We are having a blast. Have taken a few pictures of our Craft Shack. Having a hard time posting pics but I won't give up yet. Girls are getting here at noon today which means I get to hug my little girl soon. A little birdie told me that my little guy is missing me and sent a little note with a picture of himself with Kaia to give to me. I can't wait! Hopefully pictures to come soon.
Well it is 5:15 am on Saturday morning and I never went to bed last night. I really just want to cry. Not how I wanted to start my week off at Girl's Camp...tired....but there was so much to do in our office and paying household bills that it really has taken me from 1:45 am until now. Wish I would have given it my attention a few days ago....problem was money hadn't come in from customers until yesterday (Friday) that we had been waiting on. So it makes it tough. Normally I would have just caught up tomorrow and Monday, but not an option this week. I'm almost through packing. Carla is going to be here at 8:45 am to pick me up. Do I go to sleep for an hour and a half or not. I'm thinking NOT. Maybe just take a good nap this afternoon on my air mattress. Besides I still have a few more bills to pay.
I was also hoping to get some posts up for this next week. I'm bringing my laptop up to camp, we will see if I can get some reception...even if we have to go for a little drive.
I hate that I'm feeling so weepy before I leave. Usually I am so excited to have a little break, but it has been so busy here that I have had to put off my kids the last few days. That makes me sad. It's my own fault though....I am the worst procrastinator. And Dave and I had a pretty good argument tonight...well last night I guess. Isn't that the way it goes though. Anyway, hopefully I don't cry on Carla the whole drive up there. I know that the tears streaming down my face right now are just because I am tired and know that I won't get that sleep back. AND I won't have my bed for a week. So I am off and I know that I will be happy again when I get some sleep and can talk to Dave when he wakes.
On a positive note, I do have Kaia all packed and ready to go. I was so afraid that she would forget something if we didn't get packed before I left. I know I will be so ready to see her come Monday! And Blake....oh how I will miss him. I think I will go cuddle with him now....while he is still sleeping.
Not the best week for me with regards to exercising. I am in a bit of a slump. But Sierraville is calling my name next week for our church's Girls' Camp and there I will be exercising like a mad woman. There are so many opportunities and pretty mountainsides to see. Somehow I managed to drop .5 lbs, but I'm sure if I got on the scale again it might just say 143 again. I'll take the .5 though and proudly report 142.5! How's it going for you?
Also....I will continue to cross through my list below today. Did you know I added another one...uuugh? Please come back and encourage me and watch the strikeouts grow in number!
Happy Weekend. I will be gone next week, but am planning on posting some of my past favorite posts and some new pics for your viewing pleasure and for my memory keeping!
Hot tub with hubby. (our neighbors are gone for 2 weeks and have left us the key for the pool and hot tub. We are enjoying swimming next door whenever we want!
Sew baby shower gift for next Sunday. Coming to camp with me, along with my sewing machine to do on my down time.Grocery shop for Dave and Blake for next week. Dave said I can leave him a grocery list and he will shop on Saturday....love you!Pick up lunch bags from Target for paper bag camp yearbooks.Buy twin air mattress. Borrowed from mom & dad...thanks!Buy eye hooks and wire to hang pom pom curtains on craft shack.Start drinking Diet Coke again. (No...just kidding, I haven't worked out enough this week to splurge at all.) I did have a few sips of Dave's though.Sew crepe paper to cover fishing wire for tissue paper pom poms.Make-up transfers and iron on to t-shirts just purchased at Michael's with our craft logo.Print out "create" quote from Pres. Uchtdorf to frame and hang on craft shack "You are choice daughters of our Heavenly Father, and through the things you create and by your compassionate service, you are a great power for good. You will make the world a better place. Lift up your chin; walk tall. God loves you." President Uchtdorf
It might just be an all-nighter!
1. Print paychecks for the business. I even deposited mine!
2. Pick up frames and magnets from Michael's in Fairfield for Girl's Camp next week.
3. Return bermuda shorts at Old Navy I bought for Kaia and get new size so she has some shorts for Girl's Camp next week.
4. Finish cutting 140 of the letters "g" and "w" for our GROW banner for Girl's Camp on the Cricut.
5. Sew a black & light blue apron and get in the mail for a dear friend that has been ever so patient. Thank you Molly. It has seriously been crazy here and your apron cut and not sewn has haunted me every few days. Molly, I promise to sew first thing when I get home.
6.Sew two more aprons for Carla and I to wear at Girl's Camp next week. We are the craft leaders for all the girls. But bringing sewing machine to camp to finish ties. Saturday morning 1:22 am.
7. Pick up sheet metal squares at Home Depot for magnetic boards we will be making. thanks hunny!
8. Finish laundry. Except I have another load tomorrow.
9.Start packing my personal stuff and Kaia's personal stuff for next week along with all the craft supplies I will be bringing up from my personal stash.
10. Make a peach cobbler with the fresh peaches Gordy, our neighbor, just delivered from his garden. NOT HAPPENING....BUMMER. Maybe when I get home. Gordy said he would have more peaches in about a week and a half. Until then I will crave peach cobbler something fierce.
11. Get customer billing finished for Kennedy Construction before I leave. Still working on it at 5:15 am Saturday morning. Never went to sleep Friday night. :( had to pay household bills too before I left.
12.Sew curtains with pom poms that we will be hanging around the craft shack. Friday 10:15pm
13. Make our theme banner for our craft shack at Girl's Camp...."GROW.....CREATE.....CRAFT".
14. Make a skirt for either the wedding we are attending in a week or my 20th high school reunion that is in 2 weeks. I haven't decided what to wear for what yet....but same people will be at wedding and reunion so I don't want to completely duplicate. The yellow accessories won for the blue dress, just haven't decided if I want to wear to wedding or reunion. And I just got a pair of bronze shoes to wear with both outfits. NOT HAPPENING EITHER....I will wear the blue dress!
Too much for today? Probably, but I will figure out the strike through key here on blogger and keep you updated on what I have gotten accomplished as the day goes on! I always do well with a list that I can cross off. Maybe I should give myself two days on this list.
I posted a little of my craftiness for a friend's daughter's first birthday on my Butterflies blog here.
Why didn't we have two more kids five years ago? A question that will haunt me forever. Even though I know the answer. Crawling into my kids' beds seem to help.
Call me old-fashioned, but I used to type in most every blog I stalked to check to see if there were any new updates. Yup....most every single one. I could type them so fast. Sometimes I used my "favorites" tab...but mostly I just started typing up top and the drop down field would appear and I would click where I wanted to go.
With this new blog roll on my sidebar informing me of new entries, my fingers aren't sure what to do with all their time on my hands (ha...pun intended)! I have been known to check someone's blog a few different times a day....and was fine looking at the last post I had read the previous time I checked in. My fingers keep wanting to start typing www.spunky... or www.lynd.... . Now my blog roll tells me if anyone has posted anything new. I'm kind of liking it....but find myself staring at my own blog now...clicking refresh....and then checking the blog roll again! And never mind trying to tell me about "feeds" or whatever....remember, I'm still a little old-fashioned and not ready to go there yet!
1. Watch the first episode of Big Brother 11.
2. Watch So You Think You Can Dance.
3. Check blogs.
4. Decide that a lot of time could be saved if I switch to a blog roll.
5. Spend an hour switching over to a blog roll.
6. Eat a peach.
7. Wish really hard that I was tired because it is now 5:20 am and I have too much to do today, Saturday, to be tired.
What I should have done....worked in the home office, but that would have been boring!
....comes home tomorrow. We sure do miss her and hope she is having a great time. 
All of her belongings for Trek needed to fit in this bucket....and they did!
And this picture is just to remind me that although I am thinking of "sweet" Kaia while she is gone...."sassy" Kaia will be walking through the doors and I will love every sassy bit of her! Isn't she so cute?!
Comment away people! Let's see how everyone is doing. My workouts have changed a little. I am only doing about 20 minutes instead of 30 and yesterday I ran for 12 minutes instead of my usual 10 minute cardio video. It felt good to be outside (even though I only ran in circles around my court....thank goodness it is a fairly big court)! I then came in and did my ab workout without the video...I pretty much have it memorized and it was fun to change up the order of exercises. I am watching a transformation of my body. Faster than usual for me. My inches lost are increasing and my weight is decreasing. I am still for the most part choosing healthy options for food and snacks and still drinking mostly water (crystal light lemonade is my afternoon treat). The muffin top is getting smaller....but why are the dimples still on my thighs? Shouldn't those be gone by now...c'mon it's been 3 weeks :)
I am writing this on the eve of sending my daughter off on a wonderful adventure. She will recreate the life and times of the pioneers. Trekking across the valleys and mountains, pulling handcarts through rocky terrain and rushing rivers. Her Ma and Pa will guide her and help her. Her siblings in her 'Pioneer family' will buoy her up and play with her. Encourage her to keep going. The family will travel in 'Companies'. Ten people to a 'family', three 'families' per 'Company', three 'Companies' on this Trek Adventure. They will cook over open fire in dutch ovens, preparing and cleaning while they rest from their day of travels. They will hike 5 miles per day....for 4 days. They will sit in the evening and read scriptures and sing around the campfire....learning about our Mormon Pioneers that went before us. All while wearing the above skirt and apron. I am excited for this adventure that she is embarking on. Excited to hear all about it on Saturday afternoon. I know it will be hard physically, but the growth spiritually will be well worth it.
I'm not sure where I am going to come in on weight this week. I have fluctuated up and down by 2 lbs all week. I was feeling a little defeated at one point so I decided to measure and compare from when I started 2 weeks ago. I have LOST 2" at my natural waist and 1" at my muffin top, 1" at my hips and almost 1/2" each on my thighs. That kept me going. Just the motivation I needed. I am doing strength training with these three 10 minute workouts each day so I have to remember that while I am losing weight, I am also building muscle. I only missed 1 workout this week and that was because I was cuddling with Blake yesterday on his birthday. Today I will kick my own butt even harder and I am definitely planning a hard workout tomorrow too since I will be eating a little bit less cautiously due to the holiday! Hope this week was a success for you too. Can't wait to see your stats! I'll post my weight after this workout and shower.
It wasn't my birthday. It wasn't Mother's Day. It wasn't a 'get well soon' gift. It was JUST BECAUSE and it was so fun receiving it! My friend Lisa said she was shopping and saw this book "A is for Apron" and thought of me. She bought it. Then wrapped it up oh so pretty and made the sweetest little handmade card too. When she delivered it to me I felt so special. It really was fun to be on the receiving end of something so thoughtful for no reason than just because. The aprons and pictures are so amazing. I have drooled looking through it over and over again. Thanks, Lisa! She, herself, is an amazing creator of paper lovelies and will be opening an Etsy store soon.
JacksonandLucy.blogspot.com owners! Sometimes I take a look at feedjit and see how people are coming my way. Apparently this sweet little blog owner is either taking a lookie often or sending people my way. I wanted to go visit, but it is an "invitation only" blog. Bummer, I wasn't invited. :( Would love to meet you and check out your blog someday! I'm not the best blogger with regards to returning comments and visits, especially when my day gets so busy I almost don't get in my own daily post. But I do try to make my way to everyone who visits me. But I can also respect the fact that you might just want to lurk and stay anonymous. If that is the case, I understand. My feelings will not be hurt. I do my own share of lurking too!
Apparently people are also finding my blog by searching google with these key words: Dirty Hippie, Grandma Simpson (from Halloween post), New Haircut, Losers, Crap Cakes, Dog Mouth Watering, Heart Swelled, Faux Moustache, P90X Spokesmodel, Speedo Cannonball Photo, and Whipped Cream Topping. I think the most disturbing are the Dirty Hippie (seriously are people googling pictures of that?), Crap Cakes (does something really exist?) and Speedo Cannonball Photo (might actually have to google that one myself.)!
It is always interesting to find out how someone found you! I would love to hear how you found me.....if you can remember!
kisses, april
Things I want.....
1. More calm, less chaos.
2. More productive time, less idleness.
3. More peace in my brain, less crowdedness.
4. More peace in my home, less arguments.
What I will do to get these items.....
1. Get on my knees and pray in the morning.
2. Get on my knees and pray also in the evening.
My faith is strong in a loving Heavenly Father who wants us to be able to experience the above. It is up to us to ask and then make wise choices. I am going to try hard this week on the second list to have the things I desire in the first list.
Did you join WE ARE LOSERS? Did you not formally join WE ARE LOSERS but have been exercising, eating healthy, and improving your lifestyle? If so, we want to hear from you. If you are cheering us on, we want to hear from you too. Please post your stats, accomplishments or support in the comment section below. Just click where it says comments and if you post anonymously, please remember to sign your name at the end so we know who you are!! I'll be weighing in around 7:00 am and posting my accomplishments for this week. Yay for our first week!
I twittered about the trunk show ----------->
It went well and was a lot of fun. I sold five aprons! That was exciting.
My first trunk show is tonight for Funky Vintage Kitchen. I'm actually going to crash a Bunko night (where I was invited to crash....of course) at my friend's home. My little helper, Kaia, is coming with me. She is soooo good. Brilliant actually. And sweet to the customers. I think she sells the product because she is so cute with how she talks about her mommy and her talent to make pretty things. Ok....so I just like to hear her talk so sweet about me. She is almost a teenager....these sweet comments about her mother might not last much longer. I'll take 'em while I can get them. I look forward to our evening together.
There was a time in my life when I needed everyone to know how I was feeling but wasn't exactly sure how to do that. Even when they weren't asking, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs that I was falling apart. That I wasn't handling God's little challenge for me. That life was not normal in our home. That doing what we were doing to a little boy was not normal. That our worries and fears were not normal. That life wasn't fair and just because we put a smile on our face didn't mean that all was well. But I was afraid I would scare people. So I kept it in. Kept a stiff upper lip until I could no longer.
We built a wall. To hide behind. To pretend like we were handling it. To pretend that we were grateful for this opportunity to raise a special needs child. To accept such a challenge from a loving Heavenly Father who really did know we could handle it, it would just take time for us to realize it. We rarely broke down even around family in the beginning. It ended up only hurting us, but it is such a fine line between holding it together and completely being a hot mess. Would society think we lost it? Maybe, so we better hold it together. Another coping mechanism that I do believe helped us move forward. But I did end up talking to anyone who would listen.
Two years. That is how long I cried for, most of the time by myself or with Dave. And two years is how long it took for me to not care as much if people really knew what was going on in our home. But during those two years you'd better be careful if you asked how we were doing or how Blake was doing. Sometimes I would say, "do you want the polite answer or the real answer" or "how much time do you really have." Sometimes I would sit in friends' cars and talk and talk and talk about Blake and then wonder if I was boring them. Or get so frustrated if they asked, but then didn't have the time to listen to all of it. But it was ALL I could think about. And cry about. And wonder if and when I would ever feel normal again. If life would ever be normal again. I felt the need to be validated for being a hot mess in my head.
What ended up bringing our wall down? What ended the need for validation? Self-confidence. Comfort. Peace. In our new life. In our challenge. We were dealing with it. And succeeding. I knew it when someone asked how Blake was doing and I was finally able to say, "Fine" and nothing more. And not care if they knew he had a bladder infection and that 20 diapers in one day was killing us financially. Or if you watched me change his diaper your eyes would pop out of your head and you would say, "you put THAT....WHERE? And realize that life is very different in our home than many others. But guess what....we finally felt "normal" and I didn't need the validation anymore. But it was an important part of the healing process. I knew how hard life was going to be for our family. For our little boy. For his big sister. But it took time. And talking about it was what helped in the end. Being honest with our feelings. Crying when I needed to cry. Not being afraid to say "I'm not loving Holland today."
Life became rather routine for awhile and I went quite some time without crying. But when Blake started kindergarten last year, those emotions all came rushing back to me. But did I feel like I was failing this time? Did I feel the need to put up a wall this time? No. I was honest with parents, I cried in front of them. And most times, it didn't make them feel uncomfortable, which was nice. But I think it was because I just talked about it as a part of our life. Open and honest and not embarrassed. I cried in the Principal's office every time we talked about Blake's care. It is and will always be an emotional issue for me and while I apologized for his possible discomfort while I cried, I didn't apologize for crying. And I knew I was no longer a hot mess. Just emotional about a tough but normal situation for us.
So I guess what I am trying to say is that life does move forward and time does heal pain and loss. And normal does return. Maybe not the same as it was, but it will feel normal again. There was a time in my life that I needed to be validated. Now I feel the need to validate.
These thoughts and memories were prompted by a dear friend's post. Sharing through difficult times is what it is all about. Otherwise we would not be able to grow and learn from others experiences. I'm glad she is sharing. You can find her blog here.....you will be touched and inspired.
We are quite a group and we hope to grow in numbers not pounds! If this group doesn't inspire you, I'm not sure what will. I'm so proud of everyone who has taken this little challenge and we are inspired and excited. We have a couple of husband and wife teams, a couple of old friends from Napa, a couple of parents and a blog reader and recently gotten to know friend. Michelle who is joining at 254.4 lbs started today with no soda! Melissa set a goal to exercise 6 days a week. Way to go to all of us. Can't wait to hear progress on Friday!
My meals today: Breakfast....3/4 cup Kashi Go Lean Crunch cereal with 1/2 cup non-fat milk and 2 sliced strawberries. Snack.....20 almonds. Lunch......1/2 whole wheat pita with spinach, cucumbers, tomatoes, 1 slice flank steak and 2 tbs lite balsamic vinegar dressing. Snack......1 string cheese, carrot sticks & broccoli with a little lite ranch dressing. For dinner we are having grilled salmon, asparagus, seaweed salad and a small spinach salad. Oh and I exercised this morning....10 minute cardio, 10 minute abs & 10 minutes Yoga.
If you still want to join, send me your picture! I'll make a new collage.
Coming tomorrow....regular blogging. I got some incredible pictures of a house that Dave built that I will be sharing....plus some of the kids playing on the property. It is gorgeous.
My Man & the Father of My Children
Our Dads
My Brother Happy Father's Day to the special fathers in my life.
Your child scratches and dents the back quarter panel of the neighbor's minivan with the hand brake on his new bicycle. Good thing he was so cute in his confession. Completely telling the truth in the sweetest voice and then eyes appropriately swelling with tears. We went and told the neighbor to get an estimate and we will take care of it.
The kicker of the whole thing is not only is it going to set us back probably a few thousand dollars, but our other neighbor's daughter did the same thing to our car at the beginning of the week. Completely scratched the passenger door of our car with her hand brake. I still need to get the estimate for my repairs. We are just playing musical car repairs in our court. Probably the new rule needs to be.....NO RIDING BIKES NEAR CARS!
Addiction is a horrible thing. I've had a sugar headache since yesterday afternoon and I so badly want to pop a pack of Pez candies. I know it will do the trick, but it will also sabotage the work-out this morning (which hurt like h.e. double hockey sticks). Completely a killer. I am considering popping two Advil for the pain.
Zucchini is one of my favorite veggies and so far it has been my go-to food when I am hungry. I refuse to be hungry the first few days of a new eating regime. If I allow myself to get hungry I will completely blow it. So I allow a few extra calories if I am hungry, but make those extra snacks smart choices. Think whole veggies, fruit or a low fat string cheese. I need to go to the grocery store too, it will make my choices for meals so much more enjoyable when I stock my house with only good choices! So even though I am grouchy today, and I wish I could sleep through the first three days of a new diet, I know the scale will be my reward and so will my clothes fitting better. Until then, I am staring at the chocolate chips in the fridge that would instantly do the trick and dreaming of my "cheat day". But my resolve is so strong, they aren't tempting me. And by my cheat day, I will probably forget about them.
So fair warning, if you call me today or tomorrow and I am short with you, Dave this includes you, please forgive me. I am fighting my sugar addiction for a smaller waistline.
I did get in my 8 tall glasses of water yesterday....and pee'd all day long. I also allowed one glass of Crystal Light lemonade around 3:30 to try to ease the sugar craving headache. I'm a firm believer in not cutting EVERYTHING out at once. While I am eating healthy and trying to lose weight or just into a new eating program I allow for a few treats within reason. Case in point, I lost 15 pounds on Weight Watchers one year and had a small bowl of ice-cream each night. I allowed for the calories and the fat grams and stayed true to my diet plan because I never felt like I was completely deprived of all my cravings. This time around....I am allowing a complete cheat day. Saturday I will eat whatever I please. Usually allowing myself this leniency I tend to not eat it all. Kind of like the old adage you want what you can't have. Then when you can have it....you don't want it!Have you ever worked out so hard you felt like puking? I just did and finished my work-out with hanging my head over the toilet. Our first BeachBody workout (we did three 10 minute videos) went really quick, but were super hard. We started with Cardio, moved next to Yoga Flex and finished with Total Body. Mommy K showed up with baby at 6:40 am, but I had been up since 4:30 am afraid I would miss my alarm clock and leave her outside waiting for me! I definitely will be taking a nap this afternoon. Dave had to go to work early this morning, so I will find great delight in watching him this evening do his 3 workouts, but show complete compassion while he sweats and groans through it. Now I'm off to eat 1 cup of oatmeal with a 1/2 cup of lowfat yogurt and drinks lots of water today, which will mean lots of potty stops too until my bladder gets used to it.
If you didn't read last night's post....go below to check out what all this exercising is all about! And consider joining us....please. The more people checking in and recording their weight loss....the more fun and more inspiring. So go take your picture....now. And if you don't want to join in....pass the word around on your blog to invite any of your readers to join our challenge! The more the merrier.
So you know how before you start an exercise program you are encouraged to take the big "before pictures"? Well last night, while at our friend's home, we decided (the girls) to start the shorter version of P90X called BeachBody workout. Somehow we talked Dave into joining in with us. Mommy K is 10 weeks post partum. She is ready to lose her baby weight and frankly so are Dave and I! So we decided on a workout schedule. The three of us committed to a schedule and committed to eating healthy while working out. Our goal.....well we have quite a few of them. But our motivation......to report all our progress on this blog. To keep regular updates. Kind of like a "return and report" accountability system. We giggled and laughed while taking our before pictures and decided we definitely needed a title to our weight loss challenge.
Here are our pictures with our ideas for titles below. Check out the poll to pick your favorite title. AND....our challenge to you.....JOIN US in our weight loss challenge! Post your "before picture" with start date and weight on a piece of paper (like we did) on your blog and start a work-out program and a healthy eating plan. Come back here and leave a comment with your blog address so we can set up a link. We will all return and report our progress in the comment section on this blog each Friday. Make sure to take your measurements before starting too! We are starting tomorrow. We will check back in on Friday, but aren't expecting much difference until next Friday's check-in. Please consider joining us. We think it will be really fun! Here goes our before pictures!
Date and Weight.
Mommy K...10 weeks postpartum, April 7 years postpartum, Dave.....six minutes until delivery!
Sitting down with no sucking in or tucking in! Muffin top.....say bye-bye.
Dave due to deliver his Monster Energy Drink Addiction any day now!
I also love lemon bars. I love ice-cream and really moist brownies. I just bought a container of the above cookies. Now, after spending the evening with a cute little family and coming up with a fabulous plan, these cookies will all have to be eaten by midnight tonight. You think I can do it? I'm sure of it. There are only 10 cookies in the whole container. I've already eaten 2 before this even posts to my blog, so there is only 8 left. That's one an hour during a regular work day. Easy!
This video was made in the Antwerp, Belgium Central (Train) Station on March 23, 2009, with no warning to the passengers passing through the station. At 8:00 am a recording of Julie Andrews singing 'Do, Re, Mi' begins to play on the public address system. As the bemused passengers watch in amazement, some 200 dancers begin to appear from the crowd and station entrances. They created this amazing stunt with just two rehearsals!
Enjoy! It gave me chills. But then again, I love The Sound of Music Movie & Soundtrack and everything dancing.
Click here.
I wanted to share a little part of an email I just sent to a friend. She is the same friend that I have shared a previous email here on this blog about potty issues with our special kiddos. Our friends just found out that a complication has presented itself with their daughter with Spina Bifida. It is one that we, as parents, are so aware of. And afraid of. A tethered spinal cord that is causing growth problems. But these complications, as aware of them as we are, still catch us so off guard that it is shocking to us. Here are my feelings of why that happens and what I wrote......
"Why is it that we seem to easily forget that which we worried so much about those first couple of years. I think it is our coping mechanism. I tell people often that Blake might not always walk [because that is what the doctors tell me]. But they are just words coming out of my mouth. Do I really believe them? No. Will I be completely devastated if he ends up using assistance as he gets older? Yes. Will I think "I should have been prepared for this, I have been saying it for years?" You would think 'yes', but that will not be the case. I will still sit in shock and be a complete mess."
It truly is our coping mechanism, but at this point in our lives we use whatever works. I am still working on Dave to do a "Crap Cakes and Eggs" post on what it is like fathering a little boy with special needs.
I have tried to turn these several times....sorry for the crooked neck.We woke up around 7:30 am and Dave headed off to find a Starbucks while I got ready. We had our favorite breakfast sandwiches and a hot chocolate and headed to Alameda for the antique fair. We were there ALL DAY LONG. Six hours of walking back and forth, weaving through vendors. Some that completely caught our eyes and we had to linger at. Our first find was a vintage Samsonite suitcase with black and white flowers. Just what I was looking for. The last thing on my list was a dress form and we found that 10 minutes before closing near the front, so we didn't have to carry it all over. But Dave was a good sport and offered to carry most items for me so I could really browse. We had a great weekend. I have posted a picture of our 'finds' on my Butterflies blog. You can find it here. As I get older, I find it is harder to feel special on your birthday. Dave did a great job at it though. It was my dream weekend! Thank you my hunk-a-hunk of burning love!
This weekend.....we are cleaning out our garage AGAIN and attending a friend's 30th birthday party, going to church and just hanging out. Happy Weekend!
I STRONGLY DISLIKE IT. Half of the time I can't even pronounce that which they are asking me to type. I try. I really do. I say it slow and out loud to make sure I am typing it right. How long will it take blogger to add "Renesmee" to the list of word verifications?! It totally works with all their other weird words. That one took me forever to say.....I'm still not sure sure I'm saying Bella and Edward's little girl's name correctly!
Our gift to Blake's kindergarten teacher. A farm fresh basket of fruits and veggies! She has been good to us. We will miss her.
I snapped a picture of how I arranged it while I shopped so that I could put it all back together after I checked out. It did turn out pretty. And Mrs. Blair loved it!
We said good-bye to Northwood School today. It was an emotional and hard decision and one that was made pretty quickly but will be the best move for Blake. I was told, while meeting with the District Nurse on Monday, that there was a different school in our district (actually right across the highway) that could meet Blake's nursing needs immediately. Two school nurse's aids on campus full-time. We presented Blake with his two options: stay at Northwood and wait outside of his classroom for a nurse to come from another school to cath and change him or move to a new school that had the nurses on campus full-time. He jumped on the latter because he hates to have to wait and miss class. It also helps that the new school is where his cousins go! He is actually pretty excited. I am the one sad to leave our Northwood family. We go way back with Northwood. In fact, Dave went to kindergarten in the exact same classroom that Blake did this year.
We still plan to go play on their playground, attend their carnival and go to movie night on the field each year. We have good friends there. But we are excited to be with family in his new school. Big changes for next year. Right now.....we are going to enjoy our summer!
april
Just scored at the Alameda Antique Market. Found flowered suitcase, dress form, stool, and some funky metal letters!
38 Today. Dave tried telling you all in his new post below that I'm turning 42. Ha. Ha. Real Funny. Although nothing is really wrong with 42. It IS just around the corner for me. I woke up to a few surprises. The birthday fairy decorated my doorway, which usually only happens for children in our home, so it was a nice reminder this morning that today is my special day. And....I woke up with a pimple, a big one, on my cheek. I guess it is just a reminder that 38 is still YOUNG!
Speaking of young. When I was a little girl I vividly remember our fresh milk deliveries twice weekly. The gallons would be left on the porch in a metal crate. I believe my very earliest memories were glass bottles and then remember them changing to plastic gallon containers, but still delivered in the metal crates. Mom would send one of us kids out to the front porch to fetch the milk and put it away. Four gallons. We drank a lot of milk. That, and my mom provided day care in our home so she could stay home and raise her little darlings. I loved the feeling of getting our milk delivered from Stornettas. I'm not sure exactly why I loved it so much. But it made me feel special, like I lived in the days of "Little House on the Prairie."
Today I woke and walked through my streamer filled doorway. I opened my front shutters and saw the Farm Fresh to You truck in front of my house. My local fresh fruits and veggies were being delivered to my front porch. Left there for us to fetch. I thought for a minute about continuing the tradition of sending one of the kiddos out to fetch the box and put the items away, but then realized my birthday was off to a great start. I would go fetch the present myself. It made me feel special all over again, just as the milk delivery would as a child. And I was showered with fresh strawberries, tomatoes, lettuce, oranges, carrots, a yellow seeded watermelon, some parsley and three white peaches. Happy Birthday to Me!
Well my bro's and ho's, life has got in the way of my new career in blogging. This isn't as easy as April makes it look. It's late, I drove over a hundred miles today (in town) I have two bids to do and try and guess what my sweetie would absolutely enjoy for her 42nd birthday. Just kidding she's 29.....I scored a hottie. Any ideas? We have talked about going into the city and shopping just for her and also hitting up the ever famous Alameda Flea Market. In other words an over priced junk fest of stinky smelly antiques. Oh boy I can't wait!!! She will love every minute though and that is the only thing that counts. I will be back on Monday with the play by play. Happy Birthday Sweetheart!
Guest Blogger: Dave
HOLY CRAP BATMAN! I'M SUCH A LOSER THAT I CAN'T EVEN TRASH TALK ON MY SWEETIE'S BLOG ON TIME. AND SHE IS THE ONE WHO CAN'T GET THE KIDS TO SCHOOL ON TIME. SO LET ME INTRODUCE MYSELF FOR A MINUTE. MY NAME IS DAVE KENNEDY, I'M A TAURUS. I LIKE OLD SCHOOL PUNK ROCK MUSIC AND THINK TWILIGHT IS THE LAMEST EXCUSE FOR A VAMPIRE MOVIE I HAVE EVER HAD TO ENDURE. IF I WANTED A ROMANCE NOVEL I WOULD PICK UP A HARLEQUIN AT THE DRUG STORE!!!! ALL THAT OTHER STUFF IS FLUFF. I COULDN'T WAIT TO RAIL ON THE MOST POPULAR MOVIE THIS YEAR ACCORDING TO MTV. IF YOU WANT TO SEE A GOOD BLOOD SUCKING FLICK TRY "BLADE" OR EVEN BETTER GO RETRO (A WORD THROWN AROUND THIS BLOG ALL TOO OFTEN) AND CHECK OUT "THE LOST BOYS". YOU WILL THINK TWICE NEXT TIME YOU'RE AT THE BOARDWALK IN SANTA CRUZ.
SO ANYWAY, I HAVE HAD THE PLEASURE OF BEING MARRIED TO MY BRIDE FOR ALMOST 15 YEARS NOW. SHE IS THE POLAR OPPOSITE OF MYSELF AND THAT IS WHY I STILL FIND HER SO ATTRACTIVE. SHE HAS PUT UP WITH ME AND MY SURFING, SKATING, AND DIRT BIKE ADDICTION. SHE DIDN'T GET MAD WHEN I BROKE MY ARM RIDING MY DIRT BIKE (TWICE) AND EVEN THIS LAST TIME HAVING A SMELLY CAST FOR 4 MONTHS. SHE HAS LEARNED TO LIKE PENNYWISE, WILL TOLERATE MY HUMOR AND EVEN GOT MY DIRT BIKE STREET LEGAL. HOW COULD I ASK FOR MORE? I'M NOT SURE WHAT ELSE TO WRITE WITHOUT OFFENDING 90% OF THE PEOPLE THAT CHECK OUT HER BLOG. I PROMISED I WOULD BE KIND.........SORT OF. SO FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS POLITICAL CORRECTNESS IS OUT THE DOOR. IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT DON'T LOOK AT IT. MAYBE I WILL HAVE A GOOFY GIVEAWAY OR SOMETHING, WHO KNOWS YOU COULD WIN A PAIR OF GENTLY USED WORK BOOTS. AND, IF YOUR READING THIS DURING THE DAY GET A JOB, AND IF YOU ARE AT YOUR JOB, GET BACK TO WORK! THE MAN IS WATCHING YOU.
OOPS, THERE GOES THE START OF MY HUMOR, HOPE YOU CAN 'HEAR' THAT IT IS WREAKING WITH SARCASM. AND IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR ME, SHOOT. JUST LEAVE THEM IN THE COMMENTS.
Sad news today. Funky Vintage Kitchen will no longer be allowed to sell at Chef's Market due to a conflict with one of their existing downtown merchants. Because I sell similar items as a local store front (even though mine are all handmade) the Napa Downtown Assoc. has to protect their member's rights after the store complained that I was an outside vendor with competing products. I'll take it as a serious compliment and move on to different venues.
I've already made $235 and it isn't even Saturday yet. Apparently I have a reputation! My husband would call it something else.....like...."buy high, sell low syndrome". Oh well, at the least the garage will be cleaned out nicely by Saturday afternoon.
I'm off to Chef's Market again tonight to peddle my wares. And the cake plates are going to be cute tonight. I scored at a consignment shop yesterday. AND OMGosh.....I had my eye on a 4 piece set of adorable little dainty juice glasses. I picked one up and went to pick up the second one and a customer came around the corner and said, "Oh those are sold," and she started to take them from my hand. I said, "really....they are still on the shelf." Then she said, "Oh I was just getting money from my son." I wanted to say, "you snooze, you loose" or "well you shouldn't have left them on the shelf" or "I thought the rule was once you put it down it is up for grabs to someone else" but instead I kind of mumbled "well they were still on the shelf....but whatever" and walked away kind of laughing about how mean I really could have been and started a full fledged customer war in a consignment store with an older lady, but decided I was really happy with my finds and I didn't want to ruin my good mood.
I have also added some adorable bobby pins to my FVK and I promise to work on my Etsy site this weekend. I PROMISE! Hope you have a happy, no grabbing goods out of other people's hands kind of day.
Our neighbor Gordy called. He had three baskets of strawberries, picked today, for our little family's eating pleasure. Dave and I walked hand-in-hand down to Gordy's house. Yes....we are that 'in love.' Watching people fall out of love is a scary thing. (Did you see Jon & Kate plus 8's season opener? It was sad.) Especially when it sneaks up on you and your not sure when it happened. Dave and I had some issues that were eating us up about each other. Not talking about it only allowed resentment to build. I didn't like feeling that way. I want to feel loved, appreciated, cared for and shown tenderness and I want to have those same feelings towards my husband. We talked and we are working on changing some of our bad habits that are hurtful. And in finding out that we still cared enough to want to change made me fall more in love...again.
It felt good to walk hand-in-hand. To laugh and enjoy each other's company. To feel protected and loved. We will be married 15 years this July. And I want to say on July 30th that I am as crazy in-love with him on that day as I was when we were first married. You know....the crazy in love where you can't get enough of him kind of thing. Well that is what we are aiming for.....but on any given day I'm sure you will still be able to get a little complaint out of me. That comes with 15 years too! I hope though by 30 years I'll have forgotten what those complaints were.
And I am still interested in feedback on Funky Vintage Kitchen if you didn't see yesterday's second post below.
I promised pictures from the post below. (See post below for explanation of photos.) This is my new organized chaos. And my two piles for my garage sale! Come and shop. Early birds welcome (well only if you are a blog follower and want to come shop in my garage before Saturday).
And yes, Molly, your fabric is the black/white one and will be cut either tonight or tomorrow and yes, Amy, I was able to get more of the retro red/yellow/turquoise dots and your apron will be after Molly's. I have a "every kitchen needs a cock" (although I prefer the word 'rooster') apron to make also for my friend Tracy and her fabric is in the mix too. That Tracy is a funny girl! Funky Vintage Kitchen is considering doing trunk shows. Would you be interested in hosting one? I've even considered mailing out a box of FVK (Funky Vintage Kitchen) goodies for a trunk show in a different state where the hostess would purchase the box of goodies at a reduced rate and then host a trunk show in her home selling directly what was shipped. No ordering necessary....just lots of lovely goodies handmade by moi available that evening for purchase (with a suggested retail price included so hostess makes some cash). What do you think? I'd love some feedback.
We had a great weekend. Busy as usual, but great! One thing we did was clean out the garage and move my Funky Vintage Kitchen workspace out there. In doing so we have reclaimed our kitchen and dining room space. I'm planning dinner tonight with cloth napkins whilst dining at our table. We also created two big piles for a garage sale we are planning for Saturday morning. Once the garage sale items are sold, my workspace will feel more inviting. Although I will still be sewing inside to be centered in the home and with the family, all my supplies will stay neatly organized in the garage and easy to find. And drying cake stands can now fill up the work tables in the garage instead of the kitchen island.
Pictures are coming of both spaces. Just recharging my camera battery now. Oh....and the craft fair on Saturday went extremely well. Met really nice crafters and I had the best helper EVER. Kaia. She was truly amazing. Attentive. Professional. Personable. And that girl worked hard. I treated her to a darling little coin purse and a little necklace. We had a great time together. We hugged several different times during the day and expressed how happy we were to be spending the day together as Mother/Daughter. It was a precious day for me.
Happy Tuesday (even though it feels like Monday)!
This is me....the real me. Tired. 1:04 am. Still have an hour or so of work left before bed. But just read Lyndsay's post Keepin' it Real. It is touching and she sets out a challenge to take a picture of yourself at the end of your long day. I'm keepin' in real too. No touch up, no preparation for picture (except turning on light to be able to see my tired face). Now I'm back to work. Then to bed.
** Another post below. Pics of sneak peak of preps for craft fair.
Cake plates ready to go.....
New apron combo.......
And ring display with polka dot tablecloth!
...I dropped Blake off at school. The question of the day was, "Do you like whipped cream?" Blake proudly placed his name under the YES. Seriously, it seems like our life revolves around those two sweet words!
**another post below....I know two in one day and I said I might be spotty this week!
MY DINING ROOM!
Funky Vintage Kitchen received a request for His & Her aprons for a bridal shower! His: BBQ. Hers: Full Kitchen Apron. His: Stripes. Hers: Polka Dots. They are almost finished. Completely coordinated in fabric colors. Poor Dave got so tired of me using him for measurements and try-ons last night. Especially since he was getting our new water heater installed and it was 9:30 pm. He was a good sport though. So was my dad. I tried it on him a few times too.
Pictures to come later today. I promise! And, thanks Dad & Dave for working so late last night, after working such long hours yesterday. My shower felt great this morning. Nice and HOT!
I'm grateful for them. My sister, my brother and myself have become incredibly close in just a short period of time. Certain times call for families to pull together. My little brother had a need and Jill and I couldn't help but be his big sisters. Instantly. As it should be. Lucky for us, we all live in the same town. I couldn't be happier.
As adults Jill and I have just gotten really close in the last few years. Well maybe the last 10 years. Actually it is starting to feel like we have been close longer than we haven't. {Remember from an earlier post...she didn't really care for me borrowing her clothes.} And I feel fortunate at this time in my adult life to have the opportunity to be spending so much time with my brother and getting to know him better again. I think the biggest thing that Jill and I want for him to know is that he is not a burden to us.
Tomorrow I am spending the day with Jason in San Francisco at his medical appointments. We have a fun time together and I am looking forward to it.
(Just interrupted while posting this post with a hot water tank exploding all over my backyard. Got water and gas turned off....hubby will be coming home to a mess. Bummer.)
Busy week ahead. I have two craft fairs I am getting ready for at the end of this week. Plus will be shopping for a new hot water heater now on top of it. My posting might be spotty, but I plan on showing little updates on getting ready for my booth/display that I will be using at the craft fairs. Right now I'm sipping on raspberry lemonade. I did have a very relaxing, very enjoyable afternoon yesterday at my sister's pool with Blake and her family. Dave was gone this weekend on his dual sport ride and Kaia was at a sleepover birthday party. Blake and I swam, hung out and swam some more in our 100 degree heat weather. We have a full fledged swimmer now. Blake is all over that pool, even treading water. That will make for a fun summer this year.
Well I'm off to go crunch soggy raspberry seeds between my teeth while I drink my lemonade and watch the kiddos plus some cousins slip and slide down the slip and side. My sewing pile is not getting any lower, but I have been working on some recycled aprons that are just bringing me great delight. I just finished one made from a vintage curtain.
Being it is Sunday today and I didn't go to church, (which was a little blessing because the hot water heater exploded just 15 minutes after church started) I am carrying a little prayer in my heart that this week, as busy as it will be, I will be able to find time to enjoy the little things, cherish my children and my family, and be able to utilize my time to its fullest to get much accomplished. Oh and a million dollars wouldn't hurt either!
...and feeling quite smug with license plate in hand for hubby's dirt bike.
Would you believe it if I told you we were called to DMV window #7 again? We were....but different guy working. Karma.....it'll come back and hit you on the head worker must have called in sick with an ouchie on his head (or it was his lunch break....but I like the first idea better). Yea for us! This guy was respectful, nice and happy to serve us. We even had a scratch out from the CHP officer on a form that said "no alterations allowed on this form". I pointed it out that the incorrect numbers were DMV's fault and New DMV worker #7 actually apologized and accepted the form as is. 30 minutes later we walked out the door all smiles with a cute little motorcycle license plate in hand!
Oh and "going postal" is a slang reference to snapping. Like ex-postal workers who have snapped in the past.
For Dave's birthday he was given the OK (by me) to dual register his second dirt bike for on and off road use. Getting a dual registration through the DMV is almost impossible and according to many people.....just simply IMPOSSIBLE. I was determined though. I did my homework. I had ALL my paperwork filled out and signed by proper authority and had said dirt bike loaded in back of truck for inspection. Here's how my TWO hours went at the DMV today (yes...I am getting hot and shaky just having to say the letters DMV).
At 3:00 pm I walk confidently, but not smugly, into the DMV. I stand in the small "check-in" line (at our DMV that is where they ask what your purpose is, check your paperwork and if all correct, assign you a number). DMV worker #1 looks over my paperwork and hands me an application for new registration and tells me to fill out the paperwork and come straight back up to his desk when finished. No need to stand in line.
I fill out paperwork quickly and go stand at front of line which is quickly now becoming a very long line, wrapping around itself. New DMV worker #7 approaches me accusing me of cutting in line. I kindly tell him that DMV worker #1 told me to come back to this desk and he continues to accuse me of cutting in line. DMV #1 approaches and as I point to him and try to say "that guy" he looks at me like he doesn't know what I was talking about....so DMV worker #7 tells me that instead of cutting, I need to go get in the back of the line which is now about 30 people deep. Uugh. DMV worker #1 guy....."you totally knew you were lying and you made me look like a cutter to everyone in line." But that is OK....I keep my cool and wait my turn.
DMV worker #7 helps me at check in counter (I'm sure thinking cutter....the whole time). He asks what we are there for and we proceed to tell him. He mentions that we probably don't have everything that we need, but as he continues to look over our paperwork he reluctantly hands me number 196.
Dave and I sit down to wait for our number to be called and I say, "it would be just our luck and totally in DMV style for our number to be called by DMV worker #7." 10 windows with workers in it and up on the screen flashes "Number 196 to window number 7." I look to Dave and we both grimace a little.
The whole time he is again looking at our paperwork he is telling us what we need to get and I point out....."got it....here it is." He is getting furious by the minute but still staying somewhat positive with us. We watch him as he searches and reads for compliances for dual registration and then states, "that we can at least start the process today." I say, "Oh, why won't we be able to finish today?" "Well it's a process. I need to see the dirt bike. Where is it located?" he says somewhat nonchalantly. GOT YA! "It is here," I replied. DMV worker #7 says, "here in Napa?" "No HERE as in the parking lot of DMV....you need it for inspection right?" I quickly say. He winces. Got him again!
After 50 minutes of him looking through paperwork to find a non-compliance issue, he finally admits it is time to inspect the vehicle. Dave and I are quickly loosing patience with his stall tactics. But we weren't giving up. We walk out to our vehicle and meet him there. I joke with him that it is a good thing he is in casual khakis because it is quite a hike up to the back of our truck. Dave jumps up and starts showing him his two requests....VIN location and Engine # location. He starts to jump up onto the back of the truck and WHAM....he hits his head on the tool rack! Ha! I think. Karma BABY. It usually bites you in the "you know where" but this time it hit you in the head.
After inspecting our bike for over 30 minutes we are all stumped as to where the engine number is located. He tells us that he is going to have to refer us to the CHP offices for verification because he can't find it. In the meantime, I quickly call a dealership that is just a few minutes away and they say to bring it right over and they will show us where it is. I look at my watch and say to Karma....it will come back and hit you in the head worker, "it is 4:40 pm, if we can get the location can we bring it right back here for you to verify?" And he says, "sure, that would be great." I'm thinking lets just finish this with the same guy we started with today so there is no confusion and we don't have to wait for DMV worker #who knows to go through 50 minutes of paperwork to try to find the loop hole so that they can send us away empty handed.
We run to the dealership, find the engine # in record time and return to the DMV at 4:50. I walk into the DMV. Stand in the little line for check-in again and DMV worker #1 approaches me while Karma....it will come back and hit you in the head is watching me from his desk. I explain to him, while pointing to Karma...it will come back and hit you in the head worker, that he told us to come right back if we found the engine #. DMV worker #1 tells us, "I'm sorry. We don't do verifications after 4:30 pm." At that point, I walk over to Karma worker and tell him very politely that it would have been nice if he would have let us know that at 4:40pm." I then smile and tell him we will see him at 8:00 am tomorrow with all our paperwork verified with a CHP. He smirks thinking that there is no way we are going to get a verification appointment before 8:00 am tomorrow morning. Little does he know that the head of the CHP department for Napa goes to church with us!
I made a phone call at 8:15 pm and have all our paperwork verified and am going to battle with Karma guy tomorrow right after Kaia's Triathlon she is participating in at school. I can't wait.
And if they screw with me anymore, "going postal" might need to be changed to "going DMV"!
I'll will update my blog after my DMV experience tomorrow! Wish me luck. And, oh, check out the poll up there on the right!
....while I find what I like without my trusty graphic designer available. She is on maternity leave for two years. I didn't know it would be this hard without her. She creates exactly what is in my head. I have tried a few pre-made designs these last few days and they just don't cut it for me. I had previously purchased this header from her (Banners by Lyndsay, actually my first one....that I hadn't used yet) and I love it. It is completely me.....as are they all that she has designed for me. I'm just having problem with my background. I can't find anything I like to go with it. So just fair warning....I might be changing it up over and over and over again for the next two years.....ugh. I told Lyndsay I would be her first client when she got back into the swing of things again. I don't think she understands that I really WILL be her first in line!
NEW SHOES.
For a little boy, whose parents were told their unborn son would never walk or run, he sure does go through shoes fast. And I couldn't be happier! These are only 3 months old.
I always am overcome with gratitude when I have to buy Blake new shoes because they are worn out, not because they are too small. Where some parents moan and groan because their children are not careful or too rough with their shoes, I feel satisfaction. Grateful for miracles. Because you see, he is walking because of a little miracle....an answer to a sweet prayer....lots of them actually. A story that I need to share sometime soon.
We went shoe shopping today.
Most of you know about my love affair with whipping cream. I buy two bottles a week. We take shots of whipping cream straight from the bottle and sometimes sit down to a snack consisting of a bowl of whipping cream. Both Blake and Kaia are fans. Dave....not so much. But that is OK. If he were, I would need to buy three bottles a week. Here are the high points of my Mother's Day weekend.
1. Saturday night I was bought my favorite ice cream and a trashy magazine "Us Weekly" to enjoy.
2. Crumb cake breakfast muffins for breakfast, made by Dave and the kids.
3. I was told I had the day off from diaper duty, but still ended up changing a poopy one. But it was OK...it was my choice and part of what being a mother is all about. I felt honored he picked me as his diaper changer of choice.
4. I received my vintage jars, a lovely dishcloth and some fun running socks in my favorite colors. (I think I am supposed to pick up running sometime soon!)
5. I wore a bikini to our family swim party and announced to all "that I really had no business being in a bikini, but be glad it wasn't a thong bikini." and then proceeded to make my bottoms a thong and pranced around the pool. (My sister's father-in-law about died.)
6. I received a great little coupon book from my kids that I plan on cashing in. Every. Single. Coupon.
7. And last, was almost thrown into the pool still dressed, but ended jumping in myself after my auntie did this, see picture below, to me. Let's just say....I WAS the whipped cream topping to the perfect SUNDAY! (Brilliant little play on words there....if I do say so myself!)
AND BROKE IN PAIN. But that is what being a mother is all about. Having our hearts run around all about us. Feeling joy as our children feel joy and pain when they feel pained.
And, I wouldn't say that it is worse when one of those children has special needs, because we love each of our children....completely. But it is different. Different because they didn't ask for their challenge. They didn't have a choice as to whether they were going to be strong enough to handle it. To handle their peers. To handle the emotions that come with being "different" from the norm. To handle the lessons they were sent to this earth to teach most of us. They just have to deal with it....to the best of their ability and I am proud to announce that Blake made me smile the other day when he chose a special way to deal with some peer issues.
Blake came home from school and told me that one of the kids from another kindergarten class thought that he saw a diaper on Blake while they were playing on the playground. That boy sent another boy (actually a very naive sweet boy) to go ask Blake if he wore diapers. Blake quickly told them, "No....that is part of my underwear." (....dummy.)
The next morning I had set out Blake's clothes and told him to go get dressed. I walked in and found him having a little bit of hard time pulling up his jeans and getting them snapped. When I knelt down to help him I realized he had taken a pair of his Gap boxers and put them on over his diaper. (We had purchased them some time ago for this very purpose, but he had yet wanted much to do with them.) It makes for a bit of bulk with diaper, boxers and jeans but it was his idea and his solution. My heart swelled. He is starting to figure out how to deal with this challenge all by himself. He is taking care of himself. He is protecting himself. I simply stated, "you put your boxers on...nice job." And he said, "Now when people see my underwear they will think I wear Gap underwear. Make sure they are sticking WAY OUT the top mom." My heart broke. He is NEEDING to take care of himself. Protect himself. Deal with this challenge.
But in the end, I smiled and let the swelling of my heart take over the breaking from the pain and find cheer in his happiness with his solution. If you could have just seen his face. He went to school that day so confident. I have a feeling boxers will be a new staple in his wardrobe....as it should be at his age!
Happy Mother's Day to all my friends. Yes.....I mean you! And for any of you that are struggling with motherhood at this time, remember our loving Heavenly Father did not send us here to be entrusted with these sweet spirits without His help. He is here for us as mothers.....we just need to kneel and ask.
And if you are interested in seeing how sweet my daughter's spirit is.....check out this post on her blog. She makes my heart swell in gladness also. Kaia and Blake make it easy to be grateful to be a mother and I am looking foward to celebrating Motherhood with all the special mommies in my life this weekend, especially my own mom.
She really is amazing. Even though I think most of the time she doesn't think she is. She is pulled in many directions. She is raising four children, has a husband that works hard at work and then coaches baseball practically all year. She works full-time at home doing medical transcription, plus lots of over-time at home doing medical transcription and most nights she plans and makes dinner for her family.
This morning I had plans on going out and getting a hot chocolate and a wonderful cream horn from our local bakery Buttercream Bakery. Blake ended up staying home sick from school with a bad cough (no...not swine flu) and a horribly runny nose. There went my plans for a nice start to a day alone. I also needed to get 4 aprons sewn and ready this morning by 11:30 am.
I called my sister asking her if Buttercream sounded good. I told her I was craving a cream horn and really needed one but Blake was home sick. And I COULD pack him up in the car, but I also had aprons to make. After just a little bit of encouraging (plus it didn't help that I asked her what her favorite treat was at Buttercream haha just to get her drooling) she said, "I'll be right over with Buttercream, but I have to leave your house by 12 noon. I have tons of work to do."
She came with 2 cream horns and doughnuts for the kids. We sat in my kitchen and chatted like sisters do, me watching the clock carefully. I didn't want to mess up her schedule too bad. But I really had a desire to just hang out with her. She left at 12:30. She was 30 minutes late to work! Well according to her own schedule! I've been 30 minutes late to work if you remember correctly. It was worth it and I hope today was worth it for her too. I loved every minute we spent together today.
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