Making A Comeback

I have SO much to catch up on since I was such a slacker the last couple of months!! I'm hoping to get to that, but I want to keep things up to date as well.

Sunday was the start of 2012 (wow... where did December go?!) and Derek and I sat down and share what our resolutions were. We are actually both pretty much on the same page!

This year we have very simple resolutions!

1. I want to maintain (housework, routines, budget, blogging, healthy diet, etc.) 

2. I want to grow (spiritually, emotionally, in our marriage, home improvement, {our budget}, etc)

3. I also have a little project for our family that I will introduce at another time!

That is pretty much it! It sounds simple, but when you think about it... it's really all inclusive and that's a pretty tall order. I am kind of nervous about exactly what needs to happen to make our goals work out. 

I know that one thing I really struggle with is overcommitting myself. I get so much fulfillment when I am busy. I also feel really guilty because we can't financially help others, but I feel like I can help in whatever way I can. I realized that I have been so busy, I've been neglecting the main reason I am staying at home... my family! So, I am going to try to slow down and focus on getting our family into some better routines. 

I am so ready to feel like our days are monotonous! ha. I know that's crazy, but we have gotten so used to not being at home in the evenings and most days we get home and crash, wondering where the day went. I am so ready to be bored with another night at home! 

Last June, I started working hard on losing weight and by the end of October, I had lost 30 pounds! I have gained about 5 pounds over the holidays :) and I am ready to lose another 20-30 pounds! Hopefully I can get more determined about that one... so far this week I have been really undisciplined! Plus I had to get another steroid shot for yet another ear infection... so I've been extra hungry. Derek is on board with the plan and ready to join in with losing weight. Right now, our plan is to drink plenty of water, watch our portion sizes and get plenty of exercise! 

I want to spend some time focused on Derek and I's marriage. Having a child 4 days after our one year anniversary and then another one 2 years later... tends to take it's toll on the romance side of marriage. I want to dedicate more energy into improving our relationship and working on my role as a wife. 

Another huge resolution for us is to get back to the home improvement projects! Ever since we bought our house, we have wanted to paint the living room and dining room the most! When we first moved in we focused on our bedroom and Anna-Kate's room. Painting Anna-Kate's room was so difficult it just kept me from wanting to paint the living and dining room.

 I am so excited to say that we have already made progress on this resolution!! We finished painting the living room on Monday and are going to paint the dining room Saturday... it only took us three years! :) I am going to share the before and after photos when we finish the dining room! I know that if we start off the year with the projects, then I feel like we are really going to be crossing off things on our to-do list! 

So that's where we are at! Here's to keeping all of our resolutions! 

Jumping Right In

It has been a busy, busy summer around here! I've got so many things I want to share but for now, I really want to tell you some exciting news! 

Derek and I have decided that I'm going to be staying at home in August! My last day of work is July 29. 

This is huge for me! You may remember when I decided that I was happy staying at home. I had struggled with trying to go back to work or figuring out how to enjoy staying at home. Once I finally felt like I had a good routine and was really enjoying my time at home, we started feeling a lot more financial strain. 

I was so blessed with the job I found. I've been happy there, but I have missed every thing about staying at home. I felt like I spent a year trying to hone in on my inner domestic diva and I had just begun to find it and then I had to start working. Juggling the household duties and the children and work has been a huge challenge. I am going to miss the wonderful ladies that I work with. When you work in close quarters, you really get to know a person. I've made some strong bonds and I know that God put those women in my life for a reason.

I feel like I have a renewed sense of appreciation for the gift of staying at home. I am so excited to grow and take on new responsibilities. I love the possibilites of where the next year is going to take us. Most importantly I am looking forward to being the one who is with my children and having an active role in what they are learning and doing everyday. 

Thomas is going to be with me, but Anna-Kate will be back at school the second week of August. I am so excited about being more available to her this year. I am so grateful that I will be the one who drops her off and picks her up! I am looking forward to hearing all about her day. 

In September I am going to start teaching at a Mother's- Day- Out- type of school. It is only on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and Thomas gets to come with me! I will have two year olds. Thomas does not quite meet the age requirements (by two months) but he still gets to come with me. I am so excited about that! He spent several months at day care and he was the oldest in his "class". He will be the youngest in my class, so I think he is going to learn a lot! I'm really happy that he gets to be with me and still gets to have good social interaction. 

I have learned so much the past year about what I want out of life. I never thought that I'd want to stay at home and I never thought I'd be so excited about cleaning and cooking! ha! I truly feel like God has guided me to this point. I am excited to take on a new role... again! :) 

Please, hang with me and my lack of blogging over the next three or so weeks. I promise that I will be back in full force very soon! 

Spring Blog Swap

I know I have mentioned that I signed up with Molly over at the Fuschia News to do a blog swap. I love the spring and I love to shop, so I thought it would be lots of fun. 

My wonderful partner was Tricia from Flip Flops and Guinness. She is so great! I'm so glad that she was patient with me... since I was a terrible partner and sent my package a couple days late! 

I had so much fun shopping for Tricia! I love spring and all of the colors and smells that go along with it! 

My package just made my day! Here's what I got: 

The loot :)

My sweet spring card! 

Awesome water bottle

I try to drink water while I'm at work and this sure beats taking my big yellow STL Zoo cup! ha. :)

Apron notepad, colored pens and 'N' recipe cards

 I broke out the notepad to plan our weekly menu! I can't wait to add some recipes to the cards!

Purple nail polish, sunglasses and a cute anklet

 Who doesn't love a fun nail polish! I am loving this color! It's on my toes right now. I'm always losing or breaking my sunglasses, so these are awesome. And I love the girly touch of an anklet!

On top of all that, she sent me a cute purse! I love to switch out my bags with my moods, so I like to have plenty of options! This is so cute with the flower detail on the inside!

Tricia- thank you SO much for being such a great blog swap partner and sending me so many wonderful goodies! :)

If you have not already, go on over to Tricia's blog! You can see what I sent her too!

If you would like to see some of the other packages, visit Molly's blog and check out the blogs that linked up.

Thanks Molly and Aly for hosting! It was so much fun! :)

Stylish Blogger Award!

I am so excited about getting my first bloggy award!! 

Lauren from The Knotty Boutique gave me this award! Thank you for completely making me feel special today- I needed that! :) If you haven't checked out her blog and her crocheted creations then you are missing out for sure! 

Okay, so first I think we list 5 blogs that we want to give the award to! 

I definitely think the girls that went to the blogging night out with me deserve an award! They have all worked so hard on their blogs (unlike me- sorry about the mess y'all!). You really should check out these adorable blogs and see why I'm loving them so much! 

Amanda at Money Family Musings

Ginger at My Front Porch Looking In... 

Candace at Keeping Up With The Skardashians

Kelcie from Then There Were Three

Sara from The Bell's

Kourtney from BAM~LAM

And because it wouldn't be fair to exclude our teacher and her ADORABLE blog!  

Savannah from Chasing My Bees

I know that was 7 but I'm going to be a rule breaker tonight! :)

Now, I'm supposed to share 7 things about myself... 

1. I am extremely hot natured! It's really embarrassing because it's not very girly. I wish I was one of those girls who was cold all the time! 

2. I have an addiction to bad television shows. Seriously I will watch just about anything... 

3. One of my biggest pet peeves is when people smack their gum! I really can't stand it and even though I don't hear well that's the one sound I can hear over anything! 

4. When I sleep I like to have one hand under my pillow and the other arm holding the covers down so they're not in my face but I don't like my arm to be outside of the covers. I also have to have one leg kicked outside the covers and the other foot just barely hanging off the foot of the bed even thought I'm really short. Derek just tries to survive. ha. 

5. I absolutely love photography! I love looking at other people's work. I take tons of my own pictures too (if you haven't noticed). I actually crashed one of my computers because I had so many pictures on it that it couldn't run. Obsessive much? 

6. I'm sometimes a little obsessive. 

7. Derek was actually just as excited about this blog award as I was. He's so sweet! :) (That's not really about me but I had to throw it in there somewhere!)

I Hope I Don't Make A Habit Of This...

weekly posting! :( Sorry guys!

So, I've survived a week and a half of work! And guess who else did...

Thomas...

and so did Anna-Kate!

Derek just barely did... ha!

Wednesday of last week my position was turned into a full time thing! So I'm now working from around 9-6 everyday.

That was a little more than I expected but I feel really blessed to have a job! I am really enjoying cooking and actually feel inspired to cook when I get home, which is opposite of how I thought I'd feel. Last week I sold a buttermilk pie that I made. Tuesday I made a chocolate sheet cake and sold all of it! Then I made two for today! ha! They sold really well and someone ordered a whole one for Friday!

I'm sort of funny about cooking. See I really love food and I love cooking but I also really love to make people happy! So, more than anything I cook for other people! I guess that's why I'm enjoying the job so much! That and I really think we make the BEST poppyseed chicken and mexican chicken I've ever had! Seriously- it's SO good! Just about everything I've tried there has been my "favorite." (I have LOTS of favorites! ha!)

Thomas has handled being away from me pretty well. He's obviously cut back on nursing, which makes me sad, but I'm glad that he's doing well. Saturday and Sunday he was super clingy but hopefully he will get used to things soon.

Anna-Kate has done good too, my working doesn't really affect her too much. She has gotten sent home with a few "sad" notes this week!! Monday, she bit a little boy. I think it was because he had a toy she wanted! Tuesday, they were standing in line and the teachers had just told them to be quiet. Well she was struggling with her hair and a little boy tried to help move it out of her face and she bit him! I don't think she bit very hard but still! She has NEVER bit a child before that! Then today, she got another note because she wouldn't stop fiddling with her jacket! She is my strong-willed baby! Sometimes it's really hard to get her to listen! Don't even get me started when it comes to her clothes!!

I'm not sure if she's acting out or just beng herself! ha! Hopefully we will get adjusted to a new routine soon!

Monday, Derek woke up late for work, so I had to get Anna-Kate up and ready for school. Then I had to get Thomas up and nursed and ready for the babysitter. Then I had to take the dogs out and feed them. I ended up being way late for work. Of course Anna-Kate was late too. I pulled up to the school and Anna-Kate was so excited! haha! She said, "okay mom, you can just let me off here." We weren't even close to the entrance! She's so funny!

Derek ended up getting sick Monday poor thing! It seems like there's a stomach bug or something going around! Hopefully the rest of us won't get it! He was pretty miserable. He stayed home yesterday. Today he is finally feeling better!!

Maybe once I get into a better routine I will be back here more and I will have the usual picture updates and all to share! I love the fall and I have so much fun reading what other people are cooking and how they're decorating! I hope to be able to share a few things myself! :) 

Blogging Funk!

I don't know what it is but lately I've been in the biggest funk! 

I can't think about anything to blog about! 

We have been fighting allergies and all the wonderful things that go along with that...

sneezing

runny nose

ear infections... 

Gross I know. 

I wish I could say that's why I've been a bad blogger, but it's not. 

Other than being sickly we've not had a lot going on! 

It's just basically been school and work for Anna-Kate and Derek. 

Thomas and I have been working on some sort of routine for ourselves as well. 

See not much exciting to blog about! Hopefully things will get more lively as we get more into the fall! 

Maybe it will lure me out of this blogging funk! ;)