Home is Where Your Gnome Is

Tink Back Tuesday

2011-04-12T15:21:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the second edition of Tink Back Tuesday here at GnomeinTX!

This weekend, biomaj5, Liz, and I attended the DFW Fiber Fest in Grapevine. We had a great time perusing all the booths and spending way too much $$$. Here's my loot, and a picture of the three of us enjoying my new sod. :)

(1) Butterfly Girl Designs spindle with labradorite whorl (1 oz.) (2) Tyler finally finished knitting me a pair of socks! Pattern is Wendy Johnson's Double Eyelet Rib, yarn is Knit Picks Comfy in Lilac. (3) Two if by Hand BFL roving, colorway Exhasuted (4 oz.) (4) An improved photo of my Sprucey Lucy sock-in-progress. (5) Spinning Straw into Gold Mixed BFL roving (4 oz.) (6) From Left to Right: Myself, biomaj5, and Liz. (7) Ozark Carding Mill fingering weight, 80/20 alpaca/wool. (8) Madelinetosh Tosh Sock, colorway Terrarium(light).

I also snagged a new project bag by That Semifero Girl at The Knitting Fairy booth.

This week's knitting only involved finishing my Ripened scarf (this morning at work, actually!). It needs the ends woven in and to be washed, but I'll get a picture up next week. Now I can turn my attention back to the Sprucey Lucys and Geodesic.

Until next week, knit, knit on!

Making My Garden Grow Monday!

2011-04-11T08:00:00.002-05:00

That's right, ladies and gentlemen, another weekly column! Actually, this is the second in a series of four columns I'm rolling out as I revamp my blog. Making My Garden Grow Monday is a chance for all of us bloggers to share what we've been working on in our yards and gardens throughout the week. Feel free to take my badge and link back to my blog so we can all keep up with each other!

The past two weeks have been busy here at Casa de Gnome, yard/garden-wise. On March 31 we finally had sod installed in our backyard. We have been in our home for almost 2 years and the whole time our backyard has been a combo of clay dirt (or mud, depending on the weather), weeds, and random grass that got blown onto our lot. Last year we added our raised vegetable garden bed, but otherwise the vegetation has been rather lacking. Here's a before and after shot:

It has been so nice to be able to walk barefoot through the grass and hang out in the yard this week! We've also been busy getting ready to start up our veggie garden for the season. We've procrastinated and had a bit of a late end to winter, so we decided to buy seedlings rather than start seeds ourselves this year. This week we hit up our local home improvement store for a variety of fruits, veggies and herbs.

We got 3 kinds of tomatoes, 3 kinds of peppers, okra, 2 kinds of squash, strawberries, cantelope, dill, thyme, sweet basil, cilantro, mint, and lavender. We will put them in the ground as soon as we finish this project:

We're building a split rail fence backed with fine-gauge chttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhicken wire to keep the dogs from getting into and digging up the garden. We had a lot of problems with that last year, so we're trying to improve things. The wire should be fine enough that we'll still be able to see through the fence so we can observe the plants all the way from the patio (where the above picture was taken from). Tyler is planning to finish up most of the fence this week, so we'll get the plants in the ground ASAP!

Until next week, happy gardening!!

PS: I'm going to be cross-posting my blog posts from my WordPress account for a week or two, and then I'll be moving over there permanently. Please update your bookmarks if you want to keep following me! http://gnomeintx.wordpress.com

New blog address!

2011-04-05T17:52:00.002-05:00

I've decided to give WordPress a shot. Mosey on over and let me know which site you prefer! :)

GnomeInTX

Tink Back Tuesday

2011-04-05T11:28:00.011-05:00

Welcome to the first-ever (and hopefully not last-ever) edition of Tink Back Tuesday. Tuesday is the perfect day for me to update you on my little corner of the knitting world, since it falls right after my Stitch n Bitch that happens Monday nights - I get a good portion of my week's knitting done on Monday, so you'll get the most updated pictures and progress reports for all of my projects. I also tend to do quite a bit of tinking on Monday nights, because I'm too distracted by crazy conversations about the special cupcakes of the day at our local coffee shop where the SnB takes place - hence the name of this feature.

I hope you enjoy Tink Back Tuesdays - please feel free to join in! I'd love for this (and my other upcoming features) to be a way for bloggers to connect with one another. You can borrow my banner and link it back to my blog, and leave a comment with your web address so I can compile a list of who participates to be shared each week.

Without further ado, here is what I've got on the needles at the moment.

Sprucey Lucy Socks by Wendy D. Johnson, in Knit Picks Essential Kettle Dyed (discontinued), colorway Timber:

I've had the socks on the needles for a few weeks, but I haven't been working on them very much, as you can tell. I was originally making them for my aunt as a thank-you/hostess gift, since she's letting us (us = Tyler, biomaj5, and myself) stay at her cabin when we go to Colorado in June for the Estes Park Wool Market. Because I've made lots of mistakes, and I like the yarn so much, I'm keeping the socks for myself.

Ripened Scarf by Danielle Chalson, in Lion Brand Cotton-Ease, colorway Azalea:

According to my Ravelry account, I started this scarf December 16, 2009. I think the last time I worked on it before last night was sometime around New Year's Day 2010. Yikes! Anyway, I have resurrected this WIP to stand in as my hostess gift for the aforementioned situation. I noticed when I took the picture that I have some frogging to do, because I was distracted by my chocolate peanut butter cupcake last night and didn't take care to follow my chart all that closely. Oops.

Geodesic Cardigan by Connie Chang Chinchio, in Tempted Hand Painted Lacy Grrl, custom colorway:

Last but certainly not least is my very first cardigan. This was started as a challenge/knit-along with my pal biomaj5. I began on June 2, 2010, and this is all that I have to show for it. I'd really like to finish this in time for our trip in June, but I'm just not sure if I'll make it! Maybe blogging about it weekly will help keep me accountable?? (Stop laughing. It was worth a shot!)

This weekend is the DFW Fiber Fest, and it will be my 3rd year in attendance. Biomaj5 and her friend Liz will also be accompanying me, and we're looking forward to it! I'm planning to purchase my first drop spindle and roving, as well as a shawl pin. Hopefully I won't break the bank, but if I do, at least I'll have something to keep me entertained afterward.

PS: I need to learn to take better photos of my knitting. Any suggestions on where/how to start??

New start in the New Year!

2011-01-02T10:25:00.002-06:00

I've decided to resurrect my blog this year. :) To start, I'm just going to make a rough list of my goals and wishes for 2011.

-get pregnant (I'm not even sure what to say about this... but I really hope 2010 is the last year we'll be childless)
-read 88 books
-knit 11 objects
-learn a Bach sonata
-read my Bible every day (just purchased Eugene Peterson's The Message//Remix: PAUSE to help with this)
-run! (already scheduled for 1 10k and 2 half marathons)
-become better at communicating, especially on the phone

That's all I can think of for now. I'm sure there's more things I'm not thinking of now, but you'll hear about them as they come up.

My epitaph

2010-11-04T19:29:00.003-05:00

Today I am embarking on a journey to discover God's vision and purpose for my life. A friend suggested the book/experience "Chazown" by Craig Groeschel to me, so I am starting there.

The first section of the book ends with a question: During your final days, how do you want to be able to finish these statements?
-The thing that was most important to me was
-People say I stood for
-I made a difference in my world by
-God was glorified because I
-People knew I loved them because
-The reason I expect God will say "well done" is

I wrote these questions in a journal, and started pondering what I want my life to say. The answer to the first question came to me easily.
-The thing that was most important to me was FAMILY.

The other questions took more time. I let my thoughts wander as I read and re-read the questions. Certain thoughts started repeating themselves as I looked down at the page, and I realized these were some of my answers.
-God was glorified because I worshipped with abandon.
-People say I stood for equality.

The last few questions I still struggled with. I thought about what I would write, and realized this is just a jumping-off point, none of this is set in stone. So I wrote what I feel in this moment.
-I made a difference in my world by helping people achieve better health.
-People knew I loved them because I invested time in them.
-The reason I expect God will say "well done" is for setting a Godly example of what a wife should be for my children and others.

For now, this is my epitaph.

Hmm...

2010-09-30T14:47:00.001-05:00

I've been neglecting the blog (and Project 365) again! It's been about 2 weeks since I posted, and I've taken very few pictures in that timeframe. Sorry, guys! I think I'll start afresh tomorrow, since it will be the first of a new month. Stay tuned!

Oops!

2010-09-15T21:12:00.004-05:00

Sorry I've been neglecting the blog a bit! I have 2 weeks worth of pics to post. I'd better get crackin'...

Sept. 2 - some awesome storm clouds rolled in!

Sept. 3 - we flew to Roswell, NM. This is the sign outside the airport.

Sept. 4 - we celebrated Grandma Mahaffey's 80th birthday

Sept. 5 - we spent some time in the park taking family pictures

Sept. 6 - Tyler and I hung new shelves in the living room

Sept. 7 - missed

Sept. 8 - sunset through the house they're building behind ours

Sept. 9 - missed

Sept. 10 - missed (my mom was in town for all of the 'missed' dates)

Sept. 11 - Former UNT footballer Johnny Quinn, with Honest John and a painting by Honest John

Sept. 12 - flowers!

Sept. 13 - Lucy wears my running shirt.

Sept. 14 - Massage Envy's Massage for the Cure (and a picture of my new haircut, I'll get a better picture soon though!)

Sept. 15 - me and the puppehs

New Rules

2010-09-01T16:29:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Tyler and I started a new workout program - the New Rules of Lifting for Women. (Yes, we are aware that Tyler is not a woman. But this training plan reminds us that there is no reason for women to lift differently from men, so it works for both of us.) I decided my Project365 picture of the day should be my 'before' shots. So you get to see me in all my semi-fit glory. Please note my terrible posture and gradient tan. Hopefully in 6-8 months you will see my fabulously fit self in the 'after' pictures, with better posture and some abs! Stay tuned!

A pictureful post!

2010-09-01T16:13:00.003-05:00

I know that I'm way behind, but I think I'm only missing a picture for one day! Here's a mega-post of pictures, ending with Monday's picture. Yesterday's gets it's own post, for a reason to be revealed in that post. ;)

(8/24) - I got off work 2 hours early for my 'weekend', and the temp was finally below 100*!

(8/25) Enjoying my day off, after a massage and lunch with Tyler. A HOT cinnamon chai and Little Women on my Nook.

(8/26) A very flattering shot of me after Thursday night training. shoveling soybeans into my mouth.

(8/27) We really know how to party: in bed at 9:45 on Friday night.

(8/28) Ahh, Saturday morning training. :)

(8/30) So much for our workout, this means a double on Tuesday!

My 'Friday'

2010-08-25T07:58:00.002-05:00

My work schedule is a little weird, so yesterday was technically my 'Friday'. Even better, I got to go home 2 hours early! I was pretty excited. I took this picture as I pulled out of the parking lot at work:

And by the time I got home, the temperature read 87*! It was SUCH a nice day. Later in the evening Tyler and I took the dogs to the dog park (right around sunset). They had fun running around, and we got a cool picture of the sunset and the full moon, but I'll have to upload those later because they're on Tyler's phone. We also tried out running in our Vibram Five Fingers (toe shoes ;) ) - .15 miles! When we got home we went for a real run in our regular shoes, and it was so cool and breezy that we had much more stamina than usual. I can't wait for fall to be here, I'll feel like a superhero when I run!

Today I'm up early so I could have breakfast with Tyler, and in a few minutes I'm going to leave to get a massage. Afterward I'm getting a coffee and then meeting Tyler for lunch. This afternoon I have no plans but to lounge on the couch with the dogs and read. I want to finish Little Women (what I'm currently reading) and start on The Hunger Games. I've heard a lot of good reviews of this series, so I'm going to read it, even though I have no idea what it's really about.

Already behind!

2010-08-23T09:52:00.002-05:00

I forgot to take a picture yesterday! I'll make up for it today by showing you a picture of the thing that got me most excited yesterday, mmkay?

Larabars were on sale 10 for $10 when we went shopping at Kroger yesterday! Here is my haul:

And today? I spent the morning making scrambled eggs with cheddar, fresh Hatch green chile, and green onions. Then I made yellow curry to take for lunches this week. After that was done, I cleaned the kitchen. As I washed, I set each item aside to dry. When I was going back through and drying everything, I found this under one of the dishes:

Yep, it was under the pizza pan. I thought it looked cool, apparently I'm easily amused in the mornings!

Day 3

2010-08-21T10:42:00.001-05:00

Approximately 7AM

100!

2010-08-20T20:41:00.002-05:00

This is my 100th blog post! I'm about to head to bed (yes, at almost 9PM) since we have to be at training in Grapevine at 5:30AM, but I wanted to post my picture for Project365 today. I forgot to take my camera with me, otherwise you could have seen the AWESOME sushi we had for dinner tonight. Instead, you get to see me crashed on the couch with the pups.

Adorableness!

2010-08-20T09:19:00.003-05:00

So, I got 4 comments on my last post, so here is the adorableness, as promised:

And to answer some of the comments:
J.Nick, I didn't know you read my blog! Howdy, friend!
Dragon - Project365 can be whatever you want it to be - some people post a picture of themselves every day, others post a picture that encapsulates each day. I plan on doing a bit of both!

2 for one!

2010-08-19T17:57:00.002-05:00

That's right, you get two posts today!! I just wanted to let everyone (Who is everyone, by the way? Leave a comment if you follow or read this blog!) know that I've got a new look on the blog here. And that I intend to update it more frequently than once a month from now on. I know I've said that many times before, but I'm going to really make a concerted effort this time around. Things are crazy busy, but I want to have a record of what's going on to look back at (hence the Project 365 mentioned in my previous post).

I'd like to hear from my readers - what sorts of things would you like to see on the blog? More pictures? Recipes? Anything? Leave a comment and let me know!!

As an incentive, if I get at least 2 comments, I will post an adorable picture or two ASAP. :)

Adventures in DIY

2010-08-19T17:42:00.002-05:00

Today I embarked on my first ever do-it-yourself refinishing project. I am refinishing a dresser from my childhood:
for our guest room, which will have a semi-nautical, travel-inspired theme. Today I started sanding the drawers so they can be repainted this color:

I'd like to try posting a picture (or several) of my every day life on the blog here (known by many as Project 365, so here are a few from today's adventure:

Stay tuned for more pictures of the guest room makeover, random snapshots from my daily life, and more!

I'm not afraid to admit it

2010-07-22T17:39:00.003-05:00

I am a terrible blogger. There. I said it.

Yesterday was my 24th birthday, and it was pretty great. I got tons of birthday well-wishes on Facebook, wonderful birthday cards from my family members, and a special dinner out with my favorite person ever (Tyler, in case you were confused about that, haha). We went out to the Abbey Inn, which is a British/Irish pub. There was even a British 'folk' band playing and singing while we were there, which was pretty cool. The food was great, too.

Not much else is going on around here. I started a new job at Massage Envy, which has been pretty cool so far (I've been there 2 weeks tomorrow). And we're mentoring a group of Team in Training people for the winter season, as well as fund raising and training ourselves. So far, so good!

2010-06-02T12:38:00.001-05:00

I've been neglecting the blog again, sorry about that!

Here's some bullet points about what's been going on lately:

1) my last day of work was last Friday
2) Tyler's parents visited this weekend!
3) Tyler and Gary put in our flagstone patio!! It looks great, picture to come.
4) We visited my grandmother in the hospital yesterday. She's 1 week post-op on a heart valve replacement, and should be discharged today or tomorrow.
5) we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary last week. Plus this past weekend we stayed in downtown Ft. Worth to celebrate, and visited the Ft. Worth Zoo on Memorial Day. Fun times!

Scientist Creates Life. That's a Good Thing, Right?

2010-05-21T18:50:00.000-05:00

Scientist Creates Life. That's a Good Thing, Right?

This is a very interesting article about the emerging field of synthetic biology.

Slacking off!

2010-05-19T21:22:00.003-05:00

Sorry I've been a bit absent from the blog lately. There's a lot of stuff going on around here that is kind of stressful - Tyler's grandma passed away last week, so we were busy this past weekend with the memorial service (as well as wedding, which was a nice counterpoint to the sad occasion), and I've decided to quit my job and focus on stuff at home for a while, as well as working on making my relationship with God my #1 priority. It should be an interesting summer, to say the least.

In other news, we have some squash fruits growing on our plants! We may try and eat one tomorrow, or let it grow a few more days and enjoy it this weekend. We also need to get our guest room set up this weekend, because Tyler's parents are probably coming to stay with us the first weekend in June.

I've also been busy knitting and reading instead of blogging lately. I have an awesome sock on the needles right now! I'm also planning on doing a knit-a-long with my friend biomaj5 and a few other people - we're going to be knitting a cardigan! I'm pretty excited about taking on a big project, especially since I get to use custom-dyed yarn for it. :)

That's all the update I have for now. I will try to post pictures of my various projects soon, if I don't get too sidetracked.

2010-05-09T16:44:00.003-05:00

Soooo, I kinda slacked on the last half of Knitting and Crochet Blog week. :-/ Sorry about that, some issues at work have me stressed and distracted.

Instead of catching up, I'd rather you enjoyed a picture of how our patio will look once we get all the flagstone put in. We laid out the stones today to see how they would be arranged, now we just have to dig it out and layer some sand underneath the stones.

The section of grass to the right of the grill will get filled in with some kind of bushes (hopefully lavender). That's our new patio furniture, which also got delivered today. Besides the patio project, the other big project we have planned is adding gutters to the house, which will drain into rain collection barrels which we can use to water our gardens. :)

Skillz

2010-04-29T14:18:00.002-05:00

Today's blogging topic is all about what skills you want to learn to enhance your crafting. I'm just going to leave you with a short list of things I'd like to try, plain and simple.

-toe-up socks (I will be starting my first pair this weekend, hopefully!) I hear they are "better" than cuff-down, so we shall see!
-colorwork (this rocking pattern has inspired me to learn someday)
-cables (I just haven't gotten around to them yet)
-completing a sweater, and all that goes with that (seaming, blocking, buttonholes, etc.)

These are my ambitions for now. I'd better get crackin'!

One Great Knitter

2010-04-28T20:51:00.005-05:00

OK, OK, I couldn't narrow it down to just 1 great knitter whom I admire. I will focus on 2: Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (AKA the Yarn Harlot) and Jared Flood (of Brooklyn Tweed).

The Yarn Harlot is one of the best bloggers I follow. She is humorous, light-hearted, and above all, dedicated to her craft. She is the most prolific knitter I know about, and her love for other knitters is obvious in her enthusiasm for her readers as well as those she interacts with at her various speaking/knitting engagements. And, I love the way she doesn't *just* write about knitting. She puts a fair bit in there about her family and friends, which helps the reader get to "know" her on a little more personal letter. I strive to do something similar with my blog, but I don't pull it off nearly as well.

Another knitting blogger I greatly admire is Jared Flood. Mostly I love his photographs. They capture the beauty of knitted objects so perfectly, and the projects seem to just grab me and say "knit me!". His designs are just gorgeous. Here is some eye candy from his blog for you to enjoy:

An Inspirational Pattern

2010-04-27T09:06:00.004-05:00

Today's topic for Knit and Crochet Blog Week 2010: Blog about a pattern or project which you aspire to. Whether it happens to be because the skills needed are ones which you have not yet acquired, or just because it seems like a huge undertaking of time and dedication, most people feel they still have something to aspire to in their craft. If you don’t feel like you have any left of the mountain of learning yet to climb, say so!

One project in my Ravelry favorites that I aspire to knit one day is the Myrtle Cardigan.

I LOVE the lace pattern in this sweater. I love how feminine it is, even though I'm not usually a girly-girl and I definitely don't dress like one. I WILL knit this someday (hopefully not too far in the future). I have never knit a sweater, which is one of the reasons that this pattern intimidates me somewhat. Plus the fact that it will probably take me forever to knit, and I will be SO AFRAID to mess it up. I will overcome my fears, however. How could I not, when the finished object will be so beautiful and well-loved?

Knit & Crochet Blog Week

2010-04-26T12:10:00.004-05:00

Hey everyone! Today marks the beginning of Knit & Crochet Blog Week 2010! My friend biomaj5 encouraged me to blog about my experience with knitting, so here I am!

Today's topic is how you got started knitting. "Was it a skill passed down through generations of your family, or something you learned from Knitting For Dummies? What or who made you pick up the needles/hook for the first time? Was it the celebrity knitting ‘trend’ or your great aunt Hilda?"

The first time I learned to knit was at the end of the fall semester of 2007 (I honestly can't remember). My friend Lindsey was teaching several of our friends at the time (very beginner techniques), so I decided to give it a try. I chose some size US13 acrylic needles and a skein of light green Red Heart Super Saver yarn and started on a scarf. I knit for a while, and then got bored. I picked it up again on a whim in the spring of 2008, and finished that scarf. I obviously added several stitches somewhere in the process, and while I still have that scarf, I never use it. Here is a picture of that fateful first scarf:

Hideous, no??

...and then fell off the knitting wagon again. It's been a very 'on-again, off-again' kind of relationship for us. Finally, in the fall/winter of 2008 I got serious about knitting. I knit a kerchief, and then moved on to a tote bag. This tote bag took me nearly a year to complete, mostly because I didn't have a lot of time for knitting (I started massage therapy school in early 2009), and I just had other things on my mind. I also began knitting a lovely lace scarf, which is still OTN (on the needles, for you non-knitters). Since then, I've moved on to more advanced projects, working on double pointed needles, and using nicer yarns. I have made a great e-friend in the process (that'd be biomaj5 again), and have become a part of a larger online knitting community, as well as a face-to-face knitting group which meets on Wednesday nights.

Until tomorrow,

viva la knit! :-D

Flower garden!

2010-04-25T16:28:00.004-05:00

This weekend's main project has been completing our flower garden in the front of the house. We started by digging out the grass where we wanted the garden to go, and added plastic edging to keep the shape. Then we filled in what we removed with flower and vegetable topsoil. We did all of this on Saturday. Today we decided to go pick out our plants and get them in the ground. We ended up with 2 yew bushes, 3 Chattahoochee phlox, a bunch of french marigolds, impatiens, and dwarf oyster plants, as well as 1 coral bell. I'm a bit worried that the marigolds won't get enough sun, since our garden faces north, but we will see how they do.
Here is a photo of what the yard/front of house looked like last summer:

And here is a picture of the new improved garden area!
I will have to take a picture soon when the sun is on the garden so you can see more details. :)

The Husband makes his blog debut!

2010-04-21T14:14:00.003-05:00

Hey there, all my faithful readers! Recently Tyler (aka The Husband) sent me an email after he got to work one morning. This is not unusual by any means, but this was slightly different than the typical 'hope you have a great day, I have XYZ meeting this morning, etc. etc.' emails I usually get. (Don't get me wrong, I love the emails he normally sends me, I just needed to mention that this was something else altogether.) He said that he had a blog-worthy experience on his drive to work that morning, but since he didn't have a blog, he would just share it with me.

I am always looking for new ways to freshen up the blog and bring you stories or information that are important or meaningful to me, so I asked Tyler if I could share his experience with you. I hope you find as much encouragement from it as I did.

"I was driving to work this morning, and I needed to have a talk with God. Recent events have left me feeling a little vulnerable, so I needed His help. We were talking, and He was just listening and letting me say everything I was going thru. I’ve had discussions where he wants me to listen, but there was nothing to listen to today. But He wasn’t exactly being silent.

I looked up to see the sun start to rise thru the clouds in the midst of morning rain. What I saw was a vision no painter could duplicate. There were gray clouds as far as I could see... everywhere except for one line running across the sky from left to right. It was like a giant cleft in the clouds. You could look as far left and as far right as the air would let you see, and it didn’t seem to budge an inch. The sun was behind the clouds, but this cleft opened up as the only source of sunlight in the sky. The rays of light shot in every direction, both shadowed and reflected by clouds in a color that didn’t even seem natural. Just when I thought the scene couldn’t be any more majestic, the sun broke thru the clouds in a brilliant light that amplified the good of around me. I could hardly keep my eyes off the scene that seemed to personify the power of the God who was listening to my story this morning. I felt touched, lifted, soothed, and overpowered all at once.

Now that He had my attention, he started to speak. Not thru quiet thoughts like I’m used to, but He spoke in a way that I haven’t heard in years. I had my radio turned on, and song after song spoke to me in a very personal way. They were all songs I’ve heard dozens of times. Songs that have caused me to meditate on the meaning. But this time, there was no question of the message of these songs. One was a song that brought me back to running during sunrise and showed me the experience of being in nature, away from the negative influences of the sleeping world around me, and feeling close to Him without having to even think about Him. Another seemed to speak for me, detailing how much I need His intervention in my life. It caused me to reflect on how little control I have and how necessary His hand is in each and every decision I make. Thinking back, I don’t even remember every song, but remembering them wasn’t the point. The songs gave me a message that is more powerful than any I have heard in a very long time.

As I drove to work this morning, thanks to the “words” of my God, I had no doubt of the power, the providence, and the majesty of the God I serve. And my prayer as I sit here today is that I won’t forget it anytime soon."

Monday Update

2010-04-19T14:51:00.002-05:00

Not a lot to report this week so far! I got my haircut and a massage on Friday, both of which were desperately needed. The haircut turned out a lot better than the massage, unfortunately, but I can't complain too much, since the massage was free and I did feel better afterward.

The rest of the weekend was spent running (8 miles), running errands (bank, library, post office, oil change/car inspection), and relaxing around the house, due to the rain we got. Very little yard work got done, although Tyler started digging out where our flowerbed will be. We also went to a cool little garden/farm store this weekend that we will be visiting again once we need flowers.

This week we are going to try a few new things in our daily routine to get back on track to lose some more weight. We are going to start dividing our daily food intake into 6-7 mini-meals, which is healthier for your blood sugar and energy levels. We will also be trying to make sure we eat balanced meals with more fruits and vegetables. We are also going to start working out in the mornings before work, because I have zero energy left by the time I get home from working on my feet every night. This morning we went for a 2 mile walk with the dogs starting at about 5:30. Tuesdays and Fridays we will go to the gym to lift weights, and normally Mondays and Thursdays will be dedicated to running (we walked today simply because we had a hard run on Saturday). Saturdays we will continue to do longer distance runs, and Wednesdays and Sundays are for resting/recovery. Hopefully we will be able to stick to all of these changes!

I am still knitting away on Tyler's socks, and I'm hoping to be done with the 2nd one by this weekend. I'm really looking forward to starting on a new project for myself, and possibly finishing up a scarf I've been working on since before Christmas. I also need to start researching patterns for Christmas gifts. :)

I will update more later this week! Hope everyone has a great Monday. :)

Wonderful weekend!

2010-04-11T13:07:00.006-05:00

This weekend my friend biomaj5 came to visit me and we went to the DFW Fiber Fest and a local yarn shop, The Woolie Ewe. We perused the various yarns and came out with some pretty good finds. Bio also brought me a little giftie: a beautiful 3AM Enchantments Petite KIP (knitting in progress) bag. Here are some photo highlights of our weekend!
Here we are on Friday night after Laura arrived. She brought me this:
The next morning we headed out to conquer the yarn world...
At DFW Fiber Fest 2010 (thanks nice employee of Shabby Sheep for taking our picture!)

I got some good loot while we were there: Brooks Farm Solo Silk (unknown colorway) and Malabrigo Sock in Impressionist Sky

In other knitting news, I also got my KnitPicks Options interchangeable circular needle set in the mail on Friday, in addition to some other notions, a yarn swift, and 1 skein of Comfy Fingering weight yarn in Lilac. I totally meant to order 2, so I'll be placing another order shortly.
I can't wait to start some new knitting projects with my new stash and tools, but I still need to finish Tyler's socks, and I should really finish my Ripened Scarf at some point, too.

A sock!

2010-04-06T07:54:00.002-05:00

Last night I finished knitting my first-ever sock. It turned out really well, I think, for my first attempt. Tyler is pretty excited about it, too. I'm going to cast on sock #2 this morning to avoid the dreaded SSS (Second Sock Syndrome). Here's a pic of sock #1:

In other excellent news, I received my massage therapy license in the mail yesterday! It feels good to be "official" after so long!

A Poem for Your Monday

2010-04-05T08:28:00.001-05:00

Litany - Billy Collins

You are the bread and the knife,
The crystal goblet and the wine...
-Jacques Crickillon

You are the bread and the knife,
the crystal goblet and the wine.
You are the dew on the morning grass
and the burning wheel of the sun.
You are the white apron of the baker,
and the marsh birds suddenly in flight.

However, you are not the wind in the orchard,
the plums on the counter,
or the house of cards.
And you are certainly not the pine-scented air.
There is just no way that you are the pine-scented air.

It is possible that you are the fish under the bridge,
maybe even the pigeon on the general's head,
but you are not even close
to being the field of cornflowers at dusk.

And a quick look in the mirror will show
that you are neither the boots in the corner
nor the boat asleep in its boathouse.

It might interest you to know,
speaking of the plentiful imagery of the world,
that I am the sound of rain on the roof.

I also happen to be the shooting star,
the evening paper blowing down an alley
and the basket of chestnuts on the kitchen table.

I am also the moon in the trees
and the blind woman's tea cup.
But don't worry, I'm not the bread and the knife.
You are still the bread and the knife.
You will always be the bread and the knife,
not to mention the crystal goblet and--somehow--the wine.

Progress

2010-03-30T12:43:00.004-05:00

So, the last two days have brought some exciting news to our family! Yesterday T found out he'll be able to start telecommuting in the very near future. His office was doing a pilot for this program for the past year or so, and they are ready to start making it an option for more employees. So, we will be getting a phone line installed at the house on Friday (plus switching providers for internet and adding basic cable, because the bundle is cheaper than just internet and phone). The plan is for him to start working from home 2 days a week, and may increase to 3 days shortly thereafter.

And today my boss (Dr. Jobe) asked if I would like to start working full time! That is 32 hours a week at our office (as the schedule currently stands, it may be changing in the near-ish future). I told him I'd absolutely be willing to do so, so I will start that schedule next week. My hours will be: MTTh: 7:45-11:30(ish) and 2:45-6:30(ish), W: 2:45-6:30(ish) and F: 745-11:30(ish). I'm excited about the extra cash flow we'll be getting due to this situation, which will mostly be going toward savings for a car and any future baby expenses, but will hopefully allow us a little extra 'fun' money, too.

And lastly, a few pictures of our new planter box, the veggie seedlings, and my latest knitting project:

Productive weekend!

2010-03-29T14:50:00.003-05:00

This weekend Tyler and I got a ton of stuff accomplished around the house! He stayed home on Friday due to being up all night nauseated, but was feeling much better when he finally woke up around 10AM, so that added quite a bit of time for us to get stuff done. Here's the list of what we accomplished, followed by a list of things we still need to get done in the next few weeks:

-dusted and vacuumed the house
-cleaned both bathrooms
-did laundry
-recycled old magazines (2 armfuls!)
-sold textbooks online
-went through my clothes and collected 2 garbage bags to be donated
-scalped the front lawn
-built a raised garden bed for our veggie garden
-went to the bank
-got my oil changed
-cleaned the kitchen

We still need to do quite a few things:
-take boxes from guest room and put in attic
-purchase bed for guest room
-refinish dresser and bookcase for guest room
-buy new bedding for master bedroom
-take Christmas lights off the house (I know, we're TERRIBLE! I'm a little ashamed, and very thankful we don't have an HOA)
-edge the front and backyard
-spray weeds in front yard
-kill off grass and weeds in backyard
-fill raised bed with soil and transplant seedlings
-cut flower beds into front yard and plant flowers
-put down new mulch around trees

Those are all of the major things I can remember right now. It's truly a never-ending list of items once you become a homeowner (even if you buy a brand-new, never-before-lived-in house like we did!). Wish us luck as we continue in our weekend warrior endeavors. :) I will post pictures of our outdoor progress soon!

2010-03-24T11:51:00.002-05:00

I'm way behind on blogging! Let's see what's happened since the last time...

We switched races with Team in Training. We'll now be running the Heels and Hills half marathon, which is a local race. The fund raising for Seattle was just too much for us at this point, so we made the switch to save a lot of stress.

We also ran our first half marathon 1.5 weeks ago! We crossed the finish line together in 3:20:45, and we could still walk the next day! Our goal for the next race (Heels and Hills, May 2) is 3:00. Fingers crossed that we can make it!

Our veggies and herbs have started to sprout, and I'm so excited each day to see what a little sun and water can do to the plants! This weekend we have lots of plans to get started working on building the raised bed to put them in, plus lots of other little house and yard projects. We have a daunting list for this season that I'm hoping we can accomplish. :)

We're still trying to get pregnant, so far to no avail. We're on our 8th consecutive cycle as of today, and our 13th cycle overall. We're praying to God every day that we will be blessed with a little one of our own. I'm trying to remain hopeful, but it is hard, especially when you hear so much about pregnancy and infant loss and infertility. It is truly a miracle whenever a baby is born healthy!

Other than that, not much is going on. Work is still going really well, and I love getting to know our patients and my co-workers. Tyler and I are also having so much fun watching Lucy as she learns our routines, how to interact with other people and dogs, and just watching how much fun she and Pongo have together.

We also just got back from a long weekend in New Mexico with my in laws. We got to go inner tubing (on the snow, not in the water), and spent lots of time talking and playing with our niece, who is so precious and funny. It was great to get to see the family and just spend some time together.

More updates (hopefully with pictures!) to come soon, I promise!

Support a great cause!

2010-03-08T21:14:00.004-06:00

As you may know, Tyler and I are currently training for a couple of half marathons. We have joined Team in Training to train for our second half marathon, the Seattle Rock N Roll on June 26th. In order to do that, we have a fund raising goal of $9000 that must be met. I am posting tonight to ask my fellow bloggers to help us reach this goal. Every dollar counts in the fight against blood cancers! For more information about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, click the banner below! To make a donation, please click the Team in Training logo. :)

Please consider making a donation to LLS today! 75% of each dollar donated goes directly to research and patient education and support services. If each person who follows this blog donates just $5, we could raise almost $100!

Crazy week!

2010-03-08T11:32:00.003-06:00

This week is going to be kind of crazy. Here's what I have lined up:

Today: dust and vacuum house, work (2ish-7ish), run
Tuesday: work (7ish-11ish), gym, work (2ish-7ish)
Wednesday: run, laundry, work (2ish-7ish), attend open mic night
Thursday: work (2ish-7ish), painting night with the life group girls
Friday: work (7ish-11ish), massage, date night
Saturday: attend race expo, host pancake fundraiser
Sunday: Spring forward!, run 1st half marathon

I have a feeling I'm going to be exhausted this entire week! I also really need to get everything together for my massage therapy license application, and work on thank you notes and donation solicitation letters for our Team in Training fundraising. *sigh* Wish me luck with everything! :)

Gardening

2010-03-06T15:47:00.003-06:00

Since the weather is so nice today, DH and I decided to create a plan for our vegetable and herb garden for this season. We've never done this before, so we're just hoping everything turns out OK.

We decided to build a raised bed (5 ft X 20 ft), which we hope to have completed by the end of the month. We think this will give our veggies the best chance at survival, since they won't have to fight through our rocky clay soil to put down roots.

We chose 7 veggies/fruits and 1 flowering herb bush to plant in our bed and purchased the seeds and peat starter pots for those today. I got all of those put together this afternoon, so we now have the following (I put all the peat pots into the lid of a copy paper box to keep them together and easy to move back and forth from outside to inside, so that is what the chart below represents):

We also chose 5 herbs to grow, and sowed those seeds into individual pots, where they will remain. We planted seeds for parsley, cilantro, thyme, chives, and basil.

Once we get our raised bed constructed, we will transplant the germinated seeds as soon as we can based on the guidelines for each type of plant (the lavender will be transplanted to flower beds in the front yard). We also have plans to make a gravel patio in our backyard and to create flower beds in the front yard. We have a lot of work ahead of us, so wish us luck!

The Ravelympics are over!

2010-03-01T20:33:00.004-06:00

And I completed my project by the deadline! I am now the proud owner of 1 pair of fingerless mittens, and 2 fancy Ravelry badges/medals.

Coming up: finishing my Ripened lace scarf, a pair of socks for my Stitch n Bitch knit along, and then who knows! Also stay tuned for a guest blog from fellow knitter/internets BFF biomaj5!

I'm alive!

2010-02-26T17:10:00.002-06:00

Sorry I abandoned the blog for a few weeks. I'm now totally settled in at work, and I still love it. The people I work with are great, the patients are great, and I can really tell that what I'm doing is making a difference. Several patients have told me that they can see a difference, too, which is very gratifying and encouraging. :)

Lucy is settling in to our home really well! She's only had 3 accidents, and she's now learned her name as well as "come" and "get down". We need to start working on other commands soon. She and Pongo are getting along really well, and they love playing together outside, and hanging out in the crate together when we're not home.

Other than that, we've been busy training for our first half-marathon, which will take place on March 14th, and fundraising for our second half, which is with Team in Training. We have a lot of money still to raise, but we're slowly adding to our funds. Training is going pretty well, and I'm really starting to look forward to my runs every week, which is a good sign, I think.

The last thing that's keeping me busy lately is the Ravelympics. I'm knitting fingerless mittens for my project, and I am almost halfway done with the second mitten, so I think I have a chance of finishing by the deadline! I need to get back to knitting now, but I'll update once I finish my project with a photo! :)

Our greyt new addition!

2010-02-07T16:02:00.001-06:00

Meet Nardia (soon to be Lucy), our new greyhound mix!

More Things I'm Loving

2010-02-05T17:34:00.003-06:00

A lot of these are food-related, by the way. :)

-hot tea
-Greek yogurt
-honey (especially with #1 and #2)
-Friday Night Knitting Club books
-broccoli cheese soup and bread from Panera
-making my husband bread for his lunches with my new breadmaker
-making and eating curry
-using the library's website to put holds on books I want to read
-browsing patterns on Ravelry
-laughing at my dog's antics
-Pandora
-a sunny day after a string of rainy/grey days
-getting coffee with Tyler

Our Fence

2010-02-05T10:14:00.006-06:00

I just realized that I never posted pictures of our completed fence! Here are a few shots.

We built approximately 135' of fencing for a total of around $2000 for all materials and an auger rental. We used metal posts set in concrete due to the fact that tornados are not uncommon in our area, and chose dog-eared pickets to match the other fences in our neighborhood. We also built the gates from scratch. :)

Things I'm loving

2010-02-03T13:02:00.002-06:00

-Bare Minerals eyebrow powder
-a job I love going to every day
-running with the hubs
-the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
-my pink Minnetonka house shoes
-finding warm areas in my house (the guest bathroom when the door's been closed a while, and the foot of the bed, right under the vent)
-knitting

Exciting news!

2010-01-19T12:44:00.002-06:00

OK, I don't know if anyone besides Bio reads this blog anymore, so it may be more of a journal than a blog, but whatever. I have good news!

I got a job!! In less than 24 hours, I submitted applications, got called in for and attended an interview, and subsequently received a job offer! I will be working as a chiropractic assistant about 30 minutes away from home. It is a part-time position with the prospect of going full-time (possibly by this summer!), and I will be working with the chiropractor to oversee electrical stimulation, spinal decompression, ultrasound, and therapy exercises, as well as doing trigger point massages. I will also learn to develop x-rays and be doing some clerical work here and there as well.

The office is super close-knit, and everyone I've met so far seem very friendly. The doctor brings his dog to work with him every day, and she even carries the patient files into his office for him, without leaving toothmarks or slobber all over them. How cute is that?! There are also 2 large saltwater aquariums in the office (1 90 gallon, 1 210 gallon), which is pretty cool. I will be working Monday-Thursday 2:45PM-6:45PM (meaning I don't have to get up early, and I'll miss rush hour traffic), and every other Friday from 7:45AM-11:00AM. One of the best parts is that I won't have to drive down I-35 to get there, which means I'll avoid the ridiculous traffic jams and the majority of the stupid commute-drivers, saving my sanity. :)

I start on Monday morning, and I'll be working a few full days in order to get trained, and then start with my regular schedule probably the next week. I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have found a job in my field (or at least on the edge of my field, lol). I have to give God all the glory for engineering this impressive feat. He is SO good.

Job search

2010-01-17T19:37:00.001-06:00

So, obviously I am in the process of looking for a new job. This is a tough economy, as we all know, and that combined with the fact that it is just after the holidays means that the available jobs right now are not looking too hot. Sure, there's plenty of work-from-home "opportunities", several jobs for medical professionals, and even a few office assistant jobs out there, but nothing that I look at and say "hmm, I wouldn't be completely miserable doing that!". Until today, that is!

I decided to give job hunting on Craigslist a go. And I found 4 chiropractic assistant job listings, to which I immediately applied. I'm thrilled about this for a few reasons - the jobs I've applied for are not terribly far from here (and the further-away ones I applied to can be traveled to using the less-trafficky roads), chiropractic is closely related to massage therapy and I might actually be able to use some of my skills, and it would be a step in the right direction career and personal wise (hello, gainful employment!).

Anyway, I would greatly appreciate any prayers, good karma, vibes, and crossed fingers you can throw my way. Hopefully I will at least hear back from one of the places and land an interview. :)

running update

2010-01-16T22:43:00.002-06:00

Today I completed my longest running workout ever! DH and I did 3 1-mile intervals with 1/2 mile walk breaks in between miles. The longest running workout I've done before was completing a 5k last February, where I walked at least half of the course. I'm really excited!

In other running news, I also can't wait for our first Team in Training (henceforth TNT) training run - we're meeting at a local running store (part of a national chain - Luke's Locker), where we will have a shoe clinic/fitting and get 15% off any purchases. I'm ready to have my first pair of professionally-fitted running shoes!

I was going to post one other thing, but now I can't remember what it was. If I think of it, I'll update. ;)

Well, I guess that can be my motivation...

2010-01-13T21:05:00.002-06:00

for running, that is. DH and I decided tonight to join the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training. We will be running the Rock and Roll Half Marathon in Seattle in June! We have a hefty fundraising goal to meet, but hopefully with the support of our friends and families we'll make it! The weekly team training runs should be a great way to stay motivated and make some good friends at the same time, as well. Tyler and I just got back from our first run together, and it's amazing what some companionship during your workout can do! :) Stay tuned for more updates!

Update

2010-01-12T15:03:00.003-06:00

Well, so far 2010 hasn't been much to write about. I haven't really worked on any of my goals, aside from registering for the MBLEX. I have been trying to do better about our family not eating out as much, and that has been pretty successful. I still need to start exercising again, and I'm going to do that tonight. When DH gets home, we're going running! I've got to start training for the Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon, and I'm already way behind. Hopefully I'll be able to finish it, at the very least. :)

I have read 1 out of 50 books for 2010! I checked out Notes from the Underbelly on Sunday afternoon, and finished it in the wee hours of Monday morning (about 8 hours start to finish, lol). It was pretty cute, and had me laughing out loud several times. Now I'm reading Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and I'm really liking it so far. I've also been reading several Fan Fiction stories based off the Twilight series (however loosely they may be based, lol) - but those don't get to go on my book count.

Other than those things, I've been in a major funk since we got back from Las Vegas. There are very few jobs available in our immediate area right now, so money is stressing me out, along with the feeling that I'll never do anything productive with my life. It's been a dark few days, especially recently, in regards to my self-esteem and whatnot, but I'm praying through it, and hopefully things will start to brighten up soon.

That's it for now, I'm going to get back to reading, and maybe see if there are any new job postings in the area. :)

2010 Plans

2010-01-01T00:46:00.005-06:00

I haven't thought in depth about what I want from 2010, but here's what I've thought up so far!

-find a part time job (probably retail)
-take MBLEx and apply for massage license
-reinforce good eating habits
-start working out with regularity again
-train for 1/2 marathon (scheduled for 3.14)
-rescue a dog (maybe a greyhound?)
-TTC and get pregnant
-knit a pair of socks
-work on landscaping the yards
-learn to drive a stick
-read 50 books
-blog more!

Stay tuned for some more thoughts on 2010.

2009 in short

2010-01-01T00:42:00.003-06:00

-had (and hated) a temp job
-stopped TTC
-started massage therapy school
-bought a house
-traveled to Colorado and Santa Fe
-began TTC again
-built a fence
-graduated from massage therapy school
-made first trip to Las Vegas

It's been a slow year, sort of. Maybe 2010 will be more exciting?

I'm Free!

2009-12-16T16:15:00.002-06:00

So, I graduated from massage therapy school last Thursday! And then I finished my clinic hours on Saturday. :) I'm so relieved, but now I have to start studying for my national exam so I can actually apply for my license and look for a job. More to come on that later, I'm sure.

I've also finished a few knitting projects since I last blogged, and I'm pretty impressed with myself if I do say so! I finished Zeeby's Bag from Stitch n Bitch, and then Seedy Scarf, which was a free pattern on Ravelry. The latter is a gift for an e-friend for a gift exchange, and I really hope she likes it! I knit into the wee hours of the morning to get it finished to send out today. I also cast on a new project today, the Ripened Scarf (another free Ravelry pattern). This is by far the most "advanced" project I've taken on, which sort of a lace pattern. I'm hoping it turns out well! I'll post pictures of my progress when I get a little farther along.

Other than that, not a whole lot has been going on. I still have about half of our Christmas shopping to do, and I still haven't figured out what I'm getting Tyler for the holiday. Hopefully whatever I come up with won't be too lame. ;)

We did have a slight mishap with our heater this week. It had been issuing a foul, somewhat acrid smell through the vents whenever the heater was running for about a week. Last night as I was going to bed I thought it was odd that the heater wasn't on, because the temperature inside was around 63*, and we had the thermostat set to 70*. When we woke up this morning, it was 58*, so the heater obviously never came on. DH discovered that the breaker for the heater was tripped, and when he flipped it back, it tripped again. So we called the repair people to come out this afternoon. I was very worried that it would be a costly repair, thereby casting a shadow over the holidays, but it turned out to be a fairly simple fix, and we're only out $109. Apparently, the incoming power source wires for the heater had grounded out, melting the wire nuts and some other stuff (hence the nasty smell). All is well now, and it's a toasty 73* in here now (the repairman set the thermostat to 80* when he was fiddling with it, and I didn't realize it until I got really hot, lol).

That's all the update I have for now. I'll be back tomorrow (or later tonight, who knows!) with more thrilling tales from my mundane life. Ciao!

2009-12-04T09:42:00.001-06:00

Apparently, I'm a terrible blog-mom. I keep saying I'll get better, but it keeps not happening! Maybe after graduation (t-6 days!!)...?

2009-11-03T12:01:00.002-06:00

October = big fat fail. Oh well, it's a new month, right??

This month I need to focus on finishing up with my school stuff as much as possible. I also want to work out at least 3 times per week. I also think I need to hire someone to come let my dog out for an hour each day, since he's currently spending about 11 hours in his crate the days Tyler and I carpool, and that feels almost like torture in my mind. :(

I did a really great goal-setting exercise for my business class this past week, and once I get my papers back, I will share some of that here on the ol' blog. It really helped me to think about the future and what I want, which is something I think everyone could use more of.

It's already time to be thinking about the holidays, and I'm on the verge of being overwhelmed with non-holiday stuff, so it should be an interesting season.

This is very rambly, and if you actually read it, I appreciate it. Please leave a comment!! :)

Yikes!

2009-10-01T12:09:00.004-05:00

It's been a whole month since I posted last! Oops.

I'm taking a cue from Kari over at Better Together and posting my goals for the month. These are in place solely because I have been exceedingly lazy the past few months and now it's catching up to me. :( The hubs is going to keep my accountable by purchasing me a pair of Vibram Five Fingers if I meet all of my goals. (And I really, really want some, so I think it just may work!) Most of these are school related, btw.

1) No missing class in October (1 freebie)

2) No missing clinic in October, unless it’s a week pre-planned (2 freebies)

3) Make 2/3 of your gym classes every week during October (1 freebie)

4) Finish watching chair massage video by the end of next week, and sign up for POD 40 hour

5) Kiss Tyler at least a dozen times a day during October

6) Run 2.5 miles (aka keep up with Couch to 5K) by the end of the month

What are your goals for the month??

Yum

2009-09-01T12:01:00.002-05:00

(Image via amny.com)

It's that time of year, again, folks! Time for Starbucks' fall specials, including the awesome Pumpkin Spice Latte. I'm totally picking one up later today. Mmmmm.

Countdown

2009-08-30T22:02:00.002-05:00

We will be visiting here:

(Picture found at outdoors.webshots.com)

in just 4 short days! Thursday we are flying into Denver International Airport to visit my aunt and uncle. Thursday night will be spent at their home in Greeley, and on Friday we will be driving to their cabin just outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, where we will get to enjoy the cool air and beautiful views of Mt. Meeker and Long's Peak. :)

Feel Your Boobies

2009-08-22T11:37:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to remind everyone (well, mostly the ladies, but the men, too!) to do a monthly breast self-exam to screen for possible lumps. My massage client this morning is a breast cancer patient currently undergoing radiation (she just finished chemo this week), and although I didn't talk with her much about her condition at all, it still served as a real-life reminder that cancer can strike anytime, any person. Visit the link below for a refresher course (or to learn for the first time!) on how to perform a breast self-exam. And please remind the women you know and love to do the same, each month!

How to perform a breast self-exam

How to perform a self-exam

2009-08-21T17:13:00.003-05:00

Hello again! It's been a while since my last update, but there's not a whole lot to catch you up on. Let's see..

My classmates and I are now giving massages to paying clients at our school's clinic. It has been an interesting 2 weeks, and I'm really enjoying working with people! It is a pretty relaxing job, and I hope that I'm actually making people feel better. This afternoon I got an appointment notification which informed me that my first client has scheduled another appointment with me, which makes me hopeful that people are enjoying my services. :)

The house hasn't changed much since the picture post I updated with. We did add soaker hoses to our trees and the foundation. We also finished roofing the shed, so it looks a little less ridiculous. We still need to paint the shed, and at some point (probably October?) we're going to put up a fence and then get the yard ready to be seeded for grass.

Tyler is keeping busy at work. This week has been a bit of a turning point on his team, and it's changing for the better, it would seem. I'm praying that the changes to his work atmosphere will continue, because he's generally been in a better mood as a result.

Not much else is going on around here. I've been totally unmotivated to do anything (include work in clinic) this week, which is not the greatest thing in the world. Hopefully it will turn around for me soon! I've thrown myself into reading more lately, which is great, as usual. Tyler and I also made a trip to our local used bookstore this past weekend, which was awesome. I have a feeling we will be spending a lot of time there from now on. I also saw some new faces at my knitting group this week, which was awesome. It's always fun to get to know new people and be impressed by their knitting abilities (which always way outshine mine, lol). I'm looking forward to going to the group again on Monday, and I've set a goal for myself to finish the bag I've been working on since March/April by the end of this month. Wish me luck!

Welcome to our new home!

2009-08-05T18:28:00.002-05:00

Yes, I finally took the time to take some pictures to show you people. ;-) I've included captions and a list of things to add/change in each room/area for your reading pleasure. If you have any questions, feel free to ask (aside from name, social security number, street address, etc. of course!!)

Front of the House (we are going to add flower beds under the windows at some point, and probably paint the mailbox post, but that's about it out front!)

Welcome! (Thanks to Jessica for the signage!)

View from the front door (We have one more picture to hang, but this is it!)

View from the couch

Close-up of the “mantle”

The office from the doorway (the paint color is closer to the turquoise box on the top shelf than how it appears in the picture)

Bookshelf in the office

Eat-in area (obviously need to clear it off, and add a tablecloth (probably plain white))

Kitchen (have some decorative plaques to hang, and a secret project for above the cabinets, plus adding baskets to hold the crap on the "island")

Guest bath (adding a hotel-style towel/toiletry rack above the existing towel rack or over the toilet, and possibly some artwork)

Guest room (refinish dresser and bookshelf, buy a queen bed and DIY a headboard, create photo collage on bookshelf. Bedding is already purchased - Nautica spread and shams, CK sheets, all from HomeGoods)

Master Bathroom (adding a hotel-style towel/toiletry rack above the toilet)

Master Bedroom from the door

View from the bed (Just need to hang a print and our mirror!)

Disaster that is the back yard (finish roofing/painting shed, putting in a fence, tilling and seeding for grass, adding a veggie garden next summer)

Q & A

2009-07-29T15:30:00.002-05:00

OK, folks, it's time for a little Q & A with GSG. :-) I got a few questions from you readers, and here are the answers.

Elaine at Little Bitty Pickle asked:
"As a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?"

Now, as with most children, I had lots of ideas about what I wanted to be. But the first (and most memorable) career path I laid out for myself was paleontology. I LOVED dinosaurs and studying all about them. I probably checked out every book about dinosaurs from the main library in town at some point between ages 6-9. After that I became interested in Egyptology, followed by a desire to be a veterinarian. This was followed by a period of not knowing what I wanted, then I wanted to be a teacher or a band director. That lasted until the end of my freshman year in college, when I changed my major to Anthropology. And now I'm in massage therapy school, so that just goes to show how crazy life can be, haha.

My second question came from Heather at Life and Times With the Ryans:
"What were the best and worst parts of buying your first home?"

I haven't asked the Mr. his opinion on these questions, but I can pretty much guarantee that we will be of one mind when it comes to the worst part of our first home purchase. We were fortunate enough to purchase a newly constructed home straight from the builder (it was already finished, but unoccupied). While this was awesome on many levels, working with the builder was a nightmare. First we had to deal with them being confused about the incentives they had offered and that were listed on the MLS (notably the $3000 fence/closing cost allowance) and tried to tack an extra $3000 onto the contract price. After that, we didn't have many problems with them until the week of closing. We had a pretty long list of repairs that we had mutually agreed that the builder would take care of before closing, including replacing a dead tree and several other things inside and outside the house. The day before closing these things still were not completed, and after several trips to the house the day of closing, only 1/2 of the items were completed, although the builder told our realtor directly that they had been finished that afternoon. Questionable, no?? So we signed the closing papers but were unable to obtain the keys until the builder completed the repairs, which didn't happen until the following afternoon. To top it all off, the trees didn't get replaced until the following day!

On a more cheerful note, the best part of buying our first home for me was imagining what our life would be like in each of the homes we visited and truly picturing what our future might be like. Although we never know what God has in store for us, I believe that He has many wonderful things placed in our future, and buying our first home was the first step in that journey. This reminds me of a scripture I received via email yesterday (if you're interested in receiving a daily Scripture, email "SUBSCRIBE" to scripture-subscribe@lists.tagnet.org):

Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time.
He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so,
people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from
beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 3:11

Please stay tuned for a mega-update/photo tour of the new house (coming this weekend to a computer screen near you)...

2009-07-28T20:42:00.002-05:00

Check back soon for answers to some reader questions and an update on our new HOUSE! That we OWN! :-D

So.

2009-07-16T14:11:00.003-05:00

Apparently my blog has only one reader (thanks to biomaj5!). That makes me a little sad, but now I know if I update the blog it's just for my own personal satisfaction, not to enrich the lives of any readers.

To answer bio's question "What is your favorite breed of dog?", would truly be impossible. I have known many great dogs, and have admired others on the television, at parks, etc. It would be a very long list. I wish I had pictures of some of the dogs in my life (besides just my own, haha) to share with the internets, but alas, I do not. Suffice it to say that my aunt owns 2 bullmastiffs (I've only met one, but he's awesome, so I bet the other one is following suit!), and they seem to be great big lap dogs. I love most breeds of large dogs (including labs, retrievers, pit bulls, boxers, Great Danes, Great Pyrenees, etc. etc.), although I've never owned one myself. I also like many breeds of small dogs - beagles, shih tzus, schnauzers, dachsunds, poodles, pugs, Maltese, etc.

So, now that I have presented you with an answer as clear as mud, I will leave you at that. I'm not sure how often I'll be updating the ole blog anymore, but I'm sure I will at least occasionally.

Twilight

2009-07-06T14:21:00.003-05:00

Before I begin, just a reminder that I'm still taking questions about myself, my marriage, etc. etc. I've only received one so far, so keep them coming!!

Now, I'm not sure if I've mentioned this here on the blog before or not, but I am completely in love with Stephenie Meyer' Twilight saga. I know these books are geared toward teens, but there is something very seductive about the way they are written and the overall themes that keeps me coming back to them again and again.

I think part of the reason I love these books so much is the way they portray true love between the characters. Not just romantic love, but love of family and friends and place. While the "first love" parts of the books are sure to draw in the teenage crowd, I think as a woman who is married to her perfect match I get a lot more out of these books than a junior high or high school kid ever would.

Today I am reading Midnight Sun (the unfinished companion novel to Twilight written from Edward's point of view), and it makes me wonder how my husband views me, and how he sees me. I know his view is so different from my own, but I can't understand it. I only know how I love him, and that gives me only hazy glimpses of how he must love me in return.

2009-07-04T18:57:00.002-05:00

I really need some motivation to update this blog more frequently!! For now I'll settle on an update on our life.

We're about 17 days out from closing on our first home, and I'm starting to get antsy! Our loan just went to underwriting on Thursday, so hopefully we will come through that all right. If that comes back OK, we should be able to set a closing date, because the appraisal and inspection have been done, and the survey has been ordered. We started packing yesterday (the most loathsome part of moving, IMO!), but we still have a looooong way to go. :-/

School is moving right along. I passed my midterms with flying colors (yay!), and I'm only 1 week away from my anatomy and physiology final. I have like a 98 average in that class right now, so I'm not worried, but I do need to start studying, since it is a cumulative final and we have covered a LOT of territory in just 8 weeks. I'm also really enjoying my Swedish massage class (who doesn't love getting a massage 3 times a week?!), and I'm really starting to feel like a massage therapist.

I've also started seeing a chiropractic intern at my school (I'm not sure if I've mentioned it, but my massage program is located at a chiropractic college), which has been really cool. I got the most thorough physical of my life, with lots of nerve tests and range of motion tests, and now I'm receiving regular Upper Cervical adjustments (where they adjust the position of the 1st vertebra under your skull) and doing lots of strengthening exercises for my right hip, which is significantly weaker than my left, causing me pain and instability on occasion.

This week my mom and sister moved to their new locations. My mom to Las Vegas, and my sister to Los Angeles. My sister attended orientation for her school program yesterday (at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising), and my mom will be starting her new job at the Cleveland Clinic's Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health soon. We also learned last week that Tyler's father has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which appears to be stage III or IV. He is also having a biopsy on his spine this week to determine if a mass there is cancerous, and the results of that test will be the deciding factor between surgery and hormone therapy. Please be praying for our family, and especially Gary as we go through this difficult time. We are trusting that God has a plan bigger than we can imagine.

And for something a bit lighter, I'd like to follow in the footsteps of many of my fellow bloggers and open the floor to questions from the audience! I'm not sure how many people read this blog anymore, but I'd love to get to know my readers and let you all know more about myself! I try to be an open book on this blog, so I'd like to open myself a bit wider to you all. So, leave a comment introducing yourself (if I don't know you, or if you don't think I do) and ask me a question! I'll try my hardest to answer them all. :-)

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2009-07-01T21:48:00.001-05:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Roots - Family pictures

Ahhh!

2009-05-23T18:43:00.002-05:00

I'm so behind here, folks. I apologize!! Things have been a bit crazy lately.

1) I'm in massage therapy school. I've been in for 2 weeks, and I'm loving every minute of it.
2) We're not trying for a baby anymore since I'm in school until December. We'll see how things go after I find a job and work for a while.
3) We're house hunting. Today was our first day out looking, and we put in a bid on an awesome foreclosure that we could stay in for a very long time. We should know by Tuesday if we won! Please be thinking about us on that front.

Other than that, not much has been going on. We've been busy with school, talking about buying a house, and church stuff. I also helped my grandmother move into an apartment, and in the process, I acquired an awesome handmade china service for 12 from the 1960s - hand-painted in Japan and beautiful. I also got quite a few other things out of her move.

We're also planning on visiting my aunt and uncle in Colorado over Labor Day weekend, which should be nice and relaxing (and hopefully a break from the potential house renovating we'll be doing!!), but potentially also frustrating, because my aunt and uncle can be a bit pushy and opinionated.

Also found out my mom is moving to Las Vegas. She took a new job and will be moving around the first of July. I will miss having her within driving distance, but I'm definitely looking forward to visiting her in Vegas, plus she'll be more conveniently located to my sister who is moving to L.A. for school in July.

My step-father has had some health complications that have left him unable to stay alone (lots of memory problems, which cause him to wander off and not remember that he is on severe fluid restrictions), which is adding lots of additional stress on my mom in the middle of getting their house on the market and sold, training for her new job, packing up their house and my sister's stuff to move, and buying a new house in the new city. Please keep her and my step-dad in your prayers.

I just realized I have no idea if anyone even reads this anymore, but if so, please leave a comment and let me know! :-)

2009-04-05T00:26:00.004-05:00

Last night I couldn't sleep, but I had a wave of creativity come over me, and I jotted down some ideas for a bathroom mood board. This is the first mood board I've ever made, but I think it turned out OK! It is frustrating to have something 'just so' in your head but be unable to find it in real life/on the interwebs, but I did what I could. Let me know what you think!
Click on the image above for a bigger view!

The break-down (contact me for more specifics, I didn't really keep track but I'll have them in my history folder):
-multi-colored slate tile for shower surround
-black slate tile for floors
-purple paint for walls
-grey paint for trim, door, and vanity
-brushed nickel hardware
-silver/grey shower curtain and bath rug
-navy towels
-white vessel sink
-black and white photography in black frames

2009-03-23T08:00:00.002-05:00

I could use some prayers today. I spent most of yesterday dreading the fact that today is Monday, which means I should be going to work. I wrestled with my emotions all night, and had some discussions with my husband. I went to bed with nothing being resolved.

I woke up this morning fully intending to go to work. I got up, showered, ate breakfast. Then I noticed that my stomach is a little upset. Not fun to go to work with an upset stomach, right? So of course then it looks like I'm trying to find an excuse not to go to work. Not great.

Then I get to thinking. I think "I wish I could have a day to just sit and think and pray and to listen for God's voice, to do what I need to do to take care of me". So I tell my husband how I'm feeling, yet he encourages me to go to work and to "plan ahead" for that type of day. Then I felt like crap for my feelings. I talked to him about it a bit more, and decided that I would in fact stay home and try to figure out a way to make it through the situation that is work.

So today, please be praying for me, if you are the praying type. I am going to spend a lot of time in prayer, time reading my Bible, and time just listening for God. I hope to come out on the other side feeling a sense of renewal and a sense of hope. Maybe I'll have some answers at the end of the day. Or maybe an inkling of what I'm supposed to do. Or maybe I'll hear nothing at all today. But I am taking today as my time to be with God.

Mini Update

2009-03-11T19:10:00.001-05:00

Not much has happened since the last time I posted. I did get to buy some books and magazines on Sunday, which is always awesome. I really shouldn't be allowed to go into a bookstore by myself, though. Too many temptations.

I have decided for sure to apply to massage therapy school. I have filled out my application, and I am going for a tour tomorrow, and will drop it off then. I also need to fax my transcript request to UNT. And a whole slew of other things (mostly financial aid stuff) needs to be done soon, too.

I also started a new knitting project this week, because my old one had too many mistakes and I had to frog it. I'm working on a knit bag now, and I think it will turn out pretty well! We shall see.

We leave for vacation on Friday morning, and I can't wait. I really need to get away from work for a while, and Tyler has promised to get me relaxed and not thinking about anything too important while we are gone. I hope it works!

That's all for now. I have the evening to myself, and I plan on reading (The Friday Night Knitting Club), possibly knitting, and probably going to Starbucks. :-)

More Changes

2009-03-08T20:36:00.002-05:00

Well ladies (and gentlemen? I have no idea.), I may have decided upon something that will change my life. I am looking into going back to school to be a massage therapist. I know it seems like this is coming out of the blue (trust me, I know!), and I still have some praying and seeking to do, but it is looking like a real possibility.

I am drawn to MT for many reasons - the ability to help people, the chance to work for myself (and the flexibility that will bring to scheduling), learning more about the human body/being in a health & wellness related field. I know that going back to school may be tough, and that I still won't be 100% happy with my job all of the time, but I think it would be a great improvement over the kinds of jobs I've had and the job I have now, and I really believe I would enjoy it a lot.

I am looking at 1 school in particular right now, based on the advice of the massage therapist I went to see this week. This school is part of a chiropractic college, and because of that has access to and observation time in a gross anatomy lab, which is very rare for massage therapy schools. It also provides more clinical and classroom hours than required by the state, which should = really knowing and understanding what I'm doing by the time I graduate. It is an 8 month program, and I would most likely start in May. That is only 2 months away, people!

If I do this, we will most likely stop trying actively for our first child, at least until I have been in the program for a few months, so that I will be able to finish before potentially giving birth. We will probably also put off moving until after I graduate, in order to help build our savings a little more and to avoid putting extra stress on me while I'm in school. Ideally we will be able to create a massage studio in our future home so that I can work from home and avoid paying to work in someone else's studio, but it will depend on several variables, of course.

That is where I'm at right now. Tyler and I are going to continue praying about this, but unless we get the feeling that this is definitely not something I should be doing, it is the most probably course for my future at this point. :-)

Change is a-comin'

2009-03-05T21:42:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! I've decided I'd really like to increase the comments and readership I get here on the ol' blog, so I've come up with a list of possible ideas. Let me know what you think, and what you'd like to see!

Post of the Day: I would like to share my favorite post from my Google Reader subscriptions each day, with permission of the blog's author, of course. I would also include a link to their blog.

Weekly Wrap-up: Highlights from our day-to-day life each week

Posts of scriptures or songs that I'm finding particularly uplifting, situation-specific, etc.

Reader Q & As

Reader special requests (for topic-specific posts, recipes, etc.)

Recipes

Book reviews

Product Raves/Service Reviews

Eco-Friendly tips

5K training progress

Guest blog posts

Any feedback or further suggestions are welcome!

2009-03-03T18:54:00.002-06:00

It's been awhile, once again! I am really bad about updating this thing, sorry everyone!

I started a new job 2.5 weeks ago, and it is keeping me really busy. I don't really have the time to do all the stuff around the house that I am used to, and that is really bumming me out. I realize now how lucky I was to be able to stay home. I keep trying to tell myself that this job is only for 5 months, and then I'll be free again, but 5 months is a LONG time when your job is fairly repetitive and your productivity at that job is completely reliant on other people answering their phone or email and/or returning your voicemails. It's pretty hard to hire someone when no one will call you back. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that all the money I make will be going toward a downpayment for our first house, which we will hopefully be purchasing this summer.

Other than work, not a whole lot has been going on lately. Tyler and I ran our first 5K this past Saturday, which was really cool. I even finished under my goal of 45 minutes (by about 1 minute). I was ecstatic! After I crossed the finish I searched for Tyler for at least half an hour, both around the finish line and back where we checked in. I was on the verge of having a meltdown and crying in the midst of 17,000 people when I finally spotted him passing through a crowd. I was so relieved to find him. Next race, we will definitely designate a meeting place for post-race. We're hoping to run another race before this summer, and to make this a pretty regular thing. I never thought I'd become a runner, but here I am! :-)

We're still trying for kid #1, this is our 6th month. Everything seems to be in working order for me so far, so we'll just keep on keepin' on until something happens. Prayers for this are always appreciated. Since I am part of an online community of other women in the same boat as me, I try to pray every day for women who are trying to get pregnant, who are pregnant, etc. because I know how stressful this journey can be. I have faith that God will carry us through this.

Lastly, I am feeling so blessed in my life right now. Tyler and I are both lucky to have jobs that support our lifestyle and allow us to save. We are both healthy. We are blessed with wonderful relationships, with each other, our families, and our friends. God has provided us with a church home that richly blesses our lives as well as the lives of thousands of people. We couldn't really ask for anything more in life.

2009-02-20T07:18:00.000-06:00

NFT.

2009-02-10T14:45:00.001-06:00

Sorry I've been MIA. I got this in an email from my mom and thought it was worth sharing. :-)

To: YOU
Date: TODAY
From: GOD
Subject: YOURSELF
Reference: YOUR LIFE

This is God. Today I will be handling all your problems for you. I do not need your help. So, have a nice day. I love you.

PS:
Remember, if life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it yourself! Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. I will get to it in MY time. All situations will be resolved, but in my time, not yours. Should you decide to send this message to a friend, thank you. You may have touched their life in ways you will never know.

Now, you have a nice day!
God

Interview with Pastor Rick Warren

2009-02-03T15:47:00.001-06:00

No, I didn't personally interview Rick Warren, author of The Purpose Driven Life. My mother actually sent this to me in a forward, but I thought it was worthy of sharing.

You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales. This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California.

In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:

People ask me, What is the purpose of life? And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven.

One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.

I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.

We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.

Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.

The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort.

God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.

We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Godlike character.

This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.

I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.

Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.

No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on.

And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.

You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems.

If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness,'which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.

We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her.

It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.

You have to learn to deal with bo th the good and the bad of life.

Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.

It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.

So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence.

First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.

Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.

Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.

We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?

Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?

When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better. God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do. That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.

Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
God's Blessings on you today.

2009-02-02T16:14:00.003-06:00

This cycle is coming to an end, folks. On to cycle #5! I'm praying that this will be the lucky one, even though I'd be due right before the holidays.

I'm going to talk with Dan (the campus center minister) on Thursday about the job opportunity I applied for there. I have a few other prospects on the horizon as well, which could bring in some extra $$. Any money I make will be going straight into savings for baby/house/car.

It's tax season, and we already have all of our documents ready to go. I think we'll probably go to H&R Block this weekend and file. :-) I'm not sure if we'll get a refund or not, but hopefully we won't have to pay much. (By the way, I LOVE living in a state that has no state income tax. It is wonderful)

I am in the middle of a cleaning rampage through my house. It has been neglected for far too long, especially considering I stay at home. I filed all of our paperwork, and I'm in the midst of doing laundry. I still have a lot to do:
-dust
-vacuum
-declutter
-clean bathroom
-tidy kitchen
-mop kitchen and bath
-water plants

I really need to buy a new, bigger file box to keep all our paperwork in. We currently have two small accordion files, but they are full to the max. It's a bit ridiculous, really.

I'm still working on my homespun scarf. I think I may send it to my mom when I finish, since I really don't need another scarf right now. She kept commenting on what a pretty color it was when I was visiting her last week, so I think she'd like it. :-)

I use :-) too much. I apologize for that, but it probably will not stop.

I made homemade bread last week. It turned out wonderfully, and I am pumped about adding this to my repertoire of housewifely accomplishments.

This concludes my most rambling-est blog post to date. Your comments are encouraged and I await their arrival in my inbox anxiously. TIA!

Traveling

2009-01-27T22:05:00.003-06:00

Not a whole lot has been going on since my last post. Tyler is in Georgia through Friday for some training thing with work. He left on Tuesday. On Wednesday I had a doctor's appointment and then Pongo and I drove 5.5 hours to visit my mom. We've been here since then. I plan on leaving tomorrow around noon to return home, but I'm dreading the drive. I don't have cruise control, so my right hip and leg really get a workout keeping a constant speed. Not to mention the fact that I really hope all the ice has melted by the time I get on the road. Be praying for me if you think about it!

In other news, I chopped off all of my hair this weekend. It wasn't terribly long to begin with, as many of you know, but now it's even shorter. I'd say it's a pixie cut, approximately. I promise to post a picture once I get back to my digital camera, because all of the webcam pics I've taken look kinda weird.

Also, I was sick for almost a week straight this past week. The peak of it was last Monday and Tuesday, and I am pretty much recovered now. Unfortunately, I had 4 days of waking temperatures within fever range, so my chart is kind of messed up. I think I probably ovulated on CD15 or CD16, but I can't be positive. Now it's just a waiting game!

I have also learned about a few money-making opportunities in the last week. One involves helping my grandmother to sell her Hummel collection and other odds and ends from around her home as she prepares to move into a senior/retired apartment complex. I will get 30% of the sales revenue, which is not too bad. Also, my uncle's company is looking for people to make and transcribe recruitment calls. I would get paid $22 for each call I complete, transcribe, and submit to the company (each of which takes about an hour - 1.5 hours). I could do as much or as little as I want, and all the work is from home. Hopefully I'll hear more about these soon!

Lastly, I'm planning an awesome dinner for Tyler's return home on Friday, since I missed celebrating his birthday with him today. I will be making homemade French bread with homemade honey butter, herb-crusted steaks, roast potatoes, and a peanut butter chocolate mousse pie. I hope he loves it!

Lastly, two of my mother's co-workers now believe that I somewhat resemble Bella Cullen. I find this highly amusing and very flattering. In fact, I'm almost giddy about it. And I truly don't care if that makes me a freak. Or a geek. Because I already knew I was all of those things.

Sick

2009-01-19T16:37:00.003-06:00

I am suffering from a terrible cold, or something. I've never had a cold with fever and chills, but that's what I experienced last night. :-( Not only am I sick, but it's messing with my chart, which is not cool.

Not much to update on. Tyler is going out of town tomorrow for two weeks, and on Wednesday I'm traveling to visit our family for a while. I'll probably stay until Monday and then drive back. I don't want to miss life group on Tuesday!

Knitting

2009-01-15T13:45:00.003-06:00

I have found a new hobby that I love - that's right, knitting! Knitting has been gaining popularity in the past decade with the younger generation, and I think it's easy to see why - it is really fulfilling to be able to make something that is both functional and beautiful with your own two hands. Plus, knitting is rhythmic and repetitive, which makes it great for stress relief - and who doesn't need a little stress relief in these trying times??

So far, the only completed project I have is a scarf. It is by no means perfect, but I made it, and I'm proud of it! Since completing said scarf, I have been practicing my technique, so that the next time I start a project, it might be a little closer to "perfect". I have mastered the garter stitch (basic knit stitch), binding off knit-wise, the purl, and the stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl the next). I am about to conquer binding off purl-wise. I think once I finish that, I will make another scarf, before moving on to the infamous ear/neck warmer.

My other hobby of late is Twilight. Yes, I have fallen into
the seductive teen novel series, and I can't free myself! I will admit to having read all four books in the Twilight saga twice in the last 2.5 months. And I'm finally going to see the movie tomorrow, for which I can.not.wait! I could probably even read the books again right now, even though I just finished Breaking Dawn this weekend for the second time. I feel like a crazy person, but I also don't really care!

Stay tuned for a post about my stay-at-home situation and other fun news! :-)

Quick update!

2009-01-11T00:44:00.002-06:00

Not much news here, except that I am SUPER EXCITED to find out that a United Market Street is opening in my town. I never thought I'd be that excited about a grocery store, but, here I am! :-) It opens Wednesday, and you can bet that I'll be there!

We've done a pretty decent job of working out and not eating out too much this week. I don't know if I'll see any weight loss, but I'll update on that in the morning (you know, when I wake up. It's technically morning now, lol).

I'm already starting to dread Tyler going out of town for business the last two weeks of the month. The first week I'll be spending in Lubbock with my mom, as well as visiting Tyler's parents and brother/sister-in-law/niece. And driving down to visit my BFF and her husband. I'm not sure how long I'll stay in the LBK, since I'm really not looking forward to sleeping alone in the apartment. :-/

Knitting has taken a backseat this week, as I decided to re-read the Twilight saga. I'll finish the last book before going to sleep tonight, and then I'll be back to knitting. And possibly scrapbooking and playing flute. Oh yeah, and housework. ;-)

Now, I have a dilemma - I have a lot of un-eco-friendly cleaners around the house. I want to start using eco-friendly products ASAP. Would it be better to get rid of/donate my old supplies to friends and start new with the eco-friendly cleaners, or to use up my stash and then replace stuff as needed? I'm not sure which is less wasteful.

Hopefully I'll have a better update for you soon! Stay tuned. :-D

CD1

2009-01-05T16:25:00.003-06:00

Today is officially CD1 of TTC#1, Cycle#4. I feel pretty blah, as is typical of CD1. But, I'm staying positive about my empty ute by remembering Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plants to give you hope and a future". I know that God has big things in store for Tyler and I, and that those plans are bigger than we can even hope or imagine.

Not much has been happening around these parts, other than trying to keep up with our New Year's resolutions and cleaning up around the house some. As for our resolutions, here's an update:

-exercise at least 3 times per week - we've already worked out together 3 times since the 1st, plus I've done yoga on my own
-eat healthier (including using our new salad bowls for salad and not dessert, LOL): this isn't going so well yet, but we're getting there!
-stick to budget better and save more: we're doing pretty well here, we used some giftcards for eating out/buying stuff rather than our own money
-be more eco-friendly: we have plans in the works for this. We already drive fuel-efficient vehicles, purchase 100% wind energy from Reliant for our electricity, and try to have the AC/heater off when we can. I also plan on purchasing eco-friendly laundry detergent (from www.crunchyclean.com) and some dryer balls (Fuzzy Wuzzy dryer balls, to be exact) in addition to finding green cleaning recipes.
-get pregnant - haven't really worked on this yet, but this month probably won't be the one :-(

I hope everyone else is having a great new year so far and working toward their goals/sticking to their resolutions. Keep your eyes peeled for that post about the things I want to do!

2008 wrap-up and obligatory New Year post

2009-01-01T20:40:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone!

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Christmas. We had a great time visiting our families in west Texas and eastern New Mexico, but we're glad to be home, too. We got to spend plenty of time with our 6.5 month old niece, too, which did nothing to help our baby fever. I'm in the 2ww right now, and we should know more within the week!

Now, of course, everyone tries to make some New Year's resolutions to help improve their lives every year. This year is no different for us, but our goals are pretty limited. Here is our short list of expectations for 2009:

-exercise at least 3 times per week
-eat healthier (including using our new salad bowls for salad and not dessert, LOL)
-stick to budget better and save more
-be more eco-friendly
-get pregnant

I also have a long list of things I'd like to do or get better at, but those aren't really resolutions, per se. I will make another post soon outlining some of these things!

So, for today, we have worked toward one of our resolutions by spending some time at the gym. It felt good to work out those muscles, and I can't wait to do more soon! :-)

That's it for now. Also be on the lookout for a post about knitting in the near future!

To Do List

2008-12-22T13:30:00.007-06:00

I have a lot of things to get done before we leave town tomorrow, so I thought I'd make a to-do list here to keep myself accountable. Please wish me luck!

-shower
-go to bank
-vacuum & mop
-clean bathroom
-wrap 1 gift
-clean kitchen
-finish laundry
-pack for our trip
-dinner with friends
-pack car

Possible additions:
-set up itunes/ipod
-make candy
-purchase gift card to Petsmart

Major vent coming your way

2008-12-17T13:20:00.002-06:00

OK, so some of my readers know that I was supposed to be in graduate school this semester, working toward getting my degree in Library Science. And that I decided that was not the path I wanted to take, and that then I was looking for a job. A few posts ago I told y'all that I am in fact becoming a stay at home wife, and that I'm really happy about it. I know God has called me to be a stay at home mom, and in the meantime, having a job would just cause me a lot of stress, which is bad for everyone.

Well, since I decided not to go to graduate school and I still haven't found a job (since I'm not LOOKING anymore!), a few of my extended family members are upset with me. They don't yell, or say that they're disappointed, or anything obvious like that. But every time I talk to either of them (my grandma and my aunt, by the way), they ask me how looking for a "career" is going, if I've had any more interviews, if I've thought about volunteering. When I say "I'm planning to start volunteering through my church soon", they always come back with "oh, I meant at the museums!". You see, before the library science degree plan, I was going to go to graduate school for museum science. That's right, it's been almost a year since I decided not to do that. But they still think that's what will make me happy. I explain to them that I don't have enough experience to volunteer at the museums (not mentioning the fact that they are all farther than I'm willing to drive to VOLUNTEER and that I'm not interested anyway), and leave it at that.

You may be wondering to yourself "why not just tell them what your plans are?". That's an excellent question. I am shielding myself from the explosive anger that is sure to follow when I explain that "I'm planning to be a stay at home mom, and I'm trying to have a baby!!". That's right, people, they would be disappointed if I told them I wanted to be a mom already, and appalled that I'm wasting all of my talents and intellect staying at home. It is so frustrating knowing that no matter what I do, I can't really please them unless I have a real "career". And I don't know why I care so much what they think, besides the fact that family is very important to me, and therefore, their opinions of me leave a mark. It SUCKS. I hope no one else has to go through this with their family members, but I'm sure they do. :-(

I'm not sure how much longer I can stand to go around and around with these people, trying to make them happy while ultimately doing what's right for me and my family. I think after the new year, I am going to write each of them a letter explaining my plans and how I feel, and asking them not to make any comments to me about the situation unless they are positive and supportive. I don't need this toxicity in my life, and I don't want to blow a gasket over the phone or in person with them, so I think a letter is the safest way to go.

I know they're going to be pissed, and they'll be even more pissed when I announce that I'm knocked up. But, I'm going to try and not care what they think. I'm going to do what makes me and my husband happiest, and what I know God wants me to do. And anyone who gets upset about that can suck it!

/vent. I feel a little better now.

New look

2008-12-16T14:47:00.003-06:00

I've given the blog a facelift! I hope you like it. :-)

Last night after I blogged, I gathered up some Real Simple magazines, my current (/only) knitting project, and my cell and headed to bed. Since I wasn't really sleepy yet, I took up residence in the armchair in our room and knitted for about half an hour, before climbing into bed and reading half a chapter out of Guns, Germs, and Steel. It is a really interesting book so far, especially if you're interested in world history and/or anthropology like myself.

As for the scarf, I believe I started it sometime last winter, and then it got put away for a LONG time. I recently pulled it out again, and I've been working on it a bit ever since. I still have about half of the length left to knit, and then I have to learn to cast off, finish the scarf, and add a fringe. Hopefully my lovely, knitting Nestie friends can give me some tips on that process.

Last night we also made Martha Washington candy. My mom used to make this every Christmas when we were younger, and she hasn't made it in a few years, so I've been reminiscing about it. I decided to make some for the Christmas party we're going to this evening, and it turned out really well! I ended up only making half a batch, because that was all that could fit in my stand mixer bowl (and even that was a tight fit). Here's the recipe and a picture of the finished product:

Martha Washington Candy
2 cans sweetened condensed milk (Eagle Brand preferred)
3 cups pecan pieces
2 cans flaked coconut (or 1 bag, 14 oz.)
4 boxes powdered sugar
1/2 lb. butter
16 oz. chocolate chips
2 bars paraffin wax

Melt butter, add milk, blend well. Add nuts and coconut. Add powdered sugar (1 box at a time), mixing well after each box. Shape into small balls (as if you were making truffles), place on baking sheets covered in wax paper and freeze for 30 minutes. Melt chocolate chips and wax over a double boiler or in the microwave (for 30 second intervals, stirring in between). This will work best if you cut the paraffin bars into smaller pieces before melting. Use toothpicks to dip the candy balls, drain the excess, and place on wax paper. Store finished candies in the refrigerator.

Bad at blogging

2008-12-15T23:26:00.002-06:00

So, if you've been reading my blog for a while, you've probably noticed that I'm horrible at updating it. I'm going to try and be better. So, I'm going to start a challenge! More to come on that in a future post.

So, since my last blog entries, a lot has happened. Too much to even try and recap. We're now on our 3rd cycle of actively TTC, and I'm really excited about that. We're so glad we didn't wait until January.

I'm still jobless, and I think I'm going to plan on staying this way for a while. The job market is terrible right now, and it's not necessary for me to work for our household to stay comfortably afloat. And Tyler is worried that I'll get too stressed out from working full time {and I know he's totally right}. So, I'm currently a stay at home wife. :-)

Other than that, not much has changed, other than Tyler's commute - it is now about half the length it was due to his office changing locations. We are counting this as a major blessing, since it saves him a lot of stress and saves us a lot of gas money. Even though Tyler's car gets excellent mileage (usually 40mpg each tank), he was going through a tank a week, and that really adds up!

Now, readers, what would you like me to blog about? I'm up for anything - ask me a question, ask for a recipe, challenge me to do something. I'll blog about it! Watch for another post tomorrow (That's December 16, by the way. I'm posting this really late!)

Kitchen.After

2008-11-04T16:13:00.005-06:00

I think it turned out really well! Now I need to move on to the bathroom, which shouldn't take me too long, since I already weeded everything out recently. (and apparently, I really need to go grocery shopping, yikes!)

Cleaning Challenge Check-in

2008-11-03T19:13:00.002-06:00

So, today, I did a lot of cleaning in the kitchen! I didn't quite finish, but I took out a huge chunk of work, so I'm pretty proud. Here's the long list, with things I finished in BOLD.

Day 1 - Conquering the Kitchen

Make sure daily is done:
- Clear off all counter tops
- Load dishwasher
- Handwash any dishes needed
- Wipe down sink
- Wipe down stovetop
- Wipe down all the counters
- Swiffer the floor

Pantry
- Take everything out of the pantry.
- Wipe down shelves.
- Toss old items and donate unused good items.
- Repackage all messy items into nice containers.
- Place all items back into the pantry in an organized fashion.

Fridge
- Take everything out of the fridge and freezer (placing items in a cooler with all the remaining ice.
- Scrub down the inside and outside of the fridge, shelves, doors, ice maker and freezer.
- Replace water filter if you have one.
- Clean fridge condenser coil.
- Toss old or useless food.
- Place everything back into fridge in an organized fashion.

Cabinets
- Take ALLL your items out of all your cabinets and drawers. Yes... ALL!
- Wipe down the inside of all cabinets and drawers.
- Wipe down the inside of all containers such as utensil holders.
- Store items not used in over 6 months, or summer seasonal items.
- Thinking logically (ie - potholders next to stove, towels next to sink), try to put everything back in a more useful and purposeful place, and in an organized fashion.
- Scrub down the cupboard exteriors, from top of the kitchen to bottom.

All Those Appliances:
-Replace water filters in sink, coffeemaker etc.
-Descale coffee maker (run through white vinegar and then 2-3 more cycles of just water)
-Polish all appliances
-Clean out microwave and vent
-Self clean or scrub out stove
-Clean drain (baking soda, vinegar, cover, sit, then add boiling water to wash it down)

Make it Shine:
-Shine sink
-Dust from top of kitchen to bottom
-Clean that fan or light fixture
-Wash the drain stopper
-Clean and disinfect inside of trash can
-Vacuum and scrub/mop floor

Kitchen.Before

2008-11-03T12:02:00.004-06:00

Here are some pictures of my cabinets and fridge before the fall cleaning challenge.

Sorry the fridge one is sideways, I uploaded it directly from my camera.

Fall Cleaning

2008-11-03T11:36:00.003-06:00

So, I've finished up my temp work for now. I'm technically going to be "on call" in case they need someone for any big jobs that come up. Which is fine with me!

I also found out about an amazing job opportunity at our church yesterday, so I'm in the process of applying for that position. It is the volunteer coordinator for our church, which is a part time position that sounds perfect for me. I'm praying about it, and would appreciate the same from any of my readers out there!

Speaking of which, I'd like to do a reader roll-call! So, if you read this, post a message and let me know! =)

Finally, I come to the point of this post. I have decided to begin participating in the Hyper Homemaker's Fall Cleaning Challenge. Although the challenge started two days ago, I am beginning today, instead, which means I'll be tackling my kitchen! Here is the list of things I need to accomplish:

Kitchen:
-Empty and scrub down the inside of the fridge
-Empty and clean inside of the utensil drawers (I'll also be scrubbing my utensil drawer organizer)
-Scrub down the cupboard exteriors
-Replace water filter in the water pitcher
-Clean drain (baking soda, vinegar, cover, sit, then add boiling water to wash it down)
-Shine sink
-Polish appliances and descale coffeemaker
-Clean out pantry and reorganize
-dust the top of the cabinets and refrigerator
-run a cleaning cycle in the dishwasher
-dust interior of cabinets and line with shelf paper
-mop the floor

Yummy Recipe

2008-10-30T15:51:00.004-05:00

This is a recipe that my mom made while I was growing up. It's super easy, and I think it is so good! Plus, it is a one-dish wonder, since it has protein, veggies, carbs, and cheese! If you try it out, let me know what you think! :-)

Easy Shepherd's Pie

1 lb. ground beef (I'm sure you could use ground turkey, too)
1 can tomato soup (I use the low-sodium kind)
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 can cut green beans, drained (you can also use French style, if you want)
1 packet instant mashed potatoes, prepared (you can use "real" potatoes, too, but this is easy shepherd's pie, after all!)
4 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

1. preheat oven to 400*
2. brown ground beef (or turkey) in a large skillet, drain.
3. add tomato soup to ground beef, combine well
4. add both cans of vegetables, and mix well**
5. Pour beef/veggie mixture into a 9X13 baking dish. Spoon mashed potatoes over mixture, starting in the center. (Your mashed potatoes probably won't cover the whole thing, so just try to make a smaller rectangle of potatoes over the ground beef mixture). Cover the mashed potatoes with the cheese, and bake (uncovered) at 400* for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

**I usually make the beef/veggie mixture and then leave it on "low" while I make the mashed potatoes.

Enjoy!!

I'm such a slacker!

2008-10-29T15:02:00.002-05:00

But I vow to do better from now on.

So, since my last post, I have interviewed and been denied for that job. I was really upset about it, even though they said if they could have hired two people, I would have been the next choice. Apparently God had other plans in mind.

So after that job interview, I kept looking online for jobs, but honestly, the market is horrible right now, and nothing was coming up. So I took Tyler's cousin up on an offer to temp at the company she works for. I've been there a little over three weeks now, and while it's nice to be out of the house and making money, I'm not sure how long I can stay there. I'm just doing a ton of data entry right now, which is fine, but it gets to be really boring. I spend more time than I'd like to admit surfing the Nest/the Bump while working. Bad, bad, I know. Anyway, my contract is up on the 31st, and my supervisor still hasn't gotten back to me about whether or not they want to renew it. Hopefully I'll find out about that tomorrow, otherwise we're cutting it pretty close!

Other stuff that we've been up to lately includes: becoming the team leads for the 12:15 service welcome team at our church, watching 2 of our good life group friends get baptized, attending life group and related events, visiting our family, visiting the pumpkin patch, having our friends come and stay with us for a weekend, and getting new pro pictures made. Visit www.jamiecoupaud.blogspot.com for our preview!

The most exciting news of all? We decided to move TTC up, and are now on cycle 1.5 of trying for our first baby. I say cycle 1.5 because we decided last cycle to start trying, but we didn't make this decision until the day I ovulated, so we didn't really get a chance to take full advantage of the cycle. We thought and prayed and talked about this decision a lot, and we really feel that this is the plan God has for us. I know that my calling in life is to be a mother, and I think it's possible that a lot of the reason I wasn't able to find a full-time job is because I'm not meant to be working. I feel called to be a stay-at-home mom, and if we're to get pregnant soon, I would feel awful leaving a relatively new full-time job so shortly. Anyway, we're so excited about this new journey!! We weren't going to tell anyone, but Jamie (from jamiecoupaud.blogspot.com) saw my charting ticker on the Nest and asked me about it, so I told her. I also told one other friend from college, because I didn't want her to think I was a nutcase when we went to Ikea and all I could do was comment on all the cute baby stuff. And finally, I had to tell my mom when we went to visit our parents a few weekends ago. She was seriously contemplating moving to Cleveland for work, and she asked if we were trying, because she knew I would want her closer than Cleveland if I were to be pregnant. I told her that we were trying, and she has now decided to stay in TX. I'm so glad she did, but I'm pretty sure our TTC was just the icing on the cake.

So, there's a short update of our lives lately. Things are good, and it's almost the holidays, so they're about to get even better!

Job searching

2008-09-18T18:02:00.001-05:00

As most adults know, looking for a job can be the hardest thing you ever have to do. I've been struggling with this for a few weeks now, and it gets very frustrating. I don't really know what sort of job I might like or be good at, so it's hard to even know what to apply for.

Last week I applied for a position in the college my degree was a part of at the university I just graduated from. It is a temporary, one year position as an academic advisor. I really think I would enjoy this job, because I have always liked helping people get their schedules worked out, figuring out their degree requirements, etc. It also pays a really good salary, which is nice, but not terribly important to my decision making.

About 20 minutes ago I got a call from someone in that office. First, he wanted to know if I was still interested even though it was only a temporary situation, and of course I said yes. Then he asked to schedule an interview for Monday, which I gladly accepted. So, I'm going to interview at 12:30 on Monday! I'm so excited, but really nervous at the same time. I've never had a full-time job before, and I don't have much experience with interviewing at all, either. I think I will do well, though. I'm definitely going to make Tyler practice interview questions with me this weekend, so hopefully I'll be a little better prepared than I am right now.

All in all, I'm really excited about this position. I'm going to have to try really hard not to get my hopes up too high, because I don't want to be too depressed if it doesn't work out in my favor. Wish me luck, and feel free to leave any interview tips as a comment! :-)

I've been tagged again!

2008-09-15T15:18:00.002-05:00

This time, by This Is We. Now, I don't know who This Is We is, so please reveal yourself! LOL. Anyway, I'm supposed to write 8 things about myself, and tag 8 people, so here it goes!

1) When I was little, I was obsessed with dinosaurs. I wanted to be a paleontologist for the longest time. I still love all things dinosaur!

2) One of my biggest life goals is to be a stay at home mom. I can't wait to have kids and stay home to take care of them.

3) I wish we could skip summer altogether. I love spring and fall, and I can tolerate winter (super-cute clothes, anyone?), but summer is too hot, and I don't really enjoy many summer activities (barbeques, going to the lake, etc). The only good thing about summer is that it's the season by birthday is in.

4) I got married when I was 19 to my middle-school sweetheart. We have been married a little over two years and have been together over 8! :-) I truly believe that God puts certain people in our lives and helps our relationships to blossom on His own time.

5) I love to read. I have always had a love of books and reading, and I almost went to school for library science. I currently have two books I'm waiting to start after I finish re-reading Jane Eyre.

6) My mom is one of my very best friends. We've always had an awesome relationship, and that hasn't changed, despite the fact that we live 300 miles apart. I wish we lived closer, but we still talk on the phone all the time and email each other frequently.

7) I love my in-laws. Not just my mother and father-in-law, but Tyler's brother, sister-in-law, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. And cousins. We all get along really well, and I love having a close, involved family. That's not something I really had much of growing up, and it's nice to know that they approve of me and love me like their own.

8) I can't wait for Thursday night TV to come back! Only a few more agonizing weeks until we're enjoying new episodes of Grey's Anatomy, The Office, etc. I'm also excited for Private Practice (not on Thursdays) and Scrubs (starting later in the season). Eeee! :-D

OK, there's eight things about yours truly. Now I've gotta tag some people:
1) Life So Sweet
2) Leslie G.
3) Mike and McGee
4) Seriously?
5) Newlywedisms by Bryn
6) Better Together
7)3 acres and 3 thousand sqft
8){A Day in the Life}

Jeebus!

2008-09-12T14:15:00.003-05:00

It's been ages since I last updated, and for that I apologize. The biggest reason I haven't updated is because there is nothing to update about. I did graduate, and that was awesome. I was working at my part time job on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but this week was my last, and now I have nothing to do.

I have vented a lot on the Nest, to my mom, and to Tyler about certain family members who think I will be wasting my four-year degree as well as my intellect and talents if I do not find a real career. Now mind you, if I knew what I wanted to do, I wouldn't be bothered by this so much. However, my degree (anthropology) does not lend itself well to any careers besides academic ones (research or teaching, and both of those only with advanced degrees). And my mom and Tyler both know that I just want to be a SAHM once I have a baby, but if I were to tell my other family members that, they might have tandem hissy fits. Lame-o. Anyway, I've applied for a few jobs (2 full-time career-type positions, and a job at Starbucks!), but I've not heard anything back about those yet. I'm kind of hoping to hear back from the most recent application, which was an Academic Advisor position in the college at the University I just graduated from. I'd love to be able to help other students with their degree plans, scheduling, etc. :-)

Other than that, we've been kind of busy all summer traveling to see family. I went on vacation to Colorado to visit my aunt (one of those certain relatives, btw), which was pretty relaxing over all. Over Labor Day weekend we went to visit some of Tyler's family (OK, his entire family on his mom's side), which was awesome. That trip did not help the baby fever, however, because both our 3 month old niece and our 8 month old second cousin were there. We also found out the only other cousin not to have kids is pregnant, so I had a mini-twinge of jealousy about that, which is kind of lame. We're planning on trying in January, so I just keep telling myself "it won't be long!".

Because of said baby fever, I've been spending a lot of time on the BOTB board on the Nest. Now, lots of people find them to be offensive, but I appreciate their bluntness, and have learned a lot from them. They get a little testy about being asked the same questions over and over again, especially when a little Google can go a long way. Anyway, I've also been looking at Babies R Us's website a lot. I found the perfect quilt for the phantom baby's nursery theme (gender neutral dinosaurs), so I had to buy it. Yesterday at the Dollar Tree, I also found some cute plush dinosaurs, and at a dollar a piece, I couldn't pass them up. Here's a pic of everything together:

That's about all the updating I have for now. Stay tuned!

Wow!

2008-08-11T22:39:00.002-05:00

It's been nearly a month since I last updated! That's terrible, but at least I have a good excuse! I was totally swamped with schoolwork the past month, but now I'm completely finished.

That's right. I'm through with school. I've graduated, in fact. Saturday I walked across the stage and graduated Magna Cum Laude. I'm so excited! I'm also really glad that my husband, mom, and in laws got to watch it happen. They're all really proud of me, and so am I! The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, eating too much, and just enjoying each others' company. We also did a fair bit of Olympic spectating.

Today was spent looking for a job. I created my resume yesterday, and today I scoured Yahoo! HotJobs and CareerBuilder.com, plus applied for jobs at local school districts and a few retail places. All of my applications were done online, and I have one more job that I have to go apply to in person. I think I applied for about 16 jobs total. Luckily I'm still employed until I find something new, but I'm really itching to find something a little more permanent, so we can save more for buying a house and starting a family.

Other than those events, not much has been going on! I've been spending way too much time on the Nest message boards, which is always a fun time. I've also been busy hanging out with friends in between homework and reading for FUN, which has been great. I finally finished reading Pride and Prejudice (which I had started about three times before, and never made it past page 40), as well as John Eldredge's Wild at Heart and John and Stasi Eldredge's Captivating. Now I'm reading Searching for God Knows What, by Donald Miller. I can honestly recommend all of these books, especially if you're interested in Christian spirituality.

More updates to come!

Grad school?

2008-07-18T12:41:00.001-05:00

I thought I should update, since it has been quite a while. I have been very busy with schoolwork lately, not to mention moving and getting unpacked, etc.

These classes I'm in are the core courses for the library science graduate program I'm supposed to start in the fall. I have not enjoyed them very much at all. They are far less interesting than I had hoped, and I do not enjoy the coursework at all. For this reason, I am strongly considering not starting school in the fall. I would love to take the semester off, and I'll probably find a different job, where I can work 20-30 hours a week. I think I need some time to reevaluate my life and decide what's best for me and my family in the long run. I've never felt very strongly about having a career, and I've never really, truly loved working anywhere. The thought of a normal 9-5 job does not entice me one bit, and I don't feel like that is what God is calling me to do. The only thing I know for sure that I am supposed to do in this life is to be a wife and a mother.

Keep me (and Tyler) in your thoughts and prayers, especially over these next few weeks as we try to decide what I will be doing after graduation. This is a really tough decision to make, and we are praying for God's guidance through all of this.

Hopefully I'll manage to update more regularly once I don't have schoolwork anymore. Only 3 more weeks!

Updated Nest bio!

2008-07-09T13:43:00.007-05:00

Please check out my newly updated GooglePages bio for pictures of the new apartment. I can't make a longer post because summer school is swallowing me whole right now. I'll be done on August 8, so don't expect much posting before then!

So, visit the link below for my updated bio!
http://gnomesweetgnome527.googlepages.com

**Thanks to Mrs_mam for letting me know to fix the link. Hopefully it'll work better now!**

Still not done...

2008-06-27T12:29:00.005-05:00

Sorry, but still no pictures of the house. We're *thisclose* to being done, but I've been swamped with school, and we're going out of town this weekend.

In other news, a new trend has hit the D&R board: Scrapblog! I've never been one for scrapbooking in real life, because I find that the supplies are super-expensive, I'm very indecisive, and I don't want to waste pictures and supplies only to be unhappy with the results. Digital scrapbooking is more instant, less permanent, and so easy to work with! Here's my first attempt: