Happy (Day After) Thanksgiving!

Things I'm thankful for this year:

• A husband who loves our family and sacrifices for us.
• The daughter God has blessed us with.
• The child God will be blessing us with in the near future.
• A job that understands my priority of being a Mom first and is okay with that.
• Cars that are paid for and (currently) work.
• A home we can afford to live in.
• The little things like my cupcake pans and trouser socks.
• And many other things I couldn't begin to list!
  

Happy (day after) Thanksgiving!

Sewing Madness

There are times sewing can be sew not fun. I crack myself up.

My mom gave me her old sewing machine which she must have stored in dust. I did not know that storing it in dust was the preferred thing to do and it was polished on the outside so nicely that I just sat down to use it.

Two broken needles later, my mother-in-law came over to look at it. At my mom's suggestion, we looked at the inside to see if it needed cleaning. We pulled out clump after clump of dust. We think we found the culprit wedged deep inside one of the moving parts. I was a long piece of black thread with several knots in it. Mom, when was the last time you used that machine with black thread? (Clearly before you stored it in dust.)

The machine appears to work fine now.

Goodbye, Mom

I taught a 2nd grade class for the 2005-2006 school year. Those students are now in the end of their 5th grade year. One of those students, Casey, said goodbye to his mom yesterday. Casey is 11.

Casey's mom, Beth, had a very aggressive form of breast cancer which took her life rather quickly. Beth had an amazing attitude about her illness. You can read all about it on her website.

As of right now, I am not sure if I can make it to the funeral. I am certainly not looking forward to it if I am able to go. Even though it is a celebration of Beth's life, it is never easy to say goodbye to someone you love. I can't even imagine what Casey (and younger brother Paul) are going through right now.

Keep them in your prayers.

Five Generations

Well, here we are. The 5 generations of my family at my Great Grandfather's 100th Birthday party:


My Great Grandpa (String Bean's Great Great Grandpa) is seated. String Bean is the little one. Age difference: 98 1/2 years. My mom in red) and my grandma (in purple) are the other two pictured. We had a fantastic time visiting with family and enjoying celebrating Great Grandpa's life! (That's Great-Great Grandpa to String Bean!

A Great Great Grandfather shares his wisdom with an eager pupil.


This is String Bean and her Great Great Great Aunt Mary Jean. (She is String Bean's Great Great Grandfather's youngest sister.)

Random Thoughts for Today

I'm stealing this blog posting idea from my friend Emily. Here are my thoughts for today:

• The dishwasher is running and it sounds like it is about to take off (as in fly).
  
• I got allergy shots today and my arms are itchy.
• String Bean got a flu shot today (part 2 of 2) and screamed. She recovered from the ordeal in about 20 seconds. Now you'd never know she got a shot.
• String Bean and I went to our polling place and there was no line at 11:45 am! We both got a sticker for doing our civic duty. As of this post, String Bean has not taken hers off, yet.
• Mr. Bean hasn't been in his office all morning.
  
• My mom and sister went to the polling place together in Alabama this morning. Apparently their votes for the presidential candidates canceled one other out.
• I love that my new watch tells me the date!
• Babies that eat corn don't digest it very well.
• Most of my Facebook friends have a status update about voting today.
• My friend, Christy, spells Savior the British way: "Saviour"
• String Bean has learned to brush her own hair. It is very cute, but she needs more practice before I let her go out of the house like that.
• I haven't taken allergy medication (or cold medication) in almost 2 years thanks to pregnancy and nursing.
  
• I can feel the winter dry skin approaching already.
• My living room floor is filled with board books.
• I'm really in the mood to decorate the house for Christmas, but it is a bit early. Maybe I'll just wrap the presents I've already purchased instead.
• I wonder why the Fisher-Price Noah's Ark does not have a monkey.

Amazon.com Wishlists

For several years now, I have been using Amazon.com as the "host" for my Christmas and Birthday wish lists. I am in love with their new feature. It is called the Universal Wish List. You simply install this little tool (which is more like a bookmark with your web browser) and you can add ANYTHING to your wish list. It does not have to be from Amazon at all. On my wish list, I have items from Old Navy, Ann Taylor, Kohls, and Sharpie.

Another great feature I've fallen in love with is the ability to have more than one wish list. I used to be a teacher and had a wish list specifically for things I needed for school. I don't believe anyone ever purchased items for me from that list, but it was nice to have them handy when I needed a few extra bucks to earn the free shipping from Amazon.

Now I have a wish list of things I want for String Bean. That way when my mother or mother-in-law want to know what to get her, they have several ideas of things she needs (or things I want) available to them. You can name your wishlists, too! My mom has her wishlist on Amazon. My dad, however, doesn't get around to those things. So one of my mom's extra lists she's renamed as his wish list.

If you start a wishlist on Amazon, your friends can search for your wishlist. That way, if you have a birthday party or do something really nice for someone, they can just look on Amazon to see if you have a wish list. It is a really awesome feature that has revolutionized the way my family shops for Christmas!

On Becoming a Mom

Everyone has heard the clichés about motherhood:

• My whole world has changed.
• Once you see that baby, nothing else matters.
• You’ll never knew you could love someone so much you just met.

With my baby now approaching her first birthday, I feel like I’ve got some “motherhood” experience under my belt and with authority I can tell you--all the clichés are true.

My whole world has changed. Who would have ever thought I’d care about how snug the straps on the car seat are with each and every trip? Where did I lose my ability to sleep in with ease on days I am not working and replace it with an uncanny ability to provide excellent nutrition to those in my household? (Well, not for me, but for my kid!) Where did I become the official “safety inspector” in each and every situation where my precious child ventured? Why do I suddenly get brave in a room full of strangers who have their eyes on me--oh, their eyes are on my baby! Even better! Somewhere in the last year, I have lost parts of the “me” I knew and replaced it with this cliché you call “Mom.”

Once you see that baby, nothing else matters. It is 3 am. My dear, sweet husband who is a much lighter sleeper than I am brings me a screaming, and apparently starving, baby. I wake up, sit up, latch this starving little child on and breastfeed. I’ve done this countless times today. I’ve multi-tasked while doing it. My e-mail is always returned on time. My TV shows are not missed. The phone rings, I talk. I used to prize my sleep above all else. On many days, I still do. But somehow I find myself looking at this baby, who has just interrupted my sleep, contentedly eating a meal. She looks up at me, grins, and goes back to her meal. It is as if the entire world has stopped and it is just she and I sitting there in my bed sharing a special moment. Nothing else matters.

You never knew you could love someone so much you just met. I learned the reality of this cliché before we left the hospital. String Bean had a problem digesting and did what most babies do--she spit up. Not only did she spit up, but with such force that the spit up went into her sinus cavity. I was holding her at the time and felt completely helpless watching this 2 day old baby turn purple as she was unable to breathe on her own. My heart sunk in my chest, I screamed at my dear husband to call the nurse for the love of my life (sorry husband you’ve been replaced) was not breathing! Don’t worry. The nurse took care of business and I later learned that babies do this a lot and it’s nothing to get all worked up over. Easy for you to say crazy pediatrician! I am a new mom! I have pregnancy and post partum hormones racing through my system. This little helpless, defenseless baby that I have completely fallen head-over-heels for has only me, ME! to help her, guide her, love her. I mean, my husband is there, too, but give me a break--like I said, hormones.

God truly gave us a gift when he gave us motherhood. Children are a blessing. Shame on me for forgetting that God gave me this special blessing. Shame on me for getting caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and not enjoying this little life to the fullest.