Catching up

So.....it's been awhile - but who cares, right!?

So what's happened since the last time I blogged? Mark and I have grown our farm, bought a convenience store with a couple of friends, gone on a cruise, grew friendships, seen a fertility specialist, been disappointed and cried a few tears, learned a lot about ourselves, gotten hooked on a few TV shows, lost some weight, and much more that I don't even remember right now.

The biggest thing in the past 9 or so months has been Mo's Stop 'n Shop. Mark and I, along with our friends (who represent the "O" in Mo) bought our local, little small town convenience store. It has been............ eye-opening. I have always wanted to own my own business and being a part of a such a great small town's community has been great, probably the biggest reward for what we're doing. My sister said it best when she reminisced about our own little small town gas station. When we'd head home from college with friends in tow, and we'd always have to make a run past D&G's. But it has also been tough, a daunting task, and overwhelming at times. The hours we've worked, the times I've had to leave my actual full-time job, the fights it's caused, the stress we've endured, honestly just a bunch of crap. But I love it. I love the challenge and the pride I feel walking into MY store. I kinda feel like buying this store has been a "marriage" in a way. It's difficult, rewarding, maddening, and I can't and won't just walk away from it.

So here we are- Newlyweds, Mo's and I. I guess I just need to figure out where to go on a honeymoon!

2011 Goals

Screw resolutions, I'm going to try to make actual goals. Goals are measurable statements with a time frame. My time frame will be all of 2010, some shorter. Cause Lord knows that just saying "I'm going to try to be healthier" isn't gonna really make me change anything. So here goes…

Goals for 2011:

1. Lose 20 pounds by my sister's wedding-June 4, 2011
   
2. Memorize 24 verses, as part of Beth Moore's challenge
   
3. Create and keep track of a budget every month (notice I didn't necessarily say "stay within" – I want these goals to be reachable.)
   
4. Finish the basement of our house, and get halfway through either the kitchen or the bathroom-or at least halfway saved up to what it'll cost
   
5. Create and follow a weekly chore list (for me and Mark) because doing a little bit each day is way better than freaking out on the weekend or having a case of the CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)
   
6. Run a half-marathon (crap I've never told anyone that-but right now, I'm all for putting it out there- you might understand why if you read my last post.)
   
7. Buy a new car-and by new I mean newer than what I have now.
   
8. Be a better wife – ok that one's kinda objective, and might not be measurable….but I'm guessing Mark would have a few things we could count (less fights and more….I'm not gonna say it, but I'm sure you can guess it.)
   
9. Get pregnant, yes another "I'm putting it out there" moment. Prayers for this one from you guys…. And maybe Mark will get a "better wife" this way.
   

That's it. That's what I've got. We'll see where we stand this time next year!

God's Blessings for your New Year!

Thrifting, Baseball, and a Vaca-what else do you need on a Saturday?

How is it that I have reached June and this will be my 26th post for the year? I swear I have more to say than that, as can be attested by those that know me well. But my crazy thoughts jump so quickly from one place to another, that I barely have time to catch up with myself. So for today I shall make a list. Because really, who has time for transitions.

1. I had a pretty successful Saturday, with some great thrift store finds and auction steals. I promise that I will post pictures soon.

2. My brother played ball last night, the first time that I've got to watch him this year. He's 10, so the boys are pitching themselves, but with help from the coach after 4 balls. It was so much fun and so sweet and so boy-like too. I kept wanting to cheer for all those tiny little guys whenever they stepped up to the plate or threw a wild pitch or missed a pop fly, but I also saw the obnoxious habits of boys forming in them too. The cocky kid that crossed home plate holding up his finger in the air, showing that he was number one. Puh-lease. The constant checking of that new "cup" in their baseball pants. The nose picking, and I even think I saw some air humping. I mean really, they're 10, why are they already like that?!

3. Speaking of baseball, my newfound love for the game is growing (hey-wait a minute, that could have been a transition, from one thought to the next, that even makes sense! how bout that.) My season tickets for K-State were fun, and I know we'll do it again next year, and hopefully make it to more games with friends and family. And next week, I'm going to a Junction City Generals game with some former co-workers. I even think the farmer husband will be in between planting and harvest, so he might go with. Plus, we're trying to schedule a Royals game for July, after harvest is done. It'll be nice to get away for a weekend, and I think my husband wants to make up for what will surely be a non-noticed birthday and he's still gotta make up for breaking my new bookshelf for my Mary Kay room. But don't say anything about that, he's kind of touchy about it.

4. Why do I have a newfound love for baseball? Well that I believe would be a great story for another day. Man if I follow through with a post about baseball AND a post with pictures from my Junk Excursion, I just won't know what to do with myself. That'd make it 28 posts for the year. Heck ya!

5. We've been discussing going on a vacation with our good friend Brandon and his wife. He was the best man in our wedding, and he just recently got married as well (I was a cake cutter, the most stressful job in a wedding.) We at first talked about going on a cruise and I wasn't too sure about it. But I started doing some research and asking others, and I got really excited about it. But then our good friend Brandon says maybe we should just go to Mexico and sit on the beach instead of riding a boat to that beach. Which is ok too, but I was all excited about the cruise! But I think our deal breaker is that we can't get an all-inclusive cruise, that includes the alcohol. I mean, $6 beers add up pretty quickly, and isn't that a sad sign when our main concern is how much our drinks are going to cost! But a lady was telling me last night (she ran the scoreboard at the boy's baseball game, so she's surely a trusted source) that you can sneak on some stuff or you can even buy alcohol from the duty free stores on the boat for decently cheap. So I don't know, we're looking for some more insight, so if you're still reading this far down-let me know what you think!

Surely 5 really boring, wordy, pointless points is enough for my list today. I'm gonna go sack out on the couch and think about putting away my laundry and getting started on my thrifting treasures!

Exposure

I love blogging. It exposes me to so much. There are so many things that in my quiet, quaint little world I would never see. I am inspired by other's stories, passions, homes, and music. I am that dork that constantly says to my husband, "The other day on this blog I was reading...."

But in the Middle of Nowhere, Kansas how else would I connect with a mother of four in Southern California, and watch as she puts out some of the most honest thoughts of motherhood and dealing with life and money and baking cakes?

How would I see how literally hundreds of people decorate their homes with the kind of style that I can only copy?

How would I meet a woman who has adopted through foster care three different, beautiful children and be inspired by her patience and dedication?

And how would I have found this?

Ornament Exchange!

I have no idea what I am doing with this whole blog thing. But I do know it's fun, and I like snooping into other's lives-I mean reading about others!- and learning and being entertained and encouraged and challenged by what others have to say. One blog that I have recently started reading and enjoying is http://pamperingbeki.blogspot.com/ and she recently had a post introducing her 2009 Bloggers Ornament Exchange.

Now I love Christmas and I love ornaments. Every year starting when I was little, my Grandma Alice (my mom's mom) would get me and my sister an ornament, typically with our name and year on it. And after she passed away, my mother continued on with the tradition. So, two years ago, for Mark's and my first Christmas as a married couple- I wanted to continue on with our own tree. So, I drug him along and he actually picked out a fun ornament with a little bride and groom. Last year, as we lived in the world's smallest house, I bought a little house ornament and told Mark that we would always remember that year when our house was the same size as the ornament. Now this year has been the year of the loan-as we have purchased a farm, a house, and a tractor. Maybe we'll buy a paintbrush ornament, or a little red tractor, or an empty wallet ornament.

But anyways, I jumped on this opportunity to share my love of ornaments with others, and meet another blogger from near or far, and again be inspired and challenged and entertained. If you would like to join in the fun, check out Beki's blog (and her adorable shop-lots of cute necklaces and such that would make a perfect Christmas present for a neice or a friend or whomever!)
Check it out!

Same Old, Same Old

This blogging thing sometimes is really difficult for me. I always have lots to say (just ask my husband) but I always seem to have a hard time actually saying it-I also have a hard time putting my thoughts down on paper -or computer. There have been a few times this week that I have sat down to try and say something, something more than just updating you on how the house is coming along, and I just sit there. I may type out a line or a sentence or perhaps just a few words. But that's it, that's as far as I get. I'm never concise, full of cliches, and lose interest quickly. Which, when combined together never make for anything worth reading. And I'm all about putting quality posts on here to stimulate your mind and challenge myself and, hahaha who am I kidding.

But still, I do want to write something that at the very least makes sense, and so here I am again today. Typing, yet saying nothing. Reminds me of a song by Jared Pete Gile, yes the same one that I wrote about on my last Music Tuesday post-you know almost two weeks ago, which of course means that after two solid weeks, I've already gone AWOL on my weekly Music Tuesday Posting posting. Ah well. He had writer's block for awhile and so he took a trip to see new scenery, get out of his routine, and perhaps get over his block. And he said what he finally did to break through, was just to write a song about having writer's block.

Same Old, Same Old
Same old hat same old blue jeans
It’s always the same old same old it seems
The glass is half empty and I’m laying around
Why does everything gotta seem so upside down

Thumbing through the classifieds
Ain’t no jobs out there unless you wanna work 8 to 5
Sun comes up then it melts aways
It does the same thing day after day

CHORUS
I could use a break
From all this nothing that I do
I sleep in till about 11
And finally get outta bed around 2
Just looking for something to get me out
Of this restless state of mind
I’m stuck in a rut but if I can dig out
I bet I’ll be just fine

Same old hunger same old empty plate
It’s always the same old same old just a different date
Watching the world out my front door
Dr. Phil at 3 and Bonanza reruns at 4

CHORUS

I could use me a Hummer
One of them great big 4 wheel drives
If I could just get my hands on a new set of wheels
I bet ya I’d feel a little more alive
Just looking for something to get me out
Of this restless state of mind
I’m stuck in a rut but if I can dig out
I bet I’ll be just fine

Same old guitar same old songs
It’s always the same old same old all along
Head in my hands feelings on my sleeve
I ain’t the type to ask why but why me

CHORUS

I could use a trout stream I could us a pretty mountain morning
If I could just get my hands on a million bucks
I bet my life wouldn’t seem so boring
Just looking for something to get me out
Of this restless state of mind
I’m stuck in a rut but if I can dig out
I bet I’ll be just fine

I'm coming back like Brett Favre

I'm Baa-ackk! Mark and I finally broke down and just bought a new computer. Apparently the motherboard in my laptop was fried?! Something along those lines, I guess, I tried to listen but when you combine listening with computer terms and a know-it-all, thinks he's funny salesman-I only got about half of it. Basically I heard-it'll cost you at least $300 to maybe fix it and we could get a brand new tower for our desktop for $500 with a much, much better processor and so I did it.

Now I do have to say, I called the dear husband at home, before the purchase because I was doing the shopping by myself, and we were discussing it. And he was wanting me to wait until he was there with me, and I was not wanting to wait until he was there with me and then the most terrible thing happened (dunh dunh dunh) his phone died! Now you and I both know I did the best thing possible as a responsible and dependable spouse-I figured I would have ended up talking him into doing it my way anyways and just bought the thing!


But so now I am back, ready to unload a whole lotta recipes and "funny" stories and interesting peeks into my life. Ooh, and pictures of my dog. Heck ya!

Doesn't it feel like oh, about every 4 months I make a post like this-promising you all sorts of goodies but having no real goods. I'm all about comebacks, and getting your hopes up, and then crushing them! Sorry about that, if you think I'm un-dependable, you should ask my husband.

I will be taking bribes

Tonight I have to judge babies, you know..... for a baby contest. When I was in school, I participated in 4-H. I took my steer and my horse. I also took a lamb one year and even participated in the Round Robin, where you show pigs and dairy cattle and all the other large animals. These animals are judged, not only by how well you show them, but also by how muscular they look, how lean and well they fit into the desired look of the animal and the judges poke them in the sides or the backend or wherever they need to, all to decide which animal is the best. There's careful considerations and reasons, things that sound like, "I placed 1 over 2 because of the uniformity across the top of the loin, something something blah blah." I don't know, I started spacing out because I was always in the bottom pair and basically they would just tell me that I had a crappy animal that wasn't even fit to eat.

But, my question is, how do I judge babies? Do I get to squeeze their cute little fat rolls before making any decisions?

Comments!

You can leave a comment after each post by clicking on the word comments that is at the bottom of the post. It will then take you to a different page and then you can write whatever you want in the little box on the right hand side. You can remain anonymous, or if you have a blog you can leave a comment under the name of your blog, or you can just type in your own name (or someone else's-but try not to do that.) I know you all find me hilarious and just want to comment on that fact, but you can also talk about other stuff as well. And don't worry, I already know I'm funny, just ask my sister's roommate.

She really did tell me once that I was funny. I remember it.

Have You Been Here Before?

I'm looking for some sort of tracker to put on my blog that will allow me to see who stops by my blog, where they're from and if they're returning or new visitors. And I want to be able to block my computer so that it doesn't count me when I stop by my own blog. So any suggestions? ideas?