More Minnehaha Photos...

I think these would look better in the summer-time...but there's something to be said about the "awakening" of the forest in spring....

My first goodie package from a fellow blogger!

I admit that I've been checking the mail every day for the package I received today!! I only check the mail every few days because it only is filled with junk mail and bills. But, this week has been different! :)

I won this little contest on Shara's blog the other day...and I was so thrilled. This is my first blog goodie package I have ever received, and boy, was it ever SWEET!!!



Isn't this so cute? Love the little handmade card. I was actually just telling my dh the other day how I should be using my free time to do crafts with pink ribbons and bows. He laughed at me -- you do crafts??! I'm so blown away by the blogs I read...that I wish I was crafty and creative. Maybe one day...it seems like there is always something else to do. I know, priorities...

Anyway - I digress.




Some of the outside of the package... awww!!

And when I opened it....and took the pink ribbon off....I found this!!



I love this container. It will definitely find a new home in our new kitchen!! :)

I could hardly contain my excitement when opening the package... I kept yelling for dh to come see what I got, but he chose not to. What a dork!

This is the first item I saw when I opened the container...I won't be offended ;)



And what came next, but....



WOWWWW!!!! This photo does not show how much candy is actually in here! It was STUFFED! I had told Shara I had a bit of a sweet tooth (uh, understatement.) and did she deliver!! All kinds of goodies like sweethearts, bubble gum, pixie sticks (when my dh finally showed up, he gasped and said I LOVE THOSE!!!! He made a comment about snorting them, but I won't mention that here), Mike & Ikes, Sprees and much more! My dh made me promise to share with him, which I reluctantly will ~ just kidding!! There is MORE than enough to share!!

THANK YOU Shara!!! You are such a sweetie!!!

Happy Easter everyone.

What I woke up to

Oh, the cats SO did this.

I know why -- they are mad I called them fat.

Um...okay....were they digging in the plant or did they tip it over and somehow manage to put it right side up!

Very suspicious...

Our cats are FAT!!

Just got back from taking our cats to the vet to get their shots and check out the boarding facilities for when we move at the end of the month. After combing about 1/2 pound of hair off Buddy (seriously.), he weighed in at a whopping 21 pounds!! Ellie was next, not as much hair came off her, but she still weighed in at 16.03 pounds!! YIKES!! I feel really bad! They have always been overweight...I tried the diet food, measuring out an amount, etc...and they never lost weight. Hopefully our new big house will inspire them to run around more, and I am going to try a different kind of "diet" food. Poor kitties.

Wedding weekend

Thought I'd post a few photos from the wedding we attended this past weekend in Chicago. Not a surprise, there was plenty of drama involved...maybe I will post on that later... :)

I loved taking these pictures, and in case you were wondering, they are supposed to be at an angle and off-centered! :)

Gorgeous pipe organ...



The church was in downtown Evanston, which is a very nice Chicago suburb. It's home to Northwestern University, so it was all new and yuppiesh.

The stained glass windows were amazing...



Probably my favorite photo from the day...the ring bearer on the way to the church.

Cutest kitty picture ever!

Ok, so maybe I'm biased....here's our two lovies, Buddy and Ellie, sharing a moment...

Finally an update!

Wow.

I kind of lost my way from the blogging world. Oops.

I have been around...just out of it lately. I can't seem to quite get it together. I really think it's all the stress of selling our house and looking for a new one.

That said....

We bought a house!!




It's brand new construction, but a spec home so it was already built. We love it. Gordon fell in love right away, but it took me a few times for me to be certain. Its in Otsego, about 15 miles north of where we live now. It's a two story with a large unfinished basement. Current finished area is 2300 square feet -- what we were hoping to get in total finished AND unfinished area!! We NEVER thought we would buy new construction, but after looking at 30-40 homes, this made the most sense financially, location wise and design wise!! The builder is DR Horton Homes, who apparently is the largest builder in the country...which I'm not sure is a good or bad thing.

After some drama with the offer and our realtor (grrr...don't get me started!), we signed the final paperwork for the offer on Saturday, so it's official!! We are homeowners! We close on April 30!

It has four bedrooms on the second floor...guest bedroom and master bathroom on the second floor, with a 1/2 bath "powder room" on the main level. Family room, informal dining room, formal living and dining room and kitchen make up most of the 1st floor. The basement is huge and a lot of possibilities...hopefully we will be able to finish it and create a media/TV/"man room" as well as an ebay room (or bedroom) with large storage room/closet...there is also rough-in for the 4th bathroom.

The backyard view is a farm, complete with red barn. They have donkeys/mules, so we hope they don't smell too bad!! The backyard is the farmers land and lowland/wetland area, so unless the farmer sells out, we won't have any immediate backyard neighbors, which will be nice. It's a decent yard, not huge but not tiny either...which will be good for our novice landscaping skills!


French doors into the master suite. I love the huge windows. Ahhh, welcome home. :)

I will try to post some more pictures soon, for some reason all my photos are sideways...and that is just not working for me!! I got a new MAC computer and I dont know how to do anything anymore.... It is just different and I need to get used to it.