I planted flowers!

So, hubby and I don't really "do" yardwork. Well, we didn't. We decided it was time to be "grown up" and work on our yard. This is the result of hours in the yard, lots of trimming and hacking, and planting. I was so excited to plant flowers in our front yard. I spent forever at the plant store, picking up a color, heading for the check out, just to second guess myself and turn back around and change my mind. I finally decided on purple - who knew there were so many shades!?

So, I bought a pack of 24 flowers, thinking, wow, what am I going to do with all of these? Then I planted them, and thought, wow I need 3 times that many!!! So, on Friday, my friend Renee is going to take me to her "plant guy" and help me pick out some flowers and stuff.
Do you do yard work?

I made something! Initial Tray

Look what I made!I made my sister in law a cute basket full of gifts from her wedding registry, and some personalized gifts with her new initial. This is the tray that I made for her.

I'm really happy with how it came out, and all the ladies at the shower loved it! This was my first experience with modgepodge - and it wasn't as bad as I thought. I bought an unfinished wooden tray from Hobby Lobby for $1.80 (it was 40% off), a sheet of scrapbook paper for $1, black paint for $0.40, and some modgepodge for $3.60 (I had a 40% off coupon). Not a bad personalized gift for $6.80! And, um...hours and hours and hours of my time. I really did think this was going to be a quick little project, but it took a really long time. Now, if I had devoted a couple days to this little tray, I'm sure it would have been done pretty quickly...but I did a little bit here and there over the course of a couple weeks, so it seemed to take FOREVER.

What do you think?

Show us Your Life - Cleaning Tips!

Today we are participating in Kelly's Korner Show us Your Life - Cleaning Tips.

I despise cleaning. Really, I do. But, I adore a clean house. It feels so good to look around our home and know that it is clean. I'm weird, I love the smell of cleaning supplies. I guess I just associate the bleachie smell with clean - ha! I am still learning how to keep things clean, and the best way to do things, but here is my process now -

1. We have a stainless steel sink. I.HATE.IT. It always streaks and is never, ever all the way clean. So, every Sunday, I soak it to the top with bleach, let it sit an hour, drain, and then I scrub it with a baking soda paste. I am in the process of training hubby to wipe the water out of the sink EVERY TIME he uses it. I have a pretty towel that I sit next to the sink just for this purpose. I know it sounds OCD, but that is the focal point of the kitchen and it makes me feel better when it's clean.

2. I never leave dirty dishes in the sink.

3. I mop all the floors and clean the bathrooms on the weekends. I just don't have time during the week, and it's nice to get it all done on a Saturday morning before we really start our day.

4. I spend about 30 minutes cleaning / picking up each evening. This keeps me ahead of hubby's messes (can you imagine when we have children???!!!) and keeps the house dusted, counters clean, and clutter free!

5. Lately, I have been using a mixture of half hydrogen peroxide and half water to clean just about everything, with the exception of the shower. I even use it to mop the floors. It's safe for our dog, it doesn't have a strong scent (which hubby appreciates), it's less harmful to the environment, and it's SO inexpensive. I really feel like it gets things clean!

Wordless Wednesday

I'm so ready for baseball season to start!

Bandit's Summer Cut and Galleria Trip

How adorable is this face? Bandit got his summer hair cut on Saturday. Basically, they shaved off another doggie! He looks like a teenager to me for some reason - ha! He loves his hair cut, and acts like he feels so much better! My parents were in town this weekend, and my Daddy told him he looked funny!

Hubby and I went to the Galleria today. I think this is my first shopping post...I don't shop very often. And, we don't shop very well together. He picks out things for me that will never look good on me, are made for someone half my age, and are way out of my budget. Then, I get frusterated with him and the day ends up at a loss. So, it has been well over a year since we went to the mall together. But, he wanted some new jeans, so off we went.

Amazingly, we got along great! He was so patient with me, helped me choose things to try on, and understood when I didn't like the things he picked out. I'm so excited that we did so well! Maybe now that we are married we can shop together? Hmmm...anyway....he found some great jeans at the Seven for all Mankind store. I found these cute little black and white shoes at Charlotte Russe (cheap, I know, but I'm hard on shoes!). They were $24.99, and if you bought one pair, you got the second for $15! Hubby talked me into getting them, and I'm glad he did, they are too cute! I got the sunglasses at Nordstrom's in the junior's department for $10 each. I bought the big blue ones for my trip to LA for Erin's bachelorette party - I think they will be perfect! I let Hubs choose a pair that he liked, and he chose the black ones with silver details on the sides. The shirt is from The Limited, and is a 3/4 sleeve mint green. I love it, and it was on sale for $19.99! Not bad for $80 - 2 pairs of shoes & sunglasses, and a new shirt!

All in all, we had a very successful day and lots of fun together!

30 Things before I'm 30 - Master Bathroom Painted!

So, one of my 30 Thing before I'm 30 is to paint our house. I have a long way to go...but we got one room down - The Master Bath! We chose the color Red Red Wine from Olympic. I love it! It took lots and lots of coats...but we (I mean hubby) were very patient and love the final result!

Now I am off to find the perfect switchplate covers (maybe I will make some...hhmm...) and vanity lights. Any suggestions?

I can't decide if I want some type of window treatment here. But, I love this little palm. We got it a Pier One and I think it's so cute!

Now, only 5 more rooms to go....

Wordless Wednesday - My Daddy & Me

Baby Cayden Sheffler's Baby Shower

Jeff and I went to the most adorable, fun baby shower ever this weekend! It was thrown by the baby's Nana, Brandon's mom.

The proud parents to be! Look at the cute little pins Nana made for them, they were sports themed - adorable!

She took baby pictures of Mom and Dad to display on the front table - so cute!

Mom and her daddy

The boys had a bottle drinking contest - with beer!

Mom and Me

Hubby and Dad

The boys

The boys did a relay race with dolls - they had to wipe, powder and diaper them, it was quite commical!

14 Day Love and Respect Challenge - Day 13

I know I am a few days late with this post, and I'm sorry. I needed some courage to post this one - and it took me a little while.

Okay ladies, day 13 is sensitive. And - I'm shy about this stuff. So - I am going to suggest that you read Aimee's words. She says this much better than I can, and well, I'm not great at talking about this personal stuff. So - here is the original post if you would like to read it.

Day 13 -

Initiate intimate time with your husband (you know what I mean, please don't make me say it). Don't just respond; initiate. We believe that you should be intimate on a regular basis. If a husband or a wife is deprived, he or she can be subjected to a satanic attack. Read 1 Corinthians 7:5. When either of you deprives the other, temptation comes. A husband can feel put down for who he is when rejected sexually

I do think this is a very, very important part of marriage. A friend of mine shared with me before I got married, "Being intimate is the only thing that separates your bond from a bond that he shares with others". So true. Well, that and bills I guess - ha! But seriously, I think it strengthens your bond as "one" and is very healthy for all marriages.

Marriage Monday

Today we are participating in Marriage Monday from Marriage Tales. Today's topic is how you met your spouse.

Hubby and I both worked for a rental car company right out of college. Hard job, long hours - but we both learned so much there. Anyway, my manager, whom became one of my dearest friends, was engaged to her college sweetheart, and, like all soon to be married girls, wanted everyone else to be getting married too. So, she had worked with Jeff before, and was telling me all about him and him all about me. I wasn't really interested in meeting anyone, I had an ugly break-up about a year prior and was not really interested in going through any of that again. But, to humor Julie, I agreed to meet him. He had a house on the other side of Houston, and she arranged for a BBQ there so we could meet. I bailed that morning. I just didn't want to go, it felt like too much pressure and I really, truly was not interested. She dropped the subject and was not thrilled with me, but she wasn't done scheming!

At the rental car branch that I managed, I did everything - including washing the cars (I know, the horrors!) I worked alone at my office, ran around there all day, and rarely took a lunch, so I was skin and bones. Literally, right under 100 lbs at 5'7. Yuck. Anyway, on this particular day, my clothes were huge (falling off really), I had ripped my blazer, and I had been rained on all day, so my naturally curly hair was HUGE! (what my husband now refers to as my 80's hair). Julie asked me to meet her for queso and margaritas. Of course I said yes! So, imagine my surprise when I arrived and a really cute boy was there with her. I was not pleased - but what can you do? Hubby now jokes that he knew I had "potential" - ha! Turns out, he had come to a happy hour that I was at about a month prior, and he hid at the bar because he was scared to introduce himself. Silly boy. Well, that night at Ninfas was the start of a great friendship. Julie arranged many more of these meetings, with future hubby's encouragement. 6 months later, we finally kissed, and we have been together ever since.

I really owe her one!

Wordless Wednesday - Cancun Trip 2006

Show us Your Life - A Typical Day

Today we are participating in Kelly's Korner's Show Us Your Life. Today's topic is Your Typical Day. I'll warn you in advance, my days are not too exciting! Here's a run down of a typical week day for me.

5:45 AM - Alarm goes off, time to get up!
Get ready, empty the dish drain, pack a snack for work, feed and water Bandit...
6:45 AM - Off to work
Driving...driving...driving...
7:30 AM - Finally make it to work and start my day
Work...work...work....work...work...
3:00 PM - Hubby is usually home from work by now...watching TV and making some type of mess in the kitchen...
5:30 PM - Leave work
Driving....driving....driving...
6:15 - 6:30 PM - Finally make it home

When I get home, I either cook dinner, or sit down to eat. It depends on if hubby cooked. He does this about twice a week, and it's so nice when he does! Sometimes, I put something in the crockpot to cook during the day. I need to do this more often, but that involves another step in the morning, and I am kind of lazy and always pressed for time : )

After dinner, I spend about 30 minutes doing chores. I clean all the dishes, clean the sink, wipe down the kitchen counters and the range (hubby makes a huge mess in the kitchen and has some sickness that does not allow him to clean dishes. It's quite amazing really) Then I usually do some laundry (either washing or putting away), and then my chores are done. It is usually about 8:30ish by this time. Then the hubby and I watch some TV, do a few things on the internet, and are in bed by around 10PM.

Those of you that have children - how do you make time? I can't imagine fitting one into this schedule! I have so much respect for you Mom's out there that work - I have trouble keeping up with just the two of us!

14 Day Love and Respect Challenge - Day 12

We only have a few more days of our challenge left!

Yesterday, I tried to guess hubby's dreams and desires. Well, the conversation was not as detailed as I imagined (go figure) and I had a hard time bringing it up. For some reason, I felt silly. So, during a commercial I blurted out, "What are your dreams?". I got the side eye. "What are you talking about? What dreams?" I had clearly confused my poor husband. I stuttered through some explanation about, um, like, if you could do anything what would it be, and if you could plan your life to go however you wanted...etc. His response - "I would have millions of dollars and live on a beach". Hmm...not what I was expecting, but I'm totally in for that dream! Then, being the girl that I am, I started asking more questions.

"Would you have a big successful job?"
"No."
"How would you get the money?"
"I don't care, I just would have it."
"What would we do all day?"
"Whatever we wanted."
"Would our families live there?"
"Sure."
"Would you have a nice car?"
"Yep."
"What kind?"
"I have tons of money remember? I'll have lots."
"Why are you asking all of these questions?"
"Oh, just wondering."

So, that didn't go as I envisioned, but that's okay - I could live on a beach with millions of dollars - ha!

Here is Day 12

Ask him how you can pray for him. We are assuming that he is a believer. If he is not, try it anyway, unless he has told you not to bring up spiritual things. For instance, if he is burdened about something at work, ask, "How can I pray for you that God will honor your good efforts?" Or, "I know that your boss has not been showing you the respect that he should, how should I pray for you?" Think of something that has been troubling him.

I love this! What more personal a gift could you possibly give to someone other than prayer? I think it is so wonderful to pray for others. I am working on doing this more myself. I am trying to make a list each day of people to pray for. I always pray for my hubby, but I never ask him what exactly he would like me to pray for, for him. I'm excited to do this one.

14 Day Love and Respect Challenge - Day 11

Hi Ladies!

We are getting close - here is Day 11 - (I encourage you to read Aimee's posts, she has some wonderful tips and insights that I don't copy over to my posts. She is so great!)

Ask him about his dreams and desires. Say, "Honey, if you could do anything, what would you dream of doing? More than anything else, what would energize you?" Let him joke about sex, but say, "Apart from that, what would you most love to do and why?" He may ask you why you are asking him this. Just tell him that you were just curious and you wanted to know. After all, these are the kinds of questions that you might ask someone when you are dating to get to know them better. Don't be afraid of this. By asking these questions you are not committing to help him experience this dream. This is just a fun discussion. He isn't going to act on it just because you brought it up. Since God is at work in all of us to will his good pleasure, your husband might share things with you deep from his spirit. it will honor him that you will listen.

I think this one will be fun. I think I know hubby's dreams and desires, but I am really interested in what he will say. Here are my guesses - let's see how close I get when I report tomorrow.

• To be totally financially stable. To not have to worry about money at all, and to be able to afford to do whatever he wants.
• To travel more. I know there are lots of places that we both want to go, but do not have the time and moola right now to do so.
• To own a racecar that he can mess with and take to a race track
• To own an expensive, fast car someday
• To buy a bigger, better house (I love our house now, but he has house envy)
• To be an executive managing salespeople to their fullest potential
• To buy a boat
• To start our family (and not be scared of it)

Good luck ladies! I'll report back tomorrow.

Marriage Monday

Today we are participating in Married Monday's from Marriage Tales. Today is Introduce Your Spouse!

Here is Jeff, my wonderful hubby -



Jeff is 29, with his 30th birthday quickly approaching. He sells payroll services for a national company, and loves his job! I'm so proud of him. He loves all things sports. He is a huge Texans fan, loves the Astros, and enjoys following the Rockets. He and my Dad share a love for NASCAR as well.

Here are a few fun facts about my husband -

He is very neat. Like, OCD neat. Not Clorox clean, unfortunately, however. He cannot stand clutter. I, on the other hand, like things clean, but am not bothered by clutter at all.

He loves his family. He would do anything for them (or us, I guess I should say!)

He loves our dog, Bandit, more than life itself. It's adorable how he dotes on that dog. He is our child.

He wants a racecar. Not one like NASCAR, but one that he can mess with and take to some type of race track. We are working on this goal. I don't really understand it, but I agree that he needs some type of hobby and something to keep him busy. So, a racecar it will be!

Jeff is very loyal. To his God, to his wife, to his family, to his friends. This is one of the initial things that attracted me to him. He is a wonderful son, friend, brother and husband.

I am a lucky girl!