A New Mommy's Blog

Big.

2012-01-21T22:11:00.001-06:00

Do you ever just stop and look at your kids and wonder, When did they get so big?
I've been doing that a lot lately. I'm not one of those moms that gets teary over my kids growing up. In fact, when I read my friends' statuses on Facebook about how "it's bittersweet," I just don't relate. I love my kids as babies. But I love it when they do things that show that they're growing up. I want my kids to be independent! I don't need them to be my babies forever. The more they grow up, the less they have to depend on me for every little thing. I have yet to shed a tear putting away baby clothes or looking at old pictures.
Both boys have had some "big boy" accomplishments recently.
Jacob has been in his big bed - with a bed rail - since last summer. But this week we took off the rail. He hasn't fallen out once. The last month or so, he's been sleeping through the night MUCH better, and he goes back to sleep without much intervention when he does wake up. (He used to need snuggling, talking, more snuggling, and then he MIGHT not cry when you left the room.) His vocabulary is becoming so clear and articulated - it amazes me he's only been talking for less than 6 months.
Nathan went to the dentist for the first time last week. He so reminded me of Paul - "I'm really not comfortable with this situation, but I'm too cool to let you know that." He did great, even though they had to do some scraping on his front bottom teeth. They took x-rays of his teeth, and his adult teeth on top are really close to being in - the baby teeth are already loose.
They do grow up so fast. But I'm not sad about it. I can't wait to see what my kids are like when they are grown up.

Overheard:

2012-01-20T19:35:00.000-06:00

Do humans have dark meat and white meat, or do we have just all red meat?

(Pondering cannibalism.)

Update. For Real.

2012-01-20T13:01:00.004-06:00

So.... I've had lots of single-subject entries lately, but nothing about life in general. Get comfortable, this is going to be a long one. (........TWSS?)

We finally got the accident report for our wreck.... A month later. It turns out they're blaming most of it on Paul - even though we were the last vehicle involved. He caused damage to two cars, yes, but I'm pretty sure there was damage before we even got there - why else would they be stopped in the middle of the Interstate? I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I don't think there's anything we can really do to change it, other than pray our rates don't jump up.
Sigh.
I'm at 27 weeks preggo now.... Almost to that last trimester, and just under 3 months until the due date! I'm feeling pretty good, but still tired more than it seems like I should be (maybe something to do with two little boys, and my waking up at night). I've found that there is a "perfect" caffienation window.... Late enough it will still be effective to stay awake during the afternoon, but early enough it won't keep me awake when I need to go to bed at night. So that means it has to be between about 10 and 11 in the morning. But usually I can get something done while they nap if I have a Dr. Pepper or a Crystal Light "energy" drink.
During December, I had a bad cough, which did a number on this hernia I have above my belly button. It's been there since I was pregnant with Jacob, but definitely has gotten bigger, and the coughing really made it start pooching - about the size of a half an apple sticking out above my belly button. I have repeatedly asked my doctor about it, and she said as long as it still goes back in (which it does whenever I lay down), it's not an emergency. Not that I wanted to have surgery, but it's ugly (if you think it sounds gross, you should see it!) and it hurts pretty bad by the end of the day if I don't take an hour or two of laying down and "letting it rest" every day. I showed it to her while standing up last appointment (looks much worse), and she suggested I get a maternity support belt to help keep it in. I got what is actually a postpartum support belt (identical to a hernia support belt, but cheaper!), which is about 9 inches wide and closes with velcro. Sexiness. But it really is helping. In the week and a half since I started wearing it (all day, every day), I've only had one day where it hurt at the end of the day - the day I spent scrubbing the bathroom.
And adding to this vision of sexiness.... I've started having to wear compression pantyhose. I've griped about my varicose veins every pregnancy - in fact, they were the first indication that I was pregnant with this baby.... Before any other symptoms showed up, before I even took a test, my veins swelled up and started aching (which is why I went and bought a test). They've gotten worse (yet I still only have them on one leg!), and I have a new "patch" on the lower part of my shin that itches. I griped about it to my doctor, and showed them to her (ugly!), and she sent me to a vein specialist.

Think I needed to go see a vein doctor? (And this is first thing in the morning, on a day they look "good!")

The specialist told me that the ones on my foot were bad enough they could ulcerate (is that the word? become open sores). That sounded just lovely. Well, the whole experience was just lovely, from the paper shorts I had to wear in the examining room, to rolling said shorts up to my crotch and having "mug shots" taken of my legs with my name taped on my butt.
Let me tell you about these support hose. When I took them out of the box, they looked about big enough to fit Jacob. I know they'll stretch to fit, but.... It was still intimidating. So I tried to put them on, like you'd put on pantyhose. FAIL. These things are tight. How tight? They are the kind you have to have a prescription to even get - that's how much they "compress." When I put them on my hand and arm, they are uncomfortably snug. Imagine trying to get these things over my size 12 hooves. I tried for a good 10 minutes, and got half of one foot in. So I gave up, ate lunch, took a nap, and before trying again, researched online. (Yeah, those YouTube video models are NOT wearing real support hose - or at least not appropriately sized.) So I tried again. You have to turn them completely inside out to the foot, put your foot only in, then the other one, then shimmy them all the way up. Once you get your feet and calves in, it's not that much different than regular pantyhose. But that first little bit is painful and awkward and really uncomfortable. Once they are on, they're not that bad, and they definitely did make a difference of what my legs looked like at the end of the day - not swollen and heavy feeling. But definitely not looking forward to wearing these for the three fattest months of being pregnant. (Thankfully, they actually do fit over my belly, and don't feel tight.... yet.) The good news is, the vein doctor said that I can get the veins fixed/removed/whatever they do 6 weeks after I have the baby - maybe I'll actually have good looking legs this summer!
So lets recap for your mental viewing..... 6 months pregnant. Support hose. Hernia belt. From 7:30 AM to 10:30 PM.
plus this.....on fat me..... (Because we all know those are NOT pictures of me, and I am not taking any!)

The vision of sexiness. My husband can't keep his hands off me. (Not. I'm not sure he even wants to touch me!)
In other news....
The boys are ready for spring. I'm ready for spring! They are fighting and nit-picking all the time, it seems, and seeing just how far they can go with defying me. (Nathan telling me that's NOT how you do whatever I tell him to do - usually in violin - and Jacob crossing his arms and putting his head down when I tell him to do something.) I really want to just be able to kick them outside with no jacket and no shoes whenever I'm about to snap. But taking 10 minutes to dress them just for them to spend 5 minutes outside seems so pointless.
I have a mouse in my kitchen. If you've ever seen Ratatouille, I want to call to mind two scenes: When the old lady at the farm house sees the rats in her kitchen and takes after them with the shot gun (which I could totally see myself doing, if I ever saw the little beasts), and then shoots the ceiling and it falls in and there's like a million rats living in her ceiling. Whenever I know there's a mouse in our house, this is what I envision. I can sometimes hear one in the wall when I'm trying to sleep, and I imagine a whole community living in there. And I may not be far off, because it seems like when we catch one, we catch several. Gross. The other scene is when the health inspector comes into the restaurant, and the rats are all over the kitchen cooking the meals. Not that they cook my meals here, but I sometimes hear one scurry away when I get a drink in the middle of the night, and I envision that there's like 20 of them. Luckily, ours are mice, not rats - at least as far as I know. (Shudder.) But nonetheless, the little [insert bad name here] are getting quite adept at stealing bait. We've caught 4 in the last couple weeks, but the bait has been stolen 3x that many times - and we use peanut butter, not a hunk of cheese they can grab and run off with! I seriously would take a shot gun after them if we had one.
We've decided on what type of vehicle we want to get when we replace the car. We wanted a crossover, but they are not made to use the backseat on an everyday basis. We looked at SUVs, but the gas mileage about made me pass out. (I couldn't go from getting 22+ to getting half that.) So we decided we'd go with a minivan, as much as I hate the idea of being stereotyped as a "minivan mommy." We're going to go with a Toyota, not because of all the safety bells and whistles they're always bragging about, but because they last forever (like it or not). We're looking to get a mid-2000s model, and probably have to take out a small loan (which I hate the idea of), but we just have not been able to save up the money to pay cash for the whole thing. I'm hoping we can get about half the money from selling my car (privately, not trade-in, which always screws you over), and maybe by then we'll have a small chunk saved up as well. (Although every time we try, something breaks and we have to use that money to fix something else - like the house A/C.) We're going to cram all 3 kids into the car for at least the first couple months. Not ideal - definitely crowded, but it's more responsible, we feel. And we're praying the exact right van shows up when we need it.
I'm having the mealtime showdown AGAIN with Jacob. He wouldn't touch his breakfast this morning, which made him really moody and overly emotional about everything. But he has got to learn that he can't just skip a meal and get rewarded with snacks all morning. I did give him half a roll with peanut butter on it at 10, but that lasted less than an hour. It's moments like this my backbone as a mother is sorely tested. Nathan did this, but wanted milk for his between-meals. Jacob just wants chips and sweets.
We're trying to get back in the swing of being social again. We haven't really done anything social on a regular basis for a long time. It's just easier to sit at home and not try to work out a time that works for everyone. (Especially with Paul's work schedule.) But it's not good to be hermits, and we want our kids to know hospitality, so.... We're trying. Hopefully having a baby in 3 months won't throw us back into hermitage.
Sigh. It's 11, so I'm going to go fix an early lunch for these guys and then probably send them to bed early for their naps, too. Because if I have to tell them not to hit/kick/shove again, as they whine at me with snotty noses, I'm seriously going to blow a gasket. (I'm such a cold, insensitive, uncaring mother.)

Nesting Much?

2012-01-18T14:40:00.002-06:00

I don't know if it was the few days of really nice weather we had, or what, but I have been cleaning the house like mad. I guess some have called it nesting, but so far my only "nesting" tendencies are for really weird projects, like washing windows and polishing kitchen cabinets.
Yesterday, I let my children play in the road while I cleaned the front room. (Okay, not really) (Well, kinda. I caught Jacob at the end of the driveway.) Then in the afternoon, I spent four hours cleaning and organizing the dining room (which is also the school room). Yesterday, I spent 2+ hours cleaning the bathroom, which included getting down on my knees and scrubbing the entire floor with a brush - something I haven't done in..... Well, who am I kidding? I've never done it. GROSS. (Our linoleum is very textured, which disguises dirt.... Unless you know what it's SUPPOSED to look like, then it just looks gross and dirty all the time. Not to mention the fact it's the bathroom, and we have two little boys.)
I was wanting to tackle the kitchen before rewarding myself with time to blog, but I figured the kitchen would just look like this again in 24 hours, so why even try?
I've noticed, though, that in every room, I have something that I don't clean. Front room: computer desk (not my mess)(okay, not ALL my mess). Living room: tv cabinet. Dining room: top of the tall cupboard. Bathroom: top of the towel cabinet/dresser. Kitchen: top of the microwave. Mostly I think I avoid these places because they're all landing spots for those little tiny annoying things. Game pieces, marbles, pennies, paper clips.... Anything I want to keep away from the boys. I need to get better at putting them away right away, and not stashing them.
Well, that's kind of the story of my life.
But my major battle is the dining room table. Probably because it is in the traffic way to EVERY room in our house - to go to the kitchen, back porch, or bathroom, you walk through the dining room. To get from one of those rooms to the living room, our bedroom, or the front room, you walk through the dining room. The door we come in from outside is in..... the dining room. We eat there, do school there, I pay bills there..... So what do you think it looks like most of the time? That's right. A huge pile. It's the landing zone, I'll-deal-with-this-later stacking place.
And it grates on me. It really does. So I made this sign:

It works.... About half the time. Worst is after we have one of those weeks, where you're running, running and don't get time to do much cleaning. I've found I can take 5 minutes every day to clear off the table, or let it go for 3 days, and it takes me an hour to clean off. (How does that work?)
But having a clean house just makes me feel SO MUCH BETTER. I don't know if I view it as a reflection on me as a wife, or what, but it is so weird how peaceful I feel to sit and look at a clean, organized room.
And with that, I need to go clean off the dining room table. And finally tackle those pans in the kitchen.

Blame My Husband

2012-01-07T10:50:00.000-06:00

Apparently, Paul thought my blog was boring, so he's been messing around with adding some things. I think the only permanent fixture (so far) is the music player to the side. I suggested the first 6 or so songs, then he added the rest. But he figured out the custom "skin" (a flower from our yard), and how to resize it for the sidebar, so I'm grateful.
So far, I can't get him to take on re-vamping the whole thing. I know it's in need of a makeover (how long have I had that sunset picture up there?), but right now, it ranks lower than even cleaning the kitchen on my list of things I'm motivated to spend time on.

$400 Worth of Hair (alternate title: The Longest Ever "I Got a Haircut" Story)

2012-01-02T20:56:00.002-06:00

I think I first heard about the concept of selling your hair in O. Henry's short story The Gift of the Magi. I've donated my hair twice to Locks of Love, but for some reason, decided to look up the possibility of selling it. It turns out there were several places online that you could do this! So I thought about it..... For a long time...... And finally decided that when I cut my hair next, I'd try to sell it.
Well, when December rolled around, I was dealing with this:

The bottom one is what it looked like after washing and air-drying it. The ponytail is what it looked like a few days after I washed it, after keeping it tamed down in a braid. My ponytail was 14 inches long, and over 4 inches around at the band. That's just a lot of hair, no matter how you look at it.
Don't get me wrong. I like long hair. I do think I have pretty hair, even though it may be vain to say so. But....... The fact it took me at least 10 minutes just to brush it out every day, and about 20 minutes in the shower whenever I washed it was REALLY getting old. So I told Paul that the hair had to go before this baby gets here. He said he was fine with it. I think he was secretly relieved that he wouldn't be getting yelled at in the middle of the night anymore whenever he rolled over onto it. :) I asked him what he thought about me selling it, and he said he was fine if I went ahead and tried.
The website I liked the looks of most was BuyandSellHair.com. I liked it because you could post several pictures and write as detailed of a description as you wanted, and it sounded like they had a great "tech support" if you have questions or problems. A "featured" ad was like $26, and would be posted for 3 months. I figured I'd try it out.... If the three months passed without selling it, I'd still get it cut and just donate it. I might not sell it, but then I've spent $26 dollars on stupider things. The hardest thing for me was deciding how much to list it for. I decided I'd try to get $300, but I'd settle for $150. But then I looked at several ads with hair similar to mine in color, length, and texture, and most of them wanted over $1000. Hmmm....... The question was - what might I get for my hair, and what could I be happy with getting for my hair? I'd rather sell it than turn people off by a price tag. I bumped it up to $400. I figured that by the time I counted the ad price, the haircut, and the shipping, it would be close to $100 anyways. (It was more like $60, but anyhow.)
I got an offer the same afternoon as my ad posted. The guy was a creep - asking for more pictures, if I could cut my hair a certain way..... No. I got a couple other weirdos asking if I'd shave my head/do a pixie cut/military cut. No. Then I got an offer from a guy from Minnesota. He asked if I would cut an extra inch off (I'm guessing to make it an even 15 inches). I told him I wasn't willing to cut it any shorter, and he said he'd pay the full asking price anyways. Very straighforward. As soon as I got the money out of Paypal and into our bank account, I went and cut it.
Night and day.

The night after cutting it, no styling products. (No, I did not get it permed or colored.)

Because I know you're all dying to see the belly and my children who are still in their pajamas at 6 in the evening. And my hair that I haven't combed all day. I'm lazy like that.

I forgot how easy short hair is. I can comb it out in 10 seconds. All I have to do to style it is get it wet to make it curl up again. I do have to wash it more often (2 or 3 times, verses the once a week I was), but it takes like 3 minutes. I am going to love having short hair.
And as I mentioned in the post about our wreck.... We have a $500 deductible we'll owe to get the truck fixed. I made the deal on my hair the day after our wreck. So God provided most of the money for the deductible, money we just didn't have any other way. It's not the recliner I was hoping to buy with it (nursing mamas need a recliner!), but..... It's being used for something we really need. And God obviously knew we were going to be needing it when he put the idea in my head.

My Three Favorite Christmas Gifts

2011-12-25T23:23:00.001-06:00

Paul. Nathan. Jacob.

All I need to make me happy.

(Although I did get a sweetest-ever thank-you hug from Nathan - so did Paul. Completely melted.)

Holiday Crunch Time. (Literally.)

2011-12-21T19:01:00.000-06:00

After we left Chateau Avalon, after a wonderful night away, we thought we'd head to the mall. We really didn't have anything to get, we just hadn't been there in a long time, so thought we'd browse a little bit, and maybe pick up one more thing for the boys (they only have 2 presents each, and they both know what one of them are).
Well.... We never made it to the mall.
As we merged onto the Interstate in the rain, as Paul was trying to switch lanes, all the sudden the car in front of us swerved over and slammed on their brakes. Immediately in front of us were two stopped cars. There was no way to avoid it, and the wet pavement gave no traction. We were going probably about 50 mph.
CRUNCH.
There were 5 cars involved, and a rumor that a sixth (the one that caused the whole thing) fled the scene. There was a lady in the car in front of us that went to the hospital in an ambulance. I think she had hurt her leg, and was having trouble breathing. (Pretty sure they had hit someone, and then we rear-ended them.) As near as I can tell, there was a fender-bender as someone was merging onto the Interstate, and they stopped in traffic. Since we were coming around a curve, and it had just happened, we didn't see it until we were right on it.
We went in to see my doctor, just to be sure everything was okay. I know that sometimes it's not trauma to the belly (which there wasn't), but the sudden stop that can cause the placenta to tear. There was no evidence of that, but even so, she had me go over to the hospital and be monitored for four hours. Baby was NOT cooperating, squirming away from the sensor and kicking it the whole time. Obviously everything's fine. :)
It turns out the truck is NOT totaled. I knew it would be borderline. It was - about $500 short of being totaled. I have mixed feelings. I'm glad we don't have to make the decision of picking out a new vehicle (although it would have answered some prayers about what to do about a vehicle when Baby comes). But we do have to cough up our share, the $500 deductible, and things were really tight already. (But God has provided most of that money - more on that in a later post.) Also, we're both a little worried that the engine block may be tweaked enough that it will have some problems later down the road. (The radiator and battery we know moved.)
All in all, we know God has a reason He let it happen. We decided to take the truck, even though the car gets better mileage. (Although the car wouldn't have fared as well in an accident.) We decided to take the Interstate, rather than cutting across on 95th Street. We wanted to go to the mall, even though there was no need to go. I'm not sure what He wants us to learn, but I trust His ways are higher than mine.

Christmas Getaway!

2011-12-17T14:20:00.001-06:00

I'm getting so excited for our Getaway. Last year, instead of exchanging gifts, Paul and I bought tickets to see his favorite musician and planned an overnight getaway. Even though circumstances were nothing like we imagined they would be, we still had a good time and really enjoyed it. So much better than "because I had to" or "because you need this" presents. This is more of a "I can remember there is more to being a woman than being a mommy" and a "my husband gets my undivided attention (and I get his!)" gift. So we both win.
So we decided to do it again this year. Trans Siberian Orchestra is playing in Kansas City this weekend, and Paul wanted to go as soon as he heard about it. So we bought tickets. We were going to stay at a downtown hotel, just to try something different, but it turns out they were more expensive than the lower-end rooms at our favorite place, Chateau Avalon (and there you get a hot tub and a free breakfast!). And then I got an AWESOME deal on a room. (Sometimes it does pay to procrastinate!) They had a limited-time special of $129 for any room, excluding their two biggest. Boo-yah! We got their third-most-expensive room, the Camelot, which is normally $389, for $129. So. Excited.
The only thing that's up in the air is where to eat. We wanted to go back to a restaurant Paul took me to when we were dating (the Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant), but we got to thinking about logistics.... It is on the Plaza, so we'd have to park and walk, then go to the Power and Light District (while one concert is letting out, and people are trying to park for the second), and park and walk again. So we decided to go over early and eat somewhere in the Power and Light District. It turns out some good friends of ours are also going to the concert, so we're going to try to meet up with them for dinner beforehand.
Anyhow. I'll shut up.
Merry Christmas, to me!

Baby with Attitude?

2011-12-15T18:35:00.000-06:00

This baby has really started asserting himself (herself). Any time I sit for an extended period of time wearing pants with a snug waistband, he will start kicking at it. Earlier this week, he even kicked where my laptop was resting against my belly. It is a usual occurrence lately for him to kick against the side of my belly that is laying on the bed. Two nights ago, this baby was apparently stretched vertical, simultaneously pressing against my bladder and my lungs - not comfortable when you need to have a cold and need to pee. It actually is reminding me a lot of Nathan when he was in my womb.
Speaking of coughing....
Whenever I start to get over a cold, I start coughing. A lot of dry, hacking coughing. And with each pregnancy it requires more muscles to not pee myself when I cough. And add to that this hernia that I have above my belly button..... I told Paul, there is a specific order of things that have to be done prior to coughing - squeeze everything, press my hand firmly over my hernia, then cough. If any of this is not accomplished before the coughing fit begins.... Not cool.
But the good news is, today I finally feel like the coughing is taming down. My head feels clear, and I only had one bad coughing fit today (of course, right in the middle of a store!). I really hope it's fully gone by the time Paul and I go on our Getaway on Sunday! Talk about a romance killer!

Overheard: (Thanks so much, Dear.)

2011-12-09T17:17:00.001-06:00

Me: Seriously, with all this hair, I look like one of those Samoan NFL players.
Paul: Yeah, you do kind of look like Troy Polamalu.

Thanks, dear.

But in Paul's defense, this is what my hair looked like that day.

That's all natural, with no curl-enhancing products. This hair situation is getting ridiculous.

Hello, Baby!

2011-12-09T14:25:00.001-06:00

We had a sonogram this week, and finally got to see this baby that's been asserting his (her) opinion of me wearing any clothes that have a waistband.
At first, Baby was not cooperating - he was facing backwards, toward my spine, away from the sonogram sensor. But with enough pushing and prodding, he finally turned around, and then hid behind the placenta (you're welcome, male readers), which is right up front with this one (which the nurse said that may be the reason it took so long to feel kicks).

Hello, Baby!

Something about this one reminds me of Nathan.... I think it's the lack of chin.

One of three 3D shots that we actually got.... She had to go from way on the side to get under the placenta. You can clearly see a face and hand/arm.

This one takes a bit more concentration and imagination..... The baby's face again, except it's got it's hand up there right in front of its face (you can kind of see the tiny fingers). It was definitely trying to get away from that sensor!

Everything looks good - he was definitely wiggling around the whole time. We even got to watch the baby swallow! You could see his tiny tongue come out and his mouth and neck muscles move - so neat! Since we had it done at LifeCare, instead of the hospital, their focus is on you getting to see and celebrate the life inside of you, not just measurements and data. So it made it really special - not to mention we got a TON of pictures! Also, they let the boys come in to watch, so it was really neat for them, too.

Based on the measurements of the head, I am measuring a few days earlier than my estimated due date - that put me closer to the 12th (rather than the 17th). But my doctor said they don't change the due date after 20 weeks, I'm assuming because babies come in all shapes and sizes. So we just need to be prepared for a baby any time in the middle of April!

And no, we did not find out, or even get a hint of what this baby might be! We're going to be thrilled either way, because it's going to be a beautiful, healthy baby!

Am I Weird?

2011-12-09T08:58:00.000-06:00

Paul helped me clean the kitchen last night (again-he is so great!), because it was pushing a week and I still hadn't managed to fully clean it. (I keep putting dishes through the dishwasher and putting them away, but don't get to the big pans or wiping the counters, sweeping, etc.) (And huge, major, I'll-owe-him-for-3-years bonus points for him..... He cleaned the fan blades. They were SICK - like dust curling around the edges. But not just wipe it with a Swiffer and it's gone - it's the sticky greasy dirt that you get in the kitchen that takes cleaner, paper towels and scrubbing to get off!)
Am I weird, or does everyone feel so much better when their house has a clean kitchen? It's like I feel like a better wife. Like there's hope for the rest of the house. I woke up today and walked into the clean kitchen, and I just know I'll be able to tackle the pile on the dining room table (more accurately: the pile that has a dining room table under there somewhere......), and vacuum and finish cleaning the living room. I feel like it's going to be a productive day.
Although, that could be in part to the fact that I also feel like I'm on the downhill side of this cold, even though it's only day 3. That would be a blessing straight from God.

My Christmas Mantle

2011-12-05T23:37:00.000-06:00

First off, I have to apologize for my mediocre (at best) pictures. I blame it on the new-to-us camera. Our old one got dropped by a little someone and the lens refuses to operate, and so we bought an identical one off of eBay (awesome deal, too!). But it took me 3 years to get all the presets where I wanted them on our old one, and I haven't gotten everything tweaked on the new one just yet.

That's my story, anyhow. Because it couldn't possibly be that I'm just bad at photography.

I don't decorate our mantel generally. Unless you call the thin layer of ash and stacks of unused picture frames "decor." I just haven't came up with something that says YES at me yet. But at Christmas, I do try to do a little something. Generally, it's a swag of greenery, and any of our decorations that are breakable and need to stay out of the way of little fingers.

As I was browsing the internet, I found this entry at one of my favorite blogs. I saw it and said YES!

So, not yes exactly. Because it's not for our stairs (I'd have to clean the piles of junk I've been successfully avoiding). (Plus, can you imagine the quick work my size 12 hoofs could do to one of those?)

And it was definitely not the mice.

But it was the jars that caught my attention. I have jars. Lots of jars. I do home canning, folks. I've inherited jars from several people who were getting rid of theirs. You should see our shop.

I bookmarked the page several months ago, and I knew what I needed to get. Fake snow, and electric tea lights. I struck out at the dollar store several times on the tea lights, so finally this weekend, we went to WalMart to see if we could find what I needed there.

Bingo! They actually had everything.

I LOVE how it turned out. It is probably my favorite Christmas decorating I have ever done. The sparkly snowflakes are something Paul suggested. I wasn't really sold on them, but I try to be open to his ideas. And I'm glad he thought it it, because I really like the pop of color and dimension they add. I added red ribbons to the tops of the jars to make them stand out a little more.

(Just pretend you don't notice the cord.)

Having a wood stove, instead of a traditional fireplace, does present some decorating challenges. Hello, stovepipe! You see here I do have a little something hidden behind the stovepipe that you don't really get to see from straight on. It was a gift from Paul's grandfather, and I do love it. I thought it kind of went with the "country" feel of using jars for decorations.

The electric tea lights are a little more orangey than I would like, especially compared to the white lights that are in the greenery. But the good thing is, the jars still look really pretty even without the "candles" on. Which is how they will be the majority of the time around here, because I'm a cheapskate and don't want to wear them out, and also because I'm lazy and don't want to fish lights out of 13 jars to turn them off and on.

Anyhow. I just wanted to show off my latest creativity. I have a couple more projects that I was planning before we found out I was pregnant, but they involve sanding and spray-painting, which I shouldn't do currently. Plus, it's too cold for spray-painting right now. Someday......

Overheard:

2011-12-05T00:05:00.000-06:00

We should name our baby "Marais des Cygnes."

Say what?
We drove over the river that goes through town, and Nathan asked what "that water" was called. I told him the name of the river was the Marais des Cygnes, and he told me we should name the new baby that. (It means "Marsh of the Swans." And no, I have no idea why.)

Halfway and Kicking!

2011-11-29T11:25:00.003-06:00

We're halfway through this pregnancy - 20 week,s today! The last 5 weeks or so have really gone fast. I've definitely felt the baby moving the last two weeks.... Stirrings, gentle nudges. This weekend, during the evenings when I was reading, I felt a couple real kicks. Paul had been working nights, and I told him his baby has been pretty active - hopefully he would get to feel him (her) move soon.
Last night, I felt a kick, and Paul put his [cold!] hand on my belly. Apparently the baby protested it, because he felt him move. Later, when we were in bed, Paul put his hand on my belly again, and the baby gave him like 5 big kicks in the span of about a minute - the biggest I've felt so far, and the most at once. I'm happy he got to feel it.
The baby is 10 inches (head to heel) and 10+ ounces. So tiny, yet 10 inches sounds so big! (Both boys were just over 20 inches when they were born.)
I am over the food aversions, I think. Some stuff still just doesn't sound good (noodles), and other stuff has started to give me heartburn (juice) - but I'm actually cooking again. (Balancing the checkbook and realizing how much we spent going out the last couple months has kind of sealed that!) I had a violent craving for cheese dip last weekend.... Like, could not think about anything else. In all the time I was pregnant before with either boy, I've never craved something so much that I made a special trip to town to get it. This hit me Friday, and I ignored it, tried to shut it up with other food, and finally at 10 PM, sent Paul in to Applebees to get me cheese dip. He got two orders. I ate one that night, one the next morning, and that cured it for about a day, but by Sunday night it was back. Monday morning, I was in town, buying ingredients to make yet more. I may or may not have eaten an entire batch (1 lb of white cheese, 1/2 cup milk, 7 oz jalepenos - blenderize it. El Mezcal's recipe.) by myself in 24 hours. Thankfully, I think I finally shut that craving up.
I'm at the in-between with being tired. I can get by without a nap, but then I fall asleep ridiculously early (by 8 on the couch last night - out like a log until 11:30 when Jacob woke me up). But I don't need that much sleep, so I wake up at 5 - but then I'm tired because I woke up so early, which leaves me needing a nap, but since I had a nap, I wake up early........ Vicious circle.
Nathan is pretty excited about the baby. Jacob still doesn't really get it. He points to or pats my belly (or just as often, my boob) and says "baby," but that's about as far as it goes. He does really like the babies at church, and is very gentle with them. Nathan had decided this baby will be a girl. We're not finding out, so we were trying to prepare Nathan for the possibility that it could be either. He was very adamant we were having a girl. So I said, "Well, what if we had a boy? Then we'd have three boys at our house like Charlie does [his good buddy from church]." Well, now he's decided that would be a cool thing, and now he's adamant we're having a boy! So yesterday, I was having the, "Well, it could be a girl. God has it planned exactly how he wants it....." conversation with him, and he told me God would be mad if we have a girl. Oh my.... But I think whenever the baby gets here, he will be so excited about being a big brother, it won't really matter.
Next week we're having a sonogram. My doctor didn't order one at the hospital, like she is supposed to for 20 weeks - at my last appointment, both of the boys had checkups at the same time with her, so there was a LOT going on in that room.... I'm assuming she forgot. However, I've already had four sonograms this year (miscarriage, diverticulitis, checking on an ovarian cyst, and then earlier with this baby), so I'm 99% sure my insurance would deny payment - I want to say we had to pay like $500 for the second sonogram with Jacob. (Our insurance only covers one per pregnancy.) Maybe it was a God thing, because a nurse that goes to our church contacted me and asked me if I would be a "model" for training on the new sonogram machine at the local pro-life women's center (LifeCare). I'm really excited about seeing this baby! So I will have pictures next week.
There's a LOT going on this weekend.... It's our church's annual Bethlehem outreach. I'm cooking nightly meals for the 100+/- volunteers. I didn't volunteer to do anything else, but I'm on standby to fill in [non-speaking] parts. I also signed up to make 16 dozen cookies, and I want to make cinnamon rolls (4 dozen) for one of the meals....... Yeah, it's going to be crazy the rest of this week. :)

Black Friday Shopping?

2011-11-25T07:54:00.000-06:00

I'm not much of a shopper anyways, but seriously - you couldn't pay me enough to go shopping today. I looked at Facebook right after I woke up, and friends were talking about people being trampled, fights over items, displays being knocked over, and lines wrapping around the outside of stores.
Is there really any deal good enough to put up with this? Doesn't this take away from the meaning of Christmas? Doesn't it kind of take away the "joy of giving" when you admit, "Well, I had to kick an old lady in the face to get the last one, but I got it!"
Seriously. Is this what Christmas is about? That's not the message I want to send to my kids, and not the message I want to send to everyone I'd meet today - "Yes. Christmas is about STUFF."

Overheard:

2011-11-17T19:36:00.001-06:00

"I think we should name the new baby Eichenberger."

(Yeah, that's my maiden name, for any who don't know.)
We were talking about a neighbor with a unique ("funny") name, and I told Nathan, "Do you know what Grammy's name and Pa-pa's name, and Uncle JC and Aunt Sissy's name is? It's Eichenberger." To which he answered the above.
Sorry. Not happening.

Sin and the Gospel

2011-11-16T10:53:00.000-06:00

I don't know if it's the changing season, but we've been dealing with some majorly bad attitudes in Nathan. I know part of it is he's learning to express his opinion and assert himself, but.... Oh my. I also know, as much as it's hard to admit it, that it is his sin nature rearing it's ugly head. We're trying to discuss about how bad attitude (yelling, throwing, stomping, screaming, disrespect) is sin and it makes God sad. To which he sometimes replies, "No it doesn't." (And tell me that's not sin nature!)
A few weeks ago, Nathan did pray to ask Jesus into his heart. Even though I don't think it's for real yet, I was still really happy because it's a step. Mainly the reason I don't think it's for real is because he doesn't admit he's a sinner. He acknowledges that there is bad stuff inside of him, but not that he's done anything bad. So that tells me he can't really be accepting Christ, because that involves confessing and turning from sin.
The whole conversation arose from our family Bible reading. We're going through Romans, and it talks a lot about sin. When we read, I re-word things to put it on his level. (Like, instead of Romans 3:23 "All have sinned" I say, "All have done bad things," and we talk about age-appropriate examples of sinning.) It didn't come about from me telling him a cute story, or me preaching at him, but what he picked up from hearing the Word of God. It reminded me of a quote from the book my best friend and I are going through during Sunday school hour in the nursery - Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp:

People frequently ask if I expected my children to become believers. I usually reply that the gospel is powerful and attractive. It uniquely meets the needs of fallen humanity. Therefore, I expected that God's Word would be the power of God to salvation for my children.

That kind of sums up my belief. I can preach all I want, but it's God who will attract my children. Let me tell you, it does kind of scare me to think I can't control this decision in their lives. It's the one thing I want most for my children, to love and accept Christ. But it's not something I can do for them, or force them to do. It's their own personal decision, and it's the most important one they'll ever make.

New [to Me] Laptop

2011-11-16T10:50:00.001-06:00

This is my first post from my new-to-me (us) laptop. Paul's parents gave us their old one when they got a new one. We've had it here for a couple months, but I just haven't had the time or energy to try to learn how to use it. It's just easier to use the desktop, where all my files and bookmarks are kept. Plus, we don't have wireless Internet, so either I'm tethered to the desk, or I have a cord strung across the living room. (To type this, I'm working in "offline" mode.)
And we've talked about wireless, but whereas it does has it's advantages, it does have its disadvantages, too. So for now we'll stick to the wired type. :)
But I'm determined to learn it. It's cold now, so I don't have outdoor obligations and distractions, so no excuse to avoid it any longer. I told Paul this is MY computer, and he won't be playing any games on it (which he does) or installing any games on it (which he has). Guess I don't threaten convincingly enough.
One reason I wanted a laptop was so that I could work on projects (the bulletin for church, organizing my photos.....blogging) without secluding myself to our front room. I can sit here in the living room while the boys play or watch a movie, and still kind of interact with them. One of the reasons I don't want wireless internet is to avoid the temptation to spend all my time that I'm with them on the internet. I read somewhere that "family time" isn't really family time when the parent spends all the time on their iPhone (or in this case, the computer). That stuck with me, and it's the same concept.
So, in the future - forgive my typing. This keyboard and my ape hands don't seem to get along. Although - with the computer on my lap rather than on a desk, I don't seem to drag across the mouse pad nearly as much.

18 Weeks

2011-11-16T08:17:00.001-06:00

I don't know why, but this information just made me happy:

Head to rump, your baby is approximately 5 1/2 inches long and weighs almost 7 ounces. He's busy flexing his arms and legs — movements that you'll start noticing more and more in the weeks ahead. (From a weekly update I get from Babycenter.com)

5 1/2 inches is getting pretty big. There is a reason for my belly (although it seems like I was this fat even when Baby was the size of a peanut). I'm starting to feel movements. Halfway is getting closer, and every day fear of miscarriage diminishes.
I've reached the size I can't hide it. And I'm okay with that. I make jokes about being fat, but I love my belly. It means I'm growing a life.

True Love = Chipotle

2011-11-15T13:05:00.000-06:00

Paul's parents offered to keep the boys overnight last night (Sunday), because they hadn't done an over-nighter (or much at all) over there for a while. So Janice took the boys home from church, and I went home to be productive while I had an empty house (Paul was working).
Or..... not. But I did manage to clean the living room and bedroom.
On a side note - has anyone else ever noticed it's not so much cleaning as just migrating all the junk to another room? The living room looked great - cleaned, organized, dusted.... But you should have seen the dining room table! That's where all the "this doesn't belong in here" stuff ended up.
Anyhow. Back to our kid-free night.
The original plan was Paul would pick up Applebee's to-go on the way home from work, and we'd rent a Red Box movie and actually start it before 9 (10) o'clock (which is when our kids finally go to sleep). Oh the bliss of the thought! A grown up movie, without having to worry about getting up to put someone back to bed or that the volume is too loud.
Paul texted me Sunday morning as I was getting the boys ready to go to church. Chipotle for supper?
Be still my heart.
I love Chipotle. LOVE. Paul is not a fan. So for him to suggest it..... I knew it was just for me.
We ended up watching Inception - I'd heard a lot about it, and my brother loaned it to us a month or two ago, but we'd not gotten around to watching it (due to time/children constraints). But even starting it by 8, I was still out an hour in to the movie. (Chipotle in my belly = narcoleptic effects.)
I did keep waking up off and on to kind of have an idea of what was going on. But what I noticed most is that the movie really has striking similarities to the books I'm reading right now, The Circle series by Ted Dekker (Black/Red/White). Like enough to make me wonder if the writer of the movie had read the books (which were written in 2003).
So it really was a great night by ourselves - and a great morning of sleeping in until the unheard-of hour of 9 AM. Even if I did fall asleep. Paul is used to it by now. And having gotten up at 5 AM for work, he was ready to crash by 11, too. :)

Overheard: Major Brownie Points

2011-11-09T23:11:00.000-06:00

We had a late rose bloom on Paul's rosebush - a beautiful red rose, rivaling anything at a florist. Knowing it was supposed to freeze tonight, I cut it and brought it inside.

Nathan: "Is that flower from Daddy's rose?"
Me: "Yes, isn't it gorgeous?" [confused look] "Do you know what 'gorgeous' means?"
Paul: "It means, 'Mommy.'"

*sigh*
*pitter patter heart*

Overheard: Subtle Insults

2011-11-05T21:41:00.001-05:00

Me: "Nathan, I can't pick you up. You're too big."
Nathan: "I'm big. And Jacob's big."
Me: "Is Daddy big, too?"
Nathan: "No. Daddy's just short."
(He's not really. He's 5'9" - shorter than me, but not short.)

Paul: "Are you going to grow up and get big?"
Nathan: "Yeah. And you growed up and got almost big."

Nathan: "Daddys don't have big bellys. Only Mommy does."

Someday.....

2011-11-03T12:40:00.000-05:00

Someday I'll get to an update. Let me give you a rundown of a normal day:
The boys wake me up about 7:30. I may or may not try to convince them to snuggle in bed so I don't have to get up.
I fix breakfast, we eat and read the Bible.
I set the timer for Nathan, and quickly check my email and Facebook.
Timer goes off and we start school. It usually takes about an hour.
I set the timer again and we practice violin for as long as his attention and my patience last (like 20 minutes) - and some days my patience is shot by the time we get done with school, so I don't even bother, or I make Paul do it later.
I do a little housework, we go on a walk, or I let them play until lunchtime.
We eat.
I let them play, telling myself I'm not that tired and that I think I can get by without a nap today.
I get them in bed for their naps, and realize I'm falling asleep myself.
Resistance is futile: It's naptime.
Wake up, try to be productive (lately: huge fail)
Fix supper.
Play with boys, do projects.
Put them to bed.
Veg out, because I've resigned myself to the fact that productivity is futile.
Sleep some more (usually with weird dreams).

Two things about this pregnancy that are driving me crazy: Being tired all the time, but not being able to sleep (or not sleeping well), and being hungry all the time, but the thought of everything makes me want to gag (which means I never want to cook). I haven't been sick, it's just that all food (except fast food or junk food, go figure) just sounds gross. But once I just buck up and eat it, it's fine. I had a salad today, that I wasn't sure I'd be able to choke down (but the only other choice was hot dogs), but two bites in, I was enjoying it.
Anyhow. This pregnancy may be the death of this blog. So I apologize.

Overheard:

2011-10-29T22:10:00.000-05:00

I can't tell you for sure what I did today, but it may not have been cleaning house.

What I told Paul after he woke up this afternoon (working nights) and the house was literally a pile from one end to the other. (Okay, so three rooms. But still. Literally. Pile.) Between toys, laundry, our child-sized table and chairs, and a huge pile of blankets the boys made for kitten snuggling, it was one huge booby trap.
(Oh, and I was taking a nap when he discovered it.)

Overheard:

2011-10-24T08:30:00.000-05:00

Mommy, I like your big hair.

Which he immediately redeemed himself by saying,

It's like on Jacob's movie. [Rapunzel on Tangled, which Jacob got for his birthday.]

Some of My Favorite Recent Pictures

2011-10-18T17:45:00.003-05:00

I've been bad at getting updates lately. Between teaching Nathan's violin and preschool daily, I haven't had much free time.

So in lieu of a detailed update, I thought I'd just share some of my favorite pictures from the last couple months.... The pictures are more interesting than my ramblings anyways. Most of these are pictures I intended to use for a blog, but just never got around to it. (Typical.)

This was on Mother's Day (so it's a few more months than just "the last few"). I love them, and I think they're so cute when they are dressed matchy-matchy. My handsome guys!

Why colored bubbles only sound like an awesome idea.

He's quite fond of torturing the cat (in love). And the cat just takes it, so it's his own dumb fault.

Nathan found a tiny baby snail (on top of a "normal" size snail shell, which is about the size of a nickel). I thought the photos with him in the background were hilarious.

We have some old, old Bugs Bunny cartoons - the ones from World War II, with jingles about war bonds and saving tin. One on there is the national anthem. He always stands up when that one is on. (So proud of this.)

Multi-tasking.

My rock stars. (I may have posted it before.) I did tell Nathan to do the "peace" sign.

We expanded our play set. It now has two platforms. The next step will be a playhouse built on the area where Nathan's bike is parked..... Someday. The new platform will lead to a loft above the playhouse.

Jacob is a picky eater at mealtimes. But when he wants to eat something, he'll eat anything. These pics: a whole boiled egg - in the shell, and a stick of butter. He also ate half a decorative gourd - straight through like an apple, chalk, crayons, and markers (which he has to try at least once a week).

The boys watching the final Space Shuttle launch.

It has been DRY. This is our feet after a very short walk down the grass at the side of our gravel road. It's October, and it's still no better.

Nathan is coming along on his violin. Jacob is now very interested as well, but it's very obvious he does not have the patience to even bother trying to teach him yet. It's like, "I want to hold the violin. Okay. I'm done."

The lighting was just perfect the evening I took these. My boys just look like they're glowing (which they always do to me :) ).

The favorite pastime this summer was removing all of my landscaping bricks from the edge of my front flower bed, hauling them in their Tonka trucks, and then lining them up or stacking them on the sidewalk. I just finally reclaimed them two weeks ago, and so far they haven't been destroyed again (yet).

More "I don't see the point of these flowers." We took this large planter down off the deck rail after Jacob pulled it off on himself. They proceeded to pull the flowers, because they were on some prime dirt for farming.

As a "last hurrah" of summer, about the beginning of September when it started to cool down, I filled up the dog's water pool (it's very dry, so he needs a place to drink and splash). The boys proceeded to strip down and go skinny dipping in the COLD water. They loved it. (Incidentally, they have not asked to swim since. :P )

I love any picture of our house and yard. It just makes me feel so peaceful. Home must really be where your heart is.

We had one of those crazy spiny squooshy balls, and it popped. (I didn't know it was possible.) It makes for an awesome silly hat, though!

Nathan turned 4! I made him a worm cake, which looks PATHETIC compared to the one in the magazine I got the idea from, but he loved it.

My parents got Nathan and Mackenzie (my niece; her 5th birthday was the same week, so we had a double party) globes. It is perfect timing for school, learning about the world God created, and showing them where their Aunt Sissy is. (Carlsie, my youngest sister, is in Zambia for 2 years with the Peace Corps.)

Here, they're showing us where Zambia is.

This face. It makes my heart melt every time. What is it? Is it the puppy dog eyes?

And his smile just lights up a room. Seriously. Heart bursting.

Of course, this guy is getting pretty darn handsome. His smile can just say T-U-R-D sometimes. :)

And the Real Reason for No Posting......

2011-10-18T17:45:00.002-05:00

A couple more pictures.........

(Sleep is pretty much my priority right now.)

Public School

2011-10-17T09:30:00.000-05:00

The more I hear about what kids are learning in public school - from each other, not the teachers (although don't get me started on that aspect) - the more I'm sure we made the right decision to home-school. Pornography, masturbation, and gay sex acts..... from 10 year olds.
Some may argue, "Well, you can't protect them forever." You're right. I can't protect them forever, and I don't want to. I just want to protect them until they're old enough and mature enough to know right from wrong, to know how to respond when they are confronted with wrong and evil. To know that just because friends are talking about and doing something, there is another option - to walk away from the crowd.
I'd rather explain things myself than have them exposed to a picture of something that confuses and alarms them. (Homosexuality is talked about in the Bible. We read the Bible as a family. It will come up.) We recently were talking to a friend, and he told us of his 20-year struggle with pornography, after he was exposed to it by a "friend" in 5th grade.
Okay, so homeschooling doesn't necessarily control the content of their conversations with their friends. But it helps control who they're talking to and where they're talking about it.
And, yes, I will be "one of those" parents. Even though the boys are only 2 and 4, we already have rules about girls in their bedrooms, and they're not allowed to go into girls bedrooms.

Annoying

2011-10-15T08:12:00.000-05:00

I woke up with this song in my head:

Rain makes corn
Corn makes whiskey
Whiskey makes my baby
A little frisky

GAAH! I've only heard it once ever, so why do I wake up with it going over and over in my head? And why can't I get it out?
Annoying.
(I have no idea of the title or artist, but it's a country song. I heard it earlier this week on a YouTube farming video Paul was watching. This is the only part I remember.)

Dear Son:

2011-10-14T14:01:00.002-05:00

Nathan, as much as you would like to try to fight it, naptime around here isn't negotiable. It's a sacred time.

At least until you're old enough to clean the house or something while I take a nap myself.

Love,

Mommy

Pardon Me While I Brag on My Kids.....

2011-10-06T16:52:00.006-05:00

Have I mentioned that I love having boys? I must admit, I am kind of (a lot) intimidated by the fact that we are raising future men and fathers. Will they be kind, polite, brave? Will they be hard workers? Will they be strong Christians, leaders?

But for now, they are boys. They love dirt, mud, animals, water, anything with wheels, climbing, building (and destroying) things.

It seems like they challenge my authority constantly at home, yet when we go out, they make me so proud. I don't worry about going to the store with them - they don't throw fits or beg for items. (But don't get me wrong - I'd still rather go shopping without them!) Taking them to a church potluck on my own (when Paul is working) is a breeze - they eat, they play, I get to socialize. I guess it goes to show that consistency with discipline does eventually pay off.

Jacob amazes me. Two months ago, he barely had 5 understandable words. Now we can understand almost everything he says (it's not perfect, but we can tell what it is). He even says, "I love you." (Ah Lahl Lou.) Talk about how to melt my heart! He is still 10x more snuggly than Nathan ever was, which sometimes is a pain (in the middle of the night, anyone?). But I guess I should enjoy it? He is starting to sing recognizable songs (Twinkle, Old McDonald, and B-I-B-L-E, mostly). He won't be 2 until later this month, and he's fully potty trained himself (my plan wasn't even to start until about now.) He's decided that boots and a hat are essential components of his wardrobe when he leaves the house, which thrills me, because it means he has identified with, and wants to be like his daddy.

Nathan has got a mind like a steel trap..... When he chooses to use it. He can sing songs word-for-word that he's only heard a couple times. Yet when it comes to the Alphabet, he claims he "doesn't know" on most of the letters. (Although it could be an audible vs. visual learning thing, I guess, because he can sing the whole song with no problem.) We started preschool with him, about an hour a day (depending on how many battles of wills we have), every day. He really seems to have it on numbers, but the letters are slow coming. He's writing his name now - every day it's a little faster and a little less coaching. His violin is coming along..... We're still not really pushing him. He's graduated to his real violin (he was learning posture on a toy), and is working on drawing the bow straight and crossing strings. I think he sometimes gets frustrated, wanting to play music, not realizing all this other stuff has to be perfected before you can make it sound like music.

When it comes down to it, I am very proud of my boys. Not because they're adorable (which they are), but because they're good boys. They're "all boy" boys. They are future men.

Didn't Get the Memo

2011-10-05T08:13:00.003-05:00

Dear sons,

When you are out of bed 7 times between the two of you in one night, it is completely unacceptable to wake up before 7 AM.

And as usual, you do what you want to do with no thought to the fact that it may cause me to feel like my eyeballs are going to ooze out of my head. Naptime can't come soon enough.

Love,

Mommy

Overheard:

2011-10-02T23:11:00.002-05:00

"Whitey's just under the porch; he's eating a grass-copter."

(Whitey is our white kitten. Boring name, but we had to get Nathan to call him something other than "Joyce" [the white cat on Milo and Otis] after we realized he was a boy.)

I can't wait until Jacob is talking more so I can get more of these great sayings from him. So funny!

Overheard:

2011-09-30T08:24:00.002-05:00

"Whose birthday is today?"

"Grammy's!!"

"How old is Grammy going to be?"

"OLD."

This Week

2011-09-26T09:02:00.005-05:00

This week was the week our baby would have been born.

I bought this figurine after Paul gave our baby the name Angel. It's called "Angel's Embrace" - I suppose because the angel is hugging the baby.

But for us, it's because Angel is hugging the angels.

9 days, 2000 miles, and 5 states!

2011-09-17T08:26:00.005-05:00

Wednesday, we got back from the longest trip our family has been on. (Except maybe our honeymoon, but that doesn't count.)

We left here last Tuesday morning, and made the long driveto Colorado Springs (supposed to be 9 hours, took us 11 - two little boys require hour-long "run and play" stops, not just potty stops). We stayed the KOA there, in one of their cabins, and I was pleasantly surprised. When I heard "cabin", I thought "church-camp cabin" which consists of lots of plywood, plastic mattresses, no insulation, and lots of drafts. This little cabin was basically just a mini wood cabin (10'x10'?), with "log" floors, walls, and ceiling - very snug and cozy.

The beds (a queen and set of bunks) were real mattresses with soft mattress covers on them. They had a "Kamp Kitchen" (which I didn't realize until after I cooked supper on our porch) that had an electric ranges and sinks with hot water.

Not at all what I imagined. I told Paul we could do it again. (The only draw back being that the bathroom was across the drive from our cabin, and waking up needing to pee is inevitable if it's not convenient to go. They have more expensive cabins that have a bathroom, but I told Paul it wasn't worth the $20 extra.)

While in Colorado Springs, we took the kids to the zoo. They loved it. WE loved it! It was the perfect size that the boys could walk it by themselves. A lot of up and down hills (it's built into the side of the mountain), but the exhibits were close enough that there was plenty of places to stop and rest (me, the flatlander) and look at the animals. We did the whole zoo, and then half of it again before the boys were tired.

She was looking right at the camera until she noticed one of her roomies going after a toy she wanted.

They loved the open-air aviary, where there were hundreds of birds flying free. They fed them seed stuck to a popsicle stick, and the birds would land on their hands (or head!) to eat the food.

I made the boys wear their hoods up, too. I'm a bit poop-phobic.

They also enjoyed watching the bears play in a pool where trout were swimming. We were on one side of a huge glass wall, and the pool came up halfway on the wall so you could see the fish swimming, and the bears playing in the water.

And of course they fed the giraffes. Nathan loved that, but Jacob was freaked out by being in such close proximity. (We were up on a platform, so were eye-level with them.)

This one is a baby, hence the reason Jake is actually close to it. The rest could look over the railing.

Wednesday night, we went to Paul's best friend, Seth's house. (Unfortunately, forgot to take a picture.) We cooked supper and just hung out. The boys really made themselves at home - running, jumping, playing with Seth.... And pooping. I think they both pooped 3 times while we were there. Apparently you can't get the job done in a public restroom, which is all we'd been in for the last two days.

Thursday morning, we packed up and headed to Ft. Collins to see Paul's grandpa. Paul wanted to take the scenic route, but after two days of Jacob not sleeping well, I was ready to just get there. So, we took the scenic route. We headed up into the mountains to Florissant, thinking fossil beds sounded interesting.

They were less than what we expected (mostly fossilized plants, and a few bugs. No animals and definitely no dinosaurs), and we had to buy lunch at the only place in that small town - a coffee shop. $10 for a sandwich, and not a big sandwich, or anything special about it, not even a side of chips (but we did get a pickle spear!). Paul and I split a BLT (since every sandwich was offered as "half" or "whole" we expected something a whole lot bigger), and the boys split a ham and swiss. That was the second most expensive meal on our trip (the most expensive being for Nathan's birthday).

Six hours and a whole lot of whining later (and not just from the boys), we pulled into Grandpa's house in Ft. Collins. He took us out to supper at his favorite buffet, and when we got back, Paul's aunt and her fiance, and his cousin and her husband and two kids were at the house. Our kids had a blast playing with Jack and Millie over the next few days; they are very close in age to both of our kids.

It was Miss Millie's 2nd birthday!

(And gee, ya can't tell Nathan and Jack are related, can you?)

I told Paul that the boys needed a couple days of not being in the car. We usually go for a drive up into the mountains while we stay with Grandpa, but I knew there would be much whining which would mean I wouldn't enjoy it at all. So just Paul and Grandpa went for a drive on Friday, while I stayed home with the boys (and took a nap!).

Saturday, the whole family went up Poudre Canyon a bit for a picnic and to enjoy the scenery. The kids loved throwing rocks in the river and playing in the sand at the side of the river. When we got back, we took the boys to the park and took them on the old Trolley that runs from the City Park (practically across the street from Grandpa's house) to Old Town. They loved it.
Sunday morning we headed out for the next leg of our journey (7 hours), to Belle Fourche, South Dakota. Through the nothingness of Wyoming. It is pretty, in a very barren sort of way. We stopped in the small town of Lusk for lunch and to let the boys play - more from a "now or never" attitude, as it was 80+ miles of nothing on Highway 85 after Lusk. Seriously. A few giggle-worthy ranch names, and one rest area.

The map makes it look like there was actually something between Lusk and Newcastle.

Thankfully, the boys fell asleep until we made it to Newcastle, and then we were only an hour out from our destination.
We stayed with our friends Josh and Tara for two nights. They moved from here to SD a year and a half (?) ago, and ironically, when we finally get up to visit them, they are moving back here in two weeks. But it was a great visit. We felt very at home. On Monday we went to an awesome park in Spearfish.... It had a stream running through it where the kids could throw rocks, lots of huge trees for shade, and an awesome play ground (like a we-could-stay-here-all-day-if-the-kids-didn't-need-naps playground). There was also a fish hatchery that the boys enjoyed. It was the end of the season, so there wasn't a lot of fish in all the pools, but the boys still thought it was really neat.

Nathan was very excited to go see "Uncle" Josh when he learned that he was a firefighter (Forest Service).

I love this lady! (Bad, way-to-early picture.)

In spite of 4 little ones, we had some good visiting time, but had to take off early Tuesday morning. This leg (8 hours) took us to Grand Island, Nebraska. We stayed at another KOA. I liked this one, but not as much as the Colorado Springs one. I did like the bathroom set up much better, and it was quieter, but this time we did have the plastic mattresses.

The next day was Wednesday, Nathan's birthday! We woke up bright and early and headed to breakfast at Perkins. We thought the boys would love strawberry pancakes. Wrong. They loved the sausage. But I loved my loaded hashbrowns drowned in gravy (and their strawberry pancakes). Quite possibly the best meal I had the whole trip.

We headed out to the Husker Harvest Days, a huge outdoor farm show, complete with field demonstrations. It ended up not being quite the day we thought it would, due to temps in the 50s, plus a damp north wind. The boys loved looking at and climbing on the machinery, but we didn't last even halfway through the corn harvest demonstrations before both boys were shivering and turning blue. So we decided it was time to head home. A "short" 5 1/2 hour drive (for which the boys slept a good chunk of), and we were home sweet home. I was so ready for my own bed. And I slept like a baby.

That's our vacation. I loved it, but I don't think I would want to do it every year. It was a relatively inexpensive vacation - yay for $5 campsite meals and freeloading off of friends and family when you need a place to stay!

But then we also have to add to that, the car repairs we had to do prior to leaving (a snapped serpentine belt in the middle of nowhere? no thanks).... And the windshield we had to replace when we got back (thanks, Wyoming). Oh well. It was still worth it.

PS - Paul and I played "the license plate game" and got 42 states (with a question on two others), and 6 of 10 Canadian provinces. Boo-yah.

YES!

2011-09-04T07:08:00.002-05:00

Air conditioner is going OFF. Windows, open! I have been waiting all summer for this:

Today: Sunny, with a high near 75. Breezy, with a north wind between 15 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph.

Tonight: Clear, with a low around 48. North wind between 5 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.

48 degrees! 48?!? We haven't seen that temperature for a long, long, LONG time.

And I am SO ready for it. Welcome, autumn!

Update?

2011-08-30T09:33:00.005-05:00

I feel like I should post. It's been quite a while since I've had a real post, but really - I've got nothin'.

We're still waiting for it to rain. We had about two weeks of temps in the low-mid 80s, and it rained two good rains in that time, but..... We've still had probably less than 2 inches in 2 months - and that included 20 some days of temps over 100. So it's still really dry. There is a crack in our yard that's probably 4 inches wide and over a foot deep. (There's lots of cracks all over, but that one is really crazy.)

Next week is vacation! We're going on our first "real" family vacation. Every trip we've been on since we've been married has been either with family or to see family (with the exception of a weekend in Branson and our overnight trip to Omaha that were just Paul and I). We're still going to see family - we're spending a few days with Paul's grandpa in Fort Collins, but we're also going to Colorado Springs to the zoo, to see friends in South Dakota, and to a farm show in Nebraska. (The last one I'm not totally psyched about, but there are three others who are, so I guess I'm outnumbered.) I'm sure we'll be exhausted and ready for another vacation (the stay-at-home, stay-in-bed kind) once we get back, but I know we'll make lots of memories.

I've really been making a concentrated effort to keep up on the house the last couple weeks. It started with a talk with my husband about helping out in the kitchen. He hates doing dishes (although he does them on occasion), and I try to respect that and not make him do something I know he dislikes. But over the last couple months (since Jacob has been eating well), I've realized - I hate dishes too. The kitchen is seriously the last room in the house I want to tackle (probably because no matter how long you spend on it, it can be destroyed again in a matter of hours). But it's also the room in the house that I feel best about myself when it's clean. Is that weird? So I explained this to Paul. I told him that since I almost always am the one that does all the other cleaning, the laundry, and the cooking, I would like him and the boys to step up and help out after every meal - everyone else eats, so everyone else should help clean up. So he and the boys (mostly just Nathan) unload the dishwasher and clear off the table while I focus on tidying up the counters and washing the pans I used to cook. We can get everything done in 10 minutes usually. Ever heard the term "happy wife, happy life"? Yeah, it's true. And the weird thing is that the rest of the house is cleaner! I guess since I'm spending less time in the kitchen, I spend more time everywhere else.

Part of it is expecting more from the boys. They are almost 4 and 2, and they are more than capable of cleaning up after themselves. I've always thought that children will only live up to your expectations (this applies to all areas - potty training, behaving in public, etc). If you treat them like they're not capable, they won't. If you don't ask/tell them to do it because they don't do as perfect of a job as you, they'll never learn. We're getting there on the toys. Now I just need to teach them how to clean up after themselves in the bathroom.........

Overheard:

2011-08-30T09:29:00.001-05:00

We're reading through Acts in our family Bible time. After reading yet again of the Jews inciting a riot and/or trying to kill the Apostle Paul, my Paul says,

They were such drama queens.

Overheard:

2011-08-30T09:25:00.002-05:00

"Ssssssssss. Sssssssssss. Sssssssssss." (Jacob is scooting on his belly across the linoleum.)

"What's that sound? What's crawling across my floor?"

" 'Nake!"

"A snake!? What's a snake say?"

"Sssssssssss. Ssssssssss. Sssssssssss. Bite!"

At least this snake warns you before he bites your leg.

No-Dry July

2011-08-25T21:07:00.005-05:00

First off, I am well aware that it is nearly the end of August, and I'm posting something about July.

I'll explain....

My husband gave me the best Mother's Day present ever this year. He built me a clothesline. Even though I nagged him all last fall that mine needed replaced (we had to tear ours out a year ago when we replaced the cellar), I hadn't started up again on the nagging once spring rolled around. He came up with the idea on his own to build it for me. (And I can't remember what it cost - I want to say $30? Maybe $50? Basically 3 4x4 posts, 2 bags of QuickCrete, plastic-coated wire, and some eye-bolts.)

Here he is, finishing it up before church on Mother's Day. With his helpers.

We had to drop a huge chunk of cash to replace our air conditioner in May. Then it got hot. Really hot. I was really stressing about how to cut back on energy use so that we could afford for the a/c to be running constantly like it was (even set at 78!). So I became the light Nazi, turned off the computer after I checked email in the morning, and didn't let the TV be on that much (have you noticed how warm a TV can get?).

And I decided to not run the dryer.

I actually decided in early June that I wanted to try to go until July without running the dryer.
Well, hubby was helpful one day mid-June when I was busy (I think it was one of the 3 garage sale weekends we did), and did all the laundry using the dryer. So I started over, challenging myself to get to the end of July without using the dryer. I even came up with a clever name for my challenge: No-Dry July. Which isn't quite right, because I was drying the clothes, just not in the dryer. I just thought No-Dry July sounded better than No-Dryer July....er.

It's now nearly the end of August, and I can victoriously say - I have not used the dryer since mid-June. Well.... Correction - I did use it for 10 minutes one Sunday morning to de-wrinkle the boys' shirts since there was NO WAY I was going to actually iron them.

I have learned some things along the way.

I always hang shirts by the tails now, instead of the shoulders. Our old clothesline had one line of copper wire, which reacted with something in the wet laundry (unfortunately, we didn't realize it was copper until after this fact). I ruined one of Paul's favorite t-shirts, which now has a line across the back from one shoulder to the other. (It looks like a perfectly drawn line of bleaching.) Several of his shirts got it, but that's the only one that mattered. So I started hanging the shirts by the tails - to avoid that problem, but also so you don't get the weird pulled, wrinkled, bunched place where the clothespins were. Paul always tucks his shirts in, and even though I don't you don't notice it nearly as much when it's on your hips than on your shoulders.

Also, I hang underwear differently now. Growing up, I always hated hanging our underwear on the line, because anyone and everyone driving by can see exactly what size, style, and color of underpants you wear. So embarrassing.

Except when it's these teeny tiny underpants. Then it's really cute.

(And do you see the shirt on the left? That's what I mean when I say I "hang them by the tail.")

So I started hanging the underwear by one side, with one clothespin. They dangle down, and you can't really tell what they are.

Not a great picture, but that's the point! You can't tell what they are

Socks have been the killer. I hate socks. HATE them. (I may or may not have avoided sorting socks for 6 whole weeks once.....) I sort them as I take them out of the washer and hang them up in pairs - so there is a great thing about it..... When I take them off the line, they are already paired up and all you have to do is fold them together.

That doesn't do anything about the rest of the laundry, though.....

(I'm OCD, and can't fold clothes neatly at the line, so I don't bother. I bring them inside, where there's no wind to fight, and a work surface that I can lay them flat on.) (Oh, and the OCD continues.... I can't just hang the clothes on the line..... All the shorts have to be together, t-shirts together, washcloths, big towels, etc. I don't just arbitrarily hang them. It's gotta look neat and organized, folks!)

Anyhow. That's my economical victory for the summer.

Daddy's at Work.

2011-08-19T16:12:00.003-05:00

I do kind of like my husband's weird work schedule (work 2 days, off 2, work 3 nights, off 2, work 2 days, off 3......), because it gives weekdays with him at home. Not weekends, where it's run, run, run - birthday parties, family gatherings, church, etc. We can go places on weekdays, when it's not crowded.

But there are some advantages of Paul being at work:

"Boys, you want eggs for lunch?"

"YEAH!!!!!"

Ahhh.....

2011-08-15T21:54:00.002-05:00

We went from sweltering, 105+ degree days, to fall-is-practically-here weather seemingly overnight. Remember this post? Yeah, well.... Not even kidding, two days after I posted this, it rained and cooled off, and it's been in the mid-80s pretty much every day since then. It's amazing! The weather is perfect! When I step outside, I still find myself holding my breath, waiting for that suck-the-life-out-of-you blast of heat, but then..... AHHHH. It's just gorgeous. (Have I said it enough? Do you believe me yet?)

So of course, I've been kicking the boys outside to run, play, and all those things that they couldn't do for a month when I kept them cloistered inside to avoid a heat stroke.

And what have I been doing? SPRING CLEANING!

Seriously. It's the same concept. I've been stuck in the house all summer (okay, a month), and things have been grating at me. I'm doing small projects here and there. De-cluttering. Rearranging. Centering a picture on the dining room wall that I've had hung off-center for well over a year now (Not my fault - the stud was off center!). Working on converting the dining room into the school room.

That last project is a tough one for me. We're planning on home-schooling (starting with preschool this fall), and we don't have a separate room to use just for school. So we're going to do it in the room that makes sense: the dining room. I'm trying to make it functional for school, but I still want it to look like a dining room (pretty). I think one wall will be "schoolroom" and the rest will stay the way it is (for now). I've got a set of shelves with Nathan's preschool books, our Children's Britannica set, and markers, crayons, etc, on them. We mounted a chalkboard on the door. I've got a world map I'd like to hang up, but it's too wide for any wall except the one holding a picture I love (the one that's been off center for over a year, that's not any more :) ). So I'm trying to figure out what to do. But I really want to get the map hung up, because......

My little sister moved to Africa! She left August 1 to join the Peace Corps for a two-year assignment in Zambia. She'll be setting up and teaching the natives how to operate fish farms. So Nathan is suddenly very interested in Africa, and where it is. I think he's just starting to grasp the idea of distances. When I show him a map of Africa, he asks, "And where are we live?"

Seriously, I'm going to miss Carlsie. She's lived several hours away from home for 6 years now, but it's one thing to be a couple hours away - another to be a couple days away. The plane ride from New York to South Africa was 15 hours. She is frustrated with the complete lack of organization and initiative of what she's seen of the Peace Corps so far. It sounds like a lot of people use it as a government-sponsored vacation. (And we wonder why our country is so grossly in debt???)

My crafty projects are kind of on hold..... I'm not exactly positive what color I want to paint the coffee tables. (Yes tableS. There are two now.) I spray painted my tacky brass lamp, and I L-O-V-E how it turned out, but I'm trying to find the perfect lampshade. I just am not willing to part with $25 for something I don't love. (I may custom-cover a lamp shade, but I want to make sure that I can't buy one for the same price I spend of fabric and materials..... I just need to get up to the city for some shopping. Sometime.....)

In other news, since I'm actually posting......

Jacob is has so many words now! They aren't perfect, but they are recognizable. He uses "d" and "b" sounds to start most of his words (dat for cat, dlock for clock, etc), but we're getting there. I think he's really enjoying that we can understand him more and more.

Nathan started violin lessons a couple months ago. Did I mention that? He is still so very young (not 4 yet), and I have no need for him to be viewed as a child prodigy, so we aren't pushing it a lot. (I want him to enjoy playing the violin, not be some little performing robot.) Paul and I are giving him lessons ourselves, and we have three different areas we focus on: posture (holding the violin), rhythm (imitating a rhythm we clap), and theory (flashcards). We probably only spend 10 or 15 minutes on it, and may not do all three things. We want to keep it enjoyable. We've already had several fights about it. The protests were all because of "Mommy says I have to do this, therefore I WILL NOT do it!!"

Anyhow. I've got 4 pounds of beef jerky to take care of, and another 5 to make, so..... I'd better get on it. Not to mention that pile of laundry..... Bleh.

.....And the Dresser, Too!

2011-08-11T08:50:00.003-05:00

I finally finished the dresser this week (the one I was painting to match the desk). When I was painting the desk, it was so hot and dry that by the time I finished the one side of the writing surface, the other side was already dry, and I couldn't smooth out the brush strokes. The dresser was even bigger than that, so I decided it would be wise to wait for cooler weather.

We finally got some rain Sunday night and Monday, and it cooled down (it was "only" 90!) and the humidity was up, so I got to painting. The drawers were already finished (I did them when I did the desk), so it didn't take me long.

I forgot to take a true "before" picture, and I'd already started the work when I remembered to take this.

Ugly, huh? (I really don't like veneer. That's what the desk was, too.)

But it's really nice and solid, which is why I wanted to keep it. You don't see drawers like this on anything made today:

The old drawer pulls were one-hole pulls, but they looked like a handle that should have two holes. As a result, the pulls had started to spin and etch the wood as they loosened.

I knew I wanted bar pulls to match the desks, so I filled in the single hole, and drilled new holes. Not as simple as it sounds, folks.

First, you have to fill the hole. This requires hammering a piece of 1/4" dowel (about 1/4" inch long) into the hole. Good luck not hammering your fingers!

(I forgot to take my camera out to the shed for, and was too lazy to walk back inside to get it, so you have to deal with horrible-quality phone-camera pics.)

Then spackle, sand, spackle, sand. Prime, prime, and finally......

Find out that your little "helpers" had decided this drawer needed "fixed" and had hammered the crap out of it when you weren't paying attention. At first I was really upset - I had worked hard to fill in all the nicks and dings! But then I realized - it's a child's dresser. If they're going to use it, it's bound to get more of these along the way.

Sigh. Oh well. Slap on that blue paint!

(The handprint was after it was long after it was dry, or I would have had a conniption!)

Then comes the nerve-wracking part. Originally, I thought measuring and drilling a few holes? No problem.

(oops. forgot to turn the pic before uploading!)

Um, yeah.

First off, the drawers are 7 27/32" deep. What is halfway of that, pray tell? I rounded to 3 7/8", which is pretty darn close. But when it's not exactly middle, you need to remember to always measure from the same side (top or bottom) of the drawer. Or else you have one end of the handle slightly higher than the other.

Grr.

Please tell me you can't even notice!

But in the end, I'm very happy with it.

You know it's hot when.....

2011-08-06T18:31:00.004-05:00

You're excited for the big cooldown over the weekend - it will be 20 degrees cooler than earlier in the week.... but it will still be in the mid-90s.
You have a brand on your arm from the black trim on the car door.
The water coming out the tap is slightly warmer than lukewarm.
Your kids have cabin fever - from hiding out indoors to avoid the heat.
The hydrant handle is almost too hot to touch, and it's in the shade!
Your 3-year-old son says, after 5 minutes in the pool (which is in the shade), "Mommy, it's too hot to swim."

Seriously. I hate to complain about God's plan, but.... I'm tired of this weather. To give you a summary, this is from the National Weather Service in Topeka about our weather last month:

THE AVERAGE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS NEARLY 98 DEGREES AND THE AVERAGE LOW TEMPERATURE WAS OVER 74 DEGREES...YIELDING AN AVERAGE TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH OF 86.2 DEGREES. HEAT OF THIS MAGNITUDE OVER A CALENDAR MONTH HAS NOT BEEN EXPERIENCED IN OVER 30 YEARS... SPECIFICALLY SINCE JULY 1980.
THE CONSISTENTLY HUMIDITY ATMOSPHERE HELPED KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM FALLING MUCH ON MANY NIGHTS AND ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO VERY HIGH HEAT INDICES ON MANY AFTERNOONS. HEAT INDEX VALUES
TOPPED OUT IN THE 105 TO 110 DEGREE RANGE ON MOST AFTERNOONS...WITH A 118-DEGREE READING OCCURING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON OF JULY 10.
DAILY MERCURY READINGS REACHED TRIPLE DIGITS ON EIGHTEEN DAYS...AT LEAST 103 ON SEVEN DAYS...AND 106 DEGREES ON THREE DAYS.
THE PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE ALSO
SERVED TO KEEP PRECIPITATION IN CHECK...WITH LESS THAN HALF OF THE NORMAL AMOUNT RECEIVED.

And where we live, we've had even less rain than that. We had 1/3 inch around July 4th, then another 1/3" a few weeks later. A couple other times, we've had "teaser rains" - enough to wet the deck and the rain gauge, but not really even enough to settle the dust. I asked Paul several times, "How many times does the rain have to completely dissipate or split and go around us before we figure out God's trying to tell us something?"

And not included in the above report is the temperatures from this week. Tuesday's high - actual temperature - was 115.

Desk is Done!

2011-08-04T18:02:00.008-05:00

I finally finished up the desk today. It was pretty much finished by last weekend, but I was just waiting on the hardware. I'd tried some pulls from our local hardware store, but not only were they too big for the little desk (top is only like 20x35" - guesstimate), they were going to be $90!!! I thought I wanted cup pulls, but they didn't look right and were way too big for the tiny drawers. So I ordered what I needed from Home Depot, got free shipping, and only spent $30.

(This still sounds like a lot, but they are for the little desk, plus a 4-drawer dresser I'm painting to match - pictures later, when I finish it up. It's too hot to paint [100+], and the paint was literally drying instantly.)

While I was waiting for the hardware to get here, and feeding my obsession with Thrifty Decor Chick back posts, I ran into a link to Young & Crafty, and her Table D esk. (Click on the link to see pictures.) I fell in LOVE with the border she painted on the tabletop, and decided I HAD to do that to my (ahem... Nathan's) desk.

Lots of painters tape, 4 coats of paint on the border, and newly arrived hardware, and we have the finished product.....

I really think the border made the desk. But I was seriously stressing about it. Like, waking up in the middle of the night thinking about it.

With the painting tape on... Will it work?

Holding my breath.... Taking the tape off......

I am in LOVE. LOVE. LOVE!!!!

Weird angle, but better view of the border.

(Can you see my goofs?)

Another favorite transformation of mine.... Notice in the "before" picture below, the deep bottom drawer was one of those fake "two drawer" drawers? (Why do so many desks and kitchens have those???) Well, I sanded the crap out of that thing, and spackled, and sanded some more..... And I got rid of the line that made it look like two drawers. I love it this way - more modern, maybe? More classic?

And you can't even tell that it used to have a strip of wood to make it look like two drawers.

So again..... Before:

And after:

Total cost:

Desk - free!

Primer, Sandpaper, Paintbrushes - $15

White Paint - on hand

Blue Paint - $15

Painters Tape - $6

Drawer Pulls - $10

---------

$46!

But when you divide out what I still have left and can use for other projects, the actual cost was probably more like around $25.

I tell you. I have unleashed a monster! It's like my eyes have been opened, and I'm seeing all these totally easy projects I could do. Projects I'm also working on/have on hand: the aforementioned dresser, a coffee table, a lamp, and a reading nook for the boys. More on those later.....

Why yes, I AM that lazy.

2011-07-27T22:52:00.006-05:00

I just finished my third load of dishes in the dishwasher. Not that I've cooked a lot today. (Or even at all.) I just didn't want to hand-wash all those dishes.

Seriously. I haven't cleaned the kitchen in a week and a half. The pots, pans, baking sheets, and casserole dishes were burying half of my kitchen. Literally. Half.

I whittled that down to 6 things to hand-wash. And that's only because they're too big to fit in the dishwasher. I'm hoping by midnight, the kitchen and dining room will be cleaner than they've been in a LONG time. Paul's going to come home tomorrow morning and be like, "What? We have a dining room table?" I've been that bad. It's been stacked high for so long, and I just didn't care. I'd shove stuff over so we'd each have like a 12"x12" space clear to eat (if we even ate at the table), and just left it there. And didn't wipe the table after the meal.

I blame it on the heat. I've been in a foul mood since last week. Like, Hubby-you'd-better-not-say-anything-to-set-me-off-because-you-are-going-to-have-it-if-you-do bad mood (not that he'd done anything, just I was in a bad mood). I had a headache for 5 days straight. I haven't had the headache since Sunday, when it rained and cooled off slightly (down to 95, instead of 105). I am completely unmotivated to do anything productive.

Except this:

Because I'm sure you all have nothing better to do than wait in breathless anticipation for a photo my finished project. This is just the primer. Not the final colors.

But even that is taking forever. Because of this:

That's in the shed, in the shade, with a breeze blowing through it. At 7 PM.

I'm not even sure if you're supposed to use spray paint when it's this hot. I've been doing it sparingly, because I don't want anything to crackle or bubble or peel. And by the time we wait for it to be "cool" enough to work out there, it's 8 PM, and there's only time for one coat.

Oh, and add to that, my little "helpers" - and all you Mommies know exactly why it's taking so long now.

Maybe by this weekend.......

Okay.

I have GOT to get back to the kitchen clean up. I just needed to sit on my butt for a bit and blow off some steam.

So Is He Potty Trained?

2011-07-27T09:19:00.002-05:00

So I know you remember me talking about Jacob wanting to potty train. That started at 18 months, and he's 21 months now.

So how's it going?

Good. Really good, considering his age.

We still have lots of accidents - one a day, usually. Sometimes I get frustrated that he still has accidents, but then I remember - he's not even two yet! I wouldn't call him potty "trained" but he's definitely potty "aware" - he may not always make it to the toilet, or remember to go there, but he always comes and gets me if he has an accident. And he's only pooped in his pants maybe 4 or 5 times in the three months since we started this (a huge deal!). I may be the one that reminds him to go to the bathroom (some would say I am the one who's trained), but you know what - I don't care. He holds it until I ask him if he needs to go.

Sometimes it seems like we're cloth diapering using underpants, but that doesn't really bother me. It's less diapers for us, and it's helping him "get" potty training. And add in that I've started putting him in cloth diapers during naptime - serious money saved. He's been wearing underpants for a couple months now, even when we go to town. We just make sure to take him right before we leave, and at least once while we're in town.

Yesterday, he had zero accidents, and came and got me to go to the potty every time. For a child who doesn't talk, that's a major accomplishment, I think.

So he's not fully trained, but definitely on his way.

(Yes, I am proud of my son. I am bragging.)

Correction:

2011-07-19T09:55:00.004-05:00

I posted in this post that "$50 is a week's groceries." My friend April commented that she couldn't believe I only spent that much (little) each week.

Well....

I'm not sure how much we actually spend a week on groceries. It depends on what your definition of "groceries" is. Food only? $50 a week, easy. Anything you get at the grocery store? Well.......

I go shopping at the first of each month (right after payday). I go to the grocery store and spend $250-320 (depending on how much meat I have to buy), then I go to WalMart and/or Orscheln and spend another $50-100 (total). So it's probably more like $100 each week if you divide it out, but this includes everything - food, diapers, personal care, household (kitchen utensils/gadgets, storage, etc.), cleaning supplies, pet food, garden supplies.... Then I pay all our bills also at the first of the month, so everything is paid up, and all we have to worry about is gas for Paul to get to work. (I have only been using 1 tank or less of gas each month.)

I usually make one more trip to the store, for milk, or for a special meal (either having company, going to someone's house/church dinner, or Paul requests something I don't have all the ingredients for). So I spend a little more one or two other times each month, although the boys' milk consumption took a nose dive with the hot weather, so that has helped.

So I don't know how that compares to the average household, but that's our life.

Things we eat a lot of, that I know helps the ol' budget:

Hot dogs. The boys eat these for lunch more often than I'd like to admit. (I stock up when they are $1 or less/package.)

Rice. I add 2 cups (uncooked, so 4 cups cooked) instant brown rice to lots of our meals. Tacos are 1 lb. meat, 4 cups rice, and 1 can beans. Stir fry also gets 4 cups of rice. Salisbury steaks. Chinese hash. Tater tot casserole. As long as you add extra seasoning so the rice doesn't dilute the flavor, rice makes meals go SO much further.

Beans. As mentioned above, I put beans in tacos. We also have meatless tacos where we use beans. (Recipe here.) The off-brand beans are only 50c a can.

White pasta. I have 5 jars on my counter, each for a different type of pasta (rotini, penne, fettucini, spaghetti, and rainbow bow tie). We eat lots of it. I know "carbs are bad" but carbs are also cheap. Some noodles, a bit of butter, and some Mrs. Dash (or other herbs and parmesan), and you've got a super-simple, super-cheap side dish. Add some pepperoni or smoked sausage, and you've got a main dish. (Paul and the boys are the real fans of butter noodles. I'm more into noodles drowned in sauce.)

Leftovers. Very rarely do I throw away food. If we're having trouble cleaning something out of the fridge, I simply don't cook until it's all gone. Paul takes leftovers in his lunch to work, and the boys are really good at eating them, too.

I guess simple (lazy) is my deal. I don't get excited to make gourmet meals or try new things. If it's stuff I already have in the house, I'll try it, but if I have to go buy fancy ingredients, I usually don't bother.

P90X and Gardening.... Who knew?

2011-07-19T09:32:00.002-05:00

I deleted the previous post referring to P90X, as after going back to read it, I realized it was post-workout endorphin ramblings, and made no sense.

I started P90X again yesterday.

I caught a glimpse of my lower half in the mirror last week (we don't own a full-length mirror)..... Something had to be done.

I tried getting up at 6:30 to walk; I have to be done by 8 if I don't want to feel like a puddle of goo. It's hotter than blazes out. But then I got sick. And then I lost all motivation - take a nap or exercise? What would you choose?

So I swore off sugar - again. And by swearing off, I mean "effectively resisting 40% of the sugar offered me." But I know that's not going to be enough. I haven't gained weight (maybe 3 pounds), but I've flabbed out. I've got to do something to tone up and burn some of it off.

So I brought out the P90X. Again. I made it through about 6 weeks last fall. Last night was Core Synergistics. (It works the shoulders through the thighs - your "core".) It wasn't too bad, but I definitely felt it.

Then I went out to the garden this morning to get rid of some nasty thorny weeds I've been meaning to pull for two weeks now. They're seeded out, so it's Operation Critical now, if I don't want to have the same problem (times a million) next year.

Apparently every muscle in your core is used to do gardening work. My thighs (hamstrings) and shoulders hollered the whole time. I just wish that A/you could somehow incorporate cardio into gardening (gotta burn this fat!) and B/it wasn't so hot that you can only stand to work outside for 20 minutes or less at a time.

Tonight: Cardio X. Bring it on.

Blast from the Past:

2011-07-18T20:05:00.003-05:00

"Evening, ladies. We had a report about some skinny dippers. Would you ladies know anything about that?"
"Uh-huh."
"Was it you girls?"
"Yep."

When I think about this occurance 8 years ago, I still almost die laughing.

For my 21st birthday, me, two friends, and my little sister decided to go skinny dipping at the lake. It was after 9 PM; we figured the beach would be clearing out (it wasn't). We swam out to the buoy in the farthest corner of the swim area and stripped down, wrapped our swimsuits around our arms, and just floated and relaxed in the cool water.

Apparently someone noticed us, and reported us to a ranger. We saw her talking to the ranger in the parking lot and got our suits on and headed back to the beach, just about the same time a boat with 8 rangers and a spotlight showed up. (Slow night, guys?) This is where two rangers approached us on the beach and questioned us. They were barely able to contain their laughter, and I wouldn't even call what he gave us a "reprimand."

The reason this keeps going over in my mind, is this:

Kid-free skinny dipping is sounding pretty darn good about now.

A Moment

2011-07-13T11:18:00.005-05:00

I don't usually dwell much on the baby we lost by miscarriage. Not because it didn't sadden me, but because there's nothing I can do about it. I know it was God's will.

But today, the thought crossed my mind - how far along would I have been? So I counted up on the calendar....

I would have been 7 months. And then I found this picture of me two summers ago, 7 months pregnant with Jacob.

And I had a moment. A moment of sadness and tears.

I would much rather have the baby inside me, even if it made me suffer through this miserable heat. Because that would mean in two short months, I would be holding our precious one in my arms.

I miss you, Angel.

First Project

2011-07-10T23:11:00.002-05:00

Inspired by Thrifty Decor Chick.....

I started work on the desk tonight - sanding it down in order to prime and paint it.

I brought this home from our garage sale when it didn't sell. It needs help, but it's a pretty solid little desk. The boys will need one eventually for schoolwork, so I thought I'd bring it home and restore it. With a little wood glue here and there, new drawer-pulls, and some paint (it's veneer), I think it could be a cute desk.

This is where I need opinions: I want it to look boy-ish, but not little boy-ish; I don't want them to outgrow the style. My idea is to paint it white/cream and either navy blue or forest green. What do you think? And should I paint the body of the desk white, or the dark color? (In my head, the white looks better, with dark drawers, but I'm thinking about pencil marks on the top of it.....)

I am so insecure when it comes to decisions like this. Any opinions are welcome and appreciated.

Good Grief!

2011-07-10T22:53:00.005-05:00

We're pushing an hour and a half.....

Since I put the boys to bed.

I have empathized, threatened, spanked, coddled to whims, and spanked with the spoon (the pinnacle of punishment around here). Good grief!

They didn't take very long naps, we went outside and spent an hour+ playing in the 100-degree heat. (At 6 pm. In the shade. It was ridiculous.) They were tired. They were starting to get cranky, so I brought them in, showered them off, and put them to bed. And not too early - we didn't even come inside until a quarter after 9.

What gives?

Maybe they're being my little barometers, and it means a change in the weather is coming. Any change has to be a good one - it can't get much hotter or drier!

On another note, my blogger friend Carrie posted a link to Thrifty Decor Chick on her blog. Oh my. Reading the decor blog and looking at the author's pictures, I am aware of just how college-student our house looks. (Which is ironic, because neither of us were ever college students.) Granted, she obviously has an awesome house to work with, whereas ours is a 1940s house, with all the idiosyncrasies and architectural whimsy that goes with that. But it's given me the itch. The itch to do something about these white, empty walls. To maybe actually put curtains up, now that we've lived here for 5 years. To start restoring/repainting that desk and dresser I've been talking about for months. Maybe buy a lamp because I think it's pretty, not because it's the cheapest on the store shelf.

The only bad thing, is even if you are thrifty and doing it yourself.... You may have saved $200 on a project or an item, but if it still costs you $50, that's still a chunk we can't afford some months - it's a week of groceries, a tank of gas. Some people can't wrap their head around that.

New Browser

2011-07-06T16:58:00.007-05:00

This post is mainly to see how things work in the new browser I'm trying... Google Chrome. For some reason, Internet Explorer won't post my blogs. I can view, compose, etc., but it won't post. I've told you before about Paul and I's separate browsers, and I hear over and over about how crappy Internet Explorer is (I'm starting to agree), so.... I'm trying something new. I figured Blogger is a Google site, Chrome is a Google browser, so..... They should work pretty well together.

Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures.

We have kittens. 5 of them. Please find a new home for them.

Three of them are yellow. The yellow ones are all "Milo" to Nathan and Jacob, even though 2 of them are girls. ("Joyce" is the white one, and Nathan has yet to come up with a name for the gray one.)

This is from our Independence Day party.... On the 2nd. Nathan saw all the guns and had to go get his gun. Every time they started shooting, he'd start shooting, too. From the hip, of course. He's that good.

Jacob and Grandpa watched the shooting.

Rock stars.

2011 Harvest Hitchhiking, Part 1. Helping Mr. LaGalle with his wheat harvest across the road.

Earlier this month, I heard little footsteps go across the floor after lights out. Later when I went up to check on them, this is what I found.

My summer is complete when these flowers bloom. I love my pink gladiolas - they made it through the awful winter, even though I didn't dig them up like you're supposed to.

Jacob's Speech Assessment

2011-07-05T10:29:00.003-05:00

My house was invaded on my birthday by two workers from the local Infant-Toddler Program. I spent the two days beforehand cleaning furiously, because I equate a visit with this government-funded agency with another government-funded agency (SRS). (You know they'd report me if they thought I was neglecting or endangering him/them!)
It turns out all my cleaning was for naught, because they didn't even set foot inside. The boys were playing outside, so they just sat at the picnic table to observe him.
Even though I didn't really want them there in the first place, I don't think they did a good job of observing him. We watched him from 20+ feet away as he played on the swing, slide, and sandpile. I answered a bunch of questions about him - all truthfully - but they didn't really do much up-close observation and interaction.
They use a method called AEPS, and it has a scoring system based on how I answer their questions. He has to score below "10" to qualify for "intervention", and he scored 11. I think they also said he had to be delayed in 2 areas in order to qualify. So, like I thought, he is behind, but there's not anything they can do about it.
Basically, they told me to keep doing exactly what I'm doing. Lots of repetition, reading, interacting, and try signing if he gets frustrated (which he is not interested in at all). They suggested I try strengthening his mouth and cheek muscles by making him use straws (with thicker liquids like yogurt and applesauce) and whistles.
I think I would be more worried if he were frustrated at all. But he just seems to not care. He's perfectly content using his "words" and sounds. We understand what he wants and needs. There's just too many more exciting things to do when you're 20 months old!

Overheard:

2011-07-05T10:25:00.002-05:00

What kind of dog is Hercules?

He's a Herc-sky! [husky]

What a Crazy Week!

2011-07-04T09:39:00.004-05:00

Paul took vacation last week - not to go anywhere, but to just stay home and relax. Which I turned into a "Now that you're home for more than two days in a row, I've got a bunch of projects for you...." vacation. And also a, "Well, if you're taking a vacation from work, then I am, too!" and was gone for most of two days having some much-needed girl time.
We did get a lot done. We tilled and weeded the garden (it had gotten out of control) and cleaned the shop (it was awful - we couldn't even pull both cars in, it was so full of crap!). Those two things were huge jobs on their own. We also expanded the boys' play set; this was phase two - next step being an actual playhouse.
I was gone most of Wednesday with my sister-in-law Elizabeth on a belated birthday trip. We went out to eat and went shopping, ending the day at Godiva Chocolatier (oh my....). The next day, Paul and I took the boys to eat pizza with my family, my grandparents, and my great aunt and uncle visiting from Chicago. The boys spent the afternoon at my parents' while my sister Lurenda took me to the mall to get a pedicure - a first for me, which I totally enjoyed. My best friend Brooke met me up there after Lurenda had to go, and Brooke and I did even more shopping, and went to see the movie Bridesmaids and went out to Chipotle afterwards. It was kind of a deluge of girl-time over two days, and not a whole lot of family time, but considering the last kid-free girl time I had was last October.... I don't feel too bad about it.
Paul was going to use his kid-free time on Thursday, while my mom was watching the boys, to get the yard mowed and weed-eatered (ate?). But the mower cracked a spindle in the middle of the job, and then the weed-eater wouldn't start. He was a little less than happy. We were able to borrow his dad's equipment to get our yard done before we had a party Saturday.
After having a bit of a stuffy/sneezy nose Wednesday and Thursday, I woke up Friday with a full-blown cold. This was not cool. We were having a party Saturday night, and the house was a complete disaster area. Paul's mom came over Friday night and helped me get my kitchen and dining room cleaned, and my mom came over Saturday morning to help me get some outside stuff done, and the bathroom cleaned. Mom and I picked beans, which Paul (with help from the boys) started snapping while Mom and I weeded some flower beds. Paul and I froze 6 gallons of beans (quart bags just aren't big enough for us anymore, since the boys have decided they like green beans) that afternoon before our guests arrived.
The last 5 years or so, we've had cookouts on our around Independence Day, depending on Paul's work schedule. We don't invite absolutely everyone we know (not that everyone's not welcome! we only have one bathroom, though. :P ), but they've gotten bigger and bigger each year. This year, we had over 60 people here! I thought it was a great party. I was a little uptight about how long the food was taking (we really needed two grills, or at least one big one), and totally wasn't tracking on some things (due to my cold), but after we ate and I could sit down, I enjoyed the evening. I didn't get to talk to some of our guests before they had to leave, though - the problem with a big crowd.
We have been shooting guns the last few years (what better way to celebrate?) and at one point I went out and there were 8 guns lined up shooting as the clays went into the air. (I had to laugh.... Eight guns, 3 clays in the air, and only 1 got hit. Tee hee!) Nathan had his little play gun out there - it was so funny. He'd hear them start shooting, and he'd start pulling the trigger on his.
It was supposed to be hotter than blazes, but thunderstorms popped up all around us. We never got the rain, but the clouds and breeze cooled things down. And we got a pretty amazing lightning show on the horizon behind where Paul and the guys were shooting off the fireworks. (Secretly, I was hoping it would rain us out. It's been two weeks since the last rain, with near-100 temps and hot wind ever since . The garden and crops are desperate.)
Now it's Monday, the real holiday, but it's back to real life for us. Paul has his normal 12-hour shift, I have bills to pay, a kitchen to clean, and two sleep-deprived, semi-sick kids to wrangle.
I'm taking a nap, though. The best cure for a sinus headache is unconsciousness.

Summer Cold

2011-07-01T14:38:00.003-05:00

I hate summer colds.

And why do I get them only before parties?

Usually birthday parties, but this time before

an Independence Day party.

I'd feel pretty good

if I didn't feel like I had

an elephant sitting on my chest.

the end

Figures.

2011-06-25T07:24:00.003-05:00

The one morning this week that I am not tired and stumbling around bleary-eyed, desperately clutching my coffee.... the boys actually sleep in.

It's 7:30. And this is the latest they've slept in by a half hour so far in a week.

I've spent the last hour+ wasting time on the internet, waiting to hear the patter of their feet across the floor upstairs. But, no.

I guess I should go clean the kitchen. (Which I JUST cleaned 12 hours ago, and it's a complete train wreck AGAIN.)

Toy Pile

2011-06-23T15:40:00.004-05:00

At the time I looked at this pile of toys, it seemed huge to me - and it should, because that is every toy we own, except the outside balls, etc., and the wooden train tracks that are upstairs in the extra bedroom. I have no idea what Nathan was trying to do when he made this pile, which, before I took the picture, also included all their DVDs (in the truck and box), and all the downstairs books (board books).
And then I thought - you know, that's really not that bad. It's really not that many toys compared to some houses I've seen. I'm glad the boys can be happy with their toys. And most of those are second-hand. It just proves that "Kids don't need nearly as much as we'd like to give them."

Twenty-Nine

2011-06-22T16:03:00.005-05:00

Birthdays aren't a big deal to me. I don't need to be fussed over, and I don't need presents. If someone gets me something, I'm just as happy (if not more happy) with practical (boring) as a "because I had to get you something" gift.
But it still made me feel special to come home to find Paul and the boys making this:
It's the WalMart version of a Royal Blue Velvet Cake - meaning: Paul went to WalMart to buy the ingredients, but in typical WalMart fashion.... They didn't have what he needed. He needed 8-inch pans, but they only had 9-inch, and they didn't have real food coloring, only gel that apparently can't achieve beyond a pastel hue.
But it was still delicious, and I loved it.

Gaaah! Gall Bladder!

2011-06-12T21:11:00.003-05:00

Last night I had what I am convinced was a gall bladder attack. I am really starting to doubt the capabilities of my gut.
I ate donuts and decaf coffee for supper (don't judge!) after the boys were in bed, took a shower, and when I got out of the shower just before 9, all the sudden my stomach felt really upset. I spent the next hour on the couch, watching Glee (again - don't judge!) and intermittently leaning over the barf bucket, sure it was about to come up. I finally gave up and went to bed, and spent the next 3 hours in severe pain, unable to sleep, and unable to get comfotable.
Sometime after 1:30, I got up to internet diagnose myself. Based on what it felt like and how I'd eaten the last two days, I suspected my gall bladder. I looked up symptoms and it sounded just like what I was experiencing.
Then - wonder of all wonders - sitting up seemed to cure me. The pain subsided to a level where at least I could sleep. (Which I read could happen if gall stones are the culprit - moving around moves them around, too.)
The boys woke me up at 7, and I got up with them. But this time, sitting up seemed to be a bad thing to do, and the pain came back. Not nearly as severe, but more than I cared to experience. I'd read about a home remedy - 1 cup of apple juice, with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. I had Paul pick up some apple juice on the way home from work, and I tried it.
It did seem to work. But I was exhausted. Paul had his mom come and get the boys and take them to church so I could get some rest.
I feel much better tonight. Still tired, and a bit dehydrated, but hopefully it's past.

And like any mom, and prairie wife.... I was out in the garden tonight, pulling weeds, picking peas, and taking the boys on a walk. There's no such thing as a sick day when you're a mommy!

I'm busy, busy.....

2011-06-08T13:31:00.003-05:00

(I'm thinking that's a song... From "Alice in Wonderland?" Not sure. But it's stuck in my head.)
It's been crazy around here. Last weekend we played for a wedding at the Indian Hills Country Club up in the city. It's definitely the nicest wedding we've ever played for. I really am wondering why they chose us (small-town, small-time musicians) to play for them, when everything else they did was complete top of the line - swanky location, real flowers (in huge arrangements), cocktail hour, full dinner..... But, whatever. I'm not going to complain. They were happy with us, and we made more money than we ever have playing at a wedding. (We upped our rate from $50 to $75 apiece - which is still a steal, if you look at what other musicians charge. And Paul, his sister, and our friend that plays cello got $100 each for playing during a "cocktail hour" which is something we've never done before.)
So in relation to that... I've been working on a website to send people to when they want to know more about our music. It's nothing fancy, just another blogspot, but I'm quite proud of it. You can look at it by clicking on my profile - it should show up as one of my blogs. Otherwise, you can wait until the "official unveiling" when I've got all the information on there.
Also in relation to that... I used the money I earned to buy flowers. And - good or bad, I'm not sure - Orscheln marked all their flowers down 1/2 price the day I went shopping. So I came out of there with 12 6-packs (72 plants), and 7 larger 4-inch pots, all for $23. Combine those with the petunias I already have, and... I'm going to have lots of planters this summer.
Summer hit full force. It's been in the mid-90s all week. We got the air conditioner replaced just in time... It's been running non-stop since last Tuesday. So much for having a month off between heating bills and air-conditioning bills. Paul bought Nathan some water balloons and water guns last week. Then Paul's parents brought over Paul's stash from growing up. Now we have a minimum of 20 water guns, including two super-soakers. So damp clothing is becoming a norm. We got a new plastic pool today (more wedding money splurging), so we'll be breaking out the swimming suits this evening. (Not looking forward to that...)
The boys slept until 9:30 yesterday and the day before, which resulted in them being not-tired-enough for naps at naptime. Jake slept about an hour both days, but when I sent Nathan up to go to sleep, he woke up Jacob. So that resulted in both boys being cranky by suppertime, which resulted in me being ready to pull my hair out by the time Paul got home. So I think I'm going to go sit in the recliner and stare off in to space for a while, while I let HIM deal with the sounds that are coming from upstairs.....

Wedding Music Puzzle:

2011-06-02T22:18:00.002-05:00

Bach's "Air on the G String".... In the key of D.... Played on the A and E strings.
I don't get it.

Why?

2011-06-01T12:28:00.002-05:00

Why is it that teaching our children a lesson seems to involve more pain and misery on the part of the PARENT than it does the child?
I.e.:
Teaching your child to eat at meal times..... Results in a child that screams for 3 solid hours because he hasn't eaten since supper the night before. Wouldn't it be easier to give in and give them a snack? But then they know they don't have to eat at meal times because they'll just get a snack later.
Ugh.
Another:
Bedtime battles.... It would be easier to just let them play or keep sneaking out of bed to find the cat. Then at least you wouldn't have to keep pausing your movie or actual adult converstations to go spank and put kids back in bed. Or turn it up loud enough to wake up the other one so you can hear it over the screams of the protestor. But how else do they learn that bedtime is non-negotiable?
Sigh.
I do love my life. But I do understand why some mothers are driven to drink.

Not to Offend Anyone [again].....

2011-05-25T14:02:00.003-05:00

.....But I have decided that we will never have antique farm machinery in our yard. I think those flowerbeds built around an old plow are really neat, and living on a farm for 21 years, I feel a connection to that life. My husband worked on a farm growing up. So we feel like we are farmers.

But I've noticed that the majority of people that have said farm machinery displays....aren't farmers. They're wanna-bes. The I-have-a-horse-and-an-antique-tractor-that-never-leaves-the-barn type. And that's not who I am.

So, lest I be associated with that type, I'll just stick to building my flower beds around what's already there.....

Weeds.

Overheard:

2011-05-22T13:59:00.001-05:00

It's pretty hot out. We need to turn on the ABC. (A/C)

Grr!

2011-05-21T22:27:00.002-05:00

Our computer automatically updated Internet Explorer to the new version - 9, I think. Ever since then, I can't get Explorer to publish my blogs. I don't know what's causing that, but it's really irritating!
If anyone knows what may be causing that, PLEASE let me know.

I published these using Mozilla. It's not that I have anything against Mozilla, it's just that it's not mine. On our computer, Paul has all his bookmarks on Mozilla, and I have all mine on Explorer. We started this setup a couple years ago, when Mozilla wouldn't sign out of his Hotmail account so I could open mine. So I just started using Explorer, and it's worked out pretty good to have "his" and "hers" browsers.

Waiting....

2011-05-21T13:49:00.004-05:00

Paul is at his parents' house, helping with a project, and I'm waiting to be sure the boys are asleep before I head outside to do some yard work. (They slept until after 9 this morning -!!!!- something they have never done, so that's why I'm not sure naps will go on the first attempt.)

It feels like we've been busy the last couple weeks, but I can't tell you with what. This week has been a bit busy - Jacob had his one-year follow up after his surgery. The doctor said everything looked great, so he shouldn't need to see him again. Then Thursday was his regular check-up (18 months). He's 33 inches and 28 pounds! No wonder I've got toned biceps. Other than his still-delayed speech, he is perfect.

The doctor's office called Infant Toddler Program to do an assessment on Jacob's speech. Part of me is like.... GRR! He does not need this! The other part of me is like.... It's our dang tax money paying for this, so I might as well use it! So they're coming this week to start whatever it is they do. I don't like the fact that they're coming to the house.... That's the only way they do it, and even though they market it as "it's more comfortable for the child" - I know it's really so they can check out his living situation and see if he's being neglected or abused. (Same reason the county Health Department brings a "gift bag" out after your baby is born.)

I have been so tired this week. It was cool and cloudy/rainy the last three days, so I know that's not helping. I went for a walk this morning, and that seemed to help. I need to be productive outside for a couple hours while the boys are asleep.... We'll see how that works. I told Paul I'd finish mowing for him, and I'd like to plant some marigolds he bought me.

The roof is finished! We did have a little bit of leakage on the south side when we had a storm with some major wind blow in straight from the south last week. But in the last three days of rain (several inches) I haven't seen a single drop. We got the bill this week, and..... Praise the Lord! It was about $1000 less than I was expecting it to be. I about cried - it seems like any surprises that have to do with finances lately have been in the other direction. I am going to put a note about the leak in when I send a check, and I'm sure they'll come look at it. I've known these guys for my whole life, it seems - they did pretty much any construction/remodeling stuff for my parents when I was growing up, so I'm pretty sure they'll want to uphold their reputation. :)

We finished up Walk Kansas a couple weeks ago. We met our goal - we walked the equivalent of the entire distance across Kansas, and past Limon, CO.

We finished 37th out of 45, which isn't great, but considering the ailments our team was plagued with, I'm pretty proud of the progress. Christina had a sinus infection and wasn't out of bed for a week, Lurenda had pneumonia and was out for the same, I was in the hospital for two days, and out of commission for another couple after that, and Brooke had digestive pyrotechnics one week followed by tonsillitis/strep/urinary tract infection the next. Did I miss anything? And may I just say the weather didn't help out any. Starting it on the first day of spring was misleading.... I'm not sure we were above 40 for half of those days. But it did what I wanted it to - jump-started me to walking more often, and realizing what I need to get me more energy. (And may I say, I'm pretty proud of how my lower legs look now, too.)

Well, Jacob is down. Nathan is humming to himself (he's in our bed), but I think if I mow on the far side of the house, he may go ahead and fall asleep. Better get on it, day's a-wastin'!

My New Go-To Meal

2011-05-18T10:20:00.003-05:00

I've found a new quick-n-easy meal, for those days that there's no leftovers, and I have no creativity (which is often). I have only done boxed mac-n-cheese a few times (I make shells-n-velveeta a couple times a month), but we eat an inordinate amount of hot dogs around here. Anyhow - chicken burritos! And Paul eats them, too.
1-2 cups of dry instant rice (cook in microwave according to directions). Add 1 can of beans (black, pinto, red), 1 can of chicken, a couple handfuls of frozen corn, and a packet of taco seasoning - nuke for about 2 more minutes. I wrap them up in a 8-inch tortilla with lots of cheese, and microwave again for 30 seconds.... The cheese melts and kind of "glues" the burrito together so it's not as messy. I even threw in some cilantro, which Nathan loved - the only time I've ever heard him say, "I like the green stuff!"
I fixed this (or a variation) twice last week. (The variation was a Mexican lasagna type thing with layers of filling, cheese, and tortillas.) I like it because it's tasty, and not a "kiddie" meal, like hot dogs and mac-n-cheese tend to be labeled - I actually had it for lunch when my mom came over last week. It's also relatively healthy - it's got the grains (I use instant brown rice), meat/bean protein, and cheese, and some veggies, too, with the corn. (I also do a vegetarian version with no chicken... The chicken seems to fill the boys up better, though.) And I can have the whole thing ready in the time it takes to get the water to boil for noodles.
I guess the clincher in making it a lunch-time staple was when Paul pronounced it "pretty good" and told me I could make it again. Coming from my anti-poultry husband, that was as good as 5 stars for me. :)
In a related theme - I found a recipe for homemade taco seasoning that I will be using from now on. I used the last package (we normally have a boon on hand, but swore I'd just bought some last month when I did this month's shopping), so found this on Allrecipes.com:
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

The suggestion is to use 3 Tbsp, but I thought it was spicier than the packaged seasoning, so I'd go with 2. I'm going to make up a jar of it to have ready to use whenever we want it. Even with buying the Always Save brand (33c each), this will be cheaper.

Overheard:

2011-05-14T12:22:00.003-05:00

Something I hear all too often....

Mom! C'mere! Look! There's corn in my poop!

And along these lines, overheard last week....

Look! (examining the toilet) It's two poops! A little one, and a big one, and they're friends.

Note to Self:

2011-05-13T16:49:00.003-05:00

Paul's bike seat = Violation Station.

Get him a new seat. A girl seat. I don't care if he's a boy; I ride that bike just as much as he does. The bike trailer doesn't attach to my bike.

Money Woes

2011-05-05T22:06:00.003-05:00

Don't we all have them?
Remember when I said Pastor came to visit me in the hospital and I said the verse he read to me was absolutely perfect for my situation at the time:
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
Not just the hospital stay, but my (our) life right now.

After last year's expenditures (Jacob surgery, two emergency room visits, replacing the cellar entrance, car repairs....), we were thinking financially this would be an easier year.
Well.....
We have had a leaky roof since we moved in, but in the last two winters, it has gotten a lot worse, so we knew we had to do something about it. It leaks on the north and south side of the house, around our dormer windows. We got a pretty sizeable tax return, so we called and arranged to get the roof fixed, figuring we'd still have a chunk left for those things that always come up. (They are in the middle of fixing it now, but I have no idea what the total will be.)
We had one random hot day in April where it got up to 90. We switched on the A/C to cool the house down before the boys took naps, and..... It didn't cool. We got it checked out, and it ends up we need to replace it. ($2500) We did discuss toughing it out, but summers in Kansas really need an air conditioner.
So when I had to go to the hospital, not only was I worrying about the diagnosis/possible surgery, but I was also laying in the bed wondering where the heck we were going to come up with the money to pay for the stay.

The verse above encouraged me, because I think maybe Satan was using our financial situation to get me down, to make me worry, and not rest in God. I saw that for what it was, and kicked Satan and his doubts out the window. I know God is going to provide for us. He always has.

I'm proud of the fact that we squirrel away money here and there. We don't do credit cards. (God always provides!) We've got the money to cover these projects, but it will completely deplete our savings accounts (including the money we had saved for a new car). We have been relying on those savings cushions to fall back on when our expenditures are more than our income (which has been a lot lately). I'll try my hardest to pay off the hospital as fast as possible, but you can't get blood from a turnip!

So we've been looking into ways to cut costs. We swore off fast food; we'd been spending way too much each month because I was too lazy to deal with a simple meal. Last month we only ate out once, and that was going to the deli at WalMart after church. As hard as it was, I even gave up Sunday morning stops.... The boys ate biscuits with peanut butter or homemade breakfast burritos (still in the car). We took the boys to McDonalds on pay day to celebrate the food victory - we all got a burger, shared a large order of fries, and drank water, then let the boys play on the slides. And I enjoyed it as much as if we'd all gotten Happy Meals, Meal Deals, and cokes.

I only used a half a tank of gas last month. We just stayed home.

We're putting the boys in the same room so we're not running two a/c units at naptime and bedtime (upstairs has no duct work, so they have to have window units). We're going to put Jacob's unit in our room so we don't have to pay to cool the whole house down to 72 at night so we can sleep. We can turn the house up to 80 at night, and still freeze ourselves out in our bedroom.

Paul is taking leftovers in his lunch. Not that he had anything against leftovers, but it was much easier to just take a slice of frozen pizza - when they got up to $7.50 each, he decided leftovers weren't that bad. He's also trying generic snacks (chips, crackers) - I'm proud of him for making that choice on his own. He was also doing 2-liters of Pepsi instead of cans (cheaper), but then we found a really good sale, so he's went back for now.

I'm still doing my once-a-month shopping, which I maintain is cheaper than once-a-week shopping. I don't do coupons, but that's because most things I buy are store brands and are still cheaper than name brand stuff with coupons. I need to buckle down on the "milk only" trips. Not "milk and Pepsi" trips (ahem, dear).

Netflix is the next thing in my scope. We like the movies, but I'm not sure how much we'd miss it if we didn't have it. Especially during the summer, we spend so much time outside that by the time we come in and get the kids to bed, it's too late to start a movie. And honestly, they're just not putting out any really good movies lately.
One big expenditure is our internet costs. The cheapest thing in our area is our providor, and it's $45 a month. We could go to dial-up, but I don't have the time to wait on dial-up (we've tried it before, and my time is even more precious now, with two kids). And honestly, it's a necessity to us.
So what are other ways we could cut costs? What are some ways you save money with your families?

Taking Things for Granted

2011-05-05T21:53:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I realize that I took things for granted how easy they were with Nathan. Like getting him to talk. He has always talked, always interested in talking, and easily picked up new words. Jacob.... He's got seven words now that are mostly distinguishable: Mom, Dad, more, milk, cow, bye, night-night, and uh-oh. (Okay, so that was eight, but I'm not sure uh-oh counts.) But he just doesn't seem to be interested in learning more or practicing the ones he does know. And he shuts down when you push him. Like he walks to the fridge and says, "Mil?" Then you say, "What did you say?" And he'll revert back to his usual hm or ah. (Oh, and he says "yeah" too. So that's another one.) So he's maybe a little behind for his age, but to me it seems like he is way behind, because Nathan was speaking sentances by this age. I just took it for granted.
Another thing I took for granted was how easily Nathan switched to a big bed. We got Nathan a new bed when he was about this age (a month or two older) and he switched right over. Jacob is not taking to it so easily. We got the bed Tuesday. He slept in it Tuesday night, woke up screaming at 5, and then wouldn't go back to sleep. (The trash truck came, and both boys saw it from their window, so it was game over, especially since they could see it was already getting light out.) We tried nap in it yesterday, but after 3 attempts, I finally put him down in the crib. He went to bed fine last night, but woke up at 6, crying again. He cried when I put him down for a nap today, and also at night, so he's been in the crib again. (Paul's working nights, so I don't have the backbone to fight with him.)
I just had the thought: it may be because he's switching beds and switching rooms.... Maybe we should try putting the bed in his room first, and letting him get used to it, then move him across the hall. But he has to be in Nathan's room by the time it's air conditioner season, so we're pushing him.

Two Things I Love

2011-05-05T08:27:00.003-05:00

As I was getting dressed this morning, I pulled on a shirt I filched from my Grandma during our garage sale. (Which ends up as much of a giant swap meet between the families that participate as it does an actual sale.) And before you're like, You'd wear something your grandma would wear? Let me tell you that my grandma has excellend (albeit expensive) tastes. J. Jill, Woolrich.... You get the picture. I love it when she gets me clothes for my birthday or Christmas.
This shirt is what I call a "dressy tee" - t-shirt material, so it's nice and comfy, but it's dressed up with button embellishments on the shoulders and cuffs. This has 3/4 length sleeves.
And that's what I love.
I love 3/4 sleeves, and I love capri pants - which I guess could be called 3/4 length pants. (?) Now, some might just say that's wardrobe choices for the indecisive.... Can't decide if it's cool enough to go short, but it might be too hot for long, so go somewhere in the middle.
But that's not it at all for me. I love 3/4 length sleeves, because my arms are so freakishly long (they got the memo and have started making tall pants for women, but have yet to think of it that women with long legs would tend to have long arms as well). Long-sleeve shirts and jackets typically hit me a good 3 inches above my wrist bone. So this length provides me with the warmth, but not the awkwardness of feeling like my arms are hanging out. And the bottoms of the sleeves are already out of the way, so you don't have to worry about them sliding down while you're washing dishes or giving baths or similarly messy jobs.
I love capri pants for a different reason. Well, kind of the same reason, I guess - with really long legs (34 inch inseam), it's hard to find shorts that don't leave me feeling naked. (Have you seen some of those shorts on the rack?) But I also have ugly legs. I am knock-kneed, and I have varicose veins in my right leg all the way from my thigh to the top of my foot. So capris cover all that up. Not to mention, you also only have to shave half of your legs - a definite benefit. I was bad about shaving (or, more accurately, not shaving) before kids, but now.... Yeah, it's lucky to be once every other week.
So that was my random thoughts on wardrobe this morning.

I've Got Nothing

2011-04-29T16:32:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had one of those weeks/months where it feels like all you're doing is run, run, run, but you have absolutely nothing to show for it? That's been me. I feel like we've been incredibly busy the last few weeks, but I can't tell you with what. Maybe partly because we're spending more time outdoors, which involves work and not sitting on my backside - but I don't really have anything to show for it. I did get.....half a flowerbed weeded. Okay, so I've got three others done, but they all got done in one day, and this one out front has taken me two weeks to do half (and Paul did half of it!).
We have a good start on our garden. We had a perfect spring, moisture-wise, where it was actually dry enough to work the soil without it clodding up. I got in 2 rows of beans, 2 rows of peas, 1/2 of onions, 1/2 of carrots, 4 rows of corn, 6 tomatoes, 6 peppers, 6 broccoli, 2 hills of cucumbers, and 1 each of zucchini and yellow squash. That sounds like a lot, but I've still got some other stuff I want to get in! And of course, now it's wet out there. Although, as windy as it's been, we should be able to get out there again on Monday when Paul is off next.
Well, I'm making cookies for Paul to take to work. I'm in the middle of a double batch of double-chocolate mint, with a double batch of chocolate/butterscotch chip still to come. I need to get some dirty dishes out of the way before I can get any more baking done.

News Brief

2011-04-28T00:19:00.002-05:00

Jacob said another word: Ball! He repeated it when I asked him, then went back to his generic, "Ah" that he uses for everything. Sigh. But he's getting there!
Nathan colored his picture at Cubbies for the first time tonight. He sometimes "writes" on it, but doesn't actually scribble or color - he's tried then gets frurstrated and quits. This time he scribbled purple the pants and vest of the child in the picture, with no whining about "I can't do it!" I'm so proud. He's also asked to write his letters (we have a wipe-off letter book) the last two days - and he's done it left-handed. So in my prep for preschool next year, I'm also researching how to teach a lefty to write!

Overheard:

2011-04-28T00:17:00.002-05:00

Me: Did you toot? Awh.... Stink!

Nathan: Yeah! It's me!

Oh, the joy of being a mother of boys......

I Love You, Dear.

2011-04-25T23:45:00.002-05:00

I have a lot of time to think when you work nights, and so often I think about how much I love you.
I am so grateful for everything you do to lead our family. You are such a great daddy - the boys love you so much, and everyone can see how much you love them.
I love that you are my best friend and we can talk about anything and everything and nothing.
I love how you call from work to check in when I'm home at night by myself with the boys, and how you ask about how bedtime went.
I love how you ask about the books I'm reading - even the ones you haven't read yourself.
I love how you reassure me when I worry about things too much. They always work out.
I love curling up against your warm self on a rainy afternoon (even when you're dead to the world and have no idea I even came to bed to catch a nap).
I love you, I love you, I love you. I don't get tired of saying it, and I hope you don't get tired of hearing it.
Always,
Your Treasure

Two Tiny Tushies in Tighty Whiteys

2011-04-25T22:57:00.003-05:00

Well....
Despite what I figured would happen, Jacob is well on his way to being potty trained. We started just about a month ago, because he was very interested in the potty - especially peeing standing up. So we started messing around with it, and despite what I figured would happen, he took to it! We did naked bottom for a week or so, then just training pants, then just pants (pajamas or other elastic-waist, light-weight), then pants with training/underpants. After two days at my parents house, church, and an afternoon at Paul's parents' house with no accidents (while wearing underpants and jeans/slacks), I think I can safely say "He gets it." He even poops in the potty, which is something Nathan didn't get for several months after he was trained. I honestly didn't think he'd take to it, or even if he wanted to that he would really be able to.
Since he still doesn't talk, he doesn't tell us he needs to go, so we make sure to ask every hour or two - the answer is always "YEAH" (the one word he does say). But he holds it, so that's what tells me more than anything that he gets it. Because even if he isn't saying he needs to go, he's not going whenever he feels like it. Occasionally he does come get me and lead me to the bathroom. Or he starts playing with himself, which is some sign language I could definitely go without seeing!
I did laundry Friday, but even though I washed everything, when I folded clothes, there were only 3 pairs of training pants. (I'm not sure if the others ended up with the cloth diapers or what.) So today, I grabbed one of Nathan's tiny pairs of tighty whiteys and put them on Jacob. Can I just tell you how cute their tushies look running around in those things? I'm going to have to buy another package, because I figured Nathan would be out of this size before Jacob got into them. (Incidentally, you can't buy white underpants in any size smaller than 4, and I refuse to buy cartoon character underwear.) I did buy Nathan the next size up, but they are too big - I had to roll the waistband to get them to stay up. So I guess they'll share for a while.
In other Jacob news: He seems to be trying harder to talk. This weekend, he stood on the step and Grandpa and Grandma's and said "Daaa. Daaadaa. Daaaa," until Paul came and opened the door for him. In the last week, he started saying "ow" for cow, and said milk and more fairly clearly. I asked him to say something tonight, and you could tell he was really thinking about what came out of his mouth and how it sounded. (It was, "I love you," when we were talking to Paul on his way to work.)
And I had my first experience in catching Nathan in a lie tonight. I have suspected that some tattlings have been a lie ("Jacob hit me!" when I walk in the room and both of them are screaming), but didn't know for sure, since Jacob can't tell his side. Tonight I asked Nathan to get something from his room, and he came down and said everything was under his bed. (Sometimes he strips everything off his bed when he gets sent upstairs when he's in trouble, so I figured he had shoved everything under there in a new version of protest.)
"Who put everything under your bed?
"Jacob." (I knew for a fact Jacob had not been upstairs at all during the day.)
"Nathan, who put everything under your bed?"
"Jacob did."
"Nathan, Jacob wasn't upstairs today. Who put everything under your bed?"
"I don't know."
"I'm not going to spank you. Who put everything under your bed?"
"I did."
I did say something about how it makes Jesus sad when we don't tell the truth. But I know that the concept of truth and what a lie is may still be a little vague to a 3-year-old. I hope he did see that it upset me, and that I showed that it was safe to tell the truth.
(Incidentally, there was nothing under his bed except a few toys he couldn't reach and some Kleenex he must have pulled out of the box weeks ago when the box was still on his headboard.)

We Don't Keep Secrets

2011-04-25T22:38:00.003-05:00

Tonight, one of my friends asked me if I had told Paul about a conversation she and I had had. She was going through some personal stuff, and I was upset after talking to her. So what do I do? Stuff it? Brood on it? No, I talked to my husband about it.
I tell everyone - the moment they say, "Don't tell anyone, but...." I interrupt and say, "I will tell Paul about it, but I won't tell anyone else." I have always told people that, including this friend.
I have always thought that keeping secrets from your spouse is a bad practice to start - I don't care what the secret is about. Picture it as a progression.... If you don't tell him about this thing that you're bothered by, then it's easier to keep something else from him, and soon you have marriage problems based on all the things you're not telling each other. I just don't even want to get there, so we've never kept anything from each other.
Even silly stuff - like the other day, I was bothered by the way a new male acquaintance greeted me. It just felt too familiar. I considered not saying anything; I didn't want Paul to think I was trying to make him jealous. I figured it was best to be straight up.
We don't keep secrets. And I don't apologize. I'm proud of that fact.

Overheard:

2011-04-25T22:02:00.003-05:00

Marriage wouldn't be any fun if I didn't have anything to nag you about.

I have written my opinions on nagging before, and I really feel like I have gotten better about it (I think Paul would agree), so the above comment was a teasing one. We are reading through The Love Dare, and the last two dares have involved unity. We were talking about how we feel we are pretty unified and see eye-t0-eye on things. We have lots of similar interests and friends, but we still are two individuals - I am not "married to myself". That conversation is preceded the quote above.
Yes, I realize it's supposed to be 40 days, and we're pushing 4 months. I'll write a review here when we finish it. We just finished Day 31.

Incidentally, Justin..... (I know you read this.) What was that comment during Sunday morning's rehearsal that I told you I was going to put on my blog? Email me.

Spoke Too Soon

2011-04-22T23:55:00.002-05:00

After 36 hours on these antibiotics, I announced to Paul: "I think maybe I'm not going to get the metallic-taste-in-your-mouth side effect."
Definitely spoke too soon.
It's not a gross taste, it's just.... Annoying. Like my teeth have a flavor. Or I need to brush my teeth. The nurse warned me not to use mouthwash (or any alcohol) to try to get rid of it - it will make it horrible.

And another thing about these drugs - one says, "May turn urine red." The other says, "If you experience red urine, contact your doctor immediately." Hmm.....

Only 6 more days of them. So far I haven't forgotten.... Three a day of one, two of the other. It really is hard for me to remember.

I researched things to avoid if you have diverticulitis. What the doctor mentioned and most websites, I was fine with... Seedy foods (strawberries, raspberries), nuts, and popcorn. I enjoy all of those, but can live without them. Then one website mentioned tomatoes.

I think I might die if I can't eat tomatoes.

Diverticulitis - So much for my iron gut.

2011-04-21T10:29:00.004-05:00

Ugh.
I had my first ever non-baby hospital stay this week. Also my first trip to the emergency room (for myself) that didn't involve an injury - I haven't been to the emergency room for myself since I was like 15.
It's been a great few days.
Sunday night I started having pain in my right side. It was uncomfortable, but not horrible. It was still there Monday, but I continued on. I didn't feel bad, except for the persistent pain just below my ribs. I chalked it up to the weekend's combination of grilled meat and ham (have caused a bit of digestive issues before) and some different food that we had at our church's Seder supper.
I realized in the afternoon though, that I was unconciously hunching over because of the pain. If I stood straight, it hurt worse. We went for a drive that evening, and every bump we hit in the road was like a knife. I decided I probably should go see the doctor in the morning.
As the evening went on, I hurt worse and worse. I just figured it was because I was tired. But then I started having diarrhea. And then I puked. I hate puking.
Oh, and to add insult to injury, my period started about that same time.
I went to bed about 11 Monday night. After 3 hours of not being able to sleep because of constant pain and trips to the bathroom, I got out of bed. I suspected my appendix, so I looked up symptoms. Everything listed sounded like what I was experiencing - except where the pain was.... Appendix pain is in the lower right side. But the information said very rarely (1 in 500), the pain could be near the ribs, rather than near the hip. I figured I would be the 1 in 500, with my luck.
I was miserable, and near tears from the pain. I have a very high pain tolerance - I willingly went through two natural childbirths, because I didn't think the pain was that bad, if that tells you anything. I needed to throw up again, but couldn't. Finally, about 3 AM, I went and woke up Paul and told him I thought we should go to the emergency room. (I was trying to let Paul get some sleep - he'd only had about 5 hours since Sunday afternoon, due to working Sunday night, and then getting up to help me with the boys so I could lay down.) If it was my appendix, I was at 30 hours since the pain had started, so I thought I could be pushing my luck. If my appendix burst, I'd have an even bigger problem. Paul called his parents; they came to stay at the house with the boys, and we headed in.
I threw up again right before we left, and that did help ease the pain, but not enough to make me want to wait until morning to see a doctor. The emergency room was blessedly empty, but that didn't help with speed of service. I mean, I don't expect everyone to drop everything and come running to serve me, but it seemed like things should have moved a little quicker.... It seemed like every step took an hour.
Check in, draw blood for lab.
Wait an hour.
Tell me a CT scan is ordered. Drink nasty stuff.
Wait an hour. (I realize they can't rush that process as the drink has to light up my insides or whatever it does.)
Get scan.
Wait an hour and twenty minutes.
Get results of scan. (Something going on in the area of my gall bladder, but it could be my colon.)
Wait an hour.
Admitted to hospital and moved to a real room.
The overnight nurse was very kind and attentive, but I never was examined by a doctor (she kind of felt my belly while I was sitting in a chair), and after the shift change (7AM), I really didn't see a nurse. The "bed" was horribly uncomfortable, and by the time we got upstairs to the real room, my back hurt worse than the pain in my side. I was so tired from not sleeping all night that I was totally emotional.
Once I was admitted to the room upstairs, the "resident" doctor's (he's the surgeon, but alwo was assigned to me, for some reason) nurse practicioner came in and told me that based on my age, the symptoms, where the pain was, and how quickly my symptoms came on, they were suspecting my gall bladder was the culprit. She said it usually took surgery to resolve. I was fine with that. I just wanted the pain to go away! (Think childbirth pain, with no breaks, and no happy end result.) My white blood cell count was elevated, so they gave me antibiotics, and said that I would have a sonogram of my gall bladder to see what was going on there. So I was just supposed to rest and wait.
I was put in a room with a woman who had just had her hip replaced. She was kind and considerate, but snored horribly (due to drugs I'm sure), and between doctors, nurses, and therapists coming to work with her, and doctors, nurses, and technicians coming to see me, the phone ringing (the room phone; I had turned my cell phone off), and all the sounds of a hospital, I didn't sleep. Twice I asked for pain drugs, just to relax me so I could sleep, and both times just as I was drifting off, someone came in. Sigh.
At the end of the day, the doctor came in again to visit with me. My gall bladder was fine. I had a condition called diverticulitis. Basically tiny pockets can form on your colon, and the obviously nasty stuff that resides in a colon can get in there and get infected. The reason everyone was confused was because it normally doesn't happen to people younger than 50, and it usually happens in the section of your colon that's on the lower left side (mine was in the upper right). The good news was I wouldn't have to have surgery, the bad news is there's a good chance it could happen again. I almost would rather have the surgery, I think. They told me as long as I could handle foods (because I'd have to take an oral antibiotic), I could go home the next day.
I asked for something to help me sleep that night. I knew I needed sleep to get well, and given the afternoon's attempts, I didn't have much hope for the night. They gave me a Tylenol PM, and a Benadryl. (It's worth noting that I don't take medicine hardly ever - I take one regular Tylenol when I want to relax to go to sleep.)
I slept good.
There were nurses in a few times during the night. I woke up, closed my eyes, and konked right back out. The nurse was pretty alarmed when she came to check my vitals at like 4 AM, and my blood pressure was like 89/47. She didn't seem to understand the notion of my body ceasing all but the most vital functions because I was so tired - 48 hours without sleep while in constant pain and fighting infection.... Yes, that does bring on what one would call "the sleep of the dead."
I felt much better in the morning and was excited about the prospect of real food for breakfast - it had been a day and a half since I'd eaten anything. And they served me.... Broth. Jello. Juice. Yum. While my roommate got a plate full of sausage links! Mid-morning, they did bring me a muffin and crispy rice cereal. That was better. Then I got a hamburger, fries, and a milkshake (such as it was... ) for lunch - and it was delicious! (Not really, but even a cafeteria hamburger tastes good given the right circumstances!) Mid afternoon I got my oral antibiotic, and after 2 hours and no problem with vomiting any of it back up, the doctor released me to go home. It took two hours to process the paper work, and another hour waiting at Walgreens to fill my prescription (because it was 20 minutes after the downtown much faster pharmacy closed). By 8, I finally got HOME.
I couldn't get to sleep when we went to bed last night. Jacob couldn't stay asleep and ended up in our bed for 3 hours. Paul went ahead and went to work today. But I really feel pretty good. A slight pain still in my side, but I don't feel weak, and surprisingly not tired (even though I'm going to take a nap here in a bit). I still don't feel hungry - yes, I want to eat, because I enjoy the flavors and textures of food, but my stomach isn't hungry. And honestly, nothing really sounds that great anyways.
In reading more about diverticulitis, I'm even more baffled as to why I have it, because it apparently happens people older than 50 (I'm 28), to men 3x more often than women, who don't eat enough fiber (I eat tons!), and don't drink enough water (I generally drink a gallon a day). The "culprit foods" are popcorn, seedy foods (berries and tomatoes), and nuts. I had had maybe 5 strawberries (all my sons would allow me) over a few days last week, so it's possible that was the cause, even though I've never had any problems before.
Also, even though high fiber is the way to avoid this happening again, high fiber is not the way to recover from it.... You're supposed to eat a low fiber, low residue diet. GAH!
I think I'll just go crawl in a hole and eat Ramen noodles until I feel normal again.

Anyhow. Thanks everyone for their prayers. Pastor Carrier and Alene came to see me Tuesday afternoon, and Pastor encouraged me with this verse:
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
It was just exactly what I needed to hear, and I have no doubt God used him to encourage me. It went over and over in my mind while I was in the hospital, and it still is. I'll write more later about why it was perfect - not just for this situation, but for what else is going on in our lives right now.
Sorry so long. Aren't my adventures always long?
You can read more about diverticulitis here, if you're interested.

Overheard:

2011-04-14T08:39:00.003-05:00

Need-to-know: Dallas is 5 years old, the older of the two boys I used to babysit.

Nathan:
"Dallas likes to pick up chicks."

After a moment of, "What?" and "Where the heck did he learn that phrase?" I realized Nathan was literally talking about picking up chicks. As in, baby birds. We had ran into Dallas, Andrew, and their dad at Orscheln yesterday. They had come to see the baby birds, and all 4 boys enjoyed picking them up and petting them.

Taco Pasta

2011-04-14T08:27:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, for some reason, Paul and I were talking about him cooking. I mentioned a dish he made and brought to me at work when we still lived in the apartment. He apparently thought a lot about it over the next few days, because when I came home from band practice to find him scouring my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook for that recipe. He finally found the one he had made - Chili Pasta Skillet - and decided to go to experimenting.
So really, this "food win" is all Paul's.
Basically, brown a pound of hamburger. Add a jar of undrained tomatoes (which would be about equal to 2 cans), a can of drained/rinsed beans, and a packet of taco seasoning. (I later added another half packet, because I like things with some zest.) Bring that all to a boil, then add 3 cups of pasta (we used cavatappi). Reduce the heat, and simmer until pasta is tender (10-15 minutes). Top with cheese, and - yummo!
Paul can add this one to his "Daddy's night to cook" list. It's also going to be really good for those times when we decide to have tacos, really start to crave them, then realize we have no tortillas.

Note to Self:

2011-04-10T17:34:00.005-05:00

While considering the obvious places to apply sunscreen (face, shoulders, back of neck), remember your not-so-obvious places as well. Like under your shirt, just above your waistline. Because when you are bending over pulling weeks for 3 hours on a windy day, your shirt will not stay over your pants and your back will be exposed to sunshine.
And sunshine is not kind on your lily-white behind.

(And yes, siblings, I know I do this every year. Because I seriously do forget. Do you think I enjoy being in pain??)

Priviledge?

2011-04-08T09:06:00.002-05:00

Nathan's "lovey" - his stuffed animal that he has to take to bed with him is a Beenie Baby white tiger, seriously sun-faded from spending the first 5(+) years of his life on the dash of my husband's truck.
Well, last week, Cat sprung a leak. I started finding the little plastic "beans" around the house. It took me three times of inspecting to finally find the hole on his paw. So earlier this week, we did "surgery" on Cat and sewed up that seam - with blue thread, on the request of Nathan.
While I had my needle out (a rare occurance), I decided to sew up the shirt that Cat wears, too. It's a red shirt that says Tractor Supply Co. that actually was originally on a stuffed Donkey they gave away as a promotion (Aunt Sissy brought some home for the kids at Christmas). The donkey never made it home, but the shirt did.
As I was sewing, I got to thinking - what a privileged country we live in! Not only can we afford to have stuffed animals for our children to play with, but we can afford to have clothes for the stuffed animals. And a step beyond that - there is enough money in this country that businesses can afford to give away stuffed animals wearing clothes!
I'm not saying that our country is evil for us being able to afford these things. It just makes me grateful that we have all these priviledges, when in some countries their children don't even have clothes or enough food.

Overheard:

2011-04-07T10:17:00.003-05:00

Mommy, I spilled the potty!

Our toilet is not the greatest. It works, but it's flushing capabilities really could be better. Things flow alot better if you practice what I call the "courtesy flush" - I won't elaborate, but you get the idea. Someone didn't practice the courtesy flush. Then Nathan went potty. And when he saw his potty didn't go down, he flushed again, overflowing the toilet all over the bathroom floor. That's when I realized the concept of the need for plunging toilets is probably a little beyond a 3-year-old's comprehension.

Overheard:

2011-04-05T23:41:00.002-05:00

Back story: We went to Home Depot on Friday to get a filter for our water faucet. The store in Olathe had a large display of all of their fountains at the front of the store, which Nathan loved. I had to practically drag him away. He wants to take Paul back to see the "waterfalls."
Well, I got the wrong filters, so today went to the Lawrence store to exchange them. I told Nathan we were going to "the waterfall store" and we finally found the display in their outdoor garden store, but they hadn't filled them with water yet, so they weren't working.

Me: Well, they're not working today. Maybe we can come back another time and they'll be working.
Nathan: Yeah, we'll bring Daddy back and he'll fix them.

(It cracked me up because we were at Home Depot, a place chock-full of tools and installation experts, and in my son's eyes, Daddy is the only one that can possibly fix things right.) (Which he is in Mommy's eyes, too. :) )

Walking Kansas

2011-04-05T21:56:00.004-05:00

I'm participating in a challenge called Walk Kansas this spring. It consists of teams of 6 collectively walking the distance across the state of Kansas (423 miles), over 8 weeks (it breaks down to 30 minutes of exercise, 5 days a week, for each team member). I did this challenge 4 years ago when I was pregnant with Nathan (has it really been that long?!), and the 8 weeks of participating created a habit of exercise that continued all 9 months of my pregnancy, which was the last time I exercised regularly (except for a brief spate last fall).
We're at the beginning of week 4 for Walk Kansas. Our team consists of me, my mom, my sisters, my best friend Brooke, and my good friend/other sister Christina. We are definitely not in the lead. But really I don't care about that. What I care about is that we're all being challenged to eat better and exercise consistently. We all have been trying before this, and now we're all kind of accountable to each other.
However, the weather is not cooperating. We've probably averaged only 4 days a week where it wasn't raining or below 40 - and at least for me, it seems like those days are the days your schedule makes it so you can't exercise.. And every "nice" day is accompanied by wind. And every route I walk has at least one spot where the wind blows across an open field and will about blow you over.
I'm enjoying it. A lot. I crave the time I get to exercise, and be alone to think, to pray, to have imaginary conversations...... When I walk, I walk for an hour - usually somewhere around 3.5 miles. (I should be able to do it faster, but the gravel, the wind, and the hills slow me down - this ain't like walking on a treadmill, folks!)

I have noticed a few things while walking:

There are only 2 routes I can go that are dog-free, meaning either no one owns dogs, or they keep them penned up. I don't want to break up a dog fight, but my dog won't stay home. If I step outside in my tennis shoes, he just knows, and refuses to let me catch him. I've even tried tricking him and going out barefoot or in sandals, and he still somehow knows.

Our dog will always poop exactly 1/2 mile into the walk. And usually again at about 2 miles later.

86% of the cars that pass me come up from behind. And of those cars, I'm pretty sure 63% of them throw up a little at the sight of my backside jiggling as I hoof it down the road.

You find interesting stuff along side of the road. Last time I did this, I found a magazine all about marijuana - Weed Weekly or something like that. Today, I found a Winchester folding knife with a belt clip. That's going to become part of the regular walking gear.

Walking will do wonders for toning up your ankles. Okay, normally we think about our calves getting toned, but honestly, the fat was creeping down the calf and getting dangerously close to becoming a cankle. I'm happy to announce that it's no longer cankle-izing.

Walking takes care of back problems. My theory is that in walking and swinging your arms, holding your shoulders back and not slumping, you get everything lined up in your back and strengthen the muscles that hold them in place. Paul refuses to believe me on this and still goes to the chiropractor, even though every time my back has started bothering me, a few days of fitness walking (not meandering, walking with kids, or walking at work), and it has fixed itself.

I fully endorse lolly-gagging the last 1/4 mile. It will eliminate sore muscles. My neighbors probably think I'm [even more] insane, because when I get to their house, I start doing kick-steps, knee lifts, and wide-to-each-side steps to stretch everything as I cool down.

There are other interesting things, but I've got 4 weeks left to do this, so I'm sure I'll be talking about it again.

Food Wins

2011-04-05T19:36:00.007-05:00

I love food. And I love taking pictures of food I love. I've had some major wins recently, and I thought I'd share them with you. Pizza Meatloaf A variation of Sabrina's stuffed meatloaf, except I used 1 pound of sausage and 1 pound of hamburger, then stuffed it with the pepperoni and mozzarella (or in this case, Italian blend shredded cheese). And I topped it with even more cheese, instead of your normal ketchup-y sauce on the top. This was even better as leftovers than it was straight out of the oven! Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Born from a major craving for chicken and bacon one day, I tried to find a recipe that combined the two. I found a lot that sounded like something I would like, but none that would meet the stringent anti-poultry tendencies of my husband. So I set out on my own. I cut chicken breast tenders in half, then sprinkled them with blackening seasoning. I wrapped each chunk of chicken in a slice of bacon, securing it with a toothpick. I broiled them in the oven and viola! Paul said they were good enough I could put them on the menu as a regular dish. We even tried out smothering them in Italian shredded cheese, and they were excellent that way as well. Dill Bread I love bread, and have an incredible weakness for crackly-crusted, chewy inside bread. Or any type of homemade bread, really. So imagine combining the two! I printed off the recipe for Dill Bread from Grit.com that I got in a newsletter forwarded to me by my mother-in-law. It sounded interesting - dill in bread. It was wonderful! It's not so much the dill I'm in love with, as I couldn't really taste the herb, so much as the end result (maybe because my dill is several years old). If you love ciabatta bread, you will love this recipe. I had to deviate from the recipe a bit - it mentions using dough scrapers, and I don't have any. So I used a combination of a large rubber spatula and my hands, and I think it turned out fine. I also didn't have bread flour, and I thought it turned out great. I did lower my oven to 400. I've had trouble with things burning, and didn't want to chance it. Cooking the bread in the pot with the lid on makes it deliciously moist and chewy on the inside, while that last 10 minutes after you take off the lid makes the crust delightfully crackly and beautifully browned. I loved it, and may or may not have eaten 2/3 of the loaf on my own. It does make a rather small loaf - 8 inches around and 3 inches thick. It's a one-day loaf, not a eat-on-it-all-week loaf. Other Random Food Pictures: Mom's Bread Recipe. My mom makes the most amazing wheat bread and rolls. I have her recipe, but she's tweaked and adjusted it so much over the years, that she's not positive of amounts. I'm getting close. In fact, I've quit buying bread and just make our own. Serves as a two-fold: It's better for us (all natural), and not as easy to just grab a slice and eat it, so not as many carbs for me. Grilled Cheese on Mom's Bread with Sauteed Onions. Saute some onions. In bacon grease is the best. Slice up the above homemade bread, and assemble a grilled cheese sandwich - layer the onions in between two slices of cheese. Heaven. The Ugliest Most Delicious Cookies. I'm going to brag. I make the best sugar cookies. They are amazing. One morning Nathan woke up as Paul was leaving for work, and was inconsolable, about seeing from his upstairs window Paul pulling out the driveway . I finally got him calmed down when I suggested we make Daddy cookies while he was at work. Nathan asked, "And we'll take them to him at work?" How could I refuse? I asked what kind he wanted. "Blue cookies." Okaaaaaay. I asked him if he wanted to put frosting on them. "Yes, purple frosting. And sparkles [sprinkles]?" They didn't really turn out blue, and the frosting wasn't quite purple, but they weren't any less amazing. And Paul enjoyed them even more because they were hand-delivered by the cutest two boys in the world, so he didn't even notice how ugly the cookies were. Cinnamon Rolls. I make treats once a month for Paul's shift. He likes treating them, and I don't mind doing it. I tweaked the The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls (I can't ever be satisfied with a recipe the way it is written), and this is what I come up with. I send this many with him when I make them (which is a double batch), and it makes 1-2 round dishes (pie plates) of extra and ugly ones that we (I) get to enjoy at home. (When I send cookies, I make a quadruple batch.) Do we even need to ask why I can't lose weight?

Thoughts on Miscarriage

2011-04-01T15:54:00.005-05:00

I'd like to ask prayers for some of our friends who lost their baby this week. I'm not sure how far along she was... I'm guessing 15 weeks. (She and I got pregnant at about the same time.) They had a miscarriage last year, and everything had seemed okay this time around. My heart is really hurting for them, and I know they would appreciate your prayers.
Having recently been through this (and not even as hard as their experience, her being much further along), I remember how I felt, and offered to help out however I could (I'm not tooting my own horn here). As I was preparing a meal to take to them today, I was thinking about how people react to a miscarriage.
For example, our church has a meal ministry. We take meals to people after the birth of a baby, after deaths, and after surgery. Isn't a miscarriage all three of those rolled into one? Yet we ignore it. We give a pat, "Praying for you." and avoid the topic, if not the person entirely. Why is that? If we're truly pro-life, shouldn't we be showering them in support, as they've lost a person? A dream, hopes.... shattered.
I know we all feel awkward, and we think we don't know what to say. But honestly, just being available would be wonderful. You don't have to say anything. A meal. A bag of groceries. Watch the kids for a couple hours.
Two things that helped me make it through were my sister, who has lost three babies, and talking about our experiences and pregnancies, and my best friend Brooke, who let me celebrate my pregnancy, even though we lost the baby, by not avoiding the topic. Also, Paul being home, so I didn't have to stuff my emotions down and be brave for my kids.
I don't know what I'm thinking I'll accomplish by writing this, but maybe next time you hear of someone losing a baby, you might think of it differently.

Blast from the Past

2011-03-30T13:31:00.005-05:00

I think I'm going to start a new series on random things I find or remember. There are some hilarious stories from my past I think about every so often, and Paul gets tired of me re-telling them, I think.

For today, here's a picture I found. It's in really bad shape, because it was in my car for several years, and then I think it's hung on the fridge since then. It's the first picture of Paul and I together when we were "together". May of 2003:

We look so young. Funny how much responsibilities age you. (I was 20 and he was 22.)

His goatee is very short in this picture, not that most of you would notice this. Just a week or two before this, he had shaved it all off. He accidentally buzzed it while he was shaving, and in trying to fix it, made it worse, so he just shaved it off. It was the first time in 4 years that I'd seen him without a goatee. Consequently, he hated how he looked without it, and the only time since then that he's been without it is when he was required to shave it during a rebuild at work where they had to wear face masks. I like how he looks either way. :)

And looking at this really makes me want to get my hair cut short again. I just can't decide.... There are so many advantages to both ways of wearing it.

All in a Day's Work

2011-03-29T22:24:00.008-05:00

All of a sudden yesterday, Jacob decided he needed to start potty training. I was in the bathroom with Nathan, and Jake wandered in; I asked him if he wanted to go potty (being silly), and he said yeah. So I sat him down - AND HE WENT! Thinking it was a fluke, I asked him again an hour later, and he went again - this time standing up! He's been very interested in everyone going to the bathroom the last week, so I know something's going on in his head. I think he just wants to be a big guy like his brother. So I decided to go with it. I think he's a little young, but I'd rather start training him now, than wait until I think he's ready, and then have him not be interested, or have it be a power struggle where he refuses to try later on.

Here's today's progress:

One sticker for each time he went - it may have been just a dribble, but it counts! He really, really wants to potty standing up, like Nathan and Daddy do, so we're experimenting with that. The problem is, he doesn't quite have the "relax and release" perfected, and pushes when he pees - well, this morning, he was pushing out pee while standing up....And pushed out some poop, too - onto my foot! Oh well. Tonight, his last potty before bed, he did with no pushing, so I'd call that progress.
We do the pantsless method for potty training - it worked for Nathan, and so we're going to do it again. And for all day without a diaper, he only had one accident (and that was on the linoleum). If he had a diaper on (for nap and when Paul's mom was here watching them during band practice), he still goes in it.
We'll see how it goes. I'm not saying He's potty trained and it's only been a day! But this is how it started with Nathan, so..... We'll see.

This is Spring?

2011-03-28T19:30:00.004-05:00

As much as I did not want to wake up and find the inch (plus) of snow this morning, I will admit - it did make things pretty. I snapped a few pics of my daffodils, since you don't normally see this combination of snow and beautiful flowers.

7 Years

2011-03-28T11:26:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday (the 20th) was our 7-year anniversary. In some ways, I can't believe it's been that long! In others, I can't believe it's only been 7 years!

Paul was scheduled to work nights all weekend. I asked him a couple weeks beforehand if he'd taken it off, because I remembered discussing it back in January. He told me no, and he doubted he'd be able to get it off in such short notice. Not a big deal - this is our 7th anniversary, and I'm pretty sure he's had to work 5 of the seven, so whatever.

But then the week beforehand, he asked his parents if they would watch the boys Sunday after church. Even though he would be asleep, and had to leave for work at 5:30. But he said it was so we could have some "alone time" before he left. I was like, Really - shouldn't we save the free babysitting for when we'll have more than an hour to spend together? But again - whatever. Then I happened to see him looking at the website for a fancy restaurant one night.

I started getting suspicious.

But Sunday came, and he still hadn't said anything. I wasn't disappointed, but I still thought he might be planning something. But really, I wouldn't have been surprised if he didn't do anything. And wouldn't have been disappointed either.

And then I came home from church, and found this note on a chair right in front of the door:

Written on a reservation confirmation for Chateau Avalon. I got the biggest, stupidest grin on my face. Seriously cheesy. And I couldn't make myself stop smiling. Apparently Paul was quite pleased with himself, because when I went in to kiss him (he was asleep, supposedly), he started smirking as soon as he heard me walk in the room.

Even though we've been to Chateau Avalon before, I think this was my favorite time. I think it's because it was a complete surprise. Like I said, I suspected he was up to something, but I just figured he was going to take the night off, then take me out to dinner. I have an amazing husband! (And an amazingly sneaky one!)

Paul confessed that he wanted this to be a do-over of our trip to Omaha, since that trip didn't end up being anything like we expected when we planned it. This trip more than made up for what we experienced there.

Paul had picked out the Roman Dynasty room. We had seen this room when we toured the hotel years ago. I really liked it! (Of course I did.... Duh!) Paul got me the romance package, which included a rose-petal strewn bed, a bottle of champange (which was not very tasty - I don't get people's fascination with champange!), and bubble bath for the tub.

We were going to try a new restaurant - they have lots up in the area - but we ended up going to our ol' standby: Outback Steakhouse.... A Bloomin' Onion always wins. And it ended up being free! (The Bloomin' Onion, that is - not the entire meal.) They had a special that if you eat at the bar, you get a free Bloomin' Onion. We were fine with that - it was actually probably better, because Paul would have tried to watch the game anyways, and this way, he didn't have to stare off across the room the whole time, or rubber-neck trying to watch a tv that's behind him.

We didn't go to see a movie, because honestly, nothing out looks any good. We enjoyed the hot tub and discussed the possibilty of getting one of those installed in our house. Oh my goodness. I love those tubs! Paul had our chocolate-covered strawberries (part of the romance package)delivered shortly after, and we ate them in bed while watching a movie. So relaxing!

After sleeping in ridiculously late the next morning and enjoying the completely delicious breakfast delivered to our room, we finally took off some time after 11, and went through Lawrence on the way home. I had several little stops to make, which would be infintessimally (is that a word?) easier if I didn't have the boys with me. (A 5-minute stop takes 20 at least, when you have to deal with car seats, shopping carts, and keeping little hands off the merchandise!) Paul wasn't thrilled about having to go to Hobby Lobby (he asked how much longer as soon as we walked in), but - the things you do for love, eh?

We ended our time in Lawrence by going car-shopping. We know we're going to have to buy a new car when we have our next child. We may be able to get by with all three in the back seat of my car for a while, but we're going to have to downsize some car seats to the "economy-sized" ones. And no, we are not preggo! We are just trying to plan ahead and know what we want when it comes time to get it.

We went to Crown Toyota, because Paul and I have always been impressed with the staff there (that's where he bought his first truck). We told the sales staff we were not buying today, and we wanted to just look on our own, and they left us alone. We perused their selection, and I hate to say.... I liked the minivan best. Grr. We had kind of thought we would like a crossover, because I do not want a minvan, and Paul does not want an SUV (and neither do I after looking at their gas mileage!) But after looking at the crossovers (the Toyota version, plus a Chevy and Saturn version they also had on the lot), the back row of seating is meant to be occasional, not every-day, and if we have 4 kids, we'd need the back row every day! And when you are using the back row in a crossover, you lose most of your cargo space. The van can seat 8, and still have a good amount of cargo space (for my once-a-month shopping). And it could even fit 8 adults, for shorter trips. But..... I am SO not a minivan mommy! However, I'd rather give up my reputation to get something that will really be what our family needs, rather than something that looks stylish. I'll just have to take a year or two, while we're saving up, to get used to the idea. (We are not buying new! I figure by the time we need it, we'll hopefully have enough saved up by making "car payments" to our savings account that we can afford a 1 or 2-year-old used one.)

Anyhow. That's how we old-marrieds celebrated our 7th Anniversary.