Confessions of a Baseball Mom

Snuggies are Awesome

This morning I was thinking that I really need to update my blog and I was trying to decide what I should write about.  Then, out of nowhere, Joseph & Jared gave me the perfect story...

As I was cleaning the playroom a few minutes ago, Joseph asks me if I need a Snuggie?  I can't help but wonder if he really knows what a Snuggie is and why he thinks I would need one.  So I ask, "why do I need a Snuggie?"  

His reply, "You can wear it when you go to baseball games.  And you can even carry your purse over your arm because it has sleeves".  

Jared chimes in with "it is only $19.95"  The he adds, "you can even reach the phone when you are wearing it.  You should buy 5.  One for each of us."

Joe adds, "But Jordan can't wear it when he is playing baseball".  He then ends the conversation with "Snuggies are awsesome!"

And as I type this, Jared yells down the stairs, "mom, order the Snuggie today".

True story.

Thinking about this brings so many questions to mind....  the most prominent being "do my kids watch so much t.v. that they can tell me all of the features of the Snuggie, including the price?"  I try to put my mind at ease by asking if they knew the phone number to call.  Fortunately, they had not memorized the number and told me that I had to look it up but to "hurry".  

This brings back the memory of the time Jordan and his friend decided to make some phone calls of their own.  For some unknown reason, Paul called 9-1-1 twice, which became abundantly clear when a police officer showed up at our door to make sure that there was, in fact, no emergency at our house.  I was concerned that Jordan had a hand in this but he swore he didn't.  He said he was just sitting with Paul when he did it and that he called someone else instead.  I couldn't imagine who he would have called because he was only 6 at the time and Paul was the only person he knew.  Fortunately, there is a handy little feature on our phone that shows the last number dialed.  It turns out he was telling the truth... it was to an 800 number.  He was trying to order the Betty Crocker Bake N Fill Cake pan, as seen on t.v.  He would keep a note pad in his room with numbers for things he would see on t.v. and constantly repeat the commercial to me word for word, using his best sales pitch, so I would buy it.  The funny thing is my kids hardly watch t.v.  They are outside almost all day long and, on occasion, I find myself begging them to sit on the couch and watch t.v. so they will wind down.  

The strangest part of this story is I was on the Snuggie website a few weeks ago and I was strongly considering ordering one.  I have never made it a secret that I do not like the cold.  I would never survive anywhere further north than Houston because I hate winter... particularly snow.  But even in Houston, it gets a little cold, especially at night.  So when we go to ball games or practice in the winter, you will hardly recognize me.  I have my parka on and I am covered from head to toe with blankets.  The Snuggie would probably be very helpful.  However, I am thinking about going one step further with the concept and sewing in legs because if you have ever sat in bleachers on a cold windy day, even a Snuggie won't save you from the draft.  So, perhaps the Snuggie people will take this into account and make a prototype for me.

On the subject of baseball, things are going well.  All of the practices are exhausting and I am already looking forward to game days because games are a lot more fun to watch than practice.  Joseph's team is a mess so Lance went out to help get the coach situated.  We will see this week, if any of it helped.  It's not really the coach's fault because he did not volunteer to coach and they are new to baseball.  The league was short so the team was handed to him.  It's distressing to me because we do our part of the league and I can't help but feel punished because Lance can't coach all 3 of our kids.  When you have a record number of kids signed up, why don't these dads offer to help out?  Out of 500 kids, they only need 45 coaches.  It does a disservice to the kids when their coaches do not know what they are doing or do not want to be there.  I think if you sign up to play, you should sign up to help.  It shouldn't be the same 20 guys every season doing all of the work.   But the people who don't volunteer to help will be the first to complain.  Unfortunately, that's how it is.  

Sorry for taking a moment to stand on my soapbox.  Obviously, I am frustrated by that.  But I am excited to have the kids playing and I am trying to be hopeful that it all works out.  I am also excited that my 3 new shirts are on order.  Can't wait to get them!  

Today is one of our 2 baseball-free days of the week so I am going to enjoy it.  It's GORGEOUS outside so I am getting ready to send the boys out to play.  I need to clean off my desk and do some work for my dugout signs.  Of course, laundry is also calling my name.  I hate laundry but I know it's the only exercise I'll get today because it forces me to walk up and down the stairs every time I have to do a load.  I am going to consider that a plus because I need all of the exercise I can get.  Other than that, just going to take it easy.  I haven't been feeling too well so hopefully a nice relaxing day will help me kick whatever it is that has been getting me down.  Have a good one!  And if you own a Snuggie, let me know how you like it and if I need one!

Life is Not a Spectator Sport

As you may have guessed from my sudden disappearance (well not completely sudden, but you know what I mean) Spring is upon us and so is the new baseball season!  

All 3 boys are playing league this season which is likely going to be an exciting and completely overwhelming experience for me.  I love watching the boys play and the thought of all 3 of them playing at the same time makes me a little sad because I can't stand the thought of missing a game.  Take last season for example.... I watched every one of Joseph's games because Lance was coaching Jared.  Of course, the one day Lance couldn't be there, I had to go to Jared's game and I missed Joe's. Our friend Larry went to watch for us, and wouldn't you believe, half way through the game I get a call telling me Joseph hit a "grand slam" (Karen, that is a home room with bases loaded).   It was so exciting and so heartbreaking all at the same time.  I am glad someone was there to see it... I just wish it was me.

Anyway, Lance is coaching Jordan this season which leaves me responsible for figuring out how to get Joe & Jared to 2 different practice fields at the same time on the same days.  I'm sure it will all work out... however, I am likely to finish the season with a few extra gray hairs (which I definitely don't need). 

The last few weeks have been interesting.  You would not believe how much work goes into selecting a 10U league team.  Here, the kids have to try out and then they are drafted to a team.  Lance, Larry & I sat out at tryouts a few weeks ago and we evaluated all of the players.  Following tryouts, SEVERAL hours were sacrificed along with a lot of paper and printer ink, as we determined our ideal team.  I honestly think the baseball season itself will be less stressful than listening to the debate as to who our first round draft pick should be.  In any case, an agreement was finally made as all of our potential players were ranked.  Lance went to the draft and did a pretty good job of picking the kids he wanted for our team.  So far, he and Larry are very pleased with the outcome.  I guess the true test will come when the season starts on March 30. 

BTW, Jordan is a 10U Yankee, Joseph is an 8U Marlin and Jared is a 6U Yankee.  I guess the odds of getting 2 Yankees was pretty much the best I could hope for.  Asking for 3 would have been considered greedy.  The plus is, I have an excuse to have more shirts made. 

I wish I could say that we had something else exciting going on but baseball has pretty much dominated the conversation and most of our activities recently.  Jordan is pretty much finished playing with the Eagles select team.  He may play with them for the summer but we will probably be burnt out by then so we are thinking we'll just enjoy some baseball free fun.  Then again, old habits die hard so I am not going to say "no" quite yet.

The boys are doing well in school.  Oh and the Valentine's boxes were a huge hit.  When I went to Jordan's party, there were 4 other Lego boxes in his class.  None of them came close to the masterpiece created from my extreme OCD.  Of course, that was the goal and I always enjoy a little validation.

I guess that's it for now.  I am working on some new dugout sign designs for this season and I am hoping to sell a lot.  I really can use the cash.  It's a good thing I have cheap labor working for me!  I do worry that they are going to report me to the Dept. of Labor soon if I don't start paying them with more than beer.  

BTW, the picture at the top of the page was Jared at one of Jordan's games last summer.  I kept meaning to share it.  Everyone loved him because he would go to every game in full uniform.  The pitcher's helmet was just icing.

The Spirit of Competition

It is that time of year again... time for Valentine boxes.  While I am generally a crafty person, I have never been one to make boxes for the boys because it seems like something they should do on their own.  However, Elijah's dad was telling me about the themed boxes they he makes every year and I wasn't about to be outdone.  So while my competitive spirit kicked into overdrive, I pondered what type of box we I should make.  Jordan, being a massive Lego fan, suggested he we I make a box out of Legos.  On paper, this sounded like a terrific idea.  However, the logistics were a bit more complicated than anticipated.  Mostly, do we have enough Legos to make it in only Valentine colors (because I refuse to use random colors) and how do we enclose it while maintaining it's functionality?  I realize these are deep questions for a Valentine's box for a 3rd grader but it is my lot in life to figure out how to make things as complicated as possible.

Surprisingly, the overall concept was pretty simple and we did not have too many issues until we got to the top.  At one point, a large crash was heard, followed by a few choice swear words (no children were around to hear them).  We had to make a few modifications in order to complete the box but managed to finish it in less than a day without too many more obstacles.  While I created most of the box, Jordan and his friends created the letters and the heart on top, which I think were the perfect finishing touch.  On the side, we made a slot so that the Valentines can be slid inside, and there is also a hinged opening at the top (which I wish I photographed). 

Of course, Jordan was so enthusiastic about this box, he told all of his friends at school and 2 others attempted to make them, as well.  From what I hear, they are very small and not near as awesome.  I can't wait to see them for myself tomorrow.

It goes without saying, Joseph & Jared also wanted Lego Valentine boxes.  Unfortunately for them, I did not have the desire to attempt that project again, so I opted to make them boxes that appear to look like one giant Lego.  It isn't exactly obvious what it is but I think the final result is fairly respectable.  To make it fair, next year, I will take Jordan's name off and add Joseph's.

Last but not least, tomorrow is party day so I am trying to get geared up for that.  Remember all of that shopping and candy sorting I did way back when?  Well this is when all of my hard work comes to fruition.  I am hopeful that the parties go well and that the kids have a good time.  And I am thankful that this will be my last  party of the year as lead room mom because 3rd grade only has 2 parties during the school year.  Joe & Jared will each have one more and I will be happy to attend as a parent and not as a PTO member.  And on that note, I need to finish up a few last minute things so I need to get going.  Here are some more pictures of the boxes.  Have a good one!

Resolutions are meant to be broken... aren't they?

As you may have noticed, home improvement week has come to a screeching halt and has suddenly turned into home improvement month.  The last few weeks have been really busy with preparation for the Valentine parties this Friday and with Joseph's Disneyland birthday celebration last weekend that was followed by 4 birthday parties for other friends in the last 7 days!  As much as I love birthdays, I won't complain if we don't get invited to another party for awhile.  

Anyway, most of our time has been spent with busy-ness but nothing too exciting (notwithstanding Disneyland, of course).  The worst part is, I have successfully broken every new Year's resolution I made before the second week of February.  I haven't even managed to get rid of the bikes in my garage.  But that is on my list of things to do, along with cooking more (again) and keeping my blog updated.  Seriously, when they say you need a vacation when you get home from vacation... it's so true.  I spend more time catching up and getting back to normal than anything else.

So last week Joseph celebrated his 7th birthday.  That is almost impossible for me to believe.  For his birthday, he wanted to go to Disneyland so that he could go to the Lego store.  For some reason, I think it would have been cheaper to find a Lego store in Texas but I am never one to pass up one more trip to Disney, especially since our season passes expire this month.  Lucky for us, we fly for free and we got an awesome deal on Priceline for our hotel rooms and rental car so it was probably a wash (and way more fun).  We also brought Jordan's friend, Elijah along with us.  He has never been to Disney and it seemed like a good opportunity.  Of course, the boys were thrilled to bring him along because he is like a brother to them.  I think he was pretty overwhelmed by the entire experience... his first ride on an airplane, his first trip to Disney and he even got to meet Brad Ausmus (the catcher for the Houston Astros.... what are the odds of that?).  It was really an awesome trip.  Joseph couldn't have been more excited, either.  He got a birthday button at City Hall so every time a Disney cast member would see him, they would wish him happy birthday.  He was king for a weekend and he loved it!  Now I have a ton of pictures to format but I have a few finished so I will share them.  I'll post more later.

 

Well, I need to get back to formatting pictures and catching up on blogs.  Home improvement week returns tomorrow.  Have a good one!

Home Improvement Week - Day 3

Back by popular demand (or Karen's demand) here is home improvement day 3.  I wasn't going to post these pictures of our living room because I haven't done anything with it in a few years, but we were just having a discussion about cheap painters and I wanted to show a picture of what I was talking about.  A few years ago, our neighbor recommended a painter to do all of the common areas in our house, along with our living room, loft, kitchen and dining room.  We have 18 foot ceilings in our living room and he charged us $600 for the whole job.  It was something to watch because he was standing on a telescoping ladder that was perched up against the wall as he painted the top, flawlessly, without even taping off or touching the crown moulding.  I can tell you, this guy has skills.  He has done a lot of work for us since and we have been happy to recommend him to others.  So, if you are interested in moving to Houston (Ramona) I'll be sure to give you his number.  :)  (BTW, I don't know why all of my pictures have a yellowish tint to them.)

This is our kitchen.  It is screaming for granite counter tops and stainless appliances.  Unfortunately, it is going to be awhile before that happens.  I am holding out for the Electrolux cooktop because I can't think of many things more awesome than the ability to boil water in 90 seconds.  And I would love to change a few things so that I could put in a built-in refrigerator.  A girl can dream, can't she?

So we had a pretty good weekend.  The boys enjoyed their extra day off and I couldn't really complain.  Two of them managed to get invited to go out with friends and Jared hung around the house with me.  I was relieved because Joe wanted me to help him build a Lego ship, and while I enjoy helping him out, I was not prepared to spend 4 hours searching through a bucket of Legos looking for missing pieces.  However, I was the only person to think that his play date meant a reprieve for me.  When I went to pick him up, the first thing he asked was if I finished the ship.  For some reason, he assumed that even though he was not home, I was going to work on it anyway.  I don't know where he got that idea.

Today, I made it back to the gym for the second time this year.  Last week, I went and I was so out of shape that I could barely walk or move my arms for 4 days (not even exaggerating here).  I decided to take it a little easier today so that I can actually try to get back at least one more time this week.  And because the use of my extremities is helpful.  

I guess that's it for now.  I wish I had a more exciting story to tell.  In the event you are bored and looking for something more entertaining, I was browsing through my archives looking for a post about when I first joined the gym and I came across this entry.  I would like to say those were good times but really, I do not wish to ever endure the punishment of another personal trainer ever again.  At least I lived to tell about it.  Off to catch up on blogs now.  Have a good one!

Home Improvement Week - Day 2

Well, I missed my second post yesterday because, believe it or not, we were working on another project... our play room.  I love when Lance wants to do home improvement projects because then I can't get blamed for the money we spend.  That's not to say we won't argue about it... but in my heart I know I'm right.  (Besides the fact I AM always right).  In any case, it's coming along.  We just bought two small storage cabinets and a t.v. Nothing too exciting and not even close to my master plan for that room.  But it's an improvement.  The biggest project is finding some place to put everything.  I need to get rid of some toys, too... which can't be done until the boys are all at school.

Today's post is not really all that exciting.  I haven't done much with these rooms, but I figured since it is home improvement week, and they have been improved at some point, I would share them anyway.  First is our dining room.  I love formal dining rooms and we use ours a lot (meaning every time I cook which isn't necessarily a lot, but you get the idea).  When we built our house, we had all of the downstairs walkways and the kitchen tiled and the living room, study and dining room carpeted.  Unfortunately, our dog (refer to last post about cutting poo from his rear end) had a habit of peeing in the dining room so we needed to replace the carpet.  The logical solution was to put in ceramic tile but matching it to our other tile was a bit of a challenge.  We decided to buy this marble trim tile which ties the two rooms together perfectly.  If I had my choice, we would take out all of the white tile  in the house and have it match the darker, but that is way down the road.  Anyway, we set the tile on a diamond pattern inside of the border and a square outside.  It looks beautiful.  We loved it so much, we did our living room, as well.  (I'll share those pictures tomorrow).  We also had the room painted a darker shade, when we painted the rest of our house.  The only thing I would like to do with this room is buy darker furniture.  Other than that, I love it!

The next set of pictures are from my scrapbook room.  Lance gets mad at me when I call it that and declares that it is a study (which is more true now than it used to be since I don't scrapbook much anymore).  The photos don't really do justice to the room because there is so much to see.  It is the only cluttered area in the house because I have tons of projects I have made for Paper Crafts and other magazines and I hate to hide them all away.  I also have a lot of neat swap projects and handmade cards that I have received from my awesome Classic Scrapper friends, which are probably my favorite things.  The only real "improvement" to this room in the last year is my Imac.  If you are ever on the fence about getting a new computer, I highly recommend Macs.  They are so simple and awesome and I love the large screen.  A few years ago, Lance put in the wood floors which made a huge difference.  But this room desperately needs furniture.  It was a fight between the study and game room.  Obviously the game room won, but I do have big plans for this room, one day.

Well, I guess it's time to get Jared to school so I can finish cleaning up and the DirecTV vans just pulled up.  No major plans for the weekend... just a lot of t.v. catching up.  I have a few projects to work on around the house and I am hoping to scrapbook a little.  The boys have a 3 day weekend and Lance is working (of course).  I'll post some more pictures tomorrow.  Until then... have a great weekend!

Home Improvement Week - Day 1

At long last... it's time for home improvement week (insert cheers here).  We have lived in our house for 7 years and I can honestly say, I love our house as much today as when we bought it.  Of course, I have a list of about 30 projects I would like to complete and a massive lack of funds so we just do what we can when a good deal comes our way.   I am also very lucky to be married to a part time handyman.  Lance is a lot more inclined to take on a project if he can do it himself because it saves a LOT of money.  And he does a pretty good job.  I may have to endure some swearing and it might take a little longer but it is always worth it in the end.

One of our biggest undertakings this year was iron balusters.  Since we built our house, I have always regretted not putting them in.  We had the white pickets, which are VERY common in Texas.  And while they look pretty with the white trim and crown moulding, I never really loved them.  So in May, poor Lance had to cut out and replace 205 balusters with the iron.  It was a huge project and very time consuming but it was completely worth the effort.  He did an awesome job and it has completely changed the look of our house.

The pictures below are from our front entrance.  Another one of my favorite additions was the light fixture we purchased at Sam's Club for $99 a few years ago.  It was probably my best purchase EVER.  It looks so pretty and you would think it cost a lot more.  I also love the sign above the door which I purchased a few months ago in Canton.  I have been wanting to post a picture of it but I had to wait until after Christmas because I bought one for Karen, too.  Isn't it cute?

 

 

The next 2 pictures look from the foyer out to the living room.  and I have another favorite sign beneath the catwalk.  I also got that in Canton. Isn't it perfect?

 

 

Last but not least, I am posting some pictures of Lance cutting out the old balusters and what they looked like before we put in the iron.  Big difference, huh?  This view is from the living room towards the front door.  We have a catwalk that goes from one side of the house to the other.  The iron also goes around the loft above the study (which can be seen in the first photo) and to the left on the photo below, above the living room.

 

Well, I guess that's it for today.  I have to get the kids in bed and catch up on some of my t.v. programming.  We are getting DirecTV on Friday and our DVR is full of programs that need to be watched.  I am SO happy that all of the shows are coming back on, but I don't know how we are going to keep up with American Idol and Lost getting ready to start again.  I am sure we'll manage, though.  :)  I'll be back tomorrow with more pictures.  

It's a Glamorous Life

As I dropped of the boys at school today, I couldn't help but be excited that, for the first time in weeks, I had a day to myself with no kids, no husband and nothing important to do.  Funny how quickly things change.  After I took Jared to school, I thought I would come home and spend some quality time with my computer catching up on emails, etc.  But then I thought to myself, "why not price some items for the third grade friendship party, instead?"  

I should know better than to "price" things because then I ask myself, "if I'm pricing stuff, shouldn't I just buy it so I don't have to come back and do it later?"  Obviously, I decide to just pick up a few things so I will have less to do on another day.  

Then, I think to myself, "well, if I just buy it all today, then I will have it finished and I can get everything sorted out in my own time".  So, four hours later, I am finished.  However, I still did not get two of the things I need so I have to go back out another day, anyway.  In any case, here is how my day went:

Sam's club

Party City

Wal-Mart

Specs

Dollar Tree

99.9 Cent only Store

HEB Grocery

Home

In case  you are wondering what I am talking about, I am lead room mom for 3rd grade.  All classes for each grade level have to have the same exact party so I get together with all of the room moms and we plan the party.  Then I buy all of the supplies and sort them out for each of the moms to take to their party.  The plus is I don't actually have to host the party, but the minus is I have to buy and store everything until I am ready for them to pick it  all up.  I am not a pack rat and I hate having random stuff around the house so this is hard for me.

3 other notable events of the day....

* I bought 275 straws at the 99.9 Cent Only store so I no longer have to steal straws from McDonald's when we go there to eat.

* I cut some poop out of my dog's rear end (I couldn't figure out why he smelled like poop all week.  I suppose I should have looked sooner but I think I already knew the answer and was hoping Lance would get home and take care of it.)

* While at Sam's Club, I had an opportunity to reflect on my life as I was waiting in line to check out behind a couple of senior citizens were disputing the price of a bottle of champagne.  It was advertised at $5.63 and they were charged $5.92.  I seriously couldn't help but wonder if my life will ever get so boring that the most exciting part of my day is holding up a line at Sam's Club to save $.29 on a $5 bottle of champagne.  Believe me, I am all about saving money out of principle, but some things just aren't worth my time.

Now I have to run to baseball practice so I don't have time to post house pictures, but I will do it tonight... I promise. 

Do They Make Seat Belts for Desks?

So I was feeling kind of bad because I have spent the last week posting pictures of Joseph & Jared and I didn't want Jordan to feel left out.  I am sure he would love to know that I am putting this on the Internet for all the world to see (or the 6 people who read this thing).  But it only seemed fair.  Then again, he can't be too mad because he did pose for me.  

Every once in awhile he will get into character and wear a costume with the boys but most of the time he can't be bothered.  I guess he is 9 years old now.  But I still love that, at 9 years old, he is very much a kid.  In my opinion, kids today grow up way too fast and I am in no hurry for that.  I love that my boys enjoy to playing outside, riding bikes and climbing trees.  In fact, there are days I  have to beg them to play a video game because they are constantly looking for something to do.  I know some kids who are forced outside just to get fresh air because all they do is play video games.  I can't being to imagine having that problem.

On another note, Friday was report card day and Jordan came home with slightly lower grades than the last time.  He is always in such a hurry to finish his work that he doesn't take time to double check his answers and his handwriting is atrocious.  While he is predisposed to the bad handwriting gene, compliments of his parents, he can do better.  Anyway, that was not the worst of it... his teacher wrote on his report card that "Jordan is having a hard time staying seated.  At least once per day, he falls out of his chair."  I am not sure if that comment is supposed to horrify me or make me laugh.  But I can see how that would be a distraction to the class.  I wonder if it would be in bad form to send him to school with a bungee cord so his teacher can strap him to his chair?  In any case, this quarter, Jordan will be focusing on better handwriting (which I think will equal better grades) and not falling out of his chair.  No one ever told me that school was going to be so challenging!

I guess that's it for now.  I just took my game room photos and I am going to work on formatting them so I can share.  Home Improvement week starts tomorrow so be there or be square.  :)  Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

If You Wear It, They Will Come

 

I was doing so well with my daily blogging and somehow I fell off the wagon and missed the last 2 days.  I guess there are worse wagons to fall off of so it's not all that bad.  But I did have high aspirations for making it through the entire week. 

So, as my last installment of costume week, I have these pictures of Joseph & Jared dressed as a fireman and Power Ranger.  This day was particularly funny because while they were in getting dressed up, my neighbor from across the street (who is a volunteer fireman) showed up in front of our house with his fire truck.  It was a Saturday afternoon and he needed to pick up something from his house, and figuring that there were kids out playing, he decided to bring the truck along with a few of his firefighter friends.  When they arrived, I looked out the window and told Jared to finish getting dressed so he could see what was outside.  You can only imagine how excited he was to see a fire truck.  And the firefighters were so sweet... as the neighborhood kids came over to look at it, they took the kids around and showed them the different part of the trucks.

 

This isn't the first time the kids got to see a fire truck, though.  When we first found out Brandon was a fireman, he offered to bring his truck out for Joseph's birthday to surprise the kids.  It was by far my favorite of the boys' birthday parties.  We had a big moonwalk in our front yard and dozens of kids playing in the cul-de-sac.  If ever my neighbor hated us, that would be the icing on the cake.  It was a really fun party (and nearly impossible to top).  On the subject of birthdays, Joe will be 7 in 3 weeks.  yikes!  This was his 4th birthday party, here.

So in other news, we got some new furniture for our game room yesterday.  It has been empty for the last 6 months since we moved the kids play room back over to the loft.  We also got a new pub table/chairs and a t.v.  It is going to look great when everything gets finished up.  And it will be nice to have a place to watch family movies together.  We watch them downstairs right now and the kids undoubtedly fall asleep every time so I have to carry them up the stairs.  That isn't fun at all.  When I finish cleaning up in there, I will post some pictures for my next series of blog posts, called "Home Improvement Week."  Karen noticed our stairs in a previous post and I can't believe I never shared a picture of them.  So I will post pictures of all of our home improvement projects that we have undertaken this past year.  That should be exciting, don't you think?  ha!

Well, here's the plan for today.  I did not make the pot roast on Thursday so I will make it today.  But I appreciate the faith you all have in me.  :)  Jordan has baseball practice at noon (because baseball never ends) and then we will be testing out the new t.v. and couch tonight.  I think I am also going to hit the gym for the first time this year.  I am 10 days late but that's not too bad, considering I haven't been since August.  I have to start some time.  Right?

Have a great weekend and I'll try to get back tomorrow with my first home improvement post.