A case of the wants vs. the must haves

If there is one thing this whole moving experience has taught me(beside how important deoderant is) it is this: Be patient for the wants, be gracious for the must haves. As is the case with a new house, I have been wanting everything: new bedding, new decor, new pictures, new towels.... you name it. However, with the state of the world being what it is, I have tried to take the time to stand back and realize all that I do have. In unpacking my scrap room this weekend I was amazed by the sheer amount of "STUFF" I have for that one room. Way more than I think I could ever use in this lifetime, even if I made 2 scrapbooks a week. Again, the wants. The material things.

The must haves: people to love, a roof over your head, health, happiness, food to eat. And you know what? We have that. In abundance.

So, if you come to my house, it may not have the best art on the walls. And yes, I do have a mixture of black, gold, and silver frames above the mantel. But you know what? I have all of the must haves and for that I am eternally grateful. (And no I am not using this post as an excuse my my crappy decorating skills- ha ha. Just make sure to focus on the pictures and not the frames. Or the wallpaper with orange flowers. Or the holes in the walls.... they add a certain uniqueness to the place.)

I'm back

Yikes- moving consumes you. It consumes every waking moment. I have been looking at paint colors, decor ideas, tv's, refrigerators, and drywall repair. You name it, I have google'd it. So, that explains my absence. So many times it crossed my mind "Hey, that would be something funny to blog about. But, I never got around to it.

So here I am. The house is slowly becoming more familiar and things are finding their place ever so slowly. We are getting into routines and life is good. I can honestly tell you that the screened in porch is worth every single penny that we paid for this little haven. I love that room. We have eaten dinner out there every single night. It is peaceful. In the hectic pace of moving, I often found myself out there, in my folding chair, for a 5 minute reprieve.

So, this weekends project is to get moved into my scrap space. I am so excited. I need to get back into playing with paper. I need to paint. I need to have some "me" time down in the basement. It is my top priority this weekend. Well that and touch up the paint around the window treatments, finish hanging pictures, plant some herbs, go grocery shoping, texturize the bathroom walls and repair the two holes in the wall. Thats about it.

I promise to not be a stranger anymore. To return with some witty, entertaining stories and pictures. You know, all that fun stuff that I am known for.
Ok, not really......

Remember me?

You know, that crazy girl who talks a lot and makes things with glue and paper? Yeah, that girl. Except, I am a little lost because my glue and paper are packed away somewhere in one of the bagillion boxes in my house right now. Why?



WELL, BECAUSE WE ARE BUYING A HOUSE OF OUR OWN. YEP, A HOUSE. THAT IS ALL MINE.... TO PAINT, TO DECORATE, TO HANG AS MANY PICTURES AS I WANT, TO HAVE ENOUGH ROOM FOR GUESTS TO SPEND THE NIGHT (Yes Jack, I know you are reading this and you will have a new place to stay by Christmas!!!!). More importantly a house to raise our family, to make new memories, to build our dreams and make our own. I am excited beyond belief.

Sorry for the absence. Life has pretty much been a whirlwind for the last month.

Random Tuesday Stuff

So, who is excited about Easter? I am. I can't wait. Not that we have any big plans or anything, but I am still excited. I love the colors, the candy, the eggs, the opportunity, the candy. Oh wait, did I say candy? Silly me, not candy for me, but for Parker. Yes him. Not me. I made the mistake of eating some of those sugar free chocolates last week. Not worth it. Lets just say that there is a warning on the box that YOU MUST HEED. You must. I won't elaborate further.

Nonetheless. I am primed for creativity. I spent a lot of time yesterday looking for cool projects. These play doh eggs look really fun. This easter egg banner looks easy as well. Of course, I had to see what fun stuff Martha was up to. She had some really cute ideas. Envelope bunnies looked easy enough for Parker and I to do together. We need to make some little things for the kids at Miss Maureen's so perhaps we will make those.

And then I happened upon this. Aren't those just beautiful???? But read the directions. Come on Martha. Any project that requires paper and a blender is crazy. Does M really think that people have time to sit and make their own paper and go through the 16 steps (And extra day of drying time)? I just had to laugh.

I am going to make some deviled eggs. I have never done so, but am excited. I LOVE them. I am going to find some yummy, but low in points, snacks for our weekend. We are looking at 12 houses on Saturday. This whole home buying thing is becoming real and I couldn't be more excited.

Life is good. Enjoy the holiday.

Hi!!!! {wildly waving hands above my head}

Hello there! Sorry for my extended absence. Life seems to have gotten in the way over the last few weeks. Mix that with a bit of a creative drought and you get me, Mrs. Absent Minded Blogger.

How bout a quick run down of things over the last month:
- Parker's fun birthday party. Lots of kids, lots of fun, lots of sheet cake leftover. Need I say more?
- Family in town. So very fun. We got lucky and got to see Grandma and Papa twice in March.
- Parker started Soccer. He has been bumped up to the 6-7 league which is quite competitive. Very different from last season.
- It snowed. Yep, Parker got a snow day for a birthday present. Did I get pictures? Some of the snow, but not of Lil P. Shame on me.
- I had to get a mole biopsied. I had a malignant melanoma when I was in tenth grade and have not been the best about getting screened every year like I am supposed to. Lo and behold, the dr. found something that she wanted to check. Luckily, everything was fine and benign. (Hey, that would make a great t-shirt, "Fine and Benign"- i like it)
- I started Weight Watchers. I lost 6 pounds in a week. It works, lemme tell you. I have now gotten the hubs on board so we are point counting fools. Last night, I had Parker hold up a french fry and ask "Is this 10 points?".
- Did some fun crafty things. Didn't take pictures. Will do that this weekend and add them next week.
- Got my hair chopped off really short. I really like it. Did I take pictures of it? What do you think? Nope.
- Settled about $600K worth of cases at work.

That's about it. What have you been up to?

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hope you are all wearing green and having a wonderful day! This video has made me laugh countless times so, in honor of this day, I share it with you......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nda_OSWeyn8

My Mini Me

Ok, so I am no picture scanning genius. But, take a look, closely, at the pictures. I am sure you can figure out who is who. Never in my life had I thought that Parker looked like me. It was pretty weird to see this picture because it looks so much like him. I look like him, he looks like me, we look like we.....

So, I got to thinking..... (I do that only on rare occasions), this child is so much like me. Not only in the bog toothy grin, but in many ways that drive me crazy on certain days.

1. He likes to talk. According to his teacher, a little too much, at times. I know it is hard to believe but, I too, have been plagued with this trait throughout my life.

2. He is curious. He asks questions. LOTS of them. Especially if you are in the middle of a good show or if your favorite song comes on the radio.....

3. He is athletic. Ok, this one is not like me. NOT AT ALL. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out where that comes from. The closest thing I have done that resembles being "athletic" is the kickboxing class that Anne, Angie, and I took a few years ago. Even then I thought I was going to die and mysteriously had to take potty breaks every 5 (just to catch my freakin breath). The 60 year old lady next to me kept up better than I did.

Anyways, I digress.

4. Parker loves music. He loves all types. He and I share a thing for the Jonas Brothers and Hannah Montana. Yeah, that's right. Got a problem with it?

5. The kid can dance. He definetly is in tune with his white boy rhythm. Now, do I think he is going to bust out with a tap dance to New Kids On The Block like a certain someone did back in the day? Maybe not, but he can break it down when he wants.

6. He tends to be a bit dramatic. I might have been like that when I was little... (ok, mike informed me that I still am.... I disagree)

7. He has a crazy sense of style... Who says you can't wear a long sleeved red shirt under a teal short sleeved shirt? Yep, I have some pics of me in the 80's that would show what a killer color combo that is. My kid does the same.

8. He is crafty. Need I say more?

9. He is organizationally challenged. Take a peek into his room and then into my scrap room- you probably couldn't tell them apart.

10. He likes to cuddle.

#10 may be my favorite. Actually they all are. He is. Parker is my mini me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm lucky that way.