It's on it's way...

Oh, yes I did! Pulled the first you better be good because Santa's makin' his list warning. And provided a refresher course for the younger crowd that needed some reminding about the whole naughty versus nice thing equaling presents or not. And you thought I was going to talk about my month and  half blog break. Yah.

It was only fitting, though (the Santa thing), as I pulled out winter gear this evening in anticipation for our supposed first snow of the year. Apparently boots are in high demand over here this year. I keep hoping I'm going to pull out one last bin of winter stuff and miraculously the sizes I need are going to appear. But, no. Oh well. Squish the toes in, kiddos, you will survive for now! If we get the snow that's coming that is. I'm always skeptical until the first snowflakes actually fly.

Actually I won't mind some snow. I never mind it this time of year. I've been listening to Christmas music for over a month now, so it's really only fitting to have some white stuff to accompany it. Plus, maaaaaybe it will get me moving to work on some Christmas sewing projects that I've been thinking about. Maybe this will be the year I actually sew some stockings for the kids. Hah. I say that every year. But I've got a really good feeling about this one. (I say that too).

Anyways, while I was at it, I issued out another warning tonight: Any Halloween candy left out tonight is gone. The all week sugar buzz has gotten out of control by about five days. For them and me. Last Tuesday I offered to buy their candy bags from them just to clear the stuff out, but no one took me up on my offer. Until about, Saturday, when Hannah (who was nearing the bottom of hers) decided she was just about ready to sell hers. Should have still taken her up on it because somehow she dragged it out till today. And a couple of my kids? Well, how about we say they don't handle sugar too well. Like me. I get real ugly when I get too much of that poison! Be gone with it! Enough is enough!

I'm living on the edge tonight- staying up so late and all. Since the time change I seem to have (temporarily of course) lost my ability to stay up past 10:30. Not that I should have any good reason to stay up past 10:30 when I'm up at 6:30, but, eh. House is just so blissfully quiet this time of night. Hate to waste it. I'm not the only one that needs to adjust to the time change either. My kids still go to bed at 7-ish but now instead of waking at 7-ish they've made 6 a.m. the new 7. Yay. Thrilled about them running around the house a whole hour before they really need to be waking. But such is life.

So really though. Now that you've lived through all the excitement of this long overdue blog post I guess I'll call it a night. Maybe you'll see from me again before December? Or maybe I'll be too busy blasting the Christmas tunes, whipping my house in order, and sewing all those stockings. Hah.

Baby Pics

Recently it was discovered that no baby pictures of our third child, Hannah, exist in the photo albums at this house. Apparently, as she flipped quickly through the pages of every single album on the shelf she came to this disheartening discovery.

"Is this me?" she would ask at nearly every single picture of a chubby smiling baby- in the bathtub, cozied up in a blanket, riding in a stroller.

 "Uh, no..." I would answer each time, inwardly wondering where on earth the album of her baby pictures would have disappeared to. Well, as it turns out any pictures of Hannah between birth and approximately 2 years (when her little baby sister came into the scene) were still sitting in their Snapfish envelopes. Which wouldn't be so bad, really, if Adalie (her baby sis) didn't have a half an album to herself. Um. Oops.

Well, sadly, I still didn't rush to put the pictures in an album for her, but I did show her one of the envelopes and we went through them a few times till I cleaned up in a hurry one day (story of my life) and stashed them... somewhere. I know they can't be too far. Really. Just not precisely sure of their exact location a the current moment.

So that brings us to yesterday afternoon right before dinner when she was telling Jack about her baby pictures:

Hannah: Want to see my baby pictures?
Jack: I don't care.
Hannah: Mom, where are those pictures gone? When I was just a little tiny baby?
Me: Uh... Not sure right now, Hannah. But right now I'm in the middle of making supper- I'll look for them after.
Jack (completely serious): Maybe they really just didn't take any pictures of you, Hannah.

What do they call this sort of thing? Middle child syndrome? I've heard my sister mention it a time or two. But I promise- I will get those pictures put in albums. Just as soon as they are relocated. 

Other than that- I am loving fall. Love walking to the bus stop in the morning with the kids, feeling the cool crisp air, coming home to enjoy breakfast and a cup or two of coffee with my husband. Going for rides in the morning with my husband and the little girls, feeling the inspiration to get into some projects, pulling out my knitting bag, drinking Pumpkin Spice tea, reading... Good time of year for a homebody like me.

I'm working on getting my sewing room back into some sort of order too. Did I mention I moved my sewing stuff from the kitchen table up to what was always supposed to be my craft room? And I don't really know if I like it. Maybe if my sewing table wasn't continuously buried under stacks and stacks of folded laundry I could actually form a real opinion of the space. I just kind of liked sewing at the kitchen table, despite the mess it made. So, we'll see if I remain in the craft/storage/laundry/everything-else-that-has-no-place-to-go-room or return to the kitchen.

And now, the littlest one is awake. She's been out of sorts all week and had a mild fever all day today. Thinking some more teeth are on the way. Gotta go give her some hugs.

Never a dull moment

Can I go back to sleep yet? Seriously? You know those days when nothing real exciting happens, everything is just the same-old, same-old... kind of mundane? Well, I am most definitely not experiencing one of those type days. Just in case you were worried, or something. But if you are- enjoy it- and read on.

This morning my husband & I decided to take a ride out to our property. So, we drove out, enjoyed a walk, let the girls run up and down the road, enjoyed the quiet of a peaceful morning out in the woods. Then, after a bit, the babes started to get crabby and we decided it was time to head home for lunch. Except the vehicle wouldn't start. So there we are, out in the woods, no stroller, minimal to zero cell phone service, contemplating our next move. The cell phone service out there is so spotty it's usually non-existent. But walking to town was pretty much out of the question as we would obviously have to carry the girls and all I had was one backpack. Well, after some more failed attempts to start the Yukon, I located a spot that had sketchy service and was somehow able to get through to my parents who drove out to pick us up. Not that big of a deal.

Well, just as we get home Ryan decides to take his truck back out there to see if the Yukon just needs some gas. Meanwhile, the girls are making it known that they are starving and so I put a pot of water boiling on the stove for some noodles. I am very careful to put it on the back burner in the corner, away from any possibility of the girls pulling it on themselves. And even though I know better than to leave water boiling on the stove, I dash up stairs to put the wash going, figuring I'll be back down before the water even starts to get hot. I'm gone all of maybe three minutes.

But as I come down the stairs I smell smoke. And as I start to run I see black smoke covering the kitchen ceiling, curling into the living room where the girls are watching, too scared to move. Apparently it might have helped if I had turned on the right burner and not the one on top of which sat two oven mits, now engulfed in flames.

Long story short, with the girls safe outside, I smoldered the fire which could have been much, much worse than it was and, yes, I learned some serious lessons. Especially that- once you think you have the fire out you better be sure. After I smothered the fire, I had to get outside to get some air. Well, apparently when I smothered the oven mits, a hot coal had jumped to the floor and, unbeknown to me, was inside smoldering next to a cardboard box that was not discovered until Ryan came home a few minutes later. Arrrgh. Again- the potential to be much worse could no be understated.

So I'm done. I am tempted to sit in this chair for the remainder of the day. Except of course, the walls and cupboards need to be washed down. There's still a lingering smoke smell that I hope we can eradicate with some serious cleaning. Good thing I didn't wash walls yesterday like I had hoped!

Oh, and while all that was occurring? The vehicle was towed to the shop where they determined it needs a new fuel pump. Woo-hoo. There goes the new freezer idea. Oh well.

Anyways. My three year old keeps asking why I started a fire and she won't let me out of her sight. I've officially made her paranoid of the kitchen as well. But, all's well that ends well. We're all safe, our house is still standing. And here I sit, feet up drinking the caramel macchiato that my sweet husband just brought me from the coffee shop- his very good attempt to calm me down. No more excitement today, please I think I had my share, thank-you-very-much!

Good Day

Whew. First day down and both are okay with the idea of heading back to school tomorrow. That's always a bonus. I asked them both, "How was your day?" and from one I got an answer that lasted for the next two hours, and from the other I got a return question, "What's Dad doing with those windows in the back of his truck?" Bet you can't guess which was which, huh?

The sweet and sassy three year old sprouted a new attitude today. Apparently kid 1 and kid 2 were getting a bit too much attention with this whole back-to-school-business. She soaked up the attention of her dad and I while the older two were away... but when they both returned, she found lots of little ways to hold her ground.

It's always a good feeling to get this first day over and done with. It's an even better feeling to get the whole first week under wraps so I can quit feeling like I spend half the day waiting for one bus or another. Since I didn't know what time to expect either kid to return, when I assumed they should be arriving, I walked to the bus stop and I waited... and waited... and waited. Good thing it was a beautiful day to be outside.

True confession. I make the kids take hot lunch at least a couple of times during the first days of school, even if I like packing their lunches (partly because I can monitor what they're eating and partly because it just feels like the right thing- my own mother packed mine daily for 13 years. I know. Spoiled. Different story.) Anyways, I don't want them to be afraid of it later on so they always have that option. We won't even go back to my childhood on this one, folks. We'll just leave it at that. Anyways. I convinced them both to take hot lunch tomorrow, so day 2 and I'm already slacking.

So, I'm ready to get some flack on this one... but I absolutely love fall. Don't worry, I've lived here long enough and I know what comes next- long, cold, dark winters- but I love just enjoying fall for what it is. The cooler weather the past couple of days has been so refreshing! I'm on a kick to get all sorts of things done around here in the upcoming weeks. Helps that I'm easing back down to my whopping one day a week work week, too. I look around this house and see all the cleaning and projects just waiting to be tackled. Today J looked behind the chair in the living room and said enthusiastically, "Hey, Mom! Did you know we have a big spider web back here?" Um, oops. Cool.

What's not cool is the fact that it's already after 11 and my earlier mornings are going to take some getting used to. And getting to bed earlier than I'm used to. So I'm off. Here's to hoping day 2 goes as well as day 1.

Ready or not...

I'm thinking next week is going to produce some interesting scenarios around this house, as the school year rolls into gear. The earlier bedtime, for example, is sure to be met with a great amount of complaints, whining, and all around defiance. The earlier rising time, is going to be complete torture. The run, er... walk to the bus stop at a time of day when we're usually all still tucked in bed... the first days, the tears, the excitement... And that's just talking about me. Them? Not so concerned. They go to bed fairly well. They wake much too early for summer vacation, so I don't foresee too much difficulty in that arena. And they're both quite ready and excited to go.

But, oh, do I get anxious this time of year. (Well, okay, to be fair- I got anxious about last school year and I'm anxious again this year, this is only the second time I've done this first-day-of-school thing as a mom. Be patient with me.) Really, I know they will be fine, but as my head hits the pillow at night, my mind starts to whirl. I think of everything I should tell them, knowing I will have let them learn most of for themselves. I think of how much they have to learn, and I wonder if I could ever do it again. I'm pretty sure I could not do it all over again- and that's why it's so good we know not what lies ahead, but only what's in this moment. I think of disappointments that are sure to happen, but at the same time, all the happy times they will have.

I think of how brave they have to be, and how brave I'll have to pretend to be.

Each morning as the links on the countdown chain disappear, I see their excitement increasing and I know they won't always be this ready to begin school. And so, in all my worried-anxious-excited-nervous-over-emotional ways, I do the only thing I can- appreciate the moment. I let my heart skip a beat here and there as I think of the ups and downs and struggles life brings, and all that they must go through. But right now all I can do is give them hugs, remind them how I love them, and then watch them go- off to make their own discoveries, their own friends, their own happiness.

But, that's not to say I'm not going to shed any tears watching. There will be plenty of those as the school bus drives away, but I'm so glad there will be two little girls to cuddle with me while the big kids are gone- we just all might need a few extra hugs those first days back.

We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo...

...And we managed to keep it a secret too, too, too. From the kiddos, that is. I think after nearly seven years of parenting we have finally mastered- this one time- a vital lesson that makes life so much, much, more pleasant. In other words, we didn't tell the kids one second in advance where we are going or what we're doing tomorrow. Usually I'm so excited about an out-of-the-ordinary-outing, I can't keep it a secret so I end up blabbing it to the kids. And then I regret it for days. Sometimes weeks. Depends on how far in advance I spill the can of worms. I'm really good with secrets.

But not this time. Not one time this week did I have to hear, When are we going to the zoo, Mom? But WHEN? Can we go after supper, Mom? Can we go right now? Why can't we? Where's the zoo? How long does it take to get to the zoo? What's at the zoo? Is there monkeys at the zoo? Is there hippos at the zoo? Is there zebras at the zoo? When are we going? I WANNA GO RIGHT. NOW!

I could say it's been peaceful, but for some unknown reason the three year old has taken to asking when Christmas is coming instead. Which, in hindsight, after listening to her ask Is it Christmas tomorrow, Mom? and several other variations of that question approximately 157 times a day for the past week was actually more annoying than listening to them ask about the upcoming trip to the zoo. So if you look at it that way, my well-intended secret keeping actually backfired because instead I'm quite bothered by the fact that my kids can even think of Christmas while I'm trying to hang onto what's left of summer. This time I probably should have let her know about the zoo. It might have taken her mind off the whole Christmas topic for a few days, anyways.

There's sure to be some disappointment with the lack of giraffes- it was a bit of a letdown to the six year old last time we visited a giraffe-less zoo. Don't get me wrong, she loved the rest of the animals, but she's fascinated with giraffes and she really hoped next time we would see them. Turns out the zoo that has giraffes is actually two hours further away than the zoo we'll be visiting. A day trip, four kids, a bunch of animals... Not that difficult of a decision for us to make. But six year olds don't quite understand when you try to reason with them about gas prices and the whole sanity factor of being in a car for 9 hours in one day.

So, I might have to play dumb- Oh... There are no giraffes here? Well, look! Another MONKEY! How cool is that?! Plus, I heard they throw live rabbits in to the tigers at feeding time, so if that doesn't make her forget everything about giraffes, I'm not sure anything will. I know I plan to be scarred for life. (Hey. I used to cry when my brothers crushed milk cartons, remember? Throwing live rabbits in for the tigers just slightly surpasses that line.)

Oh well. I think I'll avoid that particular scene. So, off we go. And everyone will be happy and content and satisfied after a fun-filled day at the zoo. And they will all sleep the entire ride home because they will be so worn out. And... Okay. Enough is enough. Let's just hope we come home with the right monkeys. Should be eventful.

Waiting on the Falling Stars

Well. I am pretty certain that was the longest break in the history of this blog! I could say it's because we've just been having way too much fun enjoying summer and my absence from this space had everything to do with the fact that I've been sitting with my toes in the lake, soaking up the sun, and relaxing with all the books that are on my list to read... But then... Well, actually... let's just stick with that fantasy, shall we? It beats the real truth by a long stretch.

No really. It's not that bad. We have spent time enjoying the lake and the sunshine, I've just been a little busier than I would like with work so it's put a little twist into our weeks, but it's, uh, it's good. It's temporary. Any week now I should be back to my regular schedule... Or so I keep telling myself. Hah.

My kids are currently struggling to stay awake to see if they can spot some shooting stars tonight. H is doing the head-bob on the couch willing her eyes to stay open. Pretty sure she's going to miss out on this one. I'm also pretty sure they're expecting explosions of stars flying across the sky- L looked a little disappointed when I assured her they would have to watch very carefully to possibly spot a few. They keep questioning when the shooting stars are "starting". Hope them stars deliver.

After running to the camp the past couple of days, I didn't mind spending the day at home today doing the weekly catch-up. Laundry, floors, quick scrub through the bathrooms and wah-lah. Good to go for another week. I've never had high standards, but they're hitting an all time low this summer. Good enough for me, this season is too short!

My mom and I picked raspberries this morning. I've never picked raspberries before,so I was excited to stash them in the freezer, but now I want more. Oooh, are they good! I think I'll try to go again early next week before their season is over. And hopefully, with some luck, one of these days I'll turn them- and some strawberries- into jam. Missing my strawberry jam in a bad way.

And look at that- it's dark out. Time to go scope out those meteor showers!

July

And, Hello, July!

I'm enjoying a quiet morning here before the house gets too warm and stuffy (it's quickly approaching that point) and before the the first weekend in July moves fully into swing. Two of my kids spent the night at the camp with cousins- much to their delight, one is attempting a nap as she was kind of on the cranky side since the moment she got out of the crib this morning, and the other is wandering around, bored as can be, with her pink hello kitty bag asking over and over and over again when we are going to the camp.

This summer is picking up pace as the days go by. In early June we took the time to enjoy being outside- even if he weather wasn't always perfect. We pulled weeds from gardens, planted seeds, roasted marshmallows over bonfires in the backyard, and enjoyed those first fleeting days of summer- knowing how quickly the season tends to take off and leave us wondering why we never got to do half of the things we wanted to.

The second half of June passed in little more than a blink. We said good-bye to a dear uncle, one who touched so many of our lives. And we were reminded how faith and family remain the most important pieces of our lives. Without our faith, we are lost.   

This week, we've been spending time close to family, not staying in the house for more time than it takes to fill the sink full of dishes and throw another load of laundry through the wash. We've been to and from the camp many times this week- visiting, getting eaten alive by the bugs, and then ultimately enjoying the view of the big lake from the front porch over cups of coffee and great company.

And through all of the busy- run here, run there, don't forget the swimsuits and remember the juice cup for the baby- packing & unpacking to do it all over again the next day I am reminding myself to take the time to just appreciate moments. Continuing to take time when I can for reading, journaling, quiet moments snatched up after the kids are in bed or before they're awake.

I hope for you, you are finding gentle moments to appreciate summer and all the beauty it offers. And that you have a fantastic fourth of July weekend- whether it finds you camping with friends or spending time in your own backyard- enjoy!

So, we broke down and ordered up a trampoline a few days ago because we were feeling like our postage-stamp-sized backyard was feeling a little too roomy. Between the sandbox and the clothesline and the swing set... and the faded array of random sand toys that never actually stay in the sandbox we figured we should probably really cover up a little more of our very minimal square footage back there. And, now I can just wedge my lawn chair between the back steps and the clothesline, right behind the storage barn, and listen to my always cheerful and giggling children as they are provided with endless opportune hours of fun while I sip my coffee and blissfully read my book. Whhhhaaaaaaaaaatt?   

Speaking of backyard additions- our neighbor just finished constructing an eight foot wall on the side of their deck that faces our backyard. Apparently after 7 years they finally came to the conclusion that A) we are not going anywhere anytime real soon, B) our yard (and the dirty-faced children running around it screaming at the tops of their lungs) really puts a crimp in their summer entertaining style, C) our five foot tall fence really does not hide the mess from their view (and here I so very naively thought it did...) and D) no, we're probably never going to update the exterior of our home or our windows, nor will we ever actually get around to doing any sort of landscaping- much less mowing the lawn in a timely fashion.

Actually, I was amazed it took them so long to come up with that convenient solution. Let their summer grilling season begin! I do hate to inform though- unless they've come up with a solution to drown out the sound, no matter how high you build that wall you'll never block out noise coming out of our yard on a daily basis. The added bonus for me was- now I have no clue when they're out their sitting on their deck so I can stress a lot less. Before I used to at least try to keep the monkeys resembling human beings when I knew the neighbor's were sitting twenty feet away, but now I'll never know if they are there. Perfect.

Oh well. With some hope and if it is meant to be, someday we will be out of this house and this neighborhood. If not... well then, the other neighbors just might follow the wall-builder's lead. I give them a year to catch on. Hah. Just wait till I park the trampoline in the one corner of the yard their wall won't completely hide...now, won't that just throw them for a loop...

No, I didn't finish my dress...

So, apparently what I get for mentioning that I was thinking about making dresses was having to answer to the several people who asked about it. Um, oops. It was zooming along just fine- I was all excited because I've never sewn a dress for myself before- and then I ran into some, uh, issues. I was having difficulty lining things up in the back and I got really frustrated and I put it away and decided to take it back out when the danger of me destroying the whole thing had lifted. And that didn't happen any time last week. But I do want to finish it... Really.

Oh well. You should know be by now.

The wedding Saturday was so beautiful and the whole weekend was a lot of fun. Like always time passed in a blink, but while it was here, we enjoyed it. Being together with family makes me look forward to summer days ahead at the camp. Soon, I hope.

But before that, I have something else to look forward to. This weekend two of my bestest and I are making an escape to do some garage saling... A whole weekend of no kids, no husbands, no responsibility. Part of the fun is in the anticipation, I know, so I will be happily anticipating our getaway all week!

Eep. Just realized I should be planning a real supper tonight since my husband will be home. He's doing night shift all week which is weird because I'm so programmed for him to be gone in the afternoons. I don't switch gears very fast. Then again, I have to give a massage this afternoon so maybe I should leave the supper-making to him. He does a better job of that anyways. I'll just pretend I forgot.

Jack is FIVE

On Friday, Jack turned five, so this afternoon we had a little party for him. Five. Five! As in... kindergarten in the fall, growing up so fast, five. This little guy was so excited for his party today. He asked me for a spiderman cake. Um. Spiderman? How about a lake with some fish swimming in it instead? He like that idea too. Whew! Much easier.

As mentioned earlier, I finished the quilt for him. It really went together quick because I was not worried so much about everything lining up just so like I had been with Lydia's. In other words, don't look too close. He appreciated it and that's all that matters.

One of the things I love so much about this kid is that he really does appreciate everything. He loves to give, and he treasures anything that's given to him. He's very careful about protecting his toys, keeps close tabs on anything of his the girls might play with, and loves to make things for everyone else. He's inventive, creative, and has such a big heart. We love him so much, our little boy.

So happy that he had a fun day today. He waited patiently for his party, and didn't stop smiling the whole time... Happy 5th Birthday, Jack!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy, Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful mothers I know... And most importantly to my own mother and my mother-in-law. Such amazing friendships I share with both of them.

Because I happened to be sick today and because Ryan worked today... it wasn't exactly the most exciting Mother's Day in history, but it was okay. Perhaps if my head didn't feel like it had been stuffed with cotton batting, and my nose didn't resemble a leaky faucet it, and just maybe if every other thing I did wasn't punctuated by a sneeze it could have been a bit better, but oh well. It is what it is and life goes on. The kids were-for the most part- decently behaved letting me spend most of the afternoon curled up on the couch with my book and not complaining over the cold cereal supper. Besides, I get my getaway in 17 days. Not that I'm counting down till my escape or anything.

The garage sale we had, albeit a success for the most part, might have been my last. I know. I say this every year, but this year I think I'm done for awhile. Too. Much. Stinkin. Work. Just possibly might have seemed more pronounced by the fact that this whopping cold was coming on for the past few days. Gee, Maaaaaybe.

I did, on Friday, receive a very sweet Mother's Day present from my oldest. A flower planted in a painted paper cup and a copy of their class cookbook. Here is the recipe my daughter submitted:

Ramen Noodles

First she puts some water, then she puts some noodles when it's starting to bubble.

Then, she um, gets all the water out and then after she gets all the water out she puts the sugar in.

And then she puts it in the bowls!



What can I say? I am a woman of high talent when it comes to cooking. Apparently I do ramen noodles really well, thank-you very much. She also wrote me a really sweet note all by herself, sounding out the words she didn't know. So very special!

Hope your day was wonderful!

(Oh, and p.s.: Spell check doesn't recognize 'Ramen'. Hello. The staple to lazy, er, busy moms everywhere? Cook much?  Sheesh.) 



May... {happy to see you, but how did you get here so fast?!}

A few days into May and I still feel stuck back in mid-April. The weather has helped out with that, as did a fun trip to visit our rellies for Easter. Today, however, was a beautiful day- sunshine and decent temps made it feel like spring. If only I could have slowed down considerably to enjoy it a bit more.

This weekend my sister and I are having a garage sale... which always seems like a good idea in March or so, but always becomes a rather large  and questionable project in the days leading up to it. I've been putting bags up in the attic all winter and when I pulled them down today I was kind of overwhelmed by the amount of stuff we had accumulated. It made me really refocus on my goal of simplifying things this year. Says the lady about to head out of town in couple of weeks for a girls garage sale weekend. Eh.

The other large project going on over here this week is my son's quilt. Yes, his birthday is next week. No, I did not start a month ago when I mentioned it. Yes, I only finished cutting the material on Monday, and you bet I plan to finish it by next week. He is, after all, waiting for a quilt. Yikes. This could get a little tricky. Thankfully it's not a difficult pattern and it's the same pattern I used for Lydia's. Which means I've been moving through it much quicker than I did for hers. And how can I not think of finishing it when he just came down and handed me an envelope saying, "Is it gonna be Mother's Day in the morning?" When I told him it wasn't until Sunday he just grinned and ran back up the stairs. Inside was a piece of paper with a heart drawn on it. So simple, so real, so exactly what melts a mother's heart.

And then... Hah. I won't even tell you what else I'm trying to slip in under the wire. I'm not planning to sew myself and Hannah a dress for the wedding next week. But you never know. Sometimes I think my life is defined by sprints. Will she finish in time, folks? The clock is ticking! I work good under pressure. If it's pressure determined by me, that is. But, oh well. Those last two things aren't that critical. Except that really they kind of are because I don't exactly have a dress. So unless I get ordering fast and just hope it fits perfectly- or happen to wander across something in our Massive Mega Mall- it could have the potential to become a slightly critical situation. But I'm not stressing about that. Yet. One day at a time, right?

Sidestepping away from the project scene, I'm finding myself suddenly very apprehensive of summer. I love summer, love the warm weather and the sunshine and the camp and everything else that comes rolling in when the calender flips over to June. But, this week I've had a taste of what I can expect living where we do.

The road we live on is not a main road, but a lot of people treat it like one. They fly. And I mean 45 miles-per-hour, not stopping for anything sail down our road. Teenagers, mostly. Cruising along with cigarettes hanging out of the windows and music blaring. And although we have a fenced in backyard specifically because of that, this year I have two kids who want to ride bikes constantly. Last year, when it was just Lydia doing the biking the majority of the time, I was a little more relaxed. By herself, she's more careful. But put two of them together? And they're distracted by the other constantly. And even though there's a large parking lot across the street that they ride in, I'm paranoid. Unless I am out there with them continuously- which shouldn't be a problem since I have nothing else to do, right?- I am constantly running to the window to check where they are.

Obviously we're going to have to limit when they bike so that one of us can be out there with them, but there's going to be two unhappy campers under our roof when they realize the freedom they assume they have this week is not going to last. I'm really considering getting a trampoline now. Something to entice them to stay in the yard a lot more. My always low blood pressure has taken a steep incline this week, I think. Something's gotta change.

And that's our current phase of life summed down to a few rather lengthy paragraphs. Hope you are enjoying spring sunshine and longer days!

Popsicles & April Snow

I'm sitting here on the couch with a feverish little body pressed up against mine. She's eating her fifth or sixth popsicle of the day because nothing else holds any appeal to her. And nothing else has stayed down since yesterday either. We've been lucky to dodge most of the bugs that have been going around this year. But not this one. So between Hannah down with this bug and the snow that halted all the progress spring had made, today was kind of a quiet day. Her and I did a lot of reading and a lot of snuggling on the couch. I'm not sure what the rest of the kids did. Kidding. Sort of.

So about that snow. Knowing it's not atypical for our area and also knowing  it probably won't last long do not help to soften the blow of a mid-April snowstorm. At all. Last week we enjoyed some afternoons in the backyard, the ground beneath my clothesline became fabulously free of snow, and the sandbox was unearthed from the mountain of snow that covered it. Everything in the backyard was new again as the kids soaked up the fresh air well into the evening causing them to sleep so good. So I'm just not real excited about going backward, you see. Seeing the ground covered once again in white is more than a little depressing. Back on with the winter jackets, back out with the boots. Just in case we were actually thinking spring might be here or something. We'll try again in June. Maybe.

And... That's all I got for the moment. Another popsicle is needed. Maybe dolly is perking up a little because she just ate a cracker too. Ooh, I can hope- for some actual sleep tonight for her and I. And everyone else for that matter.

Right Now

Right now, I am...

• Enjoying a quiet, clean house with my feet up while sipping some tea.
• Feeling relaxed after a tough workout.
• Remembering how good those endorphins are for the mood. Oh, it's been too long.
• Getting set for a busy week- work called- they need me there tomorrow and- judging by the situation, possibly another day in addition to my regularly scheduled day.
• Marveling that all of my daytime babysitter options seem to have gone MIA at once. Coincidence?
• Thankful that it's spring break week and that I have lots of nieces of the babysitting age. And one that's able to help me out tomorrow on last minute notice. And for a father in law who says he'll take the kids another day if needed.
• Glad for the break from school for Lydia. Jack is so happy to have her home- and so am I.
• Happy- so happy- for the sunshine we're seeing nearly every day now. Incredible, what it does for one's mood!
• Pondering which book amongst the stack of books by my bed I want to dive into first.
• Realizing it's almost April- and how exciting is that?
• Also realizing that means my son's birthday is a month and a half away. And he's fully expecting a 'boy' quilt like the one his sister got for her birthday.
• Not panicking. Yet. Because I have all the fabric and some of it is cut out. Way ahead of the game here. It's all good.
• Recalling, however, that my free motion quilting foot (which was so much fun, by the way) broke at the very end of that quilt.
• Debating if I should get another one or do his a bit different.
• Knowing these next few days are going to sail by as we move into the weekend the kids have been waiting for and counting down to for weeks.
• Hoping for a good time with healthy, happy kids. And healthy happy parents.
• Ready, at 10 p.m., to crawl in bed for the night and pick up one of those books.
• Focusing. On being still. On breathing deeply and letting the worries of the day fade.
• Content.

ANY Day Now...

We are currently in the midst of a record-breaking tooth cutting marathon. At least for our house. My little mold-breaker over here is at it again, although through no fault of her own. To say she's feeling kind of rough could just possibly be as understated as saying rocks thrown with significant force can kind of break windows.

And I'm feeling pretty haggard. Oh HOW long can this ridiculous insanity go on? Once again, I am pulling my foot out of my mouth. Never again, friends, will you hear me brag about the children in this house who just popped teeth through like it was fun or something without subsequently bringing up our war stories of this sweet child of mine.

If I didn't feel so bad for her, I would actually probably find a lot of humor in the apparent coping mechanisms she's acquired during this long and painful stint. Trust me, you give the baby whatever she wants these days- cell phone as a chew toy? suuuure. Saltines for supper? why not?! Is there a problem with that?

If, for some backward-thinking moment you believe you actually are going to deny her wants, let me tell you friend, you are in for quite a show. She'll start smacking her gums, yelling "MMMMAM-MAAAM-MMMAAAAA-MAAAMMM!" and will (taking into no account how far she might flop or where she might land) flail herself onto the ground in a complete breakdown. It is a serious five star-worthy tantrum. My three year old can't pull them off that well. And she's got years of experience. Oh, who am I trying to kid? I do find humor in it. Only because a moment later she's on to something else and has completely erased all memory of the fact that I just fished a beaded bracelet out of her mouth.

Last night was fun. She spent three beautifully long hours from 11 to 2 completely resisting sleep, literally screaming if either of us so much as dared lay her back down hoping we might stop our zombie-like stumbling around the house and get some sleep ourselves.

Trying to think when you're tired becomes as easy as trying to locate missing pluggies under the crib in the pitch black of night. What does she want? How do I know? Another bottle? WHAT, you already gave her one?! Where's the Tylenol? Already gave it. Can she have more yet? What in the world time is it? NOT time to be awake. We can't just drug her up... Can we? Oh, uh, NO. No. Go for the bottle.

I attempted to take her into bed. Bad move. When will I ever learn this never, ever, under any circumstances solves problems so much as it serves to create newer, bigger ones? Like I mentioned above, apparently my thinking was skewed from the sleep I realized I would no longer be getting and I was desperate, so I hauled her in.

We all have those weak moments of grandiose ideas when we think- maybe, maaayyybee what has never worked before will somehow miraculously work just this once. Again, I was proven wrong. After she had completely wedged her entire squirming and kicking body halfway on top of mine, she made sure to lay a protective hand over my face lest I actually try to breathe or something. Needless to say, that lasted approximately two and a half minutes and at long last she finally fell asleep, exhausted, as I rocked her in the creaky chair next to the bed.

I think we're going to throw a party when those swollen red gums finally allow those difficult little teeth to slip through. After weeks of this mad torture we all will have surely earned it.

Plummeting willpower

So, someone around here had the dumb idea this week to start eating a little more healthy. This is always a fun way to assess just how horrible my self-control really is. Every few months or so I set myself up in this trap just to make sure I'm still really bad at being on any sort of health-kick for more than approximately 42 hours.

I see those people at showers and get-togethers who pass by the bakery and chocolate like it's no big deal as they load up their plates with tomato slices and grapes. The same ones who eat granola and fresh fruit for breakfast and lay claims to things like, you know... I never really cared for triple-chocolate-turtle-cheesecake. They run, like, fifteen miles a day and buy running shoes and running shirts to actually wear for, uh, running rather than marathon cleaning sessions when company calls and says they'll be there in ten minutes. Well, every once and awhile I aspire to be like them. Usually with no real plan in mind. Let's wing it- yeah! Let's get HEALTHY.

So, as expected, I started off the week with a vengeance. Measured out my cereal, chopped up veggies, bought some hummus, and baked some ridiculously healthy brownies made of carob powder, whole wheat flour, and I'm pretty sure nothing else. Willpower made of steel on day one. With extreme effort, er, with natural instinct to make the right choice I went for a snack of broccoli and carrot sticks with guacamole- knowing full well we had vanilla ice cream in the freezer, hot fudge in the fridge, and real right out of the box full fudge brownies in a 9x13 on the counter. Congratulated myself up and down, I did.

On Tuesday, I continued my veggie-munching, whipped up a grilled chicken-something-or-other for lunch, and guzzled water to the point that I can't really remember what else I did besides run to the bathroom all day. On Tuesday evening I had myself a tiny hot fudge brownie sundae. Oopsie daisy. No biggie. I'm not all for deprivation, you know.

By Thursday I was eating at McDonald's with the family. Oh yes, I was. And I can't even brag and say I ordered a grilled chicken snack wrap because that would imply that I didn't snitch half of the kids french fries or nibble on those yummy grease-coated, over-processed, chicken nuggets that supposedly contain zero percent chicken or something like that as I tore them up for the young ens. It would not have surprised me in the least had I started jumping up and down and begging for ice cream afterwards with the kids.

Thursday was also the day we (and when I say 'we' I really do mean my husband and I) baked bread. It wasn't my idea. He wanted to, and I was so giddy with disbelief that he seriously wanted to bake bread that I happily agreed, telling myself I could not be held accountable for any slip-ups on the diet exchanged for a chance to create such a rare piece of history. Anyways, that's another story. Homemade bread is always a killer. I can stay away from store-bought bread pretty easily. But, homemade? Cinnamon swirl homemade?

Apparently if you're trying to eat healthy there's a few things you shouldn't do. One of them is frequent fast-food joints and the other is not bake yeast-filled lumps of cinnamon-y-sugary goodness. The smell alone will drive you to such extreme madness that you will not be able to control yourself or the hunger you have attempted to ignore and deny all week. The results will be catastrophic. Lesson learned.

Let's all hear it for will-power, shall we? I can hardly wait to find out how Saturday goes.

This Little Old Town

The other night we went to the second annual dog sled races in our town. And I had one of those moments where I felt such pride to live in this area. As we stood shivering on main street, gathering with the other spectators that had came to watch the race begin, my husband and I tried to imagine what life was like here 100 years or so ago when the streets were lined with people like that on any average Friday evening. Sometimes we forget about all the history this area holds and when we stop to think of it like that- it's pretty amazing. And then, we came to the conclusion that we're pretty glad there are no longer 50,000 or so people living in this area like there was at one time. We rather like it on the smallish side, thank-you very much.

Sometimes this town gets a bad rap. The negatives get brought up much more than the positives. People who don't live here drive through it and see a bunch of run down buildings and abandoned houses. They see struggling businesses and tired neighborhoods and they leave as fast as they came in. But others- those of us who grew up here- well, we don't mind it so much. In fact, some of us rather like this little old town quite a bit.

So it was one of those moments- first, watching the mushers led out of town by their teams of dogs with so much support from the community, and then later watching the brief- but perfect in it's small-town way- display of fireworks over the football field- which led me to feel a strong sense of pride for this little, old town.

Several years ago I was asked if I minded growing up here. No offense to the asker, but it was worded as if it were some sort of punishment to grow up here. And I immediately laughed. Minded? I repeated and chuckled some more. It's where I was born, where I made friendships and went to school. The streets of this town are familiar to me in a comfortable sort of way that fits. I skied on the hill behind my house, I ran the trails that wound through the woods, I thought perhaps someday I'd leave, but I never went too far. This is my home.

Did I mind growing up in this town? Not hardly. I felt lucky to grow up here and I feel lucky to raise my kids here. Not everyone might agree with me- of course this place has it's difficulties like any other town in this country- but it's not that bad. In fact, this town is pretty much okay.

Do you Swag?

So, you might have noticed the new swagbucks banner flying over there in the sidebar. I've been using the swagbuck's search engine for a year now. I've had fun using it- it doesn't take a lot of time, and it's simple. And if you aren't already using swagbucks... Maybe it's time you checked it out too.

It's pretty simple. Click on the banner to get started creating your account. Once you've created an account and downloaded the toolbar, start searching and winning. I use the search box for any site I might go to rather than typing in the address. For example- instead of typing in sarahscoffeebreak.blogspot.com and going directly to my blog, I would use the search box and type in something like "sarahs coffee break" instead. Swagbucks are rewarded randomly for searches and are saved up to be traded in for gift cards, prizes, etc.- my favorite is the $5 Amazon gift card. You can use multiple gift cards on an order. Can't beat free.

There are other ways to earn swagbucks too. Codes, surveys, referrals (hint, hint). Mainly, I've stuck to just the searches. Last year without doing anything other than searching I had slightly upwards of $50 in Amazon cards. $15 so far this year. Not bad for not really doing much. So if you spend a lot of time online- or a little- what are you waiting for? Get swagging!

Things that go bump in the night...

I'm really not normally a chicken. I've gotten quite used to my husband working the afternoon shift and sometimes the night shift without much of a thought. Even during the crazy wind storm when this old house was shaking in it's foundation, I wasn't phased. Eh. Just wind. Nothing to worry about. What's meant will be.

Well, hah. Tonight it's silent. The children are sound asleep. And about an hour ago, I heard something come crashing down in the basement and- no kidding- I thought for sure someone was creeping around my house. I was upstairs in my room at the time, so big-brave-me, I tiptoed down to the living room- clutching the phone, ready to dial for help. I stood in the middle of the living room staring at the basement door, imagining all sorts of scenarios. Debated about calling one of my big brothers to come investigate but couldn't quite bring myself to the humiliation that situation could evoke for years to come. Because, being rational, I knew it was very unlikely that the noise was caused by anything other than something simply falling. Still. I was spooked. (And apparently admitting it for all to see on here is somehow less humiliating. Yeah. Somehow.)

So instead, I dragged the bookcase in front of the basement door and then wedged a bench from the kitchen between the handle and the wall. Then I stood back admiring my crafty work. I'm sure it would really stop an intruder. At least I keep telling myself that as I continue to hear the typical creaks that tonight make up a colorful array of ridiculous illusions.

I've got two phones next to me in case one should fail to work. And a rubber mallet under my bed. And I'm quite certain I have my plan of defense all worked out. You know. Just in case. In fact, I have several. So it's best not to mess with me or my rubber mallet.

Oh. And I think I just heard my husband pull up outside. I wonder if he'll notice the bookcase and the bench.

I will most definitely require him to check the situation out, though. You know- just to see what fell. What, me? Scared of a little noise? Pshaw. Whatever.

Happy Birthday to my three year old!

Every morning for the past several weeks, Hannah has asked, "It my birthday today?" She's been anticipating turning three for quite some time. And anticipating the presents and the cake even more. Today, she turned three. Except she has to wait a few more days for her cake. And the party she's been imagining in her mind. A couple of her aunts gave her presents today and Grandma's came last week, though. So I think she's pretty content with that. Lucky girl.

Sometime in the past year, my little girl somehow became one of the 'big kids'. She went from sitting at my feet, to building forts with her brother and playing dolls with her sister. She's independent, so very, very independent in so many ways. Loves to declare, "I'll do it myself, Mom." And, yet she's a cuddler. From the start, she was the only one of my babies that would lay her head on my shoulder and fall asleep that way. Didn't really care too much about what kind of chaos was going on around her. She was born at a very busy point in our lives and when the craziness of our school schedule became too much- she was the quiet little place that kept me sane.

I remember when she was a baby, I would sometimes worry that she slept too much. Relaxed and content, she loved her sleep. Even now, she decides at about 6:30 each night that she's tired. And that's that. She'll be sitting at the table coloring and decide it's time for bed and off she goes. Just like that.

She makes us laugh- comes up with responses like, Ha, ha. Very funny. Acts like such a big girl when she is still so very much my little girl. She loves her dolls. Loves playing outside in the snow with her big sister & brother. Loves sleeping at Grandpa's & Grandma's. And when you ask her who's sweetheart she is, she'll almost always reply, "Grampas!"

So, even though we won't 'celebrate' her birthday until Sunday when Dad is off work, today we're wishing her a happy birthday. And hoping three is every bit as wonderful as two was for our little girl.

Happy Birthday, Hannah!

Our Baby Is One!

I love birthdays. I love the celebrations, the remembering, the way everyone treats the birthday kid like they are the queen or king for a day. Today, the littlest one of our crew turned one. One. As in- an entire year has gone by since she was born. So much has happened, time has passed, life has progressed- and still it seems like we were just walking through the hospital doors. But, now suddenly we're walking around the house with little chubby fists wrapped around our fingers, while little feet below learn to tentatively put one in front of the other.

Last winter, much time was spent cuddling our little baby close. Cozying up in the rocking chair, holding tight to baby days that we knew would pass so quickly. And pass they did- with the weeks stacking up against each other so quickly it left me overwhelmed once again at how fast things change, how quickly time moves forward. And then sometimes- while in the midst of the long nights, the crying jags, and her lack of naps- I would again feel overwhelmed, wondering when it all would change.

And yet, here she is- past the baby stage, but still so very much a baby. Tucking her head onto my shoulder, twisting her arm up to touch my face, looking up at me with such trust. Every age is so beautiful for it's own reasons. So many times throughout my children's lives I exclaim, I love this age! And I do. I love how she crinkles her eyes and waits for us to all laugh at meal time, I love how she gets so excited she bounces across the floor on her knees. I love how she can play for awhile- exploring all around without a care- and suddenly she starts to whimper and comes crawling over for some hugs before she's off again. I love the way she imitates words with sounds, the way she gets so excited when everyone cheers for her as she stands next to the couch with only one hand.

As I watched her today, excitedly examining the cupcake she'd been given, I thought, slow down baby! Time is going too fast!  But of course, time will not really slow down. Not in the rush of every day life. And so when she comes over to me for hugs, when she cries out for me in the wee hours of barely morning, when she still looks for that bottle at some point during the night, I will linger with her in my arms. Hold on to my one year old girl, kiss her round cheeks, and feel the beauty of life slowing down for just a moment. Because all too suddenly, she will be two.

Happy first birthday, my sweet baby girl! One is such a fun age to be!

Well, I was beginning to wonder if I had ruined things the way I blogged about the job I interviewed for looking "probable" last week. However, today I got the call- and the offer. So relieved and excited. And, ready. It's time. And- truthfully- it's kind of an ideal job for the point I'm at in my life. After orientation, I will be working one day a week- and replacement as necessary- in an allergy clinic. I'm pretty excited for this opportunity- there will be a lot to learn. And, one day a week? Perfect. Couldn't have asked for a better job to literally fall into my hands right now. With my husband busy on afternoons, I was holding out for something that would be low-stress and work with our current chaos... Uh, schedule I mean. For the most part. And it looks as though I've found it. Sa-weet!

So. Lots to do this week to prepare. Sitter schedule to figure out, next week's appointments to reschedule, school to notify about bussing, and, uh, some clothes to buy. The bonus is- we don't wear scrubs there. So that means I get to go shopping for some new dress clothes because... I've become quite comfy in t-shirts and jeans around here in the past few years. Good excuse to get a couple new things. Too bad we don't have much for decent shopping around here.

I told my kids about it- started explaining how things are going to be a little different around here for a month or so (because I'm starting out at 2.5 days a week until I'm somewhat trained in). They just kind of looked at me and said, "Oh", and went back to their coloring. Apparently it's not a real high concern to them. Hopefully we all adjust okay. We have before, we will again. It's life.

Upstairs, J & H are having a "sleepover" on their floor. We have hardwood floors up there and I guess it's more fun to unroll their sleeping bags on the floor than sleep in their beds as they like to do this quite often. I'm hearing a lot of little thumps and crashes right now, though, so it's probably time to get off the computer and go investigate.

Random Updates

Spent many days last week laying on the couch or huddled on the chair. Whining about my mouth. Wondering why I was such a wimp.
Saturday, day 5? 6? after having my wisdom teeth out I was still having a really hard time eating.
Sunday I tried to pretend I my mouth wasn't throbbing and that the pain in my temple was just my imagination.
Sunday evening I looked inside my mouth and discovered a nice open hole in my gums. Huh. Pretty sure I wasn't supposed to see my jaw bone through the hole. Or the hole, period. Gee, perhaps that's why I felt like the side of my face was going to explode every time I drank/ate/talked/breathed???
Monday morning I went in and- yes, it had developed into a dry socket.
Had it irrigated and packed and it started to feel better immediately.
Will have it packed. And repacked. And repacked. Until it heals- maybe two weeks? maybe more?
Kind of grossed out at the fact that there's gauze stuffed into a hole in my mouth for three days at a time.
So I thought I'd gross you out too.
Because I'm so generous like that and I love to share.
I mean, I've seen big nasty decubitus ulcers packed, but somehow when I relate that to myself... Eew.
Gross.
This morning I woke up at 6 a.m. and interviewed for a job at 8.
This afternoon I went back to "interview" with the nurses.
This evening we went to Lydia's gymnastics and then visiting.
Tonight... I'm feeling excited/nervous/excited/nervous at the possibility of going to work.
Yet, it's only still a possibility. But a kind of good one.
Tonight, I am feeling only a minimal ache in my mouth- Hello! I ate pizza for supper! Good-bye chocolate meal shakes! And yogurt, you were my friend until we became a little too friendly for a week straight so let's just go on a little break, shall we?
Tonight, all of my children are sleeping in their own beds for the first time since we switched the rooms around a few weeks ago.
Crossing my fingers they all stay there too.
Because tonight... I think I'm ready for a really good night's sleep.

The age of Innocence. Or, uh, feigned Innocence.

I'm pretty sure my two year old believes in her mind she's mastered the art of conviction. She really gets into it- drawing out her response to any accusation with a "Nooooo! Nottt mee-eee!" Like for example, this afternoon. (Not taking into account that I, in all my laziness, didn't pick up the pieces of ham and cheese sandwich that had been tossed from the high chair by the babes. Hey. She likes to eat everything off the floor anyways- why not have something somewhat nutritious, right? I didn't just write that. You're imagining it. Like I would do that. Ahem. OK, seriously- what's worse- that I think ham & cheese on white bread is nutritious or the fact that I let my baby eat it off the floor after she's tossed it there at lunch? There's no recovering from the point of life I have reached, folks. This is just. The way. It is.)

Moving on. So, there's ham and cheese smeared across the floor and in this scenario, let's just say I hadn't gotten done cleaning up lunch just yet (like it was moments ago if that makes you feel better). So I notice Hannah's socks have a piece of cheese plastered to the bottom of them with a few stray chunks of ham attached to the sides. "Did you do do that?" I ask in one of those dumb moments when you know the answer, but you just ask the question to waste your own time. Like you're going to teach them a lesson on honesty or something equally profound. Like it might actually stick and they might get what you're getting at. I should know better: at this age it's best to just let them do what they want and clean up the mess when they're four. Or fourteen. Or moved out?

Anyways- she looks at me all astonished with her sparkling eyes and says, "Noooo! Not Mee-eeeeee!" So I bend down and pick the mess off her sock. Really, then...? What's this? She looks at it all confused like she has no idea what I'm even talking about. Oh, how she has this innocence-thing down.

She also pulls of the I'm-not-doing-anything-act real well. The other day I went into the bathroom where she was standing next to the sink looking rather guilty and suspicious, although I couldn't really see anything out of the ordinary. She turns her back to me and says, "Go back in the kitchen, now, Mom." This happens quite regularly. Often it's "Close your eyes, Mom." Like somehow she might be able to squirt out all the toothpaste all over the sink without me knowing as long as my eyes aren't open.

She's always got something going on. When we do at last put an end to her charades and tell her she's not allowed to do something, she pulls out the dramatics and slumps her shoulders while she walks away. Like we're so mean and she's so deprived.

Oh, life would be dull without two year olds!

House cleaning, Teeth pulling, & other January news

Well, we made the trek to get my wisdom teeth yanked yesterday and much to my happiness I survived. Turns out everyone was right- it was not nearly as bad as I had envisioned. And whatever it is they give to sedate you... well, that stuff is pretty sweet. Didn't feel a single thing and felt like I was swimming on a cloud.

Then, after sleeping away the entire day I woke up to a bit of soreness and swelling this morning, but nothing too major. Just growing kind of annoyed at these instant meal shakes, however. What I wouldn't give for a piece of pizza right now. Or a Danwhich. Or even a salad. Mm. Yeah. These shakes sure don't measure up. Oh, and did I mention I haven't drank coffee since Sunday? I can have it if it's lukewarm, but that just sounds cruel. But soon, folks, soon I will be moving on to better things like mashed potatoes and noodles. Can hardly control my excitement.

Other than that- I spent a long weekend in MN with just the baby. It was such a fun getaway as the baby was an easy traveler. Finally got to meet my newest niece out there too and she's not even such a brand new baby anymore! Time flies, and I'm so grateful I got to see her now rather than in a few more months because she's already almost four months old. The only problem was- the weekend went by too quick. Of course. Yet we enjoyed every minute of it.

Seems everyone in this family has taken a turn being sick since I left. And last night it was the baby's turn- poor little girl didn't know what was going on, but handled it so well. And woke up seemingly fine. So the only one left is me and I'm pretty sure I paid my dues in December, so I think I get to skip out of this bug, right? It's only fair.

So far, January has been off to a pretty good start. I got some major cleaning and organizing done in parts of the upstairs before I left for MN and I hope to continue that this week or next. It always surprises me how out of control I can let things become- especially around the holidays. Standing in the upstairs bathroom/laundry room last week, my husband said, "Huh. I forgot what this floor looked like!" Well. Pretty close. And then there's the craft room/storage room/dumping ground for any miscellaneous items. I'm working on that. Hoping to actually convert it back to it's original purpose- a place for me to scrapbook & sew & paint & such. Instead of using the kitchen table as my all-purpose crafting area.

Other than that- we finally got bedrooms switched around last week as I mentioned via facebook. Seems to be working really well... Except that my nearly one year old wails like I've abandoned her forever whenever we try to put her in her new room. She'd rather stay in her tiny little pack-n-play where she's just an arm's reach away from me. Argh. I've never waited this long to transfer a kid to their own room- and now I know why. Problem is- she's not the greatest sleeper in the world as it is- and I'm finding it a whole lot easier to just keep sticking her in our room rather than making her suffer it out in the other room. We tried a few whole nights- she was up every half hour. I gave in after a few hours of it. I'm an enabler. Ah, well. Not the worst thing in the world to be so loved, right? Anyways- any advice on this situation would be appreciated.

And, that is it from this house at the moment. Hope your January is going well!