fun?

Seth had fun today with some yummy yogurt! It was rather messy but sometimes you have to let them have some fun. I also didn't feel like arguing that mommy should do it with a kid that doesn't understand.



Simon and I had a rough night last night. Daniel gave us the stomach flu. Yuck!The two of us took turns in the bathroom all night long. We are feeling better today. I am waiting for Seth and Hannah to start vomiting. Not fun. Hannah has her little play on Friday so I'd hate for her to get sick on Friday!

So, since this blog is supposed to be about quilting too, I should mention I was able to get a few more blocks done on Ben and Susan's quilt over the weekend. There are 11 rows, 11 blocks in each row, and each block is made up with 9 smaller blocks. I have 5 rows completed and row 6 is about half way done. Will I ever finish?

Snow

Snow around here is very different. I got the kids all bundled up this morning, drove them to school and there were no cars in the parking lot. What the....? Thankfully the crossing guard was there and she told me there was a 2 hour delay. It never would have dawned on me to see if the school was closed or had a delayed opening for 3-4 " of snow. How ridiculous is that! Apparently the buses had a hard time because there was some black ice in areas this morning. Who knew!

So, Hannah and Simon came home, put on snow pants, and went out to make some snow angels for the first time since we moved here. It has flurried a few times and stuck a bit but this is the first snow that accumulated. I know all of you in Colorado would gladly give us all your snow.

We had a nice weekend. We got a few things done around the house. Hung new shades in Hannah's room, got weather striping put on the back door, and assembled the new couch. And of course, I ran away from the family for 2 hours on Sunday and went to coffee. The kids tried to convince me to take Seth with me. He cries a lot when I am gone. The answer they got was, "No".

OMG!!!! I just got off the phone with State Farm! They are covering the loss of rent on the house in Denver. May I just say, I love State Farm and I recommend that you all do business with them! I am soooooo happy!!! Yippy!!!

I love Ikea!

I went to Ikea Tuesday with Tiff. It is a dangerous place to go too though. One must be careful because you can easily say to yourself, "Oh, I need one of those!" Just bring a credit card along and you'll be fine, right? Well, Tiff thought she did well because she didn't spend as much as me. Totally unfair, I bought a new couch. That's right, a new couch! Hurray!!!! The one we have now we bought right after Hannah was born and it is so dirty and ripping apart at the seams in some places. The slip covers we got don't stay in place at all. I am very excited to get the couch on Saturday. I am not excited to get the credit card bill next month though.

Let's see, what else is going on... Hannah and Simon are taking Tae Kwon Do classes and loving it. Simon started and then when Hannah went to a class with us she really wanted to try it. She's actually really good. After their first class I had a talk with them about how Hannah would probably pick it all up much faster because she's older. The reality is that not only is she older she is really coordinated and strong. Simon is loving it and he is doing great too. He needs this more for the self discipline aspect anyway. The kid has so much energy! I'll try and remember to take my camera next week.

I talked to a guy about our house in Denver. He said I get to pick paint colors for the main floor and the basement. I choose off white for the basement and cream (he called the color Aspen) for the main level. I was never a fan of the whole house being brown. It was too dark. I feel like we get to give the house a free face lift. Ok, it isn't even close to free!

Dan's cluster headaches are better now. (Yes, some of you are thinking, what cluster headaches?) He had a period of two months where he'd get multiple headaches a day and they are really debilitating. He got on Topomax and responded very well. The only side effect that seems to bother him is that it dehydrates him but with the headaches better he's ok with it.

Things are never quiet around here. Sometimes boring but never quiet....

Aren't they cute?

Sometimes they are just plain cute. And yes, that is Simon with Taz. He's a very good dog for the kids. The smell does seem to be better.

My little baby Seth will be one in a month!I am starting to feel a bit sad about it though. I just can't believe it. How did this happen? I swear it hasn't been that long. Before we know it Seth will be in Kindergarten and Hannah will be in 8th grade! Ok, I am getting ahead of myself. It just seems to go so darn fast.

Things are going well around here. No current excitement. Not that we need any more! Today was pretty boring. I did laundry for most of the day and then went to coffee with Tiff and Winnie. That is one of the traditions that we had in Denver and I am glad we kept it up. Sunday is coffee night for the girls.

I am doing the hand quilting on Misty's quilt in the evenings. I don't get much time during the day. Susan and Ben's quilt is being neglected. I am so terrible! It is patiently waiting it's turn.

Margot's Quilt

I figured I should actually show a quilt I've made. This is a pattern I borrowed (without asking, tee hee) from Sam. She used this pattern on the great baby quilt she made for Seth. I made this quilt for Margot's new baby. I hope she likes it. Misty took it to her on her recent trip back to Denver. Anyway, this quilt was a great way to use up some left over fabrics and it was quick and easy. With a to-do list as long as mine occasionally you need a quick quilt.

An update on Taz- The stinky dog. The vet thinks that he has an infection. I'll spare you all the gory details of anal glands, bleck! He also tested positive for lyme disease which would explain his joint pain. (I know, it sounds like we got a lemon at the SPCA.) We all thought he had joint pain because he's old and fat. So, now he has to have a serious round of antibiotics for a month to get him all better. The smell is actually better. I am trying not to get my hope up to high though.

Simon

Simon has scoliosis. He has a %20 curvature of the spine. He has an MRI scheduled on the 13th of Feb to make sure there isn't any underlying cause. Most cases of scoliosis are idiopathic. If that comes back fine, then he will get x-rayed every 6 months to make sure the curvature doesn't progress. If it gets worse, like up to %25, they will put him in a brace. Sounds simple but not really. If they put him in a brace he has to wear it 18 hours a day until the spine is mature. He'd even wear it to bed.

I am a little freaked out but all we can do is move forward. He doesn't seem to be to upset about this but we talked about it before we went to the doctor. We talked about what they were looking at and why, he'd probably get an x-ray, etc.

Anyway, keep your fingers crossed that this isn't a big deal!!

The dog

Mom wants me to share about our adventures with a dog. I am not loving this btw! Let's see it all began back in Denver when my little girl was crying and pleading with me to get a dog. She so genuinely wanted one. How could I say no? I told her once we were all settled in New Jersey we'd get a dog. We moved here in July. I put off getting the dog as long as I could.

Finally in November after Thanksgiving we went to the SPCA to look at dogs. There we met Taz. He's an 8 year old Chocolate Lab who needs to lose some weight. He is gentle and sweet with the kids so we took him home. The issue with him is.... he stinks. I mean it. My mom thought I was exaggerating (Ok, I do that from time to time) until she came to stay with us at Christmas! She found out how much he smells.

I couldn't take it anymore. He'd had his teeth cleaned and had a bath. The bath just put perfume over a stench. I took him back to the SPCA to get checked out. He has an ear infection, which can smell, and he has a hard time keeping his butt clean. Great, another butt to wipe.... grrrr. So, the ear infection is gone but the smell isn't. We clean his tush once a day and the smell isn't gone. I can not handle this. Monday he goes to the vet. If the vet can't help, I just can't keep him. The only thing that has saved his smelly ass so far is the puppy eyes and floppy ears.

There you have it. Our adventures in dog land. I'll keep you posted on the putrid stench....

One more try....

I am really going to give this blogging a try! I am very new to this all. I love reading other peoples blogs so much. I need my own too.

For an update.... Our house in Denver is getting a serious face lift. After all the water damage is cleaned up and repairs are made it will be like a new house inside. In a 107 year old shell! I am glad it is being taken care of.

The quilt I am currently working on is Misty's. I will post pictures of some of my projects but I can't show Misty's until it's given to her. I will have to write up a do to list for all the quilt projects I want to do and need to finish. There are soooo many!! Susan and Ben got married last summer and their quilt top is only half way done. It's a king size but that's no excuse.

I am official here in NJ now. I got my drivers license today.