This Past Week

I need to give y'all an update on this past week. We had a busy one!

My Uncle Bob and Aunt Florence came to visit this past Monday night on their way through town. Bob is my mother's brother. It was a good visit. The last time I saw them was in November 2007, and they treated my kids the same then as they did this time: kind of like their own grandkids. It's amazing how much that means to me! Since Mom is gone, I don't have much representation of her side of the family in my life. So it was wonderful watching Bob and Florence hug and play with my kids. Bob asked them to call him Pop Pop (which is what his own grandkids call him), and we called my aunt Grandma Florence. Jackson even learned to say "Pop Pop" before they left on Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, my mother-in-law came over to work on one of Katie's Christmas presents. I told you I'm having to get creative this year, so Grandma and I are working on a handmade quilt. You can go to this post at my Katie Kay Tees blog to read about it. While making the quilt, I sliced my finger open and I've been paying for that mistake for a few days while having some Raynaud's Syndrome attacks on my fingers. Ouch.

On Wednesday I got to get my haircut and do some early Christmas shopping while Jackson was at Parents Day Out. That night was Moms Night Out, and I got my henna tattoo. Fun!

On Thursday, I had another family member come to visit. This one was my (stay with me here) father's mother's brother's son's wife. Or to make it easier, my grandmother's niece-in-law. Or even easier: the wife of my first cousin once removed. In any case, her name is Marti and I found her while doing some research on our family tree. I knew of her before that, but got back in touch with her after Googling some distant relatives and finding her work already online. She and I shared stories of our families, and had a good (albeit short) visit. She even brought toys for the kids, including a fairy book and fairy paper dolls for Katie. So cute! I really enjoyed talking to her, and can't wait for her to come back in town again.

We also carved pumpkins on Thursday night with our neighbors. It's become an annual tradition to carve them together, and something I think we all look forward to. Some of them do very elaborate designs, but my designs are always very basic (mine is the moon and Katie's is the pumpkin face).

Friday was, of course, Halloween. It was a hectic day. Beth and I weighed in early (I'm up to 12.8 pounds lost so far!), and then Dan came home early to be with Jackson so I could go to Katie's classroom Halloween party. It was a fun party, and the kids looked cute in their costumes. But, wow - they are loud and crazy too! Friday night was Trick-or-Treating. I've realized I will never get to take my kids out for T-or-T, because it's the one event all year that Dan truly looks forward to doing. So I hold down the fort while they go on the adventure. Truly, I don't mind. I think I'd be too nervous about kids darting into traffic to enjoy the T-or-T anyway. Besides, I like it when they come home to me with their loot and stories of what they did.

Today I slept in for a long time, and woke to an achy body. We puttered around the house and Dan had a neighborhood meeting. Afterwards we went to church and dinner at Chick-fil-A (my favorite). I'm very tired tonight, and just about ready to go plop myself on the couch for some mindless TV. Hopefully I won't get any more election calls tonight. They're starting to drive me crazy.

And keep your fingers crossed that the kids will sleep in late tomorrow when the time change happens!

What I've Been Doing

• Feeling better. That's the good news! I'm not back to 100% yet, but I am feeling much improved and I'm hoping this lupus flare up is on the downswing. My aches are less intense and less frequent, and I've even been able to cut back on my ibuprofen. I'm still trying to figure how much I can cut back, because a few times I've tried to do without and ended up paying for it.
• Yelling "Get DOWN!" lots as Jackson is climbing on top of the toy trunk and also from the couch onto the counter. But I've also been having a good two days with him. He's getting pretty darn cute, and is learning to smile as a way to (try to) get out of trouble. He was wearing these adorable overalls yesterday, and was irresistably cute. He's even started giving kisses. Mmmmm!
• Praying a lot about: my bloggy friends Gretchen, Janera and Hillary. Also praying for my neighbor who had a stroke. And praying for the future of my Parents Day Out program, plus some other prayer requests.
• Partying. We had a Halloween party with my mom's club on Tuesday. And I'm helping plan Katie's classroom party.
• Trying to stay warm. The cold weather is wreaking havoc on my fingers and toes already, causing the Raynaud's Syndrome to get more active. My left middle finger split open today. I wasn't expecting that to start happening for a little while longer. Ouch.
• Soaking in the love that my friends have lavished on me lately. Michelle went through bins of clothes specifically to find pants that might fit Katie. I got to have a good two-hour lunch with Lynna on Wednesday AND she is letting me put some stuff in her garage sale tomorrow, without making me be there to do the sale with her. Charity sent me a book in the mail. Susan called to tell me some good news. Sheryl watched Katie so I could make a quick run to the post office. Beth calls me almost every night just to touch base. And then so many of you have been visiting my blog, leaving me comments and compliments. When the world saps my energy, I find that my friends help to refuel. Thanks, y'all.
• Doing some fall cleaning. I cleaned out the kids' closets and changed the seasons, then cleaned my closet too. I moved all the pool bags and toys to the basement, and brought out the mittens and hats for winter. I even cleaned the refrigerator, microwave AND washed some curtains. What has gotten in to me? The good news is I won't have to do that again until next decade. Ha, ha.
• Trying to plan Christmas gifts. I am getting nervous about what we can afford, but it's making me get creative. I have lots of ideas that I'm hoping aren't too cheesy. These ideas are swimming through my head at odd times all day, kind of driving me crazy. That's the way my brain works. They'll keep driving me crazy until I just hunker down and make the darn presents.
• Typing Bylaws for my mom's group. At least I didn't have to make them up. I just had to type what was handed down to me but, unfortunately, wasn't in electronic form yet.
• Trying yoga. Dan suggested it as a way to help with my aches. He said he'd do it with me at night after the kids are in bed, but I thought I'd try it Wednesday morning when it was too cold for our morning walk. Jackson and I were in the playroom in the basement, and I will never make that mistake again. Yoga is not an activity I can do when Jackson is around. He thought I was a jungle gym and had great fun bouncing on my tummy while I tried to do pelvic lifts. Ugh. I'll go back to using my elliptical machine, which is much safer.
• Counting marbles. Beth gave me a great idea to start a marble jar for Katie. I've been getting frustrated with her backtalking, white lies, inability to listen and huffing at me. So I got marbles and a little jar. She is catching on to the idea, and the last 30 hours (since we started it) have been markedly better. So far, she's earned five marbles for good behavior and has only had one taken away. When the jar is full, she gets a new Color Wonder book and some paintbrushes. I'm glad it's becoming a win-win situation.
• Making another Katie Kay Tee. I made a new onesie last night. I was honored to make this for Hillary, who is a relative of my brother-in-law, Wally. The onesie turned out very cute, and I'm pleased with it. Go read the story about Anna Kathryn, the little girl who will wear it. And keep Hillary in your prayers today. She's weighing heavily on my mind because it's the "angel-versary" of her daughter's accident and death. Little Natalie was only 14 months old.
• Scanning photos. I spent about an hour of today's naptime scanning photos for something I'm putting together in memory of my brother. You'll have to check back on Sunday to see it. I've enjoyed reliving my memories, even as painful as they still are.
• Lacking sleep. Katie has had awful night terrors the last three nights. On Tuesday night I found her wandering upstairs holding a pair of my pants from the laundry hamper, crying and mumbling about a banana. The other two nights she's stayed in her bed, but wakes crying and screaming and isn't easily soothed. I have my in-laws to thank for this. Night terrors are hereditary. Dan has them occasionally too (although he doesn't cry and scream). His brother had them and his dad does weird sleep things too. Let's hope Katie is the end of the line and Jackson doesn't get them. He's been sleeping poorly this week too. There's no rest for the weary in our house!

Thanks for reading my ramblings. I hope everyone has a good weekend. We are going to be busy with my Weight Watchers weigh-in, a visit to the pumpkin patch, church and Trunk or Treat. I'll post again on Sunday.

Quite a Day

My day started with, "Mommy? There's a wet spot in my bed." Katie had leaked a little bit, and didn't make it to the potty on time. It happens when she's sleeping deeply, but not as often these days. So I spent the first 15 minutes of the day changing sheets and comforters and starting laundry.

Then Katie and I had breakfast, and Jackson woke. I ran up to get him, only to hear Katie start crying that she spilled her milk. When I came downstairs, I found she had spilled it ALL over. So Mommy got the job of cleaning it all up. Ugh.

Then things were okay for a bit: Katie on the bus, morning walk, shower, nap (Jackson, not me), playdate and lunch at a great park with good friends. And then my phone rang. It was the school nurse, saying Katie had a tummy ache. I talked to her on the phone and she started crying, so Jackson and I drove up to school. I thought for sure she was faking it. She even told me she didn't like the way I did her hair this morning (two ponytails), and that's why her tummy hurt. As I was negotiating with her about returning to class, she grabbed her stomach and said she had to throw up, and the nurse handed me a bucket. Just in time. Blech. Guess she wasn't faking, huh? We got out of there as fast as we could and she came home and crashed on the couch within minutes, sleeping for two hours straight. She puked again after she woke from her nap, but then seemed much better about three hours later. I let her have crackers and a banana for dinner, and she seemed okay for a little while. Then she started looking a little more peaked about an hour later, so we sent her to bed. She's there now, and so far it's been quiet.

The other bummer of the day is that our beer fridge in the garage (where we store beer, among other things like Cokes and marinating meat) pooped out. Dan's trying to figure out the problem, but it might be dead for good. After all, it's at least 15 or 20 years old. I inherited it when Mom died. I hope it can be fixed because we don't have the income to buy a new fridge right now! (We're buying gas for our cars instead, like all of you are too, I'm sure.)

But there is one small ray of light: I was super-efficient today, in between dumping buckets of puke, and trying to drink all the beer before it got warm. (Ha, just kidding.) I made six new custom shirts, plus I finished the photo bracelet for my Bloggy Giveaway winner. Yay! I feel so much more calm and at peace when I finish projects.

Let's hope the kids sleep through the night tonight, and the puking is over. Then I'll be REALLY calm and at peace tomorrow!

P.S. One more small ray of light in my day: Jackson's scab on his skinned nose fell off today. Poor kid looks like he takes a beating, doesn't he?

Bloggy Giveaway - Photo Bracelet!

Thanks to my friend Danielle, I am doing my very first Six Golden Coins Bloggy Giveaway. I'm nervous, but excited to see how it all goes!

I am giving away a custom photo bracelet. I'll contact the winner of my giveaway and you can email me the six photos you'd like in your bracelet. I'll shrink the photos and do any editing necessary, seal them in plastic and insert them in the bracelet before I mail it to you. Here's a photo of the finished bracelet I wear:

Here's what I would like from you! Please read through my blog (don't miss the Toys in Iraq post from June!), then comment on this post. Tell me two things: 1) what you like best about my blog, and 2) what I could do to improve it.

I'll keep the contest open until noon CST on Friday, August 1.

Please also stop by my other blog, Katie Kay Tees. I'm doing another giveaway there for a customized shirt or onesie.

Thanks for playing!

Katie Kay Tees

Guess what? I decided to follow my own advice and STOP waiting.

For a while now, I've had an item on my To Do List. Various things have kept me from crossing it off: the busy-ness of raising two kids and keeping a house, plus the thought that no one would be interested in "it" anyway. But I decided to just take the plunge and move forward.

I am going to start selling my custom-made shirts and onesies. Some of you might have already received one of them as a birthday present to your child. In the past, people have casually asked me if I would sell one to them but I opted to give them as birthday gifts. In recent weeks, three friends have asked me to start selling them, so I think that's the little nudge I've been needing.

I decided to get off my butt and start a new blog to showcase my designs. I was going to open a store on a certain handmade website, but wasn't quite sure how to list so many different designs without paying a fee to show each of them. So, for now, a blog will have to suffice.

Please go to my new blog, Katie Kay Tees, and let me know what you think. (There's also a link on the right side of this blog in the Blogroll section.) Leave me a comment telling me what your favorite design is. That will help me get an idea of what's most popular, and I can start figuring out how to proceed. My hope is that I can also show some other crafts for sale on that blog, like my photo bracelets or customized board books or baby texture blankets.

I will continue to post my random thoughts and chronicles of our family on this Six Golden Coins blog. So don't leave me! But now you know I have another "sister" blog (or should it be called a "daughter" blog?) that you can visit too. Let me know what you think! I need your feedback, please!