My blog has MOVED!

Here is the link to my new blog home:

http://lilyandherlife.blogspot.com

Don't worry; everything is all there from before. I just moved the contents of this blog to the new location. I have to slowly redo the look of the old posts, because it is ugly ugly ugly with the new layout.

See you there!

The roosters are such slackers

A couple weeks ago, I woke up every morning around 4 a.m. for no particular reason. That happened... oh, probably 5 or 6 mornings. So I gave up and adopted the if-you-can't-beat-'em, join-'em outlook.

And I now go to bed around 8:30 with my children and get up at 4 a.m.

I am not a morning person by nature. I prefer to hang out with the owls each night and join folks for lunch the next day. (Of course having children has changed how late I stay up and sleep in.) But this is working remarkably well. This way I am getting at least 3 hours of solitude every day, guaranteed.

By the time the kids get up in the morning, I've had some serious alone time. I've read my Bible, exercised, and conquered any projects that I wish.

I never thought I'd be living the "early to bed, early to rise" lifestyle!

I made homemade bread!

Recently I got a grain mill and a Bosch. So now, I am making homemade bread! After 2 failed batches, this was my triumph! Behold, and marvel!

Fresh from the oven!

See the beautiful waffle pattern on the lower half of the loaf? That is a nice touch from the bread pan.

Ooh, what lovely bread slices. Moist, soft, yet firm enough to make a great sandwich!

YUM. Don't you want some?

All sliced, bagged and ready to be frozen or used!

Thinking of changing my blog

I was thinking TOTAL makeover.

New pseudonyms for the kids, for myself. New title. New look.

LOL whatcha think about that?

Just want to essentially start over. Something light and fun.

Yes, I know. I'm fired.

But if you fire me, then there won't be a blog. Not that there will be a loss of posts or anything if you fire me.

Let's see... since I last posted, not much has changed. Just one tiny thing: I'm starting to make my own bread. I'm cheating a bit and using a Bosch to do the dirty work for me. Shhh, don't tell!

Even grinding my own flour. I can't believe I'm doing that. But it is so easy. Dump grain in one spot. Turn dial. Flour comes out in a different spot. Voila. Fresh flour.

So, am I fired?

On to the adventure!

We said goodbye to my husband the better part of a week ago.  It was very difficult, but now we are marching on.  We'll be okay.  

He's called 3 times so far, and it is so good to hear his voice.  It's amazing he can be so far away and yet I can hear him so clearly.  And to hear his laugh... that is like music.  

My older kids have mentioned a few times that Daddy is going to die.  That is sad to hear from your children's lips.  I have talked it over with them, reassuring them as much as I can.  They seem to understand a bit more that death isn't inevitable, but I'm sure we'll have to cover it again.

And we're going to have an adventure while he is away.  He'll have his own adventure, and we'll have ours.  Lots of field trips and exploring the area we live in.  Starting some new traditions for us to help fill the lonely hours, which I hope will make some great memories.  

All in all, I feel hopeful, even if a bit lonely for him.  Oh, the things we will have to share with him!  And then he won't have to worry about us back here.  He can do his job, knowing we are ok.

Saying goodbye

Don't worry - I'm not leaving blogging.

I just have to send my husband off to a different country.  

This is very hard.  I'm trying so hard to hold on to the hours, but they are slipping through my fingers.  I am praising God, because I was supposed to drop him off tonight with his unit, but we've been given a bit more time.  I'll take every bit I can get!

Once again, I wish I could bottle up certain moments to keep for later.  Wouldn't it be wonderful?

Projects!

Today, hubby and I started ripping the carpet up in the living room/dining room/great room area.  We had no idea what sort of state the hardwood floor underneath would be in.  But let me say, it is beautiful!

We will be calling for an estimate this week, though, for some small repairs and sealing to be done.  Not much has to be done, but we want it done well, as we need to sell this house when the Army moves us on.  

I also have some other projects that are screaming for their turn, so once this is done, it's on to the next thing.  Isn't it always?

Mixed greetings

I tell ya, when you go out with 5, you get all sorts of reactions.

Several older ladies got lots of enjoyment from my bunch.

One man chuckled everytime he passed us, especially when Emily discovered something inside her mouth was bleeding... she kept touching it, looking at the blood, wiping it on her shirt, and exclaiming: "I'm bleeding!" Then she'd repeat the entire process. Goofy kid.

One mom was eager to talk to me, as she is expecting her 3rd. She is hoping for 4, but her hubby says no.

Then this one... two young women out, one of which was the mama of 2 little ones. The mom who had no kids says (upon seeing me and my bunch), "Girl, and you think you have it bad..." and then they both looked at us with disdain. I wanted to speak up, but they weren't actually talking to me, just loud enough for me to hear. And they allowed me to see their reactions to my family. But still. I figured with their reaction, nothing I could say would be taken well.

Oh yeah, and the lady today who told me that she appreciated the sweet manners that my kids have. That made me feel really good!

Squeaker is now a YEAR OLD!!

Are you ready to hear the cliche things we all say at this point in our babies' lives?

"Where has the time gone?" "I can't believe my baby is one already!" "It seems like he was just born!"

And yet I mean all of them.

As for an update on the little guy, he has 5 teeth for sure. Not sure if that one tooth that has been bugging him has popped through yet. He still has his blue eyes, which makes me happy. (I have a brown-eyed boy, and I was hoping for a blue-eyed one, too. I think it's fun when they are so different.) He has been taking steps for a bit now, but isn't truly walking yet. I think he probably could, but he is too chicken to go for it. Oh! And he has a small dimple in his right cheek. None of my others have a dimple, so it excites me. However, the sort of dimple it is, I half wonder if it is the chub in his face that is giving him the dimple... guess we'll have to wait to find out for sure.

He's actually super shy. He hides from other babies, lol! I admit that I love how he curls up on me when another person comes near. But if you are at home with us (and he is used to you enough), he is so fun and active. He talks and talks, even seems to sing sometimes. He goes up and down our stairs with the older kids to the playroom. They can't shake him, but they actually love it. Sweetheart (my 4 yr old) will actually get down on Squeaker's level to ask him to play with him. It's pretty sweet.

Oh yes, one more thing - he has a trade mark growl when he is happy, of all things. I suppose for him it would be akin to a cat purring. He just growls and growls. It's pretty amusing.

The weird thing for me is... no new baby in sight. I'm trying to savor his each and every... everything! I wonder if he'll be the last or not. If he is the last - what a way to end that season! He is just SO wonderful. I cannot complain a bit!

Let's play the Opposite Game!

Okay, to test you, let's start off easy...


What is the opposite of happy? If you said "sad," give yourself a sticker.


Let's try another: the opposite of hot? If you said "cold," consider yourself smart!


Here's the toughie: the opposite of closed eyes? If you are my 2 yr old daughter, you said:


"Close your eyes open!"

Thought for the day - from a 5 yr old

At dinner tonight, Sugar-n-Spice said:

"I wish bad manners were good." All with a wistful expression on her face.

This girl really lives up to her name.

Girls vs Boys

I was tucking Sweetheart in tonight, and as I left the room he said, "Wait! I didn't kiss you!"

He threw his arms around my neck and gave me a sloppy kiss. I smiled into his hair and said, "You are wonderful."

"No, I'm not!"

"You're not?"

"No. I'm not a girl who is wonderful. I am a boy who is cool."

Oh, my mistake. Girls are wonderful; boys are cool. Got it.

Kid funny - Sweetheart

I told Sweetheart to go use the bathroom. While he was sitting there, I told him to try to po*p.

He made some grunting noises, then said, "Nope. My po*p's not crawling out."

What Thanksgiving traditions do you have?

So far the only real tradition to do with that specific holiday is that we make a Thanksgiving tree.

This is NOT a decorated tree, like a Christmas tree. It is a brown tree made out of construction paper or posterboard. We hang it on the wall - bare. Not a leaf on it. Then every day, we each write on a fall-colored leaf (made out of orange, yellow, or red construction paper) something we are thankful for. By Thanksgiving, the tree is full of beautiful leaves.

We start this tree on November 1st and add our last leaves the day before Thanksgiving.

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!