Happy New Year, Folks!

2013 has come and gone! While it was a great year, I'm more than ready for 2014! Well, good thing! It's here!
This weekend is a little weird for me. My husband and son are on a road trip. Yep! A father/son road trip. They're stopping at my parents' house tonight and then heading to western Kansas to visit my stepdaughter, Abby. We were able to spend Christmas with Abby and her family this year. Since our spring is pretty hectic, Murad and Joely decided to make a trip to see her again now. She's having a hard time again. They just moved (again)to a different small town in Kansas. I think this makes move #5 for the 2013-14 school year. We talked to Abby about possibly living with her grandmother permanently (we'd love for her to come live with us, but Texas might be too far from her family for her), but Abby extremely loyal to her mom and doesn't want to abandon her at this time. We're respecting her wishes, and offering support when we can.

So, this weekend, they're gone and I'm up late looking through photos from 2013. I like the quiet and having a clean home, but I miss my boys. Fortunately, I have my furry-babies to keep me company.

I've almost got Joel's playroom complete. I need to paint it, but I'm really impressed with how it all turned out. The great thing is that he loves it! He loves to play ball in there, watch TV and color. The room is pretty relaxing. I find myself watching TV in there after he goes to bed. We're kind of preparing the room for him. We're hoping, if it's God's will, that we'll have another baby soon. Joely will then move out of the nursery and into the playroom (big boy room). For now, we're content with the playing purpose of the room. We're actually pretty content with our family too. If we add to it, even better. If not, we're a happy bunch of three (or five if you count Sampson & Maya).

Murad and I refrained from making New Year's resolutions, but we did vow to better ourselves. I'm working with the Plano Environmental Committee to become a volunteer. We're also looking for a way to take a Spanish class. Murad actually suggested it, and I'm totally excited to do something just the two of us. We kind of let those moments get by us in 2012. We were better about scheduling date nights in 2013, but for 2014 we wanna do more activities together. Plus, if we learn Spanish, it'll help us in our jobs. It'll also help Joely. He only gets Spanish once a week at his school, so we're hoping to support and expand it at home. We're also hoping to find a new church home. We're looking for a more open, accepting and service oriented church.

This post would not be complete without an update on our little man! Joely is constantly flourishing. His language is developing daily. Today he saw some lights twinkling far behind a field and he goes, "fireflies!" It was just a cell tower in the distance, but he didn't know. He also likes to point to his favorite Jayhawk shirt. When he says it, he can't pronounce his R's very well. "Mama, it's Jayhawk shit!" So, so funny. Right now he's going through a sports phase. He wants to carry a ball wherever he goes. He's either kicking, throwing or bouncing a ball (he calls basketball "BB-ball"). He also loves to draw pictures for us. One of his favorite activities is cleaning. I wanna see if I can get him a little kitchen set as he likes to point out the fruits and vegetables as I cook. We're working at potty training still. Apparently, he goes regularly at school, but he's not so good about going at home. We decided against moving him up the 3 class until he's pottying at home and school regularly. I think my favorite thing right now are Joely's hugs and kisses. Some days he'll look at me and go, "mommy hug." Then he leans over and gives me the biggest hug. Thinking about those hugs right now makes me miss him even more. Monday will arrive soon and I'll be back to motherhood. I tried to soak up as many hugs as I could before he left, but it's. just. not. enough.

I have not blogged in a while

Tonight, I felt completely overwhelmed with laundry and housework. Our laundry baskets are overflowing, and there are clean clothes that need to be put away. I cleaned half of both bathrooms. And don't even get me started on organizing our office. I took cleaned up some, folded some laundry and then decided to sit down and update my blog. However, I'm just now getting around to it because I've been reading about everyone's wonderful lives on Blogger. I will say, it's so much more fulfilling to read blogs than Facebook statuses. I feel like those are kinda like short screams. Blogger makes me feel as though I'm watching a play. I picture you writing your posts. Some of you I picture with pumpkin lattes from Starbucks, while others I picture stealing some alone time near a good window. Thank you for letting me peak into your lives.

So much has occurred since my June 20th post. I'm working full-time again. Joely is in preschool. Murad is running groups for MDA. Our house is falling apart (not just because of laundry and cleaning...) Nevertheless, we're all happy and healthy, for the most part.

June kind of hit me hard. I applied for, interviewed for and accepted my dream job with my old district; however, many of my writing and online teaching contracts ended unexpectedly. I scrambled to find work and really struggled to make ends meet. It was a difficult time for me, but I'm very fortunate to be able to slowly pick myself back up financially. I'm also learning to take it one day at a time, celebrate successes, problem-solve for failures and be thankful that I got through the summer. I did have a great time working at the writing center, editing dissertations, writing for online magazines and teaching high school students through Upward Bound.

Since the middle of August, I have been working for my old school district as a Student Assistance Program Specialist. You might ask what that position entails. I sort of work as a prevention specialist by coordinating many of the prevention programs - bullying, drugs, & alcohol. I also do team-building on the secondary campuses for teachers, other specialists and student groups. Things I love about my job:
-getting to dress up each day
-having a cubicle
-wearing heels every day
-free bottles of water
-visiting all the schools
-working with kids
-learning about all the different schools
-my coworkers
-having a 12 minute commute

things I don't like:
-my feet hurt all the time
-my knees hurt
-it's cold in our office. like really, really cold

Since I decided to go back to work and Joel's sitter decided to go back to school, we started looking at preschool/daycares. We toured what seemed like thousands of schools (it was like five) and finally found one we loved. It's in Richardson, so I get an RISD teacher discount, but it's close enough to Plano that Murad can take him to school on his way to downtown Dallas. It's a Montessori school with a daycare in it, so Joel goes to school from 8:00am-3:00pm. From 3:00pm-6:30pm are daycare hours (and 7:00am-8:00am). Murad usually drops him off at 7:45am and I pick him up around 4:45pm most days. We have really been impressed with the education he's receiving. He barely talked before and now he's saying sentences. He puts his toys away and his plates away at each meal. Today he spilled yogurt on himself and he came up to me and asked, "Can you help me?" Tonight he told Murad, "Daddy, I'm tired!" He's started singing his ABC's and he's counting more. He loves to read us books and he holds up the pages to us so that we can see the pictures. Of course, he's still obsessed with Elmo, so most of the books he picks feature him. He also loves looking at the babies in the nursery at his school. Sending him to school has not been without challenges. He cried everyday for the first couple of weeks. Yesterday, he threw up 3x at school and once at home. Last week he got in trouble for pinching and biting the same kid two days in a row. Today, he got a bad report for scratching two other kids. We do not know what is going on. We've tried lecturing him about his behavior, but it's kinda hard because we're doing it so late after the fact. I tried acting out with Elmo & Cookie Monster as models how to behave. He rolled his eyes. Oh yeah, he's been rolling eyes at anyone who says something he doesn't like. His behavior sometimes rivals that of a teenage girl. I know all this is normal toddler behavior, but it is overwhelmingly frustrating. I just wish I knew what was going through his head. I can't help but wonder if it's something more than normal toddler behavior. Is there something we're missing? I could worry myself into a frenzy if I let myself. I think some of it is guilt too. Our previous, previous daycare providers were less than stellar which prompted me to stay home with him. Also, Murad had a lot of apprehension about me returning to work. I know he loved having me home with Joely, and like me, could see the benefit of Joel having a stay-at-home mom. However, I do think Joely having a mom who is happy with her career is okay too. I feel like we have a new life each year, and I'm falling in love with our new life and finding joy in all that Joely is learning even if it means I have to share him with others.

Maya has to have surgery. She injured herself playing/fighting with Sampson. I'm too upset to really finish typing about it. They always go crazy in the summer due to the heat, but this summer was bad. I love my Maya.

Yeah. Our house. We planned to start renovating our master bathroom. We've got foundation problems to fix. So, for now we're all using Joel's bathroom until we can finish gutting ours....I must say that despite all the issues this house has, I love it. It's so perfect for our little family. I feel like we've really made it our home. I also really love living in Plano. Each day I discover another treasure (usually a restaurant). I'm so glad Joely will grow up here. I have to remind myself that despite all the hurdles that I feel were suddenly thrust my way, God has given me the strength to get through them. I'm also very thankful for the life I have. I'm finally doing a job I love. Murad loves his job. I feel like we've finally arrived where we thought we'd be when we first started this journey together. It seems so surreal. I have to remind myself that it's real. When I get down on myself, I try to remind myself that I have a beautiful family and rewarding career.

House Updates

We ended up using the new furniture money for other things like our trip to Philadelphia. We also need to buy Joel a new dresser next month, as he has way too many clothes to fit in his small changing table storage center. I still wanted to give the house an inexpensive face lift. Murad organized the our new roof, gutters and siding. That is all done and it looks great! I picked a red roof for our house. The beige one from before wasn't cutting it!

I bought an all-over stencil from Hobby Lobby for $17, used my brother-in-law's leftover Pebble Grey paint and bought some new paint supplies ($15) to paint a new design for the chair-rail/accent wall in the kitchen. It mimics the look of wallpaper, but it was so much easier and less mess. Plus, I can just paint over it in a few years if I get tired of it. I absolutely love it. It adds some pizzazz to that area!

Next week, I'm painting the dark wood paneling (leftover from the 70's) white. I think it will brighten up the family room especially since the only "windows" are the french doors that lead to the patio.

As soon as Joely starts walking, Murad and I are going to rip up the carpet in the family room and put in hardwood flooring. The hardwood will be kind of expensive, but we'll save money DIYing it.

It's funny

How my brain works...Yeah, so a few weeks back I posted photos of the new sofa I just had to have and the color of the paint for the living room. So about that, I've changed my mind yet again. I guess I convinced myself that I really needed this sofa. Sure, I'll get some extra money with my freelance writing job, but why blow it on a sofa? I guess now that I have a child, I question every purchase I make. Having a child really does change you!

So, here's what I decided. Instead of painting the kitchen and the living room, I'm just going to paint this hideous faux-wood paneling white. I think it will brighten up the room. I'm going to cut the furniture budget in half. Instead of buying a new sofa, I think we'll get a nice, comfy chair and a half. It will provide the seating we need, but won't overpower the living room. I also realized that if I would've bought a new sofa, I would have had to buy a new coffee-table; the one we have wouldn't match. Not ready to do that yet, so I think keeping our color scheme, current furniture and adding one new piece, is the best solution.

That's the plan for now. I can't promise that I won't change my mind again, but I can say that any change I make will be one of equal or lesser value in cost. I sat and thought about all the things I could buy with the sofa money:
-pay off a hospital bill
-put two weeks worth of daycare into savings
-put more money into savings
-money for future repairs to the house
-spend money on my baby
-put more money into the Ashlea works part-time fund (I'm definitely working part-time if we have a 2nd baby, but I'd like to work part-time next fall or have a more flexible job...)

Yeah, so I'm thinking one of those things on the list is defintely worth more than a sofa.

Because the Jayhawks stink

and I'm already up late watching the game. Ugh. I love the start of basketball season! Everything good in life revolves around college basketball, especially my Jayhawks! Tonight though....we're not looking good against Kentucky. Since I'm up and can't take my eyes off the game even though I want to, I'll post about my 30th birthday! Yes. In two months I will be 30 years old!
I've been stressing about what to do for my birthday! I've already sown my wild oats (not in the slutty way, but the drinking way...in fact, I really didn't date much before I got married, but now is not the time to go on a kissing binge), but I know my friends and family really want me to have a big birthday bash. Originally, I planned to go to Lawrence and KC for an old fashioned college pub crawl, but let's face it, I'd need 50 naps just to survive. Plus, I'm just not ready to leave Joely yet. I'm so used to hearing him on the monitor at night, waking up to his cooing in the morning and seeing his smiling face once he realizes I'm there. Not to mention I'd have to majorly pump and dump all that alcohol out of my boobs. That's like throwing away gold! I just can't do that!
Anyways, I'm planning a girls' trip in March and if we can afford it, a 3rd honeymoon next summer. I think by March I should be ready, right? Eh. Another reason I cannot go to Kansas for my birthday is because I've had to use so many sick days and we have a trip planned for Memorial weekend and I'll need to take a couple of days then. Yes. This is what happens when you have a child!
Okay, so for my birthday, I know my best friend is flying in to town. I think we'll rent out a room at Family Karaoke Place and order lots of good sushi and large amounts of alcohol.
What I'm most excited for though is my birthday present! We are finally going to update our kitchen and family room. I know! We're old, right? Lame, right? I don't care. I'm super excited. Murad and I picked out a new sofa that we both love! I think it will be durable and last while raising a growing boy. Right now the sofa is about $200 out of our price range. Hoping it goes down in 2012! We finally agreed on a paint color for the ugly wood paneling in our family room. So, yes. no changes. This is it! We are getting an update! The family room will stay white/cream except for the wood paneling accent wall which we will paint "teal lake." We will then carry that color into our kitchen as well. I think it will look nice against our dark cabinets as well as the white woodwork and white kitchen table. It will really help tie the family room and kitchen together, especially since it is a semi-open lay-out. Plus, it matches the plates I already have! So yeah! I'm so excited about this relatively inexpensive update. I realize now that the next update will be pretty expensive: master bedroom/bath remodel...not for a few years though!

color confidential

Yes, I stole the title of this post from a show featured on HGTV!
So, I think I have finally decided on paint colors.

Living Room, hall, guest bath - Chamomile
guest bath cabinet - Moody Blue
Kitchen - Tansy Green

I also decided to paint the entire family room instead of just an accent wall. I think it will really warm up the room. It will also compliment the hall and bathroom. I chose Moody Blue for the cabinets in the guest bath because the shower curtain in there has a paisley design made up of a cream background and pinks, greens and a hint of blue. Finally, tansy green will be used throughout the entire kitchen. It's a warm green and will add a bit of color in a dark brown and sand kitchen.

Soup House Projects

Okay, so I've decided to start on some Soup House projects. Now that the first six weeks have ended at work, I'm hoping things will settle down some (yeah, right!). This week was really stressful for me, but I made it through. Okay so here are my house projects
-finish organizing the office and master bedroom....we still have boxes packed in both rooms
-clean out the garage
-paint an accent wall in the family room---I'm going to do a mustard yellow in there. Right now we have a mix of dark browns, black, green, red and yellow. I also want to buy some lamps to go in there as well. I figure I better paint now before we pull up the carpet. I decided against painting the faux wood paneling. I think it adds character and will go nicely with the golden colors.
-paint an accent wall in the kitchen. Our kitchen has dark cabinets, so I want to keep the white walls throughout. We have wainscoting on one wall, so I'll paint the top half of that muddy greenish color (we have a hint of the muddy green color in our faux granite counter tops) I'm so excited to PAINT! I will post pictures soon!
Today I put out some fall decorations. Nothing much, but I hung the fall pine cone garland on the fire place, hung the fall wreath, and placed some pumpkins on the front porch. I plan to get some fall flowers to put on the kitchen table and family room coffee table. I'm so glad fall is finally here! It will make cleaning out the garage bearable! Plus, next weekend Mr. Soup and I will head to the State Fair of Texas to partake in some yummy fried foods! We actually love the fair for more than just the foods. October happens to be Hispanic Heritage Month. We visit the booths and spend lots of time at the Dominican Republic booth. Mr. Soup's grandmother was from Santo Domingo, so we try to learn a little bit more about our heritage with each visit.

almost a year and a half later...

our wedding guestbook quilt is complete! it is now hanging in our home. I am thrilled. takes me back to that spectacular day when we vowed to spend our lives together. The day I became Mrs. Soup. It has been a ride full of joys and challenges. I wouldn't have it any other way. Thanks to those who were there to sign it and those who were with us in spirit. Thanks to those who continue to support us today!

I've also included a picture of our wedding broom which is also hanging in our home.

some house pictures

I've posted pictures of my three favorite rooms in our home

the kitchen - I love the space! I can cook and not be confined. My dogs can spread on the floor to sleep while I cook. I love it! I also love the look of the kitchen. The faux granite countertops and dark wood cabinets give it a traditional yet modern look. The kitchen also includes some custom updates. I love our range, oven and microwave. Oh and I love having a dishwasher that actually cleans the dishes.We added our own refrigerator which we bought brand new.

the family room - this is the room that needs the most work, but I know it will soon be our favorite. The previous owner put in double doors that lead out to the patio. I love it and the built in blinds! We plan to paint the wood paneling and install hardwood floors for a more contemporary look. We also plan to invest in a flat screen television in the near future!

the dining room (living/dining combo) - i love this room. I have used it as a home office this summer when writing curriculum. Even though we have a home office, I love the view of our front yard from this room.

All I need is a miracle...

all I need is you!

all my posts lately begin with a song title. coincidence? I think not. I'm just a musical person.

okay, so insurance adjuster came out. the carpet in our home office and one of the guest bedrooms was deemed repairable. So they're going to pay for new padding and for it to be repaired. However, the carpet in the hall is not repairable and since it is connected to the family room, they will replace the carpet in the hall and family room. so kind of a bad news/good news deal. we get to replace the carpet in the area that we use the most for entertaining and just general recreation. We have the option of going through their contractor or hiring our own. We're hoping that the person a friend recommended will give us a good deal and we can look into getting hard wood floor in that area instead of carpet. so keep your fingers crossed.

however, we still have to pay the deductible on the home owner's insurance. which isn't bad, but we just found out that our friends are going to Vegas over Labor Day weekend. We hardly see them, so how cool would it be if we vacationed with them? She was my matron of honor in our wedding and I was a bridesmaid in hers. We lived together twice in college. I worked at her family's ice cream store. we attended elementary, middle, high and college together. So, now I'm in Dallas and she's in Wichita. Up until this past May, our wedding was the last time I saw them. So, I'm really hoping we can save up some money and go. Right now we can afford flights, but we still gotta figure lodging (for us and the dogs while we're gone). Even if we don't go to Las Vegas, I hope Mr. Soup and I can escape for Labor Day weekend somewhere. Our next big trip (besides our annual trip to New Jersey....oh and this year I have been assured that we will make it to New York! yeah!!!!) isn't until our 2 year anniversary. I just need SOMETHING to tie me over until March 2011.

our house

in the middle of our street...

well we've had some home problems lately. our a/c condensation drain thingy was clogged and leaked all over....well not all over, but over significant parts of our hallway, our office closet and my brother-in-law's closet. leak is fixed, but the insurance adjuster is coming tomorrow to determine if we get new floors or if they'll just repair the carpet. Mr. Soup and I plan to do take out all the carpet in our home anyways, so getting new floors in those areas (for free essentially) would be a plus. We really want to put in laminate wood flooring. we have shag carpet throughout (living room, dining room, family room, all three bedrooms and the office...it's a little much) nevertheless, i love our little home. it has so much character. it feels like a mansion compared to our apartment, but it still has that cozy, quaint feeling. i'm excited for some upcoming projects. okay, so here they are:

-paint the wood paneling in the living room. I'm thinking a creamy rustic red color (think of a muted red)

-paint the guest bathroom....maybe a robin's egg blue...I'm debating on whether to paint the cabinets Robin's egg blue and then paint the walls a cream or yellow color or paint the walls a robin's egg blue color and leave the cabinets white. I'm leaning towards painting the cabinets for a dramatic effect.

-paint the master bath a dark blue color

-wood laminate floors...I think Mr. Soup can install them ourselves. plus his dad and stepmom just gave us a great DIY home book.

so those are the updates so far with our little abode.

to buy or not to buy

so, I posted a pic of a sofa I liked, but then it went off sale and I couldn't afford it. I found another sofa I liked for $450. However, I think I'm not gonna buy it. I just really need to save money. Mr. Soup and I will become parents to an 8 year old full-time in a week and we need all the extra money we can get. I also need to start saving for a new car. Plus, it's not like I need the sofa. So, no sofa for now.

I'm trying to make better decisions in spending. I've gotten in the habit of not using credit cards anymore. However, it's still hard for me to determine what is a need and what is a want. I feel like I have to go back to 7 year old Mrs. Soup. I remember my parents helping me determine what was a need and what was a want. Little did I know that was the upcoming lesson at school. We had to bring in examples of needs and wants. I just wonder if I ever got that lesson down right. And honestly, a lot of our needs are wants for others. To some we live an affluent life. Mr. Soup tonight goes, "we're really blessed!" And he is right. We can pay our bills each month and afford to treat ourselves every now and then and we're in good health. So, if I have to wait for a stupid material possession than I will. I'd rather have peace of mind (BTW, growing up I always thought the saying was "piece of mind" I didn't learn until recently that it was peace of mind. way to go English teacher)
I did however get a few treats this week:
fridge- well it's a need, but I love, love, love it
laptop-my husband surprised me with it
dining table- one of the girls at work is moving to Ireland and she's selling her $500 dining table to me for $250! Score!!! It's so cute and perfect for our formal dining room.
okay, so on to bigger and better things...this summer! So, my darling stepdaughter arrives in June and will spend the month with us. I'm not "working" this summer. Meaning I'm not teaching summer school like I have in previous summers. I'm subbing for summer school, attending the AVID conference and Pre-AP Summer Institute. I will also attend my 10 year high school reunion. One of my goals this summer is to start writing again. I tried last summer, hit a writer's block and gave up. However, I feel this need to write in my bones. I have so much to say on what I see going on as a teacher and in my personal life. I feel like I can merge it into a good fiction piece (peace?)So, my goal is to write this summer and read, of course. I'm hoping that my followers will read some of my work if I post it on here? maybe give some feedback? let me know what you think! I really benefit from help throughout the writing process rather than just at the end.

in love

despite the ramblings of my previous post (see below), I am in love with this time in our life.
1. our house - I absolutely love our house. It is so spacious. it has character and most importantly our dogs love it. They love having a backyard. I have sat out there everyday this week and watched them run and run. Mr. Sam has lost weight as well. Oh and we don't lock them up during the day and they don't pee, poop or tear things up like they did in the apartment. It is also fun to see Mr. Soup get excited about house projects. I love our new refrigerator. I love the couch (40% off the asking price, I'm such a good shopper!) I am about to order I love that we will spending the next ___ years in this home.
2. our careers - Mr. Soup is really doing well as a caseworker and I am becoming more stressed by my job, but more in love with it everyday.
3. marriage - I love being married to him. he makes me feel special and needed. he also surprises me every now and then. any time I saw I want him to buy me something, Mr. Soup will figure out how much I need to save and for how long until I can afford to buy it. I've been wanting a laptop for a while and he came home last night with one for me. Granted it is refurbished, so he got a good deal on it, but it is the thought that counts. Oh, did I mention that it's one of those cute little laptops? During this 3-day weekend I plan to hang with some friends in town and go see SATC 2 (SO FREAKIN' EXCITED!) with my friend, but Mr. Soup and I are also celebrating our 4 year anniversary by attending the Mint Condition concert on Saturday night.
4. family - I feel like my brother is in a good place in his life. He's working at a bank and seems to be taking steps toward securing his career aspirations and financial future. My dad is finally getting some relief for his back. He just recently underwent a procedure to see about getting electrodes to prevent him from feeling the pain in his life. Right now he has the temporary box, but if that works out well, they will insert permenant ones. However, he still battles with his immune system, but we're hoping now that he's retired he'll stay healthy and continue to love a quality life. My dad really is the strongest man I know as I don't know anyone whose body and brain have been through what he's been through. He keeps perservering and keeps a smile on his face while doing it.
5. the unknown - I don't know what will happen with my stepdaughter, but I have faith that everything will work out. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I'm excited to see where this journey takes us.

Our Very First Home!

Today has been a shitty day and also a great day! For the past two days our pups have been ill. We usually can pinpoint what's wrong, but they have had diarrhea for two days. I know, I know, TMI. So yeah, no sleep and cleaning constantly is not fun! One of Mr. Soup's groomsmen graduated tonight with his doctorate in English, so he's gone while I'm at home making sure that they don't poop everywhere or die of dehydration. They're doing good so far. They even ate some rice, so I'm hoping that settles their stomachs.

So, I got a call from my realtor today saying we could close a little early on our house. It just so happens our new closing date is Wednesday which happens to be the four year anniversary of the day I met Mr. Soup! Amazing, huh? So, we will close on Wednesday, get the keys on Friday and move on Saturday. Hard to believe we're moving in just one week! I'm so excited. I love our home. So since it's pretty much official....I'm posting a picture of our home. I would post some inside pics, but it still has all the furniture from the current owner. I love our new home. It has so much personality and it's just overall a great home. It is on a corner lot, so we have lots of room. While we don't plan to stay there forever, it is a great starter home. It has lots of room to grow. I'm just so happy we are going through this phase in our life. It's so exciting! Okay, well good night to you all. I have to take the dogs to the vet in the morning and then a wedding in the afternoon.