Boooooring.

I am really very blah lately.  I blame it on the weather. Or work. We might as well throw the kitchen remodel in there, too.  (Just because I'm looking for a scapegoat to mask the real truth: PMS.  Hmph.)

The good news is that Spring Break is nine days away.  And I'm hoping to stage a little intervention.  It would also be helpful if God would send sunshine and 70 degree temps to the Bluegrass State, too. 

My intervention will include several trips - to the Lakehouse, to Target, to Starbucks, and to Goodwill.  Because finding a treasure while thrifting always cheers me up, preferably with a latte in hand.

My intervention will also include me and Cory the Corian.  In the same room.  Cooking together.  Working together.  Laughing about how it was all worth it in the end, and how I will never eat another boxed meal as long as we both shall live, amen.  I will swear off Healthy Choices forever, and promise to make homemade goods for life. 

She likes lattes, too.

However, that is not going to happen: a) because sometimes I'm lazy and Healthy Choices often taste pretty good (have you had the Asian Potstickers?!  YUM) and b) the Depot is taking their precious time setting up the installation process.

If the kitchen's not complete, hopefully the deck will be.  {Yup, that was a deck sketch a few posts back.}  A girl can hope, right?

Well, like I said, I'm pretty boring-ish.  So I'm off to eat my weight in ice cream :P

My Teacher Blog!

Hi, sweet friends!  It was brought to my attention recently that some of you may not be aware that I now post all teacher-related things exclusively at my teaching blog, The Inspired Apple.  There you will find lots about life in first grade, school-related woes, links to fantastic educators, samples of Teachers Pay Teacher products, and, of course, free printables!

Click on the button below and it'll take you directly to my site!



{PS.  Babbling Abby is about to undergo a makeover in the near future!  I'm just resorting to this old layout until the new one is ready :)  Stay tuned...}

{PSS.  OMIWORD!  Y'all!  I can see how you might *think* that "Dr.B" is my doctor...BUT she's in fact one of my nearest and dearest best friends who is a DENTIST!  A doctor nonetheless, but not an OBGYN as I think I led many of you to believe!!!!!   So sorry, but I AM NOT PREGNANT!!!!!  However, SHE IS!  And she's having a baby boy!  Which was my other "best news" - but lots of our mutual friends frequent this blog and I didn't want to go sharing her news until she had the chance to!  She tells me it's on Facebook now, so I can share away!  Ha!}

Good, Better, Best!

Hey, ya'll! This post is full of !!!!! so be prepared!!! {see?!} The good news is that we have a functioning range, microwave, and knobs on drawers and cabinets!

Our first dinner - if you can call it that - cooked on our stove since December!!!

Our dinner choice?

Grilled cheese!  It had to stay simple since the kitchen is not fully functioning.  No dishwasher or sink means no-mess meals for now.  Anything's better than boxed, I'll tell you that much!

The better news is that I finally picked out some countertops, and the Depot was running a 10% off countertops special, combined with a free upgraded edge, and a free sink!  Sign me up!  {We really hemmed and hawed about choosing a countertop, and up until yesterday we were going to go with stock coutertop.  So glad we didn't!  I love what we chose!}

I went with Platinum by Corian.  We also got a *free* Glacier White seamless Corian sink.  Perfect for sweeping crumbs directly into from my new counters! {It's amazing what things thrill me these days!}

And the *best* news is that UK is going to the Final Four!!!  So stinkin' excited!  I even woke up early to wash all our UK garb so that we could re-wear the exact outfits we wore when they won on Friday night to OSU!  My throat is raw from screaming! {There is other *best* news but I don't want to go blabbing about it on the internet until someone (cough, Dr.B, cough) says I can!}

GO CATS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

The *worst* news is that BLogger is MAJORLY sucking it up right now.  Picture uploading is NUTSO!  I apologize for any ridiculously large page breaks/spacing.  It's not my fault!!! 

Aaaaaahhhhhhh!

 C-A-T-S! Cats, cats, cats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My first grade team!  I'm going to make sure we all wear the exact same outfits tomorrow when we play NC!!!!

Just a few words...

...to explain that yes, those are flower planters he's wearing.  

Officially IRL.

So, how super pumped was I when Mama Perks emailed me and said she was going to be travelling through my neck of the woods and she wanted to have a real, live bloggy friend meet-up?!  Um, totally super pumped! 

She stopped in on Saturday with her two precious boys, Henry and Marshall.  And what pumpkins they were!  Henry was just the perfect angel of a child and Marsh slept almost the whole time. We ate lunch, finished watching the UK game, went shopping, and - of course - talked and talked talked!  And, nope, we'd never met before!  In about .5 seconds it was as if we'd been friends for years!  Ironically enough, we did go to college together at the UofK, but never remember running into each other (which is quite possible with a ginormous student population).  Before taking our status to IRL {ha!}, we had this sweet girl as a mutual friend :)

Anyway, the bottom line is that Lindsey is pretty much darling and we're already making plans to meet again!  Maybe in C-bus to take the boys to COSI :) 

And, of course, we had to snap some pics for the blog!

I heart this pic - Henry is thinking What is he doing?!  I'm trying to eat my fries! and Becks is making that awkward smile face.  Ha!

Baby Marsh smiled at me.  Swoon!

Happy Wednesday, friends!

Weekend Perks

This weekend had so many "perks" I can't even stand it!  Let me count the ways...

1.  UK is in the Sweet Sixteen.  Amen.

2.  Today is the first day of Spring 2011.  

I echo his sentiments.

3.  I had a three-day weekend.

4.  I painted my tootsies the most gorgeous shade of Pink Diamond by Essie.  Love.

5.  Um.  Do I even need words to tell you about this?  {I will say that I contemplated posting from the floor of the soon-to-be kitchen just so I could admire their hard work.  B and Mike, I LOVE YOU!}  I can finally see the stove sink countertops microwave dishwasher light at the end of the tunnel.

Refridgerator will go up against wall on left.  Dishwasher will go next to that.  Sink will be installed under window. 

Same shot, different angle.

Microwave will be installed underneath middle cab.  Oven will be centered beneath that.  Two cabinets will sandwich the oven (yet to be installed).

6.  The caketress, my mom, sent over six oversized cupcakes which did not help at all with the I-need-to-get-in-shape-for-my-10-year-reunion diet.

7.  I went to the Gap Clearance Center with a very Perky friend.  I found this super cutie elephant shirt el cheapo.

Papa K, he's totally pointing out deer prints here.  Aren't you proud?!

8.  About that Perky friend {which requires an entirely separate post} - she has a Perky {also extremely cute AND well-behaved} kid that looks like this:

Oh ma word, those eyes!!!!

9.  We're in the process of another home improvement.  Very early stages.  But exciting {for us!} nonetheless.

10.  I didn't go to school once.  Second weekend in a row!  I'll be accepting pats on the back all night.

 Happy Sunday!  I have three long, full weeks ahead of me until Spring Break.  Uggggggh!

Happy St. Pat's/NCAA Tourney Day!

I just really think this picture sums up my whole day...

Our local convenience store gives away free green ice cream, Icees, and coffee on St. Pat's Day.  And who am I to pass up free?

Also, UK won against Princeton!  Yay!  Becks wore this UK ensemble to school today, and would live in it if we'd let him - his "basketball uniform," he calls it.  B said Becks was so proud of it that he kept trying to draw attention to his shirt once he took his jacket off at school.  Cracks me right up.

And the sun was shining.  And it was warm.  Finally. 

Is it a full moon?

Crazy things are happening. 

First, my hardwood is almost installed.  Cah-razy.

Secondly, he chose Emily?!?!  The Bachelor never chooses the girl I want him to, so I was floored when he picked the darling little southern miss.  Who, by the way, I think is just adorable.  I hope they last.

Thirdly, my husband - without any prompting - just opened a bottle of wine and handed me a glass.  Two Buck Chuck if you must know.  {Don't let me fool you - I am not a Trader Joe conoisseur, but this is the wine that all Trader Joe-ians profess as the best cheap wine.  And I love me some cheap wine.}

Also, my kid is cute.  But that's not just crazy.  That cuteness is just a very normal part of our lives ;)

{Crazy things are also going on with my blog layout and design.  Be patient!  I'm working on it!}

About the weekend...

Wow.  It's amazing how much better life is when the sun is shining, your home is finally germ free, and you are literally up to your knees in pre-finished hardwood.  {Do you see the knees I'm talking about?}

So, about this weekend...

- I woke up to this darling little bedheaded boy.

- I didn't go to school once.

- We almost missed church due to the time change.  But then we made it in record time.  And I wore my UK shirt proudly - with jeans and Ugg boots.  {When you're certain you're going to take home the SEC title - as I was - then it is entirely okay to wear such a thing to church.}

- We spent a glorious morning at the park with my sister and her family.  I can't believe how big they're all getting. 

- B had beadhead and he wasn't even in his bed.

- Becks played outside, for about an hour, holding the halves of his fruit bar.  He didn't take one single bite or put them down.  Even when he was investigating a problem with his lawnmower.

- I went to Trader Joe's.  And fell in love.  It's not close to us, but I needed to escape get out of the house for a bit and grocery shop, so Becks and I made the trek.  Their salsa alone was oh so worth it.  After eating it with about half-a-bag of their Soy & Flax Seed chips, I just about broke out a straw to eat the rest.  SO STINKIN' GOOD.  Mmmmmmm.

- I also had a Diet Coke.  Which tastes totally yummy with the aforementioned chips and salsa.  I'm fairly certain it will be on tap in Heaven someday.

- I haven't cleaned my bedroom.  Yet.  It's on the agenda.  I'm just not sure when.  Straightening up the living room to livable condition was a feat in itself.

- Here's the pre-hardwood floor picture.  I hope {no, pray} that I will be able to update this post later with a finished product to share!

And a different perspective of the room shown earlier {same sexy knees}.  I'm telling you, this kitchen-remodel has taken over every room of the house.  And occupies a large part of my nerves, too.  If you need to strengthen your marriage to truly realize you can doing anything together, remodel a kitchen.

I hope your weekend was fulfilling and *12 kinds* of lovely! 

So, how's the weather?

Ugh.  The weather.

I am so over the rain!  I feel like it has been raining here for the past month.  And then tonight it up and snows.  Really, weather?  REALLY?!  

Anyway.

This past weekend we decided to combat the nasty rain with a trip to Barnes & Noble, which I intended to boast as this great, free activity.  But I can't because there are many non-free temptations that I succumb to.

A) Thomas the Train lives there with his little train buddies.  {FREE!}

B) There is a kid-sized stage perfect for jumping off of.  {FREE! and aerobic!}

C) One word: escalator.  We round-tripped it about, um, six times. {FREE!}

D) On-site Starbucks. So. Not. Free.  Lunch was around $15.  But the caprese panini was yumm-o.

{Sidenote: Don't tell anyone, but I am a Starbucks addict. Like...hmmm...3 times during the week?  And maybe on Saturday mornings?  And I don't skimp either.  Hell-o, Venti Skinny Vanilla Latte!  This is a far cry from my otherwise frugal self.  Justification #1 - no adequate kitchen for making and preparing coffee.  Justification #2 - it's right on the way work.  I know.  I need to stop.}

E)  And then there's the books.  I spent $38 on new books.  With my Teacher Discount. I just walk around holding a huge stack during our trip, always putting half back and walking around trading this for that for about an hour. 

I still think it's a great spot to visit if you're looking for a thrifty activity this weekend.  Just don't bring cash.  Or your debit card.  Or even your purse. 

Just bring one of these. 

I love when Beck where his Shrek ears.  He wears them with such confidence.   I can only pray that he'll maintain it later in life.  The confidence.  Not the Shrek ears ;)

And your thermos of coffee from home :)

Celebrity Look-Alikes...

When Becks was little, we were fairly certain he resembled Kramer from Seinfeld. 



Fortunately, he outgrew this.  Though his hair still looks pretty crazy in the morning.

Now, we think he looks more like Bonnie from Toy Story 3.  And, really, she's like the cutest cartoon character I've ever seen.  Do you see it?

It's the cheekers and the big, brown eyes.  Maybe I will have a little girl that looks like Bonnie someday :)

Happy Tuesday!