Let there be light

Hooray for cold, gloomy, days... or not.

Pretty much the most exciting thing that has happened is that there's a new light in Cecily's room!  I really don't have anything against ceiling fans, however, this one is just bad.  Not only are our ceilings too low (barely 8 ft), it also doesn't have a light.  Hence the awful track lighting...  bedrooms are not good places for track lighting....  plus so much more surface area for dust...

 

AND they broke the most important rule of ceiling fans- fan blades need to be higher than any light source!  If you don't, you get a strobe effect when the fan is between you and the light and that'll give anybody a headache, fast.  I suppose it would have been fun to put in black light bulbs and use it for dance parties or something... 

Anyway, moving right along... Rob came Monday and got rid of the ugly and now we have a nice nondescript, practical, ceiling light.  It's lovely.  Now I just need to find the energy to patch the holes in the ceiling and paint over the strip of nasty yellow ceiling... I know it's a thing to paint ceilings colors, but I'd have to agree with my Dad that ceilings (and closets) should only ever be white. 

I had a doctor appointment yesterday (will they never end??) so we met my parents for lunch and little miss got to go play at the farm for the afternoon.  "I have fun, Momma."  How could she not when there's Gus and baby ducks and cats and tractors and pigs and cows to see?  Plus she got to take an extra bath when we got home because she smelled like the hog house.  *grin*

I don't like storms, but I really don't like storms when all of my favorite trees are blooming.  So far none of the flowering crab blossoms have been rained off/ blown away yet, and I picked a half open lilac today!  Hooray!  They got added to the collection of flowers in the house... notice the bowl of flowers with no stems... guess who.  She likes to smell them all.

How are there so many weeds already?  I've pulled so many trees out of the landscaping, and half the yard is dandelions and ground ivy.  The neighbors have mentioned the ground ivy/ creeping charlie to us a few times (it's growing into their yard), and the stuff we sprayed last year didn't do anything...  sooo... now we've got a lawn service coming to spray.  It makes me feel silly... I mean, we don't live in Morton, and I'm actually kind of fond of dandelions... can you really have a good childhood if it doesn't involve countless hours of braiding dandelions into crowns and necklaces and using them to write on sidewalks and as body paint?   Oh well, the ivy needs to go and I'm sure the dandelions will come back.  *grin*

Otherwise, I got nothing.  My brain is mush.  I'm still "here," whatever that means... I hope to be "here" for quite some years yet...  And I really wish it was warm enough to walk to Pinky's for ice cream.

Blessings.

Under my 'brellella

Five years already... where does time go?

 
O man, looking at that picture just makes me nostalgic...  we're all in such different places now. I miss these people... probably mostly my fault because I didn't/ don't make enough of an effort... or I could just blame it on the T-town bubble... or life.  *grin*

Little miss was looking at our wedding pictures and said "Mommy like a princess."  Aww... way to make me feel better little girl! 

So the guy that does our tilling came Thursday and I got most of the garden planted.  No worries that I'm planning on doing too much this summer- about half of it is flower seeds for someone to pick.  I have lots and lots of headless daffodils right now.  *sigh*   

Then we were about to go outside again that evening when it started raining.  It wasn't storming and it was still fairly warm so we broke out the 'brellellas and the rain boots.  "I like Chris-fer Robin, Momma." 

 "Wanna spin?"

 "C'mere Momma!"

It was one of those days that I'm glad we live on a dead end- there are fewer people to see our ridiculous outfits... me in my one pair of gauchos that are currently modest enough to wear out and U of I rain boots and huge Illini stadium umbrella; Cecily in her third outfit of the day because she seems to have forgotten what the potty is for...

Yeah, two accidents in the sandbox in one day.  The second time I told her she would just have to wait to change because I was tired of going in and out... being in wet clothes didn't prevent another accident inside later.  *sigh* 

Daddy's new programing book is fascinating, apparently. 

Bob had some old PJ pants with lots of holes worn in them, but enough good fabric for pj pants for Cecily.  I didn't use a pattern so they don't fit super well, but it doesn't matter because she pretty much refuses to wear them.  Bob did bribe her into wearing them outside one evening because she has to wear something on her bottom half outside and she really wanted to go out.  *grin*  I need to get some new U of I pj's so I can match too. 

We put some stuff out on the curb last night with a free sign (things we had inherited from the previous owners that we decided we probably weren't going to use) and I put a curb alert on Craigslist...  it was all gone by 11pm.  Crazy. 

We went to a few garage sales this morning, but didn't come home with much.  Mostly just a good excuse to get out and chat with neighbors we haven't seen all winter.   I finished my spring cleaning list!  Yay.  Bob says I'm nesting... I call this lazy.   The screen shot on the left is last years list... on the right is this years...  yeah... bare minimum.

Blessings.

Easter Weekend

Mostly pictures... 

Way back in the day we started doing an Easter egg hunt for my "little" cousins, most of whom are now in high school and college.  So this year it was Cecily and some borrowed children on Good Friday afternoon.  hehe.  

They all wanted to see the cows while we were waiting for kids to show up.  Little miss has no fear and kept wanting Willow to join her in the feed bunker.   

 Until she saw the boys on the fence...

 Then she had to stand on the gate too.

 Ca'mere cows!!  And this would be a really cute picture of her and Russell if somebody's foot wasn't in the way.

 This picture amuses me on several levels...  none of them are looking the same way; and all of the imported toddlers.  Hehe.  Ok, so they all have connections- Cliff's holding my friend's boy that they babysit for, the next three are my second cousin's kids, the other two are Ron and Kary's grandkids, and then there is silly little miss... who actually left her cute braid in for the occasion!

 Off she goes to find some eggs.

 And a wheel barrow ride.

 Then Aunt Kary bribed them with quarters to pick up walnuts after they found all the eggs... haha.

 Shelly and I dyed some eggs... Cecily was more interested in Grandma's toys at this point so she didn't last long.

 

Good Friday evening services did not go so well...  the only nap she took was in the car between the farm and home so she was sooo ridiculously fragile in church.  I had to take her out twice because she started sobbing over nothing.  *sigh*  So irritating.  And then of course, the minister had to say something like, 'I'm sure everyone is glad they came tonight...' Um... well... I would maybe take a do-over!  *grin*

Saturday was gorgeous and we got some work done outside in the afternoon.  The Koch's got together in the evening and there were more eggs to find.  I'm not sure if she was trying to steal Isla's eggs, or just comparing baskets.

 Three small children going after the same egg... 

 Playing with Hanna...

 We let her open her Easter basket Sunday morning.  Check out that bed head! 

 She was quite excited to discover that marsh-pillows can look like bunnies.

 And she 'read' her new ice-skating book quite a few times.

 My attempts at a good picture of her in her Easter dress were pretty much failures. 

 She was rather squirrely that morning.

 Yeah.

 Anyway, here's a so-so picture- slightly rumpled from a day in church (and somehow there are water/milk marks on the bodice already!?  How does she manage!?)  I thought it turned out pretty good, and as long as nobody looks at the inside they won't know how bad of a seamstress I really am.  *grin*  I got smart this time and tied a perfect bow and sewed it down tight to the sash, which closes with snaps.  So much better than constantly retying it at church. 

Oh, and the ruffles.  I love the ruffles.  Grandma Koch's sewing machine has a ruffle attachment... so slick.  All I had to do was stick in my fabric and it made those perfect pleated strips.  Which I love. 

We spent Sunday evening with my family at Lori's.  So little miss got to play with Max Cliff all evening.  "Ca'mere Max!  Come slide!"  And if you reminded her that this boy's name is Cliff, "Ca'mere Ma-Ca-liff!"  hehe.   There is nothing quite like Aunt Pearl playing detective....  'Hi Honey, and BAM!'  I laughed.  A lot.  (It might have even been better than the 'Put 'em on the street corner and kick 'em' comment.)

And today we did laundry and were lazy.  Blessings.

These are the times that try men's souls.

Because seriously people, there is nothing wrong with me, I feel just fine, I'm not uncomfortable, and you don't have to get that awful sympathetic look on your faces when you talk to me...  and NO, I am not ready to "get that baby out."  (I hope I never actually have anything horribly wrong with me because I will not have ANY patience with people...  *grin*) 

Oh, and one more random rant (just for you, Heid!)....  please don't ask me if I'm dilating yet.  Think about what you're asking...  I realize that some people are more comfortable discussing medical things, but I'm not.  And definitely not in mixed company.  And in my head the only logical continuation of that conversation is "How've your GYN visits been lately?  Your tests have been coming back normal?"  Which I really doubt most people think is a polite or appropriate topic of conversation.   

Actually, I have no intention of getting any internal exams pre-labor (and maybe not during) because a) they tell you absolutely nothing other than what is currently true and have no bearing on when labor will start or how long labor will be, and b) they're a great way to increase your risk of infection which I am already freaking about enough since I have to be on antibiotics again anyway...

If you need something nice to say to a pregnant woman, someone quoted my great aunt Emma to me Sunday- "God's just putting on the finishing touches."  Encouraging, uplifting, and not awkward. 

Moving on...  because I know pregnancy is "not in the general interest" (name that book!)...

I'm not sure what we've been up to... lots and nothing at all.  Mom came over one afternoon and helped me finish washing the windows.

We had communion last weekend.  Cecily got to go play with Kandace, Carli, and Cliff and some other kids.  She was in rare form when we picked her up; making Cliff 'ice skate' with her. 

Mom and Dad and Jake brought pizza Sunday night.  At one point little miss told them to go home... 

It snowed again.  "Hey bird!  You playin' in the snow?!"  She wanted to go out and play in it but... I wasn't up for it.   I refuse to get out the snow boots again.

 
I introduced her to the Chief (the last dance on YouTube) this week.  She wanted to watch it over and over and she would stand up and start clapping every time.  Hehe.  Must start the U of I indoctrination early. 

 
"This is mise princess dress from Cris-nina."

    
Otherwise, doctors appointments.  A few walks in the cemetery.  And random shopping at Home Depot and Kelly Seed.  And today Cecily and I got to meet Amber for lunch, which was great fun. 
Blessings.

Decorating is More Fun Than Spring Cleaning

Or, Excessive Pictures of Little Miss's New Room.   

(Because, I'm not really planning on doing much spring cleaning.  Other than getting the windows washed because there are dust streaks on them. And wiping out the kitchen cabinets because I haven't since we moved in and they are crumby.)

Cecily likes to read us books sometimes.  Her versions are amusing...  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is mostly "Dere's hotdogs!  Pancakes!"  

So plain hollow core doors are not my favorite....  and they were not intended to have holes drilled in them... which the previous owners ignored.  *sigh*  So our bedroom and bathroom doors have badly patched (or not patched at all) holes and glue marks on the back side.  And I'm afraid that if I painted them they would end up looking more crack-house cheap than typical 60's cheap.  There's just no good way to fix it, other than spending a small fortune on new doors.  Oh, to be independently wealthy... hehe. 

 

We covered the holes with a bulletin board in Cecily's room.  It ended up being harder than expected- I bought a roll of cork and was planning to use removable adhesive to stick it up there. Yeah, I tried two different kinds and ended up gluing the cork to foam board and then hanging the foam board on the door.  She better appreciate it.

I so tired, Mama.  *grin*  She's doing really well in her bed!  I think she's still a little disoriented in the mornings, but she hasn't been getting out in the evenings.  She did figure out how to climb into the crib now that the mattress is up higher... yikes... this could be bad news.

 We got some shelves hung.  I might look for some cute hooks for her to hang her "stuff" on to go underneath.

 I love the dresser and bed together. 

 Saturday evening was potluck date night, so Cecily went to play with the kids and Bob and I went to Applebee's and Hobby Lobby.  We found frames for "mise" ballerina and for some flower pictures I printed off.  "I inna corner, Mama."

 I think she was putting her bears to bed...  as you can see, she has plenty of reading material to choose from.  Mostly classics, and now arranged alphabetically by author because I'm crazy.   There are some kid books in there, including American Girls and the Boxcar Children.  The westerns, fantasy, sci-fi, and adventure are all out by the computers, if you were wondering.   

This is may be my favorite part of the whole room; white curtains with pink ball fringe and pink glass finials. After blue and white stripes, my next favorite decorating thing is ball fringe. I know, I'm weird.

 And lastly, as much as I would love to say that she's praying in this picture, she's watching her shadow and clapping.  Because the awful track light that's still in there makes great shadows.  Soon it and the fan will be gone and there will be great rejoicing. 

Otherwise, I got to sleep in a little bit this morning after a restless night of waking up to all of my limbs sound asleep and tingling, and the absolute worst leg cramp ever- from my toes to my thighs- stretching the other way just made it cramp on the other side. I thought I had escaped that particular annoyance this time.  Have I mentioned how much I dislike pregnancy? 

Little miss and I also went for a "little ride" in the stroller to pick up my car from the shop.  Then we got to take a "little drive" home... with a stop at the Eli's drive-thru because the driver's window is fixed and actually goes up and down now and drive-thru windows aren't a headache anymore.  Hooray.  *sigh*  We need a van.  I think I am finally at the point where my beloved car is causing me more annoyance than anything else.  It's time to move on.   

Anyway.  Blessings.

April Showers

We've been keeping busy.  We went to potluck one night, Cecily and I invited ourselves to the farm for supper one night (Bob was at Dang's), we went to Bob's parent's for an early birthday supper, I got her Easter dress done, and it still isn't warm out yet.   

Somebody got rain boots that fit- they're pink and she loves them.  And notice the braid in her hair- I do try to do her hair, she just pulls everything out before long and ends up looking like a hoyden most of the time.  The undies don't help.  O well. There are worse things. 

Saturday we finished raking the sticks.  Bob wanted to have a hose back there when we burned the pile this time (apparently he didn't want to be like me and start trees on fire) and we were just a few feet short so Rustin and Sharon and girls brought their hoses over.  It wasn't super warm out. 

 Hooray for fire.

 Rustin's the crazy pyro who stood in the smoke spraying the grass and the neighbor's trees... 

 This is a typical Sunday afternoon at our house...  "leave her dress on."  She only acts tired at church, then she doesn't stop moving when we get home.

 She helped me make Daddy's birthday cake.  Also known as a "Hatty birthday cake."  (He's 30 now!! So... mature... haha... he may or may not be reading over my shoulder.) I love that she has a gap in her front teeth like Frieda....

Cecily was pretty sure she needed to open all of Daddy's presents. 

Unca Dang came over for supper. Cecily serenaded us all when we lit the candles... she's very enthusiastic at least.

Ok, so Cecily's new bed.  It's a  long, slightly complicated story, but the bunk bed my sister used in college was being stored in Fairbury and was available to us. We decided that instead of buying mattresses for the head board I had bought, we would store the bunk bed and use one of those mattresses for Cecily (until we have two kids out of the crib) with a twin bed frame.  Mom and Dad dropped the bunks off on Tuesday, and we realized we were going to need plywood for the twin bed frame since we aren't going to do a box spring for her. Dad was kind enough to get and cut some down for us and Mom brought it over Wednesday. 

We got the bed all made with her new sheets and comforter and she climbed right in.  And spent quite a while there "reading" books.  I left for my doctor appointment and she was still enjoying "mise little bed."

 It looks so short with out a box spring, but it's just the right height for her.  Maybe it just needs more pillows. *grin*

She slept in it last night.... she got out a few times before she fell asleep but went right back when I took her.  And somehow she slept through the storm.  This morning she woke up, went to the kitchen, got a drink, then came into our room and cried until I tucked her back in bed. 

I moved all her clothes over and now the nursery feels so empty.  mur.  I'll blame it on the hormones...   The walls in her new room are pretty bare still.  I have some shelves I could hang. When I was cleaning out my décor stash she found a Degas print I had in college of a "ballereenda" that she claimed.  Otherwise it might be pretty bare in there for awhile.  Anybody have cute little girl wall décor ideas?     

Otherwise, we've been trying to go outside when it's nice.  And I pulled out all the crib bedding and blankets and burp clothes and onesies to wash... after a good soak in oxiclean.  Crazy how stains show up even though they were put away stain free. 

She wanted to "smile for Daddy" with her Easter bow in but she wouldn't hold still long enough for a non-blurry picture, so this is the best I got.  Silly girl.  Then she wants to see it.  Kids these days...  why back in my day we had to wait until mom got the film developed and dad used Seattle Filmworks so it took foreeeeever to get pictures back.  *grin* 

Anyway.  Blessings.