the things ronnie does for me

ronnie slaved away for me all weekend. 

and now into the week.

it's taking longer than i thought.

and i feel bad.

but i'm more excited to see this thing finished.

i help when i can, but i admit, carpentry is not my thing.

i'm more down there making sure it looks like my drawing.
from upstairs i hear lots of cussing and banging around.

saws, hammers and nail guns,

but i think it progressing nicely.

here he is starting the shelving unit

almost done

done.  and you'll notice in the top right corner of the picture, you can see where our ceiling drops down.  that is why in the rest of these shots the top of the shelf will be cut off.

one of the lower cabinets done

both of the lower cabinets done.  the open space between the lower cabinets and the shelving units will be where the mini fridge goes. 

and as i type this, ronnie is at lowe's buying the counter top.

then all we'll have to do it paint this whole thing white.

ugh.

don't blame me

i have a post written about date night on friday.

i have a post written about the project ronnie is building me in the basement. 

and i have a post written about my winter decorations around the house.

when i went to add photos,

none will upload.

what the hell.

i think blogger is having technical difficulties.

and i hate it.

so instead, i'll just fill you in on some fun facts about my life right now:

a year ago today we got 12 inches of snow.

today? it was 57 degrees.

i didn't wear a coat and i went running outside.

i really wouldn't mind if we skip winter altogether.

i cooked dinner both nights so far this week.

chicken tacos on monday.

pork chops and mashed potatoes on tuesday.

i'm thinking frozen pizzas on wednesday. let's not get carried away.

i'm still getting up by 6am in the mornings so i have a couple hours before work.

i am doing laundry, making breakfast and sweeping floors all before my day begins.

ronnie called the other day and i was laying in bed reading.

i can't explain how much i love my mornings now.

sorry about the lack of pictures and project updates.

hopefully tomorrow.

firsts

(i loved this. made me think of umkc.)

this is what i wore to my first day

at first community bank

on my first week

at the first of the year.

nothing new - but these people have never seen the ol' wardrobe before

so it's new to them.

this is weird time for me right now.

the future is so up in the air.

not that i had everything figured out when i was at umkc

but i can't tell where this career path will lead.

which makes me nervous

and hopeful.

and scared.

like i said, it's just weird.

i waited a week to update about my new job because i wanted to give it time. to see what i liked and what i didn't. or if i thought i made a huge mistake. so far, these are my first impressions:

it was not a mistake

but i also hope to leads to other positions that i can use my degrees.

getting to go home for lunch is like a gift.

a two minute drive lets me get a lot done around the house in the morning.

i don't dread going in or seeing my boss.

working with all that money makes me nervous.

i'm still not clear on everything that i will be doing.

working till 5 is not as cool as working till 3.

i've had to turn down two interviews because of my new schedule.

so there you have it...

lots of good - - and some bad too.

which would be the case at any job.

hopefully i'll understand more about everything the more i get into it.

the things i do for ronnie

i mentioned yesterday that ronnie had started on a new project for me.  i thought i was doing him a favor by giving him something to do this winter while being cooped up inside, but the weather yesterday was 65 degrees, so now he hates it more than he's thanking me.

whatev.

so this is a picture of basement past:  pre-paint, pre-white trim and pre-carpet.

we had a sink and a cabinet, but once we painted the walls gray, it had to be removed because it was warped.

so last week we bought a new one from lowe's.  and i had ronnie put it in.

and then i drew him a picture of what else i wanted:

an extension of the counter across the wall so underneath we could put a mini-fridge and a microwave.  then in the corner he will build a book shelf.

that will provide enough shelving to put in a stereo, games, movies, etc.

everything you would need in a basement.

everything you would need for a party.

and so ronnie has set up shop outside in the driveway.

in the dark.

he'll thank me one day.

right?

re5olution5

my five resolutions for 2012:

1. organize

2. work my way through my 30 before 30 list

3. work out and lose weight

4. let go of my last job and triumph at my new one

5. finish the house


ready.   set.   go.

and ps - there is already one closet in my house organized, i went running 4 times last week and ronnie is currently working on a project that will help finish the basement.
i call that a good start. 

nye and sequins

nye and sequins - a match made in heaven

i got this shirt from my parents for christmas.

we have one of those arrangements where i pick it out and they buy it.

then they wrap it,

 and i love it.

the sequins made it perfect for new year's.

i planned on pairing it with a black and white striped skirt,

but the evening was casual and it didn't look quite right when i put it on.

it could have been the extra lbs i'll be fighting off in 2012.

gray/sequins shirt - forever 21

black skinny jeans - target

white tank - h&m

black pumps - michael

start the new year right

our new year's was a crazy train.

and completely opposite than last year.

unlike the count down to 2011 alone,

this year we were invited to four different parties.

the first one fell through and the other two were in warrensburg.

i won the battle to stay in lee's summit and chill at lindsay's house.

we tried new desserts

and ate lots of food

the boys broke my wine bottle trying to open it

and my babies were invited

the girlies

and the hosts

cheers!

it was a fun night

and i'm ready for 2012.

bring it on.