A Blog of My Own

Almost Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T08:00:00.000-05:00

SDE's nursery

2012-02-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

SO, here's the material we finally decided on for the curtains. They will be straight valances and will most likely have a navy border around the bottom (and navy blackout curtains/shades over the windows). This means the room will be navy, lime green, brown, and aqua. Chad liked the sock monkeys and the red/aqua color scheme and I kept leaning toward aqua, lime green, and yellow themes, but we both loved this print. I'm so excited!
Photo from this etsy shop

Now to figure out the rest of the room! Thankfully I have talented friends that are going to help fill this room with homemade goodies. I can't wait!

Handmade Holiday Challenge, Gifts #11, 12, and 13

2012-02-05T23:52:00.011-05:00

I made three of these car caddies for Christmas gifts. I got the idea from Jennifer who mostly followed this tutorial by Homemade by Jill. Thankfully I had Jennifer and the other SSS girls to help me with the first car caddy or I never would have been able to make these things! They aren't necessarily hard, but I'm still very much a novice with the sewing machine (plus, I'm easily frustrated). This first one was for my friend A's son, Hollis. He's four, which may be on the upper age limit of who will enjoy this "toy," but only time will tell. I think the thing I like most about this one is the numbers. I'm glad JSS recommended using puffy paint; I think they turned out really cute!

This next one was the one I made for Cady. She helped me pick out the fun material for the outside. I finished hers in the wee hours of Christmas Eve (the day we opened presents as a family). My mom sewed the "C" on for me since there was no way I wanted to attempt something new that late at night! Since I was using the same material for the third car caddy, I wanted the girls to be able to tell them apart. Unfortunately, Cady's car cozy doesn't have any numbers. I didn't think about needing a solid color for the pocket until it was too late. Somehow I think she'll survive.

Finally, I made one for Addie. You would think that since this was the THIRD one of these things I had made it would be easy (and, of course, perfectly constructed). Yeah, not so much. I sewed the elastic band that's supposed to close the thing INSIDE at one point, which meant I got to use my trusty seam ripper some more. And then, when I went to sew it back together I chose a very poor place to leave open for "turning" the fabric right side out. Anna, don't look too closely at the edge of the road ;-) Because of sickness and busy schedules, we *still* haven't exchanged Christmas presents with the Wamsteds so Addie's car cozy is all wrapped up in the dining room ready to go. I have no doubt that she and Cady will be most excited about having a matching toy!

So, there you have it. Three similar gifts, all with their own little perfections and flaws. But, that's what makes homemade things so special, right? :-)

Happy birthday to A!

2012-01-25T11:00:00.001-05:00

Some of our colleagues at Huntingdon have an adorable little boy who just celebrated his 2nd birthday. We decided that some fun wooden blocks were in order for the occasion. And, I decided that a drawstring bag to store them in might be a nice touch. SO, I turned to this amazing tutorial that many of you have used. I actually paid the $6.50 for the pattern and it was very worth it to me. Some of you have the amazing ability to adjust patterns to fit your needs, but I opted for the convenience of step-by-step instructions this time ;-) I'm SO glad that I did. The pattern has sizes suitable for CDs, DVDs, and also instructions for writing a pattern to fit your needs. Love. It. This will be a great pattern for getting more Christmas bags made.

BUT, onto the gift in question. Here's a picture of the completed bag full of blocks for the birthday boy:

The blocks are from this etsy site in case anyone is interested (I have a coupon code that I'm happy to share if someone does decide to order). We ordered a HUGE set of blocks right before Christmas and then split them up into separate sets for gifts (some for Cady, some for A, and some on reserve ;-)). The quality of the blocks is excellent and I know they'll last for years to come. Hope little A enjoys them as much as all of us at our house do!

Happy birthday to Corey!

2012-01-24T23:30:00.005-05:00

My cousin Michelle mentioned right before Christmas that her son would like one of those no-sew fleece blankets. He's a HUGE Auburn fan and she said she knew he'd love an Auburn one. Apparently his little sister has a no-sew blanket and he enjoyed using hers at ball games and such. SO, to pinterest (and you) I turned! I ended up following this tutorial for tying the knots and I LOVE how it turned out. I can't remember if I bought 1.5 yards or 2 yards of each fabric, but it ended up being a really nice size.

I didn't finish it in time for our family Christmas gathering, but thankfully Corey has a January birthday. SO, here's what he got for his birthday from the McEggs:

I hope he enjoys using it!

Nursery Help Needed

2012-01-21T22:13:00.002-05:00

Alright friends, baby boy is due at the end of March and I have yet to decide (for sure) on a color scheme for his room. I realize that this is really of very little consequence, but I care nonetheless. SO, I'm asking for help (yes Chad, you get to vote too :-)). Thankfully, I have eliminated a few things (sports, jungle theme, planes, trains, and automobiles), but I'm having trouble deciding on just the right thing.

Below are some of the colors/themes I'm considering. I'd love to know what you think (and, Marie, keep pinning all of those great nursery ideas!!!). I need to order material soon so Mom can make the curtains and I'll have time to finish his quilt.

Colors:
Navy and Green
Yellow, Aqua, and Green
Aqua and Red (thanks to Anna's I can't get this one out of my mind!)
Navy and Red

Themes:
Sock Monkeys
Dr. Suess/storybook
Polka dots and stripes (could go along with any of the other themes I suppose)
Owls
Owls 2 (There's lots of cute owl stuff, but I'll spare you...you get the idea)
Elephants and/or giraffes or some other fun animals

So, there you have it. Lots and lots of ideas with very little direction. Sigh. I do know that Mom's making valances for the two windows in the room. I'll buy the blackout curtains from Target to match. I don't want/need a bumper or quilt so I'll probably get someone to make a crib skirt for me and then use solid crib sheets. All of that is to say, the theme/colors would be used for: curtains, bed skirt, wall decorations, and baskets/storage containers. Thanks in advance for your brilliant suggestions. Again, I realize that in the grand scheme of life, this decision makes no difference at all. Humor me please ;-)

Handmade Holiday Challenge, Gift #10

2012-01-21T11:57:00.002-05:00

Yet another heat therapy bag! This one was for my mom. I *did* manage to finish it before she went back to Washington, D.C., but she didn't get to open it on Christmas Eve. Oh well!

Mom loved it!

Handmade Holiday Challenge, Gift #9

2012-01-21T11:47:00.005-05:00

Now, I will confess that this gift *just* got finished last weekend. It is sitting on my dining room table waiting to be mailed to my wonderful sister-in-law. Fortunately, this was an "extra" gift so I don't feel too bad about it being late :-)

Here's the link to the tutorial I used to create this ruffled scarf:

My scarf doesn't seem quite as "fluffy" as the tutorial picture, but I still like it. I think maybe my knit wasn't as soft and stretchy as hers...or maybe my inability to cut the pieces of knit in a straight line hindered me ;-) Either way, I hope my SIL likes it!

Handmade Holiday Challenge, Gift #8

2011-12-29T23:36:00.004-05:00

I decided to make Madison a bow holder like the first one I made for Cady. It turned out pretty cute if I do say so myself. I hope it matches her decor, but if not it's small enough to hang in the bathroom or closet. In fact, I thought it might be perfect for her GIANT closet that I'm extremely jealous of ;-)

Revisiting Handmade Holiday Gifts #2 and #3...plus #7

2011-12-29T23:22:00.007-05:00

I decided not to give Chad's grandmother's the corn therapy bags that I debuted here. I bought some flannel that I liked better. I made my grandma and Chad's Grandma C, both breast cancer survivors, heating pads out of pink ribbon flannel. Grandma E got one with snowflakes on it. They are all the same size, but below I show the snowflake one folded in half, tied with ribbon, and ready for wrapping. :-) I hope they'll enjoy them!

Handmade Holiday Challenge, Gift #6

2011-12-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

This was the only Christmas gift that I crocheted this year. I made a flexi-cowl that I found on a blog called Hook & Needles. It wasn't too difficult to make and I like the way it turned out. And, as an added bonus, April (the recipient) seemed to like it. I paired it with a book and a Starbucks gift card as a kind of cold weather survival kit. I thought it was pretty cute anyway :-)

Wordless Wednesday, December 14, 2011

2011-12-14T10:59:00.001-05:00

Handmade Holiday Challenge, Gifts #4 and 5

2011-12-09T13:50:00.005-05:00

I know that at least one of these folks is a regular reader of my blog, but since I already told Anna about my gift for the little girls (they are no longer babies! :-(), I figured I'd go ahead and debut it.

I made two bow boards in addition to Cady's for a total of three. They were fairly easy to make and I'm excited about getting Cady's hung up in her room and getting all of her bows situated after Christmas. I wrote about Cady's bow board and the fabric that she chose here. The other two I made are exactly the same because both Anna and my cousin used similar color schemes for their girls. In fact, Anna used this exact fabric in the twins' nursery. I hope that they are both as excited about these fun creations as I am!

So, without further ado, here's the picture of one of the completed bow boards:

I chose not to include a ribbon "hanger" because the board can actually be hung without it. Or, it can be propped up on a bookcase if someone would rather not hang it on the wall. I opted for leaving the options open. Plus I'm planning to hang Cady's with no ribbon, which made the decision easier ;-)

Food for Thought

2011-11-29T10:41:00.002-05:00

I know that the holiday season is very, very busy, making it even harder to make healthy choices. In fact, I've eaten fast food more in the last few weeks than I care to mention. BUT, I DO want to make smart choices. Here's a blog that I read this morning that offers some good tips.

5 Tips for Non-Toxic Holidays

SDE's room

2011-11-29T00:56:00.002-05:00

I don't have tons of ideas for SDE's room, but I have a few. Most notably, I know that I want to make a quilt like this one for him. I think it's adorable and it looks easy enough that I just might be able to finish it before he's born. I'm thinking I'll do a printed back instead of solid white to give it a bit more oomph. I also saw a sweet dreams bunting that I think would be adorable hanging above his crib. My question is this: how should I go about picking the fabric for the buntings? I want a rainbow of colors and I'd like to pick one of them for the back, but I HATE trying to coordinate fabric. It stresses me out.

SDE's room will likely be painted cream, pale yellow, or green (decisive enough for you?) with a general green and yellow theme so that I can use some of the green stuff we have from Cady's infant days. I'm sure I'll throw some blue in too because I ADORE blue, but I don't want an all-blue nursery. Eventually I want to make (or have one of my talented friends make :-)) a quilt (maybe a plus quilt?) for the daybed that will probably end up in his room for now. So, anyone want to volunteer to pick out the material for me? I'll throw in some material for you as compensation ;-)

Last room idea I have for now: I'd like for Cady to create something for SDE. I'm thinking some kind of handprint and/or footprint art for the wall. Any ideas from all of you crafty gals?

Handmade Holiday Challenge, Gifts #2 and 3

2011-11-25T22:13:00.007-05:00

Like several of you, I've been intrigued with the many internet tutorials for rice heating pads. I have a heating pad that I adore so I wanted to model these gifts on it. Unfortunately my sewing skills are so limited that I kept ending up with inside bags and outside covers that didn't match up. It was ridiculous. I became quite good with a seam ripper. So I consulted several of the tutorials, wrote down some measurements and instructions, and tried again. These two are for Chad's grandmothers (I think). They are different sizes, but I'm really happy with how they turned out. The longer, skinner one is roughly the size of the one on Sew, Mama, Sew. Instead of rice and essential oils, I decided to use deer corn as the filler per this tutorial. My dad picked up a 40 pound bag for me at Academy and I bought some cotton flannel on sale at Jo-Ann's today so I'll be able to make lots of these things ;-)

Handmade Holiday Challenge #1

2011-11-17T22:23:00.004-05:00

Jennifer's hosting a handmade holiday challenge, which provides me with the perfect motivation to actually make the Christmas gifts I have been planning to make. Several of them will not be debuted until after they are opened by their recipient, but I have a couple that I feel safe sharing ahead of time. First up on that list is the new bow holder I made for Cady. I think it's safe to say she won't be checking my blog anytime soon. Of course, she picked out her own fabric so this isn't going to be a huge surprise for her anyway (even though she has not seen it finished).

I got the idea from Sarah who made one for her little girl, L. If you want to make your own, here's the link to the youtube video that gives step-by-step instructions. It was pretty quick and easy to make and I think it will look great in her room. Of course, I fear mine may not be as neat on the corners as it should be, but I imagine once it's hanging up with bows all over it no one will be the wiser. To me, the hardest part was placing the ribbon. I'm still not sure mine are evenly spaced despite lots of measuring. Oh well ;-)

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday, November 16, 2011

2011-11-16T14:33:00.003-05:00

Deacon Chad :-)

Wordless Wednesday, November 9, 2011

2011-11-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

Christmas Gift Countdown

2011-11-07T16:16:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend I knocked out two of the "easy" Christmas gifts that I wanted to make. I admit that I was (am) quite proud of how they turned out. They aren't perfect, but I'm not embarrassed to give them either :-) This puts the total number of Christmas gifts I've completed at 3. I have 2 more "must make" Christmas gifts and several other things I'd like to make if I have time. Because I'm in the beginner sewing category, many of the gifts I'm working on are simple-to-sew things. Or, they fall into the no-sew category. The first Christmas gift I made was crocheted, the two things I made over the weekend are crafty, and the one thing I *hope* to finish tonight is crafty. Then I'm going to have to get going on some of the sewing projects. They make me a teensy bit more nervous though. Thankfully there's a Second Saturday Sewing day on Saturday so I'll get some help with the trickiest one!

In other news, I've lost my good sewing scissors. I remember putting them in a "safe" place away from hands that might want to use them on paper, but I have NO idea where that safe place is now. I did get some pinking shears for my birthday and I have a rotary cutter, but those two devices will only get me so far!

Updated Book List

2011-11-06T12:00:00.001-05:00

19) All She Ever Wanted by Barbara Freethy - completed in October

20) Searching for Meredith Love by Julie Christensen - completed in October

21) Lady in the Mist (The Midwives) by Laurie Alice Eakes - completed in October

Now to hide the Kindle until Christmas ;-)

Making Christmas presents

2011-11-03T08:00:00.001-04:00

So thanks to Jennifer and her fun times sewing group, I've gotten inspired to make more of my Christmas presents this year. I'm hopeful that this will save us a little money (since I'm not teaching this year), but also that it will be meaningful to the folks who receive something handmade by me. Since some of the recipients of these gifts read my blog, I'm afraid that show and tell will have to wait until January. My goal right now is to make at least 5 gifts and my reusable Christmas bags. So far, I've finished one gift. Guess I'd better get going :-)

Wordless Wednesday, November 2, 2011

2011-11-02T10:06:00.005-04:00

Worth a read...

2011-11-01T22:03:00.004-04:00

Saw this on one of the "green" blogs I read. Thought I'd post it here in case some of you find it useful.

Johnson & Johnson Boycott Goes Viral

Cady's Big Announcement

2011-10-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

Cady has some big news to share :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNp-bDUfKVI

Updated Book List

2011-10-25T08:00:00.002-04:00

18) Don't Say a Word by Barbara Freethy (my first read on my new Kindle - yay!) - completed October 2011

Anyone have a Kindle recommendation from the free or cheap books? I'm waiting for birthday money to purchase a few of the "pricier" ones. ;-)

Boy or Girl: Anyone want to vote?

2011-10-24T20:00:00.007-04:00

So, obviously this is just for kicks and giggles, but I thought it would be fun to "poll the audience" so to speak. Our official ultrasound is still two weeks away, but one of our friends is going to do a quick peak for us on Thursday to see if she can get a "potty shot." WHEE! I cannot wait to find out. I don't know how my mom waited until the delivery room. ;-)

I go back and forth about whether I think this little one a boy or a girl. Obviously the thing I want the most is a healthy baby. I've had dreams about it being a boy, a girl, and even dreams where there was one of each in there (oh my!). I think my "official" guess is still girl because of the similarities to last time, but who knows? So, what do you think? Boy or girl? SDE or Babygirlwhomayneverhaveaname (yeah, I also dreamed that we had a girl and were about to leave the hospital and *still* couldn't agree on a name. Sheesh, pregnancy dreams are CRA-ZY!).

ANYWAY, vote and if you feel so inclined, let me know why you voted the way you did.

The ABC's of me...

2011-10-22T09:00:00.002-04:00

Because everyone else is doing it :-)

Age: 31

Bed size: Queen

Chore that you hate: Is there really a chore that you LOVE? But, since I'm suppose to pick one I'll say washing the dishes (ick. yuck. ew.).

Dogs: No, thank goodness.

Essential to start your day: Now that I'm pregnant - breakfast of some sort and usually a coke

Favorite Color: Purple

Height: 5'7"-ish

Instruments you play: Piano and handbells, I play the organ at our church too, but I still don't claim to know "how" to play it

Job Title: Graduate Student

Kids: Elizabeth Cady Eggleston (3) and another on the way

Live: Montgomery, Al

Mother's Name: Diane Ellene Kelly Dawson

Nicknames: Pooh, Mandy Mc, Buddy

Overnight hospital stays: Emergency Gall Bladder surgery and maybe the plastic surgery I had when I was little and spilled coffee on myself

Pet Peeves: Constant whistling, People who interrupt (though I'm often guilty of this myself!), and students who cheat to name a few ;-)

Quote from a movie: "Well, don't play hard to get. You might miss something." -Buzz, from the movie Shag

Right or Left Hand: Right Handed

Siblings: One brother (Bobby), One step-brother (Dale), and Three step-sisters (Heather, Kristi, and Julie)

Truth or Dare: Usually truth

Ultimate Vacation: Any vacation that happens post-dissertation will be a dream vacation. I will be able to read only fun things and not feel guilty about it.

Vegetable you hate: Turnip Greens

What Makes You Run Late: Not getting up on time, Cady refusing to eat breakfast and/or get dressed

X-rays you've had: I really don't know

Yummy Food that you Make: Chicken pockets

Zoo Animal: Elephants

Friday Favorites

2011-10-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

Highlights High Five Magazine

This magazine is absolutely fabulous! If you have a 2-6 year old in your life that is not receiving this magazine, sign them up for it now (or put it on their Christmas list!). It is full of stories, poems, games, and more. My grandparents signed C up for this magazine about a year ago and she adores it. When she gets it, she wants to read the whole thing immediately. We have the old ones in various places around our house because C enjoys returning to them again and again. And, of course, playing the games again and again :-)

If the child in your life is over 6, no problem! They'll enjoy Highlights, which is written for the 6 and older crowd.

While you can order either of these magazines through Amazon or from the Highlights website, I recommend ordering them through L's girl scout troop. Contact Jennifer for more information on how to get this amazing learning tool while helping out a worthy cause.

P.S. Jennifer, sorry I couldn't put my money where my mouth is! My grandmother renewed Cady's subscription through her great-grandson's school :-)

Another good reason to turn off the TV

2011-10-18T14:38:00.002-04:00

A friend of mine here in Montgomery tweeted this link earlier today. I tried to retweet it, but I'm not sure it went through so I decided to post it here. We were pretty diligent about not letting C watch TV until she was 1 (though I admit we did have "our shows" on in the background sometimes). I had no idea the recommendation was no TV before 2 until recently! So, I guess we'll be avoiding "educational" programming for one more year with baby number 2. Oy-vey! But, apparently it's worth it. Read for yourself...

To Protect Baby's Brain, Turn Off the TV

Last night's bedtime question

2011-10-18T11:14:00.004-04:00

C: Little people don't go to jail...just big people, right?
M: Yes, little people don't go to jail...only adults who don't obey the law.
C: Did Jesus obey the law?
M (trying to be sneaky): Yes, Jesus obeyed God's law.
C (not missing a beat): Did Jesus obey the policeman's law?
M: Why don't you go ask your Daddy?

Yes, I did defer. I was pretty sure Jesus didn't break any laws per se, but I decided I'd let dear 'ole dad try to explain (in 3 year-old language) how Christians are commanded to obey God's law even when that conflicts with the laws of the land. He did a pretty good job explaining that some "policemen's" laws are bad laws...that they are not just and we shouldn't follow them. And then he reminded her that Jesus kept the laws, but they put him in prison anyway. She's having a hard time with that one, but she seemed content that we'd answered her questions.

I admit that sometimes I fear what life will be like when this child is 12. I mean, seriously, what questions is she going to ask then?

Anyone need some TP?

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yes, as in toilet paper. Walgreens has a great deal going through October 30. If you haven't heard about it yet, let me be the one to share the good news ;-)

12 packs of Cottonelle Ultra TP are on sale for $5 at Walgreens
Buy two packs (the purple packs...the RR don't print with the blue ones) and get a register reward for $3
To make the deal even sweeter, use a Walgreens coupon for $1 off each pack (in the monthly coupon booklets that they keep at the front of the store)
Apparently there are some manufacturer's coupons floating around too, but it's a great deal even without them.

So, basically, you get 24 rolls of TP for $5 before tax if you use the $3 register rewards to buy something else you need (I bought some nightime pull-ups that were on sale last week). Not too shabby!

See the whole screnario here: http://www.southernsavers.com/2011/10/walgreens-ad-coupons-109-1015/

So, get thee to Walgreens! What are you waiting on?

Theology Talks with my 3-year-old

2011-10-17T12:20:00.002-04:00

Last night as I was putting C to bed, she whimpered suddenly. Thinking it was another ploy to avoid going to sleep, I was a little annoyed. And then, we had this conversation.

C: I don't want to die.
M: What's got you thinking about that? You're not going to die anytime soon.
C: Is God going to make my body look the same when I rise again?
M (after a brief pause): I don't know, sweetheart. I don't know what our bodies will look like when we rise again, but you're only 3 and you have a long time before you're going to die.

She settled down after this, seemingly satisfied for the moment. I patted her and loved on her as she fell asleep. It was (thankfully) a relatively quick process last night.

This is what happens when I field the theological conversations sans Chad. I know that I can't say with 100% assurance that C has a long time to live. But I hate it that my 3-year-old is so scared of death and last night I wanted her to let go of her fear a little. Right now she can't bear the thought of not being with Mommy and Daddy (and apparently not having the same body!) and I think that's quite okay. Maybe when she's four, we'll talk more about body-soul theology and the Christian understanding of death ;-)

Updated Book List

2011-10-14T10:46:00.002-04:00

17) I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg - completed in September, This was a fun read!

Main book in progress:

1) NurtureShock: New Thinking about Children by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman - Chad and I are both reading this one and have found it quite informative already.

I need to start September's book club book, but haven't made the time to do it. It's sitting on my dining room table mocking me.

Friday Favorites

2011-10-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

Once a Month Cooking (also known as, whenever Anna and I can coordinate our schedules to make time to cook!)

Anna and I have been cooking freezer meals off and on for over two years now (can you believe it's been that long, Anna?). Thankfully our families have similar tastes and we have wonderful husbands who appreciate the food enough to wrangle the four girls while we cook. This past Saturday we met for another round of cooking and I'll admit that there were times when I wondered if it was worth it. I was EXHAUSTED when I got home Saturday night. My feet hurt, my back hurt, and I was just plain worn out. BUT, when yesterday rolled around and I was making out a menu for the week, I remembered again that the long day was definitely worth it.

Here's a peak at what we made on Saturday. Each of us walked (or, limped ;-)) away with:

Side dishes:
1) Honey Ginger Carrots (2 recipes)
2) Twice Baked Potatoes (approx. 10 whole potatoes...19 halves? could be made into a main dish with some chili or shredded chicken on top)

Breakfast:
1) Sausage Breakfast Muffins (24 muffins)

Entrees:
1) Vegetarian Chili (4 meals)
2) Ham and Macaroni Casserole (probably 2 meals)
3) Chicken Pockets (enough for dinner and lunch the next day)
4) Chicken and Yellow Rice
5) Sausage and Rice Casserole (may be enough for 2 meals)
6) Chicken Spaghetti (may be enough for 2 meals)
7) Poppyseed Chicken (we had this last night and there was enough left over for a couple of lunches)

So, since we eat at church on Wednesday nights, this basically means NO cooking during the week and thus no excuses to eat out for the next month. Yep, it was definitely worth it!

Wordless Wednesday, October 5, 2011

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Wordless Wednesday, September 28, 2011

2011-09-28T13:31:00.002-04:00

Friday Favorites

2011-09-23T09:00:00.001-04:00

One of my all-time favorite hymns:

Be Thou My Vision

Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art:
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be thou my wisdom, and Thou my true word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord:
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son,
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Riches I heed not, or man's empty praise,
Thou mine inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven, my treasure Thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven't joys, O bright heav'n's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my vision, O Ruler of all.

Words: Ancient Irish; translated by Mary E. Byrne; versified by Eleanor H. Hull
Music: Traditional Irish Melody; harm. David Evans

Wordless Wednesday, September 21, 2011

2011-09-21T09:31:00.002-04:00

Tuesday's Topic: To pledge or not to pledge?

2011-09-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

That is the question.

Did you learn the pledge of allegiance as a child? Have you, or are you, teaching it to your child(ren)? Does this line of questioning seem ridiculous to you? Do you want to scream at me, "Of course I know and recite the pledge of allegiance and of course I want to teach it to my child!" That was me once upon a time too. But now I'm not so sure. As Christians, should Chad and I teach Cady the pledge of allegiance? Increasingly we feel it's wrong to teach her to pledge allegiance to anything other than God. We want her to pledge her life to Christ and yet before she's even able to make that decision, she'll be pressured by schools (and some churches!) to pledge to a flag.

I haven't really been doing tons or research or anything, but I have run across a couple of things that are informing my thoughts.

Mennonites and the Flag

Mennonites and the Pledge of Allegiance

Other options for the pledge

Of course being a religious historian and knowing the origin and evolution of America's pledge is also informing my decision. For example, did you know that the phrase "under God" was not added to the pledge until 1954?. It was added, in part, as an attempt by President Eisenhower (and others in power) to unite Americans "under God," thus distinguishing America from the "godless communists."

I know I have more to say on this, but I want to hear what you have to say. I know I have friends on both sides of this issue so convince me that you're right. We're kind of sitting on the fence for now (Okay, I'm kind of sitting on the fence right now; Chad's convinced she shouldn't say it), trying to figure out what we're going to do and being thankful for the international/multicultural emphasis of Montessori that hasn't found it necessary to teach the pledge to C yet.

Now regardless of where we end up on this issue in terms of pledging at schools, sporting events, etc., we will teach our children not to say the pledge of allegiance at church. Why? Because the church should be a place where national boundaries don't exist. The church is universal and should never exclude anyone with national propaganda like pledges and anthems. God is the God of all nations and the church building should be one place that all nationalities can come together on equal footing. It should never be a place where we glorify our nation, the actions of our nation, or the sacrifices of those serving in our military above God and the ultimate sacrfice God made in sending Jesus or the sacrifices we are called to make as Christians living in a secular world.

Wordless Wednesday (a little late...pun intended ;-))

2011-09-15T21:00:00.000-04:00

Friday Favorites

2011-09-09T09:00:00.004-04:00

We adore our church. While it seemed to take forever to find a new church home in Montgomery, I must say that it was well worth the wait. Pintlala Baptist Church is the perfect place for us right now. We adore our pastor, Gary Burton, his wife, Jerrie, and the rest of the ministerial staff. Even better, we love the other church members. They are quickly becoming like family to us. PBC is a small congregation, but it's full of love and life and lots of exciting new things are happening there right now.

For example, last week's Wordless Wednesday picture was something that Chad and Cady made for church. You see, Chad and I are both leading small group studies at PBC on Wednesday nights. I'm teaching a 6-week course on Baptists and what they believe and he's teaching a 6-week course on the Old Testament prophets. He used this poster (lovingly decorated by our daughter) and another to publicize his "course." It was fun watching Joe and Gary walk around with the posters like modern-day prophets, but the picture of Cady with the poster takes the cake. I'm SO glad we thought to have her pose with her artwork. What do you think, does she have a future in sidewalk preaching? :-)

And, while I don't mean for this to be a sales pitch, what kind of Baptist would I be if I didn't at least invite you to visit our church if you're looking for a place to attend? We'd love to have you!

Wordless Wednesday, September 7, 2011

2011-09-07T10:14:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday, August 31, 2011

2011-08-31T11:41:00.003-04:00

Friday Favorites

2011-08-19T11:33:00.007-04:00

Deal-a-day sites: I love these things. Groupon is one of my favorites because you can score some great local deals, but when Cady was younger I frequented the baby ones too. I check many of these sites daily in hopes of scoring some things I want at a fraction of the retail price. I find that this is a particularly good way to score some of the "green" products I covet whether they be eco-friendly cleaning products or glass drinking straws.

Now these sites can be dangerous to your budget if you're not careful so proceed at your own risk. However, I've found that they can save you lots of money if you only buy things you would have bought anyway. I love to use the daily sites to score baby gifts and birthday presents. I also love photo deals (Groupon often offers $100 credit to Picaboo for $35...I've bought 3 of these to make Cady's photo books). Anyway, without further ado, here are some of the sites I like to check periodically:

BabySteals
Eversave

Gilt
GreenBabyBargains
Groupon
Heartsy
KidSteals
LivingSocial
TheMiniSocial
Zulily

In the interest of full disclosure, I put my referral links above for the sites that offer referral credit. So if you sign up and/or buy something from one of those, my account will be credited.

Are there any deal sites that you check daily? I'm always up for finding more bargains!

Updated Book List

2011-08-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Being sick followed by a beach vacation allowed me to get lots of fun reading done. Now, it's back to journal articles and scholarly monographs, which are exciting in their own special way. :-)

11) Mama, Ph.D: Women Write About Motherhood and Academic Life, edited by Elrena Evans and Caroline Grant - completed in August

12) The Help by Kathryn Stockett - completed in August

13) Sex in the South: Unbuckling the Bible Belt by Suzi Parker - completed in August - I thought this one might be helpful for my dissertation, but it wasn't really...oh well.

14) The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - completed in August

15) Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - completed in August

16) Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - completed in August

Not-quite wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T14:53:00.002-04:00

From Ph.D. comics:
Link to original

Friday Favorites

2011-08-05T22:45:00.003-04:00

Since having a child, I've become more aware of places that are kid-friendly. We are regulars at the CFA on Ann Street because of their hospitable attitude toward the little ones. Indoor play area and free ice cream? Yes, please! We also find ourselves eating at a lot of places that children eat free. Seriously, sometimes you just need a break from cooking and it's fabulous to pay for two instead of three. So, here are a few of the places we've found around here that offer free dining options for the under 12 set.

Tuesday nights - Moe's Southwest Grill (they also have "entertainment" for the kids...our favorite are the Abrakadoodle ladies who paint faces, but the balloon guys are also pretty impressive)

Thursday nights - Earth Fare

Everyday - Chappy's Deli

All of August (4pm-10pm) - IHOP (we frequented this lovely establishment tonight)

Please feel free to add to this list. We're always up for a new place to add to our family date night list ;-)

Wordless Wednesday, August 3, 2012

2011-08-03T13:05:00.002-04:00

Friday Favorites

2011-07-29T08:00:00.006-04:00

So one of my all-time favorite movies is the movie SHAG. Yes, I realize that this movie is full of gender, racial, and southern stereotypes and that I probably shouldn't enjoy watching it. But, for whatever ridiculous reason there's something about this movie (set in 1963) that just makes me happy. Yes, I cringe when a beauty contestant dances to Dixie and receives thunderous applause, but I can't help myself; I love watching this movie. I want to be in this movie. I want to go on a beach retreat to Myrtle Beach with three of my best girlfriends while my parents think I'm going to Fort Sumter to learn about my "heritage." And a shag contest? How fun would that be?!?! Sigh.

In fact, my love for this movie runs so deep that for awhile I wanted to name any daughter we had Carson (after one of the characters, of course). Chad and I still love that name for a little girl. However, after naming one daughter after a leader in the suffrage movement it seems odd to name the next one after a movie character who breaks off her engagement after having sex with a handsome man she just met because she's "WILD." I mean, how do I explain that one to potential daughter #2? "Well, I really liked that Carson just went for it, you know. She acted on a wild impulse for once in her life instead of just doing what everyone else wanted her to do." Um, yeah, not so much. I don't know though, it may be a nice change of pace. What do you think? ;-)

Wordless Wednesday, July 27, 2011

2011-07-27T08:00:00.000-04:00

Updated book list

2011-07-23T08:37:00.000-04:00

Books completed:

10) The Great Divorce by CS Lewis (July)

Books in progress:

1) Committed: A Love Story by Elizabeth Gilbert

2) Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones

3) What was Lost: A Christian Journey through Miscarriage by Elise Erikson Barrett

4) Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity by R. Marie Griffith

5) Mama, Ph.D: Women Write About Motherhood and Academic Life, edited by Elrena Evans and Caroline Grant.

Friday Favorites

2011-07-22T08:30:00.001-04:00

My Judson College Tervis tumbler is wonderful. I bought it last spring at J-Day, found myself a matching red top, and have been enjoying it ever since. I cannot remember which Alumnae chapter was selling these bad boys, but I'm sure SDJ could find out. If you don't have one, you should seriously consider purchasing one. The proceeds go to support student scholarships at our dear alma mater and the cup is helping me achieve my long sought after goal of drinking more water (along with Crystal Light to-go pouches, of course ;-)). Plus, it's dishwasher safe. Huzzah!

Wordless Wednesday, July 20, 2011

2011-07-20T08:30:00.000-04:00

Friday Favorites

2011-07-15T10:33:00.003-04:00

Cady's carseat/booster seat - Britax carseats and booster seats are DA BOMB. They are easy to switch from car to car, the straps don't get twisted very often, they clean up well (yes, we've had to clean on multiple occasions), and they always receive fabulous safety ratings. I know this is an odd thing to post as a Friday favorite, but I was a bit stumped about what to "promote" this week and Target's black Friday sale gave me the idea to plug the carseat. I know Britax carseats are expensive, but if you look for sales (like today's sale at Target) you can get a Britax seat for about the price of other carseats.

We used a Graco infant carrier (because of the superior safety ratings and cheaper price), but switched to the Britax Roundabout when I got tired of lugging the infant seat around. Now Cady's in a Britax booster seat (because I saw the one Anna had for Addie and couldn't resist a nice sale I found!). Really, I cannot recommend the Britax Marathon highly enough and $100 is a great price for one. And since I know this post probably only applies to about 3 of you that might be in the market for a carseat, I will stop there. But Britax carseats are a favorite, seriously. So, what carseats do you adore?

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia

2011-07-14T12:47:00.003-04:00

I've mentioned this recipe to several people so I figured I'd post it on the blog in case any of them (or you!) were interested in trying it. It is super easy and tastes better than it sounds.

In fact, I'd recommend the entire cookbook to anyone who wants to give freezer cooking a try. It's streamlined the process for Anna and me, which means more meals in less time. Now we never cook a month's worth of meals so we can't say 100% that it would be great for that (though I have no doubt that it would), but we can vouch that it's great for getting 12-ish meals/sides in the freezer in a reasonable amount of time.

Parmesan Crusted Tilapia (from 30 Day Gourmet’s BIG Book of Freezer Cooking)
Serves 4

Ingredients:
¼ t. dried basil
¼ t. black pepper
½ t. paprika
½ t. garlic powder
1/3 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 lb. frozen tilapia fillets
2 T. butter or margarine, melted
3 T. mayonnaise or salad dressing; regular or reduced fat

Directions:
Thaw the fish

Combine basil, black pepper, paprika, and garlic power

Combine cheese and bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Drain any liquid from the fish. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

In a shallow container thoroughly mix butter and mayonnaise until combined. Stir in seasoning mix until combined.

Place crumb mixture in another shallow container.

Coat fish on both sides with butter/mayonnaise mixture then dip one piece at a time in the bread crumb cheese mixture flipping over to coat both sides.

Place fish on baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until fish easily flakes when touched with a fork.

Now, if you want to freeze it, freeze the cheese and bread crumbs in one freezer bag and the spices (basil, pepper, etc.) in another. Place them with the frozen tilapia until ready to use and then follow the directions above. We like to serve this fish with edamame.

Friday Favorites

2011-07-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sure that I share many of my "favorites" with my friends (many of whom read my blog) and this week will be no exception. I know that many of you, like me, are enamored with Anne Lamott. If you like to read, but have no idea who this woman is, read something by her NOW. She is hilarious and brilliant and deep and insightful and challenging all at the same time. I don't always agree with her, but that's half the fun. I love that she makes me think. She has an unusual faith story that she was brave enough to share and I love her for it. And, well, she's just an amazing writer.

She has written seven novels, five non-fiction works, and (I'm sure) countless articles, blogs, etc. I haven't read any of her novels yet, but I've read all 5 of her non-fiction works. Yes, they are that good. I recommend Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life to anyone who writes or wants to write. And, Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year is an amazingly honest account of the joys, hardships, and everything in between that comes from parenting.

Lamott recently wrote something for Duke Divinity School's Faith and Leadership blog. I'm linking them below in case you want to read them. And, google her if you get bored at work; she has written and said a lot. As always, let me know what you think.

The Habit of Practice

Words to Leaders

Wordless Wednesday, July 6, 2011

2011-07-06T09:45:00.000-04:00

Friday Favorites

2011-07-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

Another easy recipe that is sure to please. My mom made these for our family when I was growing up and they continue to be one of my favorites. If you visited my house in college (or even since then!), you have likely enjoyed the deliciousness that is chicken pockets (or, as the recipe states, chicken PACKETS).

Chicken Packets

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (I use white meat, usually chicken breasts, and just pull it apart after I cook it)
1 3-ounce package of cream cheese, softened (sometimes I use 4 ounces)
1 Tablespoon chopped chives (I consider this an optional ingredient, but it does add some kick)
2 Tablesoons milk
Salt to taste (I don't usually add any salt)
1/2 cup crushed, seasoned crouton crumbs
2 packages refrigerated crescent rolls
1/4 cup melted margarine

Mix chicken, cream cheese, chives, milk and salt in a medium bowl (mixing with hands works best) to make filling. Unroll crescent rolls. Each tube will contain 4 rectaingles of dough with a diagonal perforation. Press dough along each perforation so the rectangle halves will not separate. Place about 1/4 cup of chicken mixture in the center of each rectangle. Fold dough over the filling, and pinch the edges to seal tightly. Dip each packet in melted margarine, and coat with crouton crumbs. Place packets on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until goldern brown. Packets are good either hot or cold.

Recipe is taken from Once-A-Month Cooking: A Time Saving, Budget-Stretching Plan to Prepare Delicious Meals by Mimi Wilson and Mary Beth Lagerborg.

If you want to freeze this recipe, simply mix the filling and stick it into a quart-sized freezer bag. The croutons will freeze too. Thaw in the fridge overnight and then follow the rest of the instructions above.

We usually serve green beans with our chicken pockets, but any vegetable you like would work. Leftover chicken pockets (if there are any) are FABULOUS for lunch the next day. And, yes, they really are good hot or cold. Let me know if you try out the recipe!

Organic or conventional?

2011-06-30T12:21:00.003-04:00

Here's a helpful link if you, like me, find yourself making choices about when to spend the extra dough on organic fruits and veggies. Stretch those organic dollars by knowing which conventional foods have the least amount of pesticide present. Take a peak at the Dirty Dozen and the Clean Fifteen!

Ecochildsplay Post

Today I'm thankful for...

2011-06-29T23:22:00.000-04:00

As the dissertation continues to loom over me, I find myself complaining a lot more than any one person should. And I don't just complain about the dissertation, I complain about any (even minor) annoyances that I encounter. A couple of things have happened lately that warranted some complaint (maybe), but I'm not doing really well on offering measured responses these days. As Chad has grown accustomed to saying to me, "don't turn into a fire monster." Sigh.

I don't want to be a fire monster and I certainly don't want my child OR husband to associate me with one. SO, in the interest of remembering all of the wonderful parts of my life, I'm making a list of ten things (in no particular order) that I am thankful for today, Wednesday, June 29, 2011. Some of them are big and some of them border on the silly, but they are the things that are keeping me grounded and plugging away word by word on my dissertation.

1. A husband that can read my work and discuss it with me. I've been stuck in a writing rut FOREVER. Chad read over my curent chapter "as-is" yesterday and gave me GREAT ideas for what to write next. Now, that is love.

2. Playing the "re-memory game" with Cady *almost* every day. Seriously, this has become one of my favorite things. It's so fun watching how excited she gets about having the "biggest stack of matches of ALL!"

3. DVDs - I've needed/wanted some veg-out time at night lately so I'm grateful for my collections of Gilmore Girls and Golden Girls DVDs. Enough said.

4. Hugs...especially hugs from Cady.

5. Our church - We are so blessed to call PBC home. The community there is absolutely lovely and I'm so grateful for the love and care that they show to Chad, Cady, and me.

6. Friends who sustain me. I have amazing friends. Thanks to all of you who have listened to me complain lately and love me anyway. I'm trying to get out of my funk. Promise.

7. Cady's new "bedtime" CD that she got for her birthday and her willingness to accept it. Chad and I needed a break from the old one. Ai-yai-yai!

8. My family is so very generous. I couldn't have pulled off C's 3rd birthday without all the help from my family. They are amazing. I also must express my thankfulness to live close enough to that I can stop in for family dinner or invite family over for an "everyday meal." I love it. I also love that my granddad ALWAYS finds something to fix when he comes to my house. It's so nice to be taken care of!

9. Strawberry limeades from Sonic. Yum.

10. VACATION - We are headed on vacation next week. We'll hit several locations, but the main event is going to Washington, D.C. to see my mom and stepdad. We're excited about taking C to see the portraits of all the Presidents :-)

P.S. I'm off facebook again for awhile. I have my notifications turned on to receive messages, but not wall posts, picture comments, etc. If you need me, contact me here or via e-mail. Oh, and if anything happens that I need to know about, please let me know. I'm counting on you gals to stalk for me ;-)

Wordless Wednesday, June 29, 2011

2011-06-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

But I don't love God

2011-06-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Sometime between Christmas and Easter, Cady started confessing to me (and her dad and her grandparents and her Sunday School teachers) that she doesn't love Jesus and God. Um, what?!?! I have no idea where this came from, but it appears to be here to stay for a bit. In other words, it wasn't a one time thing. Is there anything that the toddler of 2 seminary trained religion professors could say that would bother them more? Probably not. At least, not at this stage of the game.

Sample conversation:

Mandy/Chad/other adult (sings some song about God/Jesus loving people)
C: I don't love God and Jesus.
M/C/OA: Well, they love you.
C: Why? I don't love them.
M/C/OA: Because God made you and thinks you are wonderful. God and Jesus both love you very much.
C: But I don't love them.
M/C: (huge sigh) That's fine, C. God loves you anyway.
C: Well, I don't love God. I love Mommy and Daddy and (here she lists a string of family and friends that she does love), but I don't love God.

Oh. my. word. Be still my heart. The first time this occurred (I think) was when C interrupted me singing "Tell Me Why" one night. I tried to have a conversation with her about it, but it didn't really go anywhere. We've decided not to make a big deal out of it because that seems to make it worse, but we have done our part trying to understand it. Cady LOVES going to church and increasingly she LOVES hearing Bible stories. But, she's not so sure about God and Jesus. And, while she'll pray before meals occasionally, she's growing unsure about doing that too (though she's happy for you to pray for the meal...usually!). Our best guess is that C says she doesn't love God because she doesn't know God/can't see God and, you know, that makes sense. We don't teach C about Santa or the Easter Bunny so she doesn't have any context for believing in the unseen outside of God and Jesus (which I think will pay off because our child will never equate - hopefully - the fictional characters of Santa Clause/Easter Bunny with our real, but unseen God).

I must admit I'm proud of C for not just taking our word for it that she should love God. I know she's only 3 and that part of this "I don't love God" phase is probably (mostly?) because she knows we want her to love God. BUT, I'm still proud of her questioning and her curiosity and her desire to understand. I'm also proud of how Chad and I have handled it. We want C to grow up being comfortable questioning the things we tell her...not "don't touch the stove" type things, but the things we tell her about God and Jesus and the Bible (and a whole host of other non-religious things, but that's a different post for a different day). I want her to read and discover and decide for herself. I want this for her because I want her to feel safe discussing her doubts and fears and concerns about God, Jesus, and the church with us...within the safety of our Christian home. I don't want my child's faith story to resemble that of so many people that I have come to know in my years since Judson. So many people choose to abandon their faith completely when they have questions because no one taught them to value their curiosity. They find their intellect incompatible with the faith they've been taught so they assume it's an either/or thing. I don't want that for C. Granted, part of having faith means not having all the answers, but it's not blind acceptance.

For now, we'll continue our new tradition of nightly Bible story time, continue listening to C talk about the "brave princess that's going to save Jesus," continue fielding questions about why some people wanted to kill Jesus, and continue taking her to church to be with people who love her and God. We'll pray that all three of us will emerge on the other end stronger, more committed Christians who are dedicated to the task of being the hands and feet of God in the world. And, yes, we hope she'll eventually admit that she loves God...and Jesus.

Friday Favorites

2011-06-24T09:00:00.002-04:00

Chad's been reading to Cady since before she was born so it should come as no surprise that we have LOTS of children's books at our house. One of my absolute favorites is The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch. It's a fabulous story about a princess who saves the prince after he is captured by the dragon.

But, instead of slaying the dragon or engaging in some other sort of ridiculously violent show of strength, the princess outsmarts the dragon. And, instead of marrying the prince and living happily ever after, the princess stands up for herself to the unappreciative prince and lives (presumably) happily ever after without him. It's a fun read. And, as alluded to, a nice twist on the age-old love of princess stories. I'm thankful for it because somehow my daughter is fascinated with princesses even though she's never seen a princess movie (unless you count the little bit of Mulan she sat through) or worn princess clothing or had a princess doll. And yet, she told us a story Sunday on the way to church about a brave princess that was going to save Jesus. I can get on board with that kind of princess...you know the ones who actually think and DO things.

Wordless Wednesday, June 22, 2011

2011-06-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

Update on books I've read/am reading

2011-06-20T14:22:00.003-04:00

I should have a few more to move to the completed list in a week or two. More importantly I should have another dissertation chapter turned in in a week or two. WOOHOO.

Books completed:

8) The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law by Deborah L. Rhode (completed May? June?)

9) Pretty Smart: Lessons from our Miss Americas by Penny Pearlman (completed June?)

Books in progress:

1) Committed: A Love Story by Elizabeth Gilbert

2) Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones

3) What was Lost: A Christian Journey through Miscarriage by Elise Erikson Barrett

4) Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity by R. Marie Griffith

5) The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

Friday Favorites

2011-06-17T09:58:00.002-04:00

I've posted this recipe before, but it remains one of my most favorite dessert recipes. It's my go-to for a quick, easy, and delicious summer dessert. It's from the More-with-Less cookbook (published by the Mennonite Central Committee). I've even been known to make it with frozen or canned fruit when I didn't have fresh on hand and it was still yummy. So, enjoy!

Quick Fruit Cobbler

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine in bowl:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Pour into 9x9" greased baking pan.

Add:
2 cups fruit - fresh, frozen, or canned

Bake for 40 minutes. The crust starts out on the bottom, but fills in around the fruit and on top - yum!

The recipe says that it serves 6, but I usually figure more along the lines of 4 adults per recipe because I think one can never have enough cobbler. Don't forget the ice cream!

Wordless Wednesday, June 15, 2011

2011-06-15T07:01:00.000-04:00

And the winner is...

2011-06-14T00:01:00.002-04:00

Christy!

I didn't do the crazy random number generator since I only had 8 people comment (7 here and 1 on facebook due to blogger trouble). Instead, I wrote everyone's name on a slip of paper, folded them, and placed them in a Mason jar. Chad picked the winner when I interrupted his nightly reading. He was more than happy to help, really.

ANYWAY, congratulations to Christy! I'll put the skoy cloth in the mail to you later this week. Just for fun, I'm including an extra skoy cloth for you to give away when you blog about it. So, for all of you that didn't win this time, keep reading Christy's blog for another chance to win. I know you're all beside yourself with joy at the chance to win a cleaning product worth approximately $1.50. Well, you should be. It has the potential to save you about $30 ;-)

Friday Favorites

2011-06-10T09:30:00.003-04:00

I promise not to make all of my Friday favorites about cleaning products, but I cannot resist posting about one more before breaking to something else.

Like so many people, we at the McEgg household have been trying to do our part to be a little more "green." We *try* (and mostly succeed) to use reusable shopping bags, we recycle what we can, and we use cloth napkins (but not at the birthday party because, really, who can be that holy and good besides Ellen Davis?). A tougher switch to make was to rid our house of paper towels. They're so convenient! And, really, who wants to go through that many dish towels.

One of the "green" blogs that I read from time to time heralds the skoy cloth as a good alternative to paper towels (My Plastic-free life). I thought about ordering and trying them long before I actually did, but now I can say that I finally took the plunge. AND, while a skoy cloth is not a paper towel, I find I can use it for pretty much everything I used a paper towel for in the past. They are fabulous for wiping up kitchen counters, tables, sinks, and stoves. I've even used ours in the bathroom a time or two. The only thing I probably won't try again is cleaning mirrors with them. They tend to leave some streaks. But, I can use old T-shirts or other cloths for mirrors so no worries there.

Skoy cloths are thin so they dry quickly. They are also washer/dryer safe, dishwasher safe, and microwave safe. SO, lots of ways to disinfect these bad boys (girls?). According to skoy's website, one skoy cloth is the equivalent of using 15 ROLLS of paper towels. So, at about $7 for a 4 pack, skoy cloths are definitely the economic choice.

Now I'll admit that there are still times that I wish we had some paper towels in the house, BUT I think skoy cloths are pretty magnificent inventions. And, I like not having to fork out the money for paper towels (because I'm cheap). Now I know that most of you are rolling your eyes at my ridiculousness in ditching paper towels so I'm going to try to make a believer out of at least one of you by giving away a skoy cloth. That's right, I'm going all out today! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by Monday, June 13 by 9:00 CST if you want to win. The only catch is that you have to agree to blog about your use of the skoy cloth after you try it. BUT, you're going to want to do that anyway ;-)

Skoy cloth is not paying me to say any of this and they aren't providing me with the free skoy cloth. I ordered 2 packs so I figured I can share ONE skoy cloth and save one of you 15 rolls of paper towels ;-)

Wordless Wednesday, June 8, 2011

2011-06-08T10:41:00.005-04:00

Theological reflections with our 3 year-old

2011-06-04T09:53:00.001-04:00

On the way home from church last Sunday, I was suffering from a massive headache. Cady decided it was time she understood the nature of headaches and other suffering in the world. Yep, she initiated a little theodicy talk.

Cady: Daddy, does God make headaches and neckaches and stomachaches?
Daddy: No, God doesn't make headaches and neckaches and stomachaches, but God definitely does allow those things to happen.
Cady: Who *does* make stomachaches?
Daddy: Nobody, really. Sometimes our bodies don't work the way we want them to, and that means we have tummyaches or other kinds of aches.
Cady: But why don't our bodies work? [Here she goes down the path of why until Daddy has to explain the molecular structure of the universe. Kidding, of course, but that's how it seems sometimes.]

The conversation was longer than this...lots of whys and but whys, but I think you get the point. Bless it. How does one explain to a 3 year-old the difference between God causing something and God allowing it? I confess that sometimes I wish we believed in easy answers. Or, at least more concrete ones. But, I pray that being honest with C now about the intricacies of faith will pay off in the long run.

*Postscript: The conversation above is an approximation of the conversation that took place last Sunday. I, nor Chad, claim to remember verbatim all of the things our child says try as we might. However, I did ask him to help me remember it. Okay, Mandy moment of qualification over.

Friday favorites

2011-06-03T09:30:00.001-04:00

I hate our shower. I LOVE my house, but I despise the shower in our bathroom. In fact, if I could change only 2 things in our house, the shower would be the second (the first being to install energy efficient windows). We thought the shower might be one of our very favorite things when we moved into the house almost 2 years ago. It's spacious with a nice shower head and plenty of space for all of the various shower products we all need to maintain our beautiful selves. :-) However, this shower drives me crazy. It leaks on one side, has a ridiculous basket installed (that we've tried unsuccessfully to remove) that gets mildew behind it, has glass doors, and itty-bitty, ugly tile. All of these things add up to one ridiculously difficult to clean shower.

Enter Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. This thing is magnificent. You wet it, squeeze it a couple of times, and wipe grim, soap scum, and mildew away. I'm in love. And while I'm usually pretty concerned about what's in a product and what its environmental impact is, I'm not even going to research this one. At least, not right now. And, if you do, please don't tell me. At least, not right now. Give me a month...or two. Or, heck, just wait until I can afford to replace this shower (which is, most definitely, on our google doc home improvement list) with something more easily cleaned.

Because, for now, this little thing has made our lives so much easier. It wipes the soap scum away with minimal effort and laughs in the face of mildew. I've known its power to remove crayon from walls/tables/easels already, but I'm learning its uses are infinite. I'm trying to limit my use of this unknown substance to the bathrooms and removing crayon, but I make no promises.

Wordless Wednesday, June 1, 2011

2011-06-01T10:28:00.002-04:00

Derek Webb, A King and a Kingdom

2011-05-30T17:30:00.000-04:00

I heard this song while we were still living in Durham and it really spoke to me. The chorus, in particular, helps remind me that my first allegiance as a Christian should be to Christ and not to any particular nation, political party, or even to my family. It also reminds me that there is a bond that joins me to other Christians around the world and that I have a responsibility to them...not just to my fellow Americans.

"A King and a Kingdom"

Who’s your brother, who’s your sister
You just walked past him, I think you missed her
As we’re all migrating to a place where our Father lives
‘Cause we married into a family of immigrants

[Chorus]
So my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country or a man
My first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
It’s to a King and a Kingdom

There are two great lies that I’ve heard
The day you eat of the fruit of that tree you will not surely die
And that Jesus Christ was a white, middle class Republican
And if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like him

[Chorus]

And nothing unifies like a common enemy
And we’ve got one sure as hell
He may be living in your house
He may be raising up your kids
He may be sleeping with your wife
Oh he may not look like you think

Oops

2011-05-27T11:33:00.002-04:00

I just realized that if you're reading my posts via google reader, it doesn't show you the nice little "read more" link. It posts the whole thing. Oh well, I trust you were all smart enough to stop reading if/when you got to something you'd rather not know.

Cady's birth day (Warning: Long, rambling post ahead)

2011-05-27T11:30:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe it's been three years since our baby girl came into this world. I had grand plans of writing her birth story within the first week of her life, but that didn't happen. I knew that the longer I waited the more I would forget. And, while I'm sure some of my details are fuzzy, I still remember parts of it like it was yesterday. Some things are just burned in my mind and I'm grateful that I remember them. BUT, just in case, I want to record the story here (as I remember it 3 years later) so that C will have it someday (I don't know why she'd want to read her own birth story, but I read a whole book of them that I found fascinating so maybe she'll be weird like me).

As most of you know Cady was born at the Women's Birth and Wellness Center in Chapel Hill, NC. I know the midwife model of care is not for everyone, but it worked well for us. In fact, I cannot imagine better pregnancy/childbirth care than what I/we received. I'm already nervous about the next time given that there are no birth centers in AL. But, as usual, I digress...

Well, because I'm me, I had been charting while we were trying to conceive so I had a pretty good idea when said conception occurred. Given my calculations, my due date was May 27. The midwives had a couple of other due dates at different times based on the chart, but I stuck with May 27. I don't know why. It just felt right. Thankfully, little bit made her appearance on May 27. We were ready (or, as ready as you can be!). In fact, I was wanting her to appear "on time" so badly that I took evening primrose oil for a couple of nights to try to speed up the process. But, as with every baby, C came when it was time. If you want to read the rest of the story, click the read more link below. Just a warning, things may get a little graphic.

I started having contractions on Monday morning, May 26 (Memorial Day!), but I wasn't sure they were contractions. They were a little uncomfortable, but nothing incredibly painful. Thankfully my mom had arrived the night before so I wasn't stressed about delivering C without her there. Since I thought this *might* be it, I decided this was as good a time as any to try to finalize our list of names. Yeah, we still hadn't decided for sure at this point. In fact, I was convinced that we needed to have a little boy's name picked out just in case, but Chad gently reminded me that we were having a GIRL and we really needed to narrow our list of girls names. So, we did. We wrote them on an index card and the index card came with us to the birth center. But, the birth center was still not on the radar screen. I still wasn't sure this was going to progress.

Mom and I decided to go run some errands. Chad decided to wash the siding on the front of our house. Funny what you decide is critical to do before the baby arrives. I wanted a pedicure; Chad wanted the outside of our house clean. The contractions came and went as we went to the nail salon, the material store, etc. They were getting a little more uncomfortable, but it was still manageable. I just found myself stopping and waiting them out. I admit though that I had a slight fear that my water was going to break and make a huge mess while we were out and about. Thankfully it did not.

The day progressed fairly uneventfully. We had friends (April, Dustin, Hollis, and Mrs. Carol) over for dinner. We continued to talk about possible names. Maybe the index card came after this??? A decided that I was *definitely* in labor and that she needed to get home and get things settled so that she could come back when I headed to the birth center. I admitted that the contractions did seem to be coming a bit more regularly, but they were no where near as close as our midwife wanted them to be before we headed to the birth center.

In fact, after our dinner guests left, Chad called the midwife and checked in with her. She thought that I was definitely showing the early signs of labor and encouraged me to take a hot bath and some Tylenol PM. She hoped that would allow me to get one more night of good rest before the difficult part of labor began. Um, no. That did not happen. I took my bath and I took the Tylenol PM, but I did not get a full night's rest to get ready for labor. Nope.

I went to the bathroom and have blocked (thankfully) some of the memories of everything that happened there. I do remember thinking, "hmm...that doesn't look like anything I've seen before. Could it be? Why, yes, I think it is..." before informing my mom that I thought I'd just lost my mucus plug. It sounds gross, I know, but it's part of the process so just roll with me. Then I got a HUGE unmistakable contraction around 11-ish at which point I looked at my mom and said something to the effect of "this hurts." She confirmed that childbirth did, indeed, hurt.

Chad had already gone to lay down so that he could be well rested, but that didn't last long either. I made him aware of the painful goings-on :-) There was another call to the midwife somewhere in here, but I don't remember all of the particulars. She wasn't too concerned yet though. She'd been through this a lot more than I had though and I was just a wee bit panicked. What if we waited too long to go? What if I suffered through transition in the car? What if...

The rest of the night is kind of a blur as labor progressed pretty quickly after that. I labored in our bed, standing in our bathroom, some in the bathtub (I think), and who knows where else. I was mostly in the bed and mostly naked. It was hot, hot, hot!!! Thank goodness for fans and blue gatorade. Ah, blue gatorade. It helped me get through some rough times. Chad timed the contractions when I told him about them, but I swear I must have slept through some of them because the times were somewhat erratic. From time to time, Chad would urge me to change positions as that's known to speed up labor, but I wasn't sure that I wanted to speed it up! I would get semi-comfortable laboring in a position and not want to move because I would learn how to manage the pain in that particular position. Chad and Mom provided me amazing moral support and necessary breathing tutorials. It's funny how some of the stuff you *know* you should do goes out the window when you feel like something is trying to kill you from the inside.

The laboring went on, with us dozing some in the bed and my mom on the floor, until it was morning and I decided that it was time to go. Chad wasn't sure because my contractions still weren't as close as the midwives had suggested they be before coming in (something like 2 or 3 minutes apart), but I assured him that I was ready and it was time. I was nice about it, I'm sure (ha!). He called the midwife on duty (Leigh Ann - one of our favorites, YAY!) and she was already at the birth center. She said she had gone ahead after our last call because she had thought we might come in sooner. She asked which room we wanted (how awesome is that - we had a pick because I was the ONLY one in labor at the center that morning!) and it was ready when we got there.

On the way to the birth center, Chad and Mom made some necessary calls and I tried not to die. Okay, so I realize that that's overly dramatic, but I was feeling the pain at this point. In fact, at one point I told Chad, "If we get there and I'm only 1 or 2 centimeters, you can just put me back in the car, take me to the hospital, and tell them to get this thing out of me!" Yeah, I was in just a wee bit of pain. Thankfully, I was further along than that. Unfortunately, one of my worst fears had occurred. I was starting to go through transition in the car. Joy.

When we arrived at the birth center (around 7 a.m.), I walked into the room and began shedding clothes immediately. It's amazing how modesty goes out the window during childbirth. I could have cared less. My body was on fire and I just wanted relief. Leigh Ann "checked" me and informed me that I was about 6 or 7 centimeters dialated. She was really proud of me. She said that I had come at just the right time. Phew. Seriously, this was SUCH a huge relief. She filled up the HUGE tub with warm water and let me get in. That was nice. Or, as nice as things can be during transition, I suppose.

Chad put on some Indigo Girls (graciously provided by one Susan D. Jones) and I tried to go to a happy place. Mom and Chad were still having to help me monitor my breathing and I'm not gonna lie, I began to question my "no drugs" policy just a bit right about this time. In fact, I think I asked for a little something (no epidurals at the birth center, but they did have some narcotics), but Leigh Ann assured me that I was progressing quickly and would have a baby by noon. And, my amazing Mom and husband kept reminding me that I could do it and that I had always done anything I had set my mind to. BUT, the best thing was when I had the most awful contraction imaginable...the one where you can practically see the baby trying to escape via bursting through the lining of your stomach...and Leigh Ann calmly told me that it would not get any worse than that. That brought relief. Then I felt like I really could do it because I had survived it once and knew that I could do it again.

Soon I got out of the tub because I had decided that I did *not* want to have a water birth. Also, Leigh Ann was about to be "off" duty and Maureen (another favorite!) came on. At this point my water still had not broken and I had so much pressure in my rear end that I felt like it was going to explode. I know that might be TMI, but it's true. It was awful. More to the point, I felt like if something did explode out of my rear end, it would be A-okay with me because I knew I'd feel a million times better ;-)

When Maureen checked me, I had reached 10 centimeters. My water was still intact. Now, I must take this moment to note that some doctors might have taken it upon themselves to bust my water themselves. Tsk-tsk. Instead, Maureen encouraged me to go to the bathroom and try to squat/go to the potty. I informed her that that hurt, but I did what I was told. While semi-squatting in the bathroom, my water burst. This was not a polite little trickle. The bag of waters exploded. It went all over the walls of the bathroom, all over Chad, and all over Maureeen. I realize that this is TMI, but you chose to keep reading. :-) The relief I felt at this moment was immense. I almost felt like the hardest part was over...almost.

Maureen told me to go back to the bed because it was time to start pushing. She was going to change clothes. I was a little concerned that she was going to change clothes at such a critical time, but I did not question her. She was back in plenty of time, of course. It was pushing time. I pushed on my side, which was a great position for the way C was situated in there and for maximum? comfort. One leg was up in the air, of course, which I'm sure would look fantastic on video had I allowed the glorious event to be videoed.

Still, pushing, not surprisingly, was painful. I remember screaming in pain at one point (April - who was in the waiting room - told me later that she called Dustin at this point and told him to pray because it was time and I was in pain. She was right!) and am now so very thankful that I was not in a hospital with a dozen other moms to hear me! Apparently by screaming, I was wasting valuable pushing energy. I was given a washcloth to bite down on and it helped me refocus the screaming energy to push out my 8 pound, 10 ounce child.

Side note: In my birth plan, I had assured anyone who would be involved that I didn't really want to watch the baby being born via mirror. I think I might next time, but this time I felt like I had enough going on. I don't remember if a mirror was held up or not, but I know they asked me if I wanted one. I confirmed that I did not, but they were persistent with wanting to get me as involved as possible in the birth process. I'm grateful for this now.

There was another midwife in the room in addition to the Maureen and the nurse. This midwife was doing an internship or something. They asked if it was okay for her to observe and, well, who was I to say no? ;-) I'm glad I said it was fine because this amazing woman massaged my back during some of the pushing. It was glorious (or, as glorious as anything can be in the midst of the physically taxing work of labor).

So, I bit my washcloth and pushed. Maureen used olive oil to help my perineum (I think that's right?) stretch and allow the baby's head to emerge. As Cady was crowning, Maureen urged me to reach down and feel my baby's head. I wasn't sure I wanted to, but I did because I was wanting to get on with it. Now, of course, I'm glad I took that moment to feel her little head coming out of my body. It's amazing to think that she was ever that small. Cady came out with a few more pushes and was, of course, perfect. She was laid on my chest immediately and the picture below captures those first few moments better than any words could (note my blue mouth/tongue thanks to the Gatorade). There had been a knot in the umbilical cord (pictures of which were never posted - and never will be- because, well, it was too close to other things that even I in my openness do not wish to share) and we were relieved that Cady did not seem to suffer as a result of it.

Moments later out came the placenta and afterbirth. Yeah, I know, ew. But, that had to happen before everyone would leave us alone ;-) We spent a few precious moments with our daughter who quickly found my breast and began to nurse. We decided on a name and soon welcomed April in to meet our new arrival. Eventually, grandparents and great grandparents and ministers arrived to give their best wishes. Cady was weighed and measured and had a hearing test. I ate thanks to A and pottied and just generally marveled at this wonderful little person who was once inside me and was now on the outside. I also informed her that she would be an only child because I wasn't sure I wanted to go through all that again!

We left the birth center about 4 p.m. and headed home. We had arrived around 7 a.m. and Cady had been born at 9:54 a.m. It was surprisingly fast and straightforward for a first birth. A precious friend (Debra Freeman) brought dinner that night and Chad's dad got a birthday cake for our baby girl. I was exhausted, but exhilarated. A nice warm shower at home helped me feel a little more normal and we all settled in to begin the transition to a family of three.

Childbirth is intense, and, yes, natural childbirth is painful, but I wouldn't trade the experience for anything. It was one of the hardest things that I've ever done and yet also one of the most natural. I was so proud of myself and so impressed with my body. My body was amazing (if I do say so myself!). I did have a small tear and 1? 1.5? internal stitch(es), but thanks to midwives who were patient with my body and Maureen's magic with the olive oil, I avoided an episiotomy or a huge tear. I know that these things are unavoidable sometimes, but I'm thankful that a little olive oil and a steady voice urging me to slow down for a minute helped me avoid them.

I'm grateful for the brevity of my labor, and for C's relatively small head, I can assure you. But, I'm also thankful that I was able to have a natural childbirth. This is not always possible and I do not take the gift for granted. I know that my experience is not necessarily normative so don't hear me claiming that; I'm just recounting my experience because I think it's important to tell good birth stories in addition to the scary ones. It was, in part, reading those loads of positive birth stories that helped me know I could do it too. They gave me the confidence to continue laboring at home (sans midwife, doctor, etc.) and the knowledge of things I could expect. Maybe my own story can do that for someone else. Or, maybe you'll all just think I'm nuts. But, I'm still glad I wrote it if it does nothing but help me. I'm thankful I took the time to remember and to record...even if it is 3 years later.

If/when we have another child, I plan to go the natural route again. I know some folks think I'm crazy for choosing to give birth in this way and that's fine. Maybe I am. Or, maybe I have some sub-conscious need to feel that power and control again...that moment when I realized that I could do it and my body took over and just did its thing.

I'm sure I'll edit this story as I remember other things, but this is a good start. At least some of it is finally written somewhere besides in my head. Chad wrote his version of the birth story and gave it to me as one of my Christmas presents last year. It was the perfect gift. With his permission, maybe I'll post his remembrances next week. It's fun to see how we remember those days differently.

Happy birthday, sweet girl!

2011-05-27T09:54:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that this picture was taken 3 years ago. 3 years??? What a wonderful journey it's been. Thank you, C, for being such an amazing little person. Daddy and I love you and are looking forward to celebrating your 3rd birthday with some delicious Chick-fil-A tonight. :-)

Favorite Things?

2011-05-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

In honor of Rita, I've decided to post some of my favorite things too. What do you think, favorite thing Thursday or favorite thing Friday? Which has a better ring to it? ;-)

I already have my first thing picked out. Now I just have to write about it. No promises that my posts will be as thorough as Rita's posts. She gives thorough reviews, one of which made me wonder how I survived C's infant days without a temporal thermometer. I may just say this is awesome, you should try it. Or, maybe not. We'll see.

I may be crazy, but it works for me

2011-05-26T01:33:00.005-04:00

For whatever reason, I've found it necessary to get the house in order since the semester ended. Thankfully Chad has had a similar desire. Lots of stuff gets put on the back burner during the times we're both teaching, especially since I've been teaching a night class all year. And, you can forget anything non-mandatory getting done during the crunch of finals. It's easier than when I was taking finals, sure, but now I have two deadlines: 1) write an exam and 2) grade exams and turn in final grades. Still, I prefer this to taking them.

But, I digress. This post was/is supposed to be about our crazy burst of energy around the house. Some of it is stuff that we have to do (i.e., the limbs from our neighbor's tree that are hanging over our house MUST be cut if we want to keep our home owner's insurance), but some of it is just stuff that we think will make our lives easier in the long run. Chad's been negotiating with insurance companies and thinks that switching the car insurance to the same folks we have our home policy with will save us some money. I've canned jam (the second batch with his help, which makes it SO much more fun). We've both cleaned out closets and taken stuff to Goodwill. We've gone through many, many paper stacks that were threatening to take over our house (though we are FAR from finished with this task). And, we got our front yard looking like someone cares about it. All good things.

BUT, perhaps the things we're both most excited about (at least, I think he's excited about it too) are two google documents (thanks Christy for re-introducing me to this wonderful tool!) that promise to make our lives easier. The most important is a document that outlines our daily "chores." I don't know about you, but I get overwhelmed by housework. It feels never-ending and I let it pile up and then I don't want to do anything, which makes it worse. SO, I divided up the tasks throughout the week. There are some things that must be done everyday or most days (e.g., make C's lunch, wash the dishes, make the bed), but most stuff just gets assigned one day (e.g., sweep the floors, change the sheets). So far, I love it. Mostly because I thrive with a schedule. I did laundry tonight because the schedule told me today was laundry day. And, after I'd done the laundry I didn't feel guilty because there's dust on the furniture. The dust will have its day soon. I know that sounds silly, but it works for me. I crave the order and am loving it so far.

The other document lists things that we'd like to do around the house. It's broken up into different categories such as rearranging, decorating, and most pressing. And, for now there's a category for things that I want to do before C's b'day party if at all possible. I like it because it gives us some definite goals and because it lets us keep a centralized list that both of us can add to and edit. As an added bonus, I hope that it will help us with our budgeting. If we are saving for a particular thing (energy efficient windows, a new shower in our bathroom, etc.), maybe we'll (though I know it's mostly me!) think twice about some of our unneccessary purchases. That's the goal anyway.

Now all I need is a way to break up my dissertation. I need a schedule and not one that just says "write 1 page today." Seriously I'm overwhelmed again. I have far too many chapters started and not enough direction to complete them. But, I can't talk about that right now. Not yet. Maybe soon, but not today. Today I feel happy that we have some family/house plans. And, while that's a little thing, it sure is nice.

Wordless Wednesday, May 25, 2011

2011-05-25T22:28:00.001-04:00

Anyone up for some Jane Eyre?

2011-05-23T15:20:00.002-04:00

The Capri is showing the new version of Jane Eyre for two weeks. Yippee!!! Let's get a group together and go see it this weekend. I'm thinking Saturday. Maybe dinner at Sinclair's before the show? Anyone up for it?

Christmas crafting

2011-05-23T08:00:00.000-04:00

I always have grand intentions of making Christmas presents, but never make time to do it. Plus, I'm just going to be honest and say that I'm afraid some of my family wouldn't be happy if I gave them something handmade instead of something off of their list (especially since I'm severely limited in what I can make at this point). And, since I know that I would be upset if I spent hours making something for someone that went unappreciated, it hasn't seemed worth my time.

That said, this past Christmas I did manage to make one gift (with LOTS of help from my amazing seamstress of a mom). I made a purse for April, and, thanks to Mom's help, I wasn't embarrassed to give it to her. In fact, I thought it turned out pretty well. And, of course, A claims to love it ;-)

For the most part we followed the pattern that the Second Saturday Sewing girls used last month. You can find it here.

I don't have any grand visions of being able to make all of my Christmas presents any time soon, but I do want to make more and more as I have the time and as I get a bit better with the sewing machine. BUT, I am making reusable Christmas bags this year. I bought a TON of holiday fabric when it went on sale after Christmas and I plan to make bags that I can wrap my presents in for years to come. I hope that my family and friends will understand that I'll be keeping my gift wrap. Is that incredibly tacky? I know I have friends that will tell me it is if it is. I want to be more environmentally friendly, but not at the risk of being rude. ;-)

Embracing the creative

2011-05-20T12:00:00.001-04:00

Monday afternoon was nice and cool so Cady and I played outside for a little bit. She loves drawing these days (on non-paper surfaces too, I must add) so we had out the sidewalk chalk. I've been trying to get her to work on some of her letters because I'm me. Sometimes she'll appease me, but she didn't really feel like letting me pushing her to draw letters (or, more accurately, the letters that involve straight lines joined together in various capacities) Monday afternoon. She had something else in mind. She decided to draw a chrysalis. Yes, a chrysalis. I was amazed.

We've been reading Clara Caterpillar a lot lately, which may be where she learned the word, but I think they've been talking about caterpillars and butterflies at school a lot too. She told me about how she had to make her chrysalis big and colorful so that she could climb inside of it. She was so proud. I just sat and watched her and listened to her talk about what she was making and what she was going to do when it was finished. She took her creation of said chrysalis quite seriously. She colored and colored and colored. And then she climbed "inside" of it, spread out her little body on the sidewalk, and closed her eyes before jumping out of it as a new butterfly.

We played a game where she came out of the chrysalis and flew to me and then around the sidewalk. I even made up some rhymes/songs. It was lots of fun. Eventually she even let me help color her chrysalis some more (though she was quite particular about how and where I could color...wonder where she gets that from?). Her chrysalis was beautiful. I didn't take a picture, but I should. It's still there...a big, oblong mess of colors not nearly big enough to fit her body except in her imagination. It's perfect.

And, I'm super proud of my big girl for refusing to draw letters just because that's what I wanted her to do. It was a wonderful reminder that she's her own little person and that that's a good thing.

Black nail polish? Are you sure?

2011-05-20T00:03:00.006-04:00

So, a couple of Wordless Wednesdays ago, I posted this lovely picture of my daughter's very black nails. Sigh.

See, I wasn't sure I wanted to be that Mom who painted my two year old's nails. BUT, I arrived home one day to find that the babysitter had done it. "I hope that's okay," she said sweetly. What was I to say? I didn't *really* care and at least it was a nice muted pink color. I "painted" C's nails on another occasion with a clear glossy something or another. Chad's mom painted them once on the way to church one Sunday. It wasn't like it was an everyday occurence. But, alas, C found nail painting fascinating and fun and decided to take matters into her own hands one morning.

She was play sweetly (and quietly, which usually means she's up to something) with her dot markers at the table one morning. Chad walked in to find that she had "painted" her nails and most of one hand GREEN. He scolded her a bit before realizing what she was trying to do. She's quite sensitive (okay, that is the understatement of the year, but just go with it) and since we understood that she was "painting" her nails green, we lightened up a bit. I promised her that I would take her to buy some green fingernail polish after school that day. I thought she *might* forget, but she did not. She was ready.

I headed to Earthfare hoping to score some non-toxic nailpolish to paint on her little 2-year-old hands (she's getting this for her birthday from my Mom). I did find a limited selection and proceeded to pick up the very dark green sparkly one for her. She loved it. I should have left right then. BUT, I decided to try to get her interested in a lighter color because, really, who lets their 2-year-old wear a forrest-green-like hue on her fingernails? Well, apparently the same one who ends up with BLACK. I got what I deserved.

She went from the green to a crazy looking pink to the black before we left the store (at my prodding, I should add. Really, I should have embraced the green OR the pink instead of hedging my bets that she'd pick a nice pastel). I tried to get her to choose something more "appropriate" to no avail. I considered telling her she couldn't have the black. Indeed, I think I did say that at some point during the color-choosing process. I think I told her she could have ANY color but the black. But, I relented. Perhaps because I had just read this story about the hoopla over a little boy whose Mom had painted his toenails pink. I mean, what did it say about me that I was concerned about the color nail polish my child chose? To her, black was just another fun color. So, black it was. I only painted on one coat and fortunately it peeled off pretty quickly (and didn't leave black nails for Easter pics the following Sunday - phew!). She hasn't asked for it since, but I hope that if/when she does I will cringe silently as I joyfully paint her nails black. I mean, surely our moms felt the same way when we embraced the BLUE?!?! ;-)

For more on the little boy's pink nails, you should check out S's blog over at Academichic and the always hilarious Jon Stewart's
Toemageddon. Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday, May 18, 2011

2011-05-18T08:15:00.000-04:00

Books Completed

2011-05-16T08:00:00.002-04:00

I wanted to read 25 books in 2010. It didn't happen for various reasons, but I did read lots of fun stuff and make some dissertation progress so I'm okay with "failing." This year, I've decided not to set a certain number goal, but I am going to continue reading for pleasure as time allows because it is a fabulous stress reliever for me. And, I'm going to keep a list of books that I complete in 2011 here on the blog. Some of these will be first timers, some may be repeat reads, some will be dissertation related, and some will be books that I started (sometimes long ago) but never finished reading (that would drive you crazy, wouldn't it CAR? ;-)).

The blog list allows me to keep my books completed list in a central location that I won't lose (that is, not in one of the many notebooks in which I keep random notes and lists). Plus, I love seeing what other people are reading and/or have read so I thought others might want to see what I'm reading. Probably not, but I'm posting it anyway!

Okay, books completed in 2011 thus far (that I remember!):

1) Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Seach for Everything Across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert (completed January)

2)Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen (completed January/February?)

3)Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Front-Lines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein (completed February)

4)Hannah's Child: A Theologian's Memoir by Stanley Hauerwas (completed March)

5) Dear Vonda Kay by Miss America, 1965, Vonda Kay Van Dyke (completed April?)

6) The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (completed April/May???)

7) What looks like crazy on an ordinary day by Pearl Cleage (completed May)

Books in progress:

1) Committed: A Love Story by Elizabeth Gilbert

2) Touched by a Vampire: Discovering the Hidden Messages in the Twilight Saga by Beth Felker Jones (BFJ received her Ph.D. from Duke in theology/ethics and now teaches at Wheaton)

3) What was Lost: A Christian Journey through Miscarriage by Elise Erikson Barrett (EEB is a Duke Divinity School graduate and an ordained minister in the Methodist church. Even though I'm not finished with her book yet, I feel confident recommending it. It fills a HUGE need as there are so few Christian resources that deal honestly with the infertility/miscarriage struggle. In fact, EEB's book won Christianity Today's 2011 Award for best book in Christian Living.)

4) The Beauty Bias: The Injustice of Appearance in Life and Law by Deborah L. Rhode

Book that I'm somewhat embarrassed to admit that I still haven't finished:

1) Living History by Hillary Rodham Clinton (I know I've been "reading" this since at least 2007. That's ridiculous. It shall be completed this year!)

SO there's the book list(s) for today. Happy Monday all!

Wordless Wednesday, May 11, 2011

2011-05-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

Today's been good

2011-05-11T00:26:00.005-04:00

Chad left for Italy today a full 5 days before we thought he was supposed to leave for Italy. Apparently "they" changed the dates a couple of months ago and forgot to tell him. Oops. Of course, he received an itinerary with the correct dates last week, but he didn't think to check them since, you know, he's had the dates on his calendar for months. We had worked out some help for me. We'd made plans for this week and all 3 of us were running a race in our neighborhood on Saturday. But, he realized yesterday (thanks Dad E. for reading the itinerary more closely!) that he left today. We somehow managed to cancel what needed to be canceled, call in reinforcements for this weekend so I could keep my Saturday plans (yay for Grandpa and Nana), and get him packed and off this morning. I'll admit to being frazzled and just a wee bit upset at first, but I'm feeling better now. In fact, today's been a good day.

For starters, I got free panties today. Yes, you read that right. And, yes, that's worth getting excited about. You know those things Victoria's Secret send in the mail, right? Well, I received TWO: one in my name and one in someone else's. I used one today and you'd better believe I'm going to go use the other one ASAP. Because who doesn't love free hiphugger panties?

I also got to take lunch to Cady's teachers today. Last week was teacher appreciation week, but last week we were still finishing our grading and otherwise recovering from the semester. SO, we asked to bring a thank you lunch today. Chad helped me make the chicken salad last night and I enjoyed dropping it off for Cady's teachers at lunchtime. They are SUCH a blessing to our family and that lunch and Cady's homemade cards don't even come close to thanking them for all they do for Cady, but it felt nice to do something to acknowledge the role they play in our daugher's life (and, by extension, ours).

Another fun, fabulous thing that happened today is that I enjoyed dinner at Moe's with some of my favorite folks ever. I enjoyed catching up a little bit with the Wamsteds at dinner and still cannot get over how quickly their "babies" (who are not quite such babies anymore) have grown. Thank you, friends for making our first night without Daddy a little easier for both of us.

Then tonight, Cady didn't fight about taking a shower, she played some puzzles with me, she didn't beg for a bedtime snack, and we enjoyed some nice cuddle time and six books together. I stayed with her through a couple of songs from the CD she chose, but then left her and she stayed in bed and went to sleep without getting up once! I guess she knew Mommy was tired.

Of course, just so S-B doesn't complain that I'm being all rosy-eyed about life, I'll note that today also included me struggling to get the attic stairs down so that I could deposit some big boxes of clothes into the attic and retrieve a stroller(this was after C went to bed and I admit that I had visions of falling down the 10" attic stairs, hurting myself, subsequently feeling stupid, and then having to figure out how to get in touch with someone to rescue me). This morning I ran all over town like those crazy moms you see on reality TV who obsess over every party detail for their toddlers. I was in search of the perfect envelope for C's party invitations (they're 5x7). I finally gave up and settled for the greeting card envelopes that I had (thankfully) bought at the first store. They're too big for the invitation, but I'm over it. No, really, I am. Oh, and just to share a parenting "win" I'll confess that I popped (lightly) my child after gymnastics, picked her up, and carried her to the car crying because she refused to leave the building when I denied her Skittles. Yep, just keeping it real.

But, hey, I got free panties today and what's not to love about a free panties day?

Wordless Wednesday: Toddler's Work

2011-05-04T12:06:00.002-04:00

Wordless Wednesday: Toddler's Choice

2011-04-27T11:21:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T02:48:00.002-04:00

Meals in the freezer - HUZZAH!

2011-04-09T01:53:00.003-04:00

This might not be a "huzzah" worthy event for you, but it is for me...especially since we'll be heading into the finals zone here at our house soon and I don't want my daughter to eat Chick-fil-A three times a week. Anna and I have been trying to get back to stocking our freezer ever since her AMAZING new kitchen was finished, but sickness, travel, etc. kept getting in the way (don't you just hate when life happens? :-)). BUT, we finally blocked out some time to do a mini-session tonight - well, last night now, I guess - and we were quite productive if I do say so myself.

And, tonight I think we set a record for ourselves that's going to be tough to beat next time. We finished in less than 5 hours (and that included most of the clean up). More importantly, we finished before the wee hours of the morning. We bought a new once a month cooking book that has a helpful organizing system that seemed to work. I'm sure we'll keep getting better, but we were both pretty proud of how it worked tonight. And since inquiring minds always want to know, here's what we cooked:

Side dishes:
1) Honey Ginger Carrots
2) Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes (maybe enough for 2 meals for the McEggs)

Entrees:
1) Spaghetti Sauce (2 meals)
2) Parmesan Crusted Tilapia (2 meals)
3) Teriyaki Chicken
4) Teriyaki Burgers
5) Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine
6) Pepper Steak

Phew. Not bad for a Friday night! Plus, we had tons of fun as always. Anna is amazing and it's so nice to have some time where we can just talk without being interrupted by our adorable children every 5 minutes (even if we do get interrupted by boiling alfredo sauce!). Tonight there was even time for a couple of rants by me. Anna was, of course, amused. And, I, of course, apologized for ranting because, well, those of you who read this know that I can't help it. Fun times.

Countdown to summer...

2011-04-06T13:59:00.003-04:00

I think I'm even more excited about summer this year than when I was in college! Okay, maybe not, but I am seriously excited about it. Why? Because I have an entire summer of writing ahead of me. No conferences (There was hope of one in Prague, but I got a big fat NO from the YSBA this year. Bummer. Seriously, I was bummed.), no big travel plans (other than a research trip), and no teaching (WOOHOO). I can't wait. The dissertation is still a pain in the tail, but I'm looking forward to some uninterrupted time to get reacquainted with it. Please don't be offended if you don't see me a lot this summer. I love you, but it's time to hole up and git 'er dun as folks like to say around these parts. I'm hopeful that this is my last summer EVER as a student. EEK. Bring on the late nights, excesses of caffeine, and jeans with a t-shirt uniform. Bring it.

List of links

2011-04-04T23:26:00.003-04:00

Here's some fun blogs posts, articles, etc. that I've found interesting lately:

Barbara Ehrenreich on Wal-Mart

Pole Dancing for Jesus

Single Pastors and Unpaid Helpmeets

Getting Students to Read - If this interests you, make sure you click through and read Tara Brabazon's piece that Stephens references.

Review of Montgomery's new Earth Fare - this is one of my favorite "Montgomery" blogs. While you're there, check out their latest blog on Alabama's statehouse. They also have reviews of local restaurants and magazines. They're often a bit snarky, but I find that to be part of their charm. :-)

Bag It, A must see movie

I wish I had time to comment on all of these posts, but I don't. I just wanted to link them here in case they were of interest to any of my many (more specifically, 2) readers. I found each of them to be informative, challenging, and/or perplexing in some way. I love it when folks can get me to think about things I usually overlook. Or, when someone forces me to consider how my everyday choices affect the world around me (as well as me!). Or, when an author helps me see another side of things. Reading rocks. Thinking rocks. Learning rocks. Nerd out.

Another gem from Cady:

2011-03-15T15:40:00.003-04:00

On the way home from church last Sunday:

"Oh...I'm full. I need to take a deuce like the buffalo were taking a deuce."

Yeah, any guess what Chad had said moments earlier when passing the buffalo? Sheesh. And really, how do you not laugh at that?

Wordless Wednesday, March 9, 2011: Ballet with the dads

2011-03-09T10:39:00.002-05:00

Car rides with Cady

2011-03-07T23:17:00.002-05:00

Cady went to church at Camellia with my mom yesterday. On our way home from my grandparents' house she filled us in on what she learned.

Cady: Do you know what God did? He made that whale eat that boy. And he was there for 3 days. And then God made him go 'spllitt' (funny noise as she acts out Jonah's being spit out). What's that boy's name?

Chad and I look at each other in surprise before discussing the story with her. Needless to say it involved a lot of "whys" as Chad tried to explain why Jonah was in the belly of the big fish. It's AMAZING what children retain and how they process things. She was particularly concerned that the folks threw Jonah in the ocean ("that's not nice!") and didn't quite like Daddy's analogy that God put Jonah in time out in the fish ("but time out is on your bed!"). And, unfortunately, she refuses to let her divinity school nerd parents refer to the "whale" as a big fish. She insists it was a whale. Oh well, there's still time to work on that. :-)

Handmade Holiday Challenge, Grand Total

2011-02-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

My original goal was to make 5 Christmas presents and some reusable gift bags this year. I exceeded my goal though some gifts were not finished until after Christmas (and they say that nothing good comes from procrastinating one's dissertation!). Here's the final tally of the projects I managed to complete.

Presents Made:

Bow Boards for Cady, EvaClaire, Anne Perry and Audrey Kate
Bow Holder for Madison
Flexi-Cowl for April
Heating Pads for Grandma E, Grandma C, Grandma K, and Mom
Ruffle Scarf for Mandy
Car Caddies for Addie, Cady, and Hollis
Strawberry Jam for Cady's school teachers (we paired it with a gift certificate to Cafe Louisa's Bakery - YUM)
Freezer Meals for Sheri and Steven (our wonderful minister of music)
Baked goods for our pastor, minister to youth, Cady's SS teachers, and Mr. Joe (one of our favorites at church)

I admit that the fabric pouches and furoshiki wraps took longer to make than I anticipated so I did not get as many made as I would have liked. I'll try to add to the stash over the next year.

Overall, I'd say my efforts were a success. I know that I enjoyed making (most :-)) of these things and I certainly hope the recipients enjoy using them. Since I received a brand new sewing machine for Christmas, I'm looking forward to making even more gifts next year!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-01-26T01:57:00.004-05:00

Do you think Baby Egg #2 is a girl or a boy?
	Boy
	Girl

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