Time

It's so crazy how quickly time gets away from us!
This photo was taken in July 1991. 

The little guy in the photo is The Boy. The handsome guy (with the cheesy grin) is my brother. I just realized that The Boy is now almost two years older than Tom was when this photo was taken.  Isn't that just too crazy? And mom, I'll send you a copy of this photo!

Curves

I am well acquainted with the word voluptuous, 

but yesterday I discovered a new word. 

vo-LUMP-tuous

Let's just say that I can relate to this new word even better!  lol 

And so much more descriptive, isn't it? 

Empty

I feel like my head is completely empty lately...  Maybe the hours of mindless driving (sounds scary, huh?) fueled by compulsive Easter candy eating is a causative factor.  Whatever!

For lack of anything worthwhile to share, I thought I'd just embarrass HRH by posting this pic.  I took this a couple of weeks ago for an audition... 

Yes, she does look just like her mother, doesn't she?  NOT!

Neighbors

We are settling into our new neighborhood.  I have to say, living on a street that is full of children is a happy change for us!  We loved our former neighbors...  We just wished there had been more of them to love!  We went from a neighborhood of vacant houses and few children to a neighborhood just teeming with friends and cohorts!  Now, if I could just convince The Buddies to tell me where they're going I'd be set!  Max has a bad habit of wandering off with any new friend he makes...  That makes it a little hard for me to find him!  We nearly called the police twice last week!  We've got to do some serious training around here!

Pantry

I've heard that you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone...  I'd say that's about right!  Our last house had an amazing pantry.  Granite counter tops, cherry cabinets, an extra fridge...  It even had a window!  And now I'm relegated to a pantry that barely qualifies as a closet.  I know, a small pantry closet is typical, but still...  Gotta miss all those shelves and the extra fridge--Popsicle, anyone?!

So, The Mister had this brilliant idea that he should build an additional pantry.  I told him that we'd just have to keep extra food storage in the basement...  He just would not listen.  And then he started building his project--without my approval!  I made more than my share of disparaging remarks.  And I wondered who, in their right mind, would agree with him about this being a good idea.

Apparently, in my right mind, I would be the one to agree with him!  That Mister is truly brilliant!  I can't believe that I thought he'd lost all his marbles...  It still sounds crazy, but it is so functional!  The new pantry is in the garage, just outside the kitchen door.  It is accessed by the landing from the stairs that lead from the garage floor into the house.  It is suspended over an additional fridge and freezer which are located at the back of the garage.  

So, I'll do a premature reveal and post a few photos...

These are the stairs from the garage to the house.  

The door opens directly into the kitchen.

The stairs to the right (stacked with boxes) enter the protruding pantry.

This is the pantry--still in need of a door...  

Shelves on the right, a Shelf-Reliance self-rotating can dispenser at the back.

This is a view of the protruding pantry--see the freezer underneath?

The mister is going to add another row of shelves, and we do need to install the light and the door.  Aside from that, I'm ready to start cookin' with my new stash of goodies!  I'll be sure to post better photos once it's done and the garage is emptied enough to really see that it's working (and that my car will still fit in the garage!).  And yes, I will continue to call it the Protruding Pantry...  just FYI...

Thanks, Mister!

Lax

I know that I have neglected my daily blogging for the month.  I'm hoping that the fact that I was focusing on obtaining oxygen for my brain is excuse enough.  Luckily, my cold was short-lived, and I'm back to normal (or my version of normal, anyway...).

I am pleased to say that I've made some progress on the office.  And the kitchen is getting more functional by the day.  We have furniture in the bedrooms (thanks for swapping "junk" with me, Gen!).  And I have high hopes for the laundry room.

Now, if the snow would either provide full coverage, or dry up altogether (along with the accompanying mud), that would be great!  Lola is having trouble doing her doggy-business without tracking mud everywhere!  But, I am afraid that LAWN is a topic that is far (far, far...) in the future. 

Baptism

Today was a special day at our house. It's not every day that we get to baptise one of our children... And today, we got to baptise three! What an amazing experience to watch these three little people as they seem to grow up right before our eyes.  I am so proud of them. And even though we are new to our ward family, we felt all their love today. Thanks, everyone, for making today so special!

And for inquiring minds, who just have to know...  They were not necessarily dunked nor blessed in "birth order" and both were done in a different order...  So you can just keep guessing!  HA!

Scentsy

It's SPRING! (well, sorta...) And the new Scentsy catalog is out! I've only seen it online, so far. But I can't wait to get my hands on one!

Do you want to take a peek? If you do, check out my website! You can order right from there, and everything will show up on your doorstep in a blink! I can't wait to try out the new Jumpin' Jelly Bean scent bar. And have you seen the Warmer of the Month?  So stinkin' cute!  Let me know if you wanna have a party!  I can't wait to show you all the fun new stuff!

Puddles (part 3)

We have seen a return by an unexpected nocturnal visitor... Will the phantom pee-er please raise his hand?

Great. Now, you there, just stop that!

Even though the puddles have been on the bathroom tile (SOOOO grateful that they haven't been on the carpet)... I still don't enjoy mopping them up. If you could just find your way to the bathroom, and then lift the lid before proceeding to dispense anything, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,

In A Word

The title for NaBloPoMo this month is In A Word.  I've started the month by introducing you to my Office...  The word for tomorrow will probably be Kitchen, or Driveway, or maybe Bedroom...  Do you see a theme here with the words I'm choosing?  Maybe it's because thinking about all I need to do for our new home is taking up all the oxygen in my brain.  Or maybe I just have a one-track mind.  Either way, this will probably be your introduction to all things Bean House related.  And how would I describe the Bean House, in a word?  Crazy!  LOL 
Enjoy!

Office

I'm not sure why, but my office frequently bears the brunt of our family mess. For some unknown reason, it has become the eternal catch-all location. It's really a shame, I think I would be so much more productive if my work space was more organized... But at least for now, it has become storage for unopened boxes. I guess it's just a fact that sleeping areas and the kitchen take priority, but I still look forward to the day when all cardboard is evicted from my workspace. I dream about the day when my desks are free from the overflow from other parts of the house.

In truth, I think I've encouraged the chaos in previous houses. Not intentionally, but still... I haven't taken my office space seriously enough (or maybe I haven't taken my business seriously enough) and the office has become Craft Central and Computer Game Haven. This time things have to be different. Not just because I say so... But because I just don't have room/storage/patience for it now.

So--here it is...

Stay tuned to see the final results!