2011 - A Year in Review

Out with 2011, in with 2012!

Our family had an amazing year in 2011.

Lots of new experiences for our children especially.

I continued working as an LPN at a local factory on 2nd shift and the hubby continued to work for the local hospital along-side their IT department.

Both kids took swimming lessons during the summer.

Logan played baseball and seemed to enjoy it, but we have decided to go for a different baseball program in 2012 where dad will be his coach and my bestie Lindsay's hubby will also be assisting.

They will hopefully have a great season and learn a lot while having tons of fun!

The best part, is that I will be able to get to go to more of his games this year.

I officially opened up my esty.com shop (sorry, it is closed at this time for some re-vamping of products). Unfortunately, things didn't go quite as well as I had hoped, but when I re-open hopefully things will be more prosperous.

During the summer months, I participated in a weightloss challenge at work. During the 12 week challenge, I lost 21 pounds, my partner lost 29 pounds. We came out #1 over 21 teams and were awarded with an iPad2 for each of us. I was so excited! He kept telling everyone that he had to win, because he didn't want to have to deal with the "Wrath of Beth!" I was not that bad! the whole point of having a partner was to encourage each other. Oh well, we WON anyway!!!

The hubby went on his annual hunting trip to South Dakota in October and returned home with 12-15 pheasants for our freezer. Then took another trip down to Kansas for his other annual hunting trip and brought a few more birds back from there.

We are both hoping to go deer hunting during the "late season," which ends January 15th. If we succeed, this will be the first time I have ever gone hunting. I really enjoy shooting, so now I am ready to actually put that to some use and put meat in our freezer. My hubs has informed me that what I kill, I will also be butchering, so, I guess I will be learning how to butcher a deer if we shoot a couple of them too.

At Thanksgiving, I broke my foot by missing the last step walking down the stairs. Snapped the bone right in half, but luckily it stayed in alignment. I was in a cast and on crutches for 4 weeks (therefore off of work). I had the cast removed the Wednesday before Christmas and now I am in a walking boot until at least the 23rd of January. The good thing is that I will go back to work on January 9th. It has been nice to be at home though! I got a lot of our Christmas shopping done really early.

Christmas brought the kids lots of great surprises.

Mommy and dad got them some exciting gifts that they both can't seem to get enough of.

Santa brought the both electronics that they had been asking for for quite a long time!

Logan got an iPod Touch and Jillianne got a TV for her bedroom.

Unfortunately, Logan hasn't put the iPod down too much and Jillianne is still not sleeping in her room.

We were kind of hoping the TV would encourage her to sleep in her own bedroom, instead of on our floor, while watching her own movies.

We will have to continue to work on that!

To ring in the new year, we had my brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and neice over.

We played Wii games, the kids played with each other very well, and the adults played a couple games of pitch and competed in Wii bowling (which the ladies won of course).

The kids stayed up WAY late (I'm talking 3:00 am) and woke up WAY early (7:00 am).

We had pancakes for breakfast and then lazed around the remainder of the day.

Very anxious to find out what 2012 will bring for all of us!

Hope you all had an enjoyable time celebrating the new year, we definitely did!

A to Z of Beth

Photo coutesy of my son taken and edited on my iPad.

A. Age: 33 years old, but as far as you are concerned I will be 29 perpetually!
B. Bed size: Queen, which is seriously not large enough for my husband, our 4-year old, one of our two dogs, and me.
C. Chore that you hate: Bathrooms - why in heavens name did I agree to a house with 3 and a 1/4 of them?!?!?
D. Dogs: 8-year old Boxer, The Great Gladiator Maximus (Max); 4-year old Weimeraner, Nickel and Dime 'N (Nickel)
Essential start to your day: Coffee and going back to sleep for an hour after I take our son to school at 8:00 a.m. Well, I do get off of work at 11:00 p.m. and very often do not get to sleep until well after midnight. I am not a fan of bags and dark circles under my eyes.
F. Favorite color: Blue - which means ALMOST any color of blue.
G. Gold or Silver: I typically wear a little of both at all times
H. Height: 5 feet 6 inches
I. Instruments you play: I used to play the piano, now I just sing in the shower or at the top of my lungs in the car.
J. Job title: Licensed Practical Nurse
K. Kids: 10-year old son, Logan Bubba); 4-year old daughter, Jillianne (Peanut, Princess, Little J, Little One)
L. Live: Lincoln, Nebraska...Home of the Cornhuskers
M. Mother’s name: Connie
N. Nicknames: Beth, Liz, Bethy, Sis (one of the guys at work calls all the full-time nurses this), Gorgeous (hey, this one comes from all of the guys at work - not the creepers though!!!)
O. Overnight hospital stays:  Childbirth twice, terrible kidney infection, and one surgery
P. Pet peeves: Idiots - no matter where you go, what you watch, they are always there!
Q. Quote from a movie: Hehehehe..."Wait for it, wait for it (Marmaduke)... MARMADUKE!!!" I had to use this one, my kids love the movie Marmaduke and every time I think about one of them saying it, it cracks me up! hehehehe
R. Right or left handed: Right handed
S. Siblings: Older brother, David; Sister-in-law, Lori; Baby sister, Kirsten; and Brother-in-law, Mike
U. Underwear: Victoria's Secret. Hey, they have lots of different styles and colors!
V. Vegetable you hate:  Peas...eeewwww...and more recently (like in the last 5 years) sweet corn on the cob.
W. What makes you run late: The snooze button on my alarm clock! Who invented the snooze button anyway?
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Shoulder, tailbone, and right hip
Y. Yummy food that you make: Chicken Tortilla Soup and Melt in Your Mouth Pumpkin Bread
Z. Zoo animal: Tigers, Lions...any of the LARGE cats actually!

I'm Me and Nobody Else...

I'm not beautiful or gorgeous.

I haven't got an amazing figure or flat stomach.

I'm far from being considered model material but I'm me.

I eat junk food.

I love to wear my PJ's, socks, & no makeup around the house.

I'm random & crazy.

I don't pretend to be something I'm not.

I am who I am, love me or not.

My Bucket List

I've been thinking lately about all of the things I'd like to do and see over the course of what is left of my lifetime.

Without further Adu...

My "Bucket List"

1. Open A Web-based Shop (Etsy or We Heart Shops)
2. Visit Las Vegas, NV
3. Sail on a Catamaran in the British Virgin Islands
4. Learn to Play the Guitar
5. Take a Road Trip on Route 66
6. Meet Some of My Bloggy Friends in Person (not my family bloggy friends though, I already know you)
7. Read "The Lord of the Rings" Trilogy
8. Vacation to Hershey, Pennsylvania
9. Take an Adults Only Vacation with another couple we know (any couple)
10. Travel to New York City
11. See a Broadway Musical on Broadway
12. Purchase a Pair of Christian Louboutin Pumps (love these)
13. Be a Featured Blogger
14. Visit Rome to See the Sistine Chapel
15. Take Our Kids to Disney World, Florida
16. Design a New Dress for Myself
17. Have Lasik Surgery to Correct My Vision
18. Renew Our Wedding Vows in Jamaica
19. Throw/Catch a Fish at Pike Place fish Market in Seattle
20. Eat a Deep Fried Carne Asada Taco @ California Tacos & More in Omaha, Nebraska
21. Get 2 more tattoos
22. Run/Walk a Half Marathon
23. Write a Poem
24. Take a Cake Decorating Class
25. Learn How to Make Hand Stamped Jewelry
26. Travel to Paris to Visit the Louvre Museum
27. Make Something that Someone Stops Me to Ask "Where did you get that?"
28. Purchase a Serger (specialty type of sewing machine)
29. Have a Stand/Booth at the Farmer's Market (maybe share one)
30. Teach My Daughter How to Sew
31. Take a Girl's Night Out Trip (weekend trip) to Anywhere
32. Read 100 Novels in 365 Days
33. Learn to Shoot a Long Bow
34. Visit the Land of 10,000 Lakes & Catch My Limit of Fish (Minnesota)
35. Meet A Famous Actor/Actress
36. Learn to Use a Pottery Wheele
37. Spend a Day with the Kids at Paint Yourself Silly
38. Shoot My Very First Deer with My Hubby

(okay, I will not shoot the deer with my hubby, I will hopefully shoot one with a rifle while OUT with him!)

This is kind of an on-going list at this point.

I have been trying to come up with things that I/We have not yet done.

Yes, there are a few things that have been completed that would fall under some of these, but this is from this day forward.

Stuff that has been done in the past doesn't count toward completion of the list.

So...

What's on your "Bucket List"?

Seriously, I would LOVE to know... Maybe I'll even get a few more ideas for mine!  ;-)

Silly Saturday - The ABC's of Elizabeth

I couldn't resist!

These two lovelies (Victoria and Lindsay) had posts like this and I thought it would be a great idea since it has been a while since I posted an "About Me" type of post.

Besides, I didn't have a silly Saturday photo to share, so some of the facts, although true, are kinda silly for someone my age!



Don't laugh, we were doing Bailey's shots in chocolate shot glasses!

Age: 32 (33 in two weeks, YIKES)...OMG, I had to get out the calculator to double check!

Bed Size: Queen

Chore you hate: Bathrooms

Dogs:  The Great Gladiator Maximus - our 8-yr old Boxer and Nickel - our 3-yr old hyper-beyond-belief Wiemaraner

Essential start of your day:  Leave me alone and let me drink at least 2 cups of coffee

Favorite Color:  Blue - always has and always will be my fave

Gold or silver:  Depends on what I am wearing for the day

Height: 5' 6" - I have shrunk an inch since high school! Got calcium?

Instruments I play (or have played): Piano and my voice - I love to sing

Job Title: Licensed Practical Nurse and Mom or Mommy

Kids: 2 - Logan (9-yrs) and Jillianne (pronounced Jilly Anne {4-yrs})

Live: Lincoln, Nebraska (NE)

Mom's Name: Constance (Connie)

Nickname: Beth, Bethy, Liz, Mom, Mommy

Overnight hospital stays: Um...Let me think...4 - twice giving birth, once for surgery, and once for Pyronephritis (severe kidney infection)

Pet Peeve: I am not really too sure about this one. Oh...wait...my husbands answer to the quetion "Where are you going?" His response, "Crazy!" That just errks me!

Quote from a movie: "Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming..." Dori in finding Nemo

Right or left handed: Right

Siblings: 2 - A fab baby sister (check her out here) and a great big brother

Time you wake up: Kinda sorta varies from day to day - typically around 7:20 a.m.

Underwear: Victoria's Secret ALL the way!

Vegetables you dislike: Peas - they are the devil unless you eat them straight from the pod while you are still sitting in the garden!

What makes you run late: Well...I am always late...You can ask anyone and they will tell you!

X-rays you've had done: My shoulder after a bicycle accident and my hips due to some unexplained shooting pains in 2009

Yummy food you make: Country fried pork chops with home made mashed potatoes and white pork gravy...Making my mouth water as I think about it!

Zoo animal: Tigers and Lions - Always have and always will be one of my fave animals!

Weakness...

I was just thinking about my personal weaknesses last night at work and I found these photos on weheartit.com. I think they cover my weaknesses better than any words I could ever write.



Confessions of a Nurse

1. I am germ-o-phobic.
2. Clorox lemon scented wipes smell the BEST (just ask my previous co-workers)!
3. I thought my son's cut that had to have stitches was awesome (you could see the skull).
4. If my kids vomit, it makes me sick; if a patient vomits, it doesn't phase me.
5. I have two bottles of hand sanitizer in my purse.
6. When I had to collect urine when our dog was sick, I double gloved and had to follow him around the yard till he found "just the right spot" (you try collecting urine from a dog!).
7. Feet are disgusting! - unless they are tiny little baby feet
8. I used to wipe down my work area 4-5 times a day (again my ex-co-workers can vouch)
9. I don't work in a nursing home because I don't like the smell of old people and cleaning solution!
10. I really wish scrubs were more stylish!

Dirty Little Secret (um...Secrets)...



source

1. I don't wash my face before I go to bed.
2. I stay in my PJ's all day unless I need to go somewhere (before work).
3. On the weekends, I will sometimes only shower on Saturday.
4. I hate shaving my legs, but I do it just in case there is an accident and I have to go to the ER.
5. The only time we make the bed is when we change the sheets or are having people over.
6. The bathroom is disgusting to clean and I always put it off way too long.
7. I hate folding and putting my clean clothes away.
8. I will not wear anything other than Victoria's Secret underwear and bras.
9. I like sauted liver and onions.
10. I hate peas and refuse to eat anything with them in it.

Tangled?

Nope, but I got your attention!

Under normal circumstances, I absolutely LOVE my hair, but sadly that so-called love has slightly diminished.  I have recently made the decision to grow out my hair from a "short" cut.  Sadly, it is at a stage that I hate!  That in-between stage...  I can't pull it back into a pony tail, yet I cannot style it the way I would prefer to.  Growing out shorter hair is truely a pain-in-the-neck!

This is how long it was before I got it cut.

Now, I am anxious to grow it out even longer than that.

The waiting part is what I H-A-T-E the most!

Long, silky, smooth hair...

Reflecting...

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You all know I have been doing some self-reflecting recently. I have come to the conclusion that I shouldn't have to change myself because some asshole at work was trying to hit on me and hinting toward other things. I didn't do anything to provoke or ask for his attention! I am who I am and I like me...yes, I am still working on the loving myself, but that will take some time.

I do however need to get some toughness built up behind the kind heart that everyone has been telling me I have. My "thing" is being nice, understanding, and kind-hearted. I don't wanna be friends with everyone, but I pride myself in getting along with nearly everyone I meet. Maybe that is what made me a "target" for this jerk-off at work? I pride myself on being a genuine individual, so I am assuming that made me someone that he wanted to "get to know" on a personal level that I was not willing to stoop down to. Sure, as I said before, I am not a strong person on the inside, but I try to portray myself as being strong on the outside. Again-I am just making assumptions here-that may have been a "turn on" to him. So disgusting!

What is the point of changing who I am? If I am going to make changes, it is not going to be due to some crap-head that wants to screw every woman he meets! I am going to make changes to myself for #1...ME!

As I said before, I am making a few physical changes...who doesn't every now and again. I decided just after Christmas that I was tired of maintaining short hair, so I figured I would start growing my hair out again. As far as my make-up, I enjoy looking nice, but there are occasions for being "dressed up" and then there is the "every day" look. I just need to refine how I want my outward appearance on a daily basis. The only person I need to impress is my husband. He is the one who I get dressed up for, the one I WANT to look good for... If other people look at me, that's great, but that is not my goal. The one person that I want to keep eyes on me is my husband. His opinion is what matters most to me!

My inner strength and self-confidence just need a boost, but as I look deeply into my heart and soul, my family and friends already know who I am and I know I DO NOT need to change for them. I don't need to change for complete strangers either! If I look confident to them for the short time that they see me, who cares! All my life I have cared about what other people think of me. It is time for me to change that way of thinking!

source

There you have it...I will always be reflecting on myself, but when it comes down to it...when I make changes, they are ultimately because I want them to be made! I want to love me for those change,s not regret them.

Getting to Know You...Here's a Bit of "Beth" History

Where did you grow up?

I grew up on a "hog" farm near Crete, Nebraska.  I attended a one-room school with grades K-8 and half of those kids were literally my cousins and siblings! :-)  After I "graduated" from the 8th grade, I attended high school in Crete (now, I am gonna tell you something, but you gotta promise not to call me this). My husband thinks it is HILARIOUS to call me an ex-Cretian and on occasion, after being introduced to someone, will also give them that little tid-bit! Yep, say it fast as one word...go ahead...laugh...I'm waiting... Got it out of your system?  Wonderful, let's move along...

My Nephew and Logan out at the farm doing a bit of fishing on Father's Day 2007

Speaking of your husband, how did you meet?
Excellent question! It actually come with an interesting answer... When we met, my husband was in the Nebraska Army National Guard. Now, would it be interesting if we met at the grocery store, church, a bar? HECK NO!!! We met on Yahoo! personals. We certainly did! Would you also believe that he was stationed in Bosnia when we met? Crazy, I know! I had posted a personal about meeting new people. I wasn't looking for a boyfriend at the time (let alone a husband). I had just gotten out of a long serious relationship and my friends at the time were also his friends. I've always been the shy type and made friends with guys easier than gals.  Anyway...he sent me an email, from BOSNIA, and we started chatting a month before he was scheduled to return to the states and NEBRASKA! We even talked on the phone a couple of times before he came home. I was so excited to meet him face-to-face! We set the date to meet and I anxiously waited for it.  Finally, it arrived. We met in the parking lot of where I worked and went out to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Olive Garden.  Since that September day in 1999, we have been together. Neither of us dated anyone else since that first date! He proposed to me in April of 2001 and we were married in August 2002. Jason, I LOVE YOU!!!

My good lookin 'hubby - Thanksgiving in Arizona 2007

What do you love about your home?
Well, being a native Nebraskan. I love the laid-backness (I know it's not a work) of a rural-ish state. I love the fact that if you drive just a few short miles outside of Lincoln you can see some beautiful country scenery. I am proud to say that I grew up on a farm and did some hard work (not a lot - just to clarify) and that I went to a one-room country school. There is something about being close to rural areas that makes Nebraska a wonderful place to live. I enjoy the outdoors with my family, I have always enjoyed fishing and I am going to attempt hunting (maybe this year) with my husband to see if I can "hack" it. There is so much openness to the land. Sure, there are always things to complain about - namely the weather - but I am sure one can find something to complain about no matter where you live.

** Oh and just to make this clear, NO, I am not a die hard Nebraska Huskers football fan, but I do "put up" with it for my husband.**

Nebraska vs. Oklahoma - this was an exception, I won sky box suite tickets for the game

Why did you start blogging?

Well, this is not the first blog that I have had. Originally, I started blogging to keep "long distance" family up-to-date on the family happenings.  I wasn't really too happy with how my blog was going before. I felt it was all too willy nilly and I wasn't really thinking about my posts before I actually wrote and posted them. In other words, I felt it was too random and I am not really too good with random. With Warm Bouquet, I can still be random, but I have some structure to what I post now. I think about what I am going to post and try to make the posts relateable to everyone that is reading my blog (oh...THANK YOU so much for being interested and following me, it has been so much fun). I like the structure that I have made for myself and know exactly what I am going to post on certain days of the week. It gives me time to think about it throughout the remainder of the week for the next week. I wish desperately that I could blog on a daily basis, or more than once a day! Hopefully that will change with time, but I like to do things with my daughter while I am at home during the day before heading off to work. 

Well, I think I have given you plenty of information for one day...I'd hate to totally bore you all to death! ;-) If you are truly more interested in more about me, I would L-O-V-E your questions. It will help with my "Getting to Know You" post for March.  Shoot me a shout-out to warm{dot}bouquet{at}gmail{dot}com, I absolutely LOVE to get emails!

Type at ya later!

Beth

February is Fast Approaching!

Since I am sitting here at home ALL day today and tonight caring for my husband (he had knee surgery this morning), I thought I would do a bit-o-blogging!  Do y'all mind too much? Hope not, cuz, here I go.

Wow-za!!!  What happened to January?  Apparently I kept myself so busy I completely missed it.  I absolutely cannot believe that February is 5 days away!  Now I have some serious decisions to make before February begins.  Decisions such as...What will my February craft be?  Hmmm... There are so many things to choose from - crocheting, sewing (tissue holders for my purse {or yours} or try a pattern for a new hat), or paper crafting (a girlfriend of mine made this awesome pinecone for her daughter's teacher).

I think I will go with a crochet project, the only downfall is that I don't have a stash of yarn to choose from, so I may not be making many items like I did last month with these (make link to cozies).  I have never ackled making an afghan, so maybe I will attempt that or maybe just pick a few friends and family to make scarves for.  I know I want to make myself a whole set - scarf, hat, and mittens - however,
I am still sort of a re-beginner (that's not even a word!) with crochet. 

I also slacked off big time in January with getting to the gym!  I need to et back on that band wagon.  Maybe some new gym clothes will help?  *pondering, pondering*  Nah, probably not... What I need is motivation!  If I knew I had a trip to the beach or somewhere warmer planned, that would definitely be motivation, but sadly, we don't have anything planned in the near future.   I need to find something!  Even the contest at work isn't motivating me and the grand prize in an iPAD!  Golly, you'd think that would be motivation enough!  Unfortunately there are people with whom I work that have much more to lose than my measly 30lbs.

Soda is going to kill me!!!  You guessed it, I caved, AGAIN!  That caffeinated, sweet, fizzy goodness just taunts me daily and I give in to its taunting in the end.  I just can't find a fabulous tea that I am willing to swap it for.  I'm gonna have to call my old tea lady and find out what the new company she sells for has that is comparable to my old favorite!  I didn't want to, but if I am going to survive at all without soda, I gotta take drastic measures.  Even if it means spending 100's on tea (okay, maybe not 100's, but specialty teas are a little bit more expensive)!!!

Well, I know it's not much and definitely not fancy, but I wanted to do something fun today!

Getting To Know You...A Bit More About Me

This installment of "Getting To Know You..." was inspired by my very good friend Lindsay over at Scenic Glory.  She wrote a light-hearted post on "the little things that count".  If you haven't visited her blog, you definitely should.

I am

• a Mommy
• a Wife
• a Daughter
• a Sister
• a Best Friend
• an LPN

I like

• all things crafty
• to sew a variety of things
• to read
• to daydream
• to go for walks in the nice weather

I want

• a new sewing machine
• one more wee one running around our house
• to be able to fall asleep right away when I get home from work
• a Kindle or Nook to easily read books on the go without having to tote around a bunch of books
• our daughter to sleep in her own bed ALL night

I'm sure there are many more things that I could be listing under all three of those headings, but if I did that, I wouldn't have anything to post about next month under "Getting To Know You..."

Hope you all have had a wonderful start to 2011!

New Year's Resolutions

In light of one year's end and a new year's beginning, I felt it would be a good time to make just a couple resolutions (reasonable and attainable).  Sure, I have done this before, but I have never held myself accountable and no one has held me accountable for them.

Seriously, I am making New Year's resolutions for 2011.  What you may ask?  How many?  The answer is simple...

3 resolutions!!!

That's right, you aren't reading that wrong at all!  I have made myself 3 goals to reach for 2011!  They are as follows:

1. Quit drinking soda
2. Go to the gym 3 times a week (minimum)
3. Make (sew, scrapbook, craft) something new each month

Sounds pretty simple doesn't it?  I am pretty sure I can do it, just have to get started on the right foot.  I will be sure to post every now and then on my progress.  The most difficult is going to be the soda...I love the sweet and the carbonation, oh and the caffeine.  Yep, that will be the toughest part and the first one to accomplish.  Once that is accomplished, I will have no problems getting to the gym regularly.  That carbonation kills me when I am trying to run or speed walk!

So there you have it...my 3 New Year's Resolutions.  Now tell me, what are yours?

Love's,

Beth

Christmas Traditions

Over the 11 years that my husband and I have been dating and married, we have celebrated the Christmas holiday with old and new traditions.  I think it is important to adopt new traditions as you start your own family or move to a new home with your family.  I wanted to take this opportunity to share with all of you the old and new traditions that we have withing our family (immediate and extended).

Let's Start With the OLD 

Start decorating the house and put up the tree the day/weekend after Thanksgiving.

The Sunday before Christmas, we celebrate with Jason's extended family from his mom's side and Santa brings gifts for the little ones (Santa remembers everyone's name and speaks often of the gifts that he's brought family members over the years - approximately 32 years with the same Santa).

Take a family picture in front of the tree on Christmas day.

Pack everybody up and head off to spend Christmas afternoon/evening with Jason's family.

On New Year's day, the Christmas decorations start to come down.

Now On With the NEW

Bake cookies and make candies to deliver to the neighbors.

Last minute shopping on Christmas Eve (we are notorious for this).

Christmas Eve with Grandma or Grandpa Hansmeyer (we switch off each year).

Logan and Jillianne each get a new Hallmark ornament from mommy and daddy (we are going to need to start buying a new ornament for us, or our tree will be bare when the kids grow up and head out on their own).

Wake up way too early on Christmas morning to see what Santa has left and open gifts from

mommy and daddy.

Depending upon the year we will get together with either Grandma or Grandpa Hansmeyer a couple days after or the weekend after Christmas.

Those are our traditions. Sometimes they are altered a little bit depending on the year and the weather.  Last year, 2009, we were stuck at home and unable to go anywhere due to a really bad snow storm that closed the interstate.  It was nice to have the day to ourselves, but there was a sense of loneliness without being able to spend time with Jason's family.  It all worked out thought and we just relaxed the day away while the kids got to play with all of their new gifts.

What kinds of traditions do you have?  Have you adopted new traditions over the years?  I'd love to hear about yours.



Getting to Know You, Getting to Know All About You...

Maybe it is important that you all get to know me, so I thought I would post some facts about me on occassion.  This will be part 1 of I don't know how many "Getting to Know You" posts.

Getting started...

I am married to Jason and we have two children:

Logan and Jillianne

We also have two dogs:

Nickel (our Weimaraner/"bird dog")

and The Great Gladiator Maximus - Max for short (our boxer)

We live in a lovely home in the midwest, where it is currently stinking cold.  I have lived here all my life and I just can't seem to ever get used to the winters.  Hence my new love of our wood-burning stove.

I love to laze on the couch and watch cartoons with my daughter or movies all morning, but sadly there are things that I must get done during the day, so I don't get to laze every day.

My family (all of my family) is important to me...

**I don't have recent pictures of ALL of my family, but will post some after the holidays**

             

Today, Jillianne and I slept in till 10:00 a.m. and it felt fantastic, but that kinda messeds up the plans that we had for the day.  Excited that tomorrow we will be heading out to eat a bite of lunch with my sister.  Probably won't get to see her again before she heads back to Santa Fe on Saturday since she'll leave early in the morning and I work Friday night.  I am excited to take a vacation down there sometime in 2011. 

I love you Kirsten and Mike!  Can't wait to visit you in your new home in Santa Fe!!!

Well, that's about all I have for y'all today!  I haven't been sleeping well lately, so I just can't seem to get into my creative mind! Hopefully over the next few days I will have something exciting for you to read about or maybe even a project that I might be able to get done.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

Growing up, I absolutely LOVED the Sound of Music.  Of course my favorite song in the movie was and still is "My Favorite Things."  I was singing the song to myself last night at work, and it inspired me to think about a "few" of my favorite things. 

Here they are in no particular order...

brown paper packages

(I'm even wrapping Christmas gifts in brown paper with jute twine this year)

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down comforters and big comfy chairs

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boxers

(this is close to my heart because Maximus is a boxer)

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rustic cabins

(oh how I would love to own a cabin in the middle of no-where to just get away)

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silhouette photography

(it is just so beautiful)

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tigers

(they are so beautiful, strong, and dangerous)

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Have a wonderful weekend.  I will see you again next week. We'll talk about Thanksgiving!

And You Are...?

Well, my name is Elizabeth.  I am wife to Jason, mother to Logan and Jillianne (also Maximus and Nickel - the dogs), and a Licensed Practical Nurse for a manufacturing company's "nurses office" or dispensary.  I have the pleasure of being at home most of  the day with my daughter and son (when he's not at school that is) and being a homemaker.  I will totally admit to enjoying being lazy and not super motivated to clean the house when I am home, but I don't want you to get the impression that I leave it all for my husband to do in the evening when he gets home from work.  I do actually do some of the cleaning, otherwise our bathrooms would be atrocious and the kids rooms would have dirty clothes for carpet.  Oh, the family would also never have clean dishes to eat off of.  It is the dusting and vacuuming part that I really dislike.

Now, just to give you a little bit of background on ME.  I am a 30 something year old wife, mother, daughter, friend, homemaker, and professional.  My family and friends come first in my life, even though sometimes the other parts of my life will attempt to "get in the way."  I love to create and decorate.  Sewing has been a huge part of my life since I was around 7 or 8 years old when my mom encouraged me to join 4-H.  Needless to say, I have been sewing for a very, very long time.  Granted, I am by no means perfect and make mistakes now and then, but seriously even a professional seamstress makes mistakes on a project once in a while.  I really like to scrapbook, but alas, it takes a lot of time and effort just to get everything out and then takes me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to put together ONE (count them - ONE) page. Baking...I love to bake!  Oh my gosh, I LOVE to bake cupcakes and nothing is better than homemade bread right out of the oven.  My family will eat an entire loaf in one sitting!

I could go on and on and on, but I think you get the idea of the kind of person I am.  As time goes on, you will get more of an idea of who I am too.  Just check back as often as you can.  This will be fun for all of us.

Yours Truly,
Elizabeth

P.S. If you get a chance, check out a blog by one of my very best girl friends, Scenic Glory. Lindsay has some great stuff and can inspire creativity in anyone!