Welcome to the Hickstionary, a landing spot for all things H family.
I'm Heidi. He's Rusty. And together we have our beautiful babe, Beckett and a furry menace, Dakota.
I mostly use this space to brag about how awesome the kid is, whine about how naughty the dog is & share an occasional deep thought.
Thanks for hanging out with us as we figure out this [blessed] life!

If you are looking for my photography blog (where words don't tend to fall out of my mouth nearly as freely), visit {captured by} heidi.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

RAK #30










We made it to 30 random acts!!! This week's random act:

RAK#30: Hand out balloons (or another fun treat).
Who doesn't love special surprises!?! Visit the farmer's market, a park or another fun hangout spot and hand out a special treat. I'm hoping to do this one near my birthday, maybe yours is coming up too and it'd be a fun activity for you to do for the occasion? 
(Side note: I saw this idea on Drew B's blog and she said it got mixed reviews at first. I think it might be helpful if you're sure to say right away that they are free so parents aren't assuming you're trying to get them to buy something.) :)


Please join us (you can either catch up or just start where we are)! Check out this post for more info.
Happy RAKing!

Monday, August 5, 2013

once upon a time....

......I did a (sort of) decent job of keeping up to date on the blog. I tried really hard to keep up with posting the photos a day. And even though I've been really slacking on that lately- I do still have a (lot of) photo(s) a day to get organized and posted. Maybe I can take a day off and get caught up on that soon(ish).


.....I got my big girl camera out and got this shot of B in front of one of my favorite old buildings. This shot was over a month ago and it could very well be the last big girl camera shot I've gotten of the little guy. Yikes.





....... I tried talking R into selling the house. Big change from when I was hugging the kitchen sink I know!! We realized if we could get out of our house what the realtors tell us it's worth, we could put a nice chunk of change towards a new mortgage.  Once we started looking, we realized there was nothing to buy....and I decided it'd be a great idea to build. R was not so easily convinced. ;) The logistics of building (finishing some odd jobs around our house, finding an affordable lot to fit our needs, finding a space to stay between selling and building, finding a space to shoot indoor pictures during that time, etc) are enough to put this idea on hold for now but that's the latest for everyone that's been asking. That said, if you really do want to buy our house, let me know and I'll get more info to you. :)


.......We've been super busy loving summer and having the best time with our little guy. He is really at SUCH a FUN age!! He cracks us up with all the things he is saying and doing these days. It's a lot of fun to watch him learn new things and see how he processes everything. Some of my favorite things that he's saying right now.... "I UV ewww." (I LOVE you.) "KISS!" (as he's running at us with his lips ready for a kiss) "I so silly." (after he's done something he wasn't supposed to do and knows it... kid is gonna be trouble I think.) 
It's so fun hearing him put words together and coming up with sentences that make sense. Between his vocab and height, he normally gets guessed older than his actual age and it makes me so sad that the little guy is growing up but I'm still loving every second of it. 


......We celebrated our 6th anniversary last month. B got to stay with grandma and we took off for a super spontaneous weekend of fun. We ended up in some random places and crossing several things off the bucket list -my favorite thing was visiting the Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary (aka the Great Ape Trust/Bonobo Hope). We were some of the only 'local's there. Most of the license plates in the lot were out of staters. It's really a cool place to check out and it's right in Des Moines' backyard. Get there if you get a chance!!


.......I struggled with what to share on this blog. I keep thinking how awesome it would be to have stories about my childhood recorded for me to now read but then I wonder how awesome I would think it was if those same stories were posted on the internet for all to read. How my mom felt about parenting me. How I acted during the terrible twos. How easily I potty trained. How well (or not) I got along with my siblings. Are those really things I'd want the whole world to know about me? And will B really want all those stories out there about him? I recently read this post and really liked this part..... "......personal blogging is in its mere infancy; we’ve not even cycled through a full generation yet. Which means we have no idea what, if any, impact our words have on our subjects." 


.......My files finally uploaded to my new online gallery site so it was time for me to get back to work. Be back soon (maybe?).







Wednesday, July 31, 2013

RAK #29








We are getting so close to RAK #30... yikes! This week's random act:

RAK#29: Stick a dollar near the dollar spot toys for a child to find.
I thought we already did this one but it's still on the list so maybe not... and even if we did, it's a fun one I'm sure will be appreciated by another child. Stick a note to the dollar letting them know it's a special treat for them and if you're extra sneaky, you can 'shop' in the next section over while a child comes to get the dollar. It's fun to see their reaction.


Please join us (you can either catch up or just start where we are)! Check out this post for more info.
Happy RAKing!

Friday, July 26, 2013

RAK #28








We are getting so close to RAK #30... yikes! This week's random act:

RAK#28: Pay a bill (or give money towards a bill) for someone.
Nobody likes bills! Once upon a time we had a friend who was cutting costs so we added them to our phone line and paid their cell phone bill for awhile. It was fun to serve them in that way until they went back to work. Maybe you know someone that's skimping on the AC to save on the cooling bill or someone who could use help with another bill. I've even had friends/family members of clients that have contacted me asking if they can pay the photography bill for a client- how fun is that?
Help someone out this month and leave them some cash or master card gift card that they can use towards a bill. Stick it in a card letting them know what it's for and why. It can be for someone you know, someone you just met, or a complete stranger. I'm sure they would appreciate it!


Please join us (you can either catch up or just start where we are)! Check out this post for more info.
Happy RAKing!

Monday, July 15, 2013

RAK #26/27



I'm going to cheat again and put two in one week so I'm covered for this week's too. :)






This week's random acts:

RAK#26: Donate items to the church nursery.
Last time we worked in the nursery, I noticed they could use some new items. I'm sure your church nursery would take donations too. Toys, books, and bubbles! are always fun. Cleaning supplies, paper towels, napkins are always practical. If you're not sure what they could use, ask and I'm sure they'll have ideas for you!

RAK#27: Make a meal for a neighbor.
I thought this was already one but maybe not? So if you've done this recently, choose a new neighbor and make a meal for them. Maybe someone you don't know well (or haven't even met). We are spoiled with great and friendly neighbors. They feed us way more than we feed them so we have some major catching up to do on this RAK.



Please join us (you can either catch up or just start where we are)! Check out this post for more info.
Happy RAKing!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

RAK 23-25


So.... I may have gotten a LITTLE behind on posting to the blog.
I have a lot of really great excuses and most of them end with how much I love summer. Let me try to get caught up first then maybe I'll share some of those awesome excuses with you. In the meantime, you can follow me on instagram at @heididh33 to see what all we've been loving this summer. Also, that's how I'm following what all of you are up to as well. I hate to admit this but it's been a LONG time since I've been caught up on reading all my favorite blogs. If you've blogged awesome goodness lately, please let me know. :)
On to the RAK!





Okay I'm 'cheating' a bit this time. I went to our 'still to come' list and hand-picked ones I've actually done these last few weeks. I noticed we are down to just a few left on the list so if you have some ideas PLEASE let me know! Would love to use yours. :)

This week's (and some catch up...) random acts:

RAK#23: Help a friend clean.
Because who doesn't love this? I've had friends come help me clean and I've helped friends. Cleaning (especially deep cleaning) is so much easier (and dare I say more 'fun') if you have a buddy. I've done some of this lately and absolutely love it. Well. As much as you can love cleaning. ;)

RAK#24: Use your spiritual gifts to bless someone.
What talents has God blessed you with? Are you creative? Good with kids? A great listener? Great in the kitchen? Think about your God given talents and come up with ways to use them to serve others. 

RAK#25: Smile at (and say hello to) strangers.
I heard somewhere that most smiles start from another smile. 
I pretty much share mine with 'strangers' all the time because I'm from a small town where if you don't say 'hi' to someone that 'knows' you (whether you know them or not), they think you are stuck up. So I just do this to cover my bases in case I see someone I should know. It's interesting to me though to see some people's reaction to this. I especially love greeting the elderly. Bonus points if you ask, "How are you?" then actually stay to hear their answer.


Where are some ideas you have for this week's? 

Please join us (you can either catch up or just start where we are)! Check out this post for more info.
Happy RAKing!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

Salted toffee chocolate chunk cookies

FKA Ultimate chocolate chip cookies. 

AKA tornado cookies. 

I stole this recipe from my neighbor. We changed the name to tornado cookies because when she introduced them to me we were hiding out in her house surrounded by life threatening tornadoes (but decided chowing down on these cookies wouldn't be such a bad way to go). 
I later changed the name again because I added sea salt to the mix and decided it needed an introduction of it's own. 

I took these cookies to bunco and nearly everyone asked where I bought them. (Cause we all know I can't bake a cookie this awesome. Seriously they are that good!) A few people less familiar with my baking asked for the recipe. If I can bake a cookie that praiseworthy, you know you should try this recipe. Like now. 




P.S. In addition to the sea salt, I also changed the chocolate chips to chunks but purely because I think they are cuter. The less discriminating bakers may choose to not hurt the chips' feelings. 

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

That's what he said v.2

B is saying hilarious things all the time and I went to write them in his book and couldn't remember them for the life of me. :( I need to get better at recording them as they happen so you'll probably see more posts like these in the future. 
His speech continues to grow and he's starting to speak more around people other than mommy and daddy. When he does, people always comment on how clear you can understand him. The boys a chatter box. 

Yesterday: 
Me: What do you want for breakfast?
B: pancakes. I looooove pancakes. Yum yum yum yum yum. Bite! Oh yuuuummmm. So good! 

Earlier this week:
B to me as I was brushing my teeth: You're doing good!!

And to Dakota: Where are your eyes?? (Points to them.) There they are. Good boy!! 

When he gets in his playhouse: Beckett's home!! 

When I change his diaper: 'Good job!' Or 'Thank you!' (Seriously how sweet is that??) 

He's in love with basketball lately. If we are in the basement: 'We need to shoot!'
If we are outside: 'I need a ball out here!' 
If he sees the neighbors playing: 'Me shoot pwease!' 

If the neighbors garage doors are open he bends down with his hands on his knees and looks inside and starts shouting their name. He typically assigns one name per a family so all the girls in one house on our street are 'ko-ee' (Chloe). He also knows most of the nearby animals by name and if they are barking he will say their name and tell them shhhh!

A loud motorcycle drove by and he covered his ears and said 'say sorry!' 

When playing his jungle puzzle: 
me: What is this? 
B: cow moo moo
Me: No that's a zebra. Bray. (Then pointing to the lion) What is this? 
B: lion. Lion says rooaaaarrrrrr. 
Me: You're right. Lion does say roar. (Then pointing to monkey) What does monkey say?
B: (who has a monkey lovey that he sleeps with) Monkey say nigh night!



And he didn't say much but last night R and I were dancing in the living room. B grabbed a large wooden block and hugged it in his arms and started swaying with it. It apparently wasn't a good dancer because he finally gave it a dirty look and threw it down then started crawling between me and R and trying to push R away from me. I asked him if he wanted to dance and he smiled real big and reached his arms up to me and said 'dance dance dance.' Melt my heart. :) 

Friday, June 14, 2013

RAK #22



Last week's RAK was to feed someone.

How did you do??   





This week's random act:

RAK#22: Do something nice for the dad(s) in your life.

It's Father's Day weekend so let's do something nice for the dads in our lives. I was going to eat a bowl of cereal this morning but realized it was the last of the box and that's R's favorite part so I saved it for him. Does that count. ;) 



Where are some ideas you have for this week's? Hopefully you have some better ideas than me this week. :)

Please join us (you can either catch up or just start where we are)! Check out this post for more info.
Happy RAKing!

Saturday, June 8, 2013

365 wk22

28- All of this summer's house projects have a budget of $0. Good thing we have a lot of paint on hand! The faux dip paint method is a fast, easy and cheap way to update the 'blah.'

29- B's 'Papa tractor' came to see him. We've had a lot of visitors that come during nap time lately. :)

30- 'Coffee' date. Only no coffee for B and I.

31- B's idea of helping in the kitchen.

1- Outdoor movie night was a little chilly. We'll have to have a redo in the near future.

2- B used his good looks to get all the strawberries that were ready out of the neighbors' garden.

3- Do the zoo!




LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...