best boss ever

So, for the record, I have the best boss. ever.  His name is Daddy.  :-)  Ya wanna know one of the reasons he's the best?  

Yeah... it's ok to be jealous.  Now, to pace myself...

weekend recap: the good, the bad & the ugly

It's Monday.  I never work on Mondays - so they are usually decent days.  Like, this morning, Kenzie and I watched some good, ol' Phineas & Ferb and I read some more on my kindle.  We just had lunch (bagel bites) and now Kenzie is down for her nap.  Ah, peace & quiet.

So, I'm linking up today, for the first time, with Kate at Classy Living for GBU (the good, the bad & the ugly).  I recently found Kate through a different link up and just had to "follow" her.  She seems like an absolute doll!  & she's a fellow sister in Christ.  :-)  

Anywho, this post is all about the past weekend.  So, here goes!

The Good ~

I got some free tickets to the Kansas City area Renaissance Festival through an old friend from high school.  My mom and I went Sunday afternoon as part of our annual tradition of "mom n meg" time.  It was great!  Got a delicious turkey leg while we watched our favorite show of "Bob the Incredible Juggler" - seriously, we see his show ever. year.  Also included in my "have to eat every trip to the renfest" was my favorite chocolate covered cheesecake on a stick!  Then, my mom and I went for matchy-matchy and got a wrap you tie around your waist that jingles when you walk.  Snazzy!  (mine is purple, mom's is brown.)

The Bad ~

Well, the reasons to this "bad" aren't necessarily bad, but nonetheless... We went to a carnival at my parent's new church Saturday.  It was completely free - free hot dogs, nachos, bottled water/sodas, cotton candy - everything was free.  No catch.  I guess they started it as a thank you to the community for allowing this humongous church in the middle of the neighborhood.  Anyway, that's not the bad part - just have to set it up.  The carnival was incredible - tons of blow ups and jump houses and rides and ponies and, and, and - but it was smack-dab in the middle of nap time!  Kenzie took a tiny catnap on the way there... like, fell asleep about 5 minutes away from my parent's house where we were picking up my mom.  So, needless to say, she was very pleasant to be around the rest of the day.  :-)

The Ugly ~

I have been extremely hormonal lately - that, combined with needing to see my doctor to switch up my anti-depressants does not equal a pretty picture.  I have had several "freak-out" moments this weekend.  I've been angry for silly reasons or no reason at all that I can figure out.  So, pretty much, I've been an ugly broad this weekend. :-(

Well, I think that's about it... hope you all have a great rest of your Monday!

xoxo

high five for friday

Happy Friday!  I don't know about you, but my week feels like it went by super fast!  Wasn't yesterday just Monday??  I'm linking up with Lauren at From My Grey Desk for another H54F post!  So let's do it to it!  Here are my top 5 things from this past week in no particular order ;-)


1. I made an amazing cake... and gushed about it here.  Yes, that was just last night.  And it's more than halfway gone... what?  shhhh

2. I put up more decorations this week!  I haven't taken pics, but I will do that when the apartment is a bit more tidy and give you a tour on another post.

3. I made a yarn garland like Kate & Lauren's!  I'm uber excited (and that's one of the pieces of decor that is currently making my office area look freaking adorable!)  I'm thinking of making several more, with more color schemes, and putting them up for sale in my mom's holiday boutique she's getting ready to host.  Primitive Chic Boutique!  I'm looking into some other craft ideas also.... I'm not crafty, but I feel a bit better now!  Thanks, Kate & Lauren!

4. Mackenzie and I started dance classes this week!  Mackenzie is in a "Tiny 2s" class for 2 and 3 year olds - it is basically to get the kiddos used to not having mom and/or dad around and helping them learn to follow directions, etc.  I am in an adult beginners tap class... however, I somehow ended up in the intermediate class... so I'm dropping down and my class begins 30 min later.

That's not Mackenzie, but the kid on far right makes me think of her!

5. Took a lengthy nice walk to a friend's house for a play date for our girls - then walked to the park with her and our kiddos to let them run off some steam.  It was wonderful to get some adult chit chat in and let the kid play with a friend!

Hope you enjoyed this week's highlights... kind of lame tonight... kind of felt like a lame week.  But oh well, you win some, you lose some!

How was your week??




xoxo

Pink Frosting & Sprinkles

Yesterday was a good day.  It's not very often that I feel confident saying that.  I'm not a confident momma or housewife - but yesterday was a good day.  

Normally, my days home go something like this:  

~Get up after restarting videos a few times and trying to get some more sleep while Kenzie watches them (or more often lately, turning the xbox off and on and taking videos out of the boxes and trying to start different ones.... it's annoying)
~Laze around... let Kenzie watch more videos (I'm bad, lemme tell ya) and read my kindle or play a silly game on my phone
~Some more putzing around the house knowing I need to do something, but don't feel like it, so I don't.
~Lunchtime - make something for the kid and maybe for me - not always very healthy
~Laze around some more during naptime
~Crap, it's almost time for Drew to get off work.... scramble around trying to do something so it looks like I wasn't Miss Lazypants all day - but he usually sees through that.  Luckily for me, he doesn't nag me much about it.
~Dinner
~Laze around, trying to pass time till Kenzie's bedtime

You get the picture.  A whole lot of laziness.  I hate it - it makes me hate myself and feel awful - like Kenzie deserves a much better momma who does fun stuff with her instead of putting her in front of the tv.  Most times though, she doesn't pay much attention to the tv and plays with toys or gets into stuff she shouldn't.  Causing me to get super frustrated with her and feel even worse.

Yesterday, however, was a different story - for the most part.  It started out almost the same - but then I realized what time it was and that I made plans the night before to do a play date with a friend and her daughter.  The plan was to walk from our apartment to her house - it didn't seem like it would be that far - I could handle that!  Plus, it would get us out of the house and doing something fun.  Making memories!

SO, I got dressed (in sweatpants & tank), threw my hair up for the walk, pulled on my tennis shoes (I hate having my feet constricted... normally I'm in flip flops hehe) and got Kenzie dressed.  Then I pulled out the stroller, gathered our things and set off.  That whole thought about the walk not being so bad?  Yeah, I must have miscalculated somewhere!  I let the husband take the car so he could go to the hospital for his weekly allergy shot.  Thought the walk would be good for me and get some good exercise in.  

Oh. My. Gosh.  

First off, I walked down a road that has sidewalk till just past our apartment - after that, it's all road, baby.  It was semi-busy - so cars had to make a decent arc around us.  It was windy.  I was sneezing because of the wind and the fact that all the allergens were never killed off because of our mild winter last year.  I hadn't worked out in a couple weeks because of my shin splints.  And it was further than I estimated.  It only took about 30 to 45 min to walk, but being out of shape like I am, it about killed me.  I got to my friends and decided to text Drew to see if he could pick us up from the park before he took lunch so I didn't have to walk home.  LOL... I'm such a wimp.

BUT, it was good.  Got us up and out of the house.  Kenzie got some time to play with a friend.  I got some adult conversation.  I didn't feel trapped like I did last time I let Drew take the car.  (That was a bad day...)  So, all in all, that started off the day wonderfully!  PLUS, it wore Kenzie out and she took one of her best naps ever!  Like, 3 hours!

We had lunch - bagel bites - not healthy, but not bad either.  At least I'm not eating out every day... the scale is liking that!  So, yeah, nap time was awesome.  I had some good "mommy time" to blog and mess around on the computer.  I didn't get much done like I was planning, but it was good regardless.  Before Kenzie woke up, though, I went ahead and started cleaning up the kitchen.  That was a disaster zone.  Seriously.  Gross.  I was ashamed.  ;-)  Kenzie woke up before I had finished and helped herself to pulling out all the dvds.  Really, kid??

Drew's birthday cake 2011

Got the kitchen clean, counters, FLOOR (hallelujah!) swept AND mopped, AND I baked a cake!  My apartment smelled goooooood, lemme tell ya!  The cake mix was leftover from Drew's birthday last year when I attempted to do a layered strawberry cake.  First attempt was fail (I didn't grease the pan enough, so it stuck really bad when I went to plop it out to cool), so I got 2 extra boxes, just in case I failed again.  Tuesday, I stopped by Target and got some frosting.  Pink.  I like pink and sprinkles and thought a pretty pink cake would cheer anyone up.  

I also made stir-fry... by MYSELF.  Cooking is not something I brag about... I'm not that good at it and I'm not confident.  But, I put all that aside and did it anyway.  And it was GOOD.  It was healthy... kinda.  And I have the rest for lunch today!  Then, after the kid went to bed, I had a piece of cake.  Oh. my. gosh.  It was amazing. 

Perfect end to the evening!

Oh my word, shove a sock in my mouth and shut me up.  I could talk for ages.  I just had to share.  It's not every day that I feel really good about myself and my abilities.  And oh yeah, while the cake was baking, I put up another decoration.  It says "home."  I need to snap a pic and post it.  But, in the meantime... here's some cake.  ;-)

Perfect and spongy and moist - Yum!

xoxo

high five for friday!

Woo!  It's Friday!!  Time for another link up with Lauren from From My Grey Desk!  This past week was a bit of a whirlwind, and frankly, it doesn't feel like Friday.  But anywhoodles, here goes!

1.  We took our last minute trip to Ohio (roughly 10 to 12 hr drive) to see my sister-in-law and pick up a CUTE puppy!  Mackenzie handled the trip really well.  We watched lots of movies and she took a couple decent naps.

2.  I bought some fun pretties from Hobby Lobby yesterday... I'm thinking a little diy yarn garland is in order - along with some words for the wall above my desk & a really cool metal tree for my gallery wall!  Pics of the finished projects will come soon...

3.  I got a new nail polish from Ulta, called Island Hopper.  I love it!  I was wanting a mint polish, but found this one instead.  

4.  Our freezer is PACKED.  And I mean that... it's packed.  Like, if you don't fit everything in there perfectly, it keeps popping open.  Seriously.  Needless to say, we had a very successful Costco trip the other evening.  :-)  Megs loves her some foods!

5.  My cousin is getting married tomorrow.  I'm not looking forward to the drive (about 2 hrs), but it will be nice to see family that I rarely see.  Let's just hope Mackenzie is well-behaved!


So, that's it!  I'll leave you with one more picture to fill up your "cuteness" meter till I can post more.  Here's my girl sleeping the morning we headed back home.  She kept turning her music on (see upper right) and finally passed out.  Check out that belly button!  :::dies:::

xoxo

Back in the swing with a "friend" to join me

Back from our mini-vacation/roadtrip!  It's good to be home and to sleep on our nice bed instead of an air mattress.  Back to our extremely messy apartment - to find a letter from our apartment complex that we need to have toys picked up and under sinks cleared out because sometime today, between 9 and 5, they are coming in to do pest control.  Ugh.

So, we did a quick sweep of the apartment, got unpacked and got a load of laundry done.  There's still a lot to do, but it's good enough for what they are coming in for today.  And, as luck would have it, I have a friend joining me today.  His name is Allergies or Cold.  

Sneezy, itchy, drainage (yuck), sore throat, stuffy nose.  Fun.

I'm back at the office today... was late as usual.  Good thing I work for my dad and he loves me and won't fire me.  At least I hope not.  I can't ever seem to get here on time.  Every once in a while, I'll come in right at 9.  I have yet to do my main Tuesday project - payroll.  I have the timesheets sitting in front of me, but I procrastinate.  It's super hard to get back into the swing of things after time away.  

Our time in Ohio was nice.  Mackenzie handled the trip really well.  It helped that we could watch movies.  But we had a great time visiting with family.  Got to see where my sis works, so that was fun.  Had lots of good food.  Visited German Village and waited around 2 hrs to get in to a sausage place.  I had a ham & cheese sandwich on a pretzel bun (delish!) with green beans and spaetzel (which are little pasta things... really yummy!).  But I was in a bad mood from waiting so long and having to try to keep a 3 yr old entertained and not go crazy.  Managed the first two, but I think I lost some sanity that night.  I'm not very good at trying new things, so when we finally got to sit down, I was overwhelmed with all the "weird" things and couldn't concentrate and nothing looked or sounded good.  Finally settled on the ham n cheese and was pleasantly surprised.  I don't like pretzels, so I was going out on a limb.

~~~

The puppy.

She's SO freaking adorable.  At 9 weeks, she was 19.2 lbs.  She's a big puppy, but she's a fluff ball and loves playing with Mackenzie.  She was a good girl on the way home, too.  Only cried for a little bit when we first left Monday morning, but after that she was quiet, except for the occasional squeak of her toys.  :-)

Just chillin'

Forever Friends

So, that's about it.  Mackenzie was very excited about "take MY puppy home."  I gained around 5 lbs on the trip... time to get back to losing some weight.  I also caved and drank soda while there.  So, back to water for me!  

How was your Labor Day weekend?  Anything exciting?  Any weight loss tips for me??  :-)

xoxo

Hit the road, Jack

Time for a ROAD TRIP!!!  

:::squeals:::

My in-laws are getting a great pyrenees puppy (at 9 weeks, she's already almost 20 lbs!) and that puppy happens to be near Columbus, Ohio, which is where my awesome sis-in-law, Brittany, lives!  So, I invited myself to go.  Hah!  No, really, my in-laws love me, and I love them.  We all play world of warcraft together, so it just seemed natural to let me tag along.  And the hubster gets to come, too!  

:::squeals:::

It's like a mini-vacation!  Momma & Daddy-in-law, Mackenzie, Drew & me!  So, anywhoodles, I'll be a bit quiet till next week.  I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

p.s. don't you just love the word "anywhoodles?"  Ok, it's not really a word, but I saw it in the blogosphere somewhere and fell in love.  So, now it's a word.  :-P

p.p.s. I totally did a whoopsie and completely forgot to mention one of the most important facts on my last post!  God!  I got all wrapped up in my own little world of despair and pity party.  He's totally got my back, I know he does.  So, I know everything will work out in the long run.  I can't see where this road is headed, but that's ok, as long as God knows.  I know he wont give me anything I can't handle.

In a funk..

Have you ever been in a funk where all you want to do is... NOTHING?  Right now, I'm so overwhelmed with, well, life, that I can't even begin to think about doing anything.  Everything is making me go nuts - Mackenzie seems to be whining more than usual, the apartment looks even messier, my allergies are killing me, I feel trapped in this small apartment and I'm car-less today.  

I don't want this blog to be a whine-fest, but sometimes a girl's just gotta be real.  Ya know?  And currently, I want to pull my hair out!  I am thinking I should call up my doctor to see about switching my "happy pills."  Yes folks, I take anti-depressants.  I'm not afraid to admit it.  I've dealt with depression since 1996 and there's only one word for it.  It SUCKS.  And frankly, I don't think this wellbutrin is doing it's job.  So, please forgive me as I whine for a couple minutes.  Time for blog therapy!

In all reality, it's not that bad.  I am blessed beyond belief.  Our house sold in TWO WEEKS.  We have a wonderful little group of friends.  We are healthy and have wonderful families.  And we are going on a road trip to Columbus, Ohio tomorrow to see my wonderful sister-in-law and her husband!  I'm going with my in-laws on their trip to pick up a new great Pyrenees puppy!  So, yeah, life isn't horrible.  

I just look around the apartment, see everything strewn everywhere, and I freak.  I'm overwhelmed.  To-do lists are thrown out the window and full freak-out session is commenced.  I snap, I yell, I pout... it's not a pretty picture.  Then I play on Pinterest for a while to take part in a link-up and I see all these pretty things.  Pretty things that I want, but can't afford because, hellooo, we have a good chunk of debt to pay off and the budget is screaming NOOOO at me.  

I know, I know... take it one small area at a time.  I've heard it, I've preached it, but holy smokes, is it hard to live it!  So, my "plan" for the day is to take it easy, put my blinders on, get a shower (maybe a nice fresh feel will do a girl good) & eat a little something.  Then I gots to get the kitchen cleaned up and perhaps I'll work on organizing the office closet.

Whine-fest over.  For now.  ;-)

xoxo 

moving & library cards & crazyness

Here we are... zoomin along through August!  My baby is 3, my oldest nephew just started school today, & we are moving to a 1st floor apartment this weekend.

Sooooo not looking forward to that last bit.

I'll be "happy" when it's all over & done with.  Just gotta do it.  I haven't packed anything back up - and I'm debating whether or not I will.  We're just moving downstairs and across the courtyard.  I'll prolly just take my laundry baskets, pack em, & dump em.

I don't know if apartment living will ever live up to my high standard.  Moving from a house to an apartment is super-weird.  Neighbors.  Noise.  Taking groceries in.  No garage.  It's a hassle.  I guess I took for granted living in a house. 

Reality check!

I have something to look forward to though.  My wonderful sister (in-law) and her husband come for a visit from Ohio every year.  This year, though, they are making their trip later because she is working on her candidacy for her phd (yah, she's super smart!) - but will be here for Thanksgiving.  In fact, the whole family will be here!  First time in a few years that's ever happened.  So, that will be lovely.  

Still bumming that she wont be here to go to the Renfest - we are super nerdy and that is a yearly event we go to!  Someday, we will sew our own dresses and go all dolled up!

I'm gonna see about making a little roadtrip up to see her sometime after we move.  She's super stressing about the candidacy & I just miss her like crazy.  Even though we talk every day & play world of warcraft with our family together.  Did I mention we're nerds?  That's alright, I'll own it!

~~~

Library card!  I have one!  I have a Kindle and am pretty excited to check out some books for the kindle.  Too bad I have to put a hold on all my favorites - seems they are other people's favs, too.  Let's continue the nerd-talk... I'm a super big fan of Harry Potter.  I can't tell you how many times I read those books.  And now you can get them as ebooks!  :::dances little jig:::  

~~~

Crazyness is the name of my life these days.  I have NO idea what I'm doing.  And that's ok.  I think.  Gonna start potty training soon... omgomgomg... I have NO idea what I'm doing.  o wait, I said that already. 

Have you ever noticed how life doesn't wait for you to be ok or to figure out what the heck you're supposed to do?  It just keeps on spinning.  Just gotta remember that God is in control... if you let him.  Much easier said than done.  All I know right now is that I desperately need to find a new church home.  Maybe that will ease some of the crazyness that is my life.  

xoxo

A little this, a little that

So, I am really bad at uploading pictures off my camera.  Like, really.  So, hang on to yer hats folks, you'll get some pictures of Kenzie's birthday party soon!  (Shut up, I know you're dying to see them!)

So, in the meantime, here are some random thoughts - because I like random and am probably one of the most random gals you'll meet.  ;-)

My neck hurts - I went to the chiropractor today, but it still hurts.

My neighbors are big, ol' douchebags.  Pardon the language.  Really, they are.  The day my grandpa died a few weeks ago, after we had JUST moved in, Kenzie was jumping in the kitchen and I was just tuning it out like I usually do because, you know, she always jumps.  And then BANG BANG BANG, "Gosh Dangit (I changed the language, they weren't so nice), stop it!!!!!!!"  Really?  So, then tonight, Mackenzie was running up and down hall and into the kitchen.  And whatdya know, they do it again.  Folks!  I pay just as much as you do and it's NOT QUIET TIME!  So, don't get yer panties in a wad!!  

We're probably moving (again) next weekend.  Yeah... not looking forward to it.

Did I mention my neck hurts?

I borrowed the first Harry Potter book from Amazon for my kindle and am halfway thru reading it.  I can't tell you how many times I've already read them.  I am kind of having a love affair with those books - great way to escape!  ;-)

My daughter is 3.  Where did time go??

Had some Peachwave with some lovely friends from my former church this afternoon.  It was fabulous.  Except, Kenzie didn't eat any of hers.  Weird kid - not liking sweets!  Is she mine?

So, there you have it.  A little view into my random mind... it's always spinning.  Now time to veg on the couch like a tater and read me some HP!

xoxo

New beginnings.

Hey there.  I'm not exactly new to the blogosphere.  I've tried it a few times & never really stuck with it.  I have a friend named Jen, and she encouraged me to get out there and just DO it!  So, here I am.  ;-)

I have a story that I want to tell.  At the end of my life, I hope it's a testament of my faith in God, even through life's ups & downs.  I've had my share of ups & downs & I haven't always leaned on God.  It's weird, because I believe in God & I know he loves me - but letting go of the controls is so hard!  Much easier said than done.  Sounds so cliche, but it's true.  So, anywhoodles, here's a quick (I think) rundown of my life story.

It all started in California - Orange, to be exact - on April 27th (should I admit it the year??) ok... 1985.  Can I brag & say I was a cutie patootie??  Oh, I think I just did.  Ah, well.  My family moved from Southern Cali to Northern Cali around when I was entering kindergarden.  We were involved in church (I can't remember a Sunday we didn't attend) & we sang in the children's choir.  I made some incredible friends who I still count among my small group of close friends today.  Even though I don't see or talk to them often, when I do, it's like no time has passed!

Fast forward to 1996, I was uprooted, had to leave my bird with my best friend, & moved across the country to a little ol' state called Kansas.  :-)  I have a smiley face here because I can smile after the fact.  Going through those experiences, I wouldn't dare enter a smiley!  My cat ran away (for 2 months - or 54 days to be exact, lol), I started battling depression & I had difficulty making new friends.  Between my sister & I, I'm definitely the introvert!  We moved to good ol' Missoura in 1997 & life started falling into place.  It wasn't always a bed of roses (like any teenagers life is, hah!) but I made friends, joined colorguard (the spinning flag, rifle, sabre, dance thing - not the army stuff) & breezed through high school.  

Blah blah, broke my toe in a jetski accident in 2003, blah blah met the love of my life, blah blah, got married... shush, I'm trying to shorten this already whopping story!  Drew and I were wed on June 2nd, 2006 - just celebrated our 6 year anniversary!  We bought our first home in 2007, had our first baby (more on that story later) in 2009, sold our first home this past July, & are now living in an apartment for a few years while saving up to buy a house the right way!

So, that's that.  Now you know pieces of my life story.  I see this blog as being mostly therapeutic to me, but also, I hope that it inspires someone.  It will be a cross between a "mommy blog" & the things I love the most - my faith, makeup, fashion, & anything else I can think up!  I think my next post will be dedicated to the most traumatic, but at the same time amazing, story of my life - the birth of my daughter, Mackenzie.  So stay tuned!

xoxo