2009 Christmas list

*A roll of Heat 'n Bond(No Sew) Iron on Adhesive.. This is a MUST for my hobby.. 6 yards long I believe, at our local Wal Mart.

*Rocket Dog Pony Up Sweater Clog-beige size 9.5-10

*Gift card for fabric.com - this is good for a fabric collector's soul ;)

*Mini Crock Pot

*Steak Knife Set

*Rachael Ray Cookware Set ---> Already got it!! :D

*Glassware Set

*Food Processor - one that will work good at grinding a bar of soap for homemade laundry soap.

updated 12/15:

*Pizza Peel
*Electric teapot
*Ergo baby carrier
*Costco's membership

perfect country??

Sometimes I wonder if i somehow messed up on my flag page test. I figured I'd be perfect country but I guess its not my top 2 countries. As of right now, its driving me nuts seeing crumbs up against the walls on the floor that will require bending down to gather that up, seeing a spot I missed after I had just dusted like 15 mins earlier, all this stuff that has accumulated in this house since Aug which means I need to declutter AGAIN(the WHOLE house, attic, shed and the shop), seeing that the carpet needs shampoo'ed and have a garage sale, and I can just keep going on and on...and its all driving me crazy!
Does that sound like perfect country to you? Wanting everything to be perfect but its nearly IMPOSSIBLE with 2 little ones in the household. Yea, so why is it bugging me so much when I'm aware of all of this?
I will admit that i do have days when i just don't care if I see dirty dishes in the sink, seeing laundry piling up, etc.. Just leave it and do it another time is what I do, but it doesnt happen very often.
Do you guys have days like this when all of this never-ending stuff just gets to ya? I want a maid! I'd rather play with my kids instead or sew/do projects!

Ah, the joys of being a grown up..

Anyone need toys? Theres some stuff going in the garage sale.. When will this garage sale happen?? who knows.. :)

Britax anyone?

So.. here MAY be a chance to actually get to be a Britax carseat owner!

A blog(link posted below) is having the Britax carseat giveaway! This giveaway i could not pass up on! So sending it your way if you are interested! :)


Click here to enter the giveaway

to post or not to post about??

Well I'm going to do it but its NOT in my words(link below) and I agree with it.. Once in a while, my husband and I will get the question..... "so do you guys vaccinate your kids?" We don't... For biblical and health reasons.. it's the PARENTS job to keep your child(ren) safe/protected, NOT the FDA's, that includes doctors too.

Aborted fetuses as one of the vaccination ingredients really gets to me.. Don't you think that would be linked to HIV/AIDS?? I'm just saying......

Why we don't vaccinate

And theres more info on the right side bar under the vaccination category..

...and I'm happy to be your Carson...

9.4.09

Me: I'm happy to be your mom. I love you.
Carson: and I'm happy you are my mom.

9.5.09
Me: I'm happy to be your mom.
Carson: and I'm happy to be your Carson.

awww.. Gotta love that kid!

Carson also is starting an interest in reading time on the clock.. sometimes he'll say its 10:2 o'clock when the long hand is pointing at the 2 and the small hand is pointing at the 10 and same with other numbers.. Not bad for a 3(ALMOST 4 year old), right? Guess I should teach him how to read the clock but I feel that's going to be a challenge for me..

i.don't.know.

Where you gonna go after the house sells?

Do you have a house lined up yet?

Are you going to build or get another house?

Wish I had an answer for ya.. Only God knows what's going on....

My answer is.. i.don't.know

We have NO idea what path to take... We have NO idea where we'll be living at when baby #3 arrives... We don't know..

The answer I CAN give you is... God has a plan and HE knows whats going to happen.. My job is to:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.
Psalm 3:5-6

Interview with Carson. August 25, 2009. 3 years, 11 months and 2 days old.

Just for fun I decided to interview Carson as I did this for a project with my little cousin who was then 4 years old for a college class. A few years later, i found this project and had a good time reading the interview between her and I. I type the exact words they use/say and their actions(i.e. shrugs shoulder, smile, get embarrassed, etc.)

ME: How do you spell your name?
Carson: C-A-R-S... or O-N
ME: spell it again.
Carson: C-A-R-O-N, that's my name.

ME: What is your full name?
Carson: Carson...Jett...Tyler...Doak

ME: What is your sister's name?
Carson: Kylie Luanne Doak. What's Daddy's whole name? I didn't answer him as I'm writing his answer down. Mommy, what's Daddy's whole name?

ME: What is your parents name?
Carson: Smiles, shrugs shoulders. I don't know. I don't know, Mommy.

ME: Do you know what color your shirt is?
Carson: Looks at shirt. Just like I was wearing when I was a baby. Gets up and points to the picture of himself on my blog(note, its the last picture from the previous post, taken in July 2009, NOT when he was a baby :)). I'm a big boy now and wearing this shirt. I'm writing down his answer and there is a pause from him. My shirt is grey, just like Greg on the Wiggles!

ME: Whats your favorite color?
Carson: Uh.. Red!

ME: Whats your favorite game?
Carson: Uh. Mickey Mouse matching game (note, this is the game we were playing while I was interviewing him.)

ME: Whats your favorite show?
Carson: Uh. clears throat. Diego.
ME: Diego is your favorite show?
Carson: nods head. Diego is my FAVORITE show.

ME: How old are you?
Carson: Freee

ME: I had fun interviewing you. Thank you for letting me interview you.
Carson: looks at my paper. Mommy, I can draw. I continue to write his answer down. What are you spelling? Mommy, I want to draw. I give him the pen and notebook and he proceeds to draw a smiley face of me, kylie, daddy and himself.

real quick...

i thought i'd post a blog real quick before hitting the shower and bed.. Everything is going well here.. House is on the market now!! Still only 2 showings so far.. :S Hopefully soon a buyer will come around, but timing is everything.. Alex is still busy getting estimates for our possible future home, but we don't know what is going to happen, so its best for me to not get too excited about it til the bank says YES, we CAN do it.. :)

Pregnancy is going well. Hit 19.. NINETEEN weeks already! I've started to feel movements around 18 weeks.. Just the small flutters, not them big punch/kicks yet.. :)

We've been back to using cloth diapers for Kylie.. She has not had a disposable diaper on her for about a week or so. I'm loving the cheeky diapers(www.cheekydiapers.com) with the prefolds that I've put together for the diapers. Best cloth diapers we've experienced so far...
no leaks, no wicking out= one happy mom!

Heres a few fun pictures to wrap up this post.. Enjoy!

Kylie's "cheese" smile for the camera

told Carson to put a shirt on, he ends up with Kylie's shirt.. I laughed and had to get the camera, he realized this, and decided to hide from me, under the computer desk..









he IS all there.. i promise!! ;)

Kylie's first year....

Bet you didn't see that coming!! We didn't either! :) Surprise!!

Its hard to believe Kylie is ONE now, the year went by fast! It doesn't feel that long ago when I heard her first cry, when I saw her face for the first time and she going to be a big sister in January, already!

(Kept messing up on me when trying to subtitle the pictures but its from the day she was born, each month til she she turned one... Enjoy!!)

I'm here....

Hello readers,
Can you see I haven't blogged in a while? Miss Kylie turns ONE in 3 more days, I'm already feeling it.. :(

We are having a party for her so I'll be busy working on that the next few days but I'll post pictures of that so be back on Sunday? Monday? Tuesday? Whenever I get to it, I promise I wont leave you hanging too long....

So yea, just a message for ya all that I'll be back again soon! After Sunday for sure.. :)

10 months old..

Can you believe Kylie is 10 months old already!? Time didnt seem to go by this fast with just Carson but its sure going by fast now! He's gonna be FOUR in Sept. This is too scary already. :( Next year will be t-ball season for him. oh.my. I cant wait!

Kylie started making a new face on her 10th month birthday.. Its funny and cute at the same time.

(Doesn't she look like a Doak in these pictures.. She sure reminds me of her older(by 9 months) cousin, L. )

I wish I had some good pics of Carson to put on here but I don't, he sure doesn't like taking pics so he gives me weird looks for the camera or turns away which gets the profile view or the back of him.. Stubborn boy.. :) Hopefully soon pictures of him will be up.. For now, the picture of him on the right side bar will have to do for now!

Look!!

I've realized a few things after watching this video..

1. I know, its a mess behind me.. Clothes overflowing around the closet area, clothes that don't even fit the kids anymore.. I just haven't got to it yet.. So please ignore it.. :) I'm slightly embarrassed by it, but which is more important? Catching my daughters first steps on camera or clean that mess up for the camera? Yeah, that's what i thought.. ;)

2. Kylie has the phone antenna in her mouth and can jab it in her mouth/throat when she falls.. I DO know better than that, I just didn't realize she had it in her mouth at the moment.. This is what happens when you get too overwhelmed with BOTH kids at the same time.. If you didn't notice, watch the video again..

whats new?

Hi all! here and there I'll be in the mood to write but do other things instead. Its usually about random stuff, like the other day i wanted to blog about the Duggar family.. about how i just love that family(I secretly want to be like that family but I don't think I will end up with THAT many kids), love their values(except the skirt thing).. I'm so excited for Josh(first born) and his wife Anna, who is expecting their first child.. Makes me wonder there will be baby #19 while they are already grandparents.. see, told ya, just random blogs! :)

I've started to read again!! :D Thanks to Kindle on the Ipod touch! I'm really enjoying it! When I was in school and college, you wouldn't see me reading for enjoyment so this is a big change for me... I'm currently reading.. Rattled!:A Memoir I'm almost done with that book and then moving back on the book that Alex bought for me when he was out on a business trip for the day.. I'll Scream Later by Marlee Matlin, a deaf actress. I have soo many books I cant wait to read!

Been a while since I've talked about my kids... Carson keeps getting smarter and smarter and talking more and more.. Sometimes I wonder if he's ever going to be quiet, especially in the car while I'm driving!
He asked me a few times...(when he sees a pregnant woman) "Mommy, how does the baby get in her belly?"
Me.."From the daddy"
Carson: "Where's daddy?"

Thinking..Yikes! You're only 3 1/2 years old, you're not supposed to be asking about that... YET..

Look whos gonna be walking soon!! Where did the time go!?

(Kylie, one day before turning 9 months)

Giveaway by Ashley

Another giveaway(look above) by Ashley.. I wanna win this time!!

To enter for up to 3 chances to win... go to... Ashley's blog

i'm such a slacker!

Its official... I'm a slacker...

*Haven't kept up with my 101 books since early March
*Haven't started on baby shoes for a cousin who entered the world over 3 months ago.
*Have lots of books I want to read, but never make it past chapter 2-3, maybe 4 if I really tried.. ;)
*Still have cloth diapers to sew. We only use 4 cloth diapers.
*Sewing projects is still sitting around on the card table. I woke up with motivation to sew but never made it to the sewing chair, because I chose to get on Facebook and see whats up with everyone.
*the "C" room is overloaded with toys and VERY unorganized.. has been for months..
*I still have pictures from May 2008 to print off..
*Kylie, who is 9 months old now, still does not have a photo album..
*not making time for myself, which is why i feel like I'll lose it some days..

That tells ya something right?? I'm a slacker and don't make the best choices around here... This computer is just too addicting!

What I DON'T slack at....

*giving my kids lots of hugs and kisses..(ok my hubby gets them too.......sometimes ;))
*using the bathroom
*taking showers.. (even though it may not get done til 2am)
*brushing my teeth.. (same as above, sometimes its not til 2am)
*changing diapers
*giving my kids baths
*laundry (ok sometimes they get a lil behind..)
*dishes (again, sometimes the sink gets piled high with dirty dishes)
*eating (you can tell by looking at me)
*feeding my kids
*making milk

Yesterday, a little bird said to me... "You take advantage of your husband, you'll never get a 8am-5pm job, you've never even had a "real" job before!"
You are right, I wouldn't want a 8-5 job, but you should know.. I already do work way longer than 8-5.. It doesn't always start at 8 in the morning, sometimes later(thanks to having kids that likes to sleep in) but it sure lasts way longer than 5pm and sometimes even "get called in" in the middle of the night..

A message to that little bird, "You just wait til you have kids!"

Being a mom is a "real" job, therefore this is part of the reason why I'm a slacker! the other part is not making the right choices... (i.e. instead of getting started on a project, I get on Facebook or read a blog.. like I said, computer is addicting.. I told my hubby that we would save some $ by shutting internet off, but really, we both would be lost without it!)

Off the subject here, I should probably apologize about the previous blog, I realize that it may offend some, and some may not agree with me.. I understand. I'm just glad to get it out my system as it was something I thought about a lot(and still do).

Thank you for reading my rambling....Again this is part of the reason why I'm a slacker. (my escape zone!) :) Have a great day!

God-centered post

Wanna make God laugh? Tell him YOUR plans..

*Become an OB Nurse... God laughed and blessed me with 2 beautiful kids(so far) and allowed me to stay at home with them. (He really does know what he's doing! ;) I can't imagine being a nurse)

*Have my dream home..my dream car.. travel.. have lots of money... God laughed.. But I'm still thankful we have a roof over our heads, 2 vehicles that gets us around(luckily I have good luck with them)... Travel- we are talking/planning our first 'real' family vacation for this summer.. Money-my husband is about to take a minor 'risk' for his business that I'm actually feeling good about, but God might laugh..

Its really important to make choices with God's help instead of making the choices yourself!!

Going against God's plans? (Read at your own risk)

*Wait 'X' years after marriage to start a family... 'X' or more years comes around... Cant get pregnant.. "hmm wonder why I cant get pregnant, guess I'll need to go get some fertility treatment and get pregnant.... " God gave you your chance to get pregnant during that time it was YOUR plan to not have kids.. This happens a lot..

*Trying to get pregnant and can't? Maybe its not God's timing or has other plans for you.. AND remember God's plans are BETTER than our own plans..

*Birth control(I'm talking the pills, depo shot, that arm needle thing, the nuva ring, not the family planning method, condoms, you get the picture right?) prevents pregnancy... Think again and please do your research.. it does NOT prevent pregnancy, it terminates a pregnancy.. Life begins when a fertilized egg and sperm meets.. birth control just prevents this from entering the uterus..

*I feel like I'm going against God's plans when I say I want to wait a few years on the 3rd kid, but what if NOW is my chance to have more kids and then in a few more years, God says "no.".. Toughy!!
Of course, I'll be happy if we get a surprise in the near future! Whatever happens, happens! :D

*When a door closes, another one opens.

*If God doesn't think you can handle it, He wouldnt allow it!

*Sometimes things just don't the way we want them to but God is still in control and always has something better in mind for us!

(note: No, there is nothing bothering me to make me post something about this, I just thought about it today and thought of all those times *I* planned to do something and it never worked out. I've learned to just leave it all up to God. :) We have a few 'big' new things coming up and just not sure where we should go with these 'big' things.. I'm putting my trust in the Lord and let him lead us to where we should go.. So far its all looking good!!)

homemade deodorant/toothpaste anyone?

The kinds that we use, the natural ones of course, is expensive and we run out of toothpaste quick and with me somewhat becoming a frugal mama, I decided to do some researching for recipes.

Homemade Deodorant

Homemade Toothpaste (Fluoride Free!!)

Theres my frugal tip for tonight! :) Off to make the toothpaste real quick since I have everything except for Stevia but I'd be keeping that stuff out anyway. also using ORANGE essential oil instead of peppermint/spearmint(again, I don't have this.)

Enjoy!

"Mike works with God now." -Carson Doak

July 18, 1960- March 22, 2009

My uncle Mike passed away on March 22nd, 2008 in the early morning with his family surrounding him. The funeral was one of the best funeral I've been at, the pastor who was a friend of his, did a wonderful job preaching about Mike. Mike was never afraid to say whatever was on his mind, didn't care if it was something you didn't want to hear, he still spoke his mind. This is what we loved about Mike. Also he loved to laugh and made others laugh as well.
Mike had time to prepare his death, spent time with his siblings, his mom, his wife, his kids and his granddaughters. Was able to give my dad some things that was passed down from their father. Able to tell others what he wanted for his funeral/death. Chose to be buried down the road from his house. One of the things that stood out the most was how he wanted to be hauled to the burial. That was... haul him in his own truck, instead of the funeral home's hearse. Mike's casket fit in the bed of the truck just perfect, tailgate was able to shut and the bed cover was able to close.

After his funeral, I felt a sense of peace since I knew he had went home with the Lord. At some point of his life, Mike accepted Christ, this I did not know about til the funeral, since everyone on both sides of my family don't seem so open to even talk about God, so I was feeling a bit worried about that. Death is hard for the ones here on Earth but it feels so much better knowing where they are.

The day before he passed away, I went to go visit him and glad I did. While I was there, he woke up and stared at his wife. I'll never forget the way he looked at his wife and never forget the sound of his wife's voice telling him that we all love him. We had to leave the room while he woke up since he had a little seizure and thinking this was his last moments here on Earth, before I walked out of the room, I put my hand on his leg, saying Good-Bye under my breath, I just needed that closure with him before he went Home.


The 4 Evans Kids with Grandma MaryLou
(the best pic I got even though it's somewhat a "white-out" pic of the faces, L-R: Rick, Mike, Cathy, Grandma and my dad.)

Yummy? Yucky?

Kylie, who just turned 8 months old last Thursday(3.12.09) and never shows any interest in food. Does it look like she's interested now? lol



Whoops, battery died, lets try this again... (longer version below)

Gotta Love Carson

On his birthday, Alex was leaving to go to DSM for a movie with a friend and brother. his friend came over and picked him up, he says bye and gives us a kiss. Out the door he goes. Carson standing by the door(after Alex had just walked out of the house) and scolds his finger, "you behave with Micheal." LOL, I found this to be funny and HAD to call Alex to tell him that and even had Carson to say it again on the phone. Too cute! I'd say he heard his dad telling him to behave with mommy.

While I was nursing Kylie..

Carson: "She eating your milk."
Me: "Yep she's eating"
Carson: "We don't eat milk, we drink milk."

LOL!

yikes

I'm going to apologize to the readers that followed my blog back when I was pregnant with Kylie and went through that what I call a 'severe case of nesting'. I just got done reading some of it, I swear all I did was NAG, NAG and NAG... Sorry!! I someday want to make a book with all my blog posting for my kids to have someday and wanting to focus on the positive stuff and the jog down my children's milestones, funny stories, sayings.. (which I've been slacking at that). I surely don't want to read a blog when the mom nags a lot, so I imagine you feel the same way. :) So here's a message for you early pregnant moms/mom-to-be... DON'T WAIT TO GET STUFF DONE AT THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS OF PREGNANCY! It's super stressful! I still remember how that felt and wish I hadn't been so hard on myself. I also noticed that I tend to talk about how I want to get stuff done.. I will stop posting my list-to-do here.. I've accepted that chores are NEVER-ENDING.

So here is my main focus of WHY I decided to do a blog.. to document the things I want to remember...

A few funny stuff from Carson...

I was in the kitchen trying to get stuff done in a hurry while I heard Kylie getting fussy in the living room, I kept trying to finish what I was doing, Carson comes in the kitchen.. "Mommy, does Kylie want your milk?" I said yeah, she probably does... in a demanding but not being bossy tone, "then go feed her!"

"Nails(fingernails) is for scratching our butt"

"Mommy, Kylie wants your milk."

Carson: Say "I"
Me: "I"
Carson: "love"
Me: "love"
Carson: "poo"
Me: "NO!! Thats gross!"
He thinks this is hilarious! This makes me laugh under my breath.. Only because his laugh makes me laugh, how can you not love his laugh.. One of my favorite sounds.
NOTE: How this all started was... We would say "I love you" to him and he would say.. " I wuv you" So we would have him repeat us saying one by one.. " I. LOVE. YOU"

the 101 books have been moved

it was taking up too much space on my page.. To be able to read the

101 Ways to Find God's Purpose for Your Life
AND
101 Ways to to Be a Great Mom(and Dad)

It is now located on the right sidebar above the picture of Alex and I. Click on the word "here".

Thanks!

My first time entering a giveaway!

Check it out, click here! She does an awesome job making cards, and it makes me a tad bit jealous! :) Play along to try to win!

catching up on the 101 books

Its been another busy week with the kids.. I don't think it will ever get better.. Unfortunately, Kylie is not a good sleeper so that has been more challenging lately. Today she only took ONE nap.. ONE, she forced herself awake for most of the day today as I gave up trying to put her to sleep, it hurts the milk jugs to keep nursing her to sleep and she ends up not going to sleep. (tmi?) For right now while she is content, she is playing with her toys and a sippy cup next to me as I get ready to type from the 101 books. I find myself really enjoying these books and NEED the reminders from both 101 books, I hope others enjoy them as much as I do!

You CAN do it! (for the ladies)

I've heard a few ladies say to me..

"Well God bless you for that, I could have NEVER done that!"
"I don't know how you could do that?! No drugs!?!"
"What if the feet came out first!?!"
"What if the baby gets stuck?"
"oh wow, I could have never done that!"
"So did ALEX deliver the baby!?"
"Did you like it?"
"Would you do it again?"
"Oh, you were just one of the lucky ones!"
"My last pregnancy was at "high risk" so I'll never be able to have a homebirth."
"I had a c-section, so the doctor told me I'll never be able to have a baby naturally."

I wanted to share this quote that I found from a blog and thought it was perfect!

“women’s bodies were designed to birth. that’s a simple fact. you were designed to birth naturally. no experience or training necessary. there’s no special esoteric mystery about it. it’s a very simple every day fact of life. millions of women have done it for millions of years. it’s a tremendous blessing but it’s also completely ordinary and normal and not only for a special few. you can do it too. i have absolute trust in that.” - Ingrid Bauer

closet

Sorry people.. I'm a lil bit behind with the 101 books! We had a busy weekend! Finally got my cupboards/fridge cleaned out! AND we have a 'closet' in the bathroom now!! More like a shelf system thing in this nook area. I will need to make a curtain for this since we got rid of the door and resized the closet after adding our shower/tub combo in bathroom before Kylie was born.. Its nice not having to get stuff out of the big tupperware boxes now.

busy bee

It feels like my brain will blow up one of these days from being so full of stuff! I believe that a woman thing, right? But yea, mama's girl only takes short naps and is CRAWLING(she has been for a little over a week) so I am in that stage again when I wonder where her next mission is: is she going after the cords, is she getting one of Carson's toy that she is not supposed to put in her mouth, is there anything in her mouth(who has eyes like her big brother, picks up the littliest thing(that my vacuum is not good enough for) off the floor) and so on...and those worries will keep getting worse.. Because of that, I've been tidying up the house more often, vacuuming the house more often, and when I start to clean, I tend to do the rest that goes with cleaning, like dust, clean the bathroom, make the beds(somedays), laundry and dishes.. I'm taking applications for maids, (for the ones that apply, I will feed you lunch and supper. I'm not selfish, I just dont have money!)
Carson, he LOVES to bug me(his mama doesnt)... always wants to show me something, usually its a game on the computer, always saying, "Mommy, I'm hungry"... so he is always making trips to the fridge/cupboard no matter how many times I've told him to stay out of the fridge/cupboards, he still uses his.. selective hearing method, must be taking after his aunt C. And latey, been wanting me to stay in bed with him and rub his back to sleep.. Regardless of his "buginess", he still brings a smile to my face and makes me laugh..
News about ME: I've been welcomed into the CSDVRS(videophone service for the deaf/hard of hearing) family.. This I get excited about as I will get to meet new deaf people and reconnect with my old deaf friends. It is a job that I will be doing at home and some traveling within distance and yes, I get to take my hubby and kids! :D And the pay is great! I've been praying for direction/leads on a job that will work out for me and the kids.. and we'll see if this is where God has been leading me. I am still in the interviewing process with the managers, one of the manager has already welcomed me so pretty sure this is a gauranteed job, just need to do a background check on me.. (what background check? I'm a good girl!)
I almost forgot... The other day.. was one of those days when you felt like a break was impossible and feeling overwhelmed with a lot of things.. I finally get to my bible that night, read a chapter, I got discouraged because I didnt even understand what it meant, I asked Alex, he had to read it a few times and think it over.. I closed the book and wondered to myself.. "who am I to even try to start an online bible study when I easily get discouraged with something I've just read and not understand it....."
So.. let me do some researching(which I haven't got to do lately...) and see if theres anything online that I can use that I think will be a great resource to use as an online bible study.. It wont be a book to read for bible study.. I want to focus on the BIBLE.. Sometimes I feel like giving up on this as it is on my mind a lot and feels like its adding more stress to my already stressed out mind.. *sigh* Suggestions anyone?

I didnt forget...

about the online bible study.. Still brainstorming(mentally) on that... I hope to blog about it soon once I figure out what I want to do.. Just wanted to let ya all know that I DIDN'T forget or give up on it.. Some of you guys know I give up easily but this I don't want to pass up. Just sit tight, I'll get to it! ;)

Change of subject...
Wouldn't this be fun to make!? I want to make one for Kylie(and me)!! oh, so many things to do.. Have fabric for another pair of shoes to make for Kylie. Want to make some for Carson too and use that as slippers around the house. I wish this was called a... "Work at Home Job" ;)

Also I made laundry soap this past weekend and very satisfied with that! EASY and CHEAP! I used the Kiss my Face Pure Olive Oil soap instead of Fels Naptha or Ivory soap as I'm afraid of that waxy build up happening on our clothes and cloth diapers.

Wake up calls

Yesterday morning and this morning was an interesting wake up call.... by the kids(of course!)

Yesterday morning, Kylie woke me up and I saw that Carson wasn't in bed so I yelled for him a few times and he never came in.. I had an idea where he was so I got up to find him, wasn't on the computer, wasn't on the couch watching tv either like where he usually heads to after waking up. I was right, he was in the HIGH CHAIR!! You see, we had just brought in the high chair the night before so this was something new in the house that he was checking out. He got in it a few times on his own but cant get out on his own.. :) So because of my deafness, I have no idea how long he was in the high chair for.. Still made me laugh when I saw that yesterday morning.. Lets say he learned a lesson!

THIS morning(2.18.09).. Bed was shaking(note to everyone, my bed shakes when the kids cry to wake me up.. a device deaf ppl use), woke up to see what was up....... Kylie was STUCK in between the bed and nightstand.. I still cant quite figure out how she got in there by the position she was in.. Thank God she was in a stand up position! And thank God for bed shakers! Carson was also 7 months old when he fell out of bed the first time.. That'll be easy for me to remember, as much as I don't want to remember it, its stuck in my long term memory box.. I should have lots of stories to tell my kids when they get old.. ;)

Told Alex this morning that I'm glad I dont have to worry about the 3rd kid being stuck somewhere tomorrow morning. He said it will probably be HIM stuck somewhere.. I will laugh if thats the case. Knowing him and the weird places he wouldnt mind sleeping at, he'll wake up under the card table in the morning.

Working on it...

Things have been rough here lately.. I've been getting annoyed easily over the LITTLE things.. I'm struggling with a few things that I cant really do much about but pray about it. I really should be thankful for everything I have, but I've just been having a hard time looking past the negatives around here, in a way I AM thankful but not thankful enough. I've been slacking spiritually and thought of an idea...

that idea is...
Online Bible Study

Maybe open a yahoo group for that? Who has ideas?

Who is up for that?

I finally did them!

Kylie's first handmade shoes... They have been cut and sitting around for almost 2 months(I was actually a bit intimidated to make them, thanks to my sil.. j/k!! :P) It really wasnt that hard, just time consuming! Ran into a few errors that extended my time(I finished them at 2:30am :S, cant you tell I was on a mission?). I learned a few dos/don'ts for the next pair that I will be altering as the current ones is a tid bit tight for her THICK feet.. It took a while to get them ON, they fit once they are on her feet but not for much longer, maybe if I had done them 2 months ago, they would have had a nice fit.. :P Already looking forward to making another pair!

The first time I ever did quilt blocks...

..and made a wet bag(a bag to put your dirty cloth diapers and cloth wipes in) out of it! I had fun making it.. I wish I had some PUL for the lining(or is it liner? whatever it is you get the picture.. the INSIDE of the bag) instead of wool, which i forgot to take a pic of that, sorry peeps.. I didn't even have to go out and buy anything.. Amazing what you can find in your house and make something out of it.. A zipper I had since clothing class I took in high school that never got used, finally got used 5-6 years later.. ;)
I probably could have used a cheap $1 shower curtain for the inside but not sure how shower curtain would hold up in the dryer after many cycles of wash/drying. I'll just have to give it a try...

Probably a good idea to finish sewing the diapers for these this bag to get more of a use, right?
(I realized that the BROWN looks like its black and the brown is probably a bit overpowering for this bag.. but oh well! I cant wait to make another one!) Also forgive my messy disorganized burp rag stack there... Just don't look... ;)

Shopping Carts

They are NASTY.. I've caught Kylie chewing on the bars of the shopping cart a few times which is gross... Last time we went shopping, i brought a blanket with me and put that over the bars, that helped but it doesn't cover up the sides of the cart where her hands can reach to. I know, I'm a germophobic.. I've read/seen too many stuff to become that way.. Been looking around for a shopping cart pattern.. What I've found far without paying money is this.... I have no idea if this would work with our local stores shopping cart. What you guys think?? Worth giving it a try or just buy one??

I love to sew... but so little time for all this stuff I want to do........ *sigh*

make baby stuff

Make Something
I found this website(above) when looking for a wet bag pattern. I started using cloth wipes instead of wipes from the store, a money saving thing for around here and better on the bum too. I had a pair of boxers with pandas on it that I've had since.. maybe 7th grade, it finally gave out on me, it was sure comfy but anyway I cut that into squares and use that as wipes along with some other scrap soft fabrics. I need something to throw the cloth wipes in. Also considering making a baby sling. I haven't bought any of the slings that i posted about a few posts ago.. I just cant decide on a color/design, none of them were really screaming at me, and since i LOVE to go fabric shopping, I'm sure I'll find something for wet bags and slings. I get too addicted to crafts stuff online.. I've already got enough to do! Have 8 diapers to do til I order more PUL. I finally found a pattern I'm happy with! I think I'm done doing some pattern altering for a LONG time. That involves too much thinking for me, when really its supposed to be SIMPLE, but this mind of mine, just dont work very well with some stuff.

Think Spring

I'm so ready for spring!! I want to buy matching adult bikes for Alex and I and get a bike trailer for the kids and go out riding bikes, sounds wonderful right now. I cant wait to get back to taking trips to the park/pond and walk around.. Carson enjoys throwing stuff in the water at the pond and the creek by a bridge at the park. Its a stress reliever for me when I get outside with the kids. It'll be different from now on, it wont be just me and Carson and I wont be holding a tiny little baby.. so it might be a little bit more challenging this spring/summer/fall with a mobile baby.

Yesterday I left the house with just kids and I for the first time in a long time and it was NICE.. The kids were great and the best of all, it wasn't freezing cold. I didn't even have to wear a coat, a sweatshirt did its job..

Oh yea, the movie called, "Once" I cant get it out of my head today, it was a good movie, the music was good.. Even Alex, who should be working as a movie critic, liked it. Thinking maybe we should watch it again.. I never/hate watching movies more than once.. there is only a FEW movies i can watch more than once.. like... Grease, Love and Basketball... Cant wait to have the movie Grease on Blu-Ray, if it ever does come out.

Top 10 Reasons to Learn Sign Language

I used to have a shirt with the Top 10 Reasons to Learn Sign Language.. I know it caught some people's attention.. I'm considering that shirt again.... *a new one of course as I have no idea where that 4th grade shirt went*

10. You can communicate through windows

9. Sign language is a 3-D Language

8. You can sign with your mouth full

7. Hearing parents can communicate with their deaf child

6. You can sign underwater

5. Sign Language is a neat way to express yourself

4. You can communicate across a room without shouting

3. Sign language is beautiful

2. You can make friends with deaf people

1. Sign language brings together hearing & deaf people

Sleepless

I should be in bed but not tired enough.. Been looking for deaf mom blogs.. So far I found one deaf mom and came across an article of hers.. I wanted to share this.. I could not explain "what its like to be deaf" any better than this deaf mom did.. This is what its like for me(the music part, conversation, lip reading parts and in some cases, people feel the need to raise their voice after discovering I'm deaf.. that's a big no-no!)..... Read on.

Welcome to my world.

I'm deaf.

Totally stone deaf without my hearing aids.

My audiogram shows that something has to be as loud as a jet plane taking off before I begin to hear the sound without my hearing aids. Thankfully, the nearest airport is a half hour away. Noise doesn't bother me once my hearing aids are out.

I was born with normal hearing and I was diagnosed with a moderate to severe hearing loss when I was seven. This explains why my speech is close to normal-- my hearing loss occurred after the acquisition of speech. I received my first hearing aid when I was nine, but I mostly got by on lip reading. Sound coming into the hearing aid wasn't clear, which meant that I couldn't use the phone and have an understandable conversation.


I grew up hard of hearing and I didn't use the hearing aid after school or during the summer. When I was nineteen, I was barefooting (waterskiing on bare feet) and I turned to cross the wake and fell sideways. For days, I figured I had water in my ears. Nothing sounded right. Everything was muffled and I couldn't hear people talking.

I had become completely deaf.

Fortunately, I transferred to Northern Illinois University that summer and I stayed on a co-ed floor with other deaf and hard of hearing students. I learned sign language and met my husband there. We got married a couple of years later and had three deaf and hard of hearing kids.

Many people have a hard time understanding what I can hear and what I can't hear. One of most frequent questions I encounter is often, "What can you hear?" Many times, I can identify environmental sounds, such as the phone ringing, a dog barking, a bird chittering, or the doorbell.

Conversation is a whole other ball game. If you go behind me and start talking, I'll hear you talking and I'll look until I find the source of the talking. I won't be able to understand a word you say until you walk in front of me and I can read your lips. I match what I see on the lips with the sounds I can hear, and then conversation is much clearer.

An audiologist tested my hearing recently and discovered that I can understand six percent of the words she repeated in my right ear, and zero percent in my left ear. This is without looking at her. The same words presented with lip reading, I scored nearly 100%. This means if you want to have a conversation with me, you'd better plop yourself front and center and facing me.

Many people often think that an easy way to remedy hearing loss is to make everything louder. When I'm introduced to someone and they note that I have a hearing loss, they will often raise the volume of their voice. A little bit is great, and it helps with lipreading. A lot more than a little bit is a hindrance. Just as your eyes GET TIRED OF READING THINGS LIKE THIS IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS, the ears recoil when people raise their voice to mega-loudness. Louder isn't better for me, the sounds are still distorted.

Gotta love the ones that get closer and talk directly to my hearing aid. When I step back and explain that I lipread, they often over-exaggerate the lip movements. Picture Jim Carey, and you get the picture. Picture an extra-loud Jim Carey, and you have a deaf person's nightmare.

Here's an example that I often use to help others understand my world. A radio that isn't tuned into a station sounds staticky and distorted. Cranking up the volume just means that the mumbo-jumbo sounds louder. Turn the dial right, and you'll get a station that you can understand.

Music is another story though. Give me the lyrics and I can usually follow songs. Which means that if I played the Star Spangled Banner on the boom box, I can follow it for the most part.

Here's what the Star Spangled Banner might sound like to me if I didn't know the words:

Ah sa ca ya ee, ie a ar eri eye...

Mumbo-jumbo at its finest.

Once I memorize all the lyrics of a new song, I can follow along and enjoy the music. If I forget a line in a song, it becomes mumbo-jumbo until I get the words printed in front of me again. When I was a teenager, I had several friends who sat down and wrote out the lyrics to popular music. I was absolutely thrilled with record jackets (Hey, I was still driving a car with 8 track when I turned 16!) that had the lyrics printed on the back. The internet has been music heaven for me. I can instantly look up lyrics and follow along when a friend sends a music file.

Let's go back to lipreading for a moment. The politically correct term today is speechreading, because one doesn't focus just on the lips but takes in expression, movement, gestures and auditory information to comprehend speech. Trying to understand speech via lipreading/speechreading alone is often a hit or miss thing. One usually is filling in the blanks since it is tough to understand a hundred percent of a conversation. Research shows that only about forty percent of the sounds are visible on the lips, the rest is guesswork.

So let's have some fun. Go to the mirror and say "Island view." Looks just like "I love you," doesn't it? So if your hot new date is talking about a view he saw from Maui and you grab him and say "I love you too," you're going to step into an awkward moment...

Or you'll find out that the guy really loves you.

I do run into people who quickly say, "I'm so sorry!" when they find out that I'm deaf.

To that, I simply reply that there's no need to be sorry...

I sleep great at night.

Money Saving...

We've spent too much money on the monthly bills and a few things we didn't want to pay for we had to pay this month that leaves us running low but it did make me think of more ways to start saving money.

*Get my sewing machine oiled and sew cloth diapers.. I feel guilty buying disposable diapers for several reasons.. 1.) it cost $ and then it gets thrown away when its soiled. 2) I HAVE the stuff here laying around to make diapers, only if my sewing machine would stop acting up on me. 3.) Disposables is loaded with chemical crap and not as comfortable as cotton on the bum.

*Make my own laundry soap!! For some reason, I'm excited about that part.. Have to order the bar soap first

*Make my own taco seasoning.. (the .$50 cent/pack adds up on the grocery bill)

*Grate my own cheese

*Only order out(ordering pizza, eating out, ordering food from tasos) once a month or less

*Save a portion of money each month... (what money!?)

*get rid of debt so we CAN SAVE money for our future home and for our 'need-new-clothes' shopping spurts for kids, Alex and i.....if you are wondering, sewing our clothes is not an option.. I have no patience for that.. The kids leg warmers and Kylie's diaper is an exception, and all the FUN stuff..

Anyone have a good tip/idea? I'm still brainstorming here.. Please help me out here! Theres gotta be more than what I've got listed above..

Getting rid of cable is an option but Alex wont budge on that one.. Also I wont budge on getting rid of internet.. The internet is my social life.. :)

Kylie's 6 months photo shoot

Just for fun

November 14, 2004...... Alex and I during our college days..... Why are we at Chuck E. Cheese's you ask? We met up with Alex's family there since Chuck E. Cheese's is in Des Moines and we lived in Ankeny at the time.

Fast Forward to January 11, 2009.... 4 years later, now we are MARRIED.. (i know, i don't know why "Chuck E. Cheese" couldn't draw me a nose or just fill us in just a LITTLE bit more..)
So much has changed within 4 years! We have KIDS..

Beautiful kids! We're blessed!!

in case if you are wondering....

the housing stuff....

We still have not heard from the polysteel guy.. grrrrr its been days!

I've been praying for direction.. Asked the Lord to give me a sign/dream if the land is meant to be for us.. I have not had a dream about it so it sounds like its not for us and that he has something better for us.. Which is fine.. we don't plan on building this year anyway.. It'll maybe be 2010 or later.. but never to early to start on the plans/savings/preparations..

Alex is still doing researching and pricing stuff...

Me.. I just look at pictures and say.. oooohh... that's what i want! I know.. I'm so helpful.. ;)

Healthy without vaccines

I'm impressed with this.... I know I've tried to get this out to people, but some people just don't care to learn about it or will get "sick and die" b/c he/she is not vaccinated.. Give me a break! When I had just Carson, someone told me that my son will die b/c he's not vaccinated.. I had to laugh.. Lets just say.. she's clueless!

Also a book that I've been reading on and off.... I highly recommend it! Has lots of great info on it.. I may not agree with everything but it still a great book..

Click here for more about the book..

something new

Something new I thought about today..

Earlier today, I wanted to open my bible and do some reading/learning.. I got the bible.. and said.. now what? where do i start?? What do i want to read? I thought about Proverbs and read chapter 12 since today is the 12th.. Instead.. I got the bible promises book out and look up issues and apply it to the bible.. I found something in my bible that I wish I known was there when I first got it.. There is a list of questions(issues/struggles) in the front pages of my bible, those questions refer to verses in the bible.. I'm going to love it!

So.. the new thing is.. pick a topic for the day and research/look it up and see what the bible says about it...
Some days I may blog about it.. We'll see how I feel about it.. I love to blog but some days I just don't know what to blog about.. So maybe this will give me something to blog about..
I REALLY want to blog about birth control and miscarriage, as those are my 2 hot topics.. I know its a touchy subject for some.. but my main focus is seeing what the BIBLE says about it, but its looking like the bible doesn't say much about it..still going to look for resources out there..

Please feel free to throw in your thoughts!

One Toofer

Miss Kylie has her first tooth breaking through on the bottom! :( I miss my NEWBORN baby girl.. Going to be 6 months on Sunday.. *sigh*

2009 resolutions

I'm keeping it simple this time around..

1. lose weight
2. wake up before my kids so i can do bible/devotion time(myself time) and do some housework.. **so far I'm failing at that.. for those that don't know me well.. I'm NOT a morning person and my kids are my alarm clocks.
3. start preschool/children bible time with Carson
4. keep up with picture albums and CD's..(I'm about 8 months behind and i DON'T like it.. :S)
5. read/finish at least ONE book
6. pay off debts
7. make progress on our future home and put our current house on the market by Spring(hopefully)

progress???

Alex and I are still talking about a new house. Thanks to having connections in both sides of our family, we already have a floor plan of our house drew up(with few minor changes to make still), so based on our house that is drawn up, we(more of Alex, while i look at pictures of what I want for our house.. :)) are in the pricing/get estimate stage right now to see if its possible right now. I'm still praying about it, still praying that God leads us to where/what we should be doing. Land is still for sale.. 2 downfalls of this land... One of it is.. I know of one of the neighbors... Not sure if I can trust him.. BUT his place is for sale! :) My dad said that his place is not even worth for what they are asking for.. Soo we'll what happens.. All we can do is PRAY.....

baby sling

I want more!! The pouch style this time around.. Having a hard time deciding which one i want! I know I want the khaki one for sure but the 2nd one is one of the list below...

BABY SLING <-- check out the website to know what i'm talking about below

Pink Hibiscus
Rosa
Athena
Sylvia
Azul
Deep Forest

It's ANOTHER "help me" blog!! Don't you love them! So readers, please tell me which ones you like, or what you think would be best fitting for Kylie and I.