For you...

Happy Halloween! I have been trying to post this all day and blogger was not being cooperative!

Owen and I went to my school today to visit and go to the third grade Halloween party. It was lively. We visited more than partied. It gets loud for Owen. We had a great time. It's so nice to go and see everyone. Owen wore his costume. Here is a picture of him with it on. I made little booties for him but they were a bit small and when I put them on without his socks they kept falling off. So no booties! We are not taking him trick or treating. It's a bit too cold AND he can't eat the candy!

The Vikings game last night was fun but they didn't do well. I had a good time with my girlfriends. Here are some photos.This is me and my friend Sandy.

This is Bea. She is the one who has the season tickets and took us all to the game. She is also the one with all the wigs and shirts! She is a real fan. I spent a lot of time looking around! There's always interesting people to watch and it was more so that way due to being the day before Halloween!

Here it is...

Here it is!!! Owen's costume! I will post a picture of him in it later. I've got to find a pattern or idea for some booties.

(Miranda, why are you always at work when I need you!?)

A big day...

for Morgan. Today is his 2nd interview for a new job. I am hoping and praying that it goes well. He really needs a change. The interview is at 1:30.

I am almost done with Owen's costume! I did the hat fitting this morning. I wasn't sure how to go about making it. I cut a cone shape of paper and tried that on him last week. It worked okay. So last night I decided I just needed to trim that a bit and cut it out of the red fleece, stitch it up a bit and try it on him. So I did. And it didn't work out too bad. It's a bit big but I can easily fix that. Morgan thought some little red socks would be good with it too. I've got enough red fleece that I'm going to try and make some little booties.

Tonight I'm going to the Vikings game! One of my bible study friends has six season tickets and she thought it would be fun to take all of us to a game. (There are six of us in my bible study). She's taken a couple of us at a time but never all at once. So it should be a good time. I am not a football fan. I know very little about football and usually get distracted by other things. The lights. The other fans. I can also be a distraction because I ask a lot of questions. It's also a long time for me to pay attention to something! I have a rather short attention span. When we watch football at home I usually fall asleep or wander off and find something else to do, forgetting about the game. But will will dress up and my friend has a purple feathered wig I like to wear so I will post some pictures tomorrow.

The 2P's challenge for today is:
What one event in your childhood do you believe shaped your future more than any other??

That is a tough question. It all depends on how it's approached. My parents divorcing definately had an impact on how I grew up, what I did in my life, and how I turned out. But I think the events that shaped my childhood and my sister's more than anything that happened in our lives were things that happened in my mom's life. My mom knew when she had me, at 20, that she was not going to be the kind of mother that my grandmother was. Like all mothers she didn't do everything perfectly but my sister and I knew, and still know, that we are loved. That my mom would do anything for us. And that we could grow up to be whatever and whoever we wanted. I know I would not be who am I without my mom being raised the way she was. My grandmother was a woman who was never happy. Not with herself or anyone else. That affected the way she was as a mother. And if affected how my mom is.
I think everyone has things in their childhood, good or bad, that shape them. It's all in how you look at it. I am fortunate to not have had anything happen to me that I was not be able to deal with and grow from and move on. As I mentioned, I have a short attention span and because of that I can't dwell on things too long. I just get distracted!

Tomorrow...

please include Morgan in your prayers. At 1:30pm he has a second interview for a new position at his company! We are really hoping for this. It will be in his area of interest and expertise (writing) and will also be a pay increase. With me not working that will be a real benefit! So any prayers you send this way are greatly appreciated and will be returned to you. If you aren't the praying sort do whatever you do when you are really hoping or wishing for something!!! Thank you... thank you...thank you!

Isn't this...

dang cute! I got this yesterday at the Bibelot Shop in NE Mpls. Owen and I went downtown to have lunch with my best friend BJ. We went across the river to Panera and after we stopped in the Bibelot Shop. We love to wander these cute little shops together. Get ideas. Marvel at how easily we could make some of the stuff we see. Catch up. As were were doing this I spotted this sign on the wall. It was LOVE at first sight. The Wizard of Oz is one of my all time favorite movies. And glitter is one of the loves of my creative life. (It's hard to see but the words are covered in red glitter!) So combine the two and it was love at first sight. The accent color in my kitchen is red so it was perfect. I put it up above the door between our kitchen and study. So when I come in to the kitchen or stand at the sink I can look over and see this. It makes me smile. And it's true. There is no place like home. I like to travel but I don't like to sleep in a different bed or be away from home for too long. I get cranky. I am not good at packing just a few things either. It pains me not to have the full selection of my wardrobe at hand. So this statement rings true for me in many ways. Our house is also the first place that has been a home to me besides the home I grew up in. So it just fits. It had to come to my home.

2P's challenge for today:
Let's talk turkey.
What are you fixin this Thanksgiving???
Share your fave Thanksgiving fare on your blog.. let's share some recipes!

Well, as some of you are well aware, I don't cook! I can help with the cooking but I am not the cook in the house. Morgan is in charge of that. And he's cookin' a turkey. It is a requirement of our Thanksgiving dinner. Miranda would not allow a different kind of meat. The first Thanksgiving that we hosted Morgan wanted to do enchiladas. Miranda said she wasn't coming if there wasn't turkey. So we have turkey. Then we also have the other fixings such as potatoes, stuffing and biscuits. I don't know what else there is in the works. Oh, and we have to have pumpkin pie. It's my favorite. Around this time of year The Girls (Lori, Maggie, & Nikki) and I go to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. They have wonderful pumpkin cheesecake. So it's an annual tradition. Maggie's birthday is in November too. So it's sometimes part of a birthday celebration. Her birthday is the 28th. So I will do a post to her on her birthday!!
I'm mostly a dessert person. So whatever we have for dinner is usually fine with me as long as dessert is good. Morgan also makes really good sweet potato biscuits. I love them. I think I actually made them one year! I can bake. I love to bake. I just don't have the attention span or the creativity to cook. I like to mix it up and put it in the oven and come back when the timer goes off. I get impatient standing around watching stuff. It's just not my thing. It's a good thing I married a man who can cook.

When a good day...

goes bad. Yesterday was a crappy day. Or it turned into a crappy day. It started with Owen sneezing during lunch which meant all of what was in his little mouth ended up on me. In the case of baby food, a little goes a long way. While he was eating he was doing some business in his pants. This is not unusual. We frequently need to take a break so he can do this. So after he finished eating and I cleaned up his face, hands and whatever baby food got on him from the sneezing I took him in to change his diaper. Well, the good ol' Huggies didn't do their job! I HATE that. It had come out the side and gotten all over the inside of his cute little velvet outfit. So not only did I need to change the diaper I needed to change the rest of his clothes too. Getting those clothes off without getting crap all over Owen was a challenge. He ended up having a bit of a wash cloth bath after I got the clothes off. Incidentally, I had already done all of his laundry! The day only got worse with the washing machine having an issue. It was making a funny noise after I put in the Twins Birthday gifts in to be washed (yes, they are done...see below) because the sewing machine had gotten a few spots on them. So I went down and it was stuck! I turned it off. Turned it back on. Wouldn't go. So I turned it to the gentle cycle and it seemed to be okay. Well, the short of it is it will only wash on gentle. If I'm lucky. So I call my mom to ask her about this and how much it costs to repair this stuff and such. Well this washing machine is at least 25 years old. At least. It came with our house and it looks like the one we had at home when I was a kid. It's old. It needs to be replaced. Of course I tell Morgan this and he says "have you been talking to your mom?? It sounds like something she would say." Well, she did say it would probably not be worth it to fix. My husband doesn't think twice about spending $400 on a stroller for Owen but we should think about fixing a 25 year old washing machine!?!? I wasn't hoping for a new washing machine for my birthday but I think it's what I'm going to end up getting. I always get stuck with the practical stuff. AND Owen was cranky as all get out yesterday! I don't know if he's working on some teeth or what but he was a bear. He didn't nap for hardly and hour for his first nap. His second nap lasted 2 1/2 hours which is great but he was crabby after about an hour of being awake. His third nap only lasted 45 minutes. By then my sister was here to babysit so I could go to work. So I just left! She said I was running away from a crabby baby. She was right! I guess he was good for her and was fine for Morgan. I got home before he went to bed and he was happy then. He slept from 8pm until about 6:20am. Which is good. But today could be more of the same. I still need to use the washing machine. Owen hacked up 1/2 of his breakfast (which I thought I had figured out how to prevent!) and he's crabby. He is sleeping though! So....the birthday gifts.

Here they are. Sewing on towels is a pain in the behind! I had envisioned something much different when I started these but they were such a pain that I had to simplify. Then after I washed them to get the spots off I discovered the one for me neice had started to fall apart in the wash! Ugh! So I had to repair it after I got home from work. They are cuter than they look in the picture. And I cut a wash cloth in 1/2, put a J and a C on each 1/2 and then sewed them up to be like a little bath mitt. I said to Morgan last night I have too many projects going on. I've got to finish Owen's costume. But I don't have to have it done by tomorrow. We were going to take him to a Halloween party tomorrow but it's been cancelled so I don't need to rush to finish it. I need to put buttons on the jacket and I am not good with buttons. I need to psych myself up for it. And I need to finish his hat. He's been so crabby I don't want to mess with him too much to size the hat. Maybe today he will cooperate. I am also sewing 3 book bags for Nikki to give as gifts. I have 4 shirts of my own that need the sleeves shortened and one of them I'd like to do an applique on. Then I have Halloween cards I want to make and send. And a business card to design for my next artists salon meeting! How did I ever work outside my home! Today we also need to run some errands. I need to take back the other coat I bought for Owen and get more night time diapers. Then go to Artsy Tartsy and pick up the Quickutz dies I ordered. Maybe we will stop at the new Michael's in Plymouth. I like stores that are new. They are dirty yet! Oh, and I need to work on the sample cards for the Christmas/Holiday card class I'm going to do in November. If anyone signs up! I'm a Close to My Heart consultant, but not a very good one. Well, I'm good with the creativity but not the sales. I'm lucky to make my quarter goals!

Well, I've rambled enough. I need to get ready for the rest of whatever today plans to throw at me!

Today's challenge...

besides a cranky baby! If you could open a door to anywhere, where would you go???

I didn't really even have to think twice about this. My grandparents house. Wherever it is now. Where ever they are now. I'd got visit them. There is rarely a day that does by that I don't think about them and miss them. I only knew one set of grandparents growing up and I guess that made them extra special. So, that's where I would go. Just to visit. Say I missed them. See how they were.

Last night Morgan and I had a date. We went to a benefit performace by Garrison Keillor at Anoka High School. It was a great show. I took a few pictures but they didn't turn out. I am not able to keep the camera steady in a dark auditorium! There were also other performers. One group in particular was really good. They are Flaming Seamus. You can read more about them here. They are 4 teenage boys, Juniors, and they play Irish music. They've been playing together for 2 years. They were just really good. I think it's so cool when kids find something they are passionate about and get together and do something like this. It was a fun night. Morgan really enjoys Garrison Keillor but we've never gone to see him at the Fitz. We tried to get rush tickets one time but it didn't happen. I think this was better than going to see A Prairie Home Companion because we didn't have to drive over to St. Paul or pay to park! And the tickets were cheaper. They were actually our birthday present from my mom. So it was fun.

Okay. I'm off to try and finish these birthday gifts!

I made some money by...

designing and creating this announcement for my boss. Maybe I can do something else other than teach school. To make money I mean! Now I need to learn how to market myself and my stuff. I am part of an Artists Salon to help me do this. My first assignment is to design a business card for myself. So that is my next task. Well, after the Twins' birthday gifts and Owen's Halloween costume. And some laundry and going to see Garrison Keillor tonight at Anoka High School. And the doctor's appointment I have in 1/2 an hour!

Check out...

all that hair! I know it may not look like a lot of hair to those of who whose children were born with a lot. But for Owen this is A LOT of hair! And this all just happened within the last month or so!

Here is the final fitting of the green pants for Owen's Halloween Costume. Can you see the detail on the bottom? Patterns for babies seem to work the same way patterns for women do. The sizing is all wrong! The small sized jacket fits okay. The sleeves were too long so I had to shorten those. But the pants! My oh my! I had to take an inch off of each side and about 3 inches off the bottom. Now I know that Owen is not going to be a big guy because neither of his parents are big but sheesh! Poor guy was drowning in the pants! So, I have to put buttons on the jacket and then that will be done. And then get his red hat done.



And here is Owen in his Chariot. It was chilly out yesterday evening when we went for a walk so he had to wear his suit. He was very good about it. Notice the look on his face though?? "Done yet Mommy??" Morgan ran with Owen in the buggy and I took Ludwig. When I take him out I usually skate with him. I can't keep up with him in shoes! He hadn't been out in a few days and really need to get the neighborhood news! He had a bit of an incident in the livingroom the other day. It involved the fireplace gnomes, one lost a leg, and Ludwig got a scrape on his leg. We don't know what went down but he's been pretty pouty ever since. I love Ludwig, he's a great dog, but weird!

One more picture. Here is my giant monogram H I did for the two DT's I submitted for. It is 18 inches tall. I hand cut it from foamboard and then decorated it. I'm going to hang it in my studio. I have not been able to get a very good picture of it. I don't seem to be able to get the lighting right or get it all in focus! So I'm going to keep trying.

Lastly, 2P's challenge for today.
Think Christmas.
Think about your Christmas tree, if you have one.
How do you decorate it? what do you use????

Ugh! We aren't even done with Halloween! We put up my grandma's old artificial tree. I can't bear to kill a tree just to put it in my livingroom for a few weeks. And I worry that Ludwig will pee on it! We put on white lights, lots of lights! Then I put on green and burgundy bows, lots of glass ornaments and ornaments that either Morgan or I had as children or ornaments that were my grandma's. This year I would like to make a new tree skirt for it. I also have a small fiber optic tree I put up downstairs. I usually put it up in my classroom but now I don't have a classroom. Maybe I'll put it up in my studio this year.
Christmas stresses me out. It is a very busy time of year for a teacher and I also like to make a lot of gifts but I don't always start early enough! So by the time it gets to be December I'm starting to get frazzled. This year, since I'm not teaching, maybe I won't get frazzled. But I probably will since we are going to MT for Christmas.

What is...

your favorite quote? I have started collecting quotes. It's my new favorite thing to use on a layout. I found this one in a book the other day.

"I am not a glutton. I am an explorer of food." by Erma Bombeck.

I'm going to use it on a layout of Owen eating. He's a bit messy! Today he had sweet potatoes for the first time. He loved em'. I don't think he's met a food he doesn't like yet! I think he's taking after his daddy! He's not a fan of rice cereal but he eats it.

Here is a layout I did of my sister. This is one of the first pictures I took when we got our digital camera. The layout needs a little something else but I haven't figured out what it is yet.

So, if you have a good quote... POST IT in the comments section! That way we can share some!

Alright. I've got to work on my neice and nephew's birthday gifts. I will take a picture when I'm done and post it so you can all see what it is and how it turned out!

Owen slept...

from 8pm until 7am! I've been telling him this is how it should be but he hasn't done it yet! Until last night. He stirred a bit in the night but didn't have to get up and eat!!! Wooo Whooo!

I'm almost done with his little costume. Morgan decided he should have some little booties or shoes with a hooked toe. So now I'm trying to figure out where to find a pair or how to make a pair! And I have to figure out his red cone shaped hat. I came up with a pattern last night but he was already asleep when I got home from work so I couldn't fit him for it.

2P's challenge for today:
Talk about something you did as a kid, that now, you no longer do.. could be anything, good or bad!
I took dance lessons from the time I was around 3 or 4 until I was in high school. This is a picture of me from one of my recitals. Our song was Rubber Ducky. One little girl cried the whole time. Another little girl sang the song at the top of her lungs. She wasn't a good singer either.
I was on the dance line for a year in high school. Then in college I was in the Dance Theatre at UWRF for a year. After that I stopped. I wish I didn't. I loved to dance. I still love to dance. Someday I would like to take some lessons again. Just for fun. I am not athletic so dancing was my sport I guess. Now I like to run. I don't have time lately though and I need to work back up to it after having Owen. I keep trying to get back to it but so many other things get in the way.

I didn't make the other DT I submitted for. Oh well. I'll try again!

Hey....

Look what I made!!!! Green pants!!! You may be wondering why on earth I am making pants THIS GREEN??? They are part of Owen's Halloween costume. He's going to be a gnome. So I am making the costume. And I need to add that I have had A LOT of help! Thank you to my Mom (who bought the pattern) and especially my sister, Miranda, who took the pattern out of the envelope, unfolded it, gave me the paper and pencil to trace it, and then pinned it down and cut it out! She's great. I have a fear of patterns. They are complicated. Anything wordy and compilcated I sort of freak out. She's much more calm and able to figure out complicated stuff. Now I know this makes me sound like kind of a dim wit. I'm not. I'm just pattern challenged. Right Miranda?? So I'm slowly getting it figured out. AND I did not mess them up! I have not have to tear out any seams! I did not stitch the legs together!!! I almost did and then THOUGHT about it and stopped! But I did not read the directions (my mom said not to). Isn't it amazing how even at almost 33 I still need them both so much! Thanks sissy, you're the best! So now I'm off to keep working! I was just so excited I had to share!

And...

it's back to the daily grind. Yes, I know your thinking "but Heather, you don't WORK!" I know. But this house needs a good cleaning. Luckily Morgan did the dishes this morning. And tonight I will be going to work. I work part-time for a motgage coordinator (she doesn't like the term broker) doing a variety of stuff. So if you are in MN and in need of a loan let me know! She is great to work with.

I have my 2P's challenges to catch up on. So here's the two questions I missed:

If you could only get one thing for Christmas, scrapbooking related, what would it be???
This is a touqh question! Mostly because I have a lot of scrapbooking related items already! But I think it would be a new paper trimmer that actually cuts straight! That is an invaluable tool. My Fiskars does not cut straight and neither does the other green one (not a cutterpede but can't remember the brand) that I have. This, as you know, can be very aggravating. But, now that I've thought about it more, maybe it would be a wide format printer.

What are the things others do that really bug you?
Where to begin! When I was teaching it was a big no-no to whistle in my classroom. I don't like whistling. It hurts my ears and kids are really on key when they do it. I was very structured and consistent in my classroom so loosey-goosey-ness bothers me. Lateness. Morgan was really bad at this when we were first dating. He's much improved though. Sometimes I wonder at how we made it because he was so late sometimes! I am very bothered by open mouth chewers. I find this positvely gross! There have been people I've worked with who I could not eat in the same room with because they did it. I even had to stop dating someone because of this. Well, a few other things too but this was a big factor. Surprisingly, Morgan does this too! I'm not afraid to tell him to close it up though! Cussing...I am not bothered by the occasional obscenity. It's the people you hear out and about whose every other word is f-this and f-that. I believe people should, for the most part, try to express themselves in an intelligent manner. Yes, I understand and respect freedom of speech. However, out in public where there are children this is not appropriate. With freedom comes responsibility. Foul language is not being responsible. It's being offensive.
Lots of what bothers me comes from living with another person. My husband specifically. Those of you who live with another person. Husband, roommate, boyfriend/girlfriend.... or who have, know that these people can get on your nerves at times. So I won't go into all of that because as much as Morgan does to bother me, he's a good husband.
I also don't like it when people drive like idiots. They have what I call HUB syndrome. Head Up Butt. I love acronyms. I love to make them up. This stems from being a teacher for 8 years. Education is suffused with acronyms. Some of them soo long you can't possibly remember what they mean. So I started making acronyms up to entertain my coworkers. It became a bit of a game and now they do it too! Moving on....

I went to St. Cloud with Owen and Nikki this past Friday. What a fun trip. Unfortunately, we didn't get any crafting done. Just eating and shopping! We spent at good 2 1/2 hours in the BIG Craft's Direct store. My favorite purchase was this book! I love Cathy Z's work.

I have her first book and it is like my scrapbooking bible. I like my work to be precise. Everything straight. Lined up. Balanced. She discusses basic design principles in the first book and then sort of expands on them in the second. I'm not all the way through it yet (yes, I'm reading cover to cover!) but so far it's great. I also was able to use a 50% off coupon on it! I love a deal.

I also got some wool felt to use on the purse I'm working on. And a few other goodies. Nikki got cute frog and jungle fabric for me to make book bags with for her to give as Christmas gifts. So it was a fun trip.

Thank you, everyone who wished me luck with my design team stuff. I was not selected. However, I sent stuff in for another one! I should hear about that, or not, today. It's nice they don't keep people waiting forever. I would really like to be on a DT however, I don't like the rejection part. But you don't know until you give it a try. Here's one of my layouts. My favorite one that I've done recently. It took me foever to find the right patterened paper. Which got me thinking that I really need to find a way to organize my patterned papers. So I bought some organizer drawers at Target. But now I have to figure out how I'm going to do it. So if you all have suggestions PLEASE post them for me in the comments!! I am good at the task of organizing but not always the ideas of what to do! And I'm sure many of you have already had to do this task!

And one last thing. This morning when I checked my e-mail I had a nice message from Denise at Sentiments By Denise.
I was a winner in her 100th celebration. So she is sending me a prize!
Check out her blog. She is very creative and posts great recipes!

Blog about something...

that has really excited you.. something you were really anticipating perhaps.. blog about it.. share your excitement!!!!!

When I read Bonnie's post on 2P's this am about the challenge for todays blog I knew exactly what I would write about. Owen's birth. Or his arrival I should say. I was not excited about his birth. Well, I was, but I was also scared!! I know lots of people are excited about the arrival of a child. They should be. It's a miracle. But I didn't always feel that way. Not really. It's amazing how people are created. But I was not going to be a mommy. I'm not a kid person. Yes, I taught elementary school for 8 years. I was a good teacher. My students liked me. I really think I was good at what I did. But I was not a kids-in-my-house sort of person. I like things neat. Organized. Not BROKEN. Kids just seemed like the opposite of all of that. I didn't want my life to change. I didn't want life to not be about me. I thought kids would be a drag. I really thought that. And then, for some reason, my mind changed. Maybe it was Morgan. Maybe it was Ella, my best friend's daughter. Who also was not a kid person. Or my neice and nephews. I can't really put my finger on what changed. But something did. And I thank God every single day. Owen is our own little miracle. Our little bundle of sweetness. I can't explain or put into words how I love that child. My child. I never thought I could feel this way about another person. After we brought him home I cried. A lot. I'm not much of a crier. I cried a lot during my pregnancy too. But after we came home it was nuts. Crazy nuts. I was so worried about everything and my hormones were just whacked out. I had an easy pregnancy. Labor on the other hand was a bear. 36 hours, a c-section, a hemorrage, and a transfusion. Oh, have I mentioned I'm a pansy. I HATE needles. I feared having a c-section. I was terrified. I never thought it would happen to me. I was sure that since God made women for this task I could do it. I read books. I trained. I was prepared. I was so naive. And the first two weeks were so hard. SO HARD. Nothing prepares a woman for motherhood. Not all the books about it. Not all the advice from other mothers. Or your own mother. You have to do it. Jump in. Both feet. I'm glad I did.
Now that Owen is almost 6 months old I can reflect and see what I have learned. And it's more than I learned in 21 years of schooling. On the job training. Everyday I learn something new. But something he has given me is the ability to live in the moment, everyday. I'm not looking forward to something. Like Thanksgiving or Christmas break. Or the weekend. Part of that is staying home with him. If I worked I would be looking forward to being with him. I don't have to look forward to it. I am with him. When he goes to sleep. When he wakes up. When he rolls over. When he laughs and smiles. When he cries. I am there. I love that I can do that. It's a sacrifice but it's one that I, we, made a choice to make. On the nights I work and Morgan has to put him to bed and read him his story just the two of them, I miss them. I miss the routine. Another sacrifice. But they also need, deserve, some time together. And I deserve some time to be valuable somewhere else.
I'm so glad, excited everyday, that I choose to do this. Be a mommy. Love a child of my own. This child. Stephen Covey said "begin with the end in mind." I want to raise Owen to be a happy, healthy, polite, kind, God loving, respectful man. So each day I keep that in mind. I do my best to help him in that direction. It's my job. The most important one I will ever do.
All the things I was worried about before I became a mommy don't matter now. Even losing the baby weight is second to enjoying time with my baby. My biggest fears in life used to be gaining weight, growing old, and dying. Most days, I don't really give my fears much thought. Yes, I still value being able to be me. Just Heather. But I can do that and be Owen's mommy and Morgan's husband. I'm not afraid to take some time for me. But I will always come back to being the mommy.

Two more things...

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I was watching The View yesterday, which I don't do often, and they told the story of a woman who was stricken with breast cancer at 31. She had just had a baby, he was 7 months old. She was still breast feeding and thought it was just a blocked duct. Or a cyst. She'd had a cyst before. It turned out to be cancer. She was a runner and just and overall busy woman. I was just stuck watching this. This vibrant woman full of life. She is surviving. It just struck me how naive I am about my health sometimes. So it's important to do those self exams! Here's a link if you don't know how or need a refresher. I admit I don't do them. I just think I'm too young to worry about that. There's no history of it in my family. They said that 95% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no family history. This woman was 31.

It also brings me to one of my fears. That things go on in our bodies that we don't know about. Cancer. Cysts. The beginning of pregnancy. In March Morgan was diagnosed with a bilateral pulmonary embolism. In non-medical terms he had a blood clot in each lung. He had not been feeling well for a few weeks. He just had this nagging but unproductive cough and some pain in his lung area. It was 6 days after he completed a long ski race in very cold weather that he decided he needed to go to the doctor. He went in to his primary care physician who sent him to have a CT just in case. That's how they found the clots. He was admitted to the hospital and was there for 3 days. My husband is a fit man. He did not have any of the indicators of PE. He runs, skis, bikes, lifts a few weights and with the exception of his unhealthy relationship with tortilla chips he eats pretty well. At the time I was 8 months pregnant. I was at work when he called to tell me. I hadn't been able to get ahold of him all day and was a little freaked out when it wasn't his number that came up on my cell phone. I immediately said "where have you been!?" He told me he was at the doctor. Well, I'm not dumb. The appointment was at 8am and this is 3:00pm. Finally he fessed up that he was in the hospital and what he had. Well, I didn't cry until I called my mom. I didn't know what PE was really or how serious it was until after he was out of the hospital. So if you don't know. Here's a link. Check it out. And check your breasts. Stuff goes on inside of us that we don't know about.

Scrapladyb wants to know...

How you feel about your blogging. Is it too time consuming? Do you love sharing? What are the benifits of blogging? and the negative things of it?

I like my blog. It's a fun thing for me to do that doesn't involve anyone else. I can talk about whatever I want. I can share whatever I want and it. It keeps people entertained! (Right Michele!?) Now, the negative is that when I don't keep up I sometimes get a friendly reminder that I'm a bit behind! The other thing I think is cool about my blog is that it makes me feel a little bit famous! Just a little bit. Owen and I went to visit at school last week and we saw some school peeps. Well, my friends that read my blog already knew how big Owen was getting. Shannon (HI SHANNON!!) said "I read your blog so I've seen Owen". I just felt a little bit famous. I know it's silly but it's still fun. I mostly like that I can write and others read and they write and I read. I don't really like to talk on the phone and this is just another form of communication. I'm sure there are people who say it's lazy. It doesn't promote interpersonal communication skills. Well, sometimes a person just doesn't want to be interpersonal!

So in 15 days I'm going to be 33. 33! I just find this impossible. I never adjusted to being 19. This year my sister turned 26. She is the same age as some of my friends from work. But she's not. She's younger. I don't mean she's immature. I mean she is my LITTLE SISTER! She just can't be the same age as these other people. Now, my sister is very responsible and is just as competent as these other 26 year olds... well, more responsible than one of them...anyway, it's just hard to adjust to people getting older. To me my mom doesn't age because she's always been a grown-up to me. I just don't adjust to change well. When I turned 30 I was very upset. For several months before. Morgan threw me a nice surprise party. But I was still 30. The thing is...I'm very happy with my life. I have a wonderful husband, a beautiful baby, a great family and fabulous friends. When you ask for more out of life you're getting greedy. They are all blessings. So are the extras. So turning 33 is difficult because it's change. It's getting older. Not because I have regrets or need more out of life. I'm working for more. There's more I want to do. But I don't feel cheated or regretful. Okay... enough downer talk!

Here's my new purse! I switched over yesterday. I LOVE it! It's hard to tell in the pic but the stitching is pink. My mom bought it for me last week. We got a good deal on it. It smells good too!

And here is my other boy. The gentle giant. Ludwig. He's a big guy. Comes up to my hip and weighs about 80 pounds. BUT he's scared of lots of things! One day he was so excited to go outside that he knocked over a chair with my green vest hanging on it. Well for a week he just couldn't be around that green vest because IT not he had knocked over the chair! He's a character.
We were eating french fries. Yes, for breakfast. We had take-out from 50's Grill last night. If you live in the Twin Cities and haven't been there you HAVE to go. They have the best burgers and fries. Well, Matt's bar in Mpls. has good burgers too. I guess it's a toss up. Anyway, for breakfast I'm having leftovers. Ludwig loves fries. What he doesn't love is dog food. I don't think he knows he's a dog. I keep telling him and he just prefers people food. It's funny how dogs are just as picky about food as people. Although we sort of make them that way. They wouldn't know other food if people didn't give it to them!

My last thought for this morning... Owen is growing himself some HAIR! Now I love his mostly bald little head but he's starting to get some more soft fuzzy hair. I love that too. I couldn't get a picture of it because he had to go down for his early morning nap. But will get one soon! OH AND he did not spit up his breakfast! Big day! I gave him so solids before the bottle. Now, I don't know if that's what helped or if it's a fluke. With all good research more work needs to be done!

It's 3AM...

and I'm awake! What a surprise. Morgan put O to bed last night without his sleep sack on. He usually wakes up sometime during the night. We feed him. He coughs and spits it all up. So I decided we would feed him less if he woke up. So when he woke up I got him out, rocked him a bit, and he fell back to sleep. So I decided I'd put his sleep sack on and see if he'd fall back to sleep without eating. And he did! No spitting up! Now I'll see if he stays asleep. I think he may have slept longer if he'd had his sack on though. I love out middle of the night snuggles but I don't like not being able to go back to sleep. My head usually starts going. I had to get up and look someone up in my HS yearbook. I get things stuck in my head and can't get back to sleep. One thought leads to another and then another and then I'm wide awake!

Yesterday afternoon was my sister's first day of babysitting. EVER! Being the youngest she didn't have to babysit anyone else except herself. She is watching Owen for an hour 2 days a week between the time I go to work and the time Morgan gets home from work. It got off to a rocky start. I had put Owen down for a nap but it didn't take so I got him up. We came into the kitchen and Miranda said hi to him but he didn't see her yet. So I turned around so he could see her and he was startled and started to cry again. Then she got up from the table and walked over to him which really startled him and he sort of screamed a bit and cried some more. Well, it was rather traumatic for both of them. But he settled down and was happy to see her. He loves his auntie Sissy. Last week she made him two new toys. I will take a pic and post them. Super cute. He loves them.
Here is Owen's cute new coat. It's all washed up and ready to wear. Well, actually it needs a bit of ironing. But in a pinch he could wear it. He also has a new coverall type suit for the really cold days. I'm sure he's going to just LOVE wearing that and the coat! I looked at a lot of coats before picking out two to bring home and try out. I'm picky about my clothes and I guess I am the same way about Owen's clothes. Plus you have to make sure stuff is going to be easy to get on and off. Won't be poking in some place.



And here is my leaf picture again! I did a little editing in PSE. I decreased the saturation and blurred the background leaves a bit and did a bit of a glow on the leaf itself. Then added the stuff around the border with some brushes. I had an 8x10 of it printed and am waiting for that to arrive. I'm going to frame it and hang it somewhere. I had thought I would hang it in the the living room but Morgan wants some pictures with people in them. Him and his people pictures. At the state fair this year our entertainment was taking pictures of people eating! But without them knowing it. We got some good shots but I can't post those as I would feel bad about posting pictures of people I don't know eating! I can put them in my scrapbook though!

The 2P's challenge for today is:
what things about the upcoming holidays are you looking forward to?
Well, I like presents! I like to make them and give them. And receive them. I get very overwhelmed by Christmas though. On Morgan's side the birthdays start the end of October and don't stop until about March. We have a bit of a break in January. It just seems like a time of year that requires a lot of cash and that stresses me out. I get cranky. I don't like to be cranky during the Christmas season. I also love all the decorated houses. But I love Halloween too. It will be different not being at school this year for Halloween. I always enjoyed the joint Halloween party that Maggie and I did. Maybe O and I will go visit for the Halloween party!!! What do you think Mag??
I really just like the feeling of the holidays. The crisp air. The anticipation of the season. This year we are going to Montana for Christmas. Another cash cow! Christmas out there is different. It's nice. Just different. Lots of people all in one house for a few too many days! I can't think about it too much or I will get cranky and stressed out! And speaking of cranky... I'd better go back to bed!

The challenge...

de jour is TEN TINY CHANGES: List ten changes you'd like to make for yourself, from the significant to the small or vice versa, do it this way:
I would like to _____________________.
I would like to _____________________.
Bonnie Rose got this from the Artists' Way Workbook.

1. I would like to drink more water everyday.
2. I would like to eat less unhealthy stuff.
3. I would like to read more.
4. I would like to create more.
5. I would like to get more exercise.
6. I would like to be filthy rich!
7. I would like to be more comfortable with myself.
8. I would like to be a photographer/artist as a profession.
9. I would like to be selected for the design team I submitted work for.
10. I would like to lose the rest of the weight I have hanging around!

Number 6 in totally unrealistic but I thought I'd throw it in, just for fun. Very good challenge Bonnie Rose! I will have to journal about that and checkout that book.

I will try to post some photos later. Right now somebaby is hungry! I hope it's sunny where you are because it sure isn't here in MN!

I'm...

back! I have not updated my blog in 5 days. I think I've had a bit of writers block. I definately have a creative block. I'm working on some stuff for a design team call and can't seem to get finished up. I got my altered item done and LOVE it. I will post it after the call is over. It's super cool. But now I just can't seem to get back into the groove. It could be some of the distractions I have around here. It seems whenever I have something I want to get done it's impossible for me to be left alone. So tonight I need to hammer out two layouts and a card. Wish me luck! A couple of prayers would be good too!

I was planning to post a new photo that I did. It's actually one I already posted but tweaked in Elements. However, Blogger won't upload my photos right now. So it will have to wait. I also wanted to post a picture of Owen's cute new coat. It's a british kahki colored barn coat. Soo cute! I hate that he has to be buttoned up in a coat but it's more important to be warm than to be comfortable when you live in MN.

Todays challenge from 2P's. What gets you through a Monday.

Today it's chocolate. Specifically a Hershey's Symphony Bar. I love chocolate. I shouldn't have it. But I love it. LOVE IT!

Oh, and one last thing. My friend Maggie checks my blog to see if she "made it". So Maggie, today, you made it... MAGGIE ROCKS! She is a great friend! Even though she peer pressured me into doing some apple shot this weekend at the Oktoberfest we went to! I still love her. She loves chocolate too. So Mag, if you're reading this... I hope you've had a fabulous day and that the kids have been good to you!

Spit up...

happens! Owen seems to be adjusting his sleep schedule...or something. Truthfully, his eating and sleeping are still a mystery to me. I feed him and expect that he will sleep for a long period of time and no deal. Last night he ate well and had a bottle before bed and was up at 1:30. So Morgan got up and fed him and then they both went back to sleep. Then at 4:30 he woke up again. So I got up and fed him. Well, 1/2 way through I burped him and he coughed and it all came up! Ugh! I hate this. So I had to change and he had to change. Then he finished the bottle and went back to sleep. I just don't like spit up!

Scraplady posted an interesting question for todays blog challenge:

What in your life, do you wish you would have done that you haven't yet???

Well... this is tough. It sort of implies that you might still do it. But. I really wanted to student teach in England. My roommate my first year at UWRF was from England. She came with a girl who lived next door to us and I LOVED these two girls. They were only there for a semester. So when it was time for me to student teach I thought it would be great to go over there and do it. UWRF has a program for this student teaching abroad thing. But I didn't do it. I was scared. I had never flown. I had never been out of country. I had never been away from my family like that. And my grandpa and I were very close all my life. I was worried he would be sick while I was gone. That I would not be here if something happened to him. So I didn't go. And I wish I had.
Things that I haven't done yet... now that's another story. I'm not yet a photographer and artist. But I'm working on it. I haven't traveled to Europe. Yet. So many, many things I haven't done. Yet. And so many things I don't even yet know that I want to do! Great challenge Bonnie Rose!

And now for my Wednesday Wondering.... (I missed last week. It didn't seem very popular the week before!)
Do you ever wonder... who came up with cuss words??? Like who was the first person to drop the F bomb? Just who comes up with stuff like this? and WHY?? Just why do we need a word like that in our vocabulary?? I am very interested in the etymology of words. I like words. I have always be interested in their meanings and origins. I have been a reader of the dictionary for years. My friend Debbie and I were always reading words to each other. Do you know what this means??? Or this?? Now you may think this is a rather odd thing. But that is not so. Well, maybe it is. But my family is like this. It's not a family function if we don't get the dictionary out at least once. My uncle is usually the instigator of this but it has happened without him being present. Last Thanksgiving Morgan's family was here and we were all talking about something. I don't remember what. But someone used a word and it just didn't quite sound right to me and I had to resist the urge to ask for a dictionary. So when we got home I had to look it up! Our computer has a cool feature. You press the button on the mouse and the dashboard pops up and there is a dictionary /thesaurus and you just type in the word and it will pull up the definition or syn/ant if you are using the thesaurus. Very handy since blogger doesn't spell check! Our computer is a Mac. So if you have a new one you know what I mean. (Michele!)

Here's a pretty fall picture. It just seems like a naked post to me without a picture! I took this while we were at St. Olaf this past weekend. The campus was lovely but by the look of the trees the weekend prior was probably better for viewing the colors. I love fall. And here are my boys checking out the sights. Owen later fell asleep in the snuggly. Morgan had to hold his head still so he could sleep!

Uh oh...

Ben & Jerry struck again! Tonight I had to run to the store for some baby food and a couple other things and had to try the new B & J flavor Black and Tan (Cream Stout ice cream swirled with chocolate ice cream). It's darn good! Morgan thought it would be a good idea to have a Beer Float with the it but I thought this would be yucky! So no beer floats!

Owen did a fabulous job eating his dinner tonight. Rice cereal and squash. It's mostly going down the pipe now! I think we can add some in for lunch. Tomorrow we may try some green beans. I'm not impressed with the selection of baby foods around. I prefer to give him organic but they don't seem to have all of the foods he's supposed to start with in the first foods group. I guess the first foods are thinner. I'm going to have to learn to use the food mill!

Today Owen and I went shopping with my mom to the outlet mall. Owen needed some warm clothes. I also got a beautiful new purse. I will post a picture of it tomorrow. I have not had a new nice purse in a very long time. I love the black one I have but it's getting worn.

I will also post the lovely pictures I took during our adventure at St. Olaf College on Sunday. Blogger was being a pain yesterday and wouldn't load my photos. Now it's time for bed!

My baby...

is five months old! He is such a little sweety pie. I had really thought he was going to be a grumpy puss. He was very grumpy for the first couple of months. Now his sweet disposition and personality are shinning through. He is very HAPPY! He loves other people and is always smiling and talking to them. He's also very curious and attentive. He looks at everything and if given the chance latches on and puts it in his mouth. Especially other peoples fingers!
Lately he's not been napping too well though. It takes quite awhile for him to settle himself. Longer than normal. I don't know if he's cutting some teeth or not. Lots of drooling going on. He did sleep through the night on Monday though. No other days the rest of the week. Just Monday. Maybe he was tired out from the weekend. We tend to cram a lot into a weekend and he ends up missing a nap or two.


Here are my boys together. They had a bachelor night last night while I was at work. I just LOVE them. After so many years of thinking I wouldn't be a mommy I sure do enjoy it. I know there will be lots of times when it's going to rough but I'm glad I did it. I really thought all that talk about it being "the best thing I'd ever done" was a bunch of bologna! It was just a parents way of getting those non-parent people to suffer too! But who can resist that cuteness.
I'm still not all about other babies. Just my own. But maybe after he's not a baby anymore I'll want to hold other people's babies. Who knows! For now he's just right!

My life long challenge...

is candy! This happens to be the topic of the 2P's challenge for today. Halloween candy...what's your fave? Well, hmmm.... ANYTHING CHOCOLATE! I am not into the smarties, sweet tart, laffy taffy sort of stuff. But anything from a Tootsie Roll to a big ol' peanut butter cup I'll take! I love chocolate and ice cream. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies. Our cook at school makes the best ones. One day I think I had eight of them. Yes, EIGHT! Let's just say I had a serious headache. Now, most people brag about being able to hold their liquor. Well, I can hold my chocolate. I do get a little torked up and then come down with a nasty headache though. I'm also hypoglycemic so a little sugar goes a long way with me but I just don't know when to stop. So a bag of candy doesn't last long around me. It CALLS MY NAME! Chants it to be exact. That's why it isn't supposed to be in our house. Otherwise, I turn into this guy! And that just ain't pretty!




I saw something fun on Denise's Blog and thought I'd do one here. (I hope she doesn't mind) It's called Thursday's Thirteen. So here is my version for today:

Thirteen Things I Could Do Without

1. Headaches. I've had and gotten them regularly for years. I think I'd like them to stop now.
2. Excess fat cells. Need I say more. They get in the way and take up too much space in my skin!
3. Bills. Just a waste of good money that could be better spent on shoes, craft supplies or CHOCOLATE!
4. Senseless violence. People need to stop. Just STOP. It's all very kindergarten if you think about it.
   
5. Clutter. In the form of junk mail, the "stuff" that husbands insist on keeping and just TOO MUCH STUFF laying around!
6. Toe jam/fuzzies. I have a thing about my socks. I don't like "stuff" in my socks or between my toes. I'm one of those sensitive to tags sort of people. Can't have something rubbing me the wrong way.
   
7. Acne. Again... need I say more.
   
8. Sticks. In the yard. The ones the trees insist on dropping. When I was a kid my mom would tell me and my sister to go out and pick up the sticks in the yard. I HATED THIS! Yes, strong words. But I did. I tend to be a little obsessive so I wanted to pick up ALL the sticks. Well, I still have that problem. I can't be in the yard for too long before the sticks become an issue.
   
9. Snowsuits. I don't like bulky things. I'm a little person and clothes tend to bulk up on me. So anything meant to be bulky can make me.... well... the the above picture!
   
10. Telemarketing. I don't like to talk on the phone. I especially don't want to talk to people who are trying to sell me stuff! I've been known to tell them that I don't have whatever it is they are trying to replace. Including windows!
11. Rude retail clerks. I worked retail for a long time. It was crappy sometiems but I tried to be pleasant. I don't like it when my already difficult day is darkend by someone else's rudeness. There is a woman at the Target by us that I won't go to because you are lucky if she acknowledges you are there! SO RUDE!
12. Foul language. I'm not a fan of cussing. There are so many words people can use that are so much more intelligent sounding. I'd rather "cuss" someone out with BIG words than dirty ones.
13. and finally.... VIDEO GAMES! I'm not talking the nice Pac Man variety. I'm talking the Grand Theft Auto variety. The how-many-can-I-kill variety. I think these are dumb and a waste. The people who write video games are SO SMART why can't use all those brains to write code for programs that are less violent. I guess this relates to #12 and #4.
    

So that's my thirteen for today. Have a great Thursday. Looks like MN is going to have another beautiful fall day!

My latest creation...

would be a mess! The 2P's blog challenge for today is to write about or post what you've created lately. Well, honestly, it would be a BIG OL' mess! I like everything to be neat, clean, and orgainized. The problem is, I'm a great mess maker. Here is the current state of my craft room:

I did make a birthday card last night. It didn't turn out so great though. So I can't post it. I got my CTMH order yesterday (girls...your orders will be to you soon!) so I started working on the cards for the holiday card class I will be doing in November. It will be my first holiday card class. Well, that's not quite true. I did one for the Red Hat Ladies last year but that was using a card kit. This will be freestyle! So if you're in MN and want to take my class let me know!
Speaking of messes....last night Owen had squash for the first time! Here he is at the beginning...
It did get better after this but he was a MESS when we were done! So now he eats rice cereal and squash. On that note... (food & messes).

Those of you who know me well know that I'm trying to lose a little weight. I still have not lost all the weight I gained with Owen and I have a bit more I'd like to get rid of. Well, I think in trying to lose this weight I am creating a monster! At least when I'm chubby I'm not HUNGRY! Who likes to be hungry!? Ugh! I like the 3-hour diet by Jorge Cruise. I was practicing that when I was getting ready to be pregnant. Well, everything is more complicated with a baby so I don't get in the workouts I did before Owen and I'm just plain HUNGRY! I'm not pleasant when I'm hungry. Maybe I need to eat more vegetables. I wish vegetables tasted like CHOCOLATE! And on that note I need to find some lunch!

A boy...

on the rolll!

Owen has been rolling over from back to tummy for a couple of months now. But recently he's started rolling to get somewhere! He gets frequently gets stuck because he runs into obstacles. Such as the poll of his activity gym. Then he sticks out his little legs and arms and flails around and makes funny noises. He doesn't seem to be as frustrated as he had been when we started tummy time with him. He's going to be a busy little guy!

I apologize for the photo arrangement. I was not able to get them all lined up. Oh well! You get the idea!

There was an interesting article titled Local biker, filmmaker gets scrappy in the Sunday issue of the Star Tribune. This man did a documentary about the scrapbooking subculture. For information on the movie or to purchase it click here. You can also check out his blog. I've put a link to it in my Blog Log.

Today the blog challenge on 2P's was to write about your favorite TV show. Mine is Las Vegas. There are some very beautiful men on that show! I guess it's a guilty pleasure. The new season doesn't start for a couple more weeks though! I also like Martha Stewart. And if we had cable I think I'd watch Project Runway and a bunch of stuff on TLC and HGTV! There's not much time for TV with Owen around though!

A walk...

to remember. On Saturday we (Morgan, Owen, my Mom & Miranda) did the Walk for Hope for the Alexandra House. As I mentioned in an earlier post it is an organization to help people experiencing domestic violence. When we arrived and went in to register this is the first thing I saw.
Little onesies decorated to remember babies who were victims of domestic violence. Many of them died at the hands of people who were supposed to love and protect them. My eyes filled with tears.
A parents primary responsibility is to love and protect their child, yet so many children are affected by domestic violence. Children are left with people who are not fit to care for them. Or worse yet born to people who are not fit to care for them.
I know first hand the overwhelming stress and sense of helplessness one can feel as a new mom. In the first few weeks of having Owen home I wondered how I would survive the crying jags until Morgan came home to relieve me or my mom could come over. My hormones were all out of whack and I cried all the time and it seemed like Owen did too. I can understand how a person could want to make the crying stop. What I don't understand is how people resort to violence that leads to serious harm and sometimes, too often, the death of a child.
The first three months of being a mommy were difficult, trying, exhausting, and long and wonderful all at the same time. Now that I'm through it I can say that I've learned a lot and I'm a better mommy because of all of it. But I also know it's the hardest thing I've gone through thus far in my life.
I loved Owen before he was born and I fell in love with him the moment I saw him. His beautiful smile and cute little giggle melts my heart. His cry makes my heart ache. He is my precious boy. All children are precious. All life is precious. No one should have to suffer at the hands of another. Especially the hands that are supposed to love and protect them.

There were also about a dozen of these cutouts of women or women and children who were victims of domestic violence. The purple sign on them has their name and the story of what happened to them. I can't tell you how powerful the display was. It was also moving to watch them being packed up. Each cutout has a special bag with the names embroidered on it. When I was crying about all of this yesterday and talking to Morgan about it he said something very powerful to me. While all of these situations are tragic and awful God intends something positive to come of the loss. I think one of those positives is the message and the stories of these women and children are passed on. That something is learned from thier loss. Their sacrifice.

Here are my boys. The other day I was reading Bonnie Rose's blog. She had written about being thankful. I am so thankful for the wonderful man and husband Morgan is. I am thankful for the family I have that supports me. And I am blessed to have such a beautiful and precious boy. I pray everyday that we can love him and protect him and raise him to the best of our ability.

Maybe next year you can join us at the Walk for Hope.