Catching Up

YIKES!!

Did you notice how long it had been since I made a post?? One of you did! I was reminded how one of my favorite women who blog hadn't posted recently either and how I felt. I miss her. A Lot. You can read her here.

So what's been going on?

I was hired at HRBlock part time mid month. Their class was CRAZY!! 10 weeks with 3- 3 hour classes every other day, not counting the 4-6 hours of homework, left me a bit out of sorts. I didn't really plan on taking more classes. However, since it was free for being a military spouse, how could I beat that?? It's super slow right now, which gives me MORE time to be taking in the 100's of online classes I get to do for taxes. (PS... if you don't use HRBlock, or have done your own online, Please, Please, PLEASE!!!! go in and have a second look. I already know we've missed $500 that we will be getting back from 2009. RUN! DO IT!! Thank me later.)

Thanksgiving came and went. J went to his Mom's on the weekend to make Lefsa. I went to my girl, Kelly's, and made cookies/candy all day that Sunday. It was great girl time. The boys got to see a few friends from Y-Town. Everyone was happy!

December is now here, and nearly half way through. J has been gone. A lot. We finally picked out our tree over the weekend. I. Love. It. Beyond measure. The fragrance it radiates, reminds me of being at home, in SD. It will sport some handstrung garland, just as soon as I get it finished.

We will have some company here for Christmas. Little J is arriving around the 21st. Along with him, M and S are coming too! Can't wait to have some girl time. (Sorry boys... these MOMMAS are OUT)! J's mom and C are coming, as well... so it will be a wonderful first Christmas in our new home!

That's all I have for now.... I will leave you with a photo of our front door that I painted last week. Should I paint the sidelights, too?  Leave a comment and tell me what you think!

be blessed!

t



a little more time

That's all I want...

Just a little more time in my day so I can get everything done that I anticipate that I should. I am a horrible time keeper these days. Partly due to being hooked on "Hart of Dixie". It's a romantic comedy/drama that nearly ANY girl can relate to in one way or another. And because we have Netflix, the whole season 1 is already available to be cued up. IMDB will let you in on all the details.

Wasting Reallocating time to things that should be on the back burner would have prevented me from finding these cute little ditties for you. TODAY ONLY, they are $24.95.

I am thoroughly disappointed that they don't come in O's size. But who am I kidding... he is nearly a full grown man at age 10.

I just love the COLOR of this one, too. New robes for the whole family?

 

If you are like me with bare walls and are looking for some great photo frame ideas, this perfect set up is a shoo in!

 

BUT, if you are looking for something to put on your gift list for yourself and are obsessed liking the various owls that have flown in throughout the year, this little hootchie is just for you!

It's a definite winner in my book!

Oops!!  Guess I should get to crackin! I have some OWLS of my own to get made and sent out! (Sorry I am so far behind!)

 

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

May it be blessed with friends and family!

 

t

 

Change for Charlie (repost)

Change For Charlie

Rodan and Fields Anti-Age Bonus

Hi Guys!

You may, or may not, know I am an independent consultant for Rodan and Fields. That's right!! The geniuses behind Proactiv have come up with an anti-aging line and it's AWESOME!! I am here today to talk to you about our anti-aging line. Our company is so awesome that with an order of $185 or more in our product lines, you will receive this little hot commodity.

Words do not describe how my face feels when I use this product. AH-MAZING!

 

We do not only have products for anti-aging, but for acne-prone, sensitive, and sun damaged as well. 

 

How could this timing be more perfect, than at the holidays??! What better gift to give, than the gift of flawless skin.

 

Please either email me, or go to either of my websites, here and here and let me know how I can take care of you or a loved one and their skin. I am offering an additional customer reward from Nov.-Dec if you become a preferred customer, in addition to what you ALREADY receive for being a PC!

So what are you waiting for? Get on the horn. Tell your family and friends about this AH-MAZING offer!

 

 

 

be blessed!

 

t



   

Final

I passed my final with HRBlock today.

It's not as easy as you may think. Only 4 out of the whole classes passed. Incredible. I was 1 of 22. I just want to thank the Lord for watching over me.

That's all for today. I'm whipped after the elections and the final.

Here's to hoping the interview goes well!

be blessed!

t

 

 

Change for Charlie

Hi Friends!

I have some info to share with you. And I'm counting on those of you, especially at home in the HILLS area, to come out and show your support for my sister-in-law's {Hollie} family and a little gentleman named Charlie.

Charlie is the son of Ethan and Heidi (Christianson) Grover. Charlie is an awesome little boy that was diagnosed with an EXTREMELY rare lung disease called neuroendocrine hyperplasia of infancy (NEHI). The staff at Early Foundations, Inc and Skyline Engineering are hosting a benefit/fundraiser, "Change for Charlie", that will include a kids fair theme and silent auction. They will have fire trucks, clowns, face painting, jump castles, food, live music, pony rides, and more! They will have forest green 'Change for Charlie' t-shirts on sale for $15, now. Don't wait until the day of. I wouldn't want you to miss out!  ALSO... the first 150 kids that come will get a free ICEE coupon from Common Cents! (Who doesn't like ICEEs?!)  

They are inviting friends, family, neighbors, and the community to come and support Charlie! And YOU guys are awesome, so I know that we can count on you to come support this awesome little guy!

This event will be held on November 18, 2012 between 1-6pm MST. It will be located at Early Foundations, Inc @ 1123 Kansas City St, Rapid City SD 57701. This is also where donations can be sent! You can make a check out to Charlie, himself!!

If you have something that you would like to donate, {come on my talented friends!!}, for the silent auction, please leave a comment with your email address and I will get back to you.

Here is a little something that our family is working on for 'Change for Charlie'.

They are Christmas Tree Ornaments. All the ones for Charlie will have a "C" on the tummy of the Owl, so you remember why you are donating. These will be at the benefit. I will take orders for donations of these up til the day of the benefit.

Friends.... I know that we can make a difference for this little boy! Please come out and show your support!

be blessed,

t

 

Coconator {this one is for kellie and dan}

While we lived in Hawaii, there wouldn't be a trip up to the North Shore without stopping at at Haleiwa for some coffee. There is a little shop there called the Coffee Gallery. It's in a little strip mall that is full of fantastic shops that include some jewelry, glass blowing, and framed art, to just name a few. They roast coffee there, as well, which reminded me of  my favorite hometown coffee shop, the Sturgis Coffee Company. And boy, oh boy, did it relieve some of the home-sickness I was feeling those first couple months.

Anyway, this coffee shop, the Coffee Gallery, had a coffee concoction that I grew to love. It was called the Coconator. The flavor left my mouth wanting more, which is why I returned nearly every day. And this is why this post is for {kellie and dan}.

{kellie and dan} went to Hawaii two? years ago, and I asked them to please go to the coffee shop in Haleiwa and get a Coconator for me. And they did just that. Nearly. Every. Single. Day. And when they got home they purchased an expresso espresso machine to figure out how to make it. While they got their recipe to be exact... I continued to hear about it... f.o.r.e.v.e.r.  About how it is costing, and calories they are consuming because "I" got them hooked on the Coconator.

Well, girlfriend, I have found an answer to your prayers. NOT only will it alleviate your calorie intake, you will love it, just the same. AND it is a little easier on the pocketbook.

With this whole clean eating, I have been trying things that are new. I don't like soy milk that well... because let's be honest. It tastes like {$h!t}. But as I was looking at my options, I came across Pure Coconut Milk from Silk. I am prepared to take the blame on this puppy, if you get hooked.

I add 1/4 cup {20 cals} with two tbs of chocolate syrup {100 cals}, and 1 tbs of French vanilla creamer {30 cals} to my coffee, which varies between Kona and Sturgis Coffee.



So there you go, my friend. No more blaming me for your addiction that is high calorie. ;o)





I hope you enjoy! 

be blessed!

t

Ornamental Weekend

Hey Folks!

Did you remember the time change? What a GREAT blessing it was to be able to sleep in a little longer! I feel so rejuvenated!

This weekend I worked on getting the upstairs a little more situated as I went through boxes, condensed, put away, and threw away. It feels great to be a little more closer to being done.

After I felt I had accomplished enough for the weekend, I started working on additional Christmas Ornaments for our ornament exchange.

What do you think? They are the first ones I've done, so they will get better as I go along. I also am waiting for red felt, but it might be next weekend when I can get it.

What did you do this weekend?

be blessed

t

 

Flexible

I came across a quote yesterday while perusing Pinterest. You ever have an AH-HA moment while searching that site? You can find the pin on my Truth Be Told board.

Here is mine I chalked yesterday.

Thank you for sharing, BW.

Happy Saturday!

be blessed,

t

 

Christmas Ornament Exchange

Folks... It's On!

The first 'REAL' ornament exchange that I have participated in. Sure, I have exchanged ornaments with friends at Christmas. But nothing beats giving/getting ornaments from people around the world. And because I like to procrastinate get things done early, I had mine mostly done in January.

However, I am still looking to make some more. I found several links on pinterest that I'd like to give a whirl.





This one is a quilled Snowflake. Pretty, Yes? You can find the tutorial here.

Or how about these pretties, which you can find here. My favorite is the felt pinecone, and because I have a bazillion yards of white felt, I may just give it a go.

What about a paper pinecone using scrapbook paper? Take a look at these and tell me what you think. I love them. Just don't know if I have enough time to get 25 done by Thanksgiving.

And last, but not least... these fabric rag ball ornaments.

Are you as excited as I am??! Which one do you think I should do?

Don't forget to leave some love if you use one of the tutorials from above.

be blessed!

t



 

NaBloPoMo

Today is the start of NaBloPoMo, which stands for National Blog Posting Month. It's a challenge to write a post every. single. day.  And since I've been at a stand-still, I thought I would do it.

If you have ever read my blog, it consists of RANDOMNESS. I am not one who targets a specific audience. So, if you like to never know what you're gunna get, follow along, won't you?

This morning I went outside to meet Sarah and looked to the south west and saw this beautiful heart. (Read about her sons and you will understand why it's so fitting.) I have the privilage of watching Carsyn while she goes on a fieldtrip with her other son.

With Christmas nearing, I will be working on my ornament exchange project, so come back and check that out!

Until tomorrow....

be blessed!

t

 

Blogging From Your Phone

Does anyone do it? Blog from their phone? I am looking for a good host to be able to do just that.

I can not upload a photo from my iphone to blogger. It's frustrating to me because I take so many photos via iphone.

If you have a suggestion, please leave it in the comments section. Perhaps others are wondering just the same.

I have been trying to get caught up on homework. I am taking an HRBlock class, with the hopes of getting a job at some point. SO... I haven't done much around the house.

I did, however, find the time to spray paint an old shoe tray to put under the cats' food and water dishes. We've had it forever, and as I was cleaning out things to 'let-go', I thought I could repurpose it.

 

So what do you think? What do you use under your pet's food dishes?

 

It's back to homework.

 

Thanks for stopping by!

 

be blessed!

 

t

 

BORING BLOG POST

I will be quite honest.

I don't like the format of blogging here.

So I am doing some checking elsewhere.

I would like to have a little more control. (Imagine that!)

Here is something to get you by....



Can you believe how BIG these two have gotten in the past few months?

 

Stop. Growing. Please.

 

Love,

Your mom (who isn't wanting you to grow up.) 

Blog Update

SURPRISE!!
It's ME!!
After several months of being absent, I am BACK!!
I have lots of news, but most importantly, I want to thank you for hanging in there!
Please bear with me through the changes of the blog. I am trying out something new working with WORD 2010 and posting from there.
There may be a hitch or two, but we will get the kinks worked out soon enough!
Anyway, WELCOME BACK! I can't wait to talk to you all!!

 

 

This is a test

This is a test to see how the posting goes in from Word. This is only a test. And not one from your emergency broadcast system, mind you. ;o)

 

Crumbling

Ever felt like your world is crumbling all around you?

Out of control.

Losing all you love?

I. DO.

Too much

The disappointment is too much to bear about the house.

So I am sparing you the details, but still blogging from my phone...

Because everything else is in storage.

The one thing I AM excited about is going home this week.

We will be making several stops before we get to my sister's; but i am welcoming the trip!

After we got back from doing house stuff, we had dinner with Kelly and Tommy. (the friends who we are staying with).

I uploaded a phone from the back deck in facebook, but can't add from my phone. So check it out there, if you want.

Until i have better news about the house, I wont be posting.

Hopefully, I will talk to you soon!

"I never think of the future - it comes soon enough." Albert Einstein

Last week was hard to swallow.
The installation of our tile shower was botched.
It still is botched.
It has been a stressful time.
Especially because we want to be into the house by next week.
So having a botched shower wasn't really what we were anticipating.
But the builder is going to try and rectify the situation, so I am going to spare you the agony of looking at the photos of a tile shower that was so poorly constructed.

Instead, I am going to show you the happy updates that we saw last night.

See the {sold} sign?? THAT'S US!!

We met the neighbors that bought to the left of us last night. We all kind of congregated around our driveway (A & K and the new neighbors). The mosquitos were quite crazy, and so we moved over to A & K's garage.

They have started to grade, and I am still hoping they will clear out the back where the easement is, as I had requested. Why they didn't when they graded the land next to us, I have no idea. But it is on my walk through check list.

It's possible we will have a Certificate of Occupancy by Wednesday. It's getting down to the wire. There is always a big push at the end, right?

One more thing...
The floors are beautiful.
Probably my favorite thing in the house.
Seriously.
And I can't wait until you see them in person. Won't you make a reservation and come stay with us?

Here's to hoping for smooth sailing next week!

be blessed,

t

Time Crunch

I have missed several weeks of updating the progress of the house. It's because there just isn't much to update, other than the fact of lack of progress and mistakes. And that gets old and depressing.

So in addition to the lack of progress, what HAS been occuring is alot of mess ups.

Friday came and I was so excited about going down to see the progress due to the fact that we were told the flooring would be brought in to get acclimated early in the week, and the laying would be started on Thursday. I was SO excited about this because it means we are nearing the end.

But much to our dismay, no flooring was in the house. The door was wide open; not locked, with no one in sight.

See... depressing. Depressing that others do not value what we are putting our livelihood in to.

Mistakes occur. Over and Over and Over again.

Our shower was tiled incorrectly. No spacers were used. The tiling on the walls are uneven; not even the pattern we chose. And the floor... it's ridiculously wrong.

{This makes me sick. Literally. I think I have an ulcer or something. I have been sick for the better part of 5-6 weeks, throwing up. We are not pregnant. I can't keep much down, yet do not seem to lose any weight. I have a doctor appointment on Tuesday. Keep me in your prayers.}

 And... our appliances were just ordered. You know... the ones we picked out months ago because we were told to? Just. Ordered.

Have I mentioned that we are out of our current house in 10 days? Yes... TEN days!

So... I think I might have an ulcer. ;o)

To top off not blogging... I missed blogging about little J's bday. He turned 8!

 Eight! Can you believe it?? Love you, mister!

Hopefully I have more positive things to report at the end of the week before the computer gets packed up.

be blessed!

t

Birthday Yumminess

Hello There!!

I found a lot of great food ideas on pinterest that I wanted to use for Owen's Carnival birthday party.
Outside of the standard corn dogs and corn on a stick, we also had the following.
 

These are catipillar grape kabobs. They went like hotcakes on a cold winter's day. I found the idea here.

 Then there were these little tasty treats.

Birthday cake popcorn. Does it get any better than this? Here is where I found this little piece of heaven.

We also tried our hands at making these little ditties that you can find here.

 Three different flavors: strawberry, grape, and orange. mmm mmm mm!

And last, but certainly not least...
 

A swiss meringue buttercream birthday cake filled with the most important flavor at a carnival.

COTTON CANDY!! {I found little packets from Duncan Hines that flavors frosting.}

 

The kids absolutely LOVED it!

 I found the idea here over at Whisk Kid. What a FUN blog!

Do you have any parties coming up? You can check out my boards on Pinterest, right here!

be blessed!

t

"Youth comes but once in a lifetime." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

After Saturday's birthday, I truly believe this. A huge thank you goes out to my friend K. She stuck with me all day. And I mean ALL day. She was at my house at 730, and didn't leave until ??? Honestly, I really don't know. That's how great she is.

There were a couple of games the kids played that I got from NBCs  Minute to Win It. This is the Elephant March. You take hose/stockings of some sort (got ours from the Dollar Store) and put a ball in the toe. You line up 6-10 water bottles in two different lines and without using your hands, you try to knock down the water balls in 60 seconds. We just did races and the kids had a blast!

Doesn't it look like FUN?! 

Have you ever played?

After the Elephant March game, and a break to jump on the trampoline,  they played A BIT DICEY. It's a game where you have to stack dice (we used 5) on a Popsicle stick that you hold in your mouth. This game got two thumbs up from Owen. 

It's funny watching children interact with one another, specifically how Owen is with his guy friends vs. his girl friends. He definitely is a lady's man.

Thanks for putting up with my SOOC shots. I hope your eyes don't have sores on them. ;o)

More to come...

be blessed

t