Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a wonderful, safe New Year, despite the snow:)

Shawn and I had a nice, relaxing New Years Eve tradition at home-full of games and little smokies.

I just wanted to make it known that I have beat Shawn before at a game...just to clarify.

The snow just kept falling...

Lydia didn't seem too excited about the New Year-she was already sending us glares telling us she wanted to go to bed.

First couple pic of the year!



 And now the Christmas tree is down and put away, and I go back to work tomorrow after a wonderful break.

 

Although Shawn and Lydia are opting out of New Years Resolutions this year, I always like to start off the year with a few thoughts/reflections about 2012 and the year to come...

 

In 2012, I was grateful for...

 

Life

 

Health

 

Love

 

Growth

 

 

In 2013, I hope for...

 

-Continued health, including some weight-loss and lifestyle changes on my part

-Continuing to grow and become a more compassionate, loving and understanding person

-Continuing to maintain, nurture and grow in the roles and relationships that I have in my life-including those of a wife, daughter, teacher, friend, sister, and...soon...aunt:)

 

Happy New Year everyone-hope you return to your jobs, homes and routines safely and peacefully.

 

 

Holidays....Celebrate

Man, from one holiday to the next:)

The last time I posted it was right after Thanksgiving and I wrote about how lucky I felt to have so many blessings in life.

Well, here I am a few days after Christmas, doing the same thing:)

Honestly, Shawn and I haven't been up to much since Thanksgiving except for working and getting ready for Christmas. Fortunately, we have also been able to see family, relax and just have time at home together at a nice, relaxed pace. We are so lucky to have friends and family to visit and see and laugh with.

Here are a few pics from the holidays. Shawn spoiled me and got me a new camera for Christmas, so I plan on continuing to get better at taking pics....

Our living room, decorated for Christmas

Snow:)

Shawn cuddled up with our baby-she loves it, I promise

Helper/hinderer

Shawn and Kodack

Tomlins family picture

Reading on Christmas Eve

Abby playing with new toys

Opening gifts on Christmas day

 

I just took a few, mainly because my brother took a ton with his camera (which I am anxious to see)

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful, peaceful holiday! 

Much to be Thankful For...

As the Thanksgiving holiday winds down, I continue to be oh so thankful for many things in life right now...

There are the blessings that I find each year that I continue to be thankful for...

My health...

My husband (who I LOVED getting to spend some quality time with this weekend)

My family (including one furry feline)

My friends and coworkers..I hope they all had a wonderful holiday this weekend

My home

My job and the fact that I do something I do enjoy (I need to keep this in mind as things get stressful)

A good book (I just finished my first James Patterson novel-I know he has been around for years but I am just starting to catch on)

Great coffee

A good Lifetime movie (I have one on right now)

The fact that I have one more day left in my holiday break before returning back to the grind-its been a wonderful relaxing break and I feel fortunate to get to spend it at home doing relaxing things:)

AND, I feel even more thankful for new, wonderful news that has come our way, including...


- The news of a new addition to the Tomlins family-SO HAPPY

- The news of a great friend heading back to Kansas-SO EXCITED


And now I will leave you with some Christmas decorations we set up around our house...just some touches...

Lydia always helps-or hinders...not sure which one:) 

 We got the toliet cover last year as a "gift". I was hoping my husband wouldn't find it but he did. 

So here it is.

I was going to make a new wreath this year, but instead I just updated one I had by adding an embellishment. I am quite satisfied with it.

For Thanksgiving dinner, I brought dessert-Cinnamon Roll Cookie Bars. They are delicious!

Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix (butter pecan would also be delicious I'm sure)
1/2 cup melted butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons cinnamon

Icing
2 tablespoons milk
2 cups powdered sugar

Directions
Mix all ingredients and pour into a greased 9"x13" baking dish. Bake at 350degrees for 25-30 minutes.
When perfectly baked remove from the oven and pour icing over the top. 

Note: I added more milk to the icing

I hope everyone has a wonderful, peaceful, thankful Sunday! 

Fall happenings

It's early and raining on a Sunday morning...perfect time to post.

I hope everyone is having a peaceful, happy fall so far. I feel like these past few weeks have been going by very quickly- work, house, sleep:) However, these past few weeks have brought many blessings, including...

The birth of an angel. I feel so honored to meet Arya Jean Hammerschmidt:) I look forward to watching her grow and take on this big world!

Celebrating birthdays. Marisa celebrated the big 18!

 

She has an exciting year ahead and I am glad I get to see it happen:)

We had a very quiet, yet enjoyable Halloween here in Lawrence, filled with pumpkins, Charlie Brown, and lots of leftover candy (always a plus.)

 I carved mine into a heart in case you couldn't tell. Shawn carved a perfect, classic jack o-lantern.

 Lydia opted to hang in the garage all Halloween-scrooge.

 

And now I am preparing for the upcoming weeks of busy, holiday madness. I have to say though I have finally caught onto the two words that may save me this holiday season- online shopping.

I read a quote the other day in a magazine that said you are not your to-do list. I also read something in a blog about the importance of being present in the moment, especially during the holiday season.

I plan to keep both of these things in mind as these next few months continue:)

And now I will get back to Amazon shopping, bookmarking Thanksgiving recipes on Pinterest and enjoying this rainy day with Netflix.

Love to everyone:)

Come rain or shine...

My husband is a man of loyalty. Being his wife, of course I deem this as a very good quality to have. This guy, though, truly defines the words "through thick and thin." When he finds something he likes or loves, he sticks with it. This includes American-made cars, Levi's jeans, and Heinz ketchup.

 

I have always known that Shawn was a loyal Jayhawks fan (one of the many reasons I married him-haha). However, after this weekend, I really saw how much the Hawks meant to him, and I learned another lesson about marriage/love along the way (you truly never stop learning-even after two years:)).

On Saturday, Shawn and I headed out to the football game. Shawn has been going to the games all year, and he happened to score some free tickets to this game, so I agreed to go with him. Of course, I was a little reluctant due to the weather forecast, but decided to forgo the thought since I promised Shawn I would go. It also has been a crazy stressful time at work, so I was all for spending time with my husband-even if it meant getting rained on a bit. So, I went along with Shawn when we went to Wally World to get ponchos (they had Jayhawks on them-perfect). When we arrived at the stadium, it was cloudy, but looked okay. However, as we approached the stadium, thunder started to roll.

We found our seats, and soon the game was underway. With about 1 minute until the end of the 1st quarter, it started to pour. And thunder. And then there was lightning. Soon the announcer came on saying that the fans need to take shelter. So, we shuffled down to the concession stand area, along with everyone else. Of course, at this point, about 2/3 of the people left. I have to be honest, I wanted to go with them. The idea of standing there, waiting out the impending storm that was supposed to last all night was not really my idea of how I wanted to spend my Saturday.

But then I looked at my husband. I saw a guy who, despite the rain and craziness, really wanted to be there. I saw a man, who, despite being upset, refused to make me hold the wet towels and jackets that were no doubt making him more wet. I saw a guy who wasn't going to let a little rain take away from a few hours of something that meant something to him and was a part of his history, his family and his life.

And so it was then that I decided that it was time to make the best of things. Shawn and I went down and hit up the concession stand while we waited. Then, when the rain cleared, we joined the other 10 fans who had waited it out in the stadium, and sat there and enjoyed our soda, nachos and hot dog. We then cheered on the Jayhawks as they struggled, got more behind, and came back in the last quarter, only to lose by one touchdown.

Two years ago I would have been pissed. Two years ago I would not have even gone. Two years ago, I still would have required nachos to get me through:), but I know that I don't think I had the love in my heart to stick something out with someone, just because they love it. And truly, with all of the Lifetime Movies, crying/emotional episodes and dinner/dessert-gone-wrong that this man has choked down, the least I could do was stand in the rain with him, as he stands for something he really believes in and loves.



Lately, I have felt more stressed out by work then I ever have. But when this happens, I have found that the best thing to do is refocus, and spend time with those you love the most.

Which is why we took some time today to be together and go take pictures and something we love, along with the Jayhawks- fall colors:)

 

Happy Fall Everyone!!! Spend it with those you love:) 



Nothing new under the moon...

Hey ya'll!

I hope everyone is having a great winter (although it really feels more like Spring around here, which is fine, even though I wouldn't mind one good snow!)

I haven't updated in a while, but I really don't have anything earth shattering to update. Shawn and I have both been pretty busy with work, especially Shawn. He has been really busy working on a project for work, and helping completely renovate a house for a friend. I have been busy with the kiddos at work, and just started working as an after school tutor this week.

So, I really don't have any big news. I haven't really done any big house projects (we are saving those for the summer times), and have been keeping cooking pretty simple due to our busy schedules. The other day I did start to blog about the process of making "healthy" brownies, but decided not to reveal the end product, which was pretty much a gooey, squishy mess (and not really in a good way).

Anyways, life has been good, yet busy. I am looking forward to a Valentine's Weekend with the hubby, and maybe a big snow someday soon???:)

I hope everyone has a lovely Valentine's Day!

I swear, it really is the litte things:)

My husband does not like holes in the wall. He doesn't mine hanging things in our house that are deemed necessary-a wedding photo, a diploma, the welcome sign in our foyer...but if a hole does not have to be put in the wall, he does not put it there.

Which is part of the reason why it would mystify me, the hole basher, when my husband would gather the full deposit from his past apartments, and I would have money deducted from mine-and one of the reasons always being holes in the walls (and trust me, not matter who says it, that wall crackle does not solve the issue:)) I was always a fan of putting things on the walls-pictures, posters, decorations-it really all started when I was 10 and used over 300 push-pins to put up pictures of Jonathan Taylor Thomas in my bedroom.

So, now that we are in our own home, I of course continue to chomp at the bit to put things on the walls, and Shawn continues to be hesitant to start hammering.

Anyways, the point of this short, yet sweet post is, that even though my husband doesn't like it, he has always been willing to drill a few holes for me. At our first apartment, I droned on and on about how nice a mirror would look above our couch. Then, one day, I came home to a cute little black mirror hanging above our couch. It wasn't a holiday, it wasn't Valentines Day, it was just a day that proved to me that my husband always does little things that make me happy.

Today again was one of those days. Shawn had planned on spending the last evening of his long weekend watching the KU vs Baylor game. Instead, what is he doing?

Putting another hole in the wall:)

Whoever said it's the little things is completely right



Those darn resolutions...

Its that time of year-the time of year for those New Years resolutions. We all know how resolutions go- they are mearly statements/goals that we make and keep until about mid-January, then give up on and forget because that's what everyone does with New Years resolutions.

I am not really a New Years person. I just don't like a holiday that states you have to stay up until a certain time. And, being a morning bird and certainly not a night owl, its really not my thing. This year, Shawn and I are going low key and going to bring in the new year with movies, food and maybe a marathon of the Big Bang Theory on TBS?

So I don't really like the customs involved with New Years, but I do like the act of reflecting on the previous year, and thinking forward to the next one.

Here are my thoughts about the year 2011-my Top 5 (I know-you were just waiting for MY top 5 list-its a list you have to read-just like Top 5 lists from People.com or MSN:)

1. I absolutely love having a house. Buying our first home was pretty painless-thanks to Shawn and his real estate knowledge. I have loved everything about it so far-painting it, decorating it, putting a Christmas tree up in the living room, watching my husband mow the yard...the list goes on:)
I am really looking forward to continuing the little adventures and projects that are coming our way.

2. I continue to really appreciate my wonderful family. Not only do I have a fabulous husband-but loving and caring parents who continue to embrace Shawn and I as a couple and support our marriage and our decisions-we are very blessed:) I am also very excited to have a new member of the family-My brothers wife, Erin. I am excited to see what adventures come their way! We also have another new member of the family-Little Abigal:)

3. My friends, though now all spread out, continue to be little lights in my life. I love spending time with friends close by, and LOVE reading the blogs of those far away.  I LOVE now that several of my friends who have moved far away now keep a blog-if you ever doubt if anyone is reading it, I AM:)

4. Although working in education continues to get harder and harder (really isn't it the same for any job these days?), I still feel very blessed to work where I do and with the kids and people that I do. My school is a special place:)

5. 2011 also brought me other things in life, that are less important but still loved, including:
- My Nook Color-for hours of good reading:)
-My iPhone-yes I am one of those people now
-Scentsy pots- my house will forever smell glorious now
-A reconnection with Body Boutique- I can now continue to annoy my husband with comments like "Oh, hey, I know this song- they played this song in my step aerobics class:)"
- the beginning of my days of cooking, which I hope to continue into the new year:)


And, what are my hopes for the New Year?...

Eat my fruits and veggies (sigh, sigh, sigh:)

Try to spend more hours reading than watching episodes of the Real Housewives

Cook one new thing every once in a while (no matter how many smoke alarms I set off, fires I start in my oven, or boxed of brownie mixes I screw up)

Explore more of this beautiful town I live in-Lawrence! I really need to spend more time on campus, downtown, near Clinton Lake...

Find a creative hobby? My scrapbook stuff is still sitting up in our guest room, so I am thinking that may not be my think. I am still working on finding my true craft:)

And as for Lydia...

Shes kind of over the holidays:)

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

The only thing missing is snow

Well, the last time I blogged I was announcing getting ready for Christmas, and Christmas was last Sunday:) It has been a crazy, busy few weeks!

Shawn and I had a wonderful, relaxing, and peaceful holiday. Here are a few pics from the holiday-a few were taken on my Christmas gift-my delightful iPhone:)

Erin visiting me:)

Me and the hub in front of the tree

Marisa and I

Opening gifts

MT

Opening Gifts

Shawn with his new leaf blower

Lydia opening her stocking

Looks like Santa came after all:)

Shawn and his new sweatshirt-someone with incredible taste got that for him:)

A new mug for Shawn

And it took Lydia no time to test it out

Shawn got me Pistachios! I am only allowed to have them once a year-since I tend to eat them all in one setting.

Dunkin Donuts and nuts-this is the face of an addict

I am not sure if Shawn got this blanket for me or Lydia

Shawn and his mom:)

Table setting:)

I hope everyone had a happy, peaceful, wonderful Christmas!!