2010-07-19T14:20:00.001-05:00

I didn't make it

2010-03-16T21:42:00.005-05:00

Well, the whole gang showed up at about 5:00 this evening and I wasn't quite done. I was still struggling with the crown molding, which still isn't up. But I did make a significant amount of progress today and should finish tomorrow. Lanette was a little overwhelmed coming home to this...

For some strange reason, she thought that the bathroom remodel project would be contained to the bathroom. But she was somewhat appeased by the progress made.

Hopefully tomorrow I will post completed pictures with the tub and sink installed. My list is substantially smaller for tomorrow than it was today. I just need to install the tub, sink, connect water to the toilet, install crown molding, paint door and window trim, and touch up trim. I can then start on the upstairs remodel which has a July 21 deadline. Good night all.

Just one more day!!!

2010-03-16T00:25:00.003-05:00

Lanette and the kids will be back tomorrow night. Will I be done? Probably not quite. Will the house be cleaned? Definitely not. In addition to working 40 hours last week and battling some kind of sinus/lymph node infection, I have the tile down, grout in, bead board installed, floor trim installed, walls and ceiling mudded and all the trim painted, but I still have to finish sanding, paint the walls and ceiling, install, caulk and touch up the trim where needed, paint the trim existing door trim, medicine cabinet, and window trim, seal the grout, install the light and fan cover, and install outlet and switch covers. Then I will be ready to install the toilet, sink and tub, as well as the ring for the shower curtain. I'd like to do all that tomorrow between 7AM and 2PM before I have to go to work. I am hoping I'll have a little help in the morning from some friends but there's no guarantee.

Here are a few pics of the progress over the last week.

The tile nearly all installed

The tub back from the sand blaster. The side that shows was very pitted from rust so I had to bondo and sand it which took nearly 1/2 a day. It's finally all painted and ready to install. I think it looks like a dead animal.

First coat of mud. Since nothing in this room was square, I've been using a lot of mud.

Tile complete, bead board and trim installed.

The plumber came today so technically I could install all the fixtures now, but then I'd have to clean them after I was done sanding.

Hopefully the mud will be dry when I wake up in the AM. Now I'm off to bed.

Day Five and Counting

2010-03-05T18:33:00.004-06:00

Today I finished laying the Hardi-backer cement board for the tile and began dry-walling. I also capped off the water pipes from the shower and sink so I could start the dishwasher and have water to rinse my tools after spreading the thin-set. I also had the leak in the roof fixed today. Apparently there were several holes right around the sewer vent that needed to be patched. Now I can comfortably hang new drywall without fear of the same thing happening. Apart from the loneliness and eerie quiet around the house, I am enjoying the project. It's not going as fast as I had hoped, but I suppose that's to be expected.
I am quite impressed how level the floor turned out considering it would be the only thing in the house that is. An old house that's been settling for 75+ years makes for interesting dry-walling. I guess it's a good thing I have a 5 gallon pail of mud.

I semi-cleaned the house today (at least the mess from construction) because I'll be working this weekend and won't be able to get back at it until Monday. The tub should be ready Monday or Tuesday and hopefully the plumber will be as well so we can get it set in place. I'll keep you posted.

When the Cat's Away...

2010-03-03T19:00:00.008-06:00

Lanette, the kids and Grandma left for Ontario to visit Auntie K and Uncle B this week so I decided it would be a good time to remodel the bathroom. It's a lot easier to go 36...72...96(aaaaaahhhhhh) hours without water/shower/toilet when it's just me around. Luckily, there is an open apartment right up the road (thanks Mom and Dad).
We had been planning this for some time and the project kept getting bigger. It started with replacing the toilet, then adding a claw-foot tub, and well, while we're at it why not a pedestal sink to make it look bigger. And if we're going to tear all that out, might as well replace the floor and walls too. Not knowing exactly what I was going to find, but knowing that there had been water damage in the past, I set to work on Monday with the help of some friends from work.

We removed everything but the toilet on Monday. Then we started on the walls. It sure looks a lot bigger without the shower enclosure. Hopefully with the new tub it will stay that way.

Tuesday afternoon, I tore out the rest of the drywall and took the toilet out. This is the wallpaper I found under the drywall. As I pulled it down I discovered that there were at least 2-3 more layers of different wallpaper underneath this one. Anyone have any idea what time period this is from?

This is the water damage I found. The sewer vent goes up the wall to the roof here and apparently the boot on the roof has rotted away.

On Wednesday we removed the linoleum and two layers of sub-floor to reveal more water damage where the toilet was. It appears to have been repaired once already in the past, which is why we haven't ended up falling through the floor. I'll only need to replace two of the boards to the right of the door.

Here is the claw-foot tub all ready to be sand blasted. That will happen tomorrow and then I can paint it.

I'll try to keep the updates coming as I am able. I plan to lay the new sub-floor and hardi-backer tomorrow and hang most of the drywall then tile the floor on Friday. Maybe I'll have the toilet back in on Saturday afternoon. Better go now, the plumber is supposed to be here any minute.

After Months Young Mother Posts Again...Read all About it Here

2010-01-20T14:07:00.004-06:00

Today is so beautiful, it sounds and feels like spring. It is actually 69* right now. I can't believe it after the weather we have had the last while. I dressed up the kids and herded them into our forgotten back yard for much needed play time. We (or should I say they) played non-stop for 2-2 1/2 hrs until I forced them back inside for nourishment and naps. Now they are both napping and I believe will be for some time. While I was sitting watching the kids this morning I decided that I could part with many of the trees in the second half of our yard in order to have a garden. I hate cutting down trees but most of them were badly damaged in the ice storm last year anyway. If we cut down maybe 6 or more trees and plant smack in the middle of our lesser used back yard it may have a chance. I'm about as excited as I could be. I think I will start a bunch of my own plants ahead of time too. I don't always have a lot of luck planting seed directly in the garden and I love messing with that sort of thing so I think I'll start searching for the perfect varieties. I'll have lots of herbs too. They are my favorite. They are so happy I think. Anyways it will be good for all of us involved. I know James and Ellie will love it. I'd also love to start a strawberry patch so if any of you out there happen to be thinning out your strawberry patches this year I'd love to buy or trade for some. I make mean cupcakes. :)
I've been potty-training Ellie for the last 4 days. Today we seem to be making real progress. So far no wet training pants since she got up. #2 is a different story, so for that has not happened in the potty yet. I think it may be a long road yet but as long as she is headed in the right direction I won't get too frustrated. I think I may not be the best trainer in the world so we will take this into account.
We also transitioned Ellie into her toddler bed last week. She is doing great. Actually sleeping a lot better in it than she had been in the crib. I have to say this is a huge relief because she is extremely stubborn and never has been a good sleeper. I love how the room looks now and we were able to squeeze another dresser into the room so now I have a place for her stuff. Before the room was so crowded that I had all of her clothes in totes under the crib. I'm loving the dresser!
So that's a little update on us, I must run and fold some laundry now.

The Family

2009-10-09T08:00:00.004-05:00

Last weekend we went up to Branson and spent the night at a hotel with an indoor water park. We had won a nights stay on the radio sometime over the summer so we thought now that the weather is cooler it would be great. Unfortunately we forgot to take the camera. :( We also went to Silver Dollar City the day after the water park. We bumped into some friends from Harrison and they offered to take out photo so we lucked out! We had a great time the weather was cool and it was perfect for enjoying the Harvest Festival. Our hotel was lots of fun too. The kids loved the water park. No big surprise there though, they are both water babies. Our room also had a small room inside it that had a set of bunk beds and its own tv. James was thrilled with this. He slept on the top bunk with no issues and Ellie on the bottom and she didn't fall out either even thought there was no railing. She did hop out and wander around once and awhile though. :) Sometime during the night our fire alarm began to chirp. This was a bit of a buzz kill. It would chirp 15 min. then be quiet 15 min. We didn't unplug it because we were afraid that maybe it would cause trouble for the system if we did. So the next day we were all a bit tired. That was the only hitch so I'd say that's not bad for a free vacation.

Whole Wheat Donut Day

2009-09-25T10:19:00.003-05:00

Every Friday our local donut shop has whole wheat donuts. You are thinking why take a perfectly good piece of junk food and adulterate it with wheat flour? It may seem like a terrible idea but I love them! I love that I can make a huge splurge and pretend to feel good about it because it is somewhat healthier for me than it would have been on Thurs. :) The texture it great and the taste is the same so there's not even any sacrifice, I actually like them better this way. So once every six months or so I get to experience this whole wheat "goodness" and today was my day. Sweet husband.

Shopgirl

2009-09-20T10:12:00.005-05:00

This time of year I am always reminded of a quote from You've Got Mail. Its when they are chatting online before they've ever met and Meg Ryan ask Tom Hanks " Don't you just love New York in the fall? and Tom Hanks replies " It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address." I love fall and this is my exact sentiment. I love to see all of the leaves falling and then having their little tornadoes in the street. Pumpkins and Mums and all the things that go with them just make me happy. I start planning Thanksgiving and thinking about making Christmas presents.

I think of quotes from You've got Mail all the time actually. So much of me really reminds me of Meg Ryan's character Kathleen Kelly. I even had the Meg Ryan hair cut for years. Here are a few of my favorite quotes.

I think of this every time I go to Starbucks:
Joe Fox: The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the heck they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino

The reason this is so funny to me is because it is so true. I always feel so good about knowing what I want and who I am when I ask for my Tall Vanilla Brewed Iced Coffee in a Grande cup.

This post proves the point of why I identify with this next one.

Kathleen Kelly: Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, not small, but valuable. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void.
The next one just suits me. Its something I would think. Except for that hats are not usually a mistake. The mistake lies in not wearing the hat. We let them hang in our houses getting covered up in dust when we should just grab them and wear them because who cares if anybody else thinks its a hat day, everyday is a hat day.

Kathleen Kelly: Once I read a story about a butterfly in the subway, and today, I saw one. It got on at 42nd, and off at 59th, where, I assume it was going to Bloomingdales to buy a hat that will turn out to be a mistake - as almost all hats are.

Joe Fox: Well, let me ask you something. How can you forgive this guy for standing you up and not forgive me for this tiny little thing of... of putting you out of business?
________________________
For a long time when somebody hurt me deeply I would think about the last few sentences of this next line.

Kathleen Kelly: Well... if he's not here, he has a reason, because there is not a cruel or careless bone in his body. But I wouldn't expect you to understand anybody like that. You with your theme park, multi-level, homogenize-the-world mochaccino land. You've deluded yourself into thinking that you're some sort of benefactor, bringing books to the masses. But no one will ever remember you, Joe Fox. And maybe no one will remember me, either, but plenty of people remember my mother, and they think she was fine, and they think her store was something special. You are nothing but a suit!

________________________________________________

I always think of this when someone says that something isn't personal. Because I really think this is true.

Joe Fox: It wasn't... personal. Kathleen Kelly: What is that supposed to mean? I am so sick of that. All that means is that it wasn't personal to you. But it was personal to me. It's *personal* to a lot of people. And what's so wrong with being personal, anyway? Whatever else anything is, it ought to begin by being personal.

In All Things Give Thanks to God

2009-09-16T14:22:00.006-05:00

Yesterday the Bible study that I attend started its third year. We study through the school year and take a break during the summer. I had been aching to get started again because it is through this study that I have grown the most profoundly in the past. This year we will be studying Life Management for Busy Women by Elizabeth George. This study is focused on young mothers and wives and balancing the many tasks that are set before us in a Godly way realizing that without God it is all useless. Our leaders, Jan, in particular are very good at pointing us to Christ and showing us what its all for and how blessed we are to have these duties. Its odd to find this large of a group of women engaged in building each other up in the Lord rather than comparing lives, status, abilities etc. and tearing each other apart piece by piece. (Women are so good at that)
Yesterday our prayer was focusing on giving thanks to God in all things. This was timely for my life. I suppose we can always have a good dose of it, but sometimes its a little more dear. While I've done fairly well to remain faithful in our most recent trial its still very easy to become fearful that God may not be paying close attention with all He has going on and that maybe He won't fulfill His promises in time. I know this is ridicules, but we think in human terms and we want God to answer our prayers in our time. I found the verses to be a big encouragement. One in particular I felt as if He really was speaking directly to me. I've become a lot more "mystical" for a lack of a better term if you will lately and I'm not going to apologize for it. Our prayer leader had a paper printed out full of verses on being thankful to God and she had each woman read one. I usually hate this but today it was very useful to me. My verse was Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;. Our pastor had this on his answering machine for months and I think even preached a sermon about it but the version of the Bible he was using said "Be Carefull for nothing" instead and it just didn't click fully until yesterday. The 21st Century King James says "Fret not about anything," which works for me as well. Anyway it just felt like God was hitting me on the head saying " Stop worrying, keep talking to Me I'm going to take care of you." I can't believe it was just an "accident". So I am going to be not just thankful but thankful to God in all things.

Tupperware-Lanette den Hollander Harrison, AR

2009-09-06T19:04:00.005-05:00

What 's your favorite piece of Tupperware? I have to say I think it is almost impossible to narrow it down but I will do my best. My favorite Tupperware timesaver is..
the Quick Chef. I have been loving making fresh salsa from the tomatoes that we are getting from the garden. I throw all of my ingredients in and a quick turn or two later chop, chop, and I'm done. Yep awesome, great for just chopping veggies for casseroles etc.

My favorite Tupperware money saver is..These are the Fridge Smarts. They are for keeping your produce fresh. They are awesome because we eat a lot of fresh produce but were always throwing stuff out that went bad before we could eat it. Now I hardly ever throw stuff out. I've had lettuce last 6 weeks. Yep its really true :)

And finally my favorite storage container is the Rectangle Cake taker. I make cupcakes all the time now cuz I can actually store them with our ruining the frosting.

So these are my faves what are yours?

Also Just wanted to let you all know that I now have my own web site if you'd like to visit it click here. If you'd like to be added to my Tupperware Sale e-mail list let me know and I'd be happy to add you to it.

Happy Birthday Baby! James that is

2009-08-30T08:04:00.004-05:00

James turned 3 today. He is the sweetest child and continues to steal heart. Last week when I asked him what he wanted for his Birthday he thought a few min and then said "A Birthday Cake!" I asked if he wanted anything else and he said, "Nope just a Birthday cake!" The sweetest kid I tell you. I wanted to get him something big for his birthday but ended up getting him two small wooden toys from TJ Maxx. Yesterday while he was napping on the way home from visiting white water we stopped at Dollar Tree and got him 3 helium balloons and a cool pack for boo boos that is in the shape of a hot-wheels. I hid the balloons till he went to bed and then tied them to his chair and wrapped his presents. This morning he got up we sang Happy Birthday to him, then he ran out and saw the balloons. Both children squealed in delight. We let James open one present now and will do the others when everybody comes for dinner after church. He opened the hotwheels cold pack and was so excited and so thankful he taught me a real lesson. Hopefully never again will I think that I need to get them anything more than love. He would have been happy with just a cake and then the cold pack was a huge bonus. I love that kid!

Leaving the Hospital to come Home.

About 8 or 9 Mo.

1st BirthdayCamping on our first family Vacation May '08 20 mo old 2nd BirthdayThis summer being the ham he always is.He made this hat at the Library story time on Mary Poppins day.The cake the little man was asking for.

Let Them Eat Cake

2009-08-22T10:40:00.003-05:00

This weather has me in the mood for posting. Its the exact same weather as when I came home form the hospital almost 3 years ago with my sweet little bundle of James. I always get really happy and peaceful when the weather turns like this and reminds me of those few weeks after he was born. Before I tear myself away and start the labor of my day I wanted to some pics of the cake I made yesterday. I made it for my friends little girl for her birthday. It really was fun. No major accidents and it turned out almost like I hoped. Ok, off to fold clothes for me.

First Pigtails Etc.

2009-06-17T12:40:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pics from this past week with a little bit of an update on us.

Tim had knee surgery last Friday. He had some torn cartilage removed so he has had this week off and on Mon we went up to Branson Landing for some shoe shopping.Ellie's first Pig Tails!She is quite sure she is really something!When we went to the Landing we visited Ben & Jerry's. Ellie is a huge fan.James is just a big ham.

Ellie enjoying Daddies affection and the company of Hopper and Sea horse. Oh and would you check out her snazzy new sandals from Grandma. They are her favorite shoes.

We had a Bistro Party in our backyard on Sat. It was awesome. Lots of great friends...

...and food.

Pics For Bahma, Nina, and Oma

2009-05-30T11:09:00.006-05:00

Here are a bunch of pics of the kids taken over the last month or so. We went camping for two days a few weeks ago. It was so much fun. Ellie fell in love with smores and James fell into the fire pit (Ellie got the better end of this deal) Very providentially James only got a few minor burns, if you look on some of the pics with the gold fish you can see his hands bandaged up. We've been busy with all of you regular summer activities and loving it! Ellie's !st Birthday is next Tuesday. It doesn't seem that long. Grandma sent a surprise for James and Ellie. They were both very impressed!

Check out Ellie's festive new bow :)

We cleaned out the pond in our backyard and Ellie had to test the water. As it turns out she tests the water very similarly to the way I did when I was a child. She would have loved to be submerged if I had let her.

She can now point to her nose and mouth and says thank you.

Here she is so pleased with herself because she is learning how to get out old stains out of her new hand-me-downs.

Can't figure out why Daddy is eating her smore (look closer for her hitler smore stach)

Goldfish we bought from the marina as a distraction from his burns and to put into our pond. Apparently Nemo is in that bucket.

Ellie is a big fan of the Radio Flyer

Napping on our bed in the camper

Mo and Larry

Tim was teaching James how to kick the ball and he was loving it

Thumb+Hopper what more could Ellie want?

Bubbles, James and Ellie both love bubbles.Tim too for that matter. :)

She is such a sweet little girl. She's always happy, just so contented. Even though she's been teething a lot. She now has all but one of her 1yr. molars. A total of 11 teeth.

Riding the flying elaphants just before Bahma left for Florida.

I actually got him wrangled down for a pic with me. He is really developing a big imagination. I don't know why I am surprised. I apparently had a very large imagination when I was a child too. Still do I guess. Pretending is a big part of every day here.

Showing me his favorite of the planters that he helped me plant.

Tea Party etc.

2009-03-06T20:27:00.004-06:00

We finally have a new camera, not a fancy shmancy one like we used to have but this will do just fine and it does have accidental insurance. This sounds like I didn't mean to purchase this insurance but I assure you I did. I've been so happy to have a camera again. I have been somewhat puzzled on how to download them but I'll do my best. Here is a smattering of what has taken place since we got the new camera.

James makes the best tea.

Ellie makes the best faces.And messes..Naps are fun..And Cute

James loved helping clean up after the ice storm

A bad pic of their room post visit to Ikea

James does this a lot and Ellie isn't always so sure about it.

Boy does this ever bring back some embarrassing memories. :)

Praise

2009-01-12T17:13:00.003-06:00

Today Mom and I headed down to Little Rock for what looks like our last visit for Ellie's hip. She was born with a click in it and we've been following its progress at Children's. As of today they couldn't find anything on the films and pediatric orthopedic specialist couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. Praise God!

2009-01-09T18:06:00.002-06:00

I have a lot of thoughts. Some of them I don't know what to do with.

And then there were none

2009-01-06T15:39:00.002-06:00

(Not actual camera)

About a month ago I was uploading some pics to sell some stuff on e-bay and I knocked my camera off the desk. It wasn't a big deal till I tried to turn it on. No matter how I tried I couldn't convince the thing to turn on. So this is my excuse for lack of posting. I have nothing on which to blame the month of emptiness prior to that.

Being Helpful

2009-01-02T20:33:00.002-06:00

Today we returned home from staying at Mom and Dad's for the Holidays. I was changing Ellie's diaper and James walked into the nursery and asked "Ellie shooie?" I said that she was and he replied with "James get spankin moon" as he tottered off into the other room to find his wooden aquaintence. Hmmm...

The TaBoots

2008-11-15T22:55:00.003-06:00

James loves trains so this week I took him to visit a Caboose at one of the parks in town. He loved it even though I was a little freaked out by the obvious signs that people had been living in it.

Baking Bread

2008-11-01T17:01:00.004-05:00

This past week I branched out and made sourdough bread for the first time. It was tons of fun and James loved helping. Kneading it was his favorite part. He loves to cook you never know maybe I should have named him Basil. How could you go wrong with a chef named Basil?

Making Friends

2008-10-27T21:58:00.004-05:00

James has the sweetest little friend, her name is Ava. Its interesting seeing as how we almost named Ellie Ava. Ava is 15 days older than James but we only met about 2 months ago. Last time she came over for a play date they decided it would be fun to play baby and get into the crib and suck on pacis. Children are amazing. :)

In other news...James and Ellie are still quite a team.

A Couple Pics From the Last Month

2008-10-15T20:32:00.008-05:00

Several people have been begging, I dare say hounding me for new pics of the kids. I can't really say hounding as that would imply that I felt harassed and I have to say I didn't. In the last few weeks I've been so busy as all the rest of the world. In the end of Sept. my womens Bible study started up again. This alone keeps me busy. Every week I add another thing to my ever growing list of things that I need to improve on. It would be very depressing if it wasn't so amazing to see God's work in my life. The harder I work the more work I see that needs to be done. So there is that, I've met some wonderful women through this study (I've been attending for a year now) so now I have some really good friends as does James (Ellie too). I've been having play dates and or dinners with them every week. Sometimes I wonder who the play dates are better for, me or James. Hmmm.
I started working for a little old couple almost a month ago now. I go there about twice a week and work for a few hours doing whatever they can think of for me to do. I do anything from general cleaning, changing light bulbs, cleaning out closets, making phone calls, writing out phone #s etc.(she is legaly blind so any writing needs to be very large and in black marker) Sat. I am taking him grocery shopping. I'm excited about this. I'll be taking the kids along and this will be the first time that they have met them. Ralf is 89 and Ellen is 85. Its a shocker to think that he is nearly 70 years older than me. I think they enjoy my company more than having me there for the work although they think I am quite the worker. Today I was only there for two hours and they gave be a bonus because I worked so hard. I tried to refuse but they insisted.
About two weeks ago I signed up to sell Tupperware. This I am so siked about! Me, the Tupperware Lady. I've always loved the stuff but always had a hard time finding it so now here I am. I am having my first party on the 21st. Very, very exciting for me:) So if any of you need any Tupperware let me know, or if you want to have a party I can hook you up. I had no idea how much cool free stuff you could get just for having a party.
Last Fri. morning I ran out for about an hour to go garage saling ( I haven't been since Ellie was born) and lo and behold I got the deal of the century. I found I would say at least $1500 worth of Thomas the Tank Engine and Brio train stuff for $90. It was so hard for me to plunk that much money down in one spot but I am oh so glad I did. I gave James 3 of the wooden trains (of the 94 ) now and am saving all the rest of the stuff for Christmas. I can't wait. I hope he'll be old enough to remember it. We are hoping to set up part of the track around the tree the night before and have a bunch of the trains on it.
We do have a huge praise to share. Tim is going to be moving to the 3-11 shift from the 11-7 shift at the hospital. This is going to add so much time together. We are so thankful to God for this, the night shift was starting to take its toll on all of us.

So this is what has been going on in our lives recently. I'll try to keep you better informed and pictorially updated but I make no promises.Ellie had her first diaper rash and it was a doozie so she napped naked. She thoroughly enjoyed it. She'd always rather be naked.

She's a thumb sucker.

Hmm...this wasn't his dinner, he just insisted on carring around the stale baugette all the while trying to naw off a bite.

Ellie looks startled often, even when she isn't.

We like to create an illusion of hair. She's really almost bald.

We went to the fair and James got an armband. Oh what fun. Auntie Kristal road the dragon with him and he thoroughly enjoyed it. Can you tell?
Trying to pet a Highlander Cow for Auntie Kryna at the petting zoo.
Political at such a young age. I'm waiting to inform her that she has to wait 18 more years before she is allowed to vote. Someone mistook her for a boy the night this was taken mind you. I would have thought the dress would have spoken for itself but aparently not.

Fair fun with Daddy.

This was taken the morning she was baptized.

I laid Ellie on the bed while I was doing some stuff in the bedroom I left for a min and found her asleep.

Everyday she is more beautiful and and I fall deeper in love with her.

I truly believe she is going to be a spitfire despite what this picture would have you to believe. She is really sweet even though she knows what she wants. She is no pushover.

James has developed this smile for when he is asked to smile for the camera :)

Today I took time out to show James some proper kitty protocol. Not sure how well he was listening but this is actually a big improvement from before:) She is very longsuffering.

James Belated Birthday Fun

2008-09-16T21:05:00.004-05:00

James turned 2 on Aug. 30 which happened to A&M's big day so we put off festivities until everyone was home and settled back in. We had an "Elmo" birthday and it was too much fun. I made Elmo cupcakes and James went nuts when he saw them and the rest of the day he watched them intently and talked to them. He waited patiently until after his birthday dinner to tear into his own personal Elmo cupcake.

Two dozen little Elmos
Awe and wonder at all the Elmos
The happy family

I just couldn't post without a few pics of Ellie. So here they are too.

Grandma is still awfully funny

And here we have our main course for the evening, Chicken Breast stuffed with tomatoes, basil, garlic, and mozzarella cheese. Mmm

Ellie wants to know

2008-09-03T20:38:00.002-05:00

Does this hairdo make me look like a Who, you know like the ones from Whoville?

Its Creepy

2008-07-31T13:54:00.002-05:00

Today I went to get a prescription I have for my migraines refilled only to be told that I did not have any refills left. I was somewhat baffled and asked how that could be, I had the empty bottle stating that I had one refill and I had actually only ever filled it once. They told me no I had indeed filled it on May 7th. They then pulled up the signature from when I picked it up. I looked at it and knew instantly that it was not my or anyone in my families signature. The longer I thought about it I also realized that May 7th was the day that we left for vacation so I wasn't even in town when I filled this prescription. I asked the pharmacist more info and found out the most alarming thing is that this person who did this knows me. They know what medications I am on, what pharmacy I use, my birth date, and most likely that I was going to be out of town. I find this all more than a little unsettling.

The Van

2008-07-19T11:55:00.004-05:00

So Last Monday we found a great deal on a van in Detroit so we packed our bags and headed to MI. I love, love, love it! I feel like I could have driven my little Aveo right in the back. James and Ellie seem to be enjoying it too. On the way home we were able to stop and visit Frank and Sonja (and fam). It was really nice to see them even if for only a few hours. It was the first time we were able to visit their new house. Anyways this is just a quick post with a few pics of the trip and of course a few of Ellie here at home.

Poor kid was trying to watch Lady and the Tramp but I kept asking him to smile, I guess this is what can be expected.

Sonja and Ellie

It proved somewhat difficult to get everyone looking at the camera at the same time.

Frank and Sonja's new house

Little Peepette

I think in this one her face reflects her horror that the rag has slipped and is now worthless in our attempt at modesty.

So much better.

Making Sense Out of It

2008-07-13T22:47:00.003-05:00

It has come to my attention that none of the text that I had with my last post actually posted. I can imagine some of the pictures made little sense without it. What I was trying to say was that ever since James was born he has had a very special bond with his purple bear blanket named Lumpy. Its his best friend. While I was pregnant with Ellie I started looking for a similar toy for her and as it turns out they are harder to find than you might think. I finally found one and it would seem she likes him. We decided to name him Hopper as he looks like a grasshopper brownie. Every time I went to check on her Hopper was in a different spot. As for the naked monster on the sofa...he had his clothes banished because he had two accidents in 15min. he was laying on the sofa and I asked him to look at Momma and he said "No". I asked why not and he said " cuz I nigh nigh" Well why didn't I think of that? I know this is random but at least it will make the last post somewhat more understandable.

Ellie and Hopper

2008-07-11T08:47:00.004-05:00

Our Business Venture

2008-07-10T20:08:00.005-05:00

Tim has been wanting to start his own power washing business for a while now. We had made the decision to go ahead with it and buy the equipment as soon as the loan was finalized. We were looking on Craigslist for vans and happened to find a power washing unit and some other cleaning equipment for sale down in the Dallas area. It was such a good deal Tim took off work and we headed for Texas. The trip down was great, coming back not so good but all around it was a good trip and we had a lot of fun. Saving money is always fun plus we got to have two days of family time as a bonus. The kids were real little troopers although having grown up as a seasoned traveler I must say we are no longer. Potty stop here, snacks there, gas, nurse the baby, etc. I got a few pics of the trip so here they are.

One of the afore mentioned potty stops. Unfortunately this time we did not pull over in time.
This fact is illustrated by the look in his face.
"Someday I'll be big enough to go along and help Daddy"

My little crew.

Farewell My Little Red Car...A Tribute

2008-07-04T10:58:00.003-05:00

This past Wed. we sold my little red Aveo to make way for a mini van. Here is a pictoral tribute to the life of my good and faithful servant. We had an awesome time together.

We bought it salvaged and fixed it up slowly over the next year.. This was after the body work before the paint.

So much more than a car.

Kryna says I don't post enough so...

2008-06-29T22:07:00.004-05:00

This week flew by. My goals were somewhat accomplished. James is almost back to being almost potty trained. He even slept dry during his nap today. As for Ellie's schedule she's doing ok I guess. Last night was a little better, after 11pm she slept almost 3 hours between each feeding. Some people are telling me this is normal and not to expect any more than this. So as long as that is true I can live with it. I can't remember with James really, after the first week or so I think he took forever to go to bed for the night but once he was sleeping he only woke once before 5am. I guess the Lord knew I needed all the sleep I could get so that I could deal with his constant screaming. Poor kid. Ellie is a very contented baby, I have to say I have been enjoying that.

Growing So Big

2008-06-23T20:55:00.006-05:00

Here are a few pictures of our adorable children. (I may be partial) Kryna took these photos the day before she left. I have to say they are better than any of the professional pictures I've had taken. I'll definatly be asking her and Bert to take some family portraits of us when we see them in Aug.
Ellie is growing and changing non-stop. This last week she has put on so much chub and gotten quite long. She's a very happy easy going baby yet somewhat dramatic. She's very alert and is starting to respond to her surroundings. Also she loves her paci, papasan, and her swing. I love that she likes her paci, this was not the case with James. The two of them are so different, right down to the whole pregnancy. I kept asking my Dr. if certain things were normal while I was pregnant and then would explain that I hadn't experienced the afore mentioned problem with my first and he kindly told me that if I had wanted everything to be the same as the first time I shouldn't have done this twice. I loved my Dr.
I'm really looking forward to settling in this week. All is calm and I can focus on all of the mundane tasks of being a wife and mother that I hold so dear. Right now James is napping, Ellie is sitting in her Papasan next to me thinking about napping and I am surrounded by three baskets of clean laundry while the washer and dryer are both humming in the background. I wouldn't have it any other way.
Before James got Rotovirus the week before Ellie was born he was almost entirely potty trained. He was down to 0-1 accidents a day and wearing training pants almost exclusively accept for nights and naptime. Then along came the Roto and he lost it all. He wouldn't even try, whenever I tried to get him to go he would cry and have a violent meltdown. Soooo this week it is one of my many goals to have him back to where he was pre-roto by the end of the week. This will take a good deal of energy and discipline on my part but so far so good. After a few lengthy and hysterical sessions last night and this morning he actually went in the toilet twice and acknowledged that he'd had an accident. These are both improvements, now I just pray it continues to improve.
Another of my goals for this week is to get Ellie on somewhat of a schedule. I've been working on this for about a week and a half now with only slight improvements. She's very unusual one night she'll wake up every 2 1/2-3 hrs. and the next night she'll sleep for 1 1/2-2 hrs. and then be awake for 2 hrs. etc. I've been trying to follow the Babywise schedule that I did with James but so far she is immune. The last three nights she did ok, nothing spectacular but no 2-3 hr. mid night playtimes so I won't complain too much. We'll see how a week of quietness affects her.
James has been missing his Auntie Nyna he asks about her and begs to talk to her on the phone. This morning I found pen scribble on the sofa again so Tim took James over to it and showed it to him and asked if he had done this. Tim swears he then said "hmmuh EhhEeehh". I really don't know what to think about this.

My munchkins

Did I mention chub?

Ellie Marie

2008-06-09T19:00:00.004-05:00

Last week Monday, June 2 at 7:18 pm, Ellie Marie was born. We went to the hospital around 6 am. At 7 pm my water broke and 18 min and 2 pushes later Ellie was in my arms. This was a much better labor experience than with James. I was instructed to wait for the Dr. and had he been a few min. later he would definitely have missed it all. We contemplated over the name for about a half an hour settled on Avie Marie then changed it to Ellie Marie 15 min later. 26 hrs later we were back home and ready to settle into a new routine. Unfortunately James had Rotovirus and was banished to Grandpa and Grandma's farm until healthy. He was able to meet Ellie for a few hours on Wed. he is very impressed with his new sister and very willing to help even when it is not needed. Thursday James, Ellie and I spent the whole day together settling in. Ever since we had left the hospital I began to become increasingly worried about Ellie. She was becoming lethargic , losing her appetite, having poor urine output, as well as not holding a satisfactory temperature. So on Thursday around 9pm we headed to the ER. They admitted her for elevated bili-rubin levels and dehydration. We spent the next 3 days in the hospital and were finally able to come home yesterday afternoon.
All this said, our little girl is perfect and I can't believe how amazing God is. She looks like her...she has Tim's tongue and if she looks like anyone we believe it is my Grandma Kryna. She also has tiny ears and long feet. Here are a few pics and when thing calm down I will post some more. Kryna was able to fly in on Sat. and is here for a two week visit. For now I plan to settle in and just enjoy all the blessings of family.

Very Proud Daddy

She actually loves her paci

James meets Ellie for the first time

He's very helpful and inquisitive

Just after her first bath at home.

Under the Bili-light back at the hospital.

James' Prayer

2008-05-29T11:57:00.004-05:00

Before every meal we say a short prayer asking the Lord to bless our day and our food. We mention anything that is special for that day and after Tim says this prayer we both say "amen". In preparation for the prayer James is asked to fold his hands and bow his head because "Daddy is going to pray now". After we finish James is asked to pray also saying "Lord bless this food for Jesus sake amen". Recently he has developed his own prayer. He closes his eyes, lowers his head and says in a somewhat subdued voice "Hem, Hem, Hem, E-eem!" I'm not sure what he is praying for but it is fairly consistent. He also listens for when Daddy or Grandpa are about to finish praying and Amens loudly just before they have a chance to. Hmmm...

Our Vacation

2008-05-20T09:15:00.006-05:00

I know this is a really long time in coming. I've been so busy and worn out since we got back. Today I've had a small burst of energy though. This past week Mom and I organized my attic and got every thing together for a garage sale which we then had on Fri and Sat. It went really well and with the money we made from it we are getting a double stroller along with some other baby things that will come in handy now that we will have two.

I don't think we could have fit a flea in our car.

As for our vacation... All in all we had a great time even though it was not at all how I had envisioned our first family vacation. The time we were able to spend together just as a family was great, something we don't do a lot at home between Tim's three jobs and hanging out with our friends and family. The weather did not cooperate with our plans at all. It started raining before we left Harrison and continued to rain for the majority of the trip. We set up camp in the rain and ended up six days later taking it down in the rain and hail. We never were able to start a camp fire. One evening we were awakened by the sound of growling and scratching on the side of our tent. Tim yelled at the creature and only to anger it, he shined a light at it and poked at the side of the tent with a hotdog stick. By this time we figured out it was a raccoon, but we were too late the monster had already torn a hole into the side of our tent. Saturday and Sunday there was talk of tornadoes so we headed to find a hotel. All this sounds like we had a terrible time but we really didn't . We were able to visit the zoo, the City Museum, the Childrens Magic House Museum, as well as Grant's Farm. It was great, but I have to say I am still quite a homebody. Here are a few of the promised pictures.

James was not pleased that I made him stay in the car while we set up camp.

The hotel was sooo nice and dry.

Ishies!

If you look closely you will see a penguin in the background. I thought Tim was capturing them with us in the side line, um I guess not. :)

Yes, I was horrified as he smeared paint through his hair.

Playing in the water area at the magic museum. I love the smock!

Outside of the City museum.

Lack of Posting Causes Public Outcry...

2008-05-05T22:18:00.005-05:00

Alright...I suppose it has been way too long since I posted and unfortunately I'm not sure I have any pictures to post at the moment so I will give you an update on life.

The day after tomorrow we leave for our first family vacation. While originally we planned on driving out to Savannah, GA we changed our minds and are heading up to St. Louis for about a week instead. A lot less time traveling, a lot less gas, etc. etc. We are planning if we have time to visit the Zoo, Grants Farm, the Art Museum, the History Museum, the Botanical Gardens, the City Museum and Aquarium, the Science Center and the Magic House Children's Museum. We aren't planning any shopping and a few of these won't be all day experiences so we'll probably get it all done. There is a nice state park about 40 mi. away from downtown and also a county park we may be able to stay at for a few nights right in town. I'm so excited about taking James camping. I love being a Mommy. Today I went out and bought all of our groceries for the trip as well as the last few camping supplies needed. Can you believe I'm so excited about camping? We found a nice big two room tent on a garage sale and have borrowed an air mattress from Mom and Dad. What more could we want? I've been making lists and checking them twice, I'm telling you its true, you really do eventually turn into your mother. :) Tomorrow I must do laundry one last time before we leave, pack all of our clothes, groceries, camping gear etc., clean the car (Tim already rid it of debris today) and get the house ready to sit empty for 7 days (i.e. clean it to some degree: remove trash, clean fridge, do all dishes, sweep floors). This said I think I will skip my Bible study tomorrow. I'm so excited you'd think I'd never left town before. When I get back I promise to post lots of pictures.

Corn on the Cob

2008-04-17T08:21:00.005-05:00

This is my favorite.

Every kid needs pictures of the first time they have corn on the cob right? James loved it. It took him a min. of watching mom and dad to see what exactly he was supposed to be doing, but then he caught on and was very pleased with himself and the corn.
Yesterday we went out to Mom and Dad's house to plant the garden. My yard is too shady to have a garden here, not that I haven't tried. I missed it so much that I begged M&D to till a plot out at the farm. It didn't take much since Dad is a little farm boy at heart and was pretty excited about it too. He works on that little garden plot all year round now picking up rocks and tilling in leaves etc. to ensure premium soil conditions. The deal is I promise to keep it weeded if they keep it watered. I win on this deal because every time I go out to weed Mom inevitably joins me out there and it only takes half the time. I am very lucky. This year Aaron and Meg will be here for the summer so there will be lots of happy hands to help. I even planted 9 brussels sprout plants just for my dear sweet brother. James is very excited about all this dirt to play in, for pictures you'll have to check out moms blog.

I recently got James some superman jammies on a garage sale for 20 cents. The cape is missing so I am going to make one for him. Its so cute, he doesn't even know who super man is but he loves them and you can tell he feels special in them. Just wait till we get the cape on him. :)

A Joyful Mother of Children

2008-04-14T14:12:00.003-05:00

1Praise ye the LORD. Praise, O ye servants of the LORD, praise the name of the LORD.
2Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.
3From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the LORD's name is to be praised.
4The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.
5Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high,
6Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth
7He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;
8That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.
9He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD. Psalm 113

I have fallen in love with this Psalm. Recently a dear friend walked by me and said "you are a joyful mother of children". I knew that it was scripture but wasn't entirely familiar with the chapter, so I looked it up. I love it. It is so full of praise, just as our lives should be. When I look at my life and what the Lord has given me I almost overflow. This chapter is so full of God, its all about Him and how amazing He is. Praise! I wonder how many times the Bible uses that word?

Strawberry Pie

2008-04-12T13:48:00.005-05:00

Ok I am shirking my many duties of the day for a minute. Last night I made the most awesome Strawberry pie ever. Its so, so much better than the traditional strawberry glaze pie. Its also very easy. Tim was in the mood to take pictures of me too so I guess that was a good thing because I think these are the first pics I have of me pregnant this time. How I managed to go eight months without having my picture taken is beyond me. I actually contemplated not posting the recipe so that it would be mine all mine but then I decided to be nice.

INGREDIENTS

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons butter
1 pinch ground nutmeg
4 cups fresh strawberries, hulled
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornstarch

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place a drip pan on lowest shelf to catch pie juices.
To Make Topping: In a medium bowl, mix until fluffy the 3/4 cup sugar, 3/4 cup flour, butter, and nutmeg.
Place cleaned strawberries in a deep bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together the 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and cornstarch. Gently coat berries with this mixture; be careful not to crush berries.
Pour berries into prepared pie crust mounding them in the middle; mounding is necessary as the berries will sink as they bake. Cover berries with crumb topping and top crumbs with about 15 pea-sized blobs of butter. Wrap edges of pie crust with foil to prevent burning.
Bake pie in preheated oven for 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and bake for an additional 40 minutes. When there are 10 minutes left of baking, sprinkle a little extra sugar over crumb topping and then finish baking.

This one is for Kryna

Potty Training

2008-04-09T21:32:00.003-05:00

Last week I decided it was high time to start potty training James. He seemed to be ready so Mom brought over the potty chair that we three munchkins used and so it began. I am so proud of him, he started peeing in his big boy chair the very first day. It was pretty unpredictable for the first few days but now every time I take him he pees. He's even done #2 twice. I know, I know too much info but hey its big news here. He now sits on the big toilet because then he can see what is happening and flush the toilet himself. Apparently these are both big pluses. Today he told me twice that he needed to go. We have set a rewards system of three choc. chips for every time he goes potty in the big boy toilet more for # 2. Today he told me he needed to go then 5 min. later he wanted to go again so I set him up there again and he proceeded to squeeze out two drops and flush the toilet. He was very proud and ran to the kitchen for his choc. Hmmmm. It worked on me. :) Theres 9 weeks left till his sister's projected arrival, hopefully we will be pretty much done by then. If it keeps going this well I think we definitely will be.

"Aww Mom, Its embarrassing all these pictures."

Telling Daddy about what a big boy he is. This picture really brings fond memories of my little pink phone. (more on that later)

Fun In The Kitchen

2008-04-01T18:07:00.003-05:00

Tim has a T-shirt that says "Fun in the kitchen with Betty Crocker". He got it because I love to cook and Betty Crocker was one of my nicknames at my first job (other than working for my parents) So today was fun in the kitchen with James. I have taken to pulling up a chair next to the counter and letting James stand on it and "help" whenever I am baking. He loves it. Unfortunately he shows little discretion when adding things to the batter. Also we are learning the concept that it is not a good idea to test the batter while the kitchen aid is mixing, no injuries yet. I even taught him the art of licking batter from utensils. At first he thought that they all needed to actually go into his mouth now he sticks his little tongue out and enjoys the doughy goodness. In the nursery at the church we attend on Sat. nights they have a Little Tykes kitchen set and apparently it is his favorite toy of all. They call him "miniature Rachael Ray" I'd hope for Martha Stewart but thats another subject entirely. Today we made Kryna's sugar cookies and I do recommend them.

So Here It Is

2008-03-29T20:21:00.003-05:00

I've received lots of flack for not having posted recently, so here is a new one and the reasons I've not been around the web lately. I've been trying to spend more one on one time with James recently so we've been spending lots of time playing outdoors, going to the library, reading, and baking together. Also last weekend Tim took me to St. Louis for our 4th anniversary. Very fun. James has really gotten into reading lately, he's always enjoyed it but now he can't get enough. A few nights ago we were ready for bed and all of the nightly ritual had been preformed, at the end I asked "are you ready for night, night?" he said no and he turned around and pointed at his books and said "Read more book?". It didn't work out for him, but I did find it very amusing.
Here are a few pictures for our outdoor adventures.

Activities at the Cottage

2008-03-07T11:56:00.004-06:00

James is growing so much its hard to keep up with him. He is now big enough that he can ride on the front of a shopping cart, standing on the frame holding onto the basket. He is very proud of this fact. Its so hard as a Mom to keep up with a child's growing and changing needs. You never know what has been changing and developing in that little mind. James is a very sensitive child and I think it would be easy to hurt him unknowingly, but with that said he also is very strong willed and would take every opportunity to have the world his way. With all that wrapped up in one little blond head with a toothy grin and sparkling eyes its not always easy to have all the answers.
Yesterday it snowed all day and finally started to accumulate in the evening. It was the perfect night to stay in and cuddle on the couch. I made a big pot of hot cocoa and left it on the stove so that we could enjoy it all evening. James was particularly thrilled about this development.
The transition from crib to toddler bed is going well, he's slept in it several nights now without incident. I started putting him in it only if he had already fallen asleep in the car, but a few nights ago I put him in it while he was still awake and he merely rolled over and hugged Lumpy. And so its been since then. For naps he is still in his crib really only because I haven't tried laying him down in the toddler bed.

James has recently learned the art of multi tasking. A while ago he graduated from a sippy cup to a sippy straw cup that consists of a leak proof cup with a built in straw. Now he is thrilled that he can drink hands free.Its safe to use something with wheels on as a step stool right?So there it is my random post for the day.

Spring Fever

2008-03-01T11:30:00.003-06:00

Do you think God made spring so enticing because He knew that we needed a little push after a long sluggish winter? Every year when spring comes I get a burst of energy and start accomplishing all sorts of things that I've been to lazy or groggy to do all winter long. James is very excited about the promise of spring. Yesterday we enjoyed a particularly nice day I think the high temp was 65* and we got out and made the most of it. In the morning we went out and did a few errands, on the way home we stopped at the park and James played on the teeter-totter for his first time. In the afternoon we rescued his Little Tykes car from its winter hiding place and he spent a good deal of time honking the horn and climbing in and out of the door pronouncing "da done" each time only to hop back in for more honking fun. Today's weather is much the same as yesterday and as soon as he wakes from his nap we are planning on a walk. Now I just have to decide if he should ride in the little red wagon or his stroller. He'll enjoy the wagon more, but the stroller is much easier when maneuvering the many hills in our neighborhood. Hmm...I think since he's been cooped up for so long I will put on my big girl panties and take the wagon. Yes this is what must be done.

So Here They Are

2008-02-28T12:52:00.007-06:00

I think this top picture is my favorite. I love her little pout, she was not happy about all the poking and prodding. She was laying with her spine up towards my navel so they were having trouble getting a look at her face. That is why they are primarily profiles. We got so many pictures of her from her little hands and feet, proof she was indeed a girl, etc. But I decided not to post them all because sometimes if you aren't there when they are explaining it all it can be hard to make out, and I understand not everyone is probably as excited as I am. :) They said that she weighs 1 1/2 lbs. right now and is growing well. She's just starting to put on some fat. I love chubby babies. Yesterday I took the picture on top of her pouting and held it up to a picture of James when he was two days old and I couldn't believe how much they look alike. Come to think of it I'll just post them next to each other.

What Can This Possibly Mean?

2008-02-25T20:34:00.003-06:00

Yes, I'm sure you guessed. Today we finally had our second ultrasound. As it turns out our little bunny is a very healthy little girl! I've been waiting patiently for 6 weeks longer than I originally thought I would have to to find out if we were having a boy or a girl. It was worth the wait. The ultrasound tech took plenty of time to show and explain to us what each part was and tell us that everything was formed perfectly. Praise God! Obviously I think she is beautiful and I even think she looks a little like Kryna. Tim is thrilled, three days ago he called me and said "You know I've been thinking and of course I don't care, but I'd really like a little girl." We'd have been just as happy with a little boy, but its great to know what it is and that she's healthy. Mom took home all of the print outs to scan so that I can post pictures soon. After we got done at our appt. Mom decided we needed to get her a going home outfit so we went shopping. The yellow jumper with the ruffles and hat is for coming home from the hospital and the others are for wearing at the hospital. We had way too much fun. Keep checking, tomorrow I will post some pictures of our sweet little girl.

Little butts.

Retail Therapy...or Something

2008-02-20T17:54:00.004-06:00

Today I headed for Branson (only a 30 min. drive from here, and home to many outlet malls) to "check my traps". I love to shop clearance sales and with spring fast approaching here I knew I needed to get going or all the good stuff would be gone. Mom was busy with Dad so James, myself and Bump headed off to our favorite three stores, Target, Motherhood, and The Children's Place. We had to stop at Target first because the only diaper I possessed was firmly strapped on James' tushie. First things first, you know. After Target James and I shared a Value Meal at MacDonalds which we both enjoyed immensely. From there we headed to Motherhood. Since this Motherhood is an outlet it also sells items from their sister stores Mimi and A Pea in the Pod (a definite bonus if you ask me) as well as damaged merchandise. I abused James' long suffering nature here and spent probably two hours rummaging through all of the racks finding lots of things I needed. You probably think I am playing it fast and loose with the word needed here, but I actually did need stuff. I borrowed almost all of my maternity clothes from my cousin last time so I was pretty ready to get out there and find some maternity clothes. I had a few shirts but no jeans. Now I'm all set...for a while. :) With this out of the way we were free to head to The Children's Place. I always try to buy what clothes I don't get from garage sales a season ahead for James. So we were fall and winter shopping. Once again we hit the jackpot. Most of the fall items were 3.99 which, combined with the 20% off coupons I was toting around, made for a steal. It was so fun, I have a hard time spending money, most of the time I just talk myself out of whatever I'm looking at, but today I didn't instead I made good choices. :) Obviously I had a great day. I hope you aren't all vomiting from the giddiness dripping off this post. I just couldn't help myself. I had to share.

18 Month old Artist...

2008-02-19T14:54:00.006-06:00

...the sofa is his canvas.Today I was on the phone with Tim and out of the corner of my eye I saw James scribbling on the sofa with something. I didn't think anything about it until he came up to me and said "Here go" handing me an uncapped pen. At this point I realized there may be cause for concern. I told Tim what happened and walked over to the sofa to survey the damage. As I suspected two of the cushions had large areas of "art" on them. Tim asked me if I had spanked him and I had not. I wonder now if I should have. Tim thought I should have but the reason that I didn't was because I wasn't sure he'd understand what was wrong. I wasn't there when it happed which doesn't usually stop me, I think the biggest problem was I was on the phone and therefore there was a delayed reaction. In the end I dragged him over to the sofa with the pen and pointed to the scribbles and the pen and explained he was never to draw on the sofa and not to play with pens. We'll see, if it happens again spanking will be in order.
I took the hairspray to it and hot soapy water and near as I can tell its gone. We'll know for sure when it dries. I have to say the Endurosuede furniture was a great purchase. Nothing that has been spilled, written, or ground into it has not come off. Yay! Ok I'm off to fold clothes and iron, they were the two things on my list for today and I have managed to procrastinate until now, cleaning, baking, making bread, shopping online, and now blogging. I can't put it off any longer, I must reform.

Things I'm Learning, Doing, or Thinking about

2008-02-15T16:20:00.009-06:00

Before you read this I must note that I started this post yesterday (basically I wrote the title yesterday) so now it says that I posted it on Friday when in fact I did not post it until now, 8:20 pm Sat. night. So there now read on and enjoy.

Yesterday I got onto many of the south eastern states websites and requested tourism packets. I am now eagerly awaiting brochures from Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Early in May we are hoping to take our first family vacation. Tim has never been to this part of the country and its been a few years for me. I haven't been to the southeastern coast in years. I love how rich in history this part of the country is. I am particularly fond of Civil War and Colonial history. We are planning on camping. This fact I am sure is shocking to most of you who know and love me but it was actually my idea and I am very excited about it. Although if I am going to be camping we are going to do it right and we are investing in a large tent that has at least two rooms and room for an air mattress because believe you me at 8 months pregnant this chica has no intentions of sleeping on the ground. I can't wait to take James to all sorts of amazing places. I can already see him playing in the water and sand, jaw dropped as he watches all the aquatic life at an aquarium, and running down a (former) battlefield.

I remember on our first vacation I think I was 6, we were touring the USS Alabama and I was lolly gagging as I traipsed up a long set steep metal steps and somehow I lost one of my shoes. We we on vacation so of course these were new shoes. I was slightly panicked as I yelled for Mom. They all came to my rescue and I can't quite remember now but I think in the end it was Aaron who retrieved my shoe from the treachery below. Any of you who have ever toured a battle ship know that it was more likely than not that I would never see the poor shoe again. Needless to say I was more careful from that point on and kept my new slip on shoes tightly in place.

In the last few days I replaced all of the leg elastic in James diapers. I can sew reasonably well although it would never win a beauty contest. Apparently I have been praying for patience. Not that this task was so very hard but every so often I would lose grip of the elastic and and have to go fishing for it. During these times Tim would remind me the importance of saying "Oh shoot" around tender little ears. As it would seem this was not my saying of choice. Hmmm.

I've also learned my husband is a big fan of cake. Recently I made a white layer cake with coconut butter cream. Strangely enough this is what I was craving. I don't even like cake, so much so that I thought about having wedding cake flavored snow cones at our wedding. But anyway this is what the child must have wanted. I ate one piece and that took care that. Back to my point, so I made this cake and Tim is eating it and all of a sudden out of the blue he says, and I quote, "Is cake expensive?". I say "No, why?", Tim says around a mouthful of cake "You should make it more often." HHHmm... Maybe I should.

The other day I was on my my way to the weekly womens Bible study that I attend and was dropping James off at Mother's Day out. He hadn't been in a while as they took a break over the Holidays and then we were away in Canada so he was very excited. Since it had been a while James had moved up a class. As I was giving all the usual mommy instructions and showing what I had brought for his lunch, the lady asked if at nap time he would sleep on a mat. I laughed. No, most likely not unless the Lord intervenes. So that day I decided it was time to start training James to sleep in his toddler bed. Tim brought it in from the work shed and today I cleaned and assembled it. I also completely rearranged his room in order to accommodate this new piece of furniture. I knew this day was fast approaching with Bunny having dibs on James crib as of June, so during our Ikea raid with Kryna I had purchased a duvet, duvet cover, and pillow just for the little Monster's new bed. I just have to say I love Ikea, I got the duvet for 7.00 the pillow for .75 and yes I went a little crazy and paid 20.00 for the duvet cover, it was the most expensive thing I bought that day. The duvet and cover are both actually twin sized so he can use them still when he moves to an even bigger boy bed. For now I just have them folded in half. It has mid-evil (is this really how to spell this?) decor on it complete with dragon, mouse, black bugs. James is going to love it when he sees it.

Facing the door looking to the right corner.

That brings us to the fact that James had a sleepover at G&G R's last night and tonight. He was going to come home today but they were all having so much fun that an extension was requested, not of course by James, no he was too busy to even talk to his Momma on the phone. The wish was granted and all are happy. At least pretty much. After I had his room completely back in order, the toy box emptied and cleaned, and numerous other things accomplished I went and sat in the rocking chair and looked around his room, missing him so much I almost turned on Tad and hugged Lumpy. But I showed restraint and went to make Tim some supper. While I was making supper I stood looking out the window and saw James' trike in the back yard standing empty in the rain next to his little yellow bulldozer. This did not help my missing my little Monster, padding around the kitchen saying "here go" as he hands me things he is sure that I need. As we were eating supper I told Tim what I had been thinking and he just laughed at the hormonal mess that I am. I laughed too knowing that I am silly. I am glad he is at his G&G having so much fun. Now before I go I must show you some pictures of the rearranged room that is James'.

I tried to catch every angle, this is from the door looking pretty much straight in.

From the door to the left.

From the corner to the left of the door looking to the back right corner.

Looking in from the hallway.

Praise the Lord!

2008-01-24T19:20:00.000-06:00

Mom, James and I have arived safely at Kryna's house. I was begging the Lord that border crossing would go well. I've never been to Canada before and had pictured that it was a foriegn land. As it turned out crossing the border was less stressful than paying toll during rush hour. Hallelujah! Every 100 Km or so they have these wonderful little service centres much similar to our rest areas only these are complete with gas station, fast food, and of course Tim Hortons. All through our trip I was dieing to stop at one just because, well we don't have them. Every time we came to one James was sleeping, about to sleep, or in the last case he opened his eyes as we whizzed past at a mear 140km. At this point there was only one more service centre before we got to Kryna and I wasn't going to miss it. By the time we rolled up to it our gas tank was empty and I was about to burst seeing as I had been holding it since just over the border. I pulled up to the gas pumps and looked up at the signs, one stating Self Serve and the other I swear said Self. Ok, simple enough. Then I spotted signs above the pumps one said 1/2, the other 3/4. What? 1/2 self serve! What is 3/4 self serve? Moooooommm! Oh wait...oh no, never mind. As I tried to hide what had just happened, Mom burst out, almost histerical. Yes, the signs were for pump 1 and 2 and 3 and 4. Ok, so we have those in the States too but how was I to know most everything is the same in Canada.

Man and the Dishwasher

2008-01-12T11:00:00.001-06:00

Buying dishwasher detergent can be overwhelming if you let it be. The choices are endless and each product seems to offer its own set of benefits. Powder, Liquid, Gel Pack, Powder Tab, With Jet Dry, Without Jet Dry, Eco Friendly, Chemical Laden, which will it be? The gel packs offer the added convenience of a dissolving outer layer while most powder tabs are individually wrapped in an ordinary wrapper very similar to that of hard candy. I prefer to buy Seventh Generation powder detergent that is both effective and eco/human friendly. Mom prefers Cascade Gel Packs with Dawn. What I prefer and what I buy are often two different things. Nowhere in Harrison carries Seventh Generation products so in order to buy this elusive powder I have to travel a half an hour to the nearest Target. This is neither practical nor cost effective so in most cases I buy whatever is cheapest at my favorite local scratch and dent discount grocery store. Through the course of our marriage we have probably used every kind of dishwasher soap on the market. Recently we ran out of Seventh Generation so I picked up a damaged box of Electrasol PowerTabs on my next visit to the Discount Grocer. The performance was spotty (yes pun was intended). Sometimes were better than others but honestly this was disappointing. Tim commented on the problem as well and we decided we had just become accustomed to our new found favorite. This was our conclusion until a few days ago I was unloading the dishwasher and found a PowerTab in the bottom of the dishwasher neatly wrapped in its wrapper looking like it had just showered but forgotten to towel off. I tried not to laugh as I hauled the mangy little thing over to Tim and asked if he realized that these wrappers did not melt and needed to be removed. He smiled at me sheepishly and stammered "How am I supposed to keep up? Melts doesn't melt, powder, liquid?" I smirked and asked how long he had been doing this. He thought just this once. Today I laughed out loud when I found no less than three more PowerTabs still in their wrappers lurking in the bottom of the dishwasher.
I'm thankful we have the chance to laugh about this, some men seldom help out around the house, but Tim jumps in taking out the trash, loading and unloading the dishwasher, changing diapers and giving bathes. I must give credit where credit is due.

What's in a Name?

2007-12-27T11:55:00.000-06:00

In Harrison, my hometown, recently there opened a business called Haute Dog Boutique. Shortly there after this Haute Dog Boutique closed its doors. I can't help but think that the hot pink signage and the pretentiously witty name had something to do with its early demise. In this same town we have a very cute little store by the name of Groomingdales. This store boasts of similar items and services as the Haute Dog Boutique, yet it seems to have no trouble keeping its doors open. This furthers my suspisions of the power of a name. How much more important a name must be when attatched to a human being. I have never understood it but there seems to be a real conection between a person's name and thier personality. I know you're thinking "no, no, its thier upbringing and dna". While I agree, very seldom do I meet someone and think that thier name does not suit them. Risky business I tell you, this naming a child. In Tim and my relationship it seems that it is my job to provide the names and his job to veto them. It works. From my research it seems this is the way most couples opperate. At this point we aren't investing a whole lot of thought into it, we'll wait till we know which sex's names to spend our time on.

Meet the Bunny

2007-12-17T10:54:00.000-06:00

Last Tuesday we met with my new OB Dr. and also had our first ultrasound. I was so happy because up until then nothing had happened. The Dr. that delivered James isn't in OB anymore so I had been seeing a midwife and she was terrible . I felt really comfortable with the new Dr. and the staff at the office was awesome. According to the ultrasound tech everything is looking great. It was too early to tell if it is a boy or a girl yet so we have to wait 7 more weeks till we have the second ultrasound. The heart rate was 157 which is considerably higher than James' was. Maybe a girl? Everyone says that I am having a girl this time because of how sick I've been . Its all speculation of course though. I have no idea. I kind of think that it is a girl, but not really for any reason at all. The whole time that we were having the ultrasound done she/he wiggled and bounced away from the pressure. The nurse said that it is a very feisty baby. James was no push over either though. That child never sat still and thought he needed a uterus the size of Texas. The official due date is June 15. Yay! It will be here before we know it.

I Heart Huckabee

2007-12-01T10:55:00.001-06:00

Love Actually

2007-11-16T16:48:00.000-06:00

Every year at the beginning of the Holiday season I have to watch Love Actually. For me this is usually in late October but I am running behind this year so I have not yet watched it. It is such a random movie I can't explain why I like it so much. I would never have thought this would be a movie that I watched year after year. I think maybe I like it because it feels so real to me and yet in the end it makes me happy. For some people it may be Its a Wonderful Life, for me it is Love Actually. Last year I tried watching Its a Wonderful Life for the first time. I'm sorry but I didn't find the wonder. I suppose this may have come from my dislike of Jimmy Stuart, who knows. When we were children we always went to my Grandma for Christmas. She had a finished basement that was quite comfy. One of the rooms had a TV and while the whole adult family was upstairs playing lively games of cards all of the grandchildren piled into the aforementioned room in the basement to watch Frosty the Snowman, Rudolf and various other Christmas classics.
What's your Holiday movie?

Lots of Halloween Fun

2007-11-02T20:35:00.001-05:00

On Halloween James dressed up like a Rooster and hit the town. By hit the town I mean went out to lunch, to Wal-Mart, and to get his picture taken. He was/is still getting over his Pneumonia so that was all the fun he could take but it was great. I even let him have a Reeses peanut butter cup that our neighbor lady brought over for him. He thought that was about the best thing he had ever tasted. He's not allowed to have candy normally so it was a big treat. I bought Teddy Grahams for our Trick-or-Treaters but only four showed. Apparently we were the only house on our street that had our porch light on.

"Ba-Ba"

"Look at me, flappin my wings"

We have massive amounts of leaves fall in our yard every fall. Tim blows or rakes them all up and this year James got to jump in them. It was really cute because if you watched him he looked a little OCD. He would pick up a leaf from his one side and put it on his other side. He kept doing this one by one. Should I worry?

2007-11-01T11:52:00.000-05:00

There are foul smells everywhere plaguing me. I'm afraid I'll never enjoy cooking again and there seems to be a permanent dent in the couch where I have recently been forced to take up residency. I'm not complaining though.

The Wheels on the Cart Go Round and Round

2007-10-13T11:32:00.001-05:00

James recently found a new use for his cart. Hauling himself.

He may not be Chis Columbus but he's pretty proud of himself.

At least he was proud until...

...he tried to crawl out of his newfound space.

Unfortunately it seems that the stuffin in his cloth diapers has posed a problem with the width of his bum and the width of the area he must squeeze out of. Much to his dismay the child was stuck. The really funny thing was that he started crawling with his hands and his little butt stayed put as the entire cart (bum and all) rolled behind him.

In other news his medications have made him a bit hyper activated. I don't notice so much till its time for his nap. Instead of taking naps now he cries uncontrollably for as long as I leave him in his crib. He doesn't even go to sleep good at night. So this lack of sleep has affected his generally happy go lucky attitude. Poor tiger.

A Few Pictures of the Infirmed Infant

2007-10-12T10:43:00.000-05:00

Last night and this morning James was very compliant with his breathing treatment. Thank the Lord for small mercies. He's doing really well I think the treatments and antibiotics are already helping his cough. He has also been sleeping a lot better. Today is a good day.
Its really not as bad as it looks. Most of the day he is up and running. He's gotten into finding things and bringing them to me for show and tell. He also points and asks "Wass' Da?". I love being a Mommy.

Pesky Cough Leads to Dr.'s Office

2007-10-11T15:12:00.001-05:00

Unfortunately after today I fear this is no longer the picture James holds in his head of me. About three weeks ago he caught some sort of bug that led to a fever, massive amounts of snot, and a very pesky wet cough. After a few days the fever was gone, in a few more so was the snot, but three weeks later the cough persisted. So I finally gave in and took him to the Dr. this afternoon. On the up side he measured 2ft. 7in. and weighs 27lbs., on the down side he came out with no less than 4 prescriptions. It was decided that he needs an antibiotic, 2 different breathing medications (to be mixed together and administered as a breathing treatment), as well as Cingulair. Apparently not only did he have a cough but he was also wheezing in his lungs, which led the Dr. to ask if our families have a history of asthma. I don't think so but I really don't know. The worst part of the visit was when I had to administer the first of what I am told will be several breathing treatments. I had to hold a plastic mask with holes in it over his nose and mouth till all of the medicine was gone. I had seen this done at the hospital many times so I wasn't anticipating a lot of commotion. I don't know what I was thinking. For the next 10-15 min. he screamed and tried to writhe out of my arms. He looked at me with such panic and desperation I don't know who it was more traumatizing for. Hopefully tonight he will have decided it is old hat.
So anyway all this to say we go see the Dr. again in 10 days and see if the cough, the wheezing, and the red throat are gone.
While I was there the Dr.'s wife mentioned that they are pulling all of the over the counter cough and cold medications for children under 2. Apparently many children were being overdosed so they are removing it entirely.

The Craftsman

2007-10-03T21:53:00.000-05:00

"Safety first."

"No really, I'm just pushing them up for a closer look"

"Forget safety, This looks awesome!"

"Whatever just happened, I'm innocent."

This past summer I found a Craftsman tool bench on a garage sale for $3 that at the time was much too big for James. Now it is just his size. A few weeks ago I decided he was ready to learn to be a tradesman so I asked Tim to haul it in from the garden shed. I then rearranged what used to the nursery and has more recently become the toddler abode. His room now sports a nice fuzzy rug (the one that used to be in the living room) made just for playing on as well as his handy dandy work bench. It would seem he is all boy as he loves all things that have wheels as well as the Craftsman. One thing I did not foresee though is the deeply rooted friendship with Lumpy. I should have known, Lumpy has been there for him through thick and thin. Lumpy has been with him since birth. Lumpy is a small 12"x16" purplish blue blanket in the shape of a bear with a bear head on top. James and Lumpy were always close, they took naps together and things like that but in the last month their friendship has gone beyond the crib. They enjoy long crawls together on the floor and at times you can find James carrying Lumpy by the ear. (Did I mention the ear is in between his teeth? Lumpy is long suffering.) Hmm...I did not picture my son as a blanket carrier. Does a half stuffed animal half blanket count? Its really kinda cute. Hmm...Already trying to choose my child's friends...

Negligent Blogging

2007-09-30T20:53:00.000-05:00

Lately I have lost the will to blog. I don't know why. I either don't have new pictures, or just don't have internet worthy information about my life. I have been pleasingly busy with the all usual wifely/motherly duties. This weekend we handed James over to Bert and Kryna and went to a marriage retreat in Branson that was set up by a local church that we often visit. It was so great we preregistered for next year. Its amazing how much the Bible says about marriage. We picked James back up at church today and even though the time away was really nice I was extremely glad to have the little shaver back. I missed him immensely. This afternoon he took 6 steps unaided. I think he was trying to impress us so that we wouldn't leave him for 2 nights again. :) Actually I think he quite likes his Auntie and Uncle. Any day now I am quite sure he will take off at a run. I think at that point so will I, but I'm not sure in what direction yet.

Sniff..Sniff...

2007-09-25T18:44:00.001-05:00

Our best friends moved away today. Happy for them, sad for us. Boo.

Quote of the Day

2007-09-22T08:06:00.000-05:00

I'd give $4.00 for an Altoid right now! -Momma

James Would Like to Say...

2007-09-09T16:04:00.000-05:00

Birthday Fun

2007-09-05T14:25:00.000-05:00

When I look at this little face I can hardly imagine that it is the inquisitive little Ham standing next to me.

Last Thursday was his first Birthday. Mom and Dad and Bert and Kryna came over for dinner to celebrate. Mom and Dad came early and while Mom and I frosted the 72 cupcakes I had made Dad took James on his first trip to the park. 72 cupcakes may have been a little in excess but I wanted to do this right so I made one batch of chocolate, one batch of coconut, and one batch of vanilla with strawberry frosting.

James enjoyed a chocolate one.

Tim ended up taking a few dozen to the post office for his coworkers to enjoy. I also sent some home with Mom which I believe ended up at Church.

For dinner we had pork roast with sweet potato fries and steamed carrots. James LOVED the sweet potato fries and couldn't get them in his mouth fast enough. After dinner was done James was such a mess we had to throw him in the tub for a bath before we could even think about opening presents.

Tim and I got him a Radio Flyer. He fell in love even before it had its wheels on. He was very proud to help the Men put it together.

Hmmm... the wheels do work!

After the bath was done we sat down to open presents. All but three had wheels. He runs around saying "Vroom, Vroom" Tonight we walked by a motorcycle and he was looking at it saying "Vroom, Vroom" I was surprised he didn't say Grandpa but maybe next time. After opening presents the men took James for a trial spin around the block in the Flyer whilst the women cleaned the kitchen.

"Vroom!"

"I don't know what to play with first."

"Man, nobody told me how much fun Birthdays are"

"I love my stuffed safari animals Auntie K."

"Whoa!"

"Thanks Grandma and Grandpa, do you want a ride?"

What a great day, what a great year. I love being a Momma. I've never had a better job and I never will. It is the toughest, most rewarding, most enjoyable thing I have ever done.

One Year Ago Today

2007-08-29T08:39:00.000-05:00

One year ago today the crib was empty waiting for a warm little bundle of fluff. Kryna and I spent the entire day putting the finishing touches on the nursery, decorating and stocking the changing table with diapers. In the evening Momma came to pick up Kryna and take us to dinner. When she was leaving she told me to go directly to bed because if I went into labor in two hours I would be glad I had those two hours of sleep. After dropping me off for the evening as she pulled away from my curb she looked at Kryna and stated "That girls gonna have that baby tonight". I on the other hand did not take my mother's advice. I proceeded to fold laundry and clean up the house for the following two hours. Only after I was somewhat satisfied with the condition of my house did I lay on the sofa to wait Tim to get home from work. I tried to sleep but it was no use so I started watching a rerun of Will & Grace. Needless to say I don't know how it ended. An hour and a half later I was checking into St. John's Mercy Hospital to "have that baby".

I can't say I am proud of this picture but here it is. (note to self, giant pink hospital gown and pink bathrobe NOT flattering)

All set for the Munchkin.

They were relentless(they meaning hospital staff)I was not to rest I was to be up walking.

First Hair Cut

2007-08-22T07:15:00.001-05:00

"Hair what? You do realize how long it took me to grow what little I have, right?"

"This could be fun, I like paparazzi"

"Oh, oh, hehe, that tickles, Momma."

"Why is Momma getting tense? Am I not supposed to wiggle? This really isn't that much fun after all."

"Maybe even a little scary...Auntieeee!"

"Hmm, there's not much a good Auntie hug won't fix."
"I look pretty dapper with this new hair cut even if I have to say it myself. "

The Women of the Family

2007-08-13T11:56:00.000-05:00

I love, love, love this photo. It pretty much tells its own story.

Road Trippin

2007-08-08T10:20:00.000-05:00

We are once again safe and sound, back at our cottage on clifford. James weathered the trip very well considering he had to endure 24 hrs strapped down by a five point harness. Mind you they were not in succession but its a lot to ask nonetheless.
The wedding went off with nary a hitch, and there is now one more den Hollander and one less DeMeester in the world. It was all beautiful and quite a lot of fun.
Most of the week's pictures are on my Dad's camera so as soon as I get my hands on them I promise to post some. But for now I just wanted to let you all know that we are safe and sound.

Ready for Take Off

2007-07-31T12:24:00.000-05:00

In approximately an hour and a half we'll be leaving for one of our many pilgrimages to Grand Rapids. Road tripping is fun and its always good to see the family. Tim's baby brother Jonathan is getting married on Friday and Tim is one of the groomsmen so we are off. Its also a nice excuse to hang out with Aaron and Meg. (Like we really need one) The little Clone is very excited about seeing his Uncle A. Toodledo!

In Other Words

2007-07-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

Today we have a post by a the Phantom Poster, Guest Author and brother to Original Poster. An answer to the recently posted question of why we "Take a crap".

Here's what ADR has to say:

Well, you see, being a philologist (lit. lover of words) by trade and hobby, I’ve pondered this one before as well as other similar but less disturbing examples such as “take your photo”, “take a nap”, take my leave, “take to the hills, “take a hike”, take (this or that) to mean (the other)”, etc. And in fact, there is a systematic method for figuring these things out! You just find as many instances of the word in the past as you can and analyze the usage for meaning and context; then you do the same for recent history and oftentimes some meaningful relationship will surface (meaningful to philologists and snobs mostly). Now about this “taking a crap” business. As the above examples illustrate, ‘take’ can and does mean many things ranging from mental perception/acquisition, physical receiving, motion towards a goal, etc. So too with ‘crap’. It can be a noun, verb, or, my personal favorite, with the inflectional addition of a ‘py’, an adjective. In the case then of our puzzling expression “take a crap”, it is important to recognize that the verb ‘take’ is not actually a verb at all but rather a verbal noun in the form of a present, active, complementary infinitive “to take” and does not strictly refer to the act of receiving. Instead it insinuates more of a motion towards the goal of realizing the verbal action. So too with ‘crap’. Here it is not used in a strict, exclusively noun sense referring to the substance (of crap), but rather has verbal, almost gerundive nuances, just as ‘hike’ does in our previous example referring to the act (of crapping). And so you see that what we mean when we say “take a crap” in our modern vernacular English may very well have been rendered in old or middle English as “to betake myself for the purpose of crapping”. But as with any language, modern English regrettably has been truncated and abbreviated over time causing these occasional perplexities. The main point of all this is clearly that classicists (even crappy ones) are of practical value in the real world! adr

Saturday's Work

2007-07-30T09:54:00.000-05:00

Saturday I got up early and headed down to the local Farmer's Market around 6:30 in search of a few canning tomatoes. We already had about 3 overflowing ice cream buckets full, picked from our garden earlier in the week, and about another 3 from my aunt. I managed to get about 30lbs from the market so we were all set to can spaghetti sauce. Mom and Kryna joined me after breakfast and together we managed to can 53 quarts and 1 pint of spaghetti sauce by that evening. We stopped and left our pots to simmer around 3 o'clock to go and donate blood as the blood bank in AR is at less than a day supply right now. Mom and Kryna donated like old pros being quite ready to bleed for the cause. I stepped into the bloodmobile with the noblest intentions, hopped into the chair, surrendered my arm only to find that I would be handing over no blood that day. My veins have always proven to be a little tricky, but Saturday apparently the phlebotomist made some kind of mistake because I felt pain like no other and then my blood stopped flowing into the bag all together. I was willing to give it a shot in my other arm but they said they were only able to use one arm after they got blood in the bag. So another day perhaps. It was a really fun day. Canning is so much fun when you are all working together. I can't wait to teach my hypothetical daughters.

Give and Take

2007-07-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

For those of you who define yourselves as refined and have difficulty being uncouth I would advise you not to read this post.

With that said here are some thoughts that I've had for some time.
Why is it that when someone needs to relieve themselves they often use the well known phrase "I need to take a crap" or "I am going to take a crap"? I have no problem with this announcement (in the appropriate setting) other than that it confuses me. Why "Take"? Why not "Leave" or "Give"? Its just not logical. I can't imagine anyone actually "takes", while everyone "leaves". So why do we say this? This has been a question of mine for some time now, I'm just finally getting around to airing it. Isn't this just real brain food for ya?

Update on the Child

2007-07-22T18:25:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from this week of my ever growing boy.

Dad

2007-07-09T18:27:00.001-05:00

My Dad is so backwards even his eyelashes grow backwards. True story.

Yoda the Kitten

2007-07-07T11:55:00.000-05:00

A while back I posted about getting some kittens. Unfortunately they didn't find a lasting home at the cottage. One met an untimely fate involving a car and the other was stolen out of our neighbor's yard by their neighbor. (drama, drama) So this left us with a feline void once again. We now have Yoda. Yoda is four weeks old and so far extremely good tempered and long suffering. James absolutely loves him and is so thrilled to have a little friend. Now I just need to teach him how we treat friends.

Yoda

The reason we call him Yoda

"Momma, It's a Puddy"
"What do you mean he doesn't like this?"

Victoria Hart

2007-07-05T15:21:00.001-05:00

I recently found this fresh face in Jazz. She is amazing. I love Jazz but its not often that you find a new artist with the quality of the old standbys. This girl is only 18 and until recently, when she was found in a round about way by George Clooney, was working in a pub (The Naked Turtle) in London. She was raised by her Grandmother and grew up loving 30's-50's Jazz. I can't wait till I can get my hands on a copy of her album.

I Go a Swingin

2007-07-05T11:58:00.001-05:00

Tim hung James' swing yesterday so today James thought we should try it out. Being in the shape of an airplane it is way more fun than a plain old swing. :) Here is a sampling of his many faces.

A Simpler Life

2007-07-03T10:10:00.001-05:00

James enjoyed his first drive in movie last night. Ratatouille was playing at the Drive In so we decided to go and see it. We hadn't been there since we got married so it was really a treat. It is so relaxing and the culture is great. It is still only $4.00 a ticket and you can get popcorn and a soda for $1.90. You just can't beat that. James had a blast. He played in the car with Daddy till I laid out the blanket and then he rolled around watching the world. He was so interested in what was going on he had no time to look at his Momma for a picture. After the movie started he watched for a while till he was good and worn out then he nursed and I buckled him into his car seat and he went directly to sleep. I decided that this is the way to go to the movies with him. He usually behaves really well at the movies but I always take him out even if he makes the slightest peep as not to disturb others. It was a perfectly stress free evening...that is until I stuck my bare foot in the leftover cheese in the empty nacho bowl on the way home. :) When we got home and crawled into bed Tim leaned over my side of the bed exactly the same time as I sat up. His nose collided with my forehead, we're not sure if he broke it or not. This makes me think that it is probably not broken, but it is sore and a little swollen and not too crooked. ( just kidding it may not be crooked at all :)

We arrived early so it was pretty empty yet.

James' Thoughts on the 4th

2007-07-02T12:20:00.000-05:00

Well isn't that the truth?

Etiquette and Manners

2007-07-01T14:23:00.000-05:00

"Manners are made up of trivialities of deportment which can be easily learned if one does not happen to know them; manner is personality—the outward manifestation of one’s innate character and attitude toward life.... Etiquette must, if it is to be of more than trifling use, include ethics as well as manners. Certainly what one is, is of far greater importance than what one appears to be." -Emilly Post

I love this woman. It continues to elude me as to why many people today have very little time for practicing or teaching etiquette or good manners. We do our children a great disservice by not teaching them the importance of these things. What was once as common as learning to read has now become an archaic hobby. If for nothing more than fun pick up a 1922 edition of Emily Post, you'll be surprised at what you can learn. Everyone loves a Lady (or gentleman).

Selected Quotations of Emily Post:

"Alas! it is true: “Be polite to bores and so shall you have bores always round about you.”

"There is a big deposit of sympathy in the bank of love, but don’t draw out little sums every hour or so—so that by and by, when perhaps you need it badly, it is all drawn out and you yourself don’t know how or on what it was spent."

"Training a child is exactly like training a puppy; a little heedless inattention and it is out of hand immediately; the great thing is not to let it acquire bad habits that must afterward be broken. Any child can be taught to be beautifully behaved with no effort greater than quiet patience and perseverance, whereas to break bad habits once they are acquired is a Herculean task."

"Children are all more or less little monkeys in that they imitate everything they see. If their mother treats them exactly as she does her visitors they in turn play “visitor” to perfection. Nothing hurts the feelings of children more than not being allowed to behave like grown persons when they think they are able."

"There is no reason why you should be bored when you can be otherwise. But if you find yourself sitting in the hedgerow with nothing but weeds, there is no reason for shutting your eyes and seeing nothing, instead of finding what beauty you may in the weeds. To put it cynically, life is too short to waste it in drawing blanks. Therefore, it is up to you to find as many pictures to put on your blank pages as possible."

"The joy of joys is the person of light but unmalicious humor. If you know any one who is gay, beguiling and amusing, you will, if you are wise, do everything you can to make him prefer your house and your table to any other; for where he is, the successful party is also."

"The most vulgar slang is scarcely worse than the attempted elegance which those unused to good society imagine to be the evidence of cultivation."

In This World We Live

2007-06-30T10:25:00.000-05:00

When life is sad its good to have a James.

A Mother's Thoughts

2007-06-18T18:31:00.000-05:00

Today I was standing in the laundry room looking at the bottles of laundry detergent and it hit me that I won't always need to use Dreft on James laundry. I realized that except for the fact that it is very tough on dirt and grime I probably already didn't need it. This was not a great thought for me. I then decided that I would just use Dreft on his laundry till he turns 18 just to keep things simple. I ran this by Tim and he seemed to think I was being a little irrational. I don't really see why. I mean really he'll always be my baby and if it works great on spit up surely it will be just as good on grass stains. What will the world come to when his laundry no longer smells like baby?

10 little piggies.

Yes, he almost always looks this naughty.

Happy Father's Day

2007-06-17T06:55:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we went out and spent the afternoon at the river after Tim got home from work. It was great. Most of the time I sat on a towel on the shore taking pictures and videoing Tim and James. I couldn't help but think while I sat there what a great Dad Tim is. He Loves spending time with James and helping out with him. He splashed with him, cuddled with him and spent a good amount of time teaching him the proper technique for skipping rocks. What more could a little boy ask for? Thank God for good Dads.
Now I am off to make Tim Biscuits and Gravy for his Father's Day Breakfast.

He may look like me sometimes, but I'd say he looks like his Daddy too.

Aww.

Nothing better than baby prune feet.

My Son and Me

2007-06-16T09:42:00.001-05:00

So what do you think are we related.

Me at 5 mo.

James 9 1/2 mo.

Spoils of the Day

2007-06-15T21:41:00.000-05:00

Almost every Friday and Saturday I load up James and cart him off to all of the garage sales I can find in town. I'm afraid I am addicted. I tell myself that of all the addictions to have this is the way to go, but it is an addiction still. James made out very well today with two pieces of Little Tykes equipment, a car seat, stick horse (complete with hoof beats and neighs), and a footed jammy. I also found an electric ice cream maker and some ribbon/tinsel for my future Christmas tree. All this for under $20.00. How can you go wrong?

Besides going to garage sales James has started his own version of crawling. It gets him around, but it is definitely not your traditional method. He pulls himself around on his tummy half army crawl half frog. It really does a number on his shirts but he loves it cuz now he can follow Momma everywhere, even where his walker can't go. Hmmm...

The laundry basket worked well for today to contain him. I give that about another day. :)

Darling Boy

2007-06-12T07:40:00.000-05:00

Bath time is so much fun.

"I don't understand why this bumper is here it just obstructs my view while I am holding onto the bars wailing, "Momma."

James has decided that he is now in charge of his naps, when he takes them and how long he sleeps. I am still trying to convince him otherwise and figure out a new schedule that works. So far it is to no avail. What worked like a charm in the morning is for the birds in the afternoon. So like I told Aaron "this parenting stuff is harder than it looks" which had him pretty worried. Not to worry its not so bad, just lots of nights thinking "oh no, I've ruined my child". All parents think that right?

In other news:
We did actually end up getting the Manx kittens. The owners brought them into town the next day and I being such a softy took both of them even though I only wanted one. I just couldn't help but think that the one would get lonely without the other. So now I am thinking both were a bad idea. They have been climbing up our back porch screen door, barfing on our sidewalk and steps, and making our grill their home. This is not what I bargained for. Hmmm

The Manx Kitten

2007-06-08T07:27:00.000-05:00

James loves animals, so Tim and I have been pondering getting him a pet. We had decided that we would get him a Golden Retriever for his 1st birthday. Mom pointed out that August was a silly time to get an outdoor animal as that it would grow up over the winter and James wouldn't be able to play with it much till spring. So we thought about it and as usual Mom was right. Ok, so no dog till next spring, but what about a kitten? That sounds harmless enough. So we have been keeping our eyes open for a good free kitten. Yesterday Tim heard on the radio about two free Manx kittens. They were in Jasper which is about a 30 min. drive from here so I called them and asked if it was ok if I came to look at them in the afternoon. No problem, just call for directions when you reach Bob's. Ok, sounds good. I made the trip on the very winding road at about 45 mi. per hr. due to those I was following. For me to mention the curves in a road may clue those of you who know me in on the severity. It was a very beautiful though. I made it to Bob's in closer to 45 min. to find that Bob's was a Shell gas station/lumber yard/grocery store/feed store. Seemed like a nice place. Anyway, I pulled in and called the kitten owner for directions only to find that the # went directly to voice mail that was full. I sat in the parking lot for 30-45 min. calling back every five, but there was no luck. So in the end I drove back to Harrison kittenless. As Aaron said they now owe me $8.00 for gas and a kitten. Oh, well. I really still want to get one but have very little intention of driving back out to Jasper.
Moral of the story: Always get directions the first time.

Then and Now

2007-06-02T17:37:00.000-05:00

James turned 9 months old on Thursday and while he has changed a great deal in the last 9 months apparently some things have stayed the same. He still likes to ponder the situations in which he finds himself. I think in the first picture he was trying to figure out why he was so jaundice. In the second picture I'm quite sure he was wondering if he could fit any more into him mouth.

Six days old.

Nine months old.

Baked Potato Salad

2007-06-01T10:33:00.000-05:00

Recently there has been some clamoring for this recipe. Its a little vague because I just kind of made it up as I went. One of the things I love about potato salad is that there are so many different variations. So anyways here it is:

Baked Potato Salad

8 medium russet potatoes baked
1 small bunch green onions (chopped)
1 1/4 large carton sour cream ( I think it is the 16 oz size)
Grated sharp cheddar cheese (to taste)
Bacon (to taste, I think I used about half a lb.)

Bake the potatoes and cool till they are easy to handle, cube, do not remove the skins. In a large bowl combine potatoes, grn. onions, bacon, sour cream and shredded cheddar. Top with more shredded cheddar, serve warm or chill. I like it chilled :) .

Freebirthers

2007-06-01T09:36:00.000-05:00

The Following is an article my Mom found on MSNBC.com. I was horrified when I read it. I like to do things as naturally as possible, I have been called an Earth Momma. I was delivered by my father (the mid wife didn't make it in time to catch but was there very shortly after) at home and when I found out I was pregnant I strongly considered having that same midwife deliver James at our home. I opted not to because it was my first pregnancy. The Dr. I chose was a mid wife for about 20 years before becoming a OBGYN. So in the end I still had a very comfortable, (by comfortable I mean the setting, not the labor :) natural experience. Pregnancy is not a sickness but it is medical. There is a reason that the survival rate of mothers and babies is much higher today that in the past. I feel that these women are seriously risking the lives of their babies as well as their own. Life is too precious to be so careless. What do you think?

LONDON - They insist they’re no superwomen, they have no special powers, and are certainly not pain or adrenaline junkies.
But ‘freebirthers’ choose to go through what some call the most painful and potentially frightening experience of a woman’s life with no drugs, no midwife and no medical help.
Delivering their own babies at home, often alone, they dismiss what they say is “fearmongering” by doctors and midwives and confidently catch their offspring as they leave the womb.“Birthing uses the same hormones as lovemaking — so why would you want anyone poking and prodding you, observing you and putting you under a spotlight?,” said Veronika Robinson, an Australian based in Britain who sees growing interest in freebirth among readers of the international magazine, “The Mother.”
Her comment is echoed by many in online discussion groups about freebirth, where women insist having a baby is as intimate an experience as having sex.
“We were the only people there when she was conceived, and it felt absolutely 100 percent right that we were the only people there when she was born,” writes Laura Fields from the United States.
Robinson says medical establishments in Britain and across other westernized nations have for years been “taking something that’s natural and making it into a disease,” and now, with freebirthing, “women are taking their power back.”
Free- or unassisted birth means having a baby with no medical or professional help. In Britain, as in North America, where its popularity is growing, it is legal as long as delivery is not “assisted” by an unqualified partner, friend or husband.
To some, like new mum Janet Sears, the idea of giving birth alone, with no one around to help if things go wrong, is little short of madness: “It’s my idea of hell,” she told Reuters.

Intervention and fear
But one of its most prominent supporters, Laura Shanley, an author on childbirth, is now mother to four children — all of whom were born at home without the help of doctors or midwives.
Shanley, who lives in Colorado in the United States, says that, in essence, birth is only problematic because of three main factors — poverty, intervention and fear.
As long as clean water and reasonable living standards are available — as they are to many women in the west — then the task is to eliminate the other two factors and a natural birth will be as safe as it can be.
“As I began to understand how fear affects the body, and that birth is not inherently dangerous provided we don’t trigger the fight-flight response and shut down labor, then to me it was natural to want to just trust myself,” she told Reuters.
“It didn’t make sense to me that something that ensures the continuation of the race would be a dangerous and scary event.”Diana Drescher, a Dutch freebirthing enthusiast who lives in Britain and wants a fourth baby with her German partner, agrees.
“We’ve been giving birth for thousands of years and we’re still in this world. If it was that dangerous we wouldn’t be here,” she told Reuters.
Coming from the Netherlands, where there is a more relaxed attitude to birth, Diana finds British medical authorities far too quick to intervene and is determined to have her next baby here with no professional presence.
She says she will also avoid being in her partner’s native Germany where she says freebirth is virtually impossible without fear of the authorities finding out and intervening.
“I do know some people who have had unassisted births in Germany, but they will not talk about it. It’s a very close community that does it and they have to be very careful.”Britain’s Department of Health frowns on the practice of freebirthing and says every woman should have a midwife.
“The safety of mothers and their babies is our top priority,” a spokesman told Reuters. “Midwives are the experts in normal pregnancy and birth and have the skills to refer to and coordinate between specialist services. Every woman needs the care of a midwife in labor and birth and those women with more complex pregnancies may need a doctor too.”

'The most dangerous thing'
And some doctors, as well as some friends and relatives of those who chose to go it alone when they go into labor, are fiercely critical of what they see as a selfish, reckless, even irresponsible approach to childbirth.Dr Crippen, a British National Health Service doctor who writes an award-winning blog on the Internet, has reacted angrily to growing interest in freebirth, saying babies born this way should have a right to legal recourse later in life.
He says “giving birth is the most dangerous thing that most woman will do during their life,” and argues:
Does a mother not owe a duty of care to her baby? Should a mother not take reasonable care to protect the baby when she gives birth? And if she does not take reasonable care — and the standard should be objective not subjective — why should a baby who has sustained avoidable brain damage due to the mother’s negligence not take action against his mother?”
If a baby were to die during a freebirth, Dr Crippen argues the mother should be prosecuted for manslaughter.
Mary Siever, a mother of three who lives in Alberta, Canada, said she has experienced the wrath of those around her when they learned she had a baby on her own.
“There are people who are horrified when they find out that an unassisted birth has taken place,” she told Reuters.
“I can’t claim to know why they feel this way, but my belief is that the majority of them — doctors and health authorities — truly do not think women are intellectually capable of making their own decisions when it comes to birth.”
Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.

Nearing Toddlehood

2007-05-25T10:04:00.000-05:00

James is creating all sorts of mayhem these days. A week or so ago I had to tape the door shut on the butchers block (this is where I store all of our stemware) to keep curious, chubby hands away. Last night I was in another room and I heard a series of mysterious thuds coming from the kitchen where James was toddering in his walker. When I went to see what the fuss was I found that James had discovered the makeshift pantry shelf and was unloading the boxes of cake and muffin mixes onto the floor. Normally I might not have found this to be suitable entertainment for the little ragamuffin but it just seemed like the thing to do. I mean the shelf will only be there maybe a week more so how much of a mess can he make?
He now has 6 teeth and the 7th is cutting through. He had a ruff month what with getting 4 teeth in four weeks. This one he's working on now doesn't seem to bother him much.

He's also been working hard on waving and saying Bye-Bye. Most times he waves bye-bye now even on command. A couple of days ago he was sitting on the floor and I had just turned on the Today Show and as I walked by him I noticed he was waving at someone so I looked a the tv and they were out on the Plaza and all the people were waving at the camera, so James decided it would only be right to wave back. He's very random at saying it though, he'll only say it when he sees fit.
He's still not crawling. He's just too content. He loves his walker and sometimes it seems like he may just skip crawling and walk first. Its hard to say. He is getting up on his hand and tucking one knee under himself so maybe he will crawl yet. Mom says that I'm too pushy and he'll do it on his own time, which I am sure she is right, as she most generally is. I ask myself why I want him to anyways? He's already getting into everything and following me every where I go, why would I want to make him even more mobile?

"Give it, I'm gonna get it, I am, I am!"

"Cameras look so fun"

"I'm such a big ol' brute I'm gonna be built just like my Uncle A."

"Gonna, heck, I already look like him"

"Momma just loves my new smile. She loves my squinty VanHofwegen/Rozeboom eyes"

"If Momma would make me some cake I wouldn't have to eat the box."

"I'm not naughty, who said I was naughty?"

Crawdad Days 2007

2007-05-24T19:01:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday was Harrison's annual festival "Crawdad Days". Tim and I live only about 8 or 10 blocks from the square and town park so we loaded James into his stroller and trotted down to participate in the fun. Festivals like these are part of the reason I love small towns so much. I love being so close that we can walk. In July they also have a large fireworks display over the lake in the park. Its the reason to live in a small town. You see all of your neighbors and colleagues and everyone has a smile for you.
Here are a few of the sights from the festival:

Its kind of scary that most of the crawdads in this picture are merely shells.

Yum, I kind of wish we had tried some.

The festival mascot.

This is the crawdad eating contest. The man in this picture is last years winner, he ate 21 lbs. of crawdads in the '06 contest.

James found the whole affair very hot, but he did get a balloon tied to his hand and that was worth it.

"Horsies are fun but Momma says I can't have one, she says I have to talk to Uncle A."

Sweet Home ....

2007-05-16T10:46:00.000-05:00

" 'Ya Don't Gotta Be From Down Here to Get Along Just Fine, Being Southern is a State of Mind"

Some of these old rock songs have some wisdom in them.

Cottage on Clifford

Life

Little Big Family

Jasper Mathias