find,Wedding Ring Drama

Back in August, I lost my wedding band.  My engagement band was fine, but my wedding band disappeared.  I found it weeks later on the living room floor, in the carpet.  We are guessing Oliver was playing with it and dropped it there.

Then, last week, Andy lost his wedding band.  We had been to dinner at a really great local pizza place, and we originally thought he had lost it there.  Andy removes his wedding ring and glasses every time he eats (I have no idea why).  I called, but it wasn’t there.

So it had to be in our yard.  We had been playing in the leaves with Oliver, taking his picture.  Andy had a pile he and Jon had raked and they were digging and burrowing through it together.  He went out back to try to search through the leaves, but he couldn’t find it either.

So he ordered a new one.  A tungsten band that was like 40 dollars.  It arrived yesterday, and it was 2 sizes too big.

So he ordered another one.  And it arrived today.

And today, our UPS man, Greg, brought Andy his metal detector to borrow. (I know that sounds weird…but they talk often at Andy’s work)

And he found his original band.

So now Andy has three rings.  I think we’re going to return the really large one, but he’s thinking about keeping the new one that fits for days when his ring is too large.  He was wearing all three at once for a minute, and looked like a total loon.

So there’s our recent ring drama.

Happy Pictures

Things that make me happy today:

VND’s (Very Naughty Dogs…not Venereal Disease….I don’t think that’s too happy)

SACS (Super Awesome Cleaning Supplies)

and FHS (Fun House Stuff)

Clockwise from the top: (Mail Basket and Key Bowl) (New Pillows) (Lotus Candle Holders—I have a special place in mind for the other gray one) (under table storage bins…there are three of those in the living room)

Also….not in a collage, but still fun: Grandma Doe’s radio cabinet (an old school radio that was gutted and turned into a cabinet) with all cookbooks and church/Sunday School/quiet time materials in the basket on the bottom.

MOM! LOOK!

This is for my mama.  I promise.  She told me to post it.  Instead of a dresser, I want this little beauty.  From here.  The only store in Indiana is in Carmel….there is probably one nearer LK if you go to visit her soon….and I think there’s one in Cincinnati, but none in Kentucky.

Yesterday

Today is the official start of Fall Break, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.  I already got to sleep in, snuggle with Ollie, and spend some time just hanging out.  I don’t have any big goals for today—I think I’m going to pick up the living room and kitchen, drink a cup of coffee with peppermint mocha creamer, go on a walk with Oliver, and “sew” or, you know, iron hem tape up up the two pillow covers in the living room.  Oliver and I want to get a few house projects done….I need to trim back the dead plants outside and maybe hang a few things (our house is a little to institutional right now because I have hanging anxiety problems).  All in all….a relaxing few days.  Just what I need.  Things have been chaotic, so a little rest will be perfect.

My relaxing today sounds just about perfect after yesterday.  I got summoned for jury duty.  I went in thinking it would be no big deal.  I was so wrong.

My first indication that it was going to be a long day was the line to check in.  It went out the door.  At 8:22….8 minutes before we were required to be there.  Our county courthouse was badly damaged in a fire a year and a half ago and is currently being renovated, so all court cases are being held in a variety of locations around town.  Yesterday we were at the local business center.  It took almost an hour before I got checked in and was able to take a seat.  The woman in front of me quickly realized that one of the men walking around was a judge from the county north of ours.  A little while later we saw two deputies from that county as well.

This wasn’t a local trial.  This was a change of venue trial.

Finally, around 10 in the morning, we were told what the trial was.  It was a murder trial.  A child abuse, neglect, and murder trial.  A trial for the murder of a five-year-old boy.  It was awful.

I was on the last page page of potential jurors, so I had to sit all day as they questioned person after person regarding this trial.  I wanted to be sick.  It was horrible.  When it was finally my turn (at about 3 that afternoon), they chose to strike me.  Probably for a lot of reasons.  I have never been so grateful in my whole life.  Especially after I came home and looked up the case.  People.  I could not have done it.  I would have fallen to pieces.  It’s a horrible case.  I hope that they are able to get the right jurors.  Truly, I am.  But I am glad I wasn’t one of them.

So after spending the whole day doing that yesterday, I am more than happy to play with fabric and snuggle a puppy and thank the Lord for giving me the life he has given me today. 

Our Lovely Weekend.

I was a big fan of this weekend.  Well, mostly Saturday.  Friday and Sunday were just kind of eh.

Friday after school, I wasn’t feeling the best.  There’s a flu bug going around and last week was just hard.  I ended up sleeping most of the night.  Andy went to small group and to a birthday party for a friend from work, but I stayed home and slept.

On Saturday, I felt much better.  We cleaned the house together because the Harrises were coming from Louisville.  Well…we cleaned the rooms they would see.  It felt nice to have a picked up house.  It had been awhile.  I went ahead and ordered a few things from Crate and Barrel (a few storage containers to deal with my issues….and I found the perfect dresser substitute from World Market—and it’s on sale for half off…so I might order it later this week). 

Jon and Carrie came…and mercy had we ever missed them.  They brought a present—four packages of gluten free pasta and the gray and green lotus candle holders I wanted from Z Gallerie.  THEY ARE AWESOME!!!  (The candle holders and Jon and Carrie).  I can’t wait to put them to good use.  (the candle holders—not Jon and Carrie).

We watched a few episodes of The Office and Community together (both shows get exponentially funnier when you watch them with friends).  We stopped by the orchard to pick up some pumpkins and we went over to Jendys for pizza for dinner.  Andy was obsessed with the toy machine, which I will never understand.  We had the most ridiculous conversations at dinner, and it was just so much fun.  I was fairly certain they were never going to come back to hang out with us after dinner…but I think it got better later. 

After dinner, we went to the evil bad place with the initials WM because there is nowhere else in this town to buy paints and paintbrushes to paint pumpkins.  We wandered the toy aisle…I don’t really remember why, but I feel like Andy wanted a rocket engine so he could explode his pumpkin.  That might be wrong.  But I don’t think it is.

We came home and played with Ollie and painted our pumpkins.  Andy made a creepy face, Jon made a flying P for Purdue (representing on Homecoming weekend obvs), Carrie went with some cool all-over color effects, and I painted mine all white and covered it with polka dots in every color.  Then we walked into the park to see if people had bonfires (we didn’t know if the burn ban was lifted).  We saw many a fire….so we came home and had our own.  Eventually it got late and the fire wore down, and they sadly had to leave.  But it was so fun and so perfect.  Seriously

Yesterday, Andy was singing at church so I taught Sunday School.  Then I was scheduled to be in the preschool room all alone.  But I coerced one of our Sunday School girls to join me—and I’m glad I did because there were TEN kids in there.  TEN.  And I could have been all by myself.  I was worn out by the time we got home.  I decided in that moment that Kate Gosselin might be a ridiculous mess sometimes, but I will never judge her parenting.  I cannot imagine having all those kids all the time.  One hour did me in.

After church, it was a pretty relaxed day.  I watched some TV shows on Netflix, took a nap, and reluctantly graded papers until bed time.  Oliver learned how to turn the lamp in the living room on….so he randomly walked over and did it a few times (it’s got a button you push that’s on the floor).  And that’s about it.

Current House Wishlist: Living Room Edition

My dad asked me the other day what I wanted for Christmas this year, and I started thinking about our house.  It’s a good little house, but it’s lacking some serious function and attractiveness.  And I started to think about what it would need to make it better for me.  And here’s a sampling of what I have come up with (Mom, Dad, I’ve included links—feel free to purchase any of these things for Christmas….or none at all :)).

In our living room, I think we need more storage.  I’d love a small dresser to store DVDs and BluRays (they are currently in another room entirely.  Something like this Pepe dresser from Target (which has handles that are similar to our tv stand).\

We also need some baskets and storage containers.  This morning I determined we need a basket to go in the bottom shelf of my little cabinet from Grandma Doe’s to hold our Bibles and Sunday School stuff and quiet time materials, a basket for Ollie’s toys, a basket for magazines/books/reading materials, a basket for mail, a box for remotes, and a bowl for keys/wallets.  Here are few I had in mind (baskets from Target/IKEA) and bowl from Crate and Barrel (no picture).

     

 

And I would love this Dolce lounge chair from Target with a woven storage ottoman next to it (or pulled in front when needed).

Here are a few decorative pieces I would sell my left arm to have (I kid….I like my arm, but I do love these).

From West Elm (how cute is that bird—and only 10 dollars!):

 

And Z Gallerie (be still my heart):

 

FAIL

Oliver threw up in our bed this morning.  Andy stuck his arm in it.

I wore black shoes with brown pants.  And didn’t realize it until noon.

On the first day I ever decided to eat school lunch, the chicken tenders were undercooked.  Like really undercooked.  And my mashed potatoes had butter spots.  Like sunspots, just made of butter.

My computer shut down during my prep, rendering that period useless. 

When I got home, I discovered that young Oliver had eaten the book of Joel and a portion of Revelation from Andy’s Bible.

Is it bedtime yet?

A difference between Northern Indiana and Southern Indiana

There are plenty.  Believe me.  But this is one I recently discovered.

Last week, we were at a banquet, and one of the candidates for county sheriff was at our table.  He was telling us all about campaigning (the costs—mercy the costs) and going door to door.

He told us that sometimes when he goes to doors, especially to older people, they will ask what party ticket he’s running on.  When he tells them Republican, some of them shut the door in his face.

I had no idea.  Heck, where I grew up, I didn’t even know a Democrat existed.  I grew up in Quayle Country (even worked at the museum in college), a total Republican stronghold.  I think I was in college before I met my first self-proclaimed Democrat. 

And here, they’ll shut the door in your face for that kind of thing.

Who’da thunk it?

Why Ollie Dog is in T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Yesterday, my laptop died while on its charger.  It announced there was some sort of charger issue and quickly hibernated.  I did the logical thing given the situation—I yelled really loud for Andy to come.

He started to look at it, and quickly diagnosed the problem.

The charger had been chewed through.  In my defense, it wasn’t a very noticeable area.

In Ollie’s defense…He has none.

100 dollars later and Ollie is in some serious trouble. 

The next time my mom calls to threaten to send my dad down here, I might be willing to make a trade for a few days. 

The last time I checked, my dad didn’t poop in the kitchen or chew on cables. 

Sadly, I think she’d send Ollie back pretty quickly.  He’s cute, but he can be a handful.

Snippets

Last week was busy.  I had parent teacher conferences all night Wednesday.  We attended a banquet for the crisis pregnancy center on Thursday night.  And last night we had small group.

--At conferences, I saw more than 30 parents.  That’s more than I have ever seen before.  I felt like I was talking constantly.  It was kind of embarrassing, though.  We didn’t have report cards because of technology issues, so I kept saying, “Well….I think she’s about here.”  Ridiculous.

--I recently rediscovered the Subway Melt.  I had two last week.  One on Sunday when we got home from Indy and one on Wednesday before conferences.  It was either Subway or McDonalds…because those are the only two restaurants in the town I teach in.

--Last weekend was Margo’s wedding.  It was seriously the best time I’ve had in a long time.  She was absolutely stunning and the whole night was just perfect.

--I want to go to IKEA.  I’m tired of our house “almost working.”  It’s really not functioning the best it could for us.  And I think I know how to fix it.  I made a list.  I want a sideboard and a cabinet for storage in the kitchen.  I think it will help solve a lot of issues there.  I want to add two wardrobes to our bedroom, some bookshelves in the living room, and a few more chairs throughout the house. 

--I need to clean today.  Our house is disgusting.

--Last night was small group, and it was ridiculous.  I couldn’t stop laughing the whole night.  And we had soup night which was totally awesome.

--We left Oliver free while we were gone, thinking it would only be the normal amount of time for small group.  Yeah.  He was free for over four hours.  We were nervous to see what we would find.  When we got home, we couldn’t find him.  He busted into our bedroom, crawled into our bed, and fell asleep. 

--We all fell asleep in the living room last night.  Right now, Andy is laying on the carpet and Ollie is snuggled up against his stomach (well….what is his stomach underneath the comforter) and they are both sleeping away.