My Palace

Something SUPER EXCITING will be happening in 19 days!

We are currently in the process of buying our first home... our closing date is in 19 days! I can't even begin to express how crazily excited I am at all the possibilities. I keep, crossing fingers and toes, hoping and praying that nothing goes wrong and that all our time and energy won't be wasted. I want everything to go smoothly and perfectly because I am ready NOW to move in!

I have already started packing up our apartment. Granted, we're about 9 boxes into packing and all I have managed to pack was a bookcase. I don't feel like I've made any real dent in the packing area, but it's a start right?

For the past few weeks, my husband and I have looked at our apartment, noticing all the little things that we won't have to be dealing with once we get our new place. I'm praying hard that no one around us will have car alarms that go off randomly during the day and at night. We had one day where the car alarm went off over 15 times IN A NIGHT! I was so angry, so annoyed, and felt like I was going crazy because of the alarm's affect on me. (Anyone see that episode of How I Met Your Mother when the car alarm was going off? Yeah... that was me!) I kind of feel that if your alarm goes off that often, when there's nothing wrong, there should be no consequences to people smashing your car to bits. Again... probably the new crazy that alarm did to me.

We constantly think about the simple fact that we won't have to worry about anyone else, or be sensitive to other's comforts. Here are a few examples:

We can JUMP!

We can play music and tv as loud as we want!

My husband is excited to play the violin again! 

I can put a drumset in my new house!

We can exercise (notice... jump)!

We can yell or scream in excitement.

We can have sex without worrying about a squeaky bed. 

We can park in the same exact spot without worrying about someone taking our parking space!

We can have the windows open without smelling cigarette smoke (we're not smokers, so this is a big deal)!

We can vacuum whenever we want... even 3am!

We can run the dishwasher whenever we want... even 2am!

We can clean whenever we want... even 4am!

We can watch tv at a volume that old people would enjoy!

I'm also excited about not having to climb three flights of stairs to do laundry, check the mail, bring in the groceries. Our biggest worry will be three steps... oh boy! 

Another thing I'm excited about is getting a washer and dryer, doing my laundry, and leaving it in the dryer for 3 days... JUST BECAUSE I CAN!! 

We will have a yard and a garage and two patios. We'll be able to get a dog (which is pretty exciting to me). We can camp in our yard because we feel like it. We can get a kiddie pool for my son and set up random fun water toys all around our yard. 

We can spread out!! Our current apartment is 750 sq ft. The main level of our new house will be 992 square feet. Plus the current owner has taken the attic and created three more bedrooms. This means I get a craft room/office. We'll also have a guest room and my son will have a play room. I get to decorate the place however I want... I can make it super girlie, or super manly... whatever I feel like. I can change my mind 6x in a week and it won't even matter!

Have I mentioned that I'm excited?

The Cracked Egg

I have this car that is white and rounded, looking like an Egg. It's small and dinky. Nothing is really too exciting about it. The most exciting part of it (technology wise) is the button that unlocks all the doors. If you're into "old school" stuff, you have to roll down your own window with your own strength... no buttons. Gasp! I know!

This car has been with me since I started driving it at 15. That was 12 years ago. Hard to believe so much time has passed. It's lived through boyfriends, LOTS of traveling, three youth groups, a wedding, a baby, and much more. 

Today, I say goodbye to the little cracked egg. 

As I say goodbye, I think about all the good times I've had with it. It's been a CHAMP! The fact it's lived this long has exceeded my expectations. It's now going to a new home that can give it the kind of love that only money could buy. 

About 8 ish years ago, I was having a really, REALLY rough day. Probably one of those rough days where any Driver's Ed teacher would tell you to NOT drive. I happened to drive to a friend's house in complete emotional chaos. I was pretty much having a meltdown. On our way back to our place of employment, I barely made it out of her driveway before this fawn cut me off. I hit it and it flew up into the air, did a few loops in the air as it stretched completely out and finally landed on the ground, on its back. It was pretty traumatizing to me (it was my first deer), but probably more traumatizing to the fawn. Weird thing is... even with all the drama, the thing survived! 

Maybe two or three years after that, I was driving on some back country roads to my parent's house. It was in the winter time and I didn't realize how much snow and ice there was. By mistake, I took those back country roads, rather than staying to the highway. The road was COVERED in ice. The normal speed limit was 55mph and I was going 10-15. 15 was really fast too! Suddenly this doe decides to cross the road in front of me. I was a bit worried because it was SO slippery. Part of me thought that this doe would make it across the street, and then it slipped and fell. I had been on my brakes this entire time, but was sliding along. I hit the doe and we slid a few feet longer. Once I got to a stop, this doe leaped up and tried to run away, but it was evident that at least one leg was broken. This deer did not make it.

I'll never understand why the fawn lived and the doe died. My car get's the "Cracked" name because the fawn left a "deer butt print" on the hood of my car. 

This car has lived through so much. It's a car that the insurance people told me that if I ever hit something or got into an accident that it would be considered totaled. As you have seen, I've hit two deer, plus an Opossum, a dog and a cat, a bird or two, a couple snakes, and I can't think of anything else. My car survived all these events... which makes it a CHAMP! :) For the record, out of all those animals, I'm pretty sure the opossum died and one of the snakes I hit was already dead, and the birds died. Everything else lived. The Opossum wasn't my fault. I was in these mountains between Tennessee and North Carolina because there was a rock slide on the freeway. I was in this line of maybe 10 cars doing 20-25 mph. I'm pretty sure this opossum was hit by at least 5 cars before me. I felt so bad for that poor thing. I still get nightmares over him. 

So... today my car gets a new owner to protect and love. 

We will be looking for a new car sometime soon. Or should I say... we'll be looking for a new companion to adventure through the next few years with. 

I'm excited and sad...

Here's to a new beginning!

Tug Boats

Dropping the kids off at the pool.
Taking the Browns to the Superbowl.
Baking Brownies

Take your pick... OR even add more. The point of this post is that Poop does not end up in the bathtub!

That is not poop on his face... It's chocolate cookie dough.

You're probably thinking, "Gross." I agree with you.

So this morning was delightfully peaceful and even a bit productive. I managed to make my son and I some omelets for breakfast and he was having a fun time feeding himself with a real fork. I loved his face when I was bringing the Omelet to the table. He knew exactly what it was and he was giddy with excitement, he even had some baby chatter to go with it. We didn't need an interpreter. He said, "Ohhh yay! I've been wanting one of these since the last one! Let's get this in my belly as fast as we can!!" Oh yeah. He was stoked.

As he sat at the table, I was thinking about how we have a dinner to go to tonight. My grandparent's 52nd Anniversary is today and they've invited us to celebrate with them at a local restaurant in town. I know that there's more than my family and my grandparents. As I was thinking this, I noticed Little Mister's hair and how it's getting kind of long. I thought it would be a fantastic time to cut his hair.

I cut his hair pretty regularly and have cut it since he was just a few months old. He's learned to sit there pretty still and let me go to town. Some days he's not as still as others, but we always finish! This morning he was the best he has ever been. We cut his hair in 5-10 minutes, verses the typical 20-30. Up next was the bath tub. I had filled it prior to the hair cutting, so I just plopped him right in.

While he was sitting there (and after I had soaped him all up), I swept the floor to rid it of his trimmings. Then I went into his bedroom to get his clothes that he'll wear for the day. This is where things went horribly wrong. I have to give it to him, he's a FAST pooper! I wasn't in his room for more than 30 seconds. I come back to the bathroom and find him sitting there in a bath filled with poop. NASTY! There wasn't just a little bit of poop either... *gag

Until today, I have never had to clean out a bath tub with poop. This isn't the first time he's done this, but it's the first time his dad hasn't cleaned it up. I just can't handle this. I start gagging and dry heaving. I am not a bathtub pooper cleaner upper. So the first thing I did? I texted the hubby, "Any tips for cleaning this up?" His first tip? "Don't throw up." Thanks. I actually had the turdlings picked up before he even gave me any advice. Up next... I doused it with bleach. Then I rinsed it as best as I could and then proceeded to give the Little Mister a second bath. It may have been a diluted bleach bath... unintentionally. I just kind of freaked out when I noticed he had poop on his feet. So I hurried with the bleach part and rinsing as fast as I could.

So... Tips for not experiencing this again anytime soon?
1. Fast Baths are a MUST!
2. If your kid actually has a pretty regular pooping schedule, suck it up and give him a bath after the first "dookie." (As my brother calls it.)
3. You could forego all of this and have your significant other bathe the kid. That way if there's a mess... they have to clean it up.

The Plague

It seems that something has hit our house.

It's not frogs, locusts, or darkness... It's the Cold/Bronchitis. All of us has been hit with this kind of a plague. I'm the one out of the three of us who isn't too bad. I'm hoping this pattern continues because tomorrow I'll be standing in front of a church, giving the morning's message. It wouldn't be too fantastic to be vomiting or sneezing or even sniffling constantly. I was listening to a message by one of my favorite speakers, and this particular week he had a cold. I can't tell you how annoying it was to listen to his podcast and keep hearing him sniffling. I kept saying, "Blow your nose, man!"

I'm pretty sure my husband has bronchitis and a sinus infection. He just lays around and sleeps all day, thanks to my insistence that he go lay down. He spent the whole day in bed yesterday and it was wonderful. The little mister and I played and had a pretty fun day together, despite his constant napping as well.

I have greatly enjoyed this opportunity to take care of my men while they've been sick. I've made them soup,  tea and various other drinks, and kept the house pretty clean. The other day I did 6 loads of laundry! It was pretty hard on my back (we live in a 3rd floor apartment and the laundromat is in another building on ground level), but now we all have clean clothes. Last night, I made tacos.. no one really at much of their meal. In between taking care of them and cleaning, I've managed to watch Fraiser in the process. I'm in the good part of the tv show, where Niles and Daphne are FINALLY in a relationship WITH EACH OTHER! I know I'm a few years behind, but I really like the show. I really like everyone else BUT Fraiser. I'm about 9 seasons into the show and Fraiser has gotten really annoying with all his whining and selfishness. I keep wanting to enter into the show and tell him that the reason he can't get a girl is because he is SO selfish, obnoxious, and annoying! Currently, I'm rooting for Bulldog and Roz.

Anyone know of any other fun shows I should watch after Fraiser?

Perfect Moments (And Cheater Sugar Cookie Recipe)

"I want to break every clock. 

The hands of time would never move again. 

We could stay in this moment for the rest of our lives..."

Anberlin- "Inevitable"

This is how my morning has been so far. It's been perfect. I've had a few perfect moments where I just want to stop the hands of time and enjoy it. 

This morning, my son and I enjoyed a delicious omelet breakfast. The omelet was pretty amazing. It had black pepper, onion powder, and sage in the egg and the egg was topped with ham and freshly grated cheddar cheese. MMMM Perfection! Little Monkey has developed a very specific way of eating his omelet. I cut the omelet into small pieces and feed it to him using a fork. He (specifically) takes the fork from my hand, sticks the yummy goodness in his mouth, and hands me back the fork. If we deter from this specific method of eating, he gets frustrated and seems to act like the omelet isn't any good anymore. I'm ok with this. He's suddenly decided that he likes eggs, and ham, and cheese. So my world is pretty happy having one more item that I can feed him. 

He likes to play this game with me. He'll look at me long enough to catch my eye, then turn his head away real fast, then it turns it back to catch my eye and giggles. He likes to play this while he eats and when we're in the car. He's so fun. 

After we had breakfast, I finished up the dishes while he sat in his chair watching me. At one point I was thinking about making some cheater sugar cookies (see the bottom of this post for a recipe), so I asked him, "Should we make some cookies today?" Suddenly, he yells "YEAH!" Keeping in mind that he just recently learned to speak "Yeah." I am not sure he knew what he was saying, but since it was perfect timing, I'm going to claim it! So later today I'll be making some cookies.

Up next was a bath for the Little Mister. As I was filling the tub, I had Pandora playing songs from the 90s. I listen to it every now and then, not because it's breath-taking music, but because it reminds me of the school dances I'd go to in the 8th grade. I feel young and I enjoy the memories that go with the tunes. So we danced in the bathroom while waiting for the bath tub to fill up. I was amazed at how long my son danced for. It was super fun and pretty funny to watch him. He's so cute. 

Finally the bath tub was filled up and he got all clean. No dried snot, No left over egg, No diaper explosions... he was clean! I then drained the tub and he started handing me the toys from his bath. I love it that at 14 months old, he can clean up his own mess (with help of course). He gets so excited whenever he puts something away, that he claps in celebration. Maybe I should start doing that.... I did the dishes  *clap, clap, clap *YAY! Not as thrilling I guess.

What perfect moments do you wish you can stop the clock for?

Cake Mix Cookies/Cheater Sugar Cookies

1 package of cake mix (any flavor)-- If you're making Sugar cookies, use a white cake mix.
1 large egg
1/4 cup of oil
1/4 cup of water
1 cup of chopped nuts, raisins, oatmeal, coconut, chocolate chips, M&M'S® etc. (anything you like in cookies)-- For plain sugar cookies, skip this step.
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Combine cake mix, egg, oil, and water. Beat until well blended. Stir in remaining ingredient (s).
Drop by teaspoon about 1 inch apart onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 15 minutes or until done.

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Super Easy Artisan Bread

I like Pinterest. It has been known to Change My Life every once in a while. I mostly just like to look at the pictures. It's like reading a kid's book, except it's really, Really, REALLY interesting and there aren't too many "Be Nice to Your Brother/Sister" lessons to learn.

To get off subject a little bit, when I was about 9 ish, is when Barney came out. I'd try to watch it with enthusiasm, but I was always bored with the tv show. I remember one distinctive time when Barney was telling all the kids watching, to clean up their stuff, and he encouraged them with a song. Let me say... LAME! I caught on pretty quick that Barney is just some parental ploy to get kids to do what the parents want them to do with out being asked.  Also... The Barney from when I was a kid, is NOT the same as the Barney you see on TV now. Has anyone else noticed this?

Anyways... Pinterest is fun. It has fun pictures and it gives you directions on how to make fun things yourself. Which, I'll admit. Is my favorite part!

What did I say about pictures? They're fun to look at. This is a picture of that Artisan Bread that the Subject of this blog is about. Look at it... It looks pretty yummy right? Let me tell you a secret... IT'S AWESOME!

For a while I've been looking for bread to be used for sandwiches. I'm obsessed with French Rolls you can buy at Safeway/Winco (Winco is my favorite option because you get twice as much as at Safeway for the same price). Specifically, you'd buy French Rolls from the Bakery section of the grocery store. Anyways, I love those rolls but since my husband and I can eat 24 sandwiches in less than two days by ourselves, it tends to get REALLY expensive.

So I took a chance and used THIS RECIPE. I'm really glad that I did because I was not disappointed! The downside is that there's a little work involved with making this bread (mostly the gathering of ingredients, putting them in the bowl in the right order, and stirring).

When I make this recipe again (which will be soon), I will be trying to divide it into 8 rolls instead of the 4 I did this last time.

This is a keeper!

Crib Sheet and Pillowcase

I'm super excited about this!

For quite some time now, I've been wanting to do a sock monkey themed room for my son. I wanted to do it for his first birthday, but we just couldn't afford it. Well guess what folks?! I finally got to get started on his bed! Specifically, I made a crib sheet and pillowcase.

Here are the tutorials I used:
Crib Sheet- Crib Sheet Tutorial
                -How to Sew a French Seam (I needed some extra help with this. You'll need a French Seam for the Crib sheet)
Pillow Case- Pillowcase Tutorial

And now... The Pictures!!

The Crib Sheet and Pillowcase I Made.

The Crib Sheet and Pillowcase with the Blanket I made for my little monkey.

Isn't that just the cutest bedding? I love it so much because it's starting to look like a little boy's room. You probably can't tell, but on the pillowcase, there's a strip of the sock monkey fabric between the grey and white. It's my favorite. When my husband first saw the pillowcase, he said, "I want one." The grey fabric is pretty soft, though I'm not sure what kind of blend it is. I think I'm going to start making my own pillowcases now.

So... Grand total Cost? Keepin in mind that I do have leftover fabric... at least enough for a second pillow. I spent 26 bucks. This was a pretty screaming deal considering I was standing in Walmart looking at pillowcases and they were 10 bucks for 2 of them. A bit ridiculous AND I was looking at the cheap stuff! So for 16 bucks extra I could throw in a crib sheet and have it all be my very own custom look. I'm pretty thrilled at this!

Oh the possibilities! I can't wait to make more! :)

The Tale of the Babbling Bronchitis and the Eerie Ear Infection

This has been, by far, the LONGEST week of my life!

My 14 month old son is sick and he's the sickest I've ever seen him. We're talking, no sleep, coughing, snot everywhere, crying and whining! Did I mention the crying and whining? Emphasis on the Whining.

I like to think that I have a pretty good amount of patience where my son is concerned, but this past week has tested me. I'm definitely at the end of my rope and have been since day FIVE. We've gone to the doctor twice already and I'm not sure that a third time isn't too far off at this point. He has bronchitis and an ear infection. We discovered this after much persistence. It seems that my little monkey is happiest and healthiest when we hit the entrance to the doctor's office. I kept telling him (this last time) to cough, but he wouldn't listen.

When I was little, I'd do the same thing (I still do it as an adult). My mom would always tell me to cough (generally bronchitis was my issue) like I had to prove to the doctor that I wasn't wasting their time. I definitely did the same thing to my son. I went as far as to lay him on his back, hang him upside down, "burp" him, and even blow in his face with my Jalapeno Cheeto breath. (You probably think I'm joking, but this is all true!) The most that happened was my husband plugged his own nose. Nothing worked. Luckily, when the doctor was checking my son's throat, she kind of gagged him which brought on the smallest barking cough. SUCCESS!

See! I told you he was sick!

On our way home, I told my husband about going to the doctor with my mom and having to cough. I also told him that as an adult, I get to the entrance to the doctor's office and suddenly feel fine. I've gone to the doctor for stomach issues and as they lay me on my back to push on it, they ask me "Does this hurt" and I have to remember if that was the spot that hurt or not, because seriously... I feel fine when I'm hanging out at the doctor's office.

Maybe it's the air?

So then the joke between the Hubby and I was, "Ask me again in an hour, or call me tonight and ask me then."

Does anyone else have this problem with visiting the doctor?

Once Upon a Time

About a month ago, my husband was looking though our Netflix Queue to see what TV shows or movies would be mailed to us. He discovered that a little show (called Once Upon a Time) I had put on there months before that, was actually available for streaming. I was pretty excited about this, so I said, "Let's watch it."

Little did I know, that small decision would change my life. See, I'm someone who LOVES the fantasy world. I dream about living in a land called Narnia, where I could one day be Queen. Well, to be honest, in my fantasy land, I am Queen of Narnia! Watching Once Upon a Time, changed my world for a few short weeks (as only the first season is online). I found myself obsessed with the show, wishing they were a little further along in it (like 11 seasons or more), so that I could waste my days living in this fantasy world. 

At one point, I even convinced my husband (probably somewhat unsuccessfully. I think he agreed to humor me) that we were living in a storybook. I specifically talked about the Bible and how it's all laid out like a story book and our lives are a continuation of it. He looked at me like I was crazy, as I made my case. In fact, I think he jokingly called it heresy or blasphemy or some other fun word like that. In the end, I think he started to understand, a little bit, about what I was trying to say. 

Do you ever find yourself feeling like you're living in a book, or movie, or tv show? Currently, we're watching Burn Notice... I'm pretty sure I'm a spy and people are trying to kill me. I kid, of course. 

If you could live in a specific book, tv show, or movie, which would you choose?