I recently told you here that we had been living in the lap of luxury. No running water in the kitchen, no working stovetop or oven, and a king-sized bed in the middle of the room with furniture encasing it are among some of the little things that have caused a pain in my neck the past two weeks.

A nagging, aching pain.

Well, the pain has finally subsided as my kitchen is back in working order and we are again sleeping peacefully.

I now bring you my new kitchen.... well, new kitchen countertops to be exact...

We went with a Zodiaq quartz surface installed with the sparkly name of Smokey Topaz.

It has turned out beautifully, and has inspired me to cook once again in my kitchen.

Yes, I truly did say that.

Please don't tell my husband I said that. I'm seriously still expecting him to treat us to Mexican on Friday nights. We can't live without our Mexican fix.

But we did prepare two meals in our new kitchen this weekend and they were some of the best tasting peanut butter and jellies ever. Just kidding! We had tilapia one day and strip steak the next.

Here's a view of Perry furiously happily working through his summer workbook.

He looks so hard at work at his new "homework island."

Don't tell him that none of his other friends have to do this over the summer. He thinks this is what every other 8 year old does on a Saturday afternoon in the summer.


Next stop... the master bedroom.

It's peaceful, it's beautiful and it's not finished just yet as we still need to hang and display pictures. But it is painted a color called Blue Shamrock, furniture has been re-arranged, and the funky new bedding from my new favorite store Crate & Barrel is on our bed.

We are again sleeping peacefully.

We also had our master bathroom painted a color called Latte - surprise, surprise. How could I pass up a color aptly named after one of my favorite addictions?

We also had a half bathroom on the main level painted a color called Ryegrass. My father says the color reminds him of Kermit the Frog. I say it reminds me of Apple Green. Whatever one wants to call it, I also say it's beautiful. I'll post pictures of the bathroom after I find just the right towels and the right rug to match.

We are also choosing new hardware knobs for our kitchen cabinets. I thought about posting pics of the knobs to help us make our decision, but I think we ended up choosing the knobs tonight. Perry had a say in it, and I would have to agree with his opinion. Whoever would have thought our eight year old would have a design opinion?!

Two weeks without a working kitchen, eating way too much fast food, and living among paint drop cloths... I don't wish this upon anyone. But choosing new paint colors and updating a countertop that makes the kitchen feel beautiful and functional... totally worth it!

Labels: home

Enjoy the little things,

for one day you may look back

and realize they were the big things.

- Robert Brault

Labels: baseball

This morning as I sit at my desk at work (yes I am at work - let's not tell anybody), I'm thinking about how much has gone on this week, and how much I have not been around lately to talk about all the many things that have been going on..

• Let me just start off by saying my son had his first bowl of cereal, sitting on a barstool that fits under our new counter, with real flatware and a real plastic bowl. The paper plates, plastic cups and flatware are put away. Our kitchen is back in working order.

• Well... let's just say the faucets and dishwasher run, and the oven and cooktop works. The household chef in the kitchen... well, she still has issues...

Perry's baseball team won their game last night 11-4 and they now advance to the Championship Game on Saturday evening. They have to beat the team on Saturday, and then turn around and beat them again on Sunday to be the winners of the Legacy Park tournament. If they lose on Saturday, then we are the second place winners. Either way, our team is made up of a bunch of winning 8 year olds. I have never been prouder of the team, and of Perry. He hit his first triple last night - a huge bomb over the left-fielder's head. Phil missed the game because of traveling for work, but thanks to the miracle of cell phones, it felt like he was there. He called after every inning and cheered him on from Chicago. This team has played their heart out this season and we are excited for them to reach the big games. I'll try and post pictures of the big game after this weekend is over.

• I have lots of major cleaning to do now that my house is back in working order. Every single inch of my home needs a housekeeper's magic touch... and that housekeeper would be moi. I plan on getting in back into shape starting tomorrow morning... or maybe afternoon. Who really knows... but my plan will be to have it lookin' good before I go back to work on Monday.
  

There is a new Starbuck's in town, and being the gal with the major addictive habit, I decided to pay it a visit this morning. It is lovely, clean, delightful, and beautiful. A new Starbuck's always makes me very happy... even if it is in a shadier part of town.

Happy Thursday -

Labels: thoughts

While consuming a hearty breakfast of a strawberry pop-tart, followed by an apple cereal bar with a skim milk chaser, I ask Perry what he would like to take for lunch today.

As I timidly open the refrigerator door to find nothing behind it (recall my kitchen is not in its practical state), I then ask him how he would feel about a cheese sandwich.

Perry: "Do you have any turkey or ham to put on it."

Me: "Um - no, can't recall any turkey or ham products in our refrigerator in the last 3 months."

Perry: "How about PB&J?"

Me: "Remember - no peanut products at summer camp."

Perry: "Well, okay - I'll take a cheese sandwich. I guess we could try mayonnaise with it."

Me: "Okey-dokey. Mayo it is."

Not even a single piece of meat to slap on my son's sandwich.

Yes, I truly won Mother of the Year this morning.

Labels: family

Don't you just wish you lived here...??

Yes, that would be my cooktop on a towel in the dining room.

No... dinner is also not an option in our home for the past 7 days, and the next 5 days.

We are having our countertops in our kitchen replaced and have been living a little bit of the crazy life this past week. We don't have counters, a sink, a dishwasher or an oven that is currently in working order.

And we've had a painter in our home repainting the master bedroom, master bathroom and a half bath on the main level.

I honestly can't look another fast food meal in the face right now... but it seems to be the only way we've been able to eat lately. We've also had 3 tournament baseball games this past week, with one more on Saturday evening and Sunday evening.

On top of that, our garage door opener broke this week.

AND we have 5 kittens who have popped up in our back yard - and they aren't ours.

Mama told me there would be days like this... but these days seem to go on and on, I'm just sayin'.

I'm SO glad it's Friday!

I'll be back soon with the AFTER pictures. And I'll let you know what my first dinner in our remodeled kitchen will be.

It sure won't be from Sonic!

Labels: home

Well, here it is... my 100th Post!

When I first started my blog, I would have never imagined that I could write more than 12 posts. I just started it to collect my thoughts. But here it is... 100 Posts later and I'm still carrying on with my thoughts.

So to carry on the blog tradition, I now give you more than you ever wanted to know about me...

1. My name is Lori Jane.

2. Not Lori Ann like every other Lori I know.

3. I was born and raised in Missouri.

4. And I have lived in the KC metro area my entire life.

5. I am 43 years old and honestly can't believe it.

6. I met my husband at church when I was 29 years old. At church.

7. We were engaged just 10 months after we started dating. When you know, you know.

8. Phil and I married when we were 30.

9. I thought before I married that I did not want to have children.

10. We have an 8 year old son who is the highlight of our life. I love him more than anything else in the world.

11. I suffered post-partum depression for about a year after Perry was born.

12. I generally wish that we would have had more than one child.

13. I have worked at an advertising agency for 18+ years for the same boss who hired me 18 years ago.

14. I once forged his signature on a check request... I needed to get the check out in the mail.

15. I got caught by the accts. payable clerk - she looked at it and immediately knew I forged his initials.

16. She laughs about it now, but it was seriously my best initial forgery ever.

17. I started working only 3 days a week after Perry was born, and I still only work those 3 days. It saves my sanity.

18. If you work at the agency for 20 years, you get an all expense paid vacation.

19. I'm holding out for the big trip.

20. I'm taking all suggestions on where we should go.

21. I like to go on vacation, but not be gone longer than a week.

22. Usually when I'm on vacation, I'm antsy to go home by the second to the last day.

23. I love my home... hence The Comfort Zone.

24. I start each morning with a cup of coffee from Starbucks, either at the cafe or in my home. I'm a coffee snob.

25. We waited until the NFL schedule came out to plan the date of our wedding... we needed to make sure there wasn't a home Chiefs game the next day.

26. My dad worked with him at the time and wasn't too sure about me dating him. He has since changed his mind - always a good thing.

27. Phil brought into the marriage a cat that I really don't care for... and she feels the same way about me.

28. The cat is now 14 years old and I keep wondering how much longer she really is going to hang around.

29. He also brought to the marriage a "former" family". I love them as much as my own family.

30. I am 5 days younger than Phil... and always reminding him that he is older than me.

31. I'm a loyalist... see #13.

32. One of my very first jobs was for a nut and candy store when I was in high school. I continued to work there during college and part-time after college while holding down a full-time job.

33. My parents live exactly 2.1 miles from our home.

34. My dad makes the best bbq brisket and meat-loaf.

35. I need to learn these recipes someday... but why try when he is always willing to make them for me.

36. My mother taught 5th grade for 30 years and was one of my 5th grade teachers.

37. I don't remember if I called her mom or Mrs. "---"

38. Math was always her favorite subject to teach.

39. I am terrible in math.

40. When I was a freshman in college, my dad showed up at my dorm room unexpectedly and asked for my checkbook. He took it home with him.

41. I kept bouncing checks and he worked for the bank that was bouncing my checks... they were not real happy with me.

42. I flunked college algebra.

43. I went to William Jewell College my freshman year.

44. I majored in Perkin's denver omelettes and a pot of coffee.

45. I gained the Freshman 30, not the Freshman 15 (lbs. that is)

46. I went to Southwest Baptist University my sophomore year of college.

47. I majored in Pac-Man at the local pizza shoppe.

48. I worked at Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center one summer during college.

49. I scooped ice cream at The Nibble Nook... all summer long.

50. I finally stayed home and finished college at the local university. I went to 4 colleges before finishing my degree.

51. My degree is in Communications with an emphasis in Advertising and I actually work in advertising.

52. My fondest memories are of spending almost every weekend at my grandparent's home.

53. My grandma was a church secretary and that is secretly my dream job.

54. I loved spending days at work with her when I was young.

55. I'm hoping my son is developing those same fond memories of spending time with his grandparents.

56. I have 2 brothers - one is 21 months younger than me and the other is 13 years younger.

57. We are good kids with great spouses and my parents thank the good Lord every day for that.

58. I have 3 nieces and 1 nephew.

59. I love to read.

60. I am in a book club and have been very inconsistent in the reading of the book club books.

61. It could be because I like to read fiction... mostly fluff/escape books.

62. Book club books are not typically fluff books... they make me think.

63. I skipped second grade in elementary school - I truly don't know why I never went to second grade... or why the other 20 some kids in my 3rd grade class never did either.

64. I was not in the National Honor Society in high school, but was in the Who's Who Among American High School Students book. (I truly don't know why about that either.)

65. I never played any sports in high school. None.

66. I still get together for lunch periodically with my 3 favorite girlfriends from high school and church youth group. We were quite a "foursome" back in the day and still to this day remain the best of friends.

67. I have a lot of very good girlfriends, but not one deep orange.

68. I love to scrapbook - not just for the memory-keeping value, but for the socialization of it all.

69. Friday night scrapbooking once a month, or mega-crop Saturdays every quarter with my very good friends makes me very very happy. It is my therapy.

70. I would love to learn how to knit.

71. I love Broadway shows and if we were rich able, I would travel to New York City on a regular basis to experience the magical nights on Broadway.

72. My very first ever Broadway musical was Kiss Me Kate.

73. My favorite Broadway show was Movin' Out.

74. Billy Joel is one of my all-time favorite musicians.

75. I met 10 moms on-line when Perry was 3 months old. We started an on-line group called the 11Moms and those moms literally saved my life.

76. We have all met each other in person (some of us several times) and will always be connected.

77. I like to treat myself to a hot cup of green tea and a 100-calorie pack each night after Perry is in bed. These are my new personal favorites...

78. I think I may be pre-menopausal as I have been experiencing terrible headaches and night sweats in the past few months.

79. I am a terrible sleeper and have been very consistent in taking this... in which I'm now trying to wean myself off of and stay asleep on my own (though I'm not doing a good job of that).

80. I love TiVO and am addicted to a few television programs... see my sidebar... I will update it this fall.

81. Fall is my favorite season... new television and football begins.

82. I used to be addicted to two soap operas. I don't watch them now, but read about them online. I once skipped out of class in high school so that I could run home to watch Beth and Phillip get married on The Guiding Light. I wasn't caught...

83. I treat myself to a pedicure on a regular basis.

84. But I've never had a full-body massage... I'm told that is just not normal so I'm thinking of going for it before I turn 45.

85. I enjoy a good bottle of wine and playing cards with good friends rather than going to a large party.

86. I tend to hang back in large parties... they make me anxious.

87. I went to church every. single. Sunday. my entire life until Perry was born.

88. Then I was too afraid to take him to the nursery so we stopped going.

89. We are still trying to get back in the groove of going to church.

90. We are Southern Baptists who are considering the Methodist church that is just a few miles from our home.

91. We love the service and Perry loves the Sunday school there with many close friends.

92. I am very indecisive and can't make decisions.

93. I had to make a decision about paint color this week... I truly rely on my husband to help me make decisions.

94. I love my husband not just because he makes decisions for me, but because he truly is the love of my life.

95. He balances me.

96. I love diet coke from McDonald's... and Sonic.

97. I do not enjoy cola from a can.

98. I love football season. We are Chiefs season ticket holders.

99. I am sad when football season is over.

100. I am truly blessed.


There ya go... I did it!! Thanks for reading my 100th Post.

Leave me a comment and let me know if we have any similarities... wouldn't it be cool to find fellow Nibble Nook scoopers on this here blog?!

Labels: Blog fun

2. Everyone you know has been on a "Float Trip."
3. "Vacation" means driving to Branson, Silver Dollar City, Worlds of Fun or Six Flags.
4. You've seen all the biggest bands ten years AFTER they were popular.
5. You measure distance in minutes rather than miles. For example, “Well, Webb City 's only 20 minutes away."
6. Down south to you means Arkansas .
7. The phrase "I'm going to the Lake this weekend" only means one thing.
8. You know several people who have hit a deer.
9. You think Missouri is spelled with an "ah" at the end. (That would be my husband!)
10. Your school classes were cancelled because of cold.
11. You know what "Party Cove" is.
12. Your school classes were cancelled because of heat.
13. You instinctively ask someone you've just met, "What High School did you go to?" (I do this all the time!)
14. You've had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day. (Truly this does happen in my house!)
15. You think ethanol makes your truck "run a lot better."
16. You know what's knee-high by the Fourth of July.
17. You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.
18. You see a car running in the parking lot at the store with no one in it, no matter what time of day.
19. You know in your heart that Mizzou can beat Nebraska in football.
20. You end your sentences with an unnecessary preposition. Example: "Where's my coat at?"
21. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, or grain.
22. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
23. You think of the major four food groups as beef, pork, beer, and Jell-O salad with marshmallows.
24. You carry jumper cables in your car and know that everyone else should.
25. You went to skating parties as a kid.
26. You only own three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.
27. You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
28. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and a flannel nightie.
29. The local paper covers national and international headlines on one page, but requires six pages for sports.
30. You think I-44 is spelled and pronounced "farty-far." ( St. Louis only.)
31. You'll pay for your kids to go to college unless they want to go to KU.
32. You think that "deer season" is a National Holiday.
33. You know that Concordia is halfway between Kansas City and Columbia , and Columbia is halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City , and the Warrenton Outlet Mall is halfway between Columbia and St. Louis.
34. You can't think of anything better than sitting on the porch in the middle of the summer during a thunderstorm.
35. You know which leaves make good toilet paper.
36. You've said, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity."
37. You know all four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, Still Summer and Football.
38. You know if another Missourian is from the Boot-heel, Ozarks, Eastern, Middle or Western Missouri soon as they open their mouth.
39. You know that Harry S Truman, Walt Disney and Mark Twain are all from Missouri.
40. You failed World Geography in school because you thought Cuba , Versailles , California , Nevada , Houston , Cabool , Louisiana , Springfield , and Mexico were cities in Missouri . (And they are!)
41 You think a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor.
42. You know what "HOME OF THE THROWED ROLL" means.
On our trip home from Branson this past weekend, I asked Phil if he wanted to stop at #42 for lunch on the way home... and he didn't!! There is something seriously wrong with him. Oh yeah, that's right - he's not really a true-blue Missourian. He may have been born here, but he spent more time elsewhere... he can't pass for a Missourian!

Why else would he want to pass up the home of the throwed rolls?!

If you are reading this and are from Missouri, please leave me a comment and let me know how true you think this is... and which number is most descriptive of you!

More about our trip to Branson soon...

Labels: fun

Beth who lives in the land of testosterone over in North Carolina has given me this award - I'm a "Rockin' Girl Blogger!" So am I cool or what?!

Beth and I have known each other for 8+ years and I call her one of my "sister saviors"... meaning she helped save my life when I became a brand new mom. I will someday post about my "10 sisters." They deserve it.

I am now to nominate other bloggers - but that is just too hard for me because I think all the bloggers that I read on a daily basis are rockin.' But I'll try to introduce you to some of my new personal favorites...

1. Rae Rae's Ramblings... Rach is a real life friend. I've known her for a long time. You can read about her turning 30 here. She has just started a blog and is posting periodically. She's also due to have a baby around the same time that my boy turns nine. I'm so looking forward to meeting her baby boy.

2. Thankful Moments... Lisa writes from the heart. She tells us about her days with her only child - Evan, and her husband. I enjoy reading about her life - she tells it like it is.... even when she got a speeding ticket last week.

3. Jill at Who Could Ask For Anything More is a fun-lovin, chic Southern belle. You feel as if she could be your best friend from the minute you start reading her thoughtful posts. She's so fun to read.

That's all for now... I know many, many more... but our family is spending the day getting ready for the re-scheduled state tournament baseball game this evening, and a short getaway to Branson Mo.

The laundry is calling my name.

I'll be back sometime next week to share with you lots of pictures and lots of memories made.

Labels: rockin' girl

We had one of those weekends where I actually said to myself last night just as I was getting to sleep...


This was supposed to be one of our better weekends. Perry's baseball team was going to compete in the state tournament for machine pitch baseball. For their very. first. time.

Phil's Uncle David was coming to town to spend time with us and to play in his high school's annual golf tournament. With Phil. And I knew he was just as pleased as pickle juice that Phil was playing in this golfing annual with him.

And our baseball team's party was going to be on Sunday afternoon... hopefully celebrating the end of the season as well as a state win.

And then the rain came down, and the floods came up. The rain came down, and the floods came up... anyone remember the title to that catchy tune from Sunday School circa 1969?

Anyway, I digress. The rains came and we never saw an inch of a baseball field this weekend. The game was cancelled on Friday evening. We were on rain delay hold until Saturday around noon when all was cancelled... as Perry sat on the couch in his baseball gear... waiting and waiting and waiting. The games were cancelled on Saturday, as well as the entire state baseball tournament. Need you be reminded that I knew of one boy who was upset, as I'm sure were the other 11 boys on his team.

And it rained on the men and their mudball golf tournament. And it was a cold rain.

And on Sunday it was still cloudy and too wet for a end of the season pool party. Party re-scheduled.

But we did spend the afternoon and most of the evening at my neighbor's house. They grilled burgers and we shared the end of the season party cake with them. It was rather tasty. I'm hoping they get the same kind for the next end of the season party sometime in hot, dry August.
But while we were over at my neighbor's, Phil went to check on the rowdy boys playing downstairs when I heard a loud thud and saw my husband bent with his head on the stairs, grimacing in pain. He had slipped on the stairs and had taken a tumble down right on his back. He didn't say much for a few seconds, but as I mumbled something about calling 911, he looked up and said he was okay - but just barely.

And when Phil was home soaking in the jacuzzi tub, I was downstairs cleaning out my sink of all the unwashed dishes collected from our weekend, when I heard... "MOOMMM - COME HERE."
"My tummy hurts and I think I almost puked in my bed."

Oh Lord - the sentence that I least want to hear at dark thirty in the night. In fact, whether it be dark outside, or in the middle of the day, I really don't want to hear anything about puke or any type of weird things going on, I'm just saying.

But I woke up this Monday and Phil seems okay. His back is in some kind of pain, mainly an annoying pain that he is trying to ignore so that he can spend all next weekend playing golf.

And Perry slept the night through with no tummy worries.

After dropping Perry off to summer camp this morning, I stopped off at my favorite coffee house before work and thanked the Lord for small blessings.

Mondays aren't so bad after all.

Labels: family; weird things