May 31, 2009
May 30, 2009
Mr. Panera Man
Friday morning the alarm went off, early as usual. Andy kissed me goodbye and went off to the Hospital to get a few IV's & intubations under his belt. He had an 8 hour shift so I was expecting him home at 3pm. At 7:15am he called my cell. I was still asleep.
Andy: Are you asleep?
Mo: Uhmmm Hummggmm
Andy: Sorry. I think I forgot my backpack again. Can you go check please? [Walk out to the living room. Spot his bag. Go back to bed where my cell phone is charging. Lay back down. Find my warm spot in the sheets. Grab my phone.]
Mo: Yep. You left it again. Why are you so forgetful lately?
Andy: I was extra tired this morning. Do me another favor. When I locked the door behind me I remember setting down my duffel bag but I don't have it. I think I might have left it on the porch. Can you go see please?
Mo: Sure. I guess I can take you with me this time. [Unplug my phone. Head to the front door.]
I open the door and didn't see any sort of bag. Instead I saw Andy with a cup of coffee in one hand and a Panera bag in the other with a big silly grin on his face.
Mo: What are you doing? [confused, eyes trying to adjust to the light, looking like a monster]
Andy: My clinical got canceled a few days ago but I pretended to still have it so I could surprise you with a day off and breakfast. You love Panera.
Mo: Andy! [smiling, gushing, blushing]. I feel bad! You didn't need to do this. You never get to sleep in...You should have slept in babe!
Andy: I know but I wanted to surprise you.
It's official. I am married to the sweetest man that ever walked to face of this earth. I fell a little more in love with my husband on Friday. The End.
Andy: Are you asleep?
Mo: Uhmmm Hummggmm
Andy: Sorry. I think I forgot my backpack again. Can you go check please? [Walk out to the living room. Spot his bag. Go back to bed where my cell phone is charging. Lay back down. Find my warm spot in the sheets. Grab my phone.]
Mo: Yep. You left it again. Why are you so forgetful lately?
Andy: I was extra tired this morning. Do me another favor. When I locked the door behind me I remember setting down my duffel bag but I don't have it. I think I might have left it on the porch. Can you go see please?
Mo: Sure. I guess I can take you with me this time. [Unplug my phone. Head to the front door.]
I open the door and didn't see any sort of bag. Instead I saw Andy with a cup of coffee in one hand and a Panera bag in the other with a big silly grin on his face.
Mo: What are you doing? [confused, eyes trying to adjust to the light, looking like a monster]
Andy: My clinical got canceled a few days ago but I pretended to still have it so I could surprise you with a day off and breakfast. You love Panera.
Mo: Andy! [smiling, gushing, blushing]. I feel bad! You didn't need to do this. You never get to sleep in...You should have slept in babe!
Andy: I know but I wanted to surprise you.
It's official. I am married to the sweetest man that ever walked to face of this earth. I fell a little more in love with my husband on Friday. The End.
May 27, 2009
free to be me
Nothing like a butt-naked baby on a hot summers day! I love that when I took his diaper off he started to stretch out and enjoy the breeze. Crack me up! Who doesn't like to be naked? Right?
May 26, 2009
pots and pans
The last week has been filled with lots of Mommy and Colt time. I have not left the camera behind. Here he is tapping into his musical side. He chewed on the wooden spoon more than he made noise. Oh well, He still gets an A for effort.
AND, will you all please note that he not longer looks like a baby? My baby looks like a little boy. He is so precious.
AND, will you all please note that he not longer looks like a baby? My baby looks like a little boy. He is so precious.
May 20, 2009
we've been outside
Summer is here. Kind of. It was 80ish today. Here's what we've been up to...
- Day before yesterday I went to Serena's house and laid out for hours. At times my skin was on fire but I thought...Didn't I complain about snow, and wish for sunshine for what seemed like months? Shouldn't I celebrate the sunshine by letting my skin fry like an egg in a skillet? Yes! Burn baby burn! I actually did burn. But that's probably because I lathered my body in Johnson & Johnson baby oil. Next time I'll use something like SPF15 or Olive Oil.
- I also put on a bath suit for the first time since giving birth. I laughed out loud when I saw myself in the mirror. I don't recognize parts of my body as being...parts of my body! The zebra stripped stretch mark design along with the excess skin from carrying a 10.5lb baby makes for an interesting combination. Good thing I have high self-esteem and a man that loves me because gee whiz! One piece here I come...forever.
- Colt is trying to master the crawl. He can't master it until he actually does it....but we're on our way. He is wiggly to say the least. When he's down, he wants up. When he's up, he wants down. The last two nights he's woken up in the middle of the night and instead of making him whine himself back to sleep, I've gotten up and rocked him. He is so busy now days he has no time to stop and cuddle with me. He won't fall asleep in my arms. I get nothing! But wouldn't ya know...in the middle of the night...that little boy wants his momma and we get our cuddle on. He is precious and I love him so much. The middle of the night cuddling gets to me so much that when he's fallen back asleep, instead of laying in his crib I bring him to bed with me. We lay there...pillow walls around us and snooze. Together. Little does he know that I make our noses touch and I watch him sleep. I inhale his exhale and we both drift away. The love I don't get during the day...I make up for at night. Also, I'd say it's time for another baby.
- We worked in the yard today. Luckily Andy has a green thumb. He also has a laundry thumb. Both of which I'm thankful for. I went outside in my work clothes and told him to point and tell me what to do. I did well on all the tasks when I could use a shovel or a watering can but when I had to actually dig in the dirt with my hands is when I pretended Colt needed attention and then I disappeared to the front porch for a bit. While planting perennials around our mailbox Andy told me to space them evenly and use some miracle grow [black dirt with white dots in it]...I told him I couldn't because, I just gave myself a french manicure and I'm trying to grow my nails out so I can scratch your back better [extra large grin]. He called me pathetic. I'll take it.
I'm not guaranteeing I'll be back tomorrow...or even the next day. It's too beautiful outside!
May 16, 2009
the plan
Our plan to be debt free...
In March of 2008 Andy and I took a Financial Peace University class through our church. Taking that class still stands as one of the best things we've done in our marriage. Dave Ramsey is the mastermind behind the class and the entire thinking of the program. He is a financial guru and through out our quest to be debt free he has been the voice in the back of our heads encouraging us along the way. I'm such a fan of Dave I feel as if he should be paying me. I tell everyone and anyone about our debt journey. Since taking the class I've set multiple family members up on a budget and I recently had two more people ask for our help to get them set up on a budget. I never thought I would be such a nerd about it all. I'm a fan of budgeting. I love seeing large chunks of our monthly payments go down. I know one day I'll love to see our wealth build. Budgeting is my crack, and I'm an addict.
When Andy and I were engaged we both worked and still lived with our parents. We decided it would be smart to save as much as we could before we got married. We started to tap into the saving side of ourselves. Little did we know then what we were truly capable of. We saved $11,000 in those 9 months before our wedding. In September of 2006, we purchased our 1st home. We didn't get married until January of 2007, so we used those 4 months to remodel our house and get it tweaked out before we actually moved in. That's when the projects began.
Did you guys know it's really freaking expensive to re-model a house? We knew it would be expensive but didn't realize how quickly it would add up. Before we knew it our savings was totally gone and our American Express and our Menards card was taking care of the rest. I don't remember how much we put on those two cards trying to finish up the remodeling...my guess is probably just shy of $10,000. Way to start off your marriage right? We both were working full time and we weren't stupid enough to keep spending [thank goodness], so we started to pay off our debt on our own...with out a real plan. We would send big chunks of money off to pay down the credit card and slowly the debt started to go away...until Fall of 07'. Our furnace died. Add another $5,600 to the total. We also got in a not-so-funny car situation and ended up having three car payment at once. Before you knew it we were enrolled in that class and started to learn how to managed our money...instead of our money managing us.
Remember when I talked about my relationship with Target? It's a love hate thing. I avoid going to Target at any and all costs because of little something I like to call, Temptation. It deserves to be capitalized. Target has a way of making you buy things you don't need. Many people now days struggle with this concept. I know I definitely have...What do I want vs. What do I need? It's hard to learn and even harder to follow through with.
Andy and I have been on a strict budget since March of 08. Our goal is to be debt free [with the exception of our house] by spring time next year. If we stick to the plan and follow through we will have paid of $31, 375 dollars in debt in two years. Debt free at the ages of 24 and 26 sounds pretty good to me. In that $30, 000 we will have paid off a Jeep, a Ford, a Honda and a furnace. So far we've knocked them all out but my Honda. In order to meet our goal of debt free by next spring we need to put an extra $833 dollar onto the principal of our car payment. That is a lot of extra money each month. Especially with living on a fire fighters income.
In order to bring that money in we've had to live with less, and work extra jobs. Andy works at the station but is also being paid to become a paramedic by the city. All the money he makes by going to school goes towards our budget. He also owns Andy's Lawn Care, a lawn mowing company. All that money goes towards our budget. He also gives plasma. All that money? Budget. I cook a few meals each week for my parents...all that money? Budget. I help make jewelry for Suellen Miller Designs. All that money? Budget. Andy asked for money for his birthday...all that money? Budget. Every single extra penny we bring each month goes to the budget. We're pretty black and white about it.
It definitely hasn't been an easy journey. There have been many times over the last year I just wanted to go to the store...see something I wanted...and buy it. Just because. I truly have had to rely on the Lord and ask for strength to keep doing the right thing. We're only half way through this journey and you'd think it would be easier to not be tempted. In some ways it is, but in others it's been really hard for us. Me especially.
Some of our best friends just got married in Florida. Rob married Kristy in March and Aaron married Tracy just a few weeks ago. You don't know who badly I wanted to open up a credit card, say screw it and go to Florida for the weekend. Around that same time all my aunts and uncles went to Florida for spring break with my cousins. Every day of that entire week I had to pray about it because I was so bitter and jealous. We work hard. We never see each other because Andy is doing everything in his power to bring in enough money so we can get this over with as soon as possible. I'm often lonely playing the single mom role. We deserve a break. We deserve a vacation. It's hard to do the right thing when you see everyone else having fun.
Around that time I ran across some sort of ancient proverb...I'm not exactly sure where I heard it but it helped me get back on focus...it's this, Adults devise a plan and see it through. Children do what feels good. Do I really want to just do what feels good? Or do I want to be responsible with the money God's given Andy and I? It's a choice everyday. I definitely have had my fair share of tears over it. Being responsible isn't always fun but I hope this time next year we can finally exhale knowing that we're debt free in our mid twenties. What an accomplishment that will be. I'm proud of us already because I know we'll get there. We're close. We can taste it.
Andy and I talk about going on a vacation all the time. After reviewing our budget the other day Andy leaned over to me and said, Just imagine...One day we'll be sitting on the beach...listening to the waves...basking in the sun...with no worries in the world. I agreed with him and made him swear that he was talking about a warm tropical setting and not just Lake Michigan. If he takes me to the dunes for our "we're debt free" get away there will be some major butt kicking to do.
I know times are hard for people right now and what a better time to be faithful with your money. Bite the bullet and get aggresive with it. You can do it. And remember...The most enjoyable experiences in life are free. At least that's what my Dove chocolate wrapper told me yesterday.
In March of 2008 Andy and I took a Financial Peace University class through our church. Taking that class still stands as one of the best things we've done in our marriage. Dave Ramsey is the mastermind behind the class and the entire thinking of the program. He is a financial guru and through out our quest to be debt free he has been the voice in the back of our heads encouraging us along the way. I'm such a fan of Dave I feel as if he should be paying me. I tell everyone and anyone about our debt journey. Since taking the class I've set multiple family members up on a budget and I recently had two more people ask for our help to get them set up on a budget. I never thought I would be such a nerd about it all. I'm a fan of budgeting. I love seeing large chunks of our monthly payments go down. I know one day I'll love to see our wealth build. Budgeting is my crack, and I'm an addict.
When Andy and I were engaged we both worked and still lived with our parents. We decided it would be smart to save as much as we could before we got married. We started to tap into the saving side of ourselves. Little did we know then what we were truly capable of. We saved $11,000 in those 9 months before our wedding. In September of 2006, we purchased our 1st home. We didn't get married until January of 2007, so we used those 4 months to remodel our house and get it tweaked out before we actually moved in. That's when the projects began.
Did you guys know it's really freaking expensive to re-model a house? We knew it would be expensive but didn't realize how quickly it would add up. Before we knew it our savings was totally gone and our American Express and our Menards card was taking care of the rest. I don't remember how much we put on those two cards trying to finish up the remodeling...my guess is probably just shy of $10,000. Way to start off your marriage right? We both were working full time and we weren't stupid enough to keep spending [thank goodness], so we started to pay off our debt on our own...with out a real plan. We would send big chunks of money off to pay down the credit card and slowly the debt started to go away...until Fall of 07'. Our furnace died. Add another $5,600 to the total. We also got in a not-so-funny car situation and ended up having three car payment at once. Before you knew it we were enrolled in that class and started to learn how to managed our money...instead of our money managing us.
Remember when I talked about my relationship with Target? It's a love hate thing. I avoid going to Target at any and all costs because of little something I like to call, Temptation. It deserves to be capitalized. Target has a way of making you buy things you don't need. Many people now days struggle with this concept. I know I definitely have...What do I want vs. What do I need? It's hard to learn and even harder to follow through with.
Andy and I have been on a strict budget since March of 08. Our goal is to be debt free [with the exception of our house] by spring time next year. If we stick to the plan and follow through we will have paid of $31, 375 dollars in debt in two years. Debt free at the ages of 24 and 26 sounds pretty good to me. In that $30, 000 we will have paid off a Jeep, a Ford, a Honda and a furnace. So far we've knocked them all out but my Honda. In order to meet our goal of debt free by next spring we need to put an extra $833 dollar onto the principal of our car payment. That is a lot of extra money each month. Especially with living on a fire fighters income.
In order to bring that money in we've had to live with less, and work extra jobs. Andy works at the station but is also being paid to become a paramedic by the city. All the money he makes by going to school goes towards our budget. He also owns Andy's Lawn Care, a lawn mowing company. All that money goes towards our budget. He also gives plasma. All that money? Budget. I cook a few meals each week for my parents...all that money? Budget. I help make jewelry for Suellen Miller Designs. All that money? Budget. Andy asked for money for his birthday...all that money? Budget. Every single extra penny we bring each month goes to the budget. We're pretty black and white about it.
It definitely hasn't been an easy journey. There have been many times over the last year I just wanted to go to the store...see something I wanted...and buy it. Just because. I truly have had to rely on the Lord and ask for strength to keep doing the right thing. We're only half way through this journey and you'd think it would be easier to not be tempted. In some ways it is, but in others it's been really hard for us. Me especially.
Some of our best friends just got married in Florida. Rob married Kristy in March and Aaron married Tracy just a few weeks ago. You don't know who badly I wanted to open up a credit card, say screw it and go to Florida for the weekend. Around that same time all my aunts and uncles went to Florida for spring break with my cousins. Every day of that entire week I had to pray about it because I was so bitter and jealous. We work hard. We never see each other because Andy is doing everything in his power to bring in enough money so we can get this over with as soon as possible. I'm often lonely playing the single mom role. We deserve a break. We deserve a vacation. It's hard to do the right thing when you see everyone else having fun.
Around that time I ran across some sort of ancient proverb...I'm not exactly sure where I heard it but it helped me get back on focus...it's this, Adults devise a plan and see it through. Children do what feels good. Do I really want to just do what feels good? Or do I want to be responsible with the money God's given Andy and I? It's a choice everyday. I definitely have had my fair share of tears over it. Being responsible isn't always fun but I hope this time next year we can finally exhale knowing that we're debt free in our mid twenties. What an accomplishment that will be. I'm proud of us already because I know we'll get there. We're close. We can taste it.
Andy and I talk about going on a vacation all the time. After reviewing our budget the other day Andy leaned over to me and said, Just imagine...One day we'll be sitting on the beach...listening to the waves...basking in the sun...with no worries in the world. I agreed with him and made him swear that he was talking about a warm tropical setting and not just Lake Michigan. If he takes me to the dunes for our "we're debt free" get away there will be some major butt kicking to do.
I know times are hard for people right now and what a better time to be faithful with your money. Bite the bullet and get aggresive with it. You can do it. And remember...The most enjoyable experiences in life are free. At least that's what my Dove chocolate wrapper told me yesterday.
May 15, 2009
carrots in a cake
Tonight I turned down carrot cake. I just closed my eyes and remembered back to that one birthday I had when I ate carrot cake for dessert. Will power at it's finest. 
i've got three days...
So I woke up at 2 a.m. to go rub Colt's head so he'd stop crying. I tried to get back to my dreams but instead I laid there for a really, really ridiculously long time staring at the ceiling, thinking of all sorts of random things. I finally gave up the fight when I started thinking about...What if someone breaks into my house? Where and how would they break in? What would my plan of action be? Is my cell phone charged? How fast can I dial 911? Which neighbors house would I run to? Will Andy let me get a gun and keep it in my nightstand? Then I looked at the clock and noticed it was almost 4 am. Sheesh! So here I am. Up.
Here is one of the things I spent the last two hours thinking about...
I'VE GOT THREE DAYS...to decide if I'm going to jump and watch the new season of The Bachelorette. Serious stuff running through my head, right? This is one of those shows you have to watch from start to nail-biting finish or you're just screwed. If you miss an episode you don't know what the heck's going on and what drama you missed last week. It's all or nothing.
Here are a few reasons I'm always hesitant to make the jump...
Here is one of the things I spent the last two hours thinking about...
I'VE GOT THREE DAYS...to decide if I'm going to jump and watch the new season of The Bachelorette. Serious stuff running through my head, right? This is one of those shows you have to watch from start to nail-biting finish or you're just screwed. If you miss an episode you don't know what the heck's going on and what drama you missed last week. It's all or nothing.
Here are a few reasons I'm always hesitant to make the jump...
- Who honestly falls in love with more than one person at once? Especially towards the end when they're like, I'm in love with two people...I have to choose who I'm going to spend the rest of my life with tomorrow at the final rose ceremony and I don't know what to do! The Bachelor/Bachelorette chooses someone and then they go home together...only to find out that in REAL LIFE they don't even really like each other! (i.e. Jason Mesnick - Let me take a second to defend Jason because if you watch the show...I know there are a lot of Jason-haters out there...BUT, until we've lived in this fake reality world, we can't point fingers and say he was wrong for changing his mind after he got back to the real world. He didn't know until it was too late and then he realized he made the wrong choice. You and I would have done the same thing and gotten away with it because we're not on national television. I did on the other hand feel bad for Melissa. Love hurts. She took a chance. However I don't feel bad for her anymore because she's a sexy little hottie-tottie dancer on Dancing With the Stars and she might win that show. Watch her in the finale on Tuesday night.)
- The 'Fantasy Suite' gets me every time. I'm pretty sure I'm naive about what happens in the fantasy suite. I have just recently taken on the new thinking that they're probably not in there drinking hot chocolate and playing checkers. I have the old school thinking that you don't spend the night in a room called the 'Fantasy Suite' with every Tom, Dick and Harry that you meet. That's just me. In my head they're in there just hanging out, playing board games and telling jokes...naked. C'mon.
- It's another show to add to my repertoire of shows. But I guess A.I & D.W.T.S & B.L. are over next week.
And here is why I'm probably going to watch it anyway...
- Jillian is the new Bachelorette and she was on last seasons as one of the girls that The Bachelor was going for. He didn't go for her...well, I mean, he did...but he didn't choose her. She is sweet as can be and who doesn't love to see a happy ending? I want her to find love. Not sure if she'll be able to find it on this show...but I'm going to watch it like a train wreck and keep my fingers crossed.
- I listen to music all day [which inhances creativity] and watch the Food Network [where I get good recipes] and therefore I allow myself one show a night to turn my brain back into mush.
- And...
- Because I can.
Now is your time to come out of the closet. You watching? Yes? No? Maybe So?
May 13, 2009
the lilac bush
I pick at least 5-6 extra large bouquets of lilacs every few days to put in my house or to give away. Right now I have...
1 bouquet in my spare bathroom
1 on my night stand
1 in my kitchen
1 sitting right under my nose in my office.
You should smell my house. It's magical.
Question...Is it stealing if I'm not quite sure if the bush is on my property or my neighbors? It's like half way? And they can't even see them...And I typically groom the bushes so that they come back fuller every year. I treat them like they're mine...BUT, still not really sure if they are or not.
You guys want some? Seriously, I'll help you pick them. I have good cutters in the garage.
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