Stuck at home.

I am off today! I normally live for my day off during the week. I wish I could run around town and shop and run errands, but the hubs took my vehicle today to his work. Its the better of the two for driving in the snow. SO I am stuck here until he gets home. WHAT TO DO?

Blog..check

Laundry...nah.

Dishes...that's HIS job :)

DIY project? maybe? but that would probably require a trip to hobby lobby.

build a snowman? no fun by yourself. and TOO COLD! It is in the single digits. no snowman today.

Check out my icicles!

I have decided to tackle THIS. my coat/craft/anything else closet in my dining room. Its a nightmare. Every time I have to look for something, I have to pull everything out. 

BEFORE..clutter, clutter everywhere.

AFTER: less clutter! more organization. I just used shoe boxes to organize things in. Not the cutest, but it works just fine for a closet.

Next, I decided to get a few things ready for my new DESK! It is coming really soon!  I have been using a table and small hutch for a desk and it just isn't working out. Not enough room for everything. I found this one on Amazon.com for a great price. I originally wanted an antique roll top/secretary desk but everyone was wanting like 500 for them. I settled for this cutie: 

I LOVE it! I sold lots of items on craigslist to make some money to pay for it. I love craigslist! I have sold TONS of stuff and have always had good luck with the people I have sold to. I dug some more stuff out of the closet above to sell. so fun!

These are some of the things I will be adding to the desk, just some simple Kimmie style organizers. :)

I am using some of my treasured blue ball jars from my granny for pens, paperclips, and markers, etc. 

Now off to find some more stuff to do, besides watching mindless daytime TV.

"SNOWMAGEDDON" 2011.

Snowmageddon hit NW Arkansas last night and it continued its fury most of today. We actually set a state snowfall record for most snow in one event. Snow totals for this area were Rogers: 22 inches; Springdale: 21 inches;  Bentonville: 14"; and Fayetteville: 18"....according to channel 5 news.

I actually made it into work today!.. but only stayed for about half of the day. Here is what we say this AM when we woke up. Patrick had to dig the car out so he could take me to work.

Poor Tucker could barely get through the snow to go potty

So then I finally got to work and this was my view from the drive through window...

a few hours later....

WOW!!

Later this afternoon when I got home, Patrick decided to dig a trail out for the dogs to go out back...

much better!

Patrick couldn't resist playing in the snow for a bit.

Here is my snow angel..

I am hoping this wintry weather is over for good very soon. We have had our fair share this year! 

Hope everyone is safe and warm today!

9.degrees.

My furnace/heater died today. Its been on its last leg for a while now so I shouldn't be surprised, but reaallly?? Tonight! when its supposed to be 9 degrees tonight?! Real Funny Furnace. The technician we spoke with said it sounded to him like its probably a cracked thingymabobber due to its age (1983)? (can't remember what it was) and if so it would have to shut down and red flagged due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. EEEEK! Oh goodness. Maybe the furnace breaking down is a blessing in disguise? 

Luckily we have space heaters, lots of blankets, extra layers, and a fluffy dog to keep us warm. I will actually be so happy to go to work tomorrow just so I can be somewhere that has heat!

I think its safe to say that everyone is NWA is sick of this winter weather. I am starting to despise this white stuff. 

I wish I was on a sandy beach somewhere basking in the warm sun. I hope Punxsutawney Phil

 is right and spring is near.

Phil sure is a fatty but he's cute!

 I am very ready for GREEN and tulips and daffodils.

ANYWAYS... on to Jimmy Johns and what I had for dinner....

Anyone else LOVE Jimmy Johns like I do?? I am forever addicted to the beach club unwich. (pictured above) Basically, its a sandwich wrapped in lettuce. It saves you tons of carbs! I had a mad craving for one tonight, but the nearest JJs is in Bentonville. I was not going to drive over there in this weather so I drove to the Harps just down the street instead. I picked up all the key ingredients (Iceberg Lettuce, turkey, cucumbers, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, avacado, mayo (light), and provolone cheese) and made it Kimmie style and even rolled it up in parchment paper(all I had). It actually turned out sooo good!

Ice, ICE baby...

TOO COLD! TOO COLD!

The sleet/ice/snow is coming down hard here in NWA and its only going to get worse throughout the day. Just about everything is closed, except for WALGREENS! I am one of the unfortunate ones that has to work today and tomorrow and Thursday too..BUT days like this are the perfect opportunity to get lots of cleaning and managerial things done. SO if anyone needs their meds, I will be at work!

Today's "Winter Blast" brings me back to the Ice Storm of 2009. The power outages and damages across NWA and surrounding areas were devastating.

 I have one GOOD memory of the ice storm though... During the week of that storm was when I knew I was in LOVE with my Patrick. We had only known each other for about a month. He drove me to and from work throughout the storm, checked on my house, and helped with the clean up after the storm. He was genuinely concerned for my safety and I knew at that point he was someone I could definitely trust and that would always take care of me. Two years later, he is still that same wonderful man I fell in love with.

He will be driving me to and from work later and throughout the week. Little things like that mean so much to me. I am truly blessed!
On days like this, I just wish I could spend the day on my couch, warm and cozied up like this:

reading a new book like....

OR spend the day making a hearty batch of soup like this:

The recipe comes from my favorite cookbook, Southern Living Slow-Cooker Cookbook

Tomato Florentine Soup

3 cups chicken broth

2 (14 and 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano, and garlic, undrained

1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (10 ounce) pkg frozen spinach, thawed and well drained

1 cup chopped onion

1 and 1/2 teaspoons of minced garlic

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 (9 ounce) pkg refrigerated cheese filled tortellini

Garnish: Parmesan Cheese

Combine first 8 ingredients in a 4 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5 1/2 hours; add pasta, and cook on Low for 30 more minutes. Garnish with parmesan cheese if desired. Makes 10 cups. 

It goes perfect with a grilled cheese sandwich!

a few of my favorite things...

I am spending my day off suffering from an icky cold, a gift from my dear husband! Thanks P! ;) Kleenex and Cold medicine are my friends today.  I read someone's blog about one of their favorite things... mason jars. I heart mason jars too! I decided to blog about some of my most favorite things. Of course my top favorite things in this world are my God, my husband, my step-daughter, my dog, friends and fam.. .but these are my favorite THINGS. Just the little things in my life that make me :) :)

Blue Mason Jars. Love them. I used them for vases at my wedding. They are also great for holding pens, paper clips, and so much more. Most of mine are my granny's and I will treasure them forever. Others I found at random antique stores.

My Pandora bracelet. My mother and sister in law started me on my Pandora bracelet. Most of my beads are gifts from them, my mother, Patrick, or Melissa. Each one has a special story behind it!

Watching the TODAY show. On my days off or days I work the later shift, you can find me drinking a cup of coffee and watching the TODAY show. Its how I keep up with whats going on in the world. I especially love the Hoda Kotb/Kathy Lee Gifford segment at 10. Good times!

COFFEE. COFFEE. COFFEE. I can't resist a good cup of coffee! My mom used to tell me I would be a coffee drinker once I got into my thirties... I never believed her but she was right! Whether its from Starbucks or my beloved Keurig, its an absolute necessity these days. 

BIRDS. Not bird watching but bird "things." I <3 all things bird. This is my favorite

bird picture that I have in my bathroom. I found it at The Perfect Choice in Bentonville.

Sweets!! I have a sweet tooth for sure. I need sweets every day! I LOVE getting dessert at restaurants and always try hard to save room for it. Its the perfect ending to a great meal. One of my all time favorite desserts is...

TIRAMISU. :) I have never been brave enough to make it myself. Maybe one day...

GOOD TuNeS.  I need good tunes when driving to work in the morning or driving on road trips. A good tune  sets the tone for my day. Currently, I am listening to Chris Tomlin's newest cd, I will follow. GREAT cd!

Hunting for BARGAINS!!  Finding a sweet deal on something is like finding a treasure! I love stores like TJMaxx. Yes, I am a maxxinista! I have found super deals from TJMaxx...but you have to be in the mood to "dig" and find that special treasure. My fav buy from TJ's is this Big Buddha bag that I got for 39. Love it!

QUILTS... not just any quilt, but family hand me down quilts. I have a few quilts from my granny/great granny that I hope to pass on in the future.

Well, these are just a handful of my favorite things! What are yours? 

<3, kjm

Two are better than one...

Just got home from a long day of hard labor. No, not at the pharmacy, at our "other" house. Patrick and I have been working on what was his house before we got married for quite some time now (& he worked on it for a while before I came along.) We go through spurts of working on it A LOT and then times when we can always find something BETTER to do than go work on the house. It needs LOTS of TLC. Its really come a looooong way though.
The projects that we have left to do are:
-finish installing wood floors in dining room and part of kitchen,
then sand, stain, and finish all wood floors downstairs
-finish painting kitchen cabinet doors
-finish painting trim all throughout the house
-install new countertops in kitchen (after we find and buy new ones)
-install new hardware in kitchen
-install new front door
-touch up painting throughout
-paint all doors upstairs and closet shelves
-bathrooms upstairs need lots of work
...and there are lots of other little things that need done that I am sure I am leaving out.
Notice I said the word finish a lot ;) My dear sweet husband is a master at starting projects, but many of them need to be "finished." We make a good team because we work well together and I encourage finishing an entire project before we start a new one. He is quite the handy man and can do just about anything on his own. He makes me proud!
This house has been a downer for us both for quite some time. Its been the cloud hanging over our heads that we wish we could just pretend wasn't there and move on. We have recently found some motivation within to get our bootys out there and get it done. We have had some help along the way that was much appreciated! Any little bit helps! :) Since the weather is cold and icky and we don't have too much going on the next few months, we are using any free time we can to get over there and work.
Today we left feeling a wonderful sense of accomplishment and a little more motivated about our other house. Our goal is to get it fixed up to a comfortable, livable state and when we sell our current house, we will move to it. THEN one day sell that house and find our "dream" house together. Its going to take a lot of faith, hard work, dedication, and motivation to get to this point so say a little prayer for us!
This verse comes to mind when I think of  Patrick and I and all the hard work that we have put into this place together over the past year... {its also extra special because it was the verse we used in our wedding ceremony}

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (New International Version, ©2010)

 ⁹ Two are better than one,
   because they have a good return for their labor:
¹⁰ If either of them falls down,
   one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
   and has no one to help them up.
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
   But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
   two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken

I found this snazzy artwork when googling the above. It was on someone's ETSY site, but its sold :( might have to put my creative cap on come up with something similar! LOVE IT!

<3  kjm

Life Lessons.

Recently I had a nasty encounter with a customer at work and I haven't been able to let it go. What made matters worse was the way it was handled after the fact. Without saying too much, the customer was compensated and I was left feeling VERY much unsupported. What happened was very unfair in my opinion, {people in the corporate money-making business world might disagree.}  I am a sensitive, wear my heart on my sleeve kind of girl and luckily I rarely have any bad confrontations or encounters in my workplace...but when I do, it hurts me deeply. 
A new friend & new neighbor posted this on her facebook wall just a few days ago:

...having to admit that, no matter what wonders life brings, the real struggle is within my own mind to stay positive, be grateful and let things go.

Wow, what a great life lesson to learn! It was just what I needed to help me get back on track to positive thinking. I also found these inspiring bible verses...


A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22


Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:31-32


Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8




My goal going forward is to not let those angry, bitter, and slanderous people get to me & to pray for my "enemies."
** But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44

On a completely different and happier  note, I wanted to blog about my favorite day of the week... THURSDAYS!
I <3 Thursdays because its DATE NIGHT! 
Date night started because of something that that was said in our wedding ceremony back in October 09'. The our wedding ceremony, the pastor told Patrick to,"Always date Kim." This might could possibly be the best advice we have heard to keeping your marriage romantic and strong.
Date night for us is sometimes as simple as a cozy night a home together, enjoying a home cooked meal and a redbox movie or maybe a fun shopping trip, game night at home, movie night, a nice dinner & dessert out on the town...the possibilities are endless. 
Last night, we wanted to stay close to home due to the road conditions, so we decided to try out the new diner just down the street in downtown Rogers. LUCY'S DINER has moved into where Hi-D-Ho used to be and they have a large variety of 'comfort food' dishes and a fabulous pie selection too! They are also open 24 hours and serve breakfast round' the clock for those who love breakfast at any time of the day!

 Go check it out!  After Lucy's diner we rented a redbox movie and had a cozy night in, snuggled with the dogs on the couch. I love nights like that! <3 I recommend having a "date night" to all the married couples out there!


Have a blessed weekend!!


~kjm