Randomness

In honor of Leap Day, which is just so random (not really, I mean it DOES happen every 4 years ... but it seems just kind of thrown in there) this blog post will be filled with random thoughts. You know, just to keep you apprised.

** My redo of the basement is moving slowly. I am so undecisive. I had a paint color all picked out, then made the mistake of sleeping on it. Now I'm going for a different color. I've been to the paint store 4 times & still don't have any paint.

** We did get our beast of a sofa bed moved out of there. Unfortunately we had to perform surgery on it in order to get it up our stairs. It was a horrible death, but it definitely put me out of my misery.

** Now that it's gone & I've hopefully picked a paint color it's full steam ahead. Aside from a coffee date with a friend on Sunday I have nothing going on this weekend so I'm hoping to paint paint paint!

** It was almost 60 degrees here this weekend! In February!! In Wisconsin!  In February in Wisconsin!

** No worries, we are on the receiving end of a HUUUUGE snow storm tomorrow. Mother Nature was just confused. 

** I have now been going to the gym 3-4 days a week for over a year. 13 months to be exact. I lift weights. I run on the treadmill. I walk uphill on the treadmill. I walk backwards on the treadmill. I've taken 3 different classes, many times. And the result? I've gained almost 20 pounds. I. Am. Done. No more. Obviously something is going on with me that is beyond exercise. I haven't weighed this much since I was 15 months pregnant. I'm tired & depressed & just .... done.

** Not wanting to end this with a negative nelly rant .... & since I can't create anything right now ... here are a couple of spring cards I made a few years ago. 

{probably my favorite, & definitely my most pinned}

{forgot about these Itty Bitties, hope I can find them again when I reorganize lol}

So there ya go, some Leap Day randoms for you. I hope you have a great week, & I'll catch you in March! 

Wordless Wednesday

~ In case you were in doubt that spring has arrived ~

~ Baltimore Oriole ~

Linking up to:

Wordless Wednesday

Almost Wordless Wednesday

Wakeup Wednesday

Wonderful Wednesday

Do Try This At Home: Wordless Wednesday

It's May, right??

Because right now, I have the heat on! And I wore multiple layers to work today. And had my space heater on. I was looking forward to May so I wouldn't have to do any of those things! 

I feel like I've hit a brick wall lately with just about everything in my life. I was so gung ho about getting my house organized these last few months.... & really, I've taken about 25 bags of stuff to Goodwill. But every time I walk by my husband's bedroom, I think "why bother?". He is an honest to goodness hoarder, & no matter how clean & organized the rest of the house is, I still have to look at his hole of a room, our garage that can barely fit one car (it's a 2 car garage) & our shed that looks like Home Depot threw up inside of it. 

I've also been trying really hard to craft at least a little bit. Heck, coloring in a color book would be better than nothing (side note: Did you all SEE these adult coloring books?? When I think of adult books these are NOT what come to mind but they are way cool!). I started another card about 2 weeks ago, & stopped halfway through cutting my colored image. I think I had to leave ... but I haven't gone back to it. I feel like I'm trying to force myself to get back into it. When do I stop doing that? I thought getting my work space organized & purging would really help motivate me. But I feel like I need something that's all mine. Making cards was that thing that was mine. Reading blogs & chatting on Facebook is not a hobby, but that seems to be what I do in my spare time. Oh, & let's not forget Pinterest. Wait ... I think I found the problem ....

And work ... work is good. I go up & down, sometimes I love it & sometimes ... not so much. But I guess we all go through that. I am very lucky to have the job that I have. Heck, I'm lucky to have a job at all! I will be there 5 years in July. Did that time fly or what?? Seems like yesterday I was all jittery about starting my new job! 

Anyhoo, if you read all this, thank you ~~ I didn't mean for this to be a depressing post. Do you go through periods where nothing seems "right"? Blue, but you don't know why?? It's kind of like PMS, but I don't have PMS. Must be that peri-menopause my doctor's been telling me I have for the last 92 years ....

(disclaimer .... it hasn't been 92 years ...)

Happy Mother's Day to all!

Hope you all had a fun Mother's Day with your loved ones! My kids & I spent a few hours having lunch with my mom today. Other than that just RELAXED, which is something I don't get to do too often! What did you do for Mother's Day?

Just a few random thoughts & photos on this Sunday night:

*We have one crazy bluebird nesting in our bird house!

This bugger has been perching on Matthew's bedroom window ... & pecking like it wants to come in! We had this same thing happen with some yellow finches a few years ago, but this is the first time a bluebird has done it. The poor thing is going to get a concussion with all the pounding! I taped it, because it's so darn funny, & because I don't think anyone will believe me. I'm not very video smart, so will have to figure out how to post that here.

*Only a few more weeks of school. I can't tell you how happy this makes me! Every year around this time I am so tired of helping with homework & packing lunches & picking up from & taking to activities (although since Matthew got his license, my time in the car has been reduced drastically) & getting up super early because some kids just can't quite get up on their own & need my assistance. And by assistance, I mean yelling.

*I bet Elwood will be happy when school is out too, so this scene can happen more often:

Love how he has his paw crossed :)

*This photo makes me happy on this very ugly, rainy day:

I hope you all have a sunny week! 

Almost May .....

Can't wait!! It can't possible snow anymore in May, right?? 

** Wisconsinites will remember this **


I prefer my May to look more like this: 

In fact, this weekend I will be working hard on my new garden ....starting from scratch so it will take me every weekend for the next month to get it ready ... but it will be sooo worth it. And it's good exercise!! Bonus! 

And I'm so excited that we've decided to go on a vacation next summer. I'll give you one hint as to where we're going :)

Yep, back to Disney World & Universal. My MIL were chatting on Facebook last weekend & decided we needed to go back. Excited to see the expansion of the Harry Potter World (Diagon Alley!!! Or is it Diagonally?? LOL) .... and get through the rest of Epcot (we just couldn't make it to every country last time) .... and THIS time I'm getting me a Dole Whip!! Forgot all about it last time!! Priorities!!

And as luck would have it (since I need to fund this trip), I had someone contact me through Etsy asking me about cards. She used to buy from me a LOT .... but haven't heard from her in a while. Well, maybe because I have 3 whole cards in my store LOL. She said she really needs to stock up & is wondering if I'll be listing more cards in the near future. I told her I wasn't really making cards these days, but that if she really wanted some & was willing to give me the time to make them (like, a year ..... kidding!) then I would make some for her. Otherwise I will sell her the rest of my supplies & she can make her own. You know, teach a person to fish, or something like that.....

Can I just say....

That I am REALLY ready for the blooming season?!?!?!?

I have approximately TWO flowers I can take pictures of .... & I already posted the other one the other day. Should I see how creative I can get with these same two flowers?? 

I am ready for summer & COLOR!!!

Spring has sprung!

Our winter wasn't overly cold or snowy this year.... not like LAST year .... but it seemed to drag on and on and on ....

so it's nice to finally see some green ... and a flower or two!! Here are a few updates in my oh-so-exciting life:

1) I was sick for 3 stinkin' weeks. That's on top of the other 2 times I've been sick since the beginning of the year. Needless to say, I have already used all my sick time at work :(

2) Still going to the gym ... yay me! Well, I did have that 3 week vacation  ... see #1. 

3) Also still Fitbitting. Bet you didn't know that could be used as a verb! If you have a Fitbit, let me know & I'll send you a friend request! 

4) I really hope to be more blog-busy in the coming months. Much to my husband's dismay, I am adding at least one large flower garden to our yard this year. He's always fought me, saying a garden in the middle of the yard (it's not really in the middle of the yard) is a pain to mow around. Well, since our son does all the mowing now ..... hubby no longer has a say in the matter. Ha! So ... another garden = more flowers = more photos!

5) And  .... of course ... there's always a chance I'll make another card :)

May the Fourth

be with you! Ahhhhh that never gets old LOL.

So we finally have some signs of spring around here! I won't mention that *usually* these signs pop up around mid-March. I'm just glad to finally see green!

This is about the time the frost usually hits & kills all these gorgeous hyacinths. Sigh ......

Wordless Wednesday

I actually took this picture last year, but it pretty much sums up our "spring" so far this year.

~ linking up to Wordless Wednesday ~

Let me just check my calendar again ......

Um .... it is April 15th, is it not? 

This was my view outside my bedroom window this morning. I'm pretty sure it was the same across the midwest. 

And the view of our deck ......

Really, really rude!

I saw this little gem on Facebook last night, totally appropriate, no? 

(I wasn't sure if I should label this post spring or winter, so I did both LOL)

Random Five

I've been a huge slacker. I haven't participated in the last few Friday randoms. Heck, I haven't posted at ALL. Life is busy. Busy is good though :)

1: First & foremost, spring. This week has been in the 60's. My tulips & hyacinths are coming up. The grass is starting to turn green. I've even had my windows open for a short time a few days. Nice to air out our stuffy house!

2: Next week we will be back in the 40's. We do live in Wisconsin, after all.

3: With the nice weather, I've been able to go for some great walks. We live in a very hilly area, which equals a great workout. I walk 2.2 miles in about 20 minutes. I try to run for a few minutes, but I'm definitely a walker, not a runner. 

4: The first couple of times I walked, I got serious shin splints. My son pointed out that perhaps my 10 year old Target tennis shoes weren't cutting it anymore. So I went to Kohl's & used my Kohl's cash, a $10 off coupon & a 20% off to get a nice pair of New Balance shoes for just $24! 

5:We've been discussing possibly joining the Y. I'm all about getting in shape. I don't have a weight problem, but I am completely out of shape. Matthew is loving his weight training class at the high school. The other members of the family NEED to get some exercise. $80 a month for a family membership though. Ouch. We'll have to think about that one some more. 

 ~Linking up with A Rural Journal & Lauren Elizabeth~

Spring is here???

I spotted one of these this morning:

Good-bye, long & harsh winter!

(ok, well I'm in Wisconsin, so it may not be completely over. We've had snow in April. Heck, we've had snow in May! #whydoilivehere)

A weekend of birding

I don't know about you but I am sooooo glad to see spring. It was a long winter here in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, the northern part of Wisconsin & parts of Minnesota got walloped with snow last week. My condolences to all of you!

I kept my camera close to me these last few days, because the FUN birds have arrived. If you are friends with me on Facebook, you have already seen these because I'm obsessed with posting my bird photos, LOL. But if not - enjoy :)

 A rufous-sided towhee. I had never seen one of these before, although I'm sure they've been around. It took my husband & me a while to identify it. You should have seen me looking at the picture, looking at my book .... looking at the picture ... looking at my book....

Of course, cardinals are NOT new to me & they are here all year round. But I really like how this shot of a female cardinal turned out. You can see what she's eating for lunch. She needs a napkin :)

I assume this is her boyfriend :)

A rose-breasted grosbeak - these are so pretty & believe it or not, there was another male sitting on the other side of the feeder. At the same time! They were giving each other dirty looks, but they didn't fight at all. Good thing, or I would have had to give them each a time-out!

This shot was actually taken at my mom's house. We will get the Baltimore Oriole - our feeder is out - but we haven't seen one yet. She also has an Orchard Oriole, which I have never seen & is actually the one I wanted to get a picture of but he never showed up. That's just fine..... I think this one is prettier anyway :)

We should be seeing an Indigo Bunting any day now, & some years we've seen a Scarlet Tanager. And I just put the hummingbird feeder out over the weekend so we should be seeing those soon. My goal this summer is to get a GOOD shot of one of those fast moving critters!

I have cleared out SO MUCH of my stamping stuff, I can't believe it! Not only is there more space, but there is also more $$$ in my bank account. Kind of nice to be the seller instead of the buyer for once, lol - I can't believe all the money I spent on STUFF! I've held on to  my basics though - I will never get rid of my Penny Black stamps - I'm keeping most of my High Hopes stamps - most of my Magnolias - & of course my pencils will stay. As long as I have those (& probably some card stock would be good to hang on to LOL) I can dabble when I find the time. You know. At 4:00 on Saturday mornings. 

Have a super week!

For those of you who guessed I made a card ....

you are correct! I did, in fact, make a card this weekend. Here's how it went down: 

Friday night I was going through my stamps to see what else I wanted to list for sale. I came across my Penny Black stamps. Ohhhhh how I *heart* the PB's, especially the hedgies! I set those aside & went on with sorting. 

Saturday morning I was up at about 6. I KNOW!!!! How rude is that?! I heard my husband get up to go to work & I just couldn't get back to sleep. So I thought I'd go down & do some more sorting. But then I thought "my kids won't be awake until at least 8:00. That gives me 2 whole hours!". So while I DID do some more sorting, I also decided to make a card with one of my very favorite hedgies. To celebrate the fine spring weather we are finally having!

Please remember I am wayyy out of practice & I have no idea what is popular these days. I don't follow challenges anymore. I rarely get to read stamping blogs anymore. I don't go on SCS anymore, except to post what I have for sale. So I felt a bit blind. But ... I do like how it turned out. I could maybe have used some springier, brighter papers, but .... it is what it is (I've said that a lot over the years hahaa).

I have sold some of my Copic markers, but I'll never get rid of my Prisma pencils! They will always be my favorites. But I think my Goo Gone evaporated, lol - I had just a few drops left in my container & I *know* there was more than that when I last colored!

I even found a dollar stamp from Michael's that I had never used. Spring Fling - yep, spring is definitely flinging around here :)

And in case you want a peek at what I had to work with -- this is just a sampling of what my space now looks like:

If you recall, last summer my son wanted to steam clean the carpet in the basement, but my stuff was everywhere. He said "You have too much stuff! You will never use it all!" & that is the moment I decided he was right. Too much stuff. I hadn't touched it in months. It was time to get rid of it. Obviously I haven't gotten rid of it all, but I've done pretty well. But just try to find some pearls in that mess!!! 

I'll be back in a few days with a really yummy recipe I just have to share with you!

Have a super week!

New name, & FINALLY a real spring day!

I decided since I haven't been called "mommy" in about 8 years, that my blog can no longer be called "Mommy Time". It has been promoted to "Mom's Time".  Mom has about as much free time as Mommy did. I went from running after toddlers all day to driving them to their many activities & sports. I will, however, forever be known as MilwaukeeMommy - that is my username on just about every forum I've ever been a part of. I think my Ebay user name is the only name that is different, only because I wasn't clever enough to think of it back when I started selling many many years ago. 

So we finally had a SUPERB spring day here in Wisconsin today! And a SATURDAY, bonus!!! I took a few pictures today. Ok, I took a LOT of pictures today. Here's a day in the life:

They survived! My hyacinths rarely reach full bloom. They peek out so early, then we always get hit with yet more snow. We did get snow, just a week ago, & these were covered. But no damage done. This picture was taken early in the morning, by late afternoon they were OPEN! Why didn't I take a picture? I have no idea! Tomorrow....

The first varmint of the season. Where are you headed, little critter?  Go ahead - go in my garden. There's nothing there yet. Ha!

Well ok, there's a *little* something. Here comes the rhubarb! Can't wait!

I love that my boys were out bright & early today. I love it even more that they didn't argue at all! Hardly. 

Baseball season starts in just a few weeks ... gotta get some practice in!

I really  hope that's not the ball he was trying to hit on the ground in front of him. 

That one was definitely outta here! The next Ryan Braun ....

They even helped with some yard work. Aren't they awesome kids?!

We have a bluebird house in the middle of our yard. We've gotten a pair of bluebirds every single year that we've had it. I've heard from many people that the same pair usually come back to the same house each year. 

Isn't he gorgeous? I think he's watching my boys play baseball!

Now he's looking at me, wondering who the kook is sitting on top of the swingset snapping so many pictures of him. 

We ended our day with dinner on the deck. Perfect end to a perfect spring day!

If you're still with me, thank you :)  You may have heard I got a new camera last year & I *heart* it so much! My kids just roll their eyes when they see me with camera in hand!

And stay tuned .... because I just *may* have done something this morning that I haven't done in a while .... & I just *may* post the details here in the next day or two :)

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!