33. One third of 99.

33. I am 33 years old today.

I don't have a problem with it at all this year. 30 was hard. 31 was harder. 32 was depressing.

33 is really really good.

So, in honor of my 33rd birthday and 33 wonderful years...I'm going to do a quick list of 33 things I'm thankful for. (I need to credit Rachel for the idea- although she didn't need to be thankful for 33 things...soon, though)

1. Dave. He is definitely the man that God made for me and my life. I'm proud to call him husband. He's hardworking, honest and patient. And he loves me- no matter what weight I'm at...but still encourages me to be healthy. Dave believes in simple living, and doesn't need a lot of "stuff" to impress anyone or make him happy. I LOVE this about him.

2. Adam. Quite possibly the most loving 5 year old I know. Loves to cuddle. I love that about him.

3. Colin. The craziest toddler I know. Also the fastest with a smile. Amazingly ticklish.

4. Being a Christian first and a Lutheran second. Thanks, Martin, for your thesis.

5. Being debt free. Quite possibly the hardest road to walk, but the most rewarding by far.

6. My mom and dad. Awesome parents, even more awesome grandparents who are willing to take the boys overnight.

7. My in laws who are straight up honest and caring people. Great grandparents to my boys too!

8. My brother and his family and their visit back to Michigan this year. Great visit and nice to reconnect with my only living sibling.

9. Dr. and Cheryl Wisdom. They're working with me to regulate all my health issues so I can feel better and live the life I was meant to lead.

10. Molly. Yes, I'm even grateful for my 2x4 chocolate lab that continuously gets into the garbage, and farts incessantly.

11. The love shack. Ugh....yes, I'm grateful for it.

12. Being gluten free. It's been a journey, but one that's stretching and challenging me. And that helps me feel so much better.

13. Reese's peanut butter cups are gluten free. Need I say more?

14. It's fall! This is my favorite time of year. I love the smells, the rain, the crisp air, the colors...love it.

15. Dried cherries. Yum.

16. The cute (albeit uncomfortable) sandals I purchased to go with my new sundress for a wedding Dave was in this summer. They're high wedges. Very cute.

17. Adam's kindergarten. St. Mark was the best, most rewarding decision ever. He has blossomed this year, and I LOVE it!

18. I LOVE that Dave's sister and her kids live in West Michigan. The boys LOVE them, and we love doing things with them.

19. Elmo and his world. I'm so grateful for the 20 minutes of peace he buys me!

20. Working from home. For all the stresses that it adds, it is a blessing not to have to put my kids in a day care and earn some extra money at the same time. In addition, I finally have a boss that I can actually respect.

21. This blog. For helping me gain a creative outlet, poke fun at myself, and stay in touch with family I don't see/talk to often.

22. Our minivan. Yep...hot stuff. But paid for, and helps us carpool to and from school.

23. Being able to get pregnant, stay pregnant and have healthy babies. The more I learn about my hormones (or lack thereof) the more I realize that my children are such a miracle.

24. MOPS. This group has enriched my life. I've found other moms in the trenches of motherhood who encourage me to grow in my faith.

25. Our small group bible study. With all its changes over the years, our group remains very close and very strong. This is certainly a safe place for Dave and I to share hopes and burdens.

26. Crafts. Yes! I love crafts!!!

27. My bestie, Gina...she is my personal counselor.

28. My other bestie, Erika...she is my personal cheerleader.

29. The giraffe feeding site at Binder Park Zoo. I could seriously stay there all day/ every day. I heart giraffes.

30. Neighbors. I have some that are nice and courteous and ask me to let their dogs out when they go on vacation and do garage sales together! I love that.

31. Mentors. I have many, and I'm thankful for them.

32. Sinus rinses. They've saved me so much money and toxins with allergies.

33. Belly laughs. It's the best sound in the world.

Yes...33 is really really good.

A different kind of Not Me! Monday

A different kind of Not Me! Monday

This is a different kind of Not Me! Monday- I'm mixing it up a bit. Here's a fun, but embarrassing story from the past week.

Last week, I was in a store, and realized I needed to use the restroom right now. So, I brought the boys and the stroller into the woman's restroom where there were two stalls. If the boys are with me, I usually go into the handicapped stall with them so I don't' leave them unattended. But it was occupied, and I had womanly things to do, so I was grateful that I didn't have to answer any questions.




I parked the stroller (and boys) in front of the other stall door (you know, so I can watch them through the huge crack in the door) and proceeded to go about my business. The rest is what you could have heard if you were a fly on the wall in that bathroom:





Adam: Mom, how long will this take?

Me: A few seconds. Please stay on the sit-and-stand with your brother.

Sound: toot echoing in the toilet bowl

Adam: Mom....WHAT was that?!?!?

Me: It was a toot. Adam...can you talk to Colin about school buses? What color are they?

Adam: It sounded crazy mom! Like an alien fart!

Colin: Anien fart!!!

Me: That's enough talking about toots, guys...let's talk about something else.

Adam: Yeah! Like how much it STINKS in here!!! Wheew, mom...WHAT did you eat?!?!?

Me: Adam, that's enough. What would you like to eat for lunch today?

Adam: Not what you ate! You stink sooo bad, mom!!! You're stinkier than daddy!

Me: Adam, that's enough. What's next on our list of things to do today?

Colin: ppppp eeeewwwww, momma! You tink!

Adam: Mom, it stinks so bad in here. Can I go to the toy department and look around so I don't have to smell you?

Me: Adam, I'm almost done. I'll wash my hands and we'll be on our way.

Adam: Mom, it stinks so bad, I think I'm going to throw up!

Colin: Momma- you TINK!!! EEEE WWWWW Ouchie Nose!

Me: That's enough, boys.

Adam: (gagging )

I finish my business, wash my hands and leave. Then I found a secluded spot in the store, and had a little chat with the boys about bathroom etiquette. You see, I was not the one having a BM that day, it was the woman next to me. I can only imagine what she was thinking. So, yes...this is truly a Not Me! Monday.

I love to laugh.

The Money Pit is quite possibly one of my favorite movies. And, now that I'm living through some sort of this...its even better.

I love to laugh. I love this scene from the movie. It's impossible to watch and NOT laugh. Seriously, I love Tom Hanks...there is no other actor in the world that could have done this scene any better.

Enjoy.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken Breast

Yum! This is my favorite dish to make when we have people over. It's easy to make ahead of time, economical, and tastes incredible. Plus, if it's nice out, you can stick your husband with the food on the grill and enjoy your company! (But I would never do that!- cough)

Anyway...for this you will need:

• Chicken Breast (I usually wait until the frozen bags are BOGO and stock up)


• A tub of Philly Onion and Chive cream cheese spread. (If you're cheap, you can buy the blocks and mash in your own onions and chives...but I had a coupon and they were on sale.)


• One pound of bacon


• Tin foil

If you're using frozen bags of chicken breast, you'll need to plan ahead. These need to thaw for a day or two.

I usually start by laying out "stations." It's easier and faster to do if everything is readily accessible. In addition, you're not continuously washing your hands between handling chicken and the tin foil box, etc. You'll need about 6-7 12" sheets of tin foil (look in your bag to see how many chicken breasts you have).

I apologize for the weird lighting in my kitchen.

The mid afternoon sun is really weird over here.

Use a shallow baking sheet, put 2 chicken breasts in a plastic bag, hammer flat.

I use kitchen sheers to cut off excess fat on the meat. Ugh, I hate chicken fat. Then, I put approx. 1 1/2- 2 TBSP of cream cheese on the chicken and spread it out a bit.

Roll up the chicken and wrap two pieces of bacon around it. Then, wrap in tin foil. (I wrap them Subway style- starting in a corner first and folding in the two outside corners to make a nice tight seal.

If you're freezing them, put all your chicken "balls" in a ziploc bag and freeze.

Cooking: If fresh- 350 for 40 min. If frozen - 350 for 1 hour.

Cost per serving: $1.84

Variations:
Low Fat: You can go low fat by using turkey bacon and reduced fat cream cheese and add your own chives and onion to it.

Gluten Free: Use nitrate free gluten free bacon, natural cream cheese and mix in your own chives and onion. (Cost per serving: $2.65)



This is also a great and easy dinner to bring to people if they've just had a baby, moving, etc. I usually wrap up some baked potatoes in foil and show up with X amount of tin foil balls (1 for every person in their family). The baked potatoes need to cook at 350 for an hour too, so its a good match.

Aside: probably not a good idea to bring to someone who has just had bypass. ;)

Enjoy!

Not Me! Monday

I took a small hiatus from Not Me! Monday, but since a few of my friends have commented on the lack of Not Me! Monday, I'll be happy to oblige. So, without further adieu:

I did not skip out on our family walk all week to gain a few moments of silence in the house. I am not ornery about my lack of "quiet time" now that Adam is in school, and Colin needs constant attention. I am not acutely aware that the only time I have to clean, cook and work are during Colin's nap times. I do not get super disappointed when Colin only sleeps for 45 minutes. I always put my need for exercise and quality family time over my own need for sanity. I would never skip out for peace and quiet.

I did not squeal with glee when I saw a shirt in the store that reminded me of my favorite baby outfit of Colin's. I did not finagle room in the budget to purchase said shirt- just for that reason. I would never do this! I do not dwell in the past, and only look forward to the future. I certainly do not put stock in material possessions to help me relive the time when my little one was a precious baby. Nope, not me! The following pictures do not exist next to each other:

I was not totally surprised by a third sneeze in the middle of the night. While normally a 2-sneezer, I did not (no, really, I didn't) realize a third was coming...and fail to cover my mouth. This was not the night Dave was sleeping on his back and without covers. He did not get a little sprinkle-o-Sandy in the middle of the night. He was not half awake in the first place, and proceed to thank me for being so generous with my germs. I have never felt so sexy. Dave does not now have a cold that he certainly does not blame me for.

My youngest is not totally obsessed with those single serving water bottle flavors. He does not hoard them when the pantry is unlocked. This morning, I did not realize that he had them, and is now able to open them. Molly did not have iced tea with lemon water for the last few hours before I realized this. I am always on alert to things that could potentially hurt my dog- especially with a toddler in the house. I would never neglect something as important as her water dish, something essential to my canines well-being. On the other hand, I am totally not laughing at having a caffeinated dog. She is so not totally crazy right now.

Ok, that's all I've got for this week. Although I do have more, I'm choosing to stop here due to 1) work, 2) the toddler running rampant in the house and 3) to save your retinas. (aren't I nice?!?!). If you'd like to read more Not Me! Mondays, go to this blog and see what everyone else has not been doing.

Love Shack Update

One of the first questions that many (many, many) people ask Dave and I is,

"How's the house coming along?"

Yes, that seems to be the question of the century.

I realized that I am now very sick of this question.

And I've realized why.

Most people (you know, other than those that are debt free and purchasing things as they have cash and building in their "freetime" kind of most people) build a house in a matter of months.

Months.

Then they move in, live in a sea of boxes for a few weeks, and its done.

We're going on 4 1/2 years.

Years.

Yes, yes...I have rationalized it all in my head. We're debt free. We own this house. We have no mortgage. No payment! Yes, I love that fact about Dave and I. I really do realize that I am fortunate this way. But, on the other hand, this constant state of transition has really worn on me. I'm not a patient person by nature...(really, I'm not) so I think God is really trying to teach me a lesson in all this. So, I pray that he will hurry up and teach me so we can get it over with. Which is a laughable prayer- (Please hurry up and teach me about patience!).

So, now that I'm done with my pity party for one, let me strap on my smiley face and show you some updates on the Love Shack...shall we?

We're onto trim. Funny story (real quick), the delivery guy came with a truck, I wrote out a huge check for trim. (yes, huge- but then again, huge may be relative to you guys...but anything over $1500 is huge to me- heck, anything over $300 is huge to me- who am I kidding! But, I digress...)

The delivery driver backs his truck down to the garage- an amazing feat, by the way, but almost hits the garage...within an inch. So, my brain wanders "what if" and how would I tell Dave that some random truck driver banged into the garage...oye. But he didn't.

Whew.

So, I run inside to tend to the boys and make sure Molly doesn't get out to jump all over him. Then he leaves. I'm excited to see what he left for us. I go outside, see the pile. The first thing out of my mouth is,

"THAT'S IT!?!?!?!"

Holy cow, trim is expensive!!!

So, the picture below is our pile o'trim. Looking at it now, it's absolutely beautiful wood. I know nothing about trim, so I totally let Dave pick out the design, wood species and grade of the trim.

And here's a little sneak peak of what Dave is doing with it.

The man never ceases to amaze me. He really is a talented carpenter.

I'll show you more when there's more to show. Right now, Dave is so busy with his work (praise God!) that he has no free time for anything. And if he takes time off to work on it, there's no money to save up for the next step (and, you know, basic living expenses). So, while our true goal was to be in the addition by Christmas, it's realistically looking like Easter next year.

Yes, yes...I know, more of that patience thing. :)

Thanks, guys for following our journey!

(and for your encouragement!)

Eight Years

Eight years ago....

...the engagement pictures had been taken and submitted to local newspapers

Eight years ago...

...I spent the morning with my ladies at the salon

...I slipped into the white dress that was perfect for me

...my groom got dressed in a tux and watched a football game on tv

Eight years ago...

...we had 5 minutes of alone time before pictures started

(the most memorable 5 minutes ever)

...we smiled alot

Eight years ago...

...we did a lot of kissing for the camera

Eight years ago...

...we had the most adorable ringbearer and flower girl

...I told my father, "Thank you for everything and I love you."

Eight years ago...

...I walked up a long aisle to my groom surrounded by 12 awesome people

Eight years ago...

...we took a trolley ride to the beach and boardwalk for some fun pictures

Eight years ago...

...we had an awesome reception

...we were surrounded by 400 of our closest friends and family

...we danced

...and laughed

Eight years ago...

...I didn't have a clue at how much work a marriage is

...I didn't know I could love someone so much and want to strangle them at the same time

...I thought life would be easy and fairytale-esk

...I didn't know the working definition of the word "respect"

...I didn't know I could be more proud of him than I was at that moment

...I didn't know I could actually love him more than the moment I married him

Eight years ago...

...I knew I was marrying the man that God had made for me

...I knew I was the woman made for my husband

...I knew that regardless of what was in our future, God would bless us

...and He has.

Happy Anniversary, my love.