Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Wordful Wednesday





Same Flower. Taken Two days apart. Besides the color change, what's wrong with this tulip?

Wordless Wednesday

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Ping

Yeah, I know, 3 posts in one day! Dogs and Cats! Oh yeah, that's why I call this that. So, late this afternoon, Chris and I stepped outside to keep and eye on Fina as she conducted her business and soak a little sunshine in ourselves. I picked him up high, over my head. Yeah, I know...not a good idea for me. But you didn't hear his laugh. It was musical. I did it again. And again. Yup on that third lift as Chris's hair was fluffing in the breeze and his musical giggle was drowning out the birds...Ping. I literally felt that stupid lower back muscle go ping, as the flash of black lighted pain blipped behind my eyes. Oh boy. I was so bummed too, because today Chris's therapist said, Oh you must be feeling good, I can't see pain in your eyes. I know. I have no poker face. But now the pain is back, behind my eyes. Another evening of drugs and sleep. Hope I feel better tomorrow.

The Bloat

OK, so I have fallen off the wagon so far the Log of Shame is really living up to its name. I've been avoiding carbs for a while, until recently, so now I can really feel it now that I'm pumping them back into my bloodstream. With a small vengence. I can't sleep if I've had a carby or caffeinated lunch or supper, and I'm feeling a bit bloaty. How come I never noticed this before? This is a terrible time of year for me to behave myself, eating wise. It's birthday week. My sister and I have our birthdays within a few days. She's 2 years and 363 days younger, actually. And my brother-in-law is 2 years and 3 days younger also. Anyway, now that we're older we do mass familial celebrations. And how do we celebrate? We eat. Yeah.
So, Friday, we had Super Snazzy Birthday Dinner at The Glass Chimney with Mom, Lisa, James, Eric and I. It is definitely the BEST restaurant in town. It looks like a house up in Carmel on Old Meridian, totally out of place with the new way of Carmel. We thought this was going to be our last trip. It's been announced the Chef (owner, Deeter Puska) is retiring after a little over 30 years in business, and we were going to do this last hurrah up right. Once we got there we found out it had been bought and they'll hopefully keep some of the same foods and ideas. Maybe Deeter will advise. Eric took me there the night he proposed, and we usually do very special occasions there. Chris was not allowed to come, at least by Mommy and Daddy. I even got dolled up in sparkles and black velvet for the occasion, yeah, and legs shaved. Even at it's noisiest, it's still has a pretty quiet atmostphere, and the European cuisine...fabulous. Some of my favorites are Duck Breast with Huckleberry sauce, Schnitzel with Lingonberry sauce, Crepes, Bananas Foster, and Steak Diane. This visit I had Steak Diane, which they prepare tableside by coating the steak in a mustard sauce and sauteeing, then using a bit of sherry, mushroom, and onion to create a great gravy. Yum-O. For dessert the 5 of us split 3 rounds of Banans Foster, also prepared tableside-butter and brown sugar carmelized with some Rum and Creme de banana, add bananas, saute, and light on fire. Once bananas are flopsy then fruit and sauce are dumped over fine vanilla ice cream. Eric's favorite dessert EVER.
We did the walk on Sunday but 4K didn't make a dent with the fraction of physical exertion to amount eaten, because we had another birthday dinner with my Dad and Stepmom. It was a lovely evening for a cookout, time for the season of fruit salad, brats on the grill, and whatever sausage relative my Dad can rustle up, ahh...family(No one was crazy), and Bowl of Cake, our family specialty of layers of chocolate cake, whipped cream and strawberries. Ahh yum.
I can't be expected to behave myself on the days in between familial celebrations either, now can I?! Now. Where was I? Oh yes. Bring on the chocolate!

Two Heartbeats


Happy Birthday Lisa!!!
So, today is my little sister's birthday. These photos were B.C.-Before Chris. I didn't even know I was pregnant yet when his was taken But this year...She is 30! And she's the one that's pregnant. I guess that means that she's not so little. She's a grown up, married, her husband just came home from the Marines...and they're working on that Happily Ever After. She's expecting, due July 27th. We did a lot of celebrating this week, and when I was driving home from celebrating the other day, I heard this song.
It brought tears to my eyes.





I just kept thinking of the words, "My heart is in you, where you go, you carry me....your heart beats inside of me...". Even now, just thinking of my "little sister" entering this club of motherhood, it's so touching. It strikes me so appropriate for a pregnant person.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Amazing

OK. I just have to thank you guys, my friends. I am amazed to report than in less than 24 hours, I was able to raise over $150. That is awesome. Just awesome. I am so honored to have such friends that leap to the occasion like that.

We had a lovely time at the walk. I had no idea Plainfield had so many parks! We were at Hummel park, and it was HUGE in comparison to Arbuckle Acres where we normally go. Turns out it wasn't a 4 mile walk, it was 4K. Slight difference. 4K is only 2 1/2 miles. But still with the walking to and fro the parking lot, it was still pretty neat. I know that March of Dimes focuses a lot on prematurity, but I was surprised at how much they support all births. Not just birth defects but all births...All Babies. They do what they can so that we can have the happy "fairy tale" ending. It made my eyes cloud up a bit to hear someone say that that's why they do what they do, that if they can make it so 1 more baby doesn't have to go to the NICU, it's worth it.
Yeah. Awesome.
Oh yeah, and Chris was a good boy too.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

RUN RUN RUN


An appeal to all my faithful blog stalkers...
God smacked me in the head this morning. He didn't send an earthquake, but almost. I am meant to do the March of Dimes "March For Babies" tomorrow. Yes. That's right. Tomorrow. 1:30 Plainfield. I just signed us up for a 4 mile walk. It's in the middle of naptime, but God is calling...and you know what happens when we don't listen. "He MAKETH me to lie down in Green Pastures." Those of you who know us well, know how Chris is doing healthwise and what a blessing it is to have him be so normal, given what a bumpy start he had....see his blog for the first 6 months of his life. www.christopher.willman.com
I have had no time to properly raise funds, but I want to do as much as I can. So I'm going to ask those of you who stalk my blog, please donate. Every little penny helps.

http://www.marchforbabies.org/527089

That's our Team Link. Seriously. Every little bit helps.

I'd also appreciate any additional folks who want to participate if you are open to passing up on Sunday afternoon naps to walk 4 miles for the kids....I am.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Botany

I got bit by a botany bug. Somehow in the last few years I've become a flower-a-holic. I have been taking pictures of flowers like a madwoman since I got my "new" camera (in 2004), but I didn't have an outlet for my floweryness until recently. The White River Gardens has become my new favorite place. Eric had me hold off planting bulbs in the yard until he finished bricking in the garden as he wanted, so now I can plant as I wish. Let me tell you, my row of tulips on my front walk is SO GORGEOUS right now I can't stand it. I'm out there taking pictures of flowers every flipping day.

Now I'm uncontrollable. I love walking through gardens and looking at flowers and plants I've never seen. I love seeing flowers I've seen come up every year. They are like God's fingerprints. My girlfriend asked me today if I would help her choose some flowers for her walkway. I'm like Oh Boy, I should take more pictures of flowers at the zoo...for ideas. I'm a nut! Even Chris is getting in on it. He kept asking me if he could "See Fowers" after I would snap a picture. He runs around the front yard chanting, "Happy Fowers". Apparently, Mommy likes Botany.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Wordless Wednesday



Let the flowers fill us all with Peace.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Moments of Bliss



Is it wrong I banished the boys? Chris was getting so awful this afternoon. He earned 4 time outs in 20 minutes for screaming at me, grabbing my boobs, and hitting me. Two of them were so back to back I didn't even pull him out of the crib. The second Eric walked in the door, I said, How about you and Chris go to White Castle for dinner? The only thing Mommy likes at White Castle are the chicken sandwiches, but the boys like it more, so it's more of a place we attend on a holiday or just to make Eric happy. Chris was ok with this idea, I say Go, he starts raving Do Ouside (Go outside-someone likes the outdoors in the spring). He even repeated White Castle, more like Ride Isadazzle, then he tried again, Isa White! Chris had a good exhausting morning, we played outside, then he only slept an hour. He needed to have slept longer. I needed to have slept longer. He's been in my face a lot lately. I can't even go to the bathroom by myself. He literally crawls into my lap. It's getting annoying. He seems to always want to be on my chest. You'd think he'd be over all that once he stopped nursing, but not this week. I guess I put up with it in little bits for so long I didn't notice the extreme body takeover. It used to be sweet when Chris would curl up on my chest, in the days when he was about 2/3 smaller. But now I'm getting to the end of my limits, and so my chest has become off limits. It's like Mount Vesuvius, I explode because I can't take anymore. I erupt like Vesuvius a lot, grumbling and grumbling and grumbling, then BAM. I nearly put him in Time Out for not getting off my boobs multiple times today. He got plenty of timeouts for this fabulous noise he makes, a cross between a scream, a growl, and a squawk. Somehow I didn't notice it until today, Amy made a comment, and I said I usually don't worry unless it's accompanied by hitting. And for the rest of the day he was grawking at me, it felt like every 5 minutes. Oy.
What will you do for dinner, Eric asked me. Stay here. In the quiet. Maybe eat whole grain Lean Pockets. So, I got rid of them. I lit a candle, had a quiet supper on the couch, watching mindless tv. And now I blog. It's my therapy, you know.
I should've known it was going to be a Day, when by 9 this morning, he'd had a time out and I had actually locked the door to the bathroom. See above body invasion. I didn't worry unless it got silent, and it wasn't. I was actually happy to lock myself into the bathroom, I even shaved the lower halves of my legs. Talk about wild and crazy. It was such a pretty day I went so far as to break out the capris and sandals. Tis the season!
Meanwhile, I just wanted to post these pictures from our Breast Cancer walk on Saturday. Chris was extra precious. He didn't care it was raining. Instead of being a Race for the Cure, I've been calling it Mosey for the Cure. 40,000 people do NOT move fast. I liked the small crowd of the Ovarian Cancer walk better. It was powerful though to see all these people trying to make a difference. Energizer was giving out bunny ears, so we'd keep "Going Going Going". Chris liked them. I find it humorous how like the Energizer bunny he is, for he also keeps going and going and going....



But he looks good in pink!

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Mud Pie






You Are Mud Pie



You're the perfect combo of flavor and depth.

You are overpowering and dominant - and that's what people like about you.

You bring energy and a new direction to most interactions.

People crave you in a serious way. You're that important to them.



Those who like you give into their impulses.

You don't represent reason. You represent pure temptation.

People get addicted to you rather easily.

You offer people a dark side that is very hard to resist.


Explains a lot, don't you think?

Friday, April 18, 2008

Friday Fill Ins

Amy let me know about this website, http://FridayFillIns.blogspot.com
for ideas. What was provided is in bold.

1. The last time I lost my temper I got on the telephone and hid in the closet from Christopher!
2. Talking with doctor's offices and trying to get my money back with insurance companies is what I'm fed up with!
3. The next book I'd like to read is The Crystal Cave, which I read in high school, talked Eric into buying and we only read like 2 chapters.
4. Taking Chris to DisneyWorld somedayis what I'm looking forward to.
5. If you can't get rid of the skeleton[s] in your closet,don't open the door!
6. The best thing I got in the mail recently was our new wedding bands for our 10 year anniversary. Eric won't actually let us wear them until said anniversary, June 6. But in the mean time, I keep peeking at the pretties.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Eric making dinner, tomorrow my plans include Walking the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and Sunday, I want to take a 2-3 hour nap!

Blue Morpho

The Blue Morpho Butterfly.



Sometimes, you just want to break free.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Friends of Nature



"Nothing has the potential to move us off dead center quite as powerfully as unexpected encounters in nature. From the meadows to the mountaintops, from the devoted pet to the flight of the bumblebee--the ways that nature nurtures us bring tears to our eyes and resolve to our hearts. And we are often brought into the place of allowing the Spirit to finally get through to us. The possibilities are endless-the motion of the tides, the cleansing of a rainstorm, the dormancy of winter-all remind us that force greater than ourselves turns the clock of this universe. Nature immerses us in that power. "
...from How Can I Let Go If I Don't Know I'm Holding On by Linda Douty

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Stretched



Taken 3/29/2007

I felt like this penguin yesterday. Surrounded by hysteria trying to take a good stretch.
Yoga doesn't work well for Chris and I. I tried to do yoga yesterday with Chris. Yoga does not relax one, when in the middle of trying to stretch in positions that I barely bend and trying to take calming relaxing breaths, one must frequently pause to scream, yell, and storm upstairs to put a child into Time Out. Yeah. Not so much. And I lost no weight last week either. Drowned my sorrows with Amy P. splitting some beastly chocolate blizzard with brownie bits and chocolate covered peanuts. Yeah, nuts are good for me...and it had been a while since real chocolate. Poor Eric had a Day too. It feels like every day is a DAY.

Are all mothers of 2 year olds "Women on the Edge"?

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Like a bear swimming nowhere



I took this picture of a polar bear at the zoo last Thursday. A friend told me that recently they lost a polar bear like last week due to a twisted bowel. This polar bear just kept swimming back and forth and back and forth, going nowhere fast. I felt so sorry for him.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

The Log of Shame

Scroll down right and see my new Log of Shame. A friend of a friend (one of the websites I stalk, though I've only met her in person once) put up one of these in her column and it's neat to see how she's losing her pregnancy weight. I have a subgoal of getting pre-pregnacy weight. I'm about 10 pounds away. I'm not stopping there, but it's my next big goal. It's up to you, faithful blog stalking loved ones of mine to make sure that I don't get too behind. If I have time to Post, I have time to exercise!

Gettin' Sweatin'

So yesterday, I got motivated, I was talking to my friend Emilie, and she was telling me how she had done some yoga and that her dog and cat had joined her. Hmmm. Diet alone isn't cutting the mustard, I need to get serious about exercise....
Since my appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon last month, I've been trying to get to this Water Aerobics Class that Brownsburg Rec Center does at the high school for 3$ a session Mondays and Wednesday. (He told me to build my Core muscles, and to start small. not pilates, but start with swimming) I've been seriously trying to get there for 3 weeks. Seriously. The first time, Eric didn't make it home on time. The next attempt, I showed up at 7, swimsuit in hand, and the class had started at 6. I cried. Last week, Eric forgot again. I snipped, he snipped back, this was the best argument ever. When he's wrong, he's quiet, but when he has a good point, he speaks. His point was, how can I forget a class you've never been to, that's not even on the calendar? Even I had to surrendure to this logic. I put it on the calendar for the rest of the month. Then I threw my back out. So now I'm doing better, so I thought THIS WEEK would be different. Yet somehow Monday I forgot AND Eric didn't get home on time.
Is this a Sign?
Perhaps. Last night, Eric made it home, I literally said bye as he was entering the house, Chris was driving me batty, so I zipped over to the high school, found the lady to sign in, and she says, "So, you know that that this is a self-taught class now right?" Huh? "Yeah, one instructor had surgery, and blah blah... so now you just come in and do it yourself. " How do I do that? "Well, some folks get in the water and run, others use the noodles..." The Hey?! This is my first time successfully making it to this stupid class, and I don't know what I'm doing. I'm lucky I found the pool at the high school to begin with. (First trip I got lost) I crossed my newly added name off the list, turned around and left. I was crying by the time I got to the car. I drowned my sorrows in a Starbucks Honey Latte and read a 6th grade book called Trout and Me, read the whole thing in Starbucks, because by gum, I wasn't going home!
Do they have any idea how hard it is to get children fed, and husbands home in time to make to a flipping water aerobics class by 6 anyway? Apparently not.

So God IS sending me a sign.

...He'll MAKETH me to lie down in green pastures, especially if I don't lie down in them on my own.

So, since I need to do Something, my weight loss has been tapering, I got up this morning intent on breaking out my old "Sweatin' to the Oldies III" video. And so I did. AND Chris joined me. This struck me as a wise way to start, because I thought, Chris would have fun, he may even exercise with me. If we exercised together...then I'd get healthy...he'd have fun exercising...we'd all be healthy...happy and healthy...evermore. Happily Ever After, right? Right.
I forgot. Richard Simmons.
Richard Simmons is like a Train Wreck. You can't turn away, you can't stop. You can't now watch, you can't just sit on the couch and just laugh. You just keep going. At one point, yes, at the "Build me up Buttercup" song, I remember, I was there hating Richard Simmons. Then a small voice in the back of my mind, don't hate Richard Simmons, hate is too strong. The Kirstey Alley-like voice suddenly got louder and won out; "Richard Simmons Loves Us!!!"
Yeah. Curse you Richard Simmons!
Even Christopher got sucked into the Train Wreck. The first half of the video, Chris sat stone still on the couch, just watching, hypnotized, watching the train wreck. Then he wanted, Up. Mommy didn't stop. Chris got sat down on the couch, if he wasn't going to exercise, Mommy sure wasn't stopping now! Well, about 1/2 way through, he got up and started dancing with me. Even Chris got sucked in by Richard Simmons. It was actually pretty adorable. Chris dances like such a little white boy. Dancing with him, making a fool by his side...obviously I'm not making a fool of myself if I'm doing it within my role of Mother, it's my justification. Is this good? Is this bad? I'm not sure yet.

I'm trying Yoga tomorrow.

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Wordless Wednesday


The Boy Drives Me to Drink.

Monday, April 7, 2008

The New Life of Gardens

So, how do I say this? Eric and I have been attending two churches. I've been feeling some guilt about it. Since our Pastor left at New Years, it just hasn't been the same with the interim pastor. I don't get much out of his sermons. Luckily, I have been riding on a spiritual high from serving on the Team of my recent Via de Cristo weekend (see also Great Banquet, Emmaeus Walk, or Crucillo) and all the team meetings were quite inspirational prior to the actual weekend, which is a huge spiritual refilling. Anyway... Originally, when we got married, our in-laws church, was between pastors too, which prompted us to find our church. Anyway, now we love their new pastor too (ok it's been 4 years) and in the new year we've been doing about half and half at our church and at the Fam's church.
I'm so glad we ended up there this Sunday too, because the Children's Sermon was the best I'd heard in some time. True, my nieces were up there for the children's sermon, and sure I am blinded by their cuteness, but there were a couple other kids too. Anyway, Pastor broke out this great pink amaryllis (it's a flower, long stem, kind of like a big lily looking flower) and asked the kids about how we get a flower. We plant it! And? Then we give it water and sunshine. And? Then it grows, and we get a flower. And when it becomes a flower, it's the seed's new life. How do we plant it? He asks. We bury the seed. Then this kid pipes up, Yeah, just like we buried Jesus, then on the third day, he rose again in New Life. Wow. Pastor didn't have to say anything more. This kid knew exactly where he was going. I, however, didn't see it coming. I knew I liked Gardening and that plants and flowers are some of my favorite God-given gifts of nature. But, for some reason, I guess I never put together how when a seed is planted by us, how it is like when we buried Jesus. And how the blooming flower is our new life in Him. It was just really neat. I loved spring before, but that was quite a refreshing look on things.
So then this afternoon I go out the front door and my crocuses are blooming! I bought a mix (from the kid for the Band), and had forgotten what colors and where I had put them and all that, so it was quite a pleasant surprise. They are planted on the shady side of the house, our front walk, which doesn't get a lot of light, and we haven't had good luck growing things there, but these guys just popped up, and all of a sudden today, bam, blooms. A new life indeed.




Sunday, April 6, 2008

Fina's Not Speaking To Me


Saturday, April 5, 2008

Mango Habanero Hot Box

Fina was disobedient this morning. Poor baby. Daddy piled up a sample of mango habanero hot sauce on top of 3 samples of bleu cheese dressing. Whilst trying to remove the milk carton this morning, I toppled the precarious tower. I caught the dressing but the hot sauce went flying. I tried to yell at Fina not to Eat it, and it worked, until I filled the first paper towel and got up to get a second. She got in a lick at the hot sauce. Poor Boxer. She was licking her chops for the next 15 minutes. How do you try to convince a boxer that she really needs to drink water, that it will make her feel better?

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Beginning Again

Happy Spring! Today, the sun was shining. How I've missed it. My crocuses are almost in bloom. This picture is from a couple weeks ago, when we got our last snow, and my new crocus bulbs were trying ever so hard to pop through.


But just like spring is a new time to begin life, I'm thinking spring is an excellent time to mix it up at home. Today I popped in my little used CD of James Earl Jones reading the New Testament, in an effort to expand my Bible Study. I'm a blogaholic too, and used to blogging all about my sweetboy Christopher on his website http://www.christopher.willman.com/ However, sometimes I feel like posting things that have nothing to do with Christopher, things about just Eric and I, thus this website.

Like last night, after a particularly jointly frazzling day, my friends Mary and Emilie watched Chris while Eric took me out on a date. Eric is wonderful. He's been saving up for our 10 year anniversary present, he wanted to buy me beautifully huge obnoxious diamond earrings. I don't hardly wear earrings anymore, because of Chris. So, we were thinking we might upgrade our wedding bands. I'd like something that doesn't catch fuzzies, and can withstand toddler daily wear and tear, maybe platinum. So, he took me jewelry shopping. On a wild whim, he took me into Tiffany's. He didn't know we had a Tiffany's, we found it at Keystone at the Crossing. Their stuff is awesome, beautiful, and classy. Sure, I found stuff I liked, that's not hard, I love jewelry. Then we checked in and were told to go have supper at a sit down restaurant. He took me to Yen Ching, the absolute best Chinese restaurant in town. Sure, it's more expensive, but the food is great, I love their eggrolls and beef-on-a-stick, they call them beef strips, but I get a little fire to toast my beef on a stick. How can I go wrong. AND the ambiance, real linen tablecloths and napkins, and my surefire judge for a swanky place...candles on the tables.

I'm really so grateful that we had our hot date last night too. Because today, my back went on the fritz. That's another reason I wanted to start my own website, so that I can track how often my back goes out. So, if it sounds like I gripe about that a lot, sorry. I'm hoping it won't be too often. It just feels like it has been happening a lot lately. This afternoon, after a trip to the Children's museum, and a nap that ended too soon, I loaded Chris into the car to go to my chiropractor appointment, and as we were traveling, I realized I couldn't take a deep breath, from my last two ribs on the right around to the spine was spasming. Fabulous. Somehow my right side is also a bit weak too. Oh well, drugs and sleep usually help.