Land Barons

This is another one of the posts that I meant to put up ages ago and I am just getting around to doing it, because I am a slacker and life is busy! But I am sticking to my resolutions to simplify, turn off my school brain when I get home and spend more time relaxing with my family, so there's that...

Back during the summer Brien and I decided to pull the trigger on refinancing our home and using the equity to buy some land, an idea that we should have moved on years ago, but we just kept putting things off. I will never forget the first day back to school walking out of Hinkley High School on the phone with the bank, putting the Kibosh on everything and saying, "Let's just wait." But alas my amazing husband stepped in and took over and it was all settled within a few weeks!

With the financial stuff taken care of, we could start looking at property! Hurray! It's been our dream for years to move to the country, we even got so far a few years ago, as to call our real estate lady that found us our current house, to start searching for homes in the some of the small towns east of here. After years of being sent listings we came to the conclusion that, that our options were super limited.

It was either get a beautiful house on 1 acre, wah-wah, that's not country living if I am 40 miles away from Target but still sharing a fence with my neighbors, while looking into their kitchen...No thank you. OR live in a double wide on 40 acres, so that's real country, however, with my irrational fear of tornadoes, I did't want my house to have seams or get blowed away. So back to the drawing board.

One night we had an epiphany... Get land, get plans, build house on land, move there, live in country on acreage and have a house that could withstand a storm. Seems easy right?

Wrong. By the time we had our act together, there was NO land available to buy. It seems everyone is having this idea to move the country, therefore depleting the available properties. In a few months it went from 50 to like 4 plots of land. So we looked at ALL 4. It was slim pickin's let me tell you... 

One was land locked by 2 other properties and we would have to make a road and run electric poles to, yeah, there goes like 50k right there. The next one was across the road from a pot farm, with the sweet smell of marijuana wafting across the street. The next one had a little slice taken out of it with someone living in a trailer house on the corner of it. Weird huh? 

The last one we looked at, we hit the jackpot! Tucked away, marginally flat, only one visible neighbor and all of the soil samples, septic plans, well plans and electric plans were already done... HOW on earth did we get so lucky? We put in a random offer the next morning and by lunch time we were under contract, say what?! 

We closed a few weeks later and TA-DA! We are now officially land barons, well as much of baron as you can be with 43.5 acres. We are SO exciting, I am getting all the feelings just typing about it right now. While there are no trees (okay there is one that's about 4 feet tall), there are also no neighbors or their children screaming in the back yard or parking their RV in front of your house, I think we will make it work somehow...

It is perfection. Endless blue skies, the mountains on a clear day and the only sounds you can hear are from the cows on the hill and the neighbors' goats and horses. The kids love it, riding their bikes, hiking through the middle or on the trails that run the edges, playing in the dirt. I think they will do just fine being country kids. They already have a list of all the critters they want to have and I think that if they get their way we will end up with some kind of crazy farm! I can't wait to get started and to be living in our new favorite spot. Hopefully in the spring when the weather warms up we can get going with building and enjoying our little slice of heaven!

These are a Few of Our Favorite Things!

Have you ever attended a favorite things party? If you have not, I would highly encourage it! Last year this was all the rage with my teammates at school and girlfriends at church.

So here is how it has worked, you set a spending limit, ours was $10 and then choose your favorite thing to share with people who are attending the party. Thankfully these gatherings have been smaller, but once we had a larger group and just brought three things to share and then you write your name on three pieces of paper and then the gift giver draws names to share their favorite item.


Last Friday, before we headed back to school, my 2nd grade team and I had a favorite things party at my house. It was SO much fun and they had some amazing things to share!

Favorite things stress me out slightly, but it never ends up being a big deal. I always worry, "what if my favorite thing is dumb or no one likes it too?" and shopping for it can be stressful as well... I seriously traded my favorite thing out like 4 times before I finally decided on something! I shared pop sockets, they are pretty cool. I failed to take a picture though... But they keep you from dropping your phone, help take selfies and prop it up when your hands are tied. It went over pretty well!

Here was everyone else's favorite things!

Charmaine: She is our au natural girl, who loves all things skin care related!

This tiny little Vaseline with shea butter, packs a punch. I have been putting it on everything, not just my lips. "Oh Kellen you have a red bumpy rash on your leg? Put this on it."  I haven't used the olive oil scrub yet, but it smells amazing and I can't wait to try it!

Courtney: She is our kitchen guru. Last she brought those super cute nesting bowl that we all loved! 

                                                     

This year she brought tiny strainers for washing fruit. It is the prettiest color and as handy as a pocket on a shirt, so I don't have to dirty up my huge colander!  She also brought this cook warming/cooling plate that you put in the freezer if you are serving something cold, like cheese or something warm like an appetizer. She also threw in the little baby whisk from World Market because her kids use them to stir up their hot cocoa, genius right?

Lisa: She is our sweet one! She always has all the best treats in her class room and brings the yummy desserts to share!

We had some bundt cakes from Nothing Bundt cakes. They are seriously the BEST! Whenever we have a birthday or just a random day when we need something delicious! They come in a bunch of flavors. Mine is red velvet. It has big chunks of chocolate and the yummiest cream cheese frosting you ever did taste. She also brought some super yummy Euro candy that Callie keeps making me share, an EOS ball and toe warmers because we are always freezing! I have never used one of the EOS balls, but they are pretty brilliant. I can't stop putting it on! I am planning on using the toe warmers when we head to the mountains in February. So score all around!

So that was everyone's favorite and now I have a few new favorites! Gather up your girls, gather up your favorites and throw a bash, it is too fun to pass up!

Wine Night

I had been meaning to post a loonnngg time ago about the gloriousness that is wine night! It is maybe one of my favorite nights of the year, fun times with the ladies in our family, yummy food and wine, and raging rounds of board games! It is THE best!

This year was especially fun, as my lovely husband was everyone's uber driver home, so we were able to cut loose. Everyone brings a bottle or two of their favorite wine and something yummy to eat. We are not a super sophisticated group of wine drinkers and we usually end up with lots of moscato and champaign-y like wines!

This was the favorite of the night! Stella Rose! It was not our typical white sparkly wine, but a redish one, instead. Still sparkly though and super tasty!

The gang had a blast playing Obama llama, telastrations and our favorite--Taboo.

I love these ladies and I love the times we are able together and enjoy each other! Happy Wine Night!

Happy "no" Year

It's a new fresh year and I am so jazzzed! That's jazz with 3 z's, so you know that means fun! I love a New Year and all the freshness that comes with it! We rang in 2018 with a cozy night at home, with no make up, pajamas and a plate of shrimp, because when you have a cold and it's 9 degrees outside, you keep yourself and your germs at home. So, we introduced Callie to the world of Friends and watch the New Years episode with the "routine" and "Happy No Year".

Now that Christmas is put away, the whole house is decluttered, we are ready to start this thing! On Monday night in a sleepy haze we made our resolutions. Another favorite part of New Year, new things to focus on! Callie's resolution is to kick off her bath bomb business and thanks to her "investor" (thanks Aunt P) she is off to a solid start! 

I am hoping this year will be productive and I am resolving to say no more, to things that I don't want to do (like taking on extra responsibilities or going to things that I don't have time for) and yes to adventures and quiet time without technology and distractions, to be a better planner and be more balanced. Callie pointed out that we literally start the year by saying "Happy",  we need more happy in our lives! Brien and I had a long talk this weekend about how the things we love the most in life--IE: our kids and each other and things we love to do the most--IE: hang out with our families and do fun things, are somehow the things that we do the least and make the least time for, if that makes sense...So let's change that, this year!

 2017, peace out and bring it on 2018, we are ready for a fun and happy year!

Christmas With the Wood's

This year Christmas was just delightful! It was so nice to be home and not all crazy and traveling and out of sorts. After all the shopping shenanigans came together and I was finally  on break we could relax and enjoy the glory that is Christmas!
We drove up to Platteville on Saturday afternoon and spent the night at Brien's parents. It seriously the best! The kids were almost all getting along, we had yummy treats, a hot cocoa bar that my sister in law put together, a gingerbread house competition and a pajama party! I love my sweet family SO much!

  Phanneth had the best idea to these chocolate, spoons using the fancy looking plastic spoons, melted chocolate and crushed candy canes! We saw them at Vintage Market a few weeks ago and they were selling for $4 a spoon! She totally nailed it! Until we put them outside to harden up and it started snowing and it was windy and they got a little wet, but no one seemed to notice or care! 

Someone was not thrilled with sitting in the chair with 4 other cousins....

The next morning we had a breakfast feast complete with mimosa's and cinnamon rolls! Then we let the kids run loose and do their annual scavenger hunt. My mother in law is poetry gangster when it comes to making up these clues!

These little critters found all of their treasures in a hurry! Then it was present time! I love my mother in law's philosophy of  something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read!

After presents we had a delicious lunch! I have never had lobster before, that was amazing. I get it, now! After visiting and playing we packed up and headed home to get ready for Santa! 

At home we lit a fire, watched a little Rudolph (which as an adult, I think is a terrible movie! How did I miss this as a child?) and laid out the cookies and hit the hay!

Brien and I did our traditional last minute terrible wrapping and watched Love Actually and it was off to bed for Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The children were up at the crack of dawn of course and ready for presents. Kellen got his prized dinosaur volcano and Callie got a phone. We finally broke down and got it for her, really as an emergency, safety thing, but she thought it was pretty great and totally unexpected!

After presents at home, it was a mad dash to get my parents and have Christmas with them. It was whirlwind of presents and laughing and finally just relaxing and really enjoying family and Christmas. I was a little caught up in the days before, but it kind of hit me, that these little nuggets will only be little so long and I want to make sure that Christmas is magical for them, just the way my parents made Christmas magical for my brother and I.

It was such a fun day with family, I was super sad when the day was over so quick. Christmas came and went a little too fast for me this year! 

We were beyond blessed this year and I can't say it enough, we have the most amazing parents and extended family.  In the words of my little/bigger brother--"Merry Happy!"

December to Remember

What a month it has been! I don't know how we made it but somehow we have and now it's almost over... Sad times! December, minus the frigid weather, which in reality was unseasonably warm, is one of my favorite months! 

School went right up until the last minute, which was SO stressful. I told anyone who would listen how rough it was keeping 7 year olds' busy until literally 3 days before Christmas! In the meantime I totally neglected my own families' Christmas shopping, it was pretty much an underwear and socks kind of Christmas until my fella swooped in on his day off and saved the day, while I was at school working on report cards! (which PS I just finished about 5 minutes ago. Only a week late.) Well, him and Amazon! Next year I am doing ALL of my shopping online. In October.

Besides ordering presents and teaching my heiney off all month we did other fun stuff too!

The first weekend in December we went to our future small town, country Christmas. It was delightful and fun! The first weekend of Christmas season, little ol' Strasburg, does a festival with Santa at the bank, real life reindeer, hot cocoa on every corner, bonfires, cookies, nacho, hot dogs, firetrucks and all the fun stuff. All of the little shops open at night and have fun things for the kids to do. It was a blast! 

It was a super fun night! I can't wait to go back next year when we are real legit country people! 

The next weekend Callie and I headed to Colorado Springs with my sister in law, mother in Law and brother in law's girlfriend for the Vintage Christmas Craft fair. It was worth the drive! I got my shopping started, and got a ton of ideas for crafty things for next year! If my real life job afforded me some more down time, I think I could make a pretty good go of selling fun things I make... Maybe some day!

I mean lets be real...

Literally a cone wrapped in sequins with lights inside--$80

Scraps of fabric and twine...$35

2x4's with a triangle cut into the top $5 each... 

I could be a millionaire. Well at least a thousandaire...

Callie was digging the fudge, candy and this sweet lady playing the harp...

After we shopped til we dropped we headed to Maggianos on the way home for a fancy cocktail and appetizers. I love these ladies. It was a super fun day!

Even though we didn't squeeze in our regular traditions of  Zoo lights and ice skating (yet) we have had a fun month of Christmas-y things! Happy almost New Year!