Art

My kids are very artistic. I love it! Here are a few pictures of the work they have done recently.

This snowman is one the Zennek made at school.

This is Zenny's reindeer.

Zennek's Christmas Tree

Hannah's snowman that she made at school

Hannah and I painted ths one together.

I don't have any of Jade's work on my computer yet, but I will post some of it once I do.

Christmas Cookie Bonanza

I spent the good part of yesterday making cookie dough for today. Today I baked many dozens of cookies. Rolling cookies out, getting cookies in and out of the oven, mixing up icing, and piping snowflakes (I most definately have to give credit to pastry chefs everywhere. Piping in tough on the joints in the hands.) all the while sitting in a not so comfortable chair has made my back done for. I still more cookies to make, but I decided to take a break somewhere comfy.

I am trying a few new recipes this year and I just have to share the two that are the best. I know if you try them you will certainly enjoy them. Also, I have to give credit to Taste of Home where these two particular cookies came from. I have to say these are both VERY good cookies. I personally made one change to each cookie, but the originals are good as well. The changes I made are in bold and parenthases in the recipes.

Lime Spritz Cookies
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 (3oz) pkg lime (or other flavor) gelatin(I made mine with cranberry flavor gelatin)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
Red and green colored sugar, optional

1) In a large bowl, cream the butter, sugar and gelatin. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour and baking powderr; gradually add to the creamed mixture.
2) Using a cookie press fitted with the disk of your choice, press dough into desired shapes 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.
3) Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Strawberry Cream Cookies
1 cup butter, softened
1 (3oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
3 tsps vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
seedless strawberry jam (I tried both raspberry and blackberry jam)

1) In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Add flour and mix well. Cover and refridgerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.
2) Shape dough into 1-in. balls. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheet. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make a 1/2-in. deep indentation in the center of each ball; fill with about 1/4 tsp jam. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until set. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Well, I'm off to go continue my baking. I hope everyone has pleasant and enjoyable holiday!

Photos

Here are some pictures of the kids from the last few weeks. They are a wonderful reason to smile anytime of the year, but it is especially easy during the holiday season. I hope you enjoy these pictures as much as I did while I was taking them.

Oh the weather outside is frightful...

It is down right freezing! The temperature outside this morning when I put the kids on the bus was a whopping 9 degrees with the wind chill. On top of that, there is nearly no moisture in the air at all and so Mr. Winter has decided to take away all of mine. This has been especially true since I have been washing my hands constantly while baking and cleaning. We aren't supposed to get any moisture until the weekend.

Today Jade and I made christmas wreath cookies and lime sprtiz cookies. The wreaths were very easy, but sticky. They are made just like rice crispy treats, just with corn flakes and green food coloring, then decorated with red hots. They come out pretty, but you have to work with them quickly. As for the spritz cookies, they are like almost any other spritz cookie, but the recipe calls for a package of lime gelatin mixed in when you cream the sugar and butter. They come out a very light shade of green and a hint of lime flavor. Tomorrow we will try two or three more cookie recipes.

This last week has been busy. Hannah came down with strep throat but is healing fast with her medication. Chris and I went in the doctor's office to start testing. I've been working hard to keep up with the housework that never seems to be done. In between cleaning tasks I made out my Christmas cards and got them into the mail. On Saturday, we took the kids to a Christmas parade after which Hannah accepted her award for her essay.

This week will be busy as well. Lots and lots of baking to get done by this weekend so I have samples to be tasted this weekend. Along with baking comes lots of dishes and kitchen cleaning. Zennek has a Christmas program that the whole kindergarten will participate in on Thursday night. Hannah has a farewell sleepover this weekend for a friend that is moving. I am also busy crocheting blankets for the kids and sewing pajamas for them as well. I don't have a deadline on their blankets but I am hoping to get their PJs done for Christmas Eve. Then, sometime this week, I am hoping to get out and do my Christmas shopping. I just haven't had the chance to go yet.

That's about all that is going on around the Ewing household. I think it's more than enough to do at one time. If anyone has any cookie recipes for some "pretty" cookies, I would greatly appreciate them. I need some nicer looking cookies because I am baking for someone else to give to people at work.

Over the last year

I was sitting here thinking about Christmas cards and couldn't help but think of the past year while doing so. Last year I was busy packing up my house in North Carolina. Then Chris and I started our move across the country. It's so hard to believe that it has been a year now.

December through May was the longest time of my life. My babies stayed behind with their father. To keep myself busy and to earn a little extra cash, I got a job. Shortly after getting this job, I found out that I was pregnant.

May was a bittersweet month. I was overjoyed to have my three wonderful children home with me once again (the best mother’s day gift ever), but less than two weeks of them returning, our unborn baby had passed away. Jade's birthday too was bittersweet; it was also the day our baby was taken from us. I had a difficult time rearranging my schedule while recovering physically. When the kids came home I had to quit my job, because daycare costs were too high to keep it.

In July, Zennek had his birthday. They grow too fast as far as I'm concerned. We had lots of fun over the summer, but before we knew it, it was autumn. With autumn comes school; this is Zennek’s first year. Jade cried when he got on the bus because she didn’t know what to do without him at home. She still misses him enough that she naps in his bed nearly every day while he’s away.

Right about the time the kids started school, I learned that I was pregnat once again. A couple of months later, we discovered some problems with the pregnacy. Shortly after this, our little one (whom we named William) passed away. As of yet, we haven’t heard the results of the autopsy, and the doctors are now testing us to find reasons for the miscarriages.

Thanksgiving was quiet, but spent with family here at our house and it was nice. We are now gearing up for Christmas. It will be nice to be able to spend it with family.

Overall, if you look at our year in number of situations, it has been quite tame; but if you factor in all that each of those situations has been, it’s been an exhausting year. I am ready for the New Year, and ready for better times.

I’m not making any new year’s resolutions this year; I’m just hoping for happy memories, answers about things and lots of time with my family. I, like most Americans have a goal to become more healthy and fit, but unlike most, I have realistic goals about this and am starting to work on this today. I think that an everyday resolution is better than just the first of the year. There is no better time than now to improve you.

I hope that everyone has a great Christmas and a happy year ahead.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone will have a very Happy and memorable Thanksgiving. I am having a small family meal with a few family members at my house. My mom is on her way up as I write this. In a little bit, I will be headed over to the kid's school to help out with the Zennek's Thanksgiving Feast that all the kindergartners will be involved in. It's not much, just a small meal while the kids will be dressed up as pilgrims and native Americans. I will be taking my camera.

As for other things that are happening around the house, we are all trying to feel the spirit of the holidays that are upon us. Chris and I are having an especially difficult time, but we are together and will be with family. In case you haven't heard, we lost our baby boy. His name was William. So far, we haven't heard any news on his autopsy. The doctors we are now dealing with are high risk pregnancy doctors and they plan to do testing on Chris and I as well. We will start this testing in the next couple of weeks and they will add the autopsy results to the pot to find a cause. Hopefully they will find something so we don't have to go through this again; three times has been more than enough.

Aside from that, Hannah has won second place in an essay contest. She was in the K-2 group open to a couple of schools. I am so proud of her! She is only in 1st and is such a good writer. Her essay was on her favorite Christmas tradition. Her favorite tradition was cooking breakfast with mom. I'll post a copy once we get her essay back on December fifth. She is also testing at almost a fourth grade reading level.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Things are looking up...

Well, things are looking up. Lat week I went in for my CVS test (not a very fun test) and had a miserable day that day due to illness and other pains, but fully recovered. This week, we have good news so far. I received a call from the doctor yesterday that said our second Chromosome test came back 100% normal. This is very good because it rules out all the really bad medical issues. There is still a chance for things such as heart problems, dwarfism, or a whole in the abdoman but all of these are very manageable. We are relieved.

Now, we wait again. The doctors are going to keep a close eye on things through ultrasound over the next few months. I am currently 14 1/2 weeks aong. I go in for a routine OB appointment next week. The following week I have another ultrasound. At this appointment they are going to measure the length of the baby blueberry's bones. This should be able to detect dwarfism. After that, at around 20 weeks they are doing a fetal EKG to check the heart they have to wait this long for that test for blueberry's heart to be large enough to see.

Aside from all that we are all doing well around here. We have had a lot of stress lately, but we are all working together to go through each day, one at a time. We are no longer worrying about the things that could be, but dwelling on the things we know it is not and having relief for these things. The kids have now all gotten used to the idea of another boy in the house. The girls were not too happy to begin with, but they have come around and are now excited. We are focusing on finding a name for our angel. It's funny how difficult this task really is.

Hannah and Zennek are both doing really well in school. In fact, they are both on the readers of the month board at school that is posted in the main hallway. Zennek has also been given the math acheivement award for doing so well. I am so proud of my babies. I guess I can't really call them that anymore, babies, they are growing so fast. Jade cannot wait to get into school. She constatnly tells me that she wants to be 5 because she can go to school when she's 5. I try to help by doing workbooks and other fun things with her, but I think it's more the act of going to school that she feels she is missing out on. Soon enough, I say.

That's about all that is happening here. It is plenty, and I'll gladly take the calm. It's nice to have a time to relax and take a deep breathe before something else comes along. I'm going to take a piece of advice fom my Aunt Amy, and just live in today, don't dwell on the past or worry of the future. Today is all that matters. I hope everyone has a wonderful today.

Keeping Strong

I am trying hard to keep strong right now, which isn't easy under the circumstances. Two days ago, I went to the doctor for an ultrasound to detect any genetic problems with the baby. I had no intention of doing this other than going in for an additional ultrasound because of the loss of the previous two babies; in fact, I have always declined this test in the past. I was a little nervous going into the appointment because my morning sickness is finally starting to fade and I haven't yet feel the baby (Blueberry, as Jade likes to call it) move.

So, once I was in the room and the ultrasound showed a great heartbeat and lots of movement, even a wave hello, my heart felt much better. After the ultrasound, the tech. had us wait in the waiting room to fill out paperwork we needed to go to the lab for bloodwork. When she came back we were led to a room where a doctor talked to us that had reviewed the ultrasound. She said that our "Blueberry" had 9mm of fluid behind it's neck, where as a normal amount is 3-4mm. This is cause for concern and I have an additional test on Monday called CVS, to detect what is wrong. Once I know more, I will post again. They tell me it will take about a week for the results. I am nervous to say the least, but I am managing. We have to drive up to UW up in Seattle for my test which is in the early morning.

Chris and I have had time to talk about things and we are both in agreeance, that no matter what, we are planning to keep the baby and handle whatever comes up. The doctors are thinking there is a chromosomal problem. Again, after the CVS test (they are going to take a sample of the placenta) we will have more answers and I'll be able to research whatever it is and we will have plenty of time to prepare for whatever we are given. All I know is that I am nervous about the unknown, but I'm happy to know that I can handle anything. I think I was given the appropriate name, it means strong. Wish me luck and hope for the best possible news. I'll keep everyone posted.

It's been a while....

It's been a while since last I posted. I haven't been busy per say, yet I have been in a way. I have been pregnant! I am officially 10 weeks tomorrow. I have been holding off on letting out the news because of the last two that I lost, I was a bit hesitant. I went to the doctor yesterday and things are going smoothly. To ease the minds of those concerned, I am not on blood thinners as originally planned, I simply take a baby aspirin everyday. The doctor did another ultrasound and baby is growing at the right pace and it's heart is fluttering as it should also. In fact, the baby is now large enough that they are able to do an external ultrasound now. We were very nervous before the appointment yesterday, because this appointment is the one where we have heard the sad news in the past two pregnancies, but those nerves were calmed when we finally got some good news. My due date is April 24, 2010. We are all very excited especially now that we are past the most critical part. My new set of nerves now comes from not having a baby around for a few years now, and we have practically no baby stuff anymore. At least we have a few months to work on that.

I can't believe my birthday is already here once again. Monday to be exact. It just makes me think of how fast the years go by when you least expect them to. Not to say that I am getting old, I'll only be 27, but some days it sure feels like I am. I'm not really planning to do anything, but get another year older. My big night is happening next weekend.

Chris is in th MP (military police) unit and because of this, he and I are going to the MP Ball on October 3rd. I am very excited. Chris' stepmom took me to get a dress and we found an absolutely georgous one. (I'm sure there will be pictures posted when the night comes.) Since I don't dress up too often, I don't have any shoes to go with it so I am hunting around for a pair, and am hoping to find some before then. It's been quite a while since Chris and I have had a night out alone, so I am looking forward to it.

The kids are doing well in school and Jade is adjusting to being home alone with me during the day. Today is Grandparent's Day at their school, but since none are available today, I am standing in; afterall, I will be a grandparent in the future(by spontaneous conception of course). The kids are very excited that I get to go eat lunch with them. Jade is just excited because she gets to act like a big kid and go to the school. She can't wait to grow up and be in school herself. I am ding my best to give her a "school atmosphere" around the house while the other tow are away.

That is what has been going on around here. I hope everything is going well with everyone else.

Things Never Stop Around Here

Things have been really busy around here. Chris has been doing Staff Duty (overnight work) every 3 days, since he got back from leave . Needless to say, the sleep cycle for both of us has been a bit off. Not sleeping well sure makes getting a lot done somewhat harder than usual, but I am trying to keep up with things.

My meager garden has finally produced something to harvest! We had a really nice squash the other night for dinner and have quite a few tomatoes that are just short of ripe. I am so excited! Our pumpkin plant is getting much larger, but has yet to fruit. The basil was looking small for the longest time, but all of a sudden branched out and has nearly doubled in size in the last two weeks.

Zennek and I went to his Kindergarten Roundup a few nights ago to see what to expect for the coming year. They also tested his abilities to see which classroom he would be best suited for. He has been trying very hard to practice all sorts of things and he surprised even me with his skills. He is working very diligently to learn to tie his shoes. He has about half of it down, and is still struggling with the rest, but we work on it a lot so it won't be long before he has it mastered.

Hannah has asked me nearly everyday of summer when school starts again; she can't wait to go back. I am hoping this stays the case throughout school. She has so much fun and loves it even when it's challenging.

Jade tells everyone that she gets to have "special time with Mommy" at every available chance. It's really cute and I am getting excited for it as well. It is always nice to be able to have one on one time with each of the kids. I am also looking forward to being able to run errands much faster and smoother with only having to travel around with only one in tow.

Earlier today we recieved a call from Chris' boss telling us that he will be leaving on Saturday for Funeral Detail up in Canada for approximatly a week. I'm still unsure when he will be coming home, but it could be up to 10 days. This is always a difficult job for him to do because of the lifting of the heavy casckets. He almost always gets a really sore back and has arthritis that acts up whenever he does a lot of lifting. I have already packed his medication and ibuprofren to help prevent as much of the inflamation as possible.

I'm glad to hear that everyone is healing well around me. My grandfather is home from the hospital and eating better now since the bowel obstruction surgery. Paul is recovering quickly from his surgery as well. My Grandmother's leg is also healing too. Everyone in my house is happy and healthy. I'm hoping that everyone else is in good health and good spirits. Goodnight everyone!

Time Flies...

Time sure flies when, well nearly always. Chris has been on vacation for 2 weeks and signs back into for regular duty tomorrow evening. It seeems like his time off started just yesterday. It was nice to have him home though.

We are also preparing for things to change again. The day after Labor Day, two of the kids are going to school. This will be Zennek's first year and Hannah's second. As with any other change in life, this will take some adjusting to. Jade is very excited to have the one on one time with me during the day when they are gone.

I am also hoping to take a few classes. I am waiting on my financial aid application to be processed. I have been told this can take up to 12 weeks. I am still checking on it daily online to see if it has gone through or not. The sooner I find out the better. If and when I am approved, I can sign up for my classes. Since I plan on taking online classes for the time being, I can start them as soon as the day I register for each one of them. I have finally decided on getting an AA in Social Services/Mental Health. I will eventually take some in person classes, but for the time being, online classes seem to be the best option since daycare is so expensive.

It's so nice to finally have some kind of direction in my life. I have been searching and searching for a long time for just the thing that I have wanted to do with my life and I believe I have finally found it. That is a great feeling to have. I have always had this field in my list of options, and I have always kept coming back to it, so I guess it's what I was meant to do. I love helping people and that's what I intend to do.

I'm off to finish up making my family's dinner. I hope that things are looking up for everyone.

What a Weekend...

Oh me, oh my, what a weekend went by! Our weekend seemed like it was over a week long. My Grandmother said it best when she said that "this past weeks events are the making of a novel." The only thing that wouldn't be believeable in a novel is the quantity of events that occured in such a short time.

Our weekend began on Thursday when Chris was scheduled for staff duty. He had such a difficult time sleeping in that he ended up waking at 8 am. (Yes, this is normally very late to be waking up, but because he wasn't supposed to sleep until 24 hours later, he tried to get extra rest.) Anyway, work called him in sooner than he was scheduled shortly after he woke up.

On Friday, we found out that the duty Chris was scheduled for was rescheduled for two weeks down the road, so we huridly packed our bags and headed for Corvallis since we were then able to since our weekend was then free. As soon as our bags were ready, we hit the road. Not a really long trip, but a long enough with antsy children.

Ten minutes from my grandparent's house we were pulled over for not having our license plate mounted on the front bumper (a requirement in the state live in.) Because of other circumstances it ended with an outrageous ticket.

Once we arrived at my grandparent's house, I literally jumped out of my car and into my grandmother's to go and visit my grandfather in the hospital, who was admitted earlier in the week for and obstructed bowel and hernia problem that was corrected by surgery. On the trip to the hospital I was filled in on the things that were going on with the other people that had come down to work on the "great cleanup".

My Uncle Rick had injured his back on the coast and his son Preston got an ear infection. My grandmother still has her broken leg, but was given the okay to finally put some weight on it after the past three months of being restricted to a wheelchair.

During the "great cleanup", my there were a few small injuries. There was such a huge amount of work accomplished in just the one Saturday. Everyone that was there worked so hard. We were all so amazed at how beautiful the outcome was. Unfortuneatly, my grandfather is still in the hospital and has yet to see the incredible difference that was made. I really wish I was able to help out more, but I at least was able to put together lunch for the bunch.

Early this morning, I was awoken by a kick to the kneecap. I hope I didn't wake the whole household when I yelled nearly at the top of my lungs because my kneecap was dislocated. Luckily, after putting it back in place, there was nearly no pain, just a very odd feeling for the rest of the day.

We hit the road around 11:00 am, and stopped in at Chris' job to sign him out officially for leave. There was a HUGE misunderstanding that caused us to sit there for 2 hours, and has Chris going in for a few minutes tomorrow morning. After that, his "vacation" can begin and we plan to achieve a lot of housework and family time.

Like I said before, it was a VERY long weekend. I am hoping that the next week and a half is both rewarding and lots of fun. Thanks so much to the "Dream Team" that helped out with the project at my grandparent's house. I'm still shocked that, that much work got done. I hope everyone is taking a day to realx, you all more than deserve it. I am off to start my vacation...later everyone!

Enjoying Life

I have been extremely busy with the house lately. I am working extra hard to absolutely everything so we can have lots of fun and family time next week when Chris goes on leave. I know I'll still have work to do then, but I'll only have the basic things to do.

I was really hoping to be able to go down to Corvallis, but Chris' bosses told him that he has duty on both Friday and Saturday, so it just isn't possible. If we have the means to do so while Chris is on leave, we will definately do so.

I am very excited about the weather starting to cool down. It has been so very hot lately that it has been close to unbareable. I was able to go out and weed the garden a little bit today and have the kids go out and play. I hear that we are in line for some rain and we could use it. The few plants I have in my garden are doing well, but the heat isn't too nice for them. I am very happy every time I go out there and look at the plants. I have 9 tomatoes and manymore flowers on the tomato plants so lots more are on their way. There is one squash and a few more flowers on it, and about 5 flowers on my pumpkin plant.

I'm off to bake some banana bread. I hope everyone has a good day.

Trying to Beat the Heat

Wow! Is it hot! I don't remember a whole lot about Washington from living here as a kid, but I sure don't remember the heat being this bad. On our move out here, Chris told me that "it doesn't snow there, and when it does, it melts really quickly." When we drove into town, it was in the middle of a snow storm. He also mentioned that "the weather was always nice in the summer. There are maybe a few days that are a bit hot, but for the most part it's beautiful." Right now, it's 7 PM and it's still around 90 degrees. According to the weatherman, it's supposed to be close to 100 degrees all this week. I love to give him a hard time. The kids are not too happy with the heat either. They are having lots of fun with their sprinklers lately and occasionally playing in the neighbor's pool. They are also enjoying the popsicles.

We are all looking forward to Chris' time off of work. We are going to go down to Corvallis and visit some family down there while we assist in a "home makeover" for my grandparents to make things easier for them. Aside from that visit, we don't have a lot of plans. We are hoping to go camping, visit Mt. Rainer, and just have some fun spending time together. It's been a while since we have been able to spend more than a few hours together doing "family stuff" It will be so nice to have 2 full weeks!

Spending time with family is so important. I hope that everyone has the opportunity to get at least a few minutes a day to do so. You never know when family won't be around anymore, so take every moment you can and make the most of it.

Things are Looking Up

I haven't been on here for a while now. That is because I have been so busy. Zennek turned 5 a few days ago and things have been very hectic around here in the mean time.

Things seem to be looking up around here. I FINALLY got my blood test resluts back today. The results say that I have Factor V Leiden (luckily I only have it from one parent, making it a lot safer.) This is basically saying that I have a genetic factor that puts me at a higher risk for blood clotting than your average Joe.

If/when I get pregnant, all that needs to be done is I have to take a blood thinner. Also, I am unable to take estrogen in any form due to it being able to increase my chances of blood clotting even more. So, things are good. I have some kind of answer to why I have been miscarrying. Hopefully this will solve things and I can have a happy healthy pregnancy the next time around.

If there is anyone in the family who knows of someone with blood clotting problems please let me know. This information won't change anything, but it would be beneficial for my records. Thanks everyone for being there for me.

Announcing...

Zennek' Birthday Party!Sunday, July 19th @ our house

2:00 P.M.

Zennek is very excited to be turning 5! If anyone would like to come, you are more than welcome to join us! As you can tell, he is going with Batman for his theme. Please let me know if you will be here.

Went to the River Today

We went on another adventure in the Great North-West again. This time was practically in our backyard. We took a ten minute drive and went down to the Nisqually River.
We took the dogs along with us and they had lots of fun.

It took a few minutes to tes the water; it was a little cold, as is usually the case with most rivers.
The kids thought going in to there knees was really cool.

Lacey thought I was a good place to nap after going in the water. Both dogs decided that right next to me was the best place to shake of their excess water each time they exited the river.

Jade loved throwing the rocks into the water.

The dogs were nervous and wouldn't leave Chris' side.

Zennek was enjoying pretending to fish. (we will be taking them fishing some time this summer after we get our fishing licenes.)

Curly Top

My sweet little girl, Hannah, decided that she would like to have her hair put up in curlers. So we spent about a half an hour puting the curlers in her hair before she headed off to bed. This morning when she woke up, we removed the curlers.

I had expected her hair to be a little bit curly, because both mine and my mother's hair falls flat almost instantly when curled. Needless to say, as anyone who sees the following pictures can attest to, she does not have my hair! She was practically Shirley Temple.

It is now close to 10 PM and she is lying asleep still with a full head of curls. I have always wanted to be able to curl my hair and have it stay, but I am counting my blessings now. I am truly greatful that my hair is straight. I don't have the slightest idea on how to manage the wild curls.

She had lots of fun all day long with having "poofy" hair, as she called it.

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As for my blood tests, I have called the doctor's office twice. I finally received a call back from a nurse that informed me that my doctor now wanted me to come in to hear the results on the 22nd. I am a bit nervous because they said at first that they were going to call me and tell me over the telephone, but since the date is not right away, it helps a little. I am still worried, but time will tell me everything. Wish me luck with all of this.

Chris put in for leave today, for the first part of August. It will be a few days yet before we find out if it is approved. Also, wish us luck with this. I know we can't do a great deal with the kids running around, but any help we are able to lend down at my grandparent's house is better than not being able to be there. Also, it will be a treat to see so many people working together to help out two wonderful people.

I love you Grama and Grandpa! I am crossing my fingers that we get to come down to see you. You live so close, yet such a long way away. I am also anxious for the family to meet my husband and for those of you who haven't, my children as well. They are the reason for the smile on my face 90% of the time (Chris included). I hope they put a smile on all your faces too.

Good night all!

Feeling Irritated With Myeslf Today

Have you ever had one of those days that make you want to just smack yourself for doing something so foolish? I had one today. Last week when I paid all the bills, I thought I was doing so good. I wrote all the checks and had them ready to go before the pay check even showed up. The day the money got into our account, I went to the post office and sent them in the mail.

Today, I went online to check on the checks to see if they had gone through yet. While checking I realize a problem, a really big one. I had paid all my bills from the wrong account! We only have two accounts because our normal bank is an online bank for military personal and there are no branches anywhere near here. (We keep it because our insurance is through them and there are many perks to having this bank.)The other account is through a local bank so we have somewhere to deposit checks and cash whenever needed.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Had I really made this ridiculous mistake?! Yes, I did! (Whoever said to err is human was right!) So Into town I rushed to fix what I could with it. Really not much; but I was able to cover some of the negative balance. Because of this lapse of my mental facilities, it is going to cost us an extra $175 to cover all the overdraft fees.

After I dealt with that, the kids and I went and ate a picnic lunch with Chris at work. I am now home trying to clean up the house after the long weekend. (I hope everyone had a good Fourth of July!) There is surprisingly not much to do, but what is there needs to be done. When I complete all my chores, I have to fix dinner for my family. I think we are going simple tonight and have breakfast for dinner (a favorite of the kids).

I am hoping the weather is nice this weekend so I can have my yard sale. (It sure would be nice to make enough to cover my bank error.) Then, the following weekend is my Zenny's birthday. Luckily, Chris will be home. He was originally scheduled for staff duty on the 19th (Zennek's birthday), but was able to switch with someone. After that, I should be able to relax for a little bit anyway.

I am tentively planning to go down to Corvallis for the 8th of August to assist the family that is gathering to help my grandparents do some work on their house. (We are waiting to see if Chris can take some time off for this.) It will be nice to see this much of the family at the same time; it's been a very long time.

A friend of mine was in a bad car accident yesterday and won't know for a little while whether she is going to loose sight in one eye or not. Today is her daughter's birthday and she can't do a lot for her because of the pain she is in. I am hoping she heals quickly and things go well.

That is about all that is happening at this time, but it is more than enough. I hope everyone is doing well and everyone with injuries is healing. I have noticed that too many people I care about are becoming hurt lately, but at least they are all still here. Having pain to complain about is much better than having nothing anything at all, especially your life. Enjoy all the happy times, and find the good in everything, there is always something.

A Busy Weekend

It's Thursday, well it's kind of Friday, the weekend anyway. Chris got home this afternoon, just about lunch time, for the holiday weekend. He is lucky enough to have a four day weekend. This evening, he mowed the lawn while I watched the kids play on their slip-n-slide and in the neighbor's little swimming pool. Tomorrow, we plan do get the house work done.

On Saturday, mom and Paul will be coming up. This is their wedding anniversary as well as Independance Day, so we will be celebrating both. BBQ is on the menu. We are able to do a few small fireworks like sparklers and a few others. Sunday, mom and Paul will also be spending the day with us. They plan to return home sometime Monday because they have to get back to work.

When they leave, I am hoping to mark all the stuff we gathered for our yard sale and go through the last bit of stuff I need to sort. If all goes well, we will be able to have our sale next weekend. This comes in perfect time because we could definately use the extra money. For some reason, all the bills came due at the same time this month.

The following weekend is Zennek's birthday. I can't believe he is going to be 5 already!

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As for me personally, I am tired. Zennek woke up in the middle of the night with a nightmare and I pulled mommy duty. Then, in the morning the dogs decided that they needed to sing very early and wake up everyone.

I still haven't heard from my doctor about my blood tests. He went on leave and I asked for his nurse to call me, but so far, I haven't heard anything. I also need to go talk to my regular doctor about a few things. One of which is that I may be getting some mild arthritis. For the last few months the joints in my hands have been hurting very badly. I am hoping that is just that I have been overworking my hands lately.

I'm headed for bed. I hope everyone has a great Fourth!

The Kids Are Making Me Feel Old!

The weather outside doesn't really know what it wants to do. It is a bit breezey it keeps getting overcast like it's going to rain and then goes completely clear. Needless to say, the kids played outside for a short time and we are now inside. I decided that I would introduce them to my old Nintendo system. (Yes, I still have one.) Anyway, they started out on the game called "Caveman Games". This was fun for them because they figured out how to club the other players and thought it was funny to see the stars over their heads. Following that ws Tetris. They thought it was fun to watch me play, but could not quite figure out how to do it themselves. Finally came the old standard: Mario Bros. This was their favorite.

While setting up the system and putting in each game, they had the most confused looks on their faces as to what in the world I was doing. The questions flooded the room. “Why do you have to blow on it?” “Why do you have to keep taking the game out and putting it back in?” “Why does it blink like that?” and my faorite: “why do we have to go all the way back to the beginning when we die?” My answer for most of these questions was the same: “this is how we had to do it when we were kids. The games get worn out and old and this is how you make them work.” The part on having to start all over was a bit hard to explain, because it involves the system’s memory and that back then, the systems didn’t have the capabilities that current systems do; but I managed.

I can’t tell you how old they are making me feel when they ask why you can’t save your game or change the settings mid-game. It is what it is, and it was high-tech back then. Not that I think I am old or anything, they are just good at making me feel this way. It amazes me how things change in such a short time. All these game systems there are now. Nintendo was basically the only choice I had growing up, and that was a luxery! I remember thinking how cool “Oregon Trail” was to play on the computer at school.

I am busy cleaning up and out, my kitchen. After cleaning out the fridge of old leftovers that didn’t get eaten, I took it apart and cleaned all the shelves and drawers. I plan on going through and reorganizing my cupboards next. I do this often because it helps me make my grocery lists. I am also trying to get creative with meal ideas since money is tight. (Any suggestions are more than welcome.) Normally, navy bean soup with ham hock in it is reserved for the winter months, but since we had everything for it, that is what we had for dinner last night. It was good.

I have been experimenting with the different canned goods that I received from my very gracious aunt Shelley. The kids are very much enjoying the plum jelly on their sandwiches and sliced pears they get for lunch. I am hoping to make some spaghetti sauce from the canned tomatoes next. I am anxious for this, they look so good in the jar. We are also savoring the wonderful chocolate that my thoughtful uncle Rick brought back for us from Germany. (If I haven’t thanked you, than I am now. I really appreciate that you thought of us on your trip.)

It really is amazing what you can create in the kitchen. It’s also amazing how much variety you can find in the deep dark corners of cupboards. I think we are going to have turkey enchiladas tomorrow. After I eat and get the kids bathed and into bed, I think I will be going outside and cleaning out my car. Chris has been using it for the last week because it gets better gas mileage than his huge truck. I am anxious to have my vehicle back this week. (I don’t like to use his unless it is an emergency because it’s so large.) I still haven’t heard from the doctor, but I am going to call them tomorrow to see if they have received my test results.

Have a good evening everyone!

A Little Weeding Goes a Long Way

Today, Chris and I went out to weed the garden; it was definitely in need of it. The kids ran around the yard with squirt guns and played on the swing set in the backyard while we worked. Whilst I was pulling up the little annoyances, I was thinking a lot about all the work I have been doing in the house. I haven't just weeded the garden, I have weeded out all the unnecessary things around me and I feel so much better about the appearance of my surroundings. I noticed how much better my vegetables looked when all the "clutter" was removed. The same has been true for my home. I feel so much more comfortable throughout my day when my house isn't filled with "weeds".

I highly recommend that everyone weed their gardens, their minds, and their homes! It is very refreshing and it clears your head at the same time. I haven't quite finished "weeding" everything, but I am getting very close to being done with it. I am much happier mentally, emotionally, and physically. If you haven't done this, or you haven't ever tried, I suggest it as a form of therapy. This has helped me and I am sure it would help you too!

Kiddo Collages

Hello everyone! I have been working so hard on my house lately. I lifted a lot of boxes and moved some furniture yesterday and today I am sore all over. So, I have decided to take a day off. The weather is also very beautiful outside, so I think the kids and I will just go outside, and I'll let them get out all of their wiggles. While relaxing on the couch I was looking through the pictures of the kids I have on this computer and I thought I would make some collages. I think they came out really cute. I just can't believe how they grow! Enjoy the pictures, I had fun making them. I'm off to take the kids outside before the weather turns; it has been doing that a lot lately. Bye!

Update

It's been a few days since I've posted, but there is good reaason for it. I have been doing some SERIOUS spring cleaning around here. I have gathered up quite a bit of stuff for our yard sale. Hopefully this will give us a little extra money. Things have been a bit tight around here, but we are surviving. I still have plenty left to do, but the house is in much better condition than it has been. I am ready for it to be done, but I am doing it right and that takes a lot of time. It has really been taking a lot out of me, but i know it will be worth all the hard work.

The kids are doing well. Hannah is already ready to go back to school. Zennek is just as anxious to get started. We have his Kindergarden roundup at the end of August. As of yet, I haven't heard back from the doctor about my blood test results. I am hoping to hear tomorrow. I'll be sure to let everyone know if anything comes up. That is about all that is going on here. It is plenty for now. Goodnight everyone.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to everyone!

Today has been nice. I got up and made a yummy breakfast that the kids served to Chris in bed. They really enjoyed giving him the pictures they colored for him and thought it was fun to wake him up. I didn't get a whole lot accomplished today, but we had a pleasant day none the less. We spent time together as a family.

I hope everyone had a wonderful day. Goodnight everyone!

Slowly but Surely

I never imagined that this house cleaning out task would take me as long as it is taking. There is just so much stuff here and taking care of my family and regular chores and everyday stuff that it is going slow. At least it is going. I have also been busy with my family. Normally, the weekend is when I get a good chunk of work done around the house because I can focus on the tasks while Chris watches the kids for me. Over the past few weekends, I haven't been home. I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining; I have been enjoying myself very much.

I do manage to accomplish quite a bit during the week, but the weekend sees more progress. I think that I am going to plan on nothing but housecleaning and sorting this coming weekend. I have had lots of fun, but now it's time for the work to be done. I'm not sure if I'll finish going through everything by the end of the month, but it won't take forever. That's the great thing about goals, you can always change them if they don't work out. All I have to do is keep my eye on the prize (in this case, it's being rid of junk and having more space in my house; a great reward if I do say so myself.)

As a side note: Thank you Aunt Shelley for all the yummy stuff you sent up. I have already started to enjoy some of the goodies. Also, thank you for the cards. I am hoping they can help me out. You always seem to have such good ideas.

Good night everyone. I am hoping to get some good rest this evening. I have an early morning tomorrow so I can cook a nice Father's Day Breakfast for my sweetheart for the kids to serve him in bed. I hope everyone else has a good rest tonight and a Happy Father's Day tomorrow.

Life is Constantly Changing

Life is constantly changing. That is especially true once children are in the picture. The last 2-3 years has come with so many changes that I couldn't possibly go into that list. Just in the past 6 months, we have moved across country. That, was one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. I don't want to get into details, but I had to move without the kids. After a while, they came back to me.

Every little change in life takes a bit of time to get used to. Getting used to my children not being in the house was no easy task. It was kind of like getting used to a weekend on Sunday night, and then it's the work week again. I didn't ever fully "get used to" them not being here, but I got into a routine that involved cooking and cleaning for two. Then I had to change back. Needless to say, going from two to five overnight, takes a bit of time to adjust to. This change didn't take too long, but this time away from me has changed them more than I imagined it would.

The kids have been home with me for around two months now, during which time Hannah finished out her first year of school. Having them back home took no more than a week to feel normal again. I got used to coooking bigger meals, doing the laundry of five people, getting up early and getting Hannah ready and off to school everyday, and so on and so forth. Now, school is out for the summer and I am having to change my routine for that.

Today, is Hannah's second full day of summer vacation and she is already asking me to go back to school. I'm so happy that she enjoys it as much as she does. This summer will be filled with lots and lots of "practice work" for her to keep busy. I am also, working very diligently, to completely clean out the junk and unneeded items in my home. (It is amazing how much a family can aquire.) All these things, are not in my normal routine and therefore, take manipulating to fit. I am taking one day at a time, trying to put all the necessary parts into my life. I will say that I don't get everything done; I don't come close to that, but I do make a list each day of the things that I hope to get accomplished and most of the time finish that.

I live by a few mottos. One is, everything happens for a reason. Another is, only do what you can. I used to go crazy when I didn't finish my daily list, and then I realized that was not solving my problem by letting this bother me. I have come to terms with the fact that I can't change the little things that come up everyday, but I can learn to work around them. They say that the best laid plans always change. I most definatly believe that.

I have to remind myself every once in a while not to fret over things. Like everyone else, I am far from perfect. Remember, every day is a new day. Some days, the best thing to do is relax with your family and friends and let the housework wait. My favorite motto to live by is: family and friends won't always be around, but housework will. Housecleaning and other chores of course have to be done, but the best looking house is one with loved ones in it having a good time. Don't stress about the little things. Take a break when you need it. Without fail, laugh everyday. Life may change like a river, but go with the flow.

I hope everyone can find just one thing to smile about. Smiling is the best medicine for any ailment in life. :)

Just a few pictures

Here are a few picturese I came across today. The first one I actually took this afternoon. The others are about 1 1/2- 2 years old. I just had to share them they were to cute to keep to myself.

Office Space

I have made a dent; a small one, but a dent none the less. I am positivly going crazy with the mess in my house. I love my husband so very much, but there are things about him that can bug me. The biggest one is how unorganized he is; he tries very hard, but just isn't. My office floor was literally non-exisitant about an hour ago. Chris tried, not too long ago, to clean the office. In going through all the paperwork and other various office things, he made tons of piles. After making the piles, he went on to another task and forgot all about the office.

Today, the office was the next room on my list. I was really excited to get in there because I was beyond ready to see the floor again. So far, I have managed to get all the CDs put away (there are quite a few), and gotten all the papers into just a few piles. There are still lots of cords and other random stuff I need to sort through, but I stopped to make lunch.

I have plenty of work to do, but I at least feel like I am getting somewhere. I do understand how Chris "works" when it comes to cleaning things, (in fact, I used to do it that way too) but I have learned over the last few years, that the best way to cleaning is to work with one thing at a time, and put it away before you move on to the next thing.

I can't say that I know the best way to do all this life stuff, but I know that I keep learning and improving everyday. It is so nice to actually have an office in my house. I will be even more greatful once I can use it on a daily basis. Right now, I avoid it like the plague. I just don't want to be surrounded by clutter. Luckily, I am resolving the problem.

Now that the kids are done eating lunch and Jade is down for her nap, I am off to rid my life of the things that I don't need (sounds kind of like a superhero, feels like it too.)I am also looking forward to the yard sale we will be having when all the work is done; I'm sure that the people coming here for it will be happy too. There will be plenty of open space and I am going to love it.

I hope everyone can have a happy and productive day like me, even if that productivity is sitting down doing nothing but calming your mind and improving your mood.

School's Out For Summer...

Here we are. Hannah has finished her first year of school. She is officially out for the summer as of a couple of hours ago. Her and Zennek both go to school in the fall. How do these things happen? By that I mean, them growing so fast?! I told them they weren't allowed to grow while they were at their dad's house, but they did it anyway. Summer break is from today until September 8th. I am hoping to do a lot of fun stuff with them this summer.

Zennek will be turning 5 in a few weeks. We are going to try to either go to the zoo or the Children's Museum. We have a slip and slide, there's the beach, camping, the park, lots of family close by and all kinds of fun things to do right here at home. I am very excited to spend all this time with them. Anyone that wants to come have an adventure with us is more than welcome to join; starting today.

Off to go start our fun...!

Doing "Guy Stuff"

Zennek had a great time today. He and Chris started to build a dog house today. Regardless of being unable to complete the job, my men had a lot of fun doing "guy stuff". They will finish after we are able get some more wood. And of course the job couldn't get done without a "beer" break. Zennek and Chris both enjoyed a nice brew, of the root variety. It was adorable to watch them. Here are a few photos. I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures as much as I did watching them work. Have a good evening! -Bridget

A Day at the Beach

We went to the beach today and had a lot of fun with the kids. The kids have been so anxious to fly their new kites and since this was the best place to do it, we decided to finally take them. Chris's dad and step-mother went with us. The weather was a bit cool, but we managed to have a great time.

When we first arrived, we all went hunting for shells and sand dollars. Then the kids ran around and found a mini "river" and got to enjoy the water. They enjoyed the water so much, in fact, that we had to change their clothes because they were soaked from the waist down. (This was the second change of clothes for Jade because she got car sick on the way to the beach. We stopped and picked up some dramamine and did fine after that.) I'm sure this is one of many trips to the beach this summer. Here are a few pictures from our day.

Zennek was in better spirits today. He is still quite upset about his first love getting married but we were at least able to distract him for a few hours.
Jade hunted for shells with Chris and found a few sand dollars too.
Hannah was singing and dancing.
I think Zennek's favorite part of the day was running around in the water.
Jade's favorite , was playing in the mud.
Hannah's favorite part was flying her kite with her grandpa.
Jade, again playing in the dirt.
Here are the girls with Grandpa Mike and his dog Max.

At the end of the day, I think they were all a bit tired.

Exhausted from a great day.

Like I said, we had a great deal of fun today. All my family and friends are more than welcome to come along with us on our next trip to the beach. This evening we are watching a couple of movies and camping out in the living room. (Luckily, I sleep fairly well on hard surfaces.)

Tomorrow we have some house cleaning to do and more stuff to go through. Zennek is going to help Chris build a dog house for the dog's kennel. The girls are going to help me out in the house. Sometime in the afternoon we hope to take a break and walk over to the park for a little while. Tomorrow evening will probably be an early one. Hannah has school for one and a half more days, meaning we still have an absolute schedule to keep in the mornings.

I am so happy to have the kids back home. I was able to reflect and see how special they really are while they were gone. I am doing my best to spend a lot more one on one time with each of them and have more family time too. I didn't really think of how important my time with them was until I didn't have it. I'm glad I know now and relish each and every minute of it. I recommend the same thing for everyone. Goodnight.

Kindergarden Graduation

My little girl graduated Kindergarden today. I just can't believe the school year is already over. The ceremony was cute. They called it a Kinder Celebration. There are three K classes and each one had their own song to sing. Hannah's class sang a song called "The Days of the Week", which involved them spelling the days. When the ceremony was over, we went back to her classroom and picked up her remaining work and have cookies. (The first pic is in her classroom.)

After everything, we came home and framed her certificate. She is now an official 1st grader! She has to go to school on Monday for a fun day and Tuesday (for a couple of hours) for an assembly explaining what the kids are to expect next year. I am so proud of my angel.
On Wednesday, Hannah lost a tooth and is close to loosing another. Zennek is still overwhelmed with the idea that is first love married someone besides him. He has been so sad all day. I am hoping he will be a bit better in the morning. Jade is excited because we are going to the beach tomorrow with Chris' parents. They are all excited that they get to use their new kites. I'll be posting pictures of that hopefully tomorrow night(if not, then soon after.)

I hope everyone has had a nice day. I know that I have(except for trying to heal a broken heart.) It's things like kindergarden graduation that make a person reflect on how fast life goes by. Enjoy each moment because they will have past before you know it. Cherish those in your life and stop and smell the flowers with them. It's more fun when you have loved ones to share with. Goodnight everyone.