Brightening up my day

This morning, the day was quickly becoming one of "those" days.  Numerous things, all minor, were piling up and making me miserable.  I called my husband to whine, while driving through the slushly, nasty snow.  I vented, and whined, and was not as nice as I could have been.  Then I called my mom, and whined to her.  I finally got to work, and I whined to my co-workers.

And then, I got a phone call to come to the front desk for a delivery.

My hubby had sent me these...



And suddenly, the day was brighter.

Now, we just need to remember to put in our request for the beach house in July, and life will be better.

Things I'm currently enjoying...

Wow, where do the days go? I have a half dozen posts started, but don't seem to be getting them done. Argh.

That said, here a few things I've found that I love...

Ryan at Pacing the Panic Room did a cool maternity series when his wife Cole was pregnant...and now he has a new one going for a client.  I love this whole concept in general, but the walk along the street adds something even cooler to it.  I enjoy his other writing as well!

Amanda at Soule Mama.  The beauty and simplicity of her photos...wow.

Moleskine notebooks and the blog related to all things Moleskine.  I love that they have "hacks" and displays of so many cool uses.  I hacked one of mine into a calendar and I'm actually keeping up with it.  I love them, love them, love them.

What are you enjoying?

Happy 14th of February...

This morning dawned bright and early...before the sun rose. At 5:30 this morning PB was crying hard in the bathroom with sharp pains in her lower abdomen and right lower back. After a quick discussion with a friend that used to be a nurse in our Pediatricians office, off to the ER room we went. I'm a night owl...I stay up way to late, and last night was no different. I was working on 5 or so hours of sleep...the roads still had large chunks of ice and it was freezing cold outside. And while driving there, she started singing along with the radio. A quick check confirmed that her pain threshold had lowered.

We rolled into the ER at 6:05, and were immediately triaged and placed in a room. Hope sprang into my heart. Oh, but it shouldn't have. Shift change occured, and apparently the overnight doctor was waiting for them to come in before seeing any new patients. The overnight nurse asked for a sample, and no one came to test it until the next shift came on. Finally at 8:30, the doctor came in, and he was very nice. Of course, by this time she was no longer in pain. The quick test came back negative for any UTI's. So after an exam, it was determined it was probably a muscle spasm or such,and we were finally sent home. We got home and I immediately left to pick up Bug from her return trip from Florida.

Brunch, gifts, school projects and valentines with Monster. Grocery shopping, dishes, laundry, cooking dinner. It was never ending, and I'm exhausted.

But my hubby did good and bought me a new piece of jewelry. And I did good and scheduled us to go get massages.

I hope you had a great 14th of February...I'm going to go to bed a little earlier tonight.

Let it snow? NO!

For those of you that have lived under a rock for the last two weeks, it's snowed a little here in the Mid-Atlantic states this year. Our first big snowstorm came in December, a week or so before Christmas. Then again the second weekend in January. Again the last weekend of January, then the Blizzards hit. Over last weekend, we received approximately 3 feet of snow. No, that isn't a typo. 3 feet.



Hubby and I spent 3 hours Sunday shoveling our driveway and sidewalk, while the kids played hard in the yard. We created a small hill with all the snow, and they used skim boards to slide down. Schools and businesses closed Monday to allow people to finish all the shoveling and plowing. And then hubby was called to work.


Tuesday I worked from home in the morning, as the kids didn't have school again. Then we went shopping for last minute storm items...food and activities. As we came home that evening, the plows had finally come through, making it so we had to shovel our driveway out again. Then we all came in and prepared for the next wave. Wednesday morning I woke up early, ready to go to work. I looked out and there was an inch or two of new snow on the ground, but it didn't look so bad. I checked and found out work and schools were closed, so I went back to bed. I woke up a couple of hours later to our second blizzard. It was white outside...the house across the street was just a shadow through the snow! By late that night, another foot and half of snow had fallen. Schools announced they would be closed until next Tuesday, and work was closed.


Thursday dawned, and out I went to shovel. This time I was all alone, as hubby was still at work. 2 hours later, and the car was free and a spot was available for whenever he could finally get home. But the state was still in a State of Emergency and travel restrictions weren't lifted until 6 pm, so it was another day at home.

Finally on Friday hubby got to come home, and I went into work. I was never so excited to go to work...it was nice to talk to other adults again!

Now they're predicting another wave to hit Monday night, and possibly more next week. I'm so sick of snow. We are usually lucky to get a few feet the whole winter, and normally not until this time of year...and I know we aren't the only ones. Currently there is snow on the ground in 49 of the 50 states. But I really can't wait for spring to get here...I'm dreaming of sandy beaches and warm breezes!

DIY - Jewelry Holder

In the last few years, I've developed a fondness for accessories...purses, shoes and jewelry. They can really make an outfit, and generally (with the exception of shoes) size doesn't really matter. I have quite a few shoes, although compared to many closets I've seen on House Hunters, I don't have many at all...lol. I have a dozen or so purses. But I have a ton of jewelry. I have a few pieces of nice, expensive jewelry that I keep in a jewelry armoire. But my day to day jewelry needed a better organization system. It was too big to add to the armoire, and not accessible enough. So, I decided to create my own system.

First, we found these great door pulls and hanging bars from Ikea (OMG, I love Ikea. Really, it's a sickness.)

Then, I purchased a length of board from a home improvement center and had my husband cut it down to 6 inch strips, and he drilled the appropriate holes for the handles to attach.  He even fixed the back so the screws would be flush on the back.  If I wasn't so impatient, he would have added strips to the back so that they could hang flush on the wall.  But I'm impatient and didn't want to wait more days.

After all the items were together, I painted all the wood.  It was easier to paint than to try and match it, and it was cheap wood, so I don't feel too bad about painting it. 

Hmmm, just let me take a moment here to mourn the loss of my cheap Iraqi docking station.  Sadly, it was no match for my son...sigh.

Anyway, these are for my room as well as my daughters room.  I love the colors here...so cheerful!  Once the paint was dry, I simply screwed the pulls on, and added a hanger on the back.  I also chose to add ribbon to make it cuter, as you can see in the after pics below.




For the earring holder, I used an idea I found somewhere using Mr. Google.  I'm sorry I forgot to book mark the site, but there were lots of them out there anyway.  I simply put screen over the glass of a picture frame, and a piece of scrapbook paper behind it.  You could also put fabric back there.  Then simply slip the earrings through the holes of the screen.  I hang my post earrings through a piece of ribbon below. 

I love this system.  My jewelry is always accesible and visible now, and it looks pretty as well!

Grace in small thing, version 2, #4

I'm going to start posting my grace in small things post separately from any other post.

Today my grace is my family, and the safety and security I've been able to givve them.

Sorrows

For so many, 2009 was a hard and difficult year.  Jobs, houses, cars were lost.  People struggled.  We struggled with my husband being gone and his return, but mostly life was okay.  The last part of 2009 and first month of 2010 have shown me so much sorrow.  From our friends passing in October, so many more sad things have happened.  It helps to put your life into shocking perspective.

In December, a pediatrician in a local town was arrested on charges of child molestation.   The things that have come out are sickening and shocking.  Knowing that you've driven past that office, wondered about the crazy stuff all over, that brings it even closer to home. 

Right before Christmas, a young girl was abducted from her home where she lived with her aunt.  The aunt's ex-boyfriend, a known sex offender, took the little girl.  Police apprehended the suspect quickly, but it took them several days to locate her, and when they finally found her on Christmas day, she had been killed.  This hit everyone hard...she is the same age as PB, and from all accounts a happy little girl. 

There have been several attempted abductions in our school district in the last few months.  All have happened when children were walking home alone, either from the school or the bus stop.  Luckily, all the kids ran, yelled or resisted and were able to get away.  But it feels like a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off.  PB and Monster never ride the bus, as they go to school on the Air Base and I have to take them since we no longer live there.  But occasionally Bug has to walk a short distance from the bus stop.  She is 16, and almost an adult, but it still concerns me.  We've talked to our kids, and make sure our house is locked and the alarm set if we aren't home, or if they are home without us.  And we try not to live in fear, but are definitely more cautious.

And lastly is this little boy.  Ethan's dad works at the same agency as I do, and although I don't know him well, I can not imagine the hell he has been living for the last 14 months.  Unfortunately, it appears as if his time with Ethan is very short, and it breaks my heart. 

I read a quote on a pop bands web page recently that related to how fast our kids are growing up these days.  DDS and I have always tried to find a balance between allowing our kids to be children, while also instilling personal responsibility and an appropriate level of maturity in them.  I'm finding it harder and harder to allow them some of the freedoms they need to grow, wanting instead to shelter them here at home. It's not always easy, but I'm trying.

Busy little bee

In the last week, I've travelled to Baltimore, watched my husband look at a car while the guy selling blew up the motor, was overwhelmed at Barnes & Noble, got several DIY projects done here at home (a post coming about one of those), made breakfast for a week (recipe coming for this), made potato soup out of 15 lbs of potatos for work, went to bellydancing class, plus all the other things our life needs done daily.  I'm pooped.

Today we did a soup sale to raise funds for Haiti.  Our little section of 95 people managed to raise over $600...10 types of soup, donated bread and breadsticks, sold out in 20 minutes.  It was an awesome turnout with some delicious food.  And although it doesn't seem like much, it's something.

I've also started dabbling with learning code (finally...I know) so my site will hopefully begin to look better soon.  Maybe.  We'll see.

not a good start

Two weeks in, and my laptop is in the shop again.  I'm slowly dying without all my favorites.  I know there are places I want to check in, but can't remember them all.  My pictures, my photoshop, my itunes.  I'm dying. 

I have been using the time to work on my long time goal of learning how to redo my blog myself.  I really need a better looking blog design. I want to update my blogroll and make some changes, but I'm too poor (and cheap) to pay someone to fix up my hobby.  The sparse amount of money I get from this blog isn't enough to justify it at this time.

I was so cranky yesterday.  I have a post brewing about loss, and I kept trying to remember how blessed I am.  But it was really difficult.  Today was better, but I still felt the crankiness trying to sneak back.

We purchased a Wii Fit Plus this weekend.  I love it.  I love that I can get some exercise while having fun.  And the games aer pure silliness. 

And there is more.  But that's it for today.

Oh, blessing for today.

The ability and funds to have a nice haircut and order a pair of boots I've wanted for a while (on sale).  So many can't afford to have niceties, and I'm blessed that I can.

And the birthday/holiday frenzy ends for a few more months...

Today was my MIL's birthday.  My SIL was taking her out to dinner, and we joined them, then drug her over to the big box home improvement store, not telling her where she was going or why.  While there, we bought her a new dishwasher.  It was probably better than a diamond ring.  Hubby took it to her house and hooked up while I came home and got the kids ready for bed.  He said she jumped up and down and squealed like PB when it was all done.  That is the best money we've spent in a while.  It was nice being able to do something for a member of the family that has always done for us. 

Happy Birthday, Nana.

Grace in Small Things #2 - The joy a heartfelt gift can bring, and the joy you get from watching that other person's happiness.

cleaning out the old

We have been on a major decluttering kick around here for the last few months, and it's continuing on today. As the Christmas decorations are removed, there is a realization that there are some things we've outgrown. They don't fit with our decorating scheme, and they don't hold the meaning for me that I thought they did. So some will go on ebay, and some will go to Goodwill. And our house will be a bit less cluttered for it.

The outside decorations may take a bit to come down...it's bitter cold outside, and DDS is on his way to pick up Bug from the airport.

I've slept way too much during the last week. Apparently I needed the sleep, as I'm just now starting to not yawn my way through the day. Hopefully I don't wipe out this week of sleep too quickly.

I'm not resolved...but I'm counting my blessings.

So it's a few days into the New Year, and all over the internet people are posting their resolutions. This year, I'm not. I'm not posting, because I'm not resolving. I'm simply going to keep living life, loving my babies and my husband, and trying to live the healthiest and simplest life possible. This isn't anything new for me, so it isn't a resolution. It's the journey I chose several years ago, and sometimes I'm awesome at it, and sometimes I'm not. That's life, and I've learned to go with the tides.

The year of travel will continue. In the next three weeks, we will be in both NYC and Baltimore. We already have a spring trip to DC scheduled. DDS has to travel for work three or four times in the next 6 months, and we (or just I) may be meeting him some to explore new areas. I'm excited that our children are finally at ages to appreciate and enjoy exploring with us.

Projects will be completed, new projects started, days spent at home, days spent away. Every day I will awake and try to be the best person I can. Some days I will fail, and that's okay. My overall goal is to have more days that I succeed.

Happy 2010. I hope that we all enjoy each day we are given, and each blessing that falls in every day.

I'm going to modify my grace in small thing posting, and simply look for one thing...one blessing. And today, January 2nd, will be my first posting. I'm going to shoot for posting at least 4 a week, and if I manage more, great! My ultimate goal will be to have over 200 by the end of the year.

Today my grace is the ability to enjoy my family, and my friends. Bowling with my husband and youngest two kidlins was pleasant and fun. Then a night out with my friends that included good food and great conversation. That is a bountiful blessing!

He just gets better...

Today is my hubby's 39th birthday.  For so many years, he would get the "here's for Christmas and your birthday" speech from his relatives (not his mom and dad), and that just irks me.  So I try every year to make sure he has separate gifts for both.  Which would be easier to do if he didn't want such big expensive gifts...lol.

So today (or tomorrow...we are being total laze abouts here today.) we will be going to purchase a heater for his garage.  Then he has a place to go to escape the crazy teenage girls we have living in this house.

Next year, we remodel that garage and create your favorite place to be.

I love you.  Hope you enjoy your day all day today.  And quit stressing about age...it's just a number, and we all know that you are only as mature as 29 instead!

Woot!

My hubby is my hero. My laptop screen went wonky a few weeks ago, and the Geek Squad couldn't fix it, but he persevered and now it's good as new.  Let's hope that I actually find some time to blog now!  I have  story about the doctor's office today, the frustration with my car, Christmas thoughts...got to get moving!

(Broken) stuff happens

(I started this post a few months ago, and am now finally posting it.)

So the last few months have been a little busy around here, but the last month has really kicked my butt.  And today I'm reaching my breaking point.

About a month ago, my power steering started to randomly go out in my car.  My sweet little Chevy HHR that is only 3 years old.  I was annoyed, because of course the warranty expired this summer.  We called the dealership and made arrangements to bring it in for repair.  The morning we were due to take it in, we found almost an inch of water on our passenger side floorboards, and the back seat was soaked.  We took it in, and they called later that day to say that they found the leaves that were blocking a drain, and the car was better. We agreed to pay for them to clean the car so that the stains would be gone, and the mold and mildew wouldn't fester.  The car had to stay there for a few days to have this done and have time to dry out in their bay.

A couple of days after retrieving the car, the power steering starts going out again.  Call the dealership, take the car in.  Two days go by, and they finally call to let us know that they have to replace the power steering motor/computer.  They quote us almost $500.  I was very frustrated, as the car isn't really old enough for these things to need replacing.  So DDS gets on the web, then calls the Chevy customer car line.  They agree that this is unfortunate, and agree to split the cost of the repair.  I'm still annoyed, but at least feel as if they are taking care of us.  A few days later, we find this article, and now I'm not so pleased.  They call us to pick it up, and only charge us around $125.  So we pay it, and move along.  But now, I want to know why this wasn't a recall.

A few days go by, and a heavy rain came, and more water was found.  We called the dealership and made another appointment.  They sealed the area they thought the water was coming in through, and a day later we picked it up. 

Fast forward a few more days...come out of the house at 6:45 in the morning and it's pouring.  Get in the car with the three kids, and all of us automatically check the floorboards...1/2 inch of water.  Drop the kids off, and head straight to the dealership.  Body shop guy comes out, says, "oh, we didn't realize it was coming in back here", even though we kept trying to tell them that.  Make another appointment.  Take the car in on the appointed day. 

They called my husband that night.  They basically apologize out the wazoo, and state that after "testing to see where the water was coming in, and seeing how much and how fast, I'm suprised you were that patient."

All together, they only charged us $40 for the leaking.  But we paid a lot for the detailing, and that bit for power steering.  And I'm still not sure it's done leaking, because we haven't been able to get it truly dry to see if it's still leaking.  But there aren't pools of water anymore, and I still love my little car. 

Of course, during this time, lots of other things broke.  My laptop screen broke.  We took it to a blue and yellow store who accepted it, charged us $40, and then gave it back saying they couldn't get any parts for the brand and couldn't fix it (couldn't you have just not taken my $40 to begin with?) My husband was finally able to take it apart and fix it for $40 worth of parts (my hero!).  Several other things broke during this time as well, and I was greatly frustrated.  I'm hoping 2010 is much better.

What to say

I'm having a hard time working blogging into my life lately.  I'm busy at work, super busy at home, and in the last week things have been starting to have "issues" all over the place.  We had to take my car into the shop, my laptop is being all angsty, and so on...it's enough to make a girl cry. 

One of my favorite bloggy people, Mrs. Wilson, took down her blog...SOB.  Thank goodness I can still follow her in a few other locations.  I'll miss you though!

Ahhhhh....

DDS and I escaped to the mountains this past weekend and had a wonderful time away from it all.  No kids, no family, no cooking, cleaning or remodeling.  It was very nice.  We enjoyed the nice fall weather, beautiful scenery, and remembering the last time we were in this same place.  All in all, a very good weekend away.

Now it's back to the grind...time to finish all the remodelling and room changing going on here at casa de lang.

Taking a breather

It sounds like a cliche, but I've been so busy living life, I haven't been writing.  I haven't been on Twitter, my facebook status gets updated only every few days, and I'm not even really reading blogs.  A big part of it is the basement remodel, which I will have pics to share soon.  On top of that, we've had a birthday party, work, an honor's dinner for DDS, and numerous other things to handle.  I'm tired, and escaping with my hubby for the weekend sounds glorious...which is what we are going to do.  I'm hoping to dig out by Thanksgiving and find my house again.

Too much...

I am on complete overload.  Our friend was buried today, and Thursday another member of our guard family will be laid to rest.  She had not been deployed with my husband, but was still a part of the Signal Corp and worked with many of these soldiers.  These people are way to young to leave us, and the shockwaves are buffeting us all.  To go to a war zone for a year and have no major injuries or loss of life, and to come home and experience two in a month is insane.  I dread opening my military email, or hearing my husband answer the phone to a co-worker, worried that it's another call.  And I'm trying to comfort him when I don't have the words to say.  I know that time will begin to heal, but I see it taking some time. 

In the meantime, we have taken on a huge endeavor to update our basement family/craft room.  Paint and moving furniture has been therapeutic, and I'm trying to ignore the complete disaster my house is at this time.  I guess I should try to finish putting clothes away tonight, seeing as how I still have my suitcase from Disney lying on my floor with clothing still in it.

Good night all. 

Arlington

Our friends funeral service is tomorrow.  I've been sitting her tonight looking through all the pictures our friends and his wife have posted on Facebook, and the tears just won't stop.  Not for him...he's beyond pain and unhappiness, no matter what you believe happens after death.  But for his wife and kids.  Tomorrow will be a long day, as his service is in another state, so there is travel in addition to the service itself.

He will be buried in Arlington next week.  I most likely won't attend that ceremony.  It feels weird to say that I will know someone buried in Arlington.  This song by Trace Adkins keeps running through my head.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WB76cYS8Ehw