I Can't Believe It

It's only a few more days until my years in Moscow end.  I am a little sad about it, but the excitement of what is awaiting us is more powerful.  I leave on Sunday, after spending 10 years here.  I NEVER thought I would end up being here this long - it's the longest that I've lived anywhere in my entire life!  I guess it's a good thing that I love it!

I moved to Moscow in 2000, as a 17-year-old college freshman, bright-eyed and eager for the opportunity to get a degree.  And now, I'm leaving as a 27-year-old wife, mother, and recipient of a bachelor's and a master's degree. 

It's hard to believe that so many things happened first here in Moscow - kissing a boy, cutting my own hair, living on my own, bouncing a check (luckily that's the only one), having a cell phone, James proposed here, and we have lived in 3 different places around town, 2 kids born here. 

I love the way the town changes with the seasons - in the fall, the roads are crowded and it takes forever to get anywhere.  In winter, there are big berms down the middle of the road from the snow.  In the spring, people head outside and the frat boys on campus get out the kiddie pools, and then summer comes and the population seems to drop by more than half as so many students leave town.  I will miss living in a college town; there are so many things to do, and many of them are not too expensive. 

And I met a ton of great people and made great friends - some I lived with, some I knew at school, and some at church.  And so many of them have impacted my life in great ways - they don't even know. 

So thanks for the memories, Moscow!  I will miss you.  And hopefully we will make it back sometime to enjoy a burger at Zip's!!

Free Float Tube

Is anyone in Moscow interested in a float tube?  We tried to sell it on craigslist a while ago, but no one was interested.  And we don't really want to move it (again).  So if you want it, please call or email me and it's yours!

Free Money

Looking for a chance to win $1000?!  Go to Dave Ramsey's website here and register - he's giving away $1000 every day this month.

Good luck!

Perspective

I woke up this morning feeling a lot better - emotionally and physically.  We talked about the power of God yesterday in primary, and how prayer can help us feel that power in ours lives.  Thankfully, I did as we directed the kids to do, and it has made all the difference.

And a big Thank You! to the friend who left a treat on my porch today - a great surprise to find after our shopping trip this morning!

What Makes Them Think It's Okay?

I am SO upset!!  Someone stole my dryer!

Don't people know that there are unwritten, but CLEARLY UNDERSTOOD rules when using a shared laundry area?  And that one is you don't steal a dryer that is currently in use?!!  Why would someone think it's okay to take my wet clothes out of a running dryer and put their own in?

It's not my fault they missed out on the 3 good dryers.  I took my laundry over and had to empty 2 washers in order to use them, but the clothes had been sitting for a little while - a little bit mildew-smelling.  So I put one in the laundry basket on the washer and one on the cleanest washer.  And, as always, set an alarm so I would pick up my stuff on time.  Then I went down and switched my laundry PROMPTLY (one washer was still spinning when I walked in) and used 3 dryers so I wouldn't have to go back after 1 cycle. 

But apparently someone had other ideas.  And I don't appreciate it.

If I were a big more vengeful, I might put their DRY clothes - that's the proof that they stole my 50 cents (the cycle had run its course when I went to pick up my stuff) - into the sink and fill it up. 

(un)Fortunately, I'm not that vengeful and venting here and later to James is the only payback I will give.

Piece of Junk!!

Freebies for the Moscow Folks

We have about half of our stuff packed up ready for the move, and there are a few things that we are not wanting to take, so if anyone in Moscow is interested, feel free to come over/call/comment/email and take what you want. I put links to a few things so you have a better idea of what they are:

-- charcoal BBQ (it's black and about 3-4' tall)
-- 6' bookshelf - the walmart special my Freshman year of college

-- Rush Hour DVD

-- Hymns CD's 13-14 (has all hymns #292-341 words and music)

-- small red zippered purse

It's not much, but it's the stuff that's headed to goodwill that I thought someone might be interested in. We will have it for a little while, so if you need some time to think about it, no problem.

Wedding Bells In the Air

My little sister is getting married!

Congratulations on your engagement Stephanie!!

Making Rainbows & A Sad Day

We decided to make rainbows the other day. For each color, Maiby was given the choice of hearts or circles, and then chose where to put them - which is why her rainbow has a front and back.


And here's my rainbow, out of half circles:

As for the sad day mentioned in the title, I finished my sewing projects that I told James I NEEDED to get done, so I had to pack up my sewing machine until after we move. I'm a little disappointed, but it will be great to have that stuff out of the way in the living room!

Minor Disaster

Maiby and I went to visit my mom this weekend, since James had his Army stuff and I wasn't in charge of primary, even though she wasn't feeling too great since the middle of last week. She actually slept in the car on both drives, which hasn't happened in about a year, so things weren't too bad. Until she woke up on the way home, with about 30 minutes to go and decided that her new favorite phrase ("No, Mommy, no!") and screaming were the only acceptable options.

So we got home and went grocery shopping and then went to pick Daddy up from school, but he was staying late. And the second he told me that, I started crying. I'm blaming it on the hormones, but it wasn't very fun. I had been looking forward to seeing him and having some help with our recovering girl, but the two of us went home.

Before we went shopping, I had made some Crystal Light-type punch and it was sitting on the shelf in the fridge. When I was putting away the groceries, there wasn't enough room on the bottom shelf to put in the milk in the right spot after shopping, so I used the milk jug to push the butter over just an inch or two, and then...

red liquid EVERYWHERE!!

2 quarts (minus 1 1/2 glasses) makes quite the mess. It took 2 full-size towels and several paper towels to clean up the mess. I had been hoping that I wouldn't have to clean the fridge until just before we moved, but it's done! So I guess I can check that off the list, at least until May.

Luckily, as I looked at the red mess, I remembered a talk I heard year's ago at women's conference - there is a fine line between laughing and crying, and luckily I chose to laugh (but only in my head, because I still wasn't super happy). But it helped enough to put away the nagging thought of eating out that night.

Q & A's

So I have been trying to think of some things to blog about; there are always different ideas in my head that I think about putting down on here, but I am way too forgetful to get even half of them on here. So here's a series of questions if you are interested in knowing a little bit more about me...

1. What is my occupation right now? Mommy!

2. What color are your socks right now? A beautiful shade of Invisible

3. What are you listening to right now? Music coming from outside, The Net starring Sandra Bullock, and my dad's tv in the other room

4. What was the last thing you ate? A small slice of white cake

5. Can you drive a stick? Heck yes, thanks to my husband's teaching ability

6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My husband

7. How old are you today? 27

8. What is your favorite sport to watch on tv? Figure skating

9. What is your favorite drink? Strawberry milk, Dr Pepper, raspberry-flavored Crystal Light

10. Have you ever dyed your hair? Once or twice - I have tried almost every shade of red and orange available at Walmart, as well as bleaching a few times

11. Favorite food? Cake dough; McDonald's; tacos

12. What is the last movie you watched? St Trinian's (very weird), unless you want to count The Net (but I am only half paying attention)

13. Favorite day of the year? April 25th - because it's not too hot, not too cold; all you need is a light jacket!

14. How do you vent anger? Clench my fists, cry, talk it out with someone - depends on the situation and the day

15. What was your favorite toy as a child? Barbie & GI Joe

16. Favorite season? Not winter

17. Cherries or blueberries? Cherries

18. Living arrangements? Townhouse

19. When was the last time you cried? Not long ago, and over something silly

20. What is on the floor of your closet? Boxes, boxes, and more boxes, and a large green tote

21. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Carl

22. What did you do last night? Stayed up too late doing nothing with my sister

23. What are you most afraid of? Disappointing James

24. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Cheese (BBQ sauce can't hurt, either!)

25. Favorite dog breed? The kind I don't have to own

26. Favorite day of the week? Depends on the week

27. How many states have you lived in? Five

28. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds

29. Favorite flower? Gerbera daisy

30. Favorite song of all time? unsure - that is really tough to answer; it's probably country, though

31. Favorite book? Pride & Prejudice

32. Favorite color? Orange!

33. Favorite TV show? CSI

34. Name one thing on your bucket list? Drive an original hummer

35. Goal for 2010? Have a smooth move and settle in quickly

36. Favorite store to shop? Kohl's, Target, Walmart, Aeropostale


How about you?

My New BFF (for now)

I'm told to lay on my side, something about 'it's good for the baby' - but what about the pain in my belly?! It is so uncomfortable to sleep on my side because it needs support as it grows and grows without an end in sight.

And then the genius inside my head spoke up and said "Take Maiby's pillow!" Good idea, genius, because it is EXACTLY what I need. A regular pillow is too much, but this dolly pillow is perfection, and I am now sleeping much better.

Don't worry; Maiby doesn't know I took it, and she has another one that's identical, so everyone wins!

Paper Snowmen

Three days a week I watch Maiby's friend while her parents are in class. The other day we decided to do a craft project:

I'm not sure if it was the same day or not, but I was sitting by James on the couch the other day and he said, "Oh, cool!" So I looked over to see what he was talking about, and he was happy that the backrest for one of Maiby's toys fit just right:

Never a dull moment around here, huh?

Nothing Much to Tell

Well we've had a lot of home time this past week; Maiby was a little sick starting on Friday, but is finally back to her usual happy self (hallelujah!).

I've just been packing boxes, sewing, and reading. I can't believe how slow-going Vanity Fair is - I've been reading it for a week and just hit the 100-page mark earlier today. Which leaves me about 600 more!! At least it's a good book, and Thackeray is a pretty entertaining author.

So that's the news on our home front.

Feeling Great

Today I attended my first prenatal water aerobics class. It was so fun! I loved it! And it's not very pricey, either, which is great. If you're pregnant and live in the Moscow area, you should come. It's $25.50/month for 2 classes a week, 4-5 pm at the Gritman Wellness Center. I thought that I would be exhausted tonight, but I am actually feeling really good and am looking forward to Thursday's class.

So for some reason I was nominated for the Kreativ Blogger award from How to Become a Zombie in Two Easy Steps (thanks, Sun!); I'll tell you right now I feel she has earned the honor more than me. And as part of accepting the award, I am about to reveal 7 things you probably don't know about me.

1. I have learned to play many instruments in my life: alto sax, bassoon, clarinet, piano, organ, a little bit of guitar and flute.

2. I have had a variety of hair colors in the last 10 years. Anything from bleach blonde, orange, about 15-20 shades of red, pink, blue, green (when the blue was fading), and several shades of brown.

3. I have cut my own hair twice. From longer-than-my-shoulder to less than 4 inches. It's surprisingly freeing.

4. Cake dough is one of my favorite foods of all time; when I am not pregnant (because my husband gets mad about the raw eggs when I am), I tend to reserve almost 1 cup of dough to slurp in the 30 seconds after putting the cake in the oven.

5. I enjoy video games; I have beaten Super Mario Bros 3 on the regular nintendo (I didn't own one until I got married, so it's a relatively new feat), and have been thoroughly enjoying the New Super Mario Bros. for the Wii in the last month.

6. My second toe is longer than my big toe on each foot. It has always really bothered James. And to try to convince him that it was a positive feature about me, I made a powerpoint presentation soon after we started dating. It was about 10 slides long and full of pictures of my feet and other feet I found online that looked like mine. Great fun.

7. I have a master's degree. And the proof can be found on my diploma, which is hidden away in a box somewhere in our house; the plan is to frame it someday...

Now for my nominations (these are some of my favorite blogs), in no particular order:
1. K8 at the Foutch Coutch
2. Jade at Stellmon-sters
3. Jennifer The Craft Patch
4. Melissa at A Kiwi & an Eagle
5. Maaike at The Sixty Minky
6. Keri & crew at Sew Incredibly Crafty
7. Leslie & crew at Side Notes

And the rules for the seven of you are as follows:
1. Thank the person giving the award
2. Copy the award to your blog
3. Place a link to their blog
4. Name 7 things people don't know about you
5. Nominate 7 bloggers
6. Place a link to those blogs
7. Leave a comment letting them know about the award

Coincidence or Conspiracy?

When we got married, we were given a set of measuring spoons from two people. They were both nice and we liked the look of them, so we kept both. After realizing how convenient it was to use more than one set at a time after needing some from the sink, I opened the second one.

It wasn't long after that when I needed a Tablespoon for a recipe and grabbed one. It was bent at the handle, so I decided to gently bend it back. Unfortunately, as soon as I put a minor bit of pressure on the handle, it snapped off. Irreparably.

But we had a second set, so no big deal, right? Right. Until a few months after that we lost the other Tablespoon in an unfortunate incident with a disposal. Tragedy.

So we bought another set of measuring spoons, even though I know that 3 tsp = 1 Tbls, but it's so much easier to pour liquid from a big container (think milk or oil). And right before Christmas, our last Tablespoon attempted suicide. Luckily, James rescued it from the imminent disaster when he noticed something down the disposal. Take that rotten fate! We'll see if it survives the move in a few months...

Twiggle Box

Anyone interested in some inexpensive goodies for your little girls? Check out a new website:
www.twigglebox.com
They have tutus, headbands, hats, clips, and much more! The prices are amazing, and so are the owners.

No Excuses

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and enjoyed spending it however it turned out for you. We had a great time, and Maiby especially enjoyed being able to spend two days at each grandparent's house last week.

No Christmas card this year, though, and I have no excuses (although a good one could be that we never did get a family picture taken). Better luck next time!

Enjoy your New Year's celebrations!

An End to the Cookie Parties

Tomorrow, Wednesday, will be our final cookie party. Come on over at 315 to try a recipe that uses Egg Nog...should be tasty!

Free Bed

If anyone in the Moscow area is looking for a toddler bed, we are giving ours away...it is a blue race car bed and includes a mattress and a Winnie the Pooh sheet/comforter if you want it as well. We will be putting it up on craigslist next week, but we figured if we knew anyone that wanted it, you can have dibs.