This is it...

Plans change. Things happen. Sometimes this is good... sometimes this brings distress and frustration. In this case... it is a little bit of both. Here is what happened:
At the suggestion of Andrew's dad we thought it would be great to get into the house this weekend and get the ceilings painted.  Yesterday Andrew mentioned this to our realtor and asked if it would be possible. She said probably, but why don't we just close early? Andrew said "I don't know, why don't we?"
So that lead us through a busy busy busy afternoon of getting things in line.
All of our paperwork is in and approved therefore... as of this afternoon... we will be homeowners!! WOW... I have had many titles before:

• daughter
• friend
• teacher
• student
• lover
• cook
• cleaner
• babysitter
• assistant
• boss
• dog feeder
• nail biter 
• coffee conosuer 
• eater
• daydreamer 
• slacker
• bag lady
• shopper
• driver
• wife
• fun sucker
• dingy 
• clueless 
• worshiper
• church lady
• (The list could go on and on ...) 

Lots of titles... but NEVER homeowner!! 
This is exciting... this is stressful!!
Here is the plan for the weekend.

After Lunch: Sign the next 30 years of our lives away....
Tonight: We pack like we have never packed before. Our house is about half packed now. I was counting on my extra week to get it done.
Tomorrow: Andrew has clients (including me and a friend) until 11.
Tomorrow afternoon: We paint ceilings and pack pack pack
Sunday:  CHURCH... gotta go to church!! Then MOVE!! We find everyone we can with a pick-up and load up our boxes and get them loaded into the garage. Some furniture will be moved in as well. Garage will be PACKED TO THE BRIM... Rent house... as empty as possible!!
Monday: Someone is coming to the new house to clean the carpets and house for us! (GOD LOVE THEM!!)
Tuesday night: ALL furniture moved from old house to new house!! All beds set up in new house! Bathroom unpacked.
Wednesday night: Inlaws coming to survey the work that needs to be done. God blessed us with two very handy daddies!! Andrew's dad gets the first call to duty. Dinner with them to discuss... the damage!
Thursday: Bible study
Friday: UNPACK
Saturday: UNPACK
Sunday... FUN DAY!! (I think I'll schedule a nap)
MONDAY - TUESDAY : work with inlaws.
Wednesday - Sunday: My mom is here to help get us all unpacked and settled.
Monday: Figure out life in a new house...

Some changes that this new house will bring are:

• Frozen Custard at Jareds every night of my life... (or I'll dream about it at least!) 
• Longer drive to work for Andrew, this means he will not be biking to work anymore. I know he will miss this... 
• Shorter drive to work for me... this is so good... I struggle with punctuality. 
• smaller kitchen... guess that means less space to clean so that is good! 
• Dogs will no longer live in our bedroom!! GLORY BE!! I'm so tired of them being EVERYWHERE!! They are not our children. Even our children will have their own room!! The dogs will get to come inside in the evenings but... they are dogs. They will have a doggy door that will lead into the workshop if they need to escape the heat or wind or cold or rain... or if they just want to be inside. BUT... THEY ARE DOGS!! They will be ok! (well except Cami... she will have emotional damage because of this change... poor girl!) 

 Ok thats all for now... I'm sure there will be MANY funny stories to tell of our adventures over the next few weeks.

Did I mention I get to see my sister-in-law during all this?? I'm so excited!!

Homeowners!!

My daddy..

As you know, father's day was this past Sunday.
Saturday was our one year anniversary and along with all the chose from packing and buying the house, I let the importance of this day slip though my fingertips.
We are doing something for our dads... it will just be a few days late. This is good... its like a belated birthday gift... it is extra special that way... right? This is horrible! Andrew and I feel horrible about this. I can't believe that we can't even remember to keep up with the one day that "Good 'ol Dad" gets! UGH! We are failures as children. Luckily one of the things that our dads have both always shown us is grace... so yet once again... on Father's Day, they had to pull out the Grace Card and remind us that they love us with or with out a gift on Father's day. As a slight make up gift, in addition to the gift I'm getting my dad, I decided to write a list of a few attributes that my dad has:

1. He keeps his cool -I have seen the man loose his temper maybe 4 times my whole life, the only two I can remember are when I wrecked car #2 and when I caught my bedroom on fire the day after Christmas. Both totally justified. And trust me... I gave him PLENTY more opportunities to blow his top.
2. He doesn't judge others. I remember sitting at a wedding, my mom and I were saying this "I can't believe she did ______" "I would NEVER do _____" "That's the song I wanted to use!!!" "This is not what I would do..." My dad looked at me and said, "Do you want someone saying that about your wedding?" I am not going to lie... my first thought was, they wouldn't say that about my wedding... my wedding will be perfect!! Nonetheless I quit judging and actually ended up enjoying myself. It was a beautiful wedding! Now that I have lived through my wedding, and looked back many times, I have relalized that there were ample opportunities for people to say "I can't believe she did ______" "I would NEVER do _____" "That's the song I wanted to use!!!" "This is not what I would do..." But yet, my wedding was perfect! 
3. He rolls with the punches! My dad does NOT need a plan. The man can wake up and just take the day as it comes. I. Can. Not. Do. This. I need a plan, a schedule, a back up plan most days. Daddy has a way of just dealing with whatever life throws at him be it a wedding, a daughter  moving 50000 miles away, a son moving back home, car wrecks, friends coming over spontaneously... whatever it is, dad just rolls with it. And finds a way to enjoy the ride! 
4. Dad laughs every day. I don't think I can remember a day that went by where my daddy didn't chuckle at something. One of my favorite sounds is his laughter. Its really great when he is giggling and he doesn't mean to be ... like when he is watching the same episode of Seinfeld  that he has watched at least 6 times... and laughing... oh thats a great one!!
5. My dad shows grace. I can remember (a little too well) when my parent's found out some stuff about me in college. Some was because I was bold and strait up told them ... for instance I remember one conversation going something like this: We are sitting in Chili's, they have come to Angelo (Go Rams) to visit their oldest daughter who has been gone a little over a year when this conversation transpired.
   Dad: "Have you ever had any alcohol?"
   Me: "Yeah...." (I've always had an issue with the lying thing... you always get caught... so why even try!)
   Dad: "What all have you tried...?" (he had a hesitant look on his face as he asked.. like it almost hurt him to do so.)
   Me: "The list would be shorter if I told you what I hadn't tried." (STUPID STUPID STUPID... there were so many other thing I could have said here and STILL been telling the truth!!)
   Dad: (After a moment of letting it sink in) "Well you turn 21 in a few months. You know it is illegal to drink until you are 21. So, I'll just ask that you wait until then to drink anymore."
   Me: "Yes sir."
   After that the meal went on wonderfully but I'll never forget the look of disappointment that he had on his face. Not only had I broken the law but I was not as innocent as he thought I was.
   Around the same time in college, after a difficult weekend back home where I had opened up to my mom about some other stuff I had done, my dad called me when I made it back to town. The thing I remember most about that conversation is my dad saying something like this:
   "Heather, I love you, you will always be my daughter and I will always love you! No matter what!"
   That line was the first time I remember feeling grace. My daddy's ability to show grace when grace is hard has always been my one of my dad's most outstanding characteristics. 
6. My dad can't sing... but he does. I get my musical abilities from my dad. All of them. Neither one of us can sing... but we still love it. If a song is on and we know it... we are singing it. Its what we do. Deal with it. :) 
7. Daddy can fix ANYTHING!! Its true. Just ask him. He will fix it or try really hard to do so. I love this. 
8. He balances his check book. Every month. To the penny. It is what Mr. Hunt does. It is what I have seen him do every month for the past 27 years. Thats 424 months. Thats alot of check book balancing. UGH... I wish I would have stuck with this. 
9. My dad talks. He acts like he doesn't like to talk. But he does. And it is great. When we go to church, he is never standing around looking around. Nope, he is chatting with someone. And he is having good conversations with them. They don't just talk about the weather or the coffee. He knows about their kids, their grandkids or whatever... he is just that way. I love that. I like to do this too. :) 
10. My dad reads his Bible. Every morning. For as long as I can remember, I have seen my dad sitting at the kitchen table, with his coffee and a bowl of oat meal, reading his Bible. It is amazing. It is inspiring. 

Daddy, these are only a few of the traits that I know you hold but, we can't let the world know all the good stuff about you. They might want you, and even though I'm 50000 miles away... I still need you.
Love you so much!!

Our First Year!

We made it to one year.
I can't think of anything special or witty to write.
We had a good year. It was full of ups and downs.
It was FULL of growing pains.
It was full of learning experiences.
It was full of temper tantrums... thrown by me.
It was full of compassion given by the hubs.
It has been full of new puppies.
It has been full of big plans.

I look forward to another 50 plus years with this amazing man!! I am truly blessed.
Here are a few pictures to recap our fun year.

We started our first year off by ... getting married. We thought it would be a fun way to kick things off! :)

Our first home!

This is moments before beginning the worst camping trip of my life. And that even includes the time it was so cold we couldn't keep a fire going to cook our food. (I wish I had a picture to commemorate the end of that trip, it as the best part of the whole thing... but it would not be pretty!) The trip was full of spiders in the car, freezing nights and one particular boxer puking all over our bed in the tent.

Cami Joe and Buster Boy! Our first two babies... they love each other!

Dudley Doodles... our newest addition!

We made a trip home in August to pick up a few things that were left in Midland... most importantly my baby girl!! On the way we stopped by Pampa to see my family. This is the first picture with nearly all the grand kids in it. The only one missing is Brandon. We have GOT to make it happen one of these days...

Farmers market... this is a fun steam engine train!!

May 1st. My sweeties 30th birthday... he ran the 1/2 marathon and I walk/run/joggished the 5K!

We have bought our first house... well almost. In a little over a week it will all be final! 

We did so many more fun things like, finding new friends, starting a small group, getting involved in our church, a couple trips, a few random fun dates, a trip to a zoo close to town, I started a new job, we had family come visit, I had a friend come visit, we set up the 'envelope' system... we did so many fun things and I can't hardly wait to see what the next year holds.

My mom and dad sent us a card that summed up our year...

What is Marriage? 

Its vacuuming carpets and hammering nails. 

Its saving a dollar by shopping at sales... 

It's balancing checkbooks and paying off bills. 

Its cleaning the windows and mopping up spills. 

It's doing the laundry and matching up socks. 

It's a washer that dies when the car needs new shocks ...

It's two busy schedules, but one happy life,

With each moment you share as husband and wife!

The card also included a couple gift cards for dinner out. :)
Andrew's parents sent us Flowers that were amazing... I have pictures but not loaded yet.

Thank you to all who have supported and loved us through this year of growing pains. You are all special to us. We are blessed to call you family and friends!


Happy Anniversary My love! I look forward to sharing many more with you!

Guess what...

We can now announce proudly and with joy that we are buying a house here in Bartlesville.
The hubs and I have been looking for about 3 months, not wanting to rush the process or create a stressful situation, we really left it in the hands of our realtor. She was AMAZING!! 
We looked at about 10 houses. However, there were only a few that we were willing to put an offer on.
One day our realtor (who, along with her husband, are Andrew's first Tuesday and Thursday appointments) mentions to Andrew that there is a PERFECT house that she is getting ready to list on the market.
She said that the man living there is getting ready to move into a retirement facility here in town. When she mentioned a little bit about us to him, he got very excited about a 'young newlywed couple' moving in to his house.
Here is a little information... in bullet points... you know its how I think!

• Mr. B purchased the house in 1961just after it was built. That makes this a one owner home. :) 
• He has done many of the updates and repairs on the house himself, which in some cases situations I would be nervous about, but in this case most things are up to par. Minus a little electrical work that he did in the garage that needs to be brought up to code.
• When the house was first bought, there was a field behind it that had a couple horses... now there is a neighborhood full of houses and a school around the corner. 
• Mrs. B passed away this past August. She had an ailment where she lost the use of her legs. However, this did not stop them from getting out. Mr. B would scoop her up and put her in the car and take her to dinner EVERY night! His love for her was quite obvious. He cared for her with love and compassion until she was gone. 
• Mr. B walked me around his back yard, expressing his love for her and telling me about all the plants and details around the yard. He said she loved to be out there and caring for her garden. 
• Mrs. B was a collector of bird houses, therefor Mr. B was a builder of bird houses... he told me with pride, and eyes brimming with tears. 
• The B's also had an unusual taste in paint choice. to go along with the wood paneling, there is also a fuchsia wall in the living room, the first guest room is baby pink, the second bedroom is a rose pink, the master bedroom is light blue, the master bath is light blue and peach, and the guest bathroom is mauve and blue sprinkles on the wall. The kitchen has lovely light yellow cabinets which I love. I am even thinking about keeping the color for a while... just updating it for a while. Then when we get new doors for the cabinets and such then we will do a new color.
• The kitchen has beautiful parky (SP) floors... which I love... but you can't get them wet. So I am wondering what the practicality was here. 
• The carpet is old and miss matched... Much like the colors of the house. My parents are going to come up in the fall and help us put down pergo floors. :) God love 'em!
• The back yard is stunning... seriously... we couldnt have dreamed up a more perfect back yard. it is just big enough for a few kids and dogs to hang out. There is a very nice shed out there that will hold all the yard equipment plus some stuff. 
• The garage has an enclosed shop for Andrew to perfect his handyman-abilities. This will also be our babies new room. YES... thats the truth!! We are cutting the cord. They are leaving our room. They will have a doggy door which will give the access to the back yard at their will, they will have their beds in the room. It will be cool in the summer and warm in the winter. They are dogs. They will be fine. THEY. WILL. BE. FINE. (yes I'm trying to convince myself) Our room is just too small and I'm honestly, tired of our time in our room when we should be sleeping... being focused on the dogs. If the dogs wake up so do we... well so does Andrew. This isnt fair. THEY ARE DOGS! Ok I'm stepping off my soap box.
• The back yard has a tree that was stolen off some property here in town and now it is HUGE. When it was planted, Mr. B didnt think it would last... well it did! It is my favorite thing about the yard. 
• There is a fantastic closed in porch that has a brick flooring and it will be simply my favorite hideaway. 
• The front door is the same yellow as the cabinets and I love it. Our realtor thinks it needs to change... but I love it!

Ok here are a few pictures. I'll update them or write a new post with the house empty and obviously before and after pictures from the painting and flooring projects. 

The front of the house. It is beautiful. I think we will pull out the shrubs there in to open it up some.

The living room looking in from the entry way. Curtains swill go. There is also a 1980's hanging lamp in the corner that will be going as well. There are no other lights in the room as of yet, so we hope to add something (lamps for the time being) more permanent down the road.

This is the 'den' it is at the other end of the living area. There are some FABULOUS bifold doors that you can shut between the rooms... they will be going. This is the wood paneling that we will be painting on Friday night... before we move on Saturday.

Looking out the window in the Den to the screened in back porch. :)

The kitchen. Its not big, but boy does it have storage. :) The fan hanging there, is from the old Phillips Hotel in town.     Mr. B bought it for $4.00 and fixed it up. He bought 4 or 5 and gave them to friends. That will making cooking in this little kitchen much more enjoyable.

Our sweet dining room. The Chandelier will be replaced soonish... This is right off the Den.

Guest bedroom 1. Baby pink with orange carpet... LOVELY!! :) See the off colored spots... HELLO termites!

The next guest room. Decent carpet. 2 windows. Right across from master.

Master. Blue. My room was blue when I was in Jr. High. I was in a 'I hate everything the shade of pink' phase.

The garage. (Honda not included).  The workshop is to the right.

This picture doesn't do the tree justice but this is the tree I love. The bricks around it are crooked and some are falling apart but it is perfect. So cute. There are so many opportunities for this fantastic back yard.

This section of the yard will be the Dog's run. They will be fenced in here so they can do as they want. Tear up what the want and poop where they want. It will not get in my way any more. :) I will enjoy this back yard!

The door to the left is the porch and the door to the right heads to the shop/dog's room.

The back porch... the rug will be pulled up... just brick! It will be amazing!

The laundry 'room' or closet. It is outside by the garage doors. It will be a cold chore but it will need to be done. And there are many organization options here!! Look at those shelves... don't ya love 'em?

That is our new little house. We will take possession on June 30th after we sign our name a million times. Then will begin a weekend of whirl-wind of moving mayhem. Anyone that has a truck and fairly strong arms is more than willing to come hang out with us. We will have all the water you need and if you are lucky we might even feed you some pizza.

100 ways to simplify your life...

I don't know how, but I came across this list today. It overwhelmed me. Such simple things to think about, yet, how many times do I CHOOSE to not do them. Life is about making the right choices. If you don't know what the right choice is, then there are steps you take to make sure you make the right choices, (1) pray about it, (2) find someone wiser than you and ask them, (3) pray about it, (4) REALLY really think about it... break it down... eventually your heart will tell you what is right.

The blue ones are the ones that stand out the most to me.
I hope this gives you a bit of peace as we head into this weekend.

1. Don’t try to read other people’s minds
2. Get up 30 minutes earlier so that you don’t rush/get a ticket while driving too fast/have to explain why you’re late/get fired

3. Get 8 hours of sleep per night so that you think more clearly

4. Stick to your budget

5. Start saving and investing every week, no matter how little you can spare
6. Balance your checkbook
7. Don’t try to be friends with everyone. Cultivate closer relationships with fewer people.
8. Don’t try to do business with everyone. Identify your target client and take very good care of them.
9. Before getting angry, ask yourself if it will really matter in 20 years
10. Focus on being a good person, not on pleasing others
11. Stay home this Saturday, and finish off that nagging chore that you need to finish
12. Kiss and make up
13. Make a weekly menu, and shop for only those items at the market
14. Ask your grandparents the best way to uncomplicate life, and try it for a month
15. Fill up your gas tank when it’s half full

16. Don’t drink alcohol when you’re tired, sad or mad

17. Pay your bills on time
18. Get an annual physical examination

19. Say “I love you” to your significant other and to your children. Studies show that more marriages last, and fewer kids use drugs, when these words are spoken every day.

20. For just one day, imagine everyone’s intentions are good because most people’s are
21. Give away clothes that haven’t been worn in two years
22. Throw out clothes that are in disrepair, and can’t be mended
23. When you have a conflict with someone, talk it out. Don’t let it turn into more than it is.
24. Know what your priorities are in life, and act as if they are your priorities
25. Tell the truth
26. Don’t cheat
27. Don’t steal
28. If you’re holding on to a ridiculous grudge, let it go

29. Clean your house weekly, so that it doesn’t become too large a chore

30. Do your best at work, or at school
31. Don’t eat when you aren’t hungry
32. Eat when you are hungry
33. Be yourself
34. Say no unapologetically
35. Cook simple meals

36. Don’t try to keep up with the Joneses

37. Pay off your car before buying a new one
38. Organise your desk at the office
39. Change your smoke alarm batteries when the clocks spring forward, and again when they fall back
40. Organise your important paperwork
41. Take only half the clothes that you planned to take with you on holiday
42. Help your children with their homework every night, and have an open dialogue with their teachers
43. Have white sheets and white towels in children’s rooms/bathrooms, because they’re easily bleached
44. Spend your time with nice people

45. Avoid drama

46. Don’t text or talk on the phone while driving

47. Turn off the television/video games/computer; they’re time consumers

48. Don’t engage in office politics
49. Refuse to gossip, or talk behind other people’s backs
50. Do the dishes right after dinner
51. Never go to sleep angry
52. Ask nicely for what you need and want
53. Walk 10,000 steps per day to help your heart
54. Do 20 push-ups before speaking in anger
55. Leave work at work
56. Don’t befriend anyone that isn’t trustworthy
57. Don’t envy others
58. Have your oil changed
59. Take vitamin C BEFORE you catch a cold
60. Don’t work more than 8 hours per day
61. Weed your garden weekly
62. Wash your car weekly

63. Have a spring cleaning month every year, and do one room at a time

64. You don’t need to be best friends with work colleagues, but build respectful partnerships
65. Don’t drink and drive

66. Don’t look for reasons to be angry or sad, look for reasons to be happy. You’ll always be able to find plenty of each.

67. Be friendly with your neighbours
68. Return emails and phone messages promptly
69. Schedule in free time
70. Don’t procrastinate
71. Do what you say you’ll do, when you say you’ll do it
72. Be more flexible when you’re able to be
73. Forgive and forget. End of story.
74. Break the consumerism habit…put a three month moratorium in place on buying anything not deemed a necessity
75. Start your diet on September 1, rather than January 1, so that you won’t also have holiday pounds to lose
76. Take care of any health issues or concerns
77. Have your tires rotated
78. Have your brakes checked
79. Have your eyes checked
80. Don’t let your imagination run away with you
81. Let go of perfection in others
82. Let go of perfection in yourself
83. Don’t try to help those that refuse to help themselves
84. Find a way to reduce your commute to work

85. Have an alloted amount of worry time per day/week, that you strictly abide by

86. Drink more water
87. Eat more salmon
88. Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill
89. Wear your hair in a classic, easy to care for style
90. Finish what you start
91. Wear classic clothes and shoes that never go out of style
92. Create a daily routine
93. Have a 1, 5, 10 and 20 year plan for your financial and life goals
94. Slow down

95. Eat out less often

96. When you ask your husband which outfit looks best, thank him for his answer and wear the one he liked rather than focusing on why he didn’t like the other one
97. Allow your children to grow up
98. Clean out your garage, and donate anything that hasn’t been used in the past year
99. Stretch every day

100. If a relationship is over, let it go

 Taken from Live the Charmed Life .

Sometimes you just feel crafty

Sometimes you just feel a little crafty....

So what do you do? You find someone who needs some crafting done. :) Shortly after getting married and moving to Bartlesville, I met some new friends. Jeejo and Erin. They were married the month before Andrew and I were married. Therefore we have newlywed-ness in common. Some of the things we don't have in common are : 

• Jeejo is from Inda
• They live in a cute apartment built by Erin's Grandpa
• They have done lots of traveling in their lives
• They have Erin's family here in town
• But the BIGGEST difference is that they are expecting their first baby.

The baby is due on the 4th of July but they expect she will be here any day now. Her name will be Alexis Grace and she will be one of the most precious babies.  I wanted to do something special for them so I offered to help in their nursery. It was a fun project that involved lots of brain storming from some friends at work! The first thing I did was make them something special just for Alexis. This is a bow board. You know, somewhere to hang all here frilly little bows that will be just precious. I think one of the best things about little girls is bows!! The bigger the better... but sometimes small and sweet are just perfect too. But bows nonetheless.
Here is the process...

Paint a canvas... doesn't have to be perfect... just covered.

Grumble about getting paint on the kitchen table... (luckily it came right off later!)

With Pandora paying on the computer... measure lots and lots of ribbons the right length... this will depend on how tall your board is. My ribbons were different widths, I wish I would have gotten a couple that were wider.

Mint Tea is required on most projects... or coffee... or if you are splurging a glass of wine.

With a dab of hot-glue attach ribbons (as strait as you can) to the back of the board.

Grumble about your cruddy painting job.

Flip the board around every 3-4 ribbons to make sure they are all relatively strait...

This is what the back should look like ... I'm slightly OCD about a few things... so I had to do mine in a repetitive pattern. I think it would have been just as cute to do them randomly.

This is what the other side will look like. I LOVE these colors!

This is the back of the board when it is done...

And this is the front.

 I added a ribbon on the outside to finish it off.

I did a few things in the room. I wish I had before and after pictures but I was in too big of a hurry to get everything done.

This was an old lamp that I just added carnations and leaves to ... this gave it some color and a new look.

I just added ribbon ties here on the curtains to soften them up some. They later added a white cornice board to the window which pulls it all together nicely.

Fun wall decorations...

The 'bow board' :)

Butterflies floating on the walls...

Here is a mobil I made out of some colorful flower ribbons they had...

And here is my husband THRILLED about helping out! (I needed his muscles!) 

So there it is... the first nursery that I have ever helped decorate. It was fun! While doing it I did get lots of ideas for ours... someday. It was quite an adventure and so fun to bless them with my time and energy so they could have a day out! Now I can't wait for sweet Alexis to get her so I can offer to babysit!! :)