Glamour

I am spending a very glamorous New Year's Eve at home, in my pjs, making my first batch of baby food to freeze, and washing diapers. In a few days, Nehemiah will be 6 months old, and we are going to start solid foods. I was hoping to make food while watching Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve; unfortunately our television affiliate is not showing it. Sacrilege! It is my tradition to watch the ball drop, and it doesn't look possible tonight. Oh well. Welcome to motherhood! The benefits of tonight's work will be worth it though. Hopefully he likes sweet potatoes! I'm sure there will be many pictures to follow. Happy New Years! I pray that the Lord blesses you and yours during 2008.

Shadow Play

Last night Nehemiah caught sight of his shadow for the first time during his bedtime routine. I thought it was just a fluke, but it happened again tonight. It will be fun when I can explain it to him, but I think he might be formulating his own idea of how it works, because he kept looking back and forth between his night light, me, and the shadow we were casting. That little one is a student of the light and always has been. I love the metaphoric meaning of that practice. Hopefully it turns into the spiritual application as well. :) It's definitely something we'll be working on throughout his life. Alas, my munchkin was so fascinated by his shadow that he didn't properly settle into bed, so he is up and has been for a little while. So much for crying it out! At least he is generally quickly soothed once I go in. I just wish I could train in a little less Mama-only soothing, so that if he is watched by someone else he will calm down for them too. Any suggestions?

Recharging

We're back! :) We are still almost entirely packed, but Nehemiah and I had a much needed day of rest (and Ben had a few hours too) after a LONG day of travel yesterday. It is not much fun to have a 4 hour delay on your flight with a non-napped baby and a 3 hour drive home from the airport in sight. Nehemiah was quite the trooper. He had some fussy moments, but overall, he was trying so hard to be his usual happy self. It helped that my dad waited with us and that my Aunt Mary drove over to hang out too- they were the silver lining in the cloud!

Our trip was phenomenal. We got to spend time with so many people that we know and love. Allow me to break it down for you...
December 19--we arrived! Nehemiah was amazing! He LOVED people and light watching in the airports, and God blessed us with a sweet seat mate named Dorothy. She is a well-traveled great grandma who was reassuring and patient. We got to Colorado and my parents greeted us and took us to their house. That was pretty much all for that day.
December 20--our family friends the Mazzettis came up to see us and celebrate Christmas. It was so good to see them and spend time playing games and catching up.
December 21--My mom and I did a little shopping in the morning (hooray!) and then we spent most of the rest of the day with John and Melissa (my brother and sister-in-law). We crafted our Christmas gifts for the rest of the family that evening, which was fun.
December 22--Our 4th Anniversary! Ben worked feverishly on finishing up his semester's assignments, and my mom, Nehemiah and I went to see our friends the McLaughlins and their newest little one. After that, we came home and I got ready for our date! It was Ben and my first time out (just us) since Nehemiah was born--yay! We went to an amazing restaurant called the Twin Owls Steakhouse up in Estes Park with our best couple friends, John and Lisa. Ben had Elk and I had a Buffalo Steak with a Cranberry Green Chile sauce--it was all unique and tasty, and you can't beat the company! ;)
December 23--This was the big day as far as celebrating Christmas with my extended family. We drove a few hours down to Colorado Springs to see my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, and great grandmother. We had yummy breakfast and dinner there and opened a boat load of gifts! We also spent some incredibly meaningful time with my great grandma (Nehemiah's great-great!). It was the first meeting between the 5 generations. My GG has just entered hospice care and was not doing well, but she was waiting for us and gathered up her strength to say a few words and play with the baby--what precious moments. They are moments I will treasure up in my heart for the rest of my life.
December 24--My Aunt Mary came up, and we hung out with her and John and Mel. We went to Christmas Eve services at my parent's church all together. The ladies decorated a gingerbread house, and John, Mel, Ben, and I found out we had the same tradition when we exchanged pjs that night to wear the next day while opening Christmas gifts in the morning! The funniest part is that without trying, John and Ben got Mel and I the same pajamas. :)
December 25--Nehemiah's 1st Christmas!!! We got up and opened lots of fun presents! We hung out, ate, played games, and my Aunt Dawn and Dad hurt themselves trying to catch some wicked air while sledding! It was a great day of family fun. My good friend April and her little girl, Lydia drove through a snowstorm to come up and visit from Colorado Springs in the evening. It is some major dedication to a friendship to drive through a blizzard with a one year old to spend Christmas night, and the next day (April's birthday no less) with your out of town friend from middle school. So sweet!
December 26--More shopping with April, Lydia and my mom. Then we went to the Olive Garden for an early dinner with them and John and Melissa before they left to visit Melissa's family for Christmas.
December 27--Additional shopping--can you tell I'm deprived where I live? ;) We got some really great deals on winter coats and clothes for Nehemiah as he continues to grow. We hit the outlet mall, and it was inspiring! We spent the rest of the day packing up and getting ready to go, and making sure Nehemiah got all of his naps in and got to bed on time. Then we watched The Nativity, which I highly recommend. What a fabulous way to remember the true meaning of the Christmas Season.
December 28--D-day, as in departure day--whoa, what a day, but I already explained that one.

Today--after getting home around midnight, we crashed into bed ASAP. This morning we woke up and Ben went to get one ELATED Maltby dog! I haven't seen that tail wag so fast and frequently in awhile! :) I lazed around trying to fight off a headache and recuperate from all of the excitement of our trip while Ben worked on various projects including shoveling out our driveway. We watched some pretty flurries come down, and researched refurbished iPods and other MP3 players for possible purchase with some of our Christmas money.

Consider yourself caught up! More tomorrow--Deo Volente (Lord willing)!

Heading out!

Well, I think my blogging will be pretty spotty for awhile. We are heading to Colorado for Christmas and won''t be back 'til the 28th. I am SO excited! It will be the first time much of my family has met Nehemiah--how fun! :) Anyway, until I have time again, pray that we have a good and safe trip, and that we are packed and ready in time. C'ya!

Code talker

This morning Ben and I had every intention of waking up early (6:30am) to get ready for the early service at church. One "snooze" later, and it was 7:10--Ben had mistakenly turned off the alarm in his groggy stumbling. I would never have been the one to wake up first if my "Mommy radar" hadn't sounded. Nehemiah was stirring in his room, and when I saw the clock, I kicked it into high gear. We had about 40 minutes to get ready--so I went to church with greasy hair and static cling, but sometimes you just have to get your priorities right!

Anyway, we went into church and sat near the back. Personally, I love to sit up front. I can see the song lyrics well, and it helps me stay alert during the rest of the service, but those days are officially over for now, and besides, my little alarm clock ensures that I don't get drowsy! I particularly enjoy church services during the advent season, because I LOVE to sing, and I adore Christmas songs. There is something about them that encapsulate the miracle of Christ's coming and wrap me up in warm memories all at once. So, I belted out the songs while Nehemiah flirted with the couple behind us. I suppose I don't need to tell you this, but they were enamored. I mean check this kid out in his church clothes...who wouldn't be?
That is until our pastor said the code words. Yeah, you know the ones...pray and sermon. Those are Nehemiah code for impersonate the Tasmanian Devil as loudly as possible. I swear anytime it got quite in the church, Nehemiah filled it up with joyful noise! A few weeks ago, Daddy taught him the "raspberry" sound. So it went something like this..."WA-A-A *raspberrry* YAAA-A-A *raspberrry* YEE-AA-AAA WOO-WA-A-A MAA GOOOO *raspberrry*" Now, I am all for joyful noise, but it can be a little distracting! So Ben and I took turns walking him around the rest of the church. He got to see the mailboxes, the coat racks, the missionary support board, the shiny Christmas tree, and all kinds of other interesting things. We each caught about half of the sermon, which makes a whole, right? I feel bad for the other people around us.

For those of you who read this blog, what do you think the most appropriate thing to do is? I would love to sit and listen to the whole sermon with my son and husband, but I don't want to detract from my community's worship experience? And yet, I don't feel comfortable leaving my kiddo in the nursery yet. What are your ideas? I'm eager to know! Help a sister out!

New fangled technology

I witnessed a new site when I woke up this morning...frost on lit Christmas lights! I guess that is a new side effect of LED lights. They use so little energy that they don't produce enough heat to melt the frost. That and the beyond freezing temperatures in this part of the world! Anyway, I thought that it was worthy of a mention and a picture.


I took a few more pictures of God's frosty handiwork as well--enjoy!

Getting ready to travel

I had no idea how much more there is to get ready to travel once you have a baby--whoa! I have been doing laundry and trying to figure out how to fit 3 people's worth of things (especially when it includes cloth diapers) in 2 people's worth of luggage. I started stripping Nehemiah's diapers, which sounds easy enough, but the process makes you pretty pruney, and takes a lot of time! I am also trying to teach him how to take a bottle so that we can go out for our anniversary dinner and leave Nehemiah with my family. All of these things are taking more time and forethought than I originally planned for, so I am going to be really busy these next couple of days.

To add to the madness, our dog-sitting plans fell through, and we are having a tough time making alternate plans. We are supposed to go to Ben's boss' house for lunch and fellowship tomorrow afternoon, and then to my in-laws' house on Sunday. Monday Ben has to go into work. Aaaah!

Unlike the story of the rest of my life, procrastination is NO longer a viable option!!! Or maybe it is still procrastination, considering all of the stuff I am going to cram into such a short amount of time (4 days)--definitely more work than a 15 page paper in an all-nighter. ;)

Pray for me!

The Wonders of Tater Tot Hot Dish

There is a thing here known as Tater tot hot dish. And I have to tell you, I am suspicious of anything known as "hot dish." Where I come from it is a casserole, and that sounds about 100x preferable to me. But it is the cornerstone of the pot luck where I live--which I have to say is one of my favorite events currently, because with a pot luck come two great things: food and fellowship!

We had such a meal this evening, and it was awesome. In honor of the occasion, some Tater tot hot dish found it's way on to my plate, and surprise--I liked it! (Don't tell Ben, he'll gloat, because he swore I'd get into it someday.) ;)

After the dinner, we ran to a friend's house to swap Wii secrets--highly clandestine! I could tell you, but it could get ugly.

A Christmas Miracle

For those of you who do not know me, before becoming a stay at home mom, I was a 3rd grade elementary school teacher. As such, I have a passion for excellent children's literature. So, I think here and there on my blog, I will throw in a book review.

Here is one of my favorites for the Christmas season; The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey written by Susan Wojciechowski. I first encountered it while student-teaching in a wonderful classroom. The students had to decorate a Christmas tree with a theme from literature, and their fabulous teacher (my mentor) chose this book. The tree was beautiful, and did well in the PTA fund raising Holiday Tree Auction. But the story remains forever in my heart. It is a true picture of the redemptive power of Our Savior's birth, and focuses on the real reason for the season. Currently it is sold with a CD that has James Earle Jones reading the story.

In the story, there is a lonely, curmudgeonly woodcarver, known as "Gloomy Toomey" in the town who keeps to himself and grumps around. A widow and her young son, Thomas, move into town, but cannot find their beloved, hand carved nativity set. The widow asks Jonathan if he will carve them a new one in time for Christmas, and then asks if Thomas may watch while he carves. As the story unfolds, you learn the reason for Mr. Toomey's gloomies, and see the Christmas Story characters through the eyes of a child. The patience, faith, and grace of the mother and son, and the power of the first Christmas help to transform Jonathan, and bring tears to just about everyone's eyes. But they are good tears. I remember bawling in front of all of those 3rd grade students the first time I read it, thinking I was making an absolute fool of myself, and that I better "fix" that problem before I got my own classroom. But, through the years of my teaching experience, I learned that it can be a very good thing for children to witness raw, human emotion, especiatlly if it is in someone they trust, in a safe environment. It brings up questions, and teaches them what it is to be human.

As you can tell, I have nothing but good things to say about this book, and I highly recommend buying it or checking it out at the library ASAP. It is a true classic. :)

Spray Whip

When your day ends with a great big mug of Peppermint Drinking Chocolate and spray whipped cream, count yourself blessed, especially if you get to sip it curled up next to your loving husband who made it for you in the first place.

It was one of those days where pretty much everything went right. During Nehemiah's morning nap, I got the house cleaned. Then Ben came home from work early, and we got the snow tires for my car. I noticed an immediate difference in the stability factor of my car. How nice to feel confident on the roads again-yay! And, during Nehemiah's afternoon nap, I was able to address, stamp, and decorate all of the envelopes for the baby shower invitations, so that I can send them out tomorrow. I got Nehemiah up from his afternoon nap, and walked out of the nursery to find Ben making dinner. Then he watched Nehemiah so that I could catch a nice hot shower. Ben told me he decided that he doesn't have to go into work tomorrow after all, which means we can hang out and do something fun. When I got out of the shower, Nehemiah was in a playful mood, and then went down to bed without a hitch. Then, post- bedtime routine, the cocoa occurred. It is from a time in our lives we refer to as the "Age of Decadence." We didn't realize it at the time, but we had quite a bit of disposable income (comparably). That drinking chocolate is something I have saved for special occasions, because Ben got it as a stocking stuffer for me when he was in the army. It is Williams Sonoma, and about $20 for an 8 serving package. It is literally fine shavings of dark peppermint flavored chocolate that you melt into milk to drink. Yowza!

Yeah, so life pretty much rocked today. And, I must say this is one good reason for writing a blog; until I wrote it out, I didn't realize quite how much Ben did for me today. What a reason to smile and give him a great big kiss!

Glorious shopping

Do you know what the best kind of shopping is? Free shopping! With cheap shopping a close second. We got a "Get $10 off" a $10 or more purchase at JC Penney's that we used today. We got Nehemiah 2 pairs of pjs for a whopping 6 bucks! :) Then I found a few things at Kohl's; none of which was over $4, and a pair of pjs and slippers under $5 apiece at Target. Nehemiah is now outfitted for our trip to see the grandparents (er, I mean, my family). It's a good thing that stores have clearance racks, sales, and coupons, because this kiddo is growing twice as fast as we expected him to, and we are always in need of the next size up! Which will be 18 months. I mean come on, he is 5 months old! Who would have guessed?!

I was getting cabin fever, so it was very kind of my husband to head to the "big city" and go shopping with me. It is so much easier with Ben along. I'm not nearly as uptight if Nehemiah starts fussing, because then there is a parent to do the shopping and a parent to do the soothing.
I also got some fun materials to make a few baby shower gifts--I hope I can pull them off. Sewing is not particularly my strong suit, but it will be a very easy project.

After our trip, Ben had a VFW Executive Board (yes, you read that right) meeting that was supposed to last about an hour and a half and was half way home from the city to our house. So, he dropped me off to visit with Megan and Elena. We had yummy pizza and pound cake for dinner, and some enjoyable mommy-baby time. It was nice for Nehemiah to get to stretch out and giggle and play for a little while. Ben's meeting ended early, and he came back telling tales of a grumpy and confused guy (who isn't usually that way), and an offer to be a committee chair for the State VFW Commander. That could be fun, because we'll get to tag along to some of the regional meetings and such. Mostly it is a question of whether or not Ben has the time with work and school. I guess we'll see how that one goes.

All in all, it has been a fun few days.

Last night we went to a Christmas party hosted by our friends, Brent and Sarah. It was an adults only party other than Nehemiah, and there were lots of yummy things to eat. Sarah, who is entering her 3rd trimester, spent a ton of time making all kinds of new treats. I tell you; I don't think I would have been that ambitious at that stage in my pregnancy, but it was SO worth it (for me, I mean--duh, I didn't have to do any of the heavy lifting)! It is nice to get out and have some adult time every now and then. Definitely appreciated!

Blast! It is getting to that time again...the, "let's freeze out the blogger" time of night when the programmable thermostat kicks me out of the living room, and off to bed and the comfort of my blankets and snuggle buddy!

Dump Cake

For those of you who have never had this, you should try it! It is super easy and yummy too! I got this recipe from my mom, who found it in a Texas Ranger Cookbook. :)

1 stick butter
1 large can crushed pineapple
1 large can cherry pie filling
1 package yellow cake mix

Use a 9x13" baking pan. Melt butter and set aside. Spread pineapple in pan bottom. Cover with pie filling. Sprinkle cake mix over cherries. Drizzle butter over cake mix. DO NOT STIR.

Bake at 350*F for 1 hour.

Who are you foolin'?

All in all, today was a good day. Lazy days usually are. :) We all caught a morning nap, which is a lovely way to start off the weekend! Then we kind of hung out and talked to my parents on Skype with our webcam. After Nehemiah woke up from his afternoon nap, we took off for Pot Roast at my in-laws house. It was yummy stuff! We hung out until Miah was beyond tired, and then decided we'd better head. He conked out immediately!

It's great for kids to sleep in the car and all, but when it is only for 20 minutes, it turns into a powernap! He was uber exhausted, and then I got him out of his carseat and home, and BAM! Wide awake. We went through the bedtime routine, and we were getting close to the putting the baby in the crib part of it, when Nehemiah popped his head up and looked at me alertly with a look that said, "Just what are you trying to pull here Mommy? I am wide awake, and there is no way you are fooling me into going to bed now!" I wish you could have seen this look! It was so cute, and the timing was perfect. It just made me giggle. And that is saying something, because part of the magic of the bedtime routine is that at that point there is absolutely NO more noise making (talking, giggling, coughing, you get the picture) or I am convinced that Nehemiah figures it is time to wake up. But there are some times that you just have to laugh. I decided that since he wasn't upset, and I knew that he was tired in there somewhere, and he wasn't hungry, that I would put him to bed anyway. I listened to him talk to his ceiling fan for awhile. I tell you, that happy baby talk will just about melt a mommy's heart! And about 20 minutes later, he was out. Yay!

Ben is working on finance homework--oh joy, oh bliss. Did you note the sarcasm? I hope he isn't long though, because he is in our room with the laptop, and I hear my pillow calling my name. Wait, what's that? Oh, it's just getting louder.

Nighty night!

A day of infamy and holiday cheer

Today we remember the attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Americans that gave their lives before WWII began. May God spare us from future hostile attacks, and if He, in His wisdom, chooses not to, may we learn the fortitude and forbearance that He desires to teach us as a people and a nation. Please do not take your life and freedom for granted, nor the people that fight to preserve both of them.

Today was the first day since Nehemiah was born that I really went out of my way to look smashing! ;) It was the camp Christmas party, so I did my hair, my makeup, and went and found my winter clothes (I wondered where those were)! I put them in storage last year when I was pregnant and knew I wouldn't fit into them, so it took some digging to unearth them. I guess it was about time since it is below zero, and has been off and on for a few weeks. Anyway, it was fun, and the party was a blast. There was a great white elephant gift exchange, in which I received a pretty, and cozy bright red blanket with silver flecks in it and a cell phone holder, and Ben got a giant calculator.

Nehemiah was a bit overstimulated from a combination of things: the party, the fact that his naps seemed shorter than usual, and that he was up about 2 hours after his bedtime. It took him a little while to settle down, and the little booger put those two little teeth to good use and BIT me--OUCH! That'll put a quick end to nursing for a bit--I was so surprised I almost smacked him (it felt like an involuntary response). I swaddled him up, put him in his crib and walked away for a little while until I could go back in a better mood. I was still a little jumpy, but in the end, he has a full belly and is sleeping peacefully.

Ben made some yummy Cardamom buns for the potluck party, and I made a dump cake. There was a ton of other yummy food, so I am about to imitate my son and go to bed fat and happy. Amen!

Oh what a day!

Since Ben got his car back yesterday, we were going to return our inlaws' truck to them today. I knew I'd have to drive into town for this, so I went to my weekly Mothers and Children meeting. So fun! I love to see all of the great ladies and their sweet kiddos. After that, I picked Ben up after he dropped the truck off. We got home at about 1:00pm. Around 1:30, my mother-in-law (aka: the reinforcements) arrived to help me crank out those 30 invitations. We worked for 4 hours straight (except for small breaks to entertain Nehemiah), and we cranked all 30 of them out--hooray! What a feeling of accomplishment and relief!

Then Ben made tuna salad really quickly for dinner, we ate, and then ran off to our small group meeting. All in all it was a lovely day.

As I was putting Nehemiah to bed, Ben got a phone call from his brother. Turns out they are sending us snow tires for our anniversary present! Blessings from my "other family" abounded today, and I am grateful. God's provision and encouragement is a beautiful thing!

I write this glowing with love and exhausted from a busy day. I think it is about time to fall into bed!

Turning in to pumpkins

How do I know it is after my bed time in my house? I start to freeze, that's how! We got this new fangled programmable thermostat to save us money on our heating bills, and be better stewards of our energy resources, but as a result, if I am not in bed promptly at 10 pm, then I slowly start to shiver until it builds up to nearly uncontrollable shaking and the distinct urge to grab a hoodie! ;) No harm done in that though--it encourages snuggling and sleep--2 of my favorite things!

Disappointed Fantasies

Back in August my brother sent out an invitation for Ben and I to join the family Fantasy Football league. I was all about it! I carefully chose my team, and in the beginning I was doing REALLY well. I mean, I was leading the league! BUT, then, my team went through a hard time; riddled with injuries, we limped along. And adding insult to injury, because I had done so well early on, my record kept me from picking up the players I wanted to replace my injured guys. Between that and Peyton Manning's mid season slump, my hopes for the total annihilation of my competitors were dashed. I went into the first round of the play-offs and was quickly and forcefully eliminated, by, get this, my 8 year old cousin--OUCH! Ah well, maybe next year I'll do better, and Ben is still in the hunt for the trophy, so I'll hitch my horse to his wagon and ride it out. ;)

I knew that with all of the snow the chances of getting out of the house today were slim. I decided it would be a good day to work on the invitations I'd promised to make for a friend's baby shower. I'm not sure why the number 15 stuck in my head, but it turned out, after a quick call to check the guest list, that nearly 30 are required, and soon-yikes! So today I spent a good deal of my time cutting out 120 hearts, 30 rainbows, umbrella tops and handles, and I'm getting ready to punch millions of little hearts to use for raindrops. I also formatted, printed, and trimmed the inside details, and the cardstock and ribbon embellishments. Who knew it was so much to do? I surely didn't, since this is really my first project on this scale, flying solo. I mean I did 50 baby announcements, but a dear friend helped out, and I accomplished that project over several weeks.

Shortly after Ben got home we got a call from our Auto Repair shop. We were worried that the necessary repairs on his Golf were going to be expensive enough that we ought to look into buying a used minivan. The total damage was less than $300 for now--Hallelujah! I know we are delaying the inevitable, but it is a nice reprieve.

The call meant that I had to face my fears and get out on the roads, and down with my bald tires! It is harrowing for me after my brawl earlier this year with an outbuilding that my car charged into after sliding out on our dirt road. Silly, Wendy--outbuildings are to park inside of not in the side of! We poked along at a whopping 30 miles an hour. I felt so bad for the people stuck behind me! I know what it is like to get stuck behind a slow poke on the winding--no passing zone--two lane roads around our house. It can make you 20 minutes late to wherever you are going-no joke! I wanted so badly to pull off to the side and let them pass, but I knew that if I did that, I'd get stuck and have to wait for Ben to come find me and the baby and haul us out of our mess. Not an option with a wailing baby--past his feeding time. :) So, I poked along sheepishly, and hoped that no one behind me would recognize me! ;)

When we got home, my frazzled nerves were greeted with a package! Yay! I LOVE packages--even when I am expecting them. This happened to be my recent order from our favorite cloth diapering website: www.punkinbutt.com They had a sale at the end of last month, and I stocked up on the next size of diapers and covers, and ordered some fun new things to try. I got 2 doublers--these things you stick in diapers at night to help them absorb more, 2 bamboo velour nursing pads to try out, a pair of babylegs that are stars and stripes to keep Nehemiah warm under his pants, and a Moby wrap. This Moby wrap gizmo is awesome! I got it because I wanted to have a good way to carry Nehemiah when we head on our marathon day of driving and flying to see my family for Christmas. There are a ton of different ways to wear it, and it adjusts to pretty much any size baby. The best part is that it goes over both of your shoulders to distribute the weight better. I put Nehemiah in it right away. We tried 2 different poses, and this thing is fabulous! Nehemiah was not fussy, and he did some bobbing and weaving, and it held well. I'm excited to use it. We went outside to the car to get my cell phone, and I wore Ben's coat zipped around us both. Pretty funny stuff.

Anyway, I should probably get back to finishing the cutting for those invitations. Maybe when they're done I'll give you a peek at my handiwork!

Stuck

That's about my least favorite feeling in the world. The one of being stuck. My tires have worn too thin for good snow driving and on the way home from Nehemiah's check-up, I got stuck trying to chip the ice off of my frozen windshield wiper blades. Uugh! I was eventually able to kick enough snow away from the tires that I could continue on my way, only to get stuck again in my driveway. I guess I won't be going anywhere for awhile.

It is funny how perspectives shift. When Ben is off of work and at home, it is a hibernation day. When he is away and I can't get out, it is stuck. Oh well! The life of an extrovert.

I have been looking around on www.etsy.com today at all of the fun baby stuff, trying to get some ideas for some baby gifts I can make for the many upcoming showers and celebrations of my pregnant friends! I have ideas; now I need to figure out the sewing part, and find some fun supplies! :)

Oh dear, I always seem to start these just as Nehemiah is waking up from his nap--better run! I'll try to write more tonight!

Bzzing!

My husband is completing his bachelor's degree online, and one night he was reading his marketing text when he came upon this Word of Mouth online company. He knows how much I LOVE to try new products, and what a blabber mouth I am when I am excited about something, so he got me the hook-up! I am officially a BzzAgent!

I received my first official Bzz campaign last week, and it was this awesome Sonicare toothbrush (see picture). It is called the Flexcare, and I have been using it for about a week and LOVE it! My teeth feel so much cleaner. I really noticed it the first time--it felt like I'd just stepped out of the dentist's office! It has a couple of different modes: a quick brush mode that times you for 1 minute, and then a complete mode that lasts for 3 glorious minutes of alternating brushing and gum massage. Yep, I said it, GUM MASSAGE! Who knew? There are a few other settings, like a sensitive one, in case you have sensitive teeth. But my favorite non-brushing extra is the UV Sanitizing Chamber. You can stick your brush head in and close the door to the little compartment, and it looks like your toothbrush head is being beamed up by Scotty to some magical cleaning land. The best part? All I had to do was push a button. :) I am not one who loves to clean.

There is a website that you can check out about the secret life of your toothbrush called www.germshappen.com I have to be honest--after talking to my aunt, who watched a Myth-Busters episode on such things, I have been a little afraid to look. Apparently it involved the fact that so many toothbrushes are stored in the open air of the bathroom, somewhere in the proximity of a flushing toilet...I'm sure your imagination can fill in the blanks!

Anyway--this BzzAgent thing has started out really great, I mean I can't complain about getting a $179 toothbrush for free! My next campaign is Listerine's Quick Dissolving Whitestrips. I'll have to report on that later though--I haven't started that one yet.

If you're interested in the BzzAgent thing, sign up at http://www.bzzagent.com it's free and fun!

Frozo Baggins

The snow piled up at our house...nearly a foot, and in the next few days we could get 6 inches more--Whoa! We're not in Washington anymore, Toto!

My loving husband, Ben went out and shoveled our monster driveway with an ages old shovel that came with our house. We told 'em to knock the price down, and they said...what if we throw in the 40 year old snow shovel? SOLD! And that's about how it went down--ha!

Midway through shoveling, the dog got too cold and was begging to come in and lay in his well worn spot in front of the heater; at which point Ben dubbed him Frozo Baggins. I thought that was pretty clever, but then I married a clever guy!

Soon after Ben finished the shoveling, he came in cold and sore, and we went into town and bought one of those handy, dandy, new ergonomic snow shovels. Aren't we spiffy and progressive?! I am glad if it saves Ben from more pain. When we arrived home from our foray, Ben put up the Christmas lights on the porch! Yay! I am such a fan of lights, and I think when Nehemiah wakes up from his afternoon nap, that he will be entranced. Speaking of which, the creature is stirring, so I better wrap this up!

Snow? Check!

Christmas Light? Check!

Rockin' Christmas tunes? Check!

Stockings and mistletoe hung? Check!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Hurrah!

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Mmm, mmm! I made some awesome Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread last night, in preparation for our Hibernation day. It is my Aunt Dawn's recipe (actually I know it has been in the family longer than that, but for me, it is hers) for Chocolate Chip Banana Bread with pumpkin substituted for the bananas. You should try it!

Here's the recipe:

1/2 C. sour milk (1/2 C. milk + 1/2 T vinegar)
1/3 C. shortening
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 C. (about 3) mashed bananas--or pumpkin
2 C. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 C. + chocolate chips

Preheat oven. Make sour milk. Cream shortening, sugar and eggs (beaten well). In a separate bowl, mix mashed bananas (or pumpkin) and sour milk. In another bowl, mix flour, salt, and soda. Mix dry and wet ingredients. Stir in chocolate chips. Spray loaf pans with cooking spray/oil. Fill pans and bake. Bake at 325* F for 45-50 minutes. That is what it officially says, but it always takes me longer than that!

Makes: 2 small loaves

This tastes fabulous with cream cheese spread all over it, or butter, or naked! Milk is also a lovely companion!

Breathe

My poor little guy has his first cold. I never realized how miserable that is. I was listening to him snuffle through the monitor last night while I fell asleep. And then, a miracle, he figured out how to breathe through his mouth! The smallest things in life can be such great victories when it is the first time.

The munchkin woke me up to nurse him at about 4:15 this morning--not too bad considering he conked out around 8 last night. I woke up and stumbled into the nursery, more than half asleep, and as I watched my son, my mind started waking up. And what was I thinking about? I would love to say it was something profound, though maybe this blog will turn into that, but really I was excited to get back on my computer and write! I haven't been much of a journaler, but maybe this is a turn-around. I have always been told that it is good for your mental health, and with all of the everyday stress of life, I think that anything I can do to encourage sanity ought to be done! hee hee All this to say that 4:30 a.m. is not the ideal time to get the computer back up and running, so I told myself to breathe, and that it could wait until morning. I went back to bed, and it felt like I was waiting for Christmas morning. So, here I am, the baby is down for his morning nap, and I am typing away.

The snow is piling up outside of our little house. I do love snow. It just makes the world feel like Christmas. We are having a Hibernation day at my house--partly because it is so stinkin' cold, and partly because we haven't been plowed out yet! One of the joys of living in the middle of nowhere is that you learn patience and have enforced relaxation on snowy days. No church for us this morning--though I'm sure we'll start our advent celebration tonight. That reminds me...I better get to finishing the Christmas decorating while Nehemiah is napping!

Yep-that rascal is ours!

...and we love him.

Lovey Dovey Slideshow

The hubby and I loving life

Welcome to the Wonderful World of us!

So, this is my first blog ever. And here is why I am doing it...

- I moved from living in bigger cities for my whole life out to the middle of nowhere (crazy, I know, and it takes some adjustment)! I crave interaction--with family and friends, old and new. I'm an extrovert living in an introvert's paradise...thank you internet for helping out with that one!

- I need to reflect and report on life--I think it has always been that way. From the time I was little, my parents called me "Lois Lane," I would literally make them chase ambulances to get the scoop! Now I love trying out new products and services and reporting--or finding weirdo facts and airing them.

- I had our first little firecracker on the 4th of July! Nehemiah and all future children might like to see what was going on during the whirlwind that is a young family!

In a soon to come blog, I am attempting to post some slideshows I made the other day on a really fun site. Hopefully it works out, and if you want to give it a shot, then visit animoto by clicking here: Visit Animoto :)