Hello. My name is Carolyn and I'm blogphobic.

Frudding

2011-05-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

C: What do you think about combining frosting and pudding for this cake I’m making?

D: Frosting and pudding?

C: Yeah, I could whip them together in my mixer.

D: And you could call it frudding! Or prosting! Maybe it will become our family thing for all of our birthday cakes.

C: Yeah, maybe it will catch on and this is how I’ll make my millions. This could be MY Skinny Girl Margarita!

Anyone want in as an initial investor in Frudding?

What's For Dinner

2011-02-02T11:04:00.000-08:00

I am always searching for meals that my family will eat. I really enjoy cooking, but didn’t have the time to do much of it when I was working full-time. So, I have been cooking quite a bit over the last two months and I thought I would share some of the recipes I’ve tried recently…

PW Jan’s Dilly Bread
This was the first time I’ve ever made bread. It was good and I would make it again. Don’t tell my husband it had cottage cheese in it…

PW Tortilla Soup
I love tortilla soup and I would definitely make this again!

PW Coq au Vin
Meh – This actually wasn’t great. Mine ended up pretty oily and my house smelled like bacon for a few days – not my favorite smell…

PW Chicken Scallopine
Loved this! I made it for New Year’s Eve and it got rave reviews. I added capers to my sauce and it improved the flavor. I also adjusted the recipe slightly to make it gluten-free. I would definitely make this again!

PW Three Cheese Stuffed Shells with Meaty Tomato Sauce
I made this for dinner with an old friend and her family. I added some spinach to the cheese filling (I frequently do this with lasagna too), and it turned out well. I make this again.

Warm Steak and Potato Salad
This was delicious and is a great meal for entertaining. Filling, but not too heavy. I served it with French bread and shrimp stuffed mushrooms (my own recipe).

Beer Bread
This bread turned out well. I added a little bit of sour cream and some sharp cheddar cheese. As my sister said, it made her house smell like sweaty gym socks, but the end result was worth it. As you will see in the recipe, the bread is best on the first day, so I wouldn’t make this again unless I had some hungry people on hand – I have half a loaf still in my freezer and it’s not great reheated.

How about you? What’s for dinner at your house today?

Who Says You Can't Go Home?

2011-02-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

Warning: This is a long one…

I’ve been absent from this blog for quite some time and there is a good reason for that. When I wrote my last post in November, we were also in the midst of a major transition. For quite some time we had known that Northern Virginia could not be a long-term place for our family. When we moved to the area we imagined spending warm spring Saturdays walking through Georgetown or perusing the Eastern Market, attending the acapella sing along of the Messiah at the Kennedy Center, heading to the mountains to ski in the winter and vacationing on the beach in the summers.

But as it turns out, we did very few of these things. Maneuvering the streets of Georgetown to find a parking spot is in itself a test of personal endurance, attending the Kennedy Center sing along requires arriving hours in advance and standing in line in frigid temperatures in hopes of getting a ticket, and the traffic to get over the bridge to the eastern beaches is a nightmare. I’m not saying it can’t be done, I’m just saying that we didn’t do it. Instead, we spent a lot of time rushing our children out the door so that we could sit in mind numbing traffic, working to afford our over-priced and under-sized home, and living in a sea of strangers.

As we prayed about a move, we looked at areas with lower costs of living, values that more closely mirrored our own, and the opportunity for a better quality of life. About this time, I took Evan to Iowa for a week. During that week I watched him fish with my dad, forage for firewood, catch a frog and camp outside for the first time. And he was happy - unbridled, unrestrained, happy. I remembered our trip the previous year when we drove down Grandview when Bryant school was getting out and I saw kids walking home from school, some with parents and some without (something I could never imagine my children doing in Virginia). As we looked at this tree-lined street adorned with American flags on both the lamp posts and houses, we remarked how there were more American flags on this street than we ever saw in our neighborhood in Virginia. I remember thinking to myself, “maybe life doesn’t have to be this hard…” Much to my surprise, for the first time in my life, when I thought about living in my hometown as an adult, I only felt relief.

So, as we considered where we might raise our family last fall, one of the places we considered was Dubuque. The more we thought about it, the more right it felt. So, Dave started to apply for jobs in Dubuque and through doors we believe the Lord opened, he received a job offer late last fall. So, we are starting 2011 with a fresh start in a new location. I am embarking on the new adventure of staying at home with our children full-time. And I feel peace and hope – two things I haven’t felt for a long time.

I am not naïve enough to think that changing our location will magically create the life we’ve always wanted. But, we have more support here, and fewer things working against us. We have a print hanging in our family room that says “We tend to seek happiness, when happiness is actually a choice”. I know that true joy and happiness are only found in the Lord. I also know that this joy is something we have to CHOOSE to walk in. And one of my focuses in 2011 is to CHOOSE to walk in JOY.

(Of much less importance, I am also going to try to blog a bit more in 2011. So, hopefully no more two month absences….)

We laugh. Only so we don’t cry….

2010-11-19T16:29:00.000-08:00

I have had a week! In fact it should be Week or WEEK to do it justice. My dear husband has been out of town and my mother-in-law and now my mother (who henceforth will be referred to as Saint Judie and Saint Gail) have been here to help me. If it weren’t for them, I would likely be curled up in the fetal position sucking my thumb. (But, the night is still young, so let’s not count that out just yet.) I told someone the other day that if I were writing a book, I would not have written about half the things that happened this week for fear that the readers would view them as implausible. But, no, they are instead, my reality. So, I’m choosing to laugh, because if I didn’t I’m certain I would cry.

We moved our kids into the same room a few weeks ago. Overall, it is going well, but when one of them wakes up, they’re both up. On Wednesday, I heard Evan calling for me just as I finished my shower. His call sounded unusually frantic. When I asked him what had happened, he said that Lauren had a dirty diaper that had gotten all over her crib. So, I wrapped a towel around myself and went to see what had happened.

Sure enough something was all over Lauren, her sheets, and her crib. I quickly grabbed Lauren, but I realized that I didn’t have anything to lay her on. So, I took off my towel and laid Lauren on it. At this point, I am "sans clothes" and attempting to change the blowout diaper with Evan dancing around asking frantic questions. I soon realize that our issue has nothing to do with the diaper – Lauren has thrown up. At this realization, I start gagging and Evan starts jumping on his bed to get away from “that stinky smell”.

Saint Judie must have heard all of the commotion, so she came upstairs to help. She knocked on the door and entered. At this point, I was relieved to see that the reinforcements had arrived. But, my relief was short-lived, because I also realized that I was without clothes. The next few seconds went like this:

C: Hold on a sec – I don’t have any clothes on…

SJ: (looking at me – confused) What?

C: I’m naked – I don’t have any clothes on.

SJ: (still looking at me – confused) What?

C: I DON’T HAVE ANY CLOTHES ON!

SJ: No you don’t! Sorry!

She quickly shut the door, I retrieved the towel, and our relationship went to a new level that I think we would both rather ignore.

That morning was the beginning of our endurance race with a stomach bug. I am currently the last man standing, but I don’t think the odds are stacked in my favor.

This morning, Saint Judie came down with the bug and Evan kept saying his stomach was upset. At this point, I hadn’t connected the episode with Lauren to Saint Judie, and I thought Evan was just pretending to have an upset stomach so he could stay at home with Grandma. We had a terrible time getting out the door this morning and I may or may not have told my whining three year old son to “man up” as we were trying to get out the door this morning. (Not my finest parenting moment, but I’m just keepin’ it real.)

Anyway, my disappointment in myself was exacerbated when I received a call from his preschool at 9:30 this morning that he had thrown up twice at school. So, I went to get Evan and the rest of our day involved some details that I’ll leave out of this blog post. But, most of it went like this:

E: (in the bathroom tossing his cookies) You're supposed to say "Good job Evan!"

C: Good job Evan....

E: (in the bathroom tossing his cookies)

C: (rubbing E’s back)

E: Stop touching me!

C: Okay, I was just trying to help….

E: (in the bathroom tossing his cookies)

C: (NOT in the bathroom rubbing his back)

E: Where are you? Why aren’t you in here?!?! I need you!

C: Okay, I was just trying to stay out of your way

E: Hold me... Stop touching me!

The highlight of my day so far was probably the hour I spent with our SpotBot trying to clean red Jello vomit out of our carpets. (Note to self: Next time, limit sick kids to color-free liquids, no matter how convincing their “my tummy’s all better” routine is.)

Saint Gail arrived tonight and at this point, the kids are outnumbered. I have a bathrobe and a bottle of Purel. I think I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Bedtime Shenanigans

2010-09-07T17:20:00.000-07:00

M: Okay, Evan time to go into your bedroom.

E: It’s too dark! I can’t see anything! I can’t see my Toofies. I need to see my Toofies!

M: Okay, I’ll turn your light on. There. Now, get into bed and I’m going to turn the light off. Let’s pray…

E: You need to start my music! Daddy always starts my music before he prays!

M: Well, I’m Mommy and I don’t start the music before we pray.

E: You have to!

M: I’m the Mommy and I get to decide. No music yet. Let’s pray…

E: I have a secret to tell Jesus.

M: Okay, go ahead…

E: I went to the doctor’s office today. It was so much fun. She had a truck. I REALLY liked that truck. Thank you for that truck!

M: Was that your secret?

E: Yep, let’s pray together now…

M: (Going through our evening prayer)

E: You forgot to pray for Sophie! Let’s pray for Sophie…

M: Okay…

E: Nonna is in Iowa? She just poofed right over there in her car? Poof! There’s Nonna! Poof! There’s her computer! All her friends said, “Nonna, we missed you thanks for poofing back to Iowa!”?

M: That’s right honey. Let’s finish our prayer… Amen. Alright, I’ll start your music now. Goodnight, sweetheart!

E: Look! I have a blanket mustache! I just pulled it up over my mouth, it’s a blanket mustache!

M: That’s funny Evan. Okay, goodnight. I love you. I’ll see you in the morning.

E: (through the blanket) Goodnight Mommy! I wuv you!

Celebrating a Year

2010-08-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Lauren's 1st birthday this weekend. We had a great time with our family. I can't believe it has been a year already! Lauren is such a sweet blessing in our lives. Here are a few pictures....

Lauren's Birthday Cake

Opening presents...

A little sibling meltdown...

and a recovery...

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

Perhaps not my finest parenting moment...

2010-06-28T17:04:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled with Evan's preschool program. We like the facility and the caring teachers and staff. We thought three things set it apart from other programs we considered. First, they have a solid learning curriculum. Second, they take the children on field trips regularly. Third, they offer sports and swimming classes during the day. As I said, we're thrilled with the program.

But, if there is a downside to such a well run program, it is that we constantly have a list of things to remember for the school. Have I paid for the field trip? Is today Spirit Friday? Does Evan have swimming lessons today? Is today Water Friday? I'm not complaining, this is simply context.

So, a few weeks ago the theme for his class was cereal. Each child was supposed to bring in a box of their favorite cereal. Honestly, Evan doesn't really each much cereal and he doesn't really have a favorite yet. As we were walking out the door in the morning, I remembered that Evan needed to bring in the box of cereal. I checked our pantry and there was one lone box of cereal on the shelf. All Bran. Evan reminded me that we needed cereal and I told him we only had All Bran. He said "All Bran? I LOVE All Bran!" Now he's never had All Bran. He has no idea whether he loves it or not. I offered that I could pick up another box and drop it off at lunch, but he insisted that he LOVED All Bran. So, I grabbed the box and we left.

When we got to school, he marched into his classroom, gleaming, carrying his box of All Bran. I was a little embarassed, but I was glad to have one less item on my to-do list. As the week went by, we got updates about cereal week....

Show and Tell: "I just wuv All Bran. It's de-li-cious. It's brown.. and crunchy... I wuv All Bran!"

Art Project: Crushed All Bran glued to construction paper. Want to guess what crushed All Bran looks like on construction paper? Not pretty.

Cereal Party: All of the children in the class got to try Evan's FAVORITE cereal. According to the teachers it was one of the more popular cereals at the party. Well, that, or they knew I was swamped and wanted me to feel better about my maternal shortcomings.

So, here's the kicker. A few weeks after cereal week, I saw the special cereal week craft project on display outside of the classroom. All along the wall were pictures of the children on the cover of their favorite cereal boxes. Froot Loops, Cheerios, Fruity Pebbles, Wheaties, Apple Jacks... And then there was this:

My son on a box of All Bran. The maternal misstep that JUST WON'T DIE. I doubt he will forgive me for this if he finds this blog post in 10 years. I would like to be a perfect mother. But honestly, I am more likely the mother who sends her son to school with a box of All Bran. And when I saw this, I laughed. Hard.

Like a pancake...

2010-03-18T16:53:00.000-07:00

Evan and Daddy during Evan's bath tonight:

D: Evan, now that it's light out longer you could stay up a little later and play. Would you like that?

E: YES!

D: But, there is one thing you have to do. If you stay up later, you can't take a bath in our bathroom, you need to take a shower in your bathroom. Could you do that?

E: (Stares at D for about 20 seconds)

D: Evan? Could you do that?

E: I'm going to stand on you and squish you flat.

D: What?

E: I'm going to stand on you and squish you flat!

D: What do you think about the shower?

E: No.

Breakfast Bits

2010-03-06T04:49:00.000-08:00

M: (Feeding Lauren)

E: Mommy! I want to feed him!

M: Feed her?

E: Yes! Feed him. I want to do it ALL BY MYSELF!

M: Okay. You have to be very gentle and careful.

E: Here comes the car... Open the garage!

M: Did you just say "here comes the car, open the garage?"

E: Yes!

M: Where did you hear that?

E: Olivia.

M: Okay.

L: (Chewing on a spoon)

E: I don't go to school anymore.

M: You still go to school, but today is Saturday.

E: You get married on Saturday.

M: What? Who gets married on Saturday?

E: YOU! You get married on Saturday!

L: (chewing on a toy hammer)

E: Let's go to Farmville! When I grow up, I'm going to be a farmer! You can be a farmer when you grow up too!

L: (chewing on a toy wrench)

M: Honey, I'm already grown up and I don't think I'm a farmer.

E: I want FIVE Baby Laurens!

M: Five? What would you do with five Baby Laurens?

E: I would hug them and kiss them and say kootchie kootchie koo!

L: (grinning from ear to ear)

We are heading to the zoo today. I'm pretty sure these monkeys will fit in just fine.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-24T11:02:00.000-08:00

Look closely...

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-17T18:03:00.001-08:00

He's fwee!

2010-02-16T17:02:00.000-08:00

Evan turned "fwee" and we threw a party for him over the weekend. We had a Construction theme.

My sister (who is far more talented than I) made a dump truck cake. You know what was most impressive about the cake? When Evan saw it, he knew right away that it was a dump truck. If I had made the cake... well... I'm just glad that Kristin was there.

We made personalized hard hats for all the guests, including the adults. They were good sports and actually wore them. Now, I'll be a good sport and not post the pictures of them wearing the hats.

Even Lauren got into the action...

If the state of my living room is any indication, I would say everyone had a great time...

Happy Birthday Evan!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-03T18:51:00.001-08:00

2010-01-18T12:26:00.000-08:00

E: What kind of yogurt am I eating?

M: Strawberry Shortcake

E: I like it!

M: You know, when I was a little girl I had a Strawberry Shortcake doll.

E: What is a doll?

M: It’s a toy that looks like a baby or a little girl.

E: You ate your doll!?!?

M: No. I think we lost something in translation here….

The One where Carolyn is Emotionally Distraught over Fictional Characters….

2010-01-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

If you were a fan of the TV show Friends, you might remember that all of the episode titles followed the same format….

The One where Phoebe Runs
The One with Ross’s Teeth
The One with All the Thanksgivings
My personal favorite: The One where Phoebe Hates Pottery Barn

So, in keeping with this format, this blog post is The One where Carolyn is Emotionally Distraught over Fictional Characters.

The only way I can read books for leisure these days is to listen to them on CD during my commute. So, I got a library card two years ago and I check out books on CD. Some of the books are challenging and thought provoking, but many of them are just fun fiction. Last year, I went through the entire Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Towards the end of the year, I listened to the book Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks. You might recognize him as the author of The Notebook. Anyway, I loved Three Weeks with My Brother and decided to listen to some of his other books. So, I listened to True Believer and the sequel At First Sight. I finished At First Sight this weekend and I am seriously saddened by some of the events in the book. *spoiler alert* I cried when I heard the ending of the book and my heart continues to ache when I think about it now.

I guess it is a sign of a good book, but I can’t help but think it is also a sign of a manipulative author. I downloaded another Nicholas Sparks book on my iPod, but I can’t decide if I’m ready to go back for more just yet. I’m a sucker for happy endings, regardless of how implausible they may be. My real life isn’t overly drama-filled, and for that I am grateful. I’m just not sure that I want to add drama via my leisure reading selections.

Any advice cyber-friends? Are you laughing at my misery? Has anyone else been impacted like this by works of fiction?

Technical Difficulties

2009-12-25T17:47:00.000-08:00

Okay, I hate to admit this but I'm not nearly as technically adept as I would like to be. My husband excels in this area, so we make a good team. Rather, he makes up for my inadequacies. It rarely has an adverse impact on my life, but it does surface from time to time in small ways.

Like my blog layout? Good. Because I can't change it. I couldn't even copy and paste the html code correctly from another website. My friend (Hi Dana!) had to log into my account to fix the formatting for me. It was cute, but then one day I logged in and the formatting was gone. I couldn't revive it, so I went with the bland and boring Blogger standard. When I add photos to my posts, they have a mind of their own and go wherever they want. Fellow bloggers - want to help me out? I'm clueless here.

We have so many pieces of equipment connected to our TV, that I can't figure out how to play a DVD. If Evan wants to watch Bob the Builder, there are about 154 steps to play the stupid thing. I think our "DVD" player is actually the PlayStation, or the xBox or the Wii or something...

TV Input... Nope.
DVD Power... Input... Video 1... Nope.
DVD Power... Input... Video 2... Nope.
DVD Power... Input... Video 3... Nope.
DVD Power... Input... Explorer 8300 - Score!

Play... Wrong remote... I give up!

I got an iPod Nano from hubby for Christmas this year. It's pink and super cute. I also got to spend some time in the iTunes store today. I think the iTunes store and I may be a dangerous combination. It's a little like online gambling. Give them your credit card into, and just click your way to bankruptcy. But, I digress...

So, I'm embarassed to admit this, but I bought the Glee Volume 1 soundtrack tonight. Or, rather, I intended to buy the Glee Volume 1 soundtrack. You know what I bought instead? I'm even more embarrassed to admit that I actually bought the Glee Volume 1 KARAOKE soundtrack! Don't know what the karaoke sound track is? Welcome to the club - no pun intended. It is the background track to the Glee Volume 1 sountrack. Like, in case you are so serious about singing along to this silly music that you want your own instrumental tracks, buy this! Or, if you're so new to iTunes and you're a little trigger happy, we'll suck $7.99 from you to capitalize on your stupidity!

Dave - just roll your eyes and shake your head when you read this. Chuckle a little to yourself about how stupid your wife is. It will make you feel better about the $7.99 I just wasted.

Everyone else - stay tuned. I'm going to use my extra time with this to work on a rousing rendition of track 11.

09 Blizzard - Digging Out

2009-12-20T06:15:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen the "official" snow totals yet, but the "unofficial" reading we took on the deck last night was 24 inches. This is what it looked like:

See that man shoveling his driveway in the middle of the blizzard? That's my husband. Pretty much the BEST husband ever...

Where do you start with this? We can't even open the door...

Maybe having two cars is overrated. I wonder what would happen if I just left my car here until the spring thaw?

Frosty Flashdance

2009-12-19T04:11:00.000-08:00

Driving to School with Evan

2009-12-16T05:20:00.001-08:00

E: Ice! Ice! No Ice! Mommy’s car! You turn on car! I drive your car! I want to be warm! Why beeping? Toy magazine? Toy magazine! What that Jeep doing there?
M: It’s not a Jeep, honey. It’s a Hummer.
E: Why people in it? Where are they going?
M: To school. Everyone on the road at this hour is going to work or to school.
E: Yellow! Why that light yellow!?!?
M: It’s a warning sign. Like “Warning! The light is about to turn red!”
E: What red mean?
M: You know what red means.
E: Stop! Green. What green mean? Green means go! (Giant sneeze) What’s that sound?
M: Um, it’s you. Sneezing. (Looks in rear view mirror to see impossibly long trails of snot coming from E’s nose.)
E: I have a snail trail!
M: Hold on, don’t touch anything! I’m getting a tissue for you. Here, wipe your nose.
E: I can’t! You do it!
M: You have to try, the light is green and I have to drive.
E: Okay mommy!
M: (Looks in rear view mirror to see all snot is gone, but the tissue has not been used.) What happened? Where did all of that snot go?
E: In my mouth!
M: Oh, Evan, yuck-o!
E: That’s so silly!
M: That’s not silly, it’s gross. Next time use the tissue, okay?
E: Okay mommy! That’s the YMCA! Why am I going to the YMCA? Who drop me off? Who pick me up? Make u-turn! Why this a u-turn, mommy?
M: Because it’s shaped like a U. Look – long straight line, turn at the bottom, long straight line.
E: Do it again!
M: If we do it again, we’ll be driving in circles.
E: Do it again!
M: Look! We’re at school!
E: (Attempting to unbuckle his car seat) I do it ALL BY MYSELF! I can’t do it! You help me!
M: Let’s do it together.
E: Lock the car! Flash the lights for me! (lights flash) That’s so silly! Where’s my cement mixer? I play on the playground! Miss Sandy! Let’s play with your Christmas toys! Bye mommy! You say bye-bye mommy!
M: Bye Evan! I love you!
E: Who pick me up?
M: Daddy will pick you up. Love you!
E: Love you too mommy!

A fly on the wall...

2009-12-10T06:24:00.001-08:00

As you may have guessed, the reason for this blog is two-fold. I want to share insight into our daily lives with friends and family. I also want to capture pieces of our busy life that might be forgotten over the years. So, in that spirit I am going to start posting “A fly on the wall” entries. They will be essentially things that you might overhear in our house on a daily basis.

Here are a few snippets of recent conversations….

*****

Evan (as we pull away from the Starbucks drive-thru): No latte for me?!?!?

Me: Uh, no. No “latte for you” for a long time…

*****

Evan to Lauren in the morning: “Good Morning Sweetheart!”

*****

Evan (standing on toilet, wearing his new winter coat and looking in the mirror): “I handsome. I very handsome…”

Letters to Santa

2009-12-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

This is the first year that Evan seems to "get" Christmas. He understands the concept of Santa Claus and is quite excited about him. In fact, I think Evan has a running loop of the song "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" in his head. If conversation in our house ever ceases, even for a moment, Evan will break into "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". Only he sings it twice as fast as usual and sings the entire thing through about seven times before he stops to breathe. But, I digress...

Evan is really excited about Santa Claus, so we decided to write a letter to Santa this weekend. Here is the letter:

Evan got a bit of help with the structure of the letter. But, when we finished I asked him is he wanted to add anything else. This is what he suggested...

I love that kid. So, then Evan mailed his letter to Santa Claus...

And probably committed his first crime. Notice the incorrect address and the lack of any sort of postage? I think the USPS frowns on shoving things like that in their mailboxes. We're living dangerously these days. Here is the fun thing... Thanks to Sealed by Santa Evan should be receiving a personalized response from Santa and some reindeer food in the next few days. Isn't the internet wonderful?

A Perfect Day!

2009-12-06T17:24:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a perfect day! We met some friends for breakfast in the morning. When we arrived at the restaurant it was cold and rainy. When we left, it looked like this....

So, we went home, lit the fire, put on some music and decorated the house for Christmas...

I made Paula Deen's Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. Then, we decided that the house was sufficiently christened with holiday spirit. So, Evan and I played in the snow. When I bundled him up in this get-up he walked around saying: "I'm cute! I'm cute in THIS outfit!"

We made a snowman. We threw snowballs at each other. Evan would say, "I'm going to throw this snowball at you! One... two... three... four... five... six... seven... eight... nine... ten... eleven... tweleve!"

Evan ate snow. I know better. ;)

We caught snowflakes on our tongues and eyelashes.

Then we went inside and drank cold apple cider. It was Evan's request.

Later that day, Kristin drove up from Richmond. She watched the kiddos and I had a date night with my husband. Want to be my new BFF? It doesn't take much. Watch my kiddos and let me go on a date with my husband. As my sister, Kristin already has lifetime BFF status, but this solidified her standing! It was a perfect, perfect, perfect day!

Thanksgiving Recap

2009-12-03T16:57:00.000-08:00

Ever since we relocated from Texas, we have been talking about going to a log cabin in the mountains for a getaway. But, the timing was never quite right. Over Labor Day weekend, I stumbled upon what appeared to be the PERFECT log cabin for such an escape. So, we decided to rent the cabin for Thanksgiving this year.

It was a great decision! After a busy Fall, it was a much needed break. The cabin exceeded our expectations. And, we had HIGH expectations going into the weekend! We invited our local family to join us and cooked our Thanksgiving dinner at the cabin. We spent the weekend hiking around the lake, staring at the fire, reading, napping and exploring. We are already looking for an excuse to go back. Here are a few pictures from our weekend...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-04T07:47:00.001-08:00

Kodak Moments

2009-10-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

My daughter is a beautiful baby. I know I am biased, but I am quite certain if you saw her in person you would agree with me. Unfortunately, I cannot take a decent picture of her to save my life. I have friends who capture adorable photos of their children. I, on the other hand end up with pictures like this:

and this....

and this....

I can just imagine when she is in school and has to bring a baby picture to class for some project. I'll have to send her with something like this:

or this....

or one of these....

Some day, when she gets married, maybe she will ask me to contribute baby pictures for the photo montage. I'll have to send her something like this.....

If you don't get a Christmas card with a great family photo this year, maybe you'll understand why..... :)

Is this Heaven? No, it's Iowa...

2009-09-15T16:07:00.001-07:00

Every night we pray for our family members before Evan goes to sleep. This afternoon, he was going through all of the family members. He listed off all of the family members in Pennsylvania, and then all of the family members in Iowa: Nonna, Pop Pop, Aunt Dee, God.

The last one surprised me. So, I asked Evan where God lives.

In Iowa.

My family will be happy to hear that.....

Popped Right Out!

2009-09-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

At least, that is what Evan said the first time he saw his baby sister. He looked at her, looked at me, looked back at her and said, "Popped right out, mama!" Out of the mouths of babes...

My last day at work was Friday and that evening I started to have some mild contractions. Unfortunately for everyone in my house, I thought I was having contractions for the last month of my pregnancy. And, I WAS having contractions - they just didn't result in full-on labor. I think everyone was tired of hearing me say "I think today is the day!" only to watch me go to bed and sleep peacefully through the night while they were on edge wondering if that night would be THE NIGHT. So, I decided towards the end of my pregnancy that I wasn't going to say anything more about going into labor until I was certain that I was, in fact, IN LABOR.

So, I started having mild contractions about 10 minutes apart on Friday night. But, I slept through the night. In the morning, the contractions were still there but they were about 8 minutes apart. I had a hair appointment that morning and decided to go. In hindsight, that may not have been the best decision. Could you imagine if I had gone into active labor with permanent hair dye all over my head? Fortunately, the Lord had mercy on me and my sweet stylist and we avoided that scene. I think I made her a little nervous though because I kept checking my watch. She asked if I was in a hurry. I assured her that I was not in a hurry, I was just timing contractions. Based on the look on her face, I think she would have preferred that I was in a hurry.

By that afternoon the contractions continued and they went from 7 minutes to 5 minutes apart and stayed that way for about an hour and a half. I decided to call the doctor on call to see if this was the magic formula for going to the hospital. The doctor didn't seem all that convinced that I was actually in labor, but suggested that we go in anyway to be monitored.

In my attempt to avoid being the pregnant lady who cried wolf, I hadn't mentioned anything to Dave about the contractions all day. So, I think he was a little surprised when I woke him up from a nap to say that it was time to go to the hospital. (My wonderful husband was terribly sick that day, and he was such a wonderful support to me despite how terribly he was feeling at the time!)

When we arrived at the hospital, they confirmed that Iwas indeed in labor. We were admitted around 5:30 that evening. I'll spare you all of the details, but the highlights included the epidural, a nap, and a few interior design shows on HGTV. (NOTE to Genevieve Gorder: PRODUCE, especially lettuce, does NOT make a great design accessory. That is just a stupid idea. My husband and the nurses agree with me - and I'm pretty sure it wasn't just because I was in labor.) Of course, the real highlight of the night was Lauren's arrival at 11:36 PM. She is beautiful and perfect, and has brought new joy into our lives.

Evan is adjusting pretty well to his new sister. But, he has told me that he wants to be "tiny" several times. Oh, and he keeps climbing onto my lap and announcing that he wants to "be born"....

I am finding everything a little easier the second time around, and loving my time with both children. Dave continues to be fantastic with them and we are enjoying our expanded family!

So, without further adu, we would like to introduce you to Lauren Anne...

Verbatims

2009-08-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

The following conversations occured in our house this morning:

Evan: What dis momma? (pointing to Dave's shampoo in the shower)

Me: That's shampoo, honey. Daddy uses it to wash his hair. Do you use shampoo to wash your hair?

Evan: No momma! I'm a big boy!

*****

Evan: What doing momma?

Me: I'm going to blow my hair dry.

Evan: I do! I do! I help you momma! (proceeds to lean over and start blowing on my wet hair)

Cute! But not so effective.... :)

Confessions....

2009-07-07T11:57:00.000-07:00

Okay. Newsflash for anyone who hasn't gotten the memo yet - I'm pregnant these days. Like REALLY pregnant. It's actually not a very pretty sight. Thus, the reason that recently you either a) haven't seen any pictures of me, b) have only seen pictures of me from the neck up, or c) have only seen pictures of me hiding behind a two year old.

So, this afternoon I innocently walked through the kitchen at work to get some water. Only water. I swear. But then I saw some Skittles in the vending machine and I knew things were only going to go downhill from there. I'm not a big Skittles fan, but for some reason they seemed like the perfect snack today. Don't judge me.

So, I walked back to my office to get some money for the Skittles. When I returned to the machine, I purchased the Skittles. BUT, the bag got stuck. And I really wanted the Skittles. And it wasn't really THAT stuck, but just enough that it didn't quite fall out. Just enough that I was certain a little "hip bump" from an 8 month pregnant person would definitely dislodge it.

But, a little hip bump to the front of the machine wasn't quite enough. I looked around and didn't see or hear anyone else. I was quite certain that a little hip bump to the side of the machine would do the trick. No such luck.

Just as I was about to take more drastic measures, I thought about being 8 months pregnant and caught in the act of trying to dislodge the Skittles from the machine. That thought alone was embarassing enough for me to stop acosting the vending machine and go back to my office.

For another dollar bill. To buy a SECOND bag of Skittles. To dislodge the first bag. :)

Big boy bed. Big boy bed! BIG BOY BED!

2009-06-27T17:38:00.000-07:00

As you know, we are expecting baby number two in August. So, Evan needs to vacate the crib to make room for his sister. I need to have the room ready for the baby so I can satisfy this nesting phase I'm in. So, that can only mean one thing... Time for Evan to move to a "big boy bed".

We have been talking about moving to said bed for several weeks. Last Saturday morning I asked Evan if he wanted to get a big boy bed. For whatever reason, he totally latched on to that idea. Throughout the day on Saturday, he probably said "big boy bed" 3,000 times. (I'm totally not exaggerating here....) When he took his nap, I'm pretty sure the last words out of his mouth were "big boy bed".

So, we decided to go to Ikea for the big purchase. Throughout the entire store, he kept repeating "big boy bed... big boy bed..." It was really sweet....

You know what wasn't so sweet? What happened towards the end of the trip. As we were waiting in the eternal check out line, Evan decided that he wanted to get out of the cart. When we did not oblige, he started looking at complete strangers yelling "Help me! I NEED HELP!"

After some disapproving looks from fellow shoppers, we finally made it home with the famed big boy bed.

On Sunday, Dave and Evan set up the new bed. Here are a few pictures:

I know that a picture might be worth a thousand words. But in this instance, I really think that the words do it justice. Take a listen:

Sweet Dreams!

Help Me Rhonda!

2009-06-01T13:02:00.000-07:00

Evan is just now really entering into the world of coherent verbal communication. So, we are encouraging him to use words to describe what he needs/wants. His grandmother was working with him on this a lot last week. When he gets frustrated, he lets out this pathetic whine and cries. So, she told him to say "help" or "help me" when he needed something. Well, it took. Maybe a little too well. Our conversations this weekend went something like this:

Evan: Help! HELP! Help me! HELP me! HELP ME!

Me: What?!? Are you okay? What do you need?

Evan: Banana please

*****

Evan: Help! HELP! Help me! HELP me! HELP ME!

Me: Are you okay? Did you get hurt?!?!

Evan: Bob Builder! (Evan's newest fascination...)

*****

At least I know that he should have no trouble asking for help when he actually needs it. I can just see him if we get separated in a store. He will be the two year old walking up and down the aisle screaming "HELP ME!!!!"

2009-05-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

Nine years ago today, I married the love of my life. At the time, it was probably more accurate to say the love of my young life, because I was only 20 at the time. But, over the last nine years, the love of my young life has continued to be the love of my slightly older life. And, one day I will tell you that he has been the love of my entire life.

My wedding day was a happy day. But, it wasn’t the happiest moment of my life. It was just the beginning. The happiest moments have happened, with the love of my life, on normal days over the last nine years. I can’t wait to see what moments the next years will hold for us.

Happy Anniversary Dave! I love you!

Drawn from Water

2009-04-20T14:00:00.001-07:00

Recently, I have been haunted by children I've never met, from a tribe I know very little about, in a country I've never visited.

Last week, I learned about the children of the Karo tribe in Ethopia. The people of the Karo tribe in rural south-western Ethiopia have a culture rich in tradition. However, the tribe lives in fear of evil spirits who they believe bring ill fortune to their villages. They use the word “Mingi” to describe persons they consider cursed or otherwise imperfect. Those deemed Mingi face severe consequences, as the Karo believe the presence of these children on their land curses the tribe.

There are many different ways in which a thing may be considered “Mingi”; but there are a few that are more common and have severe consequences, such as pregnancy outside of marriage. A second example of Mingi refers to married couples who conceive before announcing their intention to the rest of the tribe. The parents must notify the tribe they are trying to conceive; otherwise any pregnancy is considered illegitimate. Another example is when a child’s top teeth come in before the bottom teeth. Their solution to this perceived threat is to drown Mingi in the river.

Late last year, a Christian team of photojournalists traveled to Ethiopia. They met with Lale, a Karo tribesman who attended a Youth with a Mission training school in Hernhut, Germany. Lale informed the team of the Mingi belief and of his vision to convince the tribal elders to surrender these children to an orphanage he would oversee. This action would save lives while he in turn, would focus on the diplomatic process of convincing the local tribes that the Mingi belief is baseless.

Lale and the group members had an initial conversation with tribal leaders regarding Mingi. They asked leaders if they are willing to explore options, and if their group could help relocate the children sentenced to death far from the Karo land.

One of the team members began to cover the story of a mother with a Mingi child. They promised to return in January before the child was born. In January, 2009, they returned with additional students for a photo journalism workshop to find that the mother gave birth early and they had already killed the child. The team vowed to return to save Mingi children via the river or car.

In January, the first child, Bale, was saved from her demise for having “Mingi” teeth. In February, the orphanage was legalized with the Ethiopia government. The orphanage is named “Drawn from Water” because the group utilizes the same river that the children were normally drowned in to rescue them.

The group relocated an additional 5 children from neighboring tribes. Later that month, the group rescued two additional children from within the tribal community, but an additional two children died because they could not be reached in time.

The story of the Karo tribe seems so distant from the world of iPods, 24-7 media connections and online grocery services. So, why am I telling you about it? First, the need is urgent. Not only is this an actual matter of life and death, but the events described above happened this year. This is a real-time opportunity to help. Second, the orphanage is supported by people that I personally know and trust. Donations to Drawn from Water go directly to rescue and care for these children. Finally, as a parent I can only imagine to horror of realizing that I had allowed my own child to be killed for a lie. One possibility is that the Drawn from Water orphanage may only exist for the time it takes for the tribe to hear the Truth and recognize that these children are a blessing and not a curse. Children who would have been killed could one day be reunited with their parents. This is amazing grace defined.

Recently, I have been haunted by children I've never met, from a tribe I know very little about, in a country I've never visited. Inevitably, when I think about these children for any length of time, their faces change and I see Evan staring back at me.

For more information about Drawn from Water and how you can help, visit the following websites:

http://www.drawnfromwater.org/the-story

http://compathos.com/drawnfromwater/

Thanks, Martha...

2009-04-09T12:01:00.001-07:00

The following is an excerpt from an interview the Washington Post conducted with Martha Stewart:

Washington Post: How is the recession affecting domestic life and people making things at home?

Martha Stewart: People are staying home and enjoying it by crafting and beautifying their home with decorating and cooking. They can't afford to travel, but they can afford a $23 glitter kit.

Did I mention that Martha just launched a new craft book complete with a $23 corresponding glitter kit?

In our current economic condition, it's nice to see that Martha is looking out for us...

Drumroll Please.....

2009-04-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

This conversation occured in our kitchen yesterday morning:

Me: Evan, mommy and daddy are going to the doctor today. The doctor is going to take pictures of the baby in mommy's tummy. We will also find out if the baby is a boy or a girl! Would you like it if mommy had a little boy baby?

Evan: No!

Me: Would you like it if mommy had a little girl baby?

Evan: No!

Me: Those are really the only two choices, honey.

Grandma: Would you like it if mommy had a MONKEY?

Evan: Uh-huh! (emphatically)

Thanks Grandma! ;)

So, without further ado, we are excited to announce that we are having a GIRL!

I'm sure that Evan will be thrilled once he gets over the disappointment of not having a MONKEY for a sibling.

Love in Any Language

2009-03-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Evan has not been in a big hurry to start talking. More than anything, I think it is because he doesn't see much of a need to talk. So, a big theme in our house these days is to use words to communicate. "Evan, what would you like for dinner tonight? Use words to tell Mommy..."

Before I walked out the door this morning, I told Evan that I loved him. He smiled and I asked him if he could use words to say that he loved me. He thought about it for a moment, then ran over to me, gave me a big hug and kissed my leg.

Maybe using words is overrated afterall...

Smarty Pants

2009-03-17T08:03:00.000-07:00

I am not a Smarty Pants, and I have the GMAT scores to prove it. But, I'm always looking for opportunities to use that phrase with a straight face. Alright, with a little bit of a smirk...

Anyway, I am excited to announce that after months of preparation and planning, I have been accepted into the University of Wisconsin's MBA program! UW offers their MBA program online, so we won't have to relocate to Wisconsin. Have you been to Wauwatosa in January? Enough said. ;)

I expect that this will be a pretty slow process, but I am excited to start! I am also thrilled to have found a program that should be flexible enough to work with the rest of my life demands.

Woohoo!

You lookin at me?

2009-02-27T10:50:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to think of how to start this post. I can't come up with a clever intro, so I'll just come out with it.

Yesterday, my son was attacked by a rooster.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a rooster. We live in a densely populated suburban part of northern Virginia. But, there is a working farm/community park near our house. Evan and Grandma took a trip to the farm yesterday. It is a great experience for the kids because they can walk through the farm area to see the barn animals. They have horses, cows, sheep, chickens, roosters, bunnies and a peacock.

The animals are usually confined. But apparently one of the roosters got out yesterday and was roaming free around the farm. I guess that Evan made eye contact with the rooster. The rooster thought that the two year old was challenging him, and in turn strutted up to Evan, jumped up in the air and kicked Evan in the chest with his talons. It knocked Evan to the ground, and he started crying. Fortunately, Evan was not injured. He had enough layers of clothing on that the talons did not pierce his skin. Afterward, the rooster fluffed out his feathers and strutted around the area making all sorts of noise.

Alright Mr. Rooster, you think you're so tough because you could take down a two year old? Well, you'd better pray that you never meet his MOM alone in a dark alley.....

2009-02-26T09:47:00.001-08:00

We have been trying to prepare Evan for some of the changes that will come his way after his sibling is born this summer. So, we have explained that I have a baby in my "tummy". He knows that when the baby comes we will have to feed the baby and change the baby's diaper, and that the baby will sleep in his room. So far, he seems to be pretty receptive to the idea.

Recently, he has started to come up to my stomach and kiss the baby. He waives goodbye to my stomach when I leave. It is really quite sweet to watch. But, this morning I think he may have taken things too far. After he brushed his own teeth, he came over to me, lifted my shirt up, and started to "brush" my stomach with his toothbrush. :)

2009-02-24T06:48:00.000-08:00

I have a confession to make. Evan is 2 and we haven't totally baby-proofed our house. We have addressed most of the safety issues, but the kitchen cabinet doors can be opened and our toilet seats aren't on lock down. We also chose not put protective covers over the door knobs. So, Evan has access to all of the rooms in the house. In fact, this may be a good time for a quick PSA. If you come over to visit and you need to use our powder room, you should probably lock the door behind you. Evan doesn't have a good grasp of the importance of "private time" just yet...

But, I digress...

This weekend, Evan kept going into our pantry to try to eat yet another bag of Craisins. I kept telling him not to, pulling him out of the pantry, and shutting the door. I thought that my message had finally gotten through when he closed the door on his own and walked over to open the door to the powder room. (I wasn't thrilled about moving the action into the powder room, but I'm a big fan of distraction, regardless of the form it takes.) So, Evan opened the door and motioned for me to enter the powder room. As soon as I did, he shut the door, leaving me alone in the dark powder room. Nice. I opened the door, only to see Evan back in the pantry going after the Craisins.

Evan: 1
Mommy: 0

Well played, Evan. Well played...

Happy 2nd Birthday Evan!

2009-02-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

Our Announcement

2009-02-08T13:05:00.000-08:00

Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is official! In August, our family of three will become a family of four. We are thrilled! We can't wait to meet our newest little one and start the next stage of this adventure!

You can't make this stuff up....

2009-02-02T05:48:00.000-08:00

I have been struck recently by the level of desperation we have been seeing from job seekers. It is real-life insight into the economic challenges that Americans are facing. We ask candidates to answer a series of 5-6 pre-screening questions as they submit their resumes. The first question asks why the candidate is seeking a new position. We used to get a wide range of responses, but recently almost every candidate has been laid off. I feel for people in this situation and we really try to find a fit whenever possible.

But, I received one response this morning that I couldn't help but share.

Q: What circumstances bring you to apply for this position today?
A: The usual...unemployment, going to loose the house, can't feed the kids.

Q: Please describe your skill level with Microsoft Excel.
A: Intermediate to expert...what I don't know I teach myself as I need it. I haven't had to use pivot tables yet or write macros but it's nothing I couldn't figure out with a book, a few hours to kill and a couple of pina coladas.

Q: When are you available to start?

A: Immediately. Well, unless a drug test is required and then I need to wait to get some stuff out of my system. No just kidding, it's late and I'm tired.

Seriously, you can't make this stuff up.....

Happy Monday!

Resume Faux Pas

2009-01-23T06:13:00.000-08:00

I've been spending an inordinate amount of time reviewing resumes over the last few days. Overall, it's a pretty boring process and I generally try to stop when I get grouchy because I think it's not fair to the candidates. So, in honor of my recent time spent perusing resumes, I would like to share a few observations:

If your college GPA was a 2.47, you probably don't need to mention that on your resume. It's not helping your case.

If you enable the "track changes" feature on the electronic version of your resume, you should "accept all changes" before sending it to a recruiter. Otherwise, we see every change, misspelling and correction you have made to your resume.

If you assess your skill level in Excel as a 5 out of 5, and then indicate that you don't have experience writing formulas in Excel, your self assessment may be off.

If you address your cover letter to "Dear Sirs," you should be certain that the "Sirs" are actually the ones who will be reading your cover letter. This is so antiquated and sexist, it's a deal-breaker for me.

If you think it's worth noting that you are "Detail ORIENTAL", you're probably not.

Spring Cometh to Me Right Now!

2009-01-05T13:32:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas! We even extended the Christmas season by putting up our tree BEFORE Thanksgiving. But, this weekend we decided it was time to face reality and take the tree down. In doing so, we found a new furniture configuration for our living room that should give Evan a better play space. We also decided that it is time for Spring to come. Now!

In theory, I really like Winter. But in actuality, I only like Winter if it means snow, skiing, and snow days. So far, this Winter has produced no snow, no skiing and no guilt-free work reprieves. So, the Young Family is done with Winter and ready for Spring!

I know it is only January 5th, but a girl can dream can’t she? Spring cometh to me right now!

Christmas Gift Reveal

2009-01-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting for months to reveal my best kept Christmas shopping secret! But, because I didn't want to spoil the surprise for my family, I had to wait until AFTER Christmas. I purchased almost all of my Christmas gifts this year from my friend Lynda Hanford. Many of you know Lynda and you know about her beautiful work. For those of you who don't know Lynda, allow me to introduce you!

Lynda makes all sorts of hand made gifts. Not only is the quality of her work high, but she has great taste and was very willing to personalize the gifts. Here are a few pictures of the items she made for me this year...

She made this bag for my sister-in-law -- a major Eagles Fan!

This table runner for my Aunt. My aunt does mission trips to Haiti every year. The runner says "Merry Christmas" in English and in Haitian Kreol.

This bag for my mom - a teacher.

And, my personal favorite - this purse for my sister. Lynda added Kristin's favorite quote to the inside of the bag.

Earlier this year, Lynda made personalized burp cloths for some of my friends who had babies.Lynda is so creative and was such a joy to work with! I would highly recommend her! You can see more of her work on her main website:

http://www.shoplyndalou.com/

And some more of her past work on her ETSY site:

http://www.etsy.com/shop_sold.php?user_id=5123240

Thank you Lynda!!!

Spreading a Little Christmas Cheer

2008-12-21T18:32:00.000-08:00

I bought this apron for Evan to wear for baking Christmas cookies this year. I know Evan well enough to know that he is not likely to wear this for more than 3 minutes - but it was so cute and I couldn't resist! So, enjoy what I suspect will be the ONLY picture of him in this get up. Merry Christmas!

I Got Spammed by Santa Claus

2008-12-15T08:23:00.000-08:00

Seriously. I just recieved a SPAM e-mail in one of my accounts from "Santa Claus".

Coincidentally, as I was looking for a picture of Santa to add to this blog post, I saw an image I'd rather forget of a side shot of "Santa". Naked.

What is the world coming to?

Oh, the weather outside if frightful!

2008-11-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

Okay, can I just vent for a minute?

Winter hit hard and fast this week. We went from temperatures in the 70's to the 30's in just a few short days. So, it's time to pull out all of Evan's winter clothes and see if anything fits. Fortunately, the big ticket items still fit. So, I just need to buy a few supplements.

Today, I was looking for a fleece scarf to keep his face and neck warm. I went to Target, because I figured they were sure to have SOMETHING that would work. Well, the experience at Target mirrors most of my experiences when I purchase clothes for Evan.

Girls clothes outnumber boys clothes 2 to 1.

Generally, it doesn't matter. Except when I have something really specific that I'm looking for. Like an outfit for his baby dedication or say a scarf. Then I find myself totally annoyed.

So today, in the baby and toddler section there were two full racks of warm weather accessories for girls. There was one half of a rack for boys. Totally picked over. The remnants were 8 fleece hats and three gloves. Not three PAIR of gloves - three gloves. Lord only knows what happened to the fourth glove. But, I digress...

Ditto to the "big boy" section as well. Finally, I found the Target Scarf Mecca! Girls size 4-16. They had scarfs of every color, fabric and size. Pink scarfs. Polka dotted scarfs. Leopard print scarfs. And one lone black fleece scarf.

Yes, ladies and gentleman, my son is going to wear a black fleece scarf from the Girl's section at Target. I was desperate. Please don't revive this post when he turns 15....

Voting in Virginia

2008-11-04T08:03:00.000-08:00

I voted in a blue county in a purple state today. The voting experience was in stark contrast to my previous experiences in God's Country (a.k.a. Texas). So, I wanted to give you a little insight into voting in Northern Virginia.

My voting precinct is at a local elementary school. When I arrived this morning, the line was out the door, down the sidewalk, through the parking lot, and around the corner. It took me about 10 minutes just to find a parking space.

When I finally found the end of the line, I was warmly greeted by an Obama volunteer with a sample Democratic ballot. I politely declined and took my place in line. Shortly thereafter, I was greeted by another Obama volunteer. I looked cold, would I like some warm coffee? I politely declined and started to shift my weight from side to side as I waited. A few minutes later another Obama volunteer came by. Would I like a granola bar? Some bottled water? No and no. Thanks.

The line was moving slowly, but it was progressing. I had finally reached the long sidewalk that went directly into the school. Obama/Biden signs flanked the walkway into the school. As I inched closer to the school, I was approached by two Acorn volunteers in black shirts with bold white lettering. The shirts proclaimed that I had a right to vote and highlighted an 800 number that I could call to report voter suppression. They also pointed to a lawyer (and Obama supporter) who could assist me if I was denied my right to vote today. Got it.

Once I made my way inside the school, the Obama presence faded slightly. Volunteers are not allowed to wear political flair inside the polling place. But, one of the Obama volunteers (sans previous Obama regalia) stood inside the school waiving and giving a “thumbs up” to voters as he passed them. It was like, “You liked the coffee didn’t you? Don’t forget who gave it to you!” To their credit, every Obama volunteer was very kind and polite.

I felt like my voting experience had been sponsored by Barack Obama. I am not exaggerating when I say there was not a single sign or mention of John McCain.

The entire ordeal took about 2 hours. Early on, I called my husband. I could see the line and I knew what was to come. I suggested that voting today was a waste of time and that my vote wouldn’t really matter. He suggested that I should vote because we live in a swing-state. I wasn’t convinced. Then he said, “If for no other reason, you should vote because I risked my life defending our country, so that you could have this right.” Good point.

For those of you wondering if the lines are worth it, if your time is worth it, and if your vote really matters; it is and it does. Our freedom is bought with a price. This is an opportunity, not only to help select our country’s leaders, but to show appreciation to all those who fight to give us this freedom.

Horticultural Update

2008-10-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Fairfax County PD stopped by to let us know that they have decided the "plants" are NOT marijuana. Aparently, they are just WEEDS.

Sorry for the corny pun, I just couldn't resist! :)

P.S. I realize that I am in serious danger of falling back into my blogphobic tendencies. I'll try to come back to the blogging world soon. Blog on!

Family Field Trip - Sully Plantation

2008-10-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

We live in northern Virginia, about 20 miles outside of Washington DC. We are surrounded by history and culture. From Smithsonian museums, to national parks, and free concerts at beautifully constructed town centers, we have a plethora of activities to choose from every weekend. Most of them are free. Basically, we have no excuse to complain that there is nothing to do!

Recently, we took a family trip to the Sully Historical Site, which is a plantation that dates back to the 1700's. We thought it would be interesting, plus it would give Evan a chance to run and explore without (many) restrictions. Evan had other plans. When we first arrived he had fallen asleep in the car. We figured that he would wake up once we got him out and started moving. Yeah, not so much...

Evan did finally wake up and we enjoyed the rest of our time at Sully Plantation!

2008-10-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Long post, but worth the read....

We live in a cute little neighborhood of three-story brick townhouses. Each townhouse has a front stoop with wrought-iron detail work and an individual lamp post. We were drawn to the neighborhood because it had great charm and curb appeal.

After we moved in, we realized that many of the other homes were rental units. It has been disappointing to us, because turnover is high and the renters haven't been as concerned with general upkeep of the homes. (Case in point, the trash can that our neighbors left out in an ice storm. It stayed frozen for weeks until I went out - 8 months pregnant - to pry it free. It then sat outside for another two months before the neighbors finally brought it in.)

Over the last few months, the 80 year old grandmother of the family next us has planted a garden in their back yard. At first, the garden was a welcome improvement over the knee-high grass of the previous tenants. That is, until we looked closely at the garden's contents. Zucchini. Tomatoes. Peppers. Marijuana.

Over the summer months, friends would come over to grill out and comment about the "suspicious" looking plants in our neighbors' garden. Over the weekend, we noticed a similar "plant" had sprouted up in their front yard near the sidewalk. Evan plays on the sidewalk, he is fascinated by leaves, we carefully watch him but he has been known to chew and swallow a stray leaf from time-to-time. Having said "plant" in the front yard is concerning to me. It can't be helping our resale value much either.

So, on Monday morning, I called the Fairfax County PD and snitched on my neighbors. They sent two officers over to our house. The first officer mentioned that he was happy to come and take a look, but that the plants were probably just tomato plants. (I would have been very embarrassed if they were, indeed, tomato plants!) The officers looked over our deck on to the garden below. From the distance, it was difficult to tell exactly what the plants were. But, the officers confirmed that they were definitely NOT tomato plants.

They suggested that we refer to pictures of marijuana plants online. So, we used our Wii gaming system to pull up the pictures in my living room. (Now, I was concerned that the officers didn't just KNOW what the "plant" looks like. But, they assured me that they primarily deal with it AFTER it has been processed, not during the growth stages. Whatever.) The website we used had an advertisement with a half-naked woman along the right side. I quickly distracted Evan with a copy of "Mr. Brown can Moo, can You?" and we went back to the photos. Admittedly, it was a pretty funny sight, me and the two officers reviewing photos of marijuana in my living room.

The plants had five leaves and looked similar to the pictures, but they did not appear to have the "buds" that many of the photos showed. The officers decided to take some pictures of the plants and let the narcotics agents review them. Before they left, I also mentioned that there is a lone "plant" in their front planter that looks like the other "plants". The officers thanked me for calling, gave Evan a "Junior Fairfax County Police Officer" badge and said they would follow up.

I closed the door and two minutes later there was a knock on the door. I opened the door to one of the officers. Before I could say anything, he said "It is TOTALLY marijuana!". Vindicated at last! NOT tomato plants! Not just five-leaf ornamental plants! I was a good citizen! I was protecting my family! I was snitching on my nice neighbors... :(

Upon closer inspection, the "plants" in the front of the yard had the appropriate leaves, but they also had the "buds" that were not apparent from a distance on the plants in the back yard. Closer inspection also revealed that the "plants" were growing all over in the planting bed by the charming front stoop with the wrought-iron detail work and the individual lamp post. Charming indeed...

Here are a few pictures from our adventure...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-24T07:27:00.000-07:00

It's an oldie, but a goodie! Evan (at 9 months) in Dave's old baby clothes. Vintage baby...

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

Run Forrest, Run!

2008-09-16T05:47:00.000-07:00

On Friday evening, I ran into my boss as I was leaving the office. We made the usual small talk on the way out, “Do you have any plans for the weekend?” etc. He mentioned that he was playing in two adult soccer leagues over the weekend and attending a DC United game. I commented that I used to play soccer competitively and I still enjoyed watching soccer games. He suggested that I play in their coed game on Friday night. I smiled, mentioned other obligations and politely declined his offer.

Now, here’s what really happened…

When he suggested that I play soccer THAT NIGHT, I thought there is no way that I could play soccer with no notice. Best case scenario, I WOULD KEEL OVER AND DIE. Worst case scenario I would embarrass myself, my company and perhaps women in general. I haven’t played soccer in at least 10 years. I HAVEN’T RUN IN AT LEAST 10 YEARS. Those of you who know me well know that I had back surgery about 10 years ago. Today, I rarely have back pain and I have a relatively normal life. The trade off is that there are some things that went on my list of “Things I Just Can’t Do” a little early. Running is one of them. Playing soccer is another.

That evening I started thinking. Maybe there is an age at which my initial response will be merited. I don’t think that 29 is that age. So, on Friday night I was inspired. I decided to get on our treadmill and start running. I figured that I would warm up for a few minutes and then try to run. I figured two minutes was a good starting point. I ran for two minutes. My breathing was labored and I was sweating, but no heart attack. So I kept going. I ran for 5 minutes and still felt pretty good, so I ran for 10 minutes and then 15 minutes. It wasn’t pretty, but when I finished I felt like I could conquer the world!

I ran again on Saturday and then on Monday. You know what? I really like it. More than that, it challenged me to think about what else has been placed prematurely on that “list”. So, I want to encourage you to look at your own list. Think about the possibility that you may be stronger and more capable than you think.

2008-09-15T06:47:00.000-07:00

After church yesterday, Evan was running around the lobby in a sea of people. The best way for me to keep an eye on him was to crouch down to knee level. From this vantage point, I saw Evan spot something and stop dead in his tracks. It was a little plastic wrapper. He stooped down, carefully picked it up and examined it. After some consideration, he marched over to a man (he didn't know) and tugged on his pant leg. The man looked down at Evan, and Evan handed him the little plastic wrapper. The man looked perplexed, but took the wrapper anyway. As soon as he did, Evan pointed emphatically at the trash can next to the man. Evan wanted him to throw it away.

At 19 months old, Evan is already orchestrating his world!

Cinderella, Cinderella...

2008-09-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

Evan has started "helping" around the house. He sweeps the floor and helps unload the dishwasher. Needless to say, I love it! Not because he's all that helpful, but because it marks a new stage in his life where he can be more self-sufficient. I love to see his excitement and pride as he learns he can do new things.

19 months is probably a bit too young for a Chore Chart, right? :)

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-10T05:34:00.000-07:00

Drive Thru Confusion

2008-09-08T05:25:00.001-07:00

McDonalds Drive Thru Operator: Welcome to McDonalds! Can I take your order?

Dave: Yeah, can I get that Southern Style Chicken Biscuit with a different kind of chicken?

McDonalds Drive Thru Operator: No sir. It only comes with one kind of chicken.

Dave: Is it spicy?

McDonalds Drive Thru Operator: No sir.

Dave: Well, what makes it "southern style" then?

McDonalds Drive Thru Operator: silence

McDonalds Drive Thru Operator: So, you'd like the Southern Style Chicken Biscuit then?

Dave: Uh...okay.

Wordless Wednesday

2008-09-03T05:12:00.001-07:00

Summer Recap

2008-08-29T17:31:00.001-07:00

It’s Labor Day weekend. I look forward to this holiday because of the long weekend. I dread this holiday because it signals the end of summer. I wanted to take a few minutes to share the highlights of our summer…

In June, I spent several days in Chicago at the SHRM conference. I enjoyed the conference and the opportunity to see my friends Beth and David. I was also able to spend a long weekend at my parents’ cottage in Bellevue. Unfortunately, my visit coincided with the Iowa floods, so it felt more like swamp-land than natural bliss.

In early August, Dave and I traveled to New Jersey for my Cousin Debbie’s wedding. Evan stayed with Grandma and Grandpa, so it was a nice break for the two of us. We planned our trip to include an extra night in Baltimore. After 8 years of marriage, the wedding was the first time that Dave met the Dugan side of my family. The wedding was wonderful, Debbie looked beautiful, and the party was fantastic! We loved seeing this side of the family and look forward to more frequent visits. Congratulations Debbie and Kyle!

August was a month of family “togetherness”! After spending a weekend with the Dugan’s, my parents and my Aunt Dee came to Virginia to visit. Unfortunately, it has been rare for the entire Kutsch clan to be together at the same time recently. But, I have a picture to prove that it actually happened!

What summer is complete without at least one trip to the beach? Evan and I went to the beach for the first time last weekend. Overall, I would say the trip was a success! Evan liked the water. Evan really liked the sand. He played in the sand. He rolled in the sand. He licked the sand. (You’re grossed out, right? But admit it, you know EXACTLY what that tastes like, don’t you?)

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the summer:

Happy Labor Day! Milk the last moments of summer for all they’re worth…

2008-08-22T17:19:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid, I got a bicycle for my birthday. It was purple, pink and white. It had a big banana seat, handle bar streamers and a big basket with a flower on the front. I rode the bicycle around with our little Yorkshire terrier perched in the front basket. It was a sight to behold and I loved that bicycle.

But, perhaps my feelings are stronger through the nostalgic lens of time than they were in reality, because despite all its 1980’s glory the bicycle was often neglected. I left the bicycle in the yard. I left the bicycle on the front porch. Frequently, I left the bicycle out in the rain.

My parents wanted me to learn to be responsible. They wanted me to know that there are consequences to poor choices. So, they did what most conscientious parents would do, they gave me an ultimatum. The bicycle is stored in the garage OR it’s the last bicycle we ever buy for you. Until two years ago; the purple, pink and white bicycle with the banana seat, handle bar streamers and the big basket was the only bicycle I’ve ever owned.

Note: Now, some of you may be picturing me riding a bicycle for the first time in 20 years. You may be thinking that it probably wasn’t pretty. Well, I can assure you that the actual event was far uglier in real life than you can possibly imagine. But, THAT is another post for another time…

I’m going to start a blog. Let’s hope that this blog lives longer and receives better care than the purple, pink and white bicycle with the banana seat and the handle bar streamers.