One

Today is the first day of March's NaBloPoMo. Even though I'm busy and not at home, I wanted to start the month off right. So, without further ado, my list for today:

1. We're ready to party, and Zachariah is wound up. (I don't think he realized he have 3 1/2 more hours to wait with a nap expected in between.)

2. I'm so glad to have a few free minutes to myself while my sweet mother is entertaining my son while she'd making a fruit salad. She's awesome. (Plus I just got out of a nice quiet shower.)

3. Our taxes are done. That was our other reason for coming up here. My dad always updates TurboTax and lets us use it too. Even though my Schedule C gives Matt headaches every year, we still do it this way.

4. Speaking of taxes, it drives me nuts that Matt stresses out so much about doing them. The years that I've told him to "buzz off" and did them myself, it took less than half of the time. Silly man. The other irritating thing is we're getting back about $700 less than last year. Yuck. We made more and they're always changing things, but it still stinks.

5. My son will be 2 in 2 days. I can't get over that. Seriously, I'm having a hard time getting my mind around this. How? I keep going back to what I was doing this day 2 years ago. (For the record I skipped choir because I wasn't feeling great [warning without realizing it]. And I went to tutor like normal in the afternoon [I'm sure after taking a leisurely nap]. Then I told them when I left work that I'd see them the next day unless I had the baby before them [ha, little did I know...I didn't work the next day]. And they all told me I looked like I had dropped.)

OK, that's enough listing for today. I'll be back tomorrow with photographic evidence of this awesome party we're having in a few short hours. Enjoy your Saturday.

Getting there

Well, the birthday preparations are well under way...practically finished on my part. I made the barn cake and some animal cupcakes, and they turned out great. Don't worry I'll post pictures later. I have the buns, I have the chips and other things, and we're packed and ready to go. Matt will be home from work soon, then we're off. We'll head up to my parents' house to stay overnight.

Tomorrow will hold many activities. Sledding, birthday party with cake and ice cream, presents, and dinner with family. I'm glad that my mother likes to over plan, because we're expecting somewhere between 20 -30 people tomorrow. And most of them are adults. But, nevertheless, it will be a fun time for everyone. I'm glad so many people will be there to celebrate with Zachariah. And I know he'll love all the attention.

I will catch up with you tomorrow. Have a great weekend.

Help with Showering

Help me our by voting for my blog friend, Katie. Her sister (K in the Mirror if you know her) nominated her for a virtual baby shower, and she's one of the 10 finalist. This is a fantastic prize and since she's have baby #4 (that she just found out is a boy!), I'm sure she can use some new things. You can only vote once per computer, so she needs us to help spread the word to vote. What are you waiting for? Vote, vote now!

Busy busy

We are 3 days away from Zachariah's birthday party. Last year I was very organized and had everything planned weeks/months in advance. And it wasn't even a big party. This year, uh, we almost forgot to plan the party. I didn't send out invitations, because we waited too long to decide where and what time to have it. So, I've been calling family (many who knew the date a while ago) and letting them know our plans. We decided to move the party to my parents' house. There is more room there, and it's closer for everyone (except us). But it made more sense for us to be the only ones to drive that distance.

We took Zachariah out Monday looking for presents and ideas for a cake. (Nope, still haven't decided.) I was strongly leaning towards the tractor thing. He looked at the tractor cake supplies and gave me an uh-huh-that's-nice-mom kind of reaction. Then he saw cars "CARS!" and Elmo "MELMO!". Which lead him to saw "Monsta? Cookie Monsta?". Nope, no cookie monster things. Then he started asking for "Eam gurk?" which means "teamwork" with means Wonder Pets. Nope, no Wonder Pets. Ahh. So we kept looking. The two places I looked for gifts didn't have much at all. Maybe they haven't restocked since Christmas or something.

So, no cake idea. And no presents. I spent the rest of the day Monday looking online for cake ideas. I found things for Elmo, Cookie Monster, and of course Wonder Pets. I did find a few do-able ideas, but I wasn't sure. Then I called my grandma to invite her to the party and my sister too. Zachariah heard me talking about his "birfday" on the phone and started saying "tractor tractor". Back to square one. I guess he has settled on a tractor theme. I found some cute ideas and was ready to get things for a tractor tonight. My mom called last night and saw a cute idea for a barn cake. Now I think I'm going to do that. And I'll buy a little toy tractor to place beside it (and then he can have a new tractor toy). So that settles the cake. (I'll be sure to take photos, because I have some great embellishment ideas.)

Presents. I have a few ideas and I'm hoping to get something tonight. I have my night out for choir tonight, and it's a good time to stop at the store by myself on the way home. So, we'll see what I can find, because time it running out.

I feel a bit frazzled, but I know it will all come together without too much craziness. Let's hope that Matt and Zachariah are both feeling better by Saturday too. (Matt came back home this morning sick. He is exhausted and has an upset stomach. Zachariah has a bit of a cold.) I'm still not sure why things got put off so badly this year, but I'm frantic and determined to get things back in order in my life. Time keeps ticking away.

Do you get tired of lists?

March NaBloPoMo....lists is the theme. I might give it a try. I can handle that. It kind of sounds like fun. And I need to get back into blogging more often. This might be a good jump start. Anyone else want to join me?

Chaotic

I have been feeling really unorganized lately. In my life and especially in my house. I see certain areas of our home that haven't been sorted through, looked at, or purged in years. What's the point of having all these things that we don't use any more.

It's almost overwhelming when I think about resolving this problem though. I see plenty of places where I should start, but then I think about all the other "hot spots" (to borrow a phrase from FLY lady) that need putting out. I know I can't do it all at once. And it seems rather convenient (sarcastic) that when I'm in the mood to start on some projects here that I can't do a whole lot with a sore, out of whack, back.

And why the sudden interest in taking care of these things? Matt and I were discussing the "one year rule" about clothes the other day. Basically if you haven't worn it in a year, then get rid of it. And I know we both have a lot of work we can do in that department. Then I see all the baby clothes that are still in Zachariah's closet (in bags) that should be stored.

So maybe this is all a pre-nesting thing. We have been talking about trying for another baby. I figure if I can't keep things organized with one kid, what will I do with two. And we've accumulated a lot of things for this one kid. Much of it I've let pile up (or shove it all in manila envelopes to save) and it just plain needs sorted.

I have work to do, and I may as well get started while I have some motivation. Since Zachariah's birthday is only a week away, I think the best place to start is to begin organizing and sorting his toys. And I can organize some small areas with storage containers/organizers that are sitting in our garage unused.

Our small group is having a garage sale at the beginning of May. The proceeds are going to Matt's Mali trip. I know as I'm organizing and sorting I will find things to put aside for the garage sale. I'm glad to know I have something to do with these things, and I know they won't sit in boxes in the garage for more than 2 months. I think we can handle that.

My mission this week is to pull out the empty storage boxes/units that I have. Then I will get some of Zachariah's old baby things put away. I know I will eventually move his dresser into his closet, then I'll have more room for him to have toys to play with in his bedroom. I think toys are a good place to start. Plus I know he'll be getting more for gifts next weekend.

Just isn't working

Apparently this exercise thing just wasn't meant to be. I have thrown out my back and haven't been able to exercise most of the week. Honestly, I was very disappointed about it. I have a back (actually it's a pelvis) problem off and on for several years. Sometimes it just slips out of alignment. I don't always know why.

Matt was a gem, and he met me at the chiropractor's office today during his lunch break. He took Zachariah out for lunch while I was being adjusted. We planned this yesterday, so I told Zachariah this morning that he could have pizza for lunch with Daddy. He talked about it all morning long. He was excited. Then by the time we got home, it was way after his naptime so he went right down for a nap. He woke up telling me about having pizza for lunch with Matt. So cute.

Matt's been offering to help out more and do things around the house so I can rest. He does when I ask him. I hate to ask. I guess I can't handle the being babied thing like he can when he's sick. I should milk it for all it's worth.

I feel like I'm getting better after being adjusted and I will probably need to go back next week. Let's hope I can get back to working out soon. That's the only way I can get healthier to make this better in the long run.

SEVEN 7 seven

Tag, I'm it. I got tagged for a meme by Carrie. I wasn't sure I would do it, but everyone else is and I have nothing better to blog about. So here goes.

The rules are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
5. Leave a comment on their blogs so that they know they have been tagged.

My random/weird facts:

1. Matt and I are addicted to Big Brother. We've watched it loyally every summer since Season 2 in 2001. Right now we're happy to have a winter season to watch. Although, I have to say that this season isn't too great for me, but I still watch each and every episode.

2. My sisters and I all used to pile in a twin bed together once in a while and thought it was great fun. Oh, I should mention it was the top bunk. Ha. I usually bailed first (but it was my bed).

3. When I went into the hospital to have Zachariah, a group from a local school came in to present me with 2 new Dr. Seuss books. It was Dr. Seuss's birthday, so they were giving books to all the babies born that day. Zachariah wasn't born until the next day though. I was just there for observation the day before and then was induced the next morning. They still wanted to give him the books. I couldn't refuse. I love children's books.

4. Did I ever tell you that Matt crawled out from behind a rock when he proposed to me. He was taking too long back there (we were hiking and I was waiting to take a photo), and I thought he was going to scare me with a bug. I was surprised though.

5. I know how to play the French horn. (I wish I'd gotten the chance to play it more when I could.)

6. My baby sister just turned 22 this week. I remember the day she was born (or night rather). It was in the middle of an ice storm.

7. As a kid my first job was delivering newspapers. I did it for 7 years! It was a good way to learn about responsibility and money.


Tag, you're it now.

1. Devan at All D's - because, like me, she's bored that no one has been posting new blogs to read.
2. Mommy Brain - because she's been MIA for a while, so I'd like to see a new post from her.
3. Kelsey at Midwest Mom- because she's on bed rest, and maybe this will give her something new to do.
4. Shannon at Cerebral Palsy Baby - because she's been quiet, and I think she does have things to say.
5. Sarah at No Whey, Mama - because she just had a baby a month ago, and I need to hear more about this new little one.
6. Emily at Katydid - because she's one of the cool kids who I'd love to meet IRL some day.
7. And Misty at Rainy Day in May - because she's suffering with allergies and needs a little love.

Of course if you haven't been tagged by anyone else and would like to do this, do it. I can add you to my list if you want. ;)

Another Casserole

Last week I tried another new casserole recipe. We enjoyed it. The only thing I will advise is that I used canned corned beef (as the recipe gave the option for) and it made it a bit salty. Not in a bad way (I didn't think), but Matt thought it was a bit too much. It just depends on your tastes. And I think it serves more than what they say. We served it with vegetables too.

Creamy Corned Beef Bake

1-1/2 cups cubed cooked corned beef or 1 can (12 ounces) cooked corned beef
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
8 ounces cheddar cheese, cubed
1 package (7 ounces) small shell pasta, cooked and drained
1 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 bread slices, cubed
2 tablespoons butter, melted

1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Transfer to a greased 2-qt. baking dish. Toss bread cubes with butter; sprinkle over top.

2. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 servings.

Valentine present

This weekend was Matt's Valentine present to me. All I knew is that we were going away on Saturday, and we were taking Zachariah along. Well, I found out on Saturday morning that we were only taking Zachariah so far. Matt had arranged for my parents to keep him overnight. So I packed him bag, and we dropped him off there. Then we headed to the botanical gardens in Ft. Wayne, IN. The last time we were there was after we went to a bridal show nearby and stopped in there afterwards. That was 8 years ago. It was really neat and we got some great photos (as you can see above). I've like to go back and take Zachariah since they had a Dr. Seuss theme going on right now. I did take some photos for him to enjoy, though. We really enjoyed our leisurely walk around the gardens.

After that we did some shopping. Mostly just walking around and also looking for exercise clothes for me. I had a hard time finding things in my size, and I didn't end up buying anything. Too bad. I guess I'll like with what I have for now. I came to the conclusion that they must not think fat people work out.

We went to dinner at Granite City based on the recommendation of a friend. We loved it. Matt enjoyed a beer sampler. They brew their own, so he was able to try their different kinds. (I don't like beer, so I was the designated driver.) The food was really good. I especially loved the Ale & Cheddar Soup. We will definitely go back there again sometime. Just know that we had to wait at least 20 minutes and that was just after 4:00 in the afternoon on a Saturday. People who came in less than 5 minutes after us were told the wait was now 30-40 minutes. Busy place. Highly recommended though.

Then we went to see a movie. We saw "Definitely, Maybe". It was a good movie. I really enjoyed Ryan Reynolds and Abigail Breslin in it. I would describe it as a good chick flick (which my hubby likes from time to time) with a little bit of funny in it.

We stopped at a little shop nearby and bought coffee (for Matt; it was Seattle's Best, so he was really excited at our unexpected find) and some expensive chocolates. Then we headed home. It was a really nice day. And a great Valentine's present. Very thoughtful and it was nice to get away by ourselves.

My parents brought Zachariah back in the afternoon the next day. So we did have some time to chill and relax at home too. He had a great time with them. And they played in the snow and went sledding on my parents' property. He was good for them, and he's been really tired since being back home. But I know they love keeping him when they can. Maybe next time Matt's parents can spend the day with him.

Other local news

A boy from our area is one of the American Idol top 24! I saw his name and knew that I knew him. He was in the 5th grade class that I did my student teaching with. I haven't seen him in years, and of course he's changed so much. It sounds like he's still a smart grounded boy like he always was. I need to see if I have any pictures of him from his elementary years. Eeee, now I have a reason to watch and vote for American Idol this year. (I don't normally pay much attention unless there is nothing else on and we stumble upon it. But we did watch Season 2 religiously and parts of Season 3. That's it.)

So, go check out his AI site, and vote vote vote for him. :)

For the record his hair was short and spiky when I knew him. I think he hasn't cut it since I knew him in 5th grade.

Sad, heart-breaking really

I don't tutor on Fridays. I don't tutor late. But this week things were different. I worked late last night, because we were short-staffed. I went in for just a few minutes today, because I agreed to make a cake for a Sweet 16 party for one of our girls. While I was there today, I found out that only an hour (or less) after I left the apartment complex there was a shooting. One of our 15-year-old students was shot. I am more sad and scared than you can imagine.

I'm sad that this happened. I'm scared that it happened. Am I scared to go back to a place where I've worked for 4 years? No. Am I scared to take my son with me? Not really. OK, maybe a teeny tiny bit more now. What really scares me is that I left late that night. Less than an hour before this happened. I'm sad because I know this boy. He doesn't come in for our after-school program, but I see him around often. He also helped us a lot this summer. And I know his younger sisters well, since I work with all three of them.

The boy is OK for now. I don't know how serious his injuries are, but I know that he had surgery to repair damage done to his colon and bladder (maybe stomach too). I know he was shot in the back. I know this family is already dealing with more than their share of issues. They lost their mother 6 years ago and now live with their grandmother (and whoever else of the family lives there). I just pray for this family that things will work out. I pray that the boy is OK. I pray that he will heal quickly. I pray that the person(s) responsible will be caught.

I decided not to link to local articles about this boy, because it would give away too much about where I live and tutor. But if you're someone who regularly reads this blog (and I feel like I know you) or you know me in real life, I'd be happy to give you the links via e-mail. And I'd be happy to keep you updated with what's happen. I know that the police have no suspects. I know they haven't had a chance to talk to the boy. I hope he can help them, and I pray that justice is served.

Be mine?

Happy Valentine's Day, my friends. I hope that your day is full of hearts and flowers. (Mine's full of a little boy saying "dantine day" and "smiling" for the camera when he brought it to me. But I am glad he still fits into his cute little Valentine shirt [seen above] from last year.)

I got myself out of bed early this morning to make my sweetie breakfast. Then Zachariah woke up early to wish Daddy a Happy Valentine's Day before he left for work. So, we al had an early start to the day, but it was OK. I gave Matt a card I'd handmade in the shape of a heart with a love poem in/on it. He actually complimented me on it. I was happy about that. I gave him some miniature candy bars too. I got Zachariah a little heart-shaped box of chocolates with a train on it that says "Choo choo choose me". It's cute, and he loved it. He was so cute that I let him have a piece before breakfast. And for me there was another love poem about Valentine's Day in a bottle. It was sweet, and I love that Matt's left me these notes all week.

We have no fancy dinner plans tonight, because we have no babysitter and Zachariah wouldn't be able to stay up late enough. But Matt has made some sort of weekend plans, and I know nothing about them. I am really looking forward to it though.

I thought I'd at least be home a little after 6:00 tonight to enjoy dinner with my sweetie, but that wasn't meant to be either. I normally just tutor for a few hours after school, but one of our group leaders needs to leave early tonight. And another one is sick, and the other has class tonight so he leaves early every night. And we just had one person graduate and leave us a week ago. So we're terribly understaffed at our little after-school program. The director called me today to see if I could work until 7:00. Ugh. She needs someone to be there until close to fill in for our absentee co-workers. I can do it. I'm nice and those kids need someone to be there. Matt didn't seem to mind since we didn't have plans anyway. Zachariah will be ready for bed by the time I get home. So, Matt's plan is to just feed Zac, then we'll eat something nice after he goes to bed. That works for me.

I read about what some of you did/are doing on your blogs. How about the rest of you? Valentine's Day isn't all it's cracked up to be...especially when you're married with kids. Anyone else feel that way?

Same old

1. The messages in bottles continue to come. Each day there is a new one with a new love poem. They are always in places that I will find them with no problem. And I enjoy knowing there will be a new one each day.

2. My husband isn't the only romantic. Saturday on my way home from a friend's house, I stopped to get Matt a bouquet of beautiful purple tulips. He loved them. (OK, so I enjoy having them on my dining table too, but that wasn't the purpose.)

3. Zachariah has a great memory. One night last week when I was putting him to bed, I saw a spider on the wall beside his bed. I called Matt in to kill it. Then he went to sleep no problem. The next night as I was laying him down he was trying to tell me something about Daddy and pointing to something. I couldn't figure out what he was saying. Then it dawns on me, he said "Daddy... pida...wall". He wanted Daddy to kill the spider on the wall. I had to then convince him that there was not a spider on the wall tonight. Funny that he remembered it though.

4. I tried another new casserole recipe. I'll post it next week for my new recipe. We liked it.

5. Zachariah has a black eye. Have I told you that yet? Poor guy, everyone asks him about it. He points to his eye and makes a pouty face, then says "bauck" meaning "black". Ha ha. He even told Grandma about it on the phone last night.

6. Speaking of grandmas. Happy 49th Birthday to my mom! It was yesterday. She didn't get to go out to dinner with my dad, because the roads were a mess with all the snow we got yesterday. He still stopped at her favorite Chinese restaurant on his way home and got dinner for them. He's so sweet. I'm sure he'll make it up to her this weekend and take her somewhere really nice. (My dad is the type of guy I always wanted to find for myself. I don't think I did too badly.)

7. I've been trying to read a book a week. I'm doing well. I love to read, but I normally go in spurts. I'll read lots and lots of books, then I won't read for a month. I want to keep this up all year. And I want to expand my reading horizons. I'll be posting more about that some other time, because I'll need your help and suggestions.

8. A new season of Big Brother started last night. Yeah! My best friend and I love that show. We talk about it all the time while it's on. And we don't usually agree on our favorites, so we argue about it too. It's great fun.

9. I saw on KatieBug's blog that someone commented about making homemade Samoa cookies. What? Awesome! I'm going to try them! I'll let you know what I think.

10. Do you have plans for Valentine's day tomorrow? Do you give gifts to your kids? What do you give? Matt has something planned for this weekend. We don't have any babysitters here, and it's hard for us to take Zac out during the week. So, we'll do something later. I haven't gotten anyone anything yet. I think I'll get Zachariah a little box of chocolates.

This exercise thing

So, it's been 8 days since I've been working out now. Every day! I didn't even skip over the weekend. And I had to get up earlier than normal on Sunday to have enough time to work out. Yikes! I'm on a role. And I'm proud of myself.

I realized after the first two days that I was going to need new workout clothes. What I have is fine, but I only have one sports bra. And I don't like to wear it twice in a row after it's all icky and sweaty. So, I made a deal with Matt. I had to keep exercising daily until today, then we would go buy some new exercise clothes for me. I did it. This is a good commitment to him and I. And he didn't even expect me to workout over the weekend. I knew I had to if I wanted to keep the momentum going.

So, here we are a week later. What changes am I noticing? Not too many. I have more energy. I feel strong enough to do the workouts now. I feel more fit. But I still have a long way to go. The point of this first step (of exercising every day) was for me to get more fit. That's an important step for me. And I needed to develop this daily habit.

What comes next? Next is the hard part for me. I need to focus on losing weight. I need to start eating better. I have started on this, but I'm not there. Here's what I am doing: drinking more water, eating good breakfasts, eating better lunches. Our dinners aren't too bad. What I really need to concentrate on is more fruits and vegetables during the course of the day, less snacking, and cutting out evening snacks (I get pretty carried away there). So, I have some more steps to take. And I know what they are.

Then I have a weight goal. This is just a starter goal for now, and I will keep working at it. This will in no way make me skinny, because I have twice this to lose. But it will give me a good start and make me healthier. My current goal is 40 lbs. My reward for reaching that? Matt has agreed to start trying for a baby. :D I'm very happy about that, so I need to keep on this track. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.

New recipe - Take 2

In my attempt to try a new recipe each week, I'm doing well so far. I'm pretty adventurous abuot trying new recipes, so this isn't difficult for me. And luckily my husband is good at trying my experiments (and helping me make them sometimes). And my son isn't a picky eater, so he tries almost anything.

This week's recipe is one that I adore, and I'm sure I'll make it again and again. I've been eating the leftovers for days, and I haven't gotten tired of them yet. (I usually get tired of leftovers after eating it twice.) It is hot and yummy and great with a side of garlic bread and a small garden salad. It is also a casserole, so SaLy will appreciate that. It's a winner on a cold winter day. Withour further ado:

Mostaccioli Bake

8 ounces uncooked mostaccioli

1 egg

1 egg white

2 cups (16 ounces) 1% cottage cheese

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

2/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, divided

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

2-1/2 cups meatless spaghetti sauce, divided

1. Cook pasta according to packaged directions. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the egg, egg white, cottage cheese, spinach, 2/3 cup mozzarella cheese, 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and pepper; set aside. Drain pasta; stir in 2 cups spaghetti sauce.

2. Layer half of the pasta mixture in a greased 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Top with spinach mixture, remaining pasta mixture and remaining spaghetti sauce.

3. Cover and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or until bubbly. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

Love is in the Air

Do you see that bottle? Inside of it is a little love poem from my sweet husband. I find a new one around the house somewhere every morning. He really is a sappy romantic at heart. I expect this will continue on until Valentine's Day. It's a pleasant little surprise trying to figure out where he put the bottle this morning. It's been in the refrigerator, on the bathroom sink, under the blanket draped on my chair, on my chair, and in front of the television. The other thing Matt has brewing is plans for Valentine's Day, but since it will be a week day he has something planned for next weekend. I have no idea what it is, but he's creative and sweet so I know it will be nice.

***
Please, pay no attention to the dust settled on the television. (I don't think you'd see it if it weren't for the little fingerprints smeared on it.) OK, I'm getting up and dusting the TV right now.

Upcoming birthday decisions

Help me! I don't know what to do for Zachariah's birthday. Well, I know what to do. We'll invite our families over for a little party. Zac will be the only kid here, so he'll get all the attention. He's used to that, because that's the way it is in our family. There aren't any other kids around, and none of the friends we actually hang out with have kids. Anyway, he doesn't know different, so that's the party we'll have for him.

Mostly I'm looking for ideas for a theme of sorts, especially for a cake. Last year I went with Winnie the Pooh. His nursery is decorated in Pooh, and he had many Pooh things as a baby. Now my baby is growing up. He'll be 2 in less than a month. I'd love to do something that he loves, but he likes many different things. Some are non-commercial, and he's started watching a few TV shows that he seems to like. So those are some ideas to start with, but nothing sticks out as a particular favorite.

Here are some things he likes: cars, trucks, trains, planes, tractors, animals, books, Pooh (still, but I'm steering away from that since we did it already), Elmo, Cookie Monster, Wonder Pets ("Eeem gurk" is how "team work" from the show comes out. Adorable, I'll have to get it on video sometime.), Dora, Diego (but not as much as Dora), Thomas (but he likes Percy the best), and that's all I can think of right now.

So, any helpful suggestions. If I can just decide on what to do, I'm sure it will be no problem making the cake (or perhaps cupcakes). I just can't make up my mind. HELP!

Brownie S'mores

Brownie S’mores

9 whole cinnamon graham crackers, halved crosswise *
¾ cup unsalted butter, cut up
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, coarsely shopped
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups semisweet or milk chocolate chips
35 regular-sized marshmallows

1. Heat over to 350˚F. Spray bottom of 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Arrange graham crackers over bottom of pan, overlapping slightly or breaking to fit, if necessary. (Depending on the shape of your pan, you may have part of a graham cracker left over.)
2. Melt butter and unsweetened chocolate in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until blended. Stir in eggs until blended and smooth; stir in flour. (Batter will be smooth, thick and shiny.) Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon and gently spread over graham crackers.
3. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until top is just set and toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached.
4. Heat broiler. Place marshmallows on their sides evenly over top of brownies. Broil 30 seconds to 2 minutes or until marshmallows are puffed and tops are golden brown. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 35 bars

*I used about 12 graham crackers for my bar pan. It did nicely in there.

Firm

It's February 5th? How can that be? This new year is going fast, but I have to say I'm kind of glad that January is over. It was a little depressing, but now it's gone.

Where have I been hiding? As you know I haven't blogged much this month. I'm not sure why I don't have the desire to write much. Then last week we found out about the death of an old family friend.

Helen was 82, but very healthy until about 2 weeks ago. She got sick and sick very quickly. They found she had uterine cancer and it was already stage 4 when she went in. The family knew she was probably going to die quickly. This woman was our neighbor next to the house where I grew up. My parents moved into the house when they were first married. They just moved out (only about 5 miles away though) about 2 1/2 years ago. So, we've known this couple for a long time. They live in Florida in the winter and in Ohio in the summer. Her family was able to go to Florida and spend her last days by her side. Sunday I went to the funeral visitation with my family and Zachariah. It was very nice. It's been a long time since I've seen that many people from the community where I grew up.

Matt's been pretty sick. He was feeling sick a week ago and rested a lot in the evenings. He stayed home from work on Friday and slept off and on all day. Saturday he went with me to run a few errands, and that wore him out. Sunday he went to church (while I was up with my parents), came home and slept all afternoon. He did come to out Super Bowl party (YEAH GIANTS!), but he was exhausted by the time we got home. Monday he tried to get up for work and felt worse, so he got a doctor's appointment. He has a sinus infection and now has medication to clear it up. He looked and sounded better this morning, and he went ahead into work. I'm sure he'll be worn out when he gets home tonight, but at least he's getting better. That has kept me busy just trying to get him things he needs so he can rest, and then I have to do everything else by myself. Exhausting, but I'm doing fine. I'm just thankful Zachariah and I are healthy.

I'm trying to lose weight. I've known (for a really long time, actually) that I need to get to work. Matt and I have talked about it a little, and he's willing to start trying for a baby if I can lose some weight first. That was actually my idea, but he was OK with it. He's very supportive when I am trying hard. Last week I started by drinking more water and eating less. I still need a lot of work on my diet, but I'm changing things bit by bit. I think that will be best for me for now. Then today I got out the exercise videos and did 20 minutes of The Firm. I wish I could have done more, but I thought I would die if I did. I plan to try to get farther each day. I'll push myself to do as much as I can. I think the biggest problem today was that it was a new workout for me. I did pretty well keeping up with the instructor at first, but then I started losing her. It was getting more complicated and I was wearing out fast anyway. The more I do it, the easier it will get for me to follow and the better shape I'll be in.

I have an idea to try a brand new recipe every week for a while and post about it on here with a photo. I like sharing recipes, and I love trying new things. This weekend I made S'more Brownies. They were really yummy. I think I'll start with that one. Plus SaLy requested casserole recipes, and we just got a casserole cookbook for Christmas with some yummy looking recipes in it. I have yet to try any, so now would be a good time.

I hope I feel like posting more often. And I do enjoy reading your blogs. I miss writing too. I will be working on that as well.

Droppings

Zachariah peed and pooped on the potty before naptime today! WOOT! WOOT! I know that no one but his daddy and I care about the details, but he did it. He told me he wanted to go to the potty. He sat down and did it. He started to resist about pooping on the potty, but I reassured him is was OK and kept him company. Then he just did it! I'm so proud of my little boy.

I think it's time for some big boy underwear. We need to get serious about this now.

My little funny boy

Here is a collection of some things my son has been doing lately that completely crack me up.

This is what he wanted to do after he coughed. He pointed to the bathroom then drug the trashcan out. Probably because we started following him around last night (after the drama the night before) when he started gagging/making weird possible throwing up noises. (He never did get sick, but I guess he thinks this is what he should do when he cough. Ha.)

Zachariah loves helping me with laundry. This time I left to use the bathroom and told him to go ahead and empty the dryer. When I came back he had pulled the lint trap out and emptied lint all over the floor...then pulled clothes out for me.

Looking through the grocery ad in the Sunday paper.

Potty time with Thomas the train book. This has been my bribe for him to stay sitting on the potty. It worked. On Monday he asked to go potty, and he peed on it! (Big milestone for us. He's gone on the potty before, but never like that. We made a huge deal of it. And we're hoping for more to come.) P.S. Pardon the unfinished bathroom remodel project.

This morning while eating breakfast, I found Zachariah putting his applesauce into his cereal. It's a new creation he likes to call Rice Krispies a la applesauce. He didn't eat anymore after that.

Do you see that block he's putting on the truck? The orange one? We've been practicing his colors (he does pretty well), and he calls orange "orange juice". It is so cute and makes me laugh every time.

This one might be hard to see, but he found a sandwich bag in the kitchen. He things it's to put as many toys as he can in it. Ha.

Last week he smashed his finger in the dog's cage. I held him for a while then put ice on it. He sat there by himself when I got up to answer the phone. When I got back he'd pulled the ice out of the dish towel and was holding it saying "brrr brrr icy icy".

This is a holiday bear (we names Snowflake) Zachariah got for Christmas from my grandmother. He's been taking him with is when I change his diaper. Then he insisted that it have a diaper too. I found a sample of a size 1 diaper I got in the mail after he was way too big to wear that size.

He loves this bear and treated it like a baby for a long time. He even wrapped it in a blanket and laid it in his toy cradle for nap time. Here he is kissing and hugging the bear.

Zachariah has decided he likes to help me cook and bake (when I let him). One day he was playing with his cool wooden pizza set, and he kept going back and forth to the kitchen. When I went in to investigate he had lined all the pizzas on the stove. A little later I found that he'd gotten the cupcake wrappers out (on his own) and put them on top of the pizzas. I'm not sure when culinary creation he's inventing, but it looks interesting.

I'm sure there are many more funny things this little guy does, but this is a highlight of the latest. At least he keeps me smiling.

The Icky Bug

Well, folks, I think the flu finally hit our house. If not that, them some other icky stomach bug. It looks to be short lived, and for that I'm thankful.

My child has been so healthy in his short 2 years of life. I can count the times he's been sick on one hand, including this time. But it looks like this time of year is bad for us. Last year he was getting over his very first time being sick, and with the chicken pox no less.

Yesterday morning Zachariah woke up early. Matt went in to check on him and quickly called for my help. He thought he'd thrown up, because there was something all over his face. He hadn't, it was just slobber. But Zachariah went back to sleep (as did I) for a few more hours. I got up and got my shower, and then a little later heard Zachariah crying loudly. I knew he wasn't feeling well, because he never wakes up like that. He was gagging a little, but that was all. He cuddled on my lap for a long time and didn't want to move. I finally got him up and dressed, but he did not want to eat anything. This is very unusual for my child who loves to eat all the time. He pretty much laid around until lunchtime. I asked again if he was hungry. Then he started looking in the kitchen for something to eat. He finally settled on a peanut butter & honey sandwich and applesauce. He ate most of the applesauce and half of the sandwich. Luckily he'd had a big cup of orange juice at this point too. He had a low-grade fever in the morning, but I knew it wasn't bad so we just had to wait and see. Just before lunch he threw up a tiny bit on my shirt. Easy clean-up, I just put the shirt in the washer and got a new one on.

After lunch he took a nap as usual. He slept for about 3 1/2 hours which is longer than normal for him. When he got up, I could tell that he had a fever. I took his temperature and it wasn't too high, but he did have a fever. I gave him a dose of Infant Motrin, and he laid on my lap for a long time. After about an hour he was up and running around almost like his normal self. He was happy when Matt got home from work and played with him for a while.

Just before Matt got home I started feeling icky. I didn't feel any better or worse all evening. I finally was hungry enough to eat something around 8:00. And by this morning I feel OK. Matt knew I was interested in eating, and he wasn't interested in leftovers for dinner. He ordered a pizza, and by then Zac seemed really interested in eating. He ate about 1/2 a piece of pizza, which is less than he normally would but we were glad he had an appetite. It seemed like he was all better.

Shortly after dinner he came and laid on my lap again. I joked with Matt that this looked like a kid who wasn't tired at all, because that's what Zachariah was telling me. He got down for a few minutes, then he came beside the chair where I was sitting and laid his head on me. I thought he felt hot, like the fever was coming back. Then he threw up on me and the blanket on me. Ugh. The poor little guy started to freak out because he made a "mess mess". I was trying to reassure him that it was fine, we'd clean it up. Matt, acting quite fast, was getting things to clean up the mess. And then Zachariah projectile vomited across the floor. It was on him, me, the blanket, my chair, and who knows where else. He was crying at this point. I think it scared him. It's the first time he's thrown up. Which means it was our first time dealing with it. I have to say, Matt was a pro. It didn't seem to phase him at all. I was trying to get it off me and off the kid first of all. So I put Zachariah straight into the bathtub, and Matt just went to work cleaning up. We made quite a team. Zachariah got ready for bed after that. His fever was down by the time he got sick and I bathed him. He was hungry before bed though, I'm sure he lost everything he'd eaten for supper. So he had a graham cracker and was tired and ready for bed.

Luckily he slept all night. And he woke up in a good mood and hungry this morning. It seems he's feeling better. Although he's yet to play with toys or run around. He's sitting on a chair watching a Thomas DVD he got for Christmas. He seems content and happy. I can tell he's not quite back to normal, but I think we're past the rough part. He doesn't normally watch much TV, but I'll let him sit and watch Thomas all day if it will make him feel better.

When I talked to Matt this morning, he said he's not feeling great. He has achy muscles and has a tension headache. We're hoping it's only from the shots he got yesterday (4 in preparation for his trip to Africa), and that he's not getting what Zachariah had.

Our Monday adventure

What is up with me not feeling like blogging? I don't get it. I've been reading other people's blogs and commenting as much as I can. But when it comes to typing out my own post, I just haven't been able to get up the ambition to do it. OK, enough of the contemplation. I have no answers, but I know some of you wanted to know what we ended up doing on Monday.

First of all it was wonderful to have Sunday evening to ourselves. Our small group from church had decided just to get together and watch the football games and eat supper. We always bring Zachariah with us to small group. He's the only kid, so we spend a lot of time keeping him in the room and out of things in our hosts' home. He does pretty good, but it is a bit distracting for us. (We have discussed getting a babysitter for those nights, but it would add up quickly in costs. We're trying to figure it out now, because it was so nice without him.) It was good to be able to relax and be ourselves (without having to be Mom and Dad) for one evening with these new friends of ours. Everyone had so much fun. I haven't laughed that hard in ages. There were stories being told about spouses farting habits, sleeping habits, etc. Then there was a whipped cream eating contest with a couple of the guys. We laughed and laughed and laughed. And of course, there was a football game going on, and it was a pretty good game. (Although I wouldn't have minded seeing Green Bay and Brett Favre going to the Super Bowl instead. I'll still root for the Giants, because I just want someone to beat the Patriots.) When we left one of the couples commented how hilarious Matt and I are. They said we have great laughs and a great sense of humor. That seemed funny to me that they were almost surprised by that. But, truly, Matt and I haven't completely "let loose" around them and really had time to relax and enjoy with them. It was funny to us, though, because that's who we are. We laugh a lot and have a good time lots of times. It was good for us to be able to have that much fun with these new friends. And it was also good for us to be able to take part in conversations and really listen and talk and not be distracted. I think we formed stronger friendships that night.

Monday morning we slept in a bit, then we went out for breakfast. It was nice to relax and eat my own food without sharing half of it with someone else. And I could drink my juice without being ask for "drink drink". Matt and I both enjoyed being able to carry on adult conversation without trying to entertain a toddler and keep him happy. We headed towards Dayton and went to the mall like I planned. As soon as we pulled in Matt saw they had a Dick's Sporting Goods and was excited. We walked around the mall at least 2 times. We didn't buy much, but it was fun looking at things. We did not find anything for me at Frederick's like I was hoping, but I did find a sexy babydoll nightie.

After all the shopping we went to a movie. We didn't see what I wanted, because it wasn't showing again for another hour. (I'd planned to see a movie first, but Matt was distracted by Dick's being at the mall.) But that's OK. We saw "Mad Money" and it was pretty funny. Not quite as good as I thought it might be, but I really like Katie Holmes and Queen Latifah in it. Then we went to dinner after that. There were a few places I had in mind (because I knew Matt really liked them), but I let him decide. We ended up finding more places that we liked, so we went to Fuddruckers. Like Matt said, even a hamburger joint is romantic without a kid. We went into Once Upon a Child which was right by where we were eating. And we found what we went into there for. We got a sturdy hiking backpack carrier for Zachariah. We're going to Gatlinburg for vacation, so we wanted something to use for hiking. We got this backpack used for only $30.00. It is in great condition and is only missing the canopy. Since we wanted it for an older child, that doesn't matter, because he'll wear a hat and sunscreen anyway. And it's really easy to put him in it, and it seems to distribute his weight really well when I tried it on.

We headed home after all that. We had to drive about 3 hours to get from there to my parents' house to get Zachariah. It was pretty late when we got home. But Matt said he loved every minute of the day. He had a great time spending time alone with me, and he especially loved that I planned (or loosely planned rather) the day so he could just enjoy it.

Zachariah did really well with my mom. When they got ready to leave our house on Sunday, he wanted to leave but he started crying when he realized I wasn't going too. So I helped put him in the car and then said bye and blew kisses. My mom said he asked about us when they got to her house and then when he woke up the next morning. She told him that we were on a date, and he was OK with that. He had a lot of fun at Grandma's house. His aunts and great-grandma came to spend time with him too. My mom told me all sorts of fun things they did together. She's excited to keep him overnight again sometime. Woo Hoo!

Whaaa?

I just read this article. Heath Ledger dies at 28. Wow! He's just a little older than me and seemed to have so much going for him with hit movies and a daughter. Sad.

Plans

So, I've decided that we're going to a mall in Beavercreek, near Dayton. I've never been there. (If you have, let me know what you think.) It looks like it has a lot of stuff there. I plan to take Matt out for a nice breakfast on Monday morning, then we'll head that way. They have a movie theater there. I didn't realize there were so many movie showing right now that I'd like to see. After thinking about it and seeing my options, I've decided we'll see "P.S. I Love You". Last time we were looking for a movie, Matt mentioned that he'd like to see a good romantic movie. (Yes, he's cool like that. He'll go for a good romance most of the time...sometimes more often than me.) So, I thought this would be a good movie to go for. Of course, if he sees something else better when we get there, I might change my mind. Then there are two of his favorite restaurants, that we don't have here, at that mall. I plan to let him choose between Max & Erma's and Red Robin for a late lunch/early supper. Then we can go shop at Frederick's (my main reason for choosing this location, plus then I found other things I'd like to do). We don't have one around here, and they carry lingerie in plus sizes. So, just go ahead and guess why Matt's been wanting to go there. There is a Target store not too far, so I'd like to hit that up too. We don't have one here, and I like to get to Target every chance I get (which isn't often enough). After we're done we'll have to head home (then another hour north) to pick up Zachariah.

I'm really looking forward to this. Matt is really looking forward to this. He's just exciting that I'm planning something and he knows nothing about it. I don't do this very often. He usually plans all our trips and getaways. I think I will keep it a secret from him. He'll probably want to drive, so I can just program it in the GPS and not let him see it. I'll set it so he can tell where to turn and that's it. :) I think he likes a little surprise, so this will be good.

My mom is coming tomorrow afternoon to pick up Zachariah. We're just planning to go to small group as always on Sunday nights. It will be much more relaxing and enjoyable not having to chase a toddler around the whole time, though. Then we can come home, watch Amazing Race, and not worry about putting a cranky baby to bed. I can't wait. It will be wonderful. I think it's just the thing we need.

Upcoming

Boy, I've been a bad blogger. I just don't feel like there's anything worth blogging about right now. And I've enjoyed reading all YOUR blogs. :)

I've been getting photos printed and catching up on my photo albums. I hadn't done this in a while, so it was fun seeing photos of Zachariah a year ago. So much has changed. I'm hoping to get some more printed and albums sorted soon.

Zachariah's 2nd birthday is coming up fast. What? When did he get old enough to be 2? I'm trying to decide what to get him for birthday gifts, what to do for a party, what to make for a cake, what theme we'll use. I'm looking for a non-commercialized theme. I'm thinking maybe tractors or farmyard. Possibly cars, trains, trucks all lumped together. Who knows. Any ideas? The cake I will make, so I have to think of some way to decorate it. Or I've thought about cupcakes too. Either one is fine. It will be family only (and adults only because we don't really run in circles with people with kids). I'm thinking I will order a few Little People sets online for his gift. Those are some of his favorite things. They have one that would go with the barn and tractor he has now.

Matt and I both have a 3-day weekend. YEAH! No plans for Saturday. It's going to be bitter cold too, so I'm OK with staying in (and keeping the kiddo in). Sunday we have our regular obligations at church, then home for lunch and a nap as always. THEN, my mom is coming to pick up Zachariah. She's keeping him overnight at her house. We'll have to go get him Monday afternoon/evening. BUT, that means we have the rest of Sunday and most of Monday to ourselves. We've never been home alone...just the two of us. And we've only left Zachariah overnight once...ever. I'm making the plans, and I'm not sure what to do. I'd really like to sleep in, because I never get to do that. But that means we can't travel too far on Monday. I was thinking about a nice meal out and a movie. I don't know what's showing, so there may not be anything we're interested in. Or I've thought about driving a little ways to a bigger town to go shopping at a mall. Matt's been after me to go to Frederick's, so we could and let him pick something out for me. Anyone have suggestions about what to do with our free day?

I hope that you all have a nice weekend. What are you doing?

Bargains

Wow, I stopped at Toys R Us the other day just to look around. I remembered that I got wrapping paper really cheap there last year about a week or so after Christmas. I'm glad I stopped. Not only did I find some awesome wrapping paper super cheap, but I also found some swim shorts for Zachariah for this summer super cheap. They must be clearing out last years stock in preparation for this years line. Anyway, here's how good the deals were. The wrapping papers were $1.80, $1.20, $1.20, and $1.80. I fell in love the the sock monkey one. Oh so cute. Then the swim shorts were $1.20, $0.60, $1.35, and $1.20. Wow! I was shocked. I don't usually like the character-type clothing, but it will do. And he probably doesn't need 4 pairs, but I spent less for 4 pair then I would have one pair regular price. My parents have a pond, so I think I'll be able to leave one or two of them at their house for this summer.

Like we were kids

Alphabet fun...it's not just for kids.


Zachariah got the fridge magnets for Christmas. My aunt made them for him. He's played with them a little bit, but mostly they've just been fun for Matt and I to leave each other messages.


Here are two of the messages left there.







Then last night this message was left:
** I WANT SEX


The response found there this morning:
** U GOT SEX


There is only 1 of each letter, so we have to get a little creative. I think this has endless entertainment value though.

Thank you & boredom

Thanks for all your advice from yesterday. We have not had any more climbing adventures since then. I did move the little cradle away from his bed in case that made it more tempting.

Tonight choir started again at my church. We've had a few weeks off after Christmas. We're doing something different this time. For the next 3 weeks we're becoming a worship choir and essentially leading worship along with the band. I think it will be neat. I had thought about taking a little time off and not participating in this. Then I remembered that this is, most weeks, my only night out alone. I like that I can get away for a few hours and do something fun for me.

This week has seemed sluggish and slow, and yet I have not been able to get much done. I think we've just been mostly lazy. Maybe it's just that post-holiday let-down. I was excited that my grandmother and sister might come to visit this week. It would help break up the ho-hums. But when I talked to my grandma yesterday, she decided to wait until next week. We've gotten a lot of rain the past few days and there has been some flooding in surrounding areas. She's afraid to run into closed roads on the way here. I can't blame her. I'll really need the company by the time she comes next week.

Now what do I do?

This is not what the post is about, but let me get it out of the way. Ohio State lost last night. They looked terrific in the 1st quarter. After that, I have no idea what was going on. It was sad. It wasn't a complete blow-out, but we could see they didn't stand a chance. That's life. I'll take it. It was fun to be ranked #1 for a while and get to the championship game. We'll get there again sometime. I'm OK with it.

OK, on to my real post now. Sorry about that brief interlude.

This morning Zachariah woke up right after I got done showering and dressing. I hear him calling for me, so I went in to get him. We (he does rather) play this game sometimes. When I come in I turn on the light and go over to where he's standing at the end of the crib. When he wants to play he says "bye bye", waves, and then runs to the other side of the crib. Most times when I say "OK, bye bye then" and start the leave the room he says "no no" and comes back towards me in his crib. He'll do that a few times, then finally stop and want out.

Today he played the game, but didn't come running back towards me each time. He'd say "bye bye" then stay at the back of his crib and watch me leave the room. So, I went into our room and got a basket of clothes, then peeked in at him. He still didn't want out, so I took the laundry to the washer. I peeked back at him again. He would say "no, bye bye" each time. After checking in about 3-4 times, I went back to laundry. Then I heard this ker-thump coming from somewhere in the house. It wasn't a loud ker-thump, just a soft one. But it was enough that I came running just in case. It was the dog, he was sleeping on the couch. I really wasn't too concerned...until I saw what had happened.

I walked into Zachariah's room and he was on the floor! Standing there grinning at me. The little turkey climbed out of his crib! This is the first time he's ever done this. There is a little cradle with stuffed animals beside his crib. He climbed, somehow, into that and then onto the floor. He was perfectly fine. It was like it took no effort at all.

Needless to say, when he's awake in his crib, from now on I will get him out right away. But how am I to know that he won't just get the idea to do it again without me even knowing he's awake. And I know he'll do it again eventually. I knew this day was coming, I just didn't think it would happen quite so soon.

So, now what do I do? Do I wait to see if he keeps practicing his crib climbing skills? Do I think about moving him into a toddler bed right away? I'm not sure he or I am ready for that. I know they make crib tents, but I don't really want to invest the money into that. I think he's close to being old enough for a real bed. I just wasn't prepared. Luckily for now his crib converts into a toddler bed. We'll use that for a while (because we don't need the crib for anyone else right now). Then I figure we'll get him a twin bed someday when we need the crib back.

I need your advice, fellow mothers. Do I wait this out and see what he does? Or should I start the new bed transition? Help!

Relaxing evening

I'm sitting here with my feet up, just relaxing. Zachariah is snug in his bed, freshly cleaned. Matt is in the chair next to me with his feet up and a drink in his hand. We're relaxed...for now.

Why this relaxation (and now excitement)? We're watching our Ohio State Buckeyes play the college football national championship game. We're more reluctant this year, because last year we went in the same championship game with high hopes and were disappointed. But this year our team earned their way into the top of the standings. Then we stood by for a few weeks and waited while we were slowly moved to the #1 team in the nation. We were shocked and amazed. And now we're hoping and praying for an awesome win.

(While I was writing this the game started. The Buckeyes scored a touchdown within the first 1 1/2 minutes of the game. A tell of the rest to come? I don't know, but it gives me even more hope.)

We're excited and will be proud of our team whether they win or lose tonight. GO BUCKEYES!

**Edited to add: We're playing the LSU Tigers. And we're still winning!**

Boring or good?

(That was strange. I first wrote the title as "pooring or goob". Ha. Guess I'm really not paying attention.)

I just haven't been able to think of anything thrilling to blog about lately. I think maybe that's a good thing. I suppose it means that things are going well here. I think it's easier to blog about problems or issues that are going on in my life.

Seriously, though, things have been going well. My Christmas decorations are still up. I've had every intention of taking them down the last few days since we've been home. But here they are. I'm tired of them. Today I spent my day getting more groceries and other nessecities for us. We were terribly low on everything. Then it was back home to get lunch and put the kid down for a nap. After that I decided I needed a bit of a nap too. At the time that seemed more important than taking down decorations. Tonight I played single mom, because Matt worked late. I put the kid to bed and felt like relaxing and doing something fun for me. I did get some laundry, but here I sit with nothing else done. Matt is home now, so I'd rather spend time with him. I guess maybe I'll try to get things down tomorrow. Boy, I'm really dragging this out. I'm not usually this bad about it.

Otherwise (ha), my life is quite boring and calm right now. Zachariah is being a good boy. He's loving all his new toys (that are still all in my living room, because I have no idea what to do with all these toys). We don't really have a lot going on in our lives right now. Things seemed to have slowed down for our schedules. It's a good thing, I think.

I really need to do a complete overhaul on my house. I need to clean and purge so many things. I think I would feel a lot better if I did all that. It would be nice to get it all done before March. We'll probably have a bunch of people over for Zachariah's birthday.

Last year at this time we found out that Zac had chicken pox. Boy, I guess I really should be happy that everything is going well. Try dealing with a 10 month old with chicken pox (we have no idea where he ever got them from...strange), not fun.

One last thing, my car is fixed. They did it a day early (not early enough for me to pick it up last night, but still nice). AND....AND...they did it for free. It was the exact same thing they fixed two months ago, so the labor and parts were all under warranty. YEAH! Thank goodness. I'm happy to have my car back. Hopefully I won't have to worry about it for a long time.

For good measure, here's a great photo of Zachariah before Christmas.

Pulling things together

We made it home safe and sound. It was really snowy and icy on our way home last night, so it took longer than usual. Thank goodness for a safe-driving husband.

I was happy to crawl into my own bed last night. Zachariah is happy to be playing with all his new toys. Does anyone else's house look like a toy store threw up in their living room? Mine sure does! And I have this silly Christmas tree taking up half of my living room and it's already January 2. Welcome home, for sure. My mom already had hers down. (But it's because we helped take all her stuff down while we were there.) Then I come home and have to do all this stuff at my house.....with no help. Not fair.

We did really enjoy our time with our family. This is the longest we've stayed their with Zachariah. After his horrible day-after-Christmas crash, he was great. When we got out of the car at home last night, Zachariah was already asking for Maw Barb and Papa. Then he was looking and calling for them in the house. We will miss having them around. It's great having 2 extra adults around to help out with the kid. I did a lot more relaxing than I normally get to. We also spend more time than normal with my sisters and their husbands.

My house is a bit of a disaster. Now I have to find a place for all these new things that we got. Matt and I got a lot of clothes from my family. That won't be hard. His parents got us a lot of little things for the kitchen and around the house. Matt was very nice last night and helped put most things away. We hit the after-Christmas clearance sales, so I have some new Christmas things for next year. Those things can all be packed away with decorations when I get up enough energy to get the tree taken down and otherwise de-Christmas my house.

To make my week even a little more exciting...my car is acting up. I need to get it to the dealership before Friday and get a loaner to drive in the meantime. I also need to get to the store for a few essentials that we're out of after not being home for over a week...like milk, bread, chicken nuggets and ice cream.

It's already after the New Year. I'm glad it's here. It feels like it's a fresh start. I don't typically make New Year's resolutions, but I have a few in mind this year. Is it too late to be declaring my resolutions? How about you do you make them?

I'm sure you've all missed me, and you'll be blessed by my regular blogging now. (OK, OK, maybe not, but at least that stroked my ego a bit just thinking it.) I'm off to try to pull myself and house together now. Happy New Year!

Blogging neglect

We've been here at my parents' house for 6 days now. We have 3 more to go. It's been good. We've been busy. We've seen old friends. Enjoyed Christmas. Visited family. Played and napped and stayed up late and slept in. I just have not taken the time to turn the computer on even though it's here.

Not to mention all the blogs that I'm not reading (or commenting on). They are still in my reader, and I will try to skim through them at some point. But I can't promise too many comments.

I will try to get online a few more times in the next couple of days, but for now I don't feel like writing much. Maybe I'll update you on all the fun things we did eventually. Also I have lots of great pictures, so I'm sure I can share a few from our Christmas festivities.

Goodbye for now, dear readers. Have a safe and Happy New Year.

Let's chat

Have a seat. Can I get you a warm cup of coffee? Tea? Hot cocoa? I just wanna chat.

First let's talk about my new mixer. I'm in love. We're running away together.

OK, maybe that's a bit over the top, but only a small bit. In the short few days that I've been the proud new owner of a KitchenAid Professional 600 Series Stand Mixer I had managed to use it 4 times! And I'm already thinking about all the other homemade treats I can make with it. I think about how wonderful it will be to whip up a made from scratch cake mix with icing. Mmm. (Actually I'm probably doing that tonight, because they want me to make dessert for our Christmas party luncheon tomorrow.) I think about making cookies for all my loved ones for Christmas (even though I've already made more cookies than I can count). I think this mixer will get plenty of use.

It may seem silly, since I had already told you Matt and I had talked about it, but I was totally surprised that Matt got me this mixer. We'd talked about it briefly, where I professed my love for this machine. I also pointed out all the wonderful things I could do with it. Plus who can pass up a deal like this (less than half price). But Matt kept looking at all the other things he could buy. He was considering getting me some jewelry (so I thought). And he talked about other things he could get for himself. Usually Matt can't keep a secret this well, so when he does it knocks my socks off. He put the mixer in the kitchen, so I would see it when I got home from tutoring. I couldn't figure out why things were moved around in the kitchen...until I turned on the light. I was thrilled and shocked! I did a little happy dance right there in the kitchen. Really, I did. I'm sure it was embarrassing.

I really could have used the mixer last week and earlier this week when I was having a horrible time making cookie dough. Matt knew it was on its way, but he refrained from telling me. He told the guys at work that I would be mad I had to make all that cookie batter with my hand mixer. Ha ha. I really wasn't upset. I was just happy to have it now.

Speaking of baking all those cookies I'm exhausted. I made so much stuff for Matt to sell at work. Today I took a break. I don't want to think about cookies. There are at least 10 dozen still in my kitchen waiting to be decorated. I will take those to family for Christmas. I'll probably leave some of the mail carrier, garbage man, and our neighbors. But that can wait another day or two. Now I need a break. I've been on my feet doing non-stop baking for 3 days. Whew.

Tomorrow we had a Christmas luncheon for the people who work at the center where I tutor. Then my sister is coming into town to do some shopping...actually all her Christmas shopping. She's been working 60 hour weeks for a month now. She finally gets a little break tomorrow, so she needs to get her shopping done. I told her it would be fun to go along. Matt has taken the day off, so he will be able to stay home with Zachariah. I'm sure he'll need a nap after the party.

At some point I should dust, vacuum around the baseboards, and all those other little things, Since our small group Christmas party was cancelled last weekend, we invited everyone over here this Saturday. So, I'll probably spend Friday night and Saturday morning cleaning up.

And sometime before Monday afternoon we need to exchange gifts with our little family. It's easier to do it before we leave for all the family festivities. We usually pick a morning a day or two before we leave and open our gifts then. Our only real options this year are Saturday morning or Sunday afternoon. I'm leaning towards Saturday morning. I like the idea of getting Zachariah up and going straight for the presents. Although, I don't know if he'll do that or not. (The kid likes to eat, and he usually wants breakfast right way). Well, we'll figure something out I'm sure.

I'm going to try to keep blogging a little bit through the holidays while we're gone, but I don't know how good I'll be. We will be staying with my parents (who have wireless Internet), so I will plan to take this laptop and check in once in a while. So we'll make do.

My Christmas Gift

Guess what was sitting in my kitchen when I got home last night.

I had no idea. Do you?

Santa must have come to our house early.



What do you think? Is it a keeper?

It is a really hard choice between using this new KitchenAid heavy-duty 6 qt. mixer and my puny little old hand mixer.



So, out with the old, in with the new.





**No actual hand mixers were harmed during this photo session. I guess I'll keep it just in case it would be handy for something.