Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Tuesday's Letters



Dear Mr. Graf, Tonight I get to experience my first night of camper living.  Shall we pray first?  Dear U.S. Postal Service, UP stamps?!  Could stamps get any cuter?  Love it!  Dear Maple Sausage, you remind me of when Gavin and I first moved in together and he cooked me breakfast every morning.  Seems like ages ago...  Dear new Sun Drop commercial, your are now my new favorite commercial.  Boom Shakalaka, Boom Shakalaka, Boom!

What's your favorite commercial?  I'm sure with the Super Bowl just airing, there are a few you liked!

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Tuesday's Letters

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Dear DJ Gav, thank you for the awesome soundtracks you make for me. Tunes such as "Bump That Rump" and "Hydraulics" really get me pumped for work. Dear Favorite Little Man, what makes a bad storm better? An early dismissal from school and an afternoon with you! Dear American Idol, your auditions are fab-u-lous. Especially the bad ones. Dear Lady Who Works Next to Gavin, thank you for making my day. Listening to your one-sided phone conversations is more entertaining than most TV shows. Keep up the good work.

On a serious note, February begins tomorrow and I'm expecting it to be a rough month seeing as my due date was February 5. Say a little prayer for me!

Monday, January 30, 2012

Planning, Packing, and Home Improvements

We are emerging from a weekend of all of the above and I have to say- WHEW!  I'm exhausted.  Can I get another day off, please?  We've been doing a lot of packing over the past few weeks and I'm amazed by all of the junk we have.  I guess moving is a good time to clean out your closets (or your entire house), huh?
This weekend was our first weekend to really get some things accomplished because of the relentless rain that we've had for the past two weekends.  With Gavin gone during the week, the only time we can do anything is on the weekends.  So for the first time since all of this started, I feel a little accomplished.  And I have to say- my husband is the bomb.  I don't know of many people who can paint a bathroom and remodel a kitchen in two days.  Right now, he's king of the world to me.  Especially since I asked him what I could do to help and he told me to stay out of his way and go shop or something.  Can do, my friend, can do.
I bet you're wondering why the heck I'd go shopping in the middle of home improvements, huh?  Let's just say I didn't go on your average shopping trip.  I went to buy stuff for the house.  Stuff like a new oven because it's the only appliance we haven't updated since we've lived in our house.  So yeah, kinda fun, but not really.  Better than ripping out old counter tops and putting in new ones though, that's for sure.
Another positive on the weekend- I got to sleep in my own bed.  Hallelujah!  I haven't done that in two weeks and it was fantastic.  So although I'm exhausted from the weekend, I'm also feeling pretty good about it.  We got a lot accomplished and I got to sleep in my own bed.  That's good stuff.
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And because a post isn't a post without a picture, I'll leave you with a picture of two of my faves watching TV.  Those two love some TV!
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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Tuesday's Letters






Dear Gavy, after watching Grey's on Thursday you promised to sing to me when I'm old and have Alzheimer's. I love you more than cuppycakes! Dear Islamorada Fish Company Restaurant, Your bread is amaze balls. I'll take 50 loaves. Dear Maisy, how'd you get to be so cute? Dear sun, is that really you I saw today? I've missed you tremendously. How 'bout staying around awhile, mmmkay?


Do you get tired of the rain as much as I do? After basically two weeks of it, I'm ecstatic to see some sun!

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Change is Coming

This is all I've been able to think about recently- change is coming.  This is our last week of our life being the "normal" that we've known for the past few years.  Everything we've known is about to change.  Let me back up...
After Gavin graduated from college, there was not a job opening in sight that worked with his degree.  The only job he could find was working construction.  He hung sheetrock before, so he took a job with the company his dad worked for hanging sheetrock.  Two weeks later his boss discovered he had a college degree, was bilingual, and could read prints.  Instant promotion.  He became the field engineer on the job.  So that's what he's been doing for the past few years.  However, the job was temporary and we knew that it was coming to an end (July 2012 to be exact).  He was offered to go to Colorado with the company after this job was over, but we knew that would be a stretch (although it would be pretty awesome to live in Colorado).  We also knew that this was a temporary job in the sense that this was not a career- not something that he wanted to do for the rest of his life.  It didn't offer benefits, retirement, or even paid sick days/vacation.
So while Gavin has been working this job for the past few years, he has also been applying for jobs in a field related to his college degree.  And last month he finally heard something back.  He was emailed about a phone interview, in which he would be one of 60 prospective hires.  By now we weren't really getting our hopes up (let's face it, we haven't had the best luck with life lately).  He was very nervous so as I left the house before his phone interview, I told him "Remember it's not the end of the world if you don't do well.  There are 59 other people.  Be yourself and you'll be awesome.  Good luck!"  When I returned home from grocery shopping he was still on the phone with the interviewers which we both took as a good sign.  They told him they'd let him know within the next few days.
Two days later he was called and asked to come in for a face-to-face interview after the new year.  He was one of their top 5!  We were both super excited, but still refused to get our hopes up.  We figured the other 4 would be tough to beat and also considered our luck lately.  I took his suit to the cleaners, helped him read up on the material they'd be discussing at the interview, and tried to be a supportive wife in general.  Two weeks ago he headed out for his interview and as he left I told him the same thing I had before his phone interview.  I might have added "You da bomb!" to it though.  And off he went.
After the interview he called and told me it went really well.  They asked him to shadow someone in the same field for the rest of the day, which we both took as another good sign.  He also told me that they were interviewing the last of the top 5 that afternoon and they were to let him know something by the end of the day.  Fast forward to the next day and he hadn't received a call.  I told him it was probably a tough decision for them and he'd probably receive a call later in the day.
Then, the call came at 6 that night while we were paying bills (fun, fun!).  He talked to the lady for half an hour.  When he got off the phone, he told me he was in the top 2 and had to go in to meet the director on Friday.  Although he hadn't gotten the job, his demeanor had changed.  He was much more confindent and hopeful than he had been.  I had a good feeling.
So Friday, shortly after his interview, I received a text saying he was offered the job.  And I immediately realized our life was about to change.  You see, this job isn't local.  It's about 90 minutes away.  That's a long commute.  We had loosely discussed our plans.  We knew that moving would be the only option that would work well for both of us.  So we're moving!
There's a lot of stuff we have to do before we can move.  The main one being sell our house here.  Which we haven't even put on the market yet.  Which we probably won't be able to do for a month.  But for now, we'll be in between.  Gavin starts his new job this Friday, so we're taking the camper to a place closer to his job.  He'll be living out of it until our house sells.  He'll come home on the weekends so we can get the house ready to sell.
As excited as we are that things are finally starting to fall into place, we're also a bit nervous for what's to come.  We have a long road ahead of us.  One thing we're definitely not looking forward to is spending some days and nights apart.  So prayers would be greatly appreciated.  Life's a changin' folks.  Ready or not.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Tuesday's Letters






Dear Gav, last Friday I was concerned with you being cold at work after forgetting your mask. Your response of "I'm so hood!" accompanied by the above picture was hilarious. Thanks for the laugh. Dear cold, please go away. I don't have time to deal with you. Dear Pinterest, vanilla extract in paint does not eliminate the smell. Thatisall. Dear DVR, I'm officially dependent on you after only 2 weeks. What did I ever do without you?


Do you just stack your DVR with shows or do you delete then once you've watched them? I can't decide what to do with the shows I've watched! Should I leave only noteworthy shows and delete the rest, delete them all, or keep them until there's no more room and then delete?

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Tuesday's Letters


Dear hubby, have I ever told you how nice you look in a suit?  Can't wait to see you like this more often. Dear pups, your nocturnal sleep habits are not appreciated.  Keep it up and I'm kicking you out of the bed. Dear Dance Moms, you are so entertaining that we can waste and entire day watching you. Wow! Dear BCS, most boring game. ever.  Can you say "Playoff System?"

What TV shows are you embarrassed to watch, but can't seem to stop watching?  Gavin and I couldn't stop watching the Dance Moms marathon this weekend.  It's almost as bad and Toddlers and Tiaras, but not as trashy.  I'm ashamed.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Christmas Break

As long as two and a half weeks off seemed for Christmas break, it sure did fly by.  Here I am back at work and wondering where that two and a half weeks went.  Here's just a little of what I did during my time off:
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I had quite a few dates with this little man.  On this night we went to Jason's Deli for some pizza and ice cream.
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We also went with our friends Jeff, Ashley, and Cooper to check out the Ludy house.  It was impressive as always.  Cooper, however, was not impressed.
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He spent most of his time sleeping.  But then again, who can blame him?
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I spent a lot of time baking with my new toy that my mom gave me for an early Christmas present.  This thing is amazing and I've already gotten a lot of use out of it!
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We also spent a lot of time with the pups.  Most of it was spent cuddling...
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The night before Christmas Eve we gathered with friends to fry Gavin's Christmas bonus.
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But we saved it for Christmas night.
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On Christmas Eve we put on a jammies and cuddled in the bed.
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Which Maisy thinks is the best place on Earth.
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Christmas morning was spent sleeping in and opening gifts.  Then we headed to my mom's house to cook dinner and open more presents.
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Later that night, we headed to Beth and Brett's for another Christmas dinner which has become tradition.  We enjoyed Gavin's Christmas bonus too and opened presents.  We also spent some time playing with Deacon's stash from Santa.
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The next day I headed to one of my favorite places...
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Where I got to spend some time with the littles...
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Lexie cooked breakfast each morning, while Ashleigh and I hung out with the pups.
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We also got to hang out on the beach some, which was wonderful as always.
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I headed home later in the week to do some cleaning and reorganizing to prepare for our new wood floors.
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And before I knew it, Christmas break was over!
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I did do quite a bit of shopping while I was out too.  New clothes and boots are great, but have you ever been to The Container Store?  It's fabulous!  Our house will definitely be more organized!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Tuesday's Letters



Dear Gavo, I forgive you for forgetting to get me something for Christmas. Your credit card ended up being such a great present, I might just ask for that from now on! Dear Littles, I had so much hanging out last week. It amazes me how fast you are growing up! Dear Monopoly, for the first time in my life, I WIN! And I will probably never play you again. A 4 hour game is enough for me. Dear 2012, Please be good to us!


Happy New Year friends! Sorry I've been MIA, but it's been a crazy few weeks! Can you believe it's a new year?! What are you hoping 2012 brings you?

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Tuesday's Letters






Dear G, last week you and I dominated Christmas trivia at my work Christmas party. Reason #735 why you da best! Dear Christmas, here you are 5 days away and I'm completely done shopping. What to do, what to do? Dear Deacon, thanks for being my lunch date today. There's nobody else I'd rather eat pancakes with for lunch! Dear nap time, I'm so glad we get to visit every day for the next two and a half weeks. I think I hear you calling my name now...


What's your favorite thing to do on your day off? To me, there's nothing like an afternoon nap!

Monday, December 19, 2011

The Final Verdict

I finally finished this year's Christmas card.  I didn't really take much time with it, so I'm a little disappointed with it.  Here it is:
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I also created the following card for Monica.  I am very pleased with how it turned out.  I guess I tend to work harder on other's than my own!
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Thursday, December 15, 2011

Holiday Treats

These week I've been making a lot of holiday treats for various events.  I thought I'd fill you in on the two most popular.  We'll start out with the Santa Hat Brownies:
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They look good, huh?  They are!  Here's what you'll need:
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2 brownie mixes (unless you know how to make homemade brownies)
1 container of icing (or you can go with the homemade stuff)
Strawberries (I used 2 containers, but munched a little as I went)
Small circle cookie cutter
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Start out by baking your brownies.  I made mine a little thinner than usual so that my cookie cutter made it through.  Let them cool.  Use the cookie cutter to cut the brownies into small circles.  Put icing in a ziploc bag and cut the corner just enough to squeeze the icing through.  Squeeze a quarter sized amount of icing on the top of each brownie.  Wash and cut the tops off of the strawberries.  Place one strawberry on top of each brownie, lightly pushing down to push the icing out around the edges.  Place a small dot of icing on the top of the strawberry.
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Now let's move on to the S'mores Bars:
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For these you'll need:
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2 bags of milk chocolate chips
1 container of marshmellow fluff
1 box of graham crackers
Wax paper
Sprinkles (optional)
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Snap your graham crackers into fourths.  Spread marshmellow fluff on half of the graham crackers and place the uncovered graham crackers on top like a sandwich.  Try not to use too much fluff, or it will later explode out of the sides (My husband compared this to a baby who has a blow out in their diaper.  You can thank me later for the visual.).  Use a double-boiler (or you can be creative and make your own with two pots) and pour the chocolate in the top pot. Stir until the chocolate is melted.  Dip each "graham cracker sandwich" in the chocolate.  Place dipped "sandwiches" on wax paper to cool.  If you want to decorate them, let them cool slightly for a minute or two (not too much) before putting the sprinkles on.
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Hope you enjoy these.  They were both delish!  The only problem I had was that they were a little messy to make.  By the end of the night, I had chocolate all over my shirt and marshmellow fluff all in my freshly cut and styled hair.  But we did end up having some chocolate left over, so we dipped our left over strawberries in it for desert.  And all was right with the world!

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Tuesday's Letters

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Dear Gavin, last night while laying in bed I asked you to move over. You responded by bursting out in song singing "I'm on the edge of glory." Reason #501 why I love you. Dear scissors, you and I- we are not friends. You're fired! Dear school Christmas play, I'm glad you're over. Thatisall. Dear Maddie, your love of clean laundry is especially funny when you leave your bed, hop on the couch, leap into the laundry basket, and bury yourself in it. You're a silly pup!

Is there anything you just dread about the holiday season? I always dread the last week of school before the holiday break. There's no chaos like it. Pray for me!
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