A very special 2 year old

 

Yesterday, we got to celebrate with this little guy, my nephew.

  

He lives in California with his mommy and daddy. And just so happened to be in Indiana near his second birthday. Many members of our family were able to meet and we had a great party at an ice cream museum. Here, he and my mom (his Nea) are anxiously awaiting the next present.

 

Aunt Shannon and Uncle Dustin got him a chicken that (quietly) crows when you shake it. My sister in law is gonna have fun with THAT at the airport! (Sorry Angie!) He was very impressed with our chickens at Christmas. Later, back hom in Cali, he was naming his family: Dustin, Shannon, CHICHENS! So, it was a necessity to get him his own. Bonus points that it makes (quiet) noises:).

I didn’t get a lot of pictures, somehow, but this is a great one of Hadley and Poppy playing with the grill set that they made for him.

He was the proudest little almost two year old as we sang Happy Birthday to him. He just sat there and looked around the table to soak it in that everyone really was singing for him. My brother was still in California, so he attended the festivities via Skype on an Iphone.

I think Nea and Poppy need to go into the handmade wood toy business myself! They are pretty good!

The California crew is in the process of buying a house, so we’ll get to go out soon to help get the house ready and head to the parks to play on the wooden swing sets in the sun. (Hey, there’s another idea for Nea and Poppy!)

As for today, the party’s over and it’s back to business. Today, Dustin hopes to finish the plumbing in the 1/2 bath. He loves plumbing with copper though, so he might stretch it out on purpose…

The projects I would have done if I wouldn’t have been DIY lazy this week.. and last week…

 

I’m not exactly sure what I’ve been doing lately that’s caused me to stop blogging, doing projects, and being productive in general. I blame Liz Lemon. We just got Netflix instant a few weeks ago and we’ve been obsessively watching 30Rock. We saw the first season in one week. We are trying to pace ourselves through Season 2. It’s hilarious.

So, here are the things that I would have been doing had I not been watching 30 Rock in all my free time.

#1 piano/organ bench:

It would have had the bottoms of its legs cut off to shorten it. The cover would be taken off; it would be painted and then glazed. Then, I would have decided whether the cushion should be recreated on top.

 

Untouched project #2: Photo Wall

Here, we will be putting OLD family photos along with new ones. We have a quote we LOVE that I will be painting onto a board to hang here too.

Evidence #3 of my slacker days- This chair

It just really needs recovered. I got it for free from a neighbor. I know once we start, I’ll be find. But I’m nervous about starting. Any reupholsters out there who wanna come to southern Indiana and show me the way? :) (Technically that open space on the fireplace is really high up on this list too… we need to enclose that. We’ve needed to enclose that for about 14 months now… :))

A new addition: #4- the dresser that I decided needs a paint job, new handles, and my clothes in it. It currently holds computer related stuff and off related stuff that we never use. Ever.

 

And, #5- the quote that I won from the Diy Club. I just bought a board for it this week. We have paneling everywhere, so I need to put it on a board to hang up rather than just putting it on the wall.

I don’t feel guilty about being a DIY slacker as of late :) Dustin has been working in the bathroom while I work. Then, we take a 30 Rock break. So, at least he’s making progress :) Today, he’s removing the nasty tile in there and hopes to start the plumbing.

In other news- our car FINALLY got here. Dustin found this on EBay at a car dealer who focuses on mass sales rather than making a lot on each sale. We got a great deal. And yes, I now drive a station wagon :)

We also spent some time last weekend stalking this barn.

We think we need it so we can convert it into a house to live in. There is a 99.999999% chance that we won’t do this. But, that didn’t stop us from stalking it with the camera and binoculars on Sunday :) It’s still fun to imagine :) And, yes, this is as close as we could get :)

Housekeeping: TIME OUT

I am a pretty organized person.

Dustin says I'm the most unorganized organized person he knows. He said this to me one day in the grocery store after I checked my purse, my jeans, my sleevies, and my jacket pockets for the grocery list I had spend a week making (it was in the car).

I am pretty organized. I have to be. I do a lot. A LOT. Too much. This week, I learned to say "I'm sorry, but no thank you". I felt guilty. (past tense). I got over it.

I like to stay busy but I've recently arrived at the point where I'm TOO busy. I stay up late; I sleep in; I typically take a cat nap in the afternoon... but when I'm not sleeping, I'm here, at the computer working or writing papers. I love my job. I love being a student. But, I've taken on a bit too much 'other' lately. So, I finally passed on something. Yeah, it cost me money. But, man, do I have peace of mind. That's worth way more.

This slowly began this week. Somehow Dustin and I both ended up sitting at the piano and I crudely plunked out the one song that I know. I took lessons a lot when I was little (I never practiced though...oops...). I realized that I want to learn how to play again. But, alas, no time.

We have a treadmill. An expensive treadmill... I used to run miles daily. I'm over that, but I would like to start using it to walk. But- no time to use it.

I blog. I'm a sloppy blogger. I don't edit my pics; I don't proofread. I often remember things I meant to say at a random 4 am when a cat wakes me up. Once again... no time.

This should have hit me earlier. The first time I went to my acupuncturist he told me I was so tense and anxious that I should have stomach trouble (please, I don't have time for that!). Then, he did the treatment, dimmed the lights, and told me to relax as he shut the door. Twenty minutes later, I was still all tensed up in the recliner with needles in my arms. I had to talk myself into chilling out. It wasn't because of the needles.. it was because I didn't know what to do with myself with NOTHING TO DO!

So, this week, I finally passed on something. I also organized myself a little better. I keep a daily planner. Yesterday, I printed a yearly planner that's big enough to write on each day but small enough to fit into my planner. And I planned. Only those things that I know about that are set in stone-- when my classes as a teacher start, when they end, when weeks are with a lot of grading, the dentist appointment in May where I'll be told that I still need to stop grinding my teeth (did I mention I might be a bit anxious?! :))

I also made a blog list. I need to do some housekeeping and organizing around here. So, bear with me over the next little bit. I'm also going to stop being a lazy blogger. I promise to start proofreading. I'm also going to start using Picasa or Piknik so my pictures are better.

So, it might not be sudden... but, it's coming :)

Tournament of Champions

At the end of 2009, our neighbors issued a challenge across the woods.

The wager: losers buy the winners dinner at a local "greasy spoon".

Well, friends, you are reading the random musings of 1/2 of the winning team.

The challenge:

For Christmas, they bought us a 2010 Jeopardy calendar. Each day, we answer the questions and tally our winnings. Sundays are huge- Final Jeopardy. We all, of course, always risk it all. (Well, kinda). The neighborhood rules are that the hubbys risk it all. The wifeys risk a modest number like $400. If we get it right, we go with doubling the score. If we get it wrong, we go with the lesser amount. *It isn't cheating since we both play this way! :)

Team Voyles ended 2010 with $64, 245,304,599,000. We beat them by a little over double.

It's a tough game. If you miss one Final Jeopardy, you are already behind by trillions! :)

The retirees (the neighbors) complain that it was unfair. They didn't know I "was gonna be a doctor" when we began this bet. *I started my EdD in November of 2009--I'm addicted to being a student. I have tried to assure them that nothing in my educational technology courses has even remotely helped us in our daily quest to beat them. That fact is 100% accurate too! I'm paying all that money borrowing all that money (don't tell Dave Ramsey!) and got nada in return on the Jeopardy! Challenge. Here's to 2011 and SOME type of educational/technology/online learning question heading our way :)


Soon, we will be dining with the two of them. If I were a betting gal... and apparently I am... I'd say that our total bill for 4 will be less than $23. Until then, we're already behind on 2011!

...but I'm pretty sure I know it!

If you are looking for a fun year, challenge someone. It has been a blast to call them and taunt them and to receive calls of trash talking. I think I might have even been hung up on when we were hundreds of dollars ahead early in the year last year. It's all in good fun and it has been a blast.

We're trying to make sure we have a good appetite for our big night out on the town to cash in the winnings :)

CSN Stores

I'm so excited! I have the great opportunity to review a product from CSN Stores.

I'm having a hard time choosing! They have SO MANY OPTIONS with over 200 stores.

I have found kitchen things, house things, tools, even bathroom furniture! 

I've been wanting to find a slipcover for this recliner for a while.

We got the chair from my mom for free. It's in good shape but has a lot of pattern to it. I found a few slipcovers made especially for recliners here too!

Because of my recent acupuncture visits, I'm also on the market for a pasta maker for my KitchenAid. You guessed it, they have the one I am looking for here too!

Congrats to Nat(e)

This evening, I had the honor of attending the wedding of one of my good Hanover friends. She got married on the lawn of the Lanier Mansion in Madison, Indiana.

It was a beautiful day with a beautiful bride and beautiful setting.

And a day with great wedding favors.

These are the cutest drink koozies I've ever seen! :)

Congrats to Nat and Nate! :)

The pampered chef changes her grocery habits

Well, I'll admit, "pampered" I may be... "chef"? I'm working on that part.

In August, I took up a Pampered Chef catalog order. Between my mom's family and their coworkers, I had a pretty decent order when it was all said and done. I got 2 items half off and $185 worth of free stuff. Those are my kinds of numbers.

I don't typically buy 'name brand' things. I splurge on coffee, milk, and toilet paper. And jeans.... short girls have a hard time finding jeans. So, when American Eagle has sales, I'm there loading up on their "short"s.

But, I have to say, I do LOVE me some Pampered Chef stuff. And, free? How can I not?

So, here's my loot (I spent about $50 on tax and my 2 half price items):

(I actually had a bit more, but I got it for the madre since she did more work that I did for this stuff:))

I kept canning in mind as I shopped. I love the 4 batter bowls that we got. They have measurements inside them, have a spout, a lid, a silicone exterior bottom, and a hole for your thumb so you can hold them better. I went ahead and got all four of them. It seems like we are always needing bigger and more bowls when we can. And, sometimes we need a big container for leftovers like soup.

We now have bowls that are 2, 4, 6, and 8 quarts! And they (kinda) fit into each other for storage. But... they are so pretty I think they need to be on a shelf somewhere so I have to really scrub them when I want to use them :).

We also got a stackable cooling rack,  a pair of 2 cup "prep" bowls with lids, a kernel cutter (whoohoo!), a wine stopper, a set of three stainless mesh colanders, a set of 3 paring knives,  and a large sheet pan that is so heavy my poor weak little wrists can't hardly hold it up when it's empty (this isn't saying much though)! Mom's loot included a kernel cutter, can opener, a set of 3 paring knives, and a peppercorn grinder.

This past week, I've also decided to do a test run and change my grocery shopping habits. I typically make one huge trip at the start of the month and then a smaller one mid way to get the staples we've eaten up and drank. This week, I went to the store and only bought a week's worth of food. (And if my calculations are correct, this method could save us $150 a month)*

*Please note that I am known for being a horrible math student....and a poor estimator.... and too much of a tightwad for my own good.... and Dustin's stomach.

The reason for this change is because of a segment I saw on Good Morning America the other day. The person being interviewed has put together a few sets of a week's worth of meals that all use the same handful of ingredients.  All the meals are very different so you don't necessarily feel like you're eating the same food over and over. I'm going to give it a shot starting either tonight or tomorrow and will report back! My huge shopping trip worked for us... but it also resulted in a lot of "what are we going to eat tonight?" and "why don't we have any food" questions. I was good at planning a few meals, but apparently was poor at planning that far in advanced. And, produce I bought never got all the way used up before it got sent to the compost.

If my new grocery shopping works like I hope, our Dave Ramsey budget will be so happy!

Some things around here

We have a whole lot going on around here this week... but it seems like a whole lot of 'not much'.

Dustin is working on the coop today. It's been too rainy as of late, so it has had a week's vacation.

Yes, we realize this won't hold much quite yet.... slowly but surely...

This is from the beginning

This weekend, we also cleaned out a little flower garden that the previous owners put together. It is nice, but it is a big leaf trap and it more of a pain than a pleasure. I'm slowly moving the lilies and irises out of it and putting them around the yard.  It looked rough... and even had some random trees starting to grow in it :)

I saved as much as I could from the walkway. There were stray dianthus and green hostas that had all planted themselves. I'm a sucker for anything living. Even though we have more hostas than I'll ever want, I had to save as many as I could!

And here it is today. It is still full of green hostas that planted themselves, but at least you can SEE the pathway through it. It is free of stray trees and the bushes in it got a trim. It is a cute little area, it is just hard to enjoy. Soon, it will be filled with purple, yellow, and pink flowers along the back. 

Some of the dianthus that I saved from the cracks in the walkway. Yeah, they were that big growing between the pavers. We didn't do much in the way of outside work last summer...

The hostas are getting huge. 

And the stove is still on the porch :)

The plumber came yesterday to check it out and is coming Friday to install the gas lines. We have a dr appointment tomorrow and plan to hit up the scratch and dent places in Louisville in search of a gas cooktop and a separate electric oven. 

This little cutie learned how to "talk" this week too. We've worked on it for a week or so and she's finally mastered it. We fear that we may regret this new trick though. Our once silent Ellie just sat and "talked" to us while we ate our ham sandwiches in hopes of scoring some herself. 

Luckily, it won't take long for her and Soph to take up their daily residence and full time jobs of holding down the loveseat.

I also started some fruit rollups in the food dehydrator this morning, I'll blog about them tomorrow when I see how they've turned out!