a lucky girl...

I am lucky enough to be surrounded by so many amazing women in my life...friends, aunts, grandmas, cousins, sister, mom, mother-in-law, (soon to be) sister-in-law.  I know how wonderful it is to have these  women in my life.  But there are three such women who have made such an impact on my life, they have helped me become who I am, and show me the kind of mom, sister, friend I want to be.  This past weekend I was lucky enough to get to spend a long weekend with these women...my mom, sister and cousin.  We took a little trip to Nashville over the weekend and I for one had an amazing time.  So much laughter and smiling (the drinks and fantastic music didn't hurt either!).  It was just what this girl needed.  I hope you are all as lucky as I am to have such incredible people in your life.  So, this Thankful Thursday I am thankful for all of the amazing women in my life, but especially for these 3.  Love you girls!

(mostly) wordless wednesday...

I know I have shared these pictures with pretty much everyone who reads here...but if by chance you have missed them, I'm sharing them here. These pictures are making me super happy this week!

short and sweet...

Today I am so thankful that as you are reading this I am on my way to Nashville for a long weekend with my mom and my 2 sisters (my actual sister and my cousin who might as well be my sister).  This trip could not have come at a better time...I'm in serious need of some downtime to rejuvenate and gear up for the rest of the summer.  I'm so thankful that I'm blessed with family that I love to spend time with and who put up with me when I'm complaining (which seems to be happening a lot lately).  I'm also extremely thankful for my in-laws who are taking care of the kiddos so that I can take this trip, I wouldn't be able to go without them! 
Have a great weekend everyone!!

Watch out Nashville...here we come!! 

oldie but goodie...

I just ran across this video and it cracked me up.  Can you believe these two are starting kindergarten soon?  They are such babies in this video!

i've been dreaming of cake...

A few months ago my cousin asked if I would want to make her cake for graduation.  Knowing I was completely over my head...I of course said yes! :)  After months of thinking about what to do, having a complete idea and then scrapping it and starting over, I was still a bit unsure as to what I was going to do.  Well, last weekend was the party, so after 10 cakes, around 14 pounds of powdered sugar and about 5 pounds of butter, (it was a large graduation party)here are the final results.  They are by far the biggest cakes I've done (and seen by the most people) but overall I'm fairly happy with how they turned out.  I didn't eat any cake, but I did hear that it tasted good, so I guess it was a win! 

Happy Monday everyone!!

thankful, thankful...

I know...I missed last Thursday.  I have no excuse other than I had a very rough day and I wasn't feeling very thankful.  Although thinking about that, writing this post was probably exactly what I needed.  Anyway, I didn't want you all to feel neglected so I'm going to write a quick thankful post and get back to my baking.  I am so so thankful these last couple of weeks for my family (both by blood and by marriage) for their love and support and for listening to me complain.  To Bob for all the little things he does, like bringing me ice cream when I had a bad day or putting an umbrella in my car when there is rain in the forecast.  For the kids who make me laugh and remind me to take some time to be carefree and have fun. Lastly, for my amazing friends who are always there for me,who can make me smile when I'm down and just listening and loving me for me (bad parts and all). 

We are in Iowa for the next few days so maybe (don't hold your breath though) I may have some new pictures for you after the weekend.  I'm looking forward to seeing a bunch of family this weekend, just what the doctor ordered! 

Have a great rest of the week/weekend all!  Hope you all find some time to be thankful for all of your blessings!

monday smiles...

I think this video will always make me smile!

sunday thoughts...

Today started out rough, the kids were crabby and didn't want to get ready for church and I lost my patience when they complained about the clothes or shoes I picked out.  We finally got out the door and I was still upset sitting in church (which makes it lose all meaning for me) but then Bryce fell asleep on me and looking at him so peaceful I felt the peace as well.  It is pretty well known that I don't sleep well and I worry A LOT...but today during church they sang one of my favorite songs.  The refrain is this "Be not afraid, I go before you always...come follow me, and I will give you rest."  When I first heard it today I thought of the sleeping boy in my arms and the smiling girl sitting beside me that I would always be there for them and I don't want them to be afraid and then it struck me.  This is exactly what I needed to hear.  I am doing everything in my power to do the best I can for my family, and now I just need to follow Him and have faith.  Suddenly when I realized this, this feeling of relief and peace washed over me.  I will continue to do the best I can for those I love, but I will also trust that He will lead me in the right direction, it is my job to follow where He leads.  Each day of our lives is such a gift and we need to treat it as such. Enjoy this beautiful day!

at least i show up once a week...

I've just been stuck in my blogging lately...things I want to write about but don't feel comfortable writing about because they are deeply personal and are not just about myself.  Things are stressful, selling a house is stressful, making back-up plans to separate your family (because of the house...even if it is good in the long run) for the short term is stressful, job hunting is hard.  Things are just...hard.  But today...TODAY is a good day.  Not that it hasn't had its bumps, I lost my temper, kids didn't listen, but overall it has been a good day.  The kids slept in a bit, we had 2 full hours outside this morning, riding bikes, swinging and hitting golf balls in the yard.  Everything just felt right.  I am trying to enjoy these days...the days I get to play in the yard with the kids while everyone is at work and school, where things are quiet and all I hear are birds chirping and kids laughing.  It fills up my soul and makes me believe in my heart things will be right and while they are hard and may be hard for a while...there is a purpose, and that purpose is worth all the hard times.
Today I am thankful for this

These two beautiful children who occasionally drive me to the brink of insanity, always bring me back and show me what happiness is truly about.

Thanks again to Jean for her Thankful Thursday contribution...
For little Elliott- taking some feeds from a bottle, growing, and getting closer and closer to coming to Dubuque.
For my children, who at the ages they are still surprise me.(in a good way)
For a sister that listens, but doesn't judge me.
A newly mowed lawn-even if it only lasts for a little while

If you'd like to let us know what you're thankful for...leave a comment!
Happy Thursday everyone!

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