Hello there! I have returned! My room is clean, my daily to-do list is completed, the parents are out on date night, it's raining outside, and I have a steaming mug of fragrant, delicious hot chocolate(with real marshmallows!) as I sit at the computer! It's actually quite a temptation, that mug... I really just want to sit in front of the fireplace with my hot chocolate and stare into the flames (or the tv) for hours on end. I, however, owe you an update!
Last time we talked, I had to go clean my room. Since then, I've:
-attended my baby brother's Christmas program at school (soooo cute!)
-actually cleaned my room!
-watched Eclipse (it was TERRIBLE!!!)
-babysat my precious Althea (well, really just supervised Monica while SHE babysat Althea)
-lost my $300 4th generation Ipod touch
-and... drumroll please... GOT A PERM!
YEP, I finally did it! I got a curly CuRLy perm today! It is SO cute! Although I smell terrible (the perm, not I), I am really pleased with the end result! Perhaps I'll attach a picture sometime soon when I don't look a hot mess! I am so thrilled to have super duper curly shirley hair! I figured in order to pull off two days of wedding celebrations, I was going to have to figure out how to style my own hair, and since it was in a terrible in-between super-short and kinda-short phase, I decided to go curly! Now, I can just put some product in it and voila! It's uber cute!!!
Oh yeah, about that Ipod... I am so mad at myself for losing it! I had it on Tuesday when I went out with my dad. I remember the last time I saw it, and then I got out of his truck in a hurry. I remember throwing stuff in my car and thinking that I should put some of it up front, but I decided against it! It was days before I even realized I needed it. I could do without the music and everything, but Kevin and I use it to talk to eachother on Facetime. That means we can see eachother face-to-face with it, and without it, I can't see him.... That's the part that really upsets me! I understand that he comes home in a week, and if it's lost, it was well worth the $300 to be able to talk to him face-to-face (technically) for a month, but it was still tons of money and I'd like it back :'(! I'm holding out hope that it's in either my dad's truck or mine, and that I'll find it the next time I look for it! Cross your fingers for me!
So, an Idaho update! I just got off the phone with my dearest Kevin, and he just left our new apartment! He said it looks brand-spankin' new! He said everything looks like it was just built/installed and that the apartment itself is beautiful! Big kitchen/dining room, big bathrom, decent sized bedroom, and he said the living room will fit our entertainment center, 50" flat screen, a couch, and a chair! Ready for the best part!? WE CAN SEE THE TEMPLE FROM OUR BEDROOM WINDOW! Aaaahhh!!! How cool is that!?! To be able to look out our window and see such a beautiful sight! It must be such a refreshing thing to look at from such an important room in our home :) I am so excited! I wish I could close my eyes and wake up and be in Idaho! Past the wedding, and past the trip, and way past the packing! Such is life....
Well, now you know what's going on, so I am going to go start packing... Fun, right!?
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
I am flawed :)
Yes, it's true! I'm not perfect, so lower the bar a bit will ya? I'm a little overwhelmed!
Recently, three different friends mentioned that they thought I was so "perfect". One of them even mentioned how jealous she was at the life I lead... This really upset me! Not so much because I mind being told I'm a role model, but because I don't want to feel like everything I do is going to make her look bad. I mean, it's not a competition! I'm not trying to be a better wife and potential mother than her or anything! So, I decided to sit down and really think about my flaws and point them out!
Flaw #1 and perhaps the biggest one: I am a S.L.O.B.! Like, not just your ordinary slob, but like MASSiVE slob! I will let my room get to bio hazardous levels before cleaning it! I have been known to go sleep on the couch because I can't sleep in such a messy environment! I HATE cleaning! I can cook all you want, but when it comes to cleaning up after myself, it's like torture! Any space that is shared space is safe. For example, here at the Irwins, I may leave a dish or two in the sink (although I do my part when it comes to loading and unloading the dishwasher), but I never leave a mess in any part of the house besides my space. The keyword in that was "leave", not to say I don't "make" a mess, I just never "leave" it there! My bathroom is usually pretty safe. It is not always CLEAN, but it is organized. Could I use the toilet brush a bit more often? Yep! Could I scrub the tub a lot more often? YES! How about windexing the mirror? Oh yeah! But basic stuff, like making sure it looks sanitary and having a clean sink and towel, I can do! Also, I have all of my bathroom stuff (hair stuff, lotions, makeup, first aid) categorized into little plastic totes in my drawers, so everything is usually in its place. Lately though, I've been making a mess in there, too! I'll tell you what my downfall is: CLOTHES. EVERYWHERE! I don't understand it! My room is covered in clothes. Clean clothes at that! I HATE folding and hanging! I remember Catherine used to come over when I lived in Smithfield and I would wash allllll of my clothes and she would help me fold and hang them! Maybe it's because I wait soooo long to do laundry, so by the time I do it, I have 4 loads to do! Perhaps if I did laundry more regularly, it wouldn't be such a chore to wash, dry, fold/hang... There's a thought! SO, I take my clothes upstairs in a hamper and they stay there and eventually I have to dig through it to get something and clothes end up all over the floor! Not only that, but when I take my clothes off at the end of the night, wherever I'm standing is where they end up, a la Time Traveler's Wife! (anyone who's seen that knows what I mean) I am so sick and tired of being a slob, but have no idea how to combat it in the bedroom! In the bathroom, my organizational totes worked, but now what to do!?
Flaw#2: I am a drama queen. I can take the smallest, most insignificant comment and turn it into the next world war! This is something I've recently learned about myself! It's not that I make things up and way over-exaggerate, I just take things too personally and end up looking way too much into things! So, by the time I'm venting (usually to Kevin, Catherine, or Regina) I have already worked it out in my mind that it's the end of the world. The problem with this is by the time it gets to them, they no longer have the opportunity to calm me down and change my mind because I am set on what I believe is what is happening. How to overcome this? Stop being so super stressed and thinking the world is out to get me. Is this an feasible task right this second? You try planning a wedding and a cross-country move and when you figure out how not to be super stressed, let me know!
Flaw#3: Although I am great at multi-tasking, I am terrible at prioritizing. For example, I am blogging. Just a second ago, I mentioned that I am a slob and my room is bio hazardous, and yet, I'm blogging about it rather than cleaning it. I do not prioritize well. I put my blinders on and set myself on one project and forget about the rest of my life. For right now, my project is wedding, so even though a bag lady wouldn't even live in my room, I am more concerned with finishing centerpieces. The problem? All wedding things that I'm in charge of are done except our Saturday project. Since today is not Saturday, I do not have anything wedding to do today. Granted, I need to figure out my hair and makeup, but is that really more important than having a clean room? No. So, here I go... I'll be back later!
Recently, three different friends mentioned that they thought I was so "perfect". One of them even mentioned how jealous she was at the life I lead... This really upset me! Not so much because I mind being told I'm a role model, but because I don't want to feel like everything I do is going to make her look bad. I mean, it's not a competition! I'm not trying to be a better wife and potential mother than her or anything! So, I decided to sit down and really think about my flaws and point them out!
Flaw #1 and perhaps the biggest one: I am a S.L.O.B.! Like, not just your ordinary slob, but like MASSiVE slob! I will let my room get to bio hazardous levels before cleaning it! I have been known to go sleep on the couch because I can't sleep in such a messy environment! I HATE cleaning! I can cook all you want, but when it comes to cleaning up after myself, it's like torture! Any space that is shared space is safe. For example, here at the Irwins, I may leave a dish or two in the sink (although I do my part when it comes to loading and unloading the dishwasher), but I never leave a mess in any part of the house besides my space. The keyword in that was "leave", not to say I don't "make" a mess, I just never "leave" it there! My bathroom is usually pretty safe. It is not always CLEAN, but it is organized. Could I use the toilet brush a bit more often? Yep! Could I scrub the tub a lot more often? YES! How about windexing the mirror? Oh yeah! But basic stuff, like making sure it looks sanitary and having a clean sink and towel, I can do! Also, I have all of my bathroom stuff (hair stuff, lotions, makeup, first aid) categorized into little plastic totes in my drawers, so everything is usually in its place. Lately though, I've been making a mess in there, too! I'll tell you what my downfall is: CLOTHES. EVERYWHERE! I don't understand it! My room is covered in clothes. Clean clothes at that! I HATE folding and hanging! I remember Catherine used to come over when I lived in Smithfield and I would wash allllll of my clothes and she would help me fold and hang them! Maybe it's because I wait soooo long to do laundry, so by the time I do it, I have 4 loads to do! Perhaps if I did laundry more regularly, it wouldn't be such a chore to wash, dry, fold/hang... There's a thought! SO, I take my clothes upstairs in a hamper and they stay there and eventually I have to dig through it to get something and clothes end up all over the floor! Not only that, but when I take my clothes off at the end of the night, wherever I'm standing is where they end up, a la Time Traveler's Wife! (anyone who's seen that knows what I mean) I am so sick and tired of being a slob, but have no idea how to combat it in the bedroom! In the bathroom, my organizational totes worked, but now what to do!?
Flaw#2: I am a drama queen. I can take the smallest, most insignificant comment and turn it into the next world war! This is something I've recently learned about myself! It's not that I make things up and way over-exaggerate, I just take things too personally and end up looking way too much into things! So, by the time I'm venting (usually to Kevin, Catherine, or Regina) I have already worked it out in my mind that it's the end of the world. The problem with this is by the time it gets to them, they no longer have the opportunity to calm me down and change my mind because I am set on what I believe is what is happening. How to overcome this? Stop being so super stressed and thinking the world is out to get me. Is this an feasible task right this second? You try planning a wedding and a cross-country move and when you figure out how not to be super stressed, let me know!
Flaw#3: Although I am great at multi-tasking, I am terrible at prioritizing. For example, I am blogging. Just a second ago, I mentioned that I am a slob and my room is bio hazardous, and yet, I'm blogging about it rather than cleaning it. I do not prioritize well. I put my blinders on and set myself on one project and forget about the rest of my life. For right now, my project is wedding, so even though a bag lady wouldn't even live in my room, I am more concerned with finishing centerpieces. The problem? All wedding things that I'm in charge of are done except our Saturday project. Since today is not Saturday, I do not have anything wedding to do today. Granted, I need to figure out my hair and makeup, but is that really more important than having a clean room? No. So, here I go... I'll be back later!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Goodness gracious, great balls of...
STRESS! AAAhhh! Will blog later. I haven't forgottem you dearies, but I Must MUst MUST get things crossed off the wedding to-do list! Byebye for now!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Missionary Goodies
Marvelously Minty Cookies
These pretty pastel-colored cookies are perfect for a spring baby shower.
Prep Time
15Minutes
Total Time
1:45Hr:Mins
Makes
About 8 dozen cookies
2 1/2
cups sugar
1
cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2
cup shortening
1
teaspoon vanilla
2
eggs
4
cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
2
teaspoons baking soda
1
teaspoon salt
3
cups petite pastel-colored mint chips
- Heat oven to 350°F. Beat sugar, butter, shortening, vanilla and eggs in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, or mix with spoon. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in mint chips.
- Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 30 seconds; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.
Makes About 8 dozen cookies
Make the Most of This Recipe With Tips From The Betty Crocker® Kitchens
Success Hint
Cooling cookies on a wire cooling rack prevents them from becoming soggy.
Special Touch
These pretty cookies are great to give as a gift. Just stack about 6 to 8 cookies and wrap in colored or clear plastic wrap and tie the top with a colorful ribbon.
Nutrition Information:
1 Serving (1 Cookie)- Calories 80
- (Calories from Fat 25),
- Total Fat 3g
- (Saturated Fat 2g,
- Cholesterol 10mg;
- Sodium 65mg;
- Total Carbohydrate 12g
- (Dietary Fiber 0g,
- Protein 1g;
© 2010 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reserved
So little time...
...to get everything done!***WARNiNG BORiNG WEDDING POST!!!***
I have such a looooong list of things that need to get done ASAP for the wedding and the move! We had a "wedding meeting" tonight to make sure we were all on the same page and I feel a bit better about it all, but it is still a bit shaky... Tomorrow, my dad and I are headed to Garden Ridge to get the finishing materials for the centerpieces and the poinsettias for around the fountain. Hopefully, we can also go ahead and buy the water glasses and cider mugs for the reception. I also need to stop by Chesapeake Square Mall and need to get my abandoned headpiece from Sherrie's (we left it behind after the bridal shower)! Oh yeah, I also have to clean my room, bathroom, and do some laundry... Not to mention, Kevin forgot to mention some people that should've gotten invites that I need to mail out tomorrow!!! Which means I get to hand address invites on the way to Chesapeake while my dad drives. I guess that works out since it's an hour drive! I think I've finally gotten all of my RSVPs straight... I SO wish people would RSVP! It's not hard... Just mail back the preaddressed, stamped envelope with a number on it! You don't even have to write your name on it! JUST a number!!! I'm having to track people down to see if they're coming to my wedding, lol! I feel so needy asking people, "Hey! Are you coming to my wedding?" It's like saying, "Hey! Do you love me and want to buy me a present?"... Awkward!!! I could SO use a personal assistant right about now... I need my KitCAt, but of course, she's married with a child and working full-time, which means limited time to help with wedding stuff! Through it all, she has kept me sane still, but now is not the time to abandon me!!! Today, I had such a busy day and go so much done! I went to Wal-Mart with a page-long shopping list and had to go to Lowe's to buy supplies for wedding deco! I actually got it all done, went to the post office, and got my nails done! I even made it home in time to make Gingerbread Cookies, Marvelously Minty Cookies, and Root Beer Float Cookies! Want the recipes? I'll post them in a separate blog entitled "Missionary Goodies". Why missionary? Because I baked them all to go in the Christmas box to Kevin's little brother who is on his mission in Las Vegas! He gets tons of goodies this year! From K and I, he gets a tie, gloves, a crocheted scarf (that I still need to make!), and the cookies+minty fudge brownies! The gingerbread men are SO cute! I decorated them like missionaries! If I knew how to upload pictures, I would, but IDK how... help? Well, I got the picture at the top, so it'll have to stay there, lol! I felt like blogging to let off some wedding stress and surpirsingly, I do feel lots better, so I think I'll go work on getting my room clean until the boo calls :) I'll post the recipes, then bedtime! Au revoir!
Cross-country honeymoon itinerary!
Last night, Kevin and I decided on our travel plans. Here's what we have in mind:
Wednesday, December 29th
9:am Depart Surry, Va for Charleston, Wv (6hrs 30min)
3:30pm arrive in Charleston, eat dinner with Mommy and Nick and get gas
6:pm Depart for Louisville, KY (4hrs)
10:pm Arrive in Louisville and stay the night
Thursday, December 30th
9:am Check out of hotel, visit childhood elementary school and house (mine), get gas
10:am Depart for St. Louis, MO (4hrs 30min)
2:30pm Arrive in St. Louis, MO, visit arch, get gas
5:30pm Depart St. Louis for Kansas City (4hrs)
9:30pm Arrive in Kansas City and stay the night
Friday, December 31st
10:am DEpart Kansas City for Denver, CO (9hrs 30 min)
8:pm Arrive in Denver, CO and stay the night at the VQ Hotel (Already booked!) NEW YEAR'S!!!
Saturday, January 1st 2011
11:am Depart Denver for Salt Lake City, UT (8hrs 30 min)
8:pm Arrive in Salt Lake City, see SLC Temple Christmas Lights
9:pm Arrive at the Zwalehns (family friends) and stay the night
Sunday, January 2nd
9:am Go to church with the Zwalehns
1:pm Lunch at the Zwalehns and Sunday sleep-itis
3:pm Visit Temple Square
Monday, January 3rd
9:am Depart Salt Lake City for Rexburg, ID (4hrs)
1:pm Arrive in Rexburg!
It's a total of 35ish hours and lots of miles! We are trying to split it up into shorter trips, which I plan on driving. I'm thinking I'll drive to WV and then he can drive to Louisville. Then, I'll drive from Louisville to St. Louis and to Kansas City. From that point on, depending on the snow and road conditions, Kevin will have to drive the rest of the way... That makes it 15.5 hours for me and 20 hours for him! That's pretty even, right!? We're going to stop at some cool places, like my mom's for free food, and Louisville to visit my childhood home and my old elementary school. After that, we're heading to the St. Louis arch and Kansas City should be kinda cool! Then, for New Year's Eve, we have a hotel room booked in Denver in a city view room so we can watch the fireworks from our room :)! After that, Salt Lake City, and then home! How cool is that!? Any cool attractions in our path? Suggestions for the long drive?
Wednesday, December 29th
9:am Depart Surry, Va for Charleston, Wv (6hrs 30min)
3:30pm arrive in Charleston, eat dinner with Mommy and Nick and get gas
6:pm Depart for Louisville, KY (4hrs)
10:pm Arrive in Louisville and stay the night
Thursday, December 30th
9:am Check out of hotel, visit childhood elementary school and house (mine), get gas
10:am Depart for St. Louis, MO (4hrs 30min)
2:30pm Arrive in St. Louis, MO, visit arch, get gas
5:30pm Depart St. Louis for Kansas City (4hrs)
9:30pm Arrive in Kansas City and stay the night
Friday, December 31st
10:am DEpart Kansas City for Denver, CO (9hrs 30 min)
8:pm Arrive in Denver, CO and stay the night at the VQ Hotel (Already booked!) NEW YEAR'S!!!
Saturday, January 1st 2011
11:am Depart Denver for Salt Lake City, UT (8hrs 30 min)
8:pm Arrive in Salt Lake City, see SLC Temple Christmas Lights
9:pm Arrive at the Zwalehns (family friends) and stay the night
Sunday, January 2nd
9:am Go to church with the Zwalehns
1:pm Lunch at the Zwalehns and Sunday sleep-itis
3:pm Visit Temple Square
Monday, January 3rd
9:am Depart Salt Lake City for Rexburg, ID (4hrs)
1:pm Arrive in Rexburg!
It's a total of 35ish hours and lots of miles! We are trying to split it up into shorter trips, which I plan on driving. I'm thinking I'll drive to WV and then he can drive to Louisville. Then, I'll drive from Louisville to St. Louis and to Kansas City. From that point on, depending on the snow and road conditions, Kevin will have to drive the rest of the way... That makes it 15.5 hours for me and 20 hours for him! That's pretty even, right!? We're going to stop at some cool places, like my mom's for free food, and Louisville to visit my childhood home and my old elementary school. After that, we're heading to the St. Louis arch and Kansas City should be kinda cool! Then, for New Year's Eve, we have a hotel room booked in Denver in a city view room so we can watch the fireworks from our room :)! After that, Salt Lake City, and then home! How cool is that!? Any cool attractions in our path? Suggestions for the long drive?
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Bridal Shower Numero Dos!
Bonjour bloggers! Today was a fantabulous day! Despite sleep deprivation and cold, I had the first really great day I've had since... well, the last bridal shower! I got up at 10am (ugh, since I didn't get home until 430am!) and Regina and I hit the road for Waynesboro to Kevin's Grandma's house for my second bridal shower! I am so spoiled! My best friend Catherine and her mom threw me a bridal shower in November and my family came down from New Jersey and my mom came from WV and we had a blast and got sooo many presents! Actually, our whole bathroom is done from that shower, down to the toothbrusher holder and a fancy shower head! Unfortunately, a lot of his family couldn't make the trip down, so they decided to have another shower for me! Again, we got tons of great presents like a waffle maker, tupperware, cookie sheets, circular kebobs :), recipes, and gift cards! His family is so great! I think I've finally almost met all of his aunts! They are such a wholesome, storybook family :) I am so happy to be becoming a part of that clan! The food was delicious and the company was spectacular! I didn't take any pictures, but my soon-to-be-sister-in-law took tons of pictures, so I'll try to get some from her! All of my thank you cards are already done (not because I didn't have tons to write, but because I was productive!), so now I can relax for the rest of the night!
Relaxing... WAiT! What am I DOiNG!? My wedding is in 18 days, I can't relax! I have to finish centerpieces, buy more decorations, figure out transportation, tally up RSVPs, send out last minute invites....!!! What am I doing relaxing!?
The good news is I get a whole day to revitalize starting in an hour and a half! PHEW! I love Sundays! A whole 24 hours to rest physically and pump up my spirituality! I can't think of a more relaxing kind of day! Tomorrow, I plan to take a nap after church, read my scriptures, hopefully get a temple prep lesson, and spend some time with the Irwins. It's the first Sunday in about a month that Dad Irwin has been off work, so it will be a good day!
Welp, time to chat with lover boy, then bedtime! Nightnight!
P.S. Still looking for advice for keeping my room clean! It's a constant struggle... S.O.S!
OH WAiT! Did I mention yesterday was my last night at work and Kevin sent me Gerbera Daisies so I would be happy and not cry!? Isn't he the bestest!?!?
Relaxing... WAiT! What am I DOiNG!? My wedding is in 18 days, I can't relax! I have to finish centerpieces, buy more decorations, figure out transportation, tally up RSVPs, send out last minute invites....!!! What am I doing relaxing!?
The good news is I get a whole day to revitalize starting in an hour and a half! PHEW! I love Sundays! A whole 24 hours to rest physically and pump up my spirituality! I can't think of a more relaxing kind of day! Tomorrow, I plan to take a nap after church, read my scriptures, hopefully get a temple prep lesson, and spend some time with the Irwins. It's the first Sunday in about a month that Dad Irwin has been off work, so it will be a good day!
Welp, time to chat with lover boy, then bedtime! Nightnight!
P.S. Still looking for advice for keeping my room clean! It's a constant struggle... S.O.S!
OH WAiT! Did I mention yesterday was my last night at work and Kevin sent me Gerbera Daisies so I would be happy and not cry!? Isn't he the bestest!?!?
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