Happy Sunday

It is Christmas tree day in the Kunwar household! We will finally be trudging our way to a little tree farm nearby and bringing home a tall and stately but rounded in all the right places beauty to grace our dining room. Then I will able to finish decorating the house! It is so hard to get into the mood of decorating for Christmas without a Christmas tree already in residence and I can't wait to get started. Christmas decorations and cheer always seem to instantly create a comforting and home-y feeling. Although I will admit to being a little concerned with how our tree will fare this year with 2 cats (1 kitten and 1 mature who might as well be a kitten around Christmas trees...) and a 2.5 year old little boy who likes to think of tree ornaments as balls. Yes, that includes the ones that are not round and ball-like. As an extra precation all those that are round, ball-like and expensive will be hanging out near the top of the tree this year.

Another blogger, Deanna Raybourn, posted a question on her blog today that I thought I would borrow and post here as well (I hope you don't mind, Deanna!). What do you do when you get down in the dumps? Is there a special book or magazine that seems to comfort you? Certain spot or location? Favorite snack? Or is it a combination of all of these things? I personally like to snuggle up with Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery or Sabriel by Garth Nix with a bowl of ice cream (mint chocolate chip, preferably) and read uninterrupted. Country Home magazine usually brings an odd sort of peace, as well. :o)

Have a wonderful Sunday!

All I want for Christmas...

I can't help it...I've been shamelessly window shopping online. Although I am behind on my Christmas shopping (Only 3, count 'em with me, 3 gifts bought so far...) I have been shopping for things online so I know what I need to get at each store. And at each website have found something that I really, desperately want!


Like this beauty! Doesn't this blue make you think of spring? It's from Old Navy.

These are both from Beauty Mark Designs. I love her jewelry! She will even make things to your own specifications. You can find more of her work at her Etsy shop --> http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6005410 *Psst! If anyone can clue me in on how to link something prettily I would greatly appreciate it! :o)*

And last, but not least, I really want some nice dishes to use for holidays, special occasions, etc. I'm really loving these from Target! They're both cozy and perfect for cottage living...what do you think?

Caution: History Nerd

in the house! So, I follow Deanna Raybourn's blog, Blog-A-Go-Go, and love checking out her links listed on her sidebar. She always finds the most interesting and creative places and it is a total blast delving into all of that information. Recently I clicked on one of these random links and honest to goodness almost hyperventilated right here at work. What was so exciting, so astronomical that I couldn't catch my breath and caused my co-workers about 30 seconds of pure panic you ask? Why, that would be the History Buff blog (http://www.michellemoran.blogspot.com/) created by Michelle Moran. She collects news stories about breakthroughs in the archaelogy and history world that are not carried by major media outlets and posts them daily on her spectacular blog. Anyone who has attempted to locate these types of news stories will understand my elation - these are not easy to find. Only the fact that Mrs. Moran is also the author of two published books that have garnered critical acclaim in the historical fiction genre and that she's gorgeous make me feel slightly less nerdy. Just slightly.

Ta ta for now!

I'm here! I'm alive! I promise!

I know it's been quite a while - believe me, I know! We have had spotty internet for about 3 weeks now and it has been slowly driving.me.crazy. Not to mention my poor husband, who is beside himself. Once again, it is our internet router who is causing all the problems. *sigh* (This is the second one we have had since April and our new one is due to arrive any day.) I've only been able to access the internet for more than 10 minutes while I'm at work and I've been trying to do that sparingly since I'm actually supposed to be, well, working. So, on that note, I'll be on my way and hopefully I will be able to update again soon!

Ta ta for now!

Go white boy!

I absolutely love this video! It always cracks me up...

Ta ta for now!

Egads!

It's cold! There was a 20 degree drop in temperature last night! Okay, maybe not quite 20 degrees but I'm sure it was close...We went from comfy, slightly warm-ish/Fall-ish weather to "woah...it's freezing out here-better wear long sleeves and a coat!" weather. I think we may have skipped Fall. :o(

Also, you may want to go over to the Websters Pages blog for a scrapbook extravaganza giveaway! They have lots of pretty stuff they are giving away...

Ta ta for now!

Hello, Fall.

It's fully here! I absolutely love fall. It's so nice to see leaves on the ground and smell backyard fires...It just puts me in the mood for stews, dumplings, and apple cider. I really should know better than to try to lose weight during the summer and fall months!

I started switching things on our living room mantle yesterday. Down came the pictures and up went some Halloween decorations and by the end of the night I was completely frustrated. Something is missing and I just can not figure out what is still needed! I think I might need some gruesome-looking tall candlesticks...I forsee a trip to Goodwill in the near future. Honestly, I don't own a single pair of candlesticks, much less a gruesome-looking pair. Is that bad? I've always felt that a pair of candlesticks is a decorating must-have, no matter what the occasion. Hopefully I can finish the mantle tonight and show it off tomorrow...

Ta ta for now!

Do you paperbackswap?

So I've been hearing about this website, Paperbackswap, for awhile now and finally decided to check it out this week. All it took was about 10 minutes of reading before I signed up and listed several of my own books! I highly recommend it - I already have three books I am sending to other readers and two books I should be receiving this week. I forsee many evenings full of reading this fall...

Ta ta for now!

I've been...

MIA! I know I have...I'm sorry! We had a super busy week this last week and then this weekend we spent trying to get our house back in order and ready for Fall and Winter. Yesterday was spent cleaning and tidying up our back yard, which had become a little straggly. A portion of our fence was also knocked down during our last big storm and we finally started working on repairing it this weekend. We weren't able to finish yesterday but hope to wrap things up this coming week.



I haven't been able do any scrapbooking due to be being busy but also because I haven't printed any new pictures! I tend to print the pictures I want to scrapbook on a need basis only because otherwise I start feeling pretty overwhelmed! And I don't scrapbook in chronological order so when I do print pictures to scrapbook I usually just pick whatever strikes my fancy at that moment in time. It may sound odd and unorganized but right now this is what works for me! :o)



And since I've posted quite a bit lately about re-decorating Jonah's bedroom I thought I would share the bedding/theme that we have decided to use.

Cute, right?! I love it! And we know that Jonah will adore it. This weekend I was finally able to get some paint cards so we could make a decision on his wall color. I'll be posting pictures this weekend to show you our progress.

Have a wonderful Monday! Ta ta for now!

Crafty, scrappy goodness...

I finally had some time to take bad, blurry pictures of what I've done the last week or two and get them on the computer! I know I promised never to take pictures with my camera phone again but really, it's all I had on hand and...well, that's it really. Sorry for the blurryness. Blurriness? Bluriness-oh I give up!

I was looking for some frames to put Jonah's artwork in for his amazing bedroom transformation but couldn't find one the right size for one piece in particular. I rummaged and rummaged (I have lots of random frames laying around...I'm a frame-a-holic...) and finally found one in a box of frames I had bought at a yard sale for about $1 when I was in high school. (I started with the frames early, I tell ya!) It was the perfect size but there was one problem. It had dividers for multiple pictures. The only solution was to tear out the dividers. So I took the hammer to it! (I was so excited that I started demo before I remembered to take a picture!)









This obviously, is post dividers. All it needed then was a couple dabs of black paint and...

instant cuteness!

This is just another frame in my collection that was previously a horrendous shade of fake gold. I liked the texture of it though so decided to keep it. I painted it black and *voila!* more cuteness! (By the way, this drawing was the first one that Jonah informed us what it was when he was finished drawing. It, obviously, is a fish.) :o)

Ta ta for now!

I'm still here!

I know that I promised to bring pictures the next time I posted but I have an excuse! I promise! I've been sickly and sleep most of today away. I think I caught that nasty flu that has been floating around but hopefully tomorrow I'll be back on track. Off to bed...

Ta ta for now!

Houston, we have a problem...

We didn't have any power from about 10:30 this morning until about an hour ago! We had extremely high winds all morning that knocked out trees, power lines (sometimes these two together), roof shingles and basically anything that wasn't tied or cemented down. I discovered before the power outage that my poor little scarecrow girl had simply disappeared from my front steps. I'm hoping that she flew away to some nice new home with scarecrow-friendly owners and didn't get tangled into some random tree or bush upside down with her bloomers showing...I was tempted to do a search-and-rescue mission but I was still in my jammies and didn't want to startle my elderly neighbors (Note: jammies = no brazere!). Anyhoo, there was about a full hour today where I sincerely thought the three of us were going to do some harm to one another. Jonah simply could not understand why he could not watch "doggiesnemobugcar" (translation: 101 Dalmations. These four words are usually crammed together but the word said first indicates which actual movie he wants to watch...I know, it's hard. Not everyone can speak Jonah-ese...), Bishnu wanted to do something other than sit on the couch or dishes and I just wanted everyone to be happy so I could actually get some crafting time in without the distraction of the tv or technology! I started on some projects for Jonah's room so check back in tomorrow for a sneak peak!

Ta ta for now!

Lots of busy-ness...

has been going on around here. School, work, cats, a certain 2 year old rascal...there is never a dull moment it seems. As I am typing this I currently have approximately 3 to-do lists, a rough draft paper (that is overdue) to type, a final of that rough draft to type, laundry to fold, dishes to be washed, scrapbook pages and cards waiting to be started/completed, 3 borrowed movies to watch and I don't want to do any of it. I am tired. Really, really tired. And I feel like I am so overwhelmed by everything that my energy and creativity are being sucked right out of my body. I feel this and yet I keep telling myself to keep chugging along. Just because my life feels like this right now does not mean it will feel like this tomorrow. Or next week even. Nothing will resolve itself (especially the dishes) unless I start chipping away at it all. But it is times like these that I wonder why on Earth I feel that I am ready to take on a Master's program?! I honestly have no idea what the answer to that would be. Maybe something tomorrow will reveal that answer. Until then, I'll just plug away.

For those of you readers who submitted potential names for our new kitten, I have not forgotten you! I loved reading all of the creative names and the hubby and I thought several of them were especially cute and meaningful. As of right now we are still calling her Kiki just because it is easy for Jonah to say and it sort of stuck. It still doesn't feel quite right so I will be trying out those names in the next couple of weeks. I'll keep you updated on this momentus event! ;o)

Ta ta for now!

It's Fall...

and I am loving every minute of this wonderful weather! I love Fall temperatures and how the pace of the world just seems to slow down a little. Don't get me wrong - I like Summer. I like waking up to sunlight first thing in the morning and wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables and all of the other things Summer entails. But I, as everyone else in our state, get tired of all the hot. And the humidity. And people running around with gorgeous tans while the only thing I seem to accumulate is a "farmer's tan" that is actually just a faded sunburn. Well, that last point is more of a personal opinion rather than a general consensus of our state's population. Unless you've seen my ghost-white legs and arm "tan"...then you would probably agree that I need to go to a tanning bed before spending a few hours out in the sun...Anyhoo, I can't wait to wear sweaters! Is that a bizarre thing to say? Maybe. But I can't help it. There is nothing I like more than wearing a big comfy sweater, jeans and thick socks while reading a great book and sitting somewhere comforting. Add to that a dash of soft rain and I'm in heaven.

Ta ta for now!

I NEED...

something to read! Desperately! I have taken all of my (overdue) library books back to the library and can't check any out more until I have paid my (overdue) fee and I am just about to go stir-crazy because I have read everything in our house and need something new! *whew* My poor husband...He knows me well, that's all I can say! When I called him at work yesterday to whine he was so sympathetic and tried to cheer me up. It was pretty sweet, actually. :o) Guess where I'm going to be Tuesday morning during my lunch break? Any guesses? Anyone? I'll tell you because I know you can't bear the suspense...I'll be in the library sniffing the books (books, not book glue people) and in reader heaven.

Did anyone hear my heart breaking the other night? I watched 'Becoming Jane' and bawled like a little baby. Of course I knew what was going to happen (well, not exactly but I knew about Tom Lefroy) and I still cried my eyes out. *sigh* I was almost afraid to put in 'Mansfield Park' (the 1999 BBC version) afterwards but am so glad I did! It cheered me up immensley. I can totally understand why MP was Austen's favorite novel...It is currently tied in second place with Sense and Sensibility in my list. :o) I remember reading online somewhere that an author has created a whole series based on the leading men of Austen's novels. The series is made of diaries of the leading men...I'm definitely going to try to look into these...

Ta ta for now!

Time again for my...

weekly post! Hm...unfortunately that's what seems to be happening lately! I can only plead exhaustion and no brain syndrome due to work. Fortunately, the semester has finally started and work is slowing down a tid bit. The Olympics have ended (sadly...I'll miss those swimmers...) and I can get my sleep schedule back to rights. And last, but not least, Jonah seems to be on the downswing of a terrible-two fit! *cue Hallelujah chorus* I've had this feeling quite a bit recently that I'm not sure if I can handle everything. This week is promising to be much slower and easier for this homebody.

Jonah has been alternating between being sweet and cuddly vs. hitting, kicking, "NO!", growling (yes, growling), and chasing the poor cats. Ah, the joys of toddlerhood. I honestly think I have aged more in the past month than I have in the past two years. I feel the gray hair growing in and the lines marking my face from grimacing.

Saturday, one of my good friends from school got married and my Mom had the pleasure of taking her wedding pictures. I can't wait to see how they turned out. This friend's older sister got married recently and Mom took her pictures as well. They turned out beautifully! I think Mom might be on to something here... ;o) Anyways, the wedding was beautiful and we had a great time. We got to catch up with a lot of old family friends, dance, eat good food and take home extra wedding cake! Who can beat that!? lol...

Ta ta for now!

Hello.

Blogger just ate my post. And it's been a long day. So I'm going to bed...

Ta ta for now!

Olympics, layouts and a new kitten...

I had a good weekend. How about yours? Bishnu was off this weekend so we did a lot of hanging aruond the house. It was wonderful! We did spend some time with my parents Friday evening and Saturday because the Olympics has started! We are definitely an Olympic-watching family! The opening ceremony was beautiful, breathtaking and so artistic. There is so much history in China that I'm sure it would have been a daunting task to try to encompess it all! But it was done - with pride and beauty. It's been hard to do anything in the house at all since Friday evening because I don't want to miss any of the Olympics... I've especially been glued to the tv with the swimming events. My brother was a swimmer throughout school and our family really became interested in it during that time. And it's an exciting time to be watching swimming with our US team leading the way! Did anyone else catch the amazing US vs. France relay event aired last night?! I had to keep checking myself so I wouldn't wake Jonah up...lol! I also love the gymnastics, which has already started. Although it doesn't have as much grandeur as it seemed to have a couple of Olympics ago, it is still exciting to watch. The US team in those events is promising and it'll be fun to watch how it all unfolds. And last, but not least, the track and field events. I CAN NOT wait for those. Being a former runner, I know firsthand the excitement of a good track/distance race even if it was on a MUCH smaller scale! There's several new runners and hurdlers competing for the US this Olympics and I can't wait to see how they fare in comparison to some of the more seasoned athletes. Whew! That was much longer and long-winded than I thought it would be...

Just a couple of layouts that I finished this weekend. This was all part of a 2peas Young Scrappers Challenge/Anniversary Week. I just recently joined this group and am having quite a bit of fun!

This one doesn't actually feel complete yet...I'm thinking the title needs to be beefed up some more. What do you think?

And lastly, I introduce our new kitten! She is super sweet and cuddly, although she may not look like it in this picture! Bishnu and I have been joking that she can literally kill a person with kindness! My office manager discovered her one day while doing yardwork. She heard her mewing and found her sitting in a bird's nest that was balanced in a shrub! She and Glendale seem to have a love/hate relationship and we'll see how that eventually plays out. We are absolutely stumped on a name for her, though. So I am asking for help! Please readers, if you see this picture and think of a fitting name, feel free to leave me a comment! Because I am sincerely getting tired of calling her 'the kitten' and we are ready for something permanent.




















Have a wonderful Monday!

Ta ta for now!

Finally some...

St. Louis goodness! I didn't get as many good pictures as I had hoped but here are some of them. They haven't been cropped, edited, sharpened, etc. yet so please don't be too harsh! We had a great time...Saturday we spent most of the day as the St. Louis Zoo. It was extremely hot, as you can probably tell by looking at the pictures, but it was an overall success. Jonah loved looking at the 'frogs' (or, the turtles, to the rest of us) the most and was very interested in the many other animals the zoo had to offer.

Sunday we went to the St. Louis/Jefferson Expansion Memorial (St. Louis Arch) and later took a ferry boat ride along the river. We had a great time doing these, as well. Jonah really didn't tolerate being confined at the top of the arch and absolutely could not understand why he could not let his car drive from one end to the other and so we did not spend very much time at the top. The kids played in the grassy area outside of the arch for a bit and then we headed over to the ferry boats to eat and relax. If you have never taken a ferry boat ride, I highly recommend it! I love boats and wish I had the opportunity to spend more time on/with them. Bishnu and Jonah had a great time, although Jonah did attempt to throw his car off of the bow of the boat at one point and we were *thisclose* to not catching it!

Ta ta for now!

10 unfinished projects...

that are DEFINITELY hanging over my head! That is the subject of the 2peas Blogger Challenge today and it did not take me long to fill that list. In fact, on our refrigerator I currently have a list of projects to be completed for each room in our home, yard and garage! Bishnu looks at that list and just groans. I look at that list and can't hep but grin. I love projects! So, here is my current Top 10 To-Do List (not to be confused with my Honey-Do List which is completely separate):

1. Finish all current Jonah layouts that are in progress.
2. Print pictures and scrapbook Minnesota trip.
3. Print pictures and scrapbook Jonah's 2nd Birthday Party.
4. Print pictures and scrapbook St. Louis trip.
5. Email St. Louis pictures to best friends (who were also on said trip).
6. Finish altered gardening book and start planning for next year's garden.
7. Start decorating Jonah's bedroom.
8. Start decorating our bedroom.
9. Organize my scrapbook area.
10. Finalize details for my Young Scrapper's Challenge for Sunday on 2peas.

There you have it, folks. Actually, now that I am thinking about all of this I am slightly daunted. Well, actually, very daunted. Is daunted a word? No? Hhm....

Anyways, I need to get going quick-like on some of this or it will never get done! Thanks for the motivation 2peas bloggers!

Ta ta for now!

Happy Birthday...

to me...Just thought I would share some baby pictures of me. That's all. Have a nice Wednesday!
















Me at 4 months

Me and my daddy

My "smurf" face...don't ask!

Me at 14 months

We're baaackkk...

from St. Louis! Saturday morning we left and met up with some of our friends at the St. Louis Zoo and spent the whole day there. Then on Sunday we had some fun at the Gateway Arch and a ferryboat ride! We all had a great time and wished that we could have stayed longer...We all live several hours away from each other now and haven't been able to get together nearly as much as we have wanted to. We were talking about making this a yearly thing though, so hopefully that will be remedied. Pictures will be uploaded shortly -We've been so busy that I simply haven't had time to get them from the camera to the computer!

*2peas blogger challenge!*
I've been scrapping 12x12 pages since I started scrapbooking in the 90's. I love the fact that they are large enough to place several pictures and journaling comfortably. I also love using textured cardstock as background paper, which just so happens to fit perfectly into 12x12 albums. I've never really gotten into the 8 1/2x11 albums for the reason that it is a little harder to find those in my area.
I have made a couple of 6x6 albums for baby showers and whatnot but would like to branch out a little more with them. I always seem to be thinking of these little albums that would be really cute to make but never seem to have the time to follow through with them. Since we got back this weekend I've actually been thinking about scrapping our St. Louis trip in a 6x6 album that I already have and making a 12x12 double lo for our regular album. *whew!* I think I had better get started on this...

A little of this and a little of that...Take 2...

Some adorable pictures of Jonah taken the day of his birthday party...He looks so grown up in these! And tan! Lord, that boy tans up quick! I'm sure it has nothing to do with his Asian father...

The car he's playing with here was actually *on* his birthday cake. This is what it looked like before he realized that those decals were paper and could be pulled off easily. It looks pretty naked now...

He really is starting to watch tv/movies more. I'm pretty sure he was watching the Cars movie here. In fact, it had to be. Because that is all we watched all day, every day for about a month straight. We're now branching out - we've added Finding Nemo and a Little Einstein dvd. Or in Jonah-ese, "Fish...Meemo?" and "Steinafoeijfawohfhi?". I love Jonah-ese. :o)

Have you ever read a book and right at the end, the author decides to switch things up a little and completely throw you off? Normally that doesn't bother me but...I finished a book the other night that I thought I had all figured out. I was just cruising along at the end waiting for the happy ending...and then *BAM!* Girl DOES NOT end up with boy (who was very,very handsome, btw, with gray eyes and built nicely....) but instead finagles around, gets upset with something he says and takes off. Granted, said boy did not use the best judgement and was a bit of a dolt but still! Said girl ends up pregnant, travels to a country far, far away and never tells boy about baby. And that's how it ends. WHAAATTT?! <--- That was my face at the end of the book. *sighhh* That is what I get for assuming! Good thing that was a library book.

Ta ta for now!

I've been doing a lot of...

shopping. Well, window shopping, that is. One of our ongoing projects right now (the one of many, I assure you...) is Jonah's room. We decided not to touch it when we moved into the house, knowing that he would be moving from his crib into a "big boy" bed fairly soon. So all this time I've been keeping an eye out for decorating ideas and found one that would be perfect! I recently found bedding offered at both Pottey Barn Kids and Target that is adorable AND affordable.

This Camp Bed is from Pottery Barn Kids and matches the bedding perfectly. I WILL NOT list the price for this bed (which almost gave me a heart attack) but will say that it is definitely out of our price range. I love the design and color - very boy-ish! And it would suit him for toddlerhood through his teenage years. *sigh* So I have been searching for unfinished wooden beds or a cheaper version of this same style in hopes that I can find something similar. I haven't given up hope but I did find these two (*psst* Look below!). They are Captain Beds (don't you love how they all have names and themes?) and just beyond cool! They have shelves and cubbies and all

sorts of little places to store little boy things. And these would definitely do well into his teenage years, also.

Look at that little door! Adorable! So now you see my quandry...cars theme vs. boat theme? What's a mother to do?! Please let me know your opinions, readers. I need them. Please help!

Ta ta for now!

Wow. I really need...

that digital camera I posted about awhile back. My phone camera just isn't cutting it anymore...I can't even believe I used my phone camera to take these! They're horrible! They're blurry, fuzzy and even though I sharpened, lightened, auto-fixed, etc. them to death they still look pathetic. Well, please, look past all of those imperfections and I promise I won't post any layouts that look like this anymore!


Jonah @ 6 months


A baby card

I used Bazzill cardstock for both the lo and the card. I love the stickers used on the card, too! Aren't they adorable?! I saw them and just had to have them. You know, I really don't consider myself a simple, streamlined scrapbooker but that is the direction I seem to be headed these days. I love looking at layouts that seem to hold much more than what I place on mine. I think I am always slightly worried that I will "overload" my pages and thus, they end up looking slightly bare to me but streamline and normal to others.

In scrapbook room/area news. I have a desk. And it has 3 picture frames on it. And I have yet to use it to scrapbook. WHAAAATTTT?! I know. Crazy, right? I really don't have any good excuses but I can come up with some pretty crappy ones: 1.) It's in the basement and we don't really use the basement all that much yet. 2.) I, uhm...well. I guess that's it, really. I'll try to come up with another one later. Seriously, it just doesn't feel "comfortable" to me yet. There is nothing down there except my scrapping stuff and like I said, we just don't really utilize that space yet. I think I'll end up feeling lonely down there and/or paranoid about Jonah being on a different level of the house and feeling the need to check on him every 10 minutes. I think I just need to suck it up and get down there already, right? Right??? Hmm, okay. I'll keep you all updated...

Ta ta for now!

I finally...

have July 4th pictures to post! I'm only a week late... :o) These are from the annual parade we attend locally. Jonah really had fun this year...Once he realized that he could watch cars, firetrucks and horses AND eat candy he had a total blast! In fact, he was so excited about picking up candy that he stuck the first piece he picked up straight into his mouth with the paper wrapping still on! (You can tell he eats a lot of candy, right?) While we were all laughing about that, he almost managed to stick another one in!

Me instructing Jonah

Let's see how many I can stuff in one hand - 1...2...3...

He really likes Tootsie-Rolls...That's all he practically wanted!


He had a flag to wave but he got tired of holding it so this is where it ended up. I love this shot...

I have more pictures to share but they'll have to wait until tomorrow. I'm exhausted (it's nearly 1 am) and it's been a looong day. I'll be back tomorrow to share some scrappy stuff and some of those other pictures I just mentioned. Have a great night!

Ta ta for now!

A note from...

down under! I don't know if I have mentioned it on here or not but my brother and his girlfriend have arrived safely in New Zealand for their semester abroad! I'm so excited for them! The time difference is crazy but not totally unexpected for us - both Nepal and New Zealand are on the other side of the world. We haven't heard too much from them yet because they've been adjusting and trying to get their bearings. They seem to be having fun so far, though! As soon as we received an email from Bret I sent him a reply asking him all sorts of questions that I know he won't be able to answer for a few weeks but I couldn't help it! Hopefully we'll hear from him again soon.

Doesn't this cake...

look absolutely yummy? I made this Saturday before my parents and brother came over for dinner. It's actually a red velvet cake (from a box! *gasp*) with cream cheese icing and I just cut up some fresh strawberries for color and cuteness. We also had a shrimp dish Bishnu made that was delicious but sadly, I didn't take any pictures of it. Maybe one day I can get him to write down the recipe and I can post it on here. I swear, that man should have went to culinary school...he is such a wonderful cook! And I am one lucky wife! It sure does take the pressure off of me since I don't have to cook every.single.night. And we work very well together in the kitchen...no shoving or jockeying for space. Saturday night reminded me that we really should cook together more often.

Tonight 'the girls' came over and we carried, shoved and pushed Bret's desk downstairs to my designated scrapbook area. It is so nice just to see it sitting down there instead of on our front porch and I'm already feeling much more motivated. I still need storage for my tools and supplies but hope to find some of them at Goodwill and/or yard sales. I've already found a small spice rack to store small embellishments and flowers. Hopefully I'll have the same luck while searching for bookshelves, cases and the like.

I've added a couple of frames and our clock to the space above the mantel for now. It isn't what I want above the fireplace ultimately but it does go a long way to make the living room feel more home-y and comfortable. I'm on the lookout for smaller clocks to make a sort-of vignette of clocks on the wall. Actually, what we REALLY want above the fireplace is a wall-mounted flat screen tv. But as I mentioned several posts before, we don't really have an extra $900 - $1000 laying around (and if we did I can think of several other important things it could go towards first! lol) so this will make do! The frame on the right has two pockets and will hold wedding memoribilia. The two picture frames on the left hold pictures of Jonah (left is more recent - 2yrs. and right is 1 yr. pic). Those three items and the clock (Target) were all wedding gifts. :o) I love that I am finally able to use some of those wonderful things we received! Hopefully I can find a dining room table soon so I can finish up the dining room. All that has happened in there so far is the pretty blue paint - wish me luck!

Ta ta for now!

On this day one year ago...

we got married! It's hard to believe it has been one year already...We had already lived together for one full year when we got married and already had a 13 month old. It was stressful, nervewracking and wonderfully beautiful! I love everything about our wedding and wish that we had someone record it. I have many more pictures from our wedding day but sadly this is the only one that I've scrapped so far. Unbelievable, isn't it?! Honestly, I'm so nervous to scrapbook our wedding pictures (I'm afraid I'll royally screw them up) that I haven't even touched them yet. I keep setting a month that I'll get started on them and then that month will come and pass by - oh well! They WILL get done...I just have to work up my wedding mojo again. :o) And speaking of my wedding scrapbook, if you attended my wedding I would love to hear what your favorite part of our big day was! This is something that I would like to add because it was so difficult to speak to all of our guests at the reception and it would be nice to hear what everyone's perspective of our day was. You can email me at ckunwar@oak.edu or leave me a comment here! Thanks!

Ta ta for now!

This cat...

absolutely hates it when I sing. Now, I know that I am not a terrible singer. I took singing lessons as a child and was good enough to be in the Pike Central Swing Choir (no, they don't swing while they sing. college-level choir here, peeps) for 3 years in high school...I just don't get it. Ever since she came home with Bret and Dad she has nipped and chased me around the house if I even hummed loudly. Which of course I did sometimes just to tease her... :o) It really is strange. It must have something to do with the tone or timbre of my singing voice because she doesn't react to loud or high pitched music or anyone else singing, for that matter! It is just crazy, I tell ya. So anyways, tonight as I'm home listening to music and catching up on my blogs and whatnot I start to belt out 'Cowboy Take Me Away' by the Dixie Chicks and Glendale jumps up from the dining room floor (Her domain and she does a right good job of holding down that floor. Unless she tries to get up and a claw gets stuck...then there's a problem...) and RUNS toward me. Now, Glendale does not usually run. I don't really think you can tell from this picture but Glendale is slightly overweight. She and Jonah weighed the same amount for a bit and she usually doesn't run for anything. Except food. Anyways, I look up to see Glendale running at me from the dining room, belly and fat bags swaying from side to side and I freeze. Because at that moment I remember exactly why I stopped singing out loud at home. Glendale flys onto my chair and proceeds to walk slowly forward, never taking her eyes from mine. I, of course, am terrified. She has claws. And she knows how to use them. I still have the scars on my forearms to prove it!

If Glendale could talk this is how the dialogue would have went:
Glendale: Did I give you permission to sing?
Me: *stuttering* No-no ma'am.
Glendale: *with condesencion*Did you not learn your lesson the last time you tried this?
Me: *whispering* No ma'am.
Glendale: I think you had better re-think what just happened here.
Me: Yes ma'am.

And then she proceeded to sit down by my feet and stare at me. Not lying. I went back to my computer screen and re-started my music. And promptly started singing quietly without thinking. The next thing I new she nipped my ankle hard and had jumped up on my lap with her ears back. I froze. Again. *sigh* And then I thought, "Hey! She's MY cat and if I want to sing I'll do it in my own dang house whenever I want to!" And promptly pushed her off! I'm not going to let a cat dictate what I will or will not do in my own house and I certainly am not going to let her know that she is the dominant female around here.

Now if I could just get the courage to start singing again...

Isn't he sweet? I absolutely love this picture of Jonah that Bishnu caught the other night on his camera phone. I know it's dark and a little grainy but hey, camera phones aren't the greatest. Look at his little cars and trucks - don't they just make you want to squeeze him to pieces?! The night Bishnu took this I was running around the house trying to clean and didn't even realize he was lying down on the floor. He ALWAYS lays down on the floor when he is tired and ready for bed so I slowed down and bent over to ask him if he was ready but found him like this.
There are some days when the no's, go's, hitting and random terrible two-ness just really gets to me and I'm not sure I'm going to make it to bedtime. But there are other moments and days when he will run to me with open arms or tell me "I wuve you" and just melt my heart into little pieces. Looking at this picture reminds me of all of that and how truly lucky I am. :o)

Wow! It's been almost a week since I last posted...but it's not my fault! I promise! Our internet connection at home has been terrible this past 5-6 days. We will have a connection for about 2 hours and then *poof!* it's gone. Bishnu has been working on it at home and trying to figure out but nothing has worked for an extended period of time.
We went up to Indy this weekend for a bbq at Brea and Stephen's house. Actually, Bret, Jonah and I went up to Indy. Mom and Bishnu had to work and Dad had already decided to go to a dinner/fundraiser for an old work friend. And as usual when Bret, Jonah and I are out together, people assumed that he was Jonah's daddy. *sigh* Dang Bishnu's schedule! Anyways, I'll see if I can get some pictures from others that were there (Bret forgot his camera) and post what I can.

We're searching for a twin size bed for Jonah. I've been pricing them online (cripes! they're expensive!) and of course I would love to get the one from Pottery Barn that they feature with the bedsheets we're getting Jonah but we also wouldn't be able to pay several bills after buying it soooo...I've been trying to find one that is made out of unfinished wood so I could do what I wanted to it but I'm not having much luck finding one of those either. Wish me luck and cross your fingers for me!

And on my last note - HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAGGIE! *smooch* Hope you had a good one!

Ta ta for now!

Seek and Find Consignments

Several weeks ago Mom, Bishnu, Jonah and I were in Evansville for a shopping day when we came across this nifty little consignment shop, Seek and Find Consignments (http://seekandfindconsignments.com/). The shop itself is located a little out of the way of the main E-ville shopping region but it is worth the extra gas. Their website doesn't have nearly half of their invitory posted but has just enough to give you a taste of what treasures lay waiting inside their store. They only take items that are in very good shape and carry great furniture. The way they price items is a little different - the item is given a price when it first enters the store. A month later that price is slashed by 15%. After 2 months it is cut by 30% and cut 50% after 3 months. If it still hasn't been bought by month 4 it is donated to charity. I don't know about you guys but that is a pretty good deal considering some of the items in the store are brand new...The day we were there I spotted a cute little table and matching chair that would be perfect for my scrapbook space and I'm praying that it is still there when I go next. I highly recommend all of you (all 2 of you!) to at least go and visit this shop. You just might find something that suits your needs. Just don't go and buy my table and chair. :o)

I am lusting after...

this beauty. The Canon EOS DRebel XT. Isn't it beautiful? I think it is. Bishnu and I have been talking about getting another digital camera since ours bit the dust last year. We already have a
wonderful film camera that my Mom gave us when she upgraded and I love it. I really do. I love using film and getting the negatives...there is something so wonderful about having them developed that way. It's like you're still paying a bit of a tribute to the early years of photography. But we want a digital camera. I feel slightly like I'm out of the loop by not having one and wanting one. And it would make sending pictures to Bishnu's family so much faster and easier. But, unfortunately, it will probably be awhile until we get this. It is definitely out of our price range right now and unless someone sends us some surprise money we will not be able to get this until Christmas. That is my goal. To have this sucker by Christmas. *sigh* So for now all I can do is look. And watch for a sale. And sigh. Oh well. We are trying to reduce our debt right now and it's not going so well. With the economy in such a downward spiral and gas prices rising it is hard to imagine that we'll be buying any extras anytime soon. Bishnu has been watching the job ads - we have been planning on him finding a better paying job after he finishes up this summer and then he found out that the Sunoco he is working at will be closing due to I-69. We'll see what happens...

Ta ta for now!