Thanks for the rolling pin!

When Jay and I got married, like any normal couple, we registered for many kitchen-related items. I think we both hoped that if I started cooking with my new pots and pans, we'd discover that with a little E-V-O-O, a spoonula of this, and a dash of that, I'd be the next Rachel Ray. Yummo! Meals in under 30 minutes. So far, the only delicious food that has come to our house in under 30 minutes is take-out.

I've alluded to my lack of kitchen experience in previous blogs. I've not yet picked up on the art of cooking or baking that by all accounts I should have inherited by my super-talented mom. I may be partial to her cooking - but I swear she's never made a bad meal. I made my first attempt at a not-Stouffer's lasagna the day after Christmas for my parents and my in-laws. It was actually really fun to make and the end result was edible. Maybe I'll try more cooking in the future.

Today, however, I used one of my new kitchen utensils for the first time. I'm not sure this was the purpose the gift-giver (who I'm pretty sure was my grandma) had in mind when they gifted this to me. But seriously, what a great tool! : )

Thanks Grandma! :) It's getting plenty of use.

We finally decided to do something with our DISGUSTING back steps. They have been driving me nuts practically since I moved into my house. Here is a sneak peak at the progress. I'll post official befores-and-afters when the project is finished.

This is the landing - we usually have a rug on it to hide the hideousness of it.

Unfortunately, the reason I am posting a blog right now and not working on my project is that Miss Slippery fingers had a little run-in with the utility knife while cutting a tile.

Here I am in pain and angry that I am not going to be able to finish this project today.

A gruesome shot of my thumb. No, that's not ketchup on the paper towel.

(Sidenote: If anyone was super observant, you would notice that when I was working with my rolling pin earlier, my left thumb was protected by a safety glove. Rolling pins can be rather dangerous, you know. That means that this genius took the glove off and then picked up a razor blade and cut.her.thumb.apart.)

Where's Jay? Playing video games and taking my picture. Love ya hubby. ; )

Habitat for Gingermanity

My dad has warned me about the dangers of buying a pre-fabricated house. He said that quality is sacrificed for convenience in the construction of the home.

Back up, you know the kinds I'm talking about, right? Those are the ones where all of the pieces get shipped to you from some magical house factory in some mystical land where only homes are made. After you receive a few simple shipments, POOF your home is built in weeks! How idyllic.

Not really. Tonight I partook in a project Jay happily dubbed "Habitat for Gingermanity." In just a few short hours I built a home with my own two hands out of prefabricated materials for a gingerbread family in need. I'm not kidding you, it was something that could have qualified for Extreme Makeover Home Edition.

Here's how it all went down:

Step 1: Since I have only home-constructing ability and no cookie-constructing ability, lay out store-bought gingerbread making materials.


Step 2: Every home begins with a good foundation. This one looked pretty solid.

Step 3: Put together the walls. Yes, they were leaning.


Step 4: Prepare the framing of the house for roof. See any potential problems coming my way?

Step 5: Oh, crap.

(face blurred to protect a look too embarrassing for the internet)

Let's try Step 5 again: Reinforce the frame of the house with a LOT more frosting. Secure roof. Nothing could knock this baby down.


Step 6: Beautification. (The designer looks a little worried...)


Step 7: "MOVE THAT BUS!!!" Look how thrilled the happy couple is to see their new home!


Step 8: An up-close look at the design of this one-of-a-kind home.

The front door...first impressions are everything.

Unique architecture on the roof. (Trying to make the Schrages proud)

Quality landscaping.


Leaves you with a smile. :)

Meet the people who made this all possible:

And their little dog, too.


Wow, what an exhausting, but gratifying couple of hours. For any of you out there looking for a good cause to support this holiday season, consider Habitat for Gingermanity. It will change your life.

Christmas Cheer!

We got a package in the mail today!!! I LOVE getting things in the mail that aren't bills, junk mail, or fliers to buy things that I don't want to buy or vote for. So you might guess that the holiday season totally excites me.

I have a love-hate relationship with the mail. Because, the fact of the matter is, most of the time the only things that come in the mail are bills, junk, or fliers for things I don't want to buy or vote for.

But today, when I got home from a super long day at school, a cardboard parcel of holiday heaven was waiting for me!!

Anyways, inside the package was this fabulous Christmas decoration from my aunt Mindy. The little tree inside rotates and plays music. The picture doesn't do it justice, it has some really neat details.

Thanks so much, Mindy! It's beautiful, and it's proudly displayed in our living room. I'll think of you every year when I use it.

Holiday Traditions

I'm not usually one for getting ready for Christmas before Thanksgiving. I'm all for enjoying one holiday before preparing for the next. But the calendar this year is a busy one, and I found myself in the Christmas spirit a little earlier than usual!

(Don't you love our stockings? They were a shower gift from my mom. The matching tree skirt has our name on it, too. I think they are super cool.)

This week, Jay and I will celebrating our first holiday (other than the one we were married on) as a married couple. We've been fortunate in the past to have agreed to go our separate ways with each of our families and that's been okay with both of us. This Thanksgiving has been the first time we've had to decide what to do and where to go. I have to admit, it's kind of stressful. We'll do Thanksgiving with my parents on Thursday, and his family on Saturday. Double turkey for us - yay!

Other than doing our best to maintain old traditions, we've decided to start creating a few new ones of our own. One of my favorites so far, includes our Christmas tree. The past couple of years we have each picked out a new ornament to add to the tree. It started more out of necessity than sentiment, but has developed into a meaningful part of our tree decorating. I decided we'll add the date somewhere on the ornament so in future years we can remember our choices.

This year, I chose this fish:
He reminded me of the awesomely gorgeous fish we saw snorkeling in Aruba. Snorkeling has by far been my favorite thing I've done this year. (Other than getting married - hee hee...)

And Jay picked out this John Deere tractor:
His reason had something to do with the fact that he now works for John Deere and our lives would have been different if he didn't. He said I wouldn't have married him if he still worked at Target. He liked the irony that he bought a John Deere ornament at Target.

So a night of many blessings at our household for all the little elves and Santa's little helper dogs. We had some good food, good family time, and continued some good traditions.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Gobble, gobble!

(Seems odd to say in a Christmas themed blog, but that's my own fault for decorating too early.)

Gastroenteritis

(I posted this yesterday, and then it disappeared....)

I attempted to go to work today. When I arrived, I put on my best "I can do this" face and walked in the building to face the day. The first person I ran into in the hallway asked me if I was feeling alright and I burst into tears.

Who was I kidding? I felt like crap.

So I shuffled together my sub plans and called it a day.

I've been sick since the moment I woke up Sunday morning. I have not been able to eat or drink anything besides delicious Hi-C juiceboxes and water.

Sidebar: Why are 90 calories of Orange Lavaburst goodness so satisfying when I'm sick?



So anyways, on my way out the door a friend of mine said, "Try to feel better, Death-Warmed-Over". Did I really look that bad? I had to find out, so I took this picture when I got home.


Apparently, yes. Yes, I did.

Oh, sick days.

Confessions of a Non-Cash Counter

First confession of the night: I must admit, I've never been one to watch my checkbook too closely. I've always been given a hard time about this from many people, claiming that my father probably has lost countless hours of sleep at night worrying that I haven't calculated my expenses and income to the nearest cent.

I've never overdrawn an account. I don't have loans or car payments. I own only 2 credit cards. I've never even had an outstanding debt to my name, unless you count my home mortgage. (Which I see as an investment, not as a debt.) I feel like I've done a pretty good job for myself. Because of these reasons, I could justify my oblivion. Life without a budget keeps me worry free, I am happier not knowing how much I have or don't have. I'm a teacher, how good could it really be?

This philosophy didn't fly for the ole' hubby. After 4 months of marriage he had had enough. Tonight we....(cue dramatic music) duh, duh duh....created a budget.


Second confession of the night: I totally liked it. Who knew that creating a budget could be so fun? Certainly not I! I know that finances can be an area of tension for a lot of married couples. I know that somewhere out there, there is a statistic about all the fights it causes between husbands and wives, yadda yadda. But after tonight, my optimist self can't help but think we won't be one of those couples!

I can honestly say that after 24 years of being on a non-budget, my one hour of being on a budget seems more enjoyable already. I feel secure that if I have an emergency or major expense, I know exactly where that money will come from. It thrills me to think we're establishing savings for things we enjoy like vacations and houses and computers.

So I'm thinking that my dad knew all along that all he could do was lead by example, teach me what he knew, and hope I caught on. I think he knew that eventually I'd catch on to the whole "budget" business and realize it was a good thing. I think he also knew me well enough that I needed to do it for myself, or it wouldn't mean a thing. You smarty pants, you.

So whether my sheer excitement over a budget makes me a total geek or not, I really don't care. Dad, you can rest easy tonight, I've finally seen the wisdom of your ways.