actually mad or inpatient with him. He has such a neat sense of humor with a huge tender heart inside!~ He is the kid that will out of the blue give you a hug and not want anything. He likes to cuddle (don’t tell his buddies) and watch tv with me! Now don’t get me wrong he is very much a teenager and I am sure I won’t see quite as much of him when he starts driving but that is one thing I can say about my extended family as well…….the kids are tight with their parents!!! He thinks just like me and yet as he grows he is becoming different too! He is becoming a well rounded adjusted young man. It seems like it was just yesterday he was wishing he was taller then me (just last year) to actually being almost a whole head or more taller then me now.

We joke about him having to have a tribe of kids so I can babysit and he will come visit me! I could go on and on about the qualities in him I admire! God has graced us with wonderful children.

Hes breaking my heart though with heading to the Airforce……or one of the forces. Not that I don’t want him to serve the Lord by serving his country…..I just hate thinking about it while it is still 15. I have no worries and he is a very independent and confident young man. I just want to take everyday as it comes and really enjoy the time we have left before he flies our nest!!

Hgoing to make one young woman very happy and blessed!

Mama loves you “Biggin”

Till Later~

~Amy

This can’t be good!~ LOL (update)

2010-03-03T17:05:00.001-08:00

Can this be good??? I am sure they know what they are doing!~ All this snow is starting a melt…lots of it………good thing? Oh boy sure am glad we are having them put in gravel all the way within a foot of finish grade!!!

Here are some pics of what they did the other day!~

“My” reasons for a smaller house……..

2010-03-02T20:43:00.001-08:00

Well lets ponder this for a moment. Just how big will this new house be?? A mere 1900 sq ft. Why so small? (well small by some peoples standards considering the person asking has a house that is 2800 sq ft with same number of family members)

These are my our reasons! We are no spring chickens…..lol The kids are getting older and will be moving out before we know it. At that point we won’t need all the room! Easier to clean, cheaper to decorate??? A big reason we built (are building) smaller……is because we want to still live. Dave and I love to travel and do things on a whim! We like to take the boat to the lake and not have to worry about gas prices…..although we still do!!!! Dave and Jacob like to go 4 wheeling and do all their “guy” things. We didn't want to be strapped down by a house payment and wanted something we could pay off quickly! We wanted to make sure we stuck to our plans of staying debt free and for God to still be able to work through us financially. We talked about it and we wanted nicer things in the house and bigger garages! (notice how I said garage’S…LOL) If we find we need more room we can always build on but I really don’t think we will! Still won’t be as nice as some peoples things but that is what I am trying to convey in this post…….

it does not matter how big or small a persons house is! The house does not make the person!!! The person makes the house……and our house is always open!!!! So drop by anytime……well wait till it is built first!~

Where is the room for entertainment??? Don’t worry most of my friends do not mind sitting on one another’s laps you just have to give them plenty of spots by the fireplace!!! LOL ( please note that while all the reasons are true I do not think the house is too small … and this post is merely for my entertainment…….LOL but some of you asked!~)…did I mention cheaper utilities (hopefully)

How big or small is your house? What are your pros and cons? What would you do different if given the chance with buying or building???

5 days post self tanner!

2010-03-02T13:10:00.001-08:00

Due to an enormous set of questions via email I thought I would post my (sorta) final say on the Sun Labs Self tanner!

I do really like the color, it has been 5 days and it has not really faded around the areas you think it would, such as where your shoes rub you or the like. I will indeed invest in gloves to apply though….I am thinking really tight gloves so I can make sure I get an even application?

also I have shaven my legs a few times and didnt see much difference like you can with some lotions!

So overall I give it a good rating! I will have to see what I think after using the gloves!!!! Please post if you have used the lotion before or you plan on trying it in the near future…….SHORTs weather is almost here!!! wooohooo!!!

UPDATE: here are the latest pics of the build…….(family always wants to see!!! LOL) Still boring!

On the computer too much?

2010-03-01T05:11:00.001-08:00

Do you ever have anyone tell you they think you are addicted to the computer? I don’t have anyone in my family that says that but sometimes I do reflect on how much we have come to rely on them. We buy, sell, bank, email, work, study , research and the list goes on and on. So why is it that some people say things like that? I don’t have an answer here I am hoping some of you do though and will share a story or two!!! I do, however, feel my time here lately is spent at this screen! But I am in school online, and do a lot of our household chores on here. The fact that we are keeping up with our builders through email , not to mention the construction mgr and excavators as well. this 800 sq ft of pure bliss allows me the opportunity to play around on here alot! But not too much because I have to share my toy with the other bored occupants of this box. It is just the way the world is revolving for us at the moment.

But most of all it is how we as women keep connected to one another. I used to think I was out of the norm because I love to talk and love to feel connected. I am pretty much an open book and have felt judgment on that many times. but I have also met some wonderful women , who OMG……..were just like me!!!! They are powerful, excited, confident and yet goofy talkative creative women!!! I know some women aren’t and that is what the OFF power button is for. but I do!!! And please don’t drag me down because of it! I won’t let you. And there is nothing wrong with it. I get up in the morning grab a cup of coffee and I know that one of my best friends will be there waiting on me. She has the same morning schedules that I do and frankly we make the time for each other! Not all mornings are we able to get together through chat but it is very nice to know that we are here for each other if we need!

I recently talked her into doing her own blog. She has a lot of info and thoughts in that brain of hers so we she decided to do a blog on just her thoughts not caring if anyone reads it but she can reconnect with the her she wants to be and is aspiring to be! The site is called “The Mommie CROSSing”. Pay her and visit and show her some love!!!

Leave me some love and let me know how you handle your “judgemental” friends!

Till Later~

~Amy

Not Feeling Well!~ :(

2010-02-28T11:30:00.001-08:00

Hi all! Just popping in to say I will not be posting anything today. Going to get some rest as I have a full blown sinus infection~

So as I grab the tissues and try to rest I wish you all a happy blogging relaxing sick free day!~

Till Later~

~Amy

Redecorating before the house is built??? Am I crazy??

2010-02-27T04:31:00.001-08:00

Ok I have a confession to make. The house is only been started (just have a basement due to FREAKING WEATHER DELAY AGAIN!!!!), but I find myself already redecorating! I mean come on…..there is no house yet…LOL. One thing I am looking at changing once we are in the house is some lighting. We went with a popular builder and they only have like a couple choices and if you want you can ~~hand them your wallet~~ “upgrade” to a more expensive style. We just decided we would put them in after the fact. That was it was cheaper and we could salvage the new lights they put in. One area I want to talk about today is the lights above the kitchen sink. Right now there will be two can lights or recessed lights. I am looking at changing them out for a couple hanging lights. I have seen this done in so many houses and I absolutely LOVE it!!! I have googled this morning and came up with a couple styles I kinda like…(still looking):

I absolutely love this next one!!!!!!

The options and styles are absolutely endless!!!!! IF you want to search for some yourself just type in “hanging pendant” in to google search and away you go!

As for the rest of the lights in the house I am sure they will get a nice coat of Krylons “Brushed Metallic” finish!!!

Take a look at THRIFT DECOR CHICK’s ORB LOVE post to see what I am talking about!!

Or go to OUR SUBURBAN COTTAGE to see how she tested several types of spray paints! Again the options are endless!!

Here is a peek at what our dining area light will look like………

So do you all think I am crazy? Please leave a comment on what you think or if you have some pendant lighting in your home leave us all a link so we can go check it out!! So as for now try to stay warm with the new snow cover…….we are headed to the OUTLETS!!! woohooooo, they have a Pottery Barn outlet there! I can’t wait to go! I will be showing pictures so stay tuned!

Till later~

~Amy

My Self~Tanner review!

2010-02-25T15:44:00.001-08:00

Ok so as you know I ordered and received the Sun Labratories Ultra Dark Lotion Gift Set. I order it from Bodybuilding .com. This is what I got and what it looks like:

So as you see you get the Dark self tanning lotion along with a moisturizer in a second bottle. IF you use the self tanner at night they recommend using the moisturizer in the morning. I also read on the bottle that they recommend using it like 2-3 times a week. I am not so sure about this and I will explain later. You get the scrub lufa and a third bottle of exfoliater scrub. As you can see it is green and it kinda smells minty and when used it gives you a tingly minty feeling…..not too much just a hint. Kinda nice I thought. So after I got out of the tub and dried off I started to apply the self tanner!

Here are a couple photos of what the lotions I have used so far look like:

Here is the minty scrub…..

and this is the tanning lotion….OMG!!! See how dark it is? At this point I was starting to get scared……

So I finished applying it all over except for my middle back , because I cant reach it and was in a hurry. If I use this again I will have hubby help me! Here is what I like and don’t like about the lotion:

LIKES:

nice smell (at first), kinda like cherry lotion
tinted so you can see where you are putting it and where it needs massaged in.
tinted so you get an instant sorta tan till it develops further.
was easy to rub in.
I like the shade so far 5 hours later.

DISLIKES:

after awhile it ends up smelling just like any other tanner.
If you are not really really and I mean REALLY careful you will end up with tinted hands……for more then while I am sure. I had to rub in a small area and throughly ~~wash~~ scrub my hands! (almost like work…LOL)
more expensive then store bought lotion I usually use.
have to be more careful around knees, ankles and elbows then my store bought brand.

So for now that is the low down so far. I like the lotion and out of 5 stars I would give it a 3 ***. Will I buy it again when it runs out? I am still not sure. I can’t see me using this several times a week due to the dark color. One thing I do know is that I like using it on my face. If I lay in a tanning bed I ALWAYS cover my face. I hate the “leather face” look and do not want it…….so I am not completely disappointed I bought it and who knows maybe tomorrow I will be like “I LOVE it” and buy it again, only time will tell.

What is my store bought brand you are thinking to yourself? ….It is this:

As you can see it is made by Coppertone and is called a Gradual Tan. I buy this at Wal-Mart for less then $10 a bottle. I like it due to not only the price but the fact that I can rub it in on my whole body and not have to wash my hands over and over again. It does smell like a yucky tanner but it goes away just like any other one. You don’t get huge color right away but I do notice it is very forgiving around the hard spots like knees, elbows and ankles.

I actually think I like them both….if I am going for better coverage and not as noticeable I will use the Coppertone. But for those times when you would like a fast tan I will use the Sun Laboratories brand. I guess it is all in what you get used to and I would definitely recommend both brands for you to test!

Have questions? Just leave a comment so everyone can benefit from the answer!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Sure cuts Alot (cricut)

2010-02-25T08:18:00.001-08:00

Ok so like in one of my previous post I was telling you about the wonderful lady that gifted me with her smaller Cricut machine. And how I needed to buy a cartridge for it! Well that cartridge came yesterday and works fabulously!!!~ I think I paid right around $25 for it off eBay…..look here:

So, me being the coupon “not want to pay for anything” girl I am , I started to research how I could minimize cost when using this machine with increasing what it would do for me!!! LOL I know I know Cheap Skate!!!! right? Well I found a software called

“Sure Cuts Alot”

you can purchase it here for a reduce price of $69.95. (just click on link above) I have also found a great lady from

http://www.scrappingtable.com/home.html

She breaks it all down for you and give you hints and tips on how it all works. I found a video of hers on youtube.com that really gives you the run down and I have embedded it below. But be sure to give her site a drive thru and there is so much info there as well as even more video tutorials on youtube.com!!!

So happy CRICUT’ing!!!!!!

Till Later~
~Amy

whaa? I made a miscalculation???

2010-02-24T18:45:00.001-08:00

You know how I have been doing my share of whining about how small this “box” is that we are living in? I mean 900 sq ft worth? Well I miscalculated!!! It is actually only 800 sq ft worth of wonderful blissfulness!!! Actually it’s really not that bad just really fun for me to talk about. I feel like if I tease myself about this the time goes faster!!! But seriously if I had to rent long term I would definitely be looking for a house! :)

Meanwhile I got the tanning lotion by fed ex today and be on the lookout for my review. I am not trying it till I have time to exfoliate which may be tomorrow! Been a crazy week here but lookie what I saw today!……

I know boring right? But this is heaven for us!!! LOL but, when my BLOG grows up it will be bursting at the seams with home decor ideas and “how to decorate a small home with pure style” ideas!! (wonder if I can get hubby to let me decorate his 1000 sq ft garage?- I am thinking the two windows in there are technically mine right?)

Oh I can’t wait!!!!!! *feeling giddy* again!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Giddy over concrete!!~

2010-02-23T18:46:00.001-08:00

Oh ya’ll, it’s finally here. The actual construction of our little home has finally started with the weather man saying they can probably build all week. I am not sure what has to be done once the basement is in but I am sure it has something to do with plumbing and septic maybe? Oh well I am just giddy over the concrete that has already been erected! Here take a look see…….

there is still a heater running underneath that blue tarp…..hooked to our temporary power pole……….just kinda wondering how big the bill will be for that this next month. You know I need to be saving my gold pieces for decor items!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Crazy busy but still near!~

2010-02-23T03:40:00.001-08:00

Hi guys! Wanted to let you know that my week is crazy busy with work, school and home building. I am still near but not able to make any awe inspiring original posts! But I will be posting just the same. I found an excellent video from “Be Different Act Normal” on how to peel and Idaho potato. It is made with one of the Gilligan Island characters and she is a hoot! Kinda cheesy but great cooking tip! Go here and take a look!

So enjoy the video and I will be back tomorrow!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Piece of Kandee???

2010-02-21T14:36:00.001-08:00

Kandee Johnson that is!! This girl is amazingly cute! And I say cute because she is absolutely gorgeous with a little goofy mixed in!!! I follow her blog :

http://www.kandeethemakeupartist.blogspot.com/

And I will tell you there is a lot of knowledge in this Chicks head! Don’t let her fun funky exterior fool ya, she knows her stuff! She has many “how to” videos on you tube and not just in makeup but I covet her “how to make a Tshirt into a girly shirt” videos and wish I had found her when I was in my 20’s!!!

So be sure to check her out!

Kandee recently did a post about the “Fake Bake” tan! She even made a short video…..take a look here and join me down below for the rest of my post… (video embeded from youtube!)

So I thought why not try this stuff out and do a review on it. I went to the website and tried to order but I just couldnt bring myself to pay $11 -$12 shipping so I googled it and landed at bodybuilding.com and just ordered off there. The product should be here in a couple days and I will let you know what I thought! Mind you I have my own tanning bed that is in storage but don’t tan my face. If this stuff works I may just use my bed less!!! lol Actually I found out that having my own bed made me want to lay in it less but sure was nice to be able to just go downstairs if I wanted to use it and not get in my car and have to drive someplace. Vain? Probably but every girl has her vice!! This makes me happy and I think makes me look slimmer in the summer!

So be sure to check back in a week or so and I will let you know how it went!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

CRICUT anyone?

2010-02-21T11:34:00.001-08:00

You know I tend to get really giddy about little things but when I get presents I can use that fit my personality I get down right ecstatic. I am very blessed with a son who is the master at putting together things and hooking up any electronic known to man so today he put together this for me……..

I received this from my brother in law at Christmas time and wasn’t even going to take it out of the box till the house was built but this winter and having absolutely 1 square foot of space to take out shoes off when entering the “box” kind of changed my mind! Needs a good cleaning and I will let you all know how it does. It is a Bissell PowerSTEAMER in case you wanted to know. From the looks of things it is really simple to use and always came with an upholstery attachment.

The second gift I received today comes from a friend at church. Her name is Tammy. I have not known her long but WOW what a gift. I am not sure how we got to talking about CRICUT machines but come to find out she had 2 (one 6” and one 12”) and she offered to give me the smaller one for FREE!!!! Free is always good in my book and God is so good in blessing me this way! I am sure she will be blessed as well. Here take a look……..

Just how awesome is that right??? I need to get a cartridge for that but I can’t wait to see all I can do with it!!!

CRICUT anyone?

So I need your help! If any of you have one of these bad boys please teach me!!!! Take me under your wings and I will be your “karate kid” so to speak! lol I am on a quest now to see what it does. I will post my findings later!!! Wish me luck!

Oh, and where can I get a cheap cartridge for this??? mmmmm , next stop: EBAY!

Till Later~

~Amy

Construction update!

2010-02-20T12:41:00.001-08:00

Ok what a wonderful update! We were told by our construction mgr that we need to clear the driveways at the land. they need to be clear this next week because if weather permits the block layers will be there to construct the basement! Wooohooo finally!!! So a friend of ours helped us out today to do just that. We Followed him out on his tractor (he lives just 2 miles from where we are building) and graciously plowed the snow for us….here take a look!

This is us in the truck following him out to the site!

I think this is when he severed the power cord that was running a heater under the tarp that the block is laying under…….shown next.

There is a heater under hear but we didn’t realize it till we bought the new cord and plugged it in!

the rest of the photos are just me clicking away tickled that they brought out sand and actually shoveled out the snow from atop the footers!

ok so I will stop boring you now and just say! We are very blessed with great friends!!!

The builders are supposed to be out again this next week and the weather man (who I love again) doesn’t seem to think that we will get very much snow from this next storm coming in on Sunday and Monday! So we will be praying he is right and I will update again if we do indeed get a basement!!!

Till later~

~Amy

Road for debt freedom (part #1)

2010-02-20T04:33:00.000-08:00

Ok so all I can say is this Dave Ramsey stuff must have hit a cord. When I got home last night I had more then a few comments in just my emails asking how did we get started? Well let me say this first if you come here often be sure to sign up and follow the blog to the left. This lets me know who is here and lets me keep track of you all. I know I got comments from 5 of you that aren't following. So lets get to it.............

For one thing I need to tell you .........Dave Ramsey did not invent ways of handling money. He will even tell you this on his POD CAST. But for some reason once you connect to this whole money thing it is amazing and I have heard more then once......"you feel like you got a 25% raise just by following the BABY STEPS!"

Truth be known, I am sure my hubby and I weren't getting along when we started......I usually tend to take the lead and do what I want if we had a fight or weren't on the same page. Thank goodness all that is over!!! So without further ado this is my beginning (our beginning):

It was in March of the year when we (I) decided we needed to do this. I was tired of living pay check to paycheck....you all know what I mean. We so have our excuses for living defeated with money......what a bunch of hogwash. It takes work and most of us don't want to make it happen. We are afraid we will have to do without! So don't be blaming it on a spouse or that you don't make enough money.........been there done that! So put your big girl panties on and follow along!!!

We started on April first (go figure). We were getting 2+K back for the year and a light bulb went off in my head. The first Baby step is Save $1000 (married couple) for an emergency fund. Well what a perfect time. Hubby was hesitant to say the least but let me have my way and I put $1000 back in an emergency fund. (which we have never touch and has grown tremendously since). We I went one step further which took a little more coaxing but Dave was alright with it or I wouldn't have done it......well maybe I would have who knows. I took yes another $1000 and landed it in the checking for a sorta "float". I use it to pay the bills at the beginning of the month and not have to worry about them the rest of the month. I have to tell you that this is not a Dave Ramsey baby step and he never mentioned it in his book "Total Money Makeover". I am not sure why we did it, maybe my brother suggested it but I can't begin to tell you what a peace this has brought to our banking and money issues. I never have to worry about this. I make sure at the end of the month that it is still put back when we clear the totals for the month. It is AMAZING!!!!!

We have since raised the "float" as well. We have been doing this way of money handling for about 3 years now. If you have not read the "Total Money Makeover" you can go to the Dave Ramsey web site and buy it there or head to your local library and check it out!! This will totally change your life.

From a selfish "lover of shopping" I will tell you this.....I was scared of the "B" word......yes the dreaded budget! But I was so pleasantly surprised at how freeing this was. I was actually able to buy more and buying things like groceries were now done quilt free. See one of the aspects of this way of doing it is you write down a "zero" based budget. Once you know how to do this you and hubby sit down and give every penny you have coming in a place on the budget, You both agree to this. This is called a budget committee meeting.......you do them every month at the beginning befor you spend a dime. sometimes this will NOT change. But this gives you both freedom and the rules are set. The budget becomes the BOSS. If it is not planned on there at first then you dont do it!! PERIOD!! You will see after a couple months of doing this you are going to love it. No more one person telling the other one "NO" for something. It is now the budgets job. If you both agreed to it then no one gets to whine when they don't get something they want and can't afford.

Like I said before , you have to follow the rules (baby steps) but no one does it exactly the same way. You have to find your families groove in this adventure. There have been some push and pulls around here but It is all worth it!!!!!

I know I have rambled and I usually do this when I am so excited about something. So just keep the comments and emails coming I promise to answer them as best I can. If I can't or don't know the answer I will direct you to the right place!!!!

If you want to read how some people did it click here "Success stories".

Goodluck and welcome to Financial Freedom!!!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Better then we deserve!

2010-02-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

For those of you that know me, you know that Hubby and I are totally on board with Dave Ramseys way of budgeting. You can even see a link to his site to the left (your left) of this blog.

Better then we deserve is just a saying coined by DR. He has no fru fru system but it is all based off of a "0" (zero) based budget and 7 babysteps. The babystep are as follows:

Baby Step #1:

Save $1000 (married couple $500 (single) for an Emergency fund.

Baby Step #2:

Pay off all debt using the debt snowball method

Baby Step #3:

Save 3-6 months living expenses (just in case)

Baby Step #4:

Invest 15% of household income into Roth IRA's and pretax retirement

Baby Step #5:

college funding for children

Baby Step #6:

pay off home early

Baby Step #7:

build wealth and give

Now you may be thinking to yourself "this is just some scheme and yet another get rich quick idea"....I don't blame you! I thought that too. I thought this is all for people that already have money and get paid regularly. Well how do we ever find something that we feel comfortable with enough to try? Well it usually comes by word of mouth. In our case I saw my brother and his family winning with money and I wanted whatever it was he was doing!

It did take me a little bit to get hubby started but once he saw the fruitfulness he was hooked as well.

I am not here to convince you to do this method but if you are tired of living pay check to paycheck or wish you had money to do whatever you wanted with I encourage you to at least visit his site and take a look around.

Click here for Dave Ramsey's web site!

We are proof that this DOES work. It takes work and stamina! It all comes down to one thing.....................

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT????

The view from this side of the fence is priceless!!!

I don't pretend to write the greatest blog but I am willing to take all your emails and questions and try to help you out and be as candid as I can about our DR journey and can't wait to see you on this side!!!

LIVE TODAY LIKE NO ONE ELSE SO YOU CAN LIVE TOMORROW LIKE NO ONE ELSE!!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

The Power of small spaces!~

2010-02-17T05:07:00.000-08:00

Hubby and I have had a few conversations lately about our struggles over the years as a married couple. Nothing that a few (ok more then a few) counselors couldn't help us through. But last year when we decided to sell our home move into a 2 bedroom apartment while our house was being built......we had no idea that this small space would bring us closer together in more ways then one.

I mean you hear it all the time...."......don't build a house unless you want a divorce!" Well I am hear to tell you this is not the case for us.

I do believe we have gotten closer and there has not been any rifs in the relationship ever since we moved into this "Box"!!! So it got me thinking even deeper (as I procrastinate on my BSN school work)....

What is it about this place that is keeping us so tight? (by tight I mean close as a couple)......

I have come to the conclusion that it is "SIMPLE"......We have nothing better to do but work at us! Simple enough right? Well so far while being here we have hung out more watching our favorite shows. Hubby is not able to veg in the garage as much tinkering with his "man toys". We have taken more trips together and SHOPPED! I think shopping is a huge one ladies. The fact that we are shopping with like minds! HUGE marriage builder!~ Also my time is not bogged down by cleaning.....trust me it takes like 5 min to clean this place once I set my mind to it. Plus I dont do as spectacular of a job knowing I will be moving in a few months and I can clean the place empty once we move....LOL I know I know L-A-Z-Y!!!! lol But if you know me in real life, you know I can be some what of a "clean freak"! We have read and bought a a handful of marriage books like....

"For Women Only"

"For Men Only"

I can't tell you just how awesome these two are!!! Hubby is still reading his and we collaborate on our findings in the readings every so often!!! once again bringing us closer and like minded!! ONENESS is the key!!!!

So in conclusion I need to come up with ideas on how to keep life simple once we are moved into the new house!!!! I have a feeling Hubby and I will be making a pack on keeping things SIMPLE at our new home! Not that we don't know how or didn't before but I would like to hear from you......

What keeps you close to your man? family? kids? leave me a post and give us some tips!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Trip down memory "pathway"?

2010-02-16T07:11:00.000-08:00

Ok Ok it could always be worse, right? Well lookie what I found! IT was!!!!

Click here to be taken to the BLIZZARD OF 78'!!!!

It is a great facebook page I stumbled upon

and they have about 152 great pictures from the time! HOLY COW BATMAN!!! I was 7 at the time but I dont remember much!

Photo by Janet Spencer

Till Later~

~Amy

Have you seen my marbles?

2010-02-16T04:59:00.001-08:00

Ok I have officially lost my marbles!! This was the scene yesterday on my stove. As if it couldn't get any worse right?

( I mean the piles of snow outside and my basement block that so desperately wants to grow up to be a basement being under

3 foot of it)

well it did. The water in our little 900sq ft box went away. Where you ask? Not real sure but I am pretty sure it

was a local water main break. They actually fixed it in record time but I had had enough! The kids were offered to go

sledding and I had the "Box" to my self for a few hours and I was determined to clean.........so I melted snow on the

stove...LOL

So while I go look for my marbles leave me some comments on what you have had to during this seasons

winter blessing!!! hee hee

TODAY I CHOOSE JOY!!!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Broken record anyone?

2010-02-15T06:50:00.001-08:00

That is what I feel like! A freaking broken record. I am tired, exhausted and down right depressed....LOL (not really but can't you just hear my

fustration?)

It's said we are to expect YET another 6-10 inches in the next 24 hours.WWWHHHAATTT???? I am wondering if I wasn't building a house if I would mind? I have figured that I wouldn't. Because if I was in my new house I would have these things:

My beloved front loaders!!!! (oh how I miss thee!~)

more then 2 ft of counter space in the kitchen

a fireplace to snuggle by

a garage for my car to comfortably sleep in (not to mention me not having to be cold and walk in the icy snow to get to it)

a basement to workout in and play guitar hero!

an actual dining room table (where we can sit down and eat at and everystuff)

Walls to paint

walls to decorate

walls to take pics of and put on my blog

walls to not like then repaint and decorate!!!

2.5 bathrooms!!!! (and then the heavens parted and trumpets sounded)....lol

my two teenagers in their own bedrooms!

oh my....half of a walk in closet

a jet tub! a jet tub!!!! a jet tub!!!!!!!

a garage for my man to love and adore! 3 car that is! to do all his beloved "GUY" stuff in!

I am sure I could go on and on and on and on but you get the picture!

I am really hating the weather man at the moment. But I know it is not forever! RIGHT?

please tell me its not forever??? lol

ok I am done whining now and just needed to vent I guess. I had better run to the bank and store before it hits!!!!

I am actually taking my coupon binder with me!!! Yeah, thats right I said "binder" I will do a post soon on that one!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Retail therapy!~

2010-02-14T04:46:00.000-08:00

Yup that is what I call Hubby and I shopping together!~ I love shopping with this man, it is actually more fun then shopping with a girlfriend! We drove 50 miles yesterday and didnt buy a thing!! Well, we did buy lunch at one of his fav places!!! Quaker Steak and Lube!

But we did find the "Appliance Smart" store we were looking for! To make a long story short, we are just going to buy our kitchen local and get what we want! no scratches included!

What we are looking for is this:

refrigerator with bottom freezer

water/ice in the door

and the only other thing I want is rollers that the drawers actually glide on!

not too picky right? OMG this is becoming more of a hunt then I thought. I really like the whirlpool GOLD but it looks like I may end up with an LG. Wonder why I can't find an american co. that makes the drawers pull smoothly? Maybe I havent tried all brands? Not a huge thing but was hoping to stick to an American Company~ Here is a pic of what I really want:

Pic from ABT .com

We can't decide on black or stainless....but leaning towards black. Our kitchen cabinets are a "rouge" color......OOPS did I say they are? I meant they will be when all this snow melts next fall! LOL.

So for now I am agonizing over kitchen appliances but at least we are getting closer!

So what do you all think? Have any tips or preferences you can share??

Till Later~

~Amy

Tweet!~ Tweet!~

2010-02-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

Well I finally took the plunge and started to tweet with the twitters. You can follow me by using the "Twitter" button on the top left of my blog page!!! If any of you have any tips or insights to TWITTER please share!!!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Weight or size??

2010-02-12T07:57:00.000-08:00

Ok so with Spring/Summer getting closer everyday, I have focused on getting healthier and thinner. No one wants cottage cheese butt while vacationing by the ocean! (149 days and counting). So I got to thinking.......do I weigh myself everyday or every so often or do I just go off of what fits???? Any suggestions?

I really don't feel like putting my weight on the net but I have no problem telling you I wear a size 3,4,and 5 depending on where I buy the pants! If I go to Aeropostale (love my haley jeans) I wear a 3/4. But have a pair of jeans from Maurice's in a size 5, that although sorta loose I love the way they feel and am not sure if I would if I went a size down. So for now I still weigh myself in the mornings , totally naked after I have peed....LOL But I am thinking I have quite a few size 2's in the closet I would love to wear and can't seem to separate myself from!

So help me out girls!! Weight or size??? What motivates you more? (and why?)

Till Later~

~Amy

Oh P.S..............

2010-02-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

There is also a book called "Skinny B**TARD!" I bought the book set!

(the authors admit the title was a gimic!!! I think it worked!

Till Later~

~Amy

Are we there yet?

2010-02-11T05:53:00.000-08:00

Are we there yet? Is it summer???? I totally feel like the little kid sitting in the back seat of the car anticipating the arrival of some cool destination that only the parents really know how much farther! I was looking through my scrabook pages on facebook and came across this little gem:

This picture was taken from our hotel room in Myrtle Beach 2008. We skipped going on vacation in 2009 but have already made reservations for this July! July 11th to be exact!!! That is 150 and counting!!!! We have booked a room at the Coral Beach Resort! We are excited. And also hoping nothing needs done with the house because it will just have to wait.....lol

One of my concerns though is getting motivated enough to transform this 38 year old body back into "Beach worthy" shape!!! Last year we went to a huge indoor water park and I wore a skirt type bathing suit. But being the Sun Goddess I am , I don't want Tan lines!!!! LOL So this means I am forced to think about making my food decisions a little more educated and taking the time to actually make out a plan and stick to it. I already work out at the gym at least 3 times a week (or try to). But....while in Pittsburgh this past month I bought a book at Borders on dieting.......well sorta!

The book is called "Skinny B**CH". YUP you read right!!! I can't even bring myself to type it out! Feeling dirty now.........LOL This book was hilarious and I will admit about half way through I was thinking "you have got to be kidding.....must be fanatics and trying to get their agenda through" .

But I am so glad I read the whole book and I really enjoyed the "in your face" type of writing. There was a ton of great information in it that you knew you were thinking , they just proved it!

So I am recommending this AT YOUR OWN RISK!!! LOL And if you do read it please come back and let me know what you think!!!!!!!

You can review the book here: SKINNY B**TH

So off to get my beach body back! Will keep you updated on how it goes!!!!!

Leave me some luv and tips on how your going to get your BEACH BODY back this spring!!!

Till Later~

~Amy

Another what???

2010-02-10T04:03:00.000-08:00

OMG another 'snow' day for the kids? Am I dreaming?..............
Sorry had a "Groundhog Day" moment there!

Reality? yes it is another snow day, another day of block under 3 ft of snow, another day of kids stuck in the house............and another day of work for me. Actually I am not that bummed about it. Gets me out of the house and I really do love what I do!
I am an urgent care nurse here in my hometown. Pretty amazing to me, I will have to post soon on that whole journey. You see I went to nursing school, graduated and then stayed home for 12 years with our children. Yeah.......I think I will leave all that for another post!!!!

I just wanted to share with you one of my favorite sites:

I absolutely love going to the bottom, after seeing her wonderful transformation of the week, and looking at what all the other fab women have done. It is amazing what you can turn your ordinary goodwill item into!!! It gives great inspiration, especially on these cooped up wintery days!!!

So I am off to get ready for a wonderful 12 hour work day! Hope you all are staying nice and warm!

Till Later~

~Amy

another what????

2010-02-09T04:08:00.000-08:00

OMG another 'snow' day for the kids? Am I dreaming? I hope you all can bare with me for a few lines........AAAARRRGGGHHHHHH!
Ok Ok so its no big deal the kids have yet another snow day...I know this! and you know this! But I feel we are going to have a nervous breakdown.......mmmmmm can 15 and 14 year olds have them? Well I think they are close.
If you are just joining me or visiting for the first time let me recap for you our situation:

1. We are a very happy and "Fully Blessed" family of 4
2. We have 3 wonderful pets (Buddy - american fox hound, Cali- calico cat, jasmine- tiger cat)
3. We sold our house in October and moved out the 15th....
TO A BOX!!!!!!
900 glorious square feet of BLISS! ......NOT!
Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful we have a roof over our heads but we are feeling a little cooped up! coming from almost 3200 sq feet of room.
4. oh did I mention we are building a house????
5. did I mention that the weather is delaying said building of a house???
6. did I mention we are living in an apartment?
7. can you tell I am "fully frustrated"?????

Where's my Xanax???????

ok ok calmed down now......let me rant for just a few moments.....
I think I know why I am a little on edge.......

2 feet of counter space
1 bathroom for all
laundry room??? YEAH RIGHT!!!! *rolling eyes*
pots and pans stored on top of kitchen cabinets
building papers scattered all over
office in too small bedroom
kids sharing a room (yes boy and girl)
did I mention 3 pets?
NO GARAGE!!

I feel like such a whiner! But having your belonging scattered in 3 different storage buildings (not in the same location), the weather, and then feeling cooped up is getting a little old!
like I said before we are "fully blessed" and God is so good to us! I think I just needed to vent and want to thank you for listening!
But I need your help!

I need ideas on fun things to do in or out of "THE BOX"........we are running out of ideas!!!! leave commments for us! Love to hear from you!

Till Later~
~Amy

Yet another...~

2010-02-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

Well it is yet another "snow" day for the kids. I am so glad we did not plan our vacation for early June. I think they will still be in school! lol We are expected to get more freezing rain and snow early this week, maybe tomorrow? But my husband is not scared of too much when it comes to the white stuff. We took Jess to the "Winterfest" concert in a town about 50 miles away. Yes we knew it was snowing...LOL I thought I would post a short video on what the main freeway looked like on our way home (mind you we left early due to the level 3 our county was currently at) My husband did end up saying this we by far the worst he has ever driven in. It felt like airplane turbulents all the way home at no more then 50 mph. oh my!

This concert was worth it though. We got to see Newsboys, Newsong, Tenth Ave. North, Fireflight, Tony Nolan, Sidewalk Prophets, Revive and THIRD DAY (which we left before they came on!)To find out when WINTERJAM is coming to a town near you click here:~WINTERJAM 2010~
This was a great opportunity for the kids to hear about what Christ has done for them and how they can make it real in a world so crazy now a days. Kids don't need us to tell them all the time what they are doing wrong. They need to feel what it is like to have a personal relationship with the one person that will never let them down! Great time , go if you get the chance. It is always the best $10 concert we keep going to!!!!
ON ANOTHER NOTE............................
my poor poor poor footers and basement block.........look here see what I mean..........................

Till Later~~

~Amy

Embracing my many layers!~

2010-02-07T05:56:00.000-08:00

This is a repost from before but still rings true today!~

Ever have one of those days where you feel good inside? Not like a healthy good but a good in a way that you really like who you are faults and all? Well, that is me today. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I love the fact that......

I love without abandon
I forgive when the world say not to
I like to eat just about anything
I like all music
I am a huge tomboy on the inside.
I would like to fish, play ball, get muddy, 4 wheel and dont know why I dont more often.
I like to be girly and love PINK!
I like movies like Valley girl! lol
I like to talk, and talk and share and talk
I sometimes dominate conversations
I am confident
I like to be wild and carefree sometimes even though some think it is dorky
I am a softy for the elderly and the young ones.
I like being different
I am sometimes misunderstood
sometimes I like to just be difficult just because! LOL
I am sure of who I am and who made me!
I usually go against the grain (at least in my head the older I get....LOL)
I like literature and art
I appreciate architecture and dream of living in a different country
I am drawn to others who act like dorks!
I usually am looked at with weird eyes cause I say whatever comes to mind alot of time.
I love being silly
I love to daydream
I like to be the first to do things that others are affraid to do
I am not too shy
I like to be the leader but can also follow very well.
I'm hard headed at times!
People drive me nuts and lift me up at the same time
I think I could have been an actress.
I am the greatest singer in the shower (just as me I will tell you)
I dont always make eye contact (my hugest fault in my eyes)
I am bad at finishing projects sometimes!
I long for the simple things,( ie. fresh cut grass smell, gardens, porch swing, grandpas lap etc...)
I am a list person to a fault~
~ if they are too messy I have to make a new one!
my bedroom is a mess 90% of the time.
I can be defensive and yet melt at one kind word or soft look
I am a crybaby but the strongest female emotionally you will meet in a long time
I am a stickler for rules and yet like to follow my own at the same time....LOL :)
I am not the best person I could truely be and sometimes ok with that.
I somehow cheated everyone out of the best man on earth!~

there are too many traits both good and bad but the one that I can say is 100% right on is...........
(just random thoughts while sitting here listening to jazz music.
maybe I need a xanax? LOL)

I LOVE WHO I AM!!!! I LOVE WHO I HAVE BEEN! AND I LOVE WHO I AM ABOUT TO BECOME!

Do you love you?
start today!

Till Later!~

~Amy