Not exactly in that order, though.
Bob and I woke up at 7:45 to the phone ringing. It was Daniel's doctor, calling to cancel his 6 month checkup that was scheduled for this morning, because she was sick.
Then we got moving and realized that Naysha was sick, too. Fever of 102ish and headache, but still eating and talking. THEN we realized that Daniel was also a little warm. Took his temp at 101ish. He provided the tears, as well as a rather non-stop fussy wail. He vocalizes pretty constantly most days, and today was no different, just the tune was a little more bluesy.
Bob went into town anyway, picking up our first ever order with Azure Standard, which I plan to review soon, and going for a few other things.
The blood came a little later in the day, as the children were playing outside (it was around 70* all day). I heard (amongst the usual cacophony) a few distinct shouts: "it's bleeding!" "Take him in" "Get Mama" "AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" I went to the door, steeling myself against whatever might appear. William was walking/being led to the house with blood streaming down his face, screaming all the way (as were all the others). I took him into the bathroom, asking "what happened?", but he was too frightened to answer. I pressed a rag on the wound while wiping the blood from his face with another rag, and he finally calmed down enough to ask if he was going to die. No, baby, it's just a cut. Turns out that they were playing some fight/police game, and Riah had thrown his sword at William (a homemade, wooden sword with nails not quite hammered in smooth). We got the head cleaned up and discovered a small (maybe 1cm), clean cut that wasn't too deep and was already almost stopped bleeding. After a few more minutes of pressure we put on a drop of liquid bandaid that stung like crazy, and then it was all better. We're guessing that it was actually a nail that grazed him, since there isn't any swelling around the cut.
Never a dull moment.
Tuesday, 29 January 2013
Friday, 25 January 2013
Daniel 6 months
Daniel turns 6 months tomorrow. Yesterday, he sat himself up for the first time. Today, he's an old pro at it. All of his toys that had become boring are now interesting again when viewed from such lofty heights.
Bob took some pics of him for the occasion (and a class): they are on Flickr but marked private so you have to be signed in as a friend or family to see it. I did, however, think I might share a few oldies I found while going through my files.
Bob took some pics of him for the occasion (and a class): they are on Flickr but marked private so you have to be signed in as a friend or family to see it. I did, however, think I might share a few oldies I found while going through my files.
Wednesday, 23 January 2013
computer work
I've been working on my computer a bit; typing up a Purim play that we're going to do, transferring all my pictures from the laptop, and labeling them.
In between trips to town, that is. And birthdays.
Meanwhile, Daniel has learned to crawl, sit up, and stay up all night. He makes up for it by smiling a lot and giving hugs and kisses.
Naysha is starting to get a grip on reading, and Ella is doing well with beginner phonics.
All the boys are outgrowing their jeans again.
I thought I had something interesting to say, but I guess I'm pretty tired. Oh, well. :)
In between trips to town, that is. And birthdays.
Meanwhile, Daniel has learned to crawl, sit up, and stay up all night. He makes up for it by smiling a lot and giving hugs and kisses.
Naysha is starting to get a grip on reading, and Ella is doing well with beginner phonics.
All the boys are outgrowing their jeans again.
I thought I had something interesting to say, but I guess I'm pretty tired. Oh, well. :)
Friday, 18 January 2013
a Gastronomical Birthday
Today is Taryn's birthday. We usually allow the children to request a special meal or two. Taryn requested Krispy Kreme doughnuts for breakfast. Bob took the idea up a level and decided to take us on a doughnut tasting tour of NW Arkansas.
First stop, Shipley Do-nuts, which has recently opened several stores in the area. Bob popped in and got a dozen holes (they threw in a 13th) and two chocolate covered. The doughnuts were very light and soft, and the flavor was good. The glaze tasted very like what I came up with once when trying to make it at home. There was no crispness on the outside, and they left a greasy aftertaste (kinda like cold Red Lobster biscuits).
Next Bob dropped me off at Aldi for a few groceries, and he went to WalMart for Promised Land chocolate milk (which is awesome), and then over to an independent "Olde Tyme Doughnuts" that is mentioned here. These pastries were quite heavy, dense, and chewy, and Bob detected a hint of nutmeg. No grease detectable. We passed the milk.
We took Sunset over to I-540, stopping at a Daylight Doughnuts. They were out of chocolate covered, but did have a few holes left. We found this store managed to combine the bad parts of the previous two, and created a doughnut that was heavy and greasy. There was also a much heavier nutmeg flavor, and a somewhat stale quality.
Up to Rogers, and then over toward Krispy Kreme. But first, across the street to Bizzy B's Bakery. They did/do not have doughnuts, but Bob selected a "chocolate croissant" that was smothered in powdered sugar, filled with very dark chocolate, and had layers of chewy pastry (rather than the flakiness we came to love in England). When we went there the night before Daniel was born I got something chocolatey that was very nice - a pie of some sort, I think.
Finally, Krispy Kreme. The "hot doughnut" sign was on, and though press releases last year said they would no longer give away free hot doughnuts (and I didn't even know they did before I heard that they didn't anymore), they did. :-) So we each got a free hot glazed doughnut. These simply melted in our mouths. Then we each picked out a variety, and we got a couple more (as a dozen is cheaper than 9). We slowly enjoyed those, watched the doughnut assembly line, drank the rest of the milk, and washed. Then we began to evaluate the taste of the shelved doughnuts, and realized we hadn't got a simple chocolate-covered one, so we bought one of those. We found it overwhelmingly sweet (they glaze them first, then add the chocolate), but very light, slightly crispy on the outside (probably because of the glaze), and with a vanilla flavor (again, the glaze). The chocolate was good.
Overall, I (and most of the children) liked KK the best. Bob preferred Shipley.
After breakfast (it was now 11am), we headed over to Academy Sports to get a new string for Bob's bow. We waited to ask a man, and he simply stated that they didn't carry that (no apology, much less a "have you tried ___"). So we let Naysha look at shoes for a minute. I picked out 5 or 6 pair that were marked $30 or less, and she decided on one, so we headed out.
Taryn wanted to get a guitar case for her new guitar (I forgot to mention that, didn't I? We got her a guitar from a flea market after Bob's uncle approved it as nice, and then they took it to MO to a shop for a few minor adjustments, and now it's top-notch), so we went down to Fayetteville to Guitar World. They picked out a case that the man assured them would fit (and they could exchange if it didn't).
We went to Braum's for butter (it's on sale), then to Popeye's for lunch, where the biscuits were just coming out of the oven. Then I saw the receipt from Academy, where the shoes rang up as $50. Sigh. Assuming they would give us the $20, it would hardly be worth it to drive all the way back to Rogers for it. And if they didn't... well, we didn't want to go back through the fittings - Naysha is pickier and less decisive than I am. So we let it go.
We made it home at 3pm.
At 5 we left for the Huntsville Pantry, then prayer on the square. Then Taryn talked Bob into pizza for supper at the Little Pizza Place. It was very good. Home again by 7:30 where Taryn made no bake cookies.
And I reckon that's enough.
First stop, Shipley Do-nuts, which has recently opened several stores in the area. Bob popped in and got a dozen holes (they threw in a 13th) and two chocolate covered. The doughnuts were very light and soft, and the flavor was good. The glaze tasted very like what I came up with once when trying to make it at home. There was no crispness on the outside, and they left a greasy aftertaste (kinda like cold Red Lobster biscuits).
Next Bob dropped me off at Aldi for a few groceries, and he went to WalMart for Promised Land chocolate milk (which is awesome), and then over to an independent "Olde Tyme Doughnuts" that is mentioned here. These pastries were quite heavy, dense, and chewy, and Bob detected a hint of nutmeg. No grease detectable. We passed the milk.
We took Sunset over to I-540, stopping at a Daylight Doughnuts. They were out of chocolate covered, but did have a few holes left. We found this store managed to combine the bad parts of the previous two, and created a doughnut that was heavy and greasy. There was also a much heavier nutmeg flavor, and a somewhat stale quality.
Up to Rogers, and then over toward Krispy Kreme. But first, across the street to Bizzy B's Bakery. They did/do not have doughnuts, but Bob selected a "chocolate croissant" that was smothered in powdered sugar, filled with very dark chocolate, and had layers of chewy pastry (rather than the flakiness we came to love in England). When we went there the night before Daniel was born I got something chocolatey that was very nice - a pie of some sort, I think.
Finally, Krispy Kreme. The "hot doughnut" sign was on, and though press releases last year said they would no longer give away free hot doughnuts (and I didn't even know they did before I heard that they didn't anymore), they did. :-) So we each got a free hot glazed doughnut. These simply melted in our mouths. Then we each picked out a variety, and we got a couple more (as a dozen is cheaper than 9). We slowly enjoyed those, watched the doughnut assembly line, drank the rest of the milk, and washed. Then we began to evaluate the taste of the shelved doughnuts, and realized we hadn't got a simple chocolate-covered one, so we bought one of those. We found it overwhelmingly sweet (they glaze them first, then add the chocolate), but very light, slightly crispy on the outside (probably because of the glaze), and with a vanilla flavor (again, the glaze). The chocolate was good.
Overall, I (and most of the children) liked KK the best. Bob preferred Shipley.
After breakfast (it was now 11am), we headed over to Academy Sports to get a new string for Bob's bow. We waited to ask a man, and he simply stated that they didn't carry that (no apology, much less a "have you tried ___"). So we let Naysha look at shoes for a minute. I picked out 5 or 6 pair that were marked $30 or less, and she decided on one, so we headed out.
Taryn wanted to get a guitar case for her new guitar (I forgot to mention that, didn't I? We got her a guitar from a flea market after Bob's uncle approved it as nice, and then they took it to MO to a shop for a few minor adjustments, and now it's top-notch), so we went down to Fayetteville to Guitar World. They picked out a case that the man assured them would fit (and they could exchange if it didn't).
We went to Braum's for butter (it's on sale), then to Popeye's for lunch, where the biscuits were just coming out of the oven. Then I saw the receipt from Academy, where the shoes rang up as $50. Sigh. Assuming they would give us the $20, it would hardly be worth it to drive all the way back to Rogers for it. And if they didn't... well, we didn't want to go back through the fittings - Naysha is pickier and less decisive than I am. So we let it go.
We made it home at 3pm.
At 5 we left for the Huntsville Pantry, then prayer on the square. Then Taryn talked Bob into pizza for supper at the Little Pizza Place. It was very good. Home again by 7:30 where Taryn made no bake cookies.
And I reckon that's enough.
Saturday, 12 January 2013
Snippets
Today we, as promised last Fall, went to a local Big Cat rescue, where the following conversation took place. (as posted to Facebook).
Wednesday, 9 January 2013
social networking grievances
You all know I'm on Facebook; most of you are, too. Mostly I enjoy keeping up with friends and relatives, reading the cute sayings, and even seeing the cute pictures. But sometimes!!!!
One of my acquaintances has done something that I feel is not only morally wrong, but inconsistent with their own values. It just tears me up to read about it. But what do I do? If I reply to their post (which already has 20 "likes") in a negative tone, all their friends (most of whom I don't even know) will begin to argue with me. And if I try to so much as define my position there I am in the midst of an argument. Ugh. I almost quit Facebook because of the frustration, but several friends spoke up and said they appreciated my presence there. So I try to not get into things. But!!! This is so frustrating that this person is doing something so stupid, and everybody's just "yay for you" about it.
So I try to put it in "real life" terms. Their post would be the equivalent of having a party in their home, where the announcement is made. In real life my reaction would be to sadly and quietly shake my head; if my friend noticed she would either dismiss me out of hand, or if she really cared about my opinion she might call me later and ask about it. Then, in privacy we could discuss my concerns and she could give her reasons. To comment on her post would be like standing up at the party and starting a scene. But there is no Facebook equivalent of quietly shaking your head. There is the private message, but that would be like ME taking HER aside to express my concerns, which (in my world) would only be appropriate if we were pretty close or I was somehow responsible for her.
So I vent to Bob, and that helps. I do have the option of blogging about the issue, or just posting about it on Facebook however vaguely, but that would be like me then throwing a party, inviting my friend the original party-thrower and a bunch of my friends who probably don't know her, and then making a public statement to contradict her statements or actions in the hope of my friends backing me up and thus getting through to her.
So I vent about the fact that I can't vent, and move on.
One of my acquaintances has done something that I feel is not only morally wrong, but inconsistent with their own values. It just tears me up to read about it. But what do I do? If I reply to their post (which already has 20 "likes") in a negative tone, all their friends (most of whom I don't even know) will begin to argue with me. And if I try to so much as define my position there I am in the midst of an argument. Ugh. I almost quit Facebook because of the frustration, but several friends spoke up and said they appreciated my presence there. So I try to not get into things. But!!! This is so frustrating that this person is doing something so stupid, and everybody's just "yay for you" about it.
So I try to put it in "real life" terms. Their post would be the equivalent of having a party in their home, where the announcement is made. In real life my reaction would be to sadly and quietly shake my head; if my friend noticed she would either dismiss me out of hand, or if she really cared about my opinion she might call me later and ask about it. Then, in privacy we could discuss my concerns and she could give her reasons. To comment on her post would be like standing up at the party and starting a scene. But there is no Facebook equivalent of quietly shaking your head. There is the private message, but that would be like ME taking HER aside to express my concerns, which (in my world) would only be appropriate if we were pretty close or I was somehow responsible for her.
So I vent to Bob, and that helps. I do have the option of blogging about the issue, or just posting about it on Facebook however vaguely, but that would be like me then throwing a party, inviting my friend the original party-thrower and a bunch of my friends who probably don't know her, and then making a public statement to contradict her statements or actions in the hope of my friends backing me up and thus getting through to her.
So I vent about the fact that I can't vent, and move on.
Monday, 7 January 2013
Why do I blog anyway?
Good question. There are lots of reasons, of course, including the fact that my memory is very bad, and it's good to have a (sketchy) record of some life events.
But recently I was thinking, and it occurred to me that when I write, I really am looking for some form of validation or affirmation. That is a little surprising, considering my self-proclaimed loner status and my penchant for all things practical over anything sentimental. But I DO have feelings and needs after all, and what better way to proclaim them than a public blog post? (little chuckle at myself).
Anywho, I once read a book that I'd bought for Bob (he never read it), called For Men Only. And it had a chapter that said inside every woman is a little girl, dressed up in her fancy clothes and twirling around, asking her Daddy if she looks pretty. Not that "pretty" is necessarily what I'm wanting to hear (I'm past thinking that is how I'll ever be honestly described), but it's nice to sometimes be reminded that I'm smart, or funny, or even principled or honest.
Mostly I just like to know that what I've said makes sense to somebody besides me (even if I'm wrong).
Hmm. This didn't start out as a quest for comments, but it is starting to sound like one. Basically just trying to be a little introspective.
But recently I was thinking, and it occurred to me that when I write, I really am looking for some form of validation or affirmation. That is a little surprising, considering my self-proclaimed loner status and my penchant for all things practical over anything sentimental. But I DO have feelings and needs after all, and what better way to proclaim them than a public blog post? (little chuckle at myself).
Anywho, I once read a book that I'd bought for Bob (he never read it), called For Men Only. And it had a chapter that said inside every woman is a little girl, dressed up in her fancy clothes and twirling around, asking her Daddy if she looks pretty. Not that "pretty" is necessarily what I'm wanting to hear (I'm past thinking that is how I'll ever be honestly described), but it's nice to sometimes be reminded that I'm smart, or funny, or even principled or honest.
Mostly I just like to know that what I've said makes sense to somebody besides me (even if I'm wrong).
Hmm. This didn't start out as a quest for comments, but it is starting to sound like one. Basically just trying to be a little introspective.
Sunday, 6 January 2013
one tired Mama
I've had a busy day or two.
Yesterday we had People come over, one of whom Daniel didn't like, so I had to hold him the whole time they were here. And before they got here there was the cleaning and the cooking.
Today was Cedwryck's birthday.
Somehow in the last two days I roasted a turkey for the first time, made soaked wheat dinner rolls, a birthday cake, cinnamon rolls, chili, fruit salad, chicken bone broth; shopped a sale, helped clean the house, keep the fire, etc.... Last night Daniel was in a funk (he's a little congested) and wouldn't go to bed until 1am. I dreamed about turkeys all night and woke up at 6.
Today we had the 1st annual Cedieval games. There was rock throwing at the frozen pond (keep one eye closed at all times), Sword fighting (thrusting only, with both eyes closed, and only when standing on one foot), Angry Birds (by rolling marbles at plastic animals on Jenga blocks), Archery (with a wooden bow and a PVC arrow), Face Making (the tongue must protrude at all times), and the Obstacle Course (go round, round, round the see-saw). The main rule was "the rules are made up and the points don't matter."
In the midst of that, we found out that our friend fell off a scaffold and crushed both his heels. He had surgery this morning. I tried to help them locate a wheelchair, but couldn't find what they needed, so they will rent one. My heart is heavy as I think of their needs, but I know God is good and they do have a strong support system within their family and their church.
Yesterday we had People come over, one of whom Daniel didn't like, so I had to hold him the whole time they were here. And before they got here there was the cleaning and the cooking.
Today was Cedwryck's birthday.
Somehow in the last two days I roasted a turkey for the first time, made soaked wheat dinner rolls, a birthday cake, cinnamon rolls, chili, fruit salad, chicken bone broth; shopped a sale, helped clean the house, keep the fire, etc.... Last night Daniel was in a funk (he's a little congested) and wouldn't go to bed until 1am. I dreamed about turkeys all night and woke up at 6.
Today we had the 1st annual Cedieval games. There was rock throwing at the frozen pond (keep one eye closed at all times), Sword fighting (thrusting only, with both eyes closed, and only when standing on one foot), Angry Birds (by rolling marbles at plastic animals on Jenga blocks), Archery (with a wooden bow and a PVC arrow), Face Making (the tongue must protrude at all times), and the Obstacle Course (go round, round, round the see-saw). The main rule was "the rules are made up and the points don't matter."
In the midst of that, we found out that our friend fell off a scaffold and crushed both his heels. He had surgery this morning. I tried to help them locate a wheelchair, but couldn't find what they needed, so they will rent one. My heart is heavy as I think of their needs, but I know God is good and they do have a strong support system within their family and their church.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)