It has been a while... a couple of years to be exact :) Circumstances seem to easily overwhelm me and this time I want to look beyond them and look at the positive things in my life that God has given me. I am truly grateful for my husband who loves me and faithfully provides for our family. He helps with laundry, making suppers on top of working 2 jobs. He takes time with our precious daughter and watches movies (even if it is the 6th time - catching fire :). On top of all that he has started a Bible study on doctrines for those who work in the coffee shop with us. I love you husband! I am thankful for my daughter who does her best in school and has earned the praise of all her teachers in her junior high school. She helps her daddy out in the coffee shop on the weekends just to spend time with him. She helps me a ton with tasks I can't accomplish because of my pain. I love you sweetheart! I am in awe of all God has given us. We have a townhouse with much more space than our condo did. We are close to our church so we aren't driving a half hour to and from church every Sat and Sun. We live closer to our friends. Thank you for the blessings you have given me, God! Help me to revel in them and not get so bogged down with the day to day.

Here is the link for the ipad 2 giveaway


Hoping to win an IPad 2 for the hubby for Christmas! I have really gotten into these deal sites this Christmas. I have been able to save a lot of money as a result. Now I just have to get on board with doing the coupon clipping for grocery shopping. I am excited to use the $10 target facebook coupon with the $25 target gift card I got online so my purchase should only be $15!

Ok 2 years later I post. I know it has been a long time. I am currently on the HCG diet. I am on the 2nd low cal day with an excrutiating headache. I am not a fan so far but I may be if I drop pounds. I am hungry and cranky. Did I say cranky? Multiple that times 100. 500 calorie a day diet. Ugh! I hope my next post is of many pounds lost.

Grandma with Sierra and her cousins on a hay ride.

I'm really thankful for this resurgence of fall. Yes it is only October but it was so cold that it was acting like winter. Sierra is finally getting healthy after a bought of tonsillitis with hives followed by a cold with a nasty cough. We are learning to be more frugal in our day to day life out of necessity. My husband's job has cut various forms of his pay 2x in the last couple of months with maybe an actual lay off in the near future. It at times seems overwhelming but we are trying to stay focused and realized God has not left the throne. He is sovereign and knows our needs. I am thankful for the renewed desire to exercise more and eat healthier. My neighbor invited me to go for a long walk the other day and it was just what I needed. All the beautiful colors on the trees and great conversation made a 45 min walk go by fast. I am starting to use my YMCA membership more both individually and as a family. If I can get myself there, I feel so much better after working out. Sierra is adjusting to school more and loving working with her daddy in our church's coffee shop. She is just like Steve is her outgoing nature and her love for people. I hope she learns more of that in the years to come.

Just a little reflective today and realizing how great my God really is. He is faithful even when I get so caught up in my circumstances that I refuse to see it. Enjoy the beautiful fall colors like I am!

Steve starting a fire at my parents.

Hallelujah! I had a very good dr. appt. today. I was worried that my tests came back that I had diabetes. They came back not even borderline - woohoo! My body still has excess insulin in the system so she wants me to go on a low glycemic index diet to help maintain my blood sugars and bring down the amount of insulin my pancreas is producing. My thyroid is low and I will have to take some pills for that which I had a feeling that may be the case. I am estrogen dominant b/c my progesterone is way low but I was wary of taking any progesterone since it made my emotions go through the roof. She is prescribing something that turns into progesterone if my body needs it once it enters the blood stream. The stuff I was using before she said was storing up in my body's fat layer and was making my emotions worse b/c it never entered the blood. I am also taking a couple of supplements but all in all a very wonderful day. I also prayed that it would be under $150 b/c insurance doesn't cover it. It was $142 and change - wow - I am blessed! Thank you Lord!

Only in Mke would there be a sellout for a Brewers game with a giveaway for a Ryan Braun bobblehead! Sorry but that just made me laugh as I am watching the game and typing this. Well we have had a good weekend already. Thursday night Steve and I had a midnight date to the opening of the movie Wolverine. We got there an hour early and it got full really quick. It was a great movie but we had to be one of the oldest people there. There were teenagers and college kids all around us. It made us feel like kids again! On Friday night, we had a bonfire at my parents' house with my nieces and nephews. It was so nice out but the fire pit was kind of wet so it ended up being a little smoky. Oh well - more to come! Today we went to a huge rummage sale at Sierra's school. There were a ton of booths as well as a number of neighbors of the school who had a rummage too. I ended up getting a new bike helmet for Sierra for $5 so it was worth it. Then we embarked on our first family golfing experience. It was an experience. We went to a par 3 course to get Sierra's feet wet in the golfing realm, and wet feet we had! The course was very soggy and we ended up getting pretty muddy, but it felt good to start the season. Sierra did good when she focused but she, like her momma tends to pick up her head when she hits the ball. Thankfully it was only 9 holes; we wouldn't have made it to 18. Tonight Steve gave me off so I went and saw a movie. All in all a good weekend so far and we are planning to go to the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago tomorrow. Should be fun!

Wow what a day! I've been looking forward to and dreading this day for some time. Not b/c it's April Fools but b/c I had a doctor appt. scheduled. You who know me well have known that I have gone to a number of doctors to figure out what is going on with me. I have a number of known things like Rosacea, GERD, PCOS, insulin resistance, elevated cholesterol, IBS, etc. But I have been having quite a few symptoms that I couldn't get diagnosed what my problems were: fatigue, anxiety, muscle weakness, numbness & twitching, etc. I went in today to a natural dr. to help regulate my hormones b/c I was sensing that this was part of the problem. Wow did I leave with a whole lot of information! I took a Candida questionaire where 180 was high and I scored a 250. Yeah, needless to say I am now on a yeast free, sugar free diet for the next 6 weeks & taking Diflucan. I also am getting a saliva hormone test done and thyroid, adrenals, and other hormones tested. They did an allergy test of the hormone LH and yes I am allergic to it; funny thing is my body makes that hormone especially during ovulation. I am allergic to my own body - great! brilliant! I have to take drops every day to counteract the hormone. It all is a little overwhelming to take in, especially the $500 price tag b/c it wasn't covered by insurance. But, I am hoping and praying that once this is all said and done the old me will be back. I'll post more when I have the time ...off to pick up Sierra from school.

I am loving this warm weather! It is going to be in the 60's today and tomorrow! I am mopping floors and airing out laundry. My car is in the shop today so I am home bound. I guess I don't mind as long as the weather is nice. I would be home bound anyways b/c I am getting some mattresses delivered between 1-3 today. I should be cleaning Sierra's room to fit the mattresses in before 1 :). If I get really ambitious I may start setting up my garage for a rummage sale in the spring. I am trying to make our house more livable - less clutter! I have done better in the main part of the house but I think Sierra got the clutter gene from me. She doesn't want to throw anything away and likes it all spread out so she knows what she has :). I need to just grab a dumpster and start hauling stuff into it without looking back. I always think "Well, maybe one day I might use it." When am I going to use country style decor again? I am going contemporary/classic and not looking back! I was so thankful for all Steve did this weekend. He put up a light fixture in the bathroom for me which replaced a chain hanging globe setup that has been in our condo since it has been in existence, I am sure! He put up some pictures and helped me finally finish decorating our bedroom. I love it! When I find my camera & the cord to upload the pictures, I'll put some up. We are contemplating what to do to update the bathroom without having to spend too much. I am leaning towards painting the cabinets and just replacing the countertop, sink and faucet without replacing the whole cabinet. The countertop and sink are one piece and the sink is cracking. If we replaced the cabinet we would have to get new flooring b/c the laminate was cut to fit this cabinet. Well I guess feelings of spring cause me to think of working on various areas of our house. I am off to working on my daughter's room....

We were given a 3 month membership at the YMCA by my parents for Christmas. We signed up on Sunday and right away went swimming. It was so nice to be able to swim when it is below zero outside! I hope we use the membership a ton! I was thankful tonight Sierra and I went right after school and did some more swimming, played basketball and then went on the walking track. She ran around the track 3 times! I was shocked! It helped having a boy a little older than her running around it - she didn't want to be left in the dust :). I am just so thankful she enjoys it. That is one of the biggest hurdles to excercising - making it enjoyable for the kids and yourself so that you stick to it. My goal is to make it again on Thursday and on the off days use the treadmill at home.

I don't know if you like Oprah or not but she has Suze Orman's 2009 financial plan book for a FREE download until Thursday on Oprah.com. So if you are looking for some financial tips or help - here is a great start and for free to boot!

I cannot believe how much snow we are getting in December. School was cancelled on Friday for a 14" snowfall with thunder snow which meant the whole fam was home together. It was nice being all home with no where to go. I was so excited about it I woke up early to check for closing and then started baking at 6:30 in the morning. Sierra and I made gingerbread men, Christmas mice (Thanks to Barbie for the idea :), and chocolate covered pretzels. When Steve woke up, he and Sierra went to the neighbors with plates full of goodies. It was the perfect day to deliver them b/c we knew everyone would probably be home with the snow. It was fun and helped Sierra learn about giving and see how fun it is to give. Life gets so crazy around Christmas that it is easy to think about me me me instead of others. I loved that her Christmas program practices were doing a charity for the rescue mission-men's scarfs. We bought some fleece and made 12 of them. It was easy but another fun way to give. It is an awesome way to show Christ's love and it doesn't require a lot of effort. Just a little time. Anyways, we are hoping for another snow day on Monday with windchills going to 30 below zero. But before that comes we are getting another 5 inches of snow tonight! Fun times! Merry Christmas!

In the past couple of years I've tried to switch my decor to contemporary colors and styles. Well then comes Christmas... I have way too much stuff - 9 bins of decor that happen to be mostly crafty. I am debating do I put up the snowmen and houses, or do I just give at least the snowmen away? I am trying to minimize since we live in a small place but yet we keep accumulating stuff. Just as I finished switching over summer to winter clothes - the little semblance of order disappears! I have it all on my couch and chairs right now - which my husband wonders if the couch was ever intended for humans to sit on:). So do I put it all up one last time or do I just get rid of some now? Your thoughts are appreciated :)

Courtney helped me update my blog, so I thought I'd make her and others happy by writing a new post too. We've been busy around here with school & the holidays quickly approaching. I help out in Sierra's classroom on Fridays and I am really grateful for the opportunity. I saw all the kids today at Sierra's program and they were saying hi and all hyper about performing in front of the whole school. Their program was on Persistence. They dressed up as their favorite characters and said how that person showed persistence. Sierra was Cinderella and said she showed it by doing all her chores - wonder if that could pass into real life at home - hmm - not thinking so! My mom came to the program and took her to get a Webkinz as a surprise for doing such a good job in her program - fun stuff!

Well we had to give up our cat "Prince Fielder" this last week. I found out after we got him last year for Sierra's birthday that I was allergic to him. It is odd since I grew up with cats and had no problem with them then. We really miss having him around here. We gave him to my parents. He is starting to come out from hiding under the bed all the time. They have a dog so he is trying to get used to that. Prince pretty much stays upstairs and the dog downstairs. Yesterday, we went over to my parents for supper and spent time with him. It made me miss him all the more. It was nice having him here during the day with me. I guess you don't realize how much you adore your pet until it's gone. I'm just thankful he is somewhere where we can still see him.

Well I know it has been a while. I thought I'd blog from one of the only things I have pictures for. If one of you blessed bloggers could teach me how to rotate pictures I would greatly appreciate it. This was our trip out to PA to see the Starrs. We took one day to go visit Washington D.C. since we were only 2 hours away. It took us 3 hours to walk around to all the monuments on a very warm day but it was worth it. Or should I say, now I know it was worth it since it's not right after the fact.:) One thing that made it even better is that Sierra studied symbols of freedom at school right at the beginning of the year. She was able to bring pictures of herself at many of them. All the kids loved it! I left my camera at home so the rest of the pictures were from a disposable camera. I have to find someone with a scanner to put in the rest and to put up the pictures from visiting the Starrs. This was Steve's first time here. It was so hilarious. We had researched where to park for free (D.C. is known for limited parking). Well the problem was we couldn't figure out how to get to this riverside road to park - everything was one ways going around the monuments. We ended up going over the bridge into VA at least 2-3 times! We could see our road but not the way to get there! Hey at least we saw the sign for Arlington national cemetery, so we can say we were there too :)

Well this is my first attempt at a Lemon Meringue Pie. Not as stiff peaks on the meringue as I would like but it turned out - hallelujah! Hopefully it will taste good :) I'm making a meal for a friend and was told this is one of their favorites. The meringue always seemed too hard to attempt before but today seemed like the best time to try!

Our trip to Chicago

Sierra's attempt at taking a picture under "the bean."

Running in the fountains at Millennium Park.

In the American Girl store by her favorite doll, Molly.

Steve & Sierra in front of Watertower place and the Sears Tower.

In front of "the bean" at Millennium Park.


We had a wonderful time for my birthday going to downtown Chicago for the day. We went to Michigan Ave with all of its shops, Millennium Park and American Girl. It was in the 90's but we enjoyed the great trip! The fountains in the park helped fascinate Sierra along with the AG store. We also stopped at the infamous Ikea that I have grown to like so much on the way home. Thanks family for a wonderful day!

SIERRA GRADUATED FROM KINDERGARTEN

Her teacher Mrs. Sherwood & Sierra - What a wonderful teacher!

Auntie Leigh, Grandma & Nanna

The little graduate and her cousins.

Grandma trying to get the whole cap on the cake as a piece for Sierra.

Sierra & Great Grandma

Sierra's friends Sadie & Reghan came to see her graduate.

After she got her diploma from her principal.

My little girl so grown up! I loved this white cotton dress she wore for her graduation too!

Here she is singing away!

I loved this picture of her they took for the slideshow of all the kids.

The 2 Kindergarten classes together on stage.

Her cake my mom got for her.

Well Sierra graduated last Thursday from Kindergarten. She was just singing her heart out and so full of energy. I ended up being too far back for most of the pictures but I got some from another family member. She was so excited that we had a party at our house for her afterwards that she whipped off her gown once she got in her classroom and was ready to go in a matter of minutes! My mom ordered an ice cream cake for her and we had some snacks with Steve's and my family at home. I was so proud of her - not a bit of nervousness showed - even though she talked about it all week.

Well we are camping out this weekend at my parents' house while they are away for Memorial Day weekend. We are taking care of their dog and 20+ year old cat. It takes some getting used to with letting the dog out at the crack of dawn and trying to quiet the deep guttural meows of the cat who thinks she's all alone. Last night we went to a carnival at Sierra's school where all the games required a certain number of tickets. The tickets were 20 for $5. Each booth was run by a teacher and the tickets they received transferred into money for their classroom. Clever idea. There were a ton of people there being it was elementary through high school mulling around with their families. Thankfully we had put a 1/2 hour time limit on it up front. All was well until Sierra saw a clown - freak out! Ring any bells Monica? I think that gene got genetically passed down. I hate clowns ever since I saw the movie IT in high school. Mind you I'm not totally freaked out by seeing one but I don't want any in my house! Not an idea to those who visit! Anyways, we are enjoying a relaxing weekend. We love doing fires outside and having smores. No swimming this Memorial Day - too chilly.
Edit: Well I guess chilly was not in the forecast. It was in the 80's today!

Notice the flower they painted on the big toe - so fun!

We had a fun mother's day weekend. I know a week late, but what the hay! Courtney and I went out to Qdoba for lunch on Friday and then to get manicures and pedicures - pd for by Scott - thank you. We were laughing and chatting it up - I think the rest of the place thought we must not get out much :). On Saturday we spent all day cooking and baking. We took lunch to Steve's mom - steaks, corn, salad, strawberry rhubarb pie. For supper, we made bbq chicken, baked beans, pumpkin and strawberry rhubarb pies, etc. for my mom. Wow did we sleep well that night! Also a coworker of Steve's - Heidi - came by and gave me bags of clothes for Sierra - what a blessing! She now has all the summer shorts she needs, a winter coat and dresses (her favorite). Then my hubby surprised me by taking me to Ikea on Sunday. We returned our whole bathroom redo items, but it was all good. With the economy the way it is - everything is costing a whole lot more! So we took back our new sink, cabinets, mirror, and light fixture. I guess we'll have to stick with the beloved 70's hanging globe lights with chains we have now.