Fireflies and LadyBugs

Today's science lesson was on Fireflies and LadyBeetles (Ladybugs) - because officially neither of them are bugs or flies....they are both beetles :)  There is your science lesson for the day.  Also note that I was spelling beetles like the rock group...but spell check didn't like that!  LOL

Anyway, Bear is terrified of any bugs, but especially ladybugs and fireflies.  No matter how much you explain about their good qualities, he screams whenever he sees one.  Heaven forbid they be in a herd.  LOL  But he participated and drew a fantastic rendition of a ladybug...in purple.  But hey, that's something anyway.  He has also been "teaching" us all about ladybugs and fireflies.  I hope he remembers some of it for his dad this evening!

Heads Up

Feel free to head on over to Sew Blessed if you are looking to do some early Christmas shopping or perhaps something for a wedding/baby shower.  Just up are knitted dishcloths.  They are 100% cotton.  Check them out!  More items to come :)

Walking through the Teen Years

Leland turned 13 this summer.  That statement makes me feel old and I worry about what will happen to our relationship as he gains independence and becomes his own person. 

I usually walk around town while the boys have soccer practice.  Usually I am pushing a stroller, but last night Norman kept the babies at home.  I had my ipod in my hand and was ready to go when Lee offered to go with me.  Now, walking is my time.  I zone out and have a terrible tendency to ignore the ramblings of Bear (isn't that horrible???) while I try to refocus and relax.  Last night I was going to be able to be ALONE!  And Lee wanted to go with me.  So I left my ipod in the van and we walked.  And talked.  I shared some life experiences and learned a lot about my teenage son.  I am so very glad that we were able to have that hour and I hope that he and I (Greg and I, Bear and I, Abby and I) can carve out more time over the next few years to spend some one-on-one time and get to know each other better.  Maybe the teen years won't be so bad after all..................and for the record, I am going to forever be 33 :)  So maybe getting older won't be a problem after all.  LOL

Remembering

I had to do something today that I never wanted to do.  I had to explain Sept. 11th to Greg.  My oldest 2 children were 17 months and 3 years old on Sept. 11, 2001.  Although Lee (3) watched the news with me, I knew he didn't understand and didn't remember the frantic 3 hr. drive home or the anxiety that kept me up nights for the next few weeks.  However, he has seen the news coverage, the TV specials and has heard me talk about it many times.  Apparently Greg has not, or didn't realize what I was watching.  He came out and watched the news with me for a bit this morning.  And the questions started.

I found it relatively easy to explain the facts, the actions, the events.  Just like a history lesson.  What I found more difficult was to explain my feelings......how do you explain the fear?  The need to get home to a safe place immediately?  How do you explain that to a 10 year old that hasn't ever experienced anything remotely similar in his young life?  I tried and I am sure failed miserably.  Honestly, I hope he never feels those same things.  I hope that nothing like this ever happens again.  I can never forget.

Fall is Here

I am my father's daughter.......a farmer's daughter.....so nothing smells more like fall to me then the smell of corn dust :)  I know, people with allergies hate me, but really, you know it is fall if the combines are running!  LOL  So, my parents shelled the corn in the field between our houses.....so now I can see what they are doing and EVERYONE on the road can see what we are doing.  I hate that. 

This is day 2 of Norman on dayshift.  Yesterday was anything but normal with a bunch of emergency trips to town for my brother thrown in, but I still think everything went well.  Today is going great!  School is almost done (its 9:40) and chili is simmering in the crockpot for supper.  Laundry is almost done and the house is picked up.  I just have a few more small tasks to complete before we head to town for a library event this afternoon.  I look forward to having Lee and Norman home for supper :)

I think I may have to pack up my shorts and capris though.  I am sitting here freezing!  LOL  Have a great day everyone!!!!!

Choosing Joy

In this lifetime I will have many choices to make.  Many choices to be made every single day.  Although most of the choices I make have no bearing on my eternal life, many will impact how my day goes or how others perceive my life or how my life experience is remembered.


Some of the choices I have faced today include:
*when to get up (although for the most part, Abby did that for me)
* what to have for breakfast (don't tell WW but I had leftover pizza)
*TV news or Bible study (sadly, today I chose TV news)
*shower or just dress (I showered)
*chores or my fun stuff (I did "must do" chores and then knitting)
* lunch menu (leftovers)

You get the idea.  Out of that list, the only thing that I can see that would have eternal value was the choice NOT to have Bible study.  However, several of those choices will impact my outlook on the day - did I feel rushed because Abby got up the same time I did? How is my energy level because I chose a crummy breakfast? Am I ready to face the day since I chose a shower? Do I feel somewhat justified in my choice to do something for me (knitting time) now that I have the household running somewhat smoothly?

No matter what option I choose at each crossroads I always have the choice of JOY.  Choosing joy means that I am at peace no matter what time Abby or the clock wake me up.  I can feel JOY that I didn't have to make myself a big breakfast (or JOY that I had the time/ability/desire to make a healthy breakfast).  JOY keeps me smiling when I don't have the time to do my things.  JOY breeds patience and kindness when Bear tells me something 25 times or wants me to build the lincoln log town.....again.  JOY reminds me that having my husband home every evening is worth the 4:45 a.m. wake-up call.  Joy leads to contentment when I wish we could go out to supper, or I can sit on our "imaginary porch". 

Living a joyful life enables others to see Christ through me.  Do I lead a joyful life daily?  Unfortunately not.  I hope though, that most of my days are filled with joy.  I ask God daily to give me joy in my heart and that the joy I feel will lead others to see the joy of Christ in my life.

Sometimes it is easier not to choose joy.  Sometimes feeling joyful takes effort.  I have found though, in my life, that the little effort required to find the good in each person or situation leads to wonderful blessings in my life.  A day may go from bad to better or at least memories will be made. 

My lincoln log mayor is calling me to rebuild his town :)  So for now, I am choosing joy in playing with this little boy.....one who won't be little for very much longer.  Thank you God for the ability to live with JOY!

Nobody Should Pay Full Price for -------

I was going to entitle this post "Nobody Should Pay Full Price for Diapers", but then stopped because most of the points I make will apply to just about anything that you buy on a regular basis.  For the ease of understanding, I will be discussing diapers.

I have a 4 month old in diapers.  Unless you have already bought cloth diapers and are using them exclusively then you will be buying diapers at some point in the future.  Here are some ways to get your diapers cheaper or even free!

Diaper coupons abound.  They are everywhere.  You can get them from your local newspaper or the internet.  They are also included if you order a diaper sample.  I get diaper coupons in the mail after having signed up for new baby type information on the internet.  If you haven't done this, then you should.  You can also earn diaper coupons if you have a favorite particular "brand" like Pampers or Huggies.  These diapers contain a code on the packaging that you can enter into an online account.  Save the "points" from Pampers and you can earn a $3 coupon sent to you by mail.  I assume you can do something similar with the points on Huggies packages as well.  These codes are also available on packages of wipes :)

Occasionally CVS will have store coupons for diapers that print at the bottom of your purchase receipt.  You can use this with a regular diaper coupon for more savings.  I try to never pay more than $5 a jumbo pack for diapers and I almost never buy a store brand (although some are very, very good).

By far the cheapest way to get diapers is from Amazon.com.  Most name brand diapers cost around $8 for a jumbo pack.  I can get the equivalent of 3-4 jumbo packs of diapers for $23 (a savings of $1-$9) with free shipping by choosing to have diapers shipped to you on a regular schedule.  It is called Subscribe and Save.  Anyway, I get my diapers for FREE using this option.  Want to know how?

Go HERE and sign up for Swagbucks.  Install the toolbar on your computer(s) or use their homepage while doing your internet searching.  Shop through regular stores from Swagbucks.  Take surveys and check out special offers.  While doing all these things you will be earning points.  Every 450 points earns you a $5 Amazon gift card. You can also use your points for other gift cards or items from their store, but we are talking diapers and other items here!  Stay with me :)  Anyway, you can store these $5 gift cards on your Amazon account, allowing them to accrue.  Then you use that "money" that you "earned" to buy your diapers (or whatever other items you can get from Amazon).  Remember that Subscribe and Save shipping is FREE :)  So I have huge boxes of diapers shipped to my house with NO money out of my pocket - or very little depending on how much internet searching my kids or husband do.  You can start doing this also by going HERE and signing up.  I promise, this isn't some weird way to get your banking information or making you buy something you don't want.  You use their search engine just like you do google.

I know times are hard economically for a lot of people nowadays. I hope that this information will help you stretch your budgeted dollars a little farther.  Have a great day!

First Few Days of School

Many of my online blog friends have been doing "first day of school" posts. I don't think that I usually do one but there isn't any reason not to so here we go.

Lee had his first day on Friday. At least I didn't cry this year. And yes, I do realize that he is 13. I think I am making big strides in the "letting go" department. Anyway, he had a good first day and the last 2 days have went well also. He is very glad to have a study hall this year. He is on a new bus route in the afternoon. He gets home at the same time, but is with different people. So some of his friends that he rode home with last year have dropped by. I always wanted to be the house where all the kids hung out, but let me tell you, teenage boys EAT....a LOT. LOL I will definately need to go grocery shopping and I need to just plan on baking several times a week in anticipation of a visit. It is great getting to know his friends though.

Greg and Bear had a very short "here is the plan" class on Friday and then a short day on Monday - dad supervised while I was in town. So today was actually the first "real" day of school for them. I think it went well. I gave Bear my undivided attention right off the bat. He was THRILLED. We are using a free curriculum I found on the internet. It is going really well. With our letter of the week we are using the Abeka memory verse cards that my friend Shanna gave to me. So this week for the letter A we are memorizing "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23". We drew pictures, sang songs, read about the days of creation and several books that I had gotten from the library. I think it went really well.

While I was working with Bear, Greg was working on independent stuff. Mainly drawing. I am encouraging his artistic abilities this year. I think it is going well so far. Everything else went about the same and I was done with schooling by lunch time, just like last year. I was afraid with the addition of another scholar and a baby that I would still be working after lunch, but other than a few minutes of grading I was done by 10:30. Greg finished up shortly after lunch and was done with chores and everything by 1:00 ish so that isn't bad. He hasn't started working on his character building projects yet, but I don't anticipate that taking to much more time.

Abby is her normal sweet self :) I have nicknamed her smiles. She is such a sweetie. Loving her so much and yes, she is very different from the boys. So very thankful to have her every day :)

Our family is very blessed in that my husband will be going to day shift in 2 weeks. He has only worked less than 1 year of day shift in the 15 years we have been together. It has been at least 11 years since he worked day shift. I am so excited! I am sure that I will have to rework our schooling a little as I am used to him being home and awake at least during lunch time, but Greg and I agreed that if Dad wasn't home, we could eat lunch whenever we wanted! LOL

Thinking about sharing some struggles, but will save that for another post. Have a great week!

July Molly's Money Saving Digest

Hello! I know that most of you have heard me talk about Molly's Money Saving Digest. Again, I can't begin to tell you what a wonderful resource this is for those of us trying to watch where our money is going. Molly makes counting pennies fun!



In July's digest, Molly begins by explaining how she keeps a picnic bag in her car for improptu picnics. I love picnics and we need to have more of them. I am so thankful for her list of items to keep in the car and ideas for fun things to do while picnicing. If you need a reason for a picnic, Molly lists several fun special dates in July - national ice cream day anyone???? LOL The forms that Molly provides this month would also be helpful on a picnic, including scavenger hunt and nature study forms (with ideas on how to use them).



Molly provides a weekly menu plan and recipes including Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken, Banana pudding, Grilled Shrimp and Noodle Salad - and others! Molly also includes a grocery shopping list so that you can follow her weekly menu with as little work as possible.



The kids are home for the summer so Molly gives us a bunch of fun science activities that make something else that they can use......such as Homemade Bubble solution and Oobleck.



Need something to do with all those plastic grocery bags you get? Would you believe there are instructions for a day pack made from grocery bags? You will love it! I can't wait to try it out.



Molly wraps up this digest with an alphabet of fun summer activities. Now you can't complain that there is nothing fun to do!



Molly's Money Saving Digest can be found at The Old Schoolhouse Store for $4.95.

Blessed

I am reminded again today how blessed I am to be a stay at home mom.

There are many days that are hectic, busy and I get overwhelmed....many days that I wish I had somewhere else for either me or all these kids to go for just an hour.....but the many, many benefits outweigh all those times.

While many working mothers struggled to get their kids up, dressed and to the sitter so that they could go to work I woke up at 7 a.m. and spent an hour snuggling a cuddly baby and sleepyhead toddler. I watched cartoons on NickJr. and played kick ball (yes, in the house). I washed laundry and was reminded of how thankful I am to have a dryer (I don't yet feel up to hanging things out on the line). I made a nutritious lunch (tacos) and cleaned up the kitchen - thankful again for a dishwasher. I was able to do my cleaning tasks while Abby was napping and Bear was hugging on daddy.......working around the needs of my babies rather than someone else's schedule. This afternoon we are going to spend a much needed afternoon with Grandma - the spring planting is finally done!

I know that not everyone is able to stay at home.....I didn't when Lee was a baby. However I am grateful every day that my husband is able to provide fully for us......I am reminded to be content when there are projects that don't have the funds to be completed (my imaginary front porch and garage for example). I know how easily these years will speed by. I am thankful that I am able to be the one to get Lee up for school and be here (or where ever he is) when school and sports are over. I am thankful for yet another year to homeschool Greg. I am thankful for silly games of hide-and-seek with Bear and snuggle times with sweet little Abigail.

Thank you, God, for blessing our family so richly!

Memorial Day Weekend

It is Memorial Day weekend. This is one of those times I don't like being "old". As a child and then a teenager/younger adult we always had something fun planned for Memorial Day weekend. The only exceptions were the springs that were wet and pushed planting into the end of May. Here I sit today, a non-farming adult, with absolutely no plans for the weekend.....and dh has no intention of making any either. (((sigh))) So here we sit. The boys are mowing the yard.....I canned 6 pints of cherries this morning and did the normal housekeeping duties. Dh took a nap.

Abby is growing well. At her 2 week appt. she had already gained over a pound, weighing in at 8 lbs 8 ozs. She sleeps really well at night and is becoming more alert during the day. I swear she must be deaf though because she very rarely even flinches when the chaos is swirling around her. LOL

I am feeling really well with the exception of the headache I have had for 4 days now. My incision is healing well with just a little pain on the left side after I have been doing something I probably shouldn't. LOL

I am very glad that Lee is done with school for the year. It is very nice to have all my children home together for the summer. Of course, with camps and such we won't be together all summer, but that's ok.

I hope that the beginning weekend of summer is a fun/safe/happy time for all of my friends!

Our Miracle - Abigail Caroline

So here is her birth story.

We got to the hospital for her induction (scheduled due to the fact that they think she weighed heavy) at 6 a.m. May 11, 2010.I was immediately hooked up to pictocin and all that jazz. The dr. came in and broke my water about 8 a.m. He became concerned because her arm was above her head and instructed the nurse to watch it.
*****sidebar - 2 of my nurses for the day had been nursery nurses at St. Anthony's when I was born 6 weeks premature 32 years ago and they remembered me. I was there for 4 weeks then and that was pretty rare. LOL One even brought in a picture that she had of me right before I was dismissed. It was great!*******
Around noon the contractions were fairly intense and every 2-3 mins. apart. The nurse kept coming in and pulling the baby's heart rate sheet off the monitor but I didn't pay much attention.....I was otherwise occupied. LOL The nurse decided to check the babies position and how much progress I had made. Big problem....baby's arm was still above her head and BIGGER problem was that every time I had a contraction her heartrate went from 150 to 50. Every 2-3 mins. She called the doctor. He got there about 1 p.m. checked me and immediately called for an emergency c-section. He said that if I would have been a 10 he would have delivered me but I was only dilated to a 5.....her arm was the only thing coming out. LOL

So.......I quickly signed papers, got shaved, got my catheter, met the anesthesiologists, etc. Was wheeled down the hall......crying. I told my mom I loved her (only 1 could come back to OR with me). Norman donned his scrubs. They gave me a spinal block which wasn't nearly as bad as I might have imagined although he had to do the actual needle stick while I has having a contraction (they had turned off the pitocin but I was still contracting although not as frequently). Norman was brought in, cutting was started.........Abigail was born at 1:21 p.m. She had the cord wrapped around her neck and her arm was delivered last. LOL She rated a 9 on both apgar scores. I was stitched up and returned to recovery. I didn't really have any problems with the spinal. After 1.5 hrs I was moved to my regular room. Norman brought her in to me after I got settled in recovery. She is beautiful. She has the longest little feet and toes :)

C-section recovery is not fun. Although all the baby books tell you that you will stay an extra 2-3 days in the hospital after a c-section, that isn't so in Effingham. LOL I was booted out exactly 48 hrs. after her birth. The pain is excruciating. And this is from the lady who delivered the first 3 without any pain medication. LOL Norman says I have a very high tolerance for pain. So I have been sitting mostly. Getting out of bed is agony. Friends say to walk and I am trying but I am bent over at a weird angle and it is terribly painful. I am hoping for improvement.

Abigail is wonderful. She is the most precious gift from God. I am so thankful for L&D nurses who were watching that monitor and knew what they were looking for. We could have lost her so easily. Also, the nurses in OR were great.....although I didn't find out until afterwards they kept having to give me epinephrin in my IV because my blood pressure kept going low. The OR was such a calm place though....you wouldn't have ever known that there was an emergency or that anything was wrong with me in there. That really helped with my anxiety level.

So we are very thankful to be through this and so very thankful that we are safe and healthy. Everyone is adjusting and Norman is taking wonderful care of all of us. We have been very blessed and protected by God this past week.

Tomorrow

I was dilated at 2 cm at my appt. today so tomorrow morning 5/11/10 we are to be at the hospital at 6 a.m. for induction. Prayers for a safe and speedy delivery are appreciated. Thanks a bunch!

38 weeks 2 days

That's how far along I am.

I love being pregnant, really I do, but at this time in the game I am done. D O N E done. At the last ultrasound 2 weeks ago, baby Abby weighed an estimate of 6 lbs 11 ozs. I do realize that is an estimate and that it can be off +/- .5 to 1 lb either way. EITHER WAY. So she might not have been that big......or she might have been a giant. One way or the other. Dr. Schulties is generally not impressed with my baby growing skills. At last week's appt. he said that this Monday (May 10th) we would be scheduling the induction. Now, you would think that the over-cooked pregnant woman would jump at the chance to be induced. You would be forever wrong. You see, I have been induced all 3 other times I was pregnant. Lee and Greg were induced at 40 weeks (on their due dates) and Bear was induced 11 days early (high fluid levels). I've never went into labor on my own.....never had the excitement of rushing to the hospital......never been able to labor for even part of the operation in the relative comfort of my own home. I would really love this time to be different. I also dread a long labor. Here are my stats so far - start to finish - Leland no dilation or anything 28 hrs., Gregory no dilation or anything 15 hrs., Bear dilated to 3 cm upon arrival at hospital 6 hrs. I am also one of the dummies that refuses pain medication. LOL Now you understand my reluctance to have a long drawn out labor. I would really like to have a repeat of Bear's delivery (minus the hour or so it took them to stitch up things that shouldn't need to be stitched up afterwards - without pain medication again I might add - although I would have gladly taken the pain medication at that point - but the nurses were too busy dealing with bad lighting and excessive bleeding on my part). Sooooo.....when we go to the appt. on Monday, if I am dilated, I will be agreeable to whenever the dr. wants to induce.....Norman would prefer Tuesday. LOL If I am not dilated I am going to beg and plead that we wait for Friday the 14th.....just to give little miss an opportunity to assist a little in the process. I will note that I have been having contractions of varying strengths for about 3 weeks now......3 WEEKS. Yeah.....and probably it is my luck that I have made NO progress. I guess we will see Monday. So there ya go. Probably way more information than you wanted. I bet ya like my logic though.....don't ya???? LOL

Oh, and the viagra comments have stopped, thank goodness.......now I have comments about various herbal supplements and modeling agencies. Like anyone would hire me at a modeling agency. (rolling eyes)

It Has Been a Bad Day

I tend to have these sometimes when I'm not pregnant so I guess I shouldn't feel immune when I am. Some people just have the ability to bring out the worst in me.

Facebook is an interesting forum for conversation. Did you know that people can delete the things they say (after they said them) leaving you looking like the donkey's behind when the whole thing is over? Yeah, happened to me yesterday. LOL I should have known better. I am frustrated about something and managed to get in an argument with someone that I knew couldn't make it better. Even though to read the stuff this guy posts (and then deletes when called on it) you would think that he had all the clout in the world. I get so frustrated when I feel like my kids are being wronged.....I know that doesn't justify my behavior......I needed a little bigger dose of that Christian love......but that's how it goes.

I find friendship to be fickle too sometimes. I always make friends with forever in mind....but I guess others don't. That makes me sad and confused and is probably why I am actually typing this at 2:30 a.m.

And why don't I get anything but trash comments to my blog? LOL If I get one more link to viagra in my blog post comments I am gonna scream!

Norman is on vacation. That means it is fishing time :) I am glad he got to spend the whole day out on the lake (and for once it seems the boat was working perfectly!). I forget that it takes hours to clean all those fish when he comes home. I had Bear all day and he was a sweetheart and we spent most of the day at mom's house, but I thought when Norman came home I would be off duty. In dealing with the stuff I shouldn't have had to be dealing with I was tired! But it was 10 p.m. before he came in and took over Daddy duty. And I could have had Bear asleep before that if Daddy wouldn't have been outside. LOL Ironic, huh? I think they are doing it again tomorrow, too. Hope we don't wear out our welcome at Mom's house.

Why again am I blogging at 3 a.m.? Oh yeah, pregnancy and stress induced insomnia. LOL

I've been reading a lot. Not going to post the titles cause most of them have already returned to the library or my Mom's house. I am a better reader than a blogger I guess. Use your imagination.....mostly romance and mysteries.

The baby is doing well. Norman decided to name her Abigail Caroline. My blood pressure has been normal now for 2 visits so I guess that was a one time issue.......good thing I didn't check it today though. LOL Probably would have been high. I have been having a lot of contractions - ironically none today. LOL Apparently they are not stress induced. And I walked a mile slowly with Bear and Mom.....today was the best day for contractions by far. I love to feel her moving around in there.......I just can't wait to meet her. I am so excited to have a daughter.

Maybe I can somehow teach her to keep her mouth shut when people act like dummies on facebook..........I am sure by the time she is old enough to know any better there will be something better than facebook.

Maybe I have dumped enough of my mind to sleep now. Maybe. I am hopeful. I've been praying but I don't feel easy about the problem.....maybe it is my reaction to the people involved that I don't feel peace about. Maybe I need to pray some more. Or get some sleep for the 1st time in 2 days. Or a combination of the 2.

If you have taken the time to read through this mess, either here or on facebook, please pray for me. I need control of my tongue - or fingers as the case may be (NOTE TO SELF - you don't have to respond to people who are being snooty - even if it is about an issue with your kids) and I need to learn patience and I need some sleep. Not particularly in that order.

Tomorrow should be another good day. Please God, help me to enjoy it!

Almost April

First my completed reading for the week:
Romans
The Face of a Killer by Robin Burcell

Now then,
It has been an interesting week. As predicted the doctor gave me another round of antibiotics. I am feeling much better. However, my blood pressure was up. Not alarmingly high, but high enough that we got a 1-week appt. and an ultrasound for this Monday - day after tomorrow. I am eager to see our baby girl, check position, fluid levels, etc. I am a little concerned that I am carrying too much fluid again, but we will see.

The most interesting thing this week is that I have been having contractions. Strong enough, ya feel them contractions. Probably braxton hicks, but stronger than I am used to. I find this interesting because I haven't ever went into labor on my own. All 3 of my boys were induced, although I was "almost" in labor with Bear......I had contractions the night before induction and was dialated to a 3 by the time I got to the hospital. If it wasn't for the high fluid level requiring the induction he might have actually shown up on his own....LOL So I find the feeling of non-medication-induced contractions interesting. I sure would like to have this baby come on her own, but we will see about that. They have all managed to get here, one way or the other :)

Been trying to do a lot of cleaning....projects that need to be done. My energy level very rarely lasts to the end of the list though. And it turned off cold again, just when I was planning to work in my flower and herb beds. LOL There is always next week.

The older 2 boys went with Grandma and Grandpa RVing in southern IL this weekend. It is a first trip together thing and I think that they are having a lot of fun. I sure have missed them. Bear plays for a while by himself, but he is used to having the others around somewhat so it has been difficult for him and exhausting for me. Tomorrow Norman is off work and the boys will be home, so we will have made it through :)

I guess that is all here. I will update again after the doctor's appt. Monday unless there isn't anything to update.......Have a good weekend!

Happy Birthday!

Gregory Robert turns 10 tomorrow! Happy Birthday sweetheart :) We got him a new electric acoustic guitar last week - exactly what he was wanting. He has been enjoying it so very much. He is a joy to our family and I am so very thankful that God placed him in our lives 10 years ago.

Despite the current festivities (he chose chocolate cake with chocolate icing and ice cream for dessert tomorrow), I have had the grouchy/grumpies for a few days. I have no idea why. Maybe just hit the "exhausted and I don't want to" part of pregnancy. There are many things to do and I just don't feel like doing any of them. LOL I hear pregnant women talk all the time about nesting, but I never really feel that urge. Usually I go the other way.....the further along I get, the less I care....about anything :) It doesn't help that I have been reading rather than doing projects.

Norman has been working on my new pantry. I am very excited to have it done soon. He and the boys installed the track lighting today. It is really coming along. Goodbye to having food stacked up everywhere after a big shopping trip!

Bear is being a typical 2 year old also. That probably isn't helping my disposition any. LOL Today he couldn't make up his mind....inside or out? When the cold front swept through I made up his mind for him and of course, he didn't like that any. Greg finally found something to entertain him. Yeah, Greg!

Completed reading list for this week:
Act of the Apostles
Under the Dome by Stephen King (haven't read a King book in quite a while and this one was very good. Over 1000 pages, but very good!)

We have a doctor's appt. on Monday. Looking forward to Monday.....I think that Mom and I will be going to Terre Haute after my appt. That is sure to improve my mood :) Chinese food, here I come!

Completed Reading this Week

The Wolf At The Door by Jack Higgins
The Bone Chamber by Robin Burcell

Now, I am off to work on finishing the "lone sock".

Spring Might Be Here!

First my reading list for the last 2 weeks:
Galatians-Philemon and the Gospel of Luke (finished today)
Impact by Douglas Preston (finished today)
A Parent's Guide to Training Children to Sit Still and Smile About It by Lorrie Flem
Books for Sonlight Core 4 (prereading for Greg):
A Scholastic biography of Thomas Alva Edison
The Wright Brothers by Quentin Reynolds
Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson
The Terrible Wave by Marden Dahlstedt

Still working on that silly sock though!

My cold is back and worse. The nurse that I saw refused to give me any more antibiotics. So I imagine I will have this for the duration - unless Dr. Schulteis is willing to give me some in 2 weeks. We can always pray for that!

The boys are all good. They are loving the wonderful weather that we have been having. The sun is peeking through the clouds again today. Lee started track practice last week and is really enjoying it. Thinks that he might do hurdles. So our spring will be busy! Busy is good I guess.

Baby is growing nicely I think. We will have another ultrasound in a few more weeks. I am almost 30 weeks along. I can't wait to meet our new little blessing!

I am sitting here trying to think of something deep or witty to say about things, but I don't have anything. So I guess I will leave it at that. I hope that all of you have a wonderful week!

2/17/10 Reading List

Finished reading this last week:
Abomination by Colleen Coble
Too Many Murders by Colleen McCullough
most of Creating a Beautiful Home by Alexandra Stoddard (Decorating book and I just couldn't get into her style, although I liked some of what I read)

Gospel of Mark