Getaway

So I feel like I've been pretty much of a bum lately.  It's glorious.  hehe. 

Friday Cecily and I headed down to Champaign for the day.  We met Amber and Kristin at Za's for lunch.  It was so good... I wish I could make pizza like that.  We spent the rest of the afternoon chilling at Amber and Sarah's just catching up.  We got Buffalo Wild Wings for supper, which is also so good.  I'm not sure if I scared Cecily when I scraped off my car, or if she was just tired, or what the deal was, because when we left she decided to scream for 45 minutes.  Ugh.  I even pulled over and got her out of her car seat... poor girl was inconsolable.  So I kept driving.  She eventually stopped.  And sniffled the rest of the way.  It was a good day even with that.... I miss those girls.

Sprout came home for the weekend so we spent some time with her Saturday night.  And then Sunday we left after church for a great adventure. 

Bob told me he had gotten a hotel room for two nights somewhere in the Peoria area... so off we went to Stoney Creek Inn.  We pretty much just relaxed because everything I was interested in doing or seeing is closed on Mondays. 

Our room had a whirlpool tub and we let Cecily splash in it.  She borrowed swimsuits from Nora and Londyn... so cute!  She's very serious about her splashing. 

We took her down to the pool too.  It's heated, but it's a swim through to outside so it could have been warmer.  She didn't seem to mind and she had lots of fun splashing us.  Little miss is very buoyant.... hehe.

Anyway, it was fun just hanging out and not having to think about dishes or laundry.  I have a large pile of both now that we're home.  woot woot. 

Happy Valentines Day!

How hard can it be?

Not very.

Before:  Old linoleum.  It was gross.  The landing is only about 3x3 and they used three small pieces of linoleum.  It was worn through in a few spots and the seams were dirty and curling... ugh.  Oh, and I ripped off that vinyl baseboard stuff because it was already half gone. 

 

During:  Floor leveler.  Such an improvement.

After:  We had lots of vinyl left over from the bathrooms and it was super easy to glue down. Add some new (real) baseboard and it's sooo much better!

In other news, I've been dealing with a bad cold and Cecily got more shots so we've been laying pretty low.

Blessings.

Lil Fashonista

Sometimes I glance over at little miss and think, 'who dressed her?'  And then I remember, 'Oh yeah.  Me.'

*grin*
Blessings.

Ground Hog Day

My mother said I have to eat sausage today.... hehe. 

It's been quiet around here, which I love.  Not much going on, and the warm weather is making me antsy for spring.

We went to rotating potluck one night and I got many compliments on my Kroger brand frozen dinner rolls (*blush* I'm just a little afraid of yeast and making things for potluck). 

oooo!!  My parents came over and we went to pick up their new puppy!!  He's so cute.  As far as I know he's still nameless.  *grin*  He'll probably end up being "Yard Puppy" to go with "Shop Kitty."  Yes, we are original in our names at the farm... hehe.

We actually went to W-ton for a change on Sunday.  And then went to the farm to visit the puppy and watch him bounce around in the snow.... 

Amy and Audrey brought me lunch today, that was fun.  They made enchiladas with real Mexican tortillas.  Sooooo good.  Some mornings I crave real tortillas and eggs and salsa.  I should try making them again.  Maybe.  Anybody know where you can buy good tortillas around here?   

I finished piecing my quilt club quilt!  I'll get a picture eventually.  I think my next big project is replacing the linoleum on the basement stair landing.  We have lots of vinyl leftover from the bathrooms.  I watched the guy install it...  it's only 3x3 so how hard can it be?  (famous last words right?)

Anyway.  Blessings.

Diapers

I realize I'm crazy. 

I've decided I really like cloth diapers.  Part time anyway, the rest of the time I'm lazy.  That, and she has to wear something while I wash them.  I don't use them at night because she wakes up and cries if her cloth diaper is wet (she can tell since it isn't absorbed the same as disposables).  I've also arbitrarily declared Sunday a day of rest just because it's easier at church. 

Diapers are pretty much gross by definition, so it's not really any worse to put it in the wet bag instead of the garbage can.  The hardest part is remembering to throw away the wipes so they don't end up in the wash machine... I haven't yet ventured into the realm of cloth wipes, homemade- yes, but not cloth.  Since I'm doing it for purely monetary and not environmental reasons (sorry BJS).

    

These are kind I have (16 now, woot, woot!):

They're one size pocket diapers.  The outside is waterproof fabric, the inside is absorbent fleece.

They have pocket that gets stuffed with absorbent pads... customizable depending on how much you need at any given time. 

They have lots of snaps, the top rows fasten at her waist, the bottom rows are for adjusting the rise.  Supposedly they will fit her until she's potty training... The elastic around the legs and the back is what makes them so much better than disposables.   It stays snug against her skin and doesn't stretch out and gap like disposables, so they don't leak nearly as often.  (Tires blow out, diapers leak. Sorry. That phrase annoys me.)

Here's little miss modeling for you all... this is an old picture... she wasn't very happy that I was taking pictures of her in her underwear. Hehe. 

And for those of you who still think I'm crazy- washing them is not that bad.  It's not any worse the second time around.  We have a utility sink right next to our washer and dryer so all I do is rinse and toss in the wash.  I did invest in a pair of rubber gloves, but really, I used to test waste water.  And I grew up on a hog farm.  There's no comparison.  When she gets bigger I'll just change her in the bathroom and rinse them in the toilet. 
I'm excited for spring when I can hang them out on the line again- it looks so cute.  hehe. 
Anyway, I'm going to go lament now how far I've come- discussing diapers on my blog!  *sigh*  The world is at sixes and sevens.

Blessings.

Eleventy-First

Busy week... hopefully this week is quieter. 

We hosted potluck for the first time since we moved.  It's so nice to have room.  Now that I've done it once I will hopefully be less nervous about it... hehe. 

Jakey came over on Saturday to hang out and play games with Bob.  Cecily got all bundled up to go get the mail with me... Since there hasn't really been any snow there hasn't been much need for the snowsuit... 

We celebrated her Eleventy-First day.  Mostly just an excuse for cake... which we love.  Don't worry, she didn't get to have any. 

We have survived one hundred and eleven days... 

And have discovered that I have no idea how to frost a cake... and I could use some sun and some sleep.  At least she's cute.  *grin*

Last night we celebrated Sharon's 30th birthday.  Hooray for more cake! 

Blessings.

Happenings

Farmer Girl!  hehe.

Freshly varnished floor- you can see where the wood is darker, but I was afraid if I sanded to much it would take off any of the original stain that was left and it's next to impossible to get stain to match in small patches. Plus we're not sure what they used. So.    

Ooo, and I finally figured out some things for the green bathroom. 

We took this picture on our honeymoon.  The really awesome part is that it's printed right on a board so there's no glass or frame and it's way more high humidity friendly!  I've never seen such a thing before, but all of the big online photo printing places have them and I found a 50% off coupon so it was cheaper than getting a paper print and a frame. Woot woot!

I am fond of box pleats.  I don't know why.  Maybe because they're fun to sew and make a homemade valence look a little bit fancier.  

Little miss in her dress from Great Grandpa and Grandma Wyss.

Have I mentioned we've been busy?  Sunday evening we went to Tim and Ruth's for a fun night of music and fellowship.  Bob had the day off on Monday and we went out to eat at Applebee's for supper (yay gift cards!) and checked out the new Bass Pro Shops.  I like those stores.  They make me feel like I'm on vacation... hehe.  We loaded up on munitions and a t-shirt for little miss because everyone needs a Bass Pro t-shirt at least once in their life.

On Tuesday Cecily and I went to the farm to look at all of Shelly's India pictures.  She brought me back a real Indian tea spoon and a scarf.  Little miss got a cute Indian dress.  She's much bigger than Indian babies... hehe... Here we are modeling Aunty Shelly's saree and her little dress.  We didn't get the saree tied quite right, it's a lot sloppier than how they're supposed to be. O well, it was fun to try!  Maybe someday I can go to India and get one too.  

Abby stopped by for a little bit before we left for Freida's visitation.  Freida was a peach.  I'm so glad we got to have them to Tremont once... and that I went to see her a few weeks ago.  I remember going to visit them in their little house in Lester with the flower garden in the back yard and being woken up by train whistles.  And then waking up on Sunday morning to an amazing breakfast and Andy's smoothies. 

I went straight to sewing club from Washington, which was fun, as always.  Cecily had about had it with social things and so we left early.  She's been sleeping all day today.... poor girl... four nights in a row and church tonight.   

We did not attempt to make it to the funeral today, although I did listen online.  Tried to anyway, the streaming was having issues until about half way through.  And then Bob took half the day off and brought us lunch and flowers.  He's so great. 

Blessings.

Grey and white and winter all around

This week ended up being busier than I expected.  I even went to Curves once.  I've been back twice now and I can tell I haven't exercised in three months.  Little miss just sits in her car seat and looks concerned... haha...

I was planning on going quilting again on Thursday, but then it snowed and I lost all motivation for going out.  So instead I varnished the floor.  Such a great cold snowy day activity, right?   The previous owners must have sat in the same spots at the table for years- there were eight small spots on the floor where the finish had been worn away to the bare wood.  Sooo... since we have no plans to refinish all of the wood we figured we'd at least try sealing the worn spots so they don't get worse.  It worked pretty well, if you look close you can tell.  And Jakey's footprint sanded out nicely.  hehe.  He was bored and came over to hang out and forgot about the wet varnish... I almost wouldn't have minded having another set of 'ghost' footprints... 
Friday Mom stopped by and I ran some errands.  She brought point-outs!  Hooray!  Nothing better on a snowy day than tea and point-outs.... except for cocoa.   But it made me feel a little less jealous of my sister who has been gallivanting around India for the past three weeks.  *sigh*  The youngest always has the most fun.  *mur*  Haha.

Today I did the cleaning I've been putting off.  Young Matt was over for awhile and we went to Rustin and Sharon's for supper. 

Freida died today. Sad news.

Blessings. 

Confession

Might as well come clean.

I'm sure you'll find out sooner or later.

I have a drinking problem.

Last night my problem manifested itself again.  Somehow I managed to spill a bottle of Dr.  Pepper all over myself, Cecily, Bob, and the couch.  oooops.  *sigh*  Our poor couch.  Or maybe I have more of a clumsiness problem...

Anyway, we had a quiet weekend.   Monday's wash day and then this afternoon we went to Cecily's first all day quilting.  She decided she wanted to see what was going on and didn't want to be on the floor anymore... thanks Dianne for holding her!  (Sorry it's blurry, I don't have one of those new fangled smart phone things with a good camera.)

I like quilting even though I'm not very good at it. 

Blessings.  

Three Months

Today Cecily and I ventured out to get her three month pictures taken.  And return some things while I was in town, which somehow turned into more things because there were sales.  It was sooo nice out.  It doesn't feel like January and I'm not sad. 

Pictures went really smoothly, she was in such a good mood. *phew*  And they didn't pressure me to buy more than the package, which was nice.  Although I couldn't resist getting this one extra pose because I love the little chair...

This is the other one.

Aaaand, me at three months for comparison.  (Mom, red has never been my color... hehe, and that's a scratch or something, not a fireball.)  According to my baby book, I didn't hit 16 pounds until I was 6 months... Cecily was there last week...

So then we met my mom and Jakey at the mall.  They were out shopping for his work wardrobe, so funny.  I'm glad I wasn't with them all day, he's particular and doesn't like shopping, great combination. *grin*

That's a wrap

So. Christmas is over.  We took the tree down today.  mur.

The Day of Days (aka the Wyss Christmas) was all day Thursday.  We started off with brunch and pieces and music; then presents and more presents and more presents.  Bob and I volunteered for the mid-afternoon gondola run, and then there were more presents (It takes a while for 40ish people to open gifts) before chicken crepes for supper.  Cecily got passed around all day long... poor girl.  I forgot my camera so I have no pictures.  We came home with tools, an ice cream maker, and a terrarium- so fun. 

On Friday we had Christmas with Bob's family.  Scott and Ned and Jake were going to come over but Bob's fam decided to eat earlier so they didn't come.  I remembered my camera but forgot to get it out.  So much for pictures this year!  Cecily got very spoiled with gifts. 

Saturday we chilled.... little miss had about had it with Christmas by then so we didn't do anything after New Years Eve services.  We saw the New Year in and went to bed as soon as Cecily was asleep. 

We haven't done much these last two days of Bob's break.  It's been nice to have him home... mur. 

Is it just me or did 2011 just fly?  And yet so much happened.... we moved, I quit my job, Cecily... nothing like three majorly stressful things all at once.  *grin*  We made it through by the skin of our teeth... and the grace of God. 

Blessings.

Christmas

Well (it's a deep subject), we had a good Christmas Day.  We went to church in T-town and then came home and opened our presents from each other.  Little miss surrounded by gifts... don't worry, they're not all for her.  *grin*

She got Christmas books, doesn't she look thrilled?

And then we headed to the farm.  Mom made cornish hens and all manner of good things to eat.  Jakey made us Apple Scrumptious for dessert.  I did not get to enjoy the food... Cecily was fussy so it got inhaled and then I got to take care of her.  She cheered up in time for presents. 

So... my parents did not make good lists this year.  They ended up with some interesting things... hehe.  One of the funnier moments of the night was when Dad opened the box with air holes.  Mom was extremely nervous... "is it a gerbil? or a cat? or a houseplant?"  O man.  And Dad was totally playing it up... this picture makes me laugh a lot.  Anyways... there was a toy puppy inside and they're getting a puppy when it's old enough.  *Grin*  This is what happens when you don't make lists. 

Cecily got a sled!  It's so cute!  Now we just need snow...

So I forgot to replenish the supply of diapers in the diaper bag after church... oops... and we used all of them and she made a mess on Bob.  Thankfully Grandma got her two more cloth diapers for Christmas and saved the day.  The pink one even matched her dress.  Very fortuitous.   

She had pretty much had it with Christmas by the time we got home... she cried for quite awhile until she fell asleep and then she was out for the rest of the night.  I woke her up in the morning and then she went back to sleep for a few more hours.  Hooray! 

Monday afternoon Bob had some guys over to play games.  Little miss and I did laundry and chilled where it was quiet.  Anytime they got loud her little lip would come out... so funny.  Jakey stayed for supper; I was lazy and ordered pizza.  

And now we've got a few days break before our last two Christmases.  Woot woot. Shelly left for India and I am so incredibly jealous.  Someday.  Although, they don't get to see the Taj Mahal so that makes it a little bit less enviable. 

Blessings. 



The Night Before Christmas

’Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;

(We hope... so far so good, only spiders...)

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;

(She might be in bed, but there's no guarantee she'll stay sleeping for long...)

I don't own a kerchief and I'm pretty sure Bob doesn't have a cap.  hehe.  Last night we had Schlipf Christmas in Gridley and tonight we went to the Koch Christmas... good times.  Three down, three to go. 

Merry Christmas to All, and to All A Good Night!

Field trip

Yesterday Cecily and I invited ourselves to the farm for lunch and then we went to visit Aunt Freida at the home.  She's on hospice because, well, she's 95 and there's not really anything more they can do for her.  I hear people practically have her dead and buried already, but, to quote Monty Python, she's 'not dead yet.'  'I think I'll go for a walk...' 

Anyway. They were happy to meet Cecily and she got fussed over by everyone there.  She wouldn't move her hand away from her face though... 

I wish I would have tried harder to make the time to learn how to make her famous buns. 

Blessings.

Merry Birthday

So I'm 27 now.  I feel so old.  *grin*  I did something to me knee the other day and I'm starting to sound old with all my aches and pains... anyway.  I had a pretty good birthday.  Really low key.  We relaxed at home all day and met my family for supper at Firehouse pizza in W-ton.  Then we stopped at the farm for cake and presents.  I've decided that I like chocolate angel food cake better than regular, it was yummy. 

Bob wrapped my birthday present in Christmas wrapping paper.  I forgave him.

Mom and Dad got me a shirt with a Louisa May Alcott quote on it: "She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain."  I haven't quite decided if I need to forgive them too.  hehe. 

Cecily enjoyed my birthday flowers...


Christmas started on Sunday with the Beutel Christmas.  Only five more to go.  woot woot.

One day!

Until my birthday!  Yippee! 

I made my birthday cake yesterday... chocolate angel food cake.  Angel food cake because I had 10 egg whites left over from making Lukovitch bread.  Chocolate because it was right under classic angel food cake in the Betty Crocker Picture Cookbook and I like chocolate.

Bob sent me roses today.  They're so pretty. 

And then on a whim and because the mess in the extra bedroom closet is starting to get to me... I tried on a bunch of my 'regular' skirts that were still a little bit snug a month ago.  Most of them fit again!  And are back in our closet!  Happy Birthday to Me!  *grin* 

I love birthdays.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

I've decided that since it's raining and dreary today I'm going to curl up and be lazy.  And maybe work on my quilt squares or wrapping presents or other cozy things.  *grin* 

Last night Cecily and I braved the drizzle to do something Christmasy- the W-ton Christmas Tour of Homes.  We met my mom and dad (I get my love of houses honestly, hehe) and went through three of the five houses on the tour. 

The first house was about a year old and was nice but not fabulous... it had a very large master bathroom with a big walk in shower with two shower heads.  Really pretty, but it felt like a locker room.  *grin* 

Then we went through one of the big old Victorians on Main.  It was originally built by the Denhart's in 1884. (They were bankers... now there's a Bakery with their name...)  It was a funeral home from the 30's until the current owners bought it.  It. Was. Gorgeous.  The ceilings were so high, and there was beautiful wood and wallpaper everywhere.  The paper on the ceiling was super cool, at least two or three different patterns on each.  Two of the closets still have original wall paper- they were so rich they even papered the closet ceilings! So cool, although the lady that owns it said when they moved in they had to take out a lift that had been used to move caskets and bodies in it's funeral home days.  Um. Weird.  hehe.

Our last stop was just down the street at a cool little Bungalow.  It was in the paper a few weeks ago and I was super excited to see inside.  Way more my style house.  So much more functional, but still architecturally cool.  It had awesome built-ins all over. The coolest was the whole wall of built-in bookcase with leaded glass doors.  *sigh*  The kitchen even had the original dining nook.  And to top it all off, there was a beautiful sun porch.  Sometimes it's hard not to covet... haha.   

The two houses we didn't go through were big, new, look-at-my-garage houses which I'm sure were cool, but it was getting late.  Cecily was quite popular on the tours... we told them we were teaching her to love old houses early.  Good times.

And then I went home looked up Stickley chairs.  Because after seeing them on the tour I think they're exactly what would work in front of our fireplace. 

Blessings.

O Come, O Come

I love Christmas time.  I love decorating the house... and the smell of baking springerli...packages in the mail... and Christmas shopping.  *grin*  Although, since I do more than half of it online, I don't know if it really counts as "shopping."  More like I love finding/getting cool things to give to all the people on our list. 

Anyway, it's been quiet around here.  We didn't go Christmas caroling anywhere this year.  Sad news... next year.  Matt came over on Friday night to avoid a girl party at the farm.  He's lucky he didn't come Thursday... Thursday was curry night... hehe.  Saturday I ran off to Walmart and the Quilt store for a little bit while Bob watched little miss and we chilled for the rest of the day. 

Sunday evening we went to the Christmas program at church.  Grace was in it this year, and I'm starting to know who some of the kids are which makes it more fun! 

Cecily and I went to the mall today to buy Christmas presents.  We're down to two gift cards to get yet,  woot woot,  and waiting for a few things to be delivered.  Poor UPS and Fedex trucks that have to turn around on our tight street full of vehicles... at least the boat is in storage now!  Hehe.

Randomly, I decided that I don't like any of my Christmas CD's so I haven't been listening to any of them.   What I want to listen to and sing along with is plain old Christmas Hymns.  The old ones.  Like 'O Come, O Come Emanuel' and  'Lo How a Rose.'  (Katie, why didn't we ever make that CD we talked about?! I'm sure it would be exactly what I want to listen to right now!)

Blessings.

Abby and Tyler

Well, we survived the weekend.  Little miss traveled like a champ! 

She may have been worn out from this:

Saturday morning we went to Jamie's and tried to get a picture of all the Koch great-grands. Then we high tailed it to Leo.   She slept the entire way... woke up just as we pulled into the hotel and demanded food.  And then she made a terrible mess all over me... *sigh*  it's a good thing I packed lots of extra clothes.

We met Will and Joanna and boys for supper at Cracker Barrel.  It was great fun and so good to see them again!  Probably the highlight of my weekend, since I was the least stressed.  New things are just hard, and trying to figure out how to deal with a baby at a different church and a reception is not my idea of fun. 

The rest of the evening we chilled at the hotel... and spent a little bit of time with the rest of the family.  Little miss Cecily is still a night owl, it's usually at least 10:30- 11ish before she decides she's sleepy, so with losing an hour on Indiana time we were up until midnight.   This picture cracks me up; wide awake and chilling watching a western with Bob...



Sunday we were late to church... but hey, I've never been on time to Leo, so why start now?  haha.  I tried to get a picture for Christmas cards that morning... she was happy, but she moves her arms so much it's hard to catch a smile.  O well.  

The wedding was lovely... I got teary when she walked in.  And then I spent the rest of the service paranoid that Cecily would get fussy and I'd have to take her out.  Anyway.  They got married and we headed for the reception, which was at the Alan County Courthouse.  The historic Alan County Courthouse. Which is still in use so we had to go through security to get in.   It. Was. Gorgeous.  The food was fabulous.  I took all of three pictures, not sure what I was thinking.

Kendra, Shelly, Lys

 

Lys did not know I was taking her picture.  hehe.

The only picture of Abby and I is blurry.  Sad news.  But she was a beautiful bride and her dress was super cool.

I stole some pictures from somebody else who was there:

 So yeah, it was quite the doings.  *grin*  We left from the reception after hauling our luggage in through the metal detector and scanner to change clothes... so weird.  We had a pretty good trip home- Cecily cried a little bit until we could stop to feed her and me.  (Convenient.)  She was really happy to get out of her car seat when we got home though, so funny. 

This week we've been laying low... I've been baking cookies and not doing a whole lot else.  We listened to services with Grandpa and Grandma Beutel tonight because Cecily got her shots today and I was afraid she'd be super fussy.  But she wasn't.  O well, it's good to spend time with them and we delivered some Springerli. 

Blessings.

O Cannon ball

Guess who's excited for Christmas?  *grin* 

So my plans to have a cool mantle by Christmas hit an unexpected snag... so for now I put up a sort of mantle-like shelf that was on clearance at Menards.  It was super cheap for a reason... the edges are dinged up bad and it was missing hardware... but, the greens hide the bad spots, it's temporary, and did I mention it was cheap?  Hooray for having someplace to decorate and hang Cecily's stocking! 

Yesterday my Mom and I went Christmas tree shopping.  It's always good to have a second pair of eyes to point out bad spots and crooked trunks.  hehe.  I think we did good.  Ours didn't get drilled perfectly straight, but it's not too obvious... and it's an otherwise gorgeous tree.  It makes me smile.  I realized this year that most of my ornaments are gold, silver, or white... and white lights... it might need a little more color. 

I've been having lots of fun decorating our new house. 

Oh, and I took Cecily to the Doc today for her two month checkup... she weighs 13.3 pounds... which is the 96th percentile or something like that.  Bob started calling her Chubby Hugs... hehe, poor girl.  And I panzed on getting her shots until next week.  I have no desire to deal with an extra fussy baby all the way to Leo and back.
Blessings.