almost home

the kids, tech mom and i finally pulled in from our long drive home from wisconsin. it turns out that hubby has some work assignments here in the "town" where we first met, so we'll be here for a couple of days at the least, perhaps until friday.

my head is spinning. i keep telling myself that i will stop typing without caps, but today is not the day. yes, i have a college degree. i know how to use punctuation, but for some reason i prefer the stream-of-consciousness-take-it-or-leave-it method of posting.

we had a good trip. parts were hard. it's never easy to watch a grandparent's age begin to catch up with her, but in the midst of her pain i was still amazed by how much better she is doing than some of her friends. having just a few of us there instead of the whole family was a change. we missed everyone who normally treks up there with us, yet it was the right arrangement to keep gramma from being so overwhelmed. of course, we didn't see everyone we would have liked to, but the connections made were wonderful. we even spent some time with one of hubby and caslon's friends from years back, who is also one of my newer blogging friends. it was so nice of her and her mom to host us for lunch on friday, and our kids also had fun getting to know eachother... except for some sharing issues. ;)

after 15 hours in the car/on the road, i'm not thinking very clearly. the kids are ecstatic to be reunited with their daddy, tackling him in the big red armchair and giggling with glee.

oh, and while some of our friends and relatives in the great cheese state have modern conveniences, gramma's valley does not have much tv, cell phone, or any internet access. she still thinks her original model electric wringer in the cellar is sufficient for doing the wash, and that shower head in the bathroom still doesn't work, so tub baths were had by all.

but, in spite of the inconveniences the week at gramma's was filled with love and that's what matters.

to post or not to post?

I think I've posted pictures of my glads, asiatic lilies, and callas for the past 2 years. Well, they are back, taller than ever, or in the case of the callas, thicker than ever. My stargazers that I bought really cheap at wal-mart last year are also on their way.

I love bulbs and all plants similar. Especially summer-blooming ones so far, because just when it's getting hot enough that I don't really feel like planting new things to withstand the heat, they come back and tell me that past years' efforts were worth the investment of time. One of my asiatic lily stalks has over TEN buds on it!!!!! I have a feeling I'll be staking that one back!

My camera is downstairs, so I'm not posting the pics right now, but I am wide awake after falling asleep with my little girl at bedtime... and waking up right at 11:30.

Should I post pics of the same types of flowers you've seen on here in years past?

a different kind of censorship

I don't work in the music industry, but I know a few people who do. There's a fairly well known artist who I got on e-mail list for a while back. Since going solo, his work has become more original and thought-provoking and less like the typical Top 20 CCM countdown material. Apparently, his record label doesn't like a song he wants to put on his album and is delaying the release.

I don't know the content of the song, but the e-mail I received got me thinking. Do record-label contracts really give them the right to completely deny an artist's choice of sharing his work with his listeners? Do they care about artistic integrity and spreading worthwhile messages from the hearts of the people they have selected to represent them, or do they manipulate those artists into fitting into a mold of some type, eventually destroying their unique identity and work, or at least damaging it?

Then again, for all I know maybe the content is shocking enough that I would think twice about buying the album... I am only speculating and don't know both sides of the story. But how much sugar-coating of the gospel do we really need in our music/art? When the message becomes a little messy or controversial, do we hide it in order to protect the sterile holiness that forgets what we are saved from by Christ's blood and resurrection? Is the motive behind the labels' discretion that of maintaining their own sense of "integrity" or the bottom line in the account?

Christians are quick to condemn the mainstream media for censoring viewpoints, but it also seems that censorship is present if not prevalent among the "Christian" media industry.
So much for authenticity....

in a funk

I'm thinking of turning off the comments on this post so I can just whine, but I don't really want to just whine some more on my blog right now. However, I can't think of anything to post, either. Well, I can, but I can't post everything publicly and am not good at disguising the real plot in a made up plot.

Mother's Day was nice. Hubby and the kids got me a sweet gift and card. And now he's out of town for work and I am in a funk. Again. Come to think of it, meds only work if you take them. When's the last time I took mine? hmmm....

Tackle It Tuesday


I took a break yesterday. I did deliver a couple of orders from the bag show I had a while back, and the kids and I hit Publix to get food for supper. I made hubby broiled shrimp in lemon-butter, rice, and sauteed peppers, onion, and mushrooms with a bit of Worcestshire in them for his belated birthday homemade dinner. His parents treated us to Famous Dave's on his actual birthday.
Anyway, since it IS Tuesday, and since I happen to have things I need to do around here, I decided to make a list of things I need to do this week and share it.

To do this week:
Purple=Done
Yellow= In progress


(My list was interrupted by a tickle-tackle from my kids. Buddy conveniently fell while trying to stand up. When I went to help him, he and Bear tackled me.)

• schedule appts.
• clean bathrooms
• laundry- wash/dry/put away
• clean off top of dresser
• plant acidanthera bulbs
• wash floors
• clean out fridge
• change sheets
• wash doors
• wash windows
• sort/purge toys- give some away, decide which ones the kids actually use and organize them
• clean off desk
• organize inside and around desk
• empty/reload dishwasher
  

to be continued.....

What rose are you today?

a sunny, yellow gold glow with a double bloom

a romantic, mysterious lavender hued "blue girl" with a sweet fragrance

bouquet of gold glows who had a little too much drink

My favorite of the 3 is the blue girl today.
But I feel more like the last pic, though I am probably closer to dehydration than water-log.
What color rose are you today? One of these or a different variety?

change

Change is often good, but rarely easy. I suppose there are people whose temperament requires them to live in a constant state of change. I'm not one of those. While I do enjoy experiencing new places, cultures, meeting new people, etc.... in spite all my talk on the blog, old habits are hard to break.

But sometimes life necessitates change. Life would, in fact, be boring without it. That still doesn't make it easy.

This weekend, we have had lots of help preparing for some potentially big changes in our lives. That's not easy for this procrastinaholic.

I have a lazy streak. I'm not sure where it came from, as both of my parents work hard. Not always efficiently, but steadily. Several years ago, while my Dad was on sick leave and on IV antibiotics with a nurse coming in to check on him, he built a hutch for the top of a chest of drawers. Dad attempted to build a boat... it got damaged in our move halfway across the country, and never floated, but we built it. Well, he built it. Mom calls herself a one-at-atime person, but she does her best, and tried to teach me to do my best.

After a week of Spring Cleaning, I am exhausted. My kids are relatively "easy" kids... they are sweet, fun, and often as patient as one could expect a 3 1/2 year old and 8 month old to be. I am SOOO thankful for the help we had this weekend, because one of us was always able to continue tackling a project or sit down with a little.

So what am I doing as hubby is quickly filling up the storage closet and going through piles of stuff? Procrastinating, I guess is the politically correct term. He could at least take a break on his birthday!!!

Tackle It Tuesday, weekend edition

It's been a while since I posted anything substantial for Tackle It Tuesday. Well, I'm so excited about the progress we made this weekend, that I cannot wait until Tuesday to post.

First, hubby posted some pics of some things we needed to sell on Craigslist:

SOLD!!!!

STILL AVAILABLE
I think a scammer tried to bait me with this post but I did not respond. This couch has a slipcover on it and a chair that matches what's underneath. I like to refer to THAT pattern is psychedelic candy-cane striped.

SOLD!!
(I TOLD hubby we should have posted it for more. Tech Mom made the slipcover and Dad made the frame. It has been through the entire family....
Alas, it has a new home because we are trying to make space.)

There are a couple of boy things, too...
a sub woofer and something I forgot the name of but goes with stereo stuff. Capacitor, maybe?

Next, we began the arduous process of going through our dressers and closets. It hasn't been done to this extent since, well, I'm almost too ashamed to say, but my pride at our progress overshadows the shame: since we moved in almost 6 years ago.

My side, the miracle. Hubby's is normally fairly neat, except for shoes sprawled all over

the floor- haven't seen that in a while

the donation pile and trash box

Hubby also took a few boxes of junk to some open dumpsters in the area.

I HAVE to thank our friends Ruth and Paul and their brother who works at chick-fil-a for the boxes! They collected them for my parents, but Dad made me take some, too.
They are coming in handy.

So the tackling has begun. And I can actually check a couple of things off the list!

Making a list, checking it thrice...

Not the Christmas list, but the "get house in order for the first time since we moved in" list. Ugh.
But my little Sis is right, checklists are good. And there is so much to do, I don't know how my friends with many kids do it. Part of me wants more kids someday, but I can't keep up with just 2. That's my rationale for not getting a pet yet, too.

So I listed 3 rooms and still have a TON left to jot down.

****
I LOVE my mystery irises. They are purple and periwinkley/lavenderish.

sigh

I'm resigning myself to the fact that the lower half of my body may never be in the single digit sizes again. I just tried on my size 8 shorts, and there is no way they are going to fit this year. Anyone want them? So to goodwill or somewhere else they go. After being stretched by two babies, my hips/thighs say, "you've got to be dreaming."

Hubby's trying to get me motivated to purge/really tackle the house. I know I would feel good about accomplishing something... but I would rather play. Oh, wait, I'm supposed to be an adult here. ok, going to help hub...

Praying for Stellan...

Good morning!

I'm up early, no particular reason. Buddy has been asleep since 11:30 or so, and other than a few squeaks and rolls, no noise comes through his monitor. Hubby is home, so I can't blame insomnia on missing him for once.

I'm excited about my irises. They're going to be purple! :) A friend gave them to me last Spring, but it was too late for them to take root and bloom, so I've anticipated seeing which shade of our state's flower would turn up around our mailbox. I also can't wait to see my roses in bloom again. Each bush has at last 7 buds on it already! After all, it's the simple things in life.... (Just for kicks, you can fill in the blank in the comments to complete this thought for me.)

I think I'll be digging out my (failed) Finding Focus Project from a couple of years ago and modify it to get myself into organizational gear. I don't have a choice. I must.

A couple of people have wondered how the babywearing's gone. I have to confess, not as well as I'd like, but it's not a disaster, either. I've started slinging Buddy into Bear's gymnastics class... that infant carrier is too darn heavy with his 17-ish pounds, and I can't take the stroller up the steps to the observation area. I don't wear him many places, but the slings have come in handy. I keep one in the car at all times "just in case."

The Wii said I was 46 last night, after 3 days off. Oops. Weight-wise, I have about 7 more pounds to go to get to my "ideal" weight. The whole 5K thing hasn't happened yet... nor has the training. But I refuse to say it won't ever.

Playing in the dirt.....


I might make a flower bed around the whole bay window before summer comes.
"blue girl" rose bush and spot where I planted an echinacea root.

same bush, last year:

.... and then there's the begininning of my butterfly slope... look carefully to find the butterfly bush in the distance.

gold-glow rose bush surrounded by glads and daffodils
same bush, last year:

mystery irises from Katrin, planted last Spring, waiting on first blooms

pink columbine & irises

GARDENING LINKS TO PERUSE
(reposted from last year...in case anyone is interested!)

General Gardening Tips:

• Univ. of Arkansas: Planning, Preparing & Planting a Vegetable Garden
• The Helpful Gardener
• Doug Green's Beginner Gardening
• USA Gardener
  

Coffee Grounds as natural fertilizer (add nitrogen to the soil)
Coffee Grounds as a planting medium


Non-Toxic Weed Killers:

• 7 Deadly homemade weed killers
• Weed killer recipes from a country life
  I was toying with the idea of using vinegar to kill the grass and weeds in my garden patch... but another sources says it will sterilize the soil... so that doesn't sound like a great plan...

Veggies & Fruits:

• Strawberries
• Tomatoes
• Green Beans
• Cucumbers
• Squash
• Cantaloupe

Flowers:

• Roses: what to plant near them
• Roses: how to care for them
• Roses: how to prune
• Maiden Pink (dianthus)
• Bulbs
• Calla Lilies
• Calla Lilies-link
  
• Columbine
• Clematis
• Acidanthera
  
• Gladiola
• Lilies
• Mums
• Stargazer lilies
  

Pest Control:

• Insect-Deterrent Herbs
• Garden Pest Management Info from Garden-guides
• Moles & Birds
• Deer & Rabbits

Raised-Bed Gardens
(disclaimer: I am not sure we're motivated enough to build one of these, but I'm including the links because the idea fascinates me.)

• OK State Article
• HGTV info (thanks to Sara W. for this link!)

Butterfly & Hummingbird Gardening

• New Jersey Audobon Society
  

• Birds-n-garden

Original post 3/22/08

sleepless in Nashville

Yep, that's me. I slept a good solid 3-4 hours before Buddy awoke from his sleep for a 3 a.m. diaper change and bottle. I'm glad I appreciated his big sister's sleeping through the night when I had the chance, because he is not so consistent so far. After 30 minutes of tossing and turning, I came upstairs. I turned the monitor on only to hear him crying in stereo... so now he isrocking in his swing, finally asleep, while I am still sleepless. I love the swing that was a hand-me-down from his older cousins. It reclines, so his neck does not roll forward. He seems to like it, too.

Yesterday was warm enough to go outside and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Bear helped me plant echinacea roots, shasta daisy seeds, and my butterfly bush. And some cherry tomato plants. The last 2 were gifts from Tech Mom and Dad. Thankfully, they did not die in the last week. Now to keep them alive outside.

My hill is still a far cry away from being my butterfly garden, but it's nice to have things growing on it. The forsythia and creeping phlox are doing well, and the butterfly bush is about 15 feet back, 3 feet up from the wall... just down the hill from the water spicket. It's by itself right now, but I figure since its from a fast-growing family in full sun, it won't be long before it expands. I planted some of the echinacea (coneflowers- pinkish purple-daisies) between the forsythia and the phlox, so that when the phlox blossoms fade, there might be some color popping out of the slope. 4 roots were $5 at the superstore, so I planted one up next to the patio and bay window, one by the mailbox, and two above the phlox (aka thrift, here in the South). I also planted a couple of gladiola bulbs that I had pulled up last fall and did not give away... this should extend the bloom time of my firecracker red glads a bit.

Oh, when I dropped my hostess packet/order back off at gina's, I was pleased to see that contrary to her belief that she has a brown thumb, she has not killed her day lillies, hosta, OR her calla lillies which I transplanted from my flowerbed last May. My callas are not directly under the gutter spout like hers are, so they are not poking through quite as tall yet. Anyway, it's always nice when perennials are in fact perennials.

If you have ever wondered if you should by the $20 rose bushes from the catalogs or fancy nursery, my answer is "no." Wal-mart has them for $6. They might not be as big, but give them a year or so of TLC, and nobody will know the difference. By TLC I mean pruning them back every so often to encourage bushing versus growing a few long straggly stems with leaves just at the top. If you cut some to enjoy inside during the summer, you save your hubby money at the florist or wherever he gets flowers for you (or you get them for yourself), and you naturally tend your rose bushes a bit better. I plan to swing by my local coffee shop for a fresh batch of grounds for gardeners (free used coffee grounds) soon. Last year I put the bag in the basket of our stroller and pushed it uphill... that's not gonna happen this year with both kiddos on the stroller. Buddy weighs a lot more now than he did last April in my belly.

Hubby is off today, and I am trying to convince him that it's worth attempting to take the whole family to the free Sara Groves concert at our church tonight. Well, he's sleeping at the moment. Our church has monitors in the hallway, so even if we have to leave the auditorium, we might still be able to enjoy the show. I suppose I should find a babysitter. But I don't want anyone to see my house in it's normal state, and that would mean I have to clean up for the babysitter. What a travesty. anyway, if you live near Franklin, TN and need something to do, tonight is a great chance to get out for some inspiring and worshipful music!

life is a roller coaster

I don't have time to full elaborate, but yesterday was perhaps my worst shopping experience ever. The worst part is that I should have known better, but I was determined to go find something for Buddy to wear on Easter. (As if the clothes are what it's about anyway?!? He's 9 months old. I have had a dress for Bear for a while.)

Last night was mostly sleepless, because Bear is sick with a tummy bug that won't let go, to the point that my husband took a sick day today because she is so needy. If he is also concerned about my mental well being, he hasn't indicated, but I am thankful to have him home, it has been a sanity saver... and he is taking Bear back to the doc for the 2nd time in as many days, thankfully I won't have to hold my screaming daughter for another blood draw.


We're supposed to go away for the weekend, and it all hinges on one thing... will our little Bear get better?

Whoever initially said that having a child is like having your heart walk around outside your body was pretty accurate.

I haven't exercised in 2 days... my body misses it. But there are still hills of laundry to wash and fold...

:)

Have you ever scheduled a home show or party for a home-based business and wondered if it would be worth it? I have. As a former consultant in direct sales, I have had hostesses with shows ranging from $0-$1000+ in retail value. My Mom NEVER has home shows, but she did for me and hers was one of my best.

The purpose of home shows is two-fold:
1) obviously- to show/sell a product
2) fellowship- the most important!

So often, we rush from here to there, and we don't get a chance to get together with the girls. When they go well, home shows allow the opportunity to hang out and shop from your feet in a relaxed environment, but if they don't go well, sometimes the hostess is left feeling, "what did I do that for?"

I had a few neighbors and a few friends from church and one long-time friend come tonight, and had a nice time. I always get a bit nervous when I have people over; overwhelmed. I manage to hide it fairly well, thanks to my teaching experience, but sometimes the uncertain girl from middle school and high school comes out and I want to crawl back into my shell. I often do better in one-on-one settings, where I feel like I can really focus on another person and not divide my time/attention. And sometimes part of me feels bad for asking my friends to buy something to help me get my hostess benefits, no matter how much I like the product.

In tonight's case, thanks to my friends showing up and knowing my consultant really well after living a block away for 6 years, hubby mopping the kitchen/dining room floor, and me actually cleaning the living room so it is temporarily not a tornado zone, and products that literally sold themself, it was a success. (Sorry, grammar-geeks.)

Thanks to Gina, my fabulous Thirty-One consultant, and all my friends who came and missed their favorite TV show (or DVR'd it for later). :)

a wii/fitness update

I hit the 20 hour mark on my Wii fit yesterday. That means I'm not using it to procrastinate TOO much, but I am using it. And my last few Wii Age Test Results have been under 40, today I actually hit my real age. I am .7 lb away from my first major weight goal. WOO HOO!!!

All this in spite of an allergy attack and bronchitis which have limited my activity level. I have not run outside in a while... allergies don't like it, but I plan to resume my Couch to 5K variation soon.

I'm cutting back on sodas, because they make the eczema patches on my hands worse when I drink them. I have replaced sodas with VitaRain flavored water, from Costco. It's half the cost of vitamin water at wal-mart and other grocery stores, and significantly less than the VitaminWater brand at Costco... and we like all the flavors in the multipack. I can only drink so much plain water at a time.

*******
I'm having a purse/tote/bag/accessory party tonight... One of my friends just became a consultant for Thirty-One Gifts <---(CLICK), and I love the tote I bought at the party she hosted last month, so I figured I'd host a show and help her get her business started. They offer embroidery personalization at the most affordable price I've seen anywhere... $6! And this months special is only $1 on the new kids' line.

So if you live in the Nashville area, have not already been invited and happen to be free, come join us around 7:00!!!

Check her out!

Allow me to tell you little bit about our friend, Southern Barbie. We met in college, then she went away. She is partially responsible for me and my husband getting together. I think I still have the slip of paper she handed me with his phone # on it the night we met. Somewhere. I vowed not to use it unless he called me first, and the rest is history. I'm pretty sure she got to be there when he picked out my engagement ring, too. Who knows, maybe she picked it out. Her smile is contagious, and next time she is in this part of the country, we will have to meet up. She's fun-loving, her smile is contagious, and I think the Northwest is starting to rub off on her in some ways. ;-)

We lost touch over the years, but have recently reconnected. As with many other long-lost-but-rediscovered friends, online. She's blogging now, so check out her blogs...

Go introduce yourself and welcome her to the blogosphere!

Southern Barbie
Fabulosew!

tag...

Sara tagged me a week or so ago, and I just realized it! Unless she was tagging another Lauren...

THE RULES:
1. Take a picture of yourself right now. No primping or preparing. Just snap a picture.
2. Load it onto your blog.
3. Tag three people to play.

this is me, unedited. 8:41 am, in all my morning glory,
you can almost smell my breath through the screen.
and would somebody please straighten my glasses?
or wax my face and then give me lasik? at least my hair is shiny....

and here are my kids, undedited, just because. (This wasn't part of the original meme.)

buddy, 8:42 a.m.
whispering sweet nothings to his paci

bear, 8:42 a.m.... note the baggie of cereal and milk for breakfast.
my mother tried to teach me better, but i am NOT a morning person.

*****
TGIF!!!!!

Ok, I tag the following:
1. steph- all of you, since there are a few, ha!
2. crt
3. Heather- all of you, since there are a few, too!