First Camping Trip of 2008

The view Friday evening.

Snow on SaturdayMo stepped right into a mud puddle
Dimples

Something I did very little of...

More photos to come! Kaia just tried to kill the cat, so I better go check on her (the cat, not Kaia).

Good to be Back

I'm going to tell you a little something about me. It will help you realize how strange I am (just ask Dana and the kids). Quite often I will dream numbers, data, and lists, constantly repeating the information to solve a problem or format things correctly. When I worked at Camp Fire it was reconciling candy sale numbers, when I moved to United Way it became the codes for the CFC or ad hocs. Now that I blog, I quite often write my posts while I dream. Good thing there is no publish button in my dream or you all would have me committed.

For instance I dreamed the list of things on my birthday post, over and over. Last night it was a list of reasons while I was glad to be back from our camping trip. Not that I can actually come up with more than 3 reasons, but in my dream there were many and I was busy getting the post formatted just right. My number one reason was the warm welcome back from Jen (dustbunny hostage). That never changed. I cannot remember the rest from my dream, but I can tell you that I was happy to sleep in our regular bed and am glad to get the kids back on their regular schedule.

We did enjoy ourselves though, in spite of the snow! Yes, it did snow on us, a couple of times. I do have some fun photos that I'll be posting soon.

Camping Menu

It's Show & Tell over at Kelli's, but I was far too busy to participate. I did make it to Mother's of Young Children Devotional last night. I was about 15 minutes late, but I was finally there!

I was hoping to show you photos of our home away from home. Maybe next week I'll be able to post photos from our trip this weekend. Yep we are going camping and right now, it's snowing! It's expected to be in the 50's the rest of the weekend, so we plan to relax and have a good time.

When we go camping I try to keep our food easy, cheap (especially right now), and somewhat healthy. So the meal plan for this weekend is:

Friday night:
Hamburgers or Hotdogs (turkey dogs for the kids and me, hot links for Dana)
Baked Potato with sour cream
celery sticks with ranch dressing

Saturday morning:
Easy Huevos Rancheros
Hot Links

Saturday lunch:
Tuna Sandwiches
Chips (generic cheese tortilla chips)

Saturday night:
Hamburgers or Hotdogs (whichever we don't have Friday)
California Pasta Salad

Sunday morning:
SOS

Snacks in the trailer include: Nature Valley granola bars (99 cents at Grocery Outlet), Peanut butter (this is a snack for everyone in my family, but me), popcorn, Girl Scouts Thin Mints, and don't forget S'MORES!

Looking at the menu now, I realize we may need another veggie or fruit. Usually I pack lots of both, but nothing is really in season at this time. Maybe I'll pick up a can or two at the store. Have a great weekend!

Bug Boy

Just further proof of Mo's protest to my photography Easter Sunday. (obviously I was playing around editing it)

"Loving Life"

Now, how can you not be inspired by a person who ends a note with "Love, Granny..loving life!"?

She had replied to my request to share a story she sent me today. I had a big smile on my face reading it, and I can completely imagine this scenario. I've told you about her before. She lives in Ajijic, Jalisco (Mexico). Her Birds of Paradise photo is my header. I have fond memories of everything being a new adventure with her when I was a child. Whether it was cooking peanut brittle, playing in her yard, or trying to make chicken dumpling soup without the usual ingredients.

So here's a recent day for her: "I went to get my sheets from the laundry about noon__ my gardener never showed up! I looked for a boy to help me carry & spotted one that looked to be about 10 years old. He said yes & come to find out he had a Moto.... A moto is a 4 wheeler. I got my 1st ride on one with my 2 bags of laundry. I squished down my hat & yelled hiho cowboy to some friends. Other people looked at me strangely. Now the tourists have something new to tell their grandkids when they return to the snowy north. Have a super day & enjoy life. I do. Me by any name.... "

I'm pretty sure Grandma won't mind when I tell you she's in her 70's. Reading this I'm reminded that I need to learn to let go and enjoy life!

If You're Going to Be Frugal

I'm not Catholic, although Dana likes to tease me about confession. I do hear confession is good for the soul, so here it goes:

You do not want your freezer to look like this. You end up with questions like, "Is that chicken?" hmmm it may have been before the freezer burn. Luckily thanks to June and Gordie we have a stand up freezer in the laundry room that holds most of our frozen foods. This freezer is reserved for things I like to have on hand while making dinner. Well, it was anyway.

Ok, I admit the fridge isn't much better. I searched for several minutes to find my flour (orange topped container) while trying to make Tater Tot Casserole.And last, I've been very busy this week and weekend. While recycling was taken care of, dishes haven't been run since Saturday morning. Worse is that this week, is just as busy as last week. Board meeting Tuesday night, New Leaders event Wednesday night, Mothers of Young Children Devotional Thursday night. Friday we go camping. So we have to clean up and get the trailer packed with all of this happening!

Easter Recap

It was a chilly and windy day yesterday. The kids and I went to sunrise service equipped with a blanket. We needed it too! Jen mentioned a God Wink (which she had heard from Nannykim), and we definitely have ours. Every Easter Sunday during sunrise service approximately 50 of us gather outside underneath the picnic shelter. And every year (including the one I didn't attend) a bird (or two) comes and sits in the group of trees next to the shelter and chirps. The bird is never deterred by all the people singing (I'm not sure we can say the same for the neighboring homes) or by all of the comments of "There's our bird."



I made many attempts to get a good photo of the kids, but Mo wasn't feeling photogenic. Then at breakfast he spilled hot cocoa on himself. It was really hot, but he didn't seem to have any lasting burns. I cleaned up his vest, and his pants were a similar enough color that he still looked handsome, even if he wasn't going to let me get a good photo.



The princess stayed out of her class that happens during the first part of worship, so she could help hang a rose on the cross. We've done this for so many years now, and it is always so beautiful. I will try to post a full photo later, after I do some editing.



After services was the annual Easter egg hunt. Mo was much more interested in the spinning pinwheel Grandma Owie gave him. Kaia took off, and I could hardly get a photo of her hunting eggs.



Then the day headed downhill. In our attempt to get ready to go to Jeff's party, Kaia refused to rest or even lay down. This turned into a huge battle and we didn't go to the party, but when we called to tell them, Jeff and Sam convinced Kaia to go lay down and behave and we might bring her late. She did settle down and rest, and we did take her, but not before she lost 85% of her clothes and a large number of movies and toys. They are all in storage waiting to be earned back. I took away nearly all of her skirts, so she won't be happy when she goes to get dressed today. Last night was fun though. The kids had another egg hunt. Mo found 4 eggs that had paper slips to trade in for a dollar. Kaia found 3. The kids had a wonderful time playing, and especially loved riding in the paddle boat on the pond. We took Sampson and he got to play with his friend Roxie too. This was definitely not a relaxing weekend, but overall we enjoyed ourselves.

The Winner Is...

Ok one last birthday photo and post. I'm starting out with a bad photo of me. My sinus infection turned my nose bright red, and I don't have a good photo editor, so I had to leave it. We aren't sure why my neice wasn't smiling, but we all had a good laugh at her crazy face. As you can see someone did buy me a beer, a beer brewer that is.

My parents gave me a home brewery and a boquet. What was cool was it took me a bit to realize that the boquet wasn't just flowers, it was money also. I guess similar to a money tree? So I have my spending money for Vegas and my aunt and uncle have promised to give me tips on all the ways to have a great time without spending too much so I can make the most of what was given to me. Because it's a business trip, my food expenses will all be reimbursed. I still plan to make the most of the inexpensive, yet good buffets. I work for a non-profit so we have to be a good steward of the money (and the gang-bangers broke out yet another window this week).

And now the announcement you have all been waiting for! I asked Kaia to pick a number between 1 and 11. She chose: 5. So the winner of my first ever blog give away is Julieann! So send me an email with the hat of your choice, and your address, and I'll be sending you a package!

This is usually Show & Tell Friday but Kelli is taking Easter weekend off to enjoy her family. We plan to enjoy ourselves at our home. Saturday we will scope out a possible camping spot in the Yakima River Canyon. We will also clean up the trailer and restock it for camping season.

Sunday we have a sunrise service, followed by breakfast cooked by the elders. Then I'm teaching Sunday school, and we have our Easter worship service followed by egg hunt. Sunday afternoon we have a birthday party for our friend Jeff. Showers are predicted for us on Sunday, but we will still enjoy ourselves. I hope you all have a wonderful Easter!

Measurements (This post will stay on top see below for new posts)

Remember growing up how the "BIG" birthdays were 13, 16, 18, and 21. After 21, though the big ones become the decades: 30, 40, 50 and so on.


I know that there will be plenty of jokes and harrassment today, so let me be the first to say that today (March 13th) I am officially the BIG 3-0! Gone are the days of my reckless youth. No more tattoos, body piercings, riding ATV's, drinking beer, wearing short shorts, going barefoot outside, wearing bikinis, catching frogs in the mud, loud music...


Ok those of you that know me are laughing so hard right now that you are about to pee yourself. For those of you that have had a few children (like me), you have peed yourself and are searching for clean pants!


I plan to continue all of the above (except body piercing, because I can't think of anyplace else I'd like to have a stranger put a needle. I know some of you can't believe I thought of places that I wanted a needle. But, seriously, it's expensive and I'm done). The only things different now that I'm turning 30 and not 21 is: I don't have a bunch of friends wanting to buy me a drink. It's time to start using the anti-wrinkle creams. I have to dye my hair now due to grey hair, not roots (I'm beginning to match my bedroom walls).



To celebrate my birthday, and the beginning of spring, I'm doing my first ever blog giveaway! I will close the giveaway on March 20th. So if you would like to recieve the gifts below, please leave me a comment. I'll randomly choose a number and announce the winner on March 21st.


First, you have your choice of a handmade baby hat. Either the Spring Chick cap which is about a 3-6 month old size.Or the Basic Navy in newborn size.



Even if you aren't having more children, there are always grandchildren or that unexpected baby shower. And a handmade hat makes a great gift.

Second, I'm doing a re-gift. I received this from a former secret prayer partner. She is a wonderful and strong lady. She battled cancer, she lost her husband and she is still the sweetest lady! She was my prayer partner twice and gave me some amazing gifts. This gift is beautiful, but I've never used it, have no place to display it, and it's just not me. I feel bad that it sits up above my kitchen cupboards, and I don't have the heart to just sell it at a yard sale. So giving to one of you seems the best solution.



It is really pretty, and hand painted. These colors are perfect for Easter. So if you would like to receive these two items, please leave a comment for me, and help celebrate my birthday!

Preschool Days

It's always fun to read what Kaia comes home with from preschool. Tuesday it was their class pet. We got to write a little fill in the blank story about him. "Regal and I went to kindergarten registration night together. We at mint chocolate chip ice cream, and after that we got ready for bed."

Kaia's account would have you believe that she then went to bed, but not so. The House Rules have been going quite well, except that we still are struggling with the rule "Go to bed on time in your own bed." That has been a struggle since she learned how to climb out of her bed though. Her registration night went really well, and she has an appointment Friday for the last of her immunizations (Shhh don't say a thing). She recently found out that to go to school she has to have a few more shots, and has since decided that she doesn't want to go to school. Friday could be fun!

Being Prepared

Do you believe that we are headed for trouble? Our economy is down the toilet, and unlike the days of our parents, grandparents or great-grandparents (insert the one that works best for you), most of us do not have food set by. We no longer grow produce and store it for the winter. When our current society is set in the moment, what happens when it all falls out? It's a scary thought. The fact that milk and gas cost about the same per gallon, dry milk is as expensive as fresh, and few of us know how to make do with less of both.

Dana and I plan to have a bigger vegetable garden this year. My 11 tomato plants were not enough last year. I'm also planning watermelon, green peppers, jalapenos, cucumbers, herbs, corn... Essentially if I can get it started and growing, it will be going in our front garden, the side of the house, and in pots in the front (can't plant in front of Mo's window due to foundation issues and buried ferrets). I was especially excited Monday night to discover this recipe: It's my Grandma Sarah's Green Tomato Relish. I love this stuff. We'd eat it all the time in the winter (remember when people ate by the season?) as a side dish. Now I need a pressure canner and some knowledge so I can make this too.

I like to be prepared. Having enough of what we need to get by, means that we're ready for what life has to throw at us. Whatever that may be.

Note: the recipe was written on the back of a plain paper calendar. Almost every scrap in her cookbook is a re-use of paper. Now that's a skill we should all use.

The Starlet

The starlet doesn't like to be disturbed before noon!

In my last post about spring, you may recall Kaia's hissy fit. Well due to the hissy fits and back-talk that have become the norm around our house (most especially after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays) we have Super Nanny'ed up and made House Rules.

We have all agreed to follow them, and we'll be putting up the printable reward charts from her website for both of the kids. Those are for child specific issues, like brushing teeth, not using the sleeve as a tissue, and not picking our nose (Kaia wants the last one included). We started last night, and Kaia was very into the rules. She's excited about it, and even though she had a time-out on the loveseat, she did very well and it's one of the best evenings we've had. Here are the rules (you will quickly see that some are for Dana and I just as much as the kids).

Kihn House Rules

1. No name calling or threats (yup Dana and I need to work on the threats)
2. Clean up before bed time
3. No getting in the fridge without permission (this is for the kids)
4. No hitting or pulling hair
5. No sticking out your tongue (I need to work on this just as much as Kaia!)
6. Listen to each other (This should probably be #1)
7. Go to bed, on time, in your own bed
8. No yelling (Every last one of us does this)
9. No potty talk, unless you need to go
10. Be ready to leave the house on time

Spring

My birthday has always meant the start of spring for me. Doesn't matter that the calendar says another week. Saturday evening though it did not feel like spring. We all dressed warmly before going out to dinner. Poor Mo, nothing to eat but the stick leftover from a sucker! Ha, food has never missed this little man's mouth. He wanted the sucker before his dinner, but settled for eating dinner first (with lots of the salad toppings).
Sunday, after church the kids and I stopped by the library. Then we came home for lunch. Mo went down for his nap and Kaia and I went outside to play.
I managed to get the focus on her sleeve, and not the ladybug. She had a blast holding the first lady bug of the season. She also helped me put shredded paper around the raspberries. That's when a major hissy fit started, and she lost her outside helping priveleges. Dana had to help put her in her room (42 flailing pounds is a bit much for me to carry up stairs). While she settled down, I planted the roses I received from friends the night before. Definitely have some more weeding to do, but that had to wait.
After they were planted and watered, I joined Kaia in her room and we watched the Neverending Story. I'll show you more from my party later, but it was definitely a good time.

Happy Day!

Jon and Ann welcomed in their new baby today! She's absolutely beautiful, and even ahead of schedule. I ended up a little behind schedule and didn't mail out her gift until yesterday. You have seen the gift before though, it's the partially finished hat in this photo.

May we all have it said

It was my birthday yesterday, and I spent my lunchtime singing at a funeral. I didn't know Carol well. I saw her and her husband at church. Her husband passed away while Morgan was in the hospital, in October. That had shocked me as I thought that he was the healthier one. What I learned at her funeral, though, really touched me.

She and her husband were married 60 years. Her children can only remember them having an argument once! And it was due to the fact that each had made plans without consulting the other, and the plans conflicted.

Her grandchildren never heard her say anything bad about another person. Although there was a memory of her once saying something very mildly negative.

Wow! I wish my children could say the same thing about Dana and I, or even about me. Just before leaving for the funeral I had told my co-worker that the woman that had just chewed her out on the phone was mean and seemed to enjoy telling us off as she did it so often. Even worse, I still think that. Maybe she was having a bad day (everyday?)? Still a good reminder to be more kind when I talk to others. And if I thought more about what I say and how I say it to Dana, I can guarantee we'd argue less. May I remember that my words affect those around me!

Show & Tell: Gifts

Today for Show & Tell at Kelli's, I'm going to share a few of my birthday gifts.

First is this Bombay Jasmine candle from Pier One. My secret prayer partner bought this and a few engraved stones for me. I love the smell of jasmine! Strong, spicy scents that make think of far away exotic places are my favorite! The stones say "serenity" and "longevity." I took them to my office, because they look great on my credenza with all the plants.

When I arrived home from work today, Kaia and Dana had bought me a few plants. I've said countless times that I don't want cut flowers, I want plants. I can't stand throwing away flowers once they die. Especially when they are lovely. So I was thrilled with the hot pink cyclamen and the miniature pink rose.

I told Dana that I love the cyclamen he picked out, and I will try very hard to not kill this one. It is one of the few plants I've been completely unsuccessful with. Part of that is, if I'm out of the office, I can't guarantee that the water is being checked. I've officially killed 2 of these. One was from my Grandma's funeral, and I was out of town, and came back to work (prior office) to find most of my plants dead. The second was a gift from a former secret prayer partner. I loved it! I worked hard to take care of it, and my co-worker made sure to water it too, yet it still died. So we'll try again with this one.

Speaking of my Grandma, my aunt and uncle stopped by tonight with my gifts, since they are unable to attend the dinner on Saturday. My mom said this morning that I was going to love my gift from Nana. She was right!

This cookbook of hers is exactly as Grandma Sarah left it. Recipes tucked in the front cover, the back cover, and all in between. Hand-written notes on the pages.

Nana told me that these angels were my grandma's cookie cutters. She didn't have an angel cutter, so she made these, and used a knife to cut the cookie dough!

I "remember" this cookbook, mostly in the way that it is familiar. I saw the tabs, and the cover, and knew that I had seen it. I can picture it on her kitchen counter-top. I'm so excited to have this, and so thankful I received it!

They also brought me this autographed copy of devotionals. I'm looking forward to the reading.

That is all I have to share with you today. If you'd like to share something, please use the link at the top of this post to go to Kelli's. If you'd like to participated in my first ever blog giveaway in honor of my birthday, please visit here.

Success!

Almost! I must not have had my vanilla gelatin dissolved thoroughly as some of it was stuck to the very top of the mold. It's a definite improvement on my peach gelatin though!

Watch Out!

If you can't tell, there is a sliding glass door between the BigDumbDog and Kaia. He is always making faces on the door, and this time Kaia stepped in front of the camera at just the right moment.

Kitchen Dreaming

Not very often I see retro style kitchens. This one caught me by suprise in The Collecting issue of Country Living. Not a magazine I read usually, but it was on the exchange rack in the library, and I thought it would keep me occupied while I was sick. I don't love the entire kitchen, but the table and chairs, the canisters on the counter, the curtains, and most importantly that stove are just too cool! I love turquoise and red together. I have a bit of both in my kitchen, and would love to do more.

Book Meme

Pick up the nearest book of 123 pages or more. (No cheating!)
Find Page 123.
Find the first 5 sentences.
Post the next 3 sentences.
Tag 5 people.

Art has tagged me for a book meme. Above are the instructions, and here is mine. Taken from The Lost German Slave Girl by John Bailey.

"Nothing more about the relationship between Francis Schuber and Sally Miller appears in the documents. Did the questions suggest that Francis Schuber was infatuated with Sally Miller? It is difficult to think what else the attorney was getting at."

Terribly exciting I know! What can I say, I love history. Love Civil War era. This book is about a New Orleans slave and there was plenty debate about whether she was mixed race or an indentured German servant as she and relatives claimed. I haven't even started it, but that is life with two young ones.

I'm terrible at tagging, so if you want to join in, pick up a book and post!

If only this weren't an issue!

I'm sharing this with all of you because I'm amazed at how many people do not understand endo. I had 5 years of pain before my diagnosis. Had a second surgery 10 years later (February 2007) and still suffer the pain. I have also had to fight with physicians over medication. I'm lucky to find one that will prescribe vicodin, and allow me enough each month to survive. None of us want to live on pain medication, it's a requirement for normal living. Yet we are treated like addicts. Fitting that the month of my birthday is also awareness month.

"MARCH IS ENDOMETRIOSIS AWARENESS MONTH! LIGHT A CANDLE TO FIGHT ENDO!

Dear Friend,

It is letters such as the one attached from Samantha that break our hearts but also make us realize how important our work is. Please help us reach the physicians who simply do not understand the horrific pain and other problems of endometriosis.

We really need your help to reach doctors, change attitudes, and improve our care.
· How do we help nurses, medical students and physicians in training, as well as physicians already in practice, to better understand the miserable experience of endometriosis and why we greatly need knowledgeable, caring help?
· How do we help them understand that we need to be diagnosed quickly, not 10 years into the disease as our research with the National Institutes of Health showed?
· How do we make them understand that the pain we experience interferes with our lives in major ways and is not in our heads or just something that we have to live with?

You can help with all of this. If each person receiving this talks to only one healthcare provider (start with your own if you haven’t already!), offers brochures to be distributed to other patients, or encourages a doctor to watch our powerful Physician’s DVD, we will have created a tremendous new understanding in just one month. Will you be part of this?

Email, call, or write us if you’d like some brochures and “Ask me about endometriosis” ribbons and if you have other ideas for improving the quality of medical education. For the Physician’s DVD, send us the name and address of your physician, the date of your next appointment, and a statement that you agree to personally put the DVD in the hands of your healthcare provider and will ask them to please view it. And tell us about your experiences. Our Translational Medicine Council is taking shape and appreciates any input or ideas—not just the difficulties we’ve had with medical care but how can we actually change it?

Thank you for lighting a candle to fight the darkness of endo!

Cordially,
Mary Lou Ballweg
President/Executive Director
Endometriosis Association
8585 N. 76th Place
Milwaukee, WI 53223
Phone: (414) 355-2200
Fax: (414) 355-6065
Email: endo@EndometriosisAssn.orgWebsite: www.EndometriosisAssn.org

***********************************************
I joined the Endometriosis Association today. I am a 25-year-old child protective services worker. I have had endometriosis symptoms since I started my period… Like most others with the disease, I saw specialist after specialist, had colonoscopies, was told I was a drug-seeker or had depression, and even told I just had gas….

Last year, I asked my mother why five of my aunts have had hysterectomies. (My mother had cancer at the age of 22, had a partial hysterectomy…) My mom said that my aunts all had hysterectomies because of endometriosis…they had all kept the reason quiet until my mother asked them.

I had a laparoscopy to confirm endo in February ’07. Finally, I thought the doctors would prescribe the only medication that works for me—Percocet—for the most painful part of my cycle. And, I thought they wouldn’t question whether I was a drug-seeker because I had a real diagnosis. I was wrong. My doctor was very hesitant to prescribe the narcotics and sent me to a pain management program. I have been doing it for two months, and yet, the pain doctor who prescribes the medicine hasn’t been able to fit me in.

My doctor prescribed Percocet a couple times. I take it only for the most painful times, but when I found myself in a lot of pain and it was gone, I ended up in the emergency room where they refused to give me the medication and offered Vicodin even though it hurts my stomach and makes me feel weird. I left crying. My doctor refused to fill my prescription last week and told me to take ibuprofen and Tylenol.

I was in so much pain, I was taking medication every two hours, until one night, I collapsed on my kitchen floor, sobbing. Then, I vomited all over myself. Knowing that the emergency room would refuse to help me, I had no one to turn to. I live in the U.S.A. and have great health insurance, and yet, there I found myself, in agonizing pain, laying in my own vomit in the kitchen, knowing that there was nothing that anyone was willing to do to help.

I began to write about my pain as a way to express how I feel. I hope to one day publish my poems about endometriosis as another way to help women understand that they are not alone... I’ve read your books so I know how much it can help. Thank you for all that you do.
Samantha, California"

Show & Tell Our Bedroom

It's Show & Tell Friday over at Kelli's. If you'd like to participate, or see what other's are showing, just click on the photo above.

Back when I was pregnant with Mo, we lost our second to last ferret. With just Dudley left, we decided to redo the downstairs bedrooms. They had been a game/storage room and the ferret's room. Yes, with 9 ferrets they need their very own room. But, when all you have left is one blind, balding, old man ferret, a cage and a few hours of time out each night are plenty.

That's when it got exciting. We decided to paint both rooms, add trim, and in the case of the former ferret room, soon to be children's room we put in carpet (vinyl floor having been installed when we moved in).

Dana and I both wanted a dark grey color for our room. I tended toward the brown greys, he liked the more blue greys, but we finally agreed on this wall color, which was almost in the middle.

Now the dark walls make photography in our room difficult. But you will see that because it's a tri-level and we have a look-out basement, we also have built in ledges in all the downstairs rooms. This is perfect for the alarm, a fountain, and a ceramic vase my mother-in-law made for us. In between the two fans is an old photo that was hung in my grandparent's home. I don't know why, but I love it. So I display it whether it matches or not. The fan to the left is from an outdoor wedding, and to help guests from over-heating fans were provided.

This is the fan to the right. My parents bought this fan for me during their visit to China.

This shot shows you our white ceiling. We did this in both the rooms. Well, I admit being pregnant, Dana did the work, but I helped cleaning the rollers. There was no way I was reaching that ceiling. On the wall opposite is another fan. This was brought back for my Grandma Sarah, and when she passed away, I received it.

It's very beautiful, and the cream color goes well in our room.

Also near the fan is my very favorite Bible verse. My aunt Nana gave it to me shortly after we moved in. It's Romans 8:38-39.

Thank you for visiting! I will show the children's room, which happens to be just Mo's at this time, very soon. Be sure to come back next week for a very special celebration and giveaway!

Sick Day

Ever had a sick day where you'd rather try to do things than rest? Here is how I tried to enjoy it:
7:15 a.m. Wake up. Sure this is early for some, but for me this was blissfully sleeping in.
7:16 a.m. Drink Coffee. I love our new coffee pot with timer.
8:45 a.m. Take 4 and a half year old out to Grammy and Papa's after listening to her mouth off for the last half hour.
9:15 a.m. Head for home.
10:00 a.m. Eat breakfast and relax on the couch.
10:30 a.m. -12:30 p.m. Watch crap TV and start on knitting a baby hat.
12:30 p.m. on Watch Brady Bunch season 3 on DVD!

Ok I admit it, I love to watch Brady Bunch. Maybe it's because my freshman year at Pepperdine we had a singing group that spoofed the Brady Bunch the entire year, or maybe because Barry Williams (aka Greg Brady) came to Pepperdine to speak during convocation, or maybe it's because I met his parents who live right on the beach in Malibu (my suite-mate's grandparents had owned the beach front house just 2 doors down). Actually it's just such corny retro viewing that I can't get enough. I lived in a home with the dark wood cabinets and the exact same orange countertops while growing up.

Dana and the kids are on their way home, so I better get back to my viewing!

Influenza

Just in case there are any rumors out there regarding my well being, I am alive. Although having the flu has caused me to beg Dana to shoot me and put me out of my misery. He obviously declined with some excuse about not wanting to go to prison.

You will probably recall from earlier posts that I did indeed get my flu shot. If you read the news, you will have heard that the strain hitting people wasn't covered by the shot. And remember my Dr. laughing about how I was catching everything but the flu? Yeah, I'll let you in on a little secret.

In October of 2002 I sat in an examination room, with this very same Dr. I had an upper respiratory infection, and before prescribing one of the 3 antibiotics I'm not allergic to (only a very slight exaggeration) asked if I was still on the birth control pill (it can interfere with the pills effectiveness). I told him no, and he so kindly reminded me to make sure we use protection, or I would have a little visitor 9 months later. (I'm thinking, duh, I know where babies come from) But, I did just that! Once I found out I was pregnant, I checked conception date. Either the day before or the day of my Dr.'s visit.

With that I'm going to go back to relaxing. I promise to visit my favorite blogs today. I'm supposed to go back to work tomorrow, so I definitely have to take care of myself today. That and in order to build up what seems to be my non-existant immune system, I am going to plan out my anti-candida diet. I plan to start it next week, or possibly sooner.

I leave you with Callie, sleeping in Kaia's princess tent.

Wait is that her nemesis, and princess of the house Cinnamon Love?

Cat fight!It was over as soon as it started. Funny to watch though.

Celebration Planning

Thank you for the well wishes, I will be back soon! I made it to Sunday School today. Even had my class sing a few songs, although my voice when it exists belongs on a 900 line. That was it, I'm drained.

The good thing about being home and sick as a dog is I'm reading some of the magazines I picked up on the exchange rack at the library. Also I've been looking at cookbooks and the internet. All in planning for Morgan's upcoming 2nd birthday, and the baby shower I'm throwing at church.

I love to have parties, and I tend to be a control freak about details, yet in the end I can relax because I know that the key is just to get everyone together with food and drink, and we are guaranteed to have fun.

The debate right now is do I make Mo a dino cake or Thomas? Should I go for a modern shower theme or the more traditional pastels? Did I mention that I get back from Vegas on a Wednesday, Mo's party is on Saturday and the shower is on Sunday? Yep and this will be my second Vegas trip in April. I have to be prepared well in advance.

Sharing...

It's impossible for my children to share the many Thomas the Tank Engine trains. They refuse to share my lap. But they have no problem sharing their germs! Mo and I both are down with Kaia's virus. She is way better and doing her best to annoy Mo and I. Ugh