I must be crazy

Life is all about learning.  You learn new things everyday.  Some small, some huge and some in-between.

The newest lesson I am planning for my near future is what I would consider a -huge- lesson.

Restoration of a 1956 Philco Fridge.

Our new place has a very small fridge without a freezer... and well it is gross.  So I have been on the search for a new fridge.

I found one! Okay, okay... It isn't exactly new.  But it will be gorgeous when I am done with it.  You can see my vision can't you?  Well... I will give you a hint-

Home, sweet home

It seems my life revolves around changes... Which can make for some hectic times.

Charlie and I have been planning and saving for our move to Newport, OR for the past 6 months.  We had planned to move there next summer.

Yesterday, Charlie came home after having a meeting with one of the leading research professors at MSU.  With a painful stare, he asked me if we could stay in Missouri.  The research that he needs to get into for medical school needed to start right away and if he was to stop and change schools in the middle it could greatly effect his application to med school.

I am... sad (more like my heart aches).  We have dreamed about living in Oregon next to the ocean.  The idea was neatly stitched into the fabrics of ourselves so much that removing the thread feels like everything else is going to unravel.

Needless to say, we will not be venturing northwest (yet).

Everyone goes through hard financial times... This summer has proven to be a beast for us.  I have made plans to travel next summer to Africa for a month to work on a wildlife rehabilitation center.  My dates are scheduled, I just need to pay the rest of the money and book a flight.  I have set aside the money, but there is still a bit of question.  Should I go? We could use the money to get a second car... We could use the money for savings or to move into a place closer to school...

It is proving really hard *mentally* for me to put so much money into something just for me.  I am starting to lean more towards postponing the trip until next year.  


Staying in Missouri has also opened up opportunities that would have seemed reckless if we were to move.  The thoughts of adding a little munchkin to my crew comes to mind...

One thing is for sure changes are scary, but changing is always good.  I can and will make the best of these new ideas.


Completely off subject, but I have been aching for a new book to read. 

When the day is beautiful and the wind is slightly blowing my little crew goes on a hike.  With our trusty pugs in tow we headed to one of our favorite hiking places to play in the creek and collect some more rocks, sticks and feathers for our little home.  Today was one of those days.

I love my husband. 

I love my children.

I love my pugs. 

And I love the outdoors. 

What a blessed life I have!

I love this time of year... I can almost taste fall on its way.

Dreams do come true!

Love Harry Potter?

Dream of being a wizard growing up?

Well, I am delighted to announce that your (and my) time is here.

Now you can have your very own magic wand, that actually does magic!

Okay, okay... So it is only a remote...

A flippin' Awesome remote!!!

You can do all kinds of cool tricks, it can store -13- different functions!

Call me a geek if you want, but I Will have one on my coffee table as. soon. as. possible.

drooling

Today, I woke up and read a post on The Pioneer Woman's blog (as I do most mornings) about... pies.

Oh glorious pies! 

She recently did a workshop at her ranch with a handful of (very, very lucky) people about how to make the perfect crust.  Oh, Heaven help me... I need help on my crusts.

Not only did she have a friend teach them all about crusts, but in the end they all made
there. own. pies.

It was a pie bar!

There was..

cherries

apples

rhubarb

olives

tomatoes

cheese

peppers

pot-pie filling

strawberries

blueberries

rasberries

blackberries

snozberries

okay, maybe not snozberries... but seriously it was like pie-makin' heaven. I could litereally taste and smell the pies as I drooled over her pictures.

*lightbulb*

...then it hit me. 

How fun would it be to do a get-together with a bunch of ladies and have a pie-bar ourselves?

We could all work on our crust skills (it is almost Thanksgiving afterall) and then each get to make whatever kind of pie we want.  

And why should we do regular pies? We could make mini pies.  Mmmm, mini pies.  Wonderful little pies that you can eat in a couple bites. 

I am still brainstorming, but I have a feeling this could really make me seem awesome be a good idea to do with friends.  

ch-ch-changes

Many things are changing....

                        the heat wave is over!

                        fall will soon be here

                        Liam will turn two in October

                        I booked my trip to Africa for next summer

                        and we are moving across the country in a year

                         ...guess where?

quick update

Okay okay... I haven't written in forever... 

But I have been SO busy, seriously. 

I did however manage to sew and paint some new throw pillows for my living room.  

It definitely adds a lot more "Sara" to the room.  

You like?

oh and yes, that is a succulent plant. I am obsessed with those little guys.

Hurry!

Last chance to enter this AMAZING giveaway! Oh Happy Day

Today

     being lazy

 soaking up sun

 

                                                                           smelling fresh cut grass

 repairing bikes

feels like summer...

Happy Earth Day

The world is full of Magic

Life is too short to wait to have your adventure

 

*things that go bump in the night*

Caty, my friend over at The Bee's Knees, did a quirky little post about things that freak her out. 

It really got me thinking about what gives me butterflies (not the good kind).  

I am a little strange very strange.

I have many weird characteristics that make me, well, me. 

One of those things is my -love- of being scared.

It is so exhilarating! 

I love take time often out of my life to face and experience the things that absolutely terrify me.

So without further ado,  I would like to present:

Things that scare me to death

yet still intrigue me...

cars... underwater. 

I have this HUGE fear of driving off a bridge in a car. 

Can I handle falling off a bridge into water? yes. 

Can I handle a car accident NOT in water? yes. 

Something about the combo of the two things it just scares the b'jeezes out of me.

 

abandoned warehouses. 

I have a dream that occurs about once a month.  

Weird thing is, it is a lucid dream. 

The only thing I have no control over is walking into the building...

After that I am trapped there trying to run from a paranormal entity that is taking out the other random people with me.

You'd have to be there to get the creepiness factor from it.

 Okay, so this is a combo of 2 scarier-than-all-get-out things.

If you have been to Silver Dollar City, in idk, the past 50 years you will recognize this ride.

Fire in the Hole. 

Sure its a fun-filled ride perfect for the whole family to enjoy and love!

It comes complete with men in creepy masks, weird manikins, super dark scenes, random yelling and screaming noises, fake buildings burning down and last ( but certainly not least) a lynching.

Seriously, the scariest ride I have ever been on.

And, check out what you get to stare at in line before you ride!

 

 This, my friends, is a Baldknobber.  

Isn't he just so cute with his homemade mask and backwards jacket?  And to think that these men used to hide in caves and plan mobs and killings together...

Yeah, more like scare the crap out of me. 

Who came up with that uniform anyways?

...this needs no explanation. 

Great, now I have the hankerin' for a scary movie... 

What scares you?

Do your part

This is a message that is very dear to my heart. Please read and help out.

Sea Turtles Struggling

Help Restore their Habitat today

It was a year ago April 20th that BP's Deepwater Horizon well exploded, ultimately sending over 200 million gallons of toxic crude into the Gulf of Mexico.  Under the Clean Water Act, BP must pay fines for each barrel of oil spilled. However, the current law requires that this money be deposited into a trust fund in the federal treasury. Unless Congress takes action soon, the Clean Water Act penalties from the BP oil disaster will not be reinvested in the Gulf. A few weeks after the spill, a juvenile Kemp's ridley sea turtle--the most endangered species of sea turtle in the world--was searching for crabs in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico about 35 miles off the Louisiana coast. But sadly, instead of finding something to eat, the turtle found itself covered in crude oil, spewing from BP's Deepwater Horizon well. The little turtle's eyes, mouth and skin began to burn, and it found itself struggling to breathe. This turtle was one of the "lucky ones"--it was found by state wildlife officials, rehabilitated and eventually released back into the Gulf. Unfortunately, many Kemp's ridleys were not rescued. Of the more than 600 dead sea turtles collected in the months after last April's oil spill disaster in the Gulf, nearly 500 were Kemp's ridleys. Many more were lost, their bodies never recovered. There were even reports of sea turtles being burned alive in fires set by BP's cleanup crews. Just last month--almost a year after the spill began--seven times as many turtles were found stranded as would be typical. The cause of these recent standings is still under investigation. The Kemp's ridleys need Gulf Coast restoration projects to restore their habitat so their populations can recover from the oil disaster. Please contact your members of Congress today, and tell them to invest the BP penalty funds into restoring the places and ecosystems affected by the oil spill. (this is a link to a very easy and fast way to email them Thanks for all you do for wildlife! Sue Brown Executive Director, NWF Action Fund

new favorite color

What is today?

This is Steve. 

This is how old Steve is.

I baked this cake for Steve.

Happy birthday Steve!