Happy New Years Everyone!

The neighborhood is going wild with fireworks tonight. Thankfully they aren't right next door. Shouldn't wake Nate up at all.
I decided to stay up till midnight posting on my favorite message board. At midnight I went in and kissed Jason and said Happy New Year and did the same to Nate. Jason woke up but Nate slept thru it and actually frowned in his sleep when I kissed him! :)

In my last post I said that Nate was getting a new toddler bed. He had a nap in it today and did great! He went to be tonight and again did great. Had to turn him around b/c he fell asleep with his feet on his pillow!! Silly Nate :)

Ok, small vent here: I know it's New Years Eve and I am up celebrating it like everyone else, but seriously, did you have to buy the loudest firecrackers you could and set them off just 4 houses down from us????? I am about to walk down there and give them a piece of my mind, but I won't b/c I don't like confrontation. Thankfully this only happens 2 times a year, 4th of July and New Years. Maybe the next 4th and next New Years, we can arrange to be at my inlaws farm. They are in the country so it's nice and quiet. Thankfully Nate has slept thru all this.

Had a great evening with Ben and Laura and Logan and Vesta. We get together with Ben and Laura every new years. We had hot wings, meatballs, salad, rotel dip, brownies and sweet corn casserole. Everything was yummy! Laura and I put the kids to bed. Logan was able to fall asleep in their pack n play w/o a problem. Then the adults, sans Vesta(she went home earlier) played Scrabble. All in all it was a good night.

I am going to leave you tonight with one photo. Last week I decided to tackle Nate's closet, clean it out and such. I went to get the camera to get a before and after pic and while I was gone, this happened:



Enjoy!

Just a quick post

Today Nate gets his new bed! I can't believe it's time for my little baby to move into a big boy bed. We found a toddler bed at a garage sale this summer. If we hadn't found the bed, we would have just set up Jason's old twin bed with new mattresses and skipped the toddler bed. Didn't deem is necessary to spend money on toddler bed. We found one for $7 at a garage sale so we got it.
I will have to add pic's later. Nate seems to like it so far. He got into bed and promptly asked me to cover him up! He has a new buddy to share the bed with him. I bought Nate a Waldorf Style boy doll for Christmas. Nate named him Henry today! Perfect name. When Nate opened the doll at Christmas he didn't want to have anything to do with it, but today he is warming up to the doll.

Spending this evening with friends. Started this tradition maybe 5 years ago. We alternate houses each year. They have a 1 1/2 year old boy. Us parents are waiting till they are both old enough to really start playing together. I am guessing next year when Logan is a bit older.

Time to continue cleaning. Jason and I are in a cleaning frenzy. I needed to vacuum really badly. The area rug in the front room was really bad. Looks much better. I am just biding my time till the Christmas Tree comes down and goes to the curb. I really enjoy Christmas but when New Years comes around, I am ready to be done with the decorations. Need to get back to my routine and regular house. Makes it easier to clean. I will probably go thru old decorations and get rid of what we don't use. Example: string of lights that have been sitting in the basement for 3 years, garland that didn't make it up this year, old 3 ft artificial tree, etc. My goal for this year is to declutter as much as possible.

So much for a quick post!

HAPPY NEW YEARS!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We spent Dec. 21-24 with Jason's folks on the farm. It snowed up there so Nate got to go out and play with daddy and Jackson. Here is a pic of Daddy and Nate with the sled!


I found a snow pants and coat from Lands End on craigslist for $15. It's a size 3 but the snow pants fit great and I will have the coat for next winter! What a great score for me! We found his boots at Walmart. They have Thomas the tank Engine on them. Nate is pretty pleased with the boots!
We had a great time as usual at the farm. Nate saw Santa Claus and still doesn't particularly care for him as you can see in the next photo!


That is my father-in-law Jim holding Nate. Nate will high 5 Santa but that's it! He received a treat bag after. There was a cookie and some hard candy and also he got to pick out an apple. Nate tore into that apple and he loved chomping on it!



Nate got some more Take Along Thomas trains, some cute clothes and a great Thomas Book with poems in it. The book is really cute and has some great poems in it. He also got some slippers with of course, Thomas! :)

I got 2 cook books, Bath and Body Works soap (smells yummy), slippers, 2 Mary Kay items(sister-in-law sells Mary Kay), and a picture frame with our nieces graduation pic in it. Gorgeous girl!!

After we left the farm on Monday, we headed to Springfield Ill for my families Christmas. We had some yummy food, spent time with the nephews and watched the cousins open gifts. Nate received some nice clothes, a monster toy truck, small toy bulldozer, and a book about Behaving. The author is Max Lucado. He writes books with Hermie as the main character. Very cute!
The adults decided not to exchange gifts. We decided to find something/someone to donate our money too.

We got back home Christmas Eve around 9pm. Very long weekend for all. Nate was happy to be back in his own bed! The first time I put him in the pack n play at Grandpa and Grandmas, I noticed he was getting too big for it. Next Monday I am bringing in the toddler bed from the garage. We are going to transition him over to that bed. Wish us luck! I am going to have to remove all the train toys from the room. Too much temptation! Just don't know what I am going to do when we go to the farm. Right now, there is an area in the room we 3 sleep in that is fine for the pack n play, but the toddler bed they have wont fit there. I will have to see what Grandma can come up with the next time we are there.

Christmas day here was good. Jason posted on his blog with pics to what he received! I can make a list, but I am not sharing pics!
The big surprise is tickets to see Reba and Kelly Clarkson in concert in Feb. I am stinking happy about that one!!! Reba is a major favorite of mine.
The other big gift I got was all 9 seasons of Everybody loves Raymond. I have 1 and 2 but Jason thought it would save money just to get all 9 at once. It is going to take me forever to watch all those!
I got some earrings and necklace, candy in the stocking, gift certificate from St Louis Bread co, new sewing kit/container that is pink with vintage Ladies doing ironing and laundry, very cool! and a large cutting mat with rotary cutter.

Today I wanted to get out of the house and do something fun but not spend money. So, Nate and I went swimming at the YMCA. Up till this point, he really did not like swimming. He didn't mind getting his feet wet, but other than that, no. So I took my chances and went. He was a bit apprehensive but I held his hand and we took it slowly. Well, and hour and half later, he didn't want to get out!!! My boy likes swimming! I think I am going to add that to our fun list and go maybe 1-2 times a week till the Aqua Port opens and then maybe get a seasons pass there. They share memberships with the Bridgeton water park so we have 2 places to go swimming. We have friends who can go with us too.

Supper tonight is Beef vegetable soup with venison steak pieces instead of beef. My inlaws are hunters and supply us with venison once in a while. Very lean meat. That helps on our budget since the meat was free! The soup smells yummy! Can't wait. Jasons sister Amy and her friend Dave are coming over for supper and to see Nate.

Speaking of Nate, sounds like he is ready to get up from nap. Time to go get him and get some vacuuming done and fill the bird feeder, add an ear of corn to the squirrel feeder for the critters outside.

Cleaning day

After last nights project, I decided that I needed some things if I was going to keep making diapers. I have on my Christmas list a new sewing kit. I need a new container since the one I have is my grandmas and I have no idea how old it is. There are a few things that I would like to have in my sewing kit too. Well, some of those things I bought tonight. I can't do without. So, when I got home from Hobby Lobby, I decided to clean out my sewing kit. I didn't get very far. I wanted to get rid of any straight pins that were in the pin cushion. I bought a new container of straight pins, 750 to be exact. Anywho, I was cleaning out the pin cushion and kept finding more hidden inside, but sticking out a little. So, I decided to open up the cushion and see what else was left and make sure I didn't leave any out. I ended up with, get this, 59 needles!!! They aren't machine needles, but thread needles, to sew by hand with. I will not be needing any of those types of needles for a long, long time! :)

I stopped by Goodwill tonight to see if I could find any fleece, flannel or cotton blankets to use for diapers. I found 4 tonight. Each were $1, and there were 2 on one hanger so they were counted as 1 blanket!

Other cleaning that got done today was our bedroom, Nate's room and the front room and vacuuming again. With the dog, vacuuming daily is a must around here. Especially in the colder months when Jackson isn't outside as much.

I am really enjoying staying home with Nate. I really like our days together. There was a time where it was hard to be home. I wanted to be out daily, going some where daily. Now, if we don't leave the house at all for a couple of days, I am happy. I am finding that if we are out of the house time goes by faster and that is time I can't get back again and time that isn't quality time with Nate. I know, going to the grocery store is good for Nate. Being out and about is a learning time for Nate, but it's not one on one time for the 2 of us. I know also, that will change when we have another baby.

The Christmas tree is up, the outside is lit with pretty lights and there is a blow up snowman in our front yard. Now, I need to set up my Christmas village. I have the area where it's going all cleaned off ready to go. I think I will tackle that tomorrow.

Nate is getting to be pretty comical with his words. I don't remember what we were doing, but out of the blue, Nate says "Silly mama"!!! I know that I have said "Silly Nate" plenty of times. Just didn't know he would say it to me! Another thing he does is when he sees me whether being away from me for a while, or just coming into the room from another room is "Hi mom"! His vocabulary is exploding right now. It's so much fun to hear the new words daily. He is now saying "Thank you" instead of signing it! I just can't get enough of this boy! I think I am in love!

Have a good night all!

I made a diaper!

I have to show off my newest creation! I made a fitted diaper tonight. I found a pattern on line a few weeks ago. I used 2 blankets that I had laying around that we weren't using. It took me 2 hours, 2 broken needles, 1 bent needle and ripping out velcro once to make this diaper. I had no expectations going into this project and am glad I can laugh at the end results!

Here are 3 pictures of the diapers:







The first picture makes me laugh the most! I can't believe how the tabs came out different sizes. My seams on most of the diaper aren't straight and I need to make sure that I make the leg elastic longer.

All in all, it's a cute diaper and it hasn't turned me off of making another diaper. I think I will hit the local goodwill and find some more blankets to use. I would like to perfect my sewing before dipping into my stash of nice fabrics that I have set aside to make diapers. After the new year, a friend and I are taking sewing classes. I am excited to learn how to sew better.

Enjoy the pictures!!

Pictures!!!

Jason showed me how to copy pictures from Flickr to add to my site. I think I remember him showing me how soon after he uploaded all the pictures there, but I am such a computer dork I forgot!
This is a picture of Nate sleeping in the backroom. He has never slept anywhere except his bed before. It surprised me that he fell asleep here.


This picture is of course of our pretty Christmas tree. To the left you can see a little bit of the green garland and red bells that surround the door to the kitchen.


This next picture is of Nate and Jackson standing infront of the tree. Jackson had a good old time running thru the trees sniffing everything. He was in doggy heaven!!


I forgot to add that Nate painted last week. Haven't brought out the paints since summer. Nate forgot where the paint goes and immediately put the paint brush with paint in his mouth! He didn't think it tasted too good! You can see that he also got paint on his shirt. He has no idea what he is doing sometimes. Thats a toddler for you!


You can see how happy he is getting to paint.


Well, I don't have anymore photos to share. Enjoy!

Busy week

Lots of new things going on here. First, Nate is going to Parents Day out one day a week. His first day was this past Thursday. He is there from 9-3. He really likes it. Will be good for me to get a break or to get some things done around the house and make drs appts and not have to worry about finding a sitter for him or taking him with.

I am seeing a new dr. She is going to help me get healthy through enzyme therapy or enzyme nutrition. I saw her for the first time on Thursday. She did some acupuncture and asked a bunch of questions. She is trying to find out where I am health wise and to help get me started on enzymes. I am excited to get started! I have to do a urinalysis also so she can see where to start. She did make a comment that my thyroid is not working as well as it should so thats why I am gaining weight and have a hard time losing it. I really didn't have the heart to tell her that it's my stinking diet is why I am gaining weight!!! I do have a hard time losing weight too. Nice to have a reason why.

My parents wanted to have a work day at their house this past Saturday. They needed some help getting some things done in the house and figured many hands make light work. So, Jason, me and my bro and his wife were going to be there. Jason had Friday off so we went to my parents then and then my bro and his wife would come up on Sat. My parents watched Nate so Jason and I could have a date night!! We went to 2 Antique Shops and then out to eat. On the way to my parents, we stopped at a Christmas tree farm. Found a beautiful tree! I hope I can get a pic for you all to see. Ok, pics aren't available right now. Jason had the pictures moved to flickr and I cant figure out how to add them to my blog.

We had a great date night. Went back to my parents house and watched a movie. About half way into the movie, Nate gets sick. I mean, throwing up sick. Yuck. We just figured my dad had a little too much fun with Nate and his stomach got yucky. Not the case. I was up with Nate all night long since he would get sick every 15mins. From midnight to around 4am it was every 15mins then we got a break and we both slept till morning. He got sick 2 more times that day. Nate was in bed by 7pm and we didn't hear a peep out of him till morning. One time getting sick today. When I got home from teaching Sunday School, he was sleeping on the floor in the back room draped half on half off a big pillow. Still sleeping as of right now! Thankfully, Jason was able to get some water, dry toast and some banana in him.

We put up the Christmas tree last night. It's so pretty and smells sooo good! It's about 6ft tall. Just the type of tree I wanted. It is either a Canaan Fir or Fraser Fir. I like how the needles are. I almost had too many decorations to put on! I also put up around the door to the kitchen a garland and added a string of bells that play music. My wonderful mother-in-law, Kathy got those for us. My living room isn't completly done. I need to put up my Christmas village.

It was such a warm day that I finished putting lights up outside. I bought some new ones. They have the big light bulbs that are colored with icicle lights hanging down. The porch roof has those and the rest of the front of the house has just regular icicle lights. Looks nice! Right after we put up the rest of the lights, a front came through and it rained.

It's been a quiet day after all that. Just catching up on my message board and checking emails. I need to work on my menu for the week. I am craving spaghetti so I think thats what we will have tomorrow night.

I am looking forward to getting back into the work week. Not much going on, but still nice to get back to an ordinary day. Back to the familiar.

As soon as I can get Jason's help, I will have to add some pics.

Back to normal

We had a good Thanksgiving on Thursday with my family. My parents, my bro and his family and my Uncle and Aunt and then us. My Uncle and Aunt hadn't seen Nate since he was 2 mos old so it was good for them to see him. My sis-in-law did a great job on the lunch. The turkey was so good and moist. I stole her idea on the roaster. I was wanting to pick one up the day after Thanksgiving but had no idea what one. She found hers at Bed Bath and Beyond. It is an Oneida. Really nice one for a good price. So, on Friday, I battled the crowds and went to Bed Bath and Beyond and found one.

Friday afternoon, Jasons folks arrived for the weekend. We putsied around the house for the rest of the day. Had chili for supper with cornbread. Everything was yummy. I almost forgot the beans. Thankfully we have a small grocery store near us so I was able to get some in time.

Saturday was spent doing a little shopping and getting ready for the supper. I made my first turkey! It turned out yummy. The outside was brown perfectly. I was able to pull off supper with the help of my wonderful Mom-in-law and sister in law. In fact, my MIL saved the deviled eggs. Apparently, my eggs were too fresh so that when I went to peel them, it was very difficult. My MIL, Kathy, saved me! She was able to peel the rest of them w/o a problem.

Sunday, I taught Sunday School. My kids sat so great and listened so well and helped answer the questions. I love those kids. After church, Jason called and said that his parents were still in town and they were going to eat at Hometown Buffet. So, I went and joined them for lunch.

So, now we are on Monday. Back to normal. I am enjoying getting back to cleaning, playing with Nate, doing laundry. All the usual. Last week, I spent almost everyday getting ready for Thanksgiving here and in Sprinfield so my routine was thrown out of whack.

Nate has discovered how to climb up on our bed. I think I am in trouble now!! When I start hearing laughter, I go look in our room, and there is Nate playing on our bed. He loves rolling on it, standing up and then sitting down quickly so he bounces, laying on our pillows. My kid is such a corker! I have started knick naming him my little spaz. I seriously cannot take him anywhere. He wants to run and get into everything. I guess this is what a toddler is like. I want another baby, why?!!!

I have gotten a head start on my Christmas decorations outside. I don't do much. Just evergreen garland around the post on the porch and icicle lights on the front of the house. We do have a blow up snowman. I have a wreath on my door. I don't think that am going to do much in the house for decorations till after the 1st of Dec. I want to get the house inside ready, clearing out things so I can put new things up, general cleaning and the sorts. I still need to figure out where the tree is going to go. It will probably go right next to the door that goes into the kitchen like last year. I am hoping to find the same size in height like last year, just over 5 ft high, but not as fat!!!

Ok, I am tired and am going to head to bed. More on the list of things to do tomorrow.
Lynn

I actually remember to blog!

I realized that it has been a while since I blogged. I guess that's the last thing on my mind during the day. Jason has been making a My Space page and his cousin had 50 random questions so he answered them. I am not in the mood to try and link that so maybe next time. Anyhoo, I thought I would do them too. So with no further ado:

1. Do you like cheese?
yes, cheddar and mozzarella

2. Have you ever been to the Rockies?
yes,when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, lots of good memories

3. Do you own a gun?
no, but have shot a BB gun and almost my brothers 22

4. Your favorite song?
no, but anything from a hymnal

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
always,
6. What do you think of when you eat hot dogs?
can't stand them

7. What's your favorite Christmas song?
I'm dreaming of a White Christmas. Each Christmas I still hope for a white, snow filled Christmas
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Milk with my cereal

9. Can you do push-ups?
nope

10. Is your bathroom clean?
Yes it is.

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry?
definitely my engagement ring. Jason personalized it with both our birthstones as well as a diamond

12. Favorite Hobby?
reading

13. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?
My red hair

14. Do you have A.D.D.?
a little bit

15. What's one thing you hate about yourself?
?

16. Middle Name?
Marie

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
1. Did I get everything done for tomorrow
2. Is my son asleep and warm enough
3. What am I going to wear tomorrow

18. Name the last 3 things you have bought
1. New very soft cloth diaper for Nate
2. 36 cloth wipes for Nate
3. groceries for this week

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink.
1. Milk
2. water
3. lemonade

20. Current worry right now?
Am I going to pull of Thanksgiving here on Saturday, making a turkey for the first time, gulp!

21. Current person you despise?
no one

22. Favorite place be?
with my hubby and son

23. How will you ring in the NEW YEAR?
Don't know. We usually get together with Jasons best friend and his wife but we both have kids so it doesn't work any more

24. Where would you like to go?
Back to Europe, especially the Czech Republic

25. Name three people who will complete this and post it again?
wont send it on

26. How many siblings do you have?
one brother

27. Do you own slippers?
yes a purple soft pair

28. What shirt are you wearing right now?
an Army aviation t-shirt from Father-in-laws retirement from the National Guard

29. What shampoo do you use?
Infusium for dry hair

30. Favorite color?
red

31. Would you like to be a pirate?
no

32.What songs do you sing in the shower?
don't have time to sing, my shower is 5 mins long, I have a toddler to keep out of trouble
34. Favorite girl's name?
Lydia or Annika

35. What's in your pockets right now?
nothing

36. Last thing that made you laugh?
my son Nate. His little antics

37. Best bed sheets as a Kid?
boring white

38. Worst injury you've ever had?
probably the dog bite to my left eyebrow as a young kid

39. Are you addicted to anything?
No

40. How many TVs do you have in your house?
3

41. Does anyone have a crush on you?
my husband, Jason

44. Do you wish on shooting stars?
no, never seen one

45. What is your favorite book?
Don't have a book, but my favorite author is Janette Oke and for kids books Jan Brett

46. What is your favorite candy?
M&M's

47. What song do you want played at your wedding?
God of Wonders and friend played his guitar

48. What song do you want played at your funeral?
not thinking of that right now, maybe You lift me up by Josh Groban

49. What were you doing at 12am this morning?
snoring away

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
wondering when Nate will be up and do I have time to sleep some more before he wakes me up

I think I will leave it at that. Too tired to think of what I want to blog about. I know there are more things that you, my adoring fan(s) want to read about.

Ciao

Home Alone

Thats right, I am home alone. Jason and Nate headed up to the farm this weekend. Jason felt I needed some time to myself. I tried to persuade him that I was ok, but he insisted. So, they left this morning. I have accomplished the following: Saw my chiropractor and had my back adjusted, dropped off a paper at Nate's ped's office to fill out his medical records so he can go to a Parents Day Out program one day a week, had lunch, grocery shopped, haircut and had my blood drawn. The last was so my ob can get the hormone pregnancy levels. I know that I miscarried over a month ago, but she wanted to make sure my numbers/levels dropped to zero. Oh, I also cleaned out the linen closet and cleaned up my side of the office and was able to wash most of the floor. I also cleaned up the closet floor and vacuumed. There is a vacuum cleaner in the closet that needs to be kicked to the curb. I inherited from my mom and dad. I believe they bought it in either 86 or 87. So, it's 20 years old. They used it, sent it to my brother to use who sent it back to my folks, I think. Then when I got my apartment when I moved here, it was sent to me. It has had a good life. Cleaned lots of floors and done a good job. I was optimistic about keeping it. Just keep fixing the hose, taping up the holes, and it will run fine. However, the hose can no longer be fixed. It is deteriorating. I think I will have a nice send off on Tuesday in time for the garbage truck. Maybe I will take pic's for the good memory.

I don't have plans for tomorrow. I find if I make plans, they don't get done. Maybe a little bit of reading tho. Will be nice to read with out being interrupted 50 thousand times! I am thinking of making a fitted diaper too. I have bought some cute tie-dyed flannel a few weeks ago and would like to take a stab a making a fitted diaper. I have a few web sites that I can look at to help. I have a few diapers that I can use as my form. Wish me luck!

It's late and almost past my bedtime. Maybe I will post more tomorrow!
Lynn

Yummy soup recipe

I am glad it's getting colder. I like the cooler weather. I enjoy picking out recipes that are great for fall and winter, turning on the heat, bundling up in long sleeves and pants. Oh, and getting out the fuzzy, warm, thick socks and settle in with a good book and something warm to drink. Which reminds me, I need to see if Jason will make his famous mulled cider, yum, yum!!!

Anyways, speaking of recipes, I found a really yummy vegetable beef soup. I keep looking for one and couldn't find any that suited my taste. Guess I am picky! So, I was looking through the book, Eating for Life by Bill Phillips. He writes the Body for Life book. He has recipes that we actually like. No frou-frou ingredients. I was needing some new ideas for suppers and came across this soup. We had it tonight. Perfect for a cold day.

Beef and Barley Soup:
1 tbs olive oil
1 1/2 lbs top sirloin, cubed
4 cups low-fat, reduced-sodium beef broth
1 cup water
1 onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 carrot sliced
1 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 bay leaf
10oz frozen green beans
1 can (14 1/2oz) diced tomatoes
10oz frozen green peas

1: Brown cubed beef till browned on all sides in olive oil
2: Stir in beef broth, water, onion, celery, carrot, oregano, black pepper, garlic, barley and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 mins.
3: Stir in grean beans, tomatoes, and peas. Simmer, covered, until meat and vegetables are tender, about 15 mins. Remove bay leaf

I didn't leave this on the stove top. I browned the beef and then added everything to the crockpot. I had a few packages of vegetables in the freezer that I was able to use up with this soup. I had a pea/carrot mix that I used, but cut up a few raw carrots too. If I had gotten this all in the crockpot by noon instead of 2:30, the carrots would have time to cook all the way through. I also added a can of tomato sauce at the end and heated through. Tasted wonderful!

Nothing else has been going on. Nate and I have been having fun. Went to the park the other day. Nate loves climbing on all the structures there.
Jason took next week off. I am going to be getting some things done. I wanted to start a calender with Nate but hadn't gotten that far. Also, I wanted to start working on the alphabet with him too. Needed to get something copied and laminated. I am going to take advantage of Jason being home to do all this. I am also getting Nate signed up for Parents Day Out at a church not far from us. Thursday's only. I am going to let him stay all day. Should be interesting since he will be having a nap there and he wont sleep in a crib there, only on a cot. At least he can have his blanket with him. He will also have lunch there.

I bought another diaper from my message board! It is blue with vintage vans on it! I can't wait to get it. I also bought 2 John Deere diapers there a few weeks ago. When I get the new diaper, I will take pictures and share.

Went thru Nate's toys again the other day. We replaced the rocking chair and shelf that were in his room with his train table. The table was in the front room but it was taking up alot of room. Kept a few toys for the front room and found some cute baskets to put them in. I will have to take a picture of it all. I am proud of myself and getting it all organized. Nate still has toys in the back room. It's primarily Little People back there. Downstairs is misc toys. We are in the process of rearranging the basement area to accommodate the toys and his climbing cube. Can't wait till thats done. Hopefully we will be downstairs more. Especially this winter so Nate can climb all he wants.

I think I am going to stop here. I might go out for a few before Nate goes to bed. Jason wants to go to the YMCA after Nate goes to bed. We are heading out to the pumpkin patch tomorrow and then the Fire Station for an open house.

Sad time at the Starbuck household

As you all noticed in the last posting of my blog, I said that we were pregnant. Well, on a sad note, I miscarried on Monday the 24th. According to my blood test and the numbers that my ob had to look for, my progesterone levels were low. I had the same thing with Nate but my former ob caught it fast enough and started me on the progesterone pills. I hope that my current ob will do that before we try and have another baby. I am going to try and get my health back on track so we wont be trying for a while.

On a happier note, we were visiting Jason's parents this weekend. They had the family auction on Saturday. Jason was able to find a few things he wanted. I will let him talk about them in his blog.
The mule we are always talking about Nate riding, small farm tractor, was part of Jason's grandfathers estate so it was at the auction. Nate wasn't too happy that he couldn't ride it and didn't understand why. Thankfully Grandma and Grandpa bid on it and won! The mule is here to stay and Nate is quite happy!

I am looking forward to getting back to life. I am always anxious for a weekend like this past one so the week before I am running around getting things ready and our days are out of whack. I think tomorrow morning, we will be going to get my mums as I always do in the Fall. I can't wait to work on the front of the house getting it decorated for Fall. I wasn't able to get some cornstalks from the farm so I will be buying some this year. This weekend we have a birthday party at a farm in O'Fallon and they will be having pumpkins so we will be picking our pumpkins there.

I had the privilege of getting some older catalogs and magazines from the farm that have sewing, crafting and such in them. I am looking forward to sitting down and looking thru them and getting some ideas.

Have a nice night, morning, day etc.!
-Lynn

Really fun day!

After all the running around the country lately, I decided to take Nate up to my bro's house and spend the day with my SIL and our nephews. Nate and the boys haven't spent alot of time together lately so I thought they would like that. My bro is out of town all week working in Chicago so I thought my SIL would like some girl time too.
Nate was the best kid on the trip up. It takes a good hour and 40 mins to get to Springfield, Illinois. I made sure he had his Thomas engines and box cars and Harold the helicopter and lots of books. He was so quiet but we did have a time of I Spy Bombines! (combines). Tractors and semis also! Every time we saw a semi, Nate would ask "Papa?" My dad drives a semi. We saw alot of semis on the road and I had to break it to him every time that no it wasn't papa. Oh, well. He took it pretty well.
He slept for half an hour on the ride home. The boys, Ethan and Nolan, ages 5 and 3 respectively, wore Nate out. They played at the park, with the train table, chasing each other. They had lots of fun!

I guess I should have been posting to my blog a bit more. I can't believe I did not post about Nate's birthday. What kind of mom am I?!! Ok, so Nate is 2 now. Not the terrible 2's everyone talks about. I call them the terrific 2's with some terribles on the side. He is the best kid. So fun to be around. He is in a very curious stage right now. So fun to watch and see what he is going to investigate. At the park today, he really could care less about the climbing structures. He wanted to walk the perimeter of the structures. It was a ledge about a foot high. He walked over a bridge I don't know how many times. Just investigating!!!
So, we celebrated at Jim and Kathy's house on the farm, Jason's parents, over Labor day. Had a Funfetti cake with green frosting with a farm scene. Here is a pic of it:


The 8th of September, we went to my parents and had my bro and his family there to help celebrate Nate's birthday. It was a carrot cake and had a Thomas the Tank engine theme. Here is the pic:


We bought Nate a Thomas train table for his birthday. We decided to set it up the night before his birthday and let him see it when he got up the next day. When I got him out of bed, he ran down the hall and stopped really quick when he saw the table. He didn't get as excited about it as I had hoped, but I know he really likes it.
That night we headed for Indiana by the way of Hillsboro Illinois to drop of the dog at my folks to take care of while we were gone on an extended weekend trip. Our main goal was to get to French Lick Indiana for a train ride for Nate. This is a train that was still running up till the 1960's. It was a diesel engine that pulled 2 passenger cars. It was an hour long trip with a pass thru a tunnel. Nate enjoyed it especially when the whistle went off. Here are 2 pics from the train we rode and one of Jason and Nate is an old steam engine that doesn't run anymore.



This is Nate looking out the train window:


This is the old steam engine:


After the train ride, we headed to our Bed and Breakfast. It is called the West Point Cottage. The family that runs this B&B acquired the cottage and relocated it to the current place. They dismantled it and when they put it back together, they added on and used screws and bolts. In some of the pictures, you can see some original beams between the living room and kitchen. Quite the history.

This is the only picture I could find. I will see if I can have Jason find the other pictures I took of the cottage.

Other exciting news in the family is that we are expecting a new baby around May 10th!!! I had my official appointment yesterday. I am seeing a new Dr and really like her. She was so nice and sweet. I like the other ladies in the office too. I think I am going to like seeing them for the next 8 months! I am 6 1/2 weeks along. I will have an official baby appointment the 8th of October and I am hoping Jason will be able to join me. The first appt yesterday was the one where they say, yeah you're pregnant and find the due date. Boring! I am hoping to get an ultrasound the next time I am there and maybe see the heart beat! I don't know about hearing it tho. When I first heard Nate's heartbeat, it made it so real to me.

I guess that's all the fun news on this end. I am sure I will be adding more as this pregnancy progresses.
-Lynn

Can't take the dog hair anymore!

I am about to go insane with the dog hair. I try to vacuum every other day but lately, I need to everyday. It's awful. Can I shave my dog? Should I shave him? Does anyone want a Golden Retriever? Seriously, its awful. He can be laying on the wood floor, get up, come over to the rug and scratch or shake. The hair would fly everywhere. Come on, is the hard wood not good enough for you?! I think he is doing that to spite me! One word: UGH!

We had one of the best days today, Nate and me. We stayed home all day. Played in the front room with Thomas,books,container of elbow macaroni, cars, and yes, a movie. I had the want to watch "The Christmas Story". I know, I'm weird! Nate cuddled thru quite a bit of the movie. He got to have nekkie time too! After I took off his nite time diaper, he got this look of pure joy that he was naked. He ran around so happy.

Had a lunch with daddy here at the house. Played some more. I worked in the office cleaning things up.

I was perusing the cloth diaper boards yesterday and today. Thought I would share a link to an ebay listing. It is very funny and I have the ladies blog book marked. You need to check it out! http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130144061675&ru=http%3A%2F%2Fsearch.ebay.com%3A80%2Fsearch%2Fsearch.dll%3Ffrom%3DR40%26_trksid%3Dm37%26satitle%3D130144061675%26category0%3D%26fvi%3D1%5Dmoms

Another thing I have been reading on the cloth diaper boards are the recalls from China. Now, I have gotten rid of alot of Nate's toys in the past 2 weeks. Not because of the recalls, because we have too many toys and his birthday is coming up. If I had money, I would buy him a few wood toys. I have some great web sites of people who make wood toys. Don't know if I want to touch that issue with a 10ft pole! Alot of women on the boards are getting quite upset over it all.

I noticed that my laundry room was getting cluttered with tubs of Nates stuff so I went to home depot and bought some new shelves. Alas, the tubs dont fit! So, I started putting the Christmas decorations on the shelves and will put the tubs on the shelves the Christmas stuff was on. The previous owner made some shelves and they will work just fine for the tubs.

The 12th of September, Nate's birthday, we are heading out to Indiana for a few days. We as a family haven't taken some time for ourselves in a long while so we decided to get away for a long weekend. There is a train museum in French Lick Indiana that we want to see. Nate is really into Thomas right now. In fact, we found a train table and tracks and accessories on craigslist and decided to buy it. Can't wait to see Nate's eyes when he sees that when he wakes up on his birthday!

Well, Jason is home and I need to work on things for supper.
-L

Found the pic

I finally found the picture that I wanted to add the last time I posted. Jason said that he hadn't uploaded to livedigital. So here it is. Nate looks so cute munching on his first ear of corn!



I didn't get around to getting any new pictures, but tonight Jason was able to get some. Since all this heat this week, we haven't been outside. There was a big storm that passed just north of us and we ended up with some good wind that cooled things off. So, we sat outside for a while tonight and Jason was able to snap some pics!

This weekend we are heading up to my folks for my dad's birthday and our nephew, Nolans birthday. We are staying over night and coming home on Sunday.

Nothing else is happening lately. Kinda boring around here.
I will have to post another time when things get exciting.

I've lost my purse...

No, I haven't really lost my purse. It is the title of a poem and when I find the poem, I will share with you. On Friday, 2 friends and I went to tea at The St Louis Tea Room for one friends birthday. The ladies there read poems aloud while you eat. We only heard 2 poems and one was titled "I've Lost My Purse". At least I think thats what the lady said. I did email the tea room and ask for the author so I could find it online. It was a funny poem about a mother needing to pay a bill and couldn't find her pocketbook. This took place I would think in the 40's or 50's. Very cute poem and I hope I find it!

I had my first Diaper Class here at the house on Saturday. Only 3 people came. One person already cloth diapers. I didn't sell anything. I have 2 feelings about the day. 1: Sad because only 3 people showed and didn't sell anything, and 2: Happy because the people that were there are good friends and I trust them with critiquing my presentation. Now that my first class is done, and as I look back on that time, I know what I can do different. As I figure things out, I might share with you. I guess I am a bit embarrassed about my recent presentation. It didn't go as smooth as I had hoped. I think I need to have info on paper for people to look at as I am talking. I can use that as a cheat sheet too. Like I said, I may post more when I figure out what I want to do different.

I haven't shared any pics lately of us even tho Jason has on his blog. I would like to find some to share, or take some more and share then. My favorite lately is of Nate eating corn on the cob for the first time. I will try and find the pic. Well, livedigital is having a tough time loading and I don't want to wait around. I will have to post pics of Nate here another time.

Guess thats all for now.
-Lynn

Nate's New Word

Been waiting somewhat patiently for Nate to finally start saying more words than just mama, daddy and tractor. So I made a list of what he can say. Uh oh, Jackson,whoa and today, I heard saying Baby! Clear as day! We have a babies r us advertisement from the other day and he loves looking thru it. Well, just a few minutes ago, as he was looking thru it, I heard Nate say Baby!

Here are some pictures that I said I would post.





The first pic is of my temporary clothes line. I thought I had more pictures of my clothes line and of Nates clothes line. Will have to go searching for those.
The second pic is of Nate painting for the first time. Aunt Amy was so kind to get him this easel at a yard sale.

Thats all for now. Maybe when Nate goes down for a nap, I will be able to post more.
-L

Nate

Been to a good park lately?

Nate and I ventured out to a park yesterday and today. They weather was so nice these past 2 days that we couldn't stay inside. We went to Creve Couer Park. They have a really nice play area for kids and it is pretty much all in shade. There are 2 play structures, one for the younger crowd and one for the older. The park also has a water feature where when one pushes a button, water shoots up out of the ground and also has a bucket that dumps water every time it's filled. Now Nate doesn't like the water, but he loves the climbing structures. We spent at least 2 hours there yesterday and about an 1 1/2 hours today. Called a friend to see if she and her 2 daughters would like to join us today.

Been waiting to get my clothesline so in the mean time, I decided to put up a temporary one in the backyard. I have strung a line from the garage to the fence by the carport. It only gives my one line and after fixing it a time or two, doesn't sag too much! I have been able to avoid the dryer the past 4 loads of laundry. I did take pictures and will have Jason upload them tonight and I will add them tomorrow here. Nate was playing around me yesterday as I was hanging out his diapers and tried to take a clothes pin from the bag. I gave him one and he went into the basket and grabbed an insert for his diaper and reached up high and tried to pin it to the line!!! So, I stopped hanging laundry and went to find some pieces of rope and tied it between 2 patio chairs. I showed him how to pinch the pin to make it open and how to pin the insert to the line. Nate has his own clothes line just his height!!! I did take pic's of that and will show you tomorrow.

Tonight, I am meeting with Nikki of Jacks Magic Beanstalk. She has my kit ready to go. It didn't cost as much as I was thinking it would. Silly me, I have been researching diapers for the past 2 years and know fairly well the prices of everything, I didn't need to be so worried. I am going to meet with her tonight and go over the order forms and some other things so that I can start getting out the emails to the ladies I want to invite to my first diaper party! I am getting super excited yet nervous. I am more nervous about having people to my house and being a hostess. I also am nervous that I wont be able to get out an invite in the mail to look the way I want it too.

As I am sitting here in the office, I look out my window and look at the tree thats right there. I have hung my bird feeder on a limb out there and see a squirrel trying to eat the seeds. Now I have stop trying to dissuade the squirrels from eating from the feeder, but I look just in time to see one almost fall off the feeder trying to stay perched enough to eat!!! I look up a little further and see a spot of red. There was a cardinal sitting there! How pretty! The stark red against the pretty green leaves. I love seeing such pretty birds flying around. Now, if I get my hummingbird feeder out there, would I be able to attract hummingbirds? Who knows!

Well, I need to get to the kitchen and make up some things for supper. Jason will be home soon and Nate will be getting up soon too.

Be looking for pictures tomorrow!

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday America! Thanks to all the troops out there fighting for our freedom. We appreciate you!
Fireworks were as always, a feast for the eyes. Nate and Jason stayed home. Didn't think Nate would like all the loud noises. Maybe next year. I went to see fireworks not far from here. Just near the Mills Mall. Bridgeton Municipal Athletic Center hosts a parade and fireworks every year. From where I was sitting, I could watch Bridgetons, St Charles and one other places fireworks show.
My parents came to town yesterday. Dad is on vacation and needed to do some shopping. He was on the lookout for some new work shoes. He found a nice pair at Bass Pro Shop. We did go to the Mills Mall. Dad wanted to go to Cabelas and mom wanted to go to Archivers. Both mom and I found some things at Archivers to make cards with. Not long ago, I found some buttons with adhesive already on the back. It came in a package with about 10 buttons of various sizes. Didn't see any so I asked the ladies if they had any in the back and sure enough, they did. I paid $1.99 for the first package I got and these were only $.99 each! So I bought 2 colors, tan and purple.
Been waiting for my stash of diapers so I can start hosting diaper parties. I should be getting everything next week. I need to make up some invitations to send out.
Nate and I spent all day Monday outside. This past weekend, Aunt Amy found an art easel, picnic table and drawing desk for Nate at yard sales. While Nate played, I cleaned up the easel and table for him to use. After lunch, I got out some paint and a brush and paper. Nate loved painting for the first time! I am glad that I remembered to bring out the camera! I will have Jason help download the pics so I might post some here. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate for the next few days so we can spend some more time outside and go to some parks.
I am excited that I get my clothes line soon. My dad needs to contact the place where they are cutting the pieces and then I can go and get the pieces and have our friend Ben weld them together. With all this nice weather lately, I have been dreaming of having my clothes line!
Tomorrow, we are back to our routine. Need to check the schedule and see what needs to be done. I have been slacking the past 2 days and need to get back on schedule.
Well, it's late and I am tired. I am off to bed.

No more fishes swimming in the bowl

I went to clean out the fish bowl the other day. Did everything I normally do. I didn't put the plastic plant back, but everything else was done the same way. Anyway, that night, one the fishes died. The next morning, the other one died. I guess it was the reverse osmosis water and not distilled water that killed them. Who knows. Maybe they got used to the icky water and didn't like the fresh new water.
On a brighter note, Grandpa and Grandma Starbuck are coming for the weekend. Kathy likes to go garage saleing here. We are all going with her. It's always fun looking for bargains.
Been posting on diaperpin.com and diaperswapper.com as a help for Nikki at Jacks Magic Beanstalk, aka, JMBS. If you don't know what's been going on, check out my last post. It will fill you in on my new adventure. After reading alot of post about women using wool for diapers, that has got me wondering and wanting to start knitting or crocheting and making my own diapers. There are some really cute diaper covers that look like shorts or capris, or pants. I will do some research to find a couple of examples of what I want to make. I did find a website that has videos you can watch to get started on knitting. I am hoping to ask my mom or grandma to help show me. I learned how to crochet when I was younger and still remember how. The covers that are knitted are so cute.
Ok, need to get going and straighten up the front room before Jason's folks get here. When Jason gets home, he will be put to work! Watch out Jason!!!

New Adventure

Ever since I had started cloth diapering Nate, I really got into the whole idea. I didn't want to own my own store, or web site. I wanted to get into it by advertising for someone. Well, back in March, I approached a friend whom I bought my initial diapers from and a few since then. She own Jacks Magic Bean Stalk. Check it out: www.jacksmagicbeanstalk.com She and I met officially last night for a few hours. I will start with one home party here at the house. We will see how that goes. She is going to put together a "kit" for me to buy that consists of quite a selection of diapers, wipes, bottom cream that she has developed, slings, etc. All the diapers will be in Nate's size so that I can use him as a model when showing how to use the diapers. I do have a doll that might work too. I will use him when showing how to use the slings. She gave me business cards, brochures,and other types of cards to pass out to any store that will be ok with advertise. I don't know when I will have my first party. I am guessing as soon as I have my kit and supplies. I am excited, yet nervous that I will forget something when I need to order things for people. I will probably have Nikki here for the first time just so that I can have her watch and make sure all goes well. I am also going to be at her house making wipes and doublers, filling orders and shipping and possibly stocking for her.
Nate and I took off for the swimming pool today. Didn't know what he would think of it. It was pretty windy so I knew that the water would be cooler. He wasn't too sure of it all. He pretty much clung to me. I did have him walking around the wading area but he was clutching my hand the whole time. I would like to take him back so he gets used to it. This is the boy who loves to take baths! Go figure!
Nothing else is going on. Been wanting to declutter some rooms again. I think I will start on the bedroom. I have some clothes that need to go either to the basement in winter storage or goodwill. Jason I think needs to go thru all his tshirts and give to good will. He has so many that he hasn't touched some in a long ,long time.
Nikki and I met at St Louis Bread Co for our meeting. I knew towards the end, I wanted to get a pastry. We both got up to get one and they were closing the pastry side so they filled up bags with all kinds of pastries and were giving the bags away! I think I got at least $15 worth of goodies for free! I had no idea they did that. I had a chocolate croissant this morning. Yummy. Hmm, I wonder what I will have tomorrow morning! Pop something in the toaster oven to warm up. Yummy!
Now that I have talked about cleaning up the bedroom, I am ansy to get started. So I will sign off and bid all of you goodnight.
-L

Time to slow down

All of May seem to fly by and we were so busy every weekend. Yesterday is the last Saturday that we have anything going on. I am grateful for that. As much as I like socializing with so many people, I am ready for a few weeks of nothing. Nate and I haven't been to a park lately, been to the library, swimming yet. Just so much going. I am looking forward to a quiet week. I am going to check out our local swimming hole and see when that opens. I would like to get a season pass, but if Nate balks at the idea of swimming, I don't want to spend the money and not use that pass as much as we normally would. I am thinking of getting a membership to the Zoo also. I was thinking about it a while ago and then rethought everything because of gas prices, but we like the zoo so much and it is very educating for Nate. We have been 2 times this spring and still haven't seen everything. We try to get there when it opens and then head home around noon, or shortly there after with a picnic in the zoo.
Went to a beautiful wedding Friday nite at the Jewel Box in Forest Park. The reception was at Orlando Gardens right on the other side of 270 from us. We were home by 11:30pm. The next day we went garage saleing. Nate was at my parents house overnight so that freed Jason and I up to go out saleing without Nate. We found a Little Tikes garden for $5, a toddler bed for $7, games, books for 10 cents a piece. Had a good time. Nate was missed mostly by daddy but when we were going to pick him up, I realized I had been missing him too. Home for a lunch and bed for a nap and then we headed out to Columbia for a graduation party. We packed up things to stay in a hotel but decided not to stay. We got home around 12:30am. We just hung around here for the morning. About 11, we took off for Florrisant to visit a furniture shop. I had found a kitchen table on craigslist and fell in love with it. I didn't see the one I wanted, but got to see one like it, just different color. The store did have different tables so I am going to go back on my own sometime and take a look. We stopped of at Wingstop to pick up some lunch. Got home and I found out they had messed up my order. Normally I would let it go and just eat what they had given me, but I asked for Hawaiian BBQ and they gave me Hickory Smoke. Too spicy for me. They were good about what happened and said that they would redo my order for free. So, off I went to get that and Jason put Nate down for a nap.
I am going to sign off, change clothes and go and help Jason clean the garage.
-Lynn

Scary hair day!

Jason got Nate up from bed yesterday morning and said that he had really bad bed head. I was able to snap some pictures of it. It was pretty wild!! Daddy had given Nate a bath the night before and so thats why it was so wild.




Today we are heading out to get the oil changed in the van. Thankfully the place where we are going have a kids room to play. I figure if we go aroun 10am Nate will be ready to play with new and different toys and ready for a snack. I think grapes and juice should satisfy the boy. That will keep him busy enough while we wait.
I got 2 gift certificates for my birthday from Close To My Heart stamping/scrapbooking company that my sister-in-law is a consultant for. I get a discount to so I am able to get more than I thought!! I am excited to get all this.
Well, Nate should be getting up soon so I am going to stop here. Enjoy the pictures of my funny boy!
-L

Update

If you look at the first post on this site it sorta updates you on whats been going on.
But, I have more. We have spent alot of time at my parents. The last Thursday and Friday of April, Nate and I spent with my mom and dad to celebrate moms birthday. The weekend after, the 5th, my grandparents were traveling south with my uncle and we all convened at my parents for that. The next Saturday,we were there again that evening to celebrate our nephews 5th birthday. We stayed overnight so we could spend most of Mothers day with my mom. The next Sat. the 19th, my bro and his family and my parents came here. It was my birthday. I turned 31. We went to a nice park for a picnic and then that evening, Jason's sister and her friend came to babysit Nate so Jason and I could go to a friends birthday party. It was an adult only no kids allowed party. They had a good acoustic guitar player there. We sat around a fire chatting and listening to music. Even tho it was a party for our friend, I was sang Happy Birthday to also!
Time to go work on supper. Didn't really plan for tonight. I was planning on going out with some friends. So, thankfully I had everything to make spaghetti. Great standby!
Take it easy,
L

A Fresh New Start

The last few weeks, there were reports from blogsource that they were shutting down. Everything would be sent over to livedigital. Jason manages our photos from there but I didn't want my blog to be there. So, I asked him about starting a blog from blogger where he blogs. So, this morning, I did just that. I started a new blog. It was very easy to start a new blog. The only thing is that I will bave to manually bring over my old post from blogsource or, have a link here to livedigital so all can still see the photos from the old blog. A bit of mourning on my part to leave all those posts behind. As we looked at it this morning, I had posted 97 posts. Lots with pictures. I may just bring over my first post as a rememberance.
I am looking forward to starting over and with Jasons help it should go very smoothly. I have found one feature that I really, really like. It autosaves for me. The last 2 times I have tried to post on blogsource, I have lost my posts for various reasons. Not watching what I was doing mostly. I needed to start over. Now I won't have to do that.
We are heading north to Jason's folks this weekend. I haven't been there since Christmas. We will be back on Monday. I am hoping to do a little bit of fishing. I even got my pole and tackle box out to make sure it was ready to go.
Thats all for now. I am sure Nate is ready to get up soon. It's 8am and he's still sleeping. He was worn out from so much playing last night. Aunt Amy and Mr Dave the Great was here last night. They have so much fun playing together.
Take care,
L