Just a Thought

The Tradition Lives On!

2011-01-06T03:42:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, my mom and dad passed on to my siblings and our spouses a family skill of cane-bottoming chairs; which had been passed onto them from my great-grandparents. It was amazing to say the least, and I just thought I would share with you all what we achieved!

this is the empty shell!

this is the blood I was talking about! LOL! totally worth it!

And Papa was there to witness all the fun!!!

Hannah's stool! :)

What Amos and Lacey did! Beautiful!!

these are mine and Cameron's!!!

How awesome, Right?! In Cameron's words, "we're worth more now, ya know!" and I say, "DING!" Thanks mom and dad for teaching us this fabulous skill! XOXO

Happy Birthday Mom!

2010-09-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my AMAZING Mother's Birthday!

I am so pumped- I wish I could give her the world! I have been so blessed with the most incredible, loving, and supportive parents! And, it's really hard to decide what to get my mom for her birthday, because she is truly priceless! And she gives so much- I literally feel like- just the person she is and the beauty she holds wrapped around her is a present to me and the world everyday! She is all things wonderful! I just can't say enough about her, I love her so much!

As you all know she is so great- and she remembers A LOT of people's birthday's! So if you get the chance let her know you're thinking of her and tell her HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

She is such an inspiration to us all, and I hope She has a Fabulous Day tomorrow!

She has a way of always making me smile....

Or laugh hysterically!!!!

I LOVE YOU MOM!!!!!

What a wonderful summer!!!

2010-09-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

Cam and I on my birthday!

I had the best time this summer! The weather was fabulous and the company even better!!!! It started with wonderful pool weather and ended with a wonderful weekend getaway with Cameron to celebrate our 3rd Anniversary (which is tomorrow)! We say- nowadays you have to celebrate for big reasons AND little reasons!!! :) So here is my summer round-up montage! Enjoy!!!

I did some canning! green beans!

our niece Madison turned 11! WOW can't believe she is growing up so fast!

Molly and Daisy- doing what they do best!

Hannah & I on my B-day!


Greta, Brandy & I always have a lot of laughs together! <3 Them!


I don't want to get a hold of any of this bread! I think it has taken enough victims! LOL!!!

Spent some time with Bob and Joanne, cams aunt and uncle, for a few days! We love them!

us and uncle bob!

I had the privilege of spending many days in the pool! DING DING!!

Mom jumped off their diving board for the first time!!! We are still waiting on you dad!!! :)

I canned Relish too! It was AWESOME!!!

Dad was ordained with the Wesleyans @ Family camp this year! Go DAD!!!

mom with her roman candle!

Cam and his Dad @ the Dome

I love bugs!

Diamonds!

sweet Bootsie!

moth!

This beautiful frog lives near the pool! We saw it all the time!

Dad and Hannah on their Birthday!

It is soooo wonderful to have Hannah near and dear! & May my earrings RIP I lost one of them this summer :( they were my faves...

Went out with the Youth for services @ patoka lake during family camp! Too much Fun!!

Me and Hannah @ Holiday World! I would be ok never going back there! But it was medium.....

My car did have to be towed home from Floyds Knobs a few weeks ago! But I am so thankful to have wonderful men in my life to lend their helping hand!

Cam and his truffle oil pasta trenne @ Palomino in Indy

My salad from palomino! Delicious!!!!

I look foreign! It's my Jew nose :)

Cameron I love you so much! You are my sunshine!!! XOXO Happy Anniversary!

Cam and I in our free nights stay @ the Hilton Indy!

AND The most exciting thing this summer...was a wonderful anniversary present from my parents!!!! They surprised us with this pop-up camper! which is everything lovely! And Now Bootsie can go too! We Love you Mom and Dad!

Well Some of the pictures are out of order---but that is ok! I am so thankful to live in a place with wonderful changing seasons! I can't imagine it being the same everyday!!! I am really looking forward to the beautiful scenery of fall and hitting the slopes this winter! Have a Great Day Friends! XO

Bootsie's Birthday!!!!

2010-08-13T04:11:00.000-07:00

Today Bootsie, our dog, turns 10 (in human years).

She was born on August 13, 2000 in Las Vegas, NV. So, clearly we are not her first owner- but I would definitely argue that we love her the most.

She is such an amazing dog, so smart and adorable. I love her- a lot. And isn't it incredible how much one can love their pet? We just have so much fun with her and she brings so much joy to our lives!!

we watched Cam's niece's turtle for a few week while they were on vacation..oh boo pie was so interested!!

Today I just wanted to spread some Boo Boo Love.

Happy Birthday Bootsie!!!

XOXO

My Short List :)

2010-08-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

These Louboutin's are BEAUTIFUL!!!! I love the Red Purse too! The Shades are hot- but too costly for my luck!

http://us.christianlouboutin.com/shoes/flats/ballerinas.html

http://www.thesak.com/handbags_151_200/pl/c/226.html

http://www.balenciaga.com/us/en/balenciaga/Women/Sunglasses/P-Retro-Plastic.aspx#product-details

My Birthday Cakes

2010-07-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Today, on my 26th birthday I thought I would take a walk down memory lane! My mother, who happens to be sooo amazing and I am sooo blessed to have her, always always makes my birthday cakes (and the rest of my family's too on their respective days) She always puts so much love and care in each one. Even from my very first birthday. Here I am being held by my Papa Harvey! Enjoy the pics you may even see someone you know!

Miss Piggy- of course! 4th bday

5th bday!

I think this is my 3rd Birthday! and if you look to the left there is Darren Stroud! Nice Legs! Darren and I have the same birthday and for many many years we celebrated our birthday together!!!! Good Memories!!!!

7th bday

7th bday cont.

I am sure lots of my friends from HS remember this birthday party! It was Indian themed!!!

Hannah , Dad and myself have birthdays 4 days apart so we often celebrated together!

NERDY! 14th bday

15 bday

16th b-day! Yeah this was an awesome one!!!!!

I should look happier :)

This was my Feliz Cumpleanos Pastel

these are 20somethings--hannah and mom both worked on these cakes and they are BEAUTIFUL!!!!


This was my 24th bday cake! We nicknamed it the earthquake cake! It was delicious and TRANS-FAT FREE Go MOM! She is awesome to go out of her way to make me a "healthy cake"

And this year I am having pound cake! I love you Mom and thanks so much for all the love you put into EVERYTHING you do!!!!!

Hope you all have a great day!!!! XO

Moth

2010-07-12T06:21:00.000-07:00

We found this Beautiful moth on the porch last evening! It is an Imperial moth. This particular moth is a female. The males have a lot more purple on them. There is a lot of variation within this species, they can be mostly yellow or almost look brown/purple.

Only their larva eat, they do not feed as adults.

They live in evergreen forests. Their numbers are declining in the northeastern states, and it is unknown as to why. But, there is still a strong population here in the Ohio Valley.

I hope you get the chance to run across one, now through august they will be out and about to mate so keep your eyes peeled. That bright yellow is hard to miss! :)

Independence Day!

2010-07-01T05:32:00.000-07:00

Oh the Red White and Blue- all the funny things you do-America, America-- This is you!!!!!

And I am so thankful to live in America! Freedom is a wonderful thing! Our nation may be facing a rough road, but I am still glad to be here! The fourth of July is a time to celebrate!

As a girl, we always went camping on the 4th of July, and for many years Mom would dress us up and put us in a holiday parade! The photo above is of my siblings and I in our all American attire! We loved it!

^ this is great, Right?

Ok, so after we grew out of the American-moral-boosting parades- there were FIREWORKS!!!!!!! We all love them! My Papa Bill is particularly unsafe in this area! He will shoot something off in a whip and he is one to keep and eye on! So much fun though! My whole family loves this, Hannah is a Bottle-Rocket Queen!

Cameron and I have a Favorite Firework- its called the Emerald City! If you see one buy it- you wont be disappointed. Be sure to read the warning label and set it up as specified! I also love moon rockets!

Anyway, I want to wish you all a safe and wonderful Independence Day! I literally hope you have BLAST!!!! XO

Now is the Time

2010-06-18T05:07:00.000-07:00

The idea of landfills is totally disgusting. Trash is disgusting. And believe me no matter how many people in this world recycle, there will still be trash. I say though- there could be a lot less. If your family pulled the recyclable objects out of your trash would it make room for one more day with that trash bag? Anything that doesn’t go directly in the trash also doesn’t go directly in the landfill. And I like that.

    If you are familiar with Paoli, we have a growing-wonderful recycling center. Sometimes there is a lot of cardboard or plastic that is just waiting to be put to use. I get frustrated, because I think it is great to take something and give it a second life. But where is the demand for that second life. I am demanding it. When I buy anything made from a tree- I want it to be made from recycled paper or cardboard. I don’t want to support companies who are still cutting down trees to make their products. It is not even necessary. We have plenty to be re-used. And, until people stand up to these companies and tell them to change they will continue doing what-ever is easiest and cheapest for them. These companies are not totally oblivious to the demand- I mean the makers of Sun Chips have begun offering a compostable bag now- Fantastic!

    One may argue that paper and cardboard are - degradable so what does it matter if they go to the landfill or not. And, it does matter. Things should not end up in a landfill until they have no more use to anyone. Plus, how are your paper and cardboard going to breakdown surrounded by those hefty plastic trash bags. Trust me its going to be there a while. And plastic is a whole deal in itself.

    I hate plastic. Good plastic-bad plastic-safe, unsafe. I don’t even want to keep it straight- I just want to stay away. And I do for the most part.   I know though- plastic is everywhere. I mean they use it to wrap my toaster pops, and hold sour cream, potato chips, grapes, shampoo-anything.   It seems unstoppable. One of the first changes I made about three or four years ago was to stop buying bottled water. I remember taking my recyclables, and putting in all those plastic bottles, and I was like geeze it is great that I’m recycling these- But better yet what if they never got used to have to be recycled.

Now, I filter water and fill up my safe-to-reuse-containers. I have many so we just keep reusing them. Its cheaper and it makes you feel good. Especially when you are out and you see people holding their plastic water bottles- You can know that you are doing something better and can pull out your own sturdy water bottle, and trust me you will make them check themselves! I know with the demands of everyday life- it is hard to not find a plastic bottle in my hand from time to time. But I try and see that it gets recycled.

It is not only about reusing our trash- but about conserving. Conserving our environment, natural resources, energy and money! I don’t have all the answers, but it would be great if your family tried recycling. And I am sure your kids would get into it. And it would instill in them to be more conservative with their wastefulness today and as they grow into adults.

This is my recycling set up in my house.It is easier if they are sorted before taking them to the center!

Reasons to Recycle:

http://www.nrc-recycle.org/top10reasonstorecycle.aspx

Photo Credits to: standardsusers.org & http://girlfromthehills.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/recycle_reuse_reduce.jpg

To Be or To Baby

2010-06-15T15:41:00.000-07:00

Ya know, being a married- mid twenty-something woman, I get a lot of questions about when I am going to “start a family.” And I know its not just happening to me. I see it all around me in the few remaining married- non parent friends. Trust me people, we are feeling the pressure!
I read an article the other day stating that by the age of thirty, women have used 90% of their eggs. THAT is deluxe. Because your best eggs go first. So, people all around are telling me it’s time to have a baby, AND so is my body.
However, I’m just not ready. I know there are immeasurable joys to being a parent. I know my biological clock is ticking. But, I also know it is a huge sacrifice. And I see it all around me. I’m probably never going to do anything “great” for the world, but I know I could do something great for my family, and that is to have a baby. Uh, I don’t even like saying that. But it‘s the truth. The single greatest thing I may ever do for the world is to procreate. It is just because I am that insignificant in the spectrum of the universe. Which is fine.
It is all so much to take in. There are so many factors that affect my decision. First- the children I encounter. As an overall evaluation- I don’t want my child to act like them. There are some bad kids. And bad parents. But, I do see good kids also. In between the chaos. A lot of my friends have good kids, and they are good parents. And I will be a freak parent, I already have some pretty serious standards-especially when thinking about my child’s diet. If you know me you understand. There are a thousand factors in my mind that butt-heads with each other on this topic.
Some people just have babies on a whim without even having a plan. Some are completely unplanned. What they don’t tell you when you get pregnant in high school though, is that it was one of your BEST EGGS!!!!(I’m not condoning this by any means)
Anyway, I want a plan. For goodness sakes, it takes a lot of dinero to cover the cost of having a child. Plus the whole self-sacrifice thing pretty much throws me for a loop too. I just want to be ready, so that Cameron and I can be the best parents we can be.
Sometimes I think I should just go off the pill and let nature take its course. But that is pretty scary. What if it happened at a bad time. And, I mean with all the problems women have, one doesn’t even know if they are able to conceive. I know I want to have a baby someday, that is for certain. I love my Family and I know it would make my parents sooooo happy. But definitively not today, or tomorrow.
Anyway , the next time you go to say something to a married-fertile- non-parent women, think twice, cause trust me, its already crossed their mind.

P.S. For your viewing pleasure i have included some pictures of what mine and Cameron's baby may look like someday. I hope you LOL! xo

Make Your Own Laundry Detergent and Save!

2010-06-10T04:34:00.000-07:00

I will say it, I was skeptical at first, because I love Tide, I want my laundry to have a lovely, clean smell. But, this homemade detergent definitely delivers the quality of a store brand. It is so easy and so inexpensive, so please try it! You need only three ingredients and water. Although there are slight differences in some homemade detergent recipes, below is the recipe I followed:

You will need:
a 5 gallon bucket with a lid
a vegetable peeler

Ingredients: 1 bar of Fels-Naptha ( in many recipes people often replace this with a bar of soap of their choice)
1/2 cup of Borax
1 cup Arm and Hammer Washing Soda
4 cups hot tap water

Ok, so once you have your ingredients you begin by shaving the bar of soap into the bucket. Then you add in the 4 cups of hot water. Then, using your hands squeeze and stir until the soap is dissolved. (note: some may prefer to do these first steps in a pan to help the soap dissolve quicker) After the soap shavings have dissolved add in the borax and the washing soda. Stir well. Next fill the remainder of the bucket up with water and keep stirring. There will be lots of suds and that is ok just get as much water in there as you can fit. Then cover your bucket and let it sit overnight.

The next day, open the bucket and stir really well. The detergent will be slimy, but it has a very clean scent. Because this is a concentrated formula, I take old detergent containers and fill them 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up with the homemade detergent then, just like the ones you buy in the store, I add water to fill the container the rest of the way up. Shake well. I usually re shake before use too.

This detergent is perfect for high efficiency (HE) machines as well, because it is low suds. So add a cup of this detergent to your next load of laundry and get ready to be impressed!