by Sarah | Oct 27, 2010 | All About Home, All About Me, Holidays
Oh, who are we kidding? I’m definitely insane.
It’s not even Halloween.
But I have 85% of Christmas shopping done. (The girls shopping IS done).
I’ve been knitting like mad, and just started sewing…and have many Christmas gift items completed/made in the crafting area and a decent head start on others.
Two days ago I started something. Cookies/Treats for Christmas. My obsession with baking many, many Christmas Cookies has been documented in the past.I make a lot. And every year (especially last year it seemed) I get really overwhelmed at the first of December. I have a tendency to put too much on myself and try to accomplish more than is possible. I think that’s why I started so early this year.
Really early.
The first Christmas gift was purchased in June.
I’ve started making cookies that can be frozen and stored. So far I’ve made the base for the Oreo Truffles (new this year), and I’ve baked 1 of 3 cakes for cake pops, and I’m getting those centers prepared. I’m trying to figure out what cookies can be pre-made and frozen with little trouble. Hopefully all I’ll have to do in December is bake a few batches and frost/candy coat the others.
Final stage is finishing up with the Christmas presents. I’ve given myself more time to do this than I have in the past…hopefully this year I’ll not freak out and over-stress again.
But I still am a little insane.
by Sarah | Sep 9, 2010 | All About Home, All About Me
When I was growing up I would dream of the perfect home. The delusions of grandeur always led me to a Victorian/Queen Anne style of home. I would pour over floor plans in magazines, imagining the ‘perfect’ house.
<<<–It always looked similar to this one. I would have a sewing room/library. A playroom for our children. The house would be decorated in vintage furniture. It would be in the middle of nowhere – but close enough to town that we wouldn’t be isolated.
I had everything planned out.
Perfection.
What dreams I had.
These days I look at a home like this and still wonder at it’s beauty…
But the realist in me snorts and says “But who’s going to clean it? Not me.”
These days my dreams are different. Our house is meant as a starter home, not for a family of five. Yes, as my Mom and Aunt pointed out this weekend their family of five did it with 150sqft LESS than we have – but this is about my dream home…
I don’t want a lot of space. Just a room or two more than we have now. Room for the kids to breath, the girls to have their own rooms, an office for the computers.
These days my dream home looks a lot more like this.–>>
Funny enough, it’s almost identical to the home I grew up in. A simple cape cod, a second story with the Master on the first and the kids upstairs. I’d survive w/ one bathroom (we do anyhow, we never use our second), but would love two.
Enough room to breathe. To not trip over each other.
Where would this home be?
Well, right here of course. In the exact same place our current house is. This neighborhood and our neighbors are not anything I want to give up. I love it here. I have my issues with Indiana (really, hoosier is NOT a real word, people…and my issues w/ the school district we’re in are documented)…but I love my neighborhood. My friends. Our property taxes cannot currently be beat (*knocks on wood*).
Why would I want to be anywhere else?
Just a simple home for our family. That is the dream.
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This post was brought to you thanks to MamaKat’s prompts. Head on over to check out some others!!
by Sarah | Jul 16, 2010 | All About Home, All About Kennedy, All About Me, Crap, Cystic Fibrosis, Photography, Random
Ever had one of those days? How about one of those weeks? Months? Years?
I’m in the middle of one of those weeks. Coming about 4 weeks after one of those months…which is turning this into one of those years.
Let’s focus on this week.
My birthday is coming up (this Sunday). For the past several years my bday has not been anything spectacular, and in some cases it’s flat out stunk. Not sure why, I just haven’t had the birthday Gods on my side or something. This year is proving to be no exception.
In one week we’ve had a trifecta of appliance crap, been overcharged by WalMart Eye Center, and lost the ability to finish my deck for my bday (all I wanted for it), oh and the plants I purchased for it are pretty much dead (my fault, I shouldn’t have bought them until it was done.).
First, over the weekend the fridge died. Freezer worked fine, fridge wouldn’t cool. Appliance repair guy came on Wed. Assured me w/ the statement, “It’s a $45 part.” Then proceeded to charge me an hours labor for a 30 minute job (that’s $60, mind you), AND $40 to defrost my fridge with what sounded suspiciously like a hair dryer.
Thursday morning I went to give my two little stinky angels a bath. Oldest was washing dishes. All of a sudden, there was no hot water. Well, crap.
I pull open the utility closet and the pilot’s out on the water heater. At least, I think that’s the problem. If it wasn’t, it sure became the problem when I turned the whole thing off. Archie came home and re-lit the thing and we have hot water again. We just aren’t sure how or why the pilot went out and hope it’s not going to crap out again all too soon.
Not four hours later I stepped outside and the Air Conditioner sounded really loud. Thinking it was odd I walked on over to find the fan not spinning.
GREAT.
On our side for that one is our neighbor is an AC guy and he came over to take a look.
But seriously?
Why does Murphy hate my birthday so much? Or, for that matter, me? I didn’t do anything to him.
Well, he can go to Hell. I’m taking my birthday OFF. I’m not going near an appliance, a vehicle, my computer, nothing that can break. I’m staying in bed and pretending it doesn’t exist. I’m really tired of this crap storm.
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P.S. For those who haven’t seen me on twitter or FB, here’s the Angel update –
SHE’S HOME!! No hospital stay for us! Just as suspected, we are now officially, 100% w/o a doubt a CF family. You do not get psuedomnas if you don’t have CF. The culture results will NOT send us into the hospital, but if they are positive we will be starting a lifetime regimen of one month on/one month off on the TOBI (inhaled antibiotic through nebulizer – very expensive stuff)…but we won’t know that for a week. I’ll keep you posted!
P.P.S. I’ve been trying to get back into 365 by getting a week in advance done. I’m afraid I missed yesterday w/ all the stuff going on…so it’ll be another week or two before I get those started again – but I will be participating in Weekly Winners again this week. Have a few pictures to put in once they’re edited. I have a trial version of a new photo manager/editor that I LOVE and plan to buy once we have the money. I’ll tell you about it later.
P.P.P.S. I actually have a bit to post about…but have been trying to skip days until I got more to write. I may just blow off that idea and do a random post of stuff. Who knows….
by Sarah | Dec 31, 2009 | All About Home, All About Me
I told you I was busy this month with crafts, decorating the house and just in general being internet lazy (except for twitter, which I think I OD’d on at times…but I digress). So, here’s some pictures of the decorations I was working on…you’ll have to wait to see the sewing I did for my girls 😉
First item on this list is not actually something I made this year, I made it last year…but I’m proud of it so I’m showing it off again. It’s my tree topper. The ribbons went down the tree and wove through he branches and ornaments (will be shown later).
Next is my forest. I previewed it a couple months ago when I had my first two completed, but I expanded on it…I actually made several more than the forest seen here, but they were given away (to my Mom and Archie took 2 to work)…I apologize for the cruddy picture. My camera did not like the forest and I failed all season to get good pictures of it at all.
Then a series of dirt cheap decorations that were my absolute favorite for the year! Seriously, everything you’re about to see was $5 or under to create…
First, my wreath. All supplies bought at the dollar store. Total cost: $5 (4 rolls of ribbon, 1 styrofoam wreath).
Next, my garland. Six pieces of felt and sewing thread…total cost: about $1.50
Nothing more than a simple pleasure. Metal bowl I already had, filled w/ dollar store ornaments, about 3 tubes. Total cost: $3
My snow, one of my absolute favorite parts of my decorations. Realy made it feel festive for a simple decoration. Sparkle felt glued onto cardstock and stuck on my shelves. Total cost: approx. $5
And another super simple one that was just about my favorite besides the snow. Simple dollar store ribbon with bells tied on put on the curtain rod I usually have my quilt on. Total cost: $2.50
And those are my crafts from around the house. Part of what kept me so busy at home!! I was very happy to actually HAVE Christmas decorations this year…and all better that I made them myself…and for cheap!
Now that those, and the Christmas presents (to be shown later) are done…I’m working on something for myself. Something I’ve been wanting to make for many many many years…but I’ll share that later!
Coming soon, a giveaway to help with your New Years resolutions! I just got it via FedEx today and hope to have it posted up over the weekend once I’ve had a chance to look it over!!
by Sarah | Oct 30, 2009 | All About Home
And thinking I should join NaBloPoMo for force my way through this block I’m having! Anyone else up for it? But, in the mean time I’ve gotten a few things done around here – and others are in the middle of being done….
I redid a lamp and an end table…and so proud of what I did!! I’m determined to bring some color into my beige room, and using my mom’s quilt as inspiration for the colors.
The table before:
The lamp before:
And both after…..
(that’s the top of the table w/ distressing…)
So happy with my results. I’m waiting until after I’m done with all of this madness:
(that is just a whisper, a teeny-tiny note of all the crafts I have half-done and done for Christmas this year)
Before I finish with the new pillows (w/ the same fabric as the lamp as well as other fabric).
Tomorrow is Samhain/Halloween (which I have done nothing for *eep*) and then after that…November! The days are passing faster than I care to think about – but we’re all still here! Here’s to hoping November is far better with my posting – just need to force my way through this block!
by Sarah | Sep 15, 2009 | All About Family, All About Home, Holidays
Did you know that there are only 100 days left until Christmas?
Two days ago I got hit with the bug. Yup, already. I’ve told Archie to make me list of his co-workers and friends that he wants included on the list. Because I’m making plans.
Last year I made well over 1000 cookies, that we pigged out on, I sent in a plate w/ hubs to work, I went to a cookie exchange and took a plate of ALL my cookies-not just my exchange cookies. I took them to my parents – and we ate them ALL.
This year I’m all about the homemade gifts. I can’t go into too much detail because people read this blog that will get some of those gifts 😉 But I’m making my list, and I’m checking it a dozen times.
I have recipes lining up to make even MORE cookies than previous years, and candies. I’ll make gift bags of the goodies for friends and family…and for family I’ll also have some non-edible gifts.
The girls are getting homemade clothes, and I also have purchased clothes for both them and Brandon. So far I’ve only spent about $40 total and have all of their clothes shopping done (this far in advance! NEVER happens!).
I have gifts planned for all the youth (older, younger, and unborn)…and simple gifts for the extended family. If all goes well no one will be without a gift – even if it’s a goodie bag of dessert 😀 I’ve also started giving hubby ideas of what I want *G* Now if he’d do the same (although he’s sort of predictable…I think I can guess)
I hope you’re making your plans…it seems so far – but it passes by so fast! I hope to finish early…there are other holidays to plan for 😉
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Any blogging buddies that want a care package of my goodies better email me now so I can add you to my list!!
Oh, who are we kidding? I’m definitely insane.
