Sunday, January 31, 2010

Dig It

Well boys and girls, my "dream house" sucked! I guess it didn't really suck, it just wasn't all I had dreamed it would be! I was still drooling when we were in the kitchen area but once we headed towards the upstairs, I was finally hearing Eric's voice telling me what a "piece" it was. BEAUTIFUL potential - but do we have the resources and moola to make it where it should be? Ummm, no. Especially when it is already priced more than the ol' bank account will allow. But I can say I've been there now and at least I know. No more drive bys and wonderin'...

We looked at another house today too - actually the "dream house" was our second showing. The first was a house we absolutely dig! It's a great price too! So we'll have to see what comes of that. It's a "short sale"which we don't know much about - so we're gonna do some looking into what all of that means. Point still remains that we need to sell here first. So we'll hang tight - see what the Good Lord has in store for us. Know anyone who wants a farmhouse? (I've realized that I can't clown this house as I have been - that it's too small and we have no closets, that we wish we weren't on a busy road - cause who knows, I could be talking to someone who knows someone who may be interested!)

For now? I'm having fun contacting places like EK Success Brands who signed up to follow us on Twitter (our business that is). They do huge creative stuff with Sesame Street and Martha Stewart! Wouldn't that be something!?!

Friday, January 29, 2010

Our mornin' at the Children's Museum


(a definate FAV, the glass elevator)

oh no, already with the ATM Mol??

Not sure what is going on with Mikie's hair today, but it's cute :)
who's running this show?
my new BFF, the "skinny mirror" :)

Yep, we painted but forgot to go back at the end and pick up our lovely artwork. OOPS!


nice work Picky!
We needed to get out today - do something. Well, maybe that was how I felt :) The boys have had school and a fun day with Papa this week. Seems Mol and I have been home mostly so she can work on the potty routine and all. That and Hunter has been here so we don't venture out then either. Either way, a morning at the children's museum is the way to go :) Then lunch afterwards at a little restaurant a few blocks away? Priceless. I was telling the kids on our way home that going to lunch with them is one of my most favorite things to do. I found myself getting choked up when I said that, perhaps cause it's so true. That time spent like that - away from the spilled milk at home and peanut butter and jelly... is the best!
Now Jack is watching Star Wars and Mikie found Sponge Bob on upstairs. Mol is napping and here I sit. I hope you're having a good one!

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Down to Earth (my first ever!)

I am sooooooooooo excited about this! Shawna and I had our weekly meeting last night at Starbucks and little did we know, by the end of the evening, we discovered how to make our own digital scrapbook PAPERS! Not only that, but how to "share" them with other digi scrapbookers! This is HUGE!

So after I got home last night, I sat up til 12midnight making these 4 "papers." This is how digital kits are usually presented (grouped like this), but when we have things up and running and you can download off our bizz blog, you will actually be able to download these 4 different papers individually, all 12x12 size. Fun or what!?! We sure think so! I think we both may have wet our pants last night when we realized we can do this!
my very first paperpack - I even made a little heart with my initials for my stuff :)

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Dreamin'

You may ask yourself (or maybe not, I just wanted to show you!) what is in Ernie's dream house that makes her want it so bad? Here are a few things "it" has - a cool farmhouse sink (Mikie tells me yesterday "that's one thing we have good here, a farmhouse sink!" Well, Mikie, not exactly, just cause we live in a farmhouse, doesn't mean we have the sink :)
Umm, need I say a word about this kitchen!?

I just think the stairs are cool, that is until one of the kids (or Erk or me) falls down them!

Crunchy

Hello - happy Wednesday! Hunter is here and Mol is eating lunch at the moment. I just sucked down my pb&j and Doritos along with Mol, but Hunter being "Mr. Grabby" I figured I was done. He would just look up at me and stare when I'd crunch on chips :) So cute. He's 8 months old now and a big ox! Cracks me up...

Not much new going on here. We are going to look at some houses on Sunday afternoon with our realtor. One of them is my "dream house" - but that's only according to pictures. We'll have to see for ourselves if it's all it's cracked up to be!

Mol just told me she needs to go po-poo on the potty. I'd better scoot!

Monday, January 25, 2010

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Time with Granny and Grampa

Thank you Granny for sharing these adorable things with me this morning - I had to post it on here :)

Hi Erin,

We enjoyed being with the kids last night so much. It just seemed like our time went way too fast.

I have to tell you a couple of cute things.

When we FINALLY got to Culvers (because I'm sure the boys told you Pizza Hut isn't open yet - not until Feb 1 - it would be nice if they had a sign out) I pulled off Molly's hat and she got a really concerned look on her face and said, "Where my pretty bow?" I thought it was cute that it wasn't just her bow but her pretty bow. She also went potty at the restaurant. Big girl!

Mike was so excited to tell us about his new $25 backpack.

In the car a couple of times I asked Jack to translate what Molly said. Finally I said to Jack that I was glad he could translate. He said, "Well, I am her brother, and I've lived with her for 2 years."

So cute :) Thanks Mom for sharing!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

today

(don't mind Mol's mess of hair) - this one is easy to figure out, isn't it? Bean got into the bag of Cheezits when Mol wasn't looking and now Mol is ticked!
Mikie got a new backpack yesterday (his ripped) and he was so excited, he even wore it for breakfast this morning!

Hey all! I would like to post on here more often, sorry it's hard to keep up with all the goings ons :) How ya been? We are great - Mol just went down for her nap and I'm gonna get some work done now (hopefully). The boys are at school today. Bean has been barking at every flake of snow (I think she's losin it for real).




No more calls for showings or anything on the house. I was trying to fold all sorts of laundry this morning but that task seems so endless. At least if we got a call for a showing, the clean clothes wouldn't be in the way!?




Having din din with "big" Molly tonight! Can't wait! It'll be so nice to sit and visit without distractions.




I suppose I'd better hop to other crapola before naptime escapes. Hope you're doing good!?

Friday, January 15, 2010

Gone Scrappin'

Yeah! Today is the scrapbook retreat :) Shawna and I will leave around 3p for a weekend full of great eats, scrapbooking on our laptops and hopefully winning a raffle prize or two! This will be our 3rd year going to this one -

The first year I "won" the digital scrapbook software.
Last year we promoted our business to a gym full of 100+ women.
This year? We will sit and scrapbook. Just do our own thang...

The boys are fighting. Molly and Mikie are fighting. There are magnets tossed all over the kitchen rug. We were playing the Wii until attitudes were flarin' and we had to turn it off. Legos, crayons, and crumbs from breakfast to be cleaned up.

The kids are lookin' forward to some one-on-one time with Dad and I'm looking forward to being (hopefully) creative and scrappin' all weekend!

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Toe Fuzz

Molly has this thing with toe fuzzies... she doesn't like them interfering with day to day life. So she removes them... and Hunter's...


good work at the dentist you "amazing patient" you!
mol and jack not really giving dad a fair shot at the wii

jack bowling on the wii

3 kids in a rocket ship this morning

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Yeah, you like my socks, you know you're jealous :) This isn't a good picture at all, but this is my knee after falling on the ice yesterday. Umm, it really hurt. And the guy who saw me do it? Nahh, why would he help me up? Alls he said was "I really should get some salt out here so nobody gets hurt..." by the way - my legs don't tan. I'm over it!

Monday, January 11, 2010

Not Ours


Most people have cushy lap sorta dogs who love to go on car rides. Perhaps they like to nuzzle their nose out the ½ opened window and feel the cool breeze on their furry face? Or look out the window longingly at the world of unknowns… wondering what smells are out there, what other dogs they might meet…

NOT OURS. I drove around with Bean for 2 hours last Friday only to find out the people were in fact a “no show” to our house showing. Yep, they were running late and didn’t get here. Here I was, driving anywhere I thought possible. In neighborhoods, but tending to drive on streets where I didn’t have to stop or slow down for fear that would set Bean off. Of course it doesn’t take a slowing down to get her excited, she lept onto our groceries in the back (yeah, I even waited to unload those so I wouldn’t make a mess) 3 times, squashing anything in her path. Then only making things worse when I’d call her to get outta there and she’d step on even more boxes of cereal or toilet paper rolls. Whining the entire time, hopping from back to front, front to back. Sniffing everything, panting, trying to roll down the window that was already opened a crack for her to get fresh air. It was 22 degrees out! She’d hop from where Jack sits to where Molly was and whine to stick her nose out the window. She has honestly rolled the window up on her own head before so I have to “lock” the windows when she rides with us. And to know the folks never came? Ahh, the first of many, I’m sure. The not-so-fun part of trying to sell your house…

I Only Look Sweet and Innocent

Ahh, enjoying life in front of the heater...

Yes, she did open this door to the mudroom. She nudges the door knob until she can get in there.
"What? What's the problem?"
and here is Bean "helping" unload her bones from the groceries...

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Ohh and...

How could I forget some pix from today? We went over to mom and dad's to ice skate for a bit (Erk stayed home with the napping Molly). The boys and I had fun (Jack took a while to warm up to the idea since there were "other people there.)" The other people
were Emily and her roommate, Erin and 3 of their buddies from school. Great to see you Em! I tried to post the video from today but it won't upload! Instead you get to see your wet butt in this picture! HA! FUNNY :)
my tired feet after 5 minutes of ice skating...




nice buns, Em!
the boys workin' it with some Wii boxing before church today -
Erk caught off guard getting ready to make a mean breakfast in his wife beater :)

isn't this dress TOO cute? thanks again Nan!

Yep

So - here we are on Sunday night. How has your weekend been? The kids are in bed and here I sit upstairs on my computer while Erk watching football.

We had a showing on our house already! Yep, last Friday. But we haven't heard anything yet (even feedback) and to be honest, I'm not sure anyone was even here! There were no real signs of anyone being here (Erk's dad came to plow just as we were about to pull in the driveway so I couldn't see tire marks) and no business card or anything was left by the realtor. So, who knows!? Maybe we'll hear something, perhaps not. I can't figure our first lookers want it, right!?

Now Molly is crying. I think she is just playin' me right now. One of her "babies" doesn't have a shirt on. "Bebe need a shirt Momma!" Well, I'm thinkin' baby will sleep without one tonight!

I got Photoshop yesterday! I've been wanting to get it for a while. Shawna and I plan to learn it to teach and help our customers who scrapbook with it. But whew - talk about overwhelming! Maybe I should take a class... Off I go - better check on the fake cryer!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

For Sale!

Come on, Jack! Smile for the camera! :)

Sa-weeeeeeeeeeet! Our house is for sale! Our house is for sale! The realtor came today to snap pix and said "so, you ready to do this!?" I assumed he meant take the pictures (since I cancelled yesterday and moved it to today) but he said "I'll put the sign in your yard?" Umm, OK! We were gonna do it next week, so what's a few days early. How exciting!


Now we'll just sit and wait and see what happens. Third time is the charm, right!? The other 2 times we've tried to sell were by owner, so we'll see the kind of exposure this gets. Kent (the realtor) called not 5 minutes after he left and I thought, "CRAP, already we have a showing!" but nahh, he just forgot to leave the key box :)

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Monday, January 4, 2010













Jack put Molly's new two-two on his head and played his new harmonica :)



I just spent 49 minutes on the phone with Amahd who didn't speak my language very well, and I didn't speak his either! I found myself shaking my head in disbelief at how I am supposed to understand anything!??!








But on a brighter note, here are some pix from our great "Christmas Eve" do over with Granny and Grampa this weekend. Glad Dad is feeling better!

This Morning

The boys are back to school today. And my little angel… playing so quietly while I am on the phone with our internet provider for 20 minutes before the dude (with a strong accent) hangs up on me. Did I mention I was behind the “tower” of our computer so it was a tad frustrating to be at that point and have him hang up on me? So I call back – another 15 minutes with some other dude only to find the trouble is with our wireless router so now I get to call another place and deal with being on hold and someone from another country. Ohh but during this? Mol was pure gold.

Talked to Dad for a bit this morning about the weekend… Mol? Playing ever so quietly and cute. Talking to her babies and listening to music. Then as Dad and I were going to say goodbye, she is talking of “my poopy” and I see a diaper in her hands. That my friend’s is when things took a turn for the worst…

The diaper was full of poop, Molly clothes were still in tack (overalls) and can you imagine what was still in her clothes? So I scold her and grab her half heartedly (not wanting to share in the poop myself) and run upstairs. All the while telling her that “Mommy do it! Not Molly… Mommy change your diapers!”

We get to her room and find poop all smeared up her belly, on her buns and legs. Strip her naked and in the shower she goes. All the while, I get to hear “poopy dower, poopy bobbie, poopy ackies, poopy cup and more poopy dower” (translation – poopy shower, poopy Barbie (yep, the Ken that’s been in the shower met his end today). My shirt sleeve is soaked from trying to wipe the shit off (let’s just be honest and call it what is was, ok!?) while she is in the shower. The floor is soaked from having the shower curtain open while rubbing off all the crap. There is crap on the floor, crap wet splatters on the walls and crap going down the drain. Let’s just hope the day returns to how it was before the shit hit the fan (almost literally)!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

11

A lot has happened in the last 11 years... since that snowy January 2nd that Erk and I were married. Here we are -

1 dog later.
2 houses later.
3 kids later.
4 recliners later.
5 visits to the ER later.
6 hairstyles later.
7 cars later.
8 pair of glasses later.
9 pair of winter boots later.
10 pounds (maybe a few more) later.
11 years later...