LaZy Days

Look who lost his front two teeth!

I can't believe this big guy is going to be 8 in April! Time is flying...meanwhile my TEENAGER wanted a typewriter ahaha! So of course I found one for him and he bought it with his money. He loves it and even took it to school a few days--after typing up an essay on all the reason why he should be allowed to bring it. My requirement was for him to get signatures from his teachers in support of this and if the majority said ok then he could. What a hoot!

This "winter" has been super mild. We had a couple good snow storms in Dec but honestly they melted pretty quickly after and since then it's just been clouds and rain. Now we are back into the 40s almost 50s! and I don't even know if we'll get any remarkable snow before spring officially starts. What a disappointment! The kids couldn't even go sledding yet.

Because of so much yuck weather, we've just been staying inside and doing hobbies and crafts while the kids are in school. I've been working hard on my herbal business and had a 4 day craft show in Jan, then I have another big one coming up this Saturday. For those interested in supporting my small business you are MORE than welcome to check out my new online store HERE and see what I have to offer. If you are in Oklahoma and reading this....I have a special offer for you but the deadline is Feb 15! Read below.....

Since it's February, that means our ancient kitty will be a whopping 18 years old soon! He still tolerates us daily and is always looking for a comfy spot to take a nap.

Every evening Nick and I pack lunches for the boys to grab the next morning. We try to mix it up so they aren't eating the same thing every single day (like I had to growing up....) and they loved this grilled chicken salad I packed them! I always grab a couple bags of mandarin oranges when they go on sale as well. Perfect snacks!

Our next big thing is our pilgrimage to Oklahoma while the boys are out of school for a week. I rented us a Prius to drive so that will be a new experience for us! The hotel we are staying at in OKC has an indoor pool and of course the boys are stoked about that. Hopefully we can see our family while we are there...some are more difficult than others to get out of their house! We will probably not go back next year as it is getting hard to leave for that long with everything else we have going on at home. An unfortunate decision....but any family who would like to see us are more than welcome to take a trip north!

Check back later on for pics from that trip!

Celebrating 20 Years of Marriage

Yesterday Nick and I celebrated our 20th anniversary!! How amazing that it's been this long already. We have so many memories that we've made and when we look back we just can't believe how time flies.

I worked the night before so after my nap I got ready and we headed out for our dinner reservation at 5pm to try hibachi for the first time! We ate at Kobe Japanese Steakhouse in Rochester and had front row seats to watch the chef cook for us.

We started with a salad and mushroom soup. Both were delicious! Then the chef got started cooking veggies, rice, noodles, and our chicken.

We did get to try saké as well! All of the food was so good and flavorful. We were very happy with the dinner and ended up taking a small box of leftovers home!

The evening didn't end there! We found a Dairy Queen (for nostalgia's sake) and shared a banana split and a cheesecake blizzard for dessert. Yum! I can't even remember the last time I had a banana split.

We got home just in time to tuck the boys into bed, then we put on comfy clothes and watched a show together with a glass of Moscato. The BIG celebration will be in April when we take our first family cruise to the Bahamas!!!!! We are all very excited about that.

Some of you may have known me back in 2003 when Nick and I got married....yes I was VERY young but I didn't let that get in the way of what I wanted. I had Friday January 17 off of school so we grabbed our moms and headed to the OKC courthouse downtown to get married by the JOP! Very romantic indeed. (Fun fact, the same JOP performed the marriage for my brother Eric in 2015). 

On our 1 year anniversary in 2004 (yes I was still in high school!) we had an actual ceremony at the church and did a reaffirmation of vows with a reception at my mom's house! So by the time I graduated high school I had already been married 2x haha!

Our first year of marriage was bare bones, starting from nothing! We lived in my inlaws empty rental house in exchange for fixing it up and keeping it from being broken in to (OKC south siders you know what I mean) but we had no bathroom sink, just a mini fridge in the kitchen, and no heat. Our mattress was on the floor, the hot water in the kitchen didn't work, and we used an electric blanket to stay warm at night. Wow!

Announcement from the newspaper (I don't think they do this any more unless you submit it?) I wonder if the other young couple that was married that day is still together.

A couple pictures from us dating in 2002.

Every bit of progress we made was due to hard work and careful decisions to follow our goals and bring us to the life we have today. We have seen family and friends' marriages dissolve and with every argument we both know it takes hard work and mutual respect to make it last! We've worked very hard to break generational curses, overcome poverty, and start a new amazing beginning for our boys. I know before we realize, they will be grown with families of their own. We hope we have set a good example for what a strong marriage looks like, and we can't wait to see what the next 20 years will hold!

Christmas '22 and a Blizzard

Merry Christmas to all my friends and family who are taking the time to read this! I hope 2023 brings blessings and peace to your life.

We are closing out this year with happiness and serenity here in our little corner of the world. We look forward to what next year will bring!

In a recap of this busy month here are some pics of life in general as well as our quiet holiday at home. This was one of the complimentary meals my hospital provided employees during the holiday week. It wasn't too bad! Stuffed chicken breast, ham, pasta, green beans, mashed potatoes, and cheesecake.

Nature gave us a blizzard for Christmas here in Western NY! You may have seen national coverage of the snow in Buffalo--thankfully we escaped THAT craziness and got maybe 6-8" here in Albion. We did get to enjoy the blizzarding (my new word) for 2 days warm in our house and were so blessed to not lose power as I know many did!

All of our grocery and present shopping was already done so we had no where to go during the storm. For Christmas Eve dinner we enjoyed our traditional "Arbys" roast beef and cheddar sandwiches with curly fries while watching "A Christmas Story". The boys each opened one small present that evening.

We woke up Christmas morning to blue skies! It was still too cold for the boys to go outside but Nick and I did brave the temps to clear off the driveway while we could. After presents and dinner I went in to work for a few hours to help my fellow nurses out in the ICU.

The boys had fun opening their presents and stockings, then we had our traditional morning breakfast of homemade biscuits and sausage gravy. Yum!

For our Christmas dinner I kept it simple and made chicken enchiladas, homemade refried beans and guacamole, and a sopapilla cheesecake that was delicious! We have been working on the leftovers since then and I think we are almost enchilada'd out, haha!

As I get older I am definitely trying to work hard on inner peace and learning to say 'no' and distance myself from people or things that cause undue stress. It's a daily battle but one that is necessary and will hopefully become easier with time.

Cheers to 2023, and all that lies beyond

Holiday Fun

Christmas is almost here, so I thought I'd share some photos of our crazy December with my friends and family who read this.

We had fun decorating for the holidays as always. The boys enjoy fighting for dominance with the ornament placement.

I try to get the fam out for at least a couple Christmas events during the month. Our town library had Santa visit so the boys got to see him and tell him what they want for Christmas!

The elementary school hosted a cookie and game night where the boys got to decorate a cookie while we drank hot cocoa. Then they played a few games and Jacob made a couple crafts to take home.

 

The colder weather means lots of hot comfort food! This was stew and cornbread. Yum!

My village gets put on the mantle every December!

Nick and I like to sneak away for errands while the kids are in school, and sometimes he treats me to a date lunch!

Our town had a big parade, and Bradley was on one of the floats with his Honor Society for caroling. Me and Jacob watched as they all went by.

Of course Cuddles like to nap under the Christmas tree. Thankfully he's a good boy and has never bothered the ornaments!

Christmas fudge!

And Christmas nails!

We sported out matching shirts for our final errands and shopping before the holiday.

Right now we are enjoying tons of snow and a blizzard this weekend, and thankfully we have no where to go so we will stay inside and watch it snow. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New year! Cheers to 2023 🎉🎊