4 the Love of Family

A new address for a new blog

2011-05-03T08:49:00.002-05:00

Updates from BearCountry can now be found at:

Raising Cubs in a Campground

The new blog address is: campgroundcubs.blogspot.com

Be sure to stop by and say hi and enter my latest giveaway!

30 weeks

2011-04-27T19:30:00.002-05:00

Yesterday marked 30 weeks of being pregnant. I celebrated with a medium french fry and my OB appointment. I also wandered Target for over an hour just because I could. It was SO cold and rainy but I wasn't going to stop me from getting out of the house. My blood pressure is normal, I've gained 4 pounds since my last appointment, my doc answered some questions I had about how newborn care is handled at the hospital, and we heard babe's heartbeat chugging along at 154 bpm. I go every two weeks now which will help make the time go faster - not that it needs to. I have plenty to keep me busy for the next 10 weeks. Six of those weeks I'll still be working and taking care of the kids/house/pets/garden.

Tomorrow is the big.garage.sale.run where I stock up for the year on the clothes and other great deals. Julia and I found quite a few bargains today already, but tomorrow I'm on my own (thanks Grandma!) for the morning and early afternoon hours. Even though I know we're having a girl I don't think it's wise to buy very many clothes. I'll wait for the September sales before stocking up.

No belly picture this week - but if I had taken one it would have shown my belly button popping out (much earlier than my previous two pregnancies). According to Julia my belly has "gotten really big!"

So THAT'S why I can't bend down and pick anything up anymore!

I made cloth wipes today

2011-04-23T19:08:00.002-05:00

I already had a stash of cloth wipes from when Julia was in diapers. The nice folks at Kissaluvs sent them to me as a thank you for a photo of Julia they used in a Mothering Magazine ad, but over the years they've taken a beating and I wanted some new ones.

I turned to Google and read how to make my own cloth wipes from pieces of flannel. I found four receiving blankets at a garage sale for 50 cents a piece and cut up part of an old flannel sheet we had to make the patterned pieces stretch further. (One receiving blanket will only make four 8x8 wipes).

The first version I made is the one on the left - I sewed a piece of flannel to the back of an existing terrycloth wipe. Then I zigzagged the edge to cut down on the fraying.

The center wipe is two pieces of the same receiving blanket sewn wrong sides together, turned and then top stitched.

The wipe on the right with the adorable animal print is the one I stretched further with an old cream flannel sheet. It was fun to use a bolder color of thread for the top stitching. I think they look more finished.

I have one blanket that I haven't used yet because I want to see the wipes in action before I commit to a style for that blanket. I'm guessing the terrycloth/flannel combo is going to be my favorite - they are THICK and I can see them working really well with two textures in the same wipe.

If I do end up making more of that kind I won't be adding any additional wipes to the stash, only enhancing what I already have, but that's OK. I spent $2 on this little project and have 21 'new' wipes to show for it!

Organic Straw Bale Garden Conditioning Recipe

2011-04-22T17:57:00.009-05:00

How's that for a mouthful of a title? I've written about this topic before and why it's important to condition straw bales before planting. For a refresher check out this post. (You'll also get a glimpse of what last year's garden layout was.) I'm using 15 new bales again this year, but I also left a couple of old bales in the formation for growing carrots and pumpkins.

This is our new layout that takes into account a few things I learned from our first two years using this method:

1) I need more room between the rows so we put two bales at the top of the formation.

2) Extending one side gives vines some extra room and I can still get into the middle of the garden.

3) Using bales from the previous year for growing carrots will give them a 'softer' place to grow. Carrots don't like dense soil so it makes sense they wouldn't like the dense bales. Also, too much nitrogen reduces the number of female flowers on pumpkins. I'm going to try a pumpkin plant in the old straw to see if that helps produce more pumpkins.

4) potatoes can be grown by placing the the seed potatoes directly on the surface and then covering them with straw. That inner row of old bales is my supply of straw to cover the potatoes as they grow in the space I labeled 'potatoes'.

(That white stuff on the bales? Snow. I don't want to talk about it.)

Ok, so lets get down to business. The traditional method of conditioning bales is as follows:

Day 1) 1/2 cup of 34-0-0 per bale and then water the bales
Day 2) water
Day 3) 1/2 cup of 34-0-0 per bale and more water
Day 4) water
Day 5) 1/2 cup of 34-0-0 per bale and water
Day 6) water
Day 7,8,9) 1/4 cup 34-0-0 and water
Day 10) 1 cup 10-10-10 per bale and water

You can plant any day after that if you can feel heat in the bales. Don't forget you'll need a couple inches of potting soil for seeds. Seedlings can be placed directly into the bales.

To condition organically this is what works for me:

Follow the same game plan as above but substitute the following recipe for the 34-0-0 conventional fertilizer above.... Updated to answer the question asked by Summer Jo in the comments - the three numbers stand for the ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium in the fertilizer. This site gives a very detailed explanation if you want to read more about what these numbers mean.

In a bucket combine,
2.5T of Bloodmeal 12-0-0
1.77 cups of Dr. Earth's 5-7-3
1.25 cups of Milorganite 5-2-0
.68 cups of Milorganite 6-2-0

To reach the 10-10-10 ratio I use:
1.77 cups of Dr. Earth's 4-4-4
1.77 cups of Dr. Earth's 5-7-3

Using organic nitrogen sources means it might take a few extra days for the bales to be 100% ready for planting. Use your best judgement - if it's been cool, you probably want to condition a few extra days - it can't hurt! We set our bales out over a week ago so mother nature could give a few extra soakings before we officially start conditioning. The trellis system is installed and will be the topic of my next gardening post. Gotta do something to keep me busy 'in' the garden until the weather warms up!

Neighborly

2011-04-21T18:45:00.003-05:00

We have the greatest neighbors. They technically are our only neighbors seeing that we live in the country and the houses aren't close together. They are across the road from us and have lived on their farm since the 70's. J and J are so kind to us - sharing their surplus of garden goodies and letting the kids catch frogs in their pond. We fed their chickens for them last Fall and have plans to do it again this year when they are out traveling the country. It's a win-win. We don't go anywhere anyway so it's easy for us to walk over and feed, water, and collect eggs. They reap the benefits of having fresh eggs and meat, but don't have to be tied to home.

Today we went over to meet the new 'crop' of chicks. There are 18 fuzz balls staying warm in the garage. Soon they will move to their nice digs in the chicken coop. I've never seen such a NICE chicken coop before! I had no problem doing chores in my CHURCH shoes last fall - it's THAT clean! We also able to view J's extensive model train set. The kids would still be over there if we hadn't dragged them home. Before we left J showed us a project he's been working on. A huge workbench FULL of wooden crosses. Some from wood on the farm, others from his place of employment. They were beautiful!

He wanted us to have one. We picked one that was made from wood on the farm - seemed fitting. On the bottom are a series of Bible references about salvation. What a legacy! And what a keepsake! We brought ours home and placed it front and center on our fireplace mantel. It matches the woodwork beautifully.

Barely five minutes after we walked back into our house Jo and Howard's camper pulled in. Our camp hosts from the past two years are back again and we couldn't be happier. Julia exclaimed in excitement, "Can they stay for a while?" Her jaw dropped when I said, "Yes, SIX MONTHS!" Don't get me wrong, we enjoy the quiet of the off season, but it's worth the craziness of the camping season to have our friends back for the summer/fall!

Side note: When we went down to greet Jo and Howard we stopped over at the office for a minute first. I heard something in the upstairs storage area and had to laugh. So that's where the cat disappeared to! At least she was warm and I'm guessing had plenty of mice to eat - though she was mighty glad to return to our basement and her kitty food so maybe there weren't very many mice after all?!

The rain started coming down about 5:30 - (just in time for soccer practice) so I'm glad we were able to visit with our neighbors before the weather turned icky. 39 degrees and raining. Yuck! The kids toughed it out on the field for about 15 minutes and then an adult pulled the plug. Must have been one who didn't bring an umbrella. Me? I bought a Sport Umbrella at Sam's Club and am so glad I did! Between the wind last week and the rain this week. I've already gotten my $40 worth and I haven't even taken it to the beach yet!

Come on nice weather!!!! We're ready for you!

Two Weeks Ago

2011-04-21T09:57:00.003-05:00

Our family welcomed Josie into the family with open arms.

But I think she looks pretty content in her daddy's arms don't you?

Sharon and Jamey you are great parents! We are so happy for you!!!

Shabby Apple Winner!

2011-04-20T08:44:00.002-05:00

We have a winner folks -

LambAround will receive the beautiful Azure Coast dress from Shabby Apple.

Congrats!

The winner has been notified and has 48 hours to reply to my email otherwise I will pick a new winner.

Watch for more fun giveaways in the weeks and months to come as part of my unveiling of my BRAND NEW BLOG. Yes, after two years of looking at my outdated (yet still undeniably adorable!) header, I am having my site revamped. It will be even easier to navigate, is fun, fresh, and I'm excited to highlight some products I love! Stay tuned!

The Dragon

2011-04-07T11:47:00.004-05:00

Julia comes home with artwork in her backpack most days. It's always fun to see what she's created at school. It usually involves a sun and lately the outline of the drawing has been trimmed with scissors. She certainly isn't lacking in the fine motor skills department!

Today's artwork is making it on the blog today because of how it made my jaw drop when I saw it hanging on the wall. She asked for tape the second she walked in the door. OK, fine. I gave her the roll and she went about posting her drawing on the wall where all the other artwork is displayed. When I got the all clear to come see I couldn't believe my eyes!

She drew from memory an almost exact replica of an art project that Sam brought home a month ago.

See?

Seriously? How does she remember this stuff? It reinforces my idea of filling her Easter basket with art supplies that's for sure! Plus, I have already commissioned her to fill four frames with her art for BabyBear's room. I can't wait to see what she comes up with!

Shabby Apple Giveaway!

2011-04-06T10:46:00.004-05:00

Spring is in the air and that means it's time to start thinking about changing over our closets from Winter to Spring. I don't know about you, but that also means it's time to look for a few new pieces to bring new life to what I wear year after year. Today I can make that job a little more fun for you because Shabby Apple is sponsoring a giveaway on my blog! Yeah!!!!

I had so much fun looking through their collection of women's dresses and don't even get me started on their adorable line of little girl's dresses! It's a whole new ballgame for me now that I'm going to have TWO girls to dress.

In the end I decided to pick this beauty called Azure Coast to giveaway to one lucky reader because us mom's are always buying things for our kids before ourselves. I just might have to pick up one for myself in time to wear for BabyBear's baptism this summer. It's perfect for nursing moms!

Want to win one for yourself? See below, but if you don't want to wait for the contest to end, you can get 10% of your purchase by using the code: 4theloveoffamily10off

MANDATORY ENTRY: Become a public follower of my blog and leave me a comment telling me you are.

OPTIONAL ENTRIES:

1. visit Shabby Apple and come back and leave me a comment telling me what YOUR favorite item is on their site - they have the greatest names for their dresses!

2. Like Shabby Apple on Facebook by following this link. (A great way to get sale notices and coupons!)

3. Tweet about the giveaway and link to this post. (one tweet per person please)

4. Blog about the giveaway and link to this post.

Don't forget to leave me a comment for each additional entry!

Contest closes at 9pm central time on Wednesday, April 13th. Winner will be emailed and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn. Open to U.S. Residents only.

Disclaimer: Shabby Apple is providing the prize for the giveaway. I was in no way compensated for writing about their company.

Sunday Snapshots

2011-04-03T19:55:00.004-05:00

I did in fact take quite a few photographs this weekend, but won't be posting any of them tonight. They are on my phone and on my CF card which requires way more effort that I'm willing to make right now. Sorry, but I'm BEAT! I walked and was on my feet more this weekend than I have in a month of Sundays. Ouch! Before I crash I wanted to jot down some snapshots of our weekend. It was a special weekend, yet ordinary at the same time. Let me explain...

*Saturday - Julia's half birthday. We celebrated with half a cake and 4 1/2 candles, but we did it on Friday night because PapaBear and I had rescheduled our date day for Saturday. I was bummed to miss out on celebrating with Julia, but she didn't seem to mind. Going to Grandma and Grandpa's house was celebrating for her! PapaBear and I enjoyed a few hours wandering IKEA and the Mall of America and then we went home so I could get ready for my girl's night out with fellow bloggers. Fun times!!!!

I talked to the kids on the phone before bed. What is it about a child's voice on the phone that makes them sound like cherubs? Melt my heart! I was able to make it home by 10:30pm thanks a whole mess of green lights. I will be glad when the river isn't flooded anymore and crossing the river isn't so difficult!

*Sunday - Sunday school for the kids and breakfast at McDonalds for PapaBear and I. I really relish that hour he and I spend together over sausage biscuits. We read the paper and more often than not I have some project to discuss with him. It's peaceful and unrushed. We sat in front of my BIL and SIL at church this morning. It's always a treat to see them! Before we left the house this morning we prepped the kids on our expectations. What a difference it makes in their behavior during church! They both whispered when they needed something and for the most part entertained themselves and then watched the skit with almost their full attention. It was so nice to not be stressed out about their behavior!

Back at home we ate a quick lunch and then headed outside for Julia's 1/2 birthday portraits (complete with birthday girl hat per her request) Sam and Daddy joined us and after Julia changed clothes we wandered through the campground picking up walnuts, exploring the woods, observing snakes (there were a BUNCH!), and climbing on huge slices of trees that had been cut down last week. There was some damage done to the road by running water and the kids were very intrigued by the four foot hole in the middle of the park road.

Eventually we made our way home and did some work in the garden space. I'm leaving a few bales from last year in hopes of growing potatoes in the loose straw. The kids dug for worms, played baseball, soccer, hunted for more walnuts, and demolished our gingerbread house as is our traditional way of celebrating when the snow is (mostly) gone. We still have dirty piles here and there, but for the most part it's GONE!!!!! (Until tomorrow when it's suppose to snow again) But today The temps had to be in the 60's - it was SO warm!

By 4pm we were all tired and hungry so we came in for our simple Sunday dinner which this time consisted of chips & salsa - nobody wanted popcorn so we went straight to ice cream sundaes. During the original version of The Shaggy Dog there is a part where the characters are at a formal dance. Julia hopped down off the couch and asked Daddy to dance. So there in her panda bear pj's father and daughter danced in the middle of the living room. It was precious!

The Bible story tonight happened to be part of the same scripture the skit at church was based on and it was really nice to hear Sam make the connection just based on me reading the title "Son of Laughter". It took them less than 5 minutes to fall asleep once we tucked them in. I'm guessing it will take me all of 5 seconds! Goodnight!

What did you do this weekend?

100 days

2011-03-27T12:49:00.004-05:00

IF this babe in my belly decides to make her debut on her due date, I have exactly 100 days to go. I just hope I don't get 100 more stretch marks in the meantime! *sigh* Carrying a baby at 34 is not the same as 27 or 29. (Tells self to drink more water) Some weeks go fast, but others like this past week d.r.a.g. by. My SIL is due any day now so that helps pass the time. She doens't know what she's having so the excitement is building every day!

I scored a beautiful glider off of Craigslist this past week so the itch to get the nursery put together is building. There is a LOT of heavy furniture that has to be moved to make the transition from office to nursery and a even more organization of stuff inside that furniture that has to happen before it can be moved. Fun times. I'm waiting to hear back about a dresser that would be perfect, but someone beat me to it. If they don't take it, I will gladly drive around the flood to get it because that's what I'd have to do. I'm still hunting for the perfect 'inspiration piece' to get me started with "decorating". I say decorating loosely because I'm only getting new curtains and a piece of artwork for the wall.

Last week we ventured to Babies R Us because...well just because! We weren't planning to buy anything. I didn't see anything I had to have this early, if at all. We're in a different place this time around. We have the basics covered and with garage sale season only a few weeks away I have no desire to pay full price for anything. It felt good to walk out of there with no regrets - without anything I wish we could get for her.

I'm feeling better now. I've gone 10 days without throwing up! I'm still taking my meds and don't have any plans to stop since every time I do, I get sick. It was the same with my first two pregnancies...why should this one be any different?I tried stopping Unisom & B6 at 36 weeks with Sam and threw up. (I'll only be 26 weeks on Tuesday.)

And only because Julia really wanted to use my camera...you get a peek at the belly this week (and the glider and my new maternity pants)

I thanked her for not getting my head in the shot. From her angle all of my chins would have shown. Instead we took a head shot together. Much better!

He is Special

2011-03-14T19:41:00.004-05:00

We celebrate special days in our house. The kids really look forward to the privilages that go along with that day, but no matter what we manage to forget to celebrate on the exact date sometimes. It really doesn't matter - in fact when we forget I don't even tell the kids - I simply announce that "tomorrow is your special day!" and go with it. This month we were a day late for both of the kids so it all worked out.

We didn't do anything fancy today, but it was still special. Sam chose cereal for breakfast, pizza in his lunch, and waffles for dinner. Daddy even put strawberry sauce and powdered sugar on top! He's going to be talking about that meal for months! He asked to go to the library after school. I picked out a new dinosaur book for him to check out. We played outside for over an hour when we got home. Sledding, 'snowboarding', climbing the mountains of snow that surround our yard, and throwing snowballs - kinda the last hurrah before the rain comes and washes away all our snow (hopefully!)

After dinner Sam and Daddy played dinosaur and then we played two rounds of the board game "Camp" per Sam's request. We had a fun evening together as a family and for the first time those last two hours before bedtime flew by. He never asked to watch TV. He didn't ask for a treat after dinner. It was a special night! We read their devotional and their Jesus Storybook Bible in Julia's room as has become our tradition and as I finish this up he's curled up in my bed for a sleepover.

I pray that the reason behind our special days (to fill up their love tanks) was successful today - I know my heart is overflowing with love for both of them!

What do you do to give your children the individual attention they crave?

Mommy and Me Monday - Our Fall Vacation

2011-03-14T12:16:00.007-05:00

I posted a few photographs from our trip up North back in the Fall, but not very many. Instead I was busy putting together a book with 200+ photos in it. Oh what FUN that was! I used a combination of cell phone and DSLR shots to tell the story of our four glorious days in and around Duluth. I make a living designing books for other people so it was a real treat to make one using my own photos! (the four arrow icon in the lower right will allow you to view the book full screen)

Up North by Carrie Pauly | Make Your Own Book

Did you make it all the way through to the end? If you did you'll know why this book is extra special to our family! I managed to get myself in a few photos thanks to PapaBear and Sam's willingness to take over camera duties every once in a while.

Today's Mommy and Me Monday selection is from our last night when we stayed in a camper cabin in one of our favorite parks - Jay Cooke. We had the park almost to ourselves - something you can't say in the summer months, but in late October? Q.U.I.E.T!

The first two nights we stayed at the Edgewater Hotel and Waterpark and stored our perishables in the mini fridge. On Wednesday when it was time to say goodbye to our suite and hello to nature, we had our hotdogs, beans, S'mores, granola, hot chocolate, and gorp all ready to go. It was chilly that night with a few raindrops, but we were snug and warm in our heated cabin after dinner!

We don't get to take very many vacations because we are tied to the park much of the time so we had high expectations for this trip - it didn't disappoint!

Head on over to Krystyn's blog for more Mommy and Me moments!

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?
And because I love book design and photography...here are a 10 tips on how to make your next family vacation book the best it can be!

1) take detail shots as well as wide sweeping shots. This is key to telling your story. Example in our book - the pages about the waterpark and our night in the camper cabin.

2) use the information your camera stores to look up the time you did things if you want to include those details in your book (came in handy when we were up before sunrise to watch the ship come into the harbor)

3) Even though the scene might not be 'picture perfect' take the photo anyway! When you piece your book together it's more about telling the story than only having beautiful photographs. Photos that are darker than you'd want or aren't 'picture perfect' can be put in a storyboard layout rather than a large 5x7 or 8x10 spread. (for example: the pictures of our food at Perkins)

4) You don't need captions for every picture - summarize the activity either under the photo or better yet, write on top of a photo that has a 'blank space' for writing

5) Don't forget to take pictures of traveling...it isn't always about the destination, sometimes the story is in the journey to get there! (what did the kids do in the car to keep busy, did they fall asleep? Take a picture of the GPS or better yet the road map!)

6) If you are the one who usually takes the photos - change it up! Let your children take a few and don't be shy about asking a stranger to take some of your whole family! One trick I use is to walk up to a mom who's about to take a photo of her husband and kids and ask her if she'd like me to take the photo so she could be in it. Once you've returned their camera sometimes the mom will offer on her own to take one for your family or it's never been an issue if I ask her to take one of us. Be sure to tell them it's OK to snap away so you have a few to choose from!

7) Turn your camera from time to time. If you are prone to taking all vertical or all horizontal photos, you won't have as much flexibility when designing your book.

8) If you've followed the first 7 tips you should have lots to work with when it comes time to design your book...so DIVE IN! With digital bookmaking it's easy to change things around. Just start plugging photos in and before you know it you'll have a great first draft! Mix the close up shots with the story shots, add a few words when necessary and you are well on your way to having a beautiful book your family will treasure forever!

9) Chose a photo for the cover (and if you have the option, the back cover as well), include the date either on the cover or on the title page inside. I prefer scenery shots for covers - family photos can be enlarged inside, but my preference is for a beautiful landscape or a close up of something instead of people on the cover.

10) Spell check your book and have someone else read through it as well. I missed a mistake in our book because I knew what it was suppose to say and that's what my brain saw.

It goes without saying that you want to enjoy your vacation and not have to worry about documenting every last moment. BE in the moment as much as you can! I take a bunch of photos when we first arrive to get my detail shots and then I put my DSLR down. We spent two days at the waterpark, but I only took pictures on the first day and spread them out between both days in the book. I try not to ask my kids to look at the camera any more than I 'need' to. Documentary style is much more relaxed, but when my kids get in the mood to be in front of the camera and ask me to take their picture - I rarely turn them down!

Straw Bale Garden Plans for 2011

2011-03-11T13:25:00.003-06:00

I'm not brave enough to start my own seeds...maybe some day...but for now my garden prep involves mapping out where and what I'm going to plant. This is my third year of straw bale gardening and I'm excited to expand it to include some foods grown specifically for BabyBear.

You can read all about our strawbale garden successes and failures by clicking on the tab under my blog header.

I'm very grateful for this blog and the things I've recorded here so I can look back at the things I've learned and not make the same mistakes twice. I started a garden notebook last year and used my blog archives to update my notes last week. I highly recommend this! It's wonderful to be able to look back at the different layouts I've used for planting, what grew well, what I shouldn't bother with, and to record plant dates and harvest dates. What a great resource to pass down to my kids some day!

Thanks to some pictures I took of the garden I'll even be able to purchase the exact same variety of watermelon and pumpkin this year and skip this type of cucumber. (tasty, but way too big!) Ideally I would write down this information in my notebook - something I'll make sure I do when I purchase this year's plants!

Are you planning a garden this year? Are you one of the brave souls who starts their seeds indoors? Do tell!

For the Love of Sam

2011-03-10T09:21:00.005-06:00

One thing that I've learned over the 6+ years I've been a mom is that while we never really want our babies to grow up, there is something really special about witnessing them grow into themselves. The relationship changes and I think it only gets better! Take Sam for example. He didn't talk in sentences until he was two and a half. Now we can have long conversations about life and I'm loving it! Last night he was suppose to be in bed but we were having such a great talk I didn't even consider cutting it short and sending him to bed.

He soaks up knowledge like a sponge, doesn't forget a thing, and is learning SO much in school. In January he learned to read, in February he learned to count money, and this month he's starting adding and subtracting. He enjoys school (except for the parts where he has to sit too long) and is friends with everyone.

He's excited about the baby coming and is going to be such a great big brother! He also has a name picked out for her, but that one we're keeping to ourselves. Sorry!

This is our Julia

2011-03-09T12:58:00.004-06:00

The girl with the curls and incredible the artistic ability.

The girl with a smile that is contagious as her giggle.

The girl who grew two inches this winter but still fits in my arms.

The girl who loves to make lists and likes to help mommy around the house.

The girl who wants to share a room with her baby sister and name her Lucy.

This is our Julia.

Wordless Wednesday - Mommy's little helper

2011-03-09T09:32:00.002-06:00

23 Weeks

2011-03-08T19:25:00.004-06:00

I had an appointment this afternoon with my OB. I saw a midwife for my first two pregnancies, but with the trouble I have it ends up being an OB who is consulted so often in the first half of pregnancy that I opted to just start with a doc. Don't get me wrong, I loved my midwives, but I've learned that the nurses are the ones that get you through much of the labor part anyway so I'm OK with seeing an OB.

I have my birth plan written out already and being that it's my third time, I have a pretty good idea what I want and don't want and have no problem speaking up for myself if necessary. We will be delivering at the same hospital our first two were born at, but there is an entire new birthing area now. I've heard from my SIL who is due in five short weeks that it's really nice. I'm looking forward to touring it sometime down the road and asking some of my questions.

News for this week: I'm feeling a bit better - that strange feeling from last week is still there, but it doesn't keep me from functioning so I can't complain. Babe's heart rate is in the 140's - she's a kicker which was very evident with the doppler on my belly this afternoon. I wouldn't want it any other way! I don't feel like there is much room left - my skin is stretching more and more every day, but I love that her kicks are becoming stronger and stronger. I'm up five pounds from my last visit a month ago so my weight gain is finally tapered off. I wasn't going to survive the five pounds a week like it was there for a while! So far I've gained 20 pounds but can still wear my regular clothes. Phew! Come on Spring! I am ready for my comfy capris! I'm still craving citrus and can easily eat 2-3 oranges a day. Yum!

Our list of names is very short. Very. But at least they are all names we agree on! If you hear of a girl name that catches your attention feel free to pass it on - we're not ones to pick a name before meeting the baby so we have lots of time for suggestions!

I'm started to get antsy about setting up the nursery - or at least removing my office things so it isn't so crowded with baby stuff and office stuff. I found some things in the basement that didn't sell at our garage sale that we'll be able to use - little toys, carseat pad, nursing bras, changing pads....and then there are the things that I was never able to part with after Julia - sleep sacks, breathable crib bumper, newborn clothes, video monitor, baby sling, blankets, hats, homemade bibs, cloth diapers. I also have a collection of summer clothes she'll be able to wear next summer. There won't be many things that both Julia and the baby will wear, but it sure will be fun to reuse the ones we can!

I'm trying my best to ignore the aches and pains and focus on the miracle of life growing inside of me. We are so excited to meet this little one and see what God has in store for our new family of FIVE!

Black and White Beauty

2011-03-08T15:24:00.002-06:00

22 week update

2011-03-02T17:20:00.003-06:00

I haven't been very good about writing updates each week, but something happened yesterday that I wanted to record. After I ate breakfast I all of a sudden felt sick to my stomach. Nothing new..I've been sick since November. This was different, yet familiar...strangely familiar. I was instantly reminded of my first pregnancies because of this "new" feeling. It's hard for me to describe, but it's a feeling/smell/taste wrapped into one. It's terrible and has me back in bed so I don't throw up too many times in one day and end up needing iv's. I haven't felt like this at all with this pregnancy, but it brings me right back to the rough days of my first two pregnancies. Weird. I know.

In other 22 week news...I'm finally not having nightmares when I sleep, I crave citrus, I'm trying to cut back on my pop consumption, I am still in my regular clothes (with a couple of new XL shirts and a Bella Band), I'm down to 1 Zofran a day and one reglan a day with my b6 and half a Unisom. I started doing yoga again, but can barely get through the warm up before I have to quit. My back has been bothering me because of sitting at my desk and working so much, but stretching breaks and going to the chiropractor has helped. I sleep better on my back, have been staying up until i:30 some nights, but still usually go to bed by 7:30.

No picture this week....it's only jammies and robe for me with as awful as I feel right now....hopefully by the weekend I'll be feeling better!

Sleepy Wrap Review & Tutorial

2011-02-26T10:43:00.014-06:00

Thanks to the nice folks at CSNstores.com I've been given the opportunity to review the sleepy wrap. Since our little one isn't due until July I am sharing it with my sister in the meantime. Little Rosie was still hooked up to too many monitors to easily position her in the wrap, but she's headed home, hopefully early next week and can really give the wrap a workout. More on that in a minute....

I am an experienced sling user, but this was my first time with a wrap style baby carrier. It was intimidating at first to pull out that loooooong piece of fabric from the box. (Which by the way was shipped and on my doorstep within 72 hours of ordering. Thanks CSN Stores!!!!) Thankfully there's a wonderful instruction booklet (with photos!) that walks you through the steps. I was surprised by how many different ways you can hold your baby in the wrap as they grow! Bonus!

Once I arrived at the hospital I had Katie give it a try. There's a learning curve when it comes to how tight to pull the fabric, but the wrapping itself is easy peasy! Here's Katie in action.

1) line the logo up with your waist

2) bring the rest of the fabric around to your back and up over your shoulders (crossing them in the back)

3) pull the fabric tight UNDER the part with the logo

4) wrap around your back and bring around to tie a knot in the front.

Next it's time to put the baby in...

5) grab the edge of the crossed fabric that is closest to your body and pull it out. That's where you slip your baby in - bottom & back first from my sling experience....

6) pull the opposite piece of fabric around their back for added support

7) pull up the outside piece as the finishing touch.

Pros of the sleepy wrap: What makes this wrap so great is the stretchiness of the material. It has just the right amount of give so you can tuck your baby in and they feel like they are back in the womb.

Another bonus for people who have back trouble is the baby's weight is distributed evenly across both of your shoulders.

It comes with this handy little pouch for easy storage. I'll be able to keep it in my diaper bag and pull it out whenever I need it. It will stay clean and won't make a mess out of my diaper bag. **Tip** When first putting the wrap on it is LONG and will drag on the (germy) floor. To avoid this I pool the material on top of my diaper bag so nothing that touches my babe will be in contact with the floor. I've heard other moms who use wrap style carriers talk about tying the wrap on at home to avoid having to mess with it on the go. Another great option!

For a preemie like Rosie it is going to be very important that she is protected from curious people who can't help but reach out and touch newborns. (you know what I'm talking about right?) This is where the sleepy wrap will come in very handy for Katie. See how safe and cuddled in the 'baby' is in the super soft sleepy wrap? Nobody is going to mess with this new mamabear!

(Click here to see a couple of older infants in action.)

There's also the general babywearing pros of being hands free, calming baby, and bonding with your baby...and the bonus? The price for all these babywearing benefits is only $39.95! This is on the low end of babywearing items from my research.

The cons:

...the learning curve for how tight to make the wrap - thankfully this is something that won't be an issue after the first few times

...having a July baby I'm worried about the amount of fabric that is wrapped around me and the babe. BUT since we're often in the air conditioning, I have a feeling we'll be OK for the most part. We don't do long walks in the summer heat anyway.

....defect in the carrying bag. Mine arrived with a tiny hole in it. Bummer. If it had been in the wrap I would have used the CSN Store's easy return policy to get a new one, but since it was only in the bag I just put a few stitches in with needle and thread and it's as good as new.

Over all the Sleepy Wrap gets two thumbs up from me! Do YOU have any experience with this particular wrap? I'd love to hear from you! Feel free to share any tips you've picked up along the way! If it weren't for blogging about babywearing and learning from other blogging moms, I would have missed out on some of the sweetest babywearing snuggles! If you have any questions or something is unclear don't hesitate to ask - I'm happy to help!

Disclosure: I was given a $40 gift code to purchase this product from CSN Stores for the purposes of writing a review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own. No other compensation was made.

Simply Tuesday

2011-02-22T19:26:00.004-06:00

Outside my window... mountains of snow on top of layers of ice.

I am thinking... that I really need to be better about doing yoga so my back doesn't hurt all the time.

I am thankful for... a doc who would call in a prescription for pink eye without having to see Julia first and that she's on the mend from Influenza A after five days of being lethargic. I'm also thankful to be 21 weeks and already have seen the good news that BabyBear's cyst is gone. You can read more about how we found out the gender here.

From the kitchen... oranges and grapefruit. Can't get enough fruit these days. Oh and fresh baked bread...or what's left of it. I'll be popping another loaf in the oven for lunch tomorrow. Yum!

I am wearing... black yoga pants, black thermal shirt, and my park* socks

*When we worked for the National Park Service we were given a clothing allowance to purchase uniform pieces. I always ordered extra socks because they are super comfy and last a long time. I've had this pair ten years!

I am creating... a 320 page blog book for a client in Colorado.

I am going... to the chiropractor tomorrow if I can get in. I only go every two weeks even though I could easily go once a week.

I am reading... The Power of Praying Parent and whatever book in the Bible I happen to open up each day.

I am hoping... that nobody else comes down with the flu.

I am hearing... Sam making gun/shooting noises from his room. It's his normal bedtime sound effect ritual. Boys!

Around the house... it's actually not all that messy! I cleaned a bunch on Saturday and it hasn't had time to clutter back up quite yet. The cat is yowling from the basement. Apparently she's in heat. I have Google to thank for the answer to her strange behavior lately.

One of my favorite things... the video I took of Julia singing the Whinnie the Pooh theme song tonight. I wish I could find it on You Tube where supposedly my phone uploaded it to so I could share it with you, but I didn't have any luck. She still sounds like she has a cold, but she's in tune and so sweet!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Chiropractor, work, grocery shopping, and renting skis over the weekend thanks to all this fresh new snow from the weekend storm. (grumble grumble)

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... This winter has been awful
as far as getting outside to play in the snow. This photo was taken two weekends ago on the ONLY day I could take the kids skiing. Sam went with Daddy early in the season once, but it's been too cold otherwise.

Julia was on real skis for the first time and did great!

For more Simple Woman's Daybook posts, click here.

How we found out what we're having

2011-02-15T12:23:00.006-06:00

I'm 20 weeks today, but all I have for belly photos to share is this one from 15 weeks, 6 days.

OK, so now that I've got that out of the way it's time to share how we found out. I knew I wanted it to be special...something unique to our family....something I hadn't heard of before.....

Here's how we did it:

All four of us went to 19 week ultrasound appointment at 4pm on Friday afternoon, February 11th (incidentally, the same day in 2004 I told PapaBear we were pregnant with Sam) We arrived armed with a Christmas present that hadn't been played with yet and a couple of candy canes. I wanted to focus on the screen and what the tech said and not have the kids be bouncing off the walls.

Sam surprised us all by chatting with, Angie, our technician, through the whole thing. He could identify hands that waved and asked questions about what he was seeing. Julia was content to eat her candy cane and play with her new toy. When it was time to look everyone looked away, except Sam. He had an important job to do. He went to the desk with Angie who wrote out It's a ______. Sam brought the card over to the rest of us and read what it said. I couldn't have been prouder of my boy! He just learned to read in January and I thought this would be a fun way to include him and celebrate his big accomplishment. He did great!

Fast forward to Monday (Valentine's Day) when we invited family over for dinner. Due to schedule conflicts only PapaBear's parents were able to attend so we made some phone calls later that night. Nobody knew we decided to find out and had no clue that they were about to know the gender too so it was pretty fun for the kids to hand out their valentines that read:

Our baby girl was so active that other than getting a glimpse of her four chambered heart, we didn't get to do all the measurements they want so I'm going back in on Friday for another look. I will ask them to look for one other thing while I'm there....I mentioned a prayer request on twitter this morning and it relates to something they saw in her brain. She has a choroid plexus cyst that I'm praying fervently is GONE by the time I go back in on Friday. This could be nothing more than a blocked duct, but it's also an indicator of Trisomy 18. I wish the doctor hadn't even mentioned that part since a cyst seen at this stage of brain development (18-20weeks) is typically gone soon after the 20 week mark and there were no other indicators for it, but it still worries me. I'm measuring a little under 20 weeks so by the time my ultrasound on Friday morning it could still be there and still be considered normal. Obviously our heart's desire is for it to be GONE and for her heart to be normal as well. Would you pray for that with us? We would be most grateful.

Heart Strings

2011-02-15T12:04:00.003-06:00

As I slowly but surely have more days with less medication (learned the hard way yesterday that I can't go cold turkey. The result? Repeated vomiting all morning long) I am able to be in the moment with my kids more often. When the fog lifts there are some really really sweet moments to be had - especially related to this new life growing inside me. A couple recent examples:

Julia: Good night Mommy! Good night baby! Hope you sleep well. {kisses my belly}
Sam: {Julia is already asleep in her bed when Sam comes in} Good night Julia. Jesus loves you!
Julia: {in the bathtub saying a prayer} Thank you for my bath and the baby!
Sam: {Julia asleep in her bed, Sam touches her on the shoulder} God bless you!

Those are some good tugs on this mama's heart strings!

1.11.11

2011-02-11T12:55:00.002-06:00

My niece, Rosie, was born on January 11th, nine weeks early. Today she is one month old, yet is still one month from her due date! Crazy! My sister was on hospital bedrest for 5 weeks and was such a trooper through it all. I am so proud of her and know she's going to be a great mom!

I finally got pictures of Rosie off my camera and loved this one the best. She was a tiny little thing at 3 pounds, 9 ounces, but so strong. She was off the vent the same day she was born! This photo was taken when she was less than 24 hours old.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for my Rosie!

A little update on her progress: She moved out of the NICU within days of birth and is growing and learning how to nurse in the special care nursery. I hope to get up to visit them next week and take more photos of this special little blessing.

The end is in sight

2011-02-10T12:51:00.004-06:00

The mountains of snow in our park have been available for winter fun since mid November, but it's been so darn cold we're lucky if the kids get out once a week. Thankfully February is flying by and before we know it we'll be tapping Maple trees and pulling out puddle boots. I know we're suppose to make the most of every day, but this has been the worst.winter.ever and I am so glad the end is in sight!

"Wow"

2011-02-09T15:27:00.004-06:00

I say it every day. Why? Because she wows me with her artistic ability on a daily basis, that's why. This winter will go down in Bear Family history as the one where Julia's artistic abilities emerged full force.

First it was crayons and coloring books.
Then it was coloring books and markers.
Then it was white paper with a combo of markers and crayons.
From there she's moved to cutting out her creations, like this one:

I consider myself a creative person, but this kid has more creative juices in her pinky than I do in my entire being. Love that. I even love Sponge Bob. Never thought I'd say that in this lifetime!

panic

2011-02-06T13:23:00.003-06:00

there were so many titles I could have chosen for this post but just thinking about it made the knots in my stomach come racing back. I'd much rather forget the events of yesterday but I feel like the right thing to do is to get my thoughts written down so maybe I'll stop replaying those awful five minutes over and over again in my mind.

It probably wasn't even a five minute ordeal, but at the time it felt like five thousand minutes. Whatever the length of time....all I know is that Sam was gone and I couldn't find him. He's six I kept saying over and over again. HE KNOW NOT TO JUST WALK OFF. In the crowded Mall of America my son had vanished. My friend started looking for him while I raced to the nearest vendor to ask them to call security. Her phone didn't work. I raced to the next place and went straight to the front of the line to explain what had happened. The guy finished helping the person who was waiting for his change. It felt like a year passed when someone else stepped up to call security. I told them where i'd be and continued to search the area. All I wanted to do was to grab people by the arm and scream "my son is six. He's missing. He's wearing a navy and red striped shirt". HELP!!

I have never been so scared in.my.entire.life. I thought the worst since he's old enough to know to stay where I can see him. I begged God to bring him back. I thought i'd never see him again. He was NOWHERE to be found in the immediate area. There are so many crazy people in the world and in my mind half of them were at the mall. (If you are local and familiar with the amusement park, picture 45 minute waits for the bounce house pinnapple kind of busy) It was BUSY! And my baby was gone. I wanted them to drop the (non existant) gates so nobody could get away with my Sam.

And then I saw him with my friend who, bless her heart, would not let him let go of her hand even though he wanted to. I would have done the same thing J! I ran up to him sobbing, not caring that I was making a scene. He was back. Thank you Jesus he was back in my arms and wondering what all the fuss was about. "You are the wierest person ever" were his words I think....I let the insult slide and went back to find security who was finally made an appreance. I thanked them for coming and explained that he had walked off when he saw his friends come out of the bounce house. Turns out he was with another friend of mine the whole time.

He said he forgot to tell me where he was going. I pray that he never ever does that again! This mama might not survive another panic attach like that!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Besides the obvious, don't walk off without telling a grown up where you are going rule, what safety measures do you take when in crowded public places?????

One thing that I have done at the state fair is to tell the kids to find someone in a uniform or another mom and show them the card I put in their pockets with all my contact information on it. We're working on memorizing phone numbers but when put on the spot, I want them to have it written down just in case.

4 years ago today.

2011-01-24T16:24:00.002-06:00

I started this blog on the eve of my 30th birthday. 1,684 posts later I've accomplished what I set out to do with blogging - Enjoy my family as much as possible and record as many memories as I can. The unexpected bonus along the way has been the friendships I've made with so many wonderful women. Thank you to everyone who takes the time to stop by BearCountry, for your comments, for your friendship, and for hanging in there with me when I take long breaks from writing.

Just for the fun of it....
When did YOU start blogging and how did you happen upon neck of the woods?

Gearing Up

2011-01-19T10:12:00.004-06:00

We were done having kids. Or so we thought. We sold kid stuff at three different garage sales last year alone. Thankfully I don't consider us back at square one in the baby gear department.

We have a crib, we have size 2 fitted cloth diapers, we have a pack-n-play, I have my pouch sling and my Kozy Carrier, we have diaper bag, we have a video monitor, and we have a stroller. Not too bad if I don't say so myself, but it doesn't stop me from mentally making a list of the things we'll need (and a second list of the things I'd like) for when our third is born in early July.

I love lists and I love making plans so it's only natural for me to have already started both of these lists. I know we'll need at some point to look at modern bar stools for at the counter for BabyBear. Yes, I think things through that far. It's annoying sometimes - especially when packing for a trip. "BUT WE MIGHT NEED THAT!" makes it nearly impossible for me to pack light.....

I plan to hit the garage sales hard this year (when do I not?) and find a bouncy seat, bathtub, travel swing, clothing, glass bottles, a boppy, and a few infant toys. There are things on my wish list that I plan to order online as sales pop up in the next six months.

Amber teething necklace, wrap style baby carrier, cloth diapers for newborn/size 1, pacifiers, milk storage bags, and a food mill. I love that I can shop from the comfort of home and avoid spending money on gas. One of the places I plan to shop online is CSN Stores because they have just about everything anyway and often have free shipping deals. Score!

I've been given the opportunity to review an item from one of their stores and am excited to pick something out and share the entire shopping experience with you all. Because it isn't always just the product, it's the customer service along the way that can make or break whether I choose to shop with an online retailer again!

What baby item was at the top of your must have or even your wish list? Remember I have a new niece to help me try out any baby items before BabyBear arrives so you just might get a peak at little Rosie during the review post. :)

I couldn't resist

2011-01-13T12:21:00.003-06:00

Julia and I made a pit stop at the grocery store today right after preschool. It was the worst time of day for us to be doing such an errand, but the alternative (pb&j for dinner) made it it worth it. As she fussed and moaned down the produce aisle I did my best to move quickly and get only what we really needed. I had compassion and empathy for her empty tummy so her whimpering didn't grate on me like it has the potential to do.

As I contemplated buying full sized oranges since they were out of the little sized Cuties we like best, I stood next to a boy (about Julia's age) who was completely unattended. (read: no adult within 25 feet).

He was taking oranges from the front of the row and tossing them to the back of the pile.

Over and over again.

I didn't say a thing. What wast he point? I didn't feel it was my place, but when he asked, "why is she crying?" I couldn't help but reply,

"She's sad because the oranges are getting wrecked?"

"Huh?"

"Well when you toss them around like they they won't be any good."

Cue - parental figure from the tomato aisle who calls the little twerp over to her.

I know I shouldn't have lied to the kid, but man, I couldn't resist!

What would YOU have done in that situation?

BabyBear Update - 15 weeks

2011-01-11T12:44:00.003-06:00

I don't feel like there's a whole lot to update since my life these days revolves around watching the clock for when I can take my next dose of medicine and pacing myself in the eating department.

Here's a 14 week belly photo to distract you from my next sentence. I gained 10 pounds in 3 weeks. The good news is that I'm only back to my pre-pregnancy weight which I guess is doing OK considering I'm 15 weeks today.

My doctor finds the heartbeat really easily at my appointments (in the 150's) and what a sweet sound it is. I'm still sick every day, but haven't thrown up in quite a while. I graze all.day.long on whatever sounds good. I'm waiting for the "I want a SALAD!" craving to kick in like it did with Sam. Right now I'm stuck on a Cherry Coke & Fritos craving. It's awful. I know how bad pop is for me, yet it's one of the only things that calms my tummy besides sleep.

Speaking of sleep. I'm still going to bed super early - usually sound asleep by 8pm, if not earlier. I'm holding off on the Unisom until the middle of the night and breaking the dose into two in hopes that my catastrophic dreams will stay away and I can get more than 2 hours of sleep at a time. Right now I'm waking up almost every.single.hour. Not restful at all let me tell ya!

Sam and Julia ask when the baby is going to come out of my tummy about once a day. They know that when it's time to go to the beach again that it's going to be almost time. We scheduled our 20 week ultrasound for a time that they could both attend. I hope that doesn't turn out to be a mistake. I really want them involved and to get a glimpse of their sibling in action in a few weeks.

Are we going to find out what we're having? Don't know yet. IF we do find out, we won't be sharing the names on our list until after the baby is born. We have lots of girl names to choose from but our boy list is pathetically short. If you have any suggestions please share! We like classic, easy to spell names that will sound good with Sam and Julia. Bonus points to the person who comes up with a boy name (that we like) that has the "aw" sound in it!

I think that's about it for a baby update. Like I said, my world revolves around medication and food. Thankfully I have two busy kids to distract me!

toys today

2010-12-31T17:56:00.003-06:00

My mom called to wish us a happy new year. We talked and laughed. It was refreshing. I've missed having her here every day like she was the week before Christmas. Since then it's been so quiet here. You know, as quiet as it can be with a bunch of new Christmas presents to entertain us....er I mean THEM. We are pretty much housebound with the weather and the need to catch up on work that I couldn't do when I was so sick. It's easy to get discouraged. I'm easily distracted and bored. I'm tired all the time because I'm not sleeping well at night. Anyone else deal with waking constantly at night while pregnant? I expect the 2-3 times a night to use the bathroom, but HOURLY waking is killing me! It's been going on for a month. Ugh. See? Easily distracted....I meant to write about the toys the kids are enjoying these days.

I have three words for you.

Remote.

Control.

Helicoptor.

The boy is in love and I don't think daddy minds showing how it works. We are excited to take it out when the snow is gone so we can fly it out in the open instead of our dining room.

Another favorite?

Bowling ball and pin set.

It's meant for toddlers but with our wide long hallway upstairs we have the perfect bowling alley. Sam keeps score - great for learning addition and the practice writing doesn't hurt either. it's a big hit with everyone.

Nerf guns.

It adds a new element to the "school" game the kids play with daddy. Wait. That doesn't sound good. It really isn't school like so don't worry :)

There is no shortage of imaginative play, good old fashioned art projects, and plenty of sibling squabbles to keep us on our toes.

Plenty to keep them busy until school starts again.

the post i've been waiting to write

2010-12-16T17:14:00.003-06:00

It's the one I wasn't sure how long it would be before I could share the good news.

What good news you ask?

I FEEL HUMAN AGAIN!

Sure I don't move as fast as I used to and I have to eat and medicate around the clock, but a $30 pill twice a day, a bag of cherrioes at my side at all times, and a thermos of Sunny D isn't going to keep me from smiling!

No sir!

Christmas is coming and I have 80% of my shopping to do and 95% of the wrapping left to do. We're keeping things very simple this year and I'm oK with that. My perspective has changed. My priorities have changed.

I can walk up and down the stairs.
I can ride in the car.
I can eat dinner with my family.
I can get my kids ready for school.
I can help with homework.

Do we have Christmas cards printed, visited Santa, looked at lights, baked anything, read a Christmas book, done a single Christmas craft?

Nope.

But....
I will be there when my kids perform their Christmas programs on Sunday night with tears in my eyes because I'm not missing them sing of our Savior's birth. I will be there on Christmas Eve when our families gather. What more could I ask for this Christmas after a month of being in bed, missing Thanksgiving, and so much time with my kids and husband?

I am blessed.

And the bonus part?

My baby belly popped out yesterday at 11 weeks, 1 day.

P.S. Thank you for all your kind comments this month while I've been sick. I know I wrote back to so few of you and I feel terrible about that.

updates

2010-12-10T08:51:00.003-06:00

forgive the bullet points? At least I'm writing more than numbers this time!

* my sister. She was put on hospital bedrest this week and spent a scary morning trying to stop contractions (which they did thank goodness - she's only 26 weeks along!)

* baby bear. Growing like he/she is suppose to do. We heard the heartbeat on Monday - a day before I turned 10 weeks. There is no belly picture to share because there is no belly. See next point....

* me. I'm still sick. Still weak and unable to get out of bed except for a few minutes here and there. It takes me a week to do what I can normally accomplish in 10 minutes. No, I'm not kidding. I'm still losing weight (12pounds to date) even though I don't expend hardly any energy and my day revolves around medicine and food. Speaking of food....

* food. I hate food. Hate that I have to figure out at every mealtime what my body won't reject. Hate that it gets mad when I eat and gets even more mad when I don't eat. I'm surviving on shredded wheat and other processed foods that are quick and easy like ravioli, cherrioes, yogurt.....I hate that our family missed all that yummy Thanksgiving food! After FOUR years of not eating McDonald's french fries I ate a few the other day. Also after 2 years of not a sip of pop, that's something that I'm drinking in small doses too. I don't care for cola anymore, but having anything else with flavor is really nice! I am so sick of water!

* sam and julia. They are in school a lot of the time which helps cut down on PapaBears huge load right now, but he still does all the shuttling. I haven't driven in almost a month and have only left the house 4 times in 4 weeks. They take turns bringing me my cereal in the morning. It's pretty sweet how proud they are to carry the bowl upstairs to me every day.

Christmas. It's coming and I'm not ready. BUT thanks to my mom I'm way more ready than I would have been if it weren't for her! She spent two days doing my sewing projects for me so we would have gifts to give this year. I've had the kids' gifts done for a while, but a little ordering and a little mad dash before Christmas Eve and we just might make it. Does it feel like Christmas? Not a bit. I'm getting a full dose of Christmas stress, but none of the magic because I'm too sick to get out with the fam. Trying not to dwell on it....there are other things that are lacking my attention and that's enough distraction by itself!

So there you have it....a rather downer update, but it's all my foggy brain and thumbs can come up with this morning.

Stay warm!

Carrie

Pregnancy - By the numbers

2010-11-28T08:19:00.003-06:00

2 - the number of tests I took the day I found out I was pregnant
1 - the number of swear words I said when I saw two lines (the same one I said the first 2 times - Holy _ _ _ _ !)
5 - the number of times I've peed in a cup to date
10 - the day in July my due date was calculated at first
6.5 - the number of weeks I was when I went in for IV's
4 - the number of medications I'm on
2 - the number of medications we've already given up on
23.8 - the number of hours I spend in bed
.001 - the amount of time it takes for me to feel like throwing up just from sitting up
1 - the number of ultrasounds I've had
28 - the number of nightmares I've had
1 - the number of good dreams I've had
20 - the number of hours I spend trying to sleep away the pain
5 - my new July due date making me...
8 - the number of weeks pregnant I am right now (+5 days)
5 - the number of pounds I've lost
219 - the number of days until we meet the one who is worth it all!

I thought a by the numbers post would be a good way of documenting my pregnancy so far. I'm not looking for sympathy - in fact, this pregnancy is easier than my last.

Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do you hear?

2010-11-23T14:38:00.002-06:00

I hear MamaBear's heartbeat wooshing near me.

How to Throw a Snake Themed Birthday Party

2010-10-30T13:49:00.005-05:00

There isn't much on the web about how to do a snake themed birthday party, but that didn't stop me from honoring my kid's request for a snake birthday party. In case you have a snake lover in your family - here's a few tips on how to have a fun and easy party!

1. applique snakes onto shirts using the same method here. (optional: Instead of letters use their age)
2 let kids make crowns from poster board a decorate with stick on letters and jeweled stickers
3. hide a dozen plastic snakes around the yard and have the kids each find one
4. Fill decorative cups with gummy snakes for them to take home as favors.
5. Cut out plywood in the shape of a snake then cover with green construction paper
6. Line up cupcakes decorated with frosting that matches your child's favorite snake - Coral
7. Use a couple of chocolate chips & a strip of Fruit by the Foot to cut out a snake tongue.
8. Have pizza delivered so there isn't any cooking
9. Have a couple games ("hot ~~potato~~ snake" & the limbo under a snake) on hand
10. Sit back and watch the kids have a ball!

Optional - plan the party for when a nearby park district is having a snake program so you can take the group to see the snakes! (We were almost able to do this, but unfortunately our park snake program was too early in the season) Oh well!

BIG

2010-10-25T12:55:00.006-05:00

Big ships

Big wind

Big water slides

Big waterfalls

Big beds

Big luxuries

Big jumps

Our vacation was B.I.G. F.UN!!!!

Then it was home to:

Big laundry piles

Big to-do lists

Big house to clean

you know....life.

But we have BIG memories to look back on and that's really really nice after 6 months straight of working in the campground!

Purple

2010-10-20T09:00:00.000-05:00

flowers {and bee!} along new bike trail 8/29/10

Blue

2010-10-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

The sky over the vineyard we saw on Julia's field trip 10/14/10

Green

2010-10-18T07:46:00.000-05:00

frost on the grass outside our tent on the second morning of our Fall Camping Trip 10/3/10

Yellow

2010-10-17T11:22:00.000-05:00

tree in our campground 10/12/10

Orange

2010-10-16T09:00:00.000-05:00

Maple leaf at Wild River State Park on Saturday 10/2/10

Red

2010-10-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

Sumac along the new bike trail 8/29/10

Alphabitty Moments - The letter R

2010-10-14T14:14:00.003-05:00

We're already on the downhill slide for this round of Alphabitty Moments! It goes so fast! By the end of the alphabet this time both my kids will have two books of every day moments to look back at. The beauty of this carnival is that you can do it over and over again because interests and ability change.

I don't know if Sam is going to outgrow is love of racing any time soon but I came across this picture* in my archives and new I had to incorporate it into alphabitty moments somehow.
Running, Racing, Romping....it all applies to my rough and tumble boy. He LOVES to race. He races his own teammates to the ball in soccer even after the whistle blows. We're working on that.

* I love how this picture shows the perspective how close we are to where we work. There is no doubt we live in the park. (That's our home behind the barn where the campground office is located. I stood in a campsite to take the photo of Sam racing across the island on a beautiful November day last year. The weather is just as nice today so I think I'll take the kids down to the pond for some frog catching. Fun times.

She is

2010-10-12T06:23:00.003-05:00

She's funny.

She's silly.

She's creative.

She's artistic.

She's tough.

She's adventurous.

She's insistent about blowing kisses and waving whenever anyone leaves.

She's capable.

She's pig headed.

She's affectionate.

She's brave.

She's my baby

and she's four.

Happy 4th Birthday to my angel! Mommy loves you!

Healthy & Homemade Granola

2010-10-08T18:51:00.007-05:00

I've made other granola's before but nothing compares to the flavor of the one I found at The Kitchen Sink. Kristin's whole site is FULL of wonderful mouthwatering recipes so be sure to visit and see what she's been up to recently! The photo below shows the version I came up with but check out the link above for the real deal. I do have a few recipes posted on this little ol' blog - pie, chili, chicken pot pie, beef barley soup, and probably a couple of others. It's nice to know that I can always look up the family favorites on my blog when I can't find them in the recipe drawer.

Do you make granola too?

Mix & bake at 375 degrees, stirring every 10 minutes. (I cooked mine 25 minutes, but should have only cooked it 20) Kristin suggests a foil lined pan but we don't use aluminum at our house so I sprayed a little olive oil on my Pampered Chef roasting pan and that worked like a charm!

Alphabitty Moments - The letter Q

2010-10-07T18:26:00.005-05:00

Ah, the dreaded Q. It's a tricky one to find a relevant Alphabitty Moment for, but thanks to Sam's recent love of Chess, I was able to use QUEEN.

He's been pretending to play chess for a while now but last week PapaBear read a book and figured out how to play and then taught Sam. The next day he taught me.

It's really fun and not nearly as intimidating as I thought! I love sitting down to play a game with Sam - we just need to stop doing it before school so we aren't rushing so much at the last minute. :)

Do you play? How about your children?

(our set was purchased off of Craigslist for $12 - it's from Poland)

slowing down

2010-10-05T09:06:00.005-05:00

Life rarely slows down for our family. Even the little trip the kids and I took to ride bikes on some new trails had a two fold purpose. One, our park system is developing a brochure for the new trails so I was asked to take some photographs while the colors are at their peak. Two, it's birthday month for our kids so I dressed them accordingly in hopes of snapping a few keepers to commemorate their 4th and 6th birthdays.

Our outing was fun and productive. I admit I found myself prompting the kids to hurry up so we could get to the next leg of the trail or hurry up to get their seat belts buckled (they can do it themselves now! Hallelujah!). I can feel my heart starting to race and the pressure mount when they move.so.slow. I can also feel that nudge to let them be. Do we really need to hurry up? Sometimes the answer is yes (like this morning when Julia slept until 5 minutes before our departure time) but much of the time I'm hurrying them out of habit.

It's something I want to work on - for their sake and mine. I've started to notice that when they ask for something like a snack or help with something they want me to hurry up! How does that saying go? "Lord grant me patience, and I want it right now!"

Be still and know that I am God.

Psalm 46:10

Keeping House

2010-10-04T18:25:00.004-05:00

I've been doing more of the household chores the past couple of months while PapaBear works with the maintenance staff here at the park. It's not permanent work, but the few paychecks we're getting before the winter months set in are like solid gold to me. I still have my blog book business and my photography business work to keep up but I have really been enjoying the break from the ten hour days away from my kids.

Like the post I wrote almost two years ago I am thankful that I can set my other jobs aside during the day and focus on the kids, cleaning, laundry, errands, & cooking. After two weeks without carbs we have added healthy ones back in. I'm baking with Stevia instead of white sugar and making as much of our meals from scratch as possible. Tonight I whipped up homemade biscuits & white sauce for dinner and Julia helped me make peanut butter oatmeal cookies. It's so much healthier to make things from scratch and I really enjoy baking with my kids.

Does everything run smoothly? Of course not!

Dust bunnies still invade the corners of the rooms with hardwood floors.

I still yell at my kids.

We sometimes eat apples with peanut butter and call it dinner.

I plop them in front of the TV so I can make dinner or return some work emails more often than I should.

My friend, Alyssa, posted something today that was very fitting for where I'm at in my life right now. You can read her response to Psalm 90 here. Like Alyssa, this portion struck a cord with me:

(verse 14) Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,

that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.

(verse 17) May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us;

establish the work of our hands for us—

yes, establish the work of our hands.

What is keeping your hands busy these days?

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Fun

2010-09-29T13:50:00.001-05:00

Gifts and Gab - Join Us!

2010-09-28T08:00:00.005-05:00

Gifts and Gab

A bloggers' holiday get together featuring friends, shopping,

and space for working on holiday projects!

November 13th, 2010

9am - 4pm

The Mill House
Norwood Young America, MN

Take a scenic drive 45 miles west of Minneapolis, and gather in a old feed Mill turned spacious 12,000 square foot antique, home furnishings, and gift store.

Nestled in rural Norwood Young America, The Mill House is a fabulous find filled with gently used furniture, accessories, clothing, jewelry, pottery, baby gifts, books, a flower shop and coffee house.

We will have a private room for lunch and mingling, and table space for any project you wish to work on offline. Bring knitting, needlework, scrapbooking, or just your smiling face! Cozy up next to a fireplace and the warmth of new and old, online and real life friends. Browse and chat and munch.

We will have coffee, tea, & muffins for the early birds. A light lunch will be served, or you can purchase something at the Mill House Cafe. You are welcome to bring treats to share.

We will be sending out invitations via Evite on October 13th, so let us know if you would like to be sent one! We have some fun surprises planned and would love to spend the day with you! Space is limited, so let us know as soon as you can!

Contact either of us. You'll find us here:

Kristina of A Joy Walk
@ktinajoy
ktinajoy@gmail.com

Carrie of 4 The Love of Family
@4MamaBear
4theloveoffamily @ gmail (dot) com

Follow this event's news on twitter under hashtag #GiftsandGab

Thank you to our sponsors:

{So}Sartina - Limited Edition Bags and Accessories. All kinds of beautiful.

Counselor Realty of Norwood Young America 952-467-4663

We are looking forward to seeing you!

Carrie & Kristina

I see

2010-09-27T23:04:00.002-05:00

a mommy dragon kissing a baby dragon.

What do you see?

alphabitty moments - the letter p

2010-09-23T18:12:00.005-05:00

This week
Alphabitty Moments is brought to you by the letter P.

P is for Plastic spoons (and if I can get more pictures of the other plastic items my kids used as toddlers I will add those to the book before printing)

Wait, you say, that's not a moment - that's a thing!

Here's how I look at it - It's something that my children used at a time in their childhoods. That time feels like a moment in the grand scheme of things. In fact we are really close to retiring the Gerber bowls the kids use for cold things (hot items are reserved for glass custard dishes or Pampered Chef Prep Bowls). Pretty soon there won't be any colorful items in my cabinets anymore and a moment of their childhood will have passed.

What P moment do you want to remember this week?

Fall Harvest Orchard Outing

2010-09-21T08:14:00.001-05:00

If you haven't been to to Fall Harvest Orchard then you are missing out on a whole lot of fun! September 4th in BearCountry was BEAUTIFUL so we packed up the van for a little road trip and headed out to find Fall Harvest. I'd visited their Facebook page so I knew a little bit about what to expect. Everyone raved about the place and the orchard (and working farm) didn't disappoint.

Upon our arrival the owner greeted us and directed us towards a girl with a basket of (FREE) food for the goats. Sign me up! I HATE having to pay 25 cents for a small handful of grain!

Back to our outing...we fed the goats half a bag of grain and then moved on to the other baby animals on the farm. Adorable chicks and sweet kitchens were the highlights of the day for me.

The kids really enjoyed the corn bins and feeding the cows.

Two hours after our arrival we were ready to take a wagon ride through the orchard. The driver stopped along the way to let us pick popcorn and a gourd for each of us and then again to show us the sunflowers & unique equipment they use for harvesting. We did have to pay for the ride ($1.25 per person) but it was worth it considering all the fun we had on our first outing to Fall Harvest Orchard.

Did we even pick apples? You bet! (They have U-pick and you can buy them in the store as well.) We also picked up a big mason jar of honey. Yum! There was a hail storm in the area this summer so their Honey Crisp are on sale for less than $2 a pound even though there was hardly any damage that I could see. We were able to eat all our apples - no bad spots for us - and are looking forward to going back for more!

Have you been to an orchard this year? Which is your favorite?

Take me out to the ball game, buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks....

2010-09-20T07:03:00.003-05:00

At 9:30 Sunday morning we found out that PapaBear and I were going to a 1pm Twins Game. When you work every single day for six months out of the year it isn't easy for us to do something like that on a moment's notice. Thankfully we have great coworkers and family that made it possible. (Thanks Jamey and Sharon for the tickets, Jo and Howard for covering for us, and Grandma and Grandpa for babysitting and for paying for our day!)

We don't go to the Cities very often so parking is always a little stressful. Add to that the Vikings playing on the same day and I headed straight to Google to find out what to do about parking. I found a forum that suggested the La Salle Court Parking Ramp for only $5 a day. It's about 4 blocks from the stadium and was really easy to find. So if you're headed to a Twins game and don't mind walking four blocks, park at the ramp at 811 La Salle in Minneapolis for a stress free and cheap Twins Game experience!

We met some people in the ramp that were headed to the game so we followed them towards the stadium. (After the game we only saw four other people go into the ramp - it was SO quiet in there!) We happened to chose the right way around the Target Center and walked right up to our gate - #34. They searched my little purse and away we went to find our seats. Section 103, row 39, seats 15 and 16 gave us a great view of the field and the scoreboard. There were some loud chatterboxes behind us but other than that it was a great experience!

It was funny to watch the cameras catch people in different parts of the stadium. Half was in the shade wearing warm clothes and the half in the sun were only in T-shirts. We were in the shade but with my long underwear on (top and bottom) I didn't get cold. I never put on my hat and gloves that I brought with. PapaBear and I haven't been to a game together since I was pregnant with Julia four years ago so this was a huge treat!

It also was a cheap date with for us which is always nice and guilt free! We were able to see the Twins play, park four blocks away for only $5, snack all game long on our bag of $4.50 peanuts, and read up on the players in the $3 program. Our grand total was $12.50!

Have you been to a ball game this year? Do share!

Alphabitty moments - The letter O

2010-09-16T19:09:00.008-05:00

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments where we stop and remember the little things of childhood! These are not the milestones or the well documented events like holidays or birthdays, but the every day things, events, and emotions that might be forgotten as our kid's interests and abilities develop.

This week 'O' is for "Old McDonalds", the name my kids gave McDonald's long ago. I suppose some day I should correct them but for now it's Old McDonalds to us! I took these pictures at a McDonald's an hour from home.

Our local McDonalds doesn't have these fun chairs or the yummy chocolate ice cream, but I snapped these as a reminder of Sam's favorite food there - "douvle hamburger" and ice cream!

What's your Alphabitty Moment for this week?

Wordless Wednesday - Our Hurricane, Julia

2010-09-15T13:27:00.002-05:00

Too busy Tuesday

2010-09-14T13:00:00.006-05:00

Alternatively titled: Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY ....

Outside my window...it's perfect out! cool & partly cloudy. Now if only the mosquitoes would go away so we can enjoy FALL!
I am thinking...about how to stick with my new routine
I am thankful for...my kids' teachers.
(NOT)From the kitchen...going to try to eliminate gluten & sugar from my diet.
I am wearing...$2 garage sale jeans & a sweater
I am creating...(with the help of Kristina) an event for readers & their friends at The Mill House. Stay tuned for details!
I am going... in many many different directions these days
I am reading... The Marriage Project and The Love Dare
I am hoping...that I can successfully give up sugar
I am hearing...the washing machine
Around the house... we're organizing and decluttering.
One of my favorite things... listening to my kids tell me about their school day
A few plans for the rest of the week: photoshoot tonight, set up for garage sale number 3, pick up another load of garage sale items from one house to deliver them to a different house for the weekend's sale, finish proofing a weddingsoccer practice, set up a proof site for a senior session, 2 soccer games, finish a blog book, and if I'm lucky get a few blog posts up - I'm SOOOO behind!

Here's a photo of how we keep track of school papers. When I empty backpacks each kid has a clipboard by the door where all school related paperworkd is hung. Julia's wasn't up when I took the picture, but we keep their things seperate and handy by our front door. So far so good!

alphabitty moments - the letter N

2010-09-09T05:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments where we stop and remember the little things of childhood! These are not the milestones or the well documented events like holidays or birthdays, but the every day things, events, and emotions that might be forgotten as our kid's interests and abilities develop.

This week I'm on the letter N, though I know we got off track there for a while so link up whatever day you are on or if you want to jump on board in the middle of the alphabet you are welcome to! When we get to the end of the alphabet I always start over again!

This time around N is for:

Both of the kids love the outdoors and all God's creatures. Sam is especially observant and shows no fear in picking up frogs, worms, butterflies, bugs, and whatever else he can find.
This wasn't the first time he brought home a turtle. The first one he named Yertle. This one he named Brianna.

What N moment do YOU want to remember?

dream on

2010-09-08T22:32:00.003-05:00

Birth of a butterfly - the final post

2010-09-06T18:59:00.004-05:00

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I thank you Lord for the butterfly that Mommy let us keep.
May angels watch her on her flight,
and keep her safe until mornings light.

Amen.

The other six posts in the series can be found here.

Here we go

2010-09-05T20:57:00.003-05:00

again*

*No butterfly was harmed during the making of this post, or this one, or this one, or this one, or this one, or this one.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

2010-09-04T20:00:00.003-05:00

Day 5 of a week long series on The Birth of a Butterfly

Day 4

Day 3

Day 2

Day 1 (with Linky)

The Birth of a Butterfly Series - Day 4

2010-09-03T13:47:00.006-05:00

The wings are starting to dry but the butterfly is showing no signs of taking off any time soon. Plenty of time for a few more photos....

Day 1 (with linky for your own butterfly posts)
Day 2
Day 3

It's a beautiful day for a wedding (post)

2010-09-02T14:57:00.004-05:00

Alphabitty Moments - The letter M

2010-09-02T11:43:00.005-05:00

My blogging time is limited as I am swamped with work & preparations for the Minnesota Blogger Conference next weekend so I'm combining posts today.

I'm on the letter M for Alphabitty Moments so it works out quite well actually to post these Monarch photos. If you missed the first and/or the second editions of Birth of a Butterfly you can click on the links and be directed to the other posts that show the Monarch before it emerges from its chrysalis and it's first moments of life.

Go ahead and link up YOUR alphabitty moment for the week, regardless of what letter you are on:

Birth of a Butterfly - Day 2 of the series

2010-09-01T09:54:00.002-05:00

Our monarch was still in its chrysalis when we started this series yesterday, but today, there is major progress as the butterfly emerges and takes its first steps.....right towards Sam and then well....he just kept going...right up the side of his head!

Stop back tomorrow for day 3 of our week long series on the birth of a butterfly and if you blogged about raising butterflies (or moths) this summer click here to link up so we can visit and relive the remarkable transformation again and again.

My friend Darcie has some great photos of their summer butterfly adventures so be sure to check out the links and add one of your own!

A New Frontier -

2010-08-31T08:53:00.004-05:00

- Otherwise known as Kindergarten begins today.

Five days a week.
Seven hours a day.

It will be a new experience for our Sammy Sam, but like getting up on that big horse, I know he can do it.

I know that he'll be in good hands. and that it will be a chance for us to make the most of the time we have.

I'll hold on a little tighter, linger a little longer at bedtime, and love on my little boy who before I know it will be riding off on his own.

Sam,
Mommy is so proud of you and all that you've learned in your short five and half years. I love watching you soak up facts like your daddy and can't wait to see what kind of things you learn in Kindergarten. I know that I'm not always very patient with you and I'm sorry for that. Mommy thinks the world of you and will miss you like crazy while you are at school learning about Jesus and how to read. When you curl up in your new nap blanket I hope you think of me and our snuggle time before bed. I love you to the angels Sammy Sam! - Mommy

The Birth of a Butterfly - a week long series

2010-08-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

Out of the eight or so caterpillars we've raised until they flew off as butterflies, only once were we privy to the awesome sight of watching a butterfly emerge from it's cocoon.

In celebration of a summer of observing all things insect, I invite you to join us this week as we share in photographs the birth of a butterfly.

Also if YOU have raised butterflies this summer and blogged about it, go ahead and link up your posts. I will link back to this original post every day this week so others can find your blogs and read about what bug business your family has been up to this summer.

This particular photograph is of the butterfly soon after the chrysalis cracked open. Stop back tomorrow to see what a newborn monarch butterfly looks like!

Warning - put your beverage down before opening this post

2010-08-30T22:27:00.006-05:00

{I wouldn't want you to spray anything all over your computer screen}

The case has been solved.

2010-08-27T19:05:00.004-05:00

No, not the one about our missing garage sale signs, but the one about our apple tree. Ever since we discovered there is an apple tree in our park I've been trying to figure out what kind of apples our tree produces and thanks to my mom, who helped us pick the remaining apples from our tree this week (thanks Mom!), I was able to connect with an apple expert and get some answers.

Turns out they do get a little more red than I thought, but JP Jacobson of Pine Tree Apple Orchard knew without even tasting a piece of the apple we brought to the State Fair Ag Building with us today what kind they were. He sampled a piece and confirmed that they are indeed "an early pie apple" known as "FOLWELL" Finally an answer! Considering we can harvest apples as early as mid August I would certainly call that an early apple. They hold up nicely in pies and don't turn to mush - even though they are a soft apple to eat.

One thing that isn't a mystery around here is what kind of pies we'll be bringing for Thanksgiving Dinner!

Help Yourself

2010-08-27T08:58:00.000-05:00

Whenever the kids ask for a snack when it's only been an hour since the last time they ate I calmly say, "Sure. There are carrots in the refrigerator. Help yourself." It's a win-win. If they are truly hungry and not just bored as is usually the case, they will get that snack they asked for - in the form of something healthy. If they are only asking because they are bored, the option of carrots usual stops the repeated requests.

One of my children takes me up on my offer almost every time. This particular time she helped herself to the whole bag.

I've been thinking a lot about kid's meals lately because Sam starts kindergarden on Tuesday and will be taking his lunch to school every day. I ordered a lunch box and a 4 pack of containers from Easy Lunch Boxes and will be sending our freshly homemade applesauce, a veggie of some sort, and a protein and grain with five.days.a.week. He is my picky eater and I thought it would be helpful to hear what things work in your lunch boxes...you know, besides carrots :)

The Bug Whisperer

2010-08-26T20:51:00.001-05:00

a walk down memory lane

2010-08-24T11:24:00.007-05:00

I made the long trek home a couple of weekends ago for my high school reunion. It's been 15 years since I walked the halls of our small town high school (but only two weeks since I walked the halls of my elementary school (but that's a whole other post for another day).

Before meeting up with my classmates on Saturday I drove the country roads that I used to know like the back of my hand. It's been almost a decade since I've been back to see my hometown up close and personal like this and it was surprisingly emotional. It felt like home, but I felt like a stranger in a foreign land all at the same time. It looked the same, but at the same time it looked smaller.

Looking from the outside I realize how rural it was. I guess I always new that, but I didn't feel like a country girl growing up.

I should have.

My home from age 8-12 was at the crest of the hill on the left

This barn was my playground from the time I was 8 until we moved to a horse farm when I was 12.

We raised horses on a 52 acre farm
.
I was a member of 4-H for half of my childhood.

"Fix Fence" was a constant on the to-do list.

I worked in the tobacco fields.

There were always bullet holes in the road signs.

Riding my bike "around the block" meant a five mile ride up and down hill after hill after hill.

It will be interesting to see how Sam and Julia look back at our current life in the country some day.

Thanks Brittany for inspiring me to write this post about life in the country!

This is the view from the other end of the Drotning Road where we lived. Our home was on the left before Hwy W. It burned down two years after we moved out and the current owners built a new house further up the hill.

Alphabitty Moments - the letter L

2010-08-19T18:15:00.006-05:00

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments! Thursday is the day we record the little moments of childhood using a word that begins with each letter of the alphabet. This week we are on the letter L. Some people chose to do scrapbook pages and others simply post the word and the picture. It's completely up to you! I've found that it's not productive of me to open up a bookmaking software and spend a little time in there making a single page. I plan to do it all at once as we get closer to Christmas and the opportunity for printing using a discount code typically presents itself. And now on to the letter L for LEGOS....

My boy loves his Legos. It's number one (two and three) on his Birthday/Christmas list this year. They are the only toy that we keep downstairs. I'm one of those - toys stay in the playroom and do not take up residence in my living room thankyouverymuch type of moms. Am I alone in this?

Anyway, Sam's Lego focus is mainly on Star Wars Legos but he happily plays with any of them. I grew up with a city set and I snatched up two big bins for $4 at a garage sale this Spring that are similar to my childhood ones, though this 'new' set came with way more people than I ever had!

I've also been lucky enough to find expensive sets at Once Upon a Child too and Grandma and Grandpa have given him some sets as gifts. I've yet to step on a straw Lego, but I have accidentally broken the castle PapaBear built with a huge set I got for $20 as an Easter Basket gift. I'm not the Lego builder - PapaBear is. He's also the Lego fixer. So much joy from such a simple toy - those are the things I want to remember!

MamaBear's {Not so} Mild Salsa

2010-08-18T18:41:00.005-05:00

My little garden helpers and I had quite a collection of tomatoes as of this morning. We planted eight tomato plants this year so we could have enough ripe at the same time for salsa making. I still haven't brought myself to make sauce...it's so depressing how little you get from all.those.tomatoes.

PapaBear and I love salsa and we love to share our salsa so by request I'm sharing my salsa recipe with you today! It will also be nice to have the recipe preserved for future canners like this little cutie who helped me in the kitchen much of the morning.

MAMABEAR'S {NOT SO} MILD SALSA

30 medium sized tomatoes
2 green bell peppers
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
4 medium sized onions
1 cup vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup salt
1 cup chopped cilantro
3 cloves minced garlic
6 habanero peppers (I remove the insides & then chop them finely)

Add the habaneros last because you MUST USE GLOVES when handling them.

Prepare tomatoes by removing skins (soak in boiling water for 30 seconds and then transfer to ice water so the skins start to slip off)

Cook all tomatoes on medium high heat while you chop the remaining ingredients. Mash the tomatoes as they cook to break them up into smaller pieces. Then start adding the salt, sugar, and vinegar. After 45-60 minutes of cooking down the tomatoes, start to add the rest of the veggies.

Cook an additional 30-60 minutes depending on how thick you want the salsa to be. The longer you cook it, the thicker it will be. I love that while I'm doing all this prep, my dishwasher is sanitizing and heating up my jars. I also by this point have put my canners on the stove and have an extra pot of water heating to sterilize the rims of my jars.

I cut up a 1/2 gallon milk container to use as a funnel and use a ladle to grab one scoop of veggies from the bottom of the pot, one scoop of juice from the top, and one scoop from the side of the pot. By then the jar is filled one inch from the top. I pull four jars out of the dishwasher at at time so they stay hot and then continue to fill the rest of them until I have ten filled.

Wipe down the lip of the jar, place the lid on, and screw the rim on (but not too tight) I use pint sized jars because that's about how much salsa we'd eat in a week once a jar has been opened. I put the jars in a water bath for 15 minutes and then set them on my counter to cool for a day.

From 30 tomatoes we have ten pints of salsa - can't argue with that!

Do you have a favorite canning recipe?

Alphabitty Moments - The letter K

2010-08-12T18:22:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments where we stop and remember the little things of childhood. These are not the milestones or the well documented events like holidays or birthdays, but the every day things, events, and emotions that might be forgotten as our children's interests and abilities evolve.

I'm writing this from work so I can't share the cute pics I took of Sam with his King Cobra, but I wanted to get a linky up for those of you who continue to put up with my tardiness and excuses for slacking in my Alphabitty Moment posts. I don't know about you but K was a tough one for me! I ended up choosing King Cobra so I could remember the stage where Sam was (and still is) obsessed with snakes. Remember the day the kids drew snakes (to scale) for hours on 12 feet of craft paper? Yeah, I'd consider that obsessed. :)

So how about you? What K moment do you want to remember?

Yellow

2010-08-11T18:34:00.004-05:00

It's the color of the big ball in the sky that has been baking BearCountry in 95-100 degree temps for far too long.

It's the color of Julia's dress that her second cousin wore five years ago.

It's the color of the first apple* of the season that we promptly turned into apple crisp for dinner last night....after we ate yellow corn, carrots, fresh bread, and garlic roast with gravy. Yum!

Now if only I could figure out a way to spread out my motivation to cook throughout the week instead of doing it all in one night....

*we still don't know what kind of apples these are...anyone out there know? What we do know is that they don't get any more red than that little tinge at the top, they are soft, tart, and HUGE!

Are those natural?

2010-08-10T18:31:00.011-05:00

If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me that question in reference to Julia's curls I'd be a very rich MamaBear! We discovered her very first curls when she was a wee babe and they only get better with time...NO we don't do anything to them. In fact we don't even wash them with shampoo anymore. I read a book called Curly Girl back in May and it was filled with the answers to my questions about how to care for Julia's unique head of hair. There are different instructions for different types of curls so if you have curly hair pick up a copy for yourself - I got mine used online pretty cheap. It's great to be able to refer to it when I have a question. For Julia, this is what works.

Every couple of days we:

1) wet hair under faucet and apply 3T of conditioner
2) work through hair for 1 min with fingers
3) using a wide tooth comb, starting at the bottom comb out the tangles 0ne by one. This part can take up to 10-15 minutes depending on how long it's been since I last combed through it.
4. Rinse half of the conditioner out but leave the rest in to moisturize her hair.
5. scrunch with fingers and let air dry.

That's it! She has the softest curls and surprisingly enough they look their very best after she's gone swimming and the curls have had a chance to put themselves back in order so to speak. Curly Girl talks about putting your head under the water and letting the curls do their thing. It's quite remarkable how they have a mind of their own.

If we hadn't discovered the Curly Girl method I don't know that we would have been able to let Julia's hair grow. She's patient in the tub while I work out the tangles with gobs of conditioner but if the curls became brittle and broken we'd probably have to cut it much shorter.

Instead they are growing more beautiful every day. They are past her shoulders now and are tipped with the lightest of blonde highlights from being in the sun. She's yet to have a haircut because curly hair needs to be cut by someone trained in curly hair. That's an expensive hair cut and one we will consider down the road if her hair starts to break on the ends.

The other comment people make is "She's going to hate it when she's grows up!" Really? I have a hard time agreeing with that statement. Other than those 10-15 minutes in the tub they are amazingly easy to throw up in a clip or leave down.

What's not to love about this sweet, funny, affectionate, smart, creative, fun loving, little girl who happens to be blessed with curly hair?

Over the shoulder pumpkin holder

2010-08-10T07:49:00.000-05:00

(the pumpkin on 8.2.10 that was first shown in this post)

Can you tell what she's doing?

2010-08-09T14:14:00.001-05:00

Then and Now

2010-08-08T10:26:00.000-05:00

Our Straw bale garden on June 6th

...and again on July 7th.

And most recently on August 4th: Full progress report to follow...just as soon as I finish harvesting a billion cherry tomatoes!

Missing the target

2010-08-07T20:38:00.002-05:00

So my "how I spent my summer vacation" series isn't going as planned. I got behind, like always, and have yet to catch up. When I get behind everything piles up waiting for me to write about our days in chronological order.

I made it through a month of posts and have still been taking pictures, but with three weeks left until school starts chances are I'm going to miss the target at least one more time, but we're going to have in the meantime!

Alphabitty Moments - The letter J

2010-08-07T13:29:00.001-05:00

Great memories...not so great picture of this week's "j" word - Jigsaw Puzzle.

Sam loves putting puzzles together and is getting pretty good at it too. 75 piece puzzles with pieces the size of my palm are what he enjoys the most. I love watching the wheels turn in his head as he figures out where a piece goes. It makes me think ahead to the raining or cold days ahead when we sit around the card table and put together 1,000 piece puzzles. No rush though, for now I'm perfectly content to sit on the floor and enjoy Sam at this age with these puzzles.

What J moment do YOU want to remember for Alphabitty Moments?

today

2010-08-05T10:19:00.003-05:00

....Sam rode his two wheeler without training wheels. Had he been wearing long sleeves I would have encouraged him to ride a little longer and 100% by himself. Instead he asked to go back to riding his trike which was fine by me!

...families from our church happenend to come to our playground while we were there. So much more fun for my kids!

...I harvest 4 giant and 2 small yellow squash, 1 head of broccoli, a handful of beans, a handul of cherry tomatoes, and a couple of Big Boys. I'm on the hunt for a good pickle recipe because I have 5 giant cucumbers waiting to be harvested.

...it's not as humid and it's very pleasant in the shade. It's been miserable lately.

....we might make a trip to Target. I don't think we've been there in a month and we're in need of quite a few household things.

...I hope to get my internet back up and running again in my house so I can post alphabitty moments.

...I hope to get a few more things sorted for our upcoming (and long overdue) garage sale.

...I will bathe my kids twice.

...Julia practiced pumping on the swing

...I will start thinking up our new routine for school and researching lunchbox options for Sam.

It's not a super exciting day, but it's a day with my kids and I'm grateful for it!

Wordless Wednesday - Sunkissed Curls

2010-08-04T23:54:00.000-05:00

Preserve & Print

2010-08-02T21:25:00.004-05:00

Your photos...

Your stories....

Designed by yours truly.

In this case - 430 pages, 1,415 photographs, 400 blog posts. Check out my favorite layouts from my latest book here.

I wanted to give a shout out to my fellow blog book designer Kristina who was helping me brainstorm titles for the Blog Book session at the MN Blogger Conference. Thanks K!

Suspended (7.15.2010)

2010-08-01T22:25:00.002-05:00

It's great for growing beans....

Not so much for growing pumpkins.

Before I go to bed

2010-07-30T00:33:00.004-05:00

...I need to get some of the things rattling around in my head OUT. I'm surprised I don't have a headache from all the banging together of thoughts going on in there! It's probably because I'm so tired that the coherent thoughts are cushioned by the mush that is the rest of my brain.

I've been working non stop (hence my lack of blogging). I knew that in order to have everything done that needed to be completed by the end of the month I was going to have to push myself. And push I did!

690 book pages will be published by midnight on Saturday to take advantage of a promotion Blurb is having until the 31st. If I can swing it I want to get an extra 80 page book completed so I can take current pictures of my kids to my high school reunion in a couple of weeks. It has been two years since I made a photobook and I gotta tell ya - it's strange to see my own photos in a book! I am loving the feeling of being caught up though! I will share excerpts as time allows in the next few weeks.

One of the books I'm having printed this week is my FAVORITE blog book I've ever done. I'm going to order a second copy so I can share it with the bloggers who attend my session at the MN Blogger Conference. What am I going to be talking about at the conference? Well you can probably guess, but you'll have to wait for the specifics until I write my presentation summary, a bio, and scrounge up a headshot and get them to Missy by...gulp....tomorrow - uh...I mean later today. It is after midnight again. This is my last late night of the week - no more 3am bedtimes or even 2am bedtimes! I'm shooting a wedding on Saturday so I need to rest up!

We're taking a day trip tomorrow so I'll be able to do some napping in the car - just in case I better get to bed.

I'll leave you with the kids' latest obsession: Caterpillars.

lots and lots of them. Can you see the baby on the underside of the leaf? It's right above the hole and behind it on the other leaf is a bigger Monarch caterpillar. They get twice that big and once that happens we transfer them to our butterfly cage. At this point there are 3 coccoons, 1 in the process of forming its cocoon and 4-5 babies. We used to have eggs on some milkweed leaves but they got gobbled up by hungry caterpillars. Live and learn I guess!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Alphabitty Moments - The letter I

2010-07-29T11:09:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments where we highlight the ordinary and fleeting moments of childhood one letter of the alphabet at a time!

This week I'm on the letter "I" and chose the word INFLATABLES. Those cumbersome toys that the kids love to play with at the beach will be too small for them someday, but bring so much joy right now.

What "I" word do you want to remember?

footloose and fancy free

2010-07-26T06:00:00.005-05:00

Don't get me wrong, we are very tied to the park during the six month camping season, but there are windows of time that 'we' can get away. Two Fridays ago was one of those times. The catch - PapaBear had to stay and work. The kids and I headed out to find supplies for my kid's program scheduled for the next day. Traipsing across six different parking lots is not my favorite way to spend an evening but with the promise of ice cream and Psalty the Singing Songbook in between, we made the most of it.

The weather was beautiful so when I spotted a lacrosse game in progress at a park on our way home I pulled over.

It felt so normal to be out on a Friday night. We don't usually get to do normal. Funny thing is...I didn't miss it. We get to do the important things like spend time with our family & friends, worship in a church we love just down the road, & raise our kids somewhere pretty special.

And that folks is all that matters to this mommy.

For more Mommy and me posts head over to Kyrstyn's blog:

Hosted by Krystyn at Really, Are You Serious?

Fun (and free!)

2010-07-24T11:15:00.008-05:00

Our favorite garden center has a Family Fun weekend every summer. We went last year and had so much fun! The staff is super friendly and everything is FREE. We were exited to go again this year. The kids bounced, played games, looked at fish, fed the donkeys, and Julia had her face painted...

It was a short visit because we had plans to celebrate my middle sister's birthday at 12:30. They didn't mind the long (hot, because our AC doesn't work) car ride because they had their prizes to play with. Bonus!

When we arrived at the restaurant it turned out that it was Family Fun Day there too! EVERY Sunday is Family Fun Day with a full schedule of events for kids AND there is a playground for them to play on in between games. Kids even eat FREE with an paid adult meal. Double bonus!

The kids were exhausted by the end and not even this giant brownie sundae provided enough sugar to keep them going. Julia was asleep less than a minute after we pulled out of the parking lot. So much fun for one day and all of it FREE!

He waits

2010-07-23T10:47:00.000-05:00

Twelve years ago this month I brought home a little white ball of fuzz I named, Contraband, because of the fact that technically I wasn't suppose to have a dog. Conor is my dog in every sense of the word. He doesn't eat if I'm not home. When PapaBear and I both call to him he 100% of the time comes to me.

If PapaBear lets him outside while I am gone he won't bark to come in. He'll wait for me...even if it's the dead of winter. It's the same in the summer too. He finds a spot of shade and watches for me. Did you spot him there under the pine tree?

He's waiting for me.

My first baby, my shedding machine, my puppy-wupster, my faithful companion.

The next generation

2010-07-23T09:05:00.002-05:00

We were blessed with an extended visit with my friend Owen and his family a couple of weeks ago. Owen and I go way way back. We met in sixth grade, went to youth group together, walked together for high school graduation, he was an usher in my wedding, I photographed his. He and his wife, Staci, are Sam's Godparents. We are their son Joseph's Godparents.

Now Sam and Joseph are making their own memories as friends.

Sam and Joseph (who Sam kept calling Moses) are 4 months part, but his little sister, Moriah, is only one month younger than our Julia - not to be confused with their Julia who will be two in October.

Ginny, their oldest, was so helpful with the water feature. It was fun to sit back and watch them 'work' while we caught each other up on what we've been up to since they moved back to Wisconsin.

It was nice to not be rushed. They camped in our campground for four nights so we had lots of opportunities to visit, to play disc golf,

and to eat treats....

Since our 15 year class reunion is next month the goodbyes we said when they pulled out after their (buggy) stay wasn't as sad as it otherwise would have been!

Alphabitty Moments - The Letter H

2010-07-22T22:05:00.006-05:00

Welcome to Alphabitty Moments! I started this carnival as a way to record the everyday moments of childhood that I didn't want to forget. Holidays and milestones usually involve lots of photographs but the little things that make up childhood can so easily be missed in the hustle and bustle of life.

This week we are on the letter H which for us symbolizes the polar opposite of hustle and bustle.

Our hammocks.

A place where we slow down. Where we snuggle close. Where we connect. Where we spend as much time as we can before the mosquitoes force us inside.

We gave Sam a hammock for his 4th birthday - partly so I could have the chance to relax in MY hammock without being jabbed by elbows and knees. Turns out that as much as I enjoy lounging by myself I much prefer to be curled up with my babies (bony elbows and all!)

Some day we won't all fit in the same hammock so I'll savor the time we have!

Now it's your turn...what H moment do YOU want to remember?

Summer of Firsts for Sam

2010-07-18T10:21:00.000-05:00

First time jumping off the end of the dock by himself

first sleepover at Grandma and Grandpa's house

first time being able to volley the tennis ball back and forth

first time across the monkey bars by himself

As much as I feel guilty for not spending as much time with the kids as I'd like, I've been blessed to be a part of all of these firsts and for that I'm grateful! Oh how I love those confidence building moments!

One first that I don't mind missing is Sam learning to ride without training wheels....PapaBear takes him up to the tennis courts which is fine by me. I'm such a wimp when it comes to that sort of thing. Better for Daddy to teach him I say!

Hands down

2010-07-17T01:48:00.000-05:00

The food Julia eats the most of when we go out for pizza?

Peas and Corn.

3 cups worth.

Full of hot air

2010-07-16T09:39:00.004-05:00

The kids read a book about using balloons attached to paper airplanes and wanted to make some of their own. On Sam's special day we took a trip to the dollar store to pick up some balloons. Normally we don't buy stuff on their special days but I considered the balloons supplies instead. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Back at home we used paper that had been drawn and/or painted on already to construct our winged masterpieces. It didn't really work very well, but we had fun trying and that's what counts! I treasure the times I get to do do projects with the kids because my time is so limited. They are like little sponges who love to soak up information. I miss being the one to witness that all day long.

Summer vacation will be over before we know it!