Garden Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mom's out there! I got to spend some time with my mom today, but then she had to work this afternoon...boo. If I could describe my mom in three words, they would be: forgiving, kind, generous. Love you mom.

Next weekend Adam's parents are coming to town, so we will get to have a belated celebration with them. I am very excited about this!

Earlier this weekend I watched my oldest sister become a doctor! Doctor of Physical Therapy, that is. I hope she is ready to treat every ailment our family ever has for the rest of her life! :) ps. I hope you like pictures...

Because we have company next weekend and didn't have a whole lot of time to spend with my mom today, we spent the day doing yardwork. I love having a big yard, but man is it a lot of work. I really shouldn't complain, because Adam does all the hard stuff. I like to do the fun stuff, like decorating and gardening:) So today, we bought an unreal amount of flowers and I did what I do best :)

[Flowers :)]

[Pinterest find...so easy!]

[Shadow is in heaven when he gets to go outside and roll around on the cement]

[This bird feeder was made by my grandpa. It is very special to me...so special that I don't want to share how it works! ;)]

[:)]

[Soon to be veggie garden]

[Is it just me, or does my porch and view look like it could be on the cover of Better Homes and Gardens? Ok, I get it, I'm biased, but this is one of my favorite places! :)]

[Me-"Let me take a picture of you to put on the blog" Adam-"Why?"]

And I will leave you with a photo of where I will be spending the rest of my evening...ahhh, summer.

I'm getting anxious to hear news from places that I have interviewed...but it is one of those things I cannot control! I hope you had a good weekend and I hope you do something for yourself this week.

  -Be Kind to One Another-

Happiness #1

Because part of my goal for this blog is to make you feel good, I thought I would post some more inspirational thoughts that I see throughout my day. Ok, I admit, these came from Facebook, but Facebook has become part of my day. [That's just sad]...Anyway, on to happier things...

These pictures came from the Facebook page "The Secret Society of Happy People". I like this page because it occasionally pops up  with something new on my news feed and I can see something inspiring.

Enjoy [And please, take a minute to think about these seriously]

A message I am passionate about.

You never know what someone is going through. Be kind.

This makes me think of my grandpa. Who I love and miss everyday.

Be positive.

If you know what makes you happy, do it.

Seriously, if this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will.

This is a quote that will hang largely in my office one day.

Think about these things in terms of your own life. Be positive and kind to others.

-Be Kind to One Another-

Sausage/Spinach/Sweet Pepper Quiche

So, I really do like to cook, and I think I am pretty good at it. Although that has not been reflected in my life lately. It goes back to what I talked about in the Red Picnic Table post. Why can't we get ourselves do what we know we love, and will make us feel better, when we are stressed? Ugh! I don't know, okay!? ;)

Well this weekend I did cook one meal. I have always liked quiche as a breakfast food. You can make it with whatever ingredients you prefer. And it's yummy. I chose my own concoction of foods for this recipe, and it turned out UNBELIEVABLE. It's really easy, too. Too bad Adam took the only leftovers with him to work. Grr!

Anyway, here is what you need:

4-6 eggs
1 Polish Kielbasa Sausage, sliced
6 small Sweet Peppers, sliced [I buy this bag of sweet peppers at Wal-Mart, they are awesome on salads, sandwiches, ect. Also great in quiche!]
1 cup fresh spinach [the only way to go]
1 cup shredded cheese [I think this still would be amazing without the cheese, so skip it if you want to cut the cals]
1 frozen, deep dish pie crust [these usually come it two, so double this recipe and make 2!]

Bake pie crust for 5 minutes at 425 degrees. Remove, set aside.

Combine all other ingredients and mix well. [I, of course, used my beloved new mixer]

Evenly spread ingredients into pie crust.

Bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees.

Then bake for 30 minutes at 300 degrees.

Looks awesome, right?

Wait 10 minutes before cutting.

A healthy, protein-packed brunch! And, cooking really did help with the stress! Do what you love.

-Be Kind to One Another-

Update.

Sigh.

My life has just been so crazy lately. I have spent most of my time either in my car or behind my computer. I wish the time behind the computer was meant for blogging, but unfortunately it has been spent constantly revising my resume and writing cover letters. It will be worth it if I get a job!

Therefore, my life hasn't been super excting, and whenever I did do something exciting I never had my camera with me. I did realize something about myself these past few weeks: I go crazy when I am stressed. First, I lost my beloved Ipod Touch :(..I believe it happened when I set it on top of my car after a run, and I drove away. Then, I dropped my cell phone, stepped on it with my high heel and it wouldn't turn back on. But fortunately I dropped it again, this time on gravel, and it works again. Next, I let Mudge outside on his leash and about 20 minutes later, Adam and I went to sit on the porch and noticed a dog running around at the neighbors we didn't recognize. After we watched for awhile, we realized it was Mudge. He somehow had gotten off of his leash and we didn't notice. Hopefully this does not reflect how we will parent children. ;) So, I will need to practice what I preach today, and take some time for myself.

Here are some things we did over the last couple weeks and this weekend [warning: this may be picture overload, and they aren't that exciting, but my life nonetheless]:

I was working on stuff for finals week, got up, and Shadow took my chair. Not cool.

Went to more track meets. This was after Justin's race in Marion. Jessie has been back. She graduates from Physical Therapy School this week.

I bought myself a Keurig Coffee Maker. I fell in love with the one my cousin has, and I just couldn't get my mind off of it. It can get expensive buying the coffee, but as my mother-in-law would say "Life is too short for bad coffee". So, gourmet coffee in 60 seconds? Yes, please.

We went to Waverly to visit Terri for her birthday. We went out for pizza and back to her apartment. We packed 6 of us into my parents little car. Cozy. [Please excuse the picture quality and the terrible response I got from both boys in these pictures]

Yes, this is what you think it is. I own the entire series of Friends. I believe that you can never watch too much Friends. This is what I did Saturday morning after I tried really hard to sleep in.

I love getting mail. I had ordered some resources that I found for very cheap online and they came while I was watching Friends and drinking coffee. Very exciting.

Then, Saturday afternoon Adam was out of town, so I decided to make a trip to Dubuque. I wanted to go to Hobby Lobby where I had this in mind for a project. I didn't find anything very inspiring, then I found this magnetic dry erase board for $6. I also splurged for more nailpolish and makeup brushes. [Disclaimer: I may or may not have been involved in what I like to call retail therapy.]

This was the result of my project...a magnetic makeup board. I love how it turned out. It wasn't very original, but neat looking if you ask me. If you like my over-the-toilet storage in this picture, I have to give credit to my husband. He built it just for me. What a great guy. I think I should paint it though. Any ideas?

Later Saturday afternoon Adam mowed the lawn. AKA our dandelion field.

Then, a storm came in Saturday evening.

This is the updated scarf/jewelry holder. Its starting to get too warm for the scarves, so I decided to replace them with all my necklaces.

Sunday morning I made Sausage/Spinach/Sweet Pepper Quiche. It was unbelievable. I will be posting this later this week (hopefully)

Adam read all day. I like to read, but he was reading a mechanical book...for fun?

Then I worked on some organizational things for school. Fun.

Lazy Sunday for the animals, too.

I did some ironing Sunday night. This is something I loathe doing, but I guess I am an adult now. [Notice Adam avoiding the laundry sitting next to the couch]

There you have it. That's what I have been up to. I wish there was something more exciting to report...but no luck. There was a time when I led a more interesting life. :) I also went running a couple of times, but I need to update my 'running goal' because that was an epic fail. But, the hope is that I will eventually get back into it after some things slow down. Hopefully that is soon!

Sigh.

-Be Kind to One Another-

DIY Scarf/Jewelry Holder

Oh my...what a week! That's all I have to say about that. *sigh*

This is a project that I did awhile back, but wanted to share it with you because I love it so much. I like to think that it's something original. I have never seen anything like it, so I am just gunna go ahead and assume I thought of it :)

What you will need:

-2 by 6 board. [The one I opted for in this project came from the hay-mound in my parents barn. Cool, I know...it's about 3 foot long and shaped a little weird, which I like]
-Mason Jars [I have a bunch on hand from my wedding and from the canning that I keep saying that I will do]
-Super Glue [The stuff I used in this is called Goop. Worked like a charm]
-Wall hooks

Talk about a bad picture. It was windy this day and I apparently used my Christmas wreath to hold the newspaper down. But, this is the shape of the board I used. Then, stain the board your favorite shade. I chose Walnut.

After the board is dry from the stain, measure out evenly where you want the mason jars placed. Apply super glue to bottom of mason jars. This super glue takes a long time to dry, so if you mess up your placement of the mason jars, you will be able to move them a little. In fact, the glue says you need to wait 24 hours to fully dry. But, it will be worth it.

Notice my messy desk. Level, tape measure, pen, white out (?). I let it sit and dry for at least 24 hours! I know it seems like a long time, but the glue really does take that long to set. 

Then, (I didn't take pictures of this) but I put wall hooks on the back...those $1 ones from Wal-Mart. Then I found the perfect place for it on my wall in my bedroom.

I  put my necklaces inside the mason jars. I don't put my really nice jewlery in here, just knockoff, cheap, plastic stuff. I have small hands, so it works for me. And, it's different.

If you are up for trying new stuff, this is it. It is a practical way to organize all my beloved scarves and store my jewelry. Whatever you do, make it yours!

-Be Kind to One Another-

Constant Reminders

It's the weekend! Yay!

If you have been paying attention to the blog lately, the design has changed about a billion times. This is for a couple of reasons: 1) I just cannot decide what I want. 2) I am putting off the other stuff I really should be doing. My goal is to leave the design the way it is for awhile and stop messing with it. Let's see how I do. I plan on having another post for you this weekend, but that is only if I get my homework and research done.

Anyway, I don't know about you, but my stress level has hit an all-time high this week. Between job applications, school, attempting a regular workout schedule, and substitute teaching (my only income at the moment) I have been feeling like a crazy woman. I had myself so stressed that I suffered (and I mean suffered) from a migraine yesterday afternoon. It was awful. I get them once every couple months due to tension, stress, and dehydration. Therefore, because of all of this, I was in a less than good mood!

I often wonder if people who read my posts about making your life meaningful think it is all cliche. But, I am willing to guess that if many of you were being honest, you would admit that you sometimes need to come back down to earth. That is what I am doing here. I want you to use this to remind YOURSELF about what is important YOU. Like this week, it is what I desparately needed.

I started to notice that I naturally put up reminders about what is important in life. For instance, in the way I decorate my home. This morning, while drinking my beloved coffee, I was walking around my house and saw all of the reminders. These are important to me, and obviously, I use them to remind me to come back down to earth. So, here you go:

This is probably my favorite. It is in my livingroom and one of the first things you see when you walk in. And, it's very true.

Another favorite, and in my livingroom. I found it at Gordman's. Gordman's is a gold mine by the way. Also, my counseling professor would appreciate this.

This is vinyl wall art, a wedding gift from Buffy Clark. Her business is called "Print This" and she has some amazing stuff. Let me know if you want more info on her business. Also, a reminder of what is important in life.

It is beautiful when we make it beautiful. This was a gem I found at Goodwill. Simple, but true. And I love it.

I love the demask design on this, but the message is neat too. I am still not 100% sure if my interpretation of this is what it was meant to be, but that's OK. It is important to me because there were times in my life where I felt like a 'nobody'. However, its imporant because now, I am OK with it and have an optimistic outlook on who I am as a person. Insightful, huh?

Just love this.

The next couple are some that are fun, and remind me not to take my self TOO seriously :)

This is a message that my grandma may not like, but I like it because it reminds me that even though I am an 'adult' its OK to have some fun once in awhile. Responsible fun that is. :)

 For that moment when you really should just 'shut-up'. (This was a gift from Adam..LOL..seriously)

So, just another little thing I do to remind myself about importance and meaning in life. If you like these sayings or pieces of art check Gordman's, thrift stores, or use the sayings and make it a DIY project. Either way quotes can be motivating and inspirational.

Have a good weekend...I'll be doing homework for the rest of mine :(

-Be Kind to One Another-