cass and drew

work in progress...by sarah perry hardie photography

2011-10-17T15:15:00.003-05:00

Blue Note Birth Announcement

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introducing...

2011-09-03T17:08:00.005-05:00

brody matthew:)!

our little man was born at 4:53am on august 12, 2011, after being induced at 7am on august 11th. he weighed in at 9# 2oz (the doc's below 8 pounds prediction was a bit off:)) and was 21.5 inches long. at his 2-week appointment this past tuesday, he was up to 10# 6oz and 22.5 inches. he's an excellent little boy:) - first family photo below (excuse my pie-shaped face, they pumped me full of a ridiculous amount of fluid:s)...

meeting uncle jimmy, auntie mango, and our favoritest nieces:)...

first playdate with brody's new bff, grayson (born 8/8/11)...

snuggling with daddy:)...

professional pics coming soon - our friend sarah was out this week to capture his cuteness;). he brings so much joy to every day and even let me type this with my right hand while he naps;)!

A lesson in WILLPOWER (aka what not to say to a pregnant lady, part III)

2011-08-09T06:06:00.004-05:00

First - Happy third anniversary to my hubby! Best three years of my life:)!

I've come to the conclusion that there are a ridiculously large number of people in this world who may need to listen to the above dc talk track on repeat. There is apparently something about being around a pregnant woman that causes people to forget about WILLPOWER, throw appropriate social etiquette out the window, and instead think that every thought they have is worthy of being shared with the person they're having the thought about. I would offer that pregnancy brain is something that happens to non-pregnant people (men AND women, even those who have carried and given birth to their own children) when in the presence of any and all pregnant women.

I am continually amazed by the rude, inconsiderate, and inappropriate things people will say when under the influence of "pregnancy brain" that I have always known from a young age to be unacceptable in any situation. I had no idea so many parents did not teach their children that it is ALWAYS inappropriate and/or unkind to intentionally point out things to people that they cannot change. For instance, it will always be rude and cruel to make jokes about a person's height, weight, lack of hair, or any other physical trait that is no one else's darn business (and it makes you a BULLY)! It was wrong for kids on the playground to call me 'shrimp' in elementary school, it's wrong to continually make jokes at the expense of a man who is not as tall as some or has less hair than others, and it is WRONG to continually operate under the influence of pregnancy brain simply because you're around someone who is pregnant!

Let me preface this final installment of "the list" by saying that I attend a church I love - the church I grew up in. Because of this, I am quite aware that the people I see each week are invested in the lives of myself and my husband. I know that they care. I also know that I am living in a fishbowl. I know that while we were dating, if I happened to not be sitting next to my now husband during church, by the end of the church service there were people telling my mom that we had broken up. I know that we fielded questions on a weekly basis about when/if we were going to get married. When we got married, I know that I was again asked on a weekly basis when we were going to have children (NOTE: Asking a young couple when they are going to have children or implying that they need to "Get on with it" is NEVER appropriate - (a) it's NONE of your business, you're not the one who will be carrying, giving birth to, and parenting the child for the next few decades, and (b) how do you know they're not already trying and not having success? HOLD YOUR TONGUE!). I know that I was asked incredibly personal questions while I was in the bathroom (seriously, who in their right mind thinks that's an appropriate place to ask anyone a question?!). Again, I get that people care. I like that they care. I just wish they would keep most of those caring thoughts to themselves and choose not to express them in question form on a weekly basis.

The other reason being peppered with these ridiculous questions is so offensive to me is that I am a very private person, as is my husband. I don't feel the need to share every aspect of my life (or body!) with the world at large, and I don't enjoy feeling pressured to do so simply because someone had the nerve to actually ask the question out loud. If I haven't said it, I probably have a good reason!

Without further ado, my final 'what not to say' entry...

If a pregnant woman walks into a room, do not ask her what she's doing there (especially if she was due any day prior to the day you're asking the question). If she doesn't rip your head off (lucky you!), she will inform you that she is going to the bathroom (since that's clearly where she was headed) and may even ask what YOU are doing there!

If a pregnant woman is still pregnant (after her due date), do not tell her that you know how she feels, even if you are a woman who carried any or all of your children past your due date. It won't make her feel better at that moment, and you should hold your tongue until AFTER her child has arrived.

Do not tell a pregnant woman (pre or post due date) that she looks "so pregnant." She will want to slap you.

If you have just had a conversation with a pregnant and post-due woman's also pregnant and post-due BFF in which she informed you of both of their due dates and specifically told you that the other woman would probably not want to be asked the same question, do not then take the first opportunity to sit next to the other pregnant woman and ask her when her due date is (which you already know was last week) and to then say "Wow, you look really big, you must be miserable!" She will pause (while holding back tears, a look of hatred, or both) and will inform you that she did not feel "big" until you said that.

Do not HOVER. This is one of my biggest pet peeves - if you feel that you NEED to share something with or ask something of another human being who is currently engaged in a conversation with another person, do not sidle up to those people, stare at the person you want to converse with (while ignoring and attempting to push out the person he/she is already having a conversation with) and wait impatiently for an opportunity to push the other (and clearly less important to you!) person out of the way so you can ask your amazing question or share your brilliant thought. The person you are hovering around will be even more motivated to NOT look at you and will not be receptive to what you have to say. Most of all, behavior like this was not acceptable for your children - why would it suddenly be acceptable for you as a grown-up?

Do not make jokes about not wanting to have to deliver a baby "here" or to imply that the pregnant woman is going to have a baby in your presence. She's not, and that's just awkward. Keep that thought to yourself.

Do not in any way, shape, or form tell the pregnant and post-due woman to "get on with it!" First, she has no control over when her baby shows up (or did you forget that already?), and second, she is more than aware that her baby is not here yet, and she does NOT need any additional pressure from YOU! (And if you say it on facebook, she just might remove you as a friend to avoid having to be subject to those comments)

Do not ask a pregnant and post-due woman if she is "ready" - she has been asked this millions of times that day alone, and if she doesn't sock you in the face, consider yourself lucky.

Do not tell a pregnant and/or pregnant and post-due woman that she looks like she's about to burst, or that she swallowed a basketball, or make any other comment about the size or relative size of her belly. She's the one who gets dressed every morning and walks around all day long. She doesn't need your help to feel big, nor does she need to be reminded that OTHER people think she looks big.

Do not tell a pregnant woman that she is the "same size" as her pregnant SIL and her SIL's BFF who are 9 weeks ahead of her. You will make her CRY. Do I really need to point out why that is inappropriate?!

Do NOT ask a pregnant woman or her husband whether they have names picked out. Maybe they do. Maybe they don't. Maybe they wouldn't tell you if they did!

Do NOT put your hand on a pregnant woman's stomach uninvited (this is a re-print due to additional infractions). She doesn't want you to touch her belly and will actually tell you so. Sometimes it's actually painful for you to do so...and she might reach out and touch YOURS!

Do NOT, under any circumstances, tell a pregnant and/or pregnant and post-due woman that you are "waiting" - what the heck do you think SHE'S doing?!?

Do NOT call a pregnant and post-due woman up just because you're curious as to whether she's had her baby yet - she knows why you're really calling, and she may just not answer...which does NOT mean that she's on her way to the hospital (she could be napping, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, etc., or her phone could be on vibrate - assumptions are dangerous).

Do NOT ask a pregnant woman how much weight she's gained. She'll ask you how much weight YOU'VE gained.

Do NOT march up to a pregnant and post-due woman and demand to know whether she got her dates mixed up (she'll say NO if she says anything at all), then demand to know whether "they" are going to "schedule" anything (she'll tell you that you'll find out when everyone else does), and then continue to demand that she tell you whether they're going to do an induction. After the third and final straw, she will inform you that you are the eight millionth person to ask the same question today, which she is not answering, and will tell you that she will ignore all similar questions until the asker walks away. If you then walk up to her husband and tell him that you may have asked his wife the wrong question, he will tell you that you probably did, because he's a smart cookie and knows his wife. A pregnant woman will not be intimidated by demanding personalities - she's been carrying around a demanding child for 40+ weeks and will then have the rest of her life to deal with that same demanding child - you don't scare her!

Before you say ANYTHING to a pregnant woman, take a pregnant pause (pun intended). Ask yourself (a) whether you have the kind of relationship with the woman where you can ask or say whatever it is you're about to ask/say, (b) whether you would want her to say or ask the same thing to or of you if the situations were reversed, and (c) whether you are the ONLY person who will ask or say the same thing of or to her that day. If the answer to ANY of those items is "no," then you should keep your thoughts to yourself and meditate on Ephesians 4:29.

If people knew how I spent all of Saturday dreading the comments I would receive Sunday morning (and praying that I would be able to make it through the morning without biting someone's head off or breaking down in tears), which included asking my husband and my BFF to help me to NOT do either of those things, perhaps they would have chosen to instead just smile, say hello, and keep their pregnancy comments to themselves. The baby will be here eventually (as far as I know, they have to arrive at some point), and you can shower it with all the love you want then, but in the meantime, be considerate of a pregnant woman's hormones and keep your mouth shut.

I can't wait to meet my BFF's little boy, Grayson James, who was born yesterday - and then there was one (and no, I don't need anyone to remind me that they are "just waiting on me now," although I anticipate hearing it - I'm praying that those people read this post before they run into me!)!

A dear friend from church who has been through a similar situation shared a verse and a thought with me this weekend that really lifted my spirits...hopefully she won't mind if I share it with the world here:):

Proverbs 10:19 (LB)

Don't talk so much.
You keep putting your foot in your mouth.
Be sensible &
Turn off the flow.

This verse refers to the people who are offering material to your "list." It cannot refer to you as there is no way you could put your foot in your mouth. (HA:)!)

what not to say/do to a pregnant woman [if you want to live to have the opportunity to try again]

2011-07-18T13:49:00.008-05:00

i know i've written about this before, but since my BFF (who's due two days after me) and i have been discussing the need for a "how to talk to a pregnant woman" book, i thought i'd try one more time.

DISCLAIMER: if you are a close friend/relative, these rules do not apply (mostly because you would never say them anyway:)). also, if you think that these are directed at you, they're not, as i'm pretty sure those who've said/done them don't actually read my blog:). I do know that people who say/do these things mean well, but perhaps pointing out how they are interpreted will help one or two poor souls along the way.

Words of wisdom to the non-pregnant...

Please refrain from telling a pregnant woman that she has gotten herself in a condition and needs to lose some weight. It probably sounds really creative and cute in your head, but you are actually not the first person to have the same idea, and it's quite possible that you will be the third or fourth person to tell her the same exact thing that day. Before the words come out of your mouth, think about how you would feel if she said the exact same thing to you - and remember, she gets to lose all that weight in just a few short weeks, and you might be in the same place you were when you said it!

Please refrain from telling a pregnant woman's husband that he has a problem and that his wife needs to lose weight. See above if you do not see the folly in this approach.

If you have not seen said pregnant woman in multiple weeks and the fact that she is not the same size as she was back then is a surprise to you, do not hold your arms out in front of you in a circle and puff up your cheeks. She will not find this funny and will likely stare at you in disbelief until you awkwardly abandon your initial position and try to apologize for your idiotic move.

Don't touch a pregnant woman's belly or belly button without her permission. She might just reach out and touch yours!

Please don't tell a pregnant woman that she "still looks pretty good." "Still" implies that you will think that she does not look good at some point in the near future, and "pretty" implies that she doesn't look as good as she would like to. Just skip the qualifiers and you'll be in much safer waters.

DO ask a pregnant woman about other aspects of her life. For example, ask her about how work is going, where she got her new haircut, or where she got those great shoes.

DO go out of your way to compliment a pregnant woman. She will appreciate it (and no, I'm not fishing for compliments!).

Above all, just remember that you're not likely to have been the ONLY person to have said the same thing to her that day. She'll know that you mean well, but she'll also really wish you would have kept your thoughts to yourself.

On a really fun note, today, Lindsay from the Blue Yodey Boutique delivered the adorable blanket I purchased from her Etsy shop! Her work is fabulous, so you should check her out:)!

note: for those who were thinking we've given away the first name of our child, "V" is for our last name:).

37 weeks and 2 days...

2011-07-14T08:52:00.004-05:00

getting close! hubs and i have not taken a week 37 picture yet (becuase really, we usually don't get around to it until the day BEFORE the new week starts, so why break tradition now?), but i would imagine it would look very similar to the week 36 picture i so thoughtfully included at the end of this post. you're welcome:).

week 30

week 32

week 34

week 36

29 weeks and counting...

2011-05-19T08:10:00.002-05:00

29 down, 11 to go. we haven't gotten around to taking a week 29 picture yet, so you'll have to settle for week 28 below:

baby's doing fine - we passed the gestational diabetes test with flying colors andhe/she might even be learning to water-ski in utero already in order to make daddy proud (based on his/her ability to use his/her legs and feet).

we had a bit of a scare last week...i apparently had a seizure in my sleep and now have to spend a month NOT driving while i get adjusted to meds. i will just say that my level of frustration and/or depression over the situation will likely not make sense until you find yourself (while preparing to have your first child) suddenly unable (i.e. not allowed) to drive to the grocery store for something as simple as milk.

every day is a challenge, and i am even more grateful every day for my amazing husband. i am the luckiest girl in the world.

26 weeks

2011-04-26T08:45:00.005-05:00

14 weeks to go! i am already getting tired of well-meaning people commenting on how "big" i am. my new response to "i didn't know you were so BIG already" or "did you swallow a basketball?" will be "thank you for pointing that out. i am enormous. i hadn't noticed." i get that people who don't see me every day might be surprised at the fact that pregnant people GROW, but seriously, do you need to bring up the fact that i'm bigger than i was? do you think i'm not aware of that each and every day as i try to find something to wear or do the dishes (which is sometimes tricky) or do other things that were once easy? i'm going to puff-paint (because that's cool) a shirt with the following:

I am due August 2nd.

We know what we're having - a BABY.

I feel fine.

Yes, I do know that I've "gained some weight" (no more than the recommended amount, btw!)

I will get bigger. Now that you know that i know, please give it a rest.

don't get me wrong - it is nice that people are interested. it just seems that being prego makes people think that commenting on your appearance (other than to say positive things) is suddenly acceptable, as is comparing your size to the size they or others were at the same point. It also seems to make people oblivious to the fact that they are not the only ones to point out my size that day, and that being prego means there are all kinds of hormones that make those well-meaning (and yet insulting) comments take on a life of their own. so, a word to the wise - unless you know for certain that the pregnant woman you're speaking to is okay with your comments about her size (because there are people in my life close enough to fit that description), just stick with "you look beautiful!"

(as a disclaimer, i get that the above-mentioned people aren't trying to be hurtful or rude - and that usually it just means that they care or are interested - but seriously, use some common sense:)!)

25 weeks - someday we'll get around to a week 26 picture!

ps...happy 29 to mango (thursday), happy 3 to ya-ya (monday), and happy NEW BABY to gelly & brian (friday)! :)

22 weeks, 6 days...

2011-04-04T09:30:00.004-05:00

getting really tired of trying to awkwardly smile over my right shoulder next to my kitchen wall. the things we do for the sake of memories...

20 weeks

22 weeks

baby boom - not only are my BFF and i due 2 days apart, SIL#1 (Gelly) is due may 5th and SIL #2 (Bessie) is due october 3rd - busy summer:)! we took the below picture yesterday at parker boo's 2nd birthday pool party as proof:

18 weeks, 6 days...

2011-03-07T09:18:00.002-06:00

DH and i got to see our little alien child (like megan says, it looks a lot like the "Scream" mask) last Friday, which was lots of fun:). He/She is very active but was apparently being photogenic (or so the U/S tech said). All ten fingers and toes, two eyes, one nose, one mouth, etc.

and the token 18 week pic...

baby v is a sweet potato until tomorrow, when we will apparently move up to another produce family member:).

17 weeks and counting...

2011-02-22T08:43:00.003-06:00

just because i am being tickled all morning by a VERY active 5 inch long human being, i figured i should finally appease my mother and post a few pictures (photog credits to my fabulous DH)...17 weeks today!

12 weeks

14 weeks

16 weeks

and then there were three...

2011-01-07T13:28:00.001-06:00

baby V is due august 2nd, 2011...

here's to hoping he/she is just like DH:)

irony

2010-08-23T18:56:00.005-05:00

i have this thing with grammar and punctuation. my husband (and my mom, my dad, my brother, my co-workers, and anyone who knows me) will tell you that i spend too much time pointing out errors in printed material (or television ads, movies, etc.). i might be just a little bit ~~anal~~ ~~obsessed with~~ particular about the use of the english language (the rules of which i clearly do not follow in bloggy world, but that's beside the point).

my mom stopped by tonight to help me figure out a new color for a couple accent walls in the kitchen (red rust, btw) and to bring me a big container of taco seasoning (hey, i like tacos!). as we were standing in the kitchen talking, i glanced at the cute and sassy decorative sign that has hung next to my front door for the last 18 months or so. the sign that i fell in love with because i have a ridiculously patient husband. the sign that said "I am extraordinarily patient, as long as I get my own way in the end" (thank you, margaret thatcher). at least, that's what i thought it said.

i'm still in shock. my grammar geek rep is ruined. how have i LIVED with this on my wall - the last thing I see before I walk out the front door - for the last year and a half?? i'm losing my touch. and how has no one else noticed yet either? there is something seriously wrong with this world.

for my penance, this beautiful specimen of typo-rifficness will remain on my wall indefinitely. it will remind me that *gasp* i am NOT perfect...which i knew...really i did...and neither is anyone else. including margaret thatcher:).

and if anyone has a rockin' black sharpie, let me know.

really belated father's day...

2010-08-23T08:39:00.006-05:00

just had to rejoice in the fact that i FINALLY finished a project, and it only took me 2+ months of dilly-dallying!

happy father's day to my FIL, Don, who never fails to remind us that it is a PERFECT day (at the lake, for swimming, for skiing, for ladder golfing, for horseshoing, or for just being:))!

(there's a post for this to go on, but it wasn't exciting enough to make the picture...plus my phone camera is LOW-tech, and it wouldn't have fit anyway:))

OH! and here's a lovely pic of my sweet new niece, Stella Grace:

She's perfect:).

oil-free florida

2010-06-22T13:30:00.006-05:00

two weeks ago today, i was hopping a plane at FAR for a four-day trip to fort lauderdale for work (rough life, i know!). after changing planes in MSP, i arrived at FLL and hopped a cab for our hotel on the A1A and north fort lauderdale beach (and no, vanilla ice, i didn't see any "rockman lovers driving Lamborghinis." too bad.). here's the sweet cell-phone quality view from our 18th floor hotel room:

and the lovely palm tree shade on a 90+ degree boardwalk outing...

we had dinner at a local restaurant (Casablanca Cafe) the night we arrived, since the conference didn't start until the following morning. they had the best spinach pesto...

lunch the first day of the conference was cuban-themed...and amazing...and looks completely unappetizing when captured by my old school lg scoop:

(*notice the avocado salad in the background - avocado slices, lime juice, olive oil, and sea salt - yum!)

big cargo boats anchored off the coast...(from the front steps of our hotel)

strangers parasailing (because i'll never get in one of those crazy things)...

hubby was teasing me about tracking down Miami Ink and getting a tattoo...so i made sure to find a tattoo shop on the A1A for him;)

morning runs along the beach - love the view...

sunrise on the beach during my morning run...

missed my hubby lots when i saw the cat challenger dragging the beach:(

now, i have to mention that i work in a really fun office with some really...creative...people:). so while i was gone, they made sure that i was up-to-date on all the things i was missing while in sunny florida...

wednesday morning bible study trip to perkins (roy is their new spokesman)...

naps under their desks...

playing dress-up in my office (roy in my pink fleece and the rastafarian hat that has been perched atop a stuffed tiger in the ops area. don't ask:))...

more napping, this time with the bob marley look...

and convincing dear, sweet pam to sniff bleach:)...

(*no pams were harmed in this photo shoot)

finally made it back home on friday after stops in CIN and MSP and a delay waiting for our flight to FAR....it's a lovely place to visit, but i'll take being home with my hubby over jet-setting any day:).

treasure hunting

2010-06-21T11:20:00.004-05:00

i was informed over the weekend that i have been a lackluster blogger at best as of late...since the most recent post is of Christmas photos, that's probably true. i promise to at least try to improve;).

this is project week in my neck of the woods, since my hubby is on the road building fabulous feedlots. ~~gardening~~ weeding has become my second full-time job as of late, mostly due to a week in fort lauderdale that was not preceded by preventive weeding (but that's a different post). i've come to the conclusion that the weeding process is really a treasure hunt, because the two foot pigweed in my garden cleverly masks such wonderful surprises as carrots, radishes, and potatoes.

(this one isn't mine - i'll post pictures of the real deal later)

needless to say, between the pigweed and the quackgrass that decided to take root during my absence, i've spent every waking free minute attempting to reclaim my garden. thankfully, there are only three rows left - i'll take pictures tonight:).

my asiatic lilies (or at least that's what i say they are!) are in full bloom...

my peonies are as well, but i haven't taken any pictures of them (hubby just wants to mow over them;)). my fern peonies are long past their blooming stage and are now just creating an unattractive green fuzzball on my lawn:).

last year, I planted a lovely plant called "Geum" on the east side of my garage (and after this year, it will be moving to a sunnier location along with my delphinium and maybe even the hydrangeas). it should look like this (except yellow):

when my perennials came up this year, I was so impressed by the vigor of the geum and couldn't believe how big it was getting! I even showed my mom, who was equally impressed. however, it occurred to me the other day that it didn't look a whole lot like last year's version...and then I noticed that there was another, smaller plant growing alongside the two twin towers ...

oops...i grew a BIG weed (the real geum is being hidden by the ginormous weeds and my daylilies)

and i was so proud of them. hmm. they no longer exist, and my geum looks as tiny as ever:S.

oh well.

belated christmas...

2010-02-23T10:31:00.003-06:00

it occurred to me the other day that it's february. february is after Christmas. i still have Christmas pictures waiting to be put out in bloggy-world. without further ado...

someone likes Christmas:)...

mango & miss ya-ya...

is it possible to resist this face??

budding photographer isabel:)...

my Christmas present:)!

new discovery...dill pickle pringles!

my hubby:)

2009-12-29T12:55:00.002-06:00

is famous;)?

http://www.wday.com/event/article/id/28250/publisher_ID/29/

(check out the link that says "Snow Plowing" with a little video camera icon next to it, halfway down on the right side)

super proud:)!

christmas 2009 - part 1

2009-12-29T10:31:00.003-06:00

Christmas 2009 began with a weekend at grandma & grandpa peterson's...

mom got her new year's card photo:)...

even g & g got their picture taken...

drew got a SNUGGIE...

and grandpa modeled it for us:)!

we played lots of Wii and got to hear grandpa's stories from childhood and his time in Korea. love them:).

Christmas 2009 Part 2 will arrive once I remember to take the photos off my camera:).

hanging out in the park:)

2009-11-13T09:58:00.007-06:00

a few weeks ago, my mom and i got to spend a few days with my favorite family:)... while karen & my mom traveled to the great state of IKEA, i got to go on an adventure to the park with daniel, andrew, katie, annie, emie, and davy (sam was at a friend's house). it was so good to get to spend time with them, and i can't wait to come visit again:)! (be prepared, karen;)!)...some random pictures from our excursion:):

katie bug:)
annie-belle!

emie lou-lou conquering the playground equipment:)

davy full of gravy looking to climb a ladder...

daniel holding down the fort..

andrew and his scooter!

We had such a good time with you guys! I miss you all SO much!

my FAVORITE person was born today...

2009-09-02T09:45:00.003-05:00

...32 years ago!!!

happy birthday baby!

you make every day better and you are my perfect match.

love,me

we are.....

2009-09-01T11:30:00.003-05:00

homeowners!

we are so grateful that the Lord has given us the opportunity to own our home!

366 days:)

2009-08-10T09:39:00.002-05:00

how cool was our room? DH did a fabulous job of planning - and yes, the water filling the tub is coming from the ceiling. :)

happy 366 days:)!

one year ago...

2009-08-08T09:20:00.003-05:00

happy anniversary (tomorrow) baby!

best year of my life:)...

highlight of my day

2009-08-06T08:33:00.003-05:00

love this.

i don't care what you believe - kudos to bill. it brings tears to my eyes (seriously).

happy belated birthday:)!!!

2009-07-22T09:39:00.003-05:00

it was sweet little katie-bug's birthday on sunday - her FIRST birthday party (at age 6!)!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATIE!!!!!!!!!!

love, cassie!

yes, i may be OCD...

2009-07-17T08:50:00.002-05:00

Okay, let me just start by letting the world know that I have angst about asymmetry (DH does too, just one of the many reasons i LOVE him!)...I can usually tolerate planned asymmetry, but when it exists just because someone didn't do the due diligence, I get irked...

Case in point. Every weekday morning, I head up I29, exiting at 13th Avenue, and head west. Without fail, I hit a redlight at 42nd. They are just finishing construction on the new Walgreen's in the NW corner of the intersection. A few weeks ago, workers put the "Walgreens" and "Photo" signs up on the south side of the building - a little squished together and low for my tastes, but whatever. then, a week or two later, the east side signs went up - same as the south side - except they put the aesthetically pleasing amount of space between the "Walgreens" and "Photo" signs, which is what they should have done on the other side in the first place. needless to say, i drive by every day and wonder whether they even notice that it looks so...wrong! this morning, while stopped at a redlight (of course), i took a picture so that i could prove to others that this is ugly:)...
okay, i feel a little better now. I also found that one of those road construction signs that informs you of who's doing the constructing managed to spell fairbault, mn, wrong. such a proud moment (maybe i need a life?)...:)

my brilliant puppy...

2009-07-14T08:35:00.003-05:00

DH is on the road for the next few weeks building feedlots, so that has meant that gaylin has been staying at home alone during the day (instead of going to jimmy & mango's to play with cousin roscoe). When left to her own devices, gaylin has destroyed the same location in my flower bed twice (the first time was a pair of a purple flower that starts with N that i can't think of, and the second time was a pair of clematises and their climbing tower)...she seems to think that particular spot is her bed (even though there is PLENTY of green grass around the yard for her to lay on to her heart's content!).

DH and i thought that maybe if we took gaylin's doggy bed from the entryway and put it in the garage she'd stop laying in my flower bed. i decided to try that theory out first thing yesterday morning, and i had high hopes for success.

i pulled into the yard last night and discovered that i may have been successful, but my puppy is brilliant!

(puppy is the black spot in the center of the picture)

she jumped off when i got close...

so there you have it. if you want your dog to stay out of your flowers, put her bed in the garage. she will then spend all day dragging it all over the yard, covering it with grass clippings, finally settling in the prime driveway spot, and will lay on it all day...

needless to say, gaylin is visiting cousin roscoe today...thanks for the doggy daycare mango:)!

the 30 day mulch?

2009-06-23T09:17:00.007-05:00

i used to be a runner. i used to lift weights (a LOT in college). i used to do winsor pilates religiously.

i still like to run...except when it's HOT...or COLD...or WINDY (i actually like running on rainy days, but not downpour days like those of late).

i still like lifting weights...like my cat...the laundry...cases of pop...bags of mulch. i just don't go to a 'real' gym these days (when in the world would i find THAT much time?).

i still like pilates...i've just been able to talk myself out of them after doing the same routine OVER and OVER again...

so, in preparating for summer bathing suit season (yuck!), i decided last week that it was time to find a new motiviation. enter my frenemy, jillian michaels:

ouch. that's all i have to say. and YAY (20 minutes a day?! i can totally stay motivated when i know it won't drag on boringly forever)!

i'm on day 5 or so of the 30 day shred, and i'm still entertained, so that's a great sign. last night, i was feeling so...um...energized?...that i decided to revamp my flower bed immediately following my workout (DH was golfing).

Before:

After:

i might have decided to give up on trying to discern weeds from flowers...i did keep the poppies (because i could identify them!) and a few climbers by the trellis, but the rest are all new additions courtesy of shopping with mom.

3 hours after last night's shred, my weeding and mulching was complete...and i was covered in mud and red mulchy stuff...and completely exhausted:). but YAY for a finished flower bed!

now i need a nap;)...

storm-chasing...in reverse

2009-06-22T08:55:00.004-05:00

last thursday night was a bit, shall we say, exciting. i was driving home from work in fargo around 5 o'clock, and the radio suddenly informed me that a tornado warning was in effect and would be 9 miles north of barney at 5:10pm...(quick math - our house is TEN miles north of barney...hmmmm).

i called DH and discovered that he was also in the middle of tornado alley (but he, of course, is much less concerned about this than i am;)!)...his first line was "go back to fargo"...but i, being so wise and all-knowing, said "but honey, i'm already at kindred!" DH is quite patient with me, and then suggested that i keep heading south (past our exits) and go to my mom & dad's house (a brilliant plan, in hindsight).

i followed DH's plan...sort of...i got to the galchutt exit (31) and thought that maybe if i pulled off and waited a bit, the storm would track north of me and then i could cut across and get home. a state trooper was parked on the exit ramp, but he was "just watching the storm" with a big smile on his face, not closing any roads:). i hung a left and parked on the northbound ramp (don't ask, i still don't know what i was thinking) and decided to watch the storm for awhile...

Then DH called again to find out where i was...i admitted that i was at the galchutt exit, and he said, 'honey, the storm's coming right at you, and the BIG hail is right behind those wispy clouds!'...so i headed south again...and everything got pitch black and scary...but when i hit the weigh station, it was SO bright that i thought i was glowing...anyways, i really did intend to go straight to mom & dad's, but after a few miles heading east on Hwy13, i thought i could maybe cut around the storm by going back west and getting home from the south...needless to say, a few miles from barney there was a new tornado warning coming right. at. me. EEK! i turned right back around and got chased by a big scary DARK wall of tornadoey stormness and somehow made it to mom & dad's (where, i discovered, dad had been working on the lawn mower in mom's garage spot, so i had to shove some metal around in order to get my little car in!)...i stayed there by myself for an hour and then headed back home, where i passed a semi on the interstate that had been flipped over by the wind:S...the hail in our neck of the woods was crazy, and just to prove it, DH took a picture (after 20 minutes of melting, mind you) for you:

rain, rain, go away...

2009-06-17T21:10:00.002-05:00

it rained last night.

a lot.

my garden was thirsty.

my little straw markers in my flower bed were being guarded by my always intimidating kitty.

my newly planted zinnias and celosia stood strong against the approaching liquid.

I thought i'd catch myself some breakfast.

but first i took a swim.

a very short swim.

and now i am going to make millions with my fly fishing vacation getaway. anyone interested?

Isabel turns THREE!

2009-06-17T13:43:00.004-05:00

One week ago today, Miss Isabel turned THREE!

We got to celebrate with a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese...

mango and miss ya-ya did some tunnel crawling...

auntie penny and peg got all dressed up...

and my slooooow camera ALMOST caught ya-ya's adorable smile:)!

happy third birthday munchkin! we love you SO much!!

(isn't she adorable???)

my dad...

2009-05-15T09:51:00.009-05:00

...is great!

i had to write a quick article this morning for the newsletter at work, and since i wrote about my dad, i thought i'd share it with you (no making fun of my writing skills;)!)...

The Importance of the Father

Growing up, my brother and I were blessed to have a father who was present. Within the hectic world of providing for his family, he always took the time to be our dad. He coached our sports teams, he led our youth groups, and he was there for all of our successes and failures. He was never afraid to challenge us when we thought we knew everything, and even now I have vivid memories of pivotal moments in my life where he loved me enough to say the hard things that forced me to choose to live for Jesus or to live for myself.

My dad taught me many things. I learned how to fish and how to get lost while camping. He showed me how to shoot a basketball and how to foul mercilessly when playing driveway hoops against my little brother. He taught me to choose right from wrong and not to judge people or situations at face value. Most importantly, he always reminded me that human beings (and fathers) will never be perfect. Being a father is a hard job—and all fathers will make mistakes. He showed me that I have a Father in heaven who IS perfect, and He will never leave me nor forsake me. My dad always pointed me towards Jesus, our true Father, and I cannot ever thank him enough for that precious gift.

If you are a father, please know that your children truly do look to you for discipline and guidance, and (whether they know it or not) they will one day appreciate every step you take to point them down the right path. If you are reading this thinking "my father never did those things for me," or "my father wasn't there for me," please know that your Father in heaven never left you, and you have the opportunity to pass His love on to your own children. Our heavenly Father loves us as His children—he disciplines us when we disobey, but he does not leave us when we are struggling or in pain.

“As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.” Psalm 103:13

Fathers are a precious gift. Show your appreciation for your Father this June 21st!

*****************************************

On a different note, the world is apparently doomed, as i am on day 4 of my now 3-cup (my mug is big, so i think it counts as two) a morning habit...

woe is me...:)

Lila's First Birthday!

2009-05-13T10:26:00.003-05:00

Lila turned ONE on May 2nd!

(birthdays are so stressful:)!)

mom always makes it better!

Happy birthday Ya-Ya! We love you:)!

HELP!....

2009-05-12T09:20:00.003-05:00

...I have suddenly (as in, JUST THIS MORNING) started drinking...........COFFEE!

the world must be ending. i am a lost cause. and apparently losing my mind:).

maybe my coffeemaker will get some use after all?

coffee....diet mountain dew....hmmm

i FOUND the usb cord for my camera...

2009-05-12T08:09:00.005-05:00

...but then i brought the cord for my old blackberry with to work instead of the camera cord, and thus, will have to wait until tomorrow to actually post any pictures from my life:S. blast:(.
so, in lieu of real-life pictures, i'll try to find pictures that aren't mine to show what i picked up yesterday...

i stopped in at hornbacher's on my way home from work yesterday and found myself stuck in front of the garden seed display...it happens sometimes:S...so, i called up mom and asked for some flower seed advice, since i started clearing out the old dead flower bed on the south side of my house last week, and i'm READY to plant pretty flowers:)! (of course, i apparently have to wait until after the 20th of may to avoid frost, but whatever:))...so here's what i ended up with:

a climbing plant mix that includes black-eyed susans,

nasturtium,

morning glories,( and other things that I can't seem to remember)

and then rosemary, lavender,
california poppies,

salvia,
forget-me-nots (celestial blue!),
thyme,
chamomile,
and gold dust alyssum.
now that i have my camera cord, i'll be able to actually post the pictures i take of the flower bed in progress:).

on a completely different note, i'm beginning to doubt that summer will ever arrive in north dakota. we've had the space heater on in the house all week, and i have been a bit of a frozen popsicle. of course, now that i'm writing these words, the rain and gloom has disappeared outside and i can see blue sky again (misleading though it may be!). figures:).

Baby Boo:)!

2009-04-09T08:25:00.003-05:00

meet my newest nephew!

Parker John Bubach
born April 2, 2009
11lbs 2 oz, 23 inches

(okay, these pictures were taken on a cell phone, so they're obviously not fabulous, but he sure is a cutie patootie:)!!)

snow day, snow day...

2009-03-10T17:44:00.002-05:00

it's snowing...a LOT...i tried to take pictures of the ridiculous amounts of snow in my yard and flying around outside my windows...and then i discovered that i seem to have misplaced that itty-bitty cord that moves pictures from my camera to my computer...so, these pictures are straight from my turquoise lg scoop:)...

okay, so the point is really just that it's march 10th and winter seems to want to stay...bummer:(.

i was looking through a box of pictures that i found under my bed this morning, and i began to feel this deep longing for my summer wardrobe. winter fashion is not a strong suit of mine. haha:)!

i started a new job in fargo last week - it's been a lot of fun to meet the people i'll be working with and to get a really good idea of what it is i'll be doing - and then to have the opportunity to do it, yay! today was a snow day for everyone at the office today, so i don't feel guilty for being stuck at home 40 miles away:)!

ps...last week my friends lee & karen had TWO children with golden birthdays in the same week - and i love all those little munchkins, so you should check out their birthday smiles and the great present sam gave david:).

on a random note, i seem to be having a ridiculously difficult time forming well-structured sentences today. let's hope that's temporary. ha!

my interview with Sarah...

2009-02-09T18:30:00.002-06:00

okay, okay, i haven't posted in...like...EONS...and i keep saying i'm going to get better at it. i'm finally going to admit to myself (and the world), that i'll probably post like a good little girl for a few weeks at a time, and somehow get swept up in everyday life for a few weeks at a time...but, regardless of my posting status, i will still check my blogroll religiously every single day, multiple times a day. figure that out for me, will you?

sooo, to quench this little drought i have going, i'm going to post an interview (with me) by my friend Sarah. You can get interviewed too - just follow the instructions at the end of my post:). Without further ado (and because, in Sarah's words, "Girl - you do need to post something :) "), here it is:

1. What is your number one most crazy story from all the overseas traveling you've done?

Hmm, let's see...well, i have plenty of travel stories, but i'll try to come up with a few different ones. I've visited UK medical establishments on two different occasions: once in Scotland (1998) for an inner ear infection (or 'yellow jello-head' as i called it), and once in Northern Ireland (2005) as a result of my ridiculous attempt to swing from a bar 8 feet in the air (badly sprained wrist and badly bruised ego). I have also experienced the very unique experience of an authentic Turkish bath...and it is still imprinted on my memory, whether that's a good thing or not. When our blue packs got stuck in Amsterdam for 3 days after we got to Izmir, I also washed my hair with bar soap, resulting in a sweet fauxhawk, and wore sink & hand-soap washed (and radiator partially-dried) jeans and shirt for those three days. yay for baggage transportation! However, my strangest story (at least today) involves the language barrier between my turkish host family in trabzon and me, jenn, and karen. The shower in the "main" bathroom in our flat was a bit of a mystery to us, and we weren't sure whether we were supposed to use it - we also weren't of the personality to find out...so for the entire week, i washed my hair using the icy cold toilet flushing hose of the squatty potty. g-r-o-s-s.

2. If you could pick any profession, and instantly make yourself qualified to do it, what would it be and why?

I would love to be either a teacher or an accountant. If it didn't require a ton more schooling, i'd be there right now:). I think working with kids as a teacher would be so much fun - and i have recently developed a new affinity for accounting and numbers. so there you go.

3. What was it about Drew that won you over?

He is patient with me. Always. And he is solid as a rock. I feel like i can do anything because he loves me...and that's a pretty great thing:). and he's got FABULOUS eyes - and a great smirk:)!

4. What is your favorite physical feature (man I love this question!)?

Drew's smile and eyes. And I like my feet:). But if we're talking geographically, I love the fairy chimneys in Cappadocia:)!

5. If you could have super powers what would they be?

I would totally choose being able to fly/teleport. I'd love to be in two places at once sometimes, or to make the entire travel time/cost question a moot point.

Okay, that's it, all done! It's dinnertime at this house now - but if you are in need of a post too, the instructions are below:)!:

1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. (I get to pick the questions).
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

"Not-Me Monday" (on tuesday)

2009-01-13T15:56:00.002-06:00

i did NOT put a picture of the WRONG keyboard up last week - oops! anyway, here's the picture of my REAL keyboard (well, almost, this is the picture from the website, not of the keyboard sitting so beautifully in my living room:)):

(and it sits on its own fab wooden stand, thanks for asking Linds!)

it was NOT yet another snow day here in no-dak yesterday:P - and if i'm not mistaken, it is NOT twenty-plus below zero and SNOWING again right now. Yuck!!

also, i did NOT wade through knee-deep snow (that had been shoveled by hubby two hours earlier when he left for work) to my car in the garage and then, upon looking out at the invisible road, decide to call my dad and ask how the roads were...only to find that I'd missed his 6:45am text telling me not to come in to work today. blast:S - oh well, at least i was dressed and showered for a day at home!!

...and i did NOT put my sweats on as soon as i got back in the house and wear them for the rest of the day:).

roses are red

2009-01-08T13:44:00.002-06:00

as promised, i really did remember to take a couple pictures of the beautiful roses my hubby gave me for my birthday:). i'll try to forget that i had just ~~burned~~ almost burned part of our dinner as i took these pictures (pouring the soup from the stockpot to the crockpot and then dumping salt and a bit of water into the pot and boiling it for 5/10 minutes saved the day).

ignore the offending stockpot in the picture on the left and focus on the card that says "My Wife" - how fun is that!!! My b-e-a-utiful Scarlet fiestaware carafe made the PERFECT vase for these lovely flowers...I am a BIG fan of getting flowers, so hubby did WELL:)!

He also did a wonderful job on my Christmas gift...take a look at this:

the man knew i wanted to have a piano someday, and he didn't want me to have to wait:) - love him!

i...am...a...slacker!

2009-01-07T13:33:00.002-06:00

okay, maybe not in EVERYTHING, but definitely in the bloggy-blog world:S. oh well. this is my lame attempt to make for 3 weeks of being AWOL.

let's see...on december 10th we celebrated my nephew's golden birthday with a surprise pizza party and limo ride around fargo! bess was our photographer (there were TEN of us crammed into the limo), and she took these LOVELY photos of us on my phone where i look incredibly strange (i was twisting halfway around to face the camera...i'll blame it on that!) and my hubby looks absolutely adorable:)...

our photog, the bday boy, and nanny...

next on the agenda for our Christmas season was a much-needed evening with my BFFE and her hubby jaybird! we were quite industrious and even a wee bit creative...

we made gingerbread house neighbors:)!

my VERY talented hubby fashioned the "hip" snowman in the front yard of our house (on the left). he has a sweet top hat made out of caramels and pretty much looked like the real deal...sadly, he was a bit top-heavy and was discovered flat on his face the next morning. tragic.

next was our first Christmas together (in 3 different places). Peg took these pictures of our oh-so-excited faces on Christmas morning:)...

and finally...

i got old:S...again.

loryn & joyce were SO thoughtful and got me a balloon and m&ms for my birthday! i keep forgetting to take a picture of the gorgeous roses from hubby, but i'll try to remember to take one tonight.

i am now officially 26 - and closer to 30 than 20. woe is me.

ha...ha...ha!

2008-12-12T16:44:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

tasty tuesday!

2008-12-09T10:51:00.003-06:00

So........it's tasty tuesday! For the full Tasty Tuesday experience, check out Lindsay's blog. My contribution this week is actually stolen from my mom, but I don't think she'll mind:)...

Frosty's Chex Mix

Ingredients:

1 package of Almond Bark (or more, depending on how much of the below you use)
Rice Chex
Corn Chex
Dry Roasted Peanuts
Stick Pretzels
Cheerios
M&Ms

Directions:

Mix the non-almond bark ingredients together in a big bowl (in whatever amounts you like)
Melt the almond bark and pour over the other ingredients, stir to coat.
Pour onto cookie sheet or pan and cool in the fridge for a couple hours, then break apart and store.

This past Saturday, I made this with my mom & peg when we got together to make Christmas cookies...now, we hired my dad to be our photographer, and although he thinks he's a pro, if pressed he will probably admit that he has more fun pretending to be one and being...um..unconventional in his photo-taking style. :) check it out for yourself...

mom, prior to our photographer's arrival...

our trusty photog, dan the man!

group photo attempt #1..we need to work on the timing!

attempt #2...i think we missed something here..

attempt #3...open your eyes mom!!

*note: immediately following this photo op, dan moved into the pantry to become the first to ever take a picture from the pantry...and then the batteries on mom's camera died. darn.

photo by me (i got both of them in the picture:))

my mom made our lovely hats so that we could be truly festive during our cookie making endeavor:)

yay for cookies!

menu plan monday!...on tuesday! :)

2008-12-09T10:07:00.002-06:00

i know, i know, it's tuesday (not monday), so really this should be menu plan tuesday, but then the whole alliteration thing is gone. oh well:)...

1. Popcorn (apparently, because that's what we had last night:)!)

2. Pork Roast w/ potatoes & onions (because that's what's in the crockpot right now!)

3. Mesquite Chicken, Brown Rice, & Green Beans

4. Pork Chops, Brown Rice, & vegetables

5. Tacos

Tomorrow night is nephew Christian's bday party in Fargo, so we get to have pizza and go on a limo ride to look at lights - fun! Last night was popcorn for dinner because I got home at 8 and hubby at 9, and neither one of us wanted to do much work:)!

on another note, i promised christmas tree pictures last week...

somehow taking pictures of trees with lights on just never turns out as well as one hopes. hmm..:)

Tasty Tuesday (really!!!)

2008-12-02T11:14:00.002-06:00

Now, I am most definitely cheating (sort of) on this week's Tasty Tuesday offering...mostly because I'm not sure it's really even a recipe, but i made it up and i like it (and so does my hubby & my fam), so here it is!

Ham Roast a la Cassie (i have no idea what to call it, i'm taking suggestions!)

Ingredients:

1 Ham Roast (especially convenient if your hubby has the foresight to purchase half a pig for the freezer - yay for meat all winter long!)
Some potatoes (i used 4 or 5 red potatoes, whatever fit), quartered
Half an onion, quartered (or more if you really like onion:S)
Garlic cloves (whole) - 4 or 5 (or more if you feel like it!)
A1 steak sauce (really)
Soy sauce (just a bit)
Salt/Pepper
Lawry's Salt (for fun!)
a crockpot!

Directions:

Put the Roast, potatoes, onions, and garlic in the crockpot. Cook on low all day or on high for awhile if you're hungry and it's taking too long!
Pop the lid off and tear the roast apart with tongs or a fork (unless you're not into that). Add some A1 and some soy sauce, season with salt/pepper & lawry's salt to taste. Cook a bit more (on low)
Eat:)!

I made this twice last week - once for drew & i and again for my family's impromptu friday night thanksgiving meal (really good with leftover homemade dinner rolls from thanksgiving with drew's fam!). who knows, i may have added other stuff too...i never seem to be able to remember:).

i'm BACK for MPM...

2008-12-01T09:37:00.003-06:00

So, apparently even my aunt nancy has noticed that i've been awol from the bloggy world for the last few weeks...(i hope you're reading this right now and are SO proud;)!). i really have no idea where the time went, but i am still alive:). i was sick for at least a week and didn't feel much like blogging, but other than that, the loss of time is a mystery. anyways:).

MPM for this week...

1. Tacos w/ guac (shocker!)

2. Spaghetti!!! (that's for tonight)

3. Pork chops & rice (yum yum)

4. Lemon chicken & rice

5. Orange Roughy and something...it was on sale, and hubby likes it lots, so i'll come up with something:)

6. Pizza Ring

on a much more festive note, i ventured up to the land of fargo on saturday afternoon and used some wedding gift cards (YAY!) to pick out our first (albeit fake) Christmas tree at target! my favorite Christmas kid's book when i was younger was Bialosky's Christmas:

Anyways, in my memory of Bialosky, he has a somewhat sparse little tree that's decorated so so cute - so i picked out a tree that wasn't "too perfect" looking - and I got a 6 foot tree for $25 - yay! i got a big dark red flocked bow for the top, white lights, and little gold balls. and (my favorite!) hubby and i made popcorn & cranberry garlands last night for a finishing touch - so fun:)! i may have been watching a bit too much of GG season 7 (especially the episode where Lorelai, Rory, and Gigi are making cranberry/popcorn garlands and Lorelai comments on Gigi's cranberry to popcorn ratio....needless to say, I spent quite a bit of time analyzing my own cranberry to popcorn ratio. ha!). I also found a gold round tablecloth for $9 at gordman's and folded it in half & wrapped it around the base of the tree for a tree skirt - yay!

I'll try to remember to take pictures tonight:). kitty hasn't yet discovered the joys of playing with the trees or ornaments, so maybe i'll find a surprise when i get home today.

is it really december today? eek!

Menu Plan Monday!

2008-11-10T10:31:00.002-06:00

I am so not a fan of snow, and I am pretty convinced right now that going home and crawling into bed would be a fabulous thing:) (not that it's snowing right now, mind you, but I can see it out the window sitting on the roof, and that makes me COLD!).

Anyways, to keep my mind off of that, I decided to put up my MPM post:)...

1. Spaghetti w/ Garlic Cheesy Bread (I never made it last week:S)

2. Tacos w/ guacamole

3. Pork Roast & Rice

4. Pizza Ring

5. Broiled Chicken Breasts & Cheesy Mashed Potatoes

6. Leftovers?

I think I've actually got Friday night off from dinner this week as we're going to a benefit of some sort in Fargo? We both have no idea what it's all about, but I'm sure we'll have a good time anyway:).

Tasty Tuesday!

2008-11-04T14:34:00.002-06:00

Soooo....for my contribution to Lindsay's Tasty Tuesday this week, I'm going to share a recipe I JUST tried for the first time last Friday (and also had for leftovers today - yum-O!). I found this recipe at Everyday Fare, and I am a BIG fan of it (but then again, I love anything that involves using lemon or lime:)!). With no further ado, here it is:

Lemon Chicken

Ingredients:

1 tsp. olive oil
1-2 lbs. split chicken breasts, or other bone-in chicken pieces (I used three boneless, skinless chicken breasts from sam's, cut into inch by inch or so pieces)
salt & pepper
garlic powder
1-2 lemons, cut into wedges (um..i used three:)!)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Season the chicken pieces liberally on both sides with salt, freshly ground pepper and garlic powder.
Heat a frying pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and cook the chicken pieces for 3-5 minutes or until golden brown.
Flip and cook an additional 3 minutes.
Squeeze the lemon wedges over the chicken. Tuck the wedges around the chicken and place the entire pan in the oven. Allow the chicken to cook 10-15 minutes or until the juices run clear.

I threw some brown rice together and some yummy (on sale!) asparagus, and we had a complete meal:). My love affair with guacamole is due in HUGE part to the presence of oodles of lime juice, so I definitely used 3 lemons here and loved every last citrusy bit:).

On another note, my brother (via my mom) sent me a couple pictures of his puppies (okay, they're not puppies any more) in all their cuteness:

ali & tucker wearing hoodies while dustin cleaned the house:)!

ali enjoying a glass of ice-cold mountain dew while relaxing in his chair and watching television:).

Menu Plan Monday + "Not Me!" Monday

2008-11-03T13:19:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I even remembered it was Monday today! goodness...here's my plan...don't laugh...I know it's pretty much the same thing I've done for the last who knows how long. I'll get out of my rut ~~someday~~ soon:S.

1. Steak & Roasted Red Potatoes (tonight's meal - I renamed it from "steak & potatoes" to make it sound better-planned)

2. Tacos w/ guacamole (a standard)

3. Pork Chops & Brown Rice

4. Pizza Ring (Yum-O!)

5. Spaghetti w/ Garlic Cheesy Bread (subject to change, I'm not sure I'm feeling that this week)

6. Pizza/Leftovers

phew, that's done! here are my "not me's!" for today...

1. I did not wake up before my alarm today (yay for daylight saving time!) and, instead of getting up, turned on the TV to watch more of Gilmore Girls Season 6. Definitely didn't do that.

2. I did not go grocery shopping yesterday in a fog yet AGAIN.

3. I did not play Wii tennis for hours on end with hubby just so we could attain "PRO" status:).

4. I did not attempt to teach Sunday School to 5 wonderful adorable children who thought bringing and eating their halloween candy was a GREAT idea. Said children did not bounce (literally) off all walls in our classroom and find sitting still to be an impossible task.

5. I did not ask my husband and brother-in-law yesterday morning if the round object in the eastern sky was the sun or the moon. I'm telling you, it looked gray!!

6. Finally, I did not get McDonald's for lunch today and I do not feel guilty for eating it when my fridge is full of much healthier leftovers that I should be eating instead:S.

Okay, that's all I have at the moment. Back to work!

trick or treat!....

2008-10-31T15:23:00.002-05:00

All day today I have seen little ones walking down the street with their teachers wearing ADORABLE costumes and just looking so very young...and i can picture some ridiculous costumes that i begged my mom to make for me...Cleopatra was pretty spectacular, as was Raggedy Ann. But this Halloween, for the first time, i have NIECES! Last night, I stopped by Peg's on my way home and got to spend some time having 'tea & crumpets' (yay for that:)!), and then the little munchkins walked in the door with mango!

miss ya-ya (lila) was the cowardly lion...

(this is her minus her adorable little lion bonnet!)

miss is (isabel) got into the m & m's ("numnums!!") and didn't want me to get a chocolatey picture of her face:)...

then it was fun for miss is to take a picture of auntie cassie...

but then it was time to leave for Oz:)...cutest little munchkins ever!!!!

oh i love them:)!

Tasty Tuesday!

2008-10-28T16:06:00.002-05:00

Sorry, Lindsay, my brain is not working very well in the "halloween" department today, otherwise I'd stick with the theme (fun fun!!).

"Doritos" Dip

*called that only because that's what my host mom's sister used it for when I lived in Minnetonka. I don't actually eat Doritos with it (i like tortilla chips), but apparently you could:)!

Ingredients:

1 jar Pace Picante Sauce (i like the HOT, but i usually use medium if i'm actually making it for people other than me:))
1 or 2 containers of Sour Cream (i always forget how much I use...and I usually get the light stuff, it mixes better)
1 package of shredded cheese (i usually shred my own and mix pepper jack & marble jack)

Directions:

Dump the sour cream (at least one container) into a bowl and add Salsa - don't add it all right away, just dump some in, stir it, and decide if you want more.
dump the cheese in and stir.
Taste it.
Decide to add more sour cream (if too thick) or more salsa (if not spicy enough)
Eat with tortilla chips (YUM).

I could eat this stuff all day long. More cheese is always a good thing:).

tagged...by myself?

2008-10-28T15:56:00.002-05:00

Sarah posted this today and it's 'one of those days,' so i'm tagging myself:)...

10 Years Ago (1998):
1. I was a sophomore in high school - and was a "munchkin" in the Wizard of Oz (not the real one, the pretend high school one)
2. I spent the summer with RSI on a hayfield in Illinois and in Oban, Scotland, and London, England.
3. I got my first car (and driver's license) - a 1990 chevy corsica (it was silver)
4. I wanted to be a lawyer. HA.
5. My husband was 21 (i ran out of things i could remember about myself:S).

5 Things on Today’s “To Do” List :
1. Make dinner.
2. Buy ingredients for dinner first because I forgot them in my grocery shopping fog on Sunday.
3. Finish doing laundry.
4. Call emma lou.
5. Watch HOUSE with hubby:).

5 Things that I would do if I were a millionaire (or in my interpretation, if I never had to worry about money):
1. Pay off all my debts! (sorry sarah, i had to steal this one)
2. Give money to my friends and family to help pay off their debts! Big fan of dreaming of being debt free. (and this one too!)
3. Make all that money make money for nonprofits instead of for uncle sam.
4. Live like a normal person.
5. Buy hubby a D11 for his birthday:).

5 Places I have lived:
1. Wahpeton, ND
2. Park Rapids, MN
3. Grand Forks, ND
4. Minnetonka, MN
5. Walcott, ND

5 Jobs I have had:
1. Barista
2. Customer Service manager @ a grocery store
3. Waitress
4. "Mailgirl" at UND
5. PetSmart Support manager

if you want to be "it," you are;)!

Menu Plan Monday!

2008-10-27T15:51:00.002-05:00

Okay, next week I'm joining Lindsay's "Not me! Monday," because that is just too much fun:)!

My one and only "Not Me!" add for this week:

1. I did not go grocery shopping with hubby last night without bringing a list or thinking about any sort of meal plan for the week and move through the store in a foggy haze caused by lack of caffeine + headache and then return home to put away groceries and wonder just what it was I thought i was going to be making from all this?

2. (one more, couldn't resist)...I did not return home last night to discover that a kitten from my mom & dad's house had hitched a ride within the undercarriage of their vehicle and made its way to our house saturday night, where it was promptly reverse-treed by my cat (aka, our cat scared it into getting itself in a hole under a piece of concrete by our front door), and then not discovered by me and hubby until last night. said kitten did not proceed to "meow meow meow" until hubby had the fabulously brilliant idea to let her sleep with the dog last night (she LOVED that:)!). my cat also did not throw a hissy fit when she re-entered the house and discovered that *gasp* another feline had been inside! she also did not get lots and lots of extra attention to make up for her inadvertent "replacement."

okay, back to MPM...

1. Tacos & guac (it was on the list last week, lucky me that I still have everything for it:)!)

2. Pork roast & rice (hubby's fave)

3. Pizza Ring (if i remember to go get the ingredients???)

4. Steak & something. maybe potatoes? I still have steak from last week in the freezer.

5. Spaghetti & garlic cheesy bread (yes, again, i know:))

6. hmmm nachos & popcorn? not sure yet...maybe pizza & popcorn. hmm.

that's all i've got:)!

someone you should know.

2008-10-27T13:54:00.002-05:00

there's someone i love so very much that i think you should all know. he's married to this woman.

(thanks to our photographer lauralu:)!)

That guy is my dad. He is the best man I know. I want to be him when I grow up. He gets things. He gets people. And he is incredibly smart, perceptive, discerning, and kind.

My dad works harder than anyone I know. He started his very own nonprofit almost 4 years ago and he is so committed to the vision and to seeing it get done. He sticks to it during the hard times, during the good times, and for the entire roller coaster ride inbetween.

I work for my dad. It's not always easy (for either one of us), as I tend to be a reflection of many parts of him, frequently with a few little random tweaks that come out of left field:). I tend to not like change, so when asked to do something I'm not certain of, I tend to resist...and then do it a few minutes later. I'm working on that one.

Anyways, I am so proud of my dad. If you knew him half as well as I do, or if you spent even one day with him as he does EVERYTHING that he does during the day, you would want to know him more. He is a good man, a kind man, and a man after God's own heart. He has never failed to call me out when I'm doing something I shouldn't and to challenge me to be better - and to seek God's best for my life, not to settle for the pitiful life I can create on my own (the kind of life that usually involves blaming everyone else around me for my problems and not recognizing the wonderful gifts God's given me and accepting responsibility for what I've done to cause the problems I may face).

He also always told me that the man I married needed to have a BIG backbone to handle me. I never quite understood what he meant until I met my husband - he sure has a backbone, and I respect him SO much for that (and I'm growing in response to that!)!

I am honored to be his daughter. Honored to work for him. And I pray for him each and every day, that our Jesus would grant him favor with those he meets and alleviate the burden he carries. Our God is SO big...SO big.

I saw a sign for a church here in town that had a little saying on it a few months back - and i find that i think of it so often...

"Stop telling God how big your storm is and start telling your storm how BIG your God is!"

i love Jesus.

Not Tasty Tuesday:S...

2008-10-22T11:35:00.002-05:00

so..........................i was SO excited for YUMMY chicken and rice soup in the crockpot when I got home yesterday. However, during the day yesterday I was reading a few of the comments about the soup on the Crockpot Lady's blog, and I got a little uneasy as to whether mine would turn out like hers...

I got home earlier than usual - around 5:30 or so - and strolled into the kitchen to inspect my masterpiece...

Keep in mind, crockpot lady's masterpiece looked like this:

yummy, right??

i made it to my crockpot and found this:

I should have taken a picture of it BEFORE I stirred it up. The rice was total mush and had expanded SO much that it looked like I'd made a huge crockpot full of weird stuffing! And, on an amusing note, my chicken turned orange from the carrots.

Crockpot Lady's comments indicated that she'd used basmati brown rice and not regular brown rice. maybe that's my problem.

Needless to say, dinner was pizza (for hubby) and popcorn (for me). I have a random pork roast in the crockpot right now for tonight's dinner...hopefully this one won't explode!

Sidenote: My mom found this all very amusing. I think I've been developing a new appreciation for all the work that goes into 'keeping a house' - and making dinner:S.

oh well:)

Tasty Tuesday ~ Chicken & Rice Soup

2008-10-21T09:54:00.002-05:00

I am a bit off of my blog-groove this week - I think I'm missing a caffeine link or something? not sure. Anyways, I am posting a Tasty Tuesday recipe that I have not yet tasted *gasp* - although it is currently brewing in my crockpot at home for tonight's supper!

I stole this recipe from one of my FAVE blogs - The Crockpot Lady - and I whipped it all up last night while I was waiting for hubby to get home from a long day of work. I put all the ingredients in the crockpot ceramic thingie last night and then set that part in the fridge. I pulled it out this morning and slipped it back into the crockpot base and plugged it in - hopefully that won't cause it to turn into mush, lol:). Anyways, here it is:

Chicken & Rice Soup

Ingredients:

2 boxes of chicken broth (I used the stuff I found at Wal-Mart, I'm cheap:))
1 cup of uncooked brown rice (and I didn't wash or soak it, neither did crockpot lady)
1 cup of water
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken (I had leftover store-bought rotisserie chicken from last week, although I think I ended up with 1 1/2 cups or maybe 2...oops;)!)
1 1/2 - 2 cups of vegetables (I used leftover baby carrots, celery, and onion)
1 t herbes de provence (they definitely don't carry this in my itty-bitty ND town - so I used some thyme, some rosemary, and some marjoram. could be scary)
Salt & Pepper to taste after cooking

Directions:

Using a chopper thingie (I used a food processor), chop the veggies into whatever size pieces your family likes - I think crockpot lady blended hers into a paste and they looked pretty invisible!
Dump all ingredients into the crockpot and cook on low as long as you can - the longer the better.

I read some of the comments about the recipe on her page, and some people ended up with 'exploding rice' - crockpot lady used basmati brown rice from trader joe's, and since there isn't a trader joe's within 200 miles of here, I just used regular brown rice, but if it explodes, I won't cry:).

Yay for soup on 29 degree fall mornings!

Menu Plan Monday - decaffeinated version

2008-10-20T15:07:00.002-05:00

It is Menu Plan Monday once again...except this morning I woke up with a nasty headache from lack of caffeine, so I'm still a bit foggy as to what it is I had planned for this week!

I'll give it my best shot - I may have to take a break or two mid-post to make sure I get it right:)...

MPM

Chicken & Rice Soup (new recipe! yay for crockpots..)
Tacos w/guacamole (of course, this is a weekly standard)
Spaghetti w/ cheesy bread (again, I know, I'm boring, but it's so yummy!)
Steak & Baked Potatoes (from last week)
Pizza!
Pork Roast and Rice (crockpot again!)
Leftovers:).

I am officially boring. Or at least it appears that way. Cooking for two always leaves too many leftovers, and there never end up being as many days during the week to try new recipes as one would originally anticipate:).

hubby made breakfast saturday morning - bacon, hashbrowns, pancakes, and eggs. i'm keeping him:).

MPM detour...

2008-10-16T14:35:00.002-05:00

Last night as I was leaving work, I decided that not only did I not want to make/eat any of the meals for dinner last night that remained on my Menu Plan Monday list, I really wasn't quite sure WHAT I wanted to whip up. I thought about ordering a pizza and bringing it home....but then it would sit (unhappily and uneaten) for two hours until hubby got home. Then I thought frozen pizza would work, but I had planned to do pizza night tonight (Thursday), so I skipped that idea. Finally, I decided to cheat and pick up a lemon pepper rotisserie chicken (already cooked) from Wally World...and then I decided that I'd throw together a potato dish from the spuds we harvested from our garden last week.

The only real challenge is that hubby doesn't ~~love~~ ~~like~~ enjoy mashed potatoes the way I do...and the potatoes from the garden were of such varied sizes (from the size of a jawbreaker to as big as...well...BIG), so they weren't cooperating with any of my other ideas (baked potatoes, fries, etc.). I decided I would need to doctor these tators up so that we would both enjoy them...here's what I did:

Mashed Potatoes (hubby-approved!)

Ingredients:

Potatoes, cut into smallish pieces, boiled (skin on) until a fork goes in easily. Drain
Shredded cheese - I used marble jack and pepper jack (leftover from taco night)
Bacon crumbles - I had three pieces in the fridge that I fried up and crumbled
Milk
Butter
Sour cream (I used light)
Salt & Pepper
Garlic Powder

Directions:

Mash the potatoes with a bit of butter, adding a little milk at a time as you mash. Mash in a few dollops of sour cream as well, continuing to add milk/sour cream until desired consistency.
Add some shredded cheese.
Decide that your hand masher made it too lumpy and whip out the hand mixer (for the first time with potatoes), and whip it into a frenzy.
Discover that the potatoes then become kind of stretchy...interesting.
Stir in more shredded cheese (cheese is good!), bacon crumbles, and more sour cream (why not!).
Throw in salt & pepper and some garlic powder (or real garlic).
Dump the whole thing into a corningware dish and throw it in the oven (on warm), covered, until hubby gets home.
Eat it! (with store-bought, already cooked chicken)

I had no idea potatoes could get stretchy. But they tasted fab and held together great - and I had leftovers for lunch today (and tomorrow, and the next day:S).

Tonight is frozen pizza/leftover night - woohoo - and my bffe emma lou comes home from o!maha for almost two weeks - tonight! happy day:).

Shredded pork tacos...i think?

2008-10-15T15:38:00.002-05:00

Well, I know Tonya is anxious to find out if my pork taco experiment was a success or a big ol' flop:)...

To be honest, I'm not quite sure! I rolled in from work last night around 6:30 or so, 10 1/2 hours after setting the crock pot on low with my experimental ingredients heaped inside. After hauling my stuff inside, letting the kitty out, then back in, and then out again (she's indecisive), moving the wash to the dryer and throwing hubby's work clothes in the wash, I finally pulled the lid off of my cute red crockpot.

I was surprised - it smelled really good! I pulled the whole thing apart with a couple of forks, did a little taste test, and decided it needed a little more "something." In went some more lime juice, some salt, and a wee bit of louisiana red hot sauce. Hubby came in a few hours later and added another package of taco seasoning and both green & red taco sauce. The whole mixture went inside of softshell flour tortillas and was...REALLY good:)...when I was taste-testing before the big reveal, I think I was reacting to the lack of cheese (because I love cheese), and after it was all put together in taco-style (with cheese of course!) it was fab:). so here it is...as close as I can remember anyway:)!

Shredded Pork Tacos

Ingredients:

1 Pork Shoulder Roast (I think mine was a bit over 3 pounds, and although it thawed overnight in the fridge, was still frozen)
2 packages of taco seasoning (I used Ortega "mild," started with just one, and then hubby added the much-needed second)
Lime juice (I don't know how much exactly - I used the Real Lime stuff from the bottle and squirted it all over - I can never have enough lime:)!)
Garlic cloves, smashed (I only had two left at home, but I would have put half a head in if I'd had it)
1 can green chiles (my mom and I have a thing for these)
2 jalapenos, chopped (from my garden and leftover from taco night - it could definitely handle more heat if I'd thought to thaw out a few from my frozen stash)
Taco Sauce (Green and/or Red) and/or Hot Sauce - to taste
Salt - to taste

Directions:

This one's really tough - throw all the ingredients into the crockpot.
Put on the lid.
Set it on low.
Go to work (or not).
Come home, pull apart meat with two forks.
Eat:)!

Mine cooked for a looong time (12 hours or so), but it would easily be done before then.

I always make homemade guacamole whenever we have tacos, so there's more lime for me and my lime fetish:).

Guacamole (Drew's Recipe)
*my FAVORITE thing to eat on the planet:)!

Ingredients:

Avocado
Lime juice
Garlic Powder
Salt
Sour Cream

Directions:

Mash the avocado (or avocados, depending on how much you want)
Mix with lime juice, garlic powder, and salt to taste.
Add a dollop of sour cream and mix.
Eat:).

Okay, I'm Betty-Crockered out for the day:). If anyone comes up with a new twist on the pork tacos, I'd LOVE to hear it!

Yum! Tasty Tuesday!

2008-10-14T09:44:00.003-05:00

It's Tasty Tuesday again! Yay:)! I thought maybe I'd post the recipe for the pork tacos I'm making in the crockpot today....but, I just made it up this morning, so if it's horrible and I lead others astray I would feel bad:(.

So instead, I'm going to post my FAVORITE crockpot chili recipe:)...

First, though, there's a story behind this....I used to work at Microsoft in Fargo, and (as a person who loves routines!), I got in the habit of going to the same place (Wendy's) for lunch every single day, ordering the same thing (a sour cream & chive potato w/ no chives, chili, and a diet coke), and then (after finishing my lunch) walking around Target for a bit to feel like I was a part of civilization. So strange I know, but I love Target and Wendy's, and I still appear to be pretty normal, so it couldn't have been too detrimental to my well-being;).

Anyways, I've been searching for a chili recipe that could come close to Wendy's chili...and I found a copycat recipe online that (with a few tweaks) turned out fabulously! here it is...

*Almost* Wendy's Chili

Ingredients:

1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can stewed tomatoes (or 1 bag frozen tomatoes)
4 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
1 (14 ounce) can southern ranch-style beans
1 (14 ounce) can pinto beans
1 (14 ounce) can kidney beans
1 (10 ounce) can Rotel diced tomatoes
1 (1 1/4 ounce) package McCormick mild chili seasoning
2 lbs ground chuck
Optional – 1 jalapeno, chopped

Directions:
1. Brown (and drain) Ground Chuck. Add all other ingredients, including juice of canned items, into large pot or crockpot.
2. Cook until onion and pepper are tender.
3. Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream.
4. Freezes nicely!

Verdict:

I threw the onion, green pepper, and jalapeno into the food processor and then tossed those in the crockpot. I then threw in the browned hamburger and my frozen tomatoes from the garden (in place of the stewed tomatoes) and the chili seasoning. Then I just dumped in the canned ingredients a little at a time until the crockpot was full. I was left with a tiny bit of rotel and some beans that didn't fit...Ironically, I ended up wanting it to cook faster, so I tossed it all in a stockpot:).

I also sliced up a long baguette and brushed each round with olive oil and garlic, then broiled for a bit and used those instead of crackers.

Hubby loved it, I LOVED it, and I was able to freeze four more portions for my lunches. If you want less of a kick, leave out the jalapeno - I happened to have a massive surplus from this year's garden harvest and I like a bit of heat:).

If my shredded pork taco recipe succeeds, I'll throw it on here...if it fails...well...I'll post it anyway so that I'll remember what not to do:).

Menu Plan Monday!

2008-10-13T10:12:00.003-05:00

I have FINALLY joined Menu Plan Monday! Thanks to Lindsay for getting me inspired to do it - here's this week's "plan"...

1. Spaghetti w/ Sourdough Garlic Cheesy Bread (hubby's fave)

2. Shredded Pork Tacos w/ Guacamole

3. Steaks on the Grill and Mashed Potatoes

4. Shredded Pork Quesadillas (i'm expecting leftovers:)!)

5. Pizza Night

6. Nachos

Tonight is going to be sketti night - and then the pork roast will pop in the crockpot tomorrow morning for Tuesday night tacos:).

now i'm hungry and it's only 10:21am...uh oh:S!

tag...you're it!

2008-10-13T09:42:00.004-05:00

So I read through my blogroll today and discovered that i've been tagged by miss Sarah (okay, Mrs.:)!). I apparently have to list 7 random things about myself....and since it's a monday, it seems like the perfect day to reveal all my odd-ness:)...

1. I flare my nostrils, and my husband thinks it's hilarious. i flare them without knowing, and i can also do it on command. i worry that i may at times resemble a bull, but hubby doesn't seem to think so, so i'll assume i'm good:).

2. I do not enjoy making decisions when they affect other people. I prefer to have a happy friend/husband/family member than to make them feel that they should do whatever it is I want to do. And to be honest, frequently I don't even know what I want to do, so it's comforting when they make that decision.

3. I really like staplers and paper clips. Don't know why...I just do.

4. I could read children's books all day long. Especially Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Best ever.

5. I very much enjoy my routines. And I have a hard time when others ask something of me that strays from my routine.

6. To follow on that - it takes me awhile to process change - and especially when dealing with my mom, if she gives me advice, i will usually tell her no, that's ridiculous, and then do whatever it is she said to do a few hours later. Bad habit.

7. I really love to swing and play outside. Especially with my dog.

Well, now i get to tag 7 people! Let's see...

Ginna at Recapturing Sabbath Wonder
Sarah at Junk Miles
Sue (mom) at Seat of My Pants
Laura at Stepping Out of the Boat
Tonya at more of YOU, less of me
Lindsay at Our Lives - in a Nutshell
Karen at Hidden Treasures

2 months and 1 day...

2008-10-10T12:35:00.006-05:00

yesterday was our 2 month wedding anniversary...woohoo!

how did we celebrate, you ask? well, we actually celebrated a few days early (okay, 5, we went out last saturday night).

drew and i have a shared affinity for sushi. our first experience with sushi as a couple was at Hiro sushi in Omaha with my bffe emma lou. our next adventure was at yuki hana in fargo (one of my FAVORITE places to go with my dad:)!).

<--Red Dragon roll - my fave:)!

and on our third sushi outing (again at Yuki Hana), drew asked me to marry him:)!

On that night, we ordered some of my FAVORITES (red dragon roll (yummy!), ichi roll, 25th street roll (one of drew's faves), scallop nigiri, albacore nigiri, and eel nigiri....AND to make it even more special, they (for some reason) decided to put our entire order in one of the special boats that they use for big platters...(and he hadn't even asked yet!)...see for yourself:

drew proposed when we got back to his house that night - and among his MANY amazing and perfect for me qualities, he is the BEST sushi-eating partner i could ever ask for!

happy friday:)!

my baby brother is OLD!

2008-10-08T09:01:00.009-05:00

So............today is my brother's birthday....his TWENTY-FOURTH birthday! how in the heck did he get so old?!

My "little" brother (Dustin) is definitely one of a kind. We are 21 months apart (and 3 grades), so when i was a senior in high school, he was a freshman playing on the varsity basketball team. We have always been really close, and when he played in high school, i don't know that i ever missed a game (home or away). When he went on to play in college at VCSU, it got harder to see him play, but I have always been his biggest fan:).

My brother is thoughtful, sometimes reserved, and always ridiculously funny. The kid is so quick with his comebacks. For the last few months we've been "arguing" over who is the "good child." (i still maintain that it's me, and the fact that my husband has a bobcat, 2 excavators, and 2 dozers - among other things - should give me the extra ammunition i need to win dad over). But really, though, my brother has such a good heart. And he is one of the best people i know.

As the big sister (it's just the two of us), I am fairly certain that no girl will ever be "good enough" to have my brother...and yet, I keep praying that God will bring someone into his life that will be his match - and i suppose if God is responsible for it, i'll learn to accept it;)!

My brother is one of my very favorite people. He has always been there for me, every step of the way, and he knows me for me - and loves me anyway! I am so thankful to have him as my brother:).

one last picture of my bro - from he and my dad's trip to visit darren dunham in montana - looooong story:)...

boys and their toys:).

Happy birthday duffer!! love you!!

oh. my. goodness.

2008-10-07T12:33:00.006-05:00

so, i have this friend...we'll call her...Sarah...probably because that's her name. she and i spent a grand summer on the RSI hayfield sweating through 100 degree days (112 in our tents, i checked) with 500 teenagers, wearing tie-dyed shirts, thrift store clothes, sweet rainboots (mine were green with pink polka dots, hers were pink with green), and both of us with crazy colors in our hair (hers - pink, mine - RED streaks (don't ask)). we bonded immediately with our shared obsession with People magazine, US Weekly, and Real Simple. Sarah made that month in southern Illinois seem like home:).

Sarah now lives in the great metropolis of Portland - home of don miller, i'm so jealous! She does crazy things like running marathons and working for nike, and she's pretty much one of the most FUN people i know. if you don't know her, you should. i'd recommend it.

the point of that entire introduction is that i was just over on Sarah's blog, where she is venturing boldly into the dating pool (i can't WAIT to read about her adventures!), and i noticed that there appears to be a "new" blog on her blogroll...i had to do a double-take to ensure that i was reading the name correctly...A Year of Crock-potting...OH. MY. GOODNESS!

seriously, how excited was i??? This blog is going to be my new obsession - i'm so intrigued - and she seems like a hoot, so i think everyone should read along and see what crazy things she comes up with. Steph (crockpot lady) made a new year's resolution to cook with the crockpot EVERYDAY in 2008. i think she's crazy...but i'm intrigued...and hooked!

okay, back to the non-bloggy world for a bit of work for the day:). yay for crockpots!!!

Tasty Tuesday!

2008-10-07T12:05:00.004-05:00

I'm joining Lindsay in her quest for a "Tasty Tuesday" - aka meals that you can get your little one AND your hubby to eat! I'm stealing my favorite recipe from my mom:) -

Pizza Ring

Ingredients:
1 tube of refrigerated crescent rolls
Pizza Sauce (in a jar)
Shredded cheese (i use mozzarella and cojack, but you can go all out with anything you like)
pizza toppings

Directions:
1. unroll the crescent roll dough one piece at a time. Place one on a pizza stone, short side in, pointy end out (you're going to be overlapping each piece to make a circular star shape with a hole in the middle). Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out (in place) to flatten it a bit. Repeat the process with the remaining dough, overlapping each piece and completing the circle/star.

2. spread pizza sauce in the "ring" of dough (not the points).

3. throw in cheese and toppings.

4. pull the pointy end of each piece of dough (one at a time) over the toppings and press into the middle of the ring, covering the filling completely (repeat for all pieces).

5. bake according to directions on the package of crescent rolls.

6. slice and serve - YUM!

(i'm not a recipe writer - but this tastes SO good - and it's really quick!)

wednesday...is it friday yet?

2008-10-01T09:12:00.004-05:00

Just an update - leftover Mexican Slow Cooker Chicken used in quesadillas ROCKS. I added some shredded cheese and tomatoes on top and it was fab:)...AND i still have more left to do burritos or nachos...yummy:)

i journeyed out to the garden on monday evening and tried to harvest as many ripe tomatoes as i could before the first freeze hits...needless to say, i now have 6 grocery bags full of tomatoes and an impending tomato freezing night ahead of me:S. I even left quite a few out there when i ran out of bags! potatoes will have to come in sometime soon, and i'll eventually get to the spaghetti squash and pumpkins. having a garden is one of the most intriguing things i've ever done - i love going out there and watching the way things grow...out of practically nothing...into things we can eat, etc. How in the world does God do that?

oh yes - one week from today is my brother Dustin's birthday - he will be 24, and i am now officially OLD! best brother a girl could have:).

new recipe!!

2008-09-30T09:49:00.002-05:00

this post is a BIG thank you to Lindsay!

A week or so ago, Lindsay posted a recipe for Mexican Slow Cooker Chicken that she was going to be trying and wanted to share with the rest of the world.

Yesterday morning, i threw all the ingredients in the crockpot at 7 and left for work...got home at 6:30 or so and finally ate dinner around 9 when hubby got home.

IT WAS AMAZING!

this stuff rocks - i have a ton of leftovers, and i'm going to use some in quesadillas and some as dip, and i'm sure i'll heat some up and have it over rice again too. I think if I wanted to get really crazy I could come up with a way to turn it into soup, but regardless, it's very happy food:). hubby loved it too - a HUGE plus - so this one is going into the rotation.

Lindsay also introduced me to 'Menu Plan Monday,' which i've been working my way into for the last couple weeks. I bought myself a menu plan notebook and worked out my week last week, and this week was a bit haphazard but will still happen:). Hopefully I'll join the REAL menu plan monday crew next Monday. maybe. we'll see:).

happy birthday peg!!!

2008-09-30T09:40:00.004-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEG!

Well, in case you missed the memo, TODAY is Peg's birthday!

If you don't know Peg, you should. (really!) She is by far the BEST mother-in-law i could have ever asked for (even better than i could have imagined!), and no you can't have her for your mother-in-law too (unless you marry bess).

I have learned and continue to learn so much from her about patience and having a gentle spirit, and she ALWAYS puts others before herself!

I stopped by the house last night to see Peg and hang out with the munchkins, because she was watching Isabel and Lila for a bit while mango went to the store. We taught Isabel about hopscotch on Sunday, so nanny and miss is hop-hop-hopped on a makeshift hopscotch court in the dining room. What a FUN nanny!!!

I am praising Jesus today for Peg - and I think you should too:).

monday, monday (na nah, na, na nah na)

2008-09-29T16:20:00.006-05:00

...or something like that...the mamas and the papas would be oh-so-proud of me right now. and no big mama cass jokes!! :P

can i just say how wonderful it is to have my husband home all week and not just on the weekends? my bffe is going to school in omaha and her husband is working in dickinson, and i can't even begin to imagine how difficult that is, but i do know how thankful i am to have drew home and nearby instead of in edgeley or jamestown or some other feedlot-land.

i am a game geek. i'm finally going to admit it.

now that drew's home, we've finally had the opportunity to tackle our game collection:) - and (i really am the luckiest girl in the world) drew LOVES to play my very favorite game with me (the game that i could never get any member of my family/friends to play with me EVER)!

If you've never played Carcassonne, then you're missing out (or maybe you're not, i don't know, but i really like to play it:)!). One of my favorite aspects of this game is that every time i pull it out, i remember playing it with my friends in Kairos all over Turkey, and with my RSI friends in Ireland. I love memories like that:).

So the point of the game (really, i'm getting there) - you lay tiles, one at a time, and build the land of carcassonne (cities, roads, cathedrals, farmland, and the river). You have "followers" (little wooden men) that you can choose to play on features in the land - farmers, city-people (aka knights), monks, and road-people (merchants, i think). you get points for finishing cities, completing roads, farming with completed cities, and completing cathedrals (etc. etc.)...best part - there are NINE expansion packs and the possibilities for how you can play the game are pretty much endless.

I just re-read that, and i definitely sound like a geek:). I'm okay with it - my hubby and i have a blast playing, and i sure enjoy getting to spend that time with him!

ps - i just ordered 3 of the expansions, so i'm even more of a geek!

pps - happy birthday to peg (tomorrow!)!

north dakota fridays...

2008-09-19T17:39:00.001-05:00

NO MORE FEEDLOTS:)!

hubby is coming home...and staying here!!!

nothing better:)...

mondays

2008-09-08T12:31:00.002-05:00

today is monday ("really?" you say..."are you sure?")...just pointing out the obvious:S. hubby left for a week on the road today...so i'll be lonely for a good 5 days. so, in the spirit of the "think of something worse" game, i'm going to try to think of good things about mondays...(and i'll probably need some help, so if you have ideas, i'd sure appreciate them!)

i think there used to be some sort of good TV show on monday nights?
i think kroll's has or used to have shakey mondays...although i only went once.
sometimes my birthday is on a monday..
sometimes christmas is a monday?
the bangles have a song about mondays...and the bangles are always good...but if they say mondays are manic, i get a little worried.

okay i give up.

on another note...i was reading esther & job yesterday and was reminded of just how in control God is. for all those moments when i feel the need to remind God of things i worry about or obstacles that i face, reading job sure snaps you out of the 'well He just doesn't understand' mood. Job 38-42 is at the same time encouraging and humbling - our God is SO awesome - there is absolutely nothing that is beyond His reach or His knowledge, and nothing happens without His permission. I LOVE knowing that I serve a God like that, a God who is never in doubt and is above reproach - and i am absolutely humbled by the overwhelming number of times that i question Him who his without fault. what in the world am I thinking?

anyways, my thoughts aren't terribly coherent at the moment, but God is good. so very good.

wedding pictures!

2008-09-03T11:57:00.002-05:00

yes...it's true! we have pictures! and here they are:

anthologie photographs by sarah perry hardie

yay:)!

transformers and aerosmith?

2008-09-03T09:41:00.002-05:00

yesterday was a GREAT day - it was my husband's birthday! i have always loved birthdays...i love having a day that is open season on coming up with thoughtful gifts and discerning what would truly show that one person that you really did do your best to find something that would show them you care. i suppose that's a lot of pressure to put on a birthday gift, but i really do enjoy giving gifts (it's one of my love languages on the expressing side, not usually on the receiving, but i still love gifts, don't worry:)!).

ironically, though, i have this little game i play when it's MY birthday...i try to not mention it for the few days leading up to it, and then i secretly wait to see who will remember that it's my birthday on the actual day. now that i write that out, it actually sounds kind of horrible:S...like i'm setting people up to fail. hmm...perhaps i'll rethink that a bit, but not now (ps, my birthday is four months from today, so everyone should remember it;)!). haha!

we had an impromptu birthday party out at our house last night - we grilled burgers and had corn from the garden, and my mom and dad, drew's mom and dad, and jim & mango and the girls came over to celebrate with us. Peg & my mom helped me get everything ready in the kitchen - so did mango, but she's also got two little ones to chase after, so she multi-tasked:)! drew & jim grilled the burgers, and don & dad watched 'wipeout' on tv - lol. isabel once again discovered her love for the magnets on our fridge, and she also took nanny out to eat tomatoes in the garden and play with 'gay-gay' (our dog, gaylin) and 'kitty-meow' (kitty). it is so much fun to have everyone over - i just love having all of our family around. i never thought i would be SO happy to live this close to all of my family...but it's the best thing ever. bess & the bubachs were hoping to come down, but two sick ones (bess & christian) kept them up in fargo-land. we may have a fireworks party later on this week, so maybe we'll all get together soon...although isabel has been telling papa, "papa no boom!" (she doesn't like fireworks at all).

anyways, i have the best husband in the world. and yesterday was a day to celebrate him, which is something i look forward to all year long:). yay for 31!!

IT'S FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-22T12:11:00.002-05:00

...just thought the world should know:)...

and somebody may possibly get to come home EARLY!!!!!

happy day:)!

if every day were friday...

2008-08-21T09:10:00.003-05:00

today is thursday...a loooooong thursday:S. drew has been back at work building feedlots on the road all week, and i have been alone at home. i am so very proud of how hard he works, and by no means do i not want him to be out there working, but i'm a girl, and i sure do miss him:(. he comes home tomorrow - YAY! but, in order to "cheer myself up" or to at least have a positive attitude, i'm going to come up with things that could be worse (sidenote - peg just lent me a stack of books to read, and i finished "after anne" by roxanne henke overnight - SO GOOD - and the characters play this game as they go through rough times in life...so i'm stealing it:)!)..

it could be worse...

he could be in the military and gone for months and months at a time:(
jim & mango could live far away instead of just 4 miles
text-messaging and cell phones could have not been invented
he could get no cell reception in feedlot-land
it could be possible to build feedlots in the winter:S

okay, that was more of a pity party instead of the fun and productive exercise i anticipated. hmm.. either way, i miss him, and if every day were friday, i'd be one happy girl! Okay Lord, bring on FRIDAY! :)

(and ultimately, the worst "could be worse" thing about having drew gone would be if I didn't have my Jesus here with me in all those lonely moments. He is beyond faithful.)

august 9, 2008

2008-08-12T08:58:00.002-05:00

as of 4:10PM on 8/9/08, we're MARRIED!!

party dresses and popcorn balls

2008-07-31T08:23:00.003-05:00

so, last sunday, my bffe emma lou threw me a personal shower slash bachelorette party, and it was a blast:)! she made it into a scavenger hunt of sorts, so my first stop was fleet farm (always exciting!), where i found em in the carhartt aisle wearing a fabulous purple dress with white polka dots! this was a 'dress-cassie-up' scavenger hunt, so i "discovered" lyn's wedding dress among the carhartt coats and put it on! the next clue led me to the shoe aisle of fleet farm, where i found ginna in a beautiful pink satin pleated dress with a lace overlay, and i came across some red canvas peep-toe shoes! we then left fleet farm and i made it to the mirror aisle at target, where bess was waiting in a lovely red velvet number to put on my veil..then i 'found' genelle in the swimsuit section (wearing a green flowered flowy dress) and received my sash with 'august9, 2008' written on it (em made it - she's so creative!). finally, we discovered beth anna in pink at the theater, and i got an awesome bouquet of popcorn balls on sticks (again em, she's so creative!). we then all made it back to bessie's apartment, and mango arrived with lila. it was such a fun evening - and it wouldn't be complete without the pictures to prove it!...

also, i'm just completing work on the bedroom tonight...and i forgot to take a before picture:S!! but i'll sure post the 'afters' soon! yay!

shower aka monsoon!

2008-07-25T15:12:00.003-05:00

first - i totally forgot to take any pictures of the wonderful evening, so everyone should just imagine how wonderful it was:)!

this past wednesday, lyn & joyce threw a spectacular bridal shower for me at church! i pulled up to the church while on the phone with drew, and i remember saying -'whoa - there are a TON of cars here!' i, of course, assumed that was because there was also junior high youth group at the same time (but silly me, jr highers don't have drivers' licenses!). it was amazing - family, friends, and so many people who are near and dear to my heart -OH, and lots of neighbors :)!!! AND my bffe emma lou made the trek from dickinson as a surprise!! (isn't she great:)?!?)

for those that missed the festivities, em provided us with the best game i've ever played(really!)...she asked drew a few "love map" questions (e.g. what color does drew like to wear most often, what shoe does drew tie first, etc.), and then went around town with a video camera and filmed random strangers answering as if they were drew's friends! she got the guys who work at jiffy lube, the girl from maurice's, and even a little girl shopping in a store - AND she brought my robe (and mom's, peg's, lyn's, and em's) in, with my slippers, and a BIG bowl of popcorn:)! so fun - she's the best:)!!

em told me after her bridal shower that she understands now why they call it a shower - and i have to agree now - i left feeling so 'showered' with love! there were so many thoughtful gifts, and everyone was so generous to give of themselves for the sake of our wedding. what a humbling experience to see so much love being poured out - and a HUGE thank you to everyone who helped to make it such a wonderful evening! (and a definite thank you to laura, who had a great devotional and gave me a super-fun toy - a meat mallet!)

and last night, the whole family got together and headed out to a bluegrass festival at brian's parent's house - what a blast!

15 days to go - :)

finally! long-awaited kitchen pictures...

2008-07-23T09:52:00.004-05:00

so, last week i tackled the kitchen...and of course, i took before pictures on my camera and after pictures on my phone, and then never remembered to bring my camera with to the office so that i could upload the pictures. well, i finally remembered today - yay - and here they are (note - in these pictures, the teapot wallpaper behind the stove had already been removed, as had the spindly shelves next to the stove (on top of the dark wood shelf in the pictures):

BEFORE...

AFTER...

The after pictures look exceptionally green, but I think you can blame that on my phone's camera:). it looks really fun in person, and i've already added a couple of rugs and candles (and a fun teapot set for the table!), and i have an amazing mother-in-law who has curtain making skills, so i've found some great fabric and will hopefully get those done someday:). drew and i also put together a coat rack and fun chalkboard thing, and i moved the desk from the living room to the window in the kitchen this week. yay! next week is the bedroom & maybe bathroom...this week was lawn mowing and bridal showers:).

anthologie

2008-07-22T11:59:00.003-05:00

so, i just feel that the world should know about my friend, sarah, who is our photographer for the wedding.

this girl can take pictures - she has such an eye for capturing real life!

AND she has a website! it's http://www.anthologiephotographs.com/. you should go there. right now!

engagement photos!

2008-07-21T16:04:00.004-05:00

so don has developed a photography habit/hobby, and he took some awesome pictures of drew and i yesterday:)! i'll share my faves with you...

isn't he handsome?!?

yard progress update...

2008-07-11T08:57:00.003-05:00

post-excavator/dump truck/bobcat/harley rake/grass seeding pictures!

this used to be a BIG hill and our garbage/junk pit...it is now FLAT:)

looking west at where the big clay hill (from when we dug our basement) used to be - now it's in rockey's feedlot - yay!

there used to be a barn on the left!

it appears to now be dirt...the barn is underneath there somewhere...

dustin and i dug a big hole and put a big rubbermaid horse trough in it..and now it's the new planter:)...

completion!

2008-07-11T08:29:00.002-05:00

so. i painted. and the living room is DONE. YAAAAAAAAY!

I took before and after shots - but keep in mind that the before shots are from thursday afternoon (after 3 days of wall paper removal, spackling, TSPing, curtain/drape removal, etc.)..

BEFORE...

also, you can't clearly see the blue shag carpet from these angles, but it was still there at this point.

and now...

AFTER...

Turns out there was a sweet wood floor under the carpet! I haven't accessorized or added wall hangings etc. yet, and a couple pieces are just waiting to be moved out, but i'm pretty stoked for drew to see it today:). yay!

i'm a little sleepy today, as i stayed til 2am to finish, but it was well worth it:).

ps - thanks mom & peg for helping me with this - couldn't have done it on my own!

paint

2008-07-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

so, i'm painting. tonight. YAY!

i've been spending every evening this week out at my man's house turning it into our 'home.' he's out building a feedlot in judd (nope, i don't know where that is either) all week (and next, and probably more), so he gave me free reign to exercise my 'creative' hand...he knows me so well:)!

this week the project has been the living room. in reality, i chose it because while i'm in there, i can watch season 5 of gilmore girls on dvd over and over again:)! don't worry - i'm bringing out season 7 tonight, so i'll get a bit of variety in my diet. eventually i'll need to invest in seasons 1-4 and 6, but that can wait for a fun sale at target or amazon;).

i had two heros helping me last night - peg (drew's mom) and sue (my mom). i was about ready to kill the wallpaper backing still left on the one wall of wallpaper in the living room, but peg came out and attacked it with greased lightning (AMAZING stuff by the way), and it all started to come off!!! YAY for greased lightning and Peg:)!! My mom came out after work and we all scraped and scraped that wall, then cleaned all the walls with TSP...now it's ready to paint! yay!

i'll take a few pictures tonight when i get out there...(before and after)...we also discovered a WOOD FLOOR under the blue shag carpet in the living room - YAY! i'm so excited for all that the room can be...and it will be our home:).

drew comes home tomorrow - I CAN'T WAIT! 30 days to go:)!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!!!

2008-07-08T10:02:00.002-05:00

it's emma schnell's 24th birthday!!

i'm celebrating all week - you should too:)!!

33 days to go...

2008-07-07T08:36:00.003-05:00

33 days left - and i can't wait:)!

and by the way, can i just say that if you haven't met my bff emma schnell (woohoo!), you're missing out? she's the bdc;).

i'll try to remember to take pictures of the yard progress this week - we're just waiting for grass seed - the yard looks amazing (thanks to a cat 320c and a sweet bobcat with tracks:)).

pre-elopement party?

2008-06-24T13:18:00.005-05:00

so...my best friend, emma (the one in the footie pajamas one post back), got engaged in march of this year. she and her fiance, jay (aka jaybird), planned and prayed and decided to throw a pre-elopement party for all their family and friends, and to then fly off to some remote location (aka san diego) for their own wedding (just the two of them).

i thought this was a wonderful idea - my emma is so very creative, independent, and original, and this sounded like just the kind of plan she would come up with and love! others felt the need to tell her that she eloping was a bad idea, and 'didn't she want to get married in front of God?' I'm fairly certain that God would be at their wedding and in their marriage regardless of their physical location, but nevertheless, it was said.

i was ready to fight for my bff - i'd tell people that eloping was a brilliant idea and defned her anytime anyone made a little comment here or there. i rejoiced with her at the 'fiesta' she and jay threw in the park the night before the party (last friday), loved every minute of the 'girls-only' luncheon on saturday, and got to watch she and jay take their pictures in the park that afternoon (and rode the carousel with them, i might add:)!!!). i got to that party saturday night ready to celebrate and excited for my very first pre-elopement party!!

drew and i got to the party at church, which was all set up with beautiful tables and flowers, and we claimed a table at the very front, next to em & jay's table, and got to sit with nina, josh, sarah, jason, jeff, and my bro. what fun! we all sang worship songs together, em & jay told their story, and grandma al got up to speak about emma and about her & grandpa earl's relationship (they also eloped). then, grandpa earl got up to give his speech - what a treat:). after the grandparents had finished, pastor mike and jay got up on the stage. i can't even remember the exact words he said, but the last word i heard was "wedding." at that moment, the doors opened and em walked in with rock and lyn on either side of her (wearing her beautiful silver wedding dress!).

i'll admit it. i lost it - i was just not emotionally prepared to watch my best friend get married. i looked around the room (through my tears) and saw that sarah and ginna were in similar states. we probably looked like we were 6 and someone had shot our beloved pet dog - but we were happy, don't get me wrong:)!! it was a beautiful ceremony, and i am SO glad that i got to be there to see it - and so happy for my emma and jaybird!! - even if they did plan for their pre-elopement party to be a wedding all along and had to tell us 'stories' to make sure we'd be sufficiently surprised (and completely convinced that they really planned to elope!). best secret keepers i've ever seen. wow. and i love them:).

so here are some pictures from the soiree - em looked absolutely stunning:).

em getting her pictures taken before the 'party...'

em and jay - so cute!

surprise!

laura and mr. a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e!

my man:)

me, emma, and sarah

my bff!

my brother:)!

crazy laura wanted to join our family;)...hahaha!

that's right - he's mine:)! and that's jason on the left...

46 days to go til our big day:) - yay!

emma...

2008-06-13T12:20:00.008-05:00

I would like to tell you about my best friend, Emma.

Em and i have been friends for eons. really. we've known each other for at least 20 years, and i have loved every minute of it. in those moments where life seems impossible (or when it is absolutely WONDERFUL), she is the one i call without hesitation. She has survived many a childhood injury at my home (it was always my brother's fault, really:)!), has trekked the anapurna mountains, has milked a cow in romania, and has never hestitated to put on a good pair of footie pajamas in front of a crowd!

when i made the decision to stay in fargo after living in minneapolis for a year (and the day before i was supposed to go back!), em supported me completely. lucky for me (obviously not luck, but you know:)!), she decided to move back to fargo a week later, and we became roommates (along with her sister (and my friend), Beth)! i got to live with her for two years - the best years of my life...and i know i'm only 25, so there are many more to come:)!

my emma is the most faithful friend I will ever have. she has never given up on me, is not afraid to tell me what i need to hear, and always points me towards Jesus. every aspect of her life is an encouragement and challenge to me, and i am so thankful that i have her to go through this adventure with!

em and i will always be friends. i have no doubt that our children will be friends (since we will force them to play together!), and i am so excited for the journey - having em in my life is such a blessing - a true joy - and i absolutely treasure her. she is my best friend and my sister.

my emma is getting married next weekend - and i have been so blessed to get to go through the journey of engagement and marriage with her. she'll be moving to the 'other' side of the state, but she will always be my bff - if you don't know my emma, you should sure meet her - i'm sure you'll see her heart and love her as much as i do!

my father is a pyro...well, not really...

2008-06-13T12:09:00.003-05:00

so when we moved out to our 'farm' 16 years ago or so, there were 3 out-buildings still standing (besides the house that we remodeled). one day, many years ago, my dad set fire to the grainery on the southwest side of the property. i don't think it had a roof anymore, so that was probably a very good idea:). a few years after that, the shed just east of the house that had been serving as a mansion for our cat and dog population met its end via the end of a match as well...but for the last 10 years or so, the barn (aka garage) that sits at the curve in our driveway has stood strong, housing two horses, two dogs, and a plethora of cats. the horses left awhile back...then the dogs moved...and the cats are fairly flexible when it comes to having a place to lay their head. needless to say, when i pulled into my yard saturday night, i discovered that our out-building count was now at zero...

(take note of the charred trees that had previously framed the building)

look, you can see the road!

the house is now visible from the driveway...don't worry, i shut the door to the garage after i took this picture...but i think the water's still there, it's been a wet weather week:S..

it turns out that dad decided saturday was a great day for a fire...so rockey and mason brought over a semi (make that two, they went back for more!) full of water with hoses, and the two of them played firemen while my dad and dustin lit a blaze. i hear that it went up quickly. hmm.

the kittens have migrated to the flower bed. i'm sure they'd migrate to your home if you had an opening;)...

progress phase 2...

2008-06-04T08:41:00.003-05:00

pictures as promised! (sueP was the photog for this)

puppies playing in the driveway..

dad moved the old cement steps with the bobcat...

chainsaw + dead tree falling on barn = firewood!

(looking west from the driveway)

drew & jim & don cut down some big trees!

(looking northwest from the driveway)

more trees down!

(looking north from the backyard)

backyard log pile!

more backyard...

west side of the front yard looking east...grass coming soon!

frontyard looking south..

watching drew and jim take down trees is one of the coolest things ever:). i can't even use a chainsaw, and they are SO good at knowing where to cut, how to cut, when & how to use the bobcat, and every little thing associated with trees. watching them work is pretty awesome:) - i'm quite proud of my man!

happy news:)

2008-06-03T21:25:00.002-05:00

just a quick post to share the highlight of my day: my unbelievably dear friend and kindred spirit, jenn, from baltimore (MD) is going to be flying in for the wedding! my heart is so very happy - it's been more than 3 years since we've seen each other (at our kairos graduation), and i can't wait to see that lovely face:). i just needed to share my excitement with the world:).

FRIDAY!

2008-05-30T09:28:00.004-05:00

Happy Friday!!!!

We're working in the yard tomorrow! I'll try to take some new pictures too. Yay!

Dad and i stopped by the soil conservation tree sale this morning and picked up some new additions to the yard. Maybe these ones will survive:).

yay for the weekend!

progress photos...

2008-05-28T08:34:00.011-05:00

on my way into the office this morning, i remembered to run around the yard with my camera - these are all a work in progress, but if you can imagine that they were all full of dead trees & tall grass & other random things prior to the beginning of this project, so we're pretty geeked to be seeing open space and the look of the fields through the trees:)...

looking east

looking south

west side:)

looking east in the backyard

backyard (aka north side yard?)

looking northwest?

looking west - grass will get planted soon:)

parking lot! yay rockey!

newly pretty western tree grove (thanks drew:)!)

yay for wood piles!

look laura, TWO new ones!

2008-05-27T08:36:00.002-05:00

i can't believe it's tuesday today - it definitely feels like it should still be the weekend:S! i got to watch drew play with re:born in pelican rapids on friday night, and he did a stellar job (i was quite proud to be his girl!!)! on saturday, we tackled the big "R".....registering!

now, for those of you who have not yet had the unbelievably exciting privilege of perusing your favorite store with a symbol gun in one hand and your list of what "not to forget" in the other, i can't begin to tell you what you're missing. haha:) - it's actually a definite challenge and something that's nowhere near as simple as i thought it would be. in the end, we had fun, it's done, and now we get to work on invitations;)! yay!

we also managed to get the garden planted yesterday, and had the whole fam out to the house for fajitas and playing in the dirt (while it was FREEZING outside!!!)...i'll post pictures of the garden's progress, because i know you will all be sitting on the edge of your seat waiting for the latest sprout to pop up:). maybe i'll also get around to taking pictures of our slowly transforming yard! there's a thought...

in the end, i am definitely excited and honored to be marrying this man - there's no one better for me:). so praise Jesus for getting to "live life" with him! yay!

wheatfields

2008-05-22T19:04:00.002-05:00

okay, so now that Laura has discovered this little blog of ours, I'm feeling compelled to actually write unbelievably profound and interesting entries. unfortunately, i know that i don't have near the blogging skills of laura or karen, so i'll just putter around here and narrate the reality show that is our lives:).

plans for the wedding come together a bit more every day! drew & jim brought out the bobcat and chainsaws last saturday and did some major damage (the good kind) to our yard project! it now appears that, after 16 years, we have a REAL YARD!!! woohoo! my parents & i spend most evenings during the week out in the yard - dad with a chainsaw, mom & i with brute strength, the lawn mower, and the DR trimmer. definitely the life:).

one more little fun note of the day - one of my most favorite people on the planet, rockey, was so absolutely thoughtful and planted 2 acres of wheat adjacent to our property on the east. why is wheat thoughtful? well, by august 9th, the wheat will be harvested and we will have a parking lot!! the rest of the field will be planted with corn, but that guy was kind enough to carve a little corner of wheat out of his cornfield:) - yay!

chainsaws, bobcats, and purple gloves...

2008-05-13T09:08:00.003-05:00

well, since we decided to have the wedding in my parent's yard, we've all been more than a little motivated to get out there and do the 16 years of tree-clearing, dirt-moving, and grass-cutting that we've been putting off:). i've decided to write a book about the BEST pre-wedding workout system - yardwork! seriously though, outside of the unfortunate scratches and bruises from falling trees, it could actually work;)!

once i get the time to sit down and fiddle with this thing, i'll get some more interesting wedding details up:) - right now, it's time to get back to work (at the office, not in the yard:)!).