A Peek Inside!

 It has been a while since my last post, but it is because we have been insanely busy with the new place and the kids' schedules and LIFE in general. I am finally sitting down and enjoying some coffee this morning and planning my day and I figured I'd pop over here to give an inside look at what has been consuming our time lately.

the ceiling was a disaster - the guys ripped it out and put in a new. It is looking great now

the bathroom wasn't even functional

Maris' Room

the stairway ceiling was coming down

the yard is a mess... come pring, I will have a lot of work to do out there. Potential for gardens though!

playing in the sheetrock dust... I can't even tell you,,,, It took a BILLION times of sweeping, shopvac-ing then mopping and repeat... in the 20's... no lie. Drop cloths are a MUST next time

J man's room

 Those were some of the BEFORE photos... the place was a bit scary... haha I have a few after photos but we still aren't finished. We haven't fully unpacked or set up yet so excuse the mess in the pics!

work in progress - kitchen! Always wanted a yellow kitchen... :)

the new playroom ceiling - we will paint the walls in the spring once we are settled in

functioning bathroom!

excuse the lack of molding - that is this weekend's project

replaced hallway ceiling

disaster area we call home - but we are getting there! Gotta love my wall units - they were my Grandparents. She gave them to me years ago and now I FINALLY have room to use them!

Goober's Headquarters

Sweets' messy room (they were tearing it up this morning)

the catch-all room... things seem to keep piling up in the living room area... here's a peek!

 so as things progress, I will give updates. I'm LOVING it here :) We just want everything set up so we can kick back and ENJOY! Also, we need to have it done to have J's birthday party... already started planning... Superhero FUN!

Take THAT Resolutions!

Still at the beginning of month one of the year and we have crossed one goal off the list already. We are moving into a house! The previous tenants left it a mess... there's crap everywhere on the ground, in the house... the owner has taken 3 dumpsters of crap out and its basically good now, but wow, once that snow clears, I will have some stuff to clean up. The details are a bit confusing as to whether we are renting or owning... We have a deal with the guy that we are renting to own basically. Jim will fix up the house for the guy and eventually we will have the option to buy it. He is footing the renovations bills and paying Jim an hourly rate and subtracting it from our rent. So basically, while he fixes the place, it is costing us $20 more to live here than our tiny apartment. We are discussing the options and figuring out whether we will stay in this house permanently or if we will use it as a stepping stone for another place of our own. Either way, I am super excited to have a place of our own with no farm trucks constantly by our windows/yard/.driveway... they will still pass by on the road, but not like it is where we are now! I can have parties! MNI s! (the bedrooms are upstairs!) game nights... so happy. The kids have their own rooms. We have a tough year ahead of us fixing the place up, but I have a good feeling about it all. Our "lovely dump" as Jim called it lol but it has potential and SPACE :)

Fabulous Friday

Fabulous Friday! Appointment to check out a potential new home for us tomorrow, the kitty is safe and warm and back with us, completely gutted and cleaned/organized the kiddies' room, I applied for a new job finally, Maris has a dance "field trip" of sorts after school with the Girl Scouts... Jackson is cracking me up with the wii :) The only downside is work tonight. I WANT to work, we can use the cash... but as I have made evident, I dislike my job.... at least some aspects of my job as of late.

That boy is so darn cute :) Well, off to watch my little Daisy scout dance around with her BFFS. HOPEFULLY I will have news tomorrow. Fingers crossed/pray/whatever helps!

Happy New Year. Hello 2013!

After a long hiatus, I am back! The holiday season has been a very busy one and there's no way I am going to be able to recap it all. We had a very full calendar and the kids are back in school today! The family is doing fantastically, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years were a success - we even hosted Christmas Day brunch and dinner here in our home for the first time. Aside from the small space issue, it went swimmingly. We have a decent cover if icy snow on the ground and it is bitter cold. One of our indoor kitties got outside in between both storms we got and still is out there... we are a little worried, but the food we leave out there is getting eaten and there are kitty paw prints all over in the snow. I am convinced he is under the deck of the upstairs neighbors since lots of kitty track lead there. I just keep thinking the worst and I hope he is ok. There are lots of barn cats running around but never that close to our house so we are pretty sure the prints are of our cat. The other kitty got out last year and was missing for 15 terrible days. We got to the point of accepting he was gone and he popped up and sat on the stoop one day. We remain hopeful our Tobey will come home.
Other than the missing kitty, life is fantastic. Our house is over run with new gifts from everyone this holiday season and we are trying to make room for everything. We are searching for a new and bigger place in the area so HOPEFULLY that will be soon. If only my job was steady, we could look into an actual house. My hours are so erratic and only when they need me, so it isnt a steady paycheck lately. I know this will change in the upcoming months, but it is still hard on us since the miniscule checks aren't going into our house fund and Jimmy works at least 6 days a week to get us out of here.
I guess that is all the catch-up in a summary...

2012 was a good and a bad year for us... my Maris started Kindergarten and Jackson started preschool, we lost my Aunt Sherry... so many to list. but I've said goodbye to 2012 and I'm ready to take on 2013.
and here are my resolutions!

1. Get into shape! (isn't it on just about everyone's list?) I have really been doing the wii fit and exercising but I keep plateauing and getting frustrated. Not really gaining, but I am done making babies so I can strive to get the body back! Plus Miranda is getting married and I don't want to look fat in her wedding photos! haha

2. Save Extra Money. Just keep thinking HOUSE HOUSE HOUSE... I have a habit of splurging on the kiddos by taking them out to Chuck E Cheese or lunch or something when I have some spare cash. Although this is nice every once in a while, being in a house would feel soooo much better! Cut out my McDonald's sweet tea addiction. Granted its only a buck each time, but those dollars add up! I got an awesome travel cup for Christmas so I will make a habit of brewing my own and taking it with me. and with my constant supply of chewy ice in the freezer, it can even be icy tea! We had a family meeting of sorts and discussed the plan to get out of here within the year. Time to bust some ass.

3. Make an Etsy Shop many people keep telling me to do this. I love to create things and I do it bc it makes me happy. To be paid for these things would be just fantastic. I am thinking of trying out selling in the craft fair this next Christmas season.. making some ornaments and sewing some stuff... maybe the barrette holders I made for the girlies for Christmas...  squirreling the pennies!

4. Learn to Knit/Crochet not that I need more projects to take on (I have been known to take on too much) but I really want to learn. Plus if I get good at it, it might make me some extra cash as well. another plus... I can make cute stuff for my kiddos (and myself!)

5. Get Organized! if you've been to my house, you know that we are collectors of things. borderline hoarders so I've been told. In this small space, I have been forcing myself to go through my things and make the tough decisions of what I REALLY need. I have to get rid of a lot of my old clothes. I held onto lots of my pre-kid stuff and bank teller clothes for when I get those parts of my life back but as Jim says, they will be outdated and it takes up space. We'll get me some new clothes when that time comes. New clothes out of the deal? Sounds good to me.

6. Finish Projects I just did a quick count of the started projects I have stashed away and are just waiting to be done. 12. and that's off the top of my head. I bet there are more hiding away. I have to learn to finish something before starting something else. I get excited to do something new and ditch the old projects... I have decreased my fabric scrap pile by making all the kids aprons at the gingerbread house party. I plan on using a bunch of the old teeshirts I dig out by making capes for Jackson's upcoming super hero party this spring. Reduce reuse recycle? upcycle?

Self improvement. Family improvement. Life improvement. Staying positive and moving upward! Happy New Year Everyone. Let's hope 2013 is a good year.

Watching The Wheels

 "I've been baking bread and looking after the baby...Everyone else who has asked me that question over the last few years says. 'But what else have you been doing?' To which I say, 'Are you kidding?' Because bread and babies, as every housewife knows, is a full-time job. After I made the loaves [of bread,] I felt like I had conquered something. But as I watched the bread being eaten, I thought, Well, Jesus, don't I get a gold record or knighted or nothing?" - John Lennon




Even John Lennon appreciated the work of an at-home parent... bc he WAS one :) The video is of a song he wrote about his choice to stay home instead of being on the road all the time







"The joy is still there when I see Sean. He didn't come out of my belly, but my God, I've made his bones, because I've attended to every meal, and how he sleeps, and the fact that he swims like a fish because I took him to the ocean. I'm so proud of all his things. But he is my biggest pride." - John Lennon

Even More Catch Up and my Birthday!

how did we do on our fall bucket list? There's still time to make a pie! Maybe even a bonfire...

 I have kept my political opinions generally to myself for the EXACT reason that I see happening all over facebook/LIFE. Friends and family tearing into each other... I in no way think that Obama is perfect, but PLEASE PEOPLE... have some respect for the *re elected* leader of our nation and for other people's opinions. This is Democracy and it IS progress. I voted for him and as easy as it is to stand by someone when they have already won... I feel safe enough to talk about it. Facebook became a hostile environment and spawned so much hatred and foul conversations and name calling between people that otherwise like each other. I refused to get on board.

In other news, I turned 29 yesterday. I had a great laid back day that involved watching the 4 or so inches of the first snowfall of the year melt away in the sun. Maris had school and Jim had work. Jackson and I headed to the consignment shop and used up my store credit to get some Lands End snow boots and coats for the kiddos and a few pairs of pjs and pants. (and some books for Santa to bring. Hey, what do they care where I get them or if they were pre-read?) then headed to Kmart with my sister and got myself a pair of jeans that FIT me! We really didn't have the money for it, but with us not going out for my birthday, we had that money free. In retrospect, I should have gotten FOOD... but today is payday. ONE DAY we won't live paycheck to paycheck.
 Anyways, my awwesome Mom threw me a family dinner party and I drank moscato champagne and bailey's, ate tons of delicious food and my stepdad always gets me cannolis :) I love my family. This beat going out to any restaurant any day!

 my drunken trifle. brownie soaked in baileys, white cake soaked in kahlua, 2 types of pudding, crushed halloween oreos layer, heath bar layer... yum.

 Beatles gift and Beatles card. It's like they know me... :p

and this is how I helped to clean up haha

Holy Catch Up Batman!

In the post previous to this I was talking about how true friends can pick up where they left off no matter how much time passes... my friend Geoffrey surprised me with a visit a few days after I posted that and took me out to an early birthday dinner. We played bar trivia and laughed and carried on like we see each other all the time. It breaks my heart that he's a distance away and my kids have only met one of my best friends in the world maybe 3 times... but we make it work in our own dysfunctional way. We text and stuff all the time and keep in touch but we actually come face to face usually about once a year. Lots of rambling... but just wanted to follow up on the previous post about friendship. I've been having issues with certain people that were in my life and aren't so much anymore. Learning to focus on the people that want to be here in my life and not on those who apparently don't...
but anyways I have a lot of catching up to do on here.

 Josh's birthday/Halloween party

 pumpkin picking and fall fun with another best friend Trina. The kids love Aunt Trina

 we went in the bouncy house with the kids, it was fun!

 this Obama mask in the haunted house was offensive in my opinion... I almost wanted to leave, and would have, if the kids weren't having such a blast

 then the Hurricane Sandy hit and we were without power for 6 days, well we got power back on the 6th day. The first night was amusing to us. The kids went to bed and we lit candles and drank and played board games by candlelight...

 the winds were so strong, it was scary. It blew the kids playhouse right over but thankfully we put almost everything in our shed that survived the storm. The neighbors swingset was destroyed and the slide was in the stream by our house. I am so thankful that ours survived. the kids would have been heartbroken.

 the power outage left us with a below 40 degree house and no running water so we camped out at Jim's parents house. The kiddos were happy to have cable lights and water.

 The Halloween came and Maris had school (one of the only schools in the area still in session due to the hurricane and power outages) and I volunteered for the school class party by donating my photo taking :)

 after she was out of school, we got dressed up and ready to go trick or treating. Due to mass power outages in the area, there wasn't much of a choice in where we could go so we headed to the indoor mall - o - ween and what an ordeal...

 this picture was early on when I could sill move around! it was shoulder to shoulder people. Horrible.

 then the gas outages started and we saw a lot of this happening. It took me 2 hours of driving around the county before I could fill up.

Jackson didn't have school until the following Monday but they still held Halloween and he opted for his Buzz dress up outfit I got at a yard sale last year. It fit him well and he had a great time :)

On the 6th morning of no power, I got a glorious text from my friend/neighbor that said we had power back so we finally got to head home and air out the house and throw away a lot of spoiled food. Other people had it far worse, just happy to be home and warm and safe. We will be eating a lot of ramen and cereal etc until I pick up more hours since I missed a lot of work from the storms.