Mother's Day

Surrounded by the never-ending chore list, it's easy to get discouraged and frustrated. Our house is on the market right now, and it needs to be tidy all the time. I'm constantly picking up, Febreezing everything and Windexing (mmm, Windex) the bathrooms. I literally growl under my breath when I see the boys carelessly throw down their things instead of putting them away. Don't they know that I'm neurotically cleaning all the time? Their beds aren't made meticulously and there's always a stray sock under the bed. They hide toys on the "dark side" of the bed (the side you don't see from the door), and there's always toothpaste or mouthwash in the sink in their bathroom. Don't get me started on the ever-present smell of pee. Like I said, it's easy to get frustrated.

It's hard work to be a Mom. It's hard to be consistent. It's hard to be patient. I'm no expert. Sometimes, it's just easier to let them watch TV.


Yesterday, Mother's Day, I contemplated the art of Mothering. I must be so frustrating to my children. I feel like I'm constantly critical of them and nagging over dirty clothes on the floor. I certainly don't do all the things I want to with them and I'm lacking in the "funzone" a lot. I feel like a tyrant sometimes.

Yet, they like being with me. Silas collapsed with laughter yesterday when I did an imitation of Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz (nailed it, by the way). And Corin painted me a lovely Walter Anderson print their teacher gave to his class for them to complete for their Mothers. He was so proud of his work! Felix loves for me to read to him and he still (all 54 pounds of his four-year oldness) likes to snuggle on my lap. They all beg to "help" me in the kitchen with cooking, and they fought over who got to take care of me when I came home from the hospital after Lida B was born. They adore their baby sister and love to hold her and occupy her attention when I need to do something.


Even though I'll still be neurotic (let's not kid ourselves), I will try (and fail a lot) to keep this time in perspective. They will not all being under my roof forever. There will be lonely times where I wish they were around more often soon enough. I understand that it happens faster than you think. I'm glad they're my kids. And I'm glad I'm their Mom.


I'm off to Febreeze and Windex.

Collage of New Orleans

We recently went to New Orleans for the day and this is a collage of the pictures. I found this feature on my Picasa page, which is where I edit my pictures. Thought it was pretty cool. Download it for free here.

Mini Layer Cakes

This week is Teacher Appreciation week at my boys' school. There is a theme for each day, but, alas, I've not done ANYTHING. With a tinge of self-loathing, I berated myself for a couple of minutes and then decided to do something with a bang. After all, we do appreciate my boys' teachers; both of the school-age boys adore them. I do want to show our appreciation for their hard work. I initially thought I'd make a cake for each teacher, but that was starting to add up (and would've taken HOURS), so Quinn (the genius) suggested making small layer cakes. I was given small tart pans (a little bigger than the palm of your hand) a few years ago by my Grandmother (who's a genius baker) and I've never used them.


I dug them out of the back of the cabinet (I have six) and washed the dust off, greased and floured them and then set to the mixing of the cake. You could easily follow directions on a cake mix, but I decided to "kick it up a notch" and make my (er, Southern Living's) Triple Chocolate Bundt Cake recipe.

1 box Devil's Food with pudding in the mix
1 5.9 ounce box of instant chocolate pudding
4 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup oil
3 cups chocolate chips, divided
1/2 cup whipping cream



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour bundt cake. Mix 1st five ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Stir in two cups of chocolate chips. Normally, you would pour this into a prepared bundt pan, but for the mini cakes, soon approximately two big tablespoons full into prepared (greased and floured) mini pans. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 18 to 19 minutes.
Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes in pan and then remove from pan to let cool on a wire rack for a bit.

For the next bit of "notching it", I prepared an easy recipe of cream cheese icing.

1 8 ounce package of cream cheese (softened)
1/4 cup butter (softened)
1 box powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract


Mix together. Apply a generous amount of cream cheese icing between two cakes and then let sit on rack.

Ganoche sounds hard (perhaps because it's a Frenchy French name), but is super easy to prepare. Simply take the remaining cup of chocolate chips (from cake recipe) and 1/2 cup whipping cream and stir them in a small saucepan over low heat until they melt. Let sit, unheated, for a couple of minutes after the chips are melted.

Then apply two large spoonfuls on top of each layer cake, spreading to the edge. Then lick the saucepan (you know you want to). (Also, please ignore chipping nail polish on my fingers, ugh that looks bad).

To finish the cakes, sprinkle a dusting of powdered sugar over the top. I would wait until just before serving to do this last step. I applied the sugar last night and this morning it had melted into the ganoche. No biggie, I simply reapplied the dusting again.


This recipe made six layer cakes. It could make more or less, depending on the pans you used. You could use a muffin tin and make REALLY cute, tiny layer cakes.
The cakes were so cute and made a really pretty presentation. You could really do this with any kind of cake. I think next time I'll try it with red velvet, with cream cheese icing in the middle, and a white chocolate ganoche on the top. I placed the cakes on a pretty disposable plate this morning and sent them to school with the boys in a box lid, which also means they may not make them EXACTLY to their teachers. Normally, my pride and vanity would make me go to the school myself and take them, but, ick, Lida B didn't sleep well last night and I'm pooped. I'm guessing Silas will have a serious mishap; poor thing gets his clumsiness from his Mother.
Anyhoo, I'm about to make a fresh cup of coffee and get a "sliver" (snort) of the last cake, which our family sampled this morning for breakfast. It was delicious!

Approaching the End

We are approaching the end of our time here in Jackson. Quinn is not completely done with classes; he will finish his final year in Birmingham, via the internet. Our job at Community Presbyterian starts in June.

Quinn reminded me last night that, when I was sobbing one night when we first moved here, that I would cry when we left. That seemed hard to believe when we first moved here, I missed my home and my home church family so much. But now we are preparing to leave, and so are others (to go to their new homes), and I know visits with them will be far and few in between. I feel like this is an abrupt ending to our time here, even though I knew it was coming for two years. I've made some good friends and it's been so lovely to live near family. I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around not being able to see them as often.

Two years seemed like an eternity, but it has zipped by so very fast. I'm thankful for these two years. They've been difficult, but have brought Quinn and I closer together. And then there's Baby Girl, the unexpected addition to our little family. I wouldn't trade these two years for anything.

I'm looking forward to moving back to Birmingham. Dear friends await our return and our church is excited to have Quinn on staff. It's nice to be wanted. I feel like we're returning into a giant hug.

I'm gonna need it.

Lida B

She's added a whole new element to our lives.
We're in love.

Surreal

There's a pink stroller in my living room.

It has a pink car seat to match.

It has flowers on it.

It's very girly.

I have a few baby clothes put away in a closet upstairs.

There's a bouncy seat and a Leapfrog toy in Quinn's office.

We're still circling around a couple of baby names.

I am enormous and nauseated and have heartburn.

And yet...

It feels strange that there is another baby coming. Maybe it's because pregnancy overwhelms me so much. Quinn talks to the baby and I feel her kick and move and wonder how our lives will change because of her. It still seems so far away that she will be here (and there's more vomit and heartburn coming before she does), that I just put the thought aside.

Really, can it change that much? Our lives, I mean. We already have three children and adding another mouth to feed doesn't really change the dynamic of our lives too much, except that she's a girl.

Yet, somehow I think it will.

Melancholy

Having a bit of a melancholy day today.

Thinking about how fast the boys are growing and am sad about it, but at the same time have very little patience with them. Sigh...

Tired of the boys getting sick every other week. Or every week. I've not been sick. Quinn has not been sick. Which I'm thankful for.

I think there's something important leaking from the van. So saith the man. I really don't think anything about the van unless the air conditioner is not working as fast as I want it to or I'm broken down by the side of the road.

Feeling chubby. Blah, blah, I know I'm pregnant, but I have a bit of complex. The weight gain is driving me nuts. It's not helpful that I can no longer keep up the four mile trek I was doing. The Braxton Hicks get quite annoying after a bit.

I miss my friends in Birmingham and friends here. I feel like a hermit lately. And I'm terrified to go anywhere significant because I'm afraid I'll throw up (last trimester nausea has come).

I had to drop Christmas choir (which I adore) because it ran too late and I would fall asleep or simply not show up because I had conked out on the couch at 7pm.

I miss my mom and my sister. They'll both come sometime when the baby is born, but I miss them anyway.

I need to clean my house and must muster up the energy to do this, but it's so daunting.

The children are bickering. Sigh...

I don't like days like today. I feel like I've been on the verge of tears all day.

Sorry for the downer folks. It'll get better. I know.

Alone
by Edgar Allan Poe

From childhood's hour I have not been
As others were; I have not seen
As others saw; I could not bring
My passions from a common spring.
From the same source I have not taken
My sorrow; I could not awaken
My heart to joy at the same tone;
And all I loved, I loved alone.
Then- in my childhood, in the dawn
Of a most stormy life- was drawn
From every depth of good and ill
The mystery which binds me still:
From the torrent, or the fountain,
From the red cliff of the mountain,
From the sun that round me rolled
In its autumn tint of gold,
From the lightning in the sky
As it passed me flying by,
From the thunder and the storm,
And the cloud that took the form
(When the rest of Heaven was blue)
Of a demon in my view.

Well, that explains a bit, doesn't it?

I see a busy day before me, but it's all fun times for our family today (bring on the candy) and tomorrow starts November! The countdown is ON for this baby to come. My last trimester starts in one week! October went by super fast, as will November and December because of the holidays to come. Here are some pictures of our Halloweeny activities. We also did Mummy Dogs (think pigs in a blanket with a leetle bit of the hot dog showing throwing to look like a mummy- mustard drops for eyes work well), but without the pictures.

Have a safe and fun Halloween!

I think I'll dress like a witch after all...

Saw this article on my friend, Amy's, blog and thought it was interesting...

Here's the original link, but I thought I'd just repost the article here so you don't have to go through the trouble of clicking on the word "here".

Concerning Halloween
by James B. Jordan
August, 1996

OPEN BOOK, Views & Reviews, No. 28
Copyright (c) 1996 Biblical Horizons
August, 1996

It has become routine in October for some Christian schools to send out letters warning parents about the evils of Halloween, and it has become equally routine for me to be asked questions about this matter.

"Halloween" is simply a contraction for All Hallows’ Eve. The word "hallow" means "saint," in that "hallow" is just an alternative form of the word "holy" ("hallowed be Thy name"). All Saints’ Day is November 1. It is the celebration of the victory of the saints in union with Christ. The observance of various celebrations of All Saints arose in the late 300s, and these were united and fixed on November 1 in the late 700s. The origin of All Saints Day and of All Saints Eve in Mediterranean Christianity had nothing to do with Celtic Druidism or the Church’s fight against Druidism (assuming there ever even was any such thing as Druidism, which is actually a myth concocted in the 19th century by neo-pagans.)

In the First Covenant, the war between God’s people and God’s enemies was fought on the human level against Egyptians, Assyrians, etc. With the coming of the New Covenant, however, we are told that our primary battle is against principalities and powers, against fallen angels who bind the hearts and minds of men in ignorance and fear. We are assured that through faith, prayer, and obedience, the saints will be victorious in our battle against these demonic forces. The Spirit assures us: "The God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (Romans 16:20).

The Festival of All Saints reminds us that though Jesus has finished His work, we have not finished ours. He has struck the decisive blow, but we have the privilege of working in the mopping up operation. Thus, century by century the Christian faith has rolled back the demonic realm of ignorance, fear, and superstition. Though things look bad in the Western world today, this work continues to make progress in Asia and Africa and Latin America.

The Biblical day begins in the preceding evening, and thus in the Church calendar, the eve of a day is the actual beginning of the festive day. Christmas Eve is most familiar to us, but there is also the Vigil of Holy Saturday that precedes Easter Morn. Similarly, All Saints’ Eve precedes All Saints’ Day.

The concept, as dramatized in Christian custom, is quite simple: On October 31, the demonic realm tries one last time to achieve victory, but is banished by the joy of the Kingdom.

What is the means by which the demonic realm is vanquished? In a word: mockery. Satan’s great sin (and our great sin) is pride. Thus, to drive Satan from us we ridicule him. This is why the custom arose of portraying Satan in a ridiculous red suit with horns and a tail. Nobody thinks the devil really looks like this; the Bible teaches that he is the fallen Arch-Cherub. Rather, the idea is to ridicule him because he has lost the battle with Jesus and he no longer has power over us.

(The tradition of mocking Satan and defeating him through joy and laughter plays a large role in Ray Bradbury’s classic novel, Something Wicked This Way Comes, which is a Halloween novel.)

The gargoyles that were placed on the churches of old had the same meaning. They symbolized the Church ridiculing the enemy. They stick out their tongues and make faces at those who would assault the Church. Gargoyles are not demonic; they are believers ridiculing the defeated demonic army.

Thus, the defeat of evil and of demonic powers is associated with Halloween. For this reason, Martin Luther posted his 95 challenges to the wicked practices of the Church to the bulletin board on the door of the Wittenberg chapel on Halloween. He picked his day with care, and ever since Halloween has also been Reformation Day.

Similarly, on All Hallows’ Eve (Hallow-Even – Hallow-E’en – Halloween), the custom arose of mocking the demonic realm by dressing children in costumes. Because the power of Satan has been broken once and for all, our children can mock him by dressing up like ghosts, goblins, and witches. The fact that we can dress our children this way shows our supreme confidence in the utter defeat of Satan by Jesus Christ – we have NO FEAR!

I don’t have the resources to check the historical origins of all Halloween customs, and doubtless they have varied from time to time and from Christian land to Christian land. "Trick or treat" doubtless originated simply enough: something fun for kids to do. Like anything else, this custom can be perverted, and there have been times when "tricking" involved really mean actions by teenagers and was banned from some localities.

We can hardly object, however, to children collecting candy from friends and neighbors. This might not mean much to us today, because we are so prosperous that we have candy whenever we want, but in earlier generations people were not so well o_, and obtaining some candy or other treats was something special. There is no reason to pour cold water on an innocent custom like this.

Similarly, the jack-o’-lantern’s origins are unknown. Hollowing out a gourd or some other vegetable, carving a face, and putting a lamp inside of it is something that no doubt has occurred quite independently to tens of thousands of ordinary people in hundreds of cultures worldwide over the centuries. Since people lit their homes with candles, decorating the candles and the candle-holders was a routine part of life designed to make the home pretty or interesting. Potatoes, turnips, beets, and any number of other items were used.

Wynn Parks writes of an incident he observed: "An English friend had managed to remove the skin of a tangerine in two intact halves. After carving eyes and nose in one hemisphere and a mouth in the other, he poured cooking oil over the pith sticking up in the lower half and lit the readymade wick. With its upper half on, the tangerine skin formed a miniature jack-o’-lantern. But my friend seemed puzzled that I should call it by that name. `What would I call it? Why a "tangerine head," I suppose.’" (Parks, "The Head of the Dead," The World & I, November 1994, p. 270.)

In the New World, people soon learned that pumpkins were admirably suited for this purpose. The jack-o’-lantern is nothing but a decoration; and the leftover pumpkin can be scraped again, roasted, and turned into pies and muffins.

In some cultures, what we call a jack-o’-lantern represented the face of a dead person, whose soul continued to have a presence in the fruit or vegetable used. But this has no particular relevance to Halloween customs. Did your mother tell you, while she carved the pumpkin, that this represented the head of a dead person and with his soul trapped inside? Of course not. Symbols and decorations, like words, mean different things in different cultures, in different languages, and in different periods of history. The only relevant question is what does it mean now, and nowadays it is only a decoration.

And even if some earlier generations did associate the jack-o’-lantern with a soul in a head, so what? They did not take it seriously. It was just part of the joking mockery of heathendom by Christian people.

This is a good place to note that many articles in books, magazines, and encyclopedias are written by secular humanists or even the pop-pagans of the so-called "New Age" movement. (An example is the article by Wynn Parks cited above.) These people actively suppress the Christian associations of historic customs, and try to magnify the pagan associations. They do this to try and make paganism acceptable and to downplay Christianity. Thus, Halloween, Christmas, Easter, etc., are said to have pagan origins. Not true.

Oddly, some fundamentalists have been influenced by these slanted views of history. These fundamentalists do not accept the humanist and pagan rewriting of Western history, American history, and science, but sometimes they do accept the humanist and pagan rewriting of the origins of Halloween and Christmas, the Christmas tree, etc. We can hope that in time these brethren will reexamine these matters as well. We ought not to let the pagans do our thinking for us.

Nowadays, children often dress up as superheroes, and the original Christian meaning of Halloween has been absorbed into popular culture. Also, with the present fad of "designer paganism" in the so-called New Age movement, some Christians are uneasy with dressing their children as spooks. So be it. But we should not forget that originally Halloween was a Christian custom, and there is no solid reason why Christians cannot enjoy it as such even today.

"He who sits in the heavens laughs; Yahweh ridicules them" says Psalm 2. Let us join in His holy laughter, and mock the enemies of Christ on October 31.

Check out the site. I've never heard of celebrating Halloween from this perspective before. I've always considered Halloween harmless for the kids to dress up and get candy and decorate some pumpkin cookies and carve a jack-0-lantern, and all that jazz. I have very pleasant memories from my childhood Halloweens (especially since my sister's birthday was the week before the said event and there were some spectacular goings on with that). I scoff just as much at the term "Fall Festival" as I do "Winter Break" in lieu of "Christmas Vacation". I've ignored the naysayers because I simply don't care. I like Halloween, stamp-stamp, and I'm gonna get some Snickers from the neighbors. We'll do our Jack-0-Lantern (scary is the vote this year) and set him on the porch with a light in his belly. Quinn put his foot down about the Halloween Tree, but I love the idea, Abbey! Maybe eventually...

If I've stepped on your toes, I certainly do intend to (wink, nudge), but I also am hoping to remind you of our central focus forever: the gospel of Jesus Christ and that it is central to our lives; our very existence. Letting my nine-year old dress like a skeleton instead of a superhero will not devalue the gospel.

Like in a lot of things, moderation is delicious...

Excerpt from the Raven

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor
Eagerly I wished the morrow; - vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow - sorrow for the lost Lenore -
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore -
Nameless here for evermore

PS... picture is by Gustave Dore
PSS... Quinn won't let me name the baby Lenore. Or Poe. Or Raven. Sigh...

October's Here

"From ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night, good Lord deliver us." (Old Cornish prayer.)

I love the month October. Smile.

Of course, the playlist is up. And, of course, there will be caramel apples. And possibly other new things. And childhood Halloween stories. And the traditional last minute costumes for my kids. And Poe. I love Poe. And spooky quotes (like the one above, which raises the hair on the back of my neck, in a good way) will periodically appear.

Fun times...

more to come...

Legacy of Swarthy Eyebrows

Yeah, so I changed my layout. I did it here on Shabby Blogs (Thanks Virge) and I love it (if you're on FB and want to see my fabulous new blog background, click on the original post thingy at the bottom). It was the least complicated background change I've ever done. Most erase everything you've done (like in the sidebars), but this one was super easy.

I've been thinking about having a daughter this week. And also about ants, which have raided our house this week. But mostly, I've been thinking about having a daughter. I have visions of a dark-haired little girl, with an easy smile and a winning spirit that attracts many friends. And she may be sweet, but she could possibly be bossy (I'm a bit bossy), she could be neurotic (ahem- let's not even go there), she could could be manipulative (not me!), she could be overwrought and emotional and snotty (visions of myself when I was fourteen) and she could have dark, swarthy eyebrows. You may be thinking, "What? You don't have dark, swarthy eyebrows!". Oh, yes I do. I carry tweezers and a mirror with me at all times (just in case I have an eyebrow emergency). I still have visions of being called Kim Dukakis in 1988. Do you remember him? Allow me to remind you.

Michael Dukakis has swarthy eyebrows. Just saying...
Anyway, why does this matter? It doesn't. Except that I'm vain and neurotic and self-righteous and want her to beautiful and winning and sweet (See? That reflects how good of a mother I am). I've never thought about any of those things when I've been pregnant with the boys. My only thought when I've been pregnant with the boys is, "Wow, I wish I would stop throwing up." But now we've introduced a new element in this life and that is how I (ME) could affect my daughter. Will she watch me obsess about food when I feel out of control? Will she see that I'm more conscious of my appearance that I should be? Hmmm... How irrational my expectations are! I am a sinner raising children! My human-ness affects everything I do. Really, the only thing I know that I do right is saying to my children, "Hey guys, Mom's not good enough on my own effort to get to heaven, thank goodness for the sacrifice of Jesus and the grace of a loving God. I'm gonna screw up big-time (and do all the time), but Jesus is perfect."
And we've already raised (practically speaking and with the help of her mother) one little girl and I'm watching her be an adult with exceptional interest. She's beautiful and kind and we're awfully proud of her. She's our girl.

Maybe she could help us out a bit with baby girl #2... What do you say, Rach?

Ups and Downs

I should be unloading the dishwasher. And throwing in another load of laundry. And possibly sweeping the floors. Definitely packing my suitcase. And yet... here I sit. Well, I did clean the lint from the dryer so I'm good, right?

I've been a range of human emotions this week. On Tuesday, Quinn and I went to have a sonogram done of the baby. I've been dreading this appointment, more so than previous pregnancies, not because I've experienced problems, but because there reasonably could be problems. And I'm getting more neurotic as I get older. This actually has been my easiest pregnancy and THAT, my friends, is saying something. Anyhoo, the sonogram technician was fabulous and the appointment went off without a hitch. And I found out I'm having a GIRL! I was surprised and elated. How fun! Oh, the bows and shoes and dresses... You know I'm going to love it. Possibly the best part has been telling everyone I know. It's been good and my smile has just nearly hurt my face. On Tuesday night, I came home from Back to School night at Silas' school and our good friends, the Speeces, were here and had brought a lovely pink, smocked dress for our baby girl and strawberry icecream (pink) with pink tablecloth on the table, pink napkins, and a It's a Girl! balloon hovering over the table. What a lovely surprise!

And then on Wednesday my Pappy died. He was diagnosed in August with pancreatic cancer and then he died Wednesday. It was very fast. I knew it was coming. We all did. And then it happened. And now I'm flying out tomorrow morning, without my husband and children, to go to the funeral with my parents and sister and two of my nieces. And today I've been a basketcase. I burst into tears during carpool duty (which, by the way, if you burst into tears in carpool duty, then you are done with carpool duty for the day), and really just wanted to come home and sit next to my husband on the couch and not think about anything. Which is kind of what I've done, except that I can't stop thinking about the trip and the baby girl and my sweet little family and death and Pappy's amazing imitation of Donald Duck. He always smelled of pipe tobacco when I was a little girl, which I loved.

Sigh...

Somehow, Christ is glorified in this melting pot of emotions. My only consistent hope in this world of constantly changing happiness and sadness is Christ. And the tears will fall (from both happiness and sadness), but He is still my hope.

Air Quotes and Being "Healthy"

I read a chapter this morning in my "free" pregnancy book from the doctor's office. I put "free" in air quotes because (1) I like air quotes and (2) because it's not free, perhaps I should say the book is "included" in the large deductable I will be paying to my insurance company. Alas, it's better than no insurance at all, so I will be satisfied with my "free" (can't help it) book.

Anyhoo, the chapter caught my eye because it was called "staying healthy while pregnant". "Healthy" (in my warped little brain) means "skinny", so I gave it a read. It's interesting, with this being my fourth baby, that I get MORE obsessed with not gaining too much weight while I'm pregnant instead of becoming more "oh well, I gain weight when I'm pregnant". I get very irritated when I read articles about staying "healthy" (see above air quotes on my definition of healthy) when I'm pregnant, because I don't gain 25 to 30 pounds when I'm pregnant; it's more like 40 to 45. This, in part, is due to the fact that I am hungry every two hours (not unlike a newborn baby) and must have something substantial to eat (three strawberries are not going to cut it). And when I say "hungry", I ain't (using bad grammar for emphasis) just whistling Dixie. "Hungry" means "I must eat now or I will puke". I know this from plenty of experience. Sigh... So I make my delicious, neurotic cheese toast snack (one slice of bread with two pieces of turkey, two slices of provolone cheese and a healthy sprinkling of Lowry's garlic salt with parsley placed under the broiler for approximately four minutes) at least twice a day and kick myself for not eating an apple, even though I know an apple ain't (see above parenthesis for using bad grammar) gonna cut it.

I am neurotically (I mean "healthily") exercising and trying to drink a lot of water, but my weight is steadily creeping up because I absolutely cannot stay at the recommended "2100 calories a day is all a pregnant woman needs". So I scream at the book "EXCEPT FOR WOMEN WHO THROW UP WHEN THEY'RE HUNGRY!". Of course, the book (which does not have ears) cannot hear me, but my husband can, who thinks I'm crazy when I'm pregnant anyway. Which is only a little bit true.

And so I press on...

News Flash

Hmmm...

I haven't blogged in a while. I guess you know that.

Let me sum up:

1. We had a great year in our public school system. This came as a complete shock to me because I wasn't planning on having a great year. The boys did very well in their classes and Quinn and I were both pleased with the outcome. Will we homeschool in the future? Not sure. Maybe. I think it will depend on circumstances and the individual ways the boys personalities pan out.

2. Working this year was an educational stretch for me. I learned how to become more efficient at home (of course, this came after the initial two weeks of crying everyday after school) and I liked having the same hours as the boys. Someday, I think I shall become certified (that was meant to sound lofty- didn't you see the 'shall'?).

3. This is our last school year in Mississippi. Quinn will finish up his on-campus classes this year and then we will move back to Alabama. I am excited, but will be sad to leave new friends we've made. And we've made some dandies.

4. And last, but, wow, not least, I'm pregnant with baby #4. Yes, somewhat (HOLY COW, IS THAT POSITIVE????) shocking information for us, but I'm growing more excited about the new life growing in me. I am eleven weeks today and still in the throws of panic-eating (I hate vomiting and my body likes to be sick when I'm pregnant) and trying anything to help keep the nausea at bay. I always struggle with my body image when I'm pregnant. I eat all the time (panic-eating) and, duh, typically gain a good bit of weight when I'm pregnant. I'm still running (uphill battle) and trying to stay active (even though I DO like remaining sedentary), but I'm still feeling chubby. Of course, it doesn't help that I get a positive pregnancy test and the next day I cannot button my pants. Anyhoo, I'm due on February 2 and am already excited about the hospital stay (there's cable at the hospital). We find out in September the sex of the baby. Felix insists that it's a 'sister'. We'll see.

Maybe I won't wait another three months to blog.

Painting 101

I've learned to paint since we've moved to Mississippi (which has been one year ago tomorrow) and not just "the middle" either (which was my only painting job I was given), but real "I'm gonna paint this living room if it KILLS me" painting.

Well, today I've tackled the upstairs bathroom. And I'm learning some interesting things about painting. I'm documenting them so that I'll remember not to repeat the mistakes AGAIN.

1. Wear old scarf in hair. I have paint at the end of my ponytail from where I've turned my head in a small, confined place.

2. Wear shoes. Because it is the bathroom, we had to move the toilet to paint the wall behind it. I don't know if you've ever moved the toilet in your house before, but when you move a toilet it smells very bad (plus it's my boys' bathroom- if you catch my drift) and there's "liquid" that seeps from the inside of the toilet onto the floor. I was wearing shoes, but I spilled paint onto them (number three coming up) and took them off to rinse them and then promptly stepped in "liquid seepage" and closed my eyes in disgust. Niiiice.

3. Do not place tray of paint precariously on the edge of the tub. This may seem obvious, but apparently it did not occur to me at the time. And then it fell over. Butter side down, of course.

4. Do not use the edge of tub as a step ladder. This may also seem obvious, especially because I'm a wee bit accident prone, but I'm content standing on my tippy-toes to reach the wall above the tub. I did come downstairs to get my phone though, in the hopes that, if I did fall, I would be conscious enough to call 911. Isn't that a good idea?

There. Documented. Now I'm going up for coat number two. And some bleach to clean up the seepage.

While I'm Avoiding Pilates...

Yes. It's true. I got up at 4:45am to do pilates and have sat my booty at the computer instead. I am sipping coffee (with Creme Brulee creamer... mmmm), and mulling the fact that I am, in fact, avoiding the Windsor Pilates lady and she's sobbing in her DVD box.

We are in the process of repainting (hello and thank you to Heather and Crissy who SURPRISED me with their presence for my birthday and helped me paint the living room! We had great fun!), fixing, and (perhaps) laying the Pergo flooring before my family comes up to visit in two weeks. While you may raise your eyebrows in apparent disbelief over my monumental chore list that I put off to the last minute, I scoff at your disbelief in loftiness and snobbery. I work better under pressure. Ish. Of course, I am not laying the floors (ha), but I have learned to paint (also ish) and have just a wee bit of guilt of asking my husband if we can do this and that while he's preparing for finals. More scoffing by you? Well, I ask of you, which is more important: The house being done to perfection before my family gets here in two weeks or Quinn finishing well in his classes? er... Don't answer that.

I've also been mulling over smells. Now, if you know me at all, you know my fascination with different smells. This smells bad (ew, smell it! Um, ok!), this smells good (sniff... ah!), what can this smell be (hmmmm...). I've been reading Rebeccah's stuff on living a simpler life (check it out), which also equals living a cheaper life ("cheaper" almost outweighing my weird "smelling" thing), so I have been enamered with making my own shampoo, deodorant, yogurt, and toothpaste. I have not actually done these things yet. I think about it and think it would be good. And really, the only thing that is stopping me is smells. I like the smell of brown sugar shampoo and Dove soap. I love standing in the deodorant aisle at the store, agonizing over which deodorant I should pick. And don't get me started with shampoo and hair products. I prefer to go to the store by myself when I'm picking out these things so that I can stand there as long as I wish to pick out the most perfect smelling item. So, I have my dilemma. Cheap versus smelling really good. I shall mull still.

I have two weeks left of school.

I'm going to start food journaling again. (I need more obsessions)

The clock is chiming 6:00am and I must get started with my smells....

DivaCup

I'm sorry. I usually don't post stuff like this, but I thought it was, um, interesting. Maybe a little gross. Well, since my husband ran screaming from the room when I said, "Hey, check this out", I'm guessing it's not at all a point of "interest" for men. And a lot gross.

I, however, am intrigued. Check it out.
By the way, it's for a woman's monthly, just so you know. Perverts.

Creature of Habit (Well, I want to be, anyhow)

I mentioned in yesterday's post that I made lists that included me peeling wallpaper. Well, I find myself making lists everyday now. Different lists: grocery lists, organization lists, to-do lists, idea lists, weekend lists, etc. I find myself looking forward to writing them. More so than actually accomplishing the tasks on the list.
Currently I'm writing this list:

Weekend List:

buy birthday present for a birthday party tomorrow (creative ideas?)
take out spring/summer wardrobe for everybody
deep clean upstairs and downstairs
and, of course, the everpresent: PEEL WALLPAPER in upstairs bathroom

I'd like to transfer my desire of MAKING lists to actually ACCOMPLISHING them (especially that BATHROOM!). At least I feel like I'm getting SOMETHING done if I write down what I want to do. Maybe if I set a timer that would help.

Spring Fever Makes Me Cranky.

Feeling overly critical.

Burnt out from school. Don't think I could have a jobby-job where I didn't have a summer break. I'm longing for it.

Really want to paint rooms in my house. That, of course, must come AFTER I peel wallpaper. Hmmm. I keep writing "peel wallpaper" on lists, almost as an afterthought. It's not working. I ignore it just as well if it's written down.

Haven't taken the Spring Clothes out. Need to. Silas has finally outgrown size 5 shorts; he turns 7 in two weeks (hello, WOW). Poor baby, he looks like a ragamuffin. I usually love taking out my spring clothes, it's like a surprise from last year.

I just finished the Twilight series. I have a hard time reading what I term "Hype" books, because I usually don't get the hype or I think it's over-hyped. Twilight is a BIT over-hyped (admit it!). It's not the greatest writing and Bella is an annoying character. I didn't like her until the fourth book, when she finally developed into a strong character. However, the story was a bit addictive and I read it in every moment of my spare time. The movie was... okay. I'm hearing all of my Twilight "Fanatic" Friends howling (forgive my pun) at my critique, but I did read it. So, um, there.

What shall I read now? Help me. Even if you hate my critique.

Time for lunch.