Upstairs [to take a bath]

I just realized I never really posted pictures of our upstairs.

Here we go.


First up...
The Spare Room
(that we haven't really done anything with..)Next...
The Office/Craft Room
(But of course there are no pictures of his side) =)and...
The Master Bedroom
Happy Monday.

Showered with Weekend Pennies

No more rain
Getting off work early
A sweet thank you card from Karla
The new PB catalog
Friday night pizza & march madness date with the hubs
Chatting with our neighbor at BR31
Catching up on Teen Mom 2 #guiltypleasure
Booking a romantic little anniversary getaway
Planning and budgeting for our summer trip to Seattle
4 or 5 old episodes of a favorite after-school show
Sleeping in** + Cuddling
The smell of scones baking in the oven
A clean kitchen
Saturday morning bible study
Lunch with one of our favorite couples
My new Pampered Chef pizza stone
Clean laundry
A birthday party for the sister's boy toy
Stellar worship session and sermon
Week 2 of our membership class at church
Yummy lunch with miss Aubrey
Finishing the in-laws taxes and chatting a bit
A successful shopping excursion
A beautiful, clear-skied Sunday afternoon with no commitments
And the anticipation of my tween girl shows coming back next week!

**[Sidenote: You may recall we signed up for the Race for Autism?
Well, that was Saturday morning.
And since we had already turned in the money,
the hubs had absolutely no problem
choosing much needed sleep over a 5k run.]

Sounds

As I take an afternoon nap,
snuggled in our bed,
I hear

Our neighbors wind chimes
Rain falling gently outside our window
The washing and dryer making our clothes like new
Lorelei and Rory... faintly in the background

It feels like home.

Mind Games

Do you play them?
I do.
Weekly.

I stop at Starbucks
for my dose of morning caffeine,
my pick-me-up.
But I order Caramel Apple Cider.

Does it have caffeine?
No.
Do I tell myself it does?
Yes.
Does it work?
Hm, today it better.
I'm tired. :)

Thankful for: Sleep

For the past few days, I've been going to bed rather early.
And for the past few mornings, I've been waking up rather late.
Without an alarm.
Just laying in bed.
Zoning out.
Reading.
Being perfectly content with the fact that
there is much to do,
but that it doesn't need to get done now.

Today I'm thankful for: Sleep

An UNtypical Day

Last September I wrote this post. And in February I wrote this one.
Today, i take a look at what my typical days have been like this month.

A typical day
6:30a: Alarm goes off. Snooze button.
6:35a: Alarm goes off again. No arm around me. Get up, Make bed and Get ready.
7:00a: Turn on the Today Show.
7:20a: Pack my lunch.
7:30a: Leave for Starbucks. Must. Have. Starbucks.
7:50a: Arrive at work. Sip tea/check email/read blogs/morning devotion.
8:15a-5:30p: Conquer my gnarly To Do list at work.
5:30p: Leave work.
6:00p: Meet a friend for dinner. Eating out yet again. But with good company.
8:00p: Stop by the new house to bring the trash cans out,clean up from the boys' last midnight work party and stalk the fridge with Monsters for their next midnight work party.
9:00p: Arrive back at the apartment.
9:15p: Wash face. Put on Jammers.
9:20p: Veg on the couch, watching a DVRd show from earlier that week.
10:00p: Crawl in bed. And count how many more nights I have to go to sleep alone.

This month has consisted of two main activities: Working on the House and Business Trips.
Jeremiah has either been out of town for a business trip,
or staying up til the wee hours of the morning, working on the housing projects.

I'm excited for him to come home.
I'm excited to move into our new place.
I'm excited for his CPA exam to finally be over.
And I'm excited for life to get back to normal again.

Is it November yet?

Much Needed Rest

This weekend felt so cozy and relaxing.
I was relatively productive, but still enjoyed
Much Needed R E S T

Dinner out with my weekend boyfriend
Packing & Moving (Unpacking is yet to come)
Snuggling up and Sleeping in
A hair cut complete with head massage
Staying in the same sweats all weekend
No Make up/No Shower
Keeping up with the Kardashians marathon All.Day.Saturday
Working on Christmas cards
A few errands
Putting together a little Halloween gift for the hubs
Cozy fireside church service
Laundry: Clean clothes and clean sheets
Hearty chili and warm cornbread muffins
Friendly texts
Coupons galore
Putting together my new desk (see above)
Subway Sandwiches
Movie night with the Mister

Delightful I must say.

Please welcome your.....judges!

[SYTYCD Spoiler Alert]

I have a rather strict bed time.
Not because I live with any sort of controlling authorities,
but because I'm a grandma and a bit of a crank
if I don't get a full 8 hours each night.
I know, I know, lame -- but true.

Needless to say,
I have been getting about 6 hours
the past few nights.
And drinking coffee (yes, coffee) each morning.

Why, you ask?
Because I've been watching
hours upon hours of SYTYCD

There is something so absolutely and profoundly beautiful
about the richness of authentic movement.

And was I happy with last night's results?
Of Course!


I've been picking up the phone for LoFro all along.
Congratulations, Lauren!

LWS

What to do when your husband's traveling
and you have Lonely Wife Syndrome?

Shop Joann's and Cool Scrapbook Stuff
Stop by BR for $1 Scoop Tuesdays
Watch girly shows like Gilmore Girls and Make it or Break it
Leave your half-finished crafts on the kitchen table
Sleep with the TV on, definitely sleep with the TV on
Make the bed as soon as you get out of it in the morning
Stay extra late at Bible Study
Remember to bring in the mail he normally brings in
Spend the evenings with your girlfriends
Clean the bathroom and actually keep it clean for a few days
Plan fun dates to go on together once he's home
Take up the whole bed when you sleep
Turn Matt, Meredith, Ann and Al on louder in the mornings
Commiserate with other friends in the same boat
send him lovey texts about how much you miss him.
and Pray for him like crazy!

Sleepless

I wish I could sleep.

But unfortunately, I'm a 23-year old grandma that goes to bed at 8:30p on Friday nights.

So now, I've been awake since 1:45am. Delightful.

What do you do when you can't sleep?

I've tried reading, Facebook and tv -- no success!

Four Words

Thank God it's Friday!

Jessi vs Monday Morning

These candles make me happy.
And make me want to go curl back up in bed.
That sounds like a much better Monday morning plan.

It's OK to be Counting Sheep

I often read blog posts about people and their dreams.

"I'm so thankful my husband believes in my dreams, too."
"We spent hours discussing our goals and dreams."
"I'm living my dream and I couldn't be happier."

And it gets me thinking, almost daily: what is my dream?

Why aren't I discussing it, living it, and making sure my husband supports it? If I died today, what dream would I have for people to carry on in my honor?

I've come to the conclusion that: I don't have one.

I don't have that one big goal I've been working towards all my life. It's not like I've always wanted to be a teacher, nor have I always wanted to start my own business. As much as it'd be fun, I don't see myself up-routing and traveling the world.

And after months (and I mean months!) of pondering, I've decided that's okay.

I have smaller dreams.

And I think about those all the time. And my husband believes I can achieve them. And I'm starting to live them.

Sheep #1: Love God and Love Others
Sheep #2: Learn to Sew
Sheep #3: Craft for a Wedding
Sheep #4: Sell on Etsy
Sheep #5: Become a Better Wife
Sheep #6: Spend a Month Living Abroad
Sheep #7: Give Pitching Lessons Again
Sheep #8: Be a Stay-@-Home Mom for 2 Children
Sheep #9: Volunteer at a Youth Summer Camp for a Week
Sheep #10: Buy a House and Make it a Home (in San Diego)
Sheep #11: Climb Half Dome
Sheep #12: Take a Dance Class
Sheep #13: Lead a Group for Mom's
Sheep #14: Win an Award at Work
Sheep #15: Learn to Speak Italian

Yesterday's Change

a new recipe for dinner
the way hubby said hello when he came home
a long and long-awaited phone call with Alana
the shopping center on Pomerado and Poway Rd: Michael's, Joann's ad Scrapbook store all in a row
cinnamon pine cones
caramel apple cider -- getting a grande when i paid for a tall
pay day
crafting
bedtime reading