The Wilkins Way of Life

Life Updates

2012-02-08T17:20:00.000-08:00

Clearly, I haven't had much news worthy of a full post lately, so here are a few tidbits instead.

I got an intern.
I've never had an intern before. In fact, I still feel like an intern myself, even though I've had a "big girl" job for almost three years. I was just getting used to becoming a supervisor of one person (the multimedia guy who joined our staff last July) and now, all of a sudden, I'm the supervisor of two! I had three internships in college and learned important skills from each of them. I want this experience to be beneficial to my intern, and I feel a bit of pressure to make it interesting and fulfilling for her. She knows she's my first intern, so hopefully her expectations aren't too high. She just started last week, so we'll see how it goes!

Levi got his own gear at work.
This is actually more exciting than it sounds. The recruits have been wearing hand-me-down gear, and their new, personalized gear was passed out today. It's especially neat that Levi's name is printed inside. It's really his! It looks super new, though (obviously), and he's not allowed to wear it until after the "live burns" in academy so that the newbies look ridiculous once they start shift work at the stations in April.

Molly turned two.
According to the paperwork we got when we rescued her, Molly's birthday is sometime in January. It's convenient that we got her January 27, 2011 when she likely just turned 1. So, we decided to say that the day we got her is her "birthday." She is a big girl now, 2 whole years old, and we've noticed her mature almost daily. We can now trust her to stay inside all day by herself and not chew anything (though I'm not sure how many days of being cooped up she can handle!). We love her companionship and have enjoyed having her for the last year!

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll get a few home projects finished soon and have something to blog about!

Classy Lady

2012-01-16T15:06:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, Levi's mom got Molly some (fake) pearls:

2011

2012-01-12T15:36:00.001-08:00

Well, I realize I'm way behind on the 2011 wrap-up post, but better late than never, right? 2011 was a big year:

We got Molly.
I took on more responsibilities at work and got promoted to being a supervisor.
We celebrated two years of marriage.
We went to S. Padre.
I endured nine months of casts to recover from a foot stress fracture.
We went to Pagosa Springs - twice.
Levi finally got his dream job.
We bought a car:

If measured, I'd say 2011 was just as big a year as 2010. 2012, you've got a lot to live up to!

Newsworthy

2012-01-12T11:00:00.000-08:00

(click the picture to see it larger)

Quick and Easy Chicken Parmesan

2012-01-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

After working late today, meeting Levi at the gym after I got off and not getting home until 7 p.m., I needed to whip up a dinner that was quick and easy. Almost everything on my meal list for this week needed to be defrosted or crock-potted, so I decided to get creative and make what I like to refer to as "poor man's chicken parmesan." (or chickie chickie parm parm, as referred to on Parks and Rec)

Here's how you do it:

Cook frozen, breaded chicken nuggets in the oven (about 3/person for approx. 12 minutes). While the chicken is cooking, boil spaghetti noodles. Drain spaghetti, dip portion of pasta onto plate, top with chicken nuggets, pour jarred spaghetti sauce on top, add a slice of provolone (or mozzarella or parmesan or whatever kind of cheese you have!) to finish it off. Microwave for a minute or so until sauce it hot and cheese is melty. Enjoy!

It's Official

2012-01-03T19:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas in the Mountains

2011-12-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

Levi and I just got home from visiting his dad in Colorado for Christmas. It's always been a Wilkins tradition to go on a snowboarding trip around Christmastime, but this year was a little different. Now, Levi's dad owns a house in Pagosa Springs, which made the trip easier.

We first visited Pagosa in October, and just one trip later it's already beginning to feel like our home away from home. It was fun to go snowboarding this year and think about how that is the mountain and those are the ski runs we will revisit for years to come.

I was pretty proud of my snowboarding skills this year. After not having boarded in two years, I was worried that I would fall every ten feet. However, I was pleasantly surprised that I didn't fall down on any of the runs, and I only fell once getting off the lift (a BIG accomplishment for me!).

Levi and his dad, Steve

Me and Levi

I also got to try out my baking-at-high-altitude skills. I have to say, I'm glad I don't live at a high altitude all the time, because changing recipes is a pain! Almost every ingredient must be altered, as well as the baking temperature. Despite all that, baking chocolate chip cookies at high altitude was a fun and yummy challenge.

The only thing missing from the trip was a hot tub. I told Levi's dad that I'll give him a year to get settled, but there should be a hot tub by next Christmas. We'll see!

A Creative Christmas

2011-12-29T09:43:00.000-08:00

This year, I decided to make several of the Christmas gifts I gave. It was an effort to save some money and also give more thoughtful gifts. Pinterest filled me with inspiration, and I quickly fired up my sewing machine, hot glue gun and kitchen utensils. Here are some things I made, along with their tutorial links.

Coffee Sleeves

With Starbucks gift cards, of course!

http://craftystaci.com/2011/01/10/reversible-coffee-cup-sleeves/

Bath Soak

http://www.flamingotoes.com/2011/01/spa-scrubbie-and-bath-tea-soak/

Cookie Jars

I put this jar of cookie mix with a plastic Christmas platter, snowflake pot holder, red spatula and Christmas cookie cutters to make a complete gift.

http://www.loraleelewis.com/blog/?p=9435

Sewing Kit

This is the tutorial picture. The one I made was in a slightly larger mason jar with more sophisticated fabric and a fabric store gift card inside (along with the rest of the sewing items).

http://www.momtastic.com/diy/168161-diy-mason-jar-sewing-kit

Infinity Scarves

I failed to take pictures of the ones I made, which were solid apple green and solid plum.

http://comeonilene.com/2011/10/17/american-apparel-circle-scarf-knock-off-tutorial/

Superhero Cape

I made one of these last year, and it was such a hit that I made three this year!

http://www.soyouthinkyourecrafty.com/2008/01/super-tutorial/

Santa Hat Party Mix

Yummy, but a pain to make!

http://cookiesandcups.com/santa-party-mix/

Why, hello there. Who are you again?

2011-12-22T14:13:00.000-08:00

Since Levi's last day at EMSA on the 14th, we've had an interesting transition. For example, last Saturday Levi and I ran errands all day and had a great time talking and laughing with each other. We both felt so freed just knowing that we'd get to have days like that more often for months and years to come! But, when we got home, I (subconsciously) plopped down on the couch, turned on the TV and starting ordering Christmas presents online, looking at Pinterest, etc. About two hours later, Levi pointed out that I hadn't spoken to him since we got home. Woops! I am so used to doing my own thing when I'm at home (because I've gotten used to being here alone), that I didn't even realize I was completely ignoring him.

As Levi so eloquently put it, "It's like being first married and learning how to live with each other all over again, except it's harder the second time because you don't have as much emotional good will." That's pretty accurate. I think we both expected to be having a blast with each other all the time when Levi's schedule changed, but it turns out that life still happens.

We also discovered that in our eight years together, we are just now experiencing the largest amount of time we've had together ever. It's weird and wonderful all at the same time. Despite our occasional frustrations with each other (that everyone has with people they live in such close proximity to), we are loving seeing more of each other. I never really considered it, but we could have had a much, much worse transition.

Here's to many more days, weeks, months and years of spending time with my wonderful husband, Levi!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

2011-12-19T10:41:00.000-08:00

I won 1st place in the office decorating contest and bragging rights and $20! My sash is super fun and says "winner" on it. I think I'll display it in my office for the next few months.

I'm pretty sure I'm going to win the decorate-your-office-for-Christmas contest

2011-12-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Levi's Job Update

2011-11-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

Levi found out last week that his first official day with the Norman FD will be Jan. 3. He turned in his notice to EMSA this week, and his last day will be Dec. 14. As excited as he is to start this new chapter as a firefighter, he admitted there are some things (mostly the people) about EMSA that he will miss. I'll tell you one thing neither of us will miss - the schedule! It will be interesting to see how long it will take me to miss the four nights/week I currently have to myself. In the mean time, I'm looking forward to trying out the seeing-each-other-every-night schedule (at least for the first four months while he's training).

Bootlessness

2011-11-11T07:54:00.000-08:00

In all our excitement about Levi's new job, I forgot to mention that I'm no longer wearing the boot! Now I get to wear this stylish "flipper" (as Levi calls it):

Only 2.5 more weeks until I get to wear a real shoe again! It's been an eight-month healing process, and I'm glad it's coming to an end. I haven't felt much pain since I switched to the flipper, mostly just muscle soreness from not having used those foot muscles in a long while.

We are full of blessings around here! Thank you, Lord, for taking care of us, even when it's not on our timeline. We know your timing is perfect.

Levi the firefighter

2011-11-05T06:22:00.000-07:00

That's right, Levi got offered a job this week with the Norman Fire Department! I've thought about how I would write this post for literally years as we made our way through hiring processes for multiple departments (I say "we" because it was an emotional roller coaster for both of us!), but now I don't know what to say.

I guess I should say that Levi can't really believe that it's true. After not getting hired with six departments over the last three years, it's hard to believe it will ever happen. There is one final obstacle this week: medical tests that will determine whether or not he's physically fit for the job. He just knows there will be some part of his anatomy that is unusual, and the rug will get pulled out from under him. I daily tell him otherwise.

We are so excited and feel like we can finally let go of the breath we've been holding until now, waiting for him to get this job. It's such a relief! Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement over the last few years. We couldn't have made it here without your support!

Lights Out

2011-11-02T21:00:00.000-07:00

What I expected to be a nice, quiet evening to myself at home tonight turned out to be quite the opposite. While Levi was getting ready for work, I was hanging out in the living room when we heard a huge "boom" and the house shook a little bit. We both quickly ran around looking in rooms and out windows trying to figure out what had happened.

When I looked out the kitchen window to the backyard, I saw this:

Our neighbor's large, old tree had snapped in the wind and, on its way down, it literally ripped the power lines off our house. Of course, this left us with no lights or heat on what would likely be the coldest night yet this season. With Levi headed to work, Molly and I were on our own.

After talking to our neighbor, I found out that the power company would reattach the live wires to the house, but an electrician would have to come fix something before the power could be restored. This will likely be tomorrow, so tonight Molly and I are at my coworker/friend's house having a sleepover. It feels quite rebellious to be having a slumber party on a "work night."

Thankfully, no one was hurt and our property was not damaged (as far as our house structure, anyway). I'm really glad Molly was inside at the time! I'm also thankful to have had a full list of people in mind who would have taken me in tonight, had I asked. We are so blessed!

--

Also, many of you are probably curious about how Levi's interview with the Norman Fire Department went today. He felt very prepared and feels he did a good job of answering the questions. We're not getting our hopes up, as we have been disappointed several times before, but we are still praying that it would be God's will for Levi to get this job. Hopefully we will hear something by the end of the week. Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts today. They were felt by us both!

3rd Annual Pumpkin Painting Party

2011-10-30T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Levi and I had our nephew, Grayson, over for our third annual pumpkin painting party. It's been fun to see how his motor skills, color choices and painting methods change over the years, and yesterday was no different. We all had a lot of fun, and the activity held Grayson's attention longer than mine or Levi's. He must be an artist in the making!

Unfortunately, the pictures we took on Levi's phone got wiped off when he updated the operating system last night. But, never fear because we still have pictures from our post-pumpkin-painting trip to the school playground in our neighborhood. Grayson is such a big boy and can maneuver all of the big kid toys by himself. He also really loves Levi and would often tell me a certain activity was for "boys only". The day was filled with lots of laughs, and we can't wait to do this again next year!

After Levi got off this jumping toy (which Grayson had informed me was for "boys only"), I got on it with Grayson and he promptly said "You're done." When I ignored the comment, he said "You need to put your feet on the wood chips." Well, okay then.

The Springs

2011-10-25T05:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Levi and I (along with Levi's brother Jake and his fiancee, Becca) road tripped to Pagosa Springs, CO to see the house Levi's dad recently bought. It's a beautiful log cabin with lots of neat details:

While we were there, we relaxed around the house and toured the area.

We made s'mores and sat by the fire:

We chatted at a coffee shop overlooking the heart of town:

We watched people fly fish on the river that runs through the middle of town (with public hot springs along it):

We visited Treasure Falls:

We took in the beautiful views:

We went mountain biking:

We also played extreme, no-rules, no-score-keeping ping pong where floor, wall, and ceiling shots were acceptable (I wish I had a video!).

It was great to get away and experience a place that our family will be going for years to come. We can't wait to go back!

Unexpected blessing

2011-10-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

No, this post is not what some of you might think. I'm not unexpectedly pregnant. Levi got a chief's interview with the Norman Fire Department! He got a call today that said the chief reviewed his application and the results of the oral review board, and he wants to interview Levi. Of course, we are shocked and elated by this turn of events! Thank you for your continued prayers and make sure to say a little one on November 2 for Levi's interview.

Dealing with disappointment

2011-10-09T12:53:00.000-07:00

Well, it's happened again. Levi didn't get hired with the Norman Fire Department. He had the best interview he'd ever had last week with a panel of six firefighters, but he got the news Friday that he was not selected to proceed to the chief's interview. Since the interview went so well and one of the guys on the panel actually told him "great job" as he walked out, we're really not sure what happened. Levi made it to the chief's interview last time, and there were more than twice as many candidates plus he didn't interview with the panel as well as he did this time. The only thing we can do is believe that it is not God's plan or timing for Levi to get a job with Norman.

He's currently in the hiring processes for the Moore and Oklahoma City FDs, though his heart was really in Norman's. He's not going to give up. He's being very strong and trusting the Lord, though it's been hard. I've been especially disappointed, as I was looking forward to him getting a better work schedule soon and I'm just ready for the whole emotional roller coaster of hiring processes to be over (I'm sure I'm not the only one who wants these things!).

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement during the last two and a half years of Levi's pursuit of a job as a firefighter. Though it's frustrating, at times, to continue to pray the same prayer, please continue to ask that the Lord would give Levi a job as a firefighter, but more so that the Lord's will would be done. Also, please pray for Levi and I as we try to find peace and comfort in knowing that the Lord always works for our good (Romans 8:28) and His glory.

Happy October!

2011-10-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

Guest Bed Makeover

2011-09-25T10:05:00.000-07:00

I found this bed at a garage sale a few months ago and knew it would look great in our guest room. It was painted black when I bought it, but black really isn't my color so (surprise!) I decided to paint it green. It's a soft mint green that ends up working somewhat like a neutral.

I'm excited about how the color I chose works with the quilt that my neighbor Wanda gave me (it's from the '40s) to give off a vintage vibe. I also like how the room looks like a room at a bed and breakfast, cozy and quaint. If you need a place to stay, we're ready and open for business!

The Bone Stimulator

2011-09-18T14:18:00.000-07:00

I finally got it!

This strange contraption is supposed to heal my foot. When it's on, I can't feel anything happening so it seems silly to wear it, but I'm just hoping that it will work! I only have to use the device 30 minutes per day, and it is supposed to send electromagnetic waves that will "trick" my brain into sending bone growth, healing hormones down to my foot. I don't understand it, but I'll give it a try! My doctor told me he's never had a bone stimulator not work for a patient. Let's hope I'm not the first!

---

In other news, Levi passed the Norman Fire Department physical test yesterday! That was the most difficult hurdle of the process, since it is easy to make mistakes. We're both very glad that it's over. Interviews should be next month with job offers extended Nov. 1. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers during this process.

Happy Lazy Saturday

2011-09-10T11:44:00.000-07:00

Boot Camp

2011-09-08T16:23:00.000-07:00

It's bad when the bank teller is surprised you're still wearing a boot cast. That happened to me today. I guess it's not that shocking, considering that in a week I will have been wearing some sort of cast for the last six months. I haven't bothered to blog about it because (1) I didn't want to be one of those complaining types and (2) I expected it to be healed rather quickly.

Let me give you the run-down for those who don't know what's been going on. I'll give you the CliffsNotes version:

About a year and a half ago the pain started, but I ignored it until six months ago when my foot started swelling.
Spring Break (March) - I get a walking boot cast for extensor tendonitis and wear it for three weeks, my foot isn't any better.
I go back to the doctor and am told to wear the boot for another three weeks, which I do with no improvement.
I switch doctors and find out I actually have a stress fracture (which took more x-rays and a bone scan to figure out) and the doctor tells me he wants to put me in a fiberglass cast. I ask to wait until after my beach vacation and he agrees.
July - I get a fiberglass cast and have to wear it for three weeks.
I get the fiberglass cast off and am then told to wear the boot another three weeks.
August - I get told I can stop wearing the boot and my foot feels great for two days. Then, it begins hurting again in the same way as before. The doctor has me continue wearing the boot.
Two weeks ago, the doctor said he'd order me a bone stimulator, which I have yet to receive. Apparently now he has to write a letter of "medical necessity" which will take another week. Clearly, I just want the device to play with. Come on, people, this is getting ridiculous.

That's the story in a longer-than-planned nutshell. I'm starting to believe that my foot will never be healed, and in the meantime my constant fashion companion is a black boot of which I've now worn off part of the rubber sole. So yes, bank teller, I will be wearing this boot indefinitely.

Weekend Project #6: Flower Beds

2011-09-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we took advantage of the cooler weather to rip out the dead plants and old mulch from our flower beds and replace them with new flowers and mulch that will hopefully survive in the coming cooler weather. Most of our plants took a beating this summer, and watering wasn't enough to keep them alive. Hopefully, we'll have better luck with this batch.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Weekend Project #5: Garage Laundry "Room"

2011-08-28T19:00:00.000-07:00

One of the things I expected to dislike about the house we bought was that the washer and dryer are in the garage. As it turns out, I really haven't minded it since it keeps the house quieter and cooler (at least compared to our last house that had the washer and dryer in the kitchen!). Plus, it's really not inconvenient at all. However, it was a little dreary doing laundry in a stark white, plain garage, which is actually what I dislike about the washer and dryer being out there. A few months ago, I decided to spruce up the laundry area of the garage and, after a shotgun start of painting the wall behind the appliances, I petered out until finally finishing it this weekend:

I'm really happy with how it turned out, and I'm enjoying doing laundry in my new space.

And we're off!

2011-08-22T19:19:00.000-07:00

Levi got the notification he's been waiting for today - he's been invited to take the Norman Fire Department written test this Saturday. As I mentioned before, the process should take about 4 months, so we still have a ways to go, but Levi is very excited about actually doing something toward getting hired. Although it's been very difficult to wait a year and a half for this process to start again, I think the hardest waiting of it all is during these next few months. Prayers are much appreciated!

Someone's been tanning...

2011-08-13T16:06:00.000-07:00

Notice her more-pronounced spots

The Sticks

2011-08-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

This week, I've been traveling all over northeastern Oklahoma telling teachers about Professional Oklahoma Educators. One of the things I love about my job is that, during August, I get to visit tiny towns that literally only have a school and houses. These are places no one would ever have a reason to visit, and the school employees are always excited to see a new face (because it's been so long since they have!).

It's also fun for me because I see things that are part of everyday life for those towns' residents but so very different from my everyday life. It gives me a more well-rounded view of Oklahoma, and I have a love of and appreciation for these towns because of it.

Here are some sights from the week so far that are different from my everyday:

Welcome to Olustee, OK (What? You've never heard of it? Me either)

I like to call this the small town Wal-mart. Grocery, hardware and feed store (far sign) all in one.

Peggs, OK

Deer! Watts, OK

Tomorrow I hit the road again to head to Timberlake and then Woodward on Friday. Pray for safety!

One shoe on, one shoe off

2011-07-29T11:57:00.000-07:00

Lately I've realized that having a casted/booted/no-shoe-wearing foot creates less of a mess around my house because I only leave half the number of shoes lying around as I used to! I noticed three lone shoes in my living room this morning. Can you find them? (Hint: that white thing is Molly's bone, not to be confused with a "bone" colored shoe)

As much as I enjoy a tidier house, I can't wait to see twice as many shoes on my floor! I have two more HOT weeks in this boot....

Content in Christ

2011-07-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

Recently, a sorority sister of mine blogged about discontentment, particularly the kind that comes from struggling to control everything so as not to make mistakes in an effort to look like you've got it all together. I'm very familiar with that kind of discontentment, but God has really worked on my heart in the last year (especially through a tough time at work) and I responded to her post with the following (long) paragraph. I wanted to repost it here because I hope that it will be helpful to others, and it's a good reminder to me.

I know how exhausting it can be to feel the need to control everything so as not to make mistakes. I was particularly good at trying to do that at work. Unfortunately, I found that I continued to make mistakes, no matter how hard I tried to avoid them, and it made me very angry and discontent. After sharing my anger about this issue with a wise older woman at church, she said she used to be the same way, but she had started praying at the start of each day that God would help her to trust that everything that was going to happen that day was under his sovereign control, even the mistakes. That was very comforting and it helped me work through some of my issue. What has helped me overcome it, though, is to realize the reason I wanted to control things and why it made me so angry when I made mistakes. I wanted to look like I had it all together. I wanted worldly praise for how great I was at everything. But the thing is that God's goodness to me is the only reason I have any skills to do anything well, and my efforts in life should be to glorify him and work diligently at all things as if working for the Lord (Colossians 3:22), not seeking worldly praise. After days, weeks and months of consciously focusing my efforts on doing my work excellently so as to mirror Christ's excellence (and not try to conjure up my own look of excellence) and realizing that the mistakes I made were already known by Him and He was not disappointed in me because HE was in control and He knew I was working hard to glorify Him in my work, not to glorify myself, I began to feel more content. That shift in mindset has really helped me find more contentment in all areas of my life, knowing that it eternally does not matter if others think I have it all together. I won't lie, though. It's a struggle every day to commit to working to give God glory and not myself because that's so contrary to the world. However, it's worth it (God deserves it) and it helps me find contentment in Christ. I hope you, too, can find comfort and contentment in this!

NFD Take II

2011-07-27T19:04:00.000-07:00

Levi's been told by the chief of the Norman Fire Department (who conveniently works out at our gym and Levi's gotten to know him) that they are going to start taking applications on Monday. MONDAY, people! We've waited a long (mostly for Levi) 14 months since Levi found out he was only one spot away from getting hired with the Department last year, and we can hardly wait to start the process again!

The process usually takes about six months, but the chief told Levi that they're going to hurry through the this time, with the written test in August, physical test in September and (I assume) the interviews in October. That means that Levi could be a Norman firefighter by the end of the year (Lord-willing)!!

Please pray for Levi during this process that, as much as he wants this job, he would trust God and HIS plans for his life. We can only pray that our will would be the same as God's will, but whatever the case may be, His will and not ours be done.

Balloon Love

2011-07-21T07:04:00.000-07:00

I have to brag on my sweet husband. He knew I was going to have a particularly stressful week this week executing a two-day overnight event that I had been planning for months, so he put balloons all over the house to make me smile. They are funny balloons like cow and tiger print ones, as well as polka dots and a smiley face. They really lifted my spirits, and as a bonus the event went off without a hitch! Now it's time to settle in to my 4-day weekend....ahh.

Burlap Pillows

2011-07-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to report that the burlap pillows I've been ~~working on~~ trying to find motivation to finish are finally done! I wanted a pillow for each green chair, but I didn't want them to cover the beautiful channel backs (that I paid so much to preserve), so I opted for a lumber pillow in burlap with jute-stitched sides and down inserts. They were fun and satisfying to make and I love them! Side note: ignore the still-unfinished dresser. There are now so many layers of paint that I can't push the drawers in all the way. I see some sanding in my future!

Summer Vacay

2011-06-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

Last week, Levi and I both took off work for a much-needed vacation to S. Padre. We went to visit my grandmother and aunt, and Levi's brother Jake and his fiancee Becca came along. Despite a ridiculous number of travel difficulties (which I'd really rather not recount), we all had a good time. We mostly hung out on the beach but also fit in a little shopping, trips to the sea turtle rescue and research aquarium, as well as some meals out. I think the best part was the refreshment it brought us - we really needed it!

This crazy guy was driving down the beach with his helmeted black lab

Molly stayed with our neighbors and they sent us this

precious picture of her while we were gone

Two Years

2011-06-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day, Levi and I celebrated our two-year wedding anniversary. Last year, we started an anniversary tradition of eating dinner at the Melting Pot in Oklahoma City and then staying at the Arcadian Inn in Edmond, where we spent our wedding night. It is one of the most relaxing ways to celebrate, and I love that there are no potential travel delays like there would be if we flew somewhere.

We also added a trip to the Edmond Jazz and Blues Festival to the mix this year, which was a lot of fun and surprisingly not blazing hot.

Two big things happened during our second year of marriage: we bought a house and got a dog. Both have been very enjoyable and fulfilling, and we're loving the life we're building together.

While we spent time away from home, Molly got to spend the night with the neighbors. They have three dogs, including a sweet service dog named Lucy, and they LOVE Molly. I was worried Molly might be in the way or too much trouble (although she always just lazes around our house) for them, but they reported that she was very well behaved. They even took her to a dog jog they went to on Monday, where Molly got a cute bandana.

She had so much fun that when she came home, she slept the rest of the day and all through the night! I'm glad we all had such a fun weekend!

Wonderful Weekends

2011-05-26T16:00:00.000-07:00

Levi got a new work schedule this week - one that includes weekends OFF! We have never gotten to experience the greatness of spending every weekend together, so we're really looking forward to it. In perfect timing, Memorial Day weekend will be our first one (that happens to include our 2-year wedding anniversary) and we both have all THREE days off!

In high school, Levi and I were rarely allowed to spend multiple days in a row together, in college we lived in separate states, when we first got married Levi worked in coffee shops that are always open on weekends and then for the last year he's worked at EMSA and only ever had Sundays off. That equals 7.5 years of an every-weekend-less relationship. I'd say it's about time we get to enjoy them together!

Plus, this new schedule means that Levi will get to join me at Saturday functions with friends and family. Can you tell I'm excited?

Coffee Sack Art

2011-05-14T21:04:00.000-07:00

I've been really into burlap fabric things lately, and with Levi's love of coffee, I got the great idea of decorating with burlap coffee sacks. I found some on eBay for $5 each, and they have a graphic on both sides, so I was able to only buy two but get four large graphics. Then, I bought canvases 30% off at Hobby Lobby, used scissors and a staple gun and voila! A cheap and awesome art project plus I finally have something hanging on the walls in my living room. It's about time.

Speaking of my love of burlap, I'm currently working on some burlap pillow covers, but that's for another post.

Chair Transformation

2011-05-04T19:36:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I helped my friend Jana recover a chair. It was covered in an outdated floral pattern and was in desperate need of new life. I had never recovered a chair before, but I thought it seemed easy enough after reading a few tutorials online and, for some reason, Jana trusted me. I really enjoy sewing, and since I never use patterns and most things turn out alright, I decided I could definitely handle the chair project.

After two Saturdays of searching for the right fabric, we finally found a really cute green pattern (it doesn't look that green in the pictures, but it is!) and ordered 10 yards. We thought that would be more than enough, but it turned out to be exactly the right amount with no extra.

Jana and I worked for nine hours last Saturday and finished the chair all in one day. It was a lot of work and it's definitely not perfect, but I think it turned out pretty nicely and she's very happy with it. I think the best part is that we'll always have the memories of having worked on it together.

Here's the transformation (true to form, I forgot the "before" picture):

Store Review: Aldi

2011-04-16T18:27:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, I love shopping at Aldi. I'm quick to tell its virtues to anyone who will listen and I get excited when I encounter others who love the store as much as I do. It may surprise you to know that I haven't always been an Aldi shopper. I had heard good things about it here and there, but I never took the plunge 1) because the closest Aldi is in Moore and 2) I didn't believe it could be that different than a normal grocery store. Then, I read my friend Mary Rachel's blog post about Aldi and it was truly life-changing.

I know it sounds ridiculous to say that going to a particular grocery store can be life-changing, but it's true! Since I started shopping at Aldi, I save an average of $150 per month on groceries. If that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will! Just check out my grocery receipt from today's trip (this is the exercise Mary Rachel used so successfully on me):

24 pack bottled water - 2.99
frozen waffles - 2 boxes at 1.29 each
dryer sheets - 1.99
red beans and rice - .99
sliced swiss cheese - 2.19
frozen lasagna - 2.69
chicken broth - 1.39
3 lb. bag apples - 2.49
hummus - 1.69
feta cheese crumbles - 1.99
granola bars - 1.89
green beans - 5 cans at .49 each
trail mix bars - 1.89
Q-tips - 1.29
frosted flakes cereal - 1.69
4 cups shredded cheddar - 2.99
4 cups shredded mozzarella - 2.99
3 dozen eggs - 1.29 each
mustard - .69
fruit cups - 1.49
applesauce and pudding cups - 3 at .89 each
rice crispy treats - 1.79
kettle chips - 1.99
yogurt cups - 2 at .35 each

GRAND TOTAL: $53.45

Can you believe that's all it cost? Neither can I! In fact, it's always such a surprise when the cashier tells me the amount because my cart is nearly always full, and that would mean hundreds of dollars at a more mainstream grocery store.

I know you're probably thinking that the quality of food can't be very good for these prices, but you'd be wrong! In fact, Aldi often buys from the same suppliers as name brand companies, but they simply put their own labels on those products and are able to sell them for less. Of course, personal preference will dictate some of what you buy there, for example Levi and I are picky about meat, milk, bread and butter. Those are items we prefer to spend more on to get the brand we like at a major grocery chain. However, these are all items that are for sale at Aldi if you are less picky than us and want to save even more money.

There are a few things you should know about going to Aldi. You'll need a quarter to use a shopping cart, but you will get the quarter back when you return the cart after shopping. This helps them keep costs down by not employing people to round up carts. Also, you'll need to take your own bags or expect to buy some at the store (I bought a giant reusable Aldi bag on my first trip that fits most of what I buy). Again, this helps them keep down costs by not giving away free bags (and it helps the environment!).

I hope this has convinced some of you to at least try shopping at Aldi. I'd love to know if it's as life-changing for you as it was for me! And, just as a side note, I'm not being paid to say any of this, but if Aldi wants a new spokesperson I might be a good fit! :)

A Dresser Update and TV Fame

2011-04-13T18:08:00.000-07:00

Things have been busy, yet lacking excitement around here lately as you'll note by my lack of posts. I was waiting to get the finishing wax for my dresser before I posted "after" pictures, but I have yet to order it online (I can't find it in any store around Norman!), so I went ahead and brought it inside anyway. Here's the basic look without the finishing wax and knobs:

In other news, I had my first career TV experience this morning on KSBI! My boss was booked to do a short segment about an upcoming event we're having at the end of this month, and she asked me to go along dressed and ready to go as a back-up since she's been having coughing fits lately and never knows when one might hit.

When we arrived, she was signing the paperwork when the receptionist asked if we were going on together. That wasn't the original plan, but because of the power of suggestion, Ginger thought it would be a great opportunity for me and said I should go on with her.

We were taken to the green room where we sat waiting for more direction. Unfortunately, the only direction we got was when we were given mikes and told to head to the set. No introductions, no instructions, all winging it - and that's definitely not my style.

Although I wouldn't consider myself a "TV person" after this event, it was exciting and a great opportunity. I think I did alright despite my lack of preparation. You be the judge: watch here.

Sneak Peek: Dresser Re-do

2011-03-25T19:02:00.000-07:00

My little helper

Weekend Project #4: Dresser

2011-03-23T17:09:00.000-07:00

Well, what started out as a weekend project has now turned into a week-long one. I got this great old dresser from my friend Nichole and, although it's green (which I love!), it's going to go between my two green chairs (that's right, I got the other one recovered compliments of the IRS) so I needed to repaint it.

Instead of just painting the dresser, I decided to strip and stain the top like several pieces I had seen on Miss Mustard Seed's blog and paint the rest a creamy white. She even has a great tutorial about staining and finishing furniture that was going to make the whole process super easy. Or, so I thought.

True to form, I forgot to take a before picture, and when I realized that fact, I had already pulled out all the drawers and put the first coat of stripper on the top. Plus, since I have been doing all the work with this guy:

on my foot for tendonitis (another story), I wasn't about to wrangle the drawers back over to the dresser. All that said, here's a close-to "before" picture:

Have you ever stripped a piece of furniture? It's HARD. I stopped counting after six applications of stripper, but I finally got to bare wood.

After stripping the top of the piece, I sanded everything to prep for painting and staining:

Then came the stain....and that's where this story take a terrible turn. You see, when I first applied the stain, it didn't exactly absorb evenly. And in my stupidity, I decided it probably just needed more stain - three more layers in fact, all left on for 15 minutes before wiping. I bet you can guess where that got me.

This picture of the final (not really) product is actually quite flattering because in person, the top actually looked black - far from the dark walnut it should have been.

Of course, I was super bummed when I realized it wasn't at all what I had wanted the piece to look like - especially after all my stripping work. Levi suggested I just paint the whole piece, but I wasn't ready to give up yet. After all, I hope to have this dresser for awhile, so I want it to be what I envisioned.

After researching stain strippers, I picked one up at Home Depot and started the whole stripping process over again, only this time it was even harder. I've gotten the wood back to a somewhat decent state (unfortunately, I don't think it will ever be as light as after I stripped the paint), and I'm hoping the stain does better after using a pre-stain conditioner this time. Phew. Here we go again...stay tuned.

Levi the FTO

2011-03-09T19:30:00.001-08:00

My lack of posts lately has been due to lack of material; however, one exciting thing did happen recently - Levi got promoted to "corporal" or FTO (Field Training Officer) at work. Now he'll get to train new recruits as they shadow him on his normal shifts by teaching them EMT skills and checking off that they can do them.

He was so excited to start training people that he took it upon himself to create a syllabus that outlines the objectives of the training as well as expectations of both himself and the recruit. I was very impressed that he went above and beyond the required one-day training class he had to do.

Each recruit will stay with Levi anywhere from two-six weeks (until Levi feels he/she has a good enough handle on the necessary skills). He got his first recruit today, a girl about our age, and he was very excited about going to work because it would be new and different. When I checked in with him this evening to see how things were going, he said that it's very difficult to work an emergency call while training someone (I would imagine this would be especially true if it's a legitimate emergency), but it was going well.

I'm excited that Levi feels invigorated in his job with this new responsibility and adventure. He's really a very good teacher, and I know the recruits will benefit from having been trained by him. Hopefully this will tide him over until the fire departments start hiring again!

Spontaneous Play Date

2011-02-21T14:18:00.000-08:00

Molly had an unplanned play date today when Lacy, the little yorkie next door, decided to dig under the fence. We caught the two of them scheming something similar last week, but discovered the hole Molly was digging in time to fill it. This time, they got smart and had the smaller dog dig the hole and shimmy under.

When we came home from errands to find Molly and Lacy playing happily together in the backyard, we decided to let them play until the neighbors get home from work. I hope the neighbors will let her come play again!

The hole and the jacket Lacy shed to be able to fit through

It's a RUFF life

2011-02-12T18:30:00.000-08:00

Snow Day #2

2011-02-09T08:27:00.001-08:00

Well, as you can tell, I haven't had a lot to blog about lately. We've been mostly snowed in for the last week and I'm off work again today for snow storm #2. Unfortunately, Levi has to work today, so Molly and I will be hanging out watching girly movies and eating popcorn (and dog treats).

I was worried when the snow came last week after we had only had Molly a week. I was almost paralyzed by the stress of the thought of her not going outside to go to the bathroom and, instead, going all over the house. Luckily, there was only one accident the whole time. We're still learning how to tell she needs to go out, so I was relieved that there weren't more accidents.

Surprisingly, Molly loves the snow. The first time she saw it, she seemed scared and we had to literally throw her out into it, but after that she began frolicking around and playing with the neighbor dogs through the fence. She doesn't even seem to notice the cold. The only thing she doesn't like is cold howling wind that blows snow with it. I can't blame her.

So, thankfully, things have been going well with having a new dog in a blizzard. This is about the worst weather situation I can imagine in which to have a pet, so if we can make it through this, we can make it through anything!

Meet Molly

2011-01-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

We got a dog last Sunday! Her name is Molly, and she's a year-old hound mix (my guess is basset and lab). We got her from Second Chance in Norman, and she is the most wonderful dog I could imagine (minus the shedding). We're still struggling a little with the potty training from time to time, but she's doing quite well, considering her big transition.

She's very calm and I can hardly get her excited about anything. This is just the temperament I wanted, but she still has enough energy to go running with Levi (and set a great pace, from what I hear).

She is terrified of the coffee grinder and vacuum cleaner and will go hide in our closet until they stop. She's also scared of most other dogs (unless they are calm, like her).

It's been great having her around on the nights Levi works. Once we get in a routine and she gets the potty training down, I'll have no complaints!

Snow Day

2011-01-23T20:16:00.000-08:00

Check out my snow day fun with my sister Lindsay and nephew Grayson.

Adventures in B'ville

2011-01-17T18:28:00.000-08:00

This weekend, Levi and I ventured to Bartlesville for a short getaway while I was off work for MLK Jr. Day. It turns out that January, Sundays and Mondays are the worst times to go to Bartlesville because almost all the tourist attractions are closed. Nevertheless, we managed to have a great time!

We stayed at Price Tower, which is Frank Lloyd Wright's only realized skyscraper that was built in the 1950s. It used to be an office building, but it now houses an art gallery and 19 hotel rooms. It was a really fun experience to stay there.

When we arrived Sunday, we started our adventure by taking a guided tour of Price Tower. A few of the floors have been restored to look like they did when the Tower was built (office spaces and residential apartments). It was amazing how Frank Lloyd Wright designed everything about the place, including the office furniture, light fixtures and even the waste baskets. The room we stayed in was part of the Inn at Price Tower, and it was a converted office space. It was neat to imagine the business deals, smoke, etc. that used to fill that room.

After our tour, we checked into our room and headed to Murphy's to eat a late lunch. It had come highly recommended by my dad and Levi's partner Chad for the Hot Hamburger, which is an open-face burger covered in french fries and brown gravy. Levi had it and said it was great.

After lunch, we drove around town exploring and found ourselves at Starbucks (surprise!) and spent an hour or so playing Battleship and Checkers while drinking hot drinks. It was nice to just pass the time with no responsibilities.

This morning, we slept in and then hung around the hotel room watching the Today show. What a wonderfully lazy morning! Once we got up and around, we had lunch at a local mexican restaurant (that was not very tasty, unfortunately) and then visited an antique mall. We finished our mini vacation with a trip to the Phillips Petroleum Museum.

Phillips Petroleum's over 15,000 patents!

We look forward to going back sometime to visit the things that were closed while we were there like Woolaroc, Frank Phillips' home, the Candle Museum and some neat restaurants.

What's New

2011-01-14T14:52:00.001-08:00

I haven't had much to blog about lately, but here's what's new at our house:

An automatic garage door opener is currently being assembled in my living room. I gave this to Levi for Christmas and he's slowly putting it together an hour or so each day. He informed me today that it's ready to be mounted, but that's another can of worms that includes reinforcing the garage ceiling and door so it may be awhile until it's finished, considering Levi's small amount of free time. Nevertheless, I'm excited about being able to pull right into our garage sometime soon!
We're headed to Bartlesville this weekend. Levi and I have two whole days off together (Sunday and Monday) so we decided to take the opportunity for a mini vacation. My personal Oklahoma tourism expert/sister suggested we stay at Price Tower in Bartlesville, which is a skyscraper designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. While we're there, we plan to tour the building, visit the art gallery there and visit the Phillips 66 Museum. Lin also said there's a mall and a neat downtown area, so I'm sure we'll check that out, too.
Levi found out that the Norman Fire Department plans to accept applications in June (or sooner if everything goes exactly as planned, which is unlikely). Hopefully the second time is the charm. This time around, he has a year's worth of experience as an EMT at EMSA (which Levi said is like five years' worth of experience at any other service, considering their call volume), he's kept up a conversational relationship with the fire chief at our gym and we bought a house in Norman (Levi said that shows we're committed to the community and staying here). Considering all that and Lord willing, he'll get the job this time.

Weekend Project #3: Kitchen Sink

2011-01-06T16:07:00.000-08:00

As many of you probably know, I'm a stickler for organization. I get quite a bit of pleasure from organizing/filing/cleaning and simply making life a little less chaotic. Since we moved into our new house, the catch-all place for any rarely used items in our (extremely small!) kitchen has been under the sink. Although it's driven me crazy since day one, I didn't bother to do anything about it until last weekend. After all, it was just too easy to close the cabinet doors and forget about the whole mess.

Here's the before:

I know what you're thinking but, no, I did not dramatize this photo. All of that actually fell out when I opened the doors. You see my problem.

After:

Clearly, this project was so worth it! I had to move a few bigger kitchen appliances (espresso machine and george foreman grill) to the garage, but I don't think that will be a problem since we don't use them on a daily basis. I'm especially happy with our new, bigger recycle bin in the middle. Now we won't have recyclables overflowing out of the bin if we wait a day or two to take them outside.

Now for those unruly cabinets in the hall....

2010 in review

2011-01-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

I'm giving in to the peer pressure of writing a wrap-up post about 2010, even though I don't consider the year to be that blogworthy. Overall, I think 2010 was a great year. It was pretty stress-free for me, but quite the opposite for Levi, as he's still trying to get on with a fire department (hopefully Norman FD will work out in 2011!).

Here are a few big events of the year:

Levi started working for EMSA as an EMT-B
Levi started taking classes at Oklahoma City Community College to get his paramedic certification
We bought our first house
We celebrated our first year of marriage
We vacationed in the Outer Banks (NC)
I got a "promotion" (really just more responsibilities at my job)
We grew to love University Fellowship Church even more and worked to invest in relationships there

I think that, ultimately, this was a year of growth and maturity for us. I feel like Levi and I are finally settling in to this grown-up life, and it's really not so bad. I still miss the long breaks we got in college, though!

We're really excited to see what 2011 brings. We don't have any plans (except for Levi's job change, Lord-willing), so everthing that happens will be a surprise! I think it's best that way. Bring on the surprises!

Homemade is Better: Chicken Pot Pie

2010-12-30T09:54:00.000-08:00

I created this recipe last year and made it again this week. Levi loves it. It's easy and delicious! Try it this holiday weekend!

Ingredients

3-4 frozen chicken breasts (Fresh would also work fine, but you might only need two since they're bigger. Or you could use a pound of ground beef, which would also taste great!)
1 cup chicken broth (if using a crockpot to cook chicken)
1 can corn, drained
1 can peas, drained
1 bag baby carrots, boiled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 can cream of chicken soup (or cream of mushroom or something like it if you're using beef)
salt, pepper, thyme and basil to taste
2 refrigerated roll-out pie crusts

Cooking Instructions

Cook frozen chicken breasts in crockpot (with chicken broth) for four hours on high (or cook any other way you like). Remove from crockpot and let cool. While chicken is cooling, boil baby carrots about 10 minutes, drain and cut into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, combine carrots, drained corn, drained peas and cream of chicken soup.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Take pie crusts out of refrigerator to warm a bit before unrolling. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces and mix with vegetables. Add salt, pepper, thyme and basil to your liking (I just sprinkle some across the bowl and stir). Roll out one pie crust into pie plate. Fill with chicken/veggie mixture (it will be full, overflowing-like). Roll out second pie crust over the top of pot pie and tuck under edge of pie plate.

Cut slits in the top pie crust for breathing during cooking. Bake pot pie in 400 degree oven for 45 minutes.

Enjoy!

My Christmas Chair {and Curtains!}

2010-12-29T17:48:00.000-08:00

After a whirlwind of Christmas festivities, I finally have a moment to reveal my wonderful living room chair that Levi had recovered as a Christmas gift (yes, it's green!):

There's actually another one of these chairs that we have yet to have recovered, and it will, hopefully, be joining this one in the next few months.

Also, my parents gave me the Pottery Barn curtains I've been pining over for our living room:

The curtains and chair match the pillows we already had on our couch:

Things are finally starting to come together in the main room of our house! I still have several ideas up my sleeve, so stay tuned in the coming months!

My not-so-secret Christmas gift

2010-12-18T16:33:00.000-08:00

Levi got one of our living room chairs recovered for me for Christmas and, while I picked out the fabric and know what it will likely look like, he brought it home and wrapped it so I can't see it! I have to wait another whole week!

Hoarders

2010-12-16T18:53:00.000-08:00

Levi and I are about the furthest thing from being hoarders, but I noticed tonight that that may not be true in one area of our material lives. As I was looking around the house for something to take to my annual office Christmas party as a dirty santa gift, I found myself looking through the shelves and shelves of books we have.

I found several that, at first glance, I thought we could part with, but then I second-guessed myself every time. Either the book had been signed by the author, I plan to actually read it some day (yeah, right) or I simply like the idea of owning that particular book. I'm definitely not alone, as Levi has even more books than me on the shelves just because he "likes to have them."

We're not book collectors, per say, but it does seem that once we get a book, we struggle to part with it. Come on, people, tell me I'm not alone. What things do you like to hoard?

Christmastime: A photo journal

2010-12-08T18:40:00.000-08:00

Sharie's Kitchen Re-do

2010-12-04T19:48:00.000-08:00

As mentioned in the last post, Levi and I spent our Thanksgiving break (Wed.-Sun.) at his mom's house with his brother, Jake, and his girlfriend, Becca, fixing up her kitchen and dining room. I'm finally getting a minute to post the results after playing catch-up all week from being gone.

True to form, I forgot to take "before" pictures (I've decided that I get too excited about the projects and just jump right in without thinking to take a picture), but I got better at taking them throughout the weekend.

Sharie's kitchen was covered in your typical 90s fruit/flower wallpaper and "matching" (it wasn't really) border. This design move was not hers, but rather it was pre-existing to the house when she bought it.

Although this project was a lot of work, the four of us had a great time working on it together. We all stayed at the house during the weekend and made waffles together in the morning and dinner at night. It was a lot of fun, but I could do without seeing any more wallpaper for awhile.

We had to do two rounds of steaming to get all the paper off

Primer in the dining room

Becca did all the texturing in the kitchen while Jake and I painted the dining room (Levi was at work).

Crow's Foot Stomp Brush technique

Finished dining room

Finished kitchen

Curtains are coming

Homemade is Better: Pizza Lunchable

2010-12-04T10:38:00.000-08:00

I'm always looking for new lunch ideas for Levi because he packs his lunch every day for work and it rarely varies. Plus, there are several things one must consider when packing a lunch for an EMT.

There must be things that can be eaten on the go without being heated (sandwiches, chips, granola bars, etc.), there can be things like leftovers that need heating (but there's no guarantee that Levi will have time to heat them in a gas station, so that can't be all you pack) and then there are other things that can be eaten on the go that are not sandwiches (we all get sick of those), like lunchables.

Well, since I get a considerable amount of pleasure from saving money and I like to cook/prepare lunches for Levi, I decided to get creative. We were spending about $30 just on lunchables per month, plus probably somewhere around $10-$20 on granola bars, carmel and apple packs, etc., if not more.

The first thing to go were the lunchables. Levi didn't think they tasted that great, plus he said his mom always told him he couldn't eat them because they have too much salt. Since the pizza lunchables are what he usually eats, I had to find a recipe (of course he couldn't like the meat and cheese ones, that would be easy to duplicate). Luckily, I found a great recipe HERE. It makes a tastier, cheaper version of the pizza lunchable, and I can double it to make 5 lunchables at once (in only an hour and 15 min.).

I made the first batch of lunchables today, and I'm looking forward to hearing Levi's review after work. I can almost guarantee you he will love it. Plus, since I made multiple at one time, he can quickly pack them himself in the divided ziploc tupperware I found.

Also today, I sent Levi a small tupperware of ranch dressing with a baggie of baby carrots and a small tupperware of carmel sauce with a Gala apple (his favorite). This will take the place of the pre-packaged carmel and apple packs that he formerly enjoyed (at less than the $1-$2 per pack we paid before!).

It's really kind of ridiculous how excited I get over all this. Next up, homemade granola bars.

A Thanksgiving to Remember

2010-11-26T21:17:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was unlike any other. Since Levi had to work from noon to midnight on Thanksgiving, I decided to ride along with him on the ambulance. Thankfully, the company Levi works for lets friends and family members do this whenever they want, as long as they sign up in advance.

I was nervous at first, since I didn't know what kind of patients we might get or how things would go on scene, etc. Our first call came after about an hour of waiting. It was a woman who was having a miscarriage (this was actually a good thing, considering her situation). I stayed in the front cab of the ambulance, but listened as Levi and his partner, Chad, hooked her up to moniters, etc. in the back.

After our first call, we were busy for the next several hours and I loosened up enough to walk into people's houses, sit in the back of the ambulance with patients and follow them into the hospital. The miscarriage was followed by a woman having thoughts of suicide, a young man who was dead when we got there (thankfully, the fire department had arrived first and we didn't have to go in and see him), a woman with "back pain" who had had her pain pills stolen and finally an older woman with a dislocated hip.

Although none of the calls were life-threatening or particularly exciting to Levi, I found it all very exciting. Levi let me turn on the lights and sirens, as well as push the "howler" button that makes everything vibrate (typically used at intersections). I must say I got pretty good at it all. I think I'll have to ride again.

Weekend Project #2: Cape

2010-11-26T21:07:00.000-08:00

I've decided that my "Weekend Project" series will include more than just home improvement projects. Last weekend, I worked on a superhero cape for my nephew, Grayson (who's into everything "super"):

I've really got to get better at taking before and during pictures. Basically, I was too lazy to since this awesome online tutorial has them already.

This weekend, Levi and I are staying in Edmond to redo his mom's kitchen for her birthday. This is a huge weekend project (and believe it or not, I forgot to take before pictures this time too), and I look forward to sharing pictures with you soon!

A Housewarming and Treasures from Wanda

2010-11-17T17:35:00.000-08:00

This last weekend, Levi and I hosted a housewarming party for our families and a few friends. I made way to much food and it was a fun time. I was extra excited about arranging the food table, and I'm very pleased with how it turned out (thanks, Lin, for letting me borrow the awesome warming tray!).

If you didn't get a chance to stop by, we would be happy to have you any time!

On another note, I'd like to say a bit about how awesome my neighbor Wanda is. I've mentioned her before, but I continue to be in awe of how much she thinks of me and how giving she is. During the 100 days we've lived in this house (I can't believe it's already been that long!), she has given me all of the following and never asked for anything in return (though I have been able to give her a side table, basket, wall cross and some magazines):

A 1940s quilt that Wanda got free from an estate sale she worked

A wonderful old door that was just living in Wanda's shed. I plan to paint it and use it as a headboard in the guest room.

1940s Thanksgiving postcard from an uncle to his niece

A "frog" - apparently it's used to arrange flowers in the bottom of a vase

A sweet little pink chair with a punched-hole star design on the seat

4 panels of sheer Waverly curtains

A collection of old stamps

May I be as selfless and thoughtful as Wanda! God has blessed us so much by living here, and I look forward to all He'll continue to do to build our relationships with our neighbors in the years to come. What a wonderful community!

Last Night's Adventure

2010-11-11T11:40:00.001-08:00

Let's start by saying that nothing went as planned last night. After work I had planned to go see my dad at home after his hernia surgery, go to soup night at my mother-in-law's house and then maybe get groceries on the way home. This is what happened instead:

I left from work to go see my dad at the hospital, not at home. He had some non-life-threatening complications and was having to stay longer than expected. Once I got there, he was deciding whether or not to stay overnight and I sat with my parents until the decision was made - he would stay.

My mom had to work today, so she wasn't able to stay overnight at the hospital and there were some things my dad needed (toothbrush, etc.) from the house for his stay, so I volunteered to drop the stuff by on my way back from soup night.

By the time I got to soup night, it was already 8 p.m. I hung out for about an hour until I knew I needed to get going so I could get back to Norman at a decent hour. I got the things my dad needed from my parents' house and headed to the hospital.

After dropping the things off with my dad and walking with my mom out to the parking lot, it was about 10:45 or so and I started on my way home. All was well until I exited on Main St. to stop by Walmart to get gas.

You see, my car had a quarter of a tank of gas when I left Norman after work. I knew the last quarter always goes fast, but I had driven to OKC and back before on E, so I figured I would be fine. Levi can attest to the fact that I'm always pushing the limit with the gas light.

As you can already guess, I ran out of gas on the Main St. off-ramp at the very top of the hill. At this point, it's well after 11 p.m. AND my phone is dead. Great.

Luckily, there was a girl my age right behind me who asked if I was okay and she offered to take me to get a gas can and some gas. Since she wasn't a creepy man, I let her. Unfortunately, the can I bought had an extremely short neck, making it almost impossible to get the gas to flow into the tank. Nevertheless, I did what I could and the car still wouldn't start (remember it's on an uphill slant).

The girl (amazingly, I never thought to ask her name) offered to take me back to the gas station to get more gas so that's what we did. After round two, the car still wouldn't start! At this point I was a little panicky, but I apologized profusely and asked if she would mind just taking me home because Levi would be home from work in about an hour. She happily obliged.

Once I got home, I plugged in my phone to call my mom (who was worried because I had sent her a text about running out of gas and getting help) and then I called Levi to tell him to hurry home. I readied the gas tank we use for the lawn mower (it has a longer neck) and waited.

As Levi and I made our way back to the car about 1 a.m., we noticed a police car behind it right as Levi was getting a call from police dispatch telling him that our car was on the side of the road. When the officer found out it was just a gas problem, he said he'd stay long enough to make sure the car started.

Keep in mind that this whole time, my hazard lights were on because my car was left in a very vulnerable spot - in the dark! After we poured in all the gas we had, the car still wouldn't start. Now my battery was dead from the lights running for almost 2 hours.

Luckily, we had our jumper cables and got the car started again. However, since the accelerator needed to be pressed constantly to get the fuel pump to run the gas through the system and make it up the hill, Levi wasn't able to drive it until the officer told him to drive with both feet (one on the accelerator and one on the brake). Levi said this was an interesting experience, but we made it to the gas station.

What could go wrong now, you ask? Well, the gas station was closed and the pump wouldn't turn on, even when paying with a card. We thought we could get home though, so the officer followed us just in case (I think Levi's work uniform helped us get special treatment).

We made it home safely and took the gas can to another station to fill up the car back at home. We finally had everything taken care of by 2 a.m. and I was up at 7 this morning for work. Whew! It's time for a nap.

And in case you're wondering, yes I did learn my lesson.

Weekend Project #1: Clown Trunk

2010-11-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

I had hoped for this to be the first post in a series of tutorials about our weekend home improvement projects. Well, it still may be that, but it's not starting off like I had planned.

You see, we had been wanting a coffee table but hadn't been able to find the right shape/size (albeit we didn't look very long/hard). Our couch is a sectional, but not the typical L-shape (it's more of a hexagon), making it difficult to find the right coffee table.

I had (what I thought to be) a brilliant idea - use the toy chest my mom had used in her classroom. There was a slight problem in that it was covered in clowns, but I felt that would be easily overcome with some paint.

Here comes the tutorial part:

Our starting point

We painstakingly taped off all the metal trim.

Primed it so the clown wouldn't peek through the final coat

Spray painted over the primer

Took off the tape and brought it in

It may seem like the project went well. After all, I suppose it did go as planned except for the color we ended up with. That was definitely not the color we had in mind. I mean, does it look anything like the spray paint can lid in the second picture? NO.

After all that, Levi decided we should paint it green (it wasn't me this time!) and I'm not even sure I want to mess with it anymore. Maybe we'll just keep looking for the perfect coffee table.

Roof Transformation

2010-10-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

As you can tell from my lack of posts, there hasn't been a lot going on at the Wilkins house lately. We did get a new roof this week (well, actually it was all done yesterday) and I was very impressed with the company that did it: Red Cedar Roofing.

They were considerably cheaper than other companies (which made me a little skeptical of their work) but since my sister recommended them, I decided to go for it. They turned out to be fast, friendly and clean (what I appreciated most). I couldn't believe that they even took care to dust off my front porch chairs!

Our old roof was 15+ years old and we knew it needed to be replaced when we bought the house. In fact, the people who "flipped" our house spray painted the roof black to make it look better.

Here's the transformation:

(It actually looked dark black in person)

I really wish I would have taken a "before" picture (the one up there is just from the real estate site) because you can't really see the transformation. We're happy with the results, though, and are glad we don't have to worry about what bad weather might do now!

2nd Annual Pumpkin Painting Party

2010-10-18T16:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend, we had the Second Annual Pumpkin Painting Party with our nephew, Grayson. Last year, he was only about 14 months old when we painted pumpkins with him, so I was excited to see how much his motor skills had improved over the last year. He used a paintbrush instead of his fingers, making the whole event much less messy - a bonus!

Checking out the eyes on Uncle Levi's pumpkin

Picaso in the making

Doesn't he look so focused?

After pumpkin painting, we went to the playground at the school by our house to enjoy the beautiful day! This spiral slide was funny because Grayson would always start out on his bottom and end up on his belly by the time he reached the end.

He's a big boy. Very determined to climb things. Levi's hoping for a future rock climbing buddy.

Sadly, we sent him home with a bump on his head. He was running down the hall and didn't quite make a turn in time, hitting the door frame head-on. Despite the "boo-boo," I think we all had a fun day.

Fall's Unexpected Surprise

2010-10-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

When blooming time came a week or so ago, we discovered a rose bush hiding in the midst of a strange shrub/weed/tree in the backyard. What a nice surprise!

I don't think you ever got to see this...

2010-10-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

...our new bathroom cabinet! We waited FOREVER for this thing, but it was well worth it! After the "14-day build time" turned into a month, it finally arrived in the mail. I had nagged the lady on Ebay about where it was multiple times, only to find out she had a dear friend die, slowing things down. That made me feel really great about being impatient. Anyway, it's here and we can FINALLY stop living out of a box on the floor!

Responsibilititis Part II (a.k.a. my longest, most honest post ever)

2010-10-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

Since my last post on this topic, I thought I had made progress. After listening to several people’s advice, I started trying to do things differently to help my feeling of constant overload without making myself feel irresponsible. For example, I started consciously making things for dinner that yielded leftovers so I could enjoy nights without cooking while still eating delicious home-cooked meals.

It’s been going pretty well up until recently (tonight) when I had yet another meltdown. You see, Levi’s work schedule changed after my last responsibilititis post and he started taking classes at OCCC toward his paramedic certification, which means that just about the only time he has at home is filled by sleeping, eating breakfast and working out. He used to have time to help with dishes, laundry and sweeping the floors, but now I am responsible for almost every home task. Thankfully, I haven’t had to start mowing the lawn…yet!

Tonight after working an hour later than usual, I came home to two unexpected bills that were wrongly charged us, meaning I now, in addition to normal chores, need to spend several hours on the phone with several different parties to get the errors fixed. After calling said parties, I discovered everyone was already closed for the day. A feeling of exhaustion at the thought of all I was responsible to do overwhelmed me and I took an hour-long nap.

Strangely (not really), the nap didn’t help remove any of my responsibilities, but it did help me get back into the right perspective. After a trip to Braum’s for a chocolate shake (that would surely help, right?), I filled up the bathtub with the hottest water I could and settled in to do my daily Bible reading.

I’ve been following our church’s read-through-the-Bible-in-a-year plan, and although it’s been great, I can’t say that I read something every night that is quite as applicable to my life at this moment as tonight’s reading. Tonight, part of the reading was in Ecclesiastes where I found this verse:

“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” – Ecc. 4:8b

This particular passage discusses a family-less man asking this question, but I felt it was still applicable to me. After all, for whom have I been toiling and depriving myself of pleasure? My first obvious answer was Levi, but when I looked more closely at my motives, I found that I’ve actually been doing it for me.

You see, I want to be Wonder Wife. I want to be the one who has it all together, even when she has little help from her husband (not for his lack of willingness, but rather a lack of time). I want to be the person who always has a clean, picked-up, cutely-decorated house because that makes me look good (even though we haven’t even had people over to see how good I look because of Levi’s packed schedule). I want Levi to see how hard I work during my off-work time because I don’t feel right about sitting around while he’s working so hard. I want to feel like I deserve the appreciation he gives me for working so hard. How vain and selfish am I?

The funny thing about all this is, not only do I deprive myself of pleasure, but I also don’t even get pleasure from working so hard. I’m realizing how true Solomon’s repetitive statement in Ecclesiastes is that everything we do is like striving after the wind.

After coming to terms with all this tonight, I asked myself another question. If I don’t think I should be working so hard for myself, then who should I be working for? The answer is God.

Colossians 3:23-24 says “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

You may be asking yourself if working for the Lord is even harder than working for men. In some cases, that may be true, but in my particular situation I believe that I need to continue to work hard, but realize that God actually does want me to enjoy this life that He has given me. Plus, I need to understand that working for the Lord means more than just doing my work in a way that is glorifying to Him. It means working for His approval instead of man's approval, which is far from what I've been doing.

Ecclesiastes 8:15 says “And I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.”

This verse shows that joy is actually primary, not secondary to work. It “will go with him in his toil.” How can it go with you if you don’t have it to start with?

This has been a big breakthrough for me. I’m very thankful to God for speaking to me through is Word tonight, and I pray that this might not be a fleeting realization, but a life lesson that I continue to learn more deeply in the days, months and years to come and that it would ultimately make me more like Christ.

Home Decor Solution #1: Replicate

2010-10-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

I'm usually not very creative when it comes to home decor, but I don't want just a blah style everywhere. Since we bought our new house, I've been scouring design magazines and blogs for home decor ideas. After continuing to feel uninspired for a new idea, I decided to just copy people. They'll never know, right? Here are a few of my recent (successful) attempts:

Mine

Inspiration

http://melissadark.blogspot.com/2010/09/circus-peanuts-and-book-wreaths.html

Mine

Inspiration

See that lovely blue shutter? That's all it took for me! http://thenester.com/

Mine

Inspiration

http://www.theletteredcottage.net/

How do you decide on home decor? Do you like to create or buy things pre-made? What are your favorite design blogs/magazines?

Fall is here!

2010-10-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is bringing out decorations, especially those that have something sentimental about them. Here are a few fall/Halloween decorations I put up this week that are special to me:

We put this haunted house out at every year when I lived at home. My mom gave it to me after I got married.

This ghost's name is Gertrude. I made her with my Grandmother Dodson when I was in elementary school and have hung it outside for Halloween every year since.

These fall leaves were the very first holiday decoration I bought after getting married. I'm excited to use them for years and years to come! See last year's post about them.

How does my garden grow?

2010-10-04T15:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was such a pretty day, so I decided to get outside and plant some mums for fall. This was my first planting experience (besides the potted plant shown in the last picture that I somehow managed to bring back from the dead once we moved), so we'll see how it goes.

It's more than just soap and water

2010-09-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

We all have our own ways of doing laundry. There are people like my mom and I who are separators, and then there are people like my husband and my sister who are not. After getting frustrated with Levi for doing the laundry his way (although, I have to admit, it didn't ruin anything), he explained that he would be happy to do laundry "my way" if he had some sort of chart to spell out my "complicated" system. I was happy to oblige:

I greatly appreciate Levi's willingness to help with laundry, and now it will be even easier to accept his help becaue I have confidence that it will be done "right". It's funny because this scenario speaks to one reason he and I get along: we're method people. We take great joy in having a system of doing things, and now we can both enjoy the system this chart provides!

Flea Market Finds

2010-09-27T15:08:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, my friend Alicia and I hit up the Dick Ross Flea Market at the Cleveland County Fairgrounds and we both found some great treasures!

All the great things I got!

I'm planning to paint the small nightstand on the left (not sure what color), put a basket in the opening and attach a great knob. I'll probably paint the shutters green (surprise!) and then I hope to use the old book to make this:

Find out how to make one of your own HERE.

I also got a bed frame with springs (not pictured above) that I'm going to use to copy this idea in our bedroom:

http://www.theletteredcottage.net/

That's all that's new at the Wilkins' household this week!

Ooooooo....U!

2010-09-19T12:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday my friend Jana and I went to the OU v. Air Force game. We're not very good fans. We left after half time because we were sweating profusely, but we still managed to have a good time!

Notice we have no pics of the game, just the important stuff like the band!

Painting...check!

2010-09-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Levi happened to have the day off (actually, he had to take a test for school) and we were able to get the last room in our house painted! It feels so good to be finished with that project, because it's likely that the last room could have remained unpainted for a long time if we put it off any longer.

We have now painted every room in our house except the bathroom (and we're leaving it the color it is). Whatever you do, NEVER paint every room in your house crayon-box yellow. You'll save someone from doing what we just had to do.

We'll eventually get new bedding and add more furniture to this room, but here it is now:

Labor Day Fun

2010-09-11T13:23:00.001-07:00

Last weekend, we went camping, hiking and rock climbing in the Wichita Mountains near Lawton. Check out the pics on Facebook.

Accommodation

2010-09-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

What an accommodating husband I have. Last night, when Levi asked me what I'd like to drink with dinner, I told him I would like a little milk. I guess I harped a little too much on the fact that I wanted a small amount because this is what I got:

An espresso cup of milk. Silly Levi!

Treasures

2010-09-04T19:03:00.000-07:00

I found some GREAT items at Buchanan's Vintage Flea Market and Tuesday Morning today:

Vintage magazines from which I will frame ads and a neat key shadow box

Like this ad from the Better Homes and Gardens magazine. It'll go in our bathroom.

This fan is from the 30s and STILL WORKS!

Vintage outdoor seating! I'm especially excited about these chairs because when I went to Ripley's to get some like this that I had seen on a previous trip, they were gone. How fortunate that the second I walked into the flea market today, I spotted these!

Not sure what I'll do with this, but I like it.

I got some of these frames today and plan to do a wall collage

The great flood of 2010

2010-09-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, you can't really tell from the video but water is rushing down the street. We really should invest in some gutters.

Neighborly Love

2010-08-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

I've recently realized that one of the things that makes homeownership so rewarding is building relationships with neighbors. In our rental house, we were mostly surrounded by other renters, so no one took time to get to know one another, realizing we would all be moving again soon. There was one permanent couple across the street, but our conversations with them rarely extended past "hi" for the same reason.

In our new neighborhood, we are still surrounded by several renters, but also a few permanent couples/families. The weekend we moved into our house, Bob and Diane from across the street brought us cookies while we were unpacking. That was our first taste of neighborly love and our appetite for it has only grown since then.

When I returned the plate from the cookies, Bob (who has a permanent welding station set up in his driveway) proceeded to show me all the projects he's been working on (Levi refers to him as Bob the Builder) and then took me inside to see Diane's embroidery work. I probably spent 30 minutes at their house just chatting and it felt natural.

It didn't end there. The next weekend, Bob came over to invite Levi to play golf with him sometime. I think Levi intends to take him up on the offer as soon as it gets cooler.

Then there's Ken and Wanda. They have two girls, Ashley and Marissa. Ashley is near our age, but she still lives at home due to a disability that was recently corrected by surgery, and Marissa is somewhere around 16, I would guess. Wanda and Ashley (sometimes Marissa) frequently come chat with us while we're in the yard watering our plants in the evenings. We'll talk to them for 30 minutes to an hour at times (Wanda is a BIG talker) and I love it.

Today, Wanda came over to give me some curtains that she bought for herself at a garage sale (they didn't work with her decor). She told me she thought of me when she saw them and thought they would look nice with the light blue/gray paint in our master bedroom. How thoughtful of her! I'm not sure I'll put them in that particular room, but they will definitely go somewhere in our house.

We've only lived in our new house for a month, but we already have neighbors who feel like old friends. We are so thankful that God has blessed us by surrounding us with such wonderful people. I look forward to the years to come living in this house and getting to know them better.

Not so handy woman

2010-08-23T16:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I got ambitious and decided to construct the "climbing closet" Levi and I had been discussing since we moved in. Since I had some free time while Levi was at work and I was tired of having no place to put his climbing gear away, I made a trip to Home Depot to pick up some supplies.

The plan was to hang pegboard on the inside walls of our guest room closet so he could hang, organize and display his climbing/outdoor gear. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, not exactly. I had never used a drill before but it seemed pretty easy. I got everything I needed together and successfully attached this brace to the wall, but that's where the project ended.

It turns out that I got screws with too shallow of heads, meaning I stripped the heads in my drilling fury. Unfortunately, this left me with several abandoned wooden slats with half-drilled screws stuck in them.

Finally, I gave up trying to keep my project a surprise and told Levi about my folly. Thankfully, he was able to get the right screws on Saturday and finish up the project, allowing this amazing transformation to happen:

I'm so glad it's all put away!

New Schedule

2010-08-18T17:27:00.000-07:00

Levi started working days(ish) this week (noon to midnight). You know what that means for me? This is dinner:

I feel this is a step up from last night's PB&J on crackers!

Hung

2010-08-18T16:00:00.000-07:00

I finally put nails in the wall to hang yet another great find from Roxy's:

A fun little rack for mail

More Loves

2010-08-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

I've been continuing to acquire unique pieces throughout the week and now I have these to share with you:

A great headboard from my friend and shabby chic mentor, Nichole. Maybe one day we'll get it situated at the head of our bed. Right now it's sitting against another wall.

An old door from Roxy's that I've had my eye on. If it says in this spot, we'll have to remove the glass so we can get to the thermostat. This door is actually yellow on the other side, but that didn't really fit our decor so we're using the unfinished side. Levi is especially excited about the door because you can tell from the unfinished side that it was in a house fire (and if you put your nose up to it, it still has a fire smell!)

Decompression of the Mind

2010-08-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

Reader beware: this blog got a little out of hand.

I haven't written much on this blog because I've not been sure that much happens in my life worth publishing to the entire world. But today I think I'd like to write just for my own benefit. You see, though it may be Sunday afternoon for most people, this is my Friday night. I just finished my work week and went to church (which, it turns out, is a great thing to do of a Friday night) and so I would like to just think things through before I go for my ritual Sunday afternoon nap.

So, first of all, I have the things that I just did at work on my mind. Last night my path crossed with some very, very interesting characters. For starters, there was the forty-something man I met in the not-so-nice part of Oklahoma City who had been bashed upside his head by a cement block wielded by his local drug dealer. The man was so drunk that he didn't feel the pain (yet), and didn't even realize that he was injured until we had him look down at his blood-stained t-shirt. People with head trauma often get combative, and he most certainly exemplified that. My partner Chad even got to sit on him at one point, which is one of his favorite things to do. After that, a police officer threatening to tase him, and us tying him down to our cot, he finally settled down and contended himself with the occasional expletives flung quietly in our direction.

Then there was the car wreck where no one was really hurt, the woman who was having some sort of serious cardiac event, and another car wreck where the man probably did suffer some serious head trauma, a DUI, the loss of his job, and jail time. Bad night for him, though he didn't yet realize how bad a night it was going to be when I was there with him.

The most interesting call of the night, though, was the 24-year-old guy who overdosed on a whole lot of heroine and who knows what else. Oddly, it was in the same apartment complex where we ran a different overdose earlier this week, and the complex isn't even in our service area, which means we're not even supposed to go there. When we arrived he was unconscious in the back room of the apartment (why do people always go to the farthest depths of the house to pass out? I think there's probably something deeply significant in this fact, but I'm not sure what. It reminds me of how animals will often leave their herd if they're know they're going to die soon. Maybe we're not so far removed from the real jungle as we feel in our own self-constructed concrete jungle.) and he had stopped breathing, though he still had a pulse that would also soon stop if we didn't help him. I started breathing for him with a bag-valve-mask while my partner started an IV. Once the fire department arrived I had them start doing the breathing while I prepared the Narcan, our all-around anti-opiate drug, for my partner to give through the IV. After the Narcan the guy very slowly started to come to. First he was responsive to pain, and then eventually to speech. We hauled him out of the labyrinthine apartment on a backboard and drove fast to the hospital, where he attempted to convince everyone that he would never do drugs. :)

While work might be the most immediate thing on my mind today, though, I don't think it's the most important. That's part of why I like going to church right after my work week. Though it's difficult to do so when I'm dog-tired, it's really nice to be reminded that there's more, a lot more, to life than work.

For example, Emily and I have been talking a lot lately about responsibilititis, as you may know from her previous post. The two of us have so many apparently important things to do that we could easily invest all our time in these while neglecting those things in life that motivate people in middle age to get divorced, buy a corvette, and move to Vegas. I'm sure this temptation isn't unique to the two of us, but sounds very familiar to a large chunk of Americans. Once a person recognizes the gap in their life between the things they do and the things they'd like to do, the question becomes, "do I change what I do to something that I enjoy more, do I try to learn to enjoy what I do more, or both?" I think the way people answer this question is a large part of what defines them and how they view the world. For me, I'd like to try a healthy mixture of both options, because I know that simply changing what I do in my daily life won't cure me of my responsibilititis, because any life eventually just becomes everyday life. I also know that gritting your teeth and bearing it can lead to a very, very unhappy, unfulfilled person. A healthy balance, then, seems like the only sensible solution. I suspect that a balance is the right way to go, too, because the idea has just the "odd twist" to it that C.S. Lewis said true things have.

Anyways, those are a few things that have been on my mind. I wouldn't say they've just been swirling around my head uncontrollably, but they've been simmering somewhere on the back burner of my mind along with many others. I'd like to pull the others out and explore them some, too. Maybe that's why people do this blog thing after all. :)

Responsibilititis

2010-08-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

Does anyone else suffer from what Levi and I refer to as responsibilititis? That is, the feeling that you must be "responsible" by doing necessary things (e.g. laundry, dishes, etc.) before even thinking about having fun or taking a moment for yourself.

Lately, things have been so busy with the move and work that responsibilititis has me overwhelmed. Every night that Levi works, I cook him dinner and get him out the door, do the dishes, put on a load of laundry, water the plants, attempt unpacking boxes if there's time and squeeze in some Bible reading before I fall into bed (still at a somewhat decent hour so I can get up and do it all again tomorrow).

After a week of a bad case of responsibilititis, I decided I needed to have fun tonight. I was disappointed Levi had to work, but I planned to get a good magazine (while I was at the store getting corn for tomorrow's fellowship lunch at church - responsibilititis strikes again!) and devour it in a bubble bath.

Well, I got the magazine but then proceeded to sit on the couch with it while I stared at the laundry that needed folding and thought about the dishes yet to be done in the kitchen. I had to fight responsibilititis because I've been realizing lately that life is too short to never let yourself rest, rejuvenate, be creative and have fun!

I have to admit, though, that while trying to fight off the feeling of guilt I had about not doing "chores," I began to feel completely overwhelmed to the point that I cried. Can you believe it? Who CRIES about not doing chores??? What's wrong with me?! I should mention that, due to the busyness of the last few weeks, it seems that my evenings spent doing chores only accomplish the tasks necessary to keep our household going, so I never get to things like unpacking or decorating (things I desperately want to do). This has left me feeling even more busy and even more behind, so I feel extra-guilty for taking time for myself.

To make matters worse, I especially feel like I have to get chores done while Levi's gone to work. I know he doesn't expect me to run myself ragged, but I feel like there is a (Emily-made) expectation for me to not just sit around doing whatever I feel like all evening. And, while Levi's great about helping, he just simply doesn't have time to help on the days he works between long shifts and sleep time. That leaves me to do the chores that need doing most nights of the week.

How can I get past this? Does anyone deal with a similar struggle to balance work and play? I don't have a problem allowing myself to play, it's just that I have a hard time not feeling guilty while I'm playing if there's a long list of to-dos. I still want/need to be responsible and get things done, but I need to take time for myself, too! Thoughts?

Chair Love

2010-08-14T06:17:00.000-07:00

Well, it's happened again. Yesterday, I fell in love with a piece of furniture at a neat little store on my first trip. It's an office chair from Ripley's Antiques in Noble. The store is especially great, like a small version of The Rink in Bethany.

Let me tell the back story before I show you the chair. Recently, Levi and I (well, mostly me) were browsing a Pottery Barn catalog when we came to this picture:

I was mostly interested in the desk while Levi couldn't get enough of the chair. He definitely has an opinion when it comes to furniture, but rarely does he get excited about a particular piece. Since the chair from Pottery Barn is $399, I knew we would probably never get it, at least not for a long while, but I kept it in the back of my mind.

That's when I found this chair at Ripley's:

How cool is that? Not only is it the same type of chair Levi liked but it's GREEN! And guess how much it they wanted for it. Are you ready for this? $15. I thought I misheard the cashier and couldn't get "I'll take it" out of my mouth fast enough! Ripley's will definitely be a store I go to again. If you're going to check it out, take me with you!

I have a very sweet husband...

2010-08-14T05:57:00.000-07:00

...who does things like this:

for no reason.

Home improvement update

2010-08-11T17:47:00.000-07:00

We've gotten almost every room painted except the guest room:

This is more olive in real life

This is more blue in real life

This is the same color as the living room

This is the same color as the living room too

As you can tell, we have yet to hang anything on the walls. I think that stems from two things: my indecision regarding decorating and my hesitancy to put holes in our newly painted walls. I'm going to have to get over both.

Overall, things are slowly coming together around the house. I finally found a bathroom cabinet I like today and it should be arriving on our doorstep within the week! I'm ready to get our bathroom essentials put away instead of living like this:

The above photos were in no way meant to provide free advertising to the products shown, but you're welcome Aveeno, Bandaid, etc. for the product placement.

Reno Lilly

2010-08-09T19:12:00.000-07:00

Last night, Levi and I got to take care of my friend Alicia's mini schnauzer, Reno. She was very well-behaved (until this morning when she ran out the door and bit Levi when he picked her up) and would just follow us around or lay beside us.

Levi and I have always talked about eventually getting a dog, and this trial run made us realize that we definitely want one with Reno's disposition! If Alicia weren't so attached to her, we probably would have kept her (besides the fact that Levi wants a BIG dog). Here are some highlights from Reno's stay:

Exhausted from our walk

Shelf Love

2010-08-08T15:12:00.000-07:00

Since we moved into our new house, I've been trying to harness my design style. Most of what we currently own was either given to us or we bought early on in our marriage out of necessity (meaning we bought what was affordable, not necessarily what fit our style). So, as of late, I have been trying to decide what I truly like and don't like and how I will decorate our new house.

I've decided I like vintage pieces and a shabby chic/country style. While I love this look, it certainly has made it difficult to find things we need like a bathroom cabinet or corner shelf for our kitchen because I can't just go to Target and buy something off the shelf. However, it means I get to stalk Craigslist and frequent antique/consignment stores!

Recently, I had been searching online for a corner shelf to store spices in our kitchen. I had a picture of what I wanted in my mind, but I was having trouble finding it. After an insanely busy week, I finally had time today to hit some stores around Norman. My first stop was a place I had never been: Roxy's Boutique. And to my surprise, they had EXACTLY the corner shelf I had envisioned! It was almost too easy. Check it out:

Things we love

2010-08-03T20:10:00.000-07:00

After four days of living in our new house, I've compiled quite the list of things we love about it (in no particular order):

The new electric oven (not the frustrating, yet cute, 1930s chambers stove/oven we've been using for the last year)
Breathing room. Our new house is only 924 sq. ft. but it feels like a mansion compared to the 709 sq. ft. we're used to.
Garbage disposal
Dishwasher
Kitchen sink spraying wand (it's the little things!)
Plants to water (though I think, despite my efforts, they are dying due to the extreme heat)
Friendly neighbors (an older couple brought us cookies Sunday night!)
Carpet (I never thought I'd say this but I'm actually enjoying carpet in the main areas rather than the wood floors we had before. I should clarify that I mean the comfort, not the look)

I'm hopeful that as the days, weeks, months and years tick by, we will find even more things to love about our new house.

Home Sweet Home

2010-07-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Whew! It's been a wildly busy week with house closing, packing and painting all while working full-time. We finished painting our kitchen on Tuesday, our bedroom yesterday (thanks to our friend Seth!) and our living room today (thanks to Crys!). We still have the hall and two extra bedrooms left, but those will have to wait because we're moving TOMORROW!

That's right, we found a renter who can take over Aug. 1. You know what that means? No more rent payments! This was truly an answer to prayer. Praise the Lord.

Like I mentioned, we're still (obviously) working on the place, but here are some inside pictures to tide you over:

This is now a cream color

This used to be the golden yellow color

This room is gray/blue now

We're not painting this room! :)

As you can tell, there's already updating to do on the pictures. I'll get to it, I promise. Now to finish packing....

Closing Time

2010-07-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

That's right, closing time for our house is drawing near! It's just a week from Monday! I still can't believe we're buying a house. After the last one didn't work out, it felt like none of the houses we made offers on would work out. I'm still in denial and need to be packing!

On the renting front, we did have some college guys look at the place today. They're supposed to get back to me if they're interested, so we'll see! I actually found them on Craigslist as wanting a place near campus, so maybe it will work out. No matter what, I need to get up the guts to tell our landlord we're moving out. Wish me luck.

Inspection...check!

2010-07-07T03:06:00.000-07:00

Well, we had our home inspection today and I'm happy to report there were no major findings. As always, there were a few minor things the inspector suggested we have fixed, but no deal breakers like last time. However, we're still looking for someone to rent our current place (I'd really like to have someone in mind before I tell our landlord we're leaving because she's kind of prickly; maybe that would soften the deal).

Here are some specs on our rent house:

3 blocks to OU campus

Built in 1930

Wood floors

2 bed

1 bath

Unfurnished

Washer & dryer included

$750/mo. PLUS utilities

Tell your friends!!

Buying a House...Take II

2010-06-30T17:52:00.000-07:00

Call us crazy, but Levi and I are embarking on the house-buying process once again. We recently signed a contract on this lovely jewel:

It's in my sister's neighborhood!

It's funny because every house I've ever lived in since I moved to Norman has been literally right next to an elementary school. I had a feeling we'd get this house simply because it made sense that I would end up in another house next to a school. We're really excited, but it doesn't seem real. Please pray that nothing will go terribly wrong like the last house.

By the way, if you know anyone who would be interested in subletting our house that's within walking distance of the OU campus, let me know!

Fun in the Sun

2010-06-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

Levi and I went on vacation last week to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. We stayed in a beachfront house in the tiny, quaint town of Duck with Levi's dad, brother and various friends. It was wonderful to be able to walk right out to the beach whenever we wanted, but I think the best part was the relaxation. We both really needed a break from the daily grind, and this trip was just the ticket!

Levi tried surfing!

While the trip was great, we had a hard time getting home. We drove to Norfolk, VA to fly out on Thursday and sat at the airport for 3 hours before we were told our flight was so delayed that we couldn't make our connection. I was supposed to work Friday, but I had to call in and we had to spend the night in a hotel in Norfolk.

The next morning, Southwest put us on the first flight out (which was the ONLY flight with two open seats to OKC that day). The flight took us to Orlando, where we had to change planes and were delayed again due to a mechanical problem. Next, we landed in Houston where we were AGAIN delayed because of rain. Finally, we arrived home 21.5 hours after our originally scheduled arrival and Levi only got an hour of sleep before having to go to work Friday night.

We realized on this trip that we've taken four trips in the last year and have had plane-related travel problems on EVERY ONE:

In Greece on our honeymoon, one flight got overbooked and since we were the last ones to check in, there was only one seat left so we had to take separate flights.
In NYC, the marathon traffic was so terrible and we couldn't, for the life of us, get a taxi to take us all the way to the airport so we missed our flight.
When we went to NC in January, we flew standby with free tickets and didn't get to leave when planned because the flights were booked (it was a holiday weekend).
This last trip

What a year of travel conundrums! Nevertheless, we are both grateful to God for safe travel and the means to enjoy His creation in so many different places.

Happy Belated Birthday, Holten!

2010-06-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

Last week, my oldest sister, Amy, was in town from North Carolina and she brought her two kids. Holten just turned one in May, so we had an informal family birthday party for him last Saturday. It was fun to see how much he's grown since Levi and I went to N.C. in January. He's mobile, super ticklish and has a great belly laugh.

Kayla's also matured and was very eager to share that, having just finished second grade, she's reading above her level. I'm very proud of her and hope she grows to love reading books in bubble baths as much as I do!

Unfortunately, I thought I left my camera at home during the party and only realized I didn't as I was leaving. I still caught some cute stuff:

Holt's signature look

Kayla, my sisters' cousin Suzanne and her son Luke