Heather Bea

New Year Goals (no resolutions here)

2012-01-02T22:57:00.000-08:00

Are goals the same as resolutions? Not in my book. You make a resolution you veer from it and it is broken. But with goals it is different. You make a goal and you work towards it, you fall off the wagon, no problem, just get back on and keep on working towards those goals.

Since it is the start of the new year I sat down with the kids and talked to them about what things they wanted to work on in 2012 . For one it is to work on her singing, practice basketball and work on her organizational skills, she knows they need work. The other one wants to do more art, go to museums and have more play dates with her friends. Great goals and all easy to work on a little everyday.

So this year why burden yourself with, "I am going to lose 25 pounds!" Just make it a year long goal to be healthier, maybe that means more exercise, or eating more veggies, but a goal to be healthier is easier to attain. By doing little things every day and you are one step closer to accomplishing your goal. Doesn't that sound better. My goal this year? To spend a little more time on me and doing things I want to do. Oh, and losing 25 pounds would be nice too, but for tomorrow my goal is to drink more water and go for a walk. Baby steps.

Broken Ankle Part Two

2011-12-11T20:50:00.001-08:00

A long time ago, five years to be exact I was just finishing up physical therapy for my fractured ankle. Now I sit with my leg propped up recovering from a related but different sort of surgery. All of the hardware that was put in my ankle five years ago was removed a week ago. Ten screws and a steel plate that were put in place to keep my shattered ankle together so it could heal.

Now normally they don't remove this hardware, unless it causes problems. In my body it caused problems, my ankle would swell in the heat and ache in the cold. It was getting to the point where it would bother me almost everyday in some way. So I made an appointment with a new doctor who took a look at my x-rays and listened to my story and said, "Let's take that hardware out." Which is what we did and now I have a bandaged ankle, a baggie full of metal and a "swiss cheese leg" as my doctor likes to call it. (Not sure why the picture flipped on its side but you get the picture)

I am hoping that once it all heals up I will gain a bit more flexibility and the circulation will improve to prevent some of the swelling. My doctor is very hopeful that I can move on from this and not have any more problems.

Shoes

2011-12-10T15:24:00.001-08:00

More to the point - cute, adorable, why aren't they in my size, kids shoes. I like shopping for my girls' shoes at Target because they carry shoes for girls that don't have Nickelodeon characters all over them. They are inexpensive which I appreciate and stylish which we all like. Today's shopping adventure I found these cute ones. I think the boots might be a Christmas present for one of the girls. Did I mention that I really wish they had these in my size?

Too cute.

Halia Combat Boots

Darly Flat

Gerty Ballet Flat

hello again

2011-12-09T21:02:00.001-08:00

Do you have one of those friends, you know the one you really like and have history with but for one reason or another you just lose contact with them? You mean to call but since you haven't spoken in a while you know that it won't be a short conversation and you don't have time for a long conversation because you're busy. So time goes on and a week becomes a month which becomes a year, yada, yada, yada ...

Yes, my little old blog is that friend. Every time I thought about sitting down to write I knew that it would not be a short little entry because life has gone on and stuff has happened. Lots of stuff and can you really squeeze all that into a quick little 5 minute entry? No, because honestly the only time I was doing 5 minute entries was when I was striving to blog every day in November 2008 for NaBloPoMo and only made it to the 12th and burnt out. Anyway, back to the point, I have been away a long time - almost two years! (yes I used an exclamation point, because seriously TWO years!)

Quick synopsis:
My daughters are growing up, 7 & 9, the 9 year old is asking all sorts of questions that I am not yet equipped to answer but she is getting a copy of "The Care of Keeping of You" from American Girls for Christmas this year. The 7 year old is wise beyond her years and has the world figured out, she wants to design buildings and thinks her sister is a bit wild. They love each other to pieces even though they are so different.

My husband is performing and teaching like a maniac. He finally has gigs that pay with money and not just drink tickets. Plus, he has so many students that his music classes are bursting at the seams. Very happy and fulfilled musician,which makes for a nice calm, sweet husband.

And me? Well, I feel like I have gone full circle from my first real office job in college working for a small software company in Seattle. I work in IT now and I love it. Still a public servant but now I get paid to learn and teach. My kids think I am super techno now, which bumps me up on the cool meter just a few degrees. Oh, and I am an auntie which I thought would make my mom give up on me having more children but no such luck. Now she wants me to have another baby so that my new little niece can have a playmate. Sorry, that ship has sailed Nana.

I figure the easiest part about old friends is that they know you, you don't have to catch up on everything in your first conversation because you will talk with them again soon, right? So this is just the first part of our conversation. The rest will happen over time.

Just squeezing this in under the wire, keep with one of my favorite blog activities, Fabric Friday:

This Winter Nest Panel by Kristen Doran Design available through Earth Girl Fabrics, I love the colors and want the green and black for pillows on my couch.

I will be doing some construction to the blog over the next few days need to freshen things up a bit.

Torn

2010-01-24T17:35:00.001-08:00

I feel torn lately between the person I want to be and the person I am. I want to go to graduate school, but the time scares me. I feel like almost everything I do lately is for someone else and yet I am torn when it comes to doing something for myself knowing it will take time away from the kids and husband.

I think that all soon to be moms should go through counseling so that they are better equipped to deal with the transformation that takes place when you become a mom. Forget the birthing classes and take a mental health class. Maybe just a class to help you organize your own life and make sure that you know to take time just for yourself even when you have a baby in arms and a husband in need of attention.

I have said it before but it always holds true, a happy mama is a better mama.

Now back to cooking dinner, doing some laundry, and getting the kids ready for school tomorrow.

Hope floats

2010-01-23T23:42:00.001-08:00

I watched the Hope for Haiti Now telethon last night with Cat. It was a little tough to watch but it was a way for her and I to talk about the earthquake and the problems that their country is facing. She went to bed thinking up ways that she could help. This morning she told me that she took the change out of her piggy bank and wanted to donate it. Seeing her wanting to make some sort of difference makes me feel a little bit hopeful for the future.

Lucky Number 7

2009-09-27T22:14:00.000-07:00

My Cat turned 7 years old today. It was a wonderful day, just the four of us hanging out and playing mini golf, something the kids thoroughly enjoyed. Normally the girls birthdays are full of friends, presents, candy, and cranky kids. It was really nice to just have time for us. With the start of school, S going back to teaching, and work staying busy I feel like it is hard to find a little time for our family. I felt a little overly emotional, probably just hormones but every birthday brings the feeling of my kids slipping a little bit away. I know that the point of parenting is to allow your kids to do just that, take a little more control over their own lives. I know they are only 7 & 5 but I still feel that pulling of the heart strings.

Cat is such a mature girl. I love her smile, her longing to be best friends with everyone she meets. I love her caring nature, she is a great sister, always trying to show her little sister how to do things, even when Aly doesn't want to learn. I cry for her when other kids don't see how special she is. I celebrate how well she is doing in school. I wipe her tears away when she is sad, even though she tries so hard to not let things bother her. I love her with all of my heart, my first born, my sweet, funny, smart girl.

Next weekend we will have her friend party, Tinkerbell cup cakes, some pizza, and a very special viewing of Monsters vs. Aliens. I hope her new friends can come, that will mean more to her than any presents. But today I celebrate her birthday, remembering that time seven years ago when I was cuddling her in my arms, watching her sleep. Since that day we have become a family of four and today was a day to celebrate our family, it was a simple, beautiful day.

Five years and counting

2009-08-22T07:51:00.000-07:00

Aly,
You are five years old today. Going into kindergarten, you will be one of the youngest in your class yet already a foot taller than most of your classmates. You love to make people laugh and when you are successful you start giggling. You have such an infectious laugh, I smile just thinking about it. Right now your world is all about swinging, eating tomatoes from the garden, playing with your big Sis, Polly Pocket, legos, and your stinky dolls. We never know what the next big thing is going to be. You always surprise us. You are the only one who wakes up with me in the morning. I love having our early morning conversations before I go off to work. You give me a last cuddle and kiss to send me on my way. You are also the first one to notice anything new, haircut, shoes, fingernail polish, a book, and you always compliment the person for their new thing. I can always count on you to say "I love your new hairstyle, Mama". That skill will get you far, as long as you are always sincere.

You are my sweet little stinky face and I love you my big five year old.

Love,
Your Mama

Fresh Air Fund

2009-07-31T06:44:00.000-07:00

For those of you over on the East Coast there is a great opportunity awaiting you. It is the Fresh Air Fund, they help place inner-city youth with families in the country. The kids get a break for the summer and a little fresh air.

They are currently looking for host families for August so if you are interested or know someone that is please contact them as soon as possible. You can click on the button below and will take you directly to their website.

Weekend in Review

2009-07-26T17:28:00.000-07:00

Some of the sunflowers are finally blooming, but we are still waiting for the big ones.

"Yum, these green beans are delicious!"

The latest harvest

Went up to Mount St. Helens on Sunday and it was beautiful, sunny with a high of about 75.

Finally, a picture of all four of us, sometimes these are few and far between.

All in all it was a beautiful weekend even with the heat wave starting to hit again. It is supposed to be 100 tomorrow, which was a typical summer day when we lived in Sacramento of course there we had central air. Here in Portland our air conditioner is called the basement. At least I can go to work tomorrow for a little cool down, but there they keep it so cool you need a sweater. I shouldn't complain about the heat before I know it the rainy season will be here, so let the sun shine!

Fabric Friday

2009-07-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

Has anyone missed fabric friday as much as me? Probably just me but that's fine too. This week some of my favorites come from Heather Bailey at Heather Bailey Online. I want to make a quilt out of these fabrics so badly. They seem perfect for a hot July night picnic. Alas, I should use the fabrics I have in my stash, but soon they will be mine.

Also check out Heather's blog (also over at the side), she has a beautifully designed site to match her fabulous fabric. Almost too much to take in.

The Swimsuit Hunt Continued

2009-07-22T21:35:00.000-07:00

Are there an overwhelming number of moms out there who want their 6 year olds to look like little sluts? No? Sorry, is that to strong a word? Then what is going on with the skimpy little bikinis they sell for little kids? Just give me a tank suit that won't ride up on her and that she can spend the day in. She doesn't need a suit with support, there was one suit in a size four that had something seriously close to underwire. She doesn't need a mesh sarong to go over said string bikini. She also doesn't need a leopard print suit that looks incredibly like sexy underwear. She is six!

But after sifting through all the suits and looking at five stores we finally found a suit that was perfect for her. It was the only one in that size and color so I figured it was meant to be. Next time, when I see a suit that is perfect I am just going to grab it. It might be the middle of the winter, but I don't want to go through this again.

Not time for back to school just yet

2009-07-21T19:47:00.000-07:00

It was in the 90s here today in Portland. My kids need new swimsuits as they have worn them out. You go shopping and can you find any swimsuits? Nooooooooo! But what do you find? Lunch boxes, corduroy skirts, jeans, jackets, but no swimsuits.

Note to store buyers. When it is 90 to 100 degrees out do not pack your store with parkas and raincoats. I need tank tops, sandals, short sleeve pajamas, shorts, and most importantly swimsuits. I will end up going online but it would have been so much easier to get this done at lunch today.

Butterfly and Unicorn

2009-07-21T06:46:00.001-07:00

We waited in line for an hour and a half for the kids to get their faces painted at the art festival this weekend. They were so happy that is almost made up for the sunburn on the top of my feet where I didn't put enough sunscreen. We did celebrate with sno-cones after and then went home exhausted. I was a simple fun day that I am sure the kids will remember for a long time.

Happy In(ter)dependence Day

2009-07-04T17:06:00.000-07:00

Cat woke up this morning and said "Happy Fourth of July!" I told her it was also called Independence Day and we talked a little about what that means. Later on when she was talking about the holiday with my parents she said "it is also called Interdependence Day." We all laughed and thought how cute it was that she got confused on the name, I still love it when the kids do that.

So much talk about how these global problems need global solutions. Maybe while we are all celebrating this patriotic holiday we should also think about how times have changed. We can now work with other countries in true partnerships. We can be a leader in bringing ideas to the table. I am so sick of America being seen as the bully that comes in and says "do what we tell you and everything will be okay." I kind of like the idea of Interdependence Day.

Then I got this in my email, and it put it all into perspective:

"Heather --

This weekend, our family will join millions of others in celebrating America. We will enjoy the glow of fireworks, the taste of barbeque, and the company of good friends. As we all celebrate this weekend, let's also remember the remarkable story that led to this day.

Two hundred and thirty-three years ago, our nation was born when a courageous group of patriots pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor to the proposition that all of us were created equal.

Our country began as a unique experiment in liberty -- a bold, evolving quest to achieve a more perfect union. And in every generation, another courageous group of patriots has taken us one step closer to fully realizing the dream our founders enshrined on that great day.

Today, all Americans have a hard-fought birthright to a freedom which enables each of us, no matter our views or background, to help set our nation's course. America's greatness has always depended on her citizens embracing that freedom -- and fulfilling the duty that comes with it.

As free people, we must each take the challenges and opportunities that face this nation as our own. As long as some Americans still must struggle, none of us can be fully content. And as America comes ever closer to achieving the perfect Union our founders dreamed, that triumph -- that pride -- belongs to all of us.

So today is a day to reflect on our independence, and the sacrifice of our troops standing in harm's way to preserve and protect it. It is a day to celebrate all that America is. And today is a time to aspire toward all we can still become.

With very best wishes,

President Barack Obama

July 4th, 2009

What's Up?

2009-07-03T21:19:00.001-07:00

July - Garden in full swing

June - Pre-K graduation

May - Start of the garden

April - Flower Girls

March - Out exploring

February - Visit from the tooth fairy

January - Happy New Year

Things to be excited about

2009-01-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

President Obama, I still am having a hard time believing it really happened. But it did!
Having a job, and being told over and over again that I don't need to worry about losing it, priceless.
Watching the kids get excited about school. I am a big beleiver in public schools, I think you get what you put into it. Our whole family loves Cat's school, and next year Aly will be in Kindergarten there too.
A new sewing machine! I am selling my old machine to help purchase a new one. I consider it an investment, my husband tells me it is just a new toy.
Snow tomorrow. I love snow, sure it slows the city down, but it is so beautiful and isn't that why we live in a neighborhood where we can walk everywhere? Too bad it is only supposed to last for a little while.
Losing weight, just under 18 pounds now. My goal is for 25 and I am almost there.
Having my parents close by, I never realized how much I missed them living up in Seattle until they moved down here.
Writing on the blog, even if it is just to come up with a silly list.

Crazy Things

2008-11-12T23:01:00.000-08:00

Okay, today we got just crazy weather. In Portland we got close to an inch of rain along with the wind that makes the rain come at you sideways and renders umbrellas completely useless. It seemed to hit especially hard when I had to take the kids to school this morning. I made a run for it the block to school, dragging the kids behind.

When Cat got out of the car she was complaining that her raincoat was not working well. I turned around and saw that it was not zipped and her hood was down. I pointed out these items to her and she said it worked much better once she fixed the problems. I swear my kid is not an idiot just a 6-year old girls who sometimes loses her mind. When do kids pick up on common sense? Soon right? Please tell me it is soon.

The other crazy thing is that when I was dropping off Aly at her school there were two cars in the parking lot that looked as if another car hit them and then drove off. They were rammed together. Her school sits right below a main road in town. A drunk driver ran off the road, went through the chainlink fence, and came crashing down on another car that then rammed into the other two. It was insane, and I will never park on that side of the parking lot even for a quick drop off.

This weather makes the crazy drivers come out. Hydroplaning all over the place, driving on your ass and speeding past you creating a wave of water that crashes over your car. I hate driving in this weather, would rather get wet walking in the rain. Supposedly we will have a dry spell over the next few days. Hopefully the crazy stuff will stop for a little while.

Pre-K how I love the ...

2008-11-11T20:13:00.000-08:00

let me count the ways. Aly's new school finally opened this month. It was under construction for so long and the opening was postponed for two months. But it finally opened and she is in love with her new teachers and new friends.

She had been spending the days with my mom and dad, and although they are a lot of fun, she had been craving time with kids her own age. Not to mention getting back into learning. My parents miss spending all of that time with her but since they live down here now they get to see the kids a lot more than they used to.

Anyway, Pre-K has been great so far, and they have openings available. If you want the info just send me an email.

A little annoyance

2008-11-10T21:40:00.000-08:00

This morning on the radio that played a commercial for Washington Mutual, saying what a great bank it is now that it is part of JP Morgan Chase. But the things that bugged the heck out of me is that they kept calling the bank WaMu. Whose idiotic idea was it to change the name from Washington Mutual to WaMu?

Is it just me? I like a little respectability in my bank. Thinking of changing. I know in this day and age should we really change a bank because of a stupid name? I say yes, but where to go? Do you go the local bank route, or maybe a credit union? Part of me just doesn't want to have to set up all of my automatic payments again. It is just a little annoyance in my life.

Stinky Bear

2008-11-09T22:35:00.000-08:00

Aly has this bear, its name is Stinky. He was a free bear that she got at the Festival of Trees last year. They have a teddy bear hospital there and the kids that go get free teddy bears. I am sure this one was probably made in China, sad to say I didn't even check. Bad mommy, bad, bad mommy.

Anyway, this bear is stinky because she sucks on him at night. I know disgusting. But she is so attached to Stinky and even with washings he still stinks. Do you take something away when she is so attached? I just can't, so Stinky goes where Aly goes, and life goes on. I just know sooner or later Stinky is probably going to fall apart and I am sure Aly will move on to something new. But right now he is her love, and you can't say no to that, even if he is really stinky.

Love Black Apple

2008-11-08T22:35:00.000-08:00

Which one should I get?
Perfect for Aly's room
This one is perfect for Cat's room, she love the Loch Ness monster.

Losing

2008-11-07T22:23:00.000-08:00

Okay, I am coming out of the closet so to speak, or at least cleaning out my closet. For awhile now I have been wanting to lose some weight. When the opportunity to join a group at work arose I jumped at the chance. We meet once a week and everyone weighs in, can you guess what it is? Yep, you guessed it Weight Watchers.

I kept it under wraps for the first week or so, because usually when I tell people I want to lose some weight they tell me I look fine. But for me it is about wanting to be in a healthy range for my height and build. I want to have more energy, patience, and just generally feel better. I don't talk about losing weight with the girls, with them it is all about eating good foods and exercising to keep your body working.

So it has been four weeks now and I am down 10.6 lbs. so far and I feel great. My clothes are fitting better, no more muffin top in my favorite jeans, and I donated some of the "too big" clothes to charity. I would fully endorse WW if you follow the program. A lot of it is writing down what you eat, and moderating your portions. Halloween was a real bitch, but I got through it without my normal candy gorgefest. I have about 20 more lbs. to drop but things are looking good as long as I can get through the holidays. I should be at my target right after the new year. Hey if it worked for Jenny McCarthy it can work for me.

The hardest part has been working in an actual exercise plan. It has been so long since I exercised on a regular basis. I am a walker, would much rather walk than drive, and that has kept me kind of in shape for awhile but I need to take it up a notch. So to help me out with that goal I purchased a new toy. It just arrived this week and I will be testing it out this weekend, bu hopefully it will become my exercise partner.

Guns

2008-11-06T22:37:00.000-08:00

Today Cat was showing me some things she got at her after school care program. They made little bags and got some toys to put in them and bring home. Well one of them was a little orange gun. I was shocked. I know it is a toy and obviously not real, but come on giving that out at school?

I guess I just never understood playing with toy guns, pretending to hurt one another. Cat promised that she wouldn't point it at anyone and only pretend with her animals. When I asked why she would want to pretend that she couldn't answer. She just saw a toy and nothing more. I guess I should be happy that she is so innocent and can't grasp the concept of someone hurting someone else. But it bothered me none the less. Tomorrow we will be calling the afterschool care and finding out their side of things. Let's see what they say.

Still Happy

2008-11-05T23:50:00.000-08:00

I am still happy, just a feel of optimism about our country that I haven't felt in a long time. It will be a long road but a great ride.

The New First Family

2008-11-04T21:55:00.000-08:00

I am crying tears of joy. Just so happy and proud of our country. It is definitely a glass half full moment right now.

Keeping Fingers Crossed

2008-11-04T16:58:00.001-08:00

The latest and greatest

Halloween Memories

2008-11-03T20:38:00.001-08:00

Halloween is just a memory now, but it was another successful costume wearing, trick-or-treating, candy eating, pumpkin carving night. Now maybe next year we can move beyond Disney Princess costumes.

The candy fairy paid the girls a visit. The candy fairy is the tooth fairy's cousin, in case you didn't know. The girls got to pick out their favorite candy and the rest was put into a special bag for the candy fairy. They each woke up to two dollars underneath their pillows. The amazing thing is that S and I didn't even eat all of the extra, okay we ate some but not much. Well not much as compared to last year when I remember feeling ill due to the candy crash we experienced.

Facebook

2008-11-02T23:25:00.000-08:00

I am a bit new to Facebook. Signed up earlier in the year but never really fooled around with it until recently. Now all of a sudden my entire high school class has found me. But the best part of all is that my closest friend from high school just signed up tonight and sent me an email. We lost touch shortly after college and I tried googling her a few times but I never had any luck. I am sort of in shock, I didn't even know what to write to her besides "how are you?"

Sometimes the internet still amazes me.

Almost

2008-11-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

I can't wait for Tuesday! Almost election day, and hopefully no hanging chads, or close counts, but with a new President. Let it be Barack Obama, please, please, please! I am sending my prayers out to the universe that the polls are correct. I went into such a funk the day after the last presidential election when W was given four more years, and now look where we are. I need to have hope for the future, and I don't think that is possible if we have a President McCain.

Plus, the best thing about the end of the election will be no more political ads, they are driving me insane. I want to see Hallmark and Kodak commercials, give me an infomercial anyday over another negative ad, just disgusting.

So, only a few days to go! Let them go by fast and without any new developments.

Perfection

2008-09-17T22:24:00.000-07:00

As close to perfect as you get. I think I have a girl crush on Tina Fey and Amy Poehler.

My little one

2008-08-24T17:06:00.001-07:00

Happy 4th Birthday!

Visitors

2008-08-08T21:58:00.000-07:00

As I was settling in to do a bit of sewing something caught the corner of my eye and it looked like it was moving. It was a visitor.

I am pretty sure I didn't invite this creature in, but it is a garage after all I guess I have to get used to these creatures. It kind of looked like a hobo spider at least according to what www.hobospider.org said. It was about 3/4 inch in size and do you see the size of its mouth? It freaked me out to no end. I do not like spiders, but the funny thing is I don't like to see them dead either. When I was a kid I used to imagine that if you killed a spider the rest of it's family would come looking for it and after realizing that you had killed it they would come looking for revenge. I swear that it exactly what I thought. So I let it be and decided to come back another time for my project.

UPDATE: S killed the visitor the next day. We think it was the same one because we haven't seen anymore since. But maybe they are just sitting and watching us.

Guaranteed to cure the blues

2008-07-23T16:20:00.000-07:00

My kids love this video and ask to watch it over and over and over again.

Time in a bottle

2008-07-21T21:48:00.000-07:00

Where has the time gone? I had high hopes that I was going to get back to this blog much sooner, but it wasn't to be. Anyway it has been over 10 months and I would like to say that in that time I had some great reason for abandoning this blog but that wouldn't be true either. Just time passing me by. Kids growing up, birthdays and anniversaries to celebrate.

We got taken down by some of the economic strife that is occurring. Nothing to lose our house over but it did reset our priorities just a bit. We got rid of satellite but we couldn't bear to part with our beloved internet. I do miss the weekly newspaper but to be honest we read the news online for than the daily O. Many more rides on public transportation and talk of selling one of the cars. We never use more than one these days but still paying insurance on both. Anyone in the market for a Toyota Rav4?

I did start a new job back in October. That seems to have coincided with my break from the blog. They are very strict on internet usage, no blogs, myspace accounts or internet email allowed. They block the sites and you have to prove to IT that you need access for work. I am on the computer so much at work now that to be honest I haven't felt like getting on the computer much at home. But slowly it has been pulling me back in.

Then life gets in the way again like our refrigerator breaking down for the third time in about two months. The frost free option doesn't seem to work well. Basically when this happens we have to unload all of our food from the fridge and freezer and load it into coolers while the fridge defrosts and decides to work for us again. I think we need a new one but that cost money which we don't want to spend right now. Yes, that literally just happened in the middle of this post. I am amazed I got back on to write at all.

So hopefully this will be the first of many lame posts to go where I lament about putting time in a bottle slowing things down for awhile or maybe I will write again a year from now. We shall see.

Arr!

2007-09-19T11:03:00.000-07:00

In hon'r thar 'Talk Like a Pirate Day', I off'r ye kiddies' best of all pirate jokes:

What is a pirate's favorite letter?
Arrr! (R)

What is a pirate's favorite restaurant?
Arrrby's

What is a pirate's favorite kind of sock?
Arrrgyle

What is a pirate's favorite animal?
Arrrmadillo

You gettin thar idea? Find thar pirate in you at the Portland Pirate Festival this weekend.

Bigger Fish

2007-09-18T21:30:00.001-07:00

So my template got all screwed up but you know what I don't care. Why, because I have bigger fish to fry. For the past two years I have been stuck in a job that was nothing more than a job. But one day I decided to look, just to see what was out there and you know what appeared before my eyes? The perfect job, P-E-R-F-E-C-T job. Problem? It's open application period was ending the next day by 5:00pm. I pulled out my dreary looking resume and polished it up till it was sparkling. I sent it in at 12:30am the day it closed, went to bed, and then got up at 5:00 to get ready for work. Within a few days they called, I went in and blew them away (or so they said later). They called again, I went in again and blew another panel away. The next day they tried calling me but I was on the coast and had spotting cell coverage. All I received was a message that said "I would love to talk to you, call me back". I call back but they are gone for the weekend, the long holiday weekend. I waited in misery for 3 days before I got the word, the job was mine. New problem, my boss was leaving in two days for three weeks vacation. I had to get that offer in writing before I could tell him, I just couldn't risk it. I got the letter, and told my boss the day before he was set to leave. He freaked but not in a "I hate you" way, it was in a "holy crap, all of the stuff that Heather does I am supposed to be doing, what happens if the powers that be know that she has been doing my work?" kind of way. The greatest thing about this whole thing is that everyone is really happy for me and the comment I have heard more than anything else is "you deserve it." Even my boss told me that if I ever wanted to come back they would find me a fabulous job with the company.

My new job will be great, I won't go into detail but there is a short commute involved, it is working with water resources, and it is a government position (which I love). It will be a continuation of six years that I spent working on water issues for the State of California. I found out that they had 160 applications for this position, and they chose little old me. Oh I am so excited. I started the two-week count down yesterday and my replacement starts tomorrow. I can't wait to push all of my work on her.

My Big Three Year Old

2007-08-23T10:04:00.000-07:00

I know, not the most flattering picture, but it fits her wacky personality. Yesterday was Aly's 3rd birthday. When you ask her how old she is she will look at her hand, count out three fingers, then look at you and say "See I'm Three Years Old!"

Aly seems shy when you first meet her, hiding behind my leg. But once she warms up to you watch out she will try anything, and investigate everything and be wacky and silly the whole time. We didn't have to childproof things until Aly came along, Cat just stayed away from stuff. Although it scares me to death at times, for the most part I love her curiosity, I hope she never loses that sense of excitement about everything.

She is my cuddle bug, whenever I am home she wants to cuddle up with me and read stories or sing songs. She knows all of her letters and loves to call them out when she sees them. She loves to play with her dolls and carry on little conversations between them, although for some reason they don't like wearing clothes. She most pull off all her dolls clothes within minutes of getting them, what is up with that? She loves to sing songs, and seems to have a photographic memory when it comes to music. She can hear a song one time, even briefly, and will be singing along right away. Perhaps having a musician dad has rubbed off on her, or maybe it is in the blood.

Since she is my last baby, I want to treasure all of these phases in her life, even the tantrums. Before I know it she won't be wanting to cuddle up with me, but for now I am happy to cuddle anytime she wants.

Happy Birthday Aly, you always have a smile for Mama and Daddy, and I hope that never changes.

Commuting

2007-08-01T06:12:00.001-07:00

Sometimes you meet the most interesting people on the MAX train. Case in point the young man who sat next to me on my ride home last night.

Here is just a snippet of our conversation:

Guy: Hey you are really pretty, do you have a boyfriend?
Me: I am married.
Guy: Oh, do you know where there are any good titty bars around here?
Me: No, might want to check on Burnside or 82nd for that.
Guy: Oh, do you know where a New Seasons is so I can get some fruit?
Me: Yeah, you need to get off the train and catch a Yellow line to North Portland.
Guy: Okay thanks, I really need to find a good titty bar that will make me feel good.

Aaah, I just love commuting by public transportation.

Can a Four and Three Quarters Year Old Drive You Insane?

2007-07-30T09:26:00.001-07:00

Oh, my precious Cat. I love her dearly, but lately I feel like tearing my hair out when we are together. She has become a mini-attorney. You ask her to get dressed and it becomes a debate over why she wants to wear a party dress to go play at the park instead of her play clothes. You ask her to clean up her mess and she will argue over why she doesn't need to clean it up because she was not the last one to touch the crayons therefor it is not her mess, and therefor she is not responsible for cleaning. Last night she refused to wear her pajamas because they were inside out and she screamed for me to fix them for her. But she knows how to fix them, she just didn't want to get ready for bed. We are talking stall tactics here. So I told her the longer it took her to get her pajamas on the more time it would take away from story time. She sat in her room and screamed to everyone who would listen that "she was four and three quarters and that she did not have to put her pajamas on, and that she would yell until I came in and did it for her." Now I know this is a small little thing to get in an argument with a four year old about, oh excuse me four and three quarters, but the issue at hand is that she all of a sudden wants to argue about everything. No matter what I say she will say the opposite. I know this is about pushing the boundaries that we set for her, but I also think it is about the fact that she is growing older and she now has to do some things for herself. She sees her little sister Aly getting all sorts of assistance, but we are helping her to learn. Sometimes she wants to be completely independent and then the next minute she wants our help with everything. I know this is a hard age for her, learning so much about the world in such a short period of time, I didn't realize just how hard it would be. The good thing about this all is that a big hug usually solves all the world's problems and calms us all down again. This is the first time that her behavior is worse than her little sisters, but I guess like all other things it will pass.

Stuff

2007-07-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

You know stuff just really gets in the way of blogging. Stuff like two people being laid off at work because the folks there think that you are so capable you can now manage three full time jobs instead of just one. Yeah, that kind of puts a damper on blogging during lunch hour. Or, your ever expanding list of home projects that compete against your "I want to just hang out with the family" weekends. Then the fact that I had been feeling like a tub o' lard lately and the only way to fix that is by, get this, exercising and not eating a whole box of Jo-Jo's in one sitting. But where does that exercise time fit into the schedule, you guessed it, blogging time.

I have noticed in the blog world that a number of folks go through quiet periods on their blog. They usually bounce back after a month or two off the webs. I think that is what I needed. A little break, to get my own act in order. Have I promised that before? I am still working things out but I am starting to feel a lot better.

The main reason why I have time today to post is because the family is gone. Out of the house for five whole days. I don't have the time off available so I wasn't able to join them on the trip to visit the in-laws. So it is just me and our ferocious dog, Mojo, who will scare off any solicitor that tries to approach the house with some request for donations (I give at the office anyway). I seriously do not know what to do with myself. Knowing me it will involve cleaning more than anything, just because it is so easy to do when there are no little kids running around.

Before I forget, one of the best things has happened in the last month. Aly is now potty-trained, in underwear full time. Of course she had one accident last night, but that was the first time since we made the big switch. We are firm believers in going from pull-ups to underwear in one big step. No pull-ups at night. It pisses her off to wake up in a pool of pee so she holds it and when she really has to go she almost always will just get up and go use the potty. Like I said she had the one accident last night, and a few mid-day accidents but other than that she is peeing and pooping like a pro. I only had to bribe her with candy that first time she pooped in her potty, after that never a problem. Oh and, knock on wood, she has never once pooped in her underwear. I so hope the trend continues, it is so great to not have to haul diapers around with us.

Hopefully I will be back in the blogging loop soon, but if not that is okay too. Life just gets in the way sometimes.

Dragged back into the blogging fray by a meme

2007-06-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

MoWo (Mother-Woman) was ever so kind to tag me for a meme. Seriously haven't had one of these in a while, especially since I haven't posted in so long. Life has stepped in and said "you think you have the bandwidth to blog, think again." But I do think about posting quite a bit, I have interesting stuff to post about (at least to me), just finding time in the day to do it all.

This meme comes from BlogRhet and like I said before MoWo passed it on to me. This is a good thing I think. Getting me back into the swing of things and in touch with why I started this blog in the first place.

1. Go back to first or early post. How would you describe your voice back in those early days?Who were you writing to? What was your sense of audience (if any) back then?
In my very first post I said that i was writing for me. I needed a space to write and get thoughts, ideas, frustrations out there. I wanted something more than a journal that would just be put into a box when I finished filling it out.

2. Do you remember when you received your first comment? What was it like?
My first comment was on my second post which City Mama referenced on BloggingBaby (now known as ParentDish) . It came from IrishTwinMama, who did not have a link to blog or email, otherwise I would have contacted her right away to say thanks. I was shocked that someone who I didn't know was taking the time to read my blog not to mention that it was put in the spotlight after one not so great post. But my little rant about wanting to knit while I watched a movie hit a chord with someone else and that made me realize that there was this great community out in the interwebs.

3. Can you point to a stage where you began to feel that your blog might be part of a conversation? Where you might be part of a larger community of interacting writers?
Right with that second post. When CityMama mentioned my blog I felt like I was welcomed in to a new community. A community that I was fully aware was there but that I was never a part of before. I was an outsider reading all these blogs, shaking my head in agreement to what was being written. After that post and especially once I started receiving comments on a regular basis I did feel like there was this bond being formed, and conversations being started.

4. Do you think that this sense of audience or community might have affected the way you began to write?
This question is tricky. I think one of the main reasons why I haven't written much this year is because I started writing less for myself and more for what other people would find interesting. I would start a post and think, this is so boring, who else cares about this stuff but me. But I have to get past that, get back to that first post when I wrote this:

"Yes, this is all for me. Not for my kids, not for my husband or my work or my dog or my friends. This is for me, the queen of Mamaland, the land where I can feel exhausted and euphoric at the same time. So if you want to read then do, but just remember this is me, me, me. Not yours, all mine."

Now the hard part, who do I tag? I will tag Stephanie of Expressions of Love and Granny of RocRebelGranny who were two of the folks who responded to me when I first answered similar questions from MoWo back in March 2006.

So what have I learned from answering these questions? Got to write for myself just a bit more. We'll see.

Kindergarten '08

2007-04-24T21:55:00.001-07:00

Well after much deliberation we have decided to wait one more year and have Cat start kindergarten in 2008 instead of pushing for this year. Even though the principal of our neighborhood school feels like she would do well she leaves it up to the IQ test performed by a child psychologist. Currently the Portland School District only allow kids early admission if they test in the upper 97% and according to the child psychologist it doesn't happen that often. After speaking with Cat's preschool teacher and the school principal we feel that Cat will be fine in a pre-K program next year. If she ends up going into Kindergarten next year and is way more advanced than the other kids then we will deal with it at that time, but for now we will just let her be a kid. Plus this way she and Aly will be only one year apart in school and I think that is pretty cool. Hopefully they will be even closer friends/sisters that way.

Our kids love Dan Zanes and other stories

2007-04-18T21:03:00.001-07:00

We took the kids to their first official concert on Sunday. Dan Zanes live at the Aladdin Theater. I had never been to the Aladdin before (I know I have lived here almost two years now and haven't got out much), but I will be back, it was a great place for a concert. The kids danced the whole hour and a half that Dan and his friends played. It was a sold out show, every kid there was enthralled the entire time. All in all great times were had by all.

We are meeting with the principal of our neighborhood school on Friday to discuss kindergarten early admission for Cat. Her birthday falls in September but the deadline for enrollment is September 1st. I am really hoping she will be able to get in early. I went back and forth on the issue earlier this year. Part of me just didn't want to deal with the hassle of it all, but after listening to my heart I know she is ready. I think she is going to be bored if she has to stay in preschool another year, we would really need to supplement with other activities for her if she isn't accepted. Keep your fingers crossed that the principal thinks she is ready, if she gives us the go we will have Catriona go through the psychiatric evaluation they require (I know it is crazy) to test IQ.

Our nanny will be leaving us at the end of the month and we are all sad about losing her. It looks like we will be using drop in care at Grandma's Place over by Lloyd Center for this last month that we will need someone. That is until S goes back to work in the fall. The kids and S went on a tour today and they didn't want to leave, they are really excited to go to a new "school". So even though we are going to miss our nanny we were happy to find something that the kids are excited about.

We have been doing a lot of house project lately. S painted our entire paneled basement, which was a huge undertaking. I took the kids up to my parents for a few days while that was going on just to get them out of the house. It is so much easier to get things done when the kids are not there. I finished our bedroom, we added some new furnishings to the living room and we got the kids' room all organized and decorated. We have officially owned our house for two years now and we are just getting to decorating it, we are lazy folk what can I say.

Hopefully I will have an update Friday afternoon on the kindergarten issue. I just want to get next fall situated, I have been so confident that she will get into kindergarten early that I didn't set up a back up plan, hope that doesn't bite me in the butt later on.

waiting for paint to dry

2007-03-10T10:44:00.000-08:00

I am literally waiting for the paint to dry on my bedroom ceiling. That is the one task that has stopped me from painting my bedroom. I had never painted a ceiling before last night (I was scared), and after the second coat this morning I may never do it again. Oh wait there is still a hallway to paint, crap. I will get S to do that one. I have put off and put off painting the bedroom (kind of like posting an entry in the month of February) and it never got done. So this weekend with the kids away I am finishing the job. I needed to get the ceiling painted, walls and trim done, and one wall of fabric put up before everyone gets home. We have had all of the supplies forever but regular life and that aforementioned fear of painting ceilings has always stopped me from getting things done. S and I have come up with a new plan for getting stuff done around the house, we schedule it on the calendar. Because when we say "oh, next weekend we could get out side and clean up the garden" it just doesn't happen. But if we say "next weekend we are working from 8-12 outside in the garden" and we actually write it on the calendar we manage to get it done. Funny how that whole scheduling thing works outside of the office as well. Do you think it would work for posting to this here blog?

Shipwreck at Fort Stevens

What else have I been up to? Not a whole lot, just living life and loving my family. S and I have made a pact to reconnect with each other and the kids, so every month we plan a weekend family trip away from home. Last month we went camping at the coast, this month we will be going to a friends cabin on Whidbey Island up in Washington, one of my very favorite places that I spent a lot of time at growing up. Here in Oregon we love staying in the yurts and cabins that you can rent through the Oregon State Parks, and the kids love it as well. They have electricity and heat which means my one pet peeve about camping, being cold, gets nipped in the bud. Plus the fact they have beds to sleep on, saves me from sore back the next day. They even have teepees you can reserve at a couple of parks in eastern Oregon one near John Day which I would love to go explore one day. Plus the kids would love it just for the dinosaur aspect.

Speaking of dinosaurs, my kids love them right up there with their other current love of pirates. Have any of you read Captain Flinn and Pirate Dinosaurs? We got it from the library and have already renewed it once, I think I need to go to A Children's Place and pick up a copy. It combines pirates and dinosaurs in one great book. Did I mention the princess phase has cooled off a bit? Since I am not a pink and glitter girl, I am a little happy about that one.

Well, back to see if the paint is dried yet, and most importantly cross my fingers that I don't have to paint it for a third time. We bought cheap ceiling paint so the coverage is not so great. Oh well, by the end of the weekend I will have a nice new bedroom to sleep in and a dresser to sell, if anyone is interested I will be putting it up on craigslist sometime next week.

Oh, one more thing before I go, we got tickets to go see Dan Zanes in April. I think S and I were more excited than the girls, but they haven't been to a concert before. I guess two more things, one of the bands that S plays in TRay and the Shades is playing the last Thursday in April at the Kennedy School. It is all ages and should be really fun.

Weekend Recap

2007-01-29T07:31:00.000-08:00

Things I didn't do this weekend:

Go to the Crafty Mamas Bazaar at Milagros
Paint our bedroom
Sort through my fabric to sell (I will be putting some up on Ebay soon)
Go grocery shopping
Return books to the library, they are due today, so I need to go after work, I promised myself no overdues this year
Get some window coverings for the basement made
Do laundry

Things I did get done:

Went to the park
Played outside
Went for walks
Had family movie night
Read stories
Went swimming

All in all a very productive weekend.

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

2007-01-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

It has been a whole year since I started this blog. One year doesn't seem that long, but a lot can happen in just a year. Look what happened to Cat and Aly:

Then (traveling the aisles of Fred Meyer)

and Now (on my aunt's beautiful couch at Christmas)

Fabric Friday - with update

2007-01-26T06:09:00.000-08:00

In the Oregonian home section yesterday they had an article on what colors will be hot this year. The number one was pink, it was just named color of the year by ICI paints. Have they been talking to Cat? So as I was looking at fabrics I concentrated in the pink family and found this one that I like. I am not a huge pink fan but being a mother of two girls I have bought a few yards of pink here and there. I found this one on Cia's Palette. It is currently sold out so I guess they are right, pink is hot so far this year.

Update: I stumbled upon the site of the designers of this print, Prints Charming out of Australia. What is it with all of these talented folks down there, I am drawn to more and more Australian sites everyday. This fabric is one of the lines being produced by Free Spirit Fabrics who also puts out Heather Bailey's great prints. Like this one:

The Ogre Post

2007-01-24T15:29:00.000-08:00

Scott took Cat to a new ballet class on Monday through the Parks and Rec. During the class each child was asked to pick an animal to be for part of the class. As they went around the class you heard “cat”, “dog”, “butterfly”, “lion”, and then you get to Cat who says “I want to be a big ogre!”
When I got home from work and Scott told me this story I asked Cat if she thought ogres were animals. She said “no Mama, ogres aren't animals but they would make the best pets. Oh, I wish I had an ogre for a pet.” I love that my kids are silly like this, not afraid to stray from the norm. I am sure when she said it she pictured Shrek living in our house.

Fabric Friday

2007-01-19T12:56:00.001-08:00

Kristen Doran Design has just updated her site with the sweetest owl fabric. I love it and since I am selfish like that I put in my order before posting about it online. I mentioned her blog Cheeky Beaks on Monday when I saw her link to Publisher Textiles, and when I saw that she had this owl fabric going up for sale today I knew at once that she would be my Fabric Friday post.

All bags and prints are copyright to kristen doran design 2006

Let It Snow

2007-01-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Material Monday - Publisher Textiles

2007-01-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

Publisher Textiles based out of Australia has some beautiful fabrics. I am guessing they are way out of my price range, probably more in the "if I win the lottery and take a trip to Australia I would buy this fabric" range. I found them through a link at Cheeky Beaks another crafty blog that I discovered, she picks out some great fabrics, and designs them herself.

I finally got back into my sewing room and organized a bit plus got some pillows done for the girls room. I ran out of the fabric I need to finish them up so I will have to put an order in for some more yardage (that last ones needs to be on sale before I buy it). I am hoping to finish the pillows and the rest of their bedding by next weekend, guess I better go order the fabric now.

Nintendo DS = Hip Mama or Hip Wife?

2007-01-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

You know when someone asks you a question and an answer comes to mind right away but you really aren't sure if that is the answer the person wants to hear so you bury it back in and pull out a new answer. Or am I the only one? Well that is what I went through when I saw this post on Crazy Hip Blog Mamas.

Why would a Pink Nintendo DS Lite make me a hipper mama?

Here are a few answers I came up, all of them being true but not my first thoughts on the subject:

It is pink and electronic, my girls would flip and I think I was a total hip mama. Is there something in the little girl brain that equates pink to all things cool?
I have so been out of the loop on video games ever since Nintendo 64 or Colecovision. Does anyone remember Colecovision? That was about the last time I played video games on a regular basis. If I had my very own little video game system I could become so "now", so "with it".
It would give me that techno edge to talk to all the guys I work with about video games. I am literally the only woman working on a project with 20 guys. Feeling a little "in" with this group would definitely increase my hipness factor. Plus, they might take me a little more seriously when I discuss work topics. Also what is it with guys and video games? Although this does relate a little more to my answer below.

The best answer of all is that I would be become the ultimate hip chick in the eyes of my husband. Talk about something working better than lingerie to get a guys attention. It is probably one of the only things that is pink & electric, that would get him that excited (that is unless it came in a plain, brown paper box, but that would be something completely different). He wouldn't even care that it was pink. He would care that his smart, beautiful, sexy, and incredibly hip wife won it online. And let's face it, there is no one in this world other than our kids who can make us feel more beautiful and hip than our husbands. A hip wife = a hip mama = a hip lady.

Fabric Friday - Amy Butler Lotus

2007-01-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

I heart Amy Butler fabric, I don't buy many of them, but I love them so much! She has a new line that according to her website comes out mid January. It is called Lotus and it is fabulous. I think I like her fabrics so much because she always puts out designs that I would love to have in my home. But the sad truth is I don't, I spend way too much time dreaming and not enough time doing. 2007 things will change.

A few of my faves:

Is she ready?

2007-01-11T13:16:00.000-08:00

In our house the topic of most of our conversations (at least with my husband and I) have to do with Cat and whether we should follow the Portland Public School District kindergarten cut off age of five by 09/01/07 or push for early admission. At first we were going to push for the early admission but the more we talked and the more research I did (I tend to over research things) all signs seemed to point toward waiting that extra year and starting kindergarten in 2008. But then I talk to Cat and watch how she plays and how she is learning so much and how much she wants to learn and I do think she is ready. But is this just mama pride? You know thinking that your kid is the smartest, wittiest, cutest kid in the world? I mean sure there has to be some of that in there, but I really think she is ready. Is she really going to feel like the littlest kid in class? She is already taller than a lot of her preschool classmates so that won't be an issue. If you ask Cat what school she wants to go to she says kindergarten. We've read Ramona the Pest and all about her going to kindergarten and not being a little "nursery school baby". I just keep going back and forth on what to do. If we pursue early admission it means meeting with the principal, letter from her preschool teacher, and a psychological evaluation (costs about $300-500). I keep waiting for a sign to appear that says she is ready or no way keep her home as long as you can. I also keep thinking that no matter what we decided it might not be the optimal decision for her. I guess this is our first step towards screwing up her life in some way. Come on you know that all parents do that to their kids sooner or later even if they have the best of intentions. I think at some point you just need to forget what all the research says, you know your child best, and follow what seems right. But I don't know what that is yet.

A four year old mind at work

2007-01-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

S was vacuuming the family room when Cat said "Daddy, what are you doing?
S answered "I'm vacuuming."
Cat thought for a minute and said " why, is someone coming over?"
She is turning into a little smart ass just like her mama. I'm so proud.

Cat and Aly at Vancouver Lake

Under Construction

2007-01-06T22:59:00.001-08:00

I need to fool around with this site until I can figure out why it is not showing up normal in Internet Explorer. Can anyone help me out?

For now Life in Mama Land will be under construction.

Update: I changed the look around, again, but now it looks good in Internet Explorer and not so great in Mozilla. I think I know the problem but enough work for tonight, I am going to bed, I will work on it more tomorrow.

Error

2007-01-06T22:18:00.000-08:00

What is up with my new look? Using Mozilla it looks great, using Internet Explorer it looks like crap. Maybe I need to update my Internet Explorer. Oh I hope that is it, because right now it looks so bad.

I will work on it tonight, hopefully I can fix the problem.

Please stand by for the regularly schedule program.

New Year, New Look, New Name

2007-01-05T23:57:00.000-08:00

So I changed my site around a bit, made it a bit more girly. It was what I could do without hiring someone else to do it. I will probably tweak it a little more, but for now I am happy with it.

As you can see I changed the name as I talked about in my last post. Hopefully it will suit me a bit better. Oh who knows if it will be any better, but it makes me happy to see my name up there at the top of the page.

A few other changes you will notice, my picture in my profile, it is of me when I was 3. I love that picture, I look so happy. Hopefully it will inspire me to surround myself with things that make me that happy, like my family. Also, I will start signing my comments "Heather Bea" instead of the "HeatherJ" you are used to seeing.

I am so optimistic going into 2007, I feel that this will be a year of great changes, tons of inspiration, and lasting memories of my girls.

Happy New Year!

Oh, one last thing, I want to start posting more photos this year, so here you have my two girls. Are they super cute, or is it just me?

Is it 2007 yet?

2006-12-28T15:46:00.000-08:00

I am so looking forward to 2007, you don't even know. Well some of you might know. Pretty much the last half of 2006 has been crappo. Everything was going along fairly well until July, crafty projects getting done, house stuff getting done, resumes getting written and edited. But then the ankle fracture occurred which led to bed rest, and not much happening at all, feeling like crap. Then S was sick, then I was sick, then S had surgery and finally earlier this month I had surgery. It just screwed up our flow, we have been seriously out of whack since July 9th.

So I am looking forward to a new year, kiss 2006 good bye. I am not saying that it has all been bad. I mean the democrats did great which made me so happy, our house got painted even though the old lady down the street thinks it is hideous, we have new windows and a new roof, plus we moved the girls into a room together to give me a sewing room. But the health issues just dragged us through the depression filled mud hole, and we are dragging our selves back out.

I have so many plans for the next year, but I am not yet ready to make them official resolutions, in fact I don't want to even call them that, because I want to be able to change my mind later and not feel like a loser if I didn't fulfill my resolutions.

However, one thing that I am working on is saying goodbye to the title "Life in Mama Land" it has served me well for the year that I have been blogging but it doesn't say who I really am. I am not just a mama, it is one facet of the person I have become. I want to remember the person I used to be before being given the title of wife or mother. Who was I? I was Heather Bea. Not HeatherJ as I usually use when communicating in the blogging world because J is just my married initial. Beatrice is my middle name and Heather Bea was about as close to a nickname as I ever got. So I am slowly going to move things over to that new/old moniker.

So "Heather Bea, my life in mama land", might be a better title. What do you think? A new look is definitely needed as well and perhaps something based on the colors in some of my favorite fabrics would work. Well we shall see, but you can now call me Heather Bea. Oh, one last thing, here is my fabric pick for this week:

Fabric Friday

2006-12-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

Boy, it seems like it has been so long since I did this. I needed something fun to get me back into normal blogging mode after the events of the past week.

Aly loves cotton jersey, she peels her pillowcases off her bed and carries them around like she is Linus with his blanket. So I loved this jersey from ReproDepot, might just make and actual blanket out of this one, maybe with some fleece on the other side. That would be nice and cozy.

Mourning

2006-12-06T12:56:00.000-08:00

I just turned on the news to see that they found James Kim's body. I am so sad right now. Sad for his wife and his little girls. I am glad that they did find him but it is such a sad ending to this story. My heart goes out to everyone that was a part of his life. I am sure that his spirit will continue to live on in his two beautiful girls and they will grow up knowing that their father loved them very much.

Update: Here is a beautiful tribute to James that they have up on cnet.com, you can also see a video tribute that brought tears to my eyes.

Let's Go, James!

2006-12-06T09:37:00.000-08:00

To James who is out there somewhere in the wilds of Southern Oregon.

Can you hear us? We are your friends, although you haven't met us. We are keeping a vigil of hope, our virtual candles are lit waiting for you to come home to your family. We are yelling at you through our prayers, "Let's Go, James!" Can you hear us? Follow our voices we are leading you home.

Sorry if this sounds cheesy but sometimes I just need to have faith that their is power in numbers and just from reading the blogs out there everyone is thinking of you and your family. You will be found, and I hope it is today. You are a smart guy and your love for your wife and girls will keep you strong.

One more time so you can hear us, "Let's Go, James!"

Christmastime is here

2006-12-05T12:27:00.000-08:00

I love Christmastime just for the magic it brings for the kids. Santa Claus is the greatest guy ever and he is at every mall in town, how does he get around so fast? And why as a parent am I not freaked out to be placing my girls on this guys lap? The houses on the street put up pretty sparkling lights that make the drive home much more fun, the girls think they are put up so Santa can find us, the house on the street without lights (that will change soon, but if they don't that is okay the neighbors have great lights.) The girls get gifts throughout the month (the best part for them), last night we celebrated with Scott's parents who were visiting from California. Cat received a keyboard (which she really, really, really wanted, how did Grandma know?) and Aly received a new baby doll (she would surround herself with baby dolls if she could), along with some more books for our little bookworms.

This weekend we will go visit Santa, put up the lights, and pick out our tree most likely at Lee Farms (home of those cider doughnuts I love so much, although I shouldn't eat them so soon after my surgery), and hopefully a little holiday crafting.

I have Tivo all set to record Rudolph and Frosty on Friday night, starting at 8:00 on CBS. Cat is so excited since this is the first year she will get to watch these holiday specials. Do you remember as a kid watching these specials on CBS? The "CBS Special Presentation" would come twirling onto the screen and it always meant something good was coming up next. It usually meant a Charlie Brown special that was always sponsored by snack cakes that they didn't sell up in Seattle (were they Little Debbie? I can't remember now.) Anyway, those TV specials were always part of the holidays for my brother and I, and I love that they still show them, if it isn't broke don't fix it.

I have some items on my wish list this year:

Red Mary Jane Crocs - ever since I broke my ankle I live in my Crocs, and the imitation ones do not even come close, I have tried them and they just are no where near the same.

Nike Diva Watch - I know I live in Nike town but I don't wear much from this company. Well I saw this watch in the Title Nine catalog and just fell in love with it.

Heartie Cowie Bank - I am awful at saving money, just plain bad. But maybe if I had this cute little cow sitting on my desk I would save some change here and there. Anyway, it is just so sweet.

Rosette Necklace - Everyone needs something pretty even if you don't always have a chance to wear it. I think I would wear this everyday if I got it. So precious. Plus it comes from de Jarnette in New Orleans which is where S and I got engaged this time seven years ago.

But what I really want for Christmas is for my family to be settled. S and I have both gone through some health things this year. I just want to have a happy end to 2006 and start 2007 with a new game. Oh crap, I think I am already starting my new year's resolutions and we haven't even gotten through Christmas yet.

One more thing, I hope that James Kim is found soon. Hi wife and little girls need him. I don't know what I would do without S. That really is the greatest present one could ask for, to have your family safe, healthy and celebrating in one place. I am not a praying woman but for this I have been saying a few words to whatever spirit is out there listening, bring James home.

Back on the blog

2006-12-04T17:18:00.000-08:00

Do you know how hard it is to get back into the swing of things when you neglect your blog? I will tell you, it is very hard. Everyday I have thought about something to write and then I think "eh, maybe tomorrow". I just need to get a brain purge post out and then maybe I can continue on my merry blogging way.

So here goes.

The Kim Family: Kati Kim and her daughters have been found. James left two days ago on snowshoes to find help, now they need to find him. Stay positive and hopefully the family will be reunited soon. We make the journey a few times a year to the Bay Area and try to stick to I-5. Those roads leading to the coast can be a little scary in the best of weather, put some ice and snow down and they go way beyond scary.

The Gall: I had my gall bladder out on Friday, after having another attack my doctor felt it was the right thing to do. I ended up spending the night in the hospital as my nausea would not go away and my pain medication did not make it any better. I am off work for a few days and starting to feel better, still on a chicken soup diet, I think I am freaked out to eat anything else at least for a little while.

Christmas: We will most likely take the kids to see Santa next weekend. I don't have a problem with the kids believing in Santa, but I don't want them to think that Santa is the only one that brings them presents. They usually get one present each from Santa, the rest they know comes from us or the grandparents. Aly is getting a wooden tool bench and Cat is getting a small tree house (think doll house shaped like a tree). Cat is also asking for a remote control car and a keyboard from Santa, we shall see. My parents have a drum set for her. When we first heard about it we were pissed off at my parents, I mean a drum set for a four year old, but now that Scott has his music room all fixed up in our garage so we can stick it in there and she can jam with her dad.

WIP: I have a few things on my WIP list and a few things that I have finished. Stuff to finish, an apron for my mom, ponchos for Cat and Aly, curtains for the bathroom. Stuff that is finished, meat head hat for Larissa's knit-a-long. I have it finished and even though it is an adult large Cat loves wearing it around the house. I need to get pictures up but right now it is not going to happen. I also just finished a scarf working in some yarn that has been sitting in my knitting bag since last year. It wasn't enough to complete any projects so I just worked it through the scarf every couple of rows.

Babywatch: Bite My Cookie is on baby watch, if you go over now you can get in on the baby pool to win some cookies. Our neighbors went in for a C-section today still waiting for some news from them. Is everyone having babies lately?

I know there is more but at least I was able to get some mamaland news out there. I still want to do some updating to the blog but that may not happen until after the holidays. I want to lighten things up a bit.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-22T22:57:00.001-08:00

I have not been the best blogger lately but I didn't want to let Thanksgiving go by without a post. I am very thankful this year, for my family, my marriage, my health, and my optimism. The way the world stands right now I need to remain optimistic for myself as well as for my kids. So cheers to everyone on this holiday, hold your family close, and be thankful.

Happy Day

2006-11-08T10:11:00.000-08:00

Why am I happy today?
Because of this for my kids,
and this for taking over the House,
and this for the Senate being tied,
and this for keeping teenage women's rights intact,
and this for making sure that Oregon stays blue,
and this for our first female Speaker of the House.

Can we start the countdown now?

Okay, back to regularly scheduled programming. I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, dangerous I know, but there might be a few changes to this here blog in the near future.

Blogvertising

2006-10-25T12:07:00.000-07:00

Okay, I succumbed to trying out a product. You know the little emails you get about trying something out and then writing about it on your blog? Well I usually pass them up because they are never things that I would use. The stuff I talk about on this blog is stuff I pick out and that I use and that I like, not stuff given to me by advertisers. At least it was that way until now.

So a few weeks back I received an email asking if I wanted to try the new Clorox bleach that is safe to pour directly on your clothes. I thought cool this is something I would really use. I got it the next week and used it a few days later. I promised that I would write about it on the blog and so here goes:

The good, it has a nice smell and definitely brightens up your whites. The bad, it left discoloration on the clothes that I am assuming were on the top in the washing machine, they say you can pour it directly on clothes and that is what I did. No worries as I only did a small load of stuff that I didn't really care if it got discolored. I ended up trying another load pouring it into the side where I usually pour my bleach for colors and it worked great. So next time I need bleach I might try it again, but plain Clorox bleach is cheaper so that will probably be what I buy.

Okay, I got that over with, I have felt so guilty for not posting a review especially since it isn't a glowing report but I was honest about the product. I feel a little slimey for even doing it and accepting the product. It kind of goes against what I hoped to get out of this blog, which was to use it for my own thoughts, to share my loves, stuff that floats in and out of my head, and stories of my kids. So it isn't worth sending me any more emails asking me to review something because I am just not interested. Wait, I should rephrase that, if you would like me to try out a new car, vacation in Hawaii, kitchen remodel, a Bernina sewing maching, a Vespa, or a new espresso maker I would happy to oblige. Thanks for your time and back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Shameless Plug

2006-10-25T11:42:00.000-07:00

Okay time to do some advertising for my hubby. For any of you in Portland S is playing at Dante's tonight with Professor Gall. He is the super tall guy playing the saxophone. I won't be there as I must wake at the lovely hour of 5:00am the next morning for work.

However, I will be attending their show on Saturday at the Cobalt Room in the 15th Street Pub in Vancouver. I hardly ever get to see him play anymore, but luckily we have a babysitter for Saturday night.

She's Got A Friend

2006-10-25T09:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was spent visiting my best friend in California. Most of the time I really look forward to these visits, but this time was different. This time most of the talk centered on her divorce. Something that was sprung on her this past June by her soon to be ex husband who decided he didn’t want to deal with being a husband and full time father anymore. This was a man who I considered my friend. I was there when they first started going out, when they got married, and when they had their kids. Oh yes, there is another issue, their two kids who I love very much. I can see them hurting as well and as a mama it makes my heart cry out. I wish that I could just take the three of them and make it all better. I feel somewhat helpless not knowing what to do.

I also forgot to mention that S and I met at their wedding. He had been a friend of my friend for the longest time but we had never officially met until their wedding rehearsal dinner. We were totally set up, we just happened to be sitting next to each other at the dinner and then at the wedding as well. Things went well for us and we were married two and a half years later. I feel guilty that we are happy, that my husband loves being a dad, that we love being together.

I want her to be happy too, but I see her maybe making the wrong choices because she is lonely. I know all about being lonely, I felt that way a lot during my dating life, but that was just my personality. I was happy being by myself and would often choose that versus spending time with the wrong guy. I have never known my friend to not have a boyfriend. When we first met she was still dating her high school boyfriend. They broke up and she moved back home, shortly after she met a new boyfriend, a guy that had his own share of problems. Then she broke up with him, had a few rebound dates and ended up with her boyfriend turned husband. Now she is doing online dating and wondering why all the guys she meets want to sleep with her within an hour of meeting face to face. She told me over the weekend that she has gone out on so many dates that she has lost count of the number of guys. It must be fun to have all of that attention but most of it is because these guys just want to get in her pants.

I hope she finds someone who will make her happy and who will love her kids. But does she need to find someone right away. I would love it if she would concentrate on herself. Find ways to make herself happy, figure out who she is besides being a wife and mother, but also figure out how she can be a great single mom. I told her most of this over the weekend and I don’t know if it helped or not. S told me that it probably helped just by being there. When she dropped me off at the airport on Sunday we were both really sad that I had to leave. I do wish she lived closer, I say that because I know we won’t be moving closer to her. I told her that we (S, the girls, and I) are her family too. We are here for the three of them if they need anything. The hardest part of the whole situation is seeing your friend so sad, and there is no quick fix for the situation. All I can say is that I am here for her, and hopefully that does help.

What is up with Blogger?

2006-10-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

So I change over to Blogger Beta, and I guess I shouldn't complain, but it is still not ready for prime time. I open up my blog this morning to go to my blogroll, and that shows up but there are no posts showing. Even when I scroll all the way to the bottom of the page. So is this some weird fluke with my computer or are others having issues?

Also I really hate that it is such a PITA (Pain in the Ass)to leave comments for folks who have not converted to the beta version. I know all of these things will work themselves out in the long run. And, after all, it is free so what am I complaining about. Just frustrated I think, yes that is it, frustrated, cranky, and tired.

Oh, if you haven't already done so go read Citymama's post about what happened when she went out to celebrate her birthday. It makes you question what you believe, fate, intuition, a higher power. If anything something was working in their favor over the weekend.

Update: As I was about to upload this post I realized that spell check and all of the other options were missing. I had to copy what I had written, close out of blogger and get back in for things to open correctly. Aaaargh!

Update #2: What is up with BlogRoll? It says "New" next to every blog, now either that is a major coincidence or they are screwed up as well. Okay are you sick of me complaining?

My secret crush

2006-10-20T14:59:00.001-07:00

Inspired by Fidget's confession of her secret crush for John Cusack. I figured it was only fitting to announce my own secret celebrity crush.

This crush didn't just begin a couple of years ago when I first spotted him on Grey's Anatomy, and I never watched that reality show he was on. No this crush started in US History class in high school. We sat in alphabetical order and I just happened to sit behind him. He was a senior when I was a sophomore and for whatever reason we ended up in the same class. He was the cool drama guy, the one everyone liked even though I would say he was a bit on the nerdy side. But I had the biggest crush on him. He was funny and smart and made history more bearable that year.

Do you know who I am talking about yet? Steven Bailey, aka Joe from GA, is my secret crush. When I saw him on GA I thought he looked a little familiar, so I googled him and there he was my old high school crush. I am positive that he would not remember me at all, because of course I just was not worth remembering back then (at least as a sophomore that is what I felt). But I like him anyway and am happy every time he shows up on the screen. I think one of these days he is going to be in a big break out role, I just wish GA would give him that opportunity.

Fabric Friday

2006-10-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

I was going through some of my fabrics folded up in the sewing room and found a whole bunch that I had forgot I had. I haven't done many projects lately and am just now gearing up again now that my sewing room is on its way to being organized.

So this Fabric Friday I decided to bring you two of my favorites. I picked them both up at JoAnn Fabrics on sale for something like $5/yard. I really love them and am thinking they might work for the apron (the other reason I was going through all of my fabrics). Enjoy!

My renter

2006-10-19T10:59:00.001-07:00

I am slowing getting back into blogging and with that comes my renter of the week. I have found so many cool folks out it the blog world that I decided to open up Mama Land to a new tenant.

Make sure you go visit "Ramblings from a not so typical stay at home mom", you can find the link over in my sidebar. She is a very busy mama, sewing, writing, planning a wedding, playing dodge ball and hanging with her kiddos. She recently posted about how her eight year old daughter is growing up so fast. Made me realize that my little ones will be that age before I know it. So go check her out, she would love the visitors.

Pumpkins

2006-10-18T20:16:00.001-07:00

The summer clothes are all packed up. The sweater, rain coats and fleece have been brought out. The rains have started. Like I have said before, the weather doesn't bother me (well, okay when it is April and the showers are still going strong it bothers me a little, I did live in California for seven years) and I can't let it bother the kids. So off we went on Sunday, in the rain, to the pumpkin patch at Lee Farms, famous for their cider doughnuts (they were heaven). We went to The Pumpkin Patch last year and the crowds were huge so we went for a low-key rainy pumpkin picking day this year. It was a lot of fun, even in the rain.

Our pumpkin harvest

Look who is pushing the wheelbarrow, while a certain husband is using the umbrella and taking pictures

The girls thought that all of the pumpkins were the perfect size for a kid's seat

Seriously can not believe she is two already

Did I mention they have fresh cider doughnuts. They were so good, we contemplated going back for more.

Rock the Vote - Last Day to Register in Oregon

2006-10-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

If you are not yet registered to vote in the next election, November 7th, today is the last day to register.

You can go to www.oregonvotes.org and download the Voter Registration Card, you just need to get it postmarked by today or drop it off at your local county elections office.

I of course waited until the last minute for this election and I figured there are probably some others just like me out there.

Comfort Food Weather

2006-10-14T11:37:00.000-07:00

I am so happy that it is finally overcast. I am not one of those people who complains when it rains, even when it has been raining for months on end. I love the rain, I love clouds, I love cold temps. I think I actually get a bit depressed when it is sunny for too long. Maybe I should get some help for this disorder?

One of the reasons why I love this weather is because I can make comfort food. Warm yummy casseroles, stews, soups, roasted veggies and the like. So when the new Everyday Food came out with a beautiful picture of beef stew on the front, I was so happy. We went shopping on Thursday and last night I made my first recipe, the red and black bean pies ( I cooked them up in a casserole dish versus the individual dishes). These were so yummy! The kids, yes those picky ones that will hardly eat anything these days, gobbled them up. It was an easy meal, not to much chopping, just a can of this and a can of that. I chose to use a colby/jack blend instead of the pepper jack and it was fine. We also chose to put a little bit of low fat sour cream on top, the kids favorite.

Tonight's recipe is the beef stew from the cover. I took their recipe and added a few more veggies, yams are great in stew. Throughout the week I will be trying quite a few of the recipes, I will let you know which one ends up being my favorite.

Update: The beef stew was not a winner, sorry Martha. I followed the directions adding a few extra veggies and it was just okay. My usual stew, using beef stock, tastes much yummier. I will post that recipe soon.

Oompa Toys

2006-10-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

I love European toys and Haba especially. Oompa Toys is such a great find for everything Haba. I just discovered them today looking for a birthday gift. Just thought I would spread the word.

Fabric Friday and Aprons

2006-09-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

Here is what I just signed up for

Now I just have to find some fabric, or just recycle some of my left overs. What do you think of these from ReproDepot.

Budding Photographer

2006-09-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

Photos from Miss Cat taken with her new camera.

Four

2006-09-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

Today my Cat turns four. Every year I reflect on how much she has changed. How exciting it is that this little girl is growing up into such a neat person. But this year I am also a little sad. Next year brings Kindergarten (hopefully, if the PSD lets her in for early admission) and with that she will no longer be spending most of her days at home or preschool. She will be a big girl, with a backpack and a lunch box. When do they get too old to hold hands? I know a little melodramatic.

Even though four can be a rough age, so far it is turning out great. She loves to tell me stories at night about fairies and firefighters (she wants to be one when she grows up) and how they all live in the forest together. I let her imagination run wild, I ask questions such as "why do the firefighters live in the forest?", and she tells me "so that they can put out the fires for the fairies." Well of course they do, silly mama.

She likes to tell jokes, some make sense and some are just punch lines to jokes she has somewhere in her head. One of her favorites is to come up to me and say "Mama I have a joke to tell you … muddy chopsticks!" then she runs away laughing hysterically. Every so often she says a joke that makes sense and it always catches us off guard, "Mama, why did the banana go to see the doctor? Because it wasn't peeling well." Come on now that is funny stuff.

She is also a great big sister. I love the age that she and Aly are at right now. Aly loves Cat so much. They run after each other playing hide and seek, and tag. They dress up like Superstars (as Cat likes to call herself) and take pictures. Cat always climbs in bed with Aly and gives her hugs and kisses and a little cuddling before bed. Sometimes as I am closing their door I hear Aly telling Cat "I love you Ona" (her name for Cat as Cat is just my online nickname for her), and Cat says back "I love you too". Seriously makes me tear up every time I hear it.

We had a great birthday party over the weekend. Friends came by and played in our new landscaped backyard (thanks to S for working on it all week long) we decorated cupcakes and party crowns, and had the last bbq of the season. The weather was beautiful all weekend long. Cat received her two favorite presents from the grandparents. Her Nana and PopPops got her a camera, seriously the coolest kids camera ever, it is digital and holds up to 70 pics before you have to download, she loves it. Her Grandma and Granddad got her a scooter which she has been begging to use all the time since receiving it. At the end of the day I asked her if she had a great time at her party and she said that she loved being four. I think I am going to love it too.

Stones

2006-09-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

We have too many stones at our house. We have pea gravel for a garden path at the side of our house. We have gravel for a patio and path in the backyard garden. Plus we have some large stone coming for the main patio this afternoon. I am excited about all of these stones, it means our garden is finally coming together. However, there is one more type of stone that I am not so happy about, gallstones. I have gallstones, can you believe that? First I break my ankle, I am finally getting over that (got the okay from my doctor today in fact), then yesterday I get told that the agonizing pain I have been having since Sunday night is gallstones. Guess what I get to do this afternoon? Go to a surgeon to discuss having my gallbladder taken out. Oh Yay! I talked to my friend who is a nurse yesterday and she said that I am not the typical gallstone patient, however sometimes pregnancy can bring them on. I was shocked when I found out it was something so serious, but most people live with gallstones for a long time without any symptoms. I guess when you have an "attack" is when they start to consider having the gallbladder removed.

I will keep you posted on what the surgeon says. It is an outpatient procedure and you are only away from work for a few days, but we have Cat's birthday coming up and then a camping trip the weekend after. Can this be the last medical issue we deal with for a long time? Please?

UPDATE: No surgery right now. I need to change my diet, keep it to bland and low fat for awhile. Nothing too spicy. Not fun but I would rather have that work then have surgery. Now that I have had one attack my chances of having another are higher, if that happens I will have surgery, but for now I can put it off.

Fabric Friday

2006-09-08T10:49:00.000-07:00

I am bouncing back from my blogging hiatus, getting that inspiration again. Here are two fun prints that I found on the Fabric Depot site and figured I would send them out to the universe. Today and tomorrow they are having their monthly 40% off all fabric sale. I liked these two because they reminded me of fish scales. One of the costume possibilities for Cat this Halloween is a mermaid and I thought this might work. I believe they are supposed to be cross sections of squash, but I liked the idea of making a fish out of them.

She's Cute

2006-09-06T12:23:00.000-07:00

Is she worth the wait? Turns out little Suri Cruise is a damn cute little baby. I know that I will go out and buy the new Vanity Fair just to get my celebrity fix.

The Reader

2006-09-05T22:37:00.000-07:00

Cat has always been a reader. She loves books, and has been that way since she could focus on things as a baby. She loves going to bookstores and the library. She thinks the kids area at B&N is called the Reading Forest because of the trees painted on the walls. She isn't even four and her favorite book is "Ramona the Pest". This makes me so happy because I was a total book worm as a kid (most of my reading as a mom comes from other blogs and magazines). I love that I get to read all of these books that I loved as a child all over again. We are about half way through "Charlotte's Web" and I think we will pick up another Ramona book next. I am so happy that my reading genes have been passed on to another generation. She gets so excited when it is time for her to pick out her books for the night, today she even did a little dance when she announced she was going to find "Beauty and Beast" on the bookshelf. Oh, I love my little reader!

When it rains

2006-09-05T15:03:00.000-07:00

It pours. I am having one of those days. You know the kind that start off great you are feeling optimistic, life is going well. Then just as you are feeling smug that you have things under control life smacks you in the face. That is what happened today. I can't go into details, because we don't have them. S had some abnormal blood tests come back from a standard physical he just had on Thursday. They called him today and he needs to go in for tests tomorrow.

Please let this be nothing, please, please, please. He is scared and I am scared, I would rather know what is wrong then being in limbo. Hopefully after tomorrow we will have some answers, but usually they make you wait for those as well. Freaking out right now, hopefully everything will be better soon. S feels fine which makes me feel more confident that it is nothing, still scary just the same.

Catch Up

2006-08-31T18:16:00.000-07:00

I haven't written in a little while and something momentous has occurred. My little Aly has turned two. Yes, right before our eyes she has gone from a little baby to a full blown prima donna. I am telling you she is a little diva. Tantrums left and right. She has no problem lying down on the sidewalk if it will help make a point. However, she has not realized the pitfall of being the younger child. With the first you try to figure out what is wrong with your child. What should we do to stop this behavior? The answer is you do nothing. You just have to let her do her own thing. She snaps out of it pretty quickly once she realizes we aren't paying attention. Then when she does something great, like helping clean up, we give her huge amounts of praise. She is getting a tiny bit better everyday, she actually listened to me this morning when I asked her to not smash her face against the window. Instead she gave me a big hug smashing her snotty nose into the front of my shirt instead. So for the big turning two occasion we had a yummy coconut cake, a few balloons, and a couple of choice gifts that she loved. It wasn't all fun and games though because S was sick, we had to do a very low key party. To make it up to her, yeah like she will really remember this one, we will kind of do a combo Cat and Aly party next month when Cat turns four.

Like I said above, Scott has been sick. He was in huge amounts of pain. I won't go into details as I am sure he would hate to know I was writing about it, but it was basically making it impossible for him to sit for any length of time. He ended up in urgent care, the emergency room, and then in surgery. He was so much better after surgery. It was a tough few weeks with me still on the mend and then S ending up in the hospital. Things are better now. Plus my mom came to stay with us for a couple weeks, super huge help.

As for my leg, life with the boot has been great and now after just two weeks I am being asked to wean off of the boot. As a mom you know how hard it is for your kids to wean off of anything they have become accustomed to using on a regular basis. Well that is me with the boot. I must give it up. Physical therapy is going great I can walk without crutches very, very slowly. But my balance is not where it should be so outside of PT I still need to use them. But the boot I just don't want to give it up yet, even though they say I don't need it anymore. It supports my no muscle, swollen, bruised, scarred leg and without it I don't feel so hot. Not to mention most shoes will not fit on my right foot. I had to go out and spend some dollars on a few new pairs of wide-load shoes, Crocs, Keens, and some NBs. I can't even get my foot into my beloved Danskos. My therapist said I should just hide the boot away and try not to use it, to only bring it out if I get really sore. So what does really sore mean? If a few Tylenol don't solve the problem then the boot can come out.

Cat has had swim class the past two weeks. She is really great at blowing bubbles, but so far refuses to stick her whole face in the water. She has one more class tomorrow to do this great feat, otherwise she will not be able to move up to being a Pre-Penguin. She loves swimming. I don't know when I have ever seen her smile so much in such a short period of time. Warms a mama's heart to see her little girl so happy.

One Boot

2006-08-15T17:35:00.000-07:00

Update on the leg. I got my cast off today! I wasn't supposed to get it off until tomorrow, but I went in today and they decided that the x-rays were looking really good. So they gave me the boot. It is a walking cast with a pump in it so it still supports my leg but I can start putting weight on it Also I start physical therapy on Friday, I can now actively start working on getting my leg all healed up.

My broken ankle story

2006-08-15T10:43:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to get my broken ankle story out in the open since I seem to go over it in my head on a daily basis.

On July 9th around 10:00am we had just put Aly down for a nap and I set Cat up to finish watching a movie she had started the night before. I told her I was going outside for a few minutes to take pictures of the new house colors we were thinking of using for the house. S was just on his way out to pick up some BBQ fixings for lunch. I was moving around our backyard trying to get a good picture of the colors in the right light. I was stepping over a pile of wood (leftover from home improvement) and my right heel landed on the edge of one of the pieces of wood. That piece started sliding and as I fell to the ground twisting my ankle. I don't remember hearing or feeling a crack, but I knew something was wrong because when I moved my leg my ankle just hung down. Having never broken a bone I didn't know what was wrong, except that it hurt. I knew that S had just left and I knew I couldn't get back into the house by myself. I started calling for help and luckily my neighbor heard me. She came rushing over and helped me into a chair then brought me a phone so that I could get a hold of S. He came rushing back home, took a look at my ankle and said " we need to get you to the hospital".

He practically carried me into the house where I rested in a chair while he got the kids in the car. The emergency room wasn't that busy but every minute that ticked by seemed like an eternity. I just wanted some pain killers and then everything would be better. I could feel my body was in shock. I had the chills, and had a hard time controlling my breathing when the pain got intense. S said later that he had never seen me in so much pain. The girls were being so good, wanting me to feel better. Once I got into triage the nurse took a look at my ankle and told me they would get me in right away. I told S to take the girls home as I would be there for while. The doctor came in and looked at my ankle. He wouldn't give me any pain medication until they knew exactly what was going on, twist or fracture. There was a chance of surgery, he told me, and if that was the case he needed to wait to talk to the Orthopedic Surgeon. I was wheeled back to x-ray. She took one shot and told me that she wasn't allowed to tell me anything but she could show me the picture. I could tell it wasn't good. She did the rest of my x-rays and sent me back to my stall in the emergency room. Doctor came back in and said I had three fractures and how did I feel about surgery that afternoon? OMG, surgery? He talked to the OS who said I could have morphine while they splinted my leg. Morphine is a very strange drug. I felt like it wasn't doing anything for the pain, it wasn't I could still feel the pain, but it was like I could care less about the pain. It felt like my leg was just sitting there on the table.

I was wheeled up to my new "private room" in the hospital. I watched TV, had some more morphine and waited for S to come back. S got there, our neighbors were watching the kids. He couldn't believe that after a little fall in the backyard I was laying in the hospital waiting to go into surgery. The doctor came in and explained the surgery and all I could concentrate on was hardware and six weeks off my feet. Ugh.

So here I sit almost five weeks later hoping my ankle is healing. Thinking about all the things I won't be able to do for awhile. I know it will get better. Good thing I am not a shoe person, because I probably won't be wearing heels anything soon. It is a learning experience and a force that makes me take some time out and think about where I am in my life. I have a whole list of things I want to start doing. Projects with my kids, ideas to pursue, classes to take. I can't wait to get back to work full time. Above all I can't wait to just hang with my family again. My kids deserve a lot of mama/kiddo time.

One month down

2006-08-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

It has been one month since I broke my ankle. Well one month and two days, but who is counting? I am counting. Every single day gets checked off on my calendar. Only 1 1/2 weeks until my cast comes off but then the PT starts and learning how to walk again. I have all sorts of aches and pains, but the worst, by far worst thing about a cast is not being able to wash my leg. Yuck!

I have been told that the total healing process for my injury is about six months. Six friggin months. Everyday my girls want to know if I am better. As far as Cat is concerned she just wants me better for her birthday (six weeks away). Don't want to ruin the big four year old party. I also owe S many hours of childcare. He really wants me to be better soon. Can you imagine just a little slip in the backyard and I am down for the count. Oh, thank god I have insurance because my hospital bill came and just the time I spent in the emergency room, surgery, and overnight stay cost over $13,000, who knows how much the rest of the costs will be.

Life is good otherwise, kids are healthy, S starts a new job next month, Aly is turning two on the 22nd. I just like to have little pity parties every now and then.

I have been ignoring my poor blog lately, can't seem to get into the writing mode, but I will try harder, I promise.

Fabric Friday and other things I love

2006-07-28T21:43:00.000-07:00

I almost missed my chance to get in my fabric of choice this week, I just made it:

This one is from Repro Depot and I just love the color combo.

Other things that I love:

Atomic Ranch Magazine. As an owner of a mid-century ranch (1956) I would love to have some of the furniture I see in this magazine. Also as a testament to the coolness of Portland I heard that they relocated here.

Zappos. If you are looking for shoes, any kind of shoe, you can find it at Zappos. They have free shipping both ways, so you buy some shoes they don't quite work and you can return them free! Plus whenever I have ordered something from them they usually come the same week I order them. Excellent customer service and a great selection.

Ikea. Yes, like many other Portlanders I am so excited that Ikea is coming next year. The stuff is a pain in the butt to put together but it looks so cute once it is. We have an Ikea kitchen and we love it. Right now we visit when we are up visiting the grandparents but that isn't always convenient if you are purchasing a big piece of furniture. The style is fun, the price is right and they have a play area for the kids.

My Broken Leg. Okay this one isn't for everyone but if you have a broken ankle or leg this site is a lifesaver. For others like me who have never broken a bone I had no idea what was going to happen, what the cast is like after you have had it on for 3 weeks, literally forgetting how it feels to walk, and how much physical therapy I get to look forward to. It is a great community of people who all have a lot of extra time to play on the computer.

Bembo's Zoo. If you have kids who are learning their alphabet this site is great. Both of my girls love finding the letters and seeing what animals are made. It is a flash site so if you have dial up it might be a little slow.

Design Sponge. This is an unbelievable collection of everything fabulous in modern design. I just love to visit this site on a daily basis and dream that someday maybe one little corner of my house could be so cool.

My girls

2006-07-23T10:59:00.000-07:00

There is one thing that I have missed more than anything else while I have been laid up in bed and that is spending time with my girls. They come to visit me but being little girls they don't have much patience to just hang out with Mama and talk. Cat and I have our cuddle time at night where we read stories and she tells me about her day. But Aly doesn't have the patience for that, sure she will sit with me and we will read books like "Cleo & Casper" and "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus" (she just loves to say "No Pigeon", plus Mo Willems is great). But once we are done reading she gives a quick hug and a few kisses and with a "nigh-nigh mama" she is off to bed. They love seeing me and will visit a few times a day to give little hugs and kisses and then it is off to play.

Then there is the heat, in our non-air conditioned house the only cool places are our bedroom (window AC) or our basement where the play room is, but the basement has 11 steep stairs leading down to it. So for right now I am stuck up here and they are down there.

I miss my girls so much. I miss giving them baths and watching them giggle as they splash each other and put on little soap beards. I miss cuddling up with Aly at night, rubbing her head and singing her lullabies. I miss dancing, marching, skipping, around the basement as we listen to Dan Zanes. I just miss them, everything they are, these two joyous creatures who make my world go round.

I love my husband and am glad that after the kids go to bed he comes and hangs out with me, we watch TV, he tells me what he and kids did, and I reconnect with the family. I know that this is only temporary, I mean hopefully I will at least be crutching around next week. But it is more than just being stuck in bed, your life slows down, you get isolated from life. It is hard to not get a little depressed. But when I do get down, like today, I try to remember the good stuff. I will get better, this is only temporary, and I have a great family who want me to get better even more than I do.

Firsts

2006-07-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

One phrase that I had never googled until last week, "broken ankle". Yet, I have googled that phrase several times since I got set up with my laptop in the bedroom. I sit here day in and day out trying to keep the swelling down in my ankle. I prop my leg up on several pillows and try to find a comfortable spot so that I can spend time on the computer. I have found a whole new community of folks like me stuck with one leg up in the air. Did you know there is a website called mybrokenleg.com? Did you know that people make a living creating custom cast covers?

I try to stay upbeat and look at the bright side of all of this, I mean how often will I get the chance to just lay around in bed, work from home, and have people wait on me? Probably never again. And I am completely fine with that. I want to me able to just go take a shower. I want to go out and pull the weeds. I want to commute for an hour on MAX. So I am very thankful that this is not a permanent condition. Before I know it I will be back to my old self, but better. I want to get in shape again, I used to be in shape. I also want to really pursue my sewing. It is something that I enjoy doing, it makes me happy and it allows me to make things for the girls.

One of the strangest things that has come about from all of this is that it has forced me to try and let things go. I can't control everything in my life. Life has it's own story to tell and I am fine with letting things go ... for now anyway.

House improvements

2006-07-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

Well, since I am stuck in bed I can at least shop online. My most recent purchase of the house is actually for our bedroom. Might as well dress up the room I am hanging out in the most. I put an order in for Flor carpet tiles last night and I can't wait for them to arrive. I love the fact that you can move them around and someone on crutches knocks over her coffee on the carpet that person can just go online and purchase a new tile. I went with a few different textures and patterns to mix it up a bit with one more of a solid as the bulk of the carpet.

We have dark brown furniture in our bedroom, well we still need to get a new dresser, but it will be dark brown to match the bed and nightstands. The paint is a kind of light steely blue and then behind our bed we will be covering the whole wall with fabric, it is a brown to match the bed but it is an unconventional fabric that I picked for the texture, burlap. When we finally get it up I will show you the pictures.

Also S got the first coat of paint up on the house and I love the color. He and a friend will be hopefully finishing up this weekend with another coat and the trim colors. I am so happy to be done with our white house even if I can only enjoy it through pictures.

My right leg

2006-07-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

Oooh isn't that an attractive shot? My leg hurts, is wrapped up like the little brother in "A Christmas Story", and smells. I guess the smelly part has to do with the antiseptic they use during surgery. I can smell it but no one else seems to be able to. The girls give my leg kisses in the hopes that their magical powers will heal me so that I can dance with them again. It is such a sweet gesture but it makes me a bit weepy as well.

I have never been laid up like this before and it is such a huge deal for me. It does hinder a bit on our finances since I am the primary bread winner in the family. However, my employer has allowed me to do some work from home. It is really great to work with such a supportive group of people. One of the guys at work even brought me blueberries that his wife picked from their garden for me. They say it is just their way to make up for all of the work I have done for the project. I just hope I get the go ahead to get back to work soon. It looks like only one more week of being stuck at home and then I should be able to go back at least part time.
The girls are adjusting but Cat did have a major break down at the grocery store with my parents today. She couldn't use a car cart and she started crying saying "I want my mama to take care of me now!" When I heard that it broke my heart. I miss playing with them, going for walks around our neighborhood, even trying to get them to stay in their beds at night. S has been great taking on most of the parenting duties 24/7 since the accident. My parents came to help out this weekend which was also nice because they got to hang out with Nana and PopPop who are so much fun, but my girls really wore them out. I think they understand a little more why we are perfectly happy with just two kids.
S was able to get the first coat of paint on the house this weekend, it is called Malanga from Miller Paints and everyone seems to love it. I haven't been out to see it yet but S took pictures and sent them to my email, it is such an improvement over the white on white color scheme the house has had since it was built in 1956. Other exciting news, I was able to find a new sewing table and chair from Craigslist and ebay. I am going to change the fabric (it currently has burgundy naugahyde) on the sewing chair but otherwise I love the style of the two pieces, very danish mid century. So even though I can't get out of bed I can plan my sewing room for when I can finally get off my back. I think I will have S dig out all of my knitting stuff tomorrow so that I have more to do than just watch HGTV, do my work reports, and play on the internet.
I think the best things about being laid up is that it forces me to rest and I am able to catch up on my blog reading. You might hear from me a little more often in the next few weeks.

Break a leg

2006-07-14T13:07:00.000-07:00

I have been away from blogland for a little while due to breaking my ankle on Sunday. I didn't just break my ankle, I pretty much shattered my ankle. It was something so stupid, I just slipped in our backyard. My foot remained stable while the rest of my body twisted and fell on top of my foot. I went to the emergency room around 11:00 on Sunday and was in surgery at 3:00. I have never broken a major appendage before and it was some of the most intense pain I have ever experienced. For me it was worse than childbirth (this from someone who had two natural births). S couldn't remember ever seeing me in so much pain.

So now I lay on bed rest for two weeks. I started doing work from home on Wednesday afternoon which really makes the time fly by. I love my HGTV and DIY but they are both getting really old. I am so happy to have my laptop back to communicate with the outside world.

Today is also a very, very special day. It is S and my sixth anniversary. We had a romantic weekend planned, we were getting away from the kids for a few days and had a reservation at a little B&B in the Hood River area. So we had to put that off for a few weeks. Instead we are spending the day hanging out in bed, which would be romantic if I was in any mood to get it on, but that's not happening. So we are planning a big evening of dinner in bed followed by a few movies.

There are so many ups and downs in a marriage and this is definitely one of the downs, but I love S more than when we were first married. It is not easy being a stay at home dad and he does it with such grace. He is there for me whenever I am feeling blue and always seems to know when I need a little romance in my life. He is a fabulous dad and the girls love him so much. I can't wait to spend many more years with him. So even though I am laid up in bed the time we get to spend together talking about the past six years as well as what is in store for the future will be a special time for us. S, Happy Anniversary, I love you!

Fabric Friday

2006-06-30T18:20:00.000-07:00

Before we enjoy a long holiday weekend I wanted to make sure I got my fabric Friday selection in on time. Especially since I was tardy for two weeks.

Since we have been doing some exterior work my thoughts have been turning to outdoor fabric. I really love the bright colors in this striped fabric, it would look great on our patio. It is a P. Kaufman fabric and for $10.95 a yard is really not a bad price for the outdoor stuff. I found this at House Fabric which I just discovered today. The fabric is called Bistro Stripe Azealea and the orangey gold color is what we are painting our house so it would tie in nicely.

Have a great holiday everyone!

Fabric Friday on a Wednesday

2006-06-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

I have neglected this blog for a little while, but I am on my way back.

First things first, I am sure you have all been wondering where my Friday fabrics are, well I need to make up for two weeks so here you go:

The first few fabrics come from a collection called "Splash On" from Sea Cloth (thanks Mama for the tip!). Although it looks like the only store that sells their items directly is there own in CT. The only other way to get them is by going through a designer. I just might need to contact their store for more info, I wonder if they have a catalog? I just love the colors and they would look great in our soon to be restyled back yard.

Plus this one from Heather Ross called Party Girl that I found on Repro Depot (you know I love that place.)

It would be perfect for the girls' birthdays coming up in a few months. Little jumpers maybe? or maybe not since it is $30/yard.

Some home purchases

2006-06-22T08:33:00.000-07:00

No pictures of the house yet. But a few pictures of some items we have picked up recently.

Our new rain chains:

The new house numbers:

We picked both of these up from Outdoor Decor. I loved a bunch of stuff on this site.

I know not a real exciting post, but I did add pictures of the girls below, that is always exciting.

A little hiatus

2006-06-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

We are beginning our long list of home improvement projects for the summer, which is why I haven't had much time for posting lately. Let alone I have another cold, aren't spring/summer colds the worst? So if my posts are few and far between for the next few weeks don't worry, I am fine, just busy. I will try and post some before and after picks, you will at least get a photographic journal of the goings on in the Mamaland household.

So to tide you over I give you some pics of the girls. We went berry picking yesterday for Father's Day, I swear S chose to do this activity.

Oh, also a belated Happy Father's Day to the best husband, saxophone playing, stay at home daddy in the whole world. I love you very much and don't always let you know how much I appreciate you. Especially now that you will be taking on the bulk of the home improvement projects, oh how I appreciate that I get to do the decorating/gardening items and you get to do the heavy lifting.