Ahem, is thing on?

Hey there! Long time no talk. I've been a little absent nonexistent on this blog of mine. To be honest.... I haven't really had much to say or share nor do I think my life is all that exciting to share on here. Don't get me wrong... I LOVE my sweet little not super exciting but exciting enough for me life but I've felt a little conflicted about blogging lately. There are blogs that are out there for a business to create income for their families (I don't fall under that), there are blogs that amp up or brag almost about their life (I don't want to fall under that), there are funny blogs with people telling random funny stories about their day (I don't really fall under this category) then there are blogs that update their friends and family on their life, mostly with pictures of their sweet & cute little kiddo's (I kinda sorta fall under this, minus the kiddo's). I could totally post pics of Chris & I all day long but is that really all that exciting or interesting??? Not really. Exciting for me yes... but to other people, not so much. See what I mean, I'm conflicted! 

What does this blog of mine need to be? I suppose what I want it to be. 

I still follow and read all my regular blogs, I just don't post anymore. I do miss it. Mostly the comments and emails from my sweet friends & family. But, it's kinda less stressful. 

Hmmmm what to do??

Miss you guys & hope you had very Merry Christmas!!

From our 2nd Anniversary trip in Crested Butte, CO.

It was a little bright :)

Home Ownership

We are celebrating our 2 year anniversary of owning our first home! Boy has it been an adventure. It can be very frustrating at times but is totally worth it. I thought I would make a list of everything we've had to fix (and the awesome stories that go along with them). It is never ending.... especially in an old home. 


Surprise & Planned.... but mostly Surprise updates :)




1. Frozen Pipes SURPRISE


This happened February 2011 during an intense snow/ice storm. Our door leading into the garage from the backyard flew open during the storm & froze our pipes. We had no hot water for 2 days. It was miserable. On day 3 Chris came home & luckily heard something in the garage so he decided to go check it out. Water was gushing out everywhere in the garage.... thankfully it was in the garage and not in the house. We have a friend that is a plumber (now also does construction & remodels) and came to our rescue. He instructed my panicked husband to go turn the water off (which was in the front yard hidden by snow & ice). He eventually found it & did turn the water off. On day 4 our plumber friend came over and fixed our burst pipes. Phew! Thank you Matt!


Lessons Learned: Make sure the door to the garage is closed & locked at all times. There is now insulation around our pipes so this will hopefully not happen again. 


2. New Hot Water Tank PLANNED


Our water pressure has been excellent since we purchased the house. The amount of time the hot water lasted.... not so excellent. I got into a habit of taking really quick showers in an effort to not run out of hot water. We had a 1 year home warranty (that we requested the seller purchase for us in our contract) and I got to thinking maybe just maybe this is something that would be covered. Was the hot water tank completely shot, no.... was it very close, yes. We just had to pay $60 to have someone come out, evaluate it, take pictures & send off for approval. It was approved & we got a new hot water tank! Installed again by our plumber friend Matt!


Lesson Learned: The first year home warranty is actually a good idea. If you think it might cover something.... give it a try, It's only $60 for an evaluation & it could result in big savings for you. 


3. Sewage System SURPRISE


Oh this was by far the worst one of all. It was backed up & water trying to drain from our washing machine located in the garage was finding another way to drain.... luckily this time yet again in our garage not in our house. Matt our plumber friend (I'm sure he LOVES getting calls from us... not so much) came over & tried to unclog our pipe in the backyard but it was a no go. When he dug up the dirt to find the pipe we found that the previous owner had tried to do a quick fix and there was a piece of scrap metal laying over a hole in the pipe.... awesome! We had to get new pipes in the backyard under ground from our house to the back fence where the city sewage hook up is. I probably did not describe that correctly but that's a summary of what happened. Matt's guys came in at a later date & did all the new pipe work in the backyard.


Lesson Learned: Be happy you have a good relationship with a trusted plumber who knows what he's doing!


4. Landscaping PLANNED


This year we hired a landscaping company to complete phase 1 of our landscaping goals. They cleaned out all the weeds in our backyard & sprayed to keep the weeds out. They also created 4 flower beds in the front around the house & 3 flower beds in the back around the house with cedar mulch. The flower beds do not actually have flowers in them yet.... they were just created and really made a HUGE improvement in how our yard front & back looks. When we do plant flowers we will probably just plant them in pots and set the pots in the flower beds in an effort to keep it low maintenance & a weed free flower bed. We still need more landscaping in the back yard around the fence, a dead tree removed in the front yard & I would LOVE to have irrigation placed in the front yard. 


Lesson Learned: Shop around for quotes and get word of mouth referrals for lawn & landscaping companies. We found the company we used from a neighbors referral. 


5. New AC unit for the upstairs SURPRISE


This happened about 2 weeks ago. Rewind first to about 2 months ago when we had to get a new motor for the upstairs AC unit. It wasn't too expensive. But then 2 weeks ago our unit went out again & it needed a new compressor. That was a wee bit expensive. We have a wonderful Air guy that was a referral from a neighbor, he got us all fixed up. Luckily we only had to go 1 night with no AC upstairs.... also luckily we have 2 separate units 1 for the upstairs & 1 for the downstairs. We camped out downstairs the night we had no AC upstairs. 


Lesson Learned: Have a good relationship with an AIR guy! Also get your AC units cleaned & evaluated at the beginning & end of summer. 


6. New Duct Work in the Attic PLANNED


We have known for a while the duct work in the attic needed some work. We were told there were 2 ducts not even connected just floating around keeping our attic nice & cool. I tried also to get this approved through our home warranty.... it didn't work! They said they couldn't approve it because it appeared rodents ie: squirrels caused the damage. Soooo Chris & his dad fixed the area where the squirrels were getting in & our air guy redid all the duct work in the attic..... right before summer this year so hopefully we will notice a difference in our electricity bill. We for sure notice a difference in how efficient the upstairs stay cool. 


Lesson Learned: Have a good relationship with an AIR guy! 


7. New Washer & Dryer SURPRISE


Our washer & dryer came with the house. They were nothing special.. at all, but they worked. For a little while anyways. Last year the dryer stopped working. We bought a friends dryer.... they had just purchased new units & still had their old ones. Well last month our washing machine broke (the one that came with the house). I had enough at this point & told talked with Chris about getting a brand spankin new front loader HE washer & dryer with a warranty. He agreed it was time... so we got a new washer & dryer!!!!! It's so pretty, quiet & I LOVE doing laundry. 


Lesson Learned: Having a reliable washer & dryer is the best feeling EVER!! Take good care of your washer & dryer. After we are finished with all our loads we wipe down the inside of the washing machine door & leave it propped open.... this is supposed to prevent the mildew from forming. We also stopped using liquid fabric softener because it is hard on your washing machine & creates a film on the inside of your barrel. We use the dryer sheets only. Buy the warranty they offer! 


OK I think that's most of it! Congratulations if you actually made it through this post.
All I have to say is thank heavens we have a savings! We toyed with the idea of putting our house on the market & moving into our "for a long time" home.... but we're just not ready yet. I love our home & I'm still in love with our home. Could it be bigger.... yes. Could it be nicer.... yes. But, I'm just not ready to break up with it yet. So we'll stay a while longer & keep making planned & unplanned updates. Happy 2 year anniversary home! We've made so many great memories here & planning on making a few more :)


Diana

FEBRUARY PHOTO-A-DAY

I am linking up with House of Smith's today! I got back late last night from a mini vacay with my hubby, worked a busy day at the dental office today & well I'm pretty tired (I don't do well with little sleep) but I really wanted to get my #febphotoaday collage up today and join the linky party at House of Smith's. I just love her blog. I'm also loving Fat Mum Slim, who is now hosting March photo-a-day. 


Here is my #febphotoaday collage! 

I'll share more deets from our trip later this week :)

Hope you all have a wonderful week.

Diana

march photo-a-day

FATMUMSLIM posted her March photo-a-day challenge. You guys should join in on the fun! I really enjoyed her February photo-a-day list. 

Happy Monday!

clara's 1st birthday

Clara turned ONE! I can't believe it's been 1 year already. Clara's been on the blog before but in case you don't know she is my good friend Krystalyn's little girl. I held her hours after she arrived in this world. She's not only adorable but such a good baby. Here are some pics from her birthday party a few weeks ago. 

It was her first time to have chocolate cake & she loved it! She licked the plate clean.... as you can see in the pic above :) Her momma & daddy were so happy & proud!

Pink tricycle from her grandpa.

Feeding her daddy some cake.

Bella helping Ms. Clara open up her gifts!

Clara's favorite was the wrapping paper from Julie's gift!

I got her that cute little pink 1 piece swimsuit from baby Gap.

I just love this picture :)

Julie & Stanley.

The clothing loot.

Happy FIRST Birthday Ms. Clara. You sure are loved :)

Smile Friday.... on Saturday :)

Here are my #febpohoto's from the past week. 

I can't believe February is almost over! This feb photo challenge has been so fun. 

Can't wait to see what the list for March is going to be.

We traveled to McKinney,TX (where my in-laws live) last weekend to go to our good friends couple wedding shower. It was such a great shower... lots of people, great food, great drinks & great company. It was a "display shower" ohmygah GENIUS. You bring your gift unwrapped and sit it on a table when you arrive. The couple doesn't have to awkwardly unwrap gifts and have everyone stare them down in the process. SUCH.A.GREAT.IDEA.

This was from valentine's night. We went to the OU basketball game in Norman & ate some sushi before hand. Not the best pic of me... but this is what you get right after work.

Comparing the difference in Sebastian's treat vs. Angel's treat. She wins.

We errrr kinda sorta didn't get to grocery shop last weekend because we were out of town and well I just don't ever have enough energy to do it during the work week sooooo we might have eaten chick-fil-a for dinner Monday-Thursday night. But, by golly I cooked teriyaki chicken & rice last night accompanied with a nice glass of Chardonnay. 

Hope you all have an extra-ordinary weekend! 

-Diana

Smile Friday

First off HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my dear friend ASHLEY! 

She's pretty awesome & such a good friend.

Love you :)

Cant wait to celebrate with you tomorrow in the balcony at the Warren seeing THE VOW!

*****

Here are my #febphotoaday pictures from last Friday to this Friday. 

Hosted by Fat Mum Slim.

And here are some randoms not related to my photo challenge. 

Loved getting my love cup Monday morning.

There was a sale at Green Bambino last Saturday & I went to pick up some cloth diapers for a friend & decided to start my collection. I figured might as well start picking up 1 or 2 or 3 here and there so it won't be much of a financial burden when the day comes that I need them. I'm not pregnant nor are we "trying"... just wanting to prepare. 

Can I tell I LOVE Green Bambino. Very friendly staff & they have great products.

My fur babes napping on Sunday afternoon.

He is sacked out. Ha. I love it when he is this sleepy. 

Oh that's just me in a box at work. Not entirely sure why. 

It was the end of the day (no patients around) and I was really tired. 

I consumed 8 of those mini cinnamon rolls on Monday night 

after my oh so healthy dinner of shrimp, rice & spniach.

I don't know what came over me. 

It's like my body knew I ate entirely too healthy for dinner.

Happy Smile Friday

Hosted by the birthday girl Smile Steady

ashley's airplane baby boy shower

Oh boy did we have some good food! Everything except the cupcakes were homemade/prepared at home. A BIG thanks to my mom, Kelle & Jordan (Ashley's sister) for helping me prepare all this yumminess.

My good friend Kate sewed those incredible onesies with the numbers 1-12 for me. Her etsy shop is awesome. You should check it out. Amy made the poof balls & airplane garland. Kelle made the baby boy sign. I had all these great ideas but ran out time preparing for the shower, so luckily these ladies helped me finish my(and the other hostesses) vision. 

Our friend Cianne just had her baby & brought him to the shower. We had SO much fun loving on him! 

This was my first shower to throw at our home. It was exciting, fun, exhausting, challenging & rewarding! I LOVED showering my dear friend Ashley & would do it all over again. She's been such a good friend to me. Baby Abbott Graham was born November 18th, 2011 @ 1:20 am weighing 8 lbs & 5 oz. 

I'm posting this a mere 4 months after the shower. No big deal right?! 

Meal Plan Monday

Sunday- buffalo wings & salmon patties


Monday- shrimp sauteed in a lemon garlic sauce, rice, & spinach


Tuesday- mac & cheese 


Wednesday- chicken nuggets, mashed new potatoes & green beans


Thursday- left overs


Friday- out to eat


Saturday- honey lime chicken enchilada's & refried beans


Sunday- angel hair pasta w/ a marinara alfredo sauce, rolls, salad


Monday- left overs


Tuesday- out to eat


I am a BIG fan of grocery shopping with a list. I meal plan for the week (or in this case week & 1/2) and then make up my list. For breakfast, lately I have been eating special K cereal with fresh raspberries & a small glass of orange juice. I am trying to kick the Starbucks habit & limit it to only weekends or special occasions. For lunch I usually pack a peanut butter sandwich, cheddar sun chips & a little cutie orange usually with water as my drink. Chris normally has a banana or a Atkins protein shake. Hubby's weakness is eating out at lunch. This is where his "fun money" normally goes. Although he says its necessary for "networking" :)... I know he really enjoys it... eating out & "networking" that is. My husband likes to talk.... and he really likes to talk business. But that's neither here nor there. 


My point is making a meal plan is helpful in many ways.
1. I can create a clear & concise list of necessary groceries that I know most likely won't go bad. A list= a happier & shorter grocery visit.
2. We stay on our "food" budget.
3. I don't have to think at the beginning or end of the day what we're going to have for dinner. It's already been thought of. 


Hope you all have a lovely week.


xoxo Diana

Smile Friday: photo-a-day challenge JANUARY

It's Smile Friday again & I'm sneaking in my post last minute. I am linking up today with The House Of Smith's. I did not do follow the photo prompt put on by Fat Mum Slim but I did take 1 photo a day in January. It was fun & I'm really happy I stuck with it. 

I am starting the February photo-a-day challenge put on by Fat Mum Slim. I use the picframe & instagram app's to edit my photo's & I used picnik (google will be taking over in April) to create my collage above. 

Very very happy I have decided to do this, this year. Let me know if you are also joining in on the photo-a-day fun... I would love to watch your journey through pictures. 

*Notice my default pictures are my fur babes :)

Smile Friday

love the warren. loved the girl with the dragon tattoo.

cold drinks warm hearts. starbucks date with my fran julie.

he loves his son :) sweet moment captured.

jh desert & wine party.

okc sky line. after a workout with my fran Krystalyn.

morning snuggles. 

Hope you enjoyed my pics from this week! I don't know about you but my week has been cray cray. I'm happy the weekend is here that's for sure. I'll be linking up with my good friend Ashley over at Smile Steady. 

Smile Friday blog loves :)

Diana

Meal Plan Monday

MEAL PLAN MONDAY

SUNDAY(yesterday): SALMON & SALAD

MONDAY: CROCK POT BBQ CHICKEN, ROLLS, SPINACH

TUESDAY: KRAFT MAC N CHEESE 

WEDNESDAY: ANGEL HAIR PASTA WITH A MARINARA & ALFREDO MIXTURE SAUCE

THURSDAY: TERIYAKI CHICKEN, RICE, BRUSSEL SPROUTS

FRIDAY: HONEY LIME ENCHILADA'S & REFRIED BEANS

SATURDAY: MATHEW KENNEY (DATE NIGHT!)

SUNDAY: CRUNCHY GARLIC CHICKEN, GREEN BEANS, ROLLS

I love having a plan for the week! Makes it SO much easier when you get home from a long day of work & you don't have to think about what to cook. Kraft mac n cheese is my go to dinner if I have something going on that night & have little time to eat before hand. It's fast & yummy. My new recipes I'm trying this week are the honey lime enchilada's, teriyaki chicken, brussel sprouts (yes you read that right) & crock pot BBQ chicken.  I'll let ya know how it goes! 

Happy Monday :)

Diana

Smile Friday: 366 days

My friend Ashley over at Smile Steady always does a Smile Friday post featuring something that made her smile that week.  She has decided (like a lot of you bloggers out there) to take 1 pic per day to document their life in 2012 & post her pics from the week on her Smile Friday post. So I'm going to follow her lead and post my pictures from my first 6 days of 2012.

my hubby & i on NYE

sebastian & his fasha on a normal monday night

this is james harden shooting for a technical, he scored 23 points that night. 

our friend steven was nice enough to give us his tickets for the game.

wednesday night we went to outback steakhouse to spend some christmas gift cards. i swear gift cards burn a hole in our pocket. i had this delish wallaby darned.

thursday night we ate chick-fil-a again. i really need to grocery shop.

friday during the day my sweet friend Ashley stopped by to visit

 & brought her precious baby boy abbott graham :) 

I also downloaded the app my365 to help document all my pictures for 2012. Hope you all had a wonderful week!