35 weeks

Ken reminded me yesterday that if we were going to take any pictures, we better so it soon, especially since the eratic painful contractions have started to show up .

im down to 3 shirts and 3 pants of my own that fit, the rest of the time i wear Kens clothes.

are we ready? ready as we will ever be, i would say.

the best way to spread Christmas cheer....

because we all need to be reminded sometimes...

im in for it

if this boy is a rowdy outside the womb as he is inside...im in for trouble.

i imagine this little guy as my maniac child, the one that you say "if i had this one first i may not have had another child"

all the scenarios that were just wacky enough to be funny with Dominic (ie: the dirt eating, the getting ahold of daddys deodorant, the Mudcat pottery clay experience) will be magnified to epic proportions which will leave me staring at the mayhem in disbelief.

he kicks, he punches, he elbows, he turns and tumbles...non stop, i can tell when he is asleep because he is still.

there will be no swaddling this boy, sleep sacks all the way with this one. Dominic loved to be swaddled, he also loved to pee on me, im sure am looking forward to a repeat of that.

SAHM

2 more weeks.....
and i will be officially classified as stay at home mom.
this prospect is exciting and scary at the same time. at this point in my baby baking experience working is starting to get difficult. it doesnt take much to tire me out, the nausea is back accompanied by terrible acid reflux, even eating is a chore sometimes so for the last month of my pregnancy i will rest a little more' i wont exhaust myself trying to take care of my family, myself and work.
when Dominic's Christmas break starts, my days as SAHM start.
this is just a bit scary in the financial department. i work 24 hours per week, which doesnt make a super fat check but when you cut that out of the already tight monthly budget is a little nerve wracking.
we are counting on God's provision and blessing combined with wise spending and strict budgeting to make this work. i dont really like the strict budgeting part, but the alternative is to spend my money on child care and formula (i know they say working moms can nurse but i just dont see how that can possibly work) not to mention someone else getting to spend every day with my little baby while i work.
in addition to taking care of my family full time,i am looking forward to seeing what ministry opportunities God has for me since my schedule is, for the most part, completely open.

so...tired...

spent...wee hours...of morning...shopping ...on Etsy.

i have a love hate relationship with my body pillow, while its totally necessary to support my belly and keep my knees aligned, it takes up as much room as another person in the bed, the full size bed. doesnt leave much room for rolling over, and last night, i just could not get comfortable. so i got up. and shopped.

add this to a trip to the pediatrician that took, i kid you not, 3 1/2 hours from the time i left work to when i returned. 2 3/4 of that were AT the dr office. we had to stop at Wendys after that. i needed fries.

now, at 6:54, im so tired that im glad that a certain careless someone forgot to turn off the electric blanket, because as soon as Rocket Boy is in bed...so am I.

i will use it as my theme song

picture Mama...

ok, now think of the Mamas Family theme song...

ok, now...think of the way Mama walks.

thats what i feel like when i get up from a sitting position and start walking with my stiff hips and sore lower back.

just call me Mama.

dont tell!

Shhhh!

dont tell the people at my local small book store that i just ordered books from Amazon.

The A word is a dirty word inside their building.

but how can i beat a hard cover kids book for 10 bucks?

not even Scholastic offers that!

my neice is Stella, is getting Stella Luna for her birthday :)

and my dear dear friend Marci who is laid up after back surgery is getting a surprise as well :)

bump that.

28 weeks.

it wasnt this big yesterday.

happy halloween

i had a lot of friends ask me if i made Dominic's costume. not this year friends, i picked up this fun outfit at a garage sale for 2 bucks last summer. i did add the white mask, for a little bit of a classic feel, but Dominic only wore it for the pictures, i dont think he could see very well with it on.

new book giveaway

i didnt win the first one :( but i get another chance!!

pop on over to Mabel's House for your chance to win!

its been two weeks...

well, what can i say life is going by at a pretty good clip and documenting it seems to have really fallen by the way side.

the most recent happening, Dominic getting to spend a week with Baka and Grandpa B in Iowa!

Mom posts pictures on FB every day of the fun things theyre doing.

baking cookies... YUM
assembling Lego starcruiser while eating what appears to be pineapple, a hot dog and a mini muffin...ok, not a flavor combination i would choose.

meanwhile back here at the ranch we thought we would have time to get some things done, but so far we havent.

Monday, i was having contractions all afternoon and was told to drink LOTS of water and rest for the evening, that took care of the problem, i also took extra magnesium, that helped.

Tuesday, visitation for a good friend, Greg Humphrey, who had passed away on saturday, he has 2 daughters ages 19 and 15 and will be so greatly missed by so many people. after that you just want to veg out on some action hero movies.

Wednesday, EXHAUSTED!!! missed out on 2.5 hours of sleep between 2:30 and 5 this morning...why? i have to go to the bathroom, then i am hungry, then i have heartburn, then Ken is snoring. of course today was the funeral, it was NASTY out drizzly, cold and grey, that makes me even more tired.

so thats been my week in a nut shell.

Ken and i got all dressed up and attended the Choices For Women fundraising banquet last night.

Dominic got to spend the evening with Rachel, which is always a treat for him because Rachel pretty much lets him do whatever he wants.

The director of Choices for Women here in the madison area shared stories of helping women, young and old choose life but also told us that 13 women in the last 3 years have been led to accept Christ as well.

we got to see friends from Hanover United Methodist Church there as well as, friends from , First Baptist, Good Samaritain, Rykers Ridge Baptist, Cornerstone baptist, Christian Academy of Madison, EO Muncie Elementary, the OB/GYN office, it was so wonderful to see so many from all over the county with hearts to help expectant mothers in crisis situations.

HER BOOK!!

i have been reading Mabels House for 3 years, its a clever, honest, and pretty blog that i look forward to opening each day.

and now the woman behind the wit has published her first book. and she told me that if i post it on my blog (for my 4 readers to see) she will give ME a copy, ok...thats not EXACTLY what she said, she said i could win a copy.

i read the excerpt and it looks like exactly what i expect from Liz. so take a read.

***

Once one has breathed in the deep pungent aroma of sewage, you never again forget the nose-hair singeing, eye clawing, throat gagging experience. It comes over you slowly. You begin to feel like a character in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest as your muscles involuntarily jerk and you run screaming and blowing raspberries. Anything to get away from the mind-numbing stench.

But let me explain.

It was 6:30 a.m. I was standing in my retro pink tiled bathroom trying to open my bleary eyes and ready myself for work. As I stood there, peering into the mirror and wondering what demented nighttime fairy had planted four new wrinkles on my face, I paused and sniffed.

“Matt… what’s that smell?”

Matt staggered from the bedroom in his underwear, eyes half shut. “I don’t smell anything.”

I pointed my nose into the air like a hunting dog. “Seriously? You can’t smell that? Did you go to the bathroom in here earlier? I told you to use the room spray when you do things like that.”

Matt puffed out his bare chest and gathered his pride as best a man can with sleep in his eyes and a small hole in the side of his underwear. “I just woke up!”

I frowned, catching a glimpse of my makeup-less hot-rollers-in-hair state and tried not to think about the fact that I looked fifty instead of twenty-nine. “Well, help me figure this out. Because something smells ripe.”

We sniffed the sink drain and ruled it out as a suspect.

“Is it coming from the toilet?” Matt asked, examining it from top to bottom.

“No, that’s not it,” I snapped. I’m not known for my milk of human kindness in a disaster. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a survivor. I plan on eating my radish like Scarlet and clawing my way out of the nuclear dust while dragging my loved ones with me. But I won’t be doing it with positive phrases and a smile.

“Hon, I just don’t know. We’ll call a plumber after work, maybe it’s coming from under the house.” Matt staggered a little, trying to get past me and out of our tiny bathroom.

“Well, that’s just great,” I moved aside and pulled the shower curtain back so I could perch on the side of the tub and give Matt room to move out the door.

That’s when the full brunt of nastiness filled the air around us, a swirling mix of excrement and acrid stench that would have brought the sewer dwelling Ninja Turtles to their knees. Where the normally slightly-clean-with-a-hint-of-soap-scum bottom of the tub should have been, there sloshed gallons and gallons of brown sewage.

I clutched the front of my sweatshirt and held my breath. Matt began to dry heave.

“Get out and shut the door!” I screamed as we bumbled into the hallway.

“I’ll deal with this,” Matt grabbed my shoulders, trying to talk and hold his breath at the same time.

I could feel my eyes glaze over, the horrors of typhoid and hepatitis in our bathtub filling my mind. But more importantly, I could envision our evaporated savings account. In my mind’s eye I could see the long, gray hallway at the bank. A worker shrouded in a black suit pulled a set of keys from his pocket and unlatched a small locker labeled “Owen Bank Account.” Inside were two small stacks of quarters and a few crumpled dollar bills. It was bleak, not only because the banker with an unimaginative wardrobe gazed at me with an expression that could only be interpreted as “You’re a Big Fat Loser,” but also there was a very definite possibility we wouldn’t be able to pay for a plumber.

I wasn’t necessarily a spend thrift. In fact, I was downright frugal when it came to decorating with thrift store furniture and rewired vintage lamps. But the fact was, we were poor. We were starting out at starter jobs with starter salaries. We were starter adults with a starter bank account.

“Okay,” I nodded numbly, thankful that Matt was taking the lead on such a disastrous biohazard. “But make sure the plumber is super cheap. We don’t have much money!”

I left for work like a wino stumbling through a fog, not really remembering my commute, not really doing any work as I sipped my coffee and stared blankly at the computer screen. A disaster of such gargantuan proportions had previously been unthinkable in my life, and now I found myself attempting to push the image of a vast sea of bathtub poop from my mind. But I was sure of one thing: Anne Shirley never had to get ready for work while breathing raw sewage.

a fun but tiring weekend

friday night dominic and i found ourselves unexpectedly on a scavenger hunt around the downtown. they gave us this excellent map and we set out to find. we found that the prize at each location was a different colored piece of sidewalk chalk and sometimes (like Cocoa safari) a sweet treat :)

when we were done we were directed to the madison courier parking lot which had been emptied of cars, and there used the chalk we had collected.

saturday we met up with Tricia and Megan for some fun shopping and strolling of the Chatauqua art festival.
"if he were about 20 years older, i would have a crush on him" -Megan Lee Welch

he did look very hipster in his straight leg jeans and Vans on saturday.

and Megan with her giant bag of kettle corn.

i have 5 minutes!

and i feel like i really do need to make a post

what i ate today so far: bowl of honey nut cheerios, grapes, a pear, 2 handfuls of almonds, a pay day bar, half of a Mos Southwest Grill burrito, 2 twinkies, 3 ice cubes.

what im wearing: black stretchy pants; boot cut, a greysort of v neck rouched tee shirt, dark blue hoodie, nike running shoes.

whats on the agenda: work, call mom and thank her for the box of goodies (baby clothes, and a new scarf for me) maybe visit with Lori and Kate later, pick up D from school, heat up leftover pasta and call it dinner.

what i wish were on the agenda: a trip to either, Ohio, Iowa or Kentucky.

annnndddd....TIME

pumpkin cappuccino, 20 weeks

just thought i would share these with you. :)

his name...? right now we just call him Pumpkin Cappuccino

kid food

friday i invited my dear friend, kim, over for lunch, she works right up the street from my house so it works out well, we get to have lunch together and its really inexpensive.

really, really inexpensive in this case. i realized when i went to prepare lunch that all i had was kid food. so kid food is what we ate. these ARE my special grown up style pb and j's though.

9 grain bread, crunchy peanut butter and raspberry jam. the rest was pretty much the same as the stuff i pack in D's lunch box.

the rest of these pics are from last week, when i beat Dominic at cootie 2 out of three games.


but he doesnt look like he minded. :)

whats so great?

i love my pinterest. i visit pinterest at least twice a day to see what my friends are pinning and to see all the other cool ideas and tutorials.

fact: pinterest will make you hungry. people pin delicious looking pastries and little sandwich rolls stuffed with goat cheese and proscuitto, they pin the perfect margarita, they pin southern peach tea.

they also pin things that are spin-offs of red velvet cake.red velvet cookies, red velvet brownies, red velvet cake pops, um...ok? so whats the big deal about red velvet? its really, in my opinion the LEAST of all cakes, seriously, the taste is ok, the texture IS good i must admit but the crumbs that inevitably fall off...they stain. personally im just as happy with a great white cake, im even happier with a lemon or carrot cake and oh yeah...dark chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting....actually anything with cream cheese frosting.

so what is so great about red velvet cake? do people love it because they think they should? is it because a long long time ago someone told them that red velvet cake is the classiest kind of cake? or do some people just really really love red velvet cake?

whats your favorite kind of cake?

my mind has a playlist of its own

a strange phenomenon has taken over up here in my head today. i know its not strange to some of you nor is it odd or unusual for my husband but its quite out of the ordinary for me.

it seems random words and phrases are triggering songs which will then stay in my head until something else triggers a new song.

the word "sometimes" triggered "tainted love"

the word "take" triggered lou reed's "walk on the wild side"

the phrase "the hardest part" triggered tom petty's "The Waiting (is the hardest part)"

and numerous others which i have no idea what word i heard to get them in my head

they include "cuts like a knife"," cover of the rolling stone", "i'll fly away", and "stray cats strut"

then theres my post title...which i have only myself to blame for, an obscure song called "my mind's got a mind of its own" it is performed by jimmie dale gilmore who plays the character of Smokey in The Big Lebowski. (random trivia, right there)

im wondering what songs the rest of my day will unearth form the depths of my brain.

stop following me, Space Bags Correspondent!

i received this comment on my blog today, at first i thought, hmm, thats interesting, then i thought "wait, how do they know about my blog? how do they know what i said about space bags"

is there someone who's job it is to search the web for anything that anyone has said about Space Bags?

they also commented on the story Tricia left in the comments section so heres Tricia's story, and then the nice comment i received from the Space Bags correspondent

Tricia said...

Spacebags. I bought some about 7 years ago at Costco and spent a day spacebagging everything. I put my bagged comforter behind my bed and all was well until about a month later when in the middle of the night my space bag came alive with the air slowly leaking out causing a creepy noise, joined by the other creepy noise of plastic crinkling. TOTALLY FREAKED ME OUT!

correspondent said...

Thanks for mentioning Space Bag in your blog post about tidying up the kid's room. We're happy to help contain the extra blankets and clothing, saving you space for the things you need within easy reach. Just wanted to let you know that Space Bag has an online community called Space Savers where we have tons of tips for saving space and organizing around the house. Feel free to visit www.SpaceSaversCommunity.com to view our ideas.

Also, we want to let you and Tricia know that Space Bag recently made product improvements, including a new double zipper and patented one-way valve to help the bags keep their vacuum-seal. Space Bag also has a one year warranty against manufacturer defects. If you'd like to get in touch with someone at Space Bag about these improvements and guarantee, just use the "contact us" form on the Space Savers community.

Best wishes,
Space Savers correspondent

so what im wondering is how can i make this work for me, ok, yay Space Bags (seriously) but im talking about the Sonic peach teas that i also mentioned in the last post, where's the Sonic correspondent? and dont you think that at least one peach tea per week on the house (at least until my baby is born) would be suitable compensation for someone who sings the praises of Sonic's happy hour on a very regular basis via blog and Facebook?

space bags, chicken and the necessity of peach tea

i cant get enough Sonic unsweetened peach tea, i crave it all the time, but i hate paying full price for anything so i get extra happy when its happy hour, dominic loves it too. school lets out at 2:10 so i dont have time to exclude him from my Sonic fix, not that i would want to, his small drink ends up costing me a whole 50 cents.

this week is "clean up the baby's room" week yesterday i tackled the closet, which was packed to the gills with...stuff, just stuff, i found a ton of stuff that could go to goodwill, stuff to pitch, stuff to find a better home for and comforters, 3 really big fluffy cozy comforters. enter the space bags, these 3 comforters, non space bagged, took up the equal space of at least 2 plastic totes, and they never stayed stacked or folded properly, they were basically crammed in the closet waiting for winter so they could serve their purpose. i packed them in space bags, now theyre a nice tight bundle that i can fit nicely under my bed, yay for space bags.

all this space bagging made me extra hungry, i had seen on Pinterest, a recipe for crispy baked chicken tenders....mmmmmm. so to the delight of my carnivorous family it was baked chicken tenders for dinner. they were one of the easiest recipes ever.

drag the chicken through some flour, dredge it in egg and roll it in the crumbs of Club Crackers put it on a well sprayed baking pan, cook at 425 for 15 minutes, flip it, cook it for another 15 minutes. easy, delicious, and not too bad for you.

more support

in the past support was never an issue when i bought shoes. i dont run. i wear flip flops and cute flats and these were the most athletic shoes i owned.

my beloved comfortable Vans which i want to add that i paid a whopping 25 bucks for.

those days are over, kids. last week i could barely stand a day of standing up and walking all day long in my non supportive shoes. my hip hurt, and i had pain in my last 3 toes. ow.

i knew i wasnt going to make it another 4+ months until my due date if i didnt find some comfortable shoes.

the problem? my arch its weird, the arch of shoes never is in the right spot, and a strange spot on my heel that if pressed causes my second to the last toe on my left foot to go numb. this is why i have been in flat shoes for the last 9 years.

fortunately for me, i found that this shoe, is comfortable and fits me well, it has good room in the toe and doesnt crowd my toes together, but is snug at the heel so it doesnt slip off, doesnt hit my arch funny and doesnt press my weird heel spot.

i only tried on EVERY pair of womens running shoes at Penneys. but it was totally worth it.

top ten worst girls names

i promised you all my compiled top ten worst girls names and i will oblige by giving it to you, with a bonus "exotic dancer names " section

but first a tidbit of exciting news that many of you already know. we are having a boy. more rockets, more robots, more swords and nerf guns and bows and arrows.

so i am greatly outnumbered, my dear quick witted brother in law dubbed my home the testerocean, even the cat is a boy.

but ok. on with the top 10

# 10 Argyle- this is not a name, its a pattern

#9 Fructose-if its in the ingredients list of a fruit roll up, then its probably not a good idea to name your kid that.

#8 Chicadee- epic fail, if you want to honor your bird watching roots Robin is a suitable chioce

#7 Bano- because youre one tilde away from being the bathroom

#6 Cinderella- Just...dont

#5 Dashiki- wow, what can i say, maybe her brother can be named Pancho

#4 Frigg- a name that is an alternative to an expletive is never a good idea.

#3 Hollah- uncalled for

#2 Hella- "have you seen the Jones' new baby?" " oh yeah, shes Hella cute"

#1 Mitten- unless youre the King of Pop cold weather outer wear is a no-no for naming baby.

and now for the bonus "exotic dancer" section

Desire

Diamond

Ecstacy

Essence

Elvira

Fifi

Honey

Honor

Jinger

Musique

Mystique

Disclaimer: this list is for entertainment purposes only. my opinion barely matters to my friends, it shouldnt matter at all to you, especially if you had your heart set on naming your next child Mitten.

first day of school

Dominic started first grade at a new school this year, he was very excited about it after touring the school back in june.

he found out that there was a big library and a really cool play ground.

so with lunch box in hand and Phineas and Ferb backpack packed to the gills with new school supplies. he was off to his first day.

this week also started the cleaning out of the guest/junk room. we hope to be able to fing out the baby's gender on thursday and we would like to pick out paint colors asap, while the weather is nice so we can open the windows and air out the paint fumes.
while cleaning out the room we found something that Uncle Sean forgot, his cap, Dominic is taking care of making sure it gets worn.

top ten worst boy names

in looking for a suitable names for baby R i have been perusing a name book, just for funzies.

i have compiled a list of the worst boy names ever, these are all in the book, i didnt make any of these up, seriously. some are old german names which have taken on new meaning, some are made up (by apparently ignorant americans) some are just things that make ya go... hmmm?

#10 Brockly- yes, you heard me correctly, broccoli, but spelled differently, i also found Kale and Lemon, but they didnt make the official list.

#9 Whip- maybe if youre an indiana jones fan

#8 Curb

#7 Yank- yes i suppose if youre a yankees fan, or if youre really proud of your northern heritage. i think of the term to "yank somebodys chain" as in to fool them.

#6 Zero- make the kid feel loved and wanted with a name like this.

#5 Frick- if youre not a Scrubs fan this may not seem too bad, if you are then, frick on a stick is a phrase youre familiar with.

#4 Gunyan- this just made me laugh, it rhymes with Funyan, or onion, its not a good baby name.

#3 Ich- just Ick

#2 Hooker- -no

#1 Faddy- Really? is this even an option, seriously, i know, i call my cat Fatty, but he is a CAT.

stay tuned for my list of names to call your daughter if your aspirations for her include exotic dancer.

the scary bridge

some people think this bridge is really scary, i admit, it can be a little unnerving when oncoming traffic threatens to not stay in their lane.

this must have been an interesting sight for oncoming traffic (im glad i was behind it)

a tractor with a huge mowing attatchment hanging off of one side crossing the Madison Milton Bridge. see how the truck is hugging the edge.... yeah. a little bit scary. at least as scary as the lady in the Chevy Malibu who was taking pictures while driving across the bridge.

these guys...

im not sure what spurred the silliness of this moment (probably nothing in particular)

but i found it quite funny.

testosterone overload

weapons, wrestling, light sabre fighting...etc.

all the boys had fun.

im so excited to pick up my camera this week!! i havent done much shooting this year but family visits make me want to go for it again!!!

you know theres some to come, but in the mean time, heres one from yesterday

cant hardly wait!

my family will be visiting from texas next week!! Dad, Katie Sean and Connor will be here on saturday!!!

Dominic had just one question, "why cant Opa (my dad) bring Jackson (my nephew)?"

me: because he lives in california with his mom and dad

Dominic: well, they they can go get him before they come here.

nevermind the addition of 3 or 4 days one way to the trip

also a topic of conversation has been the absence of peanut butter for the week, Sean is severly allergic so PB and J are banned, dominic is not amused .

well, im off to clean my guest room and vacum the cat hair off the furniture, fun day ahead.

everyone has been asking...

how are you feeling.

i usually say "pretty good, sometimes a bit nauseaus"

what i dont say is "for some reason the grocery shopping makes me heave" i dont know why it is, but when i come home from wal mart im beat down to the ground tired and running for the toilet.

poor dominic...he always looks scared. he comes to the bathroom door and asks "are you ok mommy"

also, i dont complain to them (but i will tell you) that getting dressed is harder than ever, my pants dont fit, the next size up pants slide down in back, giving me a saggy butt, none of my skirts fit, my snug tee shirts look ridiculous right now and none of my shorts fit properly either.

i have 2 dersses that are good, theyre my best friends right now.

aside from that things are going well, we took dominic to the dr with us last week and we all got to hear the baby's heart beat. he is super excited about being a big brother.

we are hoping for the gender reveal august 18. keep your fingers crossed that the baby's legs are un crossed :)

Clark

look what we found in the park, in the dark.

we will take him home.

we will call him clark.

he will stay at our house.

he will grow and grow.

will our mother like this?

we dont know.

~~~ Dr. Seuss

we found this little guy taking shelter from the storm on our front porch. he was a wonderful model and let me snap a good many pictures before he hopped off behind the chairs in a "youve had your fun, now leave me alone" fashion.

the fair

it was a hot day to hit the fair...but we went anyway.

mom and i took a twirl in the Tilt a Whirl

Ken and D opted for the Scrambler instead.

the state winner Big Pig from last year was there, imagine the pig, Uncle from Charlottes Web, it was like that it weighed 1285 pounds.

also a calf had been born a few hours before our arrival. D liked seeing the baby calf learn to walk and nurse but wondered why the mom knocked the baby down and wouldnt stand still so the baby could eat, i told him cows werent all that smart, i dont know if thats true or not, but they dont seem too bright to me.

Dominic felt that greeting the runners of the Firecracker 5K as Obi Wan Kenobi would be the most effective way to encourage them along.

he got alot of comments.

one guy did a great Yoda impersonation for him.

one guy gave him the vulcan sign for "live long and prosper".

if your eyes are on me, youre lookin at country

ya dont see no city when ya look at me

cause country's all i am

i love running bare footed through the ol' corn fields

and i love that country ham. -Loretta Lynn

ok! i confess!!!!

i know i should get a napkin...but i use my pants anyway.

i sometimes tell my friends that after work i am going to go home and clean/do laundry/put away laundry, all the while knowing that theres a popsicles chance in Tucson that im actually going to do it.

i get irritated when people start their FB status with the word "so". if im in an unusually bad mood i will protest it by not reading their status.

i wont wear new clothes until they have been washed. what if some manufacturing chemical causes me to get a rash? i also dont like buying something that has obviously been tried on by someone else.

i only eat ice pops made with real fruit juice. once i tasted a freezie pop that was chemicaly tasting and it totally spoiled it for me.

(also i just re-read the last sentence and had to correct the word ice pops from ice poops)

the weekend

Friday Fourth Friday Shop and Hop, although there was no hop, the trolley driver must have had something come up, so there were no trolley rides.

D managed to get 2 free baloons from river valley financial bank.

later in our walk, when his feet were tired i told him i would only give a piggy back ride to one balloon.
he set the red one free and waved it off.

Saturday:

our trip to Danville, KY to visit Tricia who was visiting Gram (her mom). dominic and i got to meet more of Tricias family, her brother Ken and nephew Gavin.
dominic takes fire safety very seriously, at leats as seriously as Fire Marshall Ken Pflug, whose hat he is wearing.
in this shot, the bell set him running.

we were TIRED by sunday and spent the day recouperating from our day trip.

our big news!

since some of you are FB friends you may already know:

we have had 2 appointments so far and since i have had past problems the doctor has done ultrasounds both times. the head is on the left, the butt is on the right, its like its laying on its back.

He/she was kicking the little foot stub (right top little bump) while the doctor was doing the ultrasound we saw and heard the hear beating very well, the doctor is well pleased but still wants to see me back in 2 weeks, just to be sure he/she is still growing well. i dont mind it means i get another picture of my little pumpkin seed.

dress code

last week while talking to super teen babysitter she mentioned the new dress code for her high school.

apparently things had gotten WAY out of hand clothes wise and the administrators had BIG decicions to make regarding the way that the students and teachers were dressed.

super teen babysitter dresses modestly for a young lady her age (17)

wearing mostly tee shirts, athletic pants , jeans and hoodies. she spoke of how even she was sometimes shocked by what her class mates wore to school. skirts that could barely be classified as a butt cover much less a skirt, plunging tops that reveal not only clevage but actual breasts. camis (in my opinion a cami is underwear) with flimsy straps, pajama shorts, shorty shorts that show cheek, etc, you get the picture.

for the guys there were the quitessential muscle tee held together with only an inch or so of fabric at the bottom showing pretty much the whole chest and arm pit... hair and all. ewww

baggy shorts barely clinging to the guy's back side also made a daily appearance. as did ripped torn pants that showed too much skin.

this year the party is supposedly over.

the new dress code states

*no damaged clothing, no rips, no tears, no cuts, no "distressing"

*no skirts or shorts above the knee.

this should be interesting, i see outraged moms who cant find suitable shorts and skirts for their formerly leg baring daughters. but...i say shorts are unnecessary as the school has air conditioning and all of MY skirts hit my knee and are cute.

* no shoulder showing. guys or girls, no tanks, no muscle shirts and NO camis as shirts.

*no cleavage, at all, none, heres where the camis come into play.

*no open toed sandals.

*no pajamas.

if this is, in fact, enforced i applaud the South Western Jefferson County Schools. it should not have had to get as bad as it got for someone to say "Hmm, lets do something about this problem of our young ladies looking like street walkers".

Modesty should be taught from a young age and while not all of the girls like this dress code, they all need this as a first step toward learning to respect themselves.

i got shoes

just when i needed them... sandals on sale at our teeny tiny local Penney's. they are very comfortable, they dont rub my feet the wrong way and theyre pretty.

last weekend there was a car show, we strolled looking at all the pretty cars...and this...the one Dominic liked. he is showing you his muscles.

we had a fun but busy weekend last weekend, this weekend hasnt been as busy, we have been spending time sitting around at home watching movies because its 95 degrees outside. who wants to go out when its that hot? not me.