House Update

Grandpa asked if we'd been busy this week while he & Grandma are on mission trip. Sounds like a good time for an update. On Monday, the texture was sprayed in the house. We were up there bright & early to see a sample. It's basically orange peel looking.

Alan's been collecting more troughs for the retaining wall / planters along the back of the house. He's since picked up another 6' oval off Craigslist (not pictured) and drained all of Grandpa's stock tanks. (just kidding, he only drained the one you said we could have)


We've also been enjoying the price war going on in town between the two gas stations. Hey, aren't the owners of this station on Mission Trip this week? I wonder if they know how cheap their gas is... And how sad is that, that I think this is now cheap gas?!?! I also wondered if it could be this cheap now while other places are still 30c higher, why can't it always be that way?

The kids spent the day with Grana & Papa while Dad & I caught up on some paperwork, entering receipts into Quicken, etc. It was a very long day. No wonder I kept putting it off! I also made some yummy bread with my new favorite bread recipe!


On Tuesday, I discovered that Uncle Bubba & Aunt Wee are also out of town. Nobody told us!

Anyway, we headed out almost early to Seconds & Surplus, a huge warehouse store in Dallas that has, well, seconds and surplus building supplies. I hadn't really thought about summer in a huge surplus warehouse. With no air conditioning. With the previous day's high temp at 106*. Boy, was it hot!

They had these huge fans setting around in different places, but it was still miserably hot! The kids & I hovered around the fans while Dad loaded up the stuff. (See David on the other side of the fan?) I felt bad for the employees. It actually felt better outside with the hot wind blowing. Anyway, we loaded up with a lot of baseboard / door casing trim, the office doors, closet doors, and bedroom doors. We saved over $100 over the big box prices, plus the contractor's fee since we picked it up ourselves!


Today was Preschool Music Day again. I forgot to take my camera today, so here's a picture from last time.

After that, I took the Saturn for an oil change and new rear tires. (We keep running over screws at the house.) Then the plan was to take the kids to MawMaw's about 4pm, they'd both* spend the night, and we'd be able to work at the house as late as we needed and start early in the morning.

What really happened? About 2:30 Dad called me saying Mr. Builder had given him a list of things to pick up. Such a large list that he didn't think he could get it all alone. So, I got the kids packed, took them to MawMaw early, and we headed to Home Depot & Lowe's. An unfortunate delay at HD set us back on some time, then there was nobody in Lowe's. No customers, no workers. I've never seen it that vacant. We learned that the call-for-help button gets really annoying when nobody answers it! Finally a guy appeared who didn't know where the stuff was we were looking for & he had to call someone else. I wondered why the guy on the phone hadn't answered the page! When we finally left, we didn't have everything we needed and we were running out of daylight.

The guys started installing the doors & trim today and we're supposed to meet with the painter sometime tomorrow. Now I need to go to bed so I can get out there early in the morning & make up for tonight! I'm scraping sheet rock mud off the floor so it will be smooth enough to lay the laminate. The sheet rock crew wouldn't do it since we have a wooden sub floor in there. They were afraid they'd mess it up. : \

*And I miss Elizabeth. This is her first overnight away from me!

Tiny Talk Tuesday!

I really did start this post on Tuesday, but I also apologize for the delay in getting it posted! Last week, as we headed to the North Place, we saw this beautiful scene of sunlight beaming through the clouds. David has been amazed by sights like this before and has noticed it in illustrated books as well. Upon seeing this sky, he commented,

"Look at those clumps of sun coming through the clouds!" I had my camera and hoped that I'd be able to capture the clumps of sun. I think it made a beautiful picture, don't you?

Another recent addition to his repertoire, "Oh, you missed that stop sign, Mom!" Grrr... There are some things that I wish he wouldn't learn! Guess it was about time, though. I remember my nephew, Andy, learning about red & green lights. He panicked one time when we turned under a red light. He didn't realize our light was green!

I overheard David playing with himself in the kitchen one afternoon. I couldn't help but giggle when I heard, "I'm a little bit fabulous."

Now, doesn't this face look like he was just caught pressing it up against a dirty fan that he was told not to touch. He thought I wouldn't see him. Well, actually I didn't see him do it, but the signs were obvious!!! (and hilarious!)


This is the handle to one of Elizabeth's Avent Trainer cups! David figured this out, then told us, "I'm a robot. I have one eye. Just like on Star Wars."

Now to catch up on some other posts... Read more tiny talk at Not Before 7, but don't forget to comment here before you take off! ; )

So What Have We Been Up To?

This was a busy week, but then again what week isn't? Tuesday I had the lovely yearly appointment that women must endure. And if that wasn't enough, I learned that it is now recommended that you get a baseline mammogram between 35-40. I was stunned that I'm now old enough to start talking about mammograms. I told Dr. that I'd wait.

Afterwards, I was able to get over it & enjoy myself at Half Price Books! I'm trying to wrap up our book list for preschool next year. As always, I was pleasantly surprised at what I was able to find, disappointed at what I did not find, and ended up with more books than were on my list! I'd rather buy books than toys, though, and buying used books are actually helping the environment, right? : )

The sheet rock crew came in & did their magic amazingly fast on Tuesday. It was so exciting to see the house with actual rooms! Now I'm thinking more about where I'll put furniture! : ) Dad keeps reminding me we're not there yet! This shot is from the living room looking into the dining room & kitchen. That space will get filled in a lot when the cabinets arrive - after paint, but before floors? Maybe?

They came back Wednesday to tape, bed, float - whatever it is they do. What a mess they made!

Dad & I started on the retaining wall on the north end of the house. I am so thankful that he's able to lift those huge rocks, because the best I can do is flip them end-over-end to get them anywhere! I was pretty good at chipping away at the hard packed earth to make a flat spot and chipping away the edges of the rock to make them fit, though! (And I'm quite proud of that!) The kids stayed with Grandma for this.

The point of the retaining wall is to keep the ground from eroding away from the piers. We've been collecting rocks from around the property for months and Grandpa gave us the really big stones that were left over from the exterior of their house to use as the base stones.

Thursday we picked up Dad's great grandmother's claw foot bathtub to take it to get refinished. MawMaw reminded me to take a before picture, but I forgot. Here's one I took back when we first found out we'd be able to use it. It's in pretty rough shape. I WILL remember to take an after picture!

After dropping the tub off, we stopped at a mall. I can't remember going to a mall since we left SA, and even there I didn't go that often. Elizabeth had never been to a mall until this stop! Dad was so good to let me revel in the excitement of a mall and even took a photo for me in the parking lot:

Both kids fell in love with the fountains inside. Elizabeth squealed with delight and then cried greatly when we walked away!

No, I didn't get to shop. It was torture to see those clearance signs hanging down in JCPenney and not go in after Aunt Wee had called me to tell me about their sale! We didn't linger long in the mall because the coffee store, which was really the only reason Dad stopped, was no longer there!

On the way back, Dad spotted a bobcat! Laying on the side of the road. You just don't see these very often any more, so it was a bit of a novelty. So we did what any rural Texan would have done... we swung the pick-up around through the ditch and went back to take pictures of some road kill! (now make sure you read that sentence with a hick accent) Dad did use it as a teaching moment with David. If you want to see more photos of the cat, check my Flickr. He was beautiful. I didn't put them here in case it might offend someone.

Friday, Dad picked up some water troughs that we got for free off Craigslist! We're going to use them as planter/retaining walls along the back of the house.

Later we set up to for some work on the brick hearth in our living room. We'll have to use some half bricks, so Dad scored them with his circular saw, then I broke them with a chisel! Turns out, you need a bit of practice before you become a brick layer. So this ended up being a practice session. Luckily David & Elizabeth were hanging out with MawMaw for the evening.

I know the kid photos are the best, so I'll end with this one. Dad had to go back on duty today and we're still waiting for the sheet rock mud to dry, so we stayed home today. Washing dishes, washing laundry, washing floors, washing kids. That was pretty much today.

David tried a little paint with water today. It didn't hold his attention as well as free painting, but it was long enough to get the dishwasher unloaded!

Muffin Tin Monday / Tiny Talk Tuesday Combo

This week's Muffin Tin challenge: RAINBOW! It was a fun one to come up with. We actually did it a few days before Monday, because much of the ingredients were fresh & I didn't think they'd keep until Monday. Here's our tin:

Clockwise from top left: strawberries, baby carrots, fresh corn from the cob, fresh-picked fried okra, blueberry fruit bar, and purple grapes. Elizabeth started with grapes, then fruit bar, then strawberries & carrots. She tasted the okra, which was something new to her and passed on the corn, which she'd been eating for several days.

David has stopped accepting kisses. 4 is too young for that! For a while now, he's been wiping them off, but now he doesn't want them at all. At bedtime we say prayers, then I usually say, "Nite nite, I love you," and give him a kiss. Now as soon as I say amen, he rolls over and says, "Don't kiss me!" BUT then he gives me a kiss on each cheek. I guess I'll take the trade off!

I think I was watching Home Makeover one night when one of the people was named Jesse. David has a cousin named Jesse, but Will (Jesse's older brother) made a big impression on him at VBS a few weeks ago. When David heard the name Jesse he said, "Hey, Will has a Jesse!"

Elizabeth says new stuff all the time, but yesterday she said the best one yet. We're having to teach her her not to hit. I just got onto her (aka - said no with a mean look on my face) and she was crying. Then we snuggled & I told her "I love you, but you can't hit." Through her tears she said, "I love you." Aw....

See more Muffin Tin Monday at Sycamore Stirrings
and Tiny Talk Tuesday at Not Before 7

Growing Up: 18-months

I cleaned out her toy box tonight & put up all the rattles, teethers & baby toys. Then I cried.

So which photo do you think would be best for her 18-month prints?

Celebrating Elizabeth's 18-months

Yes, the 9th totally slipped by last week without my notice. Bad Mommy. To catch up, I took some 18-month photos on Sunday. Now Blogger won't let me add photos.... guess you'll have to check back later for them... or hit my Flickr.

And the Winner is...

I just wanted to thank everyone who entered my CPR Teddy Jr. giveaway! I had 38 entries and I loved hearing what you loved about the products. I wish I could give every one of you a free bear, but alas, I can't.

I used a random number generator to come up with the winner, commenter #29, Katy from Sycamore Stirrings. I have contacted her via her blog to see if she wants the Spanish or English version of CPR Teddy Jr. but haven't heard back from her yet...

From all the comments, it seems like CPR Teddy is new to many people. I can not brag enough about this bear. I hope you will seriously consider making CPR Teddy and/or CPR Teddy Jr. an addition to your home. Ordering is available 24/7 on our website: http://onemotherslove.com/

I found out this week that my deadline for pre-ordering CPR Teddy Jr. has been extended, so I'm extending my online sale, too! I hope to update our website this weekend to show the new deadline date of August 15, 2008, for the special low pre-order price on CPR Teddy Jr.

As a reminder:

CPR Teddy is the practice bear. You practice choking rescue and CPR skills on him as he talks you through the steps of each for both infant and child. Practice is encouraged at least once a quarter. Grandparents, baby sitters, and other caregivers can also practice on your bear. With a bear in your home, you can practice CPR as often as you think of it! Never practice CPR on a child and a CPR course with a certified instructor is still recommended.

Some hospitals are now giving the bears out to NICU patients and I've heard of one library who has a CPR Teddy available to check out.


CPR Teddy Jr. is not a practice bear, but a smaller, portable version. Junior is being regulated by the FDA and will talk you through the steps of CPR in an actual emergency. CPR Teddy Jr. will be released in December 2008, or earlier, and will be shipped at that time. The pre-order price of CPR Teddy Jr. on our website is considerably lower than the retail price will be later.

I also found out this week that Spanish CPR Teddy Jr. PROFESSIONAL is available to pre-order, as well. To order the Spanish bear, specify that at the check-out. Keep in mind that other language cartridges and CPR update cartridges will be available for CPR Teddy Jr. in the future!

Thank you, again, to everyone who participated in the giveaway and spread the word about it. I hope you will consider if your home needs a CPR Teddy and remember onemotherslove.com for all your future orders!

Fun Stuff for the Kids

My mother-in-law recently gave me a compliment, saying "You think up such fun stuff for the kids to do!" While I do consider myself a creative person, a lot of the credit goes to everyone else who shares their creative ideas. The internet is a great place to get ideas, so today I thought I'd share some of my favorite websites & kids craft blogs with you.


A couple of week's ago, I stumbled across another neat blog: Unplug Your Kids. "Mom Unplugged" posts a weekly theme for her Unplugged Project on the site and encourages others to join in the fun. I'm behind getting it posted - Last week's theme was garden, so I let David help me water our little garden. He had so much fun being in control of the hose and making mud! Oh, and the plants did get a little water. He also added a little pinwheel & an iron truck filled with gravel to our flower bed.

Another great source for kids craft ideas is the Kids Craft Weekly newsletter. Sign up for email delivery of the free newsletter on the website. Australian mom, Amber, also has some of the project printables on the website and some helpful crafting related articles for your enjoyment! Participants are encouraged to share photos of the projects from the newsletter at the Kids Craft Weekly Flickr Group. This sponge crab idea came from a recent newsletter featuring animals to craft. This project was a little bit over David's skill level, so I did most of it, but he loves crabs so much that he has had a ball playing with it. I found one of the cats playing with it last night, too!

Scrumdilly-Do! has all sorts of fun things to do - craft projects, artwork, book recommendations, recipes - and she calls the little people "kidlets!" Gotta love that, right Dad? Our version of her art in parts project is in-progress. This painting is done over a few days with the paper folded a different direction each time. I think we've got a few more days to add to our piece before it's finished. She also hosts a Flickr group by the same name to showcase kids projects.

Fireworks painting was also from Scrumdilly-Do's archive, but I saw it at The Crafty Crow. If you've got time to visit only one kids crafting blog, make it The Crafty Crow! "Bella Dia" finds the best in kids projects and gives you the links to the how-to pages with each post. You'll find art & crafts, recipes, nature projects, pretend play ideas, party themes! Of course, there's also a Crafty Crow Flickr Group.

Now, if you have lots & lots of free time, all of those websites I gave you also have lots of other links to follow to more websites & blogs, more ideas & samples than you'll ever be able to see in an average Mom's lifetime! Click away!

We also take advantage of fun programs like local VBS and this week we went to the Preschool Music Fun Day at church. More pictures here, then enjoy the video below.

PS - I'll announce the winner

in the CPR Teddy Jr. giveaway tonight...

there's still a little time to enter!

Works for Me: Practice!

Several of my commenters have mentioned how they've taken a CPR class in the past, but are not sure if they'd remember it if they needed to use it. I was the same way.

I've been practicing with my CPR Teddy bear for 2 years, now, and while I don't claim to be perfect by any stretch, I think I could handle performing CPR if I had to... not that I ever want to!

So, what works for me, to remember CPR skills, is practicing with my CPR Teddy!

Now, the little bear shown in this picture, is actually CPR Teddy Jr. He is not a practice bear, but is designed to walk you through the steps of infant or child CPR in an actual emergency! How cool is that?!? So if you freeze and can't remember, Junior will talk you through it! He's being released in December & I can't wait to get one in my hands.

I think these bears are one of the best inventions I have ever seen... so much that I'm now selling them on my website. But I'm giving away a CPR Teddy Jr. (to be delivered in December) right here on my blog this week! Click here to go to the giveaway post and enter to win!

Wow, it's been a while since I did a Works For Me Wednesday. I love this week's WFMW tip on the link there about keeping extra paint in jars. I'll have to do that with our extra paint!

Almost Wordless

Helping Hands

My Breakfast Is Looking At Me
(I promise this was not set up, I just looked down and noticed it!)

More Wordless Wednesday
And even more Wordless Wednesday

Don't forget the giveaway for CPR Teddy Jr. ends on Friday! Don't miss your chance to enter! This cute little bear could save your child's life!

TTT + MTM + 4th

The 4th of July was a fun day indeed! David & Elizabeth enjoyed their time with Grana & Papa and we made it back to Uncle Bubba's house that evening for fireworks. David once again loved the sparklers. I wish I could remember what he was calling them. He & the other 4 year old that was there were running around in circles singing, "I'm a fire magician!"

Last night before bed, we read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. David gets tickled every time by the name Mrs. McGillicuddy. I suppose that's where he picked up the Mrs... and all day long he was calling me "Mrs. Mama"!

Read more Tiny Talk Tuesday at Not Before 7!

Here we are again at the end of a long, but fun 4th of July. Like our shirts? : ) My nephew, Jesse, asked if I made him wear the shirt! Of course, he said no! It was a great 10th Anniversary... Thanks to Aunt Wee & Uncle Bubba for the picture!



Now for a little Muffin Tin Madness...

Elizabeth's most recent muffin tin meal consisted of apples, baby carrots, ABC pasta, a few bites of fruit bar, peanut butter crackers and sliced string cheese.

David's not so much into the muffin tin meal, so we did Muffin Tin Math! He had a hard time getting the right number of Cheerios into the higher number holes... because he kept eating them! So I guess it was a muffin tin meal after all! : )


Don't forget the giveaway for CPR Teddy Jr. ends on Friday! Don't miss your chance to enter the giveaway! This bear could save your child's life!

In Dependence

No, I didn't spell it wrong.

While the rest of America is celebrating Independence Day today, we're taking a day off to celebrate our dependence!

We're skipping my annual family reunion (which I haven't done very often), dropping the kiddos off with Grana & Papa, and spending some time together. Just Mom & Dad. Celebrating our 10th Anniversary today.

Yes, we always have fireworks for our anniversary! We'll rejoin the family tonight for some pyrotechnic fun.




In the mean time... yesterday, we celebrated Independence Eve.

David & Mom did a nifty fireworks painting & glitter project I saw at Scrumdilly-Do, via The Crafty Crow.






Then Dad brought home some "kiddie" fireworks - small fountains, little on-the-ground things, and of course, SPARKLERS!!

This reminds me... just in case you were wondering. Our wedding colors were not red, white & blue. But we did run through a cloud of smoke & sparklers instead of birdseed, rice or bubbles.

Elizabeth was a little startled by the noisier fireworks.