The Busy Season

Summer is always the busy season for us. It just is. This year, Justin even decided not to play baseball this summer, but somehow it still feels insane. Right now, a lot of that insanity is due to Justin's crazy work schedule where he's been getting up anywhere between 3am and 5am to head to work, and then working until 5 or 6pm (or later). He's tired, and has asked me to help make sure that he gets up and doesn't sleep through his alarm in the mornings, and so then I'm finding myself waking up almost every hour in a "CRAP! Did we sleep through the alarm?!" panic. Work for Justin is crazy, but at least there *is* construction work for the first time in many years. Still, we are both very tired.

Southern Oregon is experiencing some crazy forest fires right now. It's really scary. On Monday night, lightning struck and started a fire near my sister-in-law's house, and we headed over to help them evacuate. At the end of that night, there were 5 homes in danger and the fire was 50 acres. As of this morning, just three days later, the fire is 600+ acres with 130 homes in danger, and the governor has declared a state of emergency. The firefighters have been absolutely incredible, both on land and from the air, and so far have saved every home. But, the fire is not contained at all, and many, many families that we know personally are displaced, and/or have damage to their property. It's a terrifying thing, and we would all appreciate your prayers.

 {Smoke in the valley over the past few days. Bottom left is a photo of one of the many helicopters doing drops from the Rogue River. Bottom right is stolen from my friend Amanda, and shows the smoke from the fire near my sister-in-law's house}

Other than that, I'm still working out consistently, though I've switched from P90x to P90x3, because hello...30 minutes. It's just easier to make that happen. I'm currently in week 4, which is sort of like the rest week before moving to block 2. I haven't seen any crazy dramatic differences in month one--about half an inch lost each from my waist, hips, and thighs--but I wasn't expecting a lot of difference either. I've heard that with P90x3, most of the change comes in blocks 2 and 3, so I'm trying to keep eating well, keep trucking, and not get discouraged.

{Week 1 on the left, Week 4 on the right}

Our garden is doing well, the kiddos are as crazy (but fun) as ever, I've made some really, really delicious food (thank you Pinterest). Life is good.

  

Monday Morning Musings

This weekend had a lot of really good. It also had a lot of really hard. Such is life, I suppose.

-Friday started out with an unexpected day off for Justin....and 65* weather. What? The weather has been so weird this year--the mountain still hasn't even had enough snow to open for skiers and snowboarders! Anyway, the sunshine was much needed and welcomed for my sanity, and we took full advantage of the day with lots of scooters, bike rides, and a trip to the park. Then, while the kids napped, I planted a bunch of flower bulbs that I had forgotten to plant this fall. We'll see what happens with those!

-I also worked on my second quilt quite a bit and am really loving where that's going, and also had some time on Saturday to {finally} work on Becca's room and hung the gallery wall that I'd had sitting on her dresser for almost two years. I really like how that turned out, and think I didn't do too bad for not measuring or leveling anything or even making a plan in advance, ha! Becca is, of course, crying in the photo because she's been getting molars and is really puny lately. In this instance, I had changed her diaper, and then set her on the ground. Once her feet hit the ground, she started screaming hysterically and pointing to her changing pad and saying "Uppie!!" So, I picked her up and put her on her changing pad, and she was...still hysterical. 

-Speaking of Becca being hysterical, she is at that age where she knows what she wants, but doesn't always know the words for what she wants, which means that she is constantly frustrated and constantly throwing herself on the ground. She actually does a pretty good job of communicating--we have one of those "100 First Words" books and she'll often bring it over and point to something that she wants...but the problem is that she can't always HAVE what she wants. The other day she came over at like 6:30am and pointed to the chocolate bar. I asked her if she was hungry, and she shook her finger at me, said "NO", and very dramatically pointed at the chocolate bar. I asked if she wanted chocolate, and she nodded. Yeah, that turned into an epic tantrum. Babies are so weird, and this age is kinda hard in that way.

-This past week, one of our neighbors was killed in a pretty tragic accident at work. We didn't know those neighbors well, but I think his death hit both Justin and I pretty hard--for one, he was in his early forties. Second, he worked in construction, and was killed working at the same project that Justin had been working on for most of the past year. I know it probably sounds silly, but plumbing seems like a safe job. Not like a policeman or a firefighter. I really hadn't given much thought to the fact that Justin could go to work one day and not come home. But of course, that's true of anyone, any day, isn't it?

-Then over the weekend, we got word that an older man from church was in the ICU, and was not expected to make it through the day. He used to help with the youth group quite a bit when Justin and I were in high school, he organized the Easter Egg hunt for the little kids every year, and he was always in charge of the temporary tattoo station at our big summer carnival every year. Everybody called him "Uncle Charlie", and he really did feel like everybody's uncle. Kindness just poured out of him. He seemed to be getting better as the weekend continued on, but we knew that while it could mean he was getting better, it could also just as equally be a "final rally". He passed away on Sunday evening.

-We're having some electrical problems, which are completely FREAKING ME OUT. This is happening to different degrees to two of these same light fixtures in our house. My dad (who is a general contractor) and Justin have both pulled different lights and can't seem to find anything obviously wrong--no arcs, no weird wiring, correct wattage bulbs. Some research online has given us an idea of what's up, but J will have to call an electrician buddy today to verify, and I've been given instructions to basically not use these lights today, which is awesome. And I'm sure that's going to be a fun expense.

-So, you all know that Bones is my favorite TV show, right? Well, this season, one of the story lines is about one of the main characters finding out that he has a very advanced and often deadly form of cancer--Ewing's sarcoma. I seriously can't handle this storyline right now. I'm having to read recaps before I can watch the show. See, the weird form of skin cancer that I had about two years ago was a sarcoma. I know that there are probably hundreds (thousands?) of forms of sarcomas, but I also have my two-year follow up for my skin cancer thing this Wednesday, and I always get really, really anxious before any of my dermatologist appointments because I really just don't want to deal with that again, not to mention the fact that I'm pretty sure that the medical costs would bankrupt us. We're still recovering from the financial repercussions of last time. I'd honestly rather bury my head in the sand and forget that there is even such a thing as a sarcoma right now, but that's been hard to do. I know it is nothing compared to the grief that the family members are going through, but the two deaths we've experienced this weekend have been especially hard for me in light of all this as well. I just want to pretend for the next three days that there's no such thing as sarcoma, that there's no such thing as death, and that everything is just puppies and rainbows and ice cream. And I definitely can't handle the storyline of crazy-deadly cancer growing under someone's skin for years and years before anyone had any idea until it was way too late right now. Hello, one of my worst fears.

So, there's good. Lots of good. There's also a bit  that's making me crazy-anxious and borderline hysterical, and means that I want to eat ALL THE CHOCOLATE. Wooosah.

Snippets

-So, I made another quilt! I did a second whole-cloth quilt for a friend who is having a baby soon. Like the first, this one is so far from perfect, but it was also a LOT easier and more fun than the first quilt that I made, probably due in great part to the fact that I used a walking foot, the arm for my sewing machine, and quilting pins. Imagine that, using the proper materials made a difference! Ha! Anyway, I love how it turned out and can't wait to get it to its owner :)

I still have one little detail to finish up before I send it off, but I've already started on another quilt. I feel like it's practically a requirement to start a second quilt before finishing the one you're working on. But this next one is going to be the first time that I actually attempt to piece a quilt, and true to form, I'm going big or going home, with a postage stamp/scrap quilt. Those are really my favorite, and I just can't imagine trying anything else next. So, here's to imperfect quilt number 3!

-So, Lizzy a couple of weeks before Lizzy's birthday, we started talking about her party. I told her that since her birthday is in the winter and our family is so big and house is so small, we would probably just have a family party this year. Her response? "I'm okay with that. I've already adopted my whole class plus all of my other friends, so they can all come too." Hmmm, good effort kiddo. Anyway, sweet girl wanted to go TO Dairy Queen and eat a cake there. So, we did.

-The Seahawks are going to the SUPERBOWL!!!! Woo-hoo! My two favorite teams are the Seahawks and the Broncos, so I'll be happy no matter what. Justin is a pretty die-hard Seahawks fan (he grew up in WA near Seattle), so I think that he's pretty gung-ho for the Seahawks to win. 

That said, I'm really OVER the whole pretend Richard Sherman drama. Was he a little mouthy? Yep. Could he have handled himself better? Yep. But let's not forget that this was a super emotionally charged game against two rival teams, and there's a whole lot of bad blood there. Frankly, I think anyone who has ever played competitive sports knows that it can get heated, and I just can't get fired up about that, especially when there are countless other NFL players who are arrested frequently for drug charges, DUIIs, rape charges, etc. Rape charges? No biggie. But shouting? UNACCEPTABLE. 

-I am STILL recovering from being sick. I've been sick for about 21 days now, and though I feel better, I still don't feel great and still haven't gone back to exercising yet. My body just isn't ready yet. I'm a firm believer that there's a time and a place for pushing through the sickies, but this just isn't it. I'm worried that if I went back to T25 now, I'd end up in the hospital. Which means I'm a little ornery from the lack of good endorphins ;)

Flow

Because I loved Julia's post so much and feel like a walking zombie who can't manage anything else this morning...

I poured myself a cup of coffee this morning to find a dead earwig floating in my cup. I do not feel like this bodes well for the day.

At 1am yesterday/this morning, Lizzy loudly yelled, "I'M READY TO GET UP NOW!" I finally got her to come lay in our bed instead. Which meant that of an entire king sized bed, I had about six inches of sleeping space all night.

I'm not sure if this is largely influenced by how pregnant I am, but Lizzy is exhausting lately. I feel like she asks 685 questions per minute...usually the same one over and over again no matter how many times I've answered it.

Sometimes, being related to the pastor is funny. Justin's parents won't be in town this Sunday, so his dad sent out an email about who all would be covering services, Bible Study, etc. I was reading through the email, and then came to "Justin & Meredith will be leading Sunday morning Bible Study." Um, we are? Because I'm pretty sure that after being one of the organizers of the Harvest Fest/Carnival that's happening all day Saturday and late into the evening, this pregnant lady is going to be exhausted, and the only studying I'll be doing is of sleep ;)

When I was pregnant with Lizzy, I had an anterior placenta. I never felt big alien baby movements with her. This one is apparently different because HOLY COW. And sometimes it hurts, like take-your-breath-away style! This is new. And kinda fun...you know, when I'm not doubled over from a kidney shot.

One wall of the nursery has one coat of paint. Our next free weekend is the 27th. The thought of beginning the nursery at 38 weeks pregnant stresses me out a little. Even though the kiddo will likely spend several months in our room anyway.

Speaking of which...I also need to clean out our room to make space for the pack and play.

My mom did finish the baby quilt for #2 though, and I am SO STINKING EXCITED about it. It is adorable. And also a totally borrowed idea from Julia. Julia, I hope you don't mind me basically ripping off your life ;)  You are pretty awesome.

There's this teenager who has sort of landed in our lives lately, and I'm praying for wisdom about how to be an appropriate support system for them while still maintaining appropriate boundaries...both for them and for our family. I totally don't have the answers. I feel a little like I'm muddling through it, and I hope I do it right.

Still loving the awesome encouragement that has come from unexpected places this week. Most recently, an email from the lady we're working on refinancing our house with, who has no idea how/whether/if the hospital collections thing will affect our house refinance either. She closed her email with encouragement to "remember who is in charge", and it was just perfectly timed, perfectly said. So grateful for those little moments.

As I'm typing this, I'm realizing that Lizzy has somehow figured out how to turn on the TV, navigate to the DVR, select Dora, and play the show. She just did it right now. WHAT THE HECK?! How can she do that already?!

I'm knitting a cowl/infinity scarf. I hope (a) it turns out and (b) that I actually wear it. I feel very accomplished, because I'm knitting it in the round, which is something I totally suck at.

Happy Tuesday everyone! I'm off to enjoy my (hopefully) earwig-less coffee.

Catching up.

{one} 

We made some serious progress in deep cleaning the house this weekend, which is awesome and amazing, because the next FOUR Saturdays are booked up...which is crazy and surreal. We still have a huge amount to do pre-baby, but getting a good check of the general deep-cleaning out of the way is a huge relief. And it's kind of nice that I could actually invite people over to our house again--it really was so bad, that it was out of the question!

{two}

I have a dermatologist appointment this morning, I think to check on how the place where I had stitches on my stomach is holding up, and also to monitor a mole. Even though I don't think it's going to be a big deal, I have a hard time not getting super anxious any time I have a dermatologist appointment. I freaked most of the night last night about the appointment.

{three} 

I did some housekeeping to the blog over the weekend--I cleaned up the sidebar a bit, and also revamped the pages in the header. Now, you can find all baby and infant related posts itemized in one central location, and also a master list of all book reviews. I'm also trying something new and opening up a limited number of sidebar ads via Passionfruit-- check it out if you're so inclined (and I promise you won't hear much more from me on the subject).

{four}

We went to a wedding over the weekend for a young couple that used to help with childcare for Mom's Group. Justin and I were cracking up because both the father/daughter dance and the mother/son dance were the exact same songs we used for our wedding. I don't think I've heard them at ANY wedding since then, so it was pretty funny to hear both in one wedding. We kept joking that we guessed we were supposed to be remembering our wedding that day ;)

{five}

I get to start Beth Moore's study of James with some of the ladies from Mom's Group this week, and I am so excited. SO. EXCITED. I have absolutely zero doubt that it'll be really good for me to really dig in to the Word in these last few weeks before having a baby...because I don't know about anyone else, but it is so easy for me to fall out of the habit of daily quiet time, and when I do, nothing good comes of it. Also? Totally crazy to think that I most likely won't finish the study with the group because I'll be off having a baby.

{six}

Last night, I had a conversation with Lizzy about dinner that went like this:
Me: Lizzy, would you like a cheeseburger for dinner?
Lizzy: No mom!! I want a hang-a-burger with cheese, please.

If I would have told her that a hang-a-burger with cheese is the same thing as a cheeseburger, it would have resulted in a 37 minute tantrum. Sometimes, it's just easier to call it a hang-a-burger with cheese.

{seven} 

I'm in a book slump. I haven't picked up a book that I was really, really excited about reading in too long. This is compounded by the fact that what I read before bed has recently been directly influencing some absolutely crazy pregnancy dreams, so I'm trying to limit myself to happy, inspirational fluff. But yeah...not excited about anything I've read lately. Any suggestions?

Thursday (Friday) Thoughts

{one}

Justin's home from work today, and I can hear him making oven pancakes with Lizzy for breakfast. It makes my heart happy hearing him tell her, "This is called cooking flour, now stir it together," and her responding, "I LOVE cooking flour! I'm a really good helper!"

{two}

I bought a hydrangea, and I'm super excited about it. Now, I just have to decide where to plant it! My instincts are to plant it on the front side of the house, but I'm second guessing that a little because don't they look kind of gross in the winter since they drop their leaves? Also, the tag says it's partial shade...but I thought hydrangeas could tolerate shade, but mostly prefer sun?

{three}

I finally got a real workout in yesterday, and man I'm sore today, but in such a good way. I did the tone/sculpt DVD from Turbofire--I don't know why it didn't occur to me to try it before. I still end up sweating my booty off, but without the seasick jumping around of regular Turbofire. Plus, it has a decent abs/core section, very little of which includes laying on your back...which is definitely a plus for me. I pretty much gave up ab exercises entirely during pregnancy last time, and I'd like to do more this time!

{four}

More Pinterest recipes this last week! I love Pinterest for trying out new recipes. There have admittedly been several which I did. not. like. at. all, but overall, it's an amazing resource.

Source: thewaytohisheart.wordpress.com via Meredith on Pinterest
 Mexican Stuffed Shells. These are awesome. The whole family loves them. 

Source: plainchicken.com via Meredith on Pinterest

                                                                                    

 I took this Bacon, Cheddar, and Ranch loaf to at BBQ. It was gone before I really got any, but from the little bite I had, I think it was pretty darn good! 

Source: abigmouthful.com via Meredith on Pinterest

 I took this Garlic Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad with Asparagus and Tomato to the same BBQ, and came home with almost all of it. It was definitely not a fan favorite, but I liked it. The dressing didn't give it a ton of overt-flavor and I left out the parsley, but I sort of liked that you could really TASTE the tomato and asparagus. Sometimes, I'm in the mood for simple food. 

Source: newlywoodwards.com via Meredith on Pinterest

I also made this recipe that Kim @ Newlywoodwards posted last week. I had to make a few substitutions (we only had brown rice, and I used cream of chicken soup instead of cream of mushroom), but I really liked it. I thought for sure that we'd have leftovers, since Justin isn't always a huge mushroom fan, but after a few rounds of "This is GOOD!", it was totally gone. I'm not usually a big fan of cream of _________ soups, but I thought this was really good. Next time I might try it with golden mushroom soup! It's a great comfort-food classic! 

{five}

Yesterday, we were at Target, and Lizzy told me she wanted to go to the bathroom (which just about deserves a standing ovation in and of itself). We walked over, but we were there around lunch time, so naturally the bathrooms were closed for cleaning (I've never understood this, but hey, at least they are clean). Lizzy said, "That's okay mom, I hold it til Taco Bell." I wasn't really PLANNING to go to Taco Bell for lunch, but how could I resist after that?! Then while going to the bathroom at Taco Bell, Lizzy said, "We need to call dad to fix Target." Man, she cracks me up. I didn't really know that she understood what Justin did at work!  

{six}

If this is your sort of thing, what are a few of your favorite worship songs? I feel like with the exception of some of the popular ones currently on the radio, I've been listening to most of the same ones for years.

Thursday Thoughts....on a Friday

{one} 

Justin just might kill me for posting this, but he totally scared the beejebus out of me yesterday--when I woke up at 6:30am to a text from him saying, "I just crashed a work truck." Thankfully, he's okay (the truck, not so much).

{two}

About three (four?) years ago, there was a girl at the local beauty school who used to cut and color my hair better than any professional. People used to stop me on the street and ask who colored my hair. Once, a doctor at the ER asked if I would allow her to write down my name and take it to the beauty school and say, "Just do whatever you did to Meredith." But, sad day, she graduated, and for whatever reason, I never found out where she went. BUT, happy day, I found her! And I have an appointment with her today for a haircut! I really wish I could do a cut AND a color, but today I'll just have to settle for a cut. I don't think I've had my hair cut since October, so it is long overdue.

{three}

Potty training? Had been going very well. All of a sudden, not so much...and I'm not very happy about it. It has made the days VERY long lately.

{four}

Justin and the band are playing at a church fundraiser tomorrow night...which means that Lizzy is spending the night at my parent's house, and Justin and I get to enjoy a dress-up, adults-only dinner. And maybe sleeping in. And is it ever needed!

{five}

I am totally chomping at the bit to build our new dining room table. It probably won't be this month, or likely even next month, but I am so excited to have a table that is functional and FITS in the designated space!

Mundane Beauty: Version 3.0

Hello family Easter pictures...even though I hate pictures of myself right now and always forget that if I tuck my hair behind my ear, it looks like I have a funky blonde spot. Oh well.


Hello homemade ice cream...for breakfast. After 40 days of no ice cream, candy, cookies, or anything that qualifies as a dessert, if this is my one big splurge, I think it'll be okay.


Hello GIANT pile of dirt in my backyard...which will eventually (hopefully) transform our backyard of star thistle to a backyard oasis. Or at least a patch of grass to play on.


Hello purple irises. You are always my favorite.


Hello editing a newborn session. Almost finished :)

Hello dinner in the Crock Pot!