What did I miss?

I feel as if I missed today.  I know it happened because I remember being tired, but thinking back I hardly remember what actually happened.  I know I woke up with a headache and thought it was 2 hours earlier than it actually was.  Which means I was not at all ready when my hubby walked in with my son for me to entertain, but he was so cute I couldn't say no :).  (Plus, his dad had to get ready for work, so I couldn't say no).  I remember brewing a large pot of coffee.  I see a full mug on the counter so I know I didn't finish the pot.  (I should probably check the pot).  I know my friend dropped her son off. I do remember that.

But really that's it for the morning.

I know I took the dog to the vet this afternoon.  (No worries, just annual check up).  I know I had to make 2 trips to the bank. (Long story and it took about an hour.  Let's just say I needed an additional signature and it took a looong time to be able to get it).  I know my friend picked up her son. (Mainly because he's not here).

Now how in the world did I become so zombie-ish that I don't remember the little things that filled in the rest of my day?  Yikes.  I think I should go to bed.... 8pm....  it just doesn't seem right, but it would feel so good.  The dishwasher needs to be emptied, the kitchen tidied, the toys cleaned up and the table organized.... and yet I don't care.  Can't care.... I'm floating in my zombie cloud.  Now I'm just sounding like a lunatic.  Which I believe should be my cue to end this post.  Goodnight?

Not so little...

This seems like eons ago... I've even begun to forget the extreme discomfort.

I watched in amazement today as my 9 month old son climbed the entire flight of stairs within a matter of seconds (Dad was right behind him to make sure he didn't fall).  He is not a baby anymore.

Seems like such a long time ago

My precious boy

He is growing up so fast.  Just in this last month he has started crawling, pulling up, eating big people food, and climbing stairs.  Just can't believe it.

He is such a ham

Prego Brain?

I've been writing thank you notes this week.  I feel as if my sentences are completely disjointed and I cannot connect thoughts.  This blog post may be the same way.  I can't even think right now to make my words flow smoothly and not seem like you're driving down a dirt washboard road.  So, I guess I'll give up and just throw my disjointedness out there.

Me:
   Very Pregnant!  The countdown is on to April 12th.  Dr. did not sound like this baby is very anxious to enter the world.  I've been having to slowly come to the realization that April 12th is not a magic number that will send me into labor.  Please, Lil' Web, have mercy on your mom and don't come later than that!

Dogs:
   Jazz- very interested in baby stuff.  Anytime I go into the nursery she is right there with me.  She's claimed the rug in there as her own and has to re-sniff everything at least once a day.

We got the car-seat installed in the van and the dogs were ready to go. Test Drive Teddy was quite helpful.  

  Bo- determined to get to China.  He won't stop digging in our yard!  It's the same 3 spots too, we even tried putting doggie-doo in the holes to deter him.... guess we didn't use enough.  Good thing we've got an abundant supply.

Hubby:
  Fantasy baseball draft is past and loving March Madness.  Actually, I haven't minded watching it this year.  Could be because I filled out a bracket and now have some idea of what's going on.  Also, very excited for opening day.  I impressed Hubby by knowing that Opening Day was March 31st.... sadly, I didn't know that the Cubs open April 1st at home against Pittsburgh.  Yes, he quizzed me.  Yes, I failed.

Bo is helping Aaron set up his Fantasy Baseball Draft

Garden:
   Yikes!  How am I going to get this garden going if our temperatures keep dipping into the 30's?  Still haven't cleared out the mess from last year, still need to till, still need to get some more dirt and compost. Oh yeah, still need to finalize what I'm planting.  The plan so far: tomatoes, green beans, onions, zucchini, summer squash, cucumbers.  I'm also thinking of planting some strawberries this year.  We'll see.

New Hobbies:
   I have opened an Etsy shop!  I'm still working on my inventory but it's up and running.  I'm going to open an additional shop, I think, for some crochet and sewing projects I'm going to get into.  We'll see.  It is the era of crafty Tressa.  Hopefully that works with a newborn.  I'll let you know when that gets off the ground.

Harvest Gold

Harvest Gold could describe a Kansas landscape of wheat illuminated by the rising sun..... or it could describe our kitchen floor.

Good old 70's linoleum.  Since the day we bought this house -July 2, 2007- we have vowed to get rid of this floor.  Finally, 3.5 years later, we've done something!  

We knew that before we could lay down any new floor we would need to pull up the linoleum.  How did we know?  1) There were holes in the linoleum that showed us that there was additional flooring beneath it and 2) Our dishwasher leaked and we knew there was moisture under the linoleum because of those holes.

See the hole right in the middle?

1st strip comes up!

I'm so excited!  But it smells sooo bad!  See the water stains?

After pulling and working at the seams with a flat iron we got most of it taken care of.  The work crew (my mom and Aaron's uncle and some friends) were coming the next day to finish the stripping and start the installation.  The next time I saw the kitchen, there was a vast improvement!

Installation took 2 days.  As you can see we ripped out some of the carpet by the front door to make a little entry area.  We didn't get the transition pieces for that area until that weekend.  It's all in now and looks wonderful!

Jazz really wore herself out helping.

The small things

Fun Highlights of the past two days:

Motherhood massage (I GOT TO LAY ON MY STOMACH!)

Funny video clip on yahoo ( what some soccer players will do for a PK)






Reading my friends' blogs

Looking at my new kitchen floor (will blog on that later)

Petting clean, soft dogs

Snuggling with my hubby

Crocheting

Eating Better Than Robert Redford dessert


It's truly the little things in life :)

More Snow Love

As I sit here on this SNOW DAY(!!!!!) I am taking in the wonderful world of white that surrounds me.  It is absolutely gorgeous.  Everything is clean and fresh and peaceful.  Then I let the dogs out, not so peaceful but still wonderful.

I went back to the nursery this morning and the sunrise was beautiful, casting a golden glow on the snow and the ice on the window.  

So I can't help but think what a great God we serve.  He blesses us with beautiful weather and then even makes it something we can have fun with!  Enjoy your blessings today!

Life this week

I had unexpected minor surgery Friday.  I went to the podiatrist to see what he would do for my ingrown toe-nails and he decided to take care of them that day.  So I was a big girl and let him cut out my toenails.  (Not the whole toenail, just the sides).  The worst part were the numbing injections.  OUCH!!!  Seriously!  I kept thinking, "Man, I've got to toughen up!  I'm supposed to push out a baby in 10 weeks!"  That epidural is sounding better and better.  It was worth it though, because I didn't feel anything during the procedure. Anyhow, I was given the option of what color to wrap my poor toesies in afterward.

It was between this and green with smilies on it.  I went with the TU loyalties.  I should've asked for one to be yellow.  Ah well.  I give the procedure 2 toes up.

During the whole procedure they have a barrier up so that you can't see what they're doing.  Which I appreciated very much, but it made me that more trepidatious about removing the bandages.  I had no idea what kind of gore to expect.  Really, I was being a big chicken about it, but my husband was sweet and didn't mention that.  My instructions were to soak off the bandages so that I wouldn't pull loose any scabs.

I had an audience.  This gave me another preview of the issues we may have once Lil' Web comes.  I'm afraid Jazz is expecting to help in the bathing process.  There were about 4 layers of purple stuff which gave me a little time to build the courage to take off the gauze that was underneath.  However, I didn't look when I did.  I made Aaron look at it first.  (I'm really not usually this big of a chicken, I promise)!  I'm not sure you want to see the final product so I'll keep that little picture to myself, but it really wasn't as bad as I was expecting.  They actually look worse now just from bruising and stuff.  The good news is that I survived (shocker, right?).  Now i have to soak my toes once a day and then my sweet husband re-bandages them for me.  I've been well taken care of.  I wouldn't mind doing it if I wasn't pregnant... I just can't really reach my feet that well.


In other news...

In a previous post I mentioned something about Bo trumpeting.  I thought I'd include a little clip of the funny noises he makes.  Cracks me up, hope it makes you smile too!

Well, I'm off.  Gotta enjoy my last snow day!  Hope the crazy weather hasn't beaten you up too much!

First Trial

Since I have a sinus infection my doctor prescribed a homemade sinus rinse administered with a bulb syringe. My first thought, "If you told me this 2 months from now, I'd actually have one of those." So I went out and bought a bulb syringe knowing that within 2 months I will probably have another one or two.

Once home, I got the syringe out and found that a certain canine was incredibly interested.

She sat there as long as I was in the bathroom, looking at me, looking at the syringe and back and forth. This morning she sat outside the bathroom looking in.

We might be in more trouble than I thought with baby items...

Stinky Feet, Short Term Memory Loss and The Day It Happened

I've been sitting here watching a video on facebook. It is an amazing video and I praise God for that woman's life and how she is honoring Him with it. But that's not really my point.

I'm sitting here and I get a whiff of something. It's not a good whiff. It stinks. And apparently it's my feet. I don't normally have stinky feet, so this is a surprising discovery. As I've been thinking back to what could have caused this foul anomalie, I retrace my day to the dog park. And the mud. And coercing Bo to vacate a deep puddle before reclining in it. Maybe it's the mud. I guess it could just be my feet and that I wore closed toed shoes all day, but I'm going to go with the mud. I didn't smell them when I changed into my flops to go to the dog park. Maybe it's my flops. I am currently debating whether to sniff my floppy footwear... but I think I'm going to pass and depend on my original hypothesis rather than collecting conclusive data.

You may be quite stumped/perplexed/regretful that I have shared this information with you, but there is a reason. You see, I think of wonderful, intelligent, inspirational, creative topics throughout my day that I should blog about. And then I get here. And I stare at my screen, willing it pop out a post-it note of my mental meanderings from the day. But it doesn't. And so I sit here thinking back in my day, striving for just one of the brilliant things I had to say earlier. As you can see, brilliant wasn't quite there.

Another road block that I hit is that my entire day has to do with stories about children. Generally there is no problem with that, except that my stories are about children who for one reason or another have a connection with the Special Education Department. Which brings in some confidentiality commitments and concerns being that I live in a small town and people know who I work with. So, many times I have a great story I'd love to share, but I just don't feel I should put it out there... just in case.*

It happened today! Yes, it was wonderful, blissful even! I was giddy all morning. Today is the first day since I've been pregnant that I have not been utterly exhausted and/or feeling sick!!! It's been fantastic! I was cheery. I haven't been able to describe myself that way in a long time!

So here's to a fantastic day of energy, short term memory loss and stinky feet! (the stinky feet will soon be taken care of)

*I feel it is fair warning to alert you here that once I have my baby in April, with no confidentiality concerns, there may be multiple posts/day. After such a long time of sporatic posting I don't want this to damage your health.

Perfection

Walking outside this morning to water the garden and watch the dogs play I was delighted to find the perfect time of day. A balmy 73 degrees with a cool breeze. Fabulous! Too bad it'll be gone in an hour, if it takes that long. Reflecting on this quick glimpse of a comfortable summer led me into these next thoughts.

Isn't it interesting how we imagine our "perfect circumstances"? I don't think reality quite ever matches those images. Mostly, I think, because God loves to blow our minds. This morning I've been traveling down an interesting path: considering going back to school. As I've mentioned before these thoughts come to me a couple times a year, but today I pursued it a little more. Not to say anything will come of it, but I'm finding that it is a desire in my heart.

If you had asked me when I was in 2nd grade what I'd be doing at age 26 (creeping up on 27), I would have told you that I'd be a vet, married and have kids... and cats. Well, I'm 1 for 4 and glad that the cats are dogs instead. My image of the "perfect" life has morphed so much through the years. I'm finding more and more that the perfect life has nothing to do with education, career, accomplishments or awards. The perfect life is one in-tune with God. I'm fighting to find God's pitch at this moment. I can say that I've made strides in that I'm actually searching for His pitch and realizing that that is the only goal worth desiring, but I'm still testing out the tunes to find His.

He's given me so many passions in my heart, it's quite the challenge to find the one He is calling me to. In hindsight, I would have done college a little differently, to make some passions a little more feasible in my life today. But I have to remember that everything that I've done has been God's plan and I have to trust Him in that. Still, the "what ifs" don't always stay away.

So today, in my life I hope that God will shed some light on His plans for me. I'm excited to serve and desiring to grow, but need to tune in a little more to the Holy Spirit. I need to find contentment in my circumstances. Not to say that I need to settle, but I need to be overjoyed where God has me today. So I'll be working on that. Prayers much appreciated!

All this from a balmy 73 degree morning. Maybe I should cut back on the coffee!

The End of an Era

Anyone who attended Taylor University will tell you to avoid Anatomy and Physiology. Many people took that class off campus through another university. Why? Dr. B.

Dr. Tim Burkholder was renown across campus as a HARD professor. I went into my 2 semesters of A&P with dread and fear. And I learned why Dr. B. was so feared. He actually makes you learn and apply material without spoon-feeding you. I held this against him for those 2 semesters, wishing that I was not up studying for 7 hours at Handy Andy the night before a test (honestly, if I had been a better student I probably could have avoided some of that).

But now that I am past A&P (and passed), I look back with great fondness. Dr. B. was one of a few profs who really got me to think and work. He was a wonderful man and cared for his students and treated them as college students should be treated, as intellectuals to be challenged.

I read this morning in the Taylor Magazine that Dr. B. is retiring his post. I began to tear up at that thought. No one will be able to fill those shoes quite to the extent that he did. 40 years of striking fear into prospective students hearts and winning them over in the end. What an incredible legacy. I am proud to have been his student and ever thankful for the challenges he placed in front of me.

So here's to Dr. B., a Taylor legacy and wonderfully challenging educator.

New Direction

• Every morning I have my coffee and establish my LIST. You know, the list of things to accomplish for that day. I don't know if it's the coffee talking or my Morning Optimism but my list never quite gets done... ok, rarely gets completely done.

For instance, Today's List:

• Spend some quality time with God - check
• Read book for study @ 7:45 - check
• Do P90-X workout - half check (still have to do abs)
• Report and pay sales tax for this quarter
• Meet with clients (11:15, 12:30, 4:30)
• Take tomatoes to client
• Water garden and plants - half check
• Pick pictures to enter for KS state fair
• Unpack from this weekend
• Put away laundry
• Talk to pastor about service ideas
• Vacuum
• Bathe dogs
• Make dinner

Looking at it I'm thinking.... NO way that can all happen. So I will probably get overwhelmed at about 1:00 and lay on the couch and watch the Dick Van Dyke show (thank you Netflix). Then I will talk myself out of doing any other work until 5 when I feel like I have to get dinner together. This is where you come in! Yes, I'm talking to you.

You are my accountability. I'm going to tell you what I'd like to do in a day and once I get to the end I'll let you know how it went. At least that's the plan right now. Feel free to send me loving notes if I'm slacking.... loving notes.

So here goes my social experiment! See you tonight!