I'm still here!

I know, I know, it's been for-eh-va! Every time I log on to my blog, I get overwhelmed because I have too much to say, but I've procrastinated so much that I don't have the energy to write it all down. =) So here it sits, not updated. Well, let's quickly fix that.

-out of school for the summer, SO happy!
-still remodeling, will post pictures soon
-going to Maui in August and we can't wait! We haven't been on a "real" vacation in 4 years!
-looking forward to working out, getting things done around the house and playing a lot over the summer!
-walked the Sound-to-Narrows with my mom- not as impressive as Stephanie's triathlon training, but I have to start somewhere, right? =)
-ate a cupcake yesterday at Cupcake Royale with no guilt.
- going to a wedding shower and then a wedding this weekend
- going to our lake cabin for the 4th next week
- need to do laundry and take a shower so the girls aren't appalled by me tonight. =) Don't tell them I've been wearing the same outfit since yesterday...

Hope everyone is having a great day!

For Jessica :)

Jessica made a comment that she was checking to see more kitchen photos- here you go, girl! I went to go look at faucets today at a kitchen/bath showroom. We haven't found anything we like at the big box stores, so I was excited to go to a place that specializes in fixtures. We really feel like all the things that are going to be touched in the new kitchen should feel sturdy and slick :), so I found a few fixtures I liked...now comes the part where Mark comes with me and we try to agree- fortunately, we have similar taste, so it should be easy!


This is the sink area- see where that vent is, right by the door? Ya, real energy efficient. We'll be taking that out and moving the counter all the way to the door, and then placing the sink cabinet on an angle so we can put a regular sink in there.


Goodbye old sink. You are gross.


The wall opened up- it's HUGE without that wall there! On the other side of that plastic is another good 10 feet of the dining room!


No more ugly tile.


Nasty. See all that black mold? No wonder no matter how much I cleaned, this place just smells kinda...well...moldy. Now I know why.

We'll be out of a functioning kitchen all next week, granite should come around the 18th and then we'll be back in business! The next round of pics should hopefully include the newly-installed oven and moved sink cabinet.

The remodel...phase one

First, I hate blogger. Why can't it just put the pictures in order like I uploaded them? GRR!!
So...the dust has started blowing at the Pearson home. Since blogger is a little stinker, I'll have to talk about things backwards. In this phase, we're working on parts of the kitchen- new sink/oven/countertops and knocking out a wall inbetween the kitchen and dining room. Very exciting. Then this summer we'll reface the cabinets and replace all the flooring on the main level with hardwood.




Our dinner the first night with no kitchen...not bad! of course, I'm holding a glass of wine in my hand...no remodel is complete without it! :)


The plastic wall. :)



Oh, old oven. How sad to see you go...not really. you burn everything, you kinda smell like chemicals every time I use you, you have weird seed things stuck in your control panel. How will I live without you? Happily.


The wall where the oven and fridge were (see before pics below) The fridge will go in that little corner.



The WORST sink setup ever! Can't wait to change it!



Looking into the living room...and the plastic wall.



The wall where the oven/fridge were.



The kitchen before. The dining room is on the other side of the wall where the fridge/oven is. There is a small pass-through hallway on the other side of the fridge, but it's so small and we never use our dining room because it feels like a cave in there. With everything opened up, we're hoping we'll use it more often.


Before...don't mind me. :)

Busy bullets...

Hmm...that title sounds kinda weird...but you know what I mean, right? :)

you might be (or maybe not) =) wondering where I've been...well, I've been trying to limit my internet time because I feel like it's can be an endless pit and a time-sucker at times. I used to really love blogging and seeing what my buddies are up to through this venue, but lately, I'd rather just call them or get together in person. So, I have 10 minutes online right now and I'm going to use a few to get caught up...Here's what we've been up to:

-I'm on spring break this week and have loved hanging out with friends and getting stuff done around the house.
-The remodel start date is fast-approaching! I can't wait...for it to be over! :)
-Bought a stainless steel, convection, Kitchen Aid oven on Craigslist for...ready?...$400! It looks brand-new AND still has 5 years left on the warranty! They retail for $2400 or so...totally a "God" thing.
-Been working out 3 times/week and going to the chiropractor for my back issue. I really don't want it to be a problem in pregnancy and so I need to get on top of it now.
- I've started singing with the worship team at church and I love it...it's such a big place, I knew I needed to get involved in order to feel a part of the community...we're still looking for a small group.
-Getting a bunch of stuff together to sell on Craigslist this week.
-Getting a haircut today, nothing exciting, just a trim...although I'd love a 'do like Anne. :) I'm not brave enough, though. She looks so cute, I'd just look like an egg-head.
-Trying to make decisions with Mark on flooring, cabinets, paint...the great thing about being married to a designer. :) Although, I have a pretty strong eye, so it usually takes us a while to make a choice together.
-My phone is driving me crazy, I want to throw it against the wall.
-School is going great, can't believe we're only 10 weeks away from the last day of school!

Okay, my minutes are up! Time to go fold some laundry- have a great afternoon, friends!

The Jonas Brothers visit local elementary school!!

Today was "Career Day" at school and my fab teaching partners and I decided to be The Jonas Brothers...that's a career, right? It was the most ridiculous thing ever. We walked around all day together and forced our students to call us Kevin, Nick and Joe. I had really creepy fake eyebrows and my kids got so much work done because I kept threatening to wiggle my eyebrows at them (which they thought was so gross). =)

It was a long day...signing autographs, trying to get our under-paid publicist to keep the fans at bay, impromptu hallway performances...it's tough being a celebrity.

By the way, you really must click on the pictures and enlarge them to grasp the full effect of "the eyebrows".





- Impromptu hallway performance (gotta keep the fans happy)
- Photo op
- Showing off our purity rings

A weekend in pictures...

I'm on mid-winter break this week (yahoo!) and have been enjoying checking off my to-do list, visiting with friends and family, and in general just loving being in charge of my own time.=) This past weekend we had a great time celebrating V-day and my birthday in Seattle. One of my dear friends got married Saturday morning, so that's what began our festivities. We stayed at the W hotel, a place we've always wanted to try, had a fabulous dinner at Palomino (thanks, mom and dad!), went to the aquarium, walked around Pike Place market, stood in line for what seemed like an hour at the original Starbucks (my americano was definitely worth the wait), watched the man at the Beecher's cheese shop stir a HUGE tub of cheese, and enjoyed great sunny weather the whole time. Ironically, as we drove home, it started to rain.

I feel so blessed to be able to celebrate another birthday. My mom always says that having another year to celebrate IS a reason to celebrate, and we did...with pizza brought by Mark's parents and a delish cake brought by mine...I've never felt more sure of myself, confident in who I am, and content with my life than I am right now. I have the knowledge of Christ as my Savior, a husband who is so amazing it's hard to describe in words, a beautiful house that is much to large for the 2 of us, a job that I love, the ability to have extra money to create goals with...a lot of people don't have half of what I have...and I know it could all be taken away in an instant. The Lord is SO good and I'm overcome with adoration and awe in Him.

Today I'm looking forward to checking a few more things off my list, getting to visit with some of the kiddos I used to nanny and their mama, and excited about bible study tonight! I hope you're all enjoying the day! xo

From Facebook...enjoy =)

25 things about me...



1. I love the Lord with all my heart. The older I get, the more intense and deep my relationship with Him becomes. I'm grateful for all He's done in my life and I because of the way things always work out, I know His hand is guiding me.

2. I'm blessed to be married to the best guy ever. Mark is so level-headed and a wonderful leader for me. He's also really good at surprising me; I'm sneaky, but I've never been able to find out one of his surprises before he reveals it to me. =)

3. I love kids. I think about having children of my own every day, and the desire only gets stronger with time. I used to look at Mark and just see my life-partner, but now when I look at him, I also see the father of our children.

4. I loved being stuck at home for 3 days during the snow last year. I can always find projects to do around the house, and I just love putzing around, cooking, baking, cleaning and organizing.

5. Our friends, the Turners, gave us some Dave Ramsey materials last summer and once we got started, we sold our brand new car, bought a 1968 Chevy (that Mark loves, thank goodness!) and have paid off almost $30,000 of debt in the past 6 months. We paid our last chunk this last Monday and are now debt-free!

6. We're planning a pretty large remodel this summer that we're going to pay for in cash.

7. I enjoy singing "Old Man River" in a low man voice to my students.

8. My hot water bottle is my constant companion during the winter months. My brother and Mark make fun of me and say it looks like a bladder. I'm convinced that I'm saving money because instead of turning up the heat, I just boil some water for my hot water bottle. Mark says I'm wrong.

9. Mark has some really weird nick-names for me that all end in the word "bin". The one he chooses usually have something to do with what I'm doing at the time, for instance, if he thinks I'm cute, he may call me "Cute-bin" or "Pee-bin". But, if I burp or toot, he often calls me "Gross-bin" or "Dump-bin".

10. I like to take naps, but I also hate wasting time, so I don't take them very often. Because of this, Mark calls my naps "World Famous" and will often ask me on a SAturday morning if I'm going to be able to fit in one of my "World Famous Pee-bin naps".

11. I love coffee. I used to drink flavored lattes a lot, but now I just love drip coffee and when I do go to Starbucks, I order and Americano.

12. I love my class. I have the best group of students in the world. They make me smile everyday and they truly care about me, which is the best feeling. I hope to not work when we have kids, but if I do, I know I can return to the best job ever.

13. I have a routine in the shower. Wash face, shampoo, conditioner, then soap/shave. If I do it any other way, it messes up my whole day.

14. Mark, my brother and I are having a "dry month" this month. I usually have an occasional glass of wine with dinner, but I'm not a big drinker- I just didn't want to be left out of the competition. =) The funny thing is, we started this on Superbowl Sunday, one of the biggest drinking days of the year, it seems. But we're all doing a good job, so far!

15. I love to read, but often don't make time for it. I read "teacher books", student work, and emails all day long, so when I get home, I don't want to read at all.

16. I had braces for 4 1/2 years.

17. I have a chip in one of my front teeth that got there by me trying to entertain one of the kids I used to babysit when I was in high school. I was showing the kid how a wooden toy worked and it shot into my mouth. I now have the chip repaired every time I go to the dentist.

18. I love Haribro Twin Cherries gummy candy. The only place I've found it is at World Market. Every time I go there, I buy a couple bags, gorge on them, and then I don't want more for several months.

19. I was never able to sit "criss-cross-apple-sauce" when I was a kid. My legs would immediately fall asleep. Instead, I would sit with my legs in the shape of a "W". To this day, that's how I sit. People always comment on how weird it is.

20. I love making strange faces at myself in the mirror. It makes me laugh. If Mark reads this, I'm sure he'll be surprised by this because it's not something I go around telling people and I don't know that he knows this about me. =)

21. Adding on to number 20, I often play out conversations I'm going to have or have had in the mirror to see what I really look like when I talk. I think my brother caught me doing this a few times when we both lived at home and shared a bathroom and thought I was really dumb. Maybe so, but know I never have to wonder what I look like when I talk to people, because I've already practiced...

22. I make extreme noises when I have the hiccups and it always throws Mark and my brother into laughter.

23. Speaking of my brother, Aaron and I used to not be super close, but over the last 6 years or so, we've been really honest with each other, had some bad fights, and have become closer than ever. My perfect Friday night would include hanging out with him and Mark, eating great food and talking. Aaron is one of the coolest people I know and I'm so very proud of the person he is. I smile every time I think about him. It also helps that he's super fun, too. =)

24. I love to send hand-written cards. Even though I email constantly, I think it's over-rated and there's nothing better than receiving a note in the mailbox, old-school style.

25. Oh, man, just realized this is my last one....it should probably be a good one, huh? Okay- I'm not a modest person when it comes to sharing gross things about myself or gross/embarrassing situations I've been in. I think "bathroom humor" is funny. For instance, I once peed my pants in college while in the cafeteria. I was telling a really funny story and felt a little "squirt", but thought nothing of it. When I got back to my dorm, I went into the bathroom, glanced in the full-length mirror, and realized my light gray sweatpants were all wet. No one ever said anything to me about it, so either they were trying to be nice, or they're still laughing about it today. =)