Empty House

This morning my in-laws left our house & headed back to Michigan. My Christmas decorations are down, the tree is in the garage waiting for a new storage bag, & my Christmas dishes are all boxed and put away. My everyday dishes & non-holiday related home decor have been put back in their appropriate places. The floors have been vaccuumed, the shelves have been dusted, & the holiday cooking is finally complete. The only remnants of Christmas remaining in my house are a few leftovers from Christmas gatherings, a GIANT bowl of candy that Santa left in my stocking, and a few pair of shoes that I don't have room for on my shoe shelves so they are currently resting on our bedroom floor.

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone in just the blink of an eye. I wait each year with such anticipation for the wonderful time of year that Christmas is and then just like that it's over and we've moved on to the next holiday. I certainly love the holiday and all the joy & peace that comes along with it, but right now I couldn't be more thrilled that the holidays are over. Stress is inevitable with such a busy time of year & the Christmas decor (aka Christmas clutter) seems to get quite overwhelming by the time Christmas morning actually arrives.

Tonight Hubby is headed out for an extremely short business trip (he'll be back in time tomorrow for New Year's festivities). I have plans of fixing left-over Chicken Tortilla soup for dinner, letting my precious Bogey boy in for some well deserved inside time, and curling up on the couch to possibly watch movies all night long. Sure, there's still cleaning & organizing to be accomplished but that can all wait until next year.

Empty House

This morning Hubby & his dad left for a Father/Son Golf Tournament in Lake of the Ozarks. They won't be back until Tuesday night. While some couples experience lots of times when they are apart overnight due to work or other travels, we only spend about 7 nights apart during an entire year. Obviously, when those nights come they are less than enjoyable (especially for me). I don't really mind sleeping at our house all alone (ok, maybe that's a lie since I lock almost every single door in our house---even the door from our bedroom to the living room) since I have Bogey there to keep me company.

It's these times when I truly realize how much I love Hubby & how even the most annoying things about him are why I love him so much. I miss his pestering when I'm getting ready for work in the morning, I miss his silly rhyming songs about nothing, I miss watching him play around with Bogey, I miss talking about whatever sporting event was on that day (even if I could care less), & I certainly miss the quick kiss & hug I get every night when he comes home from work. He'll be back on Tuesday and already I can't wait. Maybe these times are good for us, because I do certainly believe that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Bathroom Cleaning...

Last night I tackled the one task in my life that I loathe almost more than anything---cleaning a bathroom. There are many other tasks & duties in life that I dislike, but I think I truly loathe, i.e. hate, cleaning bathrooms. The worst part about it is that I never feel like I get it clean. I hate cleaning our Jacuzzi tub from dust & hair even when it never gets used; I hate cleaning the mirror & having streaks left every time so I have to actually clean it 2-3 more times; I hate our glass shower doors that seem to always have a film no matter what (I will never have shower doors again!) & I hate all the hair that seems to gather in those corners & attracts substances that I would never even guess would be found in a bathroom.

When Hubby got home from work last night I was already being a baby about it & almost had a hissy fit in regards to cleaning the bathroom. It was so bad that Hubby even suggested looking for a cheap housecleaner so he wouldn't have to listen to my griping. I did NOT take him up on that deal. Hubby didn't deserve to be treated badly because his wife was a whiner & seriously, why did I let cleaning a bathroom consume my thoughts & emotions for...I don't know...let's say 10-15 minutes.

The bathroom is now clean (for now) & I do feel better about it...at least we're not really dirty people so it doesn't have to be done too frequently.

By the way...I did apologize to Hubby for being such a baby...but I still hate cleaning the bathroom.

Peace, Quiet, & a Naked House

Well, we made it. We survived the busy Christmas weekend and all of the events leading up to and after Christmas Day. I have full intentions of posting some pictures from our fun times; however, no promises. This morning my in-laws left our house and headed back to Michigan. I am certainly glad to have my house back but it was so nice to see them and spend a lot of time together. I've said it before, but I'm going to be so glad when they move back here! Not only did my in-laws leave this morning, but Hubby left as well for an audit--he'll only be gone until tomorrow afternoon but that means tonight I will have the house all to myself for Bogey and I to enjoy. I had plans of putting away all of my Christmas tonight, but on Sunday afternoon Hubby & his mom helped out in a huge way and it's almost all put away. I just have to buy one more storage container for a few new things. My house looks so naked now that I have all my Christmas down---but I love it!!!! Don't get me wrong, I love decorating for Christmas but I'm even more excited when it comes down for good and I can get back to my normal house.

We had a great Christmas and were certainly more blessed than ever! Hubby & I exchanged our gifts on Christmas morning and I was more than thrilled with everything he picked out. I got a few more pieces to go with my Christmas dishes, a white North Face Denali jacket, some workout clothes & most importantly some bling! A beautiful pair of silver & diamond earrings!!!

They are similar to these, but circular instead of clover shaped.

They are beautiful and are made so that I can interchange the dangly part...I just love them and he spoils me so much! He definitely went over budget but what wife will argue with jewelry?!? He also loved everything I bought for him so that was a definite success!! Our parents both blessed us so much and we had a great time spending time with our families!

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve & we have plans to spend the evening with some people from our small group. It will be a fairly small group but I'm really excited to get to hang out with them and ring in the New Year.


We don't really do New Year's resolutions; however, I do have one goal as the New Year begins. There have been some things in Hubby & I's working world that I've been holding on to for dear life and just praying that everything would go my way instead of letting God take control. I don't want to go into details but let's just say there have been some situations in which things haven't gone exactly how I would have liked them to and instead of giving it all up to God I've just been holding on to it, worrying about it, and almost making myself sick over it. I'm trying to realize several things: 1. Life doesn't always happen exactly how you want it to & 2. God always has bigger plans than what you have for yourself--don't sell God short just because you're disappointed for a short period of time. God has blessed Hubby & I in so many ways and I can't help but be thankful for everything that he has given us--the least I can do is give Him control and let Him guide us in the way we need to go.