First, Ali Edwards posted this video of will.i.am on Seseame Street!  It is awesome!

And, Nicole Balch over at Making it Lovely posted about this awesome new emagazine called Gifted.  You should check it out!  Super cute and easy to read online!

When we lived in Kansas, we didn’t have recycling pickup at our house because we lived in a town with no street delivery of our mail!  Yes, you read that right.  Our town was so small that we had to drive to the post office to get our mail.  So, we would have to collect our recycling, sort it, and take it to the recycling center every time it would overflow and take over the laundry room every week.

When we moved to Virginia, I knew that we would have recycling pick up at the house.  So, I knew that we didn’t have to sort anymore, and I wanted to get a recycling bin for the kitchen that would match our existing trash can {that I completely love…sad how much I love a trash can.  It has no markings (I know because my best friend has looked too), or I would tell you the brand).  We didn’t want something ridiculously expensive, and we were having a hard time finding what we were looking for until we found this at Ikea.

It is perfect.  It is supposed to be a “laundry bin,” but I knew that most of what we needed to recycle would fit in that hole, and the hole would keep the dog out!  The problem was that people didn’t know that it was a recycling bin, and we were constantly finding trash in it.  Or, I should say the boy was finding trash in it.  Taking out the trash is a boy-job in our house.

So, after it being a pain in the butt for forever, I finally got on etsy to find a vinyl recycling label for the top.  And, I found TastySuite.  They rocked!  I ordered the recycling label, seen below, immediately.

Then, like often happens, I saw the really cute trash symbol and decided I wanted that one too.  So, I quickly sent Kelly, the owner, a message on Etsy to find out if I could add it to my order.  She totally hooked me UP!  I would highly recommend her shop, not only because she rocks but because she has super cute stuff too!

So, now my trash can and recycling bins are clearly marked, and I love the fun little touch it adds to my kitchen!

I thought I was taking a picture of the last snowfall of the year.  And, then we woke up this morning, exactly one month later, to this!

Can you believe it?  It will be April on Wednesday.  This seems like some sort of cosmic practical joke.  Last week, we were taking a tour of the yard looking at all that was starting to appear.  And last night, we wrapped everything that needed it in frost cloth, but we aren’t hopeful that all those cute little buds are going to make it.

Instead of just talking about the weird weather though I wanted to share what I forgot to add to my little blog list from the other day.

About a month ago, I tweeted that I had found a treasure.  It all started in January when Ali Edwards showed pictures of her new office space.   And, hiding amongst the pictures were those lockers!  I fell in love.  I couldn’t help it.  I started looking online and figured out pretty quickly that these little locker banks can be found if you are going for new ones, but they aren’t easy to locate otherwise, particularly from my current location in the middle of the United States, almost literally.

Then, I went to one of the “vintage” stores in town (really it is a junk store).  When the BGF and I arrived, we realized that the other true vintage stores in town had moved right next door.  It was awesome.  And, what did I spy outside but a beautiful set of lockers.  I called the boy and explained the situation.  I am not sure that he really knew what or why I wanted these little beauties, but he picked up on the excitement and said okay. He is so good that way. I don’t even think he knew that I had been looking for them.

I went inside immediately and claimed them as my very own.  The next day, we brought them home, borrowed a set of bolt cutters to get a few remaining locks off, and put them to immediate use in my office!

I can’t put into words how much I love them.  They are exactly what I was looking for and pretty reasonable considering I didn’t have to ship them to me. I love all the goodies I can stash away.

I haven’t decided whether or not I plan to paint them.  For now, I just content to have them here!  The cats even like them!  They are definitely my favorite junk store find ever.

So here they are, in completely random order, blog post ideas to be:

• I want to share the wonderful pictures of the newest member of our family, my brother’s little girl.  She is a cutey!
• Handmade Christmas Part 2
• Handmade Christmas Part 3 (I am so excited that all Christmas presents have been gifted.  It only took me an extra few month.  I am totally starting earlier for next year.)
• I found an awesome and unique new remix artist that deserves a post of his very own.
• And, I have something brewing about my own art too.

I think it is a good list.  I can’t wait to get back here!

Apparently, you type “Unfortunately [insert your name here]“, with the quotes, into Google and see what comes back.

This is what I discovered:

Unfortunately Sandy disappeared.

Unfortunately Sandy made the very difficult decision to not continue and descend from this point.

Unfortunately, Sandy’s was merely a guide track for the musicians, not even properly on mic.

Unfortunately Sandy hears her and cannot understand Rizzo’s behavior.

Unfortunately Sandy is not the food capital of Utah.

Unfortunately Sandy fell into a coma from which she never regained consciousness.

Unfortunately Sandy was sick and unable to judge.

Unfortunately, sandy soils may lack nutrients, can drain too freely, and may dry out too quickly.

And, following Helen’s lead, I thought that I would add my own:

Unfortunately, Sandy did not want to clean her house but had to because the realtor comes tomorrow!

Hope you are all having a great day!

What are your middle names?
My middle name was given as Lynne, which is a family tradition for women on my mom’s side.  And, I changed it to my maiden name when we got married, also a tradition.  The boy’s is Edward, which is also his father’s middle name.  Needless to say, we already have our middle names for our would-be-someday children.

How long have you been together?
We have been married for almost nine years, but we have been together for almost 11.

How long did you know each other before you started dating?
Not very long, just a few months really.  But, I knew the weekend I met him that he was the one for me.  And, I told people when I got home, so I have proof!

Who asked whom out?
It was more of a long conversation, not really an initial date.

How old are each of you?
I am 31, and he is 32.  We were born eleven months apart.

Whose siblings do you see the most?
Depends which side of the country we are living on at the time.  Right now, we see his family (brother and dad) a little more, but when we lived on the east coast, we saw my brothers (and mom) more often.  Mediating time between all the family is not one of our favorite activities because someone is always unhappy with our decisions on how to spend our time.

Which situation is the hardest on you as a couple?
Deployments are hard on everyone who loves a soldier.  We were not exempt from that; however, I really love the fact that we are able to fall back into each other so easily whenever he comes home.

Did you go to the same school?
Nope, I went to George Mason in Virginia, and he went to West Point in New York.

Are you from the same home town?
Nope again.  The boy grew up in a small town in Oklahoma, and I grew up in Northern Virginia.  Couldn’t be more different in that respect.

Who is smarter?
Honestly, he is.  But, I don’t like to tell him that very often.  He is able to do more book smart stuff than I am.  But, the best part of our relationship is that we are equals in humor, and we each have our own strengths in different areas.  We both admire what the other excels in, I think.

Who is the most sensitive?
I come off as the most sensitive to start, but I think he takes more personally than I realize.

Where do you eat out most as a couple?
When he is humoring me, we eat Mexican, and when I am humoring him, we eat steak.  We also have places that we both enjoy.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
Ireland.  We loved it.  We want to do more traveling.  I realize that my crazy food allergies limit us a little though.  There are still lots of places in the US I would like to see.

Who has the craziest exes?
Neither of us have really, really crazy exes, but I think that he wins the prize for the exes that held onto the hope of getting back together the longest.  He is a great guy, so I don’t really blame them.

Who has the worst temper?
I am definitely the meaner of the two of us, and I get angry faster and more often.  But, I strongly believe in small skirmishes instead of big battles, so I tend to want to talk about things more to try to avoid the really bad explosions.  But, he definitely does have a temper. And, it doesn’t help that I don’t always understand/agree with what makes him mad, which I guess isn’t entirely fair.

Who does the cooking?
I cook most between the two of us, except breakfast, and that is all him.  But, lately, he has shown more interest in cooking and has been helping me out more.  I need to remember to keep encouraging that.  The task of making dinner is sometimes daunting and having help with that relieves that a little.

Who is the neat-freak?
Thank god, neither of us is a true neat-freak.  But, we do have different ideas of clean.  It is one of those areas that we are well matched for because we do really take turns on who takes the lead on cleaning.  I know that he has more responsibilities around the house though.

Who is more stubborn?
He is stubborn about particular things, but I am probably the worst of the two, particularly in terms of asking for help.  I think it is part of my oldest child syndrome.

Who hogs the bed?
He would say I do, but actually, we are both pretty good about sharing the bed.  We both steal covers more than space.

Who wakes up earlier?
We both really wake up together and go to bed together, for that matter.  But, he takes longer to wake up than I do.  I am an up-when-I-am-up kinda girl.

Where was your first date?
Technically, it would have been a Barenaked Ladies concert in Washington DC in December of 1998.  He drove 19 hours in one day to go with me, and we hadn’t seen each other since the first weekend we had met two months earlier.

Who is more jealous?
Definitely me!  He never acts jealous.  Sometimes, I wish he would a little.

How long did it take to get serious?
I was more serious to start, but he came around pretty quickly.  I told him within five emails writing back and forth that I wouldn’t stop harassing him until he agreed to marry me, and that didn’t scare him off, so I assume that he knew something too.

Who eats more?
He definitely eats more than I do, but I like to snack more than he does. He takes rules about cleaning your plate very seriously.

Who does the laundry?
I am lucky, lucky woman that he does most of the laundry.  Really, I just have more underwear than he does.

Who’s better with the computer?
I am better with the computers we have.  Really, I am just the more interested of the two of us with regards to technology.  And, I have a fair amount of patience with it.  He just wants things to work.  It is kinda the opposite of the way that traditional gender roles go.

Who drives when you are together?
He does.  But, I am not sure why.  Driving issues are actually one of the areas that we fight the most about.  The fact that is what we fight about most seems pretty dumb writing it down here.

All-in-all, the boy is my lobster (sorry, Friends reference).  We have one of those once in a lifetime meeting stories, and I feel extrodinarily lucky to have found him.  He completely changed the plan for what I thought my life would be, but he has also given it more depth and richness than I ever thought was possible.  Sorry, I sucked on Valentine’s Day, honey!

1. I am a total perfectionist.  I love to make handmade gifts, but I am always worried that people won’t like them, and I keep almost nothing I make.
2. I am incredibly sensitive and prone to self-doubt.  Negative things that people say always cause problems and make me second guess myself.  This makes things like teacher evaluations a problem at times. This is definitely something that I am trying to get better about, particularly with regards to student comments.
3. I am an awful nurse.  I don’t know if it is because my dad died when I was a teenager and I get scared when people are sick or what.  I haven’t figured out what that is all about yet.
4. I try not to eat any “fake” sweeteners anymore.  About two years ago, I gave up everything with aspartame, etc.  And, I was a big diet coke drinker.  I am trying to stick with water, but that does get a little boring sometimes.
5. I am a planner.  I map everything out in my head when I am getting ready for a big change.  Therefore, I am getting really excited about moving to our next duty station, but I am anxious to get our house on the market and find out where we are going!
6. I am a pack rat.  I save little bits of things that I think would be fun to work with.  And, I am constantly trying to figure out how I could organize them, so I could keep them all.
7. I can’t spell to save my life.  Spell check is a huge help, but sometimes I only use words that I am sure are spelled correctly.
8. I love hooded shirts/sweatshirts more than is natural.  I am drawn to them.  I am also drawn to white shirts of all varieties, particularly t-shirts.
9. I haven’t been reading as much lately, and I miss it.
10. I would love to have more time to craft.  Actually, this should read that I would love to quit my job and craft all day.  Haven’t figured out the way to make that work yet.
11. During 2008, the boy and I got out of debt!  We lived on half off what we made to make it happen and no longer use credit cards, and now we are saving up for a new house if we get back to Northern VA.  Everyone said how wonderful it would feel, but really, I was terrified when I paid off that last bill.  And, now I am more scared to spend money than ever.  It is so weird.
12. I hide my face behind my hands during scary parts in movies and tv shows.
13. I still have Christmas presents to complete and send!  They are going to be beautiful though, see #1.
14. I wear all my emotions on my sleeve, which makes #2 hard.
15. I have a shoe addiction.  At one point, I had 15 pairs of Birkenstocks, but I think that I have weeded that down…a little.  I also love Keens and Chacos’s flip flops.
16. I love to be around people and am completely an extrovert, but I hate to talk on the phone (my mom will see this and think that I just talked myself out when I was in high school) and am actually very shy in certain situations, like being in new places or around new people.  I am also like a golden retriever in that I am a fiercely loyal friend and super demanding once I decide that you are someone I want to be around.

Consider yourself tagged!  I would love to know more about you, so link back here if you decide to play along!

As I have been reading through the year’s recaps all over blogland, I have been considering the manner that I wanted to recap the last year.  I knew I wanted to recap all the crafty stuff I have accomplished the last year, but I wanted something more too.  And, I stumbled across a cool idea that I thought would work.

My friend, Devon, just posted an interesting meme to her blog about her last year.    The instructions were to make a list of the first sentence(s) of the first entry you wrote for each month.

1. January: Just had to share this with you all! I do warn you that this will completely get stuck in your head though.
2. February: Well, I am sitting in our union on campus because there was some miscommunication about a meeting that I thought that I needed to be at right now, and instead of walking back to my office in the frigid cold outside, I thought that I would just sit and write for a little instead.
3. March: I am continually amazed by the fact that it takes me so long to get into the swing of the semester.
4. April: I was reading on Dooce today about this photo exhibit, and I thought that I would share.
5. May: I am just sitting here thinking about how to attack all the grading that I have sitting around my office.
6. June: As we were walking through all the stalls of cool old marble mantles and cool old prints, there was one lone stall that looked like it was full of modern antique furniture.
7. July: This afternoon, I had the most lovely surprise waiting for me.
8. August: Today is going to be a busy day.
9. September: Around the country, this is the day that kids go back to school.
10. October: Just thought I would check in and let you know a little more about what I was up to…
11. November: This week has been a little crazy.
12. December: Over the last week, I played a little.

A couple of things struck me while looking through my old posts.  Sharing is becoming a larger part of what I am doing here.  I guess it would seen obvious to some that the purpose of a blog would be to share, but I am not sure that is why all this started for me.  I actually think I started a blog because I was asking my students to complete one at the time, and I thought it only fair that I complete one as well.  That was a long time ago, and I didn’t really embrace this space until much later.

I look forward to the next year and all the adventures it promises to bring forth.  I know that I will have this little space of the universe to share those adventures.

Well, I think I have a new love this winter.  (I love soup, particularly in the winter.)  And, when I saw that V8 had a new line of healthy soups coming out, I was excited.  So, at the grocery store this week, I picked up the butternut squash to try.

The boy is gone, so I had it for dinner tonight. It was so good!  I didn’t even salt it, and I am kinda bad about salting my food.  I can’t wait to try the other flavors, particularly the sweet red pepper and the southwestern corn. And, they have recipes too!  I am going to have to check those out.