5QF SWELTERING FRIDAY edition

Maroon 5 is on the Today Show. 

(first, I miss Ann Curry...there, I said it)

Second, everyone in the band is wearing white.  All white. 

At first glance, I thought that Ricki Martin was playing.

No joke.

I personally think straight men should avoid wearing all-white.

Just sayin'.

And just need to take an aside down for yesterday's Supreme Court ruling (feel free to skip down to the questions if you're not up for politics).  I'm a wee bit aprehensive for the following reasons:

1.  Our government has prooven time and time again that they cannot economically spend our taxpayer monies.  This Obamacare legislation is the SINGLE LARGEST TAX IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.  Let me say that again- THE WORLD.  So, if you have a friend who steals money from you only to squander it, and they some asking for A LOT more money, you give it to them?

2.  This is giving our government too much power over every individual person.  Socialist medicine is prooving all around the world to be INSUFFICIENT.  Why are we copying this?

3.  When they decide that there's not enough money for long term diseases, surgeries, etc, it will be the government who decides what you can and can't do for your ailments.  I wonder how long it will take before they say that the government will only pay for 2 baby deliveries, or one heart issue, etc.  Will we allow the government to instate a deadline for cancer healing?  Then, your benefits expire...and so do you?  This is a VERY slippery slope we're on.


Thanks for listening and reading my opinions.  Soap box getting folded up and shoved in back pocket.








1. What's your favorite childhood snack that you still eat as an adult?

Ohhhh, if we're camping or having a fire in the backyard, I'm a sucker for some s'mores!!!

Of course, now I'm using gf graham crackers, and I can only eat 1 or else the sugar/caffiene buzz will keep me up all night....but they are still SOOOO yummy.

Especially if my fingers get all gooey from the marshmallow...oh so good.


2. What food will you not eat the low fat version of?

Honestly, I really don't eat many low-fat versions of anything.  Since giving up gluten, I'm realizing that many low fat versions just add fillers (i.e. GLUTEN) to make things lower in fat.  In addition, I go low-sugar, and those fillers usually include more sugar as well. 

So, full fat versions, just less portion size of them.

I'll eat the low fat version of cream cheese....but that's about it. 

3. What's your favorite way to cool off during the summer?

I'm currently spending my days hiding out in my air conditioned basement.

Apparently, this baby girl has made me into a fetus-harboring-furnace.  Fr someone who has been dealing with thyroid issues for the past few years, being this HOT is a new experience.  I'm used to running at least 5 degrees cooler than the general population....so, yeah....hiding in the basement.  :)

But Hooray (?) for a healthy thyroid!


4. What's your favorite summer read?

People Magazine.

Right now I just have no time to get into a book.  I'm behind at work, and when I do take a break to read, it needs to be a quick light read...nothing too involved. 

I do miss books, though.  I miss being involved in a story and anticipating how the story ends.  Perhaps when we go camping, I'll grab a book and pray for ONE rainy afternoon.

5. What are you doing to stay cool in this awful heat?

Again...the air conditioned basement.  :)

Thursday drivel

1.  Today is Uncle Matt's birthday.  For those of you that know Uncle Matt, this is a national holiday.  You only think I jest....unless you know Matt.  :)  (Who by the way is D's younger brother).  He and D are working here at the love shack today.  The boys and I have exactly 4 hours before lunch time to put together a little lunch celebration for him.  Hopefully he'll be pleasantly surprised.  Again, it's his national holiday...so I'm thinking any celebration shall be welcomed.

2.  How is it that I spent 12 hours at my computer yesterday, and wrote up a crap-load of audits...only to wake up today and see my audit status as still far-far behind?  Grrrrr...

3.  There are certain semantics that people in the general population use that just get under my skin.  I realize that my parochial upbringing made me a bit of a grammar snob, however the problem seems to get worse as we get lazier with our autocorrect (myself included!). 

For example:  There is a difference between "breath" and "breathe." 

Used correctly in sentences:

"I need a breath of fresh air."

"My sinuses are so congested, I can hardly breathe."

In addition, mislabeling nouns or positions really irks me lately.  For instance:  there is a difference between a Godparent and a Guardian.

Defined:

A Godparent has 3 jobs:  to witness a baptism, to remind thier Godchild of his/her baptism, and to hold the parents accountable for the vow they took to raise that child to know God.

A Guardian has one job:  In the unfortunate event of the premature death of both parents, the guardian would assume care for the child.

If you walk into a lawyer's office to define Godparents in your will, you will be laughed at.  Setting up legal guardianship?  Yep...they can do that for ya.

4.  It's going to be a hot one here.  Apparently, this starts an 8-day heat wave.  I realize that "heat wave" for Texans includes more than one or two days with heat indexes over 100, however, there are swelling pregnant women here in Michigan who are planning to hide out in her air conditioned basement for the next week.  Who needs Vitamin D anyway, right?

5.  Our neighborhood really leaves a LOT to be desired in the way of kids for my boys to play with.  There's ONE boy on our road.  And he's a wierdo.  Even A. has stated that he doesn't want to play with him anymore - which is saying a lot.  We have a part time neighbor who comes every other weekend, but unfortunately, that does nothing for me him during the week.

6.  I think that my openness about being debt free has given other's a free license to complain about their finances to me.  I'm normally a person who has very few boundries, so this is fine by me.  However, if you bring it up, be prepared to hear something you may not be ready for.  Something like, "I see you have a new iphone, and you were at the bar three nights last week, oh....and that trip you are planning to take next month, you may want to cancel it...and the fact that you're bragging about drinking beer every night may have something to do with some poor spending choices."  Just sayin.'  If you don't plan on DOING anything about your dire situation, please don't bring it up to me.

7.  There were a bunch of my favorite people travelling this past week.  As of yesterday, the returns started.  I'm glad they were able to get away (yes, all of them), but I'd be remiss to say that I was just a teensy bit jealous of thier ability to head out of Michigan for a bit.  I do have a travelling bug that hasn't been fed for quite some time, and I'm craving some pack-up-and-go.  However, I do realize that our lifestyle choices will not make that possible for the next 5-10 years.  It makes me sad, but I'll still stick by our choices...cause that's what they are....choices.  Well, except for baby girl....but she's a blessing, so I'll take that too.  :)

8.  Our Plan A for swimming lessons (which was supposed to start last night) dissolved into a pile of nuthin' in about 2 minutes on Tuesday.  Sad.  However, I'm on to Plan B, and have started the pre-registration for it...I'm hoping and praying that there's still room.  Nothing like waiting to the last minute to get them in, Sandy!  (If you didn't know....I'm sooooo NOT a "type A" personality. Nope, not at all.)

9.  I have zero fruit in the house, and only $22 left in the envelopes until the end of the month.  I think that the lack of fruit is an emergency, and therefore a reason to spend that last $22.  Who needs gas in the van anyway, right?!?!?  Yes, even hard-core budgeters can have a wee bit too much month left at the end of the money.

10.  I'm a tad, wee little bit snarky today, if ya can't tell.  I'm attributing it to a wee bit of stomach trouble, swelling, a few bad night's sleep, and an overwhelming to-do list.  I'm hoping that by spewing it all out on my blog (I'm calling is spewing and "keeping it real" instead of whining) will help me with an early-morning attitude adjustment.  Onward and upward, right?

The state of affairs

Currently, I am....


 - 23 1/2 weeks pregnant


                   -enjoying feeling the kicks and bumps that come with being 23.5 weeks pregnant


- swelling thanks to increased heat in our neck of the woods


               - LOVING the baby girl clothes ( and baby items!) we're being given

- tired from a fitful night sleep

                      - excited that I finally found the accent color (through minky material) for baby girl's room

- not loving that (thanks to hormones!), my face is breaking out worse than when I was a teenager

                 -LOVING that Aldi gummy bears are gluten free


                                 -hiding the bag of Aldi gummy bears from myself.  :)

-  taking a break from my morning work streak

                                   - going a little crazy with my new increased work load

                                                         -looking forward to a hair CUT on Saturday

- starting to plan C's birthday party (invitations are ordered!)

                                            - working on some "big brother" gifts for the boys


-hoping that I'm doing enough with the boys to make this summer a fun, memorible one.



Currently, the boys are: 

- playing with Leah (our sitter that comes so I can work)

                   - waiting for D to come work at home after being on a job site this morning

     - wishing I didn't ground them from the wii today

                        - LOVING our vbs week, and think Grant's dad is awesome for his singing and dancing

- LOVE vbs even more because they get to stay up past their bedtimes

                               -excited to see their grandparents this afternoon

- disliking that I make them do summer homework to avoid the "summer slide" and work on small motor skills

                                                         -excited about their little sister

Yep...that's all I've got.

My baby girl is a runner, pintrest, and a mis-match of weekend info

I laid awake most of the night on Saturday. 

No, not because I rented a sweet movie that made me think (The Vow).

No, not because my husband was out at a party, and I don't sleep well without him next to me.


Because my daughter decided to take up running.

All.night.long.

Seriously, I think she's already completed her first marathon.

Anyway....

I completed about six of the 20 things on my list to do for the weekend.

And then I ran out of steam.

(see above:  no sleep on Saturday night)

One thing I did while taking a work break....I found my diaper bag.

Source: amazon.com via Sandy on Pinterest

I was looking EVERYWHERE for a plain bag that looked normal.  Since I'm the one carrying it everywhere, I prefer not to accessorize with zebras and nursery prints. 

I found some sweet ones...but they were upwards of $175-$200.  Yeah, no.  Sorry, I'm not THAT vain.

We had a hunter green Eddie Bauer diaper bag for the boys (actually picked out by my husband, believe it or not), and we loved it.  It was the best quality, and only started to show signs of wear and tear AFTER we had carried it for 6 YEARS through both boys.  Then, I stuck it in our old family closet where it developed some mold spores (from the closet...), and met the trash bin.  (sad face)

So, to find another Eddie Bauerbag, but in PINK, and UNDER $30

...uh, yeah

...this is totally for me!

(oh yeah, and I have SCRIP from school, so I'm also earning tuition credit!  Double whammy!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also hit up some awesome garage sales this weekend. 

I'm learning that the best day to go isn't Saturday.  It's more like Wednesday or Thursday.

So...between the 5 garage sales I hit, I spent a total of $45.50.

Here's what I got:

A total of 17 full outfits (i.e. tops and bottoms),

22 onsies,

14 sleepers,

2 sleep sacs,

1 bathing suit,

3 sweaters/hoodies,

4 shirts,

1 pair of jeans,

1 bathing suit,

1 pair of Robeez shoes.

Here's a few of my absolute favorites!

Notice the lack of pink?

Oops.

The bottom outfit is a baby Gap-

Shirt/jacket combo.

The jacket lining matches the shirt material.

It was too cute, and totally unpassable for $2.

And just so you don't think I can't get in touch with a little pink stuff,

here's some of my pink favorites:

I'd say that was a totally productive garage sale-ing experience.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh, and I've gone Pintrest CRAZY with decorating the house, namely baby girl's room.

So, here's a few pins that will give you an idea of where I'm headed....at least for now.  :)


Here's the color pallate I found in Pintrest:

(This goes VERY well with the bedding that my friend, Kathy, is giving us. 
And I LOVE the salmon pink accent color here!!!)

Source: design-seeds.com via Sandy on Pinterest

I like the "quilting" on the wall.  It's cute and dainty.  I won't be painting the walls gray- at all...but I like the affect. 

Source: pinpal.in via Sandy on Pinterest

I'll be doing some sort of craft like this, only larger with four instead of one.  And colored.
And not quite sure how to go about finding a larger pattern- or just grab a pencil and start going at it myself.

Hmmmm, what to do, what to do.

Source: virginiaandcharlie.blogspot.com via Sandy on Pinterest

What I DO know is that I have a few FUN months of crafting and decorating in my near future! 

Woohoo!!!

5QF- I have no other fancy title to add. :/

It's Friday!  These summer weeks are starting to fly by!!!

Unlike last summer- which seemed to last for-ev-er.

So far, sanity is still intact....so that's a good thing.

This weekend I'm working, play dates galore, re-potty training a regressing dog (side note:  anyone want a dog?  She's cute...not quite potty trained...and pissin' me off - pun intended), and shopping. 

What am I shopping for?

1.  Wall sconces for my new bathroom.
2.  The perfect shade of salmon pink to accent baby girl's room.
3.  A diaper bag that isn't boy-ish at all....and not overly girly- or overly baby-ish.  Update:  DONE!  Thanks, amazon.com.  Whew....one thing off the list!
4.  A new phone charger.  (see:  anyone want a dog?)
5.  A new bedding set.  I'd love change our bedroom up a bit when we move into the new house.
6.  Baby girl clothes.  Tis the season to garage sale.  I hit one on Thursday, and it was the mother-load!
7.  Material to re-cover a rocker that my sister-in-law is giving us.
8.  Groceries.  We're seriously low.  I'm getting "creative" with meals.  This is not a good thing.
9.  Cleaning.  Just enough to ease my OCD husband's twitches.  :)  (you think I jest...)


Anyway, what are you up to this weekend?

Let's answer some questions, shall we?









1. What do you keep a stock pile of?

Toliet paper.   I seem to have this fear of running out.  Every time I head to Costco, I get the super-mega huge-o pack.  Apparently, I'm deathly afraid of chaffing.

2. If Ben & Jerry asked you to invent an ice cream, what would it be?

Hmmmm...  I'm partial to chocolate ice cream.....and I'd mix in some amaretto flavoring....with some caramel swirl and pecans mixed in.   MmMMMMMM.....

3. How do you blow off steam?

Don't judge me....I'm a yell-er.  I yell, I get it out, and I move on.  I understand that it doesn't make me more right, just more loud....but I need to get it out.


4. What would you do if you had an hour to yourself anywhere within a ten mile radius of your home...no kids, no hubby, just you?

Pedicure.  I need one (again) badly.  And baby girl doesn't like me giving them to myself anymore.  :)
5. When you were 16, what was your curfew in the summertime?

My curfews always depended on the activities I was going to be doing that night.  I believe that if I was out after 11pm, I had to have a pretty darn good excuse, but that didn't happen often- cause even back then, I wasn't much of a night owl.

Happy Weekend!!!

Random Wednesday Miscellany

• I do believe the title of this blog is rather redundant.  Random and Miscellany essentially have the same connotation, do they not?  Oh well, I'm leaving it.  :)

• I had to get up early to drop my parents off at the airport.  It's only for them that I'd arise at such an ungodly hour.  (before 7am).  But this means I'm tired...and just a wee bit cranky.  I'm hoping for a nap today.

• I have a babysitter here this morning so I can work.  And I'm blogging.  Yep, again...I'm working through some self-diagnosed ADD/ baby brain...and taking a mental break.  BUT, I'm so unbelievable thankful for Leah who is keeping my boys active and screen free for these three hours so I can get some things done for work and the blog.  I love her.

• I dislike anything "apple" flavored.

• The Meijer store near me as a HUGE amount of board games on clearance.  I'm tempted to go there after bedtime and stock up for birthdays and Christmas gifts.  If only my Misc. envelope wasn't so thin this month.

• I'd like to apply for a meteorologist position.  They get paid good money, right?  I'm finding as I age, my nasal passages are turning into a 100% correct barometer.  Everytime a front comes through, my face feels like it's going to explode.  Today is one of those days.  I think it should be a natural law that your body ceases to age while pregnant.

• My routine Dr. appt was cancelled yesterday due to the fact that my Dr. was attending a delivery.  The nurse was very apologetic, and got me in today to the on-call Dr. (please don't cancel again!).  Apparently, the Dr. was up all night with one laboring woman...who still hadn't given birth, and the Dr. couldn't estimate when she would deliver.    The nurse was worried about my inconvenience...I was worried about that mama!  She's GOT to be tired!!!

• Dave broke a barrier between our room and the old basement over the weekend.  Until now, I haven't been able to get into the old basement for about 6 months- due to the way we had to enter it (first rickety stairs, then sideways stairs...and finally, through a window opening).  Our washer and dryer is located over there- which means, I've officially been OFF LAUNDRY DUTY for six months.  And now....with the new walkway.....I'm back in the saddle.  Sigh.  It was blissful.

• It's the first day of summer!  And the Fourth of July is right around the corner.  Meaning, C's birthday is shortly after that.  Since we do a birthday party here at the house for their 5th, I'd better get crackin on organization!  Yikes!  This summer is flying by!

Phoning it in- home design edition

It's a hot Tuesday.

I'm already tired of maternity clothing.

I've decided, I'm not wearing pants as much as possible. 

They never fit right, they bunch up in the wrong places....The waist band is either way to high or way too low.....I'm just not a fan right now.

So skirts and dresses it is.

Or nothing.

But that could just get awkward.

Anyway, I had to post a few phone pics from the last week.  Friday night C. had a birthday party.  Here he is with the birthday boy.  The blue faces from the frosting just cracked me up.

Yesterday we had a nasty fast storm.  It was a gully-washer.

Dave and I were hoping for a few easy storms with easy rainfall over the next few weeks to

help us tamp down the loose earth from construction and grading the driveway.

OOOOHHHHH NOOOOOOO.

There was so much rain and so fast, there was no where for it to go...

...except down the driveway.

With a lot of dirt.

It buried the front wheel of C's bike.

I took this picture and sent it to Dave letting him know that the house was dry, but

the driveway (and garage) were in need of a little lovin'.

And because of said storm, we were without power for most of the day.

The boys had money in their wallets from their commission sheets that they were itching to spend,

so we went to Meijer.

Seriously...that is enough to try the patience of a saint.

We spent 1 hour in the toy aisles, back and forth...

...the boys picked up every cheaply made piece of junk there was.

A. had $20, C. had $10.

Finally, I turned the corner to the clearance end cap.

I saw a pretty cool toy.

Original price:  $80.99

Clearance price $19.99

I called A. over, and showed it to him.

Once he figured out he could afford it, he said,

"WHOA!  This is MINE!"

Then he asked me to take a picture and send it to daddy.

Homeboy is psyched for his car!  It's 2 sided and does tricks.  He's loving it. 

Only negative....we needed to charge the rechargeable battery before playing with it.

We had no power.

Poor kid had to wait.

Mom fail.

Wait....Consumers Power fail.

Anyway....home design edition:

I've been thinking about that saying that advises pregnant women against doing anything drastic with their hair because hormones don't help you make the best decisions....

...I'm thinking the same goes for home design.

I've really been struggling this time around!

Normally, I know what I like, how to accessorize it, how to budget it in, what colors to work with, etc.

I'm normally very decisive!

This time around, I'm all over the board.

But, I think I may have found a shower curtain to start from.

Before I show it to you, remember what our current bathrooms look like?

(remember, these are phone pics!)

green/ brown

Blue:  (Kentucky Haze to be precise)

Also, the bathrooms in our old house were

you guessed it

green and blue

2 bathrooms, the same colors.

So, I thought about heading in the "red" direction.

Browny, orangey reds.

I showed Dave a color sample

which he QUICKLY vetoed.

He wants NOTHING to do with red in any bathroom....

.....especially on a wall, but also in general.

Sigh.

No reds, no blues, no greens.

So, I limited myself a bit, and trying to find something I like within limits is harder.

But yesterday, I found this at Kohl's:

It's got yellow, putty gray and taupe in there...along with a white background, so I have a few color options.

I'm leaning away from painting the walls yellow- because I've seen some yellow bathrooms without windows (like ours will be), and they look SOOOO yellow that the light from the vanity looks more yellow.

So, perhaps the putty-gray?

BUT, now that I have a baseline, we can look for lighting, and I can FINALLY look for an answer for  Dave when he asked me

"What kind of lighting are we doing in the bathroom? I need to put in some boxes."

I'm thinking sconces over vanity bar. 

What say you?

My Baby Daddy

Every year around this time, I do a post like this.   It's almost my favorite post.  I love doing it.  I love celebrating this man of mine....and so, in the spirit of Father's Day...

My baby daddy:

• maintains his own business, and has been consistently busy for NINE years without having to advertise.  At all.
• Can build houses in a single bound.  :)
• Finishes everything he starts.  Yes, everything.

• Has a red beard
• likes a clean house (oops)
• is painfully organized.
• will ALWAYS answer "yes" when the boys ask him to read a book to them

• has a cute tush.  :)  (sorry)
• had a hunch I was pregnant before I did.
• believes that you should "walk the walk" before you "talk the talk"
• has an infectious belly laugh
• has good teeth (sorry, but it's a good trait to have, right?!?!)
• is already sporting a ROCKIN' farmer's tan
• needs a hair cut
• is tight with money
• hasn't had a drop of beer in over 2 years
• believes that you have to respect a position, but the person in that position also needs to EARN it
• has a servant's heart

• is a problem-solver, by nature
• enjoys a snack of tortilla chips and cottage cheese (don't knock it until you try it)
• is a great blend of his mother's passion and his father's compassion

• has been very helpful and patient with me this pregnancy
• visibly MELTED when he found out we were going to have a little girl
• Got up at 6 am on Father's Day to clean up a branch that fell overnight. (sorry, neighbors!)

• does not believe in judging people based on their appearance or ethnicity
• has integrity, and stands on his own two feet
• eats whatever dinner-concoction I make without fail.  Even if its gross.  Never complains.
• Gets along (a little too well!) with my family.

• LOVES teaching the boys new things, and LOVES it when they "get it"
• is loyal....crazy loyal
• thinks I'm cute- no matter what my weight is

• reads and educates himself daily on domestic and world events
• knows how to think for himself
• is hard core conservative- bordering on libertarian
• is ridiculously intelligent (see previous 3 statements)

• remembers to water the garden when I forget....daily
• simultaneously loves and hates that I'm so stubborn  :)
• returns cans and bottles because he knows its my least favorite thing to do in the whole world.
• LOVES kids

• has managed to steer completely clear of the "keeping up with the Joneses" mentality
• is totally debt free.  No exceptions.
• is starting to loose patience with our "Little Miss Pees-alot" puppy

• would rather be working or at home with his family over hanging out with friends- any day.
• has rough calloused hands that can touch so tenderly
• would rather have a small thoughtful homemade gift than a big expensive flashy one
• has an amazing work ethic
• is worthy of my love, admiration and respect

I'm so glad to be in this game dancing the mine-fields with you, my dear.  I'm glad we're a team.  I'm grateful to have you .  Everyday.  Even though I've got 2.3 kids competing with me for this position, I'm your biggest fan.  Thank you for everything you do.  We love you!

5QF - Hot June day edition

It's FRIDAY!  We have a busy, busy day ahead of us....as well as a busy busy weekend.....all while recovering from a busy busy week.

I'm beginning to see a trend here.


Anyway, I'll spare you the run down of our schedules...and just get to the questions today.  I have another (yearly traditional) post coming up tonight.  :)






1. Would you grow your hair out to donate it?

In theory, I'd love to. 

However, I die my hair.  I process my hair.  I'm crazy about NOT having a short do....so, chances are slim that would actually come to fruition.

2. What song makes you think of summer?

"Summer of '69"

I like the beat. :)

"I got my first real 6-string...ooooohhhh, at the 5 and dime.  Played it 'til my fingers bled.  Was the summer of '69."

Sing it with me!

"Me and some guys from school- had a band and we tried real hard...."

3. Are you a flip flops or sandals kind of person?

Sandals, sandals, sandals!

There are few feelings I loathe more than that thong going up between my toes.  Plus, I feel like they're about to fall off all the time, and by the end of an hour, my foot muscles hurt from trying to "hold on" to those darn things.

I really enjoy sandals most.  Tevas, please.


4. Favorite summer treat (ie ice cream, snow cones, etc)?

I really really like ice cream.  But, when it gets really hot, I want something icy, not creamy.

There used to be this little hut-of-a-place in a town not far from where I grew up.  They sold Hawiian Shaved Ice.  I ALWAYS got watermelon flavor...it was light, airy and totally sweet.  Oh, I have VERY fond memories of that place in the summer.  That place hasn't been open for years.  I miss it.  :(

5. Do you do something special for the father of your children?

Of course, we will.  We normally do.  Dave isn't the kind of guy who wants (or desires) a lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding him, but he does enjoy a little recognition.  So, we'll do some small-ish gifts, a special breakfast...and I'll let him pick what's for dinner.  :)  Simple and sweet.

Random Wednesday

• I understand that many of my facebook and blog posts lately have been Love Shack-centered.  However, these past few weeks have been a whirlwind that's been a long-time in waiting.  When we first moved into the Love Shack, Dave estimated that it would take TWO YEARS to finish the house.  Here we are over SEVEN years later and still looking at having another year or two before EVERYTHING is finished inside.  I'm glad we were patient and did things the right way (with cash), so you'll kinda have to bare with me, mmmmm'k?

• A big fat THANK YOU to everyone who has encouraged us and celebrated with us along the way.

• This is the picture I took at 6pm last night.  The boys got the roof trusses and sheeting up.  It's really looking like ONE house now!

• Shingles arrive today.

• The boys spent the night at my parent's house last night. 

• I took a nap as soon as they left.  :)

• Then I spent some time on the prowl for a specific bathroom vanity- that hopefully won't cost an arm and a leg.  Is it sad that every time I do a google search for this specific vanity, I'm brought to the Pottery Barn site?  Yeah, I thought so too.

• Then, Dave and I had a date going through the new house talking about mechanicals, electrical and door swings.  Doesn't sound very romantic, but it kinda was.  Between watching him work (I enjoy my view:), stolen kisses and imagining where furniture will go, we smiled, laughed, and enjoyed each other's company sans technology (screens and phones) for over 3 hours.  Bliss.

• We walked around Baby Girl's bedroom, and talked about where the crib will, the changing table, colors for the walls, etc.  And we talked about how blessed we are to have such wonderful friends and family willing to give us baby items that we've already given away.  (Thank you ladies!!!  SO MUCH!)

• On another note, we've been talking about Baby Girl's name for about 15 minutes, and I realized that Dave is VERY opinionated about her name.  This is the exact opposite as the boys ( He vetoed a lot, but I was much more opinionated).  But, there was one point where I said, "What about (insert potential name here)?"  And he said, "I was just thinking about that name today."  Whoa nelly.  I do believe we have a name for this girl...just like that!  Annnnndddd, we're keeping that a secret until the big day.  Not even the boys will know.  Steel trap, I tell ya.

• I'm spending the morning working in my pajamas.  And loving every minute of it.

• I'm going shopping for lighting on my lunch break today.  Hopefully not in my pajamas.  :)

• We went strawberry picking last week!  A. is my champion picker and even snagged a quart for his Uncle Matt.  C. ate as much (if not more than) he picked.  As usual. 

• One of our trays with some fresh rhubarb so I could make some fresh (gluten free, of course) strawberry rhubarb crisp.  It was divine.  And then we proceeded home so I could get over 20 pounds of strawberries cleaned, cut and in the freezer before they went bad.  :)  Mmmmm, I love Michigan in the summer.  :)

One day.

It took

ONE day

to go from

this:

to

this:

And just because I'm having fun in Picasa today:

What a difference a week (or a few) makes

9 weeks ago

Last weekend

7 weeks ago

This weekend

 1 week ago

Last weekend

My, how time changes things.  :)