In the past...

5yrs we have:

Become homeowners x2

Become landlords

Become dog parents x2

Become human parents to the most adorable little boy who has us wrapped around his little finger

Have had our ups and downs

Have gained and lost the same 5lbs, *happy to report for myself I weigh less than I did on this day 5yrs ago. Trying on wedding dress tonight!

Been able to go on some great vacations, that make up for our not so good honeymoon

Survived finishing college, fire academy, work related classes, DIY projects and much more

It's been a great 5yrs and looking forward to about 50 more!

Blizzards

We all know how getting a blizzard from Dairy Queen can lift our spirits and put a smile on our face. Until you look at the nutrition facts but for today throw away the nutrition brochure order what you have been craving to have and enjoy. As for every blizzard sold today at participating DQ locations a $1 or more will be given to your local Chuldren's Miracle Network Hospital. Meaning when you buy your blizzard you are giving a family hope as doctors race against time to find a cure or to diagnosis the unknown. Since 1984, DQ has raised over $86 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals-including $5.5 million in 2010. Let's make 2011 a record-breaking year! Join DQ and help make miracles happen. Find your participating location and give a family HOPE!

BC

 Last August Kaley put her status as "who wants to be in a book club" or something like that.  And wouldn't you know she got responses from 9 other book geeks who we are all in our 20/early 30 somethings.  We get together once a month usually on the 1st Tuesday of each month to eat dinner, drink wine and relive the pages of the book that was choosen and catch up on our lives from the previous month overall good therapy happens during that time.

We started off with The Help by Kathryn Stockett:

Here is the synopsis from Kathryn's website:
Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.


Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.


Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.


Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.


In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women--mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends--view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

I loved reading the book and wouldn't you know they made it into a movie that opened today.  I am so looking forward to seeing this movie.  I've already prepared myself to know that there will be some differences between the book and movie but that still doesn't stop me from wanting to see it.  

August List

Although we are already 10 days into this new month I still feel I should toss some goals up.  As I like lists but what I like more about lists is being able to cross things off my list.  I'm known for making a list and if I do something not on my list I add it to the list just so I can cross it off. 

1. tuck both vehicles into garage at night--> we got one in as of last night.

2. get color painted on the walls

3. get pictures hung on the walls

4. decorate guest bedroom

5. get better with couponing, I coupon but I really think I could do better. 

6. get into a nice weekly routine of having an errand running day and a stay at home day, one would think that by now I would have been in this routine but since the move the word routine has been boxed up.

7. budget...budget...budget

8. dive a little deeper into paleo eating, I have breakfast nailed down and lunch somewhat.

9. go through everything we moved into the basement and figure where it needs to go, I have a feeling this one will be on the list for a while. Maybe I'll find our routine down there

10. get some quality family of 3 time in

11. get a post up about the books i've been reading.

There it is the official list for August, I may add more on the follow up post but for now this is it.

How to get a 3.5hr nap out of your child...

Repeat as necessary.

we're D.O.N.E

On Sunday we handed the keys to our first home over to our first ever renter.  The house in which we made our own and poured tons of sweat, money, time, energy, and frustrations into.  It was where A LOT of 1st happened for us and it was hard to hand those keys over.  The past month has not been easy by any means. Marcus coming home from work to change clothes say Hi/Bye and out the door till at least 1a if not later.  To wake up and do the jobby job and repeat all over again.  There was resentment on both ends, both of us feeling like we each did it ALL and the other did nothing. We have had little to no time together as a couple in the past oh 60 days or so. And after looking at our August calendar maybe we will shoot for a date night in September.  Although I guess this past Saturday we did have a date day if you count painting, weeding, and cleaning from 10a Sat-5a Sun. as a date then yes we have had time together as a couple.

Since July 5th(ish) the following happened at the rental house:
-Bathroom gutted, new drywall installed, tile tub surround installed, new light fixture installed
-drywall ceiling hung and finished off in basement
-trim installed in the bedroom #1 and basement
-carpets cleaned
-all rooms, ceilings, and trim painted "rental" white (thanks Daddy Jim)
-flower beds weeded, mulched down (thanks Mom)
-stairs going down to basement painted
-flooring replaced at the back door enterance
-ceiling fans replaced (with cheaper ones so we could put the pricer ones at our house) in kitchen and bedroom #1

I'm hopeful we have a good renter and that he will take care of it.  I'm going with no news is good news, although he did call today and to say I didn't cringe and ignore the phone call would be a lie. But alas he was calling to confirm we had received his rent check from his company.  I made sure all was well and that he and his dog were both happy. And they are so YAY!! 

We completed all that work in time for my SIL and her hubby to come up from Indy to help work on our new house.  They have some big ideas, the ladies will be inside painting while the boys play in the dirt possibly with heavy machinary.  This weekend we will hopefully tackle the organization of the garage in hopes of parking our cars in it.

Ian's way

After I hung up the phone he started pushing it again but at a much slower pace, I asked if he wanted to get in and ride and mommy push. He didn't have to think to long or hard about and in he got.