by manda

The day has finally come

2012-01-26T12:14:00.004-06:00

BEFORE

The day has finally come. Madeline got braces on her teeth. After two and a half years of a lower spacer and orthodontist appointments every 4 months and getting 12 teeth pulled (10 baby and 2 permanent) we have reached the big day. It felt like this day would never come...that we were going through all this work for nothing, that her teeth were getting more and more crooked as we waited and waited for her orthodontist to say "It is time." What a relief. And as weird as this sounds, it will mean I am not feeling like people are judging me as a parent...I AM taking care of my daughter's teeth, thank you very much. Now it is obvious that we are being proactive about getting her the best smile ever!!

DURING

I can't call this after...that will come after these puppies are off in 2 1/2 years.

hello, 2012

2012-01-01T10:37:00.003-06:00

2011 was a good year.

2012 will be a great year.

I resolve:

to pray

to love

to read

to serve

to save

to learn

to give

to laugh

Church directory

2011-12-29T21:11:00.003-06:00

Our church is doing a church pictoral directory so we had to get all gussied up and get our picture taken. This is the only professional picture we have ever had taken as a whole family. It was an in/out wham bam picture session and then they try to sell you a $200 picture package. I don't think so. But we did get a free 8X10 that Chad so graciously scanned in for you. (The scanned in dust really makes the pic if you ask me.) The photographer kept telling Eli that he needed to be more natural which only made his smile more awkward. This was the best one out of the bunch.

2011-12-23T08:28:00.001-06:00

Motivation

2011-12-19T20:14:00.003-06:00

There is nothing more motivating to get your house clean and organized than inviting your mother-in-law and stepfather-in-law to stay at your house for Christmas. They moved to Muscatine this past summer so they needed a place to stay when they are here for Christmas with her mom and sisters. (We did Christmas with them in Muscatine this past weekend and that is when I offered our house.) They will be our first overnight guests ever in 11 years of being married...except for the rare kid sleepover whether it be kid friends or cousins. I doubt kids are looking in the corner of the bathroom counting the fly away pubes that have landed. I'm not sure my mother-in-law will be doing that either (on purpose) but I do not want to give her that chance.

To say my mil is a neat freak would be a major understatement. She is and has always been obsessive compulsive about cleaning and her house. It is immaculate!! Always!! One of the greatest gifts she has ever given me was when she deep deep cleaned the bathroom at our newly moved into house. It is a tiny tiny bathroom and I think that woman scrubbed for 3 hours getting every nook and cranny spit spot. I don't think it has been that clean since.

Before you think I am a total slob, let me say that I clean on a regular basis but I deep clean about oh...every 2 years. And organizing gets done about every 5 years. (Yes, I found an antibiotic ointment that expired in 2007 in my vanity drawer tonight.)

Having J and R come to stay the night is just the kick in the pants that I need to get some long overdue deep cleaning, decluttering, and organizing done. I have completed Eli's room (we will not talk about his closet...eeek...no time for that monstrosity now) and our room (sans closet as well) the linen closet, the vanity drawers, and Chad even did some touch up painting in the bathroom that has been on the honey do list for a long time. It feels good to get those things done and I know it will be very rewarding in the end to have it all done.

Topo Gigio - Strangers in the night [Esp - Eng Sub]

2011-12-13T13:59:00.002-06:00

Every year we watch the Santa Clause movies that star Tim Allen as Santa. There is a scene in the first movie where Santa AKA Tim Allen is being interrogated by the Police and they are asking him his name. The scene goes like this:

Det. Nunzio: [after Scott got arrested] Look, I know you're Scott Calvin. You know you're Scott Calvin. So let's make this simple: I say 'name', you say 'Scott Calvin'.

[gestures Scott to come close]

Det. Nunzio: Name?

Scott Calvin: Kris Kringle.

Det. Nunzio: Name?

Scott Calvin: Sinterklaas.

Det. Nunzio: [annoyed] Name!

Scott Calvin: Pere Noel. Babbo Natale. Pelznickel.

[imitates Ed Sullivan]

Scott Calvin: Topo Gigio!

Det. Nunzio: Okay, Calvin, maybe a couple of hours in the tank will change your mind.

I have assumed for years that Topo Gigio was the name for Santa in another language that I didn't know. Chad and I were talking about that movie and I asked, 'Who is Topo Gigio?" After perusing the internet we found out he is an Italian mouse puppet that used to appear on the Ed Sullivan show. I never would have guessed that!! Thanks to youtube we were able to watch Topo in action and now you can too!!

In the mood

2011-12-13T00:22:00.001-06:00

There are few Christmas movies that get me in the mood for the holidays as much as "Emmet Otter's Jugband Christmas." I have watched it multiple times a year since I was a kid. It is a definite fave in our house.

a little revamp

2011-12-12T22:29:00.000-06:00

I revamped my blog. Simplified and stream lined. We will see if it inspires me to blog more...or at all.

What do you think of the new digs?

curtains

2011-09-14T14:46:00.000-05:00

The washed curtains are still sitting in the laundry basket ready to be ironed. I need to iron them...tomorrow.

Progress

2011-09-07T21:58:00.003-05:00

It has been several months since I posted about Eli's room makeover. A few of my readers have asked how it looks and I would love to post some amazing pics of a complete room but....I can't. It is done enough that Eli is living in it (and LOVING it) but there are too many details missing to be truly done.

Back in June, the kids and I took a road trip for the day to bust up to Minneapolis to pick up Eli's new Malm bed, and some curtains. It was quite the trip with just the 3 of us. We woke up bright and early, hit the road, rocked it out at Ikea, and then I took the kids to the Mall of America to the Lego Store and American Girl. We were home by 9pm. It was a great adventure!

The Done List
-Room cleared
-Bed put together
-Bedding washed and on bed
-All of Eli's stuff moved in
-Shark head on wall
-Other wall decor up
-New Pella windows installed

Still To Do
-Figure out closet doors and install
-Put up curtain rods
-Iron and hem curtains
-Paint curtains
-Hang curtains
-Purchase Lego minifigure display shelf
-Hang Lego shelf
-Hang other wall decor
-Get board for bed so mattress sits lower
-New ceiling fixture (the old one doesn't fit the decor at all but this will probably wait for awhile)

I have been scared to death to do the curtains. I am incredibly intimidated about painting them but I NEED to do it. I threw them in the wash tonight to prep them for hemming. I hope to get them ironed and hemmed tomorrow and get the lines measured and taped off. I might need some moral support the day I paint them. Eeeeeek!

I can't bring myself to post pics until the curtains are up...so hopefully it will be next week that I can post some pics.

Eli's curtains

2011-05-31T09:22:00.000-05:00

Which would you pick for Eli's new room? Check the previous post to see the direction it is headed.

Option #1

Option #2 with white miniblinds

Option #3 I make them with the help of my friend. Either white with a navy blue stripe at the bottom. Or wide vertical navy and white stripes.

What would you do?

Room makeover

2011-05-25T12:11:00.000-05:00

We are changing our office/homeschool room into Eli's bedroom. The kids have been sharing the upstairs half story for a few years and it is time they get their own space.

I had Eli pick his new bedding, trying to strongly suggest duvet covers I loved (wanted to go with a navy/burnt orange color scheme) but he went his own way and was very adamant about his choice. Here it is...

PB Teen Lambert's Cove Plaid

I found a couple things at urban outfitters to do a fun collage type thing on his wall. This shark head and this letter E.

I am also looking for a shadow box/printer drawer type display case for Eli's Lego minifigure collection as part of the wall grouping. I might try to modify something with Legos to make it exactly like I want.

He will also have this shelving unit in his room.

Ikea Expedit

And I am thinking this bed.

Ikea Malm Bed

We need to figure out a paint color and window coverings. And I would love to replace the old grandma-esque ceiling fan with something more appropriate.

I will post before/after pics when it gets more underway. As of right now, it is still an office. I have a LOT to do!!!

Things to remember from our trip

2011-05-15T18:26:00.001-05:00

This list is more for me than for you..but you can eavesdrop if you wish.

*The Kentucky crooner until 3 am.

*Hammerhead shark sighting

*White Castle mayhem

*Snappy's pizza in Kentucky...best customer service EVER!

*Nervous breakdown while driving through construction in Birmingham

*Naval museum tears

*Eli and his beloved pocket knife

*Secret lovin' *blush*

*Unbroken and Winter Garden...amazing books

*Falling asleep to the sound of the waves

*My amazing beach hair...wish it could look that great all the time!! I want to bottle the salt water!!

*Relaxing in an inner tube in the middle of the ocean...ok, not the middle, but it could have been!

*Renting a boat in the bay and spending a day toodling around looking for sea life. And Eli captaining the boat on the way back to port....what a wild ride.

*Spending my birthday and Mother's Day at the beach.

*Madeline's photo shoot on the beach. So fun and the pictures are gorgeous.

I am sure I will think of more but this is enough for now.

beach news vol.1

2011-05-10T09:38:00.000-05:00

The kids having lunch after spending the morning in the ocean. Pre-burnage. Should have kept them in after that. Went out for a couple more hours after lunch.

The men who caught a 3 foot black tip shark 50 feet from my babies who were frolicking in the surf. Wish we had gotten a pic of the shark. They later caught a manta ray and cut the stinger off and gave it to the kids. They cut the manta ray up for bait.

Burnage. And battle wounds from Madeline's sleep walking episode the first night. We woke up to her falling down the stairs. We ran downstairs thinking someone was in the house. She was wandering around downstairs crying. We asked her what she was doing and she was mumbling that she had to go to the bathroom. We told her there was a bathroom upstairs. She kept mumbling and crying. Then said she had to go to the bathroom and pulled out a chair from the dining room table. Chad grabbed her by the shoulders and led her to the real bathroom. We then led her to bed where she fell right to sleep. Chad went in to check on her about 15 minutes later. He asked her if she was ok and she had no idea what he was talking about. She woke up the next morning with a huge bruise on her thigh and scrapes all over the left side of her body. What a crazy night.

Sunset day 2.

on thebeach

2011-05-08T15:50:00.001-05:00

We made it to Cape San Blas yesterday evening! WOOHOO!!

12 days

2011-04-25T10:46:00.000-05:00

In approximately 12 days I will be here....

red

2011-04-23T23:07:00.000-05:00

I think I want to dye my hair red a la Drew Barrymore. What do you think?

moving on and moving up

2011-04-21T16:30:00.000-05:00

We have had interesting responses from people when they hear we are sending Madeline back to "real" school this coming fall. Most of our friends totally understand and are excited for her and for us. Others get his knowing look on their faces and say "Of course you are." as if they knew all along that this homeschooling thing would fail. As if it was so obvious that I would fail at educating my daughter. It ticks me off and then I feel like I have to explain our decision. That I have to stick up for our decision to homeschool in the first place. To let them know again that we were called by God to do this for our family. It was the right thing to do at the time and we don't regret it at all. It wasn't a mistake.

Our first year was great. We were excited about all the new things we could do together. We had a lot of fun and still did a years worth of great school work. We finished the year feeling a great sense of accomplishment and looked forward to the upcoming school year.

To say this year has been a trial in the mom/daughter relationship department would be an understatement. We butt heads. I lose my patience. She rolls her eyes and is liberal with the heavy sighs. She does the bare minimum required of her in school. I can't motivate her to do her best without getting frustrated. It has been rough...on both of us.

It became clear about 3 months ago that Madeline needed more than what I could offer her. She wanted to go back to school. I wanted her to go back to school. So we registered her for school in the fall. YAY! Knowing that there is an end in sight of this homeschooling adventure for her has motivated her to do better in school. YAY again! She is excited to get back to her school friends but worried about being behind. She is such a smarty pants that I am not worried about her at all, but if you think of her please pray that it is an easy transition for her. She deserves the best experience possible and I want to give that to her.

book induced memories

2011-04-19T19:45:00.000-05:00

I always have to be reading a book. It is one of my favorite past times and I will read just about anything. My mom gave me a book that she and her best friend read and I have had it for years. I started it a couple times but couldn't really get into it. I picked it up a couple days ago and started reading it again only because I didn't have anything else to read. It isn't a book that I would normally read and enjoy, but it is okay for now. I am only a couple chapters in and the only reason I am enjoying it is the memories it invokes of my childhood church.

I grew up in the best church ever. I know, a lot of people say that, but this is the truth. Our church was a family. A true family. We spent a lot of time with each other inside the church walls and out. I miss the people who watched me grow up. I was confident with them. I was myself with them. I was loved by them. I will run into them now and I have nothing but amazing memories and we retell stories from the past...reminiscing about my childhood and catching up on our lives now. They really are my favorite people. Awesome memories.

It is so sad to me when I think about the shrinking of my home church. There were so many reasons to move on and out. There was so much heartache to leave a building I loved and knew like the back of my hand. It was unbearable to think about my life without those people in it. I saw them at least twice a week until I was 25. I will watch my wedding video just to see most of them sitting in the pews while they wait for Chad and I to dismiss them from the ceremony. Seeing the ones who have died, the ones who are now divorced, and to see the ones that I haven't seen since that day.

It is an amazing part of my history that I wish I could visit again just once. To have all my favorites at a rally day picnic or for a Christmas Eve service or serving them all Easter breakfast would be unbelievable. I would love to go back to that building to walk around and find all the nooks and crannies that led to other parts of the building. It was a fantastic place to play hide and seek. The boiler room was creepy but had a secret stair case that led to the church office. There was a room off of the boiler room that had all kinds of old tools. There was a secret passageway from the lectern to the fellowship hall. It was a blast to run around!

There aren't many left at my old church. In fact, I am shocked it still exists. I think they average about 25-30 a Sunday, mostly elderly. They have 3 other churches using that big, beautiful building. I am glad it is being put to good use. But sad that it isn't how it used to be.

summer necessity

2011-04-16T09:50:00.000-05:00

One thing I love about summer is the farmer's market downtown. It is a super fun way to spend a Saturday morning....perusing produce, eating delectable samples, people watching, eating, dog watching, and eating. You are bound to find something that you can't live without whether it is a loaf of homemade bread or hand beaded earrings. Love it!

It wouldn't be cool to go the market where you are buying local, supporting organic farms, and contributing to small business owners without a green bag that you can use over and over again.

I found this...and I MUST have it!!!

disturbed

2011-04-07T11:45:00.001-05:00

Chad and I went on a date last night. Out for sushi (delicious but service was awful...boo) and then to Half Price Books. I wanted to look at diet books. Chad wanted to look for beekeeping books (more on that in another post.) Neither one of us found anything. Boo. I always look at the kids' books in hopes of finding an amazing find for my kidlets. I love books and want them to love books too.

I checked the "religious chapter books" section for Madeline. There are a couple series of books that she really likes in that section but nothing new and fun this time*. Boo. Then I perused the regular chapter books section. I about threw up. Here are books for adolescents....aka CHILDREN...and one of the series was called Demonata. Sounds like an encouraging read, right? Chad picked up a book from another series with a disturbing title that I can't remember and read the first paragraph of the first book. He had me read it even though I totally didn't want to and it was the most graphic and disgusting thing I have ever read. WHAT THE HECK?!?! Seriously?!!??!?! What parent would let their CHILDREN read that garbage? Do people not realize that this evil is REAL?!? I was shocked to see how many series for CHILDREN focused on supernatural darkness and evil. It makes me mad that this garbage is so easily accessible and how many parents think "as long as my child is reading then I don't care what they are reading." Our CHILDREN are being introduced to this junk at such an early age in the name of promoting literacy!! Let's not worry about what is now in their hearts and minds and what disturbing images they are thinking about as long as they are reading for at least 20 minutes a day. Ugh.

It is just another ploy of the enemy to rob our CHILDREN of their innocence!!

Come, Lord Jesus! Restore the innocence of our CHILDREN! Open our eyes to the ways of the enemy so we can stand firm!! Thank you for your victory on the cross! This battle is already won!!

*I am not one of those moms who makes their kids read only Christian books. There are so many wonderful books out there and I want to expose my kids to great literature.

stupid book clubs

2011-04-06T10:45:00.000-05:00

Ugh. I fell into the trap of the online book club. I was enticed by the 5 BOOKS for 99cents!! All you have to do is buy 4 more books at regular price over the next 2 years!! What a DEAL!!!

My 2 years is up in July. Eeeeek! I have not bought any books so far. Blah!!!

rearranging

2011-04-04T11:37:00.001-05:00

We decided to move people around in our house...again. There are 4 people and a dog in our house. We have 3 bedrooms. We have all lived in each of the bedrooms at one point or another...except Eli. He hasn't lived in our (Chad and I) current bedroom and we haven't lived in the back bedroom. I guess Madeline is the only one to live in them all. Are you confused yet? Let's take a look back.

2002-We moved in. Chad and I were in the upper half story bedroom. Madeline was in the front bedroom (facing the front yard) Eli wasn't born yet but his room was the back bedroom (facing the backyard.) Chad's grandma was worried that we were upstairs and the kids were downstairs in case someone broke into our house. She mentioned it often. On a side note, she would also send me SIDS articles when she found out our babies slept on their tummies.

2006-Chad and I move to the front bedroom. We make the upper half story into a family room/playroom. The kids had beds and their dressers in the back bedroom. We loved this arrangement! It was like our house was twice as big with all that extra living space. But the kids were severely cramped in their bedroom even though it was only for sleeping and getting dressed.

2008-The back bedroom becomes the office. The kids are moved upstairs into the playroom. Chad and I remain in the front bedroom.

2009-The office becomes the homeschool room.

2011-We are going to move Eli to the back bedroom this summer. Madeline will have the upstairs to herself. Chad and I will stay where we are. We just redid that room and we love it. Plus our bedroom furniture would never fit up the stairs. The computer and office stuff will go to the basement where it was when we first moved in. Eli and I will do all our homeschool stuff in the kitchen and living room. With only homeschooling one it will be much easier to keep all his school stuff contained in a basket or something.

THE PLAN:
The back bedroom has this weird texture that is like concrete. So we are going to gut the room. Replace the windows and redrywall. It will be quite the project for us non-DIYers, but we know some pretty handy people that we hope will help us!

brain burst

2011-03-29T18:29:00.000-05:00

*I can't find a swimsuit for Madeline to save my life. Why do suits have to be so stupid looking or so skimpy she might as well be naked?

*Only a few weeks until Florida!! Woot woot!!

*My Grams is coming to visit the second week in April. She is hilarious,tiny, and wrinkly. She smokes and drinks and gambles. She even used some of her casino winnings to remodel her church's kitchen. We don't see her as often as we should and we usually go to her farm in Walnut Grove, MN so it is a special treat that she is coming here. YAY!!

*I got a nookcolor for Christmas and I love it. But I still love reading a real book more. The pages. The smell. It can't be replaced.

*I really hope I am not entertaining Aunt Flo while we are in FL. That would suck.

*I hate worrying about money. I hate when people hold on to checks forever and you completely forget it is out there and all of a sudden it has been cashed. It makes me hiccup!

*I started growing a giant zit by my temple yesterday. I woke up this morning and it is ginormous! It looks like a third nipple on my face. It is still underground. Not ready to pop. Oy vey!

*My new favorite food is South Union ciabatta toast with butter. I could eat a whole giant loaf in one day and not feel guilty at all!

*I also really love gorgonzola cheese on my salad with pecans and raspberry vinaigrette and strawberries.

*My mom makes this killer chicken salad with rice, grapes, cinnamon, almonds, and apple juice in it. I am craving it now. Maybe she will read this and make me some. :-)

back in the day

2011-03-09T16:58:00.001-06:00

I feel like I am in high school again.

What is Manda wearing today?

circa 1992 and 2011

Ginormous sweatshirt-CHECK

Leggings-CHECK

Rag wool socks pulled over bottom of leggings-CHECK

Scrunchie holding hair in a loose bun-CHECK

I was the epitome of fashion back then. I still am.

mega mind

2011-03-08T20:49:00.000-06:00

*I am so over homeschooling this year. I am ready for the year to be over. I am ready for the summer. For pools and gardens and all day playdates with our friends. We have about 43 school days left. So about 9 weeks left. It can not come soon enough.

*I am a tad excited about next school year. Madeline will be back to "real" school and I will continue to homeschool Eli. He is excited to have me all to himself and I am excited to try out new curriculum. Madeline is excited to get back to her friends and to a "normal" life. I am excited to have some more me time than I do now.

*I am so excited for Florida that I want to drag out all of our summer clothes to see what we have. Sheesh, if I have to wear the same sundress all week I will. BUT I will wait a few more weeks to unleash the summer clothes beast.

*I have put myself on a buying freeze until after we get back from Florida. If I go on vacation I want to live large. I don't want to have to order the least expensive thing on the menu. I want to order what I want. Now, if going cheap is the difference between vacation and no-vacation then I am all for it. But I would rather be cheap before vacation so I don't have to be cheap on vacation. Kapeesh? Capiche? How the heck do you spell that?

*Watching the show "Weeds" on Netflix makes Chad want to smoke pot. Ok, it makes me want to smoke pot too. BUT we are WAY past that stage in our lives and it is illegal.

*One of my favorite movies as a kid was "The Incredible Shrinking Woman" with Lily Tomlin. This is my favorite scene. Pure hilarity!!

*Another favorite was "Xanadu" with Olivia Newton-John.

a sad day

2011-03-04T11:07:00.000-06:00

From my friend, Sarah Knight's blog about her son Cooper. Please pray for this amazing family as they grieve the loss of their son and brother.

Cooper is flying high with the angels 03-03-11

At 11:20 tonight, Cooper took his last courageous breathe. He fought so hard all the way to the end in true Cooper spirit. Loved forever. He was strong while he was here and now we will be strong for him and try to carry on.

brutal honesty

2011-03-02T13:06:00.000-06:00

Have you ever been in a situation when something happens that you feel is so unfair and just wrong but if you say anything then you will look like a total selfish boob? I am wrestling with those feelings now and it totally sucks and I am trying to be happy about the whole thing but deep down I am hurt and I feel left out. Ugh.

BOOKED!!

2011-02-25T15:18:00.001-06:00

WOOHOO!!!!

YAY YAY YAY!!!

WOOT WOOT!!!

I am SO excited!! (What was your first clue?)

We are going to Cape San Blas, Florida!! I can't tell you when for security reasons (y'know, in case you want to rob my house)...but it is soon...well, not soon...but SOON ENOUGH!!!

This is the same place Chad and I stayed for our 10th anniversary last summer (not the same house, the same geographical area) and we had the BEST time and we totally wanted to take the kids and didn't think we could afford it and then we figured out that we might be able to and then we just decided to go for it!! You only live once, right?!?! *Let me add that we are not going into debt to pay for this trip. Cash only, please.

I have been obsessing over where we could stay. We looked into Destin at a condo and decided that wasn't what we were looking for. If we were going to pay to be ON the beach, we wanted to be ON the beach! So I moved our search back to Cape San Blas in the hopes of finding a beach front house or townhome that was ON the beach in our price range. The house we stayed for our anniversary was WAY out of our price range plus it is completely booked up for the next several months (yes, that house rocked my socks and it is totally worth the money to stay there....it was amazing and kudos to everyone staying there this summer...you will love it....as if any of them are reading this blog...whatever.) So, I hemmed and hawed over several different houses and finally found THE ONE. It is a townhome, one of a stretch of four with 4 buildings of four. Make sense? It is an end unit so more light and one less neighbor, and all you have to do to have your toes in the sand is to walk down a set of steps. YAY!! Here is the listing for the house....look here and oooh and aaaah!!

I have more than 50 days to prepare but less than 100...so I am going to be vacation minded for the next several weeks. I hope I don't drive y'all crazy with my vacation rambling!! And even if I do, WHO CARES!! I am BEACHBOUND!!! *I really do care about my readers. I do. Honest.

the things you will find on etsy

2011-02-18T07:52:00.000-06:00

Oh, the things you will find on etsy.com!!

I want this. You can find it here. It is a vintage Mr. Peanut dish with 2 peanut soaps.

Seriously, the cutest thing ever!!

brain dump

2011-02-16T10:49:00.001-06:00

*Please keep praying for Cooper. He isn't doing well at all right now. To catch up on his progress check out the link to the right.

*I added another friend to my prayer list on the right. She is another mom who I met online when I was pregnant with Eli (same as Cooper's mom). She is having brain surgery on the 23rd to relieve pressure in her brain due to a malformation in her brain. She has 3 small children and really needs our prayers!!

*Being a parent is freaking hard. Being a parent to a pre-preteen is torturous. So many things to think about and to change in me. So many ways to parent and trying to find the perfect fit for us and our daughter.

*I would love for the kids to have their own rooms. It is possible in this house, but it will take some major shuffling of our stuff.

*We need to sell our mini van. Do you know anyone who is looking for one? Let me know!

*We are sending Madeline back to school next year. I am so excited for her. This is going to be so good for both of us.

*I have this dream to write children's books.

*My niece, Sophie, is going to All-State for the Iowa High School Speech Association on Saturday. I am so proud of her. I can't wait to see her perform. I can't wait to get "back to my roots" and to feel the energy of all those nervous and excited performers. I will probably cry.

*I can't find artwork for my bedroom to save my life. I might try to make something.

*I am obsessed with sushi. I crave it.

*Check out my other blog transformanda to check up on my weight loss misadventures.

*The warmer temps this past week has made me really excited for summer. I wanna hit the pool and get my tan on. I love being tan. The picture to the right makes me miss summertime. Hanging by the pool with my honey and my kids. Bliss!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T09:07:00.001-06:00

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Chad and I went out yesterday for our Valentine's date. We were out of the house by 11 to get sushi for lunch. Finding a sushi joint for lunch on a Sunday is almost impossible. But we ended up at Cool Basil, which is one of our favorite thai restaurants. Their Tom Ka Kai soup is AMAZING and we love their Kua Kai. We ordered a couple sushi rolls, a cup of Tom Ka Kai for me, and Chad got the Kua Kai. The sushi was uber delicious and we decided that we just need to get sushi next time. I would have rather ordered a couple more sushi rolls than soup and noodles. We had a lovely time eating yummy food despite the phone calls from our kids tattle-telling on each other. After lunch we went to Costco (no date is complete without a trip to Costco) and bought a new coffee maker and my favorite movie ever, Braveheart, on blu-ray. Plus we bought some groceries and toilet paper. It was a thrilling trip. Ha! We bought a few perishables and with the WARM weather (it was a glorious 54 degrees yesterday!!) we needed to drop them off at home but our date wasn't over yet!! The kids were a bit peeved that we were leaving again but we wanted dessert!! Our original plan was to go to Smokey Row for coffee and dessert. Have you been there on a Sunday afternoon? Every college student in the state is there with their laptops taking up every table for HOURS!! We walked in, looked around, and walked out. We ended up going to Gateway Market. I had a piece of red velvet cake. Chad had piece of cheesecake. They were both delicious and a sweet ending to our marathon date.

I love spending the day with just my honey. Even going to Costco is fun when it is just the two of us. Is it too soon to be counting down the day until our kids are on their own?

my love

2011-02-12T12:03:00.000-06:00

October 2010

I love my husband. Really love him. We have had an amazing revival (can't really think of another way to describe it) of our marriage the last couple weeks and I feel like I did when we were first married. I am completely infatuated with him. I can't keep my hands off of him. I think about him all day when he is at work and I can't wait for him to come home at night just so I can be in the same space, breathing the same air. I know, so corny, but so true.

I think back to when we first met 11 years ago. I watched him walk up the driveway on a Sunday night to hang out with my roommates after they were at church together. I was immediately attracted to him in his red Old Navy v-neck knit shirt tucked into his blue jeans. It was sometime in January of 2000. I would say there was a connection between us from the first night we met. We hung out with our mutual group of friends (my roommates were his church friends) for a few weeks. We would be a little flirty with each other. We would make sure we were sitting next to each other when we were in the group. We would talk for hours after every one else went home. Then one night he came to see me at work (I worked at a local Christian bookstore) and he asked me if I would want to go out that Saturday night. I said yes. On March 4, 2000 we had our first official date. That was the start of a whirlwind romance that resulted in our wedding day 176 days later on August 26, 2000.

I remember the first time my family met him. My dad's birthday is at the end of February and my sister hosted his party. Chad came by and met them and ate carrot cake. My mom told me later that Chad was a charmer and to be careful. HA! That must have been before our first date.

The first time he came into work and we had lunch together after our first date, a trusted friend of mine said she knew he was "the one."

He was and is "the one." The one man in this world who carries my heart with him wherever he goes. The one who has my best interests at heart. The one who protects me. The one who makes me smile like no one else can. The one who provides for my every need. The one who gives me butterflies in my stomach when he walks in the room. The one who understands my craziness. The one who loves me unconditionally. The one who would lay down his life for mine. The one who I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with.

Valentine's wish list or Birthday wish list or Just Because wish list

2011-02-01T14:06:00.002-06:00

Just in case my hubby decides to read my blog...or just in case my sweet friends decide to get me a prize....I would love.....

this...

or this...

or these...

2 euro shams please.

edited to add: Click the "this" above each picture to be taken to the website to purchase.

Love this.

2011-01-30T11:49:00.000-06:00

Have you ever heard of woot.com? They have one item a day that they sell for a rock bottom price. They also have a t-shirt that they feature every day. The top sellers are available all the time. This is one that I love....please tell me you understand it. If you don't, then you can't be my friend anymore.

Isn't that hysterical?!?! Love!!!

check it...

2011-01-29T15:49:00.000-06:00

Hey!

Check this out!!

And follow!

It is lonely over there!!

http://transformanda.blogspot.com/

mega mind

2011-01-25T22:17:00.000-06:00

*I can't stand Michelle on "The Bachelor." I want to punch her in her stupid face and give her a real black eye. I totally think her black eye was make-up. They don't go away that fast.

*"Teen Mom2" is a train wreck. I wanna shake those girls and tell them to get a freakin' brain!

*I want a perm...a loose, beachy curl perm. Chad is going to read this and find the voice recording of me telling him that I promise never to get another perm as long as I live.

*I had a $20 credit to amazon so I used it to get a curling iron so I can try out the beachy curl thing without the permanent factor.

*I need someone to teach me how to do my hair. And my make-up. I need an intervention.

*I bought an elliptical in October from a friend. It is finally going to be delivered tomorrow. I am scared of it.

*I am gearing up for some major life changes and I am so excited! They have nothing to do with the elliptical.

*I have a 10 year old daughter who is obsessed with talking about puberty...boobs, her period, shaving, zits, etc. are common topics of conversation between the two of us.

*I am going away with my hubby...just the two of us...for a conference in Minneapolis the first weekend in Feb. I love going on road trips with him.

*I think I am going to do a "friend" purge on Facebook. I hope you make the cut...ha.

*I have a blank corner in my living room. I don't know what to do with it.

*I ~~made~~ asked Chad to grow a goatee when we were first married. I loved them. Thought they were manly. He grew one. It was awful. There is probably a recording somewhere of me promising to never request a goatee from him ever again. There is one picture of it from my Aunt and Uncle's wedding. Y'know, the big family picture forever emblazoned with Chad's patchy goat.

on my mind...

2011-01-17T21:57:00.000-06:00

*Found out today that a family member (who we see maybe twice a year) unfriended me on facebook after I sent him a message about not having our kids exchange Christmas presents anymore. whatev...

*Had a bit of drama at Madeline's birthday party. I am so over the drama makers.

*Would totally use crack to lose weight if I knew my skin wouldn't turn to crap and my teeth wouldn't fall out and my brain wouldn't lose any of its functionality and it wouldn't make me a raving lunatic and I wouldn't overdose. Plus I have no idea how to do it or where to get it.

*Looked up the local school system to see what it would take for the kids to go back to school next year. After reading all the regulations, decided that wasn't the right move for us.

*Having lunch tomorrow with a friend who I adore but don't see nearly enough. Love that we can get together and it seems like no time has passed between us.

*All of our saltwater fish are dead. Don't freak out. We only had two. It is crazy to think that $70 in fish has gone to the ocean in the sky. We still have a few snails and a couple mini crabs and some bristle starfish and some anemone like things that are growing.

*Eli has the stinkiest feet ever. They stink 15 minutes after he gets out of the shower. He thinks it is hilarious.

It's a mad mad mad mad party!

2011-01-16T19:07:00.001-06:00

Before.

During.

After.

Madeline wanted to be Mad Hatter-esque for her party so we called on her punk rock cousin, Mara, to do it up. I think she looks pretty cool.

A mural/picture that Chad drew that originally was going to be a "Pin the hat on the Hatter" game. It ended up being a tad big, so we scrapped that idea and made it a picture back drop.

Peepaw Charlie, Grammy Delite.

Madeline, Sophie.

Madeline, Sophie, Ian.

Madeline, Sophie, Ian, Leo.

Madeline, Sophie, Ian, Leo, Eli.

Madeline, Sophie, Ian, Leo, Eli, Mara.

Auntie, Uncle Scott.

Grandpa Jay, Grandma Rhonda.

Nana Julie, Poppy Randy.

Mad Hatter Madeline and her makeup artist, Mara.

The tablescape.

Opening presents.

It was a wonderfully mad party!!

birthday mayhem

2011-01-15T22:34:00.001-06:00

It is Madeline's 10th birthday today! YAY!!! Before she went to bed last night she said, "Say good bye to the 9s!" then she proceeded to ask us what time we were getting up so she would know how long she would have to wait to open her presents. What a goon.

I woke up at 8:45 this morning, wished Madeline a Happy Birthday!, and she ripped into her gifts. She was a tad spoiled this year.

The gifts...

A book by Julie Andrews (one of her favorite famous people)

Eli with some crazy bed head. I couldn't resist.

Queen of Hearts bag she wanted plus some really cool Alice movie pins.

Alice on blu-ray.

Not believing she got a DS. She has been saving her money for months for one. We decided to surprise her.

A very happy girl.

Alice in Wonderland DS game from her brother.

Plus she got a competition swimsuit, a pair of jeggings, and a really cool army green jacket that is military-esque. It is really cute. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of it. Although if you click the last few pics to make them huge then you can see it on the back of the couch.

She wanted to go to Texas Roadhouse for lunch. No problem! We had a DELICIOUS meal. I love steak. I love it a lot. I could eat it every day. Yum. We got our bill. Chad handed the waiter (who was a little weird) his debit card. It came back declined. What?!?! We don't have any other credit cards. We have lived credit card free for over 3 years. If there wasn't money in the bank (which we knew there was) then we didn't know what to do. Chad handed the waiter his HSA (Health Savings Account) credit card to see if it would work....I know. Hilarious, but we were panicking and not thinking clearly. Chad got on the internet via his phone and checked our bank balance. There was more than enough money to cover our lunch...that doesn't make sense...what is that crazy charge at a Wal-Mart in Connecticut?...WHAT?!?! There was a random charge for $220 for Wal-Mart! WHAT?!? But why wouldn't Chad's card work when there was more than enough money? Hmmm....we explained to the waiter what was going on and he let us go to a bank to get cash out. Chad's card was declined at the ATM. Mine wasn't. We took out all the cash of our checking in case someone was going nuts using Chad's debit card number. We went back to Texas Roadhouse and paid our bill. Oy vey! What a disaster!

It is very weird to feel violated that way. Someone stole our number and was charging it up! I have no doubts that we will recover that money. But the feeling is a tad creepy. Chad called the Wal-Mart in question and talked to the manager who is going to investigate and get back to us tomorrow. We will contact our bank on Monday and get it all worked out. Madeline was a bit perturbed that all of this happened on her birthday and made a comment that we will always remember her 10th birthday because of this craziness. I hope that isn't all we remember!!

We spent the rest of the day hanging out and getting more stuff done for Madeline's party tomorrow. We are sure to have a great time with all of our family! I can't wait to show you all that we did to decorate!! Stay tuned...

sneak peek

2011-01-13T12:16:00.001-06:00

Madeline's 10th birthday is on Saturday! EEEK! And her family party is on Sunday. What does that mean for me? I am in full throttle decorating mode!!

I love to decorate for her birthday. It gives me something to look forward to after the post Christmas blues. Last year her party looked like this....all made by yours truly.

This year she wants an Alice in Wonderland party..more specifically, a Queen of Hearts party.

Here is a sneak peek...

grrrrrrrr....again

2011-01-11T23:10:00.003-06:00

I am in "my blog is all messed up" hades.

Never mind...I fixed it. YAY!!

snow aliens

2011-01-10T15:57:00.000-06:00

The kids went outside to play in the snow today.

I looked out the window to be sure they hadn't been abducted and this is what I see...

Clearly, alien life forms came and stole my children and put these imposters in their place. They cleared the entire drive way!! WHAT?!?!

grrrr....

2011-01-10T12:43:00.000-06:00

I started messing around with my blog background and now it is all screwed up. Seriously, this is going to drive me crazy.

obsess much?

2011-01-04T22:19:00.000-06:00

Ugh.

I am in fabric hell.

Opinions please.

Are any of these cool?

I think I have fabric brain.

As in, can't look at fabric anymore or my head will explode.

curtain mayday*

2011-01-04T11:56:00.000-06:00

*Here ya go, Meredith.

A curtain mayday.

Chad and I haven't had window coverings in our bedroom...on the first floor...mere feet from our neighbor's driveway...facing our semi-busy street...for 5 weeks. We don't turn the lights on at night. We stumble around in the dark hoping the neighbors can't see our naked buns by the light of the street lamp that shines across the street.

I am thinking (with help from my bedroom designer...aka Christy) that I want to do bamboo blinds with a sheer curtain panel over it.

I found these....yes or no?

Are they too dark? The reviews say they are a tad lighter than the picture. Hmmm...

And then I LOVE LOVE LOVE these curtains....but need to find something less expensive. It is a silk panel in the chevron pattern in grey and white. They are to die for!! LOVE!!!

If I wanted to go in a different direction...moving from zen like/relaxing and peaceful bedroom to more my personality, I found this fabric on fabric.com....

They would look like this...

Could I still do the bamboo blind? Or no blind? Hmmmm....

There are so many options and I am not set in stone on either option.

Help me...again!!!

lamp mayday

2011-01-04T09:31:00.000-06:00

I have two lamps.

One Chad likes.

One I like.

He doesn't really care which lamp I end up using. He just wants light in our bedroom.

I don't want to skew the vote by telling you who likes which lamp.

They are similar and yet totally different.

Lamp #1

Lamp #2

Which one do you like best?

Vote now!!

car talk

2011-01-02T22:22:00.003-06:00

Madeline: Mom, how did Michael Jackson die? Did he kill himself?

Me: He allegedly died from a drug overdose. He was on a lot of prescription drugs that probably shouldn't be taken together. His doctor gave them to him anyway.

Madeline: Why?

Me: Because he was Michael Jackson.

Chad: Because he paid his doctor and because his doctor cared more about money than taking care of his patient.

Madeline: Is Ozzy Osbourne still alive?

Me: Yes.

Eli: Is Fabio still alive?

I resolute...

2011-01-01T13:42:00.001-06:00

I resolute in 2011...

to worship

to bring joy

to be healthy

to be frugal

to be generous

to love

to serve

to renovate

to encourage

to speak truth

to dream

2 hours left of 2010

2010-12-31T21:59:00.000-06:00

There are 2 hours left of 2010 and I can't help but reflect on the past year.

It has been a year of glorious encounters with my Creator.

It has been a year of incredible growth for my marriage.

It has been a year of learning and teaching.

It has been a year of personal revelations that bring me closer to who God created me to be.

It has been a year of healing.

It has been a year of freedom.

It has been a year of enduring hardships but still being able to say and believe that "He is GOOD!"

It has been a year of love.

My prayer is that 2011 brings more of the same for me and my family...

and for you and your family as well.

Happy New Year!

new goodies

2010-12-27T09:52:00.000-06:00

I was blessed this year with GREAT gifts.

So excited to read this. It comes out Feb. 1!!

A couple gift cards to Starbucks. YAY!

Target gift card. What could be better?

Le Creuset Honey Pot...isn't it the CUTEST??

This may seem weird to some...but I really wanted a stainless steel knob for my LeCreuset pot that I got for my birthday/Mother's Day last year. It looks amazing!!

This lovely blue cover for this...

Nook Color!! Woohoo!!!

What did you get for Christmas this year??

how we roll

2010-12-16T20:25:00.000-06:00

This is how we roll around Christmas.

Everything gets a little sparkle...

a slow, lingering death

2010-11-30T11:59:00.000-06:00

This blog has taken a turn for the worse. It is dying a slow, lingering death but I can't seem to let it go. It has no real focus. I don't have a lot to say these days. So, what do I do? I have no idea. My mind is blank.

a little bit of this...a little bit of that

2010-11-16T23:42:00.001-06:00

*We are redoing our bedroom. Painting, new furniture will be delivered Dec. 3rd, new bedding, lamps, curtains. It is going to be amazeballs. (Did I steal that from you, Mere?)

*Eli is growing his hair out. He is looking so shaggy and so freaking cute I can hardly stand it.

*My favorite pajama bottoms are getting old and holey. I am so sad. I bought three pairs in three different colors when I saw them at Target about 10 years ago. They have served me well. *sniff sniff*

*Thanksgiving is a week and one day away and I have a ton of Christmas shopping left. This isn't right. I am usually almost done by now.

*We have completed nine weeks of school and I flipped out and changed curriculum in most subjects. What we were using was not working for us. I am praying the new stuff works better and we can get on with our school year with happy hearts and smiley faces instead of crap attitudes and sour faces.

*The crap attitude was mostly mine.

*Madeline has been swimming in her pre-competitve swimming class for about eight weeks. I am so amazed at how well she is doing. She loves it. I love that she loves it. She was timed doing a 25M freestyle on Tuesday of this past week and she did it in 32 seconds. She swam it again today and swam it in 21 seconds. Her dive was better and her stroke was so much better today than it was five days ago. Amazing!! I am so proud of her for putting in the hard work of all that swimming and really being committed to doing her best at every practice.

*I bought an elliptical from a friend. Lord, help me as I embark on yet another quest to get healthy. That is all I am going to say about that.

*After 2 years of no cable, we have DirectTV with DVR. Bring on SisterWives!!

*Seasonal candy is the best. Dove has Peppermint Bark for the Christmas season. It is divine.

MUST read!!

2010-11-02T21:33:00.000-05:00

I just finished "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak.

You MUST read this book.

SUCH a good idea!!

2010-11-01T09:29:00.000-05:00

I can't remember where I read it...sorry to the original poster...whoever you are... I would give you the credit if I could remember who you are...but I read about the greatest Christmas/birthday/*insert gift giving holiday here* gift ever!! It is a book of the month club but you buy the books all at once and wrap them individually and then the gift receiver opens one a month. Obviously they need to have a little integrity to not open them all at once for it to work the way it is supposed to. Isn't that the greatest idea EVER?? And if you are thinking "Holy cow, that would be expensive!" then you have never been to Half Price bookstore or garage sales. I would not feel weird at all to get used books for this gift. Would it bother you? I am thinking I might do this for Madeline's birthday in January. She will LOVE it!!!

Thankful

2010-10-19T10:13:00.001-05:00

Our 21 year old furnace quit working one of those super chilly nights a couple weeks ago. We woke up and the house was 54degrees. Brrrr....groan. Great. A broken furnace. Cha-ching! was all I could think about. I called my dad, our furnace expert, and he gave me the sage advice to call someone else. Ha! So, we called Bell Brothers to make an appt for them to come take a peek.

We were planning on having our garage door replaced by a friend and we knew we couldn't afford to do both so Chad e-mailed our friend and told him what was going on. Our friend said he would come look at our furnace to see if he could figure out what was wrong with it. Sweet! Seriously, this guy is like the Jack-of-all-trades. He came over. Dinked around with the furnace for a bit. Put a call into his furnace guy for advice. Came back two days later to see if his furnace guy's suggestions would work. Nope. We got nothin'.

BellBrothers came the next morning. Apparently it wasn't running because the flame sensor was dirty. He cleaned it up and immediately the furnace kicked on and warm air was filtering through the vents...but wait. He wanted to show me something. Here we go. It is like at the oil change place when the guy shows you how dastardly dirty your air filter is and it must be changed except that the filter isn't THAT dirty and it can wait another 6 months. Jerks. Anyway, he ran a snakey looking camera up into the furnace and there it was....a big ol' crack in the heat exchanger. Bad news, for sure. Apparently that crack can lead to a fire or the silent killer, carbon monoxide poisoning. The furnace will need to be replaced. Ugh. The salesman came out a couple days later and we bought a furnace. It will be installed in 2 days.

Despite having to shell out 3 grand for a new furnace I am extremely thankful. I am thankful for the tax credit and the energy company rebates that are available right now, cutting the total cost in half. I am thankful for a handy friend that is always willing to help. I am thankful that our friend couldn't figure out how to fix it. If he had we would not have known about the ginormous crack and we would have been in serious danger. I am thankful that the weather has been so nice that even if our furnace did work we wouldn't have needed to run it. I am thankful that we will have one more great reason for a buyer to buy this house when we want to sell it next summer.

snippets

2010-10-02T08:19:00.000-05:00

*We signed Eli up for TaeKwonDo. Good gravy, this could be crazy. He will go Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

*Madeline just started the second session of her Pre-Competitive swim class. She still loves it and has come SO far in just a short period of time. Remember how she couldn't swim 25 meters the first day without flirting with death? 10 lessons later, the last day of the first session, she swam 650 meters doing various strokes. It was amazing. She still really loves it even when they push her to the brink of exhaustion. YAY!

*We ordered our bedroom furniture. It will be delivered on December 3rd. Can't wait! We have 2 months to get the walls figured out. I want to take the chair rail down and sand and paint. Plus I have a good friend of mine who is going to help me with the design of the room for a project she is working on. Should be fun!!

*I would love to say that we are really rockin' at school this year but we are not. I have been feeling so inadequate this year. And really second guessing some things. And not doing well at all. We plod through their lessons and we are getting the necessities done but there is little enthusiasm. I would love for you to pray for me, that I can catch the homeschooling bug and that I can be the best teacher the kids deserve. I won't bore you with the emotional details, but I would so appreciate your prayers.

*Our extra curricular calendar is filling up. Madeline has piano on Monday afternoons. Swimming on Tues, Thurs, and Saturday. Book club once a month. Eli will start TKD on Tues and Thurs next week. And we are part of a homeschool co-op that meets 3 Fridays a month. This is the busiest we have ever been!

*The kids have started writing their Christmas lists. Do you think it is too soon to be thinking about Christmas? I don't! Only 83 days to go!!!

Calling all design junkies!!

2010-09-14T09:04:00.000-05:00

Hey girls! *I seriously doubt any dudes read my blog but if they do then I apologize for my apparent sexism. Boo.*

I am embarking on another home improvement project and I need your help/opinions/expertise!! We are redoing our bedroom!! WOOHOO!! YAY!! I can hardly stand the excitement! AND we are actually going to buy bedroom furniture! EEEEEK! Chad and I have been married for ten years and we have never owned a bedroom set or even a bed. We have a mattress and boxspring on the floor. Seriously, it is like we are college students. *Nothing against college students or their furniture. Geesh. I am really racking up the love today.* We have one hand me down dresser from when I was a kid and another dresser that my dad found at Goodwill or something. Chad uses a white MDF cube shelf thing for a nightstand and I use Madeline's old white mini bookcase on my side of the bed. That is it. Nothing cute...just functional. Blah blah blah. I have always disliked our bedroom. It has never been a den of peace. It has always been a dumping ground for clothes and books. NOT anymore, baby!! We are going to do it up right!!

We found a bedroom set that we love at Homemakers. It has clean lines, dark wood, and brushed nickel drawer pulls. Contemporary but not modern. It is beautiful. Plus the base of the bed has extra storage! Added bonus! This is not the exact bed but pretty close.

The previous owner put up a chair rail in the bedroom. They used some crazy textured paint on the bottom. It is almost like a sandy texture and then the top is smooth. Very odd. But then again they messed up a lot of things in this house that we are having to fix. Anyway, I would love to remove the chair rail but it would be crazy trying to get rid of that sandy texture stuff and I am not sure how it could even be done. So the chair rail stays. Poop. But we are going to paint the bedroom....I think. Right now it is a mossy green on bottom and white on the top. We definitely need to paint the top but we might keep the bottom color as is. I like the color. Chad likes the color. If I can find new bedding that works with it then bonus.

Speaking of bedding....we were thinking of doing a very neutral quilt and then spice it up with some fun pillows. I have been looking and there are so many fun and colorful quilts/duvet covers out there that I am rethinking that strategy. It is TOO much fun looking!! What would you do?

Into the swing

2010-09-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

*After a disastrous start we are getting into the swing of things with school. We haven't quite hit our stride but we are close and I couldn't be more relieved. Thank you, God!!

*Madeline is taking Pre-Competitive Swimming lessons the next 3 weeks for sure and possibly doing the next session as well in October. She has 3 lessons a week for one hour with Central Iowa Aquatics. She loves it!! I was a bit worried the first day when they had them freestyle 25meters as soon as they got in the pool and I thought Madeline was going to drown. She made it about 5 feet from the end and was gasping for air. She can't quite get the hang of her rotary breathing. She doesn't exhale enough when her face is in the water so when she comes up for a breath she is just inhaling, inhaling, inhaling. It doesn't work. I may have her practice breathing face down in the tub. Ha! Her second lesson they worked on the backstroke and she totally dominated. That is her stroke for sure. She was flying through the pool! It is so fun to see her explore this sport and be confident in doing so, totally unlike her mother who was/is as unathletic as they come. The hope at the end of this session or next is that she will be invited to join the swim team. Yes, I am going to be a swim mom. *crossing fingers*

*Bob the crab is doing remarkably well. He is alive after 2 weeks in captivity! We are going to take a sample of his tank water in to Adam's Aquatics to be tested to see if we can get him a couple friends. I am so excited!

*We are in the process, the never ending process, of getting our house more sellable. Hopefully 2011 will be the year of the move into our dream house. (Please, Jesus, please!) Next on the list is updating the wiring in our house, insulating the attic, and replacing the garage doors. Nothing fun. Boo. But necessary.

School shmool...

2010-09-02T14:44:00.000-05:00

We started school yesterday. Madeline is in 4th grade. Eli is in 1st. I am using Sonlight curriculum for the most part. Yesterday was a better than average day. Today was awful and I almost called the school district to see if we could enroll Madeline. I feel like I am failing her. That I don't get her. That I have lost all patience with her. That my life would be SO much easier if she wasn't home all the time.

Then I realize that God sees my heartache. He knows that I am struggling. He has called Chad and I to live this homeschooling life and He will provide everything I need to be a better teacher, mom, and wife. I need to let go of my own selfishness and remember that I only have my kids with me for a short time. That I am the best mom for Madeline and Eli. I am the best wife for Chad. I thank God for never leaving me to do it on my own because, as today showed, I will fail every time.

Lord, help me be who you called me to be. Give me supernatural patience for my children. Give me supernatural wisdom as their mom and teacher. Let me see them as You see them. Let Your love flow through me and may they see You through me.

Vacation wrap up

2010-09-02T08:58:00.001-05:00

I can't remember what day I stopped recapping our trip and I suppose I could look but I really don't want to. Just know that the rest of the trip was pure bliss. Chad and I had an amazing time. We had our anniversary dinner at The Owl Cafe and had such amazing food I could cry just thinking about it. The shrimp were so sweet and HUGE and the veggies were uber yum. I had the lemon and honey scented pound cake with fresh strawberries and homemade ice cream for dessert. I wanted to marry it. Chad had the caramel custard that was also very good. We very rarely get dessert when we go out but we had dessert at almost every restaurant on vacation. That is what vacation is all about, right? A time to get away from your normal life? It was a much needed time to reconnect and really be able to focus on each other and not have any distractions. It was absolutely wonderful. Plus we ended up with a rather strange and costly souvenir.

The day we went to St. Joseph state park, (I think it was Thursday) we were bumming around the bay's water edge and Chad was looking for shells and I was making sure these crazy sand cricket things weren't attacking me. He saw a shell in the water and it was pretty amazing. He grabbed it from the water and realized it had an occupant of the hermit crab variety. Hmmmm...so we decided to keep it, wait for the occupant to die and then have this killer shell for our collection. *I know. We are heartless but bear with me.

Fast forward 3 days. The little bugger isn't dead. He is still hanging out in the bucket of shells as if nothing is wrong. What would you do in that situation? We named him Bob and brought him home in Chad's crabbin' bucket full of sand and other shells, trying to replicate Bob's natural habitat so he won't feel too sad about being in Iowa versus Florida. He sat between Chad and I all the way home. We stopped at a pet store in Alabama and bought his some crab food. He didn't seem to be doing very well. I was worried he was going to expire on the way home, which a few days ago wouldn't have been that big of a deal but now I was invested in the little guy. We stopped again in Illinois and bought him a 10gallon tank and some salt water conditioning stuff. We filled a tray with the salt water and lay him in it. He literally laid in that water, almost all the way out of his shell and soaked it up the rest of the trip home. Poor Bob was dehydrated.

We got him home and decided to do a little research on what exactly we had brought home. It didn't take long to find him online and to see he was a Striped Hermit Crab...a marine hermit who needed a saltwater aquarium to live a long healthy life. Adam's Aquatics and Petco were closed for the night so we would have to wait until Monday to get him properly set up but we temporarily set him up in a glass loaf pan with salt water and some sand and hoped he lived through the night. Amazingly, he seemed to perk right up. I really think he was on the verge of death. Thank you, internet and Google, for giving us the information we needed to properly take care of Bob.

Chad went on Monday to get all the supplies and we now have a cute, little saltwater tank for Bob to live in. He is hilarious to watch and a super fun reminder of our trip!!

Vacation 401

2010-08-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

*Got up. Had breakfast. Watched some tv.

*Read "Loving Our Kids on Purpose" by Danny Silk. Read most of it to Chad as we sat by the ocean. This book is going to change our household. Wait. Chad and I with the help of the Holy Spirit are going to change our household. It is a must read for parents. The sooner the better. Thankfully, God's mercy is new every morning!!

*The water was so calm and clear yesterday that we decided to bust out our snorkel gear. We were under water for about 15 minutes and Chad got stung by a moon jellyfish. We couldn't see as well as we thought we would be able to. He must have swam over the jellyfish. It stung his nipple and his thumb. I was under water and didn't see him stumble over himself and run on top of the water to get out of harm's way much like Wile E. Coyote would. Thankfully, he is fine.

*We went to eat in Port St. Joe to Joe Mama's Wood Fire Pizza. It was amazing!! We ordered the chicken wings starter, then foccacia bread, and then the quatro pizza. We took a piece of cheesecake to go. All the food was outstanding!! We are foodies at heart and love a great meal! YAY!!

*We walked the beach after we got home from dinner. Saw a couple moon jellyfish washed up on the beach and a bunch of blue crab. Weird.

Vacation 301

2010-08-24T09:06:00.000-05:00

*I miss my kids. We call them every night before we go to bed to hear their voices and to see how their day went. Eli is usually distracted by something else and doesn't talk much. Madeline asks lots of questions about our day and says very little about hers. I can tell she misses us and that makes me miss her more. It is a strange feeling to love where you are and to love being just Chad and I and yet the other half of our little family is 20 hours away. I can't wait to see them and yet I am still loving our alone beach time. Quite the quandry.

*There is literally nothing better than watching the sunset over the ocean in a hot tub with a glass of wine.

Yes, I have my suit on. Sickos.

*We saw 2 manta rays yesterday. The water was so clear. The clearest it has been since we got here. You could see them perfectly swimming along on the bottom. We were in about 2 feet of water. Amazing! Plus we saw these little silver fish that would come in with the surf. They would bump into your toes and then scurry back to the deeper water. So much fun to watch.

*Chad went out again this morning to hunt crab. He came home with 9 this time. He has been cleaning them for over an hour. Crazy.

*We are getting into a little routine here. Chad gets up early and heads out to walk the beach to shell or hunt for crabs. I wake up around 8 or so and have a cup of coffee and watch the waves and wait for him to come home. We have breakfast. Then we head to the beach. I read a book. He sits and watches the waves or goes off to see what he can see in the water. We come in around lunch time, shower, and go into a town for lunch and shopping. We come home and walk the beach then we hit the hot tub for sunset. Shower again and then to bed to watch TV as we doze off.

*Yesterday we drove into Apalachicola to go have lunch and get some shopping in. I am still looking for the perfect gift for Madeline. Eli is easy to shop for. Madeline is a little more involved. Anyway, we had lunch at The Owl Cafe. It was one of the best meals I have ever had. Everything was perfect and tasty and amazing!! I hope Chad and I can go back for dinner some night before we leave. It was THAT good!!

Vacation 201-updated with pics

2010-08-23T17:54:00.003-05:00

*Another beautiful day in paradise. *sigh*

*Found a black widow spider in the outdoor shower yesterday morning after I was chasing sand crabs trying to get a good picture of one. Those buggers are fast. Told Chad about it after he got home from walking the beach and shelling. He took a couple pics of her and then killed her. Sorry, Peta, don't need a spider bite ruining our vacation.

*Chad watched some crabs feeding in the morning. He saw some people crabbing in the bay and talked to them about it. He then decided to go get his Florida Saltwater fishing license for the week. He just got back this morning (Monday morning) with four blue crabs. EEEEK! The water is boiling and we are having crab for breakfast.

Before cooking.

After cooking.

Meat from crabs.

*We were on the beach reading and relaxing and we saw these kamikaze seagulls dive bombing in to the ocean to get fish. It was hilarious to watch! I also loved watching the sandpiper birds picking at the sand. Their legs are so tiny and long. Totally fun!

*Had the crazy urge to see how much it would be to fly the kids here on Wednesday so they could experience this place with us. I am missing them something fierce. Well, it would be about $800 and then we saw that they can't fly alone anyway. Boo. Oh well, this has been so good for Chad and I and we are only on day 2. Woot woot!!

*I cannot tell you how blessed I feel to be here with Chad. It is amazing to think about 10 years ago and all that we have experienced and endured in our marriage. I can honestly say that I love him more now than the day I married him.

Vacation 101

2010-08-22T07:38:00.000-05:00

Aye carumba! Chad and I are in Cape San Blas, Florida after a twenty hour drive with one pit stop nap for an hour at around 4 am somewhere in Alabama. Oy vey....that sucked, but we are here and we are having a total blast!!! It is more appropriate to say it is relaxation, zen mania. Should zen and mania be in the same sentence? Probably not, but it is true.
We left Des Moines at about 5pm on Thursday night to drive through the night to Panama City. Cheap hotel and only 45 minutes from where we needed to be on Saturday. It may not make sense to some, out travel logic, but it worked for us. Panama City is a bit of a dump. Would not stay there unless someone paid me and even then it would have to be a lot of moolah. Left PC at about 9 am on Saturday morning to head to Port. St. Joe to go to their Open Saltair farmer's maket. Forgot about the time change in Mexico Beach and with travel time we got to PSJ at about 11: 30 with the farmer's market ending at noon. PLus it was raining off and on all morning long...much to Chad's chagrin. Couldn't figure out where the fm was so we drove to Cape San Blas to check out the house we rented before we could check in at 4pm. It was so fun to look at all the other beach houses and even better to see the outside of our abode for the next week. The hot tub maintenance guy was there getting the hot tub in tip top shape for us. YES! Based on a recommendation from a friend we drove to this little parking lot at the state park that is at the end of the cape to see if we could see any wildlife in the bay. It was a nature trail and we embarked on this great adventure hoping to see some fun stuff. We got about 10 minutes down the trail and we were getting eaten alive. So much for that...no way, man, we hightailed it out of there. We decided to drive back to Port St. Joe to get some lunch and to look around and do some shopping and to get groceries at the Piggle Wiggly. We ate lunch at the PSJ marina at the Dockside Cafe. Chad had scallops and I had a shrimp po-boy. Holy cannoli it was so good! They had the remoulade that I wanted to bathe in and we contemplated stealing the squeeze bottle full of it so we could use it on all our food throughout the week. It was THAT good! We walked though their quaint downtown area with a bunch of little shops. We bought Lola a new collar at Bow Wow Meow Beach shop. (She is at camp at Four Paws Unleashed and her collar gets so nasty when she is there and it can't be washed out...seriously, it smells like the pig barn at the fair. Have no idea how it gets that way. I guess it is kind of like what happens at puppy camp stays at puppy camp. If you click the link you will be able to watch Lola t camp in their day care room. ) Then we found a couple things for the kids. We headed into a bookstore/cafe and bought a couple coconut cookies that Chad wanted to marry they were so good. Thankfully he is already married to me or I would be in trouble. They were THAT good! We got groceries where the check out girl asked if I had any Piggy Points and I about died from laughter. She laughed with me and said, "Yeah, we have to ask everyone that. It sounds so ridiculous if you don't know what it means." Then we drove back to our house in Cape San Blas.
We unloaded all our stuff and took a tour of the house. It is BEAUTIFUL and LOVELY and SERENE and PRACTICALLY PERFECT IN EVERY WAY! Everything is white and sand colored with punches of color here and there. We settled in and got unpacked and went out the door to walk the 100 feet to the beach to look around. Yes, 100 feet. We have a sand dune as our front yard. And because it is turtle hatching season we have to turn off all the lights after 9pm so the babies don't get confused and head towards our house instead of the ocean like they are supposed to. It is seriously freaking awesome here. We saw a 2 and a half foot manta ray in the water just cruising along. And a little crab. And some seagulls and pelicans. And these little fish that get brought in by the surf and they they dart out back to the deeper water. Chad saw a jellyfish and about ran on top of the water to get away from it. Hilarious. After perusing the ocean we headed to the hot tub. It was wonderful just sitting back and relaxing watching the waves and listening to the birds...and I am not going to tell you if we were naked. HA! After the relaxation fest in the hot tub we got cleaned up and had some snacks for dinner then laid in bed and watched TV until we fell asleep. And that brings me to this morning. Now. Chad got up at the crack of dawn to head out to the beach to look for new shells that popped up over night and I slept in. I could smell the coffee being made so I got up. Grabbed a cup and sat on the deck watching the waves. Taking pictures. Watching the sun come out from behind the veil of clouds that has been covering it since we got here. Blogging. And waiting for my love to come back for some breakfast.

alternate thinking

2010-08-12T15:10:00.000-05:00

I joined one of those Members Only shopping sites today and was perusing the sales....I saw this picture

and thought to myself, "Sweet. I love chairs." I clicked on the pic and was super bummed that it was actually selling dresses. Bummer.

No screens. day 3

2010-08-11T15:22:00.000-05:00

Day 3 and none of us have burst into flames or keeled over dead! YAY! The kids spent the morning with my mom sans screens at her house as well. (Thank you, mom!) I am sure they were both secretly hoping Grammy wouldn't be in the know and allow them endless time in front of a screen. HA! No siree! I spent the morning getting some things ready for school and running a couple errands. Picked them up and had a project for them to do...cleaning out their dressers. Going through all their clothes and getting rid of things that are too small or that they won't wear. On a side note, Madeline has gotten so picky about what she will and will not wear. Ugh. Anyway, they have been busy getting their dressers organized and after that they need to clean their room. Spending all this time playing makes for a messier room than normal. I wish I had taken a pic before they started cleaning it up to show you the chaos. It is a mad house up there!

So far so good on the screen fast!! Only 4 days left!!

No screens. day 2 update

2010-08-10T17:12:00.000-05:00

Eli must think our house is a prison without TV and video games. He has been pumping iron without his shirt on for quite a while now.

No screens. day 2

2010-08-10T13:51:00.000-05:00

This morning started out a little rougher than yesterday. I think the tremors from withdrawal were making the kids crazy. I haven't been sleeping well with all the storms the last couple nights so that didn't help either. But none of us caved in and turned on the tv. YAY!!! A small victory but a victory none the less. The morning flew by when we went out to run some errands. Bank, library, grocery store. Got home and had lunch. Madeline was looking at one of her library books and asked what conjoined twins are. I told her I would show her after lunch. I took one of her scarves made from t-shirt material and tied the kids together at the waist. They have to stay like that (except during bathroom breaks) for the rest of the afternoon. I had them unload and load the dishwasher together to get them accustomed to being attached to each other. They are sitting on the couch looking at a book together now. It should liven things up a bit around here and give them something else to think about besides what they are going to watch as soon as the screen fast is over.

No screens. day 1

2010-08-09T13:16:00.000-05:00

Over this past weekend Chad and I decided that this week was going to be a no screen time zone for the kids. They ask multiple times a day to watch a movie, watch tv, play on the Xbox or Wii, or play on the computer. Seriously, it is a tad ridiculous. They are addicted to the screen. We are all addicted in some form or another. I love the background noise of the tv. But what starts out as background noise ends up being me sitting on my butt watching John and Julie find a new home in Autralia via House Hunters International. Or watching one chef vs. the Iron Chef. Or KathieLee and Hoda. (Blech-that show is lame.) This is a good break for all of us. We are almost half way through day 1 and already I am seeing some positive things come out of it.

The kids started the day asking if they could watch a movie. Old habits die hard, I guess. I reminded them about our screen fast and they went off to get themselves some breakfast. They followed breakfast with a game of Life while I took a bath. Then they went upstairs and played together. There were a few disagreements that needed to be ironed out but so far they are doing really well not zoned out in front of a screen. As I sit here they are both sitting on the couch reading books. *bliss*

It is amazing what God brings up to you when your mind isn't cluttered with random noise or images. We were eating lunch together and they were both sharing the dreams they had last night. Madeline's had various people from movies including Marlon Wayans' character RipTide from the movie GI Joe. Eli's had the zombies from this video game called Plants vs. Zombies. I sat and listened to their dreams and everything in me wanted to burst into tears. For months Chad and I and the kids have been praying before they go to bed for them to not have any nightmares and that they would have dreams and visions of God. That God would speak to them through their dreams. Then it dawned on me. Or the Holy Spirit brought to my attention...how in the world can we hear from God if our minds are so full of clutter? Obviously, God can be heard if He wants to be and I believe that He is talking to us all the time. But are we making it harder for us to hear Him if our minds are so full of useless junk? Absolutely!! If we move from one form of entertainment to another. One image to another. One noisy contraption to another...how much more difficult is it to be still...in the quiet....and to hear His voice? I want to hear Him all the time! Not just at church or when I set time apart for Him. All the time!

It was so convicting sitting there listening to my kids' dreams that were filled with movie stars and electronic images. I will be the first to admit that I have been so lazy in keeping them from watching too much tv or playing too many video games. I know there is grace and new mercy every day for me as a parent. I thank God for bringing this to my attention and while it may be a difficult road to change our habits I know that it is going to open us up to what He wants to say to us. How much better is being able to sit and hear from my Creator then to sit and see whether John and Julie pick house #1, 2, or 3? Immeasurable, for sure!!

Are you a picker?

2010-08-06T14:10:00.002-05:00

My sunburn has moved from oozy blisters to crunchy peely skin much like a corn flake. That is a lovely image, isn't it? I am a confessed picker. I love to pick....zits, scabs, sunburnt skin. It is taking everything in my being not to pick pick pick this skin. I want it to be totally healed by the time we go to Florida so I need to resist the urge to pick!!! Are you a picker?

Mind meld

2010-08-03T19:57:00.001-05:00

*This little bird sat in our front bushes for a long time the other day. I took this pic through the window of the door so I wouldn't disturb him. Isn't he cute?

*We leave for Florida (Chad and I sans kids) in 17 days to celebrate 10 years of marital bliss. I am so excited I could burst. Really. Really. Excited. We are driving and I am just as excited for the car trip as for the beach. Is that crazy? In case you missed it, we are staying here. Once in FL you will find me

here

and here.

*bom chicka bom bom*

*In preparation for FL, Chad and I (and the kids) have been hitting the neighborhood pool every Sunday for the last 2 months to tan up. I switched bathing suits 2 weeks ago. The halter straps on the first suit were much wider than the new suit. Got pretty burnt the first week. Peeled and went out this past Sunday (against my better judgement) and got uber burnt. Blister burnt. Oozy blisters now. Not fun. Stupid. I should know better. I bet you don't want to hear that last night as I was sleeping this side was seeping and stuck to my pajamas. I moved weird and the skin ripped off and I could feel the rest of is oozing down my chest and had to peel the dried skin off the inside of my jams. Gross. That was fun at 4AM.

*Eli lost his first tooth last night. It was quite the production. He looks adorable and the lost tooth induced lisp is hilarious. The next morning he had a dentist appointment to pull 2 of his middle bottom teeth to make room for the 2 permanent teeth that were popping up behind them. Once at the dentist we realized that it still wasn't going to be enough room so the dentist pulled 4 teeth . Eli was so brave and didn't freak out at all. I was so proud of him!

*There was a conference at church last week from Wed night through Sat night. Thanks to awesome grandparents and an amazing hubby I was able to attend the whole thing. It was a life changing experience. I cannot put into words all that God is doing in my life and all that He is going to do. I am so excited for this next season of life as I seek Him. Amazing. Simply amazing.

rockin' the dress

2010-07-23T22:05:00.000-05:00

I totally rocked a sundress at a friend's going away to Afghanistan party. Not that we were celebrating him leaving. Heaven's no. We were wishing him God's protection as he fights for our freedom and the freedom of others. So yeah. I wore a super cute sundress and I totally should have taken a pic but I am not b.a. and do not have a fashion blog. Although from all this talk about clothes you might think I do. Or not. I texted b.a. a pic of me in the dress and simply asked "Yes or no." knowing full well that she would tell me "no" if she deemed necessary. She came back with a resounding "Definitely yes!" I was thrilled to have one of my fashion icons (ha! that might be a tad dramatic but who cares) think something I picked out was cute. Woohoo! One point for "clueless in the fashion department Manda!" I arrived at the party thinking I was totally to die for cute and received numerous compliments. I felt good and the 3 "Amber Waves" didn't take away from that feeling at all. *insert smirk here*

I have this new found love of the dress. I have the adorable sundress I wore that night. The super cute dress from Cassie (my blog buddy) and I was at Target tonight and picked up another dress that is SO FREAKING CUTE!!! I can't wait to wear it out on the town with my hubs. Maybe I should invest in some summery wedges to amp up the fashion meter (and to make my trunks look longer and leaner.) See? I totally pay attention to Rachel Zoe and Clinton and Stacy! I am not a total lost cause...although I secretly wanted my friend to nominate me for their show. Not anymore, baby, I am figuring it out! Embracing my body and rockin' the dress!!!

blog awesomeness

2010-07-21T15:20:00.001-05:00

I think it is a blog rule that if a reader you don't know reads your blog and then sends you a prize then it is a sign of blog awesomeness. I am pretty sure that rules exists. And if it doesn't, well, it does now, baby!! A reader (her) read my blog and then thought about me later and realized that she wanted to send me something that she thought I would love. What did she send me? What did I just get in the mail today? A dress!!!

How cute is that?? I tried it on and it is super cute and will be PERFECT for Florida! Now I need some b.a. action to help accessorize keeping in mind that I am not a dainty girl!! Thanks, Cassie!!! It is so appreciated and I can't wait to wear it!!! You are a gem!!!

acceptance or settling?

2010-07-15T16:04:00.001-05:00

I am a fat chick. I want to be skinnier. I want to be able to walk into J. Crew and buy a cute little dress off the rack and know I will be the cutest thing ever wearing it. Have you seen fat chick clothes? They are so NOT cute! You either dress like a hoochy hoo or a frumpy grandma. Thankfully there are stores like Old Navy that have "extended" sizes (XXL in the regular section) that fit or can actually be too big. Hallelujah!

I am 35 now and losing weight is not as easy as it was 10 years ago. Will I ever be disciplined enough to eat healthy all the time and to exercise every day? I slip up for two days and the scale shows it....slowing creeping up. It is frustrating and really freaking maddening. I was thinking about my success last summer and how I walked on the treadmill every day. I was up to walking 3 miles a day. I felt great. I actually enjoyed exercising. What is up with me this time? Besides the fact that in a moment of pure stupidity I sold the treadmill to make room in the office for our school room. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb. I want to get another treadmill or an elliptical (Anyone have one they want to get rid of? I have cash.) I realize that I need to be able to do something at home. Or I was thinking of doing water exercise classes but that involves joining the Y which is stupid expensive for a family. Ugh.

So I have all this running through my mind and then I just want to give up the idea of being skinnier. How wrong is it to be okay in my skin as a fat chick? Am I just fooling myself so I get out of doing the work? Or am I really okay with myself? Is it okay to wear a tank top and to show off my chubbo arms in all their glory....stretch marks and all? Am I okay with wearing a skirt that shows the jiggle on the inside of my knees as I walk? I DON'T KNOW!!! I have been shopping for Florida clothes the last couple weeks and I have picked up a couple things that are definitely more revealing than most of what I would wear in my every day life. I have a couple tank tops that I think are uber cute and then I found a smocked sundress that is so freaking cute. I love it! It will be so cute to wear as Chad and I wander the little shops in FL and have lunch by the ocean. Would I dare wear it here where I might run into someone I actually know? So goes the struggle of my wardrobe choices. And please don't get me started on swim suits. I don't think I can handle it.

hilarity ensues...

2010-07-06T13:42:00.004-05:00

Found this blog via another blog via another blog...don't you love it when that happens?? She makes fun of catalog styling. Hilarious!

http://catalogliving.tumblr.com/

For example:

A twist of something…

Elaine was not amused by Gary’s passive-aggressive response to her request to “garnish the cocktails.”

camera dump

2010-07-02T10:55:00.002-05:00

I was looking for a couple pics to upload to do this stupid Despicable Me photocopy application (Don't ask. It ended up being really stupid...but you HAVE to see this movie. It is SO good!) and realized that I had some gems on the camera that I hadn't posted for you all to ooh and aah over.

After much trial and error and a major messy kitchen we finally figured out how to make butter from the raw milk that we get from our friend's cow, Charlotte.

I present to you...the butter turd. I know, right?

Totally looks like duke but it was super yum on our pancakes.

Speaking of pancakes. Check these out.

We are total dorks but the kids LOVED them! And I have to say, so did I!

Not sure why this one is sideways. Uploaded it several times and it goes wonky.

And the piece de resistance and my personal fave....

You can find the molds here.

My friend, b.a, and her hubs went on a weekend get away and I had the sheer pleasure of watching the girls for an afternoon.

Eli loves babies, especially little q.

P got all glammed up and was our flapper girl most of the day.

Madeline was totally awesome and read to all of them dressed in her funkiest accessories.

menagerie

2010-06-26T09:32:00.000-05:00

*The kids are in swim lessons this past week and the upcoming week. They both totally dominate in their classes. Eli can do a solid back and front float and Madeline is doing the crawl stroke. I am so impressed by them and all they have learned in four days.

*I have 90% of my curriculum for next year and I can't wait to get started. Would it be wrong to start at the beginning of July? Ha! My kids would hate me. We are using Sonlight for history, reading, and language arts. If you click on the link you will see all the awesome books we will be reading for history! I am beyond excited! Plus I got my core (what is in the picture) for $200 on ebay versus the hefty $450 price tag on Sonlight's site. YAY me! We will continue using MathUSee for math. Madeline had asked me to switch her math because she was so bogged down last year with multiplication. MathUSee is a mastery curriculum so Madeline did ALL multiplication last year and she really wanted to switch things up. I can totally understand that. I was a little tired of multiplying as well. This year she will be doing all division which I think will be so much easier than last year considering she knows all her multiplication tables and that is half the battle. In addition to that, to break things up a bit for her this year, my sister found this!! Madeline will own her own virtual pet store!! She will figure out inventory, mark up, utilities that need to be paid, learn how to write checks, fill orders, etc. There are chance cards that she draws every day that could be good for business or bad for business. She is going to love it!!

*Our fourth of July plans have tanked. (Feel free to invite us over for a barBque and to watch fireworks.) We were going to go to Okoboji to the Miller cabin on Spirit Lake but Chad ended up being on call. There are two guys on the IT/data side of Baker Com (where he works) and the other guy quit. So now there is one lone data tech, my hubby. Due to the economy they are on a hiring freeze so Chad will be the "it" guy for data until who knows when. If you think of him, please pray that this transition goes well and that he will withstand the stress of being the only one. It won't be easy, but I know he can do it!

*I don't want to talk about weight loss anymore. There is so much more to my life than losing weight. That is all I am going to say about that. *insert your favorite Forrest Gump comment here*

*Chad and I are going here for our 10 year anniversary. So far the oil spill (spill is such a dumb way to describe what is happening. It is so much bigger than a spill.) has stayed away and I pray that that continues. I can't wait. 7 weeks to go!!

*My lovely ghetto van is getting about 500 dollars in repairs today. Yuck. What a boring way to spend $500. But I need this piece of junk to last me a couple more years so better take care of it now before it gets worse, right? I am trying to be an adult about it.

Confession

2010-06-21T00:07:00.000-05:00

After weighing myself this morning and seeing that lower number and not really wanting to try to figure out the points in the dinner we had at my dad's house to celebrate Father's day, I decided I wasn't going to count points at all and eat whatever I want. Lets just say it was a binge fest tonight. Major binge fest. There was angel food cake, animal crackers, and ice cream drumsticks involved. And that was after a giant piece of Felix and Oscar's grinder cheesetopper pizza.

Do you see a pattern? Every 10 days I fall off the wagon and stuff my pie hole with junk. Need to figure out a way to avoid that dangerous situation. Blah.

Sunday Weigh In-AKA SWI

2010-06-20T22:35:00.000-05:00

Down another 2. Woot woot! 8 pounds total in 3 weeks.

Starting weight: 227
Current weight: 219 (love seeing that one after the two)

Yummy eggs

2010-06-13T20:57:00.001-05:00

Thought I would share with you a little yummy sumpin sumpin. Saw this on Top Chef Masters and had to try it. I fry up an egg (no butter in a non stick pan) and when you put it on your plate add a dash of soy sauce. It is fantastic and a nice way to jazz up your eggs without cheese and bacon. Ha!

Sunday weigh in

2010-06-13T10:50:00.000-05:00

Not quite sure how this happened.

Starting weight: 227

Weight last week: 225

Weight this week: 221

Total weight loss: 6

Woohoo!

blew it

2010-06-11T19:34:00.000-05:00

Totally blew my weight watching (yes, I have turned Weight Watchers into a verb or is it an adverb) today. Went out for lunch with my sister and mom. Investigated the menu the night before and figured out the points to all kinds of healthy things. Got to the restaurant and ordered a cheeseburger and fries. GAH! To make matters worse my sister and I stopped at a bakery/cafe on the way home and I bought a sugar cookie and a molasses cookie. I ate the sugar cookie first. Waited 2 hours and just finished eating the molasses cookie. I feel like I need to throw up. My stomach hurts. That will teach me. I hope.

Thankfully I still had plenty of weekly points to add to my daily points so I didn't blow it so bad that I would be out of control in the points department. There is always a positive side, right?

Back to the healthy eating that I have been getting used to this past few days. Oh joy!

Rockin' it and rebellion

2010-06-08T15:46:00.000-05:00

I have been totally rockin' the Weight Watchers for almost a week. It will be 7 days tomorrow. *gulp* I designated Sundays as my weigh in day. Not sure why. So I weighed myself Sunday morning nakie after my shower. There was a pleasant little surprise. I dropped 2 pounds from Wed-Sun. Yay. I will take that little victory. I would love to see big numbers a la Biggest Loser but that ain't gonna happen. Not unless Jillian shows up at my house and makes me work out until I puke. Sounds fun, huh? I will incorporate exercise when I feel like it. Maybe soon. Some days I feel motivated to go out and run a marathon but I know my family would miss me when I die from a heart attack half way down the block. It wouldn't be pretty. I know I need to do something physical to up my downward weight. Did that make any sense at all?

After 6 tedious days of obsessing about points and planning every meal 3 hours in advance I said, "Screw you, Weight Watchers!" and had McDonalds for lunch while I was out gallavanting and running errands. EEEEEK! I know. I would love to say that I felt horribly guilty and beat myself with a belt to purge the fast food demons from my soul, but I didn't. I loved every fat filled, salty bite. And then I came home and logged my points like a good little weight watcher who is a slave to "the point." I still have 6 points for the day! *wootwoot*

Stats
Starting weight: 227
Current weight: 225
Goal: 165

Here it comes to save the day...

2010-06-02T16:48:00.000-05:00

Ugh. Been "watching what I eat" for a week now....has it been a week already? Drum roll please....I have lost ZERO ZILCH NADA pounds. No downward movement on the scale at all. I am hungry and cranky. Frustrating? HECK YES!! Especially since my lovely hubs is seeing results from his weight loss effort. Dudes have it so easy....in all sorts of ways.

Per the recommendation of a good friend (who should totally have a blog of her own...I honestly can't believe she doesn't have one yet. Plus I could link to her from here. Are you listening, SS???) I joined Weight Watchers online. I am not a meeting person. I am an online girl. They are having a good 3 month deal so I figured I would check it out. I will use the fast food fund to pay for it. No, I don't really have a fund specifically for fast food. I have an entertainment/eating out fund for the kids and I during the day. It has been used in the past for mostly fast food. There is another retched confession for ya. You are like my therapist or more like my priest (if I was catholic.)

I filled out all the profile stuff. Added a cute pic. And tracked my points so far for the day. I am on a roll. I think it will be good accountability for me and it will spare you from reading about what I ate every day...although you will notice that lasted about 2 1/2 days. My endurance and stick-to-itiveness pretty much sucks.

We will see where this new adventure leads. Hopefully it will lead to a brighter, healthier Manda and to the regular size clothes department.

Day 3 and Costco

2010-05-29T22:00:00.000-05:00

Day 3-Lets see if I can remember yesterday. Protein shake for breakfast. Pineapple brat for lunch. Went to a concert at an outdoor amphitheater downtown. Had chicken/mozzarella ravioli for dinner. Then a few snacks at the concert (raw almonds, chocolate chip cookie, a few animal crackers.)

Chad came home early and we headed to Costco. We loooooooove Costco! It is our fave place to go together (note: I said together meaning it is the only store that we both enjoy.) We have a few fave products from Costco that we love.....

Raska cream cheese-so much better than Philadelphia and it has a cute Amish buggy on the front. Unfortunately they didn't have any in stock this time. That could be a problem.

Kirkland (Costco's brand) whole wheat bread. It is yummy and you get 2 huge loaves for like 3.50. Cheap.

Kirkland salted sweet cream butter. It is cheap and yummy.

Kirkland vanilla ice cream. Tastes like homemade.

Kirkland milk. Cheapest gallons of milk in the city and they claim it is hormone free. I am a converted AE snob.

Kirkland yogurt. That is good stuff.

Kirkland groud beef in a tube. You get 5-1 pound tubes for $11. It is great quality and low in fat. Can't remember the exact ratio but I am pretty sure it is at least 90/10 if not 93/7.

Seriously I could go on and on about all the products we love. Plus they have cheap books and their cheese department rocks. Not that books and cheese have anything in common, unless you eat cheese while you read.

day 2

2010-05-28T15:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a weird day. I wasn't at home and we were uber busy so things were weird. Just weird. Got up and had a protein shake for breakfast. I am not a breakfast eater so this is a wonderful substitute. I can sit and catch up with the world via facebook and sip my breakfast. Perfect.

I have needed to go to the grocery store for over a week. We have been eating so boring. We did not have many lunch options and I was running late to get to my moms so the kids and I stopped at Arby's. Better than Mickey D's or BK, right? I had the roast beef gyro. It was pretty tasty. And half my curly fries. I shouldn't have even ordered them but I am so used to saying a number when you hit the drive thru that it didn't even occur to me to just order the sandwich until I was stuffing my pie hole with curly fries. BUT yay me...I stopped half way thru. That is an accomplishment. Much like being able to use your kegel muscles to stop the urine flow half way thru peeing. I can do that too. Multiple times in one sitting. Thats right. I am a rock star.

Dinner was a little jacked. We met Chad at our garden co-op at 5:30 to work in the garden for a couple hours. It was hot and horrible and VERY overwhelming. The weeds are crazy. We got home from weeding about 8pm and none of us had eaten yet. So we threw some pineapple brats (you can get them at Hy-Vee if you are local) and some chicken breasts that needed to get cooked. I didn't have the energy or the time to whip up a side so we ate meat for dinner. Ugh. How embarrassing even to admit that but on days like yesterday sometimes that is what happens. I could have thrown out some raw sugar snap peas but no one would have eaten them so I didn't bother.

Chad took a half day off today so we ventured to Costco and stocked up on some fruits and veggies. I bought a box of chipolte black bean burgers that are so yummy. Need to get some peppers, cilantro, and a jalapeno to make some pineapple and pepper salsa to serve on them. Yummy! Chad was getting on me about eating the samples but I considered it my lunch, so there.

Bought a scale at Target yesterday. woohoo.

Goal: 165
Weight: 227
Loss: Big fat 0

Diet day one

2010-05-27T09:56:00.001-05:00

Yo! I totally schooled diet day one yesterday! I was a tad cranky by the end of the day and wanted to go to bed at 7:30 so I would avoid the late night munchy sessions that I am prone to have but I stood strong!! I had a lovely small bowl of multi grain cheerios for breakfast. A cheese quesdilla on multi grain tortilla for lunch. A big salad with lots of veggies and a mini pizza for dinner. Seriously the minipizza is barely the size of one slice of pizza so I didn't feel bad. Then around 9pm the munchy crazies were running rampant. My stomach was growling ravenously waiting for its late night chocolate and peanut ice cream sundae. Oh no! So I grabbed a couple graham crackers. YUM! They were the best tasting graham crackers EVER! It is amazing how much better food tastes when you are actually hungry and not eating out of boredom or by the clock. The one thing I need to work on is drinking water. I hate water. Our sun tea jar is busted and leaks all over kingdom come so I need to get a new one today so I can enjoy yummy sun tea. Lots and lots of sun tea. I love it. I have a slight addiction to McDonald's sweet tea. But I know I can kick that to the curb and enjoy my own fresh tea sans sugar. I also need to pick up a scale so i can more accurately measure my success. Oy vey! There is a lot of work to be done.

back to square fat

2010-05-25T22:21:00.000-05:00

It is true. I have gained back almost all the weight I lost last year. (Reminder: I lost 30 pounds last summer in preparation for our big Disney/beach trip.) I think I am still about 5 pounds down from my weight at the beginning of '09. So weight gain of 25 pounds. It is a year and a half later and I am pretty miserable in my own skin. I try to tell myself that I am okay with how I look and feel. It is a lie.

Raw feelings alert: I feel disgusting. Fat and sloth like. I look stupid in most clothes or all clothes. I feel most comfortable holed up in my house wearing over sized t-shirts and too big pajama pants. It covers all the flaws.

So I ask myself, "Self, what the hell are you going to do about it?"
I answer myself, "Stop the excuses and get your butt in gear."

Here we go again. Back to square fat.

Goal: Get back to my wedding weight of 165/size 10.

Stats: Current weight (as of 3 weeks ago at a Drs appt - just tried our scale and it said I weighed 70 pounds. HA! I guess it is time to get a new scale! ) approx (weight is 3 weeks old). 227

channeling b.a.

2010-05-19T10:44:00.001-05:00

I had a fantastic day yesterday with some of my fave people ever.

Did the zoo with the fashionista, b.a., and her kidlets. I am not going to lie. I was freaking out a bit about what to wear to the zoo considering my company. Then I said, "What the he-double hockey sticks, it is just the smelly zoo and I wouldn't want to upstage b.a." Ok, I really didn't say that. It was more like "There is no way my lame closet offerings could compare to b.a.'s so why even try." My fave shirt of the summer (a lovely white peasant top) had already been ruined by some unknown substance. Thanks for nothing, stain fighter. We had a lovely day strolling through the zoo even if we looked a tad like Rosie O and Kelly. (Totally stole your joke, b.) You can read more about it on her blog.

Later that evening my sister, and my nieces, Mara and Sophie, came to pick me up to go shopping. Mara is moving out and wanted to hit Goodwill for houseware items. Sophie had a gift card to Forever21 that she wanted to use. Mara found some sweet retro mugs. They had an amazing vintage Schwinn beach cruiser bike that I totally wanted. It was beautiful but a tad pricey for Goodwill. Bummer. I would have looked sweet on that ride.

After Goodwill we ventured to the mall to hit up Forever21. If I was skinny and cool I would shop there for all my trendy needs but since I am not, I stick with looking at the jewelry and other assorted accessories. This time, instead of just looking, I bought a couple things. I channeled b.a. (ok, not really, but you get the idea) and thought to myself, "WWb.a.B?" You see, my friend b.a. has amazing taste and if I was skinny and cool I would dress exactly like her. Does that sound a little single white female? She is the queen of accessories. I am not. I wear the same jewelry everyday. My wedding ring. My mom ring. My bird on a wire necklace. Either my diamond stud earrings or I have recently branched out and have been wearing largish fat hoops. I am a creature of habit. Plus I have no idea what is fashiony and what isn't. Despite my anxiety of buying something that was a little over the top or SO not me, I bought a necklace at Forever21. (And some sunglasses but they are killer and I don't care who laughs at me, I love them!)

What do you think? Cute, huh? I put it on as soon as we left the store and it felt a tad awkward. After a bit, I was rockin that necklace and there was a little more bounce in my step. It felt good.

I really wanted to buy this ring but that might have been over doing it. But how cute is that??? Oh to be young and hip and to be able to pull this ring off. Loves!

I think after last night, much to my hubs chagrin, I am going to be perusing the accessory section of stores more often and thinking "WWb.a.B?"

summer summer summertime

2010-05-16T15:47:00.000-05:00

School is out! Our first year of homeschooling is done and I couldn't be prouder of my chitlins for enduring a year of ever changing plans and curriculum. They went with the flow and I think we did rather well for not having a bleeping clue about what we were doing. It is officially summer at our house. *Please don't tell my kids that on June 1st we start out SummerBridge workbooks. Eeeek. It is just one little page of things to keep their minds fresh during the summer. No big deal, right?

We have a few things planned until school starts in the fall. We are taking the kids to the Miller family cabin in Okoboji over the 4th of July. Should be a fun time of heat, mosquitoes, and fireworks. At some point my sister and I and all our kids are going to spend some time with my last living grandparent in Walnut Grove, MN. Grams is a total crack up of a lady. She is a tiny woman who loves to smoke and gamble. She won a bunch of cash at a casino and paid for a kitchen remodel at her church. She is the best. The trip de resistance will be for Chad and I at the end of August to celebrate TEN years of wedded bliss. We are going to Cape San Blas, FL for a week. Just the two of us. We are staying here. I can't wait to spend a week on the beach during the day and in the hot tub in the evening with my hubs sipping champagne and toasting to a wonderful life together. Nestled among our mini trips and the big one will hopefully be weekends away to the Omaha Zoo, a trip to Ikea in MN, and playdates galore!!

What are your summer plans??

Urgent prayers needed

2010-05-12T14:42:00.000-05:00

Cooper Knight

Please join me in praying for

complete healing

for this little boy.

To learn more of his story please go HERE.

mumbo jumbo

2010-04-11T09:33:00.000-05:00

*We celebrated Eli's 7th birthday on Friday. I am such a blog dork that I didn't give it much pomp and circumstance here. We had a lovely day. Chad took the day off. We woke up and Eli wanted to open his presents. We got him the Lego Death Star. We took Madeline to Chicago for her 7th birthday and decided than that the 7th b-day would be a BIG deal around here. Not really sure why we picked 7. Chad and I are so random like that. Anyway, so instead of a trip we bought him the DeathStar. He has been obsessing over it for YEARS..or ever since it came out in the Lego catalog a year and half ago. I have heard about the Death Star every day for a year and a half. Most days multiple times. He screamed his little head off when we saw it. It was a moment to remember. Then his friend, Oliver, came over and we took the kids (Madeline too) to ChikFilA for lunch (my fave-totally talked Eli into choosing it the night before...lol) and then to see "How to Train Your Dragon" in 3D. We were going to go to the regular showing but Eli really wanted Oliver to be able to see it in 3D so he forked over the extra $15 to see it in 3D. I absolutely love when my kids are givers!! The movie was FANTASTIC! A must see in my book and I can't wait to own it! I laughed, I cried, I held my breath. It was a GREAT movie! We came home and had dessert and the boys played video games for a bit. We took Oliver home and had a relaxing evening of Lego building. It was such a FUN FUN FUN day!

*I am enjoying our new living room so much. It is always picked up and clean. Something about being proud of a room that makes you want to keep it in "drop by" condition. Wish I felt that way about the rest of the house.

*Chad and I sat down and figured out a budget for school curriculum for next year. I am SUPER excited about the changes that I am making and hope next year is better than this one. I am SO ready for this school year to be done. We have about 5 weeks left and I can't wait for summer vacay to begin!!

*Madeline and I had the privilege to go the cousin's house Saturday afternoon to take prom pictures of my nieces, Mara and Sophie. They were BEAUTIFUL! We had so much fun taking about 400 pictures of them and their dates.

*Chad is out morel mushroom hunting right now. I am hoping he can find the motherlode like he did last year. He loves the hunt and we love those tasty morsels!!

*I don't know what it is about little girls, but there always seems to be drama. I am in the midst of helping Madeline navigate through friend stuff and it is not easy. The Mama Bear inside me wants to rip into these girls that find it okay and apparently necessary to point out to Madeline everything they don't like about her. Madeline and I have talked about being a good friend and what that looks like and how to respond to them when they act that way. It is frustrating to just sit on the sidelines and watch Madeline handle it herself. Madeline is a loyal friend and I love that she is so forgiving but it hurts me to see her hurt. Oh the joys of parenting....oy vey!!

*Chad and I are part of a garden co-op. There are 8 families from church that are a part of it and it is so nice to have this connection with them and with this land. The kids and I have been out planting a couple times so far this season and I absolutely love getting my hands in the dirt. Chad, the kids, and I will go out every Wed. night from 6-8 to work the garden plus whenever we have big planting days or work projects that need to be done. As we sow into the land we hope to reap a great harvest of veggies this summer. This will be the healthiest summer EVER for our family! We are also sowing into new relationships which has been such a blessing for us!!

Before:After

2010-04-02T11:09:00.001-05:00

BEFORE

Such a crazy pic. Couldn't find a normal pic of the living room before. This will have to do.

Light taupe or tan walls

Huge, green sectional

Red and taupe striped curtains

Shrine to my children on the wall shelves

The wall opposite of the shrine had absolutely nothing. It was bare.

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

AFTER

TA-DA!

New paint color

New couch and love seat.

New shelves. New lamps

New curtains

New sofa table

As an added bonus, here is how I found Chad and Lola last night after dinner.

A site worth visting

2010-04-01T14:32:00.000-05:00

Check out this website. Love it! You especially need to check out the "Bad MLS Photos" section.

http://hookedonhouses.net/

Before and after pics of my own living room coming soon. Geesh, would I get it over with already?

To do...

2010-03-25T11:09:00.006-05:00

*Have furniture delivered....should happen in the next 3 hours. Or at least that is what they tell me. DONE
*Hem and iron curtain X 6. DONE
*Put up hemmed and ironed curtain X 6. DONE
*Look for new wall shelves. Looking for something a little sleeker but still my style. DONE
*Purchase new wall shelves. DONE
*Put up new wall shelves. DONE
*Accessorize new wall shelves. DONE
*Look for banana leaf trunk for blankets. DONE
*Purchase banana leaf trunk. DONE
*Put blankets in banana leaf trunk. DONE
*Stage living room.
*Take pictures of finished living room.
*Post pictures of finished living room on blog.
*Pat self on back for job well done.

don't hold your breath

2010-03-20T00:05:00.000-05:00

our new furniture is delayed

pictures of the living room are delayed

poo

under construction

2010-03-18T19:05:00.000-05:00

Stay tuned for the big reveal on our new living room.

*insert dramatic music here*

New fave blog and a giveaway

2010-03-11T09:08:00.000-06:00

Check out this blog!

Plus she has a giveaway going on!