A serger!!! A SERGER!!!

I may be crowing prematurely (and I hope not!), but my mom called tonight to tell me that my grandma (actually a friend of the family that we call Grandma) will be giving me her serger!!!

She says she just doesn't have anyone to sew for anymore, and neither of her two daughters will use it, so she is giving it to me for Christmas!! She also asked Mom to help her go through her stash of fabric to pick stuff out for me.

I am THRILLED!!

Can't stop smiling!!

I think I may not be touching the ground when I walk...

Finally, some progress! *bodily functions alert*

Sweetheart is finally, finally getting there. He only does well if he is naked... at peeing, that is. Pooping is another story. Naked, he will start to and then run to the bathroom to finish. So then I have poop in various places and down his legs, plus the bathroom is a disgusting mess. But if I don't have him naked, then he will pee and poop in his britches.

This does not a happy mama make.

Especially when Squeaker is near Sweetheart, because Squeaker crawls around now and has actually eaten (yes, eaten!!!) his brother's yuckies.

Mothering is not for the faint of heart... or stomach.

Hidden Costs of Peaches

When we bought this house last year, we discovered a peach tree in the backyard. It didn't produce fruit last year, but it has this year. I wasn't able to put away as many peaches as I wanted to, as it's my first year figuring out when to pick them, and I think I picked a bit late.

However, I have lovely fresh peaches sitting in my freezer, swimming in their juices and a bit of sugar. I tasted the juice and YUMMO!!!

But I was wondering... seeing how I didn't even plant the tree, and the tree does all the work for you (we didn't even spray for bugs), would you call these the cheapest peaches I've ever gotten? Or, considering the fact that we bought this house and the tree came with it, would you say they are the most expensive peaches I've ever gotten? *wink*

Glimpses of the kidlets

I thought I'd let you in on how the kids are doing. It's amazing when I think about it how fast they are growing.

Sunshine is in first grade this year. She loves loves loves school. In fact, the girl *enjoys* tests. Can you believe that? Her reading level is wonderful. Tonight she brought the newspaper to me, pointing to an article she had gotten about a couple paragraphs into. And speed drills for math excite her. I love my little nerdy girl! (Made in her mama's own image. I was in Math Club in high school, where I voluntarily spent my Saturdays at math contests.) She's got a couple permanent teeth now and more on their way. I see braces in our future... Also, she has discovered that she loves sewing on my machine. She made a purse the other day for herself.

Sugar-n-Spice is doing preschool and loving school as well. So far, I show her things pretty much once, and she has it. I know it won't always be that way, but it is an encouraging beginning. No one wants the initial experience to be like pulling teeth. She is ever so much like her name, too. We go from sweet moments when she tells me that she loves me even more than she loves her friends (lol) but then we are disciplining her for telling one of said friends that if they don't share, she is going to kick their *ahem*. (I know everyone deals with their kids picking up a few unsavory phrases here and there, but I kinda hoped we'd avoid it for a couple more years.) A roller coaster ride with her for sure, but hey, let's all admit it: we love our rides, don't we?

Sweetheart is soooo enamored with Spiderman/Peter Parker. Mistakenly, some days I call him by his given name and am quickly chastized for not remembering to call him Spiderman/Peter Parker. And it has to be the entire name of "Peter Parker" if that is the day's alternate identity. I can't get away with a simple "Peter." Part of the obsession (or maybe the reason for the obsession) includes all 3 Spiderman movies. We are also still working potty training this little turkey. And just today I found out why it is going so slowly - he prefers the diaper route. He would rather just not be bothered with the toilet, thank you very much. Bribes of candy do not entice him. So we're off to try something he might be interested in: Spiderman stickers. Think it'll work?

Shortcake has become quite the singer. And it is so adorable!! Just today I heard her ask Squeaker if he wanted to hear the song "Fishers of Men." It came out something like, "See Fishuh Men? I may fishuh men, fishuh men, fishuh men..." etc. If you know the song and can figure out toddler-speak, then you totally just understood that! I also canNOT keep that girl out of the refridgerator. She has also found a stubborn streak when it comes to naps and bedtimes, as well as wanting to sit in a regular chair instead of her booster chair. She is two and wants to be seen as a twelve-year-old.

Squeaker is 5 months old now. He been rolling over for awhile, grabs anything within reach, growls in pleasure (hilarious), and loves to watch Shortcake. He is no longer breastfeeding and seems to miss it. He won't take a bottle from anyone else if I'm around - he only wants Mama to give him that bottle. I think he is also entering the separation anxiety phase. I admit sheepishly that I love that he wants me. Oh yes, and if you should elect to hold the kissable bundle, wear waterproof clothing; he drools.

Projects, projects

Don't know what is going on at your house, but ohsomuch is going on here.


I have a to-do list that I've been working on. It has 28 items on it. Oh yes. 28! And that doesn't include the big projects I'm working on slowly, either. Big projects like repainting the kitchen cabinets, taking down the wallpaper in my house, or trying to get ready to do a yard sale. None of those 3 will be accomplished this summer, I'm afraid.

Ooh. And I just thought of another two things to add to my list. LOL That wasn't a joke - I did!

It's self-inflicted. Brilliant.

Last night I started feeling icky. Then the nausea turned into stomach cramps that have wakened me off and on all night. I have spent many minutes wondering what is going on. I recounted how one of my kids had been barely sick on Friday. Thought about what we had for dinner. Should be no problem there - I pulled frozen meat from the freezer that was precooked.

Suddenly, it hit me. Oh no. Not good. Earlier in the day, I'd taken a drink of water from a bottle that had been used to feed a baby bird with a dropper. ACK. I kept thinking I needed to throw that bottle out. And forgot.

So what do I most likely have? Salmonella. From contaminated water. In other words: food poisoning. Yippee.

The good news is, no one else will get it. Not even the baby, as you can't pass salmonella through breastmilk. And the other good side is: hubby is on leave, so if I get it really badly, he is here to feed and tend to the kids whilst I languish on the couch. LOL

So far though, just cramps and nausea. The last time I had food poisoning was when I was preggy with Sunshine. I know what to do: keep from getting dehydrated (throwing up/diarrhea) and wait it out.

Guess what fun is going on at our house?

We are potty training!

I had tried it about 6 weeks ago (or so), and it was a total bust. I'm giving it another go after changing some things, plus Hubby is home for more than a week on leave. That makes a huge difference!

We are training both Sweetheart and Shortcake at the same time. They are 3.5 and 2 years old, respectively. So it is time. Especially for Sweetheart. Can I get an amen?

It is a funny little ritual. All 5 of us - the 4 older kids and myself - go into the bathroom. One of the trainees sit down. We sing two songs all the way through, then practice wiping. Then second trainee takes a turn. Repeat with two different songs. Repeat wiping practice. Then we all file out. So far, no one has successfully made it in the toilet. But as soon as they do, we'll be getting candy. Yay!

Anyway. Wish the kids luck. Pray for me. And my carpet.