Its All Good

Trust in the Lord

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Ups and Downs

Photo from our photo shoot last month

The past week has been nothing but crazy and the last thing I wanted to do was get on the computer.  This weekend was almost the same, which almost drives me crazy because we didn’t have any commitments but an oil change and a baby shower.  So I thought I’d break down our ups and downs of sum up the weekend.

1.    Up…we were getting our oil change Saturday morning and a salesman tried selling Nick a used mini van… then Nick comes and gets me to show me.  Yes, we’d like a “new” mini van but we don’t have the cash so we aren’t going to get one.  Feels good to have control and the upper hand that we aren’t going to use credit to get a different car.

2.    Down and an up….(down)have to get new brake pads next oil change….(up)have saved money for it

3.    Down…Fin woke up at 4am Saturday and Sunday and wanted to sleep in our bed…didn’t have the brain at 4am to say no. 

4.     Up…Monday morning Fin slept till 6:00…that’s a plus from the weekend.

5.    Down…Fin doesn’t have dry Pull Ups anymore….have to teach him to not wet bed….just started happening…not good.

6.    Up…got a great sale on Old Navy winter jacket, snow pants, hat, mittens and socks that fit for Fin for $52….would have been $96.42..highlight of my weekend.

7.    Up..dinner at Red Robin and Fin was awesome as usual…plus that BSU was on TV and Ash was with.

8.    Up…Nick and I finally got to watch the Netflix movie we’ve had since before football…how said is that.

9.    Up…I got to finally sew a thank you gift for our family photographer Shandy and work on the appliqué on my quilt….decided I hate appliqué.

10.   Down…was making dinner Sunday night and somehow over boiled the potatoes so our Beefy cheesy potato soup turned out to be a spaghetti dinner.  Thank goodness I didn’t ruin the meat and had spaghetti planned for later on in the week. 

11.   Up…Nick cleaned up his clothes at the end of the bed and got rid of some socks that had holes in the heels

12.   Down…he did this when I was trying to make dinner…hence the reason I over boiled the potatoes

Score:  Ups-7, Down-5  Up Wins!!! so it was a good weekend after all.

 

 

 

We all have our faults

Football is official over as of Thursday and you’d think that all would be calm in our house.  Nope, Nick is now throwing all his energy that was football to finishing up his master’s portfolio presentation he has next Thursday. 

Last night he was working on his portfolio when I went to bed and I asked if he wanted me to switch over the ink cartridge and he says no.  I remember it distinctively because we had had a fun trip to Staples earlier in the day…we won’t mention that.  I went to bed and all was well…..until MIDNIGHT when I get woken up by my “officially have lost his marbles” husband who needs me to switch over the printer ink.

I actually pretend not to hear because I’m sure he does that every time Fin gets up at the butt crack of dawn.  It doesn’t work, so I get up walk with my eyes closed downstairs and head to the computer room to switch the ink.  I press a button, wait for the printer, take the ink out, put new ink in and press the printer button again….I then head upstairs to pass out again.  I’m pretty sure I got a thank you but I was in disbelief that my husband can work on a master’s presentation but can’t read directions on how to change over the printer ink.   I think we’ll got a long week and a half till his presentation is over.

 I know I’m not prefect and Nick had to mention to me a few times this weekend that I am far from it.  I’m going to put my two cents worth in here because I’m the writer…..I am a person who likes routine.  I thrive on it and don’t like to deviate from my norm.  My son very much takes after me…and I think it.  Anyway, Saturday morning Nick decides that we need to go to the Walmart across town because it’s nicer.  Fin and he normally go to his student’s football games but since football is over, Nick wants to go grocery shopping as a family.  For the past 2 months I have gone by myself…I thrive on this because it’s routine and I’m focused on groceries…nothing else (such as Nick and Fin).

We get to the “clean” Walmart and we start to get what we need in the non-grocery area and I’m all out of sorts….I’m not doing well at this point but try to collect myself. Fin spots the bikes so Nick and Fin head that way and I go to the hardware section for a new step stroll.  I then find them in the bikes with Fin riding the John Deere tractor that is pretty cool if you ask me….until I saw the price…I don’t think Santa can even afford that if he collected money from all his elves.

We then go on our merry way to the grocery section with is not the way I’m use to so I’m all discombobulated.  They don’t have the yogurt we get, I can’t find the popcorn Fin likes, and my blood sugar isn’t doing well.  At the end of the trip, I forget the whipping cream, peanut butter, Ovaltine, and butter.  This is why I like to shop at the Walmart just a few blocks away from our house.

I admit I was off and irritable.  I was annoyed by people in my way, annoyed by Nick texting the picture of Fin in the tractor and not helping me, annoyed with Fin not wanting to stay in the cart.  These are all things that make me want to want to shop by myself in the middle of the night.   

As we get in the car I ask, “Next time can we go to our usual Walmart? I just can’t take the disorganization.”  Nick gives me a bad time jokingly and is almost thriving on the fact that something as simple as getting groceries drives me crazy when it’s not my typical routine. 

Sue me…I know where the Ovaltine is, I know they will have Fin’s favorite soy milk and I know that the  cheese lady lays the cheese just the way Nick likes so it doesn’t smush all together.

 

 

Spaghetti equals bath time

 

Last night Fin and I had the pleasure of having Cooper over to hang out with us while his parents and Nick had parent/teachers conferences.  Fin can’t say Cooper so he calls him Pooker, which I think stems from not being able to say the C O combination….don’t know but it’s cute.

Cooper’s parents, Val and Pat were the first couple we met who moved the same year to teach in Nampa.  They grew up in North Dakota too so we’ve had a special bond for the past 8 ½ years.  We’ve been their family grow from just Val and Pat to Amiah to Cooper.  We just love their family.  Val was the one who suggested Fin go to Joanie’s for daycare and we couldn’t be happier. 

Anyway, when Val asked if we would have Cooper over for the evening I thought Fin would love having his buddy over for the evening.  Plus, it gave me a little test of what it would be like to have a house with 2 kids instead of one (God willing).  Fin wanted to show Cooper Nemo, as if Fin discovered the movie and no one in the world has ever seen it.   It was kinda funny watching them eat a snack of crackers while Fin showed Coop his wonderful discovery.   I had to take a few pictures of those two goofs while I was cooking dinner, the moment was too cute.

While we were eating our spaghetti for dinner, I just watched Fin and Coop sit there a year apart from each other and analyze how much has changed in just a year from when Fin was Coop’s age.  Fin is getting way too big, where did my little guy go.  Now he’s turning into a boy and not that it’s bad, I just kinda miss the cute little round cheeks, his amazement at everything in life and his dependence.  Granted I’ve loved watching him learn how to talk and discover things for himself, but that little guys neediness for his mom isn’t there as much as it was just a short time ago. 

After seeing how much they loved the spaghetti, I figured it was a great opportunity to kill two birds with one stone and give them both a bath.  It would be easier throwing them into a tub of water than trying to wash off their hands and faces.  Plus this way it would maybe relax them a bit and then we could do the bedtime routine.  Jackpot!  I had two little happy boys loving the bathtub crayons and playing catch that they didn’t even notice the water was getting cold.

At the end of the night, I had two of the cutest little guys in the world snuggling with me reading animal books and my favorite “Good Night Moon” with me.  With only a few instances of Fin trying to show his dominance, I thought the night couldn’t have gone any better.    

 

In between

He’s not yet a boy and not much of a toddler anymore…Fin is in that in between stage stuck between toddler and boy worlds.  He’s not yet a boy in the ways of clothes and toys but there are some things that he just isn’t a toddler anymore.

Saturday we were at Target and were on the hunt for new underwear and sock for Fin.  You’d think getting the next bigger size in something as simple as socks and underwear would be such a big deal.  When I washed what we purchased I didn’t really notice the size difference, until I pick Fin up from daycare on Monday.  As I helped him into the car seat, I notice how his underwear were having a hard time staying up and that his socks were rolled at the top because they were way too big.  You’ve got to be kidding me…why did Nick even leave these on Fin and then I can just imagine the ladies at daycare wondering what I’ve been smoking.

How is it that Fin can grow out of the toddler socks and underwear and the next size is not really the next size, it’s like the universe skipped over a few shoe sizes for socks or something.  God forbid I try to save a few bucks on some socks and it’s not that I bought an off brand…I got Hanes…that’s what I get for crying out loud.  I guess I’m going to have to go to Old Navy and get him so more over priced socks that will at least fit.  Who knew?

Down time

This is my son from 5:45-6:30pm almost every evening while I make dinner and Nick is at football practice.  Has my son turned into a zombie?  I have mixed feelings about this….yes, the boy needs some downtime when he gets home after his busy day of playing…and yes, it has made making dinner so much easier.  However, I have a love hate relationship with the TV, it sucks the life right out of you.

I guess I can’t complain since it’s Finding Nemo or Thomas the Train videos that he wants to watch.  It isn’t Sponge Bob or some other inappropriate cartoon that is on TV now.  I’ve got to ask whatever happened to good old Smurfs?  I’ve got Handy Manny, Words World and Mickey Mouse Club House on DVD  just in case of an emergency that he gets sick of Thomas or Nemo. 

Lessons from the battle

Honor what you value and the rest will fall into place.- Unknown

Wisdom is knowing what direction to take, courage is doing it.-Unknown

Your words create what you speak about. Learn to speak positively.- Santa Roman

Last week I felt in a total funk and I’m finally coming out of the fog I was in thanks to a lovely cold that was winning a battle in my house.  I felt as if I wasn’t even living my life and Fin on a rampage because I didn’t have the energy to give him. 

The past 10 days I’ve been mentally focused on how Fin tested me every day and what I did wrong instead of what I did right.  How is it that kids know the second you are down and try to test every ounce of your being?  I survived the 10 days and I should be joking about how the house didn’t burn down or there wasn’t an emergency room visit due to a broken arm….but now I’m looking at the fact that this weekend we got the dishes washed and clothes are clean and folded…it’s a start right?

I’m thankful for the past 10 days as a learning experience.  Is that how we should look at everything that doesn’t exactly go the way we would like?  We all get down and the only thing to do is look back and thank goodness it’s over and what can I do to grow from that.

I can’t tell you how many times I lost my patience and put myself in a timeout instead of putting him in one.  I’ve realized that Fin reacts exactly the same way I’m projecting.  If I raise my voice, he will do the same.  If I try to control him with a hard grasp, he’ll fight back.  He will not respond to anything but a normal voice….do you know how hard that is when you would like to scream at the top of your lungs (as you are coughing one out)?

Now that Fin is starting to test us I need to remember what works for him (and what doesn’t).  It might be 3 time outs to get the point across or that if he decides that he doesn’t want to do something he can just sit there and wine.  Unfortunately, that might mean starting to get ready for bed at 7 instead of 7:30.  He’s almost 3, he’s going to do this…yes he’s normally sweeter than pie but he has to learn.  I’m not doing him any favors if he doesn’t or myself any.  I should be grateful that Nick is the more rational one and that we see the road this could go down and choosing to take a different path.   

       

 

Pumpkin Harvest

The leaves are falling, the air is crisp and the fireplaces have officially started in our neighbhood so it's a perfect time of the year to go out looking for pumpkins....wait we already did that in September.

Our friends, the Dalbey's have a pumpkin harvest party every fall and the only time anyone could get together was the last week of September when it was 88 degrees outside.  We laughed about it, but we had the pick of the litter of pumpkins out in the fields and got our own private hayride so no complaining here.  I didn't have time to post them till now and it works out pretty good considering it's now the time of the season to start carving...or painting in our case (hopefully this weekend).

My top books

1.    Secret Life of Bees

2.    Little Women

3.    Memoirs of a Giesha

4.    Poisonwood Bible

5.    She’s Come Undone

6.    The Last Lecture

7.    My Sister’s Keeper

8.    Time Traveler’s Wife

9.    Three Cups of Tea

10.  Babywise

I’ve been sick all weekend and since Monday was my furlough day (unpaid day off) for the month I thought it was a good time to just stay home and try to sleep off my cold….one furlough day that Fin goes to daycare isn’t going to hurt anyone.  I need the rest anyway.

As I laid in bed I tried to sleep but just couldn’t, try watching The Today Show but Kathy Lee Gifford just annoys me…even more when I’m sick.  I turn off the TV thinking that maybe I can read a book….I crawl over to my bookshelf and look for one of the books I have in my stash and start reading.  I looked at all the books that I’ve stored up over the years that I just can’t part without since they are my favorite books.  I grab “In an Instant” by Bob and Lee Woodward which has been sitting there since Fin was born.  My dad bought it when they were here and it was something for him to pass the time while Fin and I were sleeping and my mom was overly cleaning or cooking. 

I start to read and my head starts hurting…you’ve got to be kidding me.  Great….can’t sleep, can’t watch TV and can’t read.  I now lay there staring up at the ceiling.  So I thought I’d make a list of my favorite books and make a blog out of it.  Who doesn’t love knowing everyone’s favorite books?

 

I've been brainwashed

 

 
 
I know longer feel like the girlfriend waiting for my boyfriend after practice…at least around the JV football players.  I think they have grown on me….

But I still think there is something obviously wrong with me….I have allowed my husband to talk me into having these teenage boys INTO MY HOUSE  TONIGHT for a Pre-game meal of spaghetti (carbs) and BSU football on ESPN. 

Nick mentioned a few nights ago that his football boys have been talking about how they really enjoy the BBQs that we have at the park the night before a game and they want to do another but it’s too cold out now for the park.  I can’t believe that I have actually grown a heart for these boys this year unlike the years previous…guess it has taken 3 years of BBQS getting use to pre-teens turning into some respectable teenagers.  Nick’s been with these boys since 8^th grade.

I thought how do you feed 25ish boys on a budget that THEY can afford?  I didn’t budget into this month on a meal for 30.  So I thought back to my high school swim team days and the special night before the district meet where we all go to Mrs. Shirley’s for our annual spaghetti dinner.  However, I didn’t think it would be a good idea to have them bring and help prepare the meal like we use to.  So I told Nick that if each kid brings 3 bucks that will cover all our food and if there is any leftover it can go to something for the parents that help prepare the boy’s after game meals. 

I made a few rules for Nick if I were to agree to having these boys in OUR house.  First…he has to clean the bathroom after they leave.  Make sure all the boys take off their shoes.  Brown the hamburger Tuesday night so he can get the spaghetti sauce in the crockpot Wednesday morning.  Make sure the boys respect our house and they clean up after themselves like they have at the BBQs before they leave our house.  All was agreed.    

How do you figure out how to feed 30 people (teenage boys after practice) spaghetti….my motherly brain came up with this to solve the math problem:

Spaghetti:  an average spaghetti box feeds a family of 4 with no problem…so if there are 30 people that means we need an equivalent of 8 average boxes at about a dollar a box.  I purchased 3 HUGE boxes with the equivalent of feeding 36 average people

Spaghetti sauce: I usually get 1 Hentz spaghetti can per our family dinner and have a ton left over so I got 8 cans. 89 cents a can.

Hamburger for sauce: we use 1 lb per 1 can of spaghetti….purchased 8 lbs at $3.28…sweet deal

French bread: When we have bread with dinner when we have our monthly dinner with the Dalbey’s we can easily go through a loaf of French bread….so if 7 or 8 people can get 1 loaf….get 5 loafs of bread to be on the safe side…these are teenage boys.

Beverages:  the boys don’t need pop, back in the swimming days we weren’t allowed to drink pop during the season so I figured a cheap way to hydrate boys is either water or lemonade.  One container of lemonade $2 .

Dessert: This might be a girl thing but you can not have a big dinner without some kind of dessert, so a cheap easy way to make dessert for everyone is to make brownies….$1.50 a box and we already had the ingredients so you can’t go wrong.

Last but not least I had to think of my dishwasher……I purchased enough plastic forks, strong Chinette Plates and plastic cups….and make sure I have a few garbage bags to hold all the dirty dishes.

My bill came up to $65.00 at Walmart…I guestimated $60 but I forgot to add in cups till I got to the store, so I was pretty impressed with my grocery skills.  I joked to Nick that I should be on Supermarket Sweep.  Tell me someone remembers that show.

The photos are from our BBQ earlier this year.