Friday Thoughts

• I can't believe it's already Friday, this week seemed to fly by...of course the beginning of the week seemed to be dragging on so I guess things always have a way of balancing out.



• I didn't wake up early to watch the Royal Wedding, but I was definitely running behind as I got ready for work. I thought Princess Catherine's (aka Kate's) dress was stunning. She will make the perfect princess and one day queen.



• My heart is breaking for all of those people in Alabama. Living in Southwest Missouri we have experienced our fair share of devastating tornadoes. Tornadoes show absolutely no mercy as they rip through homes and uproot the lives that at one time were so stable.



• Hubby is manning our garage tomorrow for the Neighborhood Garage Sale. We've got tons of stuff to get rid of and I have to work so he volunteered to supervise! I'm definitely hopeful for a good day!



• The sun is shining today & it feels so good! The rains & cold temps have been here far too long so I'm looking forward to a sunny day!



• In addition to the garage sale, tomorrow I've got a bridal shower for a coworker's daughter, and Hubby & I have plans to head to our favorite greenhouse to pick up a ton of flowers. I have about 8 planters that are just dying to have some brightly colored flowers filling them to the brim!

Easter Weekend

Well if weather folklore is true, we can definitely expect to have rain for the next 7 Sundays. It's been raining all weekend, and it certainly made for an incredibly dreary Easter Sunday! Of course rain certainly doesn't take away from the glorious celebration that is Easter, the celebration that Jesus Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!

When it comes to the blogging world, I feel like I've just been trying to keep caught up for the last 5 days or so. I was out of town Tuesday-Thursday for work and then Hubby headed out for a quick getaway to St. Louis. This is honestly the first time I've sat down at a computer since last Tuesday! Oh don't be deceived, I've been checking e-mail and my Reader on my phone, but as far as actually using a computer it's been kinda nice to be away!

We had made plans several weeks ago to take Good Friday & head up to St. Louis for a Cardinals game and some shopping. We ended up adding in another pretty major detour...Hubby got a new car! We've been in the market for quite some time...trying to trade out his 12 mpg SUV for a more fuel efficient, yet still stylish sedan. He's had his heart set on a Cadillac CTS, and he just happened to find a dealership with three that were exactly what we wanted in St. Louis.

Hubby & his pretty new car!

So...since we were headed up anyway, we drove our gas guzzling Yukon up, left it there, and drove away with a 2008 Cadillac CTS! I'm so happy for him! Yes, we now have a new car payment...but we've been paying ourselves anyway and the gas savings will actually result in us saving even more money than we were before!

After we drove off in our new car, we headed for some quick shopping and to head to the hotel to get ready for the game. I had been paying attention to the weather radar on my phone, but I had no idea what we were about to get ourselves into. God was definitely watching out for us, in so many ways! We opted to park in a parking garage to protect our brand new car (which we never do), we had purchased seats in a different area that actually included a fully enclosed area, and thankfully God kept the tornadoes away from the downtown area.

The view from our seats...pre-tornado warnings!

Hubby & I ready to watch some baseball....2 hours and 10 minutes later!

This is what appeared on the screens, and stayed there for probably 45 min to an hour. Definitely not a comforting site!

However, it was definitely an interesting experience to arrive and after only 6 pitches, be put into a 2 hr 10 min rain delay that included an extensive tornado warning. Somehow the grounds crew got the field ready and we stayed for most of the game...leaving at the top of the 7th when it was already 11:30pm. I was exhausted!

As we woke up on Saturday and turned on the local news, my heart absolutely broke for all of those people in STL who are going through such terrible tragedy. I've been there and done that with some tornadoes in our past, and while we didn't lose everything, my parents had plenty of damage and the devastation is hard to put into words. They could definitely use your thoughts and prayers right now as they try and sift through the debris and find what they can to salvage.

We spent the majority of Saturday shopping. I had saved up quite a bit of money from my coupon savings (Coupon Cash as I like to call it) so I was able to have a fairly substantial shopping spree for our upcoming Maui trip. We finally got home about 7, came home to some fun packages from my in-laws, caught up on our DVR and called it a night! Definitely an eventful trip to STL in more ways than one!

The fun packages from our in-laws! My mil definitely makes getting packages in the mail a ton of fun!

Today was Easter Sunday, and the rain was still falling when we woke up. However, I was still definitely excited about the Easter celebration at church and our family gathering this afternoon. My parents joined us for church where our pastor talked about God's Crazy Love for us. One phrase that our pastor said really stuck with me...."When we look at ourselves, we only see the mess. When God looks at us, he knows our name." God doesn't see all the stuff, his love and grace covers over all of that and he only sees us as his son/daughter; a son/daughter that he loves in an absolutely ridiculous crazy way!

We spent the afternoon with our family...33 of us at my parents' house for dinner and just some good quality time. We even put together a quick indoor egg hunt for the kiddos. Unfortunately, the annual raw egg toss had to be cancelled but we still had a fabulous time!

My parents & Josie

Hubby & I

It's time to get back in a routine! With being gone from work last week, it seems like my schedule is totally messed up and I'm actually ready for the 8:30-5 work routine! If only it would stop raining...

Weekend Rewind

Well it was certainly a low-key weekend for us...which was always the plan with it being the first official tax season free weekend! The deadline of course isn't until today, but thankfully we were able to simply enjoy a LOT of rest & relaxation this weekend!

Friday was dinner & a movie at home. Saturday was work in the morning for me, followed by a whole lot of nothingness during the afternoon. Finally around 3:00, we both got motivated to actually do something productive. I certainly was enjoying, my body gradually becoming one with the recliner but after 3 hours of Yard Crashers on the DIY network, it was time to get up and do something. Hubby headed to the yard to mow, & I headed to Walmart for some groceries.

After we finished up our productivity, we went out on a true date! Dinner, movie, popcorn, the works! We went to Zio's for dinner, I just love that place! and then headed to watch The Lincoln Lawyer. I definitely recommend this movie! We both really enjoyed it.

Sunday was church, lunch, more yardwork, and then small group. We were in charge of dinner this week so I whipped up an easy recipe for chicken & noodles, grabbed a loaf of bread, and topped everything off with brownies. Yum! The chicken & noodles is super easy, but much better if made the day before and then warmed up to serve. I just enjoy it so much better when the flavors all have plenty of time to combine.

The original recipe is from here...and was originally created to be a gift for the holidays--but any time of year will work!

"Dreaming of a White Christmas" Soup in a Jar

Number of servings 8

Preparation Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 package Pioneer Country Gravy Mix (2.75 ounces)

2 tbsp chicken bouillon granules

2 tbsp dried minced onion

2 tbsp dried celery flakes

2 tsp dried parsley flakes

3 cups uncooked wide egg noodles or other pasta

Preparation Instructions

1 Pour Pioneer Country Gravy Mix into wide-mouth pint jar. In small bowl, stir together bouillon granules, onion, celery and parsley. Pour into jar to make second layer. Add noodles. Seal with lid.

2 Make a Gift Tag: "Empty contents of jar into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add 8 cups water; heat to boiling on high. Reduce heat to medium; add 1 (10-oz.) or 2 (6-oz.) cans cooked and chopped chicken. Cover and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes or until noodles are tender, stirring occasionally. Makes 8 servings.

Hubby & I finished off the evening with a quick walk for Bogey and an annual Easter tradition...dying eggs! Please forgive the shiny face & no makeup...it was 8:30 on a Sunday night, give a girl a break!

I can't believe Easter is next weekend! This year is seriously flying by!

Hope you all enjoy the week and truly remember the sacrifice that God made for us so long ago! I am so grateful for the hope we have because HE IS RISEN!!!

Is it Friday yet?

I don't know about everyone else, but this week seems to be dragging on and on and on...so, a list is all for today!

*They're calling for serious, crazy storms tonight...not cool. I've been involved in 2, which is 2 too many, tornadoes and I still haven't figured out why God thought this was a weather event that needed to be included. Hopefully it'll just be thunder, lightning, and a little wind.

*The tax deadline is upon us! YEAH!!! For some crazy reason, it was extended this year through April 18 but Hubby's firm has already started cutting back on his hours! It's so nice to actually eat dinner in the daylight and still have most of the evening for whatever we want!

*We had quite a bit of excitement on Tuesday night. We went to my parents' house for burgers & fries and then took Bogey up to my grandparents' pond for some practice jumping off the ramp. Little did we know that my dear husband also needed some practice. The last jump of the evening resulted in him going off in the pond along with Bogey! Guess we should probably get some anti-slip material to put on the wood! Oh geez it was hilarious...I so wish I had it on video. Just FYI, Hubby is fine, but has 2 massive bruises to show for his gracefulness!

*I also managed to capture this gorgeous sunset...God you are simply amazing! *Our weekend should be pretty casual which I'm definitely looking forward to since our weekends only seem to get crazier as we head into Easter & the entire month of May! Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday...I'm ready for a break!

Weekend Rewind

Another Spring weekend is in the books...for us, this was really probably considered the first "Spring" weekend as it was the first Saturday Hubby had off since they beginning of tax season. Even though the official tax deadline is about 10 days away, his firm is basically caught up and so they were gifted with an early Saturday off! Woohoo!

Friday evening was casual with a quick dinner out at Qdoba, a nice walk for Bogey, and then a movie on the couch. We watched "The Switch," a nice feel good movie which was perfect because it required absolutely NO thinking! Ha!

Hubby got a phone call for a round of golf on Saturday so I sent him on his way & spent the morning doing my own thing. For the past few years, I've managed to create quite a random group of large planters. Thuis year I decided to spray paint several of them so they would all be similar in color. I grabbed a couple cans of spray paint at Lowe's and went to work. I was definitely quite pleased with how they turned out.

They're not identical but at least they're all close to the same color now!

Saturday evening we attended the wedding for one of my really, really good friends. Melanie looked absolutely gorgeous and she & her new husband are ridiculously in love! The wedding was held at an old, restored movie theater and it was a great venue.

The incredibly happy couple!

Hubby & I~another incredibly happy couple!

Love this girl! Couldn't be happier for her & her new Hubby!

This morning we headed to church, ate a quick lunch, and then got to work on some yardwork that we avoided yesterday. I didn't think we were ever going to get the yard mowed! It was just one of those afternoons when every little thing was going wrong....let's see....winds blowing 30+ mph, gas cans leaked because the spouts are old and worn out, self-propulsion handle broke on mower so Hubby had to do the rest of the mowing, ran out of gas while mowing the backyard (not a big deal for most people, but with a Bogey-dog in the backyard who always wants to play Catch Me If you Can, leaving the backyard is easier said than done!), and finally still had to rake some because the backyard is growing some ridiciulously thick grass!

Thankfully we finished up with plenty of time for rest and relaxation! And a few tulip pictures to reassure everyone that Spring really, truly is finally here!

Hump Day Ramblings

• I've been in a bit of a blogging slump for the past several weeks...not sure what it is, but I'm pretty sure it has A LOT to do with the fact that work has been crazy & the last thing I want to do when I come home is sit on a computer! However, I keep pushing through because I love the idea of having these memories!


• I'm currently still at home while I listen to a plumber work on one of our outdoor faucets, guess we should have taken off that small hose over the winter to prevent the plumbing from cracking on the inside! Oh well, there's always lessons to learn with homeownership.


• The highs are supposed to be in the low to mid 70s today...you better believe I broke out a dress, legging, and sandals for work!


• Hubby is in the process of looking for a new car. His 2000 Yukon just isn't cutting it in the gas mileage department. We've got a dealer looking for a certified used, I'm hoping he finds one much sooner than later. This 14 miles to the gallon with $3.49 gas is for the birds!


• I went and spray-tanned for the first time ever last night. And I have to say I'm quite pleased. I was hoping to avoid the ghosty look at my friends' wedding this weekend without looking too fake and I think I've accomplished that! My plan is to go a few more times between now and our trip to Maui!


• Speaking of Maui....can vacation come any sooner!?!? We are both so in need of a break!

Finally, a Springy Weekend!

After a short little extension of winter, we finally got a break and had some beautiful weather for the entire weekend. We took advantage of it all weekend! Friday night was an impromptu dinner with my little brother who was home for a bit on break from law school.

When Hubby got home from work, we loaded up Bogey and headed back down for a fabulous dinner of grilled tri-tip, baked potatoes, spinach salad, green beans, & butterscotch or chocolate cream pie....I was definitely ready for bed after that meal!

Bogey got some extra time to run & play, which I'm sure he enjoyed after such a cold winter. Over the winter, my dad made arrangements to increase the size of the dock and install a ramp on the existing dock at the pond on my grandparent's land. My brother took some video while Hubby & my dad worked on creating our own "Dock Dog." He doesn't quite have the leaping down, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time.

Saturday was absolutely gorgeous! And I'm so glad...we hadn't mowed yet this year & our backyard was like a jungle! I started the mowing while Hubby ran the weedeater & edger...the grass was so thick in the backyard that a few times the mower just shut off...yeah, it was ridiculous!

After spending some time outside we got ready for a fun evening with our small group. One of the guys in our small group has some serious perks! He was able to get us a full suite for the Winter Jam 2011 concert. We had an entire suite for our small group and one other group. It was incredible! I'm really not a huge concert fan, but if I could have a suite everytime I think I might learn to enjoy it!

Oh Francesca Batistelli...you are incredible! (even when recovering from strep throat)

Some of the girls...not sure how I ever survived without them!

My bestie...seriously, this girl is my rock & I'm speechless when I think that God thought I deserved such an incredible friend.

And the finale....yes, that's the drummer from the Newboys on a platform that is up in the air spinning! Craziness!

Yesterday was another gorgeous day, but incredibly windy! We didn't spend much time outside but ran some much-needed errands! After church, nursery duty, & lunch with our pastor & his wife, Hubby & I both came home with a new pair of shoes.

My impractical but gorgeous Vince Camuto Woke Pumps for one my best friends' weddings on Saturday evening!

And Hubby's extremely practical Saucony running shoes....We went to The Starting Block and he had a GAIT analysis run since he's starting to run quite a bit more. It was a very informative experience and I think I'll probably need to do that soon as well...of course running on a treadmill, barefoot, in front of everyone is not high on my list of desired activities!

We finished up the weekend with small group, a walk for Bogey, and a terrible movie. How Do You Know? with Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, & Paul Rudd...yeah, thought it had a lot of promise and I ended up practicaly pinching myself to stay awake!

It's a little chilly today, but my tulips are about to bloom & the forecast looks great...Spring has finally arrived!