To-Do List

Greg and I have been talking a lot about things we'd like to do in the house in the next few months. We've talked about it all so much that it seemed like every conversation began with, "You know what I'd really like to get for the [insert room here, ie: kitchen]? A new [insert object here, ie: rug]." We finally decided to make a list (actually, Greg surprised me by asking if we could please make a list so we could prioritize our spring and summer projects. I happily complied of course, knowing that I'd be in charge of said list and would then get to implement many of the items therein without nagging budgetary conversations because, hey, it was his idea anyway. :)

I truly can't believe how much crap we came up with; and our house is only about 6 years old! In our defense, almost everything will add to the value of the home when we sell, so it should all be good use of money. Here goes:

-New vaccuum
-New dishwasher (ours sounds like a dying animal)
-New lighting in the master bathroom
-New tile for the master bathroom shower
-Paint in the kitchen and master bedroom
-New rug under the kitchen table (Kona chewed ours when she was a puppy)
-Tile the floor in the guest bathroom (it currently has carpet--strange)
-Garage refrigerator (Greg's idea)
-New doorknobs throughout the house (I'm not a fan of plastic-brass)
-Possible staining of the master bathroom cabinets

Does anyone else have a to-do list like this one? Are we crazy? Is this even possible? I guess if there's an upside to this ginormous list of "upgrades", it's that I'm pregnant; so there will be no painting or heavy lifting for Jackie!

N-E-W-S

Well, here it is! Noah shows off his NEW slide...



...and his NEW shirt!




Yes, that's right. Noah will be a big brother; the question is whether it will happen before or after he turns 2. His birthday is November 2nd, and I'm due November 6th! Guess we'll have to wait 7 1/2 long months and see...

A Few More of My Favorite Things

A few of my current fads and shameless plugs for some more of my favorite things...

1. Crest toothpaste with scope

2. Boston Market kid's meals for $2.99 - I get meatloaf with mac & cheese and creamed spinach; Noah gets sliced turkey with green beans and mashed potatoes.

3. Sports Documentaries - just watched Dust to Glory about a several-decade-old race in Mexico called the Baja 1000. Very interesting. Also got Step into Liquid (surfing), and an early history of the Dallas Cowboys.

4. Of Course #3 above leads right into Blockbuster Total Access being one of my favorite things right now. Tonight we're going to watch Some Like it Hot (Marilyn Monroe) but I can hardly wait until Blood Diamond comes out on the 20th!

5. The KFC Chicken Fried Steak meal every Wednesday! It's only $1.99! Chicken fried steak, 2 sides, and a roll! Our Wednesdays will never be the same.

6. NutraGrain bars - either regular Cherry or Strawberry yogurt. I eat one every morning.

7. Corner Bakery's Swiss Oatmeal. If you haven't tried this, you must.

8. Cover Girl Outlast lip color. Mellow shimmery gloss that really does stay on all day.

9. Calendar Pictures for decoration - You can change your wall art regularly by buying a calendar with really interesting pictures, choosing a few that go with your decor, and having mattes cut to fit. Right now I'm trying to find a good series for Noah's room that's either Normal Rockwall or a something with vintage black and white photos.

10. Medical Dramas. I'm done with ER, but Bones, House, and Grey's Anatomy more than fill that void.

A Few of My Favorite Things...

I would like to share my new favorite things with you--handmade stationary and baby accessories made by my two most talented friends. My good friend Emily started her own handmade card business last year called Chocolate Blue. She designs and makes cards and notecards; they come individually or in a series, and there are tons of options to choose from. She actually won the national handwriting contest for her category last year; her writing could really be a font. I bought some of the individual cards for stocking gifts last Christmas, and just ordered the Baby series to give to my friend who just had a baby boy.


Chocolate Blue, created by Emily E. Ogle, 479-799-6297

My other dear friend, Sara, also started her own business called 2 Blonde Boys. She designs and makes baby clothes and accessories. She made the cutest "taggie" blanket for Noah to match his nursery, and I also ordered some items from her for my friend's new little baby boy (I know, I've already spoiled him and I haven't even met him yet!).


2 Blonde Boys, email Sara at 2blondeboys@gmail.com

So pass the word! This is my shameless plug for my dear friends' businesses; if you want to give a personal, unique, fabulous gift this year, look no further!

Here they are at one of their recent Craft Fairs. They are like those beautiful, talented people that we all know. I'd say they make me sick except I love them both too much! Incidently, they're part of my college group, The Ramrons, that I blogged about last year.



So go buy something! :)

Getting Screwed

Last night I got screwed. And I don't mean in the romantic way that I know it sounds. :) Here's a recap:

We hired a babysitter! We got all dolled up and were going out with friends. I had been craving Steak Quesadillas from this particular restaurant all day long. When we got there though, the restaurant had been replaced. (Screwed #1) So we all decided on another Mexican place, and I got steak quesadillas; they were very good.

During the course of the evening, we realized it's Daylight Savings and we were going to lose an hour of sleep! This wouldn't be so bad except that we had agreed to get up and do nursery duty at the early service at church this morning meaning an extra early wake up. Furthermore, it was Greg's morning to get up with Noah and my morning to sleep in a few extra hours. This did not happen and I was up at the buttcrack of dawn. (Screwed #2)

This is the best part though. In the middle of the night, I started feeling a little queasy. Hmmm. To save you from the gory details, I'll just say that 3 hours later, after the worst food-poisoning vomit session in my history thus far, I was finally back in bed. I actually had to wake Greg up at one point because I had those miserable cold sweats where everything goes black around you and I thought that if I pass out and actually fall head-first into the toilet he might just sleep peacefully all night while I drown. What a way to go. (Screwed #3)

During my hellish wretching extravaganza, Greg said that I could just stay home this morning and he would take Noah to church and take care of our nursery duty himself. Great! I can eat saltine crackers and sleep in afterall, I thought wishfully. As the fates would have it, after I went back to bed, Noah started coughing--a lot--all night--until his poor throat had just about had it. So while Greg is at church this morning, I am home feeling incredibly sorry for myself while taking care of Noah, who doesn't seem to be phased at all by the coughing because he is pulling my hair from behind the computer chair and trying to put plastic balls down the back of my shirt. (Screwed #4)

I guess on the upside, yesterday was a beautiful day and I got a bit of a tan.

Music Talk

Jennie and Rachel have both posted this. I'm following the trend...

1. A song with the name of a city in the title or text.
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" - Tony Bennett

2. A song you’ve listened to repeatedly when depressed at some point in your life.
“Goodbye” - Plankeye
"A Long December" - Counting Crows

3. A great song in a language other than English.
"Oh Magnum Mysterium" - Lauridson
“Ave Maria” – Il Divo

4. Your least favorite song on one of your favorite albums.
“Wait” – The Afters, I Wish We All Could Win

5. A song you like (possibly from your past) that took you forever to locate a copy of.
“A Million Tears” - Kasey Chambers

6. A song that reminds you of summer but doesn’t mention summer at all.
“Brown Eyed Girl” - Van Morrison
"Still Fighting It" - Ben Folds
"Free Falling" - Tom Petty (I obviously love this category)

7. A song that sounds to you like being happy feels.
“Wouldn't It Be Nice” – The Beach Boys

8. A song that reminds you of high school.
“My Sherona” and "Footloose" - we always played these on the way to soccer games.

9. A song that reminds you of college.
“Santa Monica” – Everclear

10. A song you actually like by an artist you otherwise dislike.
“Boyz in the Hood” – Dynamite Hack
"Picture" - Kid Rock

11. One of the earliest songs that you can remember listening to.
“Love Bites” – Def Leppard (Going with my sister on this one, and again, Thanks to Rich)

12. A song that has helped cheer you up (or empowered you somehow) after a breakup or otherwise difficult situation.
“Run for the Roses” – Dan Fogelberg

You Think You Know Someone...

Last night my husband had some homework: he had to come up with 5 things no one at his work knows about him. Every month or so they have these "creative" meetings to keep the juices flowing (he works at an advertising agency). He asked me to help, but I only contributed to one of them--and I ended up learning 3 things about him I had never known in almost 7 years of marriage!

Here's his list:

1. I was the 100-yard-dash champion at every field day from kindergarten through 5th grade.
2. I have never had a cup of coffee.
3. I once hiked 40 miles in 3 days.
4. I won Amy Grant tickets from a radio station when I was 11.

And finally the kicker-

5. When I was little I helped my grandfather drown a 3-legged cat because it was violent (the cat).

My reaction? Number #1 makes me secretly proud. Numbers #2 and 3 I already knew. Number #4 makes me a little embarrased. Number #5 makes me want to sleep in the guest room tonight.

What else don't I know? What don't you know about yours? Better yet, what don't they know about us?