The problem with...

Identical nieces is that it is so very hard to tell them apart. I thought I was doing good until I posted a picture and named her the wrong name! So here Lilly...I really hope this is you! You are adorable and sweet and please start looking different then Diana.


It is Saturday morning and I am curled up under a heated blanket drinking my cup of coffee and sitting here in the quiet of my house...it is wonderful. Mark is at a golf trip sales meeting and I have nothing on my schedule for the day. I love my alone time...have I ever mentioned that before?! I'm catching up on laundry and trying to decide what my next house project will be. I'm thinking it is going to be the office. We want to make it our "Ball State Room" It will need to be painted, I will need to get Mark's jersey framed (Mine is already) and I will have to start sorting through pictures for the photo wall. I want action shots, shots with teammates, pictures that really capture the 4 years of JOY our college experience was. I want to bottle up all the things I feel about Ball State, basketball, my teammates, college so I can share them with my children. I want people to understand how important those 4 years were into making who I am today. I feel like it will take me awhile to sort through all of our memories and find what I want! I think this will be a good winter project.

The next couple weeks will be busy and I feel like Thanksgiving will be here before I know it. I am already dreading the Holidays since I work Thanksgiving and Christmas...I am going to have to work on my attitude so bear with me.

Like I mentioned I have been feeling in a "funk" this week...I would like to attribute it to the changing weather. I miss the sun and the warmer weather already. I miss the windows open and taking long walks with Bailey. I hate the cold weather. I think I just need to stop feeling sorry for myself and just give myself a kick in the butt. I need to reconnect with the present moment and be thankful for my blessings. I'm hoping that I will be able to use today to organize me thoughts and reconnect with me. Here's to hoping. How do you reconnect when you feel in a funk?

Good Stuff...

I saw THIS post on Clover Lane, a blog I love to read. This quote really hit home to me, especially this week, when I have been feeling in a funk! Sometimes you have to stop, breathe and remember to be in the moment instead of worrying about the past or future...



Fear less, hope more,

eat less, chew more,

whine less, breathe more,

talk less, say more,

hate less, love more,

and good things will be yours.

Swedish Proverb

Here is what I got to last weekend...babysit my nieces...can't get enough of them!

UPDATE: Apparently I am the worst Aunt ever, because I thought this first picture was Lilly and in fact it is Diana...SERUOUSLY! I could have sworn this was Lilly, until Lauren pointed out my mistake! I SUCK!! SO these two pictures are of Diana!

Diana NOT LILLY!

Diana



Dining Room Update

We finally decided on a paint color and started painting. I won compromised on the paint color so now we have to come up with another color for the office. Here it is....

 Mark suited up to get started

A work in progress

Everything put back together and with new curtains

I LOVE the color and the curtains help tie in the rest of the house colors.... Now all we have left to do is the wainscoting on the bottom...it will bring it up another notch, but still looks very elegant in there! Crossing it off the list...WHOO HOO!!!

Menu Plan Monday

Back to planning our meals since Mark is back from his 2 week work trip! I am going to be trying a few new things this week. Here is what is on tap for us!

Monday: Crispy Baked Chicken broccoli and mashed potatoes

Tuesday: Italian Hot Bake and Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Chicken Pesto Pizza and salad

Thursday: Leftovers

Friday: Chicken Noodle Soup

Check out Organizing Junkie's link up for tons of recipes....

Thing's I love RIGHT NOW

I love this long cardigan sweater from Target....so cute with leggings!

As we are gtting closer to getting our new bedroom furniture...I am eyeing this and thinking about putting it on my Christmas list

Check out the AP Poll for College football to see who #1 is... I'll give you a hint

This Subway Art that is all over Etsy.com

Candy Corn Wreath

I saw this wreath on the Cover of Women's Day magazine...I love this magazine...a nice easy read with lots of fun tips! I decided to go for it with this wreath and I am so happy how it turned out...super cute!

I started with a Styrofoam round wreath

The magazine suggests using black duct tape to cover it,  I started using ribbon, but ran out so I scrounged up some Crete paper I had and used that...simple enough...

Next using a hot glue gun and bag of candy corn I started glueing the candy corn down in circles, rotating their directions

Continue until covered. I took a black ribbon as my wreath hanger and hung it up

I felt like it was missing something...I had found this sign at the dollar store and hadn't put it anywhere...TA DA!!! Love it

Oh yea here is the Woman's Day Magazine cover...

Babysitting the Boys

So I got the chance to go babysit Alex and Evan last Thursday....of course I take every chance I can get. Honestly, one of the best days in a long time! I love these kids so much...they made me laugh all day. I had so much fun!!! I took in every minute, chased them around the house all day, spent way too much time in  a tent, got told by Alex how to make his snacks, got to snuggle with Evan after his nap, taught Evan how to say Cioci Becca (Aunt in Polish, pronounced CHUCHEE, or Chucky by Alex) We did puzzles, watched Dr Seuss movies, swang on the porch, went on a long morning walk, colored, and played some make believe games that I will not divulge for my embarrassment purposes. These kids are awesome...so much joy!  My pictures stink, Alex didn't want his picture taken and Evan wanted my phone!

Then Alex, Evan, Lilly and Diana spent the weekend in Columbus with my parents and these were the pictures my dad sent out....They said all the kids were good hmmm.

LOVE THESE KIDS!!!!!!!!