??? thermometer ???

I’m not prepared. My daughter is sick. Being the person that is home and having a husband that is pretty busy I usually stock up on all the items you need for a sick kid/me (7up, juice, chicken noodle soup, apple sauce, meds, banana’s, bread, frozen popsicles). We keep most everything for the BRAT diet. That way when someone gets sick we have it and I’m not wondering how to take a sick child to the store. Well, today I am not prepared. Since we just moved, and let me note everything is unpacked I still can’t find the thermometer. So I am sitting here wondering about the unknown. How sick will she be when she wakes? Will we be able to make it to the store? When will I have the friendships here that I left behind in MO where it was apparent that everyone was there for each other at a drop of the hat? I could simply pick up the phone and ask for help. And mostly… why wasn’t I prepared… oh yeah… it’s summer… not sick season.

New Home

A new home or should I say a 14 year old home offers a lot of work.

I didn’t originally like the house. Eric completely talked me into it and I had hesitations all the way up to our first week here. He told me after a week I would love it here and he was right. I love it here now.

Our backyard backs up to a beautiful forest and a creek. The trees are very mature and reach about 40 to 50 feet high. They originally draped down to about 4 feet from the ground so we cut a number of branches off so we could enjoy the beauty of the forest and see the remainder of the backyard. We also hung a swing and a rope for the kids.

Inside the rooms were kind of small so we decided to take out half the wall to open it up. I’m sure many of you have heard me say how awesome my father-in-law is but again he’s amazing and I’m so blessed he taught his kids/Eric how to do a number of things. Both Jack and Eric sat down for a few hours and constructed a plan to take the wall out. A few days later we started the project. We are so close to finishing. We are mudding, sanding, painting and adding molding and a shelf. Then it will be complete and it’s beautiful already.

We found these bugs which we originally thought were flees but lucky for us they turned out to be Springtails. You all know how I like bugs. We had the bugs examined to determine what they were and the best way to treat the area. Then my husband went to work finding the nest of the Springtails and spraying. He found a few nest. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more.

The carpets were pretty discussing. I guess we didn’t notice how bad they were when we came out to find a place to live. Eric was allergic to something in the carpet and his hands would swell up after doing his workouts. For a few days he moved to the bathroom to do pushups and such. It was not long before we were shopping for carpet. Our new carpet is awesome and feels like silk.

Well that is what we have been up to. Mostly house projects.

What we love about the house…
The sunroom – wow didn’t know how awesome these were.
The backyard - breathtaking
Remodel - ½ wall being cut down – more space
The kitchen, the playroom, the living room.
The laundry room being on the same floor as the bedrooms.
The layout of upstairs.
My kids laughing and playing and loving it.
The neighbors and all the kids
Swimming pool a few doors down.
We will have a paycheck to pay our mortgage.

Thankful

There are a few things in life where I actually take a step back and hand everything over to my husband that is related to the family. We love doing things together. I love being in the middle and helping out in matters and listening to whatever the topic is and yes having my say too.

But I have to say that when it comes to owning a home he is the one that truly makes it happen. I am the one that would be perfectly happy renting a apartment for the rest of our life. I guess it comes to trust (from the current owners) and risk. I am not a risk taker when it comes to homes. If there is any risk I would rather back out.

My husband on the other hand makes the process of owning a home look easy. He takes it by the horns. I have told him many times today that I am so grateful that he is taking over on this because I would have put my foot down at the beginning. He returns by telling me that if it were not for me he would let a lot slide so I guess we are a good pair. But all in all… I am so thankful for him being the man of this house and dealing with everything.

Expensive piece of furniture

Yep, that is what I feel for. I have been searching for a certain piece to turn a dining room into a playroom. My whole idea was to come up with something from Pottery Barn without purchasing the “name” itself. I spent hours looking for the right piece that could pull off what I had in mind. And you know what…. My awesome father-in-law will be making my dream into a reality. I’m so excited that I just had to share. Here is a picture of it…. I can’t wait!

Life has been busy!

Life has been busy! I spent many hours researching schools, homes and the Greenville area. We spent last week there and were greeted by a wonderful family who happens to be a resident at Greenville Memorial Hospital. They were ever so kind and took us in and shared their beautiful home with us. We spent all day with our realtor, traveling the town and becoming accustomed to the surroundings. After walking through 20 plus homes and about 5 apartment complexes we made a offer on a home and have a signed contract.

In 2 weeks, Eric will complete medical school. In 3 ½ weeks our family will be here to celebrate Eric and his accomplishments as a DOCTOR. My husband will be a Doctor! Looking back I have to say that the last 4 years have flown by. That anyone can do this. But in reality, I know there were times that were slower and harder than others.

Perks about Greenville…
1. My family/friends are coming to visit.
2. Sweet wine.
3. My brother and cousin Ash are a hop and skip away.
4. We will have a pay check.
5. My hubby and kids are there.
6. New memories will be made.
7. It’s God’s plan.

On top of spaghetti...

On top of spaghetti
All covered cheese
I lost my poor meatball
When someone sneezed.

This song filled our house a few weeks back. We are big readers here and that so happened to be one of the books that we checked out. Around the same time, one of my friends posted a recipe for meatballs. I have never been a fan of meatballs and have never had any inclination to make them. But with the power of my kid’s musical voices and the responses of thanks and appreciation my friend received from posting her recipe I thought that one day I would have to make those meatballs.

That day came… and for anyone that is interested… spaghetti will never be the same. Who eats spaghetti without meatballs, anyways???

Oh ya… US!

Here is her blog/recipe if you just so happen, to want, to question, Who eats spaghetti without meatballs?

http://scottyandnatalie.blogspot.com/2010/12/wanna-meatball.html

M&M’s

Did you know that M&M’s were given to given to soldiers in the World War II? They were a easy packed snack full of energy.

I would be very interested in how they advertised these in the 1940’s. Did they use the appeal of the war? I can’t seem to find anything on it.

For 7 years they were sold in cardboard tubes. Like these….

In 1954, the famous slogan of “The milk chocolate melts in your mouth, not in your hand" was introduced.


The history of advertising has always appealed to me. There is so much in marketing. It’s not just artwork but you have to understand you audience. If you are a good marketer you will know what your customers value but more importantly you will know how to create a demand to those customers.

Life Simplicities

I have this new fascination of wearing eye makeup lately. (That’s another story… maybe I’ll get to it in another post.) My problem is that I have not found the right removal. The products that I have tried leave my eyes oily. It’s frustrating because I have those days, where a bubble bath is just the right thing after dinner. Perfect for relaxing. In which case, the eye makeup is removed but the oil remains.

Today, I was introduced to a new Simplicity. Ever since I was a child I was told do not get soap in your eyes. If I did it would burn and I would learn my lesson. Well the lesson today… My friends… is to grab that shampoo, rub it in your eye and your makeup will be removed, pain free and the best part… No oil left in your eyes. Can you believe it? Well, I do! I have not tried it but it’s on my next shopping list. What is it? You might ask…. Johnson and Johnson, No more Tears. Life is so much simpler than we give it credit for.

The next simplicity I am looking for is the cure to removing water marks on the glass shower… anyone??? I just know it’s out there… It must be and when I find it I’m sure my mouth is going to drop open and the same wonder will come over me.

Here’s a list of some of the simplicities I know of, off hand….
Sunscreen takes off Permanent mark
WD40 takes off crayon from paint.
Hairspray removes ink from fabric and furniture
Peanut butter is the key to separating gum from hair.

I would love to hear others Simplicities that are out there.

Genuineness

Madeline has always loved giving gifts but she really takes it to the heart. In the last year, she has started picking out her friends gifts. She loves the gifts that she picks out and really thinks of the person. I love that about her. But what I love more is what happens at night.

This afternoon, we wrapped Eric’s birthday gifts. Each of the kids picked out a special gift for Eric. They were a $1 but what matters are that they are from the heart. We came home and wrapped them. Madeline immediately said, “I am going to hide mine. Mom, want me to hide yours.” I said, “Sure.”

Fast forward till bedtime, Eric walks in and she is holding Eric’s gift, wrapped in Ironman paper (her choosing). She pulls the gift into bed with her and says dad, “I want to sleep with it. It’s your present daddy.”

She is pure genuine. So if you ever wonder after reading this if my daughter sleeps with your child’s birthday gift… the answer is yes. I’m sure it’s been hugged and kissed too. ;)

Hello

I really don’t know if I have any readers any more. It’s been months since I last posted. Yes, that would have been Aug when my son went off to school. And though people might believe that when a child goes to school you get more time… WRONG. What happens is your world speeds up… you jump from a having a nice slow paced day with both of your children to realizing that you now have to get everything done before 4 o’clock so you can spend time with the child that you just gave to the school system. Don’t get me wrong the school system is great but from being a stay at home mom to giving up your child for 8 hours a day… well… lets just say it’s a huge adjustment. You might ask who the adjustment was for and if you are pointing your finger at my child you are wrong… just direct it to me! Yep… that’s right!

So here I am; 5 months later getting back on track. Funny hu? Well, there’s no excuses but just the plain old fact that this mama was sad and yes I would say maybe a little depressed but now I’m back, in full swing! And here I am! (Waving hello)