Spare bedroom

I had a GREAT day yesterday! We have a spare bedroom that is usually never opened due to the complete disaster behind the door. It is a mix of an office, art room, reading room, and storage room. Needless to say, it never gets used except for the storage part. You know what I'm talking about. The kind of room that you can only open the door so far.. put another box or item in.. and shut it again before something falls out. The kind of room that, if the cat happened to sneak in, you'd never find it again. Yea. Well... yesterday, I cleaned this room!!! I mean, its not perfect. Whatever you do.. don't open the closet! The art corner needs shelves or some type of storage containers. The desk needs all the computer/electronic stuff hooked up (my husbands job). There is still a pile for my husband to go through, but it is re-located to the living room (so we don't forget about it, I guess). I didn't do any of the deep cleaning (dusting, getting rid of ceiling cob-webs, cleaning the blinds, etc.) but I am mighty proud of what I accomplished!



Bookshelf, etc. *Danger* Do not open the door to the right.


The desk. Yea, there's a pile of contained stuff under the desk. (and I don't even know if that TV works.)



My art corner. With a broken scale leaning against the drawers.



My art stuff.. not too bad, I just need to organize it on shelves or something.



It's CLEAN!



And now my kitty can explore this room that she's never seen before! (I think I can find her in here now.. lol)

Now I just hope we can actually keep it this way and utilize it for more than just a storage room. We've tried that before and it didn't work out too well. Maybe this time will be different. :)

Vacation

Wow, I haven't been on here much lately. So, what has been happening in my life? Well, we went on vacation the first week of this month! We flew up to Maine to visit family and of course go 'up ta camp'. It was chilly up there for my liking, but I didn't miss the humidity. I had a wonderful time. On the fourth of July we went to the usual breakfast across the lake. That night we enjoyed smores and dough-boys over the campfire (that would not keep a flame); however, the weather did not comply for fireworks. Those were put off until the next night. It ended all to soon, as all vacations do. Upon leaving camp we took a scenic route through the 'Quiet Side' of Acadia. Then we had to say goodbye and fly home again. Lukily, nothing tragic happened at home while we were away, so we entered back into normality.

Michael Jackson

There is still so much hype over Michael Jackson's life and untimely death!

Now, I cannot say that he was guilty of things he was accused of. Who am I to judge? But I believe, even if there were no sexual acts, that it is inappropriate for a grown man to share a bed with a child. (unless he is a relative or an extremely trusted friend of the family in certain scenarios).

But then again, must we all live up to social norms and standards? Michael was certainly one of a kind. He was obviously troubled with a Peter-Pan complex that affected everything in his life. Perhaps in sharing his bed with children, he was reverting back to childhood and simply having 'slumber parties'... pure and innocent.

I suppose we will never know for sure...
But we do know that his music affected the whole world. His music, his dancing, and his music videos moved us all. 'Thriller', still one of the greatest albums, changed the entire musical industry.

It is his music that will be his legacy. His music will live on forever; and he will live on through his music.

R.I.P. Michael Jackson!

Healthy eating

So, lately I have been thinking about eating healthier. Not to loose weight, but to gain energy and feel all around better. I have noticed that too much comfort foods, while they feel oh so good, can cause me to be sluggish, lazy, have a foggy mind and indigestion.
The problem is, I LOVE pastas and breads and 'creamy' things. In my healthy-eating plan, I will try to eat only whole-wheat pasta. The thing is, I am very picky when it comes to texture. I don't like the texture of whole-wheat, beans, or nuts. I made a white bean alfredo sauce the other day, and it tasted alright, but the texture is what turns me off. How can I get past the gritty texture of healthy foods???

Not online

I'm sorry I haven't really been on here lately. I have been trying to focus on my home and my life, and the internet is not a high priority on that list. :) Hopefully I will be getting on here at least a little bit more often.
On July 1st, we are going on vacation for a week! YAY! However, I am not sure if we will have wi-fi, or the time for me to get online very often. I hope everyone has a great summer and exciting (or peaceful) vacations to those who are going somewhere.
:)

Sunday evening

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Sunday. :)

I know I had a good evening. We chilled with some pizza over at my DH's friends brand new house (after setting up some furniture so we had a place to sit).
I can’t believe how much we missed from FFVII: Advent Children! We watched Advent Children Complete last night and I was blown away. Of course, we have first Advent Children movie (one of my all-time favorites), but this one is well... longer, to say the least. There is more detail; it digs deeper into Denzel’s past; and there are more amazing fight scenes.
What can I say? I loved it!

Trouble waking up

I'm not sure what has been wrong with me lately. I can almost always wake up to the drop of a pin, no matter how little sleep I have gotten. My DH relies completely on this, since he cannot wake up otherwise. It is in my morning routine to make sure that he is up for work on time everyday. But for some reason, the past few days I have been having trouble waking up. When I finally come to, and realize what time it is, it's cutting it very close with him getting to work on time.
I wonder if it has anything to do with this headache that I've had the past few days. It only seems to go away completely when I am asleep. No, it's not a migraine. In fact, instead of hearing things louder, my ears seem to be blocked up. My head is all foggy and it hurts to have my eyes open (but not due to light). I'm not sure what it is, but I am pretty used to headaches... and also pretty used to OTC drugs not working (which makes me wonder if it is all in my mind).
Hopefully it will go away soon, and I will feel better and be able to get back to my daily routines.

Belated Birthday

So, I received a belated birthday surprise last night...
My darling husband tricked me into going to the bedroom. When I opened the door (expecting a pet disaster) I was greeted with soft green light and a bed of real rose pedals. I was then pampered with a facial and full body massage ..and it was the best massage ever!
I am so blessed to have such a romantic and thoughtful husband; I couldn't have asked for anything more!
<3

Happy Birthday to me!

So, my parents are gone now. The 'very long time' I was referring to will be three years, as they are moving overseas. This is the longest I have gone without them, but I know I will survive. Besides, they are giving us a webcam for skype so that we can stay in good contact. It's kind of a birthday present for me.
Yeah, my birthday was yesterday! Guess what I did? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING... and loved every minute of it. From the time I woke up to the time I went to sleep, I read non-stop with only a few breaks for bathroom and food.
I finished New Moon, the second in the Twilight Saga. No, I am not one of those girls. I am not that obsessed. But I must say, they are very good books and they suck you in. Know I just have to wait till I get around to getting (or borrowing) the third book. I am not one to just go out and buy it, unless it is seriously on sale. I have yet to see the movie, I know it won't be quite as good as the book, but I look forward to seeing it (them) anyways.
My parents took me out to eat before they left on Sunday. When dessert was brought out, a chocolate tallcake that we could all enjoy, my dad made the comment about it being my birthday. I completely blew it off like "yeah right, it's not my birthday", not even comprehending that my birthday actually was only 2 days away! I had no idea how it crept up on me so quickly.
My husband brought me home chinese yesterday, which I had requested, and completely stuffed myself on. And my mother-in-law took me to lunch today. It was spectacular! I feel so loved (and bloated.. lol) <3
Oh, and thanks to everyone that called and texted to wish me a Happy Birthday!

Visit

My wonderful parents are visiting this week. This will be the last time I will see them for a very long time. I hope to make the most of this time we have together now.
So, I will still try, but if I am not on here... I am with them. :) We shall see what the week brings! <3

My Answers

Here are my answers to the questions concerning where we should move to. I have put them in somewhat of a prioritized order. Now I just need to convince my DH to answer them so we can compare. Like I said before though, this is the DISTANT future, so no rush!
(Well, we can both agree that we want a nice brick house someday.=] )

What kind of job opportunities should be available?
High demand for: Mechanic shops (most important); coffee shops/ cafes; administrative, computer, technology, fine-arts/music, etc.

Would you rather live in a big city, small city/town, or country?
Outskirts of a medium to big city. I love just being around lots of people; I get lonely easily.

What weather/climate do you prefer?
Dry heat. I work much better in hot weather. In cold weather, I would crank the heat all year long, but in hot weather I can easily go without A/C.

How important is low crime rate?
Very important. I want my husband to be comfortable with me going out on my own, and not worry if I am going to be robbed or raped.

How distant from family are you willing to go?
I would like to avoid the North-West and stay in Eastern or Southern US to be closer to family. I wouldn’t mind being in the middle (equal distance from all family in all directions).

What should the religious environment be like? (morality?)
I would like a hospitable environment. I would want to find a good Bible-believing, New-Testament Christian church home that we can serve in and become a part of.

Is a conservative or liberal environment more important?
We would stand on our beliefs (politically and spiritually) no matter what environment we are in. Although, I would prefer (especially with our future children) that the outward influence would be more conservative.

What else is important to have nearby? (i.e.: schools, parks, entertainment)
Good schools (one that focuses on the children instead of the politics of school); local arts and music.

How important is it to avoid areas of natural disasters? Are some more important than others?
Somewhat important; As long as we have a shelter, I don’t really care. Although, if we don’t have any insurance on our home, then it becomes a more important priority to avoid them.

What kind of landscapes should be within driving distance? (i.e.: beach, lake, mountain)
I like lakes/ponds. I love to look at the sky and watch the sun-rise.

What size yard do you want?
Medium. I don’t mind a smaller front yard and a bigger back yard, preferably off the main road.

Other things:
I love: Palo Duro Canyon; The land and the sky in the Texas panhandle; Southern hospitality; Mt. Lovewell in East Washington, NH; Tourism in Mystic, CT.; Trees in New England; Playing in the snow in Maine.

I don’t like: Cold weather; Busy traffic jams; Crazy/ignorant drivers; Where everyone knows everyone; Though nice to look at, driving over hills makes me sick and sun shining through trees gives me a headache.

Dinner Tonight

Garden rotini with mixed veggies and fat-free italian dressing. (Trying to be healthy.)

We may or may not have this tonight. We will be gone this afternoon, and I am not sure when we will be home. So... whatever happens, happens. :)

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!!!

Where should we move?

In determining where we might potentially move to in the future, I decided to make a list of ‘requirements’ for what we want at the place that we move. (This is the distant future, so we are not exactly packing up yet.)

I want to move to Texas, while my DH wants to move to Maine. Instead of trying to figure out which direction to go, I thought it might make things easier to figure out what we like/dislike and make a list of what we each want, rating their importance.

Here is a list of question that I have come up with so far:

• What weather/climate do you prefer?
  
• How important is it to avoid areas of natural disasters? Are some more important than others?
  
• How important is low crime rate?
  
• What kind of landscapes should be within driving distance? (i.e.: beach, lake, mountain)
  
• What kind of job opportunities should be available?
  
• Is a conservative or liberal environment more important?
  
• What should the religious environment be like? (morality?)
  
• Would you rather live in a big city, small city/town, or country?
  
• What size yard do you want?
  
• What else is important to have nearby? (i.e.: schools, parks, entertainment)
  

Well, that is what I came up with so far. If you think of any other questions to add to this list, please leave me your thoughts and ideas.

We would each put our answers down and then rate each question according to how important that aspect is to us. Then we would use the results to find a place, anywhere in this country, that meets our requirements (with the lowest cost of living, rent/mortgages, and utilities; and with the highest paying wages/salaries for the jobs we specified) whether or not it’s where we originally wanted.

My crazy weekend!

On Saturday morning, I went to my Graduation Ceremony. I walked across stage and received my Associates degree. I am finally complete with school now!

That evening, I went to a jewelry party at my friend’s house. It was a blast! I brought red velvet cake mix cookies with chocolate chips melted on top. Yum! (recipe is below). I didn’t buy any jewelry (which I wasn’t planning on anyways), but I did sign up to host a party. We get free jewelry for being a host, which is the only way I would feel comfortable with getting any of it (I am beyond extremely frugal and stingy when it comes to buying stuff for myself). The next party will be mid-July.

That night, my lovely sister stayed over and we had a “Darko Movie Night”. We stayed up all night and watched Donnie Darko and then S. Darko. I’ve seen Donnie Darko before and knew I absolutely loved it!!! They were both amazing, although I must admit that Donnie Darko is sooo much better (Doesn’t it always work like that, the first one is always the best?). DH described it well when he said that it seemed like S. Darko was being weird and emo just for the sake of being weird and emo. It’s kind of true though… I mean it was a good movie, don’t get me wrong, but it just didn’t quite make complete sense with its purpose. Idk.

(click on images for IMDB description/review)

Anyways… Sunday, after taking sis home, was a complete waste of day. Period! Seriously, I don’t know how or why it happened, but I went to take a nap around 1:30pm. DH joined me a little while later. Crazy thing was that I didn’t even get up again until 6pm! And DH stayed in bed ‘till 8pm! What?!? I have no idea, but like I said… complete waste of day. It was pretty rainy and dreary outside though. But once again, there are still a million things to do on our To-Do List.

Red velvet cake mix cookies

www.recipezaar.com

Ingredients
1 (18 ounce) box red velvet cake mix (any brand will do)
2 eggs
1/3 cup oil

Directions
1 Mix all the cookie ingredients together. This will make a cookie dough.
2 Roll into balls and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Flatten down slightly (depending on the thickness you desire).
3 Bake at 375° until the tops crackle (about 8-10 minutes) or until desired doneness.
4 Cool and then frost (they're also good without the frosting).

Typical morning

I've got to do something about my mornings! Here's how my typical morning plays out:

• I wake up before DH, in order to wake him up for work.
• I make him juice (2 grapefruits and 2 oranges) in our juicer; I lay out his work uniform, accessories and boots; I bag his lunch (usually left-overs, bananas, a maybe a snack) and his multi-vitamins.
• If he is not up yet, I try to wake him again (sometimes with hand massages).
• After he leaves, I usually eat breakfast (cereal with cut-up banana) and then fall asleep on the couch until around 11AM.

The TV is on during this time. I sometimes watch parts of the Today Show. At 11 Rachael Ray comes on. During Rachael Ray I try to put away one load of laundry. After that, the TV goes off. Everything else on TV is just mind-numbing until 8PM.

I don't know if it is healthy for my sleeping habits to be like this. I would like to go to bed at 10PM, but DH doesn't start winding down until 11 or 12. If, for example, DH has to be at work at 7:30, then I would wake up between 5:30 and 6. and go back to sleep between 7:30 and 8 for another 3 hours. I apparently need my 8 hours of sleep to function!

But I don't know if this schedule is working out. Maybe I just need to try to force myself to stay awake until I can have an after-lunch siesta. But I know how hard it is for me to stay focused; I wonder if I can actually get anything accomplished while I'm forcing myself to stay awake.

We'll see what happens... :)

Another lazy day

It is beginning to look like a bad week in general. Not bad in the sense of me being in a bad mood, or bad things happening.. But bad as in 'I haven't gotten crap done!' I am failing as a homemaker this week. I think I will just ride out the rest of this week and have a nice fresh start come next week. :)

I've been so lazy the past few days. I get really unfocused sometimes. I can start browsing the Internet and get caught up in a million different things and get side-tracked in a million different directions. Or I can try to settle down into something (reading, etc.) and I end up falling asleep. Or, when I am up and trying to do something productive, my mind goes crazy and I start pacing laps just trying to figure out what I'm doing. It's insane really.

I think that having something going on in the background helps. Perhaps TV or music. It needs to be enough to be a slight distraction... (as crazy as it may sound, having an outward distraction might actually help me to focus. It can calm the stray thoughts in my mind while keeping me alert enough to not just give into sleep.) ...but not so much as to consume me. I can't do anything productive if a really good movie or a really good song comes on. I need to find the perfect balance.

I've been this way all my life. Even trying to do homework as a child, I needed some sort of slight distraction to help me focus. Trying to work in complete silence is just asking for fantasy land to take over. And I've always been one to get lonely easily. I always need to be in the same room as others, or at least have them within a good listening or viewing distance (kinda like my background noise). While I really do enjoy my sacred personal time alone, I love being around people. I guess thats another reason why it's so hard for me to be stuck at home all alone every day.. and why I try to connect with the outside world via the internet.

Anyways, next week is a new week, and a new chance for success. :)

Mothers day get-together

Our Mothers Day family get-together was good. Lunch was simple, smart and yummy. We had make-your-own sandwiches with veggies 'n dip or chips 'n dip. I brought a couple desserts. I didn't know what to make at first; I knew I didn't have any chocolate and we hadn't gone shopping yet. I thought about using peanut butter, so Sunday morning I woke up and looked up recipes. I made blondies (minus the chocolate and nuts) with peanut butter frosting, and 1lb of peanut butter fudge (instead of 2, since I only had half a container of marshmallow fluff.) They turned out pretty good and were quick and fairly easy to make. :)

Blondies

(BHG New Cookbook 12th Edition) http://www.bhg.com/bhg/store/product.jsp?psrc=origsource&prodid=prod590004

A Southern cook's preference for brown sugar over granulated sugar resulted in these butterscotch bar cookies many years ago.

Prep: 20 minutes Bake: 25 minutes
Oven: 350°F Makes: 36 bars

2 cups packed brown sugar

2/3 cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup chopped nuts

1. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium saucepan heat brown sugar and but­ter over medium heat until butter melts and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Cool slightly. Stir in eggs 1 at a time; stir in vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder, and baking soda.
2. Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate pieces and nuts. Bake in a 350° oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wood­en toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (avoid chocolate pieces). Cool slightly on a wire rack. Cut into bars while warm.

Nutrition Facts per bar: 157 cal., 8 g total fat (4 g sat. fat), 21 mg chol., 65 mg sodium, 21 g carbo., 1 g fiber, 2 g pro.
Daily Values: 3% vit. A, 2% calcium, 5% iron
Exchanges: 1 1/2% Other Carbo., 1/4 Fat

Fluffy Peanut Butter Frosting

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Fluffy-Peanut-Butter-Frosting/Detail.aspx#nutri-box#nutri-box

"The perfect fluffy frosting for brownies or chocolate cake. Sweet but not too sweet. Peanut buttery but not greasy. So wonderful and it won't over power your brownies!!!"

PREP TIME
10 Min
READY IN
10 Min
Original recipe yield 2 cups

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons milk, or as needed
2 cups confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
Place the butter and peanut butter into a medium bowl, and beat with an electric mixer. Gradually mix in the sugar, and when it starts to get thick, incorporate milk one tablespoon at a time until all of the sugar is mixed in and the frosting is thick and spreadable. Beat for at least 3 minutes for it to get good and fluffy.

Peanut Butter Fudge with the Marshmallow Fluff

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/35/Peanut_Butter_Fudge_with_the_Marshmallow_Fluff42723.shtml

Ready in: 30-60 minutes Difficulty: 3 (1=easiest :: hardest=5)
Serves/Makes: 2 lbs

Ingredients:

2 cups sugar

1 cup milk

1 jar peanut butter (12oz.) smooth or crunchy
1 jar marshmallow Fluff (also called creme)1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Directions:
Boil 2 cups sugar and 1 cup milk to soft ball stage. Remove from heat and add 1 jar peanut butter, and 1 jar marshmallow fluff, add vanilla. Pour into a buttered pan 8x8x8-inch. Let cool and cut into squares.

Have sprinkled red and green sugar on for the holidays too.

Rough day

What a Saturday! I didn't even get started with any chores until mid-afternoon. I couldn't get to sleep last night, and I woke up not feeling the greatest. Menstruation is a killer. After a lazy morning, I got most of my Saturday chores finished (besides vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom.. which, I guess, isn't really saying a lot.) Its been rough all day, but not horrible. I've enjoyed myself.. but just with a dull ache every passing moment.
We had Hamburger Helper for dinner. We will hopefully go grocery shopping tomorrow.
I didn't exercise today, but I did yesterday. I am proud of myself for that at least.
I am off to bed now. We will have a nice (hopefully) family get-together for Mothers Day tomorrow. I hope all you mothers have a very special and wonderful day. Thank you for everything you give and sacrifice; you deserve to be praised!

A good Thursday

So, I had a pretty good day yesterday. I usually slack off even more on Thursdays because that is when DH has his day off. But I got my daily chores finished. It was rainy, so we didn't get anything extra on our to-do list accomplished (and there is a million things on that list). But overall, I enjoyed the day.
On another note, I haven't exercised in a few days and I really need to do that today.
Well, I gotta go finish up my chores. :)

Today

I took my dog to the vet this morning.
I will watch over the babies in the nursery at church this evening.
Hopefully, I will get some things accomplished today. Like my chores. and exercising.
Not from lack of time or anything, but from lack of motivation. I get very bored even when I know there is a million things to do. And I am distracted very easily. So, off I go to see what I can get done.