juC, juC, juC

It's been a while a while since I've posted about my husband.  You know...the one that doesn't love me as much as your husband loves you.  He's due for another post dedicated to just him.

Back when juC and I were young and in love...I mean, younger and not nearly as in looooove as we are now, and newly married, I did a "spotlight" of him on my blog.  That blog went bye bye, BUT, this was back in the day when I used to actually write the questions and answers on a paper then transfer it to my blog.  So the other day I was looking through my old game score keeping notebook/
recipe notebook and found the spotlight questions and his answers.  I couldn't help but have a good laugh as I read through it.  Then I had the thought that it would be fun to ask the same questions, nearly 7 years later.  You know, to see how much he's grown and matured.

I also did another spotlight of him back in 2009.  You can read that insightful blog post here.

So for your reading pleasure, here are his answers to the questions.  White answers from 2007, and green answers from 2014.  And ( ) are my two cents.  Because how can I NOT out in my two cents?!  I did not read him his previous answers until after I asked them again.

1.  What is your favorite time of day?
Breakfast time, lunch time, dinner time
Ooooo....Evening.  Did I say morning before?

2.  Where in the world would you love to visit?
Costa Rica
Costa Rica
(At least he's consistent with some things.)

3.  What is your favorite kind of bean?
Black bean or green beans.  Wax beans.  Refried beans.
Black beans.  Jelly.

4.  Have you or anyone else ever painted your nails?
Yes.
Yes.

5.  What is your wife's best quality?
Patience...her humor.  Her passion for life.
Her hair.  No...Don't say hair.  I don't know.  Ummm...how she thinks of others.
(Glad he didn't have to strain himself to answer that one.)

6.  What is your most memorable date?
Senior year of high school.  Just kidding!!  Great falls with my wife cause it was a beautiful setting with a beautiful person.
Cherry Blossoms.
(Such a detailed answer.  Don't expound on that or anything.)

7.  If you had to live in a tree, what kind would it be?
An oak tree.
A umm...Redwood.

8.  Do you ever drink milk out of the carton?
No.  Orange juice, yes.
...Not really milk.  Orange juice.
(Seriously, so consistent with the important stuff!)

9.  Who is your favorite sibling?
I don't have a favorite.  I love them all the same.  ....Lorinda.
I don't know.  I don't have a favorite.  I like them all the same...Equally.

10.  What are you holding in your hands right now?
aniC's feet.
Cell phone
(Yes folks.  That one answer right there perfectly sums up the biggest change that has occurred since the last time.  I would be happy to never see a cell phone again!)

11.  What causes the most fights between you and your wife?
Phase 10
Do we fight?  Money.
(Truly, we don't fight.  I mostly just fuss and he mostly just pretends to listen.)

12.  Why is your mother-in-law so great?
Because she's your mom.
Her southern hospitality.

13.  What is your favorite 20s year old memory?
When I got married.
Dating you.
(Awww...)

14.  How do you like your eggs?
Sunny side up.
Fried.

Fall Rambling

I love Halloween and fall.

Perhaps it's because fall means pumpkin and I love pumpkin.  Pumpkin patches, pumpkins on the porch, pumpkin in every bit of food I eat.

Perhaps it's because fall means brightly colored leaves on trees and I want to take a picture of every tree I see.

Perhaps it was because it was a Halloween barn dance that juC and I shared our first dance together.

Perhaps it's because it was in the midst of Halloween and fall that Jud and I had our first date.

And having children has only intensified my love of fall and Halloween.  I love having photo shoots with my kids in their costumes. I have looked at the above picture about 1,293 times since Halloween because I feel like it's the perfect depiction of everything I love about Halloween.  My kids in their costumes.  Each holding their buckets for collecting candy.  Holding hands (even if it was only for 5 seconds) as they walked down the beautiful fall tree lined street.  It's another one of those images I wanted seared into my memory.

I have this terrible...habit. (Is it a habit?  A curse?  A blessing?  To be honest, I don't know what it is.  And I don't know if it's me, or something more powerful than me that causes it)  There are certain times that triggers something in my head where I have visions into the future.

I'll give you an example.

A few weeks ago luC went upstairs to get something while I stood at the bottom of the stairs and waited for her.  Because she is still so tiny, walking down the stairs takes her a great deal of effort.  Add the that the fact that she was carrying something down with her, she had to walk down slowly, carefully, and resting her hand on the wall as she walked down.  As she was walking down in that particular way, an image flashed in my head of her 15 years from now, walking down the stairs ever so carefully in a prom dress as I waited at the bottom of the stairs for her.

The picture above causes me to have the same kind of flash into the future of my children.  When I look at that picture I see jC and luC several years from now, walking together, talking each others ears off, and being great friends.  But I picture them being too cool to dress up for Halloween.  I picture them at a time in their lives when they no longer let me pick out their costumes and are too old to let me have photo shoots with them.  Ok, so a part of me pictures them being bratty teenagers who want nothing to do with me more often than not.

I don't know if those visions will come true, but  for that reason I love fall and Halloween even more right now.  I love taking them to the pumpkin patch and watching them pick out their pumpkins.  I love that they let me pick out their costumes and are excited to dress up.  I love seeing the excitement on their face when they realize how much candy they are getting from neighbors.  I love the joy they get each time they eat more of their treasured candy.  I love it, I love it, I love it.  And I will forever be grateful for this time of year and for these memories.  And I will hold on to these memories like my life depends on it.

The birthday

Yesterday was juC's birthday!!

I love birthdays. Love, love, love, love, love!! I love trying to find the perfect gift for someone. I love getting them cheesy little extra gifts. I love trying to figure out what to make for dinner, and making them the perfect birthday cake. I love putting up birthday banners/signs. I just love all of it!So I started planning juC's birthday well in advance. I knew what I was getting him for his birthday months before, and had it ordered and in the house about a month before. I knew I was going to make his favorite cake...red velvet cake, because I'd never made it for him before. I was trying my hardest to figure out a favorite meal to make him, but a few days before his birthday, he took the pressure off and said he wanted Cafe Rio for dinner.

All day long I got ready for him to come home from work. The kids and I were all set up in the dining room ready to surprise him. (And my sister, elB, too.)

When he came in and walked around the corner we yelled "Surprise!" and as you can see, he was totally surprised. Or maybe I had to get him to pose again because the first picture I took didn't turn out.

He and the kids enjoyed opening his presents.

His "big" present was a butler. My sweet juC loves setting his clothes out the night before...in a big clump on our bath tub. I wasn't about to try to put it together, so he got to open a piece of paper with a picture on it. Being so on top of things he got it put together last night...and then put his clothes in a big lump pile right beside it. But now he has the perfect spot to hang his shirt, pants, tie, and everything else, when he gets over his clothes clumping addiction.

I may kind of like making fun of him for getting "old". Clearly I know he isn't old, but it's still fun. So...I might have gotten him this card.

He loved it...I just know he did. And don't worry. I wrote in the card that I will love him in spite of his age.

After all the exciting present opening was done, we headed to Cafe Rio for dinner. Then came back home for some delicious red velvet cake with the most amazing cream cheese frosting ever. (I can't help but divert from this birthday post to talk about how amazing this frosting is. Anything that calls for cream cheese frosting, I use this recipe. Chocolate cake, carrot cake, red velvet cake...it's amazing!! Although it should be noted that this recipe makes a large amount, so halfing it is usually needed. Try it!! You'll love it!!)

juC's parents called on Skype just as I was getting the cake ready for him to blow out the candles so they got to participate in the festivities and sing with us and see him blow out the candles. I'm not sure what he wished for, but hopefully it was for a van for our family.

Hopefully it was a perfect birthday for my dear, sweet, loving, perfect husband.

We have a new addition to the family!!

Everyone, I'd like you to meet izC.

She is the sweetest little kitty! And one of those cool cats that doesn't constantly want all of your attention, but just wants to follow us around and sit right outside of where all the action is.

And in spite of my children not really being aware of boundaries, personal space, and what is fun for them/annoying to her, she has been so very patient.

(Not that jT has been injury-less since her arrival, but he seems to think her playful scratches are worth it.)

I have been asked how we came to have this here izC, and the story starts about 6 years ago. When juC and I were dating, I expressed my love of cats to him. We always had cats growing up and they were just a part of a happy life. But always renting since moving away from home, I hadn't been able to have one in a long time. Expressing this love of cats to juC was met with him insisting he was allergic to cats, and he'd never get one. But finally, he promised me that when we got married, he'd let me get a cat.

Umm...yeah, we've been married for almost 5 years, and he finally made good on his deal. (Whenever I'd bring up his promise, he'd say "I never said when you could get the cat.") It was quite the battle. But finally, after again being reminded that every kid deserves to grow up with a pet, I made it happen.

She feels right at home with us and we love having her.

Happy Cinco de Mayo

When I say that it feels like a lifetime ago that juC and I got married, I mean it in the best possible way. It's hard to believe that it was only 4 years ago today.

I, with out a doubt, married the most perfect person for me. But don't be fooled. Our 4 year marriage isn't with out it's problems.

For instance, he still insists on trying to play footsie with me which I absolutely cannot tolerate.

See? Even we have marital problems.

But the good outweighs the bad. This guy makes dinner when I'm not feeling liking a chef. He does dishes. He takes out the trash. He takes little jC on adventures so that I can have some quiet time with luC. He surprises me with treats. He ends all of our phone calls with "I love you." He takes me on dates. He lets me buy new clothes. He tells me I'm hot (even when I'm not). He works so I don't have to. He fixes things. And I could go on and on. But the best thing is that he loves me...for me. Which is saying a lot, people!

I'm looking forward to all the years we still get to spend together!

el oh vee ee

Today I am in charge of an activity at church with the 8 and 9 year old girls. I do this twice a month and have been doing it for about a year now. It's been a huge struggle for me, but I feel like maybe I'm finally getting into the grove.

While looking up ideas, I stumbled upon homemade Valentine's card. One of which looked something like this

I made this last night, and while I was laying in bed, unable to fall asleep, this idea inspired another idea of a Valentines decoration. Stay tuned to see if I do it, and if it is as cute as it is in my head.

Another idea I found that we'll making today at our activity is this.

It's a sugar scrub that I found here on this blog.

I made a trial one last night and gave it a try this morning. My hands are silky smooth.

And since it is February, the supposed month of loooOOOOooove, I thought I'd spend some time talking about my eternal Valentine. and the things I love about him.

For the past few months, I've loved his beard. I especially loved when we got our Wii and I got to create his Mii and the opportunity it gave me to give his Mii a beard.

A red beard! (Although in this picture part of the beard looks kind of blonde) The resemblance is amazing isn't it?!

The best part about his Mii is that when I'm at home and missing juC, all I have to do is turn on the Wii, and it's like he's right here at home with me, cheering me on when I bowl.

So number 1 on the list of things I love bout juC is his beard...and his Mii.

in my dreams

i have a very deep and abiding love for old farms and old houses. so when i was out with my friend marci one day several weeks ago, and we eyed this barn with a cute old house on the property, i fell in love!!

i want it to be mine with all of my heart. i showed it to juC and we did the research and it appears the land belongs to some developers who will most likely be replacing the beautiful barn and house with new houses one day when the economy is better. it truly makes my heart hurt.

so if anyone ever asks me what i'd do if i won a million dollars, my answer would be that i would buy this barn and the house and make it into my home. i'm not asking for a lot.

what do you think? isn't it the most amazing barn?

(click on picture to enlarge.)

my everything

as i mentioned in my cincoversary post, things have been crazy busy for a week now. last wednesday my friend megan and i packed up our babies in her car and headed down to n.c. to visit her grandma. we had a fabulous time shopping for pottery, visiting an old covered bridge, antiquing. and not to mention megan teaching me how to crochet. that's right people, i'm trying to learn how to be crafty. and guess who we ran into while we were down there....

my mom!! so we picked her up and brought her up here to va. and on our way bringing her up to va, we had a happy accident and ran into a sonic. actually, we ran into two, but megan and my mom would only let me stop at the one.

my mom and i have been running around doing all sorts of things! on monday we went to gettysburg.

yesterday, for my cincoversary we went to harpers ferry. nothing says romance like sending your husband off to work then going to a historic site with your mom and baby.

when juC got home from work, it was really awkward because we found out we got eachother the same thing to celebrate.

flowers.

he got me these:

and i got him these:

so awkward. except not. because i got him a flower on this:


isn't that the coolest bonsai ever?! juC has been saying he wants a bonsai tree for a really long time now. so i figured our 2 year anniversary was the perfect time to get him a looooove bonsai!

look at those cute itty bitty flowers. i took a picture of it by my finger to show you just how small they are.

i love our love bonsai...probably more than juC does. cause i'm more girly than he is.

after we exchanged our flowers, and he told me that he hadn't got an anniversary gift for me yet, we posed for a picture...

then we went to the japanese steak house for dinner. ohhhhhhhhh! ahhhhhhhh! and oh so delicious! at dinner, juC informed me of what he'd be getting me for our anniversary. a gps system. how sweet! no really, it is. because in the last several weeks i've had to call him a lot for him to give me directions! i was reminded again of how thoughtful he is. (except....you'll have to wait and see what happens)

after dinner we came home and got little jC ready for bed, then we went out for dessert. it started out well. but it ended like this.but i'm not allowed to tell you why it ended like this, because juC made me promise not to post about it on my blog. seriously, right there in friendly's after we had a conversation about something i'm not allowed to tell you, he then said "and you aren't allowed to blog about this." and i was all "oh, i'm gonna!" and he was all "no, you always post mean things about me." and i was all "nuh uh, i just post the truth. and i haven't signed a contract with you saying i wouldn't post about you." and he was all "well maybe you should right now." and i was all "whatev's!" but, i'll refrain from repeating what he had the nerve to accuse me of! i won't shed any negative light on him. no way, i won't do that!

at any rate, it ended up being a GREAT anniversary. partly because of today. ohhhhh today. ohhhh what a day.

my mom and i headed up to the ribbon outlet i'd been telling her about. while we were there we stopped at an antique shop in a place called funkstown. i kid you not.

and as we were perusing the store, my eyes came across a dresser. a dresser that is just like one my mom owns that i've been begging her for. it was beautiful. they'd refinished it. if only this store wasn't so expensive. so i walked up to it, looked at the price tag, and i couldn't believe my eyes! it was a lot less than i'd expected. i immediately grabbed my cell phone, called juC and told him that i needed a dresser for our anniversary, not a gps system.

isn't it great?!?! i love it! and love my husband for letting me get it! and i love that it cost way less than the $290 that the lady said it started out costing!

the end...of the past week of my life.

wasn't it fabulous?!

nuffin' muffin

i have a new addiction. and i mean addiction in the very serious sense of the word.

muffins.

but not just of the stud variety.

i kid you not....i could eat muffins for every single meal. every single day. when shad calls me on his way home from work and asks "do i need to pick anything up?" i always tell him "muffins." he's warned me that he won't continue to be my enabler. but it's ok. he doesn't have to be. i will get them on my own if necessary.

lemon poppy seed. chocolate chip. chocolate-chocolate chip. blueberry. banana nut. pumpkin. carrot raisin nut.

the kind doesn't matter to me. if it's a muffin, i'm going to eat it and enjoy every single bite.

which is why i'm glad my husband joined sam's club. and even more glad that on his way home from work yesterday, he picked up a 12 pack of muffins from there.

now excuse me while i go get some muffin devouring taken care of.