"I had a 50/50 chance on that one..."

Jason returned home from his business trip to D.C. to find three loads of clean laundry all put away, a house no less messy than when he left and the bedroom redone. (No I'm not usually this amazing. But I'd been sick for one month and just finished my dose of antibiotics so the burst of energy from feeling well again made me feel like superwoman!)

"SooOOooo? What do you think!?" I waited with great anticipation for Jason's overwhelmingly excited (yeah right) reaction to the room redo.

"I like it," he quickly chimed. But knowing I'd want some more details he rummaged around his brain a bit and came up with, "It's....ummmm....a lot brighter."

"No," I replied flatly. "It's not. It's darker."

"Oh. Yeah. I figured I had a 50/50 chance on that one," why he kept trying, I'll never know. "It was a lighter blue right?"

"Ummm, no. NO it was not."

"Oh," he said with a chuckle of surrender. He knew any further effort would be in vain. "What color was it before?"

WHAT COLOR WAS IT BEFORE!!?? Seriously? Seriously. Honestly people, I don't think he even would have realized I'd done anything to the room if I hadn't brought him in there and said "What do you think!?" Oh the poor man was probably in agony trying to figure out what I was referring to!

Oh, his brain was no doubt racing through possibilities, "Oh my gosh. She did something and I'm supposed to say something....something encouraging...somethin insightful...something specific. I am SO screwed!!! Blinds...is it the blinds? No. No I think we had those before. Curtains...she took down the curtains. O crap! Did we ever have curtains? A picture...did she frame a new picture? Nope...those are pictures taken of us 7 years ago...phew I'm good there. Paint! Did she paint? No. It was always blue. Right? Oh man! What the crap am I supposed to think something about!!!???"

This is why I get free reign on home decor and I'm a happy little camper. But the abundance of folded underwear in his drawer...now THAT he noticed. Bless his oblivious little heart! Oh how I do love him!

And now my friends...you can tell me what you think. And you can also see how DRASTIC the change was and I'm sure find the situation all the more funny!

Laser Beam Focus Baby. Laser Beam!

"I might be going to San Diego for a month," Jason announced two Tuesdays ago.
"Umm, Okay. When would you leave?" I asked.
"Monday."

Thank the Lord he didn't end up going on that month long trip on such short notice. This schedule oriented little lady wouldn't have dealt well with such drastic, sudden change!!! (although we would have joined him in sunny California for a bit.)

But he did head to D.C. for meetings this week. He flew out Tuesday and got home at 12am on Friday, only to eat breakfast and head in a little late to work to pull a 12 hour day followed by another 12 hour day tomorrow. Just in case you were wondering...that's on top of 10 hour days last week, and a 10 hour day last Saturday. AAAAaaand he'll also be pulling 10 hour days next week too.

Needless to say I have felt like a single parent! But I must admit. Aside from an all out meltdown the first night daddy wasn't with us at dinner (Ella not me), we have done remarkably well. I even managed to do three loads of laundry, keep the house just as neat as when he left, AND paint our entire bedroom!!!

Because my chances of seeing my hubby in the next two days are slim to none, while my chances of going absolutely batty after a week of "single parenting" are moderate to high, I've skiddadled up to my mom's for a quick Fri/Sat visit and will also be helping a very preggo friend paint her nursery!

It's not forced overtime that he's working. It's optional. So why are we putting ourselves through all of this? Because we are laser beam focused on one goal...DEBT FREE LIVING.

That's right. We spend money only on what is necessary. We have a strict budget that Jason brings home in cash and puts in little white envelopes and when there is no more money left in that envelope... that's it for the month baby so spend wisely!!! Every spare penny and every dime of that sweet, sweet time and a half over time pay gets thrown at debt. It might sound strict, but it's incredibly freeing! I can't wait until the day that we are completely debt free...imagine how much more we can give! Imagine how we'll live then!?

Big sacrifices now...big reward later. Eye on the prize...and on the family camping trip coming up this weekend! :) (Don't worry, we'd never be so extreme as to let it jeopardize our relationship or our babe!)

Stay tuned for pictures of the Master Bedroom/Bathroom redo. You WON'T want to miss it!

4th of July

This 4th of July we headed up to Jason's Family Camp known as "Everyone's Camp" because everyone is always welcome. We knew this year Ella would be old enough to enjoy it and enjoy it she did! (As did we. Although camp is a different experience chasing after an 18month old, we tag teamed and took advantage of naptime and bedtime and got in plenty of time fishing, swiming, going for boat rides, sitting around the fire and playing games.)

Ella took long naps. Went to bed around her normal time and woke up at the bum crack of dawn each morning popping her head over the edge of the pack n play and saying, "Mama! Daddy! Owsigh! (outside) Wa-wa! (water)" repeatedly. For the sake of others trying to sleep in on their long weekend we traded off getting up with her and taking her for walks and occupying her until everyone else arose. Then we chased her around camp all day long. We SO look forward to many fun times at camp and are so grateful for the opportunity she will have to grow up on a lake around many friends and family!

As always, we ate VERY well up at camp! The evidence is all over Ella's face in this one.

She LOVED the water...but only on her terms. She wanted to go in only as far as her knees or thighs and splash. She did like it when you twirled her around with her legs in the water. Other than that, if you tried to take her deeper or do anythign else with her, she'd scream bloody murder. She liked the boat only when it was going slow...but once again she loved the "fishies"!I'm not sure exactly what she is to her her...I think her second cousin...but Ryleigh and Ella loved hanging out together which I was so hoping they would. Ryleigh is 3 and moves at a bit faster pace, but Ella was intrigued by her! They often got into impromptu giggling fits with each other and could be caught randomly hugging one another frequently.