RAWRRR

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE

Patio Work

We are finally done with our patio work!  Here are some pictures to show you what's been going on...

We bought 8 packs of impatiens, which was a few too many so
we had a few left over.  The planters had old strawberry plants
in them which we had to rip out first.

Lots of dead....stuff.

We didn't know how far apart to plant these things
so I hope this works out ok!

Tada! We found this pretty patio set on sale that
came with 4 chairs and the table for $99.  I know it would
look nicer if I put away the bucket and dirt:)  Plus the 2 trash
bags in the back (I'm cleaning cast iron pans with oven cleaner
in those-they have to sit in the bag for 2 days ugh)

There was also a flower bed on the other side of the apartment that obviously hadn't been tended for the last one or five years.  We didn't plant any flowers there but the weeds had to go.  In the process we found a porcelain bed post knob, a nylon belt, a small plastic dump truck, and a shower curtain rod!  Who would have guessed?  So now all I have to do is find a windchime since all our neighbors have one :)

Yellow, Orange, Pink...

So I can't decide what kind of flowers to put in the planters - I like the combination of yellow, orange, and pink if that makes things any easier.  Their in the shade most, if not the entire day so I need flowers that LOVE shade.  I think the only times I've planted something in my life were in kindergarten (a flower) and the sunflower kit I bought last year which promptly died. 

I don't know anything about gardening or how to care for plants or what kinds to choose.  I'm just trying to keep the animals alive at school.  So does anyone with a green thumb have suggestions for flowers that love shade and would not get too tall and don't need much space to grow?

Vows for Summer

This summer, I vow (will try my best) to:

1. Read more books for enjoyment - like the ones on the bookshelf that never move

2.  Scrapbook like there is no tomorrow

3.  Work on putting together my "nerd book" for veterinary technology which I'm way behind on.

4. Spend more time with my husband that doesn't involve Netflix.

5.  Take more walks and take pictures of the town while we still live here.

6.  Spend more time in God's Word and more time reading Christian non-fiction books.

7.  Take a short vacation somewhere with my husband.


I think that's a good list for now :)

Thankful, O So Thankful

What a day.

Today was the day that I have been dreading for 2-3 weeks now - Practical Nursing Exam (animals, not people) :)  I'm pretty good at written tests but when I'm being graded on something that I have to actually DO, I freak out and usually mess it up.

I met with some friends over the past week practicing all of the things we have done in lab.  I've discovered that I'm not very good at drawing blood or IV injections, and I've never gotten blood from the jugular vein yet.  Plus although i could do most of the bandages, I'm not confident in them.

For the practical we draw a task from a pile and have to do it.  I think that is kind of what sucks about these kinds of tests- pick the one you aren't good at and you could get a bad grade but the person after you picks something easy and gets a good grade.  Hate that.  So I really hoped that i wouldn't draw IV inection or blood draw.

I have been praying daily that I would do well on the exam and if possible, I could draw physical exam.  Although it was said that this is the test most often failed by students, I desperately wanted it because I studied the book, notes, watched youtube videos, and ran through the test in my head multiple times.  I even had Matthew buy a flea comb at Walmart just so i could use it in case I got physical exam! 

Well, I was asked to pick a piece of paper from the pile. I saw one and was about to take it, but for some reason I had the urge to pick the one UNDER that paper.  PHYSICAL EXAM!  I had to read it twice to be sure.  Being kind of nervous I did skip over a few things that I had practiced but I thought it had went really well.  As I was leaving my teacher said I did a really good job and that she was impressed with how it went!  Of course, now that that's over, I should concentrate on working on some of the things I can't do as well but for tonight it's Pizza Hut pasta, breadsticks, and Hershey sticks :)

Sleep is Good....

As contradictory as this sounds, sleep is what keeps you awake.  When you don't get sleep, it can be hard to function mentally and physically which is why they say you should always get a good night's sleep before big events such as sports games or tests.  Sometimes though, no matter how hard you try, sleep can be hard to come by.  I've been having trouble falling and staying asleep the past few months (it's not just finals).  I found that Tylenol PM works really well for me, but I don't think it's a good idea to be taking that kind of medicine just as a sleep aid.

I've been looking up some natural remedies such as melatonin supplements and getting more excercise since I don't want to go into the perscription route.  And counting all those sheep just doesn't cut it.

Does anyone have any good ideas or tips on how to fall and stay asleep?

Rest

It's been a good weekend of rest, even though I've got some kind of bug again.  Slept in on Saturday, watched 4 episodes of Numbers with Matthew, made brown sugar cookies, made bakes potatoes with cheese whiz and broccoli on top, and started on a scrapbook page. Today we went to church, I went to school to practice horse slings, hobbles, and sidelines, then came home to finish my scrapbook page and do some homework.

I can't believe I only have a week and a half of school left!  Then we get a 5 week break which doesn't seem like much but it is to me!  During that time I hope to put some flowers on our back porch and work extra hard on my scrapbook pages.  I mean really, when else in my life am I going to get 5 weeks with nothing to do....?  It might also be a good time to start x-ing off some of those projects on my pinterest board. 

Do you have any spring plans for some days off?

No More Dr. Quinn! Nooooo!!

So for the past few months, Matthew and I have been watching an episode of Dr. Quinn almost every night while we eat supper.  Yeah, we're eating in front of the TV while we still can:)  Tonight we will be watching the very last episode in the series and as dumb as it sounds, it's sad that it is ending.  Same thing with Smallville - you just don't want them to end. 

If you haven't ever watched Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, I highly recommed the series.  It was made in the late 1990's and is about a woman, Michaela, in the late 1800's who just graduated from medical school and moves out west to Colorado to start a practice. Her dying friend asks Michaela to take care of her 3 children Matthew, Coleen, and Bryan.  The storylines have great a message, great acting, and history lessons all rolled into one.  Perhaps the theme of the series could be considered equality.  Many episodes feature the towns people struggling through their old ways to accept people of different cultures that come to town.  It's hard to find TV's shows anymore that the whole family can enjoy and don't use violence, sex, drugs, or language to be succesful. 

There are two movies that come after the series, but our library doesn't have them :(

Suggestions please!
So what good shows do you recommened that have a good story and message all in one? 

Many Many Things

I've got the pinning bug.

That's right, the pinning bug.

Here's the problem:  I don't have the "make it" bug.

My pinterest board of crafts, DIY's, and recipes is growing daily, but I never seem to start any of those projects.  One of the problems is that I don't have a house where I can store these projects (apartments can only handle so much) and we don't have any outside space for any of the cool garden/patio ideas I find.  Not much room for art on the walls either.  I usually make 2 pinterest recipes a week, so I guess I'm doing ok there.

However, there are some things I can make such as the cool recipe binder with divider tabs or the wine bottles covered in book pages with modge podge.  I suppose such things take the back burner when you are in vet tech school but I'm sure I still have way more free time than most people since I don't have a job or kids right now.

So my question is, how do you motivate yourself to start some of these projects?  Once I am working on something, I love doing it and using my creative side but it's actually starting the project that gets me.

Anyone have suggestions?

Less is More (For Some)

I like to think that auctions in Nebraska are, well, unique. Outside on the grass there are 3 old cars, a truck, 25 tires, 3 truck beds, saddles, a trailer full of tools (and like 15 ratchet sets), and a boat from the 80's.  Walk into the heated building and you see furniture, guns and ammo, decorative barbed wire, John Deere toys, and 10 homemade quilts.

While 2 farmers are bidding up a yellow sign that says "cowboy country," the ladies are serving sandwhiches and chili to the people who are exhausted from watching the items fly by and listening to the voice of the auctioneer.  If a person isn't wearing jeans, they have their work coveralls on.

I hadn't been to an auction since I was in middle school until today.  After looking over the items I decided I wanted to bid on a canister, paper shredder, rocking chair, and some books.  I came home with a box of books, a replica old time lantern, a box of christmas ornaments, a box of wrapping paper and tissue paper and bows (best $1 ever spent), hanging file folders, and 2 cast iron skillets.  I thought I did pretty well for $16 altogether and I had a great time watching what the other items went for.  However I about had a heart attack when a beautiful hardly used Baldwin piano sold for $90.  If I had a house to put that in, it would have been the deal of the century in my book. 

So I got home and sorted through my things.  It's common for auctioneers to combine items if no one is bidding on them so along with my file folders I obtained a box full of check envelopes and an electronic letter folder from possibly the early 90's.  And I only bought the box of ornaments because of the beautiful crochet snowflakes that I could use for scrapbooking embellishments.  Yeah, I have 2 boxes going to the thrift store tomorrow.  But hey, those hanging file folders are expensive even at Walmart.  And less things I have to keep in the house or in storage means more time NOT spent cleaning.

Discovery Cove Adventure

You know I never even blogged about our honeymoon when we got back!  I guess we were too busy packing, moving, changing my name and our address, etc :)  A few days ago I was talking with a friend at school and got on the topic of stingrays....o my gosh.  Stingrays.  Coolest animal ever - by far.  Besides going to Universal Studios and Busch Gardens, Matthew and I also went to Discovery Cove during our honeymoon last year in July and it was our favorite day of the entire trip by far!  So I wanted to share a little bit about Discovery Cove and why it is so awesome!

This place isn't your average Orlando Park.  Basically, it is a very large area consiting of multiple water pools and rivers.  There aren't any slides or rides -  they have animals instead :)  The park only lets in 1000 people per day, so you have to make reservations online ahead of time.  But this means no crowding around other people, fighting over beach chairs, waiting in long lines, or feeling like a sardine! 

I think the absolute best part about this park was the it that it is ALL INCLUSIVE.  Yes, the tickets are pricey - ours were $170 plus tax each.  However you get unlimited access to Seaworld and Aquatica for 2 weeks AND for $20 more (well it was at the time we went at least) you get 2 week access to Busch Gardens too!!  We rented a car and drove down to Tampa to spend a day their as well.  The all inclusive ticket includes the dolphin swim (if you chose that option), access to all reefs and oasis in the park, the aviary, the wind away river, all snacks, meals, and beverages, lockers, sunscreen, snorkel gear, wet suits, and all day parking!

The main thing that Discovery Cove is known for is their Dolphin swims.  You can choose to have or not have the 30 minute dolphin swim - it's usually $80 or so more.  Basically you get to spend time with a group and a trainer petting the dolphin and having them do tricks.  Since our honeymoon budget wasn't endless, we opted out on this but we still had an amazing time.

It rained almost every day in Orlando during our honeymoon but THANKFULLY the one day that we had to go to a park on a certain day due to reservations, it was nice and sunny! 

Here is a "schedule" of what we did at Discovery Cove:

-Arrived at DC and got our photo ID passes - besides being a cool souvenier, these also have your age on them so that you can get drinks from the snack bars.

- Got breakfast at the breakfast buffet.  Their food is AWESOME and you can take as much as you want.

- Got lockers and snorkel gear and wetsuits.

-Swam with stingrays and tropical fish at the Grand Reef (I could spend days there)  It was so peaceful to snorkle with all the fish swimming around you and stringrays floating by.  The coral reefs at the bottom were awesome too.

- Ate the lunch buffet

-Swam in the fresh water oasis.

-Explored the winding river - this felt exactly like I was in the rainforest floating down a river!  They have tons of plants, waterfalls, rocks to sit on....just awesome!  Plus there are some caves to swim through as well.

-Fed the exotic birds in the aviary.

-Grabbed free drinks and warm doughy pretzels :)  It was actually kind of funny because they have all of the food and snacks just sitting around this big cabana serving area and you can just take whatever you want and walk by.  It felt like I was stealing food haha but its free so no worries.

- Swam some more in the Grand Reef!

-Relaxed on the "beach" to soak up some sun

-Checked out the gift shop and bought a glow in the dark stingray haha

Hello!

The people there were all very nice and willing to share info about the animals.  In the Grand Reef they even have a see through walled off area that has sharks in it so it feels like you are swimming with the sharks (little ones!)  But the stingrays were by far the best part.  They even had the giant ones that are like 7-8 feet across! 

Although there were some younger children there, I wouldn't really recommend this park for kids under the age of 7 or 8.  It's very easy to get lost for one thing - all the landmarks look kind of the same.  In order to get the most out of the experience you have to know how to snorkle.  The water gets deep in the reef - we're talking 12-15 feet or so and you have to be really careful around the animals.  The giant stingrays like to bury themselves in the sand so you basically have to either shuffle on the sand floar or have your head underwater to be looking.  Although they live in a park and their barbs are clipped, these are wild animals and will defend themselves if necessary.  So its important to stay calm and move slowly and only pet the stingrays with the palm of your hand.

One word of advice - get there early!  You can start check in before the park opens and that will give you more precious time in the water.  The park closes at 5:30 every day I think so it's not like Disney where you can sleep in and go around 11. You're paying like $200 for this after all...

I REALLY hope we get to go back someday!  It was one of the coolest things I have every seen or experienced and I can't wait to see my stingray friends again :)



One of the giant ones!

Before I Forget: Thoughts from Today

- If you have to do something at school before class, it doesn't matter how early you leave.  95% of the time, you will be 3 or more minutes late for class...

-Computers and machines are mysterious things - you never know when they decide that today they are taking a vacation.

-Plans change

-You can find out that you have a lot in common with someone by just taking 30 minutes to talk with them.

-I've had cheesy potatoes with every meal since Easter dinner.  I think it's time to stop no matter how good those things are.

- I really wish I had some cheesy popcorn right now. It's too bad that Orville Redenbacker (um, spelling?) doesn't make the pour on cheese kind anymore - that stuff was wicked good.

- I really don't want to work with cows tomorow.  It's just not my thing.

-The tractors have made so many deep rutts in the road going up to school that I'm shocked my car hasn't randomly fallen apart yet from the bump clank clank BUMP shake BUMP of the road.

-Matthew should be home soon.  Gonna go defrost some pancakes for dinner.  (Oh come on, you've done that too.)

And You Thought Farming was Easy...

Image by Prozac1 at freedigitalphotos.net

Well, I blew it :(  I am taking part in the A to Z blogging challenge and I missed the first day!  Well I wasn't feeling that great yesterday anyways so I'm just going to sneak this post in on the 2nd.

I had the privilege of growing up on a farm in the Midwest and I can't believe how lucky I was to be able to do so. Plenty of room to fly kites, large quantities of barn cats clawing at your feet, irrigation pipes on the lawn to run through when it's hot outside, a shelterbelt of pine trees to play "expolorer" in....I mean really, it doesn't get much better than that.  One of my favorite things was getting to ride with my dad in the combine/ or tractor after school and read Hank the Cowdog books to him (If you have trouble reading in a bumpy car, try reading in tractor...)  We'd laugh and laugh about the crazy things Hank and his friend Drover did and I loved every minute of it.

I came across an article today that both made me laugh and spoke some truth.  To me, it seems that most people (or at least those who live in larger cities) have their "ideas" about farmers and what they do all day.  Farming is harder than it looks and there's way more to it than feeding animals and driving around on a tractor all day.  Take a look and you may be surprised to find some cool facts!

http://12most.com/2012/02/02/notable-things-didnt-know-about-farming/

Frustrations and Blessings

Frustrations

- I got up early to get to my 8:00 class and I found out it was cancelled once I got there.  I know that teachers can get sick at the last minute but emails are a wonderful thing....

- The dishes are out to get me.  Seriously, I can't ever get them done.  I need to ask Merlin from the Sword in the Stone how he made the dishes wash themselves like that.

-  I've been extremely tired for the past 4 days and I have no idea why.  I can't keep my eyes open in class and I get headaches at night.

- Those chapter books on my nightstand aren't reading themselves...

-A truck threw a rock at my windsheld last week and cracked it.  Very much so.

-  We don't get any days off for Easter so we can't go home for the holiday.

- I wish the warm weather would actually stay for more than a day.

Blessings

- I can go home and take a nap after my 9:30 class.

-My husband is buying groceries for Easter dinner today.  I'm thankful we are fortunate enough to have money for food since so many people struggle with hunger.

- I have a home with heat.  I'm a wimp when it comes to cold weather.

-Pinterest has updated their look and added a search bar!!  Plus it's way easier to manage pins and boards now.

-  I had a dog lined up for my final grooming project for Dog Grooming class, but they backed out.  Last week I was really upset about this and worried since that project is 50% of our grade.  A friend from school offered to let me use her dog because she said she trusted me to care for him.

-We got the windshield fixed (well, replaced).

- I got 3 Easter cards in the mail yesterday.

- At Easter time, I am reminded of the wonderful gift of eternal life that I have received from Jesus Christ.

Getting Past Perfection

Image by Evgeni Dinev at freedigitalphotos.net

I LOVE reading blogs about just about everything - food, homemaking, personal stories, animals, scrapbooking, art, books.....it goes on.  There is so much wonderful content out there to learn from and share with others.  But have you ever felt "down" when reading some of the blog posts out there? 

I find it to be very common, especially on blogs about homemaking and family, that you only find posts about how you can make your life BETTER.  This recipe will make your family happy, this home decor idea will make your hosue look better, or this financial tip will make you more succesful.  Improvement is a huge deal in the blogging world and sometimes after reading these posts, I become overwhelmed and feel like I'm not good enough because obviously the people who posts these things have their lives together and I don't, right....? 

Not really.

I think when it comes to this state of mind, we have to consider both the writers and readers of blogs.

No matter how many posts a writer makes about inspiring ideas or tips, their lives are not perfect because no one is perfect.  For example, you might have found a really great blog about raising kids that has tons of kid's crafts, recipes, and parenting tips.  But could it be possible that this woman's relationship with her husband is suffering because she spends all of her time with her kids?  I think it is the responsibility of a blog writer to not only share their good times but also the rough times.  I realize many blogs are for business or hobbies and do not reflect the personal lives of the author's so that's a different story.  But I am saying that we shouldn't mask our lives and make them seem perfect.  This already happens in so many areas of media today such as Photoshopped magazine photos of models.  We need more "real" in the world.

Now consider yourself or others as readers.  First of all, we have a choice to read or not to read.  But who wants to miss out on the possibility of finding something totally inspiring or awesome on a blog?  I would say that when you read blog posts, go into it knowing that you have limitations and that you are trying to improve - not perfect- yourself.  For example, I love to coupon and use some on groceries for the week but I don't clip for hours on end or go to 5 different stores to get free toothpaste at one and free bread at another.  Set limitations.  Just because you agree with or enjoy something, doesn't mean you have to go all out for it. 

Some of the blogs I read the most contain posts and ideas that I don't always agree with in regards to style, home, family, and faith.  But honestly, if you agree with everything a person posts, you must be reading your own blog.

It's important to not try and imitate another person's life.  God gave us the ability to make our own decisions based on past experience, advice from others, and consulting Him in prayer.  Everyone is different -create the story of your life and enjoy it.

More Than Reasons

       I remember in high school and in college, I considered myself an independent woman - although I loved having Matthew come over and spend time together, I NEEDED to have time to myself and if we were spending too much time together, I'd often get frustrated and start arguments that weren't necessary.  I do regret those times, because I'm sure they hurt his feelings.  So what was I going to do when we were actually married and would be together even more often??

       Matthew and I have now been married for about 8 months, and my perspective has completely changed.  He's at a conference this week so I have the to house to myself which would normally have given me some needed alone time.  But to be truthful, it's way too quiet around here!  It's amazing how many things you notice that you miss when the one you love isn't around.  So I came up with a list of a few reasons (this is a very incomplete list...as if I ever could COMPLETE one) why he makes my days seem that much brighter...

He encourages me - It's funny how God brings together two people who fill each others' voids.  I often struggle with confidence and self-esteem and some days can really get me down.  But he senses my hurt (I don't know how he does that so well) tells me that I'm good at what I do and that all those problems are nothing God can't handle.

He cares about my opinions - Money, schedules, life decisions, even movies and shirt colors.  We make decisions about lots of things together and I'm grateful for that.

He tries his best - I'm amazed at the work that my husband puts into his job.  Even though he has only been working at this place for about 7 months, it sounds like he's helping make good decisions and making positive changes for the department.  Even on his days off, if someone needs help over the phone, he is more than willing to stop what he is doing and help them.

He's my protector - One of the most comforting things he does is let me cry on his shoulder and he doesn't immediately try to make it better or ask lots of questions - I'm just allowed to let things go.

He buys me flowers - I really love flowers

He's smart - I always thought smart guys were attractive and I ended up marrying a very intelligent Computer Science and Mathamatics major.  Lucky me :)

He drives - I hate driving in big towns and on the interstate.  Even though Matthew gets tired of it sometimes, he drives the whole trip because he knows I don't like it.

He loves to play Lego Wii games with me - The Lego games are, I think, an ideal game for couples.  You work together towards a common goal but you can go your own ways and do stuff.  Plus you get to run over each other with cars and the occasional elephant.

He does dishes - We both HATE doing dishes, but he takes over sometimes :)

He has faith - Often when we talk about problems in life, he tells me to ask God for help and pray about it often.  It's a comforting thing to hear.

His love is unconditional -  After an argument, when I'm sick, when I'm upset or when we are happy, thankful, and joyful, he always tells me how he is with me for the good and bad no matter what life throws our way.  And THAT makes me feel like I can take on the world with him and God at my side.

Compliment: Random Thoughts of Today

-Our school held a drawing today for some scholarships to be used for next year.  If you met certain criteria such as activities, grades, financial need etc, your name was put in a coffee can and winners were randomly chosen.  Although I didn't win one, I was really happy for those who did.  It seems that so many of the scholarships today are based on high GPA's or how thin you can spread yourself among various activities to make yourself look good on paper.  Is it really fair to always award money to the highest achieving of multiple applicants?  I know some students that work REALLY hard to get good grades and I know some people who hardly work at all and get excellent grades.  Everyone deserves a chance.


-The past week I've had a really rough time with self-esteem and other things.  Plus, all the tests and homework are piling up and it never seems to end.  I received a compliment today that, although it didn't give me an AHA! moment and make me super motivated, gave me a sense of peace that God knows what I need and when I need it.

-Baby sloths are adorable; go watch some videos of them on Youtube...

-In the past, I've rearranged my schedule for hanging out with friends, appointments, school projects, and even for sleeping (no surprises there, right?)  But do we ever consider rearranging our schedules for God?  I admit my time with God was and sometimes is still sparse and I think of it after doing homework, eating supper, playing games, reading fiction books, etc.  What do daily devotions/readings do for us anyways?  If we really TRULY want daily time with God, we must have a goal that we can look toward.  Do you want to learn more about biblical stories, find something in the Word about a problem you are facing, or learn more about prayer?  I'm not saying those One Year devotion books with random topics each day aren't helpful, but we can't "mindlessly" read through a few paragraphs and call it time well spent with God.  Read, watch, or whatever you do with purpose.

What about you? Do you think having a spiritual goal is helpful?

Snow Day?!?

No school and no work for either of us today!  I don't know how many inches of snow we got but in some places it was 3/4 of the way to my knees.  Luckily I went to the grocery store yesterday.  Here are some pictures of what our winter wonderland looks like:

                                      The guy on the 4-wheeler plowed the sidewalk.

                                       We are expected to eventually get 16 inches.

                                           At least it isn't piled up against the door!

New Design / Valentine's Day Memories

I'm happy to announce that my updated blog design is now live!  I'm so excited that I was able to learn how make make so many new things in Photoshop to get the new look I was looking for.  Hope you guys enjoy it!

So this Valentine's Day, my husband and I were home sick with sore throats :(  Luckily, it was originally our plan to stay home for the holiday, so I'm not complaining.  I got out of school early and was able to clean up the house a bit and start on my White and Dark Chocolate Pudding Parfaits.  Unfortunately, whether it was the fact that I used 2% instead of whole milk or I scalded the pudding, it didn't completely set so we had chocolate soup instead which was insanely delicious anyways!

When Matthew got home, we got out the Arbor Mist, crackers and gruyere cheese, and chocolate parfaits and watched some Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman (if you don't know about this series, you have to check it out).  Who needs a romantic movie when you have Dr. Quinn?  Anyways, then we exchanged gifts - I received some chocolates, a dozen roses, a gorgeous ring, and a completely filled out version of What I Love About You.  What an amazing gift!  Back in 2008, I bought this book filled with questions which you fill out and give to your significant other and gave it to Matthew for Christmas.  I was so excited to get a book filled out for me this Valentine's Day!  Of course it's also a great gift for birthdays or "just because."

I find it hard to find gifts for guys on Valentine's Day besides getting chocolate or junk food.  I wanted to get him something that he would actually enjoy for more than a few days.  I found an amazing deal on Amazon for Lego Batman 2 and Lego Lord of the Rings for the Wii (if you didn't know, we LOVE playing those games together and running over each other with the cars) and you should have seen the look on his face when he opened his gift!  I also made a card from a template I found online here which turned out great!  Pop up cards can be a bit tricky, but they turn out great!



Overall, we had a wonderful first Valentine's Day together and really, I think we should plan more nights to be considered "at home date nights." 

What did you guys do for Valentine's Day?  Do you have many date nights together?

Silence! Everyone will please not panic...

Haha, I love that part.

Anyways, I just wanted to give you guys a heads up of what's going on.  For that past month or so, I've been working on giving my blog a facelift.  Why?  I felt that a more streamlined look was in order and I wanted to change up my categories and gadgets so they could better fit what I like to write about.  I can't begin to tell you how much I have learned to do regarding HTML, CSS, and creating graphics in Photoshop Elements.  It's amazing what you can if you really want to.

I'm looking forward to focusing more on scrapbooking, cooking, and frugality with this new layout.  I hope you will be able to enjoy some of the topics I have planned to write about.

So everyone, please do not panic :)  Over the next 3 or so days, I will be transferring images, text, links, etc from my test blog to this one.  It will be a mess for sure but I promise to let you know when the construction is all said and done.