Why Wait?

Picture courtesy of monstermarketplace.com

Why Wait? is another book that we received from my Dad for Christmas and one I just finished a couple days ago.  It is a very short read (just 80 pages) and a true story written by a man, Rob Quillen, from Lincoln, NE and his life changing flight from Denver to Newark on September 10, 2001.  He sat next to a pilot named Jason Dahl where they talk the whole way about their lives and their dreams for the future.  The next day Jason Dahl piloted the United Airlines Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania during the 9/11 attacks.  Quillen was also a witness to seeing the towers collapse as he was in NYC for business.  It is a story about his experience with Dahl, seeing the attacks, and how he decided to carry out one of the dreams that Dahl had for his son.  The premise of the book is listening to others, getting to know them, and helping their dreams come true.  We need to go through life not only being active in making our dreams come true but the dreams of others as well.  So why wait?

Skinny Macaroni and Cheese Soup with Broccoli

Picture courtesy of skinnytaste.com

We have a pretty picky child right now so I've been searching for some more "kid friendly" meals.  I think I need to be the one determining if something is kid friendly or not cause if it doesn't involve chocolate, hot dogs, yogurt, broccoli, Triscuit crackers, and pizza, it is not my kid friendly.  Actually, today it might be these things.  Tomorrow just the sight of them could cause an absolutely ridiculous unnecessary meltdown.   Right now, Nolan doesn't understand reason and it is difficult when you can't really explain things to him and he can't completely say how he feels.  So right now we are just getting by with the things that he likes and in the meantime we are getting a lot of "no's" when presenting him with options of what to eat.  It is stressful.

Anywho, I saw this recipe and thought he might like it as he tends to like pasta type things.  But, of course this day it was the worst idea ever.  At least we could count on him eating the broccoli cause that is about all he tried of this.  Scott and I absolutely loved it.  I went back for another bowlful and finished off the leftovers the next day for lunch.  I will definitely be making this again cause it was really just that good.  And who knows, it could be Nolan's favorite dish in a month.
Click the picture for the recipe link and I hope you enjoy!

Click the picture for the recipe link and I hope you enjoy!

Ted

This movie has to be one of the worst movies I've ever seen in my whole life. And I've seen Fool's Gold. I couldn't even watch it so I went upstairs for half an hour to organize some things.  It wasn't one I was dying to see but Scott really did so we took a chance.  He really wanted to like it but admitted it was pretty terrible and was quite disappointed.  Don't say I didn't warn you...

My Sister's Kitchen

Over the past month, my sister and her husband (well, mainly her husband) have been completely overhauling their kitchen.  And it turned out awesome.
Here are a couple of the before shots. As you can see the first thing they did was remove the cabinets over the peninsula.
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Next came painting the walls and the cabinets in different shades of gray while giving them a much needed silver hardware update.  They also painted all the trim white and installed some beautiful new hardwood floors throughout the kitchen and dining area as it was previously carpeted.

Then, they got some beautiful black granite countertops installed, a new faucet, then got to working on the new backsplash.  Last but not least, a new range hood was installed.

Let's revisit some quick before and after shots so you don't have to scroll back up!
Before:

And after:

How pretty is that?!? The only part of the process that Rob didn't do himself was install the countertops.  The rest they were able to do themselves.  I just look at it and I am wondering if it is the same house!  So amazing!

Moneyball and 50/50

Recently we have picked up our game on getting Netflix movies watched and when I say picked up our game I mean about one a month.  A little on the sad side but hey, you do what you have time for.
Back in December we watched Moneyball and it was I got to say a bit overrated with the awards it was nominated for.  I know it is a true story, which made it very interesting, but it didn't hold my attention like I was hoping it would.  It could be that it was also about baseball which has to be the most boring sport known to man.  I watched summers full of them when Scott played and coached and that was enough for me.  I know people who thought this movie was awesome though and it has been a long time since we've watched it so I can't give a full honest review of it, but if you are a fan of the game and enjoy seeing Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill share the screen, it would be one I would still recommend watching.

Now on to a more recent movie that is fresh in my mind- 50/50.  Seriously...what an amazing movie.  Scott made the great point that it should have been nominated for an Oscar in place of Bridesmaids.  If they are going to allow one "comedy" in the mix, this one should have been it.  Now I wouldn't completely classify this movie as a comedy as it has a lot of realness and sadness about it.  It is also based off of a true story and the acting by Joseph Gordon-Levitt is absolutely tremendous.  This combined with Seth Rogan's hilarity is something that can't be paralleled.   You get to see Adam (Gordon-Levitt) who at 27 has just been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and how not only he reacts and handles the news but how those around him do as well.  You see how his girlfriend, his best friend, his novice therapist, and his parents handle it at the same time.  It is a true testament to who will actually be there for you when you need them the most.  And sometimes the people that want to be the most involved are the ones you end up pushing away.  You get to see every dynamic of this and my absolute favorite of those was was his friend Kyle (Rogan) who is there from the beginning to the end.  He wants his friend's life to be as normal as possible and creates such a relief of humor just when not only Adam needs it, but the audience does as well.  Terrific movie, terrific acting and one that is definitely sad, but not too sad to see.  It was definitely slighted by awards season last year but I think it got the awareness it needed.

Books I've Been Reading/Listening To

I've kinda gotten back on the book bandwagon with the help of family recommending some, loaning some, and just for the fact that I love to read.

Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly

Image courtesy of killinglincolnthebook.com

This book was actually an audio book lent to me which made it nice so I didn't have to set aside any time to read. Nolan and I would just listen to one disc a day during lunch. I found this book to be very interesting and I felt that I learned a lot about history that I didn't know and it was really fascinating. O'Reilly does a great job of painting a picture that makes you feel like you were actually in that time period. I would say the first few discs were a bit slow with a lot of history packed in but the last few were very action packed and made you want to keep listening for more. Definite recommend from me. I am currently in the middle of listening to Killing Kennedy so I will let you know how that one turns out.

Seriously...I'm Kidding by Ellen DeGeneres

Image courtesy of goodreads.com

All I'm going to say about this book is that I'm glad I only paid $1.99 for the Kindle version when it was on sale. Ellen is a very funny person. I watch her show almost every day if there is a guest I'm interested in, but this book would have never gotten a second look if it wasn't for her name listed as the author. I don't know if I'm used to her ramblings and streams of consciousness from watching her show, but that was literally the whole book. It was just nothingness and I'm not sure if I laughed very much cause I was getting bored from the nonsensical way that it was written. If you don't watch Ellen every day, this might be funny for you as she has a different style to her comedy. On a positive note, it is a fast read and you will be happy it was.

Fearless by Max Lucado

Image courtesy of liveintentionally.org

While I read Ellen's book during the day, I read a chapter of this book before bed every night. This was gifted to me by my dad for Christmas as I think he knows we have a little trouble in the worry department. Especially me anyway. This book's premise is "Imagine Your Life Without Fear". It is a pretty quick read and makes a lot of great points that I need to remind myself of daily. The very last chapter has some good insight, "There's a stampede of fear out there. Let's not get caught in it. Let's be among those who stay calm. Let's recognize danger but not be overwhelmed. Acknowledge threats but refuse to be defined by them. Let others breathe the polluted air of anxiety, not us. Let's be numbered among those who hear a different voice, God's." That is something I need to read and pray about every morning and I'm sure a lot of us can attest to that.
I've already started on another audio book, a fiction book, and will be starting another quick one to read before bed, so I will let you know how those turn out!

Lady Date

Last week was one of the hardest weeks as a SAHM simply for the fact that my little boy was sick.  And not only was he sick, but I was incredibly sick with a fever for a couple of those days.  Now when you are a SAHM and have a husband in the starts of tax season, you don't get a sick day where you are at home by yourself and can sleep all day and think about you.  You have someone else you need to look out for, feed, and entertain.  We made it through the week with a lot I MEAN A LOT of Ipad time for the little one.  He has gotten really good at puzzles I must say so it wasn't all garbage.  He mastered the easy level like it was no one's business and now is on to the second level.  Pretty awesome to watch!

By the end of the week I was feeling better and I texted Scott on Friday- "I need a day off".  I was just so exhausted.  Mentally and physically.  And it was if God knew that I would be getting to this point that my good friend Maika, who currently lives in London was going to be in town Saturday, and we would be hanging out.  I went about two hours earlier than our planned time just because she was at Village Pointe where we were going to be eating anyway and I only get to see her like once a year.  She was with her friend Julie and our friend Natalie was going to meet up with us after she got off work.  We walked around and went shopping around Village Pointe, had dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise (Maika needed her burger fix) and had time to continue to walk around to the different shops and look around.  It was a simple 5 hour lady date but it was the most fun I had had in awhile.  It was so nice to just get out with friends, not have anyone else to worry about, and just get to be with the girls.  I wish it could be a weekly occurrence, but I don't think she is able to fly back from England every week unfortunately.  We had such a great time catching up and talking about Maika's life over the ocean, her frequent travels for work to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Zurich, and an unfortunate incident in Egypt.  We got to look at Natalie's ultrasound pictures and talk about her upcoming bundle of joy.  Just fun girl talk and it was just what I needed.  I came home that evening just feeling so refreshed and energized.

And I can't finish this post without sharing a gift from Maika that she brought over from a little shop in the town she lives in.  I mean seriously, how cute are these?

 

It's My Birthday

My birthday was last Thursday and Nolan and I took a trip to a local bakery in our hometown.  I had never heard of this bakery, but I like supporting local businesses and why not give them a shot.  And they had cupcakes.  And I like cupcakes.  And I wanted some cupcakes for my birthday.  So Nolan and I went bright and early to pick out some cinnamon rolls for breakfast and some cupcakes for later when Scott got home.  The cinnamon rolls were not great.  Like, pretty terrible.  I expect cinnamon rolls to be rolling with icing and just plain gooey.  These were the opposite.  But, Nolan devoured his so we had a fun little breakfast together.

Later in the day I received some beautiful flowers from my son Nolan.  Now, we knew he was smart, but ordering flowers is just about over the top.  I will be researching colleges later today to discuss early enrollment.  They are gorgeous and have since bloomed quite beautifully.

When Scott got home, we made our way over to Huhot.  Just sounded really good.  And it was.  Nolan even ate some of it until he choked on some crab and threw it up on his plate.  Then he carried about his happy self until we were done eating as if nothing happened.  Don't worry, we looked around and no one saw this happen.
And finally we got home to our cupcakes.  And they were actually pretty good.  The frosting was fantastic.  Great end to a great day.

There is always some sort of expectation on our birthdays like this has to be the most perfect day.  I need to create a fun day for us.  But then the next day comes and it's over.  Just done with.  And then you have to wait a whole nother year for the next awesome birthday you are going to have.  I have never been a huge birthday person, but I do like to have a couple special things happen, like dinner and cupcakes.  Especially when I can enjoy them with my little family.  And in the end, we do have our perfect day.  I'm 27, and although that number is getting a little too close to 30 for me, I have a pretty great life and family and I can't thank God enough.

Bathroom Remodel

There is nothing more rewarding than not only seeing your space get a makeover, but someone you know and love's space get made over as well. My sister and her family recently moved into a new home to accommodate their expanding family and it is in lets say...70's shape.  It needs a little loving.  And thankfully her husband loves remodeling and this was exactly the sort of house they were looking for to give it their touch.  The first weekend they moved in, I got to help paint their girls' room's trim, ceiling, and walls.
Rob then wasted no time tackling the kid's bathroom upstairs.  It was looking a bit like this.  Pink and green striped wallpaper, pink sink, and lovely mid-century hanging lights.  Beautiful, I know...but they wanted to make it a tad better.


Here is the other side of that bathroom with its square white tile and nothing to be bragged about fixtures for the bathtub.  This is essentially the kid's bathroom and only bathtub in the house so they wanted it to be as nice and new and not gross as possible.


He ripped up the carpet floors and replaced them with tile and ripped up the wall paper and tile around the bathtub for a more updated look.

 

He replaced the square tile with new subway tile and got new fixtures for the bathtub.  I believe this was Sam's first bath in awhile so he was pretty excited and I think talking about it a lot.  (He had showers, don't worry they don't make their children be dirty mongrels.)



Next, they added a fresh coat of green paint, painted the trim white, replaced the manufacturer's mirror and hideous light fixture, painted the cabinets, put in a new not pink sink, new toilet, and replaced the countertop.



Next came some fun accessories and the bath was complete!  How great does that look?  You gotta scroll back to the before to truly appreciate it.  Rob did this whole thing on his own.  I would love to learn to do things like this.  Like LOVE.  I just can't get enough of crazy transformations and love viewing before and afters of what normal people have accomplished on their own.




They are about done with their kitchen transformation that I can't wait to share in the near future.  They got their new countertops in yesterday so they still have some backsplash tile to complete as well as installing a few more appliance type items.  Can't wait to see their finished project!  Is anyone else just fascinated by this stuff?  I can't get enough of it!

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2

For the last few months, my sleeping has been filled with nightmares.  I'm not talking just one little bad dream once a week and then its nice the rest of the night.  I'm talking every night, the moment I go to sleep til the moment I wake up, I enter a world that is stressful and scary.  I wake up in the middle of the night and try to stay awake so that particular dream won't continue but then another one starts.  It has gotten to the point that I hate going to sleep even though I'm extremely exhausted and eventually have to come to the realization that it is a must.  Until last night. I had one long dream that lasted the whole night and it was filled with vampires, werewolves, and elves.  I was an elf apparently.  I know it sounds like another bad dream, but it wasn't- it was awesome and fun.  The cast of Twilight was in it and they were my friends and we had a great time.  I know it sounds absolutely insane and ridiculous but you have no idea the relief I have. So, I have them to thank for my good mood and non-jitteriness waking up this morning.   Hence, this post.

So when Breaking Dawn Part 2 released in November, I watched all the interviews with the cast and so many said that the ending of the movie is different from the book.  Well, if I was going to see the movie, I had to know how it was different.  So, I got the last book on my Kindle and read it.  It was a great end to a great series and it really ties everything up.  Of course I was stoked to see how the movie made it different.  One apparent difference was a particular fight scene that they kept showing in the previews that is never in the book.  I was reading the book and was just waiting for the fight to break out cause that is what I had seen on commercials and it never did.  I was relieved for the book but unsure of why the movie had it in there.  And then I was reading an interview on People.com with Peter Facinelli, who plays Carlisle, and he revealed something that happens in the movie.  I was not a happy person and needed to see it right away before anything else got ruined.  I had lunch with my friend Brittani and three days later we were sitting in the movie theater getting ready to see it.  I don't think I have looked forward to a movie like this in a long time.

The movie was great.  A former Nebraska Football player I'm friends with on Facebook who goes to the movies with his girlfriend every single weekend said it was the best movie he had seen all year.  I had to show Scott his post, but he still wasn't convinced enough to watch them.  Someday he will muahaha.  It was fantastic.  I cried a couple times, laughed out loud 5-10 times, and even gasped.  Yes, gasped.  Scott can even vouche that not a lot amazes me to the point where I'm just stricken with excitement.  And I gasped out loud at this movie.  At the same part I looked over at Brittani and she was wide eyed and had her hands over her mouth.  This was the beginning of part of the movie that was different from the book.  My sister still hasn't seen it so I won't go into details or she might hurt me.  But even though there is a slight difference, lovers of the books and those who have never read the books will be pleased with the ending and how everything wraps up.

2012 must have been the year that people decided they needed to make good movies again.  There has never been such a list of movies that I have wanted to see- Les Miserables, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, The Sessions, Argo, and on and on and on.  I just wish going to the theater was cheaper...

Photo courtesy of imdb.com