She is Coming Soon

Saw my midwife this morning and we are getting close, could be today or another week. Definitely not waiting for May 15 or 20 as the due dates had been predicted.

Please keep us in your prayers:
that baby and I are safe and healthy with the delivery
that our support team works out smoothly
for there to be a peaceful, joyful transition in our family
for me to be very decisive about this baby's name and not vacilate!
for G as she is coming to the birth for the pushing stage to welcome her sister
for people to know where to step in since it is hard to predict and ask ahead of time

ok, I am sure that there is more, please cover us with God's providence in every area!
I am so looking forward to holding this wee one and all the love that we have for her.

-a tired, happy, hopeful mama

you're only as old as the 9 year old says you are

So last night I'm putting G to bed.

And she asks "dad, how old are you?"

"I'm 35."

"REALLY?! I thought you were 34!"

"No, 35."

she pauses and thinks this over for a minute.

"Wow. You're getting to the grey hair age."


Daughter, you have no idea...

Baby Prep

Food....

Yes, food is weighing on my mind. I know many people will bring us meals, but there is anxiety about:

WHAT if they DON'T bring food?

WHAT if dear husband has to cook for us!

HOW will the baby and I thrive?!?!

We have to eat and I want to be well fed

(not restricted to dear husband's ramen, canned soup or PBJ).

So yesterday I made quiche to freeze. It has been on my to-do list for over a week and I finally got a start. It took me ALL DAY to prep the fillings and the crust between homeschooling, training, chores and a much blessed quiet time. It is a satisfying accomplishment.

The crust was suppose to be in the freeze for 15 minutes, well it was like 4 hours later that I got around to it again and pulled it out. Fortunately I had not added the wet ingredients so it was just the flour/salt/sugar/butter blend that was frozen in powder form. Still it had to defrost a bit to be manageable.

So in the end I have 2 quiches of bacon, onion, mushroom, cheddar for the grown ups and one with just bacon and cheddar for the kiddos - 3 quiches in the freezer!

Next on the docket is quiche with smoked salmon, capers and Havarti - YUM! I also have sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts but they just aren't calling to me anymore......sad, they are such a great combo but they just aren't appealing at the moment.

That said, we will now how food to feed us for approximately 3 meals......not to mention all the other frozen supplies that could be put to use in a crock pot or oven. Just someone has to cook those - frankly I know it will be okay, I just want to be FREEEE of cooking and absorb every moment of this delicious babe that is coming soon!

Water

Patience, Skills and a Faucet


We had a leaky valve beneath the kitchen sink, discovered it about 3 weeks ago. So dear husband has been working, he handily replaced the valve. But then the hose to the faucet became clogged or kinked. It has been a process of determining how to repair before replacing.

Meanwhile the water flow has been significantly decreased which makes everything take much longer. Filling a pot or pitcher took many minutes instead of just a few - I could leave the kitchen and come back to see the task just finishing. Washing dishes is very long on patience. It is remarkable at how much I was irritated by the slow flow breaking down the efficiency of my day. And how much I had taken that water for granted.

I get perspective and appreciation for my easy life when I visit Heather's site: http://insteadbless.blogspot.com/ and it humbled me to think again about the Finetown teachers and their lives that are without many necessities let alone conveniences.

So it was decided that the faucet would be replaced. Last night my dear husband spent a few hours changing out the old for a sparkly new faucet. And there was much joy to hear the rush of flowing water when he was all done. Even this morning the children were overjoyed to have the inconvenience remedied.

So thank you husband, you did good work! Thank you for making the everyday task of water less arduous and more accessible and efficient. I am so grateful for this convenience and luxury of fast flowing water - Aaron, we are so blessed by your skills and generous gift of labor and love!
I love you!!!

More educational opportunities for kids, grandkids, and dads-who-act-like-kids

The Flaming Bacon Lance of Death, from Theo Gray's book "Mad Science"

(http://graysci.com/)

Because, I mean, who can resist the call of a bacon wrap that melts through steel?

And with a subtitle like "Experiments you can do at home...but probably shouldn't" you know it *has* to be good.

(I'm *so* ordering a batch of potassium perchlorate to mix with a snickers bar for rocket fuel...)

Thoughts of Baby

Well that silly counter that I put on the blog keeps reminding me how quickly the days are slipping by.

I have clicked into nesting mode and as much as I would like to have the baby now, I know that I also want to get some things done before she arrives. I sorted out and inventoried a bunch of the baby clothes this weekend.

But here are the things that are weighing on my mind:

Things like plant the garden - though my father-in-law might help while they are here.

Get the play room organized, since it is a den of strewn toys and half-unpacked boxes. Also to install locking knobs on the closet doors down there to keep mischief at bay i.e.: keep kids from dumping tubs of toys while they look for that one tiny toy at the bottom of 32 tubs.

Get the shelves in the right room to hold the baby's clothes. Maybe get baskets to hold those clothes.

I am sure that there is more . . . but I need to go make dinner - oh yeah, I want to cook and freeze meals and muffins for after the baby arrives!

Of woots and kids

So I'm an unrepentant follower of the "one day, one deal" site woot.com.  One of their "trademark items" that they offer every so often (usually at the end of a woot-off) is a stuffed monkey with slingshot arms and an electronic hollar.

And the last time it was up, I bought one.

And it came today.

And Janey called me at work to let me know my woots had arrived.  In the background, the kids were yelling "what's in the box?!  What's in the box?!"

Janey sighed.  "The kids want to know what's in the box."

"A screaming monkey." I replied.

She conveyed this to the children.

"Ha!" I could hear C in the background.  "We know you're being silly dad." (I frequently tell them we're going to have stewed monkey brains for dinner when they're particularly difficult)

"Ok" I allowed, "It's a FLYING screaming monkey.  You got me there."

"Yeah right dad.  What is it REALLY?!"

And when I opened the box, stretched it out, and let er fly...lo and behold, it really was. A screaming flying monkey *with cape* in all it's caterwauling glory.

("You're taking this back to work with you, right?" was the first thing out of Janey's mouth.)

Sometime dad tells the truth...!

T-ball Follies

We had our second practice tonight.

The practice ended with a reminder of the night's lessons - we don't fight over the ball!

J wanted to catch every ball that was hit - he got mad and then he would just whine and cry, laying in the dirt as he sobbed. All very unattractive and not the appropriate actions that we are trying to teach and train in our children.

So then J was up to bat:
he missed on the practice swing
he hit on the second swing
he ran out to the field
grabbed his ball
and PROUDLY took it back to home base
(yes, I was chagrined, but totally understood what he thought he was doing!)

The coach proceeded to explain the running to first base concept and let him try it over. This time he hit, he ran and he left the ball alone!

C is also on the team and doing really great, all of the other kids come to C's shoulder and so he looks quite big. But he is big everywhere we go! He can hit well and his throwing and catching are coming along. I am biased but I think he has a good ability at sports.

Saturday will be our next game. I hope that we find the lost battery for the camera and can get some pictures!