How we spend our days

Can we just put "Baby Boy" on the birth certificate?

2009-08-23T19:00:00.003-04:00

I think we're finally ready.

Crib- check
Diaper stash- check
Carseat- check
Swing- check
Cute assortment of clothes- check
Birthing class/ tour- check.... (even though I'm still trying to figure out alternative options to labor and delivery. I just don't see this going very smoothly)

We have pretty much everything we need except for a name. This poor child is still nameless.
Five weeks until his debut and so far the best we can come up with is "Jean-Claude", which I don't think is very fair to the cute little bugger.

So please,please, PLEASE leave a comment and offer us some suggestions, maybe we have missed some, or haven't considered them all yet.

If we pick your suggestion for his name, I'll buy ice cream for you and your whole family, or a whoopie pie, or even a steak dinner if you want it. We're that desperate.

Here's your pregnancy post, Hannah!

2009-08-06T20:16:00.004-04:00

Pregnancy looks awesome on me. The cankles especially. Urban dictionary describes cankles best: The area in affected female legs where the calf meets the foot in an abrupt, nontapering terminus... improved in appearance only by boots.

Quite becoming, aren't they? Jacob says they look like little cartoon feet with pudgy sausage looking toes!

The rest of my body matches my feet and ankles, so no, you do not get a full picture of me. But here is a view of my belly from where I sit:
My belly button is starting to pop! 8 more weeks and the turkey is done!

Where is the global warming when you need it?

2009-07-05T16:15:00.006-04:00

The weather has been nothing but cold and rainy over the past month, and this weekend it was supposed to be clear and sunny for the 4th of July. We were really looking forward to the long weekend and some warmth and sun for our little trip up the coast to Bar Harbor.

I just thought I'd share some pictures with you.

When we first got there, we walked around town and enjoyed the scenery. Here is the harbor itself:

We then took a trolley ride through Acadia National Park and took in the sights there. Here is the view from the top of the mountain:
We were off to a foggy start. I was okay with it. I was still enjoying everything, and the next day was supposed to be better weather.
Saturday morning I woke up and went outside to take in the fresh air and the view of the cove. This is what I saw:

It truly is a beautiful area but I would welcome a little global warming right about now!!

I had good intentions

2009-01-26T09:30:00.006-05:00

We've been trying really hard to be more active, and eat more healthy. It's been going pretty well. Jacob exercises a lot more than me, and he's seen some great results. I can't get up off the couch, so I haven't been so lucky.

So Saturday morning was the perfect time to get out and go for a little jaunt in the woods with our snowshoes. We were out there for about an hour. If I had my way, it probably would have only been about 20 minutes, but we got a little lost.

Here's Jacob, happy to be out getting some fresh air:

And here's me. I look like I'd rather be doing anything but this!

So then for dinner that night, I thought I'd try making something healthy... (note to self: next time, don't bother). I tried tofu. I found a recipe for tofu with peanut sauce and spinach. It had great reviews online (they must have paid them to say something good).

This is what it looked like:

And this is what happened next. Jacob pretended he was on Fear Factor and ate every last bite. As long as he had snow peas in each bite, he said it was edible.

I went for the Doritos. At least they were baked.

I just don't think I'm cut out for this healthy lifestyle.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T08:53:00.007-05:00

Hope your festivities were as exciting as ours:

2008 was good, can't really complain about much. The highlight was having my whole side of the family together for Peter and Jenna's wedding this summer.

But I'm hoping to see a few changes in 2009 including:

- A vacation. Our 2 night camping trip in the cold, wind and rain didn't really work well for me. I'd prefer a little more sun and a little more activity than downeast Maine can offer.

- I'd like to get pregnant. And stay pregnant. A minor little project I've been working on for 2 years now.

- It would be nice to have a bigger garden this summer. I'm working on being self-sufficient. It isn't going so well. I'm a little more "of the world" than "in the world" than I'd like to be. But little by little I'll get there, right? Before you know it I'll have my own flock of sheep in my back yard and I'll knit you all sweaters for Christmas :-)

Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year!

A Simple Christmas Wish...

2008-12-18T08:37:00.009-05:00

All I want for Christmas this year is...

A SNOWBLOWER!

Our driveway isn't too long, but it's too long to shovel when there are 3 storms in one week.

And if this winter is anything like last winter, we'll spend more in chiropractor's visits than a snowblower itself would cost.

So PLEASE Santa, PLEASE bring us a snowblower?

This is a picture of Jacob, diligently chiseling away at the end of the driveway- the worst part of all.

And here I am- dancing the dance of joy- simply at the thought that maybe, just maybe, this is the last time I'll have to shovel, ever!

It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTMAS!

2008-12-08T20:18:00.005-05:00

It really is the most wonderful time of the year! I love it!

Thankful Friday

2008-11-28T21:59:00.005-05:00

Isn't he cute?? Today I am most thankful for Jacob. He offered to finish the last of the painting today on his day off. While I went shopping and visited my friend... not that he would have wanted to go anyways. Thanks Jacob! It looks great!

I was just looking through my pictures earlier today and realized I am also very thankful that we do not still live here.

And right now I'm grateful for my warm, comfy bed. And that is where I'm going.

Goodnight!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T20:38:00.003-05:00

What a great day! I got to spend the day with my family- both my side and Jacob's side.

My grandmother has always been a special person to me. She's always been a great friend and I've been honored to call her my grandmother. She recently has moved into a nursing home and it has truly broken my heart to see her there. Today we all got to spend a few hours together. I am reminded yet again of the great example she is to me.

She has worked harder than anyone I know. Life dealt her some tough blows, but she isn't a complainer. She did what she had to do to live a happy, righteous life. She is an amazing seamstress, a great cook, and a tough, tough lady. She is a 2 time cancer survivor, a cerebral hemorrhage survivor (who actually survives that??) and was a widow at a young age.

When I was younger I used to love to go spend the night at her house. She would pop me popcorn and we'd watch TV together on her little black and white TV. Then the next day we'd go for long walks together. When I was older and in college, we'd go on lunch dates to KFC about once a month. These days she's not so strong, not so stable. I try to visit her when I can. When I leave her room I feel sadder than the time before. She just isn't the way I remember her.

But today I am thankful for her example and her legacy.
When I think of hard work, I think of her.
When I think of kindness, I think of her.
When I think of integrity, I think of her.

Thank you Grammie! I am thankful for you!

Today I'm thankful for my job

2008-11-26T10:56:00.003-05:00

I really am. Where else can you go and get paid for doing so little? And considering how many people are getting laid off all over the country, I am even more grateful.

Subsequently, I am thankful for the internet and all the distractions the internet provides.

On a regular basis I plan fancy vacations I will never go on, shop for clothes, jewelry and furniture I could never afford, plan gourmet meals I'll never make, and look up homes that I can only dream of living in some day.

And I really really love keeping in touch with my friends and family online. I stalk many many blogs that I don't have listed on here. Email and Facebook provide me with hours of distraction, and I frequent a few message boards and forums where I have made some good friends.

People survived for years without the internet, but I don't know how they did it. They probably were much more efficient and productive in their jobs, but did they realize they were missing out on some great friendships?

Time to be thankful

2008-11-25T13:21:00.005-05:00

I tend to spend too much time dwelling on what I don't have rather than what I DO have. So every day for the rest of the week I will spend a few minutes counting my blessings, and I'll name them one by one.

Today I'm thankful that I wasn't born before electricity was invented. Or cars. Or running water. And I'm grateful that I live in a country where this stuff is readily available. I'm grateful for the pilgrims, and I'm so very glad I wasn't one of them.

Just look at this picture.

It makes me feel cold, seasick, smelly, hungry, tired, scared and I imagine I would have been cranky to have to wear those dresses and cook over an open fire. ugh. no thanks. I don't even want to go camping without the luxuries L.L.Bean provides. I never would have made it!

Don't worry, we made it out in time

2008-11-13T15:07:00.004-05:00

I'm not too bright. This is how my morning went.

Turn on burner to heat up water for my hot chocolate to take to work with me. (It's wicked cold in here)

Go back in bathroom to put on my make-up.

Ask Jacob if his toast is burning.

He says he didn't put any in.

Hear the sudden screech of the smoke alarm.

Go out and see the kitchen looking something like this:

Realize I turned on the wrong burner, and melted the spatula in the pan.

Threw them both outside.

Opened the windows and turned on the fans.

Said a little prayer and thanked God that I had *for the first time in my life* remembered to change the batteries in the smoke detectors when we changed the clocks.

Smell like melted plastic and smoke all day.

The smoke detector saved our lives! Or at least our kitchen, just before it went up in flames!

Moral of the story-

CHANGE THE BATTERIES IN YOUR SMOKE DETECTOR! Please.

Edited to add- it could be worse. My co-worker's husband just called to tell her that he caught a dump truck on fire. I'm grateful for my blessings.

Lots of scary things going on around here

2008-10-31T18:44:00.016-04:00

Jacob had quite the fright when he came

home from work this Halloween.

First he saw a giant spider had made

it's home in (and killed) our plant.

Then he went inside and saw a ghost had taken upresidence under the cilantro growing on the windowsill.

Then came the most frightening thing of all. This man was in our house spewing out lie after lie.

I wasn't sure Jacob was going to make it. He screamed like a little girl. I haven't seen anyone scream like that since I saw this on America's Funniest Videos.

I think I'll try out for "So You Think You Can Dance" next season

2008-10-20T10:31:00.009-04:00

So I always wanted to be a dancer. I had some high-heeled silver glittery dress up shoes when I was little, and I'd put them on and dance around my bedroom pretending to be a star. I'd watch musicals and I'd mimic the dancing up and down the living room, over and over again. (Tell me someone else out there remembers "Goin' Courtin'" from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers?)

FINALLY I grew up and went to college. My first semester there I took Intro to Dance.

We were working on our little piece for the school talent show. It involved a series of steps- chasse, step, leap... sounds simple enough, and I was doing great and loving every minute. The teacher stopped the whole class and very loudly and annoyed said, "Laura. What is your problem?" Apparently I had been doing it wrong the whole time and never even knew it. Needless to say, I was a bit embarrassed. I later found out that my roommates had also been making fun of my dance moves behind my back at the school dances.

I haven't really had much interest in dancing since then.

Until now.

We just bought DDR. Now who's jealous of my dance moves!!

I can't let you watch the video. We had to delete it before it got into the wrong hands. Maybe when I get a little better.

The only thing that makes me feel better is that I married someone with similar abilities.

The view on Mt. Pisgah

2008-10-12T20:00:00.011-04:00

We had a beautiful fall weekend so we decided to go out and enjoy it. We went for a hike up Mt. Pisgah. It's a short hike, only about a half hour to the top. We thought we'd try to get a few pictures of ourselves with the beautiful leaves in the background.
There are 2 problems with this idea.
1. Neither one of us are photogenic
2. It's near impossible to take a picture of ourselves- while holding the camera or not.

Here was our first attempt, one the way up the mountain.
Look at all my chins!! Not to mention Jacob is only half in the picture.

Once we got to the top, the view was just beautiful!! We could see for forever, and the leaves were all kinds of colors.

Attempt #2 at a picture

The sun was a little bright up there.
And, of course if you try to take a picture of yourself, you're too close to get any sort of background...

So we tried one last time
Let's face it.... the only thing up there worth taking a picture of was the beautiful scenery!
I wish you could see the colors more clearly...

Hope you guys got to go out and enjoy the beauty... snow will be here before you know it :-(

I would just like to point out

2008-10-01T15:33:00.006-04:00

that Cinnamon Twists from Taco Bell will fulfill your soul like nothing else.

The perfect combination of light, crispy sweetness!

I think I have found what I've been missing all these years.

Sandra tagged me...

2008-09-25T12:38:00.004-04:00

so I need to list 6 quirks about myself. But I don't think I'm really all that quirky... I'm rather dull. But I'll try-

1. I don't like meat. It's gross. For years I wouldn't eat any meat at all, but now I eat chicken or turkey once in a while, and not a lot of it!

2. Must brush, floss and rinse before bed, or else I have a hard time falling asleep!

3. It takes me about 20 minutes to hear my alarm in the morning. In the winter I need 2 alarms to get me out of bed.

4. I don't like to wear shoes, but if I MUST wear them, I want them to be about 2 sizes too big.

5. I can't stand insincerity... and if I sense it in someone, I no longer trust them.

6. I'm allergic to anesthesia and every anti-biotic I've ever been on.

I tag Hannah, Amy and Bekka- I think those are the only other 3 people that read my lame little blog!! (If there's anyone else out there, now is a good time to come forward.)

No more jumping over the lawn mower to get to the dryer

2008-09-23T10:55:00.005-04:00

We decided against shoveling the whole driveway this upcoming winter. Though we had some nice biceps going on last year, it wasn't very much fun shoveling morning, noon and night! So we're going to get a snowblower this year. But we had nowhere to put one. So we got a shed!

Now we can move the other lawn mower out of the utility room! It will double the size of our storage/laundry area!

Before:

After:

I think it needs window boxes with flowers!

One arm longer than the other, or one sleeve longer than the other??

2008-09-19T20:56:00.006-04:00

Today was cold. I dug out my longsleeve shirt and got ready for work. It wasn't until I got to work that I remembered why I don't wear this shirt often.

The left sleeve is about 5" longer than the right sleeve.

I admit it. I shop at Reny's. Usually it isn't this obvious.

** No. I didn't wear my pajama pants to work. I took this picture when I got home.

LumberJake

2008-09-15T10:10:00.007-04:00

Who knew I was married to a lumberjack?

This guy is full of surprises!

We're putting up a shed out back soon, and we had to clear out some dead trees. Jacob got to work and cut up and hauled out several loads of wood.

I just watched.

Isn't he cute?

This may come as a surprise

2008-09-08T10:42:00.008-04:00

This may come as a surprise, considering my culinary skills, but check this out!!

We had WAY too many tomatoes, all ripe at once, and I don't even like tomatoes.

So I boiled them down and made a sauce. I even added some fresh basil and thyme that I've been growing on the windowsill all summer, with no idea what to do with them.

and then made lasagna!

It came out pretty good, if I do say so myself!

But as you might expect, I burned the breadsticks. But I don't want to make myself look bad, so I didn't take pictures of that.

Gardening- nice try

2008-09-03T10:32:00.008-04:00

What have I been up to this summer?

Killing plants, mostly.

These were supposed to be daisies. Never made it that far.

These are Mums. Fall flowers. Today is Sept. 3rd and they're already gone by.

Here are some Morning Glories,

or as I like to call them, dead.

Here are some impatiens, the easiest plant in the world to grow. Notice it has ONE flower on the whole pathetic plant.

Better luck next year?

What is wrong with me?

2008-09-02T09:51:00.005-04:00

I just can't get through this book.

Yesterday I tried twice to sit down and read and I fell asleep both times. I've only read about 100 pages in the past week.

Big difference between this one and the first three. I think I had all of them read in one week!

You probably already know about this...

2008-08-29T09:16:00.007-04:00

but a friend just told me about www.pandora.com. You can set up your own radio station online. You can choose your favorite songs or artists and it will play them, along with others you might like. Now I can spare myself from "Let's Hear it for the Boys" everyday on the circa 1983 radio at work that only one station comes in on.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

2008-08-28T08:54:00.000-04:00

I finally met him. He was on our tomato plant earlier this week. He ate through 4 tomatoes!