Miscellany Monday - Where is My Mind?

So many things to say, in no particular order...so here we go!

1. Big day in our backyard. The outdoor kitchen, most importantly, Chad's grill, is being installed today! Wahoooo! I am excited to eat all of the food he has been dying to start making!

2. My hair - so many have been asking for pictures, so here you go! I do love it and I must say that it feels more me than what I had going on before. I am still undecided as to whether or not I am going to add a few extension pieces in the front or not, figured I would rock it like it is for a little bit and go from there!

3. Bought patio furniture this week for our backyard and am seriously in love with what we picked out. The only bad news is that we have to wait 5-6 weeks for it to be delivered, as it is being custom made. I guess I am going to have to learn to be patient.

4. Kyan is the Star of the Week this week at his school! We decorated his poster last night when he got home from a football draft party with his daddy! I am so proud of him!
5. I got to enjoy some alone time in the pool, curled up (as much as one can curl up in the water) with my copy of the Mockingjay, the final book of the Hunger Game series. It was beautiful. Lola was with my parents, Kyan and Chad had left for a fantasy football draft party, it was just me, the pool, and my book. When it was time to go inside, I went to the back door, it was locked, panic immediately set in and I knew what was coming, just didn't want to really have to do it. I called Chad, because I did have my cell phone with me and asked why he locked me out and told him he needed to turn around (he was probably 3/4 of the way to his destination, which was about an hour away). He told me to go through the dog door! OMG! I was freaking out. I didn't want him to have to turn around, but there was no way I was going to fit through there. I was more worried about getting stuck than anything and having to call 911 to have the fire dept. come to help me out. I can just hear laughter as they pull up and see a 30 year old woman with half her body in the house and half out. Mortifying. I refused and got so angry that there was no sympathy for locking me out and quickly hung up on the hubs. Could I make it? I went to the side of the house and went for it, then backed myself out, nope...not happening. But I didn't want to have to have the boys turn all the way around, okay, round two. I squeezed through! I fit, I couldn't believe it. It was horrible and I never want to do anything like that ever again. I called Chad and let him know that I was in, I more like yelled that I was in and hung up the phone. Then he called me back and said he was really sorry that he locked me out. Funny, because I was sending him a text when his call came through telling him sorry for freaking out. We laughed about it and life went on. Hopefully I will NEVER have to go through that doggy door again, my arm is paying the price today!

6. Ok, this one I need a little help with...my homeroom has to come up with a mascot and a slogan for a contest at school. We are the Roseland Raptors, but we have no slogan!!!!
HELP!!!!!!!!!
It needs to have something to do with having good character (trustworthiness, fairness, respect, citizenship, responisibilty, and caring) qualitites. We came up with nothing as a homeroom this morning, so I thought that I might see if someone else out there can help, cause my creative juices are stuck in lesson plans right now!

Hope everyone has a wonderful week! I am counting down the days to the three day weekend!

To Cut or Not To Cut?!

That is the question?

Ugh...I have been trying to grow my hair out since forever, but I really just want it to look like this:
It is finally long enough in the front for this, my sides might need to be filled in a little thicker, but I think that I am going for it on Wednesday for my monthly hair appointment with Zonia.
I just can't do the "long hair" thing, it is not me. It isn't even really long and it just feels gross. Blah, maybe it is at the weird length, maybe it is this crazy heat/humidity lately.
Yes, I like being able to throw it into a ponytail, but really, my hair shouldn't look better up than it does down and I feel like that is where I am at and I hate that.
Maybe I am trying to talk myself into it or justify things to all of those that I told I could really do it this time, but I can't. I lose. I admit it.
I want to love my hair and have it have some funk! I have always loved Rihanna's hair, especially with it longer on one side than the other. I always go back to this picture, every time. Think I am gonna do it!

Whatcha think?

More Progress

When we got home from birthday party #2 of 3 this weekend, they were out in the backyard, working on finishing the pavers. Around 4:30pm, I stepped outside to look, and was shocked at how much more beautiful it made that area!

Progress on the built in BBQ! It has been painted and tiled.

And the fireplace too! The paint matches our house perfect!

Off to check out furniture for the backyard today! Hoping luck is on our side today and that we find some good deals!!!

Dip Baby Dip!

It is official! We are swimming!


We thought we would be swimming yesterday, but our pool wasn't even close to being filled. So, we thought we would run the hose overnight and when we woke up this morning that we would be able to turn it off...no such luck! Well over 52 hours after they dropped the hose in, we are almost done! But we were done enough for us to take a quick dip after our long day! The pool water is HOT! Like hot, hot, hot, but I won't complain, it is so much better than it being freezing!

Tomorrow they come to teach us how to maintain everything!

Embracing the camera this week...
it has been too long!

Backyard Update!

So, the backyard is making HUGE progress and is expected to be completely finished in a little over two weeks! Just in time for a Labor Day party (fingers crossed).

Here is what has been happening:
Pavers finished underneath the back patio. What a difference they make!

The fireplace and built in bbq are up and currently getting tiled! They bull-nosed the tile on the fireplace, as it will be smoother seating in front of it and on both of the sides! This is the look from the patio, you can sort of see where the sand is that shows where the pavers will be placed. They are going to extend off of the patio and around the bbq, the sand is ready to go, I think they are waiting until the pool is completely done.

Bright and early this morning they came to do the pebble sheen finish on the pool! Tomorrow they are going to buff and polish and throw in the hose which means...
We are supposed to be swimming Wednesday! Wahhhhoooooooo! Can't wait!

Newest Member of the Roseland Family!

I really thought I was going get some serious posting in today, as I have lots of catching up to do and many pictures to show you, but I spent the majority of my day at the Honda dealership!

After getting into my car Friday afternoon and having my passenger side window down because the motor on the window broke again (2nd time within a year, the list could seriously go on and on with my Element, I got a lemon - actually nothing started going wrong with it until this year, but when it rained it poured with that thing...) I had enough and called Chad in tears.

After much discussing and debating about car payments and me not wanting to spend a lot of money on a new vehicle, but still wanting it to have the cool factor and be brand new, I decided on the Honda Fit! This was a gut wrenching decision for me, my Element has been paid off for over a year or so and I just didn't want a car payment, but I thought that I would have to keep putting money into it, as it seemed to be at the service department every other week lately. Also, my parents hate the car and tried to cut me a deal to NOT but the Fit, as it is smaller and they don't think that it is safe enough for my kids. I am a parent pleaser, still at almost 30 years old, I want their approval, it is true. This is one thing that I did that without their blessing and I feel guilty. But, I want you to know mom and dad, the car is safe! It has a 5 star crash rating and gets way better gas mileage than the Element. I think I remember you telling me how much you hated the Element too when we bought it, so I am hoping that you will come around when you see it and have to ride in it! No, it is not a Prius, which they would have preferred that I bought, but I LOVE IT and am super excited about it!

I really think that it looks like a Jenni car, perfect for me!

Kyan Starts Tae Kwan Do

Recently, Kyan has expressed interest on a daily basis on wanting to start Karate, there is a place not to far from us, on the way home from school that offers classes for all ages, so we stopped by on Thursday and they actually had class that night that they invited Kyan to come back and try it out to see if he liked it! He instantly fell in love and we knew that he would want to be back! So he will be going to Tae Kwan Do classes, not Karate, which I am learning the differences slowly, three times a week! Seems to some like that could be too many, but Kyan is showing such interest and the second we leave asks how many more sleeps until he comes back! So we are going to go with it until he shows that he isn't interested anymore! The Master instructor talked to me after class and told me that he thought Kyan was very focus and paid attention very well, and to let him work with him for a month in the class that he is in and then he wants to move him up to the next leveled class!

Saturday, Kyan got his uniform, a Dobak (which we have been calling a Gi because of the Karate thing) and couldn't wait to put it on for class! He looked so cute!

Lola herself really wanted to go into class with Kyan and said she could be good (she wants to do everything he does) but she is too little! Instead, she was entertained by the cash register that the lady gave her to play with. She will not be going with us unless she absolutely has to from now on (which will be on Saturday, because hubs has to work). An hour is too long for her to sit there and not cause trouble!

This week was all about FOCUS and at the end of class, Kyan got a piece of tape on his belt to show just how focused he is! He was so excited to come and show us after class was over!

Three more sleeps until we are back for more!