magazine article

I just read this article in the May 2013 Redbook magazine...

Splurge on experience, not things! A decade of research tells us that purchases affect our happiness in ways we don't expect. "Most of us think, gosh, if i had limitless money, I could buy what i want, and I'd be happy", says Dunn. "But it doesn't work out that way". There's almost no scientific evidence, for example, that buying a home - or a newer, nicer one - increases joy. In fact, in one study that tracked how spending leads to happiness, researchers found that only one type of purchase had any impact: what they label "leisure", i.e., things like trips, movies, and tickets to sporting events and concerts.

This is what i TRULY believe, experience it, stop buying it!

Friday, April 19th

spring in the UP

 crazy weather this winter

ode to my blue bathrobe

I received my beloved blue bathrobe on Christmas 1983, yeah people, i said 1983. I was 13 years old. Read in the picture below, by the (4) it had matching "scuffs" but those are long gone. My grandma & grandpa Hoiem bought this for me.

this bathrobe is 30 years old and my family CAN'T stand it. They constantly pick on me about it! My friend bought me a beautiful one from Bath & Body Works for Christmas and my husband has bought me a new one, too. I don't know what it is about this robe but it is definitely one of the things i would grab as i was running out of my burning house.  It has a large hole, on the seam thank god, so off to the washer for a wash and then it needs repair.

 I don't care what anyone says, i know it probably seems weird but when i'm sick it "makes" me feel better. i am keeping this bathrobe that i love so very much!

crockpot oatmeal

Place 2 sliced apples, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, pinch salt in the bottom of the crock pot.
Pour in 2 cups of oatmeal, 2 cups of milk and 2 cups water.
Do NOT stir.
Cook overnight for 8 - 9 hours on low.

Chicken & cheese enchiladas

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 c. sour cream

1 c. picante sauce (i used blended salsa)

2 t. chili powder

2 c. chopped cooked chicken

2 c. mexican 3 cheese

6 - 10 in tortillas

1 tomato chopped

1 bunch green onions

put soup, sour cream, picanti sauce & chili powder in a bowl & mix well. Remove 1 cup of the mixture and set aside. Stir in the chicken and half the cheese into the bowl. Divide the mixture onto the shells, roll up, fold the ends and place face down in baking dish (i used 9 x 13 pan). Pour remaining mixture over tortillas, top with remaining cheese, cover dish and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Remove cover and spread tomatoes and onions on top.

i of course couldn't use green onions because of a fussy child and i had to blend the salsa in the magic bullet because someone can't have "chunks"

wallpaper removal/ painting

We (Sheena, Steven & I) started this wallpaper removing, wall patching & painting project on April 13 and it will be done tomorrow April 21st. It looks so much bigger, brighter and cleaner.

There were many different walls: paneling, plaster, drywall around the door frames & hard board

 primed walls

 first coat, it looks so good!

about 16 hours of scrapping and patching...

no more wallpaper! i.hate.wallpaper

Happy Mother's Day & Happy Birthday Mavis

(sheena gave her dad & i two bottles of Lime water from walmart, so thoughtful!)

day off, April 15

I have today off, a 4 day weekend, it's been wonderful!

• aubri woke me up at 7:00 am because i wrote the wrong amount on a check for her. i re-wrote the check and watched her leave to make sure she didn't get stuck in the slush
• went back to bed til 10:10, ahhhhhh
• drank some coffee & made a bagel
• watched Casino Royale with Daniel Craig
• worked on tyler's photo album. His photo album was destroyed after years of taking out pictures for school things, so i bought a new album and organized all the photos. i still have to put more in but it's a great project to do while watching tv

• watched Name of the King/Dungeon Siege with Jason Statham, not sure why i watched this weird movie but i am kind of a Statham fan
• http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/15/us/boston-marathon-explosions/index.html?hpt=hp_t1 a bombing at the Boston Marathon, what a sad sick world that we live in

day off, April 12th

i had today off, i didn't tell anyone i was going to be off today. All the schools were closed for a snow day except NMU today.

• i woke up at 8:30 ish
• drank some coffee
• i made this for aubri, the fabric around the mirror was wrapped around the flowers i gave her for the Sound of Music

• lunch from Midtown Bakery, Ty got the reuben and i got the turkey pesto...so good!
• took a nap from 2 - 4, it was wonderful!
• shower
• meat raffle, Matt & Kathy won
• Brogies & Venice for pizza, it was such a great veggie pizza, the best i've had in a long time!

Memphis

spring break for Aubri 2013

they even have ducks in memphis

make IT happen

i am not sure what "it" is but i feel like i need to do more, MAKE IT HAPPEN ! (i say it kind of loud when i am talking to myself) i've done lots in my life so far but there is still a lot i NEED to do. As my children get older, my baby is 16, i feel like i am getting back part of my life that has been a little dormant while i've been raising kids.

Even going for an hour walk tonight was amazing! i didn't have to rush home to cook dinner, it was just steven and i and he wasn't hungry. I got home and i was able to just sit until i figured out what I wanted to eat. Then i got to watch a little tv, surf the net, play words with friends and then i ran to the grocery store for a few things for lunch.

I don't know if its because the weather is getting warmer but i have the bug to go somewhere. it doesn't have to be far (of course i always want to go to europe) but i need a little escape. i have to update my bucket list, i'd like to go skiing in Argentina, yeah Argentina. That would be really amazing! I really want to take my family to Washington DC and out to the east coast. i want to take them skiing out west.

Summer 2014 aubri and i will be heading to Germany. I hope she wants to explore a country for a weekend that i haven't been to. What about pamukkale thermal pools in Turkey ? Look at this picture below, yeah i could soak in one of those pools for hours!

http://travel.yahoo.com/ideas/world-s-coolest-tourist-attractions.html?page=all

maybe i should watch the travel channel...