Makeover

So earlier in the week I was inspired by a few girlfriends & started thinking about the rooms in our home & what I wanted to do differently with them. We have lived in this house for 7 years now & it is time for a change. Unfortunately that change doesn't come cheap so I have been doing a lot of research online how to design your home on a budget.

My sister sent me a fabulous DIY blog that has been really helpful with some ideas & my friend Desiree is also very inspiring with all her lovely ideas for her babies nursery. So now my creative juices are a flowin' & I have gone around the house & made a list of what I want to re-do.

First thing - change the paint color in our bedroom. At first the teal walls with chocolate accents was fun but now it makes me want to grab something sharp & stab it in my eye. I spend alot of time in our bedroom (watching TV, reading, getting ready) & the color in there makes me feel stressed. I am going to keep the chocolate accents (curtains/sconces/photos) & burnt orange color in the master bathroom & am thinking of a warm buttercream color for the bedroom. I am also going to try & attempt a stencil design on the wall that our bed is up against. Ideas found here: KFD Design

Shane doesn't know it yet but I am going to switch out the bedroom sets also. As much as I would love a new bedroom set, they are expensive & we have 2 perfectly good sets already. The one in our master BR is pine which was Shane's set before we got married. It is a nice set but I don't care for the light color of wood. The set in the guest BR was mine & is a cherry wood. Dark wood/warm colors are more my taste so we will see who wins out on this battle :)

2) We need new carpet throughout the house. This is going to be a huge expense & one you hate to spend a few thousand dollars on but it needs to be done. I already have an idea of colors so that shouldn't be hard. Getting Shane to agree with me will be the challenge!

3) Organize our basement, finish the walls/ceiling & move the computer/desk down there. I also want to put the dogs kennels down there & make it cozy for them so I can put them there when we are gone or have company.

4) Repaint the family room & hang some new photos on the wall. Got a few ideas from here. 5) Organize closets, drawers, shelves & get rid of all the "junk" we have been accumulating for the last 7 years. Unfortunately I will have to do this solo when Shane isn't looking. He is a "pack rat" & saves EVERYTHING!!!

6) Give my laundry room a makeover & make the small space more user-friendly. I talked about doing this idea in the past & would still like to do it!

Then there are the 25 other little things that need to be done around the house so I am hoping to get a majority of the list knocked out during the winter months & not spend too much money. I will try & post pics as I go.

Thanks ladies for the inspiration! Home Depot thanks you as well :)

Week in Review

This past week hasn't been too crazy which I am thankful for after the hustle & bustle of the holidays. I was on-call for the New Year's weekend & luckily I was only called in once. Not much of a money-maker weekend but after doing this for 15+ years I prefer the quiet nights & weekends.

The hubby started on the day shift at UPS Monday so we have had to "adjust" yet again to seeing each other daily. His new hours are 6am-2:30pm. It is a big adjustment for the both of us when his shift changes but we always seem to make it work. Not sure how long he will be on this shift as they are going to be laying off people in the next few weeks so he may have to go back to nights for a few months.

On Thursday I had a Dream Dinners session & invited my friend Nickie to join me. After a fun evening of whipping up entrees together I think she is sold :) I just LOVE taking part in DD & love to share the wealth to others when I find something I believe in. I am hoping that her family enjoys the meals as much as we do here at the Taylor household.

This weekend has been a lazy one as well - which has been much needed after the craziness of Dec & I may or may not have spent the entire day on Saturday in my PJ's. I had nowhere to go, nowhere to be & wasn't on call so I thoroughly enjoyed the lazy day. The hubby was alert & oriented & awake ALL day so it was a nice change to have him around rather than working into Sat morning & sleeping the majority of the day.

Today is another lazy day of vegging on the couch & watching sports: Chiefs play at noon & KU basketball follows. I just love these lazy weekends :)

Hope you are all have a fabulous weekend as well! Looks like the KC metro area is going to get 5-7" of snow tomorrow!? Makes for a lovely drive around the KC area while going to & from work :(

Baking Tradition

Every year, I plan a day around the holidays & bake my little heart out. I pick out 6-7 different recipes, throw on an apron, put the iPod on shuffle & spend all day mixing & stirring & baking & taste-testing the finished product. Once all the sweets meet my approval (and Shane's), I then assemble a little bag or plate to give to my neighbors in our cul-de-sac. It is something I look forward to doing every year & I am sure my neighbors look forward to being on the receiving end of my treats also :)

Unfortunately, the holiday baking was a bit delayed this year. I usually clear my calendar the Sunday before X-mas to bake up my goodies but since I was sick that weekend, I had to postpone it. I was on-call for the New Years weekend & figured it would be a perfect time to continue my annual tradition.

This year I tried a few new recipes & stuck with some old "favorites" as well. Here is a pic of all my hard work before I assembled the plates of goodies:

There are sugar cookies, PB balls, Oreo Truffles, PB Blossoms, Cherry Almond cookies, Almond Joy Balls & Turtles. Mmmmm - so good! (If anyone would like any recipes please feel free to email me)

And here is a pic of what I gave to my neighbors:

I am hoping I didn't "break" anybody's New Year's resolutions by delivering treats after the New Year?!?

Top 2

Top 2 Favorite Items of 2010

When I think of my 2 favorite items of 2010, it isn't big purchases like a car or a laptop or a camera. Instead my favorite items are inexpensive & practical & I love them both:

1) Fleece sheets - just saying those words out loud you might automatically think "no way - sheets made out of fleece would be too hot" but I would have to disagree. I LOVE to curl into bed & be surrounded by these plushy, soft, warm, fuzzy, little-piece-of-heaven sheets. I would have to say sleeping in these sheets is like laying around in your fleece hoodie & jammie pants - they are that awesome! And with these on our bed, I never have to worry about jumping into a cold bed ever - they stay warm ALL the time!

2) my Dansko clogs - in my line of work I am on my feet ALL day long & will wear down a pair of tennis shoes in 3 months. Buying tennis shoes 4-5 times was getting expensive so I finally broke down & invested in 2 pairs of Dansko clogs (one in tooled black leather - below & the other in brown oiled leather). I work at 2 different hospitals so I am able to keep one pair at each location. Since I have started wearing these shoes, my back & legs no longer hurt & I haven't had to purchase tennis shoes ALL year! I also love how I am so much taller while wearing them :) And another plus - I can deduct the purchase on my 2010 taxes - NICE! I am definitely glad I made the investment - they have been worth every penny!

2010 Rewind

As we near the end of 2010, I like to look back on the year & all that it offered. That is the nice thing about keeping a blog! I find it hard to believe that this will be my last blog post of the year - of the decade! It's been an interesting year for us - a lot of good & a little bit of bad. But for the most part, we leave 2010 behind us feeling blessed, thankful for our family, our friends, our health, our jobs & thankful for the roof over our heads & money in our pockets!

Here is a recap of what went down in 2010:

January - I got to meet my newest nephew Cael: February - one of many fun nights with wonderful girlfriends:

March - Mama got a new "toy":

April - Vegas Baby: May - celebrated our 6th year anniversary:
June - my little brother was finally married: July - attended my 20 year High School Reunion:
August - celebrated another birthday:
September - spent Labor Day in Mitchell, SD with my family: October - road-trip to Minnesota for my nephew Cael's Baptism: November - trip to Wisconsin for my nephews' B-day party: December - spending the month with those that mean the world to me:

And there you have it. So long 2010.....hello 2011!

Here's hoping you all have many blessings & a wonderful, healthy & happy New Year!

Hugs to you all - HT :)

X-mas Party #4

Tonight I was supposed to be going over to my girlfriend Deb's house for the 4th & final Christmas party of the year with my girlfriends but the plans changed slightly. Instead, the x-mas party got moved to our favorite "happy hour" mexican restaurant - Rudy's! Why? Because my dear friend Deanna was in town & what better place to go than to our old stompin' grounds!

Deanna was home for the Christmas holiday & it was SO good to see her & catch up over margaritas while we reminisced about the good old days! Seeing her makes me miss her even more & it was sad to say our goodbyes & see her go :( HK & I are hoping to make it down to Austin, TX to see her in the spring! As always, we managed to get a few photos: L to R: HT, Deb, HK & Deanna

Oh how I love these girls :)

Christmas Whirlwind

On Thursday, Dec 23rd I headed up north to South Dakota to spend Christmas with my side of the family. Shane unfortunately had to work into Christmas Eve morning so he was unable to go with but was quite content staying home for the weekend tending to the furry kids & enjoying some peace & quiet!

I went over the river & through the woods to my mother & father's house I did go - all in about 7 hours time. When I walked through the door, I was greeted with hugs by two very cute little 3 year olds & it warmed my heart. Oh how I have missed those little punkins!

Once I got settled in, I let my niece open her birthday present which I have had since her birthday on Nov 27th. It was a "princess set" which included a dress, tiara, gloves, jewelry, a purse & glass slippers & she didn't hesitate in trying it on:So cute! She wore that outfit the rest of the night! Score one for Aunt Heather! The rest of the evening was spent visiting & catching up with family & playing with the little ones. We all turned in early as everyone had been traveling all day & as I laid down for the night, I said a little "thank you" prayer that everyone had made it there safely.

Friday was Christmas Eve & proved to be a very busy day for all of us. We began our morning by spending some time all curled up on the couch watching cartoons with the kids:

After lunch, we all got bundled up & headed outside for some sledding, cross-country skiing & LOTS of fun:

Joslyn & Tanner all bundled up (above)

<-My sister Jen, husband Ben & Tanner

Heather & Tanner ->

My niece Kyra & Joslyn (below)

After our afternoon outside festivities, we warmed up inside & got ready to make our way down to Parkston, SD for Christmas Eve with my dad's side of the family. I talked about this yearly tradition here & the same tradition occurred yet again & was enjoyed by all.

After dinner & the gift opening, we managed to get a rare photo with my grandparents, most of their grandchildren & great-grandchildren - 3 generations:

<-My nephew Lane

My sister Jen, me & nephews Tanner & Cael ->

And our Christmas Eve wouldn't be complete without the homemade vanilla ice cream w/strawberries! I just love tradition....

Once we got back to my parents house, the kids put a plate of cookies together for Santa & even included a carrot for the reindeer to snack on. Then it was time for the little ones to go to bed & for Santa to make his appearance. We got all the presents under the tree, left some cookie crumbs behind on the plate for Santa & took a couple bites out of the carrot :) Then we too were off to bed anxiously awaiting the kids reactions to Santa's visit in the morning.

Christmas morning was spent sleeping in until 7am - much to our surprise & the kids were very excited by all the presents under the tree. They had so much fun opening all their gifts from Santa & the big kids even had a few presents under the tree.

After the gift opening, mom cooked everyone a fabulous breakfast & we spent the rest of the day hanging out, playing with the kids & all their new toys & just enjoying time with the family.

Later that evening, my grandparents, uncle & a family friend all came over & mom fixed a yummy dinner of turkey, BBQ'd pork ribs & all the sides. Eating a great dinner & visiting with family was a wonderful ending to a most fabulous day.

Sadly, on Sunday morning I said my goodbyes to the family & made my way back home to Kansas. Upon starting the SUV, this is what my temperature gauge said:

And it felt every bit of 3 degrees! It was a lovely visit with the family but I was looking forward to getting back home to the hubby & the furry kids. Hard to believe Christmas has come & went already - definitely a whirlwind of a weekend & I loved every minute of it!

Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas weekend with your families as well!

Holiday Travels

I'm off to South Dakota tomorrow morning for 4 days of holiday fun with the family. Sounds like there is going to be snow up through Iowa so it could get dicey. Please pray I make it there safely!?

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday with your families wherever you may be spending it! Will return on Sunday & update the blog shortly after with lots of pics & this weekends happenings.

Merry Christmas to you all :)

Pukey

On Tuesday, Dec 14th I posted about how I was off work sick for a couple of days with a cold & now it is a week later & I still feel pukey. I don't feel bad enough to NOT go to work but I don't feel 100% either. The dry cough is gone but I have tons of drainage & a sore throat along with feeling no energy & am extemely tired all day long.

So while I was at work today, I ran up to the Family Practice Clinic to be seen by my favorite family practitioner Dr. Teegarden. I needed to be seen anyway to refill a couple of prescriptions, order some yearly labwork & just do an overall check. During the exam she noticed my tonsils were red, swollen & had some pus pockets on them - eeewww :( Like I said, I didn't feel that bad but she still fussed at me for being at work with tonsils that looked like that. Who knew!?

Come to find out, my glands were very swollen, I had a low-grade fever & the throat swab results came back saying I have strep throat (lovely pic of A streptococcus on the left in lime green attaching themselves to healthy cells) NICE! No wonder I have felt bad this past week!? Probably have had a low-grade fever for over a week now! SO I left there with a prescription for a Z-pack & went straight to the pharmacy to get it filled. As much as I try to avoid going to doctors & being on antibiotics, I am thankful I went in. I am heading home to SD for the holidays & will be loving on little nieces & nephews & would hate to have passed this nasty bug onto them! My sister & SIL can thank me when I get there :)

Fast forward to 8 hours later & I awake from a deep sleep with instant nausea & run to the bathroom. Ended up getting sick (sorry for the TMI) & went back to bed with an upset stomach. Damn antibiotics. For something that is supposed to be good for you they can sure make a person feel like poo :( So I am at work, it is time to take another round of antibiotics & I am nervous for another "repeat episode" of last night. Thank goodness I only have to be on these for 3 more days!?

It is the holidays, I still have tons more to do before I leave town & I don't have time to feel this yucky! Hopefully I will start feeling better soon & the GI issues remain calm for the next few days!? And to all who have come in contact with me this last week - I am sorry :( I didn't know. I pray you all remain healthy & have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Hugs...

Top 2

Top 2 Favorite Christmas Memories

1) To this day, I don't think my mom knows this but growing up I would always make it my mission to find the "hidden" X-mas presents. "Santa" was pretty predictable year after year so they were usually found deep in my parents closet & I would "sneak a peek" at what was to be wrapped under the tree...every year. Sorry mom :( On Christmas morning there were a few surprises so I wasn't always able to see all the gifts! I also used to pick one gift under the tree not from Santa & would slit the tape open to see what it was & would ever so carefully tape it back up. LOL - definitely naughty was I :)

2) Growing up we made alot of holiday traditions & they have continued on all throughout the years. My siblings & I have grown to "expect" these traditions & when they change, it is not accepted well by any of us.

It all starts with Christmas Eve. We usually go to the evening service, then head over to my grandparents house where my aunts, uncles & cousins would gather for a late meal & gift opening. Every year we all sat in the very same spot & my aunt Denise would hand out the presents....always! Then after the gift opening, we would have homemade vanilla ice cream with strawberries along with many other desserts! It is always a treat that everyone looks forward to on X-mas Eve!

On Christmas morning, my siblings would wake everyone up at the crack of dawn & we would gather around the tree & open our presents. After the gifts were all opened, we grabbed our stockings to see what was stuffed in them. Then my mom would make everyone a fabulous breakfast & later in the afternoon everyone headed to a movie & when we returned home mom was making yet another fabulous meal for dinner.

38 years old & we still stick to these traditions every time I go home for the holidays. I hope to instill these kinds of traditions with my children & provide them with many pleasant memories as I have throughout the years.