dates, screams, and things

As you know, Baby K had some visitors this past weekend! His Lolly and Pop paid him a visit. As they rolled into town, Captain J and I rolled out for a date night that was a long time comin’. I can’t tell you how wonderful it felt to have conversation in the car. I couldn’t possibly describe to you how fantastic it was to hold my husband’s hand as we strolled into the theatre (instead of being attached to the car seat and diaper bag!). It was a much appreciated reprieve and some time we needed to re-connect. By the movie’s end, though, we were ready to get back to our sweet boy. We canceled our dinner plans and headed home to snuggle with him.

We found out later that our little man screamed the.entire.time.

Bless his heart. (More on this later)

Anyway, what movie did we see you might ask? Well, Breaking Dawn, of course! It pained me to have to wait so long to see it, but that’s how it goes when you’ve got a child. I couldn’t go gallivanting off to the midnight premier like we did with Harry Potter. I must say, I felt just fine seeing it at 4ish in the afternoon. I must be getting old.

The movie was pretty good. The first part was too lovey-dovey-pukey for my likin’, but it got better as the movie progressed. I love where they ended it! The books will always have my allegiance, though–much better than the movies as per usual.

Look! I got my picture made with Edward!

And I’ll quit talking about the Twilight series now because I know many of you do not give a hoot about my thoughts on the matter.

Let’s talk of K Baby, shall we? I told you he screamed all night while his Lolly and Pop watched him. Unfortunately, this is nothing new. Sure, he has good days, but most of them are bad for him. He screams out in pain. He cries. He fusses. But sometimes he is completely inconsolable. 😥 It breaks my heart.

Today I went to PWOC and the ladies in my small group witnessed first-hand what the doctors were calling colic. They assured me that it wasn’t colic- that it was a scream of pain. We ended up taking Baby K back to the doctor (4th time!) and finally got a different answer, along with some medication. I really hope it works. Remember those guilt notes I talked about? Go ahead and tack on feeling bad about not standing up for him more when I knew something was wrong. I just accepted their answer of colic and let him cry. 😦

I’m hoping his reflux is remedied by the medicine now. We should see a difference in a couple of days.

That’s all I’ve got for ya. I’m exhausted!

Next time I post, I’ll be back with the winners of my latest giveaway!

Love you, mean it.

-Mrs. K

Bananas.

This week was bananas-

B-A-N-A-N-A-S!

Little man decided to go completely insane for a couple of days. Bless his heart. I think I was poisoning him with my coffee habit. Remember how I told you I had to cut back to decaf? It was terrible. But now, it’s terrible awful because I can’t even have that anymore. I had a hunch that the coffee was upsetting his tummy and it wasn’t just the caffeine that was the culprit. I think I was right. When I quit drinking coffee and it got out of my system, he started complaining a little less, spitting up a little less, and smiling a little more! I hope these changes are here to stay for more than twenty four hours. Wish me luck.

On Saturday, my dad and step-mom came into town to visit Baby K. It was so nice to be able to spend a couple of days with them. Baby K has met all but one of his grandparents!

 

They graciously watched him for us while Captain J and I had a date night day. If we’re facebook pals, you know that I checked into the local movie theatre with my love to finally see The Help. Since then, I’ve told Baby K – You is kind, you is smart, you is important– like every day. I love that book and the movie was pretty great, too! We had planned on going out to eat afterward, but we missed our sweet little boy so much that we just came on home.

“Pap” and “Ju-Ju” s visit just didn’t last long enough and before we knew it, they were pulling out of the drive way.

And before I knew it, I was up to my head in laundry and homework again. On one particularly fussy day, I decided I’d drop one of my classes for next semester. If I’m barely getting my work done in one class, I’ll never get anything done in two. So, go ahead and tack on another semester at least for me to graduate and people to call me Master. (Oh, people don’t do that when you get your Master’s degree?) Boo hoo.

Luckily, this little one is worth it.

He’s great. He’s really great. Have I said that recently? 😉

Anywho, I’ve been feeling creative lately. Unfortunately, I’ve had little to no time to create. But last week, I pinned two things on Pinterest that you might try to do, too…

 You’ve probably seen other people do this easy little craft, but in case you haven’t I wanted to show you my version. I got the picture frame for 3 bucks at a thrift store. Next, you have to have a printer. Now, this is where it gets really difficult (insert facetiousness)….Type out your message, leave a little space for you to write, and then print! Voila! You have a sweet way to let your husband (or child) know how much they mean to you each day. Just use a dry erase marker to write on the glass of the frame and you’ve got yourself a craft. Woo hoo!

Then there’s this purdy little necklace (Note: I didn’t make this). It would be too easy to do for those of you who have access to jewelry making stuff. Here in back woods Louisiana, there’s no such store. Ok, maybe there is but it’s 45 minutes away and my last trip there was a bit of a nightmare so that’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it.

Anyway, if you find yourself in Leesville, LA you could just stop by this cute little store and pick up one for yourself.

I’m going to go check up on all of you now. My google reader is getting out of control! #totalblogstalker here. Adios amigos.

Spread the Love

I got a couple of emails asking for creative date and gift ideas for Valentine’s Day. I was drawing a blank for the longest time. It’s difficult to come up with something fun and new when I follow this amazing blog that does all the thinking for me – The Dating Divas.

At their blog, you may find cute ways to make your man feel special- like this:

If you’re into card making (and who isn’t on Valentine’s Day?!), here’s a super cute idea–

Or browse around their Romantic Rendezvous section to find a perfect date night for you and your hubby. The divas provide printouts for a lot of the dates and crafts so you really don’t have to spend much time making what you’ll need. These are quick and easy!

Like I said, I was just drawing blanks. I’m not feeling very creative! I stressed over what I would do for Captain J. He really is so hard to buy for because if he wants something- he just gets it himself. I really have to concentrate to be thoughtful! ha. Anyway, as I mentioned yesterday, Captain J and I are spending a romantic weekend in Savannah for Valentine’s Day so we didn’t want to spend too much on gifts. I decided I would get him a few small things to let him know I was thinking of him:

This, he’ll love. Because our Alaska fishing supplies won’t really be efficient here in the south, I decided to update his tackle box. I bought a cheap container and filled it with lures that I thought might be helpful. Now, he might be headed back to the store for something totally different, but it’s the thought that counts, right? I don’t know what happened to using live bait or food, but whatever! I included the receipt in case he might want to exchange.

I used rubber stamps on a lot of these gifts because my cricut bit the dust. I’m really annoyed with it! It just stopped cutting. Has this happened to any of you? It goes through the motions but the blade doesn’t extend. What a time for it not to work! Hmf!

The next crafty idea I cannot take credit for.

I got ideas from this “Bottle of Love” project found here:

For Captain J’s bottle, I used pink and red starbursts and pink and red kisses. He’s not into sweets so I’m guessing he’ll share the chocolate with me and he’ll take over the chewy fruity treats!

I also wrapped up a few other treats-

The kiss me package is cherry chapstick. I provided a ring (pop) because I know he’s going to want me to marry him all over again after I give him fishing supplies for Valentine’s Day.

And there you have it! I plan on buying a few other practical items to slip into the bag (Isn’t that bag too cute? I got it on clearance for 77 cents!) and also making his Valentine card, but I haven’t done that yet. This is all I’ve got so far. Anyone have any bag stuffer suggestions? I’d be all ears.

For more tutorials visit Erratically Elizabeth’s post Tutorial Tuesdays.

Thanks for viewing! I hope these links help. Spread the love!

XOXO,

Dating on a Budget

I’m a firm believer in dating your spouse so married people this post is for you, too! I was talking with a friend the other day about finances and about how we (along with our dear husbands) don’t budget very well. Captain J and I like to avoid staying out of debt so when money is running low our weekly date night tends to suffer. It doesn’t have to, though! I decided to use items throughout my house to create a fun way to spend time together. Seriously, I didn’t spend any money on this date- just a little planning and crafting on my part. So easy (and fun, too!).

Step One: Send your man a hint (and/or picture) in the middle of the day to his phone or email. Don’t be afraid to show a little skin 😉 This is the perfect opportunity to flirt!

Next, leave an invite on the door or some place he’ll immediately see it as he comes home from work. I decided to make a referee type invitation with a leftover drawstring that fell out of a pair of his shorts while they were in the dryer (I’m a bit of a pack rat, but hey- it comes in handy sometimes!).

*This is too easy to make. I sketched a shirt shape on card stock paper. Then I found black and white paper and cut thin strips to glue on one right next to the other. Repeat until the shirt is full. Then I used my handy dandy Cricut to cut out a letter for the referree shirt. Punch holes at the top to add a drawstring or shoelace (or anything else sporty you may think of) to hang on the door of your home. On the flip side of this invite, I wrote: “Are you up for a game night? Bring it on!”

 

Then you’ll want to send him on a trail throughout the house. I decided to only make two pit stops because I wanted our family game night to take place downstairs in the room he enters from the front door so I didn’t have much to work with. If you try this date, it might be fun to make a scavenger hunt type deal. 

*This paper is a scrapbook paper square that I cut in half and used as index type cards. Again, I used my cricut to number the cards, but you can use whatever you have available to you. Now, here comes the goofy(iest) part–Get creative on your clues, hints, or instructions. The easiest way to do this is to make it rhyme! On card one, I wrote: “Come on in, Babe-you’ve got a game to play. Don’t you dare ask me, I won’t give it away… Head over to the table to find what’s waiting there. Feel free to pull up a chair!”

That instruction sent him to card two that said, “Hey Soldier, you think you’re tough? Obviously, we haven’t played games enough! Take your pick, I’m going to win- over and over and over again! Don your uniform, dude- while I munch on this food.”

At this point, he was standing at our kitchen table when I presented him with his attire he was to wear (an Iraqi jersey) while he was surrounded with snacks I had thrown together. I just prepared whatever we had in our cabinets around the kitchen. Also all around him were choices of games: cards, Bananagrams, Scattergories, and Wii options.

Also, what is game night without some beer options?

There had to be a prize up for grabs, too which is why I created this:

Another cool alternative would be to go to a thrift store or goodwill and find old trophies people have donated. When I lived in Cookeville, it was so easy to find a trophy and doctor it up to make it what you wanted it to be. You can pick those up for a few cents. Because I wanted to make this a completely free date, I didn’t do that but it would be too easy to do. Just cover up any engraving or writing that doesn’t fit your goal with different papers and designs that do!

*To make the above award, imagine those bright orange cones construction workers put on the side of the road. I cut out two of that shape and glued the very tips together. Then I added a star to the top and a “Way To Go” message on the trophy out of regular construction paper. Where it opens at the bottom to hold it up, I wrote: “You’re a winner!” 

Captain J and I love game night. It’s good for us because I know he’s tired after work and sometimes all he wants to do is relax. By playing games together, we get to hang out and lay around the house and be lazy!

This date can easily turn into a couples date night, too. Challenge your couple friends to a game, create a scoreboard, and keep track of who is winning! This will allow you and your spouse (or significant other) to work together as a team to kick some butt! 😉 Or you could always do girls versus guys…that’s fun,too.

The most important thing is to simply have a good time. I think “date nights” often get a bad rap because they seem to some, one night during the week set aside for doting on your spouse as opposed to doing so all throughout the week. I am from the other school of thought that defines date nights as deliberate time set aside for just the two of you in order to ensure time together. During the week, it’s so easy to get caught up in the stress of work, school, or just life in general. Sticking to a plan of spending time together will help strengthen your relationship!

After all the game playing, we decided some smores were in order!

Yum, yum. Oh, and Captain J thought my little trophy I made was a hat. I guess that means I’ll just have to try harder next time. I’m not too concerned, though- in all fairness, he didn’t get a good look at it. I mean, as soon as I won game night, I snatched it right up! 😉

Happy Dating!

Last Night’s Date Night

In honor of the awesome holiday that is St. Patrick’s Day, J and I went out to dinner for Sushi. Yeah, we’re festive. At least we wore green! As I’ve told you before, CaptainJ, Drifter, and I are seen as the bad kids on campus in obedience class. Because Jordan had to work a little late, we opted out of puppy class last night. It was the best decision we’ve made all week. We needed date night last night. We didn’t do much, but just being with him, just the two of us, was refreshing.

So, yes…We went to our favorite Sushi place here in Fairbanks. It’s an old fast food restaurant turned sushi fabulous. From the outside it looks like a hole in the wall kind of place, but it’s remodeled quite nicely on the inside. The food is excellent and the man who prepares it often yells out in Japanese to greet us and then sends us an appetizer on the house. I imagine it’s not exactly because he likes us but because the place is fairly new and he wants to make a good name for himself. Speaking of new, I’m fairly new to Sushi. It wasn’t that long ago that I cringed at the thought of it. When J was home on R&R from Iraq, his family took us out to a Japanese place because Jordan insisted he taste Sushi again before he had to return for the rest of his duty. After years of missing out on raw fish, I thought I’d give it a whirl again and have a taste test. J talked me into it. He then dipped the Sushi into Wasabi and handed it over to me. It was probably one of the worst things I’ve ever tasted. It was right up there with green beans. Yuck.

Come to find out, it’s the wasabi I despise. I actually enjoy going out for Sushi now, but I never let J forget that day so many months ago when he unknowingly attempted to kill me. Which is why I dared him to do this:

 

Please ignore my five year old little girl voice. Does anyone like their recorded voice? Anyway, I hope you all had a fun Irish holiday celebration. All throughout my day, my thought was, ‘I’m just glad J is home this year, this holiday.’

When life hands you lemons

When life hands you lemons you’re supposed to make lemonade, right!? Well, I thought of this as I was preparing for a night out on the town with my husband. We are making Wednesdays our date night now. Anyway, he came home yesterday with the hopes of going out to eat. Sweet! I love getting out of the house.

I started getting ready by attempting to tame my static filled hair and splashing on some makeup which just doesn’t happen very often. I also got to break out a short sleeved shirt because Fairbanks was having a heatwave yesterday: 30 degrees above zero! As I was choosing a pair of earrings to wear, I noticed some silver and black ones that I rarely ever wore. I picked them up and realized that they were a “friend’s” who no longer talks to me. Despite trying repeatedly to figure out what went wrong, she refuses to talk to me about anything significant but, in her defense, she does still act like we’re friends to my face. Odd situation. Anyway, I realized the earrings were hers that she’d left at my house years ago. I’m makin’ lemonade with them now 🙂

Yes, those earrings and I went out for a night on the town. We loaded up in the truck and J took us to Lavelle’s, a restaurant/bar scene in downtown Fairbanks. I had such a nice evening with him. We talked about everything under the sun while sipping on his and her drinks (His- Alaskan Amber; Hers-Chateau Riesling). The food was pretty good, too. We hardly ever go there so it was a nice break from our “usuals.”

I consider myself lucky that I still get butterflies when he tells me he loves me more than anything in this world. I’m still excited to hear about his day each and every day. We love talking about our futures together, but since the future doesn’t really exist, we focus on our gift of the present. Last night was a time of reconnection and a much needed break from Drifter, too.

I’m so grateful to God for blessing me with the most amazing husband, family, and true blue friends a woman could ask for. I don’t deserve for Him to look upon me this way, but I’m so thankful He does.

Now, for a family photo: