One Year!

You guessed it...it's been a year since we moved into our new house! The holiday season is upon us once again! Can you believe it? It all seems completely surreal. This last year has been a complete whirlwind. We settled in...and here we are. NOW WHAT? :)

I will post more later on what we've been up to but I couldn't let this day go by without acknowleging our one year "anniversary" of sorts. It's a milestone! We love our home (most of the time). Yay to "Living the Dream"! :)

What are you guys up to? How are you preparing for Christmas? I've already recieved a box with gifts from my dad...and my mom said she's sending something already. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE and what did you do with my parents???? LOL!! To say they are "on the ball" is an understatement. It just goes to show how CRAZY this time of the year is and people are wanting to get things taken care of early so they aren't dealing with the madness that comes along with the season at the last minute. I should be one of THOSE people. I'm working on it. At least I've got some shopping done! It's a good headstart.

OK...it's late and I need to get to bed. Happy December everyone!! Hope you are all living YOUR dream wherever you are.

Nan XO

Oh Snap!

It has been exactly 4 months since I blogged! Wow! The time flies...what more can I say? So much has happened, I'm sure, but I'm not going to get into all that just yet. I'm exhausted after working on the house for 5 days straight. Tony and I decided to try and paint the house this summer and after much thought and consideration, realized we wouldn't be able to do the whole thing this year. We resigned ourselves to doing the worst two sides...the sides that get hammered by the weather and had the most damage. To make a long story short, much scraping, sanding, caulking, painting and cursing ensued. LOL! We are almost done with the two sides...we finished the hardest side yesterday. Needless to say we are EXHAUSTED! It started raining yesterday so we are getting a much needed reprieve.

On another note, football (pre-season) started tonight and our beloved Seahawks won against San Diego. LIFE IS GOOD!!!!!!!!! :) Fall is right around the corner, y'all and we are STOKED that the NFL got their you-know-what together and there's going to BE a season!!

Jake starts junior high in 3 weeks. GULP! I can't even tell you the ANGST I am suffering over this. One minute I'm super excited for him...the next minute I feel like I'm throwing him to the wolves. Schoenbar doesn't have the *best* reputation. Sigh....can I throw up just a little bit?!?

We got a kitten back in May...much to my dismay she is driving us INSANE. She is 100% kitten and she's cute as heck. Her name is Tillamook, "Tilly" for *short*. The boys came up with that one....named after our favorite brand of ice-cream. :) She has been very entertaining and Jacob loves having a pet again. It's nice that he's old enough to clean out the cat box...that is a PLUS!! :)

OK...I'm going to cut this short for now. Time to get back to relaxing after a hard-working week. More to come in the very near future!! Hope y'all are having an amazing summer!!!

Hugs! Nan XO

To Blog...or Not to Blog

If you'd like me to continue blogging...please leave a comment below! Thanks!! Nanette XO

TGIF

Funny...TGIF doesn't really apply when you are on vacation. But it *is* Friday and my staycation is rapidly coming to an end. And anyone that REALLY knows me...knows I haven't even touched that pile of boxes downstairs. Yeah...the ones I took the picture of. Lame, I know. But you know what? I really don't give two hoots about it. I have worked upstairs on some boxes that needed my attention so the week hasn't been a complete loss. And like Tony said, everyone needs time off once in a while! So, that being said...I have been enjoying doing a whole lot of nothing!! The weather has been nice and we've been out and about a little bit...but there's been a whole lot of TV watching, internet browsing, and napping going on!! Happy Vacation to ME!! And, I *do* still have a few days left before going back to work so there's still hope I'll get to some of those boxes shortly. :)

Has anyone checked out the book contest I mentioned previously? Manic Mommy is up to 37 books so far!!!!! And there's still 6 days in the month left!! I am OBSESSED with winning all these books. LOL! I did end up going to the library the other day and getting one of the books b/c I was just so curious about the author and her reading style. I checked out "Something Borrowed" by Emily Giffin. I could NOT put the book down and read it in like 2 days. So, add THAT to my vacation list...I read a novel!! And I didn't PAY for it...even better!! Anywho...MM is talking about having two winners for the contest since there's so many books. The selfish part of me says "No way, Jose...I want them ALL!" But the practical side of me says "I could live with that...it doubles my chances of winning, right?" LOL...I really *do* like the idea of winning them all, tho. I am SO selfish, y'all. I don't wanna share! Waaaa!!

It's almost time for breakfast so I better run. Tony is making french toast and bacon. It smells SO GOOD in here this a.m. How lucky can a girl be?!? The kids are over the moon happy, too. They've been eating a lot of cold cereal this week. You didn't think I was going to cook every morning, did you? I've been doing a full-on dinner EVERY night. It's amazing what having an extra person in the house will do...motivate you to make sure there's food on the table every night. It's much easier to do the leftover thing when it's just the 3 of us. Three more nights and our guest is gone and life goes back to normal. :)

Hope you have a great Friday and an even better weekend! Hugs~ Nanette XO

Too Much Stuff

In case you haven't figured it out...this is the "abyss" that I have to work on this week. I tried going in there today and got so overwhelmed I decided I'd wait til Tony was home to cheer me on. I started working on some boxes that were upstairs. Getting into THIS MESS is going to be tough. I have too much stuff to say the least!! Anyway, as you can see...I wasn't kidding when I said I had a lot to do. So far, I'm getting very little done. It's so nice to just do NOTHING once in a while!!

Tony and I are both home starting tomorrow so I know I will make a huge dent in this before I have to go back to work. I need to get an early start and just jump in and DO IT. Feel free to come over and help if you are so inclined! And perhaps maybe someone should stop by at some point to make sure I'm not buried alive...like on that show "Hoarders". I'm just sayin.

Night!!!!! Nanette XOXO

Staycation

Mornin'! Today is Day 1 of "Staycation". I'm not counting the weekend b/c I got nothing done over the last two days. LOL! Today is probably going to be a bust, also, since I have a doctor's appointment today and so does Jake. By the time I go to mine, get home, and take Jake to his...the day will be lost. I *am* up early, tho, so maybe I'll get a few things done before I have to leave. At any rate, it is SO nice to be home and I'm trying not to think about what's going on at work. I am hoping this week is enough time to get thru all my stuff and get unpacked. I haven't even gone downstairs to look at the mound of boxes yet.

Anywho, we had a nice weekend and the weather was GORGEOUS! Spring is definitely here. We had lots of sunshine and almost 50 degree temps. There's still quite a nip in the air but the sun felt wonderful. We have a friend of Jake's staying with us so Saturday we did some running around and went to McDonald's for lunch. It was an all-around good and busy day. We managed to do some recycling and getting groceries for the week. We also went to the library and I actually checked out a book! I haven't done that in YEARS! I am tickled over how much money I am going to save myself by doing that more often! :)

Sunday was not quite as busy. I ended up going back to town for a few things and ended up with a whole nother cart of groceries...LOL. Apparently, I didn't get enough the day before! Funny how that can happen. Then I went over to see Julie...she'd had a birthday on Friday and I had a gift for her. So, back to the old neighborhood I went...I sure miss living down by the water!!! Anyway, after getting back from Julie's I took the boys up the hill from the house to get them outside and away from video games. I had never been up there but it was such a beautiful day that it was the perfect time to check it out. I knew there was an empty lot up there...sure enough there is!! Tony had said there was but I had never checked it out. So, Jake and Gabe kicked the soccer ball around and I visited with the neighbors for a bit...they were out working in their yard.

Speaking of my neighbors...have I ever mentioned that we have the NICEST neighbors in the world? OMGoodness!! They are awesome! Patty is going to help me with my yard this summer...she's going to show me what's what and what I need to keep pulled as far as weeds (cuz I have NO idea what I'm doing.) She also told me she'd help me plant some bulbs in the fall. I CAN'T WAIT!! I've never planted bulbs...I've never had my own yard for that matter and I am so excited to start working out there and enjoying the fruits of my labor. I'm so looking forward to everything blooming and coming alive again. I will be sure to take pics of everything and post them on here. :)

OK...I think I'll take advantage of being up early (Tony is getting ready for work which is why I'm up at all!) I'll check in with you all later....and post a pic of my mountain of boxes before I tackle them.

Happy Monday!!! Nanette XO

Here Ya Go

Here's the blog/website I told you about with the book giveaway. I am sharing it under one condition. In the event YOU win a book or two...or especially ALL the books at the end...you MUST share them with ME after you are done reading it/them. Deal? Thanks, Y'all. Love ya!!! Happy Reading!!!

www.manicmommy.blogspot.com

No Time Like the Present

It's 6:05am on Saturday....A.M!!! I woke up coughing my head off and didn't want to keep Tony up so I decided to head for the couch, drink some water, and go back to sleep. No.Such.Luck. I remembered the blog I've been going to daily written by a gal who is doing a book giveaway every day and I got so excited to see today's book I decided to log on. She's in Arizona so I knew she might have it posted. Anywho..sure enough, I was right. And today's book sounds exciting! If y'all are interested, go to www. Oh dang it...I'll have to look it up and post it later. At any rate, this gal is giving away books every day...sometimes more then one book...sometimes two, and the other day she posted a whole SERIES of 5 books. Here's how it works...you leave a comment daily to win the book of the day. Each time you comment you are eligible for a final drawing at the end of the month to win ALL the books. EVERY SINGLE BOOK....the motherlode of books, if you will. This makes my heart skip a beat, y'all. If it's one thing I LOVE...it's books (especially if they are new...and free!!) Books to me are like shoes to other women. I think I love them more then even Pampered Chef...and you KNOW I love me some PC!!! Anyway, I will post her site on here later...I did NOT mean to ramble on about THIS, believe me!!

So, it's been a while since I posted. A lot has happened since then...the most obvious, the tragic events in Japan. It has weighed heavy on my heart...can you imagine dealing with? Not to mention the loss of life...and the nuclear disaster which just seems to get worse every time I turn the news on. I was greatly concerned about my cousin and her new baby but quickly found out (Thank-you Jesus for the iPhone!) that the area she is in wasn't hit too hard by the earthquake and there was no Tsunami in her location. To make a long story short, she just posted last night that she and the baby are getting out of Japan asap. I think the biggest fear for the civilians there at the base (her hubs is a Navy man) is running out of supplies. I would be lying if I said I wasn't relieved she's getting the heck out of there!! Love ya Rachel!!!! Anyway, it seems silly to post about trivial things (such as books above) when such serious things are happening around our world today...but life goes on and you can't dwell on the negative or walk around being depressed, right? I can donate to Red Cross, I can pray...there are many options! But most of all...I can LIVE MY LIFE because life doesn't slow down just because of an earthquake somewhere 5000 miles away. (I totally made up that number...sorry.)

So, enough about that...I did my 3 days of obsessing over the news and freaking out...I'm MOVING ON....and so should YOU if you are still worrying about it. :)

Today is the first day of "Staycation". I will be posting a pic later of the ginormous amount of boxes that I have to tackle during this time at home. And the weather has decided to cooperate. We are going on our 3rd day of sunshine...it's been GORGEOUS. This will come in handy when it's time to haul stuff to the second-hand store soon. Yep....as I unpack, if I don't NEED it...or LOVE it....It's GONE. I cannot wait!!!!!! No more hoarding for THIS hoarder!!!!

As I type this it is getting light already...it's not even 6:30!! Even with the time change, the day is starting earlier and earlier. Do you know what this means? SPRING HAS SPRUNG!! As I mentioned, we are on day 3 of clear, sunny weather...Yesssss! As we approach the "Spring Solstice" I am left to wonder "where the heck did winter go?" Seriously....THAT is how fast it happens around here. One day we are having snow and the never-ending winter....then the next day it's sunny and 40 degrees! It is nothing short of awesome to know we survived another Alaskan winter. LOL!! April 6th will mark my 21st year since moving here and I can't believe I've done that many winters...amazing!!

I guess I should talk about other happenings since my last post. We had Jake's final "Parent-Teacher Conference" for elementary school last week. I can't believe it was the last one!! I did not realize there wouldn't be another before the end of school. Just another reminder of how fast the year is going already!! Anyway, Jake is getting all As and Bs in school and is doing really well. I think he will transition well to Jr. High next year...I can't say the same for his mother. Gulp! He is such a nice, sweet boy...but I've already caught glimpses of the "teenager" in him and I am somewhat frightened. Recently we had to school him on how to really shower now that he's starting to "stink"....they ALL stink so I don't feel bad in saying it. LOL!! Boys are just SMELLY....so accept it and move on!! Anywho....so yeah. We are in full "pre-teen" swing but I am loving every minute of it. I know it won't be long before my "baby" wants nothing to do with me. Sniff** I asked Tony last night if he'd like to have another baby....LOL!! It was a weak moment...what can I say? And before y'all get too excited...IT'S NEVER GONNA HAPPEN. That ship has SAILED...so again, accept it and move on!!! LOL!!! Tony and I enjoy our sleep FAR too much to go thru that again. We can barely keep up now...just sayin'. Making and having and raising babies is for the YOUNG. :)

OK...I keep getting off on a tangit. Sorry! So yeah...it's been a very full week and a half. I have been working really hard at the office getting ready to be gone for over a week. I did not realize when I asked for this week off that we also have the 28th off so that's a nice little bonus for me. I get a full 10 days in a row off PAID. Many might be wondering why I didn't head south to see family and get off the island. Well...all I can say is I have SO MUCH to take care of around the house that NEEDS to get done. Plus, I just don't have the extra money for airline tickets right now. That is really the bottom line, I guess. Even when I was looking at PFD tickets back in October it was still like $500 to get to Portland!!! That's a SALE ticket????? I think not. So yeah, I'm spending my vacation time at home...and I'll probably take more time off this summer to paint the house. Did I mention having to paint the outside of the house this summer?!? OH YEAH...fun times. Welcome to home ownership!!!!!!! Thankfully, we have many friends that have offered to help as well as offered up equipment to use. We will definitely be taking them up on their offers!!

Wow...have you guys been watching American Idol???? Who are your faves???? This has become the highlight of our week (sad, I know!) I'm still rooting for Scotty, of course, but I have fallen in love with a few others. Stefano is my "home boy". He's from Kent...which is where I'm from (before moving away to Mt. and Ak.) He is wonderful!! So talented. My other fave is Paul...he just makes me smile when I watch him. They are ALL talented in their own way...it's been so fun to watch! What else are you guys watching out there? We love reality TV...we also watch Survivor and The Amazing Race. Course, right now, March Madness has begun. The Huskies won again last night....not sure they can beat Carolina next...IN CHARLOTTE!! WHAT??????? Sigh. We are big sports fans...the ultimate "reality tv"....or should I say "the original" reality tv? LOL!!!

OK...enough of my yammering for one day. I will let you get on with your Saturday. I am hoping to do some catch up as I promised of some pretty neat past "happenings" (as my gal pal Debra likes to call it) now that I'm home for a bit. It will be a nice break from unpacking which I'm sure is going to get REAL OLD, REAL FAST! It's a lot of work...I'm just sayin'. Allrightythen.....have a great weekend and keep Japan in your prayers...they need it!!!

Namaste~ Nan XO

Another Monday

Well it's Monday again and I don't have a whole lot to report. I will mention, however, that it is finally warming up here and spring should be here soon. It was 4o degrees yesterday...a heatwave compared to what it has been! Yahoo is what I say! It froze overnight and was freezing this morning but the sun is out so I think it's going to be nice again today. Maybe I'll get out for a short walk. Wouldn't THAT be lovely? I should have gone yesterday but I was feeling lazy. Sunday should be a day of rest, right?!? That's what *I* say!

So, yesterday, Jake had an opportunity to go shooting at the gun range with some friends. It sounds like he did very well and enjoyed himself. Some guys in town are going to start a "shooting league" for kids after Spring Break...they will even supply the guns. I am hoping Jake will be interested in joining...I think it would be a great experience for him and he will learn a lot about safety. We don't have guns in OUR house, but I know there are many people that do and if and when he comes into contact with them, I want him to be smart and safe about it. He has also expressed an interest in hunting. If and when he gets the chance to go (not with us but maybe some buddies) he will know what to do. I am so grateful there are people out there willing to take this on and get these young ones on the right course towards knowledge and safety! Tony and I aren't into the hunting scene so this allows another avenue for our son who is very much interested. Course, he doesn't realize yet he has to EAT whatever he kills. Based on that venison roast we ate...maybe we'll just have to give away anything he brings home. :)

OK...I've procrastinated long enough. I'm diving into Monday y'all.......Love and Hugs!!! Nan :)

Wow!

I hope this link works....whoops! Wrong one...hold up!! :)

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/video/default-ap.aspx?cp-documentid=5551bc25-6a0c-a7cf-92ba-8f25ef8a7ddc

OK...that should take you to a video about last night's "Idol". I haven't watched it yet so I will be seeing it for the first time with all y'all. At any rate, I know I went on and on about Idol already but last night's show DID NOT disappoint. It was over the top GOOD!! Tears were shed over this program much to my dismay. How do you get so into a program that you physically shed a tear over it? Maybe I was just tired. Maybe the song that Stefano sang moved me...Yeah, Yeah...that's the ticket!! If you missed it....SIGH!!!!!!!! YOU MISSED IT!!!!!!!!!

Anywho...that's all I got for now. TGIF!! Nanette XO

P.S. After just watching the video...I must apologize for all the other garbage that's on there. Oh...and YES...my fave, Scotty, is obviously in the Top 10 and YES...I was worried!! LOL!! A lot of my other favorites made it as well but there were a few that didn't and it was SAD!! Sigh....

March 3rd...Really?

We got a massive amount of snow last night and I'm not the least bit happy about it. When I say "massive"...I mean just enough to stress everyone out but not enough to keep us snowbound at home. Grrrrrr.....it's MARCH for crying out loud!! I think we have about a foot accumulated in our driveway which we will have to shovel tonight. Normally, my neighbor takes care of it with his 4-wheeler/plow combo but he was nowhere in sight this morning. Not sure if he's out of town or what. But anywho....that means we'll have to dig ourselves out when we get home. NOT my idea of a good time. Thankfully, the snow is pretty powdery for the time being so it shouldn't be too difficult...just annoying. And, of course, we were dumb enough to buy Tony a little front-wheel drive car that is useless in this kind of weather so we are carpooling these days. Enough said about that. He tortures me and makes me listen to Rush Limbaugh all the way to town in the morning!!!! Double Grrrrrr!!!!!!

Anyway, in other news...American Idol was on again last night and it was the girls' chance at the Top 10. They were AMAZING!! We counted at least 9 out of the 12 that ROCKED IT...but there's only 5 spots and 7 will go tonight. You MUST tune in!!! This is GREAT television y'all!!! I am SO hoping my picks make it thru. I really like Ashton, Thia, Kendra, and that country girl...her name is slipping my mind. At any rate...they all deserve to be there and it's going to be heartbreaking to see their dreams crushed tonight when they get sent packin'. BUCK UP LITTLE CAMPERS is what I'll be screamin' at the TV. :)

OK...I suppose I should get some work done. That's all I got for now. Have a great Thursday and I will be catching up on some blogging later with pics from past events that I have failed to provide you with.

Take it easy, y'all.....XOX. Nanette

American Idol (Slow News Day...Sorry!)

Let me introduce you to Scotty McCreery!! America's newest rising star (imho) in country music!! My #1 pick on American Idol this season...GO SCOTT!! :) I know, I know...I'm a geek for watching "Idol" but it truly is one of the best shows on television this time of year. Tony and I miss football SO BAD right about now so it's nice to have something we both enjoy watching so much. My soft-spot for country music has drawn me to this contestant and I really believe that American Idol or NO American Idol...he is going to go FAR in the country music business. He makes me sqeal with delight when I hear him sing. He has God-given talent and is a breath of fresh air amongst the others in the group...althought MOST of them are amazing in their own right. If you aren't watching already...it's not too late! The talent this year is incredible and I think we will be happy no matter WHO wins it this time around!

Rollin' Into March...Under a Deep Freeze!

Wow! I can't believe it's been 9 days since I last posted! And March? WHAT? We would expect that spring is right around the corner but it's been SO cold out it doesn't seem possible. Over the last several days we have experienced a roller coaster of weather and it's just about to get worse. I heard this morning that it's been almost 3 weeks since it rained....which makes sense because it's been either clear and REALLY cold or it's been snowing. Hard to believe for this time of year in SE Alaska!! Rain isn't ideal...but at least you don't have to shovel it!! :) Anyway, so we've just been hanging on and staying warm and waiting for spring. Jake can't wait for spring break...and ME TOO! I've decided to take the week off work to finish unpacking the house. Did I mention this already? I probably did...oh well. Just consider it a "reminder". It will be my first (and hopefully last) "staycation". Google it if you don't know what that means. I can barely stand the thought of actually staying HOME when I have an entire week off work but 1. I NEED TO UNPACK!! and 2. I DON'T HAVE MONEY TO TRAVEL! (That's what happens when you buy a house!) Sigh...enough said on that one. I swear, tho, if I hear ONE MORE PERSON tell me they are going to Hawaii I just might SMACK 'EM!! Seriously!! What is the deal with EVERYONE going to Hawaii lately?? SIGH!!!!!!

Anyway, work has been crazy...we've had two new candidates come thru in the last week and we hired one today. We recently lost two therapists (3 actually) so we've been short staffed as of late. But today, we offered a job to a very nice therapist named Annie. She comes to us from Seattle and she fits right in. She even loves rain! I guess I should back up a bit and mention that we also recently hired a very nice man from Idaho....and we like him too. So, we are slowly getting back on track and will hopefully hire one more therapist soon to be completely staffed. It's been a bit stressful to say the least...it always is when people go and new people come in. You have to start all over getting to know them and their "style" etc...etc....it's quite a "dance". It's not easy and sometimes you get very attached (which stinks when they leave!!). We can't help but become like a family down there...a great, big, diverse, dysfunctional family!!! LOL!!! I'm kidding...it's not always dysfunctional. But if you know anything about Mental Health...you know what I'm talking about!!

But enough about work...I try really hard these days to put work behind me and focus on enjoying our new home. I haven't done any new projects since finishing the bathroom. Unpacking is my main focus for now. I need to get the guest room together also...which I'm rethinking these days regarding the "location". Right now it's right under OUR bedroom...I don't think it's going to "work". LOL!! There's NO privacy for anyone. I don't want to make Jake give up his room...and if I use the other room downstairs I will HAVE to paint...and right now it's DARK BLUE. It would be a big job to paint it. Sigh...I guess I don't have to paint right away but it's so darn ugly!! I want the guest room to be an "oasis" so to speak. Maybe that will be project #2. Actually it will be #3 since the room is currently FULL of boxes...and I'm not even kidding. I will have to take a pic so you will see what I'm up against in the next 3 weeks.

Jake is doing great in school...I feel I should mention that. I can hardly believe he's in 6th grade and almost in Jr. High. We have a teacher conference next week...then spring break the week of the 21st...then before we know it school will be out. Holy Cow...the time FLIES!! Only good thing about that is it will be SUMMER!! I can't wait for summer...my favorite season. Course, between painting the house and working out in the yard...there won't be much time for enjoying it. I do plan to try to get to Petersburg in July to see my friend at her family's cabin right on the beach. She has 4 kids and it will be paradise for Jake. I also want to get over to POW again to stay with Jaqie and her dad and hopefully do some fishing. We'll see....that's a ways off and just a DREAM at the moment. It's not as if the ferry is "cheap" and getting the time off work will be a challenge...only b/c I will need time off to paint the house when we get nice weather. PLEASE LORD...let it be a nice summer!!!!!!! Amen!!!!!!!

OK...I better go check on dinner. I can smell garlic coming from the kitchen. Just thought I'd drop a little line before too much time went by. I heard there's a big storm heading our way so maybe I'll have something exciting to report next time I'm blogging.

Hope you all are well and I'll see you soon!!!! XOXO Nanette

P.S. One exciting thing of note...the days are getting LONG!! It's getting light really early now and it's not dark until after 6pm. This is EXCITING...and...drum roll please...I have SURVIVED another winter in Alaska y'all!!!! AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! I deserve a fricken medal....Yep. :)

More Snow...

Our view this morning after waking to unexpected snow. As annoying as it is...it's still really pretty! Guess we are in for the never-ending winter. Ugh! At least I don't have to go to work today. Happy Monday!! :)

Recap

So, big daddy came home on Wednesday and all is well in our world. The week was VERY busy for me so it was super, duper awesome having him home so I didn't feel overwhelmed between work and taking care of everything at home. I spent a few nights, with Tony's help, getting my guest room somewhat "squared away" by removing the majority of the boxes (they went in the other spare room!) so I could put an air mattress in there for my gal pal, Jaqie, from POW. She had made plans to come to "town" to help see a friend of ours off who is moving north (a coworker of ours). I got both the room and the bathroom downstairs set up for her arrival. She came over via the ferry on Saturday morning. It's been SO great having her here. I tell her she's my "sister from another mister". LOL! I'll have to post about my trip over to POW last summer to stay at her dad's lodge. It was DA BOMB. But more on that later. At the moment, Ms. Jaqie is preparing a venison roast she brought over from her island. She also brought us more halibut as a gift....AWESOME! Last night we had our little "going away party" so to speak and today we've just been vegging out at the house. She leaves tomorrow...sigh. It's never enough time when we are together...but it just makes the time that much sweeter when we do have the opportunity to visit.

At any rate, tomorrow is President's Day and our office is closed. Yay!! I do have some work to do, however, as I have decided to take Spring Break week off and I need to keep up my hours in order to have the time to take in March. My plan is to unpack the ungodly amount of boxes still downstairs to be unpacked. I can't take them being piled to the ceiling in the other spare room down there. I am going to be so busy this summer I want to get it all done now...it will free up so much time later. I also can't find some things I'd really like to have!! I am excited! I'm also going to keep my friend, Cathy's, kiddo while she goes out of town that week so Jake will have someone to hang with while I'm busy unpacking etc....Cool beans!!

Anywho....that's about it for now. We got a ton of snow last night...more so in town than out here which was strange. Whatever...it's just ANNOYING. It cleared up today, tho, and the sun came out. It was super nice out today...gorgeous with all that fresh snow on the mountains. :)

I suppose I'll wrap this up and see if Jaqie needs help in the kitchen. I'm going to try and post a pic of her from my trip last summer. :) OK...I just did that and it shows up on top of this post...SIGH. Blogger is SO aggravating sometimes!!!!!! Oh well....that's my girl from POW. Isn't she cute???

Peace-Out!! Nan XO

Here it is!

And VIOLA!! No more ugly wallpaper....the color I chose is really pretty even tho it's hard to see in this pic. I plan to find a cool picture to go above the toilet to spruce it up in there.

Any suggestions on jazzing up my vanity? Can you "refinish" a vanity such as this one? New lights maybe?? Help!!


Thank goodness that wallpaper is GONE! Are you feelin' how much I hated it? I'm planning to get a little cabinet for towels etc to go in this space which is behind the door.

Found these uber cute hooks for the shower curtain. I need a new rod, tho...that one is HIDEOUS and dated. I also plan to get a skookum new shower curtain to add character...this plain, white one just isn't cutting the mustard in my opinion.

Thanks for visiting and come again for more pics of our new, humble abode!!! XOXO

Just a quick Hello....

So, it's been about a week or so since I started blogging again and so far I've only gotten 1 comment. Hmmmm...has everyone given up on me? Just kidding...I know it won't be long and people will figure it out. At any rate...Tony gets home from POW today and I'm SO excited! Seems like he's been gone a week...even tho it's only been a few days. :) It's just not the same without daddy around!! Jake misses him terribly when he's gone. I kept myself busy with redoing the bathroom and entertaining my friends I don't usually get to hang out with. Jake had a friend over Saturday night but has done well entertaining himself and hanging out with "just mom". Not sure if you all know this...but if Jake had to make a choice at home...Dad would win EVERY time. LOL!!

Anyway, I'm hoping to get pics taken of the "new and improved" bathroom as soon as I finish "pimping it up" and looking it's best. I just need a few more things. If I could replace the UGLY floor it would be the shizzle. But alas...THAT'S not happening any time soon. I still need to finish unpacking and getting the guest room ready. I think I'm going to have company this weekend...I better get crackin'!!! :)

OK...I just wanted to stop in and say "howdy" while I had a few minutes. It's really cold up here today (27) and is suppposed to stay cold and possibly snow some more. We got quite a bit more 2 nights ago. Our house gets more than most people cuz we are *just* high enough above sea level now to be ANNOYED by snow. :) I sure do miss living down by the sea!!

Alrighty-then...have a great Wednesday and I'll catch ya later!!! TTFN~ Nan XO

Projects....

The "projects" have begun now that we are home owners. I couldn't wait to dive in and take care of this seriously ugly bathroom. This is the "main" bathroom upstairs...as you can see it needed a little TLC to say the least. My friend, Buffy, helped me take down the wallpaper and give a much needed facelift. The wallpaper came down and fresh paint went up. I picked a PERFECT color and I'm very excited at how it turned out. I will take "after pictures" and post those next. :) This is the highlight of this last week...well THAT and Tony and I will be reunited tomorrow after some time apart. He's been working on POW. Our anniversary was yesterday...16 years!! Happy Anniversary to US! :) Stay tuned for more blogging and more pictures. Night y'all....XO.

OK...I like Killer Whales and all..but this is a bit much!!

OH LOOK! We took the paper down...just to watch it take a bunch of paint with it. YIKES!! Good thing Buffy was there to teach me how to fix that little problem. I learned all about hot-pink spackle, too!! Fun times!! :)

Our View

Looking out from the "front" of the house. As you can see we have a wonderful deck that we will be enjoying this summer. We get a LOT of sun during the day when it's nice. Despite the power pole...it's not a bad view at all. :)

Our New House

These are just a few pics to wet your appetite. These two rooms are on the upper floor. The first is looking into the "formal" living room from the kitchen. The second is obviously taken from the living room looking back into the kitchen. As you can see, we have a lovely wood stove in the corner that I plan to use once we get some wood. I took a pic of the ceiling just to show you that it's not all wood in the living room...our ceiling is white and we have lovely beams going through that give it a vere "lodgey" type feel. I love it...it's very cozy and comfortable in this room and we spend a lot of time in there! And last but not least is the kitchen. It's a bit narrow but it has been updated and has more room than what it looks like in this pic. It's perfect for us and I love it. I could definitely use more cupboard space...but is there ever really enough?!? LOL!! Sometimes I think there would never be enough no matter how much I have. :) I also plan to paint the kitchen at some point. The color is yet to be determined. Anyway, there is a lot more house but it will be a process getting all the pics taken and put on the blog. Be patient with me!! I will post some pics of our view next...taken on a sunny day. Not as good as our last place but still VERY enjoyable just the same!! Over and out~ Nan XO

A Must Read for Today....

http://wwwwordsfromwillow.blogspot.com/2011/02/water-skiing-first-and-last-time.html

This was sent to me today by my BFF in Anchorage...written by her SIL, Cherrie. SO FUNNY! My mom is always telling me that I'm funny...but I don't hold a candle to this lady. Enjoy...and may your heart be just a little bit lighter today for it!!

Love and hugs, Nan XO

Snow....

The view from our front deck! Normally you can see the water beyond all those trees.

Super Bowl Sunday 2011!

We awoke February 6th, 2011 to a snowfall we weren't expecting (or all that happy to see!) It continued to snow all day and evening and we had about 6 inches on our deck by the time it was all said and done. Fortunately, we have the best neighbor up behind us that keeps our hill plowed pretty well in these conditions. Thanks so much to John Krosse and his 4-wheeler!! YOU ROCK!! At any rate, it was pretty to look at and once it cleared off last night we got a gorgeous, sunny day today. Our bitter cold weather is usually accompanied by lots of SUNSHINE....Yee Haw for that!!! :)

Monday...Again!

Mondays come WAY too fast in my opinion...and the older I get the more I realize that two days off a week just isn't near enough! Our weekend FLEW by. It seemed busy yet uneventful. We made a trip to town and hit all the usual spots...Safeway, Madison, USPO. It was a decent day outside with no rain so that was nice. We ended up not getting anything at the hardware store (as usual) because we are so overwhelmed each time we go in there that I get frustrated and want to leave. There's so many choices and when you don't know what you are doing or what you need it makes it NO FUN!! LOL!! I'm sure we'll get over it once we get serious about fixing up the house. We have to paint next summer!! Yeesh!!!!!

Sunday we were slow to get up but when we finally did we saw SNOW! This came as a bit of a surprise b/c the weather has been mild with rain and 40 degree temps. Needless to say, it IS still winter so we shouldn't have been shocked. It continued to snow a LOT up on our little hill. We just stayed in and did more chores and got ready to watch the Super Bowl. Our friend, Tracy, came out and watched with us...we were VERY happy the Steelers lost. :)

I did manage to take some pics of the inside of the house which I will post later. I also plan to do some "catch up" blogging as well. I have many pics to share...can't wait!!

Well...I suppose I should get on with this Monday before the day gets away from me. Oh!! I decided last week to give up coffee. I'm doing what I can to "de-stimulate" myself. My resting heartrate is WAY too high these days due to lack of exercise so I'm doing what I can to bring it down. I thought not drinking coffee might help. We'll see!! So far I'm doing OK. I've never had more than 2 cups a day so it's not like I'm giving up a whole lot...just enough to be a little "healthier". :) I've moved on to Decaf Tea...Earl Gray is my favorite. SO GOOD!!!

That's about it for now...see y'all next post!! Have a great (and warm) week!! Hugs, Nan XO

Happy New Year!

OK...So I'm a little slow wishing everyone a Happy New Year...but I'm HERE and that's all that matters, right? Not to mention...January went so dang fast it makes my head spin just thinking about it. As most of you already know, we just bought a house so between Christmas, working, and getting settled in to the house the time has flown on by!

As I was preparing to do my Christmas letter recently, I realized I could just go to my blog to refresh my memory of our year (2010). NOT!! I quickly discovered I had only blogged like 4 times last year!! WHAT THE?!? LOL!! I knew I was BAD...but that is just SAD! So, I am going to REALLY make an effort this year to blog accordingly if for nothing else so I can reflect back at Christmas time when preparing my yearly letter. Sigh....you know what it's like after 40. You can't remember ANYTHING it seems.

Anyway, I'm not going to get into too much at this moment as it is Saturday and there is a LOT to do (always) and I need to get on with this day. But, I wanted to touch base and let everyone know (if you don't already) that LIFE IS GOOD. We are feeling very settled in the new house despite all the boxes that STILL need to be unpacked. I am overwhelmed any time I look in the two spare rooms that are filled with boxes. After working all week, I just want to do very little on the weekend. I *do* need to get my guest room ready, however, in the event someone wants to come visit. It would be quite embarrassing to have a 5 bedroom house and NOT have a bed/room for someone to sleep in.

So, on top of getting unpacked and all the regular daily stuff we have to do, we are dedicating ourselves this year to getting more exercise and getting in shape. We bought an elliptical recently and really enjoy exercising on it. It is going to be my goal as well to get outside more once the weather turns...maybe do some hiking up behind where we just bought our house. Not sure if there are any trails per say...but it might make for a good workout to just get up in the woods and check things out. :)

Wow...this is probably the most boring post of all my postings!! LOL!! Just consider it an appetizer to future blogs that will hopefully be more interesting. I should probably get going...we need to hit the hardware store (our new favorite store now that we own a home.) I hope you all are doing whatever you enjoy on the weekend...even (and especially) if it means laying on the couch watching the Food Network all day (which is what I'd rather be doing!!)

Love and Hugs from Alaska!! Nan XO