Wishing I could post more often...

I keep thinking that I will post, but I have SO many things to fill my day! Most of them involve school or trying to play catch up with the house and then chill out with the kids. The other night when Andy and Gavin went to piano, I really wanted to do all of the dishes so that Andy wouldn't have to, but .... Ella asked me to play with her, and so we did some "activities" together. I bought a workbook program for each of the kids when they were toddlers and it introduces shapes, colors and lots of other concepts. It has songs, rhymes, games and sticker pages and set comes with a CD and a craft. Ella has really almost outgrown the program but we haven't gotten through all of the books just yet, so we are still doing them. Now, she is such a big girl and gets the concepts so quickly and has a much longer attention span that we did an ENTIRE book in one sitting! She loved it! Then we made a sock puppet together and had it do silly things! We listened to some music and danced together and before I knew it, the time was up and she was off to bed. Needless to say, I did not get the dishes done, but I had a great time with my girl! Thankfully, Andy realizes what was more important and wasn't the least bit upset. He did the dishes and I conked out on the couch, exhausted.

This weekend I am working on my final paper for my Psych of Ed class...it is going to be tough and I have to do really well (read "A") on it, because I expect it of myself. After Dream Dinners this morning, I came home to an empty house (Andy took the kids to his parent's house for the day) and I read the article and began my note cards for my paper. I don't feel like I got much done, but I am sure that it is more than I think. (It usually is!) I will let thoughts roll around in my brain tonight and get up in the morning and continue with my note cards. This is a technique that I used in college doing my under grad work and it seems to help. I write all of my thoughts, quotes, questions and answers on cards and then organize them into the order that they will fit into my paper. Then I sit at the computer and type up the paper, using my cards as the meat of it so that all I really have to type is the filler and more of my thoughts. I got the intro, the closing and the first section figured out in cards, so I have 3 more sections to get to. I am hoping to have the cards done by tomorrow night! I want to have the paper written by the end of Thanksgiving weekend.... only thing about that is that we are having work done on the family room that weekend!

We decided that our Christmas gift to ourselves will be the lighting in our family room. We have wanted it for a while and now that we have lived here for a few years, I think we really know what we want. We have a great electrician that is a good guy, a hard worker and gives us a low price.. plus he lets Andy work with him which helps Andy learn and gets the work done faster (less money). I am really excited about the project and wanted it done before the holidays, BUT realized that it had to get done before we decorated or everything would be covered in dust! So...it will be done and the next weekend we will have the electrical done in Gavin's room. The closet system is now in, and then Andy will paint the trim...it is moving along, but it is a slow process! I am impatient and I want it all done NOW!!!!

I am nervous about the holidays, I know that they are going to sneak up on me because I cannot devote even so much as a thought towards them right now. School takes all precedent....My last day is December 9th and everything is due then... I have several short journal entries, the last two sections of my TPA (Teaching Performance Assessment) which is a BIG project, a 3 page write up and my big final. That doesn't sound like much, but I also have readings for class next week and the week after.. and on Monday, I present my Math lesson. I feel like I can handle it, but not much else...this season may be on the simple side.. no Christmas cards, not as much decorating, and because of money...there won't be many gifts. I will enjoy the gift of family and time....oh, and sleep!

TAG!

My friend Gina tagged me, oh, about a month ago and it took me forever to get pictures of each of the items on the list, and then it took me another forever to find the time to upload and post. But finally.. here it is... I am not sure why this is so interesting, but... here is a window into my life! My kitchen sink.. this is in the morning.. by afternoon there is a little pile of dishes in it and my hubby cleans it all up after dinner, so that I can start all over the next day!

This is my laundry room that is VERY beige.. yuck, we have paint picked out, but.. we have to patch the wall, and build a cabinet around the water heater, and we might replace the floor, and hmmm... should we get a new back door? So... it will wait.

This is me! With Ella on the day we went up to "Apple Country"... we are enjoying a yummy roll and some fried chicken.. there are very few pics of me ever so I am glad that Andy snapped this one.. I just wish that he would have given me some more warning.

My favorite room is the living room and dining room, they are really just one long room with the entry in between. I think that I love these two rooms most, because they are the most "finished" and pulled together. I would still like to re-do the window treatments and we have plans to have sconces put on the wall on either side of the couch. The toys will soon be moving into the bedrooms and there will be less clutter on the bookshelves (and on the floor, and the coffee table, and...)

This is my closet, Andy's stuff is on the top and to the left and my stuff is on the bottom and to the right...it is not big, but it is mighty. It actually doesn't look like this now, because I just did a big purge and got rid of a bunch of stuff that I should not have owned anymore...like the shirt that I bought in 1987 for my first job interview! HA! It was cute, but getting a little tired! Most of the other clothes were not THAT old, but I ditched the long floral dresses and some stuff that I wore on my honeymoon.

This is my fridge and yes, it always looks neat and "merchandised"... the only thing unusual here is that the fruit drawer looks REALLY empty! Like there is one pear and 2 avacados in there!

And, finally.. this.. is my toilet! I don't know why anyone would want to see that, but it was in the tag! As you can see, it is clean.. but it appears that my trashcan needs to be emptied!

So.. that is the tag.. I am not going to formally "tag" anyone, but if you feel so inclined... please post strange and random pictures from around your home. I guess that the original rules say that you can't clean anything up before you start shooting... I didn't, but I happen to be a total neat freak.. so, clean, don't clean.. take some wacky pics and let us see into your life! The next one I do, might just be on the contents of my purse! Watch out!

Haircut

I got my haircut a few weeks ago and I asked my stylist to pretty much leave it just the way it was, but trim it a LITTLE bit and do something to get rid of the grey! It was getting really noticeable and making my hair look even ashier than usual! I told her that I would come back to have the front re-trimmed after my birthday party, but for now it was mostly perfect.

Well, she highlighted it and that came out great and she trimmed it and then, she worked on someone else, came back to me and started hacking away! It was as if she had completely forgotten what I had said and that she had already trimmed my hair and all I was waiting for was to be styled! She then handed me over to a young gal (that makes ME sound OLD) who blew my hair so straight I felt like a cousin to the Scarecrow! I left upset and hating my hair. After spending the amount of money that I did, I expected to be accosted by someone dying to have me as a hair model!

It was o.k. for the party and now, 2 weeks later, it is fine. Lesson learned... always allow 2 weeks between haircut and event! I also ALWAYS hate the way they style my hair! They blow it out and then put it all in my face. I have straight hair...it does NOT need to be straighter, AND I have a tiny face and when you hide most of it with hair...it makes my nose look big! (silly?) I also think that my my hair being straight makes my head look even smaller, which, in turn, makes my butt look big... but that is probably a whole other show! So, here is my hair! What do you think?

First pic... flat, ugh!

Second pic... after I tried to floof (yes... that is a real world in my book) it up a bit.

Third pic...tonight, 2 weeks later

(I took the first two myself and the angle is all wierd and Andy took the third one, so it is better)

Still Here, Still Hangin On

October was INSANELY busy with parties and soccer and midterms and ?????? I made it through and I am exhausted, but hanging in there! Sadly, we cancelled our trip to Arizona this weekend but we are all wiped out! Ella was begging to stay home in her pajamas and do nothing all day!

I have a list a mile long of posts that I want to do (yes Gina, I still have the tag waiting!) but it is time for us to head to my in-laws house for the yummy dinner that I made! We are having Ham Chowder, Sweet Potato Biscuits, BLT Ceasar Salad and Blackberry Swirl Pie for dessert!

We did some catching up on household chores yesterday and I got ready for the last push of my semester. I have some projects to complete and a lot of reading, but the end is in sight. I go back and forth between relieved and completely freaked out! We have started on Gavin's "new" room now that our roommate has moved out. We decided what the plan is and the first step is having the closet system installed tomorrow. We also found some GREAT stuff for Ella's room at a yard sale! We picked up a headboard, footboard, a dresser and a little cabinet to sit on top of the dresser! I am excited, but I know that it will probably be summer time before we even get to that project! All of the pieces need to be refininshed, but Andy is looking forward to the challenge! I am so thankful for his enthusiasm and dedication to me and to our family. He has really worked hard to make our home a wonderful place and he keeps on working to make our marriage strong and happy. (even when I am a total grump butt)

I am rambling... but there is so much to share! I just didn't want anyone to think that I had dropped off the face of the earth. I am here, and I will post again soon!