Christmas has come and gone

...in some respects :) Depending on what gift you give, it may be lingering still as it is in our house! More on that later.



We had a wonderful Christmas w/the children. We started off the morning with breakfast of giant muffins from Sam's (blueberry, banana nut and chocolate chip - yes, that's just like giving them cake, but hey, it was Christmas!). Bacon and eggs were added to the menu for the insulin production challenged to balance things out with a little protein this year (no one else seemed to mind - we really should be raising pigs given the bacon consumption levels in this house!).

After breakfast, we headed into the den for a few quick pictures before getting started with stockings.

(aren't they sweet and patient?)



The children each had fruit, candy and some other goodies in their stockings and after CKB and I watched them dig through theirs, we dug into ours. Fun!

(about to dig in!)


(hmmm, what's in here?)



(Yes, Miss A got her harmonica and I found some plastic (toy, but still sounded pretty good) ones at CVS for Mr. A and a whistle/flute for Mr. E) - here, Miss A and Mr. A are having an impromptu jam session!)

After the novelty of the new things in the stockings wore off a little, we started opening presents. We let Mr. A go first so he wouldn't be trying to open everyone else's presents. He was adorable this year as he opened different presents and exclaimed "Whoa!" or "Yes!!" when he was really excited about something. I could've just sat and watched him all day!



The "big" presents this year were doll houses for the girls, a Nintendo DS and Mario game for Mr. E and a new Buzz Lightyear for Mr. A.




(when he's really intent on something, his little tongue comes out - isn't that the sweetest thing?!)


Now, for the lingering part...these doll houses are not as "simple" as the box leads you to believe! There is a whole bag of shingles for the roofs - not a sheet of shingles, but IN-DI-VID-U-AL little shingles that EACH have to be STAINED, then let dry for a few days according to the directions, then glued on IN-DI-VID-U-AL-LY TIMES 2 DOLLHOUSES - eeeeeeek!

(here's CKB and the girls about to get started...and yes, the window is open behind them - why, you ask...well, let's see, it was over 85 in the house that day and it was STILL that hot when it got dark...why, you ask again? because our property mgr. STILL HASN'T GOTTEN ANYONE OUT HERE TO FIX THE A/C YET.....ack. Sorry. It was a miserable day - so uncomfortable...and in December, no less! But then, this is TX...I digress...back to the dollhouses....)


The directions that came with them started off with "Glue frame together." That was it. No, piece A goes next to piece B, etc. etc. Just "glue frame together" - uh huh - good thing I'm not in charge of construction on these! :) CKB has both dollhouses underway and a good part of the dining room table is taken up with the construction project. I believe the foundation is drying right now and the roof is next to go on. The instructions SHOULD have said "This might take a year to complete, buy THIS Christmas for NEXT Christmas gift giving." Seriously.

While the frame was drying, we went to Hobby Lobby to pick out paint colors for the girls to paint their respective houses, but even though they sell the house kits there, they don't sell the type of paint that is recommended for painting them...go figure...latex....guess where we had to go? Yep, Home Depot (or Lowe's, but we were closer to HD so we went there). The girls each chose 2 colors, a main color and an accent color...quart was the smallest size you could buy...so yes, we brought home 4 quarts of paint for 2 dollhouses - let the insanity continue! The girls each chose their colors and are happy with them in the buckets - let's hope they like them once they put the paint onto the houses!

So...the girls are being patient and the houses are slowly coming together. I'll continue to update the progress until they're complete. (No pressure CKB!) :)

The children all played with their new Christmas gifts most of the day while CKB and I played with the children and did other things that needed taking care of, like cleaning up the aftermath of paper and an insane number of those industrial twistie ties that a lot of toys are anchored into their boxes with. Later in the day we had a very unconventional Christmas dinner of fireplace roasted hot dogs and sweet potato casserole. We followed that up with pumpkin and pecan pies topped with whipped cream. Everyone ate (for the most part - Miss E decided awhile back that she doesn't like hot dogs....argh!!!) and there weren't any leftovers to speak of - I didn't have to spend all day cooking with no one there to eat the "traditional" fare and we were all happy. Yay, for doing whatever you feel like doing and not worrying about the Joneses. Anyway :) Those were some of the BEST hot dogs ever - cooking them over the fire is the BEST, I tell you, the BEST! (Great job, CKB!!!)

Oh yes, and CKB's mysterious ushering me out of the room the other night was so he could gather the children to wrap a present for me (a new bottle of perfume) and some presents from him to me and one from him to the whole family. One of my favorite things is a new phone! Our old one has had the battery replaced and still the charge wasn't lasting for more than about a 5-10 mn. phone call. Even though CKB hardly uses the phone since he's at work all day, he remembered me talking about how frustrating it can be when you're on an important call and the phone would start beeping to tell you the battery was dying...and soon. Yay for the new phone!

And, lest I forget, it was a GAME Christmas for us!
Mr. E got CKB "Connect Four" for them to play together.
CKB got "Trouble" for the whole family.
CKB and I got "Pixar Monopoly" for the children/family.
and
CKB got "Scrabble Upwords" for me (I've been wanting to get this for a LONG time and never could find it in the stores!)



We've tried them all out already and enjoyed them - CKB and Miss E played "Monopoly" while I played "Connect Four" with Mr. E, then Mr. E played it with Miss A and back and forth for awhile. Sadly, the "bubble" on "Trouble" already has a crack...Mr. A was playing...sigh...but it's still functional, just not a game Mr. A can play for awhile :) He was a little too rough on "Connect Four" also...and well, "Monopoly"...we didn't let him near that one! Instead, he got to play with some other things while we played the different games around the table.

All in all, a wonderful Christmas Day at our house....how about yours?

If you give a 2.5 year old a candy cane....

...this is what you get....



Isn't he adorable?


















Awhile back I told y'all about our trip to Hobby Lobby to look for ornaments - every year we let the children choose one new ornament to add to the tree and this year Mr. A was old enough to really show his preference and join in the fun.

Here are their selections:

Miss E chose......




















Miss A chose......


























Mr. E chose.....















Mr. A chose.....























Each year their ornaments represent their current interests or just something they like - it's going to be interesting to look back at them all through the years. I label them each year on the bottom with their name and the year so we can keep track. Sometime, perhaps I'll do a lineup of their choices thus far.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

It is 8:16 p.m. and I am done, I was done at 7:30 p.m., but I wasn't at the computer then. Done with what, you ask? Wrapping presents! What else would someone be done with on Christmas Eve?????

CKB and I decided to not go overboard this year w/the children's gifts and I'm happy to say we stuck to it - they have some things in their stockings and each have 3 gifts (you'll have to wait to hear about them...Miss E has the strangest knack of creeping up behind me when I'm at the computer and reading over my shoulder...granted, she's in bed already, but still, it wouldn't be fair for you to know what they're getting before they do, now would it???). :)

I remember many a Christmas when my Mom would be up LATE wrapping on Christmas Eve and I did not want that to happen this year - I'm just too tired late at night as it is w/o the responsibility of scissors and tape and putting the right label on each gift, ya know?

Well, CKB isn't done yet. He's being all mysterious and told me I couldn't come in the bedroom for awhile...hmmm. I told him I had the homefield advantage (ie, I can wrap any time of day while he's at work...he doesn't have that luxury)...erego, I'M DONE...I said that already, didn't I?

So, I'll leave you with this - we took this picture just the other night after Miss E's home piano recital and after about 10 with Mr. A squinting his eyes shut when I asked for everyone to look at the camera and smile, we finally got one w/his eyes open and I said "I'll take it!" :) I wasn't much up to sending out cards this year, forgive me everyone, please enjoy this glimpse at our growing family...nice of Mr. E to stand in front of me and hide my size this year...stay tuned, in a few weeks, Lord willing, we'll be posting baby pictures!!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Conversations at Breakfast and later on

Talking about milk at the breakfast table....

Miss E - are some people allergic to milk?
Me - Yes.
Mr. E - that's because some of the cows are stinky.


Ha ha ha ha!!!!

After lunch at church and the children becoming reacquainted with a little 2 year old girl named Tristan.....

In the car:

Mr. E - after my baby sister is born, can we show her to the people at the church?
Me - of course
Mr. E - but Twisty might hurt her
Me - Who/what?
Mr. E - Twisty
Me - Twisty?
Mr. E - yes, Twisty
Me - who is Twisty? (racking my brain for who on earth he could be talking about as there is only one child regularly at the church he mentioned and his name isn't Twisty
Mr. E - you know, the little girl that was there today, her name was Twisty
Me - OHHHHHH, Tristan!
Mr. E - oh, I didn't KNOW her name had an "N" at the end
Me - Yes, her name is Tristan :)

Ha ha ha ha ha ha :) I don't think he really thought Tristan would hurt her, only that she was so little herself and might get too close/not know how to be around a baby/something to that effect. Too funny - Twisty!

A wonderful day

This past Sunday was just one of those days where you think about the day and can't help but smile. You know what I'm talking about, right? Well, for us, this was one of those days. CKB had his regular 3rd Sunday appointment at Farmersville and we arrived, got situated with the children and enjoyed preaching by CKB and introduction by one of the brothers there. Afterward, we sat down for lunch and enjoyed visiting with some of the members while taking care of what all the children needed. I was still eating, but distracted talking and keeping an eye on what Mr. A was up to when one of the sisters told me I better hurry up, they were getting ready for me. What does that mean, I think to myself and then I notice the other end of the row of tables...lots of pink gift bags are being put on the table...I look at this particular sister with a quizzical look and find out that apparently they decided to have a surprise baby shower for us today - I look back at CKB and he has a big grin on his face - he was in on it! The ladies said that after the last two children being boys, they figured we might need some pink in the house - there was a beautiful pink cake with little frosting booties that was so sweet and said "Welcome Baby!" and many wonderful gifts of love for us and our sweet baby girl. I can't possibly share how touched we were by this outpouring of love from the congregation to us today. We appreciate them so much and won't ever forget this special day.

One of the sisters took some pictures - I hope we get to see them when we're there next month and maybe get some copies so I can share them with y'all.

Christmas lights on house...a bust

Well, since CKB is a wonderful and kind husband and wouldn't tell on me, I guess it's up to me to tell the tale...or tail....hmm.

Friday evening, after a day of shopping/errands with the children in which we bought a string of those large bulb lights (in blue because we thought CKB would like them) to put around the front door, I decided upon our return home that I would put them around the door as a surprise for CKB when he got home that evening.

So...it began innocently enough. I gathered the tools I thought I'd need -

- box of lights, check
- hammer - check
- nails - check

...and headed to the front porch.

I left the door open since the children were inside (and quickly assembled to watch, of course).

I put Miss E in charge of holding the nails for me and handing me one when I needed it and began. After 2 or 3 nails bent...I don't know, but I think it's siding on the front and not wood - it wasn't natural how these nails were acting, I finally got one in...partway anyway. Then I put another one higher up. Yes, a few more bent ones too. Maybe that should've told me it was time to cease and desist, but no, I persevered....then I realized I was not going to be able to reach the top corner of the door frame. Hmm, that small step stool in the kitchen should be enough, it's just one step.

Do pregnant women belong on step stools?

no.

But, I sent one of the children to grab the step stool for me and finished putting a few more nails in...and bending a few more. Ugh. Why didn't I just quit while I was ahead...or before I even started for that matter????

So, the next few moments are kind of a blur...what I *think* happened is that I stepped down/back off the step stool and then my next step back I lost my balance. Imagine that when you're carrying a of extra weight....and somehow in my efforts to not just fall hard to the ground I managed to hit my right elbow and scrape it a tad and my left knee on the outside and scrape it before actually sitting down on the walkway and then gracefully, ha ha, rolling backward to lightly tap the back of my head.

Yes, I'm sure the scene in your imagination is quite amusing...laugh, if you must.

I rolled to my side and sat up and sat there for a few moments before trying to get up amidst screams from the children of "Mama!! Are you ok????" Ugh. After a mn. or two I got up after a quick look around - amazingly the neighbor across the street wasn't out in the driveway like he ALWAYS is and didn't see my graceful stupidity.

I came inside and sat down on the couch and waited to feel baby move. Thank the Lord I felt her moving almost immediately. What a relief. I stayed put on the couch for awhile resting and thinking and berating myself for doing such a dumb, unimportant thing.

CKB came home from work and I opened the door for him whereupon he commented on the blue lights with a grin...that is, until I told him rather sheepishly of my fall and he naturally was not happy about it either. We talked and decided I should go ahead and call the dr. (I already had, but the office was closed and I wasn't sure if I needed to bother the on call dr. since I hadn't hit very hard) back and see what she said. I got the return call from the on call dr. and she said firstly it was good I hadn't fallen forward, of course, and secondly that she'd like me to go to the hospital to labor and delivery and get put on the monitor for 4 hours to monitor baby and see how things looked. I agreed and after a few frantic phone calls and no babysitter to be found, I drove to the hospital and CKB stayed home w/the children. I was feeling fine at this point and had my cell in case something did happen and I needed to get 911 or call CKB to come after me in the van w/the children.

I had an uneventful drive to the hospital and found my way to L&D pretty easily. Got hooked up to the monitors and commenced waiting. The lab came and drew blood - it seemed like a LOT (I didn't watch) since it took a little longer than the usual quick blood draws for blood sugar testing recently. Anyway, that was done and the lab lady left. A little while later the sonogram lady showed up and took a look at baby - it was nice to see baby girl again, just wish it had been under different circumstances! Sono lady said everything looked good to her. Nurse had been telling me everything was looking good as well. Only abnormal thing thus far was my temp was up a little at 99.2, but who knows why that was. I know I was burning up at the store earlier that day - I think I might've been dehydrated because I tend to forget to drink much water when I'm running around shopping and getting errands done. Anyway. Into the 2nd/3rd hour apparently some contractions were showing up on the monitor...not a happy thing for me to hear...and I drank the equivalent of an IV bag of fluids (water) and laid on my left side for awhile and prayed some more. I thank God that the contractions stopped, all the bloodwork came back normal and I was discharged to come home around 1:30 a.m. with orders from the dr. to rest and take it easy over the weekend.

So...the moral of the story pregnant ladies (and anyone else who shouldn't be doing something or other for whatever reason) is STAY OFF STEP STOOLS and BE CAREFUL. You'd think I'd know this by now, eh? :) I think we just tend to forget temporarily that we shouldn't be doing something when we're feeling fine and that's when we do something we shouldn't and things happen. I'm so thankful that all is well with baby girl and Lord willing, she'll stay put until closer to her due date the end of January.

So...Christmas lights on the house were definitely a bust this year. :)

They are still up around the front door - I asked CKB if he ripped them down after I went to the hospital, but he didn't - I think he left them up to remind me every time I see them to be more careful and not to be doing anything I shouldn't for the next few weeks.

Y'all be careful!

Quilt...coming soon! Courtesy of my friends at Lone Star House of Quilts in Arlington, TX

Well, this morning the fog was gone and I was able to run my exciting errand without fear of plowing into someone in front of me (or being plowed into, for that matter)!

My errand was...to visit Lone Star House of Quilts in Arlington, TX where my dear friends, the Cookseys are the owners. About 6/7 years ago Alice made beautiful quilts for my girls for baby gifts and has graciously offered to quilt the top I made for our newest blessing due in January! I am thrilled because this will make the quilt so much more special! This morning I handed over my quilt top...now, to wait. :)

As soon as I have it back, I'll take a picture and share it with y'all - did I mention, I can't wait? :) No pressure Alice!

This was my first visit to the shop and it is wonderful - set in an older home in Arlington, it was a visit long overdue that I'm thankful I finally made. I couldn't leave empty handed so I picked up a pattern called "Hot for Chocolate" and the pink fabric and brown fabric necessary to get started and this project is for MEEEEEEEEE :D

Ok, maybe I'll share if/when I get it done, but mainly it's for me. :)

And, a big thanks to Mr. Dave who entertained my rowdy crew on the front porch and front yard of the quilt shop while Alice and I visited. I enjoyed the trip immensely and hope we weren't too much trouble. If you need some fabric, etc. visit them online any time or in person - it's just a hop, skip and a jump to get over there and very easy to find!

Foggy foggy nights and days

This past week has been so crazy weatherwise. It all began last Saturday with WINDY weather - gusts around 40 - felt like we were back down in Corpus again! Sunday we had more wind, but not quite as strong and then the cold moved in and iced over the streets for a day or so and our front walk for about 3 days - needless to say, I stayed in for fear of slipping and falling in my off balance very pregnant state! Last night we ventured out...in the fog...with CKB at the wheel. We had planned to get a Christmas tree after a quick trip into Hobby Lobby to pick up a few things, but there weren't many trees to be found at Wal-mart, Lowe's or Home Depot and by the time we discovered this, it was nearing 9 p.m. and the children REALLY needed to be home in bed. We discussed going to a tree lot that was about a 1/2 hr. or so drive south of home (we were about 20 mn. north at the time), but decided not to and that maybe we would tonight (Thursday). Instead, when we got home, CKB dragged in the artificial tree and set it up and lo and behold, it fit in the corner of the den we'd recently cleared of boxes (yes, I said boxes, we'll never be 100% unpacked I don't think!).

Anyway, the tree is up! Now, tonight, hopefully we'll get the ornaments on and feel like we're ready for Christmas after all.

When Mr. A walked into the den this morning and saw the tree (I'd turned the lights on as I headed to his room to get him out of the crib), he exclaimed "WHOA!" and it was about the cutest thing you've ever heard :) Later, I overheard him lecturing Miss A that she was not to touch the "red button" (a footswitch for turning the lights on and off) that went something like this "Never, ever, ever, EVER touch the red button Miss A, never EVER or it'll shock you!" :) I chuckled at this, I had told him earlier not to touch the button or the cord or I'd give him a big spank - apparently he considered that being "shocked" - ha ha ha. Guess who's had to have 2 spanks so far today? Uh huh.

So...today, we went out to try and finish up a few things shopping wise. Did you know it takes FOREVER when it's foggy, everyone else in the world is at the stores and 2 of the 3 stores you visited are apparently having a restocking day and have boxes lining BOTH sides of EVERY aisle you try to go down with the cart and 3 children walking alongside you? Ugh! Not to mention I have the never failing ability to ALWAYS choose the checkout line with someone ahead of me who will need a price check - I kid you not - if you ever go shopping with me, PICK YOU OWN LINE, it never fails.

About 4 p.m. we came out of Wal-mart - yes, I'm insane, but I needed a couple of things that I'd seen there before, so we went in - and the fog is THICK - and it's getting dark and I decided to make a beeline for home before it got truly dark and I had to navigate through the pea soup. We made it home safe and sound and do not plan to go out again tonight.

This has been the strangest weather week we've had in a long time! I'm hoping for clear weather in the morning as I have an exciting errand to run and want to make sure I'm out early to meet a friend. More on that later!

Where did I go wrong?

Well, Miss E is our promising young pianist, right?

Guess what Miss A told me she wants to learn to play?

The harmonica! Eeek!

What's a mom to do? I was envisioning another pianist or maybe a violinist, following in her mama's footsteps...but harmonica? I think Grandpa had something to do with this.....

Private Piano Recital = Less Stress and More Cookies for Us!

Last night, we made preparations for our own private piano recital for Miss E after deciding we'd better stay in due to the weather reports for icy roads (that doesn't mix well w/pregnant mama, 4 small children, fog and a minivan on overpasses).

CKB arrived home from work and after I asked him if he could think what crazy idea I was thinking of, he said he knew exactly what I was thinking and he was right. He set up my photography backdrop and stand so Miss E would have a nice backdrop for her recital (and for pictures) and then he moved the digital piano into the den (and it's not exactly light, not as heavy as an actual upright, mind you, but still, not light at all!) along w/the piano bench.

We all dressed as we had planned to for going to the actual recital and assembled in the den. Since we were at home, it was a little easier to set up the tripod for the video camera, have my digital camera in hand AND the mp3 player to record the performance as well. After making sure everything was ready to go, the recital began and Miss E did a wonderful job. She has been taking lessons for a few months now and is really enjoying it. She's never once complained about practicing and usually remembers to go practice each day before I remember to remind her! I think she might've been a little nervous even just playing for the family, but she did a good job and surprised me by singing along with her pieces. I don't know if she would've done that at the recital in front of all the "strangers" (other students), but it was a sweet treat for us to hear. She also added her own little ending to each piece (which had been approved by her piano teacher who said she "enjoyed Miss E's creativity").

As of right now, I can't share the video yet, but here're pictures from last night along w/the mp3 recording of her performance.

After the performance, we took some family pictures after CKB graciously moved the piano out of the way (hey, the backdrop was up, we were dressed up, it would've been criminal to let that opportunity pass!) and then we had a reception just like we would have if we'd gone to the actual recital. Hot chocolate and chocolate chip cookies (Christmas colored chips, mind you!) were on the menu complete with Christmas marshmallows - yum yum - and hey, more cookies for us!

Enjoy!

Oh, the weather outside is frightful.....

....but the fire (will be when CKB gets home and builds one) is so delightful...and since the roads are probably going to ice back over....we're going to have a home recital....

Ok, well, that wasn't the best improvisation of that song, but you get the gist....

Miss E's piano teacher is proceeding w/the recital and up until a little while ago I thought we'd still go...even made Christmas cookies to take for the reception afterward...but, the weather report for this evening is for "freezing fog" (which I've never heard of before) and apparently the visibility is expected to get down to 1/4 mile and ice forming and depositing onto the roads directly from the fog, especially on overpasses (of which there are 2 we'd have to cross to get to the church where the recital is to be held).

So...CKB and I will hold a private recital here at home tonight for Miss E and pray that all those who do get out, will return home safely.

Stay tuned for pictures tomorrow!

I love this guy....

I'm sitting at the pc sending a quick note to my sister when Mr. A walks up and sniffs loudly...

Mr. A: What's that smell? Is that pizza?

Me - No, it's not pizza, it's Shepherd's Pie.

Mr. A: Shepherd's Pie? No Way!!

He he he he. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, I better pull it out of the oven and find out. 2.5 year old boys are adorable, don't you think?

How long does it take to get a rental property mgr. to send out repair guys?

Well, apparently nigh on 2 months around these here parts.

I submitted our original request for maintenance on October 30...yes, OCTOBER 30.

Some folks showed up to look over the a/c unit WITHOUT CALLING AHEAD one morning and determined some part was needed, but they'd have to get approval before actually doing any repairs and would have to order the part if approved.

We are still waiting.

And waiting.

The last communication I received from the rental property manager said I should be receiving a phone call from the a/c company to arrange a time to come out...that was a few weeks ago...no calls. I forwarded our home phone to my cell phone while we were out of town...no calls. Today, ironically, it's about 28 degrees outside and this is on my mind...I mean, hey, spring will be here soon and it still might not be fixed at this rate. Ugh. Renting is such fun.
My favorite part of the last email I got was the end which said "How am I doing? Email my manager at...." Guess who I copied on my email today? Sigh.

Still waiting...................................................................at least the heat works!

Lights, camera, action?

Well, tomorrow night is Miss E's very first, bona fide, piano recital! How exciting! This is our first "big event" with one of the children - now, to do my part as Mama of the pianist...camera batteries charged...memory card IN the camera...video camera battery charged...tape in the video camera blank and ready to go...tripod...hmm...plan on how to juggle all of these things along w/managing a 2 year old and 2 other siblings...uh...still working on that one ;)

Hoping to get there early and get good seats - Miss E wants us on the front row :) She keeps telling me she's nervous. I hope she'll get over it quickly once it comes down to it. As of right now, we don't know when she'll play - I'm hoping they go youngest to oldest or something like that and she'll be able to play early on. Also, hoping for good behavior from Mr. A since the recital starts at 7 and we're usually beginning bedtime preparations about then...hmm, bring quiet snack and sippy cup!

Y'all pray for her to not be too nervous! I hope to bring tidings of a happy event day after tomorrow!

In case you missed it last year...

Sick and Tired

In the literal sense.

It's hard to believe it's been almost a month since I last posted on the blog after posting so often before, but I needed a break. We had a great trip over Thanksgiving and returned home this past Sunday night after dealing with a lot of illness on the tail end of the trip.

I am still "tired" and hoping to feel like I'm back on my feet by the weekend. If not, I'm to get in touch w/my OB (had an appt. today and told her how tired and weak I was still feeling).

I won't go into all the gory details right now...like I said, I'm tired, but soon I'll give a summary of our trip. For now, I hope y'all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We did. I have so much to be thankful for and I pray I always remember how blessed I am. God has given me an amazing husband, beautiful, healthy children, a baby to be born soon, a warm home, a car to get around in and above all, the precious gift of His love to me. I could go on and on listing many more things, but I need to give my eyes a break from the pc screen - 2 weeks away from it and my eyes aren't too keen on looking at the bright screen any more. Probably a good thing :)

If anyone out there is still checking our blog, know that we're on the road to recovery from this illness and thankful to God for my wonderful parents who had to endure the plague as we arrived at their house w/a sick 2 year old and then the rest of us succumbed to the illness one after another while we were there. My mother got sick after we left and thankfully Dad is still well and able to take care of her while she recovers. Pray for us and for them when you think to please.

The Lord has been so good to me....you know how the hymn goes :)

A funny story

On a recent Sunday, we were told a story that made us laugh -

Apparently, a husband and wife were talking and the conversation went something like this:

Wife - Hmm, I wonder what CKB and CAB will do with the children when it's time for them to go to the hospital to have the baby?

Husband - Well, I imagine they'll drop them at the McDonald's.

Wife - (look of confusion and incredulity as she exclaims...) What?! I think they'll be there at the hospital for awhile, DH. What are the children going to do at McDonald's?

Husband - (realizing the confusion his comment has caused explains) - No, THE McDonald's :)


Now, to fill you all in - my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's last name is McDonald!

Ha ha! I confess when he was telling us the story I immediately thought to myself "why on earth would we take the children to McDonald's?" because I never think of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law as "The McDonald's" but rather by their first names :) I guess he got me too!

Diabetes Self-Management Training

Oh, the joy of having to go sit through another diabetes self-management training class.

I have been penciled in for next Tuesday. For a 2 hour session. Lovely.

Yesterday, I hunted through quite a few boxes of papers looking for my old paperwork to no avail. I *knew* I'd seen it somewhere since we moved, but couldn't remember what box I'd seen it in. Sigh. I told CKB I'd never find it while I was actually *looking* for it. I wanted to go ahead and get started with checking my blood sugar and making sure I was keeping things balanced even if I couldn't get in for the class before Thanksgiving. (The scheduler had called a couple of times and had no openings at all this week or next and then had one open up yesterday afternoon - the one day of the week I'd told her I could *not* come b/c of Miss E's piano lesson - figures - so when I didn't hear anything else back yesterday afternoon I figured there still weren't any cancellations and I wasn't going to hold my breath that I'd be going before December at this rate.)

So...this morning I happened to notice a box near our dining room table (yes, we live w/boxes still just sitting about...will we ever get them all unpacked? Probably not.) and the top said "CAB's computer/papers/ink/etc." and I thought, maybe, just maybe, this had papers that I kept by my computer at the old house...maybe. I opened the box and just started to rifle through them when I felt I should stop and pray that God would show me the right box and where to find these papers I needed. I resumed my search and the papers were right there! Thank you Lord! Now, I can get on with things and not just rely completely on memories of what I did about 3 years ago. Now, to obtain the dreaded monitor. Apparently this isn't going to be as simple as in times past when the dr. ordered it and I picked it up. Maybe by the end of today I'll find out when/where I'm to get the monitor this time. I may just get one at Walgreens since they have one that's free after mail-in rebate. We'll see....

Update - I have my monitor, lancets (little jabbing devices), and test strips - whoo hoo - and managed to get it all home and read all the information to calibrate the new monitor in time to get my first reading at 1 hour after lunch. According to my paperwork from last time I was GD, my reading should be <140 1 hr. after lunch and <120 2 hrs. after. My reading at 1 hr. after was......102! Yay! Looks like I'm on the right track. Good to know!

Update 2 - After dinner reading was great and so was my fasting reading this morning (Friday). So tempted to cancel that class, especially since I don't have a babysitter so far....eek!

Quilt Decision

Well, I've decided on a layout and the winning layout is:

http://oldspillhouse.blogspot.com/2008/11/and-another-possible-quilt-layout.html

I've finished the blocks which will add a row to the left and bottom to finish out the pattern. Now to assemble the top....Stay tuned!

* Update 11/19 - All the rows are now constructed, now to put the rows together!

** Update 11/19 p.m. All rows are together! Now, to add border(s)...

Sugar Definitely High

Well, I got the official call and I am GD (gestational diabetic) this time around. I guess the 3 hour test wasn't in vain after all even if it was in MY vein 4 times that morning! The SAME vein OVER AND OVER - owww - the 3rd time really stung, but the 4th wasn't as bad as the 3rd. I asked the lady how long she had to go to school for her job - she said she didn't - uh....apparently she'd been jabbing people for 10 years and it must've been on the job training back when she started. In-ter-es-ting. 8-O

Anyway :)

Now, I wait....for the next call from the scheduler person who will tell me when I go to take a nutrition class and get my blood sugar monitor and so forth. I took a class 8/9 years ago when I was expecting Miss E - I guess they figured I might need a refresher course :)

Happy Holidays.....Happy Holidays...when I can't eat all the pecan pie I want....ah well...maybe I'll make one in February and eat the whole thing...or not....

Sugar High

No, the children haven't been eating too much candy. No worries there.

My blood sugar test was this past week and I just got the call that my numbers were high. Yay. I had gestational diabetes with our 1st and 4th children, so I half expected I might this time around and it seems I might. I'm scheduled for a 3 hour glucose tolerance test on Thursday. Maybe, just maybe, this time around I'll pass the 3 hour and not have to stab my fingers every day for the next few months.

And since we're already talking about sugar...we stopped off at the Russell Stover store this past Sunday after services for a bathroom break for the children and while there, CKB picked up two new tins - they're very seasonal and pretty and naturally full of chocolate - good thing being GD (gestational diabetic) doesn't mean you can't have ANY sugar, just that you have to balance everything you eat.

I'll post a picture of them sometime when I have the time.

Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Tropicana, Quaker Oats, Gatorade - use any of these?

If you do, read the information below from the AFA:

PepsiCo gives $500,000 to promote the gay agenda in workplace
Company ignores two requests from AFA to discuss Pepsi's support of gay groups.

Pepsi has given Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) a half-million dollars to help push the homosexual agenda in the workplace.

Pepsi has a long tradition of financial support for homosexual groups. According to Jacqueline Millan, director of PepsiCo Corporate Contributions, "We are delighted to continue our partnership with PFLAG...(in) promoting the necessary message of inclusion to untapped groups...and that is a crucial step toward building a healthy working environment."

Despite the fact that 30 states have passed constitutional amendments defining marriage as being between a man and a woman, Pepsi continues to support the efforts by same-sex groups pushing for homosexual marriage.

AFA wrote Pepsi on October 14 and again on October 29 asking the company to remain neutral in the culture war. Pepsi didn't care enough to respond to the AFA letters. Pepsi's lack of response indicates the company plans to continue support for the homosexual agenda.

Take Action

* E-mail Chrm. Indra K. Nooyi. Tell her that you expect Pepsi to stop supporting the gay agenda.
* After sending your e-mail, please call Pepsi (914-253-2000) and ask the company to remain neutral in the culture war.
* Forward this e-mail to your friends and family so they will know about Pepsi's support of the gay agenda.

Pepsi's products include Pepsi soft drinks, Frito-Lay chips (800-352-4477), Quaker Oats (800-367-6287), Tropicana (800-237-7799) and Gatorade (800-367-6287).

Click here to ---> Send Your Letter Now!

Prayer for new baby

Update: Avery and her mom were able to go home from the hospital and are doing well at last report! Thank you for your prayers on their behalf!

A friend from our homeschool enrichment classes group just had her 5th baby 3 weeks early - a baby girl - Avery Catherine (what a great name :) )

Avery's lungs weren't quite ready and she is still in the hospital. Would y'all please join me in prayer for this new little one? Also for her mom's recovery from her C-section.

Today, the children and I ran some errands and had fun perusing the baby girl aisles and picking out something for this new little gal. Shopping for baby clothes is always fun! I'm hoping the girls can help me in a week or two to make a meal for the family - for the first time in a long time, my littlest isn't so little and I hope to have time to do this for the family. It'll be a good opportunity for the children to learn to help others when we are able to do so.

Thank you all for your prayers for little Avery and her mom.

Veterans Day is today! Let's remember all those who have served our country!

November 11, Veterans Day, began as a celebration of the peace after World War I ended. This date was chosen because on November 11, 1918, an armistice (truce) was signed that ended World War 1.

Read more at http://enchantedlearning.com/crafts/veterans


For Veterans Day crafts and projects for preschool, kindergarten and elementary school children, visit Enchanted Learning.


Today, I'd like to thank my Dad (served in Vietnam) and my grandfather (WWII) as well as my father-in-law (Korea) and brother-in-law who have all served our country in war and peace times. Also, all others I could never know nor remember the names of, I thank you all for your service.

Are you aware of FOCA? Get informed and act!

Sign the Fight FOCA Petition

Barack Obama is now the incoming President.

And he made a promise to Planned Parenthood last year they expect him to keep.

"The first thing I’d do as President is sign the Freedom of Choice Act. That’s the first thing I’d do."

SEE THE VIDEO IN THE RIGHT SIDEBAR AT THE SITE

The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) would eliminate every restriction on abortion nationwide .

Barack Obama believes this legislation will "end the abortion wars." To him, "ending the abortion wars" means eradicating every state and federal law on abortion — laws that the majority of Americans support.

Americans United for Life (AUL) , a pro-life law and policy organization, has prepared an analysis of the "Freedom of Choice Act." Please click here to read AUL Vice President & Legal Director Denise Burke’s analysis of this horrendous legislation.

The time to Fight FOCA is now. With Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid in charge of Congress, we can expect a fight over FOCA to begin as soon as the next Congress begins.

Please add your name to the Fight FOCA petition and let your friends know about President-Elect Barack Obama’s promise to expand abortion throughout the country.


FOCA Would Wipe Away Every Restriction on Abortion Nationwide
This would eradicate state and federal laws that the majority of Americans support, such as:

* Bans on Partial Birth Abortion
* Requirements that women be given information about the risks of getting an abortion
* Only licensed physicians can perform abortions
* Parents must be informed and give consent to their minor daughter's abortion

FOCA would erase these laws and prevent states from enacting similar protective measures in the future.

And another possible quilt layout

Decisions, decisions....I laid the quilt blocks out in a different formation Friday and am trying to decide. Either way, I still need to make two more rows of blocks to complete the top. I plan to knock those out this afternoon during nap/quiet time if all goes well.

Here's the 2nd possible layout. Amazing what you can do w/the exact same blocks and achieve a completely different look, isn't it?

Another quilty update

Well, I got a little work done on the quilt today - I laid out the blocks that are complete so far and have been thinking about what more I'd like to do with it before I start putting it all together.

In the picture, you'll see the completed 4 patch blocks lined up in the placement I believe I'll be going with - anything can happen though :) I do plan to make 8 more of each the pink/floral and maroon/floral to add two more rows at the bottom. Then, it will measure 36" x 36" (unsewn).



Now, I made a few blocks that are maroon/pink 4 patches and was thinking about using them as a border, but I'm not sure yet.

In this picture, you can see where I laid them alongside one corner to see how it would look. I'm not 100% convinced to do this yet and haven't made any more of those blocks at this point.



A few other options would be to add a border all the way around the quilt - maybe with the floral, then use the pink/maroon 4 patches, then another "solid" border around that and the binding - the possibilities are endless....or maybe not use the pink/maroon blocks at all....argh! What to do, what to do?!

Any input is welcome :)

A new day

Well, today was supposed to be up around 81 or so and I was dreading another hot day as we are still waiting for the a/c people to show back up or at least call with a possible day they'll return - instead I awoke to an overcast day that promises to stay cooler - hooray! (just checked the forecast and it's expected to be 83! At least it's not sunny, then it'd probably get even hotter!).

Last night we decided to carry out a 'tradition' - at least we've done it once before - and headed out to dinner instead of sitting around watching election returns come in. It was nice and peaceful until the waiter at a nearby table comes up to that table and loudly proclaims "In case y'all were interested, Obama......" - at that point I blocked out his obnoxiously loud voice and got back into conversation with CKB and the children and we managed to enjoy the rest of our meal. That was exactly what we'd been wanting to avoid for the evening - and why we decided we would not go to the closest restaurant (they have 2 giant tvs and I knew they'd have election coverage on). Figures.

So, we returned home and went to bed early. Blissfully ignorant of what was unfolding across the nation. We had voted. We had been praying. We know who is in charge and are comforted greatly in that knowledge.

This morning I reluctantly turned on the computer and tv and figured I might as well find out the results. I was saddened, but not surprised. I don't understand how so many could vote for such a man. How so many could turn from God and support a man who supports so many ungodly things.

God is in control. I will rest in that knowledge and continue in prayer.

As the hymn states, "My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness..."


Today we have finished our schoolwork early and have the rest of the day before us. Miss E has piano this afternoon, but otherwise the day is ours to do with what we will. I hope to work some on the baby quilt at some point. I also have plans to try and go through some things that have been lying around for ages needing to be dealt with. Then, naturally, there's always laundry and dishes and other miscellaneous cleaning that needs to be done.

What's on tap for you today?

Election Day - Go Vote!

Someone from Guam visited the blog!

Now why is that worthy of note? And, where is Guam anyway?

Well, it's worth of note because that's where I was born! Dad was in the Coast Guard at the time. If it didn't require a long flight or boat ride, I'd definitely be trying to figure a way to see this place where I was born, but alas, it's not like driving to another state. Oh well. Somehow I doubt I'll ever see Guam.

Where is Guam, you ask?

Well, first off, shame on you for not knowing!
Secondly, look here to find out.

And, if you're the visitor from Guam reading this, say hello next time, won'tcha? :)

Ah yes, and how did I know someone from Guam visited when they didn't leave a comment...Feedjit - pretty neat little gizmo (look toward bottom right of blog to see where folks are visiting from any time you're on the blog, it's interesting!)

A/C update

Well, the A/C guys showed up this morning, unannounced. Nothing like hearing car doors (or in this case, van doors) slamming outside your house and realizing it just might be because someone is at YOUR house and you haven't gotten a shower or gotten dressed for the day and your hair resembles a bird's nest, but alas, the a/c is more important than my vanity, right? And, I wasn't wearing anything indecent, just felt grungy knowing I hadn't spiffed up for the day. Sigh. So, yes, moments later as I zipped over to look through the peephole, bemoaned my situation and became quickly resigned to it, I was opening the door with a bright smile and greeting the a/c guy. He explained that they hadn't been given a phone number to call ahead - thanks property manager guy - and that they were here to look at the a/c unit. Oh joy. So, he comes in and fiddles around w/the unit and then says he'll be outside. A little while later he comes back to the door and wants to come in again to look at the unit, this time his fellow technician comes with him. Oh joy. They look in the a/c closet for awhile and then proclaim they're going to have to order a part and the homeowner will have to approve it, but hopefully they'll be back out later this week. Later this week? Argh. Don't they know it got up to 90 in the house this weekend? Couldn't they SEE I'm pregnant and it's too hot in here for me and the children during the day? I know, it's not their fault, I just wish it could've been an easy "freon adding" type of quick fix. So, we wait. The house is a rental, by the way, so that is why we wait...for other folks to make the decisions about the repairs.

And naturally the temps are expected to creep up all week until about Thursday when they're supposed to start coming back down. That's probably when they'll show back up.

Happy hot Texas fall y'all :)

Tinkerbell movie, dishonoring to God

Well, the girls have been seeing a lot of "Tinkerbell" movie advertisements and naturally there are plenty of toys and other merchandise in the stores what with the release of the movie. As a result, Miss A asked if they could see it. We decided to give it a shot and picked up a copy. Saturday night we sat down to watch it with the children.

The first couple of minutes were very disappointing and we decided that this wasn't the movie for us. The movie begins with a voice proclaiming:


"Have you ever wondered how nature gets its glow?
Who gives it light and color as the seasons come and go?
Who helps all creatures great and small to walk, to swim, to fly?
Who crafts such tiny details?
You might see them if you try,
for its all the work of fairies..."

What?!?

We stopped the movie at this point and asked the children what they thought about that. Who was it that DID all those things? They answered, God!
Should we watch a movie that is dishonoring to God and takes away glory from Him?
No!

It all goes back to being responsible for what you know. Ya know?

Sorry Tinkerbell, you won't be a movie staple in our house.

Bah, Halloween!

Well, this post probably won't make me very popular, but that's life!

I've pretty much decided I can do without Halloween. It isn't what it used to be when I was a child - fun and games. I have fond memories of our neighbor across the street having a little party on her back porch for all the neighborhood children with cookies and punch, in the days when you could do such things w/o fear of what might be in those homemade treats. Now, it seems it's all about who can outdo who with the creepy stuff. We went into Michael's recently and couldn't go down an aisle it seemed w/o something ghoulish staring us in the face - just what the little ones need to see, eh? The worst was this pair dressed in wedding garments and one was decapitated and holding its head. As you walked by they began to emit horrible sounds and scared the children something awful. Mr. A kept repeating - it's creepy, it's creepy!

Sigh.

Wal-mart and Target weren't much better this year. If they could just keep all that stuff in one part of the store (NOT BY THE TOYS), and you knew which part to avoid, that would be great, but now that wouldn't put the most $$ in the retailer's pocketbook, would it?

Down the street, there's quite a display and while we were out looking at houses recently, we pulled up and the one across the street from the one we were going to see had a decapitated head on a stake in the front yard. Nice.

We considered putting out a sign this year that said "No Scary Costumes" but instead we just decided to avoid the whole mess and CKB and I will be going out tonight for dinner, yes, just the two of us! Our lovely babysitter will be here with the children and the porch light will be OFF. The children can dress up as princesses and knights any day of the year. Who needs Halloween? Not I.

A gorgeous fall afternoon

Well, if your a/c has to stop working properly, I suppose fall is as good a time as any. Ours is running, but not cooling - may be time for more freon...they're supposed to come out and check it. Until then, we've been instructed to not run it at all. Eek! Don't they know we have 4 small children and a pregnant lady in the house? This is a house w/o good cross air currents as well, but we're trying by leaving the front door wide open and the windows on the back of the house open as well. We're getting a slight breeze and thankfully it's not THAT hot today. Whew!

However, at lunchtime I needed a break and loaded up the crew for an outing and hopefully a bit of cooler air in the car for a short while. We decided to also see if a new local park had been completed since the last time we drove past it. After a quick stop at the post office, we drove by the park and hooray, it looked ready for play! So, just down the way a little farther we picked up hamburgers and headed back to the park. Sadly, no picnic tables, so we ate in the car and then hopped out to enjoy the new playground. The breeze today is WON-DER-FUL and COOOOL - just what we need considering our a/c woes. The playground is definitely for bigger children and I felt pretty much okay w/the older 3 on it, but there were too many gaps and so forth for Mr. A in my opinion. Did that stop him? No. He wanted to get up there w/his brother and sisters naturally. So, what's a 6 mos. pregnant mama to do? Sigh. I'm sure CKB would've had a heart attack if he'd been there (well, if he'd been there, HE'D have been doing what I'm about to confess doing), but I did carefully climb up the steps with Mr. A to make sure he made it to the top of the slide safely - instructed him to sit and wait - slowly walked back down and went to the bottom of said slide and after taking his picture (of course), told him he could come on down!

Now, you'd think once would be enough right? Ha ha. No. Of course not! Mr. A was ready to go again, but this time he wanted to do the twirly slide. Ack. I wasn't too thrilled about him going down that one alone...I took him up, looked at it and how far down it was and decided the best thing would be for me to take him down on my lap. Yes, I know. I shouldn't have. But, it's done now. He enjoyed it and I told him no more playground, we could go and swing and that was it. Thankfully he didn't fuss - he's good like that. So, he sat on a big boy swing and I sat next to him on a swing and gave him a gentle push now and then. After a while, the older 3 came over to swing a bit too and then I gave them the "final slide" call and they all ran to go down one more slide before we left and then headed to the car. It was a beautiful afternoon - the weather is absolutely gorgeous - nice breeze, perfect temp. - oh to have many more fall days like this before winter comes.

Here are a few pics from our outing - I amazingly managed to grab the camera on our way out the door today - I usually *want* to take it, but don't want to have to keep up with it when I know I'll be busy w/the children (read: Mr. A is a handful and a half), so I was glad to have it today and snap a few pics of the children enjoying the day and the new playground we found.

Here's Mr. A hollering into the megaphone that in turn would output his voice up at the top of the playground where his sister was listening - thankfully this part was down on the ground level!



Here is a shot of all 4 children sitting still for a few seconds :)





And, as if it's not hard enough to get a decent picture of all 4 sitting still, I had to go and try for a shot of them on the swings...with the swings moving!



Here's Mr. A waiting for me to let him come down the slide - he's a good little guy to wait, isn't he? :) He listens to his mama most of the time!





And here we have the death defying twirly slide...don't be too mad at me CKB, I'm ok and baby girl is kicking away as I sit and type this - I think she enjoyed the activity - whew - I'm a tad tired now though - pitiful, eh? :)



If the weather is nice where you are, get out there, it probably won't last long!

A new sickness

Well, yes, of the germy kind, unfortunately. It seems we got over that last cold mess and were well for a week or two and then we were hit again. Sigh. I guess it's that time of the year. Ugh. Mr. E finished up the antibiotics and seems to be improving, but it takes a full 10 days to a week for it to do its thing so we'll see. In the meantime, Mr. A developed a lovely runny nose - blah - and Miss A started talking about a sore throat and now sounds something like a small Darth Vader as she breathes with all the congestion - yay - Miss E, who I thought had escaped it this time around, just asked me where a full kleenex box was...sigh. Well, maybe we'll all get well and stay well longer this time.

Now, for the new sickness...fabric...not that I didn't already have it to some degree, but it was for dresses for the girls and I'd buy 2-4 yards of a particular fabric and then not have time to make the dress(es) - so I have quite a collection of large pieces of fabric. My attention of late has been toward baby quilts however and I've been looking at quite a few quilting sites and blogs for inspiration and it seems a lot of quilters purchase fat quarters and/or smaller cuts of fabrics they like and put them into their "stash". Hmm. Just what I need. Yesterday, however, I was in the fabric store and needed to get more of the floral fabric I've been working with and picked up a few other goodies to have on hand and to try along w/those pinks and browns (no, I haven't given up on it completely). So...my collection or "stash" has grown a bit, but thankfully in smaller quantities overall. Each cut is 1/2 yard except for the floral - I went ahead and got a yard of it. I like it a lot. Now to find a place to "stash" the "stash" - ha ha.

I voted today....have you?

What an election year, eh?

Well, today the crew and I headed off to the early voting location and hoped for a short line and a smooth outing. We were blessed with both. There were about 10 people in line and we were probably only in there about 10 mn. Yay! The line of voting machines were arranged such that the one at the end was by a wall so I had the children, except Mr. A, sit by the wall while I voted and then we were off on our way again sporting our "My Vote Counted" stickers proudly. A woman asked as we were leaving the building if we had all voted, to which I replied that I wished they all could! We've been talking about the importance of exercising our right to vote and they understand what a great responsibility they have to look forward to in the future - Miss E is already counting the years to see when she'll be able to vote for the first time for president.

Have you voted yet?

Baby Quilt Possibly Taking a Different Turn

Well, I just wasn't feeling it w/the fabrics I have been working with. Perhaps it was just a matter of trying to use too many "busy" fabrics at the same time...

Anyway, I kept looking at a couple of the other fabrics I purchased awhile back, but hadn't been incorporating thus far and decided to play with them today and I think I may go with the new color scheme instead.

Here's what I've done so far.



Feels more "baby girl" to me anyway...perhaps the pinks and browns will have to wait for something when she is bigger or be used for something for her big sisters. We'll see.

Now to decide about placement...whether to alternate the different 4 patches or put a solid color square between and alternate...so many possibilities. Here are a few examples I played with earlier today. None of these incorporate putting solid squares in since I hadn't cut any at the time...

Poetry by Miss A

This past weekend was our annual meeting at Fellowship PBC and we enjoyed a blessed meeting.

Sunday we had just arrived on the church grounds and Miss A asked if I wanted to hear a poem she'd made up on the drive.

Of course :)

Here 'tis:

I'm not 7.
You're not 8.
If you wear it,
you are great!

- Miss A

Now, what does that mean, you ask?

:)

Miss A is 6 years old. She was wearing a dress that was size 7.
Miss E is 7 years old. She was wearing a dress that was size 8.

Think about it :)

I told her she was very clever :) For those of you with little girls, you know that often the size that matches their age is not very long. We often buy dresses a size or sometimes 2 sizes larger to get more length. And a poetess is born....

Baby quilt moving along....somewhat

Well, I actually did some sewing :) Yay!

I put together a couple of 4 patches yesterday...just a couple, but it's a start.

I'm starting to think that I need some solid squares or at least a very subtle tone on tone for the alternating squares in the quilt or it's just going to be too much/busy.

So...yes, you guessed it, a trip to the fabric shop is in order...I'm so sad about that ;) (insert a tad of sarcasm here)

So...maybe I'll take in my 4 patches with me and see what I can find that will complement the shades of pink (or maybe cream, thanks for your input AmandaJean) in the fabrics I'm using and then we'll see where things take us.

That's it for now...here are the actual sewn blocks that are done at this point. We'll see where they end up in the end product....





Yes, I know the one in the middle has issues - I didn't line that one up too well in the center...maybe I'll undo it and redo it....maybe. The first one shown is my favorite. :)

Tomatoes in October...almost November? Why yes, in Texas, of course!

Well, the saga of the tomato plants continues. I don't know that it's really a saga, per se, but a strange tale to be sure.

A long time ago in a backyard far away from most of our readers...a hopeful family purchased 3 tomato plant containers (each with 6 plants...in hindsight said family would think they should've just gotten larger plants and only one of each type...you know what they say about hindsight...anyway...). This hopeful family also purchased some lovely soil and planned to try growing 3 different types of tomatoes...in buckets...on the back porch...because they didn't want to dig holes in the yard (it's a rental house....).

Anyway...buckets were filled with soil and plants were gently planted and watered. The watering went on for awhile and then slowly tapered off as the plants were forgotten during busy times for the family.

What happened, you ask, to the other 5 plants of each type? Well, the lady of the family couldn't bear to just toss them out and didn't have any more large buckets so she dug holes in the yard after all...gasp...and planted them in the back corner of the yard to see what would happen with them. They were watered once, maybe twice.

Months went by and nary a tomato was ever seen on the tomatoes in the buckets. Recently, however, the family noticed that the tomato plants that were just planted out of a sense of guilt over tossing them, had grown....a lot...and upon closer inspection they found that there were tomatoes growing on the plants...quite a few tomatoes....amazing!

These plants that had been left to themselves and whatever rain the Lord chose to bless them with were healthier and hardier than the bucket tomatoes. Interesting.

Today, Miss E, the eldest child of the family and the lady of the family headed back to check on the tomato plants on a whim and what do you think they found?

Well....this.....



and....



these!



They had to pick the green one since the limb of the tomato plant that it was on had been broken in a recent rainstorm and it wouldn't last long before rotting - maybe it'll ripen up, they thought...or perhaps they'll try fried green tomatoes....perhaps...

So...you just never know what's going to happen, do you?

Mr. E update

Mr. E had dose #1 of his antibiotic in the parking lot after we got his prescription - I didn't want to wait and give it to him at home, before bed!

We gave him some cough medicine before bed, which I try not to do unless he has a cough that's really bothering him. And, I'm thrilled to report he slept through the night and I only heard him coughing once....CKB might've heard him more, I'll have to check with him, but either he didn't cough more or I slept right through it (it's been known to happen!).

So, Day 2 of his medicine just went down the hatch...now to remember to take it with us tomorrow when we're at the annual meeting at Fellowship!

Ah yes, and Mr. A's nose started running this morning...here we go again....

Mr. E is under the weather, but sure doesn't act it!

Mr. E has had an on again/off again cough and tad bit of sniffles for awhile now, but last night the cough just persisted and persisted to the point of him getting up in the night a couple of times. Time to finally go and see what the dr. had to say. Thankfully I was able to get a sitter on short notice and didn't have to take the other children to the germ-infested doctor office. Yay!

The doctor couldn't definitively say if it was or was not allergies...or anything else for that matter. She did prescribe antibiotic for him since it could be the early stages of a sinus infection and apparently bronchitis and walking pneumonia are going around - oh fun!

Lord willing, the medicine will clear this congestion up and Mr. E can sleep w/o coughing all night very soon. Somehow, Mr. A has been able to sleep through all the coughing - I don't know how, but I'm thankful for it!

The weather has turned nice and cool since yesterday afternoon - yay, fall is here, fall is here! There is even a little color showing in some of the trees. Nothing like some parts of the country, but we'll take what we can get here!

Despite all the missed sleep and coughing off and on, Mr. E is his regular ol' self - children are so incredibly resilient!

Baby Quilt - some progress

Well, since I was out of town for a long weekend there wasn't much progress on the baby quilt.

However, I have played around with the fabrics a bit and cut some squares.

At first, I was envisioning straight patchwork, no borders between squares, just 4" squares all in a row.

Then I cut a bunch of 4.5" squares to get ready to start and when I tried lining them up beside each other, I just didn't like the colors together. Sigh.

So...I thought maybe I'd use the brown(s) as "accents" and border the 4" squares w/thin brown strips so I laid out one of the brown fat quarters and laid a few of the 4" pink tone fabrics on top to simulate the effect and I didn't like that too much either.



I know, hard to please, but I want to realllly like this quilt, I mean, it will be some work to put it together and I envision baby girl having it around for a long time!

So...I thought maybe I'd try making some 4 patch blocks and seeing how that would look, so I cut some more squares from the leftover pieces I had and started liking things a little more at this point. Here are a few "idea" blocks I laid out when I was playing around w/the smaller squares.



So...now I think MAYBE I'll alternate 4 patch blocks with the larger 4" squares of a single fabric and see how that looks....

Maybe tonight I'll sew up a few of the 4 patches and we'll go from there.

Anyone have any thoughts?