Headboard -- it only took 3 years

We haven't had a headboard. Ever. I had it in my mind that I wanted to use shutters. I've seen it in magazines a bazillion times. Decided I could totally do it.

We have shutters on our house that I want to replace. Figured I'd use them. Then I thought I'd just buy vinyl ones. This never happened.

My brother bought his house 3 years ago. He took down bifold doors. I thought awesome I will just use those. They sat in my basement. For. 3. Long. Years.

Last weekend when straightening up the basement I thought I'd finally tackle this. But I couldn't find our hand saw. (read it was in Jar's truck & he wasn't home)

Today I finally did it. The headboard that took 3 years. But in reality it took me 30 minutes. 30 effing minutes. Sometimes I could kick my own ass for being a procrastinator.


Don't you love it?! I most definitely do!!!


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Feeling Yucky

Olivia Olivia Olivia.

How do you feel? I'm feeling yucky.


The verdict is a sinus infection. Her whole face hurts, particularly the right side. Hopefully this amoxicillin helps my little lady.

Rachel Lately

Lately, Miss Rachel can be found:

• wearing dresses every single day
• carrying around her Wapunzel barbie
• carrying around a baby doll of some sort
• carrying a purse containing 67 paint chips from Wal-Mart (I know, I counted them)
• requesting endless sippy cups of chocolate milk
• spelling her name every chance she gets
• whining, somewhat, about Olivia getting to pick the movie they watch to fall asleep to
• giving endless hugs & thank yous for everything we do for her
• copying Olivia do anything & everything
• just being adorable & smiling all the time

I'm a follower

my friend tells me, you need to read Harry Potter - read em all

my other friend tells me, you need to read Twilight - read em all in a span of 2 weeks & even read all night long to finish the 1st one before the movie came out. all night, as in didn't sleep a wink.

my sister tells me, you need to read the Stephanie Plum novels - read em while on maternity leave after having Rachel.

my friend tells me, you need to read the True Blood books - read em all while out having my blood clots last year.

i guess there is a good chance i have an obsessive compulsive thing about books. i just get so into them, that is all i want to do. then when i am done reading them i am sad & lonely.

 

i tried not to give into the Hunger Games. i did, ok - just because I didn't understand them. i thought it would be stupid, but hello i read about wizarding children & vampires & werewolves. i can give it a go.

2 days. that's how long it took me to finish The Hunger Games. i'm officially obsessed & cannot wait to finish book 2, Catching Fire. according to my bff haley, i am going to fuh-reak out with how book 2 ends. which makes me want to avoid all other daily activities & just read these damn books.

now, i cannot wait to go to the movie. like i want to go sooooo bad. i am contemplating knocking off work early to go to the movies by myself. or i will go by myself on saturday afternoon.



Peeta                              - Katniss -                              Gale

i truly think it is the love story that gets me. aside from Harry Potter, all the rest of the books i have been obsessed with have an amazing love story. then i end up mad at jarrett thinking that he doesn't love me the way that edward loves bella. or he doesn't love me the way that peeta loves katniss.

i feel like i need that i-will-do-anything-for-you-ever-love or the i-would-die-without-you-love or the this-isn't-real-life-and-we-aren't-both-working-full-time-raising-two-kids-you-are-all-i-think-about-all-day-every-day-love, made up love that doesn't exist in the real world.

then he snaps me back to reality & says he does love me. i just have never encountered any thing he needs to really save me from, or else he definitely would fight a vampire for me or something like that. maybe i'm just crazy.

and because i am crazy. i need to visualize where these events are taking place, i googled "the district map" & came up with this. strangely, i feel better knowing where exactly they are talking about when they address the different districts. ::crazy::

and then I saw this on pinterest & laughed so hard. it's true. i wouldn't last.

see i told you, obsessive-compulsive about books, i am indeed.

Easter - over a week late

Oh Easter morning...the girls woke up early. They didn't wake us up though. They found their baskets & were enjoying a breakfast of peeps, kitkats, & peanutbutter cups wathing their new movie when Jarrett & I woke up. There goes the plan of seeing their excited little faces when they found their baskets.

The egg hunt took place in the front yard, as per usual.

On your marks. Get set. Go!

Olivia was totally into it this year.

Rachel was like, oh whatever - here Daddy I guess you can put this in my sack.

So careful direction to Olivia to leave some of the ones so her sister could find them on her own.

To the victor go the spoils. Haha - Olivia was proud of her loot.

Rachel, on the other hand, looked completely offended that Olivia found more eggs than her.

Candy for breakfast, yes ma'am, I'll take it.

Hope everyone had a happy Easter.

Max

We have done the unthinkable...

Something I never thought I would do ever...

We welcomed a rodent into our home...

Olivia has been asking for a hamster for well over a year. I don't like them. My answer is always no. Well, the little miss outsmarted me & asked Daddy. He said - give me a week & I will decide. So she waited patiently for a week. Then in the most gentle, little girl voice asked, "Daddy, have you made your decision yet?"

Here's the thing, Jarrett has always given in to anything the girls want. They have him wrapped around their little fingers. Always have, always will. Daddy can't resist a sweet smile & the most gentle little girl voice.

Daddy took Olivia to PetsMart to "look" at the hamsters. The challenge was, if she can hold one without freaking out then she could get it. That back-fired on Daddy. They came home with a little brown box with air-holes & a cage. I talked to Olivia on the phone, she said "He's a winter-white hamster". I immediately freak out - all white animals are disgusting. I ask her to put her Daddy on the phone. He confirms that is just the breed. He is actually brown & a little grey.

I put together the cage. We filled it with the shavings. And Jarrett put him in his home. His name is Max. And I have 2 happy girls.........& a rodent living in my house.

Now, what miss Snooks will think of Max is yet to be determined. She spent the evening eyeing the cage.

Hi Ho Hi Ho to the dentist we all go

Ooooooh 6 month dental check-ups, I loathe you. But, as luck would have it, my kids are so excited to see you. I guess I should be thankful for that. Acting like I wouldn't rather be anywhere in the world (including the lady doctor) is hard to do. But since my kids enjoy the dentist, I really have to get my game face on. But in reality, we all know how I feel about the dentist.

I will call today, Rachel's first official dentist appointment. She pretty much freaked out 6 months ago. All that was accomplished in that appointment was, counting her teeth. And maybe slight hearing loss for the hygienist since Rachel screamed & screamed.

Today was a success. Rachel's teeth look great. No problems at all. She kept saying "I'm being so brave."

Here she is before getting started. By her face, I was wondering if we would have a repeat of the fall.

 But she was a real trooper! All done!

Olivia also had an appointment today. Everything went great. However, she is less than excited that she is returning Wednesday to have sealants put on her 6 year molars. We also discussed braces, which the Dr confirmed are definitely in her future, but it's too early to start.

(please note, it was crazy hair day at school. I don't normally let her leave the house with only 1 pig tail.)

 

And they both made their way on to the Dental All Stars board!

 And I have minimum puncture wounds from having my fists clenched ever so tightly. All in all, I would say I have done a fine job of not pushing my fears off on the girls.

 



Wearing blue for miss Mabel today. Visit the Raising Redheads blog @ www.rameelinlarson.com for Mabel's story.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Curly Sue...Not So Much

Olivia is forever asking for curly hair. I've told her, it ain't what it's cracked up to be. Having dealt with funky waves & big hair for all of my life since like Jr High. Alas, nothing convinces a 7 year old who is, well quite frankly, as stubborn as the day is long. {who on earth could she have gotten that from?!}

Anyway, I bought some foam rollers at the dollar tree. And I promised her we would curl her hair one night after her shower. Last night was the night. She was super pumped.

The night was rough, friends. I bet Liv woke up no less than 4 times just to tell me how uncomfortable it was sleeping in the rollers. I offered to take them out each time, but was turned down.

Here is the end result. Big, but cute.

This one it's like she's saying "I don't care how many times you tell me it's cute, I'm not convinced."

And what did Olivia actually think, see for yourself. Haha

how did I live without my iPhone?

As pathetic & unhealthy as it may seem, I'm in love with my iPhone. This effing thing does EVERYTHING. Well, not really everything, but damn near.

Let's chat for a bit about how much I loves it & my favorite apps.

Seriously, I effing love this phone. I used the map when I took the girls to Joliet for Liv's state bowling tournament. Super handy.  And Jarrett, even though he complains I am on it a lot, loves that I have the weather forecast at my fingertips. "What's on the radar?" I get asked that a lot. Really. A. Lot. Farmers always need to know the weather.

Here is a brief breakdown of my fav apps. I am partial to free apps. But sometimes I come the realization that I need to shell out the $.99 to buy the premium one.

Draw Something - my favorite game to play with my friends. It is so much fun! If you don't have it & you have an iPhone - get this app fo sho! And invest in the one you have to buy. The free one kept hanging up on me & took forever.

Solitaire - I love solitaire. Ask, mah bestie - it's possibly an unhealthy obsession.

Scramble w/ Friends - I love this one too. It's kinda like boggle, for those of us who remember boggle.

Words w/ Friends - everyone knows what this is. I have to admit, I am a little bad about playing my game in a timely manner. I love it, but not as much as I love solitaire!

* - unread notifications drive Laura (aka - mah bestie) crazy...hahaha Obviously, I don't care because I have several.

Camera/Photos - I love this camera. It is so much better than my grainy Blackberry camera. I take so many pictures & videos with my phone now.

Facebook (aka - the book of faces) - love it! I don't need to elaborate.

Flashlight - this app is super nice. I use it frequently & it is super bright.

Be Funky - I searched "photo editing" & this came up. I love it. I have yet to take a picture straight from this app, but I edit the ones I take with my regular camera app. I just got this app on Saturday & I am addicted. Dare I say, I like it more than instagram.

Doodle Buddy - I don't think it's that great, but Rachel has lost her mind over this app. She just loves it! All the time she is asking me "can I draws on your phone?"

Fling - this is Olivia's favorite game. Basically, there are little pom pom guys on a field & you have to line them up to fling the other ones off the field until there is only 1 left. She's pretty good at it too.

Family Feud - I really like this game. It reminds of the old Nintendo game. Alas, my punctuality is questioned with this app. You only have like 24 hours to finish the "Fast Money Round" for your friends. So to Tricia, Sarah, Sarah, Brandon, & Rob - Sorry. I don't get on this more than once a day so if I get your request after that, I don't get to complete the round.

Of course, I have a lot more apps than I listed here. I am still getting the hang of it. And I am so glad I decided to upgrade when I did.

And how did I forget to talk about the BlogPress app?! - love it, enough said.

Any suggestions on what apps I should have? Any apps you can't live without? I am all ears.

That's a Wrap

Saturday was Olivia's last bowling day. I am so proud of my girl & how she improved throughout the season. This was a long season - started in September (Labor Day weekend) & ended just this week. It was bowling fun day & she asked her Daddy to bowl with her, not me. This is the 2nd time they have had parents bowl with the kids & each time she asked Jarrett & not me. But that is ok, they need Daddy/Daughter time too.

This is prior to the awards ceremony. She looks a little less than thrilled to have her picture taken, huh.

Olivia's team. Kaitlyn, Olivia, & Mallory - & Dick the owner of the bowling alley.

Olivia with her individual awards. The medal is engraved with her name on the back. Quite frankly, I was surprised it was engraved. And the little bowling pin has her name & high score/series on it. I have a collection of these from my youth bowling league days.

Have I mentioned that the bowling alley was recently sold? Well it was, to a car dealership. It is scheduled for demolition towards the end of this month. The bowling alley is closing permanently on April 14th. I'm a little bummed. What are my Thursday nights going to look like in the fall? ::tear::

Since we know the bowling alley is about to be torn down we decided to blow the joint up in Sturgeon family style. My Mom & Dad organized a family fun night Saturday night. We did dinner at good ol' El Rey & then bowling. There were so many of us -- my immediate family alone is 14 people. And then my Aunts & Uncles, & cousins. There was a total of 38 people. All of which I am related to. Awesome.

Rachel was super pumped. The poor girl has watched soooo many bowling games & has never once participated. With the help of the bumper lanes she did awesome! She did have a Maisy from Uncle Buck moment where her ball didn't quite make it all the way down the lane. Luckily I ran down the side & gave it a shove. I had to do that a few times. Then she got the hang of it.

{Photo A Day April} week 1

1 - my reflection

2 - color

3 - mail

4 - someone who makes me happy

5 - tiny

6 - lunch -- actually dinner since I forgot

7 - shadow