school's out!!

I had my last class day today at Preschool!!..it was a good year, but I am ready for a break!!..I have one class of 3 yr olds and one class of 4yr olds- handfuls, both of them, but in general good kids!

I was blessed with loads of gifts, cards and gift cards this week!!..one of the perks of being a teacher!

cats!

We adopted 2 kitties about a year and a half ago, they are sisters and are now close to 2 yrs old. One of them has always been more social, will occasionally grace us with getting on our laps etc...but generally they are not interested in us. The whole saying that cats dont have owners, they have staff, certainly applied here!!..we were considering finding them a new home since we sure didnt get any benefits out of having them, and they leave hair everywhere and have scratched holes in our window screens and on our new-ish sofa!!

Well this past month when we had the hardwoods refinished, they were boarded at our vet for a week. They were together in a "condo" and did just fine. When we brought them home they are completely different!!...we have a hard time sitting down without one of them jumping into our laps!!..wow, what a change!!!...it has been a couple of weeks and they are still wanting to be with us..so, old cat..new tricks?...now we are so happy to have them!!

the beauty of our state

Roger and I drove to Yakima on Sunday...we love road trips and even with the price of gas so high- it was a great way to enjoy the day.We shopped and had a nice lunch before heading back home.

The scenery was incredible, from the green piney mountains to the snow covered ones, and then the fabulous desert looking mountains- our state has it all!!..we never tire of the wonderful views while crossing the passes..

We feel so blessed to be residents of this beautiful state!..we have lived here longer that we did our "home" state of WV...time flies...

Garage Sale??

After all this remodeling going on here, we have been purging alot!!..our style has changed from somewhat country to more of a Pottery Barn style..so almost all of our decor needs to go...

I am needing to have a rather large Garage Sale, never having done one on my own before, does anyone have any tips?..do's or dont's???

Anyone want to join me?...a group effort would be fun!!

It's been awhile!

Roger and I spent 4 days at a motel this past week, while our hardwood floors were refinished...our cats have been boarded at the vet. We love how the floors turned out, but being out of our home and now unable to put furniture down for a week is wearing on us- but we feel it is worth it in the long run!!..(not sure what the orbs are in the first picture,I may need to clean my lens)

On another note, I get to cross off an item from my LIFE LIST...I have always wanted to go for a long motorcycle ride with a group..this past Saturday Roger and I met up with 3 other people he works with that all ride Harleys. We rode over 300 miles and it was so fun!!..Lynette, we were down your way and it was blazing HOT!! we didnt have time to stop, but I waved to you as we went thru Kalama!..we were so tired and a little sunburned, but oh so fun times (and darn I forgot my camera!!)

Mother's Day 08

It was a good day, I was appropriately spoiled!...tulips and a card, coffee at Starbucks, then a chilly motorcycle ride..followed by a yummy BBQ'ed dinner with both boys here...they went in together and got me a gorgeous hanging basket for our deck...a nice way to end a very good weekend!!

and as an added plus I won an amazingly cool perpetual birthday calendar/spinner from my friend Lynette's blog!!..woohoo!!!

busy, but fun weekend so far!

Last night Roger and I went to some friends house to a get-together with alot of his work friends. This is where Roger goes most Friday nights to play music with some of his co-workers...it was alot of fun, but a late night!!

Tonight we went with another couple to Jazzbones on 6th ave in Tacoma to hear a band called "Nearly Dan" a tribute band to Steely Dan. They were absolutely amazing, there were 11 members in the band!!...great music!

We will see what tomorrow brings as far as my Mother's Day celebration goes...my guys have been talking alot on the phone trying to coordinate schedules, it will be a good day if we can all be together for awhile!!..Happy Mother's Day to all my friends who are Mothers!!

this past weekend

I scrapbooked for 2 1/2 days, in celebration of National SCrapbook Day. My friend Susan had several of us gals up to spend the weekend at her house to crop. We all picked a meal to be responsible for and shopped a bit and laughed alot!!..what a great way to spend a weekend, just relaxing and having fun...we also found some time to sit outside in the sun and play dominoes!!..we said we felt like old grandpas, but it was just our speed!!...

this star is what we are giving to my mother in law for Mother's Day, need one more picture to finish it...

weight watchers is working!

It has been 10 weeks today and I am down 14.6 lbs...not a super big number, but enough for me to feel more energetic and just feel better about myself in general.

I still want to lose about 40 more lbs, so this is just a drop in the bucket- but I am not hungry and never feel deprived..it just takes a mindset and a change of life style.

Doing this while the house remodel was going on, was pretty stressful but we are doing it!..Roger has lost a few lbs more than I have- it sure helps that we are doing it together!

not so funny anymore!!

I know all the jokes about Washingtonians rusting and not tanning etc...but come on- it is almost MAY!!!...where is the sun??..I know I am whining, but I can get so much more done on a nice sunny day...this comic says it all!!

it's done!!!

YAY!!!..our remodel of our kitchen and powder room is done, other than decorative touches like window treatments etc..but even though this has consumed my blog alot, I had to show it off!!..we are really happy with it!!..thanks for putting up with me..I will do a few before and after pics...

kitchen progress- for courtney!!

One of my favorite-ist co-workers keeps up on my blog and has been wanting to see some kitchen pics...I figured everyone was sick of hearing/seeing it..but ok, here goes!!..things are still super dusty from his sanding, so dont judge my housekeeping skills!!..lol...

Our drawers and pull-outs are in, just not refaced yet...I am very excited for the upcoming week, as it should be our last week of mess!!..fingers crossed it will be over!! (at least until our family room/hardwood refinishing)so..Court- here ya go!!

missing my momma

Today would have been my Mom's birthday..daisies were her favorite flower...it has been 3 years since she passed away and I miss her so much..

a nice break...

Roger and I needed to get away for a bit and have some fun, so we headed to Oregon for a getaway. We ended up staying the night in Newport and had a blast!..our room balcony overlooked the ocean, we enjoyed watching the sunset with a good cup of coffee..

While we were gone, our contractor made good progress-he finished the bathroom floor tiles and got started on the actual refacing of the cupboards..looks so pretty!!

Tomorrow we will take advantage of the nice weather and go for a long motorcycle ride..so nice to relax and have fun together!!

A Bad Day-

I got an email today from my Father, letting me know that my Grandparent's log cabin burned to the ground yesterday. Both of my Grandparents are deceased, but my G'Pa's caregiver was living there- thankfully she was not hurt.

It is devastating to me to think that the house of my childhood memories is gone. Along with all the big things that were lost, were the 2 heritage scrapbooks that I made for my G'Pa, dating back to the late 1800's...it just is so hard to think of the photos and documentation of our family that was lost in the fire.

It has been a bad way to end an already bad day for me....

one more step..kitchen/powder room

Roger and I got up bright and early and got started painting in the kitchen and powder room...kind of an olive green in the kitchen and for the powder room, one wall ice blue and the rest of the walls tan..not sure about the blue, we may have to live with it for a bit to see if we end up keeping it. I have purchased chocolate brown and blue towels etc for in there...what do you think about that blue??..opinions appreciated!

This week our contractor will begin the refacing and adding our custom pullouts and pot drawers etc..cant wait!!

Sunday road trip

After doing chores all day on Saturday, Roger and I decided to do something fun on Sunday. We went a day trip to a place called Coupeville, it was a little quaint town past where the tulip festival is (Im terrible with directions)

Since it was Sunday, most things were closed, but it is definately somewhere we want to ride the motorcycle back to and explore!

That night we went to The Spar in Ruston- they have live Blues music on Sunday nights..a fun way to end the weekend. We went most every Sunday in the summer and love it.

some kitchen progress

We are so thrilled with the kitchen so far..it has been slow going-GRR!!..but worth it in the end...my new appliances came today, but the fridge is still in the family room, drinks anyone?..lol..our contractor is off this coming week, so we are hoping to get the painting done and hang the lights, at least we can keep moving forward, even without him.

our Easter

Both our boys told us they wouldnt be around for Easter this year, Trevor was backpacking and Ethan was to work a double shift. So Roger and I made our own plans to not cook and just hang out with nothing special planned.Well, as it turned out, both boys were around, so we pinch hitted a meal together and enjoyed a DVD together.The Easter bunny did come, and the guys loved their baskets!

We had a fun day on Saturday and got our first Harley ride in, (brr, 47 is too cold!)and then BBQed shrimp and chicken and veggies. Yum! All in all a fun weekend..and even though we didnt go to church, we all still remembered the real reason for the holiday- He is Risen indeed!!

I've been tagged!

Thursday, March 20, 2008
I've been tagged-

Lynette tagged me with the ABC's of Me so here goes:

A- Attached or single: Happily RE-Attached

B- Best Friend: Tammy,Susan,Patrice and Angie

C- Cake or Pie: spice cake

D- Day of Choice: Friday-knowing the weekend is nearing!

E- Essential Item(s): Dentyne soft chew gum and my laptop!!

F- Flavor of ice cream: vanilla frozen yogurt

G- Gummy Bears or Worms: neither-ick!

H- Hometown: Huntington,West Virginia

I- Indulgence(s): getting my nails done and the occasional massage

J- January or July: July

K- Kids: two boys, 22 and 20

L- Last movie seen in theaters/DVD: In Theaters - Jane Austen Book Club on DVD and Juno in the theater

M- Marriage Date: Sept 18, 1982

N- Number of Siblings: 1 younger sister, Beth

O- Oranges or Apples: Apples, preferably Fuji or Gala-(me too Lynette!)

P- Phobias or Fears: elevators and flying, something about being confined inside an area without control

Q- Quote(s): It's not the years in your life, but the life in your years!(or close)

R- Reason To Smile: starbucks lattes, watching the scales go down, watching movies and snuggling with my honey

S- Season: Summer

T- Tag Four: whomever wishes to play

U- Unknown Fact About Me: I do a mean scooby do impression!..my preschoolers love it!

V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: love me some meat!!

W- Worst Habit: talking too much!!

X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds. I have had only ultrasounds..other than dental x rays

Y- Your Favorite Food: pizza with lots of cheese-yum!

Z- Zodiac: Scorpio

it's been awhile...

Not a whole lot going on here..the kitchen is progressing, but slowly. All the demo work is done, and I now have some granite on a couple of my counter tops...it's not cemented down yet..but it does look good. Our contractor is very nice and we trust him completely- however he is a Daddy and is the childcare provider when a kid is sick, so he has missed several days-frustrating for us, but understandable. It is just hard when we have everything so torn up!!..

Anyway, just wanted to say Hi to you all, and letcha know I'm still around!!

2 new projects

Even though my house is torn up and in disarray, I still managed to do 2 projects. Susan Marzocchi has Stampin Up stamp camps and these were an extra class she did. Love these!..this is all the Easter decorating I will be doing this year.

I wont bore you with the kitchen pics, but it is coming along- the floor is down to the sub floor, the counters are plywood/hardy backer primed red..I do have my new deep sink and new faucet in tho!..nice!..the fridge is in the family room, the dishwasher is unhooked and where the fridge goes..AAAAA!!!..I know it has to get worse before it gets better, but being discombobulated sure gets on my nerves!!

Kitchen Remodel Day1

Yay...it has begun!..this what I came home to- no counter tops or sink-both in the kitchen and in our downstairs powder room...it was a microwave meal for dinner last night..he laid out the tiles on the diagonal so we could see what it looks like-we like it..anyway, boring post for most-EXCITING for us!!

Striving for a new me!

I love this picture, it tickles me, but it is truly what I am hoping to achieve..I joined Weight Watchers this weekend, and am seriously striving for a life change!
I refuse to go up in size, and this is my first step (again!)towards halting that change in the wrong direction!..Spring just feels like the right time!

my purty new seat!!

We got the bike back today and it looks great!..my new seat looks so comfy, I can hardly wait for the temperature to rise enuf to go for a ride!!..It is my favorite thing to do on a nice day- I really miss it!

getting ready !!

Still thinking of Spring..and getting our Harley ready for warmer weather!!
Our bike had a couple of recalls that needed done,and our tour pack needed to be installed, so the Harley shop came and picked it up.

Our Christmas gift to each other was the tour pack, which is a nice comfy seat back for me that is attached to a little hard "trunk" for when we go on longer trips that involve staying over night..will be handy too, for scrapbook shopping while on the road!..(altho Im sure Roger will be thrilled to hear that!!)

our new look in our living room

This is the first room we have done over in our new style,out with the country and in with the "Pottery Barn" look...sleeker and more modern, yet warm and comfy!..our walls are actually dark cocoa brown, big difference from off white!..we spend way more time in the room now, we love it!!

finally feeling better!

I started feeling icky Friday night, coughed all night...at least Roger and I had spent the day together by going on a road trip to Bellingham. He needed some things for his guitars, and I love to go to Treasury of Memories-so it was a fun day!!..the rest of my 4 day weekend was spent on the sofa or in bed. Bronchitis-ICK!! But am finally feeling better..cough syrup with codiene is my new friend!!...I got out of the house for a little while today and got a pedicure...kind of funky, but fun!..too bad it is too cold for sandals..it will be my little secret!!

happy valentine's day!

I woke up to the sweetest things..Roger got me plants and balloons and Starbucks cups..2 sets of gifts, even 2 cards- when I asked him what the meaning of that was- he said, check the cards...he had written 2007 on one and 2008 on the other.
We were seperated this time last year, so he wanted to make up for missing Valentine's Day ...so sweet to think of that!!..he already told me to order the navigation system for my car, so I was happy knowing it was on it's way!...I never would have imagined we would be together and happy, this time last year..yay cupid!!(and God)

sharing a little love

I always like to do little gifts or fun things for my preschoolers for holidays or occasions. My favorite little project for Valentine's day was to take a box of conversation hearts and put each child's picture in the little window on the box,laminate it and make it into a magnet- well the last couple of years they reformatted the boxes and the window is too small to put a pic in...so for this year I just did pics of each child and had a heart frame done over it at Costco...add a little ribbon and voila, my valentine to each child and a keepsake for their mom.Not as cute as the other project, but I think they will be liked!

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Ok,it's official- when your youngest child turns 20-youre old!!..It is so hard to believe that he is no longer in his teens!..we went out to dinner last night at Red Robin, it is our tradition that the birthday boy gets to choose where we go.
Trevor couldnt make it since he was sick, so we enjoyed spending some time with just Ethan. Afterwards we came home and had cheesecake and opened gifts and 3 of his friends came over to help celebrate.Happy Birthday Son!!..love you!

Longing for Spring-Part 2

In January I posted my amarylis bulb as it was growing...it is now blooming and so gorgeous~ it has 4 blooms, and while it is an orangey red and not a true red it still makes me happy just looking at it!! I am even more anxious for Spring now..darn that old groundhog anyway!!..who wants 6 more weeks of winter weather??

moving right along!

Roger and I got busy yesterday and got my scrap room painted (with the exception of the ceiling)..my scrap stuff had been laying on the floor in the living room since Thanksgiving!!..it was making me crazy! I have a project I have been itching to do, so now I can get to it!..I love my room!

so proud!

Our oldest son,Trevor, works for the nursing program at Tacoma Community College. They have a brand new program that he has helped implement- they use robotic mannequins for the students to practice on. They are eerily lifelike with pulses and blinking etc..they even have a female one that gives birth!the newborn baby can even have blue lips from lack of oxygen...Trevor has researched and purchased all the equipment as well as sets up the senarios via computer for the students to "diagnose"...he has had to learn medical terminology as well as computer skills etc..He has come a long way- at 22 he is enrolled in college and headed in a great direction!!