Talking on a pumpkin?

I guess in the future we will have a cell phone for every holiday. Carter already has his Pumpkin Phone!
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Is this sad?

Last week I went shopping with a friend who wanted to go look at wedding dresses.

She found a dress she really liked and tried it on. She decided she liked it on too, but wanted to know if it could be ordered in white. She asked me to check the tag for the designer and style number. Is it sad that I didn't have to check the tag for the designer because I already knew who it was just by looking at the dress? It's been over a year since I bought my dress, and I can still tell the designer of some dresses by the dress. I think I might have studied a few too many wedding dresses a little too closely.

Thirteen Thursday

This week's topic: Thirteen Things I've Learned About Myself this Year

With the end of the year coming up soon, here are several things I have learned about myself throughout my first year of marriage.

1. Election season stresses me out.
2. I have no construction abilities past hanging photos on the wall.
3. I'm kind of opinionated, (we already knew that) but it is getting worse as I get older.
   
4. Things that should stress me out don't. (i.e. the national economic crisis)
   
5. Things that shouldn't stress me out do. (not getting laundry and dishes washed)
6. I enjoy cooking only when I'm cooking what I want to be cooking.
7. I need better time management skills. Or maybe I just need to say, "No" more?
8. I really haven't taken a lot of college classes that pertain to my career. I do however, know a bit about water aerobics, psychological disorders, radio/tv rules and regulations, sociological problems, and creating fliers and newsletters. Really helpful stuff for a photographer, huh?
9. It doesn't matter how interesting the subject is, I will fall asleep reading a text book.
   
10. I'm a homebody. I really didn't used to be. That's a new development.
    
11. I'm pretty stingy with my husband and his time. (That's not nice, is it?)
    
12. I am addicted to carbs.
13. I learned that I haven't learned 13 things about myself. :o)

Have a good day!

Finally!

This week is almost over!

In my last post, I gave an outline of how crazy this week was supposed to be. That was rather dumb. I should have known it would be ten times crazier than that. This is how it really went.

Monday, October 13 (tomorrow):

• Finish the web site critique
• Work on more sketches
• Class at 2:00
• Work on more sketches
  
• Study for Abnormal Psychology Test
• graphic design work and dinner with Natalie
• More studying for psych. test
  

Tuesday, October 14:

• UP AT 5:30 A.M.! (more sketching/studying)
  
• Web site critique essay due
• Abnormal Psychology test
• Lunch + MORE sketching
  
• Design book, rough draft due - Well, not really. Apparently most of the class misunderstood the assignment, so we pretty much were told to start over.
  
• Write 3-page pager over the influences and contributions of the portable scanner to digital media and design

Wednesday, October 15:

• Sketching again!
• Took out trash, paid bills, switched ASU car tag info.
  
• Lunch with my old roommate, Whitney - This is the point at which I realized I had left my photography equipment at home!
• Ran home to disassemble photo background and lighting kit (that I ended up not using) and grab my camera
  
• Class at 2:00 - Paper over the portable scanner due
  
• Photo session at 3:30 (LOTS of fun! I got some great shots too.)
  
• MORE SKETCHING
  
• Assemble logo design for class on the computer
  
• Start editing photos from this week
  

Basically, I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed.

I don't mean to be rude.

I feel like this girl right now.

If you have tried to contact me in some form or attempt to contact me this week, don't worry if you haven't/don't hear back from me right away. I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just super, super busy. I will get back to you though! Right now I'm taking a breather to let my mind settle before heading to bed.

Here's a little look into my crazy life lately:

Thursday, October 9:

• Class from 9:30 - 2:30
• Went wedding dress shopping with a friend
• Drove to Batesville to pick up Steven

Friday, October 10:

• Steven rented a backhoe and demolished/cleaned up our backyard. (Photos to come!)
• I finished editing Kayli's pictures (check out my photo blog!)
• I started on a 4 page (so far!) web site critique essay.
• We went to the Westside/Highland football game (Go Warriors!)

Saturday, October 11:

• I continued work on my essay.
• Steven continued work on the yard.
• I did LOTS of laundry.
• I took 2 quizzes for my online class.
• We had a date night and went to see Fireproof. Awesome movie! We both really liked it.

Sunday, October 12:

• Revival started at church
• I taught the toddler class.
• Lunch at church.
• I went to the bank while Steven went to pick up the TrailBlazer from the shop. (Oh yeah, did I mention we've been down to one car for a week now?)
• We came home, Steven grabbed a container and went to get diesel for the backhoe, and I put together my photo equipment. I also discovered that one of my light heads doesn't work! I'll be on the phone about that in the morning.
• Steven packed up and left for work, and I sat down to take a test for my online class.
• I spent an hour or so photographying my buddy, Carter, at his grandparents' house.
• I had dinner with Jason, Nikki, and Carter.
• I came home and worked on my web site critique essay some more.
• I started the typed portion and did some more sketches for a 40-page design book I have due on Tuesday!

And the upcoming schedule...

Monday, October 13 (tomorrow):

• Finish the web site critique
• Work on more sketches
• Class at 2:00
• Gym time/studying for Abnormal Psychology Test (I multitask!)
  

Tuesday, October 14:

• Web site critique essay due
• Abnormal Psychology test
• Design book, rough draft due
• Write 3-page pager over the influences and contributions of the portable scanner to digital media and design

Wednesday, October 15:

• BREATH!
• Class at 2:00 - Paper over the portable scanner due
  
• Photo session at 3:30
• Church (or more likely, sleep!)
• Put together door prize for Saturday
  
• Start editing photos from this week
  

Thursday, October 16:

• Clean house/laundry
• Print order forms for craft show
• Steven comes home

Friday, October 17:

• Clean house
• Put together background for Saturday's craft show
• Last minute stuff for craft show
• Set up for craft show at 5:00

Saturday, October 18:

• My first craft show!
• Photo session with my cousin right after that

Sunday, October 19:

• Back to church
• Photograph a birthday party at Craighead Forest Park

See? I told you I was busy, busy this week!
P.S. - Please pray that I don't lose my mind and/or forget anything really important!

Thirteen Thursday - Confessions

I haven't done a Thirteen Thursday list in a while, so I figure I can come up with 13 confessions for your entertainment.

1. I have enough pink that I could wear a different pink shirt everyday for more than two weeks.
2. I have recurring nightmares about snakes.
3. I have recurring nightmares about people dying, and it is always one of the same two people.
   
4. I am 21 years old, and I still whine. Ask my husband.
5. My husband and I haven't had a planned date since the end of July or beginning of August, neither of us remember exactly. (Don't worry! We have one planned for this weekend!)
   
6. I'm a night owl.
7. I like doing laundry.
8. My husband and I rarely, if ever, argue over money. (Are you surprised that we actually agree on something? haha)
9. I cry at movies that shouldn't be cried over.
10. I don't like mowing the yard.
11. I chew on the caps to my pens.
12. I am considering homeschooling our future children.
13. I am a CrackBerry Addict.
    

Creative Money-Saving Idea #1

I found this idea on The Grocery Cart Challenge. I am going to try it, and I hope that it will satisfy my husbands "need" for liquid fabric softener.

"Homemade Dryer Sheets

2 cups of water

1 cup of vinegar

2/3 cups of any hair conditioner

Mix in spray bottle and stir. Don’t shake, this will cause foaming. Soak a cloth rag and ring it out until slightly damp. Then throw it into the dryer with your load of clothes.

This can also be used as a liquid fabric softener in the rinse cycle.

I use dollar store conditioner so this mixture costs me just a bit over a dollar to make. I've been able to get almost 50 loads out of one batch. I keep this stored in a tupperware container by my dryer with the rag already in it so all I have to do is squeeze and add it to the load in the dryer.

Simple and cheap with none of the wax from the store bought sheets that wear your clothes out."

Saving money.

I'm going to try to save more money through Christmas. I actually decided to start saving money on grocery bills, utility bills, etc when we first got married. Then I discovered who I married! People always said that no matter how long you date, you still learn a lot more about who that person is after you are married. Well, I discovered that I married a high-maintenance man!

The following are Steven's responses to my common money-zapping issue complaints.

Me: "I just spent $50 on gas, and the car isn't even full."
Him: "So. Why didn't you just fill it up?"

Me: "Why can't our dog just be normal and eat the cheap food?"
Him: "Even if she could, I don't want to feed her bad, cheap food."
Me: "Why can't the outside dogs eat cheaper food?"
Him: "I don't want them to get the bad food. The other stuff is better for them."

Not only does he not care how much money we spend on certain things, he insists on having a few certain high-priced, brand name items.

• ice cream (Ok, I admit it. I agree on this one.)
• liquid fabric softener AND fabric softener sheets (Can you say, 'Laundry Snob'?)
• toilet paper
• bread
• expensive sheets (nothing less than 400-450 thread count)

Oh, and did I mention that he doesn't blink an eye at the thought of his wife buying her make up at a department store counter? Or that his idea of a night at home lately involves going to Wal-Mart to buy a DVD (or two or three!), even though we have Netflix? He also makes sure we keep a constant supply of treats for our dogs.

Add in the fact that we rarely eat a meal other than breakfast at home, constant home improvement projects, and we end up spending a lot of money every month. While we do have money put away in a savings account, it isn't nearly as much as it should be according to our income.

Steven has been blessed with a well-paying job in a field that he loves. God works in crazy ways. We are so amazed by His blessings in our lives everyday. We live comfortably as a stereotypical, middle-income couple. However, if we plan to ever have kids (and we do), we need to figure out how to make that income stretch past more than two people!

I have identified three ways that I could decrease our spending.

• Eat more meals at home.
• Un-spoil my husband.
• Be creative.

Well, the first two are out - at least for now. In the meantime, I'll go straight to the last option. If you have any ideas or good web sites, pass them my way via the comments option!

I have to brag.

My husband vacuumed our room today. He also cleaned the ceiling fan and took the trash out to the end of the driveway for me, so I don't have to worry about remembering this week. I didn't ask him to do any of it.

He's just that awesome.

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What's one more?

Last night Steven decided to play around on the internet for a few minutes. When he "woke up" the computer, the window to my blog was on the screen. Normally, he just closes it and goes about his business. This time he didn't though. He stared at my header, as if something was wrong with it. Then he said the words that I knew would come out of his mouth, "Aww, you don't have Poncho on there." He was very accusing, as if I intentionally left that poor, stray dog out of the family line up. Ok, maybe I did.

I admit it. I purposely left him off. I was hoping he might just decide he didn't like our house and leave. Maybe Poncho and Biscuit wouldn't get along? No chance of that, Biscuit wouldn't care if we had 10 other dogs. But wait, what if someone came along and claimed him? Yes I know, everyone wants a skinny dog that is incredibly lazy and doesn't know the meaning of 'sit,' 'stay,' or 'down'.

You are probably thinking,"Who is Poncho?" or "Did they really get another animal?!"

Yes, we have expanded our family once again. Poncho is an awkward yellow lab/hound dog that appeared at our house almost two months ago. I really didn't think he'd stick around, and I had no intention of allowing him to. My husband, however, insisted we feed him, "Until he leaves." Yeah, Steven - he's gonna just walk off after we feed him. Well, two months later he is still here. A few weeks ago Steven mentioned getting rid of him once he fattened up, but that plan collapsed too. He decided Biscuit needed a friend. Biscuit does seem to like him, and in all honesty, we've become a bit attached too.

Without further ado, meet Poncho!

It's back! Ten Things Tuesday!

Unfortunately, life has gotten hectic, and I haven't been the faithful Tuesday blogger I used to be. (Sorry, Heather!) I'm back though, at least for today.

Things I am thankful for...

1. My first class on Tuesday and Thursday is only 1 hr. 15 min. long. Any longer and I'd go totally crazy. :-)

2. My wonderful husband.

3. My husband's job - not only does he love it, but it allows me to concentrate on my education and doing what I love, photography.

4. Starbucks and muffins. Yum.

5. Monday morning bible study time.

6. I get my rings back tomorrow! Oh I can't wait!

7. Emerald hasn't eaten her newest chew toy!

8. Steven is done with storm work for now! Yay! Let's just hope we get a good break before ice storms start rolling in.

9. My yard is mowed.

10. My online class. If only some of my regular classes could be online classes...

So, I'm a bit sentimental.

First, I must add the disclaimer that until this past Thursday, I had been without my husband for 25 days. He left again at 1:30 this afternoon to go to Texas. Needless to say, I'm not at my emotional best today. When he is gone, there are three things I would rather die than lose - my engagement ring, my wedding band, and my cell phone. If anyone ever tries to take any of these from me against my will, they will die. I'll be that crazy girl on the evening news that beats the mess out of guy who is trying to steal her $25 purse with no cash in it, rather than lose her phone that is in the purse.

Here is my beloved ring set.

I've always been one to attach sentimental value to things. Stuffed animals, books from my childhood, preschool art projects - I've even saved most of my writing projects throughout my life and every diary and journal I've ever had. I also convinced my husband that we needed the house I grew up in when my parents decided to move. I'm sure everyone else saw it, but I never really realized it until today. Today when I almost lost it at the jewelry counter to be exact.

I realized yesterday that the month of September is almost over and I hadn't taken my rings to be inspected yet. I have to have them inspected every six months to keep my warranty, so today I headed to Zales after the children's church meeting. I'm not sure what I was expecting. I knew they needed to be rhodium dipped. I've had jewelry cleaned and repaired by them before, but for some reason it never occurred to me that they might have to send my rings in to have the rhodium done.

There were only two people working in the store today, and both were busy - one with a couple picking out an engagement ring/wedding band set and the other with a young guy picking out a ring for his girlfriend. I waited patiently, getting a bit misty-eyed as I watched the guy get so excited about showing the ring he had picked out to a friend who had come with him. When the salesgirl finished, I explained what I needed, and she started talking about their jeweler. She explained that their current jeweler was leaving, and they had already signed with a new one. I was only half listening until she said that to have it rhodium dipped, the new company would take 14-21 days to get my rings back to me! I started to panic. I couldn't even speak for a few seconds. I'm fairly certain she saw tears welling up in my eyes. My first thought was, 'Nevermind! I don't care!' Then I realized that at some point it would have to be done. At some point I would have to give them up, even if it wasn't for another 2 years, and by that point they would not be a pretty sight. I asked if I could send them one at a time. She said, yes, that could be done. I think she was still afraid this solution would send me over the edge and leave me blubbering there in the middle of the mall. Honestly, it might have. Thankfully, she felt pity for me and offered another solution. She offered to send it to another of their employees that had been doing some work for them recently to help catch them up while they were switching jewelers. She went to check with him and came back to say, "How about Wednesday?" Had it not required jumping over the counter, I would have hugged her. I'm really sorry I didn't get the girl's name today. Hopefully she will be there again on Wednesday, and I can really thank her. I said, "Thank you," today, but I'd like to really thank her again.

Until Wednesday though, I'm wearing a replacement set I bought at Claire's. I just couldn't stand going around with a naked finger. This set certainly isn't as pretty or comfortable as mine, but it will due until Wednesday morning.

And the temporary set...

I have competition...

No, the Xbox 360 isn't interferring with our marriage...John is.

John Deere, that is.


I'm kidding. Promise. Steven got another toy Saturday morning, and he is a bit in love with it though. He couldn't wait to run home and try it out.

He mowed our yard in less than 2 hours! Considering we have almost 2 acres to mow, and most of the pasture was almost knee high, that's pretty awesome. He's so proud of (and in love with) his new mower! I've got to say that I'm pretty excited about it, too. Today, for the first time in forever, I grabbed the water bowl for our outside dogs, (Note the plural dogs. That's another post.) and filled their bowl with the hose in the back yard. It felt so good to walk through the back yard without worry about stepping on an unseen snake! I even drove the new mower myself, and it's pretty fun! It's like a big go-cart that mows the yard. :-)

I think my husband is a bit spoiled. I sure hope he keeps this weekend in mind when he goes to buy my anniversary and Christmas gifts.

What was I thinking?

I have a confession to make.
When my husband asks to buy a new toy, I have a very hard time saying no (unless it involves a car that does not run). Last night I must have lost my mind. I gave in again. I am not sure what I was thinking. Maybe I was just so excited to have Steven home, maybe I just like to spoil him, or maybe I just like hearing him say, "Thanks babe. You're the best wife ever." Yes, I think those words do the trick every time. Unfortunately for me, he knows that too. Either way, at 8:30 last night we were in Wal-Mart buying his latest toy.

Yes, he talked me into buying an Xbox 360. I must say though, Steven was a very good sport about it. He agreed not to even hook it up last night, and instead bought a Ashton Kutcher movie to watch with me. Ok, now looking back - that was probably part of his plan from the beginning to help him convince me to get the Xbox. :-)

Bunco baby shower

We had another baby shower at our bunco night this month. This time it was a surprise book shower for Susanne and the little girl she is anxiously awaiting.


Opening her gifts...

Her diaper cake, made by Joslyn...

We were also excited to have Adalyn there!

Oh, and one more...

That's right. That is Courtney, wearing a pink, sparkly t-shirt. :-) You just thought we wouldn't notice.

Day #22

I was finally able to speak to Steven again tonight. I talked to him this morning, as they were driving from Houma, LA to Texas, but a lot of the phone towers are out in Southern Texas, so we hadn't spoken since about 11:00 this morning. His crew is staying in Woodville, TX. Phone service is sketchy where they are working, but closer to the hotel it is ok. He has absolutely no idea when he will be home. Today was day 22. (And no, I'm not sitting around counting. I honestly had to look at my calendar to figure it out.) The map below shows where they are.

I'm so proud!

Today, Emerald got her hair cut. She cried for a bit when I dropped her off, so I was a bit concerned. She is usually a major drama queen and very naughty for Weslynn, our groomer. Not today, though! She got 4 paws on her report card! Weslynn said, "She was a bit nervous about having her feet combed and trimmed, but she didn't act up or anything." I'm so proud of her! This is a huge improvement. She usually only gets two paws on her report card.

What a book!

Today I ventured to Target to search for a baby shower gift. I was browsing the children books when I came across this book.

The front cover features a pull tab that makes the tail on the middle dog wag. How cute is that! Right? And this page was even cuter, with the "Wet dog-shake, shake, shake!"

Then I got to this page...



And yes, that lifted leg really is a pull tab piece, and that is a stream of yellow pee showing. I don't think this is one that I would want to give as a gift. :-)

Jill

I first posted about Jill earlier this week, here.

Jill's husband, JT, posted this short bit this evening. Please keep him and their family in your prayers. I cannot even begin to imagine what he is going through right now.

"I'm not sure where to even begin in writing this post. All of the thoughts, prayers and support for Jill, my family and myself have meant so much to all of us.

Jill got caught a slight bit of pneumonia last night, it became harder and harder for her to breathe, despite breathing treatments. The doctors wanted to incubate her but didn't feel that it would improve her overall condition. I made the decision to let her fight through it, however it was just too much for her to take. She passed away around 6:30 this morning, she was not in any pain and went peacefully. I just wanted you all to know.

Please pray for our families and myself that we are able to get through this very difficult time."

Mooo!

Last night I went to the NEA District fair with my friend, Lindsay. (Thanks, Scotty for lending me your wife.) We had a blast! We looked at all the exhibits, the cows, and the animals in the petting zoo. Then we started on the rides. There weren't any lines, so we just went from one spinning ride to the next until we thought we were almost sick! We took a break, played a couple of games - then did it again! We ended the night by riding the carousel and getting some awesome lemonade. Here are some pictures from the petting zoo.

And my favorite, the Scottish Highland Cattle...