Thursday, February 14, 2013

Thirty Thursday's {24}

We took an unplanned week off last week, but we're back on track with week #24!

What was your favorite hiding place as a kid?

Abby:
I love to hide and "scare" people! I still hide every chance I get to give Alex a little (non fatal) heart attack. I was really good at walking quietly and sneaking up on him...but our house is a little creaky so it's getting tricky and Moose wants to join in on the scaring fun. But, as a child I would hide behind a half wall in our mudroom when I would hear the garage door open or when I knew some one was coming over, just so I could pop up and yell "Boo!" Somehow my mom figured out my "secret" spot and wasn't scared by me very often...it could have been the three sibling before me that hid there too. Also, in my parents house is a wall that separates the kitchen and the sun room and it serves as a good spot to pop out from to give a scare.

Alex:

My favorite place to hide as a kid was: In my grandma Mary's basement, more specifically in the tall window/nook that could only be reached by jumping on the bed.  Anytime we had Williams family gatherings the kids would be sent to the basement to play. The game of choice at grandma's house was hide and go seek. After we got older, we would play Nintendo or play on grandpa's workout equipment (I'm sure he loved that). I don't remember much about the games, just that we always had fun and always left the basement looking like a disaster (this tradition still goes on today).  

Love is in the air

Happy Valentine's Day! Today is one of my favorite holiday's, yet the least celebrated in the Williams' household. Love is the topic of so many songs, movies and books- it's like it's a big deal or something. But, I  do enjoy all the pink, hearts, handmade goodies and confessing of love that goes with this day. It's fun to see people getting flowers at work and opening sweet cards. I think it's the joy that's felt when we get to feel extra special.

Alex and I don't go all out splurging on flowers or fancy schmancy dinners, just pizza and candy. But, it's a day that we can reflect on our relationship and be grateful that we've found our match so young. As far as celebrating, maybe next year I'll deck the house with all sorts of lovey-dovey decor and we'll eat something that doesn't have pepperoni's on it...either way, Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you enjoy this love filled day.

p.s. Please don't forget that you're loved by One who's love for you is greater than you will ever fathom and to Him everyday is Valentine's Day.

p.s.s.- check out my Instagram to see the awesome goodies I got for Alex :)


Wednesday, February 6, 2013

Our (past few) week(s)...in pictures!

Lately I've been indulging in some yummy chai that can only be imported from Becky's grocery store-it's the only place I can find it. And my parents got us a milk frother for Christmas, it makes my latte a "latte better!"

A few weekends ago Jared, Becky, Alex and I went up to Bolingbrook to Ikea and we had a lot of fun. We got a lot of what we "needed" and I will post more on our purchases soon, with a full update of the new house's progress.

Today we got to babysit Haley and Katie and had a lot of fun. Luckily I was off work to save the day for their sick babysitter and Alex couldn't stay working while I was playing, so he tagged along.

I'm sure there are other "stories" about the pictures, but we'll let them speak for themselves:)

Ps I got new glasses. That's what that pic is all about and Ethan drew us a cute card...ok no more explanations...


















Happy Wednesday

I really like Wednesdays. Why you ask? For the same reason I like Tuesdays- the previous weekend is too far gone to pine over and the coming weekend isn't quite close enough to be exited about. I also like this Wednesday in particular because I'm laying in bed posting this. It's my day off and I have very few plans for this day off.

The to do list goes something like this:
-get a 40 watt light bulb
-run
-babysit Haley and Katie!
- small group this evening

I hope I can manage to accomplish my list... What's on your Wednesday To Do list?
Happy Wednesday!!

Thursday, January 31, 2013

Thirty Thursday's {23}

List your top three hobbies and why you enjoy them?

Abby:
1. Decorating
2. Cooking/baking
3. Running

Why?  I like decorating and thinking about design and style elements. There's a sense of gratification when someone walks into your home and complements something. It makes me feel like someone else has an appreciation for something I've done.  I suppose the same is true for cooking and baking. I like to make tasty treats and I like knowing exactly what I'm putting into my body. I really like to run, it gives me the ability to "get out" my stress, frustrations, insecurities and anxiety. According to Pinterest, running is cheaper than therapy and I agree. (I also enjoy running so I can continue to bake tasty treats.)

Alex:
1. Watching sports
2. Spending time with the family
3. Playing golf

Why? I love to watch sports because I'm a man. I like being with family, especially since I'm an uncle now and the kids are pretty stinkin' cute and at the end of the day, family is always there. Golf has been a long time hobby that challenges me and is still a lot of fun.

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Thirty Thursday's {22}

If you had to move out of the country, where would you move?

Abby:
I would move to France. I would sit under the Eiffel Tower and eat croissants until I turned into Audrey Hepburn. Or Vespa around and see all the beautiful French things...and people. I would take an art class and become fluent in French. Now I want to go to France even more...

Alex:
I would move to Australia. I already speak the language and it seems to be quite adventurous. Australia has good weather, I could learn to surf and I could hopefully develop a nice accent.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

The Tragedy of First Position


My poor mother gets the brunt of the blame for most of my life's "problems." However,  I chose to quit dancing- especially ballet.  I quit not because I didn't like it, but because I was not very good and all of my classmates were far more talented. I do not post this to make fun of this sweet girl. She's adorable and it just goes to show that ballet is not easy or for everyone. You just have to know that you're not going to be good at everything and suck it up and try. Here's to trying....



Isn't she cute and determined and so stinking funny?!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Celebrate the small stuff...



We were early to church and I wasn't late or rushing to work at all this week!! Yay! Go team Abby-on-time! Hopefully I can keep my "resolution". That's about all of the excitement around here, so what's going on in your lives?


Friday, January 18, 2013

Snow Day

Over Christmas "break" (a long weekend) we got some snow and I never showed you any pictures of our fun! My sister's blog shows some of the kids but this is not your average mom blog here...we post about ourselves :) so here are Alex, Moose and I in the winter wonderland!






Thursday, January 17, 2013

Thirty Thursday's {21}

If you could be an Olympic athlete, in what event would you compete?

Abby:
I would be a gymnast! They are so cool and if I'd only been in tumbling classes instead of t-ball, I'd be better than Gabby Douglas. :)

Alex:
I would be a champion ping pong player, I'd be awesome. Or, I would fence; having sword fights as a career would be pretty cool.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Rise and Shine!

I'm not a morning person but, I am a breakfast person! I occasionally eat breakfast for lunch and dinner. Since I'm not  a morning person and my New Year's resolution is only going so-so, this Pinterest recipe was very appealing. I made these cupcake omelets and they are very good. All you have to do is put them in the microwave for a few seconds with some extra sprinkle cheese on top and you're ready to run out the door to meet the day! 

Omelet Cupcakes:

a48deaaf33148d71dd533a97e7d36ce1 Egg, Prosciutto & Tomato Muffins
You can definitely mix up the ingredients, like you would an omelette or egg scramble. The recipe below made 12 cupcakes.
Ingredients
8 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 slices of ham
1 chopped green pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 
Add eggs, milk, salt and pepper to a bowl. Beat together. Mix in ham, green peppers and cheese. Grease cupcake pan and pour mixture evenly into pan, so they’re about 3/4 full. Cook for approximately 30 minutes or until egg is set (ours cooked in 24-ish minutes). 

I edited this for what we used. But, to see the original recipe and website visit this website!

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Happy New Year...a week (or three) late.

I'm a little overdue, but Happy New Year! Along with the new year, come the resolutions. On New Year's Eve, at 11 pm a man posted on Twitter, "Great. I have one hour to lose 40 lbs." Good intentions pave the road to H-E- double hockey sticks...at least that's what they say...

Last year I decided to write a letter once a week to someone or many someone's and I did it! I only wrote to one person, my niece Nora. I chose her so I could chronicle the year, it's events and my hopes, dreams and prayers for her. She has 52 letters to someday read and learn about the year 2012 from my point of view.

This year my resolution isn't really measurable, but hopefully I can do it. I am going to try my hardest to work on my time management and (hopefully) stop being so late for everything. Here's hoping :)

Happy third week of the New Year and hopefully you've not broken your resolutions...yet!

(Ironically this post is three weeks late...)

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Thirty Thursday's {20}

Describe a silly memory from your childhood.

Abby:
This is incredibly embarrassing but it's the first thought that came to mind...let me preface this story by stating: I did not want to play T-Ball. My mom made me, forced me is more like it but, I played T-Ball, nonetheless. I wasn't good at it and even though it was just for "fun" I had no fun. So, I was the typical little girl that sat in outfield picking dandelions, minding my own business, drinking a ton of Gatorade and dreading the time when we were at bat. Batting was inevitable and in true T-Ball fashion, everyone bats- including yours truly. In one game I batted and ran like crazy...to third base, and then to second base, and then I realized I had gone the wrong way...and then I pee'd my pants. I will not make my children play T-Ball, I may not even let them if they want to because I'll be reminded of my terrible past...and now I've made this public knowledge. Great.

Alex:

Growing up, our dentist was good friends with my dad.The dentist's office was about 20 minutes from where we lived so, I fondly remember getting out of school to get my teeth cleaned. Dad would come to the school and pick Greg and I up and we would blast the radio all the way to the dentist. I remember getting my teeth cleaned and the very first time they had to numb my mouth, I had no idea what was going on.  The hygienist had to leave the room for some reason and  I remember going numb, thus creating a ton of saliva. So much saliva that it completely drenched the paper towel they clip to your neck. I didn't know if the saliva was part of the numbing, so I just let it go.  Later the dentist came to check on me...he laughed a lot, and then he went out to the waiting room and got my dad so he could laugh too. Silly story? Yes. Embarrassing? Not quite like Abby's...

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Recent happenings

Just a little update of our recent fun. We are really enjoying our pretty, new floors but, that's not stopping my endless "To Do" list from growing. I made a cute little front door plaque. I painted a piece of wood with chalk board paint, stapled on a ribbon and added a cute flower that donned a wedding gift we received from my cousin's wife, Amanda.

Then Alex painted our hallway "Snowfall" white by Behr on Friday evening. He let me help for a little while before kicking me out, apparently I'm not as skilled as he'd thought. And for the grand finale, we bought our pantry and assembled it. It's not what I was expecting, but I do like it and I'll really enjoy not having to keep my soup cans next to our towels in the linen closet. We purchased the pantry on a whim from Lowes and being the awesome planners that we are, we drove the Focus. While highly gas efficient and safe, it's not really great for transporting large objects. After Alex and Dylan (the Lowes loading "specialist" -he looked 17, which in my opinion is too young to be a specialist in anything. It just goes to show that they'll give anyone a title these days...) shoved the box in the car we puttered home to assemble. Three hours later and a few choice adjectives the pantry is holding my soup cans beautifully. Now to do laundry and create more fun activities to add to the list.





Thursday, January 3, 2013

Thirty Thursday's {19}

If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

Abby:
If I could live anywhere, hmm....I suppose it would be a toss up between a tropical island and Becky's basement. If I could be on perpetual vacation, there would be very little that could bring me down. I know Becky's basement sounds silly, but it's a nice basement and I could be a few yards from her at all times and Alex would come, too. I grew up next door to my aunt. So, my mom and aunt were (seemingly) always together (however, they will quickly point out that that's not the case, and they don't eat every meal together) and I would like to always be with my sister...but I'm not to sure that she, Jared or Alex would like this arrangement. 

Alex: 
I would live at (insert our address) so I could always live with Abby, and we've done a lot of work and I just want to stay and enjoy it. 


*Editor's note: Alex's response is not very creative and I (Abby) assumed we were to choose a different location. But, I do like and enjoy our new little ranchalow with Alex. 

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Floors

Our Kitchen floors were not attractive...at all. They were scratched, stained and just worn out.

After the wall came out there was a large space where there was no flooring, just the sub-flooring. So, a new floor was on our to do list. Alex's dad is the handiest of handy men and was eager to help us. The floor went down in one (long) day. But, Eric, Sue and Alex did a great job and I tried to help, but ended up getting in the way, so I was on vacuum duty. I think the pictures speak for themselves...


We used Pergo and I think it looks fantastic. They did a great job. On day two Eric and Sue came back to help lay the quarter round and base boards. I know for certain that we couldn't have done it with out their help and we can't thank them enough. But, thank you so much! Hopefully, we can help you with your house soon!


Saturday, December 29, 2012

Things that make me laugh...part 2

Laughter is good. Good for me, good for you, good for everyone...so, back by popular "demand" (ie: Kacey's request) Things that make me laugh part II.











I almost died (and went to Heaven...where there are no dogs or rocks) :)


Dear Husband:
     


Thursday, December 27, 2012

Thirty Thursday's {18}

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and are eagerly anticipating the New Year. This question wasn't a hard one for Alex, but it definitely took me some thought.

What is your favorite professional sport?

Abby:
My favorite professional sport.....is a compilation of a lot  of sports: The Summer Olympics. They're so good and they're not the traditional ESPN covered sports. I like to watch the diving, swimming, running and gymnastics most. Although, I did enjoy watching the Crew teams.

Alex:
To watch or to play? To watch is football, specifically the Rams. I know, they're not the greatest team, but they're my team. To play? Golf.

"Oh what fun..."

Some people would end the song, "it is to ride, in a one horse open sleigh," but in the Williams' household the song ends, "it is to be a home owner!"
I will begin with some background information first...

This morning I asked Alex to turn the crockpot on so we could eat a nice dinner...fortunately he turned it on. Unfortunately I didn't specify the temperature, so our chicken cooked for 8 hours on high...yum. Upon arriving home and smelling our crispy, blackened chicken, I turned it off and dumped it down the garbage disposal -bad choice #2 (number one was not specifying the temperature for the crockpot).

After running some water down the drain I decided that if I put some dish soap with the water it would give the pipes a nice bath (bad choice #3). Unbeknownst to me, our garbage disposal is a hunk of junk and when one uses too many bubbles in combination with too much water and food bad things happen.

In our basement we have a creepy, cinder block shower with a (seemingly) useless pipe. Apparently this pipe is where our extra bubbles, food and water spill over.
Luckily I went down stairs to check our dehumidifier and noticed the Nile of bubbles headed to our floor drain.

Alex mopped up the mess and I cringe the whole time.

Moral of the story: just because you have a garbage disposal, doesn't mean it works or drains properly. Hopefully it will be an easy(ish) repair and Alex's incredibly handy father can tackle it. My fingers are crossed.


Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Merry Christmas

Merry, Merry Christmas. I hope you have the most fantastic Christmas of all year : ). This time of year is so wonderful and magical. People smile more, are more generous and tend to be even more kind than usual. It's a great season and I hope that you get to enjoy family, friends and good food. We are excited to see our friends and family, and I've put in my menu requests with my Mom. So, good food will be easy to come by. Thank you so much for reading my little blog and making me feel somewhat special when my "blog views" are more than two (Me and Alex).



Merry Christmas!
-Alex, Abby & Moose-