Bits of my Brain

Snippets of what's been on my brain over the past week...

1. Speaking at MOPS - I spoke on child discipline as discussed in Ginger Plowman's book, "Don't Make Me Count to Three" and in her oh-so-helpful chart, 'Wise Words for Moms.'  I was beyond nervous about it going in, but I survived and none of my friends laughed me off the stage.  So it was a good experience overall and I am pretty sure I would do it again if asked...and I'd be a little less nervous.  It just was not necessary.

2.  I accepted a leadership position at  MOPS also for the 2011-2012 year heading up Creative Activities.  I think I will enjoy the challenge and outlet for ideas.  In the meantime, I am trying to talk myself out of my fear of the commitment.

3. I hosted another play date at home this week with 8 other moms and kids from my meetup group.  It was a nice time and gave me a good excuse to clean up again. :)  Then today, we headed out to a play date again at a friend's here in our neighborhood.  We all wore turquoise in honor of CDH Awareness Day tomorrow, a birth defect of which her daughter is a survivor. 

4.  I've been enjoying my new toy - a Galaxy Tab.  It took us awhile to decide whether to do that or an iPad and in the end it came down to price.  Galaxy Tab does everything I need and want it to do and then some ... for a fraction of the price of an iPad.  Suits me just fine. :)  We call it the baby iPad around here and coo over it in high pitched voices saying, "It's so cuuuuute!"

5.  This week is Noah's Spring Break and he is enjoying the extra free time with his video games and friends at play dates. Tomorrow we hit the zoo with Josh!  We've never done the zoo without extended family with us before so this will be a real change of pace, but I am really looking forward to the leisurely excursion.

6. I had a really weird bout of crazy moodiness, anxiety, and agitation a couple weeks ago.  Coupled with not sleeping again, it was an unpleasant mix in my head. Since I am only taking Welbutrin to help me sleep, and it's not even doing that for me anymore, I'm pinning the rest of those few weeks' issues on the unnecessary medicine, too.  So last week, I started taking half the dosage and next week, I'll stop it altogether.  I picked up some melatonin to try again for sleeping and it has been a total help.  I am feeling so much better about everything.  I hope my doctor doesn't get upset with me for coming off the Welbutrin without her supervision, though. 

7.  We are booked and inked on the calendar to go to the beach in a month for Noah's birthday. :) Don't mistake me for a beach person, though.  I am anything but.  But, I thought it was important that our babies finally see the ocean.  And Anna adores playing in sand.  She'll be flabbergasted when she sees Gulf Shores!

8. Word of the day - enuresis. We got Noah an alarm to help with that.  We like the alarm, though we may decide after a few weeks that it's better if we wait on using it regularly.  Noah likes it, but I am starting to be convinced (again) that his body is just not ready and that that is perfectly fine.

9.  Noah and Anna went to the dentist yesterday.  They BOTH went back without me.  I grinned so hard at their positive, obedient, and calm demeanors (Anna's especially since this was her first solo flight there) that I teared up watching them follow the doctor away from me.  I'm not gonna lie.  I am proud of those two.  I adore those two.  Having kids is such a fun, fun experience.

10.  Noah had some blood "sucked" yesterday and he is eager, eager, eager to tell anyone about it who will listen.  He was so brave about it and I am so interested to see how the results come out at his allergy check up next month.  It's been two years since we tested his blood about the peanut allergy and I want to know if the levels have gone up or down.  Even after a year of non-exposure at 3 years of age, his levels had significantly increased. Wondering if that trend has continued.

11.  Had an almost run-in at our vet when they expected me to pay them $12.50 to write down a prescription for heartworm pills.  I needed it to order his medicine with a Petmeds-type company that sells them cheaper.  Apparently, our vet thought they needed to fine me for saving money elsewhere.  What a crock.  We'll be finding a new vet shortly.

12.  We lost Anna's diaper bag somewhere and its absence has really been cramping our style when we are out and about.  Boo on that!  We loved that little diaper bag!  Guess it's just one more reason to finally wrap up the potty training. ;)  Hear that, Anna?!

13.  One of our neighbors got a new roof yesterday.  I was looking forward to seeing what they upgraded to when I noticed that they were putting up a really dated (dare I say, ugly) green shingle.  Seriously?  To be fair, it DOES match their shutters, but still, what an opportunity lost to improve things.  Still, I couldn't help but grin with Mr. Dady when he came out and asked what I thought about their "gall-bladder green" shingles.  (His words, not mine!)  When I laughed about how I did not know that gall bladders were green like that, he went on to tell me about bile and all its shades.  What a sweet old man.  We'll keep him and his wife...and their new green roof, I guess.

14. I tend to avoid big crowds.  I enjoy music and sporting events from home.  BUT, I did tell Josh I would enjoy a concert at a place like the Grand Ole Opry for a few specific performers.  Turns out, 2 of my 3 picks will be there on the same night on June 7.  So, buy ourselves some tickets, we did.  :)  Looking forward to seeing Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, and a little Martina, to boot.

15. Shhhhhh... Don't tell Noah, but we got him a Wii for his birthday and it will get here none too soon.  His precious Lego Star Wars game went kaput today.  It's been coming for awhile, but the boy took it in stride.  He didn't panic.  He just asked me to make sure to put a new Star Wars game on his birthday list.  :)  Check!  We have that and THEN some!  Josh can hardly contain himself.

Anna: Queen of S.S. Answers

All Hail, Anna, Queen of the Sunday School answer!

From last week:
Me: {rant, warn, rant, warn about a dangerous step/door}
Anna:  {blank stare}
Me:  Anna, what did I just say to you?
Anna: {short pause} Jesus?

From last night:
Me:  Anna, no! Poo poo goes in the potty, not in your diaper!
Anna: {making sad face} Jesus sad.

From this morning:
Me:  Do you know why I sent you to time out?  (answer: selfishness)
Anna:  {famous pouty lip} Jesus.

WPTM #26: Nothing New

What Parenting Teaches Me #26:  Nothing New

I always, always agree with the Ecclesiatical assertion that there is nothing new under the sun.  So many times, so many ways, in so many places a week, I see God's word come true.  Here are a couple of those ways I have seen this with my kiddos recently. 

1.  Not long ago, Noah had an accident in his pants.  A poopy stinky accident.  Except this time, instead of telling me about it, he locked the bathroom door, moved the stepstool, opened the cabinet under the sink, and stashed his nastified underpants under there.  He continued on to the potty where he tried to wipe himself, all by himself, which never goes well.  By the time I came to the bathroom to check on him (it was taking awhile, you know), I smelled the poopy funk, but the evidence was nowhere to be found.  Until it was found.  And in my shock (at his deceit) I inquired why in the world he would hide this from me.  And in his shock he stared back a little bewildered himself and tried to start explaining what happened ... and he fell into a quivering, crying mess in the process.  His upset was so sincere, I had to hold back my tears, too.  He was so sure he would get in trouble for his accident - which he would not have.  I explained to him that his troubles really only started when he chose dishonesty.  I got down and held him and corrected him and explained how this situation could go better for him next time.  It was quite a teachable moment and he was relieved and convinced that it was not worth the trouble to try to hide things like this from his mommy again.

After all was said and done, I thought about how this was just like Adam and Eve and their original sin and how they tried in futility to hide their shame from God.  There's just nothing new under the sun, is there?

2. On Sunday, when I picked Anna up from the toddler nursery there was a lot of activity going on in the room. Many children. Lots of noise. Plenty of things happening.  Anna was engaged in her toys and her playmates.  But when I called her name, her head yanked up immediately, she dropped what she was doing, and she began searching the room for me.  Just like that.  She could not see me, but my one voice in a roomful of voices stood out to her in an instant and she sought me out without a thought for anything else she had going on before that moment.  And of course, when she spotted me, she bolted right for me with her hands in the air for me to pick her up and take her away. (Insert mommy sigh here)

As we rode home, I thought about how that is just like when Jesus said, "My sheep hear (know) my voice ... and they follow me."  Her alertness to my voice is a perfect picture of what a believer's should be to God's.  This moment of mine from Anna caused me to ask the Lord again to tune my heart to perceive his voice and fix my will to respond with the same quickness of spirit.   When you know someone well, you recognize them quickly and respond accordingly.  The grinning point was, for me again, that there is nothing new under the sun.

Party at Our House

Party. Playdate.  Same difference. :)

Taa Daa: Paint Chip Redo

Job 1 was just getting it done back in January. 

 

Job 2 was just letting that simmer on the mantle for awhile til I knew what to do with it next.

Job 3 was adding that something that was missing - in this case, a word cut from vinyl on my Silhouette.  I went with HOME after deciding my fruits of the spirit idea was a little ambitious just yet.

Job 4 was adding the finishing touch - a frame Josh whipped up from some old molding that's been languishing in our garage for over two years leftover from the previous owners.

Job 5 was documenting it again, once and for all.  

 Finally, my paint chip art project is home. :)

Consignment Fave

I got a sweet load of great spring/summer clothes for the kids this year shopping consignment sales.  But my favorite score was this little white vanity for Anna for only $30.  It's where she "sees me" and where she checks out her hair.  More importantly, it's where she has decided to keep her precious Lip Smackers lip gloss ... well, it's where she keeps it when we haven't had to confiscate it because she sneaks back on the sly for more re-applications than any woman would need in a week.

Spring Teaser

We had a bunch of 70/80 degree days for a week or so and then BAM!  Starting yesterday we got yanked back into the rain and 40/50 degree days.  For the record, I dig the 50s just fine, and you already know I love a rainy day, so I am happy as a clam about it. Still, here are some spring teaser snapshots of the kids taking in the sunny and warm days last week...

Taa Daa: KitchenTable

I almost forgot to post this finished (or maybe not so finished) product that I was working on several weeks back.  Here's how it looks so far, possibly for good, maybe not - I just don't know yet.

I painted the chairs' rims and legs black as well as the table legs.  That silly table top has been sanded, painted, sanded, stained, sanded, and stained again....and it STILL does not match the chairs' wood tone.  I'll either paint it black as well, or give the stain one more shot with another color.  For a cheap Target breakfast set that we had on hand anyway, it'll do either way, I guess.

Mayday

I'm having a couple rough days, I think.  I feel very weird -  agitated, overwhelmed, stressed, anxious, can't seem to engage.  There a number of little things that are weighing on me in these forms, but not one of those things is a big deal.  So there is no rational reason for my out-of-whack emotions today.  So I gave myself a pep talk, I prayed, I reminded myself of the truths I trust in the Bible, and I made myself lay down and just rest. Just be still. Then I called in for back-up.  As Josh walked out of the house on my grocery run for me (bless him), I looked him dead in the eye and stammered, "I. Need. Chocolate."

Anna at 2 1/2

Girlie turns 2 and a 1/2 this week!

 Here are a few particularly-Anna things these days:

• She likes to dance now (finally!) - she puts her pointer fingers in a cheek each and sort of bops and leans left and right and her eyes go vacant while she concentrates on this.  :)   Or she just plain jumps around.
• She's back in her MyGym classes (the Gymsters group) and is loving it.  She is so active and participatory and has easily taken to following directions in a group and waiting her turn. She's done so well with all the skills they cover, that next week she is moving up to the next class called Terrific Tots
• She likes BBQ a lot, which is saying a lot for a kid that rarely eats.  She can put away some BBQ.
• She is suddenly very obsessed with doing everything by herself.  "I do it ... by...my....self.  Mommy.  I. do it. by. myself."  I can hear her low, choppy, baby, robotic sound in my head now.   The most popular by-myself-activities are getting in and out of the car seat, snapping the buckles, washing her hands, holding stuff, brushing her teeth, turning on/off lights, moving the step stool, filling her cup with water, getting dressed, and opening closets.
• She's turning into a lister, like me - When I tell her that I love her, she starts listing who ELSE loves her _ "And Daddy wuv me.  And Noah wuv me. And Chewie wuv me..."
• She's turning into a blogger, like me, too.  She tends to narrate whatever she is doing - "I running, Mommy!" or "I jumping, Mommy!"  or "I hungry, Mommy!" or "I do it by me self, Mommy!" or "I fall down!"
• She thinks she is moving faster just because she starts breathing faster and louder.
• She'll say "COLD!" and then wrap her arms completely around her little self and do this intense shiver thing for dramatic effect with really wide eyes.
• She claws at her open mouth when she is in panic and pain together.  It's pretty upsetting to witness actually.
• She knows her shapes now (heart, square, circle, triangle)
• She's known all her colors for awhile now.
• She can count to 20 ... most times.
• She sings the entire alphabet. My favorite part is her LMNOP - she says, "Num, Num, Num, P".
• She read to Josh recently:  One tiiiiiiime.  Lit-tle giiiiiiiiirl.  Lit-tle boyyyyyyy.  Dee end.
• She is still stuck on singing Jingle Bells.
• When Josh gets home from work, she doesn't run to meet him at the door anymore.  She runs and hides so he has to come find her. She won't just give him bedtime kisses anymore either.  She much prefers to be chased and THEN kissed.
• She is like her daddy in that she wants to dip her cookies in milk and she wants buttered bread.
• She's in training to ask for help and ask Noah to stop whatever he's doing to irritate her W/O crying and whining.
• Potty percentages are 20:80 potty to diapers.  I am expecting this spring and summer to really commit to finishing this milestone up - Sundresses and no diaper or underwear is gonna be my secret to success with her.  I can just feel it!   She is more than ready...she's just been lazy about it til now....as have I.
• She loves putting on chapstick or lipgloss.  But it is NOT ok with her if the tube you offer is not the pink one.
• Her latest heart's desire is a telescope (from a recent playdate) and earrings in her own ears.
• When I offer her two things to choose from, she'll opt for a third option of her own choosing instead .... lately in regards to clothing choices.
• She plays I spy, Chase, Hide and Seek, and Memory well.

2 1/2 yr. old Anna Translator:

• Gree me dop - Green means stop!
• Red me go - Red means go!
• Der Dis - There it is
• Bedder Fine it - You better find it.
• Daddy bink him - Daddy spanked him.
• Bannerweena - ballerina
• Happy Bedtime Day - Happy Valentines Day
• Fee Pee Booty - Sleeping Beauty
• Fit Perkwey - It fits perfectly!
• LMNOP - Num, num, num, p
• Digdwerwaytor - refridgerator
• See whoa whoa wuh - Cinderella
• Ha Eargreens, too, Mommy - I want to earrings, too, Mommy.

Latest funny quote from our girl:   I was getting on to her and Noah for playing tug-of-war with the porch door, ruining the screening and risking hurting themselves on the steps and/or concrete.

Me: {rant, warn, rant, warn}
Noah/Anna: {blank stares}
Me: Anna, what did I just say?
Anna: {short pause} Jesus?

Cutting it Close

Farewell winter.  And with it, farewell to Noah's cold weather coiffure.  It's getting warm and therefore sweaty around here already.  Noah's head is hot enough as it is without a winter coat, too.  It was fun while it lasted, but it was time to move on today after Noah asked for a haircut because his head was itchy.  I ran my fingers through his thick, thick mane, agreed it was time, and took a mental snapshot - ok, and a literal snapshot (two actually) - to mark the occasion.  

Before

After

Yikes!  I know we gave the lady the same clipper guard lengths as we used last summer, but this - THIS - seems to be cut a leeeeeetle too close!  I'm not gonna fret, though, because his hair grows back so fast anyway, but still - Wow, what a difference.

Recipe: Taco Soup

I adopted this great little recipe from my friend, Alison, after I virtually hog-tied and guilted her into finally sharing it with me.  You'll be glad I did, though, because now I can share it with you.  Yum.  Even better, it's good (and easy!) for when you need to feed a crowd.

Taco Soup

1. Brown together and drain:

• 1 lb. hamburger
• 1 onion, chopped ( I used minced onion)

2. Add to hamburger mixture:

• 1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning

3. Put in crockpot and add, w/o draining:

• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can ranch style beans (find at Publix, black can)
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• 1 can stewed tomatoes (I'll use diced tomatoes next time)
• 1 can rotel
• 1 can black beans

4. Heat on low for about 4 hours and serve with all the fixins - sour cream, fritos, cheese, cornbread. :)

Bright Weekend w/the Fam

It's Tuesday already, but we're still grinning from a bright and busy weekend that started this past Thursday.  Josh's parents and his oldest brother and family came up to Nashville to visit for a bit.  I guess they just didn't get enough of us at Christmas maybe?  Either way, it was a treat to look forward to them coming, which is why Thursday, the day they traveled all the live long day to get here, still counts as family fun in my book. :) Plus, it was my birthday, and who doesn't love birthdays?

On top of looking forward to the Browns getting to town, all day Thursday I was also looking forward to shopping early with the other Encores and More North Children's Consignment Sale workers.  I was in the last wave of shoppers that night, so I didn't get in til 8:00 and I shopped until I dropped, finally getting back home at 12:30. :) As soon as Friday morning rolled around, we Browns got busy boogie'n around town, bargain shopping (men to any tool shop in Nashville, women to any place with clothes and great prices), eating out, going to the Grand Ole Opry, fixing things around the house with all those extra hands, and just generally hanging out and enjoying the good company.  Some favorite snapshots from the visit...

Helllooo, new garage shelves (courtesy of a seriously handy brother-in-law - thank you, thank you, thank you, Johnmark!)

 The boys reorganizing Josh's shed so it is actually usable.

Amy keeping me company outside .... and procrastinating on a few midterm assignments.  :)

But who could blame her - it was lovely and blooming out! 

Cousins, cousins, cousins ...  If it weren't for mealtime and my picture takin' proclivities, I don't think I would have seen Noah and Anna all weekend, they were so busy playing with Beka and Aaron.

John and Carol (aka -Memaw and Papa John) cookin' us up a hearty Sunday lunch.  And no, I won't loan them out; you'll have to find your own wonderful in-laws.

Finally getting a Memaw-approved profile pic for Carol's Facebook account - a feat that's been three months in the making.

Is it any wonder Noah returned to school Monday morning a crying mess of grief because he wouldn't get to see them again?  How is one supposed to go on when such fun family blessings are hitting the road and headed back home to FL?  Well, for one thing, you thank your lucky stars that Memaw and Papa John stick around a few days more; that really softens the blow. It also helps when a certain Aunt Amy and Beka leave a certain sad little boy a thank you/goodbye note and adorn it with a Chewbaca likeness.  And it doesn't hurt if you get to look forward to seeing those cousins and aunt and uncle again in a little over a month at the beach.

Such a bright weekend. What fun was had ... and is still waiting to be had!  So thankful for family!

Rain Boots

Today was a perfectly light rainy day for Anna to break in her new (although used) rain boots.  This has been a much anticipated event, as she has been wearing the boots indoors every day since I brought them home from a rockin' consignment sale last Thursday night.  (Random fact - I did not get home from said sale until 12:30 that night!)  Anyway, what follows is how one breaks in a pair of rain boots as one takes in a pleasing rainfall ...

Wiggle your way into a pink rain jacket and rain boots.  Tuck pants into boots.

 

Make your way to the wet street.  Try not to let the umbrella overpower you.

Commence with the jumping and stomping in puddles.

 

Wander over to the neighbor's newly bloomed daffodils..

 

Be the cutest little thing your momma ever saw.

Get lost in the magic and/or challenge of opening and closing the umbrella. Repeat.

 

Notice that the rain is falling on your head ... and like it.

Then head inside to watch Toy Story with your grumpy brother (also adorable) who is tired of waiting on all these rain boot shenanigans.

Kimmie = 32 Today

I'm taking a break from busting my bootie all over this house in prep for company to announce to the coming year, "Welcome, 32!"  :)

Last Day of 31

Yes.

On this, my last day of being 31, I am staining a table, vacuuming, laundering, dusting blinds, making beds, wiping baseboards and more in happy anticipation of most of Josh's family coming to visit for the weekend.  I am actually pretty tickled with the things my vacuum can do that I did not ever pay attention to before now.  Still, I told Josh to get a quick gander at me dusting the blinds because it's not likely to happen again for another 5 years.

But I digress.  Where was I?  Oh yes, getting things ready for company.  On this, my last day of being 31, what should my eyes happen to find tucked away in Noah's room for me, hidden ever so carefully behind his curtains?

A mural ... finger painted in poop.  !!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And again I say !!!!!

Oh, happy birthday to me.  It is a glamorous life I lead, indeed.

(and lucky for you, it is a work of I art that I will not capture in pictures...though the thought did occur to me)

Sips 'n Strokes

A number of friends from MOPS and I had a little Moms Night Out at a place called Sips 'n Strokes tonight and I really, really enjoyed it! Tapped right into my artsy, crafty side. It also threatened to throw my type A issues into overdrive but thankfully the instructor reminded us to breathe, drink (yeah right - he must have missed the memo that we were a baptist bunch), and paint with the motto that less is more.  With that in mind, we were off to the races!  A painting entitled "Butterfly Kisses" was the goal.

Somehow, this background and shading was the hardest part!

Getting there...

My Taa Daa moment.

There were about 10 of us there, but these are some of my favorite MOPS girls (my table) ...minus Angel.

It was such a treat - I'm definitely going back again!

Demon: A Memoir

I finished reading a book this week - Demon, A Memoir (by Tosca Lee) - and I just cannot say enough about it.  Oh my word - So. Good.  I Relished it.  Felt it. Couldn't put it down. Read and reread it.  Marked it all up.  Just loved it.  (Kind of didn't love the way it ended and some loose ends that I thought could have stood a little more resolution, but I'm willing to overlook all that in lieu of much I loved the rest of it).  In short - I totally recommend it.  Don't let the title scare you off; it is christian fiction and it is not scary in the least.  It's an account of heaven, earth, eden, fall of angels, creation, humans, sin, and salvation as told from the viewpoint of one of those fallen angels.  Such an interesting perspective!

Here's one of my million favorite excerpts to lure you into reading this book yourself:

Clay: "So why did he make you?  Especially if he knew you would turn out ... like this."
Lucian: "I could ask you the same thing .... Why El made us, I've never known.  One could surmise that El was lonely, but the fact is that he didn't really need us.  You, created in his image, might actually have more insight into that question than I do.  We're not so privileged as you in that way.  As for me, my purpose for living, my role in this great scheme was clear to me from the first: to fall down, to worship, to praise, to wait upon the word of El."
Clay: "That sounds really boring."
Lucian: "Really? Imagine the bliss of fulfilling one's created purpose."

And another excerpt - Lucian, speaking about the creation of Adam:

"We on the periphery lingered in the humid air.  What was he doing?  There was God, doing something in the muck.  We looked at each other.  Even Lucifer stared, dumbfounded.  You should have seen the look on his face!.... El was sculpting the earth into some thing, some likeness, creating this time not by word...but in person.... In person, Clay.  As though by hand! ... We were all staring, gape-mouthed as you, by then.  And then he surrounded this thing.  He was everywhere around it, as if he had gathered the dirty thing in his arms and cupped it by the head.  And then I heard it. ...  The sound, it was the same expectant sound at the dawn of all the world.  A breath exhaled into the mud!  Given to the mud things as surely as if he had set his mouth against those dirty lips and breathed.  Oh, divine exhale!  It was himself.  Much more than life, it was everything - the awareness, all the emotion, the propensity to love, to nurture, to create.  And he endowed it all upon this new creature made of mud. ... Image of El, breath of God.  In such an unworthy vessel.  Something far more precious than diamonds, denied even to us but entrusted to a container of mud."

And as always, I collected a handful of delicious, well-chosen, and/or new-to-me words from the book:

pickax, ankh, cudgel, brooked, seminormalcy, preamble, narthex, baritone, masterwork, seraphim, lore, unflappability, a brief infinity, lilt, eiditic, dandled, pintingled, rivulets, sibilant, append, molder, Shekinah, quicksilver, pave, coalesced, compatriots, alchemy, interlopers, specter, wrest, dispassionate, iteration, eddy, chinoiserie, stratum, acumen, discordant, pulpous, wending, gauche, convivial, mania, lothario, cusp, besieged, peckish, rejoinder, privy, pantheon, specificity, celebrants, briny, moue, blithe, odium, cohere, pathos, hauteur, lorelai, nutriment, rictus, unflappable, crux, scrabbling, despoil, ziggurats, showcase, proxy, hitherto, steeliness, chronograph, banshee, expansive, recumbent, gabardine, bulwark, festooned, panache, rankling, arcing, berserkers, forfeiture, pell-mell, emotive, longsuffering, jubilation, disquiet, heartened, dispassion, patrician, menage, idyll, pastiche

MOPS Craft

Made at MOPS this past week, this was intended to be a frame.  I picked colors for Anna's room and I like its feminine look.  I'm growing to love scrapbook paper almost as much as I love Mod Podge. 

The more I look at it though, the more I think I will use it as a dry-erase memo board of sorts....for a different scripture verse every week or so.  Josh has another idea that's not bad either; he says I should cut a vinyl A with the Silhouette and put it on there.  However, the more I think about adding vinyl decor, the more I want to do another bird or owl to add to that motif in her room.

At any rate, I love how versatile this MOPS project was. :) 

Feels Very Weird

Noah got invited to go to some friends' house today (twins) after school.  Their mom is picking up Noah and bringing him home with them.  I guess it's a play date, but with one small difference - I AM NOT THERE!  And THAT feels very weird.  Noah has never been to play at someone's house without me, without my supervision.  Feels so unnatural!  It's 11:30 - when Josh or myself usually picks him up from school, but today we are not....and that feels so weird.  I can't seem to relax.  I feel like my day is on hold somehow until I get that boy back in my presence. 

Anna is suddenly very passionate about climbing into and out of her car seat by herself.  Noah didn't do that until much older, so to be letting Anna do it while she is still so little feels very, very weird.

Today, we test drove a Toyota Highlander.  We sat in an office and crunched numbers and such to account for our trade-in and how much more we would pay after that.  We only went to the dealership to gather information and narrow down our options, and yet somehow we walked out of there ready to buy a car as soon as they have the color and features we like.  THAT FEELS VERY WEIRD.

After two years, I finally zeroed out my credit at the local consignment shop.  That feels very weird, too.

There is something else I am forgetting, but I can't remember now.  That, for the record, feels weird, too.  List-makers, such as myself, don't like to have some forgotten thing dangling out there unrecorded. 

Love.

Baltimore Recap

Who:  

Best friends from high school - Heather, Laura, Jenn, and me

What:  

A Reunion after almost 5 years

 

When:  

Four days over this past weekend

Where:  

Baltimore, Maryland - Inner Harbor

Why:  

Just ask the fortune cookie!

Delicious places we ate:  

The Cheesecake Factory, Noodles and Company, PF Changs, and Hampton Inn and Suites for our free hot breakfasts. (I personally made a pointed effort to eat anything with peanuts or peanut butter since a certain little boy and his epipen were tucked away in TN - How does a Salted, Caramel, Reese's Peanut Butter Cheesecake sound?)

We all laughed at how little we really cared about seeing the sights.  Friday and all of Saturday, we wandered around and enjoyed the harbor's mood and scenery, though not nearly as much as we we enjoyed the fellowship of our 15+ year old friendships. 

Sunday, the girls headed home to their families and I stuck around for part 2 of the fun and friendly visiting.  Christy, a dear friend (and roommate twice over) from college came to town so I could hug her neck after a really rough year she has been through.  She astounded me with her strength, grace, and peace - Thank you, Lord for holding her together thus far and guarding her heart with your truth!

Christy, much more familiar with the area, helped me make better sense of the Inner Harbor's layout and offerings. Sadly, my sense of direction as to when and when NOT to cross the street could not be improved.

We grabbed some lunch from this place and camped out for over 3 hours talking and talking and talking.

We shopped many shops, strolled several piers, ate at PF Changs again, and watched the Oscar's til the very end.  Then we gabbed and gabbed and gabbed some more.

I officially love the mood of Baltimore's Inner Harbor and I have yet to do all the touristy things still....

Well, except for funny state crab pics...

And except for Little Italy.  Before we left town on Monday we ventured there to visit a pastry shop called Vaccaro's where a certain little famous dish - ahem, cannoli - is made.  First we ate a quick lunch whereby I enjoyed my first muffaletta - not bad at all.  

But the cannoli, oh, the cannoli - how have I never had this dish before?  How is it possible for a dessert to taste so fantastic?!  To say it was duh-licious would be a gross understatement.  Still, it was. Best sweet thing I have ever tasted.  I groaned and moaned at its goodness.  Then I decided it was probably time to reacquaint myself with my elliptical.

There was a lovely and light rain bidding us goodbye as we walked the downtown, back to the hotel (under my new and shimmery umbrella), and headed for the airport. 

My heart is full (my stomach, too, for that matter) and my spirit so lifted after this wonderful getaway, the free and leisurely time, and mostly and especially the friendships enjoyed in person again.  Love you, Jenn, Laura, Heather, and Christy!  Party in Nashville or Philly next time, perhaps?