a year ago

We met my friends' little baby girl, Grace, tonight. I didn't get to hang out with her much. In fact, when she started crying, I handed her back to the friend who'd had her (this gal doesn't even have kids... but she seemed to have it figured out).

This baby has me thinking of another little baby who was rocking our world this time last year. In fact, these pictures were taken on this very day in 2007:

loving well

I attended my first Bible study tonight: Beth Moore's Loving Well. I actually missed the start of it last week because I couldn't bear to spend the evening away from JT on his birthday. So I chose ice cream over Jesus. Wrong, I realize.

So tonight I am thinking about God's love and how I love. On the way home I was thinking about the time I visited the psychic. And then I thought, hmm, God probably doesn't mesh well with "psychics". lol. I'm going to tell this story anyway.

It was the fall of 2000. John and I had been dating since February. He was my first boyfriend, we were in love, there was no talk of marriage at that point... it was just fun. I think there were two evenings that I visited the psychic with friends. John and another one of the guys had their fortune told the first trip. I think it was another visit to the psychic with some girlfriends that I had my future read. I think she used Taro cards to find out what she needed to know and maybe looked at my palm, I can't remember exactly.

She asked if I had any questions. I asked, "is there travel in my future?" She looked at the cards and firmly said, "definitely not within the next year." I said, "Are you sure because I'm planning a trip to Ireland in March." Her advice was something to the effect of "you can plan it, but the cards say you aren't going anywhere."

I ended up going to Ireland and having a great time. But in getting there, it did seem that the cards were stacked against me. Hoof & mouth disease invaded the British Isles and threatened to close down all tourism in Ireland during the time we visited there. And I got a horrible flu about a day before our flight. I was very worried that our trip would be canceled or that I wouldn't be able to go.

Then I asked her if my boyfriend and I would stay together. She studied the cards and told me he was not "the one for me," but that he was the "one who would teach me about love." I often wonder how my life would be different if I had taken that psychic reading to heart. Would I have altered my course? Did her words have any effect on decisions I made? Did her predictions have anything to do with God's plans for me?

Certainly in the 7 years years since I saw that psychic John has taught me plenty about love. We have learned a lot about love together... different kinds of love, too. We have learned about romantic love, mature love, family love, love of a child, love of mankind, etc.

I do think the psychic captured something of our relationship, though. John is a special person. He has an amazing love for me that he is very good at expressing. Even if I love him the equivalent of how much he loves me, I will never be able to show it the same. Every day he teaches me what it means to love openly, honestly, out loud, with all your heart.

We dedicated our little guy at church on Sunday. We dedicated ourselves to raising him to know Jesus and God's love. And we are so thankful to have our family, friends, and church to help us do this. We are blessed to have these folks help us teach JT about love.

That was my last trip to see a psychic. I just don't think they get it. Plus, it's much more fun to discover God's plan for me on my own. Now, I need to answer some journal questions God's perfect love. I will probably leave the psychic out of my answers...

birthday week

JT opening GG's present, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

The past week has been non-stop birthday preparation and celebration, it seems. I just downloaded 178 pictures from the camera that need triaged, sorted, and edited. There are still pictures from fourth of July to process as well. Good thing I like pictures enough that it's a task I can't wait to have time for!

My Photo jojo time capsule showed up today flaunting the photos I uploaded this time last year. Wouldn't you know it was pictures of our brand new bundle of joy? He sure was a sweet little thing. I won't kid though, I'm glad we are past the newborn phase.

We had a gorgeous day for his party. It stopped raining and the skies cleared up JUST in time for it. We had lots of sweet guests who made for a wonderful day of visiting. JT got a ton of presents. He has so many toys and books, I hope we can thoroughly enjoy each before he outgrows them. His favorite gift was the tricycle. The wagon is a very close second. His dad's favorite gift was the sprinkler for outdoor water fun. They tried it out tonight.

Tonight I made some mango-pear sauce for JT. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Those were some amazing pieces of organic fruit that were all exactly the right stage of ripe. If he doesn't like it, I'll just have to eat these cubes myself.

And with that, I'm pooped. Off to bed. Ni-ni.

first year

I have been finishing JT's first year album. I made this scrapbook-in-a-tin before he was born. I've not been good about updating it. I usually sit down and try to remember the past month or two. Luckily I keep a journal with the sitter of random things he's into. And there is also the blog and photos to help me remember. Someday I will be glad for all these little reminders.

Here is the outside of the tin:

Inside I have these little cards, one per month, with space for a wallet-size photo. There is only space for a couple words per day. Easy commitment, eh? At this moment, I am happy to say, I have filled in every single day for the whole year. I'm about to head downstairs to find my glue stick and affix the photos to the pages. The tin will make its debut at his birthday party.

Because everyone wants to know that he went out for Japanese food on February 2 and played in the snow on March 9. I'll post some pictures of the finished project soon. In the words of JT, ni-ni.

cottage cheese

Now there is a blog post title I never thought I'd write. Hehe.

The boys are both asleep and the house is totally quiet. An hour ago I could think of nothing but sleep myself, but now I'm relishing the quiet time. I will regret in the morning.

JT is asserting his independence lately. I guess when you learn how to walk on your own, you are pretty much on your own, right? Bah.

He has been turning down new foods not so much because he doesn't like them, but because they arrive at his mouth on a spoon handled by his mother. He'd much rather feed himself. Oh, but wait. He can't use a spoon. Minor detail.

So last night after failed attempts to feed him some cottage cheese. I just let him have the bowl while I finished my dinner. Once again, I thought, "I will regret this, I'm sure."

He picked up the bowl.

Stuck his hand in it.

He scooped up some cottage cheese. And ate it.

He did this 3 or 4 times. "Sweet... he got some more nutrition in him," I think to myself. Then he performed a scientific experiment testing a hypothesis on gravity.

He finds once again that gravity is always at work and everything he lets go over the side of the high chair does indeed hit the floor. And the wall. And the carpet.

We decided to go for a walk after this. I think there is still some cottage cheese around here...

haircut

JT's first haircut, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

I took JT to Cookie Cutters today for his first haircut. Granted, the kid doesn't have much in the hair department. But what he does have was growing well past his ears. Since his birthday is next week, we want him to look spiffy, so off to the salon for kids.

I chose the Dale Jr. car for him. Dad's a Nascar fan, so I figured he would appreciate that. He had quite a grip on the steering wheel the whole time. So funny... how do little boys just know that they are to love cars?

He didn't make a peep or a fuss the whole time. And his hair looks adorable now. He looks a bit too much like a little boy and not like a baby though.

This might be a rough week for me with him turning 1. I'm loving that he is so into me right now... but man it's going to hurt when he goes off to college! And at this pace, that is going to happen WAY too soon. :-(

time flies

speed stroller, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Our life feels a lot like this picture... zipping by way too fast. With smiles, of course, but still fast. I can't believe this week is over already. I can't believe it's July. I can't believe my little boy will be 1 year old next week. Aaack.

We're having company tonight and tomorrow for the fourth of July holiday. Our friends from Pittsburgh are on their way right now: Lynn, Marc, and baby Lucas. It would be kind of cool if they are passing through downtown Columbus right now while Red, White, and Boom is happening! We are watching it on tv.

We're excited for JT and Lucas to play together. They are only two months apart. I'm pretty excited to have two babies to photograph. Hmm, maybe I should have gotten them matching patriotic shirts...

We spent last night getting the house in shape for company. There were just a few things to wrap up tonight. We were able to get ready and now we are just sitting down relaxing. Relaxing! Maybe we are getting a handle on managing jobs, a household, and a baby.

Sure we are.

gators...

uh-oh! A big gator!, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

We drove overnight to South Carolina on our vacation. We arrived at Huntington Beach around 5:30am, when it was still dark. When you drive into the park, you cross over a tidal marsh on the way to the campground. The marsh is FULL of alligators. Since we drove into the park before daylight, John and JT didn't know about our park neighbors right away. Hee hee.

In the evenings, after playing on the beach all day, we walked along the causeway to the overlooks to watch the alligators. I'm not sure JT was very impressed with them. He's more of a cuddly bunnies and kitties kind of baby. This picture was taken at Brookgreen Gardens' wildlife park. This gator was huge! JT definitely noticed him.

JT loves all kinds of animals. It's so cool to see him find out what's out there. We caught sand fleas on the beach and put in his bucket so he could re-catch them. He managed to get one in his grimy little paw and then tried to eat it of course! My uncle fishes the beach. He caught a small sand shark. JT got to feel its skin. And then he grabbed onto it and wanted to taste it. We sent it back out to sea to save it from babyzilla! One morning after his breakfast, I caught a grasshopper from the picnic table. He thought it was very interesting, and as expected, managed to knock off its legs trying to eat it.

We may need start introducing him to some animals that aren't bite-sized...

mahna mahna

Oh you'll be singing this in your sleep... My mom introduced JT to a little Muppets ditty. We continued to sing it throughout vacation. He loves it. You will, too...

mosaic of me

Alrighty... saw this on Amber's blog and had to try my own.

here's how it works...

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Where do you live?

Here is mine:



1. Frida Kahlo by Stacy Alexander, 2. Flickr Loves Sushi. Mmm., 3. Western Tanager, 4. Green apple, 5. Mark Wahlberg, The Shooter London Premiere, 6. Chocolate Cream Chip Frappuccino, 7. Warm Fuscia wall - Greece, 8. Chocolate Ice Cream, 9. East High Cheerleaders, 10. Snowmen family in TX, 11. crafty mini folder, 12. postcard from ohio

Anyway... mosaics are cool and flickr rules, as always. Now I'm back to editing more photos... there were seriously a lot of vacation pics. :-)

creativity building

creative summer inspiration, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Vacation recharged me creatively. Now I need some time to get crafty. I still have 280 vacation photos to get through. I am going to be enjoying those very slowly, I guess.

I also need to plan JT's birthday party. I don't suspect I'll be doing anything too creative for it. There will barely be time to handle the basics.

Well, 4 more days of this work business to get through... I should be off to bed.

vacation comes to an end

14/52, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

We are so sad to be heading back to work tomorrow. Our vacation was awesome. We spent the week "camping" at Huntington Beach State Park in Murrells Inlet, SC. We rented a car and drove down. We stayed with my aunt and uncle in their motor home.

My Aunt Joan and Uncle Wayne are such great hosts. We had the best home-cooked meals and desserts. Coffee brewed every morning before JT got us up. He slept in their room where Joan played soothing music in dim light... it was like a spa in the back of the RV!

I started processing the pictures yesterday. I am still not through all of tthem. There are over 300 yet to examine. Oi.

JT signed "more" to me today. My heart leaped! We've been signing for about 6 months now. We aren't as diligent with it as we could be. I know he understands some of the signs, such as milk, more, and done. But today was the first time he busted one out on me in the appropriate context. I was feeding him dinner: chicken stew, fruit medley, and milk. He had finished the chicken and I was feeding him the fruit. He didn't want any fruit right then, he wanted milk. He looked right at the milk and signed "more". Granted, he could have asked for "milk", but we'll take what we can get, ok? It was a very pleasant meal. He didn't yell at me at all.

back from the beach

beach baby, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Back from the beach and soooo ready to scrap. Stories comin' at ya all week...

anniversary get-away

Reds/Cardinals June 12, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

The hubz and I had a good time in Cincinnati for our anniversary get-away. It would have been better without the rash that turned me into a "speckled trout" and the head cold, but we had some fun anyway.

We saw James Taylor on Wednesday night. We sat by an older couple who has three kids, Bob and Mary. Their tickets were her mother's day gift. Awww. Halfway through the concert, Bob asks us, "So, you guys really love JT?" I am thinking, "How does he know our kid's name?!" lol... he meant "James Taylor".

As it turns out, I have been to a James Taylor concert before... with my aunt & uncle and parents when I was about JT's age. We all sat on the lawn at a show at Blossom in Cleveland.

We visited Ikea in West Chester during the day on Thursday. I got some lights for our bedroom and we found a couple cute things for JT for his birthday. Wow is that store big.

Thursday evening we went to the Reds/Cardinals game. John is a St. Louis Cardinals fan. After winning 10-0 the night before, they lost when we were there. And John's favorite player, Pujols was out with an injury. It was fun to go to a game though... we can't wait to take JT someday. There were lots of little boys and girls there in total awe of the event.

We spent a lot of time talking about nothing in particular. It's been about a year since we checked in with one another on topics like politics and favorite music. And after three days of sharing, we still like each other. :-)

congrats Moyers!

A HUGE CONGRATS to our friends, the Moyers! Adrienne gave birth to 8 pound 7 ounce, 20" long, baby Grace Renee Moyer at 8am this morning.

Hope they're not offended... but I have to post the picture because I think they're all so cute!


Their older daughter, Reagan, is JT's girlfriend with whom he shared a sitter for about 6 months. :-)

vacation is off to a great start

We dropped JT off with my parents last night around 7. It was awful. I mean, he was THRILLED to see them and went off with them like he was going to have the best time. He was shrieking with glee at my mom and is hitting my dad on the back like "old buddy, old pal." I cried my eyes out. I don't know why, it just really hurts to leave him right now.

Then we drove straight to urgent care because I had started to develop a rash and it was getting into my mouth which is kind of frightening. We spent an hour and a half there. I got a shot of steroids in my butt... everyone's favorite kind of shot, right? They figured it was an allergic reaction, although I was in contact with absolutely nothing new or different the past couple days. By midnight it appeared the shot had worked, as my skin was almost totally clear.

Well this morning, I woke up to itchy palms and feet. And then it started to come on strong everywhere else. By the time we were sitting in the doctor's office, my entire face was covered by red blob. The anti-histamine tablet seemed to work right away. Here's what I'm looking like now:


I still look like a leper (doctor's word, not mine!) So much for a romantic get-away with my hubz. Not only am I completely unattractive, but he doesn't want to sit next to me or look at me (because he might turn to stone if he looks at something so ugly). Even with blood tests results that will come in tomorrow, not sure if this is viral, allergy, or stress-related. Could I really be so stressed that I have done this to myself?! Ugh...

Let me know if anyone turns to stone from looking at that picture. I may have to take it down later so I don't have to keep looking at it in my blog archive. Ew.

love this age

When John and I were dating I went through a phase of growing my hair out long. We only saw each other every other weekend or so. Every time he'd say, "I like your hair that length right there. You should keep it like that." Well, he said that every weekend, and every weekend it was different.

Now I find myself saying that about JT. "I like 6 months old. It's my favorite baby age." Now I am loving 11 months old. (Yes, officially 11 months old on Monday - can't believe it!) He is so awesome now. Sure, I could do without the biting and the "stranger danger," as John calls it. But he's so fun and lovable.

My dad stopped by to visit today. It's amazing to see JT recognize my parents and get crazy excited about them. When Dad left, JT run-crawled over to the door and smiled and waved to Grandpa through the side window. Then he watched Grandpa pull the truck out of the driveway and drive away. Awww... doesn't that just melt your heart?!

Another big thing today... he pronounced mom-mom. I've only been asking him to say it for about 4 months now. He randomly babbled it twice at nap time today. I'll give him a week, and he better be calling for me by name. :-)

I bought some Photoshop actions for Photoshop Elements (PSE) today. I'm so excited about these. It's the "Colorful Actions for PSE" set by Mindy Bush. Here is a sample photo comparing my original image, the color saturation, and vanilla black and white actions.


We had a good day. JT took a great morning nap (almost 3 hours!) and a respectable afternoon nap. (Yes, length of JT's naps is a way to measure a good day.) He and I hit the neighborhood yard sales this morning and made a good haul. I got a nap this afternoon, which was nice because I'm now battling the cold JT had earlier in the week. John got us gyros for dinner from The Big Fat Greek Kuzina. And finally, we met up with the McKeans for playtime at Homestead Park and ice cream.

And now I think I'm off to bed. I usually stay up late crafting on the weekends, but with this cold, I just don't have it in me. N-night.

it's hot

It was hot today! JT discovered the air conditioning, up close and personal.

love life

My Grandpa died last week on Friday. This was my dad's dad. He is the Jack who built the "house that Jack built". Literally, he built the house where my dad grew up and where my Grandma still lives. His middle name was Thomas, my dad's middle name is Thomas, and JT's middle name is Thomas. His dad, my great-grandfather died in his 50s, on the day my dad took his first steps at 10 and a half months old. The date was May 29. My grandpa died on May 30 when my son was 10 and a half months old and very close to walking. And there is so much more to tell about him...

We have been so busy lately. We just got back from a trip to West Virginia over Memorial weekend. Work is hectic for me and John. We are trying to spend as much time as we can with JT in our spare time. We didn't have time for a funeral.

But isn't it funny how such a thing makes you take pause? It makes you reflect on life? In as much as we reflected on Grandpa's life over the past few days, I have been thinking about what my life sums up to. What will the details of my obituary be? What will people say at my funeral?

One of Grandma and Grandpa's neighbors, an older lady, said yesterday, "Jack loved life." It was as evident from a distance as it was up close. He made every moment of every day count. Those words struck a cord with me. The words themselves are so simple and beautiful, yet the act of loving life to the fullest every day can be such a challenge.

I saw someone else love life today. JT has been sick since Saturday. He feels really crappy. And he's been at a funeral doing adult things for two days away from his toys. Tonight he and I went for a walk in the post-rain evening. I stopped the stroller along the path and pointed out a bunny. He sat up straight, spied the bunny, then smilled and laughed a little "huh"... just taking in the moment. He didn't cry after the bunny or scream at it, he just absorbed the moment for what it was.

Today I am taking a mental note to love life.

Grandpa's obituary:

Jack Thomas Whyte, 81, lifelong resident of Barberton passed away on May 30, 2008.

He was a veteran of the U.S. Army during World War II, 81st Infantry Wildcat Division and retired from PPG with 40 years service. Jack enjoyed wood working, golf and his great friends at Portage Lakes Fitness. Most of all, he loved being with his family.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Emily Whyte of Barberton. He leaves to miss him his wife of 58 years, Mildred (Collins); sons, Paul (Peggy), David (Karen); daughters, Sandra (Brady) McDougall and Diane (Michael) Holland; grandchildren, Stacy (John) Brunner, Bill (Theresa) Whyte, Katie and Kyle Whyte; great-grandson, John Thomas Brunner; sister, Loretta Caldwell.

Friends may call from 5 to 8 p.m. on Monday, June 2 at Cox Funeral Home, 222 Norton Ave., Barberton, and the memorial service Tuesday, June 3 at noon. A private burial service will take place at Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. Those wishing to offer an expression of sympathy may consider the Eagle Ranch, P.O. Box 7200, Chestnut Mountain, Ga. 30502, www.EagleRanch.org.

time to get up

Most years for Memorial weekend, you can find us with the family in West Virginia. We have very busy plans of doing nothing all day long punctuated by bonfires at night. This year was no exception.

Our "cabin" is my dad's hunting hideaway. The women get to visit when there isn't any game in season. It's barely a two room shack with bunk beds and an outdoor toilet. But it's pretty nice as far as shacks go.

But when you stay in a one bedroom shack with a baby, you're pretty much bound by baby's schedule. If JT napped, we stayed on the porch. This probably helped keep us from overeating much since the snacks were inside and he napped about 3-4 hours each day. If JT was awake, everyone was awake because he isn't very quiet.

Here he is patrolling the bunks for sleepers:


Aha! He spots some!


Wake up, Aunt Theresa and Uncle Bill. Wake up! "No, no... go away," they say.

Having no luck with his aunt and uncle, JT moves on to Grandpa. "Here's your water, Grandpa. This will ease the cruel blow of morning. I heard you were up pretty late."


"Oh good, you're up. I've been dying to know which is harder, this block or your head. Lean down here and let me find out."


"Uh-oh. Do you think he'll still make us breakfast?"

last weekend

Last weekend was the first Worthington farmer's market of the summer. JT and I met up with Jenny and Becka for breakfast at La Chatelaine. We finished breakfast before the market even opened, so we got to stroll around before it got crowded. I got JT some apples from Gillogly's Orchard and a couple potted herbs for me.

My first mother's day was lovely. I got to sleep in a bit while the boys made me breakfast. I also got a homemade card and a gift card toward a new camera lens.



I spent the rest of the day restocking the freezer with baby food. Appropriate, huh?

tag, you're it

This came by email today, but makes for good blog fodder when I'm too busy watching Lost to create an original blog post. Plus, John is eating all the popcorn and I want to get in on that...

Two names you go by

1. Stacia

2. Mama (pronounced "bah-bah")

Two things you are wearing right now:

1. A black patent and leopard print belt

2. A sweater vest

Two favorite things to do:

1. play with JT

2. scrapbook

Two things you want very badly at the moment:

1. to be with JT

2. more time to do fun stuff

Two favorite pets you have had/have

1. Bubba, my kitty

2. Beady and Speedy, hermit crabs

Two things you'll eat today:

1. wedding soup

2. oreos

Two things you're doing tomorrow:

1. working

2. Going to the YMCA with my boys.

Two longest car rides:
1. All over Ireland

2. Harrisburg, PA to Boston, MA. With a kidney infection....makes it seem longer

Favorite Holidays
1. christmas

2. 4th of July

Two favorite beverages:
1. Tall non-fat no-whip mocha

2. Grande java chip frappuccino, no whip

Now you answer the questions!

no, no

So JT is quite the expert crawler now. He's well into the curious phase also. You can imagine what that means... we say NO a lot now. Let me tell the story of last Friday evening, Pioneer Woman style, with lots of photos.

It was raining cats and dogs outside. It had been a long week, with a sick, feverish baby and we were tired. So we were trying to lounge around while waiting on the pizza delivery. Not JT... this was prime exploration time. Here he is tasting the tv stand:

So after saying "No," "no, no," and "no, JT," multiple times, Dada gets up and removes JT from the tv stand.

JT wanders over to the coffee table and tries to grab whatever he can reach (scrapbook, magazine, some crumbs). Dada tells him no multiple times and then finally removes him from the source of trouble.


You can imagine what happens next. JT wanders from the coffee table to the fireplace. Dada tells him no multiple times and then gets up to place the baby in a more suitable location.


The pizza arrived. We ate. Then we bathed baby boy and he was off to bed, postponing exploration and discovery to another day.

weed control

JT and dandelion, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Happy Mother's Day from one happy mama... hope it was a great day! Here's a pic of our new "weed control system". hee hee.

the roundup

Not much is new on this rainy Thursday evening. I stayed home with JT yesterday. He has had a fever since Tuesday. We think it's roseola. He's acting perkier now and the fever is under control with medicine. So now we just wait for the rash to show up to signal the virus is on its way out! How about if I take pictures when it shows up?

Here are a few interesting things... Google Reader has a shared items page for each user. My page is here. I also have the feed for my shared items at the left side of this blog.

Ali Edwards is doing a series on photos + words this week. I love photos and words (obviously)... I would love to find time to follow along with her prompts.
Some Twitter friends (fellow Tweeters) are writing a short story via Twitter. Each person writes one line of the story at a time. It's fun to play along just to try the technology. My creative writing skills are not so much. I did have my Twitter followers wondering the other day when I "grabbed my helmet and ran out the door" though. lol. If you want to follow the story, get a Twitter account and track #shrttb. One thing to note, once you start tracking, you'll only get future tweets, not the full history.

Another friend passed along a few recent copies of The Economist. I've decided that I need to be more informed this election year. Plus, it's just interesting. That's right... I'm trading in my Memory Makers, Real Simple, and Wondertime subscriptions for The Economist. I always catch up on Vogue and Vanity Fair at the salon. heehee.

And that's life on the internet for this Thursday evening. Ciao!

this baby right now

football star
Originally uploaded by brungrrl

Right now, at almost 10 months old, this baby...

- Likes strings. Strings on toys are ok, but Mama's shoelaces are the bomb.
- Grunts and yells at us. Oh, he may not "cry" ever... but we get "yelled at" plenty. I'll be glad when he learns some words to express himself.
- Crawls all over the place. He follows us all over the house. Especially into the bathroom.
- Kicks his feet and grunts when I pick him up at the sitter. I need to be picking him up and kissing him RIGHT NOW.
- Loves the swing at the park. He is the noisiest baby on the swingset.
- Grabs your mouth when you try to sing him to sleep. Ok, I get the hint, I'll quit singing.
- Gets so sleepy, but fights sleep hard. Tonight he wrestled, literally wrestle-mania style wrestled with sleep.
- Likes to play catch with his Dada. Here's video proof.

Can scrapbooking really save the world?

Haha... my week of blog subjects as news headlines is coming to a close. I think I'm running out of steam with it anyway.

Yesterday was National Scrapbooking Day (NSD). Did you celebrate? I celebrate it every day, really. But yesterday it happened to coincide with needing to make some flyers for a scrapbooking night I'm putting together for the gals at church. The make-n-take I'm going to do that night will be a quick coffee sleeve book. So as part of the advertising for the event, I made up a few little books to stash in high-traffic spots at the church. In order to save time, I designed them digitally and printed. All I had to do then was put them together.

You've probably seen these little books before... but I did add one thing that is worth pointing out. I wanted these little books to have tear-out pages that ladies could take with them to remember the event details. To make sure they knew to tear out a page, I perforated near the binding. I used my Basic Grey Notch and Die Cutting tool to make the perforations. But really, there are a number of ways to do it... such as with a ruler and paper piercer or x-acto knife.

This would be a great way to make a coupon book as a gift. Or... a coupon book/gift card combination. If I get time to make one up, I might make a sample coupon book for the event. It would have to be tailored for the recipient, but I'm thinking coupons like "free hug", "ride to the airport", "dinner delivered to your door", "free night of babysitting", etc. Oh, the possibilities.

I'm very excited about the event... and hoping that the ladies at church will join me. I would love to have the opportunity to help others learn to explore family, creativity, and faith through scrapbooking.

The pretty flowers and other elements on the page are from an old Two Peas free kit. This little project is about as pink as I ever get.

Community spreads the digital television love

You might have heard that in February of 2009, television broadcasts convert from analog to digital. We have a high definition television that I have discovered I love. You might have heard me mention Sunrise Earth in HD. It's an experience!

But some folks in our city may not be aware of the changeover. They may not be aware that they'll need a converter for their existing tv. And they may not be aware that the government is offering assistance for purchasing these converters.

The following announcement from WOSU tells you how you can donate your converter coupon to someone who needs it (and why you should). So read this and go request your coupon. If you can get your coupon to me, I can trek on down to deliver the coupons to WOSU for you! If you live outside outside Columbus, find out if there is a similar program in your city.

Here's the info:

WOSU Public Media is offering a special opportunity to help your neighbor prepare for the digital conversion that arrives on February 17, 2009. In a nutshell, on that date the analog signal (or the over-the-air signal) will be replaced by a digital signal. Those folks still receiving television without the benefit of cable or satellite need to purchase a converter box that will translate the analog signal to a digital one.

We are asking the central Ohio community who has no need of the converter box coupons to go ahead and request those coupons from the NTIA. The NTIA has told us we can collect the unused coupons and then purchase converter boxes from local electronic companies that we will then distribute to the elderly and shut-in community through two social service agencies: the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging (COAAA) and LifeCare Alliance (a nonprofit home care service that provides health care at home for senior citizens, disabled and the homebound). These agencies already go into the homes on a weekly basis, they have relationships with their clients, and so they are the best ones to do the installation (we are training them how to install the boxes). Our goal is to get these converter boxes into the hands of the most at-risk population who may not be able to secure the boxes themselves. WOSU staff will train the social workers of COAAA and LifeCare (who already go into the homes on a regular basis), and then those social workers will hook up the converter boxes for their clients.

Once you receive the coupons (and it takes about two months), you can drop them off at WOSU Public Media (2400 Olentangy River Road). It is important that we move quickly on this because it does take a while to get the coupons, and there is a finite amount of money the government has set aside for this. BTW, when you apply for a coupon at
dtv2009.gov, you get an online form page, and you check under TV service that “All or some of the TVs in my house subscribe to one or more pay services….”

This project has received a warm reception throughout central Ohio, and it has also allowed us to get the digital conversion buzz going in the community. The sooner we come together as a community to secure these boxes for our elderly neighbors the better: we don’t want anyone left without television in February when so many depend upon it as a lifeline to the external world. People are responding to this
message very positively—and most people are thrilled to be able to help those in need

Visit WOSU for more information.

Study finds that "green thumbs" actually live happier lives

the redbud flower bed, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Haha... I'm continuing the "news headlines as blog subjects." I never said they were going to be true...

Here is the follow-up picture of what I got done on Saturday after JT and I got some flowers from Strader's. Click on the photo to go to flickr for more details.

This flower bed is beside our driveway. There are two large evergreen shrubs that take up most of the bed. They are nasty. I trimmed them back pretty good the last time I was outside, so they might be tamed enough to live on another year.

The rest of the bed was pretty much overtaken with weeds. It took longer to dig up weeds than anything else. I added some compost to the soil, planted the stuff, and covered with mulch.

I'm trying to get the candytuft to take off. It is just beautiful when it blooms in a sea of bright white. The rest of the summer it will be a nice dark green. So much of it got scraggly and lost leaves last summer though. I found a few pieces of it growing in random places around the house, so I transplanted those to the front to combine with the new candytuft plants I bought.

If the lemon coral sedum and the little dark-leaf plant would take off, I might really have something nice going there in the way of perennials. And the Gerbera daisy? I just liked it... I will be lucky if it survives any time at all.

The tulips and lilac bushes survived last night... I don't think we got any frost here. They actually looked worse the day before. So I am still enjoying those to the fullest. I love this time of year... there is nothing like all this new growth and showy blossoming!

Family moves outdoors to save on energy bills

New feature on the blog this week. It actually started on Saturday. I'm going to title at least a week's worth of blog posts like news headlines. Only because it's amusing to me. News headlines CRACK me up! I'm not sure about today's headline - I'm a little tired. :-)

The hubs and I are watching Juno. I heard it was good. He seemed skeptical, but rented it anyway. We likey! Lots of good one-liners in this flick. But geesh, childbirth didn't used to make me so emotional.

Speaking of babies, here is the latest pic of me and JT in our 52 weeks series...

Get a good whiff of that lilac bush before tonight's frost does a number on it.

"Restaurant guest saves toddler from life of dentures"

purple tiny tulip, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Tonight we entrusted our baby boy to a non-related babysitter and had dinner out with friends. Big night for us, as you can imagine! The sitter (our friends' daughter) was great and even said she'd do it again. Whew, good to know our kid isn't one of those kids who drives sitters away. (At least not yet, I realize it's a slippery slope!)

We ate at a restaurant that we only eat at about once a year because it's such a splurge for us... Basi Italia. We ate outside on the patio. I love this time of year... dining outside is the best.

Several exciting things happened tonight... We were off to the side of the outdoor dining area having drinks and chatting while waiting on our table. We were seated with the guys on one side and girls on the other side of the walkway to the street and front entrance of the restaurant. A toddler girl walked by and was checking us out, as toddlers do. Well, she was so intent on watching us that she didn't notice she was approaching a step down. John's dad-instincts clicked in a flash and he grabbed her just in time.

When I say "just in time", she still suffered a scratch on her ankle, but her face was just inches from the stone walkway when he made contact with her. I barely knew what was going on when I realized what he had done. The little girl's dad came over and got her... she was pretty upset over the whole ordeal. My husband might have won himself some brownie points in my book over this save....

We got seated, had appetizers, devoured our meals, chatted and laughed, and then had coffee and desserts. Keep in mind as I tell this next part, my friend Becka is NOT one to act squeamish or get freaked out over silly things. After we finished dessert, she was looking just over Jenny's shoulder and said, "OH MY... YOU GUYS." And she stopped. "THERE IS A RAT OVER THERE." Just as I looked up, I saw a little pointy-nosed, white-faced creature pop up in the shrubbery by the fence. LOL! It's not a RAT... it's a possum! And a baby possum, no less!

This restaurant is small... the patio area is small. It's like dining in your neighbor's back yard. So when someone says "a rat"... 6 tables full of people look up! And as baby possums will do before they learn to fear people, this one decided to get a closer look at the crowd. So he walked around the perimeter of the fence (as we all raised our feet) and headed toward the kitchen. Just as the waitress shewed him the other way, a lady at the next table let out a shriek. Her date had accidentally touched her leg and obviously, her first thought was "POSSUM!!"

Fabulous night out... I'm still smiling. Happy outdoor dining season to all!

composting

super bowl tulip watches the sun set, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

Last night we went for a walk and then watched the sun set from the front porch. JT is eating up the views of the neighborhood and swinging at the park. I snapped this pic of one of the tulips while we were out there.

This morning when the sun came out briefly in between rains, JT and I went to the nursery and bought a few plants. Mainly I wanted to fill in some bare spots with more candytuft and dianthus. But while I was there, I picked up a couple other things for a little spot where I previously had mums.

Now I am out there weeding and preening the flower beds. I just spent an hour digging the weeds out of the bed under the redbud tree and planting the new things.

My compost bin has been a bit neglected over the past year. I was afraid I had ruined it. I know - how can one "ruin" compost?! But I was afraid maybe it got too dry last summer. I did some digging in the bin this morning and found a treasure trove of good stuff! I dug to the bottom and got some material to fortify the soil where I planted my new stuff. (I'll have to get some pictures and post what I got... can't remember the names of it all right now.)

Have I mentioned how easy composting is? Here it is in 5 simplified steps:

1. Drill drainage holes in the bottom of a large, lidded trash can.
2. Put some soil in the bottom. This should be some rich soil that likely has the bacteria you'll need to start making compost.
3. Throw in a layer of dry stuff (carbon matter like dried leaves)
4. Throw in a layer of moist stuff (grass clippings, fruit peels, egg shells, vegetable stems, etc.) [REPEAT steps 3 & 4]
5. Water the heap and stir sometimes.

Oh sure, there is some more to it... I'll probably have to do another post on it sometime. Until then, here is a list of resources from the library if you're interested in finding out more.

I think the rain might have stopped altogether... I'm heading back out!

it gets done

in the produce aisle, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

JT and I went for a walk tonight. We've been doing that every night that it's nice out. I really can't imagine staying inside with him. We usually end up at the swings - he loves swinging.

Tonight we cruised around the neighborhood though. I wish I'd worn better shoes, he was so chilled out and relaxed. He kept pulling himself up to look around better. He likes to throw a hand up and wave at cars, people, shrubbery. And if we pass someone working in their yard, he stares at them until they're completely out of sight. I love a curious baby... even if it means I have to keep a constant eye on him.

John stayed behind and mowed the yard. I looks lovely, darling.

After some dinner, John and JT headed for the bath and I went to the grocery store. That's how I operate... solo on a week night when the grocery store isn't crowded. Lordy, gas and groceries are so expensive right now!

I got JT a couple things at Old Navy today. The clothes for me were a disappointment. I did try on one shirt that I really liked at the top. But it was short and boxy. I left there thinking, "I can make that." And then, "I want to make that." And then, "Heck, if I make one and it turns out, I'll probably want to make a few more." And then I thought, "Wonder if I can make a sleeveless shirt out of fine wale corduroy?" Ok, so that thought train derailed a bit!

So I may try to insert this project ahead of the other sewing projects on my list. We'll see... I could really use the other projects for sewing practice before I start making clothes.

How was your Thursday?

funny baby

funny baby, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

This sweet baby has a runny nose and congestion. I feel so bad for him. I lathered up his chest with Vick's Baby Rub. Man, that stuff smells good. I scooped out way more than he needed just so I could smear the extra on me. Way better than regular vapo rub, this has lavender and eucalyptus... total aromatherapy.

moms

LO: I , originally uploaded by brungrrl.

This year I am all about Mother's Day. I've pretty much thought it was a made-up holiday (like Sweetest Day) every other year. But last summer I spent a good 8-12 weeks thinking HOW did the women who came before me get through this with such grace?!

Motherhood hit me like a semi-truck. I think God pretty much delivers little babies with a special blend of hormones, emotion, and loud crying designed to instill the the parents with the deepest understanding of what their miracle means.

So, I decided last summer that this year I would definitely do some special things for my mom and grandmothers. I finished my mom's gift last weekend and I couldn't wait to give it to her. So she got it yesterday, along with an overnight visit from me and JT. Since it's been delivered, I can share it here. Maybe, you'll be inspired to do something special for your mom this year? (Allow me to remind you how often you needed fed, diapered, bathed, rocked, and snuggled 24 hours a day those first few months of your life!)

This album is from want2scrap.com. I picked it up at the Memories Expo a couple weeks ago. I like this album because it's heavy, durable chipboard. Oh, and I also liked that it says "Nana" which is what JT calls my mom (or he will when his vocabulary expands beyond uh-oh). Lots of paper, glue, paint, and sanding went into this book. Not really any special techniques... I tried to keep it simple in design and light in content. Lots of stickers on this bad boy!

My favorite piece is the page that says, "My nana makes the best fried chicken" with a photo of Mom holding a bucket of KFC! Check it out here.

frosty times

Frosty Times, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

JT and I spent the night at my mom's house. He had a fabulous day playing with Nana! She has a blow-up globe that is bigger than he is... he played with that all over the place. He also spent a lot of time playing peak-a-boo with Nana. Good times.

When he went to bed, I got some time with my mom. She teaches digital scrapbooking classes. How convenient, I'm a digital scrapbooker! lol. Can you believe we've never sat down and done anything together? Sometimes she helps me out with phone support when I need to know how to do something, but that's been the extent of it.

So this weekend, she taught me how to make eyelets, buttons, metal frames, etc. And I learned a few useful things like transferring layers between files and how to draw a perfect circle.

Now I can take my digi-scrappin' to a whole new level. This page was my practice page for learning stuff. So after all the training I applied my new skills by finishing it up and adding embellishments. Pay close attention to all those eyelets... don't they look real? And can you believe I didn't even need a crop-a-dile?!

on the move

Two things to report: Flickr now has video. AND... JT can crawl!

if you like trolls...

I'm in my pajamas, eating turtle cheesecake. Ahh, a moment of peace. I know - it is completely contrary to the weight goals I posted last week. I'm still working on those, just indulging a little today.

My friend Sarah is off to Australia for 5 weeks, so tonight was her bon voyage party at the Chocolate Cafe. We are going to miss her and be very envious of her traveling gypsy ways. And no blog for us. Can you believe there is no internet access in the outback?!

On Sunday I watched a show on PBS that was awesome. I'm sure there are plenty of shows on PBS that I rarely watch that are excellent. I had tuned in for Artzine and this documentary came on right afterwards. It's called The World Was Ours. It is about an amazing community of Jewish people in pre-World War II Lithuania. I didn't get to see the whole thing, so I will be watching for it to air again.

They interviewed people telling of their memories of Vilna. One lady was remembering that as a child, when she was sick, her mother would put a pillow on her lap and place her on the pillow. She'd pull the little girl close to her and sing Yiddish lullabies to her. The lady said she always wished to be sick so she could have her mother sing to her.

Oh! My eyes are welling up right now. Isn't that the most heart-wrenching story? I thought, her mother must have been so busy that only when her kids were sick did she have time to sing to them. I have to remember to slow it down and make time for those little moments with my boy.

And speaking of mothers, my mom brought us back a little present from Florida after Easter. It's the three billy goats gruff and the troll under the bridge. I'm pretty much in love with it. I love the colors, the size of the troll, and how he just blends right into the hillside. It has some meaning attached to it also... recently we discovered that my dad is pretty good at making up stories for kids. Unfortunately, all the stories involve goats, trolls, and a gruesome scene.

9 months

Just a quick post to tell you that JT is nine months old today! It also means that I've had 9 months to lose the weight I gained in that same amount of time. Well, I am within three pounds. I'm gonna go ahead and be pretty pleased with that and just keep working on it. My fat to muscle ratio is certainly not the same because three pounds is not going to get me back into my old pants. So... more cardio, more yoga, and maybe some chasing of a toddler soon...

John took today off so he and JT could have a play date. They played some new games they made up. Apparently JT made some good attempts at crawling today, too.

JT had his check-up with the doctor today. He is 20.3 pounds and 29 inches tall. He got one shot and did not cry. He puckered, gave the medical assistant a sneer, but did not cry! The doctor also spied an incisor coming in on his top row of teeth.

For the third night this week, we went for a walk. JT just jabbers and waves (only at vans). Pretty much everything he did tonight I thought was the cutest thing I'd ever seen. I gave him a teething biscuit to munch on while we ate our dinner. He loved it. He held onto it with a death grip and cried when John tasted a bite of it. LOL! Possessive much?

We took some pictures and videos tonight, but I'll have to post another time. I'm too tired to download them tonight.