tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38761513738248107662024-03-13T05:09:29.924-04:00Holman Happenings!A peek into the busy life of our family. Complete with a husband, a wife, two young boys and a couple of dogs to round out our crazy.Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.comBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-82022400067525776322016-09-06T21:25:00.000-04:002016-09-06T21:25:05.714-04:00Whoa... it's been a long time!!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy September! I realized as I was pulling up the recipe to make another batch of laundry soap last night that it's been waaaaaaaay too long since a blog post! Our life has been full of crazy, busy, non-stop goings on and I just haven't been in a "blogging place". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are some highlights!! Joshua is a freshman in high school. Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe it either. Logan started fifth grade today, so he's top dog at his elementary school. The boys are amazing, of course, and we're so blessed. Joshua is on the varsity tennis team - he got into tennis last spring and hasn't looked back! Logan adores soccer and is currently on a mission to master pull ups after we took his bedroom door off the hinges and installed a pull up bar for him. Next up will be a punching bag in the garage for Logan and a weight bench in the basement for Josh.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We've been doing some traveling in the old 'RV this summer! We actually just got back from Webster Lake in Indiana for the holiday weekend. I love that our schools don't start until after Labor Day. It makes it easier to soak up the last bit of summer before heading into fall and back into the routine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">By the way - I was digging back to school this morning! I got more accomplished in the couple of hours between when the boys left for school and when I had to leave for work than I do all day, sometimes! I forget how productive I can be when I'm back in a routine!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm going back to school this January (yikes!!!) - completely online and I've never taken an online class in my life. I'm excited about it, but super nervous at the same time. Cub Scouts will start back up soon AND I'm taking a trip to Canada next week! That will be worthy of a blog post, for sure, I think. All I need is a small digital camera so I can have pictures to post as well!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm going to try and do a better job blogging regularly, but we'll see what happens. For sure, after I get back from Canada, though. </span></div>
Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-79316388785085425412014-08-03T19:35:00.003-04:002014-08-03T19:35:50.453-04:00CoLoR rUn!!!!!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Such a fun day today! Did my first Color Run ever! I love downtown Grand Rapids, and this was the first 5K that I've ever done down there and it was a riot! My friend, Cheryl, and I signed up together - along with a few of my co-workers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are some pics:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is pre-race... nice and clean for now!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Cheryl and I relaxing before heading to the Start chute.</span><br />
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Cheese!!!!!!<br />
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About midway through the race!<br />
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Our Office Assistant, Kristen, and me - my co-workers are cooler than your co-workers!!<br />
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Success!!<br />
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Jumping for joy!!<br />
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Good times were had by all. Thank the good Lord for make-up remover wipes to get the color off my face, and I think I'm going to need to wash my hair at least three more times before I'll get all the blue out.... Right now I'm rocking some bluish/green patches that make it look like I was swimming in a chlorinated pool for too long! The bottom of my foot is still blue and I have a green patch in my armpit, but it was a ridiculously good time. My shirt is hanging outside in the sun... I sprayed it with vinegar in hopes of keeping it colorful - we'll see what happens!<br />
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I can't wait to do this with my kiddos next year! It will be so fun to spin and twirl through the color stations with them!Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-3741627809364647742014-04-20T21:43:00.003-04:002014-04-20T21:43:50.918-04:00Happy Easter!!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He is risen - He is risen indeed!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What an amazing Easter we were blessed with!!! It's always a good Easter when you can actually WEAR the new Easter clothes and cute sandals that you bought for church without worrying about freezing half to death!!! It was so warm here in West Michigan! I may have even gotten some sun on my arms sitting outside today!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Our morning started with Easter baskets at home - after getting ready for church, of course! Church was great... lots of singing and celebrating! Of course it ran late - which is fine - but it kind of started us off schedule for all the running around from family to family that we had going on today. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">After church we went to Rick's family's house on Mona Lake - this was the first year without an Easter Egg Hunt for the cousins - Josh and Logan are the only ones who aren't teenagers - but there was still good food, coloring eggs and the gifts of over-sized, gigantic beach towels to get ready for summer! Oh - and I might have even gotten an updated family photo today!! I'm waiting for the pics to be sent to me, but I'm cautiously optimistic!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then we left Rick at his family's and the boys and I headed into Coopersville. Rick was on call this afternoon for work and C'ville was a little too far away to be... We spent some time with my mom - sitting out in her backyard while the boys played with some of their Easter gifts. We weren't able to stay as long as I would have liked, but it was a nice visit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The next stop was to my dad's house. He has started doing an Easter Egg Hunt for the boys every year and he had been looking forward to them coming out. Grandpa Greg and Uncle Kevin made it a geocaching egg hunt with 24 very well hidden eggs and coordinates to the next one in each egg. There is some tweaking to be done to the method, but I have a feeling this will be the new way of hiding eggs... Uncle Michael and Aunt Katelynn were there as well and we had a cookout. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My forearms and the tops of my feet saw more sun then they have in MONTHS, so I might have actually gotten some color! It was beautiful weather - sunny and in the 70's - so practically perfect!! God blessed us with a beautiful day to celebrate the gift of the resurrection!!!</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-85198176040038936062014-03-24T21:01:00.001-04:002014-03-24T21:01:26.741-04:00Where is Spring?<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Man, oh man, am I ready for spring..... This winter has been BRUTAL. We got more snow this year than we have ever had at our house. In fact, I still have at least 2 feet of snow in my backyard. Like, covering every single square inch of my backyard... We have snow piles that are still 4-5 feet high, and at least 24 inches of snow on the roof of the garage :(</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The temps for the next bunch of days don't give me a lot of hope that I'll be rid of it anytime soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Today as I was driving home from work, it was sunny and gorgeous outside. I could see grass along the highway and I just wanted to go for a trail run.... Unfortunately, there is still way too much snow in the woods, and I'm not even sure I could get down the two-track that leads to my favorite running trail... Oh, and it was only 25 degrees, too, which would have made running outside extra crappy. So, interval/strength training and cardio it was. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Big bummer because I'm doing a 5k in August and I should probably start to train... and by training, I mean running. Not a runner, and yet running a 5k - go figure...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All of my spring clothes are waiting for me in my closet, but it's still too cold to wear them without an extra layer. Our whole family is anxious to get back to the beach. We want to take our Land Rover to the sand dunes (which we always do at the beginning of April) - but I think that if we want to go up anytime soon, we're going to need snowmobiles!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Think warm thoughts... and send them to Michigan. Winter has outstayed it's welcome this year!!</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-41954651795933913672014-02-19T20:31:00.000-05:002014-02-19T20:31:20.085-05:00That Time of Year Again...<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you're newish to Holman Happenings, our biggest one is a cancer survivor. He's been in remission for (hopefully) 9 years - we'll confirm the "9 years remission" in about 2 weeks. I got the letter in the mail from the Children's Hospital and they've scheduled his next MRI and appointment with the oncologist. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We are SO lucky that we have A-M-A-Z-I-N-G care so close to home. Right now we're on a "once a year" scan schedule, but next year will HOPEFULLY be our last scan. Once he hits 10 years remission, we don't have to go back to the oncologist or have ANY MORE scans. We can go ahead and put this nasty not-niceness behind us. We've been doing this since he was diagnosed in 2004 and I'm anxious to not have to do it anymore. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Good juju is always appreciated... I'm not expecting anything less than an "All Clear" - but we've been doing this long enough to know that you never know for sure until you know for sure :)</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-5791592984151827292014-02-09T21:26:00.000-05:002014-02-09T21:36:16.361-05:00DIY Updates<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ok.... it's been a while, but we LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the laundry soap!! It smells so clean and fresh. I'm still getting used to the lack of suds, but we are really, really happy with it. Definitely a keeper. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The dishwasher detergent started leaving a film on all the dishes... I'm not sure if we need to change up our rinse aid or if the boys were being too "helpful" and putting in too much soap. That DIY is still up for debate.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been making my own pancake syrup for a long time now - that's a gorgeously easy recipe of 1C water, 1C brown sugar, 1C white sugar and 1Tbsp maple flavoring. Boil the water, dissolve the sugars and mix in the maple flavoring. Let it cool and you're good to go!! I haven't bought pancake syrup in months. Last night when I made another batch I even had to make my own homemade brown sugar because I was out. If you didn't know, brown sugar is nothing but white sugar and molasses. 1C sugar and 1Tbsp (or more, depending on your preference) molasses mixed together - I used a wire whisk to mix it up. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last night was homemade potato chips in the microwave! Thank you Pinterest... they were so yummy. I'm going to give them a trial run with the family and if those pan out, they might replace the store bought ones in this house. Not that I keep chips in the house, but when we're having sloppy joes or something, it will be nice to have a homemade option. They were super simple... thin sliced potato coated in olive oil and sea salt (or seasoned salt, or whatever you like), plate coated with nonstick spray, pop them in the microwave for 3-4 min (or until they start to brown), flip them and cook until the edges brown up (that could be as quick as 30 seconds or as long as 2 min - just keep an eye on them). Remove them to a cold plate and let them cool. They will get crispier as they cool.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Next on the agenda is homemade hot cocoa powder. My littlest one is OBSESSED with the Keurig and loves to make hot cocoa for everyone. Unfortunately, I can't keep enough mix in the house! I'm hoping that homemade will be cheaper than the stuff in the canister - more on that to come later :)</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-65122044749496923822014-01-20T23:03:00.000-05:002014-01-20T23:03:10.009-05:00Another DIY!!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, here is the latest and greatest DIY project that I whipped up in about 2 minutes tonight!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Homemade dishwasher detergent!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Super easy... 1C baking soda, 1C Borax, 1/2C salt, 10-12 drops of essential oils. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mix it together and store in an airtight container. Use 1Tbsp in the main compartment and an extra 1/2Tbsp in the other one.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I used it tonight and it seemed to work just fine! I was a little skeptical that I wouldn't love it, since we typically use dishwasher gel here, but there was no gunk on the glasses or bowls in the dishwasher! I consider that a success.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'll be running another load in the morning... hopefully test number 2 works as well as the maiden voyage :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-72756634271629293842014-01-14T22:03:00.002-05:002014-01-14T22:06:41.080-05:00Happy Momma!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, I started doing a parenting devotional on YouVersion. It was a short one - only 5 days long - but I got one of the best ideas from it!! I'm very confident in my parenting abilities and I don't often have those "I'm a terrible parent moments", but because this is a trick that I've never tried before and it had such quick results, I wanted to share.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love my kids to pieces. Like, I would walk through fire for them. But, like every parent out there, sometimes I get overwhelmed, short tempered, etc. It's not always fair and not always warranted, but it is what it is. That's just the reality of my life - I know that all parents can relate to this...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyhow, one of the things it said to do was to write your kids a letter. Just tell them 5 good things that you've noticed about them. So, Sunday night, I sat down and wrote a letter to each of my boys. I gave them to them yesterday morning as they were getting ready for school.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Wow.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The immediate response from my boys was amazing! They were both being all shy and blushy (like boys will get when they're embarrassed, whether good embarrassed or bad embarrassed) and came up right away to hug me and say thank you. Both boys had the letters set out in their bedrooms all day long. When I got home from work tonight, I noticed one on the kitchen table and the other on a pillow. Obviously, they were reading them again today! Josh even thanked me (again) for the letter as I was telling him goodnight. He said that the letter really made him want to get his grades up even higher (we've had a rough transition into middle school but he's really been trying and that was one of the things I pointed out) and that he really appreciates being noticed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm trying not to dwell on the fact that that could be interpreted as he doesn't feel noticed on a regular basis - I'm choosing to hear him say that because this isn't a way I typically give him props, it's a good kind of different :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I understand the power of positive reinforcement and use it on a consistent basis, but this was positive reinforcement in a different way than how I usually present it and I was so impressed with the way my boys responded. I don't want the novelty to wear off - the way it sometimes can - so I think this is something I'll save for every once in a while and not make into an every day thing. Try to keep it extra special, ya know?</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-39846546926305157812014-01-12T19:01:00.000-05:002014-01-13T22:52:22.485-05:00Jumping on the DIY Bandwagon!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, my husband is on a mission to make a substantial dent in our debt this year. Basically, that means taking a closer look at where we spend our money and cutting out some of that unnecessary spending that seems to attack our bank account each month. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of the things he wanted to try was making our own laundry soap. Now, laundry soap is not a huge expense for us. I only ever buy one brand, I can only find it at Menards, and it only costs $3 a bottle. I would typically buy 5 bottles at a time and that would last us a good long while. By the time it was time to replenish our supply, I couldn't remember the last time I had to bought it. But, he wanted to give it a try, so I was fine with that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you've ever checked into it, I'm sure you've seen that there are about a million recipes for making homemade laundry detergent... especially if you like Pinterest. I think that making powdered detergent is less time consuming, but we have always used the liquid, so that's the route we went. This recipe came from my friend Erin over at <a href="http://elfetc.blogspot.com/">http://elfetc.blogspot.com/</a>. She's been making it for her family for quite a while now. The nice thing about making it myself is that I know exactly what's in it - and exactly what's not. I can pronounce everything, which is a good thing too!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We took the plunge Friday night. I was able to buy everything at Meijers in the laundry section and it was ridiculously cheap. We had the first batch made in about 20 minutes and were able to use it the next day. I don't have an excess of time, so the fact that it was so quick definitely got a gold star from me. I didn't take pictures or anything like that, but here's the process in a nutshell:</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What you need</span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(1) Fels Naptha Bar - at my Meijers it was located on the other side of the laundry aisle by the bar soaps in the grocery section</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(1) box Arm & Hammer Washing Soda</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">(1) box Borax</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5 gallon bucket with a lid</span><br />
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<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What you do</span></u><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">grate the entire bar of Fels Naptha into a small bowl using a cheese grater</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">bring 4-5 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">add the grated Fels Naptha to the water and turn the heat down to medium</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">stir continually until all the soap is melted (be careful not to let it boil over) - the mixture will be frothy</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">set aside the soap mix and fill your 5 gallon bucket half full with hot water</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">dissolve 1 C washing soda and 1/2 C borax into the water </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">pour in the melted soap mixture and stir until completely mixed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">add more hot water to the bucket, filling it to about 2 inches from the top</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">stir it up again and put the lid on</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">let it sit at least 8 hours (overnight worked well for us - make it after dinner and let it sit in the basement)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">when you take the lid off, it will be gelled - we have a paint stirring attachment for the drill and used that to mix it all up. Your other option would be to use your hands to break up the gel, but I'll let the drill do the work for me. </span></li>
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<u><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">How to use</span></u><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We filled up old laundry detergent bottles with the homemade soap. I like the convenience of having the measuring lines on the lid - and the idea of not having to dip a measuring cup into the detergent every single time. You will want to use about 1/2 C of soap per load and don't freak out that the soap doesn't foam up in the washing machine. That was a little strange to me at first, but I used it with all of the laundry this weekend and it seemed to work just fine!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have UBER sensitive skin so I'm excited that it's unlikely I'll react to this detergent. It smells really clean and fresh, but I think I'm going to add some lavender essential oil to a batch and see how that turns out. I have a delicious lavender and tea tree oil blend that I think would be fantastic in a laundry soap!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Husband is definitely a fan. We have enough stuff to make 25 gallons of laundry soap before we'll have to buy more Fels Naptha bars (but at about $1 per bar, when we run out, the cost to replenish that stock will be minimal). I'm pretty sure it'll be spring before we need to mix up another batch of laundry soap, although we did give a bottle away for a friend to try. Considering I'm not out by Menards very often to buy more laundry soap, the idea of not having to think about running out is pretty sweet. It's funny how you always need to do laundry when you're low on detergent... I'm excited to have everything on hand to make more when we need it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">If you make your own laundry soap, do you have any tweaks you recommend?</span><br />
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Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-10589485729251701582013-03-22T22:45:00.001-04:002013-03-22T22:51:25.800-04:00Happy Dance!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, we had our annual appointment at the Children's Hospital today. Josh had a visit with his amazing oncologist and we had an MRI tonight. Thank goodness we only do this once a year - it's exhausting! I remember how hard it was when we were dealing with this every day and I'm so glad that's not our life anymore.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I hope I'm not jinxing us (although I really don't believe in stuff like that...) but it looks like Josh has been issued another clean bill of health. Two more years of annual scans and then we are DONE! Crazy exciting. Our oncologist, Dr. D, told me today that the long range data from the clinical trial that Josh was a part of looks really great. That hopefully translates into many more years of great health!! Honestly, it's still amazing to me how good Josh's health is, even after all the poison we pumped into him... I'm very thankful that we were able to avoid radiation therapy because I'm pretty sure Josh's health wouldn't be where it is if we would have had to do that. So thankful that our oncologist had the foresight to enroll us into that clinical trial and that it worked as well as it did.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We'll get the all clear call on Monday, but Dr. D did happen to mention that if there was anything suspicious on the MRI, Radiology would call him before we left, so if they let us out the door, we're probably good :) No one stopped us on the way out, so I'm taking that as a good thing. Besides, Josh passed all the "how is your cerebellum working" tests with Dr. D and that's usually a good indicator that everything is fine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Josh was a little stressed about the blood draw today. Funny story, though - John, from the Hem Onc Clinic did the labs (as he ALWAYS does every year!) and Josh had a hard time with it. First he asked whether or not they had to do it (to which John replied "Absolutely, because even though you were young and don't remember how hard it was, your mom remembers, your dad remembers, your grandparents remember and I remember. And no one wants to go through that again.") and then he cried just one tear during the poke. When the poke was over, John asked Josh how bad it actually was (which it really wasn't bad at all), and then told him that he bets that at some point this weekend Josh will do something to himself that hurts worse than the poke did. About half an hour later, Josh was dancing in his socks in the room and wiped out flat on he floor - which hurt significantly worse that the poke did :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The whole point was that the worrying about the poke was worse than the poke itself - and Josh wasn't worried about hurting himself any other time this weekend, but we thought it was funny how John's prediction came true before we even left!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, here we are - 8 years out - and there is light at the end of the tunnel!!!!</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-63857836416086286222013-02-12T10:39:00.000-05:002013-02-12T10:41:10.685-05:00Turning Tragedy into Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">You may have seen this organization on Yahoo just a couple of weeks back. It's called "Dresses for Jake's Dates" and I think it's awesome. Now, keep in mind that all I actually know about this organization is what the Yahoo article told me and what I can see on their Facebook page :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anyhow, I LOVE when people turn something tragic into something good. In this instance, the family of an infant boy named Jake, who died from SIDS, decided to start an organization where they collect fancy clothes for people to borrow when they can't afford a prom dress, etc. What a brilliant idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here's why I love it.... my parents have 4 kids. Kids are expensive, lol, and although we NEVER went without, I'm pretty sure that large expenses like prom dresses had to be planned for. My sister and I always had amazing dresses, but being a parent myself, I hate to imagine being in a situation where I couldn't afford things like that, which are so important (especially to a high school girl!!!!!). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Another reason why I love it.... I have a lot of respect for people who survive an unthinkable tragedy and instead of letting it make them angry and bitter, they make something good come out of it. I've been through awful stuff (my kid had cancer - enough said), and I KNOW how easy it can be to let the anger and unfairness of it all take hold of you, and how HARD it can be to put one foot in front of the other and just make it through the next 5 minutes of your life. I said terrible things to people who didn't deserve them out of anger and fear. I've seen how easily some things can rip a family apart. I was lucky - my family came out of it in one piece and we're in a much better place now, but not everyone is as lucky as we were. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, for others who make something good out of something awful, I have a tremendous amount of respect and admiration.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The fact of the matter is, I had fancy dresses hanging up in my basement. I had already donated a bunch to a dress drive quite a few years ago (that's where my "stylish" high school dance dresses went), but I've been a bridesmaid quite a few times, and even though some of those dresses have been donated to places like Goodwill, I did have 4 more that were just hanging there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They all have sentimental value (we girls and our dresses!). I have the complimentary bridesmaid dresses that my sister and I wore when our cousin (who has always been more like a third sister) got married a couple of years ago. My sister asked me to keep her dress and find someone to share it with. There's the dress that my mom bought me when I was a bridesmaid when she got remarried. My sister and I had matching dresses. They were so tropical and pretty. The wedding was on the ocean in California - we thought it was going to be warm and sunny but instead it rained and was SO WINDY. We were shivering and our teeth were chattering, but it was so worth it! There's also the dress that I wore when I was pregnant with my littlest one and was walking my biggest one down the aisle to stand up for my beautiful little sister on her wedding day. That dress is one that could be "worn again", but I haven't worn it since - the memories that it has are already too special. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Actually, all the memories are too special - I don't want to record over them with anything else. Plus, I doubt they'll fit as well now as they did then! So, I won't wear them again, but I would love for someone else to. I would love for them to make some other girl feel beautiful. I don't have a daughter to save these for (and even if I did, I'm sure they would be SOOO out of style by the time she was old enough for them). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I've been holding on to these dresses FOR their sentimental value for quite a while now (they've made it through two other sessions of donating), but when I read about this organization, I felt peace that this is where they should go. I don't know why - for all I know no one will ever choose them, but if the right girl comes along, they'll be waiting for her. Hopefully she can create memories for herself that are as awesome as the ones I have.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPyVs82x85ON4VH61GyAVPf9OyZ7sl4Q9Dg2zaGmFZJo53-R9sIUl9H9sQci9tDWUVjn22JkUyqI-eXru0yIFYtCOB_g9YJDqZoZE5iNadAvD5WnV3fBf0XniMcHc7ytPz5aMMu1bo0E/s1600/DSC03199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiPyVs82x85ON4VH61GyAVPf9OyZ7sl4Q9Dg2zaGmFZJo53-R9sIUl9H9sQci9tDWUVjn22JkUyqI-eXru0yIFYtCOB_g9YJDqZoZE5iNadAvD5WnV3fBf0XniMcHc7ytPz5aMMu1bo0E/s320/DSC03199.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dress for my cousin's wedding.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKwjPg1Hy5u9S08Ajo_hXYeUVz73ilpMB1ftfm4ZP-h-SE97JiWIXucbMw98WI6LzKP59m0H3HRun8GRrkr2zleq1HFRA1aKkw06o0id0Xp4Z6iXD4zNS5sFGg5qr2b18lY930yBo8ONY/s1600/DSC03203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKwjPg1Hy5u9S08Ajo_hXYeUVz73ilpMB1ftfm4ZP-h-SE97JiWIXucbMw98WI6LzKP59m0H3HRun8GRrkr2zleq1HFRA1aKkw06o0id0Xp4Z6iXD4zNS5sFGg5qr2b18lY930yBo8ONY/s320/DSC03203.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sister's dress for our cousin's wedding.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjke3OUtUuiYIvinsVwU5sT-Gw8bfxf7CWz96A1m7FQcqviRET8sFNV1IgInSnZLKRL9C3QffYyTyVqUCJRZzmgDqY2dPfrXWhiVmXP3rjv2lxOz4nADy_RaThjw-WqpBocoUFLp4x6wVQ/s1600/DSC03201.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjke3OUtUuiYIvinsVwU5sT-Gw8bfxf7CWz96A1m7FQcqviRET8sFNV1IgInSnZLKRL9C3QffYyTyVqUCJRZzmgDqY2dPfrXWhiVmXP3rjv2lxOz4nADy_RaThjw-WqpBocoUFLp4x6wVQ/s320/DSC03201.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dress I wore for my mom's wedding.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOgkrG7-YAUmMvvC_6TMA9d2GGQ0vtiQ-Kn6XlqBbncvQic-WPUOMl93kw8JQ7_Bk3fttcs5imRxt-lftNJyIdRgD1R4nIQBJzxJKyMaDFeUuo6FhMpdfFpT8Qsjz5FG66oLCASeCYvI/s1600/DSC03202.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJOgkrG7-YAUmMvvC_6TMA9d2GGQ0vtiQ-Kn6XlqBbncvQic-WPUOMl93kw8JQ7_Bk3fttcs5imRxt-lftNJyIdRgD1R4nIQBJzxJKyMaDFeUuo6FhMpdfFpT8Qsjz5FG66oLCASeCYvI/s320/DSC03202.JPG" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MOH dress for my sister's wedding.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here is the link for the Facebook page for Dresses for Jake's Dates if you're interested in learning more about the organization and what they do: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/DressesForJakesDates?fref=ts">http://www.facebook.com/DressesForJakesDates?fref=ts</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There isn't anything else like this that I could find in my immediate area, so I am ok with shipping my dresses off to Oklahoma. I'm sure it helps that I feel like I can relate a little bit with making something good come out of something awful...</span><br />
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Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-61195923288470468372013-02-07T20:54:00.002-05:002013-02-07T20:54:28.102-05:00Winter some more!<div style="text-align: left;">
So, I realize that I JUST posted about the weather yesterday, but this was too ironic to pass up! It has been snowing like crazy all day long (go figure...). We actually ended up closing work early tonight because of the weather! </div>
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I left work at about 6:30pm tonight. My 25 minute commute took a nerve-wracking almost 55 minutes! I make it into town safely, get the littlest one from daycare and pick up the pizza waiting for me at Pizza Hut since the biggest one and I had both not eaten dinner yet. I'm driving down my road and I'm thinking to myself "man... this road is terrible!". I attempt to pull into my driveway and I get stuck at the end. Tires spinning, back end hanging out into the road - there was so. much. snow. that I could not make it through. </div>
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So, I call my husband - who has been working non-stop since the bad weather hit - and I tell him what happened. Lucky for me, he was in between calls and could swap out trucks at work and bring home a plow truck with a chain to yank me out and then plow the driveway really quickly so I could get into the garage... </div>
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We've lived here almost 4 years and this is the first time I've gotten stuck in my own driveway. We've been keeping it plowed, too! It's just that with the amount of snow we've been getting and the fact that it's been snowing nonstop all day long, we can't even keep up!!!</div>
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I love my husband a little bit more tonight, and I'm hoping he makes it home at some point before the weekend! The kids and I are betting on a snow day tomorrow... that will be nice for them - I still have to go into work at some point. The winter storm warning doesn't expire until noon tomorrow, so I hope I don't get stuck again trying to get OUT of my driveway in the morning!!!!!</div>
Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-73834255938612479342013-02-06T21:59:00.001-05:002013-02-06T22:05:21.362-05:00Winter...<div style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;">
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So, I look out my kitchen window and this is what I see... Luckily my half-monkey children are pretty good with stuff like this, and really, even if they fall, do you see how much snow there is at my house??? I did have to encourage my littlest one to move back towards the center of the beam because I was just a <u>little</u> concerned that if he fell by the "A" frame, he would hit it on the way down :)<br />
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As you can see, it's definitely winter in Michigan. We didn't have really ANY snow until just a few weeks ago. Lake Michigan gave us a run for our money with the Lake Effect a couple of times and before I knew it, we had quite a few inches on the ground. Actually, I would say that for the last 2 1/2 to 3 weeks, the weather has been simply awful. <br />
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We had a few winter storms that dumped at least 8-10 inches at my house. Then the temperature shot up into the 50's (for real!!) and everything melted, but there was SO MUCH FOG that you almost couldn't drive in it. This was about 2 or 3 days in a row. The White River up here has actually been at flood stage because all the melting snow raised the water level so much!! The temps fell again and we got more snow. Like 6-8 inches in just a couple of days. So, everything we lost, we got right back again. School was canceled for my boys three separate times in a two week span! <br />
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To keep things super interesting, we have another Winter Storm Warning going into effect at noon tomorrow. It's supposed to start snowing tonight and get really bad tomorrow. They're predicting the possibility of a snowfall rate of 1 inch/hr!! Oh, and that's for 12 hours. So, if conditions are right, we're looking at a chance for another 12" of snow ON TOP of what we already have on the ground! Probably won't happen, but yikes!<br />
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My boys (and dogs!) are loving it. Rick has been plowing all the snow in the driveway into a hill in the front yard, so they've been out there every day sledding. Every time we shovel off the deck for the dogs, we're piling all that snow up to the edge of the deck and they've got a mini sledding hill there too. <br />
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I'm sure towing companies and commercial snow plow drivers are happy to have stuff to do (we really haven't had decent snowfall for the last two winters). I honestly don't mind it, as long as my commute to work and home again isn't treacherous!!! I'm not a fan of my 25 minute drive taking 45 minutes each way. I will say, though, that I'm very happy with how my car handles! I was a little nervous because I just got it in June, so this is the first winter I've had it, but I definitely feel like it's deserving of the high safety ratings!!<br />
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Hubby's not a fan of the traction control (he'd rather have the control himself), but lucky for him, there's a button you can push to turn that off :)</div>
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Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-5230366741681189042013-01-02T23:56:00.000-05:002013-01-02T23:56:20.493-05:00Guess it's about time to blog again...<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Well... seeing as how EVERYONE else is making an effort to restart up their blogging machines, I might as well jump on the bandwagon :)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Although they all seem to have WAY more interesting stuff to post than I do!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">We're about 48 hours into 2013... our New Years Eve was a quiet one. We had "big" plans of going to a NYE party at family's house, but alas, the Holmans would only be a party of three.... There's some super strange virus making the rounds at my house, and apparently at 6pm on NYE, it was my turn. Not awesome. And super inconvenient! I was all dressed up and ready to go until the nausea hit. Fast forward a few hours (during which my three boys went off to party hearty - although they were back by midnight to be with me (aww)!) and after a little bit of a nap, the worst of it was over. Well... there was a ton of residual yuck, but the most acute symptoms had run their course. Of course, New Year's Day, I still wasn't feeling 100% - and Rick was knocked flat on his back with it.... That entire day consisted of watching football (UofM was in the Outback Bowl) and movies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even today I still feel a little "off", and my biggest one ended up in Urgent Care earlier, but I'm cautiously optimistic that the worst is behind us and the nasty little bugger has moved on to bigger and better things! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Not how I would have chosen to ring in 2013, but as always, I'm thankful for each and every single day :)</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-19440494991045903012012-10-06T19:53:00.001-04:002012-10-10T22:37:45.563-04:00Fall Faves!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Here are a few of my favorite things about fall:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Pumpkin anything!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Football games</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Mums - I currently have some rusty orange colored ones on my front steps</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Cornstalks</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Hay Rides</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Apple Cider</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Apple Crisp</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Apple EVERYTHING :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Fall scented candles - Hobby Lobby has an orange pumpkin spice one that is my fave</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Walking in the woods by our house and looking at the pretty colors</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-The Grossenbacher Family Chili Cook-off (I actually took first place last year!!!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Yummy soups on chilly days (as I type, I'm enjoying a bowl of Southwest Potato from Campbells)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Hoodies and jeans</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Tall boots over skinny jeans with sweaters</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-ALL the festivals that we have in the White Lake area - especially the Pumpkin Roll down the hill in Montague</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Hocus Pocus - the movie with Bette Midler - I LOVE IT (in fact, I watched it last night!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Snuggling around a campfire because it's JUST chilly enough that you want to be close</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Watching my kids jump in piles of leaves</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Driving down the highway and seeing a different site everyday as the trees change </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Clearance sales on plants! I just bought 2 rhododendrons for the front yard for $10 apiece - saved $40!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Going outside and being able to see your breath - and pretending I'm a dragon with my kids :)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Chai lattes - sweet and spicy at the same time </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">-Warm Vanilla Sugar line from Bath and Body Works - I swear it makes me feel warmer after I use it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm sure I could list a million more, but right now, my family is waiting for me to come join them for a movie. That's probably what I love most of all, regardless of the season!</span><br />
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<br />Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-38853225911729115302012-10-02T09:57:00.001-04:002012-10-02T09:57:12.737-04:00Silence<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, I sat down last night and wanted to do a blog post. I stared at the screen and came up with nothing... Kind of frustrating, but what are you going to do. I was just tired from the day, I think. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This morning, I was drinking coffee and listening to the quiet and I decided what I wanted to write about: Silence.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was actually going to post this on Sunday, but we ended up getting busy (so busy that I didn't even watch a single football game! That's unheard of!). At our Sunday School class, our topic of discussion was on silence. More specifically, one of our pastors, Pastor Nick, had taken a week long sabbatical at <a href="http://www.hermitagecommunity.org/">The Hermitage</a> in Three Rivers. He took a vow of silence for the week in order to listen. He had a laundry list of things he wanted to "discuss" with God. He was telling us some things about it and I was really captivated. How he struggled, how it worked for him, what it was like. I guess it's amazing what you can hear when you're being quiet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not a good listener - people who know me well will tell you that's true. I always have "something important" to add to the conversation and I'm not very patient at waiting for my turn to talk, or even not talking at all and just listening. I'm a mom - we fix things - that's just how I'm wired! I'm not going to apologize for it - call it a character flaw. But, I do try to make a conscious effort to listen more than I speak sometimes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Pastor Nick said that he is going to have a weekend retreat this spring/summer that will include the taking of a vow of silence. Rick and I both want to do it (although Rick says we're bringing two separate tents so we can have our own space and our own silence, even away from each other). I'm excited about it... I think it will be a good chance to listen and give God a chance to speak without yelling. I'm REALLY good at talking <i>to</i> God - I've never struggled with that. I have a harder time listening<i> for </i>God's response. Especially if it's something I don't really want to hear, or even worse sometimes, when I have to wait for his response and it's not on "my schedule". Patience is not a virtue I have a good handle on yet...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I think I'm just worried that I won't get that "experience" of hearing God loud and clear. I feel like it would be terrible to have anything less than an awesome experience of hearing God speak to you through a burning bush or something. Like what if I'm trying my best to listen and I still don't hear? I think that would be so discouraging... It's not like he's ever forsaken me before, but like I said, it's not always on my time frame and I struggle with that "waiting for a response". </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My sister sent me a book a long time ago, it's called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Youre-Late-Again-Lord-Impatient/dp/1593109148">"You're Late Again, Lord!"</a> and it's all about God's timing versus our timing. I think I need to read it again because that is another thing I haven't mastered yet...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Maybe I'll start silence in small doses and see if I'm better able to hear things.</span><br />
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<br />Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-2450666643884749242012-09-19T19:44:00.000-04:002012-09-19T19:44:21.752-04:00Pineapple Mangosteen<img alt="" src="https://img.bzzagent.com/image/gladeExpressions.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=9365102339&Campaign=5855213675&Uid=367770&token=aa5252f6b2ecf9a361b5fee3c745a8fb" />
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I LOVE being a BzzAgent! I get to try all kinds of super cool stuff and talk about it! I LOVE talking about stuff I love, so it's a win-win!<br />
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I am currently trying the Glade Expressions Oil Diffuser in my office at work. My co-workers FINALLY noticed the lovely scent emanating from my corner and before I knew it, everyone was checking it out :) I now have 3 folks interested in becoming BzzAgents too! I chose the Pineapple Mangosteen scent for the office and I absolutely adore it. It makes me so relaxed and helps me focus when I'm drowning in to-do piles. Plus, I don't have to worry about it spilling, which I'm sure the cleaning company appreciates.<br />
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I am definitely a fan :)Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-70029036333776973062012-09-13T22:37:00.002-04:002012-09-13T22:37:41.755-04:00Road Trip Weekend!<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Woohoo! Road trip to Indianapolis this weekend! Rick has to do some work down there, so we're going with him. Looking forward to seeing my aunt and uncle and escaping for the weekend. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I LOVE road tripping with my family - our boys do SO WELL and Rick and I get along best on road trips, I think. Not that we don't get along in general, but you know what I mean! Indianapolis isn't a bad trip either! Long enough to count as a road trip, but not too long that you have to plan a huge thing. We're leaving Saturday morning and we'll be home on Sunday. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Plus... road trips mean staying at a hotel. We LOVE that! When I was a kid, we didn't stay in hotels - we took a trailer and camped wherever we went. We, on the other hand, don't have a trailer, so when we go away, we stay in hotels. Josh and Logan are super lucky in that respect (in my opinion anyway - I would have LOVED to stay in hotels when I was a kid!!!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm glad we're not leaving tomorrow night (which was the original plan). That would have involved getting everything packed tonight, and I'm just not up for that tonight. It was my late night at work, and I have to be back there at 8am tomorrow, so I'm glad I don't have to worry about having everything ready to go tonight.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wonder what fun things the boys and I will find to do while Rick's working. Anyone have any tips for fun stuff in Indianapolis??</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-53212821162237638362012-09-08T22:22:00.000-04:002012-09-08T22:22:06.349-04:00Feeling Crispy Outside!!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's starting to feel like fall here along the lakeshore! Over the last couple of weeks, we've noticed the occasional brightly colored tree as we're driving along the highway, but the temps have stayed up there and summer has been hanging on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Not today!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last night we got SO MUCH RAIN! The boys and I stopped at the video store on our way home from daycare yesterday. By the time we were done choosing our selections, it was pouring rain outside. It never stopped. The temps fell and it rained and rained and rained. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This morning we awoke to bright blue skies and a fabulous breeze - and you could definitely tell a cold front came through! I wore jeans all day. The boys and I went to the Farmer's Market this morning and picked out some beautiful Macs for apple crisp. We decided to hang around Montague for the morning and it was perfect. We walked down by the water, stopped by the Book Nook and Java Shop, had lunch at this tiny corner soda fountain with like 6 things on the menu and then just sat on a bench soaking up the sun until we were ready to be done. I haven't felt that relaxed in a while. It was nice to just do whatever we wanted and enjoy being together. No schedule, no plans, nothing.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">The apple crisp just came out of the oven, and I'm sitting here drinking a cup of chai, debating whether or not I want to dig in tonight or wait until tomorrow. I told the boys they could have it for breakfast before church tomorrow - they're super excited about that :) (Trust me - this is a RARE occurrence! The only reason it's allowed is because it took me too long to slice the apples and it was past bedtime before it was ready)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm looking forward to church in the morning, football in the afternoon and seeing family in the evening. Sounds good to me.</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-78447244597761270142012-08-27T21:39:00.001-04:002012-08-27T21:39:14.988-04:00The Boy is Definitely Mine.<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was feeling some stress today and needed to get out of the house. Rick took Logan, so Josh and I took off on a walk. I had my iPod, he had his mp3 player. He doesn't usually walk with me, but when I walk (or even when I'm on the treadmill), I can't help but dance along to the music. I looked over and noticed that Joshua was dancing along to his music too. He's definitely my kid. He might look and act exactly like his dad, but there's a tiny little bit of me in there and it comes out when he listens to music. I'm ok with that :)</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-47210318396466152992012-08-18T11:57:00.002-04:002012-08-18T12:00:46.610-04:00Just Another Saturday...So, here I am, sitting in my hometown, covering the family business for my dad. Funny how when you've been gone for so long it just feels different. Not that I'm not here on a semi-regular basis... my parents live here, my grandma lives here, I have friends and family all over here! It's just different being here for a slightly extended period of time.<br />
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I was sitting at a friends house last night. She lives behind my mom's house and I used to babysit her kids way back when. We're still good friends with them - shoot - they were our daycare for the boys before we moved away! She's known my kids since the very beginning.... and I've known her kids from early on. Her youngest just turned 16. I've known him since he was born. Her oldest is 20! Her middle daughter just got her Senior Pictures done... it's hard to wrap my brain around that. We were sitting there talking and just catching up since we don't see each other much.<br />
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They've had some big changes in their lives this past summer... her husband's job was outsourced, he's been home all summer and now he's looking at being able to start collecting retirement this fall. Her oldest daughter has decided to go to school for Theraputic Massage this fall, her youngest is thisclose to earning his Eagle Scout Badge... it's amazing.<br />
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I sit there and think that MY oldest is about to be 10. As in double digits (eek!) 10! In less than two weeks!!! My youngest is starting first grade in just a few short weeks. My husband and I just celebrated a decade of marriage last month.... it's crazy.<br />
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I guess sitting at the family business, being surrounded by the very things that put a roof over my head and food in my stomach makes me think about the past. It's quiet here at the lot - I've only had one customer so far today (although I fully expect to be swamped right about when it's time to close up shop!) but I'm just sitting here looking around and feeling a little bit sad. Not really sad, I guess, more like... I feel like remembering. Being grateful for my past and excited about my future. My boys are still relatively little, my husband and I are still relatively young... I hope we have a lot of good years ahead of us.Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-48530506862350576272012-06-11T22:43:00.001-04:002012-06-11T22:45:10.089-04:00I Heart Summer!!!<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">So, I wanted to take a second and kind of do a photo recap of summer so far. Keep in mind, it's only June, so there will be more to come! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Let's start with Memorial Day weekend - the unofficial start of summer here in Michigan:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My mom, the boys and I took a trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">This is how I know where to turn when we go see my sister and her family - yes, they live about halfway up Lookout Mountain. The first time I drove there, it was kind of freaky. This time, it was no big deal:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We went for the weekend t0 see Anna:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> And Solomon:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> And of course their parents :) My sister showed my mom how happy she was that we were there!!</span><br />
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The boy cousins had a ridiculous amount of fun! </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Josh was loving on Anna the whole time (that boy LOVES babies!!) and Logan and Solomon were like two peas in a pod. They were even good sports for taking pictures before we had to go back to Michigan.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My mom finally got a photo of all her grandkids together at once - that was the whole reason she came with us I think, since I totally dropped the ball last time I was down there and didn't get the coveted photo! Ok, so maybe she wanted to see my sister, too, but I think it was mostly so she could get this:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And ESPECIALLY this: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> The drive home on Memorial Day was long, but the scenery was nice!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Most of the rest of summer so far has been devoted to soccer - the sport of choice for my boys. Joshua had an amazing coaching staff and improved his game by leaps and bounds. Logan was just in love with soccer in general and gave 150% each and every game - well, except the last game when he wasn't feeling well. He must have been super sensitive that day because he heard me on the sidelines and started crying. Yeah, I was "that mom" - the one who makes her kid cry by trying to help. I promise it wasn't on purpose, though! He just gets like that sometimes. I promised him I wouldn't talk ANYMORE (lol) and he went back out there and scored a goal. So, it could have been worse! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here are some of my FAVORITE soccer shots for your viewing pleasure:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Last, but certainly not least - since summer is still just beginning - we spent a Saturday in Pentwater. It just so happened to be the same Saturday as the annual "Start of Summer Party"!! Rick and the boys helped set the tents and tables up and then we enjoyed some super yummy picnic food!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Logan looks so angelic at the State Park!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Had to make a stop at Cosmic Candy!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> Taking a break after setting up for the "SOS Party":</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And finally, Josh the photographer took a REALLY nice picture of Rick and me. We don't have a lot of those, since I'm usually behind the lens, so that was a bonus!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Tonight, the boys and went to the beach after I got home from work. I love that I live close enough to Lake Michigan that I can do stuff like that! I'm really excited that summer is still young... we have a lot of fun plans, which means a lot more pictures to come of our summer adventures :)</span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-29343422557036758372012-06-06T20:48:00.000-04:002012-06-06T20:48:38.243-04:00Haha! Twice in one day!<div style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">
How do you like the new blog look? I was bored with the old one and decided to change it up. This is just a basic template (thank you, Blogger!), but I didn't want to have to mess with it much, so I'm ok with it. </div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I'm a fan - what do you think? </span>Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-66925157534341880292012-06-06T20:10:00.003-04:002012-06-06T20:10:45.630-04:00Look mom! It's only been a week since the last post!Aren't you excited... only a week between posts this time around!! I know, your life is not complete without a blog post from me, so I'm happy to indulge. I saw on mlive that Blandford Nature Center in GR is rehabbing a Barn Owl! Joshua is OBSESSED with Barn Owls, so I think a trip out there this weekend might be in order! Barn Owls have been thought to be extinct in the state of Michigan, but this one happened to have been found on the floor of a barn in my hometown (and where we lived before we moved up here), so it feels a little serendipitous. The nature center has an animal rehab blog and I signed Josh up to get updates - he's on cloud nine! There's also a Raptor Rescue not too far from our house, I think, and I've been thinking about taking Josh there too. He is absolutely smitten with birds! He thinks he's getting a canary for his birthday, but I think Rick and I are going to surprise him with it early - like in the next month early!! He's had a rough couple of months but he's been amazing and we think he deserves it! If we make it to the Barn Owl, I'll make sure to post some pictures :)Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3876151373824810766.post-43505618267445634142012-05-30T23:43:00.002-04:002012-05-30T23:46:12.238-04:00Yup, I know.I suck at keeping this blog updated! I used to be so good at it... Of course, I've had some stuff going on over the last year that has been taking up too much space in my brain (and not leaving much room for blogging topics!). I don't want to go there, I'm just saying...
Anyhow, it took stumbling on my newish friend Gretchen's blog to make me realize that I miss this. I miss having an outlet for the random thoughts that occupy my brain. I just wish I had more time. Like, an extra few hours a day. I constantly feel like if I give something like the computer ANY of my attention, it's taking away from areas where I should be focusing. Like my kids (although, I promise they're in bed!), or my husband, or the laundry - or worse yet - sleep! I just spend SO MUCH TIME on the computer at work that I don't love being on it here at home, too. I wonder how Ross would feel if I blogged during the workday? I wonder if Blogger is even accessible, or if it's blocked! Regardless, I'm pretty sure I would lose my job - and I really like my job! (I have a new job, by the way! Have I mentioned that on here? Probably not. Oh well... surprise! I got a sweet promotion at work! Yay!)
Another thing I miss is just having the time to peruse other people's blogs - which are far more interesting than my own, I'm sure! I used to feel so connected to folks in the blogging world but now I have no idea what's going on with anyone.
If only there were more hours in the day. Shoot... if there were more hours in the day, NOT ONLY would I be able to blog regularly, BUT ALSO maybe I could actually work out every day! That would be an amazing accomplishment in itself! (Though I did buy some sweet new Ryka shoes from Amazon today... they'll be here in a week or so and maybe my fancy new footwear will inspire me to get up just a little bit earlier and squeeze a workout in! Realistically, probably not, but a girl can dream, right?)
Ok, so maybe the new shoes will help with the working out... I wonder what will help with the blogging!Amanda:http://www.blogger.com/profile/06352338119075129791noreply@blogger.com0