Thankful

1- I got a scrapbook page done today and cooked two dozen cookies. Now I just have to ice them.

2- Another week of gymnastics down... only four more (i think) -- only two more Daisy Scout meetings :-)

3- already half way through this month's book club book. Luckily, we all decided to do a 'fluff' book this month since we all have kids' activities (since this is the last month of school), so it is a super easy read.

4- I finished a new craft today that I think will actually be a useful one :-) I painted and covered big clothes pins and can hang kids' crafts from them. I think it will end up pretty cool (I will upload pictures later)

5- Even though Rob had to get somebody from jail this afternoon, we are probably still going to have our Wednesday night out tonight. Hopefully...

Five thankfuls...

1. Monday and I had already made an appointment for the little two to go to hourly care today. That gave me two hours all by myself. Maybe that sounds bad, but oh well. I got three scrapbook pages done and the kitchen mostly cleaned.

2. finally got the winter clothes out of the kids' closets and drawers so now all of the clothes they wear fit!

3. another guilty one -- Rob was home a little after 5pm because it rained and his soccer game was cancelled

4. a new Dirty Jobs on tonight :-)

5. Went to the library during my two hour 'alone' time. Got the next book club book and three kids' craft books. There are some pretty good ideas in the craft books and since we are supposed to have some chilly weather this week, hopefully we will be able to make some stuff.

Belly Laugh...

2 more -isms

Faithism today:

I was watching the Science Channel this afternoon. Some show about the evolution of earth during early primate evolution. Well, I eventually left the room and apparently another show came on that Faith started watching. All of a sudden, this is what I hear...

Faith: Oh my goodness. Do NOT go outside today.

Grace: Why?

Faith: There is lava EVERYWHERE! We cannot go outside!

Me (from another room): What are you talking about?

Faith: You have GOT to come in here. There is something on TV about lava being everywhere!

Me (catching on that she is still watching the Science Channel): That show is not real. It is telling about something that happened a long time ago... after the dinosaurs (which is her reference point to a long time ago)

Faith (with such relief on her face that I had to hug her): Oh, thank goodness. I thought the lava was coming.

Grace (chiming in, as usual): Yeah, that happened right after the big rock came from outer space and killed all of the dinosaurs. That was WAY before people.

Graceism:

Grace was sitting with her daddy...

Grace: Daddy, you have salt on your chin.

Rob (wipes his chin): Did I get it?

Grace: No, it is still there in your beard.

Rob: Grace, that is my grey hair.

Grace (after a minute of contemplation): Well, I like it.

Rob: Thanks G, that makes me feel good.

Why is it that...

I am almost a (dare I say it) 30 year old woman, who hasn't lived under my mom and dad's roof for nearly a decade, and I still follow some of the 'rules' that we had while growing up. Even some of the rules that were annoying at the time. Why is that?

Well, I broke a 'mama' rule :-)



Let me take you back...



When we were growing up (as I am sure that either of my sisters will attest), we went to family reunions, on the Turner side, yearly. We always ended up having fun, even if we were hesitant to want to go in the beginning (you know, too cool for that). Well, each year, we would bring this cherry/angel food cake/cream cheese concoction that would get completely eaten, usually before any of us had made it through the line to get it. We only got this dish around family reunion times. Why? I am not sure. But I loved this cake! Would beg to lick the bowl (cream cheese and cool whip combination bowl) and beg to tear the angel food cake into bite sized pieces (though when I did, there was a significant lack of pieces).



Fast forward...gasp... 20 years. I was making an angel food cake on Tuesday (they are zero fat cakes and can satisfy my sweet cravings). I hadn't thought about the cake in years. Really... hadn't thought about it. But on Tuesday, I did. So, I thought... hmmm.. I can't wait to be able to make one of those cakes.



HELLO?!?



My house... my rules. I don't have to wait until July! So, I made one. And it is as delicious as I remember. In an effort to keep fat/calories low, I did make some minor adjustments that probably weren't available when I was growing up. I made my own angel food cake, I used the reduced fat cream cheese and cool whip, and used no sugar added cherry pie filling.



Rob and the kids all like it too! This is something I don't have to feel guilty about giving them! Cool and refreshing... Quite good, if I say so myself :-)



My only issue? That I don't have a clear glass container to put it in and see all of the layers...

-isms for yesterday

Grace-ism

Picture it - me, in the school admin office, signing G out of school early so the kids could go to an ultrasound appointment with me.

Faith: Are they going to take the baby out so we can see it?

Me: No, they are going to squirt jelly all over my belly and rub a machine on it and you will be able to see inside my belly. Through my skin.

Grace (very seriously): Is the jelly going to be grape or strawberry?

Faith-ism

Picture it - G, F and I went hiking with the Daisy Scouts last night for Earth Day. Before we went, everybody got sprayed with bug spray. After the hike, we were all in van going to pick up Bubba from Rob's soccer game.

Me: We are going to get Bubba and then go home to take baths.

G: Why do we have to take baths? We put on bug spray!

Me: Exactly, I don't want to smell like bug spray.

F: Yeah. Me either. Bugs stink.
(she thought bug spray was MADE of bugs :-))

My new toy :-)

I got a new sewing machine :-) Well, I should say that I got a sewing machine. I haven't had one before...

My first project is going to be making valences for the windows. I just have to find the right fabric. Our furniture is so dark that I want to use the curtains to lighten up the room. Hopefully I will be able to find something that Rob and I both agree on :-)

I've been playing around with some scrap fabrics this morning having a great time! I can't wait to really do something. I may have to get a sewing translation book... I was looking at a pattern and don't have a clue what some of the words are... yoke? No clue.

Earthquake update

So, nobody really knows WHY it happened... just did. Apparently caused by the Wabash Fault (which there is very little info about). It could, or could NOT, be the northern most tip of the same fault system containing the New Madrid fault (which causes quite a number of shakes in Missouri). All I could find out is that it has happened before, but with this fault, the quakes are easily forgettable. I still wish I had felt it... or at least the aftershocks (which also shook some structures here on post).

Funny story about this though... there was a pregnant lady here on post who went in to work early ( I think she works at a gym) yesterday morning at around 5am. When her co-workers got to work at about 6am, they found her crying uncontrollably at her desk. They took her immediately to the hospital, thinking it was something pregnancy related. NO... she thought she was losing her mind because she said the whole office was moving and she couldn't make it be still. :-) Sounds like something I would think with a pregnant brain :-)

Earthquake?!?

We had a 5.2 earthquake this morning! It didn't wake me, but Rob said he felt it.

Strange!!

Earthquake?!?

We had a 5.2 earthquake this morning! It didn't wake me, but Rob said he felt it.

Strange!!

doctor's visit

So, went to the doctor this morning. Everything is still looking fine. I am measuring small, but have with 2/3's of the other pregnancies. I measured right on with Faith, but I was the biggest with Faith, too. Both Grace and Josh were over 8 lb babies and the midwives/doctors all told me they would be tiny (around 6 lbs I was told). I must just hide it well. Whatever it is, I won't complain about being smaller than average :-)

I will schedule the next ultrasound tomorrow. We still won't find out the gender, but we want to let the kids see the baby. All of the kids have felt at least a kick, but I don't think Bub quite 'gets it'. I did find out that the reason that the kicks are so strong so early -- (maybe TMI, but...) apparently my placenta is on the back of my uterus instead of the (typical) front. Means the kicks don't have a cushion to push through. Whatever the reason, there is another kicker in there! And we will definitely be working on our day/night schedules... many kicks at night and a lot of resting during the day. Hopefully isn't indicative of things to come...

Awards Shows

I don't know... maybe I am just not cool. Does anybody actually watch all of the awards shows (Oscars, Emmys, MTV Music, etc) that air throughout the year? I will admit that I *always* check the best/worst dressed lists the next day and occasionally want to see what the best picture of the year is, but that is usually it. And I usually don't make it to actually seeing that particular award (since it is always the last of the night) and just check the 'results' list the next day.

Though I am a big fan of country music, the CMT awards of last night didn't even enter my radar screen of things to watch last night! I did learn this morning that Taylor Swift is finally 18 so my husband can stop feeling like a dirty old man when he looks at her :-)

What did I watch?!? Well, after getting home from Daisy Scouts (well over 30 minutes late), I watched American Idol and the season opener of Deadliest Catch. I do like some reality TV :-)

What did you watch?

Random Ramblings

So... we bought a futon on Saturday. We couldn't get it home in the van, so Rob had to go back and get it. Well, it was last night before Rob got over there. But after putting it together backwards, it is finally together and functioning :-) Now I have somewhere to sit while the kids play downstairs.

You know, though... futons aren't too comfortable, are they? We got the 'up-grade' mattress which is decently comfortable. I couldn't imagine trying to lay on the regular one. You'd feel nothing but bars under you! They really are handy to have. Rob said that he will never put another one together, so he hopes the kids don't want one later in life :-)

Speaking of kids...

-Grace's class is putting on a performance at the PTO meeting Thursday night. I will take a video and lots of pictures, but since Rob won't be able to come there will probably be more of Faith and Josh talking (in the background) than actually hearing G's class!

-Faith picked a Big Wheels over a bike for her birthday. She got a Barbie one (much like the princess ones that mom & dad gave the girls in NC that got destroyed by some hurricane). I haven't put it together yet. Probably should do that... since tomorrow we are supposed to have some decent weather.

-Josh went with Rob to get a haircut on Saturday morning. They match... both have that super short military cut. SO cute on Bubba's little head :-)

-Wee One is the size of an ear of corn now. Can you imagine?!?

New Router

So, our wireless router died. I didn't realize how spoiled I had gotten with being able to take the laptop out of the little computer corner that we usually set up in our house. Since we moved into our new (definitely relatively speaking, since this house was built in, like, 1942) house, our wireless router has been on its downward spiral to death. As I quickly discovered while attempting to hammer a nail into the wall to hang a picture, the wall separating our dining room and our computer/scrapbooking room is cement. Since the computer and all of its 'stuff' belong in that back room, the wireless router was trying to send its signal through the cement wall. It couldn't do it. So, today, we bought a new, stronger router. Hopefully this will mean more blogs :-) I tend to want to sit with Rob and the kids at night, so I don't separate to blog. Now I can sit with them in the living room and type away! Yippee!

Happy Birthday, Faithers!

Can anybody believe that my Faith is four today? Seems like only yesterday that I had that little spider monkey :-) She sure has turned out pretty after such... um, not-so-pretty beginnings. Remember those eyes?!? They took up half of her face :-)

Tonight was the Opening Ceremony for the Spring Soccer season. All of the teams were given their team shirts and introduced. Well, Coach Chris (the most patient coach ever) had it arranged that Faith kick out the first, ceremonial ball to start the soccer season. What a thrill it was for Faith to be in front of all of those kids, coaches and parents to kick the first ball! She is definitely the only one of my three that would actually do it, so it worked out perfectly! Here is the video of her kick...

We got home and ate the birthday meal that she picked... hotdogs with potato chips. Then everybody had a slice of coconut Barbie cake :-) Faith picked. I sure am glad that our kids will eat coconut now. I didn't remember to get birthday candles, so Faith blew out a votive (I know, I know... redneck, but she didn't mind a bit :-))

Anyway... HAPPY BIRTHDAY FAITH! We sure do love you!

Food We Love

Hmmm...

Of course, we love egg rolls and haven't had them in SO long!

I asked Grace and she said she wants some ribs. Faith will not like anything... she is going through the lovely "I don't like that" phase, so don't get your feelings hurt if she only wants dessert (though she won't get it until she eats her real food). Bubba eats pretty much whatever, though he has his moments of not wanting anything.

I have quite a few food aversions right now. The thought of red meat doesn't do anything for me... may account for my low platelet counts, but that is beside the point. I'd love some cheesy potatoes, but I know that that is usually lots of effort.

We eat poptarts and yogurt (usually go-gurts or dan-imals) for breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Sliced turkey, peanut butter, wheat bread...

I can't think of anything else. Hmm... seems like we eat a whole lot more than that :-)