crazy times

So this week has been totally crazy. I was gone almost every day, and then a friend from out of town came to visit for a couple of days. So, busy times… but good times! I’ve been so absolutely depressed over the long cold winter we’re enduring, so it’s been great to get out more and just keep busy! Today warmed up a little, at least it wasn’t –25!! But I could totally handle a hot day on the beach by now.

One highlight since I last posted… last Saturday Tech Guy took me out on a hot date to the big city. We rode up the Tower and ate at this really expensive steakhouse called Saltlik. We had these incredible pancetta-wrapped scallops on barley risotto for appetizers, then I ordered skirt steak (drizzled with 8 yr aged balsamic and veal jus, served with roasted potato and charred tomato, shaved parmesan and micro aragula), Tech Guy had the Bodacious Rib-eye (with citrus rosemary butter and skinny fries). And we finished off with this yummy chocolate pudding cake with ice cream and mixed berry sauce. So good, and so very expensive but totally worth it to be just us for a whole evening!

on new things

This is what’s occupying our minds while the weather’s still cold… our friends are packing up and flying to warmer climates for a week here and there, but we realized we were sacrificing some of that when we started building this house 2 years ago!! And miraculously it came together pretty well – next week we celebrate 1 year of living in our new home! I really can’t believe it’s been that long…

So, a little update on our basement. We hired a good friend (who’s also a contractor) to come and give us some advice and input on how to complete our basement and talk costs, etc. He will probably help us get started but Tech Guy wants to save money by doing a lot of the work himself. We are so glad we can do that! We knew we could never afford to hire the whole basement out right now, but if we cut a few corners and leave some of the finishing details for later, we’ll be okay. One thing we never realized when we built 2 bedrooms on main, is how much night company we’d end up having! With no immediate family living right here, we seem to have overnight guests twice a month or more. We will definitely be glad for the added rooms downstairs!

So I have been dreaming and planning… thinking up paint colors and window treatments and bathroom ideas. We’d like to keep the basement color scheme flowing with the main floor but thought maybe we’d throw in black trim for a different feel. This basement was our inspiration. What do you think?

then there were 4

After a nice little break… a night out at our favorite suite hotel and Family Day @ Chuck E Cheese’s yesterday, we are finally back to a family of four! We’re gonna miss having little Rocco around, but it’s good to be just us again too. His parents had a great time in a warm climate and I should be jealous but I’m not. Amazingly! The reason? We are planning to start work on completing our basement. Yay!!!! I’m so enthused, we’ve only lived in here a year and I always imagined it would be 5-10 years before the basement would get finished so I’m stoked!! We’re planning on  making the 1575 sq ft into a den, rec room, guest bedroom, home office, storage room, furnace room and cold room. I cannot wait!! So there’s a lot of work ahead… this week I have to tackle cleaning out the basement to make room. Fortunately I’ve done enough decluttering lately that we have basically no extra junk hanging around, so my job will be that much easier!

love, in 25 things

For my hubby on Valentines Day, here’s a list of 25 reason I love you, in no particular order…

1. You share my love of gourmet cooking

2. You appreciate my taste in decor

3. You take Buster skating and have so much patience with him

4. You think I’m beautiful

5. You are the father of my kids

6. You read the boys a Bible story every night

7. You love God

8. You share that love with others

9. You have a great sense of humor

10. You share with me your hopes and dreams

11. You encourage me in my pursuits

12. You let me buy your clothes =)

13. You give me space when I need it

14. You love to socialize

15. You appreciate my taste in clothes

16. You don’t pressure me to lose weight

17. You give great massages

18. You sacrifice so much to help others as a firefighter

19. You don’t ever complain about going to work to support us

20. You love taking us on impromptu weekenders

21. You’re incredibly smart and tech-savvy

22. You have a great family

23. You look for the best in people

24. You know how to relax

25. You’re a great listener

spanish

One of my smaller regrets in parenting is not writing down more of those cute toddler comments! And now that my boys say pretty much everything, it’s a little late… but yesterday Noodle sent me into gales of laughter again when he came to me asking for a “Spanish”.

Me: You want a what?

Noodle: A Spanish!

Me: A Spanish what?

Noodle: A Spanish bun!

Me: A… Spanish…bun?

Noodle: Yup!

Me: Oh, you mean an English muffin?

Noodle: Yup!

Me: (dissolving into giggles…)

stylin’

I’ve always wondered exactly what my decorating style is. When we were planning our house, how to build, what colors to paint, what kind of lighting, cabinets, etc. I had so many ideas floating in my head! I couldn’t decide if I was modern, contemporary, or transitional… or even something else altogether. The only thing I knew, I didn’t want country… a little too much florals and burgundy in my lifetime! Today I found a fun little quiz to find out your decorating style. Lots of eye candy involved, and it informed me that my style is mid-century mod. Which actually is true… why else would my favorite colors include celery and avocado greens and orange? But most of the time I’m not brave enough to actually fill my house with some of those pieces… Not too mention the cost of buying all new furniture! So I’d say my actual house falls more in the line of transitional or urban country (oxymoron, I know!). Although I love the fresh white, my own house is more gold and red and black with the bathrooms in fresh retro themes of bright sassy green, and pale aqua. So I say, it doesn’t really matter what your “style” is… fill your home with things you love, that make you happy… and don’t worry about the official term!

These photos are all courtesy of Linda Hallam and can be found here as well.

three’s a crowd?

One thing I’ve forgotten to mention, is this week I’ve been taking care of my not-quite-2-year-old nephew Rocco. All week… actually 8 days. There have been great moments (lots) and some frustrating moments (a few) but as a whole I think we’re making out just fine. I’m discovering that it’s tougher getting everyone out the door to an appointment, and that an only child and the “baby” from 2 different families can go head-to-head like no other. Noodle had some major insecurities yesterday so I ended up holding and hugging a lot. I don’t think that actually hurt anybody!! We went to Play & Art like usual, only a good 45 minutes late, and I thought Rocco would love it but he just wanted to be held. Buster and Noodle made the crafts, gluing construction paper hearts onto a strip of paper and creating a headband. The snack was Valentines Day themed as well… mini cupcakes with pink icing and heart sprinkles. One little rhyme they’ve learned has become a favorite with all the kids and goes like this:

Three cheeky monkeys sitting in a tree
Teasing Mr Crocodile
You can’t catch me,
Along comes Mr Crocodile as quiet as can be and,
SNAP! Monkey for Tea! 
Two cheeky monkeys…
…One cheeky monkey….
…No more cheeky monkeys sitting in a tree.

This weeks turnout was 19 kids and last weeks was 25. We’re hoping they can extend the Play & Art program because of the great attendance (you have to remember this is a pretty small town!), and today  was the last scheduled one. Next week they’re hosting a Mini Chefs course for the kids so I signed up for that as well.

great kids’ giveaway

I know I mentioned before how I love the toys that make your child think… as opposed to those that require batteries and a mindless pushing of buttons. Well, I found the coolest giveaway today… that features 3 of the greatest toys by HearthSong. Head on over to SimpleKids and get your entry in!

why don’t we have time, huh?

i believe that…

(I got this in an email last week from my 18-year-old sister-in-law. On Friday she attended a funeral for 2 sisters, aged 18 and 21, who were killed instantly in a car wreck. When you read this, remember how important it is to live today… tomorrow doesn’t come for some people.)

A birth certificate shows that we were born, a death certificate shows that we died, and pictures show that we lived.....have a seat, relax, and read this slowly.

I Believe...

That just because two people argue,

it doesn't mean they don't love each other. 
And just because they don't argue, 
doesn't mean they do love each other.

I Believe...
That we don't have to change friends if 
we understand that friends change.

I Believe...
That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe...
That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance.

Same goes for true love.

I Believe... 
That you can do something in an instant 
that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe....
That it's taking me a long time 
to become the person I want to be.

I Believe.....
That you should always leave loved ones with 
loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe... 
That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe....
That we are responsible for what 
we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe...
That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...
That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...
That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe...
That my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.

I Believe...
That sometimes the people you expect to kick you When you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry,  
but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe....
That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had,

and what you've learned from them.....and less to do with how many

birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.

Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe...
That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...
That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, 
but we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...
That you shouldn't be so eager to find 
out a secret. It could change your life Forever.

I Believe...
Two people can look at the exact same 
thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...
That your life can be changed in a matter of 
hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...
That even when you think you have no more to give, if 
a friend cries out to you.........you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...
That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe...
That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I Believe.....
That you should send this to all of the people that you believe in. I just did.

The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; 
They just make the most of everything.

mini chefs

My boys love to cook. They love playing with toy kitchens, they love hovering in the kitchen at mealtime, they love playing with play dough. I have dreamed of buying them an awesome kitchen like this one or this one, but somehow I can’t justify paying the hefty price for something they will use only for a few short years. Today I stumbled upon a great idea which would cost me, oh, maybe $10 total and they would enjoy just as much. The thing to remember with kids is, keep it simple (and cheap!) because they tire of things so quickly! Here’s the inspiring site I found, and this is the great idea… What do you think?

 

 

let there be light…

Do you ever feel like there are issues that don’t seem to have a right or wrong answer? And I’m not talking deep spiritual issues right now, just little stuff like Should your baby sleep on their tummy and risk suffocation or on their back and risk choking on spit up? Okay so that’s maybe a bad example of a “little” issue. But still…

We thought we were being so energy-conscious, environmentally friendly and frugal by putting mostly CFL bulbs in our light fixtures when we moved into our new house. Now we read articles like this one, and we wonder. Mercury? Really? Although it does clarify that it’s mostly an issue if you break a bulb, which has yet to happen in this household. So which is more important, energy savings or a healthy family? And how do I know if this mercury scare is for real?

Sometimes a girl just wants answers…

clean and happy

Yes, I am admittedly a clean freak. I don’t exactly love the act of cleaning, but nothing makes me smile like a perfectly spotless house! And yeah, that doesn’t really happen when there’s more than, say, one person in a household. But this morning I had a bunch of friends over with their kids for a girls party/playdate and I spent a lot of time getting ready and cleaning for it. So right now I actually have a pretty clean house, right down to the closets since I’ve been doing a huge purge lately. Recently I downloaded Tsh’s Spring Cleaning for Normal People eBook over at Simple Mom. I’d owned it previously but it must have gotten deleted when Tech Guy recently updated our computers to Windows 7. Anyway this book is awesome because it tells you how to keep up with cleaning so you don’t have to spring clean! Love it! All you do is pay $7 for the eBook and download it straight to your computer, where you can print it off if you want… but if you’re like me it’ll just add to your clutter so electronic is just fine! And does it say something about me that Simple Mom is one of my favorite sites? I’m an organizing junkie, clean freak, declutterer, and the list could go on…

What makes you smile? How do you handle the daily clutter and mess of family life? I’d love to hear from you!

margi needs…

…psychiatric help??! This looked like a fun game to play, so I’m following Vicki’s lead. All you do is google “(your name) needs” and see what kind of results you come up with. Apparently pretty much everyone sharing my name out there spells it “Margie” so I didn’t get a lot of hits, but here’s a few:

Margi needs…

…the constant attention of slaves

…zoomed video!

…to stay in touch

…to be a bit more convincing

…a photo to post (there goes my privacy act!)

it starts with me

Change. It’s a word I shrink from. I like my routine, my carefully ordered life to stay just the way it is. I don’t want to make a scene or create chaos. I shy away from confrontations. My temperament wants to blend in, to be like everyone else. Even if I sometimes compromise my own conscience.

As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been doing a lot of deep thinking lately. Something happened recently that pulled me out of my shell and made me face the fact that I am, in fact, in a situation that I cannot hide or blend in. A scandal, if you want to call it that. Not directly involving me, but someone very close to me. It’s dug deep, it’s exposed all the feelings that I’ve hidden and tried to ignore. And something has been brought to my attention.

Relationships are very important.

I know, not big news, but sometimes you need a slap in the face to realize the change that needs to happen. I have been the target of gossip, and I know how it hurts. It’s not the way I would have chosen but it has (mostly) cured me of the desire to gossip about my neighbor. It has given me an empathy for the people I meet on the street. And most of all, it has given me the desire to “be the change I wish to see in the world” (Mahatma Gandhi)

Change starts with me. I can sit here and complain all day long about how my peers at church aren’t friendly, my husband isn’t even trying to understand me, or my best friend isn’t around enough. I can gripe about my mother-in-law, the neighbor’s daughter or my pastor. But a relationship cannot change until I decided to be that change. Sometimes it takes honest confrontation, humility to go to that person (you know which one!) and say, “Look, something’s wrong here and I want to resolve it. I take full responsibility for my part. Let’s put the past behind us.”

It’s hard. But I can tell you, it really does work. And you may find friends in very unexpected places…

time

One of the messages we heard during our recent evangelical meetings was entitled Redeeming the Time. It was based on the verse in Ephesians 5:16 which reads: Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (KJV). Other variations of this verse include:

Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. (NLT)

Making the most of your time, because the days are evil. (NASB)

These are evil times, so make every minute count. (CEV)

I feel like God has made his point with me finally… and impressed me so strongly with this thought. In the midst of all this, I even read a blog (sorry, I can’t find it right now) stating that, “all God gives us is one day; each day we have only that day to think about”. And it truly simplifies life when we can take that to heart, as I have found in the last weeks:

Taking more time to read with my boys; I understand they won’t always be little and they won’t even appreciate me a whole lot in 5-10 years so I might as well enjoy their trusting innocence while I can!

Going for more walks… nothing will ever replace that quiet time with my boys, making memories and getting our exercise, while pulling the sled over the snow-packed streets…

Making hot chocolate and letting them have cookies for breakfast once in awhile… their health is important, but occasional treats are too!

Decluttering! Life is too short to be bogged down with clutter. Is it beautiful or useful? Keep it. If not? Please donate, sell or throw away. You’ll be so glad you did.