New Years Resolution

So I was sitting here, on the couch, with the tablet PC, thinking about New Years. In the past I have always done a resolution that was based around vanity. Such as loose weight, become more active, or some variation of that sort. This year, maybe I should do something that doesn't revolve around me really. Do you think it would stick?

Want to know what my New Years Resolution is?



Potty Train my daughter before the new baby arrives.

To Love a Cat

There is about 20 or so inches of snow outside. So I find myself sitting in my recliner with a movie, a key board and a thick warm blanket. And what would complete this portrait? Well besides a cup of hot chocolate, all you need is a fluffy cat.
What is it about a cat that feels so right? Why when I hear the gentle rumble of its motor do I get so happy?
But why? The love of a cat is so 'fickle'. Felines don't run at your beckoning call, at least most times. They are full of sass and will power that only a two year old can rival. And they will get up and leave whether you want them to or not.
They make me happy that's all I know. And maybe that's all I'll ever know. And I suppose that I'll have to be okay with that.

"Winter Storm Watch"

Many times as a child I wished for snow. Mostly I got rain in response to my pleas. A few times we would get a dusting. That dusting, no matter how light it was, always brought thrill to the children of the northwest. There is a song that is very dear to me that reminds of most Christmas' of my life. 'Christmas in the Northwest' sings of the evergreen conditions and rain that we are well accustomed to.
So what happens to people of the Puget Sound when we get a few inches of snow and ice? Well they call it a "STORM" of course.
The news is plastered with stories of sliding buses, closed school and barricaded roads. The weather forecasters say "what's coming next? More snow!" They make it sound like we are all going to die, and that everyone is suffering through something so life threatening and horrible that it won't end soon enough. Its very humorous to see chains on peoples cars. The biggest threat on the roads in ice, because everything has been compacted down and refrozen. Do chains help with that? I don't know. Whatever.
Honestly, my area has seen the most snow that I have heard. At my home we are over 15 inches. Granted we have seen some melting and re-freezing of snow. But we are still getting snow today. A few miles away, there is significantly less than at my house too. We are at the bottom of the hills so we get a good dusting of it.
Last night, we were warned of a strong storm coming in off the West coast, flying quickly east. They didn't know exactly what would happen in my area because we would get the tail end of the 'Storm'. But from what I have heard, the South Sound and some other areas of Washington, were hit very hard. Snow, freezing rain and forceful winds tortured and threatened the residents. They predicted some areas to get as much as 15 inches of snow in under 48 hours. Now for someone who is used to good winter storms, that doesn't sound like much, but for our area it significant. Winds, I heard reached 70 mph in some places.
In preparation for the storm, we bought wood, briquettes, and pellets. My father came and got the flue for the wood stove hooked up. Granted its in the garage and you gotta get the stove really hot before it does us any good, but we had a back up source of heat. The briquettes we would use on the grill to cook. This was all if we lost power and enough for a couple days.
We had considered going up to Chad's parents' home to weather it out, but decided with the pets, we should stick it out at home. Having family as back up shelters was a blessing of security to staying home.
Funny thing happened though. We got a couple inches of snow. Absolutely no wind. And kept the power on the entire time. But Chad's parents lost power. Don't know if they had winds or how much snow. But they lost power. So I am glad I stayed home.

The weather is forecasted to stay pretty much around mild 30's and snow and rain mix. So will we have a white Christmas? It may end up being a bit more slush if it warms up too much, but we have enough that will make it stick around for a while. Unless it warms up dramatically....

Ultrasound

I had an ultrasound yesterday. I love them. Its so neat to see the baby and all the various stages. They never seem to last very long though. At least that's how it feels. It feels like I am in there for ten minutes maybe of sonogram time, then done. Oh, well. They have other patients right?
Anyways, the results are normal. Baby is growing fine. Great in fact. They said that the measurements are actually ahead of schedule. My last ultrasound said I am due around the 16th of June. Well this one said closer to the 8th. I don't know if the doctor will alter the due date in my records to match this ultrasound's reading. I will probably hear about that on the 15th when I have a check up.
I got to have a picture of the baby. First one! I love looking at it. Chad left saying 'I saw boy parts!' I was skeptical. I know that the techs will not affirmatively be able to declare a sex until 18-21 weeks, not 12 or 13. But looking at the picture.... well, I think it does show boy parts. They are technically visible at this stage, but they don't like to look because it is still very hit and miss. Being accurate with things like gender is kinda important I suppose. :) Anyways, based on the picture, I think its a boy as well.
I have felt like its a boy for a while because this pregnancy has been very different from Abigale's. At this stage with her, I was still keeping basically nothing down. I am to the point that I can keep food down during the day. I am still nauseous. I will most times throw up bile/acid in the mornings or late night. But that's okay; that doesn't cause weight loss. The doctor said I can't loose anymore. 14 pounds or so is enough according to him. Unlike Abi's, I have no craving for chocolate. On the other hand, the thought of most chocolate is gross to me. I do crave fruit right now. Unfortunately, this is a bad time to crave fruit. It all its tasteless crap.
But what do ya do? I am excited, though. A boy is going to be a nice addition. And Michelle, Chad's sister in law, is due to have a boy the end of April. This baby will have a close in age cousin to play with!
If I find someone with a scanner, I may scan the ultrasound photo in.....

Oh Christmas tree!

I don't think I will ever forget the memories of putting up the Christmas tree, every year a different experience. As a child, you look forward to the lights and the ornaments, your glee shining like a star. Some years we chose a tree from the farm. Others we plucked the branches out of a box, placed them in a pole and arranged the limbs in deliberate forms. Whether the tree was cut or set up, frosting it with the lights and decorations were the same.First the lights. String them out, making sure that no bulbs are out. Wrap the garland next. Be careful its not tangled or a mess the floor will be. The glass balls and other various ornaments collected over time, all picked with care, are next. Some are gifted, others impulses. Each though is special. Each adds its own touch. I recall each sibling squabbling for their choice.
The angel was the finale. Her delicate wings, silk cream. She had but one light, a candle she did hold. This angel is still used on my mother's tree. I will always remember her fondly. That childhood memory, decorations scattered across the floor, will always have a glow from above. My angel of youth.




My Aunt Brenda gifted my an angel for my own Christmas tree, when I was 16. Unfortunately the angel short circuited and died last year. Now atop my young family's tree, sits a star, shining so bright. I like my star, but it will never replace the angel of my heart.

The Queen Has Her Throne Once Again

In our culture, buckets are referenced many ways. Five gallon buckets are a common scene. Many times they are carriers for paint, other fluids such as water, and they even carry solids, often in the form of dirt or grains. Some common phrases about buckets are 'to kick the bucket', 'its pouring buckets', and 'a drop in the bucket'. Another thing that people think of almost instantly is a 'honey bucket'.
I would be very surprised to find anyone who did not understand what the reference to a 'honey bucket' implied. But for those who don't know, a 'honey bucket' is a portable toilet. Many won't use a porta-potty unless they are camping. And even then, the direst of situations usually is all that will convince them to use one.
What would you do if you had no toilet? How long would you last in your home when your bathroom has virtually zero working appliances?
My home has undergone a major home improvement. This all began on October 17th. The demolition began that night. Then the next day the real heavy work began. Gutted, the bathroom was bare. We removed the toilet, sink and tub. A new tub was installed the first weekend. But that still left us with out a toilet and sink. And really not able to use the tub except for Saturday the 18th night. Now what would you do for a potty?

My answer- five gallon bucket.

My husband's job called him away the Wednesday after the work began on my bathroom. This was no short trip either. He was slated to be gone for almost three weeks. (In fact, as I write this he is still away.) This left me, pregnant and nauseous (often throwing up multiple times a day) to deal and handle the work on my bathroom. Now, don't get me wrong, I personally did practically no physical work on the renovation efforts. But the stress was present all the same. Decisions had to be made regarding this such as what to do about a plumbing issue. Or how to fix the issue of 'fur'ing out the wall to meet the tub. I have no experience in this category. So when things went wrong, it was all I could do to not just loose it.
Now the work that had to be done on our bathroom with Chad away was tiling the floor, counter and the tub/shower walls. Granted we had a guy from church we hired to do it, that had its own set of problems. He did 'cut some corners' to save us money. Which honestly, just do it right and I won't mind paying you the extra was my feelings. It's technically just rent money so it doesn't effect my lifestyle persay. He did do a wonderful job tiling. I love it. There are some quirks but I trusted him to be in my home while I was by myself and even while I was away, so what do you do? Live with it right?
Let me remind you, this whole time, I am peeing and pooing in a bucket placed in my garage. My nauseous tummy was relived in my kitchen sink. Surprising to many, the bucket didn't bother me as much as the sink did. I hated puking in the sink because if there were chunks I then had to clean out my sink which usually made me throw up again. Vicious cycle I tell you what.


The light in shining on my home tonight though. My loving father came by this even and installed my 'porceline throne'. I am on my way to being civilized once again. I installed the shower head this evening and placed a new shower rod with my new curtain on it. I placed a rug on the floor. Its beginning to look like a bathroom again. One that is functional as such at least.
There are still things to be done though. I need to go buy something to hide the half inch gap in the drywall and hardibacker board, base boards, trim for the door frames. The walls need to be sanded in some areas and retextured. A new coat of paint is definetly on the list. I need to clean out the vanity cupboard from all the dust and water on it. Its gross. The water shut off valve flange under the vanity needs to be snipped off so I can put a new one one. The old one is stuck otherwise it would normally just pull off. The door frames also need to be reinstalled.
And that is just the work in the bathroom. My whole home has exploded from the dust and chaos. I need to vacuum and shampoo the carpets. Its more than I can stand. It will be nice to have my hall and living room empty of the extra stuff. One bathroom remodel turned into a house of disaster.

But the end is near. Chad comes home on Sunday. I am eight weeks pregnant. Life is hard, but would you want it to be otherwise? A friend of mine used to quote to me something to the effect of 'Everything will work out in the end. And if everything is not alright, its not the end'. That is comforting to think on. The Lord has a plan, though we may be miserable, we always learn something from it. We grow from struggle and that's why we're here. Hold your head high while you walk through life, its humbling to know you don't have to pee in a bucket.

Life and Fairness

I remember as a kid being told "life is not fair". Many parents have heard their child declare with a feeling of great injustice "That's not fair!" While thinking on this the other night, I started to wonder what in life is fair. Parents may try to be, but they are human. Their views are skewed; sometimes they only see one side of the story and you can't reply on the children to always tell it how it was from the objective standpoint. So to all the children out there, when you want fairness where do you do?
Look to the skies. Be a meteorologist.
The weather is completely neutral. There are no biases in weather. The weather does not care who you are. It does not care what your day's plans are. The April showers will not hold off for your wedding if their clouds are heavy. The winter blizzard will not clench its icy winds and frozen rain to let your laboring, pregnant wife get to the hospital in time. There is fairness in nature. Humans, not so much.