Haybee Baby

Autumn love

2011-10-09T13:44:00.001-04:00

Changing leaves.

Family close by.

Hunting for autumn treasures.

Autumn colors in nature and on kids.

Family walks.

Nature hikes with friends.

And carmel apples, pumpkin cookies, bonfires, barn sales, pumpkin muffins, leaf crafts, garage cleaning, 70's with sunshine, honey crisp apples, hayrides, and so much more.

I am in love with this beautiful season!

(I'm trying to savor this season and not be depressed about the long season that comes next.)

Wool Snot

2011-10-02T00:32:00.001-04:00

You shouldn't be here. Go to pinterest, seriously. I kinda want to wad this blog up and throw it in the trash because it screams that my brain can't think of an original idea for ANYTHING! I decided I'd dust it off though, to share some PINTEREST ideas;) I stayed up until 2:30am sewing with my mom last night. We had a great time! Take a look at some of what we made.

Fabric pumpkins. Very easy to make!

Sweater covered jars. I think they look Januaryish.

Re-purposed sweater pillows. Oodles of them.

A skirt covered ottoman.

Leaf garland. I'm sure others have made these but this idea actually came to my brain without pinterest telling me to do it:)

Many leaf garlands. When I blew my nose this morning, the kleenex was literally filled with wool fibers. Gross. I should have taken a picture because I don't think you could see a picture of wool snot on pinterest.

Have you heard of http://www.homegirlshop.com/? She lives a hop, skip, and a jump from my home and she oozes talent!! She hosts a delicious barn sale a couple times a year and I have the privilege of selling my above items at her sale this year. Check out her blog for details. Also, notice she will be on the Nate Berkus show this week. Neato!

June, July, and Pinterest

2011-07-09T20:38:00.001-04:00

I've kept myself busy. Here's what I've been up to:

Working on endless projects from pinterest.com. Like this hankie banner for Ellia and Aelyn's room.

Creating a pink flower to cover a yellowed stain on this 45 cent beauty of a dress.

Gifting my Mr. HOTsie some Father's Day HOT sauce.

Celebrating our freedoms and learning to live freely.

Flying on airplanes, staying up late, laughing, and celebrating a beautiful marriage!

Making enough popsicles to feed eight neighborhoods....and using cupcake holders to catch the drips.

Enjoying family time in our backyard....on a $35 vintage Goodwill couch.

Making pull taffy with the kids. I looked over from the stove to see my coloring children with blankets tied around their breathing places. They were gaggingly dramatic about the molasses and vinegar odor that filled our kitchen.

This pinterest idea was a bust. Not only did it smell like a garbage dump, it tasted like one. I convulsed in laughter at the face expressions of my kitchen helpers as they tasted the supposed sweet treat. These summer days are oozing with inspiration, spontaneity, and embedded memories.

Tent Day

2011-06-08T20:16:00.000-04:00

I woke up early and full of energy one morning this week. I wish I felt that way every single day but I don't. It's strange how some days are filled with extreme motivation and others I feel like I'm dragging to accompish just what I need to do.

This was a gorgeous morning on the deck. I knew it was a day filled with work calls from morning until evening and I needed to help the kids find constructive entertainment. I wanted something that would surprise the kids upon waking. I quickly gathered sheets and built a tent.

I filled the picnic basket with coloring books, stickers, crayons, paper, scissors, glue, and even a tub of legos!

They each had a plate of snacks and jar of strawberries in ice water with a straw. They were beyond excited and they played under there THE ENTIRE DAY! They brought pillows, babies, and stuffed animals out and played with contented enjoyment. I did my work on the deck most of the day and had pink freckled skin when my head hit the pillow.

My refrigerator is also covered in nearly 80 colored pictures from their tent day. There were legos mixed with the crayons and strawberry water spilled on blankets. But it was worth every ounce of set up and clean up. Now, a homedate tent is in order soon.

I forgot about blogging.

2011-06-08T19:50:00.001-04:00

I really did forget.

Lots of "extra" things taking up my time and I plum forgot I had a blog. Aelyn's disasters are at a peak. At least I'm hopeful it won't get any worse. This lipstick one was a doosy.

Ethan finished First Grade!!

I've been obsessed with this salad. Obsessed.

Baking birthday goodies with a special 4 year old was a true delight.

Celebrating that four year old turning five was a joyous time!!

Weekend visits to Ganny and Pappaw's where they love watching television on their bed!

Re-purposing thrift finds has been a Sunday afternoon hobby:)

A friend lent us a go-cart to use for awhile and it's already been ridden many a miles on these three acres!

Still homedating Mr. Hotsie. See why I call him that?!

And if you haven't tried http://pinterest.com/, you should. I've gathered bazillions of ideas and have my summer project list posted on the refrigerator! If you join, be sure to "friend" me.

Crafting with a Four Year Old

2011-04-25T22:05:00.000-04:00

Easter came and went so fast this year but I sought to make the weeks leading up to it meaningful. I'm a fan of The Jesus Storybook Bible as a tool for teaching the big picture of redemption in such a beautiful way.

On a lighter note, Ellia asked if we could make an Easter craft and I remembered a magazine idea where they covered eggs with paper napkin strips using mod podge.

It was a messy project and the final result wasn't dainty perfection like the pages of the magazine I saw. We had fun though. Ellia had mod podge in her hair, eyelashes, and up her arms. It looked like I was wearing mod podge gloves. I should have worn gloves but I didn't think of that bright idea until the project was concluded and I was pealing it off my fingers for and hour and a half.

While I was cleaning us up, she asked if we could paint eggs. I said no because I'd had enough messy crafting for a Saturday. She pouted. I took her picture. She then took a nap.

Crafting with a four year old is funny and memorable.

We visited family this weekend but I was sad to have forgotten my camera. It was nice to be with family but I wish it had been a few more days!

Happy Serve Day!

2011-04-16T16:40:00.002-04:00

Mr. Hotsie called last evening on his way home from work with a great offer! He needed to work on a job today and kindly suggested I go do something fun that would refresh me for a Saturday with the kids. I hesitated but then darted to the thrift store for an hour before closing. What a fun trip! I found some specific items I was looking for plus some other spectacular deals.

I came home to everyone sleeping and I decided to plan something fun for my day with the kids. I determined this Saturday would become "Serve Day!" The kids woke up early to the table set and they were bursting with curiosity and anxious to begin our celebration even though they had no clue what we were doing.

I dressed us all in our aprons as a symbol that we would be focused on serving today.

They knew the word serve and what it meant but I wanted it to go even deeper in their hearts today.

I served them a special breakfast with lots of love.

They each found their place setting and excitedly waited to start. I used scrapbook papers from TJ Maxx to gussy up the table. Ethan asked if I stayed up the whole night getting it ready.

I wrapped up two thrift gifts for each kiddo. I found a pair of shoes for each of them on my adventure. I had no idea of this Serving Day plan while I was thrifting but the finds fit right into the purpose of this special day! I didn't pay more than $2 for a pair of shoes! Ethan and Ellia's were both brand new and Aelyn's were maybe worn a couple times but were good as new with a little white vinegar disinfecting. I love thrifting!!

We chatted about why we wear shoes. We chatted about how there are many people who don't have shoes....or food....or family....or a home.....or love. We chatted about how much we have. We discussed ways to serve, love, and give to others.

We ate fruit, muffins, and toasted oat cereal.

We each took a couple flags from the centerpiece. Ethan and Ellia shared ways they could serve their family, friends, neighbors, God, strangers, those in need, etc. It was insightful to hear their responses.Then they had a sword fight with the flags.

They decided to make muffins to share with our neighbors. We made a yummy whole wheat blueberry and banana recipe, thanks to a google search. They each made their own batch. Ethan was totally grossed out by the brown mushy bananas. He gagged. This brought service to a whole new level for him. Ellia sang songs about how "sugar rhymes with booger."

We then watched a few videos on Team Hoyt and we talked about how we saw service in the videos. They were touched. Ethan said he'll never forget today. They've been busy serving on their own today without being asked. They've cleaned, given foot rubs, made lunch, and other random activities.

Lord, I pray that today planted just a small seed in the hearts of these kiddos at the joy that comes in serving you through serving others.

Side note-isn't her outfit cute? She needed jeans and I found three pair of like new GAP jeans for $2 each. They are all different styles and will get her through the fall. Yay! Her outfit was $2.90. How can I make thrifting my day job? ;)

Oh, and we have roof shingles all over our yard from the wind. Mr Hotsie had to climb on the roof to tac a large piece down. I seriously thought our house was going to blow away last night.

Off to church we go.

Yellow Refreshment

2011-04-13T22:32:00.002-04:00

We purchased our home last summer and have focused solely on getting the inside livable and remodeled. We are just now starting on the outside of the house and property. The flower beds could pretty much be mowed at this point and they need some serious intervention. I have felt disappointed this Spring that not one flower popped up anywhere on this 3 acre property. At our previous home we had a red bud tree, forsythia bushes, and I had planted bazillions of daffodils. I've been missing them.

I shared Proverbs 11:25 with my children earlier this week. "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." We talked about ways to be generous and what refreshment means. The same day I walked across the street to visit with our 70 year old widowed neighbor. She immediately walked me to her flower bed and started plucking sunshiny daffodils. She handed me a large bouquet and I felt so loved. I walked there thinking I would bring some refreshment her way yet I walked away completely refreshed and no longer missing the flowers at our old home. Mary and I both left with smiles and a hug. My kids watched the Proverb come to life that day, but I got to feel it deep inside. I separated the yellow bouquet into multiple arrangements so I can soak up the beauty in every room.

Maybe I will pin some cute daffodils over Aelyn's permanent marker drawing on our ottoman. Spring flowers cover a multitude of markings. That is a Crecco Proverb.

Spring Break Road Trip

2011-04-09T11:32:00.001-04:00

A 10 hour road trip to see cousins was filled with memory building and fun!

We celebrated the birthday of my two year old niece.

These four year old girls became close friends this visit.

Ganny made each grandchild BEAUTIFUL sweater eggs.

We enjoyed an egg hunt.

We took a trip to the zoo in the sunshine and warm weather!

E man is standing on a rock but doesn't he look giant?!

Getting all 5 to look at the camera at the same time did not happen no matter how hard we tried.

My kids experienced Chuck E Cheese's for the first time. Ethan had been saving money for this experience for almost 2 years. He thoroughly enjoyed the games, tickets, and junky prizes.

My beautiful mama treasured time with her girls and grand kids.

The kids patiently waited to start a water balloon fight.

There was hopscotch and lots of outdoor fun!

My mom, sister, and I had a craft night. We made linen flowers like the one Ellia is wearing. It was fun and rather addicting and I imagine you'll be seeing more linen flowers on this blog.

This mama didn't get much sleep on this trip due to a sick baby up at all hours of the night. I didn't take any naps while driving home but I wanted to.

Cousin love is priceless!

Ellia's dinner

2011-03-30T19:07:00.002-04:00

Ellia Mya is my kindred spirit. She wanted to plan a candlelight dinner for our family and took it upon herself to plan it. She placed a table cloth on the table, brought out the candles, and set the table while I worked. It was an all day project for her.

She dressed in her favorite twirly dress and pulled a flower from a coffee table arrangement for her hair. She put on lip gloss and prepared stuffed animals with clothing and bibs.

I had a crazy work day and didn't have time to prepare the elaborate meal she requested.

I pulled together a five minute kid friendly meal that could be placed nicely on the plates. She was thrilled. I made a place card for each kiddo and wrote the meaning of their name on it. Ethan kept hugging me and thanked me repeatedly:) He said he knew the meaning of his name but always wanted it in writing. I'm pretty sure I'll be carving a plaque for his room this weekend.

This is what the meal looked like after Aelyn had her hands on it:) Notice Ellia put a skirt on her too.

After meal entertainment was presented by Ellia herself. She graced us with her mild yet passionate dance moves.

Aelyn also took a turn to show us her moves which included lots of stomping.

It was sweet that Ellia initiated this dinner and made me realize they would enjoy the atmosphere of candle light dinners for our family more often. Do you plan special dinners? I need ideas! Homedating has taken all my creativity brain cells. Sometimes putting in a frozen pizza is all the energy I have after a busy day but we could still light a candle, right?!

Real Life Weekend

2011-03-28T20:36:00.000-04:00

I started out the weekend as a glob of frustration. I felt like I was fighting a war trying to bring order to our home after a busy week. It was three little people up against me as they had quite the agenda of crafts, building forts, creating sinks in their rooms(this is a story for another day but these sinks consisted of cups of water, soap, towels, toothbrushes, and Kleenex....in their closets.), and leaving other random items in numerous locations.

I eventually gained perspective and changed my tone and the climate of our home. I want to embrace the craziness and creativity that come with these three blessings. We enjoyed Saturday night church and then went to Caribou Coffee to sip hot drinks and play pictionary.

Ethan and Ellia were actually able to guess each other's pictures this time which made it fun. Aelyn stayed busy by crumpling paper and throwing pictionary cards on the floor. Ryan and I just enjoyed soaking in our family........while we picked up 82 pictionary cards off the floor:)

There was lots of playing "radio" this weekend, many miles walked, oodles of cooking for the week, and much organizing.

There was giggling, playing outside, jump roping, game playing, and cleaning.

There were hair tricks, packing for Spring Break, loads of laundry, deck building by Mr Hotsie, and juice popsicles made for the week.

As I was reading to the kids yesterday, Ethan randomly and excitedly said, "Mom, one time Ellia's toot smelled JUST like potato chips."

I cracked up and more of that frustration somehow melted away. These kiddos bring much joy to our lives but it's not easy. The frustration and inadequacy of real life parenting keeps me broken and needing more than just me to keep my heart focused on the hearts of these three precious blessings.

Spray Paint Transformation

2011-03-23T17:47:00.000-04:00

At the first sign of Spring weather each year you will see me doing two things immediately. I go for long walks to think about the seasons and ponder the changes they bring outside and in me. I also turn into a painting maniac. All winter I make a pile of items that need painting and as soon as I can get out there, the paint is a flyin'! I can't say Mr Hotsie loves this about me but he tolerates it.

A dear friend gave us this cute baby doll rocker with the open door for redoing it. Ellia chose pink, of course. It now matches their play area. I've heard Ellia using it as a highchair and also a timeout chair for her disobedient baby dolls.

And the two girls fight over who gets to play with it. If only heart transformation for us all was as easy as a can of spray paint!

45 Cent Skirt and Cartwheels

2011-03-21T21:31:00.001-04:00

Have I mentioned that I love to thrift shop? Have I mentioned that I love to repurpose clothing? Well, I do.

This skirt was 45 cents but too big for my itty bitty waisted Ellia. I tried taking it in but opted to do something a little more fun!

The March Country Living Magazine featured cute wire rim bunny ears wrapped in fabric.

I still had a pair of dollar store ears from when Ethan was a baby that needed a makeover. I decided to cover the entire ear in fabric rather than just the rims.

As my sweet mammaw used to say, "bunn-ee bunn-ee." (said in a high pitched voice, it means, really cute bunny. )

That was 45 cents of fun. Oh, but wait! That was just the top of the skirt so that was 22.5 cents of fun.

Ellia had a pair of jeans that wore a hole but I wasn't ready to throw them away. I cut the pants off right above the worn hole. I then cut the bottom of the skirt in half and sewed it onto the jeans with a simple zig zag stitch.

Ellia now has a new pair of capris. The most important part is that they twirl:)

Buy me a 45 cent skirt, let me chop it up to make something new, and you might just see me do cartwheels. Look through your closet, find something to cut up and modify, and you can do cartwheels too. Then take a picture and send me a pic!!(of the new item AND of you doing cartwheels.)

Fabric wrapped hangers

2011-03-19T23:08:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful Saturday! Grocery shopping, cleaning, cooking, games with kids, creative projects, 2 mile run, 2 mile walk, church, Super Moon, and Monk.

Today's project was to add character to white plastic hangers. Mr. Hotsie built a hanging rod in my laundry room and it was asking for cute hangers.

I pulled out a bag of old fabric scraps. I cut strips, tied one to the hanger, and began wrapping all the way around the hanger. When a strip ran out, I tied the next one to it. I left the ties showing. I could have glued the fabric on if I didn't want the ties showing. I think the more threads the better!

Ethan wanted to wrap a hanger with me while he practiced reciting the presidents.

He finished his hanger and went back to his jump rope challenge. He took up interest in jump roping this week and he is creating contests to see who can do the most consecutive jumps. He wants me to make a jump rope trophy. He got to 32 jumps while I wrapped the final hanger.

I'm pretty sure the wet laundry will appreciate the time and effort it took to make their hanging spot more charming.

Happy wear green or I'll pinch you day!

2011-03-17T21:05:00.001-04:00

I haven't felt like blogging this past week.

We enjoyed a laughter filled weekend with out of state friends.
I found two gray hairs yesterday.

I'm sleep deprived and crabby from having a sick girl.

I've been testing cute little students this week.

My heart is heavy as real people deal with intense tragedy in Japan and all around me.

I enjoyed a beautiful 4 mile walk this evening to ponder and process. Now I feel like blogging.

Happy wear green or I'll pinch you day!

I love green. It shows up in every room of our home.

My kids ate green goodness for snacks today.

They played nicely and really enjoyed each other today. I think I"ll have them wear green everyday.

These once green sweater sleeves now adorn Ellia's skinny minny legs with fuzzy legwarmer cuteness.

This green sweater clutch probably won't go out on the town too often but I am considering carrying it on a homedate soon. It will probably look smashingly awesome with my black sweatpant uniform.

Somehow Mr. Hotsie missed the "wear green or you'll get pinched" memo. I offered to lend him the green clutch but he declined. I think he must really like our pinches.

There's no way it's March

2011-03-12T10:32:00.000-05:00

I just switched my calendar over to MMMAAARRRCCHH!?? On March 10th I did that. I'm quite certain December was just two weeks ago and I took my Christmas decorations down four days ago. Plus, we woke up to inches of snow covering our green grass so there is no way it can be March. I know it.

It's one of those weeks where I feel like I am 10 steps or two months behind. Glad it's the weekend....except we lose an hour of sleep tonight and I'm never a fan of that!

Gift Wrapping and Letter Writing

2011-03-10T07:28:00.000-05:00

I enjoy wrapping gifts. I am a fan of paper products.

I purchase solid color wrapping paper or with a small, simple print that will be versatile.

Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby have cheap choices!

I use string or yarn as ribbon. I have had these three rolls for over three years and I use them often.

I make my gift tags.

I purchased two large hole punches over the years and I punch out fun paper to use as a gift tag.
I also often cut 4 inch strips of fun scrapbook paper to wrap around the gift. I have found some great Amy Butler paper books for $3.99 at Marshal's, TJMaxx, or HomeGoods.
I tie the string around multiple times and attach the gift tag.

They turn out simple but each one is unique. Although gift bags are nice and have their convenience, I still prefer a wrapped gift. There's something about watching a child tear open that paper over lifting tissue paper out of a bag. Call me old fashioned but I much prefer a written letter over email and a wrapped gift over a gift bag.

How to felt wool sweaters

2011-03-09T08:15:00.001-05:00

Wanna start repurposing sweaters?
Here's how I do it:
Buy 100% wool sweaters, angora, cashmere, etc. No nylon, acrylic, or other man made fibers.
(this is if you want it to fully felt. If you are sewing an owl or pillow out of sweater, it doesn't have to be 100% wool because the edges will not be exposed.)
Wash like colors in hot water.
Throw them in the dryer for at least one cycle on a normal or high.
Dry repeatedly if you want a thicker wool.
You can then cut the sweaters and the edges will not fray.

Turn the sweater inside out.

Cut the sweater into pieces.

Start by cutting the sleeves off. Cut along the seam and then cut the seam off to save it.

Cut off the collar.

If you know what you want to make, go ahead and cut it out right now.

Save the seams to use for flowers or other fun embellishments.

I have quite the collection of seams.

So, find a thrift store that has cheap sweaters and get to work!
The possibilities are endless with what you can make.
I'm hoping to make myself some underwear and a toothbrush soon.

Repurposed Sweater Owl

2011-03-05T22:06:00.003-05:00

Ethan is invited to a birthday party this week for a sweet girl in his class. I asked him what he would like to give her for her birthday gift and he requested that I make her something. We pulled out a pile of sweaters and he decided on the body of the owl. Ethan quickly tired of sorting through sweaters and began racing cars down a long box he brought into the Haybee Baby room. Ellia joined me in the sweater rummaging and we picked out eyes, a nose, a belly pocket, and flower embellishments.

Ethan's classmate can use it as a tooth fairy pillow, a car pillow, or she can store other little girl treasures in the pocket.

Total cost was about $2 including thread.

Time was about 1 hour.

I don't always have time to make birthday gifts but I thoroughly enjoy when I do.

Pantry Clean Out Cookies

2011-03-05T10:23:00.000-05:00

My kids love cookies. In an effort to let them have a sweet treat but not have the refined sugars and junk, these have become our standby cookie. These are our no bake cookies and they consist of almond butter, peanut butter, flax seeds, coconut, slivered almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, dried fruit, honey, and maybe some chocolate chips. There is no measuring involved. You just throw random amounts of whatever you have in the pantry. I don't recommend cheetos or canned beans though.

Throw all the ingredients in a mixer and mix until they become a goopie consistency that looks scoopable. How's that for a proper recipe....no measurements and "goopie consistencey." Scoop onto wax paper or parchment paper. Then eat them.They turn out a little different each time.
These cookies serve as a wonderful source of plant based protein and nutrition all while being a treat. Mr. Hotsie is the kid that enjoys them the most:)

The Mad Scientist

2011-03-03T22:33:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas kittens are becoming teenager kitties. One has become rather Albert Einsteinish in recent weeks. She loves computer screens and loves to cuddle on my lap while I work. I'm going to teach her to type soon.

Ganny Gifts

2011-03-02T18:55:00.001-05:00

My talented mama and I love sewing together. We are sweater repurposing maniacs. She makes the most amazing gifts for my children. We will play with them until they are worn and keep them long enough for our grandchildren to enjoy.

Here is a small sampling of the most recent tokens.

Missy Monkey for Aelyn

Mr. Owl for Ethan

Tic tac toe for Ethan

Many barrettes for the girlies

Foxglove pillow on jadeite colored sweater=BEAUTIFUL!

Purses to store all the little girl "junk"

We treasure these gifts made with so much love.....and time.

Crecco Bistro

2011-03-01T18:28:00.001-05:00

My kids love when we play restaurant. It's a splendidly tricky way to use up leftovers. I make a quick menu that lists the options and they get to choose. Mr. Hotsie is the boisterous cook clanging pots and hollaring phrases like "NO SOUP FOR YOU!" with the most unique accent. They say the Crecco Bistro is a pretty fun place to go and beg for appearances from the cook. The monetary tips aren't so great but the hug tips are irreplaceable.

Try this if you want fat rolls.

2011-02-28T07:24:00.001-05:00

Mr. Hotsie is providing dessert for a men's leadership group of about 30 people. He requested a dessert called "Better than Sex." It's not, but it might be a close 2nd. I swore years ago I would never make it again because it is sure to be an artery clogger and cellulite maker. I pretty sure just looking at it makes dimply fat appear. I'm not sure who to credit for this recipe because I don't remember where it came from. But, thank you recipe maker, for more stomach rolls in this world.

1 box brownie mix

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup peanut butter

½ tsp vanilla

2 large bananas (or more if you like)

½ cup peanuts (chopped)

4 Reese’s Peanut butter cups

Chocolate Syrup

Make brownies according to package directions.

Mix cream cheese, peanut butter, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Spread evenly over brownie.

Cut Reese’s into small pieces and arrange on top of brownie.

Chop peanuts and sprinkle on top of brownie.

Drizzle chocolate syrup over brownie.

Slice bananas and arrange on top of brownie.

Pour a big fat glass of milk because it's rich.

Then run 49 miles to burn off what you just ate.

For the 30+ men, it made the most sense to make them in casserole dishes. I also made some in muffin tins to fatten up, I mean bless, teachers, friends, and neighbors.

I took cupcake wrappers, flattened them out, and then set the dessert on the right side up wrapper. A cute cupcake wrapper can make brussel sprouts look delightful but paired with this yummness, they are irresistible.

They are also super cute on disposable coasters. I hunt for these on Target clearance. I often put a baked good on one, wrap it in some type of clear plastic, tie it with ribbon, and give it as a favor or gift.

I didn't eat a single bite as I baked and packaged but I had other eager taste testers that ensured they were full of goodness.

If you need a DELICIOUS dessert to take to an activity or to make for people who are not calorie conscious, this IS the one!

Homedating with gaggy fondue

2011-02-27T17:48:00.001-05:00

Last night was homedating with Mr. Hotsie.

Our questions for discussion last evening were:

What are two changes we can make to strengthen the spiritual environment of our family?

What would an observer say are our family's top three priorities?

I made Hots Mots some gorgonzola fondue which I tasted and thought was gaggingly gross but he liked it.
These homedates keep us communicating, pursuing, and deepening our sacrificial love.

That Mr Hotsie woke me up to breakfast in bed this morning. This beautiful and huge vegetable egg white omelet was made with love. These homedates are enriching on many levels and open our eyes to pursuing each other more.
Enough love talk....I need to tend to two kids arguing over the same dining room chair even though we have 6 of them.

We eat our dishes.

2011-02-25T23:10:00.001-05:00

Mr. Hotsie was out of town this week so we decided to do something fun and special for the awaited reunion this evening. We purchased cone bowls and decided to add some character. We dipped the edge in chocolate.

Then we rolled them in coconut, mini chocolate chips, or sprinkles. It was super quick and would be fun for a party.

They all had rice dream cream with mini chocolate chip cookies in their bowls of character. Ellia asked if she could eat all dishes now since she was allowed to eat her bowl. I said yes.

We then went outside to play in the snow. I did some shoveling and Hots snapped a picture of me hard at work. He said he thinks I'm cute. I love shoveling snow and I love that he thinks I'm cute.

I also enjoyed a nice winter walk on our property with Ethan. We held hands and talked as we trudged through deep snow. We chatted about how someday he will be a grown man and have his own family and he'll go for walks with a little hand in his. He said, " I know mom but I won't ever forget when we held hands and walked." I then had icicle tears blocking my vision. Then it was time for a Trouble Championship. Ethan currently holds the Champion title. I'm looking to find an old trophy and somehow convert it into the Trouble Champion of the World. Whoever holds the title, keeps the trophy in their room. I can't say I'll be thrilled if Ryan or I win, but I know the kids will love it.

Dumb mom. Baby fun. Big mess.

2011-02-23T21:46:00.001-05:00

What in the world was I thinking? I left a 19 month old alone with an open lidded glass filled with a blueberry and kale smoothie.

Now, this is how she always drinks them but why did I ever think this was a good idea? I ran to switch the laundry speedy quick, came upstairs, and it looked like the blender had exploded on her face and clothes. She was all smiles and didn't mind that her entire little self was coated in a dark fruit and veggie mixture.

The mess worsened as I tried to remove her clothing to immerse her in a soapy bath.
I'm still working on the stains. What do you use on stains when more of the clothing article is stained than not and it's dark purple and it's a lot and it's a cute sweater you'd prefer not to have big blue stains?

"The" Sweater

2011-02-22T22:20:00.002-05:00

I was on a slight sweater binge over the weekend. My kids enjoy sewing random items out of scraps and have been begging for a sewing night. We all sit in the "Haybee Baby" room and snip sweaters into bazillions of pieces. Ethan cuts out men and dinosaurs. Ellia plays with buttons and envisions dreamy projects she wants made out of repurposed sweaters, within three minutes. This weekend it was a jeweled castle, an owl the size of her bed to nap on, or new pajamas.

I layed eyes on "the" sweater a couple months ago during a thrifting adventure with my mom. It was handmade and I adored it. I wanted to figure out just the perfect project. I chose to make a pillow for our guest room that I'm slowly trying to decorate in gold tones.
I had plenty of "the" sweater left to make a tea cozy because my naked tea pot was begging for adornment just as my leftovers were. More importantly, this cozy will be put to good use as I cozy up with friends and sip hot tea this week.

Sewing with famliy, sipping tea with friends.......pure enjoyment!

A Goosish Sweater

2011-02-22T07:00:00.001-05:00

Snow is all around but Spring is in my heart! Spring motivation is beginning to kick me in the bisks! I get a spring in my step and swirling ideas in my head when I know the hope of warmer days could be just a few weeks away! I decided to work on a sweater project that incorporated spring colors and could be worn into the Spring months.

I started with a boring, one dollar, cream, thrift store sweater that I purchased with the intention of modifying in some way. I took strips of shrunken sweaters and swirled them into flowers. I handstitched each flower individually and then sewed them all together. I added a piece of sweater as backing to keep it smooth and tidy. That little Spring bouquet added some life to the drowsy sweater. This floral addition is just temporary and I can change it when a new impulse comes. Maybe my Autumn motivation will provide inspiration of golds and oranges. This little drab sweater might just become my favoritest wardrobe staple for each season. Some people put a goose on their front porch to decorate in seasonal gear. Me, I just wear the same sweater everyday but make it look different with seasonal flare and accessories. I feel a project coming on. Same sweater-different look for 150 days........ Actually, the thought of that monotony and commitment made a little throw up come up in my mouth.

It can also be attached to a headband for some more Spring-y fun. Ellia wore this all day and looked as cute as a Spring chick.

A cutie patootie chick is fine but if we start dressing rather goosish....please get me help.

Cute leftovers

2011-02-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

I might not be a recycling queen but I have made many strides in making healthy and eco friendly choices in our home! I sew and use these bowl covers instead of plastic wrap.

I do still have a roll of plastic wrap but I rarely use it. They are easy to sew and you can just throw them in with the laundry.

I choose a different fabric print on each side to expand my options when accessorizing leftovers:)

Or your children can accessorize with them as mine love to do:)

Homedating

2011-02-20T07:30:00.001-05:00

I adore dates with my husband. I love getting dressed up and enjoying the anticipation of an evening out with my man. I love walking with my arm looped through his, as his strong arms keep me steady in my heels. My date is otherwise known as Ryan, Mr. Hotsie, Hotsie Motsie, Hotsie Potsie, Ryloh, Ry Ry, Danny, Biskie Bob, and some others that I'll keep to myself. Some of you were uncomfortable with Mr. Hotsie, huh?!

Since having children, we haven't gone OUT on dates regularly. The logistics of childcare on a weekly or biweekly basis just hasn't worked for us.

We've decided to start homedating, not to be confused with homeschooling. One night a week we get our kids to bed early and enjoy a date. We ask heart engaging questions, look in each other's eyes, hold hands, enjoy a snack, watch a movie, and stuff.

Last night was my night to plan. We took a walk down memory lane to our college day "dates" at good ole Chuck's.(the school cafeteria) I made "fried ice cream" by crunching up cornflakes in a bowl, adding a 1/2 cup scoop of frozen yogurt, placing another bowl on top and shaking it like crazy. A nice round ball of flake coated frozen treat comes out. I drizzled a Tablespoon of chocolate on top and rounded them with banana slices. It looked like a big pile of poopie but it was yummo!

We enjoyed our sweet treat while we chatted over our questions for tonight.

How do I make you feel sifnificant?

How do I make you feel loved and protected?

We focused on each other and then watched a library episode of Monk.

I might have been in black sweats instead of black heels, but homedating is meaningful and left me feeling loved and in love.

My inner gunk

2011-02-19T01:00:00.001-05:00

I'm far from perfect and I don't have it all together. Don't even think it for a minute.
I battle between who I want to be and who I really am.
Really, I want to be perceived as things I’m not. So, I'm laying it all out there.

I’d like to be a relaxed mother who doesn't get stressed. Truth is, I'm probably stressed more than I am relaxed.

I’d like to be an all natural/ organic gal. One who recycles, composts, garden grows, and lives off the land. I’m not that though. I clean my toilets with bleach, wear Maybelline makeup, and throw cardboard in my plastic trash bags.

I want to be a person who doesn’t care what people think. It's a constant battle.

I’d like to be thought of as intelligent. I’m just an average joe that knows surface knowledge about not a whole lot.

I’d love to be a well traveled. I’ve never had a passport:(

I’d like to think I’m living Radically.( David Platt) But fear keeps me living comfortably.

I’d like to be well read. I start more books than I finish, actually.

I want to be a risk taker. I cling to safety, security, and comfort.

I’d like to be a skinny thang. I’ll just keep taking pictures of my face so you think I am.

I'd like to be organized. My cupboards, closets, drawers, and purses turn to tornado condition in days.

I clean my house when people come over to make it look like I keep a clean house. Truth is, there's usually laundry unfolded, dishes in the sink, food under the table, and legos everywhere.

Ewwww. That all feels gross to write and to read because I'm trying to make people think I'm something I'm not. Some of these things I can set personal goals to work on. Yet, I realize I have been born with gifts and talents. There are other areas that will never come natural for me. Yet I spend foolish energy seeking to become something I am not.

So, more importantly than who I am not, who am I?
I feel most alive when I'm loving people.

I truly care about people. I seek to know others and be known deeply.

I seek to live life meaningfully and not over commit.

I feel alive when I’m doing something creative.

I’m motivated by making things beautiful. (flowers, baked goods, walls, tables, outfits)

I am drawn to love my husband, children, family, and friends with sacrificial love.

I'm loved just the way I am by my Creator and I'm learning to love that me and be freed from all the bondage and chains that hold me back from truly living.

I'm an unraveled mess of imperfection yet I know wholeness can come through this disaster!

I'm beautiful. I just don't see through those eyes YET.

Pirate to red sparkle shoes....help!

2011-02-17T00:24:00.001-05:00

Superman, policeman, princess, pilot, red sparkle shoes, pink skirt, pirate........ahh!! How do you organize your kid's dress up clothes? I've tried hanging them up but they didn't stay on the hangers. Right now we have them STUFFED in a basket and I wouldn't even want to play with them because it's such a mess. Do you have any suggestions on how to keep them a little more tidy?

Mouse Poop?

2011-02-15T21:00:00.001-05:00

"Have you seen any mouse poop today?" I asked the sweet amish gal that was here for the first time helping me do some deep cleaning.

She looked at me with widened eyes and slowly said, "I dooon't thiiink soo."

I held up Aelyn's shredded shirt to bring her some frame of reference for my poop question. The day before, Mr. Hotsie found that a mouse was camping out in his old truck. We were on our way to go sled riding and he opened his glove box to reach for a napkin and there was a large mouse nest. I nearly jumped out the window as I'm easily frightened by those tiny creatures. ( I was bit my a mole in my sleep once, so my fear is warranted I tell ya.) I envisioned that mouse coming in our warm home, eating our clothes, and pooping in all the corners.

The more I folded laundry, I realized it was a metal sweatshirt zipper that tore Miss Aelyn's shirt to shreds. I about threw it in the trash when I came to my senses. I could make something fun out of this. I cut it into pieces to salvage the pleated ruffle trim and cut off the shredded fabric.

I made these cute leg warmers for the girl and used the flower embellishments to sparkle them up a bit. I plan to show my sweet amish gal what became of that potential mouse eaten shirt when she comes tomorrow. I won't bring up the poop though.

Mr Hotsie made me say "No Freaking Way!"

2011-02-13T15:05:00.002-05:00

Ten years ago today Mr. Hostie asked me to marry him. I had a stuffy head cold, had taught 5th and 6th graders that day, and Mr. Hotsie invited me to come over to his apartment to celebrate our love that Valentine's Day. We enjoyed a flank steak dinner in his little kitchen. He had two cats that sneezed bloody snot all over the walls but we won't talk about that right now. During dinner, Mr. Hotsie was sneaky and he talked about future plans of marriage. He said he had a few hundred dollars saved up for a ring and that he figured we could get married in a couple years. I was ok with that but wished it could be sooner. After dinner we went in the living room and I gave him a couple of small gifts and I have no recolection of what they were. On his living room wall hung some small pictures covered neatly with paper towels. I figured he had either taken a liking to strange art or that he had enlarged some pictures for me as a Valentine gift. We sat on the couch and he started reading from Ruth 1. That Mr Hotsie looked deep into my eyes as he looked up from his Bible to say "Where you go, I will go......" He then talked of his deep love for me and what I meant to him. I'm pretty sure I had a big smile and teary eyes all at the same time. (I had NO clue he was getting ready to propose.) He then had me stand up and face away from the paper towel art. He turned me back toward the wall where I saw three uncovered pictures of him and I but he left the one in the center covered. I responded with an "Awe, I like them!" but also a, "but, what is the one in the middle about?" He turned me back around, uncovered the center one, and turned me toward the pictures. It was a beautiful drawing of a diamond ring by our artist friend. I said confused, "Neat, but what is that for...from?"(in otherwords....that's a weird thing to hang up!) I then hear a familiar voice with a tinge of nervousness say, "Haylee Ann Biggs, will you marry me?" I turned around to find Mr. Hotsie on one knee holding a princess cut diamond ring. My first words were, "Are you serious because if this is a joke, it is not funny!" I proceeded to ask that same question multiple times and I think I said"NO freaking way" about 22 times. Once I knew he was for real and that whole conversation during dinner was a bunch of malarky, I happily said yes and kissed that Mr. Hotsie. He had a little recorder hidden under his Bible and so we listened to the Ruth reading, deep love conversation, engagment moment, and my disbelief ramblings over and over again. We smiled, talked timing, looked at the ring, said "no freaking way" a few more times, and my stuffy headed cold suddenly wasn't even noticeable:) We then went to my apartment where we were greeted by friends and family singing "Going to the chapel....." We enjoyed a sweet engagment party and I was completely and totally suprised by the whole evening. Mr. Hotsie pulled off a surpise for me?!....unheard of....and hot!

So, Mr Hotsie and I will eat the same Flank Steak meal tonight just as we have every Valentine's Day for the past 10 years. This year we will share it with our three little dumplings. We'll cut food for little people, answer MANY questions, talk about poop and pee, rub our feet against each other's under the table in the midst of crumbs, and enjoy the love we share. I might say "NO freaking way" when my kids spill their drinks but I'll still smile and I'll happily kiss Mr. Hotsie.

Valentine's Eve

2011-02-13T13:33:00.001-05:00

The cones are hung by the hooks with care

In hopes that Valentine's Day will soon be here......

Valentine's Eve has had my kids squirrely in their beds. I'm pretty sure we are up to 26 times out of bed for drinks and other random reasons. They were busy using every inch of scotch tape they could find today, wrapping up random toys and household items to give Mr Hotsie and I as gifts tomorrow. I hope I get a Batman, used toothbrush, or half eaten candy;)

I have a busy work day tomorrow but will step out for a short bit to host a Valentine Party for Ethan's First Grade class. The kids will give Valentine cards and treats, eat junk, play games, recite poems, and make Bags of Love. Each kiddo will put together a bag of snacks and water bottles to give to someone needing love. I will encourage them to look for an elderly friend, someone on a street corner with a sign, or a neighbor. These kids are well loved and I hope they'll experience the joy of sharing that love.

February to February

2011-02-12T18:42:00.001-05:00

Our year in a nutshell:
We tried to keep our house looking like three children didn't destroy it on a minute by minute basis for a bazillion house showings.
Our house sold to a gal that never even walked through our house and only saw photos on the internet.
We packed up our house.
We stayed with Hotsie's(my husband, Ryan) parents for a few weeks.
We closed on our gross house that would become our home.
I bleached showers that probably hadn't been cleaned in well over a year.
Animal urine saturated carpet was torn out.
Lots of sanding.
Lots of painting
I scraped scum off cabinets with butter knives.
I bleached showers.
We put in fresh flooring and carpet.
I bleached showers.
The list of details goes way beyond this. We are slowly transforming a crapola house into a clean and cozy home. Purchasing this home has been a blessing and we have learned much. We are thankful. I can't say that I would want to do a similar project anytime soon, but it's been good. And hard.
I think my fingers still smell like bleach and I can pretty much use my finger pads as sandpaper now. Our dear friend, Craigslist, has furnished much of our home. Hotsie's talent and hard work has been amazing! I'm one lucky girl!

Sneak Peak:

Laundry Room Before/ After

Office-School Room-Sewing Room Before /After

Ethan turned 7 and is in a First Grade blended model school.

Ellia turned 4 and is my sweet and generous friend.
Aelyn is 19 months and a silly gugenham.

We love the new area where we live. I have two of my favorite thrift stores within a half hour of my house! We are making friends and I long for community. It's a slow process and one I'd prefer to speed along.

I received this ring of cuteness as a gift yesterday. Whew, good thing I have a ring to match my jadite tea mug and to disguise my sandpaper fingers.

I'm BAAAaaaaak!

2011-01-21T21:42:00.001-05:00

It has been a year ago this month since I blogged last. This year away served many purposes. I stepped back to question my motivation for blogging, examine my use of time, my desire for vulnerability, what am I made for, and many other introspective reasons. It was a good year of reflection. I read few blogs this year. I didn’t miss the act of blogging or the act of reading other blogs. What I missed was the inspiration. I missed being inspired by other women in the way that blogs do. I missed seeing pictures that inspired me to create, reading paragraphs that made me cry for people I don’t even know, enjoying stories that made me laugh out loud, sharing in the joys and trials of parenting, and the rejuvenating creativity. I missed that kind of connecting.

This blog has represented two phases in my life. One avenue documented the journey of my cottage business, Haybee Baby. That was an inspiring, fun, and exhausting time with no regrets! The second phase was daily life happenings and my family. I want this new venture to be about inspiration and relationships. Let’s ignite inspiration for instilling lasting memories, thriftiness, creating, repurposing, gift giving, and pressing in to sharing life with others. I don’t really know the details of what I'll write about or share but these are things that I love being inspired by others. I hope to sprinkle some inspiration in my own little nest of this blogtree.

I’ve contemplated a blog name change but resolved Haybee Baby is completely appropriate. My dad gave me this nickname as a child. During those growing up years I was given the treasure of lasting memories, the know how to be thrifty, the inspiration for repurposing, the example of a mom making heirloom gifts, and the privilege of sharing life with family, neighbors, and friends. These treasures are stamped in my mind, heart, and daily life. I am still Haybee Baby and it feels good to be here.

I'm also back to juicing regularly. Juicing and blogging.....they do the body and spirit good.

Sickness and Snow

2010-02-18T17:33:00.000-05:00

Whoa! Where did the last month go? Oh, I know! Bronchitis, ear infections, stomach flu, ruptured eardrum, 22 doctor visits, ER visit, 4 antibiotics, no sleep....that's where it went. Sickness spread from one kiddo to the next in our home and that has meant sleepless nights for Haylee and Ryan! Ethan-bronchitis. Ellia-ear infection/stomach bug Ryan-stomach flu Aelyn-ruptured ear drum/bronchitis Haylee-so sleepy no patience syndrome Fun times:)

I did get to snuggle my sweeties quite a bit and that was a treasure! We are thankfully through the worst of it and they are all on the mend!!

Ethan has had 6 snow days so now that they are healthy we've enjoyed the deep, white entertainment. My fingers are still stained with food coloring:)

Snow ice cream could cheer up any day! About 8 cups of fresh snow, can of sweetened condensed milk, couple shakes of vanilla, mix in mixer, sprinkle, and enjoy.

I think I'll put a few snow balls in my freezer now to pull out in on a hot summer day. I did that as a kid and it was SOOO fun to play with snow in a swim suit!

Aelyn is 7 1/2 months already. She's delightful and full of smiles. She does not want to eat any soft foods and is completely content with mamma's milk.

I'm 33 years young!

2010-01-18T16:27:00.001-05:00

Well, I'm 33 and feeling young! I can't believe I'm this "old" though. I enjoyed a special day of celebrating! I enjoyed lunch with my kids and mom, sewing with my mom, and attending an Amy Butler event at a local fabric shop. She is one of my favorite fabric designers and she is kind and extremely talented! amybutlerdesign.com

I enjoyed making a couple of things out of her newest fabric line for the event.

I used a couple vintage pillowcases along with her fabric for the apron. I like wearing this apron even when I don't need to wear one. It just feels pretty and feminine! What a fun opportunity and an out of the ordinary birthday!

Sweet Aelyn is teething on orange peels quite a bit. She's out of sleeping patterns and a bit more fussy but no white poking through yet.

Family and Friends= VERY FUN WINTER BREAK!!

2010-01-03T22:11:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed a wonderful and blessed Christmas with family. Ethan and Ellia were very excited about their blessing gifts!

Ellia has played for hours with her doll house. She immediately moved things around how she liked it and even broke some furniture:) I've caught her playing with Mr. Incredible and Spiderman in there too!

Ethan's $10.00 trampoline was by far the best present of the year! It has already burnt off more energy than I can comprehend. I just give Ethan a number and he has to jump that many jumps. I gave him the number 57 today and he was insulted by such a low number. 137 was more like it. It has been good counting practice and the jumping is music to our ears! Last year Ethan was climbing the fire place in the winter because he needed more physical activity. Yeah for jumping fun!

Ellia has been cooking with all felt and sweater food I made her. I eat about 10 "cookies" with "hot tea" each day. Thankfully, I'm not intaking any sugar or calories with these eating binges! It's fun to see her pretend and enjoy the gifts that were made with love!

We rang in the new year with friends from Arizona. We pretty much peed our pants with continuous laughter. We only had sleeping Aeyln at the house after 9pm because all of our kiddos went with grandparents. It was a fun time and we actually look this alert after midnight! We're not as old as we thought:)

Aelyn turned 6 months old already. HOW CAN THIS BE? She is simply divine. She is mimicking expressions and sounds and likes to be silly. She loves "cheekie time" when we whisper in her ear. She loves to talk on the phone already. Actually, she just likes to listen...she holds the phone and smiles huge.

She's working on teeth and I'm going to enjoy her toothless grin as long as it will allow....fussiness, gnawing, and all!!

What a fun baby!

It seems like yesterday we were hesitantly ringing in Y2K wondering if the world was going to crash. I hope the next 10 years don't fly by as fast but if they do, I want to live them with purpose and vision!!

Doll House Unveiling

2009-12-24T00:42:00.002-05:00

We finished up the doll house tonight and I'm so excited! Old sweaters came in handy for the rugs and scrap fabric was perfect for the curtains, bedding, and furniture. This doll house was given to us in love and we fixed it up and made it our own by investing love and time in it. I truly think the girls will enjoy it for years to come. I'm giddy with excitement to play with it....and I wish my house was as clean and decluttered as this one:)

Christmas Wonderment

2009-12-20T14:37:00.001-05:00

It snowed! The kids are thrilled and definitely makes me all the more giddy about this season:)

How wonderful to celebrate this time of year with kiddos. I'm on break now and have thoroughly enjoyed the first two days. My entire family is currently napping as I tinker around the house and ponder lyrics to the Christmas music playing.

Aelyn loves the lights on our tree and the stockings on the mantle. I usually give her a big piece of wrapping paper to play with when I'm wrapping. She'll crinkle it and drum on it for the longest time. What a gift she is to us this Christmas season!

Here are a couple gifts I've sewn that I remembered to take pictures of. It has been SO fun!!

These little boots were made out of a cashmere sweater from the thrift store. Very soft and cuddly.

This purse was made out of a maternity sweater from the thrift store. The flowers are all made from wool sweaters. This was fun to design and sew!

Here's a sneak peak of the doll house we are working on. Ryan hopes to finish putting shingles on today and we'll paint them. I hope to finish up curtains and rugs today. The flowers on the table are the tips from one of my flower arrangements and I hot glued them in a thimble. It's fun to accessorize creatively.

I'll post more later but we are enjoying this project together.

What a wonderful season this is!

Abundance

2009-12-17T23:19:00.001-05:00

I am so looking forward to having two weeks off of work! I can't wait to enjoy my family and friends during this season. This has been an interesting time of year in that Ryan has not been getting full payment for his many hours of work over the last several months. It has really put us in a financial pinch this year. It’s been very difficult yet so wonderful all at the same time. Usually this time of year is filled with us finding needs and surprising families with Christmas. This year we couldn’t justify doing much at all for Christmas with our current situation. We haven’t really told many people about our situation but we have been amazed at the love shown from friends who felt led to give to us. I had really wanted to give Ellia a doll house for Christmas this year. I starting looking on Craigslist a few months ago but it turns out we were given a wooden doll house that needed a little love! I’ve been painting it and sewing little treasures for inside. I can tell you that I’ve never been more excited to give a Christmas gift and I’m sure it will be Ellia’s most favorite thing she’s ever had. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my late night sewing and have been beyond blessed to be able to create so many gifts this year. We've had gifts in our door and in the mail. So, although this season has it’s challenges, it will go down in my history book as a Christmas of abundant blessing. Being on the receiving end makes me see the giving in a whole new light! I have cried many tears as I've watched God provide our every need. It's humbling yet so refreshing to need and see His direct hand of provision. Give of your time, energy, and love to those around you this season!

.....Christmas cards went by the wayside for many reasons.....so enjoy this virtual greeting:)

Much Love,

Ryan, Haylee, Ethan, Ellia, and Aelyn

Holiday Happenings

2009-12-05T21:26:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving was a wonderful time with family. We have much to be thankful for! It was nice to be with family!

Ganny with her grandchildren crew!

Ry planned a paper airplane contest for Thanksgiving evening with extended family.

I didn't want my sister to go back home.

In love.

Ethan was in our town parade. I told him to throw lots of candy at us when he saw us. He held up his empty bag. I'm pretty sure the kids at the beginning of the parade had bags loaded with candy:)

Ellia now has a one sided mullet thanks to her hair cutting skills. It will be amazing if this girl every has a normal haircut.

Ryan has not been getting paid for the work he does and this has put us in a challenging place over the last few months. We are in need of direction! Please pray for work opportunities, clarity, and encouragement for us!

Hats are cute

2009-11-11T12:59:00.001-05:00

I've been a bit too busy to keep up with blogging but thought I'd catch up on my lunch break today. Our camera battery charger was missing for awhile because Ethan was playing cars with it. I found it under the couch but I missed some good pics during that time:(

We enjoyed a nice weekend as a family. I often feel that I'm living at such a fast pace just to keep up that I miss out on PLAYING with the kids. I took time on Sunday to play soccer with Ethan, swing, play chase, and just enjoy the outdoors together. I need to pull myself away from responsibility more often to do that!

I'm currently reading Breaking Free by Beth Moore. I'm thankful for another book with a life challenging message.

We have a cat hanging around our house that Ellia has been feeding. She could stay outside from morning until night playing with it. I remember doing the same thing as a little girl. I would dart off the bus and run down the street to check on the cats even before coming inside.

I took some pics of Aelyn since she turned 4 months. She's getting big and she is so sweet. I like hats and so I tried a bunch on her one day. These were all gifts except the yellow trimmed hat. That was mine as a little girl. I want to add an embellishment of some sort:)

I made these little "boots" for Aelyn out of an old holey wool sweater of mine. I'm glad to have something warm and soft for her feet. This was my test pair as I worked on a pattern so now I have sweater boots dancing in my head!

Wooliful

2009-10-15T16:32:00.001-04:00

Last weekend was filled with fall fun. We enjoyed Ethan's soccer game and we hosted a lunch with grandparents.

The kids and I made fall cut out cookies. Aelyn joined us in her bumbo seat and Ethan thought she should wear an apron too:) She loved chewing on it!

My mom and I enjoyed some sewing projects! We washed old wool sweaters in hot water and then dried them in the dryer. They shrunk up, became thick, and didn't fray when cut.

This hat was a gift to me from Target last year. I made the flower embellishment with the cut up sweaters.

I made many more flowers to give as gifts and attach to bags, etc. The cupcake could be a pin cushion but I'm going to give it to Ellia for Christmas with other food made from old sweaters and felt.

This felt necklace isn't finished and I think I may change route and make something different out of it but it is very fun to manipulate the wool to make designs.

We enjoyed playing out in the sunny, crisp weather. This IS my favorite time of year!

I'm quite ill with mastitis this week. Boo! In my sick time this week I read A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. First of all I just enjoy his writing style. Funny and Honest. Laughing out loud and tears down the cheeks all in the same sentence. It provoked and ignited my thoughts out of a slump.

Loony Bin Here I Come

2009-10-07T22:49:00.000-04:00

I'm surprised I don't have cauliflower ear for how much I'm on the phone and hooked to my laptop headset:) No blogging......no creative projects....no sleep.......and I've even started wearing diapers just to save time on going to the bathroom. Ha! No, it really has been busy though and I'm trying to find balance and set boundaries. Working at home has been a blessing but it's always here and no one sees the hours put in. It's swallowing me right now. I was able to see some great friends at our 10 year college reunion and that was refreshing!!

I'm eating this baby up! This is her "flying." She loves to be held over our head and drip drool all over us. She is an absolute doll....drool and all! Her round cheekies call out to be kissed!

Check out the double chin. Her thighs and biskies (Come on...spell check doesn't know this word.) are to die for! Wish big biskies and thighs were that cute on me:)

Ellia "washed" her hair with flubber. That was a joyous evening to say the least. It took an hour and a half to remove this stuff. She was sound asleep in during the process. She's recovering nicely from her surgery too!!

Aelyn wants to be a part of everything I do and so she is. I wear her in this wrap a lot and she thinks she's big stuff now that she faces outward. The other night I was cleaning the bathroom mirror and she was just smiling and talking away at herself:)

Ellia is my helper too. She loves to help me cook and clean.
She helped me make this mix over the weekend for an after school snack. I really just should have mixed M&M's with candy corn because they like to skip over the cheerios, pecans, and pretzels.

I've started my Homeade Christmas idea list. Not really sure when I'll accomplish such things. If I keep up the pace I'm going, everyone may get a homeade invitation to visit me at the mental hospital!

Real Life Sunday

2009-09-20T23:01:00.001-04:00

This day started with me feeling bummed because we couldn't go to church due to sick kids. It then turned into one of my favorite days in quite a while. It was a day of embracing normal and real life. We stayed in our pajamas the entire day. The kids played nicely and creatively.

Ellia is scheduled to have her adenoids and tonsils out this week. We already rescheduled it due to her being sick and here she is again sick this week. She played outside and I kept looking out to see her wiping her nose on her pj shirt, despite my attempts of taking her kleenex. She was seriously the fithiest I've ever seeng her by the end of the day.

At one point I looked outside and saw Ethan putting toothpaste on a toothbrush. Great....no wonder my kids are sick, they play with ther toothbrushes in the dirt:) I found out they were "camping" and it was morning time. Oh, I just let them brush as many times as they wanted because they were having so much fun. Their toothbrushes looked well used and not well rinsed by the time they found their way back in the house....so we retired those and brought out some fresh ones.

I spent hours in the kitchen today and LOVED it! I made:

Lentil Soup

Eggplant Parmesan

Fresh Salsa

Whole wheat and flax Chocolate Chip Cookies(Thanks Steph J!)

Upside down deep dish pizza

Grilled BBQ Chicken

Ground Turkey taco meat

Chickpea and corn salad

Raw Strawberry macaroons

Raw oatmeal and raisin cookies

Raw "Tuna" pate

My kitchen was a complete disaster but I like to mess it up once big time rather than every evening. My cooking for the week is done! I put the soup, taco meat, and pizza casserole in the freezer to pull out later in the week.

Aelyn enjoyed the cooking and cleaning as she was along for the ride. I told her that cooking with me won't sound as fun when she has the opportunity to brush her teeth with mud along with the other kids:)

Ellia often "helps"(splashes and get in the way:) ) give Aelyn her bath. Aelyn loves bath time and it's so cute to watch her kick her chunky, rolly polly thighs:)

I snuggled this sweet baby today and let her nap on my chest because soon she'll be too big.

I spent time smelling her and rubbing my cheeks on her fuzzy head. I tried to cement the smell and feel in my mind forever. It's going too fast and I don't want to forget.

Ethan played outside. He loves soccer and likes to wear his jersey when he practices here at home:)

Last weekend we went to a drive in movie and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I napped....which is what I usually do during movies. Ethan asked if we could do that again tonight but today was so wonderful that we didn't need to go anywhere. We took off our pjs, cleaned up, and put different pj's on. LOVE IT!

I enjoyed special time with each kiddo today and lived a "real life" day. Now, I'm gearing up for the chaotic, overworked, underslept, work week.

Lovin' the Fam

2009-09-06T22:21:00.000-04:00

Ahhhhhhhhh.

2009-09-05T01:10:00.001-04:00

What a fun and refreshing night I had. I read several chapters of a Magic Tree House book to Ethan. We sat and talked about memories and dreams for the future. I had him wear his glasses during our late night date and he did well. His heart came through in our conversations and that was a needed time for us both.

Then I decided to sew and ponder with Pandora music. I bought a dress with a broken zipper for $1.00 from Gabriel Brothers. I decided to cut it up and make this bag. It's big and I'll probably use it as a diaper bag.

This was a 90 cent thrift dress that I shortened into a shirt to wear with a little sweater for fall.

This is a purse made out of a 45 cent thrift sweater from an after Winter clearance.

I love making things out of cheap finds. Cutting something up and making a new treasure is rewarding. I also altered a few of my other clothing items. Up late....but refreshed on many levels.

Holy Crapoly I'm Tired!

2009-09-04T20:12:00.000-04:00

This is a picture taken of me this week. Oh wait, you can't see me? Look closer. I'm way down there....drowning. This was my first week back to work after maternity leave even though I had eased myself back in while I was still on leave. GOOD THING I did because I hit the ground running on Monday. We went from a peaceful home to complete chaos this week with many tears from us all. Ryan is working nights right now as they remodel some retail stores during closed hours. He has been Mr. Dad during the day while I work like a crazy woman. I took over for dinner and a couple evening hours and then I was back to work til 2 or 3 am each morning. I'm living on about 4-5 hours of sleep a night. My shingles are bothering me quite a bit this week and they are raised again. Pray I find balance and peace and that I'll resurface from this heap of work. So, if you see that my children are playing on the sidewalk in pajamas at 11am with food all over their faces or that I've worn the same outfit for three days in a row, you'll know I need rescued!.....and a shower:)

Ethan got glasses this week. He is not happy about the idea and at this point will not wear them. He picked these out and I think he looks cute. He struggles with change but I know he'll come around.

Aelyn is full of sweet smiles. What a joy! She loves to stand up on our laps and to fly in the air. It seems that she poops 82 times a day and she LOVES soft blankets.

She finds such comfort in them and she pulls them up to her nose. I pull it down while she is sleeping and I find her with it covering her face within 15 minutes. Cute!

Her eyes dance and I'm in love with all they have to say!

I can't believe how she is growing and changing. She turned 9 weeks this week and looks just like Ethan did at this age.

Remember how I said I wanted to find a brown corduroy blazer for Ethan to wear with his 50 cent garage sale hat? Well, I think I forgot to share that I found the exact blazer I wanted several weeks back for $1.25 during my thrifting adventures. I felt blessed and excited! I think I'd like to be a personal thrift shopper for people. It is just so fun to me and fun to think about after such an exhausting week.

Back to the grind.....

Late Night Slingy

2009-08-27T00:55:00.001-04:00

I drank tea for dinner tonight and my body is not used to caffeine. My brain and body have been spinning ever since. I can't imagine what a red bull would do to me. You'd have to put a helmet on me and call me the hyper hypo. Anyway, I went to Wal-Mart at 11pm to use up some energy. I enjoyed taking my good ole time and I even looked though their fabric section.

I purchased some yardage of fabric that I liked, not really knowing what I would sew. That's usually not a good practice BUT I came home and still had lots of energy so I decided to make something.

When in doubt, make a bag or a baby sling. I LOVE baby slings and so does Aelyn. This is the one I made tonight. It felt good to enjoy a late night creative project.....and it only cost me $4.50. That's one cheap sling!! Aelyn is in it as I type this and she is snoozing away. I on the other hand am not close to being tired.

Picnic Gone Poopy

2009-08-25T19:05:00.001-04:00

Aelyn turned 8 weeks old today! Time is flying by so fast! She weighed in at 12 lbs 6 ounces and is 24 1/4 inches long at her appointment today. She just smiled and cood away for the doctor. So fun! Ethan thought we should do something special since it was her special day again. So, I packed picnic lunches, a frisbee, and a football and we enjoyed a spontaneous picnic on our town square.

Aelyn slept through her celebration once again:)

The kids finished their lunches and were beginning to play when Ellia proclaimed that she needed to poop, BAD! Great......town square....dogs aren't even allowed to poop there, let alone a three year old human. So, we decide to pack it up and head home.

On the way to the car Ethan made a poor choice by deliberatley disobeying when he thought I wasn't looking so we had to work through that poopy behavior. Meanwhile, Ellia is still telling us about how bad she needs to poop. And.... Aelyn woke up just in time to poop through her clothes. After that, I felt poopy....so I took a nap with the girls while Ethan was at school!

You might think this looks like a big pile of poopy but it's actually quite tasty. I've been using my spiralizer quite a bit since we've been given a bunch of zucchini. It makes wonderful angel hair noodles and then I make a sauce by cutting up other veggies and herbs.

Excitement Galore

2009-08-22T14:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was an exciting day! Ryan took the day off which in itself is worth doing cart wheels over.....so with all the other events the day was overflowing with excited feelings! Ryan needed to see his knee surgeon again because he's having some issues with his knee. Ok, I didn't put my cheerleading outfit on for that but it was good he got it looked at. He took the day off because it was Ethan's first day of Kindergarten!!!! I think it's strange that they started on a Friday but it was exciting regardless! On Thursday night as we tucked Ethan in bed we were both feeling sentimental about how much he's grown.

Ethan quietly asked Ryan if he was going to write him a special note again like he did for preschool:) Ryan was already planning on it but we thought that was sweet that it meant so much to him. Ethan, our boy who saves receipts, Aldi ads, and a plethora of other items has a note from Ryan on his room shelf. There is something special about those words of affirmation from a father. I love it!

We went to Bob Evans for lunch in celebration of Ethan's first day. This is where Ryan gave Ethan the special note.

Ethan knows a couple kids in his class which is nice. Ethan's classroom is the same room my mom went to Kindergarten in. Ethan thought that was quite exciting! He had a wonderful first day and he is excited to go back on Monday! He goes in the afternoon and I feel a sense of peace about this schooling option for this year. Sigh of relief.

We had our usual Saturday morning visit to the Farm Market. I made some fresh salsa and a vegetable salad with a roasted red pepper dressing. We plan to grill out tonight and enjoy some of the garden goodness that has been shared with us!

I've had two great thrifing adventures in the last couple weeks. This purse was my favorite find for $2.00! I mostly found fall and winter clothes for the kids! The outfit Ethan wore on his first day of school cost 90 cents:) WAHOO!!

Aelyn is full of smiles and gentle coos. She brings much joy and excitement to our lives. Day to day family life can be overwhelming and stressful at times so it's nice to sit back and ponder how blessed we are.

Summer List

2009-08-11T22:14:00.000-04:00

We are trying to soak up the summer days while I'm on leave and before Ethan starts school next week. We went to the Children's Garden which was free fun. At one point I found Ellia with her skirt and underwear off, sitting in the stones. I overreacted with a "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" and she said "Ethan pees outside and there was no potty here." Yes, he does....but not in a public place where people walk. We quickly dressed her, kept playing, and left a large pee spot that the sun dried up.

Then I couldn't find her a little while later. She joined a birthday party and was sitting at a picnic table with all the kids. She's a funny one!

We've been eating 1-2 smoothies a day. I bought swiss chard, turnip greens, kale, and spinach this week and we are boosting our health with green smoothies.

This little gal gets the green smoothie through me but I'm sure she'll love them someday!

I purchased mud soap in a Clearance bin for 90 cents back in the Spring and saved it back for a summer activity. We had friends over and they all had a blast smearing soap on each other and then cleaning off in the sprinkler. Unfortunately, they still needed real baths after the event.

Isn't he cute even when he's covered from head to toe in dirt?:) He was working on cutting cement in our basement. There has been water in our basement since moving here and nothing we've done thus far has taken care of it for good so Ryan is tackling that project once and for all. I've never seen him so filthy. I had to leave with the kids early this morning because the fumes and dust were terrible. My house looks pretty much like he does and I have to be out of town all day tomorrow too. There are literally footprint marks across my kitchen floor because there is a layer of "white" dust. Oh well, I'm glad to get the basement project underway and the dust will wait for me!

Ellia and I worked on making some headbands this evening with some things we had around here. I couldn't get Ellia to hold still long enough to get a picture so I put them on the child that couldn't get away from me:)

I have way more things on my "Summer List" than I think we can accomplish but I'm going to do my best to tackle as many as possible!

Flying Years

2009-08-05T22:45:00.000-04:00

It’s hard to believe that our Ethan boy is 6 years old today. Six years ago at this time I was pushing the precious 10lb 10oz boy out:).....and had been working on that task for hours. He entered the world at 9:46pm and we adored him! He grew so fast and had the biggest, roundest, bald head. What an experience it's been learning how to be a parent on him. Ethan is a gentle giant and it will be exciting to see what God has in store for him. We celebrate his life and the blessing that he is today!

The birthday fun started yesterday! I took the kids to see a Veggie Tales movie that the local radio station hosted.

Then we took them to eat dinner at an Amish restaurant where the buffet was 99 cents for kids. There were some very large families there enjoying the bargain!

We then surprised him and took him to a hotel that has a mini indoor water park.

It was perfect for Ethan and Ellia's ages, inexpensive, and a fun time!

Ellia had an attitudinal moment despite all the fun:(

Tonight we had some friends over for cake, ice cream and playing. Ethan really wanted a Batman cake and I knew I didn't have the time nor the talent to make it so we ordered it from The Pink Cupcake. He was SO excited about this and told every teacher at his Kindergarten registration today:)

The kids had a silly string fight and they ended up playing in the little pool with their clothes on. It was fun boy time and a great time for us adults too.

Aelyn smiled and cooed at Ganny' quiet singing during the party.

These past six years have flown by. I'm going to hold him tight because I know the next six will go by in a flash too. What a special blessing he is!!

Fun Wornoutness

2009-08-03T22:20:00.000-04:00

It's been a fun week with my sister here. The kids have had a great time and I'm sad to see them leave. We went to Gabes earlier in the week and I found this fun Anthropologie sweater for $7.99!

I made the girls these pillowcase dresses so we did a little photo shoot:)

I'm beginning to think that all of our kisses are making Aelyn's cheekies grow:) Actually, maybe it's all the night feedings the last couple days. Argh! I'm tired and my shingles hurt when I'm this worn out. Ry has been out of town a few days working nutso hours which has added to my wornoutness:) Regardless, it's been a memory making week for the kids!

Don't you just wanna kiss her? :)

4 weeks old

2009-07-31T17:30:00.000-04:00

Aelyn turned 4 weeks old this week. Ethan thought we should sing Happy Birthday to her so we did. Then he thought we should celebrate with cupcakes...so they did....for breakfast:)

Notice that Aelyn slept right through her "party!"

My sister and family are visiting this week so cousin time has been cute and fun.

We took the kids to the fair last evening. Ellia loved the animals. Ethan kept his distance:)

Aelyn slept through the fair excitement. I kinda wished I was sleeping through the fair:)

Ethan loves on Aelyn constantly. Many people say they look alike. I see it in these pics.

She is smiling a lot these days and is a true delight. At her three week appointment she was 10 pounds 3 ounces and 22 3/4 inches long. Aelyn is nursing well and I'm still feeling great. Hallelujah!!

I feel like I'm really getting to know this little girl. I'm a fan of Dunstan baby language. It has helped me to hear her needs quite a bit.

Ellia poked her in the eye this week and has been struggling with her attitude big time. She cries everyday at naptime too. I know this is just an adjustment time. Ultimately, I feel things have gone well and we will work through these issues.

A few firsts

2009-07-26T14:07:00.000-04:00

We've enjoyed a fun weekend so far. It's been filled with firsts for sweet Aelyn. She slept through most of them though:)

We went to horse races on Saturday evening.

Ethan and Ellia enjoyed playing with cousins and cheering for horses.

We also took Aelyn to church for the first time and then to Fiesta Mexicana after that! Hopefully she likes salsa:)

I love to feel well!

2009-07-23T09:49:00.001-04:00

Over the weekend in a short window where I felt well, we went to a party for Ryan's work. It was at a location that Ryan has worked for the past year remodeling a beautiful kitchen and putting on a gorgeous deck. They were wonderful hosts and they know how to throw a fabulous party. It was a lot of fun but this was the only picture we took that night.....Ryan was driving and you can see right up my nose.

We were able to see Ryan's family briefly and his grandma got to meet Aelyn.

Ethan also lost his other top tooth. He looks grown up and I'm not sure I like it! :)

I'm beginning to feel much better and heal up from this mastitis!! It makes me so thankful to feel well! I took the kids to a garage sale this morning and found this cute fall hat for Ethan for 50 cents. I'm already getting the itch for fall!.......wool sweaters, brown, leaves, fires, orange, cool evenings......love it all!

Now I'd like to find him a brown corduroy jacket. Dapper!

Milk Duds

2009-07-22T19:19:00.001-04:00

This was supposed to post last night but the baby was calling me!

So this is what I had for dinner tonight. Here's why. I had a doctor appointment to get my mastitis treated AGAIN. Then I needed to run a few errands before Aelyn needed to eat. So, we ran to the library to return a bunch of books and movies and we grabbed some more. We went to the bank and then to the grocery to get a few things. Of course there was a potty break at each location which is tons of fun with a newborn. We came home and I served the kiddos dinner. Ryan had to be gone tonight and he needed me to fill out some papers and fax them. I then realized that trash goes out tomorrow so I had to haul the trash barrels to the street. Then the baby was HUNGRY so I fed her. Then she cried. And cried some more. I ran bath water for the kids and worked on folding laundry while they splashed and Aelyn cried. I fed her some more and she cried some more. I read a story about Moses to the kids while Aelyn cried. I have no clue what I was even reading but the kids were glued even through the crying. Ellia wet the bed last night and she need her clean bedding put on but Aelyn wouldn't stop crying long enough to accomplish this task. The sling, swaddle, sshhing, rocking, etc. were not working. I finally let her scream while I did it so the kids could get to sleep. I then realized I had not eaten anything for dinner and I was HUNGRY but I had a screaming baby and didn't know what to grab. I could have grabbed carrots or peas but instead I remembered we had a box of Milk Duds that I forgot to put with a birthday gift. SO....that became my dinner. I've been avoiding all sugar right now but I threw that out hte window. I got to thinking that Milk Duds were the PERFECT dinner for me considering all the issues we've had with my milk producers...........my milk ducts have been duddish with getting infected. Why am I up blogging when I should be in bed? Sugar high!
My little sweet pea settled nicely and we'll see how she responds to milk duds when she eats them tomorrow. If she likes them I might just have to go on a raw food and milk dud diet. Maybe I should write my own cookbook....Raw Food and Milk Duds for the Milk Making Mother. I feel it.....Milk Duds on raw ice cream...Milk Duds with raw almonds....Milk Duds, raisins, and strawberries on a bed of lettuce......
I'm off toput my milk ducts to use........too bad I'm all out of Milk Duds.

Busy Bees

2009-07-14T13:30:00.000-04:00

There's been a lot going on at the Crecco house.

Aelyn's entrance into our family has brought much joy and also tears on my part. She has not done well with nursing and that has overwhelmed me many times. We are making progress but it's been incredibly time consuming which is difficult with two other kiddos that are busting with energy. I had mastitis last week which had me in bed for days. Thankfully Ryan's mom was here and she was a huge help! I couldn't have done it without help. I also had a flare up with my shingle's. This all had me feeling quite weary.

Grandma and Ethan played about 800 games of Go Fish and walked to get ice cream a few times too:) I'm on my own this week and we are making it! Ryan was out of town last night and we had a smooth bed time and morning routine. It gave me hope that we can do this! Ryan is such a huge help that I really feel the pinch when he's not here. We went to the library today and stocked up on books and videos. That was our first time going since my initial shingle's and Aeyln's birth. You would have thought we were at an amusement park with how excited the kids were:)

There's been lots of baby holding going on by all of us. She is just so darn cuddly!

Ethan lost his first tooth last week. That was big excitement and his other front tooth is hanging by a few threads. He wants to earn $100 for losing teeth. Ha!

My parents took the kids to see the Wizard of Oz last week and they loved it! Ellia dressed like Dorothy and walked across the stage in a little parade.

I did a little photo shoot on Monday to get some pics of all three kids. Ethan was focusing so hard on not dropping the baby and Ellia kept yanking his neck to get him closer. It was funny.

Aelyn is two weeks today. In some ways it seems like she's been a part of our family for so long and in other ways it seems like yesterday that I pushed her out. What a blessing she is despite the weary times.

Amazing Love

2009-07-03T10:25:00.000-04:00

What amazing love we feel for this sweet new addition to our family. It is amazing to me that just a few days ago she lived inside my body as a separate human being.

We didn't know her gender, we had never seen her, yet we had a growing love for her.

THEN we set eyes on her and it was love at first sight! I am so thankful for the miracle of life and humbled to have carried her, birthed her, and now mother her. What a joy!

The kids adore Aelyn to pieces and Ethan is quite protective of her.

Ellia wants her to have poopy diapers all the time because she thinks changing diapers is fun. Notice Ellia's lips that are plentiful with lipgloss. My makeup bag is her go to place when I'm feeding the babe:)

Aelyn is progressing with nursing and I'm thankful for that!
Ethan and Ellia spent the night at my parents last night because Ry went back to work today. That gave me this morning to get some things done around here. I'm hoping for a nap this afternoon! I'm feeling great though and I'm so glad that we were able to have Aelyn at home. What a great experience!

Aelyn Rhen

2009-06-30T17:04:00.000-04:00

What an incredible 24 hours it has been. Aelyn Rhen was born at 6:13am on 6.30.09. She weighed 9 pounds 6 ounces and was 20 3/4 inches long.

On Monday morning I woke up at 5am with a strong contraction and told Ryan I felt like the baby would come that day. By mid morning I had bloody show and lost a lot of mucous. I had sporadic contractions throughout the day but none were really strong or what I would call real labor. I was talking with my mom at 9:45 in the evening and my water broke.

Contractions didn't pick up until after midnight. I sat in the bath and labored for hours which was wonderful. My contractions were 3-5 minutes apart but not strong. The midwife arrived around 1:30am. Ryan and I were able to labor alone upstairs and it was amazing......and painful.

When the midwife checked me for the first time I was a full ten cm dilated. I pushed for an hour and that was the most challenging part. Ryan was a fabulous coach and encourager.

We were still looking up names on line in between contractions. We were surprised that we had a girl because we really thought it would be a boy. What a fun surprise!

My midwife prepared a healing herbal bath for me following birth which was amazing. I'm feeling great and I love being in the comfort of my own home to nap and heal. Aelyn hasn't nursed great today but she has cuddled like a champ.

I am beyond thankful that my shingles cleared up like they did so I could have Aelyn at home.

Ethan and Ellia stayed the night at my parents last night and they didn't know we had the baby. Ethan walked into our room and saw me holding the baby and his eyes got huge. He said, "I didn't even know you had the baby!" The kids asked many questions and it was so fun to see them love on her.

We gave Ethan and Ellia gifts in celebration of becoming a big brother again and a big sister.

Ethan received a Leap Frog game that I thought he would enjoy while I feed the baby in the coming weeks. I bought Ellia a baby sling to carry her baby in. I just wrapped up a baby she already had in some "real" baby clothes. It was fun to see their excitment!

All the grandparents have enjoyed snuggling on Aelyn and playing with Ethan and Ellia. What a fun celebration of life!

Saturday Adventures

2009-06-27T10:26:00.000-04:00

What a fun day this was! We started out to some garage sales at 8am. We found Ethan some great shirts for the fall. We then hit the farm market where we bought the usual.....lettuce, tomatoes, snap peas, grass fed habanero cheese, and whole grain seed bread. We then went to the Wizard of Oz open house where the kids could meet the characters they will see in the play in a couple weeks. Ellia walked right up to the lion and told him her name, how old she is, and held his hand but wouldn't stand beside him to get her picture. Ryan told the lion that he wouldn't have wanted his picture with an 8 foot lion at that age either:) He WAS very tall!

They had rainbow cookies and other refreshments.

They also did a pinata every 30 minutes so the kids stocked up on candy:) It was fun and built anticipation for the play.

Ryan took Ethan to the local airport to an old bi-plane event. They've gone before and I'd love to blow some of the pics up for in E's room. He said it was fun but there was tall itchy grass that he didn't like.

This is my favorite plane.

This is my favorite man:)

My living room became a "Wipeout" obstacle course. Ethan used a blanket as the mud, the bean bags as the big balls, and an assortment of other things. They had a blast and he kept trying to beat his time......which he wasn't really timing. He said he won $1,000 and was going to put all the dollars in his save jar:)

Ellia wiped out.

I make 1-2 shopping books a year. I do one at Christmas to keep all my purchases, receipts, baking list, etc. in order. Then I have another one that I tape little magazine pics in when I see something I really like. It keeps me focused on buying things I know I'll love. Right now I'm looking for wide leg white pants for the rest of the summer.....for a good deal!

Happy Friday!

2009-06-26T17:41:00.000-04:00

Today was my last day of work before my maternity leave! It was a busy day as I was wrapping up many things and sorting through electronic files. I decided to head to Aldi for my lunch break to get some much needed groceries. We passed a garage sale on our way and Ethan bought this costume. He feels very strong when wearing it. When we were at Aldi I just wanted the kids to behave like adults and to stay focused on grocery shopping. Of course they did not and I didn't feel patient. Thankfully Ellia took a LONG nap this afternoon and Ethan occupied himself nicely during quiet time.

Ethan is about to lose a top tooth. His tooth is very crooked and looks like he already lost a tooth. I can't believe he's big enough to lose teeth.

Ellia insists that she has a loose tooth as well and she was trying to show me hers.

Ellia woke up happy with nappy hair:)

With feeling some better and wrapping up my work, I was feeling quite ambitious tonight. I made beef ribs for dinner and this yummy raw salad. I made a pesto/balsamic vinegar/olive oil dressing.

I also layered strawberries and whipped cream as a fun summer treat. Ethan ate his dinner like a champ in anticipation of the dessert. When he saw them sitting on the counter he said, "Mom, that is so sweet that you made those for us."

I wore myself out today. I need to learn to not overdo it when I start feeling a little better. We plan to close the evening by sitting outside by a little fire and the kids will make smores........that is if I stay awake to do that. I store our smore supplies in glass dishes to keep them fresh and avoid open bags of graham crackers and marshmallows spilling all over my pantry.

I made this necklace as I sat in bed last night. I took apart three free necklaces I got to make it. It will lay better when it's not on the big belly and the trashy, stained tank top:)

We still haven't decided on baby names. Ryan says that's our project for the weekend. I say, "Really, what's the rush?" Actually, that's not what I say.

AHHHH...I'm so happy the weekend is here!

Healing!

2009-06-25T06:48:00.000-04:00

I'm getting better! It's so nice to have the hope of health restored. I still have the nerve pain and eye pain but I'm praying that will go away quickly! What a miserable ride this has been but I'm thankful to see it coming to an end.

The kids stayed with Ryan's parents for a couple days so I could fully rest. That was much needed but I really missed them. They both looked like they grew a foot:) I remember my mom saying that to me when I came home from summer camp and I thought she was silly. Now that I'm a mom, I see what she meant! It was fun to see them and catch up on all the fun things they did. They told me nearly 122 times that they missed me:)

I have had some Anthropologie gift cards that I've been waiting to use. I wanted to get something unique that could be kept for years to come. I decided on this hat. I think it will be fun to wear with a black dress to the farm market, horse races, in my backyard, etc. So fun! I figure Ellia will enjoy playing with it down the road. It's great for concealing shingles too:)

It's beginning to look a lot like a baby is coming around here. I have things washed, set up, and ready to be used! We are so excited to meet this baby!

Today I go to the eye specialist again and I'm praying for a good report! Thanks for all of your concern and prayers!!

Gross

2009-06-23T16:27:00.001-04:00

These pictures are quite creepy but this is the progression of my shingly face. I'm still in a great deal of pain and I'm antsy! I'm so used to being busy that just laying here is difficult, but needed.

I slept well last night which was the first time in over a week so that is a blessing! Some of the shingles are starting to scab over which is a great sign! Being on bed rest is keeping this baby in a bit longer and I'm grateful!

We enjoyed a nice Father's Day morning on Sunday. The kids made Ryan cards and gave him these large water squirters.

They enjoyed a nice water fight in the afternoon. I also put together a booklet of pictures of Ryan with the kids. Earlier this week I told Ethan to think about what he wanted to give Ryan for Father's Day. He first recalled everything we did for him last year. Then with a serious look on his face he said, "I want to give Daddy one of my dollars." And that's what he did. He made a beautiful card and taped a dollar in. That was a sacrifice and gift from the heart!

The kids have been at Ryan's parents the last couple days and I'm missing them but the rest has been much needed. They were playing "Police" before they left and I snapped this pic.

Thanks for all your prayers and support during this crazy time!

I wish I had poison eye-vy

2009-06-20T01:59:00.000-04:00

I woke up yesterday morning with my eye looking worse and pain that made me cry. I felt like such a baby that poison ivy would make me cry so hard. I saw a specialist yesterday and he quickly determined I have shingles. It's all in perspective you know? I thought having painful poison ivy in my eye was horrible just hours before hearing the word shingles. Now, I want poison ivy. Funny how things change.
I'm truly miserable. It's currently 2am and I've had very little sleep because of the pain. I'm trying many natural remedies and I'm also on an antiviral med. That's the other crazy part of this. I hadn't taken any form of medicine in almost a year an a half. I was excited about that but at this point that is out the window!
I am ordered to rest and rest some more. Shingles isn't something that goes away quickly so I'm aware that I'll endure this pain while enduring the pain of labor. I'm so excited to meet this little baby that's growing inside me. I may only be able to see him or her through one eye while I wince from pain, but I'm still overjoyed at the thought of it. I have said and felt many times that I forget I'm pregnant right now. I doubt many people can say that at 9 months pregnant. This shingle pain overtakes any discomfort of being huge. I guess that's another perspective change I'm facing right now. I am hopeful that being horizontal will help this baby to stay in a little longer so I can heal from this a little.
I have the shingles on my eyelids but thankfully they are not into the nerve endings of my eyeball. Pray they don't go there because that is all bad! I have them on the right side of my nose and forehead and into my hair.....only on my right side. I guess that's a blessing in all of this too. They will only stay on my right side, following my nerve pattern. They shouldn't go down my body, only up.
I'm a pretty strong gal that manages a lot each day. Being flat is good for me in many ways because it causes me to step back and need many people. That's healthy for me. It feels good to be weak and realize that I can't do it all! I'm reminded of II Corinthians 12:9 "My grace is sufficient for you and my power is made perfect in weakness." I need God's power and grace. I know I'll be a better mom to Ethan, Ellia, and this sweet growing baby because of this but it feels hard right now.
Ethan and Ellia asked if my eye was all better since I went to the special doctor. I explained that I would have this for awhile and that I need rest and prayer. Ethan's lip quivered out of sadness for me and Ellia started praying right then. It was a sweet reminder of how loved I am!
I took a picture today of how things have worsened but I'm not able to upload it right now. I'm sure I'll take more as this all progresses.
OH.....my jaw and neck aren't really out. I have swollen lymph nodes all down the right side of my neck. All the pieces to the puzzle fit together when seeing the specialist today. It's just a difficult puzzle, that's all.

Poison Eye-vy

2009-06-18T19:13:00.000-04:00

So, I'm nine months pregnant but that's not what has me feeling miserable these days. I developed an eye infection that quickly spread to other parts of my face. NOT FUN! I went to the doctor and she asked me if I'd been around poison ivy and I said no. Then I remembered enjoyed a bonfire with friends on Saturday night.

The entire evening I was reminding my kids not to walk off the trail because I didn't want them to get poison ivy. I sit in a chair chatting with friends the entire evening I get poison ivy in my eye ball. Seriously?

I had my jaw worked on today as well because it is out of alignment and I'm in some serious discomfort. I'm praying this will all subside before I go into labor.

We made some popsicles on Monday. I mixed goat milk yogurt, fresh lemon juice, agave, and fresh blueberries. I put the blueberries and agave in the blender first. I then spooned the yogurt mixture and then the blueberry mixture until the cup was full. Then I lightly stirred it so that they would swirl. I hope to make a fun summer treat each week.

I went through my magazine cut out book over the weekend and found the idea of lining a medicine cabinet with scrapbook paper. I found some papers at Big Lots that are great and have the color of our bathroom walls in them. It was a fun pick me up for the cabinet.

I feel like the kids have done and said a million funny things this week but I'm just not feeling up to typing them right now. Hopefully I'll have a chance to blog again before this new little one comes..........that is if I can actually remember the stories:)

Reciept Loving and Refrigerator missing.

2009-06-13T15:12:00.000-04:00

I intended to post this Saturday.........

I've mentioned before that Ethan can't stand change. He collects things and is devastated if you throw something away. I found a stack of ALDI ads he'd been collecting in his night stand once. Well, now that he earns money and can make his own purchases, he has a LOVE for receipts. He is so proud to show his stack and wants to save them "forever", he says.

Our dishwasher and refrigerator went bad within a week of each other and so we had to buy replacements. Ethan was moping on Thursday and I asked what was wrong. He said, "I'm just really going to miss our refrigerator."

It's so funny because this child hasn't like change from day one. He's not like me.....I love change!! Ellia isn't phased by change either. It's amazing to see each of our uniqueness.

Ryan took Ethan fishing today. They had a great time and it was fun "boy" time.

Summer Days

2009-06-08T22:22:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned how much I love summer? I LOVE it! I love the yummy produce from the farm market!

I love that cherries are in season!

I love that the kids can run through the sprinkler like crazies!

I love that my once tiny herb garden is flourishing!

I love sticky hair, thirsty kids, and the ragamuffin look.

Today Ethan got a large splinter in his foot and it is rather deep. Just touching the air around his toes caused him to wilt in pain. So, I decided to get out my foot spa that I've never used. I put Epsom salts in it and let him soak awhile. They took turns for hours. It was great entertainment.

The kids and I made cake balls this evening. My friend from college shared this recipe and I thought it would be a fun thing to do with the kids since it was rainy. You can see directions and beautiful images of these on Bakerella. We made two kinds in hopes of freezing many for when we have company after the baby is born. We did devil's food with cream cheese icing and German Chocolate Cake with German Chocolate Cake Frosting. I topped some of them with white chocolate shavings that my sister gave me. They are fun to make and the kids love the mess of squishing the cake and icing. It is much faster to just use the kitchen aid mixer but that takes the fun out of it! The possibilities with these are endless so enjoy!

My kids didn't even eat a half of one each. They both really loved them but Ethan said it was too much sweet and he wanted to save it for tomorrow. Ethan wants to share some with the neighbors and I'm sending a bunch with Ry to share with the guys he works with.

Earlier today I was struggling with patience and I told the kids that I needed to pray for patience...and we did. It was then that I realized Ellia left two crayons in her pocket that went through the dryer and all over laundry.....she spilled applesauce all over the wood floor, Ethan drew in a book that I'd bought for a gift(he thought it was a dry erase book but it wasn't and plus he used a non washable marker....I made him pay me $3.00 to replace it and you would have thought I took all his toys away. It was a good lesson but a hard one this evening.), and many other patience builders today that I'm trying not to recall. Tonight Ryan was reading to Ethan and discussing the book incident while Ellia and I spent time together. It came time to pray with her and she said she wanted to pray for me first. Here's what she said:
"Dear God, thanks daddy home from wort. Help mommy patence and babycome soon, help Ethan not cry when write in book and pay dollars, help me not sick be better, thanks, amen."

I need all the patience prayers I can get:) Off I go to google how to get crayon out of clothes!

Birthday Girl

2009-06-04T09:28:00.000-04:00

This morning after I made beds I found Ellia in the bathroom playing on the floor. She had my 10 pound arm weights on washcloths and then had each one covered up with a washcloth. She was singing twinkle, twinkle to them. I asked her what she was doing and she said "Taking care of these heavy babies." Watching her try to gently carry her 10 pound baby was funny and slightly dangerous. Give the girl a toothpick and she'll turn it into a cute animal or baby in minutes:) Give it to Ethan and it will be a gun or sword.

Ellia has been singing to the baby quite a bit. The baby kicked her in the chin shortly after this picture:)

Ellia turned three on Saturday and it is so hard to believe. I know every parent feels this way as we watch our babies get big so fast. Both Ryan and I felt sentimental as we talked to her about her entrance into the world. We write the kids a birthday letter each year andRyan's made me cry. Him and Ellia have a special relationship and she is the apple of his eye. The look she gets on her face when she talks to him on the phone is a girl in love! We celebrated with family and it was fun to see the cousins run and play. We bought her a kitchen for her gift.

I put out my traditional blanket, balloons, and gifts on the living room floor for when she woke up. Ellia had two presents to open. One was a baby from Ethan and one was a bunch of empty food boxes and bottles that I'd collected for to use with her kitchen. She was thrilled over the baby but had the strangest look on her face when looking at the empty containers. Ryan told her that they would be fun to play with in her kitchen.

She looked up at him and bewilderly said, "I don't have a kitchen." We then had her walk in the dining room where she unveiled her new kitchen. She's been making eggs, cakes, and tea ever since. She also pretends it has a garbage disposal. She takes the sink out and shoves wadded up napkins down it while making a loud noise. I need to have a chat about never putting anything down the real one.....especially paper products:)

The party was fun. My camera was on the wrong setting the whole time and I was a bit too busy to take many pics. Each cousin got a bag of little goodies. The ring pops were a hit. Ellia was a crazy woman when opening presents. She just went from one to the next ripping gifts out of bags. I had to slow her down. We went through the presents later in the evening and it was as if it was the first time she saw them.

I bought this wooden plane for 90 cents at a thrift store a while ago. I painted it red and Ry hung it from Ethan's ceiling.

We've had house showings this week. Although I'm thankful, it's exhausting! I'm tired. Ryan's work has been very busy which means he's gone late nights or gone overnight. My body is getting weary of the pace I've been going.

I've also eaten many non raw things in the past week and it's not making my body feel so swell. Time to refocus!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T08:52:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed a wonderful family weekend! It was productive and fun filled! We went to the local Memorial Day parade. We had great discussions with Ethan about freedom and what Memorial Day represents. He was so excited to get a flag to wave at the parade.........and of course the candy:)

Ellia loved waving at the Veterans and anyone in the parade:) She brought her purse, of course, and hung it around her neck to easily place her candy in there.

The kids and I picked some peonies and hosta leaves from my flower beds. I love fresh flowers!! I've had many vases of fresh dandelions and grass from the kids too.

I've been on a smoothie kick for my evening "ice cream" snack. I put in 2 bananas, a large spoon of almond butter, a shake of cacao chips, a squirt of agave, some ice, and water. I blend it all up and we all enjoy it! I sort of want to be selfish my special treat but I am glad that my family enjoys it:)

We still do not have a name for this coming baby. We'd like a somewhat unique name that does not have a crazy meaning like "Elephant Dung." So, please share any ideas!

Crecco Happenings

2009-05-19T14:48:00.000-04:00

What have we been up to around the Crecco Household?

~We've had lots of great discussions about death, life, and life after death. Ethan is pondering and questioning. I love it! His heart is precious and tender.

~Ethan has been on a big kick of making his own almond butter and jelly sandwiches. He does a great job but there is quite often a mess like this after each one:) He's running and playing so much that his appetite has increased...A LOT!

~Ellia likes to pick out her own outfits and get dressed each day. She usually puts her shoes on backwards and prefers to keep them that way.

~The kids have been playing outside for hours each day and I'm so thankful. The sunshine is refreshing and I'm thankful that I have the flexibility to sit outside to work.

~We've decided to have a home birth for this baby!

~Ryan was away working in KY for a few days. We are thankful for good work but wow did we miss him!

~I had some blood work run and found out I have some thyroid issues going on. That would explain why it is so hard for me to lose weight even though I eat so healthy. Now, I'm on a mission to figure out natural ways to help with this!

~My belly is a frenzy of movement and we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the newest little Crecco!

Pistachio Cake

2009-05-11T18:12:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed a nice lunch with my parents on Sunday. My kids get hyped up galore with Pappaw and Ganny here:) Ethan and Ellia were both playing their trumpets they received for Christmas, Ryan was singing along at the top of his lungs, and this baby in the womb was getting prepared for life in the Crecco household:)

I bought these flowers for my mom as part of her Mother's Day gift but she forgot them...so I'm enjoying them:)

I made a Pistachio Cake for dessert that my college roommate gave to me. There is nothing healthy about it but it is yummy.

Ingredients:
1 package (18.25 oz size) yellow or white cake mix
3 packages (3.4 oz. size) instant pistachio pudding mix
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs

1/2 cup brown sugar

1TBS Cinnamon

***GLAZE***
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon butter, softened
2 1/2 tablespoons milk (I use Rice Milk)

Directions:

In a mixing bowl, combine dry cake and pudding mix, water, oil, and eggs. Beat on low speed for 1 minute. Pour some batter into greased bunt pan. Then sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon on batter. Layer more batter and mixture until both are gone. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Combine the glaze ingredients; drizzle over cake. Enjoy!

Here is what my living room usually looks like at the end of a work day. The kids love taking the furniture cushion off to make houses.

Here's Ellia looking rather punkie. She put on mascara and it is running under her eyes. She bought this guitar at a thrift store a few months back with her spend money and loves to play it LOUD.

To be a mom

2009-05-10T09:25:00.000-04:00

I'm home from church today. I'm not home because I'm sick or because I don't like church. I'm home because I felt like I needed to be. I needed time alone to reflect, worship, and just be. Happy Mother's Day to me:)

I enjoyed a great morning with my family. Ryan made me breakfast which was supposed to be in bed but I got up early:) The kids made cards and loved on me. So precious! Ethan's card shows a picture of him and I. Ellia drew me a picture of a kitty. It didn't look like her normal cat she draws and she said this one has pokey things on it and it's mad. I'm not going to analyze that too much:)

I am refreshed as I sit here in the quiet. I thought I would listen to podcast sermons while my family is away but instead I'm just to be quiet. I'm thinking about being a mom and what that means in my life.

I grew up with a great mom. She was fun, nurturing, and creative! She set boundaries, disciplined in love, and laughed with us a lot! I have many wonderful memories growing up and I desire for my kids to have treasured memories as well! I'm thankful I had such a great mom and that I didn't come into motherhood with pains and wounds from this relationship. My parents are coming for lunch today and I celebrate my strong and silly mom today!

Ethan was dealing with selfish behavior this morning. It was a challenge to work through with him. Ryan and I wonder if he'll get through this. I believe he will. There have been many behaviors and stages that have been difficult but his heart is loving and pure. He's dealing with a battle in his will.
I am too. I shed tears over my children often but so often my heaviest tears come when I lay them before the feet of Jesus, AGAIN. I realize these precious kids are not mine but I fight wanting them to be mine but feeling like I can't do it. I fight fears of letting them into the big bad world. I fight fears of the unknown in their future. I fight fears that I'm raising them all wrong. I fight fears that my parenting is wounding them and I'm squelching their freedom to be who they are made to be.

And then I realize I'm fearing. I don't need to be overcome with fear. I need to give them back and seek the Lord to help me love them. I know I won't do this perfect and that's why I need to lay them at the feet of my Lord. I know my humanness will mess them up in some ways yet I trust even that will be part of their journey of healing, loving, being loved and ultimately their story.
Ethan is learning to surrender his heart in the area of selfishness and I'm an adult still playing tug of war in this same area.

We have small kids and small problems. I sometimes get upset that shredded cheese is all over my floor, that the toilet is clogged with 2 rolls of toilet paper, that there are never ending stains on laundry, that a picky eater exists in this home, or that I hear whining and screaming from battling siblings. I'm then overcome with the thought that they will only be in this home for a short while and soon they will be big people with bigger problems. This excites me to love on them and live the love of Jesus in this home so that when they go out on their own, they will do the same.

More than a clean house, a night's sleep, a stress free life, a stretch mark and cellulite free body, or a peaceful meal, I want these amazing kids to walk in the Love, Truth , and Peace that I know.

Being a mom feels hard sometimes. There have been times when I didn't enjoy being a mom and didn't want to be one. Then I cried because I felt horrible feeling that way:) I believe through grace I've surrendered enough of my selfishness and once felt freedoms that I'm truly able to embrace this journey with JOY! I can truly say that I love being a mom and I'm honored to be entrusted with these precious lives. Today I celebrate that I'm being molded, changed, humbled, and taught amazing life lessons through being a mom.

My quiet time has been amazing but I'm so excited for my kiddos to return home so I can smother them in more love!

Tea Partying

2009-05-07T18:15:00.000-04:00

I'm one tired mama but it was a productive and good day! I went to a Mother's Day Tea Party at Ethan's school for an hour. It was cute. My mom came too.

Ethan wore his spiderman tie to school today. I can thank my good friend for this white trash gift:) The kids made us a nice scrapbook page with their photo, hand print, and quotes on it.

The kids pulled our chairs out for us, served us our food, napkins, and silverware.

Ellia enjoyed my cake and the entire social event!

Ethan told me this evening that he wants to start eating more spinach to get strong. He said he thought if he lifted arm weights he would build bigger muscles. I found him a little while later doing reps with little weights. He said he wanted to surprise Ryan with his big muscles when they wrestled. He was excited to test them out the minute Ryan pulled in the driveway.

I woke Ellia up from her nap, carried her to the car, and then into the YMCA down the stairs for Ethan's swimming lessons. Only to find out he didn't have swimming. AHHH! By the time I got to the van I was having some decent Braxton Hicks from carrying this 30lb sweetness. I'm losing my head, I'm certain.

Talking Toots

2009-05-07T06:36:00.000-04:00

Ry was away last night and I heard little footsteps into our room at 5am. Ellia wanted a drink of water. I filled her cup and had her climb in bed with me in hopes we could both get a bit more sleep. I played with her hair and we took turns scratching backs as relaxation tools. In the silence I heard her let a squeaky toot. Then she said, "What?" I told her I didn't say anything. A few minutes later she toots again and says, "What did you say?" I again told her I didn't say anything. A few minutes later she tooted again and said, "I was teasing, I'm tooting." Then we laughed and we've been awake ever since. It may be an early morning but it's going to be a good day! The birds are chirping, there are talking toots in this world, and I'm teaching my daughter how to scratch my back:)

It's the little things that warm my heart

2009-05-06T21:41:00.000-04:00

Ethan took this picture of me when I came in from working in my flower garden. I about died when I saw it. Now granted, I do look in the mirror daily but seeing my widened nose and puffy lip in a picture is a different story. So, have a laugh! Soon, my nose will be swollen out to my cheek bones. What a strange thing! Not my favorite picture but I'll be sure to save one for the baby book! This is not a little thing that warms my heart!

Ryan needed to work Monday which meant I had to be quite organized about activities for the kids while I worked. When they came down on Monday morning I had a bunch of homemade play dough containers on a table cloth with cookie cutters and rolling pins. I had paint pens and paper. These Elmer's Paint Pens are amazing! The prevent a huge paint mess! I found them for 50% off at CVS which means they are probably discontinuing them but I will find a way to fill them back up with paint to reuse and reuse! I also had sticker activity books out for them. They painted, playdoughed, and stickered for hours. They thoroughly enjoyed these normal activities but it was extra fun for them to be all out and organized for them. It made for a good Monday!

Ethan was quite excited about mixing primary colors!

I had also packed lunches on Sunday night so that we could have a picnic lunch in the playhouse. The prego mom and kids had a great time! Ethan set it all up for us to enjoy.

Here is Ellia with a worm. She holds them like they are cute little kittens. She wasn't crazy about the dirt all over them but she quickly got over it.

Ethan has not played with this toy in a long time and I was thinking it might be time to get rid of it. He found a screw driver and took all the screws out as I was on an afternoon call. He calls himself a worker guy like Ryan. I still have a pile of screws to put back but he enjoyed himself!

I took some pictures of Ellia for her 3 year old birthday invitation. She was sick over the weekend and still had puffy eyes and a red upper lip but she was so cute. I could get her to smile by talking about any animal or babies. Many of the words she says are so cute and we want her to repeat them all the time.
Slilly=Silly
Hotside=Outside
Milt=Milk
Panpakes=pancakes
This list goes on but those are a few I heard today.

I told Ellia we could buy chapstick for the cousins that come to her birthday party. She is so excited! She loves to talk with old men when we go places and she was telling a very sick man at the hospital about the chapstick. He had no clue what she was talking about so I explained. He got so excited for her and she could have jumped in his lap in response:) We then went in for my ultrasound and she kept saying she wanted to get the man some chapstick. I love that the little things are so very important and special. This evening Ellia was crying her eyes out in devastation and it was because she jammed her chapstick up in the cap. I dug it all out and then rerounded the top of the chapstick to make it look new. She wiped her tears away and said, "Mom, I love you so much."

Tornado Central

2009-04-28T19:50:00.000-04:00

What a day! I thought today would be a low key work day. Wow, was I wrong. It was a whirlwind and my house is proof. It looks like a tornado came right through........named Ethan and Ellia. Ethan kept himself busy all morning making a card for each student in his preschool class. There were stickers, paper, and envelopes all over the place but he had a blast. This was a good handwriting practice session but I just loved seeing that he wanted to do something special for them. I have a bunch of "teacher" pencils so he was excited to give each student one.

Ellia played with a tea set and water for a long time. She was soaked along with the table, chairs, rug, and the 52 dish towels she got out to clean it up:) She also styled her hair with hand lotion. I had Ethan wake Ellia up from her nap at 5:30pm. She wears a diaper when she sleeps and it had a major leak in the side and all the gel junk was falling out with every step. Let me say this was right before swimming so the pool of gel sat at my house while we went to the swimming pool. When we got home from swimming Ellia wanted to play outside and she totally just peed her pants as she stood in the yard. She didn't feel like coming in. She's been known to pull her pants down and pretend she has the male anatomy to conveniently urinate from, but not this time. She just stood still and let it come out through her clothes. Thankfully the whirlwind makers did a nice job of cleaning up the debris and I cleaned up all the potty messes. They are all quiet in bed storing up energy for more tornadoing tomorrow:) I'm up working late trying to get a head start on a busy May.

I was the kitchen tornado today as I quickly made a couple things at lunch but didn't have a chance to clean it up. Some friends have asked what I've been eating lately. I've been eating rather simple foods. Salads, guacamole, raw fruit, nuts, and veggies. I decided I needed to spice it up a bit this week with some "recipes."

I made a pate for lunch which hit the spot for me. It reminds you of tuna salad a little.........of course with no tuna or mayo...:) My dehydrator has been going since early this morning with tortilla chips and parmesan cheese. Tomorrow night is fajita night for my family so I wanted some mexican myself. I also made a Ceaser dressing that is really good and I wanted the parm cheese to go along with that.
Off to bed because I administer more testing to students tomorrow and I need energy for my own little tornadoes too:)

Are you listening to me?

2009-04-27T20:10:00.000-04:00

Ellia and I walked to the post office last week during my lunch break. I pushed her in a stroller while she drew pictures on a new kitten notebook that her cousin sent her. She did much jabbering on this journey. There was quite a bit of construction going on downtown and above the noise I'd hear, "ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME?" It made me laugh because she sounded just like me when I say that to them. That's always humbling to hear.

We enjoyed a nice weekend with Ryan's family. Ethan adores his cousin and they had a great time together. They held hands during church and are close buds:)

Ethan enjoyed climbing trees and working ever so hard not to step down on Grandma's pretty flowers when he got down.

They all had fun driving the cousin's car. I could just picture 10 years from now when they'll drive a real car. We'll look back on these pictures with such fond memories. I know time will go so fast but I'm going to try my best to soak up these times now!

They were worn out from playing so hard. This is Ellia with her head into the pillow. She was crabby and exhausted this weekend! This is another busy work week for me and I'll look forward to getting back into the normal routine. The kids will benefit from that too!

Sunshine in my soul!

2009-04-17T15:12:00.000-04:00

The sunshine morning woke me up early over the weekend and I've had sunshine in my soul ever since! Ryan and I worked on home organization and sprucing up the yard this weekend. The kids played and played in the beautiful weather! I loved that they were filthy dirty and reeked of sweat! There is such freedom in being outside from morning until night!

We hit a couple of garage sales Saturday. I found some beautiful, old pillow cases for $1-$2 a set which is a great deal. I love old pillow cases not only for their beautiful tatting and embroidery but because they are so soft! Ellia gets excited when I put old ones on her pillows:)

I also found this cute Gymboree backpack for Ellia for $1. She'd asked for one awhile ago for her pretend camping adventures. It will be nice to pack her books and toys in for car trips.

I have this major urge to paint anything in sight but not the full energy level to back up that desire. I told Ryan I would love to paint the lower half of our dining room walls and I came home from a long day out of the office and Ryan had painted it! What a fun surprise!

He also took the kids to some fun places today including the dollar store and the pet store. He even took them to the antique store. He is brave! Softy daddy even bought them each a gum ball from a machine which they are excitedly showing in the pictures:) They had a great day together! Ellia cried and cried when I left this morning. I think she thought I was going to California again. Poor thing! I'm glad she was with Ryan today! I adore my family!

We listed our home with the realtor this weekend. Here's the listing! Watch...it will probably sell fast and we'll need to move the week the baby is due:)