A Wonderful Vacation Weekend

This past weekend Annabel and I travelled down to my folk's because my brother was in town. We stayed from Saturday to Tuesday...a nice long break! Derek wanted to come, but had to work on Sat/Sun and had some other things going on as well.

Saturday night we had a birthday party for my grandpa...68 years old! In traditional fashion, my grandma set out amazing appetizer-style cheeses and other yummies, and my Aunt Paula brought this amazing marinated pulled pork and gave Derek's a run for his money! :) We had a good time, and it was fun to hang out with cousins and just relax. 

Sunday after church, we all headed out to the woods to do a little mushroom hunting. It wasn't too great, I'd say we found about a dozen or so. They were all really good size though. And good eats, too, I must add! There's something wonderful about the taste of morrell mushrooms in the spring. However, Annabel did not enjoy playing in the woods, so I didn't get to do any serious hunting! That same evening, we headed over to my uncle's cabin and played in the water while the boys continued hunting for mushrooms. It was such great weather, I'm glad we got to take advantage of it. I forgot the sunscreen, so Annabel and I both got plenty of sun. 

Monday we played at the park...another beautiful day! That afternoon my mom and I headed to Goodwill. This Goodwill isn't your typical Goodwill (I discovered this in college....Goodwill store's in bigger cities are much dirtier and nastier than the one in my small hometown!) I never fail to find some awesome name brand deals, and this was no exception. I found a Banana Republic skirt, a couple American Eagle tank tops and some Ann Taylor walking shorts...woo hoo! I love a good deal! My brother found a really funny Ghost Busters tee-shirt, too. 

Tuesday was a pretty laid back morning, and I had to take my brother back to the air port that afternoon (sniff, sniff). We had to stop at the Pier 1 store in Terre Haute, because the are going out of business!  Everything is 25-50% off! Had I had a truck and more time, I could have done some serious shopping. As it was, I bought three new pillows for our couch- all reduced to $8-$12 from $30+!! I absolutely loooove Pier 1 and I was so sad to see this store closing. 

Well, I got Gareth safely dropped off and made it home through the rain that finally came upon us. Annabel was very happy to see her daddy. (I was too!;) I was especially happy to see that he got the drywall in the bathroom sanded and ready to paint! That's my man! He also got a lot planted in out vegetable garden, which I know was a huge relief off his mind. So we're settling back into routine and getting things back to normal. It was a much needed break, that's for sure. 

Anyway, I took a ton of pictures over the weekend, and condensed them all into a slideshow. Hopefully it isn't too large of a file to play for you. 

An Answer to Prayer!!

DEREK HAS HEALTH INSURANCE!! Because he has a genetic blood condition (which has never required any treatment or medication) he is ineligible for private healthcare. Now, if either of us had a job that provided insurance benefits, it wouldn't be a problem, because group plans can't turn you down for genetic reasons. I wish I would have known that before I quit my job last year! So anyway, I applied for HIP (the new Healthy Indiana Plan) for him last August...and he just now got approved! What an answer to prayer! So anyway, what I have learned from this is that if you suspect you may have a genetic condition, but it isn't causing you any problems- DON'T GET TESTED FOR IT! It isn't worth being ineligible for insurance for the rest of your life.

Annabel has been sick this week. It started Monday when I was having a friend watch her so I could work on homework. She probably threw up 5-6 times that day- and poor Melissa (such a good sport:) got to watch me dry heave as I tried to clean it up! Derek is staying home with her yesterday and today, and I think she is feeling better today.

My dear brother is flying in from Seattle this week, so I'm planning to go down and spend some time with him. It should be a nice little vacation! My mom and I already have plans to hit Goodwill and the consignment shops! ;)

I'll try to post a few pictures tonight or tomorrow!

The weekend again...finally. Yesterday (Friday) we had a really fun day. First we went to Miss Melissa's so mommy could do yoga. Annabel has fun there because Melissa and Joe have a puppy named Maximus. She also liked to pretend to do yoga too, and climb on mommy when she's in all the fun poses. It adds a little extra challenge:) I'll try to get some pictures of her doing yoga poses next week:) While we were there, Annabel had a stinky diaper, but in the diaper bags were no diapers! Uh-oh! So we improvised...Melissa had some size 1 diapers (awaiting the new baby). It was pretty skimpy but it did the job! Disaster averted.

In the afternoon, we went over to friend Lindsay's to play with Nora. We spent the whole afternoon outside! It has been so nice out the last couple of days. The girls played well together, playing in the sandbox and even in the pool for awhile! 

"Here, let me help you"

Kitties and bubbles, two of her favorite things!

Yes, they are playing in the yard naked! 

By evening, we were both completely exhausted. I was craving spaghetti, and since Derek wasn't going to be home until late it was a good night to make it (he never wants spaghetti). However, I didn't have any hamburger or sausage thawed, so I improvised with chicken nuggets- I know, I know- sounds kiiiiinda white trash- but it was really good! Kind of like chicken parmesan, kid style. 

This morning in her pj's, so cute

I tried to capture a picture of her laying in this chair watching cartoons, but in true Annabel-fashion, she was done watching by the time I got to my camera. Attention span of a gnat, I tell you!

Today we're just hanging out at home. I think this afternoon we will walk to the library and maybe to the park. I'm thinking about making a chocolate cake, too, just for the fun of it! Doesn't that sound good?!

I love this Japanese Magnolia tree in our backyard. It is probably the best part about our property. I told Derek that if we ever sell our house, it will have to be in the spring!

 

Big "Cheeeeese!" 

 

 Mmmm, quesadillas are my go-to food. Annabel will eat just about anything if its on a tortilla covered in cheese! Today's specialty is avocado spread with cheese. Sometimes I add mushrooms, bean spread, tomatoes, or pesto. Another favorite is granny-smith apples with cheddar cheese. Just some ideas! 

Thought this was Interesting

In doing some research for a project, I came across some interesting information regarding graduate students. Ahem...

"67% of graduate students said they had felt hopeless at least once in the last year; 54% felt so depressed they had a hard time functioning. What is more, in the same study, Fogg reports that 10% of graduate students surveyed reported they had considered suicide.   This indicates that for some, the extent of the stress is more than they can handle.  In a study completed by Hyun and colleagues (2006), 40% of graduate students reported feeling exhausted and 46% reported feeling overwhelmed frequently or all the time."  

Yeah, that sounds about right! 

We had a good Easter Sunday. We opted out of the 7:30 am breakfast at church and made pancakes at home. Banana nut pancakes to be exact! Yum, yum! (as Annabel would say:)

Annabel looked so pretty in her Easter dress. We started out with pigtails, but of course they came out by the time we got to church!

After church we went to friends' for a delicious lunch and an Easter egg hunt. It was so much fun to watch Annabel find eggs- she would gasp and shriek a little when she spotted one and run to get it. She became a little evil after she realized there was candy in the eggs and that she likes candy... next year it's raisins and cereal in the eggs! ;) 

 

 

 

 

Hope you all had wonderful Easters!

Quack Quack...Happy Easter!

Here are some pictures from the past week or so. When my mom was here last weekend, we thought it was funny to pull Annabel's sweat pants up and call her an old man... cruel I know. She thought it was hilarious! Notice how she has one Croc on... the girl is obsessed with shoes.

I just thought this was cute....now notice the white shoes (she's only allowed to wear these at home!:)

She's just so grown up in this pic.... cell phone in one hand and keys in the other. 16 here we come! 

I'm putting this picture on because both Annabel and my mom look like death warmed over! And I think it's funny!:)

Last but not least I made this little duck out of felt for Annabel's Easter basket, but she found it a little early:) She loves it. I used a free online tutorial from Nosey Nest blog. It was pretty easy, as I just worked on it for two evenings after Annabel went to bed. It is all hand-sewed using a blanket stitch. I also modified it a little...I couldn't fit the pocket on mine, so I just sewed a little tattoo on the butt instead. And I found some googly eyes in my craft stash (thanks grandma Gerry!) so I used those instead of beads. That's the fun of making a project, though- making it your own!

Annabel and Morganne, BFF

Last weekend we went down to Derek's brother and sister-in-laws to visit and hang out. The girls were so cute together! They are at a fun age where they're starting to interact with each other. I couldn't just pick a few pictures, so I did the slideshow thing instead:

Halfway through the day Annabel's diaper leaked, which is why she has a different outfit on...I just happened to have a bag of Goodwill clothes with us, or she would have had to borrow something from her cousin!:)

This week has been pretty uneventful. The best thing that has happened was that yesterday Annabel finally said "mommy!" (She usually says "mama") So that was exciting for me. We are anxiously waiting for summer and good weather. Hopefully I'll have enough time to actually enjoy it!!

A Day in the Life

5:00 - Annabel wakes up crying. Groan. Roll over, try to go back to sleep.

5:10 - Still crying. Argh. Get up. Greeted by "hi, mama!" and outstretched arms. Rock in rocking chair and sing something incoherent.

5:20 - Back to bed, now wide awake.

6:00 - Derek's alarm goes off. Me, still wide awake. Poke him, no response. Hit snooze.

6:07 - Second alarm. Poke, poke. Nothing. Snooze.

6:14 - Third alarm. Derek stumbles up, gets ready. Me, still wide awake.

6:30 - He leaves. Finally, quiet. Doze off.

7:00 - My alarm. Ugh! I just got to sleep! Hit snooze.

7:07 - Snooze

7:14 - Ok, I've got to get up. Annabel's awake, anyway.

7:15 - Diaper change, get her dressed. She looks cute today! Look at the clock, still on schedule. There's time for pigtails, which she loves.

7:25 - Carry her downstairs, put her in highchair with banana and granola bar, convince her the granola bar is a cookie, then sprint back upstairs to get ready myself. No time for shower. Clean underwear, ponytail, mascara, I'm good to go. Not a total betty, but a vast improvement!

7:45 - I'm actually ahead of schedule! How did this happen?! Make a sandwich and pack my lunch. Banana for the road. Start car. Get Annabel bundled up and ready to head out the door. Realize - it's April! Daycare needs monthly supply of diapers, wipes, cookies, juice and paper towel. Rush around like a madwoman gathering such items. In my haste, knock over a package of CFL light bulbs. Three of them shatter at my feet. Shameful use of potty words that my daughter should not have heard! No longer ahead of schedule.

8:03 - Pull out of driveway. Making ok time! Hear the robotic words "It's spaghetti, Mmmm, spaghetti" over and over again from Annabel's toy. Turn up Bob and Tom to drown it out...Annabel shreiks in protest. Turn it down.

8:25 - Drop her off at daycare. She's pulled out pigtails in car...and I can only find one rubber band. Grrr. Now she has weird hair. Hug and kiss... ahhh, this is what it's about!

8:30 - drop in to see Derek, he's fixed a cup of coffee for me! What a sweetie.

8:40 - on the road again, drink coffee, burn mouth, spill all over self. Mother effer!

9:05 - Late to work, not too bad, though. Client waiting on me.

10:00 - Next client cancelled! An hour to myself, bliss. Check email and facebook...chuckle to myself that my mom has given in to peer pressure and is on facebook. Remind myself to tell her that everything she posts can be seen by everyone.

10:55 - Get phone call from Family Services. They've received my resume and want to know if I can come in for an interview. Today at 12? Sure!

11:10 - 10 minutes late for supervision due to phone call and victory dance. During supervision find myself daydreaming about Easter egg hunts. Any combination of bright colors, finding things, and candy is sure to be a hit with my toddler!

12:00 - Jet across town to above mentioned interview. It goes well. I have the job. I start tomorrow.

12:35 - On my way back to work. Well that was quick. They must be desperate! Who cares, right!?

12:50 - Back in my office, I'm starving. Plan to eat my lunch before next client. Wait...where's my lunch? Must have left it in my car. Well, its too late now to run out and check...

1:10 - Client is apparently not coming. Go to car...no lunch. WTH?! Mentally retrace footsteps and realize it must be at home. Well, I can't not eat until 9:00 tonight, so its off to home to get it.

1:25 - Find lunch on dining room table. Realize my turkey sandwich has been sitting out for 5+ hours and is probably crawling with all sorts of unsightly bacteria. Breifly consider making another one, decide that's a waste of perfectly good sandwich ingredients and take my chances. Life's a gamble, right? I do, however, put the warm yogurt back in fridge and grab a cold one. Warm yogurt = yucky.

1:30 - Eat sandwich on way back to work. It is fantastic. Here's the breakdown: deli rye bread, which is still squishy and wonderful, turkey, cheddar cheese, spinach and spread with our homemade pesto. I may pay for this tomorrow, but it was worth it. Do you think there will be sandwiches in heaven? I ask myself. Probably not...but maybe.

1:45 - I had such a great parking spot when I left... no longer the case.

2:00 - Client shows up...alright, alright.

3:00 - Another break. What's up today? Decide to read the material for the group tomorrow that I'm facilitating... Nurturing parenting. I love the material- it's fantastic! This is why I do what I do.

3:30 - Cake in breakroom is calling my name. Somebody, please, save me from myself.


3:50 - Ugh. I should not have ate the cake.


4:10 - Last client of the day. I'm not sure how to read this one. Find my mind wondering during session....must focus.


4:50 - Finish up session, finish case notes and close up my office. Make sure to grab the rest of my lunch (i.e. supper) from the fridge and head off to my second job of the day.


5:05 - I'm late but I make it. Now I have the next four hours to man the desk, do some homework and surf the internet. Its not a bad gig, but it gets old. Call Derek a couple times to ask what he and Annabel are doing... miss them.


9:00 - Ahhh, home at last. Pajamas, bowl of ice cream and I'm a happy girl. Collapse on the couch to watch Scrubs and Criminal Minds with my wonderful hubby. Get ready to do it all over again tomorrow!