Room Redo:: Twins

January 24, 2012 By lissa 4 Comments

When we first bought this house almost 5 years ago, every wall was white. Or beige. No joke. I have been soooo overwhelmed at the thought of decorating, painting, or anything else. So much that I have done pretty much nothing until this year! Bit by bit, things have been coming together, walls have been getting painted, projects have been completed.

Back in 2007, I did add some vinyl decal-thingies to the twins’ walls, along with some red and blue striped vinyl. It was not bad, especially for their 4-year-old selves. But they aren’t four anymore. Time for an update.

For the past two weeks, I have been slaving away tearing decorations and posters off of the walls. We have been organizing toys, giving away boxes of stuff, and throwing away bags and bags of trash.

The colors (darker turquoise, limish-green, and orange-butterscotch trim) are totally wild, but they work GREAT together. Seriously!

Before (ignore the child-labor and jammies, please):

twinsroom-before

twins-before-2

After:

twins-room-after

twins-after-2

Not too bad for an amateur, huh? I must say the twins have NEVER played in their room this much and this nicely before. It’s well worth all the work I put into it!

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Damn You, Auto Correct:: Anderson Version

January 18, 2012 By lissa 8 Comments

good luck with that one, buddy.

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hat trick

January 16, 2012 By lissa 4 Comments

I was on the phone with my business partner this morning talking about, you know, business. The twins were upstairs going through the morning routine of showering, brushing teeth, and getting dressed. It’s always a little risky leaving them up there to accomplish these monumental tasks without supervision.

They came running down the stairs, yelling out “MOM!” excitedly and I tried to ignore and held up my finger to signal that I was involved in a highly-important conversation on the phone.

Both boys planted themselves in front of me, unable to hold still because of the anticipation. Finally, I hung up my phone. They both started talking at once.

“MOM!”

“GUESS WHAT?!”

“Ashton was peeing, and he sneezed and farted at the same time!! He was doing all three at once! Like this!”

Insert farting noises, sneezing, and pee sounds, times two.

It is obviously the highlight of their day.

And probably mine.

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legendary fail.

January 13, 2012 By lissa 7 Comments

*shaking head*

Ad, as seen here.

Oh, North Dakota.

Are we that desperate for people to come visit our state? Drinks. Dinner. Decisions. Must we really promote decision-making after drinking? Men gawking at women through a window? “Hey, baby. Meet me in my room for a legendary good time!” This is like a pick-up line gone wrong {as if they ever go right}. However innocent this ad was meant to be, it is completely {hilarious} ridiculous. The ad designer and publisher should be fired and forced to move to Wyoming immediately.

Updated:

Page 12 has been deleted from the digital brochure.

Read about another WTH ad from the same campaign…

The ad is pulled, thus ending North Dakota’s 15 minutes of fame.

North Dakota Tourism’s response to the ad controversy.

 

 

 

 

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just be.

January 10, 2012 By lissa 3 Comments

I sit here on my favorite corduroy chair with my warm blanket and a steaming mug of coffee, with a computer on my lap and a cat at my feet. The kids have just been whooshed outside to meet the bus at the end of the driveway, and I sit as I do every morning for a short time. This is the most peaceful time of my day. So quiet. So un-chaotic. I love the chaos {most of the time}, but sometimes it’s lovely to just be.

I think about how I arrived at this place in my life. Many, many mistakes and lots of hasty decisions. It’s so odd to think that if I had just made one different decision all those years ago, my life may have veered off on such a different path. But, all of those decisions and mistakes added up to be so right.

I am blessed with an awesome husband, who has put up with me and my quirks for over a dozen years {not to say that he doesn’t have his!}. Children who know they are loved, get it, and are able to pass this love onto so many others. Some may think our hearts and house are overflowing, but we have so much more to give. We will open our doors {and hearts} to those children that may not know this kind of nurture. My family will be the love, acceptance, and stability that they need to thrive. I’m excited {and nervous} to see what our new journey will bring.

 

 

Linking up with Just Write.

 

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you capture: top 10 of 2011

January 5, 2012 By lissa 21 Comments

Is it bad that I still have hundreds (or thousands) of photos from 2011 to go through and edit? I may get to it by 2018 at the rate I’m going. I loved going through my files looking for my favorites. Reminds me that there was much beauty in 2011, no matter how hard of a year it was! I couldn’t just pick ten, so bear with me.

My favorite photos of 2011:

Winter.

snow-trees

Sending a message to Grandpa Barnhart.

ash-balloon

Cyndee’s tribute:

Sending messages to Cyndee in heaven.

cyndee-balloons-3

Deserted schoolhouse.

old-church

Drilling rig.

rig-491

Averie.

a girl's best friend.

ave-ballet-2

Twins.

twins-jumping-tea

i'll change the world someday

twins-jerry-can-1

Branding.

al-lucy

vaccinate!

Roadtripping.

sign-beartooth

10,955 feet

tetons-3

geyser-1

 

linking up with

Photobucket

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room for improvement {2012 goals}

January 2, 2012 By lissa 7 Comments

this photo has nothing to do with my post. it's just funny.

 

I am a resolution-type of gal. I love sitting back and analyzing what is working for me, what is not, and making plans for change. I love to daydream, and love to think of all the things I want to do with myself. If only I had the follow-through. Can I resolve to try harder with my resolutions? Kidding! {sort of}

I need a place to be accountable for my goals and where I can look back and refresh my ever-forgetful memory when I start to slack off. So, in no particular order, here are my 2012 resolutions:

For my fitness and weight loss goals, visit me at Shrinking Jeans.

Eating dinner at the table as a family, at least three times per week. We have a hard time with this. A lot of times, we are on the run somewhere between dance and basketball and choir and soccer and basketball… you get the picture. When we get home and have time to eat, it usually consists of the kids eating at the table and me sitting in my chair eating and catching up on emails or something equally as ridiculous. I am going to make an effort to eat with the kids AT THE TABLE several times a week.

Cut the cussing. I cuss. I try to not let it slip out in front of the kids, but I know that I could be much better about it. Especially when angry or annoyed.

Time management. I am planning out times for working from home, and also planning on setting aside a certain amount of time before bed each night where I pick up various clutter and junk around the house.

Establish a better relationship with Kane. I think we are off to a good start so far this year.

Keep my vehicle cleaner. It’s a disaster right now. The end.

Get licensed for foster care. See this post.

Limit my Starbucks visits to just twice a month, unless we are on vacation. Ouch. This will be tough. I love my coffee lite frappacinos and skinny iced lattes.

There you have it. I hope at this time next year, I can look back at 2012 and be happy with the progress I’ve made!

Happy New Year!

 

 

 

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a year of loss, patience, and growing

December 29, 2011 By lissa 11 Comments

2011 kind of kicked my ass. I’ll admit it. I am not one bit sad to see it go.

The losses were hard. Not that loss is ever easy, but I never expected to lose so many wonderful people in my life. Cyndee, my Grandma Krank, my Grandma Barnhart… there is not a day that goes by where I don’t think of them or miss them terribly. It’s painful to think of just how big the void in our family is without their physical presence.

This was the year we went forward with our plan to have more children. Never in a million years, did I think we would be wanting more little people running through the house, but over the years, we have grown to love the chaos, the loudness, and the crazy. Justin had surgery in March, but that story is best left to be told face-to-face, preferably while consuming alcohol. If you’re lucky, he will probably show you photos, too.

No luck with making babies, yet, but we will keep on trying! If anything, this whole journey has taught us much about patience and strengthened our marriage. We have opened our eyes to the possibility of adoption and foster care, not as second-best, but because we have taken time to see, learn and realize that our hearts have more room than we ever thought possible. We have so much love to give to more children, children who otherwise might not ever experience the love of a family.

The spring was filled with sadness, anger, and shock as we learned of certain betrayals. It was not easy making the decision we did, to cut people out of our lives completely, but it was necessary to protect our family. There are just so many chances you can give someone before you say no more to the hurt. Our family is stronger because of it. We’ve grown. We have become closer.

Having our oldest kid home the past few weeks, on Christmas break… we know that we made the right decision in sending him to boarding school. He is changing, we are changing… the tension, the anger, and the hurt on both sides, it’s better. So much better. He is excelling in school and has been given opportunities that he would not otherwise have been given, had we kept him home this year.

2011 has grounded us and strengthened our family. We have learned once again to take nothing for granted.

“She turned her cant’s into cans, and her dreams into plans.”

“Some people come into your life as blessings, others come in your life as lessons.”

ash-balloon

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two days

December 28, 2011 By lissa 1 Comment

watch. love. share.

{thank you}

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to our water angel

December 23, 2011 By lissa 3 Comments

I tell him that someone anonymously donated $500 to his Clean Water for Christmas project during the night’s sleep. He falls to the floor in shock and disbelief.

smiles. tears. lots of hugs.

overwhelming feelings of gratitude and love.

That $500? Will bring 25 more people safe drinking water, but oh so much more. TWENTY-FIVE children will have a greater chance at life. They will have the opportunity to grow and learn and pass on love and generosity. It’s so much more than just money. It’s LIFE. That’s like the twins’ entire classroom of 3rd graders being given a brighter future.

The sky is a little bit more blue today.

The sun a little bit warmer.

Thank you, secret water angel. Thank you.

Thanks to all of you for every kind word shared, every dollar donated, and every ounce of encouragement to my little boy. Our hearts are growing bigger by the day, and there are no words that can express our gratitude.

Merry, MERRY Christmas.

{if you wish to give Clean Water for Christmas, go here}

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