Mid-September Update

Things are crazier than ever around here! Here's what we have going on over the next week or so...

• Friday, Sept 16 - My last day of work
• Saturday, Sept 17 - Maternity photo shoot
• Monday, Sept 19 - Painting begins at the new house
• Tuesday, Sept 20 - Last day to get EVERYTHING packed and ready for the move
• Wednesday, Sept 21 - My 30th birthday; Moving day (movers to load the truck and start the drive); Carpet to be installed in new house
• Friday, Sept 23 - Arrive in Oregon (hopefully) with the kitties
• Saturday, Sept 24 - Have truck unloaded and start moving in
• Wednesday, Sept 28 - Our anniversary! (3rd)

Wish us luck! As soon as I actually get to the new house, I'll post tons of photos (before, in progress, and eventually after).  I can't wait to start the nursery! And in early October we will have 3D ultrasound pics of Baby!

Baby & Moving Updates

I think everyone knows now that in addition to having a baby girl in December we are also in the process of moving from Colorado to Oregon. We like to make things as crazy as possible! 

Greg is already up there, staying with his parents for now, and working. Meanwhile, I'm still here in Colorado working and prepping for the big road trip out west (1,300 miles, in case you are wondering). So, I haven't had lots of free time to update the blog with baby progress and packing photos....but I will, don't give up! And, once we get to Oregon, I'm not going back to work, so I'll be able to add more house photos, nursery updates, and delivery countdown freakouts than you even wanted to see. 

Check back often. There is certainly a lot to keep up with these days and words of support are always welcome!

We're having a baby!

That's right, there will be a new addition to our house this winter. We are expecting our first baby in early December! Things have been a little crazy around here since we found out. There has been a lot of cleaning, organizing, and trying to make room for the baby. Babies may be small, but from what I've seen so far, they require a lot of stuff! We're making pretty good progress so far. The next big step will be painting the nursery (aka, the used-to-be-office). We're waiting until we find out boy or girl to pick the paint color. It's getting close: July 21st is the big reveal day! We can't wait! 

We've been really slow about telling people, but hopefully this blog will help us stay better connected with baby related news to all of our friends and family. Check back often to keep up with the growing Jones family!

Ten on Tuesday: March Madness

I missed the last two Ten on Tuesdays, but today I'm back with March Madness. No, not my basketball bracket (although I am tied for the lead in my office competition!). Just the ordinary madness that has been this March. 

10. I've had a sick kitty. Dakota (aka Dark Knight or Baby Panther) had a minor urinary tract infection. Not fun. 

09. Giving pink cherry flavored medicine to a giant boy cat is not easy. 

08. I've also had a grumpy kitty. Paige is now shunning Dakota (just like he did to her) since he returned from the vet. 

07. The vet says Dakota has gingivitis and needs his teethed cleaned. Awesome. $358 of awesome, actually.

06. Every Tuesday in March is $2 burritos at my favorite Mexican food restaurant near work. Yay! And pass the Tums, please. 

05. I leave for Boston in just over two weeks! Very excited! (I still have a lot to plan and figure out between now and then.)

04. I've had several different skin issues lately. Yuck, I know. I'm trying to get into a dermatologist this week. 

03. I finally got a new cell phone! The Sprint Samsung Epic. It is quite fancy...or so I hear anyway. I don't actually know how to do much with it yet. 

02. I watched the series finale of Big Love on Sunday. I have a weird fascination with polygamy. It was a little slow for the first half, but I thought they did a good job of wrapping things up and leaving us an acceptable ending. I'll miss those crazy Henricksons. 

01. We are still playing the house hunting/buying game. It is fun and exciting and stressful all at the same time! Hopefully I will have a real update soon!

Ten on Tuesday: About Me

It is already Tuesday again... I haven't done an update post about my new bill pay system (which is working quite well) and I don't have any fun ideas for a top ten list today. Oops. Oh well, I don't want to break my Ten on Tuesday tradition, so this week will have to be ten things about me. Warning, I'm a weird one! Here we go...

10. I am a super picky eater. As you might have noticed with my Sonic grilled cheese reference, I tend to eat like a six year old. I love cheeseburgers (plain & dry), chicken strips, pizza and spaghetti. I hate lettuce, mustard, bananas, pecans and anything that is cold and crunchy. Weird textures totally gross me out. 

09. I cut my fingernails every couple of days. I hate for them to be even a little bit long. But I never chew or bite them. That grosses me out too. 

08. I have never had a cavity. Other than braces when I was a teenager, I haven't had anything done to my teeth other than cleaning....which probably explains why I love going to the dentist. 

But don't be too jealous:

07. I have terrible eye sight. Seriously, it is awful. I asked the eye doctor once what my number was. You know, 20/20, 20/15 whatever. She said they didn't have a number for me. Gee, thanks, that makes me feel good. Luckily, I have been wearing the same contacts (same brand, not Rx) for over 15 years. 

06. I am really good at Pictionary. 

05. My black cat, Dakota, is left handed. 

04. I don't like birds as pets. I would love to have a guinea pig however! 

03. I didn't learn how to swallow a pill until I was an adult. Pathetic, I know. I tried and tried but they would always get stuck on my tongue and make me gag. 

02. I hate for my Jeep to be dirty. I get her washed all the time. I just think she looks happier when she is all clean and shiny. I call her Jeepie. 

01. I love shopping. It may be my greatest talent. I can always find amazing deals. But, in my attempt to be more responsible and spend less money I haven't been shopping since early January. It is the best expression of self control I've ever exhibited. Well, until I turned "no shopping" into house hunting and then got Greg hooked. Big oops. Now we both want to move to a new house. Uh oh...

Ten on Tuesday: 80s Cartoons

So, this post (or one over the weekend) was supposed to be an update of the progress I've made on my Ten Things to Try list. Yeah, that didn't happen. I spent my long weekend house shopping instead. Naughty, naughty me. 

Which bring us to this totally random Ten on Tuesday topic - my favorite cartoons from when I was a kid! They weren't all actually made in the 80s but they were on tv then. Ready for a trip down animated memory lane?

10. Alvin and the Chipmunks

Image found here.

09. Muppet Babies

Image found here.

08. Inspector Gadget

Image from wikipedia.

07. Ducktails

Image from wikipedia.

06. The Smurfs

Image from here.

05. The Flintstones

Image from here.

04. The Jetsons

Image from here.

03. Looney Tunes

Image from here.

02. Garfield & Friends

Image from here.

01.  Adventures of Little Koala

Image from here.

This one was really hard to find! I could remember the show but I couldn't remember the name. Does anyone else remember this? It came on Nickelodeon. Roo Bear and his sister Laura were the main characters. They lived in a tree with their family. It was so cute. I loved it!

I hope you enjoyed this little walk down cartoon memory lane. It brightened my day just thinking about all these fun old shows! Does anyone else miss the old style animation? What were your favorite cartoons as a kid?

Ten on Tuesday: Things to Try

Ten things I want to try on Tuesday. Well, not necessarily on Tuesday, but in next few weeks anyway!

10. Making Videos

I love the house tour, vacation, baby, and general life videos I see on other blogs. It is so fun to get a glimpse into people's lives (and be reminded that they are real people). And since we have a flip at  home, I want to get in on the action! I think a quick tour of our house would be fun. And it could be neat to have later if we move or make additional changes. 

 I've noticed that most videos are saved to YouTube or vimeo, but I don't know the difference or benefits to either. I'm guessing maybe size limits are an issue. Thoughts? Reasons to use one over the other? Are they both free to upload to?  

09. A Mac Workshop

I have a fabulous iMac at home. But at work I have a regular PC (that I know how to use much better and easier). I know the mac store offers free workshops so I think that could be a quick and easy way for me to finally get more efficient with my home computer. I would love to hear about your experience if anyone has tried one of the workshops! 

08. Budgeting

I've been thinking about this one for a long time, but have no idea how to get started. It can't be that hard, so instead of over thinking it and trying to find a pretty template online to use, I'm just going to get started and see what happens. I really hate dealing with money and bills and obviously budgets (since I've never used one!) but I'm a grown up and it has to be done. I'll report back how it goes...

image found here

07. Snowball Debt Reducer Concept

Like most people (tell me I'm not the only one) I have a few credit cards that I need to pay off. As you learned in #08, budgeting and precise money management aren't really strong skills for this girl. Nevertheless, I googled around and found a snowball concept for paying off credit cards. The idea is we needy humans need to see progress to feel good about ourselves (yes, please, progress is always appreciated!). So, prioritize what you need to pay off, either by highest interest rate first or by lowest balance first, and make as big of a payment as possible on that #1 card and only minimal payments on everything else, until the #1 card and totally paid off and then you move on to #2, etc. (This is of course my own summary of what I have read online, google it to learn from the experts.) I'm planning to utilize this method from this month forward. 

06. Meal Planning

What do you want for dinner? I don't know, what do you want? We have this conversation all too often at our house. Or we decide on something and then realize we don't have a necessary ingredient. It is annoying and totally unnecessary. I want to start meal planning on Saturday or Sunday for the following work week. We can take a look in the pantry, see what all we need, get the grocery shopping done on the weekend, and have a plan for dinner all week. Sounds super easy. We'll see how it works out! 

05. Three Posts per Week

I want to try to have three posts per week. I really love the Ten on Tuesday prompt because it gives me a specific direction (thanks Kim!). I also love the challenges over at a bowl full of lemons, but I never get the tasks completed in the timeframe given. I need to be quicker! The good news is, at least I haven't totally abandoned the blog this time, one post per week is better than before. But I can do better. Hopefully...

04. Photoshop

I want to learn photoshop. I have it at work but I don't know how to use it. I don't understand the layers. But I know it is amazing and everyone uses it for awesome creations. I'm sure there is a class or a series of you tube videos with tutorials. 

03. Photography
I also want to learn to be a better photographer. Both with the regular little camera we have now and also with a fancy DSLR camera someday. I think a lot of it is practice. I need to take more photos!

02. Flickr

Speaking of photos, I want to find the best online site to store and share them. I use Picasa right now, but I'm not really happy with the way they are organized and with the upload process. Flickr seems to be very popular, so I'm going to try that. Any other suggestions?

01. eBAY

Finally, I really want to try/learn/figure out ebay. Specifically, I want to try to sell on ebay. I have no idea about the shipping. How do you know how much shipping will cost? It all seems very intimidating. Will anyone want to buy my stuff? I think so, but I have to try to find out. I have left over purses from my purse recycle, clothes that are several sizes too small, shoes that hurt my feet and stuff that I'm just tired of that I want to get rid of. But it is all good stuff (aka expensive stuff). We donate tons of clothes every year, but there are always those things that I feel like I paid too much for to just give away. Again, it can't be that hard. Millions of people all over the world have manged to make ebay work for them, I just need to try it! ...although any words of wisdom would be appreciated...

What have you been wanting to try? What are we waiting for? Let's give it a try!

Ten on Tuesday: Everything Else

So far with my Ten on Tuesday posts I've shared my favorite places and my favorite tv shows. This week's favorites: everything else! 

10. Favorite Color: Green

Olive Green Swatch

09. Favorite Naughty Sweet Treat: Mocha Java Chiller from Sonic

I'm craving a mocha java chiller just by typing this post. Yum! But....I'm trying to not drink any caffeinated drinks for all of 2011 (just to prove that I can do it). So, no java-chocolately-yumminess for me. But you should try it - delish!  

08. Favorite Movie: Love Actually

from IMDb the Internet Movie Database

07. Favorite Random You Tube Video: Baby Monkey

Watch the video and try to tell me that it isn't hilarious! And bonus, now you'll be singing ...baby monkey....all day!

06. Favorite Shoes: Flip Flops
Well, that is if I have to wear shoes at all. Actually, I'd prefer to be barefoot, like in this photo:

On the beach in Maui

05. Favorite Month: July

It is warm and right in the middle of summer. What is not to love? Add in a beach vacation and I'm in heaven!

04. Favorite Sandwich: Grilled Cheese
Yes, I have the sophisticated palate of a seven year old!

(also from Sonic)

03. Favorite Animal: Cats...especially these two!

Dakota hiding under the sheets, not letting me make up the bed.

Paige Elizabeth sleeping on the back of the old sofa.

02. Favorite Time of Day: 11 am.

No need to wake up early. It is almost lunch time. And you still have the whole afternoon ahead of you. Ideally, work should last from 11am to 2 pm. Wouldn't that be great?! 

01. Favorite Play: Avenue Q

We went to see Avenue Q a couple of years ago and really had no idea what we were in for. Wow. It is hilarious! And R-rated! But they are puppets, so it is ok. Such a fun concept. After the first two minutes you don't even notice the real people holding the puppets. Avenue Q is coming back to Denver in March and we just bought tickets! We were in the very last row the first time, so I'm really looking forward to being closer. Oh and by the way, we first heard about Avenue Q from an episode of Ace of Cakes!

Well there you go, ten more of my favorite things! What are your favorites? Any the same as mine?

Five February Favorites

It is February in Colorado. It is snowing. Again. So, I'm inside with a few more of my favorite things: 

01. Sex and the City Complete Collection 

The whole collection - all the tv episodes plus both movies! (Great holiday gift! Thanks honey!) I love to pop a season into the dvd player on a Saturday afternoon while I'm doing stuff around the house. Turns out (to my surprise) there are several episodes I had never seen before. The fabulous Sex & the City ladies help glam up even washing dishes and folding laundry!

02. Facebook

I really love facebook. I have reconnected with so many old friends that I would have otherwise probably never gotten to talk to again. With just the time that has gone by plus the fact that I live 1,200 miles away from where I grew up and went to high school there are great friends that I lost touch with (shame on me). But the "miracle of facebook" as I like to call it, allows me to chat with friends anywhere in the world, see their fun vacation photos and know quite a bit about their day-to-day lives! Aww, technology... If we are old friends or new friends in the making, friend me on facebook!  

03. Andes Mints

Photo found here. 

I'm addicted to these little chocolate-minty bites of deliciousness! I need to quit. But they are so tiny....that means they are practically calorie free, right? 

04. Pink VW Travel Cup

Can you see the snow out there?
 I think my photography skills needs some improvement. 

Another holiday gift that I love. (I also have two from World Market and one really huge one from Starbucks!) I don't know why, but I love drinking out of these sippy travel cups with lids & straws. I think it is the straws. Isn't everything better through a straw? I carry ice water around in these cups all the time. Even to bed. 

05. Ugg Slippers

Keeping my toes warm!

It's winter in Colorado. It is cold outside. But I really hate having the heater blowing. So, I wear these comfy little Ugg slippers around the house. They are super warm. I think you can tell I wear them a lot! 

Stay warm,

Ten Favorite TV Shows

My ten favorite tv shows right now:

10. Criminal Minds

09. Mike & Molly

08. CSI: NY

07. Blue Bloods

06. NCIS Los Angeles

05. NCIS

04. Big Bang Theory

03. Bones

02. Big Love

01. Lie to Me

Thanks to the miracle that is DVR, we never miss an episode! What are tv shows are you loving this winter?

Saturday at Home

I stayed home all day today (no shopping, which is my usual Saturday activity!) and this is what I accomplished: 

I made chicken casserole (4 individual servings) to have for dinner later in the week. It is so easy, but it is one of my all time favorite foods! Basically it is cooked chicken (I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts tenders), corn tortillas, cream of chicken soup and Ro-tel, topped with shredded cheese. 

I also made some chili that we can heat up sometime this week too. If something isn't easy to make after work, we end up just snacking on junk or resorting to a frozen pasta bag. Which is ok occasionally, but maybe this extra work on the weekend will pay off during the week. 

What's next after all that? Dessert of course! I'm constantly impressed with the cupcakes I see on other blogs, so with the help of a store bought mix and a chocolate frosting recipe from Jen over at A Thousand Words, I made these: 

Jen had also posted a video with tips on how to frost cupcakes and what type of tip to use. Mine don't even begin to compare to hers, but I think they look pretty good for a first try! I added a little dusting of powdered sugar to help disguise all the imperfections. I can say with certainty, they taste delicious! Thanks Jen for the frosting recipe & how-to help! 

Oh, and I also did laundry and worked on sorting through all our tax documents. And the kitties napped. 

Ten Favorite Places

My ten favorite places on the planet. Granted, I haven't been to that much of the planet, but I'll stick by these ten regardless.

10. Vegas

Vegas. What's not to love? Lights, money, shopping, wedding chapels, gambling & shows...fun, fun & fun. Read about our last vacation to Vegas which included CHER (3rd row!), poker, bingo & Pawn Stars! 

Photos from here and here. 

09. Colorado

I've been living in Colorado for almost 3 years now and while I still consider myself a Texan, I have learned to appreciate all the beautiful places that are here in the state. A few of the highlights so far (although there is still a lot I haven't seen yet) are Glenwood Springs, Garden of the Gods, Breckenridge and Steamboat Springs. 

Trail in Steamboat Springs

08. Oregon

Remember the game Oregon Trail? I loved that game. Until my oxen drowned crossing the river. Oops. Anyway, I don't think Oregon had ever crossed my mind other than the game Oregon Trail until I met my Oregonian husband. But now I've gotten to visit several times and it is truly a beautiful state, not to mention that it is home to my fab in-laws (mom, dad, bro & sis) plus two special little nephews, which makes it very important place in our lives.

I still haven't gotten over to the Oregon coast or to see Crater lake, but Medford, Ashland and Jacksonville are pretty cool places in their own right. We almost always go see one show at the world famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival  and of course spend plenty of time at the Rogue Valley Country Club. But mostly we hang out and catch up with family and friends. Who knows, maybe we'll even move up there someday...

07. Barcelona
Fun trip with my brother back in 2006! Such an amazing city!

06. Key West

Best resort vacation in the continental US. I LOVE the Florida Keys. Key West is such a relaxed, fun place to be! The polydactyl cats at the Hemingway House were second only to our sea plane trip over to the dry tortugas and Fort Jefferson. Hoping to go back very soon!  

Fort Jefferson, Dry Tortugas

Aerial View of Key West

Sea Plane Landing at  Dry Tortugas

05. TEXAS

You can take the girl out of Texas, but you can't take Texas out of the girl! Image from here. I'm pretty sure my Colorado couches would look a little better with this Texas State pillow from Whispering Pines! Thanks to John & Sherry over at Young House Love for the awesome find! 

04. Maui
Maui is the first of two Hawaiian islands to make it on my list. We had the luxury of spending a week in Maui with my in-laws back in October. It was awesome. The beach was fantastic! 

Sunrise on Haleakala

View from our Condo

At Iao Needle Valley

At Kapalua Plantation Course

 03. Oahu

Oahu. My first Hawaiian island. Love it! Oahu is home to Honolulu, Waikiki Beach, Diamond Head, Turtle Bay, Pearl Harbor, there is so much to do! Maybe it is because it was our honeymoon vacation, or the first time I had been to Hawaii, but I think Oahu is truly paradise. I hope to go back many, many times!

02. Arrowhead

Arrowhead Golf Club is BEAUTIFUL golf course in the foothills of Douglas County Colorado and it is where we got married in 2008. I have to give my hubby credit, this place was his pick and it was amazing! Such a fabulous setting for our special day! (I think I need to devote a whole post to our wedding day sometime soon!)

01. HOME!

It's not flashy or huge or extravagant, but honestly home is my favorite place to be in the world. It is where I come home to hubby after work, where my kitties make messes and run around like crazy, and where I can relax and love life (and plan vacations to all my other favorite places!). We've already had lots of fun in our little house (I'm thinking about doing a video tour soon!) but whether it is this house or another, its our home and my all-time favorite place. 

What are your favorite places in the world? Any places we should visit? Any the same as mine?