with an apology: i'm so sorry ryan!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
i ♥ tent camping
ever since i can remember, our family has always been tent campers. it's in our blood. my grandparents first took my mom camping when she was six, i remember throwing up in the tent camping when i was 3, and now my children have FINALLY experienced the joys of camping!
i even remember family vacations where we would drive states and states away, and instead of overnighting in a motel somewhere, we'd find a campground and set up camp for the night, just to pack up in the morning and continue on our journey.
back in the day we'd each have a sleeping bag and one mat to sleep on, one tarp over the [itty bitty] tent, and one screen tent for a reprieve from the mosquitos.
however, over the years we've evolved a bit. some of the first ammenities we added to our camping gear was a welcome mat in front of the tent and tv tables for inside the tent. and so was the start of our comfortable camping. since then we've conjured up some brilliant little things to bring that make our multiple days of camping so much more enjoyable.
as of last week, here are some of non-essential items we can't go camping without:
a ladder
about 6 tarps
a shovel
foam pads for the picnic table
2x3 boards
nails
air mattresses
2.5ft tall rubbermaid 3-drawer storage thingy (sorry, can't think of what it's really called!)
folding tables
propane grills
radio
this was also the first year we've camped at an electrical site. so we TOTALLY took advantage of the electricity. we brought:
extension cords
power strips
trouble light
laptop for the kids to watch dvds on
crockpot
nightlights
christmas icicle lights
we also like to bring silly stuff camping. although i guess you could argue that some of the aformentioned items are silly, this will probably take the cake.
years ago when we went camping, i decided to sneak in our bronzed baby shoes. after mom and dad had their tent all set up i went and stuck our baby shoes on their tv table. it got a good laugh and we still reminisce about that every now and then. so since this was the first time i went camping with my family in seven years, i decided that the baby shoes needed to make an appearance again. my sisters were in on the fun and becky brought a nice tablecloth and a framed picture of us girls when we were little. we snuck in mom and dad's tent, set everything up, and got another good laugh. it was presumably the highlight of mom and dad's vacation...
so there you have it. no matter what your camping preference may be, we like to rough it--christmas lights, baby shoes, and all!
i even remember family vacations where we would drive states and states away, and instead of overnighting in a motel somewhere, we'd find a campground and set up camp for the night, just to pack up in the morning and continue on our journey.
back in the day we'd each have a sleeping bag and one mat to sleep on, one tarp over the [itty bitty] tent, and one screen tent for a reprieve from the mosquitos.
however, over the years we've evolved a bit. some of the first ammenities we added to our camping gear was a welcome mat in front of the tent and tv tables for inside the tent. and so was the start of our comfortable camping. since then we've conjured up some brilliant little things to bring that make our multiple days of camping so much more enjoyable.
as of last week, here are some of non-essential items we can't go camping without:
a ladder
about 6 tarps
a shovel
foam pads for the picnic table
2x3 boards
nails
air mattresses
2.5ft tall rubbermaid 3-drawer storage thingy (sorry, can't think of what it's really called!)
folding tables
propane grills
radio
this was also the first year we've camped at an electrical site. so we TOTALLY took advantage of the electricity. we brought:
extension cords
power strips
trouble light
laptop for the kids to watch dvds on
crockpot
nightlights
christmas icicle lights
we also like to bring silly stuff camping. although i guess you could argue that some of the aformentioned items are silly, this will probably take the cake.
years ago when we went camping, i decided to sneak in our bronzed baby shoes. after mom and dad had their tent all set up i went and stuck our baby shoes on their tv table. it got a good laugh and we still reminisce about that every now and then. so since this was the first time i went camping with my family in seven years, i decided that the baby shoes needed to make an appearance again. my sisters were in on the fun and becky brought a nice tablecloth and a framed picture of us girls when we were little. we snuck in mom and dad's tent, set everything up, and got another good laugh. it was presumably the highlight of mom and dad's vacation...
so there you have it. no matter what your camping preference may be, we like to rough it--christmas lights, baby shoes, and all!
Friday, July 24, 2009
how sweet it is
to enjoy the fruits of labor!
we (me, my dad, my 2 sisters, and my niece) just spent over an hour picking these luscious raspberries from my dad's garden. and in a few days we'll probably get twice as many!
worth the labor of picking them?! Mmmmm Mmmmm definitely!!
we (me, my dad, my 2 sisters, and my niece) just spent over an hour picking these luscious raspberries from my dad's garden. and in a few days we'll probably get twice as many!
worth the labor of picking them?! Mmmmm Mmmmm definitely!!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
and the emmy purse goes to...
the kids are in bed. and finally asleep. so i figured it's time to get this giveaway over with and finally PICK A WINNER! ok, i know i said i'd do it last night, but i wasn't feeling well--i knew y'all would understand!
so without further ado, the winner (picked by heather) of a fabulous handmade purse from heather marie designs is:
so without further ado, the winner (picked by heather) of a fabulous handmade purse from heather marie designs is:
congratulations nicole! please email me at benanderin [at] hotmail [dot] com with your info and with which purse you'd like!!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
time's about up
if you missed my giveaway or forgot to enter, speak comment now or forever hold your peace! tomorrow night i will pick a winner!
click here and scroll all the way down to the bottom. click on 'post a comment' and enter to win!!
click here and scroll all the way down to the bottom. click on 'post a comment' and enter to win!!
You're Never Too Old To Learn Something New
meet ashley, my fourth and final guest post while i'm off on vacation, who can be found at let go, laughing. she's as cute as a button, a great cook (even though i've never tried her food. ha!), and a NEWLYWED! and she loves to laugh, even when life doesn't go the way you planned.
-------------------------
Last week I decided to get rid of my acrylic nails and save and extra $35.00 a month seeing as our rent has just increased by $150 (Seriously!) and of course a few extra bucks would be nice in general. So on Friday, Greg and I decided to watch the Bourne Identity because we didn't want to see the Bourne Ultimatum until we had watched the first two again. Anyway, at one point we paused the movie and took a short break (Ebay can stop the world sometimes when the auction is about to end)... at this point I thought I would put some nail polish remover in a plastic Solo cup and soak a few nails in it (this is how you remove fake nails for those of you completely confused right now). I soaked a few nails while Ebay was ending and ripped two off and decided to leave the cup with the nail polish remover on the counter with a Kleenex over it so that I could finish the nails later without wasting the stuff....
About 20 minutes or so after restarting the movie, Greg looks at me and says "Did that stuff spill or something cause the smell is really strong?" I say "No, how could it spill? We have both been sitting here watching the movie and the stuff is in the bathroom." Greg: "Well I don't know but it's a really strong smell." I just shrug and we continue to watch the movie during which Greg continues to sniff his nose loudly with nasty looks on his face.
The movie ends and Greg goes over to the computer to check something I go into the bathroom to finish soaking my nails... or so I thought. I take the Kleenex off the top of the cup and look inside.... and its empty. My mind immediately starts going into overdrive on all the possible explanations. I'm thinking there is no way it spilled, no one was in there... where could it have gone... it doesn't just disintegrate into thin air. Well apparently nail polish remover does disintegrate a plastic cup and leak all over the counter and down the cabinets onto the carpet.
Now I'm thinking "OH CRAP!!!" I start to wipe it up and see just how bad it is.... its bad. It flowed all down the counter and around the basket on the counter and the lotion bottle leaving a lovely pink ring where the two items had been sitting; it then flowed down the counter all down the four WHITE drawers leaving an even lovelier fat pink drip down the one side. However, it miraculously did not ruin the carpet. It must have dripped on it somehow but we see no signs of it. After being stunned at my complete idiocy... I try to sneak to the kitchen, grab the spray and a sponge and get back to the bathroom to try to salvage some of the apartment bathroom. It is stained. The pink does not come off. Seriously, Greg is gonna freak.... I work up the courage to tell him about it and he of course says "I knew I was smelling it" (his version of "I told you so") and comes to see the damage. He, of course, is colorblind and can't see anything pink anywhere. Well that's all fine and dandy but I doubt the apartment manager is colorblind and he for sure will see my disaster and charge a hefty fine to fix my mess....
Oh well... now I know that nail polish remover (aka... alcohol) will eat away tiny little holes in the bottom of the plastic glass and create a lovely pink colored, alcohol smelling nightmare.
-------------------------
Last week I decided to get rid of my acrylic nails and save and extra $35.00 a month seeing as our rent has just increased by $150 (Seriously!) and of course a few extra bucks would be nice in general. So on Friday, Greg and I decided to watch the Bourne Identity because we didn't want to see the Bourne Ultimatum until we had watched the first two again. Anyway, at one point we paused the movie and took a short break (Ebay can stop the world sometimes when the auction is about to end)... at this point I thought I would put some nail polish remover in a plastic Solo cup and soak a few nails in it (this is how you remove fake nails for those of you completely confused right now). I soaked a few nails while Ebay was ending and ripped two off and decided to leave the cup with the nail polish remover on the counter with a Kleenex over it so that I could finish the nails later without wasting the stuff....
About 20 minutes or so after restarting the movie, Greg looks at me and says "Did that stuff spill or something cause the smell is really strong?" I say "No, how could it spill? We have both been sitting here watching the movie and the stuff is in the bathroom." Greg: "Well I don't know but it's a really strong smell." I just shrug and we continue to watch the movie during which Greg continues to sniff his nose loudly with nasty looks on his face.
The movie ends and Greg goes over to the computer to check something I go into the bathroom to finish soaking my nails... or so I thought. I take the Kleenex off the top of the cup and look inside.... and its empty. My mind immediately starts going into overdrive on all the possible explanations. I'm thinking there is no way it spilled, no one was in there... where could it have gone... it doesn't just disintegrate into thin air. Well apparently nail polish remover does disintegrate a plastic cup and leak all over the counter and down the cabinets onto the carpet.
Now I'm thinking "OH CRAP!!!" I start to wipe it up and see just how bad it is.... its bad. It flowed all down the counter and around the basket on the counter and the lotion bottle leaving a lovely pink ring where the two items had been sitting; it then flowed down the counter all down the four WHITE drawers leaving an even lovelier fat pink drip down the one side. However, it miraculously did not ruin the carpet. It must have dripped on it somehow but we see no signs of it. After being stunned at my complete idiocy... I try to sneak to the kitchen, grab the spray and a sponge and get back to the bathroom to try to salvage some of the apartment bathroom. It is stained. The pink does not come off. Seriously, Greg is gonna freak.... I work up the courage to tell him about it and he of course says "I knew I was smelling it" (his version of "I told you so") and comes to see the damage. He, of course, is colorblind and can't see anything pink anywhere. Well that's all fine and dandy but I doubt the apartment manager is colorblind and he for sure will see my disaster and charge a hefty fine to fix my mess....
Oh well... now I know that nail polish remover (aka... alcohol) will eat away tiny little holes in the bottom of the plastic glass and create a lovely pink colored, alcohol smelling nightmare.
Sunday, July 19, 2009
ax murderer x-ing
ladies and gentlemen, my third guest blogger, sara. you can catch her regularly at domestically disabled. she's a riot! and this post--well, it's just a glimpse of the entertainment you'll encounter over at her blog!
Okay folks. Luckily for you, Erin is on vacation and stuff, so she let me take over for a post. Now Erin? Normal, nice, friendly lady. So basically, I have no idea why she is letting a spaz like myself take over her blog. I mean, what will the neighbors think? Will they look upon her choice of blog readerism as a sign of forthcoming spaziness on her part? I sure hope not. One of my favorite things about Erin and her blog? How it is so obvious she loves her children, husband and life. She is totally dedicated to what she loves and that is awesome. Me? I knew you'd ask. I rarely post pics of my boys, share only occasional stories and generally talk about myself. Its a sickness.{Actually, there are so many awesome blogs about children/family out there, that I figure you'd all rather read about those than what I have to say on those subjects.}
You should probably also know that I always write like this. Abstract. Random. Vague. I like a little mystery to my life. And? It totally goes against the grain of my career as a teacher. Yep, I teach children writing, then break all the rules.
Finally, I am about to fall asleep, so if you are interested? Here is the post that sums up my life fears. Enjoy!
* * *
I have read a couple of posts lately that talk about people sleeping with a fan on or a white noise machine. Now, I like the sound of this. In fact, I slept with the fan on last night, and slept great, even through Asher throwing up. I cannot do it every night though, and have a question for those of you who do use one nightly.
Are you afraid of an axe (or chainsaw, even shotgun) murderer slipping in through a window and sneaking in to your bedroom to kill you and steal your underwear, whilst you are unaware, because you couldn't hear them approaching because of your white noise machine or fan?
Or, am I paranoid? I mean, I won't even tell you when my hubby is out of town until he is home, in case you are an ax murderer, or related to one, or even leave my blog open on your computer whereas an ax murder could access my blog and read it and see that I am alone.
(*Please don't assume my husband is a lot of help. Whenever I hear an ax murderer outside, he just snorts and goes back to sleep.)
I know I don't have my address or anything, but come on. I would dare say any ax murderer with any smarts beyond swinging his ax and stealing underwear could figure out where a blogger lives.
I think my fear comes from a young age. I remember being 10 or so years old, when my mom heard an ax murderer outside our door. She somehow convinced me to go look out the window while she "stood guard." As I crept fearfully towards the window, she reassured me I'd live. I looked, then turned around.
My mom was in the other room.
She left me alone withfurry animal making noise ax murderer.
I am 29 years old, and can count on one hand the number of nights I've spent by myself. Whenever Corey goes out of town, I go to my parents, sisters or somewhere else. Yep, I pull out my big girl panties and suck it up.
Actually, a few months ago, I had a run in with the ax murderer himself. I finished a workshop early, and came home to take a nap. I was blissfully asleep, when I heard footsteps moving across the house, toward the bedroom. I had no idea what to do. Scream, hide, panic, what?!?
The footsteps stopped at the door to my bedroom. I peeked. (aren't I brave?) It was my husband. He had a meeting in town and stopped home for lunch. He is so lucky I didn't drop kick him like I'd planned. To this day, I can't sleep during the day anymore. It's too nerve wracking.
So that is my question. Are you afraid of ax murdering serial killers coming to kill you in your sleep?
**In fact, I worry just posting this, that it will encourage ax murderers who are googling Ax Murdering 101 to my blog, where they will get ideas. Hello Ax Murder! I live in Arizona! 2121 Langebirge lane E!
-----------------------------------
Okay folks. Luckily for you, Erin is on vacation and stuff, so she let me take over for a post. Now Erin? Normal, nice, friendly lady. So basically, I have no idea why she is letting a spaz like myself take over her blog. I mean, what will the neighbors think? Will they look upon her choice of blog readerism as a sign of forthcoming spaziness on her part? I sure hope not. One of my favorite things about Erin and her blog? How it is so obvious she loves her children, husband and life. She is totally dedicated to what she loves and that is awesome. Me? I knew you'd ask. I rarely post pics of my boys, share only occasional stories and generally talk about myself. Its a sickness.{Actually, there are so many awesome blogs about children/family out there, that I figure you'd all rather read about those than what I have to say on those subjects.}
You should probably also know that I always write like this. Abstract. Random. Vague. I like a little mystery to my life. And? It totally goes against the grain of my career as a teacher. Yep, I teach children writing, then break all the rules.
Finally, I am about to fall asleep, so if you are interested? Here is the post that sums up my life fears. Enjoy!
* * *
I have read a couple of posts lately that talk about people sleeping with a fan on or a white noise machine. Now, I like the sound of this. In fact, I slept with the fan on last night, and slept great, even through Asher throwing up. I cannot do it every night though, and have a question for those of you who do use one nightly.
Are you afraid of an axe (or chainsaw, even shotgun) murderer slipping in through a window and sneaking in to your bedroom to kill you and steal your underwear, whilst you are unaware, because you couldn't hear them approaching because of your white noise machine or fan?
Or, am I paranoid? I mean, I won't even tell you when my hubby is out of town until he is home, in case you are an ax murderer, or related to one, or even leave my blog open on your computer whereas an ax murder could access my blog and read it and see that I am alone.
(*Please don't assume my husband is a lot of help. Whenever I hear an ax murderer outside, he just snorts and goes back to sleep.)
I know I don't have my address or anything, but come on. I would dare say any ax murderer with any smarts beyond swinging his ax and stealing underwear could figure out where a blogger lives.
I think my fear comes from a young age. I remember being 10 or so years old, when my mom heard an ax murderer outside our door. She somehow convinced me to go look out the window while she "stood guard." As I crept fearfully towards the window, she reassured me I'd live. I looked, then turned around.
My mom was in the other room.
She left me alone with
I am 29 years old, and can count on one hand the number of nights I've spent by myself. Whenever Corey goes out of town, I go to my parents, sisters or somewhere else. Yep, I pull out my big girl panties and suck it up.
Actually, a few months ago, I had a run in with the ax murderer himself. I finished a workshop early, and came home to take a nap. I was blissfully asleep, when I heard footsteps moving across the house, toward the bedroom. I had no idea what to do. Scream, hide, panic, what?!?
The footsteps stopped at the door to my bedroom. I peeked. (aren't I brave?) It was my husband. He had a meeting in town and stopped home for lunch. He is so lucky I didn't drop kick him like I'd planned. To this day, I can't sleep during the day anymore. It's too nerve wracking.
So that is my question. Are you afraid of ax murdering serial killers coming to kill you in your sleep?
**In fact, I worry just posting this, that it will encourage ax murderers who are googling Ax Murdering 101 to my blog, where they will get ideas. Hello Ax Murder! I live in Arizona! 2121 Langebirge lane E!
Saturday, July 18, 2009
My blog was hacked by a dumb blonde
today i'd like to introduce you all to ace, my second guest blogger of the week. go check her out at If You Think Round Is Funny. because i guarantee it, if you think round is funny, you'll think she's hillarious!
I've been saying for years that I really think I was meant to be a blonde. I tried last summer. See? I quite liked it and felt it suited my personality much better but Superman doesn't really get into blondes, so I finally gave up. But I have the blonde story of all blonde stories for you.
I was messing around on here while Superman was on his way home from work a while back. I had noticed on my site meter that I had one visitor that had stopped by several times one day, staying for a few hours at a time. There were multiple page views and it looked like they had been trying to view my drafted and scheduled posts. I freaked out thinking someone was trying to hack my blog. I had Superman look at it when he got home, he's smart like that. After looking around, he thought the same thing. He sat with the computer for at least an hour checking things out. We proceeded to change my passwords to something even I'll never remember.
Towards the end of the hour, Superman had me go to my blog on the other computer. Suddenly the problems were evident.
The IP address, the display size, the version of Firefox, the operating system...
I was the hacker.
You see, site meter spazzed on me and quit counting. I couldn't get it fixed and had to completely start it all over again. I swear to you that I blocked views from my own IP address. If I wouldn't have I'd have over a million visitors by now because of how obsessed I am with refreshing to see if anyone came by.
My thousands of refreshes that day never once changed my visitor number, leaving me completely surprised when Superman discovered that I was hacking myself and that site meter was no longer blocking my own IP.
It's fixed now. I feel like a complete moron.
**No offense to blondes was meant in the writing of this post. I totally wish I could go blonde without going orange**
---------------------------------------
I've been saying for years that I really think I was meant to be a blonde. I tried last summer. See? I quite liked it and felt it suited my personality much better but Superman doesn't really get into blondes, so I finally gave up. But I have the blonde story of all blonde stories for you.I was messing around on here while Superman was on his way home from work a while back. I had noticed on my site meter that I had one visitor that had stopped by several times one day, staying for a few hours at a time. There were multiple page views and it looked like they had been trying to view my drafted and scheduled posts. I freaked out thinking someone was trying to hack my blog. I had Superman look at it when he got home, he's smart like that. After looking around, he thought the same thing. He sat with the computer for at least an hour checking things out. We proceeded to change my passwords to something even I'll never remember.
Towards the end of the hour, Superman had me go to my blog on the other computer. Suddenly the problems were evident.
The IP address, the display size, the version of Firefox, the operating system...
I was the hacker.
You see, site meter spazzed on me and quit counting. I couldn't get it fixed and had to completely start it all over again. I swear to you that I blocked views from my own IP address. If I wouldn't have I'd have over a million visitors by now because of how obsessed I am with refreshing to see if anyone came by.
My thousands of refreshes that day never once changed my visitor number, leaving me completely surprised when Superman discovered that I was hacking myself and that site meter was no longer blocking my own IP.
It's fixed now. I feel like a complete moron.
**No offense to blondes was meant in the writing of this post. I totally wish I could go blonde without going orange**
Friday, July 17, 2009
There’s got to be a better way!
i'm happy to intruduce to you mary from giving up on perfect. she's the first of my guest bloggers while i battle gigantic minnesota mosquitos bask in the sun on a minnesota beach. mary is a personal in-real-life friend of mine, a great writer, and a entertaining example of imperfection! enjoy!
I hate cleaning. No, that’s not quite clear enough. I really, really hate cleaning.
See, when I was growing up, my mom would joke that the only reason she and my dad had kids was so they’d have someone to do chores.
I thought she was serious. We did a lot of chores.
(Side note: My parents love us very much and were not actually slave drivers. Really.)
Now, this does mean that I know how to keep a house. And, as I told Mark the other day, I didn’t have to take Home Ec in 8th grade, because my mom taught me everything he learned in that class.
But it also means that now that I have my own home, if I don’t feel like cleaning (which, let’s face it, I usually don’t), I don’t clean.
Until we have company coming, that is. And then I run around like a maniac, picking up toys, folding laundry, sweeping floors, cussing at dust bunnies and cat hair, and washing dishes. That way, when my guests arrive, I might be sweaty, but my house is presentable, darn it.
But you know what happens the minute they leave, right? My house immediately starts collecting dust and scattering clutter, and before I know it, it’s messy again.
I just think . . . there’s got to be a better way! How do YOU keep your house presentable?
Oh, and just for you (but especially you, Erin), here are some pictures I took of my kitchen this week.
Mary blogs about an imperfect life at Giving Up On Perfect. She talks about family, faith, books, diet-friendly and fiber-filled foods like granola bars and nachos, celebrity look-alikes and chick flicks. You know, the important stuff.
----------------------------------
I hate cleaning. No, that’s not quite clear enough. I really, really hate cleaning.
See, when I was growing up, my mom would joke that the only reason she and my dad had kids was so they’d have someone to do chores.
I thought she was serious. We did a lot of chores.
(Side note: My parents love us very much and were not actually slave drivers. Really.)
Now, this does mean that I know how to keep a house. And, as I told Mark the other day, I didn’t have to take Home Ec in 8th grade, because my mom taught me everything he learned in that class.
But it also means that now that I have my own home, if I don’t feel like cleaning (which, let’s face it, I usually don’t), I don’t clean.
Until we have company coming, that is. And then I run around like a maniac, picking up toys, folding laundry, sweeping floors, cussing at dust bunnies and cat hair, and washing dishes. That way, when my guests arrive, I might be sweaty, but my house is presentable, darn it.
But you know what happens the minute they leave, right? My house immediately starts collecting dust and scattering clutter, and before I know it, it’s messy again.
I just think . . . there’s got to be a better way! How do YOU keep your house presentable?
Oh, and just for you (but especially you, Erin), here are some pictures I took of my kitchen this week.
Mary blogs about an imperfect life at Giving Up On Perfect. She talks about family, faith, books, diet-friendly and fiber-filled foods like granola bars and nachos, celebrity look-alikes and chick flicks. You know, the important stuff.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
i ♥ camping
in honor of our glorious 6 day camping vacation, i have a question for today.
what kind of a camper are you? tent? pop up camper? rv? hotel?!
and what is your best (or worst!) camping memory/experience?
i'll be back with my answer next week!
what kind of a camper are you? tent? pop up camper? rv? hotel?!
and what is your best (or worst!) camping memory/experience?
i'll be back with my answer next week!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
terrific 2's
2 years ago today our lives were forever changed: ryan was born!
with both pregnancies we did not find out the sex of the baby. so with ryan we naturally assumed we’d have a girl, since boys do NOT happen in our family! needless to say we were unexpectantly surprised and blessed with a beautiful baby boy!
a couple hours after ryan was born he decided to start being a strong willed second born child--apparently he didn’t like the whole breathing outside of the womb thing. so he was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. over the course of seven days he was on oxygen, weaned off oxygen, i was discharged, we were told he could go home, he was back on oxygen, had a CT scan, a neonatologist convinced me that there was nothing wrong with his brain, ry was treated for jaundice, weaned off of oxygen, failed his first ever test (a carseat test happens before an infant is released from the NICU to make sure all o2, heart rate, etc. stats stay stable for an hour while in a carseat), he was circumsized, and finally discharged and sent home to loads of family waiting to see him for the first time.
welcome to the world baby boy!
ryan,
it seems like years since i was a freaked out, hormonal (ok, i still get a little hormonal), scared to death mom. but God was gracious, and your daddy was awesome. we got through a rough first week, a few discouraging months, and our share of ups and downs with you. but we wouldn’t trade our time with you for anything in the world!
i love you!!
love, mom
with both pregnancies we did not find out the sex of the baby. so with ryan we naturally assumed we’d have a girl, since boys do NOT happen in our family! needless to say we were unexpectantly surprised and blessed with a beautiful baby boy!
a couple hours after ryan was born he decided to start being a strong willed second born child--apparently he didn’t like the whole breathing outside of the womb thing. so he was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit. over the course of seven days he was on oxygen, weaned off oxygen, i was discharged, we were told he could go home, he was back on oxygen, had a CT scan, a neonatologist convinced me that there was nothing wrong with his brain, ry was treated for jaundice, weaned off of oxygen, failed his first ever test (a carseat test happens before an infant is released from the NICU to make sure all o2, heart rate, etc. stats stay stable for an hour while in a carseat), he was circumsized, and finally discharged and sent home to loads of family waiting to see him for the first time.welcome to the world baby boy!
ryan,
it seems like years since i was a freaked out, hormonal (ok, i still get a little hormonal), scared to death mom. but God was gracious, and your daddy was awesome. we got through a rough first week, a few discouraging months, and our share of ups and downs with you. but we wouldn’t trade our time with you for anything in the world!
i love you!!
love, mom
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
a giveaway to suit your purseonality
welcome to my 200th post!! as promised, today i'm having a giveaway. i've been thinking about this for a while, and after many comments on a new accessory, it was not not hard to decide on a prize... read on!
it started with this...
seriously, don't you love it? i can't remember exactly why she made it, but it was quite a while ago. she didn't stop there though. she even made me a crabby purse. which cracks me up every time i see it. it's such a great cure for the crabbies!
and i can't let this one go unnoticed: she made this one for samantha. isn't it adorable?!
(if you're the winner and have a certain color preference that you don't see or would rather make, let me know. you just won't get the purse as quickly!)
and here's how you enter to win:
go to heather's etsy shop and leave me a comment with your favorite purse--1 entry
tweet or facebook about this giveaway--2 entries
follow my blog--3 entries
make sure to leave me a comment for each entry you've fulfilled!
don't know how to leave a comment? scroll down to the bottom of this post where it says posted by ben and erin at 10:00 AM 2 Comments. click on comments. then leave me your comment! and you don't have to have blog to comment. where it says choose and identity, click the circle by Name/Url. just type in your name and then click publish your comment. easy as pie, huh?! just make sure that you leave me an email address or a way to contact you in case you win!
i will be back next week to let you know who the winner is! good luck!
http://www.heathermariedesigns.etsy.com/
it started with this...
seriously, don't you love it? i can't remember exactly why she made it, but it was quite a while ago. she didn't stop there though. she even made me a crabby purse. which cracks me up every time i see it. it's such a great cure for the crabbies!
and i can't let this one go unnoticed: she made this one for samantha. isn't it adorable?!
(if you're the winner and have a certain color preference that you don't see or would rather make, let me know. you just won't get the purse as quickly!)
and here's how you enter to win:
go to heather's etsy shop and leave me a comment with your favorite purse--1 entry
tweet or facebook about this giveaway--2 entries
follow my blog--3 entries
make sure to leave me a comment for each entry you've fulfilled!
don't know how to leave a comment? scroll down to the bottom of this post where it says posted by ben and erin at 10:00 AM 2 Comments. click on comments. then leave me your comment! and you don't have to have blog to comment. where it says choose and identity, click the circle by Name/Url. just type in your name and then click publish your comment. easy as pie, huh?! just make sure that you leave me an email address or a way to contact you in case you win!
i will be back next week to let you know who the winner is! good luck!
http://www.heathermariedesigns.etsy.com/
Monday, July 13, 2009
not me! monday
monday, monday.... time for not me! this blog carnival was created by mckmama. you can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
i do NOT abhor swimsuit shopping. so of course i was NOT dreading shopping for one this year. so as i ventured through the swimsuit section, i actually found a two piece halter & skirt suit that i liked so i decided to try it. the top fit great but the bottom didn't. so i tried the next size up. the skirt shorts fit better, but the top was too big. so when i was putting the suits back on their hangers i did NOT accidentally mix up the bottoms. oops! (you couldn't buy them individually. they were a set.)
then when i went to check out the thought went through my head what if they check to make sure that they're the same size? i did NOT scope out the lanes and hop in the one that the cashier was a guy about my age. surely he won't look at the size on my swimsuit...! and guess what?! it did NOT work! :-)
********
i did not put off packing for our trip until the very last day. i did not have about 3 hours to pack and then waste 2 hours blogging, washing dishes, and cooking. one of the ingredients i needed was chopped onion. and every time i cut into an onion i cry. last time i tried wearing sunglasses to see if that would help, but it didn't. so this time i figured i would just have to cry through the cutting, slicing, and chopping. oh how i wished i had a pair of these. and then i got a brilliant idea: i did NOT go outside and dig through samantha's toybox and pull out her pair of swimming goggles. i did NOT bring them inside and clean them off. and then i did NOT wear them the entire time i cut the onion. even despite them being way too small. i was NOT so thankful that they worked and i didn't shed a single tear!
and because i know some of you readers would beg for a picture, when i was all done i did
NOT go over to the computer and snap a picture with the webcam for y'all to see. because i am NOT nice like that! and i am NOT a little bit scared of what my sister will do with the picture after she did made me these... (yeah, and i was definitely NOT covering up a couple pimples with my hand.)
********
speaking of our vacation, by the time this posts, we will NOT be on our way to camping for 6 days. pure fun if you ask me! and i am NOT so thankful to my bloggy friends that have agreed to guest post for me! after looking at the posts i have scheduled, i will NOT have posted more while i'm away than when i'm home...
********
tomorrow is NOT my 200th post. i am NOT going to have a giveaway, so make sure you do NOT come back!
happy monday!
i do NOT abhor swimsuit shopping. so of course i was NOT dreading shopping for one this year. so as i ventured through the swimsuit section, i actually found a two piece halter & skirt suit that i liked so i decided to try it. the top fit great but the bottom didn't. so i tried the next size up. the skirt shorts fit better, but the top was too big. so when i was putting the suits back on their hangers i did NOT accidentally mix up the bottoms. oops! (you couldn't buy them individually. they were a set.)
then when i went to check out the thought went through my head what if they check to make sure that they're the same size? i did NOT scope out the lanes and hop in the one that the cashier was a guy about my age. surely he won't look at the size on my swimsuit...! and guess what?! it did NOT work! :-)
********
i did not put off packing for our trip until the very last day. i did not have about 3 hours to pack and then waste 2 hours blogging, washing dishes, and cooking. one of the ingredients i needed was chopped onion. and every time i cut into an onion i cry. last time i tried wearing sunglasses to see if that would help, but it didn't. so this time i figured i would just have to cry through the cutting, slicing, and chopping. oh how i wished i had a pair of these. and then i got a brilliant idea: i did NOT go outside and dig through samantha's toybox and pull out her pair of swimming goggles. i did NOT bring them inside and clean them off. and then i did NOT wear them the entire time i cut the onion. even despite them being way too small. i was NOT so thankful that they worked and i didn't shed a single tear!
and because i know some of you readers would beg for a picture, when i was all done i did
NOT go over to the computer and snap a picture with the webcam for y'all to see. because i am NOT nice like that! and i am NOT a little bit scared of what my sister will do with the picture after she did made me these... (yeah, and i was definitely NOT covering up a couple pimples with my hand.)********
speaking of our vacation, by the time this posts, we will NOT be on our way to camping for 6 days. pure fun if you ask me! and i am NOT so thankful to my bloggy friends that have agreed to guest post for me! after looking at the posts i have scheduled, i will NOT have posted more while i'm away than when i'm home...
********
tomorrow is NOT my 200th post. i am NOT going to have a giveaway, so make sure you do NOT come back!
happy monday!
Saturday, July 11, 2009
procrastination is my middle name
we're leaving in the morning. as early as possible. we're going camping for a week and i haven't packed a single thing.
this evening we'll be gone to my sis-in-law's for dinner, so i won't have time to pack then. right now i'm watching cartoons with ryan (and blogging) while we eat lunch. and here's the best part: it's after 1pm and i'm still in my jammies!!
it's a good thing i work best under pressure, because erin is my name; procrastination is my game!
how do YOU get ready for a trip? are you a procrastinator or a planner?
on the business side of things, my blog will not be left unattended while i'm away. i have some guest posts lined up, so be sure to read those! and with this post being #198, we're very close to my 200th post giveaway. watch for it!
this evening we'll be gone to my sis-in-law's for dinner, so i won't have time to pack then. right now i'm watching cartoons with ryan (and blogging) while we eat lunch. and here's the best part: it's after 1pm and i'm still in my jammies!!
it's a good thing i work best under pressure, because erin is my name; procrastination is my game!
how do YOU get ready for a trip? are you a procrastinator or a planner?
* * * * * * * * *
on the business side of things, my blog will not be left unattended while i'm away. i have some guest posts lined up, so be sure to read those! and with this post being #198, we're very close to my 200th post giveaway. watch for it!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
i champion cheap shoes. and target clearance.
call me frugal, call me penny-pinching, call me an uncommon woman, but i like me some cheap shoes. so of course a few months ago i found it hard to breath when i bought my $60 tennis shoes. and they were on sale. and i even had a $10 off coupon--i only paid $40 for my shoes and it was heart-wrenching to me!! don't get me wrong here. i LOVE spending money. just not on shoes. so my $40 shoes stay inside the house. they are for treadmill use only. never have i worn them outside.
so i had a dilemma: we are going camping for a week. and we take lots of walks while camping. and i don't like taking lots of walks in flippy-flops. so with our trip quickly approaching i needed to find a cheap pair of walking shoes for outdoor use and today it was my goal to find some inexpensive ones. i had already looked at *cough* walmart, but didn't remotely like any of the ones there. so next up was payless. i browsed through the aisle holding my shoe size and didn't really find a price i liked. yes, $24.99 was way too much to spend on camping shoes. i figured i would have to return to walmart and buy the $13 butt-ugly, probably-hurt-like-crap, and will-fall-apart-in-no-time tennis shoes.
but right at that moment the angels sang and a bright light burst forth from a box on the bottom shelf. could it be true?? was i really seeing a $10 sticker on the box?!? i enthusiasically tried on the shoes. they fit great and felt even better! and here's the kicker: they're pink!!
i left the store splendidly happy that i got a $35 pair of shoes for $10!! thank you God!(now do you get my pun on the title?! hehe!)
then i headed next door to target, where i got another cheap pair of flippy-flops, clearance shoes for samantha, and best of all a cute clearance bra and panties. and no, i won't post a picture of that. you're welcome, dad!
so this is my thankful thursday: good deals and money saved--so that i can go spend it on something else!
what are you thankful for today?
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
verdict
remember this post? namely, what ben said in this post?
well after he told me that he wouldn't like my hair no matter how i got it cut, but that it definitely needed to be cut, i decided i needed to catch his reaction on video just in case he said something stupid (which he somewhat proved my decision right). [whew! run on sentence!] so i set up the camcorder on top of the microwave and caught it! (no, i didn't intentionally stay out of the picture... sorry.)
oh, and nevermind the paint samples on the wall behind ben. we'll just call it art!
i know i promised to post ben's reaction to my hair cut yesterday, but for some reason the video wouldn't upload. so here it is...
in case it was hard to hear (or if you don't feel like watching the video), this was our dialogue.
verdict? he likes it!
and just for wordless wednesday's sake...
... the "mom ponytail" will not be on exhibit for a while!
well after he told me that he wouldn't like my hair no matter how i got it cut, but that it definitely needed to be cut, i decided i needed to catch his reaction on video just in case he said something stupid (which he somewhat proved my decision right). [whew! run on sentence!] so i set up the camcorder on top of the microwave and caught it! (no, i didn't intentionally stay out of the picture... sorry.)
oh, and nevermind the paint samples on the wall behind ben. we'll just call it art!
i know i promised to post ben's reaction to my hair cut yesterday, but for some reason the video wouldn't upload. so here it is...
in case it was hard to hear (or if you don't feel like watching the video), this was our dialogue.
ben: oooooooooooooooooooo.........
erin: do you like it?
ben:
yeah....
it could be WORSE that's for sure!
no, i like it. looks good.
i'll accept it for now.
erin: you'll accept it for now?!
ben: well yeah. i don't want to say i accept it and not be able to retract.
*laughter*
*kiss*
ben: i like it.
verdict? he likes it!
and just for wordless wednesday's sake...
... the "mom ponytail" will not be on exhibit for a while!
Monday, July 6, 2009
not me! monday
it's MONDAY! time for the greatest therapy session around--not me! monday! make sure to stop by mckmama's blog to join in on the fun!
this week...
...i did NOT freak myself out this week one night when i took the trash out to the dumpster.
here is our dumpster. it has a door on the slide that you slide open. and every time i take the trash out at night my imagination runs wild. i always think "what if someone is hiding in the dumpster ready to get me?" and i play different scenarios through my mind as i quickly walk to the dumpster to deliver our life's rejects. yet i still take the trash out at night. when there is minimal lighting.
anyway, i took the trash out the other night after the kids were in bed and ben was still at work. i realize this was stupid of me because who would hear me scream if the boogie man was hiding in there ready to get me?
oh i digress. so on my first trip i took some miscellaneous trash and ryan's mylar balloon, which was yellow with a big black smiley on it. it was loosing its helium, so it would only float about 3-4 feet off the ground. i stuck those in the dumpster and went inside for my second load. i strode the short walk to the dumpster, slid the door open, and then i did NOT jump, drop the trash, and let out a little scream. there, hiding in the shadows inside the dumpster, behind a couple trash bags, was NOT said boogie man.
my heart was NOT racing. and as i backed away a little bit i did NOT realize mr. boogie man resembles ryan's smiley balloon. a lot. yes, i did NOT freak myself out because of a stupid balloon.
oh goodness. well, at least i did NOT convice myself to take the trash out in daylight from now on!
...i did NOT clean my house this week. all because we were going to have the kids' birthday party here. and so i did NOT stay up until 2am cleaning saturday night, get up at 6am to go to church, and then have the party that afternoon. and that night? surely it was NOT i who was BORED because i had no cleaning to do.
...samantha and i did NOT get 8.5 and 9 inches of hair respectively cut off today.
and since i do NOT love you all so much, i will NOT keep you suspence any longer. as per many of your suggestions, my own desires, and with permission from my stylist, i went with the inverted bob! and since ben didn't like my highlights when i had them 6 years ago, i also did NOT decide to get them again!
tomorrow i will NOT have ben's reaction on my blog which i did NOT secretly video record!!
happy monday y'all!
this week...
...i did NOT freak myself out this week one night when i took the trash out to the dumpster.
here is our dumpster. it has a door on the slide that you slide open. and every time i take the trash out at night my imagination runs wild. i always think "what if someone is hiding in the dumpster ready to get me?" and i play different scenarios through my mind as i quickly walk to the dumpster to deliver our life's rejects. yet i still take the trash out at night. when there is minimal lighting.anyway, i took the trash out the other night after the kids were in bed and ben was still at work. i realize this was stupid of me because who would hear me scream if the boogie man was hiding in there ready to get me?
oh i digress. so on my first trip i took some miscellaneous trash and ryan's mylar balloon, which was yellow with a big black smiley on it. it was loosing its helium, so it would only float about 3-4 feet off the ground. i stuck those in the dumpster and went inside for my second load. i strode the short walk to the dumpster, slid the door open, and then i did NOT jump, drop the trash, and let out a little scream. there, hiding in the shadows inside the dumpster, behind a couple trash bags, was NOT said boogie man.
my heart was NOT racing. and as i backed away a little bit i did NOT realize mr. boogie man resembles ryan's smiley balloon. a lot. yes, i did NOT freak myself out because of a stupid balloon.
oh goodness. well, at least i did NOT convice myself to take the trash out in daylight from now on!
* * * * *
...i did NOT clean my house this week. all because we were going to have the kids' birthday party here. and so i did NOT stay up until 2am cleaning saturday night, get up at 6am to go to church, and then have the party that afternoon. and that night? surely it was NOT i who was BORED because i had no cleaning to do.
* * * * *
...samantha and i did NOT get 8.5 and 9 inches of hair respectively cut off today.
and since i do NOT love you all so much, i will NOT keep you suspence any longer. as per many of your suggestions, my own desires, and with permission from my stylist, i went with the inverted bob! and since ben didn't like my highlights when i had them 6 years ago, i also did NOT decide to get them again!
tomorrow i will NOT have ben's reaction on my blog which i did NOT secretly video record!!
* * * * *
happy monday y'all!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Thursday, July 2, 2009
random
i finally have an appointment to get my hair cut next monday. i couldn't be more excited! and after weighing all your ideas and suggestions (thank you!) i have decided how i want to have it cut. and while i can tell you that i won't get a mohawk or a mullet, i'm going to keep my soon-to-be-new hairstyle a secret until it's cut!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
i'm getting close to my 200th post. so to celebrate i'm gonna have a giveaway. and the prize? well, it's super cute. and it's something i use EVERY day. oh i can't wait!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
my sister brought to my attention that i forgot to mention that my dad was a mail carrier for 30 plus years. which makes this post all the funnier.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
we got samantha a digital camera for her birthday. within 24 hours she had already taken 100+ pictures. a girl after my own heart! just look at how cute she is taking a picture of her new puppy!
she also told me that she deleted the pictures of me but kept the ones that she took of ryan so that she can blog about him!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
did you think i'd forget thankful thursday? well i got a migraine tonight. no, i'm NOT thankful for that. but i am thankful that samantha is old enough to watch ryan. because she played with him for a bit while i layed down, and then i got them dinner and set them in front of the tv while i slept for about TWO hours!
what's that you say? mother of the year?! that's what i thought...!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
and with that, goodnight. i am actually gonna go to bed before midnight!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
i'm getting close to my 200th post. so to celebrate i'm gonna have a giveaway. and the prize? well, it's super cute. and it's something i use EVERY day. oh i can't wait!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
my sister brought to my attention that i forgot to mention that my dad was a mail carrier for 30 plus years. which makes this post all the funnier.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
we got samantha a digital camera for her birthday. within 24 hours she had already taken 100+ pictures. a girl after my own heart! just look at how cute she is taking a picture of her new puppy!she also told me that she deleted the pictures of me but kept the ones that she took of ryan so that she can blog about him!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
did you think i'd forget thankful thursday? well i got a migraine tonight. no, i'm NOT thankful for that. but i am thankful that samantha is old enough to watch ryan. because she played with him for a bit while i layed down, and then i got them dinner and set them in front of the tv while i slept for about TWO hours!
what's that you say? mother of the year?! that's what i thought...!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
and with that, goodnight. i am actually gonna go to bed before midnight!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
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