My husband is WONDERFUL!!!

Yesterday, Ailey was in stealth mode again and while we thought she was still napping, she was ransacking her room.  She got out of her clothes, got the majority of her clothes out of her drawers (for the second time that day) and got into the closet where I keep the kids' project bin.  She basically dumped the whole box out and then decided to pour out the glitter and open the paints.  She painted herself up really good and then painted her giant teddy bear, which is white and then dabbled a bit on her bean bag.

Sam is the one who went in to get her and when he called me to come look, I told him I really didn't want to.  She's been messing about with things for the last few days again, so my patience and attitude were already wearing thin. ;)  I mustered the courage to go look and just stared in awe.  I went in and started cleaning it up.  Now, during this process, Sam was trying to get ready to go because he had part of a class at church to teach and he was already running late.  He had already offered to take the boys with him, so I could have a bit of a break.  He was trying to get everyone fed, dressed and in the van, when this particular disaster struck.  He came back in to Ailey's room where I was cleaning up and I was in tears.  End of pregnancy + many days of over-the-top messes = me not coping well.  Anyway, he offered to take Miss Messy, too.  He decided a shower was the best way to clean her up, I put the cleaning on hold for a few minutes to get the kids and Sam to-go plates for their dinner so they could eat en route and before I knew it the house was quiet!  I went back to cleaning up the mess.  I'm just grateful that the glitter hadn't migrated around the room.  The mess was mostly in one area, Praise God!, and didn't require too much movement from me. :)  Anyway, I just started thanking my Daddy in Heaven for such a wonderful husband.  Sam is truly an amazing man and he continues to grow in that.  I am truly blessed!!!!

While he and the kiddos were gone, I got to go to Hobby Lobby all by myself.  I had two things on my list:  pom-poms and buttons.  I got there and remembered the pom-poms, but couldn't remember the buttons for anything!  They were having a sale on their candle paraphernalia and I got a couple of things to help encourage the asian-theme I'm trying to accomplish in the living room.  I'm keeping tags and all on them until I've decided if they will work or not.  It'll take a bit to determine....  I've decided to go back for the buttons.  They are necessary for a what I'm working on and it drives me nuts that my brain couldn't remember two little things!  Aahhhhh!  I will be taking my list with me this time.

Anyway, after that I got to take the longest shower I've had in, well.... its been awhile.  I wallowed in it!  Thank you, Sam!  I love you and you gave me the best possible gift!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Highly Unmotivated Ramblings

So, I'm looking around the house.  Lots of things need to get done.  Of course there is the daily piling up of dishes.  I need to make friendship bread (today is the 10th day), but I ran out of sugar and that would require a family trip to the grocery store.  Yeah.  Maybe I can get Sam to pick up some on the way home...? ;p  There's laundry in the basket, in the dryer and in the washer, plus more loads that need to get done in the bins.  There's toys, pieces of paper and various pieces of paraphernalia around the edges of nearly every room in the house, courtesy of the messy munchkins which inhabit this domain.  The backyard looks like it threw up toys and there are plenty of projects I could get started on, like painting the kitchen cabinets, patching holes and cracks in the ceiling, spray painting the vents and outlet covers to blend with the walls....there is quite the extensive list from which to choose. :)  Oh, yeah, not to mention the half a dozen or so little craft projects I started and haven't finished.  Yet.... I have no inclination whatsoever to get any of it done.  I should at least do the laundry or the dishes....well, the dishes may end up getting done because there aren't that many of them today, but the laundry...oh, laundry...nah.

I want to go somewhere outside of this house and do something just for fun, but my body won't let me.  I can't walk around very long without my back aching or my feet swelling or something pregnancy related preventing me from going the distance....

I'm ready.  I'm ready to meet this new little person that's been sharing my body for the last nine months.  I'm ready to have my body back to myself.  I'm ready to get a different kind of sleep than the uncomfortable and oftentimes painful end of pregnancy sleep relationship I'm currently wallowing in.  Oh, I know there is sleep deprivation in the night nursing routine, too, but I'm telling you, its different and I am ready to move on to that stage. :)  I'm ready to get the recovery part over and move on to where I start getting my "normal" energy levels back.  I'm ready to be able to go on bike rides with my kiddos again.  I'm ready to be able to sit on the floor to play without my hips trying to decide if they want to cooperate with each other or not.  I'm ready.  Can you tell I'm ready?

But, strangely enough in all this readiness...I'm still content to let God be in control.  His timing is perfect.  He sees ahead.  He knows what I need and who needs to be here and He's got it all ready and worked out for my good.  All this discomfort has a purpose and He will do a good work in me if I will be patient and let Him.  So... all glory, honor and praise to You, my Precious Lord!  I am content to wait upon You!

A little kiddo update

One of my favorite sounds in the world is when all of my kids are laughing together.  They've been doing that a lot lately.  They all get each other going and then the belly laughing begins.  Oh, how that makes my heart glad!

Zekey is our more quiet of the three and sometimes its easy to just breeze right along with him.  Its not that he doesn't desire our attention, its just that he's not as vocal and pushy about getting it from us.  Lately, however, we've been having to deal with some heart/attitude issues with him and we've re-concentrated our efforts on paying more attention to him and spending more one-on-one time with him.  One of the sweetest times during the day with him is when he first wakes up.  He's my early riser and he'll come and literally hop into bed with me, whether I'm ready to wake up or not.  Ah, my own little alarm clock. ;)  I get to rub his back and ask him how he slept and what he's thinking about (usually rocket ships or some sort of mechanical something or other....Braden's influence reaches deep at this stage :) and he eats it up!  I don't honestly know how its going to work when our newest member makes his/her appearance, but I want to try and keep this little routine intact for as long as possible!  He's also become quite animated when he talks.  He gets his hands involved in the process and he has very expressive eyes.  He's also in the stage where he thinks lots of silly things are funny and he'll talk about something and then just get himself laughing.  I love that.  Right now, he's learning how to be a good big brother, which at times, I'm sure he considers a painful learning process.  He and Ailey can be so very sweet with each other, but man can they fuss with each other, too!  Oh, well....growing pains. :)  He and Braden can spend HOURS playing with blocks that they've made into some sort of space ship or flying contraption.  The cool thing is that instead of always following Braden's lead, Zekey is now asserting his imaginative ideas and they will go back and forth making it up as they go along.

He's also really been such a big helper.  He always wants to help me or Sam with whatever we are doing.  He's getting to the point where he's actually helping instead of "helping", if you know what I mean.  Its fun to see that he has a very generous heart.

This semester, once a week, we have been attending our homeschool group's co-op.  Its where the kids get to go to classes with other kiddos from the co-op.  Its such a neat thing and I am so grateful and blessed by this.  Zekey has three classes, too.  He gets to go to art, story time and music and movement.  Before this, Braden was the one who mostly got to do projects and things at home.  It takes me a while to want to mess with paints with younger kiddos, but Zekey is all into it!  He gets to use glue and paints and other art paraphernalia and he really enjoys it.  I've started to let him do more of that stuff at home on the days he doesn't nap.  He has also learned several songs and he's been singing non-stop around the house and in the car.  Among his favorites are Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star, Itsy, Bitsy Spider and the monkeys and crocodile song....don't know the actual name of that one....  Anyway, we have started to sing those before he goes to bed (its part of Ailey's bedtime routine and I think he wanted that attention, too :) and he really loves it.  The best part is when the whole family is in the boys' room after we pray together and we all sing the songs complete with Daddy singing harmony.  Oh, how the kids eat that up!  Fun times.  Anyway, my little guy is not so little and we really are just enjoying him so much!

Braden.  Braden is growing up so fast.  Sometimes I forget he's just 6 and sometimes I remember that and he's so much more than just 6.   He has a tendency to be very silly, can't imagine where he gets that from.... yet can be so very serious.  He's learning about how to tell the difference when we are "getting his goat".  We actually had to try and explain that saying not too long ago and I really don't know if we actually made it any clearer than mud for him.  Haha!

This year has been interesting because I didn't get to do the homeschool curriculum I wanted to with him.  I really wanted him to do Sonlight, but because I was so sick at the beginning of this pregnancy, I couldn't do that.  So, when I was finally able to do something with him, I went with Hooked on Phonics again and now Hooked on Math.  He's doing such a good job!  A couple of things I really like about Hooked on Phonics is that a) it can be faster paced, so we can catch up more easily and b) it teaches him to self-correct.  He is reading very well and is actually reading pretty much anything he sees.  Challenges will come with that, but its exciting to see him really getting more complicated concepts.  Its the same with the math.  He's just really taking off and getting it.  I'm glad for the guidance of the curriculum because the way I learned math was very backward and I don't want him to go through the same maze to try and figure stuff out. :)

Braden is truly my mini-me.  He has the same issues with attitude and he has a fairness complex, just like yours truly.  I am grateful that God has brought me through so very much where both of those areas are concerned because I am able to help Braden work through all of this gunk at such a young age.  Hopefully, he will be much better equipped and way more open to God working in his heart right away throughout his life than I ever was or have been.  Shepherding a child's heart is difficult and frustrating and overwhelming at times, but when you push through and really stick with it, the rewards are GREAT!  The growth and change it produces is truly amazing!  Braden has been continually growing in this and I am just so proud of him!!!

Though he sometimes makes wrong decisions in his capacity as big brother, for the most part he is a most amazing big brother.  He really helps both his brother and sister out a ton!  He watches out for them and tries to keep them out of trouble, for the most part.  He really cracks me up sometimes because he'll tell me he's decided to be nice and kind to his siblings and then when he does something nice for them, he'll say, "I'm doing such a good job because I'm being so nice and kind."  He self-appreciates..;p

At co-op, he is in Incredible Animals, Cooking and Pioneering the Planets.  He's learning a bunch.  He's the youngest in the cooking class and it took him a while to come out of his shell.  Normally, he's super social and there's not a shy bone in his body.  Sometimes, though, when he's in a situation where the kids are mostly older than him, his dominant tendencies take a back seat.  It good for him to be on the other side of the coin at times. :) Anyway, I got to talk to his teacher about it because she was wondering if he was shy and I told her about all that and the next week she came up to me and said he had apparently gotten over that because he was raising his hand first and answering all the questions.  Just gotta give him a bit of time.....

Something else of interest has come out of his planets class.  This is right up his alley because he is all into space right now.  The interesting part is the bond he has with a little girl in his class.  Her mom is the teacher and we've gotten to talk about it a bit as its funny and sweet to both of us.  Braden and this little girl are really fond of each other.  He says she's his best friend that's a girl.  He's been categorizing lately. ;p  He will save some of his goodies that he's made in cooking class just for her.  He will also draw her pictures and talk about her quite a bit after co-op has ended for the day.  There's nothing going on that isn't just completely innocent care and sweetness.  I'm glad Braden has that kind of a heart.

***TANGENT***  Now, just so you know, we don't do the whole encouraging anything girlfriend-boyfriend.  As a matter of fact, we are going to always aim in the direction of God-directed courtship as we train our kids.  I don't believe anything else is healthy.  As a matter of fact, I think pretty much anything else is extremely harmful, leads to physical actions outside of marriage and causes wounds and scarring that usually takes a lifetime to heal/deal with.  I'd rather my kiddos not have to go through any of that type of thing.  The great thing is they don't have to if they make wise choices.  ***

Little Miss Ailey Grace is quite a different being altogether.  She has amazing will-power.  Right now we are NOT exactly loving that, but we do recognize that God put that in her and He's got a purpose for it.  We are just supposed to guide it in the right direction. :)  She's really been funny lately as she has been exerting her independence.  She is a very specific little girl.  Whether its the food she wants to eat, the toys she wants to play with or the clothing/shoes she wears, she has a definite opinion.  For instance, I'll get out a couple of dresses and hold them up in front of her and she will get the one she wants.  If none of them are satisfactory, she will say, "NO, not that one!" and then point out which one she wants.  Most of the time she doesn't get a choice like that because I'm really NOT going to be raising a little miss diva.  Given a chance, I think she could very much head in that direction.  Yeah, NO!

One of the other things I've noticed about her is that if its not comfortable, its not worth wearing.  I must admit, she comes by this most honestly.  I don't believe cute has to be painful, either. :)  There are some shoes she won't wear because they rub her feet wrong or she has an owie and they are causing more pain to it.  Today, I put socks on her feet and she kept saying they were too tight.  Haha!  I pulled them out away from her toes so she could wiggle them and that made the difference.  See what I mean?

She's also a mother hen.  She tries to do everything I do.  She will get on to Zekey and Braden and already tells on them when they have forgotten how to be good big brothers. ;)  She tries to help me clean, though at this point lots of patience on my part is required in that process.  I think eventually, she's going to be a power house and I'm going to LOVE it!  She has also incorporated kind words into her vocabulary and kept them there.  The boys need to be reminded to say please, thank you and you're welcome on a regular basis. She does it automatically.

One of the funny things she's been doing lately involves the wipey box.  We have a few that have Buzz, Woody and Jesse from Toy Story on them.  She will get the box, put it on the floor and talk to Buzz.  She will have long and drawn out conversations with him.  Very funny.  She will also request to speak to Granny or Memaw and Peepaw on the phone.  Whether or not they are actually on the phone, she will jibber-jabber with only a few coherent words in the whole of the conversation because she's trying to sound like I do by talking continuously.  Definitely a girl trait!:)

She almost knows all the words to Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.  Its one of the songs on the music machine on her crib and she like to sing it every night.  We'll say its time to go to bed and she will come and say, "Sing, sing, Twinkle, Twinkle."  I thinks right now she's trying to be a baritone.  She makes her voice unnaturally deep just to sing the song.  Its pretty funny.

Anyway, that's it for now.  My hands are tired from typing and the dreaded dishes are waiting on me......

Some potty humor (Be forewarned!) and our Sulphur Springs Park Adventure

I may or may not have written about this before, but it only happens during pregnancy and it really cracks me up.  Now most of us in the pregnant condition get excessive amounts of gas, right?  I do and I know I'm not alone, so don't even try and deny it, people! :)  My motto is better out than in.  There is no logical reason to add to pregnancy discomfort.  Just sayin'.  Anywho, the other day I pooty-tooted (that's what we have named said deed in this house) and it startled the baby and he/she jumped.  It happened again on a totally different day a few days later and again the baby got startled.  I think the baby must be snoozing when that happens because the belly is calm until....well, the release of pressure.  I like to scare my kids at random....Makes me wonder what the baby thinks of it!  Haha!

Okay, on Saturday, Sam took us to Sulphur Springs Park out in Bend, TX.  Its about a 2+ hour drive.  It was really lovely, especially the part of the drive as we got in closer to the park.  I also always like driving through Lampasas.  There are some really pretty views and old houses there, which is where I saw this one and had Sam stop so I could take a pic or two:

How stinkin' cute is that?  It seriously looks like a miniature house.  Since its a bed and breakfast, I looked it up on the web.  Its called The Peach House on Walnut Street.  Curiously enough, there's only a phone number.  I couldn't even find a pic of it on any site or its own website.  I'm still going to check it out because I would love to stay there one of these days.

Okay, onward to the park.  This is the park where the men's retreat at our church was held a couple weeks back.  Sam just loved it and has wanted to take us there since.  I honestly didn't take a bunch of scenic pics because we were just enjoying our time together as a family without city noise.  It was lovely!  The only part that I could have done without was when Sam took us around the park via the road that really only high clearance and probably only 4-wheel drive vehicles should venture down.  We made it work in our van. Bottoming out in a van is very disconcerting....especially when preggers.  Let's just say our hiney cheeks got their calisthenic workouts for the day!

 This is the Sulphur Spring.  People used to come and bathe in it back in the day for medicinal purposes.  Think I'll skip that treatment. :)

Seedlings

We planted our garden in our starter tray on the 1st, which looked like this. Trying to be a bit more organized than last year.

On the 6th, Sam went to check on it and found this!

Now the challenge is to see how many actually make it in the dirt outside and produce...

This is what the seedlings look like now.

We now have two raised bed gardens, courtesy of Sam and the boys and our neighbor across the street who is a landscaper and brought us a huge pile of compost mixed dirt. Yippee! Now, I've just got to get my big 'ole pregnant self out there and plant the overgrown seedlings before they take over the starter tray and/or this baby decides to come out!

My love for tissues

I'm a tissue nut. I am and I can't help myself. I have a tissue box in my room, the bathroom and the living room. There may even eventually be one found in each of the kids' rooms. If I had a craft room, there would be a box in there, too. I buy them in bulk because I go through them like crazy! Anyway, I have an affinity for Puffs, specifically. They are soft and contain things nicely. :) I grew up on Kleenex or store brand and didn't know the joyful loveliness of Puffs until I was an adult. I honestly didn't get my affinity for tissues until I was an adult, either. My mom had a box in every room growing up and I always thought it was crazy how much she blew her nose! Crazy lots, I tell you! I always told her I didn't need to blow my nose like that and that I would NEVER have tissues all over my house like she does. Haha!

Fast forward..many...years to after my tech school stint in California when I got stationed in San Angelo, TX. Enter MAJOR allergies. Guess what I am very allergic to. Anyone..no? Dust among several other things, of course. Guess what San Angelo has a lot of....yep. So, that began my great love for tissues. I tried to get by on store brand because we all know I try to be thrifty where I can, but there is just no hope there. (That and tp...you can't be chintzy when it comes to tp....have to do a post about that someday. :) I went to Kleenex because it was familiar. I used them for years and then for some reason one day I tried Puffs. I think it was winter and I had a very chapped nose and I was desperate. Kleenex didn't have their version of the lotion kind at the time. It was love at first blow. I couldn't believe the difference it made. Then, I started buying for the seasons. Regular Puffs for every day. The Plus with lotion for winter and then...then, they came out with Ultra. It was like tissue bliss! I have to admit that I didn't really like how greasy the lotion ones were and the ultra seemed to have the right mix of everything that is wonderful and fabulous for my nose. AAaaahhhh...Puffs....you had me at hello.

Okay, although, I still think very highly of the ultras, I have switched back to the lotion ones. Sam's Club is the bulkiest way to buy tissues and they only carry the lotion ones. I was a little hesitant at first because, again, I don't like the greasiness. I was pleasantly surprised to find that is no longer the case. Yay!

Now, you may be wondering what brought all this on? Then again, maybe you aren't wondering that. Well, let me shed some light on the subject anyway. I have a project in mind....involving my tissue boxes. Since they are ever present in so many "public" rooms, I want to make covers for them. If I were the box designer for Puffs, I wouldn't be having this dilemma, but since I'm not, I found this tutorial over at Design Sponge. I'll have to tweak it for the bigger boxes I buy, but she explains how to do that, so it shouldn't be any big deal. I honestly can't tell you how excited I will be to have my tissues within easy reach in all rooms necessary AND color coordinated to go with the decor. Really, its the little things in life....

Oh, and on a related recent occurrance, I sent my nephew, Elijah, his extraordinarily, super-duper, there-is-really-no-excuse, two-month late birthday money. I can't just send money in a card. It bothers me. There should be more to it than that. Just a thing I have. Anyway, you know those little travel packs of tissues? Well, I took one, took all the tissues out, folded all the bills to fit in the folds of nearly all the tissues, then stuffed them back into the package and mailed it that way. :) I like to give presents in as creative and interesting a way as possible. Anyway, his younger brother, Gabe, told him not to throw the tissues away because he could use them. Aaahhhh! That is a young man after my own heart! Love it!!!

Girly, sparkly, shininess

I got done with yet another project. I know there has been project craziness around here, but its better than me sitting around twittling my thumbs AND sometimes I just don't feel like doing the dishes. :) Okay, so here's the latest and I am loving how it turned out.

This is above Ailey's crib. I want to put a picture or something on the wall in between the curtains....that'll be for later, though. ;)

The metal frame is actually a pot hanger that we have had since we were first married. It was a hammered gray and black metal color and I spray painted it cream. The curtains are also from the same era and I just split one in half, made loops out of ribbon and sewed a border on.

These hooks are from Hobby Lobby and I got them in the clearance aisle for $1 a piece. (I got 3 of them, so I have another one to do something with... ) They were black, so I spray painted them the same cream color. I made the bows on the pot hanger and tie hooks using my gained knowledge from the handy dandy youtube videos courtesy of hair-hardware.

I think I might be having more fun and enjoyment with all the girly stuff than Ailey is at this point. It will definitely be interesting to see what kind of style emerges as she gets older. Just so you know, she does like it. She's also very attracted to pinks and purples, though she's just fine with blues, greens, yellows...etc. We'll see.

Remember my egg tree? I did say that I intended to find some sort of ornamental hangy things to put on it for after Easter so that it would be part of Ailey's room decor. Well, I couldn't leave well enough alone and I got to makin' some myself.

Here's what I've done so far. I also want to make an angel, but during the process of making these, Braden asked if I could make him and Zekey some. So, I decided to get another tree and I'm in the process of doing a space-themed one. :) Boys like shiny and sparkly, too, just as long as its boyish! I'll post pics of it when I get it done.

Here are some close ups of them.

Animal Storage revisited and some cuteness

I finished the animal storage "unit". I basically just took an old towel and cut the ends where the bands are off and then hemmed those edges. Then, I folded one of the long ends up to make a big pocket. I sewed both sides and then sewed down the middle making two pockets. I added the the ribbon loops at the top first, then sewed that ribbon band over them for aesthetic purposes. I added the ribbon to the edges of the pocket because I was convinced it was needed. :) At first, I was going to put this under the window where all the other toys are "arranged", but then got the idea to hang it on the front of her crib where she would have access at night or whenever, since she likes to sleep with them all anyway.

Not too shabby, well maybe shabby chic? I think I want to aim that way in decorating her room. It'll fit her for a long time until she older and starts having her own ideas about how she wants her room to look and feel. :)

While I was in the process of capturing my latest "creation", Ailey came in to investigate. She had a really big smile on her face. She peeked in the pockets and then in her bed. I left her bunny and Baby Brenna in her bed and she decided that they needed to join the rest of the clan. So, up and over she climbed to retrieve them.

She tried to put them in from the top....

They didn't quite fit, so....

She climbed back out of her bed with them to try it from the front.

There was some rearranging involved to make room.

Brenna fits that way just fine...apparently.

I mentioned in a previous post that Ailey has a liking for backpacks. She was carrying Braden's Thomas backpack around for a few days until.....This came in the mail from Aunt Jenny, Uncle Ben and her cousins Elijah, Luke, Gabe and Boaz!!!!

How perfect is that?!?! She LOVES this thing. Its name, as you can see is Tippy Toad, but she calls her Tippy Toes. I love that. Gonna keep that going. Its just so cute! See the grabby hands? She couldn't handle that I had put it up there where she couldn't get to it. Oh, and all those necklaces, save one, are courtesy of Granny who also brought a bag full of dress up clothes. Still working on the dress-up trunk.

Curtains!

I finally finished the curtains for the living room and Ailey's room over the weekend. I may add some embellishments to Ailey's eventually, but for now they cover the windows and are finished enough.

The living room curtains turned out better than I expected. I was a bit concerned that after all the seam allowances that they wouldn't end up spanning the window all the way. They took a lot more thought and math and problem solving than I originally expected as well. Whew! Math as many people know is definitely NOT my strong suit and often, my calculations go awry. This time, however, all went as planned! Yippee!! I actually managed to make them reversible, so when you see the pics, I have one hung on one side and the other on the other to show the variation. I haven't decided which side I like better, yet. Anyway, here are pics of the finished product:

I think I'll end up hanging them both with the light side majority. To me it makes the walls seem less dark. I really like the texture of the darker tan, though, so its a tough decision. I might hang them on the lighter side in the cold months and the darker in the warm or something....

Those two chairs are going to receive a makeover at some point....mwwhhahaha!

I thought these turned out pretty cute.

I might add some flower buttons at the top in between the seems under the tabs at some point, but I've got other stuff in my queue for now, so it'll just have to wait. I am also wanting to do different curtain rods, but we'll have to see what I come up with, eh?

I found the ribbon in the middle at Hobby Lobby and had to get it. It was calling to me...a driving force, if you will.;p Plus, it was 50% off and all. I already had the striped ribbon from a while back and thought it paired well together and so there you have it.

The funny thing is, I did one curtain for my bedroom first in the beginning of all the curtain commotion. I quilted it. I was working with fabric I already had. The silk curtains I got many years ago and a sheet that went to a set that I got around the same time that lost its fitted partner to an over-eager laundromat washing machine a year or so ago. I also had a package of craft-size batting that I had for a LONG time. Add in some half off ribbon from ye 'ole favorite craft store Hobby Lobby and viola! Curtains! I'll take a pic some day. I quilted the one and then left the other unquilted and decided I liked the unquilted one better. So, eventually, I intend to take a seam ripper to the quilted one to make them look alike and all. Eventually.

I decided not to quilt the curtains for the kids' rooms because, well....its a lot of stinkin' work! I made the boy's curtains curtains first. I cut up the curtains I had hanging in there and backed them with a flat sheet my mom brought me from her get-rid-of stash. They are pretty plain and after making Ailey's, I feel the need to dress them up a bit.. later. I am wanting to get them both bed sets for their birthday, so I'll wait until after then. Plus, I need to paint both rooms and then I'll do more accessorizing. Hopefully, the finished product will look something like the idea I have in my head... :)

Unexpected-ness

Yesterday, I washed all of the 0-3 mos. baby clothes that Sam so graciously got down out of storage for me and then folded it all. We then moved the chest of drawers into Ailey's room so that the aforementioned clothing has a place to be kept. I had also gotten the bassinet out so I could go ahead and set it up. I didn't get a chance to set it up right away, so it was right before bed time when I went ahead and started that and realized that I had put the material covering for the whole thing somewhere else. I also found that I did not have the boppy where I thought I had put it. yeah. irritation. So, now Sam has to get back up into the loft area and see if he can find it. Meanwhile, in my now-feeling-the-baby-coming-soon-crunch, I have begun to search on craigslist for a used bassinet and I'll have to see where I can get a boppy the cheapest if it can't be found. Not really what I had in mind at this point. Oh, well.

*****Update**** Sam, who is just awesomeness, got back up in the loft and found both the missing items! Yay!!! Ya see, Nersa, the baby usually ends up in the bed after the first time I have to wake up to nurse, but what I do is put the boppy in the bassinet and then during the day the baby has a place to nap and stays swaddled really well. Seems to sleep longer that way. Now to find a way to sound-proof my room from all the other kid noises.....

Zekey's first dentist visit

Today Zekey went for his first check up at the dentist office. He did such a good job. The lady that cleaned his teeth said that he did better than some of the older kids that come in there. I thought that was funny. When he goes to appointments that are just about him, he's usually super laid back and follows instructions very well. The x-rays were a bit of a challenge because the film for the sides of his mouth were a bit big for him and he kept gagging. The first lady kept trying, but couldn't get him to close his mouth right over it, so she was just going to leave it. They ended up having to retake the frontal x-ray anyway and a different lady did it the second time and she was able to get the sides as well. :) Try, try again! The dentist office has two play areas and there is a t.v. in the exam area as well, so Zekey was super focused on the movie they had playing. It all ended with no cavities, a yellow balloon and a prize bag with a new toothbrush and little flossers. He was quite the happy camper. Way to go Zekes!!!

Big time disappointment!

Back in December, I placed an order with Mabel White Laboratories. Its a DIY site for homemade soap, lotion, etc. and they have essential oils and bases for lotions and such. I was super excited because this site had the best prices in conjunction with the shipping prices for the essential oils and shea butter and container and what-have-you! Well, a couple of weeks went by and I still had not received my order, so I emailed them to see what was going on. I got a response that same day saying that she and her staff had gotten sick over the holidays and they were just getting back into getting the orders out. She told me that she would send it the next day by a much quicker way than what I had paid for and that she would also include a free gift for the long wait. Well, I can understand about being sick and having to get caught up. I told her that since I knew it was on its way, she didn't have to worry about the free gift or the speedier mailing process and that I was content to wait for my order to get here by the mailing preference I had paid for. I also gave her my hopes for a speedy recovery for her and her staff.

Okay, fast forward another month. Yep, it had still not arrived! So, I emailed again. I asked if my order had been shipped yet. I just figured that the catching up was still behind. I will give the benefit of the doubt for a while. I got NO response this time.

Now another month has gone by and I wrote again to inform them that I wanted a refund and that I was going to pursue reimbursement through paypal. Unfortunately, I can't because it has been over 45 days. Bummer! So, I did the next best thing I could think of....I contacted the Better Business Bureau in the state she is licensed in and filed a complaint and request for reimbursement. We'll see how it goes.

Now you all know that when I am excited about something I will do a post and promote it. The opposite is true when I come across a situation like this. I will do a post and warn as many people about it as possible!!! I certainly don't see the need for anyone else to pay for a product(s) they are never going to receive. So, here's my warning:

I would highly advise AGAINST buying from Mabel White Laboratories, Mabel White DIY or Mabel White Home Living Corporation!!!

Here is the web address so you know: http://www.mabelwhite.com/ and this is the supply co. I actually ordered from: http://www.mabelwhite.com/SupplyCo/index.htm

After not receiving a response for so long, I went and did a little google research and much to my dismay, I am not the only one who has had issues of this sort with this company. There are apparently many complaints about this company and if I had researched it more thoroughly, I could have completely avoided this whole thing. Oh, well, live and learn!

Preggo pics!

A slackin' I have been.... I did take a couple of belly pics back in November, after I started feeling better. I think that was around 4.5 months. I took some more the other day, so 8-months-ish. Here ya go:

Don't hate on my messy house. ;p

This is what Sam and I affectionately call my buda-belly.

Deo update....

I was really thinking the homemade deodorant experiment was a complete success, but alas I ran into a warm weather snag. Yeah, ew. Hello, B-O! Who invited you?! I was using the simple coconut oil, baking soda and corn starch recipe. For the winter it was just fine. Didn't have any issues. I ran out about two weeks ago and decided to try a recipe that included beeswax. Now, in all fairness the recipe calls for tea tree oil and shea butter and I didn't have either. Tea tree oil is a combatant of bacteria, so I'm sure it probably is an important ingredient. I just winged it since it was not present in this here house. Let's just say I was out and about a couple of times and B.O. decided to rear its ugly head. Yuck! I hate it when that happens. The only thing I could do was use baby wipes to buy myself some time until I could get home and reapply. Anyway, I was on the verge of going back to a store bought deodorant, though more in the natural direction like the crystal deodorant or the like. Anyway, I remember seeing this one guy's comment at the bottom of one of the deodorant recipes I had come across in my google wanderings. He said all he does is get his pit damp and pat on plain ole baking soda. Well, I tried it in my desperation. Anything not to have to go to the store at this point....;p So far, so good. Apparently, I was trying too hard. Now we will have the true test when we go to homeschool group coop. There are stairs which leads to sweating on my part at this point. Plus, its getting warmer and my body in its hormonal state takes issue with the temperature. Anyway, I will be taking a small container of the baking soda with me just in case, but I will definitely report on my findings........

****Reporting on findings: I'm dry and smell free! I don't even have to apply it every day. Amazing. I'll keep ya updated as summer approaches along with a baby, nursing and moby wrap wearing. Gonna put this stuff through its paces and see how it holds up!

Stuffed Animal Storage Genius and a Pondering

Okay, so whoever came up with this is a GENIUS!!!

This is the Boon animal storage bag. It also doubles as a seat. Where was this when I was growing up?! I had stuffed animals out the wazoo! (Don't ask me what a wazoo is because I don't know. Fun to say, though. :) I am going in a different direction for Ailey's growing pile of cuddlies, but I just had to share this because it is such a fantastic solution! When I have finished maiming a towel we don't really use anymore, I'll show you the destination of the direction in which I'm aiming.

On to the pondering. There are times when I, in my preggo state, get awakened by an overly full bladder and must make a mad waddle to the bathroom before disaster strikes. If I have not weaned my water intake in the evening, sometimes said midnight potty rendezvous doubles and possibly triples. On nights like these, usually I end up not being able to go back to sleep for a long period of time and I start pondering things. The other night's pondering had to do with -clude. First of all, it really does sound funny if you think about it. Second of all, look at all the prefixes just for -clude: in-, ex-, pre-, oc-, con-, se- and those are just the ones I could think of....I'm sure there are more. Oh, and don't ask me why I was thinking about that, I'm just giving you a little peak into my brain activity at 3 in the morning...

Happy Birthday, Ailey Grace!!!

Ailey turned 2 today. Wow. She's quite an amazing little girl. Lots of mess mixed with lots of cute sweetness and hoh-boy! She's so much fun, though and we are truly blessed by her. Thank you so much ,Precious Lord, for giving us such a special gift! It is such an adventure to be her parents and I know that God has power-packed her full of amazing things to use in furthering His kingdom! So, without further ado:

Happy Birthday, Sweet Lerloo!!!!

Here is the onslaught of photographic memories -

Good morning, Birthday Girl!

I decorated the night before. That's what the group of things from Target and the special occasion was about a few posts back.... I wanted to keep it simple, but I had to do a pinnacle birthday banner, so I ended staying up too late making it on the computer, cutting it out and threading the ribbon through each one.

Zekey was more excited about the whole affair than Ailey and kept asking if it was his birthday. :)

This one is a keeper. I hope she likes pink and green for many years to come.... ;p

Sweetness!

I put some of those party blowers on the table, so the kids were very entertained while I got breakfast ready.

Ailey couldn't blow hard enough in it to make it work, but she was having a good time trying....

Waffle birthday breakfast

Cookie Birthday Cake, yummmmm!

Wasn't exactly what I had planned to do and I went all kinds of crazy with the icing and colors, but its the taste that counts and it counted!

The whole shebang

closeup

Ailey has been wearing this back pack around for most of day lately.

Ailey was LOVING all the attention as we sang to her. She kept singing "happy birthday to you" over and over again.

Zekey actually blew her candles out for her in all his excitement, so Sam lit them again so she could blow them out.

See Zekey's puggy face? :) She did a very good job blowing them out!

That is an "I did it!" grin.

Granny got her a pink vacuum.

Daddy was having a fun time opening it....

Some assembly was required.

And off she went!

We got her a pink bean bag, so they all now have their very own.

Zekes was having a very hard time because Ailey was in no mood to share her new toy and he VERY much wanted to play with it. Braden was more interested in the assembly part. :)

Braden and Zekey helped open her presents. Braden sounded like he was her tour guide. It was funny. He helped me put this present together because it was from him and Zekes.

That plush flower was only a dollar at Target and she loved it. So funny!

Apparently the scepter and crown that I made her isn't of interest, yet. Maybe later, eh?

Zekey, however, was most willing to try it on and pose for a pic.

I didn't get pictures, but Sam put both the crown and the flower headband on and oh, how I wish I had captured that!