February 13 in 2013 Update

February was a difficult month for working on my goals. We spent the first 11 days in Texas/New Mexico and then immediately came home and began working full-speed on our 30 Hour Famine for the youth group. That being said, I'm still pleased with how much I did accomplish in the month.

1.) Try 2 new recipes each month. 

I successfully made two new recipes in February. The first was a spinach, sausage and tortilini soup. I thought it was REALLY yummy and I'll definitely be making it again. I bought the wrong kind of Italian sausage though (should have been links), so I'll correct that next time. 

I also made Italian stuffed zucchini boats. They turned out pretty well, but didn't have as much flavor as we would have liked. I used ground turkey and thought I seasoned it a lot, but obviously it needed some more. Here's the progression so you can see the basic idea of how to make them. 

2.) Memorize the book of James.

I am really struggling with this one. I even set aside some time to work on this and am just stuck in the first chapter still. There is this one verse that I can't seem to get down, but I am bound and determined to get into chapter 2 in March!

3.) Pay off the Camry. 

I made our regular and extra payment on the Camry and I love watching that balance drop so quickly. I am getting really excited to have that extra money when the car is paid off to go towards other things.

4.) Give away produce from my garden. 

I did a little bit of research and planning for my garden this month and have just about nailed down what I'm going to plant. I'm trying to stick with vegetables and fruits that we really love and will eat in abundance. I'm looking forward to starting some seeds indoors next month!

5.) Complete 12 crafty projects. 

I finished the craft I alluded to in January that was a gift for my friend, Kecia. I crocheted this baby blanket for her little girl, Harleigh, and love the way it turned out! It was really fun to be able to give this to Kecia in person while we were in Texas. Mailing gifts just doesn't have the same effect.

I also made another craft in February, but I'll talk more about it on goal #13.

6.) Make our house feel more like a home. 

This was particularly difficult since we spent half the month away from home and only had one weekend at home. (We spent that weekend doing laundry and recovering from our trip too, so we didn't get anything house-related done.) It was good to have a break though because we were able to save a chunk of money for some bigger projects we have planned for March. The curtain rods are still sitting in the guest bedroom because we need to know the length of our curtains before hanging them. We learned that lesson the hard way in our bedroom.

7.) Take a break from my iPhone.


I feel like I'm making good baby steps in this area. However, that has meant that I left my phone at work 3 times this past week alone! Thankfully I have remembered fairly quickly and been able to go back in and get it each time. Putting it on the iHome when I am at home has been really helpful. I've also made it a point to put it in my purse and put my purse out of reach when I'm out to dinner or hanging out with a group of people.

8.) Keep in touch with our Compassion-sponsored children. 

I didn't do anything for this goal in February. It did kind of feel like I just wrote to our kids and didn't have much else to say, so I think writing every other month might be better/more realistic.

9.) Develop a deeper prayer relationship. 

I finished reading Too Busy Not to Pray this month and I really enjoyed it! I highly recommend it if you're looking for a helpful guide with some really practical advice on praying.

10.) Play with Sky every day. 

I'd give myself a 7/10 on this one. There is more sunlight in the evenings now which is really nice, but there were a lot of nights where we had events in the evening (prep work for 30 Hour Famine, high school swimming awards banquet, Small Groups, art event at the high school, etc.) so I didn't play with Sky on some of those nights where I just came home and went to bed. Ideally, I'd like for him to get some exercise with us every day, but I know there is not enough hours in the day to do everything I'd like, so I'll just continue to do my best to make it happen as often as possible.

11.) Clean, organize and purge one drawer, closet, or cabinet each month. 

I cleaned out the cabinet under my bathroom sink and went through of all of our medicines. A lot of the medicine expired back when I was still in college, so I ended up getting rid of quite a bit of it. It was also a time I could be really grateful for our good health, because we really don't have to take very much medicine at this point in our life. Thank you, God!

12.) Spend time with and learn about people different than me. 

I'm still working on Not Quite Adults and plan to finish reading it in March. The one night the Warming Center was open in February was during our 30 Hour Famine, so we didn't get to help there this month No, the irony is not lost on me that we slept outside in cardboard boxes while the homeless shelters were opening up because it was so cold outside. It was an authentic experience for sure! 30HF was a great opportunity to learn about people whose lives look SO very different than mine. It was humbling and challenging and encouraging all at the same time.

13.) Plan quality, creative time for Kory and I to be together.

For Valentine's Day, I made a Date Jar for Kory and I. You've probably seen them all over Pinterest, but just in case you haven't, it's a mason jar with date ideas written on popsicle sticks. You pull a stick out to see what date you'll be going on that night. They are color-coded so you can decide if you're staying in (no $), going out ($$), or spending a significant amount of money ($$$).

(Mine isn't very creative because I had 2 days to work on it and had to throw it together, but it still does the job.)

You definitely have to be spontaneous to enjoy a gift like this (which I don't think I am!) so we're still trying to put it to use. We were supposed to use it for Valentine's Day but Kory already had a specific movie and dinner place in mind, so we went with that. I'm hoping we'll give it a go in March and really do the idea we draw out.

Mid-February Life Update

1.) Kory and I are participating in 40 Days of Water with Blood:Water Mission again this year. It snuck up ok us, so I don't really feel like we had time to prepare for it. Kory had just bought a 24 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper, so our fridge and cabinet have been tempting us at every turn. We really have to get it out of sight so that we can quit thinking about soda so much. Also, I usually call it soda instead of cokes...I must be an Oregonian!

2.) I am re-watching all of Prison Break on Netflix. I really love this show, probably because I always enjoy a good government conspiracy. Maybe someday I can be a part of one?? ;)

3.) Our youth group is doing the 30 Hour Famine this weekend and I'm really excited for it! It is always one of my very favorite events, though I'm really hoping the rain and cold temperatures go away by Friday. We'd certainly appreciate your prayers for good weather, especially since we sleep in cardboard boxes outside Friday night.

4.) I've been doing some research for my garden this year and am really looking forward to getting started. I know much more than I did last year, so hopefully the produce will reflect that knowledge.

5.) I did our taxes this weekend...and, as always, I really loved doing them. Anyone else really like doing taxes? Maybe I only like doing ours...or maybe I should be a tax preparer in the future?

6.) I was obviously starving and crazy when I ordered Girl Scout cookies, because I thought we needed 5 boxes?! I know we can freeze them but our freezer is just about full to capacity, so we're trying to eat some frozen food and make way for cookies. I do love thin mints, but I can't fathom why I bought so many of them. Also, when we were in TX, Kory's dad bought me a box so I've already eaten an entire box before I even get started on ours. I'm going to need some serious time on my elliptical very soon!

7.) I am still not sure I understand why we get a day off work for Presidents Day, but I am sure not complaining! I always appreciate a long weekend and short work week :)

2012 in Review

This past year was a wonderful one for our family! We were blessed in so many ways and made some amazing memories. Here's a look back at some of the highlights for the Mereness household last year.

In 2012, we...

Bought Our 1st House
After what seemed like a long search, we finally closed on our first home the end of March. It's very spacious, has a wonderful backyard, and has more storage space than we can use. We have had so much fun hosting out-of-town visitors, Ladies Nights, Monday Night Football watching parties, and lots of friends over for dinner and hanging out.

Got a puppy named Skywalker 
Skywalker, who we call Sky, is a Border Collie/mini-Australian Shepherd with more energy than any dog I've ever seen! He was about 5 months old when we got him and just turned a year old in November. We don't exercise him near as much as he would like, but he definitely helps keep us active.

Started a garden
I had my very first garden this Spring/Summer and I had so much fun with it! I'm looking forward to planting a little earlier this year and knowing a bit more about what I'm doing. My favorite garden produce included strawberries, zucchini, and green beans.

Went to Canada for our 1st Anniversary Trip
We celebrated one year of being married by traveling to Canada for the first time. It was one of the only times (besides our honeymoon) we have had a week off work to just enjoy each other; typically we're either traveling to see family or going on a youth group trip, so we really enjoyed a relaxing week with lots of sleeping in, eating, and naps every day.

Lost a total of 40+ pounds and kept it off!
All the jokes about gaining weight after marriage are no joke. Kory and I each lost about 20 pounds in 2012, which was weight we had put on over the past 2 years post-college. We used MyFitnessPal, which is a website and app that helps you track your food intake/calories and exercise to help you meet your weight-loss goals. It worked really well for us and we would highly recommend it to anyone interested in losing weight.

Climbed the highest mountain in Southern Oregon
In August, Kory and I climbed Mt. McLoughlin and it was really difficult!! It was still a great experience, though, and it's fun to know we accomplished such a great feat.

Spent a LOT of time with our Redeemer's high school youth group
We are so thankful to have such a great youth group! We truly do love hanging out with these teens. Some of our favorite activities this year included 30 Hour Famine, floating/rafting on the river, CIY summer camp, Fall Retreat, and leading small groups.

Super Bowl Party in February

The Amazing Spiderman in July

Floating the River in July

CIY Move in August

We welcomed quite a few visitors :)
My mom spent a quick weekend with me in our new house in April. (We didn't take a picture together...but she did buy and plant these beautiful flowers for me.)

Kory's parents came to see us in May.

Our college friends, Marty and Melissa brought their kiddos and spent some time with us in September.

My mom and dad spent 10 days in the Northwest in October. (We somehow didn't get a single picture with them again...but we did see this beautiful scenery while they were here.)

In November, my friend Lynsey and her two daughters came to see our house and visit Roseburg for the first time.

And, as I just blogged about, my parents- and grandparents-in-law were here just a few weeks ago in December.

As for my 2012 goals, here's how I did:

1.) Read 12 books

I didn't quite reach this goal, as I was still trying to finish in the final days of 2012. Initially, I thought I would have no problem completing this goal, but picking up several new hobbies (gardening, crocheting, sewing, dog-owning) took up a lot of my previously allotted reading time. Here is my reading list from the past year (at least the ones I remember):

1. Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne 

2. Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks 
3. The Last Juror by John Grisham

4. Real Marriage by Mark & Grace Driscoll

5. 10 Dumb Things Smart Christians Believe by Larry Osborne

6. Crazy Love by Francis Chan

7. Duck Commander Family by Willie and Korie Robertson

8. Red Letter Christians by Tony Campolo

9. Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie

10. A Year of Biblical Womanhood by Rachel Held Evans

I am still reading these final two books, so they don't really count. I'm about 1/4 through the first one and 1/2 way through number 12.

11. Not Quite Adults by Richard Settersten and Barbara E. Ray

12. Too Busy Not to Pray by Bill Hybels

2.) Learn how to crochet (again)
I definitely met this goal by completing several crochet projects this year. I made a headband for my friend, Abby, some coffee cozies for my mother-in-law, Jackie, and some slippers for my one of our youth group girls, Jordan.

I'm also working on a blanket made in Roseburg High School colors (Artesia Bulldogs colors also!) for me to have at soccer/football games next Fall. It looks like it will take about a year to finish at this rate. It's a black, orange, and white chevron blanket...and last week I realized I had mis-read the pattern and done it all wrong and had to start ALL over! Man, that was really frustrating. You can see I had gotten fairly far with it.

I've started over and am about 13 rows into my new blanket, which is done correctly this time!

3.) Use my new sewing machine

I didn't do as much sewing this year as I had hoped, but I still met my goal of using my machine. I even helped my friend, Abby, learn how to thread the needle and load the bobbin on her machine too, so that was pretty exciting.

The three sewing projects I completed were: 1) I made these burp cloths for Jacinda's baby, Judah, 2) I hemmed a pair of my dress pants, and 3) I made this nursing cover for my college room-mate, Deonna. I've got a couple more friends expecting now, so I am excited to do a little more sewing for them.

God blessed us big time in 2012 and we are excited as we look forward to the adventures ahead in 2013! :)

October Update

My blogging lately seems to be mostly random numbered updates, but it works for me so I won't even apologize for it. Here's what's going on in our world lately:

1. We started our High School Bible Studies last week; Kory leads the guys and I lead the girls with my friend, Florence. We're going through Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I've read this book at least 3 times and worked through the book with another small group and I still love it! It's THAT good. We'll do this every Wednesday night through the Fall semester.





2. We went to see Dispatch live in concert in Portland a couple weekends ago as an early birthday present for Kory. It was really fun and they are great to see live! The best part is that I got to be in the front row, which has never happened before.
3. I have been trying to think of a good Halloween costume for about 2 months now and I've still got NOTHING. Any of you have a great idea for me? In the mean time, I've done a few Fall crafts, like this paper pumpkin. I think the stem is a little long, so I might cut that down a bit but it was really easy and turned out pretty cute, in my opinion. I'm going to make a few more to decorate my cubicle at work.



4. In about 6 weeks, I'm going to do what most of you did in Jr. High or High School, and I'll be getting braces. My main concern is that people at work already think I'm a teenager, so this won't really help that image. However, my co-worker and friend, Annie, just got braces on today so we can at least be twins and endure the ridicule together :)
5. In addition to braces, I will be getting 6 fillings, 4 teeth pulled (3 are wisdom), and eventually two implants. Basically, I will be working for the next year so my entire paycheck can pay for my dental care. Fun...
   
   
   Blogger refuses to let me do a #6, so I'm taking that as a hint that this post should just end. Tootles!

Mid-August Update

It's about time for an update to cover what's been going on over the past few weeks.

1.) We had a Car Wash Fundraiser a couple weeks ago and it was incredibly successful! I had never heard of a car wash quite like this before, but it worked really well for us. We have 3 services on Sunday morning, and we did a valet service (with adults driving) so people could drop off their keys with us and we would wash their car while they were in the service and it was back in their parking spot squeaky clean when they got out. People could also drive their car through in-between services if they wanted. We ended up making over $1,000 in about 4.5 hours!

2.) My wedding ring saga continues...and my disgust for Samuels Jewelers continues to grow! So, as of May, I had lost 5 diamonds from my wedding ring in under 18 months. The last time I took it into the store, I was talking to the Store Supervisor about this and telling her how frustrated I was that I had to drive 2-3 hours to a store or pay to ship the ring to get it fixed. She said I could call the Customer Service Line and they would send me a postage-paid box or envelope and I could send the ring in for free and get it repaired and they'd send it back for free. I lost another diamond (#6!) while putting away laundry one night and promptly called the Customer Service Line the next morning. The lady I spoke to could not find any record of us purchasing any jewelry or insurance plans from Samuels and she spent about 10 minutes trying to convince me I must have bought it somewhere else and I was just confused.

I am 1,000% sure I have an insurance policy with them as I have already used it SO many times! She was finally able to locate some information in the system for Kory and asked me to mail in a copy of my receipts to prove we bought a ring and insurance from Samuels and then they will start the process of adding our records to their system. I found the business card for the District Manager in with the paperwork from when Kory purchased the ring, so I decided to give him a call. I left a voicemail for him, and in his message he promises to return all calls, yet I never heard back from him. So, now I don't really know where I stand. I'll probably try to call Customer Service again this week because I sent in the paperwork a couple weeks ago now. I wish it were something less important to me, but because it's my wedding ring, I will continue this fight.

3.) I'm doing pretty well on my New Years Goals...though they have changed a little bit throughout the year. My initial goals involved learning to sew, reading 12 books, and getting back into crocheting. I've sewn several things this year, am on book #6 (got a little behind on this one) and re-learned a few basic crochet stitches. After moving into our house, I kind of decided that instead of focusing on crocheting, I was going to learn how to garden. It's been really fun even though many of my flowers and veggies haven't survived. Here are a few pictures of what is growing in my garden right now:

Green Beans just came in this week.

Zucchini has been my best crop by far.

It will be a while longer before the cucumbers are ready.

The strawberries are just as delicious as they look!

Lately...

We've been pretty busy around here with a lot of Fall things going on!

1. We're looking at houses to buy/build, so that's very fun and exciting (and a little scary)!

2. Kory is preaching at all 3 services at church this week (his first time preaching at Redeemer's) and also filmed a sweet video that goes along with the lesson, so that's been very time intensive.

3. We had a (stinking cool!) Halloween party for the youth group last week, which I hope to blog about soon. It was amazing!

4. I'm doing the lesson at youth group this week since Kory's preaching and been busy with that preparation.

5. Next weekend is our Fall Retreat and with everything else going on, it's kind of hit the back burner so it all has to be planned next week in about 4 days.

6. Youth group kids have athletic events we have been attending, Kory does a Bible Study for the boys every week, oh and I have this full-time job I also do 40 hours a week. And that job sent me to Salem for a couple days this week.

7. Good problem...but we have a lot of friends here and it's kind of hard trying to figure out when we'll have time to hang out with all of them. I am not complaining at all because I'm SO happy to finally have friends our age :) BUT, I feel kind of bad when a girl from church asks me to hang out and I have to tell her tonight that I'm scheduled two weeks out and we should be able to get together after Thanksgiving. That sounds kind of arrogant like I'm SO cool and popular. That's not really it...I'm just the new girl in town and so I'm trying really hard to build relationships and get to know people. With no family here, friendships are uber important.

8. We got our membership at the YMCA yesterday in an attempt to start working out again and get back into shape. It is not a myth that you gain weight after getting married. Sheesh! It happened far too quickly so we're going to work out instead of buying new, bigger pants! Though I do wonder when we think we're going to fit all these workouts into our schedule? Ideally we'd get up at 5:30 and go work out but that's insane in the membrane. Not happening in this household!

So yeah, that's our recent life. I know everyone is busy, (especially you who have kids!) but thankfully our busyness is FUN and we're loving life in Roseburg :)

Busy Busy

With this being the last week before school starts, we've got a lot going on as we try to fit in last minute hang-out time with the students before they're tied up with school and extra-curriculars. One of the best parts of all this is that it's forced me to clean our home and keep it that way.

Summer weather finally arrived in Oregon in August, so a lot of our time has been spent outside. Last Sunday, we went to 2 cook-outs in one day. That meant no cooking all day and lots of delicious free food! I'll take that any day.

Tuesday night we had our high school swimming party at this AMAZING house:

Tonight we'll host our young adult small group at our apartment since the usual hosts are out of town. They're also about 7 months pregnant with twins, so we're praying about finding a new location to meet beginning soon. I'm very torn about whether we are able to host or not. I love having people over and my apartment will be cleaner this way, but with all the youth group activities we're already involved in, we're trying to decide if it will be too much to take on.

Tomorrow night we're having a couple over for dinner and then we're all going to watch Inception again. The husband is on staff at the church and works with Kory, so we were visiting with them at a church event recently and all decided we wanted to see that movie again because it is THAT incredible. It's worth watching many times.

Saturday, I have two baby showers to attend. One is for the daughter of one of my co-workers and the other is for our small group friends who are expecting twins. I have bought diapers and wipes for both of them because apparently the new trend is to ask people to bring those and then they enter you in a drawing to win prizes. The number of entries you get is based on the number of diapers/wipes that you bring. Then, you're supposed to bring a gift on top of that...very tricky, I tell ya! After seeing the price of diapers recently, I totally understand the need for other people to buy diapers for you. Wow they're expensive!

Sunday, we'll have the High Schooler's over to our apartment for dinner and Bible Study. We did this two weeks ago and had 25 people to fit in our little apartment! It was insane, and awesome at the same time. Here you can see all the people crammed into our living room...there are even a few people beside and behind me when I took the picture that you can't see here.

Redeemer's just purchased a new building for the youth group, so hopefully in a few weeks they'll be meeting there for youth group activities. I love having kids over, but the lingering stench of that many sweaty teens was a bit much for me to handle. All the Scentsy in the world can't overpower that smell!