Stick Bunnie

Can you resurrect the dead (blog)?

2009-05-29T20:31:00.001-07:00

Ok...ok...I know...it's been 4 months. Go easy on me. So what has been going on in those past 4 months? Well, a lot of work....and plenty of other stuff, too. But it would take days and days and days to get it all down on paper (or in electronic format, no matter how fast I may type). Suffice it to say that I've been catching myself coming and going a fair bit of the time. Even now...I have the possibility of going to 3 births in the next week and a half. That's a lot!!

So I guess I'll recap big things....children are growing. Well. I measured Liam's foot and hand against my own last night, and his thumb is really not much smaller than mine. His toes reach the bottoms of my toes....and I wear a size 10 women's shoe. So the kid's got a solid foundation to work from. Jonah's build reminds me of my own...and my father's. All limbs with a shorter torso. He may not be as tall as a result, but the boy is definitely wiry. And little miss C is just ablaze with vocabulary and is venturing into the land of potty learning. I won't call it training, because you know who's really getting the training around here...and it isn't her.

The house is coming along. It still doesn't feel finished, but I've decided that it never will. I need to start a list of projects for each room so I can start to tick them off one by one. The outside is getting the most attention at the moment with some serious relandscaping going on. I've gone through 17 yards of mulch....and I'm not done yet. The compost pile is growing at such a rate that I don't think I'll be able to turn it all, but the plus is that there's plenty of stuff to burn at bonfires over the summer.

My great-grandmother passed a couple of weeks ago at the age of 92 (and I was there, which was an experience in and of itself), and the day of her funeral, I left to go to a midwifery skills workshop, where I got plenty of hands on...but also managed to leave my camera. Which sucks, but I've got a blackberry now, so I can at least get a few pictures here and there for you until the Pentax returns to my hot little hands.

The boys have 2 weeks of school left (6 days for Jonah, 10 for Liam....how quickly it goes!) and will be on break. I will be glad for the break, but also sad, as this is likely their last year at the Waldorf school. Finances and lack of family life just won't allow us to be able to keep sending them.

I seem to spend more time on Facebook and Twitter these days...but I'm trying to wean myself back away from that so I have more time to write here and journal what's happening in our daily lives. You know how that goes. I'm better off to say I'll see ya when I see ya.

Happy Birthday to Roo!

2009-01-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that two years ago I was welcoming a little baby girl into our lives. What a difference two years makes. She has a lot to say for just being two, and she keeps up well with her big brothers. Here she is blowing out the candles on her ice cream cake. J-man lends a hand with support.

She's not a girly girl much at all. Not that it surprises me much. Despite the sea of pink and purple clothes, she hates to wear anything in her hair (forget barrettes and pigtails for now...), and would rather be digging in the dirt and running with her brothers than playing with dolls. Which, honestly, is fine by me. At the same time, there is a certain tenderness to her that the boys didn't have at the same age. She loves the kitty cats and tries to pick them up or smother them with hugs every chance she gets. I'm looking forward to seeing where this sweet little personality goes.

Jonah waiting ever-so-patiently for his ice cream.

Liam got some snap circuits for Christmas, and he 's been counting down the days until he could use them to play Happy Birthday for his sister.

What, snow!?

2008-10-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

We are getting lake effect snow. I had to clean a couple of inches of wet, heavy snow off the car this morning. The boys were stoked about the prospect of making snowballs except that by the time we got as far south and west as the school, there was no snow. Drove back home...it's snowing gangbusters up here and accumulating. It is October, right?!? Oh, yeah...I forget, it is Northeast Ohio.

Corinna says: Where are my boots!? Snowballs, anyone?

Traverse City in October

2008-10-29T07:13:00.000-07:00

Went to the MANA (midwives alliance of north america) conference in Traverse City a couple of weeks ago. Had a fantastic time, met lots of great midwives, and really cemented my purpose and where I'm going.

Our room was on the 15th floor at the Grand Traverse Resort and Lodge. What a really cool place! Outdoor hot-tub, indoor water slide, jacuzzi tub in the room. There were 4 of us in the room, but there was plenty of space.

I had an opportunity to practice suturing (on a chicken breast, not real people!), but it was still fun.

what a steal!

2008-09-19T12:12:00.001-07:00

100% cashmere sweater. Perfect size. $3. Really. Man, I love thrift shopping.

yay crafting!

2008-09-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

Dressers for all!

2008-09-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

Ok...got some pictures of the goodies I got last weekend. I'll split it up into multiple posts, since it would make an enormous post to do it all at once.

First, everyone has a new chest of drawers. Our closet is really not a closet at all but a set of stairs that gives access to the attic (at the top of which is a door lying on ceiling...trippy!). There is a hanging bar that goes across just inside the door at the bottom, but it's really not much hanging space, so we needed more drawer space. I really want a wardrobe, and I found a beautiful antique one, but I'm not sure I want to send the money on it when it needs to have the hanging bar made lengthwise instead of widthwise. But, man, it was a neat piece. The only place I've been able to find wardrobes is at IKEA, but they are all very modern in style and would clash with our dressers...not to mention the fact that I don't want another particle board piece of furniture.

The boys were sharing a dresser, but between school clothes, socks, undies, jammies, and play clothes, the drawers were running over. So now each boy has a dresser.

The baby had a dresser in her room, but it was a changing table/dresser combo, and two of the four drawers would fall out when you pull them out to put clothes in them. She's outgrown the changing table portion of it, so she really needed a dresser with more space, and I was tired of catching the drawers each time I put clothes away. I've gone through and cleaned out her room for the most part, and all of my craft stuff is now in bins or on shelves. I used my labelmaker and labeled all the bins (except the big ones), so I know what's in them (even though they are clear...I still need the extra prompt). The only things left to do in her room are to hang the shelf that our Boyd's bears collection will rest on, clean the diaper stuff out of her closet and store her other cloth diaper stuff in the attic (in the chaos that has been our life lately, I haven't kept up with cloth diapering like I had intended to, and I'm hoping she'll potty train soon), and get her a ceiling fan. Currently there is one single can light, and given the location of her room, she really needs a fan, as her room is on the southeast corner of the house and gets plenty of sun.

The bears on her dresser are tea-dyed bears that came from a garage sale of one of my MIL's friends. They have such personality! The lamp is another vintage hurricane lamp that I found at the secondhand store. Both top and bottom light up, and I love the flower detail on the body of the lamp.

I also found a day bed for Roo's room at the second hand store that has a trundle underneath that expands to be about the same height as the daybed for when guests come. My grandma on my dad's side is a wonderful portrait artist, and she did a painting of a couple of girls dressed as princesses blowing bubbles, and I've always loved this painting. My mom let me have it not long before we moved, and I've been wanting to hang it in her room since. It really needs to be framed, but I couldn't wait any longer to put it up.

wooly bears

2008-09-07T18:15:00.001-07:00

Fall is upon us. The wooly bears have invaded, which is a sure sign that the weather is about to get cooler. I'm really not ready for it. It seems that this spring and summer just flew past with all that we had going on. First it was getting ready for the spring auction (and I didn't make anything :( ), then it was birth stuff on and off all May, June was all about getting ready and going to Germany, July was getting caught up on painting that really needed to be done and then my great-grandfather passing away, August was about Liam's birthday and going back to Indiana to bring home some of my great-grandmother's things and then getting the kids ready to go back to school, and so far September has been all about surviving getting my LSAT teaching prep done. To say I miss having my old rhythm would be an understatement. I haven't done any crafting in months, partly due to the fact that it was all in boxes and not accessible in the disaster of Miss C's room and partly due to the lack of time. I didn't feel comfortable taking the time to sit and craft when there were rooms to clean, things to organize, stuff to purge.

Things feel like they are a little closer to coming together. I've decided that this is a process that will never feel finished, but at least I'm almost to the point where I can feel like I can do something other than obsess about what needs to be done on the house. I'll be posting a room by room synopsis of what has been done and where we're going with things over the next little bit.

I've learned a little about the things I really like in terms of style, and I've also learned that I've inherited the second-hand bug from my dad's side of the family. In addition to the wonderful vintage goodies I brought home from Indiana, I've been picking up some here and there at the second hand store. I'll have to share those with you too. I've realized that I really like vintage, which I guess makes sense considering some of my favorite bloggers do too.

Anyway, I miss posting about what's been going on with all of us, and hopefully you've missed reading about it.

Oh, so the title is wooly bears...guess I should share about them? I've always been a caterpillar kind of girl. Loved the wooly bears when I was a kid, and I can remember ending up with itches in the webs of my fingers from spending so much time picking them up, holding them, petting them, and making them my wiggly little playmates. So imagine my delight when while weeding yesterday I found a few of them curled up in the tall grass. I wanted to share my excitement with the boys, so I gave a holler for them. Jonah was Johnny-on-the-spot and couldn't get a hold of one fast enough. He carried it around, petted it, and took it in to show Daddie (who promptly hollered for him to take it out, which is how I knew it ended up in the house in the first place!). So now my little J-man is a wooly bear guy too. Miss C. couldn't be bothered to touch one, as she was a little afraid of the fact that they move when you do. Liam thought they were neat but didn't think he liked the tickly feeling he got when they moved. Jonah, however, couldn't get enough. Since yesterday, he's been on the lookout.

What are cousins for?

2008-04-14T10:40:00.000-07:00

Went down to C-bus this weekend for a meeting about birth, and we overnighted with Auntie M. and Uncle K. Cousin R. is getting really big...

Quit growing, would ya, kid?! Don't make me put a brick on your head.

Really!?!

2008-04-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

Lovely flowers sent by my best friend

Ok...so I totally was snowed (well...both literally and figuratively over February and March!) when I thought I was going to be able to get here to post more often. Work has been crazy over the past few months, and with all the changes going on here, I'm lucky to keep up most days.

Liam is back at the Waldorf school (long story), so I've been spending a bit more time in the car and hanging out at the school than I did last semester. Many weeks I've been teaching 5-6 days, so hubby and I have been ships passing in the night...or the evening as it were.

We're trying to get settled in at the new house. We have most of the boxes unpacked, and there's still a lot of purging left to do. We have the downstairs mostly purged and fairly organized. It's just the laundry, dishes, toys, and paperwork piling up that we have to get under control.

The upstairs, well, it needs a little work, shall we say. I always feel more inspired and energetic once the sun starts lingering longer, so hopefully I can make some progress there soon. With the weather finally breaking here for a week or so, the kids and I have been out in the front yard trying to get our 3/4 acre under control. Wow...that's a lot of work! We've managed to edge along the front bed, get the sticks into a few piles, pull a few weeds, and reassemble some of the outdoor toys. Our back yard is pretty swampy still, so there hasn't been as much done back there as I would like.

Jonah makes like a cat and catches a nap

Hubby has been busily working on papers to submit for two conferences abroad. One in Vancouver and one in Berlin. So Roo and I will be making the trip to Berlin with him this year. Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch, so es wird gut sein. (I speak a little German, so it will be good) Two international trips before the age of 2 for the baby. Pretty lucky, that girl. Too bad she won't remember a lick of it. Good thing we have cameras!

I'm planning on uploading some pictures that I took of the snow, ic

e, and blizzard we had over the winter. Just so we can be glad that it's spring!

And seriously...I need to get the rest of Rome uploaded before the 1 year anniversary of our trip gets here. That doesn't leave much time! Miss you all!

Beds are for jumping...but where do you sleep?

2008-01-29T10:56:00.000-08:00

The boys have been working on some interesting places to sleep lately. Particularly our little J-man. When we were staying with Cliff's folks, the boys had taken to sleeping under the desk, next to the sewing table, or in the closet of the room they were in. Anywhere but actually on the air mattress or in the bed.

We have two beds for the boys here at the new place. Liam has his old loft bed and Jonah has a regular twin. The beds have been placed on opposite ends of the room so as to discourage bedtime hijinx (not that it works...but you know making effort and all). So under Liam's loft has become the fort and with all the stuff in their room at the moment (bins and things), they've really made some tight quarters. One night I came in and found Jonah sleeping in the middle of the floor on the foam mats under nothing but a flannel sheet. Another night he was under Liam's bed sleeping on the box my wedding gown is stored in.

Today he's been asking to sleep under the kitchen table. When I said that maybe on a night where he doesn't have to go to school the next day, he seemed to concede. So this afternoon I took the baby up for a nap. I may have dozed for a minute or two but I woke to the phone ringing. I came down to answer, and while flipping through the menu to look at the missed calls, I couldn't help but hear heavy, even breathing. I looked in the fireplace room -- nothing. I looked in the family room -- nothing. I came back to the kitchen and it got louder. Under the table, on the hardwood floor with nothing but a flannel sheet and his pillow, snoozed Jonah.

I didn't catch it on film before he woke up (the phone rang a third time and I actually got it...). Our new schedule of getting up and driving to school every morning (more stuff for another post) and getting used to being in the new house is wearing our little man out. Just the other day I caught this:

Just a few minutes previous to this picture, he was humming jingle bells to himself and pushing the trucks on the table. Maybe we all need a little more afternoon napping.

Wildlife

2008-01-29T10:35:00.000-08:00

Now that we're in the new house, I'm still getting adjusted to the feel of the place. The kitchen is definitely the heart of this home. When you walk in the front door, it's directly ahead, welcoming you in. I've felt the need to be cooking and baking more now that we have appliances, which means there may also be inviting smells to bring you in too.

Our kitchen and dining area face the back of the house and our lovely back yard. Just before we first moved in, I was moving things around and glanced out the dining room window. Four deer moved in quick procession along the side yard and through the back yard off into the neighbors trees. Since moving in, there has been a repeat performance in the opposite direction of five deer. I love that I can look out the window and I just might see some wildlife right outside. We also have many of the birds typical to this area. It seems there are more chickadees here than the cheeky little house sparrows that I'd grown to love at our old place.

The view out our kitchen window

The snow has proved to be very interesting in all of this. Something of the four-legged variety with paws (seems bigger than a cat), makes a daily trudge through our yard, always following the same path right up near the dining room door and around the deck. I keep hoping I'll catch a glimpse but no luck yet. The only way I know that it's been through are the fresh tracks in the snow. It doesn't take long for fresh, pristine powder in our back yard to become riddled with tracks and paths made by little creatures. A bunny left little paw prints in the snow on our front porch last weekend and before the snow started melting yesterday, there were tracks going along the back trees, through the yard, and along the fence. I know for certain that they all belonged to quadrupeds and not my little bipeds, as their activity has been restricted to shoveling the snow in the front of the house.

What are you sneaky little thing?

Cute overload

2008-01-16T13:11:00.000-08:00

Getting ready to leave to teach, so gonna have to be short. Went to the thrift store last week and got a few things for the girl. Little corduroy jumper dresses and a pair of pink leather mary janes that were just the right size. One of the jumpers matched a tee that I'd gotten the last time I thrifted for her. She's got 4 teeth through now, and it seems she may have my gap between the front two (well...like I had when I was little anyway. I'll have to dig up the pic.)

Been playing with the new camera some too. So here are some cute pics to brighten your day. Well...they did mine, anyway. Have other things to post about but not enough time to do it. Go figure.

Big girls get cake

2008-01-05T12:15:00.000-08:00

Back again for my once monthly post. I'm hoping now that posting will start to become more regular. We are officially in the new house as of last weekend (I was adamant that we were in before the new year) and finally starting to get settled in. Still many boxes to move around, much purging that has been done (and more to do), but all in all, it seems to be turning out.

Christmas was not as great as some years past, as I came down with the that killer cold virus mere hours after scoring my first two goals in soccer the Saturday before Christmas. I was completely down with fever, chills, aches, cough, etc., for 4 days before I felt even halfway human. By down I mean must lay down all day can't even knit sick. So I got it on Saturday, Liam got it on Christmas eve, Miss C. came down Christmas Day, Jonah had a variant of it the same time Liam did (though it didn't slow him down as much...something about the orneriness of that boy), Cliff had a variant of it the day or two after Christmas, and MIL also came down with her usual upper respiratory stuff after Christmas. We all managed to get through thanks to everyone chipping in. Needless to say, I was so sick that being in the house before Christmas wasn't going to happen. But now we're here and all is well.

The new year has been ushered in with plenty of excitement. Our little baby is not such a baby now. Our Roo turned 1 yesterday, and to celebrate, I whipped up a cake. I've only ever once before tried to make a cake from scratch, and the last cake I made was less than stellar. I thought I'd try my hand at a red velvet cake, so I scoured the internets for a decent recipe. Luckily, I had most everything on hand, though I didn't have enough red food coloring to get the truly red color. I frosted it with cream cheese frosting (yum), and here is the resulting cake...with one candle for the girl.

She seemed to enjoy the cake, even though it wasn't the best cake ever. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't fantastic. It was all about the process for me. Miss C. never did get all covered in cake, as she was very carefully eating it with one hand (and fork).

Mmmm...might have to go have a piece....

So what has our girl learned to do this year? Well...all the usual baby things like rolling over and sitting. She's been walking now since the beginning of November and has added dancing to her repertoire. Dancing involves spinning in a circle with hands outstretched while clicking her tongue. Sooooo cute. She can wave bye-bye and use her hands to tell you when she wants more. She's said mama, dada, can call for the boys, and generally gets her point across despite her limited vocabulary. She loves oatmeal and hot showers and she's not allowed to date till she's at least 20. All around she's this energetic, sweet little person that we're all growing fonder of each day.

Second-hand finds

2007-12-07T18:08:00.000-08:00

I'm on the once a month posting kick at the moment. Not because I'm not thinking about you all, but because I can't manage to scratch together the time it takes to really put together a post. So here's the quick 'n' dirty lowdown. No, not in the new house yet. Yes, counting the days till it does happen (and literally...could be days now...electricians finish next week). Kitchen is almost finished. Only thing keeping us out is the fact that the only appliance hooked up is the fridge.

We arranged the furniture for the downstairs, and the futon was going to be too big for the space, yet we needed more seating than just our sofa, so off to the secondhand store I went. Actually, I was really going to look for a wardrobe as we don't really have a downstairs closet. Instead, I found these:

A vintage 1950s sewing cabinet complete with functioning machine. I initially fell for the table because it was a great size for our front entry, and I loved the color. I realized on closer inspection that it had a door, and when I opened it, voila!

It has the original attachments, a vintage pattern for a blouse, and some thread. It needs a couple of the rubber parts replaced, but other than that, it actually does sew.

It also came with a chair that looks pretty beat up, but if you pull the seat off the top, there is storage inside. Makes a great chair to go with something else I found.

Second find is this hurricane lamp. My great-grandparents (who are in their 90s) have some in their home currently, and growing up my mom had a couple that we eventually broke the glass in, but I've always loved the style. I was on my way out of the store when I saw this one and how perfectly it matches the blues in our bedroom and had to have it. You can light up the bottom only, top only, or both.

Third find is this little desk. It's now residing behind the sofa (show you in a minute) with the chair that came with the sewing table, and is a perfect place for me to work downstairs. I'm working there as I type this. The lady who had it before painted dark paint over top of the glossy finish, so the paint is coming off in places where things have rubbed against it. I actually think it adds to the charm of the piece, and when I finally do get around to refinishing it, I'll probably keep it a darker color.

Last find is a loveseat that was priced at $100. It has fantastic bones, feels like it's barely been used, and really only needs a good steaming (it's really not that dirty!). The true color is an ivory/cream. The shape goes well with the pieces we already have, and I'll likely make a slipcover for it.

Needless to say, I didn't find the wardrobe I was looking for, but I spent under $200 for everything I showed here. The thing I love about shopping this way is finding interesting pieces that have a history behind them, that have some life in them, and even though I don't know what that history is (I know a little about the desk, as there were some old bills shoved in behind the drawers), it is fun to speculate about who had them before I found them. It's very easy to go into the secondhand shop and be overwhelmed by all the stuff (much of it is junk). I always make sure I spend a lot of time, and I go through the entire store several times very slowly, because it really is easy to miss a great find if you go too fast.

Look who's walking...

2007-11-08T17:43:00.000-08:00

She's really decided in the past day or two that two legs are the way to go. Sometimes anyway. Crawling is still faster at the moment, but she's getting braver by the minute.

Vacuum cleaner dance

2007-11-08T17:40:00.000-08:00

She's got a new groove going....I think it will catch on, don't you?

back from the Knoll

2007-11-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

Ok...had a post all started about how great this weekend was and how fantastic the venue was and how much work we have to do as an organization to get the word out that what is going on in maternity care is bunk...but blogger ate it. And I'm too tired to rewrite tonight. But I will post a few pictures of where we were and my favorite girl.

Got a picture of my co-leader and her son B. Didn't get a picture of the other co-leader we traveled with and her son on their own, but we did really enjoy having all of us in the car traveling together. Anyway...much fun was had...much networking done...and much learned that we need to/could do.

Our leadership retreat was at a nature center, and we had a spectacular view of a lake on two sides of our cabin/cottage/whatever the heck you want to call it.

Here's what we're gonna bring to town: The Business of Being Born. Lots to be done. So I better get to sleeping.

Happy Halloween, Boo!

2007-10-31T20:23:00.000-07:00

So I pulled a near all-nighter last night trying to get Liam's Halloween costume done in time for him to wear it to school today. Yup. Procrastinated. Thought that maybe if I put it off long enough I'd forget that November is coming. Ok...really, I've just had so many other things going on that making costumes was one of the last things on the list to do. Bigger fish to fry, is what I keep telling my hubby. But you always have bigger fish, says he. Yeah, but some fish are bigger. So I catch them, fry them up, and eat them. I throw the smaller ones back. Eventually they grow into bigger fish. Then I do it all over again. Very much like the mythological fella that pushes the rock up the hill every day. Can't remember his name. Something about sleep deprivation. So yes...there are always fish. Particularly since those smaller fish left in the pond always seem to be procreating. And no, you can't overfish the pond. The fish procreate to quickly, and I'm not so good at catching fish anyway. Worms, Roxanne, worms.

Anyway, I bought goodies yesterday for the costumes and set about trying to figure out how I was going to put it together. Part of me was hoping to find a pattern online or in the craft store that I liked, but that was a no go. Once I found their knockoff suede fabrics though, inspiration hit. I chose a few yards of dark brown faux suede and an embroidered faux suede along with a few packs of feathers. I already had some large beads and felt in my stuff at home that I knew I could use. I didn't have enough time to get as elaborate as I really wanted to get, but for a costume that they were going to wear for a couple of hours, they really turned out pretty well, I think.

I took a pair of Liam's chinos and a long sleeve tee and used it to trace roughly for the sizes of the pieces while giving some extra fabric for selvedge and for fringe on the outsides of the pants and under the sleeves. I used the patterned suede to make the loin cloth and then used the brown suede to make fabric ties. The pants have just a drawstring in them (no elastic, didn't have time), but that seemed to work ok. When I made Liam's, I actually did set in sleeves (why, oh, why did I do that...), because his shirt that I traced from had them and I wasn't thinking of drop shoulders. Dumb. You can believe I didn't repeat that mistake on Jonah's. Hence the boxier fit. I made Liam's pants like pajama bottoms. To do the fringe on the outsides, I sewed those side seams on the right side of the fabric, and then I cut the fringe from the fabric outside the seam. Jonah didn't get pants because I ran out of time, but he didn't seem to mind. The tan cords seemed to work pretty well in lieu.

For Liam's headdress, I took a felt strip, hot glued feathers in it and then folded up the felt over the quills to make a felt sandwich. I cut out circles and hot glued the white feathers between two on each side and then hot glued it to the corners of the main headdress. I strung wooden beads on a piece of pipecleaner for stability and then glued the strip onto the headband to cover the end of the top of the felt. I had a small piece of elastic and I sewed it to the ends of the felt strip to make a full band. Jonah's headband was a piece of the embroidered fabric folded and zigzagged to make the band, and then I hot glued the feathers in the back of it and covered the quills over with a piece of felt. The loin pieces were simply rectangles that were hemmed around 3 sides with zigzag and then the top was folded over and stitched leaving enough room to thread through one of the fabric ties. Liams necklace was a heart-shaped piece of index card with hot glue reinforced holes punched for the yarn tie. I hot glued the feathers to it and anchored it all by glueing a diamond-shaped piece of felt to it.

Overall, I probably spent more thand I would have if I'd just bought a cheapie costume on clearance yesterday, but I think they turned out pretty well....and I got to craft, so you know, two birds and the such. Someone else we all know and love was supposed to be a banana, but she went and grew out of her costume. She heard it was a bunting and she didn't like the idea of being without use of lower limbs for more than 2 seconds. So we ended up borrowing this costume from friends (and some war paint). She was very true to the costume and flitted about from halloween basket to halloween basket just like a little bee (hmm, any candy for me? she says)

Hope you had a great Halloween!

Movin' it indoors

2007-10-27T19:50:00.000-07:00

So today was the first day of indoor soccer. Indoor soccer is definitely a much faster game than outdoor soccer. The fields for the boys are similarly split where they take a full field and divide it into two smaller ones with the goals where the sidelines normally would be. Liam had a grand time, once he got away from socializing with the goalie.

Liam hanging out telling his favorite jokes to the goalie, while the goalie's dad (who was in the stands) has a conniption because his son isn't "on it"

So far I'm learning that there's a lot of biting your tongue when you're the mama of a sports playing child. The dad of the kid who was in the goal in the above picture is a real type A. He spends most of the game yelling at his kid about where he needs to be and what he needs to be doing, despite the fact that his kid is doing just fine without the feedback, as the coach is giving guidance. Part of the idea of the game is that the kids go out there and have fun, no pressure. They aren't even supposed to be keeping score, as evidence shows that with all the pressure and yelling and score-keeping that most of these kids won't want to play soccer anymore by the the time they're old enough to be in high school, because the pressure is just too much. I don't want that for Liam. Before and after each game, I make sure I tell him I don't care if he scores, it doesn't matter if they win or lose or if he makes mistakes, I just want him to go out there and have a good time and play hard. I also tell him that other parents yell and that I'm not going to do that, but that it doesn't mean I don't support him.

The fella in the foreground of the picture above was really something. His shirt had organic chemistry all over it, which I thought was pretty interesting and cool....then I saw the rest and it was something about how God created the world and then there was beer. Kinda lost something after that. He was really dancing in Clinton and Stacey's "what not to wear" territory.

So the really exciting part about today was that I played my first game of indoor soccer. Yup. Me. Out on the field. Running around. A lot.

I had a great time. There are 4 women's teams this session (up from 2 last), and the women's league has only been in existence since last January. When they started, only 3 women actually had any previous soccer experience, so it has been a learning process for everyone. Which works great for me, as I have zero soccer experience and very, very little organized sports experience. I played a little ultimate frisbee with my former roommate while at IU and I did the two years of Little 500, but other than that, no team sports.

All the gals there this morning were super nice and very welcoming. One of the ladies is a neighbor down the street, and we played against a team that the neighbor next door to the IL's is on. And she is really good. Everyone was really great about the fact that I had NO clue where I was supposed to be at any particular time and that five times out of six that I tried to kick the ball, I missed. I did make a couple of good stops, and I did try my hardest, so I think that's all positive.

Because of the nature of indoor, there is not much in the way of stopping the clock, so I spent most of the time out on the field going full throttle, which my body is really NOT used to. I'm a little (Ok, a lot) out of shape, despite the fact that I'm back down to my prepregnancy weight. It was very windy. As in I was sucking a lot of it, but I'm sure that will get better with time. Gotta get into a regular exercise program, that's for sure. I sprained my left ankle last weekend when I stepped backward into a hole after peeking in the dining room doors to look at the floors, but the ankle didn't seem to bother me too much today. I did, however, need a big nap this evening.

So I had a good time and met some new friends and got some exercise and will likely be sore for the next 3 days, but it was all good. I forbade anyone from taking any pictures or coming to watch me for this game, so there is no evidence that this event even took place, but I needed that so I could get my bearings and get over some of the anxiety of playing with the big girls. I told them that maybe next week they could come watch. Which will be convenient, as I'll be in Michigan for a leadership retreat.

Apple pickin'

2007-10-23T06:49:00.000-07:00

I have fond memories of going to the apple orchard on school field trips as a child, but I haven't been since I was younger. Liam had the chance to go with the Waldorf school when he was there, and he loved it, but we never got to go with him. So this year when friends asked if we wanted to go and take the kids, I jumped on the opportunity.

The weather here has been spectacular (there are those who don't enjoy 80 degree temps in October, but I don't happen to be one of them) with lots of sunshine (though the bottom is dropping out of all that today with rain and temps in the 50s). Sunday was the perfect day to take advantage, so we packed up all the children (three of ours and their five girls), and headed to the orchard for some pickin'.

The children all tasted an apple or two to make sure they were the kind we wanted. We picked Winesap, Yellow Delicious, and Melrose. I like firm apples, so we tried to steer toward those. We also bought a bag of Rome and a jug of cider.

We climbed a couple trees, since many of the apples were out of reach. Once Liam got into the trees, it was hard to convince him to stay out of them. Not only did he climb, but he insisted on doing it barefoot.

A good time was had by all, and yesterday we took some of these beautiful apples and made applesauce to freeze. Yum!

Don't eat too much candy this Halloween, otherwise...

2007-10-23T06:46:00.001-07:00

...this could happen to you! Maybe this is why he never smiles in his pictures.

MIL found these teeth at the grocery store and thought they'd be great fun. Jonah enjoyed them, but Liam didn't want any part of them at all.

Crazy with the camera

2007-10-17T19:33:00.001-07:00

Ok...got a few pictures of the upstairs. Only room with boxes unpacked is the kids'. Everything is out on the floor since we haven't moved in the shelving yet. Aren't the floors pretty, though? Yeah. Let me just tell you how much work those were. Like on hands and knees scraping kind of work. And fighting with polyurethane to get the thickness of each coat just right. But they're done.

Gonna put a coat of stain on the floors downstairs tomorrow. Hopefully we'll make our Halloween self-imposed deadline to be in the house.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying the change of the leaves and the warm weather.

A quick blurb...and gratuitous photos...

2007-10-16T19:37:00.000-07:00

We rented a truck last weekend and started moving things in because we finally finished the upstairs floors. Three rooms from the old house are mostly moved. No pictures to show of that...but I do have others to share, just because.

I know I've said this before, but I love my new camera.

As promised previously...Outdoor soccer...

I got pictures of baby girl in a dress that was lovingly gifted from Uncle L. and Aunt C. She's worn it several times, but I just got the chance to get pictures of her in it today.

She and the big guy were sharing grapes, and each time she'd take a bite of grape, she'd screw up her face like it was really sour. Didn't stop her from eating them, though!

I also have been doing a little bit of knitting. Only washcloths and baby hats for the moment. Not enough time to do anything else big.

Playing soccer

2007-09-30T18:12:00.001-07:00

Liam loves soccer. I've never seen a kid play a sport where he's smiling the whole time.

See my only tooth?

2007-09-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

The other is nearly through. I think she and Liam are on the same schedule.

last bits of summer

2007-09-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

The funnelweb spiders have been going gangbusters this year thanks to the dry weather. I tried so hard to actually catch the spider in the picture, but he was just far enough in his hole that I couldn't.

I did, however, catch this bee on one of my flowers. Not that I remember what the name of this plant is...but I love the big blooms on it.

Four years old

2007-09-30T17:58:00.001-07:00

Jonah was so excited to have his birthday party at school. He was SO serious when it came time to actually have the celebration.

Here he is on his actual birthday:

See? I'm four and outside...and you're not!

So serious on the rainbow bridge

Another one bites the dust

2007-09-30T17:48:00.000-07:00

His second tooth fell out tonight. What a great smile he'll have for picture day!

Thoughts on Birth, The Play and BE BOLD (very long)

2007-09-29T21:12:00.001-07:00

Yet another month has slipped past faster than sand through an hourglass. I somehow managed to survive this month, though I think I did so only because I cried. A lot. There have been many sleepless nights and much soul searching going on this past month, yet I don't feel like I'm any closer to where I want to be than I was when this month began. For those of you here for family updates (all is well, kids are growing), I'll post that separately...maybe tomorrow, Scarlett. Tonight, I need to put text to screen in an effort to process tonight's play. If you care about birth (well...my thoughts on it, anyway), read on...Otherwise, I see you again soon, my friends. Hopefully with pictures, because, honestly...my kids are cute. :)

Tonight was a presentation of the play Birth, by Karen Brody. I had previously seen the play as performed by our birth network last fall. It was moving then as performed by members of several chapters of our organization for a small group of us from out of state and those locals attending the conference that preceded the day. Tonight's performance was well-rehearsed and planned and incredibly well done as a part of BE BOLD (birth on labor day) going on across the country this month. Next weekend is the Red Tent Event that goes along with the play. Following the play was a panel of speakers -- an OB/Gyn, a certified nurse midwife, a doula/childbirth educator, and an independent (homebirth) midwife. During the play, listening to the characters tell the stories of their births and how they got there, the frustration I have with the current system of maternity care and how our society treats birth really got to me. The play details the stories of several women, all of whom could be any low-risk woman seeking maternity care, and their journeys through birth. The main character goes from being a spectator in the process to a real participant empowered by the birth of her fourth child. There are a variety of experiences portrayed, from the "I want to schedule my c-section," to the closet "my body rocks" unmedicated birther, to the woman with an episiotomy forced on her. They talk candidly about how their labors and births affected them and the actions of those around them during the process, and it was easy to get emotionally involved and wonder how these women got to where they were.

Everything I've experienced as a human being has helped to shape who I am. My own birth, my childhood, having two loving parents who cared about me and believed I could do anything I set my mind to and put me to doing just that, losing one of those parents before I'd really become an adult (or really got to know who he was for that matter), finding that one person who I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with (and who would want to do likewise), and, at least for now, growing and birthing three beautiful children in a way that celebrates them as human beings and not as a medical event. I could go further on how raising those children even still is moulding my beliefs and being...but that's for another day. But thinking back on the births of my children, what I different person I could be if they had gone differently. If I hadn't cared. If I didn't believe that "My body rocks." If I'd put all my trust into a system that has acknowledged that it's broken. Realizing that, and that there are women out there every day who don't believe in their bodies and put their faith in a broken system...well, it just breaks my heart because I know what they are missing out on.

I never pegged my mom as being a feminist (and I know she'll say that she's not). It's not like I grew up listening to Gloria Steinem or anything. But growing up she did want me to be proud of my being a woman. As a woman, I can do things a man can't do. I can carry a baby and give birth. She always spoke matter-of-factly about my and my sister's births. She never made it sound scary, nor did she talk about it in an ethereal, Ina May Gaskin kind of way. It was something that was hard work, but was a part of what you did as a woman becoming a mother. I got the feeling that she was proud of her body's ability to do what it did....and the fact that she birthed a breech vaginally, which was well on its way out when my sister came into the world ass backward. She never talked about womanly things as something to be ashamed of. Never made it sound like it was something you just put into the hands of a doctor and said, "Ok...it's up to you. What do I do now?" So surely this has something to do with my own confidence in my body to do what Mother Nature gladly made it able to. What of those women who didn't have that growing up? If they have confidence where does it come from? If they don't have it...are they capable of finding it on their own without having a horrible experience to learn from first?

I usually have a table at baby fairs either for my own childbirth services or for our network, and I'm completely blown away every time by the women who don't know that they have choices to them in labor, that birth can be a beautiful, empowering process (even if you're not crunchy like me), that the folks in white coats (or scrubs) are human and do make mistakes and are many times misinformed, that it's your job as a healthcare consumer to figure all this out and know the right questions to ask, and that some of what the healthcare machine usually does is for its own convenience (and to save their asses) and not what's best for mom and baby. Sometimes I just want to scream at them to take charge of their bodies before someone else does...and does things to it that they won't like.

On top of this...I have been having the "where do I belong?" debate. Tonight's panel with the four attendants really was my list of options (well...there wasn't a family practice/OB, but close enough with the OB/Gyn as far as education goes). None of them seems to stick out as the perfect option, except that they are all where my heart is -- involved with birthing families. I'm only a step away from medical school, and right now, with all the second-guessing I've been doing elsewhere in my life, I'm completely scared about making the leap into medical school only to find out that it was the wrong move. On the other hand, being a physician would lend me more credibility and hopefully more power to do something, only partly because if it comes from the mouth of a physician, well...it must be golden. Midwifery speaks to my heart because it is the epitome of how I wish to practice. With woman. Guiding her. Helping her. But CNMs in our state can't legally do homebirths, and it's hard to find docs to work with. Some of our nurse midwives were having a hard time keeping their jobs due to budget cutbacks. Funny how the hands on approach that saves money is the first thing to get the axe. Then there's the independent midwifery, which would guarantee fantastic births to go to, but doesn't effect much in the way of change (well...except maybe making homebirth more of an option, but the population who's interested in that is much, much smaller than a majority). Then there's the educator/doula. A holding pattern, as that's right where I'm at. I could just chuck the whole thing and hang out with the status quo indefinitely. Keep teaching and attending births, knowing that I can only educate to a point and that it's really up to the caregiver that the woman has chosen as to how her birth will go. Keep running the network and hope that women will somehow start to get the message that they need to be informed and will take the initiative to do just that before they have a bad experience. At this point, it's a good thing my scores are good for a while yet. The above are only the considerations of choosing which would be the best option for effecting change. This debate doesn't even include familial considerations, which is a whole 'nother crap shoot.

As far as the panel went, once the four were introduced, no one in the audience seemed anxious to ask questions. Out of a room of probably 150 people, I raised my hand first and threw out a question to the OB (brave of me to dive in like that? Or just nuts. The latter, I think.). Asked her what she saw for future medical students who believe in normal birth and if she thought it possible to get through medical school and still believe that normal birth is possible. She seemed to think so, which was heartening. Yet...she was still the first one to throw out the danger, danger scenario when it comes to VBAC and states that she can't work with moms who choose homebirth because of liability. There were several other questions, which the panelists gladly answered, and most of it came down to recognizing that the system is broken, but no one really knows how to fix it. No one can really practice the way they should because of liability. Truly is a pity. Hubby tells me if I really want to effect change that I'm looking into the wrong career, but if there's one thing I'm not cut out for...it's politics (or insurance!).

If you've gotten this far, congratulations. I know it probably was a bit disconcerted, but it is 2 a.m. after all and dash-it-all but I'm tired. Thanks for listening. We now go back to our regularly scheduled dysfunction.

When the lighting is right....

2007-09-05T18:46:00.001-07:00

First Wednesday in Rome

2007-09-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

When we last left our brave travelers, they were taking a nap in their hotel room.....

So after our nap, we got up and showered. Our bathroom was not actually attached to our room but was out in the hall across from the flat's door. The bathroom was new and interesting. There was both a toilet and a bidet (I never have figured out how you're supposed to use that thing...seems a bit awkward, if you ask me). The shower head was mounted on the side of the shower wall on the longest wall of the shower (whereas here, most of us have our showerhead mounted on the shortest wall of the tub. I'm kicking myself for not getting a picture of it, since we didn't have this room the whole time. The water was not consistently hot, but was definitely hot enough and quite welcome after travel and nap. We dressed, met up with our flat mates, and set out to start exploring.

In the streets of Rome

In the alley (it's a technically street, but really...skinny enough for one car to get down) our hotel entrance was on, there were a few shops, a couple of pubs, a restaurant, and a pizza shop. We stopped into the pizza shop and browsed. The pizza was on display behind glass under hot lamps, and there were several different varieties, and the pies were all rectangular in shape. There were also other calzones and goodies, but I was all about the pizza. We weren't sure how we were supposed to order, and our pizza guy didn't speak English, so we motioned how much we wanted of a couple of different types. Everything I thought I'd learned in listening to my CDs all went out the window. All the ingredients on the pizza were fresh (no canned tomato sauce here!), and the crust was like a flat bread. Cliff and I shared some fresh tomato and mozzarella pizza, and I also chose some that looked like sausage with a tomato sauce. There was no cheese on it. After taking a bite, I was quite surprised to realize that it wasn't sausage at all but tunafish! And it was amazing. The tomato sauce was creamy, like there was some cheese in it, and the tuna had a kick to it. So we wandered up the street to Santa Maria Maggiore, a large church with a lovely square, and encountered our first beggar who had a baby that was not much older than Corinna. Seeing that we were obviously tourists, she asked for money. We took photos and decided to push on.

The square at Santa Maria Maggiore

The church Santa Maria Maggiore

We then wandered down past the Domus Aurea (which you can tour if you sign up ahead of time), which was in a park-like area and down toward the Colosseum. As we approached, I was taken aback at how enormous it was. It was early afternoon, and we decided to take a look around. A woman approached us and asked us if we were interested in taking a tour, and we thought about it and decided to go. Our guide was a Brit, and he gave us the lowdown on its history and was quite enjoyable to listen to. We climbed the stairs once inside and got a great view over the surrounding area and the Arch of Constantine.

Excavating at Domus Aurea

See how little I am compared to the Colossal Colosseum?

After our tour, our guide let us know about another tour of the Palatine Hill that would be going on right after with another English speaking guide. We decided to go and do that one also. Here, we learned about this being the site where Romulus, the founder of Rome, and Remus, his twin, were found. This was also the site of Augustus's birth and the palace of his wife and Domitian's palace. The sun was beginning to get low in the sky, and the light was spectacular. I just kept being blown away by the ancientness of it all. Our tour guide, Elaine, was a Canadian and a pleasure to listen to. We decide to do her tour of the catacombs the next day.

Inside the Colosseum

Arch of Constantine

How Miss C. traveled Italy

Domitian's Circus

On Palatine Hill

After Palatine Hill, we walked back toward the hotel and decide to eat at the restaurant down the street from where we are staying. It's not a large restaurant, and the server was quick to help us out. He asks us if we would like water, and we agree. We get a bottle and it turned out to be effervescent. If you want plain mineral water in Italy, you have to ask for water with no gas. I decided to try some of the house red, and was not exactly excited about it. So much for thinking that wine in Italy would really taste that much different. For my primi I ordered the bucatini amatriciana, which was penne with bacon and tomato cheese sauce. Yum. For my secondi, I ordered a breaded veal and greens, which turned out to be wilted spinach. I think I was expecting a salad, but the spinach was good. We then went up the street to Cottini, a little pasticheria/gelateria with a lovely outdoor seating area. We went in and ordered gelato (I got the chocolate, hubby got the braccio (he remembers what it is and I don't at the moment) and ate it topped with unsweetened whipped cream from frosted cups garnished with cookies at the outdoor tables. Corinna went into spasms of delight and excitement at our cups of gelato and was determined she would get some.

Yeah...that's what I was feeling too.

After our meal, we walked back in the cool night air to our hotel flat and crashed hard. It was a long first day.

By the way...this is only a small sampling of the pictures I took. I have nearly 450 photos (and I don't feel like I took nearly enough), so I had to really pick and choose what to post here. It's really hard to choose representative photos when there are so many that I liked. Hope you all enjoy!

Skateboarding

2007-09-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

For Liam's birthday, he requested a skateboard, and Grandma C. delivered. Of course, I couldn't get Liam one and not get the other daredevil one too. I could just see the fighting if I didn't get Jonah a skateboard. After all...he does all his own stunts. (gotta get a pic of him in that T-shirt).

Mean mommy that I am, I made them wear pads and helmets too.

"When do I get my skateboard?" When you stop eating grass, I think.

Both boys are also playing soccer this year, but I've only got pics of Jonah at the moment. Because they both play on the same morning within an hour of each other, I haven't been able to get to Liam's practices yet. Pics of that upcoming.

Look what I lost!

2007-09-02T20:31:00.001-07:00

He pulled in while riding in grandma B's car, and called me to tell me about it as I was driving to work. He nearly squealed into the phone he was so excited. He'll be driving next week.

First Day of School!

2007-09-02T20:20:00.000-07:00

Jonah started school first and was rarin' to go. He just hopped right into the meadow like he had been going there for years. The days following the first day weren't nearly as smooth. "They keep me away from my mommy for too long." As time is progressing, he seems to be doing better. He hums the songs they learn on the way home from school, and this makes me happy. And really, he's not as serious as his pictures make him look. I just can't seem to catch him when he's smiling. Something about my slowing him down to take pictures seems to get on his nerve. Who knew?

Liam was so excited for his first day and first ride on the big yellow bus that he was out waiting for it a half hour before he needed to be. He seems to be fitting right on in and has already made some new friends.

Look! A mostly finished bathroom!

2007-09-02T19:52:00.000-07:00

The powder room is 90% done. Just needs a mirror, paper holder, and outlet/switchplate covers. The walls are a lovely shade of pale purple. Thanks to handy FIL and hubby, who did a great job on the tilework and plumbing in this room.

Got a new camera!

2007-09-02T19:45:00.000-07:00

A Pentax K100D. To say it's cool would not do it justice. Got signed up for a one-on-one camera class sometime soon.

I finally finished listening to this (and the last one too! Wow! How much I love this series):

And to say that Jim Dale is good is an understatement. He does the voices of all the characters in the books, and really, he rocks. I want to listen to them all again from the start and try to pick up on things that I may have missed first time around.

Anyway...got the new camera because the old one took a dump and so I would have a good camera to take to births. It has shake reduction for low light pictures. I took this one with only the light from the lamp.

Hello old friend...

2007-09-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

so nice to see you again! Yeah, I know. Went MIA again. Wish I had new excuses for ya, but really, it's the same old thing. We're creeping toward being ready to move. Floors are still holding us up, and the kitchen's not done, but it's at least moving in the right direction. Because I'm low on time, posts will be mostly photographic and not so much on the text.

An impromptu playdate

2007-07-18T09:47:00.001-07:00

My friend A. stopped by the other day to pick up some diaper covers and she had her son B. with her. B. is a week older than Corinna but quite a bit bigger (16 lbs versus Roo's 14 1/2 lbs). The two were a treat to watch because now they actually can interact with each other. Corinna would just grin when she'd look at B.

B.: Mmm...tasty tractor. Corinna: Yeah, well this makes noise.

Corinna to B: Wow! That is cool! Can I have that? I have brothers and they taught me how to share. Promise I'll give it back.

Corinna: Well...tractors are cool, but taxis are even better. B.: Hey...this thing does make noise.

Holy Cow! (picture heavy...)

2007-07-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

Okay. Seriously. Can't believe it's been a month since I posted an update here. I'm thinking that's a bit crazy. Really, it's more a symptom of the disease here. Hubby and I have realized that we were already overcommitted before we bought the house. Now? We're obscenely overcommitted. More like needin' to be committed. In straightjackets. In a rubber room. We've decided that we might finally finish everything some time around the time Corinna turns 18. Well. Maybe not 18. Maybe 8 months.

So how are things progressing, you ask? Well, we have first coats of primer and paint in 3 rooms. The upstairs bath has two coats of paint. The floor in what will be the baby's room is finished (fiasco that I'll talk about another time). Two other floors have multiple coats of polyurethane on them (but aren't yet done (again...fiasco to follow)). The powder room has tile and now needs the grout. We have updated electric and completely new guts to the well system. MIL scooped three shovelsful of cat crap out of the basement and scrubbed the floors down there so it no longer smells like cat box. The most recent update is the demo of the kitchen.

So here's a photo tour of our progress:

We begin in the foyer, where the nasty white glazed brick tile was lovingly pickaxed away by my hubby and hardworking FIL. Left behind is some kind of double-sided sticky tape that was used to hold the tiles down. The grout was some funny rubberized stuff that I swear must have just been poured in. Freaky stuff. You can see the hardwood peeking out from under the sticky tape in spots. With some Gooph Off, we think we can get the sticky stuff off so we can refinish the hardwood beneath.

Looking from the foyer into the kitchen. Under the tile in the kitchen is subfloor. And not nice subfloor either. Note the white cabinets and countertop in this picture.

We all got to take turns doing some demo. What woman wouldn't be turned on by a hottie like this wielding a big hammer? I made him pose before he hit the cabinet with it. Then I got to take a turn. We didn't get that on camera.

Both boys got a turn with the smaller sledge hammer. Liam enjoyed it....

but Jonah took it to a whole other level. He really got into it. He would put the glasses on and announce that he needed to go do his work and off he'd go to pound in the kitchen. He seriously got some oomph behind his swings for someone so little. I'm tellin' ya, that boy's got contractor written all over him.

Even I took a turn with the sledge hammers (my tee has a drywall company name on it. Fitting considering I'm tearin' it up). The big one was loads of fun for bangin' on the stubborn cabinets that had been built on site and were nailed to the drywall. Once we got to disassembling the wall, I really had a good time. I karate kicked the wall as a joke and did a Funniest Videos moment when my foot went through and kept going while I ended up in the splits with my leg hooked over where the drywall was still attached. Hubby and I both laughed hysterically while I hollered about being stuck and needing help up, and I've got some nice bruises and scuffs where I went through. There's probably a good reason the pros don't do that. Like, you could get hurt.

We had to leave a couple of the studs, because there is an outlet attached to one that has a wire that goes up to the second floor that will need re-routed. But this view looks from the new eating area into the kitchen. Much of the ceiling has been pulled down (we'll get the rest down this weekend, needed an empty dumpster), as there had been water damage that the previous owners didn't want to address. You can see the living room in the distance.

New! Improved! Now with no added cabinets! We have to keep the soffit over the sink and the range because of plumbing, but we took out the soffit that was attached to the wall we took out. I will be able to stand in the kitchen when the new cabinets are in and see what's going on in the dining room, and vice versa. We have a lot of work left to do before the new cabinets can go in, like replacing rotten subfloor, new tile floor prep, replacing drywall, patching other drywall, putting in new shutoff valves, new lights in the soffit, new ceiling fan, can lights, gas line for range, water line for fridge....ooh...gettin' woozy just thinkin' about it.

Looking from the living room into the new kitchen and eating area. See how open?

Speaking of the living room, here's the paint scheme (and temporary clutter). The mantle was really dark wood before. Still needs a second coat. It's not as pink as it's appearing in the photo. Floors will also need refinished.

And these built ins were also dark wood. Painting them white has really helped to brighten the room. Love the new door to the garage that hubby and FIL put in.

New tile floor in powder room. These walls have been patched and primed and are ready for some color! Once we get the grout down and let it cure, that is. I have a nice white beadboard front vanity to go in here.

The family room is a nice calm shade of green that matches the rug in our other house perfectly. Well, when it's clean, anyway. The carpet here is coming out, and the blond hardwood underneath will be refinished.

Speaking of hardwood, here are the floors in the boys' room. Still needs some work on the floor and painted.

Our upstairs bath in a super cool shade of blue. Just needs the trim painted.

Roo's room in a buttery shade of yellow. Just needs a second coat and trim painted.

Because I have a complete lack of time to work outside, my feeble attempt to spruce the place up with some hanging baskets of impatiens. The containers on the porch are all perennials, so once the weather cools, I'll find spots for them for the winter until I can do something with them next spring.

So now you all are in the know!

Look what I can do!

2007-06-27T15:00:00.001-07:00

Little miss C has been doing this for the past few weeks all on her little lonesome, but I really felt like getting a picture of it today. Yes, I know, I still haven't posted my next series about our trip. If I haven't been working, I've been prepping for work. If I'm not prepping or working, I'm at the new house trying to get things done. If I'm not prepping, working, or working at the new house, I'm here at home trying to catch up on everything else that's being neglected. I'm feeling a bit disjointed at the moment on top of other highly emotional things going on that I'm not ready to talk about because I'm still feeling pretty raw. But seriously...I will get to talking about Italy soon if it kills me!

Last day of kindergarten

2007-06-13T20:34:00.000-07:00

Hi...remember me? Really, swear I haven't forgotten about you all. I'm just in over my head with things to do at the moment. I'm teaching two to three days a week which requires prep time (and will be teaching more as the weeks wear on), working on the house or doing something house-related when I'm not teaching or prepping (and we still haven't actually packed anything to move yet), oh, and there are three children who are trying not to forget they have a momma. Friday is one month since we were arrived in Rome, and I'm so twitchy to tell you all the next part of the trip, because that's when it starts getting really good (and I'm loving looking at my pictures), but I need more than 10 minutes to put that together, and frankly with more than 10 extra minutes on my hands, I think more likely to pass out and sleep (that hasn't been exactly plentiful lately). Not that I don't love you all, 'cause I do. In BeeJ's the other day while shopping for bulk goods I happened into the TV section, because, well, someone says we need another TV for the new house, and I stood there mesmerized for a good 15 minutes because the sample snippet they kept playing to demonstrate how great S*ny hi-def was had film of the Naples area in it. I just about cried (seriously...I misted up!) I wanted to be there so badly.

So, to sort of whet your appetites for something new (though not Italy, it is sweet!)...here is my sweet on his last day of school:

Liam with Ms. O

His last hopscotch at the Waldorf school

Cutting up with his best bud

The fearless foursome (the girl is Liam's current future wife...so he says)

After a recital at school, Liam walked over the bridge for the last time and walked out as a first grader. The school has a huge picnic at a recreational park on the last day of school, and this was the last year it was to be held at this venue. Mother nature voiced her opinion by thundering and pouring on us all after we had a chance to play for a while, but I think a good time was still had by all. Such a bittersweet day!

Rome...Getting there is half the battle.

2007-05-31T12:49:00.000-07:00

Ok...so we'll start at the beginning (as that's a great place to start), and this will be long and probably more detail than you all are interested in, but I've gotta get it all down in black and white for posterity.

So, you all know by now that I'm a horrific procrastinator (I keep hoping it will come in handy some day), and preparing for this trip was no exception. With all the house stuff going on, I didn't really get to packing in earnest until the night before we were to leave. Of course by then, all the laundry needed to be washed, and my checklist felt a mile long, and it takes ten times as long to pack when hubby and I are playing pass the baby. We did manage to get everything done in time to leave to go to the airport in time to get on our flight, but by the time we got the airport, I was a bit of a wreck. I don't handle flying well (funny for someone who claims to enjoy it...which I do...but that whole fear of falling out of the sky thing sometimes is a bit prohibitive), so that added to the stress. I swallowed my fear, frustration, etc., and we got on the plane to New York City to make our connection that would take us to Rome. Because of traffic going into JFK, our flight sat on the runway for a good 30 minutes before taking off, which then meant that we were going to be cutting it close to making our connecting flight. The flight to JFK was really bumpy and on a snug little Embraer jet which just added to my stress.

When we finally arrived in New York, we hopped out of the plane and double-timed it to catch our connecting flight, which was an overnighter on a 767. Thankfully, we made it with a few minutes to spare. Our seats on this flight were at that arse end of the plane, the last row before the flight attendants' seats. There were no windows for our row, and the restrooms for our cabin were on either side of our 3-seat row. This made for a noisy, restless flight. I did not sleep over the entire 8-9 hour flight because just as I would doze off, the baby would readjust her position or squirm, or someone would need to go to the bathroom and would brush past, or the toilet would flush with the sound of an industrial vacuum, or the little bell would ding for the flight attendants. During the flight, there was a malfunction of this bell, and it would ding for no apparent reason at irregular intervals. Highly annoying.

Apparently, Amer1can A1rlines is the Patrick Swayze airline because the second movie on the way to Rome and the way home was a flick he starred in. First movie on the way there was the Beatrix Potter film with Renee Zelweger, second movie was Dirty Dancing. I watched bits and pieces of the first with the little earbud headphones the attendants provide but eventually had to give up because the baby kept pulling them out of my ears. I just lip read the second movie. The food was not particularly memorable, beef and noodles with a salad and a roll for dinner and a croissant with juice for breakfast. The baby was a real trooper and handled the whole flight with ease. She slept for a fair bit of the flight and really didn't cry at all. Hubby actually did manage to catch some rest over the flight, but mostly we just sat and watched the movies and the animation they showed with our progress toward our destination. I might have knit a little on a sock. When the sun came up and started to brighten our cabin, it was much easier to stay awake. Though with all the turbulence, I wasn't feeling too sleepy anyway.

When we finally arrived at the airport in Rome, the time was somewhere around 7:30 Roman time, which was 6 hours ahead of Ohio time (we left at 5 pm tuesday here and arrived on wednesday morning there). So my body was thinking it was after 1 am and time to go to bed. We picked up our baggage and got through customs without a hitch. Next task was to get to the hotel. Our traveling partners J. and A. had booked a shuttle bus to take them to the hotel. We decided to try to hook up with them rather than try to navigate the train system while stupidly tired. While waiting for the shuttle to arrive, we wandered through the Gastronomia, a mini-market of sorts. Our palates were desirous of typical American breakfast things and fresh fruit. This was not to be found here. Smoked whole pig legs wrapped in heavy plastic (prosciutto, I was assuming?) hung from the ceiling, and various other Italian culinary specialties were in abundance such as pasta and packaged goods. Needless to say, no food was bought.

We finally hopped aboard the shuttle bus with our driver (who seemed to not speak much English), and sped off for our ride. Our bus was a very small one, probably smaller than a panel van. Our airport, Fiumicino, was on the outskirts of the city, so a fair bit of the drive was by freeway. I was instantly struck by the insanity of European driving. Teeny tiny little cars (the Smart car is no longer than a Vespa scooter and not much wider) driving very fast and changing lanes frequently. There was heavy utilization of brakes and short braking distances given the speeds, but everyone seemed very courteous on the freeway, and somehow there weren't any accidents. There were beautiful bushes that were in bloom in the medians, and I was taken by the beauty of the countryside. There were hills in the distance dotted by stuccoed villas.

It wasn't long and we were coming into the city proper, and the scenery became less and less green and more inner city. One of my first impressions was how dirty everything seemed. Graffiti was apparent everywhere, but didn't appear any different in style than what you'd see in any American inner city. Under one particular overpass, a homeless family who apparently had been living from their car was preparing breakfast. Traffic thickened and slowed in winter molasses fashion, and lane markings became not so apparent. The number of scooters multiplied exponentially, and I was struck by the makeup of their drivers. Business men in suits and women in skirts rode along side twenty-somethings in tank tops and casualwear. Scooter and motorcycle riders in Rome also have a different set of driving practices than here in the States. In America, motorcycles are expected to ride single file behind the vehicle in front of them. In Italy, they weave between the lanes of traffic like shoelaces and pretty much anywhere they can find space, except maybe the sidewalks. Being a pedestrian in Rome is much like taking the leap of faith. You pretty much walk out into traffic on the crosswalks knowing that everyone will stop. Otherwise, you'd run the risk of dying from old age from waiting for a break long enough to get across.

We finally started to really get into the heart of ancient Rome, and ruins could be spotted interspersed between city buildings, many of which were 5-6 story buildings of various warm muted colors of stucco. Our driver pointed out the grassy field that once was the Circus Maximus, and then we were quickly upon the Colosseum. Our hotel was not far from this monument, and it seemed we were there within just a couple of minutes. The hotel was tucked down an little side street that really wasn't much more than an alley. Along the street were a few small shops, a restaurant, a couple of bars, and a pizzeria.

A medieval looking tower at the end of the street our hotel was on.

The parking lot and a strange building also at the end of our street

When we came into the hotel lobby, we noticed a breakfast room off waiting area. The hotel appeared a little dated, (after being there a week, we got to realizing that most things in Rome are dated to one extent or another) but we were glad to have arrived. I think I nearly kissed the ground once I got out of the bus. The time was close to 10 am, and official check in wasn't for another 4 hours. The desk clerk was kind enough to go ahead and check us in early so we could catch some Z's. We wanted a room close to the other couple we were traveling with, so the clerk hooked us up with a 3 room flat off the garden that had two double rooms and a twin room, which was one room more than we really needed, but we weren't going to argue. One of the doubles and the twin were upstairs. The double rooms really were just that-two twin beds doubled together to make a larger bed. I have yet to decide whether this was an Italian thing or a European thing in general. With the shades drawn and being on the garden, the room was blissfully dark and quiet. We both collapsed into the very springy bed, and not a peep was made for a couple hours.

Coming next...getting out Wednesday afternoon after our nap to do our first bit of sightseeing...

Back to life, back to reality...

2007-05-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

We've arrived home from Rome. The trip was an amazing experience, and our little girl turned out to be quite the world traveler. We took somewhere around 450 pictures (yeah...wading through those is gonna be a trick), and I still can't believe all the things we crammed into one little week. I'll be posting a daily breakdown along with thoughts and feelings and, of course, pictures. We got some real postcard shots of some things, but the things that were probably the most amazing, we weren't allowed to photograph. I'm warning in advance that the posts coming in the next days will be long and heavily photo laden. I'm still reeling a bit from the whole trip home (my body says it's 3 in the afternoon right now, though it's 9 am.), so I likely won't get a chance to post again today...however...

It all starts and ends here:

This shot is looking back up the street toward our hotel Tirreno. The little car in the front right lower corner is actually a motorcycle with a little cab covering it with a trailer attached. You can just see the Tirreno sign on the left wall up toward the middle/beginning of the street (which really isn't much more than an alleyway.

This case is CLOSED! (warning...long post ahead with heavy pic content)

2007-05-09T19:06:00.000-07:00

Been a while since I've posted (a theme around here lately, I know), and as usual, there's much to post about but not much time to do it in.

So what has been going on? For starters, I've seen more contractors in the past few weeks than in all my years of living in this house. Went through a home inspection, which was more than an eye opener and revealed that there is much work to be done on this house. Once done, this house will probably have quite a lot more equity in it than what we are paying to fix it up.

In the process leading up to today, we have had more sickness around here than we did for the better part of the winter. Jonah came down with a stomach bug and used his sister's car seat as a puke bucket. Liam had the flu. Cliff got Liam's flu. I got Jonah's cold and Liam's flu. On the same day. The same day that baby came down with Liam's flu. While Cliff had to go to work to get stuff done for his Rome paper. It was not good. I was even too sick to craft. Next day? Cliff came down with the stomach flu, passed out at work, and ended up at the ER. All this while we're trying to get the last details of our loan stuff worked out. Thankfully, we're all getting better.

There's been knitting and, wait for it....crocheting. I haven't crocheted since I was pregnant with Liam, but I got bit by the ripple bug. Another one bites the dust. Here's my progress so far:

I went to last night's knit 'n' sip where we're working on mitered squares...another happening thing amongst the bloggers lately, it seems. Both are total stashbusters, and with the yarn diet I'm on, I need mindless knitting that uses up the stash.

I finished the second baby sock, but I've yet to get a picture of it. I still need to weave in the ends (big surprise), but I've tried them on the baby's feet, and they will fit for a while. I did, however, catch a couple of pictures of her today.

So the big news today was that we closed on the house...and we took possession tonight. It's now ours!! Last weekend, I went over and mowed the lawn, as it was becoming apparent that the sellers weren't going to do that before we got the keys, and I had visions of having to mow grass that was knee deep and soggy at the bottom because the water couldn't evaporate. Wouldn't you know, but the seller's realtor showed up and inquired about what we were doing. He didn't thank me for saving them money but instead complained about how I was a liability. We weren't in the house, just mowing the lawn, but after we left, he took the key out of the lock box.

So when we showed up this evening to take possession, there was no key, and our agent had to call to have them bring us a key, which cost us about an hour's worth of time. Once we got in, however, we ate our first meal in our first house! Funny how it tasted so good tonight (Mmm...Mexican). The boys settled right in. Liam climbed the tree in the front yard and was making granny shots on his new adjustable hoop. Jonah made himself right at home by taking off his shoes and shirt (he spared the neighbors the complete strip tease this time). I've already pulled down one of the ugly valances....and next time the rest of them are gone! My creative juices are already drooling at the prospect of all the crafting that can be done to make this place feel more like home.

Happiness is...

2007-04-27T22:06:00.000-07:00

...having a freezer full of meals for the next three weeks so I don't have to obsess about what to make for dinner in the weeks working up to closing on our house and our trip to Rome. All we'll need from the grocery store for the next three weeks is fresh fruits and dairy products.

...being able to cook said meals without 6 little hands involved (not that I don't enjoy cooking with them, but today I was in a Soulemama frame of mind).

...the smell (and taste...had to make sure it was turning out well) of homemade bolognese.

...an unplanned afternoon nap that lasted into the evening.

...finding time to knit a whole two rows on a baby sock.

Not much to say...

2007-04-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

It's been all about the new house around here lately. There has been pretty much no knitting or crafting to speak of (not that I haven't been obsessing about it...believe me, I have), and our current home is quite the wreck. I might need a life raft to escape the laundry pile that has grown downstairs.

It's only a couple more weeks until we actually take possession, and I'm told that's when the fun really starts. I keep thinking of it as an opportunity to further declutter and purge...hubby maybe not as much.

Spring is all about new beginnings. Speaking of spring...here's a shot of one of the trees in our yard this time of year. It's just starting to pop now, but this picture is from last spring, I'm thinking. I always wanted a place with flowering trees, and this one has a flowering crab, a weeping cherry, and a dogwood.

I'm feeling the need to get a list going so I can start crossing things off...then maybe I'll feel like I'm getting somewhere.

My little ray of sunshine

2007-04-23T06:42:00.000-07:00

Weather here has been B-E-A-yootiful (I watched bits and pieces of Bruce Almighty last night). The boys and I spent ALL day outside working. I managed to weed all the front beds, cut down all the old stuff that I didn't get cut down last fall, re-edged the front bed, put all the mulch that had spilled onto the driveway back, put new mulch down in a few spots until I ran out of it, sprayed for weeds (which normally I wouldn't do...but since this house will be selling...and I have another house to keep up with, there will be no time to pull weeds this summer), and mowed the front and back lawns. I'm actually not as sore as I thought I'd be what with all that effort. And...considering that the sun was out in full force yesterday, I'm not sunburned (yes, mom...I put on my sunblock)...well...all except this one swath on my lower back where my tank top (yeah, baby, I actually wore a TANK TOP yesterday - and sweated in it!) was riding up and I didn't notice. Hubby noticed it once it was too late.

Today, we're going to go get more mulch and do more outside, since it's supposed to storm this afternoon and then turn cooler and wet for the rest of the week. Then I can work inside.

Baby girl is now 3 1/2 months old, give or take, and for the most part, she's a quiet little thing. She occasionally will "chat" up a storm when she sees something she's really interested in (which lately has been grown men....gonna have to have a sit down with her about that), but I haven't been able to really get her to laugh (smile yes, laugh no) - until today. For some reason last night after I got out of the shower, she was really chatty. When she coos, she stretches her arms out and works her legs at the same time. Sort of a full body workout. So hubby was holding her; I was talking to her. Something I said struck her as particularly funny, and she actually giggled. I laughed because I thought it was funny, managed to get her to giggle several more times before she started to get bored/tired. There is something about the sound of a baby giggling that just makes me melt. Can't get enough of that sound. I'm hoping to catch it on video soon.

The baby is also getting into the swing of the dinnertime routine with the boys. I sat next to Jonah at the table last night. Corinna was sitting on the same side of me as Jonah, and he was close enough to her that each time she stretchedout her arm, she'd get a hold of his shirt and give it a good pull. Finally, he says to me in a disgusted voice, "Mom...would you tell Corinna to quit pulling on me?" And so it begins...

Jonah put himself down for an early morning nap...so I'd best be getting things done! Happy Monday!

Yay! I won something!

2007-04-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

I entered a contest on another Jess's blog about who the fella was that did the voiceovers for Dukes of Hazzard. And since I have been subjected to the Dukes a multitude of times since being with my hubby (I really didn't watch them much as a kid, even though I kinda grew up with them...loved me some Luke Duke) I knew the answer.

Yay! Thanks Jess!

Movin' on up...

2007-04-21T18:29:00.000-07:00

Ok...that little thing I've been hinting around about? That I didn't want to put in black and white? Well...I'm ready now that closing is only a few weeks away. We're moving. We bought a house. Squeee!!

This is such a bittersweet thing, despite the excited tone above. This means a few things. Liam won't be at the Waldorf school next year, as we can't afford both house payment and tuition for two children. Jonah, however, will start there next year and will stay until he starts first grade. So at least we will stay a part of the school community that we've come to cherish over the last three years. I am so sad that Liam won't be able to continue on there, but the community we're moving to has some of the best schools in the state. I will likely try to continue to do some things at home with him to keep that Waldorf spirit alive, though.

We will be leaving wonderful neighbors behind. Our neighbors to the west have a daughter who is the same age as our youngest son, and she is very fond of "her boys." We all get along swimmingly (literally...they have an in-ground pool) and enjoy getting together to play cards or around holidays (whenever there's a good excuse to have a cookout or party). The folks that live on the corner two doors west are also wonderful people who are quite entertaining, and their youngest daughter, who is older than Liam, still enjoys playing with the younger kids. Our neighbor to the north is a retired corrections officer, and he's not only entertainment, but an all around nice guy. To the east is a sweet lady who has grown children our age who still live at home and are frequently a nuisance, but she is as nice as the day is long, and she adores our kids. Two doors to the east is a lovely older widower to whom Jonah has taken a shining (I think that street runs both ways). This guy is retired and doesn't have much to keep him busy, so he has the most meticulously kept yard, and his dog is the best walked on the block. He really enjoys hanging out on his porch, watching the kids play, and the kids love to hang out on Mr. T.'s porch and chat with him while they pet his dog. I think he enjoys them as much as they enjoy him.

We will also be saying goodbye to the home we've known for the past 9 years. That's almost a third of my life. This is the only place that my hubby and I have known as a married couple. There is a lot of history here. Having my friend come and live with us for 6 weeks...Hubby getting his masters...The birth of our oldest. My sister spending a summer here. Transcription school. Doula and childbirth education training. Going back to do some postbac work. Talk of med school and finishing the MCAT. Our two youngest have actually been born in this house, and that alone is enough to make this house sentimental.

Our new house does need some work. We have 2 full baths now, which with children is almost a must, anymore. The new place has one and a half, which will be fine until all five of us are trying to get ready at the same time in the morning to get off to school and work. So we are hoping to add on another bath before we move in. There is painting to be done...floors to refinish...a kitchen to rearrange/remodel (depending on fundage), electric to update. Overall, though, this house is in a great neighborhood in a good location for hubby's commute (though it will take a fair bit longer to get J-rock to school), and will be more room than what we have now. I will have a dedicated dining room, rather than having a common living/dining room. Each child will be able to have their own bedroom (though I'm thinking of doubling the boys up for now, and the baby will stay with us for quite a while longer...which means I will have a craft room for a while!). We have a "living" room and a "family" room. I'm thinking the living room may be where I teach classes from in the future. The yard is lovely...near 3/4 of an acre for the kids to romp in. Our drive has an adjustable basketball hoop, so I'm foreseeing many a game of one-on-one with the kids in the future. We will have a front porch, so I can hang out and listen to the sounds of summer. I'm thinking a hanging swing or a glider would be perfect for this spot. Our back yard also has a lovely deck where I imagine we will probably do much grilling and hopefully socializing.

Each time we visit the house, it starts to feel more and more like home to me. I'm so ready to get in and start putting our touches in it to get it to really feel like "our" house. So...how's that for news?

Pretty in pink

2007-04-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

My MIL received a package the other day from her sister (so my aunt-in-law) who lives down south. We rarely get to see her or the rest of my MILs side of the family, but when we do, they are so sweet to us. My MIL knew that it was something handmade for the baby and she couldn't resist opening it up. She called to tell me that she'd gotten it and that she'd give it to me when I saw her next (which lately...we've been seeing each other a fair bit...hopefully details as to why soon), but she filled me in on how cute it was.

I was not to be disappointed. Inside the now unwrapped box was a beautiful pink hand-crocheted dress. Around the collar are sweet little picots. The yarn has a lovely sheen to it, and it's amazingly soft. Little pearlescent pink buttons close the front.I thought at first that it would be way too big for baby girl to wear, but I couldn't stand it any more tonight and tried it on her. If I fold up the cuffs, she should be able to wear it now. It will look amazingly cute with the leggings I made and with a onesie underneath.

Big brother helped her pose for the shots, as standing does the dress the most justice. So cute, aren't they?

Liam asks before this shot, "Can I show her my silly face?"

Thanks Aunt T.!!

Sweet britches

2007-04-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

So I finally got the leggin's seamed up today. Here they are after sewing:

And below they are on Miss C. She is a strong little thing. For some reason, she just loves to stand up. She would rather stand than sit. Her muscles are getting so strong from all the being upright that she's not too terribly unstable when she is sitting up. Her biggest problem is that she tries to straighten her legs and back to stand while she's sitting, which of course, results in her flopping over one way or the other.

The dress is one of the little numbers that I found at the thrift store. She needs to wear it a couple of times soon, as she's growing out of 3-6 mos. clothes. I would love to take this dress and try to reproduce it in a larger size.

The leggings still have a bit of give in them. She'll outgrow the footies before anything else. I love this pattern so much that I'll probably make another pair, but the next pair I make may be sans footies.

I swiped an I-cord drawstring from another pair of longies that I'd made, as I don't have any ribbon to thread through the waist...and these pants needed something to draw them in.

Pattern: Cashmere leggings from Simple Knits for Cherished Babies by Erika Knight
Yarn: Lamb's Pride Cotton Fleece in color Cotton Ball
Needles: Size 5 and 4 circulars.
Modifications: I really didn't make any modifications to the pattern other than to substitute yarn. There was a mistake in the pattern that I found when making the foot, but I couldn't find errata on the web anywhere. I managed to figure it out on my own. I used mattress stitch to go up the side and leg seams and whipstitched the bottoms of the soles. The only thing this pattern could maybe use is some holes at the ankles to lace a ribbon through in order to keep the footies on better. This was a really fast knit that could have been done weeks ago had I actually sat down on consecutive days to work. Had the auction not happened, I would have had these done already. I would definitely knit these again, though I might try knitting the legs and feet in the round next time.

Pat a tat

2007-04-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

So last weekend was Knitter's Fantasy. Andi, the leader of our knit 'n' sip group, another member Evelyn, and I drove out to Warren at what felt like the fanny crack of dawn (I got up at 5 am...on purpose. I would only do that for crafting these days). Thank goodness for Diet Coke. Once we finally got there, no thanks to my lousy excuse for navigating, it was like arriving in stitching heaven. What fun! An entire day filled with fibery goodness. There were several yarn shops represented along with some other local yarn distributors. There was yarn made from alpaca and cashmere. There were patterns and notions. It was almost more than someone on a yarn diet could bear. Had to fight the urge to go on a binge. Classes were scheduled throughout the day on a variety of skills from knitting to crochet to felting and even needle tatting.

I hadn't registered for any classes ahead of time, so many of them were closed when we arrived in the morning. I decided to register for the needle tatting class. The lady that taught the class was a sweet grandmotherly woman who had written the book we were using. Tatting is a craft that became popular in the Victorian era. During those times, they used a shuttle to create the lacy rings. Needle tatting became popular during this century, and is easier to do than shuttle tatting. I picked it up pretty easily, and was instantly addicted! Using a 5" needle and crochet cotton, this is what I managed to do during class:
I spent the rest of the morning after class wandering from booth to booth fondling all the fibers and resisting the urge to expand my stash. I did, however, pick up a new pattern, which hopefully I can finish before Rome.

This afternoon, I pulled out the leggings for the baby and got them ready for blocking. Tomorrow...on to seaming....and hopefully a model shot!

Tired

2007-04-15T20:00:00.000-07:00

So much going on and not much time to blog. I have a million things to talk about and I'm just too tired to write them tonight (that and it's hard to type one-handed while holding a babe in the dark). Just wanted you all to know I was thinking of you and missing our mostly one-sided chats...more tomorrow perhaps?

Is it Good Friday or April Fool's?

2007-04-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

I think hubby actually had to clean the snow off my car this morning before playing musical cars. I knew that we were getting some snow last night after watching it fly through the light of the lamppost before bed last night.

I was not, however, expecting this much snow. The trees, I am sure, are likely confused. There are buds on many of the trees, and many of the flowering trees had small blooms starting to open on them earlier this week.

Spring is a time for change and rebirth. There is much going on here, much of which I'm not ready to blog about yet, for fear of jinxing it.

There has been some knitting, which hopefully I will be able to post some pictures of later today or tomorrow. If I'm going to be stuck inside, at least I have plenty to keep me occupied.

Old Man Winter strikes again!

2007-04-04T20:20:00.000-07:00

Really, snow in April is not uncommon in Northeast Ohio. If you live around here, you become accustomed to that early spring snowstorm that snarls traffic and gives the newly risen greens frostbite. I only wonder what happens to all the frogs that I've heard singing at night in the ponds around here lately.

So to whet your warm weather appetites, I offer seeds of yesterday's sun and blooming bulbs. By the time it's nice enough to get outside again, they will probably be frostbitten and done blooming. I'm really hoping that this cold snap doesn't trash the lovely blooms on the flowering trees and forsythia bushes too much. I've pretty much figured that they will do in my tulips, though.

We spent much of the afternoon driving around, and I noticed that the weeping willows have leaves as do many of the bushes along the roadside. This seems really early to me, like it should be at least another couple of weeks yet before this should happen, but I have no way to really mark the date...other than surfing back through my own blog archives. See? My blog is useful for something other than taking up bandwidth. When I go back to last year this time, it seems the spring bloom is only about a week or two earlier than last year.

It was not long after this time last year that we found out that we were expecting another baby. Sweet cheeks turned three months old today, and I can't believe how fast time seems to be marching (at double time) forward. Little Miss C. now can grab onto things she's interested in (like the kitties if they get close enough), and she loves to ooh and ahh at anything or anyone that catches her eye, particularly the baby in the mirror. If I put her down on the floor, she tries to roll to one side.

Aren't I just a cute little ducky in my jammies?

Here, kitty kitty...(note the tail in the left of the frame...she was intent on grabbing)

Yarn Harlot

2007-04-02T19:39:00.000-07:00

Apparently knitters are the biggest users of blogs on the planet. How cool is that? Yes...we will rule the world. Muwahahaha! Another observation I have personally noted: many of the knitters who have blogs also tend to be involved in some aspect of creative writing (yeah, I'm an exception to that in a big way). My favorite bloggers also tend to be involved in book writing in some fashion. Stephanie Pearl-McPhee, also known as the Yarn Harlot, had some interesting musings about knitters and muggles (non-knitters) in general to offer up when she came to Joseph-Beth Booksellers on Saturday.

She's making the rounds at the moment on a tour to promote her new book "Stephanie Pearl-McPhee Casts Off: The Yarn Harlot's Guide to the Land of Knitting." Baby girl and I made the trek up to see Stephanie before the auction festivities on Saturday and were not to be disappointed. I was a bit taken aback by how many people showed up (silly knitter....I should have known). There were close to 100 people there. I arrived right about the time she was supposed to start speaking, and not only were there no seats left, but people were lined up into the aisles and up on the balcony. Muggles came in and looked shocked that there was someone up there talking about knitting...and there were so many others who were actually listening! There was knitting going on everywhere. Stephanie showed up to cheers and applause in her lovely Bohus sweater (which she hasn't even posted photos of on her own blog yet and, oy, the yellows so cannot be captured properly on camera...it nearly glows, it's so pretty.). We were on the periphery of the crowd and really could not even see Stephanie, but we heard her well.

Not only was Stephanie funny, she was so well spoken and completely down to earth. When it came time for book signing, she made the proclamation that pregnant women, women with babies, and those who were handicapped could sneak to the front of the line. Yay for the free pass, Corinna! I had brought knitting with me, with the hopes of whipping it out and telling her all about it, and telling her how much I love that she's so pro breastfeeding, etc., etc., but when I got up to the front of the line...I got all red and hot and nervous and only managed to pull out my sock in progress and ask sheepishly if I could take a picture of her with it. I actually got to hold her sock in progress (the one that she takes with her on her tours...and the one that has and will pass through the hands of many other talented and more worthy knitters on its way to completion) and got a picture of us together. I couldn't even manage to tell her that I've read her blog for two years now and how much I enjoy her writing. I did, however, manage to find a lone copy of "At Knit's End: Meditations for Women Who Knit Too Much" (hmm...sound like anyone we know?) and had her sign it, since the bookstore completely sold out of her current book before I got there. Corinna was awake for much of the talk, but slept through the signing part, and Stephanie remarked that she was sure to be a knitter (you betcha!). I had really hoped to hang out longer, but that was not to be, as I needed to haul my fanny off to J*ann's to get stuff to complete the nature table scene and pick up hubby so we could get to the auction.

Stephanie, me, and baby makes three. Well...except the lady in the background also snapping a photo. And yeah, my stylist cut my hair too short on Thursday. It'll grow. But look...I'm wearing jewelry. And though you can't see my feet, I actually had on a skirt and wedge heels. Stylin', I was. Corinna made quite the little koala-type accessory herself.

So done.

2007-04-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

The auction is now but a blurry memory, and I can finally heave a big fat sigh of relief. After one all night crafting session and another night until 2 am in a push before the auction deadline, here are the results of my effort.

Six root children (which you all have seen before), six flower children, two adult felt bunnies, one felt baby bunnie (yeah, so I switch my -y to an -ie...what of it?), Two adult felt sheep with woolie bodies, and one little lambie.

Many thanks to my mother-in-law who helped sew the bodies of the root children and helped with the kiddos and also to my friend K. who also helped with sewing the bodies of the root children. It took me up to the very last minute to finish everything up. Something I'd like to not repeat again in the future.

I finished off the nature table scene by purchasing a yard of yellow/green dupioni silk (so pretty!!) that I didn't get a chance to photograph and a flat basket. I lined the basket with the silk and arranged all the dolls and felt animals in the basket along with the Mother Nature from our nature table. I snipped flowers from our front yard (crocuses, daffodils, hyacinths, and snowdrops) and arranged them so the flower children were holding them in their little pipe-cleaner arms. Voila! Again, somebody thump me for not getting a picture of it.

The Mother Love blanket that I knitted a strip for auctioned for $650. Not bad! The nature table scene with the dolls and things sold for $120. The felt bowls went for something like $20 or $30. All in all a pretty good showing. I probably should have listed the price for the nature table scene at $200. I think it might have auctioned for closer to that if I'd done that, but I'm never good at deciding true value on the items I make.

Hubby thought that I might be all crafted out by now. Um yeah, no. I think that is an insatiable urge. My crafting priorities might shift a little back to knitting, but I've got plenty of crafting fire left in me. Just no more staying up to the wee hours for a while, 'k?

Belting it out

2007-03-28T07:47:00.000-07:00

Jonah is forever singing or humming some diddy around the house. Most of the time it's something he's heard on one of children's songs CDs we play before bed or something he's heard at someone else's house. We try not to watch too much TV around here, but one of the kids' favorite shows at the moment is the Backyardigans. It's pretty cute. The whole show is computer animated, and there are 5 characters who have adventures in their backyard. As they start to pretend, the backyard landscape morphs into whatever magical place they are thinking of that day. There is copious singing of clever catchy songs, and the children who provide the voices for the characters have some amazing singing talent. The theme tune is pretty catchy itself, and as soon as the show comes on, Jonah starts singing along. Loudly. At the top of his little lungs. He knows most of the words to the song, but in true Brown form, there is definite liberty taken with the lyrics. What he doesn't know he just mumbles, runs together, or makes up. I figure part of the reason he hasn't figured out all the words is the fact that he can't hear the TV over his own singing. Grandma B. got the boys a CD with some of the songs from the series, and I got Jonah on video singing along...

Felted goodness

2007-03-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

The bowls are pretty well dry, and I was hoping for good light this morning to shoot them in. Not too much luck, as the skies are pretty well overcast, but I did at least make an effort.

Both bowls were knitted using the same pattern from One Skein and Reynolds Lopi on size 10 1/2 DPNs. I finished knitting them way back in November, but I just got around to felting them yesterday. They were both the same size and shape when finished knitting (they made great hats!), and after felting shrinkage, they also were about the same size. I started felting them in my washing machine but decided that it wasn't coming along fast enough, so I dumped them in the sink with hot, dish soapy water and worked them by hand. After a cold water rinse, I blocked them over two different size rice bowls, which gave them two different shapes. One bowl is squattier than the other, with a larger bottom, while the second bowl is taller, with a smaller bottom. Neat little lesson on geometry and how the total volume is the same, but the dimensions and look are quite different.

So what is it?

2007-03-26T19:50:00.000-07:00

Ok...so here's the "scarf" that I did out of one of the balls I picked up at the yarn swap last week. This is a ribbon yarn from Caron Pizazz (I keep mistyping it Pizass...bwahahahaha) in the color Meadow. The ball only has 28 yards to it, so I didn't get much length out of this drop stitch pattern, even on size 15s. I'm thinking of frogging it and making it into a small cell phone or camera cozy or something. I could also possibly make a really skinny belt or scarf if I took the number of stitches down to like 3 per row (this is 7 stitches). The length now is just enough to go round my hips and have the ends touch.

I do like this yarn, and the colors in it would be nice just about any time of year. I am, however, on a yarn diet at the moment and need to knit from the stash before purchasing any more.

I pulled an all-nighter last night to finish the strip for the Mother Love quilt the mamas are doing for the auction. I was so bleary eyed by the time I finished about 5:30 this morning that I didn't get a picture of it before hubby took it to school this morning. I started over again with only two repeats of the traveling vine pattern and put a selvedge slip stitch on each end to make it easier to seam into the rest of the afghan. I only used one skein of Lamb's Pride Cotton Fleece to make the 60-inch strip. I'll try to get a picture of the completed afghan on Saturday. So I have another skein of the cotton fleece in this beautiful aqua color, and I think I'm going to make a nice spring wrap out of it, probably just using the swatch I started originally.

Two knitted bowls also got felted today and are drying on the counter. They turned out fairly sturdy, and I'll snap pics of those tomorrow too.

Still so much to do and only a few days left. You knew I was going to wait to the last minute for the final push, didn't you? I did...

Scent of a baby

2007-03-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

As I sit here tonight trying to convince a sleepy baby that closing her eyes really is in both our best interests, my little girl is riding snugly next to me in her sling. I've been a big fan of wearing babies since I had my first, and each of the babes has spent much time riding around kangaroo style. It's good for me, as it gives me two hands to address important needs, like opening that jar of jam so I can make the boys lunch, and it gives my left arm a break from lugging around my little bowling ball of a baby. It's also good for her. She gets the benefit of hearing my heartbeat, feeling my breathing, and sharing my warmth while helping her to feel safe and protected. She gets an almost mom's eye view of everything we do. Studies have shown that babies who are worn have more developed and earlier developed language skills than their non-carried peers among a host of other benefits. They are calmer and cry less. When they get older, they are more secure and well adjusted. But what's my favorite reason for wearing my babies? I get to smell them.

Dirty baby is probably my favorite smell in the whole world. When my babes were brand new, they still had that amniotic smell to them, something earthy and fresh. As they grew, their scent changed, and something in me thinks that my sense of smell is more sensitive when they are young, as I can recognize who's been holding the baby just by smelling her. Baby hasn't had a true bath in a little while, so tonight she smells heavenly to me. It's a combination of notes, the sweet milky smell of her breath, the slightly salty smell of her cheeks where she's been a bit sweaty from being wrapped up against me, and the notes coming from her hair where its a bit oily from being kissed so much that are just her. I can't describe what exactly her smells like, but I could breathe it in all night. Bottle it and sniff it when she's 3 and won't cuddle with me anymore and her milk breath is long gone.

For tonight, I'll enjoy it along with the warm snuggle of her wrapped securely next to me as she clings to my tee like the little koala that she is. These moments are so fleeting.

Spring cleaning

2007-03-22T21:56:00.000-07:00

Some people use the first of the year as a time to start new habits. While I usually resolve to do a thing or two around then, those resolutions often don't stick, which I am going to conveniently blame on winter funk. As the energy of spring grows, I start getting itchy to get into a new groove. Out with the old, in with the new. I procrastinate on everything, so why should new year's resolutions be any different?

Right now is a time for decision making for our family (gee, isn't being grown up fun?). A time to evaluate and re-evaluate. A time to clean out the proverbial (and literal) cobwebs. A time to prioritize. It's a good thing the days are getting longer. I'll need a little more energy to keep up.

Crafting is coming along, but I have nothing exciting (meaning no pictures) to share at the moment. I did make a pretty nice score of some new yarn to play with last night at our knit n sip, and I whipped out a quick one skein scarf last night (that may be a belt or something....not sure what to do with it yet. Maybe if I show some pics someone else can give me a clue) because I was so in love with the color of the yarn.

Baby girl turned 11 weeks old today and is now pushing a healthy 12 lbs. My, how time is flying. Two months from now and we will be getting ready to fly home from Rome. Anticipation is growing!

Caution! Construction Ahead!

2007-03-20T13:35:00.000-07:00

It's only the first day of spring, and already, there's major construction underway. At least I don't have to navigate orange barrels to appreciate this project.

Corinna says she would oversee the project, but it takes away from time she could otherwise spend napping, nursing, cooing, pooping, or drooling.

No longer bald

2007-03-18T08:15:00.000-07:00

I've been a busy girl. Six root children now have hair. I made three of them boys with short hair and three girls with long hair. Each girl has a different hairstyle, and because the heads were so small, doing the wrap and sew style hair made the most sense. I love the little redhead. She is so sweet with her green eyes, and the merino is super soft. It's funny how by looking at the little faces, I just knew what kind/color hair they needed. The little girl with the blue eyes just had to have blond pigtails. I only wish I'd had different colors of dollskin to make them truly more ethnic. I think they turned out pretty well. Now to make their twins in flower colors. The big question will be what flower will each root child represent as a flower child? I can see the blond as a daisy. The redhead will be a tulip. Not sure about the rest of them...

I've also been working on a strip for an afghan that the mothers' handwork group at school is putting together. So much to do so little time. Tick, tock, tick, tock...gotta get back to it!

Bald babies would be cold today

2007-03-15T15:44:00.000-07:00

Funny weather, that. 70 degrees yesterday. Tornado touches down not far from here. This morning? About an inch of snow on the ground. The weather the past few days made us all forget that spring isn't quite here yet. This morning was surely a wake up!

Crafting continues here, and I'm finally feeling like I'm making some progress. The root child from the other day now has 5 siblings that are in the home stretch. They are all still bald with their Frankenstein-like stitching where I closed the skin fabric over the tops of their heads, but that will change tonight. Each doll has different color eyes. I did two shades each of blue, green, and brown. I have yarn for blonde, brunette, and black hair, and I might rustle up some red merino and see how that looks for hair. More updates soon!

Taking in a little fresh air

2007-03-12T10:06:00.000-07:00

The boys have been thrilled to be outside the past couple of days. Even 40 degrees feels downright toasty when you're used to wind chills in the teens and single digits and not a temp above freezing for so long. Yesterday, they pulled out their bikes, the scooter, and even the Jeep got a turn up and down the sidewalk. The neighbor girl also has a Jeep...a very pink, very Barbie Jeep, which seats two. Jonah loves to get in with her and ride up and down the sidewalk. I have a feeling he's a bit of a backseat (passenger seat, whatever...) driver.

I suppose that all works out just fine, as the neighbor girl's dad says that his daughter is really quite bossy and that she'll make a perfect wife someday.

Liam has officially outgrown our Jeep, but that doesn't keep him from trying to drive it. The engine seriously objects when Liam's behind the wheel, but that also doesn't seem to deter him.

Corinna thinks that all this play just plain wears her out.

One down....11 to go?

2007-03-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I finished sewing up the doll bodies (with some help from my MIL...thanks!), making the doll heads, and covering the heads with skin fabric. Last night I took one of the heads and assembled a doll after making the pipe cleaner arms. I decided to embroider a face on this one, as I thought they looked better that way. So here's the final result for the root child:

Front view:

Side view:

Rear view:

Hanging onto a measuring stick (it measures 3 1/2 inches tall)

And with the bunny I finished last week for scale...big bunny, eh?

The body is made of cotton batik fabric. The body is stuffed with rice, and the arms are a pipe cleaner covered in wool. I sewed knit skin fabric over the ends for hands, and I used mohair for the hair. The pattern came from The Nature Corner. I still have 5 more root children to make, 6 flower children, 6 terry cloth teether dolls (which really just need assembling), Mother Nature, and more bunnies and sheep. Most of what is left to do is just the sewing together. The heads have all been made and the bodies cut and sewn, so the rest is just detail work. I was hoping to get it all done by today, but I must have been smoking something for thinking that was possible. Hopefully I'll finish by the end of the week, with time left before the auction.

What a difference a day makes

2007-03-09T18:07:00.000-08:00

There's a saying about weather in Northeast Ohio. If you don't like it, wait five minutes, and it will probably change. Remember 9 degrees yesterday and a high in the 20's? Today's temp topped out at a very springlike 56 degrees. Pure bliss. Jonah was itching to get outside, and with the weather being so balmy, it was much easier to let him go out in front where I can see him easily knowing I could bop out with the baby if I needed to reel him in. There is still snow on the ground, particularly where the snowplows piled up the 2 feet or so that we picked up during the snowstorm a few weeks ago and in places where the sun doesn't shine this time of year.

Jonah got his bicycle out first and rode up and down the sidewalk for a little while, but the lure of the snow was more than he could bear. He tromped out into the backyard (braving the dog's landmines) and got to work moving snow. He stayed out for quite a while, and I could tell how pleased he was to be out of the house. The sky today was so clear, and the contrails were crossing everywhere. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the mid 40s with rain, and I know I will miss the sun. I'm solar powered, you know.

I'm still busily working on dolls and the such and hopefully will have some pictures of finished ones to show you all tomorrow. The bodies of most of them have been sewn, and today's work has consisted of making doll heads. Tomorrow, I'll finish the heads and start assembling, which is fiddly work. Hopefully by Sunday I'll be embroidering on hair and facial features.

The delivery man brought us a package today from my Aunt C. and Uncle P. in celebration of our new family member. A lovely velboa blanket (so buttery soft!) and a nifty night light that projects stars on the walls and ceiling in a choice of three colors. I think the boys will enjoy it as much as the baby will (heck, I might even turn it on tonight for me)! I'm so far behind in getting out thank you notes...gotta get on that.

Is is spring yet?!?

2007-03-08T06:47:00.000-08:00

I'm suffering from major cabin fever and springitis. Temperature this morning when I got out of bed at 6:30? 9 degrees. Hi, March? Doesn't that mean average temps above freezing? Yesterday morning we had 3-4 inches of fresh snow on the ground that had fallen overnight. Ugh. At least the sun is out today. I'm going to opens the shades, hang out in the house, and pretend that it's really 66 degrees outside, since that's what it is in here.

To help combat the winter doldrums, I've also started working on some springy things. Our poor nature table never really had a winter scene on it, thanks to the impending arrival of baby girl. The minute the equinox hits, I'm putting out some spring stuff.

The school auction season has arrived again, and in my true style, I've procrastinated and have nothing finished to donate. Which means I'm crafting like a fiend this week in the hopes of getting something finished by the deadline.

To feed my need for spring, I'm doing some felt animals and flower children for a nature table display. I'm also making more of the terry cloth baby teethers like I made for the Children's Festival.

I'm also hoping to make some dolls, but I know I'm going to run out of time. Such is my illness. I want to do a million things but I procrastinate or get busy with other things until it's really crunch time. We'll see what I end up really getting finished.

So here's the first FO. A felt bunny stuffed with wool with a needle felted wool tail. She didn't take long to make, so I'll probably shrink the pattern and make her a mommy by giving him babies. Liam says she's a desert cottontail.

Happy (belated) Blogiversary

2007-03-03T07:39:00.000-08:00

It's been more than a year now since I started blogging. Part of me is really surprised that I've kept up with it as long as I have (long blog break post baby notwithstanding). I'm really happy with my experience, and blogging has helped to bring me closer to others in the knitting community but also helps me feel closer to those of you whom I cannot see on a daily basis. Thanks for hanging around and reading.

Projects on the horizon

2007-03-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

So I mentioned last night that there had actually been knitting taking place. I've gotten really good at knitting while standing up with the baby in the sling. So what's been happening in the world of Bunnie knitting?

Well, we finally have a knitted blankie. Ends must be woven in (ick), and I've decided to put a dupioni silk back on to hide the seams, but other than that, this blanket is done. It turned out really cute and is super soft and warm. Love me some Malabrigo!

Here's the front:

And the back...ugh...look at all those ends!!

And with baby included for scale. By the way...Are we there yet? (Cliff loves those jammies...both the boys wore them, and I couldn't resist putting them on her too. They are super plush and soft)

I picked up Erika Knight's Simple Knits for Cherished Babies at the library a couple weeks ago, and I fell in LOVE with the patterns in this book. I've already started a pair of leggings that I plan to pair with a sweet flowered dress that I got from the neighbor's hand-me-downs. One leg down, one to go. Such a fast knit, even though it's in DK weight wool/cotton.

How cute is this set?

Showing a little leg (very curled in on itself)

I also want to make these (click for bigger pics):

The Mabel dress, Wrap cardigan, and pullover vest (really, it's a knitted T).

In a moment of weakness on my birthday (which was last weekend and was lovely, btw), I also stash enhanced. With a project in mind, though. After dining at Pad Thai for dinner (yum!), I stopped by JoAnn's on the way home to look for silk to line the back of the baby blanket. The yarn aisle kept calling me, and I went to see what new bulky novelty yarn they had (since that's all they seem to have anymore)...they never have enough lighter weight natural fiber yarn (they don't even carry sock yarn), but to my surprise, JoAnn's now carries their own line of yarns, and one of them was a wool/cotton blend in lovely pastel colors. I went shopping for clothes earlier in the day, and this time of year, you can't find sweaters (which I desperately need since I'm not small enough to fit in the sweaters I currently own...and we do live in Ohio, after all. Spring doesn't come here until, oh, June maybe?). I decided I'd just knit my own, and with a pattern in mind, I picked up enough yarn to make a sweater for myself. This is the pattern I'm going to make, and I've already swatched....The yarn is a purple and pink heathered color, and it's really so soft.

Breton Jacket from Fall '06 Interweave Knits

Needless to say, I've got enough projects to keep me busy for a while. On top of that, the school's annual fundraising auction is at the end of the month, and I need to make something to donate to that. I'm working on what to do. A doll perhaps?

Wiggle worm

2007-03-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

Remember me??

2007-03-02T16:48:00.000-08:00

I was really surprised when I logged in this evening and noticed that it's been a few weeks since I posted last. Time flies when you're having fun (and are sleep deprived). There has been so much that's been blog worthy...but at the same time so much that is routine.

Speaking of routines, we're finally getting into one here now that the baby is pushing 2 months old. Ugh. Baby is still in her same wake up/sleep cycles, and we're still working on that, but the daily routine is getting better. I've actually been able to get some things done around the house, which seems nothing short of a miracle to me. There's even been knitting progress. I have a finished baby blanket to show you all...tomorrow hopefully...and other projects that have found their way to the needles.

The baby keeps growing, and I keep shrinking (good things, I think), as evidenced by her growing into the next size clothing while I've managed to get out of my maternity clothes finally (though still not back into my prepregnancy wardrobe).

We received the disc that has all the birth and pregnancy photos on it, and they turned out spectacular. I'm so impressed by how lovely they are...our photos will actually be featured on the photographer's website at Cindy's Gentle Vision in a few weeks.

The big thing that our life seems to revolve around at the moment (other than the children) is planning our upcoming trip to Rome. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. Passports are being processed, airline tickets are on hold, and hotels are being researched....and I'm trying to learn Italian. Corinna will be bilingual by the time all is said and done...well...maybe.

And now...for cuteness.

Look at me...I smile!!

Whack dance shots...Get down sister friend!

Ok Mom...I'm getting tired of all this already...Can we be done now?

Nearly 5 weeks

2007-02-07T10:06:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that the baby is already almost 5 weeks old. Time flies when you're sleep deprived. We're still working on getting a reasonable schedule figured out. I've realized that her wake/sleep cycles are fairly similar to what they were in the womb. Really, that shouldn't be so surprising, right?

Both the boys are still being very sweet and gentle with her. I sure hope that lasts. Liam is constantly asking if he can hold the baby. I managed to get this photo of the two of them together. Our camera is working hit or miss these days, and lately it's been more miss than hit.

Liam's been making some strides in doing new things. He recently figured out how to tie his shoes. We've been trying to get him to do it for a while, but he is insistent on figuring things out on his own and wouldn't let anyone show him how to do it. He's also got two new adult teeth that have poked through behind his baby teeth. Momma thinks a visit to the dentist is in order.

There is some knitting progress that I have to show you all, but I haven't had a chance to snap pictures of it yet. The baby blanket is coming along very nicely, and I'm nearly ready to seam and put the border on.

Today is hubby's birthday. Money is tight, so we've decided not to do much of anything except maybe order out dinner.

And finally, here is a sampling of some of the pictures I took this morning while the camera was behaving...

Cutie booties

2007-01-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

I received my first gift from a fellow knitblogger this past weekend. A pair of hand-crocheted booties in pretty pink for my little girl. They are sooo cute, and it was so generous of Andi to make these for Corinna.

They arrived by snail mail, and as soon as I got the box from the postman, I had to put them on baby's sweet feet:

Legs in motion

They are only a little big on her, and it won't be long before she'll be able to wear them without socks. The little flowers on the top are just the sweetest. Love them! Thanks again, Andi!

A birth story (rather long considering it was such a short event)

2007-01-17T17:53:00.000-08:00

A warning for those faint of heart...or constitution. This story may be considered a bit graphic or blunt to some. Part of why I keep this blog is so I can have a place to put things down in black and white in the hopes of somehow mentally processing it. So here goes...

As evidenced by previous posts to this here blog, I was beginning to get a bit impatient about the non-arrival of our little girl by the beginning of the New Year. Liam came 2 weeks early, Jonah a day early, and I was expecting little girl to show up somewhere in the middle considering all the laboring I'd already been doing. I knew those contractions were doing something, and I tend to do a fair bit of dilation before the "real thing" kicks in. No big surprise that things were the same here.

The week before the 4th, I had an appointment with the nurse midwives, and we both agreed that we probably wouldn't be seeing each other until after the birth since I was already 4 cm dilated and had been having contractions off and on for a couple of weeks already. This time baby girl was lined up quite nicely, unlike Jonah, who decided to come out sunny side up (posterior). I made an appointment for the 4th with the midwives, and we all assumed that I would not be showing up. So when the 4th rolled around and the baby wasn't here yet, they were surprised to see me for my regularly scheduled appointment.

The night before the appointment, I noticed something different. It seemed as though the baby was looking for the door. My contractions were the same as before, but I could feel the work they were doing stretching my cervix...and I was having the tell-tale "bloody show" that gets everyone all excited. When I got to the office, I was having fairly regular contractions, nothing that I had to really pay attention to, and I wasn't getting my hopes up too much. I was curious to know if there had been any change since the last appointment and the previous night's contractions, not that it would make any difference or give us a clue as to when the baby might show up, and she told me I was 5-6 cm. She told me I'd likely have the baby that night or the next day and that I was probably in the process of gearing up to really get going. Again, I tried not to get too hopeful.

By the time we left the appointment, it was 4 in the afternoon, and I had not yet had lunch. Hubby mentioned Swenson's, and I was instantly desperate to have one of their double cheeseburgers, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. Swenson's is a Northeast Ohio icon, and their burgers are absolutely to die for. So after taking the long route there by way of a bank (hubby was convinced there was one nearby, but there wasn't), we ordered some lunch (dinner by this time), and I noticed that things were starting to pick up in intensity, but the timing was still a good 8 minutes or more apart. I made a few phone calls and let our homebirth midwife know that we would probably be having a baby that night or early the next morning. I was really anticipating that it would be some time in the middle of the night, as both the boys were born in the early morning hours.

By some time shortly after 5:30 we were finishing our burgers , and I had the idea that we needed to hit the wholesale club to pick up a few things that we'd need over the next week. Hubby wanted to know if I thought I could make it through, and I assured him that we had a long way to go yet. So off we went, and by the time we got there, I was beginning to doubt my previous assertions. Once in the club, I was noticing that I was having to actually stop and collect myself during the contractions, and they were coming with more frequency than previously. We rushed through and grabbed what we needed, and by the time we were getting ready to check out, the only line with a cashier was 4 deep. To the self-checkout we went. Hubby worked as fast as he could to get everything out of the cart and through the scanner, which, of course, required rescanning every 2nd or 3rd item. The last item in the cart was a large bag of broccoli that was sporting a gaping hole. I was starting to get pretty serious. "Leave it." A checkout helper asked if we wanted someone to go get another, and I curtly told her, "No thanks...we're leaving now." I'm sure I made more than a couple of folks nervous there that night.

We got to the car, and I called my SIL so she could get on her way from C-bus. I still thought I had hours left to go, but I knew that I was definitely in labor this time. Home we went. By the time we hit home, I was really breathing with the contractions. As I came up the sidewalk, one came, and I leaned over the railing to the front steps to brace myself. The neighbors saw us pull up in the driveway and had noticed the extra cars in the drive (only the grandparents, who had kept an eye on the kids so we could go to the midwife's office), so they poked their heads out the door to see if there was to be a baby that night. Seeing me leaning over the railing and getting the confirmation from hubby that I was indeed in labor, they wished me luck. The time was somewhere around 6:30.

FIL was waiting by the door as we pulled up, on the phone with BIL who had thus been informed by SIL that we were on our way home and that I was in labor. I figured that as soon as we arrived home, he would be on his way out, as I know it's not easy to listen to me in labor (can't think of anyone who enjoys listening to sick farm animals). Bless his heart, he managed to stick it out through the entire thing. Afterward, we joked that I didn't give him long enough to escape. Once inside the house, I realized that I needed to vocalize (read: moo like a sick cow) in order to cope with the intensity of the contractions which were now coming quite closely together. In between, I directed hubby to call the homebirth midwife, and I somehow managed to call our friend A., who was going to be our doula, and the photographer. All were within a 15-minute drive and were already on high alert. I also directed hubby to fill the pool, which, thankfully, I had inflated the night before.

The photographer arrived first and started getting some shots. The pool was not yet filled, and I wasn't willing to wait any longer to get in. The water was an absolute blessing. I completely melted into the pool, even though the water was barely up over my thighs when sitting. The contractions were coming pretty fast and intense at this point, and I wasn't getting much break in between. I was starting to panic that if this was going to last for hours on end that I would never be able to cope. In between contractions, I was still able to direct traffic and ask for what I needed, but during the contractions, I was only able to vocalize. The boys were convinced that they really wanted to be in the pool with me, and Jonah kept splashing his hands in the pool every chance he got. By this time, we'd run through one tank of hot water, and the pool was not even half full. I directed someone to boil water on the stove, quickly. By the time the midwife arrived not very long after this, I was starting to feel pushy, but I wasn't sure I was really ready to do that yet. It seemed much to soon.

That didn't seem to matter, because my body was on autopilot, and I was along for the ride. Within a few minutes, I was spontaneously pushing with the contractions, letting out a roar with each one. My water broke with a big pop underwater, and I could feel the baby's head descending down, and soon I felt like I needed to get out and take care of serious business. Of course, it was just the baby's head. The midwife asked me where I wanted to be, and I knew that even if I did need to get to the bathroom, I had about no hope of making it there. So I stayed put. She asked me if I could feel the baby, and when I reached down, I could feel the wrinkled top of the baby's head almost starting to crown. This was a surprise and a relief at the same time. I knew there was an end in sight, and probably rather quick to be had. There was not much break in between the contractions, and I kept pushing with everything I had. She crowned slowly, thanks to the midwife getting into the pool (which she assured me she wouldn't do for just anyone) and supporting the baby's head as it started to emerge while reminding me to slow down and breathe. As the baby came out, she floated toward me between my legs (I was on hands and knees almost squatting), and the midwife told me to pick her up, which I did. Apparently, my final push was a roar that turned into a long "Helloooo!" to our new little girl. Most of the labor I had my eyes closed so I could focus on what was going on in my body and so I could relax everywhere else, and with this greeting, I finally opened my eyes to see our wiggly little baby. The minute her little head was above the water, she was crying briskly, and she continued to do so for quite a while. Someone noted that the time of birth was 7:23, so less than 2 hours from the start of true labor to the birth, and only about 45 minutes from the time I got home. I pushed for maybe 10 minutes.

We cuddled in the pool for a few minutes and then decided to get out to deliver the placenta and cut the cord. The baby was also already rooting and smacking her lips, so she settled in for a long nursing session. Hubby started making phone calls, and the neighbors were shocked to learn that we already had the baby, considering it was less than an hour before that they saw me on the porch. The cord was very limp and white, and Liam and hubby cut the cord. SIL arrived about 8:30, nearly an hour after baby arrived. I sat in awe of the whole thing and tried to put the timing of it all together. I was completely unprepared for how quick and intense it was going to be, so for the next couple of days, I tried to come to grips with what exactly had happened. The photographer said she got some good shots, and I'm eager to see them as I had my eyes closed nearly the whole time.

In comparing this birth with my previous births....there is no comparison. This was our first waterbirth (though not the gentle, slow birth I envisioned...something about putting the birth on fast forward will do that), though I tried with the boys for one and got out of the water to push for different reasons each time. Each birth has been so different (as has each child), yet each time, I think the lesson I need to learn is the same....you cannot control it, you cannot predict it, you can only give in to it. I also have realized just how quickly the intensity fades from the memory. I never at any point thought that it was so intense that I couldn't handle it. There was the thought in my head at some point that if it did get more intense that I couldn't do it. That's transition, baby. Wasn't but a few minutes, I cried a little (again...transition!), I got through it, and I was pushing. I'm still so in awe of the whole thing, and loving on this new baby after this experience has renewed my faith in the process (which I think I need from time to time). I'm blessed to have had three beautiful, empowering birth experiences. I have faith in my body that it knows what to do and that birth does indeed work and is not the emergency that TV would lead you to believe. It is a powerful, life-changing, amazing thing that I was able to experience as it was really meant to be. It just makes me ever so resolved that the way birth is handled and the way women are educated about their bodies in this country really needs to change. Hopefully I can help a little...and in the process help other women realize that which I'm lucky already to have done more than once.

A week and some change

2007-01-13T11:05:00.000-08:00

We're all doing pretty well here. Finally starting to get into a rhythm with everyone. Night time is getting better now that I have a routine down (you'd think that by #3, this would be old hat...), and I'm not changing so many diapers at night.

A., who acted as our doula, mobilized moms from Liam's class into action, and they've been providing us meals for the past week. What a lovely gift! Out of everything, having a meal that I don't have to come up with and that we can heat and eat when we're ready has been lovely. I have so many thank yous to get out for this and from all the gifts that have been arriving for Corinna.

This week was her first visit to the doctor, and she's already up over 8 lbs. (yay mama milk!). Her length was 21 inches. We also sorted through some breastfeeding issues (thank heavens for friends in high places and craniosacral therapy!). I finally got some batteries for the camera, so I have pictures of the baby (we are awash in a sea of pink...and I LOVE it!! Hubby has said we need a moratorium on allowing any more pink into this house...):

She's growing in eyelashes and eyebrows (which are very light in color, so I'm thinking she's going to be blonde like the boys or have very light brown hair). Her eyes seem to be moving toward the blue range, though there's still plenty of time for that to change.

The thing that seems to be causing the most problem so far is her name...No one seems to know how to pronounce it. All the folks who have seen her name but not heard us pronounce it have been saying "kareena." So, in case you all were wondering, the correct pronunciation of Corinna is "core-inn-ah." No careening around here. Her name comes from the greek word for "maiden" and is a familiar form of the name Corinne.

Knitting and any other crafting has come to a complete standstill due to my inability to string more than a few minutes together at a time, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to work some in here and there as the days progress. Posting to the blog will likely be haphazard for a while, since I'm still getting my bearings.

2007-01-05T14:57:00.000-08:00

We're all pretty exhausted today. Apparently coming into the world so fast is pretty traumatic for baby too....

She's here!!!!

2007-01-04T20:36:00.000-08:00

Corinna Grace arrived this evening at home at 7:23 after less than 2 hours of serious labor. She weighs in at 7 lb. 12 oz. and is cute as a button. Photos and birth story will follow shortly...we're gonna enjoy the babymoon...and get over the shock of how quick things happened!!

YouTube test

2007-01-02T15:41:00.000-08:00

A belated Happy New Year!

2007-01-02T11:35:00.000-08:00

Not much new to report here. The New Year came and went without much pomp and circumstance, but that was perfectly fine by me.

We spent New Year's with the in-laws, had the requisite pork and sauerkraut dinner that night since BIL and SIL were in town, and settled in to watch the ball drop. Surprisingly, a very tired Liam managed to stay awake and celebrated the New Year with a glass of sparkling grape juice (which he decided he was not terribly fond of...but I rather enjoyed!) with the rest of us. Shortly thereafter, we came home, where he promptly crashed. Surprisingly...he was actually the first one up the next morning!

I actually spent most of New Year's Eve knitting and relaxing. As a result, there is actually an FO to show!!

Remember this hat? Well...after photographing the progress I'd made, I realized there was a pretty big mistake in it and ended up frogging back to nearly the beginning. Then I knit back up to where I thought the decreases should start and had a dilemma. In the book, the hat doesn't have decreases at the crown, you pretty much knit the tube and bind off the stitches at the top. BIL wanted more of a fitted hat, so it needed to have decreases. So...how do you decrease on an asymmetric hat? The answer to my question came on Christmas Day, when SIL (wife of BIL whom I was knitting the hat for) received a lovely cabled hat...not asymmetric, but pretty close. The designer's solution was to just switch to stockinette and decrease on down from there. So that's what I did. This is the result:

side 1

flip side

handsome hubby modeling finished product

So I used the Asymmetric Cable Hat pattern from One Skein knit on 10 1/2 bamboo needles in Reynolds Lopi. I followed the pattern until I thought it was time to start decreasing, and then I switched to stockinette and used the decreases from the felted bowl pattern (same book...ssk, do a set # of stockinette, k2tog) until there were no stitches between the decreases. Then I cut my yarn and drew it back through the live stitches, pulling them tight together. Voila!! BIL seemed pretty pleased with the results, but I may have to snag it from him some time and line it with some microfleece or something since Lopi can be kinda scratchy. Should be plenty warm, though!

There has also been knitting on baby girl's blanket:

There are only a few more rows to go on the pink block, and then I'll cast off and start the next strip. This has been coming along so quickly that if she decides to hold out until the weekend or after to come, I may actually have this thing finished before she gets here. Progress was slowed yesterday when my self-wound skein of natural color got tangled and I ended up spending a few hours trying to undo the mess I'd created. If it had been cheap acrylic, I likely would have just said forget it and tossed the whole skein, that's how tangled it was. I'd likely do anything for this Malabrigo stuff, though...like crack it is.

Maybe a little S.E.X. (stash enhancement) will con this baby out....

2006-12-31T07:24:00.000-08:00

So we're officially less than a week from the due date, and to our midwife's surprise baby girl has not arrived yet. I've already dilated enough to be considered in early labor, and I've been having contractions on and off, but none of it seems to go anywhere (not that I'm really all that surprised). I was hoping for a December 30 birthday, since it seems to be an auspicious birthday, but that wasn't to be. Despite the fact that I know she'll come when she's ready, I am getting a little anxious to finally meet this little girl.

Sex is supposed to help get labor going, so yesterday, I went down to the local yarn shop and got me some (a Stash Enhancement eXpedition), and I have to say, I left feeling quite satisfied, though not in labor. I went by myself, so I fondled and sniffed the yarn for a good long time (the sales associates were really wondering, I'm sure) before I finally picked a couple of items and checked out. I was given a gift certificate for Christmas from the in-laws (they know the way to this girl's heart), and I had enough receipts saved up for an additional 25% off, so when I saw this kit and snuggled with the knit up sample in the store...had to have...and yes, I've already cast on:

I've wanted some Malabrigo (a sinfully soft kettle dyed 100% merino wool) for a while, ever since first rubbing my first hank over 6 months ago (their colors are so lovely), but the price was a little prohibitive at that time...that and it would be a sad thing for something so yummy to sit in the stash with no project. I joked that baby girl mentioned that she wouldn't come out until her binkie was done. Actually, I thought if I started something for her, it would be the sure way to get her to come out.

My real purpose for going to the LYS was actually to scope out sock yarns. I got hubby a new Shuffle for Christmas to use when he works out. He has searched high and low for a protective cover or case for it to keep sweat out of it (the man sweats more than any human should), as he's afraid the sweat would kill it (and he's probably right). Unfortunately, no one makes an athletic cover for the shuffle (yet, I'm sure). I offered to knit it a wool cosy, since wool will hold up to 30% of it's weight in water before feeling damp. Plus, if the Shuffle got dropped, a wool cover would provide a little bit of shock protection.

I was hoping for some solid near 100% wool sock yarns in solid neutral colors, but was coming up empty handed. I did, however find a hank of Colinette Jitterbug 100% merino superwash yarn in a lovely colorway that wasn't too feminine or gaudy (I can actually hardly wait to make a pair of socks out of it!). I'm thinking that future sock yarn purchases will likely be of the internet variety since the LYS's selection is limited.

So I set to making the cosy. I cast on 12 stitches using a crochet cast on and size 0 needles. I knit a row then purled back across these stitches and then undid my provisional cast on putting those stitches on another needle (which gave 24 stitches knit in the round) then continued to knit in the round until the cosy was as long as the inside top of the backside clip. I left half the stitches on the needles and went back and forth on the other half of the stitches until this side was as long as the shuffle when slightly stretched. Then I turned the stitches so the wrong sides would meet (I wasn't sure how to short row back the other direction without tapering it) and on each end of the row, I picked up a side stitch and did a knit or purl 2 together. I skipped doing a knit 2 together where the microphone jack is to leave a hole to plug those in. Once I was back to where the other live stitches were, I cast off around all of them, making a circular opening. The Shuffle then slides in the opening, and the clip remains out so hubby can still clip the device to his jersey or pants. All the openings for the switches and the wheel are then covered and hopefully protected from sweat.

Click on the images for larger views....

And a view from the top of the world just for fun:

Hope everyone has a Happy New Year!!

Ho, Ho, Holy Cow...where has the time gone????

2006-12-27T20:29:00.000-08:00

So here it is, already two days post Christmas, which means the New Year is only a hiccough away! Yikes!

The holiday was merry met by all. We opened gifts here on Christmas morning, and I managed to snap a couple of pictures when my camera felt like cooperating (oh, so want a new one, but can't afford what I want. Boo hoo!). Hubby had made a full spread of waffles, bacon, and scrambledy eggs that we grown-ups enjoyed before the festivities, but the boys couldn't seem to eat more than a few bites with all the excitement of the prospect of opening presents. Dining took place on the hand-crafted quilted placemats gifted to me by my best buddy (Hi Lisa!! They were gorgeous...love them!! Might bug you to make me more!)

See this bite, Liam? I'm not really gonna eat it...I'm just gonna look at it a while.

I managed to get one picture of Liam with his marble run before my camera took a dump for a while.

Liam: Oooh...can I play it, can I play it? Jonah: Is it my turn yet?

Neely spent the entire time we opened presents obsessing over the ticking egg timer of Liam's that I confiscated and put up on the bookshelf. When she couldn't figure out how to get it down, she decided to make herself a fixture in the tree. She hadn't messed with the tree since we put it up around Thanksgiving, but for some reason, Christmas morning seemed the perfect time to start climbing it.

The rest of the present opening was pretty uneventful, and the boys both seemed pleased at their haul. Jonah immediately went to work pounding wooden nails into his workbench, and Liam was excited about his Spy Gear.

We then headed up to the in-laws to celebrate the holiday, and a wonderful meal of ham, cheesy potatoes, stuffing (gotta have the stuffin....turkey or not...), baked pineapple, and 24-hour fruit salad. Yum. Present opening commenced promptly after lunch, and the boys helped by playing Santa this year.

Everyone seemed to enjoy their gifts, and the boys made out with loads of new books, Legos, and other goodies. Auntie M. probably had the best enjoyed gift of all....a three-drawered organizing cart loaded up with art and craft goodies (she is the art teacher after all!), which the boys promptly dove into. One of the boys in particular already has quite the artistic flair...

Each stroke demanded a similar working of the tongue...it was all I could do to keep from falling off my chair, until he performed this little move:

I'm amazed we managed to get him upstairs and into the bath without turning MIL's entire house black, but we did. The water was a murky gray within seconds, considering he probably used half of the tube's worth of paint to cover his arms.

This was probably one of the most enjoyable holidays I've had in a while, and I'm not sure what to attribute it to. Partly the fact that we were done with the shopping, etc., relatively early in the game, but I think a great deal had to do with the enjoyment of seeing it all through the boys' eyes. They really enjoyed themselves, and I think the rest of us really did because of it. Maybe I was also a bit more relaxed this year for some reason, and I didn't obsess about the small stuff (and neither did anyone else, which I think just added to the chill atmosphere).

The only thing that would have made the holiday perfect would have been to also have shared it with my family in the next state over, but until they figure out that teleportation thing, doing both places in one holiday is not going to happen.

So now we move quickly on to the prospect of the new year...and a new member of our family. The tree is down (amazing how much more room there is in the living room without a tree in it!)...but there are still things to do before I feel ready for this little girl to make her appearance, so I'd best be off for some slumber.

Christmas Eve 2006

2006-12-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

So we got a late start this morning on things that needed to be done today. With the boys out of the house, we got the much needed Christmas wrapping completed. Around 5:3o p.m., with only 30 minutes to W*lmart close (and believe me, they weren't going to let you forget that you only had 30 minutes....they started counting down and announced pretty much every 3 minutes the exact time and how long you had left to shop before they closed. No pressure or anything...not like you didn't know that you'd procrastinated till the last possible moments), we made a stop in for a last minute gift for one of the boys after deciding that the pile looked a little lopsided toward the other. Christmas morning crisis averted.

We went to hubby's parents, dined with the family that was in town, and picked up the boys to bring them home for a party at the neighbors, and so they could be home for Christmas morning. The boys were really ready for bed before we even left from the in-laws, but we managed to get over to the neighbor's house with promises that we wouldn't stay long (we had gifts to exchange and knew that they also had gifts for our two). Liam, who is typically Mr. Social and loves going to the neighbors, suddenly got very reserved when we got next door. I barely had a chance to get my coat off, and he turned to me, clinging to my leg and said with big eyes welling with tears, "I'm nervous....Can we go home?" Now, the house was a bit full with the neighbors' relatives and our neighbors from two doors down, but Liam knows all of them fairly well, since we've partied there before on many occasions. So I ask why the nerves. "Because I don't know these people." Which, of course, he knew every one in the room.

Jonah was already off upstairs playing with L., the neighbors' daughter, and the other kids who were there, so I told Liam he could go home once hubby arrived. This was only supposed to take a few minutes, as he'd gone home to wrap a couple of gifts. So we sat on the couch and waited while Liam buried his head in my hip and whined about how he really wanted to go home. So I told him to go play upstairs with his brother and the other children and as soon as hubby came, which would only be a few minutes, he could go home. I figured the minute he got upstairs, he would get into playing and forget all about whatever this sudden shyness was all about. "But I'm feeling apprehensive," he says. Oh, really? Only my 6-year-old would use that as an excuse for why he doesn't want to go play with the other kids. After another 20 minutes of continuous looping on the "I want to go home" recording, I stood Liam up and pretty much dragged him upstairs to play. Once I got him up there and threw him in the mix, he finally started to settle in. It's amazing what a little fatigue will do to a little guy's brain. Another 10 minutes later he came down and politely asked for a snack and a drink, another sign that all was well.

Not long after, we opened gifts, and as soon as the boys had opened theirs and had a chance to see L. open hers, we got the boys gathered, and hubby took them home to bed. Nary a struggle to be had about going to bed tonight either. Sometimes I wish Santa could come every night, just so it would be this easy....but who the heck can afford that?

Only one more night till Santa comes!

2006-12-23T19:38:00.000-08:00

We're all caught up in the hub-bub that is the pre-Christmas rush. Presents to wrap, more baking to be done, lots of visiting with folks who are in town. Not many pictures being taken (fickle camera!), but good times are being had.

The contraction machine has been doing its nightly tune up (having one now, thanks...) in prep for baby girl to make her appearance. She and I have had many one-sided discussions (you know how it is with kids) about how nice it would be for her to wait until after Christmas...and how maybe she could let mommy sleep a little more at night. So far, so good.

And since there is no photographic fun tonight, I leave you with this little gem:

Liam: Ow....Jonah! You have static 'lectricity! You gave me an electric shot!

Oh, the beautiful innocence of children

2006-12-18T22:00:00.000-08:00

Liam seems to be really taking notice lately in how we human beings come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. While Daddy was watching an episode of "Little People, Big World" (which, by the way, we really enjoy...they are so fun-loving and adventurous, and I particularly enjoy watching how the mom on the show handles their four kids and the energetic husband and the farm and teaching...all while having to deal with the challenges of being little) on TLC the other night as they got ready for bed, Liam was curious about what it meant to be a little person. The characters on the show were attending the Little People of America Conference, so in the particular scene, all the people were little, and with it being on TV, there was no real way to tell that they were not of average height. Liam was having some difficulty with this. "What's it mean to be a little person? They look like they are the same height as you and mommy." Oh, the power of TV. Cliff: "No Liam...most of them are about the same height as you, and they'll never get any taller, but they are grown-ups like me and mommy." Liam pondered the concept and then pretty much left it at that.

Last night another revelation...funny how Cliff seems to be fielding these lately...
Liam: "Dad...does playing sports make your skin darker?"
Cliff: *surprised at the question* "No...why?"
Liam: "Because all those football players out there seem to have darker skin. And a lot of the guys who play basketball have darker skin."
Cliff: "Well...no...there are other players out there with lighter skin, too."

What I keep hoping is that he will realize that these are all just different flavors of what we humans happen to be....that we are all just one beautiful family, no matter what we look like on the outside. As a mother, I so want to shield him from untruths that he will hear from others, to keep him from having preconceived notions about any particular trait, but instead to see us all as being the same on the inside, though we might be different on the outside and that diversity is really an advantageous thing.

All sleep, all the time

2006-12-14T13:21:00.000-08:00

All things here seem to be revolving around when I'm going to get my next nap (Is it time yet? No? Ptthpppbbbbbbb!). I feel like a bear who's being kept from hibernation. After posting last night, I headed to bed (around midnight my time). Before climbing into bed, I patted a soundly sleeping Liam good night and went to do the same for Jonah. His twin bed is sidecar-ed to our bed since he still likes to climb into our bed for a midnight snuggle, so that should have been an easy proposition. Pat, pat...no Jonah. He sometimes will climb up into Liam's bed (Liam has his own loft bed, and all the beds are in the upstairs bedroom to give the boys optimal play space downstairs and keep them close in the night...I loves having my babes near me in the night), so I did a double check there. Again, no Jonah. So I turned on the closet light which gave just enough light to see without blinding everyone. Jonah had scrunched himself up in a fetal position and was sleeping sideways on his pillow, using it as a mini-mattress. Satisfied that I knew where he was and that he wasn't going to tumble anywhere, I covered him up and climbed into my bed.

Some time around ridiculously early this morning (before 5 am), hubby's alarm went off. I, of course, needing to do the middle of the night third trimester bathroom run, scooted off the end of the bed to head downstairs. Hubby starts laughing out loud. "Honey...did you see who's on my side of the bed?" The dog sleeps on the floor between the wall and hubby's side of the bed. So I peeked over to see what funny thing the dog might be doing. The dog was sprawled in his usual manner, lying flat on his side with all four legs straight out. No biggie. Snuggled up next to the dog on the floor, however, was our little man, fast asleep. Apparently, he'd gotten out of his bed which is snugged up to my side of the bed and looped around to Daddy's side for a snuggle, not so rare an occurrence. When sleeping Daddy didn't respond to his requests for a cuddly, he must have gotten tired of waiting and just laid down with the dog. I should have gotten it on camera, but by the time I got back upstairs, hubby had already moved the little guy into our bed. Next time, I swear I'll get it on camera.

A little gem

2006-12-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Liam reading the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies to Cliff: "It says we need 2 sticks insulted (unsalted) butter."

Cliff: "Are you going to insult the butter or shall I?"

2006-12-13T20:45:00.000-08:00

Things have been a bit foggy here at the bunnie hutch. I came down with a urinary tract infection, and as per usual did not know it until I found myself writhing in bed last weekend with flank pain and feeling rather crummy. The antibiotic that I'm taking, while approved for use during pregnancy, has a warning on the label about causing drowsiness, and though did I read this when I first got the prescription....the reality of it didn't sink in until I was driving home this morning from dropping the big guy off at school and thinking that if I didn't get home quickly and fade into bed that I would surely fall asleep at the wheel. Not good. Naptime commenced by 10 am and lasted until 12:30. Jonah came and snuggled into bed with me and napped right alongside. Pure bliss.

Here I'd been blaming the sleepiness I've been feeling the past few days on the amount of crap I've tried to cram into a short amount of time, all the while doing it carrying around an extra 40+ pounds of weight. Sort of like strapping my 3-year-old to my back and carrying him around 24 hours a day. No wonder I get winded going up a flight of stairs. Only a couple more days to go of the antibiotic, so hopefully I can manage to get through the next couple of days relatively unscathed.

There has also been cleaning and reorganizing (ooh, big surprise...not that I ever seem to make any progress), teaching, a visit by the carpet cleaner, and a visit by our prenatal/birth photographer.

I decided to splurge on having prenatal pictures done this time, since I really couldn't think of what I would do with another plaster belly cast floating around and I actually feel very attractive (in a very round earth mother sort of way) this pregnancy in a way I didn't with the boys. The belly cast I have from being pregnant with Jonah never did get decorated. Really should remedy that some time. I'm thinking that we got some really great shots, and I can hardly wait to see the proofs.

We hit the official 37-week full term mark this weekend, and then we'll start week 38. Each night we've been moving the baby Jesus down the Advent ladder toward his walnut manger, and with our due date being so close to Christmas, it's a lot like counting down to this baby coming (not to mention the fact that she seems to be sitting lower and lower in my pelvis on a daily basis). I'm starting to get a bit nervous with the anticipation of it all...but at the same time anxious to complete this part of the journey and move on to the next.

Snow daze

2006-12-09T06:50:00.000-08:00

Wednesday night into Thursday morning, we were supposed to get hit with all kinds of lake effect snow and blustery winds into the 40 mph range. This was mostly significant because we're not really part of the snow belt, but occasionally, we do get hit if the wind comes off the lake just right. The weather folks were all atwitter and really gloom and dooming about how much we could get overnight and through Thursday. Estimates of a foot or more were being thrown around.

So Thursday morning came, and upon looking out the window at the mere dusting we had gotten overnight, the kids were a bit disappointed that there would be no snow day. I think hubby was too. So off to school Liam went and off to work went hubby. The snow did indeed continue to fall all day, and it was really windy, but the rate at which the white stuff was accumulating wasn't so terrifying. Hubby called and said that there were spots where the traffic was pretty bad, and that he might just do a few things at work and come home to avoid the rush hour insanity. By the time he came home in the afternoon, we'd picked up maybe an additional inch of snow. Not bad, really.

Sometime overnight into Friday, the snow machine turned on, and we somehow picked up an additional 4 or so inches. When we woke up yesterday, it was a true winter wonderland with everything covered in a nice blanket of snow. Liam happily went off to play "snowboarder" in the meadow, while the little guy stayed here with me. It wasn't long before he decided that he really wanted to go outside. So I bundled him up, snowpants and all, and he headed out to the front yard. "Can I make faces in the snow?" he asked. I nodded, and he proceeded to flop on the ground and make arm-only snow angels. I managed to snap a couple of pictures of him before he came inside with his poor little face all red and wet from snow.

View of our backyard

Jonah inspects his snow angel

Jonah makes another snow angel

Well, that didn't take long...

2006-12-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

So I finished up NaBloPoMo on Thursday after only missing a couple of days of posting (better than I thought I'd do!), and already, I've missed a couple of days of posting. Really, it wasn't my fault. Friday, we had that front roll through along with winds in the 40 mph range, and sometime during the day, our cable modem decided to take a dump. Because of the weather, we assumed that it was the cable company's problem and that it would be fixed. The weekend rolled through with no return of online service (which meant no posting), and finally yesterday I made the call to the company to see what the problem might be. Turns out our 10-year-old modem had finally given up the ghost.

After exchanging it today, I was certain that we still we be having the same problem, yet as soon as I plugged the new modem in, I was up and running. Hoorah! Whatever did we do before the days of the internet, and in our case, cable modems with continuous internet connection? I was going to do some online Christmas shopping and pay some bills, but I couldn't do that until today, as I didn't have access. Well...I could have paid my bills, but it would have required more effort than it does now. Hi! Me Lazy? Yup.

So this weekend was a pretty laid back kind of weekend with my BIL and SIL in town. There was much food consumed and some Christmas shopping completed. I have one of my two kiddos nearly shopped for, and the other will be an easy hop over to HearthSong for a few things. I have ideas for everyone else on my list, so hopefully I can finish it all up this week. Less stress before the holiday.

Today, the boys and I also did some more holiday crafting. We sorted and started gluing foam snowmen together from a kit, and after the boys went to bed, I finally got around to doing one of my Advent projects that I'd hoped to have finished before this past weekend. Oh well...better late than never.

These are pictures of the completed Advent calendar. I used skinny wooden supports to project the gold cardstock ladder away from the blue cardstock background. I glued the gold rungs to the supports on background and then glued on the gold side rails. Then I fashioned a baby Jesus out of rose-colored beeswax and made his body skinny enough that he can slip between the rungs. There is one rung for each day of Advent (which officially started this past Sunday), and each evening, the baby descends down the ladder one rung. By Christmas Eve, the baby will be on the bottom rung, and on Christmas Day, he moves to the golden walnut manger filled with sheep's wool. Each night, the boys will take turns sticking another star on the blue background, so there will also be a full, starry sky by Christmas.

I'm really in the mood to keep on crafting, but if I don't go to bed some time soon, I'll really be dragging wagon tomorrow. Must. Resist. Urge. And. Put. Glue. Gun. Down. Slowly back away....

The 411

2006-11-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

Ok...so I promised details and pictures from last night's surprise shower at my friend's apartment.

So...last school year I got to hanging out with a group of students from a couple of my classes who were part of the BS/MD program at one of the local colleges. They were all really fun to hang out with, and despite the 10 year age difference, they really let me feel like one of the girls. They also padded my ego by telling me I didn't look a day over 23. Nice. By the end of the school year, we were all prepping for the MCAT together and studying for finals. After the excitement of the year was over, most of them went on to the MD part of the program at medical school, and some of them stayed behind to complete another year of undergrad. I, of course, being pregnant, decided that spending thousands of dollars on classes that I didn't need to get into medical school all the while being heavy pregnant was a bad idea, so we sort of started to lose touch with each other as I wasn't on campus anymore.

When I started teaching for the test prep place I ended up back on campus a couple of nights a week, so we called each other and got together a few times for dessert. There were 3 girls that I hung out with pretty consistently, and this past week, we were going to try to get all of us together after I finished up class. So, to K's apartment we go...and it turned out to be a surprise baby shower. I had no clue that they were planning this, and even upon entering the apartment, I still had no idea what was going on. "Nice decorations...Who had a party?" I say. "It's your baby shower, silly," I was told. Light bulb finally goes on. Awww.....

G. (who is the epitome of what my MIL would love her granddaughter to look like, all curly red- haired and beautiful), me, K., and J. clockwise from left) -- my girls

It was just the four of us hanging out, chatting, gorging on the great snacks that K provided (even better than sex cake...it doesn't get much better than that!), and the girls each had picked up some cute things for the new baby, so there were gifts to open.

Flannel and fleece blankies and cute baby clothes for the baby

When we were all in class together last semester, we had a great time. There was always fun and silliness, and everyone in the group had a great sense of humor. Last night was no exception, and by the end we were hamming it up with the camera and laughing hysterically.

G. pretends to be catching while K. gives her best "what do we do now," and I show what happens on TV when women are in labor.

I had a great time and left feeling full and very flattered. I miss having the gals to hang out with, and I realize the longer I'm away from campus that I really need to make an effort to hang out with girl friends and do things.

In other news, my two have been battling one virus or another (more like passing it back and forth) since the weather started to turn in October, and now we have a case of pink eye resulting from being seriously nasally congested. Poor Jonah woke this morning looking like he'd gone on a binge and hadn't slept in a week. His poor little eyes were all swollen and bloodshot. So today was spent in the doc's office getting drops for them, as I know how contagious pink eye can be, and I'd rather contain that little bug if I can.

Don't I look sad? Surely this deserves a Frosty...or chocolate? Oh, wait...I've already had some. More, please?

Also, tomorrow marks December 1 and the end of NaBloPoMo, and I actually only missed a couple of days over this month. Not too bad for me, I'd say...and I'd like to try to keep up the consistent posting if I can...We'll see how long it lasts!

Surprise!!

2006-11-29T21:45:00.000-08:00

The girls I hung out with at KSU last year surprised me tonight with an impromptu baby shower. Needless to say, I just arrived home and need to go to bed if I want to have any hope of getting up to get the boy to school in the morning...more about it tomorrow (and maybe some pictures?)

Show me you're nuts, and I'll show you mine

2006-11-28T21:49:00.000-08:00

I know it's a little past Halloween, but last night's teaching was a lot of trick and a little treat. I didn't feel all that comfortable with the material and apologized all over myself for not knowing it like I should, but the students were all really patient with me, and we got through the rough patches together. They're a really great bunch. I should be prepping for tomorrow night's class right now, but I needed some other therapy first.

The craft machine is running full tilt here at the Bunnie hutch. I've got so many things I want to make, that I'm having a hard time showing some project monogamy, and I fear I will end up disappointing myself in the end when they don't all get finished...and even more so for the projects I didn't even get to start. Only so many hours in the day, though.

But here's a sampling of what I've got workin' at the moment:

Little (okay...not so little; he is 20-something after all) BIL asked me over Thanksgiving weekend if I could craft a hat to match a pair of knit gloves he picked up. I was flattered, of course, that someone would think enough of my knitting to request an item. Those are my favorite kind of things to make. Despite the Statue of Liberty look of progress I've got going on, I realized that I made a juxtaposition of a couple of the cables, and at this point I need to decide whether to leave it as is or frog back and fix it. I'm actually leaning toward fixing it, just because I will know the boo-boo is there, and that will drive me nuts. Hi! Perfectionist, much? The yarn is Lopi (100% wool single ply), which I do enjoy, and the pattern is from One Skein.

Proof that I'm nuts!

I know I mentioned that I'd been painting walnut halves in preparation for an Advent ribbon for the boys. I still need to go get more walnuts to split and paint (only a few days left before Advent, so I better get cookin' on that!), but I've got enough to do at least one ribbon. Since there are two halves of the walnut glued to the ribbon, I'm also debating putting the same small gift on each side, which would save me from making another if I run out of time. I also need to get the little things to put in the walnuts. There were some great ideas here that I'm likely going to try.

Now that the Advent circle at school has been done, I officially cleared the nature table of the fall elements and have put a plain blue silk (oh, how I love this blue silk. Can I have more....please??) in its place until this weekend, when I'll add some stones or something. The following week I'll add some plants (though I found this pretty little pine branch on the forest floor during our nature walk today, and I'm itching to put it up),
the next week will be animals, and finally will be the addition of the players in the Christmas Story.

This afternoon the boys and I went for a nature walk after our siesta. The weather is going to be nice for one more day, and then we're into the yucky stuff. Which type of yucky stuff remains to be seen depending on how this weather system tracks, but we could be in for a pile of the white stuff if it tracks just right. Otherwise, my momma (Hi Mom! Love you! Sorry 'bout the snow!) is going to get it all.

Anyway, I digress. So we went for a nature walk late in the afternoon near dusk (which these days is like 5 pm. Ick.), and I took along a basket for gathering things. We collected lots of nice, straight twigs to use for building a stable (Mary's gotta have someplace to have the baby, right?) based on a picture I saw in The Nature Corner. Liam is actually pretty excited about this project, as I pulled out the little hacksaws we have for trimming the branches all down to a similar size, and he was all over helping do that. It's more like construction and less like crafting to him, I suppose.

Now to find the time to pull it all together....Oh...and sleep, because it is approaching winter, and the need to hibernate is going to be coming on strong.

An early Advent

2006-11-27T08:25:00.000-08:00

Liam's school had their Advent Spiral this morning. I have never stayed for the ceremony before, mostly because the youngest does not do well with that whole sit still and be quiet thing. So this morning, we decided to give it a shot and hang around. It truly was beautiful to watch.

The parents entered the gym first to sit in chairs near the exit, and it was dark except for sparse candles lit on a few tables surrounding a spiral path made from pine branches. Star symbols were laid out on the floor along the spiral at regular intervals. At the center of the spiral was another small table with a candle lit. The children entered the room and sat in chairs across from the spiral. One by one, they were led to a table to get an unlit candle and then through the spiral to the center. There they lit the candle from the already lit one and then proceeded back through the spiral. The child would place their candle on one of the stars as they headed back out. As each child proceeded through the spiral, the light grew. All the while, a few of the moms and the music teacher sang songs related to Advent. Surprisingly, the youngest was quiet and managed to talk in only a whisper while he watched the other children move through the spiral.

It is going to be time to start changing our nature table to reflect the change in the season now that the spiral is done...though Advent doesn't truly begin until this coming Sunday. For now, I just need to get through today (I have to teach tonight, and I'm not completely comfortable with the material yet) and Wednesday (again with the teaching, but an easier topic). The rest of the week should be a cakewalk.

How late can you call it Indian Summer?

2006-11-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I really got nothing done today...and I don't have much to post about. Why? Because I'm totally disoriented by the weather. Today was near 70...yes, 70 degrees...near CLEVELAND. OHIO. IN. NOVEMBER. Part of me wants to say how wrong that is. But then I'd have to smack myself for saying it because it's been soooooo enjoyable. I opened the windows today and aired the house out while we put the decorations on the tree (such a juxtaposition!!). Earlier this evening, the boys went out and played, and I was out chatting with the neighbors in shorts and flip-flops. We grilled fresh salmon OUTSIDE for dinner and didn't freeze. Only a few more days of this until the bottom falls out, though. By midweek, the temps are gonna drop, and then that S word has been mentioned by our fair weather forecasters. Maybe lots of it. Blech. One of these days I'm gonna get wise and be like a migratory bird. Or a butterfly. Monarchs migrate to Mexico for the winter. Yeah...I could do that. Margaritas...sun...guacamole. I'm so there.

Thanksgiving leftovers

2006-11-25T21:25:00.000-08:00

I realized that I really didn't blog about how lovely the Thanksgiving holiday was. The kids decided on Wednesday that they wanted to spend the night with hubby's parents, which allowed us to sleep in on Thanksgiving (aahhhh!). We strolled over to their house in the early afternoon, and I started a loaf of bread (that wasn't ready to eat until after dinner, but oh well) and then made the stuffing. Hubby's uncle and aunt (the grandparents of the boy that I posted about earlier this month) came for dinner (which was spectacular, by the way), as they had coughs and couldn't be with their grandkids for the holiday because of the pending chemotherapy for JT. Hubby's great aunt was also there, which was nice, as we only see her a few times a year. My hubby's youngest bro and his wife also came for stuffing and dessert. The only thing missing was his other brother and sister-in-law, but they were with her family out of state (and hopefully having a grand time too). I brought the camera to document the entire occasion and managed to forget about wanting to do that until dessert. By this time, Liam was ready to leave the table (Super Mario beckons, after all), which is painfully obvious in this picture.

Liam to himself: "Please let this whole photo-taking thing be done so I can go play more video games!"

Jonah was hiding in the picture in front of his auntie and next to his grandma, busy eating cool whip with no hands. He looked like Santa by the time he was finished. It's a rare thing for so many of the Browns to be around the table at once, so I thought it would be nice to catch it for posterity.

Now that the Thanksgiving holiday is over, how quickly it becomes but a distant memory as the Christmas season is ushered in. It certainly doesn't feel like the end of November here for some reason. The weather, for one, is more early October-like. Temps today were in the low 60s, and there has been plenty of sun to go around (good for us solar-powered types). Sadly, I haven't been taking advantage as much as I'd really like. Seems like there may be a couple more days of this loveliness before King Winter reminds us that he's right on our doorstep.

The neighbors all took advantage of the balmy temps to set up their Christmas lawn decor. I figured the Scrooges over at this house wouldn't have any decorations or even the tree up for a while yet. Somehow, however, the Christmas bug bit me today, and the picture below is the result. This year, we at least have room in the front room to put the tree. We've really had no where to put the tree previous to my decluttering and reorganizing sessions.

The tree is reflected in our front window, which desperately needs a new set of blinds due to losing a wrestling match with our cats not long after we moved here. Someday before we move out we might actually get that done. I think I put enough lights on it. One of these days I'll also figure out how to get our tree (artificial but not pre-lit) wrapped densely with lights without all the wires showing (must have LOTS of lights). The boys are excited about the prospect of putting on the ornaments in the morning. It will be interesting to see how this goes this year. Last year, when Jonah put ornaments on the tree, they all ended up in one spot.

Braving the Black

2006-11-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

After today, I think I could easily create a list of 100 reasons NOT to shop on the day after Thanksgiving. But I'm too tired from shopping to do that. Yeah, I'm nuts.

So I went through yesterday's Sunday-thickness paper and pulled out all the flyers, curious to see what all the hubbub about "doorbusters" sales and things was all about. I've been on the hunt for a memory foam mattress pad for the last couple of months now, and I keep waiting for them to go on sale (they're expensive, I think!) so I can snatch one in the hopes of getting a decent night's sleep these next few weeks. Most of the sales ended at 11 am, which, by the time I was looking at the papers, I'd have had to show up at the stores naked and unshowered if I wanted to get in on the savings. Probably not something the other shoppers would be interested in seeing.

K*hl's was actually having their sale till 1 pm, and they had a few things that were pretty fairly discounted...in particular, the mattress pad I was looking for. So I hit the showers (shopping no-no number one taken care of....) and got dressed (see, I can be civilized) to head up to the local store. I figured the one up the street from us wouldn't be all that busy, as it's not near the mall, and it's kind of on the outskirts of the next town over. Oh, how wrong I was.

When I hit the parking lot, I had to park in the back 40 and then hike a quarter mile to the door. Once inside, I noticed there was actually an employee directing traffic at the registers, and the line leading up to the check-out stretched around 3 sides of the perimeter of the store. As I walked past those waiting in line, I kept thinking to myself, "Do I really want to wait in this line? Is 60% off worth it for this thing?" Once I got to the bedding section and found what I was looking for, and there were only two of them left, I decided that perhaps it was worth it. I'd actually forgotten just how long the line really was by the time I grabbed the box and heaved myself to the waiting line. I actually waited for about 30 minutes to pay for my item, but I did get a pretty nice discount, and I even got a $10 coupon toward my next purchase in the next week (which might actually happen, as they've got some other things I was hoping to gift to others on sale). They were forced to extend their early bird hours an additional two hours due to the large crowd that showed up.

All in all, I did walk away with a deal, but I don't think I'll be doing that again unless I do my homework ahead of time and make sure I know exactly what I'm getting and for whom, and it better be really, really discounted, 'cause that was a zoo. As if I weren't dumb enough going in the first store, can you believe I actually went two other places just to browse, since this children were at Grandma's? Total insanity. This pregnancy thing is really affecting my brain, I think.

Happy Black Friday! Hope everyone found good deals!

Being Thankful

2006-11-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

So on Thanksgiving, the idea is to give thanks for the things you are grateful for. This year my horn of plenty seems to be overflowing. I have a fantastic family, both here at home and back in Indiana who supports me no matter what hare-brained idea I come up with and how deep I get myself. I have a handsome, supportive, domesticated husband who treats me like a queen. I have two beautiful, healthy, intelligent children who fill my day with love and laughter and a third bundle of joy on the way. We have food on our table, warm clothes on our backs, and many comfort items that many others do without. I have two capable hands with which I can craft useful (or not :)) things to bring joy to others. I have my own health, and for the most part, I feel every bit of 18 years old. My list goes on and on.

So what are you thankful for today?