Things Around Here

Things around here are busy... I'm sitting in our office during what seems like a huge thunderstorm outside because it hasn't rained in literally a month.  It's almost refreshing in a way seeing the wind blow through the trees, streets getting soaked, and hearing the sound of the wind howling.  It's almost as if life was breathed back into nature.  

I worked from home yesterday afternoon after a meeting, and I sat up my computer in our kitchen to finish my day, and I couldn't get past how awful our house looked and I became overwhelmed with the amount of work that I wanted to do in our house to get it to the point that I consider satisfactory.  So, I did what I do best and made a list of the items that I could accomplish from now and throughout the weekend, so I could have a clear goal of the things I wanted to get done and have the joy of crossing tasks off the list.  Then, of course, Greg called and asked if I wanted to go biking on a trail by our house, so I decided it was more important to spend time together since our week is so full of activities of our own.

The items on this particular list were to do the dishes, fold the laundry, sew the curtains for the Dining Room, fix the paint in the half bath, patch the wall in the Dining Room, mop the kitchen floors and apply the Orange Glow finish, wipe down the kitchen cabinets and fix the stain where it has been removed for whatever reason, wipe down all the baseboards and doors, organize the back of the basement, pull out all the dead plants in the yards and pull weeds, spray paint the exterior fixture in the backyard, and clean our bathroom.  And to also mention that we have to cook and clean up after ourselves throughout the week, go grocery shopping, the wood on the stairs needs to be dusted, we have to do our weekly vacuuming, we're installing a fence this weekend, AND we have no energy.  I think I'm just writing these down for you, so I will be held accountable for finishing them. 

A typical week for us is Mondays - the Bachelor is on and I go to my friend's house to make dinner and watch the show, Tuesdays - Greg plays on an ultimate frisbee team in Lawrence, but he hasn't gone to most of his games because he is worn out, Wednesdays - Greg plays on a work softball team in Olathe, Thursdays - no plans, but typically we are preparing for the weekend, Fridays and Saturdays - usually always hanging out with friends and inviting them over where we speed clean to make the house look presentable, and Sundays - catching up on sleep, being lazy around the house, running errands and going to church...

So, back to the matter at hand.  Things around here are busy, but I guess I'm somewhat guilty of this because this is the life I'm choosing for myself.  I love to be busy, but I feel like I'm drowning with things that aren't important.  I've never been a procrastinator, but now more than ever I don't like starting a project that I can't finish.  I had dreams of a perfectly put together house, evenings of coming home and loving to work out, and possibly working on a craft project or being able to read a book. 

We've all had these dreams or similar ones and my life is no different than yours.  We are all busy trying to get by as best as we can, sometimes finding success and other times failing miserably.  It's hard to find that balance in our lives because each week our needs change, and we have to work towards a new goal and dedicate our time to something different; all along not forgetting to love those near and dear to us.

It's very awakening, and might I say uncomfortable, to sit back and self-reflect on what's going on in your life, where you're headed, and what you consider important, and if you're going to get there on the track that you're on.  I think if we really thought about it, we would probably be encouraged to change a few things, be inspired by the simple things in life that make us happy, and love ourselves and those around us unconditionally.

Moving into 2012 Technology

Greg had suggested a while back that maybe I should get a tablet in order to keep up with the "times".  I had mixed feelings at the time because I can't stand it when Greg is constantly on his phone in the car or while we're out at dinner or when I am in meetings at work and people have out their cell phone checking email or on the internet when they should have their full attention on what is being said.  It is one of my biggest pet peeves, and a really bad habit of others in my opinion. 

Society has become so dependent on technology, and it does make day to day activities easier, but personalities and the ability to have a simple conversation with a person suffer.  However, I do believe that I need to continue to evolve with the times and learn to use a tablet or I will end up like my mother, who we had to teach how to use the remote to the TV at the age of 8.

So, I've convinced myself that a tablet would be nice to be even more mobile than a laptop, be able to create my beloved lists again, take it to the grocery store, see recipes for cooking, read more, and find other fun apps that I would find useful.  Greg also said he would be interested in one for himself to be more mobile for his work.

We went to Best Buy and came home with 2 tablets.  Greg got an Asus tablet with a 10.1" screen and I got a smaller 7" Samsung tablet.  Greg has set up his tablet to work with the program that he uses at work for his projects, and I slowly find more apps that I find interesting.  Greg went back and purchased a keyboard that he can use with his tablet, and I love a case that I bought that props mine up for better viewing.

It's been about 4 weeks now with our tablets, and I do fall in love with it more and more.  The grocery list app organizes it perfectly for my route through the grocery store, and then as I check off the items, it gets rid of them so I know that I got everything on my list.  Brilliant!  I also check Facebook and Groupon more often to keep in touch with friends and not miss a good deal.  This morning, I bought my first book to read on the Kindle app, "The Introvert & Extrovert in Love", but more on that book in another post.

Anyway, if you have ever thought about getting a tablet, go for it!  They're useful, fun and my smaller sized one is super mobile.  I do still feel like there is a certain time to use it and other times when it should be put away, but I have trouble convincing Greg of this.

Welcome to Our Painted Dreams!

We started this blog to connect with those who we don't see all the time or wait too long to pick up the phone and call, but the blog to this point has mainly been about our house projects.  But as you can see from the lack of posts, we have settled down a bit on the projects and have enjoyed our lives and the busyness of this summer. 

I began to think about where I really wanted to go with this blog and what the message would be.  The title of The Miller Family just wasn't cutting it, and the title and URL having our name in it was a little too personal for me.  I began to think about my life to this point and how it all started from a dream - to grow up, go to school and get a job, find a husband, buy a house, have some pets, maybe children one day, and live happily ever after.  If it could only be that simple, right?  I've accomplished 5 of those dreams, I'm still growing up and changing constantly, the potential of children look good for the future, and my life overall is pretty happy, although I can't help but feel like something is missing.

I think so many of us go through the hustle and bustle of our busy lives and don't stop to think about where we are really going or what we're working towards or if there should be something that we're working towards.  So, here's to slowing down and focusing on what really matters - my personal happiness, my relationship with Greg, enriching our lives together, and creating a happy environment that we can call our home.

3D Movie Experience

Greg and I are starting to become very lucky at the AMC 30 Theater in Olathe for the Fork & Screen movies, or at least we think so.  Last night we had our first 3D movie experience and saw The Avengers.  The fight scenes were cool, but overall I don't know if it was worth wearing the 3D glasses the entire time and paying more for the ticket.

The AMC theater by our house offers "Fork & Screen" where you can order dinner in the movie and they will serve you as if you were at a restaurant.  We went to our first dinner and a movie experience in the AMC theater downtown going to the Cinema Suites, where they offered leather reclining chairs to sit in, and we had awesome service.  At the Olathe location, we have had a different experience. 

It all started when we saw 21 Jump Street two weeks ago.  We got there before the previews started, ordered our food, watched as everyone else received their food, and then our check was dropped off.  We told our waitress that we had not received our food, and she apologized and brought it out right away, and we didn't have to pay for our meal.

Last night, same deal.  We ordered before the previews, watched everyone else get their food, and then I asked Greg after my stomach started growling if it was going to happen again.  He said to wait a little longer so a free meal was garunteed.  After waiting over an hour, we pressed the button for service.  A gentleman came by, and we told him we didn't have our food.  After coming back a couple times, we were told the computer crashed and our order was lost.  So, Greg's southwest chicken wrap and my lobster seafood salad sandwich were free.  The manager also came by and gave us free movie tickets to another move!  The second time was better, and I'm looking forward to the third!

Can't complain!  The movie was good as well, and we recommend it to all.

Playstation Move

During the week I got home and Greg said, "You're not going to like this, but you're going to find out anyway." My response, "Okay..." Then, Greg said, "I got a playstation, but it was free, and it doesn't work right now."  So, I wasn't worried at the time that my free time with Greg would no longer be.

Greg's friend's playstation didn't work, so he went out and got another one.  He gave the old one to Greg, and said he could have it because Greg thought he could fix it.  I couldn't tell you what was wrong with it, but Greg went out and bought a heat gun and melted some parts together, got the machine to turn on, went through some updates, and we now have a functioning playstation.

I really don't care for gaming systems because a lot of time is wasted sitting in front of the TV rather than doing anything else.  However, we had a Wii growing up, and I do like the interaction of the Wii games.  Greg informed me that Playstation has a similar function called the Playstation Move, so Friday we went out, spent around $250, and we are stocked for the rest of the year.

We got a gaming package with the typical sports game and another medevil game, Greg got a zombie killing game and the associated gun just for looks, and I got a work out game.  The sports game has bocce ball, ping pong, disc golf, a medieval fighting game, and archery, which has become one of our favorites.


Greg Shooting Zombies...



Greg Shooting Targets in Archery

So, we spent a lot of the day on Saturday playing some games, and we are looking forward to playing with friends and family next time they come over.  The next step is convincing Greg that it needs to be moved to the basement.  I think I'm almost there because the fitness game has a lot of jumping around that can't be good for our floors...

Fashion Star

Today I wanted to share a proud moment of my sister, Mackie, who is graduating college this year and has been working hard all semester for the upcoming fashion show in April.  In their senior year, the students get to design a collection, and Mackie has chosen her design to be her passion of High Fashion.  Mackie has found her love of print making, and she has dyed all of these silk fabrics by wrapping them around a large wine bottle, applying the dye, and microwaving it for the dye to set in.  She could explain it much better I’m sure.  They have to go through Jury, and then the judges decide which looks will make it in the fashion show.  Jury was held last weekend, and Mackie was able to get all of her dresses in!  I’m so excited for her, and I wish her the best of luck in finding a job she loves.

We’re all looking forward to the fashion show including Greg, as he stayed up late the other night to finish the new show, Fashion Star, all by himself!

Curtains & Plates

This weekend was quite a success in finding more items to complete the Dining Room.  I went to the JC Penney Outlet, and to my surprise, they improved their Home Furnishings Department.  They had lots of cute accent chairs that I may try to convince Greg to buy on the upcoming friends and family weekend or another time in the future when we are ready to finish another room. 

I found some yellow plates to add a splash of color in the dining room.  The dinner plates were $1 and the smaller plates were 50 cents, so I think I got a good deal. 

I also went to JoAnn Fabrics and found a fabric pattern that I would like to make curtains from.  I had to order the fabric, so hopefully it will arrive soon enough so I can have my mom help me sew them over the upcoming weekends that we will be home.  I took a picture of the fabric draped over the fabric canvases that we have hanging in the room, so you can have a sneak peak of what they will look like. 

I thought I was going to go with a lighter color because I thought the gray color on the walls was going to darken the room too much, but after getting everything all put together in the room, I wanted to add in more green.  I just couldn't find a solid green fabric that matched well enough, and I love that these curtains will be another pop of art in the room.  I can't wait!

I also started to look at flowers to make arrangements for some of the vases in the Dining Room.  It's way too hard for me to look at the flowers and choose something I like.  I will have to search pictures of them on the internet that I like and bring that to the store to copy.  Another project for another day.

Half Man, Half Woman

The Miller's, Deanna and Danielle, visited a few weekends ago.  We always love family coming in town and staying at our house, so all are welcome at any time. 

We have a game called Loaded Questions that we like to play with our family and friends.  It's a light hearted game where one simply rolls the dice, lands on a certain color, and reads the question on the card associated with the color.  The colors represent the categories of anything goes, personals, and hypotheticals.  When it's your turn, you will read the question, and those around you answer it, and then you pass it to a person to read the answers, and the person whose turn it is, has to guess who answered which way.  So, sometimes the answers are interesting conversation starters...

There was a particular question that brought us all to tears that I would like to further share with you.  The question was, "What was your favorite halloween costume?"

The, the answers were read, "Butterfly", "Grim Reaper", and "Half Man, Half Woman".

Immediately everyone started laughing, and "laughing" would be an understatement.  We were all bending over laughing, barely breathing with tears falling from our eyes.  But whose answer was it?  Deanna's, Greg's or Shayna's? 

Needless to say, Danielle guessed them all correctly, and I had to explain how my mother never bought our costumes, and we made them every year; however, Mom, I must ask, WHY?!?  How do you think of such interesting ideas to set me apart from all the other trick-or-treaters?

I wish I had a picture of the full costume, but my mom could not find one.  The lower half of the costume consisted of jeans on one side, and a skirt on the other.  As you can see from the pictures, I was wearing a nice necklace on one side, and a tie on the other.  The make-up and hair style were split as well.  Who knows, I was probably dressed in a high heal on one side and sneaker on the other and walked around like that all night long!

I hope you all enjoy, and I can't wait to play the game again with all of you. 
I love you, Mom, and I hope I gain your eye for creativity one day!

Juicin'

We went out looking for furniture this weekend and came home with a juicer.  I was thinking about getting Greg a juicer for Christmas, but it was too important of a decision to not have his input.  After doing some research, I found that people are very particular about their juicers and sometimes it's better to get a starter juicer before one gets into serious juicing and learns all the tricks.  So, consider this, our starter juicer, the Jack Lalanne Juicer.

After getting home around 11 PM, we couldn't wait until the next day to start using it.  Luckily we had pretty many fruits and vegetables in the house to make our first cup, which contained carrots, apples, and grapes.  Each cup had around 3 carrots, a handful of grapes and 1 apple.  It actually turned out pretty good and my favorite so far.

We went to Aldi's the next morning to load up on fruits and vegetables for our new lives as juicers.  We bought a ton of produce for only $27, so that made me happy.  For lunch we made the Green Machine, which contained cucumbers, kiwis, apples and broccoli flowers.  This one was not my favorite, but we told ourselves we liked it because we knew it was good for us.

The juicer came with recipes not only for juice mixes, but also ways to use the pulp in healthy recipes.  I used the apple pulp and small amount of juice and mixed it with flour, wheat flour, honey, cinnamon and milk to make apple spice muffins.  They were just okay...maybe too healthy for us.  I was thinking about mailing some to Mackie for Valentine's Day, but they weren't good enough for her standards.  Sorry, Mack, we'll send you another sample sometime.

The Green Machine

 

 

Apple Spice Muffins