Friday, February 26, 2010

Thanking God on Friday

~ I am thankful that our computer is FIXED!!! Rondell wrapped it up yesterday and let out a big Whoo Hoo when it was all done. Now I can get back to my regularly scheduled blogging!

~ I am thankful that Rondell has the night off tonight. Jamison is having a carnival at her school and it's nice that we'll all be able to go as a family. I love family time.

~ I am thankful that Jamison and I were able to have a heart to heart talk earlier in the week and that she was able to express some of her feelings to me. I pray that we're always able to talk like that and that she always feels comfortable coming to me about anything.

~ I am thankful for the motivation to get the things done that I talked about here.


Thursday, February 25, 2010

Love Your Home, Again

Rondell and I currently live in our first home. Of course when we started looking for a house we had a list of the things we were looking for, like a basement (not necessary finished), 3 bedrooms, and of course a kitchen window.

We looked at about 15 houses before we found our current home, and it was love at first sight. As soon as we pulled up I knew I was going to love it...it had a two car garage, 2 1/2 baths (that was a plus), the yard was well manicured, and the backyard was huge and gorgeous. I remember sitting in the living room at our first showing and telling my Realtor to make it happen (not like in a super bossy way but in a "I really want this house" way).

When we had our home inspection our house passed with flying colors...it was obvious that the home was well taken care of and maintained well.

...and then we moved in! Rondell and I are not handy and honestly don't have a lot of knowledge on how to keep up a home. So, after almost four years we're ready to get serious because we love our house and we need to show it that we do. We've started making a list of all of the things that need to be done or that we would like to do to give our house a little TLC.

Over the weekend we rehung a few pictures. I know this sounds so small but one picture was behind the closet door and every time you would open the door it would knock the picture and make it crooked (one of my pet peeves!). Finally I took it down and moved it over just a bit (how simple was that!). This time we hung it just on a nail because before when it was hanging on a picture hanger you could see 1/2 the hanger (not cute), as well as another picture that had the same issue. But just those small changes got us motivated.

One of the first things we are going to do is change the front door a bit. Right now we have two long way rectangle windows in our front door. On the inside of the door there is a curtain that covers the windows...nice for privacy but the curtain AND the curtain rods have seen better days. We're going to do something like this:

There is film you can buy to cover the windows to make them frosty for privacy. This way we can take down the tired curtain and still have privacy. Then we'll repaint the inside of the door. Small, yet something that will make a nice difference.

The next thing we're going to do is change the flag pole bracket or just take ours down and repaint it. Right now ours has rusted nails and the rust has bled onto the bracket. Soon it will look like this (all white with no rust):

Another rather advanced (for us) plan is to change out the lighting in our kitchen. Right now we have two ceilings lights like this:

Not cute! I want something like this over my sink:


And something like this for the other fixture:

I really hope that it's not too hard...we'll see!

We're also going to paint our kitchen walls and cabinets. I saw a good tutorial here about repainting the kitchen cabinets. We painted the wall Fun Yellow by Sherwin Williams and man is it yellow. I love yellow and have always wanted a yellow kitchen but it needs to be a softer yellow. The cabinets are already a creamy white and we'll keep them that way, but they are chipped and just need a little TLC.

So, there are just a few things we want to do in the next few weeks (believe me, the list is much longer than this. With that, over the next few weeks I'll be showing you our process of falling in love with our home, again.

Are you in love with your home?

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

An Award Here, A Tag There

Two bloggers, Michelle and Tanya, gave me the sweetest award last week. Tanya and I have been blogging buddies for a while now and Michelle is a newer blogging friend...both great ladies with beautiful blogs (I can see why they got the award in the first place).

Thank you ladies for this great (and flattering) award!

The Rules for accepting this award are.....

1.Thank the link to the person that gave you the award.
2.Pass this award on to 15 bloggers you've recently discovered & whom you think are fantastic.
3.Contact said Blogs to let them know they've won.
4.State 7 Things about yourself!

I don't have 15, but I have some bloggers that I've recently discovered (and one who is a real life friend!) that I believe have beautiful blogs:

Lyndsey - My IRL friend Lyndsey takes some amazing photos.
Georgia - Miss Georgia (I love her name!) has just started blogging. So far she is doing a beautiful job.
Kim - Kim is a blogger who first posted on my blog and then we discovered we go to the same church...small world.
Jessica - Jessica is a blog I discovered recently. She has some amazing recipes.

7 Things About Me (I thought I'd pick somethings to share for people who have recently discovered my blog):

1. Pizza is my favorite food and Coke is my favorite drink.
2. I love notebooks and have many at one time.
3. My favorite color is yellow and I love sunflowers.
4. I love to read, but I don't make nearly enough time for it.
5. One of my dreams was to swim with a dolphin and I was able to do that when we went to Florida two years ago...AMAZING!!!
6. I recently discovered Stampin Up! and I now love making cards.
7. I am a believer in Christ!

Onto my tag...my IRL friend Lyndsey tagged me with a neat idea. I am supposed to post about a particular song that instantly takes me back to a specific place or moment in my life.

Well what comes to mind is Eric Roberson's CD Left. I don't have one particular song, but this entire CD makes me think of our first trip to Florida in 2008. It was our first family vacation and we were beyond excited. We listened to this CD a lot on the drive down to Florida and while driving around Destin. This was an amazing and very memorable trip for us and that CD brings back those fond memories. It was such a beautiful location and we truly enjoyed every minute of the beach, the pool, the seafood and the relaxation! Definitely a special time in my life (and a good CD!).

If you have a song, share!

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook - TUESDAY, February 23, 2010

For today...

Outside my window...
gloomy. And let me just tell you that I'm tired of it! I can tell that I have a touch (or more) of the winter blues from lack of sun. On Friday it was sunny and I was in a great mood...but now it's gloomy and I feel blah. I'm looking forward to our sunny weekend!

I am hoping...that our computer is fixed soon. Not being able to blog regularly is hard because it has truly become my outlet. I have met some really great friends through blogging and without a computer it's hard to stay connected (ha, ha). There are things I want to share with you all (like Caleb's big boy bed, or my Valentine's social with our Small Group, or little projects that Rondell and I are trying to get done around the house, or cards that I've made...). I hope to be back to my regularly scheduled blogging by the end of the week.

I am thinking...about all of the cool things I want to make now that I have finally learned how to use my sewing machine! I went to a class yesterday and I loved it. I can't wait to play around and really get sewing.

I am thankful...for conversations with my daughter. I was able to talk to her last night and really get to the heart of some of her sensitive issues.

I am praying...for peace.

I am reading...So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore. So far so good.

I am creating...I have some cards to make and I also want to try and make a headband like this over the weekend.

From the kitchen...last night I made taco pockets (I forgot to get the information about where I found it...sorry), potato soup, pigs in a blanket, and meatloaf and macaroni and cheese (I'm going to try Angie's meatloaf recipe that I found here).

Around the house...Caleb finally got a twin bed, Rondell and I priced mailbox posts and realized they're not that expensive (ours is pretty worn and wobbly), we decided to paint the inside of our front door and we still need to clean our carpets (any suggestions on a good cleaning liquid?).

A few plans for the rest of the week...organize the kids' clothes and bag clothes that need to be donated, make a few cards for friends, go to Jamison's school's carnival night and then on Sunday we are going to see my cousin who just had a baby girl.

How is your day...please share.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Thanking God on Friday

~ I am thankful to today's sunshine. It has been a rough couple of weeks, so this is a nice break. I know it's going to snow more next week, but for right now I'm enjoying the sun shining!

~ I am thankful the Google. As I'm reading through the Bible I have a ton of questions and things that I just don't understand. But, usually I can enter my question or the topic in Google and get some answers. Today I was able to get a map of the location of the 12 Tribes of Israel and it has made my reading much easier to follow.

~ I am thankful for my friend Tonya. She always calls right when I need to talk...seriously, at the exact moment that I need her. Has to be a God thing!

And I'm thankful for my friend Lyndsey who is always available for some good advice!

~ I am thankful for answers to prayer...now I just have to be obedient about those answers!

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook - TUESDAY, February 16, 2010

For today...

Outside my window...
Snowy, snowy. We just had our 3rd snow storm of the month and we are currently at a Level 2 Snow Emergency (Level 3 is the highest). It was a pretty scary drive into work today, but I made it safely. Whew!

I am hoping...that our computer gets fixed soon...it has a virus. That's why I haven't been around in a while...I've had no access to a computer and it's been killing me. Rondell thinks he knows how to fix it so hopefully I'll be back fully soon!

I am thankful...for all of you! Remember my giveaway...I haven't forgotten. Jenn won! I would show you pictures of the drawing (by my lovely assistant Jamison), but I can't download them to my sick computer, sniff. Jenn, email me your info and I'll get your goodies in mail this weekend!

I am thinking...about summer and how I wish it was here.

I am praying...for safety.

I am reading...Deuteronomy. It has been a little bit of a challenge getting through Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers, but Deuteronomy is a nice overview and so it has been really helpful to read.

From the kitchen...nothing planned. We need to go to the store badly but because of sickness and now the weather we haven't had a chance. I did make banana pudding on Sunday for Valentine's Day and it was a hit. I'll share the recipe I used later this week.

Around the house...I'm trying to clean and get the house back to normal.

One of my favorite things...Valentine's Day. I was not able to do all that I wanted for Valentine's Day this year, but maybe I'll catch some good after holiday sales...trip to Hobby Lobby anyone?

A few plans for the rest of the week...Clean, buy Caleb a bed (yes, he's still in a crib) and I'm supposed to go to a Stampin Up event that my demonstrator is having...I hope she's still having it.

Do you have a Daybook?

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Just A Hello!

I've been battling two really sick kiddies. I think they are on the mend... But I wanted to say hello and let you know that's why I haven't really been around. I will still be picking a winner for my giveaway (enter here), so if you haven't entered now is the time. I will announce the winner tomorrow in my Thanking God on Friday post!

Hugs!

OH! And sorry for the strange setting with photobucket. I'm not completely sure what's going on but it has to do with my designer who is having fun at Disney. I'm sure it'll be fixed soon.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Tackle it Tuesday - Kitchen Cabinets

So, I told you guys that I'm trying to do these tackles. I haven't completed my list, but basically I am making a list of everything that needs to be done around the house and I'm trying to tackle it in an order that's manageable...basically I'm not ready to tackle the garage right now because it's freezing outside nor am I ready to tackle our master closet because we'll have to put some money into shelving in there (not in the budget at the moment).

My first tackle was my kitchen cabinets. I like to have a place for everything and everything in its place...I think it helps when you're cooking and when you have to make your grocery list.

Here's what they looked like:


Yup, that's it...we don't have a lot of cabinets in our house...it's a smaller house (one that I LOVE!). But for me things were out of order and there was stuff tossed everywhere.

We also have a made up pantry on the door going down to our basement. Oh how I would love to have a real pantry. This holds cans, jars, pasta and overflow items...as you can see we're a little low.


I started with my spices. I like to have them divided, spices on one side and baking spices on the other. I pulled everything out first and checked to see if things were expired (like those two containers of baking powder). I also found this:

Why do I forget every Thanksgiving that I already have sage?

I put the less-frequently used spices in the back...I love those Blazin' Blends but that's for the summer when we have burgers and steak on the grill. We use Old Bay when we're in Florida...which is where I got that huge container of salt (we didn't pack salt...we will this year).

Then of course I had to have my most favorite spices in the front...who can live without these:

What spices are in the front of your cabinet?

Does everyone have a bag like this in their cabinets?:

My plan is to buy a container to hold these in instead of a ziplock. But you never know when that Taco Bell sauce will come in handy!

Here's one side of the spice shelf:

And the other side:

These are the two shelves above the spice shelf. They basically hold baking items. You would think we bake a lot and we don't.

Here's the kids cabinet as I like to think of it. It holds things that the kids need for lunch, snack and breakfast (we're out of oatmeal I discovered). I keep the bread there too because when it was on top of the toaster oven the bag kept getting melted...wonder how that happened??? Oh and note to self...only buy JIF.

That's it! I don't have an after of the "pantry" because it pretty much looks the same. Now I can see where things are better and tell what we are running low on or are out of...like oatmeal.

Happy Tackling...

Monday, February 8, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook - Monday, February 8

For today...

Outside my window...
cold, cold, cold and over a foot of snow. While I try and stay positive I have come to the conclusion that I just don't like winter. At least the sun is shining and the sky is blue!

I am thinking...about my kids and how I can't believe that I forgot two very good friends' birthdays.

I am thankful...for all of you (so be sure to check out this post).

I am praying...for my Small Group.

I am reading...The Bible. I've decided to participate in the "Bible in 90 days" challenge. Right now I'm on day 8...in Leviticus.

I am creating...Valentine's Day cards and candy boxes. Jamison and I have a date this week with some Valentine's Day paper to make cards for her school friends.

From the kitchen...this weekend we made homemade pizza for the first time. It didn't turn out the way we would have liked, but now we know what to do for next time. Anybody have a great pizza dough recipe you want to share with your good friend Kelli?

Around the house...chaos, or at least that's the way it feels. We were snowed in most of the weekend and we took advantage & had some great family time. We played the Wii a lot! It was a great time for us, but the house suffered...at least the dishes are clean!

One of my favorite things...Jamison's enthusiasm about going to church. Some days it's her excitement that keeps me motivated.

A few plans for the rest of the week...make Valentine's Day cards, pick my next house tackle (I'll show you my cabinets tomorrow), and plan a Valentine's Day social that I am semi-hosting (anyone have any fun Valentine's Day games that aren't too cheesy?).

Come on...fill in your daybook!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Thanking God on Friday (Saturday Edition)

~ I am thankful that I have a husband...

who will go out in this...

to shovel and play with his kiddies...

and help his Princess build the best snowman EVER!

...and then come inside and handle the vomit that came out of Caleb. Usually Rondell is at Best Buy on Friday nights but by the grace of God he was called off last night because of the snow. Whew (because as you know I don't do vomit)!

~ I am thankful for a slow and relaxing week. I'm trying to simplify my life by trying not to feel like I need to fill in every page of my planner. This allowed me to do some very simple things that I don't make time to do. I just need to sit back and enjoy my family...and do a craft/project or two!

~ I am thankful for all of you! So, I've decided to do a small giveaway. Leave a comment on this post and I will send you a few of my favorite things. Nothing special, just hello or why you like my blog. I'll pick a winner on Thursday and announce on next Friday's TGOF.

Hugs!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

...Ology

I saw this on a blog that I recently found (and love...here). It looked fun so I thought I'd post it. Here it goes:

FOOD-OLOGY

What is your salad dressing of choice? Hidden Valley Ranch
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Abuelo's.
What food could you eat for 2 weeks straight and not get sick of it? Pizza
What are your pizza toppings of choice? Pepperoni, mushrooms, banana peppers & extra cheese.
What do you like to put on your toast? I don't really eat toast, but if I did probably cinnamon/sugar (like my mom used to make).

TECHNOLOGY

How many televisions are in your house? 2 tubes...we're living in the past.
What color cell phone do you have? Black.
What does the first text message in your inbox say and who sent it? It's from my friend Christa last night telling me that 8 is still OK for me to come over (and see her brand new baby!).
Who was the last person to call you? my mom

BIOLOGY

Are you right-handed or left-handed? left baby!!
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? wisdom tooth, and earring from when my ear got infected from a second hole and is swelled over the top of the earring, and two babies.
What is the last heavy item you lifted? A box of paper.

RANDOM-OLOGY

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? absolutely not!
If you could change your name, what would you change it to? I wouldn't, I like Kelli with an I.
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? No thanks.

DUMB-OLOGY

How many pairs of flip flops do you own? 2 or 3
Last time you had a run-in with the cops? I see them daily since I work in a courthouse.
Last person you talked to in person? My buddy Lyndsey...she works just down the hall.
Favorite Month? June...it's my anniversary, Ron's birthday, not too hot...

CURRENT-OLOGY

Missing someone? My grandmother.
Mood? Pretty good.
What are you listening to? Freeway noise.
Watching? my computer
Worrying about? Wow...nothing. Great, now I'll start to think about something to worry about...why does that always happen?

RANDOM-OLOGY

What’s the last movie you watched? It's Complicated...a MUST see if you need a really good laugh.
Do you smile often? I do.
Do you always answer your phone? I try...unless it's an unknown caller.
It’s four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? Hopefully my boss saying that it's a snow day!
If you could change your eye color what would it be? None, I like my hazel eyes.
What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Cranberry Limeade
Do you own a digital camera? Yes, I just got a nice one for my birthday.
Have you ever had a pet fish? Yes, many times.
Favorite Christmas song? Sleigh Ride
What’s on your wish list for your birthday? Wow, it's so far away...um, I'm sure I'll want some more stamping stuff.
Can you do push-ups? Um, no.
Can you do a chin up? Yeah right.
Does the future make you more nervous or excited? excited
Do you have any saved texts? I do...and saved voicemails too.
Ever been in a car wreck? Yes.
Do you have an accent? No.
What is the last song to make you cry? Probably at church on Sunday
Plans tonight? Hanging out with my family and loving every minute.
Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? unfortunately, yes.
Name 2 things you bought yesterday. A breakfast sandwich...I think that's it.
You ever been given roses? yes...my husband bought me yellow ones when I turned 30! :)
Current hate right now? No hates...not worth the energy.
Met someone who changed your life? yes
What were you doing 12 AM last night? sleeping.
What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? 5 more minutes...

What's your ology?

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Crab Dip

As you know Rondell and I watched the season premiere of Lost last night (which left us with more questions than we had going into the show). We wanted to make it extra fun so we decided to have appetizers. I made Rondell buffalo chicken dip (recipe found here) and I made a crab dip that my friend Angela makes. I thought I'd share the recipe with you:

Crab Dip

3/4 cup sour cream
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1 tbs grated fresh onion
1 tsp worchestershire sauce
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp garlic powder
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 lb lump crab meat
paprika or Old Bay seasoning

Combine sour cream, lemon juice, onion, worchestershire sauce, dry mustard, garlic powder and cream cream in a bowl and stir until smooth. NOTE: Make sure the cream cheese is really soft. Angela recommends either putting it in the microwave to soften it or to use a mixer to mix all of the ingredients.

Fold in cheddar and crab meat.

Pour into baking dish and sprinkle with either paprika or Old Bay.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes or until heated through.

You can serve it with tortilla chips or crackers.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

The Big Bathroom Reveal (A Million Weeks Late!)

Are you guys still with me? I know it for FOREVER for me to get this done and it's not like I had that much to do. I've been dreaming about redoing the kids' bathroom ever since I saw this post (and yes, it is dated October 2008!). It took me a long time to find the shower curtain that fit my vision...and when I did find it, it was only $7!

With my new word (FOCUS), I finally put it all together...finally. Hopefully it's not too anti-climatic for you.

Here's generally what it looks like. The shower curtain is really the focus of the room and what brought everything together. What I loved about my inspiration bathroom was all of the color. I kept the same color on the walls since it matched the shower curtain well.

I bought a green shag rug to bring out the green in the curtain. One day we'll replace that ugly floor, but it was not in the budget.

I decided to use hooks for the kids' towels because it's much easier to have them hang a towel on a hook rather than a bar. I do still want to put pictures of the kids above the hooks.

One feature that I love about this curtain is that the holes are reinforced.

I was able to find some cute accents to bring out more color...a blue bin that holds hand towels and soap, a blue trash can, and a green wire bin to hold the extra TP.

The letters are my favorite. Jamison and I painted them and then I added matching scrapbook paper on two of the letters...you know, to bring out more color. {And where are all of my towels...no towels on the hooks, none on the towel bar...hmmm}

Just another view.

Well friends...there it is, the much-talked-about bathroom. I do really love the way it turned out. When we get a few extra dollars we'll change the floor, counter top and light...but until then, I'll just enjoy all of the color!

I'm linking this to A Soft Place to Land DIY Day.

All Things Loved in January

I can't believe January is over...where did it go?

1. I enjoyed trying new recipes...like potato soup. This is definitely something I will make again (and again).

2. Catching up on these shows. While I'm still VERY disappointed in how Private Practice is representing Postpartum Depression, other parts are pretty good and it was nice to be updated on Grey's...I love my dramas!


3. Finalizing my word of the year.

4. My baby boy turning THREE!

5. Reading through the book of Genesis...who knew the Old Testament could be so interesting. There are so many parallels to Christ...it's amazing.

Monday, February 1, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook - February 1, 2010

For today...

Outside my window...sunny and COLD. I'm not a fan of the cold but I sure do love this sunshine!

I am thinking...how this week is going to be better than last week.

I am thankful...for God's grace!

I am praying...for friends and family going through rough times.

I am reading...The Bible for Dummies. Ha! I picked it up at the 1 Spot at Target. It's this tiny booklet, but it has some interesting information. I'm also still reading through John (with BSF) and Genesis (with my Small Group).

I am listening...to Corinne Bailey Rae. I just rediscovered her CD...it's lovely.

I am creating...Valentine's Day stuff. Last night I made the pieces for a banner. I need to get some eyelets to tie it all together. I also need to start on my Valentine's Day cards...I have a few drafts sketched out of what I want to do.

From the kitchen...Finally, a meal plan. This week we are having baked ziti, appetizers, chicken tetrazzini and homemade pizza!

Around the house...I'm thinking of doing a tackle...to write down each area or room in my house that needs tackling and list each thing that needs to be done. Then I'd like to tackle one area/room each week until it's all done (good thing I don't have a big house). I think the first tackle will be the kitchen cabinets. I need to organize them and have a better system. Then I think it'll be the 1/2 bath.

Oh, and the kids' bath is done (well, Rondell has two more letters to hang) and I'll show you the results tomorrow!

One of my favorite things...Friends! Yesterday Rondell and I were able to see some friends we don't get to see that often...Robert and Amanda. Their little girl, Abigail, had a birthday party and they invited us. Jamison and Abigail are so much alike and get along really well. It was fun to see them and catch up.

A few plans for the rest of the week...tomorrow is one of the most anticipated events of 2010...The LOST season premier!!!!!!!!! I'm going to see a friend who just had a baby on Wednesday. That's it! It will be a relaxing week.

What's going on with you today...share here.