Worst Blogger Ever

Well I certainly get the award for the worst blogger in February. I can't believe I went nearly the entire month without blogging. Two. Two blogs. That. Is. Horrible. If you are still reading my blog, then please forgive me. Although, I am probably beginning to sound like a broken record.

What's been going on with our lives? Well, we are staying pretty busy between the two of us. Drew is still working for Amazon, and spending the other half of his week handling real estate and Army duties.  Speaking of real estate, Drew's sister Gayle has been dabbling in the photography business (Life Through the Lens) for the last three or four years and just recently found a studio. It's in a great location and it seems to be the perfect size. I had the opportunity to check it out this weekend. In addition, Gayle seems to really like the building's owner. He was planning to do some remodeling and is letting her pick out new carpet, paint colors, and flooring. I'll keep you posted on how things advance. She has started to move some of her props over into storage space, but it will be a bit more time before she totally gets situated.

I am starting to hit my groove. My teaching schedule seems to be set. I'm on the early "shift". All of the classes I teach are in the morning. My latest class is 12:30 on Thursday and Tuesdays and Fridays I don't teach at all, but I am able to sub when needed. One thing that is really nice is I can usually take a class right after mine or within an hour and be on my way. Babysitting has slowed down for the time being due to changes in the parent's work schedules. I am staying busy at home managing the studio's Facebook page and press work. The studio has teamed up with four other locally owned businesses to create a type of loyalty/rewards program. It kicks off this Friday. I have been in charge of all of the documents: press release, pamphlet, brochure, etc. The studio is also switching the company it uses for its newsletters so I am responsible for "attending" the training for it. I've only done one training so far and it was quite interesting. It was a webinar type-training program. Each studio's representative called in to a number via google and while we couldn't talk, we could hear the trainer and then send an instant message that he would read and answer in real-time.

Outside of work related items, I/we are working on getting the house in order. Drew's aunt, uncle, and cousins are coming to visit next month for the annual bake-off and this year they will be staying with us. We've got lots of work to do before then! I would love to have one of the bedrooms repainted, but I realize the room(s) need to be cleaned out first. Not to mention, I have stuff I still need to get from my parents house. Mom, if you are reading this I am planning to come by tomorrow :)

Lexi is doing well. She's not a big fan of the cold though so she spends a lot of time inside. Like most dogs, she doesn't like rain, but she will go out and play in the snow. I think all of the lounging around is starting to effect her weight ;) Drew took her to the dog store the other day and said she is 120lbs. She was hovering around 112 for the longest time!

Well, I think that's a good summary of our lives. I will try to be more mindful this month. Hopefully post three or more times a week with specific details of our lives/days. Don't give up on me! I'm trying!

Spread a Little Love

I finally finished my Valentine's Day wreath with a couple of days to spare! I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, although it would have looked better with a heart shaped piece of Styrofoam. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find one which is why it took me later than I wanted to get started on it. I kept checking back to Hobby Lobby since there was a tag for some on the rack.

 230 red circles later I finished! (No, I didn't count each one. Each circle is tucked on with a pin and I went through a box of 225 plus five more.) Ultimately, it was a really easy project, it just took a very long time to 1. trace the circle, then 2. cut each piece of fabric (I used a yard). The burlap ribbon gives it a little bit more V-day flare since without it the wreath could be used during the winter/Christmas time.

I have one more V-day project to finish up tomorrow. I will let you know how it turns out. At this point I am exhausted, Lexi is snoring, and I have to be up EARLY to teach. Have a good night!

Part-time Mom

Yup, that's my new title - part-time mom. Okay, mom might be stretching it, but I have car seats, so that at least deserves the title of "nanny" or daily babysitter.
Outside of teaching and helping at the Pure Barre studio I have started helping out a former co-worker of mine with her kids. She works at one of the local TV stations and her husband is doing PR/marketing for the casino opening up soon. They are both working crazy hours right now so I am helping out with their kids, picking them up from daycare and spending a couple hours with them before the parents get home from work. At first I was trading cars with the mom, but now I have my own set of car seats - woo hoo. Actually, it will make things a lot easier. It's been a nice gig for me since I'm usually finished with my teaching/studio stuff in the morning. It's nice making a little money and helping out a friend. The kids are great too. They both get along great and are easy to please.

Outside of working, Drew and I had a fun and busy weekend. He arrived home just in time for a wedding. He was in Oklahoma for two weeks for the military. Boy was I ready to have him home. It seemed a lot longer than two weeks. Dancing at a wedding seemed like the perfect way to spend some time together. The couple we celebrated are perfect for each other. It was a beautiful wedding and reception. We were looking forward to the wedding since the reception was at one of the sites we looked at.

By the end of the night my feet were in pain and we were both exhausted. It was a long day, but we had a lot of fun and saw some people we haven't seen in a while.

Winter Wonderland

This post is a little late, but before all of the snow is gone from the ground (we're expecting 52* tomorrow) I want to post some pictures of just how helpful Lexi has been over the last couple of days. She was super helpful while I shoveled the driveway Monday and Tuesday. Speaking of shoveling, I love having a large front yard, but the long driveway... ughh it was a little rough. Although, it made for a good workout :)

We haven't had too much excitement over the last couple of days. IU did win the game I posted about on Saturday - go Hoosiers!! Sunday I spent the day in Columbus for an Army event. Thankfully, they let us out early enough to make it home for the Super Bowl. What a game! I have to say, I found the light, or lack there of, situation quite entertaining. I know, I know, it led to a more than half hour delay how could I find it entertaining. Well, I found it entertaining from the standpoint of a former producer. It was intriguing to see how the camera crew, anchors, and reporters dealt with the situation. Overall, it was a good game. I really thought the 49ers were going to take the lead. I'm glad it turned out to be a close game, and hopefully the Harbaugh brothers can look back and be proud of what they did. Speaking of the Harbaughs, did you know that IU's coach, Tom Creen is married to the brothers sister? It was a HUGE sports weekend for that family.

As I mentioned, things are relatively low key around here. I have started on a couple of craft projects with I will hopefully wrap up in a couple of days. I also found some art work that I want to hang in the master bathroom, I will try to get some pictures posted in the next couple of days. I want to get Drew's opinion and help with hanging.

Well, that's it for now. I am exhausted and starting to fall asleep typing!

Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!!!!

I normally don't make quick posts like this, but I am SOOO nervous for the game right now! Oh how I wish I were in Bloomington at Assembly Hall! I can only imagine what the energy is like in the building! It is a sea of red on the screen!

Alright, that's all I have to say right now. It's game time!
GO HOOSIERS!

Big Day for a Big Dog

Happy birthday Lexi! 

I can't believe you are already three years old! It's been quite the adventure since you entered into our lives. You've taught me the importance of keeping clothes off of the floor, high top tables, the joy of running outside, being patient, and loving unconditionally. Sure, you can be a pain one minute, but you never stop loving, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Every day you amaze me and keep me laughing. 

The way you rest your head on the bed - looking for a little attention, the way you watch TV with us and bark at animals on the screen, pretend to fall asleep upstairs with us, then make your way to the futon when we forget to cover it. I can't imagine not having you in our lives. Your big wagging tail and lap dog minded self keeps a smile on my face.  Happy birthday - and many more!

Mini Kitchen Update

I'm back with another post... pictures included! Again, it's nothing fancy, but it's something I should have done awhile ago, and just kept forgetting or putting it off. Thanks to my love of DIY blogs and Pinterest I have been itching to use chalkboard paint in the house. Even before we moved, I had it in my head that I wanted to use the paint. A family I babysat for years ago had chalkboard paint in their laundry room which was also a mud room between the garage and kitchen. They would write down important numbers/info in there, as well as any other fun messages. I thought it was a great idea. Once we settled in I came up with a plan to paint the tiny wall next to the fridge. Similar to something like this:

However, the wall I wanted to paint on isn't technically a wall. It's more of a built in so I wanted to paint a thin piece of plywood as to not ruin the wood with paint. After coming up with a plan we went to the store and bought our supplies, and even purchased a small can of magnetic paint. Long story short, the project was put on hold when Drew became nervous about the plywood staying sturdy. During an impromptu visit to Ikea we came across these cool glass "noticeboards" that can be used with dry erase markers.

We decided this looked a lot sleeker and cleaner than a chalkboard. Plus, since our kitchen has a strong Ikea/modern look to it (I think the drawers and cabinets came from Ikea) we thought it would compliment nicely.

Drew hung the boards awhile back and I have enjoyed writing and erasing chores/notes daily. Around that same time I came up with the idea to turn the top board into a universal calendar that I can change/update each month, to include the big events. We both keep our own personal calendars through gmail, but this gives us something to glance at for some of the bigger/important events, ie. a wedding. It wasn't hard, but I FINALLY sat down and sketched out the poster board for the calendar today. I think I've had that poster board since the beginning of the month. Oh well, better late than never.

I think it turned out pretty well. It definitely does the job for now. We can always tweak the poster board color or put fabric behind it - the options are endless. And, we can still use the second noticeboard for notes or doodling. I am such a nerd, as I get such a feeling of accomplishment erasing my "to do" list for the day! It has also stopped me from writing on a bunch of post-it notes that I forget about and leave everywhere.
ps. if some of the areas look smeared/ terribly erased it's because I was "erasing" on the computer. I had a couple important notes (phone numbers, addresses, etc) on the board when I took the pictures and opted to try and blur the details out via my photo program. The boards clean up/wipe off wonderfully in person and seem to compliment the frosted doors in the dinning room.