The Fields

{Different Strokes for Different Folks}

2010-12-06T14:41:00.000-06:00

I feel like I am pretty wordly, but since Ellie has started school, I am seeing more and more that I may actually live in a little bubble of sorts. The kids have gone to school where I work all of their lives. We beat our little path from the University to "the Sticks" every day. On weekends, we go to church with people we have known several years and Biz and Tim, of course.

Socially, we have friends we've known for years, people we work with and of course neighbors. And there's always family. As evidenced this summer, I spend a large amount of my social time with my family. My peeps. Those who know all about me and love me, and mine, just the same.

So now Ellie has started school and we are presented with new interactions with new people and new interests. And new ideas. And for the record, I have always known these ideas were present, it's just that I haven't put myself or my family in situations with people who share these ideas because they are not common ideas.

This past Friday, I had a meeting with some other moms from Ellie's classroom to plan the "Holiday Party". Now, just don't get me started on that term. Because really, ya'll? Really? I don't hear anyone complaining about all the benefits of this "holiday" season. But let's be real. The "holiday" is CHRISTMAS. The birth of my Lord. OK? Ok. Like I said, I don't intend to rant.

So while at this little planning party, all the moms got to talking and a certain book came up. One of the other moms was talking about this book and how horrible it was and she was telling us "DON'T buy it!"

So, I just listened. (I really just listened!) And she went on to tell that the book was about a moose and his adventures. That other woodland creatures move into his antlers and on and on. And then...are you sitting down? Well, then there's a hunter. With a gun. (Not a slingshot or anything, a GUN.) And the hunter wants to kill the moose.

I've heard that's what hunters do. That's just what I heard...

So this mom goes on and on and on about how horrible the book was... and how she apologized to her daughter for buying it... and she had no idea what it was about... and that she never would have bought it... and how it was HORRIBLE. Alrighty...

And I just sat quietly.

Because this is a picture of my living room:

And my kid has been known to wear this.

(Look at that smile.)

And in general, I am not passionate about convincing people who don't hunt that they need to. I actually don't even try to convince people who won't eat venison that they should. Because I really don't care.

The thing that got under my skin about the interaction was the idea that everyone at that table felt the same way this other mom did. Because I don't.

And you can bet your bottom dollar that if it the subject comes up among Ellie's friends, she will think they have three heads when they say "hunting is bad" "guns are bad" or "killing animals is bad".

And to complete my rant. Oh wait, did I say I wouldn't rant? Well, let me complete it anyway.

To complete my rant, I just wonder if my family would be viewed as the "backwards", "closed minded" family. Because guess what, ya'll? It's not the case. Well, not for me.

As I said, I do not care if this mom wants to feed her kid rubberbeans and grass. Or seaweed and pondroots. Just don't assume that everyone you are talking to feels the same way you do. Because that, my dear friends, is closed-minded.

I think I'll email that mom and suggest she arrange to give Ellie that book for their classroom gift swap at the Christmas party! Cause, really, we would kinda love that book at our house!

BUT, but...here's where it kind of took me back...I kept my mouth shut. Because I am not like that mom. And I don't care what she does at her house or what her kids read. It effects me in no way whatsoever. And I guess we have entered the realm of our kids being exposed to things at school that are out of our control.

Who knew we'd start with lobbying against the NRA rather than learning cuss words???

And I guess when Ellie comes home and says "Soandso said that hunting is bad." We'll just tell her that everyone has different opinions.

Ok, that's what I will tell her. I can imagine her daddy will tell her to kick the kid in the knees and show them her rifle. And he might even help her with her powerpoint presentation on "Why Hunting is Good and Being Vegan is Dumb".

But we're not closed minded. Thank goodness for that.

***
I have to add some cute things the kids said this week because otherwise it may be forgotten into my distant memory.

One morning this week something was said about Jesus. (And I really cannot remember what was said) And Mason responded: "Jesus? I know him! He's God's son!!" Amen and A Men!

We watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" one night last week. At the end, when the Whos get all their stuff back, Ellie looks at me and says "Jesus made that happen. He did. Because Christmas is about Jesus." So evidently Jesus wanted the Whos to have their gifts and decorations. She was very convinced of this fact. But at least she (mostly) knows what Christmas is really about. For that I am thankful!

{Merry Christmas!}

2010-12-02T10:16:00.000-06:00

Ya'll get the privilege of being the first to receive that greeting from me this year. Did you know I love Christmas? Love it! And I have finally gotten on the bandwagon of thinking that the Christmas season starts the day after Thanksgiving. I mean, it's all so much fun, why not celebrate a little longer??? I am so excited about decorating the house.

In the spirit of Christmas and all the behavior management techniques it affords, we brought out the Elf on the Shelf for his second year in our household. Do you know about the Elf? He comes in a little gift package that happened to be delivered to my parents' house last year on Thanksgiving Day for Ellie and Mason. In the package was a book, "The Elf on the Shelf", and the Elf himself. The book explains that he is there to watch over things and report back to Santa. Every night when the kids go to bed, he flies back to the north pole by way of "Christmas magic" and gives the Big Guy a report of the good and the bad.

This seems like a fun little idea, huh? I mean kids certainly need MORE Christmas to go with all the other fluff, right? Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking. Do I not have enough stress without having to remember to move the damn Elf every night?

Then I rethought it. My kids are only little once. And with the way things are going, I honestly am not sure Ellie is going to believe in Santa and Elves for very long. She has already informed me that she isn't completely buying this Elf thing. She told me the second day that "He's just stuffed. I don't see how he flies home." To which I replied an indignant, "YOU THINK I WOULD LIE TO YOU???"

Does that make me a bad person? I mean, it's a lie, right? But it's a good lie. Right?

Sometimes I am not sure if she just enjoys a good fantasy and plays along or if she really believes. And I really don't remember having those thoughts until I was much older. To her credit, I think she will at least play along for a good long while for Mason's (and possibly my) sake.

I somewhat expect Mason to get fed up with the Elf's reports and make the little guy mysteriously disappear. Mason has entered the terrible threes. His twos were actually a joy. He's paying back now. More on that later...But I do have to add, he is still the funniest kid I know. This morning as we were walking into school he told me first he was galloping like a horse. Then he started running and I said "Are you running like an antelope?" He said "No! I'm running like A CHILDREN!"

I was particularly pleased with my creativity regarding the Elf last night. And I plan on making this Elf on the Shelf thing fun for myself this season. (I know Brandon can't wait.)

Ellie is now convinced (and scared)that our toys come alive at night. Mason was kind of miffed that Woody was in the Barbie Jeep.

Next up: A letter from Santa. Oh and I'll be changing Biz's contact info in my phone to "Santa Claus" in case I need to text or call the Big Guy. Merry Christmas, ya'll!

{A Review}

2010-11-08T10:58:00.000-06:00

Obviously, I have been a neglectful blogger. It just occurred to me that I didn't even post a sweet "Happy Birthday to my BABY!" blog. You can look forward to that. Better late than never. That's kind of my motto.

So I am pretty much going to recap our life of late. Hang with me.

***
The kids are great. Ellie is doing very well in school. She is taking tap class and loves it. My mom and Miss Martha tell me she is doing really well. I think my mom says this because she is her Nana. I think Miss Martha says this because I am paying her. I am going to look into piano lessons.

Mason is doing really well, period. He loves school. And horses. He got about 5 million animal figurines and a barn for his birthday. And he learned to play. Praise the Lord and Howyalooyah.

***
Falling back is the best thing that happened to me today. Waking Ellie in the morning is like disturbing a hibernating bear. She hates waking up. Her eyes never work. The lights are too bright. She's never really hungry. She pretty much dislikes the entire world.

Today she came to my bathroom at 6:15. That's a whole 30 minutes earlier than I normally go (try) to wake her. She was all smiles. Dare I say...giddy? I am attributing this to the time change. I am also ignoring the other possibilities for this change in mood, which are: 1.Mason spent the night with my parents last night 2. Today was pajama day at school and she didn't have to get dressed. Obviously, the time change works for Ellie.

Mason spent the night with my parents. My mom requested that he stay with them because it was "his turn". I honestly never considered the fact that he would wake up at say...4 am.

***
I am ready for Christmas. Mostly I am ready for decorating. I am dreaming up all kinds of cute thing I am going to do to my house. Here's hoping I actually get it done! And that Brandon can hang with it.

***
I want these boots. Like real real bad. I dream about them. They are expensive.

And I read the blog of a certain Pioneer Woman who bought them and liked them so much, she bought another color at the same time. What the heck? Who can buy $600 worth of boots in a pop?

***
I finally got a few of the beach pics. Here are a couple of my favorites. I always think candid, unposed shots where no one really got ready for the picture are the best.

Everyone hanging on the couch

Bedtime story

{Halloween 2010}

2010-11-01T10:42:00.001-05:00

Brandon said to me yesterday: "How I am supposed to know what's going on in my kids lives if you don't blog?" Um, I think this indicates some serious communication issues in our marriage!

Our town celebrated Halloween yesterday. I'm still not sure why. Wouldn't Saturday have been a better choice?

I've spent seven years in our small community and in those seven years, I have never had a trick or treater. So the obvious choice is to load the kids up and bring them "to town" to trick or treat at all of my families' houses. So, including Charlie, that's three kids in carseats with about 9,000 costume props to keep up with, visiting 6 different houses. That equals OMG I am setting up Trunk or Treat at my house next year!

The kid had a lot of fun. Although this is yet another time I am regretful that they don't have the "neighborhood experience". I can remember getting together with all my friends and traipsing all over our neighborhood. I'd get so much candy that I would have to come home and dump it and go back out for more! I guess there's always Nana and Poppop's!

The Ladybug and the Cowboy

Charlie the Hunting Dog

Aunt Susan and Abbey

GG and Uncle Mitch

We caught Aunt Nancy at the end of the Titan's game. I'm glad we were there to brighten her spirits. She gets the prize for the best treat....she gave Ellie and Mason a bag of salad as their "treat". They both watched her put it in their bags, said thank you and then kind of walked away with strange looks. Then she said "OH wait! I didn't recognize you! I have special bags for you! That's what I give all the regular neighbor kids" And she did have special bags!

Shelby, Andrea and Andrew.

It was a fun night. Trick or treating with relatives is kind of like Christmas. We got plenty of candy, but we also scored books, dvds, and stuffed animals!

Happy Halloween!

{What's Going On}

2010-10-20T14:41:00.000-05:00

To say it has been a while would be an understatement, no? I've thought of a thousand different things to blog about and just never make the time. How is it I have so little time? I feel like I am always chasing my tail and really never accomplish anything. I've whined about this so much I know you are as tired of hearing it as I am typing it. So EVS. We move on.

***
The kids and I joined my parents, Biz and Charlie on a terrific and glorious beach trip a couple of weeks ago. Ellie asked if we could call Daddy and Tim and have them come down and then just live there. Yep. That pretty much summed it up.

I didn't bother getting out my camera because Biz had her extremely sophisticated camera with her, however I have yet to see a single shot taken from said sophisticated camera so I finally uploaded some pics I took with my phone. So pathetic. (Get on it Biz!)

On the way down, Charlie got all 'hood on us.

When we got to the beach, Ellie was cautious. Mason refused to get within 10 feet of the water. Ellie held my hand and after about 2.5 seconds, she was in the water. It took Mason about 3 minutes. This picture was taken about 5 minutes post arrival. There was this cool sandbar that the kids called "Our Island". The water was more clear than I have ever seen it and so calm it was like a lake!

Mason tried on Nana's glasses. Ellie took a swim in the pool. We actually spent a surprisingly little amount of time at the pool.

Charlie made a few beach appearances. It's tough with all the paparazzi.

We got up early one morning and hunted for shells. The kids were impressed, I was not. When I was little I used to find TONS of shells on this very same beach. What happened?

They got all geared up for the big Auburn vs. Kentucky game. War Eagle!

We had a great time. It was so relaxing. Then we came home. Bleh.

***

Big family news is that Biz is no longer working. She and Charlie are chilling at home. I am absolutely, insanely jealous. I mean, the van wasn't bad enough and now this! The bright side for me is that Ellie no longer has to go to the after-school program.

If I'm being honest, after-school was pretty much my most unfavorite thing about her starting school. I hated it. The program was fine. The supervisors were great and they did tons of fun things. But it just made for such a long day. And she was in there with kids all the way up to 6th grade. And she reported that one of her good friends in after-school was Sheila, a 4th grader.

Say WHAT?

So yeah, not a big fan of after-school. But those days are over and I am eternally grateful, once again, to my fabulous sister. Even though I am also incredibly jealous.

And Charlie is no longer at school with me everyday and I pretty much HATE IT. He grew so much last week and now he thinks he is going to crawl. He is getting SO BIG.

And I am so so so incredibly over the moon happy for my sister to be with him all day every day!

***

We had Ellie's first parent teacher conference yesterday. She makes us so proud! She is doing great in school. Her teacher said that most days she worries about her job security with Ellie in her room. I'm not sure if that is good or bad.

They want to test Ellie for the kindergarten version of the gifted and talented program. Again, I am just so proud of her. Her love of learning is incredible. She'd rather do homework or workbooks than pretty much anything. I hope she always loves school this much!

***

My baby will be three on Saturday. THREE YEARS OLD. Unreal. His wishlist is pretty small: "A BIG 'piderman and a schlinky like Ellie's".

We made a trip to Toys R Us to try to find a few more things he might like to add to the list and he found this:

Right.

So a big 'piderman it is!

***

I'm excited about the weekend. Mason's birthday, a trip to a local Orchard/ Pumpkin patch, Bizfest 2010 and Brandon's dad and step-mom are coming to celebrate with us on Sunday.

Life is crazier right now than it has ever been for our family. It's something I'll talk about here later. Just know, life is nuts. But we'll survive. It's not bad. Once the craziness is over, it's gonna be great! And I'll even tell you about it if we are friends. But say a little prayer for us!

{Transportation}

2010-09-22T20:56:00.000-05:00

I had to have some work done on my truck last week so I needed to drive Brandon's car. I kind of cringed at the thought. Brandon bought his car as a cheap, good gas mileage car. It fits those criterion. But Brandon has treated it like a farm truck and it was nas. tay.

I decided that driving such a filthy car would put me in a bad mood and Brandon deserved to have a cleaner car. Plus I didn't want to drive it in that condition so Biz and I set out to clean it up.

I judged, ya'll. I judged a lot. HOW could anyone get a car so dirty? And remember Biz and I were working together so it wasn't pretty conversation. But we got the job done.

Then Biz went car shopping. She bought a minivan. Yes she did.

Now I have said a lot of bad things about minivans, but I take them all back! I swooned. It's just so dang kid friendly. And has leather. And a DVD player. And headphones. And doors that open AND CLOSE automatically.

I envied. I am ashamed of how much I envied. I envied A LOT. I was in a bad place. A place where I was thinking how having a car payment wouldn't be so bad. I mentioned the doors, right? And the kid friendliness?

It was a bad time in my life and I am not proud.

And then I started thinking. First I thought "HOW could my own sister do this to me? How could she one up me like this? WHO does she think she is with her high falootin' minivan???" And then I kind of came to my senses.

For starters, while Biz has a very nice abode, it is certainly not her dream home. It's small. And she only has one bathroom. And I have four.

So I thought "Hmm, I bet she wishes she had one of my bathrooms. Or my tub. Ok, so maybe I don't have it so bad."

And if I am being honest, because I think honesty is the best policy, I have a really nice truck. It's ginormous and four wheel drive and shiny. And dependable. And paid for.

But I started looking closely at it and I had to admit that my truck was pretty dirty. We spend a total of AT LEAST an hour and a half a day in my truck. My kids eat in my truck. It gets pretty gross.

I decided that I too deserved a clean truck.

Now, once in a while, I run it through the car wash and vaccuum it out. And sometimes I try to wipe everything down. But this obviously hasn't been enough.

Remember how I judged? I was paid back. Holy moly.

I have three rows of seats. The middle seats flip up and I can get underneath them. Thank the good Lord. That's all I can say. The stuff I found under those seats? Well, it's best if we don't talk about it.

The dirtiest spot was Mason's. There were crumbs and spills and stickiness and just totally and complete nastiness. And petrified fruit snacks.

But now my truck is clean clean clean. It made it drive better. And smell better. ~~So when my financial advisor decides it's time to get a minivan, I'm all ready to sell!~~

It's pretty awesome.

{Growing Pains}

2010-09-15T15:48:00.000-05:00

Mason's been telling knock knock jokes lately. The first time he gave me the punchline- "beenana orange glad I'm a beenana"- Well. I just lost it. Then he told it about 200 more times and I laughed just as hard. The kid cracks me up.

He's "transitioning" to the pre-school room. He is currently in the "toddler" room and as kids get close to 3, they start to visit the preschool room. His toddler teacher and I are having a hard time with it. Mason, not so much. He actually hasn't even looked back. His teacher and I have made a deal that we will continue to make him think he has to go to her room in the morning. As soon as breakfast is over, he asks to go to pre-school and stays the rest of the day. Even nap!

And transition would make you think it's a gradual process, right? Not for Mason. He would be perfectly happy to never see his toddler friends or teachers again. He tells me he is a big boy now.

Mason is precious and funny and sweet and smart. And funny.

The other morning on the way the school he said "Alright, Derek, let's get to school." We don't know a Derek. And as far as I know he does not watch any shows on tv that have a "Derek" character in them. And because we are cut out of the same cloth, I responded "Ok, Jim, let's hit it." And we both died in fits of laughter.

That's how we roll.

This is my baby back in January:

This is some big kid who was in the back of my bus last Friday:

Therefore it has been decided that Mason will not grow beyond the age of three.

Thank you and goodnight.

{NKOTB}

2010-09-08T17:16:00.000-05:00

Last night, Brandon and I were watching tv. Well, actually, I was watching tv. Big Brother to be exact. It was DVR'd. It is the only thing I cannot miss on tv. Brandon was half watching/ half cleaning up the kitchen. He's a gem.

So a commercial comes on for some new movie about vampire children. I said "Uh, no thanks. Gross." Brandon asked what I was talking about so I told him "A new movie about vampire children." He replied, "Oh that might be good." (Tell me again how are we compatible?) "Sounds like 'Lost Boys'. You've seen 'Lost Boys', right?"

Evidently Brandon and I grew up in opposite universes. I could tell you all the things he loves that I don't. Or I could tell you all the things that I love that he hates. Or all the things I have never seen that he loves. But it is easier to tell you that the only popular television show we have a common love for is Little House on the Prairie. Seriously. And now we're living the dream just like the Ingalls.

So back to Lost Boys. Brandon insists that I must have seen it. He goes on to add that I surely had a major crush on Corey Haim. Hiam? Haimm? Um, no. I did not. "Who DID you have a crush on?" he says. "Well, um....I got all those "Teen Beat' magazines but I don't remember who I swooned over except for 'New Kids On the Block'" I say. (NKOTB for the real fans) And the rest goes like this:

Brandon: Ok which one did you love?
Me: Jordan
Brandon: Is he gay?
Me: IS he gay?
Brandon: IS he gay?
Me: Is HE gay?
Brandon: Is he GAY?
Me: Is he gay?
Brandon: IS. HE. GAY? I don't know. I am asking.
Me: Oh. Is he gay? You say it like one of them is gay. Is one of them gay????
(Because I might need therapy)

Brandon: LANCE BASS IS GAY!

Me: (Laughing so hard I am crying and almost peeing my pants)

I was finally able to get out the fact that Lance Bass was not in NKOTB. While wiping away tears.

Then Brandon spent 15 minutes trying to figure out which boy band Lance was in.

{One of Those Weekends}

2010-09-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

I've always gotten Memorial Day and Labor Day confused. It's one of the many things I get confused about. Several years ago, I figured out a way to keep it all straight for myself: Memorial Day is in May and they both start with "M". Somehow, however, I think the two holidays must have similarities for me.

Remember my post from Memorial Day weekend? I had another one of those weekends! I feel like time somehow stood still and there was enough time to do almost everything that I wanted or needed to do. (I did not mop my hardwood. And I really wanted/ needed to.)

Saturday, I slept in. My mom came and took the kids to my grandmother's for a visit. The weather was glorious. They went to a park and played. Then they went back to my grandmother's to ride their bikes. While they were gone I cleaned. I met them in town and retrieved the kids so mom could be on her way home.

Brandon was going to a UFC fight so the kids and I stayed home. Ellie's big secret was that we popped popcorn and ate it on the couch. The jig is up now since Brandon is one of my 5 faithful readers. Brandon hates the smell of microwave popcorn. Go figure. But we very much enjoyed eating popcorn while we watched Olivia and the Backyardigans.

Sunday, we went to church and then to Gander Mountain to get Ellie her very first deer hunting outfit. Ahh...makes a Mama proud.

How cute is she???

Then we came home and my mom came to sew with me. Evidently, I am a solitary sewer. We didn't accomplish much. I really think that sewing is kind of solitary. And everyone has their own system. But I did get two shirts done yesterday.

My goal was to get some things done for fall for the kids. I keep a list two miles long of all the things I want to sew and I just never seem to make a dent in it. But this weekend, I did.

Today, I was able to do four shirts for Ellie, three shirts for Mason and a shirt for Charlie. Woot!!! And I threw in a few loads of laundry in between.

Here are a few of the shirts:

Mason's birthday tee

Getting ready for football season. Go WKU!

And this one for Mason was probably my favorite of the weekend. I am counting on Nana for some brown corduroy pants to go with it and we have "Boutique on a Budget"! And I say it's my favorite, but I did one for Ellie to match a skirt I got at the crazy Kellys Kids sale a couple of years ago and it is very cute too!

All in all, it was a great weekend and I have decided that every weekend should be 3 days. 4 days of work and 3 days of weekend is just a better ratio. Not to get political or anything, but the whole idea is just crazy enough that I think it seems like something our current Pres would jump on. Just sayin'.

{A List}

2010-09-02T11:56:00.000-05:00

1. My patience and tolerance is at a major LOW. I have no time for silliness, foolery or anything that gets in my way. I was so NOT in the mood for road work this morning.

Yes, road work. My roads are just one step above gravel. Why the need to work on them at 7:20 am?

No fewer than 43 people tried to pull out in front of me this morning. What? You think it was 2? Ok, maybe it was 2.

And then I got irritated by the woman who I see walking every morning. She irritates me because she doesn't move her arms when she walks.

And you know what else is tremendously irritating to me? The fact that Eminem is making a comeback. What is up with that?

Obviously my irritation is warranted.

2. Mason is obsessed with Corvettes. I showed him a yellow Corvette one day to try to distract his attention from asking me for a "chocolate cookie", which he asks for all. the. time. (We don't even have chocolate cookies in our house. Cross my heart. I have no clue where he got this.)

So I say "WOW! See that yellow car? That's a Corvette."

Now Mason sees Corvettes everywhere. Only they aren't Corvettes. And they may or may not be yellow.

And really, I don't care. I just say "Oh wow, that's cool." Ellie, on the other hand, has no time for looking at cars that are billed as Corvettes, but turn out to be Hondas. No time at all. Disappointment sets in because evidently my kids are really into Corvettes.

Her disappointment turns into an all out screaming match that "NO THAT IS NOT A CORVETTE! MASON YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!" She's Stickler, Jr., she is.

3. My kids battle constantly. Con. Stant. Ly. Ellie doesn't get enough play time to suit her needs. She retreats to her room to play "baby" or "daycare" or "school" as soon as we hit the door in the afternoon. IF Mason follows her rules, she will let him play. IF he won't follow the rules, she will waylay him.

I hear you. You're saying, "Awe, poor Mason." Don't be fooled. Mason antagonizes. She says "Put that down" and he says "Come make me." So she does. Then he cries. Then I comfort him. Then he goes back for more. I'm at a loss.

4. I have an inability to get organized. What? The? Heck? Seriously, ya'll. Why can't I get it together. I feel like I am always chasing my tail.

And I just realized last week that I really have no excuse. There is no house building. Brandon hasn't been traveling for a few weeks. My social calendar is pretty empty. But I cannot get it together!

I have narrowed it down to a few possible causes: 1. My three roommates who always want meals and don't do their own laundry. Or pick up after themselves. 2. The lack of a live-in housekeeper (Or even JACKIE. If anyone sees Jackie, tell her I want to get back together!) 3. My full-time job that takes up like 40 hours of prime time during my week.

5. I realized two days ago that next week is Labor Day.

And I did a happy dance.

Then I realized that the forecast is calling for a HIGH of 77 degrees and I said Howalooya and Amen!

{Decisions}

2010-09-01T10:18:00.000-05:00

Add caption

Since we started kindergarten, there have been a lot of things that have changed. We have much busier mornings. Ellie has way less free time (I hate this the most for her) because we get home later and we have homework.

I try to plan ahead. I pack everything in her lunch that I can the night before and plan the other things I will put in. I fix the coffee so I can just turn it on. (Yes, I have become a coffee drinker...another post) And then there are the dreaded decisions about what to wear...

Our BIGGEST fights have been over what she will wear. I pick something, something I even pick TWO outfits and give her a choice, and it is never what she wants.

So in a lightbulb moment the weekend before school started, I came up with a plan:

On Sunday evening, we go to her room and we pick 5 OR 6 outfits (in case she feels she needs an option) for the week. I cleaned off a shelf in her closet and that shelf is dedicated to her weekly clothes. In the mornings, I tell her to go pick her outfit for the day. I can rest assured that all outfits have been previously approved by management and she feels like she has gobs of choices.

This absolutely and completely WORKS FOR ME.

Now, if ya'll can figure out a way I can A. get her to go to bed earlier and B. NOT roll over and whine "It is too hard for me to wake up." Please enlighten me.

***
Visit We are THAT Family for other great tips!

{V-U-L-C-H-E-R}

2010-08-30T14:31:00.000-05:00

I realize that some blogs you read probably have an order to them. The ones I read do! There are Menu Plan Mondays and Works for Me Wednesday. Better yet, Wordless Wednesdays when all that is posted is a picture. Ok, those usually get on my nerves. But around here, you get RANDOM because I am random and you chose to read.

There are reading groups in Kindergarten. Again, I am just able to piece together information from the tiny shreds that Ellie choses to share, BUT from what I gather...at some point each day, the children in each group gather and do literacy related activities. Ellie's group usually work on a letter. They divide their paper into quarters and they all participate as the teacher talks about words that start with the designated letter of the day. They also come up with one word on their own and write it on the back of their paper.

The teacher writes the words and draws a picture on the "active board" (this is a new-fangled chalk board that is somehow connected to the computer). Last week they worked on "V" words. We had valentine, violin, vulcher, vampire and vowel (Ellie came up with this one on her own and wrote A-E-I-O-U as her picture!).

Now you're looking at vulcher and thinking "GAH I wish that girl could spell." However, my dear readers, I can spell. I actually pride myself on my ability to spell. So when I was looking over Ellie's work, I was somewhat confused.

Vulcher? So I say to my dear sweet husband, "Honeypie, how do you spell vulture?" My sweetie replies "V-U-L-T-U-R-E? Isn't that right, Snookums?" I respond, "Yes, dear, that's what I thought. Oh well."

And seriously, I was over it. WHO knows how this vulcher thing transpired. Good grief! Ellie's teacher has been teaching for years. The woman is tired. She slipped. We all slip. Lord knows I do not want the responsibility of teaching these children to read and write and spell. Who am I to criticize or question?

But then there's my sweetie. My love muffin. My Honeypie. Some people might just call him a stickler. Your shaking your head. You can hardly believe I would say this. Yes, I know...he seems laid back, even easy going. Not one to correct others or point out flaws. But behind closed doors, well.....OH WHO AM I KIDDING??? He was really born to be in law enforcement.

Given the prospect of forever hindering Ellie's ability to spell VULTURE, well, my dear one just could not sit by and let this mistake be looked over. He needed answers.

We started with Ellie. I suggested that perhaps she had sounded it out phonetically. Because really, ya'll, I just COULD NOT imagine that her teacher had done this. I really couldn't.

As we dug deeper, we found that the teacher was out that day. And the student teacher did reading group that day. Ah ha...

So my Love Muffin says he's writing a note. He (and Barney Fyfe) cannot sit by and let this wrong go unanswered. He felt this needed to be brought to someone's attention, lest they go through life spelling Vulcher wrong.

I requested that he call his dad, a veteran teacher who is also married to a veteran teacher. My thought is that my dear father-in-law would talk some sense into his son. he could talk to him from a teacher's perspective. I was sure he would make him see that this was not a hill we needed to collectively die on. He would tell him that note writing about mistakes might be saved for later in the year when Ellie has written an essay on some intense subject matter that gets graded badly. THEN he can go talk that over with the teacher. But why bother with vulcher?

And I should have known how it would all turn out.

Brandon and his dad feel the same way about pretty much everything and Brandon's dad thinks it's kind of funny that Brandon gets so worked up about most matters. You know how Andy always thought it was funny how worked up Barney got over Otis' antics? I mean Andy agreed that Otis shouldn't be going around in that condition, but he might not have worried about it as much as Barney did. And when Barney would haul Otis in and go over the rules "here at the Rock" with Otis, Andy would kind of sit back and chuckle to himself because....OK. You get the idea.

And how did a kindergarten story turn into a story about town drunks and Andy Griffith?

My father-in-law told Brandon he "wasn't surprised" and that a note probably "wouldn't hurt, but wouldn't make much difference." Brandon took that as "GO AHEAD SON. I AM FULLY BEHIND YOU ON THIS ONE." And then my father-in-law kind of chuckled.

The note was quite mild. He basically said that we saw the paper and weren't sure if Ellie sounded it out or copied it from the active board. And he requested some explanation.

THE RESPONSE
So how would you respond?

Ellie's teacher responded with "LOL! Mrs. X responded on Ellie's group work paper."

Mrs. X (the student teacher) responded with something along the lines of "I am soooo sorry! I guess I've never written "Vulture" and I sounded it out phonetically. Thanks for pointing that out!"

I breathed a sigh of relief. I mean L O L indeed. I thanked my stars they would not start Ellie on long division and then give her F's when she wasn't able to do the work. And I chuckled. I also breathed a sigh of relief that they took my "Barney's" note as a note from a stickler. They were lighthearted about it. They didn't get their feelings hurt. Whew.

Barney didn't completely agree. He said they seemed to take it a little too lightheartedly. Because WHO can go through life not knowing how to spell vulture? Right?

I hope they are ready for their year with Barney's kid in their class!

{Independence}

2010-08-25T10:38:00.000-05:00

I get bits and pieces of Ellie's days at school over long periods of time. I can question, interrogate, annoy, and badger her and she will give me hardly anything newsworthy. Perhaps my "annoy" and "badger" skills aren't very good. We'll ask Brandon. Ok, nevermind we won't. Anyway...No matter how much I ask, most days she will not give me a play by play of her day. In my family, we call this the "He Said/ She Said" of her day.

However, at random times in the course of life, Ellie will share the He Said/ She Said. And you must know that I am a keen interrogator so I take these opportunities and run with them. Sunday night, we had such an interaction.

NOW, I must preface this for my mom and my good friend, Laura who may or may not be reading this and who may or may not have a kid in Ellie's class. DON'T PANIC. The story you are about to read freaked me out. I am pretty sure I lost sleep over it. But I have come to terms with it as a right of passage. You will too.

So Sunday night I was putting Ellie to bed and she was relaying some more information to me about her visit to the school nurse on Thursday. Thursday morning, Ellie woke up with in irritated eye. She rubbed and rubbed her eye, I told her to stop, she didn't and I guess her teacher had to cover all bases and send her to the nurse. The nurse determined it was "allergies" which turned out to be exactly right. I'm glad we have a school nurse with a good head on her shoulders.

So Sunday night, Ellie is telling me more about the story and she mentions that there was a boy who came while she was in the nurses office and she heard someone say he had been throwing up. I immediately went into "Well if you see someone throw up, you GET AWAY FROM THEM. Did you sit by him???" "No, I didn't sit by him. But I heard them say he was throwing up." "Well you just stay away from anyone who is throwing up, ok?" She agreed.

She goes on to tell me that she was accompanied to the nurse's office by the teacher assistant in her classroom. "Mrs. X took me to the school nurses office. She had something to take to the office so she let me walk back to the classroom by myself."

THUD. "Mama, are you ok? WAKE UP MAMA!" She administered smelling salts and I immediately launched into my interrogation. With the utmost calm, of course.

"She let you walk back by yourself? Are you sure about that? Tell me how that went."
"Well, Mrs. X said 'I have some things to take to the office. Do you know the way to the classroom?' And I did so I said yes and she said 'ok, you can go by yourself.'"

I couldn't really help myself so I blurted out "IF SOMEONE EVER COMES UP TO YOU IN THE HALLWAY AND SAYS 'Little girl come the bathroom with me' YOU SCREAM FIRE AND RUN!"

Ellie looks at me with a puzzled look and says "WHY would I say fire?"

"Because that's the only thing that will get their attention!" I calmly replied. It was all really really calm.

I went on to tell her how important it is to go exactly where she is supposed to go and not make any stops. And to only talk to people she knows. She went on to tell me how cool school is and how she never got to go places by herself in preschool. Yeah, real cool. Totally Totally cool.

I kissed my angel good night and told her to get some rest. Then I went upstairs and began to ponder the information I had just been given.

I went over the conversation I was going to have with the teachers. Did they make an unfortunate mistake in judgement that would never happen again? Was this standard procedure? I'd suggest that I didn't feel kids were ready for this step until Middle School or perhaps not even until High School. What happened to the Buddy System???

I decided Ellie must have relayed the story incorrectly. Perhaps she had taken to telling tall tales. Perhaps this was just another wonderful side effect form school. A vivid imagination and the ability to cause her Mama to have a heart attack.

And then I decided I might as well go on and call the principal too. And the school board. I decided to launch a thorough investigation into school security complete with secret shoppers. Then I decided none of that was worth the trouble and I might as well just home school her.

Then I woke up. I remembered that Ellie wasn't the first kid to enter kindergarten there and won't be the last. I remembered a few weeks ago when I sashayed into the school to bring her school supplies and I was chased down by the school secretary. And called by name. And told to sign in whenever I entered the school. On the second day of school. By someone I don't remember meeting.

BUT GAH this is hard. I have gone from knowing her exact whereabouts every second of her life since the day she was born to THIS loosy goosy letting babies walk by themselves to their classrooms place. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess they don't make them clean their plates at lunch either. You know I bet they don't even care if they EAT lunch on ice cream Friday. What a wild place!!!!

Ellie asked if I would drop her off at the mall to meet her friends on Friday night. I haven't completely decided yet.

My New Name

2010-08-23T09:17:00.001-05:00

Wow! I know it's been a while. I guess school is keeping us all busy. We have been busy busy busy. What has been going on, you ask? Here goes:

1. My cousin Skyler got married two weeks ago. Skyler and Brittney's engagement has fueled our social life this summer. We've had engagement parties, showers, rehearsals, dinners, and finally the BIG EVENT. Ellie was the flower girl and Mason was the ring bearer. They both did fantastic. Ellie was not able to drop her petals on her way down the aisle because Mason had a little stage fright so she put her hand on his back and nudged him all the way down the aisle. (Yes I almost cried it was so sweet). But being the queen of quick thinking that she is, she dropped her petals on the way out.

2. Brandon left for Brazil the day after the wedding and was gone for a week. He returned last Saturday. We were very glad to have him HOME!

3. Last week the daycare was closed for teacher training. Mason and Charlie spent most of the week with Nana. Brandon did keep Mason on Thursday. On Thursday, Mason had his first visit to a real barber. And a visit to the doctor to find out he had "croup". The doctor prescribed steroids. I knew things were bad when I got the following text from mom on Friday: "Do you think I could give him some motrin or tylenol to help him calm down?" My mom handles pretty much everything but Mason was somewhat possessed. By the time I got home at about 5:15, he was out of control. I can't believe she was able to do it all day! I'm pretty sure he could have lifted a car. I called the after hours service at the doctor's office and was told that I could half his dose since he was already better. That made all the difference and he had a good weekend.

Charlie and all of his cousins: Mason- 2, Ellie-5, Molly-7 and Luke-3

4. Yesterday was Charlie's christening. Tim's parents, Nicole, Molly and Luke all came up to celebrate. All of the kids get along so well and they had a blast. Molly went to Sunday school with Ellie and Luke went to Sunday school with Mason. After church, everyone came back to my house for "My Big Fat Italian Christening". Mom and Dad made two kinds of lasagna and manicotti, salad and bread sticks. Wonderful food and great company.

My house is all clean for the week so here we go again...

In other news, Ellie is still loving school. A few funny things:

I got a call Friday from my aunt. Ellie had a balance on her cafeteria account and was not going to be able to buy ice cream as the special Friday treat. Here's the thing- I have packed Ellie's lunch every day! I could not figure out what she had bought. My aunt investigated and found that when asked "Ellie are you hungry, do you want breakfast?" Ellie said "YES!" So they fed her and charged it to her account. Thankfully, my aunt paid the balance and she was able to buy ice cream!
My mom asked Ellie if she was learning to read in reading group. Ellie told her "Nana, I can already read. How can they teach me something I already know???" Well, duh!
Ellie found a Mason jar yesterday. She was EXTREMELY upset that it had Mason's name on it and not hers.

Mason is doing well. He is 100% better as far as his cough so hopefully that will hold for a while. His humor is neverending. This morning, he called me Your Highness on the way to school. And I kinda liked it. I might drop the "Mama" and go with "Your Highness".

{Back to School}

2010-08-05T11:41:00.000-05:00

Well, my baby girl started Kindergarten on Tuesday. We all did surprisingly well. I had a few tears, but she was just fine. We got to school and got our car rider tag, went to the gym and saw two of my aunts. We were directed to take her to her classroom where her teacher was waiting for her with her nametag. We went into the classroom and helped her find a seat and said our goodbyes and that was that. I have a kindergartener!

When I picked her up, she was a bit worn out and not really ready to talk. But throughout the evening, she shared more and more of her day. Kindergarten is very exciting. She was actually up before I even had to wake her this morning, ready to go.

Ellie and Mason seemed to really miss one another on Tuesday. They went out on the porch and played. We could hear some new terms being used by Ellie (all positive) and at one point, we looked out and saw the above. It's hard to see, but Mason is sitting in a chair and Ellie is kneeling in front of him, talking. This looks EXACTLY like what we have seen her new teacher do with children and it really tickled us.

I am thrilled about Ellie's school. I have an aunt and a cousin who work there and several friends who also work there and several more friends whose children go to school with Ellie. Having come from 5 years of being "Jennifer's little girl" at pre-school, it's nice that Ellie hasn't become just a number and that people know her. I am thrilled about the ability to communicate with her teacher. She is available by email, by a daily communication sheet that the kids bring home and she gave us her home number (but I really don't want to use that)! Did I mention that Ellie's teacher is this year's Kleenex spokesperson, is in our state teacher's hall of fame, and the National Teacher's hall of fame. She's, like, TOTALLY awesome. Which, coincidentally, is the one word that Ellie felt best described her first day of school.

{Time Flies}

2010-07-26T09:41:00.000-05:00

Time really flies. Whether you are having fun or not, time flies! But we have mostly been having fun. Brandon and I have had probably the most social summer of our lives together. We started out by getting our first babysitter (outside of family) back in May. And I do have to admit that this babysitter is practically family since she is my cousin's best friend AND first cousin. So I have known her all her life. But anyway...
My cousin in getting married so we have attended several pre-wedding parties.

This past weekend my parents had invited the kids to spend the night Friday night and we got an invite to go with some friends to concert in the park. We had a great time! Then my (much younger) cousin send me a message to meet her and her friends down at a bar on the square. Oh Lawzy. Let me just say that I am SO GLAD I am no longer single. And I am actually a little bit glad I am no longer young. I just do not have the energy to put into being young and worrying about guys and clothes and all that. It has been YEARS since I was in a bar and while it was kinda fun for the hour we were there, it was just so not me. I felt like everyone was going "WHO is this old lady???" And to confirm that, my cousins friends asked me if I graduated from a local high school. I said no and told them that it wouldn't have been possible because I am OLD. They laughed and said "The first graduating class was from 1995. You totally could have! You're not that old." Well, actually, I AM since I graduated before 1995!!!

Saturday night, we had our Backyard Barbecue group from church over. Brandon and I learned a lesson about having kids we don't know very well over and our responsibility in supervising. Let's just say we knew it was going downhill when Lucy, our dog, came running upstairs. Why was this odd? Well, because my dogs don't come inside. Ever. And I'm not even sure I would know how to coax them inside. They don't like to be inside. At all. But here was Lucy running upstairs into my foyer. And there was Ellie running around in the yard with her shirt off. Yeah. Fun night!

I am counting down the days until Ellie starts Kindergarten. YIKES. She is so excited. For that, I am so happy. I. Will. Not. Be. Sad. I will, however, worry if she will know how to get to her classroom, know how to unzip her lunchbox, open her own water, not eat her snack for afterschool at lunch, and know to go to afterschool. I am sure I will find more things to fret over. But I won't tell Ellie. And I am sure she will be fine. I'm also sure that other children have gone to school before her and have survived. But you know, Ellie is different. Because she's MINE.

Happy Birthday Sweet Ellie!

2010-07-13T14:11:00.000-05:00

My sweet baby girl is five years old today. Wow! Five years seems like a lifetime and a blink all rolled into one. I can't remember what life was like before Ellie. But it certainly doesn't seem like she has been around long enough to be starting SCHOOL! I'll refrain from telling you all the reasons this birthday and is hard for ME and talk about my sweet girl.
She is smart. Have I said that before? Sorry if it seems gushy but this is my blog and today is her birthday. Ellie is SO SMART. As in, I know there will come a day when she actually will know more than I do, but I hope I can instill in her the idea that she should just can it and make me feel smarter anyway. I have no worries about Ellie's ability to do well with the work in school. She is going to excel and she is going to thrive. She truly is one of those kids who "needs to be challenged".
She is sweet. She exceeded all my dreams when she become a big sister. While she and her brother have started to get into a bit of sibling rivalry lately, when he first came along and for his few couple of years, for that matter, Ellie was never mean to Mason. She willingly shared and has always been the best big sister.
And she's sweet to everyone! At her party this past weekend, her favorite part was not playing games or eating cake, it was passing out token to all of her friends so they could play. Ellie gets along with just about everyone. Unless they try to take her toy. Then she decks them.
Did I mention she is spunky? I also don't worry that Ellie will get run over in her new public school life. She fends for herself. Teachers at her preschool have laughed about her being the smallest girl in her preschool class when she was 3 but she was no afraid of anyone and she would dare them to try to take her toy or sit in her seat!
Ellie says she wants to be a veterinarian when she grows up. If she does pursue that dream, I know she will be great at it. Ellie loves animals. She has tamed our cows so much that they come when she calls and lick her hand. She is the only one they will get that close to!
Ellie loves to play. She will go in her room and play babies or play with her dollhouse for hours. She loves her baby dolls. When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday, she started off my naming 3 things for her dolls: Shoes for Bitty, clothes for Itty and a stroller with a carseat that snaps into it. I had to remind her that this was not their birthday!
Ellie is funny, but she doesn't really know it and she certainly doesn't try. We had VBS last night and I asked Ellie if she made any new friends and she told me "Yes! My teacher is my new friend!" And then of course there is the time she told me about Bob, her baby's daddy. Ellie had no idea what "Baby's Daddy" actually meant. She was using the term literally. And then there is the fact that her favorite new song is "Rain's a Good Thing". The lyrics go something like "Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey. Whiskey makes my baby...feel a little frisky" And Ellie crooning it from the back seat is pretty hilarious to me.
Ellie stayed home with Biz and Charlie today as a little special birthday treat. She has been riding her new bike and enjoying her day.

{Vocabulary}

2010-06-29T10:13:00.000-05:00

I attended a training once in which we learned that the children in households where adults have college degrees have a broader vocabulary. Most of the time (I mean there are always exceptions, right?), these families, in addition to being more educated, also have very different lifestyles than families of parents who are not educated and are maybe, say, on welfare. Kids in these educated households were exposed to more language. And I don't mean that the parents sit down and said "ok today we are going to learn what 'juxtaposition' means." But in everyday conversation, the educated parents were using more words and bigger words. The example I remember was that this "educated family" might have a conversation such as:
"So what do you want to do for dinner?"
"Oh I don't know. Let's go out somewhere."
"Ok, I'll call Mariachi's and make reservations."

The presenter basically told us "Kids on welfare don't make reservations so they wouldn't really be exposed to that word." It made a lot of sense to me.

My kids teachers and my other co-workers tell me all the time "Mason talks so well." And while I know Brandon and I probably have something to do with it, Mason also has the best little language teacher around in Ellie. But Mason is also a sponge. SPONGE. He picks up everything. He picks up things in ways that Ellie did not.

He learns things from tv. I told ya'll the story of all the things he is learning on tv, right? He can see a show or movie once and then recognize the characters anywhere. (Ellie is not that way. We are currently struggling to get a birthday list from her. She is evidently not influenced by pop culture???)

And lately I have noticed more and more things that I know he is picking up somewhere. A lot of it, I hear from his teachers. He'll say things like "Oopsy daisy!" or "OH sorry Mom (yeah MOM, where did that come from???) That's my fault!" if he drops something. It all just cracks me up.

But his most interesting mimic came while he was staying with my parents a few weeks ago. Now I KNOW without any doubt that he did NOT learn it at my parents house. Not that they are saints or anything, but I just know they don't talk this way. This new little phrase, which I will not type here, is a three word phrase that ends with an emphatic IT. I have been privy to hearing it pass his little lips twice now- once in the bathtub and once this very morning in my closet while trying to get his shoes on.

Mason is that kid who you say "Mason, you need to sit down in the chair." and he will push you until you go to him and sit him down. And he is still likely to stand back up just to spite you. And glare. And dare you to try to get him to sit down again. So I feel like any punishment or reaction when that darling phrase escapes his little lips will only serve to reinforce the reaction he is seeking. (Yeah I have learned a lot working in Early Childhood Education!) My mom came up with the idea to just simply say "Oh let's don't say that! Say: 'Hallelujah, Praise the LORD!'" (Which is actually another phrase he loves saying. And no we don't go to a church where they dance in the aisles.)

When he said "the phrase that will not be mentioned" this morning, I resisted, HARD as it was, from popping his sassy little mouth. I gained my composure and did as Nana instructed with as little reaction as I could muster. He repeated "Howyalooyuh! Praise dee Lord!" and we went about our business. So when you hear him singing the Lord's praises, you know what he really means.

And let's talk about where he learned that other little phrase...Shall we? I asked him. He first told me he heard it from a teacher. Which I actually believe, though I have never heard it from her myself. Then...THEN he told me that "Daddy says that!" And really, what little boy doesn't want to be just like Daddy? And yes, I can attest to the fact that while Brandon and his Purdue education have taught our kids words like "reservations", he has also shared not so nice words with them. Words that I say "You better watch it! They are going to pick this stuff up!"

(Now I will give the disclaimer that I taught Mason "shit". We were moving, I walked to one door and it was locked, I said "shit" and Mason repeated "shit shit shit shit shit". But he hasn't ever said it again.)

Hopefully from here on out, we can work on words like propinquity, maritorious, inevitable and possibly coprolalia.

{Sweet Summer}

2010-06-22T15:31:00.000-05:00

Yes, I know it's been a long time. All I can say is SORRY!!! Wait, what? This is the first time you've checked the blog in a few weeks. Ah well, then I see we are on the same schedule.

We are off to a fabulous summer. We've been spending lots of time at the pool. (My aunt and uncle have a pool and they like my kids a lot so they let me come along with the kids) We have had a babysitter a grand total of THREE times and Brandon and I have gone to adult get togethers. And everyone survived. Even though the kids are still talking about it like it was total torture to watch Toy Story on a "palace" (pallet) and eat popscicles in the living room which is totally against the rules. But really what fun is a babysitter if you don't break the rules? Not fun according to Ellie. More on that later.

This week Ellie is at my parents for Vacation Bible School at their church. She is having a BALL. As per usual she is having another first at Nana's...A play date! No, we have never had other kids, besides family, to our house. Are you judging me? Quit! The thing is that I don't have any close friends with kids her age that she knows well. But, she was lucky enough to be in VBS with my parent's back door neighbor and Ellie and their little girl have hit it off so Jennifer (cute name, huh?) is coming over to play this afternoon. I hope this will be the beginning of many play dates. I am really hoping that she will make some playdateable friends in Kindergarten.

Brandon is also out of town so Mason and I have been hanging out the past two days and I am really enjoying it. It occurred to me on Sunday afternoon after we left Ellie at my parents that Mason and I get very very little one on one time. I know it is surprising, but Ellie monopolizes the conversation and in general gets her way in most all situations. I mean I DO have rule and she does mind me, but We are both missing his sister and Brandon very much, but we are both also really enjoying our time together. In general, Mason is a super chill kiddo and he makes me laugh so much.

And did I mention that my kids are GROWN? Well, they are. It is both awesome and horrible at the same time. Gone are the days of naps being on time or having to be sure we had something they would eat or staying close to a potty or carrying a bag with us all the time. My kids are potty trained and eat pretty much usual kid fare. They do better with naps, but it is not the end of the world if they don't get one. And they do not need my constant supervision. This has enabled to to spend so much time at the pool. It has enabled me to do more around the house. When I'm not at the pool. Why is it horrible? Well, Mason is just still barely small enough for me to pick up over my head without throwing out my back. And Ellie, well, I can barely lift her. No one really needs to be rocked. Mason called me Jennifer for a few hours the other day. (I told him we are not on a first name basis) And they are just SO BIG.

The only reason the whole growing up thing really bothers me is this: What if they turn out to be punks??? I mean obviously I love my mom and spend oodles of time with her. I respect her opinions and I still need her. But what if they don't??? And with every day that they become more independent, we inch closer to the day one of them is going to drive off in a car with a boy or ask a girl on a date (obviously you know which is which). I mean, first it's Kindergarten and what next??? Do not answer!
Ok, panic attack over.

On other news: we had a nice visit with Brandon's mom a couple of weeks ago. She came down from IN for the afternoon and entertained the kids while I did laundry and sat on the couch. Amazing.
I am volunteering for VBS at our church in a couple of weeks. My assignment? CRAFTS. Seriously? I don't consider myself particularly crafty. I mean I am crafty in some ways, but I am not creative per se. However, it seems they have the activities all set, they give you the supplies and you just have to help the kids put it all together. I think I can handle that. BUT, last night at the organization meeting they told us they are expecting 150-180 kids. HELLO! That's a lotta crafting.

I am taking a staycation the week after the July 4 holiday. I haven't made all the plans yet but I hope to get the house all neat and clean, get some easy meals prepped, eat out some, relax and enjoy my family. We weren't planning on a big vacation this summer because we were going to do a beach trip during Fall Break. I am SO hoping BP will come through and get things cleaned up before then! I haven't been to the beach in two years and I am having withdrawals!!!

{My Best Weekend}

2010-05-31T22:18:00.019-05:00

Even pro bloggers like me have a glitch now and then. I put these pictures up last night from home in hopes of being able to write the rest of the post at work (ssshhh, don't tell) and I somehow accidentally posted the blog entry. I knew because my mom commented. Now on with the post...

Well, we had a great weekend. Ok I had a great weekend. I think everyone in my house followed suit. There was nothing specific that made it great, but it just seemed like everything clicked and went well.

Saturday, I had made plans to take the kids to my aunt and uncles pool. We got there about 9:45 and stayed until 1:30 or so. Ellie loved the water. She was cautious, but I could tell she would warm up fast. Mason, on the other hand, wasn't so keen on the pool. He basically freaked the freak out and didn't want to get back in. He spent the rest of our time there wandering, playing with the dog, and eating.

Saturday night, we had a babysitter for the second time...ever. We were invited to a UFC pay-per-view party at some friends house so my cousin and her cousin came to babysit. It was reported that both kids went to bed in hysterics because they " missed their Mama". Abbey told them she missed her mom too and to go to bed. Exactly what I would have done!

Sunday, I slept late thanks to my wonderful husband. Needless to say, we missed church. But I got up and mopped all the hardwood in my pj's. My floors are a chore and they have been so dirty and I have been so stressed so accomplishing this small task gave me so much peace. Again, it's the small things!

Sunday afternoon, both kids took great naps and I got to make this:

and this:

Saturday night, Brandon said he would like to go to the local catfish dive, Harper's. This was an incredibly nice treat for ME because a. I like Harper's and b. we never go out to eat. Like never. And the benefits of going out to eat really only hit me this weekend. Benefit #1-someone else cooks. Benefit #2 and really a bigger benefit for me- someone else CLEANS. Do you know how much time I could save in my life if I didn't have to clean up the kitchen every night??? Anyway, it was a rare treat.

Now you have to be prepared for Harper's. When we went to the bathroom, Ellie very loudly announced that "if that was her bathroom, she would never use it because it's gross!" But the food is G-U-D good! To our complete surprise, Ellie scarfed her fish. We had to end up telling her that we could take it home so she didn't make herself sick! Now she says she wants her birthday dinner there!

Monday, we decided to go back to the pool. The weather didn't look terribly agreeable, but we went anyway and it turned out lovely. Mason, again, spent his day fully clothed and wandering.

My cousin, Shelby (Chebby to those of us who know her best)and her friend Becca taught Ellie that she would not drown. Ellie is sooo cautious. (No clue where she gets that...haha!) and even with a Coastguard approved flotation device, she would barely leave the steps. Shelby decided we had to go hardcore so she took Ellie to the deep end and let go of her hands. After a momentary freakout (and it was a really good freakout complete with high pitched shrieks and panic), Ellie announced that she could swim and she didn't want anyone to touch her. At all. For the rest of the day.

After all that swimming (and freaking out), she relaxed by the pool.

Then Biz brought Charlie over for a visit while she and Tim went to run some errands. Ellie told me she had it completely under control.

Isn't he getting big??? HI!!!

And the highlight of Ellie's day was to be able to give Charlie a bottle for the first time. (Not Charlie's first, Ellie's.)

And she also put him to sleep. I am totally not kidding here. I was trying to get him to sleep and she said "Mama just get me try." So I did and he passed out.

And after trying to get dinner ready, dealing with two kids, one husband and a baby, I decided I like it when Charlie visits, but I love it when I get to go to bed with no thoughts about "when the next feeding will be"!!!

{Happy Memorial Day!}

2010-05-28T16:44:00.000-05:00

It was pointed out to me today that I have not "blogged" in quite some time. Sorry folks. Life has just kind of gotten in the way.
Brandon has been traveling a lot lately. This week he left on Sunday and got back last night. The weeks when he has to leave during the weekend are not often, but GAH they are hard. Somehow, they are harder than when he is just gone a FULL week, as in Monday through Friday. I dunno... But I DO know we miss him when he is gone.

And yes he is reading this and saying "OH she just misses me helping give baths and get dinner ready and load the dishwasher." Um, YEAH. That is A LOT of stuff to do! I feel bad when I have single mom weeks because I feel like I spend 99% of the time saying "NOT NOW. I need to do XYZ before ABC so we can JKL." (No mom, those are not abbreviations. Just use blanks instead of the letters) Anyway, I feel bad. I feel like I ignore my kids in order to unload/ load the dishwasher, get everyone fed, bathed and in bed. And I am SO TIRED. WHINE WHINE WHINE!

And then about halfway through the week, I decide I am NOT ignoring my kids any more, by golly. So have watergun fights, snuggle on the couch and watch tv, check the cow that is ready to calve and not much else gets done. Then Brandon gets to come home to a sink full of dishes and the glass container that got stuck to the counter because Mason spilled his milk and I did a quick clean up and never got around to going back and really cleaning it. (And just between us, I think it kinda irritates him.) Contrary to popular belief. Ok it's a popular belief to the two little people who live downstairs in my house. But contrary to that belief, I AM NOT SUPERMOM.

And for the record, I do miss adult conversation. And Brandon. I miss Brandon. He's a nice guy once you get to know him well enough to marry him and have two kids, three dogs, two cats and 20 cows with him. Really. He is. I tell him all the time I wish the rest of the world knew the sweet guy we know at home.

Anyway...

Tonight I have BIG PLANS. I plan to clean the house. I really really really want to get the house in order so that I can do all the other things I really want to do this weekend. Man that is a lot of reallys.

Tomorrow, I am planning to go to the pool for a little sun. I have big hopes that Ellie is going to be a swimmer this year. Hopefully hopefully she will not get her father's swimming gene, which is non-existant. He literally sinks like a rock in any kind of water. He is kinda like a cat in his love for water. I, on the other hand, am a fish. I could float for days. It's a skill I am extremely proud of and a skill I have had since long before I had all the extra "fluff" I have now so no wise cracks, please and thank you. Back to Ellie...

She tells me she is going to jump off the diving board. But Ellie has been known to talk a good game before and not follow through on her promises. (I won't attribute this trait to either Brandon or myself) But she has been much more willing to get her face wet in the bath and shower and she like to "swim" in the tub. HOWEVER during the aforementioned watergun fight, she got extremelyt upset when she got wet. In a watergun fight. And she stripped her clothes and ran around naked because she hated the wet clothes. GAH she got all of his annoying traits!

Mason, sweet Mason. Well, two weeks ago we went to my Uncle's house and Mason fell in the pool. So every time I say "Wanna go swimming on Saturday???" He says "NO! I FALL IN!"
Some other Mason highlights:

He started calling me Twinkle Toes out of the blue. We have no idea where this came from. He came up to me one day in the kitchen and said "Hello there Twinkle Toes."
Several weeks ago, we were in Target at a particularly busy time on a Saturday. Because I am a smart mom, I put Mason in the stroller. Strapped in with no chance of escape. So while I am checking out, he starts saying in his "outside voice" as Nana calls it, "Hello Ladies! Get on board! Get on board Ladies!" Over and over and over and over. I turned to my sister and said politely "Who does this little boy belong to???"
He came up to Brandon the other day and said "You don't need THE calories!" This was also out of the blue. When Brandon brought him to me and had him repeat it, I hit Brandon over the head with a frying pan. When Brandon came to, he explained that Mason came to him in the living room and said it. He's a funny kid.
He asked for gum on the way to school. I gave him some. He started crying which is very unlike him. He was saying "MY GUM!!!" I thought he had dropped it. Then he said "It's in my nose. I can't get it!" I had to stop the car and dig chewing gum out of his nose. No. More. Gum.

Charlie and clan are doing great. He is growing so much. Last weekend, I sent the kids to Nana and Poppop's and sent Biz and Tim "out". (They went to Walmart and Zaxby's. They are so wild.) And Charlie and I had some quality time. And I decided once and for all NO. MORE. BABIES. Don't get me wrong. I LURVE Charlie. Adore him, actually. But we were together during "the witching hour" (another Nana-ism). AKA Hell hour AKA 6-8 pm. And Charlie just wasn't feeling his Aunt Jeffer time. And I felt so helpless. There was (obviously) a complete absence of those lovely post partum hormones and it was still equally unnerving. (DISCLAIMER: Charlie is a super easy baby. WAY easier than my babies. Or at least one of my babies. I won't name names. But he is easy. He was having a kind of bad day.) So I will just stick to my two and let Charlie visit and be happy with that.

One last thing...we had a little family scare over the last few days. My 13 year old cousin was struck by lightning. (Brandon can give you the statistics on this subject) He had a rough couple of days, but he is doing much better today. Thanks to everyone who said a special prayer for him and his family. They have a long road ahead, but things are looking much better.

Everyone have a great Memorial Day weekend! Thanks to my Pop, my Grandad, my Uncle, Brandon's grandfathers and everyone else who has served our country!!!

{Lucky Number 7}

2010-05-10T14:51:00.000-05:00

Seven years ago today, I was nervously waiting the in "Bride's Room" at my church. My grandmother was helping me get zipped into my dress. Biz was in the ladies room with my aunt Susan getting her make-up done. Mom was running around making sure everything was just so. And freaking out a little that her baby was going to be married to someone. And live with him. And share a bed. EEEEEPPSS!

It was a HOT day. That spring had been really moderate and we really hadn't had any HOT days until that day. It was a scorcher. Or maybe I was just nervous!

And then there's all the talking I did during the ceremony. My mom told me "Don't just stand up there like you don't like each other during the solo. Hold hands. Talk." Oh I talked. The only thing I really remember was that I basically quizzed Brandon who, no matter what he tells you, was as nervous as a...who is it they say gets nervous in church?...

Ok anyway...so I was asking "What did you do this morning? Who were you with? Did you have fun? Did you sleep good last night?" and on and on and on. At the reception, the theme question from everyone was "What were you talking about?" I was little miss Chatty Cathy Bride. I didn't even realize I was doing it!

It's funny to think back on all that. What a simple time compared to all we have going on now. And isn't it amazing how things can change over just 7 short years. Two incredible children, a farm, a house, another wedding and now another baby, we've welcomed new relatives and said good-bye to some we love.

And some things have remained the same...same jobs, same great families to support us through everything, one of the same dogs we started out with. :) And me and Brandon. I know we have changed, but in the important ways, we have stayed the same.

He says that one of the reasons he really liked me on our first date was that we had great conversation. (And YES I am serious! Our date on was on the up and up!) We talked about everything that night. The conversation was easy and fluid. And I kept it going for our wedding. And we are still talking after 7 years. Although I sent him a text this morning that he hasn't responded to. Should I worry?

Brandon, I love you! You are the man of my dreams who has made all of my dreams come true!

Charlie (yes again!)

2010-04-26T16:25:00.000-05:00

He is so dang cute! Ellie is completely smitten. She thinks she's ready to have him by herself for a few hours.He looks just like Biz!

Welcome Charlie!

2010-04-25T21:35:00.000-05:00

My sister and her husband had their baby today!!! Charles "Charlie" Jackson is healthy and everyone is doing well. He is so sweet! I can't wait to get my hands on him tomorrow!
Biz allowed me and my mom to be in the room when she delivered. Words cannot describe how amazing that was! Really. I am speechless! Here's another picture!

{The Kids}

2010-04-18T22:24:00.001-05:00

***Ok I pretty much hate autosave on this stupid blog because I had an entire post typed and was editing it and it somehow deleted the entire first half!!! GGRRRR!!! And now the fonts are all screwy!!!

ELLIE

She wanted her picture taken while she was blowing bubbles.

Ellie is starting to read. She lacks some confidence and she doesn't always want to put forth the effort to sound things out, but she is doing really well.

One of her favorite ways to entertain herself while we are spending our hour and a half in the car every day is to text.

It started out with me spelling out every single word for her: "Hi Nana. What are you doing? I love you." "Hi Biz. Where is Lola?" "Hi Daddy. What are you doing?"

Then she transitioned to garble: "eoihwetineiedfihwerbiubelliemasonnanabiz"

Over the past couple of weeks she has transitioned into sending her own messages with the only phrase she can come up with: "I love you." So she sends "I love you Nana Ellie" "I love Biz and Tim and Lola" (and she added that she wished she had remembered to say she loves the baby too).

But my favorite text thus far was sent to Mason via Brandon's phone this afternoon: "I love Lola the cow and Mason."

And oh how she loves Lola the cow. Lola is Ellie's pet. It surprises even Brandon. Lola will come up to Ellie in the middle of the field and let Ellie pet her and sometimes lick Ellie's hand. Ellie also goes to the gate and calls Lola and Lola will come running to eat whatever weed Ellie picks and feeds her through the gate. Here is a picture from my phone:

The cow whisperer

And I will add: This surprises Brandon, but I had pet cows at my Aunt Lois' who would come to the fence and lick mine and my cousin's hands. I feel pretty certain that while we were outside getting our hands licked, my mom was inside being revived with smelling salts.

Ellie is also learning to snap. In the car this afternoon, she started snap snap snapping for me. I asked if she could snap with the other hand. She said "Well, no, the other hand is still trying to learn."
***

MASON
I know I have said it before, but Mason cracks me up. He is funny without even trying. I love to watch him putter around in the yard. This afternoon he found two sticks and started "playing the drums" on the sidewalk.

He really likes to play the drums. While we were watching the ACM's tonight, he told me "I'm a drum player too!"

I didn't have the heart to tell him that beating up your sister with drumsticks doesn't qualify you and a "drum player".

We are growing grass.

We (and by we I mean Brandon and Tim) laid sod all around the house and my cousin, who owns a lawn service, seeded the remainder. The sod is doing well and the seeded grass is starting to come up. This is far more yard work than Brandon ever would have wanted in his entire life.

The dogs were really helpful.

***If there are typos in this post, sorry! I don't have it in me to go back over it again!

{Just the Girls}

2010-04-13T16:39:00.000-05:00

Mason has been (once again) puny since last Wednesday. He woke up with RAGING allergies that day and it has been pretty much downhill ever since. I decided yesterday to take him to the doctor.

The dr treated him for a sinus infection and gave me some useful information: He said that getting the allergy testing done early was good, BUT it is not conclusive at this age. He said it's still possible (probable) that he IS allergic to pollen but it just didn't show up yet. Something about his immune system not being completely mature to which I replied "You can SAY THAT AGAIN!" He didn't laugh. But I still love him.

So it was once again, NANA TO THE RESCUE. After Mason's appointment, I met my mom halfway and she took him home with her until he is feeling better. (This is one of the many times I HATE WORKING!)

*******
Ellie went for her first official Dentist visit yesterday morning (yes, BEFORE I took Mason to the dr!) and she did great until they broke out the spit sucker thing at which time she FREAKED. We got her calmed down and the hygienist was able to brush and floss her teeth. She told Ellie she should be brushing twice a day. Ellie reminded me on the way back to school that she does not do this. I have a feeling she's planning to start.

Mason's trip south meant "Girls Night" for Ellie and I. (Brandon was out of town) I told her it was just the girls and she said it wasn't because Jack was still home.

From HOUSE

She was very excited when I shared the news with her. (Even more excited when I told her she could sleep with me. This was a mistake, in case you are wondering.)

Ellie and I made a stop at the mall on the way home to exchange the sunglasses my parents and Biz got me for my birthday. We went home and planted some flower seeds and then we cuddled up in my bed and hung out. We had a very nice evening.

*****
I had a WONDERFUL birthday weekend. My mom spent the night with me and the kids last Thursday (BOTH kids were puny and She stayed home with them.) She asked me as I was leaving on Friday if I would "mind if she cleaned up a bit and Jacki-fied my house" (you remember Jackie, RIGHT?)....How do you respond to such a request?

I said "Well, if you insist...." HA!

So I arrived home Friday afternoon to a straight and clean house and we maintained it all weekend!

Saturday my parents, grandmother, Biz and Tim came for dinner that was catered in by Meals on Wheels of Gallatin AKA Nana and Poppop.

*****
This week is Kindergarten registration. Oh. My. Word! I have to get the mental images of Ellie with a backpack that is bigger than her out of my mind! It's making me tear up.

*****
In final FINAL news: Mom and I are gearing up with Initial Reaction once again. We want to make a serious go of it. We bith love sewing and applique! I am working on our blog and a Facebook page. If you are in the market for some cute cute cute kids stuff, keep us in mind!

*****
Ok, I have one more thing...Biz is still pregnant. We are all on call, but we pretty much figure she will go into labor on April 24. April 24, you see, is Ellie's dance recital. It would make sense that we would be pulled in 90 different directions, right?

Oh and here is the outfit:

I am not really sure how I feel about it. It seems a little bit Cabaret for four year olds, no? Of course I am in the m-i-n-o-r-i-t-y because the other moms think it's grand. I just figure these kids will have plenty of time to dress like grown ups but you don't see very many 30 year old women in smocked dresses and bows. NOT that I think smocked dresses and bows are good for dance recitals. Ok I will stop.

The End.

{Never a Dull Moment}

2010-04-08T14:04:00.000-05:00

From march_april10

Isn't he a sweetie?

He is. He is the sweetest boy I know. He gives the best, sloppy kisses and he is just the sweetest little guy. I am blessed beyond measure.
And funny...my goodness is he funny. He doesn't even realize how funny he is. But his whole demeanor is just hilarious.

But he DOES keep me on my toes. He actually ASKS for dangerous things "Can I have dee scissors???" He really is fearless. And often just looking for something to do.

The other day he and I were in the kitchen. I had my back turned doing something. I was not more than 10 feet from him and while my back was turned, this happened:

From march_april10

This is where the chair is supposed to be. (Notice the criminal's look of guilt...and don't mind the bag of trash!):

From march_april10

I think he just wants to be sure things around our house don't get boring.

{Happy Easter 2010}

2010-04-05T09:11:00.003-05:00

From march_april10

We had a great Easter. We went to church and then headed to Gallatin. My Nan, Uncle Bobby, Skyler, Shelby, Cody and Brittany joined us for lunch and an Easter Egg Hunt. Ellie and Mason came in First and Second in the egg hunt. :)

It was HARD to get a good shot of the kids in their Easter Best. Whenever I tell Mason to smile, this is what I get:

The Easter Bunny was very good to both kiddos.

From march_april10

Why, YES, Ellie DOES have on Christmas footie jammies. That's what you get when a 4 year old picks out her jammies.

From march_april10

And Brandon and I had to have a little fun too...

From march_april10

(It was just Whopper eggs!)

From 2010-04-04

And we got a good family pic!

{We Should Get Out More}

2010-04-02T09:58:00.000-05:00

Mason continues on the potty training trek. He is really doing so well! One day this week, I needed to stop at the store on the way home. This is NEVER my preference. I do most of my shopping on my lunch hour because the combination of tired kids and busy grocery stores just doesn't mix well. But Brandon needed Mt. Dew and we all know he should never be without that. Oh and I needed Diet Coke and we all know I should NEVER EVER be without that.

There is a small window after picking Mason up from his class that we can go without a trip to the potty and I knew we would miss the window with our stop so I knew we needed a pit stop once we hit the store. We headed straight to the restroom and I corralled both kids into the very small stall. Ellie announced she needed to go BAD so I proceeded to assist her.

Now remember: SMALL stall. Three people. Mason was behind me. I assisted Ellie and turned around to find Mason GONE. "MASON! Where are you???" Ellie says, "Oh he crawled under the door." She watched him leave! I open the door hoping that all of Kroger won't see my 4 year old's business, grab the 2 year old and close the door. So I am holding Mason and he grabs the top of the stall wall and tries to CLIMB OVER.

Have you ever tried to put a cat in a box? Ok, you get the picture. Obviously, Mason has not visited enough public restrooms. Or maybe I need more practice.

*****
Ellie is getting so. grown. up! Since Mason is potty trained she feels like she can take care of him pretty well by herself. I sent her downstairs this morning to get dressed. A few minutes later I asked Brandon to go check on her and get Mason dressed.

Brandon returned to report that Ellie had taken Mason's pajamas off and gotten him all dressed except his shirt. She couldn't find his undies so she put a pull up on him. She's my little problem solver!

We have Kindergarten registration week after next. I am looking into homeschooling materials.

Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail

2010-03-31T10:30:00.001-05:00

Easter is hippity hopping right down the trail. Did you know Easter happens to be my FAVORITE HOLIDAY? (I have a strange feeling I might have blogged this before) Yes, it is. I supposed spring is my fave as well. When I really think about it, I like all of the seasons, especially when the seasons are changing. Ok, I don't so much love summer, come to think of it. But anyway....

I love spring. I love everything getting greener. I love the flowers starting to pop out. I love things starting to warm up. I love longer days. I love being able to let the kids play outside when we get home. I love grilling. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

I like fall and the leaves changing and the first crisp mornings. I like winter and snow. But I LOVE SPRING.

Ok you get the idea.

(Oddly enough I get sick every year at this time and I am currently SICK. But I still love it!)

We are planning to go to Gallatin for Easter. We'll go to our church and then head to my parents for dinner and most likely an Easter Egg Hunt. I think this one will be particularly fun because both kids will get it. Their new favorite game is Hide and Seek. Brandon pointed out that Mason is the worst hider because while he CAN find good spots to hide, he CANNOT stop giggling while he is hiding so it's pretty easy to find him. But his giggling cracks me up so I encourage the game.

{Post Script}

2010-03-26T10:34:00.002-05:00

Obviously, I learned NOTHING from the Friends episode when Monica said to Pheobe "Say things quietly in your head before you say them out loud".

I posted a little too quickly yesterday and I thought about it and I don't think I gave you all of the information about my babies.

My kid are awesome. They bicker and argue. But seriously, it isn't constant. It has become an everyday occurance and I know this is just the beginning. But...BUT they also love each other very much. They spent nearly an hour playing hide-and-go-seek last night. They always greet one another with a hug and kiss in the morning and they always kiss and hug goodnight.

So there. That's taken care of. The sibling thing has begun and it drives me crazy, but there are also a lot of times when I know they adore one another. Even though when we told Ellie that Mason was going to spend the night at Nana and Poppop's tonight her first reaction was "OH GOOD! I can play in my room and he won't bother me!" Just keepin' it real, folks!

{Only the Beginning}

2010-03-25T16:42:00.000-05:00

Remember this?

Remember my jubilation? Excitement? Thrill? You remember. I know you do.

My kids have started into a phase of sibling rivalry. Is that the term? I'm not really sure. We start (and sometimes end) our day much like the Family Circus cartoons. You remember those, right? "Jeffy's looking at me!!!!"

It's not so much rivalry as it is Mason likes to bug Ellie and Ellie likes to tell me how Mason is bugging her. Maybe that is rivalry. I hear a lot of "Mason is touching me." or "Mason is following me around." or "Mason won't get out of my room."

Oh I can hear you now..."Poor Mason." But it has kind of become Mason's hobby to touch, follow and in general bother Ellie. Everyone needs a hobby, right? Her stuff seems cool to him. She prefers he not touch her stuff. She tells him to leave her alone. In retaliation, he bugs her.

This has been going on in families for centuries, right?

We also have a lot of "Mason is sitting too close to me." or "Mason won't share the chair." And yes, Mason is not as verbal about it. His approach is more physical.

Saturday morning about an hour before all of the shower guests arrived, Ellie and Mason decided to have a brawl in the living room chair that sat next to a small (perhaps not so steady) side table. I told them to stop fighting. I'm pretty sure my mom had said the same thing. Then as our backs were turned, they each gave one more shove and knocked that lovely little pot off of the not so steady table.

It just so happens that Fire King Oven Ware shatters into about 9 million tiny shards of glass when it hits hardwood.

I'm not proud of my reaction. I was very angry. Not so much because they broke the pot, more because sometimes I feel like I have done something terribly wrong in teaching them to take care of things and not act like wild animals inside. I was also upset because I am SO OVER their bickering. (And yes I know it is only the beginning.) I apologized.

Payback is HELL. HELL I TELL YOU. Oh the fights Biz and I used to get into. OH the bickering we did. You can't even imagine. Really, you can't. But if you want to email my mom I am sure she will tell you the saga.

But, it was just a little pot. A pot that wasn't even mine less than a week before. It was pretty and I did like it. But it was just a thing. And I have pictures!

And they are only 4 and 2. As I (often) tell Brandon, this is not the hill we will die on. Their breaking a pot doesn't mean they have a complete disregard for all things.

Some day, I bet Ellie will have china of her own that she will take care of. And some day, maybe Mason will have a pocket knife collection he values and cares for. And doesn't break. (It could be the other way around. I'm not trying to push stereotypes on them.)

And hopefully they will be able to sit within 6 inches of one another and not play the "who can push back harder" game some day. I think this might take a while and I pray we don't have any broken bones before that time.

{March Showers Bring April Babies}

2010-03-22T21:30:00.001-05:00

At least we hope Baby Dreadin decides to come in March and not be stubborn like his Mama.

My Aunt Nancy, my cousin Shelby and I hosted a shower for Biz at my house this weekend. It was so fun! This was the first actual entertaining I have done since we moved in. I really love entertaining. It was stressful getting everything ready, cleaning and putting some finishing touches on the house, but all worth it! We had expected 20 people and it turned out to be 30! I think it is a testament to how much people love Biz and Tim that they would drive all the way out here. My very own aunts and grandmother got LOST and drove around for 30 minutes!
Tim's mom and sister, Nicole came up from Mobile and Birmingham for the weekend. They also brought Nicole's awesome mother in law, Gabby.

YUMMY cupcakes my friend Monica made!Delicious food that my parents, aunt and cousin all helped with

Biz, Tim's niece, Molly, and Ellie. Ellie and Molly are great friends. We wish they didn't live so far away!

What Ellie's room looked like after she and Molly played for about 2 straight hours. They had such a good time!

Biz with Mason and Tim's nephew, Luke.

Biz with the Fantastic Four, as she has dubbed them. Won't they make great Big Cousins?

We had a great weekend. I ended it with a bang by getting the worst. MIGRAINE. EVER! about an hour after the festivities ended. I slept from 4 pm Saturday until 6:30 am Sunday. BUT I didn't have anything to worry about because my house was spotless and I have a wonderful husband who took care of everything else...like the kids! (I'm always looking on the bright side. It's how I roll.)

{My Carbon Footprint Looks Like Godzilla's}

2010-03-19T09:19:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Mason and I went to Target. He was great (because I fed him 5 bags of fruit snacks). I just had a few things to pick up and we were done. In the checkout line, he got a little restless so I gave him the first thing I thought of, my keys. We checked out and were out the door.

When we got to the truck, I made a mental note that the car next to me was running. (Be careful. Don't leave the cart where they can hit it. OMG Mental image of the car next to me dragging the cart with my baby in it around Target parking lot!)

I kept an eye out for the car to pull out but it just sat there. I finally realized no one was sitting in the car. And it was running??? How completely irresponsible. Don't they know about conservation? Global warming? Starving children in Africa who could buy 90 meals with the money they are wasting on gas??? Give me ONE GOOD REASON for a car to be running on a 68 degree day with the sun shining!

I got the truck all loaded up, fastened Mason into his seat and returned the cart.

I have a remote starter on my truck. Imagine my surprise when I got in and found IT WAS MY TRUCK THAT WAS RUNNING. All that time. In the 68 degree weather. Wasting gas. Don't tell Brandon.

I will be sending a donation to Africa out of penance. And an apology letter to Al Gore. (ok, not really Al. But I might Facebook him.)

*************
That same afternoon, Ellie, Mason and I went to the grocery store for a few quick things. Now this was Mason's second shopping trip of the day so he was pretty much DONE. I tried to be creative. In the cart, out of the cart, walking, in the back of the cart, goldfish, fruit snacks. But by the time we were checking out, he was throwing things. Grabbing things. (WHY do they put pieces of cake near the checkout lanes??? Wasn't candy bad enough??? "CAKE! I WIKE CAKE!!!") And yelling. Loud. Singsongy, nonsensical, happy yelling, but yelling nonetheless.

I finally paid and we were on our way out of the store and an older man stopped me and said with a grin "How much will you take for that boy? He looks like a good one." (Ok this was not in a creepy I-am-going-to-take-your-kid-and-do-bad-things-to-him way. It was in a nice-old-guy way.) So I said, "Well, if you had asked me five minutes ago, I might have paid you to take him. But he is doing ok now so I guess I'll have to keep him." He laughed and said that they grow up so fast and aren't little long. This is certainly a reminder I need ~~hourly~~ daily so the interaction gave me a smile.

We continued out of the store and I looked down at Ellie riding in the cart with this look of horror. She was on the verge of tears so I said "Isn't that funny that that man wants to buy Mason! Should we sell him?" Her immediate reply was "NO!" Then she added "Unless he just wants to borrow him and he'll bring him back." And then a few minutes later (I'm pretty sure Mason took a swing at her for no reason)"Well for like eighty five and a hundred dollars we could sell him." I said "Do you mean $8500 or $185?" She said "one hundred eighty five dollars. " So there you have it. A pesky brother will currently sell for $185.

NO NANA HE IS NOT FOR SALE!

************
All of this happened after Mason's allergy testing. He was such a trooper. And I don't know what people did before portable DVD players and the movie "Ice Age".

The test wasn't so bad. They didn't have to do individual needles. It was more quick and not quite so painful that what I remember having (and what I know other people have recently had). Maybe it was the kiddie version?

Anyway, the ONLY thing he reacted to was MOLD. All kinds of MOLD. Major eruptive reaction. Not dust, pollen, cats, dogs, only MOLD. I was very surprised. I am sure living in the Little House did nothing to help with his allergy. But thankfully now our house is not contributing to the problem (Except the 15 bread heals that are molding in the pantry)

The doctor actually said mold is a hard one because it is EVERYWHERE: soil, mulch, air, potting soil, houses, buildings, everywhere.

I am a little worried about his room at school. We are in a very old building and I know for an absolute fact that there is a lot of mold. I am going to get a dehumidifier and a HEPA filter for the classroom. Mason is on a new medication to try to manage his symptoms. We'll see how it goes.

But, my mom is retiring TODAY so she says all she will have to do is write letters to all the powers that be at WKU about her grandson who is being subjected to horrible moldy conditions. Go Nana.

{Tuesday Ramblings}

2010-03-16T21:50:00.002-05:00

Ok, first things first...Brandon says I hurt his feelings with my last post. It was not personal. It's hard for him to understand because he has only ever really lived one way. He lived in "town" during college and for a few years when he moved to KY, but that doesn't really count because he didn't have kids. I am the one who has lived both ways. And as I said (or hope I said) the other day: There are so many things I love about living on a farm. There are so many things that my kids will get to experience that I never did. But every now and then, the hassle of being so far out just gets to me.

Now on to my kids...Mason is potty training. I must tell you that potty training has been the single most scary thing about parenting. No, I am not kidding. I really think I can deal with sneaking out and dating bad boys. I've already dealt with temper tantrums and biting. HOW do you teach someone to pee on the potty??? I was lucky with Ellie. She did it easily.

And now with Mason...LUCKY AGAIN! He has done so well. He is wearing underwear all day now and only a diaper at night. And leave it to Mason to be an overachiever...he came in our room about 7 times the other night/ morning and then he finally told us that he had peed and wanted to be changed. It was not a good night.

As a general rule, since having kids I do not even have a beer or glass of wine in the evenings. We rarely have an entire week when both of my kids sleep all night every night. If I have had something to drink, that middle of the night stupor is just no fun with a buzz. But, I felt a sore throat coming on and I had been feeling really really bad. So I took Nyquil. LORD HELP ME. It would have been better to drink a 6 pack and then be woken up than to be disturbed from the glorious slumber that Nyquil provides.

It was a bad night. So last night, I explained to Mason that it is ok to pee in your diaper when you are sleeping. Let's hope he agrees.

Say a little prayer for me on Thursday. Mason has to have allergy testing. Poor little guy is, at times, on 4 or 5 different medications to control his allergies and the symptoms they cause. And even with all that, he almost always has a runny nose. Plus, his ENT is possibly going to put his ear tubes back in. (We go there in two weeks) His pediatrician feels like zyrtec alone should be enough to control his allergies so he wants us to get the testing. He has been talking about it for about a year and I have ignored him but this time he called and made the appointment and really didn't give me a choice so we are going.

But do you know what allergy testing involves??? I had it when I was 9 or so. You have to sit still and they make about 9 million little scratches on your back and then put things in the scratches like cat dander and dust to see if you are allergic to those things. They also write on your back. Sounds fun, huh? Oh and Brandon will be out of town. His loss. I get ALL the fun stuff.

{It's The Little Things}

2010-03-14T20:08:00.001-05:00

I did not grow up in town. My dad grew up on a farm. My mom grew up in the big city. OK, the small city, but a city nonetheless. I had the best of both worlds when it comes to knowledge of both ways of life. I always loved going to my Grandma's and Uncle Ted's. I love horses and being outdoors and growing gardens. I also liked the convenience of living around the corner from TJ Maxx. Growing up, I took for granted the ability to run to the grocery store on a whim or go get ice cream at 9 pm.
When I met Brandon, I was not at all deterred by the fact that he lived in the middle of nowhere. I was smitten, yes, but I also loved coming out to his house and hanging out. It brought out my inner country girl. There was, afterall, that stint in college when I wore nothing but Wranglers and boots and frequented line dancing establishments. So living the country life was always appealing and when Brandon and I began to discuss marriage, it was a given that I would move to the country and get a cow of my own.
And now, having lived this way of life for nearly 7 years, there are days that I am just completely OVER country life. And really, it's not even country life as much as living in the middle of nowhere. Yesterday was one of those days when me and country life got in a big fight and I kind of wanted to break up.
Ellie has dance on Saturdays at 11:00 am. It takes us 40 minutes to get to dance class. On a good day, I get up and out of bed and going and run any errands that I have before dance class. In reality, I usually get one errand done before class and then do any others with a cranky 4 year old in tow. Then drive 40 minutes home and the afternoon is a BUST.
On the way home yesterday afternoon I was just done. We'd had a not so great morning, my plans to get things done before dance had gone awry and the afternoon was not looking promising. I dreamed of moving to the town where Brandon works and getting a house in a neighborhood. Having chatty neighbors who I play bunko with and sit in the cul de sac while the kids ride bikes. We'd chat up the afternoon and then run to the Mexican restaurant for margartitas and burritos. And still be home in time for baths and normal bedtimes. I had a similar daydream in the shower this morning only this one may have involved shoe shopping at 8:30 pm after I got the kids all settled.
Honestly ya'll I was totally ready to break up with country life. Who needs mud and coyotes and cows and horsedrawn buggies slowing me down and never being able to run through fast food for dinner because it will be cold when we get home and all the other major inconveniences of country life? WHO NEEDS THIS???
Then Brandon brought this in:

Are you swooning? I did. He said he should have saved it for our anniversary.

The vase is something his mom had and gave me a few years back.A matched set!

We had a pipe break in the Little House and while crawling under the house to fix the pipe this morning, Brandon found the little pot. The bottom says "Oven Fire King". I looked it up and it isn't super valuable, but it is to me. It is just my style. I have a major thing for hobnail milkglass.

I figure if I lived in that neighborhood, I would not own a hundred year old house on a farm and I would never have found something so cool. So living in the country is great again.

{Someone Please Call Emily Post}

2010-03-10T18:28:00.000-06:00

So I have a little etiquette question. Say, just for a minute, that someone is having a baby shower. And say that on the guest list for the baby shower there is a good friend of the mother to be who is a part of a couple. And say for a minute that the couple happens to be two women. Got that all straight?
How do you address that invite? Miss Priss Hootyhotty and Guest? Or just Miss Priss Hootyhotty. I mean, I didn't invite anyone's husband. Well, I wouldn't. If I were hosting a shower. Although I know Miss Hootyhotty's significant other would be more interested than anyone's husband would be in sitting around and ooing and aahhing over onesies and burp clothes.
And I also know all the guests at a shower would be way more comfortable with Miss Hootyhotty's significant other being there than having anyone's husband. 'Cause husbands at Baby Shower Brunches are weird, right???
So here's a conversation that actually happened to this girl I know today:
Girl I Know: (answering phone while checking out at a certain very large chain store that rhymes with Falltart. And waiting on someone to do a price check on some Burt's Bees Lip Balm) Hello?

SusieQ: Hi Girl I Know. It's SusieQ. I wanted to let you know I will be able to come to the shower.
Girl I Know: Oh good! Hey, do you happen to know if....um....Oh my why can't I think of her name??? SusieQ: MissHootyHotty?
Girl I Know: YES! MissHootyhotty! Is she going to be able to come?
SusieQ: Yes, I do think she will be in town.
Girl I Know: Ok, well does she still have her, um...girlfriend?
SusieQ: Yes, she does.
Girl I Know: OK, well I forgot to put her (the girlfriend) name on the invite but will you please tell Miss Hootyhotty that she is more than welcome to bring her?
SusieQ: Sure! I'll tell her.
Girl I Know; Ok, thanks! We'll see you next weekend!
SusieQ: OK, Bye!

The Girl I Know told me that it was a weird conversation to have. She said that first off, she is a ditz and can't ever remember things, like people's names, when she needs to and she feels like a spaz most of the time. She's been concentrating really hard on wording invitations correctly and getting all the china and silver polished and ready. She's even been looking for some nice linen napkins. And she has her monogrammed table runner ironed and ready to go. So trying to consider how to include the significant other of one of the guests didn't really ever enter her mind.

I told her I thought Emily Post should add a section to her new book. Emily, if you are reading, call me.

{Wednesday is Senior Day}

2010-03-03T21:47:00.000-06:00

This one is for Aunt Nancy. I went downstairs to get baths started tonight and they were sitting at the bottom of the stairs and she was "reading" to him. How stinking cute is that???

Biz and Lola came over tonight ~~because I told her I would make dinner~~ to see the kids and visit a little. Biz brought her fancy new camera so all of these shots are courtesy of Photography By Biz. I made Sesame Chicken and it was very very good. Biz offered to take pics and I felt it only fitting to share the pics and the recipe with you, my 5 readers.

Go make it NOW!

Sesame Chicken

1-1.5 pounds chicken breast

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup splenda

3/4 cup low sodium soy sauce

1Tbsp sesame oil

~~4 servings rice noodles~~ I served it with rice

fresh ground pepper

1. Cut chicken breast into bite size pieces. (I did this back several weeks ago on that "Freezer Cooking Day". Major time saver!)

2. Mix pepper and flour in a sealable container.

3. Add chicken to flour mixture and shake until fully coated.

4. Spray nonstick pan with cooking spray, add chicken and spray chicken with more cooking spray.

5. Cook on medium high heat until fully cooked through.

6. Remove chicken from pan and place on plate in the microwave to keep warm.

7. To the same pan add soy sauce, sugar, splenda, and sesame oil.

8. Stir until all sugar is dissolved and add chicken back in.

9. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Optional: Add freshly steamed broccoli to chicken before serving.

Nutritional Info per Serving:

Calories: 509.9

Fat: 4.9

Fiber: 1.2

And finally: I went to Kroger this morning. I was having a parent meeting at school and serving sack lunches and needed to get drinks. As I was driving to Kroger I thought "It is SENIOR DAY at Kroger". Now I knew better than to go on Senior Day. I did. But honestly it was a toss up: Wally World or Kroger on Senior Day. I made the wrong decision.

As I pulled into the parking lot, I noticed not one, not two, but FIVE vehicles parked so crooked that they were taking up two spaces. And the sheer volume of traffic had people (read Seniors) really out of sorts. Crazy drivers. Seniors and sixteen year olds.

As they got out of their cars, they were just as reckless, walking down the MIDDLE of the parking lot. HELLO? Do you not hear my BIG Ford engine behind you??? I mean not that I would take anyone out. Well, not on purpose!

I made my way through the store and got out of there. Lucky for me: Seniors don't self check so it was a fairly quick and painless checkout. I loaded up my truck and the Bag Girl/ Cart Girl (sorry if this is not PC but she is a woman bagger/ cart person) was getting the carts from the carousel beside me and waited for my cart. I frequent this store and this lady is always very friendly and helpful. And blunt. But I am pretty sure we all know that I happen to like blunt.

I gave the cart to her and said a friendly "Thanks!" and she said "Have a great day!" and as I turned to get into my truck, she said this: "Oh! Ma'am, do me a favor and DON'T come on Senior Day." BAAAHHH!!!! I almost fell down laughing.

Pimping My Wares

2010-03-03T15:56:00.002-06:00

Did you see this? Initial Reaction

Roasted Veggies

2010-03-03T15:10:00.000-06:00

Ok, so yeah I am a wannabe Pioneer Woman. Honestly folks, I feel like I have a lot in common with that girl I live in the middle of nowhere. That's established, right? I too never dreamed I would ever have to know how to load cattle onto a trailer or move them from field A to field B (or know them all by name). And I certainly never thought there was any need to can tomatoes since Kroger has them all canned for me at the low price of like $.69 a can. Oh and I love to cook. And I think I'm funny.

So I think it's only fitting that I do a wannabe Pioneer Woman cooking post. I was craving veggies the other night. (Weird, I know) I dreamed up this recipe and it was so good I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. I am kind of new to the whole roasting thing and I really love the flavor it brings to things.

I used squash, zucchini, carrots, new potatoes asparagus and mushrooms. I think it would be YUM to add whole green beans or onion. OH or sweet potatoes. The possibilities are really endless. So wash and cut up all the veggies. Just make the veggies all about the same size so the cooking time is the same.

Spread on a cookie sheet with a rim and drizzle with olive oil, seasoned salt and pepper.

Roast for 30 minutes or so at450 degrees.

I served it with couscous and pan fried turkey cutlets and it was ZOMG so good!

I think these guys are cute.

Mason the Manace

2010-02-24T10:45:00.000-06:00

So you know how some people (not me of course) adopt a puppy from the humane society and keep it for a few days, or weeks, or months and then decide it isn't a "good fit" for their family? Maybe the dog is hard to potty train. Or maybe he bites their mailman. Or maybe he's jumping on their kids and just way too high energy. So this family takes the dog back and turns him back over to the nice people at the humane society so he can find a new home that will be able to handle him. CAN YOU DO THAT WITH KIDS????

Doesn't he just look like trouble???

We had a NOT great night. Mason's new little trick is to get up and go into Ellie's room and wake her up. It is bad enough if he does it early in the morning, but last night, he decided to do it at 3:30...and 4am. Luckily I heard him before he actually woke her up. Needless to say, I am way beyond tired today.

The kids got up this morning and I was fresh out of their normal frozen waffle breakfast. Being that I am in the running for Mother of The Year, I cooked biscuits. I got the kids all settled at their little table in the kitchen with their biscuits and jelly and went to dry my hair. Ellie came into the bathroom and said "Mama...Mason is smearing jelly all over the floor." I went to the kitchen expecting to find a small smear of jelly I could quickly wipe and be done. I found a 3 foot by 3 foot smear of grape jelly all over the hardwood and little size 7 footie pj footprints leading away from it.

I had to wipe the jelly up and then mop the floor TWICE and I still think there are some jelly spots. That boy can find some trouble to get into. It seems that messes are a new phase. Sunday, the kids were playing outside and I peeked out to check on them and found Mason with mud up to his ankles all over his tennis shoes.

So you see, I think Mason may be a bit too high energy for our family. Maybe we'll just get a goldfish.

***THIS IS ONLY A JOKE. I ADORE MY KIDS AND WOULD (almost) NEVER TAKE THEM TO THE HUMANE SOCIETY.

{The Smorgasbord}

2010-02-22T21:31:00.000-06:00

This was my grandmother's chair. It sat in her kitchen at her sewing table. I knew I wanted a cool chair to sit in MY kitchen at my desk. My Pop painted it for me and my mom recovered it. Isn't it lovely???

Biz got an awesome new camera. I can't wait for her to not be pregnant so she can trudge around in the fields and take pics of ours kids! (I know while she is ready to not be pregant, she CAN wait. April 20!)Another great shot!Mason loves Lola so much. I think it's is mutual. I don't know if I have ever known such a patient schnauzer.

Mason likes to hide in the cabinets. And he makes a really funny face when he says cheese.

I made sliders for dinner Saturday. ZOMG! So yummy! I'll try to post my recipe tomorrow. It's really quite easy!

Be sure to check out some new posts on my sewing blog: Initial Reaction Designs

{Where Ya Been, Jenn?}

2010-02-16T10:29:00.013-06:00

..Oh I've been around.

We had our first official snow day in I-can't-remember-how-long last week. See, WKU never closes. Honestly, I have no clue what prompted the closure last week (I heard icy walkways on campus) but we were ever so happy to oblige and have a lazy day at home!

The snow has continued and I am completely and totally over winter. (We got two more inches last night!) Isn't that always the way? In August, we are begging for cooler days and in February all we want is some warm sunshine and a pool? As a matter of fact, NO you cannot make me happy. Thanks for asking! But seriously, I wanna punch that Groundhog! (Don't tell Pappaw Pete!)

We've been busy decorating, cleaning out the old house, and SEWING.

My Pop made the very wise suggestion to take one room at a time as not to get overwhelmed. So that is what I have been trying to do. I think we have just about every picture hung and I have been working on the knick knacky stuff. I am not a big fan of crap sitting around everywhere. But some amount of crap sitting around everywhere is what gives a house its character so I see it as necessary.

I actually have more cool stuff that I thought I did. :) Brandon and I have come across some real treasures in unpacking. And by unpacking, I mean things that have been in storage for nearly two years. We have things we forgot we had! Brandon has a lot of very very cool stuff that his Pappaw Pete brought back from WWII. We also found some wood carvings his Pappaw Pete made that I really love. I found my Grandma's china and some adorable dessert cups that Brandon's Granny gave me a few years back. Some other favorites that I found were both mine and Brandon's sterling silver baby cups. OH and how could I forget my bunny collection! Yes, I have been collecting bunny figurines since I was a little girl and I found them in my parents' attic last week. I am going to paint a shelf (that I have also had since I was a little girl) and put the bunnies on a shelf in Ellie's room. Cool stuff, people!

I hung these shelves in the kitchen a few weeks ago thinking I would display some of the many pitchers I have collected. But this arrangement just didn't suit me so I have been working on it.

Here is the current display. Plus I added mine and Brandon's baby cups. I kind of love these shelves. You'll note: a teacup from my Grandma'a china, a bunny woodcarving from Pappaw Pete, a military issue lantern from WWII, and that picture.

Here's a better shot:

Our wonderful neighbor when I was growing up in Alabama, Mrs. Barwick, is an artist. My parents' house is full of her work and my Pop brought this picture to me Ellie last week. Mrs. Barwick gave this to my Pop for his birthday when I was about 5 and when she brought it over and I saw it I said "That's me and my Daddy going to church!" (You see the obvious humor in this, right?)

Brandon's deer was finally ready this weekend and Brandon was only too pleased to get the ladder out and hang up his trophies. The deer on the left is the deer he shot back in October. This is the first buck he has killed on our farm.

I think he turned out quite nicely.

Ellie got Lincoln Logs last year (2008) for Christmas and we got them out for the first time this weekend. She played alone, building a city for about 1 1/2 hours!

Ellie told me a BIG story last night during dinner.

And Mason put his place-mat on his head.

Do you ever have one of those days? Our family had one yesterday. Brandon's car kind of bit the dust. Then my favorite spatula BROKE when I flipped Mason's grilled cheese. And not only did the handle break....

There was another crack as well! I seriously considered gluing this back together. I have no clue where we got this thing. It is very possible, probable, even that Brandon has had it since he moved to Kentuck and acquired all the things neither of his parents wanted anymore. (But really, WHO would not want this spatula???)

So I soothed my soul with a little sewing. OH. MY. WORD. I cannot even explain to you the absolute overwhelming JOY that my new sewing room brought me!

{Swagbucks}

2010-02-05T10:36:00.004-06:00

Do you use Swagbucks to search? It is super easy to set up. You can set it as your default search engine and every time you search, you earn swagbucks that you can exchange for gift cards (and other stuff but the gift cards seem like the best deal.)

A few items of interest:

You earn 3 SB just for signing up.
As your search for stuff you would be searching for anyway, you will earn SB. The most I have earned so far is 3 for a single search.
There is no rhyme or reason to why you earn SB for a specific search so just search away.
If YOU sign up, I get SB! Just Click that little button over to the left and it will walk you through the sign up process.
Click here to download the SB toolbar and you don't even have to remember to search at swagbucks.com. Your computer will remember for you!

I have earned 57 SB as of today and I just downloaded the toolbar about a month ago. I've read about people who did all their Christmas shopping with Amazon gift cards that they got with swagbucks! Wow!

So click the box and sign up! Now.

{Freezer Cooking Extravaganza}

2010-02-02T09:33:00.010-06:00

I read alotta blogs. Do you use Google Reader? You should! It keeps track of my many blogs and lets me know when they are updated. It's a one stop shop and I love it. (hopefully very soon I will update my list of favorite blogs!)
Anywho...what's going on in the blogosphere is a big freezer cooking PUSH. I have done something like this once before and it worked out pretty well. Brandon and I have talked a lot and one of our family goals is to eat more meals together. Growing up, both of our moms cooked dinner every night and we ate as families. (My mother-in-law even made dessert... Overachiever!)
Evenings are always pretty chaotic for us. When we hit the door, the kids are starving (or so they say) and sometimes fish sticks and macaroni are the best we can do. BUT, I know there is a better way! Planning is critical. Menu planning is a great place to start.

A few sites that have this Freezer Cooking thing going on:
Money Saving Mom
$5 Dinner Mom
Happy Housewife

So I was inspired to try a little Freezer Cooking Extravaganza of my own. Since the weather outside was frightful, I had the perfect opportunity over the weekend. I did things a little at a time over Saturday and Sunday. I did not go quite as far as completing ENTIRE meals. My plan was more to prep things as much as possible. Here is what I did:

3 packages of diced chicken

1 package of marinated chicken

2 packages of Taco/ Fajita seasoned chicken

2 packages of Taco meat

3 packages of meatballs for Spaghetti and Meatballs OR Meatballs subs

And 6 packages of cooked pinto beans to be used for refried beans OR to cook with ham

This was the one Brandon was a little iffy about. But I paid about $2 for a two lb bag of dry beans and got about 6 cans worth of beans out of it. And 1 can of beans costs about $1. Every penny counts, right? And yes we do like beans. It took me about 15 minutes of hands on time (soaking, rinsing, putting in crockpot and packaging) because I used the crockpot to cook the beans.

So I got all of that in the freezer AND I made a pot of yummy Broccoli Cheese Soup for dinner Sunday (and we still have leftovers!) I made things as I saw small windows of children being entertained for more than 5 minutes and I barely noticed the work! So we have 9-10 meals prepped. I figure if every weekend I can get a few things ready to go for the week AND remember on weekday evenings to prepare for the next day, we will be doing pretty good!

AND for dinner tonight, I have this cooking:
Slow Cooker Beef with Balsamic Onions
I remembered to thaw the roast and I cut up the onions last night and had them ready to go in the fridge. It took me about 5 minutes to get it in the crockpot this morning.

So there you have it. Planning is really everything. Things go so much more smoothly when I can plan ahead a little!

Happy Weekend from the Tundra

2010-01-31T17:08:00.008-06:00

It snowed. Weee... And it wasn't some piddly little dusting. It's a beautiful, cover everything, hard to walk in snow! I have to say I would not want this all the time. And I am pretty much OVER winter. But every now and then it is nice.
We stayed in all weekend. Staying in is not unusual for us, but at least we had a good excuse for being homebodies this weekend! I also planned to do a whirwind cooking extravaganza (more on this later) and I figured this was a great weekend for that too.

Brandon braved the elements with the kids. I saw lots of Facebook posts about people going sledding with their kids. Maybe there is something wrong with me. Maybe it's just because my kids are so young. But nothing about the sentence "Let's bundle the kids up and go sledding" appeals to me. So I bundled the kids up and they stayed out for about 15 minutes. I put on a lightweight jacket and my Target rainboots to snap a couple of pictures. I wasn't prepared and it was COLD. Mason doesn't understand "Honey you will not be able to feel your toes if we stay out any longer." He wasn't thrilled to come in. Then today, Brandon took them each for a short, separate 4 wheeler rides. But all in all, we were inside a lot of the weekend. Needless to say, they took terrible naps and went to bed early. And I am taking a cue from them and heading there myself! Night night, People of the Interweb.

{Men's Screw-ups}

2010-01-26T09:37:00.004-06:00

I backed into the garage last night. Yes I did.

Let me back up and explain to you why it is a miracle I get to work with a shower and all my clothes on. And in the right place. Have you been reading this blog long? I am loose at all ends. And according to Biz, I have every right to be. After all, I have a lot on my plate. Well I DO! I digress...

Bootcamp is still in full swing and it started at 6:30 last night. The kids and I made the mad dash home and I got dinner together for them, dressed in my workout wear and waited for my ride, Tim. He texted me "Be THERE at 6." 6:06, Biz calls wondering where I am. Um, waiting for Tim at my house. Well it seems he meant I should come to his house and ride with him. Mad Dash #2 out the door to meet Tim at the Y. (Now you can see where this is going, right?) Jump in my truck, hit the button for the garage door, check the mirrors and notice Callie threatening to come into the open(ing) garage door, throw it in gear, back up and SCREECH.

I caught the very bottom of the door with the top of my truck. I just didn't give it long enough to open. Brandon was beyond thrilled. Because evidently I don't care that the garage door may have to be replaced and I don't take care of our stuff. And then I left for Bootcamp. Oh yes I did. This is about me.

I called on the way home to see if I could park in the garage or if I should park in the driveway. He said I could park in the garage as long as I waited for the door to open before pulling in or out. I told him everyone makes mistakes. He ranted "Yes everyone makes mistakes but you have to pay attention to what you are doing. ..." I calmly replied "You backed my truck into the shed and demolished the backup sensors. Everyone makes mistakes." He didn't have much to say after that.

The door was no worse for the wear. It operates just fine and you can barely tell anything happened. My truck is ok too.

Nana has suggested we start a book that can serve as a go-to resource during major marital catastrophes. You know. So we can point out what they did wrong that cancels out what we did wrong. We will title it "Men's Screw-ups". I think it will be a long book.

Welcome to the new Millennium, Fields Family

2010-01-24T10:47:00.012-06:00

I am typing from my very own computer! Brandon and I have never had a computer. Hard to believe, eh? He has always had a laptop for work and I had a lap[top that kind of half worked, also from work (a cast off from someone else that was BROKE. DOWN.). So we decided to join the ranks of the tech savy and get a computer of our very own! I got a Dell and I really like it. I got green (Brandon did not approve). I've decided green is my power color!
We've had a pretty busy week. I am proud to say that I went to "Bootcamp" last Saturday, kickboxing Tuesday, Bootcamp Wednesday and Bootcamp yesterday. And contrary to Biz's prediction, I did just fine. I even beat her husband in the last run around the parking lot. Although I am sure he will say he was walking on purpose because he wanted to bring his heartbeat down or some such non-sense.

Now if someone can kindly tell me what I am doing to re-size everything on my screen so that you can read it from across the room, I would much appreciate it. Seriously. Mason just bumped me and I turned back around to everything on my screen about 5 times bigger.

Mason is sick. Sam story, different week. It started last Sunday. I held out until Thursday then finally took him to the dr. He said the congestion was not in his chest and he saw no signs of infection. Friday, he had a fever and has been complaining that his ears hurt. The complaining is actually a new one for us. Even with all of her terrible ear infection, Ellie never complained. And this morning his ears were draining. Nice. The dr did give me a rx for an antibiotic "just in case" so I had that filled on Friday but I can't say I think it's doing much. Good times. Oh and I have a stuffy nose and sore throat. Joy Joy Joy.

I've started decorating. I need a decorator. Not only because I just don't have decoraty ideas, also because time is not something that is plentiful. We got a few pictures hung yesterday. I want cool decoraty things and I just have no ideas. I know I said that.
Here are a couple of things we did in the kitchen:
We hung this ??? We are not sure what it is. (If you know, email me or comment!) It was in some of the stuff Brandon got from his Grandma and we thought it would make a nice little place to hang cutesy towels.

My mom did this last weekend when she stayed here to keep the kids. Ok, I had the cookbooks out like that but she added the gravy boat and tray. But I thought it was cute. See, I am impressed with small things.

We also got this out. We like it. It used to hang on our wall. It was something Brandon's mom had tanned years ago and she gave it to him. It kinda freaks my mom out. Especially when she said "Oh look at that." and Ellie said "Yeah, it's cow clothes." I guess I am cool like the Pioneer Woman! I'm pretty sure she has a cow skin rug.

PS gg if you are reading, let's schedule a date for you and Nana to come work your magic.

2010

2010-01-14T11:10:00.009-06:00

Ellie on the phone with my mom. This was a 20 minute phone conversation in which she actually asked my mom (who happens to be re-doing one of her guest rooms) "So what have you decided to do with that bed?"

Well, a new year is here. I thought I'd make it real and put some of my goals in writing in hopes that they actually happen.

1. To actually get the house complete. We live there, yes. And in a frat house kind of way, we have everything we need. But we just have the basics. There are no pictures on the walls, no rugs on the floors, and there isn't a ton of furniture. I have started frequenting "Design on a Dime" blogs and I have about 50 million ideas for ways to re-vamp my old stuff. There were a few things I had planned on sending to Goodwill, but I have actually changed my mind because I think with a few small changes, those items will be adorable. Now it is just finding the time to get it done!

Besides decorating, there is still a ton of organizing that needs to be done. We have some outstanding storage (a two car garage and two very large unfinished areas) so I want to utilize it! It's actually a bit overwhelming for me to think of how many different options I have for storing my vacuum. Or extra rolls of paper towels. Ahh...its the little things.

We also have a LOT of work to do outside. Obviously right now isn't the time for that. Hopefully in the next few months we will get everything in gear to continue to beautify our home and YARD.

2. To lose some weight. There, I said it. I started back to kickboxing this week and I am very serious about this. There is another class going on at the Y called "Boot Camp". I want to do it. And guess what...BIZ has no faith in me! She thinks I will be over my head. I ask her: "WHAT WOULD JILLIAN SAY???"
There is this song that has become my new mantra. Did you ever watch Ally McBeal? Remember when she would zone out because everything around her was going nuts? She would hear music and just tune everything else out. Well, my new zone out song is "Its Your Life" by Francesca Batistelli. It's my anthem. Here is one of my favorite verses:

Are you who you always said you would be?
With a sinking feeling in your chest
Always waiting for someone else to fix you
Tell me when did you forget

CHORUS
It’s your life
What you gonna do?
The world is watching you
Every day the choices you make
Say what you are and who
Your heart beats for
It’s an open door
It’s your life

I spend a lot of time worrying and doing for other people and it is time for me to come first. With the house being finished, chaos is tremendously decreased in our household so it's time for me to face the monster of losing weight and get on with it. I owe it to me and everyone who loves me and worries about my heart and health.

3. To sew more. (Read above for more info on Jennifer Time) It should come as no surprise that sewing makes this list. I see things all the time that other people make and I just kick myself because I COULD SO DO THAT! Hopefully before 2011, I will get things going again with Initial Reaction.

I think that is about enough for now. Those are three pretty BIG goals and if I even make a dent in them, I will be very happy. Baby steps, right? I have to remind myself because I prefer immediate gratification and if I don't get it, my ADHD kicks in and I just lose interest.

The fam is doing well. Brandon is traveling a lot. It's not ideal to be a single mom several nights a week, but as I said, everything in the new house just seems easier. We are planning a day trip up to IN this weekend for Macy Lynn's 5th Birthday. It's hard to cram it all in to one day, but honestly, it's just so much easier than spending the night. (I don't know how my parents did the traveling with kids things for so many years! We came to BG at LEAST every couple of months and stayed for several days! I am so thankful that everyone lives close enough for day trips!)

On a final note, a little funny from Mason. Mason has the ability to be so funny without even trying. (I guess there aren't many two year olds who work at comedy, right?)
Mason came in to the bathroom yesterday morning while I was still getting ready and Brandon was just finishing up his shower. I think I've mentioned before that Mason is extremely curious about anatomy. So much so that he has been banished from the bathroom when Brandon is showering. I kind of forgot.
Brandon opened the shower curtain and:
Mason: Hi Daddy! You have a pee pee just like me! (Grabs himself through his jammies)
Brandon: Yes, Mason I do. That is because we are boys.
Mason: (In an OMG Daddy you are so silly voice) No we not.... We not boys. I Mason and You Daddy. (implied DUH!)

This morning I was in the bathroom and the door suddenly burst open:
MASON: It's meeeee!!!!
ME: Hi Mason. How are you?
MASON: I Mason.
ME: I know who you are...(I decide to let a further explanation of the question go)
MASON: Sooo....Where Biz?
ME: Um, not in my bathroom at 6:30 am. I am pretty sure she is at her house.

And that's all he wanted. I guess he has just figured out conversation but he is still in need of some fillers?

Seriously. We have these interactions All. Day. Long. He cracks me up!

2010-01-11T11:59:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! Happy New House!

2010-01-08T12:02:00.004-06:00

Brandon pointed out last night that I have not updated the blog in weeks. If I ever thought my life was crazy, I had no idea until the last few weeks. I came back to work this past Monday to take a break!
We are moved in. Everyone has a bed and we have most of our other furniture in place. But, the process continues. The "little house" still has tons of stuff that we need to move. For example: Brandon had to run down to the little house yesterday before I left to get my hiking boots. I had grabbed about 5 pairs of shoes in one of my mad dashes of moving and substantial, snow worthy shoes were not in that group. (He also realized last night that he did not have any very snow worthy shoes to wear to work today!)
We started moving on the 17th of December and were finally given the "all clear" around the 21st. My mom encouraged me to concentrate on the essentials since our goal was to sleep there by the 24th. That, my friends, is not an easy task. It's almost like thinking about what you would grab in case of a fire! But we are faring well. And we are filling up all the wonderful storage spaces of the new house quite nicely!
Everyone was back to work on Monday. The kids were more than ready to get back to school. It is so nice to have so much space and be able to have a pretty normal routine. Everyone's beds are made in the morning and at night, when I go to bed, the house is neat and picked up. The house is really everything I dreamed it would be. My kitchen is AWESOME and I love being in there. We spent a lot of time in there.

The kids are adjusting very well. We decided at the last minute not to move Mason's crib and just see if he would move into the double bed. And of course, he did! He still asks for his paci almost every night, but he never questioned where his old bed might be.
Ellie is doing well too. She did awesome at first, but this week, she has started a bad habit of becoming weepy at bedtime. She just does not want to go to bed. She stalls and then once she is finally tucked in, she gets up at least 20 times. Honestly, she does seem to have so legitimate anxiety. She has told me that when the lights are out, her dollhouse looks like a ghost. I told her that cats, monsters and ghosts are NOT allowed in my house so she can just quit worrying about that one. It gives her some comfort, but not much. Ellie's picture happens to be in the article on wikipedia called "DRAMA", so we are having trouble deciding how much is "put on" and how much is real. Biz told me today that I gave her (Biz) my watch when she was little and told her it would protect her. I do not remember this, but it is a genius idea so I think I will have to come up with something like that for the Ellster.
If you haven't yet hear, South Central Kentucky is experiencing the "Blizzard of 2010". Of course, I have been at work both days. I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, it really pisses me off that many of my co-workers have called in with the excuse that they can't get here. I told one co-worker on Wednesday when she started with the "If it snows I can't come" crap that I could pretty much guarantee that NO ONE lives any further out in the boonies than I do and I would at least make an effort to come! Which I did. And it's not that bad! It took us a little longer to get to Scottsville Road, but once we got there, it was smooth sailing. And we may leave a bit early to get home before dark, but come on...calling in??? And then there's the fact that we happen to be the only pre-school or school that is open today. We have a total of 25 children (out of 120) here today. Now, is this really necessary???
I have updated the pics: HERE. Keep in mind that things are not at all decorated. Once we get everything moved, I will finally get to do all the fun decorating. I can't wait!

How Quickly Things Can Change

2009-12-10T10:22:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was windy. I heard someone say "It's so windy that if you don't like the weather, stick around and it will change in a few minutes!" This was true for most of the morning. It would be cloudy and drizzling one minute and then a few minutes later, the sun would appear (for the firs time in days!) and it would just be a breezy day. Later in the afternoon, that wind blew in some bitter cold temperatures. It was the kind of wind that would cut right through you.
Things with the house are ever changing as well. Yesterday, I was really on cloud 9 with the prospects of getting into the house so soon. Then I got a message from our builder. The painter feels that he needs to push our completion date back a bit. All in all, this means the final cleaning will not be until the beginning of CHRISTMAS week. I'm not losing all hope. They are still planning on getting the basement complete for carpet and that still means that once carpet is in, I WILL BE MOVING THINGS IN. I know that me and my mom can clean better than anyone we'd hire so we will just do it and get the basement settled. I am going to work my tail off to be sleeping in the new house on December 24!
Finally, I need to gush about my husband a little. He has already worked his tail off in this building process. Did you know that wiring a house is a really big job? I didn't have a clue what we were signing up for. Brandon has really amazed me with his abilities and it has all worked out. The final electrical inspection is today so say a little prayer that all goes well! I am very proud of Brandon.

A Little Update

2009-12-09T11:13:00.003-06:00

The paci thing is going. I have cut the paci off twice now and Mason still wants it. What a weird kid! We will keep at it. I am holding out hope that he will get sick of it and give it up on his own. It seems more humane than snatching it away since he is so attached.
The house is coming right along. Paint continues this week. Plumbing is pretty much finished. Cabinets are complete. The stone around the fireplace is done. Brandon is working on completing the electric today and the electrical inspection is scheduled for tomorrow.
What's coming up:
Blinds will be installed tomorrow. The tile guy will also be back tomorrow to finish and be done by Saturday.
Monday, someone will come in and clean and scrape the floors for carpet to go down.
Trim guys will be back and be completely finished by Wednesday or Thursday of next week.
Tuesday, carpet will begin. Final plumbing inspection will also be Tuesday.
Wednesday, closets will begin and probably be finished.
The final cleaning will be scheduled for the 18th or 19th and then we can MOVE.
I am having a hard time getting my head around the move. I'd like to pack everything up and have it ready to go, but our living quarters are pretty tight and I don't think we could deal with boxes sitting everywhere. I am taking off next Thursday and Friday, then I am off don't have to be back to school until January 4, 2010! I want to get a jump on things since the kids will be out of school after next Friday. I figure I can move everything in the kitchen even before the final cleaning since it won't be in the way. Mom is going to take off and help me (She's the BEST!) So hopefully we will be able to wake up on Christmas Morning in our new house! One of my priorities is to get the tree up ASAP in the new house. I put a little table top tree in the kids' room and let them decorate it.
I can't believe we are actually so close!

My Sweet Mason

2009-11-29T12:45:00.005-06:00

Mason is one funny kid. At just two years old, he really cracks me up. He has a terrific sense of humor that I have a feeling will blossom with age. He says things on a daily basis that really crack us up. He is all boy too. He has started having anatomy discussions with Ellie in the tub. I can honestly say, HE is the first to notice any differences in their "anatomy". I expected Ellie to ask questions but she has never brought it up. Leave it to a boy!
Mason is friendly. When we are out, he will pretty much always talk to people who say hello to him. And he is so fearless. When we are out, he will wander off with no concern for where we are. He loves to be outside and I am starting to notice that the only place he is truly able to entertain himself is when he is outside. He can always find a pile of dirt to climb or rocks to collect and put in a bucket. He is really a carefree guy. He is BUSY, but things don't get him very upset very often. Not much bothers Mason.
Mason's only real vice is his paci. He LOVES that thing. A few months ago, we decided we had to decrease his use of the paci so we put it away except for bedtime. It went pretty well. He sometimes finds a paci under his bed and he will come into the kitchen with it in his mouth and a big grin. {see above re: his sense of humor}. I will snatch it out of his mouth and tease him and say "We DO NOT have pacis unless we are sleeping! Let's put that thing away!" Most of the time, he laughs with me and we put it away. But sometimes it doesn't go so well.
On Thanksgiving Day, Mason was T I R E D. He had a MAJOR meltdown over wanting his paci. We decided it was time for the paci to go away for good after that fit. I really haven't been sure how to get rid of it. With Ellie, I just took it away cold turkey and she honestly NEVER cried at all. She asked for it at school when she saw other kids with it, but other than that, she was fine. I guess I have had a sense that Mason is a bit more infatuated with his paci than Ellie was. So hte problem has been: HOW to get rid of it. Nana, who I sometimes think should replace "Nanny Jo" as Super Nanny, had the idea to get rid of all the pacis but one. You see, we had been putting no less than 4 pacis in Mason's bed at night so that if he woke up he didn't have to look far to find one. So, we took Nana's advice on that. The other day, I gathered them all up but one and told him that Callie {the dog most likely to do something so mischevious} took all of his pacis and now we only have one. He really didn't care as long as there was still one. {Ellie however had lots of questions about HOW ON EARTH Callie got in the house and was able to get Mason's pacis??? I had to come clean with Ellie on our plan. Yes, seriously. I have included my 4 year old on my plan to fool my 2 year old out of his paci. I told her it's best for Mason!}
Today, PHASE 2 of the plan went into place: cut the end off the paci. While the kids were eating lunch, I snipped the end off of the one and only paci. When it was nap time, I handed him the damaged crack, I mean Paci. He put it in and took it right out. He looked at it and I said "Awe, it's broken." But I let him keep it. He messed with it, played with it, tried turning it upside down, but in the end he decided a snipped paci was better than no paci so he kept it for naptime.
My plan is to keep snipping it until he can't hold onto it anymore in his mouth and HOPEFULLY, he will give it up. Is this a copout??? Is lying to your 2 year old ok if it's for his own good? I like to think so! Wish us luck. Everything I have googled says this will work like a charm. But my kids are often sooo outside the "norm". Oh well, I hardly ever see college kids with pacis!

Happy Holidays!

2009-11-23T15:56:00.006-06:00

***Pardon this post as it may seem a tad scroogy but I have to get some things out and, well, this IS my blog***

The Holidays have arrived. I love this time of year. WHO could not like this time of year? {Don't answer, Brandon} Good food, time with family, gifts, the JOY in children's eyes as you talk about what Christmas really is all about {and Santa}, crowds, cranky kids who stay up too late, squabbles over what kind of dressing or potatoes will be served and trying to figure out how we will be in 4 places at once. WHAT'S NOT TO LOVE???

My issue of late is decorating TOO EARLY. It seems like the lights go up a little earlier every year. For the love of Pete let Thanksgiving be about turkeys. And what about poor Halloween??? I hear "Oh I love my Christmas decorations and I hate only having them out for a few weeks." Seriously??? Ellie is majorly confused. She is sure "Christmas" is going to be any day now and that Easter should last for weeks on end. When I was growing up, there were people who put up their tree the day after Thanksgiving and they seemed over zealous to me. {Does that statement make me sound like I am 80?} But I have talked to people who decorated their house last week!

And then there is my sweet family. ALL the kids are here for Thanksgiving. We all try to alternate years with the in-laws and being home. Biz and I decided it's more fun if we coordinate years so we've worked it out to be on the same "schedule". My mom has traditionally viewed Thanksgiving as a day to provide everyone in the family at least one favorite on the table at dinner. {I actually think I recall a year that Biz had Chef Boyardee Roller Coasters} Of course we have our Pemberton traditional foods and now we have added some Fields and Dreadin traditions to the mix. We may need a few extra tables for all of the food!

I really do love the holidays. I try try try to keep my head straight and remember that it will all happen again next year so if this year isn't perfect, we can have a do-over in 2010. I have a feeling this year will be WONDERFUL, but far from the norm. I'm not even sure that we'll be able to manage a tree with all we are going to have going on. I had an idea today to do a planted live tree, keep it outside and then plant it!

Today is my last day of work for until December 7. WOOT! I am going to start packing non-essentials and moving whatever I can move. My goal for tomorrow is to pack up and move my sewing stuff. I'd also like to knock out as much Christmas shopping as possible. For the first time, Ellie has a definite list that has not changed so she should be easy. Mason is still a little tough to buy for because he isn't interested in anything for more than five minutes. But we will figure it all out.

The hardwood is finished. Brandon has been doing some work on the electric, but we have decided that it is best for us to hire someone to do the remainder so that person will be in tomorrow to finish all of the electric. CABINETS were installed last week. And OH are they beautiful! The cabinet guy will still have to come back in a week or so to finish hanging the kitchen cabinets and some other minor final details. The only major issue at this point is paint which has had some issues and is going to take some major fixing. Other than that, I *think* we are to the point of finalizing minor things. OH and plumbing. I am still holding out hope for mid-December but we shall see! I added some pics of the cabinets to the ALBUM.

The Reason for the Season

2009-11-19T15:26:00.007-06:00

Ellie and I went to the mall today. Every now and then I take her to lunch with me as a special treat. Ellie has not been to the mall very much. We do not go to the mall very much. But I needed to get her some new jeans so off we went.
A visit to the mall is sometimes a system overload for Ellie since it's so rare. She saw a lot. With Christmas coming, everything is decorated and twinkly. We went to return some shoes and then to Old Navy to get Ellie some jeans. Ellie stayed with me, held my hand, never wandered, never got distracted... until we passed a furniture store window.
She ran over to the window and said "Look at this!" At first I thought she was going to show me a couch or chair we needed because we have been furniture shopping lately. But what had caught Ellie's eye was not Santa or reindeer or even a nice leather club chair and ottoman. No, what caught Ellie's eye was an almost life size {to her anyway} Nativity Scene. I actually almost started crying in the middle of the mall!

She was enamoured. She crouched down and was just entranced. She checked out every single figure so carefully. Then she asked to go inside.

She said a few words to Mary. I'm not sure what she said because she was whispering.

And then she started climbing over all the figures and I had to tell her to be careful. She insisted that she needed to see Jesus. And really how do you refuse a child a visit with Jesus???

As we walked away, Ellie let me know that Jesus could not be dead because when you die you have to lay on the ground with your eyes closed and your tongue hanging out. {too much exposure to dead deer???} So I had to explain that Jesus didn't die as a baby, but when he was an adult. This prompted: "Why did Jesus die?" I answered, "Um, so that you and I could live." But really that seems to fall short as an explanation to a four year old. I think I may need to get our minister, Adam, on speed dial!

Hissy Fits

2009-11-12T14:13:00.000-06:00

Tuesday started out rough. Ellie is going through some tough times. It is so hard to be four years old. And I do say that in all seriousness. She is no longer a baby. She is so smart, yet her emotions aren’t quite up to par. Sometimes, I fear that she has a harder time because everyone expects a lot from her because she can spell and write the names of every person who is important to her, including all the kids in her class, she is starting to read, she is starting to do some simple math and on and on. So as adults, we expect her to act on this same level, but learning how to deal with emotions is SO. MUCH. HARDER. {I suspect this is something Ellie’s Daddy went through as well.} And I am going to be totally honest and say I probably didn’t. Not that I am not a smart cookie, but Ellie is just exceptional, even if she is my kid. In addition she is exceptionally dramatic.

So back to our morning…she was in Mason’s bed with him when I got finished getting ready. The first thing out of her mouth was “I want to go to Nana’s.” {I deal with this sentiment a lot and honestly, I’d have preferred to go to Nana’s that day too!} I responded “OH! We should call Nana and plan a visit for this weekend!” Certainly, this was not what Ellie wanted to hear. “NO! I want to go NOW! I don’t want to go to school!” I’ve reached a point lately that I just have to nip this stuff in hopes it will not get really going so I walked over and reached for Ellie. I put my arms around her and told her that this needed to stop right now or I would leave her in the bed {she doesn’t know she can get out on her own! She’s just not dare devilish enough to try!} She continued her fit so I got Mason out and turned to walk our of their room, closing the curtain {yeah there is no door on their room} behind me. She finally composed herself enough to get out of the bed but then it turned into wanting a waffle with syrup before we left. We didn’t have time for a waffle with syrup and she was going to eat at school just like she always does. {with a “snack breakfast” in the car} Things were pretty rough until we got in the car. She didn’t want to get dressed, didn’t want to put her shoes on, didn’t want to get her hair fixed, the shoes I picked just “really bother” her and on and on. Mornings like this have become the norm and to tell you the truth, I don’t know what to do. I try patience, I try yelling, I try time out, I try talking softly and hugging…nothing works. We’ve tried earlier bed, picking out clothes the night before, and detailing our expectations the night before. But 3 out of 5 days, our mornings suck. We leave the house frazzled, in tears {yes even me}, and I find myself telling her that this isn’t how our mornings should be.

On the way to school Tuesday, after such a horrible morning, I actually, spontaneously felt so grateful. I was thinking about the house. Then Ellie and Mason started singing along to the DVD and I just thought “This is so precious.” No matter how horrible the fits are, Brandon and I are so blessed/ privileged/ lucky? I am not even sure the word. Blessed seems overused. And it seems like more than just luck. Even on bad days, my life is way better than my little girl dreams.
Tuesday night, we tried a new plan. We talked in GREAT detail about our schedule for the next day. We picked an outfit and agreed on shoes {I actually had to promise to shop for shoes because she claims her Keds aren’t comfy???} and then we prayed. We prayed for a better morning, for Ellie to make good choices and for Mama to have patience so that no one cried or yelled. We actually ended up saying two prayers because I prayed first and then she said it was her turn and I should repeat after her: “God is great. Let us thank him for our food. And our bed. A MEN.” God heard our prayers. The last two mornings have been great.

***
The house is coming. A week or so ago, our builder said “We are looking real good to be finished the first week of December.” This week he threw a hissy fit and said we’d be pushing it to be in by Christmas if we don’t get going on the floors. Basically the progress of the house is in a bi-polar state.

Top Five

2009-11-04T14:40:00.002-06:00

Monday night I when I came in the house, there was a weird smell. Some might call it an aroma. The fact that I couldn't place it tells how little "partying" I do in this stage of my life. It was wine. It seems that as Brandon closed the freezer after putting the bag of fish sticks away {always healthy dinner for our kids}, the wine rack somehow came off the top of the refrigerator and hit the counter, exploding in the process. This was the LAST of 8 bottles of wine that Brandon and I brought home from our trip to Rome in 2002. WHY we had saved this one I have no idea but it really pisses me off!
The kids and I arrived after much of the mess had been cleaned up, but that isn't saying much. When it was all said and done, Brandon said he'd been cleaning for like 2 1/1 hours. Over ONE bottled of wine. That exploded. Into a gazillion pieces.
In trying to be the ever "half glass full" {no pun intended} girl that I am, I have a top ~~ten~~ five list. Top Five Good Things About Wine Exploding in My Kitchen:
5. The sink and countertop were long over due for a cleaning
4. I semi mopped and swept the kitchen
3. The kids were parked in front of the tv for a little dinner picnic because the kitchen was off limits. They have never eaten so well.
2. Somehow, wine dripped UNDER the sink??? So that area got cleaned out and straightened as well.
1. I learned a valuable lesson: DO NOT save the awesome bottle of wine that you bought in Rome in 2002 lest it explodes when it falls from it's perch and you never get to enjoy it.

Things have settled down for us. We are planning/ hoping/ PRAYING that the house will be finished some time around Thanksgiving/ the first week of December. I will be off work starting the Tuesday before Thanksgiving through the first week of December so hopefully it will all work out. The major things still to be done are: hardwood and carpet, painting, upstairs mantle and stone around the fireplace, sinks, faucets, lighting and cabinetry. {Ok, that's a long list!} At this point, we are really dealing with small details. There is still a lot of work to be done so hopefully everyone will stay on schedule! I talked with the painter this morning and he thinks he will be finished by the end of next week. Hardwood is scheduled to start next week and I am still hemming and hawing over a decision on carpet but I will hopefully have that settled by tomorrow.
One minor point of interest: Brandon and the trim carpenter went to get the piece of wood for our mantle at the Mennonite saw mill. Cool huh? We wanted a rough cut piece of wood for the mantle and they had it. I'm excited about that!

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T09:38:00.004-05:00

Dorothy and Superman

Mason hasn't been too sure about his cape, but he agreed to wear it for pictures. Ellie has no clue who Dorothy is but the fact that she wears Ruby Slippers was enough to convince her that this was the costume for her. Of course Nana came through with all the costume making and getting together. The dress Ellie has on is one mom made for me when I was about 5. Mom made Mason's shirt and cape and thankfully we didn't put much money into it!
We are going to spend the night in Gallatin tomorrow night. My kids have never been trick or treating anywhere besides my Nan's and all my aunts and uncles. I figure we'll hit about three houses and then they can pass out candy too all the other kiddos!

It's Over!

2009-10-29T15:27:00.002-05:00

I survived. Monday and Tuesday I left the house before the sun came up and Biz brought the kids to school for me. Yesterday things got back to normal and they came with me. Ellie and I had some pretty meaningful conversations on the way to school yesterday.
Conversation 1:

Me: Ellie, do you see that house? They started building it AFTER we did and now those people already live in it.
Ellie: Really? That was fast!
Me: I know. What’s wrong with this picture?
Ellie: What picture?
Me: The picture of them living in their house before us when they started building their house after we started. Think about it in your head.
Ellie: OH! Good question! Another good question is: Why do the Duggars have so many kids? And they are ALL J!
Me: Hey I could live with them because I am a J.
Ellie: Me too!
Me: Ok, but we’d have to call you Jellie.
Ellie: Ok, I think I will just live with you.

Converstation 2:
{She told me something about Bob going on a day trip to Africa.}
Ellie: Who can I be married to when I get big???
Me: Well, maybe you can marry one of your friends.
Ellie: How about I be married to Daddy?
Me: Well, you can’t do that and he’s already married to me {for now}.
Ellie: Ok, well then I will just live with you forever.
Me: Ok I think that sounds great. But if you do get married you would marry someone your own age. Your friends will get big too and you will marry one of them.
Ellie: Ok but I will still live with you.
Me: That sounds great. You and your husband and kids can live in the basement.
Ellie: Where will we sleep? Ok, my husband can sleep with me {GASP!} and the baby can sleep in a crib.
Me: How many kids will you have?
Ellie: One. Well, you have two so I will have two.
Me: Not 18?
Ellie: No! Only 2.

I am thrilled that she is so conscious of her carbon footprint that she doesn’t want to overpopulate the Earth. I am also really happy she and her family will be living with me.
Mason had a great birthday. All of his grandparents came and he was showered with gifts. I joked that I was going to put it all away and put it under the tree from “Santa”. Last night, he went into his room right before bedtime {Somehow it seems that my kids always play like angels when they know bedtime is nearing. It’s as if they just know if they are quiet, we might just forget they are there and forget to put them to bed…} I sent Ellie in to check on him because he was just too quiet. When she walked in I heard him say “GO way!” She came back to report that he was playing with his train and motorcycle and he told her to go away. Howyalooya! Maybe the 2 Year old Mason will learn to play alone for 5 minutes!
Sunday we had a great time with the Jordan crew at Bizfest 2009. All of mom's family came out to Trammel for an afternoon of cornhole, a chili cook-off and we celebrated the October birthdays. Jake came up with the theme for the year: "Chili in the pot and a bun in the oven" Humor runs in the family.

Headed for Breakdown

2009-10-20T10:39:00.008-05:00

Sometimes I get so caught up in my day to day stress that I forget how lucky I am. I am stressed to the max this week in preparation for our federal review at work. Mason's birthday is coming up on Friday and I feel like I haven't planned a thing. I have people coming at me from 90 different directions asking what I want for the house and with things that need to be done at work. And life goes on...there is still laundry to be done and kids to be fed.
The kids are finally well. Mason ended up with a really bad case of pneumonia last week after the flu. Thankfully I had the intuition to take him back to the doctor last Monday so we spent the entire day in the doctor's office and at the hospital getting a chest xray to confirm a very "dense pneumonia in both lungs". Poor guy had to have an antibiotic shot and another round of oral antibiotics as well as more breathing treatments at home. Thank goodness for Brandon, Nana and Poppop who stayed home with him all week last week. He is all better this week and glad to be back at school!

My nervous breakdown is still slated for late this week or early next week but I am sure it won't last long. A few days of rocking back and forth in a corner and I should be good to go!

In all of this, I was reminded this morning when I uploaded some house pics: I AM SO BLESSED! It's so easy to lose sight of that when things get crazy. I look at those house pictures and I can't believe it's really mine. I added some pics to the album:
HOUSE

It's a Praty!

2009-10-09T15:19:00.004-05:00

Several years ago we had a little Jordan Vacation to the lake. Sometime during that week, my dear, sweet, hilarious cousin Shelby {who was 8 at the time and is 22 now...I think} made a banner. The banner read "It's a Praty!" That has kind of become our family motto. And if you know the Jordans, it fits.
Welcome to my pity praty. I actually think I should just change the friggin blog name! I feel like all I ever blog about is the horrible circumstances of my life. Before I go on, I do realize I am BLESSED and people have it so much worse than me. But the way you feel about your own circumstances is relative, right? Some people might say I don't know stress. Perhaps. But this seems stressful to me.
Anyway...Mason has the flu. He was going downhill all weekend and by Sunday night/ Monday morning I knew we were headed to the dr. They confirmed flu so it's been a pretty crazy week trying to juggle work responsibilities and two kids. Brandon left Monday at 7 am and won't be back until this evening. I have had a lot going on at work because we are preparing for a federal review the last week of October {happens every three years and all of our funding depends on it. Big DILL.} Ellie woke up this morning with sniffles and a cough. {I was actually just SURE she had a mild case of the flu two weeks ago!} Thank the good Lord for my parents.
Mason seems to be improving and I am just hoping Ellie will be ok. And really not {only} because I don't know who will take care of her next week, but because I just hate having sick kids. They are so pitiful!
Have I mentioned that I have a nervous breakdown scheduled for sometime before November 1? Seriously people. Sick babies, ENORMOUS pressure at work, 90 calls/ decisions a day about the house {not to mention that after a couple of good weeks of progress they didn't hit a lick at a stick this week!}...November 1 cannot come soon enough.

Meet Buck

2009-10-03T22:03:00.003-05:00

Brandon hunts. It's caused minor issues, but in all honestly, I have never had a major problem with his hunting. Being a wise old married woman, I realize that it is really important for spouses to have hobbies other than one another.
I've taken on his hobby with some personal interest. I certainly understand the sport more than I did before I met Brandon. And I like venison {even though I originally just tried it to impress Brando} Brandon is a very ethical hunter and he likes the sport of it. He primarily bow hunts. Actually in the nearly 9 years I have known him, I think he's only taken a gun hunting twice. I've felt the defeat he feels each time he goes out and comes home without having gotten a deer, specifically a buck. Since we bought this farm four years ago, Brandon has cultivated the deer population. He has created "food plots" and tried very hard to manage the land so that it is a desirable habitat for deer. He has several "game cameras" set up around the property so that he knows what kind of deer are out there. Over the last two years, he has been getting pictures of several very nice bucks. Until this year, he has not considered them "shooters" because he tries to be very selective and only kill large bucks. He has wanted to let these deer grow, mature and mate.
So he decided this was their year and he's been ready for one of them since bow season opened a few weeks ago. But every time he has gone out to hunt, if he has seen them, they have been just out of range. Until tonight!
I'm so proud of him! Ellie was THRILLED. Tim's nephew Luke who is almost three is here visiting from Alabama with Meme and Jack so Luke was really excited to see the deer as well. When Brandon rode up on the four wheeler with the deer on the back, Ellie said "Look at that thing Luke! We're gonna eat him up!" Awe she makes her Daddy proud. And her Nana cringe! LOL!

The Week In Review

2009-09-30T22:21:00.003-05:00

1. My house may actually be finished before Mason leaves fro college. This week has been a BIG week. The walls have been primed, trim work has started, we {finally} finalized our flooring choices, all the concrete work is complete as of today. We did stamped concrete on the front walk and then I added a small concrete patio in the back that is also stamped. I really like the look of it. After much deliberation, I settled on colors for the paint. I didn't want to get too mish moshy but I didn't want to be extremely plain either. I am happy with the way everything has turned out. {and actually right now, we only have tinted primer on the walls!} The only person who is somewhat disappointed in the paint is Ellie. We {I} picked a color for her room called Ballerina. Ellie has ALWAYS said she wanted a pink room so I obliged her with the palest pink I could find that the lady at the paint store assured me would not be Pepto pink. But with only the primer on the walls, Ellie insists it is NOT Ballerina. I've promised it will get "pinker".

2. I had to explain the Blood Mobile on the way to school today. Ellie saw it in traffic next to us and asked if it was a school bus. No of course didn't satisfy her so I found myself trying to explain to a 4 year old why anyone would want to get a needle stuck into their arm and give their blood away. After my explanation I asked if it made sense and she said it did. Then she added "That's not for kids." We agreed that donating blood was only for adults. I am fairly sure the Red Cross agrees with us as well. KUDOS to all those who give blood. {Like my Uncle Ted who at one time was the biggest giver in Warren County!} It is a wonderful thing. But I just can't bring myself to do it. And what an odd conversation to have with my daughter!

3. Mason finally has some long pants! My poor child. I'm not sure where my brain has been but the weather in Ken Tuck turned out pretty chilly this week and Mason has worn shorts with a long sleeve shirt for the past two days! {not to mention that my almost 2 year old has worn size 9 MONTHS shorts all summer} I got out all his jeans and long pants from the spring only to find that while they still fit great in the waist, they were capri length! I finally made it to the store today and bought a few pairs of jeans that hopefully will fit in both the waist and length. I fear he will be just like his Daddy {and me believe it or not} and be three times as long as he is wide. Tomorrow will be a trip to Target to get some new PJs since the ones I put on Ellie tonight are about 4 inches too short as well. Kids grow too fast!

4. Mason's teachers tell me that they are AMAZED at this language and how well he talks. GUSH! He has started singing in the car and it just cracks me up. A week or so ago, Ellie requested her favorite "Loves Looking Good on You" by Lady Antebellum. So we cranked it up and I had BOTH of them singing as loud as they could in the backseat. It cracked me up and made me a little misty all at the same time. It gave me just a glimpse of them growing up and neither of them being a baby anymore.

5. Thank goodness I will soon have another baby to cuddle so it won't be such a hard hit that Mason is getting to be such a big boy. It looks like the due date is around April 20! Can you believe it?

6. I am going to be an aunt!!!! Biz is pregnant!!! Every time I think about it I just get so. freaking. excited! Oh wait...you didn't think #5 was about me, did you????

Loose at All Ends

2009-09-23T12:24:00.006-05:00

Yesterday morning I got a call at 7 am from the vet's office. They had found my debit card. The one I lost in June. The one I had just written off as completely in the land of lost things because I really had zero clue where it might be. I had called the vet when I realized it was lost, but they said they didn't have it. It surprised me. I had every excuse to lose the thing there since I had two kids and three dogs and was trying to get meds and pay for the dogs and it was pretty chaotic. Turns out, there was a tiny slit in their countertop in which the card fell. Another customer also lost her card in the slit but she actually watched it fall so when they took the counter apart Monday night, they found my long since cancelled card.
Sometimes I feel like my life is just a shambles and I am loose at all ends. Like if my head wasn't screwed on....ok you know the rest. I was off yesterday and had some appointments in Nashville. I stopped at a gas station on my way home to get gas. Evidently when I slipped my card into my pocket, I dropped it. Right as we were going to bed last night, I noticed we had a message. It was the bank. The lady who found my card called the bank and told them she was taking it inside the gas station to the manager. {BLESS THAT WOMAN!} Brandon was just beyond thrilled because he evidently doesn't make mistakes {If you know this is not true, please email me and I will do a post specifically about all Brandon's mistakes!}
I decided that I really would not have a good day without my card being in my possession so the kids and I hit the road to Franklin this morning before coming to school. I found the manager and explained what had happened. He couldn't find my card. It wasn't in the place where they keep the cards that get turned in. {Because this is evidently a chronic problem!} So I gave him my number and he promised to call me when he got in touch with the night manager. I hit I-65 to BG and {of course!} 15 minutes into the 20 minute drive, the guy calls and says he found it. With all that confusion, I was not chancing him not being there this afternoon so I went BACK to the station and got the card. {he actually didn't even ID me which was somewhat troubling} SO after 1 1/2 hours in the car, I have my card in my possession. PTL! {Praise the Lord}
***
I had a doctor's appointment in Nashville yesterday so I made it a twofer and went to look at flooring. I am so overwhelmed with flooring choices! Carpet it easy so we were able to select that. Hardwood= not so easy. We want handscraped/ distressed floors. And I think we want solid wood. But Lord have mercy there are so many to chose from! I need some help. I am in panic mode about this. As in I think about it every waking minute and I may not sleep until it is settled.
We need to take some pics. The drywall should be complete this week and painting will start next week. WOOT!
***
Some other exciting news is that I tested a design for a girl who sells appliqué designs this week. When someone creates a new design, it has to be tested to be sure it stitches out correctly. I tested a really cute little ghost. I am hoping it will become a new gig. The website is Embroidery Boutique. I buy 90% of my designs from her because her stuff is so cute and simple. As the house completion nears, I am trying to think about getting back into more sewing. I love it so much but our house has just not been conducive to dragging out all my sewing stuff. In the new house, I will have my own space that I can organize and be able to get more done. Not having to use the entire kitchen and our bedroom to sew will be awesome!

AFRICA

2009-09-17T22:20:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to some of Brandon's Africa pictures. I am hoping to get a few framed. I'm having a hard time deciding on my favorites so post comments on your favorites to help me narrow it down!

Africa Pics

What About Bob?

2009-09-15T16:14:00.003-05:00

My sister had an imaginary friend when she was little. {I hope she doesn't mind my sharing. It's not a national secret} Her name was Carol. I remember setting a place at the dinner table for Carol. And I remember the morning we were at Seagrove Beach and we all got up and Biz announced that Carol was gone. GONE? "She just got on her tricycle and rode to California!" I still remember the way she said it. It reminds me of another cute little girl I know with an imaginary friend.
Have you heard about Bob? Bob is Ellie's imaginary...um...friend? Spouse? I'm not sure how to classify him. Bob showed up when Ellie was about two years old. He is her "baby's daddy" in her words. And she means this literally. When she was two, she didn't have "husband" in her vocabulary so she called him by what he literally was to her. Although it still baffles me that she has an imaginary husband. It makes her sound kind of fast, but I assure you she is NOT.
Bob is an excellent dad. He OFTEN has the baby. Like way more than most men I know. He takes the baby to school. He fixes dinner for her and gets up at night with her. Bob is a great eater. He loves vegetables. Bob isn't troublesome at all. We've never set a place for him at the table or had to be careful not to sit on him or anything like that. The only time I thought things might be taking a turn for the worse was the day Ellie came into the bathroom while I was showering and said "Mama? Can Bob take a shower?" I just said "He'll have to wait until I am finished." That was fine with Bob and that was all I heard about it.
Then there was the time that Brandon told Ellie they could go see Bob's house in a passing conversation one evening. We got ready to sit down to dinner and Ellie had a COMPLETE AND TOTAL breakdown because she wanted to go see Bob's yellow house and I am not sure Brandon had even realized he told her they could do that. Brandon being Daddy of the Year said "Ok, come on. You show me where it is." They drove the country version of a block (about 3 miles in a circle) and came on home. Ellie pointed out a house that was "Bob's". Then when Ellie came in our house she said "Mama, Bob doesn't really have a house. I just wanted to go for a ride."
I hear about Bob every day. On the way to school or home from school, Ellie always has some Bob story to tell me. She is exclusive about who she talks to about Bob: Brandon, Nana, Biz and I are in the "Bob Club".
Biz and Nana have become concerned. Biz went so far as to tell Ellie that Bob wasn't real. {Yes, the girl who had her own imaginary friend!} Ellie said "Mama? Do you know what Biz said about Bob?" "What Ellie?" "Biz said Bob isn't real and he is." Hmmm....this is a Mama test...So we talked some about Bob and his realness vs. his imaginary-ness. We agreed that he was real to Ellie but in reality {as in to everyone else}, he was just pretend. Sometimes I actually get a bit alarmed. So almost weekly we go over it again. "Ellie, is Bob real?" She always confirms that he is just pretend.
I know one day Bob will fade away or abruptly leave {like Carol}. Honestly, I think that will be one. sad. day. because it will mean Ellie is too old for things like imaginary friends. So for now, I will listen carefully to all the stories about Bob and his mom and his chicken farm and how well he takes care of the baby. I actually wish I could record every conversation!
Finally, to reassure Nana and Biz even further, I found this article {click on the word article, Nana}that I found on another blog I read. An imaginary friend is a sign of a healthy imagination!

Lions and Tigers...or Cheetahs...

2009-09-10T14:18:00.003-05:00

The week has not gone nearly as bad as I was afraid it would. I adore my kids. But two {almost} straight weeks of being a single mom seemed pretty daunting. Last week was a bit hairy as no one slept and Mason got sick. This week has been pretty smooth sailing. Everyone is in a good mood and has slept every night. {KNOCK on wood!}Ellie has asked a few times a day "What time is it where Daddy is? What is he doing?" And Mason went to the globe the other night and pointed to Australia and said "Dis whe we live." then pointed to Europe and said "Dis whe Daddy is." Ok, not quite sweetie but at least you are listening when I give the geography lessons!
Brandon called yesterday. He's having a good time and the things he is seeing sound amazing. I am glad I will be able to re-live it with him through pictures. Yesterday, he drove through a Rhinoceros breeding facility that had rhinos, lions and cheetahs. It was feeding time so he got to see them feed half a HORSE to the lions! And he said he was very close. Actually when he first started talking about it I thought "Why is that any better than the zoo?" Then he told me the horse part! PE.TA would have a fit, huh?
I am still working on my frugality. I told ya'll I have found a ton of great blogs. Before I get to that, do you use google reader? YOU SHOULD! You can enter the web addresses of blogs or frequently updated websites that you follow and google reader brings them all together in one place where you can read them and have the option of clicking a link to the page. I love it!
So back to the blogs I have been frequenting. Here are a few:
My Frugal Adventures
Krazy Coupon Lady
Stretching a Buck
The New Frugal Mom

This week I will tell you about my first adventure in the great deals that can be found at Walgreens. Here is some information that is pretty useful: Walgreens Basics I haven't figured it all out and I kind of messed up today by not presenting my coupons in exactly the right order, but I still got great deals. Here's what I got:
4 boxes of general mills cereal
2 bags of Chex Mix
1 big Glade soy candle
1 Aquafresh ISO Active
TOTAL: $7.34!!!!
{I wish I had a camera to take a pic of all I bought because I think it's always more impressive to see it all laid out, but Brandon took the camera so just draw yourself a picture!}
I had coupons and I also earned some register rewards and used those. I still have $11 left to use! I should add that I also bought some medication stuff (Zyrtec and Motrin) I am not counting this as out of pocket expenses because I paid with my flexible spending account, BUT I earned $10 register rewards with that too! Read these websites! There is some great info and it really doesn't take much time to save a lot!

I'm A Frugal Wannabe

2009-09-03T09:23:00.004-05:00

Here's a little secret: My greatest desire is to be a SAHM (stay at home mom). There are so many reason I think this would be a good thing. Ok, sure, you are thinking "Who wouldn't want to quit their job and stay home?" (and if you are thinking that, you also have no clue what life is like at home all day with a four year old and almost two year old!) I have had the great pleasure of having a really wonderful job AND being able to bring my kids with me to my job every day. I can simply walk down the hall and check on them. And on slow days, I may even spend a little time hanging out with them in their classroom. It's been a comfort to leave them in the caring hands of people who I know and trust. It's also been wonderful to be able to see them throughout the day. I have truly had the best of both worlds. But I have great aspirations!
When I was growing up, my mom would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I would ALWAYS reply "A Wife and a Mama." This was not just my reply when I was little. This was my reply when I was in high school and even college! My mom would tell me that having a family was a dream. She would say that being a Mama would be life but I needed to think about a career. And this one time, I have to say my mom was wrong. See, my mom stayed home with us. She did not go to college and she wanted to be sure that Biz and I did "more" with our lives. I understand where she was coming from. I certainly don't regret my education or my career to this point, but I see great value in my "job" being my family.
My life right now is hectic. I work full time. I have a "career" and I do love my job and the work I do for children and families, but I feel like I am often giving too much of myself to other people's children and families and leaving very little of myself for my own family. Brandon travels often. {Denmark two weeks ago, Mexico this week, South Africa next week and Chile in about three weeks.} He is typically gone 2-3 weeks a month. I have two small kids. I go back and forth between thinking I am lame and pitiful that I can't get it together and deal and thinking I have it HARD. I guess I am really somewhere in the middle. I know people have it much worse, but my life is no piece of cake.
I am {mostly} past the days of calling in reinforcements every time Brandon is out of town. I have mastered the art of getting something {fairly} nutritious on the table, feeding two kids, bathing two kids AND assisting them both in getting out of the tub and in their jammies. {This is actually more complicated than it sounds!} They can now help with feeding three dogs and two cats and I am kinda over wondering if all 22 cows are still in the fence. My days go something like this: Rise at 5:30, get myself ready and pray both kids stay asleep until I am done {if they don't, my getting ready routine is constantly interrupted with "Can you fix my waffle? can you get me some milk? will you turn the tv on? Mason is hitting me. And that often causes us to be late.}, get both kids up and dressed and pray that Ellie won't throw a fit about not eating breakfast at home {they feed them at school}. Get them in the car by 7:15, make the 30-45 minute drive to work. Work a pretty stressful job at which I have a lot of responsbility. Leave work at 4:30 {if all is going well} and make the same drive home with two hungry, thirsty and tired kids. Try to get something together for dinner. Feed the "livestock". Feed the children. Bathe the children. Entertain the children. Get the children to bed. Clean the house and kitchen and get myself to bed {hopefully before 11, but often not until much later}. Somehow, Brandon being out of town always seems to make said children have sleep issues so I can always count on someone waking in the night. {at least they usually take turns} And right now we are doing all of this in a one bathroom, one closet, 800 sq foot house. Good times.
I make good money and we are so blessed with all we have, but I want MORE. I want to cook good dinners for my picky kids so they will learn to like more things. I want to have a cleaner, neater more organized home. I want to be able to fit more quality time in with my kids and spend less time saying "honey I don't have time for that, I have to get this laundry done". And I want to spend FAR less time saying "Come on! We are LATE!" I want to be home when Ellie gets off the bus next year and I want to be able to volunteer at her school. I want to be able to take some stress off Brandon by being able to do more yard work and have his clothes clean and folded and put away when he is packing for a trip instead of living out of laundry baskets or or {gasp} out of the dryer!
Brandon is skeptical. He absolutely agrees on all points that me staying home would be a great thing for our family. But I am a spender. And Brandon is the family financial advisor. I've told him all my great plans to save money, menu plan, coupon clip, sew to make extra money, and shop consignment sales for the kids. But the proof is in the pudding, right? So I am going frugal.
I'm starting with groceries. {meaning food, toiletries, and cleaning supplies} I am clipping coupons, printing coupons, using electronic coupons and shopping sales. I have found TONS of great blogs that actually make it pretty simple to save by telling you where the best sales are and what coupons to use. I am doing my best to stay out of the major department store that starts with a wal and ends in a mart. There are many reasons for this, but I find that I spend so much more when I see a bin of water bottles for $1. {who could pass that up, really?} When I go to a simple grocery store, I don't even think about perusing the kids clothing section or running by the shoe department. I think this one step alone will be helpful in savings.
I have more steps I want to take like meal planning and frugal Christmas and Birthdays. I also want to start sewing again and I would really love to grow that business. It may take a while, but I am really serious about this. I'm going to start trying to share all the great deals I find here. This week I spent $80 at Kroger and saved $70! That's pretty amazing to me! At this point, I have no set time of when I would like to finalize this plan, but I really am committed to this! So here's to frugality!
***
I started typing this post yesterday. Mid-post, I saved it and went to talk to a teacher in the gym while Mason's class was in there. I walked in to find Mason sitting on a tricycle and thought he was just sitting there...until he took off PEDALING. KNIFE IN MY HEART! I had no idea he could pedal a bike!!! And he can pedal backwards and forwards. And I missed it.
Last night, Mason woke up at 12 am throwing up. Brandon is out of town. So at 12 am, I had to strip Mason, strip his bed, start a load of laundry in the wash and clean up the rest of the mess. All the while, Mason SCA REEMED. Poor baby has never had a stomach bug before. At two am when he threw up for the third time, I broke down in silent tears. So today I am using my last sick day until November. This sucks! The good news is Mason is tired, but hasn't had any more "episodes" since about 3 am. I'm exhausted> Biz took Ellie to school so here's hoping she doesn't come down with it agian (she was sick last Friday!)
Anyway...ya'll have a good holiday weekend!

Slowly But Surely...

2009-08-26T13:08:00.008-05:00

For anyone wondering, we made it home safe and sound. The kids were happy to see us, but I think I was happier to see them. We are back into the swing of work and school. I still feel like I am about 7 hours ahead and I'd love to be close to bedtime now. I have a really busy week at work because all of our new kiddos start this coming Monday.
We have made some house progress! The roughed in electrical inspection was yesterday and we PASSED. Insulation and dry wall should begin within the week. Slowly but surely, we ARE progressing. No idea yet when we might be able to move in. Here are some of the latest pics:

The exterior is pretty much finished except for the screens on the screened porch. It's been a long process, but when I drive into our driveway in the evenings, I am just overcome with how blessed we are to have such a beautiful home. If we never get walls, it'll be a nice place to camp! Hopefully, I'll have time to blog more later but I wanted to let everyone know we are doing well!

Travel Nightmare

2009-08-19T07:02:00.003-05:00

So here are some things I have learned about Copenhagen:

1.Copenhageners like to bike. Everywhere. There are tons and tons of bikes. Everyone rides bikes: young people, old people, women, men, pregnant women, women in skirts, men in suits and on and on. You see rows and rows of bikes parked on the streets. The city is nicely arranged and has wonderful bikes paths. The women ride bikes in skirts and dresses. They have the cutest little baskets on the front of their bikes. They also have little rickshaw type things to put on the front of a bike to let children ride in. It {almost} makes me want to rent a bike and travel around town! My dad would be in heaven!
2.Copenhageners like to bundle and they evidently have cooler body temperatures that Brandon and I. It is so HOT everywhere! No place is air conditioned, including our hotel room. Now, there IS a supposed AC unit in here, but not matter how low we turn it, it does not cool down. Anyone who knows us knows that we pretty much keep our house frigid, especially at night. We are dying. The weather outside has been tolerable. Today I was out for a while and wore short sleeves and jeans. I wished I'd worn capris.
What I mean about "bundling" is that the folks here wear a lot of layers. It is probably upper 70's here today and lots of people have on jackets. ALL women wear scarves wrapped around their necks. And everyone has their babies bundled up so much I figure those poor babes are sweating! They will have a baby in a swaeter and hat with blankets piled around. And I am not talking newborns. I am talking nine month olds. In this weather, my kids would have on shorts!
3. Everyone has CUTE baby carriages. Like so cute I almost want to have another one just to get a cute carrige like that. {Ok, they are not that cute!} A lot of people have prams. They're really modern prams and if the baby is sitting, they can sit up and ride around and they have a little harness on. Other people just have Euro-chic baby strollers but they are still so cute! And of course they hang receiving blankets or cloth diapers over them so that a lot of times the baby is comepletely closed into the carriage. And bundled up I am sure!
4. Copenhagen does not strike me as particularly clean. It's no dirtier than any other city I've been to. And it's much more clean than NYC or Rome. But it doesn't knock my socks off with cleanliness. I talked to several people who had been to Denmark before and they said "Oh you'll love Denmark. It's so clean." Hmmm. Maybe if I got out of Copenhagen it would look like an Irish Springs commercial.
5. And finally the number one {or number five} thing I have learned about Copenhagen is that my stupid bank, Integra, cannot "communicate" with Denmark. Yes, after 9 international calls to our bank and Master.card, the final answer was that they cannot communicate with Denmark. Brandon said "the whole f*&%ing country???" OMW what a nightmare. We have not been able to get any cash from ATMs and when I have tried to use my card in a few places, if they did not have the capability to do credit rather than debit, the transaction was declined. Brandon travels internationally A LOT. {In the next few weeks alone he has 4 international trips.} He has never ever had trouble using our debit/ charge card ANYWHERE. I had zero trouble in Ireland and Rome. And suddenly, Integra Bank has something against business with Denmark? One lady's suggestion was "Well, maybe you could borrow some money from a friend." Let's just say it's a good thing there are a few thousand miles between that lady and Brandon. FINALLY today after visiting THREE banks here in Copenhagen, I was directed to the main branch of the biggest bank in the country and they were able to withdraw cash for me. HOWYA LOOYA!
There are a lot of other things I've learned. The Danish are pretty laid back. Copenhagen seems pretty safe. And that is a good thing because we haven't seen any police. At all. And no one we are with has seen any either. And the food here isn't all that great.
Brandon is done with the conference today so I have been working on a plan for our sightseeing tomorrow and Friday. I did a LOT of walking today because the main branch of the bank that I had to go to was pretty far from our hotel. But it did take me to a new part of town so that was fun. There will be lots of pics when I get home and can upload them!

Greetings from Denmark

2009-08-18T01:19:00.005-05:00

We made it to Denmark. I've felt very disconnected the last few days. It's amazing how dependant we become on technology. Ok, maybe not you, but me! My cell phone wasn't working {got that resolved yesterday} and this is the first time I've been on the computer. I take for granted how easy it is to stay connected with cell phones, email, Facebook, and text messaging. But Brandon left his computer with me today while he went off to the conference so I am back in business!
Our trip has been fun so far. The flight was good and we lucked out by having an empty seat between us {the plane was a two three two seat configuration}. We had plenty of room to stretch out. I started feeling puny Friday. I willed myself to feel better and told myself it was allergies. By Friday afternoon, I decided to check just to be sure...I had major white patches on my throat. It was 5pm! I called Biz and my mom and they suggested I go to the Quick Care Clinic so off Ellie and I went. I got an antibiotic and I am feeling some better, but still not 100%. {BOO!}
The people watching on an international trip makes for never ending entertainment. On the flight, there was a large number of seniors who were headed over here to go on a Scandanavian Cruise. Most of them wore their nicest clothes for the NINE HOUR flight. I am talking older men in sport coats and TIES and women in panty hose. The couple in front of us wore SARS masks nearly the entire flight. Then there was our flight mate that Brandon and I still cannot get over: I saw this guy in the Atlanta airport bar. He looked homeless. Dirty clothes, dirty hands, unkempt hair, long icky beard. I noticed him sitting in the bar drinking a beer. I wondered how I homeless man got into the airport. We boarded our flight and everyone was pretty much settled and there was one last passenger to board. He needed help finding his seat. It was the homeless guy! And he sat across the aisle from Brandon. He drank a lot more beer and wore women's reading glasses. We never did figure out where he was going!
When we arrived Sunday, we got out a little and walked around, ate lunch and came back for a nice nap. In the evening, we went to the ICo.MST welcome reception. Last night, there was a get together at the Town Hall. Very pretty old building and it was evidently a really big thing that the group was granted permission to hold an event there. I spent some of the day yesterday walking around. Brandon and I will do the sight-seeing things together when he has some time off on Thursday and Friday.
I forgot my camera cord so I can't upload pics. But I will put some up of the kids that were taken a few weeks ago. I've been checking in with the kids every day. They are having a ball and don't have much time to talk to their Mama. I miss them terribly but I am doing my best to have fun!

I'm going to Denmark!

2009-08-10T15:54:00.002-05:00

I think I kind of have writer's block! I can't think of anything witty to write about so for what? The third week this is just the facts.
The biggest thing that is going on with us is ELECTRIC. Brandon finally finished everything that he can for now. We made the decision to hire someone to complete it. He will be coming in on Thursday to finalize everything so that insulation and drywall can begin. BUT...we will be out of the country next week so we are delayed yet another week. In the big scheme, what's one more week? Right? The new timeline is: finish electric this week, we will be gone, schedule inspector for Tuesday August 25 and hopefully the insulation can start the following day. Doing the electric ourselves and having to depend on family to help has been a night.mare. Nuff said!
***
Brandon and I leave this coming Saturday for Denmark. I am very excited. We have not been away as a couple in many years. I think it will be wonderful to just be "us" for a few days. And I have heard great things about Denmark {except for the fact that they are socialist??? but I guess that's not really any different than the direction America is taking, right?}. Then there is this ting of anxiety over leaving my babies!!! I spend so. much. time. with those kids! I am going to miss them like crazy. I have been trying to prepare Ellie. We got the globe out yesterday and looked at Kentucky, then at Gallatin and how close that is, then at Indiana and how close that is. Then we looked at Florida and talked about how long it takes to get there. THEN I showed her Denmark and how far it is and I told her how I will fly on a plane all the way over there and then next week I will get on another plane and fly back to MY BABIES! Her response was to dance around the living room and sing ♫♫"I get to live at Na na's. I get to live at Na na's."♫♫ Obviously she is very broke up about us being gone. Last week, I told her I would miss her so much and she looked at me and said "Well, you can always call me!" Again, real broke up. I am so so so glad that my kids know they can love and depend on other people besides Brandon and I. It is very comforting to know that, though they will miss me, I doubt there will be many times they will be completely sick over missing me.
I decided to get web capabilities on my BB again so if you are my FB friend, look for updates about the trip. And maybe even a text or two! Things have come such a long way even in the three years we traveled to Ireland when I was completely without a cell or the ability to text because my phone at the time did not have the capability. Yeah for technology!
I am really trying to psych myself up and not make this be like the first {and only} time I went to summer camp. I got so homesick! I sent my grandmother a letter than caused a call to my mom from Nan asking if I was being mistreated! Then I left camp early. I regret having so much worry and stress over that fun summer experience. {OK, I am not sure I could have ever made myself like the fact that they made us clean the bathrooms ourselves!} I know the kids will be having a ball. I know Nana will get help from Biz if she needs it and I need to experience all that Denmark has to offer without worry! Prayers are welcome!
***
Colby is doing so much better! He may get to go home this weekend. His mom Amy sent an email saying how much she has appreciated all the well wishes and prayers. He is a fighter and so is his Mama! Keep the prayers coming but know that they ARE working. He has been in the hospital for three weeks and there have been some very grim days but things are finally looking up.
***
We had the kids pictures taken last week. A longtime friend of the Pem.bertons, Gab.rielle, took the pics. I am so excited about the pictures! We had them done outdoors and they all turned out so well. I am hoping that we can schedule another time this fall to have family pics taken and include Biz and Tim and my parents. I hope to get the cd of the pics this week so look for those to be posted. I got a great deal and I get the cd and then I can just get the pictures printed myself. I love that. And I need Biz to get her own camera so she can do this! She absolutely has the talent, she just needs the right equipment!

That's all for now! OH! One more thing: They did the columns and shutters this week and my new house is beautiful if I do say so! I am so excited. I will try to post a pic tomorrow!

A New Day

2009-08-03T13:51:00.005-05:00

I {often} wish I were a little less roller-coaster-ish. My personality is such that my life really goes in cycles. Ups and dowsn. I have times when I feel like things are crumbling around me. In those times, I feel like every morning is a rush and I forget things. We eat grilled cheese every night for dinner because I just can't seem to put anything else together. At work, I feel like I am just never productive. And on and on.... Then I kind of hit bottom. I just decide I AM getting it together. I clean everything. I organize. I PLAN. Life starts to be a little less hectic, a little more organized and just a smidge easier. And I am kind of getting back to that this week.
Saturday, the kids went to my parents. That is probably the biggest help in my getting my crap together. I feel like I cannot accomplish anything when they are home. The second I get really involved in a project {think cleaning the bathroom, unloading the dishwasher, doing a load of whites...not big stuff}, someone is screaming my name: "Mason hit me". "I want to help!" "HOLD ME!!!" So I either get distracted and never complete a task OR I just never start one because I just can't handle anything more than entertaining the kids and playing referee. PLEASE someone tell me I am not a slug and there are other moms out there feeling this way! Ok, so back to getting it together...Saturday night I cleaned the bathroom, swept the kitchen, straightened the house, did laundry. Sunday I cleaned out my truck. {I am ASHAMED at condition of my truck. Horrible.} Whenever I start to get things back in reign, I feel like it's really a fresh start!
Getting out the door this morning was easy peasy. No whining, no forgetting, and no fits. We got into our clean truck and made our merry way to school. I even feel like I have been more productive at work today! Soooo here's hoping I can keep this going for a while! How DOES it all fall apart? I am not sure. Perhaps I should try to be a little more cognizant of the fall apart and try to recognize the signs. Maybe I can stop the fall in its tracks! Ya'll let me know when you see it coming, ok?
***
The house report is that it is moving at a SNAIL'S PACE. Whew! This do-it-yourself electric thing is A. LOT. We do continue to make progress. They are still working on the siding, HVAC is finally complete {for now}, and we have made a lot of progress with electric...but there is still a long way to go. Brandon worked ALL DAY Saturday and Sunday. We had a lot of help. Tim and some neighbors helped Saturday. Then Sunday Tim came back for more and we also had my dad and Brandon's step-dad. The idea for this weekend had been to get it DONE, however that plan didn't quite pan out. We're not completely sure the direction things are taking at this point but we have some plans in the works. Most important is that the electric gets completed so that drywall can start.
I found some BEAUTIFUL flooring. I have decided on a wide {5 inch or so} handscraped hardwood floor. We are going to get a pre-finished, engineered floor because all of my research is saying that it will have the best finish and wear well with little feet {and little toys}.
***
Brandon is traveling a lot over the next few weeks. Out of the country for 5-6 weeks straight? I think that's what he told me. Good times. One of those weeks, I will be with him, but still.
We are leaving for Copenhagen, DK August 15. I am excited. I have tried to find some "things to see and do" but there doesn't seem to be anything extremely remarkable. It will be a nice relaxing vacation. The kids will be with mom and dad with Biz and Tim as backup. Biz asked if she could just have the kids to "practice" on. Hmmm...how much could she mess them up in eight days??? I had thought we'd be in the house by now {HA HA HA HA!} and mom could stay there and have the option of bringing the kids to school to give herself a break. It's not that I worry at all about her abilities, just her sanity. BUT, Nana is WAY more capable than I am. {Seriously. She comes to my house for one afternoon, has both kids and can get more accomplished than I can in an entire weekend.} I know everyone will be fine.

A Little Bit of Everything

2009-07-27T10:25:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-07-21T22:16:00.004-05:00

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

2009-07-19T21:37:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-17T12:19:00.004-05:00

***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

2009-07-16T13:10:00.007-05:00

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

2009-07-15T11:20:00.005-05:00

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!

2009-07-13T16:31:00.004-05:00

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!

2009-07-13T12:14:00.013-05:00

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

2009-07-10T08:37:00.002-05:00

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

2009-07-09T09:25:00.002-05:00

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?

2009-07-07T15:41:00.015-05:00

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