Sweetness and Light

This Thanksgiving, we were very thankful. Who wouldn't be with a gift like this...

Lucas Wendell was born (by induction) on Thanksgiving day, just before 4pm.

Lucas means 'Bringer of Light' or 'Luminous'.

This Thanksgiving turkey weighed a "whopping" 8 lbs 5 oz.

He has jet black fuzzy-spikey hair, just like his sisters, though daddy is convinced he'll turn out "blond, just like the others." (I don't think any of them are really blond. A very dark dishwater blond maybe, but I'm more apt to call George light brown. I'm sure it'll darken, anyway.)

Little "Wookus" has the. softest. cheeks. ever. and I love

kissin' on 'em and rubbing my face against his, every chance I get.

And I get to a lot. Cuz I'm a baby hog. It's a proven fact.

We feel very blessed to have been gifted such beautiful and healthy children.

Our house may not be quiet or tidy, but it's never dull, lifeless or lacking in love.

Thank you, Lord, for these enormous blessings.

May we honor you in our parenting.

We ernestly ask for your wisdom and guidance, as our charge is not taken lightly.

Thank you for your grace and unconditional love that is undeservedly lavished upon us.

May we bless you back, as our show of thanks. In Jesus name, Amen.

My aesthetic inspiration

I feel like I should mention my inspiration for my living room, and why I painted my entry a dark blue. Besides the obvious reason of many small dirty hands.

My hubs said today that he could imagine getting a rustic red and painting stars and stripes on one end wall.

Uh...

Yeah. About that....

NO. Sorry. You must have forgotten that this is my house.

er, I mean, um, that it's the woman's place to decorate the home. Or.. um. You can decorate your garage, basement and pick up; I get the inside.

Something like that.

But that's very sweet on the Americana vibe. But no.

Anyway. When I lived in Madrid, Spain during 1995-96, I visited an exhibit of a certain Spanish painter named Joaquin Sorrolla. At the exhibit they sold a few of his prints for really really cheap, and being a poor college student in need of nice decor, plus also thinking of souvenirs, I bought a couple. These two are the ones I bought, and I love them both.

But since it won't let me copy the photos here, you'll just have to check out the links.

El Verano (Summer) - 1904

Cosiendo la tela (Sewing the Sail) - 1896

They both have that sort of impressionist feel to them. I love the light, and the colors. And probably the fact that they're Spanish.

My plan is to paint the living room a light orangish- terracotta color. Hubs has always said that the ceiling needs to be replaced first. I had decided I wasn't waiting for that any more, but it might be in the nearer future. We'll see.

But, actually, if it was left up to him, we'd have white walls (we don't but they're a really hideous off-white and very banged up and dirty, which might be worse), white tab-top curtains (which we do - they were given to us for free), and leather furniture (which I do like). I just think white is so institutional and cold. I like warm, fun, inviting, comfy. He likes white. He doesn't clean, though. I do. And I hate white. So I trump. For the cleaning. :D

Oh gosh I couldn't wait!

yeeeeeee. New things are so exciting.

I couldn't wait to show you. It's so pretty. He's not even done painting and the paint is wet, but look how perty!

Nothing more exciting that doing things to spruce up your home.

Unless of coarse, you count having a baby.

Which I'm not doing right now.

sigh.

But yay for paint!!!

Because I know you're dying to know...

Here's a few updates on what's been going on in this zoo over here...

My LIST. And to include in it, I have done just about every stitch of laundry in the house (even washed some dress-up clothes today), done some mending, gone shopping for last minute baby items, cleaned out some closets, and normal housekeeping stuff, like today when I cleaned the bathroom, kitchen, stove, swept (under the fridge even, which is where I found the missing mp3 player!!) and mopped the kitchen and bathroom, picked up and vacuumed the living room, not to exclude vacuuming under the couch cushions and under the couch - things I don't always do. I know this is all fabulously fascinating, but it's a true testament for myself if nothing else that I'm nesting like crazy, which, as I said before, I've never done in previous pregnancies. And let me tell ya, it's truly miraculous that I've done all this. It's soooo not like me. Trust me.

The Entry. My project of choice, in the push to get things done before baby. Kong has been a rock star in working is fingers to the bone, both at his job and here, and made like a bandit on Sunday getting the sheetrock mudding done, sanded and primed, and the flooring installed with the heat duct slots cut out. It still needs the ceiling and walls painted, and the light fixture installed, but here's the progress so far.

Looking towards the far corner, door and window to the left.



Rug is a 4x6 industrial floor mat from Lowe's. SO happy about that. 

 

From the far side of the living room, looking at the entry.

 It's very weird that the stop sign showed up so clearly.

Our (or at least MY, haha) plans (for hubby to do) are to trim out the door, window, baseboards and around the entire divider/half wall in oak, I think (as we can afford it, some time after Christmas), and build some sort of system to house all the backpacks, boots, mittens and jackets that flood our home from November to April. Cubbies, hooks, lockers... I don't know. Just so it's easy for the kids and out of my way.

And because I realized I don't think I've updated on this guy in a while...

Squirt. Here are some recent pics of our beloved Western Painted turtle (since I just cleaned his tank). He has grown quite a bit in the year and a half since we got him, though I don't think he's grown much over the last 4-5 months. And he's not really eating right now. Not sure if it's a water temp problem (too cold and they sort of shut down) or seasonal or he's just not liking his food. Maybe a protest of all the crap that was floating in his tank? Sorry Squirt. I'm a bad bad turtle-mama. I'll buy you some crickets as a reward.

If you may remember from this post, he was about as big as a quarter when we got him.

Giving the camera some attention. He posed for a long time. He likes me. Probably because I feed him.

Showing off his plastron (underside).

And that's all I have for today. I think I'm going to power walk my living room in an effort to move myself into labor. I have accomplished enough that I feel ready to go. All that was needed has been done and taken care of, and in my opinion, it's time for baby to come out. COME ON, BABY!!! (who I think has a name. :D)

Tick tock

I have no time to waste, and I'm like a whirling (albeit fat and waddling) dervish trying to get stuff done. (Man, if only I had this much energy when I wasn't prego and ready to pop!) No time to blog, and really, I shouldn't even take time for FB but I'm an addict, plus, a girl's gotta sit sometime. My "to-do" list is getting tackled quite nicely and that leaves me with that wonderful feeling of accomplishment. It probably helps, though, that every time I do something not of the norm, I add it to the list just so I can cross it off.

Maybe I'll post a pic of it later.

I think I have everything set for baby to come home from the hospital, at least. Or close. Car seat cover and going home outfit are purchased. Bassinet has been dug out. Diapers are ready and waiting. I found some suitable pajamas in my drawer, though no luck on a nursing gown. Ooh... fun!... I found the nursing cover (Maria) I had gotten for free + shipping a while back when I figured it would just be a good baby gift, AND I ordered a kangaroo sling (Autumn Blaze) with the same kind of deal online this week. SO EXCITED to have new baby-mama toys.

The Kong will be doing local work after tonight so he can be closer to home in case I need him, and hopefully he'll be able to knock off some more stuff in terms of getting the entry closer to done. I don't think it'll have painted walls AND installed flooring, but ya never know. It would be glorious if we could get some coat hook system up before then too, but that's reeeaaally dreaming big. That's the whole goal of this project, though; to have actual flooring and some place where the kids can hang their own coats, and I don't have to be the one doing that for 6 people. When you live in Minnesota, there's just way too much outerwear to deal with and have strewn all over the place. So I'm really excited to have this project underway.

We have a mouse. He likes butter. It's gross.

Nothing like little footprints in your butter when you go to make toast in the morning.

**shivers**

Gotta set a trap tonight. Blech. We've only had one before, and that was this summer. Now it seems as though another one has gotten in, and we're at a loss for where they might be coming in at (we've got a nice high basement and have never had a prob in the 7+ yrs we've lived here). My best guess is the dilapidated side door that needs to be removed altogether. But... I'm fixin' to spray foam the door shut (to help keep out the cold air) and then plastic it (yeah, sounds so "trailer") so hopefully that will keep any further furry friends from seeking warm shelter in my house. Knock on wood.

Man... I'm just so excited. I don't suppose you can tell. Filled with anticipation. I can't wait to meet my newest babe, and I think Kong is really getting excited too. He loves babies. Now, if I could only get him to agree on the name I want, we'd be set. Though, he's sort of coming around on that, though, since I: 1. have been stressed out really bad lately 2. am about to give birth, and 3. I "let" him get a new pickup this week. AND he got to pimp it out a little (chrome door handles, a topper, and duel exhaust. Boys. *shakes head*). Already we've gotten the flooring that was my first choice, and he did a little more work on the entry first before going and doing what he wanted to do - at my "gentle urging." lol He may have mentioned something about letting me choose the name I wanted since he was tired of talking about it. We'll see if that sticks. And actually, it's the name that George suggested. I really think it's the one. I hope so.

OK OK. really.... gotta go.

:D :D :D :D

Nesting

I've been nesting like crazy. I've never really done much of that in previous pregnancies, so it's weird. Maybe? with George, but we were so deep in home renovation projects, just to make our house habitable enough to bring an infant home to, and hubby was as much or more on that band wagon as I was. (Consequently, my water broke 3 weeks early, after a weekend spent on hands and knees rolling out the new flooring in the kitchen. And no, he was still not in the right position, and came - or tried to - sunnyside up. OUCH!) This time round it's me dragging him along. I wish men understood nesting. But he's working hard (at his job) and so has not been as gung ho about working more when he comes home. I get that. But....

Needless to say, I've got a list a mile long. Much like the list of Summer 2010.

I was like a crazy woman on Saturday. I mean, I washed my front door with a toothbrush, people!!! And cleaned the fridge, did some laundry, washed some windows, did dishes, cleaned the stovetop, sweeping, vacuuming (the kind where you get out the hose and do all the nooks and crannies), etc. Yesterday, after church and groceries, I raked leaves. Then I was tired.

Projects I've currently got in the works: painting a dresser, storing/organizing kids clothes, painting the stairwell/hallway, and doing something to the entry to deal with winter gear.

Today, I'm working some more on painting a dresser (for me) but have met a snag. So I decided to write down / organize / prioritize a "to-do" list. That way Kong can look on there for his possible contributions, or when he asks me I can whip it out and send him on his way. I also like to put things on the list that we / he may have already done. It feels good to have stuff marked off the list, get those accomplishments noted somewhere.

So in conversation about the entry, I may have just accidentally hijacked my hubby's hunting plans and got him to volunteer to build a half wall and put down flooring. Hm. Volunteered, that is, once he found out I was considering spending $90 on temporary floor mats to cover the plywood flooring that's in there currently, which is not much less than flooring would probably cost. So... :D

Hope that works out.

Otherwise, some deer meat would be good too.

Now I gotta run. I have kids to pick up and leaves to rake. (And I had BETTER have gained at least one more centimeter by my next OB appointment after all this.)

The problem with apples...

.. is that they can be hard to chew...

... especially when...

... you're missing a lot of teeth.

Another run in with scissors

You might be a little shocked to see this on your floor...

And think you might need to cry.

 But then you'd see this...

And this...

And you'd smile too!

When she looked in the mirror she came back and said, "Oh, I'm so beautiful!" Love it.

And thanks to my friend Sarah who "saved the day". You can hardly tell what a mess it was before or that there was a major error there. AND!! we didn't even have to leave the house. Woo hoo!!!

My girl is happy and her mama is happy. Plus, the added bonus of less to brush (and cry over) will be such a treat. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

So glad it's over.

Well, it would be safe to say that I'm glad Halloween is over. I enjoy the festivities, but we seemed to have a few glitches this year that wanted to steal the fun. In the end, fun won, but I was one tired Mrs. Bananas (and trust me when I say 'emphasis on bananas').

Cheeks - Kitty, Koko - Heart, George - Storm Trooper 

We did manage to get our pumpkins carved (well, except mine) before trick or treaters came. It was a late night finale for George, who enjoyed every minute of that late night hanging with is idol, King Kong, and having some one-on-one time, while mama diligiently carved away. I'm all for non-traditional carving, and love to get artsy with it. Given the time (and energy) constraints, I printed off some easy-to-choose-from designs for the kids (online templates ROCK!), and we went to town on those pumpkins. George was happy attacking his with the markers, while Koko and Cheeks scooped the goop to their hearts content. Cheeks took a while to warm up to the slime factor of it all, but once she did, she wouldn't leave the bowl of innards alone. George's pumpkin was the only one that was a more free-handed ordeal. I found a pumpkin pattern he liked online, but there was no option to print out a template, just a pic, so I just "copied" it best I could. Came out great, and all were happy.

Then came the costumes and hitting the streets.

A certain child, who's mother spent the most on and looked the hardest for his costume not so kindly refused to wear it. This did not make for a happy mama. After "joking" with my mom about putting a sign on him that said "2 and stubborn" I put on his jacket and said, let's go. But... as we were heading out the door, me still slightly frustrated, I kept thinking what I could do when I came up with this wonderful idea:

Yes, you read that right. It says 'STUBBORN.' I told one of the girls to grab a marker, and I plastered it on his forehead. Total stress reliever. lol. It's not unkind; It's the truth. :D Both parties left happy, and everyone thought it was funny.

Then we had this princess who just rocked the Snow White. When she had her school party, she trotted around in the hallways like a true queen. It was so cute to see. You could tell she felt like a princess. Then mommy put lipstick on her for the actual event and, well, she hasn't stopped asking to wear lipstick since.

Next was our beautiful belly dancer. What's so funny was her modesty when trying on the costume, concerned that people would see her tummy and laugh. I told her that when she wore her swim suit you she wasn't worried about that and this was no different. That worked fine for her. She also enjoyed the make-up part of the evening (and to tell you the truth, mommy had fun putting it on them), but I also saw my future as mother of a heartbreaker. She is unargueably a beauty.

And if eating, sleeping, playing, and breathing Star Wars wasn't enough, we managed to obtain a Darth Vader costume for George, which pleased him to no end. (Thanks, Grandma!)

So after I lost Cheeks costume suddenly and spent two hours looking for it (and stressing and pacing and crying and tearing my hair out), I found it, and we finally made it out the door, albeit 2 hours late. It was a good finale to a less than stellar day as we enjoyed our first-ever jaunt around the neighborhood as trick-or-treaters.

And after hitting a couple blocks, we came home for gloves and coats, and hit the streets some more.

The End.