Too funny...

While I was away from the family last weekend helping my move from WY to MI.... Larry said that he and Morgan  were getting ready to head to the store.  Larry was wearing some overalls (probably his hole filled and dirty pair) and as they were getting her jacket and shoes on, she looked at her daddy and said "You can't go wearing THAT!"  I was so very proud when he told me this!  That's my girl!  Love you Morgan!  :-)  Thank you for helping keep daddy on his toes and to teach him what is okay to wear to the store and what is not!  LMAO!!

Happy Veteran's Day

Today is a very special  day in our family...a day to honor those in our family and friends who have served or are serving in the military.  We are very proud to call ourselves a military family and hope that everyone says thank you to those you know are serving.  I think one of the greatest things I see is when someone finds out someone is military and they say thank you for serving...even to complete strangers.  I am in awe when complete strangers open themselves up like that! 

My hubby Larry, brother Cory, father Daryl, cousin Harley and many, many, many friends who have served or are currently serving are especially in my thoughts today.  I know someone from each of the 5 military branches and am very proud of them all!

Happy Veteran's Day!  Thank you for fighting for our freedom and security!

Gotta Love Fall

Today Morgan and I had a lot of fun at the Whistling Well Farm in Hastings, MN.  http://whistlingwellfarm.com/find_us.html
First we stopped by the chicken and turkey coop and fed several of them some corn and got to pet the local donkey and goats.  Then we picked apples straight from the trees where we walked around the orchard getting lots of fresh air. There were quite a few apples still on the trees thankfully since it's getting late in the season....a lot more were on the ground!  I chose several for pie baking and then we chose some for snacking on too.  We took our bounty back, picked up a wagon and headed for the pumpkin patch to pick some pumpkins to decorate.  We ended up w/ 2 little ones and 3 larger ones.  I think we have some good potential jack-o-lanterns.  :-)   This on one of the many reasons why I LOVE fall!  Hope you are all having fun enjoying the season too!

Where did the summer go?

I can't belive my last post was back in May!  How time flies!  I'm sure I say that a lot but it seems so true...especially when you have a very full calendar and a little one to keep track of too!

We did finally sell our house in Sparta.  I think we closed on it in early June, making our summer much more relaxed not having 2 house payments hanging over our head.  Right away after we moved into our new house, we found out that part of the nice wood fence had to be replaced (according to our neighbor) and so we went in half to get it rebuilt.  Bummer it wasn't even half as good as it was originally.  Larry said he thinks it could have just been reset but our neighbor had it in her mind to get a pretty (but definitely more wimpy) new one... and then while they dug out for new post holes, they pierced our underground sprinkler system at least once so we called in a specialist (also recommended by our neighbor) and after 10 heads and part of a line replaced and another part moved... $500 later we had our sprinkler system up and running...on top of the $1200 we spent for a new fence.  Thankfully that has been the extent of our major repairs since we have moved in! 

Let's see if I can recall what else we've been up to these past few months.  We sold our pontoon boat then bought a newer fishing boat that thankfully fits in our 3rd stall of the garage.  Morgan and I have started to go to the library on Mondays for some preschool-time which has been a lot of fun.  In August, Morgan and I went to South Dakota for Cory's wedding reception/picnic.  That was a nice trip!  We flew out, spent 2 weeks there, saw family and friends and then drove back to MN with my mom and aunt.   During our stay there, Larry had Coast Guard and regular work priorities so he was busy while we were gone....plus he bought himself a new car.  A 2012 Chevy Cruze Eco... what a great car!  We both thankfully really like the car and it's a great replacement for the Nissan Sentra his dad gave him a while back that was starting to fail. 

In September we decided to go on a mini-vacation for our Anniversary and Morgan's 3rd Birthday.  We headed north to the Lake Mille Lacs area where we stayed at Camp Holiday on Turtle Lake and had a really nice weekend.  We rented a fully furnished and outfitted cabin right on the lake.  And we couldn't of asked for more beautiful weather! We rented a paddle boat for an hour on Morgan's birthday and I even made her a cake!  She got to open up her presents and spent some good quality family time together.  On our last day we drove around the lake on the way home to get a better sense of the area and looking for other rental options for another trip in the future.  We found some good options!

Now October is here and our calendar is filling up quickly again.  Hopefully I won't take so long to update this as the last time.  So much for my resolution to add to this more often!  LOL  Hope all is well with everyone and you're enjoying the beautiful fall weather as much as we are!  Winter will be here before we know it!

Fair and Rainy

We sent off my mom today after a nice long visit with us.  She was a TREMENDOUS help during the move and after to help us get settled in.  If it wasnt' for her help, we would probably still be sitting with boxes in every room and the kitchen/dining room still blue (thankfully we got that paint job accomplished!!).

So, it's been raining off and on the past week or so and it hasn't been really warm either except for one odd day last week that was down right sultry.  I've got vegetables ready to plant in our make shift garden and lots of other yard work that I would love to tackle once it dries out.  I thought it was 'April showers bring May flowers' but this year sure seems to be running late.  I guess it's to make up for it being so early last year!  Eventually it will all work out and I can get started on our new yard whipping it into shape!  I've definitely got my work cut out for me...it's a mess and has been neglected for quite some time!

On another note, we got an offer on our house in Sparta.  It's lower than we were hoping but all in all, it's an offer so we accepted hoping that things will go quickly and smoothly so we don't have it hanging  over our heads anymore. 

Time is flying by!

It's been almost 3 weeks since my mom flew in to help with our move and it's been a crazy busy 3 weeks!  I'll update more this weekend when I have a few more minutes but just wanted to say hi and let everyone know we are moved into our new house!!!

Moving to MN

Tonight my mom flies into MN to start helping with our move!  We'll drive down to Sparta tomorrow morning and start organizing stuff for the packers who will arrive on Tuesday!  I can't believe it's finally here...MOVING DAY!!  It sounds like they will pack for 2 days, then load the 3rd day so we should be heading back to MN on Thursday afternoon sometime.  It would be nice if we could leave by lunchtime so we could make it back up to MN to attend the final walk through of our new house.  Larry will have to go alone w/ the realtor if Morgan, my mom and I don't make it back in time. 

Another exciting thing is that our new hot-tub will be delivered that day too!  Yay!  Hopefully by the weekend we'll be able to enjoy it! Wow, will that feel good after a weekend of cleaning, painting and then once the household goods arrive on Monday, we'll need a nice long soak! 

On another happy note, congrats to my friend Michelle & her hubby Karey who found out that they are going to have a GIRL!  They have a little 3 y/o boy Cameron that Morgan adores playing with and they are also moving from Sparta so they will have lots of changes going on in their household.  I wish them the best of luck in KY and can't wait to see pics of the new baby this fall! 

Let's see...so we now know of 4 babies with arrival scheduled in the fall (Aug, Sept, Oct).  The other 3 are:
- my cousin Ryan's wife is pregnant with their second baby...I believe they are due around Sept 24th (Morgan's birthday!!!)
- our good friend George's girlfriend is pregnant with her second baby...
-and our friend of a friend Jen Kellogg and her partner Janine are expecting a baby boy!
CONGRATULATIONS to all the new mommies and their families...lots of changes and happiness this year!

So, that is a quick catch up of what is going on around the Hagen's lately.  Lots of exciting stuff!  Stay tuned for more updates in the near future and possibly some move pics!

Another interesting website to check out...

On this morning's news show, they talked about an interesting website that I wanted to share with you.  It compiles sales on just about anything in your area or in any area that you want to go shopping.  Check it out:

http://www.salelocator.com/

It's nice to be able to look up specific topics.  It saves you the extra time you would usually spend looking at different adds or driving around comparison shopping.  Have fun sale shopping!!

2 great websites to check out!

While watching the news this morning, I heard about 2 websites that I thought were worthy of sharing:

http://www.billshrink.com/
 - you can get great  tips on how to save money on many topics

http://www.mylitte.com/
 - if you are a coupon shopper or want to learn how to start, this site has great info, tips and tricks on how to save money on your shopping

Hope you enjoy these as much as I do!  Happy Spring to everyone!  I sure do love this time of year!

Great birthday party ideas & tips....

I had a few minutes to browse the internet and some of my favorite sites and ran across this gem and her great birthday party tips and ideas.  Here is what she has on her business site but I'm not sure how often it changes so I copied it here so we can all find it a little easier for future use.

First, here is the website address of Twiggle Box http://twigglebox.com/news.html, which they give out fun free ideas and tips along with their inventory of adorable hair clips, barrets and headbands for children.  Just adorable and they are reasonable too so if you or know of anyone in the market, please pass this little gem on!  The blog address is http://www.twigglebox.blogspot.com/

If she starts posting more soon, this may be another one of my favorites!!

Here are her tips:

Better Birthday Bashes!

Kid’s Birthdays seem to be getting bigger and better every year. But a great birthday doesn’t have to be a headache, or break the bank. Here’s 5 tips for Better birthday Bashes from our experts at TwiggleBox.com.
1. Begin with the End in Mind! I always purchase or make my thank you cards at the same time as my invitations! I pre-address the thank you’s, even though I’m not sure which guests are really going to come. I’d rather throw out a 5 cent envelope than have to look the address up again. And if the Thank You’s are sitting ready and waiting, it is much easier to remember to complete the task and send them out.
2. Keep it Simple! Theme’s can help a ‘party planner’ (aka MOM!) focus on invites, decorations, games and more, but they don’t have to be complex (think circus with clowns, tents, and animals....sounds like a headache). Here a some SIMPLE theme ideas that will help reduce the stress and headaches, and still bring unity to the party. Pick a color (pink, green, yellow etc.) and use that to unify invites, thank you’s, birthday cakes and more. Use your child’s initial. It’s easy to find a letter stamp to monogram favor bags, cards, and even table cloths.
3. Keep it Small! When I had my first 2 children with birthdays 2 days apart, throwing a party (actually, 2!) seemed overwhelming. My mom gave me this great tip: Invite as many party guests as your children’s age. This has been a life-saver for me! Now a mom of 5, I still use this rule. My 8 yr old invites 8 guests, my 3 yr old gets 3. This helps keep our parties manageable, affordable, and fun. Little kids can become overwhelmed by large groups, so this rule works great!
4. Keep it Short! There’s no reason to have a dozen screaming children for hours on end. I use the 20 min rule... 20 minutes for each year of age. My 6 year old got a 2 hour party, my 3 yr. old 1 hour. Since children’s attention span expands with age, it makes sense that a young child’s party shouldn’t last as long as an older child. Birthday parties are not a ‘free babysitting service,’ and they should accommodate the needs of you and your child, not the guests!
5. Over-Schedule! It’s hard to tell how long party activities will take. I have a few kickbacks that take no prep, but will entertain birthday guests just in case we have extra time. Duck-duck goose, charades, red-light-green-light, or even just a favorite story book on hand are all easy to adapt to any theme (just change the name!), and can be used if you have extra time. I also like to keep some fun upbeat music on hand, most kids love to dance, and this takes no prep. It’s even more fun if mom and dad get in on the action! On the other hand, if you’re short on time, they are easy to cut out, and no time or preparation energy is wasted.
Birthday parties should really be about the child who’s growing up, and both mom and dad should be able to enjoy the moment WITH their child and friends. Kids will be more relaxed if their parents are, so remember don’t over-do it!

March is half-way over ALREADY!?!?!?!

So, where the heck did February go?  I think I must have lost a month during our furious house hunting trips plus running back and forth between MN and WI constantly didn't help matters much I'm sure!  I was just looking at the calendar for the next few months and I couldn't believe my eyes...St. Patrick's day is just 2 days away.  Sheesh! 

With that thought of time flying by, I reallys obviously haven't been doing so well on my resolution  list but...now that I really sit and think about it, I'm doing fairly better than some folks.  At least I'm TRYING to make an effort towards my goals for this year.  So let's see...


#1  Try to write more regularly on my blog and add pictures...so I was off to a good start, or at least I thought I was until this house dilemn took over and I was away from my computer more often than preferred.  BUT, I may be making a come back now that we found a house, will be moving w/in the month and hopefully settled into our new home by May.  So, overall, this goal is going okay.

#2  Drink more water...I almost want to laugh at this goal because it sounds so simple but in reality it is one of the hardest things I've had to try to overcome...I am not a huge water drinker and so, it takes tremendous will-power to even think to grab a glass...let alone more than one in a day!  I really haven't been doing well on this goal...need to think of ways to keep this on the radar daily...maybe the summertime will help since I love to drink suntea which has lots of water in it...does that count?

#3  Lose 20 pounds this year (I lost a little over 10 last year w/o being too serious about it)
...At first, I was working out and dancing on our Wii, and actually w/in the last week I've decided to kick it up quite a bit and workout during Morgan's naptimes and workout to a DVD that is a cross trainer program so during the week (almost every day) I either do cardio, yoga, strength training, or ab specific workouts.  I'm actually enjoying them!#4  Try to make a menu for each week and stick to it!!...yeah, I haven't had much time to really put this trick to the test yet either.  My goal would be to make a menu for the week and prepare some foods that can be frozen then be able to pull them out when needed as back ups or as the main courses.  Maybe in the new house I'll figure out how to make this work.

#5  Try to make more things instead of buy them (greeting cards, clothes, etc.)...so this goal I've actually been excelling at.  I believe every card that I have sent out this year has been homemade by Morgan and I so that is a miracle in itself!  I just bought 2 books that I'm excited to try to use that have ideas on things to make from older items like T-shirts.  Gotta love recycling old stuff into new usable stuff! 
Well, I think that sums it up for today...some goals are on track, some are coming along slowly and a few at snails pace...BUT...I haven't dropped the ball completely so that's always a good sign since a lot of folks lose interest or quit a month after they set their goals.

Girls just want to have fun...

Morgan and I have really been having fun together...here are a few pics from our recent play time.


FINGER PAINTING

STATIC HAIR...

and HAIR SALON...

We have lots of fun staying home...especially when it's cold outside! Looking forward to spring so we can go outside more!

House shopping...we can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted on here.  I guess I need to work on that part of my new year resolutions!  Anyway, the house that I spoke of in my last post was in Stillwater, MN that had many multiple offers on it and we did not get the house.  I think after the decision came in, we were okay with it.  It would have been nice...but...

So we continued with our search, found yet another house that we liked, this time in Eagan, MN and put in an offer only to find out hours later that we again were going to be in a multiple offer situation.  I thought the housing market was having problems?  Not from our point of view except that a lot of the houses that we have looked at were just trashed, so that may be why the few that we liked enough to put in an offer were also the few that others were trying to buy as well. 

So... we put in an offer on the Eagan house on a Friday, ran across another house in Cottage Grove that caught our fancy and decided to look at it in the event the Eagan house fell through.  After looking at the Cottage Grove house (which was a traditional sale), we decided to put in an offer on that house as well with the stipulation that we could pull out of the Eagan house.  We really liked it that much more; especially since it would be move-in ready with a 3-car garage and nice fenced in yard...a good start to our list of wants. Our offer was accepted that night!  It was a nice change from working with bank owned properties the last two houses.  So, after it was accepted, we had a long Sunday to wait and see if we could get out of the Eagan house offer...and Monday morning we got word that we were free and clear to move on with the Cottage Grove house!  Hooray!!!

Working with traditional sellers is so much nicer than banks, since during the inspection there were a few questions and things that needed to be addressed.  So many times with the bank owned properties, they are sold 'as is' and you really have to invest more money into them.  I was greatful that when we found these issues, and addressed the issues to the sellers... they were more than willing to help get things fixed.  Yay!

Now we are waiting to hear about our official closing date which should be around the end of April...and now that it's already March, the time is flying by!  We are preparing our move paperwork so we can get the movers scheduled and even more importantly, get my mom's visit scheduled so she can help get us settled into our new home!! 

We're all excited, a little scared since our home in Sparta has not sold yet, but with some sacrifice and patience, I know it will all work out for the best! 

House offer...now the waiting game

We finally found a house after looking at about 25 (more like 100+ online).  It's in great condition, will only need some paint (not a big fan of all white walls) and a fridge so all-in-all it is a great house.  The house is in a great neighborhood, pretty upscale neighborhood actually with a park and trails across the street, the sports complex is nearby plus the lot itself is a little over half an acre with lots of trees and rooom for a nice garden plus most of it's fence for Morgan and Sitka to safely play.  Plus we hear that the schools are good here too.

The rub is...we went back for a second look and sign the paperwork to make an offer and we found out it was going to be a multiple offer deal.  And, to make things worse, the bank or whoever currently owns this house (it was a foreclosure at one point), priced it so low and put a due date for all the offers several days away.  It was about 3 1/2 days worth of extra waiting before our offer HAD to be in, making more offers possible...we were not happy about the game they were playing. 

Once we slept on it, discussed it thoroughly and slept on it some more, Larry and I decided we were not going to play the multiple offer game to necessarily win by a landslide.   We know what the house is worth, what it's listed at and what we can pay but decided to play it safe since there is another house we have our eye on so it won't be a total loss if we don't win the deal.  Oh!  And did I mention that when we were notified 2 days after the due date (only supposed to be a 24-48 hour wait) that we were 1 out of 13 offers!?!?!  Yikes!  So tomorrow morning will be 72 hours and counting.  I hope we hear soon so we can move on either way.  It's time for us to get a new house and get the family back together!

Houses, houses, houses....

My head is swimming from looking at so many houses both online and in person.  I've been driving around potential houses this past week to get the first impression of the house itself, the area, neighborhood, size of yard, garage, etc.  It takes a lot out of you, driving around all over the place.  I do enjoy house hunting but my brain is needing a break from it all.  So, tomorrow, Friday, I will try to stay away from the house stuff online and vow not to drive by any more houses.  On Saturday we are getting the chance to look at some of the houses I liked.  Our realtor is scheduling about 7 houses for our viewing pleasure.  :-)  I can't wait!  The best part about house hunting is getting to get inside them and see what is in store for us.  It is scary just how many are out there that are junk.  But now and again, there is a diamond in the rough and we are ready to pounce on the house that meets our needs and expectations.   Wish us luck!

Organizing the House...

I just found a great blog called A Bowl Full of Lemons that has some wonderul organizing hints and tips.  Try the 21 day challenge today and see how nice your house can be!  I'm working on ours!

January is almost gone

I can't belive there are only 5 days left in January.  2011 is flying by so fast...I'm sure it's because we've been so busy concentrating on our housing dilemna.  On Friday of this week, we'll be looking at yet another 5 or 6 houses.  I really do like looking at houses but at the same time it sure can be an emotional roller coaster and wear you out.  Espcially when you have a 2 year old in tow!  :-)  At least she is a good girl most of the time and as long as I can keep her happy w/ snacks, juice and a clean diaper, we're good to go.  Keep your fingers crossed that we find something that we all like and can live with for a long time.  We are hoping this next house will be either the last house or at least the last one for quite some time.  We are ready to settle down for the long haul...especially since Morgan is growing up so fast and I want her to have a neighborhood she will know and remember when she grows up.

Oh, and before I forget, Larry found out today that he is getting promoted to Chief next month for the Coast Guard.  Congratulations babe!!

House hunting fun

Well, we spent this past weekend researching areas we may or may want to live in around the Twin Cities.  I think we have nailed it down to one or two suburbs.  Now that may have narrowed down our house search slightly, there is still a TON of houses out there for sale and now it's time to navigate through which one will be our new home.  There seems to always be something that isn't quite right with the ones we have looked at so far.  Since our current house has not sold yet, I suppose it's karma and things will work out as they should in due time.  I do know that we won't be able to get everything on our wishlist and some sacrifices will have to be made but so far, the right house for the right sacrifice hasn't shown up on my computer search yet.  :-)

Happy Birthday Jim!

Just wanted to throw out there a quick Happy Birthday to my father-in-law Jim!  Hope you had a wonderful day today and wish we could have been there today to help you celebrate! 

2011...Here we come!

Time sure does fly when you're having fun!!  I can't believe it's already 2011...sheesh!  I still remember when we had all the hype and worry about Y2K!  So, a new year, means a fresh start, new beginnings, and lots of resolutions (that may or may not be upheld)...and I've been trying to think of my resolutions for 2011 and be realistic with them as well.  I want to be able to say I accomplished SOMETHING on my list!  :-)  Okay, here it goes:
#1  Try to write more regularly on my blog and add pictures
#2  Drink more water
#3  Lose 20 pounds this year (I lost a little over 10 last year w/o being too serious about it)
#4  Try to make a menu for each week and stick to it!!
#5  Try to make more things instead of buy them (greeting cards, clothes, etc.)

We'll see how these 5 things go...I'll try to reflect on how I am doing with them in the coming months....  :-)

What are your resolutions?  I'd love to hear them!!