SWD #2

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For Today... Monday November 24th , 2008

Outside my window...the trees are waving and the sky is blue. A nice autumnal day here in Florida.

I am thinking...Oh my! so much to do tonight after work. We are leaving tomorrow afternoon for Thanksgiving and I still have a checklist a mile long.

I am thankful for...gas prices below $2/gallon this week so this trip isn't as expensive as we had expected.

From the kitchen...Leftovers/ steamed vegetables tonight, On the road food (probably McDonald's (since that is Michael's favorite spot to stop and their restrooms are almost always the best) Tuesday night, Southern BBQ meal in SC with the family Wednesday night, Thanksgiving dinner Thursday of brown sugar cured ham, oven turkey (although I want to try to convince my mom to try a deep-fried turkey since they tend be less dry), homemade gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet corn and peas, turnips, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce and Michael's pumpkin pie and Jan's apple crisp...I'm sure there are dishes I am missing, but just thinking about dinner makes my mouth water, Friday and Saturday are probably going to be dinner outs since thanksgiving leftovers will be lunches.

I am wearing...typical Monday workday...jeans and t-shirt (my blue TriBeta one) with my Reefs (flip-flops)

I am reading...the new Patterson book (Sail) and around Christmas I will need to re-so my lesson plans for next semester's labs and get a headsup.

I am hoping...for an easy, howless drive tomorrow and that it only takes us 8.5 hours this time and that the puppies go to sleep after the first hour.

I am creating...well catching up on the ceramic pieces for my mom's nativity that I started when I was a child and just recently found tucked in the craft closet of my own house. I cannot imagine it got boxed up and moved from my childhood house to my own house without me knowing it was there.

I am hearing...music from the online radio playing in the background.

Around the house... do the laundry, pack our suitcase, pack all the extra stuff (dog's stuff, car stuff, books, etc.), set-up the feeders for the 2 turtle tanks, 3 fish tanks and over water the big turtles, feed the gerbil a little extra for while we are away. I also need to clean out the fridge and pack the truck tonight so I can prevent us from forgetting anything...oh what a night lies ahead.

One of my favorite things...decorating for Christmas (we pulled everything out yesterday and so when we get back next week, we can set the tree up and decorate it)

A few plans for the rest of the week...traveling to my mom's, Festival of Trees, Aquarium, some Christmas ornaments/decor and scrapbooking shopping with my cousin, aunt and mom on Wednesday (while the men are golfing), Thanksgiving with the family on Thursday, relaxing and spending time with family until we drive back on Sunday.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... What the truck's backseat is going to look like on Tuesday.

Have a good Thanksgiving holiday!

Pictures of the Holiday Crafts

Here are some pictures of the wreath and centerpiece and some other projects that got accomplished yesterday. I hope to work on some more small projects this weekend (Mom's nativity pieces, some ornaments). It's another cool day and we have to start organizing and packing for the trip so I should have time to paint this weekend.

Wreath for the Front Door

Table Centerpiece

Welcome Friends Plaque

Winnie the Pooh Statue

Sick Day...

So last night was a rough one. I was up a good portion of the evening with a terrible stomachache. Therefore I stayed home today. I tried catching up on things around the house, but the dogs have been pretty hyper. Michael and I need to start packing for Thanksgiving and so I already made a list of everything to pack in the truck...after all I don't want another forgotten dress situation. I'm sure we'll forget something even if I make a list, but at least starting early will give us time to remember everything.

I also looked into a library card for myself for the local library. I grew up going to the library like every week and taking books out, and I want to get back into that. But here, the library costs 15/year. Maybe things have changed over the years, but I never had to pay a membership. I think I will need to go and take a look at the library to make sure it's worth it.

Ok, well off to take some more pepto. I'm not sure if this stomach thing is due to the medicine or maybe something I ate. I am still not sure if the Met is working, but I guess we will see the results (or lack thereof) in a few more weeks. I have my next appt. on the 12th. The dogs have seemed to relaxed a bit. Lucky is asleep on the other couch, Snowball is asleep on the top of my couch and Reese is in the big bed. I am going to try to accomplish some more projects around the house while it's quiet, just not sure where to start; tons of plaster crafts, wood plaque "Welcome Friends" and of course there's the wreaths. So much crafting, so little time. :)

101 Things in 1001

101 in 1001

Starting Date: Monday,December 1st, 2008

Ending Date: Monday, August 29th, 2011

Marriage

1. Cook dinner every weeknight for Michael.

2. Be more romantic with Michael.

3. Work on communicating my feelings more with Michael.

4. Plan 1 night a week for an entire month as a date night.

5. Kiss Michael every morning and every night for an entire month.

6. Compliment Michael every day for an entire month.

7. Do 101 special things for Michael.

8. Fight more fairly in a disagreement.

Religion

9. Find a local church Michael and I can start going to.

10. Post 20 Bible verses that touch my heart.

11. Resolve my "lost faith" and forgive him for my childhood loss.

12. Write about 100 things I am grateful for.

13. Read The 5 People you Meet in Heaven.

Motherhood

14. Continue to follow doctor's regime in terms of the medicine for TTC.

15. Start a family.

16. Remove the clutter and refocus our lives around our family.

17. Don't raise my voice for an entire month.

18. Begin a holiday tradition.

19. Make a nursery in the house.

20. Create a scrapbook for each.

Homemaking

21. Add curb appeal to the house.

22. Establish a weekly cleaning routine.

23. Follow that cleaning routine for an entire month.

24. Paint the house with Michael.

25. Clean out and organize the freezer and fridge.

26. Organize my office.

27. Take the donation clothes to Goodwill.

28. Fill the remaining photo frames around the house.

29. Reorganize the kitchen to accommodate everything.

30. Fill my recipe box with the recipe cards (rewrite all the scraps onto cards)

Cooking

31. Cook dinner along with Michael at night.

32. Make breakfast for Michael.

33. Make banana bread from scratch.

34. Make Italian Antipasto Salad for Michael.

35. Cook Christmas Eve. and Christmas Day meals with Michael.

36. Make salsa from scratch.

37. Learn a new Italian dish.

38. Learn a new Chicken dish.

39. Learn to make a soup from scratch.

40. Learn a new Asian dish.

41. Learn a new breakfast dish.

42. Learn a new dessert.

Financial

43. Eat dinner out on twice a week for a month.

44. Eat lunch out only once a week for a month.

45. Save $20 at the grocery store (via coupons or value buys).

46. Establish a budget for our household.

47. Stick to my entire budget for two straight months.

48. Cut our grocery bill to $30 for a two week shopping period.

49. Pay extra on our school loans.

50. Build up our savings to $10,000.

51. Payoff all my store cards to have no balance for an entire 2 month cycle.

Health

52. Take the dogs for a walk everyday for an entire week.

53. Exercise four days out of a week for 1 week.

54. Workout (run or swim) twice a week for a month.

55. Give up soda for an entire month.

56. Eat a green salad five times in a week as a meal.

57. Eat 3 servings of fruit every day for an entire week.

58. Drink only fruit juice or water for one week.

59. Make target weight of 120lbs.

60. Don't eat after 9pm for an entire month.

Kindness

61. Volunteer for Habitat for Humanity.

62. Bring in a "treat" for my co-workers one week.

63. Do a favor for the older lady down the street.

64. Host the chapter at my house for dinner 1 night.

65. Host a "family night" at my house for 1 night.

66. Cook someone else dinner.

67. Offer Megan a vacation down to us and follow through.

68. Make a birthday cake for someone at work.

69. Offer a ride to one of the younger girls at work.

Pets

70. Make each of the boys a toy.

71. Find Reese a new coat.

72. Find Snow a new coat.

73. Find Lucky a new coat.

74. Pamper each of the dogs.

Randomness

75. Read Tuesdays with Morrie.

76. Post a picture everyday for an entire month.

77. Complete 2 old yearly albums on POGO.

78. Try a new berry.

79. Get a new hairstyle.

80. Read 50 books on my All-time list.

81. Catch up on the scrapbooking.

82. Make a wreath for each of the moms.

83. Visit Michael grandparents.

84. Recycle (even if the city does not want to bring their bins)

85. Visit Michael's aunt and uncle in Michigan.

86. Take better care of the Civic.

87. Try something new at a local eatery.

88. Do not splurge shop for an entire month.

89. Make a scrapbook for someone else.

90. Take Meghan for a girl's weekend.

91. Take a honeymoon with Michael.

92. Plan a bonding weekend with my female cousins.

93. Learn to surf.

94. Scuba dive in the Keys.

95. Go on a cruise with Michael.

96. Slim down my stomach and get my belly button re-pierced.

97. Start my education classes.

98. Bowl a 200.

99. Beat PCOS.

100. Blog about the items I cross off.

101. Write a new 101 in 1001 list.

'Tis The Season to be Thankful

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I found it fitting to list a few things we are thankful for from this past year.

Ten Things:
10. A roof over our heads; especially in this time of financial uncertainty
9. Freedom and the miltary who fight to keep it that way
8. Strength to make it through the long days when our souls feel broken
7. Our 3 dogs for all the laughs and love they add to our home
6. Knowledge that tomorrow is a new day
5. Marriage to our soulmate
4. A diagnosis and plan for the future
3. Wonderful friends who keep
2. Supportive family
1. Good health

I hope everyone takes a moment to say thanks this holiday season.

My ABC's

A ppreciative
B londe
C reative
D aughter
E ver learning and gowing
F riendly
G amma Phi girl
H uge Winnie the Pooh fanatic
I ntelligent
J ust a bit girly
K ind-spirited
L istener
M erry
N erd (books)
O pen-minded
P rincess of my world
Q uiet
R omantic
S crapbooker
T eacher (college biology)
U seful
V isionary
W ife
X cited
Y outhful
Z any

Chilly autumn in Florida

So today has been another quiet day at work. It is still pretty chilly outside and supposed to last through the week and into the weekend. I hope it is warmer where we're going for the holidays or else I may be out scouring the stores for sweatshirts and jackets for the puppies since they currently whine and refuse to go outside in this cool weather.

I have been slowly trying to make this my own by changing some of the images and backgrounds, but guess I will need to employ some help from the computer gurus and do some more online help searching. If anyone has suggestions or ideas, please let me know.



Last night, Michael and I spent the evening (after burritos) searching the 3 craft stores around our town for the Bacilla felt kits for Christmas. Michael's hasn't carried them in years, Joanne's is selling them 50% off so they were wiped clean and Walmart is discontinuing their fabric/arts section so they have no Christmas crafts as of yesterday. So back to the ol' faithful computer I went and found them kits I wanted on Joanne's online and purchased them. So now I have a tree skirt and an advent calendar kit coming way. And to make things better, I got them on sale, both 50% off and because they are sponsors of Upromise I saved another 6% towards our loan debt or possible grad school fees. Upromise is an amazing thing...I am starting to like how you can earn rewards by doing some of the simplest things (grocery shopping, gassing the car, ordering presents, paying bills, get quotes for various things).



We also picked out all the necessary supplies to make a wreath for the front door and a centerpiece for the kitchen table for Christmas. Once I have them completed (and find the time and camera) I will post some pictures. Things are settling in nicely. I am starting to get the itch to go to South Carolina, so hoopefully the next 5 days pass quickly.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Read other daybooks at The Simple Woman.

For Today... Tuesday November 17, 2008

Outside my window... bright blue sky waving in the wind and it's a bit chilly (for Florida weather that is).
I am thinking... how wonderful it will be next week to be with family for the holiday and how much preparations are in need for next week and Christmas.
I am thankful for... a wonderful, understanding husband, great friends and family who keep me going, laughing through the rough patches.
From the kitchen... nothing for today; Michael did make an awesome french toast/pumpkin/breakfast casserole on Sunday though...breakfast for the week.. yum, yum!
I am wearing... a Billabong thermal henley with green, blue and gold snowflakes on it, jeans and flip-flops (Floridians wear flip-flops year-round).
I am reading... Sail by James Patterson.
I am hoping... for some creative time tonight to work through some more scrapbooking.
I am creating... a 12 x 12 wedding scrapbook.
I am hearing... peace and quiet (at work).
Around the house... we are working on packing up the Halloween decor to then bring out the Christmas decor for when we return from Thanksgiving.
One of my favorite things... spending time with Michael and puppies and scrapbooking/ being creative.
A few plans for the rest of the week... scrapbooking, organizing for the road trip with all 3 dogs, searching for the advent calendar kit, planning how to decorate a Christmas wreath, teaching on Thursday (2nd to last class for the semester).
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you... our 2 pups Snowball and Lucky...in their normal spots when we're home.

Lazy Wednesday

Here it is a quiet Wednesday at work, so figured it was as good time as any to blog. We had a pretty quiet, uneventful weekend of football, scrapping and errands. Finished our mom's presents for Christmas so now it's the rest of the families. I am aiming to be done with Christmas shopping by my birthday this year so I am not stressing. Since we are going to my mom's for Thanksgiving (my aunt and uncle from NJ and cousins will be down as well), we are staying home for Christmas and as of right now my mom is coming down. We may also see my other aunt and uncle while my mom is down since they live right outside Orlando. Now that brings up the whole decorating conundrum. Michael finally agreed to help me decorate (since we will be here this year) for Christmas. The tree will go up after Thanksgiving and we'll decorate it and then do some light decorating around the house (nothing too crazy). I am going to try and find the time to make a wreath but other than that, whatever decorations we have is what we will be using. I want to get some of Michael's childhood ornaments for our tree or else the tree is going to look funny with all my little kid ornaments and some of "our" ornaments. Plus with my mom coming that means I need to totally clean the house and straighten it up. Oh how I love the holidays!

This week has been a bit hectic with our weekly plans (burritos, bowling, etc.) and then one of our friends, Paul, is coming for the weekend. SO again being the semi-perfectionist, I feel the urge to clean the house for his arrival on Friday. We use our guest bathroom tub mostly for the turtles and washing the dogs, so it needs to be cleaned a bit. Thankfully it's only Paul :) . Weekend plans are looking like Howl Saturday night, and being that the group is mostly guys the rest of the weekend is in the air. I'm hoping for some quietness and time to work on the scrapbooks, but we'll see.

Halloween Weekend

Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween, whether it involved trick or treating, parties and costumes or just a relaxing evening at home handing candy out to all the neighborhood kids. Mike and I decided to stay in and pass candy out and catch up on some TV shows and I did some more scrapbooking. The puppies got dressed up for the occasion (Reese was a police officer, Lucky was a prisoner and Snowball was originally a lobster but Lucky didn't like that costume and ripped a hole in it so Snowball was a homeboy in his sweatshirt instead).



I started the Met on Friday evening as well. I survived the first weekend! Not too bad side effects, just need to watch the foods I eat since I've had a stomachache off and on since starting the medicine. Now we'll see if anything has changed in a few weeks.

It's been pretty quiet otherwise. I know I am looking forward to Thanksgiving in SC with my mom, Leo and my aunt and uncle and cousins. Small family thanksgiving; but so worth it. We already found Lucky a seatbelt for the car so we don't have him in our laps or jumping around like he does every time we take them for a drive to the dog walk. And it looks like Christmas will also be quiet. My mom is coming down for a few days and then possibly Mike's family is going to come visit, but other than that, it will be a quiet Florida Christmas for the first time in our own home.

I guess that's all for now. Even though we gained an extra hour I am still not liking this week. I have another exam to give on Thursday (bummer!). I feel I will be seeing A LOT of red as a grade them this coming weekend, since very few of them even attempted to do the practice packet of questions they were given and the test is 60% those questions. Oh well, such is life.

Have a good day all!