Three Things Thursday ~ Vol.1 No.3

1.) I occasionally inhale a bit of my own saliva and end up having a major coughing fit.
I only foist this bit of knowledge upon you because I just did it again last night whle laying on my back in bed. I nearly killed myself trying to get upright in time to cough properly. This is not easy on a 6-months pregnant body. I coughed so hard I had tears running down my face and my husband was laughing at me....it wasn't pretty!

2.) In high school, I used to bite a chicken leg bone in half and suck out the marrow to "gross out" my best friend. I don't anymore because now it grosses me out too! Ugh!

3.) I'd rather shop at Home Depot then at the mall.

This World Is Not My Home...

...I'm just a passin' though...

Today’s dooce made me so sad. I am just so thankful for parents that brought me to a knowledge of a loving Savior. Heather writes, “I don’t know what I believe in terms of religion, and I’m comfortable with that. I’m okay not knowing.” I, for one, would not be comfortable not knowing. I’m thankful for the assurance of salvation that I have.

~ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9~

5 Things Meme

I was tagged by Shelia to do this meme:

5 things I plan to do before I die:
-Lose weight
-See my children happy with families of their own
-Travel and really see my own country
-Discipline myself to journal consistently
-Make more plans….

5 things I can do:
-Make a mean chocolate chip cookie
-Organize
-Drive 9 hours to see my family…with all three children…without
my husband. Although I CAN, I prefer not to.
-Build a basic website.
-Give birth in 2 hours 15 minutes…but not on demand :-)

5 things I cannot do:
-Speak in front of a group of people. To cows I can speak;
to people, I cannot.
-Have company for dinner…it puts me into a total panic…not
a nice experience
-Give blood...it's a mental thing, not a medical thing
-Get my whole house clean at the same time
-Budget my time well (esp. on the computer)

5 things that attract me to other people:
-Quick wit
-Confidence in themselves
-Good conversationalist
-More outgoing than me
-Intelligence

5 things I say most often:
-It’s only been 20 minutes since dinner. No, you may
NOT have a snack.
-Did I ask if you wanted to?
-I was thinking...
-Leave my (personal body part) alone! I’m
making dinner!
-Hey, hon, can you come here a minute?

5 celebrity crushes:
This is a hard one….I just didn’t/don’t have any. There are some I enjoy watching but I wouldn’t say it’s a crush.
-Alan Alda …as Hawkeye in M*A*S*H…haven’t seen him
anywhere else
-Kevin Costner
-Mel Gibson
-Cary Grant
-Jimmy Stewart

5 people I want to do this:
-Jaymarie???
-Hoop
-I don’t know any other bloggers who haven’t already
been tagged

Three Things Thursday ~ Vol.1 No.2

1.) I sleep much better in a bed by myself (no offense to my sweet husband)

2.) I love the smell of Crayola Crayons in a metal tin

3.) I love a slice of cheddar cheese spread with peanut butter

Where is my fig leaf??

BonusBoy- 21 Months.
There's just nothing else to say!! :-)
(Oh, BTW, he's not mutilated, just pixelated)

Berry-licious

At the risk of blowing my own horn, I have to share a picture of my latest venture. My mom is the veteran pie-making queen and so when I manage to make a pie that looks pretty, like hers, I feel very pleased! And it even tastes yummy! So, below, you will see my very first ever Sour Cream Blackberry Pie. Yeah!!!!

The Fruit of My Labor

Aren't they pretty? I would have had an even dozen quarts but one of the jars cracked in the canner! Bummer. Jim took the kids out to dinner last night and I canned the pears. I can't handle kids AND canning right now even if it IS only 11 quarts!! :-)

Capital One: What's in YOUR Garbage?

Are you tired of Capital One "Bulk Rate Mail" too? I swear, we get about 6-10 pieces of mail from them a WEEK! Arrrrgh!

Three Things Thursday ~ Vol.1 No.1

I’m following Shelia’s lead and posting three random things about me on Thursdays. Like Shelia, I couldn’t possibly think of 100 things without spending about a month on it. So three sounds really doable!! (That doesn’t even look like a word… doable…should it be hyphenated?? Oh well)

1.) I HATE needles. When they are puncturing my skin, that is. It doesn’t really hurt, it just grosses me out and I get all hot and woozy.

2.) I collected stickers in high-school. I still have some of them.

3.) I love the smell of diesel. Not too strong though. . .

Princess & Cindee

August 26, 2005
This is a picture of my sister-in-law, Princess, and I at five months along. It was taken at about midnight the night before my family left my mom and dad's in Western Oregon to head back home to Idaho. Normally I'm too vain to allow my picture to be taken this late at night when I'm feeling my worst, but we realized that it was probably our last chance to have our picture taken together while pregnant. The 8-9 hour drive is too much for me after this point in my pregnancies. Princess (my brother's wife) and I are due one day apart! She is due 12/15 and I'm due 12/16. The next time we see each other we will probably have our babies in our arms!! I sure wish I lived near her so we could share this better!! :-(

OB Appointment #5

September 9, 2005 - 3:00 p.m. - Julie Stevens, CRNP
26 Weeks - 0 Days

Weight: + 3 lbs. / + 8 lbs. overall (Riiiight! Like I'm going to reveal my ACTUAL weight!!)
Blood Pressure: 108/58
Baby's Heartrate: ? Dr. said it sounded good but I always forget to ask for the number
Height of Fundus: She measured but I forgot to ask, as usual
Blood Test: for thyroid and anti-C antigen levels (which so far have been totally fine!)

Next appointment in two weeks. This sounds too soon to me so I'm planning to call and reschedule the appointment for four weeks. THEN I'll agree to being seen every two weeks.

OB Appointments #1-4

Appointment #4
August 12, 2005 - 2:00 p.m. - Julie Stevens, CRNP
22 Weeks - 0 Days

Weight: + 0 lbs. / + 5 lbs. overall
Blood Pressure: 112/68
Baby's Heartrate: ? Dr. said it sounded good
Height of Fundus: 23 cm.

Next appointment in four weeks.

---

Appointment #3
July 21, 2005 - 4:00 p.m. - Harmony Schroeder, M.D.
18 Weeks - 4 Days

Weight: + 5 lbs. / + 5 lbs. overall
Blood Pressure: 110/66
Baby's Heartrate: ? Dr. said it sounded good
Height of Fundus: didn't measure
Blood Test: for anti-C antigen levels

Next appointment in four weeks.

---

Appointment #2
June 21, 2005 - 3:00 p.m. - Harmony Schroeder, M.D.
14 Weeks - 4 days

Weight: + 0 lbs./ + 0 lbs. overall
Blood Pressure: 118/72
Baby's Heartrate: heard for the first time, dr. said it sounds good
Height of Fundus: didn't measure
Blood Test: for anti-C antigen levels

Next appointment in four weeks.

---

Appointment #1
May 23, 2005 - 3:20 p.m. - Harmony Schroeder, M.D.
10 Weeks

Weight: + 0 lbs.
Blood Pressure: 110/68
Blood Test: Routine lab work

Due Date: December 16, 2005

Next appointment in four weeks.

My Hero

I quite simply don't deserve him. He takes very good care of me. Even when I'm NOT pregnant!

Milk 'n' Cookies

Today's quote from my 9-year-old, PonyGirl: "Whoever invented milk and cookies is a genius!" I say, "AMEN!!" J
Slightly crisp, hot, gooey, chocolate chip cookies and ice cold milk. Don'tcha wish you had some? Yummmmmmm!

Zero Fallout

The sky didn't fall. There was no flack to be had over my
declining the ultrasound. It was great. The doctor just said,
"So you don't want to have any ultrasound at all then?"
I said not unless there was some particular problem that seems to
warrent it. The end. No problem. I then was emboldend to say that
I would also not be having the glucose screening test that was
due to happen at my next visit. She asked if I'd ever had
gestational diabetes and I answered no. Then she asked about the
weights of my previous babies, she looked at my chart and her
eyes widened and she breathed "oh!" I said she must
have looked at the weight of my last baby first! She had. Here
are the stats:

Baby #1: 7 lbs 9 oz. - 8 hour labor
Baby #2: 8 lbs 15 oz. - 6 hour labor
Baby #3: 9 lbs 9 oz. - 2 hour labor

I kind of figure that THIS baby will be about 10 1/2 pounds
and will be born in the car on the freeway. Guess we'll see.

Bucking the system

I know it’s pretty pathetic that this makes me feel good. It’s really a pretty small thing, but for me, right now, it feels kinda big. I called yesterday and cancelled my BIG ultrasound. Why? Because I don’t want to do it. Because I don’t HAVE to do it. I mean, really, they work for me. Right? Who’s in charge here the employer or the employee? I am all for demedicalizing pregnancy & childbirth. I’m taking my stand (puny though it is). This is my fourth pregnancy and it’s taken me THIS LONG to take control of my own pregnancy. For those who know what I rebel I can sometimes be, this should come as no surprise. Though it surprises me now to see how long this took. I wonder what I'll do next?

Little Boys

a) For those who already have children past this age, this is hilarious.
b) For those who have children this age, this is not funny.
c) For those who have children nearing this age, this is a warning.
d) For those who have not yet had children, this is birth control.

The following came from an anonymous mother in Austin, Texas.

"Things I've learned from my boys (honest - I'm not kidding):

1.) A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq.ft. house 4 inches deep.
2.) If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with Roller blades,
they can ignite.
3.) A 3-year old boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
4.) If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate
a 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape.
It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls
of a 20x20 ft. room.
5.) You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling
fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A
ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
6.) The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
7.) When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.
8.) Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9.) A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old man
says they can only do it in the movies.
10.) Certain Legos will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old boy.
11.) Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
12.) Super glue is forever.
13.) No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.
14.) Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15.) VCR's do not eject "PB &J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.
16.) Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17.) Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18.) You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.
19.) Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.
20.) The fire department in Austin, Texas has a 5-minute response time.
21.) The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.
22.) It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23.) Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24.) 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.
25.) Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.

Little boys are certainly interesting as they discover the world!"

If only we just used chopsticks...

Sure wish I could get BonusBoy to pronounce 'fork' correctly. It's sounding like he has a real potty mouth!

Friends

Thanks to my friends Di and Ralph A'Rhea I lost about 5-6 pounds on Sunday. Wonderful friends they are. Soooo encouraging about my weight loss. I'm not so sure of their tactics though, They wouldn't even allow me to drink water! I'm not so sure sure that is very healthy. I was very thirsty and I even snuck a drink once, but Di snatched it right away, the little witch! I realized that I'm pretty thankful that these are friends who rarely visit. In fact, they only stayed about 9 hours but their visit was pretty exhausting and I'm still recovering from it. It's cool too that they have left because now I can have water!! Yeah!! I'm still apprehensive about eating real food because I'm a little worried that if I do, one of them will pop in the back door unexpectendly and take it from me. . .so I'm waiting a little longer to try solids again. Who knows what what Friday will bring? It surely can't be the first OB appointment for someone who's 22 weeks pregnant and now weighs less than she did when she first got pregnant. Oh well, I figure that by Friday, I'll be eating normally again (it's so hard for me to break that eating habit - thanks for trying, Di and Ralph) and that my weight will probably be back to normal. Sigh!

5 Things....

I’ve been tagged by Jaymarie.

5 snacks I enjoy:
cashews, sliced apples dipped in carmel, peanut butter on a slice of chedder cheese, popcorn, red grapes

5 bands/singers that I know the lyrics of MOST of their songs:
Michael Card, Imperials (of the 70's & 80's), 2nd Chapter of Acts, Barry Manilow, Gaithers

5 things I would do with $100,000,000:
Give to friends in need; like Jaymarie, hire a housekeeper; move and buy a slightly bigger house in western Oregon; buy a big motor home; travel with my family

5 locations I’d like to run away to:
Disneyland (of course!); Alaska; Springfield, Oregon; England; Washington D.C.

5 bad habits I have:
Not letting my kids finish their sentences; watching T.V. too late when I should be sleeping; getting involved in too many projects at once; getting swept up in other people’s panic and not trusting the Lord to work out the situation ( I am getting better at this one); making messes and letting my husband clean up after me (I’m not sure if this is a bad habit or a gift from my husband that I should just be thankful for!)

5 things I like doing:
Sleeping in (oh yeah); computer projects; eBay; talking with my family members; watching Adam (19 months) “read”

5 things I would never wear:
a bikini; thong underwear (ugh!); low-riding jeans/pants; a strapless dress; anything with a plunging neckline

5 TV shows I like:
Survivor; CSI (the original one); yeah, Little House on the Prairie (my kids have just discovered it this summer); M*A*S*H; Everybody Loves Raymond

5 movies I like:
Dead Poets Society; Man from Snowy River; Overboard; Harvey; Arsenic & Old Lace

5 famous people I’d like to meet:
I’m just not thrilled by famous people. I can’t think of one I’d like to meet.

5 biggest joys at the moment:
being a mom; being loved by my husband; being virtually nausea-free; being pregnant (it IS a joy for now); being known and loved by the One who made me

5 favorite toys:
my computer; my cell phone; gee, I guess I don’t play much, I can’t think of any others