Summer Projects

Author's Note:
I know we've been absent from the blogosphere for a while now, and I don't really apologize for that.  When we aren't blogging for extended periods of time, it usually means 1 of 3 things:

1) We're busy. Something time consuming is going on or our days are filled with nothing blogworthy.
2) We're sick of writing blogs.
3) A combination of the two.

This absence has been brought to you by door #3!

I (Kelsey) just finished a class where I was required to write for 3 hours every other day.  Sure, I could have filled those hours writing blog upon blog, but I decided to push myself in another direction.  I didn't really feel like blogging once my "sacred writing time" was up.

Now that class is over, and I've had a week of watching nothing but Bravo!, I'm getting the itch to take on some summer projects.

I got this cute print at Sturgis Falls a few weeks ago, and it needed a place in my kitchen.  Really the only place it could go is above our table where I already had this served-its-purpose-but-doesn't-do-a-whole-lot-for-me piece of art that I snagged at TJ Max.

It's the picture in the background - it's the only one I had of it. I forgot the "before" shot to this project.

So in true Kelsey thinking, I thought to myself,  "I can totally reuse that frame, and mat my new print myself.  Can't be that hard."

Good thinking, genius. After a quick trip to Hobby Lobby to discover my piece of matting board would only be $4 due to a half price sale, I had to give it a go.  I started with these tools.

And I flipped over the existing frame to see what I had to work with.

I used my scissors and the screwdriver to pop out the cardboard backing, and I used that to trace a stencil of the size I'd need to cut my matting.

Then I cut, very accurately as you can see, my matting with a razor blade. I had to do this in the basement because of the ungodly heat outside and to not ruin our carpet, and it was really hard to see.  There, that's my excuse.
 

Next, I measured the print to be centered on the board, and attached with scotch tape.  (I wonder how long until it falls?) Flipped it over into the frame, and secured.

I pried these little doo-hickeys to hold it all in place.  The scissors were very useful for this.

Then I discovered little bits of cardboard and tape inside the frame, tried to take a picture of it, left the flash on, and just got my own reflection. (Ashley Schrage shakes her head) Then my camera died, so you guys still get to see this picture. Hee hee.

After removing the cardboard and the tape, I redid the doo-hickeys and turn it over and -voila! Crooked art work!  (Bangs head against ottoman.)

After several attempts of little crummy crap removal, a little to the left and a little to the right, and realizing the mounts for the frame were on the side not on the top, I finally got it right!

You can officially cross off "custom framer" from the list of potential jobs I would take if I was no longer a teacher.  I was super crummy at this project, and it was not very enjoyable. I like the end result, it's a little more personal than the other print, and the total cost of the project was 14 smackers.

$10 print + $4 matting board + $0 for framed art we already had = new art on a budget

The Secret Shame

Spring cleaning fever has hit our house, and we had to come face to face with a big project that has been looming on our horizon for quite some time now.  We've tried to avoid it, but it was sort of a circus full of elephants in the room and it had gotten way beyond awkward.  Guests would come to our house and ask,

"What's behind that door?"  Nervous glances exchanged. 

"Door? What door? Oh, there's nothing back there." 

Nothing but the secret shame. Here she is in all her glory. 

Not much exercise happening on that treadmill. 

See that freezer in the background? With a tv in front of it? And a rug on top of it? We used that a lot, too.

Shoes were stored on that shelf, and then it broke. And then it stayed that way. 

At this point, you get the idea.  We kept it secret for a reason.  After 9 hours of a tag-team, kick-ass pattern of sort, purge, organize, restock....we ended with this.  Sanity restored.  Hallelujah.

That's right, the shoes are not only organized, they're categorized. 

All of my bins still awaits labeling (I'm trying to convince my man friend that I've earned a labelmaker), but I now have a bin for each  and every thing possible.  There is one for each season/holiday, one with purses, one with bags, one with hats/mittens/scarves, nostalgia bins, camping bins, etc.  We cleared out plenty of room to exercise, and a special stool to watch someone workout.  Haha, just kidding. 

Wait, there's a FLOOR in this room? 

We can now use the freezer without a scarecrow, a boob tube, and a down comforter getting in the way.  What a weird sentence that was. 

That's my small pile to go to school. 

Shockingly enough, the find of the day was NOT the floor.  See those big gray tubs in the background of the picture above? We found a Christmas tree in one of them.  A Christmas tree. A full-sized put-it- together-piece-by-piece Christmas tree.  Umm, it doesn't belong to us.  And we don't know where it came from. And we don't know what to do with it.

On that note, if you are missing your tree, or you'd like to take a seemingly nice one off of our hands next winter, please let us know.  We'd be happy to oblige. 

Happy spring cleaning! 

A Budgeting Tale (Part Two)

This will be a text heavy blog. Unfortunately there just aren't that many pictures that symbolize, "a couple coming to their senses and making a sound financial plan that works for them." Unless you want me to post a bunch of emoticons of various smiley faces, which I don't want to do.

Last week I talked about a scare I had with an alternator and an empty bank account. I mentioned putting myself on a strict budget up through Kelsey's and my wedding...

Sidenote: In case you were wondering, which you probably weren't, I did chip in for my portion of the bills at Kelsey's house...since it wouldn't have been fair to not pay for cable at my apartment and just mooch off of her cable. I just wanted to be clear.

...Then Kelsey and I got married. I assumed she'd just naturally want to follow my great budget. After all, who wouldn't want to live in squalor whilst watching an arbitrary number on an online banking website grow? Evidently the answer to that question is Kelsey.

We started to argue about finances. We'd immediately combined incomes upon getting married, but we didn't talk about how we were going to approach shared finances. I tried to stick to my $100 allowance every fifteen days while trying to get Kelsey on board with the idea. Here's some bullet points as to what we disagreed about:

• Kelsey and I overly critiqued how the other spent our "allowances." I saved it and spent it all at once. Kelsey would spend $10 here and $10 there. We didn't understand why the other spent their money the way they did. We questioned everything. Bottom line: I'd put us in a situation where we had to constantly worry about any dime the other spent.

• The allowance system didn't account for evenings out on the town together. For the first time in our eight years together, picking up the tab actually became kind of awkward. If it was Kelsey's idea to go out, why should I pay (and vice versa)? Bottom line: We were a married couple now. We should probably spend some time together outside of the house every now and then. We should be able to enjoy those times together without worrying who is picking up the check.

• Clothes. Car troubles. Stuff for the house. Who covered these expenses? At the time, I didn't think we needed to decorate the house much. At the time, I thought those should be Kelsey's expenses. To Kelsey, those should be shared...or they should come from a different account. Bottom line: Stuff started to come up. We needed to know how to pay for stuff. We didn't know how to pay for stuff.

• Life had changed. We now had double incomes and half the bills. Yet I created an environment where we'd feel bad spending money on something we actually needed--like gas or bread. Bottom line: Saving money is good. It helps alleviate stress. Creating an unrealistic budget for no reason other than to try and prove something isn't good. It helps build stress. We needed to find a way to save responsibly without feeling guilty for every dime we spent.

I should mention throughout all the arguing, we never considered separate bank accounts. Instead we created fourteen different accounts within our shared bank account. We created four checking accounts and ten saving accounts. I'll go into the saving accounts next week, but here is a quick rundown of the checking accounts:

Deposits and Bills: This is our "primary" checking account. Every paycheck either one of us receives deposits into this account. In addition, our bills are paid from this account. On the first of every month, I transfer money from this account to the as-of-right-now-mysterious savings account. The excess amount each month (which was an amount agreed upon by Kelsey and me) goes towards "Mutual" expenses...date nights, gas, etc.

Grocery: To help us budget our food purchases, we created a separate account to buy food with.

Jay's Fun Money and Kelsey's Fun Money: These accounts were what alleviated a lot of the financial tension we faced. Each month we would each receive the same amount of "Fun Money." The "Fun Money" came with an agreement: Neither one of us could ever, under any circumstance, question how the other person spent his/her fun money. If I wanted to save mine for two years and buy a pony, so be it. If Kelsey wanted to plant hers in the backyard to see if a money tree will grow, good for her.

(It wouldn't grow. I would dig up the money and take it. Do you honestly think I'd let my wife just bury money in the backyard? Besides, I'd probably need the money to buy food and shelter for my pony. Salt licks and stables aren't cheap. What a horrible idea fictional Kelsey!)

Truthfully, I'd love to list all ten of the savings accounts right now, but I'm tired. Also, the TV show Castle is really good and keeps distracting me. For now I'll leave you with the brief descriptions of the checking accounts listed above. I'll go into a bit more detail about them next week, alongside the saving accounts.

And We're Back: A Budgeting Tale (Part One)

After a brief break from blogging, we're back. We're sorry to leave you hanging like that. Before I get into the meat of my blog, a few schedule updates and housekeeping notes:

1) During the summer I will only be taking one class, and it will be on Wednesday nights. This should help the consistency of the blogs seeing as I'll be able to start sharing in the blogload again.

2) We've decided to change "Thorough Thursdays" to "Things We Love Thursdays." We decided the Monday and Thursday blogs were starting to become the same week after week. And by the same, we mean both days were becoming quite dull. This change allows us to talk about projects and/or distribute business/life advice on Mondays and recommend fun stuff we like on Thursdays.

3) It should be noted: in roughly one hour from this moment in time, I will be completely caught up on laundry...that means every single towel, white, and colored article will be washed...for the first time since the fourth grade!

And now...the blog. What should I write about? What is the most entertaining thing I can discuss? Budgeting. Yep, budgeting. Don't worry, I'm not going to go into detail about how Kelsey and I budget. That will come next week (or maybe the week after depending on how far I get tonight). Tonight I want to tell Part One of when I realized I couldn't buy whatever I wanted, when I wanted. Essentially, I want to tell Part One of when I realized it was time to grow up.

Budgeting is actually fresh on my mind at the moment since I'm reading a book by the very intelligent Dave Ramsey my father-in-law gave to me. For those unfamiliar, Dave Ramsey is a financial guru who has helped countless people get out of debt. While I'm not in debt, I do like to read about how millionaires became millionaires. Click on the picture of the book to go to Amazon and buy a copy. I honestly think if you're struggling with money, Dave Ramsey could change your life:

I don't have a story as engrossing as Dave's. He was a millionaire in his twenties, lost his fortune, went bankrupt, and then worked himself back out of debt into a millionaire again.

What I do have is a simple story that made me realize adulthood arrived. One Saturday in October shortly after my 26th birthday, I went to start my car. It would not start. I swore at it. It still did not start. I got out of the car and kicked the tire. Still, nothing. I'd tried everything. I asked around and someone who knew about such things told me it sounded like I needed a new alternator. I then Googled alternator. I still was not sure what an alternator did, but I knew having one replaced costed around $500.

The problem? I didn't have $500 of disposable income. I'd just purchased an engagement ring the month before. After a year of living at home, I now had bills again (roughly $1100 a month). Two months prior to my car dying, I took a pay cut to start at John Deere. When I read "$500" my stomach dropped. I wanted to cry. I started to think of all the stupid purchases I'd recently made. Two weeks before that I'd ordered $400 worth of DVDs on Amazon to fulfill a collection that mattered to no one but me. I'd bought an Xbox and three games the previous August. I bought a Wii and two games the month before that. These purchases coincided with several wasted dollars on fast food and pizza.

It might be healthy, but damn if it's not expensive.

The bottom line: I wasn't using my savings account to save. I was using my savings account as a checking account. I needed to make a change, and I needed to make it fast. I'd soon be married, and I'd soon have "real" expenses: mortgages, landscaping, furniture, yuck.

I decided to limit what I could spend on "fun" expenses. I gave myself $100 every fifteen days to spend on restaurants, videogames, movies, bars, anything. I took out the cash every paycheck and if it ran out, that was it. I was out. I couldn't get more. Thems the rules.

I also started to seriously evaluate my bills. I had a $90 cell phone bill for a phone I used once or twice a week. I had a Mediacom bill of $80 that covered Internet, cable, and phone for my apartment. I paid $60 for a parking spot each month. My apartment shared a brick wall with the out of doors, so my heating and air conditioning bill was nearly $250 every month. All that combined was $480 for bills on top of my $650 rent.

These women are very concerned about Bills, Bills, Bills. Also, one of them is Beyonce. I bet the other three wish they were Beyonce instead of being whoever they are.

 Around this time I was spending pretty much all of my time at Kelsey's house. After work, I'd usually stop by my apartment to change clothes and get my mail. Then I'd spend time with Kelsey and Dottie until they went to bed. Afterwards, I'd drive to my apartment and read until I fell asleep. I rarely turned on the TV. I was never at my apartment during the times I'd need to pay for a parking spot. Basically, I was wasting a lot of money on stuff I thought I needed but never actually used.

I quickly cut all the unnecessary apartment expenses. I stopped air conditioning and heating the place during the day. I'd use blankets in the winter and wear tightie whities in the summer. I'd survive.

By combining the bill cutting and the hard budgeting, I was able to start watching my bank account grow each month instead of break even. Sure, I had to defend my innocence when friends and family started to call me "cheap," but it was worth it. I started to feel more secure in my finances, and I got used to living like a near hobo. I could have lived that way forever, but fate intervened.

Kelsey did not want to a be hobo.

When Kelsey and I got married the following July, she didn't take too kindly to becoming a hobette. She didn't understand why a couple with two incomes couldn't occasionally enjoy a treat here and there. I started to think about it, and I didn't understand it either. But that is a story for another Monday. Next week I'll explain the system Kelsey and I created together after a few months of marriage...it's a system we still use today.

As for my car, I lucked out. The alternator was fine. I simply needed a new car battery (cars have batteries! who knew?) and a new something or other that connects a car battery to a car. But the scare changed me. I can still feel the drop in my stomach and the fear in my chest. I didn't want to feel that way again, and thanks to some planning and some adjusting, I haven't.

The Junk That is Everywhere

I don't consider myself a pack-rat or a hoarder, but for some reason stuff just seems to pile up in our house. Our unfinished area of the basement, which was clean just last year, is overflowing with a spare table, a giant "boob tube" HDTV (the first ever made I think--it weights 900 pounds), decorations from every holiday, and various exercise items. How does this happen? If there is an empty drawer in this house, Kelsey and I will fill it. Then we'll forget we filled it. Then we'll assume we had a reason to fill it, so we'll keep it filled.

Next Friday I don't work (what a Good Friday...har dee har har), so I'm hoping to tackle either the garage (because the shelves I installed last summer are now overflowing with unorganized everythings) or the unfinished basement. At some point, I want to go room by room and purge the drawers of things we don't need. For instance, do I need over 100 t-shirts when I'm pretty sure I wear a rotation of six or seven of them? Do I need to keep my old cell phone, of which I don't even have the charger, in my nightstand drawer?

This does lend the question though: What do we do with all our junk? We had a garage sale last year, but we don't really have any big ticket items that would bring in buyers. It's just a lot of stained, faded clothing. Do I dare bring tens of hundreds of bags to Goodwill and risk the forced volunteers working the unload dock glaring at me?

What do you all do when clutter overload is starting to take over the house?

How Not to Run a Business

If you follow me on Twitter, you are well aware that I was in Los Angeles for the last few days babysitting Suri Cruise. While I had no problem getting to LA, I was worried I would never be able to make it back. I'm going to walk you through a time-line of interactions with Travelocity that outlines how you, or anyone, shouldn't run a business. If you want to skip the time-line and scroll to the end, (marked in bold below), here's a quick executive summary: Travelocity dun' almost ruined my trip.

Sometime last fall: Joe (my bro-in-law) and I purchased tickets on Travelocity for a trip to LA. We planned to depart from Des Moines on March 30th and return to Des Moines on April 3rd. On both the departure and arrival flights we'd be making a connection in Denver.

Monday, March 21st: I received an email and a call from Travelocity notifying me that there had been a change to my itinerary. What happened? My departure flight had been moved up a half hour. A fairly minor change. I bring this up only because they called me for this seemingly insignificant detail and nothing else during the next week.

Tuesday, March 22nd: I received an email from Travelocity once again letting me know my flight had changed and to call them with any questions. 

Thursday, March 24th: I received another email from Travelocity letting me know I no longer had a return flight scheduled and to please call them right away. I called them on my way home from class. I did not get past the beautiful hold jingle for the entire 60 minute drive home. I hung up and decided to try again the next day. 

Friday, March 25th: I called Travelocity and was told that on April 3rd, Joe and I were going to be stranded in Denver because our Denver to Des Moines had been canceled. Here was our exchange:

"Um, no. I'm sure there are plenty of ways to get me from LA to Des Moines on April 3rd."

"Oh but your flight from LA to Denver is still good so there is no reason to change that one."

"Yes. There is plenty of reason to change that one. I don't care if I fly through Denver. I have no affinity for that airport. I'll make five connections if I need to--just get me home."

"But sir, you are still booked for LA to Denver. Are you telling me you don't want this flight?"

"I'm looking on the Internet right now. I'm looking at your website right now. There is an earlier flight out of LA to Denver that allows me to catch a different flight to Des Moines. Can you change the flight?"

"Oh. That's a good idea. Yes."

So Travelocity Agent One changes my ticket. She told me I would receive confirmation in 4 to 6 hours. I was on the phone for 57 minutes and hung up happy, thinking it was resolved.

Sunday, March 27th: I realized I did not have confirmation yet. I checked my information on Travelocity and saw that I was now booked for a departure flight leaving Denver at 11:00am FOR Los Angeles. I would then have a 96 hour lay-over in LA before boarding a fictional plane heading towards Des Moines. Huh? I emailed Travelocity and told them my information was wrong, and that I needed updated ticket information. I received an email that night with the information for my bizarro flight. I emailed them back and said, "Please read what you are sending me." They said, "We can't fix this over email. Please call us!"

Monday, March 28th: I called Travelocity and spoke with Travelocity Agent Two for 63 minutes. They told me what they told me six days prior: everything's okay. You'll get your new information in four to six hours. I didn't have the information after class, so I called them again. Travelocity Agent Three told me I'd have confirmation in four to six hours. I was on hold for forty-five minutes before I heard this.

Tuesday, March 29th: Still no confirmation. I was angry. I was only scheduled to work a half day that day, and I had to spent 82 minutes on the phone with Travelocity. I called them, and Travelocity Agent Four told me that, "Oh. Those flights are full. You won't be able to return until April 4th." I told them that was completely unacceptable. That I'd been on the phone for over four hours with them for the last week and have been given three guarantees my flight was okay. I told the guy I knew he wasn't the one I'd talked to, but I'm not hanging up the phone until I had an updated itinerary in my hand. The guy started to say there was nothing he could do. I made it clear to him there was something he could do. I was on hold forever, but I got my itinerary.

Wednesday, March 30th: Joe and I fly to LA.

Saturday, April 2nd: On the way to an LA Kings hockey game, I tried to check in to our flight by my phone via United's website. The website wouldn't let me check in. It said my ticket wasn't confirmed. I called United and after being on hold for over 20 minutes, I was told I needed to call Travelocity as Travelocity needed to send United updated ticket information. Oh Good!

I called Travelocity and explained the situation. Travelocity Agent Number Five told me that they would send me confirmation in four to six hours. I politely said goodbye to my friends as they went into the hockey game. I then stood outside and talked to the Travelocity guy for over ninety minutes. I missed the first two periods of the hockey game. At one point I was told he'd send me my confirmation in 24 hours for a flight that left LA in 12 hours. He kept telling me he'd call me back. I told him I wasn't going anywhere. I finally got the confirmation and was able to check-in.

Sunday, April 3rd: Joe and I arrive to the airport to find out he doesn't have a seat assigned and might not be able to fly. He was. But still, one more wrinkle.

The End: Look, this was a very long story. I probably didn't need to go into daily detail. I bring it up for the following reason though: Travelocity really screwed up. I understand flights get canceled. It happens all the time. But to continuously tell me everything was okay when everything was clearly not okay was inexcusable. I have no vested interest in any of the online travel agencies. Before this trip I could have cared less about using Orbitz, Priceline, Travelocity, etc. But Travelocity made me care about who I won't use...them. They lied. They gave false assurance. Worst of all, I don't think they took any notes in my file because I had to continuously tell a different human being my story every time I called.

I'll write Travelocity a letter. I'm sure I'll get some nominal travel voucher or something like that, but it doesn't matter. What matters is that I spent over a week worrying about something I shouldn't have had to worry about. Then I missed two periods of a hockey game I was supposed to watch with my friends. I can't be bought off. I'll remember that Travelocity, due to whatever system quirks and issues they had, caused me to miss an experience on my vacation. They can throw all the guarantees and traveling gnomes at me they want, the bottom line is still customer service, and they dropped the ball.

In an era where consumers can switch companies instantly, businesses can't afford to lose customers.  They need to make sure they have robust customer service processes. I don't care if I'm calling India for customer service, but at least give me a way to talk to the same representative every time. I don't want to talk to Hank one day and Mark the next. Customer service should be personal. People should be able to talk to the same person. Also, don't just have the phone go straight to a, "thank you for your service" message. Have it ring a few times. Have someone answer the phone and say, "Thank you for call, can you please hold?" That automatically makes me think you care. Having me call in and right away hear an obnoxious jingle that repeats every fifteen seconds does not make me think you care. When the music ends after twenty minutes, and all I hear is the same voice saying, "Your call is important to us," back to back non-stop for ten minutes...you don't care AND you have crappy automated phone software. It's not that hard to differentiate yourself with customer service these days. In a world of canned, scripted corporate, "thank yous" and "hello sirs," there is room for a company to show genuine concern. Travelocity had the opportunity and failed.

Timeline of Dirty Dishes

The battle of the dirty dishes is evolving.  If meal preparation and the cleaning of the aftermath is nothin' but a thang at your house, then you probably won't relate to this post.  Those two chores seem to be monumental at the casa de Schmeeblitz, thus, they warrant a timeline. 

Summer 2008:  "You cook, I clean" is established.  It's logical and fair.  Most of the time "You cook" consists of eating out and carrying out.  Consequentially "I clean" consists of throwing away leftovers or wrappers where appropriate.   See also: You fly, I buy.  

I love Azteca!!!

Summer 2009: Jay and Kelsey move to Cedar Falls.  The era of eating out ends. Buh-bye delicious Quad Cities cuisine. 

Why would leave a place with such great food?

Winter 2009: Grilling season is over, so Kelsey does most of the cooking.  Jay slowly changes definition of "I clean" to mean loading the dishwasher, and leaves the big pots and pans for Kelsey to handwash. Kelsey also unloads dishwasher.  She thinks this is bunk and tells him so.

I spilled this jello all over my mom's brand new kitchen.  And myself. 

Fall 2010: "We cook together, we clean together" is established.  It's fun and cute for about two weeks until we keep bumping into each other in the kitchen.  "Get outta my kitchen!" she yells. Oh crap, Kelsey just called it her kitchen.  What did she do now???

Ahh, together :)

 Winter 2010: Queen Kelsey de Dishes Dirty reigns happily as ruler of the kitchen.  Jay pitches in plenty, but no real roles clearly defined.   Grocery shopping is done together.  Impending conflict looms.  

Oh phew, Texas Roadhouse

January 2011: Jay starts class, Queen Kelsey de Dishes Dirty loses enthusiasm to be ruler of the kitchen.  She chants "Dining for one...is no fun!" and pouts about her chores.  Then one night, she irrationally displaces her missing of Jay into venting her frustrations about kitchentorial duties.  Poor Jay gets yelled at, Kelsey realizes her folly, apologizes, and a new law is established. 

Jay misses hamburgers

March 2011: It's the longest law so far. "I will cook, and I will clean the dishes. You will unload the dishwasher that same night.  And if you forget, I don't make dinner the next night!" (Actually, word to my motha' on that one, she helped me think of that idea)

King of the Kitchen

Whaddya think? Good compromise? Will this one last? Or will the era of eating out Cedar Falls style begin?   :)

Who Wouldn't Want to be Me?

I woke up grumpy this morning.  You know the "ughh, do I have to go back to work?" feeling?  Yah, that one.  The grumpzilla stuck around until I hit my car, and good ole Keith Urban snapped me out of it.  I was going to choose to be in a good mood today.  I get to go to my job. I love my job. 

I could tell when the morning bell rang the bubbling line of third graders were anxious to share their spring break stories.  The third student in the door came carrying a stack of construction paper and tin foil wrapped packages. 

"It's your birthday tomorrow, Mrs. Schmitz!! But I brought your presents TODAY and you have to open them RIGHT NOW!!"

Those are bedazzled corners...do you see the scotch tape across the center?

This was one of those moments I needed to stop, take a deep breath and ask myself, "Is it really important for me to have complete order of 22 students right now? Or can I stop and open these handmade gifts a student has poured her little heart over?" 

Yes, I taught her that cursive

I really really really (100 times really) wanted to say, "Can we do this in a minute?"  But they were wrapped in tin foil.  Tin. Foil.  Who can resist? 

Um, hello sweet diary :)

Pretty close

 Her face lit up as I opened each package and she went into excruciating detail of how she made, personalized, and wrapped each item. 

It says "Schmitz" but she ran out of letters

 I wore the necklace all day.  It never untangled, and the scotch tape gave me a rash on my neck.  But I was told many times it was beautiful. 

A second card

And the "you have to open the best present last, Mrs. Schmitz!" That's a purse.  She sewed it herself.  I think the handles are made of ripped t-shirt.  So freaking cute. 

Watch out, Coach - here she comes

I am so glad I took 2 minutes to give a student an opportunity to make my day.  Would I remember that my class was in perfect order the day after spring break - absolutely not? But would I remember that little stack of handmade gifts. You bet I will. 

Maybe Mondays aren't so bad after all. 

Beachwear

Hi ya'll! from the land of sunny skies, sandy beaches, and sweet tea (pronounced swayt-tae)! 

Mom and I arrived safely in Orange Beach Saturday night and have been enjoying our home-away-from-home for the past 2 days.  Although I'd hardly call this year's condo "home".

Teaser alert: Our condo leaves much to be desired, despite it's rockin' views, so look for some MTV condo cribs later this week, and be ready to ask yourself "what were they thinking?"

Beheaded giraffe in a Memories of Home candle? Wha???

Apologetically, I must admit that our forecast for this week in Bama looks to be the best we've ever seen.  We're usually lucky to hit a 70 degree day, and the weatherman promises high 70s and sunny all week. 

Extra warm weather? I'll need extra big flip flops!

We're keeping mom underneath her "amazing technicolor dream umbrella" (coined by A.J.) and we decided to invest in some hats to keep our skin protected from the sun.  Because, sometimes, life's a beach, and then you fry. 

The view from the shade

So we headed on down to the Shark Store to check out the best merch in town.

I tried on this bonnet, because that's apparently in style, and I legitimately had to convince mom that  she could not purchase that visor.  

Little House in the Rice Fields

Next, mom tried on a "beverage inspired" sun protectant.  

Dual-purpose

We totally rocked these fedoras, but decided they didn't match our swimsuits. 

Plaid is rad.

And finally, Mom settled on cowboy-hat meets straw-sun-shade....

She would only let me post this picture of it.

And I ended up with sombrero meets gaudy-Kentucky Derby.

Don't worry, Rachael IS wearing a swimsuit

Ahhh, Mondays! :)

Vacation Planning...

We're T minus 4 days until vacation, and it's time to start throwing together the details of our trip.  Since this is our 11th year spring-breaking to Orange Beach, the details come about quite naturally.  But as to not give my mom anxiety, because she's already packed and pretty much ready to go, I'll start to get my stuff together as well.

Life Rule #1 - Keep your mama happy

I won't bore you with the details of the beach-appropriate gear, flip flops, and other things that will generally make you jealous I'm going on vacation and you're not, but I will share with you a sneak peek of what happens on a road trip with my mom and I.  Because isn't it just as much about the journey as it is the destination?

'Bama 2009

Essential #1 - The Tunes
Every road trip with mom begins with Keith Urban "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me?".  We stick our "hand out the window as the car drives by" and belt it out for all of Hudson Road to hear.  It's the perfect send off.  Because really, who wouldn't want to be us?

Later down the road, mom subjects me to two (sometimes three) of her favorite road trip CD's.   What are they - you ask?  Tom Jones Greatest Hits - I mean, what 26 year old doesn't love Tom Jones?

I'm your sex bomb.

And....(wait for it)....Evita.  Don't Cry For Me Argentina, I'm used to it by now. And quite frankly, I've embraced it.

The truth is, I never left you. 

I put both of these CD's in the "I know all of the words to these songs but shouldn't" category. (The third, if you're curious, is Carol King Tapestry.  Geesh, doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?)

Essential #2 - The Grub.

If you know my dad, he is a totally efficient human being - in fact, he gets very bothered by inefficient processes.  So while traveling with him, we don't spend much time dilly-dallying about.  Stop for a meal? Nah, we'll pack our own.  Now Dad's not coming this year on vacation, but tradition is tradition, so we'll pack our cooler like we usually do.

A ham sandwich walks into a bar. The bartender looks up and says, "Sorry, we don't serve food here."  

 In the cooler on any Kuebler vacation you can find: Diet Pepsi, water, Dr. Pepper if the boys are along, and about 100 mini ham and turkey sandwiches on tea rolls.  Okay, maybe not quite 100, but you need a lot of ham sandwiches when you're in the car for 17 hours. Other mandatory car snacks include chex mix, licorice, Cheez Its, and some sort of chocolate or cookie.


Essential #3 - The Fam.

My favorite part of family vacation is, well, my family.  Although we live literally a half a mile from each other and talk almost every day, mom and I gab the entire trip to Alabama.  We talk about past trips, future trips, and who knows what else.  We sing along to songs I still shouldn't know the words to. We watch the temperature outside rise each hour we go on.  We take crazy side trips to the best shoe store ever created on some random Alabama road.  And if all else fails, I make mom play the game "Guess what song I am whistling" - which she hates, because  1) apparently my whistling is off-tune because I laugh too much and 2) she can't whistle and it makes her jealous.

'Bama 2008

Ahh, I love spring break road trips!  Speaking of, I better get packing. I guarantee mom just read this and wondered If she's blogging, how can she be packing? Whoops, sorry mom! :)

Leadership Monday

One of the managers from my last job at John Deere sends out weekly thoughts each Sunday night/Monday morning. They are usually little leadership fables, tales, or what have you. For whatever reason, today's email stuck out to me. Between the bolded words is the email in its entirety:

START

A successful business man was growing old and knew it was time to choose a successor to take over the business.

Instead of choosing one of his Directors or his children, he decided to do something different. He called all the young executives in his company together.

He said, "It is time for me to step down and choose the next CEO. I have decided to choose one of you. "The young executives were shocked, but the boss continued. "I am going to give each one of you a seed today - one very special seed. I want you to plant the seed, water it, and come back here one year from today with what you have grown from the seed I have given you. I will then judge the plants that you bring, and the one I choose will be the next CEO."

One man, named Jim, was there that day and he, like the others, received a seed. He went home and excitedly, told his wife the story. She helped him get a pot, soil and compost and he planted the seed. Every day, he would water it and watch to see if it had grown. After about three weeks, some of the other executives began to talk about their seeds and the plants that were beginning to grow.

Jim kept checking his seed, but nothing ever grew.

Three weeks, four weeks, five weeks went by, still nothing.

By now, others were talking about their plants, but Jim didn't have a plant and he felt like a failure.

Six months went by -- still nothing in Jim's pot. He just knew he had killed his seed. Everyone else had trees and tall plants, but he had nothing. Jim didn't say anything to his colleagues, however, he just kept watering and fertilizing the soil - He so wanted the seed to grow.

A year finally went by and all the young executives of the company brought their plants to the CEO for inspection.

Jim told his wife that he wasn't going to take an empty pot. But she asked him to be honest about what happened. Jim felt sick to his stomach, it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of his life, but he knew his wife was right. He took his empty pot to the board room. When Jim arrived, he was amazed at the variety of plants grown by the other executives. They were beautiful -- in all shapes and sizes. Jim put his empty pot on the floor and many of his colleagues laughed, a few felt sorry for him!

When the CEO arrived, he surveyed the room and greeted his young executives.

Jim just tried to hide in the back. “My, what great plants, trees and flowers you have grown,” said the CEO. “Today one of you will be appointed the next CEO!”

All of a sudden, the CEO spotted Jim at the back of the room with his empty pot. He ordered the Financial Director to bring him to the front. Jim was terrified. He thought, “The CEO knows I'm a failure! Maybe he will have me fired!”

When Jim got to the front, the CEO asked him what had happened to his seed - Jim told him the story.

The CEO asked everyone to sit down except Jim. He looked at Jim, and then announced to the young executives, “Behold your next Chief Executive Officer!  His name is Jim!”  Jim couldn't believe it.  Jim couldn't even grow his seed.

“How could he be the new CEO?” the others said.

Then the CEO said, “One year ago today, I gave everyone in this room a seed. I told you to take the seed, plant it, water it, and bring it back to me today. But I gave you all boiled seeds; they were dead - it was not possible for them to grow.”

“All of you, except Jim, have brought me trees and plants and flowers. When you found that the seed would not grow, you substituted another seed for the one I gave you. Jim was the only one with the courage and honesty to bring me a pot with my seed in it. Therefore, he is the one who will be the new Chief Executive Officer!”

* If you plant honesty, you will reap trust

* If you plant goodness, you will reap friends

* If you plant humility, you will reap greatness

* If you plant perseverance, you will reap contentment

* If you plant consideration, you will reap perspective

* If you plant hard work, you will reap success

* If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation

So, be careful what you plant now; it will determine what you will reap later.

--Author Unknown

END

Now sure, this story's premise is absurd, but I do like the message. I've seen countless times at various places I've worked where people try to hide every problem from those in charge in order to make themselves look better, more in control. This can create a culture of systemic lying. I hide information from my boss, who hides information from his boss, who does the same, etc. At some point, everyone is more worried about hiding whatever problems exist than actually fixing the problems. I personally don't understand this type of thinking at all. One, we're taught not to lie from a very young age...at least we should be. Two, in a world of scarce resources, if you don't let people know you have problems, you'll never get the help you need to fix them until the proverbial poo has hit the proverbial fan.

Ultimately, I think this story struck a cord with me because I've been told countless times at work that I'm, "too honest." Don't misunderstand me, I don't raise the red flag at every problem. Managers don't need to know every little bad thing that happened on any given day. In fact, they don't need to know any of the daily fires that occur. If I told my managers about every little daily fire, it would just cause them to worry about details they don't need to worry about, and it would make me look like someone who creates nothing but problems. That said, if there are actual long-term problems I'm addressing, I have no problem telling anyone who asks me. If the current culture of my team is garbage, I will say that. I will also list the five or six steps I'm taking to address the broken culture. While I might make a few people nervous by telling the truth, it's much better to let people know the plant won't grow early, rather than dealing with a large, fake plant years later.

I Roll Hard Through the Streets and the Culdesacs...

2 years ago for Valentine's Day, Jay and I spent the weekend in Galena.  It was a weekend of milestones for us.  First, Jay got called to interview for his job in Cedar Falls, which later led to some major life changes for us.  Second, and obviously more importantly, Jay's car hit 100,000 miles! So we stopped in the middle of the road and celebrated.

We par-tay for weird reasons!

His car has been a really nice car for us.  But it's starting to get a bit beaten up, and now has been with us for roughly 123,083 miles or so.

The mirror cover has been gone for over 2 years now, and not replaced.

Obviously someone ran down the side of the road with a white paintbrush.

More dents and boo-boos

So this Valentine's weekend, we made a goal.  By the time Jay is done with grad school, we want to have saved enough money for him to get a "new" car. (I use the word "new" loosely, because for us in carworld "new" means a very nice, reliable, like-new-but-used car. Not a brand-spankin' new one! We're not rich, yo.)

We would both really like for him to have a car that handles better in the snowy weather and that has a little more room.  He's got his eye on some vehicles like this:

Suh-weet.

I like this one. : )

Just kidding! :)

So...if his car already has lots of miles on it, and is already kinda beat up, then why not buy a new car now? We don't believe that to be terribly practical.  I'll give you two (and only two) reasons why. 

1. His Altima gets great gas mileage. Switching to a gas hog when he'll be traveling back and forth to Cedar Rapids for the next 2-3 years just doesn't make sense.

2. We don't want a car payment.  Call us cheapos, but we'd rather spend a few years to save the money to buy a vehicle outright than to have to make a payment each month.

Okay, you want one more reason? Fine.

3.  Jay secretly loves minivans. I really think he is going to hold on to that Altima until it is socially acceptable for him to drive a van.  If he bought a new vehicle now, he'd have to buy an SUV, because it would be weird for him to own a van. That's just my opinion.  I mean, I'm only his wife - what do I know?

My money's on Jay's "graduation gift" looking more like this:

Hells yeah!!! it's a Swagger Wagon!

In the meantime, we're going to go get old Alty all spiffed up and looking nice. And I told Jay to splurge and get one of those ipod wires installed to help with all of the roadtrips in his future. Hopefully that will help to tide him over until the Swagger Wagon! : )