Highly Suggestible

Everyone keeps asking if I have had any crazy pregnancy cravings.

You know the type.

3 am finds me in the refrigerator with one hand holding the pickle jar and the other digging through various leftovers while at the same time I am finishing off a bowl of cookie dough ice cream.

But that hasn't happened. There was the one time that we were at a bbq and I discovered I had to go out for donuts immediately. Last week I was in dire need of a grape slushie.

I think those are pretty isolated incidents thus far.

However, you can pretty much convince me within a short time span that I want whatever you tell me that I want. Commercial for KFC? Honey, you'd better put your shoes on. Chocolate chip cookies? Get out the baking sheets. Breakfast for dinner? Great Dan, just great. Thanks a ton.

My omelette wasn't quite as pretty as his frittata. Nor is it as fancy a word. But boy, was it yummy. Fresh out of the garden red bell pepper, onion, eggs, (mixed with my secret ingredient) tomato, bacon, and feta cheese.

Since it was breakfast for dinner, we might as well make a pot of decaf as well. Foamed milk and mocha mint creamer.

Delectable. Now, what should I have tomorrow?

Saturday Photo Scavenger Hunt -- Pink

I love having a reason to take pictures so I thought I would join up with the weekly scavenger hunt...

Pink for me is the easiest thing to find around my house at the moment. We have pink gift bags full of pink onesies and pink sleepers, a new pink & brown stroller and car seat,(which I LOVE, thank you family!) , pink teether toys, pink bibs, pink blankets and handmade afghans and hand sewn quilts.

But I got another fabulous pink gift in the mail on Tuesday. It was even better because I received it at my work address and who doesn't love a present at your desk when you get to work? (Which has been happening quite frequently lately since my huge church shower!)

Blogger Kerrianne sent me these sweet pink booties. I have determined that I am going to learn how to sew them and make them in every color possible...





PhotoHunt

Brownies! From Scratch!

I don't think I've ever made any better...nor will they ever be able to compare again. Growing up, I always made brownies from scratch but they were never really amazing. So I gave up started using the box mixes and adding to it a box of chocolate pudding. Even if it was a generic brand of brownie mix, the pudding made it spectacular.



Last week, I thought I would be a little more domestic than usual and try anew to made a great pan of brownies from scratch.

Ok, I realize it's probably not all that impressive. But I don't
bake all that often so I need to pat myself on the back a little.


Although today I did make an amazing chocolate cheesecake. I'd show you a picture, but it's in the oven and cheesecakes are rather sensitive creations.

Just know that it melts in your mouth and will have shaved chocolate, home made cream and fresh raspberries on top.

It's All Free!!

Can I just say how much I love Freecycle?

With all the house projects going on lately (more pictures and posts on that! How-to's for everyone!) there are many things that I am finding I don't want, don't need, and can't possibly keep around anymore. Lightbulbs, little tables, books, bags, the list goes on!

So why not just have someone else come take it away for me? Good stuff needn't be thrown away. It needs to be claimed as new by someone other than me.

If you're not signed up with your local freecycle group, check into it and see if you have one. It's a great way to reuse still-good items. Plus, you never know what you'll find for yourself on there!

My next step is listing my for-sale things on Craigslist. We need to make some money for those many house projects...

Could it BE any cuter?

more funny pictures

When BAD is Good

Blog Action Day. I've been reading a lot of different blogger's environmental advice posts today and been really excited about what is going on. It's so easy to see all that is wrong with the world and how many people give no thought for the environment at all. However, there are a lot of good people doing a lot of good things.

Whoorl listed healthy, environmentally safe cleaning products. I was just about to pull out a notebook and pen (or at least bookmark this particular post) when I realized I use a lot of these products already! My goal is to start finding ways to make a lot of my own cleansers as well.

Wardrobe Refashion is a site that is already dedicated to reusing and recycling as much as possible. You sign up with a commitment for two, four or six months that you will not purchase any new clothing. If you need something you will remake an item you already have or sew something new, usually from thrifted fabrics. I haven't gotten around to making this commitment, but I have become much more conscious of not buying new clothes. My expanding belly makes it hard, but I seem to be pretty content in my options.

LAB didn't say she was posting necessarily for blog action day, but yesterday's read was chock full of fabulous suggestions to reduce one's carbon footprint and make wise choices.

Ok, just one more. another tangential thinker listed a bunch of great things she has chosen to do since she just moved into a new home.

Lots of great ways we can be smarter about how we live and what we live with. Today I'm burning candles rather than turning on the heat. It's not quite cold enough for the heat yet. Plus, since we (again, we meaning Andy) are sanding two rooms worth of hardwood floors, we have the vents blocked off and it wouldn't be such a great idea to blow the sawdust all over the house!

As soon as the floors are done and it is time to turn the heat on, we're going to get a duct cleaning done. This will improve our airflow and reduce the amount of heat we need to use and help with dust as well.

I'm planning on getting my garden winterized today. Pile some leaves and heap some nutrient-laden dirt so that next year my veggies will grow better and more of my garden will be usefully productive.

What are you doing today to be wisely active?

Nu Uh!

Talena awarded me the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award.


Funny, this award matches the Rocking Guitar I want someday.





Or do I want this one? Ah, it's too hard to decide.


Which reminds me that I need to practice. I have to say I have practiced twice this week, which, granted, is not a lot but it is way more than usual. Since hubby is upstairs grinding the floor down (and it is looking fabulous, I must say!) now is a perfect time for me to work on my chords. (edited to add: I started this post at 6 and now it's 8 and I haven't practiced yet. Ok, Ok, I'm going!!)


You know who I think rocks? Jean. How she juggles the kids, the working from home, the cooking for other people, the home improvement...I sure don't know. But she rocks. She misses me after two days (truly it felt like a week!), keeps me sane when my world is falling apart, encourages me in my every venture and never fails to warm my heart. Plus, next week she gets to fill in for me at my rock star job! Take the award, my friend! You deserve it.

Swallowing My Pride with My Coffee

No one ever wants to admit that they were wrong. No one especially wants to admit that they were wrong twice. I guess I'm not saying I'm wrong, was wrong, whatever, but my admission is still embarrassing for some reason.

We had to get rid of another kitty. Me, a lover of all things furry and kitty-like, had to send away another member of my furry family. It's depressing, is what it is. It's admitting that I've failed as a kitty-mommy.

Clara was angry. Deliberately pooing two feet away from her litter box. Not every day, but at least three times a week. We tried changing the brand of litter, wiping down the inside of the box, keeping her in her own space, etc and etc. After a few months, she got madder and starting peeing two feet away from the box.

I put off "the talk" for as long as possible. She was really hubby's kitty. She preferred him over me any day. I didn't want to be the one to tell him that he had to get rid of his lap warmer, his music muse, his adoring little fluffy girl. Plus, I wasn't the one who had to clean up after her. But I also knew that I was done with the whole situation.

Last week hubby went to a leadership conference for several days in Atlanta. In my "condition" I'm not allowed to have anything to do with whatever comes out of the cats so I knew she had to go before he left on his trip.

Now, a week later and a kitty shorter, we are in the process of refinishing the floors in that room. Today we bought the replacement boards (yep, she ruined some enough that they were rotten and needed to be completely replaced), stain, and the needed accessories. Sometime this week we'll be renting the floor sander to strip the carpet glue and random paint from the hardwood. Honestly, we have been wanting to do this project for years, but this is just a crappy situation that it had to come through.

Cammie, our now-single kitty, seems to be adjusting well. The first few days she was extra needy and cuddly and I sometimes wondered if she was looking around for Clara. But at the same time, I think she likes being an only kitty, having all the attention. Fortunately, she has never had any accidents and doesn't seem to have any emotional problems for us to worry about. Let's just hope she likes babies. I don't think I could handle giving up one more.

How To Build a Brick Tree Ring

When you have limited yard space due to city living like we do, you may look for any spot available to brighten up the yard and plant flowers.

I've been wanting to build a brick ring around our tree between the sidewalk and the street for quite a while. Once we noticed the bricks on sale at Menard's we decided it was time.

They delivered our bags of top soil and bricks (rather than us making ten or more trips to cart it all in our car) and I got to work that very day.

After I measured and laid out the spacing for my bricks, I recruited Brother Bear to dig the trench around the tree. The ground wasn't too uneven, but I knew if we didn't dig at least a shallow trench, the bricks wouldn't lay properly. If you're going to do it, you have to do it right! Right?









Then the leveling takes place. Each brick, one at a time needs to have the ground smoothed, leveled and filled in as required. You should make sure that if there is a dip or your ground slopes that the bricks at least match up one to another. Now, I did not use a level in this process. When we built the retaining wall we did, but since I was only going three bricks high I made sure that it was flat from brick to brick but wasn't worried with absolute perfection.

Once you have the first layer done, the hard work is virtually over. (Other than the brick-carrying, of course!) Using a caulk gun and cement-like mortar, I put a squiggly layer on the bottom brick and lay the next over it, covering the joining gap. I forgot to take a picture of this step. So just picture a squiggle of cement glue and then me putting a brick over the squiggle. This keeps the bricks from shifting too much.

The trick to the second layer is chiseling your last brick in half. Make sure you're wearing protective goggles and not near any neighbor's cars...your eyes and your neighbors will appreciate this. I used a large brick chisel with a hand guard and my hammer. It doesn't seem to be an exact science and by the end I was just hauling away at the brick with my hammer. But it finally fit and no one is the wiser!

My last level was the easiest as it was just cement glue and laying the bricks on to finish it off. Hubby dumped all my dirt into the ring and I leveled it up and topped it off with a bag of Miracle Grow mix for extra nutrients.

Then comes my favorite part: the planting! I picked out black, dark purple, blue, and white as my primary colors and planted bulbs of tulips, muscari and hyacinths. Among those I put a good amount of bright white & yellow daffodils. I should have a good mix of early, mid and late spring flowers.

Above ground, you can see a few pots of cheerful fall mums. I wanted this to be as maintenance-free of a garden as possible, I chose all repeat customers. Gotta love the perennial! Most likely next year in late spring after the bulbs are done I'll plant piles of petunias, pansies and marigolds among the mums. This may also be a perfect spot for either morning glories and/or sunflowers.

Now I just have to wait until April. I hate waiting.

I Know I'm Not the Only One

Anyone else excited about Premier Week!? I know I am!!

Heroes on Monday
Grey's Anatomy & The Office tonight. And REALLY. Why did they have to schedule them both at the same time? Why do the executives at ABC & NBC hate me so much? Why?
Desperate Housewives & Brothers and Sisters on Sunday night.

Boy oh boy. Tonight the house is open to watch your choice of show. I don't know what to do. My DVR won't let me tape one and watch another. I think I might be taping The Office on our little tiny bunny-eared tv. Yikes!

Sunday, be ready to come over and start the festivities at 9 sharp!! Popcorn will be hot, buttery and fresh; Kool-aid will be chilled.

25 Week Picture

Saturday Morning Interview: Bring your own coffee

Jill over at The Diaper Diaries sent me a bunch of great questions…

1. You lead music for the kids which usually involves a lot of actions. I suspect you and Andy also sit at home making up words to "adult" songs. My mom and I used to have a whole routine to "Coming to America" by Neil Diamond. What song desperately is in need of actions to go with it?

--This is a fun question to be sure…whenever I sing during a “grown-ups” service at church, I always threaten our pastor with doing motions to all the songs! I think he’s always a little nervous that I will actually do it…

There are a lot of good U2 songs that need motions. Really, I could make up something for pretty much any song out there. It’s a gift, I know.

2. You are about to embark on this crazy thing called parenthood. What are you so excited for you can hardly wait?

--Cuddling/rocking/loving, seeing what she looks like, learning what to do and seeing Andy become a dad. He’s going to be amazing.

3. What are you so scared of you wish human gestation was 9 years instead of 9 months.

--Being good at it. I never really enjoyed babysitting growing up unless it was for relatives. Probably because I already had an interest in them, but if it were just for neighbors or something, I usually dreaded it. I’m afraid I won’t like it, afraid that I’ll be horrible at it. I know that’s a typical worry and that everyone says I’ll be fine…but still…

4. Your hubby is quite the rock star. If you and he were to form a band and tour the world, what instrument would you play and what would the name of the band be?

--I think I would play bass. Partially because it’s the easiest (if you want to just get the basics down anyway…to be a “good” bass player it’s more complex…) and partially because Andy says chick bass players are cool…Plus, I already have a sweet bass picked out.

I also might have to snag some lead singer stage time as well…but only on the songs that he writes specifically for my range and which are easy to sing while playing the bass at the same time!

Funny bit of info: we actually have already written one song for my chick rock band. Yes, he would be playing in MY chick rock band. The name of the band? We’ve known that for years: Jezebelle.

5. Ok, lover of cats. I am a dog person myself. The baby is allergic and you are forced to get a different kind of pet (this will never happen, don't panic). What would you get and why?

--First of all, of course this will never happen!! We’ve had enough problems with our poor cats…

I don’t know if we would get anything else. We already have a couple fish, a dog just is too big and too much work for the size of our yard, and any other pet just isn’t as much fun. A pet is for keeping your lap warm when you’re reading a book or sleeping on your feet during the night. They greet you at the door with a purr and a meow and when they run around chasing their tail, their little bell jingles. A pet has genuine care and affection for you, even if only because you feed and love it first. Guinea Pigs? Fish? Turtles? What kind of snuggling can you get out of those? Eh.

I think we’d just wait it out until she grows out of it. We’re assuming that would happen because Andy was that way when he was a baby…so here’s hoping for NO allergies!!

Thanks Jill, for the interview! If anyone wants me to send questions for your own interview, put it in the comments and I’ll send them your way!

Projects Completed

Big Things. Like this summer's endless upholstery of about 20 booths for our 1st Grade classroom. I'm pretty proud of these. They really look amazing. And extra credit to the guy who refinished the wood and built the tables!


Medium Things. Like finishing up the theatre curtains for our 2nd & 3rd Grade classroom.


Little things. Like upholstering trashcan seats for our 4th & 5th Grade classroom and sewing a few flags for our Kindergarten Castle.











Can I just say we have the coolest kids' classes ever!? I remember Sunday school growing up and even though it was in our art room (church+school) it was pretty much a cement-block room. We sat at our little tables and learned our little lesson and sang our little songs. But fun? I don't know if there was much of that other than what we made ourselves trying to stay awake!! Not to knock that type of learning...I will admit that I am sure I learned a lot, but man, to be a kid in our church here? I wish I was in Kindergarten all over again.

I did squeeze in one non-work project recently. This Friday, I'm throwing a shower with a friend for another friend and I just finished her diaper bag. She picked out all the fabrics she liked and I went to work! I'm pretty happy with how it all turned out and I really hope she likes it!

Now I just have to find fabric for my own!

It's Corn that tastes like candy!

Personally, I always get excited at my first bag of candy corn each year. At work on Thursday, a friend was giving out the new candy corn flavored Hershey kisses. Those, I hated. However, I commented (before trying it for the first time) that I loved candy corn and couldn't wait for some. A few hours later, she walked into the office and handed me a bag!

Even better than a bag of candy corn? The candy Pumpkins!

The one candy corn I have never liked is the chocolate ones. I'm not sure why, but for me, the original is what I have to have.

The best part of my own bag of candy corn? Hubby doesn't like it at all so I don't even have to pretend to be willing to share!

Interesting info about candy corn as found on Wikipedia:

1. The National Confectioners Associates estimate 20 million pounds of candy corn are sold each year.
2. Candy corn was first invented in the 1880s by George Renninger and was originally made by hand.
3. October 30th is National Candy Corn Day.

13 Days Later

This is the first year I have loved fall as thoroughly as I am loving it this year. Granted, it's not officially fall yet, but the summer has been so hot and overwhelming that the cooler air and fresher breezes have invigorated me.

I usually lament the end of the summer, the changing of the leaves, the coming of winter. Yet, there are still so many things I want and need to do during this cooler weather that I am in high anticipation.

We just ordered a load of bricks and dirt. Not a huge project, just a nice tree ring around our one tree by the street. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am always looking for new places to plant flowers around here! People, the bulbs are all on sale!! I even took pictures this spring so I know where I can plant a few more bulbs in the main flower garden. Plus, there's the bulb forcing that I can do in my dark basement--perfect for late winter and early fall gifts as well as a burst of color and flowery scent in the house!

I have to wait until Wednesday for everything to be delivered...I am so anxious to get started!

Completely Rotten

Spoiled, that is. The in-laws came up this weekend...(hi! I know you're reading this even though you never comment!)...and helped us get a million errands done.

*Fixed the fan in the bedroom (hubby had pulled off the entire chain somehow...not really his fault, I blame the design)
*Took down, painted, and installed new blades on the fan in the baby room. No longer is it tacky, old, or too small!
*Stained all the trim in the baby room. All of the trim in the house had been redone before we bought it, except for this room. Now everything matches and the trim is a lovely dark cherry all the rest!
*Washed all the upstairs windows. (oh how I loathe washing windows.)
*Un-grubbed (not a word, I know, but this is still what happened, it was quite grubby) and un-caulked the tub and then scrubbed and caulked all the seams.
*Made the bed. I never get around to doing that. Anyone else not see the point? I mean, I just get back in it, right?! Though it does look so nice when it's done...
*Caulked the plant window. During which I took all the plants down and tidied them and the window. It's amazing how dirty it gets when there is so much dirt around...
*Bought and built huge shelves and plastic totes for our storage room. Today was spent throwing stuff away, organizing and putting things in appropriate totes and then on shelves.
*Organized and sorted the utility/tool room. You can actually walk in there now. It's a miracle.
*Snuggled the kitties. Even Clara, who doesn't deserve it right now.
*Took us out to dinner, twice.
*Brought baby presents, and a few presents for the new parents.
*Took me maternity-clothes shopping.
*Treated me to a mani & pedi.
*Spoiled us rotten.

This week is a crazy one so it's fabulous to have the house clean now since we'll hardly be around to do any work any other day. Which reminds me, we'd better put away that laundry before bed or it won't get done until next week!

The End of the Season (Plus! I Cooked!)

Last week I was sure that summer was almost at it's end. The days were cooler, the trees just starting to change. This week it is back to being sweltering and I have to water all my plants lest they wither away!

Today we ate the last of the grapes. There were two lovely little bunches and every day we have been eating just one or two each. Concord grapes have always been my favorite and it was a riot to teach visiting friends how to eat them. It was a little sad, but I'm excited to trim the plant, stake it appropriately and see how much grows next year!



The tomatoes haven't produced nearly as well this year as usual, and the peas gave forth a paltry one meals worth. I was quite happy with the cucumber crop. One plant gave me four huge vegetables. Next year a lot of things are going to be moving around.

For example, rhubarb has been pathetic for two years now. I haven't even been able to pick one single stalk. Not to mention the ridiculously skinny asparagus. Both of which I wish I could grow well. Therefore, they are going to be moving to the "productive" side of the garden. Along with the strawberries. There's no good reason for them not to be much larger and healthier than they are.

Additionally, this fall is going to be a study in soil and how best to make it richer and more nutrient-laden.

The plant box? It has been my greatest joy this summer!! I have had several amazing salads out of the lettuce as well as being able to give away many bags to friends! If you need basil, please let me know. It grew along with the lettuce and I have much more than I will need for a large amount of pesto and dried leaves.

Here's a question for the world to answer for me: What is the deal with the green beans!? Do you see them!? The lettuce is the left half of the box, the green beans are the right. They are TALL and they are green and lush and leafy. But there are NO, absolutely none, not a single green bean! Just now are there a few little flowers budding, but it sure seems like I should have been able to harvest green beans by now. I know last year they came up at the same time as the peas.

I just wanted to build up my ego a bit, since it has been a good long time since I have cooked an actual dinner. My husband has not been starving, nay, I do feed him. However, it's usually very hodge-podge and last minute planning. Plus, he is quite adept at feeding himself...

Apples & dried cherries over a slow-roasted pork tenderloin.

Rosemary potatoes.

Onions and green beans. (dreadfully not from my own garden)

One of the yummier meals I have made in a while. I can't wait for lunch leftovers.

Lunar Eclipse

Did you know that tonight (tomorrow morning) there's going to be a lunar eclipse!?

I just discovered this. They say it's going to be the longest eclipse in over seven years. It's really too bad though...there's no way in hades that I'm getting my butt out of bed at 6 in the morning. Not when I don't HAVE to get up until 7:45.

If you have to be up, or choose to get up this morning, take a picture for me, ok?

Baby Furniture!

We built our first piece of baby furniture last night!! Andy was pretty excited to have such a special place to clean all the poo...

I am exceedingly thankful that my dad has offered to buy all of our furniture. To be honest, I wasn't sure that he was actually going to follow through with it, but when we got back from our trip, there was the box on the front porch!!

We registered at Babies R Us last week and got everything picked out in two hours! It was pretty fun to go through all the cute, pink, soft little things and think about how we'll really be using that stuff soon. It's so crazy. I'm also trying to find the best website to order cloth diapers from. I want to be able to register for those as well. If we can get a few people here and there to buy one for us, we'll have plenty.

I'm finally feeling lots of kicks and punches now. She's not quite consistent enough for me to let Andy feel anything yet, but it's definitely very noticeable!! She didn't seem to like it when I was biking the other day....or maybe she did and was trying to help me pedal!!

Camping Oh-Seven

According to the pictures we took, I didn't go on this trip. I have one of Andy doing his hair, grilling, and reading a book. Where are all the cute pictures of me!? Well, apparently none were taken. Nuts.

It was the perfect little camping trip. We left for Cadillac late Sunday night after church and a fabulous dinner at a friend's. Well stocked with coffee and ready to drive. Granted, the drive was only an hour and a half, but we wanted to be prepared nonetheless.

The next morning after a good night's sleep at the ever-faithful and ever-cheap Econo Lodge, we climbed into our sweaters and jackets (mid-August, anyone?) and promptly threw all official camping plans out the window! Our day was to be spent hiking the sand dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park, but we knew that would not be any fun in the rain and wind.

Instead, Jason Bourne called out to us and we thoroughly enjoyed the third installment of the Bourne trilogy. I do love those movies!! Especially at matinée pricing.

After an afternoon wandering through antique stores and used book shops, we called the cabin we would be staying at Tuesday night and discovered that they indeed would have room for us that night as well. Hurrah! No need for "real" camping!

I've never been a big fan of the sleeping in tents situation. I love the outdoors--hiking, climbing, canoeing, etc--but I love a good soft bed as well. Especially since my sleeping positions are limited at the moment.

The cabin was the perfect little rest spot. Not glamorous or fancy, by any means, but relaxing, comfortable and with all the amenities we needed it to have. We grilled on the charcoal grill, boiled our corn and mashed potatoes on the hotplate (very! slowly) and played cards late into the night.

The next morning dawned rather gray, but warmer than the day before so we stuck with our plan of canoeing down the Big Manistee river. I regretted not having bought at least a cheap little disposable camera to try to take some river pictures, but alas, I had not thought so far ahead as that.

We saw lots of turtles on rocks, tons of yummy-looking fish (is it bad that I think they look so yummy!?) and heard plenty of other creatures cracking away in the woods. It was a perfect day to float and paddle down the river.

Book reading, cards, and endless games of Scrabble. The fun is in making up your own rules!! Music Scrabble, literature Scrabble, Hollywood Scrabble. Next time is Galactic Scrabble--we were tired of trying to find good uses for those Js, Xs & Qs!!

Wednesday we finally got around to packing up and driving off to Ludington. The trails we were planning to bike ride ended up being rather short...but we made the most of it and climbed the dunes and explored the lighthouse. Besides, my buns are still a bit sore from bike riding regardless of how short the trip was!

As ever, I only wish it could have been longer but I'll take whatever I can get!!

Oh!! And the cabin-camping-grounds cat? Looked like she belonged to Captain Jack Sparrow!! It's Johnny Depp's cat!!