Pure Enjoyment

I feel like a kid who just did something very very wrong. And who might get their ass beat if they get caught. This is all my father's fault. He always raised me to think that it is WRONG to put a sticker anywhere on a vehicle. Anywhere. However I do recall that he had a bumper sticker on two of his cars. I think that he was trying to instill in me that once you stick it on, it's hard to remove. But he put the fear of god in me. I did put a sticker on my first car. Just one sticker. But the car cost $1000 so it probably wasn't a big deal. I also put a cool sun sticker on my second car. And I sold it with the sticker still on it, so... I guess no big deal. But my last car, was all shiny and cost me more than 10 thousand dollars, so I was always scared to put a sticker on it. I remember once after 9-11 that I had a flag magnet on my gas cap area, but it was mickey mouse behind the flag. I thought my dad was going to have a coronary when he thought it was a sticker. Mind you I of course paid for the car myself, was 22 years old, and also lived in my own house by then. But I will never forget the anger when he thought I had stuck the sticker on my car. So. Tonight I snuck outside, into my own garage, as a 29 year old mom and wife, and put two brand spanking new stickers on my brand new (to me) van. I have to admit that I kept looking over my shoulder to see if I was going to be caught. I lowered the garage door and thought with the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach "who is going to yell at me first, my husband or my dad?" and I agonized for the entire day about whether or not to actually put them on... and then WHERE to put them on. And then "should I put them BOTH on or just one?" Jeez. Why do I let other people cause me stress? One sticker is a white square that says "One Less SUV" and is a nod to the pollution that I am not causing by driving a van over another SUV. The other is the word "Coexist" made up of various religious symbols, which is the icon that I use in my signature to all my online message boards. So now I am making the statements that I want to make. I just hope I don't get grounded when they find out.

So what else is new? Hmmm. I am in the process of selling my car. YAY! I had two calls and one test drive yesterday and another person drop in today. A relative has decided to buy it and I hope that it is all taken care of by the end of the week.

The "schedule" that I want to keep up on has been going really well, up until this past weekend when I had places to be and the house got pretty crazy. I should be picking up tonight, but I am just fine with not picking up. I did load the dishwasher and clean up in the kitchen. I also did some laundry today.

Mom and I took Ardyn to Hornbaker Gardens today and I got a few dwarf plants and a Big Daddy Hosta. I have been after a big daddy for YEARS. 5 of them to be precise. And I haven't bought one yet. But now I have decided to just do it since I want one so badly. I just think they are awesome. We ate lunch at Townsend Coffee House and then went to Wal-Mart for a few things. We took TONS of adorable pictures at Hornbakers, they are all in my flickr photos, and there are some posted here too.
Last Friday we started making our Mother's Day gifts. We used Crayola Air Dry Clay to make Heart shaped handprints and then painted them and strung ribbons and fibers onto them. We made 8 of them, for each grandma, great grandma, and for Aunt Liz. Saturday I was up at 6:30 with Ardyn and when she fell back to sleep I couldn't, so I got up and painted the hearts while she slept. Then that afternoon she and I went to my parents house to setup a wireless network and that night we had them over, along with my sister, to celebrate mother's day with spaghetti pizza and garlic bread, followed by Ice Cream Waffle Bowls from Dairy Queen and then we watched the movie Juno, which I loved. Sunday we took a nap from 10-12noon and then went to Evan's grandma's house for Mother's day. We delivered hydrangeas for Mother's Day to Ardyn's grandmas in addition to the finished handprints.

This week I am getting a haircut, going to TWO computer meetings, Ardyn's swimming lessons, and packing for the Chicago Green Expo with Ardyn and Angela. And hopefully cleaning the house, working in the yard, mailing a few packages, finishing Dotty Owl for Ardyn, and gathering estimates to fence in the front yard very shortly. I also need to get 27 dresses watched so I can return it to my sister, and hopefully also trim Hadley's nails.

One pair of Ardyn's custom shorties (wool) arrived today. They are adorable, but they look small. I measured her and I HOPE they fit perfectly. They are SUPER stretchy. I hope that they work out for us and need to try them on tomorrow before she starts knitting the second pair. The pair I received are purples and greens and have adorable ruffled bottoms. The next pair will be pink/orange/yellows.

So there you have it. I am sure there is tons more, but we have been busy around here and I forget what we did yesterday sometimes. Good thing I am taking lots of pictures! Sunday morning we woke up and noticed that the stop sign in front of our house was snapped off from the wind we were having. It is crazy! Today I called the county highway department to report it. Evan dug a hole and propped it up temporarily after he saw two people blow it today and almost get into an accident. I also met with a guy who measured for our first fencing estimate. AND we mowed, trimmed some things in the flower bed, swept off the sidewalks, etc.

Ode to the Van

Wednesday. One week. Five Work days. Till I get to be a Stay at Home Mom. I guess I should correct and say "Work at home Mom." The weather is fabulous here! It's very difficult to concentrate at work. Today at lunch I spent time out on the patio eating lunch and enjoying the sun. This morning when I dropped Ardyn off at daycare, the kids were playing outside. When I took Ardyn out to her teacher, Ava came running up to me from nowhere. I was so impressed that she knew right who we were! I didn't even see her until she was right in front of me. She said "Hi!" and I said "Hi Ava!" and she pointed at Ardyn and smiled and said "Baby!" and I said "yes! What's the baby's name, do you remember?" and I thought for just a second that I would have to remind her, and I could see the wheels turning, and she suddenly looked up at Ardyn and then at me, and said "Ardyn!" and I said "Good job! Her name is Ardyn!" She was so excited to see us. I wanted to scoop her up and give her a hug and kiss but thought that I might freak her out so I just grinned at her. She was so thrilled to be outside when Ardyn was. It was cute!

I am reading Water for Elephants for my online book club, which was started by the group of moms that I belong to (our kids are all the same age.) So far it's a good book. It's intriguing and I can't help but think something big is at the end. Or perhaps that the end explains the beginning. I also have a stack of about 7 parenting and kids magazines that I have to read, and since I keep not having the time, I made myself carry them around in my shoulder tote for three days, as penance. I feel guilty, but keep telling myself that soon I can relax and read up. I thought maybe if I carried them with me that I might have a minute here or there to pick one up, but no such luck. So finally I gave up and left them at home instead. Besides those things are HEAVY!

Last night we signed the paperwork for our new VAN! Can you believe it! After all those posts about how I will NEVER Drive a van, it came down to me begging for a van. Ha. Can I just say first of all that I heart Stow-n-Go? Ohhh Do I ever. So it's a navy blue 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan. We found it at Browning Dodge, locally, which was also nice. We bought it for about $4000 less than it blue books for, which was amazing. It has 25,000 miles and still has factory warranty. They sold it brand new off their lot to their office manager, and she turned around and traded it in for a new vehicle, so it has been taken excellent care of and has had all it's work done right there since she works there. I am thrilled. We looked at 2007 and some 2006 Models in Peru and they wanted OUTRAGEOUS amounts of money for them, and they were so basic with no options, AND they were filthy! Cigarette burn holes in the floor mats and carpet, stains, ACK. Not something I would pay the $20-27 thousand that they were asking! It was insanity. That's like $5-12,000 more than we paid! It has full stow-n-go, captains seats, power drivers seat, power sliding doors, CD and cassette, dual climate control, rear heat/air, read defrost, cruise and radio controls on the steering wheel, the whole deal. It's immaculate and Ardyn's car seat fits so wonderfully! And the stroller. I could actually GET groceries in this thing, and we can all fit! Right now, whoever rides in the passenger seat of my car, has to have their knees touching the dash and their head touching the ceiling/visor. It's crazy. So Saturday we pick up the van. Can't wait! The payments will be less than half what my car payments were. Ahhh. Now I get to sell my car! Today I called my insurance agent to add the van.

I am waiting on two Little Tikes toys for Ardyn. I sold some diapers on diaperswappers and had paypal, so I grabbed up a couple of used Outdoor toys online. Of course they are more indoor/outdoor toys, and I don't anticipate that we will ever leave them outside, because of their value and that we want to keep them clean and free of fading. I got two retired items, which were hard to find. The Little Tikes Peek-A-Boo Tunnel, and the Little Tikes Activity Garden. I remember babysitting for kids who had the Activity Garden and they LOVED that thing. I loved that thing! It's perfect for Ardyn right now, and the Peek-A-Boo Tunnel is great for crawlers and I think she will enjoy it immensely this summer. The Activity Garden I am tracking through FedEx. I feel like if I even SEE A fed-ex or UPS guy on my street I might tackle him. I saw one earlier in the week and it was all I could do to stay in my car. He.

Also new is Ardyn's 2nd tooth. Last weekend and the beginning of this week I made mention that she was really gnawing on my hand, and that the first tooth must be pushing through the rest of the way. Well, last night she smiled at me and there were two bottom teeth instead of one! I know for a fact that there was only one on Sunday night, so it must have came through either Monday or Tuesday. She also has started to make a pig sound in her throat, the first time I heard that was yesterday. It's too cute.

This weekend I am excited to see Carrie, and perhaps Angela if she ever gets her act together and calls me. We are supposed to get together this weekend and go out for supper, since Carrie will be home and Angela will be having the big 30th birthday next Tuesday. I bought her a card back before Valentine's day because I found the PERFECT one. Then I thought that her birthday might be March 28th instead of April 28th so I called her that day and she clarified. I sat right down, filled out the card, addressed and stamped the envelope. Then Evan kept asking me if I wanted to mail it, and I kept saying no because I wanted it to arrive close to her birthday. And now, I can't find it. Ugh! Did I mail it? Did I lose it? Jeez this is insane. I know she will laugh when I tell her this, but really, It's embarrassing.

Today I also grabbed Ardyn's newest shot records from the Dr. Office so that we are ready when we switch to a pediatrician this June. I also got paperwork to fill out for my exit interview at work. Paperwork Paperwork.

I have a new plan. Although I think it's probably too good to be true, I have used a giant wipe off board and tried to schedule certain tasks on certain days. I am hoping that this will keep me on track and doing a bit of things each day, instead of running around too much on one day. If I wake up in the morning and say "all I HAVE to accomplish today is vacuuming and washing diapers" or "All I have to do today is wash jeans and clean out the fridge" or "All I have to do today is get groceries and wash fruits and vegetables." I don't know how it will work. Or if it will work. But I will give it the best try I can. I have it pretty strategically planned. Clean the fridge out one day. Make the grocery list the next day. Get groceries the following day. Wash each type of clothes once a week so that I only have to do a load or two of laundry each day. Wash Diapers every other day. Wash the Dog Bowls once a week. Give them baths every two weeks. Change the bedding every two weeks. That type of stuff. And of course there will be instances when the plan won't work. When I have something going on and won't be home, when Ardyn doesn't allow me to accomplish much. But I think that I feel good about having a plan. Once I feel like the whiteboard plan is finalized, I will transfer it to paper and give it a trial run for a week or two and see if it is feasible or if it needs tweaking or trashing.

Been a while

Hi folks! It's been a while since I have written a substantial post. The internet via Comcast is still very poor and so I really don't turn on the laptop much these days... although they are supposed to be sending ANOTHER person out tomorrow night to assess the situation and fix it. If they don't have it resolved by May, I will probably switch to DirectTV or something like that.

Today I started reading Water for Elephants for a book club that I belong to online. I got really lucky and had an online mom friend who had the book and wanted to swap for a Jodi Piccoult book that I had already read and wanted to get rid of. Since Media Mail shipping isn't half bad, we just mailed them to each other. Water for Elephants arrived today, and I am already thoroughly enjoying the tone of the book, and so I have a feeling I will have it finished before May, although it's supposed to be discussed by the end of May. As long as I can remember it by then! Ha. I had visions of Ardyn and I lying in the hammock in the yard, staring up at the blue sky and reading. Ahhh. Peace and tranquility.

We had a good weekend. I had a gift certificate that I used to purchase a food processor and also some Ball Freezer containers (have you seen those? they are awesome) so that I cn make and freeze some purees and some baby meals. I have been on the search for tiny pasta stars, but have yet to find any. My mom believes there may be some at the store in Sterling where she shops... so in the meantime I will use Couscous. I am hoping to try it out tonight to slice some Strawberries that I bought. I usually would use the Pampered Chef Egg Slicer, but I would love to try out the food processor. I haven't had time to take it out of the box just yet.

Saturday we went to Peru to peek into a few vans, and also to go to Menards to get the hardware to hang Ardyn's swing, and to Target to grab a few things we needed. That night Evan stayed home after Ardyn went to bed, and I went to get groceries. at 10pm. I got home and had everything unloaded by about 11:45, and boy was I Pooped! We desperately needed groceries, but I think I spent too much. It's hard to make food a priority sometimes. Good thing is those groceries will last at least a month I hope. I had to get some things to keep at home for me to eat at lunchtime, seeing as how I will be home soon and need to eat my meals there.

Sunday I pretty much cleaned and played with Ardyn. Last night I cleaned the back porch (FINALLY!) and organized shoes on the shoe shelf. I ran the dishwasher, washed diapers and three other loads of clothes, cleaned Ardyn's room, washed all her 12 month size clothes and hung them up in her room (Evan added the second bar to her armoire yesterday) and I also fed the dogs, cleaned off my bookshelf, and scrubbed Ardyn's Foam playmat in the shower with the hose and some Clorox Green Works cleaner... and then dried it. I cleaned off the dining room table, washed and sanitized all the bottles and pump parts and Ardyn's food bowls and spoons, and unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. I hung the rugs on the clothesline and put Garters on the sheets to keep the top two corners from popping off. I took a bath and Ardyn tried the Yo Baby Yogurt for the first time (It's crazy but the day Mylie's mommy was posting a comment here about trying the yogurt, I was already out buying some! LOL.) Sunday evening we went over to Evan's parents and cooked out and sat outside and enjoyed the weather. It was just beautiful and today was even BETTER.

I got the money from my nursing swimsuit refunded into my paypal account and was able to turn around and buy 6 more Thirsties AIO's in size Medium, which will bring the total up to 12. Thank God. I am so sick of washing diapers every night. We wear prefolds and MEOS at home, but if she wants to wear shorts this summer, they are wayyy too bulky to get her bum into unless she has the Thirsties on. Plus Thirsties are the diapers that dad can handle well, and babysitters, etc.

So tonight I am going to get a van to keep overnight on a test drive. I am really excited about the van that I have found, so please wish me luck that all goes well. I am really hoping that I can get it... and that everything falls into place. Everything ELSE has fallen into place lately, so I almost feel like it's not possible to have one more thing work out this well.