New house, new homeowners claim?!?!?!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to post a real quick blog to let you know that we are moved and into our house! We had a lot of help last Saturday (3 sets of missionaries and Nate Nelson! Let me tell you- he is a moving van packing machine!!!!! Plus, Bro Tipton, Carrie Tipton, Judy Wright, well lots of help!!!) and it was great! We are working now on unpacking. It's going pretty good! And we finally got our sod yesterday in our front and side yards, and seed in the back, so we're working now on keeping it watered since it can't seem to rain here for more than 5 minutes! (I really don't want to see this water bill!!!)

We did have one set back while we were in the process of moving that kinda sucked! We moved some loads of boxes and stuff over ourselves on Wednesday that we didn't want to put on the truck. The cable guys were coming on Thursday morning to turn on the cable, so mom came to sit out at the house and do a little unpacking. When she walked in she smelled something kind of sweet. She thought maybe it was the air conditioner so she went to go check and it was fine. As she was coming back upstairs she saw the stove and a box that was sitting on the stove turn bright red. She ran over and picked up the box and it went up in flames!!! Somehow, when that box got sat on the stove (bad idea- don't do that!!!!) it somehow triggered the on button and that box had sat there smoldering all night long. When mom picked it up it got enough oxygen under it to engulf it. She ran outside screaming about the fire and some men working on the house across the street (who don't speak english! They're Mexican!) heard her and came running over. They threw the box outside, along with a few more that had gotten sparked off the first one and got the fire put out. Thankfully, no one was hurt! I'm still not sure how that happened but we were truly blessed. Thank goodness for home owners insurance because we're looking at $1200+ in repairs. But the house is still standing so it's all good! But I always thought the saying was new house, new baby! Not new house, new homeowners claim!

Okay, so this short post has turned into a long one, but I wanted to let you all know that we are still here. Now that the internet is working I'll get some pics posted this weekend of our lovely new home!

My Summer Soundtrack

So, I was thinking the other day about those songs that just seem to scream summer. I'm sure you all know what I mean. There are just certain songs out there that either have a huge summer vibe to them, or they bring back serious memories of summers past. 18 years ago (wow- was it really that long ago!?!?!??!) there was a group called ABC or Another Bad Creation. They were part of the Motown sound that included Boyz II Men and such. My friend Megan and I had a serious thing for their song "Iesha". We made up a dance and performed it for anyone who would sit still. Well, recently on You Tube I found the music video and it made all of the memories from that summer come flooding back! It wouldn't let me copy the info to embed it straight to this post, but if you need a blast from this past click here and it will take you to the video! I'm telling you- you're in for a major time warp and some good laughs! (Oh, and happy birthday to Megan! Today she is, well, I won't out her! It's not like we're that old, but to realize that we made that dance up 18 years ago is kind of freaking me out! Happy birthday girl! I miss you and hope your day was great!)

I decided to make a list of the 15 songs that scream summer to me. So here they are!
15. Our Lips are Sealed- The Go-Go's
14. All for You- Janet Jackson
13. Summer time- Will Smith
12. Summer Nights- Grease
11. Gettin' Jiggy with it- Will Smith
10. I Want You Back- Jackson 5
9. Here for the Party- Gretchen Wilson
8. Strawberry Wine- Deana Carter
7. Bye, Bye, Bye- 'N Sync
6. Always Be My Baby- Mariah Carey
5. I Want It That Way- Backstreet Boys
4. Come On Over- Christina Aguilera
3. Summertime- New Kids on the Block (If you haven't heard- they're back and I LOVE this song!!!!)
2. Yeah- Usher
1. No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem- Kenny Chesney

Okay, so these are really in no particular order... it was too hard to do it that way! But if I could make my own summer soundtrack all of these songs (and many more) would be on it! What songs remind you of summer? What did I leave off? Whatever it is, have a great summer, and listen to great music to make some great memories!!!!

Let It Snow????

In the midst of packing yesterday I found a bag of cotton balls that was hidden in the back of one of our bathroom cabients. As I was cleaning out the cabinets I put them back in, in case we might need them between now and the move. Well, yesterday the kids found them! One of the best thing about kids is that they can manage to have a ball with the littlest things. Take, for example, our cotton balls. In the blink of an eye they were spread out all over the room like tiny snow balls. Jonah was tearing them apart and putting them in Bri's hair and then he would laugh! He thought it was so funny! By the time the playing was over they both had cotton balls in their mouths (UGH!) and there were little strands of torn cotton balls all over my floor. It would have been so easy to get frustrated by the mess and flip out, instead I just let them have their fun, and then help me clean up after!!! But, they did have a blast and it kept them busy while I cleaned out another cabinet in the kitchen :)

Gives whole new meaning to the term "cotton mouth" huh!?!?!

Well, everyone have a great weekend! It's gonna be hot here and I'm sure we'll end up at the pool so I'll post some pics for you! Pool pictures are always so fun!

Unspectacularly Quirky Me

Sarah, over at Sarah's Musings, tagged me for this meme. I think I found Sarah's blog on the Menu Planning Monday over at Orgjunkie and just kept going back. She's often posting great recipes (using all the yummy fresh fruits and veggies she can get at her Farmer's markets in Cali! I'm so jealous!) and other fun family things. I'm always game for a meme so thanks Sarah! Let's get to it then!

Here's the rules for this meme:
1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Make sure you mention the rules in you post.
3) Tell about six unspectacular quirks that you have.
4) Tag a new set of six people.

Okay....

Quirk #1: I read cookbooks! In fact, when I go to a book store one of the first sections I go to is the cookbook section. My husband will say that I read them but I never use them. This is not entirely true! But I do tend to go back to the same cookbooks over and over again. When I travel somewhere I love to bring back a cookbook with local recipes and traditions. What better way to remember where you've been than with the food! But yes, cookbooks are my weakness!

Quirk #2: I am a chocolate junkie! And the older I get, the more I prefer dark chocolate. In fact, the darker, the better. I tend to be a chocolate snob though. Godiva-mmmm....need I say more?!?!?

Quirk #3: I remember about every song I've ever heard. Those of you who know me will know this to be true. It is kind of quirky though because it doesn't matter what genre of music....I can sing every word, every time. I'm sure it gets kind of old for some people, but I consider it a blessing! (This doesnt' just apply to music. I remember lines from movies like there is no tomorrow! Give me a line- 9 times out of 10 I can name the movie. Or vice versa!!!)

Quirk #4: I've recently learned to love heels. I used to be a tennis shoe nut- not so much now. I have more confidence when I'm wearing a great pair of shoes, some fabulous jewelry and a smile. As Shania Twain says: "Man, I feel like a woman!" (Refer to quirk #3!!!!)

Quirk #5: I'm very much a night owl, which is bad because I am not a morning person. If I could be a night owl AND a morning person- I'd be a happier person! But I've learned that late at night is a great time to be productive, especially with two young kids who go to bed around 8-8:30. Now if only I could get them to sleep until 9 or 10!!!!

Quirk #6: I am a procrastinator in the worst way! I will wait until a few hours before something is due before I even start on it. I could change this if I really wanted to...but it's worked for me all of my life so why change it now?!?!? It's probably the trait about myself that drives me, and most people around me nuts, but se la vie!

Okay, so now I have to tag six more people! The girls I am tagging are girls I grew up with, but we haven't seen each other in years. I know what your quirks used to be, I'm ready to see how you've changed! (Or not!) Leave a comment with a link to your post once you've completed it! I am going to tag:

1: Diana
2: Emily
3: Megan
4: Carrie
5: Stacy
6: Britni

Anyone else whose reading this feel free to play along! Just leave a comment with the link once you've posted your meme so we can all see them! Thanks for playing!

Ruschell Family Reunion

Memorial Day weekend was so much fun! Steven's family had a family reunion, the first one in over 10 years. We had it at his cousins house out in the country. They have a log cabin on 42 acres, complete with two lakes. The cabin was great! I absolutely fell in love!

And the kids had an absolute blast! Scott had a ton of fishing poles and the kids fished for hours! Jonah and Bri both caught fish!

There was so much to do. We had an impromptu game of volleyball with Steven's cousins, his sister and her boyfriend. It was an absolute blast! I can't say that we very good, but we had a ball! (no pun intended!) There was also cornhole and a paddle boat out on the lake. They also had a couple of boats that we could take out to fish off. They also have a hot tube, which is my idea of absolute luxury! I could have lived in that hot tube!

Steven's great aunt counted and she said that there were 98 people who came. That's a lot of people, and we were missing quite a few. I guess that's what comes from having a big family. But it was a great time, and it was the most relaxing location. I can't wait to go back!

In house news.... we have brick, and siding! The walls have been primed, the driveway has been poured, they will be putting up the trim and laying down the subfloors next. We only have about 3 weeks to go and I can't believe how much they still have to get done! But, I know they will get it done! The only thing that stinks now is that they've put in the last window in the basement, and they got the sliding door down there to lock, so we can no longer sneak in to check on the progress! From here on out it's all a surprise but I guess that's good! It gives us something to look forward to! If you can't tell from all the explanation points....I'm a little excited!!!!

Here are some pictures I took when they were finishing the siding, just to give you an idea. I'll post more pictures after we go back this weekend to check on things.

So, that's all for this post! Have a great weekend everybody!

Cinderella

I got word tonight on Fox News of the tragic death of Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest daughter, Maria Sue. Maria was 5 years old (only had been for 10 days). She was hit in the driveway of their Nashville home by her older brother, who was driving the family SUV. It was a tragic accident and no charges will be filed. Maria was the youngest of the Chapman's six children. She was one of 3 that were adopted from China. A spokesman says that several family members saw the accident occur, but none of them were able to do anything to help her. My heart just broke as I read the story on the singer's official website.

Maria and her sister were the inspiration for the singer's latest hit song, Cinderella. The first time I heard the song I cried, and I've cried every time I've heard it since. Tonight I went over to YouTube and found the video for the song. If you've never heard the song, grab a box of tissues. Or even if you have, grab a box anyway because the song takes on such a different meaning now. So here, in honor of Maria Sue Chapman, is the video for Cinderella, as well as an interview with Chapman about the inspiration for the song.

My thoughts and prayers tonight are with the Chapman family. Know that the thoughts and prayers of thousands more are with you and your family as you endure these difficult days! Heaven has another angel today.

Really good news on the house front this week! They began dry walling today and brick will begin going up tomorrow (although with all the rain we got today and are expecting tomorrow I won't be holding my breath for that one!)

We got an offer on the condo! It came back $4000 less than we were asking so we said no way and stuck to our guns until we got to the minimum we said we'd take. I'll tell you what though! People really want something for nothing these days. It never ceases to amaze me how cheap people are! They had an inspection on the condo today and if all goes well we are scheduled to close on June 15th! The best part is that we close on the new house on June 18th so won't have to impose on anyone for very long while we are waiting for our house to be finished! We should be in before Independence Day! YEAH!!!!!!

We went over to the house about a week ago and took some pictures. Here's what it looked like then.

This will be our kitchen.
This will be our living room.

We are very excited! It feels now like this is actually going to happen and we just can't believe it! Parties at our house this summer! (I love how that sounds!!!!!)

I've been trying to upload a new video of the kids that is particularly funny but Blogger won't let me right now so I'll have to try again tomorrow. Look for it- you won't be disappointed!