Can't think of a snazzy title.

I have kept busy this week. On Tuesdays Clay and I have been attending Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. The classes are at Clay's workplace. I don't think we have learned too much, but there are still a few weeks left. We spent Tuesday evening with Clay's family who were getting together with some of his cousins that were visiting from another state- swimming and pizza. The highlight of the night hands down was playing with Amelia. She was very happy and talkative and was my little friend all night long. Christen and I spent time talking about babies. One of my favorite subjects lately:) I'm still not pregnant, but spending lots of time practicing!

Today I had a doctor's appointment to assess the varicose vein in my leg. I first started noticing it when I was around 15, so I've had it for almost 10 years! It has only been bothering me for the last year or so though, It goes from the top of my thigh to my ankle. The doctor did an ultrasound and his recommendation was that I have surgery on the upper portion and remove it completely, and have sclerotherapy done on the lower portion. The doctor has to submit his recommendation to the insurance company, and I have to wait and see if I get approved. If insurance doesn't cover it, then the whole shebang would be around $1000, which means I wouldn't do it for awhile. The doctor already warned me that Blue Cross doesn't like to mess with veins, and not to hold my breath:( Praying they approve my surgery!

Living in CHAOS

If you know the Flylady at all, then you know that living in CHAOS means- can't have anyone over syndrome. If you don't know who the Flylady is then your not really that with-it sister.

I am not really with-it either. I feel as if I'm lacking in every area of life lately. Not to mention a little bit depressed. Not feeling well physically, not getting very good sleep, feeling run-down, gaining weight, house looks like a tornado came through it, snippy with the hubby, distancing myself from those around me, lonely, time is flying by.

I'll try and do better this week.

Dog Park

Yesterday my little family made our first trip to the dog park. Bella and Chanel don't get out much, and they aren't very social, so I figured it would be a good experience for them to be around other dogs. They didn't exactly play, but I still think they had fun. We found out last week at Clay's first softball game of the season that we can bring them along to the field, so I'm sure there will be more pictures of my babies to come this summer.

Bella

Bella making a new friend

Chanel- She is so pretty!

We brought our own water. Clay thinks they need to drink bottled water like we do....

Hello Freedom....er, I mean Summer

I had my last final of the semester today in Sociology. Maybe now I can go back to a normal person's day. Lately my schedule has went something like this: wake up at 6am, go to class, run errands, Fall back asleep around noon, wake up at 4pm when Clay comes home, go to bed around 3 or 4 am.

My Goals for the Summer

• paint my kitchen
• knit whenever possible
• do some of the craft projects that I have been saving for a rainy day
• Paint the garage door and surrounding trim
• have a garage sale
• continue meeting with my trainer 2x/week, and go to the gym at least 5 days/week
• try new recipes
• take Raven swimming
• Lose 30 lbs.

Long Time, No Blog

I haven't written a blog in several months. Lots of reasons that I don't care to go in to. I don't know if I'm ready to share the daily details of my life with everyone, or if anyone even cares. It's not supposed to be about other people though it's supposed to be therapeutic writing.

I've honestly been struggling lately in many aspects of my life. It feels like my past and my future have been at war with one another so much so that I haven't been living in the now. I've been thinking about my past often lately, the good and the bad, the people, the mistakes, the hurts, the loves. There have been some re-occurring characters in the story of my life. What would I change? You know the saying, "Everything happens for a reason", it's kinda true.

I had a crush on Kyle...---I agreed to be home-schooled just so I could see him every day...---I ended up gaining my first best friend, Joshua.

My first love, Derrick...--- Went to college at NSU to be close to him...--- Suffered my first broken heart...--- Survived due to the great friends I had made while living there! (Brooke, Beth, Leslie Kay, Sarah)

Dated an older man, Jeremy....--- Breakupw/ him led to reunion with 1st love...---Disagreement led to breakup with best friend, Brooke--- Got my heart broken, again...--- Learned that it wasn't meant to be, and grew up.

Moved to OKC to go to grad school,--- was all alone, sad, didn't know anyone---Met my HUSBAND! And reunited with Brooke.

I wouldn't have gotten any of the end results without the hurts that came along the way. I wouldn't change any of the hurts, or the people that caused them. They molded me into who I am today.

Today's favorite things

• Friends- I spent some time with Kaitlyn today which is always refreshing and fun. I think she and I have more in common right now than anyone else I know.
• Linen Spray- I love the linen spray I have right now. I looked for a link to it online, but couldn't find one. I spray it on our sheets a few times a week when I'm making the bed. It is from Cato's and it smells just like my favorite Givenchy perfume. Best part-It's only $3.99. I think the scent is called sweet seduction.
• Strawberries- MMMMM! I have been eating them at home a lot lately, and then today Kaitlyn and I got this chocolate cake for dessert that was nestled in vanilla creme sauce with strawberries...... Nuff said.

Puttering around

So I apologize ahead of time for the formatting (or lack thereof). I can't get blogger to do wat I want him to do....


I am a big fan of what my mom would call, "puttering around". Today I picked up Chanel from the vet (she got spayed), ran a few errands, bought cold medicine & a new thermometer at Walgreens, and made home-made biscuits from scratch.

I pack Clay's lunch every day, and for breakfast I usually send him a Jimmy Dean Sausage, egg, and cheese biscuit. If I send him that then it saves money b/c he isn't running to McDonalds every morning. Well I took my home-made biscuits and filled them with turkey sausage, egg, & cheese. Healthier & cheaper! And oh so domestic:)

Household Notebook Segment #2
Next Step: Morning Routine and Evening Routine

My Morning Routine: (Things I need to do every morning)
Let the dogs outside to go to the bathroom.

Make the bed.

Quiet time: Devotional & Prayer

Shower and get dressed.

Check my calendar.

Empty the dishwasher.

Start a load of laundry if needed.

My Evening Routine: (Things I need to do every evening.)

Start the dishwasher.

Shine my sink!

Make tomorrows schedule.

Lay out tomorrows clothes for me & hubby.

Pack my school bag if I have school the next day.

Brush my teeth and take my vitamins.

Let girls outside. (Last thing I do before bedtime.)

Here are the forms I use for my morning and evening routines. I got them from online and then edited them to put in my own monogram (G), printed out one of each, put my routines in pencil (in case I need to add or delete things), and put them in a plastic sheet protector in my notebook (because I don't need to write on them very often). My notebook is just a 3-ring binder with clear pockets on the front and back.

Documents: Evening Routine Document Morning Routine Document

So when I first started this whole thing my house was a huge mess. So the first week I did things a little differently than I do now. I decided which room was most important to me. For me it was our bedroom- having it clean makes me feel relaxed and literally helps me sleep easier. Week #1 I picked a different room every day and cleaned it top to bottom. The trick is that once a room is clean, I have to keep it clean. So after this week, I'll go on to the next step.

Day 1-bedroom
Day 2- Hallway, Sports room, Office
Day 3- Bathroom
Day 4- Living Room
Day 5- Front Porch & Front Yard
Day 6- Dining Room & Kitchen
Day 7- Catch up on what wasn't done.