You're Invited

If you don't have any plans for the 4th, you're invited to spend it with us in Frederick. What's going on there, you ask? Well, a PB&J bar at noon, where you can put anything on it you want, like candy; a patriotic parade; magicians; and at 5:15 on the Main Stage, Blue Oyster Cult. Just don't forget your cowbells!

Curly

My husband plays Barbies. Does yours?

No TV

I have never been one of "those moms." You know, the ones who don't let their kids watch television. I am a firm believer in Baby Einstein. How else are mothers expected to shower? Or make dinner? I love anything that comes out of Sesame Workshop. Clever, original songs, usually sung by puppets. How could you not love that? Mini-me sure does. Flower loves all things Disney. From Hannah Montana to Little Einsteins, she'll watch it all. But a few weeks ago, I decided to try something. I turned the tv off. I blame it on the hormones brought on by my cysts. The change has been nothing short of miraculous.

Now, I have very good kids. They go to bed, and stay in bed, at bedtime. They usually remember their manners. They keep us in line when it comes to family prayer and family home evening. They love to sing and dance and pretend. But, like most kids, they can be whiny and have temper tantrums and be a little naughty. Since turning the tv off, the whiny-temper-tantrum-naughtiness has been turned way down. The sing-dance-pretending has gone way up. They are still good kids, but they are even better now. Don't get me wrong. They are not perfect, but things run a little smoother in our house.

It is hard work to have the tv turned off. I have raided Michael's for Martha Stewart craft kits. I have stocked up on water colors and other paint kits. I have lots of kids music on my ipod. I am not a very good mom-on-the-go. I like to stay home; I always have. But with no tv, I have to plan more outings, or I will go crazy. We are so lucky to live where we do, because we have a great park behind our house, we can go for a walk downtown, we go swimming at a great pool, and we have fun friends to have play-dates with. And, because I am normal, Mini-me can watch a movie or a program every now and then, usually on Friday. She is on her best behavior to get that privilege.

Thanks to our parents for watching them this past week, and helping us with no tv. Our Harvard-bound kids thank you, too.

Excitement

I am excited about two things. First of all, Mini-me and Patch come home today. I have missed those munchkins. Mini-me has informed me by phone that she does not want to come home, but instead will stay at Grandpatty's house. I hope she's not too disappointed that she has to live here now.

The second thing is the Spice Girls reunion. I hope Curly lets me go to the concert. I was so Sporty Spice in college.

And Then There Were 3

Curly picked up Flower yesterday afternoon. She's pretty low-maintenance, which is why she can be here and the younger kids are at Grandpatty's house. That, and she doesn't require lifting. While she loves her younger, high-maintenance, siblings, she is so excited to be the only kid at home. She keeps saying "Remember when it was just us?" Yes, do you? She is also full of great ideas. For example, she asked if we could go swimming today. I said that I couldn't swim because of my surgery. Her response? "That's great. You can sit and relax in a chair and I can swim." How could I refuse that?

Now when I said Flower was low-maintenance, I didn't mean she was quiet. She has been awake for about an hour and has talked non-stop the entire time. The only quiet we've had is while she chewed her breakfast. But, between bites, she chatted. I am sure when she's a surly teen full of angst, we will say "Remember when we couldn't get her to stop talking?"

Stitching

Since I am on lifting and moving restrictions, I have had a lot of time to sit and stitch and surf the web. Percocet makes me slow with my stitching, and a little sleepy too. So I have surfed the web for cross stitch sites. I have found a "new" site that I like: all stitched up. When I look at a cross stitch site, I am looking for a couple of things. One is organization. I need to be able to search several different ways: by subject, by designer, by type (ie supplies, patterns, etc). The second thing I look for is current patterns. There are two major "markets" for cross stitch designers every year. A good site will update with new patterns after each market when designers release a bulk of their collection. (In case you wondered, a huge trend right now in stitching is silk thread on hand dyed linen.) Another thing I look for is easy ordering. I like to buy all my supplies from my local shop, but in case Wendy doesn't have it, knowing I can order from an easy, secure site is a good thing.

I like to stitch a variety of things. I like small, seasonal things that are cute. If it's a simple pattern, I like to stitch it on linen or use variegated floss. The variegated floss changes color as you stitch. It's just fun. For larger pieces that I will one day hang in my home, I like classic looking patterns. I do not like faeries or mermaids or angels with wings or anything mystical or fantasy. I also like to work with beads. I think they create a texture that floss alone cannot achieve, no matter how fancy the stitch.

One goal I have for my house this year is to finish at least half the attic to be my studio. I want to get a quilting table up there and have all my supplies organized. I also want drywall. We have plaster walls through the house, and hanging things is a pain. But if I have drywall in my studio, I could hang all my frames all year long and admire my work while I work.

Another Day, Another Painkiller

Yesterday, I tried to be the hero; I tried to go all afternoon without a painkiller. By 4:00, however, all bets were off and I took a Percocet followed by an Ibuprofen chaser. Apparently, I am not quite ready to give up my painkillers. An upside of them, besides the relief of pain, is the crazy dreams I have. For example, following my uncle on a scooter while he runs a marathon through a building sporting a Forest Gump-like beard.

My goal today is to maybe stretch the time between Percocets. I don't want to get hooked or anything. Another goal is to not kill my dog, who keeps jumping across my keyboard. I have complete confidence that one of those goals will be accomplished...

3 Days Later

3 days after my surgery, I am still hopped up on Percocet and loving every minute of it. Having surgery has made me realize a few things about myself. Allow me to share those things with you.

1. I have a very low threshold of pain. I thought I had a high one, but no. It's extremely low.

2. I am not nice. They say your true personality comes out when you are under anesthesia. Here are some choice things I said while under the influence:

Curly: Is your throat sore.
Me: NO! Why would it be sore?

Curly: Are you sick to your stomach?
Me: NO! Why would you ask me that?
Curly: The nurse said you told her you were sick to your stomach.
Me: I did NOT say that! I SAID I was NAUSEOUS!

3. I have no idea what my pain level is on a scale of 1-10. I do know that it hurts like crazy when my dog wants to "cuddle" with me.

4. I am a big baby.

Thanks to everyone for your kind thoughts and words. I have loved the flowers and phone calls. And, thanks big time to Curly for putting up with me. And also for fixing my laptop connection so I could blog from the comfort of the pull-out couch in the living room.

Update

Jana had surgery yesterday and is recovering well. She should be able to post something here soon.

"Thanks for all of your support"

What We've Been Up To

The past two days have been hot -- oppressively so. We have been hanging out at the Diggs Pool to try to keep cool. The Diggs Pool is the best kept secret in Frederick. It's small, very kid friendly, and has lots of water toys like a turtle that spouts water, and snakes to climb on. It's just two blocks from Curly's office, so today he met us there for lunch. He convinced Mini-me to go down the slide. I asked her if she'd like to go again, and very diplomatically, she said "Maybe later."

This past weekend was the Fredericktowne Players gala event. Early estimates are that we raised over $20,000. Not too shabby. Thanks to our friends and family who came out to support this cause. It's something that we love doing, and hope to continue doing as a family. They give out a nice scholarship every year....Check out this link to see photos and even see a video. The Towne Singers are part of the video, so if you've never come see us sing, just watch the first few minutes and you'll be treated with Lullaby of Broadway.

The Price is Right

Last night, the girls and I watched the last episode with Bob Barker as the host of The Price is Right. I told the girls it was Grandma Jeanne's favorite show. Flower suggested I go on it. Mini-me said "Oh yes. Then Grandma Jeanne will say 'Jana, I am so proud of you'." I got a huge laugh out of that.

Photo Friday

Stop! You are Dangerous!

Ode to Joovy

How did I get through life before without my Joovy? How did we go on walks downtown? How did Mini-me keep up her endless string of chatter? How did Patch rest his weary head without his padded arms? Obviously, our quality of life has increased dramatically in the past few days. Here are some pictures, taken this morning in our jammies.

Joovy!

My orange Joovy arrived yesterday. I thought it would take longer, but UPS ground is actually quite speedy. I put it together in the 95+ degree heat we were having yesterday, and this morning, we took it out for a walk. First, let me just say that I am not a wimpy gall. I may look out of shape and flabby, but I do try to lift weights on a regular basis. When I can't, I do bicept curls with Patch. Pushing 50 pounds of kids, however, is a whole different animal. The sidewalk dips in places where there are driveways, so my arms got an extra workout today trying to keep the stroller from rolling down the decline. Mini-me loved being able to ride, and she talked with me for the whole hour we were out. The only silly thing was that I forgot my camera. I'll take a picture of them in it later today and post it tomorrow. It's really pretty cool.

I got the top of the quilt finished yesterday. It is very cute. Curly thinks it looks like an old lady quilt, so hopefully some old lady will bid on it. I told Curly he could bid on it, but I would prefer it if someone else won it.

As for my cross stitch, well, it's been put on the backburner for awhile. Burp cloths and quilts have kind of taken over. I hope to get back on it soon. I have missed going to my stitching group. At this rate, I wonder if I can even finish the piece in time for the county fair! That would be a tragedy indeed.

Photo Friday

Way Too Late

I stay up way too late. I have too much to do, and my mind just races. I know it's Thursday, and I'm supposed to make a list of three things. So here we go. A list of three things I need to do tomorrow.

1. Finish the quilt I'm doing for the FtP fundraising auction. All the materials have been donated by Sistos. Love them. I got the fabric from the sale room. It's way cute. I hope Curly bids on it, but I hope someone else pays a lot of money for it. I can always make Curly a quilt of his very own. Finishing the quilt may not happen tomorrow. Maybe I can alter the goal and say, finish the top.

2. De-clutter the downstairs, followed by the upstairs. Where did Maritsa go?

3. Exercise. My BFF asked me if I'd be interested in doing a half-marathon in October. Crazy me said "sure!" I'll be walking. All walkers need to be done within 5 hours. I cannot imagine walking for 5 hours. Whoa.

Those Eyes

Beautiful Day

Today was so fantastic weather wise, I just had to take advantage of it. I strapped Patch into the stroller, and Mini-me and I walked downtown. Well, I walked. Mini-me ran. There was a lot of "Hey mom! Catch up!" being called back at me. By the end of the day, her little legs had run out of steam, and she decided she and Patch could share the stroller. The stroller for one. I laid the back down, and she sat behind Patch, holding onto him. He liked it for about 10 minutes or so, then he started the "Mom! Mini-me's touching me!" cry. Silly kids. I think we almost broke the stroller. One part is hanging loose after the afternoon. Perhaps it's time to get serious about the Joovy.

Not for the Squeemish

If you don't like puking stories, this post is not for you. If you do, well . . . Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just keep reading.

Yesterday continued our Priesthood Ordinance weekend with Wyatt's baby blessing. Muncle Ryan did a great job. Wyatt puked on the 105 year old blessing gown, but that's not our story. Keep reading.

We went over to the Monrovia Rancher for Muncle Ryan's famous chicken salad. They also twisted my arm, surrounded me with praise, and forced me to make my famous guacamole. The Monrovia Rancher does not have kosher salt. That being said, I was able to scrape together some adequate quacamole. Lunch was delicious. Patch slept, Mini-me at cookies (Flower was at Ex's house), and Curly and I enjoyed the temporary reprieve from Jenny chicken salad.

After lunch, Colleen and I were lounging on the couch. Patch, now up from his nap, wandered over to us. Colleen picked him up and tossed him in the air a few times. We all enjoyed his giggles. She passed him over to me, and I got a great baby kiss, with tongue. I said "Patch, give Mommy another kiss." He leaned in, opened wide, and puked all over me. A little got in my mouth. It was gross, and totally Colleen's fault.

I sure appreciated everyone coming to my aid. No, wait, that didn't happen. Everyone did have a good laugh at my expense. Sorry to take the focus away from Wyatt's blessing day, guys, but that's the way I roll.

Flower's Baptism

Flower's baptism was yesterday. What a great day. She looked beautiful, and several times to me, her mom, and Curly, said she felt the spirit. Nearly her entire family came out to support her. She has a lot of family. We missed the ones who are too far (Melden, JLees, Muncle Boo), but appreciated those who came up in the intense heat.

Photo Friday