For Angie's Baby

Here is my latest hat. Sadly, no, it didn't come from my new favorite book. But...the next one will!! This hat knitted up in just under 3 hours - can't complain about that!! It's for my friend at school - she's having a baby shower on Feb. 15th, so I'm way ahead of schedule. I still have one purse hanging over my head (not literally) that I need to finish from Christmas. Oops! I did however, knit 8 purses for Christmas gifts in time. 1 1/2 more have been produced since Christmas. Maybe I can finish that up this week and move onto a fun new baby hat. I am also entertaining the idea of knitting a sweater. That might be a good summer project, when I have more time on my hands.

Speaking of babies - my good friend Michelle had her baby girl this weekend. They named her Lauren Eva: 5 lbs. 8 oz. 17 inches long. Michelle now lives in Florida (*sigh*) so it will be a while before I meet Lauren. The new Mommy & baby are doing well & were suppose to go home yesterday. Congratulations Brad & Michelle!!

Okay, I Give Up...

Since last summer Andrea has been going on and on about how wonderful her book itty-bitty hats is. I looked at her book this summer, oohed-and-ahhhed over several patterns, but didn't think much more about it. Then she posted the 'bunny tail' hat. I almost melted when I saw it. That hat sealed the deal. We were at Borders tonight after dinner & I purchased said book. I'm so excited - infact, I need to finish this post quickly so I can go start hat!!! Thank you Andrea for the inspiration - I hope to create many cute hats in the near future. :)

You may also notice the fingernail polish sitting next to the book. It's my new fav color from OPI 'Lincoln Park After Dark'. It's a deep purple color with some sparkle to it - a girls' got to have her sparkle!! I also like it because it looks almost black & makes me feel a little on the funky side. Quite a change of pace for this super pink girlie-girl.

New Post

Yeah, I couldn't think of anything exciting for my title...much like the day. I really don't have a lot to report - which is okay. :) My work day today was just fine, kids were well behaved & we had a great time singing songs, playing circle games, and having choir. Tomorrow we don't have any kids!! It's strange how excited teachers get when the kids don't come to school. Tomorrow will be a day of catch up, meetings, and program planning.

I think a run to Starbucks will be in order for first thing tomorrow morning. Ah, the happiness a decaf, non-fat, tall latte can bring to a music teacher...

Surprise!!

3:30 am: Tim's alarm goes off.
3:30 1/2 am: The door bell rings. Ugh!
3:45 am: Tim leaves for CA
5:00 am: Jessie finally falls back asleep
6:30 am: Jessie gets up

Tim left this morning for San Diego, CA on a business trip. His co-worker was suppose to come at 4:00 am to pick him up for the airport - but it took less time for her to get to our house than she thought. ;)

So...this afternoon/evening I busied myself with laundry, picking up the house, mailing a package, etc., etc. Around 8:15 I sat down to watch American Idol & started knitting a baby hat for my friend. Tim called at 8:30 to find out how my day had gone and as we were chatting the door bell rang. I froze & told him someone was at our door. He said it was probably the next- door neighbor & I should answer it. I started to object, but since he was on the phone with me I went to the door.

When I opened the door - my husband was standing right in front of me. I burst into tears (yes, I'm sappy like that) what a great surprise!!

From now on, I will assume that anyone who calls me past 8:30 pm is standing on my doorstep waiting to surprise me.

Peace

As many of you know, we left our church of six years this fall for several reasons. We sensed that God was nudging us to move on, so we decided to just check out other churches in the area to see if there were any that we liked better. After six months of looking, visiting lots of churches, lots of discouraging Sundays, and a few tears, we've found a church that we would like to pursue making our new church home.

We first visited Bethany Baptist in November. We tried several others afterwards & decided this week we wanted to go back & try again (the first time we went their pastor was on sabbatical). We went this morning & talked with the pastor right away, who by the way, I knew from my youth group days in ID - he was one of the youth pastors in the valley & even remembered me - small world. We met several people this morning & were invited to the pastor's house tonight for a 'new comers dessert'. We decided to go, and had a lovely time this evening with the pastor, his wife, and several other couples that are new to the church. He answered our questions, gave us information about the church, & we even had yummy dessert. :)

My heart is overflowing with joy tonight as I think about this new church family that we may be fellowshipping with. Tim has said that he too is pleased with what we know of the church so far & would like to start attending there with the intention of staying. I don't think I knew how badly I wanted a new church family until tonight when I realized that this may be just the place for us. I think our long search is finally over. What a great start to the week!

Interesting...

Thursday afternoon, Tim called me & told me that he was going to be receiving a package Friday afternoon with 'live material' in it. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was coming from a company that he does reviews for. I was a little nervous about this 'live' package, but we decided it would probably be flowers. So Friday afternoon when I got home I saw the package on the front porch, brought it in & carefully began to open it. Thankfully nothing jumped out at me but it wasn't flowers...they sent him an EcoSphere - "give a world to someone". I couldn't take it out of the box right away, I had to let it warm up to room temperature. A few hours later we took it out & these 3 itty bitty shrimp were inside along with rocks and a coral type thingy (yes, that's it technical name...). :) We put it on the counter & after dinner noticed that the shrimp had begun to swim around - they were alive & enjoying their new home. Kind of a weird thing to send someone, but I'm strangely fanscinated by it. We have decided to name them 'Tiny, Smalls, & Big Daddy'. Interesting...

On a more 'Jessie related' note, I got a new purse. Amanda & I conquered Target last night & walked out with the same purses, just different colors. Mine is a light green with a cranberry lining inside - so cute!! Amanda's is a light tan color. We also found several other exciting things at Target to tempt our time & money.

So far this weekend has been a great mix of friends, babysitting, & time alone together. My plan for our Saturday evening is to scrapbook a little, knit, and go to bed early. Wow - I sound old. :)

Taco Soup

I made Taco Soup for dinner last night. I cut the recipe in half & it still made enough for 4 more meals!! My friend from school gave me the recipe - Tim & I really liked it so here it is if you'd like to try it:

Taco Soup

2 lbs. burger (I used turkey)
2 cans corn
2 cans diced tomatoes (I used blanched/frozen from our garden this summer - yay!!)
2 cans kidney beans
8 oz. tomato sauce
3 pks taco seasoning (I used salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder instead)
1 onion, chopped
1 small can diced chili peppers
6-8 Cups water

*Brown meat, then add all ingredients. Reduce heat to simmer. Simmer for 30-45 minutes. Add tortillas, cheese, and sour cream to garnish. Enjoy!

The Laundry Room

Before...

After!!

For 2 1/2 years I've been talking about painting the laundry room. When we moved into our house we painted almost everything except the guest room (which was already painted) & the laundry room (because we ran out of steam...). So this past weekend Tim, Nicole, & I painted the room. Tim did the cool blue stripes & the rest of the room is now a beautiful shade of 'Cinnamon'. :) I also got a new soap dispenser & new red towels. All that's left is the fun vinyl quote that Andrea is going to order in a couple of weeks. When it's up, I'll update you on the newest & final addition to the 'laundry room project' - I know, so exciting!!

Deal of the Year!!

Here they are - my newest addition to the Dansco family.

A few months ago, Tim & I were wondering in the mall & we saw these Dansco's. I 'ooh-ed & ahh'ed' as he pulled me away from the window before I began to drool. I LOVE Dansco's & I have several pairs...okay...6 to be exact. I wear them everyday to teach in & my feet don't hurt at all when I get home - love them. Anyway...back to my story. I was in the mall on Thursday night with Amanda & we saw these shoes in the store window - on the clearance aisle. I had to go in. To my delight they were 1/2 price!! (Dansco's rarely go on sale). So, I tried them on & they fit. I put them on hold, called Tim & thought about it for about 5 minutes before running back to the store to purchase them - so exciting!

My kids at school yesterday noticed them right away - 'we love your shoes', 'nice shoes', 'I like those shoes' (some of the comments from my 5th grade girls - my kids are so cute).

So, the moral of the story is, I now live in these shoes - I'm trying to find an outfit for church tomorrow that works around the new pink shoes...

Back In The Saddle Again...

Yes, I've finally returned to the gym. I'm happy to report that I stayed on the Elliptical for 25 minutes! I was only planning on 15, but was able to squeeze 10 more minutes out of myself somehow. (The People magazine & fun iPod music didn't hurt...). I have plans to go to the gym tomorrow night with my friend Amanda & then to a Group Power class with Tim on Thursday. I'm going to get back into the routine of 3-4 times a week.

Andrea is calling this week her 'back to the grind week'. I think I should do the same, I'm having to go to work, do laundry, work out, get up early...this is definitely not vacation anymore. Boo-hoo.

After a hot shower & some lovely Bath & Body products, I'm smelling better & feeling good. Watch out gym...I'm coming back tomorrow.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Well as you can see from my two previous posts, we 'had a ball' this weekend. Hee, hee.

Friday morning, Andrea & EE picked us up from the airport. We went to Andrea's house & played around. That afternoon, my mom & Nana came to get me & I played with them for a few hours. Friday night, Matt, Andrea, EE, & us went to dinner. It was a great time of chatting, good food, and lots of fun. Thank you again Matt & Andrea for allowing us to stay at your fantastic 'bed & breakfast'. You guys are the best.

Saturday morning I went to my parents house & played with my family. Then, around 5 Tim came to pick me up & we went to dinner together. It was a really nice romantic time (& some good alone time that we needed). After dinner we headed to the ball(s). We returned to Andrea's & chatted until 1 am! Needless to say, I'm tired today.

Today we flew home & I got the house ready for the week. I also started & finished a purse this weekend. I currently have banana bread baking in the oven (Andrea, aren't you proud of me) & I even helped make dinner tonight. I'm feeling very domestic. :) Happy Sunday evening...

What A Ball (Part II)

Oops! Apparently Picasa didn't like all of the photos I'd selected. Here are the rest of them from last night. Enjoy!!


Idaho's Capitol
(Where the first ball was held)

My Dad & I - First Dance


Tim & I

My Mom & I
(At the second ball - Jordan Ball Room @ BSU)

What A Ball!

This weekend was a BLAST! Tim & I flew to Idaho on Friday morning to attend the Inaugural Ball for the new governor. My parents are care-takers on the new governor's ranch (nice gig for them!) and so we were invited to come to the ball too. We were able to be part of the 'friends & family' crowd, so we went to the Governor's Office for photos with the Governor & First Lady, had a special ball room for snacks, were escorted by 'the Secret Police' to sectioned off areas...etc....etc...etc. It was quite a treat!! Here are some photos from last nights event.



My Nana & I (Nana came all the way from S.C. for the event)

Tim & I
(In the Governor's Office)

The Governor & First Lady


My Mom & Lori (the new First Lady)

The Headless Hand Turkey...

Random funny niece story for the day:

While waiting for our lunch at Red Robin, Nellie was entertaining herself (& us) by drawing. I asked her to draw a 'hand turkey' (one of my favorite party tricks) and she was quick to respond. She put her hand flat on the paper & began to trace. To our delight she traced all four fingers & ignored her thumb. My sister said that's how she always does it, no tracing of the thumb, just the other four fingers. It was hilarious & I chuckle to myself every time I think of Nellie and her headless hand turkey.

It's Here...2007

HaPPy NeW yEAr!!

Wishing you & your family much joy, love, and happiness in this fresh new year. Enjoy your New Years day!