Let's Talk Chaos

I'm Back!

2011-12-27T09:14:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing holiday weekend! We are getting excited for the promise of a New Year here at our house!

So - after a long absence from this here little blog - I have decided to commit more of my time and energy to sharing our home remodeling projects, my organizing journey, craft projects and all kinds of fun and fabulousness!

First up - it's time again for the "Word of the Year".

I've chosen CREATE as my inspiration word for 2012. I would like to "create" a more organized and beautiful home this year, "create" new products for my Etsy shop (with lots of ideas spinning around in my head), "create" a new me (if I reach my weight loss and exercise goals) . . . you get the picture.

It's not too late to chose your word for 2012:)

Second up - I wanted to share our latest home improvement project with you.

Last spring, our 17-year old dryer finally quit on us. We decided to purchase a new front-loading washer/dryer set. First time in my entire adult life that I have had a matching set! Not to mention the fact that I can do laundry in a fraction of the time I could before! A--ma--zing!

A new washer/dryer set seemed like a really good time to make some much needed changes to our laundry room. Here are some before pics so you can get a good idea of where we are starting:

We originally thought we would take out the cabinets, stack the units and create a work station/storage unit on one side. But, we weren't sure that would be best for resale later. And, it seemed like more project than we wanted to take on! (No, we aren't planning any big move, but you never know:)

Instead, we decided to leave the units as they are and install a counter/worktop over the units. We plan to paint the cabinets white to match the kitchen. Along with that, comes a complete overhaul of the storage/organization in the cabinets. Time to rethink what needs to be stored in here! I feel a little "chaos control" coming on!

Oh - and this little area across from the dryer needs a complete overhaul as well!

We made a trip to Home Depot today and purchased the wood, trim and stain we will need to start the project. I'm excited to keep you posted on how all of this turns out!

The J9

Happy New Year & Word of the Year

2010-12-31T12:15:00.003-06:00

It's that time again. Time to come up with a "word of the year".

IIt seems like just yesterday that I was contemplating my "word" for 2010.

Some of my previous words have been: ACCOMPLISH, FOCUS, COMPLETE.

This year I would like my word to help motivate me in my journey to get stronger, lose some weight, become better about protecting my time, continue to improve our finances, get some projects completed, etc.

Phew! That's a lot to get done this year!

Here are some of the words I have been tossing around:

1. RENEW

2. HEALTH

3. BEGIN

4. ACT

I think I need a little more time to process.

I may have to revisit Ali Edwards' list here.

In the meantime, I am excited at the promise of a new year and an opportunity to reassess and make some changes.

The first change will be getting these Christmas decorations down and my house back in order! That's my plan for New Year's day - let's see how far we get.

I am feeling pretty good right now about my decision to decorate "light" this year.

Makes for a much nicer clean-up!

Here's wishing a wonderful New Year to all of my friends and family!

Have fun and be safe!

The J9

Hour of Power - Update

2010-10-03T12:07:00.004-05:00

Wow! That hour went awfully fast!

Here's what I got done:

1. Cleaned up the kitchen.

2. Went through the mail.

3. Put away the Fall/Halloween bins.

4. Vacuumed the family room.

5. Rotated the laundry (I actually had to rewash the load in the dryer - ughhhh!).

6. Swept the kitchen floor.

7. Created the menu for this week.

8. Helped the girls make jello!

I feel pretty good about that list!

We have a little friend with us today while her mom gets some things done. She loves hanging out with Emma and Zach! Emma is so good with her!

Here is a peek at our menu for the week. I have some plans to change our menu board up a little. Another one of those projects where I hope to use things that I already have and spend no extra $$$.

I'll show you how it turns out!

Your turn - what did you get done?

The J9

Sunday, Sunday

2010-10-03T10:43:00.003-05:00

Sunday is always a lazy start day for us at the Billings' household. It is the only day that we get a chance to sleep in. The cool temps this morning made it even more enticing to stay in our warm and cozy beds!

Now that I am up and moving, I am surveying all that needs to get done before we leave for softball double-headers this afternoon.

No projects for today :( Just clean and go!

I think I need an "Hour of Power". Have you ever tried this? Usually, when I am feeling a little overwhelmed, and a little under-motivated, I call a friend and ask her to join me for an "Hour of Power". We both do as much as we can for an hour and report back what we have accomplished when our hour is up.

Who wants to join me? I'm starting in 5 minutes - and will report back at noon.

Here's hoping for a big, long list of things that are done! "Hour of Power" here I come!

The J9

Gearing Up for Fall and Halloween

2010-10-01T09:22:00.012-05:00

I love Fall.

It is, by far, my favorite time of the year.

That being said, Fall has been slow to appear here in Kansas. Up until this past week, we have still been seeing temps in the 90's. Crazy! Now that things are finally starting to cool down, I'm starting to feel the urge to pull out the bins with the fall/halloween decorations.

One thing I know my collection has been lacking is a nice bold, something for the front door.

I have been searching for a wreath or something to hang, but haven't been able to find anything that I really love - and that won't break my budget. Budget is important at my house!

While I was at Hobby Lobby last week, I found some fall bunches that were on 50% off sale. I grabbed a leafy bunch, some small pumpkins, a few accent pics, and a grape vine wreath. Best part - everything was on sale!

After bringing it all home, I cut everything apart with wire cutters, heated up my new glue gun and started playing.

I started by hot glueing the leaves randomly around the grapevine wreath. I just kept layering and filling in until I was happy with how it looked.

Once I had most of the wreath covered with leaves, I started placing the pumpkins and other accents.

It took me only about an hour to put the whole thing together - and I love how it turned out! I saw similar wreaths at Hobby Lobby for $79.99. Mine only set me back about $12.00! And, I think it is so much prettier - Just sayin'!

The plan is to get the rest of the decorations up this weekend, and finish off the fall decorating. I am challenging myself to use what I have on hand. No money on new decor items. I'll be excited to share how that goes!

Happy Fall!

The J9

My First Slipcovers

2010-09-04T13:24:00.009-05:00

We can never go to the Maine house without a few projects waiting for us.

Last year it was apparent that we needed to buy new cushions for the wicker furniture on the front porch. I had some cute "lobster" fabric that I had never used - so I thought I would try my hand at slipcovers to save the cost of buying something new.

I have to say I was nervous at first, but it ended up being an easy project and looks great!

No new cushions for a while for these chairs!

Before: (Not very inviting.)

After: (A great place to sit and relax.)

I'm pretty proud of how they turned out. The lobster fabric was perfect. Plus - they were free! Hopefully they will last for a few years. The weather can be a bit brutal, but the fabric is very heavy weight. We'll see how they hold up.

I'm feeling empowered to try more slipcovers - and I have the perfect project in mind. It will be a little more complicated, but will really transform the pieces. And, it will save us the cost of new furniture. That's a bonus I can get on board with! Now, I just have to wait for the fabric to go on sale. I can be very patient.

I have to say - this was the easiest project of the trip. We cleaned out part of the attic and made a few trips to goodwill and the dump. The guys rebuilt a wall and put a new header in the garage.

One of these days vacation will be just that - vacation! Right?!

Maybe that's just wishful thinking.

The J9

Pickles, Pickles Everywhere!

2010-09-04T11:53:00.004-05:00

We had a pickle party at our house last night!

I had about 10 cucumbers from our garden that I wasn't sure what to do with. So, my good friend KB offered to come over and teach me how to make and can pickles. Of course, I took her up on it!

She brought her family, we ordered pizzas, let the kids and hubbies hang out, and we got to work! We always have such a good time hanging together - our husband's have become good friends, our kids are the same ages and are great friends, and we have such a similar outlook on life and family!

It is amazing how much fun we had in my kitchen! We both commented on how much more enjoyable it is to can, bake, whatever . . . with a friend. I have such great memories of my mom and her best-friend (my "ma") canning in the kitchen when I was little. It felt so good to carry-on that tradition. And, I was amazed at how easy it was!

We now have 8 cans of "bread and butter" pickles to enjoy! We used a recipe that KB's husband had from his grandmother. I don't think I have been this proud of something I created in a long time. Now the hard part - we have to wait 30 days to enjoy the fruits of our labor. They are just so tempting sitting on my counter - I may have to move them out of sight!

Probably the most fun of the evening was sitting in the family room talking with the hubbies and listening for the "pop" of the canning lids as they sealed. I know - you're thinking we're a bit corny - but come on - you would have loved it too!

I'm now inspired to do more, so I pulled out a couple of cookbooks that I inherited from my mom and "ma". Both are books with recipes for homemade mixes and then recipes for how to use the mixes.

I would love to be able to pull out something like the "Quick Mix" and use it to create recipes like "Sunshine Coffeecake" or "Crispy Breadsticks". Besides being quick and easy, it's so much more healthful for my family.

I'll let you know how that turns out.

In the meantime, here is the recipe and a photo of our pickles.

Enjoy!

The J9

Grandma H's Bread & Butter Pickles

4 qts. cucumber sliced thin (I made mine into chunks instead)

6 medium onions sliced thin

1 green pepper diced

1 red pepper diced

1/3 cup salt

3 cups white vinegar

3 cloves garlic

5 cups sugar

1 1/2 tsp. tumeric

1 1/2 tsp. celery seed

2 tsp. mustard seed

Slice cucumbers thin, add sliced onions and diced peppers and whole garlic. Sprinkle salt over layers as you work. Mix a tray of ice cubes through the pickles and let stand for 3 hours. Drain and divide into two batches. Combine vinegar, sugar and spices and pour over pickles. Heat just to boiling. Ladle pickles into hot jars and seal. Allow to stand 30 days before using.

Makes 8 pints.

'Tween You & Me

2010-06-16T14:50:00.024-05:00

So, Emma requested a room-makeover for her birthday.

Her birthday was in March - Oops!

It took me a little while to get things moving, but once I did, the inspiration just kept flowing. We are almost finished and wanted to share some "before & after" pics.

Not bragging or anything - but we are really proud of how it has turned out!

So here is the room as we prepped to begin painting the walls and woodwork:

She was done with the lavender and flowers! Just too much girly-girl!

And here are some with the woodwork painted, and as we began to cut-in the light turquoise color on three of the walls:

I was really nervous about the light turquoise color when we first picked it, but as we got it up on the walls I really fell in love with it!

It is a really fun and soothing color! And, it looks great with the new white woodwork.

Good riddance to the ugly old "honey/brown/orange"! You can see it in the hallway if you look closely.

Our inspiration came from her new bedding - a "bed-in-a-bag" set that we picked up at Target on super-duper sale. The colors in the bedding are a light turquoise, darker turquoise, lime green and brown circles. We knew we wanted to do some kind of circles on the wall, but weren't sure exactly what we wanted.

Leave it to my artsy-fartsy hubby! He created an inspiration wall in Photoshop that Emma loved. Now - how to get it on the wall.

Thanks to my artsy-fartsy mom, who has an art projector or two! We projected the printed Photoshop page up onto the wall and my mom traced the circles. Hard work!

Really glad for the "arty-fartsy" family in my life!

Then it was up to me to fill it all in. It was a tough project, but I LOVE how it turned out! It was well worth the hours spent (and the episode of vertigo that resulted)!

In progress . . .

More circles . . .

The final product! You can see the bedding that originally inspired us. Paper lanterns are from Pier One. The colors where perfect. Emma is holding out for a disco ball she spotted at Target to add to the lantern corner. Now we are just waiting for it to go on clearance or super-duper sale so we can snag it!

I still have some detail work to complete - need to paint the vent cover on the accent wall, paint out the closet, and hang a few shelves. But, otherwise, the room is close to complete!

We created a magnetic bulletin board by wrapping an old, metal shelf in a cute brown, seer-sucker fabric with white polka dots. We created magnets out of buttons and bottle caps. I'll try to get some close up shots soon so you can see how cute the magnets turned out!

After I get the rest of the detail-work done, I will take some real pics (not iphone pics) of the finished project.

I'm just glad that she loves it as much as I do!

Now, Zach is planning his big room makeover. Not sure when I will get to that one!

Thanks for taking a look!

Where does the Time Go?!

2009-09-24T15:30:00.002-05:00

Okay, so it has been several months - and actually an entire season has passed - since my last blog post! A lot has been going on here in Kansas, at the Billings household. I thought it might be a good time to catch everyone up!

We had an awesome summer - filled with lazy days, swimming at the pool, gardening, vacationing and friends!

We were lucky to have the time to travel to Maine and spend two weeks in Stonington. We were also lucky to be joined for the first week by our good friends the Bohlkens. It was so much fun to share our home and "Maine" with friends. Also fun to see things that we take for granted through fresh eyes! When we first arrived, the fog was thick and visibility almost nothing. As Dan, Kelly and the kids were staring at the fog out the big picture window in the living room, the fog began to lift and reveal the amazing view! They had no idea that we were right on the ocean with boats and islands surrounding us! It was funny, too, to hear Zach's comment of "I've never seen that before". I started to realize that he probably doesn't remember much from his last four visits to Maine because he was too little! We had great fun doing a little bit of everything from shopping to boating and hiking.

The second week we were joined by Roger's mom, Helen. She was a bit under the weather, but we still had a nice visit - and I know she enjoyed getting to see the grandkids! We had really great weather, with only a few days of fog and rain, so we were able to do some fun hikes and take the kids out on their first kayak outing. We collected lots of rocks and shells, had lots of lobster races, took some amazing photos and no one wanted to head back home. Did I mention that we drove again this year?! A bit insane - but all went well. Our kids are troopers!

We returned home just in time to start school (only three days to spare)! Emma is in 4th grade this year and Zach is in 2nd. They grow up so fast! Homework has been a bit of a challenge - things get harder as you move up - but otherwise everyone has transitioned well.

Emma decided to take a break from soccer this fall and is focusing her efforts on softball. Of course, she excels in almost everything athletic she tries (she must get that from Rog), and she has made no exception with softball. She is also gearing up to start volleyball academy in November and hopes to start playing next year. Her dad can't wait to start showing her the ropes! She continues to tumble when she can fit it in, and has joined the dance team and running club at school. She will be running a 5K in a couple of weekends! Go Emma! On top of all of this she continues to make straight A's at school! What a great kid!

Zach has given up on soccer for now and is exploring flag football with his buddies. He has had a couple of practices and his first game last weekend. Surprisingly, for the kid who doesn't like contact sports, he seems to really enjoy football. He even got tackled twice during Saturday's game, but popped back up (pulled his pants up) and got back in the game. He is hoping to play basketball this winter, and will continue playing baseball with the Mud Dogs in the spring. He has a great bunch of boys in his grade and they all have a blast playing sports together! He is improving his reading this year and is really impressing Rog and I! I know this is the year where we will see lots of changes in Zach!

Rog is still working for Golf Course Superintendents Association, and I continue to contract with Infant Toddler Services of Johnson County. Both organizations have been struggling in tough economic times, but we are grateful to still have meaningful and rewarding jobs. Our biggest project recently has been to paint our kitchen cabinets. It has actually been easier than we expected and so far is making a big impact on the look of our kitchen! We hope to have this project rapped up in a week or so. Then it is on to bigger and better things!

I promise to make a better effort to update my blog more often. In the meantime, here's wishing everyone a beautiful and peaceful fall - my favorite time of the year!

J9

2009-05-04T22:21:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it has been over two months since I posted last! Where does the time go?

Lately our time has been spent at practices and sporting events. I'm not sure what we were thinking letting both kids participate in two sports this spring. It has been a bit of a scheduling nightmare - but manageable. Our practice schedule doesn't leave many nights free during the week, and games pretty much eat up our weekends. It has been fun watching both Emma and Zach on the fields, though!

Zach is playing soccer with some buddies from school. This is his second try at soccer after taking a few seasons off. Let's just say the time off hasn't done much to increase his competitive drive! He probably won't be continuing with soccer after this season. I'm not sure I could take the stress of watching him dance around the field again! At least we have kept the cartwheels at bay for soccer!

On the other hand, he loves baseball and is happy to be playing again this year for the Muddogs! So far, we are 2-o for the season! The Muddogs really do rock and are blowing the other teams out of the stadium at each game! Our coaching staff has done a tremendous job this year - and the boys look great! Go Muddogs!

Emma continues to play soccer with her team the "Banana Splits". I think this is her 5th or 6th season with the team. They are excelling and really starting to look like they know what they are doing out there! Lots of passing and fancy footwork! Emma loves playing goalie or defender. Not really loving the offensive positions, but she can turn it on when she wants to. She scored the seasons first goal during our first game!

Emma is also playing softball for the second season. We have only been practicing so far, but have our first game this Saturday. Looking forward to seeing how the Golden Aces will do this season. There are a few new girls and everyone has been looking good at practice. Emma is considering pitching and has been practicing with her coach. I will keep you posted with her progress as we get into our season!

Rog and I busily planted our garden last weekend, and we are eager to see things start to take shape. This is such an exciting time as we anticipate bumper crops of tomatoes, peppers, green beans, snap peas, watermelon, cucumber, etc. I would love to try my hand at canning some of our bounty this year, and may have to pay Rog's coworker Kelly to come teach me the ropes! We are also considering participating in a local Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) group for the things we can't grow or produce ourselves this summer. Rog is a bit nervous about what we might have to eat - for anyone that knows how picky he is - this is a scary prospect! I will keep you posted on how all of that turns out!

I must get to bed now. I am starting a new "boot camp" tomorrow morning and don't want to be too tired! My good friend Elizabeth (who was just awarded her personal training certificate) is going to train a bunch of us "mommies" in the school parking lot at 6:00 a.m., two mornings each week. I am hoping to have my buff body back in 6 weeks! Wish me luck!

J9

Climbing out of a Bad Weekend

2009-02-08T22:07:00.002-06:00

So you didn't think my weekend could get worse, did ya? Well, it did!

Let me just say that scratched corneas are very painful. And, even more so when you are six years old and don't understand why your eye hurts so badly. Poor little man!

Anyway, my wonderful mom came up to help out Friday night and to serve as reinforcement as I attempted to get my kids out of bed on Saturday morning for a 7am soccer game. So, on Friday night we headed to Red Robin for dinner, then ran a few errands to Target and Home Depot. Somewhere along the way Zach began complaining that, not only did his eye hurt, but now his throat hurt as well. Warning bells started going off, since he was just treated for strep not two weeks earlier. We headed home, got in our jammies and watched "Mama Mia" before heading to bed early. I awoke at about 3am and couldn't get back to sleep, so headed to the computer at 4am. At 6am I woke the rest of the crew up and we headed to the soccer game, during which time Zach complained about his eye and his throat. As we loaded into the car after the game and prepared to head to Blue Springs for haircuts, Zach began crying and complaining that his stomach hurt. I quickly turned the car around and headed for home. He refused to eat or drink, and after listening to his complaints become worse over the next few hours, I placed my hand on his head only to find he was burning up! We headed to the pediatric after hours clinic, where after a two hour wait (and a fine episode of puking on the doctor), he was once again diagnosed with strep throat.

The rest of Saturday sucked! I could not wait for Roger to pull into the driveway on Sunday! I feel completely drained, even after getting a full night of sleep last night. Zach, on the other hand, was feeling much better today - even doing dance moves during the Grammy's this evening! He will definitely be heading to school tomorrow morning!

Thankfully, I have nothing scheduled tomorrow and can play catch up!

Have a great week!

J9

Update

2009-02-06T12:04:00.003-06:00

Well, he slept through the night, only to awaken this morning and begin screaming and crying all over again! We headed to the pediatrician's office. They did a dye test - and sure enough - Zachy B. has a scratched cornea! We next headed to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription for antibiotic drops. Not sure how long it will take to heal - but I am praying for a speedy recovery!

A scratched cornea is incredibly painful! Poor little guy has continued to scream and cry since leaving the doctor's office. I am very grateful that my mom will be joining us this afternoon, and will spend the night tonight. A little adult commiseration is just what this momma needs right now! It is so hard to see your little ones in so much pain, and not be able to do anything about it!

If anyone has any experience or great ideas - please send them my way!

We will be laying low today and getting some welcome lazy time on the couch. It is beautiful weather here - with predictions that the temperature will reach 70 degrees! I still can't believe it is February in Kansas! Wacky weather for sure!

I will keep everyone posted on Zachy B's progress.

J9

To Urgent Care - Or Not

2009-02-05T21:53:00.002-06:00

It has been a busy week - and we are looking forward to a day off to play tomorrow! Unfortunately, Zach began complaining early this evening that his eye was hurting. It has been off and on for the last few hours and his complaints have become increasingly more dramatic. I think he might have scratched it while playing outside this afternoon. (62 degrees in February!)

After listening to him cry/scream for about 30 minutes straight, I ended up calling the pediatrician's office around 7:00pm. I was surprised when one of the nurses actually answered. She was so nice and suggested treating him with saline drops, ibuprofen and patching his eye. She also said if he kept complaining, or it got worse, take him to the urgent care walk-in clinic tonight. So, after we dropped Emma at her tumbling class, we headed to the pharmacy to pick up some supplies. We are making a go at it - but his complaints don't seem to be easing much. Wish me luck overnight - it could be a long one! I'm really wishing Rog was home about now!

Will keep you posted tomorrow!

J9

One Month Down

2009-02-04T17:32:00.002-06:00

Wow, it has been one month since my last post! I guess time flies when you are having fun. But, wait, have I been having fun? Of course I have!

You may recall in my last post I talked about an upcoming project - cleaning out and organizing the kid's craft supplies. Well, I have to be honest and tell you that I have yet to complete that project. I am setting a deadline to have it complete by this Sunday. So, stay tuned for some before and after pics!

For those of you who are curious about my "word for the year" - after a lot of consideration - I have chosen the word FOCUS. My goal with this word is to stop trying to multi-task all of the time, and really FOCUS on one project/task at a time. Multi-tasking is highly overated - and I feel it has given me a case of "self-induced" ADD. I will keep you posted on how FOCUS is helping me in my day to day life.

Roger is currently in New Orleans working the Annual Convention and Show for the Golf Course Superintendants Association. The kids and I are missing him already. We are especially sad that he will be gone for his birthday this Saturday. Personally, I am not looking forward to waking both kids at 5:45 am on Saturday morning to make Emma's 7:00 am indoor soccer game. My mom has graciously offered to "sleep-over" Friday night and help me Saturday morning. Thank goodness for Grandma Pat! Wish us luck!

Look for pics this weekend!

J9

A New Year - A Fresh Start

2009-01-03T11:54:00.003-06:00

I love the beginning of a new year! It feels like such a fresh start!

Last year, on the advice of one of the scrapbook bloggers that I follow, I came up with a "word for the year". My word for 2008 was "ACCOMPLISH". I created a framed collage highlighting my word and hung it in my office/craft room. It was so amazing how that one little word, placed where I could see it and reflect upon it, helped motivate me to complete so many projects!

It's now time to decide on a new word for 2009. I have been struggling to find something that really reflects my goals for the year. I am a huge procrastinator - so I have been searching for something that speaks to that - as well as to my other financial/personal/organizational goals. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them! So far I have come up with: Motivation, streamline, action. But, nothing seems to be really "hitting the nail on the head". I'll keep you posted in the days to come!

Hope you all had wonderful holiday and New Year's celebrations. For the first time ever our little family was able to spend Christmas day at home opening presents, watching movies, making a steak dinner and playing with our new toys! We all stayed in our jammies the whole day! At about 10:00 p.m., Emma exclaimed, "This is the best Christmas I have ever had!"

A little change in New Year's plans - and we found out on Tuesday that the party was moving to our house! Wow! Lot's to get done in a little bit of time - but we pulled it off and had a blast ringing it in with a small group of good friends and their kids! We had so much fun that the party didn't end until about 2:30 a.m.! With clean-up, I didn't see my pillow until about 4:00 a.m.! Needless to say, New Year's day was another day spent in jammies!

Emma and Zach are back to school on Wednesday of this coming week. I am looking forward to getting back on schedule and into our normal routine. My organization goal this week is to clean out all of the kid's crafting supplies and get them consolidated in one easily accessible spot in our home. I will take pics and post the process and results in a few days. Wish me luck!

Have a great week and a great beginning to your 2009!

J9

Pumpkins and Parties

2008-10-20T18:29:00.008-05:00

Another weekend has hit the dust, and we didn't waste a minute of it, that's for sure!

The kids were off of school on Thursday and Friday for Parent/Teacher Conferences. A nice little fall break. We decided it would be fun to meet some friends for breakfast and travel down south a piece to do some apple picking on Friday. We weren't sure the weather was going to cooperate (we had rain and hail during breakfast) - but our trusty meteorologist, Roger, assured us that the clouds would soon part and the rains blow away. He was correct and we had an awesome day! We came home with 13 dozen apples, and two pumpkins. I let the really helpful lady at the orchard talk me into buying a "pie" pumpkin, and she gave me some great instructions for how to cook it down to make pumpkin puree. Wish me luck this next week!

On Saturday, we had the requisite soccer game in the morning. Emma played goalie for the second half of the game - and she rocked! She even had the game saving play when she caught a mid-air attempt at a goal from the other team. All of the parents were quiet as we watched the ball sailing toward the goal - then the crowd erupted as Emma trapped it in her arms and saved the day! The Banana Splits tied the game and have yet to lose a game this season! Later, that evening we hosted a party at our house for the entire Golf Course Management staff. We had a blast, the food turned out well, the weather was great, and we introduced everyone to a little game of L,C,R! I actually won three times! We also celebrated Roger's boss, Ed's birthday with cake and homemade ice cream. Thanks Bunny and Kelly! We hope everyone had as much fun as we did. We really enjoyed having everyone at our house for the first time ever!

Sunday morning had us traveling south once again to the Powell Pumpkin Patch in Louisburg, Kansas for our annual fall family outing. My mom and step dad love to take everyone to the "patch" for corn mazing, pumpkin picking and the all important corn tossing fights. Thanks mom for the underwear full of corn! It was greatly appreciated. After, we headed back to Mom and Clink's for tacos. The kids had fun "planting" the stepping stones they had each created with Grandma. Then, Bucca enlisted help from all of the grandkids to clean up the hedge apples. It was crazy to see Aaron driving the rider mower and pulling the trailer while all of the "little kids" tossed in the hedge apples. They are all getting so big - it is funny to look back at the early pictures and see how much the have all grown!

Hope you all had as much fun as we did this weekend! It think I will need this whole next week to recover!

J9

Monday, Monday

2008-10-13T08:34:00.004-05:00

We had another great weekend at Beaver Lake with our friends the Crofts and the Rogers. We broke in the new "Big Mabel" which was a blast. Elizabeth and I had quite a ride when Tim decided to catch a passing boat's wake and we "caught some air" and flipped right off. The pictures are hilarious! The water was pretty chilly! My face tells it all! Once again, a good time was had by all! Thanks again Joni and Tim for sharing your home and weekend with all of us!

Short week for the kids this week at school because of parent teacher conferences. Emma is finally back to normal after an episode of strep throat last week. Zach has dodged the bullet so far. I think we will try to do some apple picking on Friday, depending on the weather.

I started a new exercise program at Bally with my friend Elizabeth this morning. She is working on getting her personal training certification, and is helping me get back in shape and hopefully lose some of this extra weight I have been carrying. Wish me luck! It felt great this morning - hopefully I can keep the momentum going!

Rog and I are hosting a party for his work crew at our house this Saturday night. So, will start today getting the yard and house ready for that. I am hoping for good weather so we can move the party outdoors - it is such a great time of the year for that. This is the first time everyone has gathered at our house, so will be fun to spend some time together!

I will try to post some pics from the weekend later today. Have a great week!

J9

Sick Kiddo

2008-10-07T10:44:00.002-05:00

Nothing like a couple of days stuck at home with a sick kid. Emma has strep throat and is eagerly awaiting a fever free day so she can return to school. I'm not complaining about my forced time at home. The only thing I have missed so far is a "Team Building" Inservice for work today. And, yes, it would have been nice to earn a few free CEUs (since I still need 25 hours before December 31st), but oh well - I didn't really want to go anyway! Yesterday was spent hanging out on the couch most of the day with Emma, catching up on all of the shows I have been DVRing. Today I have been a bit more productive - laundry, setting up new email, cleaning up loose ends for PTO . . . you get the drill.

Emma just took her temperature (96.6) and has now asked if we can go to Justice. "Yes sweetie, right after we take daddy's car to NTW to get a new tire." Bummer to leave for work, only to realize you have a flat and must change a tire, then figure out how to get to Lawrence and back on a donut. Not a wise choice - driving to Lawrence on a donut. So, kindly ask wife if she can work that out for you. "No problem honey. Because I am the best wife in the whole wide world!" So Emma and I will be heading to NTW later today to see if we can spend even more money on our cars this month! (My poor budget is shot to heck now!)

On a more positive note - I had a fabulous weekend with my mom, her best friend (Marilyn) from high school, and my friends Shelly and Julie. We traveled to Lake Fort Scott, stayed in a fabulous lake house that belongs to Marilyn's son, and scrapbooked the whole weekend away! Mom and Marilyn really spoiled us with food, pampering and presents! We had a "scrapbooking intervention" and convinced Shelly that she really didn't need to scrapbook every single photo she has ever taken! She felt like a big weight was lifted from her shoulders and is now very close to finishing her son's album. We also had some 'laugh so hard that you almost pee your pants' moments. The best was when I went to crawl into bed at about 12:00am on Friday night and the head of my bed proceeded to collapse to the floor. I'm sure it was hilarious for Shelly when she turned around and saw my arms and legs flying in the air. Important to note - she laughed her butt off before asking me if I was okay! I forgive you Shell! And, thanks for a fabulous time Mom and Marilyn! Can't wait to do it again!

I don't think Roger had as much fun hanging out with the kids by himself all weekend. He had to manage a soccer game, and two softball games pretty much on his own (although I did gather all of the gear in a nice pile so he didn't have to search for shinguards or jerseys). It didn't help that Emma was inching closer to illness as the weekend progressed. She did manage to score a goal in her soccer game Saturday morning - then proceeded to leave the field crying because she couldn't breathe.

And, no, I didn't not reach my last month's goal of blogging once each week. So, I will try again this month. Let's see if I can manage it!

Have a great Tuesday,

J9

Taking a Deep Breath!

2008-09-23T08:44:00.004-05:00

Okay, so the kids just left for school in the big, extended van with our neighbor Anne, and three of her six children. Wow, and I thought my life was chaotic! Sigh! I now have 4 hours of uninterrupted time for me! First on the agenda is to get this blog post cranked out.

Zach had his first Cub Scout den and pack meetings last week. He looked so handsome in his little uniform. We had quite the melt-down about the button-up shirt - lots of tears and kicking of the feet - but after he found out his best friends would be wearing the same uniform, he gave in. That is him on the right, with his good friends Aidan, Sammy, Cole (and Sammy's little sister, Maisy - she is never very far from Zachy B!). Zach is most excited that in a few years the cub scouts will learn about pocket knives. Like father, like son, I guess!

Emma's soccer team (The Banana Splits) played on Saturday morning - and shut out the other team (The Penguins) four to zero! She was a star at goalie - nothing was getting past that girl. It did help that daddy was on the sidelines near the goal making sure she stayed awake! Loved her dance moves when she thought no one was looking! Hilarious!

On Sunday night Emma had a softball game. Don't ask me what the score was - it is way to hard to keep track! It was a pretty evenly matched game. The highlight was Emma as pitcher! She did a great job - once she got over her jitters. Her pitches were controlled and straight - they just don't always make it over the plate. Now we just have to work on getting her a little more power and she will rock!

Update: Emma received a 100% on her bug project! Way to go Squirm! I will post a pic of the "bug picnic" later this week.

I am now off to clean up and start working on the many unfinished projects that litter my home! Now that I have some extra time, my goal is to complete at least one unfinished project a week. Keep your fingers crossed for me. My project this week is to complete the recipe books that I started as a gift for my sister-in-law last Christmas. (I was sidetracked when my inkjet printer decided to give out on me. I really need to replace it, but haven't taken the time to do the research.) Anyway, I will post a picture of the completed project later this week - that should keep me honest!

Have a great week!

J9

Chaos, Chaos Everywhere!

2008-09-09T12:01:00.003-05:00

I realize I have once again not been very punctual with my blogging - and I intend to fix that. In a perfect world I would blog every day - but this is definitely not a perfect world and you all would get tired of hearing that much about all of us Billings here in Kansas. So, I'm shooting for once a week. Let's see if I can reach my goal this month!

We are well into school now, and things have been going really well. I think better than we expected, especially for Zach. He was very nervous about starting, since his two "best friends in the whole wide world" got a different teacher. But, he has risen to the occasion and is shining in his new classroom. We are lucky to have scored two of the best teachers at Walnut Grove this year! Of course, Emma always shines. She just finished her "bug project" and has to turn it in on Thursday. I will share pics later in the week. It turned out really cute - and I promise that she did most of the work herself - even though it doesn't look like she did!

We had an awesome Labor Day holiday. We traveled to Beaver Lake with our friends, the Rogers and the Crofts, and had tons of fun boating, swimming, eating, drinking and playing games. The Rogers and Crofts introduced us to a new game called "Center, Left, Right" that was a blast. Roger and Joni were the big winners. Next time you are at our house we will teach the ins and outs of the game! Thanks once again Joni, Tim, Sammy and Maisy for a great weekend!!!!!

This past weekend we were able to hook up with Roger's friend from Graceland, Todd, who was in town with his Florida Atlantic women's volleyball team. We haven't seen Todd in about 6 years - so it was great to catch up! We picked up Richard (another of Roger's friends from Graceland who we also haven't seen in a while) and headed down to UMKC to watch some volleyball and hook up with Todd. We all decided that Todd hadn't changed much at all - except for maybe a few new gray hairs that weren't there before!

Saturday night we headed out to our friends Tammy, Austin and Savannah's house for a party. Friday night was Treads and Threads - a benefit for the KU Med Cancer Center. The friends and family of Cary Martin have raised over $30,000 to support this great cause - and so Tammy had a tent at the event and was able to invite 42 guests to enjoy an evening of music, food, and drink in honor of Cary. Unfortunately, Rog was out of town until late Friday night, so we were unable to join in the festivities - but we got to hang with everyone at the Martin's on Saturday night and laugh at all of the fun stories from Friday night. There were lots of friends and family in from out of town. It is so cool to see all of the people that Cary brought together in his life. His smile and laughter are so deeply missed.

We are gearing up for a rainy weekend - hoping softball practice, soccer games and softball games are cancelled and we can hibernate for a few days! I am really just kidding - we love to watch our kids at whatever they are doing!

J9

Chaos Control

2008-08-11T13:39:00.002-05:00

Wow, I feel like someone put a little zippy drug in my morning coffee! I am having a very productive day! Laundry is almost done, kitchen is cleaned up, cleaning is done . . . I think this back to school thing has triggered my nesting instinct! (Plus, I was down with a cold over the weekend and I am feeling much better now!)

Zach and Emma are having a blast today with their good friends Sammy and Maisy. I guess the next few days will be "one last hurrah" before school starts on Thursday. We did secretly find out which teachers our kids have, and we are worried that Zach will be really disappointed that his two best friends are in another classroom together without him. We can't decide if we should tell him before "Sneak-a-peak" on Wednesday night. Wish us luck with that one. Emma seems to have scored a really good teacher this year - and we know for sure that her good friend Carter will be in class with her. She is excited!

I forgot to put in my last post that Roger and I have been playing kick ball! The team we play on is made up of other parents/friends from our school. We are having a blast! And, the kids are having fun hanging out with their friends and cheering us on. It is too cute to hear your six year old yelling "You can do this mom!" from the sidelines! So far, our team has won one game and lost two. We pretty much got our booties handed to us by a bunch of 20-30 year olds these past two weeks - but, hey, at least we are out there making the effort! We still have a few more games left - so I will keep you posted. I will try to get Rog to take some pics so you can see us at our finest!

We spent the remainder of our weekend watching the Olympics from Beijing. Wow! I have been so impressed and mesmerized by how beautiful everything looks! Beijing has really outdone themselves! We cheered for Phelps and the other relay swimmers last night as they took gold! We watched the women's gymnastics team and bit our finger nails! We also watched the men's basketball team beat China! I was amazed to learn that badminton is still a recognized sport in the Olympics - and man those guys are good! I really want to catch the synchronized diving - that boggles my mind as well!

Have a great Monday!

J9

A Beautiful Day in Kansas

2008-08-08T10:24:00.006-05:00

I am updating today as I sit outside with my "farmer boy" husband. The weather is beautiful for an August day in Kansas - 79 degrees and tolerable! Makes us wonder how bad this winter might be - because you have to pay sometime! Rog is telecommuting from home today, and the kids and I are getting ready to meet our friends the Duffy's (Aunt JoJo and the boys) for a short field trip to the Gardner pool and water extravaganza. I'll let you know how that goes!

Things around here have been chaotic as usual. We have been making preparations for the kids to return to school next Thursday. Can't really believe that summer is almost over! But mom is ready for some much earned "alone time" to get some current projects "nailed up" and begin some new ones. The kids also seem to be craving a little more structure in their lives these days, so a return to school may be just what the doctor ordered!

Zach will be a first grader this year, and is excited about two recesses and lunch at school, but is nervous about having to be there all day. He is very much hoping that his two "best friends" (Sammy and Cole) will be in his new classroom. We have our fingers crossed! Emma will be in third grade this year, and has already decided on her first day of school "outfit", much to mom's dismay! It seems she will be wearing a large tie-dye shirt and athletic shorts - not a "dress-up" outfit (which would make mom happy). It is lovely having a tom-boy for a daughter! (Can you hear the sarcasm?) Actually, I am glad that she has her own opinions and spirit - it really defines who she is.

Rog (aka "farmer boy") has really outdone himself this year with the garden. We have more tomatoes than we know what to do with. The kids and I have been delivering tomato "care-packages" to any and all of our neighbors who will accept, and Rog has already made two giant batches of salsa! Give us a call if you would like to sample the salsa, or if you are in need of a "care-package". We hope to have watermelon, green beans and zuchini soon. We will keep you posted.

I am getting closer to my goal of erradicating all of the wallpaper in our house. This past Sunday, my mom drove up from "the farm" to help tear the nasty wallpaper off of the walls of our living room. We worked from 9:00 am until about 6:00 pm, but we were successful! I now need to clean the rest of the glue from the walls and repair any damaged areas - then I can paint. What a refreshing feeling! Anyone interested in helping paint - just let me know! Thanks mom - you are an angel!

Oh yes - and I must not forget the exciting news that Rog has finally purchased his new iphone! After checking the AT&T stores, the apple stores here and in St. Louis, and many profanities - he was able to stand in line at the Leawood store all for the pleasure of that little bit of Apple goodness! He is very happy indeed! In fact, all of the pictures I have included today were taken with his iphone! I can't wait until I am eligible for a phone upgrade in September - maybe then they will have released a pink one! I will keep my fingers and toes crossed!

That's enough for now. I will let everyone know how the first days of school go! Happy Friday!

J9

2008-07-08T15:01:00.002-05:00

Wow - I just realized it has been some time since my first post! Lots of chaos here!

Hope everyone had a fun and safe July 4th weekend! We were really lucky to have the opportunity to spend the weekend at Beaver Lake with Zach's best friend and his family. We had a fun and relaxing time - lots of laughs - and were really glad we decided at the last minute to go! This was the first time swimming in a lake for our kids. Once we convinced them that the fish stayed really deep, we had a hard time getting them out! Zach even did an accidental dive off the side of the boat that made the parents gasp - but all turned out well! Always great when you find another family that are easy and fun to be around! Thanks Sammy, Maisy, Joni and Tim!

Our plans to hit the pool with friends today have been spoiled by a sudden thunderstorm. So, we are stuck at home (which mom finds to be a good thing!) We have cupcakes in the oven, laundry in the washer and good friends here to play. What more could you ask for on a rainy day?! Plus, it gives me this great opportunity to update my blog!

Emma Update: It is with deep regret that I report that Emma has decided to end her fabulous gymnastics career. After, two full weeks of practice at level 5 (and lots of tears), she decided it just wasn't very much fun to do cartwheels on the beam, or to do hip circles on the high bar. Roger is disappointed, J9 (the family accountant) is somewhat relieved, and Zach was only sad that he wouldn't see his friend Blake at the gym anymore! So that she didn't lose her strength and skills, we decided to enroll Emma in a high level tumbling class that is offered through the cheer program at KGDC. She had her first class last week and absolutely loved every minute of it! It took a little trial and error to find the right class for her - but she is now, once again, having a blast!

Zach Update: This Sunday will be Zach's last baseball game of the season. It will be nice not to have practice and games on our busy schedule. The Muddogs have had a great season with lots of personal improvement and achievements. It has been fun to watch the boys grow through the season! Lots of thanks to our fabulous coaches! We hope to keep the same crew for next year! Zach is just excited to have a party at Beach Bums Island and eat cake after the game Sunday!

Rog Update: My "farmer boy" husband has proven once again that he really does have a green thumb (and that he missed his calling in life)! We have a beautiful, thriving garden this year, and will soon be harvesting large tomatoes, grape tomatoes, yellow peppers, green chili peppers and strawberries. Keep your fingers crossed for the watermelon, cantaloupe, green beans, zuchhini and squash. I told you we are trying to reduce our footprint! Maybe next summer we will add a cow (for milk), and chickens (for eggs)! Good thing there is no homes association in our neighborhood!

As for me - I continue to be in charge of "chaos control" around here. Not much new to tell - but will keep you posted!

Have a fabulous week!

Getting Started

2008-05-25T10:41:00.005-05:00

Welcome to my new blog!

I am very excited to have this opportunity to share updates on our family, funny stories, links to pics, trials and tribulations in our life, with all of you. So here is my first attempt to blog away. Enjoy!

Life here at our house is never dull. We seem to be on overdrive most of the time, and just completed a hectic week of fun and games! One of my goals for the remainder of this year, and especially this summer, is to slow down a bit and enjoy the moments. I was recently inspired by a new blog I found - more on that later. As a few of you may know already, one of my new year's resolutions this year was to create a simpler life for myself and my family. Rog and I have recently expanded that to include reducing our family's "footprint". We will share our adventures into this somewhat new area in the coming weeks and months.

Enough of that, though! Let's get on with the updates!

School officially ended for the 2007-2008 schoolyear this week. Zach officially "graduated" from Kindergarten in style with a music program and cookie reception on Tuesday. Emma enjoyed her final day as a 2nd grader on Thursday. And, on Friday our summer break officially began.

Emma continues to enjoy her career in gymnastics and will begin practice as a Level 5 gymnast this summer. Notice the reference to "career"? It has to be close to that when an 8-year old spends 13.5 hours per week training away from her family - don't you think?! And let's not even talk about the six-pack abs and brick-house body - we are a bit afraid of swim suit season! Roger is going to be knocking the boys away at the local pool! We are waiting with baited breathe to see if she can hang with the increase in time, skills and conditioning. Seriously, though, she has great talent and is beautiful to watch! You can check out highlights of this past competition season at Roger's photo posting site: akitanik.smugmug.com.

After less than successful attempts at soccer and basketball, Zach has recently joined a baseball team made up of 15 of his friends from Kindergarten. We are pleased to announce that he has found a sport that really gets him excited! The boys began practicing in March and had their first game on Mother's Day. We have had so much fun watching Zach learn the ropes of baseball and be successful increasing his skills with catching, fielding and hitting the ball! His team is official named the "MudDogs", and Zach's team name is Zee-Dog. We are lucky to have a great group of dad's, and one mom, who are awesome coaches. You can't even imagine how hard it is to keep track of 15 kindergartners during practice and games. Are hats are off to "Dog Trainer", "Dog Catcher", "The Big Red Dog", and "Scrappy" - our fabulous coaches! You can see pics of Zee-Dog and his friends in action at Roger's photo posting site I mentioned above.

As for Rog and I, we continue to plug away at our respectful careers, work on home improvement projects, cheer our children on, and enjoy time with our family and friends.

I think that is enough for now - I want to keep you interested - not bore you to death!

We will post again soon,

The J9