Change of plans....

As of right now I have no clue what we are doing for New Years Eve. Plans have changed a number of times since Monday. Guess we will find out soon enough...could just be a party for two.

Happy New Year Celebration...

Well I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. Ours was good…I missed not being able to see my own family but it was very enjoyable to be with Cray’s family.

Now that Christmas is over and I can count on one hand how many days we have until the New Year it’s time for planning time. First I wasn’t sure we would be bringing in the New Year with anyone this year but now it’s turned out to be Cray and I, his cousin and his girlfriend, and a couple that we are really good friends with.

I’m thinking about cooking crab legs, I’m a sucker for them. I’ve never made them myself but I’m thinking how hard can they be…right? You just boil them for 5-7 minutes and done! Wish me luck.

We are also of course having mixed drinks and champagne to toast to the New Year. I have no clue what we will do the entire evening. Cray would be happy with playing Halo and Gears of War but I’m not sure everyone else would be into that. Maybe I’ll buy a couple board games.

So what about you? What are you doing to bring in the New Year? Party with friends or family or just some one on one time with your special someone?

Food, food, & more food...

So this past weekend we had the annual Hill Christmas Party. I had no clue what to bring but thanks to my husband and I having to buy 2 turkeys in November (long story) that problem was solved because his mother had no one bringing a meat. My next minor issue was the fact that I had never cooked a turkey in my life. That’s okay though, I’m not one to be intimidated by a dead bird…cough, cough.

So I followed all of the directions, plus my mother’s directions for cooking a bird. I’m very proud to say that I was not defeated and everyone loved the turkey! Victory is mine!!!

Because I love to cook and bake I decided to make a little dessert too. They are called Red Velvet Cake Balls. I found the recipe on http://www.bakerella.com/. She is an amazing baker/artist. You can find the recipe here.

Here are some pictures of my own. I think I did well for my first try.

Not only did we have the Christmas party that night but it was also Cray's birthday. So I made him a breakfast casserole and he played video games all day while I cooked up a storm in the kitchen. Sweet of him right? Na...it was his birthday and all. :)

Christmas lists

Do you remember when you were little, how every year you would make a Christmas list for your parents? I use to go as far as cutting things out so my mom would know exactly what I wanted. LOL.

Now that I’m an adult now and married it’s not the same. Cray and I this year decided to get something together that we really wanted. So we found a car and bought it. Kind of a big gift but a needed one.

Now my mother still insists on getting her children gifts. I always tell her I don’t need gifts but she still always wants to get me something. This year at first I really wanted these cute boots so I told her she could get me those. She couldn't find any but said she would send me money. Well this morning I found these gorgeous curtains on walmart.com.

So of course I gave mom and little jingle and told her I'd love to have these lovely curtains for the living room instead of the boots. Extra bonus they were on sale for 15 bucks!!! So she lovingly purchased 2 for me and they are on their way. YAY!!

I’m slowly but surely turning my living room into what I want it to look like. I have the furniture that I’ve wanted and I’m adding some art to the walls. I want to re-paint but I’m waiting on that one until Cray removes the wall that divides the garage (soon to be den) and the living room.

So what about you? Do your parents still insist on buying you Christmas gifts? What do you and your significant other do for Christmas gifts? Do you surprise each other or do you go our route and go in on something you both have been wanting?

Christmas and goals

So I didn’t realize until this morning that Christmas is next week. I have no clue how that little fact just passed me by. *sigh* Thankfully I have most of my Christmas shopping done. Just a couple little things to pick up this coming week.

The rest of this year is just going to be full of excitement. This Saturday is the Hill Christmas Party. It also is Cray’s birthday. We had to celebrate his birthday this past weekend because of the party but we still had good times. Christmas Eve/Christmas Day is going to be spent with the in-laws. (Thanksgiving was with my family). I’m hoping for New Years Eve to have some friends over for food, drinks, and fun. What a great way to end the year.

With Christmas and New Years Day both being on Friday this year I get 2, 3 (maybe 4) day weekends in a row. SWEET!! So I’m taking full advantage of this and that I don’t have school to worry about. I’m going to clean like a mad woman. I’m going to do my own “spring cleaning” but in December. I love going to school but that plus a full time job really takes away from house chores. My loving husband helps out as much as he can but somehow the house has still gone south.

So my “goal” before the New Year is to have my house all cleaned up. My 2nd “goal” before the New Year is to add some style to my kitchen cabinets. Right now they look just horrible. There is stuff just sitting up on top of them that make it look cluttered. Not pretty at all. Check it out for yourself, I’m not lying.

Hopefully I can spruce it up mostly with items I already have in my house and maybe a trip to the dollar store.

So what about you?? What are you doing for Christmas/New Years? What goals do you want to finish before the New Year?? Speaking of goals, what goals are you writing down for the New Year?

Schools Over...Time for Cheer

Well the fall semester is over…..finally. I checked my class this morning and I made an A for the semester in history 131. I thought I was going to make a B but turns out I made an A… round of applause. Now that it’s all over…for 4 weeks…I’m completely into the holiday season and ready to share with whomever some holiday cheer. (Whomever are my lovely readers…or lack thereof.)

Here are some pictures of our lovely home all decked up for Christmas.

How's everyone elses holiday season going? Are you done decking the halls or have you still got some finishing touches to do?

Weekend fun...

So this past weekend or last weekend whatever way you want to say it (little joke from my small group) our small group went to Cray's parents cabin up near Bat Cave. It was such a fun time!! We were originally going to go up to Virginia but they were calling for rain/snow all weekend. Didn't sound like a fun trip to all of us so we stuck with some place closer to home. Thankfully it only rained Friday night and the rest of the weekend it was just cold. Here are some pictures to recap our weekend.

Hiking to the old ladies cabin

Old Ladies Cabin

The Doctors Cabin

Testing our skills

Crazy husband taking a swim in ICE WATER

Can't believe my eyes!!

So this morning I was checking out the blog world, seeing what I missed over the weekend and I saw that my besty posted a new post. I'm so glad that she did or I would have never known about the great giveaway going on over at Centsational Girl. She's doing a giveaway for a new faucet for the kitchen or the bathroom!! FANTASTIC!!! So of course I left a comment and now I'm letting my lovely readers (all 3 of them) know which one I'd pick if I'm the lucky winner!!

This is the Ashfield by Price Pfister

So perfect and so needed for the kitchen!! Ours is old and needs replaced. Don't say it to it's face though it might be offended. :)

Thank you Centsation Girl for the GREAT giveaway!!

First Test...

So I had my first history test last week. I was so nervous!!! Before the teacher past out the test he told us he would post the grades before our next class. So I finished the test and felt really good about it. I was sure I made an A. Then the waiting started and of course the longer I waited for my grade the less sure I became of myself. To the point of I was sure I failed!!! The teacher didn't end up posting the grades until right before class the following week. THANKS!!! There was no need for me to do all that worrying though because I got a 94!! YAY!! Go me!!! One down two to go!! Hope everyone is having a great week and is enjoying this wonderful fall like weather.

Happy First Day of Fall!!!

I must say that autumn is an amazing time of year. The morning air is turning crisp and the gorgeous trees are turning all shades of beautifulness! I LOVE IT!! Thanks to the season change it’s also a great excuse reason to rearrange and redecorate the house with fall like decorations, YAY!! Here are some great pictures Better Homes and Gardens had featured in their fall section. Enjoy!!!

50 bucks for slacks or 25, you do the math

Okay so I have really long legs. Which are nice but also a pain in the butt. Nice because I can reach things up high but a pain because I have such a problem finding slacks, shorts, and skirts that actually fit!! If I actually want to buy pants that fit I'd have to pay just about 50 bucks to order them online. Yes 50!!!

So a couple weeks ago I was at the lovely Target checking out the new fall clothes and I found these...

So I went and tried them on and of course they weren't the length that I wanted or needed. But I started looking at the paints and it looked to me like I could take the hem out and re-hem them. YAY!! So this past weekend I purchased some hemming tape.

The best stuff on earth!! I think I would still use this stuff even if I had a sewing machine!!

Then removed the seam, ironed out the paints and cut my tape to size. Then placed the tape ruff side up where I wanted the hem to be.

Then I just ironed the fabric over top for about 5-10 seconds to make the tape melt.

How easy is that?? Now I have paints that fit and I don't feel like a dork when I sit down and my pants go up past my ankles!!!

History 131...1 month down, 3 to go

So I’ve finished my first month of school. YAY!! Sometimes I feel like I’m insane for starting school when all my friends are finishing college or are already out but then I get to class and half of the roster is filled with 40 year old and up adults. Makes me feel like it’s worth it when others older than me are trying to get a higher education. All I have to say is good for them because when I’m that I age I don’t think I’ll have that kind of dedication or motivation.

Our first test is in 2 weeks and I’m so nervous. The instructor is cramming 5 chapters into ONE test!! I don’t know if I should be thankfully because that means essentially we only have 3 tests this semester or if I should be freaking out because that means I need to get a B or higher on every test. We also have 3 short writing assignments due this semester along with a 2-3 page essay due at the end of the semester. On top of my class I need to get my paperwork together to join the medical assisting department. So stoked about that!!

My life is craziness!! Though I would not want to be in my BFFs shoes because she has a class twice a week that lasts 8 hours! Crazy right?? She always has her nose in a book!! If she’s not sleeping or eating she is studying.

Well that’s all that’s going on in my life. Work and school, and of course in my free time as many church activities as possible. How’s everyone else doing in the blogger world?? Everyone as excited about autumn as I am?? FYI I did a little DYI project this weekend hemming some slacks. Thankfully the camera worked so I could snap some pictures. I’ll post a blog tomorrow about an easy cheesy way to hem paints without a sewing machine.

Summer turns into fall, Fall turns into winter

Okay so I just realized that December is 3 very SHORT months away and then the next month is the year 2010!!! How crazy is that???? Where in the world did this year go?!?!

Don't get me wrong I'm very excited about the holidays coming up. I think that's one of my most favorite times of the year. The holidays will be busy this year, not as bad as last year where I had two weddings in December. One the weekend before Christmas and one the weekend after. Let’s see first is Halloween. I've never celebrated Halloween growing up but Cray's family is really into it so they have a party every year. Then Thanksgiving we are going to Kentucky to be with my family. YAY!! Then Christmas is a mix of Cray’s family and mine. Such exciting times but it just makes me realize that I need to start looking into what gifts I need to purchase.

On top of all of that I need to get my act together this month because I need to get all my paperwork together so that I can apply for the medical assisting program. I hope to be accepted for the Spring Semester so everyone keep your fingers crossed!!

Weekend Recap...

Well this weekend was busy. Our weekend started a little early even though we did have to work Friday. My parents stopped in for dinner on Thursday on their way to SC. It was so nice to see them because we won't see them until Thanksgiving more then likely. I'm happy to say that they won a game in Uker, I say that because Cray and I always beat them. So kudos to the parents, now the score is 20-5. It's an on going battle. :)

Friday Cray helped a friend fix his computer. It seems that he is doing that just about every week but it's such a great thing that he can help out his friends with his savvy computer knowledge. After that we went to his parents house to pick up just about every tool made by man so we could do house work on Saturday and believe it or not when we started working on the house we thought of about 5 things we needed from his dads house.

Saturday we worked on a BIG To Do list. Of course we didn't finish even half of the projects on the list. It's amazing how little things can really set you back. Cray spent most of his day trying to fix the stupid pressure washer and I broke the air valve on one of the tires on the lawnmower. How was I suppose to know that one little hit would knock it off?? I was just doing what Cray asked me to do and that was to hit the tire back onto the lawnmower. Thankfully, in spite of our set backs, we fixed the siding on the house, moved our mailbox and mowed most of the grass (with a push mower thanks to me) before Cray hit a HUGE ant hill and got attached by mad red ants and gave up for the day. Can't say I blame the man!!

Sunday we went to church and then hung out with our friends Paul and Natalia and played some good old Volleyball.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos because none of our cameras work. Yes I said cameras, we have 3. Note to self go buy a new camera. Hope everyone had a great weekend and that your week is just as great!!!

Weekend Recap...

Well this weekend was a blast. I really should buy a new camera so I can take some pictures. Maybe someday.

Well while I was finishing my very boring I mean busy day at work my mother called and asked if Cray and I would like to meet them for dinner. (Father is a truck driver and they happened to be about an hour from us) So of course I said “YES” because who would pass up the chance to see their parents. So after work we drove the hour trip to go have some grub. I looked up restaurants in the area and thought there was a Shoney’s one exit up so we decided Shoney’s it was. Well 3 exits later still no Shoney’s or restaurant for that matter. So my dad told Cray to go onto the 74 business Bypass, he figured there would be some restaurants there. Of course he was correct and we stopped at this little Mexican Restaurant called Mexican Fiesta. They had the most amazing food!! After dinner we headed back to the truck stop and continued our visit in the Hardees and play euchre. It looked like my parents were actually going to kick our butts in the game but Cray and I pulled it around and won the game!! J

Saturday I went to a friend’s house and learned the first steps in how to decorate a cake. At the end of the lesson I was no pro for sure but I enjoyed the lesson and the fellowship. After that I went to catch a movie with my friend Mary. Still not sure about the movie, we saw “The Time Travelers Wife”.

Sunday we went to church and then some friends came over for dinner. So it all turned out to be a great weekend!! So here’s a question for all you lovely bloggers, has any reupholstered a sofa?? I’m looking into it and would love some tips!! Happy surfing to everyone this week.

Made yahoo news...

No not me but Charlotte NC did!! Apparently there was a double rainbow over Charlotte's skyline on Tuesday, how cool is that!?!?! I've seen rainbows before but never two at the same time. Here's a picture that someone took from the Charlotte observer. Enjoy!!

Jesus Never Fails

So this weekend we received some unexpected news at our church. It was heart breaking and there were many tears. The speaker at the beginning of the sermon said something that has really stuck with me, Jesus Never Fails. Weather you say it as a chant or say it out of desperation it is so true. Right now I know my church family is saying it out of desperation, turning completely to Christ and whispering Jesus Never Fails.

On my way into work this morning I heard a new song by Need to Breathe. It really reminded me that whatever burdens you have you can lay them down at the Savior's feet and walk away. What a wonderful thing.

I Hope these lyrics moved you the way they moved me.

Come down to the river
Come and let yourself in
Make good on a promise
To never hurt again

If you're lost and lonely
You're Broken down
Bring all of your troubles
Come lay 'em down

All you sinners
And the weak at heart
All you helpless
On the boulevards
Wherever you are now
Whatever evil you've found
Bring all of your troubles
And come lay 'em down

We're all tied to the same old failings
Finding shelter in things we know
We're all dirty like corrupted small towns
We'll bring our troubles
We'll bring our troubles lay 'em down

All you rich men
And the high above
All those with And without love
All you burdened Broken down
Bring all of your troubles
Come lay 'em down

Deep

Here are some words to think on.

Matthew 7:3-5

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

I find it so easy to just go along in life and pick out flaws of other people when I should take a step back and look at my life first.

Deep right?

Congratulations!!!

To my lovely sister in-law who had her little girl today but also to our good friends Drew and Corrie who had their baby boys today as well!! They should have their hands full. Can't wait to go great all these little ones tonight! Congrats you guys!!!

Michael Jackson

I’m too young to have known Michael Jackson in the prime of his career but I love his music just the same. I know that he lived a very eccentric life and some things that he did I do not agree with but let’s face it what he did with his music made music what it is today. He will be truly missed by many people but his music will live on forever.

Wilmington

So this weekend was AMAZING!! Such a wonderful time to get away from everything and just spend time with the one I love!! Wilmington is such a wonderful town full of things to do. We ended up going to the beach on Friday and then Saturday we went to see the USS North Carolina Battleship. Let me tell you that thing is HUGE!! It took us about 4 hours to tour it!! Saturday evening we went out and saw the town and had some dinner. Sunday it was back to the beach and then over to Fort Fisher to look around. Such a wonderful weekend!!! Enjoy some of the shots we took.

To My Love!!

Happy one year honey!! You are my life, my love, my all. I thank God everyday that He had you picked out just for me.

Come fly with me, lets fly lets fly away

Well it's more like come take a car trip with me but hey you get the point. :)

Mr. H. and I are going away for the weekend to Wilmington to celebrate our one year anniversary! YAY!! I’m so very excited for one I love the beach and two I love historic towns. I hope to come back with a little sun and lots of pictures. Here's a picture of this oh so lovely town on the river.

Breath taking right? Have a great weekend everyone!!

Oh what a night!

Doesn't that make you want to sing that song by Frankie Valli??

Anyways, last night the sister in-laws and mother in-law and I all went uptown to see the Phantom of the Opera. Let me tell you it was the best thing ever!! I'd read the book and of course seen the movie so I was tickled to death when they bought me a ticket for my birthday.

I had such a wonderful time and I suggest if you ever get a chance to go see it, GO!! It is so worth it. Here is a photo of my favorite part of the play, past the point of no return.

Keeps Getting Better

Sunday is mine and Cray’s one year anniversary. It’s amazing how time flies. How that one amazing day is now a bunch of sweet memories.

Cray and I didn’t want a long engagement so I planned our wedding in 3 short months. It was really a piece of cake because I already knew everything that I wanted. I was really worried that we wouldn’t get the church booked but my sneaky husband-to-be had already booked the church 2 months before he even asked the question.

So I spent March, April, and May planning our dream wedding. Those three months were crammed with 2 bridal showers, lots of outings with my mom, finding a home and closing on it, and the passing of my grandmother. It was one big emotional rollercoaster. But that sweet summer night made it all worth it.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures taken by our photographer and some guests. Enjoy!!

Time Flies

It’s hard to believe that a year ago today Cray and I were closing on our home. Time just flies by when you aren’t even looking. It was such a hard time trying to close our home. Believe me being a first time home buyer it was not a fun time for us.

We finally found the perfect home for us after looking at tones of MLS listings. It was always something. Yard was too small, not enough rooms, not in a good area, too far from work. Finally I pulled this one up and Cray said it was perfect!!! I was so thrilled. It was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on a ½ acre lot!! Perfect for two young kids starting out.

So we put in an offer and after about a day of going back and forth with negotiations we had a complete contract. We were going to close May 23st. Plenty of time to get everything in the house before we got married June 21st.

Well then our loan officer passed away and the bank decided they wanted to look over all of our paper work. I think I hate banks for this reason. It took them almost a month to decide that it was okay for us to have that loan. *sigh* What a pain in the butt!!!

So we finally got the call June 12th that we were going to close. YAY!! I was so agitated by this point and just ready to close. I was so raped up with finishing the details on the wedding that I just wanted it done! Thankfully we closed with no more problems and Cray and I were the happy owners of our own little casa.

Now a year later we are happy as could be dreaming up of ways to turn our casa into everything we ever wanted. Such a whirlwind of excitement June was last year. Thankfully this June is not so overwhelming. Mr. H is taking me to Wilmington for our one year. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures of this beautiful historic town.

Have a great weekend!!!

LOVE.....

This dress...WOW!!! At first I was like "no that's not me", but the more I look at it I know that it's a me dress! I can dress it up with some cute heals, a cardigan and some jewelry for work or on the hot summer weekends wear it with some flip flops. Those are the best kinds of dresses. Now all I need to do is talk Mr. H. into letting me have it. :)

Break out the wine!!!

Well today is my parents 35 wedding anniversary. So in honor of them I'd like to raise my wine glass and say congratulations and that I will consider myself blessed if in 34 years Cray and I will be as happy and in love as they are!

Weekend to Do List…

Oh yes I have a list. I love it when my weekends are controlled by a list and schedule. It seems quite un-fair if you ask me. Why should my two days of pure pleasure be controlled?? Oh well such is life.

Friday

8-1: Work
1ish: On my lunch break go to Ross to find a dress for bridal shower Sunday, and Bed, Bath and Beyond to find a gift for the blushing bride. Hope I can do this all in an hour.

2-5: Work some more. Really it’s just staring at my computer being bored out of my mind. In the words of my BFF must be nice to get paid to do nothing.

5-5:50: Go home, stupid traffic jam.

6ish: Fix taco salad, YUM!!!

7ish: Maybe start on some laundry and clean a little. I’m thinking fat chance but hey let’s try to think on the positive side.

10ish: Sweet dreaming time

Saturday

7:30ish: Get up and ready for the day. What the crap!! My one day to sleep in goes down the drain.

8ish: Hope on the bike with Mr. H and head up to Concord to help scrape and paint a house for our small group project at church. Total excited about this project!!

2ish: Head home from a hard day’s work.

3ish: Finish up chores (wish full thinking again I think) and crash for rest of the day. YAY!!

Sunday

8ish: Up for church

8:45: Off to church

10:30ish: Head home

12:00: Fix Mr. H some lunch and head off to bridal shower.

3ish: Rest of the weekend to myself. YAY!!

I’ll make sure to be back here Monday with pictures of the house project, even though it’s not my house it’s still fun to fix something, and such a great cause to help someone else in need.

Clutter

I just found this article on shine.yahoo.com from Julie Morgenstern. Very interesting insight on clutter. Did you know that organized stuff can be clutter too!?!?!? I never thought of it that way. Makes me want to go home and clean out the master bedroom closet. Thank you Julie! Here are the top three myths about clutter. Enjoy!!

Myth #1: Clutter is just a bunch of junk you should easily be able to toss.

Truth: Clutter represents an attachment to something you are struggling to release: an old belief system, obsolete need, or unexpressed part of you that needs to be discovered.

Myth #2: Getting rid of clutter will get you organized

Truth: Decluttering will not create a system….it will help you manage change. Releasing the obsolete will get you unstuck—by opening up space for something new. It creates the energy, space to think, and time to figure out what’s next.

Myth #3: Clutter is always messy

Truth: Clutter is what is obsolete, the objects, things and habits that no longer serve you—and it doesn’t have to be disorganized. A perfectly arranged closet filled with clothes you never wear is clutter. So is a perfectly organized day filled with activities that no longer fuel you.

The key is to understand your attachment to the clutter before releasing it—so that you can fulfill the need in a more effective way—or determine that you no longer have that need at all.

Weekend Project...

I'm sure you have guessed it, Painting!!! My cousin helps out with this investor who flops houses and of course they have tones of paint and he brought a bunch of it to my in-laws house. So my loving husband and I are going there tonight to see if there is anything I like. I'd be happy even if I just found white so that I can paint the door jams and trim in the house. They are in need of some loving. That and helping Mr. H. out with the cars makes up my Memorial Day weekend. What about you?? Any big plans??

It could be worse…

Sometimes I find myself blue with envy, or is it green? Either way, it’s a hard thing for me to admit. I find that my car is not the best. It has 208 thousand miles on it, a silver finder (the rest of it is gold), and a broken turn signal cover. That’s just the major stuff that sticks out. My house just looks blah. It has no curb appeal. The rooms are not the colors that I want. I hate the carpet. The list goes on.

Yesterday in church our minister talked about power and controlling the greed that manages our lives. He said that we should always be thinking, “It could be worse”. That is so true! I could not have a car or home at all. I am very blessed! When the economy started to tank Mr. H. was hired on full time at the college. What a wonderful blessing. Every day we are blessed and I should always remember it could be worse.

Addicted…

To Coffee! It’s the best stuff in the world! I always need a cup in the morning or I can’t make it through the day. Sad I know! Tell me what’s your addiction??

FYI the husband and I are cleaning out all of the computer stuff from the garage. YAY!! One step closer to turning it into a den. Have a great weekend and try to stay dry!!

Earth Day!!!

It’s never occurred to me that I could do something to help mother earth. My husband has always wanted to recycle but his parents lived out in the country and really never had a desire to recycle. When we bought our house last year we found out that a truck comes around on trash day and picks up recycles. SWEET!! So we have been loyal recyclers since June of last year.

Well now I want to do more and since today is Earth Day I’ve decided to put my ideas into practice.

The first thing I want to do is start doing laundry only on the weekend. When we got married I was only doing laundry on the weekends but now it’s turned into doing laundry throughout the week as well. One it wastes my time and two wastes water and energy. So I’m going to go back to washing only on the weekends AND I’m going to stop using the dryer. This is such a big thing for me; I’m a dryer freak! I even use the dryer to take out the wrinkles in my clothes. It’s a lot easier then pulling out the iron and board. I know pure laziness. So I’m going to buy a clothes line from Wal-Mart. They have these retractable ones online that you can mount to a wall or to the side of the house. I’m supper excited about this because one I can just put it away after use, so it’s not an eye sore in the backyard, two it’s only $15 bucks, and three we save money and help save the earth in the long wrong. What a deal!!

The second thing that I want to do is start using Eco friendly cleaners. You hear all the time about how cleaners aren’t good for your family and your home. About the toxin's that leak out from the bottles and contaminate our air. Well I’m going to start storing our cleaners in the garage and I’m going to start buying the eco friendly kind.

The third thing that I’m going to try and do is switch out our light bulbs to CFL’s. Now I really don’t like the harsh light the compact fluorescent light’s give off but I’m going to test them and see if I can find one that I like.

The forth thing I'm going to do is add some indoor plants to help with the air. Also it will add some decoration to the house. :) Always a plus!

What are you trying to do to save money and the earth?? I’d love to hear what everyone is doing in these trying times to save a little green and also be friendly to the earth.

Done...

Making excuses for myself and pushing things off. I need to take control of my life, I’m a big girl and I don’t need my mother to hold my hand and tell me what I need to do.

So this week I’ve turned a new leaf and actually started to put into practice what Mrs. T (MY BFF) and I put together for cleaning the house; something to make our lives easier. So this morning I got up and fixed Mr. H’s breakfast and lunch along with mine and took care of the dog. After Mr. H headed off to work I made the bed, cleaned off the sink and toilet in the bathroom, and picked up the living room. Then I got myself ready for work and made it to work on time! It’s amazing all the things you can do with-in an hour if you just put your mind to it. Tonight when I get home I’ll run/fast pace walk for a mile, then fix dinner (left over’s from Easter), do the dishes while dinner is warming up, and then sweep the kitchen, foyer, and bathrooms. I can so do all of that in 2 hours tops, not even that long really! That gives me time then to spend time with Mr. H.

Please anyone that reads my blog and from now on reads about me slacking off and making excuses please internet slap me. Hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful Easter weekend we had and hope you have a wonderful week!

A “Stepford” wife

Not like I really want to be a controlled robot that my husband made but it would be nice to have my house and me looking perfect all the time. What I really need is a Rosie. You know from “The Jetsons”, what a great show.

Anyways, my life is just so crazy. I get up at 6:30 (which is too early for me) get myself ready for work, make sure Mr. H has lunch, and take care of the dog. Rush down the interstate to get to my office at 8:30. Work my butt off to make sure the office is running smoothly. Hop back on the interstate at 5 just to sit there and drive a distance that should only take me 30 minutes but ends up being an hour. Get home around 6 and fix dinner for two and make sure the dog has his dinner. Entertain my husband instead of cleaning because let’s face it that is a lot more fun. Maybe at the most do the dishes before climbing into bed anywhere around 10 or 11.
My question is how in the world do you just force yourself to do the wifely duties of making sure the house is clean? My BFF Mrs. T. and I have been trying to get into a routine for cleaning so we wouldn’t be cramming cleaning into just Saturday. We just can’t seem to get our acts together and get it done even though we broke it down into little baby steps. We have the making bed down to a T but that’s about it.

What do you do to make cleaning easier? Any suggestions would be helpful.

Spring Cleaning

So last Friday was the first day of spring!! YAY!! Of course beautiful sun and warm weather came along with it so I did NOT spring clean. :) Who could stand being inside cleaning on such a wonderful day??? Well the weather has changed drastically since last weekend. It's now in the 50's, foggy & most of the time raining. Yuck!! So tomorrow I'm going to get down to business and clean my house. Thankfully Cray is working all day so I'll just put the dog in his cage and clean! Wish me luck!!!

A year ago Today....

Marks the day that Cray proposed! It was very VERY unexpected. We knew about two months after we started dating that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together but we had only really started talking about marriage for a few months.

It was funny cause if I was smart at all I would have noticed the signs but I had no clue! Thankfully my brother taped the proposal. It's a little long but the sweetest proposal ever.

Birthday Wishes

Well my birthday is coming up next week. YAY!! I'm kind of lucky this year because my parents sent me money to spend with what I want. Every girls dream. :) So I've been thinking about what I want to buy and it started turning into what do I need. Well I have a list a mile long of things that I need but I started with the basics.

My dress slacks are 4 years old. Here is what I would like to buy. A pair in black and a pair in brown.



Also I need a new pair of brown shoes. I would like to also have a new pair of black shoes but it's more about needs then wants.



Now I'm sure you are wondering what in the world my husband is doing for me, well we are going to Carowinds for my birthday. YAY!!! I'm so excited about it. :)

Morning cup of Joe

I always have to have a cup of coffee in the morning. Well this morning I decided to treat myself to Starbucks. YUM! Now I never really pay attention to the cup because all my attention goes into drink the coffee ASAP. But today as I was sitting at a stop light I noticed that there was a quote on the side of the cup by a journalist by the name of Tom Brokaw. It really captured my attention. I think it's a really great quote about life and I felt I needed to share it with my fellow bloggers. Enjoy!!

The Way I See It #130

It will do us little good to wire the world if we short-circuit our souls. There is no delete button for racism, poverty or sectarian violence. No keystroke can ever clean the air, save a river, preserve a forest. This transformational new technology must be an extension of our hearts as well as of our minds. The old rules still apply. Love your mother - Mother Earth.

I would like to add to that, love God because without God there would be no Mother Earth.

Feeling Great!

____________________________________________________________

So one thing that I’m wanting to make into a habit is running/fast pace walking at lest 30 minutes, 4 days a week. I started last night and let me tell you it was the best 30 minutes! I felt so good after words. It's really true what they say about running. Running releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy. So get out there and run! You will feel so much better, trust me.

Spring is in the air

So it is only two weeks into February but I have flowers blooming in my front yard. YAY! I couldn't believe it when I came home and found Daffodils in front of the house. So I took a picture this morning on my way out the door to share with everyone. Enjoy!