Thanksgiving

Being thankful. It seems that so many in our country are not thankful for how good things are here. Sure, many are unemployed. Sure, some are homeless. Sure, some don't know where their next meal will come from - but I think compared to other countries we have it really good here. If there's a 10% unemployment rate - doesn't that mean that 90% are working? And, as far as homelessness and the hungry - this time of year especially people give. Maybe we could give to the needy during other times of the year too. In April, July, September people are hungry during those months to.

What our Thanksgiving plans are:

We're heading to Redmond to be with my parents, Jon & Tamara. I am thankful to have family to share holidays with.

What I am thankful for: (you might want to grab a cup of tea - this is going to be long)

Living in United States:

• Freedom
• Freedom of speech
• Freedom to go where I want, when I want
• Freedom to spend money when I want on what I want
• Freedom to eat what I want, when I want
• Freedom to chose which doctor I want to see
• Freedom to chose where I want to live
• Freedom to chose who my friends are
• Freedom to talk on the phone ...

I think the list could go on and on with this subject.

My family:

• Thankful that my family all gets along
• Thankful that I have parents who are still together and love each other
• Thankful my brothers, sister in laws, parents and I are all on speaking terms
• Thankful for my husband who loves me
• Thankful that into my 30's I still have both sets of Grandparents
• Thankful I have a big family - love my cousins
• Thankful my family goes to meetings

My house:

• Love our new first houme
• So glad that we could buy a home
• Thankful the first house we looked at and agreed on became ours
• Love the wood floors we put into our house
• It's fun to look at what we've done and dream about what we want to do to the house
• Glad our 2 furry beasts, Fluffy and Buggers, like our home too
• Happy that I want to have more company over and try to keep our house clean

My job:

• Glad I found a job that I like
• So happy that I do more than just answer the phones
• Impressed that I work with 3 women and we all get along
• So thankful that I have a manager who treats me FAIR!
• So relieved that I actually get to go to doctors appointments - even once a month ones without a huge fuss being made about it
• Glad that my manager knows how to and is willing to answer the phones
• Thankful that I have been here for 9 weeks now and have not been pulled aside and talked to about petty things that I forgot to do ... like what happened to me at Lightspeed.
• Happy that employees here are actually encouraged to talk with others!

My husband:

• Thankful that my husband is my biggest support
• Thankful my husband has a job and works so incredibly hard
• Happy my husband is a handy man and can fix almost anything that's broken
• It's been so fun to grow together with my husband
• So glad he's realizing that "what makes wife happy makes everybody happy." :)
• Happy he's become more social
• Thankful that we have become best friends
• Thankful that the biggest 2 disagreements/fights in a marriage (religion & money) is taken care of in our household.
• Thankful I love my husband

I think for now - that is all I will put. There might be more that will be added later ... but I think that's quite a lot to be thankful for.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving everybody and please remember to be thankful all year - we truly have SO MUCH to be thankful for!

update on Grandma

My dear Grandma has been through so much. I don't really know where to continue from the last post that I wrote about Grandma. Tuesday morning they got her heart working again but had to keep her 'open' because of the swelling. She went back for surgery on Thursday to get 'closed' up. She wasn't talking and that was a concern but nurses were saying that she was exhausted. She still wasn't talking much Sunday morning so they did a CT scan but didn't find anything. Tuesday afternoon (11/20) she still wasn't talking a lot so they did another CT scan. The results came back empty again - they were looking to see if she had a stroke. Wednesday morning they had to drain liquid off from her lungs. She asked for Grandpa to be by her side Wednesday. I think all of the family members are worried about Grandma and wondering what all this means. I am so thankful that my dad is planning on being there with Grandpa Thanksgiving day and the day after. None of us know what this means or why this is happening to my dear Grandma - but we do know that it is in God's hands. Dear Grandpa and Grandma - I'm thinking of you two and love you so much!

Grandma

Definition of Grandmother from Urbandictionary.com:

grandmother

any kindly, sweet old woman who will happily boost your self-esteem and write you letters and love you. tends to know lots of neat old songs and obscure, off-color jokes. generally much cooler and less scary than one's actual mother.

Yesterday, I wrote a post about Grandma. Looking back on it today - it wasn't quite what I was thinking of writing about my Grandma. So, I am going to give it another attempt.

My grandma is an amazing woman. I think any lady who has had and raised 8 kids is amazing - but my grandma tops everyone else in the amazing factor. I am lucky to be the second oldest grandkid - the oldest granddaughter! I have very fond memories of going to Grandpa and Grandma's house for family gatherings. When I was younger, I remember I couldn't wait until I could find the toys and play with my cousins. I remember us kids running around in the basement of their Enumclaw house and running on the treadmill. Of course, mom would always give us the warning "Don't run in Grandma's house." I remember going to their house for Sunday morning meeting when I was small and I knew even then they had something special and lasting. I remember the Smith family going to a hotel to celebrate our Christmas holiday because the family was getting too big for any one house to accommodate us. The grandkids would run in the hallways, shouting to one another and racing each other to the swimming pool. Grandpa and Grandma would get us kids the same presents often - the granddaughters would get something doll or barbie related and the grandsons would be legos. I think it was an easy for us grandkids nto to be jealous of each others gifts and so kind of Grandpa and Grandma too. Around 10-11 pm the snacks would come out again and then games would be brought out. Midnight was probably the earliest anyone went to bed! As I got older we grandkids were shown Grandma's "junk" drawer where there was always goodies. If Grandma knew we were coming, there would always be some sort of homemade treats, cookies, cake, pies, etc - and we were allowed to have seconds. As I got older I was anxious to go to Grandpa and Grandma's house to visit my Aunt Amy, who is 3 years my senior, but often found her gone visiting her friends. I was disappointed but loved spending time with the Grandparents. Now, as an adult - I feel so incredibly lucky to know both sets of my grandparents. I have a different kind of an appreciation for my grandparents than I did as a child. As a child I looked forward to hugs and what I could receive from Grandpa and Grandma. As I have gotten older my appreciate for them has changed and I find myself wondering often what can I learn from them. What can I do to help and how can I be an encouragement to them? I have never heard Grandma speak an unkind word or talk poorly of someone. She is incredibly encouraging and always ready to give a hug. I can't believe I haven't yet mentioned her sense of humor. Grandma has the best sense of humor and is always ready to crack a joke with that sweet twinkle in her eye. I love my Grandparents and am so thankful that I have the privilege of knowing them in my adulthood. I hope that I can be even 1/2 of the wonderful person my Grandma is.

my Grandma

My dear sweet Grandma. I love her. A little over a week ago (11/3) her heart was racing so Grandpa called 9-11 and they took Grandma to the hospital. The report was not enough rest and too much coffee. (Apparently, one can have too much coffee). 3 days later on Tuesday, her heart was doing the same thing so they took her back to the hospital. At the hospital, they started to do some tests and saw that Grandma had some blockages in her heart. They were going to see if they could put stents in and call it good. After doing some tests they realized that stents wouldn't work with Grandma. So they planned on open heart surgery Friday 11/9 - however decided to wait until Monday 11/12. They scheduled a triple bypass and ended up doing a quadruple. The word that night (last night) was that everything went well and Grandma was out of surgery, recovering well. I went to bed, happy and satisfied and looking forward to the next time that I would see my grandma. Well, at 4:41 this morning, I awoke to my phone vibrating over and over again. I groggily opened my eyes and saw an incoming call from my dad. I didn't get the call in time, so he called again and he told me that things weren't looking good for Grandma and that they rushed her back into the OR. Her heart had stopped and at that time this morning, they weren't sure if Grandma would make it. Of course, I couldn't sleep after a phone call like that, so I stayed up, called mom, cried and thought of my sweet Grandma and my dear Grandpa that was beyond worried about "Mommy." I went to work, worked all day and waited by my phone for updates - and got them throughout the day. Grandma made it through her 2nd surgery - same surgeon for both surgeries! Thank you Mr. Surgeon for your dedication to helping others. As of tonight, we wont know anything for a couple of days - it will be a long recovery because of how long it's been thus far. Grandma is stable but still in critical condition. Grandma - I love you. I am sorry you've had to go through all of this. I cannot wait until I see you again - whether it be in this life or my spirit recognizes yours in the next life.  Grandpa - I admire your love for Grandma and your dedication to stay by her side through everything she is going through. I really appreciate your comment that "I may not understand everything that is happening or why, but God is in control and I want to be willing for His plan." Grandpa and Grandma - your love for one another has inspired me from the time I was young. I have never met another couple like you two and love your example. 63 years together - 62 years married - that is pretty much unheard of these days. I love you both probably more than you will ever know. 

My sweet Grandparents at their 60th wedding anniversary!  

Such love for each other after 60 years! I love this pic - they still know how to kiss!

Looking at their present a book from the family. This picture just reminds me of how they look at life - together and helping each other turn the pages. 

Molding Project

Dennis came up with a very good, no it was a wonderful idea for our home. Now, I know that I am being risky putting this out there on the blogging world, in case someone out there copies and trademarks OUR idea ... however I will show pictures of this project. We tore out all of the molding in our house when we tore up the flooring. We knew that we would want to add molding at a later date - and Dennis wanted to get it done before our housewarming party. He had a specific special thing in mind that he wanted to do especially for the hallway. He bought some molding, put on different colors of varnish and asked opinions of what people's favorite was - even Don & Jenny gave their input via skype - thanks guys! The decision was made and then the huge project of staining and varnishing it. He even got up at 4 am one Friday morning so that Saturday he could start installing it. Then the molding was cut and routed. Once the molding was installed in the living area of our home, Dennis got to work for the hallway molding. He cut holes in the molding 3 inches apart and put lights in the holes. He added outlets into the crawlspace and drilled holes in the floor. The string of the lights go down into the little holes and plug into the outlet and are controlled by a light switch ... I know that I'm rambling. So, basically the hallway molding has lights shining, which makes a wonderful nightlight for us and the company that we have. Please see below for pics ... and please don't copy our idea and trademark it and sell it to Home Depot and get rich ... 

The molding ready for varnish

See the different colors of molding?

Here is a sample piece with lights

Dennis taking a break with a fire - his favorite thing!

Molding in the hallway

Our house was really messy for a while - furniture pulled away from the walls

Another shot of the mess

Dennis installing molding behind the piano

Even molding in the kitchen!

Dennis getting ready to install the hallway molding

Putting the lights into the holes

Kitty hanging out, interested in what's going on

Dennis taking a break

Still big smiles!

The hallway lit up at night, isn't it pretty? :) 

We'll be taking custom orders here really soon - charging minimum of $2,000 for a hallway like ours. Stairways and more than a hallway will cost more money!

Post Housewarming Party

We had a wonderful day at our housewarming party. I counted after it was over and we had around 80 people come through our house! It meant a lot to Dennis and I to have that many people come see our house. After it was over, we were both pretty exhausted! I had stayed up until 2 the night before and then got up at 7 the day of. Dennis had gotten a couple hours more sleep that night. It felt crazy though - we would be in the middle of giving a tour and the doorbell would ring again with more friends showing up. So, we would have to break away from our tour and then greet our new guests. My sweet grandparents, auntie and cousins came from 3 hours away. I felt bad that I didn't have more time to spend talking with them - and am so thankful they understood that I was busy that day. I handed my camera off to some kids so I'll try to post some of the better pics!

some kids playing outside

kids playing in the firepit (cousin Chloe and Evan)

more playing in the firepit

Sweet Lauren - who I used to babysit

Kitty laying on our new pretty duvet cover

Ollie getting attention from Patty

Nolan - who I used to babysit - miss this kid

proof that Dennis held a 6 week old baby

2 babies named Emmett

My handsome, hardworking, loving husband! He did so much to prepare for the housewarming party and I realize more each day/month/year how much more I love him - which is already a lot.

Getting ready for housewarming party

Our home has been quite active these past couple of weeks. Theres lots of work happening on projects that we're hoping to get done before our housewarming party! I probably shouldn't tell what's been happening today - however Dennis has been quite busy and doing a mighty fine job! That dear young man woke up yesterday morning at 4 to do something that early so that it would be ready for him to work on all day today. I'm not sure how far he'll get until he runs out of steam - but I'm sure that tomorrow will be taken up with working on this project too.

As for my projects - they seem to be cleaning and clearing clutter .... and I have not gotten very far today. Hopefully I'll get some umph back really soon and can work hard and fast to get as much accomplished as my dear husband.

I did find an elephant purse today (well a purse that has elephants on it) and I am quite pleased with it! I do like elephants!

Looking forward to seeing some on Saturday at our housewarming party - please come! If you did not get an invite and would like one, let me know.

New job!

I got a new job! This is all happening so very fast - and I am really excited! A couple of weeks ago I checked craigslist and it seemed there were lots of office type jobs available that I would be qualified for. I have been applying for jobs since January and have been to one interview and have not been offered a job. Tuesday (the 11th) I got a call from a temp agency that they liked my resume and needed me to come into their office to interview. I did that day and I didn't hear anything for the next 3 days. (The recruiter was out sick). Monday the 17th she called me telling me that the company I applied to (through the temp agency) wanted to interview me. I interviewed Wednesday afternoon. I've been told I was the first one to interview. The temp agency sent over four other resumes - but I was the only one that the company wanted to meet with. Today, Friday, I received a call from the temp agency letting me know that Williams Controls wants to offer me a position. I START MONDAY! MONDAY?????? Wait ... I have too much to do to start work on Monday. We have the housewarming party next Saturday ... and my house has to be spotless and I want to have salads and cookies made for the party ... MONDAY?

It'll be awesome working again and helping to contribute to the household income again. We've already talked about where our money will go (paying off debt and savings first of course). We are both excited and I am nervous. I went into this whole process with the attitude that if it's meant to be it'll happen. We were considering me starting a daycare but that just doesn't seem to be what I should be doing right now - so I'll be the Receptionist at Williams Controls! I'll try to check in next week and let all my faithful readers know how my first week is going.

I. Am. So. Happy. I. Went. Back. To. Bed. This. Morning. 

Julia's baby shower!

Julia's mom Cindy and I put on a baby shower for Julia. It was a really fun time and crazy too. We played some games and ate really good food and read some books. Here's some pictures of the good times had by all. And now, Julia is 39 weeks pregnant and we're anxious to learn when their baby arrives and what her name is! 

Decorations for the baby shower. I made the fabric pennant banner and had so much fun making it and stringing it up all around the room!

Banner up close

The ladies were teasing me about having the skittles color coordinated in the glasses. I think they look pretty this way.

A tray full of berries

Preggo Julia

Her reaction to when she saw the cupcakes

The super duper cute cupcakes Cindy ordered

Closer view of the cupcakes

Julia got a lot of reactions like this - super cute and lots of people excited for  her

'Decorate a onsie'

Andrea - LOVE your face on this! You are adorable

"Rick, WHAT did you feed our baby?"

Ha ha ha ha ha

Julia's presents. 

We had a wonderful day!

Projects, Projects, Projects - it's whats on my mind

First of all I have to make a huge shout out to this guy pictured below. I realize more and more the longer we are together how extremely lucky I am to have him! He works full time and then when he gets home from work, he works on projects around our house. When we were renting there was lots of sitting around time - but not anymore. Dennis has been so busy that sometimes I wonder how he does it and when he'll start wearing out.

He has an ongoing list on the front door and works on at least one project a night. Last night he put a dimmer light switch in the master bathroom and added a timer to the fan. Then he added a shelf for his work basket in the front entry coat closet! Yay! No more basket of his work stuff all over the floor or cluttering up my home. Next he's going to add an outlet and put his boot warmer in the closet too. He's added a power strip in the garage over where his work bench is. He's fixed our dripping outside hoses, he's increased the water pressure (that is amazing to have done), he's added a handle onto the crawl space access, he did the touch up painting ... I'm sure the list goes on and on. 

For his recent birthday I got him a caliper for his birthday. He wants to eventually reload his own ammo so apparently the caliper is for that. Cousin Dale helped me with where to go and what to get - thanks again Dale! Then, I told him that I would take him shooting for another present. So, Saturday, Dennis, his friend John and I went shooting. It's not the funnest thing in the world for me - but it makes him happy when I go. And, when I can shoot what I am aiming for it makes me happy too! Maybe I should post some pics of that day. 

It's incredible to be married to such a wonderful man - I am so lucky! :) 

Where did the summer go?

At the beginning of this summer (or maybe even last winter/spring) I had all sorts of plans, ideas, hopes and wishes for this summer. I think they mainly included spending time visiting family, sun bathing, spending days on the beach, sun bathing, babysitting, sun bathing, getting our new home organized ... did I mention sun bathing? And not just laying in the sun for hours a day - days on end sun bathing - just spending a couple of minutes each day out in the sunshine, to get a nice golden glow and dark flip flop tan lines on my feet! So what happened? That is a very good question. Let's see ... 

May 24th we closed on our house and got the keys!
The next 5 weeks were spent working on the house. Really - only 5 weeks? WOW! Looking back on all that we did I am so incredibly super impressed that we were done in 5 weeks with tearing out carpets/flooring, painting the entire interior (well minus the ceiling and master bath) and laying hardwood floors, installing a fridge and range stove, moving and getting our house all organized.

July 4th was moving day. We had lots of help and I think I posted about moving. July 5th, I was cleaning our rental house and was notified that we were going to have company that weekend! So, we unpacked like mad men/women and had company! 

After that, we've been working on projects, getting things organized and gone through. When my house is really clean again I will post pictures of everything in it's space. Hopefully that'll happen soon. For now, I am going to write another post and then take care of laundry, dishes and supper.

Getting things put in their place

We were fortunate to have company come to stay with us right after we moved in - it forced us to unpack in a hurry and get our house set up. Of course not everything is unpacked quite yet. Hopefully soon we'll get everything unpacked fairly soon. 

The "purple room" or "cat free room" We painted the floors in the bedrooms for now until we put carpets in the bedrooms.

We had 3 mattresses, chess board table, dresser and corner shelf in this room at the time of this picture

The "guest room." (We were going to paint these floors green but we weren't able to get the paint during a recent sale. So, it remains a light yellow. This room had tons of boxes and stuff!

More boxes and mess!

The desk is set up - progress!!!

There's actually a bed in the room now! Troy can stay here Sunday night!

Some boxes in the closet of the guest room

Dennis hiding - even though we were exhausted we were still having fun

The purple room. That dresser is now in our bedroom and of course the mattress is on the bed! Please come visit!