New Years Resolutions

As I've mentioned before I don't do the resolution thing. But this year I am making an exception. I have a full plate this year and, being a listmaker, I thought why not make a list of New Year's Resolutions and see how it works.

• Exercise. I am happy (mostly) with my weight. But I really want to get in better shape. For my health and happiness. I need to start some sort of cardio. I have a treadmill and I love it. Now that Little m is a little older, I think I could use it during the day while she plays.
• Organization. My house has too much stuff. Way too much. I am purging it all. Okay not all, but a LOT!
• Eating healthy food. I have family history of diabetes and high cholesterol and I need to start eating the right stuff. More veggies of the green variety.

Weellll. That about covers it.

Happy New Year!!!!

The Preschool Years

Last night I had this song stuck in my head: "S. I. M. P. Squirrels in my pants, S. I. M. P. Squirrels in my pants" Why? Because I had seen it in an episode of Phineas and Ferb of course. In fact I find myself humming tunes from cartoons all the time.


Once I was talking to a woman about small children and she said (when speaking of the time when her three kids were four and under) "I remember there being lots of cartoons, and that's about it." I can relate. Most days are a blur of feeding-cleaning-hugging-cartoons, in no particular order.

And toys that talk and sing. Lots of those. I don't mind that they talk in an annoying voice most of the time or that they are repeated ad nauseum throughout the day. All I ask of toy makers is that they put a volumn control on these toys. Most don't have that and I truly wish they would. Even Little d is annoyed sometimes. "Mom I can't hear the TV because Little m keeps playing her car."


But this time is also filled with lots of discovery for both of them and for me. I love to watch the ingenious ways they each problem solve. Little d needed me to open a tin of cookies yesterday and I was upstairs so she moved a riding toy car over to the baby gate, set the cookies and her plate on it, climbed over the gate empty handed, then reached to pick up the cookies. Unfortunately she couldn't reach them and a meltdown ensued, but the thought and planning that went into her process was so smart to me. Little m was playing with a toy Oreo yesterday. It is part of a puzzle game and the Oreo splits in two halves. She was trying to fit the Oreo into a travel-size Huggie wipes container. When it wouldn't fit, she stared at it for a while and then pulled the halves apart and tried to fit one into the container. Again I was amazed at the thought process.


The girls are so much fun to watch. Especially when they are sleeping. HA!

Stolen!

Today I get a call from my husband that we have had a trailer stolen from our land. On the trailer was pipe for the water well and a toolbox. Aside from the fact that someone took things off our property, the replacement costs will be close to $3000. Ugh!


As a former cop I can say we can probably kiss the stuff goodbye. First, the last time it was seen was the Saturday before Christmas which means it could have occurred anytime over the last week. Second, there are no suspects known to us. Meaning no one we know of that would have wanted to take it. I'm betting the nearest neighbors out there didn't see anything either. Third, this is not a high priority crime. They won't check for fingerprints and even if they did, many MANY criminals are not in the system. Besides fingerprints are very elusive. Finding a perfect print or even a partial perfect print is mostly done on CSI.


Our best bet for recovery would be if a cop on a traffic stop ran the plate number and it came back stolen. Chances are the plate has been changed. Another thing that would up our chances is there being a string of these crimes where they are some leads to a suspect. Although I am not hoping there is a string of these crimes.

I don't feel apprehensive about moving out there. As I told my brother (he and his wife are co-owners of the land) these things happen when people aren't around. Theives don't like running into people.

I guess next on our list of items to buy...a streetlight. It's very dark out there in the country. We are quite a distance from the nearest neighbor. Crap, and I wanted the next purchase to be a water well pump. (Okay really I want to shop for paint colors, but that's a little ahead of the game at this point.)

Let's Talk Politics

I'm going to preface this post by saying it's going to get political in here. ;)

On Christmas I heard a cousin say something to the effect of "racist and redneck" in the same sentence as Republican as if the three were one and the same. As a non-racist, non-redneck Republican I took offense. Now I will say the individual she was speaking of is quite racist, likely redneck, and maybe Republican. However, I don't think being Republican made him a racist or redneck. (For purpose of this discussion I define racist as one who views people of other races as 'less than' one's own race. And I guess I define redneck as someone who is uninformed, and probably lacking in social graces.) Anyway it got me thinking about politics again. I haven't really been thinking about them since the election...

I was raised by Republican parents who taught me to respect others, to be tolerant of others' opinions and to make informed political decisions. No they did not sit down and lecture me with those three specific instructions. They taught by example. Some of my fondest memories are sitting around the dinner table having lively political discussions. I was never belittled for my opinion. I was encouraged to ask questions. My brother and I were always treated as equals with valuable opinions worthy of being heard. We all brought to the table (no pun intended) our own experiences and information. I still love discussing things with them now.

I am amazed at the number of people who are uninformed about politics, or rather about the government and current events. No I don't think everyone should get out and vote. I think you should only vote after you've researched at the very least the issues that are important to you. Making an uninformed decision is more irresponsible than not voting at all in my opinion.

After the election I saw a reporter interview several Democratic voters who supported Obama. He asked them questions about government and all the answers were wrong. For example they thought Congress was controlled by Republicans. They didn't know who key political figures were like Nancy Pelosi and they even didn't know certain quotes by their own candidate. I am sure there were McCain supporters who also didn't know key facts, but this interviewer was focusing on Obama supporters. My point is they were uninformed. Why would someone vote and not really know what the hell is going on, or have a basic understanding of the way government works? (ETA: I found the page with these interviews here.)

Oh well. It's all said and done now huh? We'll see how things shake out in the coming years. I think people give the position of President too much weight. I don't think Obama can single-handedly fix the economy any more than I think Bush was the sole person who ran it into the ground.

Okay jumping off the soapbox. More fluffy posts to follow! Thanks for reading.

Fudge...numnum nom nom

Okay this drive by post is bought to you by fudge!!

My wonderful sweet sister in law, L made us all fudge for Christmas along with some other goodies. I have eaten myself into a chocolate stupor on this fudge.

I love chocolate anyway, but this stuff is dangerous. It literally melts in your mouth and is so rich and delicious you would think you could only eat a little bit at a time, but no you can eat a ridiculous amount.

My mom tells me that L's mom, who was baking Christmas goodies with her that day, accidentally put twice the amount of butter in the fudge that the recipe calls for. (pause for effect) No wonder is so good. Paula Deen would be proud. If your reading L thank you for the goodies. And it's so sad that no one else gets to eat this fudge that I am devouring without sharing. And thank you for the recipe that you included so I can make some more. Soon.

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all (this is funny because I have about three readers) are having a Merry and Joyous Christmas! I will be spending the day with my huge extended paternal family in my hometown. My grandmother's house will hold between 80 -100 people, fortunately many of them are screaming snot nosed kids. Ba-dum-dum.

We will eat, exchange gifts and visit. I didn't attend last year as my youngest was a few weeks old and I am a total germaphobe. (In retrospect I am so glad we skipped as one of the infants there was hospitalized with RSV or pneumonia or something the following day. Seriously, who brings a sick week old baby to a gathering of 80 people in the heart of cold and flu season?) Anyway, I am kind of looking forward to seeing everyone and I know Little d will love playing with the kiddos.

PS I wrote this post last week and scheduled it. That's why the tense is all bizarre.

Taking Years Off My Life

Little m gave me the scare of a lifetime today. I had given her a fruit puff. And she choked. Not just the gagging while swallowing something whole that she is fond of doing. This was a bonafied choking incident. She sucked it into her wind pipe. She was wheezing and her face turned red.

I turned her upsidedown and started pounding on her back. I was praying to Jesus that she would cough it up. I don't know if the incident lasted longer than 15 seconds, but it felt like time stopped. And I'm not trying to be dramatic. Nothing ever came out of her mouth, so I assume the damn thing dissolved in her windpipe. And the whole time she is clutching a second fruit puff in her hand and then starts eyeing it like she wants to try to eat it too. While I am still holding her upsidesown. When I can tell she is breathing normally again, I instantly start shaking and crying. She is perfectly fine. I am changed forever. I can add another badge to my mommy survival belt I guess. Let's not do that again Little m.

PS I was trained as a first responder, and know that as long as someone is coughing and making noises they are okay and you are not supposed to intervene. This did not enter my mind until after the whole thing was over.

Also, aren't you supposed to have the bejesus scared out of you with the FIRST child and be a pro by the second?? No?

An alternative to running away from home...

Just have your mom give you away. Last night as I was putting little d to bed she said "Mom if I am the bad sister, why don't you just give me away?" (Can you tell she had been in trouble alot that day?)

Me: I don't want to give you away.
d: But you could just drop me off at Knee's house. (her Godmother and my BFF)
Me: But my heart would break if you moved to Knee's house.
d: Mom, don't worry, she could handle me.

I kid you not this is what she said. And then today when we discussed it further...

Me: I would miss you so much if you lived with Knee.
d: Mom I could still call you and email you and send you pictures. And you could come visit any time you wanted to.

Apparently she has this all figured out. Now to break the news to Knee.

Therapy Thursday

Today's gripe is easy. Telemarketers. I hate answering the phone to a machine. I simply can't believe that anyone ever buys anything after getting a call from a machine. Or worse yet...being called and then asked to hold for an operator. Seriously? It infuriates me.

Now I am getting them on my cell phone. Do people really think that after I've asked to be removed from the late evening calls about my vehicle warranty and the early morning calls about my vehicle warranty that I would want to be called on my cell phone about my vehicle warranty??

Do people really buy extended vehicle warranties anyway? Oh well, I guess there are people out there buying from these telemarketers or they wouldn't keep doing it right? So if you are...please stop supporting their habit!!

My 7 Things

Saw this idea on a blog I read and thought it would be fun to play along.

7 Things I Can Do:

• I can read really fast, and pretty much retain what I read.
• I can handcuff someone in five seconds. Okay I was a cop about 10 million years ago and since I don't have need to handcuff anyone nowadays I probably am a little rusty with that skill.
• I can crochet and I wish I had more free time to do it.
• I can make really good meatballs and BBQ sauce from scratch.
• I can take pretty good pictures (not evidenced by some of the ones posted here, but I used to take pictures as a hobby.)
• I can read people pretty well. (It made being a cop easier.)
• I can match colors. I have an eye for noticing the different shades of color I think.

7 Things I Cannot Do:

• I absolutely can not drive a stick. Three people have tried to teach me.
• I cannot sing.
• I cannot watch gory movies. I hate them.
• I can't go to sleep if I need to shave my legs. I don't like my legs touching each other if they are prickly. Yes I am a freak.
• I can't just let things go. I have to analyze and re-analyze a situation to death.
• I can't go a full day without checking my email.
• I cannot make myself take my girls to the mall to sit on a stranger's lap and ask for gifts. It goes against my moral fiber or something. Or I'm just a grinch. (I was never big on Santa as a child.)

7 Random Things About Me:

• I am a total germaphobe. I hate being around sick people.
• I have a Bachelor's Degree and would like to get my Master's in Psychology when our kids are all in school.
• I have two piercings in each ear, but now I can't wear earrings as they bother my ears.
• I get a headache every time I wear makeup.
• Hypocrites make my blood boil.
• I'm a conservative.
• I believe in God, but every time I see a horrible story about a hurt child I question my faith.

7 Foods I Love:

• Thanksgiving dinner
• chocolate
• lemon pie
• dewberry cobbler
• guacamole
• fajitas
• fried oysters

That was fun, but it took longer than I thought. Whew!

Microwave Peanut Brittle

Here's the recipe from the post below. I've shown the original recipe, and then added the times I use for my microwave in parenthesis. Before you begin lightly butter a cookie sheet to pour it out on. I make my brittle in a large glass (microwave-safe) measuring cup. Be sure you have all your ingredients and measuring tools ready along with hot pads and/or mitts. This is going to get HOT!!!

1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup white corn syrup

Step1: Stir together and microwave on high for 5 minutes (4 min).

1 cup roasted salted peanuts

Step2: Stir in peanuts. Microwave at high 5 minutes, until light brown. (3 1/2 min)

1 teaspoon butter (I used margarine)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Step3: Add and blend well. Microwave on high 2 minutes. Peanuts will be lightly browned. (1 min 30 sec)

1 teaspoon baking soda

Step4: Add and gently stir until light and foamy. Pour mixture quickly onto greased cookie sheet. Spread evenly. Let cool 1/2 to 1 hour. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container. Makes about 1 pound.

A Few Homemade Gifts

I needed to make a few gifts this year and here is what I came up with for D's side of the family. For his grandmother I made an 6x6 accordian album. Here's the overall picture:



Here's a few close-ups:

Okay and I'm not trying to brag, but I loved it so much that I didn't want to give it away. Next up I made a little coaster frame for D's great aunt. Front:


And back:




And lastly I made microwave peanut brittle for D's grandfather.


He loves peanut brittle, so this is my traditional gift to him. I hope he likes it, otherwise he's been getting a crappy gift for the last seven years. (Except the one year I burned it and as I was dumping it out, stupidly gave myself a third degree burn on my thumb. I wound up in the after hours clinic.) I'll have to post the recipe sometime-it's easy and good.


Okay--as usual all supplies are Close To My Heart.

O Christmas Tree

So here's our tree this year. I had wanted to do a candy theme and a few years ago I bought all new ornaments and told my husband that would be my present that year. I love the way it turned out. This year (since a great deal of the ornaments are choking hazards) we didn't put everything on.

I realize now that you can't tell anything from this picture. Oh well. Now for some fun family Christmas pictures... The first one will be in our cards. Three out of four people are facing the camera and smiling. It's a keeper.

The shot that encapsulates how most of the shots turned out.

I beautiful shot of Little m's eyelashes...I really love this picture.

And Little d posing alone. I couldn't get them to take a picture together.

I lied. Here's a picture of them together.

Well there you go. D is mad that I didn't let him shave before the pictures. I told him I just wanted the family shot for our house and I would only send pictures of the kids out in the cards. Now though, we don't have a picture of the kiddos together, so we have to do the family shot in the cards. I think he looks cute scruffy tho!

Therapy Thursday

Today's gripe--Christmas Crunch. I don't do New Year's Resolutions usually, but this year I may start with this one "simplify!" I feel like I am so far behind. The main reason is because I'm trying to be all 'Martha Stewart' about Christmas. I feel compelled to make these detailed cards to send out. Our Christmas picture must be all matchy-matchy. I have to do a ton of handmade gifts. I am trying to keep the house somewhat clean. It's all piling up because apparently I didn't do enough early enough. Uhg.

I used to have all of my presents bought/made/whatever by early October. I would shop and plan all year. It was easy-peasy. Now I am scrambling last minute to get gifts together for D's family's Christmas on Saturday. (Okay part of that is not my fault because he just made the decision to go this morning. He's working nights and has no vacation left, so we weren't going to go this weekend. But now he's decided that he and I can go for one hour and then turn around and come back in time for him to go to work.) ANYway...

About those Christmas cards. I had this great concept in my mind of a card that would have a vellum panel and if you put a candle behind it, it would look like a stained glass window. Yeah. I have it all stamped, embossed, and colored, let's see if I can get them assembled. PS next year cards will be a little simpler!

The picture. Since D and I have been married we have taken a picture together every year in front of the tree. Matching clothes and all. Last year after Little m was born, I never got outfits for D and me. So the picture was just Little d and Little m. This year I have coordinated clothes for us all. Now today we are going to try to get everyone in front of the tree, dressed and facing the camera sitting on a tripod with a timer for a shot. We'll see how that goes!

Okay. Off to make an accordian album, peanut brittle, and get my hair ready for the picture. Did I mention Uhg?

Little d

Today I had a moment. One of those "mom" moments. The kind you didn't know existed until you had a child. It was about little d. I saw her at 18. I mean not really, obviously, she's 4. But she had just tried on this new outfit and when she turned to walk away, she tossed her long hair over her shoulder and I just saw her as 18. And I caught my breath and got tears in my eyes. I realize in a few blinks she really will be 18 and I will wonder where the years went.

Sceaming Out Loud

Can you sing? I cannot. But I love to pretend I can. In the car. By myself. Loudly. I refuse to sing in front of anyone. I don't sing in church. I don't sing Happy Birthday at parties. If I am speaking about a song and someone says, "sing part of it" or "just hum that line," I won't.

I've gotten better in my old age. I will hum and sing to the kiddos and if someone happens to be around, like D, well they just have to listen. (On a side note, he says I hum beautifully, but alas he is tone deaf.)

But in the car I am a song diva. I will scream right along with the CD way too loud (and I'm sure out of tune), probably much to the delight of other motorists. So what's on my rotation right now? On my last road trip (to a card workshop 30 minutes away) it was Beth Hart, and the Jonas Brothers. Go ahead google her, I'll wait. I don't think she had anything out in years, which is the last time I listened to regular radio stations. Are you back? Here's another you probably don't know, but should definitely listen to...Shannon Curfman. She was 14 when she did her bluesy CD and I LOVE IT! In fact I'm going to google her to see if she ever did another CD. (Oh my gosh, she has a ton of stuff...will need to check that out. Okay I decided to check out Beth Hart and she has new stuff too. When I have more time I will need to listen to some...)

Oh here's something funny. I get annoyed with people who only sing the chorus. I won't sing along to a song until I know all the words. Cuz I'm a diva like that.

Some Cards

It's a slow news day, so I thought I would post some Close to My Heart stuff. This is a card I made for a wedding in November. It is super simple and I made it really fast, because I was running late.

Here's another. This one was a birthday/first year of school card. It's one of my favorites.

Here's a sympathy card. It's one from one of my workshops. The technique is called soot stamping. Everyone loved making this one.

These are some baby cards I made. We've had lots of babies in my extended family this year. And mostly girls it seems.

Okay well, I'm done for now. Pretty much all of the products are Close To My Heart, and there are too many to list. So if you have a specific question, leave it in the comments and I'll answer it.

CTMH: Sneak Peek

Here's a look at some new products coming out in 2009!! This is one of the new paper packs and on the card you can catch a glimpse of the new cupcake stamp!


As a true scrapbook freak, this is the kind of stuff I get all excited about. I am scheduled to receive my new Spring 2009 Idea Books (catalogs) on Tuesday and I can hardly wait!

Things that have come out of my mouth recently...

"Get out from between my legs, I can't cook." (to little m)

"I found an ant."

"So the toilet actually burns sh!t??" (See this post.)


"If you keep eating big girl toothpaste, I'm going to make you use the baby toothpaste!" (to little d)

"I just killed an ant."

"Hello sleeping bag, how are you?" (prompted by little d)


"Little m, stop pulling hair."


"Let me see you tongue." (to little m)


"Little m, stop pulling hair."


"Is that an ant over there?"


"Little m, stop pulling hair!"

Good House News

Our contractor gave us the bid for the materials list from the second lumber yard and WOO HOO it's $13,000 less than the first yard's bid!! We are beyond thrilled about this! This may not be blogworthy, but I'm using this blog as a place to record events and keep a timeline for when I get around to scrapping stuff. PS this weekend we are digging the water well. I will try to post pictures soon.

Irony Defined

I can not eat cheese. Or any dairy for that matter. It DOES NOT like me, and I have very luke-warm feelings towards it. I eat soy cheese. Soy milk (occasionally). I have even eaten soy ice cream. Yes they sell that in my little neck of the woods.

We sometimes (ok-way more than we should) order takeout. There are two places we order from that require specific instructions; Casa Ole and Papa John's. No cheese, no cheese, no cheese. About half of the time, there will be cheese on my order. It's a chance you take.

On one particular night, I made the decision to order pizza. When it arrived, my pepperoni had cheese on it. wow, shocking. So I called Papa back. I sat on hold for about ten minutes, and then the guy hung up on me. wow, dissappointing. My calm and rational husband took the phone and called back, while I made a grilled soy cheese sandwich.

I ate my sandwich feeling all sorry for myself and waited for my cheeseless pizza to arrive. BTW we are rolling up on two hours past me ordering the first pizza. Ten minutes after consuming, my stomach begin to ache. Like I had eaten cheese. I thought back over what I had eaten that afternoon. No, nothing suspect. Then I went to the fridge. Yes, I had accidentally made my sandwich with REAL cheese. wow, ironic defined.

Did I mention I had an early appointment the next morning?

Therapy Thursday

I can't think of a gripe for today, how cool is that?!? We got good news on the house stuff, my card workshop went well. The kiddos slept ALL night. Seriously, happy day today.

How about if I speak for Little m, since I know she has this one particular gripe today. Here goes...

• Why can't I have the remotes? I know that the remotes you let me have are the kind without the batteries in them that don't really work. Oh yes, they look like your remotes, but the weight of them is different AND nothing happens when I point them at the TV. So, my question to you is why? What's the big deal with your remotes? What secret do they possess? You are all constantly playing with them. You constantly are searching for them. I have even seen one of you do a happy dance when you finally found them! Now, I may be only one year old, but I think I deserve to be in on whatever it is. By the way, can we change the channel to Disney? I think Higgly Town is on.

A Card Workshop

As I mentioned, I am a Close to My Heart consultant. Which means I sell scrapbooking and stamping supplies. I mainly do monthly workshops, where I "teach" people how to do two 12x12 layouts, a card, and an altered item. I try to incorporate a new stamp technique or new product into each workshop. I have also done two Christmas card workshops.


These are the cards from my latest one...











Each participant receives a packet of pre-cut supplies, enough to make six of each design. When they leave they will have 24 handmade cards with envelopes for $14. The designs were fairly simple since this group has never stamped before. (CTMH supplies: Aspen and Evensong Level II papers, Liquid Glass, clear embossing detail powder, Liquid Applique and Prisma Glitter. CTMH MyAcrylix stamps: Christmas Melodies, Bethlehem, and November Stamp of the Month-All Decked Out.)

A Wedding Story

We got married on December first. A great time of year. It was the one year anniversary of our engagement. We were married in the same Catholic church that my parents were married in thirty years earlier. I walked down the aisle in a white gown that had the same lace pattern as my Mom's wedding dress to a song that my Dad composed on the piano. He recorded it for me to use as a processional. I carried a bouquet of gorgeous peonies and roses made by my Mom. Our flower girl had tossed white, silver and lavender snowflakes crocheted by Mom. The alter was decorated with two large Christmas trees covered in tiny white lights and six candle stands (made by Dad) that were draped with beautiful cascading grapevines and berries. Our glass oil lamp unity candle, was atop a white cross crafted by my Dad. In fact almost everything in our wedding was hand made by one of us. We walked back down the aisle as husband and wife to 'Sleigh Ride'.

At our reception we had a catered Thanksgiving-style dinner. My favorite food. Everyone ate at tables decorated with white crocheted Christmas trees in little white clay pots stamped with silver snowflakes. My Mom and I had so much fun planning and handcrafting things for the wedding. After dinner we had planned a dance. D and I selected four full CDs of all our favorites in a mix of fast and slow music in several different genres. My Dad and I danced to Bette Midler's 'The Rose', D and I danced to 'No Place That Far' by Sara Evans.




Then D and I changed into our 'going away' outfits. And we had so much fun dancing until it was time to leave. From the pre-wedding music to the guests ringing jingle bells and singing 'Sleigh Ride' as we left it was the perfect day. (Okay it was perfect after that too, but this is NOT that type of blog!!)

Everyone who gets married should have such a wonderful time!


ETA: My mom said I need to mention that the ring bearer's pillow was handmade by me with the top of it being cross-stiched with our last names, the date and snowflakes.

Candy Mouth

Little d is hooked on candy. It is a monkey on her back and I blame Halloween. She asks for it all day long. In fact, sometimes I ban the word candy. She will say "Mom can I have a piece of ..." and then throw her hand over her mouth and grin.

I fear for her teeth. I know they are only baby teeth now, but still. I have this fear because I have horrid teeth. I brush and floss and still. I'm so close to my dentist she's on my Christmas card list. For example, I'm going to see her tomorrow. I just was there three months ago for a large filling and now I have another tooth ache. In the same area that was x-rayed then.

And because having soft enamel is not enough, my gums are thin. That's right, you can be too thin if it's in your gums!! I am scheduled for gum surgery in February. GUM *BEEPING* SURGERY!!! As in they will be cutting a swath of tissue from the roof of my (holy crap) mouth and grafting it to the front of my thin gums. Shudder. Guess how long the recovery period is? Go on, guess. Two weeks!!

Okay I have hijacked this post enough, back to my little candy mouth girl. She also asks after every meal, "Did I eat enough to have a piece of candy?" I think the time has come to wean her off a little. And next Halloween we will be handing out stickers or some other such nonsense!

Seven Years

I didn't think you could love someone more after being married to them for seven years than you did on the day you married them, but apparently you can. I met D nine years ago while celebrating my birthday in a bar. Wow. That is SO not like me. I was working as a police officer and my patrol partner and his wife decided to take me out for my birthday. We went to a local club, where we sat around and talked. I don't drink. A pretty tame party. My co-worker's wife said "I think that guy is checking you out." Meaning D.

I was surprised. I never really get 'checked out'. But then looking back, I was wearing leather pants. Hah! Anyway he asked me to dance and I said yes. In the parking lot at the end of the evening we exchanged numbers and a few days later he called.

I truly believe that you find your soul mate only after you are happy with yourself. I had been in a bad relationship a year before meeting D and during that year I dated two other men, but wasn't ready to move on. Then one morning in early November I woke up with the realization that if I find love fine, and if not that's okay too. I was perfectly content to focus on my career and be happy in my own skin. Two weeks later I met D.

After that first phone call, we talked for countless hours, both working the night shift. When we had our first date he brought a single bright pink rose to my door which I thought was so sweet. When he said goodnight, I kissed him on the cheek. We dated for a year and he completely surprised me with a proposal at a family dinner celebrating my birthday. We were engaged for a year after that and got married in the same hometown Catholic church where my parents were married 30 years earlier. It was a beautiful wedding--but I'll save that for another post.

I've heard the thing most married couples argue about is finances. We don't argue about money...that's not to say we don't argue. Just not about money. Having a baby was an adjustment-as we learned how to be parents. But we are pros at that now. Hell, we're even planning on having another someday.

When people asked me what makes me love D, I say his cute butt....HA just seeing if you were still paying attention!! Okay really I love that I have always been comfortable enough around him to just be myself and that he accepts me as I am and never tries to change me. I think that is the greatest feeling in the world. I never understood why someone would get married thinking they can change a person. Anyway, it's been a great seven (nine) years and we've both grown as a couple and as a family. I am so thankful that God sent someone for me and that I was at the right place to accept such a gift.

Betcha Never Knew...

We are learning all kinds of new things about building your own home from scratch. From septic systems to sound systems, every little decision has to be made by us. And to make a decision you have to do a lot of research. That being said, sometimes your research (especially online) can lead you on all kinds of odd tangents.

We were researching septic systems (like this one) and somehow came across these and these. That's right ladies and gentlemen. Incinerating and composting toilets*. Now if you look on the sites thoroughly you see that the...ahem, smell, is supposed to be, um well, minimal. But I submit that if you have a giant "human" litter box in your home the smell will be anything but minimal. But that's just me hazarding a guess.

Can't wait to see what I find when we are researching vent hoods. Or bay windows.

*Disclaimer--I know nothing about these toilets or the companies that make them, this post is just meant to be funny as I am sure the companies and their products are of superb quality.

Thanksgiving Thursday!

No "Therapy Thursday" gripes today!! Today I will list a few of the many things I have to be grateful for...

• The two most beautiful daughters on the planet!


• A husband who loves me just the way I am and works hard to provide for his family.


• A wonderful, loving family who are all in good health.


• A safe home in a great country. (At least until January 20th--I Jest!!)


• A BFF who is always there for me with stellar advice, or just an ear to listen.


• Chocolate--in all it's splendid forms.


• This blog. Which is turning out to be so much fun!

Hope you all are having a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving weekend!

Presents!

Here's what my wonderful family showered me with for my birthday!

From my brother and sis-in-law:

Isn't this gorgeous?! My sis-in-law made it and you can check out her other stunning creations for every season here.

My wonderful husband surprised me with this. I am starting to collect nativities. The whole thing looks like it is carved from a tree. The back is covered in 'bark'. I should have taken a picture of that also.

And then my mom and dad gave me COLD HARD CASH:

And my four year old hand picked these "because it's your birthday!"

What a great birthday!!!

34

Thirty four years ago today I was born. The story goes that mom went to the doctor on the 25th and the doctor said "no, go back home." She did and her water broke. And at 3:05am on the 26th I arrived, all 8lbs 3oz of me. She did it without drugs. I must give props to that! My dad says after I was born when he would drive home from the hospital at night (a thirty mile drive) he could not wipe the smile off of his face. He and mom spent Thanksgiving in the hospital that year. I've always enjoyed the fact that my birthday falls so close to this holiday, and even sometimes on the actual holiday. My parents named me Meredith Elaine. Meredith after a Dallas Cowboy. I truly love my name. Here's the best recent picture of me. I use the term best loosely.

Thirty four is such an odd birthday. Not yet thirty five, but clearly past thirty. I met all my goals thus far. I've graduated college. I had a very short, but fulfilling career as a police officer. I wanted to be married and have my first child by age thirty and I did that. Although not really my doing so much at God's. I've survived some stormy stuff. A miscarriage, a breast biopsy, IBS. And my mother-in-law. (I know, I know, you want the story on that, but let's save it for the next big drama-fest. With Christmas just around the corner, you know there will be something.)

I don't feel old. I don't even feel old enough to be a mom. But realistically I'm almost halfway done, right? In another thirty four years I'll be sixty eight. Okay. Well sixty eight isn't over. In fact these days, sixty eight is just about retirement age!

Hmmm. What else about me? In addition to being a Stay at Home Mom Extraordinaire, I also am a Close To My Heart Consultant. (So occasionally I may post something resembling art some time.) I have a really full life!

This next year will be bringing many exciting changes. By my next birthday, we'll be in a new home, maybe expecting a new baby, and of course, another year older and wiser!

Strawberry Cake

We have a tradition in our family involving strawberry cakes and first birthdays. Well, it's a tradition now. When I turned one my mom baked me a strawberry cake. It was pink and in the shape of an elephant. I am told that I stuck my hand in it and promptly wanted the icky icing off of my hand. When Little d turned one, Strawberry Shortcake dolls were just making a big comeback and since they had been a favorite of mine, I used that theme for her first birthday--complete with a strawberry flavored Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake. She ate it very neatly.

I knew that Little m had to have a strawberry cake as well. We just had to decide on what the cake would look like. I decided (finally) on a cupcake theme. So under this pink swirled confection with pastel dotted sprinkles lies a strawberry cake. Last night at her party Little m took a few licks of icing but slightly gagged on the cake. (She's not really eating very many solids yet.)

God-willing we would like to have another child someday. If it's a boy I wonder how to make a pink cake look masculine. I may have to start a new tradition. And I'm pretty sure it will involve John Deere green and yellow.

A Post Script to Today's Gripe

My wonderful awesome husband just mopped my floors. IlovehimIlovehimIlovehimIlovehim...

Therapy Thursday

Okay, today's gripe...cleaning house. I am (I think) a neat freak trapped in a procrastinator's body. I hate hate hate clutter, but I live amid clutter. This was not always the case. I am an organizer at heart. Given a day to work on a closet full of disorganized junk, I can do an HGTV quality makeover. I love the feeling of accomplishment. I think better when things are organized, I am in a better mood, I am at peace. So why is my house not organized? In a word-children.


I was a housewife prior to being a mother. Our house was organized, neat, dinner on the table when hubby got home...the whole nine yards. But while I may have recovered from childbirth, our house never did. Toys are constantly out, clothes everywhere and let's not discuss the dirty dishes. I can literally put away all the toys in the afternoon and within one hour it does not look like I did anything.

It's like vacuuming. Vacuuming used to be my favorite household chore. What looks better than freshly vacuumed carpet? Now after the floor is vacuumed both kids lay on it and make carpet angels, then proceed to put toys, scraps of paper, and books all over it to hide the newly vacuumed carpet.

Aha! Maybe this is why I procrastinate cleaning. I know the results won't last. For example, Sunday we are having a small get together for little m's first birthday (her first party got postponed). I am not even attempting to clean the toys until that morning. And for added security I am moving all the toys upstairs, so they can't crawl back out onto the floor so quickly.

I don't mean for this post to sound ungrateful. I love that I have two stong healthy kids that have the ability to make chaos. I love that the first thing they do when I finish putting their books on the shelf is to sit in front of the bookcase and take them all out again, looking over each one like it's a lost treasure.

For the record, I know what you are thinking. "Teach your children to clean up after themselves." Yes, I'm going to get right on that. I just need to sort the laundry first, go through this stack of mail and catch up on at least one year of sleep.

Sucker for a Survey

Interesting little survey I found. I am a complete sucker for these things. It was titled "What do your feet say about you?" Usually these surveys do not end up describing me at all. This one is pretty accurate, surprisingly. So here's the entirely-scientific-I'm-sure-since-it-is-based-on-the-length-of-my-toes-and-the-height-of-my-arches results of my feet quiz.

You are pretty average in your expressiveness. You can express yourself well, but you don't always want to.

You are a somewhat passionate person. A few things get you very fired up, but you're usually pretty laid back.

You are an assertive person at times. You'll pull out all the stops to get what you want, if it's worth it. (Hmmm, here I must say I am not terribly assertive with people I'm not close to.)

You take a while to fall in love, but once you do, you stay pretty attached to your partner.

You are not easily frightened, but you have a few strong phobias.

You are intellectual and philosophical. You are more concerned with thoughts than action.

You are very spoiled. You don't work unless you have to, and you love to be waited on. (I don't know that I'm "very spoiled". Especially now with two kids aged four and one. Who has time to be spoiled? Although... if my husband lets me I will sleep in late every morning he is off from work!! I desperately love to sleep in!!)

You are not easily influenced by other people. You hold your ground and are true to your beliefs.
You can take your own survey here.

Now here's what my feet would say if they could talk...

"For the Love of God woman! Stop bashing us into EVERY SINGLE THING you walk next to. And think about getting some steel-toed boots. After all, you should be nice to us--we've been told we are 'damn near perfect' by a near stranger, and we are perfectly proportioned. Show some love!"

Here's a little funny story for you. I recently had to go to the doctor because I had a painful spot on the bottom of my foot. I thought it was a random piece of glass or splinter. Turns out it was a corn. Ewww. Anyway that's not the funny part. The time I went to the doctor prior to that visit? I needed an xray for my foot that I had slammed into the baby gate. That was two years ago. It seems the only time I go to the doctor is for my feet. Who knew being a SAHM would be so hazardous to the health of my feet?

Back to the title of this post. I am also a sucker for those email surveys. Not the tired questions you've heard a million times, but the ones with the new unusual questions. So how about you? Email surveys, love 'em or hate 'em?

Isn't She Lovely...

My littlest girl turns one today. Such a milestone! She smiled early, laughed early, crawled early and walked at ten months. The one thing she didn't do this year is take a pacifier. Or a bottle for that matter. (When I told my hair stylest this she said "well how did she eat?") I smiled. Breastfeed of course.

I never set out to be a longtime nurser. With my first daughter (who is now four) I nursed for three months. This time my goal was four to six months. Little m had other plans. I survived four bouts of mastitis, two colds, her teething and more sleep deprivation than I thought a person could handle. We tried every bottle/nipple/pacifier on the market. Even ordering a $12 specialty bottle of the internet and rush shipping it here for $50 during a particularly stressful week. Through it all I had the incredible support of my husband, my parents, my best friend and even my oldest daughter.

At eight months I was able to wean her during the day when she started taking a sippy cup thanks to my husband's help. Naptimes and getting her to sleep at night were nightmarish. She fights sleep like nothing I've ever seen. Unless of course she was nursing. We decided that this week we would wean her from her nighttime nursing. At first I was emotional, but I knew she would be fine.

Last Saturday I nursed her for the last time. I shed a few tears, because after all this was a long emotional journey we took together, but then I was completely fine with it. And she performed like a champ. She let my husband put her to sleep, give her a nighttime cup of milk (formula). And has been--fingers crossed--sleeping somewhat better!

Well I didn't start this post to discuss my breastfeeding journey, but that marks a great deal of what this first year was about. I say that breastfeeding a baby for any length of time is liking running a marathon, breastfeeding for a year is like completing the the IRONMAN. So where's my gold medal? I just have to look at her beautiful smile and there it is! Happy Birthday Little Bit!!

Therapy Thursday

Therapy is supposed to be cathartic, right? Here's my cheap version of therapy...I've decided to use Thursdays to post about a gripe that I want to get off my chest. You can post your gripes in the comments, too. This week: the price of our dream home.

We were cruising along ready to build at the end of the year, and then the economy struck. Our little nest egg of stocks that were going to cover some of the building cost is now of course worth less than we paid for it. (Thank you Barney Frank.) Well if that wasn't enough, the bid finally came in this week and BAM, not as low as we were hoping. Not even close.

So where does that leave us? Back to the drawing board. Meaning we will be using our own sweat way more than hiring someone to do stuff. Like painting. And framing. And roofing. And exterior siding. UHHGGG!

But I can't complain too much. Others around the country are losing their homes. We are safe in our home and about to build our dream home. There. The therapy worked. I feel better already.

So do you have something you want to get off your chest?

Monumental First Post

Your first blog post is supposed to be really great, right? Make people want to read and all that. So first I guess I must decide what the focus will be of this blog--family-oriented tidbits, scrapbooking, politics, religion, mother-in-law? Maybe just a little of everything.

Next, how much info do I give out? What if said mother-in-law comes across it and figures it out? Who would want that? Pictures of the kids, what about online predators? Geez, why did I start this thing anyway?

Okay moving on. What should it look like? Too much color, people will go nuts trying to focus. Black and white, too boring. Too many pictures and dial-up users, like my mom, would strangle me. No pictures, who likes those blogs?

One thing for sure I know, if you don't post often, people delete you right out of their favorites. So at least twice a week, more is better. (I promise to try to not make too many grammatical errors. Although I love fragments. And parenthesis.) In summary, if your reading and if you have suggestions, suggest away!

Mere

Hi!

Test post for new blog.