today....

Today I am eating my Grapefruit WITHOUT sugar. Thanks to Rhonda & Jamie (I think).

Today I sent Abe to school in clothes that were not too small. Thanks to a shopping trip yesterday.

Today I learned that when you store potatoes in the fridge it breaks the starch into sugar and makes them too sweet. So that is why I haven't liked my taters lately.

Today Abe has Tae Kwon Do. Again.

Today is going to be close to 70 outside.

Later today I will go to Newton for my accounting class. I'm not so sure about trend percents or common size percents.....I may need a career change after all.

Today Abe already asked me if his glasses will be here today! I have never seen a little guy so excited over new glasses!

Today I made the decision to stop contributing to my 401k until I feel better about the economy. I know what they say about now being the best time to buy stock low but I'm not really on board with that. I'm following my own instincts this time.

Today Randy is making reservations to take me out to dinner on Saturday. Out of town. Just the two of us! Yippee Skippee!

Today somebody asked Randy for a bid to paint their house. When does he just throw in the towel and do that full-time?

Today is my Friday!

Today, I should really figure out where to put a comma. I guess grammar will not be my new career.

I don't even play one on TV.....

I have self diagnosed myself once again. I think I may have Seasonal Affective Disorder. To make myself feel better I am making a list of things I am looking forward to. Before I know it - it will be Spring and I will be all better.

We are getting ready to make the final installment of Annie's college tuition! Just a few short years ago I would have never dreamed we could have done this without the heavy burden of a lot of debt. God has opened doors to make this possible (extra work for Randy - not a jackpot) and we are so thankful for this and so blessed to invest in our children's future. A much higher return than our sinking 401k's.

My windows are coming! My windows are coming! In just a couple of weeks my house will have clean windows that open and close and keep the cold winter out! Of all the home improvement projects we have done I would have never dared to hope we could have replacement windows. Randy pushed me on this and I am so thankful that he did!

March 3 - Our 25th anniversary. No Hawaii trip this year but I still have high hopes for our 30. We won't have any kids in college in 2014!

In a month our freezer will be full of the beef I love so much. We have gotten so spoiled by this I don't ever want to buy my meat from the grocery store again. I love being able to walk into our pantry and grab out steaks for the grill.

We are going to Chicago in May for a college graduation! I can hardly wait.

Happy 19!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNIE!!

19 things I love about you!

1. You love with all of your heart. (your love is so unconditional)
2. Your beautiful smile. (even without the dental work it would light my world )
3. You are feisty. (for many years this would not have been on my list)
4. All your dimples! (the first thing I noticed about you when you were born)
5. You make me feel like a good mom. (even when I feel like I've failed completely. Thank you for showing me grace)
6. You and your sister are best friends. (I hope you have each other always)
7. You treat your little brother like he is the most important person in the whole wide world. (He adores adores adores you!)
8. You are daddy's girl. (He adores adores adores you!)
9. You tell me how you really feel. (your honesty is refreshing....usually)
10. You aren't afraid to go against the grain. (I really admire this about you)
11. You challenge everything. (this has made your faith your own)
12. Your amazing artistic talent. (Need I say more? I love filling our home with your art)
13. You are fiercely loyal. (Do your friends know how lucky they are?)
14. You can text really fast. (And a lot & really really fast)
15. Your wild and crazy hair. (I shouldn't be jealous... )
16. Your beautiful baby blue eyes. (So much compassion in those eyes)
17. You are responsible AND dependable. (I am very proud of you)
18. You are non-judgemental. (You always choose to see what's on the inside and not the outside)
19. Your teen-age years were pretty much smooth-sailing. (I shouldn't speak so soon- you still have 12 months left!)

Regenerate

It may be because my birthday is right around the bend. It may be because it's inevitable. It may be because I have been married for almost 25 years. It may be because I have three kids. Whatever the reason I am starting to look old and worn out. I don't want anybody to ask Abe why his grandma is always with him. Now, don't get me wrong! There are plenty of awesome grandma's out there who step up and are active in their grandkids life. I think that is fabulous. If Stella were here that is how I would be. I am just not Abe's grandma. I am his mother.

Drastic times lead to drastic measures. I dug into my stash cash and I had a $6.00 coupon and I purchased me "plastic surgery in a bottle." (that sounds like such a country song)

Last night, I set it in the bathroom so I wouldn't forget to use it. Abe saw it up there and told Randy that "mom must have been really excited because she came right home and put that lotion around her eyes." This is funny for two reasons. First - It isn't EYE cream. It is for my FACE and second - I hadn't even used it yet.

This morning I felt like a 3rd grade science project. Abe wanted to check out my new face. (ummm....I may have had high hopes myself). He checked out my forehead. He was so disappointed that it still has all those spots. I told him those were chicken pox scars because I was 16 when I had those stupid things and I picked them off (that is way gross, I know). He told me to look at the bright side. Bright side? Yes. He informed me I would never have chicken pox again because you only get them once. Thanks little buddy! The glass is always 1/2 full with him.

He came to the conclusion that the magic face cream may take a few weeks to work and he will be the first one to let me know when it does.

living in a state of broke

Crazy times in which we live.

The state of Kansas cannot meet payroll and doesn't have the cash to send out income tax refunds. They have also shorted our schools of the money they owe them.

This is what Abe said yesterday:

"The school doesn't have any more money so if we use all of our markers then Mrs. Hulse can't go to the store and get any more. They won't give her any money to buy anything else for the classroom."

And then he said.....

"When we run out of markers at school I will come home and tell you right away so you can take care of it. You won't let us run out of stuff - will you mom?"

He is correct. I will not. In his lifetime all he knows is the adults who love him take care of him.

I am so sad that our kids have to experience the fallout for the bad choices the adults make.

But isn't that how it always is? Isn't that just life? That is what people will say. That is what people think.

I just want my kids to be kids. I want them to have makers and crayons and scissors and glue and books and snacks. To come home and go to piano lessons and karate. To have a new bike when their old one is too small. To be excited over Valentine's Day and their birthday. I want them to look forward to summer break and the water park and playing baseball and picnics with cousins. I want them to look forward to the first day of school with a backpack full of new pencils, crayons and notebooks and pink erasers. I want them to have small classes and teachers who are not stressed out about job security or too many students.

I will do what I can to filter the fallout before it hits him. He is only 8.

XOXOXO

I was so surprised to have a pot of beautiful red tulips waiting for me this morning. I am not a red rose kinda girl so I love love loved the tulips. My Sweetheart did good!

Tonight we are having heart shaped pizza and I am venturing out on my baking skills and baking a flourless chocolate cake with homemade whipping cream and fresh strawberries.

Since our kids were small we have had the tradition of having a family Valentine Dinner. Tablecloth. Candles. Heart napkins. The year we opted out and did a fancy downtown dinner was not so good for the picky eaters who we went with (me included). Now we stick to what we know. And since I couldn't get a reservation to save my life - we're staying home.

It may be just the three of us but Abe and I are still excited. I'm all about being all inclusive on February 14th. I enjoy surprising my kids with a little something-something to brighten their day and remind them how special they are to me and how much I love them. The guys all get their favorite candy and the girls get something fun and silly. I am a mom who loves family traditions and February 14th is one of those days.

Happy Valentines Day! I hope you are spending time with ones you love.

Mad Gab

An attempt to make reservations for Valentines Day.

Japanese Steakhouse #1
Me: Do you offer anything gluten free?
Her: We full on Saturday. You like Sunday?
Me: Maybe. Do you have anything that can be made gluten free?
Her: What time you like on Sunday? We full on Saturday.

Japanese Steakhouse #2
Me: Can you make anything gluten free?
Her: What time you like?
Me: Gluten. Free. Is there anything on your menu that can be made gluten. free.
Her: How many your party?

Mongolian BBQ
Me: Do you have anything gluten free?
Her: You would like a table for three?
Me: No. I was wondering if if you have anything gluten. free.
Her: This is my first day here. I don't know if we make that or not.

Peaches

It may be hard to tell but this picture was made with hundreds of little pieces of papers carefully cut from magazine pages. The entire weekend Annie complained that she felt like she was back in middle school art. Ummm.....my art did NOT look like this in middle school!

Lucky me - I have another beautiful piece of original art to add to my collection!

writers block

• Today was Annie's due date.
• I have been gluten free for an entire year.
• I have a new dishwasher. My dishes are so clean you could eat off of them!
• I have a cut and color today. I have seriously been thinking about just letting my hair go gray. grey. silver?
• I will only work 4 days this week. It's like the Groundhog Day movie. Every week I will have to remind myself - Fridays off.
• This week will be my first "short" paycheck.
• Abe has piano today. He has jumped way ahead in his book.
• Abe cannot focus.
• After special music, Abe hooted and whistled like he was at a Styx concert. How did he not know we were at church?
• Abe is having trouble focusing.
• Randy is working two full time jobs.
• I want a loft apartment just like the one Randy is painting.
• I am getting 21 new replacement windows and a new glass sliding door sometime this month.
• All of our taxes are done and filed.
• 90 days until Abby's graduation!!!

small talk

I am finally getting a brand spankin' new dishwasher this week. The appliance guy still swears he has NEVER EVER had a bad Kitchenaid dishwasher EVER. I beg to differ. Anyways, against my better judgement, we are replacing it with the same model. What are the odds of us getting THREE Kitchenaids with issues. Probably, pretty high (since it is me but I can't seem to be lucky enough to win the lottery. Go Figure!) Since they won't refund me any money on a cheaper model I don't want to loose hundreds of dollars. And I want it to match my stove and fridge. Time will tell if I have made a bad call.

I have started to look forward to my Tuesday paper with the Dillons ad in it. Sick, I know. But now that times are lean at my house it's all about cutting corners and getting a bargain. Last night in my paper - the Dillons ad was MIA. Give me a break. The entire highlight of my week was robbed of me.

Abe has come up with the brilliant idea that if he delivered the paper then he would just give me one for free. A free paper. "That would help with our budget. Right mom?" he says. I told him that when you are the paperboy you get a free paper. You don't have to resort to the five finger discount. I broke his heart. The effort to deliver that paper is so much more than the money I spend on the paper. However, I could maybe actually receive a Dillons ad!

I am starting my short weeks this week. Abe has requested that I get up on Friday's and make him a big breakfast because when he picks up his cousin for school, Sam has eaten pancakes, waffles, hash browns - you know - all the "big" breakfast foods. So that is what I will be doing. I can't do that during the week because I am just way too lazy busy. Starting Friday there will be free Grand Slam's at our house. And such a happy little 8 year old.