He Crawls

My baby boy has mastered crawling. It's a whole new adventure. Two on the move!

Ron Paul

Oh, I probably shouldn't talk about political here. Oh well...
I'm learning what I value. So I may as well include what I'm learning, right? Here are a couple interesting clips I found.




This second clip is a little hard to hear. The beginning of the video is hard to make out because of the background noise, but the last half is a discussion of midwifery licensing. Some of his main points:

-licensing is a monopoly; it keeps other people from competing.
-licensing is better than prohibition, but the ideal is that people make up their own minds.
-I'm not in favor of government prohibiting people from making private choices. I might have a medical opinion, but politically people should make their own choices.

Mom/Grandma Update

She's is half done!! Her Chemo this last week brought her to the mid-way point.
Here's my mom with The Girlie. This was when we were visiting OR this fall right around the time she started treatment.
Here she is more recently with her "new 'do" (a wig). Doesn't it look nice?! I think so. My sister and I helped pick it out and she got it styled by her regular girl. I'm glad she likes it.

She's doing pretty well! The last couple days she was very tired (After her treatment Thursday), but she's doing okay, feeling good most of the time. She's been working (which I was nervous about, but I think has been a good thing for her, she likes staying busy), and doing most of her regular stuff all but the couple days after a treatment.

I'm really glad she's been feeling good for the most part and been in such good spirits! Thanks for your prayers.

The Whole Earth

Sunday January 27, 2008
Today's Verse:
Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
Isaiah 6:3b

This is the quote today over on my side bar. I just wanted to remember it. Isn't God's creation amazing?!

Look What I Can Do!

Kind of a funny expression on his face, but look at what he can do! He pulls up everywhere now. He doesn't really crawl, he scoots around and crawls just a little and whenever he's close enough to reach anything he stands up. He seems to think it's pretty great.

99 Balloons: God's Power Revealed

God's Power Revealed in a Tiny Baby with Trisomy 18

Teaching Her Two

The day before my girlie's birthday, we received a package. It was addressed to my daughter, which makes sense, since her birthday was two days away. It was from the grandparents, and I was looking forward to opening it, expecting that there was a little something for me, too.

We waited for Papa to get home, and got out the scissors. (Sure enough, there was something for me amidst the birthday packages, a extra large orange Tupperware canister, and it's extra small counterpart. I have two medium sized ones. Aren't I a little spoiled.)

As the boxes were removed, the girl exclaimed, "Yay, I wanna open present!"

"We have to save it for a couple days," I instructed.

Then the next, "Yay, I wanna open present!"

"We have to save it."

She commented on the pretty paper, and the paper with frogs on it. Then I thought it would be fun to teach her how old she was turning. We talked about the fact that her birthday is tomorrow and she would be two. I showed her my two fingers and asked. "How old will you be on your birthday?"

"One."

"You will be two on your birthday. Can you show me two?"

She tried to arrange her fingers, but couldn't quite figure out how keep the right ones up and the rest down. She looked at me and held out her hand, "I need help."

I helped her get two fingers up and the rest tucked down. She showed me. She was pretty proud. I asked again. How old are you gonna be? She answered "two", but lost the fingers. She held up her index fingers and smiled.

What a smart little two year old I have! (Can you tell I'm a proud momma?)

How mnay poelpe can raed tihs stennece?

I this in a "forward" e-mail message not to long ago:

ONLY some PEOPLE CAN READ THIS... : I Cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Since many (most?) of us sight read you can probably figure this out. (If not see below). I think this study might actually show that we can do this fun little trick because we were taught to read the word as a whole, not just "that's what the mind does". Maybe, what it learns to do over time... But maybe they were finding what they were looking for. (Yeah, I love those kind of studies.) Still, this is interesting, and makes a lot of sense. The mind is fascinating. I'd like to learn more.

ETA: I think sight reading is part of the reason I'm such a poor speller. Instead of writing letters of the word sounded out, I write what letters I think should be in the word. English is weird and doesn't always play by the rules anyway... I don't really know.

I was reminded about this by a post at In a shoe . com. There are ties to dyslexia from sight reading. The term Educational dyslexia is used in the article. Interested?



(This is what the jumble above says, just in case it doesn't make sense to you: I couldn't believe that I could actually understand what I was reading. The phenomenal power of the human mind, according to a research at Cambridge University, it doesn't matter in what order the letters in a word are, the only important thing is that the first and last letter be in the right place. The rest can be a total mess and you can still read it with out a problem. This is because the human mind does not read every letter by itself, but the word as a whole. Amazing huh? Yeah and I always thought spelling was important!)

"I smell it?"

This afternoon, after a long day of play, we put on Ratatouille, the girlie's FAVORITE movie. I don't know what she loves about this movie, but she really likes it. She asks to watch it at least a couple times a day! (We don't, just in case you were wondering.) So, I put it on tonight, thinking the combination of that, and the pile of toys we had out would keep their interest long enough for me to get the house back in order!

But, when I put it in it wasn't loading right. I took out the disk to inspect it, and somehow, sticky little fingerprints had decorated the back.

I breathed hot air on the back and rubbed it on the inside of my sweatshirt, then again, while the girlie was asking, "I smell it?" I didn't quite know what she meant, but I held the DVD toward her. She leaned in, closed her eyes, took a BIG whiff and sighed like she had smelled something really delicious "ahhh... I smell it!"

I then put the disk back in and it loaded right up.

What a helper I have.

By the way, the house is significantly cleaner! My kitchen and dining room are de-cluttered and most of the stuff that had been strewn throughout the house is now back where it belongs. And, we vacuumed. What a difference a favorite movie can make.

The Birthday Girl

Wow. Was it really TWO years ago?

You sure have grown...

Happy Birthday, My Big Girl.

Folding Shirts Faster

I think this skill is pretty important for me to learn.

You might agree. And since it's Laundry Day at my house and I'm stuck folding t-shirts the 10 second method, here you go. Let this be your inspiration, as it is mine.

You might want to take notes.


How To Fold A T-shirt In 2 Seconds - Celebrity bloopers here

Super Savings Saturday-Old Navy Clearance

We got in on the Old Navy Clearance Sale last year and I had been excitedly awaiting it the last few months. We planned to stock up on some things for the next size. We did pretty well I think, and I even ended up with a shirt for myself.

For the girlie we got:
Three turtlenecks, a pink, a black, and a white for $1.74 each
A 3T t-shirt for $1.74
A 3T dressy little shirt for $2.24

And for baby boy:
The cutest little "snuggly" shirt I've been waiting all season for for $2.25
A one piece sleep and play style outfit for $2.99
A light pair of pants that will be great for fall for $3.49
A sweatshirt for fall for $2.99

A gift for the next new baby we give a gift to:
A onesie that says "Hi, I'm new here" for $1.74

And for me, a dressy green long sleeved shirt for 3.99

Our total: $26.64

I think we did pretty good. I may go back again to get a few more turtlenecks for the girl in the next size.

Oh, and a the end of our receipt we got a survey to fill out for 10% off our next purchase!

Check out Super Savings Saturday at Money saving mom . com for more great deals!

The Little Guy

Blowing bubbles as usual...

Five Painless Ways I Saved $100 Last Year

It' Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood, and I thought this looked like a fun challenge:

I've begun to really enjoy saving those extra dollars, and these are some easy ways we've learned to do just that!

1. Making my own bread (our most recent favorite).

2. Making our own laundry soap, and using half of what's called for when we went back to Arm & Hammer.

3. Shopping at consignment sales and thrift stores!

4. When buying new waiting for the sale at Target or Old Navy (Both places mark their stuff down sooo low if you wait).

5. Using coupons! (We got free Peter Pan peanut butter yesterday using a coupon for a dollar off when it was on sale for .77!)

And visiting Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood.

It's Cold

It's pretty cold here today, which would make sense, since it's not even the middle of January. You would be a little bummed, to, though if you had experienced the last few beautiful days.

It had been so warm I haven't even worn a jacket or sweatshirt since Friday. It was pretty funny, actually. Saturday morning, when we were finally up and out, and I had bundled the girlie with her heaviest jacket and a hat and put the baby's car seat cover on for an extra layer and had my own jacket and scarf on, there was a warm breeze! I was surprised and immediately started ripping layers off the kids attracting even more attention to our silliness I'm sure.

The next day was warm, and the next! I could hardly believe we were having such weather in January! I was really happy to wear my flip-flops out this weekend. By yesterday evening the house had warmed up so much, we had to open a couple windows to get a cross breeze going.

I saw on the news last night there were storms in part of our state, though. I guess strange, warm weather doesn't come alone.

So it's cooled down quite a bit today, and I had to turn the heater back on. I'm such a summer girl. I'd rather be hot than cold any day. I guess I'll have to wait a few more months for the weather to really warm up.

The Iron...

...that's so smooth you quit sending shirts to the cleaners.

Not that I've ever sent shirts to the cleaners.

I was just perusing the archives of Like Merchant Ships. ('Cause I don't have anything better to do on a Saturday night err...Taking a little me time I mean, learning about how to be fabulously frugal!) I found this post that reminded me of something.

When I was in Oregon visiting my family, I ironed a couple things with my mom's iron and I was just amazed. I don't know how I missed it before, but boy you can tell a difference between a nice iron, and a cheap-y one (like I have).

I don't mind my cheap iron too much. I imagine, though, since it wasn't very expensive, it won't hold up that long. I think I will hang on to it until it's done, and then look into something nicer. Well, as long as my cheap iron won't do damage to my clothes. It won't will it?

So, what's a good iron? How do I know it's going to have that wonderfully smooth feel?

This is what I've found out: Rowneta is a well liked brand, but expensive. (I saw some priced up to $150! For an iron!?) Here is one that looks great and has great reviews, but is the forty to sixty dollars any kind of deal? Will it last long enough to get our money's worth? I don't know, but I think I would go for a used one if I came across it, for the right price of course, to see how I like it.

Musical Family

I miss hearing Abe play guitar as much as he used to. Since we moved, it seems it had been somewhat set aside. We've been playing a lot more this last week. I even got my guitar out and we "jammed" together. We hadn't taken the chance to do that since we moved, even before our vacation actually, and boy, did we miss it.

I'm so thankful for my musical husband. We were just talking the other day about finding a little coffee house with an Open Mic Night like we used to do in Bible College. It's a great way to squeeze in a little more outreach into our daily lives. I just don't know how we could work it out with the kids... I guess for now "Open Mic Night" is just gonna have to take place it our living room. We'll see. I'll have to brainstorm on that.

But it's ok. We are a family, we really like to be together. We love music, and our babies have surprisingly good rhythm. No seriously, they do. They clap and pound stuff and shake maracas. The girlie could probably start learning a little piano soon. I know her Papa will love teaching her. I bet the kids will really enjoy playing instruments when they're a little older. Maybe we could be a little traveling-musical-band family. Worst case scenario, one of them may just end up a metronome.

The Kitchen

For a while now, whenever we go anywhere that we see a kitchen set the girlie is just glued to it. I was so excited to find just the right one for a Christmas present. We found such a sweet piece, and she just loves it.

She brings us tea and coffee (she came up with that on her own), and cookies, soup, chicken, and milk. She's such a sweetie. I am so glad we got it for her. It's so much fun already, and I expect it to be a great toy for years to come!

(All the plastic dishes came as a gift from a friend from our old church. They are a pretty perfect fit for the little shelves! We found a little cheap food for her, and the cookie jar came from Grandma. It has 10 cookies, each with a different number of "m&ms" on it with the corresponding number on the bottom. She has a lot of fun with those. We're looking for a nice, small set of food for a birthday present. That will be a fun addition.)

Frugal Friday - Frugal Painting

SO, we just moved a couple months ago.

My husband was offered a job transfer. We had a month or so to get ready to move. I picked out the place online. We packed up all our stuff in a big truck, drove for a day straight with 2 babies a cat and a friend, and showed here up one day ready to unload all our junk stuff and move into this little apartment. (Pretty much sight unseen by the way ,except a few pictures online, which, in fact were not the layout of the place we were moving into... 'nother story.)

So, all in all, not a bad place, thank the Lord! But there was some UGLY wall paper in the bathroom, light fixtures in the hall that looked like they belonged in a hotel 15 years ago, and a beautiful fireplace painted white (bummer).

I know, white really isn't that bad, but I was kind of prepared for brick.

Anyway, while out a couple weeks ago, I passed a pile of free stuff. I scored a very cool star shaped metal pancake thing with a handle (I guess that's what it's for) and a quart of paint. Just what I needed. I had been thinking about painting that brick.

I had heard a friend talk about painting with a plastic grocery bag for a cool sponge-y effect. I had those, and I just poured the paint in an old bowl, so my fun little project didn't cost anything, but a little time! Here are the results:Pretty nice, huh? It was easy, too. Just crinkle up the bag and dab on the paint. I wasn't uniform about it at all. My husband suggested we leave the middle part white, but I think we've decided we're gonna do it all. What do you think?

So, it's not really a tip, except accept free stuff, and think outside the box. I didn't have to go buy paint brushes or sponges or anything. There's usually a way to do stuff without gadgets (If you can call a sponge a gadget...)

I'll have to add a little update when it's all done and a little more decorated.

And, thanks to Crystal at Biblical Womanhood for hosting Frugal Friday!

We're Gonna Need To Expand...Someday

When it comes time to make more room in the car, this is what I want:I really like the Honda Pilot. It has a third row. That means 8 (yes, eight!) seats. I think that sounds very nice.
Four more babies and we'll fill it up. That would be fun. Something to look forward to. ::smile::

"Milk Smoothie"

The girlie has a new favorite treat. She calls it a "Milk Smoothie". I was making smoothies for us yesterday, and telling her what I was doing step by step. When I added the milk she said she wanted a milk smoothie and that's what she's called it since. She asked for one again today. How could I say no to, "I like-a nelk whoo-wee peese"?!

In our "Milk Smoothie" we put:

a scoop of strawberry yogurt
a splash of strawberry/raspberry 100% juice
1/2 a small, ripe banana
a big splash of organic soy milk

Goals for 2008

I'm not much for resolutions. I'm sure it's silly, but the term makes me feel like I'm setting myself up for a disappointment. I am, however, setting a couple goals for 2008. I'm just making a short list of things that I feel are do-able, yet challenging myself to stay on top of things and grow.

1. Keep My Schedule - I've set up a "Home Management Book" for myself which outlined daily activities and chores. I plan to stick to this and I expect it to help our days and weeks become much more productive. I'm also including some focused educational time, especially for the girl. I think this will be a great experiment for us in preparing for homeschooling.

2. Read at least One Book Per Month - I haven't stuck to a regular reading schedule (other than Bible) and I think the challenge is important. Maybe I'll even blog a little review to keep myself accountable.

3 Memorize Scripture - I've started committing one verse or section per week to memory. I've never memorized much scripture, always having some excuse, but this is something valuable I'd like to store away. Maybe by the end of the year I'd like to memorize a short book, and then work from there.

Works for me Wednesday!-Waking up happy.

Yay! Works for me Wednesday is back. I really want to participate regularly this year. Now, what do I have to contribute?

Well, around here, sometimes it's hard to wake up. We've tried lots different things to help the girlie wake up with out crying. Getting up with a fun activity like coloring or a walk outside, playing with favorite toys or watching a special show and snuggling, nothing works very well. Many times lately she'll wake up happier if she's slept loooong enough, but still she ends up grumpy, sad, or both quite a lot.

The one thing that really helps her settle is praying. We pray together, and ask the Lord to help us have joyful attitudes, and sure enough He provides.

We still try special things like coloring or walks to greet her from her nap, but we've learned that our afternoons go better with prayer, just like the mornings.

We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:10:14-18

Prayer always Works for Me!

Thank You!

A huge Thanks to Crystal at Biblical Womanhood for putting some wonderful e-books as well as her online course Super Market Savings 101 on sale today! I was really happy to get a couple of these books that wise women have compiled to share with people like me. I'm really enjoying using coupons and finding great deals to be the best steward of our shopping resources, but I can definitely use all the help I can get!

Too bad I was late discovering this. I would have sent everyone I know that way. The special is a one day thing, but the e-books and stuff are always available through her site.

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

2 Corinthians 9:11

Happy New Year

Lest you think I'm an obsessed blogger, my husband sits texting, and while bored and waiting on him to go to bed I thought I'd send a little welcome to the new year, and a hope for the Lord's soon return:

Pearly Gates in 2008!!

(I think that's the way Pastor Steve said it.)
Ok, maybe I'm a little bit of an obsessed blogger, but it's okay.
Come Lord Jesus!