Extreme Makeover...Kitchen Eidtion!!

Tomorrow is a day 12 years in the making. A day full of excitement, mystery, and anxiety. Tomorrow, contractors start remodeling our kitchen!! Floor, cabinets, counter tops, windows, everything goes. In about 8 weeks, walking in through the garage door will feel like walking into a completely different house. We have spent the past couple of weeks emptying everything from our kitchen area... and I mean everything. And I took a few pictures so we can look back and remember what once was. Not that we would want to. I mean who would want to remember an ugly L- shaped counter-top, over crowded cabinets, and a linoleum floor that NEVER looked clean??

Winter Wonderland??

I have never wanted Spring to come as much as I do now. I usually have no problem with winter. In fact, I would rather be cold than hot. And snow is one of Mother Nature's most beautiful creations. But as we wait, expecting our ninth winter storm since late December tomorrow, enough is enough. My car was such an ice ball the other day that I could barely scrape it off after running the heat for over ten minutes. Finally, on my way home from work hours later, ice from the roof slid down in big chunks on to my windshield obstructing most of my view. Even worse, a few days before that, a chuck of snow or ice fell on my mother's head as we left a local store. Luckily, she wasn't hurt but it could have been really bad.
So Mother Nature, consider this my plea to send Spring unto me before I head South to never catch snow in my mouth.

Habits Die Hard

Someone told me today that your 20's is the time when you build the habits that stay with you the rest of your life. If that is true, than the rest of my life will be spent coming home from work, plopping on the couch and pretty much not moving until I drag myself upstairs only to go to bed. No wonder I gained 6 pounds this year. Naturally, I do not want to die a fat, old couch potato. In fact, I found myself looking up local gym prices. Is it worth spending around $50-$60 dollars to run on a treadmill 5 days a week? Who knows, I might learn to use other equipment, or even meet new people. All in all, it is worth it. Here we go!!

2011!!!

Go to the gym 3 times a week, build the new edition on the house, fall in love.
I usually do not make New Year's resolutions. I'm sure part of it is because, in most cases, they don't work out, but it's mostly because I never wanted anything bad enough to resolve to do it indefinitely. 2011, however, is a year I want to be in my heart till I'm too old to remember anything, so I made a few resolutions.

1: Check off at least two things off my bucket list
2: Get a publisher to read my children's stories
3: Find a full-time job
4: Drive on the highway
5: Read at least 2 or 3 books a month


I have read that is better to not share your resolutions with anyone because sometimes once you say it out loud, you feel you have completed the task. But I think of these more as goals than resolutions so I won't kick myself if they are not completed by December 31st, 2011!!

I hope everyone has a safe and happy new year. Make it one to remember!!

Tissue??

I don't know why, but I'm not one of those people who cry at movies or books. I was probably one of the only people who didn't cry at the end of "Marley and Me." It has always bothered me because I am not a robot. I do get upset, I just don't shed tears. But in the end, there is nothing I can really do about it, if I don't cry I don't cry.
To my surprise, I was reading "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks and towards the end of the book, there is a scene between a son and a father that honestly made me shed a couple tears. Now, I know Sparks is known to up tissue sales, but I have read...and watched... a few of his books and... nothing. I don't know what it was about "The Last Song," but it got the best of me. Now I am positive I am not a robot!!

A Thief In The Night

'Twas 18 nights before Christmas
And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring...
Except for a mouse.
Stealing my dogs treats
And hiding them around the house!!

True story:
After dinner, my mom was cleaning up the kitchen. She went into a drawer to get a dish towel and found dog treats in there. I had seen them in there the night before, but forgot to mention it to my parents when they got home. Immediately, my mom and I assume my dad put them there so he wouldn't have to go into the laundry room every night to get the dog treats before he went to bed. About an hour later, he came home and swore it was not him, claiming there was almost a full box the night before. Freaked out, we started investigating. Did someone sleepwalk and not remember it? Was one of us playing a trick on the others? Suddenly, my mom and I remembered hearing scratching under the stove and few days ago, so out of curiosity, we went into the laundry room to look for mouse droppings where the bones used to be. Sure enough, we had a deuce. Actually, a lot of tiny deuces.
A theory in place, my dad puts the treats back in the box in the laundry to see what would happen over night. The sun rose this morning, the treats were completely gone, we still have no idea where they are!!

God Bless The USA by Lee Greenwood

In honor of Veteran's Day, I wanted to post the video to my favorite patriotic song, "God Bless The U.S.A." by Lee Greenwood. I can't imagine living in any other country and I want to show my appreciation for those men and women who have fought, and are continuting to fight, to keep us safe and free. I wish I was half as brave as you are. Thank you!!!!