it is the little things...

Man, 6 days without a post.  I'm afraid as our hectic summer approaches the posts are going to get pretty sparse, but I will do my best to continue to write here.  There is not much and also so much going on here right now.  I'm starting my job hunt...the goal is to be back to work full time by this fall...I'm not good at looking for a job, I don't like it.  I'm not good at selling myself on paper, I do better by just showing people what I can do and working hard. I've been (mostly) out of the game for 2 1/2 years...it makes me nervous to start again.  I have faith that I'll be lead in the right path if I do the legwork and get my resume out there.  If you are aware of any bookkeeping/accounting jobs open in the Cascade, IA (or surrounding area) drop me an email...I'll send you some cookies or something! 

Since it is Thursday...here is what I'm thankful for...
a husband who put an umbrella in my car yesterday
watching the kids do the "we did it!" dance from Dora
the kids cheering for daddy at his softball game
watching American Idol as a family
a long weekend with few plans

Thanks to my Aunt Jean who is doing Thankful Thursday with me!  She posted this on my facebook wall this morning:
Amber, here it is Thursday, thankful Thursday, thankful the rain stop(for a little while), Elliott weighs 5lbs 20z, a husband that's been very understanding lately, and my family(some of which I don't know what I would do if I didn't have them)

If you'd like to join us post to your blog, facebook, or if you don't use either of those...email me and I'll post them here!  If you blog or post to facebook leave a comment so I can come check out what you are thankful for!

Have a beautiful and thankful day!

relay for life in missouri...

I guess I need to back up a couple weeks to tell you about the Relay for Life I (well the whole family was there for part of it) did in Missouri with my sister.  We drove down on Friday morning and Angie helped me finish up my contribution to the team (I made scrabble tile pendants to sell...if anyone is interested there are still some left, they are $5 and the entire $5 goes to the American Cancer Society...there are two different styles, but they are at Angie's house so maybe she could take a picture for me :) ANYWAY, we headed over to set up the campsite about 4 and hung out until the start of the relay.  The weather was a little sketchy (rainy and windy) but we survived and even got some walking in! :)  We stayed awake all night (although it was touch and go for me for a little bit).  We got a few hours of sleep after we got back to Angie and Nick's house and spent the rest of the day playing outside with the kids.  It was a great weekend visit, I always love spending time with my sister and her family.
Here are the kids enjoying the relay!

wrap up on the thankful project...

I may not get to things right away...but I will get to them eventually...

The thankful project really changed the way I approached my days, I paid attention to the little things that made me happy throughout the day and I really took them in so I could remember them at the end of the day (my memory is not the best these days).  The bad seemed to be less because I was more consciously thinking of the good.  I can honestly say it made me more present in my day.  It also got me doing more things to influence my day into being a good one with lots of thankful moments. Lately, I know my posts haven't been the most upbeat or thankful, but please know that writing is my outlet for my frustrations, I haven't lost sight of the big picture...things are definitely in perspective.  I have a wonderful family, we are all healthy, we have a roof over our head and food on our table...it is enough and I am truly grateful.  I mean seriously, how lucky can a girl be?

I am thankful to you all for taking this journey with me...and maybe I'll be back with some more thankful thoughts from time to time...maybe a "thankful Thursday" type of thing?  Would anyone be willing to join me in doing "thankful Thursday" posts?

slacker...

**I apologize for the randomness of this post in advance it is just kind of a mind dump for me this morning!**

Good grief!  I've been gone a while huh?  Life has been crazy and stressful, and to be quiet honest...I'm not handling it all that well.  We've had a run of bad luck...nothing major...just a laptop crash (good part...I was able to save all my emails, documents, etc) and a spare tire falling off the truck in front of me that then bounced up into the front of my car.  No damage done to the car really...just took about 10 years off my life.  On top of that, we've had little to no activity on the house.  Like I said...I'm not dealing very well.  I've been busying myself by reading and hiding out at home.  Thankfully I have a lot to read thanks to Librarything.  I've won about 13 books in the last month.  I right now have 6 to be read and reviewed and 3 that I haven't received yet.  No complaining here thought, free books are awesome, I'm reading things I probably normally wouldn't, it is good all around.  In the middle of all of that we are potty training the little man (with little success). We took him to the bathroom every 45 min for 2 whole days and we had only 2 (mildly) successful trips.  Today I'm taking him every 30 minutes and we'll see how that goes.  One successful trip so far, we'll see how long that lasts. 
Other than the above we don't have much going on(right now)....we're gearing up for a crazy busy summer that (so far) doesn't include moving, but we are hopeful that we'll have to squeeze that in there as well!  I'm baking/decorating a cake for my cousin's graduation party (yikes...I'm scared...but also really excited!) and my mom, sister and I are taking a trip to Nashville (sooo excited) and we are taking a family (my mom/dad and sister and her family) trip to a waterpark and then to Powers Lake for a few days.  I'm beyond excited about spending some real time with my family without having 1,000 obligations to attend to while we're together.  We also have a couple of canoe trips and some other fun stuff going on this summer...including all the pre-wedding festivities for Bob's cousin and also his brother !  So, much fun and excitement also leads to some stress about how everything will get done, but I'm sure it will, it always seems to. 
Oh...and one last thing before I go...I found this recipe for a copycat black tie mousse from the Olive Garden (our favorite dessert) a while ago and have been itching to try it but was leery about the time commitment to it.  So, yesterday, as a belated anniversary present to Bob (and me too!) I decided it was time and tried it.  I will admit it isn't exactly like Olive Garden Black Tie Mousse, BUT it is pretty darn close.  The only thing to me that didn't really taste the same was the bottom cake part, it could be due to the fact I didn't have Dutch cocoa, but who knows...it is still pretty darn good!  Here is the recipe in case anyone else wants to try it :) Big thanks to Pattie Kaykes and Meemo's Kitchen for the amazing recipe!
Here is a picture of the finished product (I would have decorated it better but I was tired by the time I got to this point and didn't want to get out a pastry bag and decorating tips so I just used a ziplock with a hole cut in it also this is a cell phone picture so it isn't the best quality). 

eight...

Dear Bob,
Eight years ago today I thought I was living the best day of my life.  It was picture perfect and I was never happier than I was that day, it was everything I dreamed and imagined.  Actually, I take that back...it was better than anything I had ever dreamed, because the reality had you.  Standing in front of our friends and family I promised to love you in good times and bad (we have definitely had both), for richer and poorer (check!), in sickness and in health (thankfully we've been blessed so far).  I mean them today as much, if not more than I did eight years ago.  You are my best friend, my biggest fan, my strength when I feel like things are crumbling around me.  You are an amazing dad...the kids light up around you.  I know that living with me is sometimes impossible horrible a challenge, but you handle it so well.  I cannot (nor do I want to) imagine life without you.  I look around this life we have created these last eight years and although it hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows, we have had more laughter and smiles than tears.  There is no one I'd rather go through the ups and downs with and truthfully, I know that I wouldn't have made it through without you. I wish I could find the adequate words to tell you how much you mean to me (in case you don't already know).  But all I have are these...eight years ago I thought I was living the best day of my life, but I was wrong...because every day with you is better than the one before.  Each day of my life with you is the best day...you have made (and continue to make) all of this girl's dreams come true .
Happy Anniversary!
I love you!
Love,
me

unintended blogging hiatus...over...

Oh you amazing blog readers, I'm sorry I unintentionally abandoned you after you read all my days of giving thanks.  I am supremely thankful for each of you that visits here, reads my words, comment, and just join in my world in some small part.  Easter was crazy, but so so fun.  We had an amazing time in Iowa, we attended an Easter egg hunt in Cascade Saturday morning where my hilarious little boy proceeded to pick up one egg put it in his basket, hand the basket to me and ran off to play on the playground.  It made me laugh that he didn't care about the eggs or candy, he just wanted to PLAY! The kids had a great time and came away with a haul of candy.  We colored eggs at mom and dad's and my cousin Audrey and her daughters came out to join in the fun.  The egg coloring was fairly uneventful, except that Bryce decided to take a big spoonful of the die and drink it.  He said it was yucky and went on coloring eggs.  That kid!  Easter itself was really fun and we got to spend time with both of my grandmas (always a treat).  We didn't get home until midnight.  It was a looong day, but so worth it.  Last week was a little crazy, I had jury duty on Tuesday (didn't get picked for a trial) but spend most of the day downtown sitting, reading and waiting.  I got dismissed about 2:30pm and decided to head to my Tuesday job.  So that was a long day too.  The rest of the week was fairly tame, but it still didn't seem like I had any time to do anything.  This past weekend Bob had a softball tournament both days so the kids and I chilled out at home and I made Bob's birthday cake.  Yesterday my Aunt and Uncle (Cathy & Greg) and their kids (Tyler, Justin, and Nicole) came to visit on their way home from Indianapolis.  They stuck around for a while today and we spent all day outside at parks and playing in the yard.  The kids are wore out (so is mommy).  Bryce was sleeping before 7pm (that is tired for that boy).  And even though I have a crazy busy rest of the week with 1 million things I need to get done I am sitting here doing nothing (Bob is playing softball).  Maybe I'll get some ambition to do something a little later, but we'll see.  I got the house picked up and the kitchen cleaned, so I'm calling that a success!  Hope you all had a great Easter and I'll be back soon with pictures!

(Abbie, I saw your comment and want to post about it, I just can't think very clearly tonight...I will get back to your question...I promise! :)

days 37 through 39...

I'm coming to the end of my Lenten project of recording things I'm thankful for and I'm slacking on my last few days.  I have no good excuse for being three days behind, I just am.  I'm excited to be going to see family this weekend to celebrate Easter, we've been home for the last 3 weekends (which is so unlike us) so it is time for a little trip away.  I of course have a page long list of things I need to get packed and get ready, but in true Amber fashion I am procrastinating  and probably won't do it until tomorrow.  Bob had softball tonight so it has been just me and the kids all day, and while they have been pretty good (and even went to bed fairly easily tonight) I just have no energy to do anything extra.  Normally I'd have the dishes done and laundry put away but instead I'm sitting on the couch writing a blog post, watching a rerun of Grey's and reading a book (well not simultaneously...but you know).  Anyway, enough rambling...I'm hoping to have some pictures soon, I haven't taken my camera out for a long time, but this weekend...I promise!  Here is my thankful list for the last 3 days. 

day 37 (Tuesday 4/19)...

• no bedtime fights
• catching up on DVR
• leftovers for dinner (so I didn't have to cook)
• a short day at work
• a quiet night at home with the hubby

day 38 (Wednesday 4/20)...

• wearing a new dress (trying to will it to be spring)
• kids in good moods when I picked them up
• kids belly laughs while playing
• getting an advance reader copy of a book in the mail
• pizza for dinner (I didn't have to cook! I really like to cook normally, I just wasn't into it this week)

day 39 (Thursday 4/21)...

• a night with no bedtime fight
• watching American Idol with my girl
• kids picking up the toys without me yelling
• a long nap from Bryce
• a dinner with everyone ate and no one complained about (YAY!)

36 days and counting...

We've been struggling with sleep around here lately.  Bryce is still awake right now (and it has been at least this late for the last week or so) and he'll be up by 6 in the morning.  He's even cutting his naps from a normal 3ish  hours a day to 1 or less.  I don't know what to do.  I'm sure part of the struggle at night is that we have never really established a bedtime routine, but there has to be more to it than that.  Bryce has been out of his crib for a while and he can take down the gate himself...so we have no way to keep him in his room, he is a stubborn, stubborn boy!  Onto my thankful list for the day and then off to bed. 

• hearing the kids laugh while playing with daddy
• that everyone was happy with leftovers tonight so I didn't have to cook
• the cute smile Bryce has and the way he can make me smile even when I'm upset with him
• the sweet girl Brianna is
• how funny the kids are...they always keep me laughing just when I need it most

thankful day 35...

Whew...Sunday night already.  It was a good, quiet weekend and after the week we had it was much needed.  I'm trying to get mentally prepared for the week ahead but the impending weather (read: expected snow) is really bumming me out.  Although I'm completely looking forward to family time this coming weekend for Easter!  I know at some point I need to get back to writing about more than the things I'm thankful for but for now, that is about the extent of the thoughts I can put together.  So, to end my weekend, I give thanks...

• planning a weekend get-away with my mom and sister
• librarything and its member giveaways (I've won 6 ebooks over the last month...yay for free books!)
• a clean kitchen so I can go to bed guilt free and not have to deal with it in the morning
• a fairly calm week ahead (at least as far as I can see!)
• a weekend with lots of good family time and lots of smiles and laughs

I hope you all have a great week ahead and take the time to think about the things you are thankful for...it really does change your perspective on things. Much love.

day 34...

Today was a great day (aside from the weather...what the heck....isn't it supposed to be spring??  Did Mother Nature not get the memo?).  Everyone in this house is in some stage of illness, it stinks.  Bob went to the doctor today and is now on antibiotics, Brianna is still battling her cold, Bryce I think is finally on the upswing of his croup/cough/wheezing and I woke up with a sore throat.  Needless to say it was a good day to stay inside and try to recuperate!  All things considered though it was a really good day at home with the family!

• a game of candyland
• a game of chutes and ladders
• chili and fresh baked bread (the good thing that came out of this yucky weather!)
• a family movie with a bowl of popcorn
• a good book

day 32 and 33...

I am seriously still trying to get back on track from this week.  It is amazing how easily I get derailed.  So, here is a quick list of the things I'm thankful for.

• Bob and Nancy for taking Brianna on Wednesday and bringing her home yesterday
• a good nap from Bryce today
• it is finally Friday
• a chance to sleep in tomorrow morning
• a weekend with no real plans
• Bryce is feeling better and coughing a lot less
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows (part 1) out today
• April 15th is just another day for me (instead of it being a big deal..tax day)
• 2 canoe trips scheduled for this summer...dates are on the calendar
• kids tucked away in bed

day 30 and 31 (hospital version)

The last 2 days have been a complete mishmash of time.  I've slept for about 4 hours in the past 48, spent 5 hours in the ER and 8ish hours at the hospital pediatric short stay with Bryce.  I am tired, my brain is mush, but I am thankful my baby is feeling better (honestly you'd never know he had just gotten out of the hospital the way he is bouncing around here.  Mommy feels like the walking dead and he acts like he could run a marathon...go figure!)  The long and short of it is this...The kids were at Bob and Nancy’s yesterday because I had to work and they usually stay Tuesday night because I work Wednesday morning at a different job.  Bob and Nancy called to say that Bryce had started croupy coughing and asked if we could meet them to drop off the nebulizer.  Bob and I were eating dinner when they called again to say that Bryce was coughing a lot and was pretty miserable so we decided to pick the kids up and bring them home and I would stay home from work today.  We got him home, sat in the steam with him and gave him a nebulizer treatment.  He sounded pretty bad and we had already scheduled a doctors appointment for this morning so he fell asleep and we were just going to wait it out until morning.  He woke up about 11:00 and sounded much worse so we decided to take him to the ER.  I got to the ER and the lady behind the desk was doing something and then she stopped mid-sentence, looked at me and said “is that him?” she could hear him breathing from about 15 feet away.  His oxygen level and his heart rate were fine but he sounded awful, we were back in a room pretty much immediately after his name was entered into the computer.  We didn’t even sit in a waiting room.  He had 2 doses of steroids via nebulizer (not sure what they both were but one was basically adrenaline), an oral steroid, a chest x-ray, and a cool mist treatment.  About 3am they decided they were going to admit him for observation.  About 5am we got up to a room on the pediatric short stay floor.  The ER doctor told us we’d probably be home before lunch, the pediatrician on the floor said we’d probably be home mid-afternoon and the next doctor said we should probably be discharged today and shouldn’t probably have to stay overnight.  We ended up being discharged at 1:30 this afternoon.  Bryce is doing much better and running around like a crazy person.

So with that...my thankful list for the last 2 days!

day 30

• a productive day at work
• dinner out with my hubby
• in-laws bringing our sick kid home
• employer who is sweet and understanding that my kids always come first
• prompt attention in the ER

day 31

• an amazing ER nurse named Kevin
• an equally amazing respiratory therapist named Megan
• Deanna a sweet nurse in the pediatric short stay floor
• the overall amazing care Bryce was given
• to be home and able to sleep in my own bed tonight (hopefully)

On that note I think it is about time for this mama to head to bed. 

day 29...

It has been a long day, due to the fact that the kids got up super early and I got only about 4 hours of sleep last night...yuck.  But it has had some redeeming qualities. I hope you are all feeling as blessed and thankful tonight as I am.

• monthly work is done and billed, it is always nice to have that done
• the kids played together nicely all morning so I could finish my work
• for my mother-in-law, Nancy (Happy Birthday!)
• a family walk after dinner
• a stop at the park during the walk that didn't end up in whining or crying when it was time to leave

It truly is the little things in life that get you through.

sunday thanks (day 28)...

It was a gorgeous day out today.  We spend a good part of the morning outside, the kids riding bikes and driving the jeep, Bob working and me laying in the grass reading.  Pretty much my idea of a perfect Sunday.
We had a good weekend at home and I'm sad to see another weekend come to an end.  In addition to helping me appreciate the good things in life this little project has also helped me write (almost) everyday.  I guess I just need a "fall-back" project on those occasions where I can't think of anything to write, then maybe I won't go weeks without updating.  Without further ado, here are my Sunday thanks...

1. more beautiful weather to be outside, it just improves my mood tenfold
2. the guilt free clothes shopping I got to do thanks to a gift card for my birthday (thanks Bob and Nancy)
3. the little bit of additional shopping I did with only a little guilt :)
4. a project that I am doing and sending to my little cousin at her school
5. a Sunday at home with my family

On an additional note...the niece of a dear friend of mine was born today at 28 weeks.  Please keep their entire family in your prayers so that this sweet little girl stays strong and thrives and is home where she belongs as soon as possible.

thankful day 27...

It is way past my bedtime so short and sweet tonight.

1. when Bryce gets his cup out of the refrigerator he ALWAYS gets Brianna's hers as well and takes it to her
2. 2 showings today
3. a fun couple of hours spent at the library during said showings
4. a beautiful day to play outside
5. a family dinner (with the Carroll clan) and a fun (albeit chaotic) game of LIFE

thankful day 26...

Today (Friday) was a rough day...I struggled...I was angry...I was tired....but in the end I was also thankful.

1. watching Bryce do the "we did it" dance (the song at the end of Dora) HILARIOUS!
2. kids playing together (seriously is there anything that makes a mom happier than her kids playing together nicely?)
3. naptime (even though it was only an hour)
4. winning 3 ebooks in a giveaway
5. a bowl of icecream and a book to finish out the day

thankful day 25...

Are you all tired of my thankful posts yet?  :)  I will admit some days I have a hard time thinking of things to be thankful for, not because I don't have a lot to be thankful for but because my memory is not very good and by the end of the day pretty much stops working altogether.  I really just need to write things down throughout the day but..um...remember what I said about my memory...yeah it doesn't work much during the day either!  I realize some of the things I'm thankful for each day seem trivial and even silly, but I am trying very hard to appreciate the little things.  This wouldn't be a very effective project if everyday I said I was thankful for my family, our health, the roof over our head, our friends and the food on our table.  Don't get me wrong...I am so very thankful for those things and they are the things that I thank God for everyday.  So, this project is mostly about things that make me smile throughout the day or make my life a tiny bit easier.  (I'm not sure I really had to explain all of that but I guess I just wanted to write more than my list today!)  Without further ado...

1. my wireless on my computer has been working lately (it makes life just a little bit easier)
2. bryce stayed in bed when I put him to bed last night (although he didn't go to sleep until 2 hrs later)
3. taco night (there is never a fight about eating when it is taco night)
4. 3 house showings this week!
5. thunderstorms (I love thunderstorms and it is a telltale sign of spring for me)

thankful day 24 (in pictures...and maybe a few words)...

It has been a while since I've put up any pictures so I thought I'd do my thankful post tonight in pictures. (sorry they aren't the greatest photos, but hopefully they are good enough to convey why I'm thankful).

 beautiful birthday flowers

 yummy birthday cheesecake (we finally got to eat)

a new book

 sleeping beauty

  a not so sleeping prince

thankful day 23...

1. that my in-laws could take the kids early today so I could rest and try to kick this bug
2. that my employer is flexible and is letting me switch my day this week
3. that I was sick and home so I could quickly pick up the house for a showing today
4. that I got 2 uninterrupted hours to read at the library today
5. that I am feeling just about back to normal

thankful day 22 (the birthday edition...a day late)...

My thankful post for yesterday got sidelined because I somehow managed to pick up a stomach bug and spent the good part of my birthday laying on the couch willing myself not to get sick and praying for the moment when Bob got home from work.  Not exactly how I wanted the day to go.  But, even with the illness I am still so extrememly thankful for so many things...here are my top 5 for yesterday.

1. coming down the stairs and hearing Bryce say "MOMMY...IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY!!"
2. the kids snuggling and cuddling with me throughout the day
3. my thoughtful daughter who drug her daddy out because she wanted to get me a special present
4. my wonderful husband who got me chicken noodle soup (even if I didn't eat it until today)
5. that God has truly blessed my 31 years on this earth