Our Beauty Girl

And Time Moves On

2011-04-01T14:19:00.008-05:00

With the new addition to our family has come a lot of change; mostly in time, meaning there is none! I feel like we have lost 4 hours in every day and gained 100 new tasks. With those tasks though, comes a lot of joy...and stress and sleepless nights. ;) I don't mean to complain though. We are moving forward in new and different ways and loving it it; most of the time. Here are a few things that have taken place since I last posted:

Valentine's Day was fun. Evy got all sorts of gifts from people she loves - I think it's her new favorite holiday; besides her birthday - we'll get to that later. She got to spend time with both grandmas over that holiday and loved it. Well, except for getting the flu...I think she felt bad for throwing up on Grandma Judy, but she got better aim after that! Kyle and I spent Valentine's Day in St. Cloud at a hotel. It was nice and relaxing; with a few nerves thrown in. I had my heart procedure the following day. It was fairly painless and I only had to spend one night there. My mom and Kyle had a good time messing with me while I was waking up; knowing I wouldn't remember much. They are not sure the procedure worked 100%, but I can tell it certainly helped. Evy was over her flu by the time we got back, but passed it on to me a few days later. Icky! She later got tonsillitis; but handled that like a champ!

Evy turned 3 in the beginning of March. We had the family over for supper and had Tinker Bell ice cream cake. She was in heaven!

My mom, dad, and I also had birthday's. I turned 25...booo! I had to take a new driver's license photo - boy do I look old! We did go to Mabel Murphy's for my birthday though - sooo good! Kyle and I had our 4-year aniversary. It's crazy to think of all that's happened in the 8 years we've been together - where does the time go?!

Evy got to go to attend the St. Patrick's Day parade in Miltona. She played with her friends while we waited for it to start; but then she took a digger....She got over it quickly when she started getting candy though!

We had Laney Baptized last weekend. She was so good during church, and after it for that matter. She doesn't know it yet, but she is so blessed.

Laney also started smiling recently. No pictures yet - she's a slick one and knows when the camera comes out. She is getting her own personality - so much different than Evy. She's more laid back and gives us only a half smirk and holds things in. I still love it! The cooing has also started; I'm so excited that the interaction stages are coming with her...the best for me is yet to come!

Kyle started a new business. It's a little above my lingo, but it's called Mid Central Mapping. I think he basically makes variable rate GPS maps for farmers to maximize crop yield, among other things. He's pretty excited, and achieving one of his major goals in life, which was to be self employed by the time he is 25. Since he's a few months younger than me, he just made it! This makes for a lot of adjustment in the schedule as well - sometimes it works in my favor though, so I can't complain too much!

Evy got invited to her first birthday party! She was so excited to get the invitation in the mail; she LOVES mail! Then she found out it was a party for her best friend at a water park...what could be better?! I get to go with her for that tomorrow - so excited; however, I had to buy a swimming suit. :S I haven't worn one of those since before I had Evy. I thought I was going to have a break-down while I was shopping for it yesterday. I did find one that...well, it will work, I guess. Dear 'My Fitness Pal,' why didn't you have me in shape for a swimming suit yet?! Oh yes, and for the bridesmaid dress I have to fit for today! Grrr...

On another note - can anyone tell me how to program my washer and dryer to do the laundry without me? I swear I just get caught up and take one night off - then the next night, it's like I didn't do it for a week! Where does it come from?!

Okay - now that I'm done sharing our life...and venting, :) I hope you all have a great weekend!

Lacey

High Time

2011-02-04T12:53:00.004-06:00

I've been neglecting my blog again lately. I guess you could say I've had better things to do... ;) So without further adieu; here is the newest addition to our family:

Laney Kyla Grinager

1/21/11 @ 9:49 a.m.

6lbs 15oz - 20 inches

Laney is two weeks old today and big sister Evy is in love - as are we!

On another note; Evy is a cousin again as well. Wade and Abby had their baby on Monday. Bode Lane Grinager is home, happy and healthy as well!

Lacey

Little Quirks

2010-12-17T12:43:00.004-06:00

Evy's done some goofy things lately. I guess it's been going on for awhile now. I suppose it's partly because she's in her copying stage; and her literal stage...and I don't know what else. Either way, I just shake my head and think we'll be in trouble later!

First I'll start with the copying. Of course if I take a shower, she has to, too. Same if my hair is in a ponytail, wearing sunglasses, have a pink shirt on, wearing a scarf...you get the idea. She also loves to watch Dancing With the Stars. The season is over and she is quite sad about that. She loved to dance with them and always has to put a skirt on like them and have her hair in a ponytail. Towards the end of the season she was catching on that they weren't wearing very much for clothing; so this was her way of making up for that...

While we were putting up our Christmas tree this year her Uncle stopped by and asked if she was hanging up her stockings. You and I would understand that he means hanging her Christmas stocking up. Instead, Evy went to her room, got a pair of socks, and hung one on the tree. Not something I would have thought of, but she certainly took his questions literally. She also came up with a couple new terms while we decorated. She would say that we were 'merrying up the house' or 'holidaying up the house'. I asked around and I can't find where she came up with that - so it must have been on her own.

As you may also know, Evy is potty trained - sort of. She still wears diapers at night and sometimes during nap time. We buy Huggies and in the size she was in she liked to wear the ones with Mickey AND Minnie on them, not the ones with Mickey and a bird. She recently went up a size and they have a little different design on the front. These also have ones with a Mickey AND Minnie on them, but now she likes the ones where Pluto is pulling Mickey with a balloon. She seriously digs through her whole basket to find the ones she wants and won't stop until she finds them; of course making a mess of the whole time...EVERY TIME!. When her favorite is all gone, she'll wear the other design, but is certainly not happy about it...crazy girl!

Like I said - we may have a few troubles with her in her teen years!

Lacey

Santa...AGAIN!

2010-12-17T12:34:00.005-06:00

As most of you know, Kyle is a new member of the local fire department and they did their Santa day recently; so, we saw Santa again. This time there was no need for a warm up with Evy. She was so ready to see him again and asked for the same thing...only she told a much longer story.

She didn't seem to want to get off his lap and was glowing the whole time. She was also very happy to see that her picture made the front page of the local paper! What a ham! I guess I was a proud mama to see it when I got the mail yesterday, too!

Lacey

Santa!

2010-12-05T17:14:00.004-06:00

Evy saw Santa yesterday. It took a little warming up for her, but once she did, she told him exactly what she wanted! Later we had to go back so she could wave at him and blow him another kiss! Evy had a pretty simple wish; so I'm pretty sure we can make that happen.

Lacey

Tinker Bell Wears Sunglasses

2010-11-06T16:03:00.005-05:00

I didn't know Tinker Bell wore sunglasses, did you? Evy thought that since she had purple sunglasses and the rest of her costume was purple, that they should just be worn together. So we went trick-or-treating in the dark...wearing sunglasses.
Lacey

P.S. I know she's more of a fairy than Tinker Bell...but Evy doesn't.

Pumpkins

2010-10-17T19:46:00.003-05:00

We had a great day today. Pumpkin carving, lunch with grandpa, went to the huntin' shack, pet CD, Vikes win, more pumpkin carving, ice cream (oops) and more football...all with papa. I think Evy was in heaven, besides the fact that the nap was a bit short, it was good. Here are our pumpkins. Kyle did three to my one, oh well...can you guess which is mine? The Vikes one of course! No template either...all freehand. I even impressed myself. Not that it's THAT good, but since I'm seriously no artist, I thought it was cool.

Lacey

Big News

2010-09-25T14:48:00.004-05:00

Hot off the press! Evy is going to have another auntie! Since it's already public, (i.e. it's on Facebook) I think it's okay for me to say that Kyle's brother, Brett, now has a fiance, Kayla. We are supper excited! Welcome to the family Kayla, even though you know you were already welcome before the ring, which is beautiful, I might add!

In other news...that is also already on Facebook; Evy is going to have a little cousin, too! Kyle's other brother and his wife, Wade and Abby, are expecting their first child in February. How exciting! Now if we can get Brett and Kayla to hold off on the wedding until after the baby is born, we will be in business. ;) But I don't think that will be a problem.

If you think you can handle more news that hasn't made it to Facebook yet, (funny how it's not really public until it's on Facebook) Evy got a new shirt. She loves to show it off. It's nothing special, but I think she likes the pink writing... She's going to be busy in early February as well!
Lacey

0-2 Booo!

2010-09-21T14:59:00.005-05:00

I meant to only boo myself with that title, as I am currently 0-2 in my Fantasy Football standings. But now that I think about it, I am also booing the Vikings a bit, as their record is the same as mine. Oh well. First I'll start with my excuses for having a loosing record.
Week 1: I didn't have my players set correctly...I think my bench scored more points than my actual players. I fixed that problem, sort of.
Week 2: I played my husband, who has half of the Vikings on his team. I realize that since the Vikes also have a loosing record that you'd think this might have been good for me, but AP, Shiancoe, and the Vikings' defense still gets A LOT of points. So basically I lost fair and square; sucky!
So, week three is upon us and I'm working on claiming a couple different players and I play my F-I-L ....so hopefully something picks up for me. This is all new to me, but I like football, I just don't know enough players on other teams....and most of the ones I know well, were of course picked before I could get to them, as I had the last draft pick...go figure!
Would you believe Evy even likes football. She asks to watch it every night and sings a song Kyle taught her...'Go Vikings, get in the game. Go Vikings, go all the way.' She even gets her arms into it, it's cute. I guess we don't really know how the song goes, but that's how it is in our house! She also likes Dancing with the Stars. The season premiere was last night and she remembered it from last season. She started dancing right away and then said she had to go put a dress on so she could 'spin.' So we got a dress on her and that's what she did. She was soo happy!
Anywho...wish me luck next weekend!
Lacey

CD

2010-08-19T14:26:00.003-05:00

No, we're not talking about Compact Discs here. Evy got a new horse! I know that doesn't make sense, but bare with me. Kyle's grandpa gave Evy and old family horse this weekend. It is too old to ride in rodeos anymore, so it is a perfect, tame, horse for Evy to trot around on. I think she might be in heaven. By the way, the horse's name is CD. Evy even brought him apples the other day. She thought that was great. Of course she shared with the others, what a trooper.

Lacey

Gone Fishin'

2010-08-09T20:03:00.005-05:00

Although it migh seem as though we went fishing and never returned....here we are. It was a great night....about three weeks ago....oops. So, I guess it's been a while since I've updated. I think it's becoming a patern. Oh well. Life happens. Here are a few pics from our night of fishing and the few bass we caught. Evy loved it, and we even let her go swimming at the access when we were done. Okay, so it's not Grandma's beach, but she was happy!

Lacey

p.s. No, I don't touch fish. In a pinch, I might touch a worm.

More Catching Up

2010-05-17T16:55:00.005-05:00

Here are few more events that have been happening in our lives....

My little brother went to prom...

My mom graduated...again...

We took a little trip....

We threw a surprise 50th Birthday party for my dad....And Evy is potty trained (going on a month now) and she wears a pony tail!...

There...all caught up :)

Lacey

Tinker Bell

2010-04-12T14:31:00.004-05:00

So I got a sewing machine handed down to me from a family friend and decided it would be fun to make Evy some jammies. I had my mom help me and they turned out really cute, only I don't think I'll do it very often because I can actually buy jammies cheaper than I can make them. Oh, well...Evy loves her new Tinker Bell jammies just about as much as she loves her Minnie Mouse jammies.

Lacey

Easter Bunny

2010-04-12T14:29:00.002-05:00

Here's the Easter post. Evy had a great time looking for her 'animal' eggs from grandpa and grandma in our yard and finding her easter basket. She also loved looking for eggs and the other grandma and grandpa's; although, now every time we go there, she asks to look for eggs....I think it is becuase there was money in those eggs!

Lacey

Something New

2010-04-09T14:10:00.010-05:00

Okay. I've decided that if I'm going to keep this blog up, it has to be a little less methodical. So from now on, it may be very scattered and disoriented....and seem very random, but I vow to post more often. So as a start, here are some more recent pictures of Evy....

She loved her Valentine's gift...Mickey Mouse fruit snacks, Mickey Mouse book with Mickey stuffed animal and Minni Mouse jammies...I think she was in heaven!

Excited about her birthday cake. She got a new trike and Mickey Mouse balloon from Kyle and I, although she liked the balloon better...I guess we'll remember that she likes the simple things!

Riding horse!

Funny story: Last night I was making supper and Evy was playing in the lower lazy suzan, looking at all of the canned goods when she finally gets to the can of kidney beans and says, "Oh, there you are beans!" It was sooo cute. Then later I asked her to put them away and she called them 'chocolate beans.' Gotta love a kid's mind!

Lacey

What's Been Keeping Me

2010-01-24T16:20:00.006-06:00

I feel bad that I haven't updated my blog in awhile; but I also feel like I have had good reason to put this on the back burner. With Christmas (post about that to come), work, the sick bout we had, my recent hobby and well, family life in general...I feel like those things took precedence over this. So here are some of the things we've been up to.

I've recently started knitting...I know, call me a granny if you like, but I enjoy it and I don't feel like such a lazy ass when I watch TV because then I'm still doing something productive. So far, I've made myself, Evy and my M-I-L a scarf. Each is a different stitch but still pretty easy, which is nice because it is building my confidence. Evy loves hers and it's great because I made it to match the coat she had, but she got a new coat for Christmas and it matches that as well. She absolutely loves them both! Right now I'm making a lucky charm...I mean neck warmer for Kyle while he's hunting. He says he'll wear it, but even if he doesn't, it's been good practice to do something other than a scarf. Next I plan to learn to make a purse...we'll see how that goes.

I've also been doing a lot of cooking lately. I like to cook. Nothing too fancy, and not much baking...but I like food, so this is also a good hobby for me. The problem with this is that my oven just broke. Our stove is not that old but the oven part of it, WON'T TURN OFF! Seriously, if the oven is plugged in, the oven is on and won't regulate the temperature. It just keeps heating as long as I will let it. I noticed this when I burnt my cookies the other day. :( This also means I can't use the range because otherwise the oven is blazing hot while I'm cooking. It's silly, but hopefully we can get that figured out tomorrow. Although it hasn't been completely terrible because I can still cook with my panini grill, griddle, rotisserie, microwave, pizza oven, grill and slow cooker. So it's not like we are going to starve or anything.

We've also been going to a lot of my brother's basketball games lately, which Evy loves. Grandma even bought her a few Split-the-Pot tickets and she won! I think it was only like $42 that night, but it went straight to her piggy bank and she told everyone all about it!

We had my work Christmas party last night. That was lots of fun. I don't usually drink, but my friend had me doing shots...not good since that was the first shot I've ever had :S We also went to my brother's 21st birthday party afterward. It was weird going from the Christmas party where we were the youngest people there and then to my brother's party where I felt really old...

Forgive me if I seem a little all over the place; it's football Sunday! We're only watching the Jets/Colts game right now, but I'm excited for the big game later...GO VIKES!! It's great when Evy's around to watch the game with us. She usually gets in the 3-point stance in the middle of the living room and says 'hut hut' or 'ready, go!' It's great, but Kyle has to watch his language a little....he gets a little involved in the game.

Anywho...more to come later. I just didn't want people to think we fell off the face of the Earth.

Lacey

Busy Weekend

2009-12-05T22:20:00.005-06:00

Last weekend was quite a busy weekend with Thanksgiving and all. We even managed to fit a wheel ride in there somewhere (that's the non-snow equivalent of a sleigh ride).

One of the nights Evy got a bit sleepy and crashed on Grandpas' bed. I guess we just took it out of her.

The guys also decided they had to play basketball in the unfinished 'animal house' and then football outside...at 8 PM...so it was in the dark. Of course they found a way to remedy that with big boom lights and it was a big hit. So big, they decided to do it again tonight.

Here are our group of guys.And here's Evy and her football playin' Papa. On another note...Evy saw Santa today. She walked right up to him and sat on his lap. I couldn't get a picture of her smiling, but she did tell him what she wants for Christmas. I believe she said 'shpifas fasdy dajsiddr kitty'. Yeah, kitty is all I got out of it too, but it was cute. Little miss 'O' waiting behind us asked for a hunting shack and a baby goat...it was priceless! And she's only about a year older than Evy. So cute!
Lacey

Tis' the Season

2009-12-04T14:24:00.005-06:00

Kyle and I put our tree up last weekend and he finished the lights on the outside of the house. Those are the things I love about this holiday. Can Christmas be a hobby? I don't overdue it like Clark Griswold but I do have some of the passion that he has. Same with Christmas shopping. I've been done with that for a while now and love the satisfaction of that. Maybe this is my equivalent to Kyle's hunting habit, although I don't get to spend quite as much money as he does. Hehe. ;) Here's a peek at the decorations...and Evy helping

Lacey

Christmas Card

2009-12-04T14:12:00.004-06:00

I kind of feel like an early bird. I sent our Christmas cards out the other day and patted myself on the back. :)

Lacey

Aristocats

2009-12-04T14:00:00.002-06:00

Although it may seem like a good idea to occupy a 19 month old by giving her graham crackers and a sippy in your bed while she watches her favorite movie, the Aristocats, I can assure you that it is not. Furthermore, one should learn this lesson after the first time there is a puddle of juice and crumbs all over your side of the bed, but of course that would be too easy. Although it could be that I'm a genius and just invented a new type of sheets that exfoliate while you sleep. I'll patent the idea and let you know that goes; but for now, I think that activity should come to an end.

Lacey

Lil' Skunker

2009-11-02T14:18:00.003-06:00

We had a great Halloween this year! Evy took a big nap before we left the house for our 'rounds'. She even let me put face paint on her, although the nose was rubbed off about a mile down the road. She was a little shy at first, but once she figured out that everyone was giving her goodies, she played nice. She told everyone 'Trick or Treat' and said her 'Thank You's' and of course, 'Bye Bye'. She was our little time keeper.

And yes, I did make her costume; it was quite easy.

She even sort of said 'Happy Birthday' to grandma.

Lacey

Rodeo Weekend

2009-10-05T12:42:00.002-05:00

Grandma Days

2009-08-27T14:29:00.004-05:00

Evy's grandma's try to take her for the day about once a week. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't....but when they do, she loves it...and you can tell. Here's a sneak peak at some of the activities.

Thanks Grandmas!

Lacey

Playhouse

2009-08-25T14:52:00.003-05:00

Evy got a new playhouse this weekend....

Shhh, don't tell daddy...we will just be borrowing it for the week :)

Lacey

SWEEEET Corn

2009-08-25T14:46:00.004-05:00

Even Evy loves sweet corn. But I don't get hers all lathered up with salt and butter like I do mine. She doesn't need the artery-clogging greatness of it yet. She seems to be satisfied with just the corn. Which is great, because then I don't have to wipe the melted butter from her chin or listen to her complain about the corn being stuck in her teeth like you would from me!

Seriously though. I have corn coming out my ears....or so they say. My brother-in-law loves it when you cut if off the cob and freeze/can it with the butter and sugar and all that jazz. But that's not for me. I've decided that the extra corn we have...and believe me, there is extra, I'm going to vacuum seal the ears whole. I did one last night to test it out...

(Evy didn't think you could tell which one was corn...)
works great. So I think that will be my project for this beautiful evening. Evy even helps me shuck...so do the puppies, so it makes light work. Okay it doesn't, but at least it makes it more enjoyable!

Lacey

Post-It Queen

2009-08-25T14:43:00.005-05:00

Evy loves to play with Post-its. It's more the act of taking them all apart or letting the bottom fall to the ground like an accordian. Either way, she loves it. Except when she loses some. Like to her tootie or the bottom of her feet ;)
So, I guess maybe she's just the Post-It Princess.
Lacey

Winter in July

2009-07-30T12:23:00.001-05:00

Evy thought that since we've been having this abnormally cool weather, that she should get her winter boots out early. I couldn't hardly get them off of her, not to mention the hat and gloves that had to go on with it!
Lacey

Peas Please

2009-07-29T15:26:00.004-05:00

I've been picking peas like crazy our garden lately. And so if I've been picking them like crazy, you know that I've been shucking them even more! There's only a couple of pods left on the plants and of course we can't eat THAT many peas in such a short period of time, so I've been freezing them. It's sooo easy and I'm just going to love pulling them out in the middle of winter knowing that our work went into it. :)

We've also started getting cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes from the garden too. It's been great. The first tomatoe I got was a couple weeks ago now and I handed to Evy to carry while I finished up in the garden. I thought she would walk around with it for awhile and then set it down. But that didn't happen. I turned around to see her eating it like an apple. And she liked it. What a goof. I mean that's great and all, but adults don't usually do that, much less my 16 month old.

The beans will be ready tomorrow I assume and that is sure to be a time consuming project as well. It will be worth it though.

The corn has ears on it now and so it won't be long til that's ready! Bring on the corn eating contests!! The potatoes were planted a little late, so it may be awhile before we reap the bennies of those, but it's sure to be great when we do!

Lacey

Handy Mommy

2009-07-29T15:02:00.006-05:00

So we have this chandalier in our dinning room. It's not really a chandalier but just a brass light fixture. It's rather ugly and dated. I am a little frugal with some things and just have not found a fixture that I like and for the price that I like to replace it. So I painted it. I felt like one of those people on the home improvement shows that do money saving things like that all the time and they always turn out great and look so easy. Here's the surprise...it really did turn out great, all I need to get now are some small shades or something...that may be awhile though, so don't hold your breath.
Here is a picture of what it sort of used to look like. Minus the stained glass top. And speaking of the stained glass top; we don't really like it. It's not that it's terrible, but as you know, we don't like the brass finish, and the old lady stained glass doesn't really go with out decor. Any thoughts on changing that up a bit? I don't really think it's removeable. So I could spray baint the base of it as I did with the dinning room fixture, but then what?

Lacey

Updates

2009-07-10T15:32:00.005-05:00

-We went out to the garden again last night. By we, I mean Evalynn, Tember, Tikka and I. Right after I got Evalynn in her car seat and the dog situated on a blanket in the back seat with Evalynn, it started to rain. It had kind of been an on again off again rainy day, but never anything to make you go inside. So I drove out there thinking that it would stop in a second and the sun would come back. That didn't happen. I parked the car when we got out there and sat there for a few minutes. Then I though, well the dogs don't care if it's sprinkling, I'll let them out. So they ran and chased the cows and sniffed the stuff they haven't sniffed since last time we were out there and Evalynn and I watched. The rain never lightened but I thought it was silly for me to just sit there and watch it. So I went and checked the peas. I hurriedly grabbed about a handful of peas that were ready and ran back to the car to eat them. :) Of course I shared with Evalynn and she loved them. Then I ran out and it was still raining. So I got the smelly, wet dogs back in the car and drove home. When I was about half way home, it stopped raining and the sun was out for the rest of the evening. Stupid rain.

-Evalynn puts deodorant on every day now, without seeing me do it first. She also brushes her hair and teeth everyday, (or close to it) without asking. Very cute.
-Evalynn pooped on the potty a few days in a row now. I thought going #2 on the pot was supposed to be the harder of the two?

Lacey

Too Young?

2009-07-02T19:06:00.002-05:00

Evalynn decided she's old enough to wear deodorant now...

Lacey

The Fruits of Our Labor...I Mean Vegetables

2009-07-02T14:32:00.010-05:00

Okay, it's a bit premature right now...but soon, I will be eating fresh vegetables from our garden. I had fully intended on blogging about our garden when we first planted it, but frankly, I was afraid that nothing would grow and I would be embarrassed. But alas, we have growth...lots of it and I'm so excited. It's a big garden in my terms, but things are spaced out; I think next time we will put the plants closer together, as that means less area to weed. We'll just chalk that up to a learning experience. Most of our plants are growing great! Others...not so much. For some reason our beans didn't take well. The few plants we do have are so sporadic but the ones that made it are sure to produce. When you look at it you might think that I planted one and then skipped 2 feet and then planted another...not the case...I think there must have been a problem with the germination, because the peas right next to them are ginormous (yes - it's a word today). (and yes again - the beans were so bad, they didn't even warrant a picture!)
Carrots, cucumbers and baby red potatoes are doing great. (This one's a potato plant.)

And the field of corn is awesome. And by field, I don't mean like Kyle's field corn, I mean a garden field - we're sure to have corn coming out of our ears...no pun intended. But for now, it's about belly high...which is better than they say. (Knee high by 4th of July.)

Sadly though, the tomatoes leave something to be desired. Kyle bought a 'patio plant' of tomatoes and then 4 other ones. Those are the only thing I bought already started since I hadn't gotten a jump on them. The 'patio plant' is doing well and already has tomatoes on it, but the other 4...well I think they're dead. Oh well, you win some you loose some. (If you look close, you can see some dead ones in the back of the picture :S)
I have to say that I'm pretty nervous though. The land that we have it planted on is meant for deer hunting all around it - well, field crops also. Which makes me even more nervous that it's just going to turn into a food plot for deer one of these days. Hence me writing this post now. You see, if I show you that we actually grew a nice garden but then the deer eat it all...I'll have proof :)

Lacey

Oreos + Evalynn = Bad Idea

2009-06-25T15:51:00.003-05:00

Lacey :)

'Tis the Season

2009-06-25T15:38:00.007-05:00

Nope, not Christmas time....SUMMER....Yes, I do actually hate summer but it's been wonderful to watch Evalynn have so much fun in it. Playing in the water is the best part. We've been at my mom's lake a lot lately and I thought that it was going to be trouble. But really, she does great. She loves to play in the sand and splash her feet in the water.

I brought her down to stand in the lake and she bent over to lick the water like a dog. She does that with the dog dishes at home so I shouldn't have been surprised by that. She comes up with her whole face wet and the bring of her sun hat dripping...hehe. We also took her on a jet ski and boat ride and she LOVED it.

With the heat we've been having lately, they've also been playing in the sprinkler a lot at daycare. She seems to love it and never wants to leave. So when we got back home the other day we went out side and turned the underground sprinkler system on and she played in that a little. I don't think she liked that as much though. It kept hitting her right in the face and the pressure is a little more powerful that a little kiddy sprinkler...still cute though!

Then we ventured into the garage to fill the dog water....this is how that went.

We also got her this new floaty toy for when she's at the lake. My mom tried it out with her and said she loves it...especially since it plays music. Unfortunately Kyle and I weren't there to see it, but we did let her play with it at home....

Lacey

Perfect Parallel

2009-06-09T18:33:00.004-05:00

I know it sounds like a whitty title, but it's really not. I stopped at a great book store in town the other day and it's right on Broadway (main street Alexandria). There was only one parking spot on that block so I had to parallel park right on Broadway...under presure. I must say that I did an impecable job. It's been a long time since I paralleled last; I don't recall exactly when that was, but I do know that it was not pretty then. Needless to say I was very proud of myself...
Lacey

You Didn't Want to go Outside, Did You?

2009-05-31T11:42:00.003-05:00

I was making breakfast this morning when I saw Evalynn digging in her diaper bag. I thought nothing of it at first, but then she brought me her hat and gloves from the bag. So I put them on her, gloves and all. This isn't unusual for her though; sometimes she likes to walk around the house with her hat on...that's just Evalynn. She then proceeded to get her jacket from her bedroom, which was difficult because she had her gloves on now and they were the little finger gloves but she wouldn't stick around long enough for me to put her fingers in the slots. So you can imagine how hard it was for her to pick up her jacket, but we got it. Then she went back to her bedroom and got her shoes. We put those on too. Then she ran to the door.

I guess it was time to go outside...did I mention it's 73 degrees out?

Lacey

Finally Baptized

2009-05-25T15:41:00.003-05:00

Sunday was the big day and we couldn't have asked for nicer weather! I know we're a bit late, but better late than never right? Here are a few pics. It's all of Kyle's family; I think mine was feeling anti-photographic. (I just made that up, did it sound smart?)

With the Sponsors

Yes, it was naptime.

Lacey

New Chair

2009-05-21T20:59:00.003-05:00

And by chair, of course I mean throne. Today was day one of potty training. I know it's a bit early and we plan to take this in stride. We just figured that since we can tell when she's going 'tootie' that we might as well use that to our advantage. It will just be an at home deal for now, but it already seems to be working. Some may call it luck or possibly just the inevitable, but when we noticed her start to push tonight, I just brought her in there. We sat for just a few minutes and...vuala, tootie in the potty. I was so happy and so was Evalynn...and Daddy cheered too! Like I said, we knew she was trying to go so some may call that cheating, but hey...it's a start. Wish us luck!

Lacey

Season Finales

2009-05-19T20:44:00.009-05:00

I'm not usually a TV junkie, but lately I've felt compelled to watch all the new episodes of my favorite shows. Monday nights I watch House MD...even though Kyle could care less about that show, and Dancing With the Stars. Tuesday is the big night, thank goodness for DVR because we watch NCIS then The Mentalist right after it. But while those shows are on, Dancing With the Stars is on. I never used to get into that show, except this year, Ty Murry was on. I also usually wouldn't care about Ty Murry, but Kyle is a bit of a rodeo buff; hence us watching. Wednesday is our night away from TV. We used to only watch on Tuesday and Thursday, but it was a long winter...you see how it goes. Then Thursday is CIS, the Vegas one, not New York or Miami, those are gay. (Later I'll tell you how I really feel...hehe) And Friday is Numbers.

The last couple weeks have been the season finales of the shows. I'm not sure why they don't all just do it on the same week...I guess that would be too easy - but let's start at the top.

WARNING--The following may ruin some events that you have DVR'd or TiVo'd--

House MD: First I'll back track a few weeks...I CANNOT believe they killed off Cutner (note: I really don't know how to spell most of their names...bear with me) OK, so they didn't kill him off, they had him commit suicide...sooo surprising!! Anywhoo. House goes on to hallucinate Amber (she was one of his students and Wilson's girlfriend who died earlier) and then Cutner once in the end, too. Amber is supposed to be his subconscious mind and she tries to kill Chase and do 'terrible' things to other people. House even hallucinates detoxing from Vicatin and sleeping with Cuddy. Of course you didn't know that at the time. They spring it on you at the very end of the finale and then Cameron and Chase finally get married and Wilson takes House to a physc/detox ward. It was actually a pretty good ending. It left me excited for another season, yet satisfied that it was the end.

NCIS: They've been playing a lot with Ziva. Keeping her actions very secretive and giving the assumption she's working with Musahd. Her 'boyfriend' Michael Rivkin has been in town chasing a terrorist cell and ends up killing an agent. Not one that's regularily in the show...but it was still a shocker. Last week they had Toni kill Rivkin in Ziva's apartment so of course this week, Ziva and Tony have been at odds. Now I would like to express my anger with CBS. The first 10 minutes of the episode were blank. I'm not kidding! The whole TV screen was purple...no commercials...no nothing! When the show came back on, it appeared that we missed Ziva's apartment blowing up...or at least that's what I gathered. (I heard it was a local airing problem and they are looking for a time slot to re-play that episode) Then they (Director Vance, Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva) flew to Televive, Ziva's home where her father, Eli David is the Director of Musahd. Of course Ziva fights with everybody because she feels betrayed and is hurt because her 'boyfriend' was killed by her friend and partner. Ultimately, the crew leaves Televive without Ziva. Everyone is shocked and Gibbs starts looking through files to replace her. Then at the very end they show someone beating Ziva and trying to get information out of her regarding NCIS. Very suspenseful...but I just don't know if I can wait until next season to see what happens! Grrrr!

The Mentalist: The return of Red Jon. If you don't know who Red Jon is...he's the one who killed Jane's wife and child. That was not an episode, they just keep touching on it. Red Jon has been in a couple other episodes and Jane always gets so obsessed, rightfully so, and then they don't catch him....sneaky Red Jon. In this episode, the same happens. A teenage girl is found dead and her twin sister is still missing. Jane, being the genius he is, figures out that it's the Sheriff who has teamed up with Red Jon and the Sheriff thinks he's going to marry this teenage girl and is so happy. The Sheriff's father was one that teamed up with Red Jon in the past and was put in jail. While the Sheriff was on a backboard ready to go into the ambulance after Lisban beat him up, he takes out a hidden handcuff key and un-cuffs himself. He then grabs Lisban's gun and shoots another officer, leaving Jane to shoot him with a shotgun, killing their only lead to Red Jon. Dun dun dun. End of episode....very entertaining and yet still leaving something for another season...how do they do it?

Dancing With the Stars: Like I said, I never used to like this show until they brought Ty Murry on, and it actually isn't bad. Ty made it to the semi-finals and was voted off. It was his time but he made a great effort. The final three stars were Gilles, Shawn and Melissa. All three were great dancers and all do a mean Paso-Doble...my fav! On the final show they had a roastmaster come on and it was hillarious! He told Gilles that he didn't have the biggest line in Sex and the City but he sure did have the biggest part. BAHAHA! And he told Melissa that he hopes she doesn't come in second like she did in the Bachelor! I can't really remember what he said about Shawn; it was something to do with her height and age...but he probably didn't want to hurt her feelings because she's just a little tyke. She did prove to all that that didn't matter. She won the competition but there was less that 1% difference between her and Gilles. They were both great and I wouldn't have been upset if either had won. I think they have me hooked for next season, as long as they don't put people like that Mac computer genius, the playboy bunny, Dennise Richards or plastic surgery queen Lil' Kim on there, I'll be hooked!

CSI: This show doesn't seem to bring too many things from week to week. In my opinion, it's gone a bit down hill in the last few years. I used to be a die hard fan, but they've gotten rid of so many of the original characters that it just isn't the same. The new guy, Professor Langston, has been an interesting character, and my assumption is that he was meant to be a replacement for Grissom. Not his position, but rather as an adult male figure. The episode itself was good, but nothing special. In the end, Langston is looking through a garage and then starts getting shot at from a guy inside of a trunk. Langston ends up shooting and killing him and then walks up to him, checks his pulse and then...end of episode. The significance probably being that nobody thought Langston would end up killing someone and he's all emotional. All in all - it could have just been a regular episode and I wouldn't have known the difference.

Numbers: The second to the last episode ended with Charlie (the math genius)'s girlfriend Amita being kidnapped. The finale was about her being kidnapped to help a man hack into American National Bank and wipe out people's balances, reeking havoc on the economy. She is also a math genius and sends Charlie encrypted messages while she's hacking. Of course they find her in the end and they kiss and make up and Charlie asks her to marry him. They end the scene before she answers him and I honestly couldn't tell if she was going to say yes or not. I think this was the best finale. It wasn't too out of the ordinary for Numbers but was a great ending that left me in suspense but I wasn't mad that it was over...nicely done.

What I've learned from this post: I've been watching too much TV :) Another reason I'm happy that these are the finales!!

Lacey

Body Parts

2009-05-08T20:44:00.003-05:00

It's great to watch Evalynn learn new things everyday. Lately she's able to point out her nose when asked. Sometimes it's somebody else's nose that she points at, but she knows what it is. Her belly is another, but instead of just pointing at it, she pulls up her whole shirt and sticks our her bare belly so she can pat on it. For now, that's fine...in 15 years, not so much.

She's also starting to mimic our actions a little more. As I explained previously, she'll 'sweep' the floor if I leave the broom out and wipe the floor if I leave a rag out. Well I've had a pretty nasty cold the last couple of days which leaves me on the brink of inventing a tissue box that clips to my belt. I thought I would be in trouble when Evalynn started to take note of this. I watched her walk to the tissue box, pull one out, then another and thought....oh dear, I knew those should have been out of reach, thinking she would continue to pull one out after the other. But then she stopped. She put the tissues to her mouth...yes mouth, not nose...don't ask....then she blows like she's blowing her nose...only it's her mouth...very cute.

Lesson: watch what I do in front of Evalynn, they say children turn into their parents later in life...I'd rather later not be tomorrow.

Lacey

Hunting Magazine

2009-05-03T16:59:00.003-05:00

First let me tell you that my husband just got back from turkey hunting in South Dakota. It was only a few day trip and Evalynn and I kept busy the whole time. We cleaned the garage, went to a bridal shower; which I think confused Evalynn because there were no showers involved, also making her angry. She was a little ham though, as usual, so no biggy. Then we helped grandma clean her newly remodeled house all day on Saturday. She was such a trooper. Would sweep the floor and put the broom down, then she would take it and get the stuff I missed. Same with dusting. Then we went to church this morning, which is fine and dandy, only the service was nearing an hour and a half. I don't mean to complain, but Evalynn's timer went off at about an hour and five minutes and I have no idea what was said in the last fifteen minutes of the service. Isn't it crazy how kids are like alarm clocks? Oh, well...we made it through.

Anywhoo, the point of the story is that Kyle was waiting for us at home when we got back from church. On a side-note,Tikka was gone when we got back. I just don't get it! I tie her up with a choker collar, in our fenced in back yard and she's faster than Houdini getting out, and she only has paws! All right, he got home and we decided to relax awhile. He immediately handed me a hunting magazine so that I could read a 'good' article in it. Of course I was sceptical because, let's be honest, since when would I find an article in a hunting magazine interesting. But I humored him anyway. It should be noted that he hadn't had time to read that magazine since he'd been home and he hadn't taken it with him.

I read the article. The title was 'Out of the Doghouse.' Basically, it talked about how keeping your wife numero uno (spell check doesn't seem to like Spanish...too bad) instead of hunting and communicating with her, especially during the hunting season, would keep you 'out of the doghouse.' It really was a good article, only Kyle gave it to me AFTER he came back from hunting. So really, nothing has changed, he just thought that since he read the article, that everything was magically fine. The whole point of the reading was to make a change, not just talk about it. He sincerely said he would get better. I guess we'll wait and see together. Wish him luck.

Lacey

Workin' Hands

2009-04-22T19:26:00.003-05:00

I know that I've kind of neglected my blog lately, but with the weather we've been having, can you blame me?! So the last couple weeks have been busy. I started my new job...raked leaves...helped A&W move...raked leaves...went to a Rodney Carrington show...raked leaves...rode horse...cleaned the garage...and yes, raked more leaves. You see, last fall we raked leaves a couple of times but there still seemed to be a plethora of leaves left. Then it rained and snow fell shortly after and the leaves were too wet and then covered by snow before the last of them got cleaned up. I thought it was a blessing in disguise, thinking that they would magically disappear with the snow, come spring. But alas, they waited for me. Nice, right? Remember the infamous blister from our last snow? Well that turned to a callus and I got two more blisters to match the first.

OK, time for a little honesty. The REAL reasons I've been outside so much...partly because it really has been beautiful, party because Evalynn screams if we don't go out, and partly because every frickin show that I watch on CBS has been re-runs for the last two weeks!! Did the CBS writers go on strike again and I don't know about it?! Anywho...

I guess I should just be grateful for the nice weather we've finally had.

Lacey

Note to self: Don't let dog food get stuck in the cracks of the deck, baby girls will eat it.

Which reminds me...we played with the puppies again tonight.

And they got all tuckered out!

You put my toothbrush where?!

2009-04-14T19:15:00.004-05:00

So about all this bathroom nonsense I've been talking about. It's getting to be a regular occurance for Evalynn to come into the bathroom while I'm in there. She goes through all of the cupboards, (sorry, had to 'W') I mean cabinets, and drawers, takes everything out and places things all around the house. Occasionally our toiletries stay confined to the bathroom though. The other day I had Q-tips in the toilet, (yes, I had the lid shut but she still got them there) mascara in the shower, a used Kleenex from the garbage in the medicine drawer, the plunger in the sink, and my toothbrush in the garbage. It was wonderful.
It should be noted that she doesn't just feel the need to be in there while I'm getting ready in the morning. Oh no, that would be too simple. It seems that I can't use the commode on my own either. She'll just walk right up to me, most often with a book in hand, and act like I'm just sitting in a shiny, white chair.

Why don't I just close the door, you ask? Because then she stands outside of the door and pounds on it. I decided to test her the other day, thinking she would get sick of waiting or forget after awhile. But that didn't happen. She just continued to pound on the door. After a short while I heard her sit down. I though maybe that was the end of the hammering, and it was, right up until the kicking started. Yep, she was clearly kicking the door with her heels. All the while screaming and yelling 'Ma...Ma...Ma!!' Which was cute for the first couple times, but quite annoying after that.

My bathroom life will never be the same.

Lacey

Why Bother?

2009-04-06T19:41:00.003-05:00

Cute picture, right? But do you see what's in her left hand? It part of my plant. The picture was taken right after she pulled it out. I said, "Evalynn Tracee Grinager, why did you do that?" So she did this....

Yes, she put it back...good girl. Now for a lesson on the circle of life.

Lacey

So This is What "Normal" Feels Like

2009-04-01T19:08:00.002-05:00

I haven't had a 'normal' job since...well, never. And especially not since Kyle and I have been together. I think that may mean we have to start actually liking each other again...just kidding honey! Seriously though, it's nice to finally have what most people experience every day. Sure the four days off in a row were nice, but I actually feel like I have a life now, and this was only my first day. I didn't have to go to bed early last night since I didn't get up until 6, and I was able to come home, be with Evalynn, clean the house, make super, watch an episode of House, do some laundry, give Evalynn a bath, take care of the puppies, chat on the phone....OK, you get the point, and after all that, it's only 7 o'clock. Remember when I said that I may need to find more hobbies? Well I think that time is now.

Winner, Winner Chicken Dinner

2009-04-01T19:01:00.003-05:00

I had to pull this out of my husband's mouth last night just so I could take a picture.Can you guess why? Yes, it's because I won all three games of Nerts. Blistered hand and all! They offered to help me wrap it, but I opted not to since I thought the outcome would be them tying my hand behind my back. Maybe next time...

In case you didn't know

2009-03-31T13:33:00.005-05:00

Dear Mother Nature,

I'm writing this letter to you as a courtesy. In case you had forgotten that today is March 30th. Not February or January, but the end of March. If you sent us this snow thinking that it was another month, I will forgive you.

If you sent us this snow as a cruel April Fool's joke, I would also like to remind you that April 1st is tomorrow, not today. Funny trick though.

And Finally, if you sent this snow to me specifically because I washed and vacuumed my car on Sunday and put the ice scraper in my trunk, I will consider it a lesson learned.

I thought you would like to know that while shovelling today, I received a blister, and before I was done shovelling, the blister popped. It hurt. I would like to thank you for that.

Also, I will not be working out today due to the massive amounts of shovelling I did. I would like to thank you for that as well.

In summation, please consider yourself reminded that today is March 30th.

Sincerely,

An Angry Minnesotan

p.s. Evalynn would also like to express her concern due to the fact that her sled was put away but had to be taken back out because you covered up her wagon.

*******

Evalynn did have a good time in her sled.

That is until we decided to walk through the deep snow out to the mail box. Notice that there is only one sled mark and two foot tracks?

Thanks because we kept tipping over. She did not seem to like that very well. So I carried her back.

That's another reason why we quit shovelling. Sooo...

To my husband:

A) The red rocket may not make it in to the driveway.

B) There is a roast in the slow cooker, it will still be there when you get home from plowing out the driveways of people who I know will call you, or probably already have. But please be sure to finish plowing our yard first!

Don't worry about me, I'll just be resting my back all evening...and reading to Evalynn.

Lacey

Baby Journal

2009-03-28T02:11:00.002-05:00

I was reading an article in my most recent Baby Talk magazine (yes, I am a subscriber to Baby Talk, Parents, and Taste of Home - no more Cosmopolitan for this girl!) and they had an article about quick ways to give yourself a boost. It suggested ways to make yourself feel better instead of always blaming it on your surroundings or the certain circumstances out of your control. Although those things can bring you down, it's the choices you make that will mold how you feel. It's not that I am feeling 'down on my luck,' it was simply the article that came after the 'loose your mom-weight' article (that's for another time.) One of the suggestions it gave was to write a letter to your future big kid. It gave reasons for saying that doing that would make you 'feel good' but I would do it as something nice for Evalynn to look back on. I know I always felt good about reading my baby book, even if only every 8th blank was filled in; it gave me a look at my own child hood and what my parents thought were cute when I was young.

But a baby book always seems so generic. Sure it's nice to see when you started to walk and how much you weighed at your 6 month check up, but sometimes it would have been nice to know what they were thinking when I said my first swear word or when I peed in Dad's face.

OK, short story-long, I'm thinking about starting a journal. Just something to jot down little notes about cute things she does or how she stuck her hand in the toilet. Anywhoo, it would something cool for both Kyle and I to write in. Had I started the journal today, my first entry would have been:

'got home from work at 5:30am, peeked in your room - sound asleep...tootie in the air, smells like a 30 pound diaper....closed door' :)

Love ya babe!

Momma

Challenge

2009-03-25T13:08:00.004-05:00

I've recently been on a card winning kick. Of course I don't win them all, but lately it seems more difficult to lose that it does to win. Whether it be that the cards are falling just right, my luck is high, or sheer skill; I'm finding myself looking for a little more card action. Who's up for a challenge?!

Lacey

p.s. Apparently I don't have very good communication skills while playing cards. My husband recently reminded me of a few conversations we had about events to come that I should be aware about, and dates to leave open, but I can't seem to remember much about those chats since they were durning a game. I guess if you're looking to sneak something past me, during a round of cards is the way to do it.

New Toy

2009-03-24T14:31:00.002-05:00

She loves it!Thanks Aunt "T" - In case y'all were wondering, YES, it is loud! :)

Lacey

I almost forgot about the PUPPIES!!!

2009-03-24T14:06:00.005-05:00

How could I have forgotten?! About two weeks ago we noticed our yellow lab, Tikka, getting a little chubby and she started to 'bag up.' Kyle took her pheasant hunting and our vet happened to be there. She said it looked like she had a good three weeks left before she had a litter. Please keep in mind that we keep our dog tied up in our fenced in back yard, so we didn't know who the male was. Tikka is a pure-bread lab, so we were a little disappointed to find her pregnant without our knowledge.

Last Friday was my 23rd birthday, Tikka (who was born on our wedding day) was outside whimpering. I went out and checker her and her kennel, but found nothing unusual; just Tikka staring up at me as if to say, "help me, momma!" I went back inside and Kyle came home about an hour later and said we had a puppy!! This was only about a week and half after we noticed she was carrying. So Kyle brought her out to the garage and set up a little place for her to finish. While he was doing that, a male yellow lab showed up at our house. Our speculation is that that's the father. Although we're not too keen on the fact that other dogs keep coming to our house, it is kind of cool that the possible father showed up on the day she was in labor. A few hours pass and she had five pups. One didn't make it (the only male). So four left and all females! Kyle had told a buddy of his from work about this and he text him back, "I guess you weren't meant to have any boys in your house!" OK maybe there were a few more cuss words and something like 'you poor b******." In any case, Kyle now has a wife, daughter, two adult female labs, and four female pups (hopefully labs!)
A family friend of ours wants one of the puppies. She came over last night to get first dibs. We told her we would trade her a puppy for some babysitting time. GENIUS!!
And don't worry about Tember, she seems to be getting as spoiled as ever!

Lacey

Laundry Day

2009-03-24T12:50:00.003-05:00

I actually didn't have much laundry to do today, I just like to have it all done before I start another set of nights. So Evalynn and I were down in the laundry room, and she would rather watch the washer and dryer than play with her toys. While I'm ironing the massive amount of Kyle's long sleeve, button-up dress shirts that I just keep putting off, (seriously, there was like 15 of them and it took me FOREVER!) (Speaking of which, I just found a better way to iron and starch his shirts. Instead of using the tapered end of the ironing board like normal, I started using the other end. The shoulder of the shirts fit perfectly there so I don't have to adjust the shirt as much. Frankly, I'm a little embarrassed that it took me so long to realize that, but I know now, and maybe I won't put it off so long!) and then the spin cycle starts on the washer and Evalynn started mocking it. And I don't just mean that she was gyrating with the washer, she was also making the same noise! Too cute!

Once the spin cycle was over, she wondered off into the living room. I thought it to be no big deal until I heard her tip over and then glass breaking. Of course I ran in to see what had happened. She just sat there looking at me like, "I don't know what happened, momma. It just tipped over all by itself." I wasn't mad at all because, well, there was a reason that particular set glass globes were in the basement...because they were so beautiful that there just wasn't a place in the upstairs that would showcase them well enough. ;) Secretly I was thinking, 'one down, two to go!'

After cleaning up that incident, I still had some ironing left to do. We went back into the laundry room. It must have been nearing nap-time because I had a pile of dirty laundry, that I was going to be putting in the washer next, that Evalynn started rummaging through. At first I thought she was just wanting to spread it all over the room, then, when she stopped at her favorite pink blanket and shoved it in her face and fell over - it was obvious what she was doing. I managed to sneak the dirty blanket away from her and bring her up to take a nap. All I can say is that it's a good thing we have two of the same blanket!

So that's our laundry day, which also happens to be Kyle's and mine two year anniversary! I haven't figured out what we're doing tonight. I was told that since Kyle decided last year, that would make it my turn this year. Hope he's not disappointed...

Lacey

Books, Books, Books!

2009-03-18T03:59:00.007-05:00

We've come to find that Evalynn seems to love books! Well, reading material in general actually. She doesn't much care if it's one of her books, my books, or Kyle's hunting magazines; she'll bring them all over the house.

I expected to be constantly picking up toys everywhere, but not books. My Dad stopped over the other day to take us out for lunch. He used the restroom before we left my house and walked out with two of Evalynn's books that he found in the bathroom. :s I had forgotten that she brought them in while I was getting ready. It was cute to watch my Dad walk out of the WC with children's books in his hand.

Anywhoo, she brings them to me one at a time, all. day. long. She doesn't seem to expect me to read them all to her, or maybe she has a false sense of how long it takes to finish a book because I'll get through the first couple pages and then she decides to close the book. No sooner does she do that and she'll turn right back around and want me to start again. Ah, well - I'm not complaining, she could be bringing me trash from the garbage...oh wait, she does that too! But that's for another time....

Lacey

Good Book

2009-03-16T23:20:00.004-05:00

I recently read a book called "A Time to Die," by Beverly Barton. It's a great book. It had everything I think a good book should have; a law enforcement setting, a little bit of violence, memorable characters, some tragic times, and lust. The later is what concerns me.

Who should I recommend this book to? Certainly not my mother; I wouldn't want her knowing that I read books with "sex scenes." Not my normal friends because they wouldn't appreciate the law enforcement aspect. Which leaves me with my co-workers. So here you go miss "T" and "D" - read away!

I read another book by the same author last year called "Close Enough to Kill." Also a great book, and if memory serves me right, I recommended it to the same ladies who also tell me it was great.

Hope that means I urged the right people to read it!

Lacey

LEC - NOT REA

2009-03-16T19:15:00.003-05:00

I KNOW YOUR POWER IS OUT!! Call your P-O-W-E-R COMPANY!! What's that? You don't know who that is? Did you pay your bill? Who do you pay your bill to? DING DING DING What do we have for him Johnny?!

I know it sucks to be out of power, it seems to be a necessity for all. But honestly, grill some burgers, enjoy the weather, set the alarm on your cell phone, and go. to. bed.

Sweet dreams.

Lacey

Spring Cleaning

2009-03-15T16:55:00.004-05:00

I felt like Spring was never going to come this year!! But I believe it began to show it's beauty this weekend...of course it brought the slush and mud with it, but I've learned to deal.

It was Spring cleaning time in my house. (If you know me at all, you know that my equivalent of 'Spring cleaning' is every 4th day throughout the year, but humor me.) Kyle ended up getting this car back from his brother and, no offense 'B,' but it really needed a scrubbin'! So that's what I did in our garage. Now understand that this car is beginning to be a family heirloom. First it was one of my younger brother's first car. Then it was Kyle's 'beater' to drive back and forth to work, then it was his brother 'B's' beater, and now it's back gracing us with it's presence. Kyle decided to try and save some miles on his truck and hopefully save some money on gas by driving this a little. Don't get me wrong, it's actually a 2000 Chevy Cavalier, and under normal circumstances, people wouldn't call it a 'beater'. Only it's pretty much been to hell and back more times than I can count. But it still runs, so we are going to try and reap the benefits of it's better-than-Kyle's-truck gas mileage.

OK, back on track. So I scrubbed that thing from top to bottom and it really isn't looking too bad. Except for the different color hood, air bags that have been shoved back in the steering wheel, missing a radio nob and chipped windshield, it's not all bad. Yesterday I would have added to that list that the trunk was fastened shut by a ratchet strap, but that issue has recently been resolved. :D Anywhoo, now it's parked in the middle of our driveway and I'm trying to find a way to camouflage it.

Next we cleaned out the freezer, (the puppies were happy about that) and came back inside to FINISH cleaning the basement. Yes, it had to be done in 2 stages. Partly because it was that bad, and partly because we went to lunch with the fam. Now that that's all done, I'm left feeling like I should be cleaning the main portion of our house. Since I did that yesterday, I'm starting to feel a little bored. (Shh, don't tell! Because the second I say that, and it never fails, I end up getting called in to work or something breaks or...well you get the point.) So Evalynn is napping and Kyle's playing with guns, go figure, and I'm left thinking that I need more hobbies! Ha, who am I kidding? I'd be happy if I had A hobby. Or maybe I could just keep everything the same and feel one-step closer to Superwoman!

So like I said, I think Spring is here, (did I mention that my windows are open?!) and I'm LOVING IT! If only it could just stay this temperature all the time, minus the mud and muck, I think I would be in heaven. And I'm pretty sure Evalynn would agree since she got to be out in her wagon the whole time. :)

Enjoy the weather....hopefully it lasts!!
Lacey

Stinky Puppy

2009-03-10T01:50:00.007-05:00

Evalynn recently got this adorable little (and by little I mean about Evalynn's size) stuffed puppy as one of those 'just because' gifts (love those!). It's very soft and so, of course, she feels the need to take it everywhere in our house. It is very cute to watch her cuddle it and all that fun stuff, but she also feels the need to sleep with the thing. Normally I would call that cute as well. Don't get me wrong, it is, but it's starting to take on an aroma. And I don't just mean that it doesn't smell fresh. It's more of a, I've-been-sitting-under-a-40lb-wet-diaper-all-night-and-have-milk-spilled-all-over-my-belly-and-drool-seeping-from-my-ears kind of smell. But like I said, she loves it...and it just doesn't look like the sort of fabric that would hold up in a washer.

Any ideas?? And don't say Fabreeze, because that doesn't seem to be working.

Lacey

Time Flies

2009-03-04T02:24:00.021-06:00

I can't believe Evalynn is already a year old. It feels so weird to say. I can't figure how all this time has escaped me. I thought that maybe I would miss her being a "baby" and holding her in my arms. I do, but she just seems to get more fun everyday and I wonder when I will start to really miss the itty bitty stage. (Insert thought of having another child here.)

Seriously though, that really isn't my thought. I'm just so excited to see who she will become that I'm not really sure about another right now. Anywhoo, (Angie uses it that word, so that means it is a word now) could somebody please tell me where the last 12 months have gone?! I feel like I've spent so much time doing the normal day to day things that I've forgotten to just stop and spend real time with my beauty. So I've made a change. (Insert drum-roll here.)

I recently applied for a different job within the department I work for. It may not be as exciting as my current position, but I believe it will be a great fit for me. The upside you ask? No more nights, weekends, or 12 hours days!! I hadn't wanted to tell many people (although word seemed to spread fast) because I...well frankly, I didn't want to be embarrassed if I wasn't 'chosen' for the position. I don't like feeling vulnerable to so many people. It makes me feel...inadequate. In any case....YES, I did get the job. (Mini cheer!) I haven't started yet - that detail is yet to be determined, but it's not too far out. I'm very excited about this small change, and look forward to having more of my beloved beauty time!

We celebrated Evalynn's birthday last Friday with just a few family members and she was such a trooper. Actually, she was a ham! She ate up every bit of attention and did things I've never seen from her. So it was great for all of us to see a few firsts from her together. Kyle and I got her a wagon. We figured since she loves her sled so much, that we couldn't go wrong.

We were correct.

She also got a new high chair - which she desperately needed since our other one was a hand-me-down and she broke it. There were a few scary times when she would actually push the tray off with her feet; and since it was sort of...ancient, there was no safety belt, leaving her ready to fall out. So great gift grandma and grandpa!I love you beauty girl. You are my world!

Love Momma~

p.s. Please keep The Macs in your prays. Even though Cora is playing in heaven, they had a birthday celebration in her honor. It must have been difficult...pray for peace.

I took the plunge!!

2009-03-01T18:15:00.012-06:00

**Update** I've also been told there's a lovely slide-show on the Echo Press website....check it out!
I want to thank all of you who donated for the Polar Plunge, because honestly, when Saturday came around, I was really wishing I could just back out. Maybe not show up and nobody would notice?! Thanks to all of you...that was not an option. Alexandria ended up having more than 150 jumpers and raised over $26,000. I did reach my goal of $200 (that got me the cool shirt and beach towel :D) - THANK YOU AGAIN!!

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, I was actually colder waiting to jump and after I was dry again. (You'll have to excuse the idiotic expression...I. WAS. COLD.)
In case you were wondering...YES, we did scream like girls before we jumped...

Ah yes, we also changed our name to "Frozen in Time." Hence the other gals in 80's attire. I said that since I wasn't born til the late 80's, that for me, that would mean a diaper, and that just didn't seem appropriate! I ended up jumping in the shallow end (I swear I didn't know that at the time ;)) so my hair didn't even get wet! I know...I'm a cheater - can you blame me?!

There was also a hot tub we got to jump in for a short time after the lake - that was a life saver!

It was great to watch everyone else jump, too. There was a couple that jumped in their wedding day attire; tuxedo, wedding gown, veil and all!! She even through her bouquet into the crowd when she was done. So cute! Before they jumped they had the announcer read, "Thanks for taking the plunge with me." You could really tell that they love each other; don't you just love that?!

We were going to go inside (there is a great restaurant right by the lake here) and grab a bite to eat but when we ran into a few of my co-workers and I started talking stupid, (I didn't have anything to drink, mind you) my hubby decided it was time for me to go. I think I must have been in the early stages of hypothermia...really - but once I got home and took a bath, I was fine.

So all-in-all, not a completely horrible experience. I was asked if I would do it again next year - no comment.

Lacey

Polar Bear Plunge!!!

2009-02-23T15:59:00.003-06:00

**Did I mention I live in Minnesota?!**
I have been asked to jump for the Polar Bear Plunge on February 28 (that's THIS saturday!!!), and I have, stupidly, accepted. I pledged to raise $200 for the Special Olympics in order to jump; although there is no limit. I could really use your support, not only in monitary dotations but verbally. I'm a bit nervous, to say the least - so your encouragement is also welcome!! :) I've already raised $160, so I only need a little nudge to reach my goal!
Donations can be taken online under my name - or I can turn them in the day of the jump.
Our team is called Chilly Dippers - you will also find my name under that.

Thank you in advance for you support!!
Lacey Grinager

Sweet Angel Cora

2009-02-21T09:38:00.003-06:00

I was just reading more about baby Cora's life here. I came to find that her and Evalynn share the same birthday. I had already been praying with Evalynn that Cora would be her angel, now I know this will be true. Bless you sweet, sweet baby girl.

Oh, You Know Him?

2009-02-21T07:13:00.003-06:00

So, a funny thing happened while I was playing match-maker during a pedicure the other day. The nail-technician that was helping me that day (she was wonderful, by the way) was very nice and quite attractive. For any of you males reading, that's woman talk for, "SHE WAS HOT!" Anyhoo, (I know that's not a word, I see it highlighted in yellow, but too bad, I like it) we got to talking about our lives and I came to find that she was single and looking. OK, maybe not looking, but that's how I heard it. It just so happens that I work with a guy who is...looking also. I start to mention him in casual conversation as she's painting my toes pretty pink. I describe him briefly and before I had the chance to drop his name, she looked up and started smiling. Of course that was a logical time to pause my version of 'talking him up,' so she could get a couple words in. Then, without declining or saying she wasn't interested, she said, "are you talking about ***?" To my astonishment, she had it correct. It kind of put a damper on my match-making session. I didn't know what to say next. She didn't say she wasn't interested, but she didn't say she was either. What was I to do? I sort of stumbled through the rest of the conversation and asked where she knew him? Apparently just around. So I didn't press the issue; but it made for interesting conversation while my nails dried. :) It's kind of true what they say about salon's being gossip pools. It's a good thing I don't go that often.
Lacey

Me Time

2009-02-18T19:38:00.005-06:00

**Update** Just started reading another blog...absolutely hilarious!! Check it out at Can't Hardly Wait38 for a great, real-life, slap in the face. Warning, I wouldn't call her blog 'G-rated' though. :S

I just read a post on another person's blog, Suburban Turmoil. I'd like to say friend, but frankly, I have no idea who she is, but I adore the way she thinks. She recently posted on the topic 'me time,' and I thought she summed it up perfectly! Read away. (click the link above...cool huh? I just learned how to do that :))

Lacey

Get Out the Baby Book~

2009-02-18T14:02:00.002-06:00

Evalynn took her first steps the other day. It was great that we got to share it together. Kyle's guess was Valentine's day, so he wasn't too far off! Her 'Winnie the Pooh' baby book has two blanks though; one for 'first steps,' and the other for 'walking.' I'm thinking we can fill the first line with 2/16/08...the other will be left blank for a bit yet. Do you think you can really pin-point a date that she's 'walking?' I was surprised we could pick the actually date for first steps. Maybe it should be a date range. But then how big should the range be? A couple days, a week? Then again, it probably doesn't matter much, but my baby book was, let's say...open to interpretation. So I'm not really sure when I did most of the stuff. My mom went more by the month, and it was obvious that it was an afterthought. I'm guessing I was about 3 when my first steps were logged at 8 months. Any who...I'll keep you updated on what we decide!

Lacey

Tember Lovin'

2009-02-15T06:36:00.007-06:00

It looks as though Evalynn will let Tember (like SEPtember, but without the SEP) do anything.Of course there are limits...see the glare?
Don't worry - there's plenty of time for Tikka to have her own post, too.

Lacey

Pizza Day

2009-02-15T06:28:00.005-06:00

Do you ever have those days where you have know idea what to make for supper, and even if you did, you wouldn't want to make it anyway. We have those days in our house more often than I would care to admit - but here was the outcome last SundayIn my defense, it was for the Pro-Bowl game, and I had to work that day.

Lacey

Dancing Baby

2009-02-13T12:11:00.006-06:00

Update***It seems that Evalynn is wearing the same sweatshirt in most of the pictures I have posted - (note to self) make a conscious effort to show the rest of her beauty clothes.

Evalynn has this stuffed puppy that sings when you press it's feet, paws, tummy, heart or ears. She got is as a Christmas gift this year, and absolutely loves it! It just seems to calm her down, no matter what is going on. When the puppy starts singing, Evalynn starts dancing. By dancing, I mean sitting on the floor and bouncing up and down. But the other day...this was much more...graceful. Now keep in mind that this is an 11 month old type of graceful, but never-the-less, very cute (of course I'm a bit biased!) Here's our dancing baby...

StInK FaCe

2009-02-13T09:04:00.006-06:00

I'm sure that you will all come to find, very quickly, that I enjoy taking pictures of Evalynn. Although my work is FAR from professional...I sometimes get lucky and end up with some great photos...and others, not so much. I love it though, I'm just not sure that she does. It seems that when the orange light on my camera comes on before the flash (you know the one...well I clearly don't know what it's called but I THINK it's to diminish red-eye) she kind of smiles but then it turns into a sort of smushed-face-type-look...Kyle (my dear husband ;)...I hope he reads this sometime) and I call it her "stink face." We laugh everytime!

Lacey

We Have A First Timer Here!

2009-02-12T15:41:00.000-06:00

Hello!!

So I've never been a 'blogger,' or so they say, but this past year I have been very fascinated by reading other people's blogs. I'm not very creative, but I have a peach of a daughter and a wonderful husband; so I already have good material. :)

Please take it easy on me as this is new to me, and I just want to open up our life to share with others.

Lacey