Where has the time gone?

Wow, it has been awhile since I have blogged about anything. June 13th to be exact. Life has been hectic and crazy, so when I realized today is already the 30th of July, I HAD to update this page! Since my last post, a multitude of things have happened.

First, the hubby and I went to Wisconsin to surprise Travis for his birthday. That was a priceless moment!! This video is caught it perfectly. I will do a seperate post about our weekend with Travis and Stephanie real soon. Stay tuned.

Since my stepfather had recently purchased a couple of rental properties, one was in desperate need of new paint. Guess who scored that job....Muah!! Love it! I love to paint and make something look beautiful again, so when this opportunity came up, I jumped on it.

Then of course, there was the big 4th of July holiday. That was hectic. My mother and stepfather have a huge party every year, grilling, swimming, fireworks and of course, a few cocktails. It was a great time. More on that later too.

Travis and Stephanie came down on the 4th for a long weekend. A couple days with Steph's parents, and a couple days with us. It was wonderful. I miss them like crazy, but in three weeks, I spent 2 weekends with them!!! I will elaborate more, I promise. I am just trying to get caught up and not fall so far behind anymore.

The following weekend, July 14th, (keep up, people) I got my new kitchen floor!!! Not completely new, but new to me. We installed a floating wood floor that had been removed from my parents' home during their remodel. It turned out beautiful, and I love it!!

The hubby works hard to make me happy!

What a guy!

Almost done.

His initial look when I told him I needed a picture for my blog.

After a little attitude adjustment by his lovely, beautiful, amazing wife!

Love you, honey!

On the 17th, our teenager turned 17!!! 

Wow, I can't believe that she is a senior this year.

She has started working at the McDonald's in the neighboring town, so we don't see her very often. She is trying to get as many hours as she can before school starts again. Thinks she needs a car or something. She had one simple request for her birthday, a perm.

That's right, folks. She wanted her hair permed.

And here it is!!

She likes it and that's what matters. Although I tried to warn her about the poof and the frizz when it's humid. We had quite a lion with us when she couldn't wash it and it was 105 degrees. That was pretty funny. Before her perm, hubby had taken the day off, and the 5 of us went swimming. I will post those pics later, this post is already getting to long. LOL  

I think I will say goodbye on that note, and promise to fill you in on the rest. 

Later gators,

Jen

Miss Me?

Hey Everyone,

I just realized that it has been almost a week since my last post. I am here to rectify that situation! It has been  a pretty good week. Last time, I mentioned that Alex had a late softball game. We managed to get back home shortly before midnight, just like I had planned. Since Jeff had to work the weekend, he had Friday and Monday off. On Friday, we loaded up the grandbaby and Alex and headed for the city. There were some things I needed for the house, and Alex was going to get her new swimming suit. If that's what you call those two pieces of fabric I ended up buying her, anyway. On the way to the city, we took the back roads and were surprised by a CITY WIDE YARD SALE in one of the small towns along the way. Deals galore, and of course we had to stop. One of the yard sales had a tone of computer equipment, so of course my big nerd looked like a kid in a candy shop. While he did his hunting, I walked on to the next one and fell in love with everything there. Of course, I can't have it all, so I made a few selections before I left.

Here is the beautiful little rocking horse that I got for $3.

RJ loves it!

I also picked up some old jars and glass insulators. I will post a picture of those when I get them cleaned and in their new homes. Then on to the city we went. When we returned home, Aleta told me that her company had just laid everyone off for the summer. It was expected, in fact, they told her they do it every year when she was interviewed. Nobody knows when until they do it. So now she is a stay at home mom and this grandma can get her big projects done! 

Saturday I decided to go out with my best friend for the afternoon. Her and I are nail polish freaks, and a new ULTA store had just opened. Of course we had to check it out. I walked out of there with 5 new polishes. I don't even remember how much my friend bought. It was insane. Afterwards, we went to Famous  Dave's for lunch. We enjoyed a cocktail while waiting and we even got to go orders for our men! Aren't we the greatest, most thoughtful, caring women in the world? 

Sunday, Jeff worked and I did a little bit of nothing. Ok, a lot of nothing. But hey, it was Sunday. Aleta, Mike and River came over and gave Jeff his present a week early because Mike has to work on Father's Day. They did a great job picking out a gift for him. 

I actually took this picture Monday morning before he started it. It is an "Age Your Own Whiskey" Kit. 

Jeff likes loves a little whiskey from time to time, and was thrilled over this. He got right down to business Monday morning.

 First, pulling out the contents.

 Then, the inspection of the unaged whiskey.

 Making sure the barrel sits properly on the rack.

 Rinsing the barrel.

 See that piece of paper on the box? Proof, ladies, that some men do read the directions!

Although, if it is something important like whiskey, they won't take a chance of messing up.

 Soaking the barrel. You do this for 2 hours and adjust the bands as the barrel swells to stop leaks.

 Pebbles decided she was going to supervise this process.

 The water after 2 hours. It still leaked, in for another 2.

All done!!! 

Then he just filled the barrel with the unaged whiskey and a little water and now it sits on my counter. Taking up a little of the very little counter space that I have. He thinks he will let it age until Aleta's 21st birthday in August. So on my counter it will sit. 

I am pretty sure I have taken up enough of your time with this post, so I am going to find something to do. Maybe paint my nails? Do laundry? Watch a movie? Who knows?

Until then,

Jen

Bump in the Road

Well folks, today isn't going the greatest. A certain person that we are forced to tolerate, has reared her hideous head again and interpreting things how she wants them to be. Unfortunately, that means that we have to  deal with the drama and stress this causes. I won't go into any details, it's very unbecoming, let's just say it is an uphill battle and that we must carry large stones to make it to the top. Every day, the hills seem to get larger and larger, and we look forward to flat land.

Now that I am done venting, let's get on with the important things in life. Alex is home with me again today, and is having a wonderful time not having to share the baby. RJ (the baby) is full of energy today and so is her appetite. She has been playing all morning and after her morning nap, woke up and ate TWO jars of baby food for lunch. She is back on the floor now, hootin' and hollerin' up a storm, while she laughs at Alex and I.

Tonight will be a long night. Alex has an away softball game at 8. We won't even get home until midnight tonight. It will be late, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. I cherish every opportunity to watch my little girl play, and to see how much she has learned in the game through the years. I will post pics of tonight's game in a later post. Right now, I better go and make sure her uniform is all clean. Yep, sometimes I procrastinate.(hee,hee)

Later,
Jen

Mobile Baby!!

Well it is officially time for me to baby proof my entire house...the granddaughter is crawling! She is such and active little crawler now, that she is no longer happy being in just the living room with her toys on the floor. What does that mean for me? Well, since I am her daycare provider, I must now baby proof every room of the house. Tedious chore, but it must be done. Everything moved out of her reach, and plugs and cabinets must be locked. Now that she can move, her energy and curiousity just does not stop! I am actually writing this while she naps, that is my free time. Just in case you need a reminder of how ornery this little one is....

Here she is! She is chewing on her Uncle's graduation gown. Yep, anything she wants, she gets. Well, off I go to baby proof!

Later,
Jen

Catching Up

Well, since I haven't posted since Saturday, I figure today would be a good day to catch everybody up. We had a lazy, productive, 3-day weekend. Yes, I know, lazy and productive equals an oxymoron, but what I mean by that is we were able to work on our projects at our own pace. If we wanted to stop and take a nap, we could have. There were no kids home and no errands to run, so Jeff and I just worked on what we wanted.  He mowed the yard on Saturday, and when I went outside to move the dogs for him, was surprised by his dad mowing the other side of the yard. My in-laws live across the alley behind us, so they can see everything we are outside doing. I guess my father-in-law just wanted to have something to do. You have to watch out for that man sometimes. Being retired, he still likes to stay busy, and will not only work on his projects, but will join in on yours too!! I love it. He has years of experience, so when a problem arises, he is usually our go to guy. My dad is the same way, but he lives 20 minutes away. So between the two dads, we usually have a great resolution to whatever conflict we encounter.

Anywho, back to our weekend, enough about the dads. I planted new flowers in the flower bed after weeding it. I will put pictures up as soon as they grow. Don't want to just assume I know what I am doing with flowers.
Saturday evening, my mom and stepdad invited Jeff and I over for steaks on the grill. She wanted to show me some projects they had finished at their house, so off we went. When we got there, my mom had made one of my favorite dishes, cheesy hashbrown casserole, to go with our steaks on the grill. It was a surprise anniversary dinner for Jeff and I. We sat on the deck and enjoyed a few drinks, and ate, and had a GREAT time. Thanks Mom and Randy!

Sunday, we returned to my mom's house to help them put in a new stove that they had bought on Saturday. We took the old one out and were able to bring it home for Mike and Aleta to get a free upgrade to their current stove. We worked on the garden for a little while, but the humidity was horrible and soon, Jeff and I had to take our second showers of the day. Gotta love Iowa weather. We relaxed and watched movies for the rest of the night.

Yesterday was our anniversary. We had planned to sleep in and not to anything for the day, but of course that didn't work. We were both up pretty early and started working on projects. We called off the work for the rest of the day and decided to go for a ride. We were headed to one of my favorite little thrift shops, when I realized they weren't open on Mondays :-( We decided to head around in a circle to another little town that has the best pork tenderloins in the world!! That was our anniversary dinner and we savored every  bite of it! We rarely get to go have one, so when we do, it is pure Heaven on a bun, with lettuce, tomato, mayo, and onion. We came back home and just relaxed and played with the puppies for the rest of the day. We watched a couple of movies, and by 7 we were tired and wanted to go to sleep! We fought it though and stayed up until 9:30, and after that we were both out cold.

That was how we spend a lazy, productive, weekend. Hope you had a great one too!

Eventually I will remember that I have a blog now that needs pictures, and will remember to use my camera more often!

Until then,

Jen

Busy Bees

Happy weekend, Everyone!!

It is gonna be a busy one for the hubby and I. Trinity is gone for a week, and when she gets back she will have completed driver's ed and have a license. Alex is gone with family until Tuesday, leaving Thomas at home until his dad takes him on Sunday. That's right, NO KIDS AT HOME, Sunday evening and all day Monday!! What does that mean for Jeff and I? Chores, chores, and more chores today. Maybe a little bit of chores tomorrow, but then RELAXATION!! Monday will be a day of whatever we want, since it is our 2 year anniversary. That means we may lay in bed and watch movies while doubling our body weights in popcorn, or going for a drive, or a walk (doubtful, but a possibility). Who knows until we do it. So, I think my first coat of primer on my new bathroom shelf is dry, so back to chores...or procrastinating a little longer. :-)

Until....later? Tomorrow?

Jen

Our Crazy Bunch!

Ok, it's June 1st, so I decided that if I am going to do this thing, I had better get started. First a little background. I HAVE A BIG FAMILY!!! Let me elaborate. I have 2 children from a previous marriage, and my husband has 3 children from his previous marriage. Together, we are one kid short of a crazy Brady Bunch! Since my hubs is a tad bit older than I am, two of his three are grown and married, and his baby will be a senior in high school this year. My daughter is in jr. high, and my baby boy is in 6th grade. That gives us a total of FIVE kids, a daughter-in-law, a son-in-law, and here is the kicker, A GRANDDAUGHTER!!!  That's right, I am a 32- year old grandma and I love every minute of it! Just to give you some idea how insane life is for us, let me show you are most recent family picture. (Just got them back today, hence the blog actually taking form.)

(From left to right:) My daughter-Alex, my son, Thomas, Jeff's youngest daughter-Trinity, his oldest-Travis, Travis's wife-Stephanie, Aleta's husband- Mike, Jeff's middle daughter-Aleta, and Aleta and Mike's daughter-River. (The granddaughter) The two on the slide would be the hubby, Jeff, and myself. Anyone confused?

Travis and Stephanie both graduated from college a couple weeks ago, and the day after Stephanie's graduation, Jeff and I and Stephanie's parents followed our children to Madison, WI. We hauled everything we owned up there because Travis was offered an amazing job shortly before receiving his degree. So off they went. We miss them terribly, and it has only been 2 weeks :-(

Aleta, Mike and River live directly across the street from us. When we bought our home in August, we discovered the house across the street was for rent, and moved them in in September. Our dear little River came in October to bless our lives, and we have been the luckiest grandparents since.

Trinity will be starting her senior year this fall, she was a freshman when I met her. Oh how bittersweet seeing how much she has grown into an adult, but still want to keep her home.

Alex will be starting 8th grade. Right now we are busy with softball season. She has played since 3rd grade and we get uber-excited every year when the sign up form comes home. Last fall she played volleyball, and I am quite certain we will do that again this year.

Thomas begins his last year in elementary school this fall. He isn't into any sports, but loves his video games, anything Nerf, and acting goofy. As a matter of fact, he is all decked out in Nerf gear and at a friend's house a few blocks up. Since moving to this small town in August, I have had several people come up to me and say that they love to go by and watch him sword-fighting in the front yard. I guess I am raising another knight, because he constantly practices his battle skills against the air in the yard.

That's enough for today. It is a long background for me to keep track of, let alone anyone that doesn't know us.

Until tomorrow, have a great day,

Jen

Small Beginnings

Hello Everyone,
I decided to start this blog to let all of my family and friends know what was going on in our lives. I have never done a blog before, so this should be interesting. I am still working on getting it set up, so there isn't much to post right now, but soon there shall be pictures and details galore.