Thursday, January 29, 2009
Found something fun!
How have I missed out on this blog for so long? It's so great! I think I'll have to read it often, just for the encouragement. Hooray for miracles! Click on over to read my charming kids. Most of you aren't pregnant like me, so maybe you won't bawl like a baby when you read today's post...then again, maybe you will anyway. :)
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Raise the flag...aka:uplift someone!
My friend Sarah found this great tutorial for making mini mailboxes. The mailboxes are in the $1 section at Target for Valentine's Day. I loved the idea of having year-'round (as in, not just for Valentine's) boxes designated for encouragement and little treats. They are meant specifically for kids, but I think Ben and I can use encouragement too! And I want to cultivate encouraging hearts in my children as they grow; I think it will be good for them to see everyone getting involved. Besides, it will give me an excuse/reminder to be romantic. I thought I'd show you how they came out...can't wait to hang them on the walls in our rooms!
For the Boys
Let's hear it for the Girls!
Oh, and because it has been a long time since I have decoupaged anything--mostly because the last thing I tried was not that great, I looked for some information on good strategies and came across a helpful tutorial here! I'd love to hear how it goes if you try it yourself!
For the Boys
Let's hear it for the Girls!Oh, and because it has been a long time since I have decoupaged anything--mostly because the last thing I tried was not that great, I looked for some information on good strategies and came across a helpful tutorial here! I'd love to hear how it goes if you try it yourself!
Monday, January 26, 2009
Got Milk?
Well, apparently Ben doesn't. Isn't that encouraging?
You see, I started doing this Hypnobabies thing. I put the tracks that I am supposed to listen to on my iPod, but found the headphones and earbuds we have are not really comfortable to sleep with. So my sweet and supportive husband brought home a docking station to borrow. Meaning that we both listen to the tracks.
Which Ben quipped was fine as long as they don't hypnotize him into thinking he is pregnant! ;) A few days later, he started eating a lot of pickles and joked again. Well, he had a real scare at work the other day.
He was making French Toast for breakfast, and just before he got ready to serve, he felt a moist sensation in an odd place. He ran into the bathroom to investigate further, and saw a milky white substance on his shirt.
He was mentally cursing Hypnobabies and wondering what he was going to do, when he lifted up his shirt and realized it was only on the outside. Apparently some of the egg white--milk mixture ended up rather convincingly in the general area for lactation! He breathed a sigh of relief and served the ladies gathered for the retreat.
It was quite the story when he got home!
You see, I started doing this Hypnobabies thing. I put the tracks that I am supposed to listen to on my iPod, but found the headphones and earbuds we have are not really comfortable to sleep with. So my sweet and supportive husband brought home a docking station to borrow. Meaning that we both listen to the tracks.
Which Ben quipped was fine as long as they don't hypnotize him into thinking he is pregnant! ;) A few days later, he started eating a lot of pickles and joked again. Well, he had a real scare at work the other day.
He was making French Toast for breakfast, and just before he got ready to serve, he felt a moist sensation in an odd place. He ran into the bathroom to investigate further, and saw a milky white substance on his shirt.
He was mentally cursing Hypnobabies and wondering what he was going to do, when he lifted up his shirt and realized it was only on the outside. Apparently some of the egg white--milk mixture ended up rather convincingly in the general area for lactation! He breathed a sigh of relief and served the ladies gathered for the retreat.
It was quite the story when he got home!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
The Next Teen Pop Sensations?
The pizza sauce all over their faces is a nice touch, you think? And an adoring/adorable fan!
I really have still been using my camera!
We've been busy playing, practicing new faces, potty training, and partying! Sorry I've been a little delinquent in posting my pictures. Here's a bit of a catch-up!
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
I missed it!
It completely skipped my mind that today was inauguration day. I realized it when I caught sight of the news this evening.
Later, I was doing some devotional reading and happened upon the following quotes in reference to some of Israels' kings in the book of Isaiah. I have to say that I find it appropriate in the light of some of the extreme attitudes some people have regarding President Obama. He's on such a pedestal that I feel bad for him; no man should be seen as a Savior. This is what I read:
Later, I was doing some devotional reading and happened upon the following quotes in reference to some of Israels' kings in the book of Isaiah. I have to say that I find it appropriate in the light of some of the extreme attitudes some people have regarding President Obama. He's on such a pedestal that I feel bad for him; no man should be seen as a Savior. This is what I read:
"No earthly leader is incapable of misleading...We need more than a leader on our road to freedom. We need a Savior--One who keeps on saving. Although we need to be saved from eternal separation from God only once, Christ continues his saving work in us for the rest of our lives...Christ sets us free by the power of His Spirit; then He maintains our freedom as we learn to live from day-to-day in the power of His free Spirit."
--Breaking Free: Discover the Victory of Total Surrender by Beth Moore
One of those Nights
Last Friday night was pretty productive, but in an interesting way.
We really needed to go into the bigger town nearby and get some groceries, hit the Target clearance on kid's slippers, etc. So, we did, and we got done quickly and out of there with everything we needed! We decided to stop at Culver's on the way home for a treat of a frozen custard Concrete Mixer. I LOVE berries and chocolate together, and you get two mix-ins, which is delightful, so I ordered brownie pieces and raspberries in chocolate custard--mmm mmm! As we were part of the way down the road, I realized that they forgot the raspberries, and I'm not a big fan of the raspberries alone. C'est la vie. It was disappointing, but I still had a lot awaiting me when we returned home, so we couldn't turn around and rectifiy the situation. I should have seen it as a sign. The evening was about to turn!
We got home, and I got Nehemiah settled into bed. I reassemble our new double-stroller. (My aunt's friend found us a Graco DuoGlide stroller for $15 at a thrift store in Colorado, and structurally it was in great shape...it wasn't very clean though. Rhonda (who found it) said that you could just unscrew the screws holding on the upholstery and wash it all. This is not generally something I am ambitious enough to do. I may have the inclination, but it always sort of fizzles out because I get worried that I'll strip the screws and ruin the stroller or some such thing. Well, it took me quite awhile, but I was successful, and the stroller looks great!
Ben told me that he needed a haircut that night, and there was something else big that I accomplished, though I can't remember exactly what. I went about preparing the area for his haircut, and I smashed a kitchen glass. I was just moving too quickly, and had hit the end of my real productivity. Then I banged my hip on the china cabinet, which produced a lovely bruise with all sort of fun colors. I warned Ben that this probably was not the best night to attempt a haircut, but he insisted.
I have found that if I start out with the clippers on the #1 blade cover (the shortest one), I am (for some reason) more conservative, and that serves us well, because Ben likes his hair on the longer side. So I started at the bottom, as always, with the good ole' #1 . I thought I was ready to move on to blade cover #2, so I removed #1. Then I noticed that it wasn't quite even and went to even up the sides. Yeah, if you have cut hair before--you just started groaning. At this point there is no cover on the blade, and I shaved Ben's head to the skin up the side I was evening.
I gasped.
I covered my mouth.
Ben groaned.
So, I had to use shorter blades on the rest of his hair, resulting in as short a haircut as Ben has had since he left the Ranger Battalion! He is so gracious, and says he can just wear a hat, and swears that the money it saves is worth the occassional slip-ups, but you know it is bad when there is no hair underneath the back of his hat. Yikes! I then proceeded to almost wipe out with my pregnant self, by slipping in the quickly amassing pile of hair beneath me!
Ben then commented that if I needed surgery or the baby came early because I was cutting his hair and wiped out, that he was pretty sure our saving money by my giving haircuts would be down the drain. I think he's right. Maybe he can get a real haircut next time?
We really needed to go into the bigger town nearby and get some groceries, hit the Target clearance on kid's slippers, etc. So, we did, and we got done quickly and out of there with everything we needed! We decided to stop at Culver's on the way home for a treat of a frozen custard Concrete Mixer. I LOVE berries and chocolate together, and you get two mix-ins, which is delightful, so I ordered brownie pieces and raspberries in chocolate custard--mmm mmm! As we were part of the way down the road, I realized that they forgot the raspberries, and I'm not a big fan of the raspberries alone. C'est la vie. It was disappointing, but I still had a lot awaiting me when we returned home, so we couldn't turn around and rectifiy the situation. I should have seen it as a sign. The evening was about to turn!
We got home, and I got Nehemiah settled into bed. I reassemble our new double-stroller. (My aunt's friend found us a Graco DuoGlide stroller for $15 at a thrift store in Colorado, and structurally it was in great shape...it wasn't very clean though. Rhonda (who found it) said that you could just unscrew the screws holding on the upholstery and wash it all. This is not generally something I am ambitious enough to do. I may have the inclination, but it always sort of fizzles out because I get worried that I'll strip the screws and ruin the stroller or some such thing. Well, it took me quite awhile, but I was successful, and the stroller looks great!
Ben told me that he needed a haircut that night, and there was something else big that I accomplished, though I can't remember exactly what. I went about preparing the area for his haircut, and I smashed a kitchen glass. I was just moving too quickly, and had hit the end of my real productivity. Then I banged my hip on the china cabinet, which produced a lovely bruise with all sort of fun colors. I warned Ben that this probably was not the best night to attempt a haircut, but he insisted.
I have found that if I start out with the clippers on the #1 blade cover (the shortest one), I am (for some reason) more conservative, and that serves us well, because Ben likes his hair on the longer side. So I started at the bottom, as always, with the good ole' #1 . I thought I was ready to move on to blade cover #2, so I removed #1. Then I noticed that it wasn't quite even and went to even up the sides. Yeah, if you have cut hair before--you just started groaning. At this point there is no cover on the blade, and I shaved Ben's head to the skin up the side I was evening.
I gasped.
I covered my mouth.
Ben groaned.
So, I had to use shorter blades on the rest of his hair, resulting in as short a haircut as Ben has had since he left the Ranger Battalion! He is so gracious, and says he can just wear a hat, and swears that the money it saves is worth the occassional slip-ups, but you know it is bad when there is no hair underneath the back of his hat. Yikes! I then proceeded to almost wipe out with my pregnant self, by slipping in the quickly amassing pile of hair beneath me!
Ben then commented that if I needed surgery or the baby came early because I was cutting his hair and wiped out, that he was pretty sure our saving money by my giving haircuts would be down the drain. I think he's right. Maybe he can get a real haircut next time?
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Birthing
My first birth was a very frightening experience for me to anticipate. I was nervous, and under prepared--despite my best efforts. I feel like due to the nature of our small hospital, there were unnecessary interventions performed that made my job more difficult than it needed to be! I don't feel like it was anyone's fault (just too few staff when I needed them), but when I found out that Adelynne was coming, I was nervous that I may not get my own doctor (again). I was trying to figure out some ways to cope with this anxiety. I thought about induction, so that I could be more sure of my doctor's presence, but that isn't a guarantee, and can lead to a C-section, which I'd rather avoid. So, I figure if I can't control who is there, then I need to be able to be more in control of myself! I did some research, and came upon the Hypnobabies Home Study Curriculum, and I'm going to give it a shot! We'll see how it goes, but I have found that through this course, I am actually looking forward to my birthing day (I cannot explain what a 360 that is for me). I have heard some amazing stories, but being the visual person that I am, this is one of my favorites of a fellow Christian and Hypnobabies Mommy! Enjoy!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Date night on the taiga
tai⋅ga
–noun the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.
I wanted to do something different tonight. It is bitterly cold and rather snowy, and it is important to mix it up as much as you can in an effort to keep your thoughts warm and cheery! So, while browsing some of my usual online haunts, I found a recipe for snow ice cream! There is even a cute little tutorial to go with it! I wanted to try it out with Nehemiah at some point, but tonight it was to make up a mini-date with Ben. :)
Here are our own pictures...the results are happily in our tummies! This is very easy and takes just a little bit of time. You also don't have to use your hands if you are wimpy because it isn't above zero where you are. We just used our spatula, and it all worked out fine!
Ben shoveling out to the unadulterated white stuff.
Scooping the snow into the mixing bowl.
Mixing the ingredients.
Coming together.
Ready to eat!
All done!
–noun the coniferous evergreen forests of subarctic lands, covering vast areas of northern North America and Eurasia.
I wanted to do something different tonight. It is bitterly cold and rather snowy, and it is important to mix it up as much as you can in an effort to keep your thoughts warm and cheery! So, while browsing some of my usual online haunts, I found a recipe for snow ice cream! There is even a cute little tutorial to go with it! I wanted to try it out with Nehemiah at some point, but tonight it was to make up a mini-date with Ben. :)
Here are our own pictures...the results are happily in our tummies! This is very easy and takes just a little bit of time. You also don't have to use your hands if you are wimpy because it isn't above zero where you are. We just used our spatula, and it all worked out fine!
Ben shoveling out to the unadulterated white stuff.
Scooping the snow into the mixing bowl.
Mixing the ingredients.
All done!To all of you out there joining in this crazy winter, you should try this with your family and kids and let me know what you think! Not gourmet, but a very fun, sweet treat! <3
Friday, January 2, 2009
I did it!!!
I have trimmed Nehemiah's hair a few times, just around his ears, a tiny bit off the back, and his bangs, so he can see. But I have been intimidated by the rest of his hair. And the little stinker just keeps growing it! It has been really thick and long on the top for awhile now, so I decided today was a good day to try to do something about it!
As always when attempting something new and sometimes daunting, I consulted my good buddy the internet! I found a video tutorial, and a blog post about this task. I also picked up the tip that you snip up in little snips after cutting across so that it looks less choppy and more natural the first time my stylist friend Megan trimmed Nehemiah's hair. :) Thanks Meg! She's so busy at her new job it's harder to find time to get together, so I have to be industrious!
Anyway, Nehemiah looks like he's growing up with his new do, and I think it's pretty decent! I'll post pictures when he looks a little less like a ragamuffin! He has an awful diaper rash, so he is walking around in his cloth diaper sans cover to air out, some Christmas babylegs, his Spiderman slippers and a stegasaurus shirt. Pretty goofy! :D
As always when attempting something new and sometimes daunting, I consulted my good buddy the internet! I found a video tutorial, and a blog post about this task. I also picked up the tip that you snip up in little snips after cutting across so that it looks less choppy and more natural the first time my stylist friend Megan trimmed Nehemiah's hair. :) Thanks Meg! She's so busy at her new job it's harder to find time to get together, so I have to be industrious!
Anyway, Nehemiah looks like he's growing up with his new do, and I think it's pretty decent! I'll post pictures when he looks a little less like a ragamuffin! He has an awful diaper rash, so he is walking around in his cloth diaper sans cover to air out, some Christmas babylegs, his Spiderman slippers and a stegasaurus shirt. Pretty goofy! :D
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