the toddler swapped chili powder for my cinnamon...

It started out like any normal day as my hubby brought me breakfast in bed..... oh wait.

Totally kidding.

The husband doesn't typically bring me breakfast in bed. But that would be awesome, wouldn't it?


The real story: every once in awhile, R's men's group does breakfast at I-Hop and when he's feeling generous, he brings home some pancakes for the rest of us. On this particular morning, he brought me pancakes and a toddler. His treat for the toddler? A packet of syrup.


I know you already know where this story is going....


So I try to keep my mouth shut but you know I can't. I ask him to take the packet away from him and put it in the kitchen.

'He can't open it.' he says.

And he leaves for work.



I'm not sure he had actually gotten out of the driveway before the entire bedroom (and the dog) was doused in syrup.





It started out like a normal the kid is covered in syrup so it's bath time kind of bath time. I had the water set to the perfect temperature and the toddler happily playing with stacking cups. He gleefully peeks over the edge of the tub at me as I'm scrubbing syrup out of the carpet.

And then I hear it.

'Uh oh! Poo. Uh oh, mama, poo!' he says.

And so ensues the clean up of B's first bm in the bathtub.





It started out like any normal I'm going crazy and need a morning snack moment. I mixed together my smoothie in a bowl.* I reached for the cinnamon to mix it up a bit and before I realized the toddler had rearranged the spice rack, I had chili powder on my yogurt.


'LOVE.' he says.


Then he runs up to me with the biggest hug a one year old is capable of.


Yes, sweet boy. Love, indeed.



Here's to a sticky syrup carpet, chili powder in the yogurt & poo in the bathtub free kind of day, today!**

*Smoothie in a bowl is short for I'm too lazy to clean the blender OR alternately short for we're out of vital smoothie ingredients. Today's smoothie bowl included yogurt, bananas, honey & cinnamon. (After the mixup was straightened out of course.) Served with a side of OJ and toddler hugs.

**I hope the battles you're facing today are ones you can laugh at as you climb into bed tonight. And for those of you that are fighting the tougher battles today, I'm praying for you, friend!

i found a lump.

i am not worried. i assure myself the lump is related to breastfeeding. (i finished nursing january 4th.) i get a reminder in the mail that my yearly is past due. i call to make the appointment. i casually mention the lump. i am not worried. i tell the receptionist so. i am asked questions. i tell her the specifics. i am rushed into the next available appointment. i am stuck in a snow storm. i am a little worried. i wait. i pray. i am reminded. i am a wife. i am a mother. i am a friend. i am His child. i am loved. i am wanted. i am blessed. i am so very blessed. i am alive.

i am rescheduled. i wait. i pray. i am called in by the nurse. i wait. i see the dr. i wait. i am given more information than my brain knows what to do with. i am told it needs further testing. i am given a prescription sheet for a mammogram and ultrasound. i find my boys in the waiting room. i go to lunch with them. i run errands with them. i wait with them. i wait. i wait. i pray. i wait.

i get to the radiologist. i check in. i wait. i see the others waiting. i see the tears. i see the expressionless faces. i am sad for them. i pray for them. i wonder what it would be like to be them. i see the tech. i wait. i  am hit like a wave with nauseousness. i hate when the techs get the serious look on their face. i try to read her face. i try to read the screen. i try to look for any sign of anything to find out what is going on. i cant find it. i give up. i look at the ceiling. i think drop ceilings are ugly. i wait.

i see the dr. i am given the okay. i am given the news you want to hear. i have a cyst. i will heal on my own. i am told what to do next but i don't hear it. i am too busy thanking God. i try not to let the smile on my face get too big. i cant help it. i get dressed. i try not to run as i go to my boys. i want to shout the good news to them. i am healthy. i am living. i am okay. i can stop worrying about unpaid sick days. i can stop worrying about who will snuggle my baby while i'm in treatment. i am greeted with a hug by my baby. i am blessed by his smile. i am bursting with joy.

i see the tears. i see the kleenex. i see the hugs. i see the lady in the corner. i see the man with glassy eyes waiting on his wife. i see the woman bawling in her car. i see the waiting.  i see them through His eyes. i have a deep ache in my heart. i am sad for them. i feel guilty. i don't know why it wasn't me. i don't know why it was them instead. i feel guilty i'm walking out unscathed. i feel guilty i don't offer them a hug. i feel guilty for getting in the car with my healthy family and driving away. i pray for them. i beg God to protect them. i thank God for protecting me. i am thankful for this life. i will stop taking it for granted. i will stop waiting. i will start living. i will see people as He does. i will do something about it.

i dare you to do the same.

A Little Explanation

Earlier today I posted some little lovelies from photo booth. Some felt those needed an explanation. (You're right, there are some scary ones in there!)

From top to bottom:

1. Me today. Straight from bed with only the eye goobers wiped away. Good thing you can't smell my breath.

2. Me apparently trying to show off a freshly cleaned house with only a laptop and remote on the couch. (Notice the much more interesting background from when this baby was upstairs.)

3. New hair cut. (I think it was during March Madness because R's buddy is on the couch and I wasn't hanging out with his wifey so she must not have been here.)

4. A 'beauty' treatment. ;)

5. This was the contraption I set up to hold ice bags over my face (so I could still work) after my wisdom teeth came out. Ouch.

6. Apparently I was doing a self X-ray before the wisdom teeth came out?

7. A view from a different angle. When we first got the Mac, I thought the kitchen bar was a good place for her. I was wrong and apparently not happy about it by the looks of this picture. :)

These pictures are almost making me want to decorate in the basement now so my self-portrait sessions aren't so boring for y'all. :)

Living Better: Sleep

Ahhhhhhh. Sleep. Me & Sleep have this love/hate relationship. Love it when I get enough. Hate it when I can't. And it's been more of the latter lately. We're pretty sure this is God's way of calming my biggest fear about becoming a mom. (Is it bad that my biggest fear is not getting enough sleep?!) As if He is getting me used to this lack of sleep routine in preparation. But I'm really fighting it. I'm working really hard to get at least (okay, about) 7(ish) hours of sleep a night. Though if 5 1/2 of those hours are consecutive, I'll take that too.

This means that if R&I go to bed late and I get up early with him in the morning, I usually take an early morning nap and end up getting up around 9 (except for the two days/week I have 9 am sessions). I'm totally okay with this sleep pattern for now and am noticing that I do feel better with the extra sleep.

However. The problem is that by 9 am, I feel like I need to eat and start working right away so I don't fall behind for the day. Which leads me to my next living better goal: showering.

I posted this on facebook the other day:

I mean, I did get a phone call from R about 45 seconds before they came over to let me know he wasn't coming home alone but what can one really do in 45 seconds besides throw on that lacking undergarment? (Side note: this is why even our best friends whom are over here all the time call or text before just 'stopping by.' ha)

So I posted that and realized that I really need to shower earlier in the day. And currently, here I sit past 10 am, still not showered for the day. Is it bad that I need a shower by goal added to my living better list? (You don't have to answer that for me. Yikes.)

Is it worse that I took a photo booth photo of myself to talk myself into thinking just brushing my teeth would be okay instead? (Double yikes.)

While I'm off to shower, you can enjoy these little lovelies I found while snapping the photo booth pic. Sadly, the sans shower look is trending in them..... Happy Friday!!

Cry it Out

I didn't cry once today. Are you impressed? Seriously though, it was the first day back for my fellow teacher friends and I was really thinking it would be a tough day. It wasn't that bad at all. In fact, as I was making my 9am smoothie, I was so thankful to be at home doing that at 9am rather than 6am. (Never-mind the fact that R and the fellow neighbor teachers in this district were still out and about today making it still feel like summer... maybe tomorrow will be a different story.. but I still made it through the day not a bit sad!)

I haven't exactly been tear free lately though. Not about school stuff. Just about whatever seems overwhelming (which can be a lot when you're sharing your body with someone else). Sometimes R just lets me cry it out. Smart boy. :)

We always joke that this little guy is going to be a crier. Pretty much every other baby we know right now is a great, quiet, easy going, laid back baby. Which means someone in our group of friends is due for a crier. So you know that means it will be us. ;)

In fact, I hung this up in his room today.

Oh come on. It's funny. (Seriously, don't send me hate mail.) And yes, I'm fully aware that this cements our chances of having a crier. Remind me when I'm up in the middle of the night that I'm totally okay with that. ;)

Hope you're having a tear free day! Especially all of you teachers getting ready for school to start! I'm definitely thinking about you this week!

Ten on Ten

I participated in 10 on 10 today. I didn't realize it was going on until I saw Ashley's post right at 8:00 this morning so I started it then and made due with my iPhone camera. The day started out boring at the desk but ended quite well. (If I had been thinking I would have started at 11 or 12 instead of 8 but I wasn't and I didn't.) So anyway- here's a glimpse of my day. A little work. Some makeover action. A surprise pedicure. A surprise friend (Tina who lives several hours away was there at the same time!). A surprise (well not really a surprise but trying to go with the theme here...) baby visit. I'd say that last one is probably my favorite. Isn't she sweet??

Check out more 10 on 10 photos over at a bit of sunshine. And YES- I'm officially on spring break and so looking forward to a bit of sunshine of my own! :)

525,600 Minutes

2010 in review.

Family. Friends. Love. Lots of snow. Drs appointments. Budget cuts. Pictures. Spring. New business. Garage sale. Saying goodbye. Saying hello. Laughter. Wisdom teeth. Tears. Great Plains. Knoxville. UT. Smoky Mountains. DI. Surprise Birthdays. KC Trips. Cousins. New bike. With a basket. Hay bale jumping. Sleeping outside on a blanket. Junk repurposing. Farmers Marketing. Porch swing sitting. Las Vegas. Wedding. Down home reception. Visiting friends. Flooding. Editing. Tree cutting. Website building. Painting. Basement. New family room. New home studio. Niece. Nephews. Jokes. Corn. Junk Bonanza. IKEA. MOA. Bike rides. Crafting. Serving. Playing. Faith. Growing. Persevering. Praying. Surviving. Finding joy. Looking life in the face- ready for more. Hoping.

Tis the Season

When you think of Christmas, how does it make you feel? What do you think of?
Do you get excited about seeing family and exchanging gifts? Do you look forward to Christmas pageants and church programs? Are you anxious and stressed about getting all your gifts bought and all your food made and all your Christmas functions attended? Do you picture Jesus as a baby and tell Him happy birthday? Are you running from store to store and cleaning your house for guests? Do you drop a dollar in the red bucket when you hear the ringing of the bells?

One thing that's been noticeable to me this season has been all the stressed out facebook comments. The people angry with family. Stressed about getting from one place to another. Fed up with gift buying. It can be so easy to let Christmas become what society has created. It's so easy to forget why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

This year I vow to not stress about cleaning, cooking, gifts, or family. I vow to enjoy the season. I vow to remember that it's still His birthday whether I come up with the best gifts or not, whether or not my floors are clean, even if I don't make it to every family function, and even if I don't come bearing gifts.
So you may see me as a little not put together this season, but I'll be a little less stressed while I'm there.
I wont be stressed about cooking and cleaning and gifting. I'll be thanking Him for coming here as a baby so He could go to the cross for me. For unprepared, owner of a messy house, scarcity of gifts under the tree me.

You Should Know

You should know.....

If you are a friend, if you say it in love, if you care,

and you've said something you think may have been hurtful,

what matters most isn't what you say

it's where your heart is.

Knowing that you care

is more important

than having the right words.

Being a friend.

a prayer warrior.

a shoulder.

there.

Is more important

than what you say.

than having answers.

And I love you for that.

Basketball Lessons 4

And from John Wooden (one of R's favorites!!):

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming."

"Don't worry about being better than somebody else, but never cease trying to be the best you can be. You have control over that, not the other."

7 Point Creed:

1. Be true to yourself.

2. Help others.

3. Make each day your masterpiece.

4. Drink deeply from good books, including the Good Book.

5. Make friendship a fine art.

6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.

7. Pray for guidance, count and give thanks for your blessings each day.

2 sets of 3s:

1. Never lie.

2. Never cheat.

3. Never steal.

1. Don't whine.

2. Don't complain.

3. Don't make excuses.

Basketball Lessons 3

The Simple Faith

The Fruit of Silence is Prayer

THe Fruit of Prayer is Faith

The Fruit of Faith is Love

The Fruit of Love is Service

The Fruit of Service is Peace of Mind

Basketball Lessons 2

Who am I?

I am a child of God (Romans 8:16)

I am an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ (Romans 8:17)

I am a temple of God and God's spirit lives in me (I Corinthians 3:16)

I am a new creation (II Corinthians 5:20)

I am God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)

I am a saint in Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:1)

I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20)

I am one of God's chosen people..dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)

I am a stranger in the world (I Peter 2:11)

I am an enemy of the devil (I Peter 5:8)

Basketball Lessons

It's conference week. Meaning I wont see much of R and I wont be blogging.

Cue the week of auto-posts. :)

R went to the basketball clinic over Halloween Weekend. He really enjoyed one of the coaches from this year, Don Meyer. I'm going to share from some of the handouts that Coach Meyer had for them.

Live beneath your means.

Return everything you borrow.

Stop blaming other people.

Admit it when you make a mistake.

Give clothes you don't wear to charity.

Do something nice and try not to get caught.

Listen more; talk less.

Every day take a 30 minute walk.

Strive for excellence, not perfection.

Be on time.

Don't make excuses.

Don't argue.

Get organized.

Be kind to kind people.

Be kind to unkind people.

Let someone cut ahead of you in line.

Take time to be alone.

Reread your favorite book.

Cultivate good manners.

Be humble.

Realize and accept that life isn't fair.

Know when to keep your mouth shut.

Go an entire day without criticizing anyone.

Learn from the past.

Plan for the future.

Live in the present.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

It's all small stuff.

2k10 or 09?

Today kind of feels like a flashback.... to 2009.

Last year at this time I was craving Pumpkin Spice Cake (I just pulled one out of the oven).

We had just finished up Race for the Cure (Jen just RAN it. I'm so proud of her!).

And ISU had just won a BIG game against Nebraska on the road (we just beat Texas in a BIG game on the road!!!).

Dont you just love fall??

UPDATED:

We saved a piece of pumpkin cake for ya! :)

PUMPKIN CAKE

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour cake pan.
Mix together (and set aside):
2 C. flour
3 t. baking powder
2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
2 t. ground cinnamon

In large bowl, combine:
2 C. white sugar
1 1/4 C. vegetable oil

Blend in:
1 t. vanilla extract
2 C. canned pumpkin

Beat in one at a time:
4 eggs

Gradually beat in flour mixture

Stir in (optional):
1 C. chopped walnuts

Bake for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool.


CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Beat together until creamed:
8 oz softened cream cheese
1 stick butter, softened

Gradually beat in:
2 C. powdered sugar
Add:
2 t. vanilla

Add milk to thin. Pour over cooled cake.

Open Doors

He is good. He has opened doors for us that we didn't know existed. While I love the fall, I'm already looking forward to spring. And walking through some big doors.

I Hear...

the marching band practicing.

the buzz of my little phone buzzing with words of encouragement.

the dishwasher, that my best friend started, running.

dakota snoozing.

mumford & sons playing in the background.

God telling me it's all gonna be okay.

Thanks

The other night, R&I were in the basement and (okay- most nights we've been down there- this night in particular.....) he saw our 'blessing calendar' from last year. He suggested we get it out. 'Not yet- it's too early,' I tell him.

But then I couldn't stop thinking about it. I have a quote taped to my work computer (yes- it's still on there) that says, "When you are tempted to complain, it's God inviting you to give thanks."

Yes, I need to give thanks!

And we have much to be thankful for.

Our home. family. each other. ableness. friends (really amazing friends!). clients. beautiful weather (oh it makes bus duty so much easier!). love. faith. dakota. life.

I could go on and on but I'm also thankful for sleep... and being almost 11:30, it's my shortest workday of the week so far. Good night!

(And maybe we'll change our Nov. calendar to the Oct & Nov calendar!) :)

[breathe in]

Other than the fact that it is a reminder of winter being around the corner.... fall is amazing. The perfect time for a deep breath of fresh air. Time for being outside with the ones you love. Time for bringing out the fall decorations (not that we've done that at our house... that would require dusting). Time to relax. Wait... not actually. But the weather helps make me feel like taking a deep breath in and relaxing. Even if just for a minute.

This week's forecast is perfect for taking in deep breaths. And perfect for picture taking. Which means no relaxing, but lots of fun! I'm so happy to be back behind the camera after a hectic week around the H house. God is good. All the time.

Happy Fall!

A Perfect Day

If I were going to plan

a perfect day

it might involve

being unplugged from the real world

a hot drink

a favorite snack (and meals which I don't have to cook)

hunting for treasures (and finding great deals. HELLO Junk Bonanza!)

spiffing up my home

spiffing up myself

and lots of time with this guy.

Yes, Friday was

a pretty darn good day

indeed.

September 12th?

Is it really almost the middle of September already?

We've been up to much but not much to share. I have pictures to share from Labor Day weekend and from the ISU/Iowa game day but they aren't yet uploaded. So I'll just share about em and update the post later.....

We spent Labor Day weekend laboring but don't feel too bad for us, we had some fun too- Our family that's not really our family, invited us to crash their family get together. They are always so fun to be with. I always leave feeling loved.

We watched the ISU/Iowa game at our place with some good friends. Most of them were wearing the right colors but unfortunately it wasn't enough. We got a beat down. But that's okay, "ISU is a better academic school." ;)

As you can tell, well you can't yet but when I put up pictures you'll be able to, the more exciting game of the day was probably the bags game. Thus the empty lawn chairs in front of the tv. On the plus side, the weather was awesome- great day to be outside. And we got to have our first chili feed of the year. One major plus of fall.

Friday night (okay so I'm backtracking), our good friends brought over some dinner to us. I cant even describe what a blessing it was to have a last minute phone call asking if they could bring us food. Ummm hello. Of course! It was fabulous. They brought the dinner entertainment as well. I HAVE to post pictures of that here (soon, I promise!).

And in between we've been working and working some more. We're both back in the trenches, school is in full-force. We've been working hard on a big house project. It's coming together slowly but surely. R has been putting in lots of time on it! And I've been super booked with photography work. God is working in big ways. We have much to be thankful for.

We have huge week this week. I'm pretty excited and I cant wait to share more.

Have a blessed week! Keep your eyes on Him. (That was more of a reminder to self but not bad for any of us to try.)

How's that for a random post? ;)

__________________________________

Updated.

You probably don't care that I didn't have pictures up, but it will look nicer in my blog scrapbook if I do. ;)