The Wednesday Letters

A bookstore in our mall was closing and had 40% off all regular priced books. So I picked up a few like The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks which I have yet to get to, and The Wednesday Letters.
I just finished it and it was a really good book! The writing was a little iffy, but I'm not that great either. Haha. Anyway, I would recommend you pick it up if you like reading. Without telling the story, the book is mainly about forgiveness. It was really wonderful and has inspired me quite a bit. The author is Jason F. Wright. I had never read anything by him before, but he also wrote Christmas Jars. Just a little ad there for the book.
I also read Rodanthe Nights last week. It was really good too! I cried! Haha. Nicholas Sparks... He writes heart wrenchers. I usually don't read. In fact, I've read more this past month than in the last 5 years. My husband thinks it's a phase and says it's, "Cute." I think I've just realized what I'm missing out on by not reading. Either way, I hope this phase lasts a lifetime. It's really enjoyable and I think it helps my mind to feel like it's being used since work is so slow right now.
Anyway... Happy Reading!

Freestyle Apple Tart

Okay, I know this may not look entirely appealing. I forgot to put the foil on it to cover it for the last 5 minutes so it kind of dried the apples out a bit. They were still good though. Also... I think I would change the recipe just a little by adding a bit of sugar to the cream cheese and mixing it in before spreading it on the crust. Here is the full recipe:

Kraft Foods Freestyle Apple Tart

1 Ready-to-use refrigerated pie crust (1/2 of a 15oz. pkg.)

4 oz. (1/2 of 8 0z. pkg.) of cream cheese, softened

Red and/or green apples (1 1/4 lb.) thinly sliced

1/4 c. sugar

2 T. Flour

1 tsp. cinnamon sugar

1 c. thawed cool whip topping

Heat oven to 450* F. Line 9 in. pie plate with crust (I used some spray cooking oil on the pan first.). Carefully spread cream cheese in a 6 in. circle in the center.

Toss the apples with the sugar and flour; spoon over cream cheese.

Fold the crust partially over the apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, covering loosely w/foil and baking another 5 minutes. Cool.

Serve w/whipped topping. (I didn't do this, it was fine w/o.) Refrigerate leftovers.

Enjoy!

Dining Room Idea 1

Obviously I'm using more warm colors. I don't know that I'd like all of these things for a dining room? I'm really just trying to find my style. I will probably post sets for more rooms. Other than this being a lot of fun, I hope to get an idea for I will want someday. Even though we(Phillip and I) have only owned this house 2 years, we're really thinking about having babies soon! And we would like to live in a more kid friendly house/neighborhood. We live on a very busy street in our town. Also, our house is pretty small and we don't have a real bedroom for a child on the main floor. Anyway... When designing these sets I was thinking of a future home.

The weekend was wonderful! Friday night we did our usual grocery shopping. Then we went home and had just a little bit to eat. Saturday was great! We both had sometime to ourselves, I organized the kitchen a bit and Phillip tried organizing his "office" room. I don't think he got much done though. Ha ha... I also made a delicious Apple Tart! It was so easy. I'll try to post the picture & recipe tonight. I got it from the Kraft Foods magazine. You can go to their website and sign up to get a magazine every month I believe. It has so many good and easy recipes! Tonight or tomorrow I'm going to try this Twice Baked Sweet Potato recipe. It looks SO good. I wish I didn't love food! He he. Sunday we had church, my father's-in-law birthday lunch, and Area 58 (Our Jr. High youth ministry) that night at church. Overall it was a nice weekend though. I like it when we have time on Saturdays to do whatever strikes our fancy. I feel so much more relaxed come Monday morning.
Tonight we are going over the budget. I don't remember if I've blogged about it yet, but we went through Financial Peace University (http://www.daveramsey.com/fpu/home/) during this summer. It was SO worth it. We realized how much money we were spending on useless things and we weren't saving at all. Now we are saving SO much. It's amazing. If any of you (Assuming someone other than my husband reads this.)have questions or are interested, you of course can click on the link or you can email me! Kraesc @ yahoo dot com. But anyway, we're going to make our budget for the month of October tonight. For the whole first year of our marriage, we didn't fight about money. But we would talk about how we wanted to save more money but then we never did. FPU taught us so much about finances-working your way out of debt or making sure you never get in it!, insurance, retirement, etc... We started following the guidelines and we've been pretty good about staying with them. We paid for a brand new laptop debt free in August and now we're working towards a trip and a new(New as in new for us. Old for someone else.) car. And it's great to be out of debt. So yeah, I highly encourage anyone and everyone, single and married, EVERYONE to go through FPU.

Last night...

We watched the office premiere. So Awesome! A lot of things happened and I have lots of questions. Unfortuantely I will jsut have to wait until next week. I will say, I'm very disappointed in Angela & Dwight. I don't like their "relationship" at all. I would comment so much more! But it's 4:59pm. And I'm leaving MY office! I hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

The Office!!

The Office starts back up tonight!!!!!!! I'm so excited! I've been reading about some spoilers on http://officetally.com/. They dont' say too much though. I'm really excited and curious. I just wonder what will happen? I never thought I'd be the type to get so into tv show, but I have. I know, it's sad. I'm even wearing a Dunder Mifflin t-shirt that my husband got me! ;o)

I love The Office!

I might just start blogging about it on Friday mornings after I've seen the show! I mean... I'm thinking this year is going to have a lot of side stories and we won't have a clue about what is going on! Hooray!

My First Polyvore Experience

This is an idea for my living room. I've spent just over a year in my home and I think I have more of an idea of what I would like now. Of course this is all from Crate & Barrel. I would never be able to purchase anything there. But, most importantly I think I have an idea for colors I would like. So this is just an idea. One day when we get to pass on the hand-me downs to someone else, we might be able to buy our own furniture! Never before used. How nice that would be! A bouncy couch! The one we have now has rear-end impressions from so much use! Hehe... It works though!

Banana Nut Bread Recipe!

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 eggs
1 cup mashed bananas **I add at least another half cup. This is about 2 maybe 3 regular sized bananas
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch loaf pans. Set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Stir in nuts, eggs, bananas, oil, and vanilla extract.
Pour into prepared pans. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes before removing from pans.
*** Okay, so I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. I love that website! It's amazing! Sometimes I add chocolate chips! I add just a little more banana when I add the choc. chips so that the choc. is not overpowering. Instead of using 2 loaf pans, use a bunt pan. I don't have a bunt pan yet, so I use my angel food cake pan and it works just as well. Also, I would bake it less than 55 minutes if you want the bread moist. Sorry I don't have a picture of mine! We gobbled it up. ;o)
Enjoy!

Quotes

Today I was reading a lot! I'm currently reading Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller for our college & career class. He wrote this:

"For so much of my life I had been defending Christianity because I thought to admit that we had done any wrong was to discredit the religious system as a whole, but it isn't a religious system, it is people following Christ; and the important thing to do, the right thing to do, was to apologize for getting in the way of Jesus."

I know that I get in the way of Jesus every single day. Probably in every possible way too. I know that I've been struggling with defending Christians and our religion since I was in Jr. High. I was so proud to wear the Christian t-shirts and try to explain to my friends what I was all about. But in the midst of "explaining" what Christianity was about, I was getting in the way and only explaining our system. I can't blame myself for not knowing what being a Christian meant and that it wasn't about the system I had learned so well, I was only 13 years old. But in the last couple of years, It has been the biggest struggle for me to even go to church. I have found myself hating Christianity, hating the church, and worst of all... hating the people in the church. I feel like it is their responsibility to know the truth! They should know better not to play the game of religion and politics. Yet, Every single Sunday, I still walk into our huge church filled with nearly 500 people and it seems as though no one even cares that it's about a relationship. A relationship with Christ and a relationship with the people around you. It breaks my heart. Yes, they say it's about a relationship, but it's not. Last night in class we spoke about the chapter this quote was from. My husband was in the class because he was talking about our website and then decided to stay for the discussion. He started to say that we refer to the church as the four walls we meet in. That it has nothing to do with the church building but it should be about the people, the community. I agreed with him and then told the class that I don't think we need to keep bringing up the 4 walls anymore. Because even if we were meandering all across the nation w/out a building to meet in, we would still act the way we do. Because Christianity has become about a system, not relationships and people. Phillip told a story of a man that was over in another country. The church he was going to didn't actually have a church. They had a rug that they would roll out and everyone would sit on it during the service. Well, after service one day, people were standing around and talking and a little boy ran across the rug that was still rolled out. A man grabbed the boy and said, "Don't run in church." What does that tell you? Anyway... sorry I had to get that all off my chest. And I know, all I did was talk about what we're doing and not what we should do. I tell my husband all the time that we need to stop talking about what's wrong, and talk about what we can do to change it and DO IT! So I apologize. I'm sure that in the next few days I will be thinking about what we can do and I will post it. BTW, read Blue Like Jazz! Not only is the writing really good, the words will hit your heart!

Cleaning Out!

Today was a great day! My husband went to a men's breakfast at the church and when he got back, we started cleaning out our office. Well, really I believe it was meant as a nursery since it is so small. Either way, we cleaned out SO much! We also worked on my studio space a bit. I got a lot of things organized. I have a ton of party stuff and I got that all put in storage tubs along with my HUGE collection of purses. We also put Phil's desk in our "office" giving me more room in my studio. I'm hoping to set up a reading area, sewing area, and another work space.
I almost was going to make my sister a dress for her homecoming. I've never made a dress before. I found the most perfect pale green fabric! It was $8.99/yd.! For the amount of fabric I would need, the lining, and embellishments, I would have to spend WELL over $120. Which, if I do enough bargain shopping, I'm sure I can find her a dress for that or under. I once got a dress for $45! Her homecoming is October 11th. I'm afraid that since I haven't worked with that kind of material before, making such a huge project, I won't have enough skills or time to complete it. So I had to let her know I wouldn't be able to make it. She seemed kind of disappointed, but she's only a Jr. I could start working on my skills and hopefully make her a Prom dress or homecoming dress for next year.
After that we went to my cousin's graduation party. It was a lot of fun. I enjoy spending time with family so much. My cousin who is located in Colorado right now came and in brought his girlfriend. I truly enjoy their company. I think we could talk for hours and hours.
Tonight my husband and I parted ways. Well... let me explain. We just didn't spend our evening together. We usually do not spend time apart on the weekends, simply because we enjoy each other's company a lot and we're so busy all the time, Saturday nights are the night for us to stay at home and relax. Tonight however, I was invited to a recipe swap and he was invited to play Poker. (Just to let you know, it was his first time playing and he was playing with his siblings and friends. Money was not involved. We don't believe in gambling, and if you do, that's fine... we just don't have a lot of money, we've got to keep all we can!!) Anyway, so I went to the recipe swap which was A LOT of fun! I don't usually hang out with the ladies... so this was really nice. I made banana nut bread & choc. chip banana nut bread. I will post the recipe later! It was so good though, not to brag, but it really was. One of the girls said she thought Starbucks was really good, but mine was much much better! It made me feel GREAT! I have never really been a cook or baker, my mom didn't teach me. So lately I've been trying to venture out and really get into it. I know that it takes a lot of practice to be good, so it really meant a lot that she was saying it was good, let alone better than Starbucks! Of course, their speciality is really coffee! I know that I can't make a cup o' Joe that good!
So anyway... here it is 1:12 AM! It's been a busy day, or was at least. But it was a good day. And tomorrow we have church, morning and evening services! I am in the nursery tomorrow morning and I'm speaking in our Jr. High youth group for the girls. Usually my husband speaks, since he is the Jr. High youth pastor. But we've decided to have one night a month where we split of the boys and girls so we can talk to them separately and address what it means to be a man of God and what it means to be a woman of God more in depth. I'm very nervous! I haven't spoke in such a long time! So please say a prayer for me! I really want to instill in these young ladies (They're the ages of 5th - 8th graders) virtue, righteousness, and everything written about in Provers 31. I LOVE that passage. I read it everyday as a reminder to my calling. Yes, I may have a calling to lead worship or work with youth. But first and foremost, I have the calling to be a wife and a BIBLICAL wife! Honoring my husband so that I might honor God! Anyway... I have written a book! I hope to get the recipe for the banana nut bread up tomorrow!

About Me...A Little More In Depth

Well, to start off, my name is Kaitlyn. I do not actually go by Kraesc. I do really think it’s a cute name that my husband created though. Sometimes I am called Kait. I’m located in southern IL, I grew up here. I was born in Pennsylvania though. And I so much wish that I could call PA home, maybe some day. My mother and her family are rooted in PA and my father and his family are rooted here in IL. When I was just 1 yr old, my parents moved to IL from PA for a job opportunity. We often visited our family in PA throughout the year. I have so many wonderful memories from those visits and I often long for the cool summer mornings and nights we spent on the back porch swing of my aunt’s home. When we moved to IL, we lived with my grandparents for a short while and then a rental home. When I was 3 we moved to a farm. It was actually the farm my father had grown up on. I so loved it there. I have a lot of fond memories of that place as well. We had 14 cats that lived under our porch, one with only 3 legs. My cousins and I would make mud pies and steal carrots from the fridge to make it more realistic! He he… We had a tire swing and a three-wheeler. And I still believe that I saw a kangaroo in the forest one day! (I know it was probably a deer. He he.) When my mother had my little sister, my parent’s bought their first home. I would live there until I moved into my very first home with my husband. Not a whole lot happened it seems between living on the farm and when I met Phillip. I think that life just passed by in a way that wasn’t so pleasant that I have sub-consciously forgotten about it. The one particular time of darkness that changed my life was when my grandparent’s passed away. I was about to turn 13 years old. We had just been out to PA for a family reunion and 2 weeks later they came to IL to see us! We had a wonderful time. I remember us making cookies and even though my grandma was diabetic, she ate them. They left early in the morning to head back to PA. They never made it. They hit a tractor trailer truck that was parked supposedly on the side of the road. Not only was it horrible losing my grandparent’s, but in a way I lost my mother too. She felt like it was her fault because they were on their way home from our house. She went into a deep depression. I started Jr. High that same month and it was so overwhelming. I do remember crying a lot at that time, and not really having anyone to go to. My mother was there but at the same time wasn’t and it seemed as though I could do nothing to make her happy. I knew I had a God who was bigger though. I had to put my trust in Him. I will say I wasn’t this passionate Christian, but I did lean on Him and I think that is the only way I got through those couple of years. At the beginning of freshman year, I went to a youth convention with my church. That is where I met my future-husband. (Our love-story will come another time.) I of course didn’t know he was going to be my husband. Anyway… high school went on as high school does, somewhat painful, somewhat satisfying in that you are being molded and shaped into a young woman. I think the most difficult thing about high school, other than the relationship with my parents, were my friendships. I never really seemed to fit in here or there. I did have friends that I spent most of my school time with, but I guess I was sort of independent? I mean, I’ve never been one of those girls that has to go to the bathroom with someone else. Either way, I wish that it could have been different in that I would have taken more time to get closer with those friends who I did hang out with. After I graduated, I finally got a job at a fast food restaurant. Oh and by the way, at this point Phillip and I had been dating for almost 2 years. ;o) I worked at that restaurant and went to school in the fall and then because of finances and inability to get grants I kind of “dropped out” of school. I was still living at home, I was working my butt off, but I didn’t have enough money to pay for school. And because I lived at home and my dad made too much money I couldn’t get grants, and of course my parent’s weren’t going to help me at all. Which kind of stunk, but I did appreciate the schooling I had paid for. Actually, Phillip helped me pay for school and then I paid him back. He was so wonderful to me during those times of financial frustration. He had started caring for me as if I were already his wife.
So time went by and I got a new job at a law firm where I am currently working. I’ve been here about 2 ½ years now. I’ve had several different responsibilities while here, and it has been a great experience. In October of 2006, Phillip asked me to marry him! In November of 2006, we bought our house. There was much work to be done in this house. Oye! Even though he should have already been living in the home for insurance purposes, Phillip didn’t move into the house until April of 2007! My father and him gutted our kitchen and put in new everything! We got a lot of the things used or on a really great sale. In June of 2007 we were married!!!! It was the most beautiful day. I think about it all of the time. Phillip let me move into the house a few days before the wedding so that I could get my things all straightened out and together. He was so kind to sleep at his parent’s house on the couch! for those couple of nights. So began our new life together! When people tell you the first couple of years are the hardest, they’re not lying! It has probably been most difficult learning how to live with a man! Ha ha! Men are so messy! Anyway… I had grown up with dogs my whole life. So when I went back to work after the wedding, and came home each day, I wasn’t being greeted by a furry friend! It was heart breaking for me. I wanted to take one of my parent’s dogs, but I wasn’t allowed. Phillip did not like dogs, AT ALL. He was very against us getting a puppy. But… I talked him into it just 2 months after we got married! We got Claire, a Yorkshire Terrier. Oh she’s such a cutie! And guess what? Phillip loves her! She’s daddy’s little puppy! No joke. They nap together and everything. It’s so very sweet. Other than that, Phillip is Jr. High youth pastor at our church. Our group meets on Sunday nights. So that keeps us busy. We really enjoy it, but sometimes it’s overwhelming, especially for Phillip. So there we have it! I think I covered everything. Well, you know, most of it. I’ll be surprised if anyone makes it through this post! Ha ha… My co-worker asked me what I was typing. I told her I was just writing a story. ;o)

Being Humble

No, I'm not going to write about how I am being humble. Cause that sure wouldn't be, would it?!? Actually, lately I have been reading about what it means to be humble and some steps to becoming a humble woman of God. Some of the notes I've taken...

*I need to understand that my self worth is through Jesus-Christ and not of my own.
*I know that I must focus on God's power and humility may follow.
*I want to realize that humiliation, if cruel, is through man and not my God's. So that I will not "feel" humble because of the humiliation.
*I am trying to understand and to have an accurate view of who God is and who I am in relation to him.
*Serve even if I do not feel gifted in that area. I am not above the task that God has placed before me. *** This one seems tough for me. Simply because I fail to remember that one task God has placed before me is to work the job I am currently in, no matter how difficult it may be, in His name for Him. I often do not find it a task but a HUGE pain and not as something I should do before my Savior.
*Discipline is not the same as humiliation. It is false humility to find/think of myself as more wretched. False humility is pride, and still self-focused. ***This point is be spot-on for me. I often myself to be the most wretched. I'm great at self-loathing. But how selfish! This is one point I try to remind myself of. Because yes, I'm a wretched soul without Christ. But He has made me new and if I allow Him, He can make me whole and I can find my worth in Him!
*A humble woman gets her strength for the journey from God, then gives credit to Him when something good happens. *** Again... I pray that my pride may fall, Lord!

I realized even more while typing these points, that I shouldn't search for humility. I should search for Jesus-Christ. I should find my security in Him, not in having a humble heart. When I am secure in Him, He may begin the work in me.

Wonderful story

Today I got an email from a friend. It was about a Tigress that gave birth to 3 cubs prematurely and the cubs didn't make it. The mother was healthy, but her health digressed. The vets thought the mother was depressed because of the loss. They searched for other litters close to the age of the cubs but couldn't find any. They knew that some mother's of one species have taken other species in. So they tried weanling piglets! This picture is just too much. I want to have it printed out! One of my co-workers made note to me that it's amazing how animals can be so accepting of a different species. Why can't humans? That's so very true.

Thought I would post the others...might as well.

New Blog

I have another blog up and running. Well... it's supposed to be about me eventually running.
http://tryingforanewme.blogspot.com/
I'm going to try and get healthy. I mean, I'm not sick or anything. Just what they call extremely obese. And really, I'm not. I am a big woman, yes, but I carry it well. And if you ask anyone what they think I weigh, they usually say something MUCH less than what I am. Unfortunately, one side effect of finding your true love may be comfort. Like since I found Phil, I've gained about 100 lbs. Truly. I'm not saying it's his fault. But I kind of let myself go. Wearing only t-shirts, jeans, I even got to wearing a variation of sweat pants to WORK! Unbelievable, eh? So... I have done more shopping lately, trying to find more appropriate clothing for a young woman. I've gotten my hair highlighted, dyed, cut, etc... I was eating pizza a lot for awhile and now I've kind of cut back a bit. I've been trying to eat more of a variation of foods as well. That can be hard. I'd love to eat a BLT w/mayo every day of my life along with half a dozen of mini chocolate chip cookies! Yum. But... I shouldn't. And so I'm going to try and begin this journey to better health. Right now it seems impossible and I'm not sure how well I'll do. I mean, I really don't want to fail. I hope that if anyone out there who may read this wants to try and become healthier too, you would contact me. Maybe we could be buddies in this journey and push through the thick and get to the thin! He he...

ABC questionnaire

A - Attached or single: "attached"-Married!
B - Best Friend: Phillip
C - Cake or Pie: Cake
D - Day of the Week: Saturday
E - Essential Item: Lotion
F - Favorite Color: Orange
G - Gummi Bears or Worms: Ick... Neither.
H - Home town: B-town, IL
I - Indulgences: Chocolate, Fried foods.
J - January or July?: July
K - Kids: Not yet, Someday!
L - Life is incomplete without: Jesus Christ!
M - Marriage Date: June 16, 2007
N - Number of Siblings: 2
O - Oranges or Apples: Apples
P - Phobias or Fears: Hmm... what am I not afraid?
Q - Quote: "Happiness is the capacity to enjoy what you have, rather than always wanting what you don't have."
R - Reason To Smile: I'm SO blessed!
S - Season: Autumn
T - Tag Three: Huh?
U - Unknown fact about me: Well, I'm kind of addicted to eye drops.
V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Uhm... I eat meat. Mostly chicken.
W - Worst Habit: Cracking/Popping my fingers, neck, & back + picking at my nails.
X - Rays or Ultrasounds: Haven't had an ultra sound. So I guess and Xray.
Y - Your favorite food: All
Z - Zodiac Sign: I think Scorpio? I don't pay attention to this kind of stuff.

This Saturday...

I got SO much done! Woo! We made our weekly Wal-Mart trip and then went to have lunch with Phillip's grandparent's. They're a hoot. I love them so much. They are your stereo-typical cute little grandparent's but so awesome! Anyway... We bought a new water heater since ours went out and my dad came over and Phillip and him put it in. They also fixed our leaking kitchen sink, drippy bathroom faucet, and installed two lighting fixtures! It was AmAzing! I also cleaned almost every room in the house. I am just so pumped to have gotten so many things done today. Also... I couldn't wait until the 21st to put up fall stuff! Woops?! Haha... My husband said that no one took me seriously about waiting until then anyway. ;o) So yay! I will post a few pics:

This is one of the light fixtures that I had gotten from Amazon. It is SO much better than the light fixtures before! They were very 70's but not cool 70's if you know what I mean. I'm in love with these new ones...

This is of a small wreath I had bought a long time ago. I just love it. Even though this is fake "bittersweet" I think it is so fitting for fall! I don't have anything much for the bedroom, so I thought this would work fine. It still goes with our bedroom decor, but it adds a hint of harvest!

My fall wreath!!! Oooh! It's just so pretty! Phillip thinks it's too much, but I am thoroughly enjoying it. through the window you might be seeing another wreath. I kind of just hung it there for now. It has a little scarecrow on it. I'm not sure where to put it this year? So for now it will hang on the back of our front door. Hehe!

My little turkey! Again... not sure where to put him? Not sure if I should have him out JUST yet. But he will sit upon the bookshelf for now. ;o)

This is on top of my entertainment center. I got these pillar candles and pillars from Cracker Barrel! My aunt works there and she got me a discount. PLUS! They were like 50% off too! Definitely one of my best bargains and the arrangement is just beautiful. The candles smell like Pumpkin Spice. Yum! Below is a picture of the entire top of the entertainment center. My little floral "arrangements" are up there along with some usual stuff I have on top of the center all year. I'm thinking it's too busy... but honestly, who is really going to care it's "too busy?"

My floral "arrangements"

So I thought that I would take a few pics of the floral "arrangements." I guess they would be called arrangements? I'm going to put some orangish-red glass beads in the vases to hide the stems a bit. Otherwise, I think I will put one in my livingroom, one in my bedroom and possibly the kitchen. The camera didn't quite catch the colors right. They look much brighter in these pictures than in real life. So you might not get a fall feeling about them.

Oh my...

That's all I feel like saying today. "Oh my... *sigh*" It's a bit dreary out, but the weather is cool! The weather is making me feel like fall just might be on its way! I love fall! And as crazy as this may sound, I wish I lived in a place where we could call it autumn. Here in IL, basically the leaves turn and fall so quickly it's not much of a season, just fall. But I imagine autumn being a season that lasts from mid-September into deep November! Ooh... I would love waking up every morning for a few months to a crisp air! Sometimes, we have what they call an Indian Summer. I'm afraid this year we might encounter such a "season". It will be mid-October and the temperature will be at least 90 degrees. Ugh... How terrible! Either way, I will hopefully be ready for the fall season! I purchased my very first fall wreath! I've been so antsy to get it hung on the door. But I will wait until Sept. 21st. Which I believe is the official day of Fall. Today I purchased some silk floral bunches and a few little glass vases. I'm going to arrange them and set them in a couple rooms. I also bought little votive candles that smell like pumpkin spice! Yum! They smell terrific!I hope that I can buy a fall flag. We don't have a flag pole, but there is a flag pole holder already attached to the house. Maybe my hubby will let me? ;o)
Well, today over all has been the same as the last two weeks. Terribly boring. Nothing new has occurred here at work and I again don't have any work to do. I did get 2 calls today, but they only lasted about 10 minutes. It's difficult to look busy without doing something you're not really supposed to. That probably doesn't make sense. I'm supposed to look busy, but I haven't any work. And I'm not really allowed to be on the Internet or reading a book. What else am I supposed to do? Well, here I am anyway. He he... online.

It's over!

Thank goodness! Labor day weekend is over! Not that I want to wish my life away, but I'm still glad that it is over. I served ice cream and cobbler all weekend! All of Friday night, for almost 12 hours Saturday & Sunday, and about 8 hours today. I'm so ready for some relaxing time! Unfortunately, I won't have much until this coming Saturday and even then, I have so much cleaning to do and things to get accomplished! So we'll see. My mom got home from Maine today and I haven't seen her in a week, so I'll be going to see her tomorrow night. Kind of excited. I haven't really gone that long without seeing/talking to her. So it should be a nice visit. Well, off to bed! Hope everyone else had a good Labor day weekend.