Ramblings from our house

We haven't been up to much lately. Maemae has 8 teeth now, runs after Peanut, and continues to change her napping schedule constantly so I have no idea from week to week when her ideal nap time is. She has a few words she used often and loudly - Hi, Byebye, Dada, something that sounds like the sylabols of Elliot and Brother, and here. And she knows when I saw get in you chair, it's meal time. This girl loves to eat. And it happened overnight. One day was pureed everything, then bam! only food from our plates. Makes it easier for me at meal time. If only Peanut was that easy when it came to food. Instead, he's a grazer and will only eat from a limited menu. He did finally said "I love you" to Mike and then me last night. Melted both our hearts and of course, now he refuses to say it. Typical of him. He is using new words regularly, just not very many or enough to keep me from being 100% worry free about his lack of talking. Or lack of desire to talk.

I haven't been too busy lately. Been reading (always reading something), sewing and finishing up projects I've started before starting new ones. I do have an etsy shop now, but have to wait to see if the CPSIA laws will be amended to allow me to continue and expand what I have there. Basically the law is going to require everything marketed for children 12 and younger to be tested for lead and phthalates. EVERYTHING. Even if the materials I use have already been tested, because I'm altering and creating a new product, the finished item is still suppose to be tested. If not amended, it's going to put the majority of small businesses for children's items out of business. It has been amended once already to allow second-hand and consignment stores to keep selling clothing and toys at their descretion, but it doesn't allow me to sell my clothing, blankets, and burp rags without testing for lead and there's no way I can afford that.

On a good note about sewing, I finally got my machine back from the shop and it's heaven to work with. Sews beautifully and I'm still kicking myself for not taking it in a year ago when it first started having problems. Next time, I know not to hobble it along until I'm so frustrated I want to shoot it and by a new one.

Another thing I do is torture myself and look at real estate listings. And found one that has everything we desire - great location, acreage, nice sized house with minor updating needed, a shop, a yard that would be nice if it was mowed, even a pasture for a cow and eventually a horse. But we're still paying off debt, are in our current lease until September, and don't really want to stretch our budget that tight even though my heart aches knowing that it won't be there when it is our turn. We've even suggested to each other going to look at it, but I don't think I can. I know myself too well. It has the basic requirements that we want and I would fall in love. Then I would fall into a depression because it isn't financially our time to be looking for real estate. But deep down, I really really want to go look at it hoping there will be a huge flaw that I couldn't get over to turn me off from dreaming about moving my little family there. But I'm not going to. To torture myself a little more, I did email the listing agent with a couple questions, but don't have the heart to go through the process knowing we aren't quite there yet to be home owners again. Times like this make me really wish I kept my little old Neon car that was paid off instead of getting my mothership with the decent sized monthly payment. That free and clear title was so worth the compact size of it.

Enough about my woes and wants. Evenutally, we'll be home owners again. It might not be the blue house I'm currently in love with, but something will be there when we're ready to plop down our (Mike's) hard earned money for. Hell, maybe our taxes will be heavenly and we can pay off a few bills and have some left over for a very very small down payment. Maybe?! Puh-leeze!

TTFN ~C

Speed reading week is over

I finished Breaking Dawn, the last Twilight book, on Saturday night. 11:50 to be exact. No use in stopping during the big climactic scene to try to sleep even when my eyes are burning. I would of woke up super early, thinking about it. Then I would of had to finish it and be mad that I didn't finish it the night before and sleep in until the kiddos woke up.

So, 4 huge books in a week. Approximately 2300 pages in those 4 books. Thankfully I don't read like this on a weekly basis. Nothing would get done besides the very basic cooking and cleaning and the kiddos would be running around in their diapers (or naked as Peanut likes to do when he doesn't have clothes on. Or even when he has clothes on for that matter.) because I can't be bothered to do laundry.

I can admit I understand the frenzy and love people have shown for this series. I'm not going to name my next child after a character in the book like some fanatics have, but I understand it. I'm pretty happy with how the series ended. Sometimes when reading a series, I'm not ready for the end or the end should of ended a book or 2 ago. This one felt right. And even knowing it was wrote for a young adult audience, I was still captivated (duh!) until the very end.

I read yesterday that the movie, Twilight, is going to be out on DVD on March 21. You know I'll be at Target first thing after breakfast, snatching my copy off their shelves. Then turning it once nap time hits so I can watch it uninterrupted. This gives me enough time to read the series another 2 or 3 times. :) I already have a start with finishing Twilight yesterday and broke open New Moon this morning.

Well, Peanut's wanting to get out of bed, nap time is over. Off to be the regular Mama that I am. Until they're in bed and I can read again like a normal person. You know, for an hour or so until my normal bedtime. Not until the wee hours of the morning.

TTFN ~ Crys

Still Obsessed

I'm forcing myself to take a quick break from the Twilight series.

I did get books 3 and 4 yesterday. Thank you Target, for having them in stock and not making me try to keep my toddler from causing mayhem through Borders. Started the third book yesterday around lunchtime, finished it this morning about 9:30. I would of finished it last night (or very early this morning), but Maemae is teething again and was very restless so I figured 12:30 was late enough for me to be reading in case she didn't sleep well.

Book 4 is right next to me, all ready to suck me into it. But my little Peanut is telling me he pooped pooped so I'm off to my Mama duties.

Is it nap time yet?

TTFN ~ Crys

P.S. I'll post a normal post later this week when I'm back to normal and not possessed by Edward and Bella's lives. :)

My latest obsession

Mike bought me a new book for Christmas. One that has been on my list to read but last I looked, the library had 64 holds on it and I wasn't going to buy anymore books if I can help it. I hadn't really read what this book was about beyond it had great reviews, is now a movie, and is the first of four. A book out of my normal genre of reading, but one that I think I'd like since it's basically a romance and I'm all about the romantic-happily-ever-after-he-loves-her-she-loves-him books. This first book is a healthy sized book, 498 pages. I figured the length of it and my will power to not blow through it would make it last at least 4 days.

So I ran out of things to read last week and picked up this new book while nursing Maemae before her nap. I sat, rocking her, long after she was asleep and could be put in bed....reading. The book I wasn't going to get sucked into and whip through in 2 days. This book:
To be honest, I think it took me 3 days. The first day I was reading another book and wanted to finish that one first. So I was up for the next 2 nights, reading way past this Mama's bedtime, sucked in, wondering what's going to happen to everyone. I finished it at 1:08 am, Saturday night. Really Sunday morning. Whatever. I finished it. And almost cried because I didn't have the second one to start as soon as the kids had breakfast.

I am weak. But know I know I have no willpower from letting a book suck me into it. Books and good chocolate do NOT last in my house.

I wasn't able to get the second book until late Monday morning. Had to go to 3 different stores to find it. Saw it there next to the first, third, and fourth ones, but only got the 2nd one since the last 2 are hardback and a little more expensive than what I like to spend on books I'll go through in about 36 hours.

Whipped through the 2nd book in 2 days. Almost cried again when I finished because I didn't buy the 3rd and 4th one when I saw them. Ordered them through my book club. All 4, good price, and hardback - will stand up to the multiple readings I'll give them. Started re-reading the first book again since I'm sure there are little things I missed in my haste to know if Edward and Bella are still in love with each other at the end. Read the author's website top to bottom to kill time - seriously, I read everything on there.

So, I checked my order status tonight, thinking I'll have my new beloved books in a couple days because they ship quickly. And almost cried when I saw the words BACK ORDERED. NOOOOOO! They can't do this to me. So, tomorrow, after I call and cancel my order, the kiddos and I will load up in the mother ship, go to Target, get books 3 and 4 in the Saga, then go to the gym if I can control my obsession long enough to start on a New Year's resolution (and give the kiddos play time in their child watch area). Maybe I'll even have enough will power to leave book 3 in the car and actually do a workout while the kids are playing.

Or maybe I'll grab a chair outside the child watch area and start reading, uninterrupted for 90 minutes. The maximum time they can be in the child watch area without having to pay for more time. Or I wonder if the indoor track will be empty enough to walk and read at the same time.

I do have to add the disclosure that Mike was home each day of his weekend to take care of the kids. You know, the feeding, changing, playing, not ignoring them like Mama was with her new book kind of care they deserve. If he hadn't been home, I would of been up each night much later than I was, making up for the time during day I was doing all of that. So thanks lovey. Thanks for the book and thanks for understanding I NEEDED to read. XOXO

TTFN ~ Crys