11 things I want to accomplish this 3 day weekend....

1. I will thoroughly clean my kitchen.
2. I will make a new crock pot recipe.
3. I will complete all of the laundry.
4. I will complete these tasks and complete blog postings on the following:
1. Levi's dresser makeover (project all done except final pictures)
2. Levi's door sign (project all done except hanging it up and taking pictures)
3. Levi's finished painted room (85 % done, Orlando will finish the rest hopefully this weekend)
4. Levi's Alphabet letters all up on the wall!!!!!! (Just need Orlando's help putting them up on the wall and final pictures)
5. Bathroom Scrub-a-Dub-Dub DIY project (Project complete, just need to hang them up on the bathroom wall and take pictures)
5. I will spend some time playing with my new camera and learning how to use it!
6. I will take a long nap every day this weekend!! (this should really be #1 :)
7. I will search on craigslist for a good rocking chair for my baby room.
8. I will read my bible every morning.
9. I will do something fun with my husband (maybe go on a fun date!!)
10. Do some sort of exercise at least 2 of the days.
11. I will spend some time to just sit on my futon, look out the window at the sunshine (hopefully there will be some) and relax and reflect on the many things I am thankful for.

It will be a good productive weekend! I hope you have a nice one too!

Amy

Crock Pot cont...

Thanks for all your comments regarding the crock-pot post! For those of you wondering about good recipes my favorite thing to do is either go to http://allrecipes.com/ and search "Crock Pot Recipes". Then sort by rating to get the top rated recipes.

I also recently went to walmart and got a bunch of cheap dressings, marinades, packets of seasonings..... I just dump a bottle of whatever with some meat, turn in on and it always comes out good! I have not had any crock-pot flops yet! I will definitely let you know if I have a flop so you can avoid making the same mistake.

Thanks all! Have a nice day-

Amy

I love Crock Pots!!

Yes, random post, I know. But really, crock-pots are amazing! I have used them from time to time in the past but recently they have been a life saver! About two months back we bought a 1/4 of a cow. We realized through our monthly budgeting that we spent SO much money on meat. When Orlando's co-worker told us he was going to be butchering cows and if we wanted to buy a 1/4 we decided to give it a try and see if it would save us money in the long run.

The only problem is, I really don't know how to cook red meat! Whenever we would buy it I would marinate it and Orlando would BBQ it. Give me chicken and I will whip you up a dish, but I didn't grow up eating much red meat so I am not very confident with how to cook it. So, I pulled out the good-old crock pot and gave it a whirl! Everything has been SO yummy! I just throw a chunk of meat in there (still learning all the different names for the different parts of the cow) throw a marinade sauce (this can seriously be an assortment of sauces and dressings from your fridge) and some veges and by the time I come home from work the house smells delicious and dinner is ready! Orlando was incredibly sceptical of this "white people cooking gadget" but he has loved everything that I have made. I feel like "crock-potting" is going to be a great mommy tool too. Throw it in in the morning, and forget about it until dinner time!

Happy Crock-Potting!! :):) If you have any amazing recipes, please share!

Amy

Project Baby Room-PAINT

Hi all,

Thanks for your imput on the room colors. We decided to go with the lighter blue because we were worried that the darker color would make the room seem dark as there is not a whole lot of natural light from the window.

My lovely husband did the honors of cleaning the walls before it was painted. They were really dirty due to the fact that 3 little kiddos were sharing that room before we moved in. After cleaning he taped the room and got it prepped for painting. Thanks honey!

My mom and our friend Jill (yes they have the same name) got started on the painting! We really liked the shade of the blue in that room. It looked fresh and clean and wasn't too dark.

The final part of the room to paint was this roof/shelve wall storage. (not sure if any other way to describe it). We decided on white for this part to contrast with the blue.

In the next few weeks I will have completed pictures of the room!

Amy

Putting together our crib....

Some pics of putting together our crib :) It was quite the process.....Sure glad it is done!!

Once again, sorry for the not so great cell phone pics, but I was just excited to show you all how it looked!

Amy

A SNEAK PEEK.......

Sooooo... here is a little sneak peek at my letters!! I will do a pic of each one later on and will definitely show you when I put them up on the wall.. but I was just SOOOO excited to show you that I had finished finding and decorating all the letters!!! Thanks for everyone who helped me on this project!!!!

WOO HOO!! This was sooo much fun!!

Amy

Reflecting over 2011...

Wow, hard to believe another year has gone by! I can barely believe it. I must say 2011 was a year of ups and downs. I have been happier at times than I have ever been before, and more devastated and sad than I have ever been before. I feel like I have grown as a person because of all of these experiences and I just have to keep trusting every day that "All things work out for good to those to love God....". I want to share some of my happier moments with you all of 2011:

1. Obviously.... OUR BABY BOY!!! :)  We are so excited for this little man to join us!
2. We were able to move into a much bigger house in a nice neighborhood near my parents house. We love all of the space and are looking forward to the spring/summer to do more outside projects.
3. I had my official 1 year anniversary working at Seattle Children's Hospital. I love my job and my co-workers. I have gotten to travel to Wyoming and different parts of Washington.
4. Orlando and I got to go to Sedona AZ last March for our 1-year anniversary. So fun!
5. Orlando graduated from SCC as an x-ray technologist and now he has a full time job working for Rockwood Clinic out north, as well as a supplemental position with Holy Family Hospital-Inland Imaging! (yes he is a work-a-holic!!) We had a big graduation party with over 100 people who stopped in to congradulate him!
6. I have strengthened my relationship with many of my friends this past year...
7. Last but definitely NOT least.....I have fallen more in love with my husband every day this past year. He has been there for me during the loss of our first child, during the severe sickness in the beginning pregnancy of my little Levi, through the daily normal activities...We have grown to know each other so much more, and enjoy all the moments we have together. We have only been married a little more than 1 1/2 years, but I cant believe how much we have grown together. He has helped me strengthen my relationship with the Lord during this year and has made me happier than anyone ever could. I am so thankful for my husband, and I am looking forward to seeing him become a daddy this coming year. I know he will be a wonderful father :)

There are so many other things I know I am missing, but these are a few off the top of my head...

Happy New Year everyone!! I am thankful to have you in my life!

Love, Amy