Thanks

Thanks for the comments, emails, and phone calls. It's nice to know I really do have friends.

It seems that I am not the only one in a funk right now. Do you think it could do with the fact that spring is a big tease?

The days just aren't long enough. The to do list is too long. I feel lost. I need to get it together.
So today I sat down and tried to think of how I can simplify and/or regroup myself. Not a major overhaul - I don't have the patience for that right now! Just tweak a few things in my life.

1. We decided to look for a realtor to sell our house. It would be nice to sell it ourselves and save the commission we will pay. But I am going to let someone else do the work. Maximize our exposure and all that. Make sure everything is covered in the contracts. Hopefully it works!

2. I don't spend a ton of time on face book. I mostly just use it to email. But I do find myself getting distracted by the wall. So randomly today I deleted a ton of "friends". I am down to 77 or something like that. Family and the people I see and talk to the most. Maybe I'll even try to narrow it down from there. We will see. Not a big deal, but it was refreshing.

3. I took a piece of advice from "Simple Mom" and changed the way I do lists. I love my lists, but these days they are a bit out of control. I have lists piling up everywhere. And I am a bit OCD about them too. If they don't look just right I find myself redoing them - constantly. So I am going to have a big list on the computer. That I can update and change at will, but it will still look perfect! And then each day I can write a few things down on a post it. Like simple mom says, MIT's. Most important things. She says pick 3 important things to get done for the day. Anything else I do with just be icing on the cake. (Simple mom has some good downloads of little organized lists and daily planner stuff if you are interested)

4. I really wanted to do the whole get up before the kids and run or shower or whatever. But it's not going to happen. Not right now. It isn't working for Finn. So instead of focusing on how it is not working I am just going to have to work around it right now. I am just going to have to run at night. And grab a shower when I can.

5. I need to get back to some me time. I haven't had my sewing machine out in months. I miss it. Ha ha, laugh if you must. But it has become something I love. It is cathartic. It relaxes me. It gives me a creative outlet. I have realized I am so much more productive in other areas of my life when I have a creative outlet. I have heard a lot of crafters say the same thing. The bad thing is my desk is no longer out - we wanted to make the downstairs seem more roomy. So sewing isn't as accessible. But now I just need to try harder and make time for it. Time for me.

6. I started a journal. I have never kept a journal. But it was a thought that kept nagging at me. So I got a little notebook. And each day I write down 5 things. Literally 5 things, numbered 1-5. Sometimes totally jot notes. Sometimes I write a lot of what I am feeling or thinking. Sometimes it is silly stuff like
1. went grocery shopping.
2. crashed on the couch when the kids went to bed.
3. Made dinner that was super yucky.
I miss days here and there. Sometimes my 5 things covers a few days. But I have been at if for a month now. And I really enjoy it. Try it. In the famous words of Fufa on Yo Gabba Gabba, try it and you'll like it, I tried it and I liked it!

7. Some more me time - I enjoy reading, but I never know what to read. I am not good at finding good books. So I need some suggestions. Lots of suggestions.

8. I need to stop coming up with excuses for things that I should be doing. For example, potty training Roman. He isn't potty trained. Possibly because I have never really tried. He randomly goes on the potty, because he feels like eating a marshmallow. I said I would do it when I was finished painting everything. Then I said I wanted to get the house organized and clean to get it on the market. Then I said I would wait until Finn wasn't sick. Then I had too busy a week coming up. I need to just suck it up and stop avoiding it. I need to act like a mom!

Any other suggestions for me? I know a lot of people said they wanted to simplify this year, how have you done it? And seriously, I need some suggestions for some good books.


Finn doesn't like squash. Me neither!

just something

I have been feeling sad lately. Sad about something I shouldn't be sad about. Something that doesn't really make one bit of sense. Except to me.
This something goes along with something else that I am so grateful for. Something I have been wanting for a long time. Something that I am not taking for granted.

So how do you keep yourself from being sad, or worrying, or wanting other things?
How is it so easy for me to be so grateful for one blessing but wish for more?
I know I sound a bit coo-coo right now! And selfish too. I know I have been blessed in my life. But sometimes that doesn't change things for me.
I guess I still have a lot of learning and growing to do.

But I know I will get over it.
And move on.
But for now I just had to get that out.

I know that there are far more important things in life than sitting here feeling sorry for myself and being depressed over a silly little something.
More important things like my Roman.
He never fails to make me laugh.

Super Roman to the rescue!

buy me! buy me!

Our house is for sale. Anyone know anyone who is looking to buy my cute little house? It's on welist right now. We will see how that goes and then if nothing then we will get a relator.

You know when you get an appointment to get your hair colored or cut cause you don't like it, and then the day of the appointment it has never looked better? Well, that's my house right now!
We finally have new carpet in and all the renos done (except the downstaris bathroom, which will be done before we sell, so I'm not counting that) and I am totally loving my house and getting sad that we are selling it. I will miss my huge lot. And all my trees. And the fence to keep Roman locked in! Of course I do want to sell it though, because I am excited to start building.

So here are the pictures that are on welist.
Living room
Kitchen
Our bedroom
Finn's bedroom
Bathroom
Roman's bedroom
Downstairs family room

back to the birthday

I know you were all just dying to see these pictures of Roman's birthday I promised you. So here you go!
What's a birthday without sprinkle waffles for breakfast. This kid will eat anything with sprinkles on it. I should put sprinkles on broccoli...
This is how we roll at out house. The kitchen table is is finally clean of paint cans, tools, random screws, wood filler, drywall mud, you name it. But for awhile there is was picnic style with the cookie monster towel for all meals.

What, this isn't how you wear it? The Dora birthday hats he picked out with daddy months and months ago. Is it wrong that I hate the fact that he loves Dora? Not because it is annoying and the map song consists of like 4 words sung over and over. But because it is for little girls.

Happy number #3 Roman!
This has got to be one of my favorite pictures lately. Roman, not a big fan of cake. But o how he loves frosting. So three cupcakes out of the freezer, some way too runny frosting - oops, and of course the essential sprinkles made for one happy birthday boy. I made a lemon loaf bunt cake for the rest of us.
A quick shirt change after the frosting and we are good to go.
Loving the new apron and oven mitts I made him for his birthday. The oven mitts just might be my new obsession, they are so stinking cute! Actually my new obsession is felt food. Notice the cupcakes I made him. And then I asked Brad, the wonderful husband he is,to make a little tray for them to sit in. He bakes cupcakes all day long. And I get to eat them all day long. Much better than eating the real thing though! Oh ya, I get to eat strawberries too.
Guess I better get making some other felt food so I can have a bit healthier diet.

would you laugh at me...

if you saw me running in this?

Probably not if my stomach or thighs looked like the models right. But honestly what do you think? I can't make up my mind. There are "boy shorts" attached to the skirt.
I used to do a lot of yoga, so I usually wear my yoga capris running. But they aren't the best to run in. And there is no way I am running in tight or short running shorts. Lulu lemon used to have a longer semi tight running short, but of course I couldn't find any last year when I was looking. Any other options I don't know about?

who comes up with these?

Fifty Questions.

1. Do you like blue cheese? Not by itself, but yes on things like burgers and salads.

2. Have you ever smoked a cigarette? Nope. Can't stand the smell, same as most of you I'm sure!

3. Do you own a gun? No. But I have been gopher hunting a few times. And as strange as it sounds, shooting pumpkins is fun. And I would love to go to the shooting range with Sean and Val one time.

4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Vanilla. Christal - I have never eaten at sonic - go this summer when you are in Utah!

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Not really. Especially because I am now a pushy nurse who knows what I want. But I have never had to go for something major.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Okay, I can't lie. I love them. We always get them at Costco when we are there. I know it sounds so disgusting. Oh well. And remember the days the the 7-11 deal! I know you do Lindsay!

7. Favorite Christmas Song? Don't really have a favorite.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water. Lots of cold water all day long.

9. Can you do push-ups? Sure. But just cause I can doesn't mean I do. I took a kickboxing class in college - like serious kickboxing taught by these two guys who fight all over the world. Of course I had no idea when I signed up it was for real! Anyway, we did MAJOR push ups in that class. And I must say I got really good over the semester.

10. What is your favorite movie? I really can't name one. It all depends - comedy, chick flick, action, drama. How can you pick just one. I love What a girl wants. Very cheesy I know. And I like Fever Pitch, Jimmy Fallon makes me laugh.

11. What’s your favorite piece of jewelry? I'm with Christal, my wedding ring. But I like big ear rings too cause it makes me look more put together than I really am most of the time!

12. Favorite hobby? Well we all know it's not sewing right... I really miss snowboarding. Being pregnant and breastfeeding all the time doesn't help with snowboarding. I like being lazy, does that count as a hobby? I like baking with Roman too.

13. Do you work with people who idolize you? Nope. But there are for sure nurses I work with who I idolize. In a good way. And of course Brad idolizes me!

14. Do you have ADD? Don't we all have a bit of ADD in us.

15. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? Impatience. And I worry all the time about everything.

16. What’s your middle name? Joyce.

17. Name three thoughts at this moment: What am I going to make for dinner today? What is left on the list for house renos. I give up on trying to have a shower today.

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday: well since it was Sunday we'll go for Saturday. Fennegreek. Intrigued? Supposedly it helps increase milk supply. Finn goes crazy hungry every few weeks and it seems like there is not enough milk for him. Groceries. Gas.

19. Current worry right now? Selling the house.

21. Current hate right now? Waiting.

22. Favorite place to be? With family. Home on mat leave.

23. How did you bring in the New Year? I think we fell asleep before midnight.

24. Where would you like to go? Looking forward to time at the lake this summer.

25. Name three people who will complete this? I dunno. 3 people looking to avoid life for a few moments like me.

26. Whose answer do you want to read the most? No idea.

27. What color shirt are you wearing? White.

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never have, but I don't think I want to. I still have my winter flannel sheets on my bed.

29. Can you whistle? Sort of. I learned a few years ago. Very pathetic I know. Just a basic whistle, no catchy tunes or anything.

30. Favorite color? red and brown.

31. Would you be a pirate? no. What kind of crazy questions is this!

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't sing in the shower. I day dream.

33. Favorite girl’s name? Ella. Hannah. Olivia.

34. Favorite boy’s name? Roman, Finn, and one that will not be named due to a name stealing friend. You know who you are. Max, Parker, Blake, I could go on. I have had lots of experience thinking about boys names!

35. What’s in your pocket right now? Nothing. I'm wearing pajamas - no big surprise there.

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Roman.

37. Best bed sheets as a child? Strawberry shortcake.

38. Worst injury you’ve ever had? Nothing comes to mind. Oh wait, I go kicked so hard in soccer my whole shin was bruised and swollen. I had to have a penrose drain put in it due to all the swelling and I have a loonie sized spot that is still numb.

39. What is your favorite snack? Toast.

40. Favorite thing to do on Sundays? Play games.

41. Who is your loudest friend? Lindsay or Jacklyn - but in a good way!

42. How many dogs do you have? None. My parents have the dog I brought home from school though.

43. Does someone have a crush on you? I sure hope not. It's just me and Bradley.

45. What is your favorite book? Blah, again how can you pick just one. I like easy fun reading. Like Harry Potter. Lam-o you say. Oh well.

46. What is your favorite candy? Mini chocolate bars at Halloween. Mini eggs at Easter. Hot tamales.

47. What is your favorite sports team? I have come to like the Lakers due to Brads addiction to them since the age of like 10. I like the Dallas Mavericks too. And then Phoenix Suns.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? No idea. I don't think I will really care at that point. Off the top of my head I like the idea of I know that my Redeemer lives at a funeral.

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Just going to bed and wishing I had done so much earlier.

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up this morning? Why o why can't you sleep longer Finn...

Perfect timing, the dryer just finished. A few pictures and I'm off to fold laundry.

where to start...

It has been almost a month since I posted last, seriously? It can't have been that long.
The list of things I need to do, and the list of things I want to do are staggering. Overwhelming me right now. So for now I will try to catch my brain up by posting about Roman's birthday.
Number "free".
Oh wait, I am heading out on a sock hunt with Ro and his "manaculars".
I'm back, the sock was found and replaced on one size 10 or 11 foot. Yes you read that right.
Back to 3. We has so much fun with 3. After the craziness of Christmas Brad mentioned my birthday. Roman then learned his birthday was soon after mine. And it took off from there. Is there some secret elf that comes around when I am not looking and puts ideas into kids heads? Cause that must have been what happened. All the sudden he was OBSESSED with birthdays. And he NEEDED a party o so badly. Well I am not a brave enough mom to have three and four year old boys in my tiny middle of renovation house. So we rented a pool. Yep, we are those parents. But it was so worth it this year. I asked what kind of party he wanted. Pirate. Okay then, what do we need at a pirate party. Pirate hats of course, oh silly me. Well pirate hats it is. And you know me, any chance to pull out the ol' sewing machine! So remember that felt crown I posted a bit ago, I turned that idea into a pirate hat. Some felt, iron on interfacing cut out as a skull, and some elastic. So easy and so fast. The dollar store provided eye patches and pirate swords - another must have according to Roman. I printed invitations and used a stamp pad instead of burning them. Brad commented how cool it would be if we had beer bottles to deliver them in. All the sudden I remembered my parents had old root beer bottles buried in their storage room for who knows what reason. So walla, message in a bottle. invitations.
I baked a sheet cake and decorated it like a treasure map. Brad made a little wooded pirate boat. But of course I forgot to take a picture of it! So use your imagination. I promise it was cute!
5 families joined us for the party. So many kids running around. It was crazy! But so much fun. Roman had a blast. He loved having so many little boys there. (I always end up dragging him along to play with my friends little girls). For days after the party he talked about all his friends that were BOYS!
Christal took this picture for us. Thanks Christal!
I was looking through a few of the pictures I did manage to get from the party and found this one. You can see the pirate hats I made. And most of the cake, including the smashed X (I threw something on it in the truck, Roman was mad at me for this one, how can we find the treasure now mom!) and the finger sized hole in the ocean. Don't worry, Roman got that piece!
And then I found this one which made me laugh - Look beside cute Masen and you will notice Roman grabbing Brad's butt! Not really sure what that is all about!
I have a really cute one of you Amelia, I'll be nice and not post a swimsuit picture on here!

Brad's mom came out on his actual birthday and we did presents and cake with her and my family. I need to get those pictures off my camera, so maybe tomorrow... or in a month knowing my posting record lately!
Funny that we all say things like that. When really we are the only ones who care. Well, that's not true, I love it when all of you have new posts. Do people like me as much as I like them? I'll tell myself yes, and get all my new pictures up soon!

Today I am...

I liked Rhonda's post from today.
Today I am...
still in my pajamas from this morning, both kids too!

filling holes in baseboards and sanding them.

giving into the sugar craving and drinking a Dr. Pepper. It's been one of those days.

avoiding the treadmill staring at me right now.

looking forward to the time change this weekend and hoping it helps the kids sleep longer than the 7:00 wake up call I have had all week.

getting ready for Roman's pirate party this weekend, sewing a million little pirate hats for all the kiddos.

loving the new carpet in our basement.

totally and completely loving and appreciating my husband for all the work he has done to get the house ready to sell.

stressing out about the house selling once we actually get it listed.

Looking forward to the nice warm shower I will take as soon as I get off the computer and sand a few more baseboards.

What are you doing?