Pictures of the day: PB&J

What do you do?

Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you are going to drown in all the little things?

I have to say, overall life is very good in our household. We are all healthy, Eric is secure and happy at his job, we have a wonderful new home, the fall weather is fantastic, our kids are happy and doing well at school and we have the blessing of a new baby on the way.

So, why do I feel like all I want to do is cry right now? It's because of all those pesky little things. You know, all those little jobs and annoyances that crop up throughout our day. Well, lately it feels like there is an awful lot of them. Things such as bedbugs, mountains of laundry, dogs who suddenly decide that the best and only place to potty is on the playroom carpet, two year olds who seem to agree with the dog, pregnancy fatigue, husbands working overtime, bathrooms that haven't been properly cleaned since who knows when, unfounded fears about the baby's delivery, Christmas coming so quickly, bad dreams (both me and my five year old), the list seems to go on and on.

None of these things are major or particularly out of the ordinary. They are just all happening at once and my tired mind and body are feeling overwhelmed.

So, I'm asking for a little help. What do you do when all the little things get out of control? How do you get back on track when time and energy seem to be so limited?

I'd love a few tips or even just a few encouraging words and prayers. Or maybe I'll just go let myself have that cry...

Me at 29 weeks

I've been meaning to capture of few pictures of myself this pregnancy. Somehow I didn't seem to get very many of the last three pregnancies except for one or two at the very end when I was huge and my face was all swollen. Sweet Shannon encouraged me to post one the other day and that was just the extra little nudge I needed to actually get it done. So, I grabbed my camera and snapped a self portrait just as I was.


I have to say, I don't recommend taking a self portrait when you're wearing old clothes, no make-up and your hair is in a sloppy pony tail. That's why out of the couple dozen pictures I took, I chose to post the one with the camera in front of my face. This is, though, the normal everyday me. As you can tell, being a stay-at-home mom is very glamorous. :)

I snapped another one this morning after church. At least in this one I'm neat and tidy. I love this maternity dress. You can't see the details on the front because of my arm and the camera, but it's really cute and I love wearing it. I also love any excuse to wear my boots!


(By the way, with these boots on I'm about 6'2" or 6'3". Believe me, a 6'+ tall pregnant woman tends to stick out in a crowd! Thankfully, I've finally gotten over being self-conscious about my height. It only took 30 years!)

I really intended to show my face in this shot, but I couldn't get my camera to focus properly without looking through the viewfinder. I even had make-up on and everything!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! We sure did!

Picture of the day: Elizabeth's Kindergarten artwork

Aren't these drawings so adorable and happy!? I just love how her arms are joyfully up in the air.


My little girl loves school!

Small Successes Vol. 3

1. I went with the family on a cub scout camp out this weekend and survived! I slept on the ground in a tent and everything (well, on an air mattress on the ground in a tent). The weather was gorgeous and we were at a lovely state park and it was actually an awesome weekend. And, since it's difficult for my 28+ week pregnant self to bend over and do things on the ground (like changing diapers), Eric took over diaper duty for the entire weekend. Nice!

2. I got a bit more organizing done! The time I tackled my wrapping paper. Here's my old storage method:


An old, holey, plastic shopping bag shoved in the back of a closet. This has been how I've organized my gift wrapping supplies for years!

And, here's the new and improved version:


I think I spent a total of $15 at the Container Store and it was worth every penny.

3. I've been making it a priority to take the time to enjoy the moment with each of my kids, especially before the arrival of the new baby. Here's how Elizabeth and I spent part of the glorious (and chilly!) Saturday morning at the camp out.


Playing with our shadows!


Be sure to go to Faith & Family Live to read more Small Successes! Enjoy your Thursday!

Can you interpret a 2 year old?

Here are some of my favorite Gustinisms. Can you figure out what they mean? Answers in the comments!

Zuh-sin
tars
day doo
aw-poo doss
oh-urt
ah-oh-nee teez
doh-see dore

And this is my favorite:
haw-poo-tah-ter

A disturbing discovery

*** Sorry for the long-winded post. I really needed to unload!***

We have been dealing with some pretty extreme rashes in our house for the last several months. It started late last July when Jonathan and I both woke up with an incredibly itchy rash from head to toe. It was initially diagnosed as poison oak (Jonathan had been on a cub scout nature hike a couple days before) and then finally diagnosed at strep. Jonathan and I both went on antibiotics and even though we finished them in 10 days, it took almost a month to completely get rid of the rash. During this time Elizabeth had some bright red itchy spots show up on her abdomen. I immediately took her to the pediatrician and she also tested positive for strep though the doctor said her spots looked more like bites to him, but he dismissed the thought because strep rashes can present themselves in unusual ways.

About the time Elizabeth was finishing up with her antibiotics, Jonathan's rash came back with a vengeance. Back to the doctor, another positive strep test, more antibiotics, another month before the rash cleared itself up. Then Gustin woke up covered in red, inflamed, extremely itchy spots. After another trip to the doctor, Gustin was not diagnosed with strep (his test came back negative), but with a virus. The doctor said it was most likely a common cold bug and the rash resulted as a side effect from how Gustin's body was fighting off the virus. The doctor also pointed out how the rash was very characteristically presenting itself as a viral rash with dime-sized red welts surrounded by a lighter colored ring. We would just have to wait it out.

Around this same time I noticed a few spots on myself with the exact same characteristics as Gustin's. I must have the same virus. So, we waited and itched and waited for it to go away. After almost three weeks, the rash was still going strong and I was now noticing spots on both Jonathan and Elizabeth and Eric complained about a few as well. I decided to take Gustin back to the doctor (he really did look bad with big red spots all over his body as well as scabs from all the scratching) and the doctor said it could be a recurring virus, strep that just wasn't showing up in the tests, a microplasmic infection (whatever that is!) or some kind of allergic reaction. He really didn't know what it was but he prescribed antibiotics because that would eliminate strep or the microsplasmic infection if they were the cause. I really don't like just throwing prescription drugs at things to see if they might work, but I didn't really see any other choice.

Two days after Gustin started the antibiotics (last Thursday), we made a discovery that finally solved the rash mystery. While getting the kids ready for bed, I noticed some funny black spots on the bed skirt of Elizabeth's bed. The more closely I looked, the more I found. Clusters of black stuff and the occasional little black bug were hidden in between the pleats of her bed skirt. I called Eric in and showed him. He investigated more and then went to the boys room. He checked the crib - nothing. But next to the crib is an extra mattress that will go on the boys' bunk beds once we get them set up. He pulled the crib away from the mattress and we saw dozens of black bugs scuttling all over trying to get away from the light that they were suddenly exposed to. It was the most creepy and disgusting thing I have ever seen!

I ran downstairs to my computer and googled "bedbugs". Sure enough, the picture that came up in wikipedia looked exactly like the bugs in the kids' rooms. We would go on to find evidence of the bugs in all of the mattresses in the entire house and in the couch and the recliner. We had a massive infestation and began the process of purging the house of bedbugs immediately. Over the next three days we threw away two mattresses, a box spring, the crib mattress and some pillows. We washed everything that would fit in the washing machine and dryer on the hot cycles (the heat kills the bugs); bed linens, pillows, stuffed animals (you don't realize how many stuffed animals your kids have until you have to wash them all!), curtains, etc. We used a steamer to kill the bugs and the larvae and eggs on bed frames, in the carpet, in mattresses and box springs, in the couch and recliner. Nobody was allowed to touch anything until it had gone through a thorough de-bugging. Even though I don't like insecticides, we used bedbug killing foggers in every room as well. The couple mattresses we didn't throw away we covered in special mattress covers that seal and don't let any bed bugs in or out.

And what about our "rashes"? Gone. The only things left are a few scabs on Gustin. I have to admit that when we discovered the bed bugs part of me was so relieved to finally have found the cause of these unending rashes. The other part of me was disgusted more deeply that I have ever felt. I have never been so on edge. The thought of those bugs so thoroughly creeped me out that I didn't want to touch anything in the house or sit on anything and certainly not sleep on anything until we knew they were gone. I didn't sleep well for days and even Eric admitted waking up at night and pulling out his flashlight to see if he could find see any bugs out for a midnight snack.

We're not quite done with the scouring process (my washer and dryer have been running nonstop!), but we are getting there. Bedbugs are notoriously difficult to get rid of and I'm afraid we will have to repeat these procedures possibly more than once before we are completely rid of them. My senses are on high alert and I notice every little black speck in the house and investigate it immediately upon discovery. We will have to remain vigilant for months.

But, where did they come from? I wish I knew! We have a few theories. They could have been in the house when we moved in in July. (Remember the doctor thought he saw bug bites on Elizabeth back in August!). Eric thinks they were transferred from the blankets that the moving company used to cover all the furniture in the moving truck. They also could have come home with us from our vacation in July when we stayed in cabins by a lake. We'll never know.

By the way, Eric set the old mattresses that we wanted to throw away out on the curb last night so they would get picked up with the trash today as Monday is a trash day. Early this morning, long before the trash trucks come, Eric went outside to do something and noticed that the mattresses were gone. Someone took our bedbug infested mattresses home with them! Oh no! It never occurred to me that someone would actually want them and take them. I wished we had somehow marked them as hazardous waste or something! Gross!

One more thing and then I promise I'll be done.

Just before leaving for school this morning, Jonathan called to us from upstairs.

"Daddy! There's a bedbug crawling down the hallway!"

And, he was right! Ugh! I think it's time to stop writing and get back to running the washing machine and you can bet I'll be pulling out the steamer shortly!

So excited!

This portrait of Elizabeth is featured in the photography section of the Pioneer Woman's blog! Please go look and see!


I can't believe she picked mine from among the thousands that were submitted. Yay!!!

A wider angle

We made a quick trip to the beach this weekend even though it was a gray, wet day. I love going to the beach at "off" times of the year. The beach was deserted and the sun wasn't beating down relentlessly as is does in summer, but it was still warm enough to be in the water.

I took my camera and my 18-135mm zoom lens. I often forget about the wide angle (18mm) end of this lens. I tend to try to zoom in as close as I can to my subjects. But, it's interesting to see the images I get when I zoom out a bit. It gives a different perspective of the world!


It captures the bigness of God's creation.


It also makes for some fun portraits.


My kids would not look at the camera or smile for this shot, but I still love it. The wide angle exaggerates the size of their feet and the length of Elizabeth's leg, but I think it makes the picture all the more fun.

So, try it when you get a chance. Don't forget to zoom out a get a wider perspective!

Drawer dilemma

One of the things I love about our new house is the kitchen. It is about the same square footage as my old kitchen, but there is at least three times as much cabinet space. In the old house, every cabinet and drawer was crammed full and some kitchen supplies even spilled over into the linen closet in the hallway (and it's not that I have a ton of stuff, believe me!).

When we were unpacking the kitchen I actually had to make decisions as to where to put things. Before, plates and casserole dishes and blenders went were they would fit. That was the only requirement: it had to fit. But in this kitchen I had to decide if I wanted my casserole dishes near the oven or the dishwasher or maybe in between in the island. Kind of a nice problem to have, isn't it? It took a little while and a bit of rearranging and adjusting, but I think my new kitchen operates fairly efficiently now.

But, my poor husband has yet to figure out the system. He is such a wonderful help and does the bulk to the dish washing each day, but he has yet to figure out where things belong. Apparently his biggest nemesis is the drawers.

In our old kitchen we had six drawers total with half of them being very narrow so they didn't hold much. There wasn't exactly a lot of choices available for where to put a particular item. Eric would still occasionally get confused, but since there weren't many places to look I could track down what I was looking for fairly quickly.

Well, our new kitchen as 10 very large, glorious drawers and I am in organizational heaven. I have all of my cooking utensils in a drawer near the stove, all my baking things (measuring cups, rubber spatulas, measuring spoons, pastry cutters, etc) are in a drawer near the designated baking area where the flour, sugar, etc sit at the ready in canisters on the counter. I have a drawer for silverware and a drawer for dish towels and two drawers are actually completely empty. Isn't that cool! Empty drawers!

Yesterday I needed a 1/4 cup measuring cup for something I was making. I actually have two of them, but neither one was in sight. I checked the baking drawer (where they belonged), the cooking drawer, the silverware drawer, the dishwasher and under the few dishes still left in the sink. Nothing. So, I just improvised and did without it and moved on.

Well, this morning I was getting Gustin a drink and went to the drawer with all the sippy cup lids. And, you guessed it, there were my missing measuring cups along with an orange peeler and some other things that obviously don't fall under the heading of "sippy cup lids". Poor Eric. He really is trying his best! I can picture him standing there holding a measuring cup in each hand and gazing around the kitchen trying to decide where to put them. His brow is furrowed and he's starting to stress so he decides to go with his best option: the drawer that is closest. He throws the measuring cups in the drawer and closes it without ever taking a glance at what the contents of the drawer are and continues on with wiping the counters and taking out the trash, never giving those measuring cups another thought.

So, I just need to remember, when all else fails, think "sippy cup".

Such a little ham

A pair of pink, plastic party-favor sunglasses = hours of fun

Funny memory from my birthday dinner last night

Jonathan: You know those waiters? Well, actually, I think we're the ones who do all the waiting.



P.S. I'm now 32 and I had a fantastic birthday even though I was slightly under the weather. I love my family! They are so good to me!

When did she get so big?

Here's my big five year old modeling her new gymnastics leotard.


She looks so grown up in this picture to me! When did her legs get so long and where did her toddler belly go? Her little round face isn't round anymore. Her hair has lost it's baby curls and now dons more mature waves instead. She has opinions and insights and is such a wonderful helper. Don't grow up too fast, Elizabeth! I don't want to miss it!

Relieved!

I had a follow-up ultrasound yesterday and my low-lying placenta is no longer low-lying! Isn't that wonderful? Thanks be to God!

I thought I was doing a good job of not worrying about it and the possible complications that it could cause, but when I heard the news yesterday I felt so incredibly relieved that I had to admit to myself that worry had been causing some stress. When the doctor told me about the condition a month ago, he spelled out all of the risks and potential problems. He's done that with every issue we've encountered, large or small, but he's also very realistic and in the past he's always been very encouraging as well. He would be matter of fact about all risks, but quick to reassure that he didn't foresee their being any long term problem or that most likely the problem would rectify itself, etc. Well, none of that reassurance came this time. In fact, he seemed to really emphasize that because of my particular situation, we needed to be prepared for all possible eventualities.

Also, when I did some research on the condition once I got home, the information I found on the internet was much more reassuring than my doctor had been. It's rare that information found online is actually less frightening than what the doctor says!

So, the results of the ultrasound yesterday were a big surprise! I was just hoping for a little improvement, but instead my placenta had moved completely out of the danger zone and I'm cleared to have a completely normal delivery and have no reason to anticipate any complications!

I have to give a big thank you to all of you who said even the smallest of prayers for me and Button. Thank you, thank you, thank you! God is so good!

Good Reads

I'm an avid reader and I recently realized that I rarely post about books on this blog. Why? I have no idea. But, here's an attempt to remedy that situation somewhat.

I've read a number of great books lately. Sometimes it seems like it's getting harder and harder to find really good books to read. The problem is that once you read a few really good books, it ruins all the average or mediocre books for you. I have to admit it - I've become a book snob. If a book isn't well written with interesting characters, universal themes and original story lines, then I don't want to waste my time on it. Oh yeah, and it has to have a happy ending. I don't mean that the entire book has to be sunshine and roses, some of my favorite books deal with death and tragedy, but it must end in an optimistic or inspiring way. And yes, good must triumph over evil and the hero/heroine must have upstanding moral values.

So, here are some of my favorites from the past few months:

Father Elijah by Michael D. O'Brien. This was the last book my book club picked before it kind of fell apart. We never did meet to discuss it and I really wish we had. What a fantastic book! An apocalyptic novel, it's an amazing story of faith and spiritual warfare. It's fascinating, page turning and really made me think. I highly recommend it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. I have to admit that I am usually very skeptical of books that are currently on the best seller list. Usually my idea of a good book and society's idea of a good book don't exactly mesh, know what I mean? But, another blogger recommended it, so I gave it a try. I loved it! I'm even planning on giving it to another book-loving relative as a Christmas gift. The book is set in post-WWII London and is centered around a writer who is writing a book on the Nazi occupation of the Channel Islands (in the English Channel between England and France. Don't worry, I had to look it up on the map, too.). It's a wonderful, funny, real, charming, heartbreaking, endearing, hopeful book.

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. This book is the first in a series of young adult books called Percy Jackson and the Olympians and it's a romping good read. It's fast paced, exciting and incredibly creative. I plan to share this book and the rest of the series with my kids when they are a little older. The premise is that Percy Jackson is unknowingly the son of one of the ancient Greek gods. As a Hero, he goes on adventures to save Western Civilization from destruction. If you like Harry Potter, you'll love this series.

Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. This novel was written and is set in pre-WWII London and is centered around the middle-aged, down-on-her-luck Miss Pettigrew who has one sparkling, exciting, life-changing day. This short book is fun and sweet and clever and I guarantee you will have a smile on your face when you finish it. Be sure to check out the movie after you read the novel; it's very well done.

So, there you have it. If you decide to read any of these books, please let me know. I'd love to hear what you think of them!

Small Successes Vol. 2

1. Well, I haven't actually completed this success yet, but it's on the to-do list today and will definitely happen. I'm going to buy Gustin his first set of underwear. We're going to give potty training one good go before the baby comes. If it doesn't happen, no big deal. But, he'll probably be three years old before we try again!

2. I've been fighting a cold this week and when I've been feeling particularly exhausted, I've stopped what I've been doing and sat and put my feet up without feeling guilty about it.

3. I bought a few simple, organizational items for the house this week. They are nothing particularly exciting, but now my bathroom cleaning products and Elizabeth's dress up clothes have a place where they belong and it feels so good!

Be sure to head over to Faith and Family Live to read other mom's inspiring Small Successes!

Pure joy

On Thursday this week, Jonathan brought home his book order from Scholastic Book Clubs. I loved getting books that way as a child. A brand new book all my own; I was in heaven! So, I really enjoy being able to provide the same opportunity for my kids. Every time a Scholastic Book Club order form comes home, the kids are allowed to choose one item. This time Jonathan picked a 3 pack from a series of books called Dinosaur Cove. I'd never heard of them, but we thought we would give them a try.

Well, as soon as Jonathan hopped in the van after school, he started reading the first book. By the time we got home, he had finished the first chapter. He continued to read for the rest of the evening only stopping to do his homework and eat dinner. I couldn't help but grin when we actually had to tell him to put his book away so that we could say grace. He finished the book before bed time.

I had to work so hard all evening to not let on to Jonathan how excited I was to watch him read in this way. I felt like I was about to jump out of my skin! My son has learned to love to read!

That Dinosaur Cove book was the very first book that he ever voluntarily picked up and read silently to himself. He's a decent reader, but he normally only reads when we tell him to and it is always aloud. Now he's entered into a whole new phase. As Eric said, the entire known universe is now at his fingertips. Anything he could possibly want to to learn about can be found in a book and now that he has discovered the joy of reading, his young mind will be able to learn and grow so much faster. And, I can't express how fun it will be for me to observe the whole process. It's one of the great joys of parenting!

House Progress

This post is mainly for myself. We've been making progress on the house, but at times it seems so slow and it's easy to only concentrate on how much we still have left to do. So, to change the focus to all we have accomplished in the last couple of months, I thought I would do a picture update to compare with this post, shortly after we moved in.

The living room is the most complete. Here's before:


And after:


I finally found our family portrait and hung it over the mantle. I bought the pots and plants that are on the mantle and bought and hung the curtains. This room is really coming together (except for a couple of remaining boxes, as you can see in front of the fire place)!

I also got the kids' portraits framed and Eric hung them for me last night. I'm so glad I got that done instead of the portraits sitting in the box on my desk for months like they normally do. :)


There has been virtually no progress in the office. We are stuck on the paint color.


Eric and I both agreed that we wanted to have two colors in this room with the color above and below the chair rail being different. I prefer the lighter tone on the left and Eric wants something a little more dramatic, like the color on the right. I would gladly give in to Eric on this, especially since the office is mostly man territory, but we actually don't like either of these colors. In person they have a greenish tone to them, which was not what we were looking for. And, looking at the paint color cards, I'm really having a hard time finding anything better. I've never had so much trouble picking out a paint color!

We finally settled on a color for the master bedroom.


We'll go with the darker gray color which I think will nicely complement our pale blue bedding. The master bedroom has always been a rather neglected room during our entire marriage. But, this time around we're making it a priority to make it into the soothing sanctuary that it should be. I'm even planning on printing some of my nature/flower photos and using them to decorate the walls. I can't wait to see it finally come all together!

Elizabeth's room now has curtains, a nightstand and a mirror on the wall. We're getting there!


The boys' room, however, looks exactly as it did two months ago. The biggest hangup in that room is a very opinionated 7 year old. I want him to be able to have input as we decorate his room, but his ideas and my ideas are polar opposites. For example, he would like to paint the walls and ceiling black and then he wants me to paint stars and planets all over them. That's not going to happen! I think we may have talked him into putting up a chair rail, painting below it a dark gray and above it a lighter blue-gray and adding posters of the planets on the wall. Jonathan's room has definitely been the most debated room in the entire house!

The play room has been primed, but I still haven't settled on a color. Here it is, still in it's normal, messy state.


Any recommendations on a paint color for this room?

Now for Eric's pride and joy. He calls it "the farm".


We've already picked some black eyed peas and made a batch of pesto from the basil. Eric added two more beds a couple of weeks ago and hopefully we'll have squash and tomatoes from them before the cold weather hits. He also created a box (at the back near the far fence) for compost. It might sound silly, but we really enjoy composting our kitchen scraps and lawn and garden waste. Yes, I said enjoy! I think it's the engineer in me who loves the efficiency of the whole process. Nothing goes to waste and we use the compost to make our garden even more healthy and productive. I love it!

And, here's our most recent addition, completed just two days ago.


The kids are so excited to have a sandbox again! I'm not so excited about walking through the house and finding sand sticking to the bottom of my feet, but I'm glad they have such a great place to play and create.

So, that's it for now. Sorry for the long, picture laden post. But, it sure has made me feel better about all that we have been able to accomplish!

Small Successes Vol. 1

It's my first time to participate in Small Successes. It's kind of sad that this is one of the first times that I actually have some small successes to post about!

1. Remember those portraits I took of the kids weeks ago? Well, today I finally ordered the prints! I can't wait to see them hanging on my wall. Of course, that means I need to go buy some frames. I wonder how long it will be before I'll be able to post a small success that they are actually framed and hung on the walls? :)

2. I took my camera out today and tried to take some pictures. I'm so out of the groove with my photography hobby and I think it is showing in my stress levels. I tried to capture some shots of some hummingbirds in our backyard. They are so fast that I don't think I really got any good shots, but at least I tried!

3. We got through homework time yesterday without anyone getting sent to their rooms. That's a big success! It's been hard for the kids (mainly Jonathan) to stay focused on his homework and actually complete the little he has in a reasonable amount of time and without having a bad attitude. But, we've got a good homework routine going and hopefully from now on it will be a much less frustrating part of my day!

Head over to Faith & Family Live! to find more moms posting their Small Successes! Also, while you're there, check out Blair's featured article!

20 week ultrasound

I had my 20 week ultrasound yesterday. We decided not to find out the sex of the baby. Early in the pregnancy I thought I would really like to find out this time. But, as time got closer to the 20 week mark my feelings changed. I'm really glad to not know right now. It gives me an excuse for all the time I spend pouring over baby name books; I have to come up with two names now instead of one! :)

The ultrasound did reveal one thing we weren't expecting. I have a low lying placenta. Not placenta previa -thank you, Lord! - but the baby's placenta is very close to the cervix, only 1.5 cm away. Normally during the course of pregnancy the uterus stretches and the placenta moves away from the cervix. My doctor said that my placenta is in the part of the uterus that does not stretch very much so it may not move very much. It needs to move to at least 2 cm away from the cervix to avoid an automatic c-section. If, at delivery time, it is in the 2 cm to 4 cm range, he said I would be induced about 2 weeks early under controlled conditions where an anesthesiologist is available in case of an emergency c-section is necessary and blood is on hand in case I would need a blood transfusion. The concern is that the placenta would detach during labor which would, of course, put the baby in danger and I would be in danger of excessive bleeding.

So, I'm really praying that we can get to the 4 cm mark at least. There is plenty of time between now and when Button should be making his or her debut, so I'm trying not to worry and just be patient and see what happens. I go back in 5 more weeks for another ultrasound to check the position of the placenta.

In the mean time, I think I'm going to go see if I can find a novena to St. Gerard. :)