2010

While I wrote a few months ago about how blessed we are by Christ (which we are) (read here), in reality, I was on a high. Not drug induced, but I was really excited in the present moment about my connection to Christ and what all he had done for us. But right now, I feel low. The high is not currently "toked." In reflection of 2010, I feel like I have a lot more questions for God and his doings... my main question is "Why?"

I feel like 2010 was a year of difficult lessons, A year of pain and misunderstanding, and so much of it will blend into 2011. When the year ends tonight at the strike of midnight, all that happened doesn't just go away in the 2010 archives of our lives. The happenings blend over into 2011 and perhaps even the years to come. Why?

Lets start with some GOOD lessons learned:

1. We bought a house. Best financial decision of our lives so far and we are extremely grateful to all parties that assisted us in making home ownership a reality.
2. We remodeled our new house WITHOUT GOING INTO DEBT. Holy crap--it still feels weird. I guess I owe Obama a thank you? Nah.
3. Speaking of Obama--Adam works for the federal government which is proving to be awesome. Thank GOD he doesn't work for the state of California as we may have even more listed in the "Why?" section below.
4. Lucy is the joy of our lives and while she just celebrated turning 2 yesterday, there is nothing "terrible" about her. 
5. I have a great job that allows me to work from home and stay home with Lucy! I didn't even know this time last year the difference it would make in her flourishment and our family bond.
6. We have our health; we did experience illnesses and even a surgery, but we are overall healthy and well fed.
7. We have a loving extended family of friends! Our friends are so dear to us, near and far, thank God for facebook ;)

Ok, now the lessons (un)learned that I still have "Why?" attached to:

1. I worked in an office this year that made me sour. My faith was not strong enough to keep me positive or a good friend. I burned some bridges and I don't know why that was necessary. Couldn't I have just stayed the "good" person I was and not injured people along the way? Who I was makes me ache and I hate her, but I can't shake her.
2. A dear friend died about a month ago at the age of 25. She was a mommy of an 18-month-old sweetheart. Why would God leave a child motherless and expose her friends and family to such painful grief? There are SO many "whys" that surround this event, that it hurts. And so many of them are selfish! Ha! Can you believe it? What's with me?
3. Another dear friend has an ill son and with every glimpse of healing, he is stricken with another ailment.  Her last blog was titled 'How Much Longer, Lord?' Nothing seems as difficult as what she has to deal with everyday and yet I complain. Where's the sense in that?
4. Pregnancy sucks. Not really, I guess... but talk about uncertainty. NO, I'm NOT pregnant. But for months we try to achieve the one task that our bodies are created for (some of us longer than others), and then once we are blessed with the gift of life growing inside of us, we worry for 13 weeks if the pregnancy will be "viable." And then some of us move on to the 2nd trimester triumphantly, relieved from our morning sickness, while some of us grieve from loss and the babies that "didn't make it." What the heck? I HATE miscarriage. And I HATE when my friends have to suffer through it. What kind of crappy lesson is learned from THAT?  But just because you've made it to the 2nd trimester doesn't mean you're in the clear. There is so much that can happen! (Perhaps if you're currently pregnant you don't want to be reminded). My best friend has placentia previa and has a 20 month old and a 3 year old. She can't even hold her son when he needs her (she does because she's a good mommy), but jeez... it sucks! And then there's the birthing process... My view is not always so dismal, but it is heavy on my heart to ask WHY such a beautiful and necessary survival skill SUCKS so hard.
5. We may not have gone into debt for the house remodel, but there is some debt attached to our medical bills--is that a NECESSARY thing to have hanging over our heads?

Why? Seriously, what lessons are there in these that we couldn't learn in a less painful way?
Christ is the ultimate healer.
Without Him there is no hope.
But in a year that seemed so hopeless, what are we to expect for 2011? A second coming? Crap, my heart is not ready for that.
My heart is heavy.

New blog site

Ok, so I've been thinking about starting a new blog.

I'm no expert on any one thing. But I like my life. I love it. And I have joy. I wonder if I have joy that other wives or mothers are looking for...? So not being an expert and wanting to share joy, I've been thinking about starting a blog about all the things I am NOT an expert on. Cleaning, sewing, parenting, being a working mom, shopping, finding screaming deals to save money, cooking, being a loving wife, being a caring friend... There is so much I have not perfected, I'm just busting at the seams to share my trials and errors! Does any of this make sense? Why would I want to share how NOT good I am at something? Well, for one, to share with you how much of an expert I AM would be arrogant. I would rather share how often I fail and what joy it brings me!

The verse that has urged me to share these delightful failures is Titus 2:4-5:

...[Urge other] women to love their husbands and children, 

to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind...

so that no one will malign the word of God.

So, the point of this post is to tell you "I'm thinking about starting a new blog." Now you know why. The next question is: What will the name be? I'd like something catchy but not kitschy, and relevant. I'd like your help! I got this idea from Adam's cousin's wife (so basically MY cousin) Kait who has several blogs, one of which I "helped" name (The Ruffled Owl). She had a lovely apron to give as a gift for this help, but I'm not nearly as crafty, so my prize will be a set of microfiber towels from The Pampered Chef, which happen to be my FAVORITE  cleaning tool and may very well be the subject of my first post on my new blog (which has yet to be named).

Please help! I'm looking forward to getting started and the sooner the better. Please submit your suggestions via comment or email by next Friday, November 19th at 12:00pm, noon, PST.

Blessed by the Presence

My heart has been so full this week.
Heart? Full? What does that look like? I am happy. I have energy. I have patience. I am in love. I feel loved. My home is clean. My yard is tidy. Our bank account is not empty. Dexter should be in my mail box today. Yes, my heart is full.... It is full to the brim, or bursting at the seams with joy.

Oh, and we visited another church last Sunday. It was a church we were hesitant about for the past year because of some of the doctrinal issues that surround that denomination... BUT we enjoyed the Sunday service! The music was pleasant and was contemporary (a little loud, but at least is was on-key), and the preacher actually gave me something to thing about for the rest of the week! I haven't come away from a service feeling "fed" in a LONG time.

The sermon was on Zacchaeus, the unpopular and hated Jewish tax collector from Jesus's time. When Jesus saw "shorty" up in a tree trying to "sneak a peak" he said "Dude, I'm going to be a guest in your house today." Ok, so maybe Jesus didn't say "dude," but he addressed Zacchaeus as a friend and invited himself over. If someone I knew invited them selves over, I would probably be okay with it, however, it depends on who that person was. Someone I ran into at the grocery store and had no priors with? Maybe not so okay... but anyone who I had met more than 2 or 3 time... I'd be like, "yeah, cool, what time? Oh yeah, and you bring the beer." Haha.


Long story short... In response Zacchaeus says that he will pay back anyone he has cheated 4 times greater than what he owes and will give half of his possessions to the poor.

The point? Zacchaeus wanted to give to "redeem" himself as well as to show how blessed he was to have Jesus as a guest. Jesus had never physically met Zacchaeus but he invited himself to his house. Jesus didn't "bless" Zacchaeus with good health, a beautiful wife, obedient children, etc. (at least we are not told such). He was simply blessed by the presence of Jesus.

The preacher charged the congregation to show the world how blessed we are by Jesus. I went away thinking--I am blessed! I have a fabulous house, wonderful daughter, doting husband, and the list goes on... BUT none of these are a result of my faithfulness. I have done NOTHING to deserve these results.

I HAVE SIMPLY BEEN BLESSED BY THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST. Is it silly that this makes me misty eyed? I love the song "Blessed be the Name." We happened to sing it that day in church. One verse says "Every blessing you poor down, I'll turn back to praise." So, as the pastor instructed, I am trying to make it evident that I am blessed by His presence and I am trying to turn those blessings back into praise!

Plus Dexter will be in my mail box later today! YES!

Waiting for February

Adam and I have planned a mini-vaca for the first weekend of February. No, it's not Hawaii. No, it's not Cabo. No, it's not even a different state or somewhere "vacation-y" like the beach. Sacramento. Don't laugh. I AM SO EXCITED. Sacramento is my 2nd honeymoon: for 2 glorious nights in the Rancho Cordova Marriott (courtesy of my Uncle Kenny); a Kings game vs. the San Antonio Spurs; a tour of the Capitol Building; a quiet visit to the newly re-opened Crocker Art Museum, where I am Ashley, Adam's wife--not a household secretary, underpaid maid, on-call taxi driver, puppy pooper-scooper... the list goes on. I am and will forever be honorary title of Mommy, and I will miss Lucy dearly for those 3 days, but I NEED to connect with my husband without things that distract me from just being his wife. Oh, and I do LOVE being his wife. ;)

On another note... speaking about being husband and wife; Adam and I finally share a closet! We moved into this house in February and everything about it (since our remodel) is nearly perfect EXCEPT for the closet space. There are 3 single door closets in the whole house with one cabinet in the bathroom, and one mini-closet for linens. I got the closet in our bedroom and Adam got annexed to the coat closet, which made it really convenient on laundry day, BUT it just felt wrong not sharing a closet. So, I bought these "closet extenders" and now we share a closet! Yay! It's the simple things...

November beginnings

A great way to start a new month is with a winning record at the World Series. Not me of course, but the SF Giants. Regardless of whether you're a Yankees fan, or a Braves fan, you can't deny that this past series was just darn-good baseball.

Another great way to start a new month is with nearly $100 in savings! Yep, $100. I've been really looking online for good deals on things we need and trying to be frugal and one of the ways I've done this is signing up for the Just for U program with Safeway.

As a Safeway club member, I automatically get their club card deals. Now they have even more savings available in coupons. But the Club Card was supposed to save us from clipping coupons, right? Right! The nice thing about the Just for U program is the coupons are "clipable" online and automatically connected to your club card or phone number that you use at checkout. You "clip" the coupons online, and you can print your shopping list which lists your coupons by category and reminds you of your savings and when the coupon expires.

So, yes, it was an overall fabulous experience. At the beginning of my shopping trip, I was a little annoyed because it took me a little longer than my regular shopping trip (just choosing what I needed by the cheapest Club price) because I had to look for the items which I had a coupon for. For regular coupon clippers, this is probably a typical experience, but it was all new to me. I also ended up buying more than I usually would BUT I won't have to shop again as soon as I would in a typical month.

So, my total bill was almost $300 before the savings. I saved over $100 and the savings were so huge that the cashier needed an override from the manager! That made me feel special! I felt bad that I held up the line for an extra 30 seconds, but HELLO! I JUST SAVED A BUTT-LOAD OF MONEY!

Can you tell I was/am excited?

Church

We do not have a church that we are regularly attending here in Susanville. I have a list of excuses as long as my arm as to why... but really it comes down to one fact--none of them are Ridge. I "begged" Tom to plant a church here, but I was politely told no (and rightly so), so we've begun our search again.

Today we visited the Highland Baptist Church after a knock on our door yesterday morning. They handed us a really great pamphlet on their church and I thought "why not?" It was a nice and short service, they had child care so we could focus on the sermon (which was on the parable of the prodigal son in Luke). However, the music was strictly hymns with no instruments--which has been a real turn off for us. The folks there were SO kind and we could tell that they were wanting new attendees, but it just wasn't the church for us.

We were so lucky to find Centerpointe in Eureka when we did (fresh in our marriage, we had only lived in Eureka for 2 or 3 months). It had a pastor who preached well, and that sense of "family" which we find very important. We've been in Susanville for a year and a half and aren't plugged in anywhere yet. The Church in Susanville is where most of our friends go, and they have been our "family" however, their Sunday service is not what we're looking for either; they don't have instruments, and there is no child care--two deal breakers.

With the remodel over the summer, we were so distracted from finding a church that just now do we feel like we can exert the energy to find one. We've tried the EV Free, Nazarene, Calvary Chapel, Chruch of Christ--denominations I thought I would never step a foot into... we are just trying to find where God is leading us. I think the "lesson" in all of this is "don't knock it until you've tried it," and we've been so spoiled at Ridge, I wonder if God wants us to go somewhere that needs us, but we don't necessarily need them...?

Just keep us in mind if you hear of someone saying "I love this church in Susanville," and give them our number! Next week we're going to try the Assembly of God. I'll update you then :)

Halloween 2010

We had many events this weekend for Halloween. Friday was "Safe and Sane" where all of the Uptown shops hand out candy. We went with our friends Janessa, Kayla (the mermaid), and Micah (Mr. Monkey).  Luckily they close off the streets, because the amount of people there was ridiculous. We moved up and down Main like a herd of cattle and just as slow. It was fun to show off Lucy however and she got some good treats.

After Safe and Sane we drove over to Almanor to see my dad who was staying in a cabin there on his annual fly-fishing trip with my uncle and several other guys (Adam was there, too, that night). Lucy was so excited to see Papa. She kept asking if she would also see Dash and Riley (my parent's dogs).

Saturday night was the Harvest Party with The Church in Susanville (a church that we do not go to, but have a lot of friends there). When I got Lucy dressed for the party, she asked "Papa?" I had to explain to her that no, we wouldn't be seeing Papa tonight. She asked "And Dash?" She's so silly. Lucy got to go "fishing" for treats, and play "kick the gourd." Flo (pastor's wife) made fresh baked bread which made me want to take up baking bread... however, I don't know how, and I don't have a loaf pan. SO, I'll have to do one or the other here pretty quick. Here's Lucy sitting with her buddy McKenzie who lives down the street from us.

Tonight we went trick-or-treating at 4pm. We caught everyone off guard--no one was ready with their candy out yet. We knew it was early, but more than anything, we just wanted to show off Lucy and add to our candy supply. By the time we went out, it was the third time she'd worn her costume (which I amateurishly made), and it was looking kinda shabby. I neglected to take pictures, but I figured we had enough. Oh, and when I put her costume on her she said, "Papa?"

Pumpkin Patch 2010

New Website!

I think I totally forgot to mention that I have my Pampered Chef website now!
The nice thing about my website is you can place an order even when there isn't an open show. Here's how:
1. Visit www.pamperedchef.biz/ashleylefebvre
2. Click on SHOP ONLINE.
3. Select option number 2 on the page to place an individual order.
4. A pop-up will appear that says ATTENTION, just to make sure you don't want to apply your order to someone's open show. Click "Otherwise click here to continue."
5. You will be redirected to our online catalog where you can place your order! 

No bottle...

Ok, so here's a kicking the bottle update.
My bribery with the baby? Yeah, didn't work.
Baby's cries were stronger than mommy's will...
Anywho... we got a new puppy and the puppy ate the last nipple I had for Lucy's orthodontic bottle.
I thought, perfect, this is a sign to quit cold turkey.
Nope, once again, mommy was weak and pulled out the nursing bottles hidden up in the closet.
Last night, for whatever reason, when it was time for bed, Lucy gave her daddy her good-night kisses, grabbed her sippy cup and headed to her room. She never asked for a bottle! So I saw this as a good sign, put her to bed with her cup, and I didn't hear a peep all night!
Tonight is night two of this bed-time ritual! I am as pleased as pie. Is that an appropriate idiom?
So now I suppose the plan is to send her to bed with a sippy cup with milk for a while and then phase to water. We'll phase out the cup all together closer to potty training when wetting at night will actually be an issue.
Yay for me! Yay for Lucy!!

Work

This week I start consulting through TutorABC online. I'm actually quite nervous. I've had it pretty easy that last few years with being in the same line of work and feeling equipped for the job. Now, I'm joining the teaching field (never been there), consulting Mandarin speakers (don't know a lick of it), helping them perfect their English comprehension and pronunciation (I'm an Art Major)! I know English. I did quite well in college... but college was a long time ago and I'm worried that I'll be sub-par. Plus I get graded after each session (class) by my students and if they grade me poorly my hourly wage goes down. Scary!

The timing should be interesting as well. Each session is 45 minutes. No problem. But I need to coordinate these sessions around Lucy's naps or when she's occupied and won't need me at all. I tried to get up this morning at 5:00 am to see what it would be like if I chose to start a session at 5:30 am (which is the plan). I rolled over when Adam got up at that time and didn't wake again until 7:00! It's going to be very difficult. My plan is to teach 4-5 classes a day, but I'm thinking realistically it'll be 3 or 4 at the most. Luckily I can work 7 days a week if need be to help with our cash flow.

So, the first class is today at 1:30..... wish me luck!

4 of us

So apparently a year is not long enough to remember you have a brother-in-law. Joe will be in Monterey as well. Which is a good thing, because he'll be DD :)

Sigh...

Well, I am up this morning, as early as it is... I was supposed to start consulting today online for my new company, but again there's another glitch and it didn't happen. But rather than going back to bed, I decided to stay up, enjoy the silence and wait to see if the garbage man will take all my cardboard boxes on this glorious recycling day.

Life is not "normal" around here. "Normal" however is a subjective word... Normal for us has really changed in the last 2 months. I look forward to our new normal, but that will require the roof being completed. Adam is such a hard worker-- after 10 hours a day working in the forest, he comes home and works ANOTHER 4 hours on the roof. And then after his 40 hour work week, he works on it all weekend. Needless to say, I don't see him much. BUT I'm honestly not complaining. If he were camping this much, or backpacking, or even being lazy, YES, I would complain. But we have a common goal here and it includes getting a roof on our house before the sky starts falling in what we predict will be about 6 weeks. For those of you in Paradise, it's called snow. REAL snow :) with -15 degree below weather.

With not being able to spend as much time with Adam as we used to (it IS just momentary) Lucy and I have had to find ways to entertain our selves. This weekend we're going to Chico for a Gardner family get-together. We have family coming in from out of state and it'll be fun to get to see everybody. Well, almost everybody. We know a few won't make it (Matt and Kait, Katie, Beth and Dave) and they WILL be missed.

I'm very excited about next weekend's potential (Labor Day weekend). We were planning a family trip to Yosemite, however with the roof occupying Adam's weekends, we decided to postpone. So, that gives me an opportunity to go to Monterey with my mom to help her orchestrate a wedding that weekend. It will be work, but it's going to be SO much fun, because my dad is also going, and my sister is in the wedding. It'll be just the four of us for the first time in over 5 years! Yes, just the FOUR of us. I'm shipping Lucy out. I'm hoping Marian will be able to take her and it's sounding hopeful, but I won't know for sure for another day or so.

I am so excited about the prospect of my OWN schedule. Taking a walk down cannery row BY MY SELF. Granted I'll be at the whim of my mom (which is the point of this trip--she's the boss and I like ti that way) but even if there's 10 minutes down-time where I can just do one thing by myself that doesn't involve "running" to Wal-Mart for TP, or orchestrating a trip out of the house around naps, it'll be the BEST WORKING VACATION EVER.

Well, the recycling truck is almost here and I don't want to be rude. :)

Adam's Anniversary Band

I've had many comments requesting a photo of Adam's new ring...

So here you go. It's actually pretty massive. It's a size 11 and weighs a lot. Kurt (the designer) and I wanted to use all the gold from my grandmother's bracelet so that it's thick and IF something happens, it's less likely to break or bend. Adam primarily uses his right hand at work, but on the weekends he's working on the house, chopping wood, he may get called on a fire, so we wanted it to hold up to as much abuse as possible.

Smile Pretty

Summer Lovin'

ditching the bottle night 1 & 2

Well, last night Lucy really wanted her baby. She kept saying, "Baby, baby." We gave it to her at bed time instead of a bottle and she made it about twenty minutes. After 20, she started crying. I let her cry for 15 more minutes and then went in and she was asking for a bottle. I gave in and gave her a watered-down bottle of milk and made sure to take it out of her crib when we went to bed, and she slept through the night (not uncommon).

Tonight she made it a half hour with the baby and then cried. She didn't ask for a bottle though, she just wanted to be held (today was a rough day with an off nap schedule and too-short of a nap as well). So I gave her a bottle of water and explained that if she wants a bottle, the baby cannot sleep with her in her crib. She was ok with that. So she's sleeping soundly now and at least the bottle is water and not milk.

Tonight will be another night--in Paradise actually, so we'll see if being in a different place hinders this process... probably, but it has to be done! If I have to start over on Saturday night, it won't be a big deal. But I think she's getting the idea. 

5 years

Adam and I celebrated our 5-year anniversary this month... technically we celebrated last month, but our anniversary was actually August 7.

On a whim, we decided to go out to dinner to celebrate, about 3 weeks ago. We went to Lake Almanor and ate at Gamboni's Grill. The meals were fabulous! We had such a great time on the drive there, during the meal, and on the drive back. We were made for each other!

The most exciting part about our anniversary was the gifts! Yes, I love what he gave me (Hot Diamonds After Hours Embrace Cuff Bracelet--see photo), and I wear it every day. BUT I was REALLY excited about what I got him.

When we got married, Adam was working odd jobs with construction and we wanted a ring that would hold up to Adam's abuse of his hands. For a wedding band we purchased a $40 titanium band from Overstock.com. That ring held up wonderfully and served it's purpose, but now that he has his career and is "nicer" to his hands, I waned to buy him a "real" wedding band.

I had a design in mind so I went to see Kurt at Leslie's Jewelry here in Susanville and he totally executed it. I used some of my grandma's gold jewelry to melt down into the ring which is kinda special, because it was the same grandmother whose ring we adapted for my wedding set. Adam has a degree in forestry and it has been so wonderful seeing something he's passionate about and being a part of it. I wanted the ring to feature two trees with trunks that met in the middle--two strong, independent beings that meet together and are better as one (us!). The trees are engraved and unique--they are un-uniform like redwood trees, which is fun because we spent the first 4 years of our marriage living in the redwoods! The engraved trees are coated in chromium and the rest of the band is polish yellow gold. It's BEAUTIFUL! When I gave it to him he said "I finally have a REAL wedding band." YES! That was the best thing I could have heard. He made me happy--even without giving me the bracelet of my dreams...

There is so much to the story of this anniversary and many more details! It was very special and I will always remember it.

Here's to 60 more baby!

ditching the bottle

In a moment of desperation, a year ago I gave Lucy a bottle at night to help her sleep. This is a horrible habit and one that I have wanted to break for months. Sure, quit cold turkey would work, but I'm weak. I can't take the hysterical screaming and pleas for a "ba-ba."


SO! I've come up with a plan! I'd like to bribe her! Yeah, from one faux-paus to another, right?

Anywho... Last night I bought her a baby doll. Her FIRST baby doll. It has it's own blankie and is just the right size. It will come out right before before bed when she starts her nightly bottle, and then while putting her to bed, the baby will come out of the box! She can either take Baby to bed, or "ba-ba."  She may choose "ba-ba." If she does, no Baby. Baby will only be for ni-night, just like bottle. We'll try again the next night... and the next night... and hopefully it won't take too much longer, but when she kicks the bottle, she can have Baby any time of day.

Simultaneously, I'll be watering down the bottle just in case she doesn't ever choose Baby. I know the milk is bad for her teeth so hopefully we can get to just water. Worse comes to worse, after she's transitioned to water, I'll transition her to a sippy cup.

I have used the word hopefully several times... Hopefully, this is a good plan!

reality check

I have to keep myself in check with what I post on this blog. It is public. It's not a journal that is stored under my mattress and anything I emotionally write is not kept private. I have not always handled situations maturely and for that I am human but not necessarily kind.
Slanderous words travel fast, but apologies are slower. I do not wish to take back my words for I feel that would not be honest, but I do wish to apologize for the manner in which I have handled the situation.

Father's Day Camping Trip to Antelope Lake

For Father's Day we decided to do an impromptu camping trip. Luckily living in Lassen County, there are a lot of close options. There was in Humboldt as well, but it's much dryer here. We went to Antelope Lake, one of the many campgrounds there, with a lake side site.

Our humble abode. It was so special to wake up the three of us in our little tent and Lucy gave daddy his cards.

Mommy and baby.Camping always makes me dehydrated. Drinking alcohol doesn't necessarily help, but I had to drink the Mike's in order to use the bottle to fill it with water to drink. Lucy LOVES bottles and it's almost a silly obsession. She couldn't have it of course when it had Mike's in it, so I let her have it with water. And yes, we are THOSE kind of parents who thought it was SO funny and took a picture of it. We are those parents.

Lucy is the kind of kid you can give a task and she does not get distracted and it her nature to NEED to complete the task. We told her to collect sticks for daddy's fire and she was happy collecting bark and pine cones for the majority of the afternoon.Our baby girl was exhausted. I love to take in these precious sleeping moments. I can't explain why other than this is one intimate moment that we as parents will not always get to see. When she's older and married I will get to see her and hear her laugh and watch her put on her shoes (correctly hopefully by the time she's married), but I will not always get to watch her sleep, so soundly, snuggling with "Scout," catching flies.

Good trip with a few stressful moments, none worth mentioning here, because the trip was so delightful and worth the "casualties."

New Windows

Just Lucy

Trouble sleeping

I've been laid off for 2 weeks now. I am really loving it, but for whatever reason, I'm having trouble sleeping. I do believe these two items are related, however, I'm not sure why. Now that I'm at home, I have a ton of stuff running through my head. I'm sure it could be argued that I'm not getting mentally exhausted enough at home like it was at work... sure. But I'm physically working a lot more... I used to just sit at my desk for 8 hours. I remember getting up for lunch (the second or third time I'd stand in the day) and I would have to stretch because my hips were so sore from sitting. My hips have been great at home! So physically I'm more tired, but as soon as my head hits the pillow, the list starts running of what I need to do tomorrow. *sigh* Hence me up at 10pm blogging.
Well, lucky you, this should be a good few posts, catching you up on the last couple months.

New Job

Well, I've been job searching for a few weeks and and have had a few interviews with no positive feed back... YET. None negative either, but just none positive.

While waiting to find out "what's next" I decided to start my own business selling Pampered Chef. I've always enjoyed going to parties or "shows" featuring products like Avon, Mary Kay, Tupperware... and even tried to sell mark. in college with no success. But I've matured in a lot of ways and have run my own business as a Realtor(R) so I feel now that I have the skills to succeed at selling Pampered Chef.

I've REALLY wanted to start my own business packaging gift baskets for escrow closing gifts, holidays, and the like, but did NOT want to be self-employed. There is so much that goes along with that that I'm just not prepared for and don't WANT to be prepared for. However, with PC I am a sub-contractor and will be 1099-ed at the end of each year. Which is fine--all I have to worry about is keeping track of my taxes... I can deal.

I have a lot of business ideas and I can't wait to get started. My "stuff" should be here next week sometime and then I'm off to "book" "shows." So without being said, if you or someone you know would be interested in hosting a party, I would love to do a show for them! I've already tried to hit up a few of my friends. More than anything, please help me start my new business-- even if you can only think of 2 people who would come to a show, I still want the practice and I want to spend time with people in this business.

Oh, and keep posted for my website. If you're not into a show, you can always order our fabulous products through my catalog or my website. Thanks!

Home Improvements

We've been working one day at a time on our house, getting things updated and replaced.

Mother's day weekend we planted lawn seed (after the prior weekend of tilling and prepping the ground). This what our grass looks like now! It's looking great and is coming in fast!

Here are a few of the things we've done up to this point:

• New lights in the kitchen/dining
• Windows are ordered and sitting in the driveway ready to be installed
• New grass/garden areas
• New 50 gallon water heater
• All new BLACK kitchen appliances

Here are our plans for the next month or so (more importantly, the kitchen is this weekend):

• Strip and re-stain the kitchen cabinets
• Take down wall cabinets, cut, reinstall, and move fridge
• Strip the vinyl floors with ammonia
• Install new kitchen faucet
• Install new kitchen counters (purchased last weekend at Home Depot; yes, I drove from there to Susanville with them hanging out of my trunk)
• Change out all cabinet hardware
• Install pull-out cabinet drawers
• Paint the kitchen (not this weekend)
• Pull off the paneling in our bedroom and paint (basically re-decorate with our new comforter set)
• Change lighting in playroom.
• Drapes in bedrooms (sigh)
• Have a House Warming Party!!

Feels overwhelming and exciting, but it's a relatively short list that we can tackle in a relatively short amount of time. I'll post more photos once things are accomplished.

Catherine's Graduation from Chico State

My little baby sister graduated from CSU Chico Sunday, May 23 as a candidate for a bachelor's degree in Art with an emphasis in photography. She has been working her tail off to graduate "on time" for the past weeks, months, and in all reality, past 4 years. The whole fam-damily gathered to watch the ceremony and then we went to Catherine and Joe's apartment for a great party. The ceremony itself was cold--it started at 9:00am after a Saturday of rain, but once we got to Cady's I actually got sunburned on my shoulders! It was so nice to see all the family and celebrate Catherine's accomplishment. I'm so proud of her!!

She's on the big screen!

She's the tall drink of water with the lei coming down the ramp.

I tried to get a shot here of them throwing their hats. Not so much.

Graduate wifey and proud hubby.