Sure to be a Memorable Moment

Well, tomorrow we have to take "Princess (4)" to the pediatrician for her well-checkup and the subsequent filling out of forms that are required by her kindergarten in order for her to be accepted on the first day. We have also decided to go ahead and let her take her first set of booster shots required before she starts first grade. The vaccines are normally given between the ages of four and six, and although she just turned four last week my husband and I decided to go ahead and get it over with for a few reasons:

1. It's easier to hold down an angry 4 year old than an angry 6 year old.
2. 4 year olds have a shorter attention span.
3. 4 year olds are more easily bribed.
4. At the tender age of 4, she has yet to comprehend exactly what the word "vaccine" means.
5. If she gets it over with now, we won't have to dread it for the next two years.
6. If I have to pay the freakin' copay anyway, they might as well work for it!

Her appointment is at 2:00 tomorrow. If you live in the immediate area, you might want to take cover just in case there should be some small shockwaves or tremors. LOL I'm sure this will be an unforgetable experience. It's so much easier when they are babies and can't retaliate. You just feel guilty and then get to cuddle them all better. Now she's big enough to yell, call names, and seek revenge. I guess I'll be sleeping with one eye open for a while!

Busy w/ Birthdays and Other Things

After getting an email from a blogging buddy, I realized that once again I had failed to post an entry in a while. Things have been busy around here as usual. My oldest daughter (pictured below) turned 4 on Wednesday! Yep, only ten days after my youngest turned 2! We had a small celebration (just the girls, their Daddy and I) on the morning of each of their individual birthdays, and then we had a joint birthday party for them both, the weekend between their birthdays (which this year happened to be Sat. the 16th). Our friends and family were invited, and we grilled hotdogs for lunch, had cake, punch, chips & dip, etc., and watched the girls joyously open their presents. It was fun! Tiring, but fun. I'm glad this next baby will be born in the fall. Too many birthdays back to back breaks the bank and me too! LOL Now that Cat is 4, she will be starting Kindergarten. In fact, her first day is Aug. 8th! Only two weeks + away. I'm curious to see how she will do on her first day. I've never gone ANYWHERE and left her before. (Other than her Nana keeping her, or our friends' daughter coming over to babysit for a bit, of course). I've never left her in a new place, with new people. I hope she will be excited enough about going to school, making new friends, etc. to get over my leaving her quickly. Of course, knowing how things normally turn out, it will probably be much harder on me than it will be on her. I can't believe my baby is old enough to start school!!! It seems like just yesterday I was bringing her home from the hospital. All 6 lbs. 10 oz. of her. Crazy!

Happy Birthday, Little Princess!

Happy Birthday...Baby Bugga Bugga!

For those of you who watch Dora the Explorer (willingly or otherwise) on a daily basis, yesterday was my Baby Bugga Bugga's 2nd birthday! She seemed to understand the concept because she was so excited when she woke me up at SIX IN THE MORNING! This after I stayed up late baking and decorating her cake in a Dora Theme (what else?) after she had gone to bed the night before. We put up some balloons and "happy birthday" banners and moved her booster seat to the "seat of honor" at the head of our dining room table. When she woke up and stumbled sleepily to the kitchen, she saw all the decorations and her presents and cake sitting on the table and got really excited. She came into my bedroom shouting "party party!" Her Daddy had already gone to work before she woke up, but I called him and fortunately he was able to come by to help us celebrate. 2 ran and got "soon to be 4" out of her bed and they both sounded like little elephants running down the hall. 2 climbed into the 'birthday chair' and we lit the candles on her cake. "Almost 4" and her Daddy sang Happy Birthday to her. I did not participate in the singing because I was holding the video camera and trust me...nobody wanted to hear THAT! LOL Within seconds the candles were extinguished and Bugga Bugga was ripping into her presents with glee! She received a bathtub/pooltime Dora and Boots from her sister, and a new Baby doll w/ accessories from her Daddy and me. Fortunately for us, she was more interested in playing with her new toys that demolishing her birthday cake (which was chocolate fudge w/ buttercream icing btw), so we weren't trying to deal with a sugar-wired two year old for the rest of the day. Believe it or not, she actually went willingly to take her regularly scheduled nap that afternoon. We are also grateful that Hurricane Dennis pretty much ignored us all together. Other than intermittent periods of really hard rain and a few strong gusts of winds, we did not feel the effects of it at all. We had really been expecting to spend the night by the light of 2's birthday candles due to power outages, but we were lucky this time.

A Sleepy Birthday Bugga Bugga!

My Avon 4th of July Sale!

4th of July Sale !!!

Need a last minute gift? The following items are things that I have in my personal inventory for immediate sale and delivery. All are new in packaging. Most of these items can no longer be ordered online or through the Avon brochure. I only have one of each item, so they will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.

Colors & Shapes Earrings

8 x 10mm gem-colored studs with silvertone. Pierced only. Sky Blue.

Item#: 161-339

Brochure: $14.99

Now $10.99

Textured Two-Tone Pave' Jewelry

Rhinestones in goldtone with silvertone details.
Necklace

16" chain with 3" extender.

Just $12.99
Earrings

Pierced only, 5/8" L.

Brochure: $9.99

Now $6.99

Silvertone Three Chain Anklet Bundle

9" L with 1" extender.

Item#: 091-002

Just $8.99 set of three

Stress Relief Massaging Pillow

Micro-beads mold to neck, lower back or other contours. Insert massage unit into zip pocket. Uses two AA batteries (not included). Nylon, 13" L x 8" W.

Item #: 182-124
Brochure: $19.99
Just $14.99

Elegant Rose Print Pajama

3/4-sleeve top with three frog closures; elastic-waist capri pant. Black polyester with floral print.

Size Large (14-16).
Brochure: $34.99
Item#: 228-313

Now $21.99 - save $13.00

Heart Wreath Knit Pajamas

V-neck top with adjustable keyhole. Ankle-length allover print pant. 100% cotton. S(6-8).

Item#: 303-650
Brochure: $24.00
Now $14.99

Tie Wrap Pajamas

Lace-trim top ties at the waist. Long, flowy pants. 100% nylon. Medium (8-10).

Item#: 232-824
Brochure: $25.00

Now $15.99 Lowest Price Ever

Medallion Chain Bracelet

Chic seven-strand chain bracelet with center medallion. Burnished silvertone with faux patina and peridot beads. 7" L with 1" extender.

Item#: 247-819

Brochure: $12.00

Now $6.99

Star Mesh Cami & Panty Set

100% nylon stretch mesh with bow detail. Available in size M(10-12).

Brochure: $19.99

Now $12.99 save $7.00

Herringbone Cap

Wool/polyester with cotton lining.
Item#: 237-625
Brochure: $7.99

Now $4.99

3 Piece Rose Print Travel Set

100% cotton with webbed piping and nylon lining. Large zip-top satchel with slit pocket, 13" L x 19" W (at bottom) x 7" D. 12" double webbed handles. Foldover garment bag with zip close and hanger loop, 40" L x 23" W x 2" D. Zip-top cosmetics pouch with slit pocket, 8" L x 10" W x 2" D. Outlet Exclusive
Item#: 056-684
Brochure: $39.99

Just $29.99

Colors of Feelings Bracelet

Colorful beads express your mood. One size stretches to fit most. Available in Blue (Peaceful) or Topaz Color (Creative).

Item#: 056-589 (Blue)
Item#: 056-665 (Topaz)
Brochure: $9.99

Now $4.99 each

To Buy or Sell Avon Products:
Email: craz4acop7@peoplepc.com
Need a brochure? Visit the online version...see below!

Current Brochure: http://www.youravon.com/catalog/2005/17/
Still Available: http://www.youravon.com/catalog/2005/16/
Last Chance: http://www.youravon.com/catalog/2005/15/

Please email me with any orders for the current campaign, on or before Tuesday, July 12th!!!

Recipe of the Week

Here is a recipe that I tried this week. It was a bit hit in our house. Even the rugrats ate it!

Simple Polynesian Sweet & Sour Chicken

• 2 chicken breasts cut into 1" pieces
• 1 small onion
• 1 bell (green) pepper
• 1 20oz. can pineapple chunks
• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp. worstershire sause
• 2 Tbsp. ketchup
• 1 Tbsp. honey
• 2 Tbsp. cooking oil
  
  Heat oil in skillet. Add chicken. Cook 3-5 minutes until outside is starting to brown slightly. Drain pineapple reserving juice in small bowl. Add to pineapple juice, the ketchup, worstershire sauce, honey, and cornstarch. Mix well. Chop onion and bell pepper into bite-sized pieces. Add chopped pepper to chicken and cook for about 3 minutes more. Then add your liquid sauce, onion, and pineapple. Cook another 4-6 minutes until onion is tender and sauce starts to thicken. Serve over rice.

Starting Out in the Can

Well, this day has certainly gotten off to an interesting start. I had a Dr's appointment at 8:30 this morning, so I had to get up pretty early to get the kids' breakfast made, grab a bite for myself to eat, shower, dress, and get ready to go. To top all that off, I was worried about getting back home from the doctor's in time for Alan to have the car to take to work. He can't afford to be late, because it might mess up all the extra security jobs for himself and everyone else too. Anyway, I was running late. I was just about to grab my keys and head out the door when "almost 2" comes bounding down the hall demanding that I "wash bankie" which of course is the pink blanket with the teddybear head and arms that accompanies her 24/7 wherever she goes. I thought her request was a bit unusual since she usually pitches a fit whenever I actually do throw the blankie bear in the wash. She doesn't like to be without it for even the brief time it takes for it to go through the wash and dry cycles of the machines. With barely a second glance I told her that it was okay, Mommy would wash him later. That's when I noticed that he was dripping water. Oh great! She wasn't asking me to wash him, she was telling me that she had already done so! AND to make matters worse, the only thing she could have reached to wash him in was.... (you guessed it)...the potty! I am now back home (duh) and anxiously awaiting the aforemention blankie's deliverance from the dryer. He's already been through a heavy duty wash cycle with bleach! We have a relatively child-proof house. We put the child locks on all the cabinets and drawers, and we have the child safety doorknobs on all the exterior doors as well as the doors to the bathrooms that usually prevent the kids from being able to open them on their own. HOWEVER, in my determination to NOT be late for my appointment this morning, I neglected to fully close the door to the master bathroom. "Almost 2" apparantly decided that it would be fun to "wash" blankie bear herself in the Tyd-Bowl blue toilet water. I guess I should just be grateful that the water wasn't green!

Homemade Heaven

I recently gave in to the urge to splurge and by myself that electric homemade icecream maker I have been debating over for the past few weeks. We have a new house, with a beautiful stained deck overlooking a huge backyard. All of which made me think to myself...what could be better than sitting on some patio furniture under and umbrella, enjoying some homemade ice-cream and watching the kids and dog run around in the backyard. Well, I finally gave into temptation and ordered both the patio furniture and the icecream maker from Brylane Kitchen. Boy am I glad I was weak! LOL I made my first ever batch of homemade icecream last night. Plain vanilla, and then I added some fresh peaches that I pureed. OMG! It is delicious! Wickedly, sinfully delicious. (And with that, I'm off to fetch another bowl full!)

Bathtub Bloopers

Bathtime has become a strange and major event in our daily schedule. We eat dinner and as soon as the kids are done, they excuse themselves from the table and immediately begin stripping! Naked children run rampant around my house while I clear the table and load the dishwasher. Meanwhile, Alan runs bathwater, rounds up the bathtub toys, and collects clean clothes to re-dress the rugrats in after their baths. After resounding demands for "bubble bath" and asking about 50 times whether they can get in the tub yet, I'm finally done with the kitchen and ready to bathe them. The girls pile into the tub, divvy up the bathtub toys, and fight for ownership of the most bubbles. I am reminded of a poem by Shell Silverstein that goes as follows:

There are too many kids in this tub.
Too many elbows to scrub.
I just washed a behind,
That I'm sure wasn't mine.
There are too many kids in this tub!

Anyway, after entering the tub 4 immediately starts squirting 2 with water, while 2 loudly demands to be made into a "teletubby." (Which means that when I wash her hair I have to make sure to bring it all into a soapy point ontop of her head at least once.) I have gotten into the habit of teaching the girls silly songs while they are in the tub. Mostly as a distraction so that I can bathe them quickly with the least amount of water-damage done to my own person. Anyway, after having successfully learned "twinkle star" and "the sunshine song," I introduced them to "London Bridge" this week. 4 has it down pretty well and was actually singing it to herself yesterday...mostly in tune. She did really well until right at the end. This is when I realized that perhaps the bathroom acoustics are not as great as I had once thought. I have recently noticed that it tends to phonetically distort consonant sounds when we sing. How did I discover this? Well, as I said before...4 was singing "London Bridge" quite flawlessly until the very last line when she proudly and loudly ended the tune with a resounding " MY BARE LADY!"

E-Rep No More

Okay, this is just a brief comment to tell anyone who may be looking for the link to my Avon webpage, that it no longer exists. I finally figured out how to cancel the blasted thing. Basically, I realized that I was being charged $17.00 a month for a service that I rarely use. (In the last 4 months I've had ONE customer who places her orders online. Everyone else just calls or emails me their product list.) I mean really! $17.00 a month! That really eats into what little profit I actually make on the stuff. Then again, it's also seven dollars more for that stupid website than I pay for my whole freakin monthly internet service. Bye, bye E-Rep page. Enough said. If you wish to place an order through me, please send me an email with the items you want included. I always look to find you the best current price regardless of what campaign we are in. Thanks!

Favourite Childhood Cartoon Meme

Okay, here are my 5 favourite cartoons that I watched as a kid:

1. Jem and the Rockers - a Barbie-type character, only much much cooler. She went by Jerrica during the day, and performed as Jem (the lead singer of Jem and the Rockers) by night. She also had the responsibilty of playing the heroine and fixing the problems caused by a rival chick band called the Misfits. Jerrica could communicate with this hologram named Synergy (I think...although my mind is pulling the name Dance from my memory bank as well) by pressing on her star-shaped earrings. In an emergency, Jerrica would have to disappear and morph ...a la Clark Kent/Superman style...into Jem to prevent some tragic disaster. The frequent disappearance confused the heck out of her sexy as hell but not too bright boyfriend. I think his name was Rico.
2. Gummi Bears - "Gummi Bears...bouncing here and there and everywhere..." I don't remember a whole lot about this cartoon other than there were a lot of little do-gooder bears who gained extra strength by drinking Gummi Berry Juice. There was a Grams bear, Grumpy Bear, and a little yellow bear with a funky hair do named Sunny.
3. My Little Ponies - Once again, the point/plot of this cartoon escapes my memory. I only remember something about a lot of fancy ponies with rainbow colored manes and tails. The girl in the cartoon was called Megan, and her personal pony's name was Sundance. I had the figurines of both of those along with several other ponies and the My Little Pony Stable/Castle.
4. Care Bears - Now this was a truly great cartoon. I'm so glad they have revived them and my daughters are now crazy about them. (In fact I'm in the middle of stitching a cross-stitch Care Bear picture to go in my soon-to-be-born daughter's room.) Each cartoon had a moral to teach and good always defeated evil in the end. The cast of characters include: Grumpy Bear, Cheer Bear, Friendship Bear, Good Luck Bear, Birthday Bear, Funshine Bear, Tenderheart Bear, Wish Bear, Love-a-Lot Bear, Share Bear, Grams, Baby Hugs and Baby Tugs (the boy and girl baby twin bears), and then of course all their Care Bear Cousins - Bright Heart Raccoon, Brave Heart Lion, Swift Heart Rabbit, and MANY more.
5. Rainbow Bright - Another unique character. The girl with the long blonde locks, a purple star on her cheek, and rainbow striped arms and legs. She had these little furry friends with star-shaped antennae called Sprites, and she frequently traveled on the back of a white stallion w/ a rainbow mane. Rainbow Bright and her colorful friends spent most of the episodes battling a villian whose name eludes me. The villian hated/feared color and tried to make the whole world all dark and gloomy. Rainbow and company's job was to restore color and cheerfulness. Yeah, sounds sappy...but as a 5 year old girl (future art student no less)...I thought it was the best!

Re: Meme - 5 Things You Miss About Your Childhood

Ok, since my girls are FINALLY taking their afternoon naps, I have a few minutes to respond to the meme I mentioned earlier. -A- tagged me with the question: "What 5 things do you miss most about your childhood?" So here goes.

1. I miss how safe our parents felt, allowing us to roam the neighborhood with all the other neighborhood kids unsupervised. Knowing and trusting that at least ONE of the other parents knew where we were or where we were headed at all times.

2. I miss the rare occasions when my grandparents had to pick me up from school because my mom was unavailable, and the excitement of knowing that when I opened the car door my grandfather would greet me with the phrase "this bus stops at the Dairy Queen."

3. I miss the excitement and nervousness of those few days before starting school after a long summer off, and shopping for that year's school supplies: the new spiral notebooks, scissors, trapper keepers, glue, and best of all, the smell of new CRAYOLA crayons with their unused perfect points.

4. I miss going outside to play as soon as the sun was up and not going in until the sun was going down: no worries about mosquitos and West Nile then. We'd spend all day making mud pies and mixing foul concoctions of berries, wild onions, leaves, water and acorns in a upside-down sawed off half-barrel, then stay out all evening playing frisbee with a glow-in-the-dark frisbee and chasing/catching lightening bugs.

5. But most of all I miss the innocence and carefree lifestyle that came with just being a kid -- Not having to worry about adult issues - taking for granted that there would be food on the table and a roof over my head tomorrow, and the next day, and the next...without having to think about how it got there; believing in Santa Claus and then being even more grateful later in life when I realized where all those gifts REALLY came from and the sacrifices that were made to provide them; just enjoying the egocentric world of a child where everything revolved around yourself and the biggest heartache was the breaking of a favourite toy, or outgrowing of a favourite outfit...not quite understanding emotional pain and suffering, or sickness and death... never loving so much that it physically hurt...never truly fearing for another person or attempting to take on superhuman traits to protect your loved ones from everything harmful. I guess as a mother of two (soon to be three) precious little girls and the wife of a husband I adore more than life itself...THAT is what I miss the most.

And now that I have dried my tears and restored the Kleenex to their rightfult position on the bathroom cabinet...I move my name to the bottom of the following list whose links I have added and will try to visit:

• http://luann919.blogspot.com
• http://marti2212.blogspot.com
• http://melslifeinanutshell.blogspot.com
• http://motherswork.blogspot.com
• http://craz4acop7.blogspot.com

AND, I pass the meme on to:

1. Birdie - http://blogs.salon.com/0003522
2. Ben & Syd - www.marriedinminnesota.com
3. Mike - http://blogs.salon.com/0004725
4. Redneck Diva - http://redneckdiva.blogspot.com
5. Heidi - http://www.heidimdavis.com/MoMMY.html

TAG! You're IT!

Carbon Cartoon Dating

Want to truly "date" yourself without revealing your age? Simple. Take a trip down memory lane and open a forum for the discussion of the cartoons you got up early to watch as a kid. Thanks to -A- 's lastest post, I have thus dated myself. Apparantly she and I have quite a bit in common. Which is nice actually. I can talk to someone else about the cartoons I watched as a kid. Can't talk to Alan about it. Being nearly 6 years older than myself, he was "too old" to watch the cartoons that I grew up with, and I didn't even exist when he was watching cartoons! LOL Most of his favourite cartoons and movies, superheros, and characters...I have never heard of. Oh well! :) SOooo...I'm starting a new meme. Name your 5 favourite cartoons that you watched as a kid and give a brief description or character listing of each! (No tag-backs!) I will post my own as soon as I respond to another meme. Yes, I have been tagged by -A-, who I am now tagging back...since technically, I have changed the meme! *evil laugh* :)

The Rules:

• Remove the blog at #1 from the following list and bump every one up one place
• Add your blog's name in the #5 spot
• Link to each of the other blogs (if you want to increase their "traffic" and thus your own).
• Finally, add 5 new blogs/links to take part in the meme!

*Note: You will NOT be shot if you choose not to participate. :)

TAG! You're IT!

1. -A- http://motherswork.blogspot.com
2. Ben - www.marriedinminnesota.com
3. http://sillyoldbear.blogspot.com
4. Birdie - http://blogs.salon.com/0003522
5. Patia - http://www.patiastephens.com

Link Lineup

Hi Guys and Gals,
I have gone through my list of blogs and webpages that I link to and done some belated Spring cleaning. If I removed your link (probably in error), or you would like your link added, please let me know by dropping a note in the comment section. If you have any other good blogs to recommend, you may do that as well!!!
Thanks!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

I obtained this clever little blog filler from a link courtesy of Mike at Chew Toys

I Am a German Shepherd Puppy

Intelligent, quick witted, and a bit aggressive.You've got the jaw power to take a bite out of anyone you choose.

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

Baby Mozart...Great! Baby Picasso? Not so Much!

The day started off in a nice calm..NORMAL manner. Cat woke up first and came and crawled in bed with me. Ash woke up about 15 minutes later, observed that her Daddy was working today, and decided she was hungry. So I get out of bed and go to the kitchen to make some strawberry and blueberry muffins. Yum! 15 minutes in the oven and they are done. Called Alan, he came by to grab a few. The girls were settled at the kitchen table eating muffins, munching on the remainder of the KIX cereal they started while the muffins were cooking, and drinking their milk. They were content. Everything was as it should be. I quickly ate two muffins and drained the last of my own milk from my glass. Then I started thinking. I guess that was my first mistake. "Surely," I thought "surely since they are SO content, I can take 5 minutes to throw on my clothes...and maybe even get to pee without their company if I'm quick." Ever the prevenative mom, I looked around the kitchen to double check things just in case. All the knives were out of reach, light sockets covered, dishes put away...no spillables around, cabinets locked with the child-safety locks, storm door latched, etc. I then proceeded to err on the side of caution and went down the landing into the den where I made sure the computer desk drawer was locked, the chair pushed up, the computer off, and the basket of pens WAY up high out of reach. Satisfied that the immediate area was childproof, I proceeded down the hall to my bedroom where I dressed and made that oh so necessary trip to the bathroom. As I finished up and headed towards the bedroom door on my return trip, a familar smell teased my nostrils. "Hmm...strange. I know that smell..." I thought to myself. "It smells...like...like...OH $^*&! It smells like MAGIC MARKER!!!!" I run down the hall and all I can do is stare in horror at my kitchen. My NEW KITCHEN that we have not even made the first payment on yet. My NEW KITCHEN that we have only been in possession of for less than a week. There was black marker all over the new fridge, the lineoleum floor, the cabinet doors, a portion of the wall, even on the air vent. Identifying the culprit was not difficult, because Ash too was covered...her hands, mouth, chin, legs, toes, and outfit. Oh, and not only was the marker black, it was one of those PERMANANT KING markers that we used to label boxes when we packed. I have no idea where she found it since I have not seen one since we moved. I grabbed the offending object and threw it straight into the trash can. My next and last rational thought for a while was to get the kids out of my line of view before I murdered them. So I angrily dispensed them to their separate rooms and slammed the door. Then I phoned Alan who after having seen the damage for himself couldn't understand how I ALLOWED that to happen. Gee...I guess I'm just supposed to cross my legs and hold it for 12 hours until he gets home to watch the girls while I pee. After the initial shock wore off he realized that it was, in fact, NOT my fault. He made a quick dash to Walmart in search of something that would take off this PERMANANT marker that is made to NOT come off. Hmmm. I should have taken before and after pictures...but at the time I was too mad to see straight. Anyway, thanks to a wonderful product aptly named "OOPS" and a bit of elbow grease, we managed to restore our kitchen to its former glory and both our kids are still alive. I can't wait until naptime!

"Sleepless in...Alabama?"

Well, I think all the excitement (aka..stress) of moving this week has finally caught up with me. I am exhausted. I can't seem to get enough sleep. I took a good nap when the girls' took theirs yesterday afternoon. I was so out of it I don't remember having conversations with people (my husband included) who swear that they talked to me on the phone which I don't remember having ever answered. Um..that's a little scary. I didn't sleep well last night at all though, and I'm paying for it now. I'm praying the time to go by until I can feed the girls their lunch and lay them down so I can crash out myself. Blasted hormones! I nearly froze Alan to death last night because I was burning up. I had the overhead fan on high, the air on, and all the covers kicked off and I was STILL sweating. I couldn't get comfortable. Alan was wrapped up in the discarded covers, sleeping like a hibernating bear while I tossed and turned all night. No..I'm not bitter. LOL Maybe just a little envious. I'm about to the point in my pregnancy where I will get better quality sleep catching a nap here and there during the day than I will when I settle down for the night. Wonderful. I've really been looking forward to getting up in the middle of the night and cleaning house and folding laundry. *note the sarcasm, please.*

Missing in Action

There was another amusing incident that occurred today. My Avon order which I usually receive on Friday had been missing in action until it finally decided to show up this morning. I had left instructions with UPS when I changed our mailing address to have all packages left by the side door under the breezeway where they wouldn't get soaked if it rained. It never occurred to me exactly HOW close to the breezeway the fenced in backyard is. At least not until I was about to get the laundry out of the dryer this morning when I heard an awful shriek followed by ferocious barking. Naturally I ran to the backdoor to see what in the world was going on. I got there just in time to see my Avon order (two nice sized boxes) flying through the air to land haphazardly on my doorstep, and the rear view of a quickly retreating UPS delivery-lady. Apparantly she and our German Shepherd who resides in the back yard startled each other. I laughed until tears came out of my eyes. I bet that poor UPS girl was glad her uniform was already brown. *chuckling*.

Laughing at the Little Things

Since Alan is at work, I'm just kinda taking it easy around the house. I can't unpack much unless what I need is ontop of the pile because I'm not allowed to lift or move the boxes. Anyway, I'm just doing the little things...laundry, dishes...vacuuming the carpets (which strangely I'm enjoying). When we moved and set up the girls' rooms, we moved our almost two-year old, Ash, into a regular twin bed and out of the baby bed. We put one of the safety rails up to keep her from falling out, but there is still about a one foot gap at the head and foot of the bed where she can crawl in and out. So now rather than me coming to get her out of bed in the mornings when I wake up, she comes to get me. (Her sister, Cat, usually sleeps about an hour longer than Ash does). This morning I was sleeping deeply, having fallen back asleep after Alan got up to leave around 5 am, when all of the sudden I feel a tug on my hair. I grab it and pull back thinking it must have gotten caught on something (what exactly, I don't know...but then I'm never really rational when I'm asleep.) Then it happened again -- only this time the tug was accompanied by a tiny little voice. "Mommy...wake up. Peeezze...I hungy." I opened my eyes to find Ash standing there all fuzzy headed and bright-eyed, holding a fist-full of my hair...apparantly ready for breakfast. I got up and baked strawberry muffins and sat down with her to eat. She chattered happily the entire time we were sitting there. Alan came in to grab a quick bite, and she was singing when he walked in the door. Of course you could only understand about every third word, but it was SO cute. He asked her what she was singing and she said "Shunshine." You know..the one that goes "you are my sunshine, my only sunshine...." Then after her sister woke up and joined us, Cat would name an animal and Ash would immediate chime in with the appropriate noise. It just cracked me up!

Home Sweet Home

Well, we survived...thanks to some REALLY great friends who not only helped us move, but helped us paint, bought us dinner, and cut the grass at the old house and helped us clean it out before we turned in the keys. Let me just say that I am LOVING the new house. Even with all the huge boxes sitting around and getting in the way. We spent the first night in our new house on Wednesday. Fortunatly we had the presense of mind to get the beds unpacked and reassembled first. We climbed into bed on Wednesday night and Alan and I had the same thought. It felt like we were staying in a hotel suite or at someone else's home. It was great. (Only way it could have been better is if he and I hadn't both been so dead-tired!...LOL) ANYWAY...it took us until Saturday to completely get all of our stuff out of the other house. I haven't felt very well the past two days. Apparantly I overdid this week because I started having contractions Saturday afternoon, and I'm only 22 weeks. (23 tomorrow). I was more than a little worried, but Alan brought me home and literally put me to bed and would not let me lift a finger. Our friends finished helping him clean out the old house and brought us dinner Saturday night. We all slept in on Sunday, and I got most of the kitchen stuff unpacked. There are still about 6 huge boxes in there...but at least I have found enough plates, bowls, cups etc. for us to use in the meantime, and I've managed to get all the "pantry food" put away. Alan went back to work for the first time in a week today. I miss him. I'm not feeling well today either. Kinda nauseous. Did not accomplish a whole lot today. Oh well. We have all the time in the world now. As long as we can eat, sleep, and shower...I'm not in a HUGE hurry. It's getting increasingly difficult to manage things by myself and this pregnancy gets further along. Thank you all for the kind comment. Alan just walked in the door so I'm going to cut this short and go find him. *Hugs to all!*

Movin' on Up

Well Guys and Gals,
You may not see a post on this blog for a little while. I've got to un-assemble my computer set up sometime tomorrow or Tuesday so that I can move it along with ourselves and all our other wordly possessions to our new home! Hurray! It's about time. I feel like I have been waiting forever. Granted, it's a lot of work. Especially considering that I'm 5 months pregnant and can't really lift anything. I packed ALL the boxes though. Just had to leave them sitting in the floor until Alan got home to move them out of the way. We're trying to move across town without having to rent a Uhaul truck. Thank God for good friends and Southern gents. We'll have about 6 guys with pickup trucks on our doorstep ready to help us relocate on Wednesday morning. Another friend has to work but is lending Alan his truck and trailor. Hopefully we can move everything in one day. Then I'll just be the rest of the month unpacking and organizing. Since I can't physically move anything I guess I will be pointing and directing. Oh, and I have to get ready for the HUGE moving/yard sale I'm having at the end of the week. There is a lot of furniture and other stuff that we didn't want to move to the new house, so a friend gave me the idea to have a huge moving/yard sale indoors in the old house while it's empty before we hand over the keys. Everything that we don't sell will be swept off to various local charities. I'm hoping to make enough money to buy a new computer desk and a few other things we'll need. *Ahem* Like a new vacuum cleaner, since my sister-in-law borrowed mine and blew it up. Don't ask..I'm not even sure I know how it happened. Oh well. Wish us luck and I will be back soon. (I hope.)