Or make that a week! Let's see, our week has included: 3 hands of bananas, meals consisting largely of starches/breads (rice, bread, crackers, pancakes, waffles, pasta), 2 quarts of applesauce, watered down juice and Gatorade - which Sylvia calls "Gatorwater" ;-) , plain yogurt, a large batch of homemade chicken noodle soup, lots and lots and lots of hand-washing and lots and lots and lots of laundry (not so much "dirty" laundry as much as it was "let's wash these germs away!" laundry).
Yep, a stomach virus. For each one of us.
Poor Sylvia was the first to come down with it Tuesday morning at breakfast. She threw up a few times and was very tired... so much so that she took a morning nap on a pallet of blankets in the dining room (so I could keep an eye on her) while Susannah and I worked in the kitchen. She had her last episode of the day shortly before 5pm and after that was happy and as chipper as a bug in a rug. A few times this winter each of the girls have had a very short-lived (as in, just a few hours) bout with vomiting so when things were still going great for everyone 24 hours later I breathed a sigh of relief and we went on with life.
Then, oh. my. word. Wednesday night I became sick in a way that I cannot remember being sick since I was a kid. Before going to bed Wednesday I felt like I had horrible indigestion, but I had eaten a Spicy Chicken Combo from Wendy's for supper and it just felt like it was really sitting the wrong way. I mentioned to Daniel that if, in fact, I did end up sick maybe he could stay home from work to care for the girls. I'm glad he agreed because that is exactly what happened. I did not sleep much Wednesday night at all and while being sick was "bad" the worst part seemed to be my poor, very pregnant, stomach muscles that took the load of the abuse.
Daniel did stay home on Thursday which was a heroic thing to do. I could not have gotten through the day without him... I don't think. Especially since it turned out that the day started with Sylvia getting sick again at 6am and then developing a horrible, horrible case of diarrhea that resulted in a lot of wardrobe changes and one mid-day bath. I felt badly for Daniel having all of that do take care of in a "single-parent" day, but I certainly wasn't anywhere near able to do all of that (both from lack of sleep and still trying to get to a point of feeling better). Sylvia didn't have any more vomiting and Susannah had a minor turn of sickness mid-afternoon and that was it. Susannah was perhaps the one that had this bug the easiest!
By Thursday night we were planning for Daniel to go back to work on Friday. My appetite had finally returned, a lot of napping through the day had me feeling better in general, and both girls seemed to be fine. Susannah had one final throw-up in the middle of Thursday night/Friday morning, but even when I got up to assist her I felt like a whole new person!
Then Daniel came home from work on Friday... and by the time it was suppertime he decided it was time to decline food and seclude himself upstairs. Hmm, let's just say that all evening until the girls' bedtime I was making sure we had something with noise going on downstairs!! We watched a movie, sang songs, I played the piano, we read lots of books... it also helped to distract me from knowing how awfully ill my husband was being upstairs. :-(
I slept in the guest bed and didn't get much sleep, but both girls slept the night through. Saturday was a day of recovery for all of us in various ways. Daniel felt mostly back to normal by Saturday evening, but we still opted to stay AWAY FROM PEOPLE and stay home from church yesterday. I think we're all on the other side of this bug now. The girls' digestive systems are still working at getting straightened out so they're still on a limited diet, but at least things are much improved.
I am ready for a new week with normal people, normal food, normal sleep (ahh, glorious sleep!!), normal laundry...
Showing posts with label Daniel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel. Show all posts
Monday, February 10, 2014
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Little Bits and Pieces
Susannah has recently turned into quite the little mama to her baby. She even has the whole "jiggle the baby on your hip" thing down, which is cute to watch and wonder who she learned it from since I'm not a baby "jiggler" (hey, I have enough jiggly places, I don't NEED to stand around jiggling!).
Last week I did a bunch of work in Susannah's room, rearranging her dresser and then moved in her little table and chairs. Since she now has a nice, big window in her room that lets the light POUR in (I love it!), she likes to spend time in there reading or coloring. It's nice to have the crayons and coloring books off the dining room table!
On Sunday, Sylvia refused to drink goat milk for the first time. She has been self-weaning since about the 1st of February and is down to just nursing the 1st feeding of the day. I was weaning her to goat milk (you can read why we were weaning to goat milk and not cow milk here) and she made the switch just fine. I don't know the sudden reason for her stopping liking it, but she is very happy to drink water. Since goat milk from the grocery store is $4/quart, our wallet is not complaining at her choice. She eats plenty of other dairy products and good-fat foods, so I'm not too worried about it.
Sunday morning we got to church and I was getting Sylvia out of her car-seat. As I was standing up with her in my arms, she leaned over my arm and out shot a huge, projectile-vomit burp. She straightened up, gagged and her stomach heaved out another huge projectile vomit. It splattered all over the side of the car, in the car on the seat (YAY for leather seats!!!), and blasted the side of the diaper bag. Somehow this is not the first time that Sunday-morning vomit-burps have happened (for her or Susannah). You just do what you gotta do, then, and move on! After wiping up the car as best we could with paper towels from a bathroom, we left the windows cracked and the diaper bag in the trunk.
Sunday afternoon I had to pick up my grain order and on the way home from that noticed the car making a noise. On the way to church for the evening service it was more pronounced, enough that I pulled over into a driveway to make sure a tire wasn't getting ready to burst or something. Daniel drove it home from church (he drove separately for practice) and he determined that a bearing in one of the hubs was going bad. Yesterday on his way home from work he stopped and picked up a new one (and a little more expensive than the one he'd just replaced not 2 years ago!) with a 3 year warranty. After supper he went out in the cold night, tore the wheel apart and replaced it. A test drive proved the problem fixed. I'm proud of my husband and appreciate his diligent work and knowledge to tackle and fix our vehicle issues, the savings are enormous.
Life is not dull around here, but right now it is quiet as the girls nap. :) I should go get my cup of tea and work on it before the afternoon gets too late and the caffeine keeps me up when I should be in bed!
Monday, July 30, 2012
Vacation In The Addition
Early this year, our home addition project looked like this from the outside.
Daniel's work has been exceptionally busy this past year and it has been hard for him to make great bounds of progress, but slowly and surely he has been able to get the plumbing, wiring and insulation finished, and this past week Daniel took a week of "vacation" from his paying job to work on another big step of addition progress: drywall!!
With some help from a guy at church (and his wife and a friend of theirs), Daniel's brother, Daniel's dad, and two other guys who gave us some of their time, almost all of the drywall was hung!! All that's left is a few minor detail stuff. "The guy" from church is also going to do the mudding for us, which is a huge help.
On Monday, Daniel and my brother (Glen, who was spending the week with us) finished getting everything ready for the drywall. On Tuesday morning, they went to two friends' houses and picked up extra drywall that they had leftover from their own projects and were giving to us! This is how much free-to-us drywall we had:
Soon after they got home, I noticed some dark stormclouds rolling in and went out to suggest that the drywall be brought in ASAP. Then the wind started to blow, so we all worked together and hustled the drywall in just in the nick of time!
Daniel and Glen (on the left) working to clear
Looking into the foyer from the new living room.
(Also looking at the old front door.)
Stairs to 2nd floor on right, along with a foyer closet
to the left of the stairs.
(Also looking at the old front door.)
Stairs to 2nd floor on right, along with a foyer closet
to the left of the stairs.
Looking into the Living Room from the foyer.
I know it looks huge, but we have a piano and an organ to
I know it looks huge, but we have a piano and an organ to
fit in here along with whatever "normal" living room furniture we'll have.
View from the other side of the living room.
Foyer on the left, stairs (wood-stove will go on the L/Rm. side of the stairs),
doorway to a downstairs "bonus" room on the right.
Foyer on the left, stairs (wood-stove will go on the L/Rm. side of the stairs),
doorway to a downstairs "bonus" room on the right.
In the bonus room (downstairs).
This will most likely be a toy room and eventually
This will most likely be a toy room and eventually
morph into a school-room and/or office.
Under the stairs is going to be a storage closet.
Hauling the sheet-rock upstairs was a 3-man job as it had to go
out the door, then back in and up the stairs.
We have a den upstairs. :-) This room will be an
informal living room and where our t.v. will be since we didn't
want it in the main living room. The little "nook" over on the far
side is where I hope to set up my sewing machine, or possibly
have a nice reading corner. It has south and west facing windows
and is positively lovely!
View of the den from the sewing nook.
L-R: Doorway to master bedroom, closet, (stairs), doorway
L-R: Doorway to master bedroom, closet, (stairs), doorway
to 2nd bedroom/nursery.
Upstairs nursery/2nd bedroom. I *love* the closet all the way across
the end of this smaller room!!
View of master bedroom from the master-bath doorway.
Doorway from den is right at the left edge of the picture, the
Doorway from den is right at the left edge of the picture, the
walk-in closet is down on the left.
On Thursday and Friday they got almost all of the downstairs walls up!
This is the living room in progress.
I didn't get many more pictures taken, but on Saturday the "drywall guy" was able to put on the first coat of mud on all of the upstairs ceilings. It was greatly encouraging to see it coming together so quickly! This week is a bit of a lull, but hopefully things can keep progressing and soon be ready for paint!
I'm afraid Daniel didn't have much of a vacation, but I am really proud of him for giving a week of his vacation time to forward the progress of our house!! I am SO looking forward to having more space and I am especially excited about the closet space... and the attic space that will be easily accessed through fold-down attic stairs. :-) {Currently you have to climb a step-ladder and hoist yourself into the existing attic. Not something I like to do at all as I'm just short enough that it is very precarious.}
During this week I stayed busy with my regular mothering and housework chores (as best as I could!) and also making and fixing meals for everyone who was there. I stayed hoppin' busy, but I enjoyed it even though I was dog-tired at the end of each very long day.
Anyway, our life continues to be anything but dull and boring. :-) Thanks for coming for the tour!
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Wordless Wednesday {Daddy's Pocket}
I'd say he's a hard-working man who has a daughter. Pony-tail holder, fuse, chuck, screwdriver. All found in the bottom of the washing machine after doing his laundry. :-)
(I do always check his pockets, but sometimes I miss a pair of jeans or a shirt pocket.)
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Father's Day ~ 2012
Daniel has been a most wonderful Daddy for 3 Father's Days now.
The very first picture of him as a daddy,
with Susannah in 2010.
His first picture with our 2nd daughter, Sylvia,
born this year (2012
This Father's Day he got to celebrate being Daddy to these two sweet girls:
Our Father's Day was anything but "extra special" in the "celebrate Daddy" department, but we celebrated none-the-less. It started off with Daniel needing to be at church at 8:15am to practice. I knew it would be crazy to try and get all of us up, ready, and to church by then (only for me to have to keep 2 little people entertained for 1 hour + until Sunday School started). We were both up early; Daniel so he could leave early, and me so I could get 3 people fed, dressed, and out the door to make it to Sunday School hopefully on time. We made it about 15 minutes late. I say "not bad".
On the way home from church, we both stopped for gas and by that time it was 1pm. We decided that in light of the remaining schedule for the day to get lunch at Burger King and "eat in" since we were in separate vehicles (and allowing us to all eat together). Susannah had apple slices with her meal. In the past I have peeled the slices for her, this time I encouraged her to try eating them with the peels on. Bad mistake. She gagged on a piece of peel and threw up. Thankfully not much "came up" and it was quickly cleaned up with pile of napkins. (Insert a "You know you're a parent when..." line here.)
By the time we got home it was 2:30 and we dove Susannah into her bed to nap. 15 minutes later she was awake and talking... dirty diaper. I took care of that and she went back to bed. 45 minutes later Daniel got her up and dressed while I fed Sylvia her afternoon meal, and we headed back to church. It was much too short of a nap for Susannah, but Daniel needed to be at church at 4:30 to practice for the evening churchwide picnic that started at 5:00. Not wanting to take 2 cars again (30 min. one way) we opted to all go together and hope for the best.
It was a great evening, but again late until we got home (supper was at church). I really wanted to get pictures of Daniel and the girls, and had forgotten to have them sign their cards until right then. Susannah was very much on the edge of meltdown-mode, so we did the best we could for a few minutes and then it was bedtime for her and Sylvia soon followed.
After they went to bed Daniel and I celebrated with the Peanut Butter Pie I'd made for his special dessert. It wasn't really how I had thought the whole day might go, but in the end Daniel is STILL the very, very best Daddy in the whole world!! At least we think so. :-)
Friday, June 1, 2012
The 12 Days of...
... work. Definitely not the 12 Days of Christmas! This 12 day stretch started last Monday and will end today. We are SO ready!! Daniel was on call for Memorial Day weekend, and it sure was a doozy! We have learned the hard way that for the holiday weekends he is on call, the best laid plans generally go awry so it's even better to just not have any plans.
Since the weather was so warm and very humid, I was guessing that he would be very busy so I didn't even get my hopes up that he would be home Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Saturday morning I didn't consider it a Saturday. I did the same for Sunday and Monday. They were just "another day" that Daddy had to go to work.
I am thankful that both girls have been very good for this 12 day stretch, which has made it much easier for me to "single parent" so much. Daniel has been working long days even this week when he's not on call anymore, and sometimes I can start to feel frazzled, but not this time! (Lonely for Daniel, yes, but not "ready-to-sit-down-and-cry" frazzled.) Maybe I am just getting better at "rolling with it". Probably more like God is just giving me more grace for every moment (2 Cor. 9:8 - my kitchen cupboard verse)!!
During this time I started letting Susannah play outside by herself some each day. She puts miles and miles on her little stroller, pushing it around and around and around. She LOVES being outside and I'm happy to let her have fun, get some good exercise, soak up some natural Vit. D, and burn some energy!
Yesterday evening Daniel was going to be getting home late again, so while we were waiting for him (so we could eat supper together), we went to the garden and she played in the garden for the first time.
Now it is Friday, the last workday of the week for Daniel, and I am kinda-sorta hoping that since some rain is coming through the area, he might get home early. I hope that is not just wishful thinking. He has worked late most of the days this week, too (it has been hot = they are busy), so we are really looking forward to having him home tomorrow!!
Something else I've learned over time, about times like this when Daniel is so very, very busy with his work: Appreciate it and be thankful. Even though sometimes it feels overwhelming and brain-frying to have him gone so much, there is usually a reason once we are past it and looking back. It is God's way of providing for us. For that, I'm grateful for every single hour that Daniel has to work.
This evening I feel guilty not adding this snippet: Daniel did not get home early. And in all honesty, by the time he got home I was feeling very frazzled and brain-fried. I was trying to clean the bathroom sink, Sylvia was waking up and begging for food, Susannah wanted to touch the toothpaste and in trying to reach it knocked all of the sink stuff (that I had piled on the back of the commode) onto the floor with a huge, major crash. Needless to say, I am glad Daniel is home and I am glad I don't have to plan on the pager going off this weekend.
Thank you, Lord, for providing for ALL of our needs, including the need for rest.
Since the weather was so warm and very humid, I was guessing that he would be very busy so I didn't even get my hopes up that he would be home Saturday, Sunday or Monday. Saturday morning I didn't consider it a Saturday. I did the same for Sunday and Monday. They were just "another day" that Daddy had to go to work.
Monday morning, Memorial Day, before Daniel's pager went off.
(He was out until after midnight on a call, which is why everyone else
was up and dressed and he was sleeping in. :-) )
I am thankful that both girls have been very good for this 12 day stretch, which has made it much easier for me to "single parent" so much. Daniel has been working long days even this week when he's not on call anymore, and sometimes I can start to feel frazzled, but not this time! (Lonely for Daniel, yes, but not "ready-to-sit-down-and-cry" frazzled.) Maybe I am just getting better at "rolling with it". Probably more like God is just giving me more grace for every moment (2 Cor. 9:8 - my kitchen cupboard verse)!!
Saturday morning before Daniel left, I asked him to get
my little Raggedy Ann stove out of the attic.
Susannah had lots of fun with "'sannah's 'tove!" that day!
During this time I started letting Susannah play outside by herself some each day. She puts miles and miles on her little stroller, pushing it around and around and around. She LOVES being outside and I'm happy to let her have fun, get some good exercise, soak up some natural Vit. D, and burn some energy!
Yesterday evening Daniel was going to be getting home late again, so while we were waiting for him (so we could eat supper together), we went to the garden and she played in the garden for the first time.
Now it is Friday, the last workday of the week for Daniel, and I am kinda-sorta hoping that since some rain is coming through the area, he might get home early. I hope that is not just wishful thinking. He has worked late most of the days this week, too (it has been hot = they are busy), so we are really looking forward to having him home tomorrow!!
Something else I've learned over time, about times like this when Daniel is so very, very busy with his work: Appreciate it and be thankful. Even though sometimes it feels overwhelming and brain-frying to have him gone so much, there is usually a reason once we are past it and looking back. It is God's way of providing for us. For that, I'm grateful for every single hour that Daniel has to work.
This evening I feel guilty not adding this snippet: Daniel did not get home early. And in all honesty, by the time he got home I was feeling very frazzled and brain-fried. I was trying to clean the bathroom sink, Sylvia was waking up and begging for food, Susannah wanted to touch the toothpaste and in trying to reach it knocked all of the sink stuff (that I had piled on the back of the commode) onto the floor with a huge, major crash. Needless to say, I am glad Daniel is home and I am glad I don't have to plan on the pager going off this weekend.
Thank you, Lord, for providing for ALL of our needs, including the need for rest.
Friday, April 20, 2012
He Brought Me Flowers
I am loved.
Last evening Daniel went out to mow the yard a bit. I was giving Susannah a bath and it had been a trying day. I walked into the kitchen and didn't even notice right away. But then I saw them. This beautiful, simple bouquet of blooms from our yard. He told me this morning that he picked the very first rose-bud for me. How sweet is that?!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Baking, Building and Making Memories
Last week I had a huge [what I suspect was a] nesting spurt and spent the better part of 2 days in the kitchen. I had been planning to get some baking done before the baby comes, and those days it just seemed like I wanted, almost NEEDED, to do it and get it out of my system :) For some reason these last few weeks of the pregnancy I have been very un-motivated and un-inspired in the kitchen (or much of anywhere else, really!), so I had great fun doing something that I actually WANTED to do (besides sleep, that is :) ).
The first day I felt almost giddy with everything I got made and frozen:
My brothers gave me those stacking cooling racks a couple years ago for Christmas and I put them to good use a few times a year and REALLY like having them!!!
I did not get a picture from the second day. That day my top priority was 3 angel food cakes (from scratch) for a family birthday party we were going to. Aside from the 3 cakes, I also made a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies and a big batch of mini crustless quiche (I think it was 3 1/2 doz? Baked in regular cupcake pans.). For the chocolate chip cookies, I baked 4 dozen cookies, then the rest of the dough I scooped out onto waxed paper covered plates and froze, getting enough for another 2 dozen cookies, I think. Of course after the dough was frozen I bagged up the dough balls :)
Susannah had great fun helping me over the two days. I was shaping the first round of bagels while she was awake, and I gave her one of the little dough balls to play with. After I made her stop taste-testing it (she'd eating probably 1/3 of it, ha!), she had fun mashing and kneading and stretching and attempting to imitate my bagel shaping. When I finished with the rest of the bagels, I did help her make her little dough wad into a bagel and she was pretty thrilled :)
Her favorite place in the kitchen - if I'm in there working on ANYthing - is on her "ng" (like "ing" without the "i"), which is what she calls the kitchen stool*, RIGHT at my elbow watching and ready to help with whatever I'll let her help with. If I am making something in the mixer, I've started dragging it out to the middle of the counter where she can see into the bowl and watch it mixing. She loves to help dump ingredients in and help stir if I'm mixing something by hand. She can't wait to be able to crack eggs and measure oil :) And she is always ready and eager for a "gaze" (taste) and lets me know it! I actually almost always enjoy having her company while I'm cooking or baking. I want her to have great, fun memories of helping me in the kitchen - not only because I want her to grow up knowing and enjoying how to cook and bake, but because I just think it will be a fun thing to look back on many years from now.
*We have no idea where or how she came up with "ng" to be her word for the stool. We call it the stool and try to get her to say stool, and she just keeps calling it "ng" :) I know one day she'll say it and it will no longer be the "ng".
While I worked in the kitchen on Saturday, Daniel was working on the addition. Susannah loves it when her Daddy is home and she can be with him. If he is out there and she is not, it doesn't take long for her to ask to go out there, too. She loves to "hammie" (hammer) and "bang-bang" (what you do with a hammer, of course!) just like he does. I always make sure it suits him for her to be out there (for her safety), and when it does she has so much fun! Saturday evening was one of those times so I bundled her up and out she went. I finally remembered to grab my camera and get a couple pictures. It was dark outside and the lighting isn't the greatest out there (yet!), so this was the best one I got.
I still love being a mama, seeing things through Susannah's eyes, watching and helping her make memories (even though she doesn't realize it yet) of helping her mama and daddy with the things they do. The things we simply enjoy, or do just because they are something we do, and yet they are big and exciting and so much fun for her! It is a thrill to my heart :)
The first day I felt almost giddy with everything I got made and frozen:
Double batch Cinnamon Raisin Bagels (yield 20)
Double batch Onion-Parmesan Bagels (yield 20)
Double batch Strawberry-Blueberry Muffins (yield 24)
1 batch bread (yield 3 loaves)
Double batch Onion-Parmesan Bagels (yield 20)
Double batch Strawberry-Blueberry Muffins (yield 24)
1 batch bread (yield 3 loaves)
My brothers gave me those stacking cooling racks a couple years ago for Christmas and I put them to good use a few times a year and REALLY like having them!!!
I did not get a picture from the second day. That day my top priority was 3 angel food cakes (from scratch) for a family birthday party we were going to. Aside from the 3 cakes, I also made a double batch of Chocolate Chip Cookies and a big batch of mini crustless quiche (I think it was 3 1/2 doz? Baked in regular cupcake pans.). For the chocolate chip cookies, I baked 4 dozen cookies, then the rest of the dough I scooped out onto waxed paper covered plates and froze, getting enough for another 2 dozen cookies, I think. Of course after the dough was frozen I bagged up the dough balls :)
Susannah had great fun helping me over the two days. I was shaping the first round of bagels while she was awake, and I gave her one of the little dough balls to play with. After I made her stop taste-testing it (she'd eating probably 1/3 of it, ha!), she had fun mashing and kneading and stretching and attempting to imitate my bagel shaping. When I finished with the rest of the bagels, I did help her make her little dough wad into a bagel and she was pretty thrilled :)
Her favorite place in the kitchen - if I'm in there working on ANYthing - is on her "ng" (like "ing" without the "i"), which is what she calls the kitchen stool*, RIGHT at my elbow watching and ready to help with whatever I'll let her help with. If I am making something in the mixer, I've started dragging it out to the middle of the counter where she can see into the bowl and watch it mixing. She loves to help dump ingredients in and help stir if I'm mixing something by hand. She can't wait to be able to crack eggs and measure oil :) And she is always ready and eager for a "gaze" (taste) and lets me know it! I actually almost always enjoy having her company while I'm cooking or baking. I want her to have great, fun memories of helping me in the kitchen - not only because I want her to grow up knowing and enjoying how to cook and bake, but because I just think it will be a fun thing to look back on many years from now.
*We have no idea where or how she came up with "ng" to be her word for the stool. We call it the stool and try to get her to say stool, and she just keeps calling it "ng" :) I know one day she'll say it and it will no longer be the "ng".
While I worked in the kitchen on Saturday, Daniel was working on the addition. Susannah loves it when her Daddy is home and she can be with him. If he is out there and she is not, it doesn't take long for her to ask to go out there, too. She loves to "hammie" (hammer) and "bang-bang" (what you do with a hammer, of course!) just like he does. I always make sure it suits him for her to be out there (for her safety), and when it does she has so much fun! Saturday evening was one of those times so I bundled her up and out she went. I finally remembered to grab my camera and get a couple pictures. It was dark outside and the lighting isn't the greatest out there (yet!), so this was the best one I got.
I still love being a mama, seeing things through Susannah's eyes, watching and helping her make memories (even though she doesn't realize it yet) of helping her mama and daddy with the things they do. The things we simply enjoy, or do just because they are something we do, and yet they are big and exciting and so much fun for her! It is a thrill to my heart :)
Monday, January 30, 2012
Monday Morning Musings
Just a few thoughts as I start the day.
I slept so well last night! It was a far cry from a 7 or 8 hour night of sleep, but I took a good nap yesterday afternoon. If I remember correctly, either for supper or when we put Susannah to bed, Daniel prayed that I would sleep well, which is a kind-of random thing for him to pray. I am thankful for a "yes" answer to that prayer!
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING beats homemade bread. At least when it comes to store-bought bread. This past Thursday I had planned to make bread in the evening. Those plans were pushed to the side - gladly! - as at the very last minute Daniel and I were able to scoot away for an evening date. (It had been October since we'd gone on a date!) Part of the date was going to Kroger :) Since we were out of bread we picked up two loaves of marked-down "bakery bread". They were inexpensive and looked good. Somehow I thought they were whole wheat at least in part, but they were actually white. They serve the purpose of bread, but wow, we both thought the bread tasted like dry cardboard. Last night I had the bread machine mix up a loaf of whole wheat dough which I baked in a regular loaf in the oven. It tastes delicious and the way good bread should taste :)
I am thankful for my husband. For the hard work he did last night helping to re-arrange Susannah's room. We needed to relocate the desk that was in there (putting it out into the addition was the only other option, so it will be covered with plastic as the construction goes on!), and instead of both of us moving it, he muscled it around on his own. Granted, we had taken all of the drawers out, but I'm sure it still wasn't light as a feather - it is solid wood.
This morning I took a prenatal vitamin for the first time in a very long time. I took them before I became pregnant and for a little while after, but once I realized they were the cause of my ever-lasting "morning sickness" I stopped taking them. Since then I have occasionally taken a vitamin of some sort (usually a packet of Emergen-C). This morning I was thinking that as there are only roughly 4 weeks left in the pregnancy, and that soon my body will be providing nourishment in a whole different way for our little baby, I figured I should start taking some vitamins again.
I am planning on a very productive day. One of my goals for January and before the baby comes is to clean the floor/bottom shelf of the pantry. Thinking about it last night, I realize there is a lot of stuff there that we are not using that can be store much more efficiently else-where. I am thinking I may just begin tackling that project this morning once I publish this post :) If I think energetic and positive thoughts for the day, I'll be energetic and it will be a good day, right??
I am so grateful to the Lord and praise Him for His provision and care for us. For the big things, like Daniel's job. For the little things, like the two potted flowers a lady gave to Daniel to give to me, because she was going away for a while and they require regular watering. They are a beautiful ray of yellow on my kitchen windowsill and I love watching their sunshiny buds grow and open into beautiful flowers.
I slept so well last night! It was a far cry from a 7 or 8 hour night of sleep, but I took a good nap yesterday afternoon. If I remember correctly, either for supper or when we put Susannah to bed, Daniel prayed that I would sleep well, which is a kind-of random thing for him to pray. I am thankful for a "yes" answer to that prayer!
Nothing, and I mean NOTHING beats homemade bread. At least when it comes to store-bought bread. This past Thursday I had planned to make bread in the evening. Those plans were pushed to the side - gladly! - as at the very last minute Daniel and I were able to scoot away for an evening date. (It had been October since we'd gone on a date!) Part of the date was going to Kroger :) Since we were out of bread we picked up two loaves of marked-down "bakery bread". They were inexpensive and looked good. Somehow I thought they were whole wheat at least in part, but they were actually white. They serve the purpose of bread, but wow, we both thought the bread tasted like dry cardboard. Last night I had the bread machine mix up a loaf of whole wheat dough which I baked in a regular loaf in the oven. It tastes delicious and the way good bread should taste :)
I am thankful for my husband. For the hard work he did last night helping to re-arrange Susannah's room. We needed to relocate the desk that was in there (putting it out into the addition was the only other option, so it will be covered with plastic as the construction goes on!), and instead of both of us moving it, he muscled it around on his own. Granted, we had taken all of the drawers out, but I'm sure it still wasn't light as a feather - it is solid wood.
This morning I took a prenatal vitamin for the first time in a very long time. I took them before I became pregnant and for a little while after, but once I realized they were the cause of my ever-lasting "morning sickness" I stopped taking them. Since then I have occasionally taken a vitamin of some sort (usually a packet of Emergen-C). This morning I was thinking that as there are only roughly 4 weeks left in the pregnancy, and that soon my body will be providing nourishment in a whole different way for our little baby, I figured I should start taking some vitamins again.
I am planning on a very productive day. One of my goals for January and before the baby comes is to clean the floor/bottom shelf of the pantry. Thinking about it last night, I realize there is a lot of stuff there that we are not using that can be store much more efficiently else-where. I am thinking I may just begin tackling that project this morning once I publish this post :) If I think energetic and positive thoughts for the day, I'll be energetic and it will be a good day, right??
I am so grateful to the Lord and praise Him for His provision and care for us. For the big things, like Daniel's job. For the little things, like the two potted flowers a lady gave to Daniel to give to me, because she was going away for a while and they require regular watering. They are a beautiful ray of yellow on my kitchen windowsill and I love watching their sunshiny buds grow and open into beautiful flowers.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Giving Thanks
But my God shall supply all your needsaccording to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:19
While I think that we should always be thankful, during November it is easier to remember since this is the month we celebrate thankfulness with Thanksgiving Day. One of my goals for this month is to write down every day some things I am thankful for. I hope to post those here weekly through the month.
November 1
~This morning when I got Susannah up, I especially noticed how she smells, like a sweet little baby. It's just the way she smells, but I was soaking it up today, sniffing her often and tucking her baby scent away in my memory. I am thankful for the opportunity and blessing it is to be her mama!
~I am also thankful that Susannah is affectionate. She wasn't a cuddly baby, but now she freely gives "squeezes" and sometimes will actually cuddle. One way she shows affection is to rub you, generally on the back or arm. Today we were working in the kitchen quite a bit, and she was on the stool watching me work. Many times through the day she would look at me with her beautiful brown eyes, seriously jabber something in her all-vowel jabber, and then smiling, rest her head on my arm and give my back a little rub. I like to think she was telling me "I love you, Mama!"
November 2
~I am thankful for the beautiful weather we've been having most days, and the gorgeous colors God is splashing our world with through the leaves changing from greens to yellows and golds and oranges and reds.
~Another reason I'm thankful for this beautiful weather is that it is a wonderful time to go outside most days after lunch and walk around with Susannah. We meander in a large circle, going from the house to the mailbox, then to the garden, usually the hammock to swing for a few minutes, down to the shed to "drive" the lawn mower, and then back up to the house. It is fun to see things through my daughter's eyes.
November 3
~Today I am thankful for a Heavenly Father who cares about "the least of these" and allowed me to feel Baby Gus wiggling a LOT today. He (or she) had been moving around quite a bit the previous week, and then for a couple days I was barely feeling any movement. I was starting to get worried that maybe something wasn't right, and went to sleep last night praying that God would let me feel my baby moving. This morning I still hadn't felt anything and put in a call to my Dr's office. While waiting for them to call me back, I ate breakfast and drank some orange juice (which is normal). While I was finishing my orange juice, Baby Gus just started wiggling and wiggling. What an answer to prayer! (And he has been moving quite regularly since then :) )
~Back to the doctor, though, I am also very thankful for my OB who talked to me personally on the phone this morning. I'm thankful for her knowledge and confidence, her "bedside manners" and the way she treats me as a real person she cares about, and not "just another patient." (And her suggestion, which was reassuring and I had wondered about, was that most likely the baby had shifted into a position where I just couldn't feel the movements as well.)
November 4
~Today I am thankful for the promise in Exodus 20:6. I have probably read or heard it before, but never like I have seen it this past week. Usually you hear Exodus 20:5 quoted and it can be very oppressing if you don't know verse 6 that follows!
~I am thankful for godly women in my life who I can look up to and learn from.
~I am also thankful for the Bible Study group I am with this fall - an amazing study alongside amazing women.
November 5
~I am thankful for my husband who is the very best husband to me and who is a wonderful daddy to our Susannah. I love watching him play with her and love on her.
~I am thankful that mouths heal quickly! Poor Susannah bit the side of her tongue quite badly this evening.
~I am thankful for an abundant harvest of bell peppers this year. This afternoon I picked the very last ones (the leaves on the plants froze with the first frost a couple nights ago) and got a grocery bag full! It was a pleasant surprise :)
~I am thankful for fresh-from-the-oven, hot, buttered bagels :)
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
What A Difference Some Milk Makes
I want to blog about this time in Susannah's life mostly for memory's sake, but also to share some cute pictures :)
From the very beginning of Susannah's life, people have told us over and over, "she'll eat when she's hungry". But we have eventually figured out with each "stage" that for Susannah, that's not exactly true.
When she was just a few days old, she would cry and scream from hunger, but be too impatient to nurse. People told us "she'll eat when she's hungry"... but she WAS hungry, and wouldn't eat. With lots of patience, some help from a friend, and lots of practice on both mine and Susannah's part, she learned to nurse.
Fast forward to several months ago, and she started occasionally basically refusing to eat anything that wasn't pureed to smithereens. She had been eating chunkier foods, but wouldn't. Again, people told us "she'll eat when she's hungry". That time we figured out that she was teething... and pureed all of her foods which she would then eat heartily. Eventually once her teeth stopped bothering her (and you would never know she was teething), she started eating her usual non-pureed foods again.
To rewind a bit, from the time she was weaned on, about 95% of her liquid intake was whole cows milk. I grew up drinking milk all the time - I actually preferred milk over water - and I just think that milk is the best drink for growing kids. (I know some of you may have different ideas, thoughts or perspectives. I'm not on a "drink milk" campaign in this post.) I didn't think twice about our kids NOT drinking milk most of the time - at least for every meal - while growing up.
Back this summer Susannah started occasionally going through phases where she just would. not. eat. She would take two or three bites of each food and then say she was all done. Sometimes we could get more in her, but sometimes she would just fuss and refuse to eat. It just didn't seem right to me, but trusted people told us "she'll eat when she's hungry". She was drinking milk, so I wasn't extremely worried that she was going to dry up and blow away, but my mama-gut just felt that it wasn't right for her to only eat a couple tablespoons for a meal... or two, or three in a row. It was never consistent enough for me to think I should take her to the Dr., or that something was REALLY wrong... I was just puzzled.
Then she started what we thought was a "sensitive gagger" stage. Sometimes she would just throw up on the most random foods. And throw up EVERYTHING. And then not want to eat anymore (who would?). We started being very careful how much and what she/we put in her mouth. Cleaning up throw-up is not fun. Cleaning a high-chair with it's cracks and crannies full of throw-up is even less fun. I learned really quickly how to get the high-chair clean with little effort:
Susannah's phases of not wanting to eat very much were becoming more frequent, as was her throwing up. Some days she would eat fine, but others - and for a couple days in a row - she would eat like a bird. She was still drinking milk, and drinking plenty of it (she would go through about 1 1/2 gal. a week). And she was still having plenty of wet diapers and a normal amount of dirty ones.
A couple weeks ago we went on a weekend vacation, and she threw up TWICE during that time. She would act hungry, but then only eat a little bit. Cheerios were about the only thing she would eat. A few days after we got home, she was not wanting to eat. It was day 3, I think, of her barely eating at each meal and I was really pushing her to eat more food (she was down to eating 1, maybe 2 Tbsp. of food at a meal) because I just knew that she needed the food. No one can convince me that she was eating enough. Getting enough milk, yes. Getting enough FOOD, no. She still wasn't looking sick or like she wasn't healthy, she just wouldn't eat. Anyway, back to the meal... I pushed her to eat one more bite, and as soon as it went in her mouth ALL of her supper and then some came back up.
Because my stomach wanted to flip-flop, too (pregnancy!), because I was frustrated with myself for having pushed her one-bite-too-far, and because I was frustrated that she wasn't eating (though not frustrated AT Susannah), I called for Daniel to come take over right away. I went outside and sat on the steps for some fresh air and eventually cried for a bit.
My mama-gut just knew something wasn't right. I just could not for the life of me figure out what. Was she going through a picky stage? But on good days she would eat just about anything. Does she have a sensitive gagger? But why so sensitive? WHAT was making it so she didn't want to eat?? WHAT was making her throw up?? I was frustrated and did not know what to do. Should I take her to the Dr? Do I call a friend and see if she has any suggestions? Do I just assume that "she'll eat when she's hungry" and not worry about her only eating maybe 1/4 cup of food a day?? (And she wasn't snacking, either... she would ask for a cracker but then not eat it, which was also strange to me.)
I finally realized I had not done the one thing I should've already done: I had not prayed about the situation. In desperation (why do I seem to always wait for the situation to get desperate?!) I silently cried out to God asking Him WHAT is the matter? WHAT am I doing wrong? WHY isn't she eating? WHY is she throwing up? I don't know what to do!! HELP!!! Show me!!!
Within 5 minutes, Daniel came out to gently ask if I was ok. I told him I didn't know... I was frustrated and didn't know what the problem was or what to do. Out of no-where he said "I wonder if it's the milk."
It was as if God answered my prayer right then and there. Is it the milk? But she drinks milk... and likes to drink milk. But she drinks a LOT of milk. And Daniel's family (and Daniel himself) have some sensitivities to milk (and yogurt and ice cream). I had never thought of milk before.
That evening Susannah did not have any more milk to drink. Of course she had emptied her stomach contents (which obviously included the milk she'd had after her nap and for supper), so she was starting with a "clean" stomach. We gave her water for the rest of the day.
The next morning when she woke up, the first thing she did was sign "eat". I cannot tell you what my heart and emotions did to see her asking to eat. I gave her some juice - instead of milk - while I fixed her breakfast and she chugged down the entire sippy cup full. And then ate more food at that breakfast than she had eaten in all 3 meals the day before. I continued to give her water instead of milk over the course of the morning, and by lunch-time she was persistently asking to "eat" again. I fixed lunch for her, a finger-food lunch, but it was the same amount as I usually fixed. But usually she would only eat 2 or 3 pieces of each food, and maybe 1 cracker before declaring "all done". This is what she ate for her first no-milk lunch:
When I saw her putting the food into her mouth... and she kept eating... and it stayed down... and she kept eating... I wanted to cry from happiness and in praise to the Lord.
Since then we have not given her milk to drink. That has been about 2 weeks ago, now, and she continues to amaze me with how MUCH and how WELL she will eat!! Her sensitive gagger issues seem to have gone away, too. It used to be that if her mouth was very full at all, she would gag and throw up. Now she stuffs her mouth TOO full sometimes (before we notice and intervene) and she'll just chew it up and swallow it down! It makes sense to me that if her stomach was feeling "off" she would gag & throw up much, much easier. She has not thrown up once since we took her off milk, either. There have been a few times that she's started to swallow something too soon, and has to "work it back up"... and I nervously wait for her to throw up but she doesn't.
My only regret is that I didn't weigh her when we first took her off milk. Again, there was no noticeable weight-loss (She's always been in the 50th - 90th percentile range for her size/age.), she was not thin or sick looking, and there hasn't been any noticeable weight-gain, but I'm sure she's put on a few pounds in that short time just because she is eating so much more than she ever did before!
I am starting to research other options for milk for Susannah. Goats milk and almond milk will probably be my first experiments. If milk, period, is an issue I am content with letting her get her calcium from non-dairy sources, but milk is my no. 1 choice. Milk products (yogurt and ice cream, two things that bother Daniel if he has too much) will only be trial and error, or taking it easy on those foods until she is able to communicate if they bother her stomach or not. Currently yogurt is one and only thing she refuses to eat. She will ask for a taste but then won't touch the first taste. I think that probably is a mind thing ;)
Again, her issue with milk is totally a home-diagnosis. It's not a "proven" fact, but her 180° turn-around is evidence enough for me. I will probably mention it to her Dr. at the next visit, just so he is "in the know", but I don't plan to have any testing done.
Now I just praise the Lord for answering my prayer so quickly, for giving Daniel the thought that "maybe it's milk", and that Susannah is EATING again!!
My two lessons from this are:
~Pray! Before the situation gets "desperate".
and
~Trust my mama-gut feelings.
*I want to add that Daniel and I did talk through his own sensitivities to milk to hopefully get a grasp of how milk might be affecting Susannah. Daniel said that he grew up eating cereal & milk every morning for breakfast... but it wasn't until he went away to college and then came back home (and started eating cereal and milk for breakfast again) that he realized his stomach hurt every time he had milk. And he said "I didn't want to eat, either, when my stomach hurt." Now Daniel can have a bowl of cereal or ice cream occasionally, but if he has them two days in a row it starts to bother his stomach. Milk or milk products in things don't seem to bother him, unless it's something like white sauce, a breakfast casserole with lots of milk in it, or something similar that is mostly milk. He gets cheese every day on both his breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and it doesn't bother him, so cheese is becoming more a part of Susannah's diet.
Susannah and her Uncle Luke
From the very beginning of Susannah's life, people have told us over and over, "she'll eat when she's hungry". But we have eventually figured out with each "stage" that for Susannah, that's not exactly true.
When she was just a few days old, she would cry and scream from hunger, but be too impatient to nurse. People told us "she'll eat when she's hungry"... but she WAS hungry, and wouldn't eat. With lots of patience, some help from a friend, and lots of practice on both mine and Susannah's part, she learned to nurse.
Fast forward to several months ago, and she started occasionally basically refusing to eat anything that wasn't pureed to smithereens. She had been eating chunkier foods, but wouldn't. Again, people told us "she'll eat when she's hungry". That time we figured out that she was teething... and pureed all of her foods which she would then eat heartily. Eventually once her teeth stopped bothering her (and you would never know she was teething), she started eating her usual non-pureed foods again.
To rewind a bit, from the time she was weaned on, about 95% of her liquid intake was whole cows milk. I grew up drinking milk all the time - I actually preferred milk over water - and I just think that milk is the best drink for growing kids. (I know some of you may have different ideas, thoughts or perspectives. I'm not on a "drink milk" campaign in this post.) I didn't think twice about our kids NOT drinking milk most of the time - at least for every meal - while growing up.
Back this summer Susannah started occasionally going through phases where she just would. not. eat. She would take two or three bites of each food and then say she was all done. Sometimes we could get more in her, but sometimes she would just fuss and refuse to eat. It just didn't seem right to me, but trusted people told us "she'll eat when she's hungry". She was drinking milk, so I wasn't extremely worried that she was going to dry up and blow away, but my mama-gut just felt that it wasn't right for her to only eat a couple tablespoons for a meal... or two, or three in a row. It was never consistent enough for me to think I should take her to the Dr., or that something was REALLY wrong... I was just puzzled.
Then she started what we thought was a "sensitive gagger" stage. Sometimes she would just throw up on the most random foods. And throw up EVERYTHING. And then not want to eat anymore (who would?). We started being very careful how much and what she/we put in her mouth. Cleaning up throw-up is not fun. Cleaning a high-chair with it's cracks and crannies full of throw-up is even less fun. I learned really quickly how to get the high-chair clean with little effort:
Run it through the "high-chair car wash"
Susannah's phases of not wanting to eat very much were becoming more frequent, as was her throwing up. Some days she would eat fine, but others - and for a couple days in a row - she would eat like a bird. She was still drinking milk, and drinking plenty of it (she would go through about 1 1/2 gal. a week). And she was still having plenty of wet diapers and a normal amount of dirty ones.
A couple weeks ago we went on a weekend vacation, and she threw up TWICE during that time. She would act hungry, but then only eat a little bit. Cheerios were about the only thing she would eat. A few days after we got home, she was not wanting to eat. It was day 3, I think, of her barely eating at each meal and I was really pushing her to eat more food (she was down to eating 1, maybe 2 Tbsp. of food at a meal) because I just knew that she needed the food. No one can convince me that she was eating enough. Getting enough milk, yes. Getting enough FOOD, no. She still wasn't looking sick or like she wasn't healthy, she just wouldn't eat. Anyway, back to the meal... I pushed her to eat one more bite, and as soon as it went in her mouth ALL of her supper and then some came back up.
Because my stomach wanted to flip-flop, too (pregnancy!), because I was frustrated with myself for having pushed her one-bite-too-far, and because I was frustrated that she wasn't eating (though not frustrated AT Susannah), I called for Daniel to come take over right away. I went outside and sat on the steps for some fresh air and eventually cried for a bit.
My mama-gut just knew something wasn't right. I just could not for the life of me figure out what. Was she going through a picky stage? But on good days she would eat just about anything. Does she have a sensitive gagger? But why so sensitive? WHAT was making it so she didn't want to eat?? WHAT was making her throw up?? I was frustrated and did not know what to do. Should I take her to the Dr? Do I call a friend and see if she has any suggestions? Do I just assume that "she'll eat when she's hungry" and not worry about her only eating maybe 1/4 cup of food a day?? (And she wasn't snacking, either... she would ask for a cracker but then not eat it, which was also strange to me.)
I finally realized I had not done the one thing I should've already done: I had not prayed about the situation. In desperation (why do I seem to always wait for the situation to get desperate?!) I silently cried out to God asking Him WHAT is the matter? WHAT am I doing wrong? WHY isn't she eating? WHY is she throwing up? I don't know what to do!! HELP!!! Show me!!!
Within 5 minutes, Daniel came out to gently ask if I was ok. I told him I didn't know... I was frustrated and didn't know what the problem was or what to do. Out of no-where he said "I wonder if it's the milk."
It was as if God answered my prayer right then and there. Is it the milk? But she drinks milk... and likes to drink milk. But she drinks a LOT of milk. And Daniel's family (and Daniel himself) have some sensitivities to milk (and yogurt and ice cream). I had never thought of milk before.
That evening Susannah did not have any more milk to drink. Of course she had emptied her stomach contents (which obviously included the milk she'd had after her nap and for supper), so she was starting with a "clean" stomach. We gave her water for the rest of the day.
The next morning when she woke up, the first thing she did was sign "eat". I cannot tell you what my heart and emotions did to see her asking to eat. I gave her some juice - instead of milk - while I fixed her breakfast and she chugged down the entire sippy cup full. And then ate more food at that breakfast than she had eaten in all 3 meals the day before. I continued to give her water instead of milk over the course of the morning, and by lunch-time she was persistently asking to "eat" again. I fixed lunch for her, a finger-food lunch, but it was the same amount as I usually fixed. But usually she would only eat 2 or 3 pieces of each food, and maybe 1 cracker before declaring "all done". This is what she ate for her first no-milk lunch:
When I saw her putting the food into her mouth... and she kept eating... and it stayed down... and she kept eating... I wanted to cry from happiness and in praise to the Lord.
Since then we have not given her milk to drink. That has been about 2 weeks ago, now, and she continues to amaze me with how MUCH and how WELL she will eat!! Her sensitive gagger issues seem to have gone away, too. It used to be that if her mouth was very full at all, she would gag and throw up. Now she stuffs her mouth TOO full sometimes (before we notice and intervene) and she'll just chew it up and swallow it down! It makes sense to me that if her stomach was feeling "off" she would gag & throw up much, much easier. She has not thrown up once since we took her off milk, either. There have been a few times that she's started to swallow something too soon, and has to "work it back up"... and I nervously wait for her to throw up but she doesn't.
My only regret is that I didn't weigh her when we first took her off milk. Again, there was no noticeable weight-loss (She's always been in the 50th - 90th percentile range for her size/age.), she was not thin or sick looking, and there hasn't been any noticeable weight-gain, but I'm sure she's put on a few pounds in that short time just because she is eating so much more than she ever did before!
I am starting to research other options for milk for Susannah. Goats milk and almond milk will probably be my first experiments. If milk, period, is an issue I am content with letting her get her calcium from non-dairy sources, but milk is my no. 1 choice. Milk products (yogurt and ice cream, two things that bother Daniel if he has too much) will only be trial and error, or taking it easy on those foods until she is able to communicate if they bother her stomach or not. Currently yogurt is one and only thing she refuses to eat. She will ask for a taste but then won't touch the first taste. I think that probably is a mind thing ;)
Again, her issue with milk is totally a home-diagnosis. It's not a "proven" fact, but her 180° turn-around is evidence enough for me. I will probably mention it to her Dr. at the next visit, just so he is "in the know", but I don't plan to have any testing done.
Now I just praise the Lord for answering my prayer so quickly, for giving Daniel the thought that "maybe it's milk", and that Susannah is EATING again!!
Susannah and her dolly early one morning.
She used to hate wearing a hat, but after we gave her a dolly
(who has a hat), she likes to wear her own hat :)
She used to hate wearing a hat, but after we gave her a dolly
(who has a hat), she likes to wear her own hat :)
My two lessons from this are:
~Pray! Before the situation gets "desperate".
and
~Trust my mama-gut feelings.
*I want to add that Daniel and I did talk through his own sensitivities to milk to hopefully get a grasp of how milk might be affecting Susannah. Daniel said that he grew up eating cereal & milk every morning for breakfast... but it wasn't until he went away to college and then came back home (and started eating cereal and milk for breakfast again) that he realized his stomach hurt every time he had milk. And he said "I didn't want to eat, either, when my stomach hurt." Now Daniel can have a bowl of cereal or ice cream occasionally, but if he has them two days in a row it starts to bother his stomach. Milk or milk products in things don't seem to bother him, unless it's something like white sauce, a breakfast casserole with lots of milk in it, or something similar that is mostly milk. He gets cheese every day on both his breakfast and lunch sandwiches, and it doesn't bother him, so cheese is becoming more a part of Susannah's diet.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Finally the Slow Season. For Income.
I never thought I would look forward to Daniel's work slowing down like I have this year. In past years it's been a test of faith when the slow time kept going... and going... and going. And the bills didn't stop coming just because our income dropped drastically.
This year, though, we were anticipating it. And when things got BUSY instead of slowing down, we were thinking "Ok... it's nice overtime, I guess he'll work on the addition ... sometime!" Then last week he started getting home at more reasonable hours. And this week early.
He didn't have to go to work yesterday at all, and has off again today! Usually the slow time is much earlier in the year so I was thinking maybe it had skipped over his company this time. Now that this week has turned into a 3 day work week, it's kinda nice. I'm not anxious about getting through the slow season this year. I know that God will get us through financially, and we're also better prepared than we have been in the past.
While we have no way of knowing if this will last one week or several, here are ways I'm planning to make our household budget stretch:
Making meals strictly from what we already have on hand. We bought 1/2 a side of beef this spring, I have 2 turkeys in the freezer from the Easter sale (one is cooked and picked, the other one is still whole), sliced ham for sandwiches also from the Easter sale, and a couple weeks ago I stocked up on chicken when it was on sale and marked down. We are getting plenty of squash and zucchini from the garden plus there are plenty of peas in the freezer and some other frozen vegetables that I picked up here and there. I have been keeping more flour on hand so bread won't be a problem. The only thing we will need to get weekly will be milk, and maybe orange juice or eggs.
Ban use of the clothes dryer. I'll be honest and say that this week I have used it instead of hanging clothes out on the line because I felt I had so much going on. But I can rearrange priorities even more and start hanging out laundry again. I might save electricity by using my time to hang out the laundry instead of running the vacuum cleaner... :P I'm working on a wedding cake this week, so my already prioritized priorities are even more not the norm.
Use cloth diapers. Disposables are so not cheap when you're not sniffing out the best deals possible. Ok, "sniffing out" probably wasn't the best choice of words! Ha! I have really slacked off on the cloth diapers lately because I haven't made folding the flat diapers a top priority. Since I bought the FuzziBunz - which I could use day in and day out! - I have grown to really dis-like the flat diapers that require about 5x the work. I was actually considering buying more FuzziBunz (we only have 5, enough for 1 day), but of course that is going to go way back on the burner now. What we do have works just fine, I just need to take the time to use them.
I know none of this is new to me and probably not to you. I'm putting it in writing because somehow this makes it more do-able and more of a commitment on my part. I've done pantry challenges before. I've been strict about line drying everything before. I've been strict about using cloth diapers before. I can do it again.
I'll be posting again soon, I hope, with some new pictures of progress actually being made on the addition! It has been so long since Daniel's been able to make any real progress, this is exciting!
This year, though, we were anticipating it. And when things got BUSY instead of slowing down, we were thinking "Ok... it's nice overtime, I guess he'll work on the addition ... sometime!" Then last week he started getting home at more reasonable hours. And this week early.
He didn't have to go to work yesterday at all, and has off again today! Usually the slow time is much earlier in the year so I was thinking maybe it had skipped over his company this time. Now that this week has turned into a 3 day work week, it's kinda nice. I'm not anxious about getting through the slow season this year. I know that God will get us through financially, and we're also better prepared than we have been in the past.
While we have no way of knowing if this will last one week or several, here are ways I'm planning to make our household budget stretch:
Making meals strictly from what we already have on hand. We bought 1/2 a side of beef this spring, I have 2 turkeys in the freezer from the Easter sale (one is cooked and picked, the other one is still whole), sliced ham for sandwiches also from the Easter sale, and a couple weeks ago I stocked up on chicken when it was on sale and marked down. We are getting plenty of squash and zucchini from the garden plus there are plenty of peas in the freezer and some other frozen vegetables that I picked up here and there. I have been keeping more flour on hand so bread won't be a problem. The only thing we will need to get weekly will be milk, and maybe orange juice or eggs.
Ban use of the clothes dryer. I'll be honest and say that this week I have used it instead of hanging clothes out on the line because I felt I had so much going on. But I can rearrange priorities even more and start hanging out laundry again. I might save electricity by using my time to hang out the laundry instead of running the vacuum cleaner... :P I'm working on a wedding cake this week, so my already prioritized priorities are even more not the norm.
Use cloth diapers. Disposables are so not cheap when you're not sniffing out the best deals possible. Ok, "sniffing out" probably wasn't the best choice of words! Ha! I have really slacked off on the cloth diapers lately because I haven't made folding the flat diapers a top priority. Since I bought the FuzziBunz - which I could use day in and day out! - I have grown to really dis-like the flat diapers that require about 5x the work. I was actually considering buying more FuzziBunz (we only have 5, enough for 1 day), but of course that is going to go way back on the burner now. What we do have works just fine, I just need to take the time to use them.
I know none of this is new to me and probably not to you. I'm putting it in writing because somehow this makes it more do-able and more of a commitment on my part. I've done pantry challenges before. I've been strict about line drying everything before. I've been strict about using cloth diapers before. I can do it again.
I'll be posting again soon, I hope, with some new pictures of progress actually being made on the addition! It has been so long since Daniel's been able to make any real progress, this is exciting!
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Normal, Again.
NEW normal, again, is probably more like it.
The peas are finally done and out of the garden (garden post coming next week, I hope!), and while pea season only lasted a couple weeks, it sure threw "normal" out the window.
This week we shelled the last of the peas Monday night, and every day since then I'm pinching myself to make sure it's not a dream that there are no more peas to pick or shell. Tuesday and Wednesday any free time was spent trying to undo what two weeks of almost 100% neglect had done to the house since my sister and her baby were coming for a couple days. Kudos to my husband for all of his help!!
Since the peas are done, I have resumed doing laundry, dishes and cooking on a regular basis. While my sister was here she washed dishes one evening and they are finally all caught up. There haven't been any over-24 hrs - old dirty dishes the past two days! Wow!
I haven't done anything in the garden other than water since Thursday morning, and the weeds are rejoicing at their delayed death sentence. Next week is supposed to be considerably cooler so I hope to get on top of it again :)
Susannah is LOVING the outdoors and gets very excited if you ask "do you want to go outside?" Daniel has been home early enough a few evenings this week that she was able to "help" him with some outside work.
Last evening he went out the door and she noticed, and got a very sad "You didn't take me with you!" expression on her face and voice. After checking with Daniel to make sure it was ok, I took her out to be with him. She loves her Daddy, that's for sure!!
On Monday we were ready books on the couch, which turned into looking out the window. I was playing with her hair, and was able to get her to hold still long enough for me to put in her first pony-tail. (And yes, she was wearing a pajama top for a shirt that day.) She looks super cute with her little whale-spout :)
Today was the 3rd day watching my niece while my sister went to the home school convention, and everything was finally going smoothly enough that I was able to get several things done. I made bread and a meatloaf for the freezer, and also worked on pureed foods for Susannah. I had frozen some things last evening so I bagged those up and froze some more. I still have a huge sweet potato that I cooked this afternoon to puree and freeze, and we'll have a nice supply again.
Daniel just pulled in the drive so I should go heat up some supper for him. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend! I'm looking forward to Sunday and then starting a fresh, clean, new work week on Monday :) I printed off my Motivated Moms sheet and everything!
The peas are finally done and out of the garden (garden post coming next week, I hope!), and while pea season only lasted a couple weeks, it sure threw "normal" out the window.
This week we shelled the last of the peas Monday night, and every day since then I'm pinching myself to make sure it's not a dream that there are no more peas to pick or shell. Tuesday and Wednesday any free time was spent trying to undo what two weeks of almost 100% neglect had done to the house since my sister and her baby were coming for a couple days. Kudos to my husband for all of his help!!
Since the peas are done, I have resumed doing laundry, dishes and cooking on a regular basis. While my sister was here she washed dishes one evening and they are finally all caught up. There haven't been any over-24 hrs - old dirty dishes the past two days! Wow!
I haven't done anything in the garden other than water since Thursday morning, and the weeds are rejoicing at their delayed death sentence. Next week is supposed to be considerably cooler so I hope to get on top of it again :)
Susannah is LOVING the outdoors and gets very excited if you ask "do you want to go outside?" Daniel has been home early enough a few evenings this week that she was able to "help" him with some outside work.
Last evening he went out the door and she noticed, and got a very sad "You didn't take me with you!" expression on her face and voice. After checking with Daniel to make sure it was ok, I took her out to be with him. She loves her Daddy, that's for sure!!
On Monday we were ready books on the couch, which turned into looking out the window. I was playing with her hair, and was able to get her to hold still long enough for me to put in her first pony-tail. (And yes, she was wearing a pajama top for a shirt that day.) She looks super cute with her little whale-spout :)
Today was the 3rd day watching my niece while my sister went to the home school convention, and everything was finally going smoothly enough that I was able to get several things done. I made bread and a meatloaf for the freezer, and also worked on pureed foods for Susannah. I had frozen some things last evening so I bagged those up and froze some more. I still have a huge sweet potato that I cooked this afternoon to puree and freeze, and we'll have a nice supply again.
Daniel just pulled in the drive so I should go heat up some supper for him. I hope you have a wonderful rest of your weekend! I'm looking forward to Sunday and then starting a fresh, clean, new work week on Monday :) I printed off my Motivated Moms sheet and everything!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Better Than Hate Mail!
You know how sometimes you just put something somewhere and tell yourself you'll move it later? I found one of those things today. It's been right under my nose for over a month now... and I've just gotten used to it and haven't paid any attention to it.
We had company over on Saturday. Today I was walking through the dining room and right at eye level I saw this:
The Valentine's Day card I gave Daniel and that he put on our china hutch. LOL! At least if any of the company saw it they know that Daniel is all mine. And that I don't send him hate mail ;)
We had company over on Saturday. Today I was walking through the dining room and right at eye level I saw this:
The Valentine's Day card I gave Daniel and that he put on our china hutch. LOL! At least if any of the company saw it they know that Daniel is all mine. And that I don't send him hate mail ;)
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
His and Hers Breakfasts
This past weekend Susannah and I were away Friday and Saturday nights, traveling to PA to a reunion/Christmas get-together with my Mom's family. That meant Daniel was on his own for food here on the home front. There was bread and roast beef for sandwiches, and plenty of eggs for breakfast.
(An old picture, but he's still cute!)
(An old picture, but he's still cute!)His breakfasts were
Saturday morning: leftover pizza
Sunday morning...
....
wait for it....
....
it gets worse...
(Are you sure you're ready to hear this?)
Cookies.
Dr. Pepper.
and...
Fritos.
The breakfast of the baching champion, I guess :P
Me? I can't say I've never had pizza for breakfast, or cookies first thing in the morning, but my breakfast this morning was toast and a smoothie :) I think I win. Haha!
Saturday morning: leftover pizza
Sunday morning...
....
wait for it....
....
it gets worse...
(Are you sure you're ready to hear this?)
Cookies.
Dr. Pepper.
and...
Fritos.
The breakfast of the baching champion, I guess :P
Me? I can't say I've never had pizza for breakfast, or cookies first thing in the morning, but my breakfast this morning was toast and a smoothie :) I think I win. Haha!
Friday, January 7, 2011
Get the Hint?
Hmmm. Do you think that the fact that Daniel helped put away groceries last evening and might have seen this inside the refrigerator...
...would have anything to do with me finding this on the whiteboard this morning?
It's one of those things that I've kept pushed to the back burner lately. The bananas were markdowns when I bought them, so if I never got around to making banana bread I would only be out a few cents. I had no intention of just letting them rot, but other things were far more important and pressing than taking care of a few bananas. I had every intention of making banana bread or muffins when I bought them and then life went crazy for a while.
Thankfully the refrigerator is great at preserving the insides of the bananas so I think I'll be doing a little baking this morning ;)
...would have anything to do with me finding this on the whiteboard this morning?
It's one of those things that I've kept pushed to the back burner lately. The bananas were markdowns when I bought them, so if I never got around to making banana bread I would only be out a few cents. I had no intention of just letting them rot, but other things were far more important and pressing than taking care of a few bananas. I had every intention of making banana bread or muffins when I bought them and then life went crazy for a while.
Thankfully the refrigerator is great at preserving the insides of the bananas so I think I'll be doing a little baking this morning ;)
Friday, June 25, 2010
Father's Day Weekend
Father's Day weekend was exciting all around :) It was the first weekend in a while that we didn't have anything specific going on and we could do "whatever we wanted."
To start the weekend off, on Friday Susannah tried to roll over for the first time (that I know of)! She tried and tried and tried, but couldn't get it. She's still working on it, but I haven't seen her try it as much as she was that day. Now she gets frustrated pretty fast :)
Saturday afternoon we all went to a local berry farm and picked blueberries. It was a rather warm day with some breezes blowing. Daniel pulled Susannah's stroller right up to a blueberry bush so she could enjoy the shade. She was a really good girl and was content most of the time, even took a brief nap while we picked.
Here's my handsome Daniel picking blueberries :) We picked for about 1 hour, and got about 5 quarts, I think.
Sunday was Daniel's first Father's Day :) (Technically not but...) I dressed Susannah in her pretty yellow butterfly dress (first time she wore it) and she looked so pretty for her Daddy :)
On Friday I helped her make her Father's Day gift for Daniel. It was kinda fun, and not so easy to get wet-paint foot prints from a wiggly 3 month old transferred onto t-shirts :) They turned out very cute, though, even if they aren't "perfect."
To start the weekend off, on Friday Susannah tried to roll over for the first time (that I know of)! She tried and tried and tried, but couldn't get it. She's still working on it, but I haven't seen her try it as much as she was that day. Now she gets frustrated pretty fast :)
Saturday afternoon we all went to a local berry farm and picked blueberries. It was a rather warm day with some breezes blowing. Daniel pulled Susannah's stroller right up to a blueberry bush so she could enjoy the shade. She was a really good girl and was content most of the time, even took a brief nap while we picked.
Here's my handsome Daniel picking blueberries :) We picked for about 1 hour, and got about 5 quarts, I think.
Sunday was Daniel's first Father's Day :) (Technically not but...) I dressed Susannah in her pretty yellow butterfly dress (first time she wore it) and she looked so pretty for her Daddy :)
On Friday I helped her make her Father's Day gift for Daniel. It was kinda fun, and not so easy to get wet-paint foot prints from a wiggly 3 month old transferred onto t-shirts :) They turned out very cute, though, even if they aren't "perfect."
Daniel with his girlie :)
It was really special to watch Daniel and Susannah enjoying Father's Day. Daniel is such a wonderful Daddy to our baby girl, and I can tell that he loves her so much.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
God Answers Prayer
Ever had one of those times where you've wanted something... and just kept "wanting" it but never paused to actually ask God for it? Well, that's been me lately.
It's been a couple years since Daniel's gotten a raise. We don't know if it's the economy, the weather, a combination of the two, or what. (He does HVAC work, so when it's REALLY COLD or REALLY HOT they stay really busy. With mild winters and summers the past couple years the work has been much slower than normal. The past two springs he's gone a couple weeks working 20 hrs. or less. Thankfully not this year so far.)
We've never budgeted assuming that he would get a raise. We just knew that it would be nice. Then when Miss Susannah came along and our living expenses went up, it was brought to the front of my mind once again.
Finally on Monday morning I just sat down and prayed about it and asked God to bless Daniel's hard work, and if it was His will, that Daniel would get a raise. And I also asked that He would give us wisdom with our finances, a willingness to bless others with what we have, and that we would glorify Him in it all. I didn't "give" God a time-frame that I wanted Him to work in, or anything. Just basically said "It would be really nice, but Your will in Your time. And in the meantime help me use what we have wisely."
Yesterday Daniel was working on a job directly with his supervisor and boss (also the owner of the company). His boss asked Daniel if he'd looked at his paychecks lately. Daniel said no. As it turns out, Daniel got a raise a week ago! (He is paid hourly and never works the same hours every week so I didn't notice it either.)
First, Thank you, Lord!!! He answered my prayer BEFORE I prayed! What a blessing this is.
Second, I am SO PROUD of my sweetie!!
It's been a couple years since Daniel's gotten a raise. We don't know if it's the economy, the weather, a combination of the two, or what. (He does HVAC work, so when it's REALLY COLD or REALLY HOT they stay really busy. With mild winters and summers the past couple years the work has been much slower than normal. The past two springs he's gone a couple weeks working 20 hrs. or less. Thankfully not this year so far.)
We've never budgeted assuming that he would get a raise. We just knew that it would be nice. Then when Miss Susannah came along and our living expenses went up, it was brought to the front of my mind once again.
Finally on Monday morning I just sat down and prayed about it and asked God to bless Daniel's hard work, and if it was His will, that Daniel would get a raise. And I also asked that He would give us wisdom with our finances, a willingness to bless others with what we have, and that we would glorify Him in it all. I didn't "give" God a time-frame that I wanted Him to work in, or anything. Just basically said "It would be really nice, but Your will in Your time. And in the meantime help me use what we have wisely."
Yesterday Daniel was working on a job directly with his supervisor and boss (also the owner of the company). His boss asked Daniel if he'd looked at his paychecks lately. Daniel said no. As it turns out, Daniel got a raise a week ago! (He is paid hourly and never works the same hours every week so I didn't notice it either.)
First, Thank you, Lord!!! He answered my prayer BEFORE I prayed! What a blessing this is.
Second, I am SO PROUD of my sweetie!!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Susannah Makes A Strawberry Pie
Susannah asked me if she could do a guest post about making a pie for her Daddy. I'm a pushover and said yes :) Take it away, Susannah!!
Hi, I'm Susannah. I can't type very well so I'm gonna mostly use pictures to tell you about what I did this evening.
I heard Daddy tell Mama the other evening that he wanted a Strawberry Pie. So I got an idea... Why couldn't I make one for him? He's really special to me and I wanted to do something special for him. I can't talk big people words, so this is how I got Mama to figure out what I wanted to do. I got out the rolling pin. Everyone knows that a rolling pin means pie dough, right?
Hi, I'm Susannah. I can't type very well so I'm gonna mostly use pictures to tell you about what I did this evening.
I heard Daddy tell Mama the other evening that he wanted a Strawberry Pie. So I got an idea... Why couldn't I make one for him? He's really special to me and I wanted to do something special for him. I can't talk big people words, so this is how I got Mama to figure out what I wanted to do. I got out the rolling pin. Everyone knows that a rolling pin means pie dough, right?
"Mama, I have an idea...
I love my Daddy so much, I want to make a pie for him.
You said "yes!!" Now I'm really, really excited! Will you help me?
Oh, what kind do I want to make? Why, Strawberry, of course!!"
I love my Daddy so much, I want to make a pie for him.
You said "yes!!" Now I'm really, really excited! Will you help me?
Oh, what kind do I want to make? Why, Strawberry, of course!!"
First we mixed up the pie dough.
Then we made the crust. Now, making a nice pie crust takes the perfect touch.
All the pie dough making made me sleepy. Plus the next couple steps of making the pie involved the hot oven, boiling stuff for the filling, and a sharp knife - Mama told me I wasn't big enough to help with those yet. So I went and took a nap and let her do those things. When I woke up we finished the pie.
Then we made the crust. Now, making a nice pie crust takes the perfect touch.
All the pie dough making made me sleepy. Plus the next couple steps of making the pie involved the hot oven, boiling stuff for the filling, and a sharp knife - Mama told me I wasn't big enough to help with those yet. So I went and took a nap and let her do those things. When I woke up we finished the pie.
Whipped cream is yummy! Mama asked me if I wanted to lick the beaters, and I was so surprised that I said "I can?!?!" (Yes, I really did say that. Daddy heard me, too! At least, the noise I made sounded like "I can?!?!")
When the pie was all done it was time to give it to Daddy. First I gave him a big hug and told him how much I love him. Which is a LOT.
Then I couldn't keep the secret any longer and told him that I'd made a Strawberry Pie for him :) He was really happy.
And here we are with the pie.
When the pie was all done it was time to give it to Daddy. First I gave him a big hug and told him how much I love him. Which is a LOT.
Then I couldn't keep the secret any longer and told him that I'd made a Strawberry Pie for him :) He was really happy.
And here we are with the pie.
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