January, welcome!

2012 is here! We have faith that this year will be better than 2011! We learned a lot, suffered a lot, and loved a lot in 2011 but we can do without the major surgery, cancer, chemo, hair loss, fatigue, stress, pain, tears, etc....

Like I said before, my surgery is on Jan 24th. I really hope that the Dr is able to perform the surgery with the Da Vinci surgical system. I am looking forward to having this done and gone! Hopefully this will take care of the wonky tumor markers and the new symptoms I have been having, similar to the last time my *other* ovary started taking up a lot more space than it should have. I have started getting cramps, bloating, having pain, and some other weird symptoms that come along with this. 

I have grieved and mourned the idea of having a hysterectomy, I accept that it needs to happen and that I would rather be alive and well without all of my reproductive organs, then not live with them! I just hope that the mourning I have done for my girly parts carries over after the surgery and I can move swiftly along.

We are pretty busy around here, work, school, melt downs (mine, though I have been melt-down free for about 2 weeks) and house hunting! We found the PERFECT house in Plain City but as luck would have it, someone put in an offer the day before we were going to!!! We are [in]patiently waiting two weeks to see if the other buyers were able to purchase the house. It almost breaks our hearts to move, we love our ward, friends, and neighbors. But this former country girl needs space! And a goat! Yup I want a pygmy goat and even though I may get away with having chickens here, I doubt I can hide a goat.

We are also looking into adoption from Mexico!!!  Hopefully in June we can get the ball rolling! My aunt is graciously helping us with all the logistics. When it happens it will be a dream come true! We already have names ready to go! Also if anyone does know of anyone that has a child up for adoption, please send them our way.

We wish everyone a wonderful 2012 full of blessings, love, and happiness!

Love,
Gary, Samantha, Ben, Mossy, Petunia, Shrek, Molly, & Cookie! 

Whats been going on here...

After posting last night I realized I haven't posted since January! It's not that there hasn't been anything to say, but time and energy run low most days for me.

In January I had that awesome stomach flu...that was fun.

In February I had an ear infection, Sinus infection, Strep throat, Bronchitis, and I got diagnosed with Asthma...still kinda fun.

In March I went to my gyn for my annual and a 13cm cyst was found on my right ovary, they gave me birth control to see if the hormones would shrink it. After over a month and three other appointments it only got larger and more solid. I saw a different doctor who wanted to operate as soon as he got my blood work back and MRI back. Well, he did get all the stuff back, but now the "mass" is mostly solid and no longer a cyst. It has its own blood supply. It is 15 cm X 13 cm X 11.2 cm....not so much fun.

On Monday I have an appointment with an gynecological oncologist, my blood tests came back negative for cancer, but they say there is always a chance because it is changing so rapidly....this really sucks.

Soooo, this is where I'm at. 

My sweet Garbear has been doing what he can to make me feel better, but he is worried and it's taking his toll. He looks very stressed, so me sick + work stress isn't a good combination for him, but Im so thankful for him. 

Shinin' the sink!

Isn't my sink shiny? For about 3 weeks now I've been using Flylady's "flight plan" and Im loving it...the sink has been shiny and dish free for 3 weeks now!

Every night the dishwasher is turned on and I empty it in the morning...I can't believe how this small habit has made my house seem more clean :0)

This is the 1st of the Flyladys steps that i have adopted, Im looking forward to adding more to my daily routine. Is it sad that I'm excited to keep my house clean?

Dinner will not be served....at the dinner table

Instead of buying all of our plants at a nursery this year, we decided to start our own! We bought those Jiffy seedling starter kits, some for tomatoes and some for regular plants (I guess tomatoes are the only ones that deserve their own starter kit?), seeds, and some brown paper looking pots for when they are ready to be transplanted. It's been fun watching them grow, but I think we may have gotten a little carried away....

We had to move the table next to the window so the plants could get as much sun as possible.

This is why we can't eat dinner at the table until mid-late May!!

My closets!

I need to organize my remodel pictures, as well as take some of the finished rooms...forgot to do that! But here are the closets I am soo excited about!!

The beginnings of our new hall & the hall painted, and closets done!

It's been so long

A lot has happened since January, well a lot has happened to our house. Were remodeling the basement! It's going to be great! The basement is already finished but there was this really long narrow room that was wasn't functional, so it ended up as a "storage" area.

We split the room into two and now its two smaller rooms plus we added a hall and two extra closets for storage! Each room has a 4' closet too! If you've ever been in our house you know there is ZERO storage room. So I can't help but be excited about all these closets!! Oh and Gary added cabinets at the top of the stairwell too!! Yay for storage!

The sheetrock is done, now Gary is attempting to do crown moulding in "my" room (I claimed one of the two rooms to do whatever I want to it! And I want crown mouliding!)

Pictures will follow soon!

We also agreed that this will be the LAST renovation we will do on this house!! I have waited for Gary to agree to this for a long time! 

It seems like it's been forever since Ive blogged, not that Im great at it, but I enjoy reading what I write :0) And having a scrapbook of our life.

Camo Everywhere!

Duck hunting season is upon us and it shows! My house is constantly plagued by fake geese, ducks, and camo...anything. I wish Gary could get out and hunt more than he has been able too, he really enjoys it. I also wish I enjoyed it more... but he has all my love and support. Gary has had to work so much lately. I feel like I don't see him anymore, except to hand him his lunch in the morning and kiss him good night. He deserves some guy time. I hope he gets it soon.

On a related note: we belong to a trap shooting club! And I actually like it! I'm excited to learn more. The club meets on Thursdays and Sundays, we might have to switch to Thursdays cause in January we'll be back to afternoon sessions for church :(

The geese butts have heads, they are somewhere else in the house!

My favorite picture, the table at the door entrance has always been a catch-all for everything, but its taken on a new meaning lately... In case your wondering, that weird black thing is a duck call.

Soup please :0)

Since fall is here, it's soup and stew time! Problem is, we can only eat so much chicken soup and beef stew (those are the only recipes I know and trust) so if you have some yummy soup & stew recipes please share them!

Im done begging ;0)

Mom!!

My Mommy was here!

She got here on the 30th and left this evening :( I am so sad, I already miss her so much. She is so much fun to have around, I love having my mom around, she makes me feel like I can conquer the world. All my troubles disappear when she's near. Also, Ben was in heaven with his new buddy. He's been sulking all evening and keeps going downstairs to see if she is there. I hope we get to see each other soon...I really really miss her.

Salsa!

About 2 weeks ago we decided we should do something with all the vegetables in the garden...Salsa! So we started slaving over the cutting boards and stove.

About 8 jours later, with burning hands and watery eyes we managed to crank out about 20 pints and 7 quarts. It was really worth it cause the salsa is so yummy! We left 10 pints up stairs and 4 is all thats left. I don't think we made nearly enough to last till next summer.

Rockers & injuries

Yesterday, we went to Lowes to buy some furniure for the porch, it was a toss up between these rockers and adirondack chairs. I thought the rocking chairs looked way better on a porch and the other chairs should be in the back yard. Im glad we deicded on these cause we love them! They really make the porch look like a "porch". I just need to go get some small plants and pots to put on the tables. or maybe just one....either way. Im excited!!

Two weeks ago Ben jumped out of the back of the truck...while it was moving. He was so excited to get to his grandpas that when he saw we were near he jumped out! All we saw were legs & ears rolling down the hill. I jumped out of the truck to get him and to our surprise he started running to Garys dads house! He still wanted to play!! So he got kinda beat up, this is the worse, cut/scrape he got. But its still so yucky. I hope he's ok. (mom this is for you to see)

It tastes like a bagel, but.....

Today, was a sad day. I failed at my first attempt to make bagels:(

I followed the directions to a"T" but my bagels are UGLY! (they do taste great though)

The directions said to "sprinkle" cornmeal on an ungreased cookies sheet...well Im now having to remove the bagels with a jack hammer, next time I will grease the cookie sheet!

After they rose for the 1st time...the dough was super sticky. Is it supposed to be? So this was the best I could do.

Who knew you had to boil bagels before you baked them? Yes the pot is bent, I dropped it, it still works though.

The final product! Yes, you can laugh. I am.

They do taste good though.

Its done!

The porch is finished! The white stuff on the cieling is the soffit stuff I was talking about, Ben decided he needed to enjoy the porch as well.

My new blinds!! I got these at Lowes for about $11 a box!! I have always wanted plantation blinds. Granted they are not custom, but for $11 a box I couldnt pass them up (I was able to get enough for the whole house!!). Thats the view from our bedroom to the front yard.

Gary on the Porch

So now that project is done! Were almost done with the closet in the bedroom!! I promise one day, I will have more to post other than house stuff!

Painting the bedroom

I should call this "The Elliott home improvement blog" since that's about all we do...but we enjoy making our house look good and when the time comes to sell hopefully we'll see the rewards.

We have been wanting to paint the bedroom since we moved in 2 1/2 years ago, but other projects took precedence. So this rainy weekend we finally got around to it! 3 of the walls are Popcorn Ball and the other is Riviera Sand

Excuse the mess, as of this morning, were still putting stuff back together.

Vote For my Bag!

I "designed" a resuable shopping bag for Smiths. If my bag wins I can get a $1000 gift card for groceries!! So pretty please vote...everyday :)

Thanks so much!!

http://www.designareusablebag.com/vote-for-designs/bag.aspx?BagId=50&banner=smiths

Thank You Thank You Thank You Thank You :0 )

A Porch Story

Enjoy my attempt at a slide show!

The Porch is FINISHED! Well, almost...there is still some stuff that goes on the cieling part to cover the trusses, I think its called Soffit? Anyway, other than that the cement part of the porch will be tiled as soon as the weather gets better. And then it's done! Gary stained & sealed it yesterday and it looks fabulous! Its ready for furniture! Im ready for furniture, Iced Tea, and Summer!

Thanks Gary!!

I am DOMESTIC!!

Why is this pillowcase so special? Well, I made it!! On my new sewing machine! I am so excited! Now it is no where near prefect...but its usable :) I have another yard, so I'll make a matching one. Then I have some more play fabric, Im hoping to get at least 2 sets done by tomorrow. Then maybe I can actually make "something". My sewing machine is AWESOME!! It has so many stitches...its way fun to play with!! Well I just had to share :)

New Year

Christmas came and went, we spent it in New Mexico with my family. I had a good time, sometimes trips dont go as planned though, I ended up disapointed, but thats ok. I'll make it up when I go back in March to have a Scentsy Party!!

I did get to spend my birthday with my family though and that was awesome!! We had lunch at EL TACO TOTE. I love the name! And the food is amaaaazing!

Gary & my cousin Criste

Me and CristeUs and Criste's baby Aylin

We also spent a few days in Prescott, AZ. It was really pretty. The best part of the trip was just being able to relax. We also stayed in Kanab, UT as a half way point between AZ and home. That drive was beautiful. I can't beileve I forgot my camera!!!

When we got home, we found our lovey baby waiting for us. He had been at the kennel the whole time we were gone and so happy to see us!! Here is a picture of him, that night sleeping with his new bunny.

We also tackled the project of redoing the back bedroom. The biggest chore was taking it from a storage room to a bedroom. We took the border down (this room was the previous owners nursery). We also fixed some holes in the wall and repainted...popcorn ball!! I have become very fond of that color. We also did the kitchen & dining room in that color. We will be painting our bedroom that color as well (I bought to much paint).

It's still a work in progres, but I like it so far :)

Construction is on hold, after being home a week I got strep and a bad ear infection. Those days Gary was working overtime while I was sleeping. Well luck would have it, Gary is now sick! The poor guy has a viral infection that has settled in his vocal cords and sinus'. He's miserable because there isn't anything he can take for it, except cough syrup. Soon enough we'll be up and running around again.

Gary comes home!

I just talked to Gary and he gets home tomorrow!!! Its been 3 weeks!!! Ben and I are SO excited to see him!!

A little bit of fall!

The snow finally melted and it feels like Fall is finally here!! So with Fall comes some more decorations, I'm not very good at this whole decorating thing. Mostly, I don't have time to try and see how things will look together.

Gary is really good at arranging stuff but he's out of town, so it's all up to me. So I wanted to share these pictures cause Im proud of my little accomplishments. The bobble pumpkin I got at TaiPan. I must say I love that store! I spend way to much money every time I go in there!!

That copper pot/vase thingy always gets different flowers with every season/holiday. So maybe I do keep up a little with decorating. The bowl on the coffee table also gets something new in it (I bought all that stuff at TaiPan too :)Gary is back out of town so its just me and Ben again. I took him to Petsmart for a bath, now he's shiny, smells good, and is relatively shed free for a few days.Ooh some good news...I am now down 5.2 lbs since I bought the Wii & Wii fit!! Not a big loss but I'll take it. School is insane as always...both schools, school school, and school work, the latter keeps me way more busy than studying. I never thought working full time and school full time would be this exhausting! I need to hire someone to clean my house!