This post is for LA

We had a great time at Eli's Weeding. I know my video quality is bad, but I wanted you to see all the action. We really missed seeing you three there.

Okay: Here comes the bride!

And the big kiss.



We'll see you at the reception!

Ella's snack time

Ella has proven her heritage. She loves to eat chips and salsa with sour cream! It's about damn time, we were beginning to wonder if she was an alien implant!



I have got to work on making more interesting movies... Maybe I'll get some good ones this weekend in Iowa?

Tuesday

The weather place says it may get up to 74 degrees today, and I like the sound of that. A little sun and warm help my mood.
Ella was sick all of Saturday night and Sunday with vomiting and diarrhea, absolutely no fun at all, so yesterday she was with me at work. I like to have her with me all day. It makes me feel solid. Substantial. Purposeful. Valuable. I never thought one little person could make me so complete.
Today she woke up in a good mood and headed off to school. I think some sun and playing outside will complete her recovery. She is such a bright light in my life, and I feel so overwhelmed with love at times.
I have been working on a project at work to update the library catalog and properly shelve every book. I came across The Handmaids Tale and decided to read it again. Boy has it been depressing. When she has the dreams of her daughter, who was stolen from her, it breaks my heart and I begin to cry. I reach for Ella to feel her reassuring warmth. No one will ever take her from me. I'd kill them. I'd die.
So a sunny day is what I need to get that damn story out of my head. Why do I worry that our country is heading towards that fate? Maybe because books like this are soaring? Or laws that we take for granted are being threatened? Will our country turn that frightening corner towards a police state, or has it all ready?
Okay, I'll get out in the sun for a while. I'll take my daughter on a bike ride. I'll think of the fun we will have this weekend with friends in Iowa. Maybe I'll get the dishes done, to soothe my inner housewife soul.

How much does it really mean to me?

The preliminary estimates on getting our fire place operational and up to code are just not in our budget, the price of the downstairs windows is about the same. To get these two projects done would be about $7K, or maybe even $8K. If I had to chose one it would be the windows because arctic cold blasts through the house are really no fun at all, but we just don't have the $3,600 to get the job done. So I think we are going to try and get the interior cosmetic stuff done this year. It's gonna suck, because it's all wall paper removal patching, sanding, and painting... I wish I had a crew of volunteers to help. I just can't face it alone! Who am I kidding, we don't even have enough money to get the brakes done in the Nissan! Makes me wanna give up and move to a cave.

The Greatest Moment Ever

Okay, so I can't get the embed code to work and it is very frustrating. I think I could copy and paste all day long and the string would get cut in the same place every damn time. Maybe I'll try copying to a word document and then pasting onto blogger? Let's try...


Eureka!

My Sweet Baby

I asked Ella to please put away her shoes... I wonder where she gets these ideas?
Mother's Day and she looks so very beautiful. On her lap is "baby chick", who came with us to brunch at Fratello's
I am a very lucky Mom.

Feeling Inspired

Last night we watched some home movies. Ella sure was a cute toddler! It was cool to see how much she has changed, and how some things are still the same. We had big plans to send out tapes to grandparents in Iowa and California, but never quite got it done... Then today I went to LA's page with her baby's pictures and she had MOVIES posted! WOW! I signed up for one of the free accounts at the YouTube place that she used. Now I just need to figure out how to load a movie. I can't wait to get one posted! I think the first one I'll put up is of Ella's first few minutes of life. I hope I can upload from my camcorder.
Mother's Day weekend was pretty good. It rained all the time, but I did get to go shopping for sheets! Yippee! I also picked up a new three pack of socks. I am so lucky. We took G-Peg out for brunch and she said she enjoyed it very much. We got her a beautiful potted hydrangea. We sent my mom a charm bracelet with pics of all her grandkids. I wanted to get one in the mail for Grandma Esther, but my jewelry rep for those bracelets is off having a baby... drat. I guess I'll send her one for Grandmother's Day (or have I missed this holiday).
My summer work hours have changed. The director and I decided to work longer days Monday through Thursday and close on Friday. Now every weekend is three days long, unless there is a training or something that I need to do. My boss rocks! I am really going to miss her when she leaves in June. Who will the new Director be??????
Back to work...

Report to the General

Ma'am: I am down, but not way down. Feeling confident that my 5 pound loop of Feb/Mar/April has been busted! On to the next 10 pound loss!

More from our weekend and new stuff, too

Here is Ella's lovely Unicorn face painting.
And Eleanor and Sierra having a snack...
The cutest little sack racer in town!

So I was feeling so darn great on Friday with all my weight-loss progress and then I got on the scale this morning to a very frightening reality: Junk food makes me fat. I hope the 5 pound gain is due to PMS or something because besides that pasta for dinner on Sunday I didn't think I over indulged THAT much. Or perhaps my two pound loss was wrong? In which case I am only up three pounds? I think I need to restrict myself to Friday morning scale times ONLY to help counter little (or huge) day-to-day fluctuation. It's just so disheartening.

I pulled a muscle in my back. It could have been lugging around my bag on Saturday with all the extras in it, like juice boxes, sunscreen, sweatshirts, prizes, ballcaps, etc... Or from helping my friend Michelle on Sunday with some house project stuff, or from when Ron and I played catch with Ella (as the ball) over at Mandy and Justin's new place. All I know for sure is that it hurts pretty bad and I did not sleep well because of it. I don't even want to walk to work today because every step I take sends a shooting pain through the right side of my body. But I think I will walk, nice and slow with hardly anything in my bag, because I think a little gentle use will loosen up the spasm.

I have a million things to do today. Why are Mondays so darn busy? I bet I don't get to half my list. I better have a cup of coffee and rethink my list.

Saturday, May 6

Ella had such a big day that I think the pictures will speak for themselves... waiting for the bus

playing music with Sierra

Sack Races!

Hanging with Kay and Jenatta

Soccer! What a kick... She shoots and she scores!

Mommy got a sunburn even after applying and re-applying sunscreen, but Ella had a way fab afternoon.

Party!

Yeah, that's right, I am having a party. I am two, not a half or one and a half or 1.5, but TWO pounds down from my lowest weight. An all time low... Well, just since I got pregnant 5 years ago. So I have officially broken my five pound cycle and must keep on going. Unfortunately I am having a real party at my house tonight with lots of yummy food and drinks, but I'll just try to go the moderation route and then tomorrow be super duper focused on my goal again. I'll take some yummy food pictures tonight to share with ya'll.

Bird Flu

It is nice to know that we will basically have to take care of ourselves... Seriously folks, get a few extra weeks of food and supplies stocked up. And cold and flu medicine. It is just a good idea. I am not trying to say that you need to build a bunker and prepare for nuclear winter, but fill that pantry!

Happy May Day

Anyone affected by the National Day Without Immigrants?
I am trying to show my support for them by talking about the day and their plight, but have not been around or heard any news on whether or not it has been a successful display.

Well, I hope my sister had a nice time on her birthday (You so old, lady! Ha-Ha), and the rest of you had a nice weekend.

It was cold and rainy here. Ron was out of town for most of the weekend so it was just us girls. We went birthday present shopping for Jakob on Saturday, then had Thai food for lunch. Ella's idea. I LOVE her. Then Saturday evening we pulled out the ol' couch bed, made popcorn, and watched "Zathura". It was full of excitement and Ella seemed to get into it. We had to snuggle up on a few of the scary parts, but a happy ending made it all okay.

I woke up on Sunday to my ceiling dripping onto my bed. No Fun. We just spent a couple thousand fixing the leaky roof LAST spring, remember? I think Ron is calling the same roofing guys to come out and take a look. The leaks are in a different place this time. So, Ella and I had a work out first thing in the morning moving the bed. It's a huge-o KING sized number with a not-new frame so it kind of has to get disassembled, moved, and reassembled. I aint trying to bitch about it because it was free and all, but dang, that thing is a pain in the ass to move. And it is very lumpy. I think after JoAnn gives us her old bedroom set we are going to give back, sell, or somehow ditch the king size bed. But, then again, it may be nice to have two guest rooms. Oooh, we could put the king bed in a guest room. Yeah, that f-ugly blue tie-dye room. It would cover the whole floor! We could paint the room like outer space and Ella could jump around playing astronaut! I am seriously going to have to look into this idea!

Ron and I did some yard work this morning, in the cold rainy-ness, and I think that cherry tree is finally in it's home. When I left for work Ron was finishing up the weed screen and mulch. I bet it looks just beautiful when I get home.

The first case of bird flu has been reported on the East cost, but not the super deadly strain. Am I the only person who has emergency rations and household supplies? I am going to get the last few things for our stash this weekend. And to re-stock a few things we used. See, you have to keep them on rotation so stuff does not get yucky, and that's the challenge of keeping rations on hand. Who has time to use and restock all the freaking time?