Only

So I'm standing in front of my kitchen sink doing dishes looking out the window, deciding what to make for supper. I glance up at the clock on the wall and it states that it's a little after 2:00. And I think "*gasp* I *only* have 4 hours until we leave for church".

Only 4 hours. Puh.

Heavenly

Remember this? I admit I have taken the "color" thing to new levels about every year.






Oh, COME ON! How beautiful is that?!?! Color makes me happy. Not like you couldn't tell or anything.

My Week.

Monday
10:00 katie comes to babysit
11:00 child support hearing
6:00 school carnival meeting at high school

Tuesday
9:00 bible study
Sister has appt. to see if she has her baby!!! I will also have
her daughter sometime this week (hopefully this week)
2:00 katie comes to babysit
4:00 Harry & I appt. with Anne

Wednesday
I would LOVE to take a friend out this day.
We will see if it works out!
6:30 church

Thursday
5:30 leave for work
6:00 carnival meeting (obviously won't make that one)
Have my nephew overnight

Friday
3:10 get Olivia and Darin for weekend
3:30 get my nephew back to his dad
5:30 - 8 school carnival (finally!)

Saturday
2am wake up
3am go to church to work the lock in for the kids
7:30 garage sales (city-wides if I can make it to that location)
church clean-up day

Sunday
8:30 church
5:00 bring kids back to .... town

So this makes 22 times into "town" one-way this week. 20 minutes each. How much is gas, again? I like the weeks I can sit and catch up on laundry, have a cup of coffee during nap time, have supper ready when Harry gets home...you know. But if I didn't have weeks like this one, would I really appreciate the relaxed ones?

Ahh, I love it! Just right!

You Are Bare Feet

You are a true free spirit, and you can't be tied down. Even wearing shoes can be a little too constraining for you at times! You are very comfortable in your own skin. You are one of the most real people around. You don't have anything to hide. Open and accepting, you are willing to discuss or entertain almost any topic. You are a very tolerant person. You are accepting and not judgmental. You should live: Somewhere warm You should work: At your own business, where you can set the rules

http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofshoeareyouquiz/
So, what kind of shoe am I again? None? Go me!

Meme!

I’ve been tagged! And the rules are…
1) link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog
2) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird
3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by linking their names as well as links to their blog
4) let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

At Ann's request, I would be happy to share 7 weird random things about myself

1. I eat everything in twos. 2 jellybeans (LOVE the coconut, but can't stand the buttered popcorn flavor - and they are WAY TOO similar in color! - Result: Mmm, uhh, ack, quick swallow.), 2 bites of hot dog at a time, 2 m&ms. Same color, 2 blue, 2 red, and the one yellow, one brown, and one orange left goes to Harry.

2. DO NOT go in circles around me. E.V.E.R. Drives me nuts. If I walk to the left of you, I will be going by you the same way when I leave, so there is nothing that has gone in a full circle around me. if I fail, it makes me twitch - and explaining that to people makes me sound like the biggest fruitcake of the holiday. Tina. I don't say this to egg you on. Don't be showing up Sunday and running around me. You will pay. :)

3. I am smitten with action movies, but hardly can stand them anymore because of the language and nudity. There are a few I have found that are great, but it's rare. LOVE the theatrical version and unrated version where you can choose to leave the junk out of the movie. GREAT thinking, people. Love Bruce Willis - he looks like my brother a little - same mannerism.

4. I adore coffee. But not black coffee. I like to to buy flavored creamer - it's the only way to drink my only addiction. They are all growing on me, but Carmel Vanilla .... The Bomb so far.

5. Organizing by color makes me feel peaceful. :) Seriously.

6. I long to be older....Oh, do I long. 26, as I know I've said before is a party age. That's not me. I party with my toddlers, not the college pub crowd.

7. I grew up a "city....(town) girl", but I live out here with the sunsets, corn and bean fields, bugs (EWW), and farm equipment as of last year and LOVE IT. We just got Sadie, a 4 year old golden lab yesterday. "That's all I have to say about that."

I tag 2 people that have disappeared lately! Angela and Natalie

Gentle, Strong, and ... Surprising??

How many of you KNOW that we have our husbands figured out? Let's all say a "ME!!!" together. I know that when Harry gets ready for bed, he frowns, smacks his lips, puts his hands up a little ways and say "what do we got to eat?". Something cold, of course. Let me make you a verbal menu, sweetheart.

Or if I notice he is frowning more than usual I can ask "Are you okay?" and I will immediately get a response with a bigger frown: "Yeah, are YOU okay?" LOL, that's a classic. Pegged.

*Note: forgive me for all the punctuation errors here and run-ons, but it happened like this in my head.

So, last week on a Saturday I was going to be helping a friend, Mary, serving food at a basketball game for our church. I went to garage sales that morning, and then came home to hang out for a few hours before leaving for the night. My husband was extra attractive to me all day, and I admit, I had to let him know how I felt about him. He had this glow about him - wow, this man is gorgeous. :) And he's MINE! Little did I know where this glow was coming from. It wasn't me imagining it - it was excitement all bottled up.

Almost 5:00, have to be there by 5:30, so I started getting wipes filled up, diapers, bottles/sippy cups to go, you know...be prepared for toddlerhood ...... outside the house. Oh, Stacy still needs socks and shoes on. Then a friend of mine, Lisa, shows up with her daughter, and I ask her if she was "just in the neighborhood" - which....NO. ONE. is. just. in. the. neighborhood. out. here. Middle of nowhere - seriously. So here I am trying to think of a polite way to kick her back out the door because we have to be leaving....like now... - oh no - she's taking her shoes off....ahh, wait! Don't take those off just yet...we have to leave....Stacy needs socks and shoes, still....all these thoughts in the midst of small talk.

Then Harry pops up behind me and starts pulling me out the door. Wait- the kids! What?! He's dressed up for a basketball game. Do I have to wash nacho cheese dip out of that outfit tomorrow? "Ahh, do I need to change?" Lisa says "bye!" with a big smile on her face and takes Stacy in the living room to look out the window - at the middle of nowhere, and I am still worried about finishing the diaper bag packing.
"What is going on here - what just happened? Do I need to call Mary?"
"No, Mary's in on it. Here, put this on." as he hands me a bag with a dress, shoes, and matching undergarments, because that's just a complex I have. Okay, no basketball game I assume. This man will not tell me anything. AT. ALL! We played 60 questions on the way there, and I finally realized that he was telling me nothing of the truth as he answered these. I think it was the one he answered about "we're going to a Motley Crew concert" that I finally picked up on the fact that this was all bull hunkey. He told me about 10 times to just sit back and enjoy the evening. But me, being this planning fruitcake, has to have it all figured out before it happens. HELLO!

We get to a nice restaurant, very nice meal, good conversation, relaxing, glass of wine....did I mention no kids? You can actually hear each other talk quietly! lol Then he takes me to UNI - Walked in, this is the Waterloo/CF Symphony. Now, I LOVE things like this and my husband planned this whole day just for us....well, me really. Made all the phone calls, worked everything out, kept it a secret - and I knew this man.....he baffled me.

I know he reads these, so honey, I just want to let you know how absolutely special you are and it's times like these that I really realize how much I take you for granted. Thank you, thank you for putting our marriage on the top priority list. It would be so easy after Andy's death for us to fall apart, and by you taking the extra time lately and pouring it into us really shows me that we can come through this together, holding hands. I love you so, so much.

Miss Bimbo

I have a great idea. Let's teach our little girls (9 and up) to think about multiple jobs, multiple boyfriends, sexy underwear, boob jobs, diet pills, and cosmetic surgery. Oh wait, someone's already been on it. Have you people heard about this?!

MissBimbo.com makes me want to live way out in the country with oil lamps. We have the first part down already, I guess. Can you get wireless internet along with oil lamps, or don't those two mesh together?

Along with the french kiss game, this game gives out attitude points, people. Ugh, check it out and get educated - it's coming to a home near you!

My chef of a 2 year old.

Tiffany got out a big pot today and wanted to "egg, egg, cook". So I got out a little omlet pan for her. By herself, she sprayed the pan, cracked the eggs (she likes to sqeeze them, so we have to review to tap it on the counter first), 2 small eggshell pieces easy to take out, picked out a spatula and stirred it up, I added some salt and got a "Oh, thank you Mommy", then added her handful of cheese. Holy cow, when did she grow up. No, she didn't eat it. She served it to Stacy, who gladly accepted. She is very careful about getting burned, too. It's just built into her - I better take some cooking classes before she starts teaching ME how to cook.

Cleaned out our raspberry patch yesterday - I feel spring coming on!

Happy Easter!

Tiffany saw this huge bunny walking down the sidewalk and she darted toward him. This is a sprint, Ladies and Gentlemen.

















Happy Easter to you, Andy. We sent you off a balloon today!

I was just standing here doing dishes. No, I'm not sure how long my house will smell like this little guy. Aren't you supposed to be hybernating??




















But, it's a true sign that spring will feel like spring any time now. No, really, any time now. I'm super excited for a garden this spring!

Dear Andy,

1. You were perfect.
2. I have cried more tears for you than I knew I had.
3. I. Miss. You. Oh, I miss you.

I love you always,
Mom

Lovely Store Guide

I just wanted to say... we have a couple local grocery stores here, and I visit both. But on my way out of the store that has the bus (or maybe it's the front of a big yellow minivan) attached to the cart for the kids . . . I found a STORE GUIDE! This little guide maps out all the isles and rows with locations of food printed on them. As I make my grocery list, I write it out according to wherever I am shopping that day (aka whoever has great sales items). So the tuna helper and juice and canned foods always seem to be jumbled because those are the middle-of-the-store isles, and I don't have that much memory span in my little brain. But NOW there's a GUIDE - wanna know how this whole thing goes down? I'll tell you.

As the week goes on, I have a little spot in my daily planner on my counter that is made for grocery lists. As I notice something getting low, or just plain non-existant in my home and I NEED (note: sometimes NEED means M&Ms or Twizzlers if the price is right) it, I jot it down on my little list. Then the morning of the Big Adventure Out, I make sure I have gone through the sales ads, sit down with a fresh paper and write my list out in order according to store. But now there is no gap in my list. And let me tell you, when you're chugging through the isles trying to focus on which groceries you needed with 5 children needing your attention at that specific moment in time, you lose a little more sanity. So thank you, very very much for your store guide. I can now venture out with the children much easier than before, because I can weave swiftly up and down the isles and quickly grab things off the shelf IN ORDER without skipping a beat. Sure beats stopping at the end of each isle to check things off my list, then forgetting something and have to backtrack 3 rows, then remember where I was. Did I mention it's impossible to do this with children - good thing we have Daddy for you guys? Have I expressed this ENOUGH??? THANK YOU FOR THE STORE GUIDE!!!

Title?

How did this guy fit in my belly just a few short days ago??
And, here was our final Christmas picture this year. Pat-A-Cake works wonders!!

That's all for today - I have diapers to change.

Andy

Andy Duane Whiteside joined us at 9:25 a.m. on Wednesday. 7 pounds 1 oz. and 19 1/4 inches tall. We will go home in the morning and watch the snow fall until Christmas. What a gift! I'll get some pictures on here soon.

I LOVE THE SMELL OF NEW BABIES!

Update

So, it's been forever and a day, I know.

Does this make up for it?

My baby is walking...but the video wouldn't upload...sorry. It was a good one, too. :)

The cats wouldn't even eat my smokin' good side - so, it was chicken alfredo with no garlic bread - tsk, tsk.

I awoke at 3:20 am Friday to dive into this with Harry's cousins.

Baby #3 will officially arrive on December 19th at approximately 9:00 am (if not sooner).

And the kids got to have a bowlful of marshmallow Jell-O before breakfast last Saturday.

And I'm nesting..... b. a. d.

And I am 26 now. How embarrassing to say that.....for the record, I'd like to be thought of as 32. Please. 26 sounds like a kid. I hate it when people ask me my age, because 26 is a party age, isn't it? 28 is almost established, and 31 is established. So please, I beg you, don't say "oh, you're so young!" That may be the worst phrase for me to ever hear. The worst is when women I consider to be my friends say "I could be your mother". Ugh. Fine, I'll go to my room.

And I got through 6 1/2 hours last night without getting up to pee. Woo Hoo!

A Picture for You Today

I was out picking apples minding my own business, and heard .... this ....

Nice, huh?

And then I heard a little chicken say that the sky is falling - I just may believe him today.

Super Cool

This incredible machine was built as a collaborative effort between the Robert M. Trammell Music Conservatory and the Sharon Wick School of Engineering at the University of Iowa.

Amazingly , 97% of the machines components came from John Deere Industries and Irrigation Equipment of Bancroft Iowa ; yes, farm equipment!

It took the team a combined 13,029 hours of set-up, alignment, calibration, and tuning before filming this video but as you can see it was WELL worth the effort

It is now on display in the Matthew Gerhard Alumni Hall at the University and is already slated to be donated to the Smithsonian.

My Top 20 Updates For You

I have 5 loads of laundry waiting to be folded, and here I sit - in front of the computer. Why? Because I love you. Wait, there's more. I'm going to give you a little update by a list instead of rambling on about EVERYTHING, even though I know you're all speed-readers.

1. There were 6 gallons of milk in my fridge last week.
2. I get a weekend away with my husband ALONE in Colorado next weekend. Flying out Friday at 6:15am. NO children, wellll, almost no children. But no diapers and messes and bibs and nap time really means no children, doesn't it?
3. The mulching stage in the garden is almost complete. We were almost on time.
4. The dishes are also piling up quickly. I guess when I run out of plates or silverware I will get motivated enough.
5. We signed up for Netflix.
6. I have a lack of spiritual excitement lately.
7. I am in love with my new diaper bag.
8. I get to go scrapbooking Friday night!
9. I find that if I separate my daycare kids during nap time, they sleep for at least another hour and a half - how? Well, I asked them in a very casual moment in their day. It seems the younger one would wake up in the middle of nap time and jump on his brother. Amazingly, it wakes him up, and then down they both come to have their fruit snacks.
10. I have had 3 root beer floats this week.
11. I feel the beginning of an addiction for the smoothies at the local gas station - you know, the one that sells bananas? You have a choice of 3 flavors, grab it from the freezer, and put it under the blender thingy. Too good!
12. We have 10 apple trees.
13. I bought a cookbook an inch and a half thick with apple recipes. 25 cents....
14. I love garage sales.
15. I have 2 Christmas gifts wrapped already.
16. My husband has won once out of the last 2 weeks in our cribbage battles.
17. Bought a new cribbage board. Plastic. holds the pegs and cards inside when you fold it down in half. 10 cents
18. I just noticed where the fire extinguisher is just now. We've lived here 2 and a half months.
19. I also just noticed how many of these start with the word "I". Nooooo, it's not all about me! Where's your proof?
20. And my final update for you.....I smelled a skunk this morning. Harry just may feel like putting his second one to rest soon.

Nothing that would make Oprah, so that's good news, but since I've been an aweful blogger, there ya' go.

Wordless Wednesday - Sisters

My Kissin' Girl

Melts my heart. At naptime and bedtime, I sit next to Tiffany's crib and read a story from our Disney book. She usually falls asleep somewhere at the end. Her favorite thing to do as I'm reading, though, is poke her little head up and pucker up through the bars. So I give my baby a kiss, and she lays back down with her baby and her bottle with a little twinkle in her eyes.

I pray I never forget that.

Any Dad

Please visit www.IowaFathers.com for more information