Turning Lane

Spring is in the air

2011-03-09T06:02:00.001-08:00

When I was younger I used to feel trapped an depressed when Fall came to a close and winter arrived. The past two years have not been this way for me though. I am actually enjoying the seasons as they are here. I have to say that I am thrilled to see the bulbs popping up though--it's perfectly timed.

Evie is getting to the age now where she is more self sufficient and my brain has been able to take somewhat of a breather. When Asa was her age, she was already 2 months old. It's nice to have some order back to life and also be able to enjoy the wonderful traits my 2 and 5 year olds have. I love to hear them sing. I know they won't always want to sing me songs. We have been reading in my bed before they go to sleep at night. They love it and get so cooperative with bed time routines now. I love cuddling with them and enjoying them. I love when Asa calls me into his room--after he is supposed to be sleeping--to tell me something that happened at school. I love when Evie tells me "Mom, you're my best friend" ...then goes on to tell all of her family members the same thing. I am so happy with my life, and am working on being more content as the days pass. I feel so blessed to live in this home with my children and husband in this safe country. Issues I go through are so minuscule compared to peoples suffering around the world. I am so thankful for my church too. What an awesome bunch of servants. I feel so blessed to have so many godly, wise older people in my life to advise and encourage me when I am going through something, or even when everything is great. I see how many people don't have this opportunity, and therefore don't really mature, grow or learn..I never want to take for granted what I have been given, I never want to be unteachable.

I have been working on ancestry more lately--or maybe about the same amount as usual. In my research I have obtained a couple family recipes and am thrilled to try them out!!
I wonder if home prices will continue to slump over the next couple years; 2013 would be the year we originally had wanted to have our house flipped and sold by. We changed our mind this year to stay. Now I wonder if we can because our new mortgage company is giving us grief. I hope that even if we don't sell the house then, that we will have it finished. Sometimes when I start a project at home, it encourages my man to start one of his as well. I guess I have more than a few good reasons to finish re-grouting the tile in our bathroom!! It's a mess too, Evie spilled pink nail polish all over the grout that hadn't been fully cleaned up, so I have a lot of scrubbing and digging and re-grouting to do, a hard job that will take a long time and I honestly don't want to even start.

I should get my chores done now so that I can do special jobs like that when I get an extra minute.

melody

2011-02-04T11:33:00.000-08:00

I love the hymn, O Sacred head now wounded:

I love Fernando Ortega's version too

Now listen to this:

very pretty right? I love this melody.

I want Green Pastures played at my funeral.

New Year

2011-01-28T07:01:00.000-08:00

Well it's 2011. We've had a lot of snow so far this year. Over 15 inches yesterday! I am sore to say the least--it was very heavy snow. I was busy shoveling it into a big fort complete with tunnel for entry. The kids and I had fun. Asa had only one full day of school this week, he's on a delay today and it's snowing again.

So lately I have again been working on our family tree on Ancestry.com. I bought an international membership so I can now see international census records and such. This is so much fun for me, I feel like a sleuth and I love finding pieces of the puzzle and having things match up on records. I am stuck on a few sides but still am thankful to have relatives to ask questions of. I love getting stories about people, not just their names, origin and birth years. I love having a face to put into the name even if I don't have a picture. This is a big job though, it takes a lot of time and thought. My brain is usually fried after I research for a while. I love that it gives me the excuse to talk to older relatives that I normally may never have talked to again. (As sad as that sounds)It's amazing how many ways a specific family's name was recorded wrong throughout the years. That's the kind of stuff that makes searching difficult. It's important for me to do this though because it seems so many people don't have any interest in it, and I am afraid that family heritage will be lost forever. I want to pass it along so my kids and their kids can know how and when their ancestors came to this country and where they came from. I have all their family members back to where they migrated from...at least country wise. Although I do have a family member with a Polish name who was born in Germany. A little confused about that. I eventually would love to publish a book for family and especially my kids, complete with recipes of beloved dishes their ancestors made. I hope that I can accomplish this in my life.

Life is so short though. I have been thinking about this lately. It changes your perspective on issues with people or most earthly problems when you realize tomorrow could be your last. I am not saying that in a sad way either. I have just heard of/ or have known quite a few people lately who have passed away early. It makes me appreciate life and my family so much more. It makes me much more likely to over look offenses and not be so sensitive about petty things that I normally get upset about. It makes me want to hug my kids and other family members and let them know how much I love them way more than I normally would. It really just helps me put life into the right perspective: God is in complete control--not me. It even helps me not to put value on material things I want. I realize I can live without so much that I have and how wasteful I am and then ways to change that. It makes me realize how much courage I lack when it comes to speaking up and standing up to people who don't know the Truth and that I have nothing to lose if I can be loving in how I challenge/inform them. Seize the day!

I better go get my kids ready to drive to school, since we missed the bus as I was writing this!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T07:11:00.000-08:00

This is a fun and hectic time of the year. Love getting to see family and eating good food, but I am also looking forward to going into town and now being stuck in traffic or long lines at stores.
I love the smells of Christmas. I found a candle at a store in the mall called "fraser fir" Seriously a wonderful smelling pine candle--not overwhelming but this light perfectly reminiscent scent of christmas trees. I want to go buy it after the holidays...because I'm hoping it won't be $35.00 anymore! I like the idea of reflecting on the birth of the son of God. I find it odd that we hijacked a pagan holiday to do it though. I don't like the idea of Christmas being anything you want it to be though either. Celebrate it or don't.

Finished watching the BBC series Little Dorrit. I have to say I absolutely loved it, up until the very end. The chemistry between the two characters wasn't there for me. It was sweet--I liked the story of it, I just didn't see the chemistry they should've portrayed. That was slightly a let down. The whole series was so well done and perfectly acted--until the last part in my opinion. I love Charles Dickens. When I was young my mom read to me and my brothers "David Copperfield". It was such a long book but I was so enraptured by it. I couldn't wait for the next time she would read it too us and always wanted an extra chapter more.

My kids are so crazy..bouncing off the walls in anticipation of Christmas. They are pretty cute though. We've been reading a special Christmas book each night before bed and it's been really fun. They love to cuddle in my bed with me in their warm jammies and listen. I hope this is building good memories for them. Today we are going to make cookies and brownies, hopefully that will add to their holiday memory jar as well.

It's a bright, beautiful Christmas Eve late morning. It's cold out and slightly breezy. The weather forecast had been looking favorable for a white Christmas--now not so much. That makes it better for travel if nothing else. Tomorrow we will be having Christmas brunch with my husband's family, then Christmas dinner with my family. It's going to be an incredibly busy day. My family is having a huge dinner with over 30 people- it should be fun. We do a Yankee swap and everyone always gets into it. There are family members on my dad's side that we won't be able to see. I miss them. The older we get, the larger the family grows, the harder it is to see everyone for Christmas or any holiday. It's bittersweet. I didn't get to send out as many cards as I'd have like this year. Things just get so hectic!!!

I am thinking of venturing out into the crazy shopping hub bub to see if I can grab a pair of shoes. We'll see if I make it.

Mark and I watched Mad Men for the first time last night and couldn't get through the episode. I thought the concept of the 60's theme was great, but it was so raunchy and had nothing more to it then scandal after scandal and glorifying the way NOT to live, making it seem exciting and fun, when in truth people living that way I am sure feel empty. It didn't even seem slightly realistic, overly sensual and unbelievable.

Well if I don't blog again until the new year. I wish everyone a happy holiday season and I'll catch up with you next year. I can't believe it's already 2011..Sometimes I still feel strange writing 2010.

Sufjan Stevens - Once in Royal David's city

2010-12-24T07:10:00.000-08:00

Something Fun:

2010-12-03T11:45:00.000-08:00

Re-using Greeting Cards

some stuff

2010-11-28T17:49:00.000-08:00

Cool gift from old wine bottles

UncommonGoods

2010-11-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

UncommonGoods

Thanksgiving Eve

2010-11-24T17:27:00.001-08:00

Things I am thankful for in 2010(in no particular order):

my bathtub
extra virgin olive oil
news that my township has brought recycling levels up 60%*
Potty-trained 20-month-old
Public School Back Up Plans
BROWN RICE PASTA
Bio-degradable plastic trash bags
health
my scheduled phone calls
creeping jenny and all her friends in my pot(see pic)
great deals at target
the ocean
MW2, and now Black Ops**
my Sherpa/faux mink blanket
paint on my basement walls
a new roof
solar powered things
silence
bath robes and slippers
my husband and how far we've come these 6 years
not being allergic to bee stings anymore!
memory foam
conversations about eternity with my son
"tea" and "coffee" made by my daughter
never having to clean up puke--seriously.
new homes for pets
wonderful bible studies
weekend getaways
my pioneer girls
hot and sour soup
walks with a friend on warm summer nights
purex 3-in-1 sheets
Bird-E towels
finally printing off all the pictures for Evie's album
Sufjan Steven's music
"Parenting isn't for Cowards"
the opportunity and privilege to parent my children
the wonderful family I have been blessed with

all the life lessons I've learned--including;
Being sure of important decisions I've made and then realizing I don't know what I am talking about, and getting over the guilt associated with that.

Dealing with issues head on, instead of letting them linger and get way worse.

Assuming the best of people and giving them a chance to redeem themselves!

That forgiveness can sometimes only be possible with the help of Christ who has forgiven an eternally larger wrong than what I am facing.

That making peace isn't always about letting things go, or overlooking problems, but dealing with them correctly--and how freeing that will be.

That sometimes I talk to much about recycling and that may make people even less likely to give it a real try!

Last May

*After the new HUGE bins had been introduced--this according to a man I spoke with from the township
**Because I get to play it with my hubby and I get better every day :) :)

Surely there must be an antidote to the lumps?

2010-11-22T15:22:00.000-08:00

So ever since my hubby found out he had high cholesterol things have been changing around here. I love a challenge, and this is definitely a big one for a family on a tight food budget. I have been roasting Chicken and Turkey breasts, slicing it for lunch meat and making soup with the leftovers. He was eating Healthy Choice-type frozen dinners for lunch--which were economical, but loaded with fat and sodium. Now I make sandwiches with lots of lettuce tomato and onion, no mayo...some super good, Drew's Italian dressing, and some feta sprinkled on the meat. He loves it! I also make him tuna or Salmon, I used plain yogurt and the same dressing as the creamy base...along with the cucumber and stuffs. He has been taking a lot of fruit too, and Light Baby Bels...he always needs cheese!! He really enjoys his new lunches, and I am so glad!! His night snacking has diminished a lot too, now he is really into eating carrots, celery and nuts. This is helping me too, I have been making sure I cut out the prepared foods and have also been making Red Swiss Chard for him...which he loves too! I really hope it helps bring his levels down.

I finally ordered prints from when my daughter was born 2.5 years ago!!! 299 prints are on there way and I am going to buckle down and get her baby book done! I have been feeling guilty about it since she turned 1! I finished my son's on his first birthday!

We started watching Little Dorrit on DVD and I am really enjoying it! We also started watching The Walking Dead...which is well done for a zombie show. It gets disturbing though.

So today a dear friend I've known since birth had her first child, and it's so exciting! Babies are such amazing miracles and blessings. I can't wait to hold this little one, and am so frustrated with this head cold that will definitely prevent that from happening anytime soon!

If there is one thing that I can't live without on Thanksgiving, it's stuffing.

After the Baby Book, I have getting my passport on the list.

I got Disney's Beauty and the Beast Diamond Edition BD/DVD Combo for $9.99 today with $15 of coupons at Target! That was awesome. $5 off the coupons was from targets own printable coupons on their website, and you can put it toward any Disney movie, including the Toy Story 3 BD--on sale for $19.99...so pretty good afterwards! This ends on the 24th though so hurry!

Family is watching Adventure Time, Lets go party Ice King!

hi

2010-11-18T06:10:00.000-08:00

Dear Blog,

Please forgive me for ignoring you for so long. I have been busy with a lot of things, but not entirely too busy to blog once in a while. It's already the latter half of November and I happen to be listening to Joy to the World (by Sufjan Stevens)as I type this. Its a shame for me to go so long without updates, because then I forget all the cool things that happened or that I want to blog about :)

Asa was upset with me today when he left for school. We all woke up late and I rushed everyone to get dressed and eat, and being the easily distracted five year old that he is...he didn't do what I told him too in a timely manner and only ate a squeezable yogurt as he walked to the bus. I was pretty angry at the kids too, yelling a bunch.. I think that hurt his feelings; he wouldn't wave, hug or say goodbye to me.. in fact I saw him on the bus through the tinted windows looking down instead of over at us :(

It's amazing how something like that can change the whole day for me. I love my little one so much. He's pretty sensitive. Evie on the other hand isn't. If I yell at her she'll figure out a way to talk herself out of getting in trouble!! And then go and find some snacks.
I am sad though, I feel like a jerk.

I have to dye a tee-shirt for his Thanksgiving program today...He is really excited about and sings his song a lot. It's very precious. I sometimes feel that this part of life must be the climax, the spot where everyone wants to get to--maybe because once you get past it, it's kind of less exciting because you've experienced the main "life changes"(Though I realize I am thinking this before I've experienced a whole life) So this is probably also the hardest part of life, because it's tiring and draining and emotionally challenging. I think about how it'll be easier when the kids are grown, but then think I'll be sad when they're grown because life will be getting away from me, and I'll wish I enjoyed them being kids longer. I definitely enjoy it, but I do get very tired sometimes. Hubby mentioned last night about how nice it'll be for him to retire with me. It's funny because 6 years ago I would've never imagined that we would be looking forward to the latter half of our lives...it's just weird. I think one moral of the story would've been to wait a bit before having children. Three months of marriage wasn't enough time together. Granted we always had my step son, but still. I hope I don't sound unthankful for my amazing, beautiful children, because I would give my life for them, I just wish sometimes that I had waited. I know God has the best timing so I am actually just wasting my time thinking and talking about it, who knows how long our lives will be.

Something I wanted to do differently this holiday season, was to get as many handmade and/or local gifts I could find for family members. I am having so much fun looking on Etsy. I really would like to receive some re-usable fabric sandwich bags! and a bar of handmade organic shampoo--like a bar of soap.
Gotta go get some housework done

fall

2010-10-05T06:40:00.000-07:00

Is is just me or was it in the 80's and 90's less that two weeks ago? I am so cold now. I was contemplating putting the heat on last night. Asa took his leather jacket to school today.

Asa is now in school, the local elementary school. He is doing really well there, only complains of it being too long of a day--but he's been learning and working and his manners have even gotten better! I miss him terribly, but love cuddling with him when he gets home. It's so much harder going through it yourself than thinking about sending your child off to Kindergarten without actually having gone through it. Evie misses him too, but things are settling down here and I know it's the best option for us now.

Our roof was leaking last week when the remnants of TS Nicole hit town. We quickly had it replaced. I wish I could see the new roof better so it could maybe make me happy after spending so much money on it! Oh well, it's the peace of mind I guess. I picked up a solar powered attic fan to help with energy costs mostly in the summer. Love the fact that it costs nothing to run it!

It's amazing how you can train yourself to be more efficient and self sustaining. I think by not buying things that are disposable you can really change the way you look at everything. Recently I was somewhere where so many plastics and disposable items were thrown into the regular trash in front of me and I was cringing!! I hate plastic bags (ziplock) and try not to look when recyclable containers are disposed of incorrectly. I don't want to sound like a snob either because I religiously used them until I was turned on to being less wasteful and the reality of how when we use a plastic bag once then toss it, it'll be around forever in a pile under the ground!!!
Right now I am debating in my mind whether Corn based plastics are better than bio degradable plastics. I know that the type of biodegradable plastics I use will not biodegrade anywhere but the landfill--but that is where most if not all of them will end up. They are superior strength which I think is important because it is more efficient than using more than one bag when one rips and falls apart(which is more likely with the corn based products which also cost significantly more $$)
The good thing about (some)corn plastics is that it'll biodegrade anywhere, in water, in dirt, in a compost pile, a landfill. They won't last as long though, they may fall apart on you if a lot of food products have been able to sit in them.
I'm all about lessening our dependency on oil and biodegradable plastics--while they do use some recycled plastics to their batches--still require oil.

It's a hard call, I am not sure which is best, but I am thankful that either kind will not last forever in the landfill!

I have been doing great with having the one bag of trash a week again! I know strange things tend to make me happy, and most people may not understand it, but it feels great to be efficient, I save a lot of money this way too :)

We are getting new windows soon and I am thrilled about the fact that we should be feeling a lot warmer this winter because of them! That and the fact that they are double hung which will feel like a luxury for me :) :) :) :)

I am getting over some sort of illness, but I feel so great mentally! I am thrilled to know that the sun is shining brightly above the rain clouds. The sky is perfectly blue up there, and it's bright(and warm?). Sometimes I wish I could fly on days like this just to reiterate this feeling! The end of the week is supposed to be warmer again and sunny :) :)

Making things

2010-08-20T07:36:00.000-07:00

I've been making a lot of things lately. It feels good to make things. Something kicked into gear in my brain and I was able to let go of some of the laziness inhibiting my housekeeping skills. The house, laundry, finances and other things are all organized currently. This is the longest streak I've been able to keep up so far. It feels great though. I love being able to do just minimal house work and have a neat house and spend time with my most precious possessions: Evie and Asa.

Asa turned 5 last week. We had a small family party. Small is subjective however, it was just family, but still around 15 people. I made an ice cream cake:

24 Ice cream sandwiches
1 container of cool whip
1 Jar of Hot Fudge

cost me 6.50 and it tastes GREAT

I just layered the Ice Cream sandwiches with fudge and cool whip twice, then sprinkled sprinkles on top and froze it. I let it thaw out a bit before serving. Everyone seemed to really enjoy it! Love easy, tasty, inexpensive things like that!

I had a hard time on Asa's birthday. I don't see the changes he goes through unless I step back and realize how much he's grown in the past 5 years. I still have the new mom mindset. My heart was really aching realizing how quickly time goes and precious that time is. I hope I am growing up at the same time as him, getting wiser and such. When he was really little I was pretty young still, him being my first, I was adjusting to not being so self centered and I had a really hard time getting used to the changes in my body. While I remember loving that time, I also remember getting really down and feeling sorry for myself a lot. I also though I was in control of motherhood and knew exactly what I was doing. So foolish! With Evie I was better because I tried to enjoy even the hard times with her since I knew how quickly the hard days of new baby-hood go. I feel like I was just telling myself I have a lot of time before he goes to school. Now he is being home schooled..something I was sure I wouldn't do. I love this little boy beyond words. He is an interesting little character. He is beautiful to me and I love his brain. I wish he didn't have asthma, allergies and eczema, but it has given me extra time with him that I wouldn't have in the administration of medication :) He is very VERY strong willed, and I feel I will have a hard time with adolescence but I am praying and trying to develop a healthy parent-child relationship with him so that it will go a smoothly as possible. I want the best for him. I feel so bad for him when I see him get jealous of his little sister and bewildered when his cool big brother chooses her side. I know he'll be OK though. I love being his mom. I love all the important lessons I would never have learned without him. I love his beautiful eye color and his amazing ability to beat me in Castle Crashers and other video games. I love how he is starting to read even though he tries not to very hard ;) I love his love for animals and bugs. His love for building legos and drawing with chalk. His crazy obsession with certain songs until another takes it's place. Much more too..

On a completely different note:

Recently I was thinking about trash. About how it sits outside--or inside(if you only have a bit) and SMELLS in the summer. Especially meat containers, wrapper and papers. YUCK! I was thinking of ways to get rid of it. Could I leave the chicken pads and papers and foam out on a table to bake in the sun? Then it won't rot in the trashcan? haha I was also thinking about grinding up scrap foods from meals and flushing them? Am I crazy? It's so hard to eliminate waste!

I have been shopping at a grocery clearance outlet and reduced my food by 25%+. The only problem is there aren't as many choices when deciding what to get based on packaging.

I recommend checking out:
Green Genius trash bags
New Dress a day

I really want to try these:
UncommonGoods Garden Bon Bons
and these:
(from REI)

summer

2010-07-27T11:17:00.000-07:00

Summer is well under way. It's been a scorching one too. I turned 26 a few weeks ago. It feels old. Comparatively speaking I know it's still young, but when I tell myself I am 26 I feel like I am past the prime of my youth.

My kids are getting bigger and learning so much--so quickly! Asa is learning to read from the book I am using called "Teach your child to read in 100 easy lessons" It really works, seriously. It's totally different from the way I was taught, but it's good and he gets it really well! Evie likes to sing songs about everything, she reminds me of Frances. Songs like: "I'm walking down the stairs, I'm walking down the stairs" "It's raining on my arm, it's raining on my arm!" She's very original in her lyrics.

When I am 52 my youngest (as long as there are no more) will be 29. I think that is crazy and good. Hubby just celebrated his birthday as well, though it felt like it lasted forever..birth-week it should be called. Growing up we had a saying "birthday brat" Everyone became the birthday brat on their birthday, this is how I am defining the Birth-week...the week of too much attention on one person given by themselves and others and causing a serious case of the birthday brattiness.

I bought these cotton towels recently that work like paper towels only are washable and re-usable! I love them and now I see the woman who makes them has new ones with different colored borders which I am interested in to designate certain towels to certain jobs. Blue for Bathroom, Green for kitchen etc etc..

I also started making paper. I figured out how to make the seeded kind which you can plant in the ground. I was going to use it for invitations to a large shower, but now I think it'll be a bit too much work!! Time is running out. When the shower is over I will make a post on all the details. I am so excited for it, it's going to be great.

This summer has been pretty quiet so far though. Vacation is in August and I am so excited for that.

I have been only throwing out 1 to almost 2 bags of trash a week for our entire family..kitchen sized trash bags mind you. Someone asked me how I did it and honestly it's just being aware of all the waste that is generated from everyday use of everyday items. It was prompted by the smelly trashcan out back, I didn't want to sit on my patio near it. So I decided to be careful with what I threw out and it became pretty easy. I am saving more food instead of scraping it into the trash, compacting every little thing I can and of course recycling everything I can recycle. It's fun and worth it. I like to go easy on the hardworking trash-men who come out every week in the heat and carry heavy bags of smelly waste to their trucks.

I recommend:

being conscious of the packaging of your weekly purchases; buy the least amount of waste possible.

cotton Bird-E towels

Teach your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons

More stuff...

2010-05-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

I have a hot dog cutter called the Guard Dog which scores the hot dog horizontally but keeps it intact. That way when my kiddies bite into the hot dog it'll fall apart into small pieces they won't be able to choke on. It's a lot of fun to use and I was really excited to see it mentioned in The New York Times!
It was invented by the creator of Pop Corn Chicken and Steak Umm's: Eugene Gagliardi of Creativators. They cook really well once they've been scored...it actually tastes better!

It's always great to have easy food options that are kid friendly and safe!

Another thing I wanted to talk about was the 7th Generation dishwashing tabs I mentioned before. Though I only used the Free and Clear type, I really didn't like it at all. I probably wouldn't try the scented kinds because they are all lacking rinse aid. They cost more than other brands which include it. Oh well! Back to my old Cascade Tabs!

I am still loving the laundry detergent though, bought it again and love how little I need! My washing machine has been staying nice and clean too since I've been making sure not to use too much soap!

Next plug: GoGo Squeez Applesauce pouches.
What a great idea! I love the no mess idea. So great for packing a lunch too! The kids like them too and the different flavors are great! About 50 cents a pouch but nice for a treat!
My baby turned two a few weeks ago. She is 95% for height! I can't believe it, she seems so petite to me! She is really getting verbal though. She loves colors and told me her flip flops were purple and pink today...I was shocked!

I sure love having a girl. She enjoys helping with dinner and calling in the boys for me. It's so amazing how differently male and females are wired even from birth.

good deals

2010-04-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

Since everyone in the world could potentially read this I thought I would let the world know my good deals

$4.09 total for all of the following:

Bertolli Olive Oil and Garlic Tomato Sauce
reg. $2.29 sale 1.89. cpn: .75 doubled Final: .39

Classico Vodka Sauce
reg. $1.99 cpn: 1.50 Final: .49

Capri Sun Sunrise Valley(x2)
reg. $2.00 cpn: 1.00 Final 1.00

Viva Single Roll Paper Towell
reg. $2.19 sale: 2.00 cpn: .85 doubled; Final .30

Carolina Yellow Rice packet (x2)
reg. $0.66 sale 0.59 cpn: .75 off two doubled; Final: two for free

Scott Flushable Wipe refill
reg. $1.99 cpn.50 doubled; Final: .99

Silk Almond Milk
reg. $2.99 cpn: Free!

Silk Almond Milk Vanilla
reg. $2.99 cpn: Free!

Reg Total $19.76
Sale Total $18.83
w/Coupon Total: $4.09

YAY!

rainy day

2010-04-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

Today is a pretty boring day!

I read an article saying that most americans use too much laundry detergent and that some loads can be washed without any soap at all. The agitation from the machine loosens dirt and it's then rinsed away. Interesting. I am going to use less now. It also said that if you use too much it causes the suds to come up too high in the machine where the lint and dirt that are also lifted with the suds cannot get rinsed away. This makes bacteria grow and causes odors...they say it can also cut the life of your washer shorter. Its funny because I always think to myself, the more soap I use the cleaner the load will be...they said most people feel that way but it's not true!

A little helpful tidbit I hope!

I am starving right now.
Time for a snack! oh, and to wash some laundry....

Do YOU really need it?

2010-04-15T05:44:00.000-07:00

So after trying the laundry detergent, i can say it works great. Though I used too much the first time, filling the cap to "3" is for normal loads, but I guess our water is really soft of something, so the second load got less. The smell is wonderful though, I love it.

I was thinking about how I used to reach for the plastic wrap, or plastic baggies regularly about a year ago. Now I don't even think about them. It wasn't like I stopped using them on purpose. We ran out and I forgot to get them at the store. I started using re-usable(and recyclable!) plastic containers with lids instead. Now I just say to myself when I'm in the that aisle of the store, "Do I really NEED them?"

Obviously not if I've gone so long without them!! They are convenient but not necessary! It seems really wasteful if you sit down and think about it. Tin foil on the other hand is a must and can be recycled, unless it's totally soiled. Even still I don't feel bad about some of it going to a landfill--it will break down.

Speaking of breaking down, We live in a town home, so cleaning up pet waste gets annoying. I usually keep a bag outside and wait till it's half full before putting it in the trash ON trash day. It's still gross though to have outside waiting to be full. I found this product which I think is ingenious for my scenario--or others with sewer connections and tight outside quarters!It's a flushable doggie bag! I love that idea, because it gets rid of it quick, and the doo-doo goes to a place where it gets cleaned out of the water! It seems like such a "sanitary" solution.

I have to see if they have them at pet smart now.

I also have to say, before I run and get my children out of the mess they've made while I've posted this is:

What and incredibly faithful God we have. Faithful to us when we wonder. He is so faithful to me, and I want to be faithful too.

I'll expound later, there is shrieking going on...

for becky

2010-04-12T13:48:00.001-07:00

I went to the grocery store today. I bought a lot of "green" cleaning products--which I had coupons for. We have a very tight food/household needs budget, yet I do pretty well with being able to get organic fruits (apples and greens today) and natural-ish cleaning products. The products which I have used before really do work too, you don't sacrifice anything, well maybe except headaches from fumes or overly strong scents.

I got some Seventh Generation Laundry detergent because I had a $2 coupon, which brought it down to $3.99. It's usually so much more than my normal stuff(Purex Natural Elements)--which I still love btw--that I don't even try it. It has a very fresh scent that smells real, haha.. First load is just about ready to go into the dryer, then we'll see how good of a job it does!

I also always get Seventh Generation all purpose cleaners. They were on sale too plus I had a coupon. When it comes to window cleaner though, I usually just get cheap-o store brand vinegar cleaner--92 cents is good for me!

Another thing I am trying out for the first time is the Seventh Generation Dishwasher Tabs They come in a easily recyclable cardboard box, Finish also has recyclable packaging...but Cascade doesn't. If this stuff works well, I might buy it again, the ingredients aren't as harsh as the ones I normally buy. It was on sale for $3.25 for 15 washes. I usually get the Cascade which is $3.99 so I thought I would try this kind out. I ONLY use their Dish Soap which works amazingly and has such a wonderful fresh REAL scent--so the company has a good reputation with me!

I have also been buying Marcel Small Steps Paper towels, toilet paper and napkins. Out of those three, the paper towels seem to go very quickly, like there aren't as a normal roll or something. They are all great quality and cheaper than the leading brand---which at least doesn't advertise as recycled paper.

I also got a hand soap refill bag: Method brand. It was on sale for $4.5 and fills about 3 normal sized pumps -- I have a bunch of those plastic pumps in a cabinet so I got to re-use them which was cool. Less waste is good, plus the soap is biodegradable and made from plants--meaning no petroleum. (I like this because as I've said a while ago, less dependency on oil and plants are quickly renewable)

All of these products are great for people with allergies too--like mi familia.

But the best thing I did today was go through my cleaning cabinet and get rid of the products which I don't use anymore...mostly floor cleaners. I have a Shark Steam Mop now and love the fact that it only needs water and it sanitizes and easily gets up stuck on food. I read a while ago about how indoor air quality is however many times more polluted than outdoor air because of the cleaning products. I wouldn't be so gung- ho about it if these cleaner, healthier products weren't so readily available and affordable.

I guess saying that was the best thing I did today is pretty shallow. It was even better to take my kiddies to the park and play with them on this amazingly gorgeous sunshiny spring day :)

good deals

2010-03-29T17:23:00.000-07:00

I shopped at Aldi today. It was my first time and I probably won't be back, at least for a while. It's pretty far away. I did really enjoy shopping there though. VERY inexpensive. The produce was so cheap and nice! I got a beautiful Del Monte Pineapple for 1.49. I got two bags of iceberg garden bagged salad for .39 each! Hots dogs for .79. The stuff is their own brand for the most part, but nothing is out of date and dented or bruised! I wish we had one close to where we live! I wouldn't shop for everything there, because I try to get whole foods as much as I can, but for produce (from the US) and freshmeats, frozen meats, deli and dairy, I was super impressed. I don't mean to sound snobbish, the products I mean mostly are cereals that we are used to, and crackers, frozen meals for hubby's lunches and so on. They had some health food options too, overall, i saved a big penny and like I said, wish we had one close by!

One thing I will appreciate when the kids are grown, is not having to clean up every possible body liquid that a child could manage to spew. Today was one of those day... wow I guess it's better to all happen at once than to have a little bit every day?

Evie hasn't been napping well lately. She isn't going to sleep well at bedtime either. In fact, she is in her room screaching right now. Ear plugs would be nice.

I have been working on my family tree through Ancestry.com. It's very addictive! I want to spend the extra $10 to get national records so I can try and find the families left behind in Europe. Yes all my ancesters came from Europe. Italy, Germany, Ireland, England, Lithuania and possibly Poland. My family migrated from Italy mostly in the 1910's, and that was only two generations ago. Same with Lithuania. Half of the Germans too. So that would make all of my great grandparents from those countries, naturalized here. The Irish and English have been here as far back as I can trace(1790). I would guess they came over before the country began. Though some may have, and some may not, there are many families involved in them.

It is fun. There is no one famous in my lineage, but it's fun to hear stories about people. I interviewed my grandfather and he told me stories that I was able to jot down. I hope to add them onto my tree. Ancestry really makes it very organized. My goal now is to save and file all the records I connected to my tree before my membership runs up!

I think she's about done whining. I hope she is.

Yum

2010-03-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

Seriously the BEST jelly ever. I can't believe it has half the sugar because it tastes better than regular jelly. Everyone who I've made taste this has agreed, it's amazing. If you love the smell of concord grapes in the summer, this jelly is like that smell contained in a sugary sweet goodness spread.

I had to plug it because I really love it :)

Marching on...

2010-03-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

Who cares? Well, I DID care, but thinking about it more now, I am really uninterested. I am starting to see no matter what, that GOD is all that matters. This country isn't Him, these people--many of them aren't His either. Bringing us to humility, experiencing some pain and suffering--this is what brings us back to Him. It's upsetting when people don't see things the same way you do, and when they impose their feelings into your life--however, it seems like it could be a significant help to all those lost in the comfort and ease of life in this country.

We have everything we need--basically. We have way more than we need--actually. Having less and being uncomfortable will only make me realize how NOT in control I am. I hope this in no way comes across in a way where I seem defeated--just the opposite. I care so much about political things that mean nothing in the end. Yeah, maybe my opinions make sense and would benefit the whole population better than if not implemented, but being politically correct isn't the point of our existance. I want to focus on my faith, on reaching out to others and growing a family in Christ and seeing my children carry on in life with Christ as their guide! Even if everything else around us crumbles, we can't and won't if we are focused and grounded :) Having ALL of this stuff, money--wordly goods, that we've been blessed with, we can survive without it, and survive well--maybe even better than with them.

I want to do the best with the least. I want to focus on Christ and not all these distractions. I want to see more people coming to Him and having their lives changed. I'll get involved the way I am supposed to when it comes to civic duty, but I want to re-center and re-focus my life right now on Christ not my libertarian leaning political ideas! I don't want to feel down about a loss of a vote, or of the election of people I disagree with. I want to vote, and prepare the way I believe and leave the rest to the Lord!

I was thinking about going to school for economics and getting involved in local politics in a few years. Maybe I still will, but -- I don't want to let my political ideas rule, and feel out of control when those ideas are fought and defeated!

Just a little rant, hope you didn't mind reading :)

burnt french toast

2010-02-23T16:54:00.000-08:00

quick tip:
If you decide you don't really feel like making dinner one night, but also don't want to look lazy, you should say you are going to make french toast and bacon with fruit salad. Then, while the chicken bacon is in the microwave( does that not sound incredibly gross?) and the metal pan is heating up greased in butter, You can egg up your your wheat bread and then plop it on the metal pan. When a couple pieces have been frying for a bit you can try and flip them but soon come to realize they are glued to the pan. After you scape them up and flip them--ruined--over, you can shove the pan away from the burner, yell at them, put them in a trash can and the scalding hot pan into the sink while bursting into tears of rage. Your husband will most likely get his keys and make a mad rush to the door and you will only know what is going on by the sound of the front door closing. Then in a few minutes a perfectly tasty meal of fried chicken and store prepared macaroni salad may be on your table and you won't even have to prepare a bit of it!

i'm a new person, or--newer..

2010-02-20T16:55:00.000-08:00

When I was in my final years of high school I was apparently either pretty happy or pretty sad.
Today I went through the junk I had kept in my parents attic for quite a few years. I threw out a lot of it. Most of it was pretty useless. Just memories from pieces of trash. It's amazing how much different of a person I am now. Throwing away so many things from my childhood made me feel like I was finally laying that person to rest. I cried a little bit, just because so many things I had forgotten about myself resurfaced. I kept most of my creative writing pieces. From those I read of my manic moods in poems. It's hard to let go of my past. Even though it's been collecting dust in my parents attic for a good 10+ years. There were so many boxes that my mom asked me to go through. I really was a sentimental girl. I saved so many things that meant anything to me. Things I would've never remembered on my own. So instead of going through everything. I chose to just throw some unopened containers away to be forgotten forever. I am who I am because of my past and because of the present. I was not made to be remembered, or to remember myself. So much has happened to me, so much happens to everyone. That's life. It is amazing though to look back and see a person so different from who I am. A person full of questions and excitement. Now I have the answers to those questions and the joy that goes along with them. I am sure there will still be so many more changes to my life as the next 25 fly by. I hope that just like these past years the only thing that stays the same is my yearning for the Lord. He has molded me and taught me so much. I am so thankful to learn more everyday of my life.
Things I saved of interest:
Cassette of "Car Button Cloth" -- Lemonheads
Scrapbook of my trip to Tampa in 1997(which I made for my aunt-who unfortunately passed away before seeing it)
Poems about how I Hate Fall, and then how I Love It.
School portfolios with samples of each subjects work for the year
My Awana and Pioneer handbooks
Digital portrait from Kid's R Us in Exton during its grand opening circa 1990?
Photo album I made from my birthday camera 1990
a few barbies
Lisa and Sue-baby, my cabbage patch kids
Cherry Merry Muffin doll "Chocolatti"
Cap and Gown from graduation(what in the world am i gonna do with that?)
Just Nikki catalog with Britney Spears on the cover(before she was famous) 1998 (will it be worth anything?)
Diary from 1995-1998 (I had a million crushes lol)

I have a million porcelain dolls that i need to find a home for. They look pretty antiquish now.
It's fun reading all the things I used to write. I used to write A Lot...

The things i struggled with seem so insignificant now. The people who were so wrapped up in my world are so far away from me in every way. I love where I am now, but I feel like a stranger to my old self! The refining work has certainly taken place so far.

I used to watch "felicity" and loved how at the end they would show the album of certain songs that were played throughout, I bought Heather Nova and Soul Coughing through that!!
I remember when Jennifer Garner was on that show as Noel's old girlfriend. So weird.
That show got kinda raunchy toward the end though.

I kept letters from my friends before email really shot off. We would send each other notes and decorate the envelopes excessively. "P.S. Let's write each other REALLY long letters now!" one said to me. How sweet and innocent they were. Talking about pets and parents and boys looking our way lol. I forget who I was back then. I really do. If not for these memorabilia it would never have come back to me!

I have gone on for a while now! Hopefully I can scan some old pics in an put them up.
I have to unload my car of all the boxes of mostly dolls I brought back. My hubby sat down with me and read a lot of the old things I had written back in the day. It was pretty special.

I really feel like a new person now. A Lauren 2.0. I love my life, family, environment, even the left over snow.

Lotsa Snow

2010-02-11T18:03:00.000-08:00

Hi, It's been a while.
We're currently buried under a lot of snow here in our town home. This afternoon was a beautifully sunny one though, and it did it's job of melting quite a bit of the snow. When I look out my front window toward the cars, you can barely see over the mounds of snow. The wind was blowing and large thumps could be heard on our lower overhang (second story) from the third story roof. I though Evie was being loud in her room so I went up to chide her(she was supposed to be taking a nap) but when I loudly opened the door to her room saying "You are supposed to be in your bed!" I saw a sweet little baby sleepy on her back with her hand up above her head, so serenely. That is when I realize the loud thuds I heard were chunks of snow falling from the roof onto the overhang!

Family is doing well. I have something going on with my carotid artery--a blockage, kink or something putting pressure on it, though it's probably just a "fascinoma" as my doc called it. Nothing bad, just fascinating :) We'll see just what it is with some tests I will be taking soon. Curious, but not scared. I noticed it when doing my daily exercises. Very strange sensation only affecting the right side of my head. ANYWAY I usually don't put those kinds of things on here, but I thought it was interesting.

I am starting to stress about schooling for Asa, ok, not starting to, but have been for a while. Praying and hoping financial aid would work and we could put him in a local christian school. If not I don't know what I want to do. Hubby doesn't know either.

So I bought some sanitizing wipes the other day. They are just like the Lysol or Clorox wipes, but made from botanical sources and are not toxic. They release no fumes either which is awesome because I tend to use them in my daughter's little room the most. When you use them they smell strongly of thyme and some other plant. Very fresh and not headache inducing! They are by Seventh Generation.

Need to go watch the Office now. Will blog again soon :)

just a lot going on

2010-01-13T14:00:00.000-08:00

there a lot going on right now. not neccessarily bad, or great. just a lot. Of the more poignant things I would have to say I am so sad and sorry for all of the Haitians affected by the earthquake. What a horrible, devastating event.

I found that by texting "Haiti" to 90999 you will send $10 to the Red Cross. I wish I could help more.

my kids are whining and crying simultaneously about food, apparently Asa is going to die if I don't give him something to eat, and Evie has brought the orange juice over to me. They have completely lost it. Evie won't take naps anymore but is obviously tired. Asa's addiction-causing use of the internet and NickJr, Nick Toons and Nick2 have caused him to revert to infantcy when he can't use them when he wants.
I feel as though I might be losing my mind as well, just until theres quiet though, i think by then I might be ok.

I pray for the haitians..and hope that through this many people grow closer to the Lord.

NYE

2009-12-31T15:21:00.000-08:00

A quick overview of the last decade of my life..

2000..I turned 16, but didn't get my license. (Tyler was born)
2001..I worked at a local farmer's market and finished my Junior year of High school, 9/11

2002..May: I graduated High school, July: bought my first car, August: went to college for a semester, December: moved to NYC

2003..February: Came back from NYC, got a job in a deli, May: started dating my future husband, July: nannied in Los Angeles for 1.5 months, August, back to college, November: got engaged.

2004

..School for spring semester, Married in July, Started new job, Pregnant in October

2005

..August: my precious Asa is born!!! My life is forever different!!! back to work a few weeks later..

2006

..January: able to be a full time stay at home mommy, Mark begins school at Eastern to finish degree.

2007..pregnant again in August, trade in my first car for an SUV(in July--must've known!)

2008

..My dear little Evie is born, December: mark totals his car

2009

..April, buy car for Mark who graduates from Eastern with a Bachelors in something IT related..

Have a happy safe New Year!! I hope this new decade will be a wonderful one :)

Oh and I found out that Evie can say, "One, Two, Three" amazing to me!!! Evie is also sleeping in her big girl bed and 95% potty trained!!! She is growing up WAY too fast!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T07:49:00.000-08:00

It's Christmastime! I would have some pics of the kids all dressed up in front of the tree....if Asa didn't lost my memory card. Of course if I hadn't stopped to play Fishville on Facebook maybe I would've noticed him playing with it. OH WELL! I really hope we find it! We are in the middle of our Christmas Parade. First we have our own Christmas with just Mark and I and the kids, next we travel over to my In-Laws and have brunch and spend time there, we will be coming home after-wards to put Evie down for a nap and get food prepped for our final stop: my parents. Christmas is always a fun and exciting day, though very busy!!!

Evie is just about fully potty trained. I am hoping that with the busy-ness of today she will be OK. After the last post where I said she was trying out the potty, IT WAS FOR REAL! She never went back--granted there have been accidents, but the majority make it to the right spot!!! Very happy about this.

I am very excited about our Yankee Swap with extended family at my parents tonight because I am bringing some really neat-o (Hopefully I am not the only one who thinks so) gifts!!
I would say what they were but I will have to wait till after the swap.

I need to finish getting ready. I am contemplating dressing the kids up fancy. They have Christmas outfits I bought for Church, but we missed it because of the snowstorm last week. Maybe I'll pack a few outfits--nothing like making things more complicated!! Hopefully someone will have a camera and pass some pics along to me, that I might post them on here! I am using a lot of exclamation points today..good thing? or annoying....

One thing I want to brag about it the lovely perfume I got from my hubby. It's called Very Hollywood by Michael Kors...just awesome stuff!

Evie got a few babies and is very happy about that, Tyler and Asa were happy with what they got, Asa got a frog tank with star wars details and Tyler got a solar powered grasshopper thing he has to build. Tyler also spent a lot of his own money and bought us all presents and brought them here this weekend. So precious and thoughtful :)

I must get going, MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Sufjan Steven's rendition of Once in Royal David's City is absolutely amazing I recommend listening to it before the day is over.

how firm a foundation

2009-12-03T11:46:00.001-08:00

My hymn of the month, written by John Rippon in 1787. Sung at the funerals of Presidents: Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson and Andrew Jackson, how cool is that?

I love how beautifully strengthening it is..of course the tune is gorgeous too..

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
You, who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

In every condition, in sickness, in health;
In poverty’s vale, or abounding in wealth;
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid;
I’ll strengthen and help thee, and cause thee to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

Even down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.

My second in light of Christmas would definitely be: Come Thou Long Expected Jesus.

I have been listening to newer renditions of hymns with the kids hoping to spark some interest in the oldies, but goodies :)

humble holiday

2009-12-03T11:04:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was my first holiday where I hosted. I even cooked my first turkey and was more than impressed with how it turned out! Having a mom who is an amazing cook definitely comes in handy when I need pointers! It was a humble group of 11 and perfect for my first time! We started the day with a big breakfast while the Philly Thanksgiving Day parade was on TV. I love watching that, or at least the idea of watching it. I have to catch a glimpse of it every year. Sadly this year was the last year for one of the hosts, Dave Roberts--who I remember hosting from when I was a little one.

We actually had a very smooth and happy day getting ready for the company, somehow I planned and cooked very efficiently and it turned out well. The only thing I regret though is that I made people move so I could take pictures of the tables. I know already that when I want to remember my first thanksgiving I will rather see the people than the tables, and now only have the backs of people's heads to remember them by!! Lesson learned.

Today Evie, as usual, took off her pants and diaper. She likes to sit on the potty and pretend to use it. I am used to this and think it's actually funny. This interest has come solely because of her own desire, I still feel she is too young to really try her on the potty. HOWEVER, she was standing on the dining room chair, diaper-less, when she looked at me with startled eyes. I asked he if she wanted to use the potty and she nodded a very large YES. So i brought her over to the big potty and sat her on it: low and behold, it wasn't pretend this time. As I was on the phone with Mark exclaiming the good news, she actually came over to her training potty right next to me, sat on it and went on it again, by herself!!!! So proud!!- but am wondering if she is truly interested for good, or if it's only temporary(as her brother was when he was her age). She is in her crib now wearing underpants...yes, this is wishful thinking.

Something green: I wanted to mention three products I use that I LOVE, that I get at the local food or home improvement store and which are good for the family and good for environment.
The first is my laundry detergent, it's the only kind I like to use and I usually pay about $3 for a 32load container. You probably see it every time you shop: Purex Natural Elements. It's base is made from plants vs the normal petroleum. If anything else, the more people buy products which a made from renewable plant surfactants the less dependency we will have on oil, which is a great thing! Also the detergent is hypoallergenic, but it has fragrance! I first started using it because of this reason alone, most other hypoallergenic detergents are fragrance free, but this uses essential oils...just delightful!! They also have fabric softeners, but I haven't tried them.

Next would be Seventh Generation Dish Soap. This stuff works GREAT! My hands are never dried out, it's a clear hypoallergenic formula with a light fragrance from, again, essential oils. Same thing goes for this soap with the plant bases. I love love love this stuff, I get a container of it for $2.50 but they offer coupons online and often from the store I buy it at. It's worth paying a bit more for in my opinion. We have public water and sewer but these soaps are an even better idea for someone with a septic system because they actually break down. I also use their all purpose cleaner, and love having no fumes.

The last thing I will say(which I may have mentioned before) is when you are painting a room, consider buying Olympic paint(at Lowes). The times I have used it, I have always had great coverage. I used Lowe's Valspar (whichever kind is the best grade of it) and it paled in comparison to the "cheapo" Olympic. It's very inexpensive and ODERLESS. You can paint with the windows and doors closed--so convenient and good for the family

The tree is up...magenta, purple and lime sparkles, have I lost my mind? No, it does look pretty cool, though it probably wasn't necessary to buy new ornaments...

I'll post a pic when I upload them!

One New Message

2009-11-16T10:29:00.000-08:00

Evie is taking a nap in her sunshine-warmed room. Asa is watching Nick Jr. Whats new? I need to get my butt into gear. Monday's are my day to make a grocery list and possibly even shop. It's really important that I put a lot of thought and time into the list though. I shop for the least I possibly can by using tons of coupons and buying basically only whats on sale. I make my meal lists for the week and go from there. It can get tedious, but it's neccessary! Asa says, "Mom! Why do you have to make a list, lets just go shopping!" Right now I wish I could do just that!!!

Christmas is coming up! Not before Thanksgiving though. Which we are hosting this year! My first year to make the turkey. I'm slightly worried it won't be that great!! The sides I know will be good, but we'll just have to see about the turkey. It'll be a crowd of 11, great for my first time!

I think of things to type then try to remember if I've posted them before, then choose not to say them just it case, and later I find out I never did post on them and they are forgotten and lost in oblivion...

I have been on Myspace for over 5.5 years!! Facebook, maybe two years? I wonder how I can find that out. I use Facebook almost daily, Myspace every six months.

Back to Christmas. I am going to be making a lot of presents this year. I'll be posting pics as I make them. Hoping those who are to receive them won't look at my blog(it would be very strange if they did lol) I am going to be SUPER DUPER DUPER frugal this year. Like cheapskate frugal, but I am hoping to do it in a semi-classy way? We'll just have to see.

Evie was watching a commercial today on the couch with me and Asa, and a baby came on. She right away said "Baby! Baby!" I've never heard her say it before!!! She is really starting to talk! She now says "Mama" "dada" "Uh Oh" "Happy Birthday" "Night Night" "Baby" "bug" "Bella" "Monkey(Mun Hee)" "dog" "cheese" "juice" "please" "pop pop" "mom mom" "thankyou" "sorry" and a few more. We've come along way though from the baby she was just two months ago!

I finished grouting the bathroom floor. It is now just waiting to be polished and sealed. Next I have to scrape the old grout out of the tiles on the walls then re-grout! I don't think it'll be too difficult because it's the the non-sanded grout in the realy narrow joints...we'll see how that goes. The floor looks great! I cannot wait to install this toilet!! Mark removed "Old Blue" two weeks ago and it feels so nice and white in there!

Must get back to creating the oh-so time consuming grocery list!

kids

2009-10-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

I think that having your first baby is traumatic. It was not what I expected and humbled me greatly. Having my second was much less emotionally, but more physically traumatic. Worth it, yet amazingly harder than I though it would be. I am finding now as my youngest is growing more and more independent that I am too. I felt somewhat trapped but in love with my new life, and now its slipping away. A little while ago I would've thought that having children causes all parents to be unselfish. But now I can see how someone who might have not been as attached during the early months, might not get to that point at all. I am already starting to fear the upcoming years where I am not superwoman to my kids anymore. I want them to always love and cherish me. But I know they will grow up and away, and be bothered by me. They'll ignore me, and be disrespectful, and I have to stand firm throughout it all. I also don't want to become a selfish parent, since they "need" me less I don't won't to focus on myself too much. I hope that I can be a good parent throughout their entire childhoods. Having a baby is definitely more accurately described as "having a person". The baby stage lasts for such a short time. I hope this made sense in some sort of way. I have been thinking about stuff like this for a while. I really don't want to be a selfish parent, and I really want to have good kids who obey and are logical and love their mom a lot, though most importantly, even if things are rough I hope they know the Lord and He guides them throughout their entire lives.

chilly

2009-10-14T10:13:00.001-07:00

Or does it? Last week on recycling day, I had to clean my kitchen in a major way. It was full of dirty yogurt cups and apple sauce containers. I kept thinking about how nice it would be to just throw all those recyclables out, versus having to clean them and find a spot in my overflowing recycling container out on the curb. I thought about it for a little too long before I came to the conclusion that I should be a good steward, and not be lazy or wasteful. I cleaned out about 10 yogurt cups and 5 apple sauce containers, and a number of other cans and glasses. I found a cardboard box in the basement and filled it up and brought it out to the curb. Well when the Recycling truck drove up, I realized it was actually the trash truck(which usually makes the rounds after recycling) the garbage man grabbed my box of yogurt cups etc. and effortlessly dropped it into the truck. My heart did indeed sink a little. How much of the things I recycle never make it?

It's so incredibly cold out! Last night I had to turn on the heater! Evie kept waking up crying and when I went in to check on her, she was so cold :( Tonight I will bundle her up really well. I just didn't expect this so early on in fall!

Asa had his four year check up today. He's off the charts for height! He passed all the tests, except hopping on one foot. He told the doctor he would practice it at home.

My hands are literally like ice and I am wearing layers...

I have this addiction to this game called Bejeweled Blitz. I seriously have to play at least once a day, and once always turns into 35 times. I see the game when I close my eyes. I shirk my duties because of it. I need help. lol.

My little brother is getting married next week! I am excited for the wedding. I think it will be beautiful, it's at a park. I am not sure if it'll be indoors or out though..and am worried about freezing.(lol) I can't believe time goes by so quickly..

Well since I played Bejeweled for yes, longer than 35 minutes before posting this, I am going to have to cut it short. Evie is still napping and I can maybe get something done around here!

We have Pioneer at church tonight, I am supposed to teach first grade. Looking forward to that!

October Eleventh Two Thousand and Nine

2009-10-11T11:03:00.001-07:00

Today is a Sunday. I am behind in almost all aspects of life. But I a not entirely depressed over that fact. It's been an absolutely gorgeous beginning to fall. I can't remember a fall beginning this way for a long time. It seems like summer was turned off by the flick of a switch and the cool fall air blew in the next day. The trees are all turning wonderful hues and I am thankful that it's been an enjoyable start to my least favorite season!
The kids are growing fast. Asa turned 4 on August 12th. We had a small family party for him and took him to Target to buy Star Wars Legos (Which he promised he would take care repeatedly) that are now entirely missing. Tyler turned 9 on September 4th and again we celebrated with a small family party. We also took him to the Lego Store....Great Place!!!

Evie has been coming along nicely. She finally has enough hair for me to pin back with clips and she is really into accessories! She has also just started saying a few more words (besides her staple: Happy Birthday, Mom, Hi, and Uh Oh. She signs "please" and "more".

Asa is starting to print letters now. He enjoys learning and is very excited about starting Kindergarten at (hopefully) a local Charter School next year. We do "school" almost everyday and he gets really into it. He likes to use scrabble letters to make up his own words and asks me to pronounce them. It's cute :)

The house projects have been put on hold for a while. That's frustrating, but there's not much you can do when things are so tight financially. I am thankful that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. I am also thankful for a sovereign God. One who I can't begin to understand much about. But a loving, merciful God who loves someone as crappy as me, and repeatedly blesses me and carries me through times when I cannot move on my own. I am also thankful for a church where there are others who encourage and love and, though not perfect, want to learn more and persevere in the faith along side each other. This world is a harsh place, sometimes I wish I could live in a cave. I am thankful for the peace and rest I find in Him, and the help in times of trouble. I am also immensely thankful for the Bible. I recently heard Steve Brown speaking of the Bible in such a cool way. He was explaining how so many think of the Bible as a nice book to make people nicer, or a religious book to make people more religious, but that in actuality its a book full of dark things, of people that are bad, of things we might not like to talk about. But it's all there for a good reason, that's who we are--sinners, and that's why we need Jesus. The best thing about it, is that no matter what horrible things someone may do to me, and how mad I get at the injustice--how much more does Christ forgive? It helps me put it into perspective, even when all I truly want to do is feel angry and bitter. We are all crappy and dark and dirty and bad, any good is from Him and mercy we don't deserve. I could go on and on but....

...my daughter obviously doesn't want to take a nap right now. ( i can tell by her shrill screams and jumping up and down on the crib sounds)

Lauren
**the pic is of Evie back in July** too cute to pass up though...

still pursuing...

2009-06-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

I am almost 25. I like that number--though it feels somewhat mature. I'll probably be saying that when I'm 50. My birthday will be uneventful. Nothing planned other than dropping my car off at the dealer for some maintenance. Which is fine. I do want a vacation soon though. This weather has been the icing on the cake for me. The rain seems to never end and some of my flowers-my saviors from winter's depression-inducing gloom-are rotting. I'd like a day to clean my house as well. I feel so behind in my work! Today was however very beautiful. The sun was shining between quickly moving bursts of large fluffy white clouds and the breeze was very pleasant. The weather forcast anticipates rain for the rest of the week though. I find it harder to do my daily jobs when it's raining.
Asa's allergies have been so bad lately that I feel somewhat helpless when I look at him. I never thought there could be so much suffering from allergies. His eyes were swollen so much the other night I kept feeling like I needed to take him to the ER. I usually under-react to that stuff..maybe it's a pride thing. In fact I know it is. I don't like to be wrong. It's pretty stupid to be like that when it involves your child's health. I am taking him to the Dr's tomorrow. He is medicated constantly with something or the other. Now his Eczema is coming back and his nodes are swollen. His Asthma has been so bad lately. All that I've listed is nothing compared to the attitude change in him. He is impossible to deal with. I know he doesn't feel well--but I almost think something else must be wrong with him for him to act the way he's been acting. He SCREAMS about everything, like at the top of his lungs. I know how he gets when his allergies or asthma is bothering him and his behavior becomes unsettled..but lately it's been off the charts. Mark is even freaked out by it. He will barely listen to us. I don't know what to do sometimes. It feels good to write it down though.

I am sure my next post will have some more positive about that subject.
I made a bowl the other day using repurposed magazine pages cut into strips and pasted together. It took a while, but the results were awesome. I am going to make more, and have been working on some vases as well. It's fun. Mark even helped me with it. It was a father's day gift for my FIL and I lined it with saran wrap and put four freshly baked chocolate chip walnut cookies in it, then wrapped it with some pretty ribbons which pulled colors from the paper in the bowl. I was very impressed with myself, and when I get my pics up I will post them on here!

Time for some relaxation time.

HR 1207

2009-06-12T08:33:00.001-07:00

I am so excited about this bill that Ron Paul has written. I am very hopeful it will get passed, and have been tracking it for some time. It's amazing how much support it's gotten! Sometimes I feel that people aren't waking up...but this bill gives me hope that I am wrong. Check out how many Co-sponsors, and see the bipartisanship!

slightly sunny

2009-06-12T07:57:00.000-07:00

It's been raining too much lately--at least for my taste. The frequent thunderstorms have made it a bit more interesting than just steady rain, but I'm tired of it all. I think that even my plants are sick of the saturated ground.

Last night two of my little bro's graduated! It was exciting and happy and sad. Life flies by so fast once you graduate high school..or it did for me. I can't believe the little kids I used to babysit are all grown up and graduated. I hope for the best for all of them. I hope they don't have to go through too many trials to grow up and mature. I had to go through my share--not to say I didn't put myself there. Life is hard, it seems easier to accept now that I am getting older though. I will be 25 in a few weeks...as in less than 2. I guess it will feel like tomorrow that the classes of 2023 and 2025 are graduating and I am watching my babies turn into adults instantaneously.
My husband graduated college last month. Not sure if I put that on here. He is so amazing to be able to do an accelerated course and work full time and still have time to be a dad. His grades were amazing too.

Speaking of him. I received my birthday present from him early this year. A camera..and it shoots great video..so I'll be putting more things on here eventually!

I have been giving a lot of thought to which school I will put Asa in for kindergarten. I have contemplated homeschooling too, but at this point I am going to try out the charter school(if we can get in) and see how it goes. I can always home school if public school doesn't work out for us! We have been doing preschool at home though. He loves learning about letters and really picks stuff up well! After just a few weeks of going over a few letters, he picks them out of whatever sign or book or anything he see's which has letters on it! He is also obsessed with marine life. He could tell more proper names of fish than I could. He knows facts about them too. I really want to take him to the Baltimore Aquarium, I know he would love it!

I had Evie to the doctors the other day because of her incessant cold/sinus infection. I was sure they'd give her an anti-biotic...which they did not. They did however say that she was wheezing and prescribed some albuterol for her to take in the nebulizer. The doctor said that she would probably use it again...meaning the outlook didn't look so swell....meaning she could possibly develop asthma like her brother. I hope not. I REALLY hope not. It's such a hard thing for me to deal with mentally, because I don't like thinking my child is struggling to breathe and not getting enough oxygen, especially when you can see it in his face. I do realize however, that it could be WAY worse. I just pray that Evie doesn't have to get what her brother has.

Since she has been sick lately, her sleeping patterns have deteriorated and she is having a really hard time falling asleep. Which means I am tired quite often now too. Today was sunny when I woke up though, and that helped to wake me easier :) I better try and get some stuff done while Evie takes her nap and Asa's occupied with the babysitter(noggin)

almost summer

2009-05-23T06:59:00.000-07:00

Evie turned one recently, May 2 to be exact. She is quite the amazing little one. She learned to walk flawlessly by 11 months. She began walking at the end of 9 months. She is so much fun and really girly.

The weather has been really warm lately. It's like we just skipped spring. I like it warm though, I get more done when I am not cold. I washed my car yesterday, that hasn't been done in...should I dare say?...more than a year. It feels good. I've been exercising too!! It's a miracle!!! The kids and I walk a mile every other day here around the neighborhood..I would do more but the kids want to get out of the double stroller.. It feels good to move around though.

I have a lot of weird dreams that feel like real life. Random weird things that seem like they would just be a part of my everyday real life.

Mark had to get a new car at the beginning of April because the green car needed too much work to pass inspection. It's not new, but new for us and awesome! Its very sporty and fancy inside. It's an VW Passat and I am very sure we'll go for another VW when the time comes!

I tried to paint the kitchen the same color as the hallway...that kinda tan leather color. It doesn't look the way I wanted it too and I stopped before finishing the edging. The problem with this is when I repaint I am afraid that the edging will appear much lighter since the paint will be going over white. The new color I want is Behr's Royal Breeze or Seven Seas. The cabinets are going to be a reddish mahagony color and we'll have orange accents...we'll see if it actually ever pans out. If it turns out the way I want I think it will be awesome!!!

Right now I am sitting here trying to think of the past 4 anniversaries Mark and I have celebrated. We've always followed the traditional/modern anniversary gift lists. I can't remember all that we've gotten for each other though, or how we celebrated the day. It's pretty frustrating! I basically can only remember all of the first anniversary and some of a few afterward. This year will be our fifth and I want to go somewhere for the weekend. We'll have to get something made out of wood for each other. Maybe furniture? Not in these tight times.

Things I am thankful for: My almighty Father God, My loving, beautiful family, my house-a work in progress, two cars that work, Albuterol, the healthcare industry, my new cheap cell phone, flowers, colors, clothes that fit a little less tight than last month, my couches that wipe clean when they're spilled on, people who are real with me, pretty music, my cool leather bound journal that i got for my anniversary three years ago--and the same journal that Daniel Faraday uses in Lost: Wendy's small chilies, Livestrong.com's Daily Plate, and many more things.

February

2009-02-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

I started this new thing at home. Instead of never knowing what to make for dinner, let alone lunch and breakfast, I decided to make a complete plan of meals for the week. This includes snack time between breakfast and lunch and lunch and dinner, with an evening snack thrown in for the man of the house too. It is helping me realize exactly how much I need when I write it down, because I remind myself of the days when different people are here for different meals and buy the exact amount at the grocery store. This also helps me stay motivated to cook and start dinner at the same time each day. I thought of doing this when I changed my bi-weekly grocery shopping schedule to weekly, and so far so good.

We've only skipped one meal this week with take out. Believe me thats better than it was! I made this amazing Ciabatta Pizza the other night. Wonderful!

You can now make out two small white teeth in Evie's mouth. She's so cute with teeth! She is also saying "Uh oh" and "hi". The doctor was shocked that she could say "Uh Oh" this early, so the proud parent that I am felt I should report that! She should be walking any day now. She can easily stand up from a sitting position without holding on to anything and can bend down and pick things up as well. She even bounces up and down(dances) steadily on her own! She has taken a few first-steps, but nothing more than one at a time.

Asa's asthma has been bad. The medication helps his lungs....I guess, but it also makes him a monster. I can't wait for this flare up to be gone :(

I am ready for spring now! I wish we could have solar tubes installed in our house. I would want one in our kitchen, master bath, master bed, and both hallways.

Asa is beckoning me...

fire and water

2009-01-21T06:20:00.000-08:00

It's been a while, but that's not new. One of my "resolutions" was to post more often. I guess I failed before I even started.

Last Saturday Mark and I were able to use our coupon for babysitting and go out for dinner. My parents came over and took charge while we had an amazing Italian meal and shopped for a new camera. It was really fun and refreshing. I did feel a little awkward though, when we were out shopping, like I didn't have enough to do with myself since I had no kids with me. I have no purpose without them. Actually it'll come back gradually as they become more independent I'm sure.

When we got home it was around 9:30---we watched some TV and we're just getting ready to retreat for the night when I heard this really loud engine outside the front door. I got up to look and saw about 5 huge fire trucks lights flashing and all. Mark and I were puzzled. I ran upstairs to look out our big window and saw that they were congregating around a house 5 down from us on the same strip. I came back down and Mark and I went outside to see smoke billowing into the frigid night air. By this point it was 11:30. I was so scared. I watched as the fireman broke the windows and doors in. They carried out a dead dog and we heard word of another that had died. Thankfully the owners of the home were out. The neighbors to their right, and closer to us, had to leave their home as well since their home was full of smoke. I kept wondering if it would spread. I didn't think of anything else but whether or not I should go in and grab my babies and bring them to the car. I just kept waiting and shivering. I would come in the house every once in a while, but Mark stayed outside the whole time. The fireman got it under control but the house is now condemned. I had a hard time sleeping that night. I saw smoke coming from the rooftops of a couple houses and although the fireman seemed totally chill I was freaking out inside. Praise God that no one was injured and that our home wasn't damaged. Evie woke up during all the craziness and I had a hard time getting her back to sleep. Her crying woke up Asa and he started crying as well. This was around 1 when the excitement finally started to die down.

The next morning I woke up late. We missed church. After lunch Mark went downstairs to let the dog out when he noticed the basement floor flooded and the sound of gushing water. What a sad discovery as the floor cannot take flooding, and isn't even completely paid for yet. Thankfully it was a pretty quick fix with the plumbing and only cost $5. My dad is so helpful and came over right away to assess the situation. They cleaned it up relatively quick. I called our homeowners insurance co yesterday and found out that it would not be worth it to report the ruined floor.

On top of all that I had a little screamer attached to my hip. Evie was cutting her first tooth and very screamy(if that's a word). She is however, sleeping amazingly.

I started sleep training I guess a week ago. It's as if I have a new baby! She take two naps a day at the same time for two hours each, and she sleeps basically all night, every night! Such a difference! I feel way more organized in my life with her schedule.

Last Saturday I also painted the hall way, and the weekend before I almost finished the powder room. We just have to put down new flooring and replace the toilet.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

economically friendly

2008-12-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

I found this site and thought it was a good concept for saving ink, therefore saving money, all the while masquerading as someone VERY concerned with saving the environment.

Now for another cool link. I have been contemplating which type of flooring I want for my kitchen. It has to be inexpensive, easy to install, clean, add to resale value and if possible be "green".

I love tile, but its expensive, work to install and not very fun to clean.

Wood floors aren't good for kitchens unless they are finished after installation and that is too much work. (I'll put cork and bamboo in this same line)

Linoleum--although it doesn't add much value to your kitchen--is inexpensive, easy to install, clean and according to this website (and this one)is very "green". Something to think about. Maybe when we sell we can play the "green" card and list all the environmentally friendly items in the house and profit off of it. Am I cheap? Yes, but thats what green can be about, having less waste, wasting less money etc. Although it's not always cheap to be green.

If all Cheapo's save money and all Lauren's are Cheapo's, and all Lauren's are Green does this mean that all Green saves money? Yes! BUT All Green does not equal Cheap. I failed.

Also even if we choose not to go with linoleum, we currently have it, and that link assured me that the landfill is the best place for it when we tear it up!

Laminate is what we have throughout the house because of ease of installation, and its pretty! Apparently even laminate isn't harmful either! Though not a good idea for the kitchen as it's not water proof.

I'm having a good day!!!

christmas

2008-12-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas is quickly approaching! We are all but finished shopping and only slightly in the hole!! I wasn't able to decorate for the holidays as much as I would've liked but next year I'll do better! I bought these pretty cool solar powered light strings for the front bushes. It works out well since we have no outdoor outlets and they have built in sensors/timers AND no extra amount on the electricity bill! They are white(bluish) LED's so they have a unique look!

On the green tangent we are doing really well recycling. I have to purchase another bin from the township building as our current bin is overflowing constantly. Our waste is really diminishing. Even when I shop now I check the packaging and either try to get things with no packaging, or ones with a recycling symbol. One example would be that I stopped buying bottled juice and now get concentrate--except orange juice. A lot less waste and space taken up. Some people may think that I am to into recycling, but at this point it has really become a way of life! I don't give it much thought at home and I love not having mounds of trash going to sit at the landfill forever, but rather smaller amounts of mostly organic materials. Although I was told by an answerer of a question I posted on Yahoo Answers that her community offers organic bins for anything from food to tissues. They take the stuff and compost it and make it available to farmers and such...awesome...

Our water bill was almost $100.00. Our toilets all leak. After much research of dual flushing low flows I have however found some low flow, single flush Kohler's priced very well--which we will purchase when our taxes come back. So much for being green; 11,000 gallons in a month. I am more concerned with conserving water for financial reasons than green ones--although financial reasons are also green!

The kids are doing well, finally the thick fog of chest and head cold that has been lingering for almost 2 months is lifting. Evie has started to say "ma ma" which is a delight! She's making her way all the way up the stairs now and enjoys eating anything we have for dinner cut up small.
Asa has been as busy as ever. He likes making "drinks", concoctions of gross sorts, that I find in the mornings sometimes. Today it was: juice, a whole clementine, cereal cheese, an egg--with the shell mixed in, and butter. He also has been getting into christmas presents. I definitely need to keep my eye on him constantly.
Tyler has been getting excellent grades this first part of third grade. He also made a friend on our street which has been nice for him.

Oh, and Bella. Bella is a black four year old pomeranian that we have opened our home to. A close friend is moving and can't bring her so she now resides with us. The dog is pretty perfect. She doesn't shed, bark, chew things up. She's very friendly and loving and easy and CUTE!

I hope everyone has a great holiday season this year! I most likely won't blog again until the new year comes!

ok

2008-12-08T15:36:00.000-08:00

I feel like I am actually getting my work done now! I mean I still have so much to do, but I feel so much more motivated seeing a lot of things done. Evie is pulling herself up to standing and already cruising. She is amazing, although I am her mom--so I would think so!!

Christmas is going to be low key this year, but I think it'll be a great one. I still don't have decorations up other than the tree. I want to buy some garlands and a wreath and maybe some outdoor lights since we actually have things to put them on out front.

I am thinking about putting some baby items on Craigs List but am a little worried about letting strangers know where I live. I am not typically a paranoid person-but this just makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I was thinking of telling whoever may possilbly want my items that I would put them in the middle of my circle by the mailboxes for them. I guess I sound crazy. Maybe I should just see if anyone would want the stuff through someone I know.

I need to watch a good movie..it's been a while. Our electricity bill was 160.00 in November, up from 120 in October and 65 in September. That makes me feel bad. I know that our home is insulated poorly. When we work on the basement walls I want to put more insulation in the walls and on the ceiling over the patio. When we do the kitchen and remove the soffet I want to insulate through the ceiling (which is our bedroom floor) over the front patio. Both of those places where the floor is above the outside are sooooo cold. I need to price how much it is to use that spray insulation. I was also thinking of pricing the cleaning and sealing of our tiles in the bathroom. The tiles aren't cracked but some of the grout isn't as pretty as it once was. I know they can fix it and make it look beautiful again, I just wonder if it's other worldy expensive. Someday these things will get done!!

I really want to get one of those HP touch smarts. I love the fact that it is so streamlined. I don't like a lot of wires going every which was on the desk. It'll fit great in my built in desk that I am going to make :) Maybe someday. The basement is SOOo cold though. AH I can't imagine being down there on the computer.

I read a lot about seafood recently. Monterey Bay Aquarium has a lot of interesting information about what fish we should eat. Personally it sometimes goes a little overboard in the enviromentalism issues--but nonetheless there is good info among them.

Anyway I better go finish my scrabble game, this dude who is destroying me really wants to end this so his rating can go up!!!!

Monday

2008-11-10T19:00:00.001-08:00

I wish I had a creative hobby. Actually I wish I was motivated enough to just get everyday things done let alone creative fun things for myself! I love creating things. It feels so fulfilling to make something that looks nice. My house is my project now I guess. And I can't even keep it clean!

I want to purchase an area rug for under my dining room table since it's in the living room. It collects so much dust under there and I am constantly sweeping. While it's probably cleaner to have no rug, it looks cleaner to have one! It will need to compliment the new beautiful area rug I bought last week. I stopped at a store since they are going out of business and saw some berber area rugs for about $30 so I couldn't pass that up. I had my brother with me because he was working on my bathroom and we needed to run out and get some hardware at the store. I asked him if he liked a particular berber I had pulled out. He didn't seem very impressed, he was meandering over to the expensive rugs with cool colors and prints. He pulled one out and said, "I like this one!" I agreed that it was pretty but it wasn't in my price range and I headed back over to the berbers. He said that the one he was looking at didn't have price tag on it and brought it up front to the cashier. They said to him that they would give it to us for $30, even though it was obviously not the size, or style of those of that price. I saved a bundle! On sale that rug should've been $120.00!!! After I paid the woman said to me that I got the deal of the night. I am still so happy with it, it's cool blues and browns and tans in like a checkerboard four square style that has a Japanese floral print going on in the squares. Very nice, and looks awesome with my floors, couch and wall color! So glad I brought him with me! There was another rug in the "cheap" bin which actually complimented the one I bought and I was thinking maybe for the dining area, only it was pretty thin and it might get really wrinkled when the chairs are moved back and forth on it.

We all lost our voices today. And I thought we were getting better!
I think we should all buy soaps and cleaning detergents that are made with plant bases versus petroleum product bases, it'll help lessen our dependence on oil. Recycling plastics DEFINITELY helps as well. I am trying my part. Moving out here has been a real gas saver as well. I spent $37 in the last two weeks. Usually I spent upwards of $140...because I drove further and because the gas prices were higher. Right now they are about $2.29/gal and when we were in Strasburg last week we saw some for $2.09/gal.

Mark has been playing Fallout 3. It's pretty interesting I guess. He will be done his degree at Eastern this February. I can't believe how quickly that went. It will be so nice for him (AND US!) when he doesn't have anymore schoolwork to do. Although he was mentioning his Masters with another school. This online program has really been awesome for us though. He has done so well and has been home with us!

Christmas will be here before we know it. I am not looking forward to the financial part. We'll see what happens. This year I wanted to do something different regarding family gift giving. In past years we've bombarded our kids with gifts and emptied our pocketbooks doing so(and it still didn't compare to what some of there friends got!). They in return seemed overwhelmed and unappreciative. They didn't see the value in the little things. So this year I wanted to get them involved in the giving even though they are so young. I figured that if each of us buys a gift for each of us then everyone will have a gift and have given a gift to everyone. I think it'll be more special and we can focus on giving rather than receiving--and MAYBE not spend as much.
I threw out our Christmas tree when we moved. It needed to be chucked because we had kept it in the mold infested basement and it had a yucky smell. It still worked though, so that was hard. We didn't have a lot of room either so I had to part with it. Last year after Christmas at Home Depot they were selling gorgeous fake trees pre-lit and tall for $10-$30 I almost did it, but I didn't know where I'd keep it and didn't even know our moving situation, but BOY I wish I had one now :) It'll be fun to put lights up this year on the bushes in the front. We had a sterile concrete patio at the last location and I could only decorate with pots.

I need to go to bed :)
Goodnight

THe WhoLE StoRY

2008-11-08T14:42:00.001-08:00

So for the past few months life has been busy, crazy and fun. We are chipping away at house work. Mark is just about finished the floor in the basement. That makes all the flooring in the house done, except the kitchen, which we are re-doing in the spring and the upstairs hallway which just needs to be re-situated >>? Evie just got over he first stomach virus. That was really tough for me. Asa had the same thing a few days before. She has mastered the army crawl and can crawl "for real" for short periods of time. She's getting really big too at 6 months she's 16.14 lbs(50-75%) and 27.25 inches(90-95%) tall.

I am so glad the election is over. No more hoping or caring. Now we know and don't need to discuss anything anymore. I didn't vote for Obama but I am at peace with him being our president. God is ultimately in charge anyway. I voted for a Libertarian who I thought would be an excellent choice for Auditor General, but he didn't even come close. I blame that on ignorance more than anything. I think a lot of people vote straight party because they haven't researched the candidates. I am actually guilty of this in the past. Enough of the political talk though!

I still haven't hung anything on the walls yet. Evie's room no longer has a lamp either( i knocked it over and broke the glass) We are still kinda camping, but really settled in as well. I want to get a sectional for my basement and two bookshelves. There is a built in book shelf down there and I want to turn it into a office space, like a built in computer desk and my files can go above it in the shelves. It will be very streamlined and space conscious. I am excited about that. My brother came over and helped us put the light up in the powder room. Now all we have to do to that room is patch the drywall, sand and paint. The flooring in that room will be replaced with the kitchen floor.

We had Empire Today come and put our carpet on the stairs. They did it as quickly as the ads say and at a better price then a local carpet store with remnants, I was impressed!

Our family had some fun outings as the pictures suggest below. Last weekend we went to Strasburg Railroad for FREE!! We got tickets from a friend and some more from my mom and some other tickets for the Choo Choo barn. It was a perfect day for the trip and maybe we can make it an annual event.

The week before that we went to Highland Orchards and also had a great time. I bought this hummus called Bobbi's, I have to say I think it's the best I've ever had! They also had milk there with re-useable bottles. I wish my local stores sold milk like that. I wish we never stopped being so less wasteful like in the past. Everything is about convenience now--but I believe that really comes at a bigger price!

My township just upped their recyling program and will now take plastic #'s 1-7 and all kinds of papers and cardboards and even empty tin cans and aerosol cans plus all the regular stuff like glass and aluminum. Last week we had only two kitchen bags full of trash to throw out. I was so proud :) That is definitely my new goal to have 2 or less bags of trash a week.

Tyler had his hair dyed for the Phillies if you are wondering from the pictures. He got to go to the parade too. Sounded like a lot of fun! Very excited about the phillies. But I am kinda a bad fan who only watches them when they hit the World Series. Oh well!

Thats All for now!

fall

2008-11-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

First we have hiking behind our new home. It's a truck graveyard and very interesting place to explore.

Then We have our new home. Evie's room and the color on the Living Room Walls. However I know I need some better pictures, both quantity and quality-wise.

Then We have Highland Orchards and Strasburg Railroad mixed together. Good Times.

And a random picture of Evie in her Halloween Costume: pink bunny. I need to get pics of Asa and Tyler(or should I say Obi Wan and Darth Vader)

your input is needed

2008-09-25T10:17:00.000-07:00

Could someone give me advice on the color of my powder room?

We are running low on funds, so I am trying to cut corners while still making the place look nice!

Here is my dilemma:
I bought 3 gallons of Valspar Lyndhurst Castle Sand for the living room and only used just over one. I LOVE the color and am thinking about putting it in the powder room too, since i have so much and haven't bought the Behr Fountain Spout yet(which I also love) Is it a faux pas to have two rooms on the same floor painted the same color? I was even thinking of doing the same flooring in the powder room as well. Maybe I am over thinking it?

almost in

2008-09-25T09:32:00.001-07:00

We move in in 2 DAYS!!! Very excited and overwhelmed. I am almost finished packing, running a little low on boxes when I thought we had too many!

We still have to paint the kitchen, powder room...hallway upstairs and entryway, but those things can even be done when we move in. I changed some of the colors from my earlier post: Living room is Valspar's Lyndhurst Castle Sand. Kitchen is Olympic color match to valspars: morning sunrise. Olympic makes zero voc paint, thats why i chose it!

I need to lose some extra pounds here, about 12 to be at a comfortable weight where i can actually fit into my clothes instead of pry myself into them. It's still not my pre-pregnancy weight from before Asa, but it's a fine weight. I hate the changes that happened to my body from pregnancy. It's so irritating to see people survive pregnancy and childbirth virtually unscathed. I did not get those genes. I don't want to make it overly important to me but it does upset me, some days more than others. Even if I can't make myself look good underneath, I can shed some extra weight and get in shape. It's so hard to find the time to exercise these days. This is a crazy time of life, i know, sometimes i just want to go drive somewhere and hide. I am a wimp. Things will be easier when we are moved in and settled--I hope. It will be nice to be closer to friends and family.

I got another bug bite last week. A large ring formed around it and I went to the doctors. She is treating me for Lyme's again. The first blood test they did came back negative though(like last time). They are also testing me for different kinds of Arthritis. I have MUCH joint pain.

Evie and Asa are doing well. Evie just pukes a lot, all over me(like just now) and Asa is really into calling me names. If I never get called a "punk", it'll be too soon. Today he was being very rude to me so I told him I didn't want to talk to him anymore. He got very upset and kept saying, "Please forgive me Mom!!" I said, "You don't even know what that means!" and he said "Yes i DO!". I said, "Well how come you don't change whenever you say you are sorry and ask for forgiveness?" He said "I will be a good boy!" I said, "How?" "I will change my heart!" I thought that was pretty cute!!!

I scrubbed his rug in his room yesterday, but am pretty sure the stains which I couldn't get out will be the cause of the loss of some of our security deposit. Oh well!!!!!

I will post some new pics of the progress at the house when they get emailed to me! My camera is not flashing twice, so all the pics come out black...:( I have to read the owners manual, which is somewhere in box stacked in a pile of major confusion.

PRAY FOR ME. Sometimes I don't think I'll survive the day.Wow this post title should be titled: Crybaby!!!!

paint colors

2008-09-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

I have chosen some paint colors:

Living Room:
Behr Contemplation
Behr Pinedale Shores

Kitchen:
Ralph Lauren Lafayette

Powder Room:
Behr Fountain Spout

Master Bedroom:
Behr April Mist
Behr Lion

Boy's Room:
Behr Carribean Coast

Evie's Room:
Behr Pink Amour

Upstairs Bath:
Behr Aqua Smoke

and now it's gone..

2008-09-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

I feel so guilty for not keeping up my blog. Where do I start?! We bought the house. Settlement was easy and fairly quick. We started cleaning up the house the next day, all the carpets were ripped out and we began TSP-ing the walls. I love the house, despite all the work that still needs to be done! After only a week of trying to clean her up we accomplished tearing out all the rugs and staples and cleaning 80% of the walls and ceilings. Then came vacation on August 23. We had a great week at the beach. Great weather even when poor weather had been for casted! Evie had a great time and loved the beach! She was so good all week. Asa had a hard time because his eczema flared up terribly and caused him to be irritable, I felt so bad for him. In fact, next year we are going to break our 6-year streak of beach going because of how Asa reacts to the sun, sand and salt water :(.

On the third night of being there we went out on the beach at around dusk. My brother Andrew and Dad and brother Ben were all fishing. I was watching them when all of the sudden far out over the water appeared this bright cluster of star-like lights--maybe 10 of them. They didn't move and didn't fade for 15 seconds or so. It was bizarre! They vanished just as quickly as they appeared. I ran to everyone around me asking them if they had seen it. Most had, and then it happened again, just slightly to the south. WEIRD! We were thinking it could have been an emergency flare. Unfortunately after the second set of light disappeared we pulled the camera out and they never came back. A while afterwards we saw the coast guard fly out to where we saw the lights. They hovered there for a while and then kept going.
In the midst of all of that Andrew caught a shark! It was amazing to see! It was about 3.5 feet long over 20lbs in weight. I got a bunch of pictures. A cool experience!

So vacation was great, and we got home and started working on the house again. We picked up the flooring, all 6000 lbs of it. It looks beautiful, I can't wait till it's all laid out.Mark's parents have been working at the house a lot, replacing floor boards, cleaning and spackling. All we have left to do is, finish cleaning the kitchen ceiling and walls, and the upstairs bath as well. Some more wall paper needs to come out of the eating area and Evie's room(quite a chore). Tonight we are going to start painting the ceilings upstairs, because we have to start the floors this Saturday! I think we are also going purchase the appliances for the kitchen!

Asa turned 3 on August 12th. We took him to Chuck E Cheese with his brother and cousin, grandparents, and some uncles :) I took all of the pictures on his grandma's camera so I haven't gotten them yet.
I have a sore throat again, very strange and Evie and Asa have colds!
Tyler turns 8 today! We will have to have a party for him this weekend.
Lots of pics for you!: Living room

the summer is flying by...

2008-07-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

real quick:
Mark turned 31 over a week ago.
We visited with family from Canada last weekend.
Our 4th anniversary is tomorrow!
Evie has been using the walker - but basically just to play with the toys on it's tray!
Asa is fully potty trained!
We make settlement in just over 2 weeks!
We received a free washer and dryer!
Tyler is super tan.
I still can't get anything done around here...although--
Scrabulous was deleted - I'm waiting on the new Scrabble application to work right!
...time to watch Lost--nevermind it's too embarressing of a movie to mention!

so much is happening...

2008-07-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

A lot has been going on around here lately. Sometimes its good to be busy, other time there can be too much happening at once. I wish I could blog more. We do a lot of fun things as a family, and I take a lot of pictures. I don't post them all because it feels too late. Evie has been good. Asa's been slightly sick, but happy. The weather hasn't been great. Life is so fragile. Someone is always sick or hurt or dying. I like to think about all the "what if's" in these situations, but it doesn't matter what if, because things are supposed to happen this way in life. Maybe to teach us how to deal better for situations to come or maybe just to make us feel less comfortable in our temporary location: earth. Somewhere is these packages of sadness, is joy, although a lot of the times it seems hidden--especially lately.

Mark is going to see the new house tonight. The inspector is coming and will go over everything with him. I asked him to take pictures and do some measuring.

The house is 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. It's got a finished walk-out basement and backs up to an open field and beyond that, woods. It needs a lot of work as the owners were extremely heavy smokers. We're going to take about a month and half to fix it up, new floors, new appliances (hopefully new cabinets) new bathroom sinks, bathtub and shower...lighting.. new paint throughout. It'll be a lot of work but we are blessed with many people having offered their services. I absolutely love the location of the townhome and am so thankful it opened up and we were able to get it.

We had a carribbean party for my mom's 50th last saturday. It went really well and was really pretty! I had the task of bringing exotic fruits...yum. Although as we were leaving things went awry: Asa scratched his eye with sand and it was horrible looking, Tyler was throwing up and Evie was crying for food. I was so tired and stressed when we finally got into the car. All I could think about was how I had nursery the next morning and how tired I would be. BUT all the kids fell asleep on the way home and we were able to go to sleep early and wake up on time for church! WOO HOO!

FINALLY!

2008-07-01T08:16:00.001-07:00

Our offer was accepted on the townhouse we wanted! Praise God. It's been a long haul, but I think the first phase of relocating is over! We'll end up being here until probably the end of september--to give us time to fix up the house. More to come...

random

2008-06-11T07:29:00.001-07:00

There if finally some relief from the three long days of hot hot heat! We survived.
Asa has been potty training again. Evie has been grinning and talking, thats been fun, and she's sleeping better too! It'll be six weeks since her birth this friday, It seems like so long ago, but then again like yesterday..

Last Week we looked at the townhome i mentioned in the previous post. We loved it and put a bid in two days later. Unfortunately someone else bid the asking price so we lost out. There was another home we looked at the same day which needs more work and isn't as pretty, but it's cheaper and closer to the middle of where we need to be. We still aren't sure we're going to bid on it though, because it's located at the corner of a slightly busy street. We're supposed to see it this Saturday, I'll keep you posted.

I am really getting sick of paying $65+ every couple of days for gas. The monthly gas budget is more like a car payment now. I wish Mark's work, our families, Tyler, and church could all be close together, like within walking distance...or at least bike riding distance. I bet peoplein the city aren't being affected by the rising costs, at least not as much. Food is crazy expensive too. We have been eating out..or ordering out way more than we should be doing too, so thats not helping our budget..

On gas prices:
"I don't think it's going much lower, and it could go higher," McCain said on NBC's "Today Show." "I don't think so, not when you've got a finite supply, basically, and a cartel controlling it

Who the heck is McCain, the new gas price expert? They might as well have asked me. Anyway his answer is pretty safe. Sorry I just think it's stupid that he is making predictions--even if they are safe. I feel like he doesn't know very much, just army stuff. I especially don't think he knows much about our economy or whats really happening with the oil industry. I am still going to vote for him..the lesser of two evils. I feel that just like our country shouldn't be SO dependant on foreign oil, we-automobile drivers, shouldn't be so dependant on the oil companies... I am so excited to think of better electric cars and cars which use way less fuel for way more miles. My insurance company Progressive is offering $10 million to the winner of a contest in which the goal is to make a 100-mile per gallon car that people actually want to--and can afford to--drive. How cool is that? I just feel that even if the oil companies are making extremely high profits, that's there freedom--this is America, they shouldn't be regulated. We can change their pricing by demanding less oil... I know it's crazy to think about since right now we are so incredibly dependant. I definitely think that this is a good thing for us, a wake up call to be better stewards of this planet and be cleaner and more efficient.

I have ranted enough!
I have this website that I check pretty often. It's called Popsugar, a celebrity gossip blog. I know, I know, how shallow!!! The blog has different categories in it, like home, fashion, beauty ect..
I was reading it the other day when I came across a link. It said, something like "Urban Outfitters opens a new line of stores called Terrain" Right away I thought about a place I drive by very often called "Terrain at Styers" it was recently re-done and is now open. I've been wanting to go in because the design of the place is so intriguing! Anyway, I clicked on the link and saw that Urban Outfitters acquired a nursery near Philadelphia for their first store(the same nurseryI drive by). I was so excited!!! I can't wait to check this place out! I love Anthropolgie and was really into Urban Outfitters as a teen. This new store is even more up my alley being garden center!

Ok I'm done!

Already June

2008-06-04T10:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Evie had her one-month appointment. She weighs 10.6 lbs and is 22.5 inches long. That puts her in the 95th percentile for both categories! I had a feeling she was big, but it's hard to tell when you see her every day. She is perfectly healthy though so, yay :)

I buzzed Asa's hair today, not too short, but it looks cute and summery. I like him with very short hair, it's much neater. I actually enjoy cutting hair. It's kinda scary just because I taught myself and still don't have much confidence that I won't completely screw up the cut. So far everyone has been pretty happy with their new do's though. Tonight is Mark's turn.

I bought a lock for the door. A sliding lock for the top--so that Asa can't possibly reach it. He has been escaping again.

Asa is very interested in Star Wars...to say the least. Today he rode his Pooh rider into the kitchen with a long red Marble Works tube and said he was Anakin on his speed racer with a red light saber. Then he got up in his chair to eat his raviolis and whispered very dramatically, ..."water..." with a tinge of whininess authentic to Anankin Skywalker's character. I said, "Would you like a cup of water?" he said "Yes....Master..." again, just as the character would.

It's raining out. We found a townhome that we liked. We are going to look at it tomorrow. I really hope this is the one for us and everything can go smoothly. It would be so nice to actually "live" in a house again. These boxes lining the walls are getting tiresome..

animal planet expo

2008-05-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

Evie is a month old!

We went to the Animal Planet Expo at Hibernia Park today.
I got to meet Jeff Corwin.

It was really bad weather though. Torential down pours and lightening and thunder. Evie did pretty well in her sling though. Thursday we bought a double stroller(which i love!!!) it is now soaked and covered in mud!
It was still really fun to be there. We saw some cute animals!

3.5 weeks

2008-05-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Evie's been here almost a month now! She is doing great.

We had a nice memorial day weekend. We had picnics at both sides of the family's and got to visit with some of the kids great grandparents too...I can't remember a more perfect day weather-wise for that holiday! I am so excited that the weather is warmer now.

Evie is starting---just starting--to get on a schedule now, and it's been getting easier to live :) she takes good long naps, so I am able to start getting things done around the house and play with Asa too. He just got this card game for matching pictures like a puzzle, and for matching items that are somehow related to each other. He can match every one of them and it's for 3+. I was so impressed, it's fun to play those kinds of things with him.
Here are some newer pictures of everyone:

The boys playin Star Wars and Evie in the background swinging, plus our new hamster Olivia in her cage. (she was named after Asa's favorite pig)

Asa and Tyler swinging at the grandparents.

adapting

2008-05-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Evie Elizabeth is now over 2 weeks old. She has had her first outing to a public place (good ol' Happy Harry's) and first visit to church! This past Saturday she even went on her first hike! She is doing excellently. By her 10th day she was 5 ounces over her birth weight. She is a great eater and a pretty good sleeper. She also is very happy. She has smiled many times...today when I was playing with her nose. She is very alert and follows people with her big eyes.

Asa is having a hard time mostly with sleeping. He loves his little sister and is very proud of her. He is very thrilled when allowed to hold her and lets everyone know she is his sister :)

Tyler is loving having her around also. He has been really helpful with Asa too.

Mark has been getting good sleep on the couch. Evie likes to sleep in my bed with me versus her bassinet. So hubby gives the bed to us and helps us sleep better :)

I had a pretty bad bout of Mastitis with fevers and the whole bit, but thankfully that is gone now and I am almost finished with the antibiotics. That was extremely difficult to bear...thank the Lord it only lasted for a fairly short time!

I was able to bring her on the hike in my new sling. It worked really well and I LOVE IT! She loves it too. It was also helpful when I went to the pharmacy with the kiddies. Asa went in the cart while she stayed in the sling.

House hunting is really slow right now. Nothing is coming up. Hopefully something will soon!

back home

2008-05-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

The delivery went so well. Baby Evie is here and all is good. She is beautiful: 8lbs 1oz and 20.5 inches long. We are glad to be back home and have a beautiful day to have on her homecoming.

in labor

2008-05-02T11:01:00.001-07:00

I'm at the hospital now on petocin things are moving faster than last time. Ism starting to get really hungry. On marks blackberry. Hopefully she'll be here soon. Asa did really well this morning, lots of smiles, he will be so glad to meet her. Ill post again later.
Lauren

guessing game

2008-04-30T06:25:00.000-07:00

I saw my doctor yesterday. I am dilated 1.5 cm, so thats enough for me to be induced this friday. Unfortunately it's still an elective induction so I don't get priority. I am hoping and praying that it will be a slow day at the labor and delivery unit and they will not have to bump me to next week! Baby is still head down, but also still easily able to float around. She turns a lot I believe..I can feel hiccups up top or down below on different days. Doctor said she has had two babies actually flip during delivery, so she knows its possible. I think it's kind of funny, but hopefully she will maintain the correct position for everything to go smoothly. I really hope I can have her this Friday!

I bought her a baby book yesterday. It records 5 years and is nice because it's not overly detailed. Asa's book included way too many things to record. So I felt like I was enslaved to it, then if I didn't remember a certain thing I felt like a horrible mom! This book is really cute too; it's an Anne Geddes book, with really cute antiqued photos.

I want to go to the car wash today and vaccuum out the car. It might be a bit difficult to do that, but I want to get it done before baby. It's amazing how many things there are to get ready. I hope it gets a bit warmer out today.

On Saturday we had a No-Cost Thrift Shop and free lunch at church. I manned the children's clothing room, with another lady and watched in amazement as around 200 people made there way through our little church and filled there bags with all the donated duds. The clothes were very nice and the food was great. It was such an experience to see all the people in need and to know how blessed I am and see ways to reach out. This big baby belly of mine was a blessing in and of itself as it opened up many conversations with other young moms and anyone else who was mortified--i mean surprised by it's size lol. I really hope we touched some people and that we can do it again some time. It really was incredible to see how many people came out for our first time!

Lot's of Laundry to do. Drycleaners...Dishes..:) gotta get ready!

39 weeks

2008-04-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Baby isn't breech. She's 7 lbs 9 oz. already too! I can 't wait to hold her in my arms. I have a feeling she's pretty cozy and not planning on coming before her May 2nd due date.

what else is new?

2008-04-23T13:47:00.000-07:00

Today i had one of my "hopefully" last prenatal visits. It turns out the baby is floating around too much and is possibly breech, so I have to have an ultrasound this friday to determine her true position.

Doc said they can try and turn her (a version) BUT that's very painful and not always effective. She said that the baby wants to be breech for a certain reason(maybe her head is larger) so it's likely she'll turn right back to breech--or it could possible stress out the baby and an emergency c-section would be eminent. So basically if she is breech we'll schedule a c-section for my due date and check before hand to see if she has turned...then if she has I'll be induced to have a natural birth..

Also I am not ready to have her physically, so they couldn't induce me yet...without a high risk of having a c-section anyway.
It's all up in the air...what else is new? Being at the end of pregnancy is so hard!

Asa and I decided to celebrate the mum news with lunch at Friendly's. We haven't gone there in a long time. He was really good..very quiet and he ate all his food and almost finished his ice cream. I helped of course! We then headed over to The Children's Place and bought some summer clothes. I get 25% off of sale items...and they are having a 50% off sale! SO i did really well! I want to hit up another TCP which may have more sale stuff to choose from. I love that store!
I think I am going to make Spaghetti Squash for dinner tonight. Fresh mushrooms sauteed chicken and onions...not sure what else..
can't decide.

Nice weather. I'll keep you updated :)

10 days left...

2008-04-21T11:02:00.000-07:00

or maybe none? I am still a"round"....Would love for baby to come today. I have everything ready for her except batteries in her swing. I also want to buy some warmer weather clothes for Asa before she comes ....part of the whole nesting thing i guess.

I am feeling really yucky today...a lot of flu-like symptoms...trying not to get my hopes up though.
I have some laundry to do and have to clean the living room...then I'll feel a little more ready.

Asa has been using the potty more, I am really excited about that. He's been better behaved recently as well.
The weather has been amazing. We had a super-busy weekend. A shower, two birthday parties...church and other little errands...it was a lot for me, but I feel good knowing all was accomplished.

The turtles need to go. They are too big and the tank needs to be cleaned almost incessantly for it not to wreak like sewage. Today is one of those days where is smells awful. I can't do anything about it either...just be stuck in a stinky house lol. I think they are going to be freed soon. We've had them since they were the size of quarters 3 years ago. They are now proably 8-10 inches in diameter..and very mean. They do love Mark though, it's funny they come to the side of the tank where he is closest to and sit and watch him.

Anyway I better get back to my nesting. Hopefully Miss Evie will be making her appearance soon and I can blog about that next :)
Lauren

the end of 36 weeks

2008-04-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

well guess what? We aren't moving. Big surprise right? We only change our mind every other day. This time we lost our deposit on the apartment though, so it hurt a little more.

The weather was great today. I gardened and I loved every minute of it! Now that we are staying I want to make it look so nice. I have a bunch of bulbs to plant but I also want to buy some annuals to stick in everywhere. I'll take a picture of the finished product. It feels good to be busy. It makes the time go by quicker and gives me more peace of mind about doing all these things after the baby comes.

I saw the doc yesterday. She said everything was fine! She said the baby looked like she dropped some, but obviously not enough for anything to happen lol.

Asa has been good today and yesterday, that's been a treat. I had to call all the utility companies that I just gave the new address too and tell them nevermind. Most of them were happy about the news. I think it'll be nice to be here a bit longer. The best part of it is not being locked into a lease. Plus we are save 300 a month on rent that can go into our downpayment fund :)

At church on Sunday we are having our monthly lunch/dinner. I have to bring a side dish and was thinking of this Irish Potato dish with kale and potatoes...it looks good and has lots of butter so I think it will get eaten. It's hard to know what to bring because there is no list of what the main dishes are. This will be an interesting meal!

I must bring my son his nightly Clariton and milk. Have a wonderful evening.

36 weeks

2008-04-04T13:02:00.000-07:00

we're moving in just over two weeks. I have been packing and packing. I have everything packed that we won't be using until then. It's been keeping me busy so I don't feel anxious about this baby, thats for sure.

Asa has been busy too, mostly playing star wars or doing his crafts. He loves using his new kids scissors, although it's still hard for him to "grasp" the idea of opening and closing them completely. He has also been busy making messes. Things like pouring out bottles of lotion onto the bathroom mats or using red permanent marker on the walls. He is really good at destroying things like my hyacinths growing in the garden. He has also been outside playing with the neighbor kids a lot more recently--which is definitely bittersweet since we are leaving so shortly.

I am making Ravioli tonight. It's about the only thing the entire family will eat all at once. Tyler doesn't enjoy the fact that Asa eats different foods than the rest of us. I guess I don't blame Ty since he wants everything to be fair between them, but the foods we eat just seem so much better--I don't know why he would want Asa's!

I am so tired it's unbelieveable...I drove to the drycleaners today and realized there was someone behind me way later than I should've, it made me wonder if I had just pulled out in front of him. I shouldn't have been driving!
TIME for a nap.

Leprechaun in Mobile, Alabama

2008-03-27T06:02:00.001-07:00

i know i'm late for saint patrick's day, and i am a little obsessed with this, but it's so funny!

house status

2008-03-19T07:19:00.000-07:00

So we put an offer on a house on we saw on saturday. This was monday, we didn't hear back until tuesday when our offer was refused. The counter offer was still too high and so we offered a bit more than our first bid. The seller wouldn't budge, so we walked. It was frustrating but also freeing. I feel like now we know for sure what we have to do: rent. The house was great, but in God's good timing we will find another. We will rent for 12 months and be ready to find a new home.

Mark and is sick and home from work. Asa is well, but still in his pj's. I am feeling weird, but hopefully the headache and dizziness will go away before long. It's been a stressful beginning of the week! Hopefully the apartment complex we want to be in will have the appropriate sized unit available for us still. Then we can set everything up and start packing for real.

It's pretty dismal out. It feels like a day where all I would like to do is sleep.

I started my scrapbooking. Bought the materials needed and received all the pictures from Winkflash(which by the way does not have flat rate shipping anymore). I want to finish thatup before I get too serious about packing. It's hard to find the time with a toddler though. I have been so sleepy lately I go to bed really early. I eat a ton now too. My appetite has gotten HUGE! Only 6 weeks left.

update

2008-03-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

still sick! I keep telling myself that I am better because it's been so long. But i still feel yucky! Coughing my brains out and feeling fatigued. I am even going to have to miss Grandpop's birthday :(

Asa just fell asleep in his booster chair. I was wondering why he was so quiet.

I DID MY TAXES!! It was very hard this year because we took money out of a mutual fund last summer....you wouldn't think something as minute as that would wreak such havoc on your filing of taxes, but I was on the phone with our investment company, h&r block and the IRS to figure out how to sholw that one item had long and short term gains and they were obviously accuired at different times....AH! I am so getting rid of our mutual fund, no lie---it is NOT worth all that aggrivation! I did finish though, and filed everything online. Except for my local which I will mail today. It feels so nice to have that done!! Early this year(for me). There are websites which offer free filing for people in certain salary brackets. I thought that was awesome. I use H&R Block Online because they have previous years on record and I am familiar with their software. Sometimes I get annoyed with them though because it's hard to figure out what they mean from their examples....

Next on the looming list of things I need to do soon: Finish Asa's baby book and some family albums. The hard part about that is the pictures are all still digital and stored on different computers some of which aren't connected to the internet. So I'll have to import them to this computer and send 'em over to Winkflash.com ( my favorite online picture developing company) then I can get crackin'.

Wednesday we are looking at 3 homes. Yes we changed our mind again and are hoping to buy quickly...maybe we are insane. I like all three homes. One is in a very good location and the other two are iffy. But they are all nice and spacious and one has a lot of property which would be great. I really hope and pray that one of them is the house for us and we can move things along quickly.

Here is the recipe for the BBQ sauce:
1 Bottle ketchup
1 Cup brown sugar
1 red onion (sliced in medium strips)
1 Tb Cumin
1 Tb Chili Powder(if its not very spicy add more)
3 Tb Dark Molasses (use less if desired)
salt and pepper
Pinch of Tabasco(we put 15 dashes)
Pinch of Coriander

Just add the onion last so you can mix everything together smoothly. slather on your meat and grill away! Seriously good tasting sauce here.

(Picture from Christmas, but I thought it was cute!)

Daylight time begins this Saturday night. Don't forget to Spring Forward :)

8 weeks and 2 days left

2008-03-05T07:28:00.000-08:00

The flu wasn't very fun. It was Asa's first time. He is still on anti-biotics. I just have to take the nebulizer. It's amazing how terrible a bug can make you feel. It's been a week of this and hopefully it's about to be lifted from our home. Mark went back to work yesterday and thankfully wasn't touched by the flu. He was an amazing homemaker and nurse. He really surprised me with how attentive he was. He did the laundry dishes, made the meals brought me all my meds and made sure Asa got his as well. He is amazing :)

I have a lot of packing to do, only about 5 weeks left of this place. I have no energy or else I would be further along in the packing department.

I went to my PCP on monday and she checked me out. She is the sweetest doctor ever...seriously. She knows my OB and I was able to talk to her about some concerns with my umbilical hernia and pregnancy. Looks like I am going to go through a normal birth(God willing) and have my stomach fixed 6-8 weeks down the road. She reassured me about recovery time and the surgeon she would reccommend and I feel much better now.

We are leaning toward renting again. At this point I think we ran out of time to buy. Plus I don't really want to get involved in the stress of homebuying right before giving birth....We really haven't seen any homes we've liked anyway.

My grandfather's 80th birthday is this Saturday. There's going to be a party for him. I wanted to go to the Italian Market this week and buy him some goodies, but unfortunately i haven't been out of the house. I love the italian Market. Claudio's is a great store for olives and cheese and deli meats. The people who work there are so nice and friendly. Whenever we go down to the Italian Market(me and the same friends each time) we always go the Chinatown before hand for Dim Sum. It's a great time!! I love Dim Sum, but I usually eat just the kinds with shrimp...

I went to a Culinary Workshop with my mother-in-law last week. That was a lot of fun. They taught us how to make this amazing homemade bbq sauce. It was SO yummy! The chef taught us how to make boneless country style ribs from chuck roll. I learned alot and had a belly full of angus beef when I left. We also made this indian style chili which was outstanding!! I learned about Arrowroot being a better base for gravy than flour or corn starch..that was interesting. I also learned that McCormick spices discontinued Arrowroot...lol

Asa would like some Honey Bunches of Oats.

its saturday...

2008-02-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

...but if feels like every other day in the life of me. Our computer was just fixed yesterday so it's nice to have back. Our car was also fixed yesterday. Somthing was wrong with the power steering and it needed an alignment. Not too costly, but free would've been better! I got to drive an 08' Jeep Laredo. I am amazed at how much better I felt in my Pilot when I got it back. It had so much more power and was so much sturdier. The Laredo was fun, but seriously I'll take my older Pilot any day over the jeep!

I started packing my house. I left boxes opened though in case we need things. It feels to have things ready to go though. I just put away things in closets or knick knacks that we don't use regularly. I feel getting a head start on packing will help in the long run. I really hope we are out before Evie comes. Our landlord seems to be getting a bit antsy with getting the house sold. That makes for a very uncomfortable stay here. We did however receive our dryer though. So it has been nice to wash clothes once again. Mark is being given a car from his parents this week as well, so we will be back to two cars which will be nice.

I am 29 weeks now and happy baby is very active and I can't wait to meet her. I really don't have anything ready for her though. I need to get some basic clothing...I do have a bunch of clothes coming from other mothers of girls so that will be nice.

So right now I am going to get off the computer because i have a splitting headache from being cracked in the temple by my two-year-old's noggin.

it's about time...

2008-02-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

I was recently reminded that I hadn't posted in a while. A whole month! I need to get with the program here.

We have been doing well. Seemingly busy although I feel like I am only ever home. We are still down to one car. It's been since before Christmas that Mark has been driving the family car to work. Thankfully his company is letting him work from home two days a week so I can get some things done. We have also been without a dryer for a long time now. That I think is probably worse than the car situation. We have the new dryer but are now being put off by the propane company who needs to convert the gas dryer to propane and then hook it up for us. This has been an extremely drawn out process.

In my last post I mentioned a home we wanted. Thankfully God answered our prayer with a No. Mark didn't receive the promotion and we didn't make an offer on the house. Now prices are lower and we went back to see the house and realized it wouldn't have worked anyway! So We have been looking for somewhere else to live, although we can't afford much. We are hoping for a raise and are getting some news regarding that soon. When we find out whats happening we will determine wether we will buy or continue to rent--just somewhere bigger. We are already leaning toward renting just because of the recession and how it will affect home prices and intrest rates. Mark's economics class in school couldn't have come at a better time.

I have to say I am bothered with the whole Primary Election process. Its so unnerving that a few states determine the candidate for a party. I wish all states could vote on the same day and then we could have a more accurate idea of who should win instead of the candidates dropping out because of what they think will happen! Campaign finances wouldn't be as much a of problem either because they wouldn't have to stretch over so long of a time! I still like Paul btw. I am going to vote for him no matter what. It's about principle. I don't like any of the candidates left(although Huckabee is better than the rest) So I might as well vote the way I wanted to in the beginning! The Republican party needs to be reformed so badly and maybe a Clinton Presidency will help that to happen. No matter what, God is in charge and has a plan.

Baby "E.B." as Asa likes to call her is doing well. She's very active and strong and I am getting very anxious to see her! It's amazing how much I have "popped" just at Christmas people were saying I didn't even look pregnant and now I am getting comments as to whether this is the last month of pregnancy!! Asa is doing well too. He is on a new schedule regarding his eating habits and it's completely reformed his behavior as well! After talking to a friend who is a register dietician we started a new routine for his meals and now he eats more quantity-wise and variety too. He is a delight,I am so glad to be home with him and watch him grow and learn. He is starting to recite books now. He'll look through them and "read" them aloud to himself by reciting what his amazing brain remembers! He is very happy about the baby and asks if he can hold her all the time. Tyler isn't as fazed about it yet, he's been doing well with school. He is getting back into hockey too. It's so cute to watch him play! He just had to get new skates because of how fast he is growing.

I am eager for the warmer weather to begin. I am almost unable to zipper my winter coat and would love not to have to buy a maternity one!
I have been playing Scramble and Scrabulous very often and I think it's helping my brain to stay a bit quicker now that the mommy brain has decided to set in!

I'll post more frequently!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2008-01-05T08:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry I am so late posting this. We had a wonderful Christmas this year. Tyler got to spend it with us and we all woke up early and opened presents and had a great breakfast. I made Turkey Sausage, Bacon(that I burnt to such a crisp we couldn't eat it) Creamed Chipped Beef on toast, Hash Browns and Scrambled Eggs! It was yummy! Afterwards we had a few hours to kick back and relax before heading to the in laws. Over there we had a fantastic meal and fun time looking a pictures of their trip to Europe. We did Pollyanna this year with them so after we ate we exchanged gifts, dad had me and got me some beautiful pearls! After that we headed over to my parents. There was a ton of my extended family there and we exchanged Pollyanna gifts with them also. Mom and Dad got me a new rug for my living room. The Beautiful Flokati rug I had was a nightmare for the allergic people in my household. This one is short haired and easy to be vacuumed. I love it!!! We had a great time with family and eating desert. I even snuck in some Shrimp Bisque that my mom routinely makes for the holidays.

So that was Christmas. New Years was quiet. We went to bed at 10. I was woken up by the fireworks at midnight. Not too eventful but relaxing and quiet.

I've really been feeling the baby move like crazy, even realizing when she has Hiccups!!! Mark and the boys have even seen her move in my belly. It's fun! Mark has been off work since the monday before Christmas and goes back the 7th. It's been nice to have him home. We've been lazy and only relaxed the whole time. It's been really great for me because Asa won't leave him alone and I get some free time...even being able to sleep in!

Things have been stressful around here. A couple weeks back we saw a house we really liked, but couldn't put an offer down until we knew if the job Mark was trying to get would go through. We were sure we would know by the New Year, but still haven't heard anything. It's been really trying, we are being as patient as we can--we have to be. I am just praying that the house is still up for sale--it felt so perfect!

In the middle of all that Mark was hit on his way home from work and has been without a car for three weeks. The adjuster came out quickly and said he thought it would be totalled. The insurance lady in charge of our claim went on vacation though, so we had to practice more excruciating patience. Yesterday we finally settled with the insurance company and got a better sum than we thought we would. But it will still be a while before everything is said and done.

Oh and the dryer has been broken for about a week and a half and the Landlord is taking a VERY long time to take it seriously. I had to do some wash at mom's house. IT feels horrible to have mountains of dirty laundry lying around.

Asa has been up the past couple nights crying. He hasn't been eating well either. That's been tough, I guess I'm getting practice for when Evie comes! He's probably got something, I'm just not sure what. He's got a bit of a runny nose, but no other visible symptoms other than his eczema flaring up.

Even though it feels like too much to handle it could really be worse! I am learning I am not in control of anything and just have to trust God.

Genevieve Elizabeth Lane is looking like the final cut for baby girl. We would call her "Evie" though---well all except my grand mom who said she is going to call her Genevieve anyway:)!!!

News Report on Guiliani SWAMPED by Happy Ron Paul Supporters

2007-12-22T08:10:00.001-08:00

this video made my day!!!

Snow

2007-12-07T12:42:00.000-08:00

It's been snowing!!! I love it, although it'll probably be a long winter!!!

We put up our tree finally. We resorted to the fake one we bought a few years ago even though a few strands of lights are out. I didn't feel like spending the money on a new one. It still looks pretty. (Asa is apparently smiling in the picture....)

Today Asa and I went out to breakfast. This is the second time we have done this and it was a lot of fun! I also did a lot of christmas shopping on Amazon.com with free shipping! I was so happy, I found a bunch of great things for great deals! Asa needs a nap and I kind of missed it because I was on here shopping. Oh well!!!

Some people I know have said some things about The Golden Compass movie that has either just come out or is about to. Some people were very against it, and others (although a lot younger) seemed to like it. I decided after telling a few peers the negatives I had heard about it, that I should research it a bit before I go on. So apparently the movie is far from the book, and those who liked the book would probably not like the watered down version hacked up version. The book is the dangerous part anyway, at least for kids. I read about the athiest author who apparently wrote the series the book is from with an anti-god, anti-establishment flare in opposition to the Chronicles of Narnia which he hated(that is just one thing I read). The movie is supposedly pretty loose morally and maybe bad for children as it encourages the questioning of authority (and ultimately destroying it? in the later books) So I feel that even though it's pg-13 and still looks kiddish, it really shouldn't be for kids. I personally don't want to see it because of the author, but ultimately I think the book is more harmful than the movie, though I'll really only know if I have read and watched them both. We should be filling our heads with edifying things right?

Anyway a great website with all kind of info on Ron Paul: Library

A great video of an interview in July...covers EVERYTHING throroughly:
Google Interview

Making some sort of Chicken and Baby Bella maybe some zucchini with angel hair, for dinner..

we're gonna have a girl!

2007-11-29T14:08:00.000-08:00

So my feelings were right! I am having a girl! We had the ultrasound today and everything looks perfect praise God! She was very active and it was alot of fun to see her. She is measuring at 18 weeks as opposed to the 20 weeks along we thought I was. So, the due date is now May 2, 2008.

i don't like that chicken

2007-11-28T08:23:00.000-08:00

So yesterday when Mark got home from work and then left to run, I decided to take Asa outside. We planted the christmas trees in the pots and lit them up.(They look better at night lol) We also cleaned out the car! No more toys books and trash! YAY! I did find a library book that was due last week though. Oops.

Asa took that book from me and was reading it when my neighbors rooster decided to come over and visit. Asa started running toward it so I followed him thinking the bird would run away. It didn't though, and it started to scare me as it ran toward Ace. I yelled "Asa, come back!" I didn't want him to be afraid of the chicken(even though I was lol) So I kind of laughed and smiled while I whisked him away from the bird standing as few feet away from me. Asa dropped the book, in the driveway where we were standing. I couldn't bend down to get it because the chicken was standing right over it. It was making growling sounds and kept coming closer to us. LOL so we walked(cough cough..ran) away. I tried to look cool as we were leaving the chicken and our book in the driveway, but as that bird followed us over to my car(which was still being cleaned out with all the doors open) I threw Asa in the house laughing nervously, then I ran to the car to shut the doors and bring in the bags of stuff I took out of it. The rooster kept coming closer making it's weirdo chicken noises. I got all my stuff and ran inside. At this point Asa and I were standing in my kitchen with our front door cracked and peeking out at the crazed chicken.

He was standing on our retaining wall whining because he couldn't figure out how to get down to come over to our door. Mark subsequently pulled up and scared that chicken away as fast as lightening. I felt relieved. I ran up to the driveway and grabbed the library book. Then the rooster came back! I yelled "Now What?! You better run!" and it ran away again when Mark got out of the car. Thank goodness! I don't like that chicken! Asa thought it was funny though.
(That is Magic the neighbor's cat standing in place of the rooster)

yum

2007-11-27T11:39:00.000-08:00

I was just looking at this website that gives you the calories per serving for almost any food you can think of. It even had restaurant's versions of different foods. Thats the reason I thought about a place in NYC where I worked as a temp, during a breakfast promotion. It was called Pret a Manger and it was a blast to work at just for a few days, during the coldest days of early 2003. I even had a cool uniform to wear(although I didn't dig the hat). My job was to walk around with samples from their breakfast menu from about 7:30 to noon a couple days a week. (One day I also had to stand outside in the insane blustery winds and angry crowds of running people to hand out coffee coupons)
ANYWAY!
The samples were breakfast wraps, some were southwestern eggs, one was like an Italian style one with sausage and THEN came the "Dulce de Leche" I don't know why it was called this considering that Dulce de Leche is an ingredient in it, but definitely not alone. It was a french baguette with thinly sliced banana pasted on with Crème fraîche and then the Dulce de leche. The baguette was sliced into a-little-larger-than bite sized pieces and it was delicious!

thanksgiving...

2007-11-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

...came and went

My mom got some pictures, I'll ask her to email me then I'll post them(yeah right, like that ever happens!) We had a wonderful meal and time with family. I got to play with my cousin's baby, she is 3 months old and SOO sweet! Asa really loved her too, he asked to hold her several times and when I let him he was beaming and carressing her face and pressing his against hers, it was very precious!

We had Tyler an extra day this week so I had him while Mark was at work. I took Asa and Ty to the moonbounce gym nearby. It was so much fun for them!

I have been trying to be more creative with dinners lately! Yay! Tonight I am making Salmon for myself and Tilapia for Mark, with Apsaragus and Broccoli and baked potato seasoned with garlic and oregano...we'll see how that goes!

I have been sick still, and I'm almost 20 weeks!! Stink! This pregnancy is so much more lazy, like I am not anxious or nerv0us or scared, I just feel awful all the time. Apparently I hide it well too...which is good sometimes. In two days I find out the sex of the baby. AHHH!!! So happy to know, I really hope we can tell! I bought some trees for my pots beside my front door. Christmas trees, and I also bought some christmas lights to go on them. I still haven't planted them though, it's so cold out there--lol. My car is soooooooo dirty too. I need to clean it out and vaccuum it and take it to be washed. :( It needs it so bad, I hate getting into my nice car and feeling gross.(it's not all my fault either!!!!!)

We did a bunch of Polyanna's for christmas this year. We have 6 people so far, not including people who aren't doing it. Of those six, we have two gifts in mind so...

My brother turns 18 this week. I can't believe how time flies. I have to find a good gift for him too.
Mark is applying for a management position at his company. It will be managing his position now, so he feels confident about it. It will be more work and hours, but very worth it for us in this point and time. I am praying we get an answer soon especially since we've been house hunting.

This is an older pic(a couple weeks) of when Mark and I went away for the weekend. I thought it was cute.

18 weeks

2007-11-16T06:34:00.000-08:00

only two more weeks till the ultrasound!

Asa is potty training himself. I say that because it's all done by his lead. He is taking his diaper off even while in his room for naptime, opening the door and using his little potty. He even cleans up after himself and washes his little potty out efficiently. He goes upstairs throughout the day and use the potty without my help. He just started doing it this week and I am so excited. I am hoping it really sticks. He seems pretty motivated. He enjoys the reward of Sweet Tarts! I give him two small ones.

I joined facebook and have been playing Scrabulous on it way too much. I enjoy it though!

I've been feeling some movements in my belly. But they feel much stronger than flutters, I was even able to feel a bump from the outside.

I need to wash the dishes, the kitchen floor and laundry. I would love to go to the Library too, before lunch. We'll see if I can accomplish any of that.

Interview with Ron Paul in Columbia

2007-11-05T10:09:00.001-08:00

15 weeks

2007-10-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

The morning sickness has yet to subside. I am fifteen weeks today and am feeling a bit more pregnant lately, which is nice. I almost think I felt the baby today yesterday and the day before. Just a few more weeks till I get my ultrasound! Can't wait!

We visited Asa's doctor this week after he began complaining that his ear hurt. The doctor said he had an ear infection and Asthma too. That was something I was thinking would come but hoping it wouldn't. So he's been having breathing treatments every 4-6 hours with the nebulizer. He's doing well with it. I bought the nebulizer back when he was an infant with RSV, he was wheezing pretty bad and Mark and I thought that since Asthma runs in his family so much that we should keep it in case. I'm glad we did. It's funny; the other night, well early morning around 5 Asa woke up crying. I went to see what was wrong and he asked to watch Sumo (veggie tales). I told him it was too early so he said "Mom, my treatment!" (Meaning his breathing treatment) but it was so cute because he was sad when he was asking for it. He took it perfectly too, laying in his bed the whole time. Then he went back to sleep.

Last Saturday was my dad's 50th birthday party. It was really nice. We had a fun time and it was nice to celebrate him. Here are some pics:

:)

2007-10-17T17:00:00.001-07:00

So today was a bit different than what my normal day entails. I woke up around normal 8:30(Asa has been great as sleeping in with me) We both had Farina for breakfast, which is not normal but well worth the work! We watched a bit of children's shows and I worked on my budget and bills. It feels so great to get that stuff out of the way! So anyway, after all that around 1, Asa and I left for the Post Office. I asked the postman if they were going to be experiencing a power outage from 1-3 today, he said he didn't know. I told him that Peco called and let us know they would be shutting power off for maintenance today and that we lived just down the street from the post office. So I mailed my bills and bought some pretty stamps and as I was walking out of the post office all of the lights went out. I thought it was funny, even though I kind of knew it was going to happen.

After the post office we ventured to the BRAND STINKIN' NEW Target which opened up in my own town!! It was so nice and pretty and clean. They didn't have what I wanted though, a Wii game for my dad's 50th birthday this Friday. Since we didn't have any luck at Target I decided to go the traditional route and buy some clothes from Eddie Bauer for dad. It's kinda something I always do for him. So anyway they had an amazing sale and I got him some really great pants. Afterwards went into Borders and I bought a cute birthday card(they are so cheap and interesting and different there!!) I also got a book for Asa, a Fisher Price Little People book, they were all on sale for $4 and I usually pay twice that for them! So I am putting it aside for christmas, but I was happy about that great deal! Next we went to Arby's to get some chicken tenders and french fries for Ace, which he barely ate, he basically just drank all his lemonade. I did get some curly fries for myself, I love those things! After eating we ran to the bank drive-thru and then back home. We got home at about 3 and the electricity had been turned back on!

Leaning against the front door as I pulled up was a box of flowers from a friend at church! They are lovely roses and brightened my day! She sent them to cheer me up since I haven't been feeling well with this pregnancy! Talk about thoughtful! That seriously encouraged me!

I quickly brought Asa up for a nap with some strawberry milk. Just a few minutes after I thought he fell asleep I heard him coughing violently and then vomitting. So that was fun. I was able to clean it all up and then lay back down with him in his toddler bed(it was the only way I could get him to be in it and not cry). I soon drifted to sleep. The phone awoke me, (-0r maybe that was Asa telling me to get the phone) Whatever the case, I shut his door behind me when I went to answer it, but not closed enough. After only a few minutes of chatting in my room, I was joined by a sleepy toddler who said he needed to sleep in my bed. But he wasn't telling the truth, because he obviously wasn't trying to sleep, more like do gymnastics.

So soon after Mark got home from work and I talked him into taking me out to Bennigans for dinner(On wednesdays they have 4.99 burger meals--and boy are they good burgers) So we went, had good food. Came home, put Asa down, and now here I am. I feel like today was a whirlwind!

I think I am going to sit for a while and relax, maybe staring at my roses, and then I am going to go to sleep early.

Tomorrow, if I get my dishes and laundry done and feel up for it, I want to go to Bath and Bodyworks and buy the Pumpkin wallflowers and candle, they smell so great!

13 weeks and counting...

2007-10-13T13:01:00.000-07:00

I am not feeling great still. This time is worse than the last with the whole pukey thing. My doctor prescribed an Anti-nausea medication but I never filled out the prescription. I wanted to look it up some before I started taking it and I found that it was developed for chemo therapy/radiation patients. The problem was that although a lot of women said it worked for them during pregnancy (about 80%) there were still not any significant studies done of the effects of the medicine on the baby. Then I came across a forum online where a mom was asking if any other moms had taken it and had children who seemed delayed. Her little boy was significantly delayed while her other children were fine(she didn't take it with them) I also read a study from New Zealand on it saying that there was not enough information on it's effects on pregnancies yet and they advised moms-to-be to avoid it.
It was also listed as a medication for women who have lost a significant amount of weight because of morning sickness (i haven't) and can't keep any food down ( I can keep about half down on bad days)
So anyway, I decided to go to my pharmacy and ask my pharmacist. He advised me not to take it. He said it was for drastic measures and that even if it made me feel better temporarily it could be having negative effects on the baby. He also said that the company who makes it has a lot of influence in the medical world. That made me decide right there and then not to take it! Plus the fact that 24 pills of the generic form was $500.00(although my insurance covers all but $6)
So now I just try and pretend that I am feeling better. I can't wait for this time to be over.
We were able to hear the baby's heart a bit ago. That was very fun...it was a fast beat.
In the beginning of November I have another appointment and will be given my Ultrasound script! Very excited about that! I'm still not showing at all, I know you show earlier in second pregnancies but I guess we still have a bit to go. I also haven't felt the little guy yet. Maybe it's a girl and that's why I am feeling so much worse this time, who knows! If it's a girl we think we are going with Evie, if it's a boy Jack Robert.....those are still up in the air as well. Evie wouldn't have a middle name just like I didn't. Evie is a variation of Eve, so it's Hebrew and has the same meaning "mother of many". I also like Ephraim and Reuben for a middle name of the boy, haven't convinced Mark on them yet though. If Asa had been a girl he would've been Sofia Avis. I like Sofie Avis better now, but I think Mark has changed his mind about the whole Sofie thing....we'll see what he thinks if it actually is a girl though.

Wolf Blitzer Interviews Ron Paul on CNN

2007-10-10T19:04:00.001-07:00

Ron Paul is Bill Maher's New Hero

2007-10-10T19:02:00.001-07:00

Bill Maher: Ron Paul

2007-10-10T19:01:00.001-07:00

very interesting...

Ron Paul 2008

2007-10-10T18:54:00.000-07:00

Maybe because I am young, or maybe because he is the radical new thing our country needs, but I am voting for Ron Paul.

You should definitely check him out! I posted a few videos, please take the time to watch them!

sea bands

2007-09-18T18:47:00.000-07:00

wow, i don't remember feeling this under the weather when i was pregnant with Asa. I am going to keep this brief because I need sleep :) We had our first prenatal doctor's appointment today. Unfortunately we didn't hear the heart beat. I am 9 weeks as far as the doctor could tell though, so that is good news. I go back in two weeks to hear the heart beat. If we still can't hear it, then I'll get an ultrasound to determine how far along I actually am!

I bought sea bands for the acupressure...its supposed to alleviate some of the nausea, not sure if it works yet. Although I feel less like i am going to vomit but still a lot of indigestion. Oh well! Not like the whole world wants to know how my stomach is feeling LOL. (it's not like the whole world reads this blog either ;)

My house is a mess, but I feel motivated to do it....tomorrow! I will have to post after I am done with that! I've been buying ready-made dinners for the family since cooking makes me ill. It's worked out well this week. The first night we had some amazingly tasty frozen pizzas from Trader Joes. They were imported(at least one was) from Italy and you could tell it was hand tossed! It was completely organic and the veggies were sooo yummy. We also had one that had sausage and pepperoni, but they were uncured and all natural and good for you :) The best part...they only cost $4.99 each!! Which is less that I had budgeted for my shopping list with Giant. So thought I'd pass that on :)
GOODNIGHT!

nice weather

2007-09-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today have been just beautiful out! The temperature outside is great. Asa and I went to Struble Trail today with Liz. That was nice, we walked about 2.5 miles then had some lunch. On our way home I saw a blimp off in the distance. I was driving on 30 east and I could see it toward West Chester. When we got into W.C. I noticed that it said "For the IF in Life" and the other side had "Metlife" on it. So apparently that is the "Snoopy 2" blimp and I am assuming that it is on it's way to Baltimore for an NFL game this saturday. It was headed south, although it still has a few days, who knows!

The movie "Manic" was pretty good. There was alot of cursing though, and violence. It was definitely indie, i thought it was filmed well.
I think I am going to go take a nap!

this time around

2007-09-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

So today was not eventful...or was it.

I did sleep in for once, which was nice. I haven't been able to take a nap lately. Though I am not quite sure why--my housework isn't done either. I've been busy all week but, you'd think I'd have done more things considering the time I used doing nothing when I could've been sleeping.

I feel jittery inside. I don't think it's morning sickness, but I definitely have much food aversion. I also have a LOT of indigestion :( Asa has been working on getting his eye teeth to pop through, so he's been absolutely miserable all day. I babysat his cousin this morning and Asa was so terrible the whole time. It's really not like him, so I know it's because of the teeth. But I still have to deal with it! He didn't take a nap, but rather trashed his room. Then when I let him out he did nothing but whine and SCREAM all day. I felt too out of sorts to make dinner, so Mark ordered some sandwiches. It was very helpful but I feel guilty considering our budget overages. YIKES i am complaining incessantly. Some other things happened today that were good.

Tomorrow we are going with my Aunt and her family to the Bowers Chili Pepper Festival. I think it will be fun I am interested in purchasing some neat-o peppers and pepper-related prepared foods :)

I hopefully will get to go to bed early. If I can get off of the computer, get the dishes washed, and do a load of laundry :)....and I CAN do it :) I just need to encourage myself over and over and think about how good I'll feel when I'm done!

Asa has his allergist appointment on Monday. It'll be the appointment where he gets stuck on the back with many needles. I have this numbing cream I am to rub on his back before we go and then cover with plastic wrap.
That should definitely be an interesting morning.

My brother is vacationing in California this week and it reminds me of when I went out there for a couple weeks. I told him to visit this place called the Huntington. If you ever go to the L.A. area you must visit this art museum/botanical garden it's so beautiful! I really hope my brother gets to visit it!

Oh, this whole week I was basically without a car. The low oil pressure light came on and the dealership told me not to drive it. We eventually had it towed yesterday and it turned out to be a failing battery only! For some reason when batteries die they sometimes trip the circuit to the main computer system to the car(i know i've used the wrong terminolgy) and it was switching the oil pressure light on. It was barely starting either so we had originally thought that their was something very seriously wrong with the engine. BUT....it was really nothing :) and it cost me nothing !!!!! Best part!

We're about to watch Manic I'll let you know how it is.
Goodnight

Tyler is Seven today!

2007-09-04T07:18:00.000-07:00

Tyler's birthday celebration went really well! First we took him to two toy stores and let him pick out some toys. Then we went to his favorite restaurant "Red Robin" and had lunch with some other family members. It was very nice. They brought out a huge piece of ice cream cake and sang to him! Today is his actual birthday though, he is seven. I got some pictures, but I have to buy a universal card reader so I can put them on here. Hopefully I can get one today.

Labor day was quiet...except for the news of a new little one!!

Our car is broken so I will be with out it for who knows how long, on Thursday i am getting a loaner car. Thankfully it's under warranty so it's not going to be that bad for us!

Tonight for dinner I am going to make Chipotle Shrimp Taco with Avocado Salsa Verde

Asa is doing well. Chatting up a storm and always asking questions. When we went to the toy store the other day it was really funny because he gasped when we walked through the door then started pointing to many things and saying very emphatically "I Like That!! I Like That!"

He's also been looking at the papers that came with Tyler's action figures which show other characters to collect. He tells us which ones he wants. "Mom, I want this one. Mom I buy this one!"

I really need to start with seriously potty training him. I guess we have a bout 7 months to do this:)
At the bottom of this page you can see a little count down graphic YAY!

I better go get the day started!

catching up

2007-09-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

I wish I could be more consistant with my blogging! We have been doing so much lately. I haven't been able to upload pictures because the cable for my camera is missing. I wish this laptop had a memory card slot like our pc--either that or Mark would let me hook our pc up to the internet!

So I wrote in my last post about driving by the set of "the Happening" at Cheyney U. Funny, but I kind of happened upon another set this past wednesday. I was visiting my baby cousin Chase for the first time, he has an older sister who is Asa's age so we took the kids to the park near his house. On our way over my Aunt said "Oh, guess what!? They are filming a movie in my neighborhood!" so I blurted out..."Is it the Happening?!" It was. We were walking across the street it was on when she said, "Do you want to check it out?" She mentioned that normally it was much more crowded and you couldn't get anywhere near it. (I SO WISH I TOOK PICTURES!) So there were a few cops sitting around the huge set. It was a crash scene where a red jeep hits a tree in a fork in the road. It's supposed to be set in Princeton NJ.--there was a lareg sign welcoming us-- it was so cool to see about 6 red jeeps all very similar looking in a row. The last two were semi-crashed, and very-crashed, one had a strange camera contraption built on top. I guess I didn't mention that we were allowed to walk right up to everything. They weren't filming at the moment so the actors and film crew were gone. The set was all ours!!!! There were some people washing a car and fixing road signs and moving superficial things around. It was really cool. The main crash tree was actually fake and we could tell from the back of it that it had bolts holding it together! There was also lighting apparatus in the large "real" tree behind it. My aunt said that her neighbor who's house would be seen in the movie was asked if they could plant a hedge around their front yard....it looked so natural, but I guess it had just been put in. The grass was also fake.

I'll add more later, it's time to go celebrate Tyler's birthday!

thoughts

2007-08-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

Today I was thinking about a place I once was a few years back. I haven't ever felt like the way I did today about it. I always used to think I was cool because I had been to this place. I was driving down 100 reminiscing about that time and feeling my confidence build--"I was so cool". Anyway, I was thinking about how my car model wasn't even in existence back then. I felt my coolness melt away some.:) The coolness of course gaged by myself only. Time flies, life is so much better now than it was back then, but I couldn't have gotten to where I am today without going through all I did. It's amazing how much I learned and grew when I lived in the city. I was there for barely 3 months but I learned things that probably would have taken more many years to learn anywhere else. I grew up very fast. ANYWAY!(this was written wednesday 8/15)

Asa turned 2 on Sunday! We had a fun little family party I will post pictures soon.

Yesterday I drove past Cheyney University(which I basically pass when ever I drive anywhere west of here.) and noticed the overflow parking lot was full of trailers trucks and a huge tent....not to mention a huge tent. Usually there is about 5 cars in the big open lot. So it made me pretty curious. Today I drove by it again and saw even more cars and lots of people walking around. I saw a sign that read "Extras Parking" with an arrow. I figured it must be a movie...then the trailers made sense. So when I passed the scene yet again on my way home I saw a huge catering truck from California "Tony's" pull out in front of me with a paper on the dash that looked like a computer print out of a tree and the name "The Happening". Pretty exciting that it was happening literally 5 minutes from my house! WOO HOO! YAY

VBS is over

2007-08-07T07:49:00.000-07:00

What a crazy good week that was. Lots of driving and getting up early, but very worth it. We had a great time, Tyler learned so many new songs and even practiced the hand motions in the car every day on our way to the church. I think I took some pictures: I'll post them when I get my reader and batteries charged. The theme for VBS was Avalanche Ranch, a wild ride through God's word. It was really cute. I didn't have a crew like I thought I would but I tried to stay busy helping other people. Asa actually participated in a few classes, so that was nice. It was fun getting to know people better seeing them every day all week.

Mark and I also celebrated year no. 3 last Tuesday. We didn't do much, in fact we did nothing. Mark did buy me an amazingly beautiful hot air balloon Hummingbird feeder. It was nothing I would've ever expected, but I loved it. Then he explained that the third anniversary is glass...and it meant even more to me!! He also got me a beautiful purple Lisianthus(sp) and a cactus planter with different cacti and succulants...very cool. I went out and got him a cool reading lamp with a glass shade. Then we went out for lunch on Sunday.....and that was fun :)

This week should be interesting....nothing much planned. Going to my aunts on Friday which should be nice, we're going to some farmer's market that I've been looking forward to visiting since she moved up to where she is and found it. Right now I have about 4 rooms of my tiny house to vaccuum fruity pebbles out of.

Asa is turning 2 this Sunday. We are going to have a small party for him at my parents. I really haven't planned much for it. Thank goodness mom likes to cook for crowds! I think I am going to go to party city and buy a few Nemo decorations.

Mark said he wants to go camping one weekend before the summer ends. I have to plan that too. We want to go to Elk Neck State Park, it's so much fun!

I better go vaccuum.

back

2007-07-29T10:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've last posted because a lot has happened. We returned from our beach vacation. We bought a new car ~!! Oh and our computer crashed.

Thats of course the real reason I haven't written in a while. All is well though, we are all healthy except for a recovering double ear infection in Asa. Unfortunately he was sick throughout the vacation and let everyone know how he felt. The weather was wonderful, we all got very tan and had a very relaxing time.

The new car is awesome, it's a Honda Pilot and it's silver, we fit so well now. The friday before we left for Ocean City I was driving around doing last minute errands when my car started making a strange noise. I just started thinking about how I needed to make the long(ish) drive to the shore in it and then I started to think about how squished we would be. So I drove home and told Mark(who had the day off for school) that I would really love a new CRV. I asked him if we could run over to the Honda dealership and shop around just in case we see something to take on vacation. Well it was a crazy time but we did it! Then our trip to the beach was so LONG but comfortable. it took us 4.5 hours when it normally takes 1.5!!

Anyway we're home. Mark turned 30 last week and we surprised him with a family and close friend party at his parents. It went so nicely! After barely any notice so many of his childhood friends were able to make it for burgers and dogs and a great cake!

Tomorrow is the start of our church VBS. We have Tyler this week so it will be really nice. I am a crew leader(supposedly) but I might be doing other things instead. Hopefully Asa will do well. I am pretty excited, our church theme is Avalanche Ranch. The funny thing about that is almost every church with a VBS is doing the same theme...even in Ocean City!!

We're at my parents now after a nice church service and sunday school class. It's sunny and warm and we're probably going to swim.

The Joy of Peanut Butter

2007-07-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ever since Asa turned one, and maybe even a little before, people around me have been moved to curiosity over why I won't let him have peanut butter. When I say peanut butter, I mean peanut butter crackers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and other candies with peanuts, or any foods with the nut it in. The reason I stayed away from it though, was because I was convinced that children should wait till they're three to have peanuts, especially if they have other allergies.

Until recently I stuck to my guns about it. Today I was feeding my nephew peanut butter on toast(one of his favorite foods) and I was feeling kind of weak as to how other people around me affect me so that I change my mind on things, basically just to please them. He certainly was loving the toast though. Asa made his way over to it as well, he grabbed a piece and smeared it on his face. I told him to put it back, and that it was not his.

He has had crackers in the past few weeks with PB in them at relatives(on both sides lol) homes. I kind of just let him have it as to not make me look crazy, and also to make other people happy. (Very sad, I know)

So after Luke is done his food and I am done cleaning up the mess, I notice that Asa's face is red super bumpy with his upper lip all swollen. I freak out! I grab him and hold him, he probably thinks I am crazy. I grab my purse and dump out all the millions of business cards from the pocket of my wallet. I search through them frantically yet come out empty handed. I run over to the phone book cabinet, my hands shaking wildly. I keep thinking his throat is going to close up I won't be able to do anything about it. I find the book, and the doctor's number and quickly dial it. A busy signal?! For a doctor's office? Something is not right! I set him down on the table while I run around in aimless circles trying to think of what it is I should do. I decide to call them back, and this time it ends up victorious. "May I speak to a Nurse, or Doctor please?" I say in my most calm and sweet/cheerful voice. What's wrong with me?! Am I afraid I'll offend the receptionist if I act more emotional? After what seemed like way too much time I was answered by a nurse. She told me to give him Benedryl, call and Allergist and that if he has any breathing problems to go and pick up the Epi-pen Jr she was about to call in for me. It seems so simple in one sentence, but it actually was complicated to get those directions when the boys were both screaming bloody murder at each other and I am getting a call on the other line blocking out her speech. I also realize I don't have enough medicine. After scribbling down some allergist's numbers and hoping I got them right(especially since I completely missed their names) I realized that I had to drag two almost-two -year-old boys into the car and down to the pharmacy. I call my hubby and start to cry.

I obviously survived the ordeal. Thank God Asa's reaction mellowed out and I was able to give him Benedryl and pick up his Epi Pen. He's sleeping right now, and I feel like doing the same.

The Moral of the story: Don't be easily moved from what you think is right, just to make other people happy, comfortable or even for your own appearance.

humidity

2007-07-06T09:08:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how a beautiful sunny day with temperatures perfectly warm can be spoiled by high humidity. I have two little toddlers today instead of just one. Maybe that's also a reason why I am sweating. Luke got here around 6:45 am and although it was earlier than expected, I was happy to have such a spontaneous start to my day. I got most of my "chores" done while he was playing with cars and Asa was sleeping. It was nice because I had more time to play with them. They did this funny thing this morning; while I was taking socks off of Asa, Luke pulled his toes to his nose, sniffed and said "EW STINKY!!" Then Asa did it and they both started laughing hysterically. It was really cute. Later on they did something else, (I think it was another bodily odor) and Luke said " EW Yucky!" then Asa and he started laughing their heads off and saying "Ew, Stinky, Yucky". It just made me think about how inherently male or female we are made...without being taught.

Is it bad for me to be using other people's photo's on my blog? If so, I won't hesitate to stop. I just figured that since it's actually a link to the original site, I have sited it enough. (that was almost a pun) I am planning on going to Wissahickon again and taking pics myself to redeem myself. Wissahickon is actually part of Fairmount Park in the city limits of Philadelphia.

I have to go food shopping today. I really dislike food shopping. Asa is usually good company though--as odd as that may seem.

I better get back to tending the boys.
Lauren

Monday

2007-07-02T09:41:00.000-07:00

Today is Monday, Asa and my "try to get work down" day. So far it hasn't been a very efficient day though. That's my fault.
So,big surprise, we went to Wissahickon again on Saturday. This time exploring new places and witnessing to car break-ins (after the fact). That was scary. We brought my brother John with us and hiked about 9 miles. I forgot to unload my camera so we didn't get any pictures :(

I got these pictures from the Internet, someones Flikr page, but these are some things we saw on our hike. The Indian is a Lenape and the bridge is the only covered bridge in any major city in our country(Wissahickon is in city limits).

Mark's car also broke down this weekend. I am so ready to trade it in. We need to get it fixed though and then try and sell it on our own so we can get more for it. We were looking at the a new Honda CR-V then some used Honda Pilots and a Toyota Highlander. I would prefer a larger car to a smaller one, but we'll see how it goes when we go shopping this week.

The fourth of July is coming up, two days away, and less then two weeks till our family vacation to the beach, I am so excited. I believe we are going to my parents for a BBQ on the fourth.
The weather has been absolutely amazing the past two days. Very comfortable and clear. The humidity is almost non-exist ant.

I am so upset. Our basement is gross. I don't even want to go down there. It's very moldy and there are these flying bugs down there--a bunch of them swarm the lights when I go down to get my laundry. I can't wait for these problems to be fixed, it's very disgusting. Hopefully the landlord will take it seriously.

Well Asa is doing well, yesterday he heard Tyler ask for drink and then he said "I...Have....Juice...mom?" I was very impressed :)Usually he just says "More Juice..please"

Well I am going to go now and make this inefficient day of mine do a 360 :)

Lauren

wifehood

2007-06-28T07:44:00.000-07:00

It's interesting to think about how much our life has changed since I stopped working. Although I really liked my job, I couldn't imagine running this household while working outside of it! I don't know how I did it. Except things weren't as organized, and we weren't as happy. Sometimes people ask me if I am bored or unhappy staying at home with Asa full time, but I feel the complete opposite. I love being here with him and keeping the house in good order and having dinner ready for Mark when he gets home.
I remember in college a class I took about life, honestly I don't know what the point of it was. I do remember one class when we looked at how the history of women's jobs has changed in the past century. My class was all women students and the teacher was a middle-aged woman who was just finding herself after divorcing her husband, moving in with her new "lover",getting a tattoo and a "real" job. She was very nice, very sweet to everyone, but the class in particular about persuaded and thinking, "I can't believe what society expected of women---it was so degrading and unequal, to think that people lived to run a household only!" Even after having Asa I still wanted to keep working and having "worth" in this society, and more "equality" with my husband. (Although in my heart all I wanted to do was be with my baby all day). Little bits her point of view rubbed off on me and only recently have I written them off as false.

This job is so valid and important and challenging and rewarding and wonderful! I love it. I think it's equally important to making money outside the home. Some of the things in the past weren't great but history gets progressively better and more civilized, right? I guess I'll just try not to repeat the bad things.

I am honestly blessed not to HAVE to work outside the home. I know many women can't and that's just the way their lives turned out and that's ok but I feel that ultimately it's best for me to be here.

Anyway, we've had a busy 10 days swimming and having fun. Asa has really started to feel more independent when swimming, and potty training has been going well. Last Saturday we went back to Wissahickon and started at the North end, we walked about 3.5 miles before we had to head back. My birthday was on Sunday, I'm 23. We had a nice weekend celebrating and I feel so blessed to have so many loving people in my life. I believe we will be swimming again today, it's been in the high 90's the past couple days.