Ultrasound day

Today was Ultrasound day. I've been anxious to see how big the babies were getting!

As the babies get bigger, it's harder for the ultrasound tech to get a good picture of their faces, as #1- they are pretty darn squished in there, and #2- they are now getting to big for the spectrum of the ultrasound wand. Even though these aren't great pictures, you can still say "Awww... how cute!"

Here we have the squished little face of Baby A.
He is so squished that the tech had a hard time measuring his head. He's right up against pretty much everything in my pelvis.
He is measuring in at 4lbs 15oz.

This is the sweet baby face of Baby B. He's a little more on top of his brother, but still right down in my pelvis. It must be a cozy location.
He's measuring in at 5lb 1oz.

Yes... if you add the two together, I literally have 10lbs of baby inside me right now.... with 3-4 weeks to go. No wonder I waddle!

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Update on Alli girl: She has contracted a virus that lasts from 5-7 days. It's fun filled! It comes with high fevers, vomiting, diarrhea, and runny noses. The doctor basically said that if her fever stays above 102 for more than 4 days, only then should we come to see him.
Alli is just a limp noodle. She hasn't eaten but one cracker and 1/2 of a banana since I brought her home from school on Tuesday. I guess she's getting ready for swimsuit season.
I guess we have 2 days down- only 3-5 days left of this bug. Poor little girl.

Tuesday, Tuesday.

Today My goal was to take pictures of the non-stress test, as a lot of people have asked me about them and what it's all about.... so I went in with the best of intentions........ I got all checked in, sat down to be hooked up to the monitors, and the babies decided to be little punks and run away each time their heart beats were found. Any time I moved the babies ran away. Any time I would breathe- the babies ran away from the monitors. So in order to get a reading of the babes, the poor nurse had to sit with me (on the table) and keep finding the heart beats each time the babies would move....... she was there with me for over 30 minutes. I felt bad for her. I wasn't sure if I could 'technically' take pictures at the Dr's office, so I didn't to it while the nurse was sitting with me. There will be plenty of next times, though..... so stay tuned! :)

After coming home, folding the mountain of laundry on my couch (7 loads), and just settling into a nap- the phone starts ringing. I of course let it go to the answering machine- but quickly (as quickly as I move these days) got up to get the phone when it was Alli's school saying she had a temp of over 100.

I went and picked her up- the poor girl was just melting. Bright red and just a little limp noodle. When we got home it didn't take her any time at all to fall into a deep sleep.
(Alli NEVER sleeps during the day- she is the first one up- and last one asleep at night.... so you know she was pretty sick when she took a nap.)

While Alli was sleeping, and Maggie was entertained with the delights of PBSKIDS.org, I sat at the table and filled out the rest of the thank you notes from my baby shower.
{To those getting them- you might get Christmas, Simpson's, Playing card, or even 42 cent stamps on the envelopes. Yeah.... I didn't realize how many varieties of stamps I had! And also- If your thank you card looks a little dated, it's because it is. I cleaned out my 'Thank You Note' stash too. :) }

Now to catch up on ironing...... or not.

Beep Beep

Poor Costco didn't know what hit them today, as Maggie and I ventured into the massive warehouse around 10am.
Following the advice of those who had come before me in twin pregnancy, I finally got brave enough to ask for one of those electronic carts.
(And I only got a few looks from people who I know must have been thinking "Boy that lady is mighty lazy... she needs to get up and walk off that gut, instead of carting it around.")

Maggie was THRILLED. I think she will expect driving the cart the next time that we go....
(if Costco will let us in again....)

At first it was a bit tricky. Maggie was very trigger happy with those 'go' and 'back up' handles. Every time I would stop the cart to reach for something, we lurched forward with gusto- sometimes running into things. Maggie ran into the bread carts, the peanut butter, and the refrigerators holding the milk. I guess that happens when you let an almost 4 year old drive.

Each person that we passed got a hardy "HELLO!" and a wave- or a giggle or two by the Mags. She is meant to be a Walmart greeter at some point in her life.

What's a Costco trip without a huge slice of pizza at the end? Delish!

Despite the crazy driver of the cart, I think it was a successful trip! I wasn't nearly as exhausted- and my feet are only half the size of an elephants.
We have to do this again for some entertainment.....er... shopping in the near future.

(I wonder if Costco would install a stereo in the carts, so we can blast some good music as we cart along?? I'd have to put my hair down, so the wind can blow through my hair as we go crusin'.)

(A More Real) Love Story

Am I like the last one in the world to know of Anita Renfroe?

She is so darn funny! A friend of mine posted this song on Facebook, and I knew I had to share it with all of you in blogger land.

Hope you Enjoy!


(This song seriously doesn't get any truer.... )

Two Bits and a Haircut

One of my titles since Chip and I have been married has been Barber.
I am happy to say that only one time in our 8 1/2 years of wedded bliss, has Chip ever gone to a salon/barber and paid to get his hair cut. (That one time was about a month into our marriage, and Chip was a little nervous to let me try... plus we didn't have clippers....).

I have to give Chip credit- he has had to put up with some awful haircuts as I've learned. Once I sneezed as I was putting the final touches on his neck hair, and the clippers went up about a solid INCH into his hairline. I had to cut the rest to match. That was a bad oops. He's also had to put up with HUGE ear pockets, uneven lengths, and very dull clippers. No matter how many times I botched his poor hair in the early years, he kept letting me try (bless his heart.) It's probably a good thing that for those first years Chip was getting his Masters in Fine Arts at OSU, and as we all know, artists can be as eclectic as they want- and nobody questions it. It was also probably not a good thing that we were too poor to actually go and have a decent haircut bought for him...... but it kept him coming back to me for more of my practicing.
(Basically... Chip wins a gold star. Hands down.)

This past few months of 'Frodo Feet', huge tummy, and sheer exhaustion for me- has lead to me having a lack of energy at the end of the night to cut Chip's hair for him.
This has ended up meaning that Chip has been pretty shaggy with the bonus feature of a hairy neck too. (Note the picture above..... yeah... The one with the grumpy face as he's saying mid-picture "Don't take my picture!"...... click..... )

Friday night as we were driving to get dinner ( it was my night to cook....) Chip told me a shocking confession. "I almost went to Great Clips on my way home the other night." he said. I guess even Mr. Patient himself gets tired waiting for a haircut.

As we drove by the strip mall in which Great Clips is located, we saw this happy guy standing on the corner:

I guess a hair cutting clown can't botch up his hair any worse than I've already done in the past.... but really..... Maybe I need to cut Chip's hair now.

He now just might be getting desperate enough to go to just about anyone for those services.

Joys of a Census

The 2010 Census is in full swing.

-The filling out of government forms with pre-paid postage is something I love doing.

-Listening to commercials airing on TV about how important filling out your census is- is something that I look forward to each evening.

- Receiving fliers and letters in the mail reminding you to fill out your census is almost as exciting as receiving an actual 'real' letter.

- Seeing lawn signs on picks around the neighborhood shouting out how awesome the 2010 Census is, is almost as awesome as political lawn signs are in October of an election year.

-Getting phone calls from live people proclaiming the wonderful benefits that will surely come to my community, if only I fill out the census is almost as great as getting a phone call from your favorite relative or friend.

- And now, my favorite benefit of the latest census arrived on my door nob, wrapped sweetly in a white bag filled to the brim with goodies.



Pink Trucker hats (with mesh backing), magnetic photo frames, Chip clips, bookmarks, and the all important couple of pens (and a few reminders to fill out the census) - Score!
Can you think of anything more awesome than this goody bag? Probably not. This is bigger stuff than the celebrities get in their swag bags at the Oscars.

** So the real question is: How much is all of this advertising and bribing the American people to fill out the Census costing the tax payers? **

Lessons Learned

There are many lessons that I have learned these past 4 months. I thought I'd take the time to share them.

1. No matter what your intentions are, sometimes the Lord gives you twice as many blessings.
ex: We planned for adding one more baby to our family- We got two.
There is a reason why Alli and Maggie are 3 1/2 years apart, and why Maggie and this baby would be almost 4 years apart. Sanity being one of those reasons. Chip and I have no struggles with infertility (thank goodness- as that would be one of the most heartbreaking trials one would ever have to go through- ever.), but we like to enjoy our children one at a time- really get to know them, before adding another to our brood. I guess the Lord decided we weren't moving quickly enough and we just might have decided that three was plenty of children for our family.... so He threw in a curve ball. The Lord knows best. Right?

2. If you ever do end up having twins- One lesson I learned to be ever grateful for, was not finding out until 20 weeks pregnant that there were two and not just one babies growing inside. I think if I knew at an earlier stage, I would have freaked out in a much bigger way. I would have put my whole life on hold, afraid of moving or carrying objects, or what I could or couldn't eat, etc.... I would be so afraid that anything I did would cause a miscarriage (another heartbreaking event that would be one of the worst trials to go through, which thankfully I have no history of either.) At 20 weeks along, with the babies weighing just under one pound each, it was so much easier to think they were well on their way to big healthy babies.

3. I am thankful that the Lord prepared me, in a way, for receiving such shocking news as twins. Through thoughts, dreams, and people He put in my path- I sort of already knew that I was having twins. The lesson is: Listen to promptings. They are there for a reason.

4. Slow and steady may not always win the race, it always gets you to the finish line.
The song by Alabama 'I'm in a hurry' has always been a theme song of sorts in my life.
(not only because I love the music, but the words have meaning to me too) I have always been one to compete with myself in my quest to win my own award for accomplishing as much as I could- doing more- doing it better- filling up my day so full that I couldn't quite enjoy it. How many scrapbook pages can I get done, How many quilting projects to pile on myself, How many parks in one day to shuffle my kids to, How many new skills can I learn.....etc. Each activity in itself was a wholesome activity- but too much of any good thing isn't good. I wasn't enjoying my children as much as I know I can. I wasn't enjoying motherhood as much as I should. I wasn't enjoying the sweet songs of the birds or each sunset- the things that most people take for granted- but to those who have disabilities such as deafness or blindness- it would be their dream to hear/see all the splendors of this Earth that the Lord has given us to enjoy.
This pregnancy has given me a mandatory resting period of my life.
I physically can't do the things that I was doing before.
I didn't have energy. My body gets sore by grocery shopping.
I just have to say 'no' to all the extras.
No running here and there. No running, anywhere!
(a little of Dr. Suess came out... hehe)

I took the girls to Inniswood Metro Park the other day. Normally I rush it. In. Out. See some flowers. Go. BUT because I don't have energy, and because I waddle oh so slowly... we took our time to enjoy the things around us. Walking around the frog pong 20 times- seeing tadpoles a plenty, 3 baby turtles and a mama turtle, a yucky little water snake (that I almost stepped on....ewwweee), bugs, birds, flowers, sweet fragrant smells, waterfalls, a sunset...... it was magical. We didn't walk far into the park, but it was far enough to enjoy everything. Why rush everything, when there is so much to enjoy in life?


5. Sometimes you just have to channel your inner Smurf.
When I bought my maternity shirts, after finding out the news of twins... I bought things a size larger than I normally would, knowing that my tummy would... blossom. Much to my dismay, most of my maternity t-shirts are now belly shirts. (I totally look cool like all the teeny-boppers sporting mid-drifts now.) My wise mother in law found a dress that was 2 sizes too big- and gave that to me. It's not my style at all- but boy is it comfy! I can dress it up- or down- depending on the day it's needed (work, church, SAHM). I have to wear yoga pants under it- as Chip said the rest of the world appreciates not getting flashed when I bend over.
Last week, I decided to wear this dress to work for the first time. When I walked into the door, one of my (male) co-workers (who loves to razz me that I'm getting huge)... said "Are you channeling your inner Smurf today?" I replied that indeed, that was the look I was going for. Basically the lesson is: If it fits,if it's modest, you can wear it.... even if it means channeling your inner blue smurf.

(Note how my hair is no longer screaming tacky blond with dark roots..... and no, I'm not wearing make-up... and yes.... I am as tired as I look.)

6. When someone makes that 'beep, beep, beep' sound as you are backing up... it's really not an insult- it's merely a safety warning to all of those around you.
(again- I have to thank my co-workers for that one)

7. I don't need everything. I can let go of 'things'.

I'm a hoarder. I hoard paper. I hoard yarn. I hoard shoes that are no longer capable of being waterproof. I hoard quilting supplies. I hoard scrapbooking supplies. I hoard clothing (some of which is from my high school years).
Hi. My name is Breezi and I am a hoarder.
(Is there a support group for this?)
{{ Don't judge too harshly. I also like to have a clean home. My hoarding piles are strategically placed, stacked neatly, out of sight, in a closet-under the bed-in any available cupboard space. }}

I married "I like to throw everything away" guy. Chip hates piles. Chip hates clutter. Chip hates holding onto clothing he hasn't worn in 3 months. Chip hates messy under the sink cabinets. Chip hates overflowing closets. Chip hates my hoarding. (We even each other out.)

With the news of adding two more people to our already overflowing home, Chip went into overdrive and started organizing and throwing away my hoarding piles.

It has felt refreshing. Space has been opening up. Things we never use went bye-bye.

Tuesday, I decided I'd clean out my scrapbooking area (aka: the dining room). Two garbage bags, a Large MCD's Cherry Coke, and three disks of my Book on CD later..... you get this:

I know... I know... I have way too much stuff. But it's all organized how I can find it. It looks much better than it did. I promise. (Just remember two garbage bags full got thrown away.) I keep dreaming of the day when I have my own actual scrapbook ROOM (with a table I never have to clean off- and a door I can close). Heaven.

8. No matter how wonderful the object- Sometimes it just isn't worth the struggle to bend over and pick it up.

9. Sometimes you just have to let the phone ring.
Normally, I would rush to the phone- anxious to talk to whomever would call my number. I always answered the phone no matter what I was doing- even interrupting precious time with my children- or waking me up from a nap. Now there is no rushing to answer the phone. If I am spending quality time with my kids- it goes to the answering machine. If I just sat down in my comfy chair- it goes to the answering machine. If I am sitting with my family for dinner- it goes to the answering machine. It's kind of liberating.

10. Regardless of anyone's prior thoughts, children can live (and survive) on happy meals and pizza alone.

So there you have it- Some of the lessons that I've learned. Take each lesson in, if you can use it- great. If not... I'm just rambling on my blog anyway. :)

Animals

** I posted this on Facebook earlier today, but it was too funny to forget- so I'm putting it on my blog as well**

(Noah's Ark- Mary Singleton- 1998)

After dropping Alli off at school today you could tell Maggie's mind was churning.

Maggie said "Mom, Did Jesus make all the animals? Like birds and fish and cats and dogs?"
"Yep, Maggie- He did"
"Well, we can just BUY animals now!"

Modern progress right there. Jesus had to make the animals- all we have to do is go to our friendly neighborhood pet shop and buy what we want.... haha! She is such a funny kid.
(Why does she think of stuff like this?)

In other news: The cravings are now back to fresh fruit smoothies. Thank goodness. At the rate things were going this morning, I was afraid I'd have three butt's by the end of this pregnancy!

cravings

I ate all this before 11am.

Today- The cravings win.

Proof

To prove that I'm a girl of not all words, but some action too... I decided that today would be the day that my girls would wear a matching outfit WITH big hair bows. I wanted to show my handy work (and my girl's cooperation.)

Alli lookin' pretty as a peach.
Today when I told her that we were only going to stay for the first two hours of church and leave the third (my back just can't handle sitting in those chairs/benches anymore....) Alli requested that I stayed home all together. I asked her why she wanted me to just stay home from church. She said that she wanted to learn at church- and didn't want to come home early. I'm glad my sweet girl loves going to church so much- she so loves learning of Heavenly Father and Jesus, and just wants to please them. What a good example.

My Maggie monkey.
Looking little wild as usual. She was completely nuts today. She cried and cried when I sent her off to primary. Normally she really likes primary, but for some reason- today wasn't it for her. (Note the red puffy eyes/cheeks. Sorry to anyone having to deal with her today.)

And because I haven't posted one in a bit- Here is my current belly shot.
33 weeks down, 4-6 weeks to go.
(note the frumpy pulled up hair- {with roots showing badly}- I rock the 'wet look'. I'm one hot mama, that's for sure.)

So there you have it. I was willing to make my kids wear coordinating outfits/hair bows. I haven't gone so far as to trade in my van yet- but if need be- for the sake of being one of the cool kids- that's my next step.

Hiding Elbows

Today Maggie walked into the bathroom on me. I was just getting out of the shower and starting to get dressed for the day. She gave me a quizzical stare, I was thinking that she was just looking at how huge my belly was getting. Wrong. She pointed at me, as I was putting on my bra and said "Mommy, Why are you hiding your elbows?" (She calls nipples, elbows...).

I told her I was hiding my elbows because I thought the rest of the world would appreciate my efforts.

To the world: You're welcome.

Help Required.

Wow. That was a pleasant title. It didn't take me but 5 seconds to come up with that one. ;)

Here is my new problem.

I want to be invited to go to Meat Mixers.

Don't raise your eyebrow at me. I'm not crazy.

If you want to hear about The Meanest Mom's experience Click Here.

Seriously. It is one of my dreams to get invited to only the coolest of the cool parties and socials. In order for my dream to be fulfilled, that would mean I need more traffic on my blog. (Just like in High School, only the popular people get invited to go to the cool places. Apparently I still haven't reached 'popular status'..... I can't believe that my nerdiness has followed me 10 years. Sheesh!)

I was talking to Chip last night about the Meanest Mom's experience. Well, complaining about it, more like it. Do I need to go blonder? Do I need a Honda Minivan instead of my Dodge Minivan? Do I need to buy a Coach purse in order to fit in with the other cool kids? Do I need to push my girls into actually wearing matching outfits with matching huge hair bows (or flowers)? Do I need to stop doing '..................' and ' :)' ? What is it that is making me not get invited to these parties?

Chip just said I needed to get more visitors on my blog. I'm wondering how to do that. Obviously if you are reading my blog, you're pretty tolerant of my rants and raves about now. I don't know if others in the blogger world would be as patient with such a space Cadette. I wouldn't even know where to start to get more readers. How do I have people rally to my blog with utter fascination by my sheer awesomeness.... that is the question.

If you have a solution to my problem, feel free to let me know.
My dream of getting invited to the all important Meat Mixer is so close..... I can taste it.

Thinking

There are a few things I've been thinking about. Well.... that's an understatement....

There are a few things that I could use your opinions on.

- First-
Should I cut my hair? I've always been told that pregnant people, because they feel a need to change something on their bodies (and losing weight isn't an option), usually cut their hair. I've never been one of these prego people before- who have the NEED to change my hair, but this time around I'm feeling a little like frump girl. My hair teeters between the two statements of "Thank you for the country music award" and "I just came from Walmart".

What I like about my 'longer' hair (it's just below shoulder length): I can put it up in a clip and get on with my day. Messy buns are my friends.
What I hate about my 'longer' hair: I put it up in a clip and get on with my day. I usually pull off the wet head look, every day. I know it's not a flattering style, but it allows me to shower/dress/and out the door in 15 minutes. Add a blow dryer and a curling iron... you're looking at more like 40 minutes before I'm ready.

My real dilemma is that if I cut my hair, that means I'll actually have to do it. With not one, but two little babes coming in 6 weeks or less- that means I'll have to figure out how to work doing my hair into schedule of sorts. If I don't cut it- I will continue to look like frump girl. But instead of frump girl with two kids, I'll be frump girl with two kids and twins. *sigh*.

Chip is very sweet and supportive and just says I should do what I want with my hair. But What if I don't know what I want? AHHH.

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-Second-
After these babies come, we will no longer be 'Three Normal and One Not". There will be 6 of us, and I guarantee that three of us will no longer be normal.
So what should I re-title my blog?
I only chose my title out of desperation to begin with.
I don't like thinking of TITLES.
This is a really stupid confession, but here it goes: With my blogging, I know what I want to write (for the most part) before I start... and yet I sit at the laptop for at least 10 minutes prior to writing to figure out what the heck the 'title' of the post should be! Lame. I know. But there it is. Titles are also my downfall when it comes to my scrapbook pages too.

I'd like to say that if you have a wonderful suggestion for my new blog title, and I pick yours- You'd get an awesome prize.... but right now the only thing I've been making is twins. So unless you want some of those... you're probably not going to receive anything awesome for the foreseeable future. :)
(There is a chance that after my brain has wrapped itself around having two newborns and my life regains some semblance of normalcy, that I'll remember the person who inspired the new title... and I'd hopefully send you something then. It's a 50/50 chance... worth a shot, right?)

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Okay guys and gals. Your two missions have been chosen for you.

On Your Mark.
Get Set.
Go.

I'm going to miss this.

This is where I've worked since July 2002.
Same branch. A lot of the same co-workers. A lot of the same customers.
As my life has changed and evolved over the years, additions of children, Chip being in school, Chip not being able to find a job, me needing some 'adult' time.... this bank has always been a constant in my married life.

Some days I want to pull out my hair because of customers (or co-workers).....
Mostly though, I love my time there.

There are so many things I'll miss about working.

#1- My ME time. I never had to skip it, because I was scheduled to do it. I never went to the back burner of my life. It was lovely. (Blasting music and singing at the top of my lungs on the way to/from work/on my lunch hour.... also wonderful.)

#2- I will miss my co-workers. Most are dear friends.
(Although some, I'll be able to part from without shedding a tear....)

From my melt down post, you might recall how I have grown to love my boss throughout the years. Today... she totally won me over again.... :) On Saturday, she told me that since I've decided not to go back to work after the babies are going to be born, I needed to write a formal resignation letter that she could send on to HR. I had all good intentions of doing it. I really did. This morning on my way to work, I remembered that it had skipped my mind entirely. Brenda asked about it as soon as I walked in..... I sheepishly had to admit to my absent mindedness. (insert blonde joke here.) She just laughed at me. I told her I'd bring it on Saturday.
Instead of giving me the chance to forget yet again, my boss wrote my resignation letter for me! She even was bubbly and 'perky' in the letter. (Just like I would have done)... and padded it with silliness and grandeur of the job- complete cheese letter. (Just like I would have written it).
"Work" Brenda is a serious girl. She is all business. So for her to write a cheese-ball resignation letter, just like I would have done.... Sigh.... She made me melt like a bowl full of cheddar in a microwave. We all got a good laugh about it today.

#3- One of the best parts of my jobs is people watching. I love it. "Bank People Watching" is almost better than "County Fair People Watching." (It only pales next to "Walmart People Watching") You get to know the most intimate lives of people. They talk trash about baby daddies, they come in with their designer threads and purses... and then talk about their welfare checks being late... They wonder why they over drew their accounts by subscribing to not so illustrious websites.... They try and convince you of fraud on their accounts... when you know darn well that the Coach purchase was legitimate as they have a brand new bag in their arms.... You get to hear crazy stories about how "rich" people are, or why they are so important and you must bow down to them because they know so-and-so.... You also get to make fun of their names. Man... there are some stupid names out there. What are parents thinking?
Today's fun names are:
Kooljoe
Pharaoh and Sultan
(brothers.... who just so happen at this very time to both be younger than 5)
and my personal favorite:
La-a
(Wanna know how to pronounce it? I'll give you a hint: The '-' isn't silent. That's right... the woman's name is La-dash-a.... Man, I wish that I were having a girl.)

#4- The rewards. Next door to the bank is a gas station that gives out rewards. Buy 9 drinks, the 10Th is free.... (etc), and each time you make a purchase... you get reward points that you can use and cash in for bigger things- Food, Gift Cards, Gas...etc. Just by volunteering to be the gopher for my office, I've earned in excess of 100,000 points. I've cashed them in for gift cards to Appleby's.... (Free dinner!), and I usually get my daily soda for free too. (Between the coffee and soda my co-workers drink... it usually ends up being about 9 drinks that I shuffle back and forth to the office.)..... It's awesome. I'm totally taking advantage of my co-workers to get free stuff. I like it like that.

#5- I will miss my regular customers. I've gotten to know them through the years. I've been with them through the happy times and the sad times too. I've seen grand children (or kids) born and spouses pass away. They are parts of my family- of sorts.


There are many, many more things that I will miss about working at the bank.. but right now, my brain is fried, I have heartburn, and I can't think anymore, as my cat is meowing in my face.

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There are also things I will not miss about working at the bank:

-Waking up early two days a week to get ready.
-Waking my kids up early to get ready.
-People irritating my 'banker' pet peeves.
(When going through the drive thru, have your deposit slips ready and made out, have your check that you are wanting cashed ready and made out, Send in your ID- Don't assume that every single person knows who you are, ON that note: Don't whine and moan when we ask for your ID- It's for your protection you stupid-head... would you rather that we get money out of your account for just anyone? Don't make the tellers in the drive thru do money orders/cashiers checks- it takes forever, Don't ask sarcastically if there is a "problem" when you aren't helped within 3 seconds. There are 3 lanes of cars... ONE teller helping all those people.. wait your turn. It's usually those people (and yourself) who are causing the hold up by not being ready to begin with..... can you tell I have issues? FYI- A check is a check- not cash. It is a piece of paper promising you payment of money. It doesn't have a president's face on it.
-Basically, if you have lots of transactions, a change order, wanting large amounts of cash, or aren't ready with your transaction.... park your car and come inside. Stop being rude to the drive thru teller, and the other customers in their cars. ALSO- HANG UP THE PHONE, for Pete's sake.... we are dealing with YOUR money... don't you want us to get your transaction right? (and leave your window down, in case we have questions).... and if you tick us off enough, holds may or may not be put on your accounts just to spite you.)
-Being yelled at when it isn't my fault.
(When Chip and I applied for our marriage license in the Court House, there was a huge sign above the customer service lady's counter.
It read:
"Your lack of preparation does not constitute as an emergency to Me."

I've always like that saying, and I've wished so many times that I could put that same sign over my teller window. Why do people wait until the last minute to do their banking? Seriously? Why do they come in at 11:55am on a Saturday, when we close at Noon.... and feel like they need to rush us, just because they have somewhere to go or something to do that's urgent. If it was that "urgent" for the transaction to be done, wake your butt up- get dressed- and out of the house. We open at 9am.
(Newsflash: Deposits made on Saturday are actually on Monday's business.... which means that it won't be posted to your account until Monday night at midnight. Your trip on Saturday counts for squat. Don't rush me. If it was urgent and needed to be posted and available for Saturday.... you should have done it Friday afternoon. Slacker.)

- I also won't miss making my referral goals.
(I never understood soliciting your own customers to get more products out of them. I hate being sold to... I hate selling to people... That's why I'm not a used car salesman.)

(I didn't realize that there was a tangent (or two) just waiting to spill out of me! OH well... My blog... My tangents.... )
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There are so many reasons I love working--So many joys of staying at home with the kids-
So many different directions I could take- Right now though, my compass is pointing at my front door.

I guess on the immediate agenda for my life- for the next 5-6 weeks, is to enjoy and cherish my "at work" time. It's a little bitter-sweet.

Cowgirl Up- EDIT

Chip and I have been talking to the girls, trying to get them mentally ready about our family eventually moving to Idaho. Alli got really worried about leaving her friends, her school, and basically... everything. I told her that she'll have family that lives close by, plus she'll get to play with cousins, AND that Papa and Grammy have horses for her to ride. She has always loved going to visit my parents.
(My parents live up a dirt road, up in the mountain, with virtually no neighbors. They have horses and lots of fun wildlife hanging around. Turkeys, bunnies, deer, cougars, black bears..... and rednecks.)

Riding horses has always been one of Alli's favorite things to do.

When Alli realized that living in Idaho and being able to visit Papa and Grammy more often also means that she'll be able to ride the horses more often too- She was really ecstatic- and then she got so worried. "I Don't have any cowboy boots that fit me anymore!" she wailed. "It's okay," I said. "I'm sure that Papa will hook you up with some boots that fit."
"Yeah, and then I need a cowboy hat, a vest, and those cowboy leg cover up things too."

Today, in the mail... Papa fulfilled one of those wishes. He's the greatest!

Giddy Up, Alli girl.
(I have a feeling that these will be worn daily.)

Post Edit:

We don't know when we are moving to Idaho yet. We'd like to think soon. ;)
We're waiting for Telesaur to be up and launched- and be making some $ before we move.

First the launch.
Second the move.

Oh the plus side Telesaur's blog is up and running- and so is the beta testing of Telesaur. We are short of beta testers... so if you are interested in doing it, just click the link and play around. It'll help the process go quicker. :)

Click Here For Beta Testing

Click Here for Telesaur Blog

Birthday Cake

Chip's mom and brother, Jeff, are going to be spending the weekend with us (Yippie!).
Saturday is Jeff's 20th Birthday.

I thought I'd be nice to him, and make a fun birthday cake.
When I saw this Candy Land Cake in a Taste of Home magazine, I knew I needed to make it.
(Jeff is a slight candy-a-holic.- and that's an understatement. haha)

I had to improvise a bit- as they used Candy Canes and Conversation Hearts as part of the decorations, and I just couldn't find them at the stores. Oh well....
I also only own Dora Candy Land- and I refuse to buy an original version of the game, just for the gingerbread people.... so this cake is sans people. (I only hope it doesn't make the cake taste bad... hehe)

I'll try to post better pictures of the cake when Jeff blows out the candles tomorrow- but right now, It's really late- and I am going to have my very first baby shower ever tomorrow. I think I need my beauty sleep.

Giggling Tubs.

Each night for the past few weeks, I've had to soothe my poor body with a shower.

I like it one of two temperatures:

Extra hot (where it makes you lobster red).... Relieves achy muscles, makes stress melt away, and very relaxing.

Chilly cool.... Helps control the sweat beads- Cools and calms- and brings on a refreshing 'zing'.

Each night I plug the tub- so I can kill two birds with one stone, and soak my swollen hobbit feet while relaxing my muscles and/or rinsing off my over heated body.

Each night I look down at the water that rises in the tub and long to lay down in it and just soak my aches away. I think of how marvelous it would be to soak in the tub- reading a book- and relaxing my cares away.

Ever hear of a babbling brook?

I have a giggling bathtub.

As my thoughts of soaking in the tub enter my mind- my tub starts laughing.

"You can't get up once you sit down in the water" it says to me.

"I think if I try hard enough, I could totally do this"- I say back to the tub.

After I say this- my tub erupts in fits of giggles.

"You might as well be on that 'Help! I've fallen and I can't get up' commercial" is what the tub says back.
"I guess you're right," I say.

With that I end my shower and grab my towel.

"Next time, bathtub- Next time." I vow to the tub, all the while shaking my fist at it.

It never fails that the tub always wins.

I spy

Hobbit feet.

Frodo's not nothing on me.
(Well.. he is more hairy, but that's a good thing)

On My Sleeve- Post Edit

Today my emotions were right there on my sleeves. I hope it's just pregnancy hormones- and that I really haven't gone crazy and started crying at everything and anything- just for the sake of doing it.

Because of that- this post may seem all over the place- but- I feel confident if you like doing puzzles, you'll probably be able to put this post together in a somewhat logical manner.

I talked to my boss today. I have really grown to love that woman. I'll be the first one to admit (although, she'd love to tell you "battle stories" too), that we didn't exactly hit it off at first. She was the lucky lady who trained me to be a teller... way back in July 02'. I was 4 months pregnant with Alli- new to Columbus- newly married... I was a mess. I thought of her as overly stern, blunt, mean, and not caring. Over time her positions in the bank have changed from trainer- to personal banker assistant- to teller supervisor- to teller- and now she is my boss. Over the time, We've had our conflicts (most of which ended in MY tears...), but we have had some extensive conversations- and now that I realize where she is coming from and who she really is- and she understands the same about me- we are actually friends, and I respect her so much. She has been sort of a Columbus 'mother-figure' to me now. Interesting how relationships change once you take the time to actually get to know someone- instead of taking them at just face value/first impressions. A Good lesson, that one. Classic case of Don't judge a book by it's cover.- Anyway- Today I had to tell her that I won't be returning to work after the babies come. I was hoping to find someway around it- (don't ask me how... it seemed justifiable in my head)- but really, it's not going to work out. Two newborns+ 3 year old+7 year old +husband fully feet first into starting a new company = I'm now at home full time, until the twins are in school. I spent about 30 minutes at her desk just letting it all out. Crying- of course. (She's also giving yearly reviews/raises today- so some of my co-workers were a little nervous that she was harsh on the reviews, because I was crying.... haha... they didn't realize I was just loosing it..... On the plus side- I got a raise.... but I only get to enjoy it for 5-7 more weeks..... lame.) I cried over the upcoming loss of my co-workers. I cried for the friendships that I don't know will be sustained without the common ground of work. I cried for the loss of adult only lunch dates that I get with my co-workers. I cried for the upcoming loss of my favorite clients. I cried for the loss of getting 'dressed-up' once a week, and having a reason to blow dry my hair- and wear fun jewelry. (It seems a tad bit unpractical to bedazzle myself on an every day basis...) I just cried. Hormones are like Pringles- Once you pop- you can't stop. I couldn't stop crying.

This week I've had to go through a grieving/mourning process over the loss of my independent self. I'm not yet ready to give me up yet.
Can I handle it emotionally? Will I end up getting postpartum depression again and going crazy? Will I ever have a minute for me again.... ever?? (Heck- I can't even use the bathroom around here without the door opening as it is!)

I know that my staying home would make my family happy. Chip likes me here (I'm pretty sure), Maggie is such a devoted mama's girl- that I have to talk her into going to my friend's house every single week, amid protests about how unhappy she is that I'm leaving her... again. Alli likes me to make her lunches- and drive her to and from school ( She cherishes her one-on-one time with me when we are driving.... as Maggie rarely goes with me to/from school- and once we get home- Maggie won't leave our sides-ever... so it's hard to get in that special time with my Alli girl.).

I feel so excited having two little boys join our family.
Excited.
Scared out of my mind.
Unsure.
Happy.
Nervous.
Delighted.
And yet- I feel so sad, because I feel like I'm losing ME in this transaction.

I will no longer have time nor luxury of:
Working.-alone
Scrapbooking.-alone
Quilting.-alone
Being Alone.-alone
Singing at the top of my lungs the music from my high school days with the stereo full blast in a car.- alone.
(noticing a theme??... all things I must be able to do without a child attached to me)

I will be 24/7 mom- 24/7 food source- 24/7 attached to two newborns- All on top of my other 'duties' as a mom.

Sure- I have reassurances from Chip that he will be here to help me, but seriously? He's starting a company from the floor up. He doesn't have time to eat/breath/sleep/do his church responsibilities/his day-job/play with the girls/help/go to the bathroom/ basically everything could go on this list. He's under enormous amounts of pressure to get this business done and started- (After all, we already paid through the nose for development costs, and he's been working on this for over 2 years......) Sure- He says that I'll be able to get time in for myself- but as it is... unless I'm at work, I don't get to have 'me' time. (Or very rarely.) This upcoming Friday, for the first time since.. um... early Fall, I will get to go on a girls crop night with my friend. I haven't even scrapbooked (aside from making cards at home)... since then. There isn't time. How will more time just "poof" appear- when twins arrive? Are you catching my drift?

Sure- I have reassurances from friends that they will 'kidnap' me- in order to get me out of the house, but really?.... Will I even have the energy to go?.... or the time, for that matter. Will I even know how to dress myself (I'm predicting that I'm going to be on the brink of sanity-)
But- the truth is: after all that time of having no "me" time- will I even want to spend time with anyone else if I DO get a moment?

I know this is a pretty lame post. It's all about me.
Me. Me. Me.
I'm feeling pretty selfish with myself right now.
Which of course- makes me feel even more lame- which then makes me cry some more.


Hormones stink.
So does the thought of losing me.


Post Edit:
I guess the problem is- I really, really enjoy and need my 'me time'. I am the type of person who literally goes a tad bit crazy without a break.

I'm not trying to let the women of the world define my happiness- I'm letting ME define my happiness- I am really happy when I am not being bothered by anyone. No mom duties. No wife duties. I only have to worry about me. I don't need this time 24/7- but I do need a little each day.

I think it's genetic- as I see the same behaviors and mental needs within the women in my family.

I don't want to give anyone the wrong impression- I am deeply happy being a mother. I LOVE my children. I love spending time with my children... (they are pretty awesome...) I love being a wife, I love spending time with Chip.(He pretty much rocks my world). I love having dear friends, and going out with them.(They are awesome parts of my life) BUT- I love me and my sanity, and want to spend time with myself too. I think I'm pretty good company, I usually never squabble with myself or have differing opinions- I always know what I like, and I don't have to compromise with me on what I want to do with my time.

Yes - it is true that the Savior never did his best work while alone- He was here on Earth to serve, teach, and show us the way back to our Heavenly Father- But even He needed meditation time- Time to pray and be at peace- receive guidance and direction.
However- there is a complete difference in Jesus' Mission on Earth and mine.

If I use all of my energy every day to make everyone else happy- why can't I use some of that energy making me happy too?- I can't be the best mother to my children if I'm not happy inside. You can only give others the things that you have- if I don't have it within myself, how can I give my children all that they need when I'm not first feeling 'whole'. I can't feed my children emotionally and spiritually with an empty cup.

I don't want to give my kids "leftovers" of myself. When I am with them- I want to give them the "fresh" me. I want to devote myself 100% to my family, when it's family time- That means, I'm sane- I've rejuvenated- I'm at peace.

2 days down- 4 to go

Spring Break is in full swing here at the Kohrman house.

Columbus school district lets the kids have Good Friday off, so it gives us an extra Spring Break day to play.

I was really nervous this year about spring break. I want to take the girls to the zoo- but I can't walk around a lot.... I want to go to COSI... but I can't walk around a lot... I want to do EVERYTHING, but I have no energy and can't walk around a lot... (notice a theme?) I'm just worried that Alli is getting short changed this year. My poor kids are stuck in the house more than not. This summer, I'm going to have to make it up to them.

So far things are going pretty good, no cabin fever has set in yet.... so that' always a good sign.

Friday we made the girls slaves for the day. Their room was so filthy with toys, dirty clothes, and art supplies running rampant. (And I just cleaned it spotless last week.... what the.....?!?) To give them a little break- Chip and I decided we'd take them to lunch at Steak n' Shake. It's normally not a place that we go to (apart from just the drive-thru to get milk shakes)- but we thought it'd be fun for the kids.

It seems like we never get out as an entire family to go out and eat.
The girls loved playing with their cars and hats that come with the meal. The only minor melt down was when we got into the car, Maggie realized that she forgot her car/hat sitting at the table....


So, what have my children been doing while I've had to take so much down time?
Legos
Polly Pocket
Little Pony
Pretend cooking
Play-doh
Painting
and............
playing with the camera.

Notice me in the background?
Talking on the phone, feet up, huge tummy.... What' a girl to do?

Easter

Easter this year was pretty laid back. We didn't go out of our way to do anything special... and part of it was that General Conference (A semi-annual event in which our church leaders- our Prophet, apostles, general authorities, leaders- give instructions to the members of our church. There are 3 two hour secessions on Saturday, and 2 two hour secessions on Sunday.) just so happen to have landed on this weekend. I LOVE General Conference. This one was amazing- so direct was the guidance. With all the watching of the conference itself, it doesn't lend much time for cooking and/or frivolous Easter egg traditions. In other words, This Easter was emphasised more for the true meaning/reason for it than anything else. It was nice talking to the kids about the Christ's Resurrection, and feel that special spirit in our home.

On Saturday morning before the first secession of conference, our ward had an egg hunt/pancake breakfast. I had to work- so Chip took the kids.
Alli had a blast running from egg to egg. Maggie out of the blue decided that her ear was hurting- so she sat on Chip's lap for the duration of the hunt.

Sunday morning, the bunny hid 15 eggs for each kid, and the kids got a small basket full of goodies. For our Easter feast- basically what didn't fit in a crock pot or bread machine wasn't on the menu. ... my type of cooking. Ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and homemade rolls. I tried a new brand of Ham this year, and it was really sweet ( I didn't realize that it would be that way).... thus making sweet gravy. I didn't taste test the gravy until it was too late and already poured over my plate. Darn. I'm mostly perfect, just not quite up to Mary Poppins standard yet. ;D

We had a really good and spiritually uplifting Easter this year.

Hope you also had a wonderful Happy Easter!

I did it!

I like baking. A lot.

Most of the time I get into baking moods and I'll end up baking rolls, banana bread, cookies, and cinnamon rolls all at the same time- and then I have the nerve to get ticked off and wonder why my family isn't eating it fast enough.

(A trait that I inherited from my mom is that I throw away baked goods within 1-2 days of baking it. After 1-2 days, it is yucky. Why Chip would still want to eat banana bread on the 3rd day after I made it, is frankly beyond me.... eww.)

Lately I've been in the roll out cookie mood. I have been finding such cute cutters, and now I'm addicted to #1- buying them, and #2- using them to cut cookies.
The cookie cutters that I'm especially digging right now are the Wilton Comfort Grip cutters. I think I own all the fall ones, all the Christmas ones, and now... the spring time ones... (is there a self help group for this?)

My first obstacle to overcome in my quest for the cut out cookies- was to find an actual sugar cookie recipe that I loved. I have never been a good sugar cookie maker. It just wasn't one of my talents. I knew in order to make my cookie cutter fetish count- I'd actually have to use them. I asked on Facebook who had an awesome recipe and I sat down and tried them all (on different days... no worries), and made my family vote on what they liked/didn't like about each cookie.
(Poor Chip isn't a huge fan of Sugar cookies, so he got tired of my experiment rather quickly)
The winner was: my friend Maury for recommending Mrs. Field's Sugar cookie recipe. It's a more dense, non-fluffy cookie. Very moist and chewy.

Mrs. Field's Sugar Cookies
2 C. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 C. sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 C. butter
(Use real butter- not margarine, or it just doesn't taste as good/and has a dry texture)

Preheat oven to 325
Cream together butter, sugar, egg, & vanilla- then add the dry ingredients.
(The recipe says to refrigerate for one hour- but I always skip that part.)
On a floured surface- roll out dough, and cut into desired shapes.
Bake for 13-15 minutes (or 11-12 minutes, if you want them soft)

*This recipe only makes about a dozen cookies (with the big cutters like I have). I've only ever doubled the recipe, and it turned out fine. If you ever triple it, etc, and it works (or not) let me know.

**Trick I learned: If you don't want your cookies to have an overly "flour" taste after rolling them out.... the trick is to use a half flour/half powdered sugar concoction to roll the cookies out with. It leaves the cookie a little sweeter than if you just use the flour alone. **

After the cookies were done baking/cooling down- I'd usually just put a slab of frosting on them and be done with it.
-BUT-
I've been checking out all of these cool baking/cooking blogs and have been noticing that the majority of the cookies were decorated with a hard crunchy frosting and it was smooth and beautiful. I decided I wanted to try that too.
First: I found out that the technique is called 'Flooding'.
Then I watched some You-Tube videos on the how-to's. I thought I'd start out simple.
You start with what's called a Royal Frosting recipe:

2 egg whites
2 tsp lemon juice
3 cups powdered sugar.

Combine the egg whites and lemon juice and beat it until STIFF peaks form. (in my kitchen-aid it took almost 10 minutes)
Once stiff peaks are formed, add powdered sugar one cup at a time. (remember to scrape the sides of the bowl to get any rogue sugar)
* this recipe was enough to decorate/flood about 20 of the cookies*

VERY IMPORTANT: this icing is MADE to harden- quickly. When you aren't using the portion of frosting still left in the bowl, it is very important to put a damp towel over it. Otherwise- it just hardens and you have to start from square one.

For the flooding technique, you need to pipe a boarder around the cookie. I didn't tint my icing to do the piping. Make sure your piping is fluid and there aren't many start/stop areas that the flooded parts might leak. (I used a size 7 Wilton piping tip)
After piping around your cookie (and doing any decorations like the zig/zag on the egg, the face on the bunny, and the center of the flour), let the cookie/frosting sit for about 15 minutes to let the icing harden a little.

After that time has expired, take a small bowl and fill with icing, and food coloring (I used Wilton brand cake decorating coloring)- then add about 3-4 teaspoons of water (one at a time) to get a runny texture. (in every clip I watched about the flooding part, they suggested that you put the runny icing in a squeeze bottle. I didn't have one... nor did I feel like driving the one mile to Michael's / JoAnn's and getting one. I used a size 2 Wilton piping tip instead. While it is possible to decorate like this- it was a lot more messy than if I had a squeeze bottle.) I just decorated the cookies one color at a time, and when one color ran out, I made another. It all worked out.
I did ruin a few cookies by making the icing a little to runny.... it wasn't pretty... and wasn't fun to clean up. I suggest Googling 'flooding cookies'- and watching a few videos before attempting this style of decorating.

Pros: The colors are vibrant! They don't get watered down like in traditional frosting recipes. It makes for pretty cookies.

Cons: It takes forever, and it's pretty messy.

I learned through all of this that Chip doesn't like crunchy frosting, even though it's pretty. Ohh well, he doesn't like sugar cookies that much either... :)

I actually enjoyed playing with the icing and decorating the cookies. I'm glad I now know how to do it. :)

Now I just have to wait for more cutters to come out.......

(Sorry if this was long winded. I was just so proud of myself for learning a new trick.)

Wrongful Doodle 3- Post Edit

Just in case your feathers were ruffled a little bit by my two postings in February about The Wrongful Doodle, or The Wrongful Doodle 2, - then you'll LOVE this post: The Wrongful Doodle 3!

The girl whom the post was about, Alexa Gonzalez, has now filed a lawsuit against the City of New York for $1 million dollars in damages for "overly harsh treatment". (Article Here)

What a crock of crap.

This is one of the things I hate about our country- frivolous lawsuits.

You just watch- if she wins the judgment, She/her parents will spend that money before a blink of an eye. New cars, fancy TV's, etc..... and then by the time she reaches the age to go to college- she won't be able to, because she has no money to do so. ..... then she'll probably do another lawsuit against the city, for not letting her know what instant wealth does to a person, and for not giving her money management classes upon receiving the settlement.
(In case you can't read into it... that is sarcasm dripping from your computer monitor.)

Feel free to post your differing opinions now.
I'd love to hear all about how frivolous lawsuits make our country a better place to live in.


Post Edit:
After reading this post again, some 8 hours after doing it, I'm noticing how witchy I sound! Holy mother load of hormones, Batman. It's really not a 'witchy' post... it was more or less just a sarcastically written one. Usually when I'm doing sarcasm, It's with a valley girl tone or a 16 year old's eye roll..... I think if you picture that, you'll think better of me. lol.

Game Time

Growing up in Northern Idaho- A place not known for it's diversity (both in race and religion... Basically, there aren't a lot of non-Christian based faiths.) I feel a sense of wonderment and excitement when I see new things for different religions.

As Passover is in full swing (From March 30- April 5Th), the grocery stores are filled to the brim with Kosher foods..... and now Kosher games too. I knew that I just had to take pictures of them, as I thought they were to great not to share.

The following are Kosher games that I saw while grocery shopping yesterday:

If you have ever seen the movie For Richer or Poorer, this totally reminds me of the scene when Tim Allen is trying to sell investors on a theme park called "The Holy Land"

"For the Jewish guests, we have Torah Torah Torah the water slide, and for our Japanese guests we have Torah Torah Torah the water slide."

(Are you also wondering what the cards say?)

Finally, My personal favorite that made me crack up in more than one way:

(Are you checking out the Matzoh cracker wearing a bow tie too? He's my favorite! If you have never had the delights of eating Matzoh- it certainly would never make it in my top 1 million favorite things to eat. I just thought it was awesome that a classy Matzoh cracker in a bow tie is playing in Kosherland! Woo Hoo!)

Disclaimer: I am in no way, shape, or form Anti- Semitic. I am not making fun of the Jewish faith- In fact I find it quite fascinating. After high school, I moved to Philly and became a live-in nanny for a Jewish family. I got to celebrate Hanukkah with them and participate in their Passover Seder. It was a rather cool experience!