The Simple Things in Life!

When I was a kid I loved listening to my parents talk about their childhoods and experiences growing up. I really enjoyed hearing the funny stories about siblings and old friends, their former life plans, the reality of how things actually happened, even mistakes and regrets. I have always felt that I know my parents better than most kids do. I remember thinking several times that if I could absorb everything they told me, I would have the opportunity to completely skip the chapter of life where one makes his or her own mistakes because I would have already learned from theirs.

Totally didn't happen! The point is that mistakes are just part of life and the ones I have made are experiences that got me where I am today. Is my life perfect? No. Am I living my life the way I thought I would be when I was 12? Goodness, no. I don't have a billion dollars, I don't live in a mansion, I don't have the best of all THINGS. Even if I did, would I be any happier than I am now? NOPE! Am I happy? Yes, absolutely. Aside from the large obvious things that can contribute to survival, I believe the simple things in life are what really make us happy. They are what give us a reason to keep going. I think everyone has simple pleasures, but I don't know if we always take the time to appreciate them. So, now, I'm going to do just that by sharing some of my own personal simple things to be happy about.

Actually, first, I'm going to explain what I mean by "large obvious things". Jobs, bills being paid, food to eat, healthy family, etc. These are GREAT things to have and appreciate. I feel fortunate to have a husband in the military because although the rest of the country has been faced with job losses, that is not an issue we have had to deal with. 'Grateful' doesn't even begin to describe the way I feel about the well-being of my family, or even of their existence. They are MY existence. This isn't what I'm talking about. What I am talking about are the little things in life that just make your day a little sweeter. The things that turn 'sustaining' into 'living'.

•Morning time babies
•Root Beer
•My few beloved TV shows
•The sight of fall colors and decor
•Coffee time!
•Good morning texts
•Suuuper comfy PJs
•Pringles
•Digital photo taking, selecting, deleting, sharing
•The happiness of kids blowing bubbles
•Sidewalk chalk
•Lindt truffles
•Waking up to kids, not an alarm clock
•Being 10 minutes from my parents house
•Baby girl fashions
•Teaching my daughter to play with babies
•Teaching my son how to draw
•Popcorn and movies
•FACEBOOK!


So this is just a random off-the-top-of-my-head list. All these things make me happy, though. You might find some of them dumb, but that's okay. You can find the things within your own life that make you happy. The thing is that if you don't take the time to appreciate them, are they really making you happy? Open your eyes and give in to your surroundings because life is only as good as you let it be!

I Have Delicious Garbage

My kitchen is being taken over by ants! It is completely gross and I want to share with you its grossness. You are welcome!

So, a few weeks ago, I had some plumbing problems. Eventually I learned that we had some major nasty clogging action in the pipes where they connect to the city sewer system. Prior to learning that, I ended up replacing some of the pieces under the sink due to damaging the old ones when taking them apart to find the problem. After getting everything back together, I thought everything was good. Wrong. The new pipe pieces were fine, but then, all of a sudden, water began dripping from the garbage disposal. So, I haven't used the garbage disposal, or that side of the sink, OR the dishwasher (because it drains through the garbage disposal), since then.

I'm sure you are thinking 'Geez, get to the point'. I am. I promise. The worst part of all of it is that my landlord was in Europe for the month. (He actually just got back yesterday, and, of course, I forgot to tell him about all this.) Since I can't use the garbage disposal, that means any extra foody crap we aren't eating gets put in the trash can. I'm afraid if I throw it outside, it will attract larger pests such as stray dogs, cats, raccoons, stray goats, etc.

The ants are privvy to my situation. First they started coming in through the small crack around the window trim. I caulked that shut. Then they managed to come in through the hole where the electrical outlet is. I caulked that shut too. (Normally I wouldn't because being unable to remove an outlet cover is irritating, but so is an invading ant army.) Once that was sealed shut, they started coming in through a tiny spot on the floor where the linoleum is ripped. AAH!

So, since they are on the floor, they found their way to the trash can. It isn't FULL of left over food by any means. It is just the kids and I here, so I don't generally have a lot of leftovers, and when I do, they get put in the fridge. The only thing that is in there are the little bits that are left on our plates when we are done that happen to be too big to fit down the drain. Apparently that is enough for the ants to feast.

I have discovered that spraying ants with glass cleaner kills them instantly. They basically melt. YEA! It does nothing for repelling future ant invaders, though. BOO! I have also discovered that ants wake up around 8:00am. When I get up in the morning, there are no ants in the kitchen. When I go back in a little bit later, I find a black trail. UGH! I know I could spray around the house, but with all the rain we've had, I think it would be pointless. So, I guess I am just waiting it out. Hopefully winter will freeze them. Freeze them outside, preferrably. I have put a few ant bait trap things out. They just walk around it. I guess they would rather have buttered pasta and pizza crust. I mean, I can't blame them.

So I realize this post is gross and pretty pointless. I just wanted to share with the world my current problem. I know you care. I am really hoping that those attending my daughter's birthday party this weekend don't read this. At least, before the party anyway. I plan to make her cake and I am double crossing my fingers that the ants don't eat it before we do. I don't plan to put it in or near the trash can, so, in theory, we're good!

GROSS!

Falling for Fall

I didn't forget about this blog, I have just been putting it off! I started it, then moved across the country, and now, a good 6 months after my previous post, I'm ready to give this another shot!

I started putting my Halloween decorations up this morning. Halloween is my FAVORITE! I love silly whimsical symbols of death and terror and I especially love costumes! I can already see that I have passed this crazy fever on to my 4-year-old son. He told me after we were done with the decorations that Halloween is his favorite. It talks like me too. (He refers to food as tasty-tasty, etc.)

Fall is by far my favorite time of year! I love the downhill slope in temperature after borderline suicidally hot summers. I love the colors of the leaves (SO glad to be back in Missouri this year!). I love jeans. I love sweaters. I love raking. I love baking. I love pumpkins. I love pumpkin pie, pumpkin spice coffee, and pumpkin bread. I love drinking coffee at any time of day. I love having the windows open in the house. I love going for drives. I love going for walks. I love to take pictures of it all. I love planning for birthday parties, Halloween, and Thanksgiving.

For our family, the holiday season starts in mid-September. First we have my husband's birthday, then in mid-October, we have my daughter's birthday, then Halloween. Then, when Thanksgiving comes around, the rest of the world is just getting into holiday-mode, we've already been in it for a month or two. GO US! Or me, at least, I can't say that my husband really cares about the official starting point for the holiday season. I try to make a big deal out of every special occasion. I LOVE that we have 4 events in fall to celebrate, as if celebrating the change in season wasn't enough!

We still have a month until Halloween. My son doesn't have a grasp on measured time yet, so he thinks Halloween is next weekend, or super soon, anyway. He'll come around, though! We definitely need that month to figure out what we will dress up as. He has been bouncing through several ideas: Transformer, devil, puppy, spider, etc. Last year he was a banana and I couldn't have been more proud of him! Evelyn and I might be cats. Or dogs. It kind of depends on what Harvey chooses. Evelyn is obsessed with cats right now and although a cat costume isn't very original for a Hallofien like myself, it would be pretty cute to see her say "Meow" while dressed as a cat!

Thanksgiving should be a new experience for us this year. It will be our first year back in Missouri after being gone for 6 years or so. Hopefully my husband will be home by then. This has been a ridiculous waiting process (medical discharge from the army). I have been married for 5 ½ years and literally never have had to share ourselves during the holidays. I look forward to having dinner with family! Bring on the turkey, yo!

I am also a planning person. I try to try to savor the moment instead of constantly trying to figure out what we should do down the road. (Yes, I meant to say “try to try to”.) I love fall with all my heart and I try to hold on to it with all that I have because I hate winter! Once Christmas is over, it is just irritatingly cold and dull and depressing... and Christmas is only 4 days into the winter season.... so....

GO FALL!

My Love Affair with Coffee

Every morning at the buttcrack of Evelyn crying or Harvey standing by my bed saying, "Mom?", my day starts. First thing I do? Go pee. Then I find my way to the kitchen. It's coffee time!
On the counter is a fine piece of machinery we like to call the coffee pot. If you must know, it's a Bunn. It doesn't just make coffee. It MAKES some damn coffee. And, in, like, 3 minutes or whatever.
So, I get that going and then I go get Evelyn from her bed. Apparently, her number one daily task is peeing, too. We get a change of diaper, a bit of milk, and we're good!
Back to the kitchen. I grab my choice of creamer from the fridge. I'm currently hooked on caramel stuff. Dulce de leche, creme brulee, Hershey's Chocolate and Caramel. Ya know. I pour myself a cup, get the kids some quick breakfast whipped together, and I go plop myself on the couch.
By now, it has cooled just enough to start sipping. I can't drink coffee straight from the pot. Just too hot. I don't have a fireproof mouth. I just wasn't built that way, I suppose.
Now I sink into "hearing- and visually-impaired mode". I'll admit it. I ignore my kids for a few minutes while I zone out and have some time for myself. They're generally eating at the table, so, statistically speaking, they don't really need my attention. Nobody has ever choked during coffee time, right? ...And you know, as a parent, you must be doing something right if your children survive breakfast.
During my few minutes of deaf- and blindness, I think my disabled sense of hearing and sight magically strengthens my sense of taste. Each sip is the best thing that has happened to me that day so far. Each one gets better than the previous. It's just so good! Yea, I know, it's 'just coffee'. But it's just so freaking delicious, and every morning, I still go through this.
Eventually my hearing and sight come back. Before I know it, I've had a few cups and my hands are shaking uncontrollably. Granted, I haven't been sitting on the couch staring off into space the whole time, but the hand shaking always seems to creep up on me. And, when I go to grab my cup for what I think will be the last drink, then realize that I already drank it, and the cup is now empty, I go through a quick bout of sadness.
So I go about my day hippity hopping like Peter Rabbit. The shakes wear off sometime along the way. We do daytime people stuff. Eat. Play. Chores. Read. Sing. Dance. Eat. Naps.
Mr K gets home from work. I would say we have coffee with or around dinner, maybe, 4 times a week. I guess it really is just that good. We can't wait until morning to get our next fix.
Fix, you say? Like an addiction fix? I guess that depends on who you are asking.
Science says, "Yes. You are an addict."
I say, "No. It's just so flipping tasty! I drink it so much because I can't stop loving it."
Science says, "That is because you are addicted to caffeine. Duh."
I roll my eyes and say, "Shut up, Science."
I have definitely come to realize that coffee is just straight yummy. I live in the Pacific Northwest where you can find a coffee stand in almost every parking lot. Starbuck's is everywhere. I live in a smaller town, and we have 2 of them. However, I'm still a cheapo at heart. The bargainer in me says 'Why pay $4 for one cup of coffee, when you can buy a whole can for 7, which makes hundreds of cups of coffee?'.
...Which could easily lead my to the topic of why I love being at home so much. Quite simply, everything (that matters to me) is better when it is done at home. Drinking coffee is absolutely no exception. Eating breakfast? Have some coffee! Doing laundry? Drink some coffee! Neglecting your young children for some personal time? Hey, how about a cup of coffee!
I just can't stop. And I'm not sure I want to. Oh coffee, how I love thee!

I Totally Have a Blog Now!

So, here it is! I have considered starting a blog for a while and I guess today happened to be the day! I'm just a nobody from nowhere town (MapQuest it!) so I don't expect anyone to ever actually read this. However, if you find yourself doing so, Enjoy! I don't know how serious I plan to take this whole blogging venture, so I guess we'll see.
If you don't know me personally, let me introduce myself. I am a stay-at-home mama to 2 kids and wife to my absolute true love. I am the most indecisive person on the planet and I'm a little weird. My family keeps me grounded and if it weren't for them, I'd probably be somewhere else doing something different. Lord knows we wouldn't want that.
....I'm not going to sit here a rattle on about myself. If you care to know more, I'm sure it will all shine through anything I eventually write on here. However, if you must know, my favorite color is green and my eyes are blue. Geez. There.