A Little Bit of Everything

SO what do ya'll want to hear about? I'm not really feeling bloggy. I guess the fact that I am writing this at all means I am feeling somewhat bloggy. But I feel like I should have some big, introspective, amazingly insightful post and I am not feeling it. So this will be one of those "Just the Facts" kind of blogs.
***
House progress continues. My dad {graciously} came once again this weekend all day Saturday and most of the day Sunday to serve as electrician's assistant. Yesterday, Tim joined in the fun too and they made a lot of progress. John and Brandon's mom are coming on Saturday to finalize the electric {for now} so that drywall can begin. YAHOO!
We also talked with a friend about doing our hardwood. We are going to work out a trade {super awesome} for Brandon's old truck. The only thing is our friend's opinion on what kind of flooring we should get. I have had my heart set on wide {at least 6 inch} hand scraped floors. I had assumed I would just get pre-finished. Our friend says he would not go wider than 3 1/4, he would get red oak???, and he would do them unfinished and get them finished. Hmmm..things to ponder. ***If any of you readers are experts on hardwood or have any knowledge or OPINION on hardwood, PLEASE share it with me. I am perplexed. {I already have Nana's opinion} Brandon says we'll get what we want. And our friend says he will lay whatever we want, that is just his opinion.
We ran out of materials for the siding. Siding Guy says the materials are expected in this afternoon so they should be out to finish up this week.
***
We had a good weekend. Saturday as I said, Brandon worked and I had the kids. Pretty standard. My mom came to help Biz ready her house for a church get together we had Saturday night. I must add that I LOVE Biz's place. I am AMAZED at what they have done with a space that was just one enormous room this time last year. {she should send me pics so I can post them!} They have both done an outstanding job with their remodel. I really admire their vision and ability to see it through. I often feel that I have neither the vision NOR the ability to see it through! {ok, I might have the vision, but I always feel like mine is much more plain and boring.}
Saturday evening we had another "Backyard Barbecue" with four other families from church. This is the third time we have all gotten together and we had so much fun. The idea is something that the church started. An opportunity was presented to sign up to be assigned a group. We were put into groups of five or so families and the requirement was to get together once during the months of May, June and July at different people's houses for a meal. It has been wonderful! Going into it, I did not know any of the other couples {except Biz and Tim!}. We all get along great. Our kids play together and we just socialize and EAT! We had a great meal and just a really great time. Brandon has come along {kicking and screaming} and I actually think he doesn't hate it, which is a great thing. Saturday night, we all agreed we'd like to keep it going! So I guess now it is becoming a supper club. And I am really excited because now I can hopefully host in November! We can have chili and hang out on the deck! AND, August 8, all of the Backyard Barbecue groups are coming together to host an ice cream social at church and YOU are invited! Saturday August 8, 6:00 pm at Broadway UMC, Greenwood Campus. Hamburgers, hot dogs and ICE CREAM! Ya'll come!

You're Gonna Miss This!

I never ask "What else?" Never. Because I might find out and I don't want to know what else! This week has been one of THOSE weeks.
Mason woke up Sunday with a nose that was running like a faucet. Brandon left Monday morning and will be home TONIGHT. {That's 4 evenings alone if you are counting} Biz and Tim were at the beach until last night. I was completely alone with Biz's 2 sick cats, a sick dog {Jack}, and two sick kids. Not to mention that I was responsible for keeping all of those animals and humans alive AND tending Biz's flowers and garden. Oh. My. Word!
Mason didn't sleep at all Sunday night. Brandon left at early-thirty and I overslept. So I am rushing around and run into the bathroom to dry my hair, turn on the hairdryer and NADA. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
Mason's runny nose started to get worse and by the time we were headed home from school on Monday he was running fever. My wonderful Mama had already planned to come and help me with the evening routine that now not only consists of dinner and baths but also gardens, dog and cat care. I called the doctor's office on the way home and got an appointment for Mason for Tuesday. I also remembered that I had an after work commitment {for work}. Mom decided the best plan was for her to keep Mason home Tuesday and I would meet her at the doctor.
Ellie and I went on to school and then I met mom and Mason at the doctor. What I thought was just a summer cold turned out to be "allergic bronchitis". The doctor added that it's not pneumonia. YET. He is on 4 different medications and thankfully already seems to be improving. I kept him home on Wednesday. Fatal error.
Lordy! I often wish to be a stay home mom. I dream about what our days would be like. I imagine caught up laundry, yummy dinners, fun projects, and a generally happy household. And then we stay home and I realize I am mental! Yesterday was a rainy day so the kids were in our 300 square foot house all day {it's actually more like 800 sq. feet, but it is closing in on me!} I tried to encourage play and give them ideas of things to do, we got out play doh, we read, we played, we cooked but by 4:00pm when Ellie was asking if she and Mason could have dinner {our of boredom???} I knew we were all just going batty. We survived.
And I really hesitate to post this bit about staying home being hard lest Brandon remind me of it if the chance ever actually came up for me to stay home. I mean I COULD make it work. Especially if we were not living on top of one another. This too shall pass. Right? I will look back on this in a few months and laugh. RIGHT???
Mason's sleep issues make pretty much every other issue we deal with that much worse. It's HARD to function when you have been up for an hour and a half in the night trying to get someone back to sleep. We tried to let him cry the other night and he ended up throwing up. I can't handle that and I would certainly much rather rock for hours than have my baby throwing up because he is so upset. I try to put it into perspective. Ellie sleeps great and there was a time I was sure we were ruining her and she'd never learn to sleep on her own and she was spoiled and all that because of all her night waking. I was talking to Brandon's dad about it and he said this is payback for Brandon. {I'm sure my parents would say the same thing!} He told me he and Brandon's mom used to have to DRIVE AROUND IN THE CAR to get Brandon to sleep. {I found this particularly humorous since my dear husband is the one who gets particularly enraged over the night waking. I mean it is no picnic for me, but Brandon's patience runs super thin.} As Kenny and I know, Brandon did grow out of having to be driven around to sleep so it's pretty likely Mason will not require rocking to get back to sleep when he is 15. But I bet when he is 15, I will miss these days like crazy!
There's a song by Trace Adkins called "You're Gonna Miss This". It talks about different stages of life and how we all kind of wish them away and rush through them. The chorus says:
You're gonna miss this.
You're gonna want this back.
You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.
These are some good times,
So take a good look around.
You may not know it know,
But you're gonna miss this...

Ellie calls it the "You and Me Song". So true. It's me and Ellie..and Mason...and Brandon...and Mama...and Biz...and Dad...and my life. I need to take a deep breath and soak it up because it goes by too fast!

The Weekend

It was another fun-filled weekend here at Happy Acres {that is NOT really the name of our farm!} Saturday, my Pop came to lend a hand in the electrical process. He and Brandon worked all day and got quite a bit accomplished. The "plan" for now is that John {Brandon's step-dad} will come back in two weeks to get things finalized so that drywall can get started. We also talked to a friend and neighbor of ours who lays hardwood floors and he says he can do ours. {WOOT!} So things continue to move along.
Ellie asked to go home with Nana and Poppop and since the answer is {almost} never "no", she did. After church, Mason and I went to Gallatin to hang out for the day. Ellie had a grand time and Mason got some Nana and Poppop time as well.
Mason is NOT feeling well. He woke up with a runny nose, not sleeping and has just been a crab. No fever so I am hoping it's teeth? Let's hope.
One final thing: Our nephew, Colby, is sick and in the hospital. Colby has SMA and got pneumonia this week. He is an amazing kid and he will turn 7 years old on Wednesday. Say a prayer for Colby! Also pray for his {very worn out} mom, Amy and our Grandma Linda.

HOPE

***UPDATE***
I was overwhelmed with response from people who wanted to help this family. I am happy to say that I have enough money to pay the bill and I am on my way to the electric company right now. I also got some personal hygiene items donated and some money for gas. I talked with the mom and she is really overwhelmed with gratitude towards the kindness of strangers. If you ever doubt, there are still people with good hearts who are willing to give some HOPE to others.
***

Ok, so I never ever talk about my job. Many of you may have zero clue what I do. Here it is: I am a glorified social worker. I have a LOT of jobs/ tasks/ responsibilities, but the bottom line is that I am here to help families. I work at the Head Start Pro.gram at Wes.tern Ken.tucky Univer.sity.
As a program, we are lucky to have very few families to come to us in true crisis. Even luckier that the families that do come to us in crisis are usually not in a cycle of crisis. We have a lot of student's children who attend here so most of the time, they have it very together. I see a lot and I often feel like I have become somewhat calused to situations. I have worked here for 8 years, but I have been in social work for 10 years. I have seen a lot of "cycles" where people are down on their luck, get help, make bad decisions again and get into a mess again. It's very disheartening. But when I am faced with a situation that is different than the norm, I am heartbroken when I cannot help.
This week I have been faced with a situation that is not the "norm". A parent came to me in need of help with her electric bill. Can you imagine being a parent to a pre-schooler, a full-time student AND working a full time {shift work} job? I mean when I think about that I realize I don't know stress! You amy be asking WHY? are they in such a situation. I know this family and I know they are good planners. But they live tight. And both mom and dad's hours were cut at work. I was not able to find much help with the electric bill. I got a call this morning that their car ran out of gas {now they can't get to work} and they need some essential living items {TOILET PAPER!}
So here is my call for help! I would not do this for just any family. But I feel like they are about to get into a vicious cycle {no gas to get to work, no paycheck, when/if they do get paid, it is going to be so hard to catch up!} If you want to help, you can paypal me money for them at jennfields75@gmail.com. Only do it if you really really want to. And please don't quit reading because I am asking for this! I have just worked on this all week and come up short and I finally figured I have a pretty good forum here so why not try! Any time I can give someone who is so downhearted and feels so lost a little hope, I feel really privileged to be able to do it. If I can give these folks a little hope to keep on trudging and get their degrees, it is the least I can do!

The Gator

I almost forgot to post pics of Ellie and her Brithday present! She got a little battery operated John Deere Gator to ride around the yard. She loves it. But in true Ellie style, I think she is hoping Mason learns to drive soon so he can be in charge. Ellie is my cautious child. {NOT to be mistaken with submissive or a doormat or any of that. She can and does hold her own} Ellie needs a lot of prep for new situations. She does not just jump right in to anything. {I am sure Nana would say she knows someone else that fits that description!}
When Ellie first saw the Gator, she just walked around it and looked at it. We told her to get on and she just sat there. The first ride was jumpy because she stopped every 5 seconds when it started going a little too fast for her. Tuesday night she rode it again and she obliged Mason's request: "I drive Ehdee?" SHE got in the passenger seat and told him she would push the "gas" pedal and she let him have the wheel. {I had to run along side to keep them from running into trees!} Mason had no clue what he was doing and Ellie just sat back and pushed the pedal and paid no attention to where they were going! She is liking it more each day and she was so comfortable with it by the end of the evening Tuesday that she asked to put it in 2nd gear to go FAST!


Here are a couple more house pictures that Brandon took last night. They came out better than mine.

The House

We are making progress. For the MAJOR lack of progress last month, we are making a lot of progress this month. The last six weeks or so have seemed so slow because the only things going on were plumbing and electric and HVAC. Bo Ring. I like progress I can SEE. They started the siding yesterday. I have to say that Brandon and I really struggled with the decision of which siding to go with. As per usual, what we wanted was much more expensive. We finally reasoned that we would drive up to this house for the rest of our lives and we didn't want to always say "We wish we had just gone with the Pol.ar Wall." I really wanted the look of Har.dy Board siding which is a new-ish material that is fiber cem.ent siding. It has the look of real wood and is low (ish) maintenance. {It does have to be painted initially AND then again in 20 or so years.} Then you have vinyl that you put up and it's DONE. So we wanted vinyl with the look of Har.dy board. We decided on Po.lar Wall P.lus siding which is a foam backed siding that is available in "designer colors" and come in a 5 inch wide board. We went with russett and I LURVE IT! With the money I saved on my bedspread, it will be no issue, right? ☺

Hello Good Buy!

I've had a pretty good idea of what kind of decor I want for the new house. One thing I have been set on is the decor for my {and Brandon's} room: a black and white bedspread with Tiffany Blue walls. I have searched high and low for a black and white bedspread. I've found black and cream or black and grey or brown and white. I've found some black and white that I really didn't like. But I finally came across a black and white comforter set at Walm.art dot com. It was $65 for the comforter and two shams which I thought was actually a pretty good deal so I ordered it. They called me Saturday to tell me that it HAD come in but there was an issue. An associate made a mistake and accidentally returned the charge to my card, BUT they did still have the comforter and would keep it until I could come and get it. I would just have to pay for it again. OK. It was a small hassle but oh well.
So I went yesterday to pick it up. Sure enough they have the comforter with a big not that says it is for me but they would have to override the price at the register and charge me $65. The register in the Site to Store department was down so I was going to have to take it up front to a register. I asked the lady if I was going to have any trouble and she assured me I would not. So I asked her what it would normally ring up as so she got a scanner thingy to check. And she burst into laughter. Hmm...How much is it supposed to be? She is still laughing and says "YEAH! They'd have to override that!" HOW MUCH LADY???? She finally tells me. Are you sitting down? SEVEN DOLLARS! That's right folks. $7.00. Siete dólares! Evidently it had been something they carried in store but it had gone on clearance. I guess they were trying to get rid of the remaining inventory online but the store still had the clearance price? I don't know and I really don't care!
So I yell say "Well, I'm not paying $65 for it!" Thankfully she was in agreement and said to just let them ring it up and it would ring up at $7. Oh my word! I was so nervous that when I got up there to pay they were going to say "NOPE LADY WE ARE ONTO YOU! You are paying $65!" But they did not! So I got the comforter of my dreams for SEVEN BUCKS! I NEVER get deals like that!

It's even reversible!

Happy Birthday Ellie!

This was taken last fall, but it is just so ELLIE

Party pics. My camera was really not fast enough for all the action.






It is so incredible to think back four years. I told Ellie last night the story of that same evening four years ago: Biz had come over to help me hang a few pictures in Ellie's room {and had expressed her disapproval of Ellie's name. It didn't "flow" HA! I will never let her live that down}. I had picked up a pizza on the way home. It was a normal evening. It started to get a little stormy {just like last night!} and Brandon and I were headed to bed. I went in and washed my face and came out to tell him I thought my water had broken. His response was {an unethusiactic} "Are you serious?" You see {and I spared Ellie this part}, we had both slept TERRIBLY the night before. For the first and only time in our married life, we both tossed and turned so much that Brandon had actually retreated to the couch! We were SO. TIRED. and so ready to hit the sack. Here we'd been waiting 9 long months for this baby and when she was finally ready to get here, we were really ready to just go to bed and wait one more day! But that was not how things played out. We headed to the hospital and arrived by about 10:30. Twelve short hours later, we were holding a precious baby girl named Ellie Jordan Fields.
How different things are today! How she has blessed my life! I can't even put into words the joy Ellie brings to my life. She is funny, smart, sensitive, and fiesty. I get sad to think that she is getting older and may not always want me to rock her {every single night!}, but Nana is right when she says that each passing day brings new reasons to enjoy being a Mama. I miss Ellie as a baby, but I would not trade her as a FOUR YEAR OLD for any amount of money. And I am sure I will feel that way when she is 10, 15, 20 and 60! Just last night, she made me laugh so hard I almost fell on the floor:
Ellie wanted a {homemade} blueberry muffin. I told her she needed to finish her dinner, but I fixed the muffin and set it beside her plate. {Proof I'd let her have it!} Mason said he wanted to get down and asked for something in the living room. Ellie said "YEAH. Go in the living room and get it for him. You can go on in there NOW. I'll be fine!" I said "WHY? Are you going to eat that muffin when I leave the room???" She busted out laughing because that was EXACTLY her plan. I guess she didn't think I was smart enough to figure that one out!
***
We had a wonderful birthday party at Imag.ination Sta.tion. It turned out that FIVE children were on vacation so there were only a few kids, but we partied anyway. Tonight Ellie has requested: Shells and cheese, deer meat and fried okra. She has a couple more gifts to open {from us and from Biz and Tim}. I am excited about what she is getting from us. Here's a hint:

***
We had a nice weekend. All of Brandon's parents came down the for the party. His dad and Linda were able to make a weekend of it so we got to spend lots of time with them which was nice. I think if Mason spent much more time with Grandma Linda, she'd have a very hard time getting rid of him. He wanted to be with her all. the. time! Brandon's mom and John came out for a little while after the party and checked out the progress on the house. John was helpful with some issues he saw with the house that we were able to address with our contractor this morning. It seems when you say "structural issues" to a contractor, they come right out the next morning!
***
There is a trailer of siding sitting at the house that was delivered some time yesterday. Word is they will start with siding tomorrow. The basement ceiling has been finalized and they should be getting that done this week so {hopefully} drywall can start as soon as the electrician {BRANDON} finishes with the electric. Our contractor did say to me Friday "Just don't be mad at me when it is not finished on time." OH LORDIE! Somebody hold me!

Blessed Beyond Measure

I read a lot of blogs. I guess it's just the nosy southern girl in me that loves to know what is going on with others. I also love to share in the joys of others. But often by reading, I share in the struggles of others. I read about people with cancer, people experiencing difficulties with infertility and people with sick babies. This morning, I came across the blog of a family who lost a baby last year and gave birth to another baby this week that likely will not make it. I cried. Actually I am still crying a little.
A lot of times I feel like the things I write about here come off as whiny and complain-y. I gripe about kids not sleeping, a messy house, the new house not being built fast enough. The truth is, I am blessed beyond anything I could have ever dreamed. My children are beautiful and perfect. I have a really really great husband who respects me, supports me, listens when I talk and adores our kids. I have incredible parents who are there for me no matter what the need. And I can't even put into words how awesome my sister and brother-in-law are. I am so lucky to have always been very close to all my extended family and grandparents. And I have fantastic in-laws. Brandon and I have good jobs and we are building a dream home. All of that just scratches the surface!
I am amazed at the struggles that people overcome. And they don't just overcome, they remain so faithful to God and continue to trust his plan for them. It AMAZES. ME. We have a busy weekend coming up and I am thankful for reading that blog this morning and getting things in perspective. God is good.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

Monday afternoon we came home from school and the kids were playing outside. I was going through the mail and Ellie came in. "Mama, can I have some water?" I said,"Water? Why do you need water?" she replied "Oh I just need some." Very cool. Then I noticed a greasiness to her face and that she was holding her hands weird. "What's on your face?" with a look of complete innocence "I don't know..." "Ellie, WHAT is on your face???" at which point I pulled her closer and smelled bug spray. {We keep it on the front porch} "Ellie is that bug spray on your face?" the sobs begin "YESSS!!! It's tastes BAD. I need some water." So I consoled her and told her it was ok and rushed to the bathroom to wash her face and hands and get water. I got her all cleaned up and I am telling her the whole time that it's ok but bug spray can make her sick and she shouldn't spray it on herself. "I didn't spray it." she told me. "Who sprayed the bug spray?" "Mason." "Ellie, Mason cannot even spray bug spray and he was not on the porch. Tell me the truth." She INSISTED, "MASON DID IT!" "Ok, go to your room." I follow her to her room and tell her that she needs to tell the truth and that I am not mad about the bug spray but she IS going to be in trouble if she lies to me. That's her story and she's sticking with it. About this time, Brandon and Mason walk in. In one last ditch effort I say "Ok, Ellie, I am going to smell Mason's hands. If they smell like bug spray, I will believe you. If they don't smell like bug spray, you are in time-out." Stinker that she is, she didn't even blink. She might as well have said "I. AIN'T. SKEERD!" So I smell Mason's hands and as you can probably guess, they smelled like dirty little boy, but NOT BUG SPRAY. Ok she's in time-out. Tears ensue. So after her 4 minutes I go back in and give her one more shot at the truth. "Ellie, this is your last chance or you are getting 4 more minutes. Who sprayed the bug spray?" "I did Mama. Can I give you a hug? I love you." Way to change the subject! So I told her that I don't like lying and that Mama's always know the truth. Then she lied to Brandon about something else last night.
***
NEWS ON THE HERD:
I know news about Jennifer the cowgirl thrills you so I thought I'd share...We have two new babies. One had been expected for many weeks but the other was a surprise last night. We all got to ride out on the four wheeler last night and see it. When we went out there it was still wet and we think it took it's first steps for us! It is TINY. I think Lucy is bigger than this cow! We also think it might be a little early.
Also, today I am sending my first cows to slaughter. As you can tell, we all have a sort of relationship with these cows. I mean, they all have NAMES! But I am realistic about it and they are not pets. We have two cows that we've been planning to eat for quite some time. Being that I am trying to keep things REAL and eat local, how much more local can I get??? I haven't had a good steak in a while so somebody fire up the grill!
It's the circle of life. Sometimes I get frustrated with farm life and think how much easier things would be if we lived in a neighborhood. In Gallatin. With sidewalks. But then there are times when I realize my kids will have so many experiences that I never had. And they do have the best of both worlds since they can always go to Gallatin and ride bikes at Nana and Poppop's!
***
I made another trip to the Mennonite produce market for some veggies and fruit. YUM! I also bought some stuff for a co-worker. I got cantelope, squash, peas, and corn for $6. Ellie helped me shell peas and shuck corn. I told her she could take the shells and husks to the cows so she made about 90 trips from the front porch to the gate. She took two peas shells at a time! I told her if she would wait she could take a whole bucket to them, but she told me they were very hungry so she needed to get the shells to them right away.

***
This morning, Brandon got Mason up and turned on Mickey Mouse for him. Brandon said, "You want to watch Mickey Mouse?" "AAALLL RIGHT!" I went to check on him and he said "HI MOM!" I found him sitting on the arm of Brandon's recliner, knees bent, feet up, pretending to talk on the REAL phone that he had taken off the hook."Hed doh?" THAT KID!

Ellie's birthday is coming up. She requested a "friend party" at Imagination Station. {10 am Saturday- Imagination Station in BG Fitness for Women on Lover's Lane. Join us!} She has requested 3 different cakes. First was Dora, then Backyardigans and then yesterday it was rainbow with blue icing??? I went with Backyardigans with blue icing and thankfully this morning she said "My birthday is Saturday. And I will have a Backyardigans cake!" SCORE! It should be a fun weekend. Brandon's dad and Linda are coming tomorrow to hang out with us for the evening and Ellie is super excited about that. Everyone except Brandon's brother and his family is coming. Hopefully we will be able to make some time to get up to IN to visit very soon.

You wanted pictures?

Here are some pics. {Biz did not approve of the way I did it the first time. I kind of agree.}


I can hardly believe I am posting this because A. my house is a wreck and B. Brandon will freak that I posted Mason in a tutu. BUT...Ellie was dressed up and I can't really say to a 20 month old "No, you will be called a sissy if you do that." Mason is secure in his manhood.

Mason loves cherries! Ok he loved them for a night.



This is from February, but it's so cute!


Ellie in her $1 goggles in the shower

The deck and roof over the side door are new

Flashback Monday

June 2009


July 2008

I am always finding myself thinking "what was life like a year ago?" Yesterday afternoon we made a quick trip over to Biz's and that very thought crossed my mind. I looked in the backseat and Mason was laid back and enjoying the ride. So how were things one year ago?.....
Mason was still rear-facing in his carseat. He has always been the best car rider. {Much better than his sister} He pretty much never made a peep. Out of the car, he has always been on the go. A year ago, he was climbing onto the coffee table and into pretty much everything.
This year, so much has changed, but so much has stayed the same. Mason is still a real sweetie. He rarely has emotional breakdowns. {Although this weekend the Terrible Terrific Two's started to show and he had a couple of MAJOR fits} He is pretty even tempered and not much gets him riled up. He has started being a bit more possessive causing his sister to ask me last night "Will you always be just my Mama and Mason's Mama?" Me: "Yes." Ellie:"Then why does Mason always tell me you are not my Mama?" I explained that he is a baby and he just doesn't know. Anyway...Mason is still into everything and afraid of very very little. He is such a sweet kid and I get so tickled at his "se la vi" attitude. One of the biggest changes is that he can talk. And talk he does. A new one over the last couple of days is "UH doonin?" {TRANSLATION: What are you/he/she doing?} He will repeat anything you tell him to repeat and everything his sister says. He is a joy.
So there's my Flashback Monday.
***
Ice Age is off the list of movies Ellie is allowed to watch! Why? you ask. I'll tell you: Last night the movie was on tv so me and the kids were sitting there watching. I won't bore you with the entire story of the movie, but at the beginning of the movie, a Mama is in a river with her baby. She gives her baby to the Woolly Mammoth and a Sloth {I know very realistic!} and then when the camera goes back to her, she is gone. It's a bit mysterious what happens but you assume she is swept down the river. The question is "Did she live or die???" Ok, this became a HUGE question in our house! So I am sitting there watching and this part comes on and Ellie turns around to me with H U G E tears and BAWLS "That baby is going to miss her MAMA!!!!" Oh. My. Goodness. So of course I start crying! And I have never seen the stupid movie so I have no idea how it turns out but I am all "Doesn't he find his Mama at the end???" Ellie:"NOOOOO!" Oh Lordy. So I tell her we need to consult Daddy because I am fairly sure he's seen the end of the movie. Well he's in the shower. Off we go to ask. Now, he's in the shower so I did not get to make that "Mama/ Daddy eye contact" and he obviously didn't know how to answer.
Me: Daddy we need to ask you a question. Ellie is very upset about Ice Age. What happens to the baby?
Brandon: {obviously thinking that being reunited with the kid's dad is a GOOD thing} They take him to his Daddy.

So he looks out of the shower and then he and I together start piecing together a story that perhaps the mom is there too but they don't show her??? Then Brandon kinda backtracks and is all "but isn't the Daddy good enough???" Lord dear this isn't your ego!
Ellie did recover with only a brief relapse into tears when she thought about it again later last night. It made me So. sad! {I really don't even want to go into the thoughts it provoked for me} So that movie is off the list!
***
We had a wonderful weekend. The movie with Biz went pretty much as I would have expected and I think she said about 15 minutes before the movie was {finally} over, Ellie started begging "Can we please just go???" I'm glad Biz is smarter than me. The good part for her is that she can practice all this stuff on my kids and know how it will turn out so that she can be the perfect parent. {Tee hee}.
Brandon had a date Friday night since we were sans kiddos. I got a message from Biz while at dinner {sushi} to call her when we were on our way home. Hmm??? So I call and she reports that Ellie has thrown up on her couch. AYE DE MI! Ellie seems to be fine but Biz wanted to know what I thought and should she stay. We decided she could stay and she was fine for the rest of the night. Biz's couch fared pretty well after a call to Nana for some cleaning advice. Good. Times. So Biz gave Ellie her first experience with a movie in a theater and her first experience puking on a couch. THANKS BIZ!
Saturday we went to my Uncle's for the annual July 4th Spectacular {AKA Chebby Fest}. We had a great time even though the weather did not cooperate. Yesterday we didn't do much of anything. Mason has been an uncooperative kid and isn't sleeping well. I took him to the dr this morning to have his ears checked and it seems everything is fine. Hopefully it's just a temporary thing. Hopefully!
Brandon got some more work done on the house yesterday. I think all that is left for electric is to make all the switches and wire all of the lights downstairs {which cannot be done until the ceiling is started}. I am still hoping for siding this week. I will try to take some new pics. Not much has changed aesthetically so there isn't much to see. But I'll take some!

Aunt Ann's Squash Casserole

This is for my Honey, Des:

6-8 squash or zucchini
1/2 an onion
1 package Peppe.ridge Farm Stuffing Mix (I actually use Stove Top*!)
1 c sour cream
1 can Cream of Chicken soup

Cook squash and onion. (I usually put it in a small but deep skillet. Saute in some butte and EVOO. Once it's cooked a little, add enough water to cover and cook until tender) Drain squash. Combine all ingredients, reserving about 1/2 c stuffing to sprinkle over the top. Place in casserole dish and bake on 375 until it starts to bubble. Dee. Lish!

*You can buy Stove Top Stuffing mix in the big can. I use about 2-3 cups of that. You can eyeball it. If you use more squash, add more stuffing and sour cream.

I'm Going Solar!

So remember last week when my power went out at night? It happened again. I am so. completely. OVER. Tri.cou.nty Elec.tric Coop! Our power goes out for some period of time DAILY. It's ridiculous!
So last night we had just gotten the kids in bed and it flashed...flashed...flashed...OUT. So I call Biz and she reports that hers flashed as well but did not go out. Super. Brandon gets on the horn to the power company and he is #1 in line. Now you may remember last week when I called during that outage, I was #22. Again I am thinking this cannot be good. So he reports the outage and the lady in dispatch has not had any reports yet. I am thinking "Are we the only ones???" Brandon decides to walk up the driveway to see if our neighbors have power. They do not. We turn off all the light switches and head to bed. THANKFULLY Brandon had downloaded the white noise app to his phone so he turned that on and put it in the kids' room. Long story short...the power came back on at 11:45 and then went off AGAIN at 12:15 and was off until about 2:15. Bad night. I told Brandon we should complain and he said "What are we going to do? Change electric companies???" I suggested we go solar and say forget them all! The whole night made for a very sleepy Mama! One spot of good news in all of this is that the kids both slept fantastically!
You may also remember this has been my "late week". Only today I needed to be here early. AYE! We did make it here by 7:30 {by some miracle} AND best of all, I got a three hour break during the day. What did I do with my 3 hour break, you may ask...I went home and CLEANED! I was able to hit the bathroom and kitchen very well and straighten the den and clean out the back of my truck. Yes, Mom and Biz, I cleaned it out very well and it only has essentials now! Did anyone see Op.rah yesterday? It was about people who have completely cluttered vehicles. It hit a little too close to home! So now my truck is a bit more acceptable and I actually think my Pop would approve. {It just needs to be vaccuumed}.
I am ready for the long weekend! Biz is taking the kids to a movie. {I KNOW! She's crazy, huh?} Biz doesn't always approve of my timeline on exposing my kids to new experiences so sometimes she takes it upon herself to expose them. It will go one of two ways: A. Extremely well. B. Horribly bad. I can't really decide. I have predicted that my little TV baby, Mason will do much better than his sister. She didn't really get into tv until she was almost three. Even now, she talks a lot during shows, barely watches movies and it takes a lot to keep her interest. She prefers action. Doing. And most of the time if a show is on she will put around taking care of her babies while watching Tonight I am planning to do a "movie prep". Ellie does much better in new situations if she knows what to expect.{This is her father in her!} So I am going to go over the whole "it will be dark and loud" bit. I hope they have fun. I know I will!
So my house is clean. Tomorrow morning, I am planning to hit the Mennonites for some good veggies and cantelope. {YUM!} Then hopefully the kiddies will take a good nap and be ready for the movie. I hope to finish up any chores/ cleaning/ house duties during nap and then SEW all afternoon. YAY! Ellie is going on her first "spend the night" with Aunt Biz and Uncle Tim. Nana felt it was a good opportunity to give Mason his one-on-one with Nana and Poppop so he is going to spend the night with them. {Perhaps Brandon will take me on a date.} Saturday is the annual Jordan Family get together at my Uncle Bobby's. My cousin's birthday is tomorrow and we always celebrate on the 4th. And over the last few years, she has been gracious enough to share her day with Ellie since hers in the 13th. I have proposed the idea of taking the kids to see fireworks to Brandon so hopefully he will go along and we will do that Saturday night. I think Ellie will enjoy fireworks. {Or she might be like her Mama and scream bloody murder every time she sees or hears fireworks until she is about 15. We shall see!} No plans as of yet for Sunday.
Happy Fourth, ya'll. Be safe!

NOTE: For those of you who are not real schooled on blogging {Mom} and have wondered why I put periods in the middle of some of my words, here is my explanation: So that if someone searches something like "Op.rah", my blog does not come up. It's a small effort to keep this blog off the radar.

DUH, MAMA!

Ellie has a great imagination. Around 2 years old, she started telling me stories about Bob, her baby's daddy. I am not making this up. I am just not that clever! The stories continue. Daily. I enjoy them so much. I really need to write them down. I won't share them here because she is shy about Bob and I don't want to betray her trust in me. But it is some extremely entertaining stuff!
Ellie has also taken up a great affinity lately for her baby dolls. She has a room full of dolls, but like any little girl, she has some favorites. Bitty is an American Girl doll that my Aunt Susan gave Ellie for Christmas a couple of years ago. She is a very nice doll and Ellie really loves her. Bitty was THE baby for quite some time. She has moved on a little. Actually, it seems Ellie's family has grown. Bitty is more of a toddler now and Itty is the new baby. Itty is a doll that my dad's cousin gave Ellie when she was about a year old. She is a surprising choice for favorite. She's small and her body is filled with beans. She's very floppy and she just doesn't seem like a prime doll choice by my standards. But who am I to say, right???
Itty goes everywhere with us. Ellie has wised up to the fact that Mama is doing good to get her and Mason home from school every day, MUCH LESS any toys we have brought from home. {We've had more than one doll or stuffed animal spend the weekend at school.} Most days Itty rides to school and waits in the car for us.
Monday, me and the kids went straight to Biz's so I could put up the corn she brought me from Alabama {Thanks Biz!} and Biz could watch the kiddos while the electrician {AKA Brandon} did some work. Biz played, fed and bathed the babes while I scraped...err cut corn off the cob. {JOY of all JOYS} Itty joined us. I finished up the corn and we headed home {a bit late} for bed. I inform Ellie it's time for bed and she gets night-night and asks for Itty. YIKES. Itty got left at Biz's. Oh. My. Word. Heartbreak and panic ensued. I felt worse than terrible. But was it really worth driving all the way back over to Biz's when we were already 30 minutes late for bed???
I started trying to find a substitute. Surely Bitty will do? Nope. How about Sandy? Nope. Lion? Pig? Bear? Bunny? Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. She finally settled on Toby, a little black and white dog that was the favorite for quite some time back in 2007. But I felt bad. She told me Itty doesn't sleep well when she's not with her. And Biz doesn't know what she likes! I promised to call Biz to be sure she knew Itty was there and be sure Biz let Itty sleep with her.
Itty joined us for the trip to school this morning in her car seat. After a few minutes in the car, Ellie announced that she was getting Itty out of her carseat to sit with her. OK, so Monday night, Itty had preferences and I almost drove over to my sister's to get a doll for fear the doll wouldn't sleep well. I feel this is an obvious question and I ask "What will the police do if they see her out of her seat." Ellie responded "Itty is not real! I just pretend she is!" OH. Well excuuuussseee me! Oh how I love that precious imagination!