Monday, November 30, 2009

Please dress for the weather.

Will the male gender ever learn what is appropriate attire is?  That's the question I asked myself today.  It has FINALLY gotten chilly here!  The wind was really brisk and cutting when Luke and I got out this morning.  As we were pulling out of Target I saw a boy wearing basket ball shorts, flip flops, and a huge puffy jacket.  Really?  Didn't this dude have a mom/girl friend/girl-who-is-a-friend to tell him that was not the best wardobe choice?  Now the flip flops I get, I was really tempted to put them on myself this morning.  But come on!  Tomorrw is December already....put some pants on man!

Whew.  I just had to get that off my chest.  And now I am proud to say that I've gotten 95% of Luke's Christmas presents bought and wrapped.  And I got a pattern today for another couple of presents I'm making.  And some more yarn.  Remember that blanket I started knitting for my friend a week and a half ago?   Well, I've already finished it, and instead of being square it's a rhombus.  :(  I have even tried blocking it, and the darn thing is still tilted.  So.....I gave it to Luke and am starting again.  I think I might have it figured out this time to make it have right angles.  This time I'm doing it in chocolate brown instead of sage green.  I'll let you know how it turns out!

Also just so you know, I've made up the most yummy dessert.  Are you ready for this?  Take two sugar cookies,  smear a generous glob of Nutella on one and smoosh them together sandwich style.  Voila!   Yummy goodness I've indulged  in twice today.  And yesterday.  And most likely tomorrow if Cody doesn't eat all the cookies after I go to bed.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Tag-a-long to yesterday

I had origionally planned to dub this "Wordless Sunday", but I think we all know that's not going to happen.  Why kid ourselves?  As you will see I do a MUCH better job at decorating for Christmas than I do for fall.  That was just pitiful. 

Here is my pride and joy...the Christmas tree!  It's been a day and already I'm sick of keeping Luke away from the sparkly things.  But I really am glad it's up.  My star on top is new this year.  I've had the same tin foil star that I made 7 years ago for our first Christmas and I've finally gotten a real star.  I was a little sad to see it in the decorations tub though, and not on the tree.  ;(



And just half a foot away is the fire place, complete with stockings and extra bulbs in the candle holder.  My goal this week is to stitch our names onto the stockings.  You can't really tell, but the tree skirt matches the stockings!  And I have two extra stockings....just in case....  Also there is Luke picture with Santa from last year down with the other frames.



Now swinging around the living room is the sewing machine.  Since it's usual home is now consumed with Christmas tree goodness I had to find an new place for it to reside for the next month.  Perfect place for the Santa count down and Santa's plate for cookies and mug for milk.  I had these on the fireplace last year, but I'm guessing eulogy #4 and 5 would be coming soon if I put them there this year. 



Completing this cirlce is my dining table decorations.  Extra bulbs replaced the pumpkins and pine cones, and I had to improvise for new candle holders (this is where the ones that Luke broke were supposed to go).  Can you tell that they are blue margartia glasses?  Works for me!



In the kitchen the fall hand towels got replaced with winter ones.



Our bedroom gets some twinkle lights.  I don't think I had posted pictures of my new decorations over the bed.  About a month ago I spray painted my old mirror a brownish bronze color and hung the frames.  As soon as I get some super awesome family shots  I will replace the letters.  I just was tired of looking at the fake store people hanging on my wall so I drew up Cody and my initials for our sides of the bed. 



The entry way....just a couple of bulbs on top of the candle sticks and the little sleds have our names on them.



The a/c's  closet gets a little jingly....



And finally, even Luke's room get a little cowboy themed tree. 


That's all folks!

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Christmas overhaul

This morning Luke actually let us sleep in until almost 9 this morning!  And I use the term "us" loosely...Cody rarely gets out of bed on the weekends before 2, no matter what time The Boys rises, so guess who gets up with him 7 days a week.  I'm sure mom's heard round the world groan in frustrated agreement with me. 

About 11 this morning Luke chose to play in a cabniet he's not allowed to touch, and all of the sudden there was a *CRASH*SHATTER*SCATTER* as he pulled over one of my hurrican glass candle  holders that is a part of my Christmas decorations.  RIP dear blue hurricane.  I've searched for more of you over the years, and if I couldn't find you then, I surely won't find you now. 

Are we up to 3 eulogies now?

Anyway, the noise brought Cody running (holy smokes!) and he helped me clean up the blood (Luke got the TINY-EST pin prick of a poke from the broken glass and the thing would not stop bleeding) and the shards.  Then I decided to be proactive about saving any more Christmas decorations from destruction and get in the festive mood.  Cody was not quite as excited about brining in the Christmas tree from the garage and in his huff he DESTROYED the tree's box.  Not real sure what to do  in 28 days when it's time to take it down, but we'll see (I already know the bottom section is too long to go in the largest plastic tub they have a Home Depot.  I tried that last year).  Since he was being a party pooper I made myself some more coffee with peppermint mocha creamer, tuned the TV to the Christmas music channel, opened up the windows and got to work!  (It was in the lower 70's today)

Two hours later I had everything out and decorated just like I wanted, but looking around at the mess I was completely over whelmed.  So.......I ate some lunch, called Niki to check on how she and the baby were doing, watched some DVR, and tried to gather my senses into some kind of plan to clean.  I did eventually manage to get it done and swept/dry swiffer/wet swiffered the floors due to the ungodly amount of crud all the decorations tracked in the house.  It was so bad, I tried to get Luke to wear flip flops around the house so his little feet wouldn't get nasty, but he wouldn't have it. 

By about 4 I was thoughly impressed with the state of my house INSIDE, but outside was a different matter.  The shrubs outside have become quite an eyesore over the last year or so, but I've always been to lazy to do anything about it.  But now that the tree was up I was irked that you couldn't see it from the street due to the jungle outside the window.  Plus I've been annoyed over the last few months that I couldn't see who was coming up the sidewalk anymore when someone came over.  So I ran over to Mom and Dad's and got their electric hedge trimmer.  H.O.L.Y C.O.W.  That thing was BUTTER.  I have never enjoyed doing yard work as much as  I did  when I had that thing whirring and the leaves were flying.  I got so into it that I had to go find Cody's  hand saw to cut off the bigger branches.  Let me tell you, those shrubs are now a thing of wonder.  Two of them are at LEAST half the size they were before, and the others are nice and shapely.  Love it. 

But then there was the problem of what to do with all of the clippings.  What do you do with them?  I tried to get Cody out there to help me clean them up, but he wouln't come.  So now they are in the back of his truck.  That way they are ready for him whenever he feels like doing something about them.  ;)

I think tomorrow will be a "wordless Sunday" and I'll just post pictures of all my decorations since this turned out to be a novel.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Home at last

So, it took us awhile to finally get home.  As I had stated yesterday, I figured we would come home last night, but we ended up leaving today so that Cody could stop in Abilene and pick up some hot sauce that he is obsessed with from this little Mexican food place there.  When it comes to Cody, salsa perfection trumps everything, including sleeping in one's own bed. 

This morning Mom let Cody and I sleep in after Luke (still) woke up right after the crack of dawn.  When I finally go up she showed me how he and Daisy got to watch cartoons this morning. 



Since he didn't have any of his push toys while we were gone, he found the ice chest I brought and pushed it EVERYWHERE.  He didn't care where he was going or who he had to run over to get there. 

Then this afternoon right as we were trying to get on the road, Mom decided she wanted a group picture of everyone.  Cheese!



Dude is on my shoulders because it was NAP TIME and he was not afraid to show it.  This was about the only way to keep him from screaming in the picture.  So right after this was snapped we loaded up the car and set off.  Or so we thought.  As we gassed up on the outskirts of town Cody had the bright idea to call Los Arcos to make sure they were open today.  She said yes, but only until 2:15 when they would close for a couple of hours, and then open back up.  You know it's authentic Mexican when they observe the siesta.  Seeing as it was 1:40 and it takes an hour to get to Abilene, he askes me if I wanted to hang out a little bit longer at Gran and Grandy's and then hit the road when they were open. 

So...Luke got his nap in a bed instead of the car seat.  Much to the suprise of everyone, we showed back up 10 mintues after we left and stayed until Luke woke up.  Nothing like planning your day around hot sauce, huh?  When The Boy got up at 4 we hit the road for the second time.  Not a sentence I thought I would be saying. 

4:00 was also the last time anyone in our white car was happy.  Luke decided that this time he did NOT want to be in his car seat and that screaming at the top of his lungs was the only way to get something done about it.  It's a 4 hour drive from Gran and Grandy's to our house (except for the quick stop at Los Arcos where Cody picke up 3 PINTS of the stuff.  3 pints.)  and he screamed for about 75 to 80% of it.  We managed to get him to stop for about 25 minutes when I got the bright idea to sing songs to him. 

Word from the wise....re-learn your nusery songs and children's Christmas songs and bible class songs  BEFORE you have children.  Not when you are trying to save your sanity and spare a kid's life.  Also, this is probably the first time Cody and I have ever "sang" together like that.  Did you know that there are different ways to sing EVERY SINGLE SONG?  Awesome huh?  Cody only knew about half of the lyrics  to whatever we were singing, and he's the type to make up crazy off topic words as opposed to things that would make some sense in the song.  But, I did kind of know that before I married him.

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Tuesday, Wednesday, and Turkeyday!

Tuesday:


We went to the park and I did 5 loads of laundry as predicted.  Lots of waiting for Niki to pop....

Wednesday:


Riley finally arrived!  I got to go see her Wednesday  morning and spend some time with Niki.  What an exciting time!  We also went out of town with the family Wednesday night to my grandmother's.....I didn't put this hat on him, after I got him dressed he pointed up to the hat and when I handed it to him, he put it (okay, tried to put it)  on his head.  That's my boy!



Thursday:  (today)

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  There are so many things that I am thankful for.  I am thankful for my Savior who loves me and blesses me in ways that I never dreamed possible.  I am thankful for my husband and that we are still together after everything we have  gone through.  I am thankful for my son, who is the delight of my life.  I am thankful for my family who would do anything I could ever need for me.  We are at my grandmother, who thankfully has been released from the hospital for a couple of days to spend with us.  True to form, I have not gotten as many pictures as I  had planned, but I did get a few while he played outside.  This kid LOVES to just run up  and down the sidewalk outside!  Thankfully it's been absolutely gorgeous outside and we have been able to spend a lot of time out there.  So much time that he came in smelling like outside, so I covered up his head with a bib and fabreezed his clothes.  It really helped! 

Man did we FEAST today!  There were 6 different desserts to choose from....I don't think I will have "fat pants" much longer, I'll have regular pants and "I used to be skinny" pants.  Mmmm mmm.  We'll have left overs for dinner and I'm looking forward to all the food just as much the second time around as I was the first.



The garage door was up so Mom, Luke, and I went snooping...there was some interesting stuff in there.



I tried once more to get a picture with my boy, but once more he couldn't be bothered.  Do you see the ever present coffee cup?  I believe that was my third cup.  Nothing goes better with all of those desserts than mulitple cups of coffee! 

We'll be headed back home tonight.  Cody's a big believer in sleeping one's own bed, so that will require us to leave before bed time.


Monday, November 23, 2009

Lovely day

I had a very rare day for any mother.  It's the kind of day you take for granted before there are children running around, but covet once they are here.

This morning I found out I won some earrings on April's blog dot...dot...dot....  Waaaa hoo!  I got to pick any pair of earrings I wanted from Wire Wrapped Designs so I picked the green disc wire wrapped earrings.  This is the first time I've ever won anything!  I can't wait to get them and try them on. 

Not to long after that dear Niki, who hasn't popped yet and was due today, asked me to go to a movie and then get a pedicure with her.  Since Mom is off of school for the week and could babysit, I was allllll over it!  She wanted to see New Moon, and who am I to deny a woman that should be giving birth, so I sacrificed personal pride and went with her.  And you know what?  It wasn't that bad.  I have never read the books and I didn't see the first one, but I still enjoyed myself.  Plus it helped that there were only three other people in the theater so we could visit all we wanted without getting shooshed.  She filled me in as the movie went on.  Then we went to get a pedicure and it was oooooo-la-la.  We both got a lavender mint pedicure, and boy was I ready for a nap afterwards.  She is getting induced in the morning, so soon the world will get to meet Miss Riley Nikole!  While we couldn't coax her to come on her own, we sure did have fun trying. 

Then since Mom and Dad had Luke anyway, I just went over and had dinner with them.  They made this stuffed chicken breast dish that was wrapped with bacon, and then we had baked apples for dessert.  Mmmm-mmmmm.  I've actually never had a baked apple, but I can guarentee that it won't be the last time.

So are you jealous of my day yet?  :)  Tomorrow it will be back to the grind of laundry, play date, cooking, and more laundry.  It's been awhile since I've forced myself to do it.



Here's what he wore today.  It's blurry becasue once again he won't stand still for a picture so I have to run away and try to get it as he gallops toward me.  *warning- cheesy mom moment coming*   Today my precious baby did something new.  Whenever we see a fish I will point it out and say "fish!" then make the fishy face (you know, where you purse your lips and suck in you cheeks).  Up until today he would try to stick his fingers inbetween my lips as I did it, but today he wanted to kiss me everytime I made the face.  :*)  It just melted my heart.  (He's not big on showing affection)

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Riveting recount

*Any one else:  "Hey Lindsey!  How was your weekend?"

*Me:  "Oh, you know, same 'ol same 'ol.  Hung out with my friend, worked on my knitting, found globs of yogurt smeared on the couch.  Went to church.  Nothing too exciting."

Aren't you so glad we had that conversation?  Now you can see why I'm not a big phone talker.  I can remember growing up how my mother would talk on the phone for HOURS at a time.  What did they talk about?  I just remember her getting frustrated with me and my sister because we would always sometimes ask her a ton of questions when she was on the phone.  I semi-understand that feeling....I get it when I try to go potty and a certain someone always trys to close the potty on me and then spins all the toilet paper off the roll and tears it up.  Isn't my life just thrilling?

So pretty much that's how my whole weekend went.  I was really bored last night, just watching t.v, knitting, and wondering how long Luke can run around in circles before he becomes permanently dizzy, when my very pregnant friend called me up.  She is due tomorrow (*so excited I can barely contain myself*) and her husband had a thing he had to go to last night, so she needed distracting before she drives her self crazy with "baby, get here NOW" thoughts.  We grabbed dinner and a movie, then came home to watch My Sister's Keeper.  I'm not really a fan of watching people throw up.  In fact, it causes me a lot of anxiety and was a strong contender in the Reasons To Maybe Not Have A Kid list.  But that was really the only thing on the list .  And then I got knocked up.  

When we were putting the movie on and arranging the cushions around her to maximize comfort, Niki found a huge smear of, what I'm hoping is, yogurt on my brown silk couch pillow.  Awesome.  I'm not sure how long that had been there.  *sigh*  I swear when all of our kids move out and never come back I  am going to scrap everything and start all over.  Only a couple of more decades to figure out my redecoration schemes! 

Tonight I worked more on my knitting (suprise suprise) and got sucked into wedding shows on the WE channel.  Mainly this one show where a super fancy wedding planner totally makes over someone's wedding three weeks before the big day.  If I hear the word "bling" one more time I think I might......turn the channel.  I hate the word "bling" in reference to sparkly things.  AHHHHHHH!  HATE IT!  Let's put that on Lindsey's Growing List of Words I Hate.  There are quite a few.  And no, we aren't going to go there. 

Oh, I also pulled a few weeds today.  Since it's still in the upper 60's here, weeds have finally taken over my flower beds.  I started to clean them  up this afternoon, and then I realized that there were mosiqutos buzzing around so I ran inside.  Surely it will get cold soon and kill them, right?

Friday, November 20, 2009

Goverment was here

Nothing will get your floors clean like someone from the government coming out!  Don't worry, no one called CPS on me.  Our ECI case worker came out to work with Luke on his language.  While she is glad that his receptive language vocabulary is growing, she is concerned that he still has no verbal vocabulary and is still just babbling.  He has a month and a half to start using at least three words or she is going to have him evaluated by a speech pathologist.  :(  While I absolutely want him to have all the resources needed to develop normally, I was really hoping we would be more on track by now and that this wouldn't be needed.  God still has time to work His magic though, right?  If  I've learned anything through life it's that time tables are a laughable matter when it comes to God and His work. 

Now I have another eulogy to write.  If you missed the first one, that's okay.  Today I would like to remember my 10 inch pan lid.  As I was cooking dinner Luke decided to get out the pots and wooden spoons, and then he found the lids.  I didn't think he could shatter them but alas, with a sickening crunch my most used, my favorite go-to lid came to it's demise.  I knew as soon as the technician said "It's a boy!" that eventually many of my belongs would end up shattered in the trash, but I was hoping to stave off the inevitable until he was, oh you know, 20 or so .  So good bye my dear friend.  You will be missed.  And as I  scour the internet to find your replacement that will, I have no doubt, not match the other lids in the set, I will remember you always.

Music

You know what I just love?  I love how music speaks to your soul.  Soothes your soul.   Anytime I am in a blue mood, anxious, or just plain blah, music fixes everything.  When the words speak exactly what you need them to it makes the whole experience almost other-worldly.  I can just imagine the feeling in heaven is always feeling the euphoric feeling that a perfectly tempo-ed pulsing beat accompanied with wrenching cords provides.  I can't wait. 

Swinging the other way, I started working on knitting the blanket for my friend tonight.  She's due in May so I have plenty of time, which is good because I'm not sure how I like it so far.  There is a good chance I will work on it a few days, let it rest, then come back to it.  If I still am not sure I'll probably take it out and try something else.  But the yarn is so soft!  I'm thinking after I whip this up I might make one for Luke.  I knitted him this blanket while I was pregnant, but the yarn is a different kind of softness.  Maybe just a little lovey or something. 


Knitting at my grandmother's


My sweet boy at a month old or so

I also made him a matching knitted beanie hat to go with this blanket, but I accidentally made it HUGE.  He will probably be able to fit it this year.  Maybe next year.   If I have to wait until next year at least he can wear them with these gloves (although the colors would clash......)

Also, I know that it is bloggy faux pas to talk about TV shows, but I just have to say after seeing Private Practice tonight and the preveiws for next week, I may be giving it up soon.  I quit watching Gray's due to the drama and I think this show is following the same path.  There is a reason I don't watch soap opera's and that I love The Office.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Headache

I never get headaches.  I mean NEVER.   I get them even less than I throw up.  And I've thrown up 6 times in my life.  (I'm pretty sure I'm up to 6)  Yesterday I got a headache.  It started around mid morning, and I figured it was because I hadn't had any coffee yet.  I had an old friend  coming over around 2 for coffee, so I thought it would go away after that.  Wrong!  I had a great time with my friend, I just hope that my sentences actually made sense due to the pounding in my brain. 

By the time 5:00 rolls around it feels like my brain was being turn inside out.  When Cody  got home from work my teeth were even hurting.  I couldn't cook dinner (well, I guess that's not a total shocker) and I couldn't deal with the baby.  Good thing Cody stepped up to the plate.  He went and fetched us Potbellies for dinner (I thought food would help.  It didn't.) and then let me take a Tylenol PM and hit the sheets while he bathed Luke and put him to bed.  So I fell asleep at 7:45 last night.  And when Luke woke up this morning I got him to watch cartoons with me in bed until 9:30.  Okay, okay, he really quit watching the cartoons at about 9:00 and left to play, and I finally got up at 9:30.  I can't remember the last time I was in bed for longer than 8 hours at a time, much less than almost 14 hours.  I will cherish it always.  And FYI- I've been headache free  all day. 

Just because I was down for the count yesterday didn't mean my kid was at all.  He is constantly trying to push the limits and see what he can do.  Like for instance, yesterday he learned that his ball won't fit through the rocking chair no mater how much he pushes.  All it does is move the chair. 


And I learned that I need to dust the dining room table. 

Monday, November 16, 2009

Utterly ridiculous

So this morning I was flipping through the channels and I saw that the WE channel has a new show called "Platinum Babies".  What?  I just had to check it out. 

Holy Moly.  Have any of these people had babies before?  It was very apparent that the answer is "no" after seeing the gifts at the baby shower.  A solid white bib with just the word Gucci on it?  Obviously the giver of this gift has never been told what the actual purpose of a bib is.  Any thing solid white on a child 10 years or younger is going to last all of 15 seconds.  Not the best way to spend $150.  And a diaper bag that is $2200?  I would like to see that bag in a few months, after the milk has spilled, the cheerios get turned upside down, and the spit up infested clothes/bibs/burp rags/toys live in there for a few days at a time.  This really makes me sad due to all the Compassion stories that are on the blogs right now.  One baby is sleeping on silk sheets, while another one is on a dirt floor.  Breaks my heart.

On a lighter note, Luke has taken to "helping" me lately.  Yesterday it was with his wardrob choice again.  Except this time he brought me one of my tee's to put on him.  So it resulted in a dress like this. 



And then he tried to take it off himself and only got this far. 



Saturday, November 14, 2009

Big Softie

Okay, so I know I said I was going to start weaning Luke off the paci.  I really was.  But.....

Yesterday when I was suctioning out his nose (such a glamorous mommy job) I noticed we are FINALLY getting some more teeth in there.  He's had these 6 teeth for about 8 months now with no sign of new ones.  While he was screaming like I was sticking knives up his nose I was able to get a good look at those gums.  I'm pretty sure there are at least two that are a few days away from breaking through.  What kind of mother would I be if I took away his one thing of comfort in such a time of need?  Okay, maybe it's not his one thing of comfort, there is still Puppy, Puppy, and me.  Yes, he has two different lovies both with the names Puppy.  Let's not delv into my lack of creative naming at this point.  I thought about switching one to the name "Doggie" so that he would have Puppy and Doggie, but I keep forgeting to make the switch.  Eh.  I don't think he'll be scarred for life.  Like he would be if I took away his paci while teething. 

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Don't judge me.

So....I got a little bored at dinner. 




Correction.  I got a little bored with how long Luke took to eat.  So I got busy with the mousse.  Don't worry, it was bath time shortly after he "finished" eating. 

This morning I actually took him to the park!  Bless his heart, he had the best time.  He giggled for a solid 25 minutes.  I should really do that more often.  Then we went to Walmart for a couple of things, came home to eat a quick bite, and then it was down for his nap. 

I've started something new.  It's called "I'm weening Luke off the pacifier."  Have you heard of it?  The last couple of days I've used it sparingly while he was awake, but today he didn't get it at all and nap time was the first time I've tried to get him to sleep without it.  It went suprisingly well!  I guess the park really wore him out.  But night-night time was completely different.  He cried for 30 mintues before I gave in and let him have it.  This isn't going to be as easy as I thought.  Which is why I'm starting now instead of in, you know, a year or so.  You might ask "Why Lindsey?  Why have you randomly chosen today to give up the paci?"  Well, let me tell you.  The dependence seems to be growing.  Like he goes and seeks it out in the middle of playing.  I thought it would be better in the long run to nip it now.  I didn't think that I would try and ween him this early, but I'm thinking in the long run it will be easier. 

Maybe tomorrow night I'll let him cry for 32 mintues before caving.  We'll get there one day.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

So you don't have to hear about sickness again...

Since we did nothing again today except for play and drink lots more water, I thought I would treat you to the random dozen.  ;)




1. What was the last song you listened to?

hmmmmm....Probably the Sesame Street theme song.  Motherhood is a whole new world.

2. Have you ever had “buyer’s remorse” over anything?

Not that I can think of off the top of my head.  When I know I want something, that's it- I want it for good.  If I don't have that "feeling" then I hold off and either wait for it to come or end  up forget about whatever I was going to buy.  In all honesty, sometimes I feel buyers remorse about getting married, but that's a whole different story!  haha!

3. What is something in your life that you are thankful for now that you didn’t think you would be at the time of the event? (Something that seemed ill-timed, inconvenient or hurtful which turned out to be a good thing)

All of the events leading up to me quiting my job this past spring.  It seemed horrible at first, but now I can't imagine not being a SAHM. 

4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade every year? If so, do you have a favorite float or balloon?

I'm pretty sure I'm still in bed when it starts and then trying to wake up when  it ends.  I'm not a huge parade person.  And I just realized these answers have been pretty boring. 

5. Share a quote, scripture, poem or lyric which has been an inspiration to you lately.

Trying to pick one scripture that has been inspirational lately would belike asking a mom who her favorite kid is.  Except for me.  Cause I only have one kid, so he's my favorite.  How about Revelations 4:11?  "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to recieve glory and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

6. This is meant to be a fun question, and this is a G-rated blog, but please share a “guilty pleasure,” something that you enjoy that’s probably not the most edifying, time-worthy or healthy thing you could be indulging in. Did I mention this blog is rated G?

Coffee.  Dr. Pepper.  Fun sized candy bars.  DVRed shows to the max.

7. What Thanksgiving food are you looking forward to?

Turkey.  Stuffing.  Cranberry sauce.  Pie.  Lots of pie.

8. What is your favorite book to read to children, or what was your favorite childhood book?

From the Mixed Up Files of Basil E. Frankwieler.  And the Little House on the Prairie books.  And the American Girl books.  An the Babysitter's Club books. 

9. Do you collect anything? (Feel free to post a photo.)
Crosses

And books





Plus there is a stack of books on my nighstand under the lamp.  And a whole other bookshelf in the computer room.

10. Gift bags or wrapping paper?

Bags.  I have a million from the baby shower two years ago. 

11. Share an after-school memory from when you were younger. What was your routine like on an average day?

Mom went back to work teaching middle school when I was in 4th grade.  I remember in 5th grade walking home with my sister (in 1st grade) and we would be home for about an hour until she got home.  I was supposed to practice my piano while she was gone, but it conencided with my favorite show "Hey Dude".  It just happened to be that you could see the t.v. from the piano so I would turn it on, plop down at the piano, and "practice" for 30 minutes.  It's amazing I ever leveled up in skill that year!

12. True story: Once, in a job interview, I was asked this question and told there would be no clarifying; I simply had to answer the question: “When you’re fishing, do you feel for the fish?” So what about you? Do you feel for the fish??
 
Yes.  I do.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

One thing

All you need to know about today is that I drank four pints of water in effort to break up the sinus issue.  I think you can read between the lines and figure out where I spent the other half of my day.  Four.  Pints.  I hate drinking water.  That was the worst part of pregnancy, was all the water I had to drink.  Honestly, the only liquid to typically pass my lips is coffee and Dr. Pepper and coffee.  And sometimes tea when I go out. 

Monday, November 9, 2009

Mr. Personality

That has absolutely been the theme of the last couple of days when it comes to dealing with The Boy...."Mr. Personality".  First, this morning, apparently he didn't want to hang out at the house any more because at about 11 he takes me into his room, into his closet, pulls a shirt off the hanger, and gives it to me.  I was a little confused, so I slowly held it open for him and he stuck his little arm in and put it on (yes, he was in, yet again, just a diaper, and his closet has split level rails so the bottom one is his height).  So I button it up, and he goes right back in and starts pulling EVERY THING off the hangers.  There is now a pile of 13 oxford shirts I get to hang back up. 

Well, he got his wish, because not long after that my friend Niki called and to hang out after he got up from nap time (which was only 30 minutes long...boooooo).  Trying to be true to my former declaration of getting his picture every day of whatever cute outfit he's wearing, I get him dressed and head for the camera.  Now, the kid knows when the shoes go on we are leaving, so he got all happy and was banging on the garage door in effort to get us to leave faster.  Needless to say when I forced him into the living room to get a quick photo, this is all I got:




Torture or what?  (yes, this is the shirt that he picked out)  And then there is  this video from tonight.  I promise it's not on high speed.  



Also, I'm still highly stopped up today.  Like, I've even resorted to trying Luke's nose sucker.  It was.....interesting.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Not a lot to say

Cody went hiking this weekend with my friend's husband this weekend, and last night she came over to hang out with us (Luke and I) and we (Taylor and I) stayed up WAAAAAAAAAAY late visiting.  So fun!  But this morning it proved to be very very difficult to wake up for bible class.  Like, getting up 30 mintues later than normal, and then getting back in bed after my shower until 40 mintues before church.  I didn't even get Luke out of bed to eat breakfast until 15 minutes till.  Yes, we were a bit late.  I am also going to help her with the chorus section of LTC.  Lets just say....this will be interesting. 

Also, I am currently battling absolutely out of control sinuses.  I don't know if it my allergies out of whack from having the windows open for two days or a cold is coming on.  I  hope it's not from the windows, because it has been BEAUTIFUL here.  I'm talking sunny days, temps in the  upper 70's, and gentle breezes.  Ahhh.  I wish life was always like this.  Except for the allergies.  I'm going to ask God one day why He so cruely created allergies. 

I start Deuteronomy tomorrow.  Levitcus wasn't too bad!  But you know what I'm really hung up on?  In all of the rules of sacrifice and cleanliness and things of that nature, there is no mention of cleaning the alters.  All I could think about was how over the years of alllll the sacrifices, they never cleaned the blood off the alters after the priests sprinked them.  Ummmmm....Ew.  I just have this mental picture of these beautiful alters covered inches thick  in blood, sticky and stinky and swarming with flys.  Did God miraculously clean them every so often?  And didn't the sacred  objects in the Most Holy room get dusty since the high priest was only allowed in there once a year?  I'll add  these to my list of questions for God the next time I see Him.

So anyway, all of this to say, while I didn't have a boring weekend, I don't particularly have anything to write about.  Unless you want to talk about how to perfectly apply mentholatum to your nose, or how to turn the tissue just right to get maximum use out of each one.  We could also talk about how to effectivly make your kid gag on tamiflu to the point of throwing up an entire dinner.  Cause we did that last night too.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Missed pictures

Yesterday I was cleaning out Luke's closet, putting away the little shirts and pants that are too tight around his pudgy belly, and you know what I realized?  I dress that boy soo cute when we go out, but at home we mostly wear p.j.'s or just a diaper (why get an outfit dirty when we are just at home?), but that's when he does all the funny things that get recorded on the camera!   I should really start taking his picture before each time we leave the house, so that in the coming years when he is going through a "grunge" phase, or a "long hair" phase, or a "I'm so awkward it hurts" phase, I can look back and remember that he had more going for him than Huggies.

Also, what is with those bumper stickers that are white ovals with black letters in them that stand for.....something.  I NEVER know what those letters are supposed to mean.  Today I was behind a car that had one that were the letters ANI.  ANI?  Anniversary?  Yes lady, we all have anniversaries of some kind, no need to broadcast it.  Anikan Skywalker?  Oops, I just googled how to spell Anikan, and it's actually Anakin (dear spellcheck, how I miss you so).  Which is good, because crazed Star Wars fans are a little over rated (sorry anyone who is a- or related to a- member of the Sloan family).  So now I'm officially out of things that ANI could stand for.  I happened to be behind this lady in the drive through at Chick-Fil-A and I was this close to knocking on her window, but don't worry I didn't. 

And since  I'm trying to turn over a new leaf, picture wise, here is what he wore today.  We went to the dr (he is still wheezing, but otherwise is doing much better!) and then to the grocery store for the things that I forgot on Tuesday night.  I even had a list.  Ketchup was the first thing on the list.  Guess what I forgot at the grocery store today?  Ketchup.  The reason he is staring up is the only way I could get him to stand still long enough to take a picture was to turn on the Disney channel.  Be prepared for a lot of pictures in this pose.


Thursday, November 5, 2009

RIP long naps

I guess I've  had this coming for a long time now.  I just kept making excuses as to why it was happening.  Maybe the window was letting too much light in.  Maybe he didn't eat enough at lunch.  Maybe I made a startling noise.  Maybe it's because he hasn't been feeling well.  But folks, I need to face the fact.  Meet the new challenge head on. 

Luke no longer takes 4 hour naps.

I know that other babies don't do this.  I know I've been lucky to get such an amazing sleeper for the last 15 months.  I know that I'm spoiled.  But that's just it....I'm spoiled.  Now how am I supposed to get all the things done I need to while he's sleeping?  When will I shower, and eat lunch, and catch up on the DVR, and do my quiet time with the Lord, and play on the computer?  When I ask you?  Today he only napped for 45 minutes.  *sigh*  All I can say is......booooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

Now on to something a little lighter (and yes, the darling non-sleeper is feeling better.  He ate, he played, he even bonked several body parts throughout the day with minimal hysteria).  The other day at Hobby Lobby I got a new favorite coffee mug:




Isn't it so cute?  I also realized tonight that it doubles as a great ice cream mug.  Mmmm.  Ice cream.  Blue Bell was on sale so I got some peppermint and top it with Luke's Halloween M&Ms.  Hey, he could easily choke on those!  I am only looking out for his best interest.  I put a pen in the picture so you can tell how big it is.  Now normally I'm  not a matchy matchy person, but it's the same print as some of my fabric!  It's the same fabric I used to make my coasters.  So now I can put my cup on it's matching coaster.  Aaaaannnnd I think I just got the award for the biggest cheese ball.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Another "exciting" day


He sure does love his puppies.  This morning we woke up at 7 and his temperature was 102.7 and he was GASPING for air.  It was the most horrible sound I have ever heard.  I immediatly gave him two puffs of his rescue inhaler and called the on call dr to ask if I needed to go straight to the ER or wait for the inhaler to maybe work.  She told me to do two more puffs, wait 10 minutes, do two more puffs, and dope him up on fever reducers.  If it helped then we should meet them at the door at 9, if not, go to the ER.  He breathing was still pretty ragged, but it did help a little, so we laid in bed at watched cartoons until 9.  They gave him a special breathing treatment with epinephrin in it and prescriptions to treat flu and bronchiolitis.  Yikes.  So we spent the rest of the morning on the couch.  All of this also means we are back on these:


"Argggggg Matey!  Oh wait, this isn't the eye patch they are talking about?"

I put on facebook at about 12 that Luke was being treated for flu and bronciolitis, then I started him on his first round of meds and put him down for a nap.  I went in and laid down too, and we got up at 4:00!  While we were napping I had sooo many people comment that they were praying for him, and let me tell you- those prayers worked fast!  He woke up and you could tell he felt refreshed and the fever was very low grade.  Praise Jesus!  There is no one else who gets the glory for my little love to have a sweet turn around.

All of this sickness and isolation has put a sever cramp in my grocery store attending.  In fact, the fridge was so bare I decided it would be a super easy time to clean the shelves.  Some thing that had not been done in the 2 years we've lived  here.  Here it is before I started cleaning:



And whilst I was cleaning, I realized how much gunk and expired things we had in there, so it got even more pitiful:


But after I put The Love to bed I was able to go to the grocery store.  Saved by Tom Thumb!


Mmmmm....I can't wait to have a lunch tomorrow that is more that bread and cheese.  :)

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Looong day

Today was a super long day.  Luke woke up at 4 with a fever, and nothing would break it all day.  Before I put him to bed it was up to 102.5 so I gave him more Tylenol and almost 2 hours later it was only down one degree.  :(  But on the plus side I managed to take his temperature without waking him up!  We pretty much sat on the couch all day and watch t.v.  He never sits with me!  A few times he got up and walked around and then would either just stand next to the couch and rest his head on the seat or he would lay in the middle of the ground.  It was the most pitiful thing.  It was funny though, when we were watching Ellen he would clap when the audience clapped.  That was a first.  He didn't really eat all day but he would nurse his sippy cup off and on.  *sigh*  It's amazing how exhausted I am just from sitting with him!  There was a lot of crying. That could be why I'm so tired.  Any little thing would set the poor kid off, and he had the hardest time calming down.  Fevers will do that to you.  Ug.  I hope tomorrow is a better day.

Monday, November 2, 2009

Sneaky sneaky

"I  like to start out my letters to you like we are old friends, as opposed to what we really are, two people who met in a chat room where we claim we've never been before."

Anyone like to guess what movie that came from?  If you guessed You've Got Mail, then you guessed right!  It's only the best movie ever, and I'm not bragging  kidding when I say I can quote the ENTIRE movie.  Be jealous.  While it may seem like this is a random start, I feel like it's kind of true.  I do like to visit on here like we are old friends, never mind that we have never met. 

Guess what?  It only took me until 12:30, three cups of coffee, and one old episode of Bones to get moving today!  I wish I was joking.  Last night Cody and I had our fabulous friends over, Scot and Taylor Jackson, and we stayed up late visiting.  Love it!  Don't worry, I didn't forsake The Boy.  We played blocks, hide and seek, and practiced our animal names.  Not that he'll say them, but when we have his puzzle out and I ask him "Where's the (enter farm animal name here)" he can pick up the correct animal most of the time.  Another thing that he accomplished was recording Camino a la Fama.  Who knew that you could record HBO Latino even though we don't get that channel?  I also got my decorative iron scrolls hung above the windows:



I love it!  It adds just that little extra umph, and is just what I've always envisioned it to be.  Now does any one want to take bets on how long it take The Husband to notice?   And here's a funny story that might bore you; this afternoon Luke got up on the fireplace and was pacing back and forth, talking Chinese and waving his hand.  I think public speaking might be in his future.

Also, I still can't find where they've moved the spell check to.  If you know where they hid it, please let me know!