Blogging is Cheaper than Crafting

The weather is really beautiful here. In the 60s, just enough wind, and just cloudy-enough blue skies. The weather makes me so much more motivated. I am so much more willing to stay away and get involved in a project when I have windows open and the house smells summery. You know what I mean right? The smell of open windows and breeze blowing through your curtains. Love it. 

Let me tell you, I have been crafting like crazy. Last weekend I had the blessing to help plan and decorate for my newest sister-in-law, Brigitte . I, sadly, don't have any of pictures from the day itself, but I did make pennant banner that had some of her wedding colors and we had fun vases of big happy Gerber daisies accented with bamboo kitchen utensils. Sounds a little janky but it was really cute I think! It was fun to be with all of the women in my new McCool family. 

Also I have been scrapbooking and organizing. I have worked on my SMASH* book a lot lately and you can see the pages I have finished here on Facebook. I am pretty proud of what I have done so far and will do March in April. Gotta collect the stuff for the whole month then put it in the book.

We also ordered this simple coffee table: 

I want to paint it some how to reflect our decor in our living room. We have grey/black furniture with some white pieces and mostly black-framed prints. I am totally on a chevron kick (we don't have it anywhere else in our house) so I am tempted to paint it on the top of the table. Stephanie sent me this photo for inspiration.

I think I want to paint it grey and turquoise with orange as the little stripe. Loud but in a small dose I think it would be manageable and colorful... But I cannot decide. Suggestions?

See I've been crafting a lot because teachers simply aren't needing substitutes. Whoops. It could be a crazy expensive hobby if I didn't only use coupons to buy things. The craft stores around here always have 40% or 50% coupons. And at Joann's I can get a teacher discount on top of that! Not too shabby.

But nevertheless I will need to get a job to support my crack craft habit. (Don't worry, I have not and don't do drugs). So I have been applying to jobs. Don't want to jinx it... so I'll post if something good happens.

Thanks for reading. I'm really getting back into blogging daily. Goes through seasons I guess. If it is cold and gross I dont want to blog-- I want to sleep. Now things are happier and warmer! :)

Bad Bad Blogger

I am really bad at this blogging thing. I go to blog and get distracted... ohhh old episodes of Storage Wars...

All is going so well here in DSM. Here are the updates!

School/Thesis: Chase and I had a come to Jesus meeting and created a new and better organized plan for my thesis' completion.  He is actually helping me stay motivated-- which is so great. I have made a lot of progress and am actually excited to work on it again. Today was a 3 hour stint of work and it felt great. I am shooting to get it done asap-- meaning March. Oh crud. I put it on the internet... now someone might see it and hold me to it... that is okay.

Work: I have been working at Caribou Coffee since November 1. And its fun and the people are very nice but I just recently have started the process of becoming a substitute. I had an interview yesterday and am currently in the process of becoming approved by Des Moines Christian School to substitute. I have an interview tomorrow with Des Moines Public Schools. I think it will be interesting to see all of the different schools around DSM and hopefully make some connections and decisions about where I would like to work.
Also I have been working on To Kill a Mockingbird at Des Moines Playhouse which opens this weekend. The show is super lovely and the cast is doing a great job. It has been really wonderful getting involved in the local theater community.  Last rehearsal is tonight... Break a leg!
Don't forget I blog at desmoinesisnotboring.com every other Wednesday.


Married Life: I love it. Being married is amazing. Chase is a really good husband and we still really like each other. Good to hear right? Our apartment is really great. Its just exactly what we need. Still no microwave and still no dishwasher... but I'm okay with that. Chase and I last weekend went to my cousin Julie's wedding in Texas. It was a fast jam packed weekend but it was amazing to see our family and friends. I needed that recharge. Living here in DSM isn't bad at all. I actually like it -- even though I am very far from some of my favorite people! 


What is Next: I hopefully will have some long term subbing. I have been making some awesome recipes lately. Really ready for the snow to be gone... even though we only have about two inches. Gotta buy some more teacher clothes. Other stuff.

Hunting for my Mitt'ns

Today my new business cards arrived. They are very very cool. They are square and funky and I love love love them. Why am I using words in multiples multiples multiples? Anyway.

As we sit here in front of our gangsta* Christmas tree watching amazing hilarious TV (we're watching The League -- which is beyond R rated at times but so funny) and just being a lazy married couple. We're very good at that. Being lazy and married to each other.

For those of you who have been wondering what I am actually going to do with my education (which seems to be pretty much everyone outside of my immediate family and friends) I have good news. I am serving as a dramaturg in two productions here in DSM. One is a super family friendly one and the other is a bit edgy/meatier. Happy Lauren.  More as they grow closer.

Hey guess what? Christmas is coming soon! Bet you didn't realize that eh? I am very very proud to say that I am one present away from being totally done with my Christmas shopping. Now I will admit-- we don't do lots and lots of presents in my family (or in my new McCool family) but I really love finding really good thoughtful things that people will actually enjoy. I tried really hard to shop locally and stuff... which basically meant buying loads of stuff off Etsy.  My parents sent us some presents via the USPS and they are making me crazy. Crazy because I am really bad at not opening presents that are just staring me in the face. I have a feeling my parents sent us one of Rusty's Gang. Mostly because the box looks like it holds a Rusty dog... don't know but we'll see. Have no idea what I am talking about? Check Out Rusty and the Gang or visit his Etsy website.  


I have been reading a really amazing book about the Gilded Age. It focuses on Tom Thumb and his wive Lavinia. It is a novel but its based on real events... you know a historical novel that isn't a bodice ripper. I have also joined Goodreads which is like the ultimate bookFacebook. If you like reading at all take a look.


Okay for something less fluffy. The political heat is wild here in Iowa. Chase and I don't plan to caucus but of course we are addicted to the Drudge Report. It will be so interesting. The candidates are all over the city. We've seen Bauchman's bus and I met the pilots of Ron Paul's airplane. Chase's brother and sister in law (tobe) saw Newt, Chase's Dad met Santorum... and well as anyone who has read the news lately knows Mitt isn't really spending lots of time here... but I'd still love to meet him...  that really has nothing to do with his political career... I'd just like to tell him I wrote part of my thesis about him. He should consider himself lucky -- I mean after all is is the only presidential candidate that is mentioned in my Thesis. 


Oh crap. My thesissssss. Oh bane of my existence... Naw. I just am so close to being finished and yet so far away. Tomorrow I am going to spend the entire day working. If I don't get distracted by laundry, the internet, gift wrapping, cleaning, cooking, organizing, shopping, sleeping, watching NCIS, or, or, or... see my point? Anyway...


Speaking of thesis topics the weirdest thing happened today. I was reading one of my favorite self-described Mormon Mommy blogs and the blogger announced that she was pregnant for the second time.  Now know... I have never met this woman, probably never will, and I am one of her thousands of readers yet I was very very excited for them. I in no way shape form or fashion want to have children right now, but I was so happy for them! Isn't it strange how people put so much about them self on the internet -- so much so that their readers feel like they are actually involved in the blogger's life... oh wait. This is getting tooo meta. Me writing about blogs and being a blog reader on my blog for my readers. Okay I'll stop.

Well I think I'll stop here. Mostly because my mac, Gabby, is about to die. She's showing me the red battery and I had to turn her screen to nearly off. Thanks for putting up with my randomness.

Heaven in a Dixie Cup

Our apartment is finally a house. We have unpacked all the boxes and are organized.  Which is nice because we had the space to put up our Christmas tree. It leans a little and and doesn't really have enough lights but we love love love it. Currently, we are watching Dexter in the glow of the tree. Nothing says Christmas like serial killers.

Working at Caribou has been pretty good. The people are lovely and I have discovered that I really love Eggnog Mochas. Yes. That is Eggnog + Chocolate + Espresso + Whipped Cream + Nutmeg.  I learned the first week of living in Iowa that "AE Eggnog is the best." At first I was very confused. When did American Eagle start making Eggnog. Well I learned that it actually meant Anderson Erickson which is a local dairy. When I was at Fareway (a grocery store -- perhaps Iowan?) I tried a sample of Mocha Nog by AE. It was heaven in a Dixie Cup. It is the cold version of a Eggnog Mocha. If you can get yourself some. You wont regret it. Chase does not like Eggnog. And thats fine. More for me.

This week I hopefully will get to do some interviews for my theatre blog at DesMoinesIsNotBoring.com . I am making some awesome contacts here in town and am excited to see what the future holds.  Okay gotta pay attention to Dexter... its getting intense!!!!!!

Office Space

I am about to make a dangerous statement. Ready?

I really don't get/understand/find funny the movie Office Space.
Thats all.

But today has been a day in our office. Between emailing and cleaning and organizing and all I feel like I've been in offices all day. I woke up at 6 with Chase (I had the day off) and just did some stuff around the house (I don't actually remember what I did this morning... remember how I don't sleep well?). Then around 10 or so I finally made my way to the Social Security office to get my name changed. Pause here for a moment. Name changing is a difficult process. Lots of paperwork and lots of running around with proofs of identity. Anyway.

I got there and there were about a billlion people waiting. Okay more like 50. I'm not exaggerating. I was number X16 and they were only on number X3. I was there for around 25 minutes and they only got to X5. Yep. I had a lunch date with the fabulous Keelia so I left and came back. Right as I pulled up the person who was X17 was coming out of the building. Looks like I made the right decision. This time I walked in and wham in five minutes I was out of there. And I got to have a great lunch with Keelia. We went to Gateway Market and it was really good. It will be in competition with Palmer's for my fav downtown lunch place.  Its too expensive for groceries. Trader Joes and Hyvee over in Jordon Creek are just as good and by far cheaper. Anyway.

After that I went to this TJ Maxx like store called Gordmans. Well their clothes are terrible but they have tons tons tons of great house stuff. I loved it! I got some stuff for our house and a new frame for one of my wedding presents from Chase. Our house is starting to look really good.

Speaking of our house-- tonight we will conquer the office. Our office. We have separate desks and chairs -- something I learned from my parents -- and we face opposite directions. Meaning we don't have to worry about each other space. To each his or her own. Mine of course is super cute and colorfully decorated. Chase's is surrounded by all his important degrees and licenses and still not set up-- he's been working a lot lately! So anyway. We'll finish organizing this room and then we'll only have one room left to go!

Here is the before...

The living room. Which will not be finished anytime soon. We bought a couch and it should be delivered on Friday. We bought it at a place that delivers. And we have in our minds challenged the delivery guys to get the bad boy up the stairs. So hopefully I will have a couch on Friday. If not we'll go to plan B. Which we don't have yet.

Here is the couch we picked.... hopefully next time you see it it will be in a photo of our living room.

 

I'm going to recover the pillows. Those aren't my favorite. 

Well that is all for now. Chaser will be here soon and we're headed to dinner. I'm too lazy to cook tonight -- sooo he's going to take me out!

Good husband.

Oh to sleep, perchance to dream!

I don't really remember the last time I slept through the entire night.
Probably back in high school.

At Liberty I had debate dreams.
At UNCG I sang songs from Evil Dead.
At Home I just wake up for no reason. My dad thinks its because I nap too much.

Here in Des Moneys I just cannot sleep through the night, and now for the first time its impacting someone other than me! Poor Chaser. I wake up and wiggle and squirm and stuff and he of course looses sleep.

I am just tired. My body is tired. My mind is tired. My everything is tired.


I try to take some Unisom every now and then... but then I always feel groggy the morning after. So much that when I took some last night I ended up sleeping about an hour after I woke up.

I cannot imagine what it would be like if I had kids to take care of or a husband that wasn't so understanding. I can't imagine what it would be like if I didn't have a job that I was done with everyday by 3pm.

Oh yeah. My job. I really like the company Caribou. I really like their product and their operations. I'm trying to get my stuff all set up so that I can substitute and make more money in each day.

This is kind of a boring post. I need to stop blogging later in the evening. Tomorrow I'll do better. This will be a post I don't like to on Facebook.

Gift Cards, Diamonds, and Applesauce!

Hello readers... those of you that have stuck with me through this great famine of postings.

I got married. Did ya know that. I have a new last name. I live in a new state. I have to get a new driver's license. Oh and I have this fabulous new ring...

That ring on the right is Chaser's. Yes it has a piece of meteorite embedded into it.
I don't want to over do it with wedding stuff. So here are two more photos.... one silly...

 

Me the Bridezilla! 

And us at our first look...

  

It was a perfect wedding. I can keep adding little by little more photos.

We've moved into our new apartment and it is really great. Its perfect sized, great location, and slowly but surely coming along. Right now I am sitting in our kitchen at our pub table waiting for Chaser to get home. I got off work at Caribou Coffee today at 1030. So I've been home today napping and trying to make myself clean-- unsuccessfully. Well the nap was successful, the cleaning? Not so much! Right now the house smells amazing. I  had some "starting to get mushy" apples so I made applesauce. And Lordy, Lordy, it smells amazing.

I'm making a new recipe for dinner tonight. It has goat cheese, shrimp, tomatoes, arugula, and hearty wheat bread. Should be very good... we'll see. Chase is a trooper he's been trying lots of new stuff. Some he likes more than others-- but hey at least he's trying.

Of our whole apartment the kitchen is the only room totally set and organized. Well minus hanging artwork. We were so blessed with giftcards and money for wedding presents that our kitchen is just perfect. You may have noticed I changed the title of my blog... it mentions our lack of a microwave. Well its kind of a personal challenge. We don't really have a lot of counter space (we store the toaster oven under the sink) so I didn't want to get a microwave. Well so far we've done pretty well... eating fresh food and no microwaved dinners. Now I must admit... We do have an electric water kettle.

Today I accidentally found myself listening to the Glen Beck Radio Talk show... yikers. Chase and I for some reason are fascinated by Herman Cain and the fact that he's running for president. He's just really entertaining-- not sure that is a good quality for a president.  But then I soon realized who it was ranting through my radio and I switched back to the CD of our wedding playlist that I keep in my car. Another random fact -- Hyvee has really good tomatoes and I really love Trader Joes' um... everything. Okay enough randomness.

Lots of good stuff is happening. Job is good. Church is good. Life is good. Being married is the bestest thing ever. Really. I love it. We're super tired all the time from working so much but we just turn giggly and have fun together anyway. I know mushy mushy mushy. Thanksgiving is heading our way and this will be my first one with out my parents. Kinda rough.

To be really honest, that is the only thing I don't like about Des Moines-- that my parents don't live here too. Oh and that they have 70 degree weather right now :)

For all of you that celebrated with us in person or in thoughts and prayers  we cannot simply find the right words to thank you. We still get a little teary-eyed when we talk about it. We are so blessed.

More tomorrow. If your lucky! Hahah or maybe I'll go another month or so!

I'd like to wish congrats to all of the miracle babies (all babies are miracles!) that have been born in the last month. I have some killer "other people's babies" fever. Meaning I like playing with your baby but not interested in having my own! Hahah.