Secrets of Orual

moved

2010-04-20T11:02:00.002-05:00

in case anyone still checks in at this old haunt, i'm writing somewhere else these days. :)

Books that changed me

2009-08-22T08:12:00.004-05:00

Better late than never, right? I saw this at several of my favorite blogs (Megan, Sarah, and Elizabeth, to be exact) and am only now getting around to doing it myself... it sure seems like we have read many of the same books!

Books that have changed the way I. . .

think about marriage: The Mystery of Marriage by Mike Mason (*this is actually the only marriage book I've ever read, and I did love it; however, I was single both times I did read it, so I'm due to read this and this.)

think about politics:

appreciate Christian spirituality and the personal essay: Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller, The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell, and A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken

view the writing process: Since I'm not technically a writer, I'm including the essay in college that had the biggest impact in thinking about the process of writing, Slouching towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion

mother: The Baby Book by Dr. Sears, Grace Based Parenting by Dr. Tim Kimmel (still reading this one, but it's great), and Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline by Becky Bailey

go about my daily work: they're not books, but many of them ought to be: the blogs in my sidebar and in my favorites folder leave me inspired and convicted quite often

feed my babies: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and BestFeeding

feed my family: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

think beyond myself: What is the What by Dave Eggars

I love books so much and this is just the tip of the iceberg of books that made an impact on my life!

Hey, Blog, remember me?

2009-08-04T23:09:00.005-05:00

I'm emerging... Out of the clouds and haze of having a newborn for a whole month now (really? 4 weeks already?), but also trying to solidify a few things I've been ruminating on for a while. I hate to say something as vague as that and tell you I'll be more specific later, but that's exactly what I'm going to do. My time is limited these days with caring for the older boys and attempting to nurse the wee one, so as I'm able to add to the growing drafts in my folder, I'll share my thoughts here.

Quickly, though, I can say some blogging changes will be happening, probably piecemeal due to that whole time thing, but the first one I'll start with is my kids' names. I've thought and re-thought about their monikers, and decided that at the end of the day I'm okay using their given names. So blog, meet Shea (aka Bear), Connor (aka Bunkin), and of course the newest Avery. These little men, along with their awesome daddy known as Hunny, are the light of my life and the happenings of my days, and as I write about them I will keep in mind their safety and what is acceptable to be posted on the Internet.

There may also be some format and background changes, as well as a possible URL change, so bear with any construction issues, please!

Other than Avery's arrival (more on that in a minute), our lives have been busy with hosting company for a week and some uncertainty with Hunny's job security. The dust of company has settled but alas, work has not. If you are a praying person and would like to pray for clarity and peace, we'll take it! Having my friend Amy here was a powerful tool to incite some action on my part. At first, I was very homesick for Memphis and friends there (church! community!), and I still am. But after some discussion, Hunny and I feel we moved here for a reason, and we want to make a good faith effort at figuring that out. We'd like to honor our lease, which still has one year, and to take that time to really be proactive with relationships, both for us and for the boys. So, hopefully you'll hear lots more on those successes! Down with loneliness!! Part of that means I continue to lie low online so that I can pursue real-life friendships, maintain some sort of cleanliness at home, as well as support Hunny as much as I can while he seeks a new job or stays where he is.

On to the picture-heavy part of the post!! That's what you were waiting on anyway, right?

Remember this picture (scroll down just a bit) of Phineas and Connor? Well, same photo-op but with Phineas and Avery:

Yup, Phinny still thinks my lap/the Boppy is for his personal use despite being occupied. And a little side note: he's expecting a litter of his own. Sigh... yes, our other cat Mia is pregnant. The kittens should be pretty darn cute, though!

And here is Avery's solo act; don't you love how newborns literally just surrender to sleep (even if it is on their schedule!)?
And, Elizabeth, if you're looking at these pictures, I promise we don't just have Arkansas apparel, despite my t-shirt and the one of Avery here and on my blog! Just sayin'!

What I love about Avery now: his faux-hawk (well, it also looks like the tuft of hair, er, feathers, on a duckling called Fuzzworth); his gas or dream induced grins-they're totally lopsided; his spindly little limbs...Shea and Connor were much more stout than he is; and his complete and utter mellow-ness. He's so chill all the time (except when he's hungry or gassy, and those you expect and desire!), it's strange. But in a good kind of way. :) I still can't figure out who he looks like, so that'll be fun to watch.
Anyway, that's all for now... I'll be back soon!

Welcome, Baby!!

2009-07-02T19:43:00.003-05:00

I'm proud to announce the arrival of my newest little man to my blog family!! Baby came supposedly 5 wks early on June 30th, and I'm so excited that I was able to have the VBAC I longed for.

Here's my birth story... it may have bodily-related details you aren't interested in, just warning!

I'd begun noticing my Braxton-Hicks contractions picking up over the last couple of weeks, but they were so irregular they never caught me off guard or anything. I do remember feeling impatient with the pregnancy in general, all the diabetes complications, and just the huge feeling of discomfort I'd been having. I began asking Hunny and my doctors if I could have been any further along, but the simple answer was "who knows." I didn't share all the issues that had surfaced with my maternal-fetal appointments and the huge disappointment that I felt when told I'd no longer be able to try for VBAC due to the large size of the baby, and I'll admit to feeling frustrated that I'd have to endure another surgery and still be Mama to the two at home. I even asked at my latest appointment, "What if I go into labor before the 13th (my scheduled amniocentesis date); will I be able to labor then?" with the answer being "no." Needless to say, I was crushed and trying hard to deal with the disappointment.

On Sunday the 28th I began noticing a pattern to my Braxton-Hicks, but while they were still "weak," they were very noticeable. I contracted from 6:30 pm to about midnight, and remember getting very excited and telling Hunny, "This could be it!" However, they completely stopped after midnight, and I went to bed and woke the next morning with no new changes. I assumed I'd just experienced "false labor," and Hunny was golden in gently reminding me that all contractions are practice and thus a "forward" motion, not backwards as I was making them out to be! :)

On Monday, my back was hurting all day, which I just chalked up to sleeping fitfully (wondering if I was in labor or not), and the contractions came back, but they were on again/off again so I didn't think much of them. I asked Hunny what he thought of me trying some of the so-called "natural induction methods" out there, and he admitted some skepticism but was willing to do whatever I wanted to do. We'd already eaten a spicy curry on Sunday, I'd increased some of my physical activities, and I was getting so ready to be unpregnant, so I asked him to pick up a bottle of castor oil. (DISCLAIMER: this was not sanctioned by my OB (I didn't ask her opinion) and thus I in no way offer this as medical advice!!) I took a tablespoon in some juice right after dinner, and proceeded to clean the house a little more vigorously (vacuumed and swept, etc), and waited for the horrible bowel symptoms that are supposed to result from the castor oil. They never showed up! I was tired and decided to lie down, and when I did I realized my contractions increased. Seeing if they would help, I started to manually stimulate my nipples, and sure enough, the contractions both increased in intensity and regularity. I wanted to stay lying down in case it was the real deal and in case it would be a really long night, but I found that my anxiety and excitement kept me from sleeping at all! I called Hunny to pack some things (because as of this point, I'd only made a to-do/to-pack list, not actually packed anything for the hospital!), and this is when the light clicked on in his mind/heart and he just KNEW this was when we'd deliver! Unable to sleep, we traded places so I'd be out in the living room and he'd try to sleep as long as he could. I spent the next few hours surfing the Internet for first stage labor symptoms (!), and my water broke at 3 am on Tuesday the 30th. When this happens, I go wake Hunny up to tell him, and we spend the next bit of time trying to figure out what the best course of action was regarding the boys and me getting to the hospital: do we wake them up or me drive myself? We chose the latter, much to Hunny's chagrin. So, around 4 am I drove myself to the hospital, and it's funny the things I thought! I remember being happy there wasn't any traffic, being happy it was June and not July (Bear's birthday is in 2 weeks), and just happy that driving was a pretty decent distraction from the definitely increased contractions (they got much worse after my water broke).

I get to the hospital and check in, and of course am immediately subjected to all the IVs, and monitors. I was literally tethered to the bed, and even though I knew (and remembered from Bunkin's birth) this would make labor more difficult, I was still attempting a natural labor. I kept asking the nurse if it was okay if I continued to try to VBAC, and that's when she was like, "oh, there was an issue with this?" DOH! keep your mouth shut, Misty!! :)

After 7 am I began doubting my ability to keep going med-free. I hadn't heard from Hunny and I was beginning to panic if he'd even make it to the hospital since I had the car. My nurse was awesome at encouraging me to do whatever I needed; she helped me breathe and low-moan through the contractions, but I began to lose control because all I could focus on was Hunny not being there for the birth! I finally got a hold of him and he let me know that my sister B was coming home from work to pick him up, take the boys to her house and drive them to the hospital. At this point I gave in and asked for medicine because I just didn't feel I could do it without help anymore. I am actually really happy I got the epidural; it helped me relax, and I went from a 3 to 9 within an hour!! (I'd arrived 80% effaced and 3cm dilated) When my OB showed up she said it would be okay to just let my body keep working and see if we could wait for Hunny to show up, but I got to a point where I couldn't resist the urge to push any longer, so the nurse directed me to push a few times, and in walks Hunny and B, just in time to actually see me deliver Baby!! I was so glad they got to be there! I didn't tear and the delivery itself was mostly uncomplicated (I had a little extra bleeding than they normally hope for, but it was well-controlled quickly).

Baby was allowed to nurse pretty soon, but when they checked his sugars (required because of my diabetes), they were way too low: 22 out of minimum 45. They took him to the NICU, and he's been there ever since, but I'm so glad the hospital has been so supportive of my desire to breastfeed. I've been on a strict schedule (every 3 hrs) to attempt to feed him at the breast, but we've supplemented every feeding to maintain his sugars, which he now has (PTL). We are getting him weaned off the glucose IV, and while I'll go home tomorrow, he'll prayerfully join us this Saturday!

I'm so blessed and happy that despite all my fears and obsessing over the "worst case scenario" that God saw and met the desires of my heart and allowed me to deliver this little boy with a normal vaginal birth with no complications other than Baby's sugars. He is a beauty and so sweet, and we are so in love with him!! Welcome to the world, sweetheart!

Leave of absence, sort of...

2009-06-24T08:23:00.002-05:00

As is obvious by now, I've not been a very good blogger in terms of frequency! Part of it is simply being summertime, there is more to do, and part of it is just where I am in life right now. I've had spurts of things to say, but a lot of it would have been complaining, and I didn't want to drag anyone down with me so to speak!
To update everyone in my personal life, I have about 4 weeks til we deliver this baby, which I'm greatly looking forward to, even though I'm quite disappointed it looks like I will need a repeat c-section. I'm grateful that Hunny and I have two friends willing to come all the way to Texas to help us out, but I'm still battling fearfulness for surgery recovery (if it comes to that) and still needing to be Mama to two little guys at home as well. I'm also nervous about what 3 kids look like in "real life"--I thought going from one to two was hard!
Speaking of real life, this is actually my main incentive to take a decisive break from blogging (as opposed to the accidental beaks I keep taking). I need to get stuff done. I just got done reading an excellent article about being a calm mother and "getting off your butt parenting", but while I read those posts, I yelled at Bunkin at least twice without physically diverting his attention and redirecting him, and I ignored a plea or two from Bear for me to help him do something... also while having my couch covered in laundry that's been sitting there for two days not folding itself! I can make a hundred excuses for why I don't feel up to doing certain activities, but the truth is, often I take the lazy route, leaving me with disgruntled kids and myself highly frustrated as well. I need to take a season, especially with this new baby, to reprioritize balancing real life and all the other things that take up my time (~~crackbook~~facebook, anyone?). I have a girlfriend who refuses to get on the computer at all while her kids are awake... I'm on mine all day long for various reasons. Instead of reading about parenting, I need to DO parenting. It's great to be inspired and convicted and read about spiritual disciplines or healthy/natural living, but to what avail if I'm not actually DOING any of those things?
So... I need a break. I'm sure there may be random posts here and there if I'm particularly inspired by something or just want to show off my latest crafty adventures, and certainly I'll post when the new little man is here, but til then, I'm going to lie low both in my own blog and in the rounds I make reading others' blogs (in fact, I'm going to clean up my sidebar and narrow down to the blogs I truly love and get something from instead of trying to keep up with the blogging Joneses and link to everyone).

In which she cringes.....

2009-06-11T12:19:00.004-05:00

On my way to the doctor yesterday, I had a bit of an "aha!" moment.... but not exactly in a good way. More of an "I really thought that?" moment. I've had the idea of social justice on my mind a lot, mostly because of reading Shane Clairborne's Irresistible Revolution, and just thinking through the so-called practicality of a missional mindset (while my kids are young and as I wrestle through my own opinions and beliefs) and wishing fervently that Hunny and I found a place we could worship and find fellowship. Anyway, driving through downtown, I saw a woman standing on a corner where I normally see the same homeless guy holding his sign. I've driven past this same man for 10 weeks in a row (I see the maternal fetal doctor every week, thanks, Diabetes!), and it kind of shocked me to see someone else in his place, maybe especially because she was a she? No sign, no expression, just standing there, and I have no idea if she was homeless or just there.
For some reason I recalled almost simultaneously two things I participated in at college. The first was a class that fulfilled my Life* requirements, called Hunger, Plenty and Justice. It was both a philosophy and religion course taught by one of the most brilliant professors on campus. And I barely passed. I struggled so much in that class, and at the time I simply said that I couldn't wrap my brain around the philosophy side of the class. That's true (I still struggle to think through logic or other forms of rhetoric), but I think there was also a spiritual implication I just refused to "get" at the time. I was trying to figure out my own faith, and the Life course (among other things) certainly did much to shake me! I wish I'd let this class impact me more then and grow me up, instead of me backing down and refusing to internalize the issues we discussed: the idea that there is an inequality of food distribution in the world and the implications of those who choose to tackle such a huge project. [*At my college, before Freshman year, you had to declare Life or Search, a 2-year "religion" general education requirement, the difference explained at the time was the "Bible" course or the "History of the World" path.... in retrospect, despite its being billed as biblical, the Life course was very secular, and the Search course was not nearly as boring as it sounded at the time. However, Search students seemed to have twice as much homework as I did, so I don't regret that particular decision! Not to mention 2 of my all time favorite classes were taken as Life requirements.. so there!]
The 2nd thing I thought of was a servant-leader group I joined to help fulfill some of my volunteer service hours for the Bonner Scholarship I was a member of. Besides the preposition at the end, what's wrong with that sentence? I only did it to fulfill a requirement: to log hours of community service. The group was called Micah 6:8 (He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.), and their purpose was to learn to be servants by being leaders in the effort to promote social justice. I was so clueless. I thought life was pretty good back then, so I didn't really understand the term social justice (or inequality) at all... I knew that I was poor compared to some of the other kids on campus, but who cared, right? I didn't even end up completing the internship, and again, I desperately wish I could go back and be moved by others' true desire to be servant-leaders and to give to their community.
As if that were not enough, I then remembered an evening I'd been out on a date and ordered a very expensive fish sandwich of some kind. I don't remember why I got a fish sandwich, because the mere idea makes me want to gag now. If I remember correctly, it's because I was at a fancy seafood restaurant, and I was trying to mask my distaste of fish (which I don't normally care for), so I thought, "bread will help this." Needless to say, I still didn't care for it, and I did my best to nibble the bread and make it seem as if I enjoyed the food, and then was too "full" to eat it all, so please box the rest for me, thankyouverymuch. Walking back to the car, a homeless man walked up to my date and me and asked for change. Truthfully, I told him I didn't have any, but would he be interested in leftovers? He GLADLY took that box of nibbled-on fish, and I remember how relieved I was not to just throw the food away (and thus admit to my date I hated the food) and pity that he would eat a sandwich I'd been more than wiling to throw away. And I was proud. Proud of my solution to the not wasting food and proud that I'd helped this man out.
WHAT???
Yes, all this passed through my mind very quickly as I took my turn at the light, but I cringed as soon as I recalled feeling that prickly sensation of self-congratulation for offering a half-eaten sandwich to a man who deserved a sit down meal and a decent conversation. I treated him as the dregs of society and patted my own back for it. How foolish!!! How humbling?! What if God gave me that kind of grace? "Here. I'll let my Son's sacrifice cover about half your shortcomings, but really, I was just gonna throw it away anyway, so you'll be fine." SHIVER.
I still have no idea what I think about worldwide justice. Politics make things muddy. My own priorities make things uncertain at times. I do know, however, that I have a passion to not just BE in my own little world, ignoring the sufferings of others. I want to offer myself and expect nothing in return. I want to serve soup in a homeless shelter and not feel superior. I want to teach my kids that there is more to being frugal than trying to be millionaires. I want to have my own eyes and ears opened so that I can see other people and hear their true needs as Christ would... and love them as He would love his bride. This feels like a tall order, and I fear falling very, very short of this. But it's the journey I'm on, and one I'm still figuring out what it looks like. I'm also fairly sure I'll mess up along the way, but at least I know that His grace looks a heck of a lot better than a half-eaten fish sandwich, eh? It might look a lot more like 5 loaves and fishes turned into 5000, and that kind of grace is pretty awesome.

Cloth diaper giveaway!

2009-06-05T17:14:00.002-05:00

Oh my, way too much time has passed since my last post, but please, if you are praying for Josiah and his parents, continue to do so! I know Merri and Stephen have appreciated everyone who has lifted their sweet family in prayer!!

I have so much to write about and catch things up, but I'll start with OH MY GOODNESS, I have less than 50 days til this baby is born!!!! There's a lot that goes into that (while I'm technically 31 weeks, I'll be delivering by 38 weeks at the latest... so soon!), which of course means my mind is in overdrive!

One of the things I'm most excited about doing with this little man is starting him in cloth from the beginning. Since potty training is ~~nonexistent~~ not working at this point with Bear, I may have three kids in diapers, which means a lot of money! One of the reasons I never started Bear and Bunkin in cloth from their hospital days was my prefolds were just so huge on them. As I wrote before, I have some newborn sized dipes, and I'm very excited to get going with them!
As an additional boon, Simple Mom is giving away some cloth diapering options on her website. She has an EXCELLENT series on cloth diapering if you haven't heard me laud them enough! She has a great review of several of the major brands, and you or I could potentially be a winner of one of these brands, so go on over and check her out!!

PLEASE PRAY FOR JOSIAH

2009-05-16T09:25:00.002-05:00

Dear friends, I know I've been away from my blog since my trip to Memphis, and part of that was because Meg came to visit (we had a lovely time together).
However, I only wanted to share a huge prayer request for my sisters and brothers to lift up with me. One of my friends from Memphis, Merri, and her husband are going through quite a lot right now, as their 6 month old son Josiah has been diagnosed with a brain tumor and had surgery. His care will now be through St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which is right there in Memphis, and so God is already providing in huge ways for this sweet, young family. Please, take a moment to go to their blog/update site and pray big prayers for Josiah's recovery and healing.
When things finish settling down here, I'll be back to blogging, but I'm kind of in full-out nesting mode, trying to find an OB mode, and in general trying to stay away from the computer a whole lot. I've missed reading everyone else's blogs, though, so I'll also try to make those rounds this week and figure out what everyone has been up to.

"Ahhh Deee"

2009-04-28T17:24:00.005-05:00

Ahh dee in Bear and Bunkin speak means "all done" and is accompanied by their little attempts at signing the phrase. Adorable. Almost as cute as them is the completed baby sweater set I finally finished, so thought I'd share here. Again, this was such fun to knit because it was so quick, even with my accidentally sewing up the legholes and having to undo that! Here's the set laid out--forgive my unvacuumed floor, please.

And here is the little model showing off his baby rolls. That is, of course, me and my big ol' belly trying to stay out of the camera but needing to keep Bunkin still.... By the way, Brownie, that's a shot of our "new" furniture... at least you can see it!
This will be my last post for a while as I'm visiting Memphis this weekend. I'll be back in a week or so--have a great rest of the week and weekend!

You can call me (domestic) Diva

2009-04-26T23:28:00.009-05:00

Oh, my, where to start? How about a little randomness? I'm a member of a local AP mom email group, which has been a pretty good source of information on things like natural-minded pediatricians, etc. Every once in a while a mom will share that she's getting rid of cloth diapers or that she wants a partner for a co-op, that type of thing. Well, the latest cloth diaper advertisement caught my eye, because the mom was selling her gently used FuzziBunz for at least half off retail price--that's a GREAT deal, and I really love them. (We just have a few large sized and Bunkin and Bear can both wear them; at this age, they're just a lot easier than prefolds [especially since I lost my Snappis], and with Bunkin's rash of rashes [ha!] lately, the microfleece liner keeps him dry and is soft without chemicals sitting on his skin. All that being said, I love them!) She was selling 7 small size, and I told her I was interested. She invited me to her home to look through all her leftover diapers. She lives about 30 minutes from us, and let's just say I got terribly, terribly lost on the way to her house. And the GPS in my phone was not working that particular day (grrrrrr) and she hadn't given me a home phone number, just her address. Just when I figured all my time was lost and I'd have to drive until I could ask for directions, I saw The Woolie Ewe. I even recognized it because it's where I bought my latest yarn for my friend's recent baby arrival (they are the closest yarn shop to where we live). I had to stop in... you know, for directions! Well, let me just say I walked away with a crazy deal, but still spent way more money than I ought to have. I bought this gorgeous angora yarn made by Classic Elite called Lush, and it is indeed one of the most luxurious and luscious fibers I have ever touched, and the Ravelry raves have been extremely positive on how wonderful it is to knit (though, apparently, it sheds like crazy). Very exciting. I even have a sweater in mind.

Oh, and just for the record, I did end up finding her house and buying some cloth diapers, though not the Fuzzibunz I'd set out for. She was asking a bit more than I'd hoped, and after spending money at the yarn store, I felt I got a much better deal with some of her infant fitted diapers and contour diapers that I'd been wanting to try. Bear and Bunkin had so much fun playing with her 5 and 1 year old sons, so it was a trip well worth it all around!

And of course, as you can see from my yarn picture, I'm still in love with my new fabric for Bear's quilt. In fact, the night I originally posted about it, I cut out all my 3" and 6" squares. I can't believe I made the math part so difficult! Just cutting it was so much easier! Tonight I cut out the 9" squares, and thanks to Hunny, we got a picture of a layout that makes me very happy. It is so bright and so colorful, and it was so cute watching Hunny poring over the layout to make sure there wasn't too much "color clumping" going on! I'm so excited about this quilt (and I'm sorry I keep saying that!).

And of course, Phineas had to "own" my newly cut out fabric pieces, and was not happy about me trying to shoo him off!
Love those legs, Hunny!

After my long evening of cutting and arranging, I was ready for a break, and thanks to our trip to Central Market today, I had the perfect snack waiting for me:

Don't worry; I didn't actually drink the Lambic OR eat the Lindor Balls... they were very tempting, though!! (G, that cheese is divine; It's a New York triple cream cheese; I'll find the name for you--it was heaven and the very reason I'll not be a vegan!)

Last, but not least, I have two superfluous Cute Baby photos... I mean, this post doesn't have nearly enough photos just yet, does it? :) Here is Bunkin wearing the sweater I made; ignore that it's a girl sweater and obviously too small. I wish he were looking at the camera so you could see how pretty his blue eyes are, but clearly Desitin is waaaay more interesting! (Don't you just want to cuddle those rolls!)

One more, because he's just so stinking cute
Well, I've had a blast being crafty and showing off, but I have an EARLY doctor's appointment tomorrow and it's after midnight... Off to bed!!!

Crafty Love

2009-04-25T20:41:00.003-05:00

I've been wanting to try my hand at quilting for so long, and there are so many fabulous quilting blogs out there for inspiration that I've felt simultaneously inspired and intrepid to even begin. However, nothing quite pulls you in like the draw of the Stash, or in my case, the fabric store with its eye-candy: bolt after bolt of simple and designer fabrics, each with their own personality begging to be discovered. We do not have craft stores where I live. It's been amazing for me to discover this, and I keep thinking I'll wake up within walking-distance to a yarn store or some such miracle, but alas, I do not think this will be any time soon. However, one of the great little communities about 20 minutes away does have fabric and crafting stores, so today we went to Joann, and I was very overwhelmed with choices! Hunny took the boys to look at pets while Mommy browsed many different fabrics. I sort of had a tone-on-tone look in my mind, but when I saw a certain fabric section, I knew immediately I wanted some bright, happy colors. This is the quilt I want to make, and these are the beautiful fabrics we picked up today. (I'd love to disclose how much I spent on material, because I truly have no idea if it's a fortune or a deal, but it IS less than I'd spend on a quilt for a twin-sized bed. Oh, this is for Bear, by the way, as part of his birthday and graduation to big-boy bed coming soon! I can't wait to begin making this, but first, ironing fabric, and lots and lots of cutting--pray I don't have any snafus because I'm not sure I can handle that!

I wish I could portray the backing fabric better, but I was too impatient to wait for tomorrow in the daylight. It's sort of a cross between a mint and a pale lime (it's not blueish like mint green is in my mind, but it's not vivid like lime would be, either). I just love the rainbow colors, and I think it will be so bright and happy when it's all assembled. I'm SOOOO excited, I can hardly wait!!! I also intended to machine piece this together; however, I have no idea how to work my machine. That's a problem isn't it? I might be so ready to get this started that I decide to hand-piece it, which may not be the best in terms of neatness, though. Hmm.... Off to iron now!

101 List update

2009-04-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

Completed things are in bold, and newly finished things are in bold CAPS

Health and Wellness

1. Lose enough weight to be in my BMI target range.
3. Go vegan for 2 weeks
17. Try at least 5 fruits and 5 vegetables I've never tried before- Pommelo, CHAYOTE SQUASH, and Brussles Sprouts.
18. Exercise 30 minutes a day (weekdays) for at least one month I DID THIS IN MY FIRST TRIMESTER (GO FIGURE, BUT IT COUNTS!)
16. Drink nothing but water for a week
27. No fast food for one full month (even for kids)
92. Follow Tio's diet for one week - I have decided to just pay for this one. There is no way I can go from a carb-heavy vegetarian to his meat-heavy diet. It just won't work for me!
53. Take tennis lessons
83. Stop drinking soda entirely
84. Have acupuncture done
86. Complete the Couch to 5k program
100. Abstain from sweets for one entire week

Spiritual/Faith

4. Finish reading the Bible (as of start date, NT has been read)
6. Start journaling again. I'm so pleased to be journaling again. It's amazing how theraputic this is. 5/30/08
11. Take a seminary class that I will enjoy.
23. Read the Bible daily for at least one month (can include #4)
29. Pray for immediate family and friends daily for one month
7. Finish my Banner Pole of Remembrance
61. Read the holy book of another world religion
73. Memorize ten of my meaningful "life" verses/passages
93. Initiate and tell one person why I am a Christian
98. Find a church to join

General

2. Go to a "hot" beach (during warm weather!)
5. Go 1 week with no television
10. Finish the 1000 Challenge to get rid of 1000 things in my home (as of start date, 500 things remain) Nov 08 1000 things gone!
12. Grow and maintain a veggie patch (current tomato plants do not count)
14. Bake bread on a weekly basis (this only counts when I have successfully done it for at least 2 months in a row)
15. Train Pele and Sugar in obedience
19. Take a full spa day
20. Buy lingerie
21. Get fully dressed every day for at least a month.
22. Get my teeth professionally whitened
24. Get my nose pierced
25. Build something (a bookcase?)
26. Knit something for myself
28. Find a wine that I actually like (will take suggestions!)
30. Finish knitting that silly pair of socks
31. Learn to sew 5 practical things
32. Buy a bed and a living room set OOH WE BOUGHT A NEW LIVING ROOM SET, FEB 09
33. Wake up before the kids by 15 minutes every day for 2 weeks
34. Buy an original painting to hang in my home
35. Travel internationally for 30th birthday
36. Take pottery lessons
38. Bring no plastic into our home for one month
42. Learn to whistle with my fingers (loudly!)
43. Ask the Chef at Automatic Slim's for a recipe I love (if he says no, ask another professional chef). Cayenne Moon's Remoulade
44. Read 10 books I currently own but have not read 1. Sheperding a Child's Heart. 2. Velvet Elvis. 3. Blue Like Jazz. 4. Ascension 5. How to Raise an Amazing Child The Montessori Way. 6. Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline. 7.
45. Get my children's clothing line going DONT THINK THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN B/CS OF THE WHOLE LEAD TESTING JUNK. BUT I'D STILL LIKE TO DO AN ETSY SHOP OR THE LIKE.
50. Research and narrow down which home-(un-)schooling method I want to use THIS ONE IS PRETTY MUCH A WORK IN PROGRESS, BUT SINCE I HAVE BEGUN READING MY MONTESSORI BOOKS AGAIN, I’VE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THE IDEA OF INCORPORATING SEVERAL OF THE TYPES OF LESSONS IN OUR DAILY ROUTINE WITH THE BOYS AND SEE WHAT HAPPENS FROM THERE.
51. Utilize nothing but the farmer's market for family produce needs for one full month NOT SURE IF THIS COUNTS, BUT SINCE JOINING OUR COOP DELIVERY, WE HAVE ONLY GOTTEN THIS PRODUCE AND A LITTLE BIT MORE FROM CENTRAL MARKET (LIKE WHOLE FOODS), SO IT'S FRESH, AND MOSTLY LOCAL.
52. Change the oil in my car one time
59. Make a family tree or trace my genealogy
60. Replace at least 3 cleaners with environmentally friendly versions (for home or body) use mrs meyers clean day and vinegar/baking soda for house needs. stopped using soap for me (better than a natural equivalent, for me anyway)
67. Go ice-skating
70. Go camping as a family (if we have small babies, then camp in the backyard)
71. Design and bake a wedding-worthy cake
72. Pose nude for a photo shoot (after goal weight is achieved). CHANGED MY MIND. GONNA DO THIS WITH MATERNITY PHOTOS INSTEAD, EVEN THO MY GOAL WEIGHT HASN’T BEEN REACHED. PREGNANT BELLIES ARE BEAUTIFUL BELLIES.
75. Minimize energy consumption by only using clothes line, no lights before 6 pm, etc.
77. Change ten bad habits into good habits I am currently trying to stop cussing. I would like to change that into being a better encourager. TRYING TO STOP SLEEPING IN AND FULFILL MY GOAL TO WAKE UP BEFORE THE KIDS. STOPPED WATCHING TV SO MUCH IN THE DAYTIME, AND HAVE BEEN CLEANING OR PLAYING WITH THE BOYS INSTEAD.
79. Bake a perfect souffle
80. Try 5 cheeses I've never tried (even if I don't think I like it). cottage cheese, some melty cheese from whole foods, AN UNNAMED AGED IRISH CHEDDAR ON ST PADDY'S DAY.
81. Go to and play at a casino
82. Make limoncello
87. Ride a real roller coaster-no kids!
101. Take voice lessons
46. Finish quilting my square

Relationships

7. Go on a weekend getaway with no kids
8. Go 1 week without getting on the computer. Nov 08
54. Go to lunch with a friend once a month for 4 non-consecutive months Had lunch with Amy. Had coffee with Christina. TRYING TO FIND NEW FRIENDS.
55. Learn to and play a video game with Hunny.
68. Plan a romantic night for Hunny, and surprise him with it several times over the course of this project. 6/22/08; 8/9/08;
90. Become proficient in non-violent communication I've been learning to deal with some of Bear's obstinance by redirecting and helping him to put his feelings into words. ONGOING.
91. Study and understand Generalized Anxiety Disorder found an excellent website with great information. Already feel more compassionate towards Hunny and understanding his needs/fears. 6/29/08
94. Write a letter to mom I sent her a jar of peach preserves and a note. She didn't respond. 7/14/08
89. Spend a night at the Peabody or the Madison for anniversary

Financial

9. Save $1 a day, saving $1,001 by the end of the challenge.
78. Start a savings account for Bear and Bunkin Hunny started this 8/24/08
85. Cut my college loan debt in half. LESS THAN 1/3 LEFT!!!

Community

39. Practice acts of kindness for a full day (pay for an expired meter, pay for the next person's coffee, etc) 5x
40. Take a daily walk, picking up trash along the way, for one week
41. Walk (or run) for a cause: I’VE CHOSEN THE CAUSE BUT NEED TO WAIT TIL THIS YEAR’S RUN. I WANT TO RUN/WALK FOR WATER IS BASIC.
47. Continue growing my hair and donate to Locks of Love have to grow hair out again.
48. Meet at least 4 neighbors, and pursue conversations at least 2 more times each talked with one neighbor after giving him herbs, but we moved after that. Will have to start over in our new neighborhood. NEW HOUSE UPDATE: MET ONE NEIGHBOR SO FAR.
56. Send a birthday card to all immediate family and friends for a full year
64. Research how to join (and if I qualify, join) a bone marrow donor registry
69. Rescue a pet from a shelter (if we have small babies, then donate money instead) rescued sugar Oct 08
74. Research how to donate breastmilk and if there is a local bank
76. Have a conversation with a homeless person/volunteer at a soup kitchen TALKED TO A GENTLEMAN FOR A WHILE OUTSIDE OF THE GROCERY STORE. (YES, I GAVE HIM MONEY, TOO). STILL WANT TO DO THIS AGAIN.
96. Buy a TWLOHA shirt to support that cause got my shirt!! 6/08
97. Find a friend or group with which to barter services B AND I ARE GOING TO TRADE BABYSITTING SERVICES.
95. Buy 25 flowers for 25 random strangers

Enrichment/Learning

62. Read the rest of Shakespeare's plays (those not read in college)
63. Learn calligraphy well enough to nicely address envelopes
65. Learn to identify 10 (local) birds by sight and sound
66. Re-memorize the times tables (no laughing at me! I need to!)
57. Re-learn Spanish (become conversational again) This is only a start, but I had a short conversation with a mujer in the laundromat!
58. Read a book in Spanish
13. Read classic works of fiction every couple of months (list to be determined). Farenheit 451.
49. Be able to identify 3 non-Dipper constellations
88. Rewrite a college paper and submit for publication in a journal
99. Get pregnant! 3 months to go!

Baby Sweater

2009-04-18T21:46:00.005-05:00

I just haven't felt like I had anything to say lately, so that's why I've been keeping quiet (quality, not quantity, right?). However, I've gotten over my knitting funk by knitting a super quick and super easy little girl's sweater and diaper cover. I'm quite thrilled with how the shirt turned out (I'm still knitting the bloomers), and think it is just darling if I do say so myself! It made me wistful that I don't have a little girl of my own to knit for--it's just so much more satisfying to knit girly things!

Anyway, here are some pictures of the sweater, the front, detail, and back. I tried to get an "action" shot of it on Bunkin, but at 16 months, he's wearing 24 month clothing, and this sweater is sized for 12 mo (tho possibly a bit smaller because the turquoise yarn was a smaller gauge than the white). The pattern is from The Expectant Knitter (thanks, again, Biz, this book is my new fave knitting book!), and the yarns are Debbie Bliss eco cotton (white) and I can't remember who made the turquoise yarn; I think it might be a Rowan cotton. [If this yarn looks a little familiar, it's from a baby sweater I made for a friend, so handsomely modeled by the unsuspecting little Bunkin, and yes it is indeed Rowan Cashcotton.] Oh, and the little lazy daisy is stitched in yarn from my recycled sweater.

Should I put a french knot or some beads in the middle of this daisy? should I add two smaller daisies on either side? It looks very plain to me (this was my first lazy daisy--way easier than I thought it would be!).
(Yup, those are my rubber ducky PJs sticking out at the bottom of that last pic! Ooops!)

Can I make a confession about this sweater? I feel like I *should* give it to my sister K for her daughter Skylar. However, K is..... unappreciative of the time, effort, and joy involved in knitting for me. I truly do not think she would appreciate it. But something in me thinks that shouldn't be the merit for offering a gift, huh? I asked her when she was pregnant if she wanted something, but she pretty much said it didn't matter, which is why I've yet to make her anything, despite my love of a chance to knit for baby girls. The other problem is the sizing issue: Skylar turns one year in September, but is very petite. She's in 3-6 month clothing right now (much of what K says is still loose on her), so even come September, while it'll be warm enough to wear this, I'm not sure it'll fit. What do I do? Offer it in love and not grimace if she doesn't take care of it or appreciate it, or find another little girl to give it to?

Managing Chaos, part II

2009-04-07T20:09:00.002-05:00

Phew! I'm finally back to blogging my Managing Chaos posts, and if you missed the first one on Beauty, you can find that here. The second part of my thoughts refers to the idea of Quality. I actually wrestled with what to write, partly because I'm still stuck on the notion of Beauty (the 2 can very well be interchangeable at times), and partly because quality seems to speak for itself. However, the more I thought about what Quality means, one concept came to mind. When I go to a restaurant or make a phone call needing sales support (or the like), I expect quality, demand it even. I know there are times that I have pitched a fit mentally or otherwise simply because I didn't get what I thought I deserved. Yet, how often am I the one with less than satisfactory service to my own family? I've served food with a bad attitude, I've cleaned the house with a grumbling spirit, and I've pitched my own temper tantrums with the slightest provocation. Thinking about the quality of service I offer to my own family has been humbling, particularly in this season in my life when I've been pretty selfish and frustrated. I am not going to freak out with unrealistic expectations, but I am going to attempt to think about serving them in a manner that tells them I love them enough to pull out all the stops for them and give them the best. I can offer the best quality food (whole, nutritious things with very little processing), I can offer the best room service (ha!) with natural ingredients instead of a bunch of scary chemicals, I can provide the best we can afford in terms of environment and toys, and I can put their needs over my own. I bet life wouldn't feel as "chaotic" as it does sometimes if I simply remember why I'm serving them and the best way to do that! This was a good lesson for me this week.

(And on a completely separate note, would you please pray for me as I have to make a big decision this week about my prenatal care?! Thanks!)

Commercial break

2009-04-01T21:45:00.003-05:00

Just kidding-it's not a commercial, but that's what I kept thinking when I thought of starting this post off with "I'm going to interrupt my series with an Easter post..." I am going to finish the Managing Chaos posts, though, but I'd mentioned this particular "tutorial" to a friend via email, and she wanted pictures and the like, so I figured I'd post here so others could do it if they wanted to as well.

When I lived with Meg, one of the things I loved was learning various traditions she'd taught her boys, and I think besides the Jesse Tree ornaments, this one is my favorite. It is a tactile and visual version of the Easter story, and it works kind of like doing an Advent calendar in that you open an egg a day for the 12 days before Easter. Since today is the first of April, I'm late in getting this out there, but my kids are still a bit too young for this project so I'm saving up for next year.

Without further ado....

Oh, and sorry for the shabby picture. It's from my cell phone and on a spread out t-shirt with lots of shadows. Oops. The back row is eggs 1-7; front row eggs 8-12. The little brown papers inside the eggs have the corresponding verse for reading aloud together (and conveniently on the back it lists the objects and egg number in case things get mixed up). This set is one that Meg made for me before I left, and the asterisk denotes things that Meg actually made herself as opposed to using an actual object or prop.

1. Luke 19:29-40 (colt and palm frond*)

2. Luke 22: 14-20 (loaf of bread and cup)

3. Matthew 26:14-16 (30 pieces of silver)

4. Luke 22:39-51 (sword)

5. John 19:1-16 (purple robe/cloth*, crown of thorns*, and I also have the vinegar swabbed stick* that was offered to Jesus)

6. Mark 14:66-72 (rooster)

7. Luke 23:33-44 (cross*, 3 nails)

8. Matthew 27:35-37 and 27:45-48 (black cloud*, dice)

9. Matthew 27:57-66 (stone)

10. John 20:1-10 (burial cloths*)

11. Luke 24:1-9 (nothing for the empty tomb)

12. Acts 1:1-11 (cotton cloud* and silver cloth* for shekinah glory)

I hope someone else is inspired by this fun and inspiring little project, and if you do one, please let me know! Also, if you have questions about what materials were used in these eggs or how Meg made them, leave a comment and I'll get back to you, but despite my fuzzy picture I do think by reading the verses and seeing the correct object, you could easily come up with your own ideas!

Managing Chaos, part 1

2009-03-29T22:34:00.003-05:00

I read this post, and while much of it didn't really relate to where I think I am right now, this line completely connected with me: Managing chaos with beauty, quality, and ruthless simplicity. In my last post I mentioned how I can feel overwhelmed with Life with Littles, and it is precisely this concept of managing chaos that makes me say, "Aha! That's what I need!" But not only do I want to contain some of the craziness, I want to do it with Beauty, Quality, and (this is my favorite part) Ruthless Simplicity. Because I want to figure out in real terms what these three components look like, I'm going to blog a separate post for each of them, detailing how specifically they will work in our life.

In this season with my little guys at home (and one on the way, of course), I want to be diligent and faithful both, not only to them, but to my home and husband as well. And that can feel a bit like juggling puppies at times, let alone seem unsightly (say, when the house is a wreck and Hunny's due home in two hours). That's where Beauty comes in. If you're surrounded with beautiful things, don't you want to take care of them and keep them beautiful? Having finally just bought some new (via Craigslist) furniture, Hunny and I have laughed that we have "grown up" furniture, but the truth is that it's nice! We want to keep it that way, and Hunny's turned into this crazy cleaning machine... he has to straighten the living room every night, and I think that stems in part from the "let's keep this nice" theory. (Well, that and the "hey we spent $x on this and don't want to throw it away!) I've culled the boys' toys from time to time (cross-country moves are a nice incentive), and have decided to do so again so that I can replace some of the ~~obnoxious~~ bright plastic toys with some more classic wooden varieties, or even just toys that encourage more imaginative play. Not that we have to get rid of everything; I'm sure the silicone, oversize "lego" type blocks are just as good as a more natural version; I am, however, looking to get rid of battery-operated thingamajiggies as soon as the batteries no longer cooperate! Following with my last post, I'd also like to set up a specific space for Bear to work with some of the more hands-on activities I'm planning for him, and continue encouraging him to clean up when he's done.

I think I'm learning that beauty can come in several forms, too, for instance, just turning the classical music station on more often than the chatter-filled radio or another pet-themed kid's variety show. I love classical music, but rarely turn it on, so I'm going to aim to choose this musical choice a little more often. I go through phases where I ~~need less sleep~~ just keep the house cleaner than at other times, but I'd also like to go back to my FlyLady days, most specifically the idea that I want to "bless my home" (that's what she actually calls it; I love that it's not "chores," or "housework," don't you?). I'm also going to be a little more proactive to teach the boys to clean up after their first activity before moving on to the second-I get lazy and it's often easier to just do it myself, but that's robbing them of an opportunity to learn.

So, in short, I'm going to keep nice things nice through home blessings, cull the toys to replace lesser quality with a more beautiful and imaginative choice, and be intentional about the sounds and sights of beauty in our home, from cut flowers to music, and most importantly teach my children to love beautiful things and desire to take care of them. What do you think of managing chaos while keeping beauty, simplicity, and quality in mind? How do you keep your home beautiful?

Catching up

2009-03-23T23:27:00.002-05:00

I've been blog hopping with the Ultimate Blog Party, but now I have to say I'm a bit pooped with it all! Not because there are bad blogs, just MANY blogs to see and check out! It's been fun, but I'm also in a time of needing to balance* this whole internet + real life thing. I mean, the kids, they hafta eat I hear. However, Hunny has been brilliant in this ~~hellish~~ interim time that I've been sick, so I've been lying low and being a little more still than normal this past week in ~~vain~~ hopes of getting better. [Insert imaginary whine HERE about how much I hate being sick. Because surely an adult woman doesn't complain, especially when she's being taken care of hand and foot?!?]
*Regarding balance: Hunny said something today that I thought was quite profound. We were discussing a blog post I'd read that asked for tips on keeping communication alive in marriage while during the parenting-of-littles stage, and I asked him what advice he'd give. He basically said something to the tune of "yeah, communicating is really important," but then he referenced something I said in ~~another bout of me complaining~~ a conversation about needing to find balance. He said it's not actually about finding balance (apparently, it's over-rated anyway), but rather, it's about finding the happy median. Hmmm..... that makes so much more sense when I think about that. We are in a season of two-under-two-with-one-on-the-way, and there are days (and weeks) that I feel completely overwhelmed with just the everdayness of it all: the laundry that never ceases, the kitchen that won't clean itself, and of course trying to maintain some semblance of peace and order in the home. I've felt pulled and pitted, always thinking in terms of "can't," "not yet," or even "won't" when I need to be thinking in terms of what I CAN do now, which is finding a place that is "good enough" for NOW and be in the moment. I was talking the other day to a friend about being intentional, and I really need to think (and pray!) more about how I can be intentional in each of my relationships right now.
Which brings me to why I'm posting tonight at 11:30 pm. :) I was mindlessly browsing through some Montessori blogs tonight (hello-I cleaned up my Internet sidebar and re-found all these awesome sites!) and this one caught my attention. The idea of making an activity box of things for Bear and I (and even Bunkin) to do together is BRILLIANT, I say! Why did I never think of this before? So often I muddle through my day, admittedly spending way too much time on the computer, and at the end I'm left wondering what the heck I even did all day, let alone how did I spend quality time with Bear. This is why I was even perusing my Montessori blogs; I was looking for age-appropriate activities to start incorporating into our days as well as begin honing in on some ways we can apply a little Montessori-inspired activities for home preschool. The making of our Activity Box is going to be an activity itself, but some of the other ideas that I pulled from that list are:
(disclaimer: I'll paste permalinks later; I'm just trying to get this info down, but most of them are on her list)
-tissue paper candle holder
-bird seed pine cone treats
-stamps/nature stamping
-petting zoo visit or feed the ducks or pet store
-make wool felt balls
-marbleized paper
-dye white flowers
-draw with washable markers and spray with a water bottle
-bake
-glue cotton balls to paper plates
-make ziploc icecream
-make playdough
I'll also put in some Montessori activities for more structured playtime, and of course I'll add those as I read more. Bear is such a routine kid that I think once he gets used to activity time, he'll love it so much. We've never really done this at home, and I'm very excited. I've just got to figure out how to occupy Bunkin while we do some of the not-so-appropriate for his age activities.
Ok, it's officially midnight, and I actually need to be awake early in the morning. Sigh. I'll post more about our activity box and fix the permalinks later. For now, though, I'm going to be praying through being intentional and trying to complain less!

Ultimate Blog Party 2009!

2009-03-19T22:30:00.005-05:00

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN!!!!

5 Minutes for Mom is hosting their annual and awesome blog party for mom bloggers (and readers) everywhere! Last year, I hardly knew what I was doing since I'd only been blogging for a couple of months, but I still had so much fun and met so many great ladies--some of whom I now consider great virtual friends! Please, go check out 5 Minutes for Mom; there's even an awesome prize list, something for everyone!!
Of all the fabulous prizes to win, I'd love to win #7 Ergo Baby carrier by A Giveaway Addicted Mommy, #19 $50 Target gift card by Shoot-Me-Now, and #118 Old Navy gift card byManic Mother as my top 3 picks. If those are taken, I'd appreciate #2, 21, 22, 28, 30, 49, 50, 52, 91, and 106 in any order, or gifts relavant to young babies/toddlers.

I absolutely LOVE to entertain, and have been known to host dinner parties that absolutely stress me out! I wish I could say I were hosting a shin-dig like this one

but sadly, you're more likely to get this right now.

Life can be kind of busy as a stay at home mom to two toddler boys with one on the way! When I'm not chasing Bear and Bunkin around, I can be found knitting, reading, catching up on my DVR'd shows, obsessing over quilting (which I've yet to begin), and in general ~~wasting time~~ being productive on the computer!

While you're nibbling on yummy fruit, let me tell you a little about myself and my idiosyncrasies. I'm a sort-of crunchy mama who is interested in cloth diapering, babywearing and breastfeeding, but who also has plenty of Kraft and plastic toys in my house; we do what works for us! I would love to consider myself a domestic diva, but frankly, I'm just as likely to be wearing Hunny's t-shirts and PJ pants while puttering around the house! (I'm also a mixture of wannabe organized and downright messy, though to be fair, I'd love it to be clean and neat all the time!) I'm a poultry-eating vegetarian because of my recent Diabetes diagnosis (I need the protein), and I'm proud to be married to my Beautiful vegan Hunny. I absolutely love to knit and have recently gotten ~~obsessed~~ intrigued with quilting. (I worry it might go against my whole frugal mindset because there are some amazing fabrics out there.) So, in short, I'm kinda crunchy, kinda disheveled, kinda crafty, and above all, grateful for my sweet family.

If you want to know more about , check out my 100 Things List I wrote for last year's UBP or just browse around my blog; I'd love to get to know you, so leave me a comment so I can stop by your blog! Thanks for coming!

Boys, boys boys

2009-03-17T23:24:00.002-05:00

Just a very very quick blog update.... we are having another little boy!!!! I'm very excited, and Hunny is .... beyond thrilled! I think he may have smirked a little. He, at least, has a clue of what is to come, whereas I am completely ~~naive~~ sheltered! So, here's to the next half of our pregnancy. Oh, and I did meet with my dietitian today, and she wasn't as alarmed by my glucose readings as I have been, so I hope that is good news. I'm still trying to be diligent.

On unrelated notes, I'm about to pull out my hair with this silly baby romper, and if anyone wants to volunteer to make it for me, help yourself! Lastly, if anyone wants to pray that our house gets well soon, we'll take it; I'm just very very ready for all of us to be healthy and well and stay that way for a while!

Why diabetes sucks and projects to distract me

2009-03-08T23:38:00.008-05:00

Ok, I rescind all that about being fine with the whole diet thing. I was trying to be fine, but I'm not. Can I just rant for a moment and shout out to no one in particular that I HATE DIABETES. HATE IT. I was still encouraged by ~~ranting~~ talking to G (who also has this stupid disease), but after a whole weekend of eating correctly and my numbers still being out of whack, I feel like giving up, or to be more precise, drowning my sorrows in the largest slice of cake I can find. (That would be "happy birday to Edah cake," if it were Bear speaking--he's obsessed with blowing out candles and singing happy birthday to his cousin Ethan since his birthday a couple of weeks ago). While that kind of indulgence is highly impractical, it's also completely wrong, but I'm so aggravated that doing things the "right" way still isn't yielding the results I need. In fact, it's even more annoying given that I have to count calories, carbs, proteins, and all the while try to feed two little boys and menu plan for a family. Oh, and did I mention the whole pricking your finger thing? At first it doesn't hurt, but now every one of my fingers is calloused so I have to use the larger needle size and it does hurt! If you want, you can imagine me stamping my foot in a moment of childish petulance.

Ok, ranting done. Just needed to explain why I've been in a Lurch (again, a la Dr. Seuss; can you tell what I've been reading to Bear?) and terrible food-related mood. Chocolate chip cookies anyone?

However, I have been keeping my over-pricked hands busy today doing a project I've wanted to do for a long time. And that would be unraveling a sweater to recycle the yarn. Yes, I'm that amazing. :) I first read about it here, then read about it here, then was reminded how much I wanted to attempt this after reading she's doing it, too. A couple of weekends ago B and I went to the local Goodwill and there were a ton of sweater choices. I bought 3 for $12 and while I'd hoped to go with 100% cotton or wool, I did get two all-cotton sweaters and one mohair/nylon blend. I took a picture of all three sweaters, but then accidentally deleted it from my phone. I do, however have my first sweater, a lovely butter yellow cotton sleeveless turtleneck:

Following the above tutorials, I got out my scissors and starting ripping away. I ended up having to just cut out the neck because of all the "bad" seams, but I still yielded quite a bit of yarn for the $4 I paid for the sweater! Here's an in-progress shot:

And the final outcome! The only problem is I don't know exactly how much I have, and I can only guess at its gauge (I'm thinking dk or sport weight if you're curious).
This was way easier than I thought it would be, and I've already started my second sweater, which I thought was a beautiful variegated maroon and baby pink yarn; however it's actually two strands: a maroon wool and a baby pink thread. It was a little tricky beginning the unraveling of the sleeves, but once I figured out I was dealing with two strands, it made a lot more sense and went much faster. So far, I've done both sleeves and have two sizable balls to work with.
Now the fun part will be deciding what to make with my cleverly repurposed yarn, eh? The yellow will probably become a baby garment, and I'm thinking the pink would actually make a really nice scarf and hat, maybe some mittens?

Cornucopia

2009-03-07T22:51:00.004-06:00

Ok, one doesn't normally think of cornucopias in the middle of spring (it IS spring here in the Big D, even if you are getting cold weather everywhere else!), but I feel like we are in an abundant season, both physically and emotionally.

Case in point, after our typical week of shopping and my first-ever delivery from a local fruit and veggie co-op, we have so much produce on our countertop! Oh, and the picture doesn't show the HUGE potatoes we also scored--after I bought a 5 lb bag of them!!

Funny note: we have taught Bear to call grapes "uvas," the Spanish word, and he thinks all small round fruit are uvas. And don't cherry tomatoes just look so inviting? He sure thought so, but I guess that acidic taste was not quite what he had in mind!!

In terms of emotional security, I was in rather a Slump (a la Dr. Seuss) late last week because I've really struggled with eating well and making other healthy choices and then reeling from the ensuing guilt. However, I got a very encouraging email from friend (yes, G, that's you!) and I got a much-needed kick in the heiney so to speak. I feel much better now, even after a day of eating the right kinds of foods, even if my glucose readings haven't quite reflected that yet. I think I'm finally at a point where I want to do this diabetic diet for Me rather than even the baby inside me. I need it. I want it.

This is going to seem so unconnected, but I cleaned house like mad tonight, and that did so much to lift me up! I'm not sure if it was nesting, per se, but I needed the tops of counters, shelves and all surfaces to be cleaned off, and I made that happen tonight. I feel like I'm in a clean haven, and it's lovely!!! (I should say that Hunny ritually cleans the living room every single night, and it is so nice to wake up every morning and come out to a picked up space, even if it only stays that way for a mere few seconds!)

I've been keeping my hands busy with knitting the romper for Gilia's baby boy, whose arrival should be in a few weeks if he doesn't come home early. I'm not sure it's going to be the going home outfit she wants it to be--it looks huge to me! We'll see. Pics to come.

And one more randomness, we made the yummiest dinner tonight: very easy, very quick, delicious, nutritious, and relatively kid-friendly! (Was that a commercial?) I've had so much marinara-themed things lately that I'm just bored and sick of anything tomato-based right now: pizza, pasta, whatever. I saw this idea on a blog (I'm so sorry, I can't remember where), and thought we need to try it out! So stinking yummy. Seriously. And so adaptable, so if you don't like the ingredients we used, do your own!

Mediterranean Pizzas

whole wheat pitas, your favorite hummus, feta cheese, fresh baby spinach, red onion, artichoke hearts, cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, etc. Take the pita (I got the pocket-less kind), spread with hummus (I recommend roasted red pepper, but Hunny and the boys ate roasted garlic), leaving a little edge for a "crust." Then top it off! Hunny liked all of the above and also included some portabella mushrooms he needed to eat. I ate mine with just spinach, feta, artichokes, and olives (by the way, I made chiffonade with my spinach to avoid that whole one-bite-means-you-eat-all-the-toppings-at-once-syndrome.) I made the boys' version pretty plain: hummus, olives, spinach, tomatoes, and feta. Bear didn't eat much at all tonight, so I'm not sure I can say either way if he liked it or not, but Bunkin approved.

Anyway, I'm back to blogging a bit, after my accidental hiatus. Writing my letters was good for me, but was also emotionally wrought, so I needed space afterwards. And of course, knitting has been taking up a lot of my spare time, so if I'm absent in the weeks to come it's because this romper is making me go crazy! :)

Letters to Myself, Part 4

2009-02-24T12:52:00.002-06:00

This is the last letter in my series, and I'm sorry for the delay!

Dear 26 year old Misty,
You are in the somewhat unique and certainly precarious-at-times situation of being a new bride and an expectant mommy. Remember this first and foremost: God is faithful, even when His followers do not seem to be. The Church is full of people just like you who have sinned and who sin against others. Please don't let the condemnation you and Hunny have experienced make you so bitter you lose your trust in Him. But also own up to sin, be honest and real about it, and free yourself of the guilt that you carry. You have been given a wonderful gift-a precious baby boy growing inside of you. You're not going to believe how much life is going to change once he's on the outside!!
Love Hunny. No matter what. Remember how perfectly paired you two are, and seek to serve him in the little things. He loves you more than you even know, and he's going to be a pretty amazing daddy. Times are going to be hard for you two. There isn't much of a honeymoon period when you're hormonal and exhausted, and, um, you're going to be this way for several years. In a row. So rest in your husband's arms while you can before the little one(s) come, and when times seem too hard, pull those memories out and dust them off, display them on the shelves of your heart to remind him, too.
You know how you always compare yourself to everybody? Please quit that. It's not as much of an issue as a bride and wife, but as a mommy, you're going to face the toughest competition if you keep cutting yourself short. You will make mistakes. Plenty of them. But you'll also do some things correctly, and you'll even figure out that what works for you doesn't have to be what other mommies do, and that's okay. Use that god-given brain and mommy intuition!
And having a boy... what can I say? Your hands will be full. You will scream at him. He won't seem to have an off button. You will fall short. So will he. But He doesn't. There will be a moment very early on, where you will get a true glimpse of sacrificial love. Yes, my dear, it will be you doing the sacrificing. And as hard as it is, it's also the truest thing there is.
I wish I could tell you things will be easy and you'll get the hang of it sooner than later. I wish I could tell you that you'll always feel supported and secure. I wish I could tell you you'll never feel lonely. But I think you know why I can't tell you these things.
Just trust. You're not very good at it, but you need to get better. Trust Hunny. Trust the Father.
You've got some amazing times on the way, but I don't want to spoil them!
Love
Your 28-year old self

Letters to Myself, Part 3

2009-02-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to my 3rd installment of my Letters to Myself Series.

Dear 20-year old Misty,

Wow, in college, and a Junior! At Rhodes. You are having the time of your life, aren't you? You've made the best friends of your life, been out of the country twice now, and are knee-deep in a college ministry that is central to how you are developing spiritually. You're also not doing so great grade-wise. You really should stop going to The Ugly Mug when you NEED to study; that's what libraries are for, and you know you won't work at the coffee shop! So stop pretending. Your GPA depends on it.

Other than being the best time of your life, you are also experiencing new lows. But they're good lows, I promise; they're the kind that mold you and shape you, your beliefs, and your views of God. I'm so proud of you for talking to Elin and getting some counseling. Talking is good, even when it is hard, and please, keep sharing what you're sharing with Bet. She needs to hear it, even if she doesn't think she does. She's listening, I promise.

Breaking up with John is not nearly as hard as you are making it out to be. I'm sorry he cheated on you, but even when he says he's sorry, don't go back; you need to move on. And don't skip a whole week of school just because life is hard. Damaris will help bail you out of English, but you have two professors who don't care. And that is bad news. This is not the time to do it all yourself. It is ok to ask for help. People love you and want to help. Trust them even when it seems like you've only ever been hurt--you're just thinking that right now because of your depressed fog. Reach out.

I'm sorry to say your relationship with Mom and Dad does not get any easier. In fact, it's going to get worse. They are feeling threatened and insecure, and you don't know what to think anymore. But living a lie is not worth it. Please trust me on that. Right now you just don't want your family life to have been a lie, but it was, and will continue to feel like a lie if you don't get healing and move forward.

You are still struggling with self-worth and external values. Being on the ladies' ministry team is not going to make you feel like you're contributing anything. Being on leadership team is not going to cement you as a spiritual conquistador. Stop trying to be more than you are, and stop worrying about what other people think of you. It's not about them, or you; it's about God. Try talking to him sometime. You'll be surprised.

Oh, and about Canfield. Stop worshipping him. He's a brilliant professor, eh? But don't let him get so much in your head. Grow a little more, take a few English classes by some other professors. However, don't shirk your duty to figure out where you stand on some of the issues he's raised; they are going to crop up later in your life in a way you didn't think possible, and it's good. Oh, it's different than what you're thinking now. Let's just say social justice is possible-necessary?-as a Christian, and you will still have to wrestle with how you marry your brain and your faith.

Unfortunately, dear Misty, you have not seen your end of heartbreak in the relationship world. You're going to meet a guy next year and the summer after you graduate, you will be engaged to him. It's going to be a roller-coaster from here on out, because you are going to make some mistakes. You are going to move to his parents' house, and you are going to think you are going to die sometimes. But you're not. And Meg and Larry will be there in ways you have never known before. You're going to get even more wrapped up in Nick, physically, and emotionally, and your relationship is more dead than you know. You have placed him upon a pedestal where he doesn't belong. When he comes crashing down, your whole faith is going to crumble because of your misplaced idolatry. The recovery is brutal. But you will recover. You are even going to "get over him," I promise.

You have stopped talking to Mom and Dad because they continue to call you a liar, and you will even go through a period where you and Bet don't talk because of it. You will never feel more alone in your life, ever. But God is bigger than you are (you are only now making this your mantra in your life) and He will send a friend to help you, and a real counselor to help make new progress. And he gave you Meg. I know that you are worried that there is no way you and she can truly still be friends, but I promise, your relationship will be sweeter than ever in a few years, and she loves you as if you were her own daughter.

You will get married, and have children. That will seem a lifetime away to you now. But it's closer than you think. You won't join the military (I think you knew deep down that it wasn't going to happen), and believe it or not, you will move back to Memphis (it's ok, Mr. Right is waiting for you). You will feel pretty lonely adjusting to your friends who seem to have moved on without you, but you will make new friends, too. And you will emerge from all of this with a real relationship with Jesus. That is going to rock your world, I promise.

I don't want to leave tips for this entry because so much emotional territory was covered, but I'll write again in a few years.
Love,
Your 28-year old self

Letters to Myself, Part 2

2009-02-16T07:00:00.001-06:00

Today is the 2nd installment of my Letters to Myself series. To see the first letter, click here.

Dear 15-year old Misty,
You are in high school now, and it's not all you'd thought it was going to be, eh? (You're going to have a professor in college who will forever embed "eh" in your vocabulary, just FYI.) You won't automatically get a boyfriend, get a car, and get thinner when you're 16 either. Just sayin'. You're in the process of trying to figure out who you are and who you want to be. It's hard at times, and you will second-guess yourself a lot. But please, don't obsess over the ridiculous.

You've already figured out you don't want to be in the "in" crowd, but don't allow that to become pride and a sense of know-it-all; it pushes people away. Gilia's boyfriend is going to tell you when you graduate that he knew a couple of guys who would have asked you out, but they knew you'd say no so didn't bother. Don't let that kind of wall build up around you all the time. I know it feels safer that way, and in some ways, I guess it is, but don't forget to trust. You're going to need lots of practice, and starting younger sure would make my life easier!

Speaking of boyfriends, you're not going to have one in high school at all. But you're still going to go to prom with a huge group of friends , (Bet will be your "date") and you will have a blast, stay pure, and not get into any trouble. And you'll actually remember it, which I hear is a good thing.

Please don't get so caught up in external values for your worth. You do not equal who your friends are, what clothes you wear, how thin you are, or even how smart you are. And yes, you are smart, except in math, and that sure doesn't change. But you have already learned to use words as a weapon, as a way to not feel so vulnerable, and even when you hurl insults at others and it feels good momentarily, you feel worse inside. This is going to take you a while to figure out; you do, after all, have justifiable hurts that lie deep beneath the surface. I wish you believed that God loves you. You tell people He does, but you don't truly trust that yet. I wish you were beyond being just good to being a child of His; there is a difference.

I also want to know that it's ok to be confused about things right now, about family, future, and God. There will not always be straightforward answers, and you're going to realize soon how much of a control freak you are, and how much you thrive on knowing things and having it all together. But you don't. He does. He has a plan for you, including your past, all headed for your future. He is good, even though it doesn't feel like it. And start opening up your ears when you hear the word grace: it's fixing to knock your socks off!

Here are the tips I'm going to leave until the next time I write:
1. Try a little harder at math; it could make your college experience a tad better.
2. Stop obsessing about your weight. You're actually a very normal size, and you will long to wear a size 8 later.
3. Stop trying to compete with Bet. You will each come into your own and you'll survive.
4. Don't alienate Kathy now. She needs you and Bet more than ever.
5. Don't be mad at Mama and how much she's affected by what's happening to Michael right now. You'll understand a little better later.
6. Get a job. Save some money.
7. Don't expect grades to always come so easily. They won't.
8. Sing more.
9. Play a sport or spend time outside. It really is good for you!
10. Cooking dinner isn't that bad; when you are a wife, you will be so grateful you know how to cook!
11. You really should research more college grant applications. You are going to owe a lot of student loans.
12. You will get kissed, I promise.
13. This will be strange to you, but Gilia and Sonny are going to be the only HS friends you keep up with. But treasuring your new-found sense of identity while still being moldable will become important with friends in the next season of your life.
14. You are going to grow a lot in the next few years (read: have some really, really tough times), but go with it. Seriously.
15. Love yourself more. Quit procrastinating. Quit self-deprecating. Quit cheating yourself of the self-love you deserve.

Love
Your 28-year old self
p.s. I'll write again when you're 20

Letters to Myself, Part 1

2009-02-14T08:50:00.004-06:00

This is a project with many inspirations. I originally came across the idea at Becoming Me, but Musings of a Future Pastor's Wife, Mama Belle, and Not a bow in Sight all did one. I read them all, and you should, too. They're funny, poignant, and I can relate to various points in all of them. And so, like Angela, I'm going to do a series of letters to my younger selves. I think the original goal was to write a letter to yourself 20 years younger, which puts my initial entry at much younger than some of the above letters, but it's actually a critical age. This first one will probably be my hardest letter to write, as it lays the groundwork for my older selves as well.

Dear 8-year old Misty,

I'm going to say some things and use some words that may not make sense to you now, or that might make you uncomfortable, and that's OK. Eight is going to be a hard age for you. Mama just got married to a man who will sweep your family off its feet, and it's going to seem like a whirlwind. You're going to go from calling him Mr. Richard, to Pops, to Daddy as he encourages you to truly think of him as your dad. You are going to long for his love like nothing you've ever experienced before, and (oh, this breaks my heart to tell you) he is going to hurt you. He is going to tell you he loves you and give you things, and even tell you that you are his favorite, but this will cost you a lot in terms of your sense of self-worth and fuzz out your ideas of black and white truths.
He is going to teach you who Jesus is, and that is a good thing. Listen to your heart's stirrings; you really do want to be a Christian, even though it seems scary, and even though you will feel guilty for being too shy to tell other people about who your new Savior is, a seed of faith has been planted deep inside of you. But your view of God the Father is going to get muddy because you're not really sure what a good father is.
Daddy is going to touch you in places that make you uncomfortable. He is going to want to kiss you in ways you don't like. He is going to ask you to touch him in places that you know is wrong. And this is going to happen for a few years. You aren't even going to know that it's happening to Beth and Kathy as well. You think you are alone, but you're not. And you're still going to love him, because you honestly don't know any better, and because you want better for yourself. And that's OK, too.
You will eventually tell Mama, but she's not going to believe you. You will not know how bad that hurts until you are much, much older. And you're never going to talk about it again after that night until you are a Freshman in college. And by the way, that castle that you see on your way to the zoo? It's not a castle--it's where you're going to college and where some of the best things in your life are going to happen to you!
Chin up, sweet Misty. Be strong. Don't get so caught up in fantasy and reading that you are numb to what is going on around you. I wish I could encourage you to tell someone else, but I think Our Father had a different plan. And one last thing: you will share your story to a girl in China (China!) in a few years, and she is going to love the Lord because of it. So maybe that was the whole reason you're hurting right now, I don't really know.
Now that I talked about some heavy things, I'd also like to give you some tips to help you in this season of your life.
1. Stop being a couch potato. Being outside is a good thing. But wear sunscreen: you will only ever burn and freckle. And yes, you will be called FreckleFace many more times in life.
2. Stop eating junk food so much. You really will get cavities. And a little pudgy. Sorry.
3. Try to get to know Kathy a little better. She's just as much fun as Beth, just in different ways.
4. Don't be so shy!
5. Stop smiling with closed lips; you have a lovely smile.
6. Do enjoy Callie; she's going to teach you that you are a dog person for the rest of your life.
7. Stop eating onions; you're just going to throw up when you eat them, and it's not true: you won't like them when you're older.
8. Ask the librarian for better books than The Babysitter's Club and Sweet Valley High. There is a whole world out there of classic children's literature that you will love until you are old.

Love,
your 28-year old self
p.s. I'll write again when you're 15.

Fun Meme

2009-02-11T13:45:00.002-06:00

Step 1: respond and rework—answer the questions on your own blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.
Step 2: tag other people.

1) What are you wearing right now?
a t-shirt and lounge pants.
2) What was the last thing you read/are currently reading?
fiction: i'm reading anne of green gables and non-fiction: irresistable revolution
3) Do you nap a lot?
lately, yes.
4) Who was the last person you hugged?
bear.
5) What is your current obsession/addiction?
looking up quilting patterns
6) What is the last thing you said out loud?
i love you (talking to hunny on the phone).
7) What websites do you always visit when you go online?
e-mail, facebook, babyfit, google reader
8) What was the last item you bought?
groceries
9) What is your most challenging goal?
potty training bear.
10) If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished, anywhere in the world, where would it be?
a farm somewhere here in texas probably.
11) Favorite Vacation spot?
i've never really been on vacation, so i have no idea.
12) Say something to the person who tagged you:
i wasn't tagged... i saw this on a random blog and lifted the idea!
13) Name one thing you just can't resist no matter how bad it is for you:
Chocolate. Chocolate. Chocolate.
14) What is your favorite item of clothing?
the pants i'm wearing right now. so comfy.
15) Favorite pair of shoes you keep going back to over and over, even though your closet is over flowing with a zillion others?!
flip flops, that is before sugar ate them.
16) Name one thing you can not live with out:
chap stick or some type of lip balm

ok, i broke the rules a little bit.. i wasn't tagged, i'm not going to tag anyone (if you wanna play, feel free!), and i didn't change or add anything... so there!

Nesting

2009-02-09T23:30:00.010-06:00

I've had several projects of things to do around the house lined up in my brain (is that a dangling modifier?), and I finally did one of them this evening! I read just recently a report that a woman was never more productive than when she was pregnant, and I get that; I've been a busy bee, and I'm gonna expose the skeletons in my closet... just kidding, but this closet is still pretty scary!

See?

Things thrown every which way....

Just a mess... books not returned when I got them out, pitiful yarn stash tossed aside...

And, yikes... same shelf as above, but with the bottom space: more books, missing glue gun, random candles from a party a year ago; that is some pretty bad organization!

Now?

This shelf is still mildly wonky, but that gives it character, right?

Yum, nice lined up books and photo albums, separated by category (knitting, gardening, quilting, pregnancy/birth, and old journals, if you must know!). Sigh. I just love organizing things, really... :)

Eh, still blah, but a tad bit better than it was before! At least there aren't any dangerous cords lying about!

It feels good to have this closet organized, and now I won't have to call Hunny when he's out of town asking if he's seen my latest knitting book or where I put some crafting supply. Yay!

Oh, one other thing I got done tonight was my Christmas Thank-you cards... yes, Christmas!! Oops... a little late, and I'm usually so prompt! It was nice writing letters and being reminded of the thoughtfulness of others, so hopefully I'm not in too much trouble for being a couple of months behind!

I'm here, sort of

2009-02-08T21:48:00.002-06:00

I've been a bad blogger lately; I'm sorry. You know how when you firt enter blogging, one of the repeated bits of advice is to not get so caught up in blogging ABOUT your life that you don't actually LIVE it? Well, that's been me, except I haven't been blogging. Wait, I know that makes no sense.... It's just that I've become obsessed with a couple of things and have been doing so much research on the internet, and it's sucking all my time, so I just haven't had anything to say, because, well, I'm not doing these activities yet!! Argh! I so want to make a quilt. I've been staring at archive after archive of quilt patterns and just can't wait to get my hands on some fabric and try it. I also am itching to get my garden started, though I'm not sure how practical that is since I'll be uber-pregnant and busy with a newborn come harvest time! However, it would still be such an accomplishment to feed my family in part from my own backyard, so I've been researching Texas-friendly varieties, planting seasons, etc.
So.. the most boring post in the history of blogs, but I felt like I had to say something!! Kinda like my dog ate my homework or something...
But I promise, I'll live life and blog... soon!!

On my mind

2009-01-28T09:05:00.000-06:00

This is a post that has been in draft form since October of last year, but many of the things I was mulling over are still on my brain, and since I've been lax about blogging, figured I could at least finish this post and see where it takes me.
I had watched the movie "Freedom Writers," and it deeply affected me, in the sense that I had lots of questions after I saw the movie, most particularly about the idea of social justice and my "obligation" to it as a Christian. Hilary Swank's character became quite dedicated to teaching in an inner-city, underprivileged school, mostly minority school, yet her own life fell to pieces as she sacrificed everything to make sure her students got the best chance at a real education. I admire that (really!), but what about her own husband? To whom did she owe a greater obligation? How does one juggle both giving to others and giving to your family? Is it one of those "seasons of life" things? (As in, right now while my kids are little and need much more attention, is it right and normal to not have a sense of outreach, but at the same time, if I'm not showing by example, how do I raise aware and compassionate kids myself?) I watch movies like this one, or more recently read books like George Barna's Revolution and I get this burning sensation that I want to do and be more. I come from a long line of service and volunteering, and in college it became a part of my identity. I am not really sure how my desire to give back fell by the wayside, but it's been easy to keep at bay with just having a family. While living with Meg, I heard over and over how you need to take care of your own backyard before worrying about others, and to a great extent, I think I believe that. But I don't want to permanently squelch my hope of service and eternally procrastinate or make excuses for not doing what I can. I think another factor that makes me over think things is the idea of barriers: race, class, gender, religion, etc. I tend to be afraid of unknowns and change, but I want to change.. be change (be the change you want to see; isn't that the Gandhi quote?). The other aspect of all of this that I've been considering lately is the idea of community. It pairs well with the above questions when you consider "Who is my brother?" and yet, it's more, too. Hunny and I have had several conversations regarding who our community is. Do we look for it in a traditional "brick and mortar" church, where we do not feel we fit, or do we find a small house or "organic" church where we might fit in just fine but with whom we may not agree with the theology? Do we just hang out with friends (that are as of yet unmet), or do we go create them (er, go out and get them... however you say it!)?
So, basically, I'd love to hear any one's thoughts on these issues, and I'm also just getting it down on virtual paper so that I can clear my head for a little while!

Happy Anniversary Post, Part II

2009-01-21T06:00:00.000-06:00

Now that you know where Hunny and I started, I found a pretty amazing post (at the blog Simple Marriage.. I've only browsed around a little while, but I'm already a fan of this well-written and encouraging blog) talking about what the writer loves about being married. I thought I'd take his great list and tell you how Hunny fits that mold.

Companionship Hunny, I know you think B is my other half, and she is.. in so many ways. But the truth is so are you. I'm a triplet for a reason: I understand thirds!! :) You are just the perfect fit for me, and you are truly a perfect companion for me.
Love I can't say it any better than the original romantic: Song of Solomon 8:6 "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away."
Laughter I've already said I love the sound of Hunny's laughter, but I also think the fact that we daily laugh WITH one another has been huge for us.
Connection You seem to have an uncanny ability to read my mind, and you and I have a connection that I've only ever had with one other person (B!).
Shared adventure Oh, boy! Have we ever been on an adventure called parenting! We've probably made more mistakes, laughed harder, and been comrades more in raising kids than any other aspect of our relationship.
Passion I love your passion, and the passion we share with one another. This is probably one of the areas that we show more of our differences in, and I think that adds such a fun element to who we are together.
Friendship Aside from B you are my best friend. I don't know anyone else as well as I know you, and I KNOW you know me better than anyone else.
Deep conversations AND Simple conversations (I combined these two from his list) I love that we talk. I love that when dating I noticed how we'd rather talk all night long than have it end on us. I love that we still talk into the night. I love that words are our way of communicating.
Hearing someone say “I love you” I love it when you tell me completely spontaneously that you love me. It's just a notch above hearing Bear say "Yuy you!"
Knowing the little quirks of another human being Umm, you have LOTS of quirks! I probably have more, though! :) I love your quirks. It makes me feel like I know you really well.
Co-parenting our children This one has been hit on sort of, but I never imagined that parenting could be as hard and beautiful as it is. I'm so grateful and blessed that you are the co-producer of our kids (because, goodness, we make some pretty ones!) and so thrilled that you get to share in all the not-so-fun things like nighttimes, early mornings, dirty diapers, and spit-up. But you also revel in the amazing things like playtime, naptime, and cuddletime.
Being authentic This is a phrase that is borderline too church for me, but I get it. Authenticity is really, really hard. It is a hard job to day in day out be real with a person, even if you share that space with them! However, it is precisely this level of willingness to bare ourselves to each other that allows trust and love to deepen.
All the inside jokes between us This is an easy one. But if I share them here, then they won't just be between us anymore!! Again, it just speaks to our ease with one another and a level of awareness and intimacy that can be playful.
Memories of past experiences together Well, as you know, this is one of my favorite past-times with you. I love remembering things we did when we dated and pre-kids. I love remembering trips we've taken, conversations we've had, and little unimportant details. (The funny thing is, you seem to think my memory is highly selective!!)
Watching football together, or any sports for that matter I actually really love this one. I never thought I'd enjoy watching sports, but your passion and enthusiasm were addicting, and now I'm proud to join the ranks of the Hogs and Gunners, or the Black Cats :)
Someone to challenge me to be a better woman And you do challenge me.. to be a better mommy, better wife, and better partner.
Good make out sessions To keep this PG I'll just leave it at that.

I edited the list to suit my needs, and there is a lot more I could probably say, but suffice it to say I love you, and Happy Anniversary!!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Happy Anniversary Post, Part I

2009-01-20T13:05:00.003-06:00

Our anniversary isn't until tomorrow, but I found something neat that I wanted to do for that, but still wanted to share how Hunny and I met for those of you who don't already know! I still think it's a great story!!
In summer of 2004 I had just moved back to Memphis after a few years in Atlanta, and I was swearing off men, trying to figure out my place in my old group of girlfriends, and in a different spiritual place as I was truly branching out on my own after living within the shelter of my spiritual mom. I had originally planned to join the Air Force as a last-resort attempt to get out of Atlanta but not move back home, but things didn't work out (long story), and so Memphis it was. I got a job with The Ugly Mug, a coffee shop I'd volunteered for in college. This was a little different, though, because they had set up a kiosk at the FedEx Forum downtown as opposed to a little coffee shop in midtown. The Mug also had begun handling catering orders, and my manager N would often do those. One evening I got a call saying that I should not go downtown but instead "out east" to the Agricenter for a catering job--I was excited because instead of waking up at 5, I could sleep in til 7! Or so I thought... At 3:30 that morning I got a knock on my door and two uniformed police officers were at the door asking if I owned a "___" vehicle, to which I warily answered "yes." (Y'all probably already know where this is headed, eh?) Sure enough, my car had been broken into, glass shattered all over the street and my car seat. The crazy thing, though, is I wasn't mad. At all. You'd have to really know me to know why that is so weird, but I attribute it all to a conversation I'd had with God the night before, and my attitude that morning was "bring it on!" I will admit to being a little uncomfortable when one of the cops hands me a bag I usually kept in my glove compartment for my perusal to see if anything was missing from it. The remaining items: sanitary napkins in all their bright pink glory and a tube of chapstick. On my way to work later that morning I was distracted with how I was going to get all the glass out of my ~~butt~~ car seat and how much it would cost to replace, and by the way, how did one go about finding this information out without a brother, father, or boyfriend on hand? Upon my arrival at the Agricenter I looked for the booth I was supposed to be working and my boss who was supposed to show me how to use the portable machines, and it began to rain. Again, I didn't get mad, I just laughed! I searched everywhere for something I could use to block my window, and finally just asked a random guy if he had any trash bags I could put in my window. This man helps me and even tapes it all up, and we discover that he worked for the company that had hired my company for catering! His name was Johnny. As I'm making coffee for the various guests at the trade show, in walks Hunny (although he wasn't yet Hunny!). We meet and greet one another, and ... I kid you not... I was immediately drawn to the way he looked at me... or in me, rather... he looked right into my eyes and it was like he knew me. At one point, Johnny asked why I had a UPC code on my wrist (click here for a visual), and Hunny immediately piped up, "That's not a UPC code; it's Hebrew." I was duly impressed. After that we pretty much didn't stop talking and I went home telling everyone I'd met my future husband. Of course, while at the trade show, I let them know that I worked downtown at the FedEx Forum. Did I mention that Johnny and Hunny's company cleaned the floors at said FedEx Forum and just happened to find time in their busy day the next day to see me? And I told them that while it had continued to rain, my car got wetter and wetter and stinkier and stinkier, and since they cleaned floors, could they by chance clean car carpets/upholstery too? Sure! So I visited their office, Hunny made sure the guys did a great job cleaning my car while I sat in his office and knit as we talked and talked and talked.
We began exchanging emails and it was over. Hunny and I have so much in common and are cut from the same cloth. I just love how ordained everything was and how we met not on our own terms at all.
I'm so glad I met you, Hunny, and that you asked me to marry you! It's been a whirlwind at times, but I've loved every step of the way!

Happy Birthday Hunny!!

2009-01-15T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today is my beautiful husband's birthday (he's getting old, y'all!), and I am so excited that God saw fit to bring us together, because, truly, Hunny is perfect for me. In fact, he even mentioned that himself on Sunday when we were driving around after the daily java run. Hunny likes to meander when he drives... take back roads, roads-that-aren't-even-roads, and in general drive where there is sure to be no other traffic. Anyway, so we were driving through a business park and I said, "Let's play a game; guess that business!" Now most of you might be bored to tears at the suggestion, or just think I'm a loon, and that's ok, but Hunny lit up like a Christmas tree (is it too late to use Christmas references?). These are the kinds of silly things he and I do, and have fun! I've mentioned before that I should share the story of how we met... and guess what? I'm going to do just that, but next week (for our anniversary). Today is all about him.

34 Things I love about my Hunny:

-He's tall
-He's got green eyes
-He's smart
-He lets me win sometimes.. maybe all the time
-He gives the best back massages
-He sings to me
-He is the most "hands-on" dad I've ever seen
-Whether it's napping with a newborn or rough-housing with a toddler, he loves his kids beyond life and they know it
-He wrestles with spiritual things but has never lost his faith
-He is fiercely loyal, even when his family hurts him
-But he puts me and the boys above his mom and brothers
-His laugh; I could listen to him laugh all day
-He has never once yelled at me, despite the fact that I have not returned the favor
-He doesn't even get outwardly angry at me, and that should be impossible
-He is articulate.
-And he gives me kisses when I use big words.
-He kisses me a lot, actually. :)
-He has lovely hands. Like a pianist or a doctor
-We still have things to talk about after years of talking to each other
-He challenges me to think for myself, something I think I used to be afraid of
-He invites me in, even when that's hard for him to do
-He celebrates my successes and mourns with me in loss
-He actually looks into my soul and he listens to me with his heart
-He is HOTT
-He is willing to learn and grow... He researches to the max, deliberates, then makes up his mind, often changing his own course of action if necessary (for instance, my Atkins meat-eater has now turned vegan on me!)
-He is disciplined
-He has turned into a neat freak!
-He is my helpmeet... it should be the other way around I think, but he does so much to help out and make sure that my needs/wants are met before his
-He is so patient (ok, maybe except in driving scenarios!)
-He is so strong: emotionally, physically, spiritually
-He worries too much, but I've finally figured out that it's because he cares so much about us
-He stands up for what he believes
-He is my soulmate, my partner
-He is my best friend
-He loves me and I love him (I think that's 35... one to grow on!!)

Happy birthday, babe!

Motherwear's Breastfeeding Carnival

2009-01-11T10:21:00.008-06:00

Welcome, Motherwear blog Carnival of Breastfeeding readers!

My 2009 Breastfeeding Goals

Since becoming a mother 3 years ago, I have learned more than I thought possible, both about myself and who I would become as a parent. Without having a mother to turn to and ask a lot of specific questions, and only a couple girlfriends who’d had babies before me, I felt lost at times. I’m grateful that I did have a mentor in my life previous to my becoming a mom who casually told me about some of her child-raising experiences including co-sleeping, cloth diapering, child-wearing, and breastfeeding. When I finally had my first son, I knew that for me, not breastfeeding was not an option. That decision cost me a lot of tears in those first few weeks while Shea and I tried to establish a good latch and routine. Sure, I read a few books, some even with great pictures, but I didn’t feel brave enough asking for outside help.
Something magical happened around six weeks when it seemed as if Bear just “got it,” and our nursing experience became the sweet bonding time I’d heard and read about. When my second son was born, I again knew that breastfeeding would be the only way for us. Imagine my dismay when due to some glucose problems he had in the hospital, the nursery staff did not allow me to nurse him for almost our whole duration after labor. I almost gave up completely because he just would not nurse after the ease and ready milk provided by the hospital bottles. It took almost a full 24 hours with both of us frustrated before he gave in, nursed, and we successfully nursed for a year, and now I’m pregnant with my third child.
My breastfeeding goal for 2009 is just to relax and to be brave. With Bear, I discovered a few like-minded moms through AP forums and websites, and I secretly envied their ability to nurse in public with no qualms. With Bunkin, I got much braver and said “My baby comes first!” and was able to feed without too much self-consciousness. My breastfeeding advocacy has been mostly word-of-mouth, encouraging new moms of the benefits of breastfeeding, although I did join the Facebook group Hey, Facebook, Breastfeeding is Not Obscene. For me, relaxing and enjoying this new little one is paramount to what I have planned in 2009. If there are opportunities to share about my experiences, I would love to be an encouragement to any mom or mom-to-be, and encourage her to relax and be brave as well, because breastfeeding is truly a blessing. Breastfeeding is so much more than just milk, although at it's most base, at least it's about that! But thankfully it can also be about closeness, fingers entwined, baby eyelashes against baby cheeks, and that slow, steady breathing that means the world, for a while, is at peace.

(a picture of me and Bunkin when he was about 4 weeks old)

Check out some of the other breastfeeding goals (I'll update as the posts go live!)
Beautifulletdown
Hobomama
zen-mommy
Motherwear
Milkact
Breastfeeding123
Blactating
Breastfeeding123
Mamaknowsbreast
Breastfeedingmums

Pet Meme

2009-01-10T19:08:00.005-06:00

First, so many hugs and thanks to all you wonderful ladies for encouraging me after my last post. I'm no longer quite on a pity-party wagon, so that's good! I realize that there is purpose in all things, and this diagnosis has come at a time and point in which I was not motivating myself to be healthy and so now my hand is being forced, so to speak. But truly, thank you for kind words and virtual hugs; they made me feel so much better!

Tonggu Momma tagged me in a fun little meme, and since I love pets, I'm more than willing to oblige! (However, TM, I have to make one minor little correction: I most assuredly am a dog person, and yes we do own 2 cats, but we also own 2 dogs. I just don't have reason to talk about the dogs as much, because ~~Leos~~ cats are just much more interesting to talk about! In my defense, I married into Mia the Siamese's family, and after we got rid of Hunny's dog, I thought since he's a ~~weird cat lover guy~~ cat person he'd like a cat, but Phineas adopted me instead. Take that, Hunny! I'm sure it's just because I'm a Leo, after all.)

1. What is the first pet you remember?
The first animal I have memories of is my mom's cat Bart, whose name was originally Little Fart, until she got pregnant with my brother and realized that may not be the most appropriate name. In keeping with the same sounds, he was Little Bart, and then just Bart. He was a Russian Blue, which if you've never seen a real one, they are kind of odd looking. Very aquiline facial features and extraordinarily large ears. He lived til I was 14, so we pretty much grew up together.

2. How many different kinds of pets have you owned?
Growing up, we lived "out in the country" (although I think Hunny disagrees with my assessment of "country"), and we had at various points, dogs (too many to count), cats, birds, rabbits, goats, chickens, a pig, and we cow-sat once. So that's 7 species. Wow.

3. What was your strangest pet?
I personally have never had a strange pet, so I'll speak for my sister K instead... When one of our goats had a kid (haha, pun totally intended), she fell in love with it, and the feeling was entirely mutual. Sweet P (It was originally "Pea" til we found out she was a he) would literally follow her everywhere... even tried getting on the school bus a few times. We sang K--- had a little goat all the time. He came in the house and everything.

4. What is your dream pet?
I'd love to raise alpacas, but I'm not sure if that is like owning a pet. There's just something about a dog wanting to be petted that endears the term "pet" to me.

5. What is your nightmare pet?
Tarantulas. I'm going to encourage my boys to love nature as best as I can, but I really don't want them to want a pet spider. I couldn't handle it. I'd rather feed lizards little mice and crickets than have to stare at a hairy, multi-eyed beast. Shiver. For the record, I also think fish have got to be the most boring creatures.

6.Your best/ funniest pet story...
When Hunny and I had only been dating a short while, I wanted him to meet my spiritual mom and dad. Anyway, about a week before we were to visit them, I spontaneously got a yellow lab mix puppy. I'd also just baked Hunny a birthday cake, his favorite-Red Velvet. This was one of the best from-scratch cakes I'd ever made, and I wanted to take a piece to Meg to share the goodness and keep it from going stale while we were away. I grabbed one of those plastic take-away canisters from the coffee shop I worked at, filled it with a huuuuge slice of cake, and off to Atlanta we drove with Pele in the back seat. At one of our gas-filling stops, I got out of the car to stretch and grab some goodies, and I let Pele out of her crate but kept her in the car. Needless to say, when I got back to walk her around, there was no cake left, and believe-you-me, this thing was as large as she was! She ate every last bite of cake, and this will be totally gross, but her BMs were a startling shade of scarlet for the duration of our stay!! Now when we look at Pele, Hunny and I muse that that piece of cake was only as big as her head is now.... they grow so fast!

7. Tell your worst/ saddest pet story...
This one still ticks me off. My first dog was Pepe (sorry, I have a thing for P names), and he was a black toy poodle. I got him when I was in 8th grade. He was supposed to be my mom's dog, but I went to get him with my dad, and I think we just bonded. He slept with me every night til I went away to college. While in college, my relationship with my parents went very downhill, and my mom didn't tell me that Pepe got sick, and they put him down while I was on an overseas mission trip without telling me. It still makes me so sad that I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye.
On a much lighter note, this is bad but pretty funny. My friend KP is from Northern Ireland, and when we were in college and she was going back home for Christmas vacation, she asked me to watch her pet fish Henry. Mind you, this was the 5th fish in a semester called Henry, so in my humble opinion, she was not the best fish owner ever. Hurrumph. Anyway, so I grabbed Henry's bowl and as I was saying goodbye to a couple of friends while waiting for my boyfriend to come pick me up and take me home, I set Henry on the roof of a car. After watching Top Gun for the first time in my life (I was only 19, only 13 years too late) with said boyfriend, I asked him what he did with Henry, and he said uh, nothing... Knowing that one of my friends was still in her dorm, I called to ask if she saw the bowl sitting on a car in the parking lot, but she didn't. I never did find out what happened to him... until we got back from break (yes, I was honest with KP and let her know I lost her fish). She worked in the mail room and actually overheard some guys talking about the fish that they found on some one's car in X parking lot, and it had frozen to death! I was so sad she had to hear it like that!!! The reason this story is funny is because just a few months later, the same friend I called to ask if she saw Henry and KP and I all lived together for the summer in yet another dorm. KP had graduated to a beta called Florida, and one day D called an exterminator to our room to get rid of some ants. Thinking the fumes would kill Florida, she set him in the open windowsill in the closet--in July.... he kind of boiled. So, in the words of Robert Frost, Some fish think the world will end in fire, and some in ice!! KP has never asked any of us to watch her fish ever again. In fact, I think she quit trying to own them after that!!

8. Did you ever have a scary animal experience?
I can't think of anything particularly scary.

9. What was your favorite pet?
As much as I loved Pepe, Pele is my favorite dog hands-down. She is just so laid back and kind of goofy. And now that she's used to little ones, she's a champ with the babies. She truly is the best dog ever. And this is completely superficial, but I love her name* so much, and it will make me sad when she goes because you can't just name another dog the same name!! (*her name is pronounced pay-lay, and I got it from a Tori Amos album, boys for pele. Apparently Pele is the Hawaiian goddess of fire or volcanoes and she'd take little boys for sacrifices. Kind of macabre, eh?! However, Hunny being the soccer fanatic that he is, doesn't mind the futbol reference himself!)

10. What did you really want to tell us about pets that didn't fit into the other questions?
I do not get cats... at all. They are sometimes downright mean, don't want affection (except occasionally on THEIR terms), and yet, I've grown to love Mia and Phineas. I mostly like Mia because she's beautiful, but Phineas is alright because he was such a cute kitten and now will jump into my lap, though goodness knows why because I throw him right back off of me more times than not!! Also, this is pretty random, but I used to be a purebred snob, and now I'm totally against this because of the inbreeding and mass-production it usually elicits. I will only go the route of shelters or very reputable breeders in the future.

The four I'm tagging are Melanie (because I know they've had some weird pets), Brownie (because I'm interested in what her answers will be!), Biz (again, because I'm curious how she'll answer the questions), and Kellie (because she strikes me as an uber-cat person [note I did not say crazy cat lady!] although I could see a yippy little dog as well!).

Disheartened

2009-01-09T15:01:00.005-06:00

Have you ever done something that was stupid, but you kind of denied that you did anything at all, and so the effects grow beyond your initial reach? That's how I feel right now, although that sounds all hokey and ethereal and not concrete. My midwife called me last night to let me know that after running my hemoglobin A1C, a test to determine how my body has been processing glucose over time, I am officially diabetic. As in not just gestationally diabetic, but real-live, need-insulin diabetic. I'm so thoroughly bummed I can't begin to describe the depression that has settled over me. I am depressed because I know it's my fault, and I feel so stupid for being all talk and not enough follow-through in terms of dieting and lifestyle changes. I kept telling myself that if I ever got pregnant again, I'd do it right. Well, now I have no choice, and technically speaking, this puts my baby at risk. I am 86 lbs overweight and have continued to make poor food choices over the last few months, even before getting pregnant, and I was basically in denial that anything bad would happen. I know that diabetes is not the end of the world, and I should be very grateful that we caught it this early so that I can get on insulin and regulate my sugars for the health of myself and the baby, but I'm still so saddened by my lack of caring for the wonderful body God has given me. I pray that He would sustain me and help give me the willpower that I have lacked, and that meeting with my dietitian will give me the tools I need to continue making proper choices for this pregnancy. And for those of you who feel led to join me in this prayer, I am really hoping to still be able to have my VBAC. Being diabetic automatically makes me high-risk, and so there is a small chance that I may have to switch care to one of the OBs at my midwife's practice, and she told me that if that happens, my chances of a vaginal birth will decrease, which frustrates me all over again. Anyway, this has been weighing very heavily on me since yesterday, and I haven't been in the best of moods with my family, I'm sad to admit as well, so please just pray that I can do what I need to and be encouraged instead of discouraged.

Community

2009-01-09T15:00:00.002-06:00

Isn't community the buzzword in Christian churches/circles? I tend to cringe when I hear over-used words or phrases, but community is one of those things that draws me in over and over. The thing is, I miss it. But sometimes I wonder if I've ever had it? It has so many faces, so many different expressions. I have true community with my immediate family and sister and her family, of course, but there are times I miss "the old days" in college when life was crazy in a different way and community was handed to you on a silver platter. That is to say, being part of a great church with a great singles/young adult ministry had its perks. There were a lot of us who worshipped together on a regular basis, albeit a little too caffeinated. I've mentioned before that moving here has been hard at times just because I'm lonely and feel kind of isolated during the day. (Side note: when I say isolated, I'm not kidding...there are days I feel I'm the only one home during the day! No cars, no people out and about, no kids) And, Hunny, if you're reading this, I don't mean you... I mean other moms, other women, other believers. I am not a huge social butterfly by any means, but I do need interaction with others, and I believe that as Christians it truly is vital to our growth or stimulation or just feel-good fuzzies, lol. We have not had great success in finding a church, but haven't worked terribly hard at it, because it's such a hard and long process. I feel like my posts have not been particularly happy sounding lately, and for that I'm sorry. I am happy; I'm just also feeling a bit lonely and wishing that I could find a friend or two here, especially for Hunny as well.

Random bits

2009-01-06T09:26:00.003-06:00

Here's another "bloggy salad" type post to say all those random things in one post.
The one that makes me happiest is I had my first midwife appointment yesterday. YES! I said midwife, and that feels so good to say, especially after meeting her for the first time yesterday. Her office is in the hospital at which I'll be delivering, and it's not like there were fireworks the minute I walked in (!), but the staff (all of them, even the receptionists) were so welcoming and informative. The nurse about chatted my ear off telling me about the way the practice runs and what to expect from a midwife, etc. When I did finally meet her after all the paperwork, it truly was like breathing a breath of fresh air. I know that sounds poetic and exaggerated, but it's not. I've had two rough go's with OBs I didn't care for, and to instantly click with her and know that she potentially would be the one to help me deliver my baby was just.... great. I am still trying for another VBAC, and so far we're on target for that. She was very enthusiastic that I wanted to be proactive this early on with the Gestational Diabetes, and that was encouraging as well. Basically it was a near-perfect experience for me; unfortunately my amazingly sweet husband who knew not only did I want to drive into Dallas for the first time unassisted let alone in the freezing rain, had to drive around w/ the boys in the car the whole time, and Bunkin got quite a bit fussy. The whole visit took 2.5 hours, so I don't blame him for being frustrated, either!!
Can I just say, though, that my boys are officially coming into their own? Bear is quite assertive with his little brother, and has a definite set of likes and dislikes, as well as a possessive streak as big as the state we live in!! Bunkin, not to be deterred, has sheer brute strength going for him, and it is pretty funny watching him successfully wrestle things away from Bear! I think we've got our hands full for the next 18 years! Someone, please send pink dust our way, pleeeeaaaase?
Does anyone have a really good dog-training book or video recommendation? Our little shelter adoptee is not doing very well, and I only remember the vaguest things from when I was obedience training our former dog Coco. I've been looking on the Internet, but as you can imagine, it is an infinite source, meaning that I'm not even sure where to start weeding out unreliable methods/information.
Lastly, I'm amending my "no resolutions/goals in 2009" stance, but that's because this particular issue is very important in terms of our family's health. Hunny has been having some issues that we are narrowing down to diet, so we may be revamping things seriously in the next while, and depending on the diagnosis/outcome, going to a gluten-free diet. I feel challenged by this, but kind of excited, too. I'm not sure if Celiac is hereditary, but I know that my mother and maternal grandmother both have it, so I think limiting or removing gluten from my own diet would probably be healthy. I know I still have a lot to learn about the diet, and I also know that we need to wait for an actual determination from Hunny's appointments. In addition to this dietary change, I will also be eliminating for once and for all (lol) high fructose corn syrup. I'm slightly abashed to admit that the foods that I rely the most on for convenience are those for the kids: waffles in the morning, breaded vegetarian chicken nuggets, etc. I'm trying to slowly steer away from pre-processed and -packaged foods like these, but first and foremost I want to get rid of HFCS. While I'm scrutinizing labels, I figure I'll go by the mantra of "if I can't pronounce more than 3 ingredients, don't get it." I feel it is finally time to engage my actions to follow suit with my heart's desire to feed my family as naturally and healthily as possible. Hunny will still be vegetarian, and I'm aiming for that unless my dietitian tells me to eat meat (I'm staying away from processed soy foods such as tofu, TVP, etc.) for the protein. I'm particularly interested in this experiment as I continue to learn about being frugal and simple, because my own experience has not been very successful with organic/natural foods coupons. It seems to me that buying generic foods is still usually cheaper, as well as coupons are so often for the convenience foods. We have a long road ahead of us as Hunny goes back to school, and there is a lot of motivation for me to truly have as a habit living frugally and on a wise budget so that we can set some money aside for when he has to be in school full-time (and if we're really wise and willing to live tightly, I won't have to work during that time). Phew! That was a lot of information!!
Anyway, I think that's it for now... sorry for such a random lot of uninteresting details!!

Books, books, books

2009-01-04T19:51:00.002-06:00

I made my Reading List for 2009, and just in case you're interested, here it is!
In no particular order:

I have to finish reading The Wounded Heart by Dan Allender, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and Reading Lolita in Tehran (author unknown right now).

Spiritual books include Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne, Reimagining Church by Frank Viola, Letters Across the Divide (?), Helper by Design by Elise Fitzpatrick, Shepherding a Child's Heart by Ted Tripp, and Living More with Less (is this spiritual?).

Parenting/child-raising books include Basic Montessori by David Gettman, Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline by Becky Bailey, How to Raise an Amazing Child the Montessori Way by Tim Seldin, and Montessori: A Modern Approach (can you tell I'm gearing up for home-Montessori schooling for Bear?)

And my miscellaneous group of books including nonfiction and fiction: A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman, Last Child in the Woods, The Unconsoled, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, plus sundry children's literature (I'm determined to read all of the Anne books this year).

Also, some of the highlights of books I read in 2008:
The Lovely Bones-Alice sebold*
The Divide-Nicholas Evans
Unless-Carol Shields (this was a re-read, but so good)
What is the What-Dave Eggers
The Tale of Edgar Sawtelle-David Wroblewski
*I recommend this one cautiously; it is a brilliant book, and very poignant, but deals with a hard topic, definitely not recommended for young readers.

Hello, New Year

2009-01-02T14:32:00.003-06:00

So 2009 is here. I'm looking forward to my 29th year of existence (and yes, Hunny, I can say that , assuming in utero is still existing... at least til August, when I really will be in my 29th year!) and as usual, have lots of plans and expectations for a new year. I'm not making resolutions, though, as I plan to continue whittling away at my 101 list. That's enough goals for anyone, dontcha think? :) Besides incubating a healthy little baby, there are a few things that get higher priority: obedience training Sugar and Pele; stop eating sugar so much (especially if the trend continues and I have gestational diabetes again); and there is a spiritual to-do that I'll keep mum here, but it's much on my heart and mind, so if the time comes, I'll share that, too. Anyway, I hope everyone had a blessed holiday season and happy start to a new year! I am looking forward to catching up on all the blogs I've been missing out on (although I must admit the inadvertent bloggy break has been good for me) and trying to be better at updating this little blog that could!

I need your votes, please!

2008-12-16T23:51:00.003-06:00

Please, bloggy readers, look at this sweater and tell me if you'd let a little girl wear it. Yes, I know it's baby blue. With tan edgings. What was I thinking? Well, the mom requested a neutral sweater, so I chose the tan cashmere. But, my dogs got it, and let's just say the ball shrank exponentially, which in this case means not enough to make a whole sweater (by the way, the "which in this case means" totally cracked me up as I read the Lemony Snickett series... totally funny writing). Anyhoo.... so I had blue yarn on hand and a deep-rooted desire to knit this quickly and frugally. I did indeed do both, since I already had the yarn, and I knit it in just 5 days! The 2nd band is obviously not finished (um, not even started), and the buttons are just lying there, not sewn on, but I wanted to go ahead and get opinions. By the way, this is the actual sweater pattern to see what it would really look like in girly colors. Well, not girly colors, but you'd totally see that on a little girl. I was thinking of doing blue ribbon instead of the i-cord frogs, but it's not working out, so now I just want to sew button holes and be done with it. Do you have an opinion on any of this, even if you're not a knitter? Please, help me... I need to be done and have it mailed by Thursday at the latest, so please give me your advice!! Do the buttons feminize it enough to make it girly? Do you think I should make the frogs as shown (although I like 3 for some reason, not two)? And any other thoughts are welcome!

Catching up, and the "offiical" announcement

2008-12-11T08:45:00.002-06:00

I know, all I seem to write these days is, "I'm busy," etc... BUT, it's true! I am knitting my 2nd baby sweater, and amazingly, it's working up very quickly and promises to be done by the time we go to Memphis next week, which is when I will prayerfully see my friend coming in town from Switzerland. I hope she's not too jet lagged as we only have about 12 hours where we will overlap visits. Anyway, I'm mildly afraid because this sweater may be more boyish than girlish. I'll post pics as soon as I can to get a verdict!!
I'm so over our Christmas tree, by the way. No, not the tree, but the cat and kids harassing the poor tree. It's funny how the ornaments have slowly started migrating up so that the bottom third of the tree is looking bare and the top looks a bit over crowded! I'm very looking forward to Christmas, though. It's always been my favorite holiday, but then a few years after college, due to some hardships I was experiencing with my relationship with my parents, I dreaded Christmas because of the reminder of family. I don't think I've ever been more grateful to be married to Hunny than now. We have found that since we've moved, there's just been a new appreciation for the fact that we're it... we are it for our kids, and are it for each other. It doesn't do to dwell on being sad that family isn't always what you want them to be, and so we can relax in Him as Father, who can provide above what we think to even ask for.
Oh, speaking of providing (especially family), I should let this be my formal bloggy announcement that we are expecting another blessing this summer. Lori thought I was being too sly by just slipping that info in my 101 List update, so here's the official! I think I'm due at the end of July, so I have a nice, long, hot pregnancy ahead and no Brownie or pool to ease the burden! :) I'm crossing fingers for a girl, by the way, so you can feel free to send all the pink dust thoughts my way, 'k?
Bunkin's first birthday is Friday, and I am so excited about getting to eat cake, especially this particular frosting that I have high, high hopes for. If I remember and can refrain from eating the whole thing myself, I'll take pics of his birthday cake, replete with smashed-cake-on-his-face shots! Til then, I'm gonna keep knitting and incubating and figuring out how to not-kill the cat who insists on messing with the tree!

9 on the 9th

2008-12-09T13:45:00.003-06:00

I haven't participated in this carnival in a while, but thought it'd be fun. My list is

9 Favorite Holiday Staples

1. Hot chocolate. I pretty much always like hot chocolate, but it becomes an emotional investment at Christmastime! I highly recommend Ugly Mug's version. Or some of the fancy versions at a certain establishment with a green circle logo. You know the one.
2. Poinsettias, pronounced poin-set-tee-uh. It amazes me that these are from Mexico and grow year round in California and the western most states, yet have become icons for our winter season! They're gorgeous, though. And I was at a big box store the other day and saw some (fake)blue ones... odd, but very striking.
3. Jesse Tree Ornaments. This became a tradition while living with my spiritual mom. I can't wait til the boys are old enough to really get into them.
4. Hunny's green and white striped Santa hat... I love how quirky it is and silly.
5. Holiday menus and parties. I love to entertain. I love to cook and bake. I love cooking for others. I love menu-making for special occasions (not so much for regular weeks!). I love fancy fare.
6. Handmade... I am not doing exclusively handmade this year, though I am attempting to buy and make as many handmade items as possible. Knitting is a favorite hobby of mine, but is clearly more practical and enjoyable when it's not 100 degrees outside.
7. Christmas carols. I really prefer hymns, but I do love to sing Christmas songs... I'm bad for singing them any time of the year!! If only I knew all the lyrics, although it's pretty funny annoying to Hunny when I make up my own stuff!
8. Christmas cards. I love writing letters, and even more love to receive them in the mail.. the real mail (though I'm equally addicted to my email inbox!)
9. I'm going to punk out here.... not because I can't think of a 9th thing, but because there are several, so I'm just going to say generically "all the other wonderful things about the holidays, from traditions, to family, to the weather)

Have fun, and check out All that Naz for her own post!

Thank God for breastfeeding!

2008-12-08T14:12:00.002-06:00

I promise, this isn't some off-the-deep-end post on the rights of breastfeeding women and babies, though that's not necessarily a bad thing, either.
No, this is about our Emergency Room visit with Bunkin last night. The short end of the story is that Bunkin got hold of some medicine that he shouldn't have, and after calling the poison control center (PCC) were advised to take him to the ER because we weren't entirely sure how many pills got consumed. I drove with Bunkin to the hospital and fortunately we were checked in right away and seen almost immediately as well. The prognosis was that Bunkin is fine, and probably was last night as well; the doctor just gave him a shot to make sure and to counter any negative side effects. When Bear was born, due to my gestational diabetes, he had his heels pricked what seemed like a million times in 24 hours. I thought that was awful in terms of what Mommy had to endure watching her baby in pain; oh no! Last night was way worse, and makes me so grateful we have two healthy baby boys who don't have to undergo extensive treatments for disease. The nurses gave him the shot through an IV and so had to prick the top of his foot, and of course, they missed the first time so had to do the 2nd foot. I have officially never heard him cry that loud, long, or hard! As soon as it was done, I had him at the breast, and it was literally amazing. He was wearing the little cap thingy on his finger that counts his heart rate, and after the foot ordeal, it was bleeping so fast and erratic. Within two minutes of nursing, it had calmed down to his normal heartbeat.... God is soo good! I was contemplating weaning a few weeks back, and now I'm so grateful I had this means of comforting my little baby! There wasn't a whole lot in the way of nourishment (my milk always takes a huge dip when I'm pregnant), but it was the way he knew I could comfort him. Such a blessing. And as usual, my quick disclaimer for any mom who doesn't breastfeed--I realize that bottle feeding mothers have their own ways of comforting, so this is in no way a disparagement; however, this is our experience, and I'm grateful for it. As for the ER, we're glad Bunkin is okay, and we'll all be grateful to catch up on sleep!

I have been busy! (Brownie, don't look)

2008-12-06T21:39:00.001-06:00

But it's been a good busy. (Hate the bad busies.) And I've got Christmas spirit, baaaad. :) We put the tree up...and it's slowly being wrecked by the little paws that be. Phineas just can't get enough of the ornaments, and Bunkin has discovered he does NOT like being redirected when it comes to shiny things!
Speaking of shiny, I saw a great idea while shopping today, and Hunny wanted more ~~cowbell~~ decorations for the house, so I decorated the mantel in what I feel is a very pretty little arrangement! Not bad, anyway, for a first attempt!

Forgive the slight blurriness of the photo, the plastic sacks next to the mantle, and the disarray of the stuff on top of the mantle... I still haven't figured out how to decorate my home, so those are just there in limbo.
***********Brownie, stop looking if you are!!*******************
And of course the main reason I've been away from the blogosphere is the knitting mania I've undergone. I am proud and relieved to say H's sweater is completed, even to frogging the lace and replacing it with a cable (my first ever, I might add... and I do love to learn a new technique). It's got... lots of character, and in retrospect, I'd do several parts of it differently (including working it in stockinette or seed instead of garter and shaping it a bit differently). I hope mom and baby love it, though.
Here is the unembellished sweater, as modeled by the gorgeous Bunkin, who wears 12-18 month clothing, so it doesn't quite fit him the way it's supposed to, but you get an idea.

And for a sneak peak of the edging, here is a close-up:

So, now you know that I haven't been avoiding you... au contraire... but I am still knitting for baby#2, and I ~~insanely~~ am trying to get it completed in 10 days when we visit Memphis. Am I insane? We'll see! (I'll see you in a week, Hunny!)

Living Simply Saturdays

2008-11-29T11:04:00.003-06:00

I found a new blog this morning and incidentally she has a Saturday carnival, Living Simply Saturdays. Everyone who reads my blog regularly know that I am striving towards simplicity. I want to declutter my home, my mind, my heart's desires. And I find that the more I focus on one area, the more inclined I am to want to madly sweep all the areas, all at once. In fact, that is one of my character downfalls... wanting too much too soon. Which is where practicing simplicity really speaks to me... spiritually being content. I really, really need to practice contentment and truly being joyful in what I have AND WHO I AM. There have been times where I've been embarrassed by not having the Pottery Barn house and then I chide myself for wanting bigger and better. But what I miss more often that not are those times where I'm champing at the bit to reach the next level of maturity or growth, when often it's the experience, the ride, that get you there! In fact, all of my friends laugh because I used to say I couldn't wait tobe 30. Now, I'm very close to that age, and I'm still eager to be wiser and more mature, but I'm realizing it's going to be nice to earn that big 3-0! The flip side of actively being content, though, is denying my tendency to be a perfectionist. There have been so many times where I have failed to even try to do something b/cs I didn't think I could get it right. again, what have I lost in the experience? what will I miss in the lessons learned, even if all I do is screw up? God is bigger than I am. Take rest in that, Misty. Remember He is good and true, and that He provides both the opportunity to grow and learn and make mistakes, and even to be content in those circumstances.
So, this is where I am right now in my simple journey. I often forget how spiritual it is, not just material, to live simply.
For more posts, go check out Keeper of the Home's Living Simply Saturdays!

101 List update

2008-11-28T12:47:00.002-06:00

Health and Wellness
1. Lose enough weight to be in my BMI target range.
3. Go vegan for 2 weeks I'm very close to actually being able to do this. I've been researching veganism and the baking doesn't sound so impossible, something I was scared of before. Now to just start loving tofu more.
17. Try at least 5 fruits and 5 vegetables I've never tried before SO FAR I’VE TRIED A POMMELO AND BRUSSELS SPROUTS. LIKED THEM BOTH.
18. Exercise 30 minutes a day (weekdays) for at least one month
16. Drink nothing but water for a week
27. No fast food for one full month (even for kids) I GOT TWO WEEKS INTO THIS AND THEN CAVED. STARTING OVER.
92. Follow Tio's diet for one week - I have decided to just pay for this one. There is no way I can go from a carb-heavy vegetarian to his meat-heavy diet. It just won't work for me!
53. Take tennis lessons
83. Stop drinking soda entirely
84. Have acupuncture done
86. Complete the Couch to 5k program
100. Abstain from sweets for one entire week

Spiritual/Faith

4. Finish reading the Bible (as of start date, NT has been read)
6. Start journaling again I'm so pleased to be journaling again. It's amazing how therapeutic this is. 5/30/08
11. Take a seminary class that I will enjoy. I have not started the class, but in doing a little research, I found out that Covenant Seminary in St. Louis allows you to listen to the class--no homework and no papers to write! (Tho I want to write, just not have a deadline!) I will date this when I actually take the class, tho.
23. Read the Bible daily for at least one month (can include #4)
29. Pray for immediate family and friends daily for one month
37. Finish my Banner Pole of Remembrance
61. Read the holy book of another world religion
73. Memorize ten of my meaningful "life" verses/passages
93. Initiate and tell one person why I am a Christian
98. Find a church to join I visited B's church this past Sunday and enjoyed it a lot, so maybe a step in the right direction?

General

2. Go to a "hot" beach (during warm weather!)
5. Go 1 week with no television
10. Finish the 1000 Challenge to get rid of 1000 things in my home (as of start date, 500 things remain) I'm currently on 830 items gotten rid of-no date til 1000 things are gone. END OF NOVEMBER '08 1000 THINGS GONE!!!!!!!!!!
12. Grow and maintain a veggie patch (current tomato plants do not count)
14. Bake bread on a weekly basis (this only counts when I have successfully done it for at least 2 months in a row)
15. Train Pele in obedience
19. Take a full spa day
20. Buy lingerie
21. Get fully dressed every day for at least a month I started this one off well, and had a whole week under my belt, but then I lost stamina after the move. I'm going to start over.
22. Get my teeth professionally whitened
24. Get my nose pierced
25. Build something (a bookcase?)
26. Knit something for myself I found a pattern that I love and am going to make when I finish Helen's and Joelle's baby sweaters!
28. Find a wine that I actually like (will take suggestions!)
30. Finish knitting that silly pair of socks worked a few more rounds, but still have a long way to go, and I'm still on sock #1
31. Learn to sew 5 practical things
32. Buy a bed and a living room set
33. Wake up before the kids by 15 minutes every day for 2 weeks
34. Buy an original painting to hang in my home
35. Travel internationally for 30th birthday
36. Take pottery lessons
38. Bring no plastic into our home for one month
42. Learn to whistle with my fingers (loudly!)
43. Ask the Chef at Automatic Slim's for a recipe I love (if he says no, ask another professional chef) Dang! We moved from M-town, so I'm either going to do it when I visit or find another restaurant I love. HOWEVER, I DID GET ANOTHER RECIPE FROM A DIFFERENT CHEF AT CAYENNE MOON FOR HIS REMOULADE SAUCE. YUM.
44. Read 10 books I currently own but have not read 1. Shepherding a Child's Heart. 2. Velvet Elvis. 3. Blue Like Jazz. 4. Ascension 5.
45. Get my children's clothing line going been doing a LOT of thinking about this.. from names, to ideas, to designs...
50. Research and narrow down which home-(un-)schooling method I want to use - ONGOING
51. Utilize nothing but the farmer's market for family produce needs for one full month
52. Change the oil in my car one time
59. Make a family tree or trace my genealogy
60. Replace at least 3 cleaners with environmentally friendly versions (for home or body) USING AN ALL NATURAL WINDOW CLEANER AND BAKING SODA/VINEGAR TO WASH COUNTERS. I PLAN ON BUYING SOAP FROM A WAHM FOR MY OWN SKIN NEEDS.
67. Go ice-skating
70. Go camping as a family (if we have small babies, then camp in the backyard)
71. Design and bake a wedding-worthy cake
72. Pose nude for a photo shoot (after goal weight is achieved)
75. Minimize energy consumption by only using clothes line, no lights before 6 pm, etc.
77. Change ten bad habits into good habits I am currently trying to stop cussing. I would like to change that into being a better encourager. TRYING TO STOP SLEEPING IN AND FULFILL MY GOAL TO WAKE UP BEFORE THE KIDS.
79. Bake a perfect souffle
80. Try 5 cheeses I've never tried (even if I don't think I like it) This may not seem like it counts, but I have tried cottage cheese, which I grew up hating even tho I'd never even tasted it. It was ok. I CANNOT REMEMBER THE NAME OF THE CHEESE, BUT I WAS AT WHOLE FOODS AND TASTED SOMETHING THAT LOOKED LIKE CAMEMBERT BUT WAS MUCH MELTIER… IT WAS SOOO GOOD!
81. Go to and play at a casino
82. Make limoncello
87. Ride a real roller coaster-no kids!
101. Take voice lessons
46. Finish quilting my square

Relationships
7. Go on a weekend getaway with no kids
8. Go 1 week without getting on the computer. FIRST WEEK OF NOVEMBER! DONE!
54. Go to lunch with a friend once a month for 4 non-consecutive months Had lunch with Amy. Had coffee with Christina. SINCE MOVING THIS HAS BEEN DIFFICULT SO WHEN I MAKE NEW FRIENDS, I WILL JUST BE PROACTIVE IN HANGING OUT WITH THEM AND GETTING TO KNOW THEM.
55. Learn to and play a video game with Hunny.
68. Plan a romantic night for Hunny, and surprise him with it once a month 6/22/08 8/9/08
90. Become proficient in non-violent communication I've been learning to deal with some of Bear's obstinance by redirecting and helping him to put his feelings into words. ONGOING.
91. Study and understand Generalized Anxiety Disorder found an excellent website with great information. Already feel more compassionate towards Hunny and understanding his needs/fears. 6/29/08
94. Write a letter to mom I sent her a jar of peach preserves and a note. She didn't respond. 7/14/08
89. Spend a night at the Peabody or the Madison for anniversary

Financial
9. Save $1 a day, saving $1,001 by the end of the challenge I had saved about 20 bucks and then spent it all. I didn't build in a consequence for this... uh oh. new update: still no money.
78. Start a savings account for Bear and Bunkin Hunny started this 8/24/08
85. Cut my college loan debt in half. WE ONLY HAVE A THIRD TO GO! SO HALF IS DOWN, AND A BIT MORE TO GO. AMAZING.

Community
39. Practice acts of kindness for a full day (pay for an expired meter, pay for the next person's coffee, etc) 5x
40. Take a daily walk, picking up trash along the way, for one week
41. Walk (or run) for a cause (March of Dimes, Susan G. Komen)
47. Continue growing my hair and donate to Locks of Love Does anyone know if it is true that your hair can be dyed but not bleached? b/cs right now I have some bleach streaks left over from my purple highlights.. if that is the case, I need to cut my hair before growing out. WELL I TRIED TO DONATE IT, BUT B/CS OF THE BLEACHED STREAKS, I WAS NOT ABLE TO. SO MY HAIR HAS BEEN CUT AND IF I CAN GROW IT OUT AGAIN, I’LL TRY TO DONATE IT AGAIN. (Nov '08)
48. Meet at least 4 neighbors, and pursue conversations at least 2 more times each talked with one neighbor after giving him herbs, but we moved after that. Will have to start over in our new neighborhood. NEW HOUSE UPDATE: MET ONE NEIGHBOR SO FAR.
56. Send a birthday card to all immediate family and friends for a full year
64. Research how to join (and if I qualify, join) a bone marrow donor registry
69. Rescue a pet from a shelter (if we have small babies, then donate money instead) RESCUED SUGAR FROM HER KILL DATE.
74. Research how to donate breastmilk and if there is a local bank
76. Have a conversation with a homeless person/volunteer at a soup kitchen
96. Buy a TWLOHA shirt to support that cause got my shirt!! 6/08
97. Find a friend or group with which to barter services B AND I ARE GOING TO TRADE BABYSITTING SERVICES.
95. Buy 25 flowers for 25 random strangers

Enrichment/Learning
62. Read the rest of Shakespeare's plays (those not read in college)
63. Learn calligraphy well enough to nicely address envelopes
65. Learn to identify 10 (local) birds by sight and sound
66. Re-memorize the times tables (no laughing at me! I need to!)
57. Re-learn Spanish (become conversational again) This is only a start, but I had a short conversation with a mujer in the laundromat! NOW I’M SPEAKING SPANISH TO HER KIDS REGULARLY—KIDS MAKE THE BEST TEACHERS!
58. Read a book in Spanish13. Read classic works of fiction every couple of months (list to be determined). REREAD FAHRENHEIT 451.
49. Be able to identify 3 non-Dipper constellations
88. Rewrite a college paper and submit for publication in a journal
99. Get pregnant! (After goal weight has been reached and if Hunny agrees to it!) DUE AUG ’09. J GOAL WEIGHT NOT MET, BUT WORKING ON A HEALTHY PREGNANCY ANYWAY.

I'm happy

2008-11-25T21:44:00.002-06:00

... and so thankful.
I am notoriously bad for NOT giving thanks in all things (the "bad" stuff, otherwise known as Lessons in Patience and Humility), but I want to just share how much I really am thankful to be here in DFW with my family. I've been lonely and have felt friend-less at times, it's true, but what is also true is that I have my two very best friends in the whole entire world here, my beautiful sister and my hand-picked husband. I'm especially happy for this upcoming holiday, full of the blessings God has bestowed upon us: good food, united family, a lovely home, and time together.
I hope everyone has a really sweet time with their families.

Blahging....

2008-11-23T22:29:00.002-06:00

I've got the bloggy blahs (= blahgs, I'm so clever). But the good part of that is it means I've been knitting like crazy. Helen's sweater is completely knit and seamed up; now, I only have the lace edging, which I'm ~~grumbling about~~ happily knitting up. I'm also all ready for Thanksgiving; I went shopping this morning with about a million other people. Sis B keeps telling me how much she's looking forward to T-day because this is the first one she feels is separate from some of the emotional junk of our past. It's gonna be yummy, too! Did I ever mention how much I love to cook and entertain? Yay!
Another thing that's been keeping me from writing in my own blog is my constant perusal of other's blogs. There is so much out there right now in terms of craftiness or homemade goodness.
I can't wait to bake one of these. Or these. I desperately want to learn to sew, a project that will be ensuing in the new year, I hope. One of my heart's desires is to make one of these (although I don't know if embroidery technically counts as sewing). And I really want her book, because, well, she is amazing.
This would be pretty in different colors for different holidays.
See? There's way too much out there for me to get energized and inspired!
Also, Bunkin is walking, big boy!! He started a few days ago, and now he loves walking/falling into Mommy or Daddy, and of course Bear wants in on the action, so he starts falling all over the place as well (Mama, waaa?). Both are pretty stinkin' cute!
Off to knit some more lace and off to bed!

100th Post!

2008-11-18T13:23:00.003-06:00

I can't believe I'm already here... apparently, in blog tradition, for your 100th post you're supposed to write 100 things about yourself; however, I have already done that. So, I was kind of in a quandary as to what to write.... Should I skip out and just post as normal, and you'd never know I was at this blogging milestone? Should I be light and fluffy or serious? Do I try to incorporate the number 100? etc... all these questions ran through my mind, and in fact kept me from writing in my blog all week!
But when this morning I culled my bookshelves and got rid of 65 books to donate or sell, I realized several things: 1) I reached 1000 things gotten rid of, so that is 100 times 10, thus incorporating my blogiversary. 2) The paring down of books is emblematic of the growing desire I have for simplicity; books used to be THE thing I owned... the thing that gave me greater pride than all else, because it meant I was smart, that I HAD. It was so liberating to finally be able to get rid of books that I have nothing but sentimental attachment to (something from a favorite professor's class, but which has nothing to do with my life now, for example). My desire to not let what I own own me has been revolutionary in how I now view things, their impact on me, and their impact on my environment (individually or globally).
My blog started out somewhat aimlessly, and I was okay with that. I was inspired by two blogs in particular, one a knitting blog, and one a very godly woman whom I'd like to emulate, but then I was introduced to simplicity, or at least the word to define the ideology that I'd wanted to incorporate into my own life. From there, my blog has been a little bit all over the board, but it has reflected in every way how I've grown as a blogger (I know some html, or at least how to apply some of it now!), a mother, an appreciator of natural living, and how He has brought me to this place. Simply put, I'm really happy to be where I am, and here's to 100 more posts! :)

How cool is this?

2008-11-14T23:50:00.004-06:00

I can't figure out how to embed Youtube videos, but this video is really neat (at least the "hardcore*" knitter in me think so).... so, if your curiosity is piqued, check it out. The music is even pretty, if unintelligible. :)

http://drawn.ca/2008/11/09/knitted-animation/

*Brownie, I'm so hardcore Helen's sweater is 90% finished! WOO HOO!!!

Love in any language

2008-11-13T13:32:00.004-06:00

I snickered a little bit as I wrote that song lyric for the title!!! But I do have love written in two languages on my arm, so there!! (the tattoo technically says "Beloved" but I think it still counts)

www.twloha.com It's the 2nd annual twloha day. Check it out. Even better, buy a t-shirt and raise some money AND some awareness.

Meme vs Mimi

2008-11-10T22:59:00.002-06:00

I saw this meme on Lori's blog and thought it'd be a fun way to try to get back into blogging, but as I was over-analyzing the word meme and how I am inclined to say mee mee instead of meem, I got the line from Rent's Light my Candle, "they call me, they call me Mimi." And of course, I love that line (well, I love that whole musical) because I am Mimi to my little newphews. That was the longest preamble ever to a meme! :)
What I've done
Bold the things you’ve done and will admit to:
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain sort of, it isn't like Everest or anything but it's called a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language (I am reteaching myself Spanish, does this count?)
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (again, this is a sort of.. one can always wish for more, but I'm closer than ever to being content with exactly what I have)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

I'm back

2008-11-09T09:34:00.002-06:00

Well, I made it! I'm amazed at how hard the first couple of days with a self-imposed no internet rule were! It was also very enlightening in terms of making me evaluate why I turn to vegging on the computer (and food for that matter; I was also attempting to cut out all sweets; that venture wasn't as successful!), and basically I turn to the forums I belong to, the blogs I read, and time-sucking "information quests" when I'm bored or lonely, which since being here has been often. That isn't to say I don't also just get on to waste time and tune out family life sometimes, part of the problem I was trying to fix. I'm so glad I took this time off, and I'm actually going to keep the trend up... not to abstain permanently from the computer, but to really think about the times I get on and how much time I spend while there.
So, all that to say, I'm back and look forward to catching up on some of the blogs I've missed out on for the past week!

For realz

2008-11-02T20:56:00.003-06:00

I'm outie....
See you in a week. :) Happy blogging, don't forget me, send me some love!

The Lock-Less Monster

2008-11-01T20:00:00.008-05:00

That'd be me and my new 'do!
What do you think? I got it cut with the intention of donating my hair to Locks of Love, but I was unable to do so because of the bleached streaks (from when I got purple highlights) and she couldn't separate the blonde out well enough. Oh well, now I get to grow it out again and donate in the future!

Oh, I forgot to post a picture of Bear in his Halloween costume, so here he is with his cousin E and Aunt Bebe (can you guess who she's related to?). Yes, they are both Spiderman, as E told everyone all night. E: "We're Spiderman! That's my cousin!" Over and over.
(Ok, I have no idea why that picture got small...hmm...sorry!)

And last-but-not-least, I have the real monster of the lot: Bunkin! Tell me how cute is his little grin??

(And that is so not my rug, just as an FYI--it was here when we got here, and has been useful, but I loathe pink. Remember that. Not. Mine.)

I was wrong about the last part... While I'm loading up random pics, here is our new addition, Sugar (we decided to keep her name as Bear is able to say it, and I think it would confuse him [not her] if we changed it now).

Golden-hearted

2008-10-31T23:58:00.004-05:00

My little boy is just great. Not all the time in that Mommy-thinks-I'm-an-angel kind of way, but truly, he has a golden heart. I'm talking about Bear, and I need these little reminders sometimes. Tonight at the mall my sister and I took our oldest boys to go trick-or-treating, which promised to be fun, right? E (my nephew) was already wound up, just champing at the bit for all the sugar he was about to consume... mine, he was clueless. (By the way, if you are wondering, they were both dressed up as Spiderman, Bear wearing E's last year's version, but they both seemed thrilled to be wearing the same thing). Anyway, Bear was not exactly sure what to think of the crowds of little kids gathering around various store vendors and getting candy. I'm not even sure at first if he knew he was GETTING any candy! However, he is brighter than I know, because after touring the mall for some time, he spotted two women off to the side holding a very small bumblebee baby, and he proudly went up to them, offered up his pumpkin bucket, reached in, and handed them a fistful of dum-dums. So sweet. I love my little boy, who always finds a way to give from his heart.
Pardon my sap!

Try try again....

2008-10-29T22:02:00.004-05:00

I can't stay away, which simply reinforces that I NEED to take a break!!! However, I got caught up in the bloggy giveaway carnival, browsed around that for a while, then got a dog. Hmm? Yes, I said I got a dog. Can I just say Sucker is my middle name? Hunny said he wanted a dog. He was sick, y'all. So he wanted a dog. I guess vegans don't want chicken noodle soup so they gotta do something, huh? :) So off to Craigslist I went only to find A) hundred of ads for dogs in the DFW area and B) lots of sad, sad posts of dogs on the kill lists at local shelters. And, if you remember my 101 list, I knew just what to do. So we got Sugar.* Tonight. She has been introduced to everyone but Bunkin who was asleep and Mia (Hunny's cat) who will avoid all of us for a month now. Phinny reacted as expected, but seems a bit more neutral now (ever notice how a cat's neutral is still laced with disdain?), and Pele seems pleased as punch that she has a new friend. I'll post pics of the new family member soon, I promise. (* Her name may change; this was her name at the shelter, but I'm not a fan... however, she's 4 months old and used to it, and Bear can say it easily, which is huge....)

By the way, remember this post? I'm on my way! I am now down 13 pounds, and I am amazed. I don't feel like I'm looking any thinner, but just seeing the number going down (a new trend, considering I've been with child for several years now, lol) is soooo encouraging!!! Way to GO!

And it doesn't really follow suit to talk about food after discussing weight loss, but oh well, we had a super yummy dinner last night that I actually thought to take a picture of! Did I mention i love fall? And winter squashes? I got an acorn squash at the store, intending to roast and enjoy, but then I decided to peruse some of my favorite food blogs, and I got inspired to stuff it with quinoa (pronounced keen-wah). In typical me fashion, I couldn't leave the original recipe alone, so here is what I did, and it was soooo yummy!

Quinoa stuffed Acorn Squash

1 med squash

1 c prepared quinoa

1 c veggies (I used diced red bell pepper and celery)

3 minced garlic cloves

1 (15 oz) can beans, I used garbanzos

3 T soy sauce

1-2 tsp olive oil

various spices

I cut just the top off the squash, saving the lid, and removed the seeds for roasting later, and then microwaved it on high (placing just a bit of water in the bottom of my bowl) covered, for about 15 min. It was soft-ish at that point, and I preheated the oven to 350 while I was microwaving and sauteing my veggies. for sauteing, do what you normally do: water, broth, oil, butter. I threw the beans in last minute just to get them warm. I flavored with soy sauce and coriander, salt and pepper, tho I think the coriander could have been left out. (It was in the original recipe). Mix the veggies and beans with the quinoa. When the squash is mostly tender, I go ahead and fill it with the grain mixture (not packing it in; btw, I had leftover mixture and just saved it for light lunch for the next day) and put the lid back on, back into the oven for 20 minutes or til it's soft. I served it in quarters and it was very filling with a side salad. Very easy despite the several steps involved!!

And pretty, too: So, that's what I've been up to while I'm not supposed to be on the computer!!

Sort of MIA

2008-10-26T21:50:00.004-05:00

I will not be posting regularly for a couple of (I've always wondered: is it a couple or a couple of?) reasons: I have to go a week with no Internet for my 101 List, and I figure no time like the present, right? Also, I am working on several homemade gifts, and unfortunately I cannot knit and type or read at the same time. I do have a couple of drafts in the works, but I'm going to hold off on those until a week from Monday to show Hunny* the world that I really can go without the Internet for a week! Hopefully, when I return, I will have pictures to post of at least one completed project!
*Hunny does not, in fact, in any way lord over me or how much time I spend on the computer. In my 101 list I wanted to remove the computer for a week in an effort to build relationships with my husband and sons. Bear and I are going through a rough patch with discipline lately, so now, more than ever, I need to be a hands-on parent. Also, I have had a few moments of clarity (mirror-holding as it were) showing me just how much time I waste on here. I just need to step back for a while. :)

Holy crafts, Batman....

2008-10-22T14:00:00.001-05:00

Ahh, Bear has learned to love painting! A while back I babysat my nephew and Hunny wasn't going to be home, so in a moment of inspired domesticity, I decided to organize a craft (doesn't that sound ... organized?) for the over-2 crowd. I won't say it was a hit (there was some punishment and pumpkin-painting withholding going on at various points), but here were Bear's results.

And for yours truly, I got a much-anticipated box in the mail last week; I ordered some yarn from my friend Biz. The arrangement was I gave her the gauge and the pattern I hoped to knit, and she got to hand-pick not only the yarn but the color!!! I could not wait to see what she pegged me for, and I got heaven, y'all.... knitty heaven. See for yourself, though this picture does no justice to the milk/cotton blend that feels so amazing, and the color is gorgeous, and will look magnificent on me!
As I mentioned before, I saw my friend Brownie last weekend, and alas, I had made her daughter a little 2nd birthday present, which unfortunately got left behind (not in a Tim LaHaye kind of way, though). So, Brownie, here is LuLu's gift that is forthcoming:

Pretty aint it? :) In case you are awed by my photographic skills and ~~have no idea what these are~~ are not quite sure what these pretty blocks are, they are building blocks beautified for a young one, and for the older ones, a matching game as there are two blocks each of the different origami paper. I cannot claim this idea, but I need to look to see which blog I ~~stole~~ this from.

And last, but not least, in the early Montessori classroom, there is a work called smelling bottles (this is not the technical term, but I'm tired), which can be presented in many ways (matching scents, learning to identify scents, in general a sensorial lesson). Bear loves sitting on the counters (Thanks Daddy and Tio), and he discovered my spice cabinet. I have had the intention of making my own smelling canisters, but he kind of beat me to the punch. He LOVES sitting on the counter top, opening my spice cupboard and proceeding to open and close the jars and labeling smells as yummy or ewww (both highly technical terms). Vanilla is by far his favorite, and cayenne is his least favorite--he got a whiff of it in his eyes today (how NOT to do smelling). I love play that is learning and intuitive (I don't mean the pepper-in-the-eyes thing, just that by using his senses, he's learning: opening jars, putting lids back on, sweet, savory, he knows that Mommy uses spices in cooking, etc.) and so something that I will be implementing on the blog soon are some Montessori-inspired posts as I learn to encourage this environment in our home and prepare for home-pre-schooling.

I'm stubborn

2008-10-22T07:00:00.000-05:00

Hunny gets email devotionals from Chuck Swindoll on a regular (daily?) basis, and this one is from the 21st of October. He sent it to me, and I think it is so profound, and so where Hunny and I are emotionally and spiritually in our lives right now. How often do we, as my friend Annette used to say, offer God a contract we've conjured up and asked him to sign off on it, instead of laying down at His feet, truly aching to do His will?

STUBBORN INDEPENDENCE by Charles R. Swindoll
Read Acts 9:28--31
Rather than considering yourself (even secretly) indispensable, remind yourself often, It's the Lord's work to be done the Lord's way. I first heard that principle from Francis Schaeffer while attending one of his lectures. There he stood in knickers and a turtleneck sweater, delivering this very message to a group of young, idealistic listeners---many of us struggling to find our way. I heard him say this again and again: "The Lord's work must be done the Lord's way. The Lord's work must be done the Lord's way. The Lord's work must be done the Lord's way."
If you're in a hurry, you can make it work your way. It may have all the marks of promotion, but it won't be the Lord's way. Stop and realize that. It may be time for you to be let down off your wall in a basket to learn that in your life.
John Pollock, in his splendid book The Apostle, states, "The irony was not lost on him that the mighty Paul, who had originally approached Damascus with all the panoply of the high priest's representative, should make his last exit in a fish basket, helped by the very people he had come to hurt."
That about says it all, doesn't it?
Just to set the record straight, our lives are not caught "in the fell clutch of circumstance." Our heads are not to be "bloodied, but unbowed." You and I are neither the "masters of our fate" nor are we the "captains of our souls."* We are to be wholly, continually, and completely dependent on the mercy of God, if we want to do the Lord's work the Lord's way. Paul had to learn that. My question is: Are you learning that? If not, today would be a good day to start. Now is the time to humble yourself under His mighty hand. If you don't, eventually He will do it for you. And it will hurt. In His time, in His way, He will conquer your stubborn independence.
God is never pleased with a spiritually independent spirit.

Bloggy salad

2008-10-21T14:04:00.003-05:00

I think the idea of "blog salad" is pretty witty... for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, it's when you post about random little things, kind of like all the miscellaneous ingredients in a salad. So, here goes.
I went to the laundromat yesterday to do several loads of clothes, and I had about $6 in quarters already and a $20 was my next smallest bill. And of course, I'd need to break the 20 to finish up, leaving me with about $19 in quarters. I also had an errand to run at the local supermarket (right across from said laundromat) and when I checked out, I apologized to the checker about paying for half the amount in quarters. This, this small, insignificant thing would have made me utterly embarrassed when I was younger, compounded by the clerk's reaction. She was so irate that I put the hard task of counting change on her I suppose. The interesting thing was, earlier in my shopping trip, I had the privilege of helping an elderly gentleman with some items, and the act of serving made me so happy, and I was saddened by this young woman's negative attitude. Yes, I can see that 70+ coins to count could be mildly trying, but it could have been funny, too, a chance to laugh or be grateful I don't live like this all the time, you know? Perspective is just a funny thing, eh?
Less interesting but more relevant to the theme of salad is the fact that I spent all of yesterday morning up to my elbows in pumpkin puree! I gutted and steamed and pureed 4 small pumpkins, and my hands are still orange to prove it! We roasted the seeds, and they are so yummy. I made two batches: a naked (olive oil and salt) version and a spicy chili-thyme version. So simple, so yummy, so nutritious! We got a 30-pound for our porch (that I plan on planting a pot of mums in) so it'll be interesting to see how many seeds we get out of that!
On the physical front, I'm down another pound (5 total so far), and I'm thrilled to be combining my hope to lose weight with a cause I believe in, so I'm going to walk (not run, yet) in the Water is Basic 5k.
Still to come... photos of one of my handmade gifts, a yarn surprise I recieved in the mail, and Fall craftiness from Bear!

Pumpkins, Bunkins, and Bears, Oh My!

2008-10-18T17:39:00.000-05:00

Fall cuteness beware! Today we went to a pumpkin patch in Flower Mound, and while it wasn't the you-pick-it field of pumpkins I'd imagined, it was fun nonetheless.

Bear had fun picking out his own pumpkin

This week in cooking/baking I have made batches of both vegetarian chili and butternut squash soup, and am planning on preparing some pumpkin yumminess from today's picks-probably pumpkin bread to freeze for the holidays as well as some pumpkin butter or frozen pie filling. I am not sure why I have to type over here on the right of the picture, but don't feel like dealing with layouts right now!

Kitties

2008-10-17T22:41:00.004-05:00

Everyone likes cleaning day, apparently. I thought this was too cute to pass by without snapping a photo. As usual, forgive the fuzziness until we buy a new digital camera. That is Phineas on the left (only 6 weeks younger than Bunkin) and Mia on the right.

Walking in Memphis

2008-10-16T13:55:00.004-05:00

Ok, I tried to have the little youtube video of Marc Cohn's beautiful song playing here for you, but I can't figure out how to do it. Sorry, both if you wanted to hear the song, and also if you (like Hunny) hate it and now have it stuck in your head!
I went to Memphis this weekend and got to visit my new niece Skylar and my friends. It was a great visit!
I was musing to a friend that it is amazing the difference experience makes! When I took Bear to Dallas from Memphis, I was by myself and terrified at the prospect of traveling with a toddler and how he would act on the plane and how I would do everything; this time, with Bunkin, I wore him in my mei tai while simultaneously wearing a backpack (that I packed for 4 days for BOTH of us), and I carried my diaper bag in one hand and the car seat in another! Phew! I flew to Little Rock and then rented a car for the last leg of the trip. On the way to Memphis, I think the old gentleman sitting next to me got a peep show he won't soon forget! Timing for Bunkin's nap was perfect for him to fall asleep on the flight, so I purposefully held him off eating until we were on the plane, and I nursed him to sleep. However, I was not wise in my shirt choice that morning and was not able to be very discreet as the shirt had no stretch whatsoever! Poor old guy... he kept his entire torso turned toward the window the entire time! Ah well... at least there wasn't a fussy baby for a seat partner, right?
I stayed very busy seeing friends each day I was there, and of course Bunkin is the biggest ham ever... both in terms of physically large and quite the show-off! He even slept okay in the pak-n-play at our friend Amy's house. My two favorite times were seeing my friend Georgia who sort of mentored me when I lived there--she's just fabulous--and hanging out with my playgroup mommies. I've missed having that social outlet for myself and the boys soooo much! Which means I've GOT to figure out a group of ladies to hang out with here.
Anyway, so now i am back and trying to catch up on all my favorite blogs... so much to read from just a few days of being gone!

Fridays Faves 5

2008-10-10T13:00:00.000-05:00

1. Favorite "thing(s)" this week: This is going to make me sound so nerdy, but all the planner-types out there will understand... I pulled out my day planner/calendar this week (it'd been, uh, lost for a while), and I LOVE having it around! I feel so... connected to my tasks! I'm also in the process of creating a "home management journal" that I feel I will really love!

2. Favorite food this week: what HAVEN'T I loved this week? (don't answer that, Misty) Let's just go with the Sonic tater-tots I've consumed more than once.

3. Favorite funny moment this week: I can't think of a specific moment; however, I have had SO much fun hanging out with B this week.. and we've done tons of laughing, so that should count.

4. Favorite meaningful moment this week: I had a really nice time playing with Bear this week, and that does not often happen--he is SUCH a daddy's ~~shadow~~ boy that I don't always get to just have one-on-one time with him. He is so sweet.

5. Favorite song on my playlist: Again, not a specific song, but rather an album. It's Little Earthquakes by Tori Amos. This is my go-to album when I want to sing along, or just have background music; it's like pulling on your very favorite jeans. I know every note to every song, and they are all my friends.

For more Fridays Faves, go check out Living to Tell the Story!

9 on the 9th

2008-10-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

For this month's 9 on the 9th carnival hosted by Mrs. Naz at All that Naz, I am going with 9 ways to say I love you, because we can never communicate this too much!
1. Touch is one of my favorite ways to say I care. Do you know your partner/friend/child's love language? Touch is both mine and Hunny's communicator, so massages or just holding hands makes both of us feel so special. Bear especially loves being held by Daddy, and Bunkin is still nursing, so we get to bond in these ways.
2. Related to touching, don't forget to play! Peek-a-boo, tracing letters to guess, giving wet willies.... these all say "you're special" but in a silly kind of way. And we definitely need more silly.
3. Love letters. Any one who knows me knows that I just LOVE getting letters... mail, email, a little note... I love the written word! It only takes two seconds to write "I love you" on a mirror in lipstick (and a friend of mine likes to write racy messages to her hubby on the glass while he's showering so that they get revealed while he's showering!). We're not at lunchbox stage with the boys (and probably won't be as I want to homeschool), but I would have been thrilled to get a sweet note of encouragement from my mom in my packed lunch. Hunny has sweetly collected all the notes I've ever written him... and I know he loves them, too.
4. Quiet time. I can't stress this one enough. At our old house, I used to fuss at Hunny when he spent after hours in his office, which was at the back of the house instead of adjacent to the family room such as in our first house. The reason was I enjoyed just seeing him and spending time together, even if we were both working on different projects, I wanted to share space with him. Even better is actually getting rid of the extra activities and just taking time to be quiet with one another. Remember the sound of his heartbeat, breathe together, relax.
5. This is a no-brainer: SAY IT!!! Don't just assume everyone knows how you feel about them... say it over and over and over.
6. Use your gifts... you don't have to go buy something to bestow a gift on someone. You can give the gift of time and talents to make someone feel special. If you are crafty, personalizing that stationary tells your sister she's great; if you are a baker, make those cookies, and share!
7. Read 1 Corinthians chapter 13. Dubbed the "love chapter," it often gets a lot of attention without a lot of deep reading... after reading Martha Peace's books, I was challenged to really pay attention to what the Biblical definition of love was... and I do not always measure up or have true expectations from others. These verses tell me what my priorities need to be and what biblical love looks like. For romantic love, it sure doesn't hurt to read Song of Solomon either.
8. Remember. We so often tend to remember only negative things or "keep lists" of wrongs. How about upsetting that trend and remembering why you fell in love, or remembering the good things about the person you love so much. It helps you focus on what to love and why when it's hard, and it helps your loved one because they are then able to bask in your admiration and respect.
9. Pray... again, this should be a no-brainer, but I am ashamed how often I have to be reminded to pray for my loved ones.

Works for Me Wednesday

2008-10-08T13:17:00.002-05:00

This is my first time to participate in Shannon's carnival, but probably not my last, at least as long as I can think of tips and tricks to share!
My contribution is cheap reusable totes, the kind that boasts being eco-friendly, and won't hurt your pocketbook in the process. Hunny used to be amused by some of my attempts at being more environmentally friendly, but as he's hopping on the vegan bandwagon, he has also come to terms with some of the reasons to watch your impact, even if its just for frugality. He's also been the best accountability partner, as I've suggested buying this or that, he kindly reminds me to use said item. While he was running an errand this weekend, he discovered Walgreens had the reusable totes I've been wanting to incorporate into our lifestyle as we shop at the farmer's market and Whole Foods. These are lightweight, and clearly have the Walgreens logo stamped on the front, but aesthetics aside, they will surely get the job done, and for only 99 cents. That's a steal, people! If you want the expensive organic cotton totes (like the two I bought at Macy's), go ahead. If you want to make your own very cute designer style, go ahead. However, if you are in the market for saving money and have a love-hate relationship with your sewing machine like i do, these economic, environmentally friendly totes work for me! For more ideas, go check out Shannon's blog!

How well do you know your husband?

2008-10-07T23:56:00.004-05:00

I liked this meme I saw on Lori's blog, so thought I'd share my own version of it (cheap blogging, I know!) I realized the other day when I was cleaning up my blog posts and tagging them that I don't talk about Hunny all that much... so here he is!

1. Sitting in front of the TV, what’s on the screen? Fox news, ESPN, EPL, Suite Life of Zach and Cody; but I get to commandeer the TV most of the time. :)

2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? olive oil and vinegar, a vinaigrette, or bleu cheese.

3. What’s one food he doesn’t like? Hunny is so not picky. He's a vegetarian/almost-vegan, so there are many foods he no longer eats, but as far as tastes go, I'm pulling a blank. Back in his meat-eating days, I grossed him out when I told him Ceaser dressing had anchovies in it, so I guess he hates anchovies. lol

4. You go out to a bar. What does he order? Guinness for the most part, though he's always willing to try other dark beers or ales.

5. Where did he go to high school? Started at Jonesboro High School then transferred to White Station in Memphis.

6. What size shoe does he wear? 14 wide.

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Thankfully, I'm curbing his tendency to collect things. He doesn't like throwing away receipts or personal papers, but he's learning to keep them under control. He likes techy things, but he doesn't really "collect" them.

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? that magical sandwich I keep hearing about that he had while traveling for work: some dark bread labeled "black Russian" (a rye? pumpernickel?) with sprouts, avocado, tomatoes, pretty much all veggies, and lots of nutritional yeast.

9. What would this person eat everyday if he could? Nutritional yeast. seriously. Also a protein shake and/or peanut butter.

10. What is his favorite cereal? I don't think he likes cereal. I don't think I've ever actually seen him consume a bowl of cereal in my sight. He doesn't really do breakfast either for that matter, but if he does, it's a Frappuccino or soy latte.

11. What would he never wear? I cheated and had to ask him this one: Speedos, sweater vests.

12. What is his favorite sports team? let's see.... pro baseball: Red Sox and Cubs; pro football: Denver Broncos; EPL: Arsenal; MLS: Columbus Crew (altho he much prefers watching women's soccer a la Mia Hamm); pro hockey: Toronto Mapleleafs; college: Arkansas Razorbacks. That's a pretty exhaustive list I think. Did I mention he owns at least one jersey for each of these teams except the Crew?

13. Who will he vote for? He's seriously thinking of not voting for the first time in his legal life.

14. Who is his best friend? Besides me, Alfredo/Tio.

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? I don't always fill up the ice trays when I empty them. And lately, now that he's Mr Neat Freak, he probably wishes I'd not let the toys scatter from here to Timbuktu. He wishes I wouldn't be frustrated at him while on the phone with B.

16. How many states has he lived in? Three.

17.What is his heritage? German and Irish.

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday, what kind of cake? Red Velvet or if he's in the mood, carrot cake.

19. Did he play sports in high school? see 12! Yes, of course! He played football (tight end/defensive end)

20. What could he spend hours doing? browsing the internet, playing with Bear and Bunkin, and lately, playing with his new Blackberry.

I love my Hunny so much.... and he knows me better than anyone besides B! This was a fun little meme to see how much I knew without asking (even if I did cheat on #11!).

Hi ate us

2008-10-06T15:01:00.002-05:00

Hiatus ... that's where I've been, but as I said that word over in my head it looked like "hi ate us" which I guess means the same thing sometimes! Punning aside, I HAVE been busy not-blogging. I've been trying to figure out Facebook, I started knitting (again, I know, I know, how many times are you going to read THAT sentence?), and I had some company over, so I have not really had time or energy to blog.
I actually do have something to report, though: I've lost 4 pounds! Monumental, no; exciting, yes! Sometimes it's just that little tip in the right direction that is the extra motivation you need to keep going. B and I are looking into joining an all-women's workout facility, and I'm proud to say that I'm currently working on my only water for a month item on my 101 list. As for food choices, I know what I need to eat and what to stay away from; I just need to eat them at reasonable times and in reasonable portions!
We are all well after a bout of being sick (I think this is how I got my little edge on weight loss), and that is quite a relief. Hunny's new job is going remarkably well, and all in all we are settled here in TX. I'm seriously starting to hate white walls, so I am trying to think through decorating in a manner that is suitable for a rented house, but I got some good ideas this weekend.
This is the most uninteresting blog post ever, but kind of like that whole weight loss thing, I just need to be tipped in the write (bad dum dum crash) direction to get going again...

Being still and quiet

2008-09-24T21:26:00.002-05:00

I remember my sweet friend Brownie and I having a conversation about nursing after our firstborns had arrived, the gist being that nursing forced us to stop for a minute, stop whatever hectic-ness might be going on around us, because that was best for Baby. And it's true. There have been times when I most certainly have NOT appreciated the brakes on a project when Bunkin needs comfort or food, but in really having to sit down and focus on this sweet act of nutrition (both physical and emotional), I am better able to enjoy my baby, enjoy my role as ~~udder~~ Mommy. The extra experience I now have with two has helped me appreciate how short this time lasts, although having a demanding toddler and a little one has its challenges as well. We've all been sick this week, and both boys have subsequently been extra needy and extra cuddly, giving me many moments where I've had to just BE. Be Mommy. Be hugs. Be comfort. Be food. And all of this whether I felt like it or not. I've had many chances at being still, something I struggle with sometimes. At one point, as I was nursing Bunkin and he was just holding on, I knew that no matter what, I didn't want to be anywhere else at that moment. Definitely not cleaning the dishes, folding the laundry, or even browsing the Internet. I am grateful for the built-in timer that God has given me as a mommy to stop and be still and to know that he is God, Father, for how can I not see Him in the gifts he has given me, especially as I gaze at my children? And just for the record, the breast isn't the only way to stop and bond, it's just the one I have right now. And also for the record, I do not feel as mushy-gushy about nursing when I have a little piranha biting me or keeping me awake all night!

How not to decorate

2008-09-23T20:48:00.003-05:00

I love What Not to Wear, and I always joke that I am a total candidate for the show, as I'm a real schlumpadinka. I even know all the rules I'm breaking, so maybe that means I'm an even worse fashion felon. But in so many ways, I don't really care... I am who I am, and that is simple, undesiring of the accoutrements of the rich and ~~famous~~ fashionable. Really. I have long hair always worn in the same clip (or if I'm feeling particularly spunky, I'll pull it into a pony tail!), and my typical outfit is one of Hunny's super comfy t-shirts and some lounge pants. I don't do make-up, and I mostly try to brush my teeth 2x a day. Why all this blubbering about my lack of style? Because it spills over to my house, people. But unlike my ability to parrot Stacy(Stacey?) and Clinton's rules of what not to wear, I have no idea how not to decorate my house. I'm not saying my house is tacky by any means, but it's very plain and unembellished. I wish I had an interior decorator's sense of color and room design, but I don't. I'm quite clueless when gazing around a room as to its best layout and how to arrange the pictures or where I should put my knick-knacks. Part of my problem is we used to have too much stuff, and I've completed almost all of the 1000 Challenge (to get rid of 1000 things from my home), but all that has done is make the gaps a little more evident, not to mention we gave away a ton of stuff pre-move and need to replace some items. I'm holding out for higher quality furniture, though, (unlike S and C's advice to dress for the size you are, not the size you want to be) so that I'm not simply replacing them every couple of years. So, my question for you is how does one decorate? How do you figure out what goes where, or even what you like? I love something about each of the design styles out there: minimalism/art deco speaks to my love of simple; however, I want a place that we can live in and that is toddler-friendly; French country is warm and inviting, but I'd prefer less of the chintz; formal and some "traditional" layouts are gorgeous, but maybe over the top for my desire to be simple. See my point? I'm all eclectic with no place to go. (Ewww, that sentence is bad.) Tips, suggestions, ideas, websites, books.... all are welcome! I'll even post pics of my problem areas if that would help spark any creative juices! Help me dress my home or at least figure out who my home even is!

First day of Fall!

2008-09-22T12:37:00.003-05:00

First day of Fall!
Amber posted her list of 20 reasons to love fall, and since I both love lists and fall, I had to ~~be unoriginal~~ follow suit.
20 Reasons Fall is Fabulous (how's that for some Baptist alliteration?)
1. Cooler temperatures. 'Nuff said.
2. The smell of burning leaves. I'm not sure if you're allowed to do this anymore, but I know growing up, this was one of my favorite smells. Actually, it's kind of a putrid smell, but it makes me think of my mom in a wistful kind of way.
3. Baking baking baking. I mean, I bake a lot anyway, but fall baking is emblematic.
4. People are nicer. Ok, this one probably isn't true, but it kind of seems that way when you're surrounded by pre-holiday comforts; school's being broken up by a few holidays, and temperatures are dropping, and people just seem a little more thankful for these things.
5. Thanksgiving foods are some of my favorites. I have extrememly fond memories of peeling apples with my mom on Thanksgiving morning and then donating the peels to our goats, who then adored me for a day. Good times.
6. Candy corn. I can only stand to eat about 5 pieces before the sugar hits me, but for one day a year, I love candy corn.
7. Martha Stewart Living fall editions. Which is, of course, the precursor to the holiday edition. Much crafting love and yumminess.
8. Baby Halloween costumes. We don't "celebrate" or really participate in Halloween, but big fat babies in adorable costumes melt me every time.
9. Hot chocolate and chai. I'm thinking particularly of Ugly Mug Coffee's versions. The chai is not authentic as far as chai goes, but it is unbelievably scrumptious and supports a fairtrade coffee company, plus I used to work there.
10. Sweaters. I love sweaters, and even though fall is not cool enough to wear them, I can knit them and it feels appropriate.
11. Pumpkins and gourds. I don't know why, but they make me happy. I've never really figured out how to artfully decorate with them, but they're so cute, and even though it bothers me a little that there is a whole harvest of this wonderful food source for pure aesthetics, they are so ... cute!
12. College Football. I NEVER used to be into sports, and particularly not football because I did not understand it (still don't, though I AM getting better), but I have loved to learn the fun and comraderie that happens because of it. In our house, that means WOOO Pig Suie, go Arkansas! But conveniently, Hunny is also a Texas fan, so we can fit in with our new neighbors as well. I remember my first game, and I can't wait for my boys to love it as well.
13. Soups and chilis. I eat chili year 'round because it is a good vegetarian protein source, but I feel particularly justified in savoring it in the fall. I also enjoy all soup options, but particularly those homey, comfort versions: potato soup, corn chowder, etc.
14. Back-to-school. Even though I am long past my college days, I still think of the year in terms of the academic school year: semesters and vacations break up the monotany of every day is the same, so back-to-school brings with it great sales as well as a point of reference for me that Christmas is coming!
15. U-pick farms. I am planning on picking lots of apples for jelly, applesauce, and applebutter endeavors to give as Christmas gifts. I like picking in summer (in fact, can't wait for it), but it's not so hot in the fall!
16. Changing colors. Nothing beats spring green's arrival, but fall splendor is a close second for me. It's just so majestic, like God is showing off, which I am glad to witness.
17. The electricity in the air; along with people seeming a little nicer, they also seem more energized, or that could just be me. But summer lethargy seems to dissipate and things get done. I need to do a good, deep fall cleaning myself!
18. State fairs and arts and crafts festivals. I'm sad to have missed Cooper-Young festival this year from back at home, but I'm looking forward to finding some good local fairs and events to attend. (ooh, just learned TX state fair is this weekend!)
19. Reading. Again, I go through spurts off and on of reading (did I mention I miss reading the Twilight books?), but fall tends to be my serious reading stint... I catch up on Bible reading or inspirational books.
20. I've alluded to it all through this list, but fall means Christmas is on its way!!!
(oops for those of you who read this with all the typos... Blogger was not cooperating earlier!

Sunday ramblings

2008-09-21T22:29:00.004-05:00

I've got several things floating around in my head, and I'm trying to remember to blog about them, but I'm still sad that the Twilight series is over. Project-wise, I'm knitting two baby sweaters, one for Helen and one for Joelle. It looks like they will both make fantastic Christmas presents. Shortly after we moved here, I taught sis B how to knit, and that has been so fun. We were so competitive for a while that we held on to our preferred interests, but now that we're older and more mature (!) we actually like teaching each other new things and sharing in those activities. I am purchasing some yarn from a friend that will be a surprise for me--I don't know what it looks like or color, but I have a sweater in mind... I canNOT wait to start working on it!
I'm also working on quite a few handmade gifts that I'm so excited about, and can't wait to share when we get our new digital camera.
Food-wise, Hunny and I went to Whole Foods this weekend and surprised ourselves by actually buying 90% of our items from the perimeter of the store, thus keeping at bay the prepackaged and processed foods. I'm really excited about a much healthier approach to eating, and I'm so impressed that Hunny really has gone off the deep end into veganism. Weirded out, but impressed!
Bear is sick and trying the collective patience of the house the last few days, and Bunkin is trying to stand on his own, so that's also been keeping us on our toes.
And last but not least, I am currently arguing with Hunny that despite an intense craving for salty foods I am not pregnant. I suppse I need to confirm or deny this at some point. I'll keep you posted!

Edited to add:
No, I'm not pregnant! I am saddish and Hunny is excitedish. I still really want to lose weight and if/when we get pregnant again to have a much healthier and "easier" pregnancy, but i've got the itch for some crazy reason, such as wanting a girl.

Excuses

2008-09-18T21:00:00.003-05:00

Ahhh, I've been, er, busy for a while. Which when translated correctly means I've had my nose stuck in the Twilight saga books. Yummy. I finished the last page of the last book tonight after I put the boys down, and it was kind of wistful. I hated that I was ending the ... urgency with which I've been reading these great books. When Hunny learned they were "teen lit" he asked if they weren't beneath my preferred reading level. Maybe, but then again, I love children's lit so much, and anyway, I was always that kid with a book in front of her face. And if not a book, then it was the cereal box, a tube of toothpaste, or whatever junk mail flyer was lying on the table. Point being, I've read worse. I'll bet when Hunny comes home tomorrow, he'll do the happy dance now that I'm done, because I need to wake back up to reality and the house that has been needing my attention!
However, I have to confess that it's not just Edward and Bella that have kept me away from the blogiverse; I got sucked into that phenomenon of ~~insanity~~ Christmas crafting. It started with Ravelry and a few great posts of links of homemade goodness, and it spiraled from there. I seriously have a problem now. As if I already didn't have a Martha complex, now I want to be the Cool Crafty Queen for real. There are some amazing ideas out there. I plan to do some. I hope in time for Christmas.
So there. That's what I've been up to.

I've got friends in low places...

2008-09-10T16:17:00.003-05:00

Actually, not me. All my friends are amazing and wonderful and funny and sweet.... most of the time! However, my son has a very strange penchant for befriending the oddest things. Yes, I said things. Some will remember Bear's friendship with JZHAW and BEPBR (that's two year old speak for salt and pepper), and that he would literally walk around with the large refill canisters of the salt and pepper, talking to them, trying to feed them, and inevitably pouring them out. (I finally got smart and emptied them into ziplock bags; he lost interest afterward... hmmmm) Well, his new friend is tall, dark, and um, full of garbage. Bear has been dragging around the garage garbage can--you know, the large sized one that has wheels and handles? Yup, that's his new buddy. And he's sitting in my living room. Having been invited to play with Bear and Bunkin. Bunkin just offered Can a block (and by offered, I mean threw away said block). Life is imaginative for a two year old, isn't it?

What year do you belong in?

2008-09-09T20:42:00.001-05:00

You Belong in 1993

With you anything goes! You're grunge one day, ghetto fabulous the next. It's all good!

What Year Do You Belong In?

Bear feet

2008-09-04T18:34:00.003-05:00

Bear is obsessed with his feet, toes in particular. I think he inherited my dislike of shoes (let me clarify; I wear flip-flops and other open shoes; I can't stand my fee to feel enclosed, even by socks) and he's your typical toddler prone to accidents. So he gets "bonks" on his feet. A lot. And apparently, kissed do just the trick to fix them right back up. He is constantly coming up to Hunny or I, extending his foot up in the air, and going "mmmmmm," which clearly translates as a request for a kiss on the sore spot. In a splurge on make-up, I bought some black nail polish for my toes, and painted them earlier in the week. Last night, as I was unwinding on the couch with my legs stretched over the side, Bear comes up to me and says, "Ewwwwww," really loudly and in pure toddler disgust, and then promptly bends over and kisses each and every single one of my toes! Can I just say Mommy-meltdown?

101 List August update

2008-09-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

Health and Wellness
1. Lose enough weight to be in my BMI target range.
3. Go vegan for 2 weeks I'm very close to actually being able to do this. I've been researching veganism and the baking doesn't sound so impossible, something I was scared of before. Now to just start loving tofu more.
17. Try at least 5 fruits and 5 vegetables I've never tried before
18. Exercise 30 minutes a day (weekdays) for at least one month
16. Drink nothing but water for a week
27. No fast food for one full month (even for kids)
92. Follow Tio's diet for one week - I have decided to just pay for this one. There is no way I can go from a carb-heavy vegetarian to his meat-heavy diet. It just won't work for me!
53. Take tennis lessons
83. Stop drinking soda entirely
84. Have acupuncture done
86. Complete the Couch to 5k program
100. Abstain from sweets for one entire week

Spiritual/Faith
4. Finish reading the Bible (as of start date, NT has been read)
6. Start journaling again I'm so pleased to be journaling again. It's amazing how theraputic this is. 5/30/08
11. Take a seminary class that I will enjoy. I have not started the class, but in doing a little reasearch, I found out that Covenant Seminary in St. Louis allows you to listen to the class--no homework and no papers to write! (Tho I want to write, just not have a deadline!) I will date this when I actually take the class, tho.
23. Read the Bible daily for at least one month (can include #4)
29. Pray for immediate family and friends daily for one month
37. Finish my Banner Pole of Remembrance
61. Read the holy book of another world religion
73. Memorize ten of my meaningful "life" verses/passages
93. Initiate and tell one person why I am a Christian
98. Find a church to join I visited B's church this past Sunday and enjoyed it a lot, so maybe a step in the right direction?

General
2. Go to a "hot" beach (during warm weather!)
5. Go 1 week with no television
10. Finish the 1000 Challenge to get rid of 1000 things in my home (as of start date, 500 things remain) I'm currently on 830 items gotten rid of-no date til 1000 things are gone.
12. Grow and maintain a veggie patch (current tomato plants do not count)
14. Bake bread on a weekly basis (this only counts when I have successfully done it for at least 2 months in a row)
15. Train Pele in obedience
19. Take a full spa day
20. Buy lingerie
21. Get fully dressed every day for at least a month I started this one off well, and had a whole week under my belt, but then I lost stamina after the move. I'm going to start over.
22. Get my teeth professionally whitened
24. Get my nose pierced
25. Build something (a bookcase?)
26. Knit something for myself I found a pattern that I love and am going to make when I finish Helen's and Joelle's baby sweaters!
28. Find a wine that I actually like (will take suggestions!)
30. Finish knitting that silly pair of socks worked a few more rounds, but still have a long way to go, and I'm still on sock #1
31. Learn to sew 5 practical things
32. Buy a bed and a living room set
33. Wake up before the kids by 15 minutes every day for 2 weeks
34. Buy an original painting to hang in my home
35. Travel internationally for 30th birthday
36. Take pottery lessons
38. Bring no plastic into our home for one month
42. Learn to whistle with my fingers (loudly!)
43. Ask the Chef at Automatic Slim's for a recipe I love (if he says no, ask another professional chef) Dang! We moved from M-town, so I'm either going to do it when I visit or find another restaurant I love
44. Read 10 books I currently own but have not read 1. Sheperding a Child's Heart. 2. Velvet Elvis. 3. Blue Like Jazz.
45. Get my children's clothing line going been doing a LOT of thinking about this.. from names, to ideas, to designs...
50. Research and narrow down which home-(un-)schooling method I want to use
51. Utilize nothing but the farmer's market for family produce needs for one full month
52. Change the oil in my car one time
59. Make a family tree or trace my genealogy
60. Replace at least 3 cleaners with environmentally friendly versions (for home or body)
67. Go ice-skating
70. Go camping as a family (if we have small babies, then camp in the backyard)
71. Design and bake a wedding-worthy cake
72. Pose nude for a photo shoot (after goal weight is achieved)
75. Minimize energy consumption by only using clothes line, no lights before 6 pm, etc.
77. Change ten bad habits into good habits I am currently trying to stop cussing. I would like to change that into being a better encourager.
79. Bake a perfect souffle
80. Try 5 cheeses I've never tried (even if I don't think I like it) This may not seem like it counts, but I have tried cottage cheese, which I grew up hating even tho I'd never even tasted it. It was ok.
81. Go to and play at a casino
82. Make limoncello
87. Ride a real roller coaster-no kids!
101. Take voice lessons
46. Finish quilting my square

Relationships
7. Go on a weekend getaway with no kids
8. Go 1 week without getting on the computer.
54. Go to lunch with a friend once a month for 4 non-consecutive months Had lunch with Amy. Had coffee with Christina.
55. Learn to and play a video game with Hunny
68. Plan a romantic night for Hunny, and surprise him with it once a month I did one! 6/22/08 8/9/08
90. Become proficient in non-violent communication I've been learning to deal with some of Bear's obstinance by redirecting and helping him to put his feelings into words.
91. Study and understand Generalized Anxiety Disorder found an excellent website with great information. Already feel more compassionate towards Hunny and understanding his needs/fears. 6/29/08
94. Write a letter to mom I sent her a jar of peach preserves and a note. She didn't respond. 7/14/08
89. Spend a night at the Peabody or the Madison for anniversary

Financial
9. Save $1 a day, saving $1,001 by the end of the challenge I had saved about 20 bucks and then spent it all. I didn't build in a consequence for this... uh oh. new update: still no money.
78. Start a savings account for Bear and Bunkin Hunny started this 8/24/08
85. Cut my college loan debt in half

Community
39. Practice acts of kindness for a full day (pay for an expired meter, pay for the next person's coffee, etc) 5x
40. Take a daily walk, picking up trash along the way, for one week
41. Walk (or run) for a cause (March of Dimes, Susan G. Komen)
47. Continue growing my hair and donate to Locks of Love Does anyone know if it is true that your hair can be dyed but not bleached? b/cs right now I have some bleach streaks left over from my purple highlights.. if that is the case, I need to cut my hair before growing out.
48. Meet at least 4 neighbors, and pursue conversations at least 2 more times each talked with one neighbor after giving him herbs, but we moved after that. Will have to start over in our new neighborhood.
56. Send a birthday card to all immediate family and friends for a full year
64. Research how to join (and if I qualify, join) a bone marrow donor registry
69. Rescue a pet from a shelter (if we have small babies, then donate money instead)
74. Research how to donate breastmilk and if there is a local bank
76. Have a conversation with a homeless person/volunteer at a soup kitchen
96. Buy a TWLOHA shirt to support that cause got my shirt!! 6/08
97. Find a friend or group with which to barter services B and I are going to trade babysitting services.
95. Buy 25 flowers for 25 random strangers

Enrichment/Learning
62. Read the rest of Shakespeare's plays (those not read in college)
63. Learn calligraphy well enough to nicely address envelopes
65. Learn to identify 10 (local) birds by sight and sound
66. Re-memorize the times tables (no laughing at me! I need to!)
57. Re-learn Spanish (become conversational again) This is only a start, but I had a short conversation with a mujer in the laundromat!
58. Read a book in Spanish
13. Read classic works of fiction every couple of months (list to be determined)
49. Be able to identify 3 non-Dipper constellations
88. Rewrite a college paper and submit for publication in a journal
99. Get pregnant! (After goal weight has been reached and if Hunny agrees to it!) I don't think this is going to be on the list anymore.. .still trying to think of how to replace it.

Welcome, Skylar!

2008-09-02T21:09:00.003-05:00

My sis K had her first baby girl Skylar Lenore(the first girl of all the cousins) today at 4:30, after a 26 hour labor! And she didn't even get the epidural until 2:30 (WOW! I really didn't think she'd make it that long at all)! Skylar weighed 8lbs 2 oz and was 20.5" long. She hasn't gotten the hang of breastfeeding, but she's probably a little loopy from the epi, so please say a prayer that she and Mommy get to work on this some more. I have not actually spoken to my sister beyond the basics, so I assume she's doing well. K's also the only one of girls not to have a c-section on her first try--that's good! Way to go, Skylar! I can't wait to meet you!

Looking Fine in 2009

2008-09-02T15:10:00.005-05:00

Remember this post where I ~~bloviated~~ mentioned I was ready to lose weight For Real? Umm, I still haven't lost any. So, when I saw the Fine by 2009 challenge I knew I just had to join. My roller coaster attempts to lose weight are frustrating, and I am not always confident in my ability to lose the weight, but a counselor I saw once told me that I use my weight as a security blanket, and to a great extent, I think she is right. I don't enjoy being fat, but I tell myself if I don't try then I can't fail, which resonates a lot with my inner perfectionist. However, one of the things that moving to the Big D was all about was getting a partner to help me: sis B! She and I are on a mission to lose weight together, which I'm actually pretty excited about. Not the losing weight part (though that, too), but the her-as-buddy part. But you guys should have seen us when we were in 9th grade P.E. together. We FOUGHT like cats and dogs... Iwe were (was) always competing and so we'd get mad if the other one had a faster time or whatnot. Gosh, I'm glad that Maturity Happens. Anyway, inspired by the Fine '09 challenge, I am pledging to do the unthinkable: actually lose weight and when I do, I will show you guys the amazing results. Bathing Suit and all. So, for a little accountability, I am pledging to the following:
STOP eating after 8:00 at night. This gives me time for a snack if I must (baby steps, people) but not so late that I'm sleeping on it;
STOP having Hunny run out and get me chocolate or junk food, and not buy it myself either;
START eating all the veggies we buy, and limit the processed stuff;
START drinking only water-no Crack Zeros, or diet soda, just water. (no tea to begin with either.. I really need to detox from caffeine and artificial sweeteners to make sure they are not a contributing factor in my migraines).
START exercising-I'm planning on walking/jogging a mile every day that Hunny is home, or do my exercise video when he's not and while the boys are sleeping.

If you, too, want to join, Head on over to The Daily Mish Mash and sign the Mr Linky!

Labor Day Meme

2008-09-01T19:33:00.004-05:00

Rocksinmydryer shared this fun meme about labor, and I thought it was kind of fun, and since I have nothing original to say, thought I'd blog about something!

How long were your labors?
Bear: 18 hours
Bunkin: around 11 hours

How did you know you were in labor?
Bear: scheduled induction date, the ~~devil~~Pitocin started immediately. Much to my chagrin.
Bunkin: water broke.

Where did you deliver?
Hospitals.

Drugs?
Bear: yes. Did I mention the Pitocin?? I held out for about 7 hours, finally getting Stadol and then got my epidural after around 12 hours.
Bunkin: nope! Went all natural for this one. Hurt.like.hell.

C-section?
Bear: sigh. Did I mention the Pitocin? (I'm sure I did!) Yes, I ended up with a C-section, but that is ok.
Bunkin: nope, had my VBAC!

Who delivered?
Bear: Dr. B whom I had a like-dislike relationship with.
Bunkin: My OB was caught in surgery, so I had a stranger doctor deliver me, which I was very very ok with!

If you want to play along with this meme, just cut and paste the questions into your own blog, and leave your link below.*

*I'm not actually sure if you're supposed to leave your link here or at Rocksinmydryer's so I say go there!

Coming up for air

2008-08-27T22:04:00.002-05:00

We are officially in Texas now, and so far so good (I hate that phrase... it's a grammatical nightmare). Hunny is more convinced than ever as to why routines are wonder-workers, as Bear has settled down here almost without incident... and let me tell you, this kid has roo-teeens! Despite a change in scenery, he has been able to nap and eat pretty much at all the right times, and that has made my life so much easier while trying to unpack and organize the rest of our lives! A humorous side note about Bear's need for same-ness is when I first moved here with the boys, (Hunny followed 2 days later) we slept on the floor as our furniture was coming later in the week. Not really a big deal for Bunkin* because he sleeps with me anyway, but I was afraid that Bear would just be too wound up having Mama sleep near him. Anyway, we had our pallet made in the living room floor on a plush area rug left here, so I just kept the door to the hallway closed. I figured there was nothing to do in the rest of the house, so why bother going back there? Now that there are things in the bedrooms, however, I mindlessly keep the doorways to the rooms and hallway open, except the minute Bear sees them open, he runs to shut them! For the life of him, he only "knew" this house with those doors shut, so now he keeps them shut all the time, to my frustration sometimes!!! Also on the humorous Bear-front (totally different than bare-back, haha) is his pitter-pattering down aforementioned hall in the middle of the night. He has officially reached Big Boy status as he can climb out of the pack-n-play (ahem. the crib is still outside because it can't fit through the door. and we haven't taken it apart yet), so if he wakes up in the middle of the night, he crawls right on out and finds an enormous amount of fun jumping on DaddyBear on the couch. Did I mention I'm glad he hasn't tried this with me yet?
Aside from my house feeling in shambles and hating the sight of brown cardboard, I'm feeling at home here and can't wait to know my way around and to find friends, a church, and a good Mexican restaurant. Hunny and I are sadly disappointed in "authentic" Mexican food so far, although that's just as well because real Mexican food doesn't have a whole lot of vegetarian options anyway!
Ooooh, speaking of vegetarian (food being the connection), I'm reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Love it. Very thought-provoking, informative, and well-written. It makes me even more eager to find a farmer's market, co-op, or even a Whole Foods here!!! Also whittling away my unpacking time, I'm reading Irresistible Revolution (author currently unknown because the book is out of my line of vision), and it's equally thought-provoking but in an entirely different way! And Brownie, you will be sad and excited to learn that my knitting hiatus is over. I'm officially working on Helen's sweater again, but the sad part is that I had to rip out the whole thing and had to start over. But that's ok because I'm pretty excited to be knitting again, and hopefully as Bunkin takes better naps, I'll have larger chunks of time to work.
Ok, thats enough blogging miscellany for now... but I'm back, and have to give a shout out to high speed internet! I love you!
*Bunkin's name is Bunkin again... Monkey/C-Monkey weren't working for me online, because I am a creature of habit ~~notice a trend?~~ and I can't think of him as anything but Bunkin. However, in REAL life, he's now transitioned to TurTa, aka Turtle (or Tortuga if I'm feeling Spanish-y) because of his DARLING crawling pace. If crawling comes in a limp, that's what he's got: he drags his left knee under him, only using the right leg to project himself: so cute! Even cuter is Bear's imitation of Daddy saying "turtle." I digress. New animal name in real life, same old bloggy name in blogland.

Happy Birthdayx3!

2008-08-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

I love sharing my birthday. Which is good, because I share it with LOTS of people! As most of you know, I'm a triplet, so you know who my immediate day-sharers are, but we were also born on our father's birthday--weird, huh? I also get to celebrate with Izzy, one of my good friend's sons, and he's probably the cutest of the lot!
B, K, and I are 28, and it's been a roller coaster--good thing we haven't even crested the ride yet!
Since people always have questions about what it's like being a multiple, I thought I'd enlighten you to some of the joys we experienced. :)
Fun facts about our childhood:
~We shared a room until we were 14, at one point even sharing the same bed. Subsequently, is it any surprise that we have a skewed sense of "personal space?" LOL
~Two of us are identical, one fraternal, and as far as nature goes, this is the most common kind of triplet when you break down the odds of producing 1 egg that splits 3 ways (all identical) or 3 completely separately fertilized eggs (all fraternal). Growing up, no one believed that we were triplets because K looked so much smaller and younger than we did. By the way, we were born 8 weeks early and weighed 4 pounds plus odd ounces a piece. Not too shabby considering preemies and multiples!
~Despite our being identical and pretty joined at the hip, B and I have never had the same taste in men, and no, we never pranked our boyfriends! (why that gets asked more often than anything else, I have no idea!)
~We did, however, dress identically and switched places on April Fool's Day in high school. Fun times.
~Don't feel tooo badly for K; she was the purty one.
~And lastly, we always loved sharing our special day. Our mom once asked if we wanted to pick our own day so we could have our own cake and friends and presents and party, and we always said no... it's so much more fun to share!

Little bits o' love

2008-08-13T22:49:00.007-05:00

I'm almost as bad of a procrastinator as Georgia Peach, but not quite. Ok, ~~I am definitely worse~~ but I have an excuse of packing and hauling cross country! She's just pregnant and experiencing preggo-brain, crazy cravings, and all that other fun stuff. But she piled on the sweetness Tuesday, and I'm only now getting around to receive and obligatorily ~~show off~~ share the award she bestowed upon me: to my utter wonderment, I've been given the

and she's waaaaay funnier than I am. Case in point.
So, now it's my turn to bequeath (yes, I totally just used that word) this award to:
Brownie because you truly make me smile when we're together, whether as moms, or friends, or sisters. I love you! And if we're talking funny, this one made me smile when I heard the story and read it!

Great read

2008-08-13T13:57:00.003-05:00

I found this article (and spent way too long browsing the rest of the site, too) and had to share.... great words of advice. I'm a perfectionist, what can I say?
And proof that she's awesome is this quote from another section of her website: There are a number of skills that are a dying art. In a microwave culture, certain skills require crock pot patience, and not many home managers can afford such luxuries as time. But simple moms, home managers who yearn for simplicity in their lives, should take the time to learn a few.
See? She's a smart cookie, and anything that involves smarts or cookies is fine by me. :)

9 on the 9th

2008-08-08T23:23:00.005-05:00

Mrs. N over at All that Naz has her 9 on the 9th meme.. you know, a list of, duh! 9 things! Here's my list:
9 reasons I'm excited to move to Dallas
(also known as psyching myself up)
1. I'll be close to sister B! She's my identical sis, and we're pretty close. :)
2. I get to *know* my nephews, and our boys will grow up together. This amazes me because we never had cousins growing up, and I'm so excited that they will have a sense of family outside our immediate ones.
3. It's not Memphis... I mean that as sweetly as I can possibly muster, but this city has her issues, that's for sure.
4. It's Dallas! I think everything's supposed to be bigger in Texas or something. Seriously, though, it's right smack dab in the middle of the country, and that's got to mean something, right?
5. It's a chance to start over, and that's always been kind of exciting to me, even if scary at the same time: new friends, new church, new weather, new neighborhood.
6. College football, which Hunny tells me is THE holy of holies. And we'll be right there to experience it. Hook 'em horns!
*Edited to correct my mistake; I originally said SEC football, but that just shows you what I know! I'm still a-learnin'! But what I meant to say was just college ball in general...and just in case some of you from home are wondering if Hunny's grown a 2nd head, don't worry; he's still the biggest Arkansas (SEC) fan ever.... he just happens to enjoy a team of certain burnt orange fame as well.
7. Texas (I've heard) has a great homeschooling tolerance, so I imagine there will be all kinds of cool homeschooling mamas.
8. I am actually hoping to be able to practice my dusty Spanish... maybe a sweet Mexican woman will take me in under her wing, and feed me lots of salsa!
9. Wide open spaces. And room to make mistakes.
So there's my list... go visit Mrs. N and see the other lists!

Ouch

2008-08-06T22:36:00.003-05:00

Uh-oh, two posts in one day, and I'm not even supposed to be here today! (Someone, PLEASE get that reference!!!)
So, yeah, I wandered over my blogroll, catching up on some other kewl bloggers' words, and I found this which Melanie posted but I'm going to as well. Please go read it. Even if you don't know/care what a missional/emergent approach to the gospel is, it' s still something that is deeply provocative, and quite possibly revolutionary.
The thing that affected me the most was where a girl said, "Had only my heart been so buried in Him that to even find me you had to find Him first." This is amazing to me.... I want to be like this, too.

Tell your story

2008-08-06T21:12:00.004-05:00

Goodness, in all my ~~craziness~~ busyness lately, I totally forgot to mention my other little blog project. Some of you may have seen it if you participated in or saw the Blog Mission Tour, but for those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, I created another blog. I have just felt impressed with the importance of His story... you know, the one He's writing on the pages of each of our lives every single day in the miracles of exclamation points as well as the mundane of commas and periods. (Ok, was that taking a metaphor too far?!?)
Seriously, though, go have a look-see, and if you feel like it, please leave a comment telling your story--any phase of it, or from beginning to where you are now on your journey!
Tellyourstorymosaic

P.S. I'm still ~~supposed to be~~ on my self-imposed blogging hiatus because I'm ~~in denial that I'm~~ moving in less than 10 days from now, but when I return, there should be all kinds of fun posts about how great it will be living near my sister B., and how Hunny won't let me cut Bear's curls off (I won!), and how if I have to fish another piece of paper out of C-Monkey's mouth (and get bitten by his one lil' toof) I might scream.... um, ok maybe not the last one, but something like it!

Busy

2008-08-01T10:41:00.003-05:00

For those of you who haven't heard the official news, we're moving to Dallas, TX! I'm pretty excited, and mildly overwhelmed, by the prospect of starting over, but I'm certainly staying busy in the meantime. My house is a disaster zone, between Bear sliding on the stacks of broken down boxes and my half-hearted attempts to actually pack; the good news is I actually folded and put away all my laundry I've let accumulate for the last two weeks!! Anyway, I digress. So, we will be moving near my identical sis, and I'm thrilled about that, as well as the opportunity our boys will have in getting to know each other--I never believed in cousins when I was growing up!
I'm sad about leaving behind my paltry little garden, though..isn't that sad? I have a plant that promises many, many tomatoes, but alas, I will not get to eat them! And Bear keeps pulling off the cherry tomatoes, so I've yet to eat any of those either! :)
I had several blog posts planned (including the cutest pictures ever of Bear's birthday/playgroup party), but I think I will wait to do any "real" blogging til after we get settled... which may be a while. So, don't forget about me; I will be back, I promise!!!

An Award!!!

2008-07-21T13:21:00.004-05:00

Mari has nominated me for my first blogging award!! I'm so excited and happy she thought of me!

The rules for this award: Put the logo on your blog. Put a link to who awarded it to you on your blog also. You need to nominate 7 other bloggers for the award and put links to them also on your blog. Finally, leave a comment for those you've nominated - so they know they've received a special award.

The blogs I'm nominating are both some I've been reading for a while and some I've only found recently, but they all inspire me.

1. Parikah at Sixoneseven: I don't think I've commented too often on your blog, but your knitting creations are simply breathtaking; your photos gorgeous; your food divine... Let's say that I wish I had all of your talents in these three areas!

2. Lori at Simple life at Home: What to say? I can't wait to be you when I grow up? Ok, besides that sounding bad and like you might be old or something, I just think you are so wise and relevant in your writing. I always look forward to reading.

3. Melanie my new friend: I think I love your blog for the same reason we became friends so easily-our paths are very much interconnected right now: we seem to be learning the same things and exploring new depths, and it's just so cool to have a new sister like that!

4. My sweet husband: you are not afraid to tell the truth, even when it seems like no one listens. I love and respect that about you the most. You inspire me daily.

5. Kristen at Dust: Again, I don't know you all that well, but with every post you write, you challenge me to be a better steward, a better thinker, maybe a better do-er.

6. Amber at Bringing Good Home: I think your intentionality and authenticity when blogging are what inspire me; in fact, it was stumbling across your blog in the first place that convinced me I wanted to blog!

7. Tonggu Momma gets my last nomination: While I'm new to your blog, and am not an adopting parent, so much of what you write about speaks to me...maybe because I'm also Southern, maybe because I wish I were as funny as you, and maybe just maybe because we have a Father who speaks louder than we do!

Thanks, Mari, for the award...

A cool linkage

2008-07-19T10:32:00.001-05:00

I recently spent ~~way too much~~ some time ~~getting sucked in~~ browsing the web for tattoo designs for inspiration (I've got the itch... baaaad), and I came across this site. Sooo pretty!
As a side note, I have a certain idea (not animal related) for my next tattoo, but I just can't figure out where to put it or how to design it. So... if I ever get it, you'll be the first to know!

Happy Birthday, Bear!

2008-07-18T08:00:00.003-05:00

It's amazing what having children does, and how it prolifically changes every aspect of one's life. Giving birth was watching a miracle as well as letting go of my need to be in control since the birth process didn't happen the way I wanted it to go. But I'd say I'm 100% healed from my C-section, and bringing home Bear* has brought true joy into my home. While Hunny and I are still trying to figure out what parenthood means, we love Bear more than we could have imagined.
Now that he is one month old, it feels as if we've been doing this forever, but I also can't believe it's been four whole weeks. We're nowhere near perfect--never will be, and I confess I'm still trying to be self-reliant. When Bear looks up at me with his dark blue eyes, and I stroke his soft hair when he's feeding, I am amazed at what grace is. This little baby has done nothing in the world to be born, or to earn my love, and yet I love him so much I'd die for him... I'm beginning to get a better picture of my own Savior's sacrifice for me. I'm so grateful that Bear is alive, well, and in my life. [* names changed to keep in line with my blog]

Man, I wrote that journal entry a little less than two years ago, and I'm struck by several things: first, on a reminiscent note, I'd forgotten that his hair was the softest, silkiest hair imaginable! He had so much of it, too, still does, only now it's a lighter brown and so curly (who knew he'd have Curly Sue locks?). I also have to somewhat laugh at my sense of begrudging letting go of control--I was so mad that I ended up with an induced-labor-turned-cesaeraian! Little did I know that I would get pregnant much sooner than later (we found out when I was 9 months post partum that we'd expect another one) and that I'd get to have the natural, drug-free birth I'd so desperately wanted with Bear, and let me just say I was totally out of control! Letting go, though, is indeed still an issue for me as a parent. I want to do everything perfectly. I want to be a great (the best?) mom, and sometimes that is my idol. It's too easy to play at being God, and not BE Godly, when you are a mom (and especially a recovering perfectionist), isn't it? I know that just recently I called a friend to complain about what a rough morning I was having, and the sweet advice I got on the other end was to sing "This is the day that the Lord has made... Rejoice and be glad in it." Our Creator has made each and every day, and it is by His grace and doing that we are alive and blessed. In control I am not, yet He has given me charge over two little boys, to raise and teach and protect. On today, Bear's birthday, the reminder of Whose he is ever present in my mind, and I'm glad God has given me a chance to experience the awesome grace that being a mommy is!

My Slideshow 7/15/08

Why do I blog?

2008-07-14T08:45:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite blogs is hosting a Blog Mission Tour! The purpose is to simply share why you blog so others can get to know you. My blogging has changed with every entry at times, and in light of my previous post regarding my blog background, the focus invited by this tour has been helpful for me to narrow my focus.

I wrote my first blog entry in January of this year, and even then, I'm not sure I KNEW why I wanted to blog, at least not in terms other than creative expression. I have always loved to write, and to this day still prefer a pen and paper to get my thoughts down if I'm having trouble thinking clearly. I remember in college when it hit me that I'll never be a "Creative Writer" (c'mon, if you were an English major, you know what I mean!), and yet I so preferred the ability to formulate a sentence well and write essays. Since having my first son in 2006, I have had less of a chance to speak coherently, let alone academically, and so I thought blogging would help me feel smart again. Not to mention, the blogs I frequent often inspire me on so many levels, so it makes sense that would carry over into wanting to inspire other women as well. My first entry explains my blog's name, and as I read it again, it really does capture my blog mission: to relay the "joy and art" of my life and the words I can use to express that. This includes my love of knitting when I am able to, my over-fondness of baking (and the ensuing complaints about my weight), my family's antics, and the little lessons God is teaching me along the way: about Him, living simply, trust, biblical womanhood, etc.

Please go check out Becoming me and all the other neat blogs responding to this Blog Mission Tour!

New look, again

2008-07-12T16:28:00.003-05:00

Do you like the new look? I've been having a blog-identity-crisis, at least in terms of template/background. I'm bored with Blogger's set templates, but the imported templates annoy me by having less navigational ability. So, I've been playing around with blogging basics and figuring out how to play with and/or make headers to add my own personality to Blogger's plain-jane templates. I actually have another photo that I'd like to use, but I have to get permission first. The current picture is my own, taken on our rinky-dink cell phone camera, and I have to say, it isn't too shabby, is it? I made what promised to be a scrumptious peanut butter and chocolate cookie recipe, but I was so disappointed with the way they tasted. Not with the way they looked, just the taste. However, Brownie disagrees with me and said as long as you knew they were not overly sweet, they were just fine.
Anyway, here is the new look for now. I'll switch to the other photo if I get permission to use it, and then you can vote on which one you prefer!

What's in a name?

2008-07-09T23:37:00.004-05:00

As everyone is aware, in Real Life (you know, that place I go to escape the daily grind of Blogland ;) my sons' names are not Bear and Bunkin. Shocker, I know. Bear earned his moniker honestly by growling as a teeny one, melting our hearts. However, at some point much further down the road, I also started calling him Bunkin (I have a thing for nicknames, even to the point of elongating a name if it's only one syllable). So, when Bunkin(2) was on the way, I thought and thought about the possibilities. Alas, suffering from "Mommy brain" I could not think of anything new, so he got dubbed Bunkin, and Bear reclaimed the name of his infancy. Bunkin did eventually gain a name of his own, and we like to call him "C-bug cuteness." Not sure where the animal theme comes from, but let me just tell you, I think C-bug needs a new animal. Yes, he's got as many rolls as a rolly-polly (pill bugs for anyone not raised in the South), but that just seems too easy. Tonight it hit me. Literally. As I nursed my little guy to sleep, I had the thought that there is no way I could have been any other mammal in another life and had to nurse a whole litter. The pawing and shoving and arm batting and sheer force of movement involved in feeding a 6-month-old learning how his body works is ... um, annoying, to say the least. He's positively acrobatic. Like, for instance, a monkey, only he pinches my chest and attempts to stay latched while investigating that cool sound up on the ceiling, and oh! what was that? it was Big Brother, surely that requires a look, too, but mmmm, I'm still attached to mommy! My little monkey seems to flip, swing around, and do the twist on my boobs. So, I am hereby changing his online name to Monkey. I have a feeling Monkey-see/Monkey-do will be a factor as he observes Big Brother in life, so I might as well prepare myself for that now.

9 on the 9th

2008-07-09T10:05:00.004-05:00

I love to travel, but since having kids have not done any. My list is of places I'd like to visit (though some I've visted before and would just enjoy going there again).
1. Northern Africa... I know Hunny would have something to say to this, but I'd really love to visit Morocco and Egypt.
2. Romania... I've been here twice, and it's probably the country I love the best.
3. Scotland... Sean Connery. Adrian Paul (ok, ok he's not Scottish, but he played one on TV...dreamy). Need I say more?
4. Greece... This one also speaks for itself!
5. Jamaica... No, I'm not being cliche; however, having studied some Caribbean literature in college, I feel I "owe" it to myself to really "study" all those sandy beaches, palm trees, blue skies... LOL!
6. Spain... I would like a really good reason to remember the Spanish in which I used to be proficient.
7. The rest of the United States... I hope before I die, I will have been through each of the 50 States. We have so much history and natural beauty that gets ignored in favor of overseas travel.
8. Paris... My sister and I were supposed to go here for our 30th birthday; however, we've changed our minds, but there is still something exciting and alluring about visiting this romantic city.
9. Israel... I'm not sure how feasible this one would be, but I'd love to explore biblical history in this country!
If you'd like to do a 9 on the 9th list, head on over to Angela's blog and read other lists to get inspired!

Updates (sort of)

2008-07-08T00:24:00.005-05:00

We're officially moving, but we still don't know to where. I know, I know, that's not much of an update! I feel like a nesting pregnant woman: I went through the boys' bedrooms today and culled several more things. I'm pretty sure I got rid of at least 50 more articles of clothing, plus some toys. I figure if we're moving, I'm not toting, or paying someone else to tote, a bunch of unnecessary stuff! On Hunny's job front, he has many interviews this week: two are for the two Dallas possibilities, and one is for here. We should know by the end of the week how things are shaping up.
We're getting ready for Bear's 2nd birthday. Obviously, he has no idea that it's coming or what the hubbub will be about, but I'm fairly certain he'll enjoy it nonetheless! :)
My friend Kathryn had her third and final son last week, and a new baby is always exciting, so I can't wait to see him again tomorrow!
My other friend Catherine came home from overseas also last week, and Saturday we had a fun bash at Amy's in celebration--my cake turned out very well, if a tad ugly. I got to catch up with several friends I haven't seen in a while, so that was really nice.
We attempted to give Bunkin solids, but I'm not sure he's handling them very well, so I'm going back with my original gameplan, to wait til he's 8 months (or after we're settled after the move). He sure envies us when we are eating, though!
I watched a movie called Babel tonight, and it was very interesting. It was filmed like the movie Crash (which I loved) where several story lines juxtapose. The Babel stories are on a global level instead of just LA, and some of the implications are just really interesting. I'm still thinking a lot about it... I'm also reading What is the What, and it, too, is very provocative. Heavy stuff.
Ok, now that it's past midnight, I need to get off here and go to bed, but those are a few of the things going on in my world!

Simple woman's daybook

2008-07-07T23:00:00.001-05:00

Outside my Window...the night is hot and dark, mosquitoes buzzing against the porch light.

I am thinking...about the movie I just finished watching (Babel).

I am thankful for...a nice evening with Hunny after both boys went to bed.

From the kitchen...absolutely nothing! We ordered pizza for dinner tonight.

I am creating...a moving list.

I am going...to Kathryn's house tomorrow to deliver a meal after the birth of her third son!

I am wearing...one of Hunny's t-shirts and my comfy capri pajamas. :)

I am reading...What is the What by Dave Eggars. Go get it.

I am hoping...my migraine goes away soon.

I am hearing...mine and Hunny's off-sync typing.

Around the house...the living room and office are CLEAN-thanks to Hunny. The kitchen looks tidy but has a sink full of dirty dishes. I also have piles in all the other rooms that are sorted by To Freecycle, To Give Away, and To Toss Before the Move.

One of my favorite things...my iced latte that is in the fridge (don't want the caffeine to keep me awake tonight, but boy oh boy, looking forward to it tomorrow!).

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week...go to Kathryn's and deliver a meal, go to playgroup, go grocery shopping, not to mention quite a few errands-hopefully I can combine days to get them all done!

A Picture Thought I'm Sharing...

Simple woman's daybook journal

2008-07-02T22:28:00.010-05:00

FOR TODAY July 3, 2008
Outside My Window the black cat we've dubbed Skittles is taunting Pele
I am thinking about the note I wrote my mom
I am thankful for a gorgeous day, a smiling baby, and the encouragement I got from Brownie yesterday
From the kitchen I need to bake bread
I am wearing a t-shirt and capris
I am creating a mental to-do list and a list of ingredients I need for the cake I'm baking this weekend
I am going to go grocery shopping tomorrow
I am reading Easy to Love, Difficult to Discipline, Sheperding a Child's Heart, and Irresistable Revolution
I am hoping that Hunny and I get clarity on his job situation soon
I am hearing Pele barking at aforementioned cat and Bear talking jibberish into his play cell phone
Around the house I have a huge pile of laundry that needs folding
One of my favorite things is how Bunkin smiles at Bear every time he comes in the room
A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: our family will celebrate the 4th, and a welcome home party on Saturday for a friend
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

I love this idea, and I am not entirely sure if I'm supposed to do it on Mondays or not, but I figured I can mess up the first time I try it out! Go on over to The Simple Woman if you want to see more Daybook Journals!

June update 101 List

2008-07-01T13:37:00.003-05:00

Health and Wellness
1. Lose enough weight to be in my BMI target range.
3. Go vegan for 2 weeks
17. Try at least 5 fruits and 5 vegetables I've never tried before
18. Exercise 30 minutes a day (weekdays) for at least one month
16. Drink nothing but water for a week
27. No fast food for one full month (even for kids)
92. Follow Tio's diet for one week - I have decided to just pay for this one. There is no way I can go from a carb-heavy vegetarian to his meat-heavy diet. It just won't work for me!
53. Take tennis lessons
83. Stop drinking soda entirely
84. Have acupuncture done
86. Complete the Couch to 5k program
100. Abstain from sweets for one entire week

Spiritual/Faith
4. Finish reading the Bible (as of start date, NT has been read)
6. Start journaling again I'm so pleased to be journaling again. It's amazing how theraputic this is. 5/30/08
11. Take a seminary class that I will enjoy I have not started the class, but in doing a little reasearch, I found out that Covenant Seminary in St. Louis allows you to listen to the class--no homework and no papers to write! (Tho I want to write, just not have a deadline!) I will date this when I actually take the class, tho.
23. Read the Bible daily for at least one month (can include #4)
29. Pray for immediate family and friends daily for one month
37. Finish my Banner Pole of Remembrance
61. Read the holy book of another world religion
73. Memorize ten of my meaningful "life" verses/passages
93. Initiate and tell one person why I am a Christian
98. Find a church to join

General
2. Go to a "hot" beach (during warm weather!)
5. Go 1 week with no television
10. Finish the 1000 Challenge to get rid of 1000 things in my home (as of start date, 500 things remain) I'm currently on 700 items gotten rid of-no date til 1000 things are gone.
12. Grow and maintain a veggie patch (current tomato plants do not count)
14. Bake bread on a weekly basis (this only counts when I have successfully done it for at least 2 months in a row)
15. Train Pele in obedience
19. Take a full spa day
20. Buy lingerie
21. Get fully dressed every day for at least a month
22. Get my teeth professionally whitened
24. Get my nose pierced
25. Build something (a bookcase?)
26. Knit something for myself
28. Find a wine that I actually like (will take suggestions!)
30. Finish knitting that silly pair of socks
31. Learn to sew 5 practical things
32. Buy a bed and a living room set
33. Wake up before the kids by 15 minutes every day for 2 weeks
34. Buy an original painting to hang in my home
35. Travel internationally for 30th birthday
36. Take pottery lessons
38. Bring no plastic into our home for one month
42. Learn to whistle with my fingers (loudly!)
43. Ask the Chef at Automatic Slim's for a recipe I love (if he says no, ask another professional chef)
44. Read 10 books I currently own but have not read
45. Get my children's clothing line going
50. Research and narrow down which home-(un-)schooling method I want to use
51. Utilize nothing but the farmer's market for family produce needs for one full month
52. Change the oil in my car one time
59. Make a family tree or trace my genealogy
60. Replace at least 3 cleaners with environmentally friendly versions (for home or body)
67. Go ice-skating
70. Go camping as a family (if we have small babies, then camp in the backyard)
71. Design and bake a wedding-worthy cake
72. Pose nude for a photo shoot (after goal weight is achieved)
75. Minimize energy consumption by only using clothes line, no lights before 6 pm, etc.
77. Change ten bad habits into good habits
79. Bake a perfect souffle
80. Try 5 cheeses I've never tried (even if I don't think I like it)
81. Go to and play at a casino
82. Make limoncello
87. Ride a real roller coaster-no kids!
101. Take voice lessons
46. Finish quilting my square

Relationships
7. Go on a weekend getaway with no kids
8. Go 1 week without getting on the computer.
54. Go to lunch with a friend once a month for 4 non-consecutive months
55. Learn to and play a video game with Hunny
68. Plan a romantic night for Hunny, and surprise him with it once a month I did one! 6/22/08
90. Become proficient in non-violent communication
91. Study and understand Generalized Anxiety Disorder found an excellent website with great information. Already feel more compassionate towards Hunny and understanding his needs/fears. 6/29/08
94. Write a letter to mom
89. Spend a night at the Peabody or the Madison for anniversary

Financial
9. Save $1 a day, saving $1,001 by the end of the challenge I had save about 20 bucks and spent it all. I didn't build in a consequence for this... uh oh
78. Start a savings account for Bear and Bunkin
85. Cut my college loan debt in half

Community
39. Practice acts of kindness for a full day (pay for an expired meter, pay for the next person's coffee, etc) 5x
40. Take a daily walk, picking up trash along the way, for one week
41. Walk (or run) for a cause (March of Dimes, Susan G. Komen)
47. Continue growing my hair and donate to Locks of Love Does anyone know if it is true that your hair can be dyed but not bleached? b/cs right now I have some bleach streaks left over from my purple highlights.. if that is the case, I need to cut my hair before growing out.
48. Meet at least 4 neighbors, and pursue conversations at least 2 more times each
56. Send a birthday card to all immediate family and friends for a full year
64. Research how to join (and if I qualify, join) a bone marrow donor registry
69. Rescue a pet from a shelter (if we have small babies, then donate money instead)
74. Research how to donate breastmilk and if there is a local bank
76. Have a conversation with a homeless person/volunteer at a soup kitchen
96. Buy a TWLOHA shirt to support that cause got my shirt!! 6/08
97. Find a friend or group with which to barter services
95. Buy 25 flowers for 25 random strangers

Enrichment/Learning
62. Read the rest of Shakespeare's plays (those not read in college)
63. Learn calligraphy well enough to nicely address envelopes
65. Learn to identify 10 (local) birds by sight and sound
66. Re-memorize the times tables (no laughing at me! I need to!)
57. Re-learn Spanish (become conversational again)
58. Read a book in Spanish
13. Read classic works of fiction every couple of months (list to be determined)
49. Be able to identify 3 non-Dipper constellations
88. Rewrite a college paper and submit for publication in a journal

99. Get pregnant! (After goal weight has been reached and if Hunny agrees to it!)
Yikes, 9 things started or finished. I need to work a little faster!!!