Making it real.

April writing...

The following pictures are a graphic depiction of the area we call our "basement." Viewer discretion is advised.

For reals...it isn't pretty.
In fact. It's quite messy. A hodge-podge of stuff and space, just waiting to be developed into the wonderful basement we know it could be!

You ready for the tour??
Here we go...first, we begin at the stairs...it's already scary and daunting.
*please note the foot traffic trail going down the middle of the stairs...yep, that carpet is OLD my friends.

Now, once you reach the bottom of the stairs you will first be greeted with the work area. Which will one day be the Den. Our basement "living room." It will house a large TV, more than likely a sectional, perfectly suited for movie watching, and maybe a few giant bean bags!
The colors have yet to be decided...however this area has been dubbed "the man room," so in all likelihood sports colors and memorabilia will be included in this area, and the game room/exercise room.

As you can see, for now it houses miscellaneous tools that are needed to finish the basement!

To your left at the bottom of the stairs you are greeted with the temporary pantry area; and even more to the left is my temporary craft room.

Beyond the pantry area to the left and towards the front of the house is the tool storage area, and will be the future home of the game room/exercise room and a nice sized closet for storage. There will also be one 3' x 3' closet all the way in the left corner to house the BGE pipes, meter and sump pump on their own, away from the rest of the storage.

Ok...now let's go back to the bottom of the stairs. To your right is a small nook area that now serves as bike and sports equipment storage, but will be the eventual home of our Office.

Walking towards the back of the house with the future Office on your left, you will go down a little all area, where we will be putting another nice sized closet underneath the stairs. Who doesn't love storage space?!

Now the door to the left, that you will see in the picture below...that is where the already completed half bath is. (Well done on that room baby!)

Once you get to the end of that hallway, to your left is our Laundry Room, and the future home of...the Laundry Room. :)

The set up will remain the same...it will just look nicer...uh-duh.

From this spot if you look to your right, you will see what is now the exercise room. But this is actually the future home of my Craft Room. Oh the potential I see here!! Such a great size too!!

So that completes the semi-frightening tour of our basement. Now, for the oh-so-joyous part!! We have been slowly working on finishing the basement, starting with the half-bath, because another bathroom was desperately needed; as we only had one full bath upstairs. We have been slowly but surely collecting tools and items needed, i.e. 2x4's, drywall, etc. In fact in some of the pictures above you will have seen some rooms have studs already placed, like in the Laundry Room.

Well, both Husby and I are visual people...and I may be a bit nervous of leaving Husby alone to finish some projects alone, worrying that he may forget how we decided to do things...so drawings were a must!!

So, last night I sat for about 2 1/2 hours designing the basement using Google SketchUp. Which is a great free software that is reasonably easy to use!

Now do you want to see what the basement WILL look like?? Mind you, these drawings are mostly without extras like, sofas, TV's, desks, etc.; but that's all coming soon!!

Here is an overall top view layout. From left to right...front of the house to back of the house.

Here is a view from the top going from left to right is the back of the house to the front of the house.

Here's a closer view...from the future game room/exercise room looking towards the door (right) towards the stairs and pantry door (right) and the Office past the stairs (where the brown, future hardwood flooring) will be. To the left is the Den.

Here we have the opposite view...from the Den looking towards the storage closet, game room/exercise room and pantry door and stairs.

Here is that same view towards the game room/exercise room and storage closet from the Office. Here you will also see a view of the closet that will go under the stairs.

Here is the view from the craft room towards the laundry room and the the half bath.

Ahhhh yes, all you need is a few visuals and it seems to make it all so REAL! Husby said last night as we were looking at the drawings, "If only it were that easy to finish it all!"

We realize it will take time...but I can't WAIT for the finished project. If I were bold, I would say that this should be done in the next year and half. *fingers crossed* A girl can dream right?!?!

What do you think?

the insurmountable task...

April writing...

of folding fitted sheets...

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Seriously? I have been folding fitted sheets for a while now...and I don't seem to have a huge problem with it...it usually takes about a minute and I am done...I must be some kind of sheet-god in this guys eyes!

I am all for the American entrepreneur, but this guy may need more than a little luck to have this "item" pick up in sales...

Here is the diagram of how to use...Fit & Fold...funny thing is...it's the SAME way, if you just use your FINGERS!!

Hilarious.

Cracked windshield equals a crazed owner

April writing...

About 3 weeks ago I had a small crack begin forming on my windshield. I was not very happy about this...especially if it meant spending alot of money to fix it!!!

We called around, my insurance covered it...but after a $250 deductible. Nahhhh.

Another, small business quoted me $223.60.

Sweet. I could get it done quickly and save a little over $25!!

So I call to schedule a time to drop off my car. I knew I would be off on President's Day, so I decided to call to make sure that time was available. It was about 9:56 pm on Friday night, so I figure I will just go ahead and call, thinking I would leave a message after all most businesses are closed by now, especially with this one; as I already knew it was a home business that they run out of their garage.

Well much to my surprise the Owner picks up. I stated my name and that I was calling Name of Company to set up an appointment for Monday. She kind of sighed, then asked for my name and my car model. I told her we had already spoken about it, and she asked if I remembered what she had quoted me. I told her the amount and she then proceeds to say, "Ok, I guess that's it, I can't look it up because my computer is turned off cause we are closed, it is 10:00 pm after all." Stunned I sat there thinking to myself (for a brief moment) "Well then why did you answer your phone? It's not my fault you don't have a business line. I was planning on leaving a message anyways!" So I quickly snapped out and gave my typical "I'm really sorry." Then she said we could drop it off the night before or the morning of. I told her we would drop it off in the Morning.

So Sunday evening rolls around...and as I am leaving church after 10 pm, I get a notification of a new voicemail and a missed call. I check the number and don't recognize it, so I listen to the voicemail. It was the owner from the windshield repair company wondering why I hadn't dropped my car off yet. So here I am wondering if I should call her back...after all it was 10:40 pm, but she herself had called me at 10:15 pm. I felt bad that she might be waiting for me to drop off my car, even though I told her I would be dropping it off Monday morning, so I called her back.

Again, she answered with a sigh once I told her her it was. I apologized even though it wasn't my error for the mis-communication and stated that I would be dropping it off in the morning.

I hung up and shook my head. This was already starting to become a bit of a headache...and this owner wasn't the sweetest person on the block!

Well Monday morning rolled around and my mother-in-law followed me as I took my car in to have the windshield replaced. We drove up to the house, and there were no clearly defined house numbers, so I called to verify that I was at the right location. She says to me "Is there a black truck in the driveway?" I said "Yes." So she says, "That's it then, just leave your keys in the car and we will get it done for you today."

I will admit...I was a little put off that she didn't come out to meet me, or that no one did. I realize that when you leave your car for service at the dealership you do something similar, but at least then, I put my keys in a sealed enveloped in a lock box. Not just sitting in the driveway of someone's home, where I am not even completely satisfied that I am at the right location. I mean, seriously...how general is the description of a "black truck" in the driveway?

Much to my better judgement, I left. My sweet Bessie Blue sat alone in the driveway of some unknown person's home waiting for a new windshield...with the keys sitting in the car. Looking bad, I should have gone with my gut and asked her to meet me outside to verify everything.

Well, you know what they say about hindsight right?!!?

So my MIL takes me home for the day...where I grow increasingly impatient, as it seemed like I made a dumb decision in giving up my car for my entire day off...especially for a job that takes, at most an hour to two hours to complete. Husby calls around 2 pm to ask if the car was done. I told him that I hadn't heard anything. I told him that I would call and find out.

I called the business again, feeling like an idiot for calling so much...but that's just how I am. She said it wasn't ready, and that it would be done at some point this evening. I honestly got so flustered that I hung up. Not ON her, but just hung up without getting some kind time estimation. So when I called Husby back, he wasn't happy.

To my credit, I hate dealing with stuff like this...but Husby was tied up in training all day and couldn't do it himself. He would have known to ask the right questions and he would have known to never leave the keys in the car in an unknown location. *sigh*

Well...come 6 pm and still no word on our car, we head to Husby's parents house for dinner. After dinner Husby is pretty fumed at hearing nothing about the car, so he called. It was about 7:15 pm and the Owner's daughter answered the phone. Husby said she sounded all of 14 years old. He asked if the car was ready and she said she would check. She came back and said, "Yes it's ready and the cost is $350-something." Husby's eyes got all big and said "$350...?!" I grunted..."NO! That's not what we were quoted!" He calmly told the girl "That is not the amount we were quoted." So she says, "Well that's what my parents said."

At this point, Husby is pretty annoyed...he is thinking...why aren't you putting me on the phone with your parents...why am I still talking to a 14 year old girl about my vehicle the the cost of repairs...so he says, "Can I speak to one of them please?" So she gets the Owner on the phone.

She quickly apologizes about the confusion in cost and states that her daughter walked in on a conversation that her and her husband were having about the cost of repairs to her older daughters car, and that the $350-something was not for our vehicle, our cost is actually $223.60." Husby kind of laughed off the goof-up with the Owner and told her we would be on our way to pick it up.

He got off the phone and all he could do is shake his head. This situation was showing us that sometimes small businesses were not the way to go.

I drove with Husby in his patrol car to pick up my car. When we got there, there wasn't anyone waiting for us...well unless you count the creepy-smoker-guy who was standing by the garage who squinted at us as we got out of the patrol car asking, "Who is that?" When I replied that I was just "here to pick up my car," he then walked up to the main house to get the Owner.

Guess who greeted us first? Her 14 year old daughter in her PJ's. Then Mom/Owner comes out. I'm not trying to sound judgemental, but let's just say that my first impression was not a good on...not even counting all the stuff that has already happened. Then, the first thing she says is "I hate it when the Police show up to my house, it's never a good thing; then she proceeds to tell us a brief story of her Police and criminal woes from the past...which is so refreshing. sike. I mean really...who says that TO a police officer?! Especially one giving you his business!

So it's freezing outside and she comes out to our car to finalize payment and we continue to stand outside in the cold and the dark as I fill out my check. She takes my check, hands me the receipt and says, "Oh yeah...let me get your keys." So they both go back up the steps and she hands the keys to her daughter who skips them back down the steps to us...and she waves from the door.

Husby says, "Uh, is there anything we need to know? How long do we keep the tape on the window?" She says, "Oh yeah...you should keep that on for about a day and be careful driving. You probably should just take it home and park it. And don't slam the door you may get an air pocket, blah blah blah..." then she runs down a brief little list of things to watch out for, etc.

Thanks...were you just going to let us drive away and NOT tell us any of that information?

Finally...we parted ways...Husby and I just shook our heads and drove home frustrated. (Husby got stuck on a traffic accident on his way home, cause he was in his patrol car...poor guy!)

We spent the rest of the evening talking about how lame of a situation this all had become. This business did things so backwards. They got snippy with me, when I thought I was calling a business line to leave a message. They let their teenage daughter answer the phone, who was certainly not ready to deliver the correct information to a customer. They kept my car for an entire day without giving us any time estimation for completion. I mean, why couldn't I have dropped my car off later in the afternoon if you weren't going to touch it till evening?!

*sigh*

Anywho...needless to say...it was not a great experience...and I will certainly NOT be referring anyone to this business.

Luckily...my car wasn't stolen and my tummy ache from all the worrying about leaving my car unattended in an unfamiliar location was all for not...but still.

No fun.

No-sew project!

April writing...

We have a little tin in our kitchen that holds our recyclables till it's full...then we take it outside. It serves its purpose quite well...but the style doesn't exactly match our decor...albeit our un-named decor...still.

Here's our cute wittle snowman tin. Well...cute wittle snowmen don't work for me in the spring, summer and fall months. So I decided to cover it! I thought about decoupaging it with some decorative paper...but that felt too permanent. Not that I plan on ripping it off ever winter to expose the sweet wittle snowmen...I just wanted something that wouldn't ruin the tin, if I decided to change the style later. Then it hit me!!! I will cover it with fabric!!!

So first I had to cover the snowman up with some paper, cause I could see it through my fabric. (which by the way, was an old set of Ikea curtains that used to hang in our living room...of which I have a TON leftover...the majority of which are being used as curtains in our ever developing basement to block dust from my craft area, pantry and laundry room!)

So I mono-adhesive the paper to the tin and then cover the tin with my fabric...which is double layered, thanks to it's original job as curtains.

As you can see I left a little overhand on the top and bottom...the bottom I will pull tightly under the tin and the top I will cut to shape and cover with ribbon...so keep reading...

How did I attach the fabric?? Well that was an easy choice. I used "sticky strip" a Stampin' Up product, of which I used to sell! It's fabulous for no sew projects...and bummer for me, this project used up the last of what I had...so I need to order more!!

So I used the "sticky strip" along the top of the tin and where my wrapped around seams met, and then where I pulled the fabric tight along the bottom.

*sorry my pictures are kinda dark...boo.

So, next thing I did was wrap some thin grosgrain ribbon around the top...two lines of it...cause I thought it added some style...

Then I cut out the holes where the handles were and added a thin line of ribbon around the handles as well...

Here's another view of the ribbon...

And here is the final product in it's spot in the kitchen...

I think it makes a great addition to the kitchen...and it doesn't scream "FROSTY THE SNOWMAN!"

It was a super easy no-sew project that took me about a half an hour to complete...thanks to OD for the extra hands when I needed them!




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this...is just funny.

April writing...

I just saw this...and boy...it's a GREAT idea!! haha!!!

This 8"x7" ceramic piggy bank is perfect for savers who know where the money actually goes! A man tucks away those extra coins in "His Money" bank, but but they slip directly down into "Her Money" bank.

Lovey Day!

April writing...

**Ehhh, don't mind my crappy pictures. (I have been looking at too much photography lately...I am starting to see the downfall in my point and shoot pictures! ha)

So...Lovey Day...Valentine's Day...was great. It always is. In fact, we had TWO days this year!! Husby celebrated me on Saturday and I celebrated him on Tuesday...thanks to work schedules and church! We are used to not celebrating holidays ON holidays!!

So for me...I already got my present about a month ago...my new Nicholas Sparks book...cause Husby couldn't wait to give it to me; and I read through that puppy in a week! So, I was eager to see what else he had planned!!

He got me the "biggest Valentine's card he could find!"...

And the typical funny card...while I am sappy, I do love the silly card too!

Followed by dinner at a restaurant of my choosing. He had printed off two menus of two new places and I picked...The Original Steakhouse in Annapolis.

One word. YUM!

It was SO good! We each had barbecue chicken potato skins to start, then a melt-in-your-mouth steak and I added on king crab legs. OH...it was amazing!

Then we went out to see the movie "Valentine's Day." It was really cute. Overall it was a simple Lovey day and a great time to spend alone with Husby!

*ehhh, wish I would have plucked my caterpillar eyes before this picture...bleehhh :)*

For Husby's special day...I had planned his annual Valentine's clue hunt! This year I had a little bit of a theme...I made paper fortune cookies that held sayings like "Love is for the lucky and the brave." (He could find that clue near all his police statues; then there was "If you want the rainbow, you must put up with the rain." (He found that one in the shower!)

He said it was one of the tougher clue hunts...I actually thought while planning it that I would take it easy on him!! ha! Guess not!

He got a card from me...with "boo bees" on it...haha (inside joke) a new game; Scrabble Slam, a new pair of boxers...with hearts all over them (heehee) and some love coupons...which, much to his surprise I put an expiration date on!! I did this because he was cleaning out one of his drawers in the bedroom not too long ago and ran across some love coupons from last year that he never cashed in...and I jokingly told him they weren't valid any longer...but he said there was not expiration date on them!! haha! Well, I bet he will use them now!!!

He also got his choice of either Chinese dinner out at Pei Wei (see the theme...fortune cookies, Chinese food??!!?) or Chinese take-out at home with a movie rental.

He opted for the night in!! See?! More simplicity...I love it!

So all in all...we had a GREAT 2010 Valentine's Day...how did you spend your Lovey Day??

I am content.

April writing...

Now, before we get into this, let's deal with the elephant on the blog...OF COURSE, there are always things in life that could be changed, that could be better. I totally want to be skinnier, and yes, I would love more money or to be out of debt, and of course I would love to have a finished basement or to be able to work from home *sigh*...but I digress.

I am content.

Dictionary.com defines the word "content" as an adjective meaning "to be satisfied with what one is or has; not wanting more or anything else."

That's strong stuff...but for me...right now; it's so true.

I can honestly say that I am very content with my life right now. I feel a sense of rest and peace. The pace is slower and I am liking it. Husby and I have a steady, tried and true way of loving each other; and yes, while we are both open to changing how we do things...for the most part, it's all worked out. We have simple routines that are comforting; from how we wake up each morning to how we go to sleep. From how laundry is done, to how we do our dishes. We talk of the future, with the full knowledge that it is coming towards us and by the time our future gets here, God will have us prepared for what's in store.

I love our home, even with all it's little annoyances, because even in those times; I know there are some who do not have a home. I love our church, even knowing all the sometimes dark sides behind the curtain of membership; because I know that God has huge things in store for our church...and sometimes it just means we will need trials to make us a stronger body of Christ. I even love our struggle with infertility; because even though it's hard and ugly and sometimes downright tiring...it has forged within Cory and I such a strong faith in God and in each other.

I love my job. I love how I can volunteer and serve my passions all at once. I love my families; both sides, for their similarities and for their differences. I love my friends, for being constants in my life.

I am content.
I feel full.
I feel loved.

I am content.
How do you feel about your life right now?

So I'm the wife of an Officer...

April writing...

Lately, I have been wandering around the blog world and finding some great fellow Police Officer's Wives! Hi ladies!!! :)

When people hear that I am a Police Officer's wife...it usually warrants a few different types of responses...from empathy, compassion and fear to worry, distrust and disgust. It always amazes me what people actually say or ask out loud to me..."Does your husband wear his gun to bed?!" "Oh, I bet he never lets you out of the house alone," " I bet you can't sleep at all at night when he is gone," or even the typical, "How do you do it?!"

I figured, even though I don't talk about it much on this blog, it is a huge part of mine and Husby's life together! I would say even though being a Police Officer takes up about 50% of Husby's time...it can sometimes take up about 85%+ of his mind!

It may not seem like it to an outsider, who just comes home from their job, leaving the stress and the people behind, but being an Officer means almost constantly being "on" to the public. There have been many nights when our dinners were interrupted by calls about "what's happening in my neighborhood, there are cops everywhere?!" or "Can you get me out of a ticket?." Then there is the challenge or riding around town in the "take-home car," that could mean having to stop for an accident (which happened last night in fact) or being ready to pull over a car for running a red light on our way to church. So needless to say, we keep the take-home car at home most of the time! I can't tell you how many times I have bumped my elbow on his gun when going in for a hug, or how it feels to watch him cry when he loses a brother in the thin blue line.

There are many other ways that being a Police Officer impacts our daily lives, even in small ways...for example, in public I will always sit with my back to the door, (or to the biggest grouping of people) so that Husby can see as much as possible. When we pray, he doesn't close his eyes, so he can stay aware. He has a cynical comment about most things, this isn't very easy to combat for someone as positive as me. I know, there will be some days when he is just too tired to do anything; one long night can mess him up for days.

Sometimes I can get aggravated with Husby for all of his precautions, and all of his police-style planning; But when I hear stories of officer's who have been shot, just for arriving to a 911 call and doing their jobs, it's then that I am grateful for how careful he is! As he says, "It's all about getting home safe," and I am more than fine with that!

I have friends of mine who wonder how I do it. How I don't stay awake at night, blinking my wide eyes at the ceiling. It's quite simply that I have faith that God is taking care of my Husband. And I know he is being safe, and being smart...and while yes, even those smart and safe Officer's have had their watch cut short due to criminals, I know that God has a plan. If I laid awake at night worrying about him, I wouldn't be the best wife I could be for him. I couldn't have the house ready for him to come home to, to feel safe in; safe enough to relax and not worry about out there. So I can't worry, I can't allow myself to get caught up in all that. Yes, we have worked out easy ways to combat some unsettling feelings...for instance, if Husby gets involved in something at work, that may be deemed a little too scary for me to know about...then I don't get the full story when he gets home. In fact I am pretty sure there are quite a few situations that I know nothing about...and I am ok with that. I trust him, that he knows me well enough to know what I can handle, and what I can't. Also, if he is going to be late getting home...9 times out of 10, he calls...so I am not left at home wondering...what happened?!

Then there is the Officer's sense of humor and point of view on people...usually dark, cynical, crude and insensitive...however...it that gets them through their tough dark days at work...then so be it. (Just don't bring it home...haha) I can't tell you how many times earlier on in our marriage that Husby actually rolled down his windows to yell at a homeless person to "get a job!" I was always so mortified and sensitive saying, "Oh you don't know their situation," but in the cynical mind of my Husby, he has seen the other side...people using it as an excuse, people using it as a job, then driving home to their $800,000 estates! So over time, we have worked out a compromise...he can scream out the window what he wants , when I am not around, as long as he has taken the time to at least assume there is always another side to every coin! He has also been the same Officer to pull over and offer help to a small family who's car broke down. In fact he threw the car into park and and jumped out of the car before I even knew what was happening; and next thing I know...we are piling two grown adults and their baby in the back seat of his very tiny car to give them a ride home!

Everything is very routine to my Officer...from how he gets ready...to how he undresses. My favorite part of the night, which may seem odd, but it's the part of the night I'm involved in...and I hate missing it. He gets dressed and leaves our bedroom, turning off the light (usually, haha) and then he heads to me, leans in and gives me a kiss (sometimes I try to steal a second and third kiss) and as he heads to the door, I say, "I will call you later." So simple, but that's our nightly routine...and the last thing I do before bed is call him to say "Goodnight and I love you."

I've heard it once said that, "in a law enforcement marriage, there is no room for someone who is emotional, clingy or needy. Because a cop's wife's role often requires her to be self-sufficient, she needs to be sure of who she is. Of course her identity isn't derived solely from who she is to her husband. She is her own person too." I feel like I have grown so much, just by being married to Husby...he has challenged me to be a better, stronger woman and I am proud to call myself an Officer's Wife!

I don't feel like I am some super-woman for being married to an Officer, but I feel the demands and I have also seen the benefits! I wouldn't change it for the world, because to me...my Husby is always the Hero; and I will always welcome home my cynical, tired and often mad-at-the-world Husby into my arms and love him the BEST way I know how!

Back to the grind...

April writing...

Thanks for dropping by...You're awesome! (even though who ever created the picture above spelled it wrong...)

So, we have been in and out of "Snow-maggedon-Status" since February 5th. Yeah. That's seriously like 12 days. It's nuts. I only worked two days last week. I had a half day the Friday before then (5th) and I was off yesterday for President's Day. We have shoveled and snow-blowed more snow than we care to admit and we are hoping no, we are praying desperately that the snow is done for the season!!!!

I am extremely happy to be back to my routine, a little bit of normalcy. I've been craving it. I felt all un-used and lazy. You would think all that time off of work would be outstanding, but not when it means that 90% of the time you are stuck in your house. Granted, I thoroughly enjoyed it...I didn't have any crazy cabin fever till the second snowfall, when I had to do alot of the shoveling myself cause Husby had to work. Being cooped up + Manual labor = Crazy April. :P

I felt like all I did was laundry, eat, clean, deal with stir-crazy dogs, eat, watch tv, shower and eat!! haha! Thankfully the Olympics came on, and that provided a bit of a change of pace...although they came on as we were able to start getting out and about more often!! Oh well. Better late than never!

So yeah, I am happy to be back...and I have lots of bloggy ideas...so keep an eye out for those!!
For the rest of you East Coasters...how did you survive Snow-maggedon??

Couple quiz...

April & Cory writing...

I saw this on another blog and I thought it would be alot of fun to do for Valentine's Day weekend! :P

I added my answers and then had Cory answer his separately...we shall see how we line up! :P

Add it to your profile or blog and link to it in the comments section! Can't wait to read!!

What couple from a movie or TV show are you most like?:

ME: I think Jim and Pam from The Office...we are fun and silly with each other...and we had the whole "best friends" before marriage thing working for us!

HIM: Gary and Allison from Gary Unmarried...just cause of how we bicker with each other.

Do you have a song?:

ME: Ehhh, I wouldn't say it's OUR song...but there are two songs that we danced to at our wedding...so I guess we do.

HIM: Yes. But I don't know it.

What is it?:

ME: "Amazed" by Lonestar and "Love of My Life" by Michael W. Smith & Jim Brickman.

HIM: It's the one we danced to at our wedding, but I don't know what it is :)

First movie you saw together in the theatre:

ME: Alone? I think it was "Pearl Harbor."

HIM: "The Wedding Planner."

Who said I Love You first?

ME: He did.

HIM: I did.

Where do you eat out at most as a couple?

ME: Fuddruckers. (It's my favorite!)

HIM: Fast Food restaurants...in general.

Who is better at handling money?

ME: I think overall, I am. He tends to get grouchy about money when it's not there. I am a saver and he is a spender.

HIM: She is.

What was the first meal that your wife ever cooked for you?

ME: I remember it was Chicken Spaghetti...cause I was trying to be all susie-home-maker and make one of my Mom's best recipes.

HIM: Mac N' Cheese and Barbeque Chicken.

If your spouse was a cartoon character which one would he/she be?

ME: I would have to go with Mighty Mouse...my sweet super hero in a tiny body :)

HIM: Lucy, from Snoopy...cause she is always keeping Snoopy out of trouble.

How many boyfriends/girlfriends did your spouse have before you?

ME: He had...1...2...3...4...5...6...? Wait...7. Yeah I am going with 7.

HIM: 2!

What is your idea of a perfect date?

ME: Well I'm split...either doing something completely NEW or something old, tried and true...like dinner and a movie. I'm simple really. There must be FUN and FOOD though!

HIM: Going to dinner and going to a sporting event.

What physical feature first attracted you to your spouse?

ME: His smile...what a charmer.

HIM: Her face.

Where was your first date?

ME: I don't know that we had a first date per say...more like a couple of going outs and in the middle of that we became boyfriend and girlfriend.

HIM: I want to say we went to dinner and ice skating.

What is your spouses favorite show?

ME: Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Holmes on Homes, Castle, Bones and Criminal Minds.

HIM: LOST.

What is your favorite show?

ME: I would have to say I have many, but currently I am loving LOST, Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice, Ghost Whisperer, Ugly Betty, and Criminal Minds. All time fav is ER.

HIM: Castle.

What is your dating anniversary?

ME: September 3rd, 2000 I think.

HIM: Oh, I have no idea...probably May of 2001.

If you could go anywhere on a second honeymoon, where would you go?

ME: I wouldn't mind going back to Mexico...but to mix it up...maybe Australia, Hawaii or Ireland.

HIM: Australia.

What surprised you about your spouse after marriage?

ME: How neat he is...for a guy...he is pretty neat. I was also a little surprised about how much of a morning person he is. Total opposite of me!

HIM: Her hatred for breakfast.

What's the best thing about being married to your spouse?

ME: Always having my best friend around. Being able to be my goofy self and having a partner in crime. We can laugh about anything and our communication makes me so proud! He just...completes me and is everything I need!

HIM: Her cooking dinner and the fun we have together.


NOW, share yours!!

Genius? or Gimmick?

April writing...

Now, I am no parent yet...but I have seen the battle that parents have with getting their children to do their chores...and of course we know why; there are obvious roadblocks...

Video Games.
TV.
Movies.
Internet.
Cell Phones.
and the list goes on and on!

There is a pretty genius system (in my opinion) that has been created to get kids attention, right where it counts the most...on the internet!

Check out My Job Chart!!





Pretty creative I would say.

Parents...thoughts?? Genius? or Gimmick? (seems to me trying something FREE can't hurt!!)

How we do Lovey-Day

April writing...

Our Eslick Valentine's Day history...

Once upon a time a boy began dating a girl, who felt it was just as important to spoil the guy on Valentine's Day as it was to spoil the lady. Thus began, our Valentine's tradition...

Every year I prepare a clue hunt for Husby. It's different every time. One year it was all clues that had to do with our relationship...one year the clue where centered around pictures. I even did a video clue hunt one year. (That has probably been my favorite one so far...)

...lemme e'splain...

My cousins were in town for a while, and with their creative genius, my goof sense of humor and my sisters desire to be in front of the camera, I created different clues and ways we could act them out. So it was Husby's job to watch the clues one-by-one and then go find the present...that year it was love coupons...(which I realized are basically useless as a gift for him, cause he never cashes them in....hmmm)

Anywho...the kicker to this video clue hunt was that I decided to secretly video tape him while he watched and did the clue hunt.

Oh...boy was THAT priceless! As much as I love to show off that video...I mainly do it with choice friends as not to embarrass poor Husby too much..(there may be some minor nose picking and silly little quirks shown on screen!) It's a great addition to the many keepsakes we have throughout our relationship!

So...like I said...each year they are a little different. I look forward to the clue hunts every year and I have a ball putting them together.

This year I have another "theme" in mind for my hunt...but I won't spill those beans just yet! I don't want to ruin the surprise for Husby!

So that's how WE do Valentine's...and for those feminists out there...YES, Husby takes very good care of me as well! In fact it took me a few years to make him believe that he didn't even need to SPEND a dime on Valentines...I told him he could make me something, or even cook dinner for me. I am a really simple gal; and easily pleased! (He is lucky in that regard!) He's not hugely creative; so for me to expect a clue hunt from him would be a bit far fetched, but who knows! He has surprised me in the past. (there was that one time he made maple pork chops...YUMM!!) And I have been completely satisfied with his many Valentine-loving-gestures from the past!

How do YOU do Valentine's Day?

My Husband Rocks

April writing...

My Husband rocks...as I have mentioned plenty of times before!! But this one...is kinda just for him.

Babe you ROCK! Thanks for working SO hard this past week, with all of the snow, the shoveling, the plowing! You did alot of back-breaking AND you went to work, to serve and protect our county! I am so proud of you and I am behind you every step of the way! Even if it means doing what some consider a mans job and shoveling when you are away, so you have a little less work when you get home! And thanks for the mornings when you let me sleep, and shoveled yourself...you didn't have to, but you did.

I love you and your outstanding work ethic...you are an amazing Husband, Friend and Role Model!

I love you!!

- How does YOUR Husband or Significant Other ROCK?? Share your story!

My apologies...

April writing...

A while back when I first got a peek at the new Spring Collection for Vera Bradley; I dissed my fine quilted friend by saying that I hated it.

I mean, I didn't like a single design in the new collection. Which was a real bummer because I look forward to each new season.

Well, I guess I was stuck in the winter blues...and that was BEFORE all this snow...ggggeeesshhhh!!

I got a mailer from Vera Bradely about a week ago...and you know what?

I couldn't...put it...down.

I DO like some of the new collection!!! Two designs to be exact!!

I Love, love, love..."Sittin' in a Tree" and the "Totally Turq" is a close second for me!! Now the other two...ehhh...still don't like them! :P

Here's the "Sittin' in a Tree" design, and the style purse that I LOVE!

It's a new purse style called "Alice." Love it.

And for "Totally Turq"

I love this style...

They also have a new Sun and Sand collection...and it includes prints similar to "Sittin' in a Tree" like this...cute! Like this wallet, and these flip flops!

So...my apologies to Vera...I DO love some of your new Spring 2010 collection! :)

One proud Momma...

April writing...

My sweet little Terrors Terriers.

They complete our little Family...for now.

I decided about two weeks ago that I would let them stay out of their crates at night. I knew that Pickle was capable of sleeping through the night without any mischievous behavior. After all before we adopted Olive he slept out overnight...but he did create some early wake up calls some mornings!!

Now Olive has had some issues in the past...chewing cabinets...peeing...tearing up pillows, etc; all under the cover of night!

I realized though...if they get adequate exercise during the day, they tend to sleep through the night. And they are definitely MY dogs because they do not mind sleeping in! Bless their little hearts!

Boy are they making Momma (and Daddy) proud!!

I was a little worried with all of this snow...because they haven't got much exercise...

But they are doing great and this is actually where they are sleeping right now...

...and it's normally where they snuggle all night.

Good job pups!! With more power comes more responsibility...don't make me regret this :P

and by that I mean, don't let me awaken to my couches being torn apart or stepping into a pile of...well...anything that would come out of your pretty little bodies!!! :P

3 days...

April writing...

...you have 3 days...till V-day. Are you ready?

Ready to share sweet-squirrely love like what's shown above?

I am.

I'm nearly done planning Husby's Valentine's Day Clue Hunt...just like we do every year.

My sweet presents are bought,

...so is the card.

...and I am hoping to get one more present by the time V-day rolls around.

Here's how last Valentine's went down...



Valentine's Day 09 - Clue Hunt from April Eslick on Vimeo.


What are your Valentine's Plans??

Wordless Wednesday

April writing...

"Snowed in; in a Winter Wonderland."