Before and After

Before.....A cozy table for 2

Waiting......

TADA!!!! A table for a family.......no we are not adding to our family of 2 at this time!

Close up!

No we haven't actually eaten on the table......I need to buy place mats. We looked a few weeks ago but I just couldn't pull the trigger without having the table in our possession. We knew it possibility could take till the end of this month. So we were THRILLED when we got the call that it was in. (Not like another company...cough Nebraska cough Furniture cough Mart cough cough) But place mats will have to wait BECAUSE........

This weekend I have BIG PLANS.....MUSIC CITY is in my near future. I'm flying out tomorrow afternoon and will get back late Sunday night. SO EXCITED to have a girls weekend with my closest friends from Nashville last year. I'm leaving Eric at home but don't worry he has plans with friends here in Omaha. Why I choose to go in August when it will be miserably hot.....not sure...probably not by best decision.

By the way during my latest blogging hiatus (which is in part not my fault.....our modem broke and Eric refused to buy a new one for a few days because he was convinced he could fix it.....well he bought a new one today......)

Eric and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary......PHEW....we made it. I will admit it took a few months for us to get used to each other but marriage gets better and better every day.

Wedding Weekend

Jamie and Mitch got Hitched this weekend in Wichita and we all had a great time catching up! Not the best picture of us but the only one I had of all 6 of us. Jamie was a BEAUTIFUL Bride and we are so happy for them as they start this next chapter. Hope you both have a blast in Costa Rica!

I didn't take a lot of pictures this weekend because I was just having to much fun! We went to breakfast this morning at the Beacon........DELICIOUS......it was a dive kinda place. I had the Cinnamon Raisin French Toast.......YUMMY!

Then back on the road to The Big O! We picked up friends who lived in Lincoln so it made the 5 hour drive more tolerable and entertaining. Getting ready for the work week ahead.....We have big plans this coming weekend too!

zoo addition

My friend Anessa posted this picture from the zoo and I thought I'd share to go with my post earlier today! Happy Monday all!

A Zoo Full of Fun!!

On Saturday we had BIG plans!!! A trip to the zoo with friends. Anessa and Dom came from Ottawa, KS, Dana and Mark from Lincoln, and Katie from Manhattan and we all met at the zoo. It was the perfect day for the zoo AND apparently everyone else felt so too because it was PACKED!!!

We took a break from walking to ride the Skyfari.....Katie jumped on with Eric and I.

Anessa and Dom in front!

Dana and Mark excited for the Skyfari trip

We rode over the rhino cage....

Since we are all Cats at heart we had to go visit the Cat Complex!

Remember this guy from the first time Eric and I went to the zoo....

Well he's a little bigger and I'd say his mom still didn't want much to do with him :-)

Katie needed her picture before we left......I think these kids wondered why the grown adult was in line for her picture....they just don't know Katie

We headed to the house after we were done at the zoo and grilled out....the patio furniture is coming in handy! Its so great to spend time with friends and we all get to see each other next weekend at Jamie and Mitch's Wedding in Wichita!!! So FUN!!!

A First

Well today I had a work first......I fired someone. I won't go into details but we were "challenged" before and we are even more so now. When I say "challenged" it's fancy for we are short on help right now but we don't want to promote it so I learned today I am supposed to call it challenged. Good thing I had 4 interviews lined up today!

Well I'm tired because I helped serve tonight so that is all......but thought you might be interested!

Happy Hour

As in Sonic Happy Hour!!!! The only good part of getting to work at 6:30 in the morning is that I supposedly get to leave work earlier than normal.......AND......I made it to Sonic right before happy hour was over!! I had a safety meeting at 7:00 a.m. and after racing out the building this afternoon at 3:30 (YES I really have to jet out of there and look like I'm on a mission or I may never leave!!!) AHH!!! Refreshing!



A couple of weekends ago I went on yet ANOTHER float trip.....I know I'm really turning into an outdoor kinda girl right!?!? Well Jamie is getting married the 31st of July and she really wanted to go on a float trip so her Maid of Honor (her sister) found a GREAT company Up A Creek Canoe and Kayak Rental. (We even made the website so check it out) We had a GREAT time BUT was a little different than my float trip the previous weekend. My first float trip I did little to no work and the river moved us quickly along in our tractor tire tubes so I was expecting something similar RIGHT?

WRONG!!! We actually had to work at getting down the river.......yes those oars were not just for show.......The water was VERY still so we had to paddle our way down the river.....at first we weren't to concerned about getting down the river but our guides told us we would go under 3 bridges before we got the Kansas River which he promised the current would pick up and our stopping point was along that River as well.......WELL we had been paddling for awhile and we still hadn't made it to the 1st bridge so we asked how much further to the first bridge.....OH maybe 1/2 mile or so....OKAY......well I think we started to sound a little like kids in the backseat asking how much further till the next bridge!!!! BUT we made it back after 4-5 hours from starting. In the process we got a good workout, a great tan, AND we had LOADS of fun!!! We are even planning to make it an annual event! Check out the pics that the company took of us!

Taking a break to take a picture

Look at me working hard with my feet up.....it helped get an even tan :-)

Look at us go!

WE SURVIVED!!!

Cleaned up and out for dinner......food never looked better we were starving after our afternoon of hard work!

Cheesy Chili Bake

Well I haven't featured a recipe lately so here you go! I've made this recipe a couple of times and its SUPER easy. Check it out!

Here are the ingredients you'll need

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 c. onion, chopped
• 1 1/4 oz. pkg. chili seasoning mix
• 14 1/2 oz. can Rotel
• 15 oz. can corn, drained
• 15 oz. can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
• tortilla chips, crushed
• shredded cheese
• optional garnish: sour cream

Brown the beef and onion; drain. Add the chili seasoning, Rotel, corn, beans, and any other additions you may like. Heat until bubbly and warmed through, stirring occasionally. Spoon into a lightly greased 9x13 pan. Top with crushed chips and cheese. Bake at 350 until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. Garnish with sour cream if you wish.

Weekend of Projects!

Well we had a visitor at the Ladd household this weekend....my brother Brent came to visit!

We had a great weekend! On Saturday, after sleeping in which was AWESOME!! since Eric and I haven't been able to do that for several weekends now....We headed to the Lucky Bucket Brewery for a tour. It was interesting and the boys were happy since they got free beer.....

We headed to Old Market and got some pizza at Zios before heading over the the Bluffs....to gamble! Yes we went to the Casinos. Eric and I went in with a limit of how much money we were willing to spend and ended up pulling out of Black Jack after about an hour of entertainment and losing a total of 25 bucks. Of course Brent came out on top winning $40 in between black jack and the crabs table.

Eric and I were invited to 2 parties on Saturday night so we party hopped to make our appearances. We really aren't that popular.....I swear.

On Saturday we took advantage of Brent having an SUV and we went to Lowe's so we could get a ladder......SO ERIC COULD INSTALL A LIGHT in our living room. YEAH!! We had the wiring for a light but the house didn't come with one so Eric can check this off his honey-do list!!

The fan AND the light work!! Good job Eric!

AND what was I doing while Eric was hard at work (besides taking pictures).....working on our lawn furniture!!

I forgot to take a before picture so you'll have to look in the picture I took the night we got our Free lawn furniture! If you look on the table and chairs there are some parts that the black part had worn off......

Nothing a can of spray paint can't fix......so far we've spent $6.42 on our lawn furniture renovations!!!

Here is one of the spots I've fixed.....not perfect but it looks better than before I started!! We are on the hunt for some new tile to add a little pizazz......stay tuned

Tomorrow I'm featuring a recipe....Cheesy Chili Recipe....come back and check it out

Someone Else's Trash is Anothers Treasure

Well we have a new addition in the Ladd Household that has taken up home in the backyard!!! And NO its not a puppy......

YES we have found lawn furniture......found being the KEY word.....tonight Eric and I were on our after dinner walk and on the curb about 3 blocks from our house was this lawn furniture. So I say to Eric,

Me:"Do you think they are giving that away?"
Eric says, "Well I'll go ask but usually that's what it means when its sitting on the curb"
Me: "Okay BUT first let me walk down the next street so I don't get embarrassed"
Eric: "Comes back and says the guy says its ours if we want it"
Me: "Okay well are we going to have to carry it home? or do we need to go befriend one of the neighbors. I've talked to those one neighbors with 4 kids once....they have a pickup"

So as we are walking back to our street and I see one of my former Lincare coworkers at his friends house and I asked if he had a truck.....and WOLOAH!! we are headed to pick up our "new to us" lawn furniture.

Now I know that its in need of a little tender loving care BUT I really think I can make it our own......get some new tiles, paint the metal parts and maybe get new cushions!

All Eric needs is a beer and a fire......yes that is a firepit in the center....JEALOUS?!?! AND the best part it was FREE!!!! The previous owners had it for 2 years and bought it at Mrs. B's and it admitted he was to lazy to fix it back to its former glory.

I have been wanting patio furniture for awhile now and I really wanted something similar to this so I'm so excited that we got it and I didn't have to spend any money....yes we'll have to spend some money to fix it up BUT way less than we would have buying it new. Right now my husband is the most in love with me than he's ever been......that's what I get for marrying a cheap guy :-)

An Itch You Just Have to Scratch

Yes my mosquito bites are craving attention and I almost don't have enough fingers to itch them all......it drives Eric nuts and he's constantly telling me to stop itching. I'm like a little kids with chicken pox.

This proved no different than at 4 a.m. this morning....Eric randomly woke up and got up to check the time which woke me up.....and the itching resumed and no different than during the day Eric threatened me to STOP ITCHING.....OOPS!

YEAH for tomorrow being Wednesday....today was a little rough at work so I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow.

Adventures of Camping

Well we are BACK and yes I survived......a little less sleep, a few cuts and A LOT more mosquito bites!

Now like a mentioned before this was not my first rodeo in camping adventures.....

My dad would always take Brent and I camping near the end of the summer.....mom stayed home which now that I think about it, it was probably a vacation from us.....BUT we always had a grand time playing cards, swimming, fishing and literally sleeping on the ground....that is until I became a little to much of a girly girl and wasn't so excited about going camping.

These days camping has become a little less primitive.....

Yes that is our air mattress and I did make sure that we would have the capabilities (electricity) to blow it up so we could sleep in "comfort" during our camping adventure. And no we were not the only couple who brought their air mattress.....ALL of us brought air mattresses. My other requirements before agreeing to go....working bathrooms and a shower. (I would say both were fairly primitive but they got the job done....I don't think I've ever seen so many bugs as in the bathroom at night or in the morning....I tried to do a funny dance to keep the bugs from biting me....pretty sure it didn't work)

Here we are shortly after arriving with our humble abode.....the Ladd's 2 room tent....which the 5 of them used to use when going on vacation......before going on this camping trip I made it clear that my idea of a vacation is NOT driving to various sites in the US and camping our way there and back.....we stopped at Alan and Christy's on Friday night and had a practice run of setting up the tent and to make sure all the pieces were still there. I'm sure the neighbors thought we were crazy putting up a tent and then immediately tearing it down. On Friday night they were reminiscing about the good old times....in particular about how they got soaked one time when it rained......

Saturday was GORGEOUS and we went tubing down the river......There were 4 couples total and 2 of the couples have done this 3 years in a row.....as we were going to put on our swimsuits the girls pre-warned me that the river was going to be muddy....I said it wouldn't be a problem.....I mean the Stafford lake will prepare you for anything :-)

Now most of you know we honeymooned in Jamaica and as you can see my husband is a "little white" so we stockpiled on spray on sunscreen which let me tell you was one of the best inventions. I LOVE IT! Its so easy to put on and works great. We had a few cans left-over as did the over couples who have recently gone on honeymoons.

Now I didn't bring my camera on the river but wanted to give you an idea of what it was like! We did have a "drink" tube that we made sure was manned at all times. We floated for 3 hours and dodged lots of downed trees and cows crossing the river. In all honesty I got clobbered by a tree but I made it out a okay.....Again this wasn't my first go-around using tractor tires in "muddy water"

Brent and I floating in the lake....not quite as "exciting" as the adult version of a float trip.

Now you might have wondered what I meant by cuts....well as we were climbing out of the river we had to navigate a rocky bank and my foot slipped......I have this lovely cut and a rather large scratch on the other side to remember the trip by.....and since I don't heal very quickly I'm sure it will be there for 6 months to come.

NOW....remember how the Ladds reminisced about how they got soaked when it rained......well it started to rain in the middle of the night and I was GLAD that I made Eric sleep near the door. It took several attempts on my part to get Eric to get up and close the tent flaps so the rain would stop blowing in and in the morning our tent and a little puddle of water also accompanied us in the tent. I was pretty glad we were only staying one night since I'm going to work on Monday because I'm pretty sure it was going to rain most of the day and that would have been "not so fun" in my eyes to be camping in drizzly/raining weather.

AND NOW we are drying out our air mattress in the basement and all our camping gear in the garage.....Oh they joys of sleeping outside.....AND we got invited to participate in an annual camping/float trip.....OH YEAH! Really I had a good time but I wouldn't call it a vacation by anymeans....AND guess what I'm doing next weekend....that's right going on a float trip but this one is a guided tour for a bachelorette party....it will be interesting considering that on the trip this weekend the boys took care of everything.

AND tonight.....SUPER excited to sleep in my own bed with the tent not blowing so hard that I worried Eric and I may have a tent collapse on us :-)

CAMPING?!?!

Yes you read the title right....CAMPING....

One of Eric's work friends invited us camping this weekend.....we were originally going to go to an Omaha Royals baseball game with friends from church but to many people were going out of town so it got canceled

When my brother called yesterday I mentioned our plans and his response....."you're not really a camping kind of girl".....my response...."I know"

So wish us luck and I'm sure we will have stories and pictures to come.......AHH!! I haven't been camping since I was in grade school when we had Daddy Camp Trips with Dad, Brent and Me.....at least I've been, one of the other couples that's going his wife has NEVER been camping. Should be an interesting weekend....I better go get some OFF WOODS Insect Repellent. Yikes.

I got Tagged....

Well I'm not usually one for chain STUFF.....BUT I'll give it a try today!

1. What’s your staple meal (ie. what meal do you cook most often when you can’t be bothered to be adventurous)?

PIZZA!!! No its not takeout.....I make my healthy homemade pizza made with part whole-wheat flour.....you can't even tell the difference....pepperoni is our flavor of choice


2. What do you want to be when you grow up?

Teacher.....I would seriously bargain with my classmates to take there workbooks home at the end of the school year to play teacher with all summer long.....I would get SO frustrated with my brother (my lone pupil) because he wasn't mastering my spelling tests (I mean he was only 2 years younger than me) I'm telling you that's why my brother is such a SMARTY PANTS!

3. What book are you reading at the moment (if any)?

Eternal on the Water by Joseph Monninkger BUT I should probably should be reading some management book about how to manage tattle tales (seriuosly sometimes I think I'm playing referee at work between siblings)

4. How do you relax?

Running! YES I know CRAZY! I ran at 6 this morning and it was AWESOME! I don't know why I don't do it everyday.

Read! It's an escape.....

5. What color are the interior walls of your home?

I would like to plead that we haven't lived here for THAT long.....but right now all but one room is the tan that was on the wall when we bought it.....I am trying to figure out what I want to do! Our office is PRETTY in Purple and Grey.....if you remember we had quite the time trying to find the PERFECT GREY!

6. What is your guiltiest pleasure?

HANDS DOWN........Raw cookie dough.....I will make cookies just to eat the dough (Ask my husband...I rarely eat more than a couple of the baked cookies and one of us ends up taking them to work so they don't end up going in the trash)

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH......I know don't consume raw eggs....WHATEVER....its SO GOOD!

7. What time is bedtime and getting up time?

You know when you were younger and you HATED that you're parents made you go to bed at 10:00.....well it stuck around....granted my hubby gets up SUPER EARLY to go to work so he needs his beauty sleep.....technically I wake up the first time at 5 when Eric's alarm goes off.....maybe 5:10 if he hits snooze.....then at 5:30 when he kisses me good bye......at 6:00 my alarm goes off to go run BUT lately I get back in bed and GET UP at 7:00 (I REALLY like my sleep :-)

8. How long do you spend reading blogs (per day or per week)?

More than I should.... :-)


Now I am supposed to tag other people, so I will try Elizabeth at Everything in Moderation and Megan at Coffeehouse and Rachel at Keepin' Up With The Kelly's. Well I better get back to watching the Bachelorette....I know guilty pleasure.....DON'T JUDGE!

Wrong Choice....

Well.....Tuesday night is NOT the night to go to Applebee's....why you might ask? Because kids eat for 99 cents.......no we didn't know before we went.....but it became more apparent as our meal went on for sure.....I do believe we were the only people in the joint that didn't have some tag alongs. (I'm not a huge fan of Applebees but Eric won a gift certificate at a golf tourney recently and won't stop offering to take me there)

Well there is never a dull moment at work and today proved to be no different. I am hiring in my department and I conducted a rather interesting interview today. First off I knew I was in trouble when the front desk called me and told me my interview was there to see me.....and I got a heads up that they didn't speak English.....YIKES! Well she brought her brother to serve as a translator (language of choice.....french)....who became inappropriate before we even got into the room where I was going to do the interview. "You're a good girl I can tell you're a good girl"

Well lets say the interview didn't go much better than the introduction. One of my structured interview questions was what kind of training or education do you have that will help you succeed in this position......ANSWER with lots of french translation....."You will see" REALLY!

Much of the interview went this way with the translating brother giving lots of commentary....that wasn't helping there case. At the end he said okay now I have questions for you....Okay I just asked if you have any questions so now would be the time.....

Question: What do you think of her so far?
My answer: Well I have several other candidates that I'm interviewing and we will let you know as previously discussed by mail or phone call the results
Question: That DOESN'T answer my question

OH GOSH!!! I hope the other interviews go better because for obvious reasons I won't be hiring today's candidate.

Weekend of Celebration

Wow where do I start?!?!

First off.....HAPPY FATHERS DAY to my favorite dad out there!

And although I couldn't be there with him today I was happy to hear when I called today that he was doing his favorite thing to do on Father's Day.....cutting wheat in the combine! I think the only thing to make today better for him would be having me ride in the combine with him!!! :-)

We were in Creston, IA last night celebrating Eric's grandma, Carol's 85th birthday! What an accomplishment! We had a great BBQ with family and friends!

Eric and I with the birthday girl!

4 generations! Eric's oldest cousin Kyle and his wife just had the cutest baby boy, Harrison, who will be a month old on Tuesday! First Great-Grandchild!!

Grandpa Krantz and Harrison

Today, Eric's family came over for lunch. It was great to have Floyd and Bonnie, Carol, and Brian and Jillian over to see the house.

I think we need to search a little harder to find a dining room table......Jillian and I had to sit at the bar so we'd have enough room and Alan had to sit in a lawn chair!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL THE DADS OUT THERE!!!