my mulberry street

how did you die?

2010-03-18T12:05:00.003-06:00

when i sat down today for a little quiet time, i grabbed my husband's Bible because it was closer. out fell a poem that he copied years ago (college, maybe?) and has kept in his Bible since. i've read it before, but it was a good reminder for me today. i thought you might be challenged and encouraged by it too:

How Did You Die?

Did you tackle that trouble that came your way

With a resolute heart and cheerful?

Or hide your face from the light of day

With a craven soul and fearful?

Oh, a trouble’s a ton, or a trouble’s an ounce,

Or a trouble is what you make it.

And it isn’t the fact that you’re hurt that counts,

But only how did you take it?

You are beaten to earth? Well, well, what’s that?

Come up with a smiling face.

It’s nothing against you to fall down flat,

But to lie there -- that’s disgrace.

The harder you’re thrown, why the higher you bounce;

Be proud of your blackened eye!

It isn’t the fact that you’re licked that counts;

It’s how did you fight and why?

And though you be done to death, what then?

If you battled the best you could;

If you played your part in the world of men,

Why, the Critic will call it good.

Death comes with a crawl, or comes with a pounce,

And whether he’s slow or spry,

It isn’t the fact that you’re dead that counts,

But only, how did you die?

Edmund Vance Cooke (1866-1932)

opinions are like noses...

2010-03-04T00:01:00.006-06:00

...everyone has one.

parenting is one of the most opinion-filled arenas out there. give me the option to have a political discussion or a parenting discussion, and i'll pick the political discussion every time. it's less contentious, and there's more opportunity for reason and resolution. seriously!

it's hard to enter the high-stakes endeavor of parenting and not form some very strong, very personal convictions about it. mostly that's driven by everyone's desire to do it RIGHT. we set out in search of what's right for us, and then we do that. and we feel very strongly about it. and we realize that other people are doing it differently.

which leads to the question: are they doing it WRONG?

just to clear the air, i'm not hinting around at the stay-at-home thing. yes, that's one of the many decisions and convictions that parents face, but there are so many others too: breastfeeding vs. formula, demand feeding vs. schedule, co-sleep vs. crib, no-cry vs. cry it out, immunize vs. not., spanking vs. not. the list goes on. and on. and on.

it's actually a very overwhelming list, but you make your best sleep-deprived decision and move on. all the while, you get attached to your decision, either because it really was the right decision or because it would be hard to admit you were wrong and you don't want to feel guilty.

so, i've been wrestling with this feeling of right and wrong concerning certain parenting choices. and i know other parents wrestle with this too. i've had at least two recent extended conversations with friends who are dealing with the same thoughts and feelings.

tonight, i wrote the following thoughts to a friend, and i realized that i wanted to share them here too:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I've been thinking about whether and how to share my [parenting] convictions with people in my life. I've wrestled with wanting to speak up, but I also know that many of my opinions are unsolicited, unpopular and could ruin relationships if held too tightly.

As Chuck and I discussed this very issue last week, we came to the conclusion that our approach with other people concerning their parenting choices has to be the same approach as 1 Peter 3:15: "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

If I could break that verse down, I need to remember:

1. Christ is Lord.

My children are not my lord, and my role as a parent is not my lord. Only Christ is Lord. And He is the only Lord to which I should ultimately point others. I can hold my convictions tightly, but I need to hold Christ closest. If I am holding my convictions so tightly that I am judging other believers, it is time for me to adjust my thinking.

2. The best situation for sharing my perspective is when I am invited to do so and when I am prepared to give a positive perspective.

We have street preachers in Sioux City who stand on the corners waving signs and yelling at cars. It's a huge turnoff to everyone, and it's a great reminder of how NOT to share.

Relationships are the most powerful forum for sharing about Christ... or parenting convictions. On top of that, no one can argue with my "testimony" a.k.a. the positive experiences I'm having. I could tell everyone what they're doing wrong, or I can share about my joyful experiences. My most powerful opportunities are when I can explain the blessing that I'm experiencing. Rather than coming across as condemning, it comes across as an invitation to share that blessing if desired.

3. Gentleness and respect.

Chuck and I agreed that this is the lynch-pin of the whole thing. We have to maintain gentleness and respect at ALL times. Others may or may not offer us the same courtesy, but we have to keep our hearts in a place of gentleness and respect. There may be a LOT of things we want to say, but gentleness and respect must tame our tongues.

It becomes a test of sorts before I open my mouth. Can I say it with gentleness and respect? Will it be perceived as gentle and respectful? (I know we can't control someone else's perception, but we can have a basic idea of their mindset.) If I can't answer "yes" to those two questions, maybe I need to bite my tongue and wait for another opportunity or try to find another way to say it.

So, Chuck and I have agreed to let that verse guide us as we solidify our parenting convictions and interact with people of different convictions.

If there's anything I learn each day, it's how much I have yet to learn. I wonder how much perspective and grace I'll gain over the years. I'd hate to say anything to my friends now that I'll eventually come to regret or even disagree with years from now.

Another passage I need to remember is Romans 14. The entire chapter is dynamite, but verse 1 is, "Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters." I think the key words are "accept" and "without passing judgment".

My challenge is to present my views while also accepting and not judging others. I might not accept their decisions, but I must accept them. I have a hard time living up to the standard I've defined, and for that reason, I'm also treading very carefully in some of my relationships with other parents.

We all do things differently, and -- right or wrong -- Jesus still loves us all.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

i'm still sorting this all out. what do you think?

done and DONE

2010-02-20T22:25:00.004-06:00

i spent the better part of today working on our taxes. i'm just enough of a geek that i actually enjoy it a little bit. it's kind of like putting a puzzle together, and there's tremendous satisfaction in finishing it.

besides, there's the suspenseful aspect of finding out for certain what we owe or are getting back. i'm pretty good at tax planning, but we keep adding so many variables each year (new baby, my business, some investment changes, etc.) that there's really no way to know exactly what the bottom line is going to be until i actually do our taxes. our numbers played out about how i expected them to, and that's a blessing.

sometimes i'm tempted to get grumpy or resentful about how much the government takes. don't get me wrong: i definitely believe we should all pay our fair share for roads, schools, law enforcement, etc. but we all know our money is paying for plenty of other less-essential things as well.

fortunately, i came across a good reminder in my bible reading earlier this week. it set the tone for my whole week, which involved me really buckling down to finish a big project. and in some small way, i think God used it to prepare me for doing taxes with a cheerful attitude.

this is part of the apostle paul's farewell to the ephesian believers in acts 20:

33 “I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. 34 You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. 35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

it is easy to think that we work for money, and that the government takes too much of it. but it is radical (and freeing!) to believe that we work for the Lord, that He provides for us financially and that we should use our resources to help those in need.

i already knew that the primary reason i have my own business is to serve God through my skills and talents. it brings me joy, and i think it brings Him joy too.

at the end of last year, i was thrilled to be able to give a portion of my business income to a couple of charities as well. i knew it was the right thing to do, but when i read these verses, it clicked even more.

how much i give to the government is irrelevant and moot. i can be obedient and find joy simply in working hard and sharing with those in need.

giggle, giggle, laugh, laugh

2010-02-18T23:31:00.002-06:00

bethany is a pretty reserved baby. she doesn't laugh as easily as naomi did at her age. but one thing is certain: if bethany's going to laugh, it's usually at naomi.

here's some proof:

thanks, whale room ladies!

2010-02-12T13:18:00.004-06:00

naomi loves going to "the whale room" (the two-year-old room, which has a giant whale painted on one of the walls) at our church on sunday mornings. a couple of months ago, chuck found her singing a song that we'd never heard before, and he managed to capture it on video.

we're so thankful for a church that loves our kids and that our kids love!

okay, while i'm at it...

2010-02-11T21:34:00.004-06:00

i also found this, but so far i've shown restraint.

it's a little too big to hang in my kitchen, which is most definitely where it needs to go. i do love the pretty things at keep calm gallery, some of which are amusingly PG-13 rated. i'll have to go back to window shop (monitor shop...?) some more.

almost-impulse buys

2010-02-11T13:09:00.004-06:00

the other day, i was reading a friend's blog, and she had a link to modcloth. i was intrigued, so i checked it out. i'm not much of a fashionista, but i did notice that they had a decor/apartment section, and i'm always up for looking at funky things for a home.

a little side-note about myself: i usually force myself to wait before making non-essential purchases. the larger the expense, the longer the wait. this is just a general rule. one-of-a-kind things -- like antiques -- are often rule-breakers. if i'm still thinking about it and want to buy it a day/week/month later (and the budget allows, obviously), i usually go for it.

well, anyway, i saw these on modcloth and made, by my standards, an impulse buy. i thought about it overnight (less than 24 hours!) and then bought them a couple of days ago. my husband thinks i'm crazy, but aren't they cute and weird and fun?!?

and the best part is... the ups man just delivered them!

:)

update: i went to the modcloth site to get the pictures above and just found this. ack! i can't go there any more. too much temptation!

if you give a mom a muffin...

2010-02-04T14:51:00.004-06:00

i'm about the millionth mom to post this on the blogosphere, but it's too true and funny to resist.

we stumbled onto if you give a moose a muffin, the inspiration for it, at the local library several months ago. that book is definitely one of naomi's top ten favorite books. we check it out about every third trip to the library.

anyway, this is the mom-ified version of that book, and it pretty much describes my life!

If You Give a Mom a Muffin

By Kathy Fictorie

Based on "If You Give a Moose a Muffin" by Laura Numeroff

If you give a mom a muffin,

She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

She'll pour herself some.

Her three-year-old will spill the coffee.

She'll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she'll find dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do laundry.

When she puts the laundry in the washer,

She'll trip over boots and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan for supper.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She'll look for her cookbook ("101 Things To Do With a Pound of Hamburger").

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill, which is due tomorrow.

She will look for her checkbook.

The check book is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two-year-old.

She'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two-year-old's diaper.

While she is changing the diaper, the phone will ring.

Her five-year-old will answer and hang up.

She'll remember she wants to phone a friend for coffee.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

And chances are...

If she has a cup of coffee,

Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

learn to...

2010-02-01T23:58:00.005-06:00

there's no such thing as catching up here. in some ways, my life is pretty much the same. in other ways, a lot has changed. it's been a LONG time since i've written, but i've always known i'd return. sometimes a hiatus is necessary.

my days are full of the simple joys that come with caring for a family and a home and a business. sometimes i recognize the joy, and unfortunately, sometimes i mistake it for drudgery. i promise to use my own words soon, but i want to share the words by which i've been attempting to live these past few months.

Learn to like what does not cost much.

Learn to like reading, conversation, music.

Learn to to like plain food, plain service, plain cooking.

Learn to like people, even those who may be very different from you.

Learn to shelter your family with love, comfort and peace.

Learn to keep your wants simple.

Refuse to be owned and anchored by things and opinions of others.

Learn to like the sunrise and the sunset, the beating of rain on the roof and windows, the gentle fall of snow in winter.

Learn to hold heaven near and dear.

Learn to love God, for He surely loves you.

-- Anonymous

much easier said than done, but certainly worth attempting. God bless!

a random update (with pictures!)

2009-05-19T22:33:00.004-05:00

it's been a busy few weeks around here! we've been enjoying little bethany. she's a great sleeper, which is a bonus for mom and dad. she's a good eater too -- she gained more than a pound in one week! ;)

here's a quick overview of the past few weeks at my house...

i couldn't believe how good i felt after bethany was born. i was home from the hospital in 24 hours and on a walk with the stroller a couple hours after that. BUT... about a week later, that changed. i started running a fever and feeling icky. i'll spare you the diagnosis and graphic details, but let's just say i had some complications that were a little scary and left me wiped out for several days.

then my grandma and aunt drove up from oklahoma for a few days, so we spent time with them.

my grandma holding bethany

last week, chuck started looking in earnest for some backyard entertainment for n. she's quite fond of slides and swings, and it's been toddler torture for her to see both in the yard of a daycare down the street. daddy came through with the help of good 'ol craigslist. we nabbed a used version of this:

the people we bought it from delivered it to our house fully-assembled! it was raining the day they brought it, which was another form of torture for n. she was stuck in the house, looking longingly out the window. it finally stopped raining that night, and we let her go try it out for the first time... without wiping it down first...

"you think i need a bath?"

can you say "pretreat?"

fortunately for n (and for the laundry lady), the rain cleared away the next day. she got to play in her "house" and in this cool cube-thing. (the church was getting rid of it, so chuck nabbed it.)

little tikes gear is taking over our backyard. it might not be the most aesthetically pleasing, but it brings n tons of joy and hours of entertainment.

mostly, life has just been delightfully busy keeping my two girls rested, fed, diapered, clothed, read-to and loved.

the best surprise of the past couple of weeks is that n is a very loving big sister. she gives "bet-a-knee" several kisses throughout the day and will often stop what she's doing to say "hi".

it seems like there's so much more i could share, but i'll save it for another day. thanks for sticking it out to the end of this post! ;)

announcing...

2009-05-04T10:33:00.001-05:00

Bethany Susan Jespersen
born Wednesday, April 29 at 2:27 p.m.
8 lbs. 4 oz. & 20 in.

Bethany waited a whole six days after her due date to arrive, but once she decided to make her appearance, we didn't have to wait too much longer. Contractions started at about 5 a.m. on Wednesday, we were on our way to the hospital by 9:30, and she was born by 2:30. (It would've been earlier if the doctor wouldn't have taken his own sweet time to get there, but that's a whole 'nother post...)

Bethany and I were at the hospital for 24 hours, then we came home. It's much more peaceful and relaxing here.

Grandma SuSu (Charlie's mom, the Susan from whom Bethany got her middle name) stayed with us from Wednesday night through Saturday afternoon. She is a life-saver! Big Sister N had all sorts of fun with her. Grammi Cathi (who was a huge help in the delivery room) was with us on Friday too. She lives in town, so we'll be seeing her lots in the coming weeks.

I'll write more about our new life soon, but here's a few pictures from recent days...

saying 'hello' for the first time

Grammi Cathi with Bethany in the delivery room

our first family photo (N was happier than she looks)

Bethany snoozing after her ride home from the hospital

Daddy with his baby and N with her baby

Grandpa TJ (Charlie's dad) with Bethany

THE day...

2009-04-23T09:46:00.003-05:00

it's officially here: my due date. of course, baby doesn't have a calendar with him/her on the inside, so we're just waiting patiently. well, mostly patient.

i've been keeping busy with lots of projects, trying to get most everything done by today. i've gotten more done than i expected to, and now with the prospect of additional time on my hands, i could do even more. but today i'm just really TIRED.

maybe it's a sign of impending birth. or maybe it's just my body telling me to slow down. or maybe it's because n woke up at 6 a.m. (yeah, it's probably that last one.)

sorry i've been such a slacker with blogging. i plan on catching up today, but we'll see.

thanks for hanging in there with me. and check back soon for baby news!

one more day...

2009-04-02T10:02:00.004-06:00

i've known for a while that my three favorite pairs of sandals have lived a long, good life and need to be laid to rest, but i don't really have time to go shoe shopping. so in a combination premeditated/spontaneous purchase, these sandals will be arriving on my doorstep tomorrow via 6pm.

this pregnant woman isn't even going to try to give herself a pedicure, so maybe that'll be a pre-baby treat sometime in the next couple of weeks. whee! i love wearing sandals!

the cleaning lady

2009-03-26T09:28:00.000-06:00

i like having a clean house. i don't have OCD, but i definitely breathe easier when things are straightened up and clean. i'm constantly straightening up -- that's unavoidable with a toddler in the house. but my cleaning is a bit more sporadic.

my usual pattern is to go on a cleaning binge and then resort to maintenance cleaning until the next binge. it works, but it's getting harder to set aside a whole day for cleaning. so i want to try something different.

i have this idea to create a cleaning schedule for myself. the kitchen and dishes are a daily (sometimes more...) chore. and the dust buster makes an appearance every day too. but i'm thinking about creating a rotation for other things. for example:

monday - laundry
tuesday - dusting & glass cleaning
wednesday - sweeping, vacuuming & mopping
thursday - bathrooms
friday - special items (windows, baseboards, etc.)

so here's my question -- am i forgetting anything? and is this really the best order? sometimes it's nice to do laundry right before the weekend, especially if we're heading out-of-town. (and i'll probably be doing laundry more than once a week when baby arrives, but i digress...)

my goal is to have a schedule that makes it easy to spontaneously entertain -- especially on the weekends -- without having to clean much. (maybe that's impossible...)

i checked with the guru of all-things-domestic, but martha's website had nothing to offer. neither did real simple.

maybe i just need to try this rotation and make tweaks as needed, but it'd be nice to start out with the best forseeable schedule. am i on the right track? any thoughts?

huh?

2009-03-18T19:52:00.002-06:00

i've been on the fence about facebook for a while. i kinda like it but kinda don't. if i had it to do all over again, i probably wouldn't join. but now that i'm on it, i don't necessarily want to leave.

what i like: i've reconnected with some people i thought i'd permanently lost touch with.

what i don't: i can't keep up with all the people i want to and i always feel behind -- like i need to catch up on facebook.

anyway, facebook recently redesigned their site, and it's almost enough to make me jump ship. like tonight, i went to my profile page and read this message at the top:

The Publisher on your profile has been updated
The Publisher —- the box above your Wall -— has been updated to match the one on your home page. No matter where you use the Publisher, your posts will appear here and in your friends' streams, provided they can see the post.

what?!? i consider myself a reasonably intelligent person, but nothing in that message makes sense to me. nothing.

ugh. c'mon, facebook people.

ta da!

2009-03-11T22:01:00.007-06:00

okay, i promised more about the van, and some of you seem to be implying that i'm reluctant to keep that promise. ;)

we bought the van from a couple in omaha. it was a new adventure buying from a private party rather than a dealership. honestly though, i'd recommend it! i'll take the awkwardness of meeting with strangers over the pressure of professional salespeople any day. plus, there's no dealership overhead in the cost, so private party is cheaper too!

i'd offer pictures of our actual van (which is white with grey interior), but it's really cold outside and the exterior's gotten a little dirty driving around in the snow. these will give you the idea...

the two family-friendly features we're most excited about: sliding side doors that open/close automatically and a fold-down-flat third row bench seat. another interesting feature: the back bucket seats can be pushed together into a shorter bench seat. i'm not sure if we'll use that function, but i'm impressed that somebody designed it.

we're already seeing a van's value for a young family. for example, we needed to make some phone calls while we were in omaha the other day. n had been strapped in her carseat most of the day, but it was too cold to let her run around outside. so we parked the van and turned our kid loose. she had a blast just climbing around inside the van. (in fact, she had a meltdown when we needed to strap her back in!) needless to say, we couldn't have done that in a sedan. oh, and changing a diaper is much easier in a van too. trust me.

so, there you go. not too bad... for a minivan... right?

:)

flashback

2009-03-11T10:43:00.004-06:00

i just popped in a cd of pictures we scanned for our wedding video. n saw them on the screen and started begging to look at pictures of daddy. when i opened this one, she immediately said "daddy!"

i guess you've still got that look, babe! ;)

p.s. anybody want to guess what year that was?

test drive

2009-03-10T09:59:00.003-06:00

more on this to come soon, but here's n behind the wheel of our "new" minivan!

oh baby!

2009-03-04T14:20:00.011-06:00

with baby #2 arriving roughly seven weeks from now, we're getting excited! and we're trying to get ready. (see previous post about a minivan...)

with all the work we did to prepare for n's arrival, this kid seems like a breeze already. there are basically just two things we need to accomodate baby #2: somewhere for him/her to sleep and a stroller that holds both kiddos.

because we only have two bedrooms upstairs and they're already occupied, baby will be sleeping in our room during the day and in the living room at night. so, we need something small and portable for the first four months or so of baby's life. then we can experiment with n and baby sharing a room! fun, fun, fun!

anyway, i've been looking at bassinets and discovered that there's also something called a "moses basket". here's one i found on target.com:

i don't know anyone who's used one of these. bad idea? good idea? i'd love to hear feedback if anyone has some to share. otherwise, we might borrow a bassinet from some friends or plunk down the moola for our own. still figuring this out.

the other piece of gear we need is a double stroller. without one, i'll become homebound. two hands are just not enough to manage an 18-month-old and a baby in a carseat carrier, especially in a busy parking lot.

so, this is the one i like:

and this is the one that's $50 cheaper:

why do i even care about these things? they both match the baby's carseat. and they function exactly the same. stupid stroller vanity! tell me that the cheaper one is just as cool. please!

you know you're adult when...

2009-03-03T22:36:00.004-06:00

...you're excited about purchasing a minivan.
...a copy of your will arrives in the mail.
...you fall asleep on the couch before the 10 o'clock news is over.

we're guilty on all counts at my house today. i guess it was inevitable.

the many faces of n

2009-03-01T22:37:00.005-06:00

on friday, we drove down to omaha to see our good friends charlie and jen and their two boys. while jen and i got out of the house for a bit, the guys took some video of n and e during their snack. n has developed a routine of faces, and here she is performing them:

1. "surprise face" -- this is how the video starts
2. "stink eye" -- we used to call this "mean face", but decided "stink eye" was a little less negative
3. "oh my" -- she usually puts both hands on her face, but the bowl of animal crackers was in the way
4. "big mouth" -- basically, just sticking out her tongue
5. "fish face" -- the classic fish lips

notice too how n leans toward e at the end. like they're just regular buds. and i love how e keeps looking back and forth from n to the camera. so cute!

counting to four

2009-02-19T23:04:00.004-06:00

i wish i could buy or download this song somehow. this version is totally stuck in my head. it's cute and funny. and n is really into counting right now.

sesame street's the greatest.

sophisticated poetry

2009-02-04T23:22:00.005-06:00

this is n's current favorite book. she calls it "ya ya ya ya yo", because the first rhyme/song is "old macdonald had a farm". (ya ya ya ya yo = e-i-e-i-o) we read from this book at least three times a day... and it'd be more if little n got her way all the time.

i have almost every poem in the book memorized now, and it's a 100 page book! some are the old standbys: this little piggy, old mother hubbard, little bo peep, hey diddle, diddle, etc.

but there are a couple that i'd never heard before, and they've kind of grown on me. it's weird, but i kind of want to share them:

Patience is a Virtue

Patience is a Virtue

Virtue is a grace

Grace is a little girl

Who wouldn't wash her face

The Purple Cow

I've never seen a purple cow

I hope I never see one

But I can tell you anyhow

I'd rather see than be one

and little miss muffet is a wuss compared to little miss tucket. i much prefer ms. tucket's approach...

Little Miss Tucket

Little Miss Tucket

Sat on a bucket

Eating some peaches and cream

There came a grasshopper

Who tried hard to stop her

But she said, "Go away or I'll scream"

the 365 plan

2009-02-03T10:02:00.004-06:00

this wasn't exactly a new year's resolution, but i did decide at the beginning of the year that i really needed to get my act together in terms of daily bible reading. i've struggled for WAY too long now to have consistent, meaningful times in the word. and i refuse to settle for one without the other -- consistent without meaningful or meaningful without consistent.

i've done one-year reading plans before, some even successfully. but the past couple of times i started the plans, it's fizzled within a couple of weeks. then i'm back to a rather aimless approach and a pattern of frustration, guilt, etc.

this time, i bought an actual one year bible. and i've stuck with it. and i'm enjoying daily time in the word. and my husband is reading it too, so we're talking about what we're learning together -- which is sometimes the same things and other times very different. it's fascinating and very cool.

this isn't a pat on the back for me. it's a celebration that i'm finally experiencing some growth in this area. thank you, God!

the XLIII commercials

2009-02-02T11:57:00.003-06:00

this was chuck's favorite commercial from last night's super bowl. i didn't actually see it until watching it online this morning. it also prompted a little discussion on bobbi's blog.

according to the usa today ad meter, this ad ranked #20, but i think i like it better than some of the higher ranking ones.

baby #2

2009-02-02T10:00:00.006-06:00

a little over a week ago, chuck and i got to see a 4-D ultrasound of baby j #2. the clinic also gave us a video of the ultrasound, but we're having trouble uploading it. anyway, here's a few still shots...

this baby looks a lot like n in her 4-D ultrasound, except n's cheeks were chubbier. both chuck and i think baby j #2 looks like chuck and my brother. does that mean we're having a boy? i can't wait to find out either way!!!

the ultrasound tech said 'this baby has a lot of facial expressions!' hmmm... sounds like somebody is taking after his/her father already! ;)

whenever n sees these pictures, she says 'baby.' little does she know how much this particular baby is going to change her world!

cute chocolate joker

2009-01-20T23:01:00.004-06:00

i made some chocolate chip cookie bars the other day, and we let n have a half of one. she missed her mouth a little.

i think she looks like the joker from batman. except with chocolate. and not nearly as scary. kind of cute actually. :)

all done!

the stink eye!

operation quilt: accomplished!

2009-01-19T16:15:00.005-06:00

thanks for all the input! bobbi led me to purlbee.com, where i found a pattern called the wedding quilt.

i like this pattern because it's a good blend of traditional and modern -- not ultra-traditional (which made me nervous, because i wanted some contemporary fabrics), not too faddish (with lots of applique) and not too juvenile (so it'll grow with n and her room). it also fit with my mother-in-law's suggestion of something with plenty of white, which allowed me to pick bright, bold fabrics without making it too busy.

the hard part was deciding on a pattern and figuring out how to modify the size for a twin bed. the incredibly fun part was picking out the fabric. sue and i went to a quilt shop called heart and hand dry goods. here's what we found!

sue might add a few more fabrics from her local shop in spencer, and she's going to work on it over the next couple of months. i can't wait to see it finished!

operation quilt

2009-01-16T09:40:00.004-06:00

n will soon be moving into a 'big girl bed'. we'll eventually need the crib for baby #2, so sometime in the next few months, she'll make the switch to a twin-size bed.

my mother-in-law, sue, has generously offered to make a quilt for n's bed, and we're shopping for fabric tomorrow. (sue is a talented quilter. she made two pottery barn look-alike quilts for chuck's sister!) she told me to find a quilt pattern i like, and she'll get started.

that's where i need your help...

what kind of quilt should it be? i have no idea where to even start looking! i know what i like when i see it, but any time i try to look for patterns on the internet, it's totally overwhelming! if sue's going to go to all this work, i feel like i should find a pattern worthy of her effort.

some of you are quilters. and some of you are immersed in the world of cute and cool children's decor.

so, if you've got any suggestions, websites to visit, etc. ... PLEASE help!

"i'm fine...

2009-01-14T15:31:00.005-06:00

...like kevin kline in 2009. " or in other words, life is good these days. (for an explanation of my title phrase, check out this random and hilarious post from my friend bobbi.)

christmas and new year's flew by. soon after freezing our goodie-bag-delivering, cheer-spreading butts off, we enjoyed a whirlwind week of friends and family. which was followed by a quiet week at home -- if quiet includes a sick child who's also teething. by the time chuck went back to work on january 5, we needed another vacation!

call it nesting or subconscious new year's resolutions, but i've spent the last week working on projects that normally get ignored -- writing in n's baby book, organizing closets and storage spaces, gathering info to write a will, uploading pics from my phone to our flickr, etc. it's not necessarily exciting stuff, but it's awesome to FINALLY cross some of that stuff off my mental to-do list.

here's a few highlights from christmas:

testing out the chair that grammy cathi made by copying
the original that great-grandpa ray keen made

eating pie with boppa cliff

trying out the sweet new ride
from aunt julie, uncle greg, emma and grace

saving coinage with boppa tj

cooking with fruit from aunt laura
and a kitchen from grandma susu

done!

2008-12-20T14:40:00.004-06:00

6 batches of velma's party mix
+
3 batches of cinnamon popcorn
+
5 non-overflowing batches of berry mini breads
+
2 batches of celebration spoons
+
6 batches of libby's zesty ham dip
=
24 christmas goodie bags!

now we're off to make the deliveries and spread some christmas cheer!

:)

christmas goodies: libby's zesty ham dip

2008-12-20T14:34:00.005-06:00

this ended up being my favorite addition to the goodie bags. i knew it was good when i decided to make it, but i'd forgotten just how good it is!

libby's zesty ham dip

8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. sour cream
1/3 c. horseradish sauce
1/4 c. green onion, chopped
1 can chunk ham, drained & flaked

combine well and chill. serve with crackers or chips.

christmas goodies: chocolate spoons

2008-12-20T14:22:00.006-06:00

this is another recipe i found on tasteofhome.com. these are great to stir into coffee or hot chocolate. true chocolate lovers might skip the beverage altogether.

i ended up improvising a bit, because the dark chocolate chips i used didn't melt the greatest. i had to add milk and butter to get the right consistency, but then the chocolate kept sliding off my plastic spoons! this was supposed to be the easiest thing in my assortment, but it ended up requiring some creativity. oh well, it was fun...

celebration spoons

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
24 metal or plastic spoons
peppermints and/or andes candies, chopped

in a microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips; stir until smooth. (i melted the chips on the stove by double boiling.) dip spoons into chocolate. tap the handle of spoon on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. place on waxed paper. sprinkle with chopped candies. let stand until set. (placing the spoons in the freezer will help them quick-set.)

christmas goodies: berry mini breads

2008-12-20T14:19:00.004-06:00

i found this recipe on taste of home.com, the website for taste of home and healthy cooking magazines, both of which i receive. i've never come across a bad recipe in either the magazines or the website.

the only 'problem' i had with this recipe was that it definitely makes five loaves, not four. my first attempt resulted in overflowing loaf pans, very smokey tasting bread and the need to clean my oven. once i switched to baking five loaves per batch, i was quite happy with the result.

berry mini breads

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

in a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. combine dry ingredients; add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. stir in cranberry sauce and blueberries. pour into four (five!) greased 5-3/4-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans.

bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.

christmas goodies: cinnamon popcorn

2008-12-15T22:03:00.001-06:00

cinnamon is chuck's favorite flavor. i decided to make this for that reason and because of the festive color. besides, who doesn't like popcorn?!?

cinnamon popcorn

8 quarts popped popcorn
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 c. margarine
2 c. sugar
pinch baking soda
pinch cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 of a .125 oz. bottle of cinnamon oil
red food coloring (approx. 5 drops)

preheat oven to 200 degrees. boil all but popcorn for five minutes. pour over popcorn. stir. bake for an hour, stirring often.

this recipe tested my math skills. here are a few helpful conversions:

1 cup popcorn kernels = 8 qts popped popcorn
1/2 of .125 oz. = 3/8 tsp.

this makes the whole house smell good. and it's cheap and easy!

christmas goodies: velma's party mix

2008-12-15T21:51:00.001-06:00

i like this crunchy, salty mix even better than chex mix. it's a breeze to make, and it's really GOOD!

velma's party mix

1 box ritz bits cheese crackers
1 box wheat thins
1 small bag pretzels
1 small can mixed nuts

dressing:
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. dillweed
1 pkg. hidden valley ranch dip seasoning (NOT dressing)

preheat oven to 200 degrees. combine crackers, pretzels and nuts. pour dressing over crackers and stir. bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

i like to make a double-batch of this and bake it in a roasting pan. only do that if you plan to give some away -- otherwise you'll eat WAY more than you should! ;)

christmas goodie bags

2008-12-15T21:36:00.004-06:00

when i was a kid, my family would make christmas cookies and deliver them to friends and neighbors. there's something incredibly fun about surprising people you love with some homemade yummyness, so i try to carry on the tradition each year at christmas. even in college, i managed to make and deliver goodies to some friends. (that may have had more to do with procrastination of studying for finals than tradition...)

this year, i'm at it again. the weather is perfect for staying inside and baking all day long. it's ridiculously cold outside. seriously, it's dangerously cold, so n and i are having fun indoors where it's toasty.

i'm going to share the recipes for my treats here. if you're not receiving one of these yummy gifts, it's probably because you're far away, and my christmas cheer won't be traveling through the mail. sorry. if you come see me though, i'll give you some goodies!

adventures in yogurt

2008-12-08T14:10:00.006-06:00

chuck and i took a little trip down memory lane last night. we looked through our pictures of n, starting with the day she was born. it's hard to believe we'll be back in that newborn stage soon.

which reminds me... i don't think i've officially announced our big news here. we're expecting baby #2 in late april! we're excited and nervous all at once!

so anyway, we were reliving the early days last night. it's amazing how many pictures we have from those first few months. the number of pictures starts to dwindle the older n gets. and i have an example of why...

about a month and a half ago, i was putting away groceries and n decided to 'help' me. she got ahold of some yogurt, which i thought was relatively safe. she definitely couldn't figure out how to peel back the top.

but... she did manage to just stick one of her little fingers right through the foil lid. one finger became two. then a whole fist.

voila! big mess. faster than you can say 'blue bunny light 85 peach passion.'

and that is why i don't have time to take pictures like i used to.

sheepish

2008-12-04T15:09:00.002-06:00

i'm finally back from my extended blogging break. i'm feeling more than a little guilty about being away for so long.

kinda like that feeling you have when you go back to your hairstylist, and you obviously went to someone else for your last haircut. or when you go to the dentist, and it's been longer than six months.

yeah, that's how i feel. but it's better late than never.

i've missed blogging, but it just got squeezed out by other things. i'll try to be back again soon with pics of n and some life updates.

so, if you're faithful enough to still be checking here... thank you and stay tuned!

smart cookie update

2008-09-25T10:00:00.003-05:00

i've been doing a little work through my freelancing venture. home life (code for 'n'...) has been keeping me pretty busy, but i've managed a few projects here and there. i've discovered that logo design is not for the faint-of-heart, but it's a challenge i've enjoyed. here are my two latest logos.

by the way, traub financial coaching has a helpful blog, and a website is coming soon!

next on the to-do list is a little something for my mother-in-law's embroidered children's sweatshirts. she's going public at a craft fair next month, and she'll be the hit of the fair, i just know it.

susu's sweetshirts. how does that sound?

standing still

2008-09-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

last week, n and i sat curbside and watched a local homecoming parade. the next night, we visited some friends at another school's homecoming football game. that and a dear friend's nostaglia have got me thinking about time and age.

oh yeah, and a little episode with my high school girls group a couple of weeks ago:

me: okay, i know i'm going to sound like a mom, but...

girl: ummm, you ARE a mom. eyes roll. other girls giggle.

trust me, they weren't just pointing out the obvious. they were reminding me that i'm in a completely different era of life than them.

i'm definitely older than i was in high school. i'm even older than i was in college. but i don't feel older than i was five years ago. and i honestly think i'll feel that way in ten years. maybe even fifteen or twenty. i hope i can always say i'm getting wiser, but i really don't feel like i'm getting older. just more experienced.

that's affirmed by friends a few years farther along than me who tell me they're stuck in a time warp. they forget their age. they don't feel any older than they did a decade ago. i suppose if they really think about it, their bodies aren't the same. but in mind and spirit, they've stopped aging.

maybe that's all just wishful thinking and denial. by the time i'm old enough to tell you, i'll have forgotten i was supposed to!

picture pages, pt. 2

2008-09-23T10:00:00.002-05:00

a while ago, i posted some of my favorite pics of chuck when he was young. i suppose it's only fair to put some of my kodak moments up here too. now you can decide who n looks more like!

sorry i don't have a hilarious prom video of my own. what can i say? my husband is one-of-a-kind.

haunted

2008-09-21T22:30:00.000-05:00

something happened tonight that i just can't stop thinking about.

i lead a group of freshmen girls at church. every sunday, we gather with the rest of the high school students in large group and sing worship songs, play a game and listen to my husband teach from the bible. it's kind of a teen-a-fied church service with mt. dew and pizza. then, we split into our small groups -- in my case, a group of 12 freshmen girls -- and discuss the bible lesson that chuck just taught.

tonight, we learned that God is all-knowing. and since He's all-knowing, He knows our fears, feelings, failures (sin), faithfulness (good things we do) and future. so, after a thorough update from the girls on their lives -- which included much information about homecoming dances, math classes and general high school drama -- we started our discussion.

one girl brought a friend with her tonight, and she (the friend) seemed really eager to participate. she talked more openly and more often than the other girls, but not because she's an attention-seeker. i think she was just geniunely happy to have people listen to her.

anyway, this is the exchange i can't stop thinking about:

me: okay, question number six -- if you could ask God any question about something in your near future, what would it be?

slight pause while the group thinks.

new girl: i'd ask whether i'm going to end up pregnant by the time i'm sixteen like my cousin and my sister.

another pause, slightly longer this time.

me: you know, the good news is you've got some control over that. smile.

girl: yeah, i know. birth control and stuff.

pause.

her friend: or like, not 'doing it'. giggle, giggle.

me: that is the most effective option. smile.

long pause while no one else jumps in to continue the discussion. girls giggle, turn red or look down at their papers. at least a minute of uncomfortable silence, peppered with a little nervous laughter.

me: okay, well, next question.

i just can't shake it. i'm kicking myself. there's a million things i should've said. a million questions i'd like to ask. i think i really blew it.

i should've said, yeah, that's a big deal! i bet that really impacted their lives, didn't it? are you close to your cousin and sister? how did you feel when they told you? how did your family react? and on and on.

i'm afraid i didn't validate her honesty enough. i'm afraid i missed a huge opportunity to show more empathy. she was being honest about a big question in her life.

at the same time, i'm shocked and saddened that this little freshman girl feels that sex and pregancy is something outside of her control. does she think that she has to have sex? that she has no power to make that decision for herself? from the look on her face during that exchange, i seriously fear that the answer is yes. or has she already made her decision and is now playing a game of fertility roulette?

i'm not trying to make a moral or political statement about abstinence education, birth control, etc. i'm not going to start pointing fingers at parents, culture, peers, etc. i'm just haunted by a girl who sounded powerless and resigned regarding her sexuality and her future.

i'm not naive about teen sexuality. chuck and i have been loving and leading teens too long to bury our heads in the sand. but still, the last three weeks with my girls has been a wake-up call.

i've been leading this group since they were in sixth grade. i knew high school was going to be a change for them, but in no area has it been more dramatic than their willingness to talk about sex. they're confronted and surrounded and, yes, tempted more than ever before.

just the other day, God planted an idea in my mind for talking to my girls about sex. i need to fine tune it, but tonight was the nudge i needed to shake off my inner-critic and just go for it.

the good news is that 'new girl' is coming back next week. she asked chuck for a bible tonight. and she's coming to our fall retreat in a few weeks.

i'm going to be praying. and i'm going to look for opportunities to get to know her. she needs to know that her future can be filled with hope, not fear.

365 days

2008-09-10T22:18:00.002-05:00

it only takes a year to grow from this...

to this!

happy 1st birthday, n!

that's our girl!

2008-08-17T20:00:00.005-05:00

n likes to copy us. i guess we do this a lot, because she figured it out on her own.

don't worry... the mug was empty all along! ;)

deep breath

2008-07-30T22:07:00.004-05:00

since i last posted...

chuck spent three days at in siouxland for good with 120 middle schoolers and a bunch of awesome adults.
chuck and i traveled out new jersey for five days for jan and nadia's wedding. it was a lovely wedding, and we spent a day in new york city.
n spent a couple of days with her grandmas and grandpas and a day with the moes family. (it was traumatic for us to leave her, but she had a great time.)
the newlyweds (jan and nadia) came through on the way to their avon, sd reception and spent the night... three days after their wedding. (our basement isn't exactly a honeymoon destination, but we loved having them here.)
our colorado-church-planting friends josh and julie and their son, asher (n's future husband :)), were in town, so we hung out for an evening. good times...
chuck traveled to estes park with 65 high school students for the rocky mt. high church conference.
my mom and i had a garage sale, and i made some cold cash on stuff i didn't want.
n and i went to omaha to visit charlie, jen and elijah gutz. we spent some time at the zoo, which n thoroughly enjoyed -- lots of pointing and 'oooh, oooh, oooh'-ing.

whew! i'll put some pictures up soon. chuck gets home from rocky any minute now, and we're all excited to be together and in one place for a while!

you know what he did?

2008-07-13T16:24:00.004-05:00

one of the funniest videos i've seen in a long time... (warning: contains anatomically-correct terminology.)

happy, happy

2008-07-10T22:14:00.002-05:00

happy 10 months on the 10th, n! (she celebrated by smearing mac and cheese in her hair. really, isn't that how you like to celebrate happy times too?) happy birthday to grandpa tj too!

picture pages

2008-07-09T22:35:00.009-05:00

chuck recently discovered a CD full of pictures we scanned for our wedding video. since these are worth a thousand words, i'll spare you the words and just let you enjoy a few of my favorites.

(do you see the resemblance between young charlie and his daughter? i do! and it's proof that she got her early mouthful of teeth from him too.)

for the full story on this last picture, check out this video. it's a classic, not to mention hilarious. (listen closely at the end. that's all i'm gonna give away.)

the reason i haven't blogged in so long...

2008-07-08T14:48:00.003-05:00

i've been a little busy lately, and unfortunately, blogging has moved pretty far down the priority list. (okay... to the bottom of the list.)

i've got a good excuse though. my little excuse requires constant vigilance and a lot of cleaning-up-after. i've got pictures to prove it!

excuses notwithstanding, i promise i'll be back here again soon!

surprise, surprise

2008-05-02T16:15:00.003-05:00

it's rare that a picture on our camera surprises me. i guess i'm usually either taking the picture or around while it's being taken. but as i uploaded pictures from our camera to flickr, there was a surprise.

nice one, honey.

feed the world... and your brain!

2008-05-02T11:07:00.002-05:00

just found this cool website. you play a vocabulary game, and for every word you get right, they donate 20 grains of rice to the world food program. i'm still playing, but i'm up to 780 grains of rice. (i'll stop soon, i promise.)

as if doing something for world hunger wasn't enough, the site actually teaches you the correct meaning of the words you get wrong. i've learned two new words today: nub and sarcoid. (nub means 'gist'? i didn't know that...)

i'm pretty sure my mom could feed an entire refugee camp.

ideas, anyone?

2008-04-29T23:45:00.000-05:00

business is booming! smart cookie creative's client list has quadrupled! (if you don't want to do the math, that means i've got four clients...) and there's more on the horizon. i'm learning a ton and enjoying the challenge.

i need a little help with something though. when i chose the name smart cookie creative, i always intended to come up with a tagline. something that would somewhat explain the business and add meaning to the name.

the reason i picked the name is that it implies intelligence, home-based/homemade, it's kinda witty, etc. plus, i'm going to give my clients cookies!

i'm having a tough time narrowing it down though. i'll take suggestions or, at least, votes on these options:

1. fresh, homemade graphic design
2. the recipe for creative communication
3. marketing solutions made from scratch
4. ??? your ideas ???

it probably seems strange that i'm starting a marketing business, and i'm asking for marketing help. i'm my most difficult client. i need some outside voices every once in a while.

i'd love to hear your thoughts!

p.s. -- i baked some dangerously good monster cookies tonight. pulled out an old recipe that i got when i was in fifth grade! anyway, i'd never used parchment paper to line my cookie sheets before. but i've noticed that lots of the pros do it that way, so i tried it. it's incredible! i'm going to be a big fan of parchment paper now!

new (and old) friends

2008-04-29T23:31:00.004-05:00

we spent time with dear friends over the weekend, and n got to meet some boys her age! ;)

here she is with andy and jillien's son, soren. andy, jillien and i lived in china together several years ago. it was so great to see them and catch up a little. they're the pick-up-right-where-you-left-off sort of friends. this is going to sound cheesy, but my heart feels warmer and lighter after spending time with them.

we need to talk with n about letting boys suck her toes!

we also saw the traub family this weekend and got to spend some more time with young samuel. he had better things to do than smile for the camera!

a mouthful of teeth

2008-04-29T23:21:00.006-05:00

n is getting teeth. lots of them.

i'll spare you the complete dental report, but she's got two teeth completely in, one tooth half showing, four just poking through and one more almost there. it's cute... in a weird way.

every time i look at her mouth, this is what i think of.

chuck says her teeth are like sloth's in goonies. true as it may be, i can't bring myself to post that picture.

catching up...

2008-04-17T22:56:00.003-05:00

i'm back! the last month has been a whirlwind, and to cap it all off -- we had the flu last week. ick. but i'm enjoying good health again, and my schedule is beginning to slow down. spring is coming (s...l...o...w...l...y...!), and summer is right around the corner. ahh...

in case you're wondering what's been keeping me away from the blog, i'm going to copy the style of my friend kontrabanda and give you the last few weeks at a glance:

took n on her first big road trip down to kansas for a cousin's wedding. (chuck had to stay behind for a youth event, so n and i rode with my parents.) it was great to see family, and n proved to be a pretty good traveler.

finished the projects for my first client and finished jan and nadia's wedding invitations. both turned out to be a bit more involved than first anticipated, but i loved every minute. confirmation that it's the direction i want to go, but still a BIG sigh of relief when it was all done!

traveled up to sioux falls and introduced n to her great-grandpa glenn. also got to meet samuel traub for the first time!

enjoyed a great easter weekend -- spent time with our dear friends adam and alicia, then a traveled to spencer.

helped plan a high school girls conference on april 6 for 8th through 12th grade girls. after months of prayer and planning, it actually happened. (random story -- the day before the registration deadline, we had eight girls signed up. at that point, we were disappointed and nervous. we didn't realize everyone signs up at the very last minute. guess what? we ended up with more than 65 girls at the event!) anyway, it was very cool. the speaker was awesome, and she took some cool photos. the girls learned that they are pearls. we're already planning the next event!

survived the flu. barely.

made it official and got a 'trade name certificate' and a bunch of tax documentation for smart cookie creative.

finished up the year with my 8th grade girls small group at church. i've been with the girls since 6th grade, and it's hard to believe they're almost in high school. i'm glad i get to stick with them next year.

had more fun than we could have ever imagined watching n grow and change. she's got two teeth completely in, one halfway in, and three more just starting to poke through! she's sitting up, eating solids like crazy, and her favorite activity is definitely playing with her daddy!

here are some pictures:

speaking of cookies...

2008-03-10T22:58:00.003-06:00

so, remember jil's chocolate chip cookies that i wrote about? i finally made them a few weeks ago, and i have a verdict on the amount of chocolate chips.

for that recipe, definitely two bags.

but here's a twist. i made a half-batch with one bag. a half-batch still made WAY more cookies than we needed. i ended up taking them to our small group just to get rid of the temptation. i won't ever, ever fess up to how many cookies i ate on my own... (as if i actually kept track!)

if anyone wants the measurements for a half-batch, let me know. they're a little odd, but not bad.

i'm sold on this recipe. it's the best i've come across. sooooo yummy!

the big announcement

2008-03-10T22:45:00.004-06:00

i've apparently piqued some interest out there with my teaser of a big announcement. so, without further ado, here it is...

i'm starting a business!

smart cookie creative will provide 'intelligent design made from scratch' or something catchy like that. :) i'm excited to start offering marketing consultation/strategy and design services. i've even got my first client.

this business will be home-based of course. and for now, it won't conflict with my job at the church. i wish i could give you a link to my website or at least post a logo, but truthfully, i haven't gotten those made yet. soon, soon...

anyway, that's my big news. (depending on what you were expecting, it may or may not be that exciting.) wish me luck!

back to the blog world

2008-03-05T23:37:00.004-06:00

it's been a while. sorry! there's been a lot going on lately -- i'll try to get a good update up here soon. there's a big announcement coming. (no, it's not baby j #2!)

but speaking of baby j, here she is. if this doesn't make you smile, i don't know what will!

our valentine's day jinx

2008-02-15T16:23:00.001-06:00

chuck and i are beginning to think that valentine's day for us will be cursed. or at least always interesting. we've spent the last five valentine's days together, and every single one has been eventful. here's the recap...

(grab a cup of coffee. this is long, but worth it... :))

2003: we weren't even dating yet, but we hung out with some friends on valentine's day watching movies. it wasn't a romantic evening -- we were watching 'band of brothers', a really good series about world war two. it was so good that we payed no attention to the weather and didn't realize that it had snowed... a lot. we tried multiple routes, but with sioux city's hilly terrain, we couldn't get home. we ended up going back to our friends' house and staying with them.

2004: we're officially dating, and chuck decides to do valentine's day right. he makes reservations for a dinner train in fremont, nebraska. we get really dressed up and drive 90 miles to fremont. no more than five minutes into the train ride, the train makes a violent jolt and our waiter lets loose a loud expletive. the train had derailed! we proceeded to spend the next four hours stuck on the train, surrounded by people who killed the time with LOTS of alcohol. being the amateur sociologists that we are, it was a somewhat entertaining evening. we eventually made it off the train and got home quite late.

2005: already sensing a pattern to our v-day, chuck was prepared. he made reservations at a nice italian restaurant, one with great atmosphere and great (but pricey) food. when our waiter led us to our table though, we walked right past the nice tables and were led into a room with florescent lights and folding tables. apparently, they 'expanded' for the evening. it went from bad to worse. the waiter poured water on my lap. a very large man was sitting at the table next to us, and he was so large that his rear end was almost touching me. he was also talking extremely loud (about inane things, no less). of course, we would still have to pay top dollar for the food.

we left before ordering. (the waiter grabbed my arm and asked where we were going!) we ended up at da kao, our favorite little vietnamese restaurant. we were enjoying our food and just starting to laugh about the evening when things got weird again. without going into detail, let's just say that chuck had to deal with someone in a substance-induced stupor until the police arrive. our vietnamese friends were very appreciative and gave us banana cake to show their thanks.

2006: by this time, i felt bad for chuck and volunteered to plan our evening. i wanted to recreate our first date, but it didn't work out because of the valentine's crowds. we ended up at el fredo's pizza watching basketball on a large screen, and i was feeling bad because it seemed our valentine's day jinx was continuing. of course, that wasn't actually the case, because chuck -- knowing it was SO cliche that i wouldn't expect it -- proposed later that evening! so, it was valentine's day 2006 was actually quite wonderful.

2007: two words -- morning sickness. little n was on her way, and i spent the whole day in bed. the only times i got up was to throw up. not exactly romantic.

2008: we really thought our luck was going to change this year. we didn't make plans; we were just going to spend the evening at home. how can that go wrong? well... a week ago, chuck noticed some mysterious bumps on his abdomen. he had fallen asleep in the basement the night before, so we thought they were small spider bites. but they didn't go away, and they were still painful. so he went to the doctor and was diagnosed with... shingles! poor guy! he bought me flowers while filling his prescription.

so, any guesses what valentine's day 2009 will hold???

happy valentine's day!

2008-02-14T18:21:00.002-06:00

back on the island

2008-01-31T18:16:00.000-06:00

we've waited eight whole months. and now, in approximately 40 minutes, we'll be watching a new episode of LOST. so excited!

for jan and nadia

2008-01-30T16:11:00.000-06:00

two dear friend of ours are getting married -- jan (a long-time friend from usd days) and nadia (a newer friend we've met through jan). here's the happy couple...

jan and nadia met at a camp where campers and counselors are split into two groups -- polars and grizzlies -- for a summer full of competition. and if you know jan, competition is not something to be taken lightly. jan and nadia's relationship posed a bit of a problem in this arena -- they were on different sides of the feud. we're talking hatfields and mccoys here! but in his marriage proposal, jan not only vowed life-long love and affection; he also said he'd become a polar. true love!

all that to explain the symbolism in one of their gifts to n. here she is wearing it...

i'll be sure to save the outfit for jan and nadia's future children! ;)

more chocolate thoughts

2008-01-30T12:03:00.000-06:00

we spent some time with chuck's uncle paul and aunt jil a couple of weeks ago. while we were at their house, jil served us the BEST chocolate chip cookies i've ever had. i've been wanting to make them ever since, so i pulled out the recipe she wrote down for me. here it is...

jil's chocolate chip cookies

blend:
3/4 c granulated sugar
1 1/2 c dark brown sugar
3/4 c light brown sugar
1 c butter
1 c butter-flavored crisco
2 tsp vanilla

mix in:
2 eggs

blend in:
4 1/2 c flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt

bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

jil swears that it's the three kinds of sugar that make the cookies so yummy. i'd have to agree.

now, here's the mystery. the recipe doesn't include chocolate chips. i should call jil and find out the amount, but part of me wants to figure it out on my own.

i looked at another recipe i have, and jil's is basically twice that recipe. (except for the eggs -- they're the same amount. could that be right?) anyway, my recipe calls for 1 package of chocolate chips. so, does jil's call for two? i've looked at other recipes though, and it would seem that i could make jil's with just one package.

anyone care to chime in with their thoughts? i'm curious what you think. maybe then i'll call jil, and we can find out the right answer!

p.s. could all these cookie thoughts have anything to do with the youth group making 4500 DOZEN cookies on saturday? quite possibly...

candy coating

2008-01-29T23:13:00.000-06:00

for some strange reason, i remembered tonight that you can make your own m&m character online. so i did. here's my m&m...

then chuck caught the bug and made an m&m version of himself...

thoughts: i didn't expect chuck to make such a literal representation of himself. i thought he'd at least take some license with his candy coating. (green is my favorite color...) but he went the accurate route, right down to the brown slippers. hmmm... i wonder what these say about our personalities.

what's your m&m?

for tj and em

2008-01-29T00:10:00.000-06:00

it's been cold lately, so we've been keeping n dressed in cozy clothes. n comes from a long line of comfort connoisseurs, and i thought a few of them would appreciate this picture. ahhh, sweatpants!

new tricks and firsts

2008-01-09T23:35:00.000-06:00

n has been changing so quickly! she's had several "firsts" in the last few weeks:

dec. 20 -- grabbed a toy that was dangling in front of her. now she's a pro at grabbing, holding and turning her toys. the same day, her "talking" started to sound more like yodeling or warbling instead of just short sounds.

dec. 24 -- uncle jeff taught her how to make a "razzing" sound (bronx cheer), and now it's her main form of self-entertainment and communication!

dec. 27 -- started touching her toes. now she loves to grab them during diaper changes, and she's almost got them in her mouth!

jan. 6 -- rolled over for the first time! stomach to back, twice in one night. it surprised her, and she hasn't done it since. we were calling her "flippy" for a while, but i don't know if it's going to stick.

we managed to document her favorite new trick. enjoy!

protecting my babe

2008-01-09T23:28:00.000-06:00

call me overprotective, but i've decided to remove my daughter's first name from this blog. from now on out, she will just be known as "n". (i've also gone back and changed my previous posts to reflect this.)

there will be a day in the future when i won't want strangers to know her first name, so i thought i'd just take care of it now.

i wish we lived in a world where such precautions weren't necessary, but we do.

so, for everyone who knows her first name... it's just our little secret out here in blog-land! :)

for the grandmas

2008-01-08T11:32:00.000-06:00

thanks to her grandmas, n now has two favorite blankets.

thanks, grandma susu...

...and grammy cathi!

p.s. i know i've been woefully negligent with blogging. i'm working on updating pictures and getting some video posted too. stay tuned... more to come soon!

caucus

2008-01-03T20:22:00.001-06:00

from my phone...

we just attended our precinct caucus. so cool. and the turnout was incredible! my civic spirit is renewed. more on the experience later...

tuesday theory

2007-12-11T23:17:00.001-06:00

i have a theory about tuesday. i think it might be the busiest day of the week.

i started thinking about it today, because there are about 20 blogs that i subscribe to and absolutely NONE of them were updated today. some of these blogs are updated multiple times a day, but today... nothing. all of these people had other things to do today.

so that got me thinking about the work week, and now i have a theory that tuesday is the busiest day.

i'd explain my theory, but honestly, it's been a busy day.

three months!

2007-12-10T17:34:00.001-06:00

happy three month birthday, little nay nay!

adventure

2007-12-10T14:28:00.000-06:00

nothing like starting the week off with a little adventure! last night, we made an impromptu trip to omaha... at 10 pm!

my parents were in colorado over the weekend, and my mom was supposed to fly back to sioux city last night. except that her flight got cancelled, and she HAD to be at work this morning at 7. so... she got a flight into omaha, and charlie, n and i made a road trip.

when it was all said and done, we got home at 2 am and got little n back to sleep at 3.

any wonder i was deliriously tired this morning? ;)

i feel like a mom

2007-12-07T08:39:00.000-06:00

i feel like a mom this morning. more than i ever have before. why? because i woke up at 5:30 this morning (fully dressed, because apparently i fell asleep last night watching tv and my husband didn't wake me up to get ready for bed). but i digress. i feel like a mom because when i woke up at 5:30 and was relatively alert, i chose to get up for the day rather than go back to sleep.

the single ellen would have never done that! even just the married ellen wouldn't have done that. but, apparently, the ellen who has a three-month-old does. and i feel like a mom because that's something my mom and lots of other moms i know would have done. i never understood why. i thought they were a little crazy.

but now i know why. it's because there's something nice about taking my time making coffee, sitting in a nice, quiet basement and getting things done that have been on my mind for days. two loads of laundry. balancing the checkbook and paying the bills. wrapping some birthday presents.

nothing glamorous. just odds and ends. but it's still nice. and even though i still have a really long to-do list (including adding some pictures and video to this blog), the list is shorter than it was.

and i don't mind feeling like a mom.

all dressed up

2007-11-20T12:13:00.000-06:00

a couple of weeks ago, some dear friends hosted an open house celebration for n. i didn't get pictures of the actual celebration (those pics are on other people's cameras), but i did try to snap some pics of little nay nay in her cute outfit. (tights are terribly impractical for an infant in diapers, but dang, they're cute!)

too cute!

2007-11-15T10:32:00.000-06:00

these pictures are from a couple of days ago. the pink bandaids are from her two-month shots earlier in the day. and check out the buddha belly on that kid! she was a whopping 13 lbs. 3 oz. on monday. welcome to the 95th percentile! :)

one more year 'til 30...

2007-11-14T22:30:00.000-06:00

i turned 29 today. as birthdays go, it's been a fairly unspectacular day. quite possibly the most boring birthday of my life, but quite possibly the best. why? because i have a husband i love more and more each day, a baby who fills my life with joy and wonder, a home that is cozy and warm, a job that i enjoy and friends who truly care about me. it may sound cheesy or cliche, but it's actually true. am I not blessed?!?

rough day

2007-11-10T21:23:00.000-06:00

we're having a rough day at our house. things just haven't gone quite as smoothly as we'd hoped today. just when we think that we're doing pretty well at this parenting thing, n lets us know we're rank amateurs.

daddy was planning on a nice day at home, after having been out of town for several days this week. mommy was looking forward to getting out of the house for a little while, since that doesn't happen nearly as often anymore. so daddy had a bottle and mommy had the keys. two hours later, mommy's headed home to a frustrated daddy and a screaming, hungry baby. and it's only gotten worse from there...

in fact, i just took a five-minute break from writing this because the nightly bath (which has always been a calming, happy time) went terribly wrong. n wanted nothing to do with it.

everything's been a little backwards today. she's done less eating, more crying and about the same amount of sleeping (but at completely different times than normal). sometimes she wanted nothing to do with us, and other times, she's just clung to us like a little koala bear.

we've tried to figure out why today's been so rough for little nay-nay. maybe it's the weird sleep day she had on thursday, which led to a weird sleep day yesterday and now today. or maybe the bottle completely threw her off (which is both frustrating and depressing for me). or maybe she's just having a bad day. we're all entitled to one of those every now and then!

oh well. at least there's a happy ending to this story...

another one...

2007-11-08T17:39:00.000-06:00

i know we think n's way cuter than she actually is. and i know she's just doing what babies do. but i can't help myself...

this is why there are a million baby videos on youtube... proud parents.

bathtime!

2007-11-07T22:43:00.000-06:00

i'm re-entering blog world after a long hiatus, hoping that a video will appease the masses and make up for my absence. little n loves her baths, and we managed to capture last night's on video. (tonight's was a little more eventful, with our first experience of n pooping while in the tub! even though daddy was giving the bath, mommy got to clean it...)

enjoy the video!

a well-loved child

2007-10-18T11:37:00.000-05:00

"a well-loved child has many names." -- swedish saying

one of the appeals of n's name is that it's not easily nicknamed. when she's older, hopefully our daughter won't have to live with the possible annoyance of people calling her by a common nickname that she may not like (such as a kimberly who is called kim against her wishes).

but that's for later. right now, our little one has a mommy and daddy who are addicted to pet names. she's probably more used to all these silly names than her actual name. here are just a few of the things she's being called at the moment:

nae nae
bugaboo
monchhichi (remember these from the 80s?)
sweetie petitey
burrito (when she's swaddled)
chubba bubba
baby cakes (shortened to cakes or cakers)
blank mcblankster and fill in a bodily function (example: burpy mcburpster)
honey buns
bambino reno

the valley of vision

2007-10-16T23:18:00.000-05:00

some dear friends gave chuck and me the valley of vision: a collection of puritan prayers and devotions for our wedding. every time i pick it up intending to read a new prayer, i end up just reading the prayer from which the book got its title. eventually, i'll read some of the other ones, but here is the prayer that keeps resonating with me so much and so often:

Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly,

Thou hast brought me to the valley of vision,
where I live in the depths but see Thee in the heights;
hemmed in by mountains of sin I behold Thy glory.

Let me learn by paradox
that the way down is the way up,
that to be low is to be high,
that the broken heart is the healed heart,
that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit,
that the repenting soul is the victorious soul,
that to have nothing is to possess all,
that to bear the cross is to wear the crown,
that to give is to receive,
that the valley is the place of vision.

Lord, in the daytime stars can be seen from deepest wells,
and the deeper the wells the brighter Thy stars shine;

Let me find Thy light in my darkness,
Thy life in my death,
Thy joy in my sorrow,
Thy grace in my sin,
Thy riches in my poverty,
Thy glory in my valley.

can't help falling in love

2007-10-10T10:41:00.000-05:00

for all my plans and intentions to blog like a mad woman, my days of late have been very full with nursing, diapering, burping, rocking, cuddling... falling in love. it's a battle some days to set aside my to-do list -- i've been to-doing for years and years, quite efficiently and with much personal satisfaction.

but one look at my daughter's little face, and i know that these days are very precious and fleeting. in twenty years, i won't remember what was on my to-do list this week. but i do think i'll remember sweet moments of falling in love.

family fun

2007-09-22T18:23:00.000-05:00

n met her aunt julie and her cousins e & g today! i think the pictures say it all -- we had tons of fun making the introduction. not that i expected anything different, but this child is going to be well-loved!

oh, and she managed to spit up on aunt julie right as we were asking "do you want a burp rag?" the kid has great comedic timing already!

see even more pictures of today and the past week and a half of n's life on flickr.

world changer

2007-09-20T15:48:00.000-05:00

wow! it's been forever since i've written. i'm a little embarrassed and ashamed, but i've got a pretty good excuse. we've been working furiously on home improvement and other projects to prepare for the arrival baby j. blogging was just one of those things that had to take the back burner. and now, baby j is here!

"n" introduced herself at 11:50 a.m. on monday, sept. 10. she was a whopping 9 lbs. at birth, something none of us expected (doctor included). it's been a week and a half already since that big moment, and we can't imagine our little family without her.

grandpas and grandmas have been paying visits, and we've had so many kind people give us gifts and meals. we're overwhelmed by how much love people are pouring out on our little baby and us. i think it proves what we all know -- babies are a precious, precious gift.

i'm calling this post 'world changer' not because my world has changed (although it most certainly has). it's because, within minutes of n's entrance, her daddy and i prayed that she would be a world changer. i don't know how to raise a daughter who can impact her world, but God knows how she can make her unique mark. and we're entrusting her to Him, with hopefully world-changing results.

so proud

2007-07-09T10:18:00.001-05:00

i am so thankful and proud to call layne and tanya henn my friends. that's them pictured above with the two boys they are adopting from ethiopia. they're actually in ethiopia right now picking up little j and l, and through the miracle of technology, they're able to post this picture on their blog.

tears practically spurted from my eyes as soon as i saw this picture. maybe because tanya and layne look so happy. maybe because it's the realization of a dream and God-given desire that they've worked toward for so long. maybe it's because their children k & i & e will get to meet their two brothers so soon. maybe it's because they've willingly and joyfully chosen a task that won't be easy, parenting sons who can't even understand them now.

i am so immensely thankful that God has blessed me with friends who model courage and sacrifice and faithfulness. they give me a glimpse of God's heart, adopting me into his wonderful family.

it's been a while...

2007-07-02T21:29:00.000-05:00

i took a bit of an unplanned hiatus from blogging for the past three weeks. i'm not proud of it, but life happens. and lots of life has happened in the past three weeks. check out pictures on my flickr page.

> charlie spent a week in inner-city chicago with 30 teenagers. lots of life-change, good bonding with kids, plenty of cool service opportunities and one trip to the e.r.! meanwhile, i finished putting away the kitchen and did a major overhaul of the basement. things got cleaned, sorted and organized like crazy. it was good and needed.

> the day after the chicago group returned, we hit the road for spencer, iowa. and picked up our twin nieces, e & g. they stayed with us from sunday evening to friday afternoon, during which time they went to skill school at our church. we also did all sorts of fun things: mini golf, lewis & clark discovery center, crafts, homemade cookies, chuck e. cheese (!) and more. it was a fun week.

> then it was back to real life... like jobs. mine had been neglected for a couple of weeks, so last week was about getting back on track. then we left friday for minnesota and a family gathering up there. there's always plenty of fun and some spontaneous singing when we're with my mother-in-law's family. it was a great way to spend the weekend. and, i always forget how beautiful minnesota is until i go back there -- it's such a great place in the summer.

so, now we're back. and i'm back to blogging.

just call me "black thumbs"

2007-06-12T20:30:00.000-05:00

my maternal grandfather was a professor of horticulture. he loved plants. he knew EVERYTHING about them. he knew more about turf grasses and yew trees than you would think possible... trust me. there wasn't anything green that he didn't know and love. he shared a fondness for God's creation that i've never seen matched in anyone else.

he always said that when he died, he hoped that his job in heaven would be to prune the tree of life. i don't know if trees in heaven need pruning, but i'm sure he's enjoying himself up there either way. i just hope he can't look down and see how i massacre plants down here!

this being the first year that i wasn't 1. living in an apartment and 2. planning a wedding, i thought i'd plant some pretty flowers for our front porch, back patio and car port. here they are, fresh from the greenhouse a few weeks ago...

about half of those plants are still alive. sigh! i planted the impatiens, coleus and torenia in three pots that are on my front porch. they look great. i'm actually remembering to water them.

i planted the vinca in three hanging baskets that are hanging from our car port. i think next year i'll get something that hangs down from the baskets, but at least the vinca are holding up in the intense sunlight. and, i'm remembering to water them.

but, most of the other plants pictured there (with a couple hardy exceptions) died a painful death. a kitchen remodel and a lack of inspiration managed to overpower my good intentions. i hadn't planted them yet, but i was watering them... i thought. then a couple of very hot days pushed them right over the edge from life to death.

maybe my grandpa can take care of them up in heaven for me!

sticky situation

2007-06-11T15:31:00.000-05:00

i've been missing from my blog for about a week. why? no, it's not because i've been uninspired. no, it's not because i've been on vacation. no, it's not for any monumental reason like that.

i spilled lemonade on our keyboard. lemonade doesn't really enhance a keyboard's effectiveness. in fact, it pretty much ruins a keyboard.

so, after a couple of days just hoping that the keyboard just needed to dry out, i had to go get another one. bummer.

anyway, now i'm back. and i'm only drinking water near the computer... for now.

go team!

2007-06-02T12:20:00.000-05:00

last night, i remembered something that i've learned several times before. i love being a team with my husband. we collaborate and cooperate on a lot of stuff, but there's something extra exciting when we work on something together and we each bring unique, necessary skills to the project.

case in point: he hates measuring; it makes him nervous. i love measuring; i do it all the time in my job. he can use a drill; he's becoming quite a pro. i'm afraid i'd do serious damage with one; i'd rather not even learn how it works.

so, with these varied skills, we put the hardware up in our kitchen. go team! i went around and measured exactly where all the knobs and handles should go. (an awesome little tip from uncle paul: put masking tape on the doors/drawers and then go from there.) so here's a bad picture of some drawer measurements. (i'm so proud of myself, i had to post a picture... even if it's bad.)

then, charlie went around with the drill and installed all the knobs and handles.

voila! a kitchen that we can start moving back into! it might seem like a little thing to everyone else, but it was fun being a team last night. i'm not very handy, so it was nice to contribute to the effort. plus, it was great for both of us to do things that the other doesn't really like to.

come to think of it, maybe that happens more often than i think. like with mowing the lawn and laundry...

come again some other day

2007-05-29T20:43:00.001-05:00

it's been raining cats and dogs today. off and on. one minute, it's a torrential downpour and the storm sewers are struggling to keep up. the next, it's just a light drizzle that turns everything a brighter shade of green.

i'm not always a big fan of rainy days, but i think i needed one today. and i hope tomorrow's the same. i won't feel guilty about being inside, and i won't have to worry about watering my plants. i think rainy days help me relax.

i'll welcome the sun when it returns, but for now, you won't catch me singing "rain, rain, go away..."

ta da! (almost...)

2007-05-28T21:10:00.000-05:00

it's amazing what a countertop will do. on friday, charlie and bryan installed the countertop. (from the pictures, you'll see that the "doctor" and "nurse" analogy of their work is pretty accurate.) then on saturday, we were at it again at 6 a.m. installing the sink, faucet, dishwasher and microhood.

we just finished straightening up the construction mess when charlie's family showed up. it was a wonderful way to christen the new kitchen. (we were having so much fun that i forgot to take pictures of people. whoops!) here's the aftermath...

now, we just need to install the knobs and handles, prime/paint/reinstall the trimwork and put up the curtains. exciting! i'll post more pics when it's completely finished. not bad though, huh?

and now, my husband...

2007-05-25T10:48:00.001-05:00

Yo, I'm Ellen's husband, Charlie.

She's letting me take my inaugural voyage in blogdom on her blog. She's a good woman. She keeps walking in the room, and my knee-jerk reaction is, "Don't read my blog! I'm not done!" She keeps peeking. Can't a man blog in private?! I need a "blog man cave".

Today, my friend Bryan and I will put some more finishing touches on our new kitchen. This is how it works: Bryan is the "surgeon" and I'm the "nurse". He does most of the decision-making, measuring and carpentry, and I hand him the tools (and wipe his brow). I don't really mind our work situation, because I have no idea what I'm doing, and Bryan's an expert.

Ellen just peeked again.

On Wednesday, we had a "LOST" Season 3 finale party with two other couples. I think "LOST" has to be my favorite television show of all time (except, of course, for Martha Stewart's show).

Here's my latest theory about "LOST" as of May 2007. They aren't on an island. They're in South Dakota.

Okay, peace out!
Charlie

and to think...

2007-05-23T10:35:00.000-05:00

i've always liked dr. seuss books. 'one fish, two fish' was my favorite as a kid, although i'm not quite sure why. of course, there's 'green eggs and ham' and 'the cat in the hat' -- classics, to be sure. and i'd never heard of 'oh, the places you'll go' until my parents gave it to me for high school graduation. i fell in love with it immediately, and i still like to read it every once in a while.

so, how fun is it that when chuck bought our house, my mom showed up with a dr. seuss book for him! a namesake dr. seuss book for the street that we live on! and here's a little piece of seuss trivia for you: 'mulberry street' was the first children's book he published.

the book is about a kid who's walking home from school on mulberry street and all the amazing things he sees along the way. i can assure you that we don't have dancing elephants on our mulberry street (that'd liven things up a bit!) but i love having a yet another connection with dr. seuss.

major surgery

2007-05-22T22:47:00.001-05:00

okay, i couldn't wait any longer. (not very patient, am i?) here're more pics of our kitchen progress. it's pretty incredible, isn't it? props go out to: the mothers (seen priming and painting with chuck) and bryan, the brains and brawn behind this whole operation.

not much has happened since that last pic was snapped. we're waiting for the countertop to be installed. once that's done, we'll definitely be in the last stretch. woo-hoo!

nip and tuck

2007-05-22T21:17:00.000-05:00

i've always loved looking at makeover pictures. there's just something fun about seeing the before and after. i think it's the contrast. and the hope. i just love seeing something transform.

our kitchen is going through a makeover of it's own. (we're talking major time warp. bye, bye sixties!) i have 'before' pictures and 'in-progress' pictures. we're still waiting on the 'after'.

i'll post more of the progress soon. enjoy the first look!

the design disease

2007-05-18T11:17:00.001-05:00

a few people out there will understand this. as soon as i got this blog up and going, i had to fiddle with the template -- specifically, the colors. i have this thing about palettes. my house has one. and now, my blog has one. (or at least, i want it to...)

sometimes i think my life would be easier if i didn't give a rip about colors, design and other somewhat 'artsy' things. i'm certainly no expert, but i care. why? if i didn't care, i could put precious moments, disney characters, and cheap framed art all over my house. my decorating could be done. but, no! i can't do that. (i don't want to offend any precious moments fans out there -- they're just not my thing... at all.)

so instead, i carry swatches of paint colors and fabrics with me everywhere i go, in the hopes that i'll find a unique, eclectic, cool _____ (fill-in-the-blank: painting, pillow, rug, whatever). and i spend an hour messing around with colors for my blog. is there a cure for this?

it's a start...

2007-05-18T10:38:00.000-05:00

after months of being a blog consumer, i am now a blog producer. it's a big step. one i'm feeling a little insecure about, truth-be-told. i'm not a faithful emailer. i'm not a good facebook member. can i really do this blog thing?

but so much stronger than those doubts is my urge to start posting anything and everything! where to start... the kitchen remodeling project? the pretty plants i just bought? the ultrasound pictures of baby j? those are a few ideas. blogging, here i come!