December in Pictures

Once again, I have been absent. The month of December has been a whirl-wind of events. The month started with Bandit's 1st Birthday party. Then I started my new job, and Christmas was here before I knew it! The week before Christmas also brought some unexpected news. My Grandma went to the doctor for what we thought was the flu. The same day she was taken to the hospital, and 3 days later she died of liver cancer. We are thankful she did not know what was happening (after a biopsy, she was heavily sedated, and never really came out of it) and passed in her sleep, Thursday the 22nd. As the family has said "she went home for Christmas." She is in Heaven with my Grandpa, and they are living in perfect peace. To say the least, this Holiday season has been unlike any other. It didn't even feel like Christmas, considering on Christmas Day I was driving home to be with family, but obviously there wasn't much cheer included with the trip. After this past month, I'm so over 2011. I'm ready for 2012, and I hope that there are good things in store for us this year. I pray that this coming year will be much happier!
With that recap of the past month, here is December in pictures:

Birthday Girl with her Tutu

 Family Photo

 Birthday Cake!

 Opening our Stocking

 Christmas with the Witkowskis'

 Benny loves the piggy

 My Brother went to the Bar to support the Bears like this...

 Our First Christmas with Bandit

Opening a gift from our friends Bella and Taylor (Yorkies) down the hall. 

 Christmas Jammies!

Obviously my favorite photo subject is Bandit. She's just so photogenic!

Hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year! See you in 2012!

-Brina



So Very Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! I hope every one's day will be filled with family and friends, and with love and happiness.
This morning I woke up after what could only be explained as a sad dream. I dreamt of all the past Thanksgivings and how my family used to be. A lot has changed over the past 5 or so years and my head is still trying grasp everything that has happened. First we lost my Grandpa. This was probably the most significant change. Grandpa was the head of our family. When he died, small cracks began to form in how our family dynamic worked. No longer were there big family dinners. Or should I say happy ones. All the big get-togethers were filled with happy, but painful memories. Then I got married, and moved away. This wasn't a sad occasion, but it changed things. Then my Dad started having serious problems with mobility and needed several surgeries. My parents no longer could go many places. My bother got a DUI, and it just added to the tension. The cracks were becoming wider, no matter how much I tried to keep it together. My family is close, and we still are, but things are different. Life has changed us all, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I hate being away from them. I hate that I am not there. Two weekends ago, we celebrated Thanksgiving, (which I already wrote about) and it was great, but things were different. Grandpa wasn't there to start the blessing. I keep telling myself that this is life. He is where he is supposed to be. This is not our home, but only a place we are to live until God is ready for us, and God was ready for Grandpa. I was just not ready to let him go.
Now that I have depressed myself, I guess all these ramblings have a point: Be Thankful. Be Thankful for what you have, you never know when things will change. I am so Very Thankful for my husband, my puppy, my family, and my friends. Things do change, but that just means you have to change also.
Now for the things I am thankful for:

My Family

 My Friends

 EW's Family

 My Brother

My Husband & Puppy

-Brina

Re-purpose

I have wanted to blog about this topic for awhile, but I didn't think I had enough material. Well, I'm just going to go with it and post more about my thrifty obsessions as I buy/salvage more. I know I have written about how I adore garage sales and rummage sales, but I also check out the several dumpsters around our apartment complex. When I thought about writing this post, I went around our place looking for things I bought at a garage sale, salvaged, or just used in a different way than it's real purpose.
Here is what I have come up with so far:

I love lamp. This little beauty I salvaged from the U-Haul storage unit. There was an area where people could dump stuff they didn't want, and I saw this and had to have it. There was a different shade on it. The shade on it now isn't what I would like, but I already had it, and it works for now. EW wasn't thrilled when I carried it into our storage unit. He said we were there to put our things in storage, not add to it. Well, it spoke to me, and I was so glad that it worked!

There are a couple things in this picture. The bookcase my mom got at a 2nd hand store for dirt cheap, it's a bit beat-up, but I can always paint it. The silver plate that the orange candle is on, I found at a rummage sale, for under a dollar. It is actually a fancy hot-plate, but I thought a big pillar candle would look awesome on it. I think it works!

Our kitchen doesn't have much cabinet space, so I really needed to find some shelves to give more space. I was looking at several stores, but all of the shelves that I liked were so expensive or didn't fit.

Then one day about a month after we moved into our apartment, I was walking Bandit, and had to take her doodoo bag to the dumpster. There were 3 of these white, wire shelves sitting outside, next to the dumpster. Seeing that they were in really good shape, I picked them up and made them mine! I'm so glad because they fit perfectly in my cabinets. I also have one on our dresser for a bit more space.

Not many people know what this is. It is actually a shoe holder. My grandma picked it up at the church rummage sale. My shoes are too big, but I knew I could use it for something. And that something is for all my junk in the bathroom. It's been in 3 apartments bathrooms now, and it really useful. It's a bit rusty, and I plan on painting it next summer. I'm thinking black...

Over the weekend, I had EW help me get the Christmas decorations down. We are saving the tree for this weekend. I just wanted to get a bit ahead, instead of doing it all this weekend. I got our stockings out and last year I thought I would get 3 when I bought them just in case we had an addition to our family. So glad I did, since we did get an addition: Bandit Blu. When I went to hang them up though, I found that I had only bought 2 holders...ugh. Not having any money to spend (seriously) I wasn't for sure what I was going to do. Holders can be $10+. So this morning I went to Goodwill to check out what they had. Thankfully, I found one that I really liked (the tree in the middle) and they had 2! Of course I had to buy the pair, since our family will most likely grow again in the next few years.

Here's a closer picture. I'm not in love with the color, so I'm thinking of painting them gold, to match the snow flakes. What do you think?

I really wish I had a before picture with this one, but I can't find one. This lamp I got for $5 at a rummage sale. The previous owners painted it white (you can see it was black). I'm thinking about painting it again, since you can see the black showing through in some spots. I really wanted new shades for this lamp. Before I painted them silver, they were yellow and blue striped. I really love how it turned out! I think the silver would really pop if the base was a different color. Ah, another project for next summer....

I have a few more items that I would like to share, but they can wait for another time.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

-Brina

Thanksgiving and Birthdays

This past weekend we went to my parents to celebrate Thanksgiving and my Dad's, Grandma's, EW's and my birthday. I was very excited, and so was Bandit. She loves going on rides, and going to Granma and Granpa's house. Friday night Bandit and I picked up EW at the train station and we were on our way. We rolled into Watseka around 7:30, so we had all evening to visit. Bandit, of course couldn't get enough attention and was bouncing off the walls. Good thing we didn't go to bed until 11 or so.
My brother was out and about, so I thought I would play a joke on him. I've already done it to EW a few weeks ago, and couldn't wait to use it on my brother.

That is not what it looks like. LOL, it's looks good though, right? It is actually a toilet paper roll soaked in water and tore up in pieces, then mushed back together. So easy, and really funny! And yes, that is on his bed. When he got home that night, everyone was in bed. He didn't freak, but did come out of his room to ask me if it was real poop. He said he picked it up and smelled it, and it didn't smell bad, but he wasn't for sure, so thought he would ask. HA!

On Saturday, my Grandma and Aunts came so we could have Thanksgiving. Our house is really small, and Mom doesn't care much for cooking, so we went out to eat. All of us got to pick whatever we wanted to have, which I love. I had soup and a big salad, and everyone else had Turkey or Roast dinners. The dinner was good, and it was great to be with family. Back at home, we had Cheesecake (at my request, since I can eat it) to celebrate all the birthdays. It was a great ending to a wonderful day!

Bandit loved sitting in Granpa's chair. When he wasn't sitting it in, she took full advantage!

This is were EW and Bandit spent most of their weekend. Hanging out, watching movies with Granpa, while my mom and I did some shopping.

This is Binky, and her spot for the weekend. Bandit loves Binky, and wants to play, but Binky isn't thrilled. She stays in my parents room, behind the gate. When Bandit takes a 'nap', she come out. Binky definitely loves to see us leave more than arrive.

This is my favorite picture of the weekend! Bandit was very happy she got to sit on Granpa's lap. Of course, a few minutes after this picture, she had to get off because she wanted to lick his face off. :)
Dad looks really good here, especially since he just had a hip-replacement just a few weeks ago!

 Granma got her a bacon flavored bone. She worked on it all weekend! Not to mention, Granma was giving Bandit little treats behind Momma's back. She sure does get spoiled :)

On Sunday, it was time to travel back home. It's always sad leaving, but I know we will be back. Hopefully the weather will be ok to travel at Christmas. While driving, I just had to take a picture of the open fields and the beautiful sky. Oh, how I miss this:

Hope everyone takes advantage of the beautiful weather,

-Brina

Halloween

I think I will just skim over the day before Halloween, even though it was my Birthday. This year we kept it pretty low key. EW and I went to church, then we went out for breakfast (at Denny's because we had a coupon...Mistake) and the meal wasn't that great. However, for dinner, we went out to Houlihans, which was really good! In between, we just hung out at the apartment watching tv. My gift from EW was taking Bandit outside all day. It was a great gift! All in all, a pretty good day.

Now Halloween was nice also. I spent the day with my lil pumpkin. She must have known we were going to have a big night because she slept all day long, which is out of character for her. So after laying around all day, we went and picked up EW at the train station. We came home and everyone changed. Bandit was not into her costume as much as I was.

No. I refuse to put it on...

Ok fine, since I get a goody bag filled with treats!

I am ready to hit the road!

We took her to PetSmart, but it was pretty dead. We just walked around for a bit, then headed back home and just hung out. It was a good ending to the day. We may not have went out and collected loads of candy, but there are many years ahead for that.

As the Holiday season nears, we are very excited to spend time with our families. Next weekend we are going to my parents house. I have a baby shower to go to, so we thought we would use the weekend to celebrate several birthdays, including mine, and Thanksgiving also. Bandit just loves seeing her grandparents, and knows she will gets little bits from my Dad when no one is looking. We are so thankful for everyone in our lives, and can't wait for all the get-togethers, laughs, and love with all of you!

-Brina

Fall

    It's been over a month since I have updated. I'm not really sure what my problem is, but I've been avoiding it. I'm pretty sure I have been depressed. Not sure what gives it away: not getting dressed all day, not getting up off the couch all day, crying over everything, or not giving two sh*ts that out apartment is a total disaster. Yeah, it's that bad....
    Not only do I feel depressed, but I have been having nightmares about how I'm not a good teacher, and how I have failed as a person. This self-doubt has increased so there are days that I feel utterly hopeless. I know that it sounds silly, even as I am typing this, but when you have hours every day to just sit and think about how your life is totally not working out like you thought it would, things get a bit heavy. For instance: This past weekend I had a dream about some high school 'friends' and Mel Gibson. Yeah...he ended up spitting on me and rode off with my friends, leaving me stranded. What does that tell you about what kind of place I am in? And that it bothers me when a now D-list actor spits on me in a dream.
    I have been on an interview and I hope to hear something good soon, so things could be looking up. It's 5 days away from my 26th birthday, so I could really use some good news. However, with it being so close to my birthday, I would think I would be a bit more excited. It must be the funk that I'm in that is zapping out all of my cheer. I guess 26 is just another number. Just another year.
    It must seem that I am just a Debbie Downer, but I really do appreciate all the good things going on in life. These are the things that seem to keep me going. Bandit is my companion every day, and EW has been great during my funk. He keeps telling me that everything will be ok, and lets me cry when I need to. He knows it been a rough year and a half for me, but just having him with me is such a comfort.
    Really, I just can't let myself slip into the past. That is where everything goes down hill. When I think about what could have been, it always ends up badly. I need to remember that things happened for a reason, and I'm in the present--here and now.

Anyway, now for some happiness...

I finally got around to putting up our family pictures. Love them!

It's that time of year again. Pumpkin muffins :)

One box of cake mix and one can of pumpkin. Mix. Bake on 350 for 10 min.

You can use a gluten-free cake mix, if needed.

Our little pumpkin.

She has found a new favorite place. I guess I take up too much room on the couch,

and she needs more room to spread out.

Hopefully I have broken my funk, and I will be updating a bit more often! Of course I'll have to do one on Bandit's first Halloween. Especially since she is dressing up!

-Brina

Vicodin and Mustaches

Last Thursday I had sinus surgery. I did pretty well considering I hate being around surgical places. Of course I was put out by general anesthetic, and came out fine. I knew I would, since everything went well with my gallbladder surgery, but I was still nervous. EW was with me, so I was really happy about that. I came out of surgery really well, and even asked to go home as soon at I got to the recovery room #2. The only bandage I had what this rolled up gauze under my nose. Ugh, so annoying! It felt really awkward--like a mustache gone awry, and I wanted to rip it off. However, I was told I had to keep it on because my nose would be dripping for awhile, and indeed it was called a mustache bandage--Go Figure!
Thankfully EW was able to take Thursday and Friday off in order to take care of me. I'm so glad he did, since I really had to take it easy and just lay in bed through the weekend. With the vicodin and antibiotics, I was really out of it, and slept most of the days/nights.

Please disregard my disgusting look in the photo below,

but I wanted you to see the dreaded 'Mustache'

This is what the other two did while I was recovering...

Thanks Nurses...lol

In other news:
If you are not familiar with our apartment location, we have a high school in our back yard. The field is right behind us and we are able to see soccer and football games a few nights a week. Also, we are able to hear band practice at 7am almost everyday. Yeah, it was kinda cool in the beginning, but after a few weeks now, it's getting a bit old. Bandit on the other had just loves it! She loves watching the kids walk around and listen to Chicago's '25 or 6 to 4' for hours. I'll hook her up to the leash attached to the patio if it's nice outside, and she will sit in the sun and just watch them moving around. I'm just happy she can be entertained without me!

Bandit completely at attention watching the show!

Marching Band practice/The Day's Entertainment

I'm really working on getting our place clean, so I hope to have more pictures in the near future! And hopefully more interesting news also!

-Brina

Chicago: Sailing

On Sunday, EW and I went into Chicago to use the groupon he got for the tall ship, 'Windy', at Navy Pier. After we got into Chicago, we took the water taxi to Navy Pier. This was my first time on it, and the scenery was awesome.

Waiting for the taxi to take off.

I took so many pictures. These were a few of my favorites.

I love this one! The reflection looks so good.

This one is at Navy Pier. We are taking off on the Tall Ship 'Windy'

Raising the Sails. 

The Lighthouse.

Do I look sea sick? Yeah, I'm trying to hold it together.

The sailing tour was interesting. Eric enjoyed it, but I really wasn't feeling the rolling waves. I'm happy EW had fun, but I don't think I'll be going sailing again anytime soon. EW was even able to help raise one of the sails. Of course he did it out of my line of sight, and there was no way I was going to get up and walk to take a picture while my stomach was heaving.  

After we were back on land (Thank God!), we got together with our friends Kevin and Vicky. We caught up and had a delicious dinner. Then EW and I were off back to the burbs, but alas, we missed our train. Luckily, Kevin and Vicky graciously opened their home to us for a couple hours. We had a great time with them, and can't wait till we can return the favor!

-Brina

Our New Apartment

Finally I'm getting around to posting a few pictures of our new place. I apologize that there is still a bit of clutter, but I know that you are all wanting to know what our new place is like, so I just snapped a few angles to show how the main rooms are set up. I plan on having everything put together nicely by the time we have our first get-together. Until then, this is as good as it gets...

Bandit, at her favorite place (besides under the bed, that is)

Another angle of the living room

View of the TV corner (a little dark)

Kitchen/Dining area. The Kitchen is really tiny!

Tired puppy. 

She's waiting for mommy to come back and lay with her.

Now that you have seen the place, you have to come over and check it out for yourself! We love having people come to visit. My parents actually came to visit this past weekend. Bandit loved seeing Granma and Granpa. She wouldn't leave Granpa's lap, and gave Granma TONS of kisses. Bandit even tried to take a ride on her back! Oh, our girl is pretty crazy sometimes.

It was really great seeing my parents. I miss them so much, and really wish we could live closer. I'm happy we were able to get our schedules together, between my sinus surgery, Thursday, and everything leading up to my dad's hip replacement, there weren't many weekends available.

We did a lot this past weekend, and I hope to get another post up tomorrow about our trip to Chicago yesterday, which was a blast, so stay tuned!

-Brina