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Seven Quick Takes: Sick Kid Edition

January 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

— 1 —

G-man has apparently had croup this week. I say apparently because I’m making my diagnosis via Dr. Google, since I didn’t take him to the doctor’s office to get a definitive diagnosis. Saturday evening morning he came into our room with a terrifying cough that sounded like a seal barking. Trying to Google “cough sounds like seal barking” at 4:30 was challenging because I could barely get my eyes to focus. Everything I read indicated that it sounds much more serious than it is, and our home treatments were the best bet, assuming he didn’t get worse.

— 2 —

I’m convinced that he picked up the virus that led to the croup at the doctor’s office when he went for his well-child visit. The irony!

— 3 —

My goals for the week quickly shrank to simply become “make it through while getting as much sleep as possible for everyone.”

— 4 —

The week also involved a lot of laundry. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT OF LAUNDRY. There was no stomach bug or anything, but there was a leaky diaper on the guest bed (on the top, of course, so it included all the bedding, not just the bottom sheet.), a boy who figured out how to turn on the faucet in the laundry sink (the non-working laundry sink, which led to a small flood in the laundry room.), and copious amounts of snot.

— 5 —

Weeks like this are when I really really really really wish we lived near grandma. Either one, I don’t care which, just a responsible adult who is closely related so I don’t feel bad asking for help when bodily fluids are involved to that extent.

— 6 —

We watched a lot of TV this week, and I don’t even feel bad about it.

— 7 —

Now I’m just hoping for a healthier week next week!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Filed Under: Quick Takes

p52 Week 4: Self-Portrait

January 26, 2012 By 5 Comments

This is the week I’ve been dreading as I looked ahead at the planned themes.

Take a picture of myself? And share it? Um, maybe I can skip this week?

But I don’t want to skip a week just because of my own fears and hangups.

So, hello world. Hi, my name is Sheila, and I’m camera-phobic.

Except I don’t know how to get a good picture of myself. If I take a picture in a mirror the flash is all that’s visible. It’s been too gloomy here all week with lots of rain and even snow, so there hasn’t been enough natural light + overhead light to get a focused & visible picture without a flash.

For the first time ever I tried using my camera’s timer. I just never could manage to get it to focus on where I’d be once I was in front of it. I took dozens of shots, and none of them worked.

This is the best of the bunch:
IMG_8697-1

Yeah, unfocused, missing the top of my head, and weird claw-hands to boot.

As I played with the camera I did get a picture of baby girl’s hand in mine:

IMG_8687-1

And despite the 50+ disappointing shots, I’m still happy that I worked at it. Because in the midst of the trial-and-mostly-error, I got this shot:

IMG_8677-1

And if I want to stretch the concept of a self-portrait, she does look extraordinarily like I did as a baby. She just has more hair than I did.

Anyone have any advice on how to accomplish a good self-portrait?

For more p52 pictures, visit my3boybarians.

Filed Under: Photography

Hello Mornings Challenge

January 25, 2012 By 2 Comments

As a kick in the pants to get going earlier in the day and reestablish my morning quiet time, I joined the Hello Mornings Challenge by Inspired to Action.

While I can’t say that I’m thrilled to be getting up earlier, I am thrilled that I’m getting up earlier and using the time to read my Bible and pray.

It’s only been a week and a half, so the habit isn’t firmly established again by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that the group participation is making a difference and will continue to.

Because I know that people are looking for my tweets.

Because I know that others are doing the exact same thing.

Because I made a commitment, and want to follow through.

Because I’m making friends in the group, and I don’t want to let my friends down.

Hello mornings. I don’t necessarily like you, but I love #HelloMornings.

Filed Under: Faith, Personal

Reading Goals

January 24, 2012 By 4 Comments
Week 1: Resolution

(Some of the books I’m thinking about reading this year)

It seems strange to me to have goals for reading. Before children I read so many books I usually averaged over 400 in a year. That’s right, more than a book a day of a mix of children’s, young adult, mystery, fantasy, and lots and lots of nonfiction.

My reading pace has slowed so significantly that I really have to be more picky as to the books I read – when I’m reading maybe 5 a month I have got to be selective as to what those 5 are. I was somewhat selective before, in that if I didn’t like a book I might not finish it, but I was much more willing to read randomly.

So, this year I’m going to set some specific goals. My overall intent is to:

  • Read for Spiritual growth
  • Read for increased knowledge regarding parenting
  • Read for personal growth
  • Read for general interest

How does that work? Well, for January my reading goals were:

  1. Close Enough to Hear God Breathe (Spiritual growth)
  2. Don’t Make Me Count to Three (Parenting knowledge)
  3. Simple Blogging(Personal growth)
  4. Moonwalking with Einstein (General interest)

My other big goals is to tackle the ridiculous pile of unread books I own, rather than just reading library books. I’m going to add one book a month from my own stash to my reading goals. Those are mostly in the Spiritual growth and parenting knowledge categories; I don’t own very many that would fit into the other categories.

This week I plan to start compiling a list of some of the books I want to read in 2012, and I’ll share that list next week.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links

Filed Under: Goals, Reading

One Bite at a Time: Project 14

January 23, 2012 By 4 Comments

Ok, after the review break last week, it’s back to working through the projects, and project 14 is to Eat Whole Foods.

This is another project that makes me happy because it’s something I’ve been working on already!

What are we doing right?

  • We eat a ton of beans and legumes.
  • I try and avoid all HFCS (I know there is something that we eat that I can’t find a HFCS-free version yet, but we do the best we can).
  • I try and avoid all trans-fat (I think this one we’ve got out of our house 100% but I wouldn’t want to swear to it).
  • I buy hormone-free dairy as much as possible (Milk is easy to find hormone-free. It’s all the other dairy products that don’t specify that gives me trouble.)
  • We’ve cut back on our meat consumption, and I buy better quality.
  • We’ve cut back or eliminated convenience foods that we used to eat all. the. time. (I am embarrassed to say how much of that famous boxed meal helper we ate when first married).

Where I still need to improve?

  • I would like to cut back on our chip consumption – Mr. SJ LOVES them and eats them whenever he has sandwiches. It’s almost impossible for me to not eat some when he’s eating them.
  • I’d like to make my own granola. It’d be so much cheaper, and it’s supposedly easy. I tried once and it was awful, so I have never tried again, but I want to give it another shot.
  • I want to be more careful about buying organic produce for the dirty dozen.
  • I’m really really thinking about doing some gardening this year.
  • I’d like to start regularly baking my own English muffins. I’ve done it once, and they were good, but they weren’t exactly like what I’m used to. It’d still be much cheaper if I made them all the time, and maybe my taste buds would adjust.
  • I’d also like to try making my own bagels and cinnamon raisin bread.
  • I also want to start using a produce wash to remove pestacides on any non-organic produce I buy.
  • Someday (maybe not this year) I’d like to try canning.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: One Bite

Romans 8 Memory Challenge: Week 12

January 22, 2012 By 2 Comments

After the great week I had last week this week I really didn’t work on the verses at all. I think I just needed a break or something because everyday I told myself to read over them at least but oh, I did not want to put my brain to work at remembering them.

So I gave myself a break and will pick back up this week.

This week’s verses:

Romans 8:24-25
24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Previous verses:

Romans 8:1-21
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.

7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh.
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,
17 and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.

20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

Filed Under: Scripture Memory

Seven Quick Takes

January 20, 2012 By Leave a Comment

— 1 —

I’ve had a very productive week. We bought some shelving units for the basement, and I’ve already got them filled so the basement storage area no longer looks like such a wreck. It still looks somewhat wreckish, because in order to not cram things onto the units so tightly that they’re impossible to use easily, I couldn’t fit everything we have. So all the baby and kid stuff is still loose. And there are still 3 boxes of household decor type items that are waiting to be unpacked. I’ve missed all my pictures!

IMG_8521-1
(It no longer looks like this. Horray!)

— 2 —

We also had G-man’s 2 1/2 year-old well-child visit. That I’m just happy to have survived! He’s 36 1/2 pounds and 38 1/4 inches tall, so he is still really big.

— 3 —

Our kitchen table is, at long last, in our kitchen. If the house sale were to hit a snag at this point and not happen, we’ll take it back for staging purposes but right now I am absolutely THRILLED to have it. The patio table can go out on the screened porch, and so can the big clunky patio chairs that drove me CRAZY.

— 4 —

Next I am most thrilled about getting my desk and bookcases. And my nightstands. And sideboard. And dining room table, in that order.

— 5 —

While it will be nice from an attractive-standpoint, I don’t care so much about getting our headboard and the guest room headboards from a practical standpoint. They really don’t make much of a difference in our daily life. They are pretty though!

— 6 —

I ran out of sugar this week. SUGAR! How on earth is that possible? As much as I bake, that is an absolute tragedy and travesty. I felt lost when I realized I couldn’t bake anything because I only had about a quarter cup in the house, and that had to be hoarded for my sweetie’s tea.

— 7 —

It’s been snowy or rainy all week, and I really do not know how we’re going to survive the winter. I have got to get the boy some boots or other footwear that can handle the snow so that we don’t all go nuts when he can’t go outside.

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Parenting, Quick Takes

p52 Week 3: I Dreamed a Dream

January 19, 2012 By 6 Comments

p52 week 3

In case you can’t guess how the picture ties to the theme “I Dreamed a Dream,” it took us a long time to get pregnant. As in years and years. As in long enough to wonder if it would ever happen, or if that was a dream of ours that would never come true.

And then we were overjoyed when we were blessed with our son. And then we were overjoyed and astonished when we were blessed with our daughter. Astonished because after the struggles to get pregnant with our first, the second happened so easily and quickly.

We’d still like more, so it’s still a dream for me to have another newborn to dress in the duckie onesie and swaddle in the blankets.

What’s your dream?

For more p52 pictures, visit my3boybarians.

Filed Under: Photography

Review: Close Enough to Hear God Breathe

January 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Close Enough to Hear God Breathe: The Great Story of Divine Intimacy by Greg Paul

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I loved the title. I loved the idea, of getting close enough to God to hear Him breathe. But I didn’t like the book at all.

I found the text to be too filled with personal examples that, while enjoyable to read, illustrated the topic only peripherally if at all. I thought his introductory passage detailing Jesus’ baptism by John to be too imaginative for my tastes, and somewhat crude.

I wanted meat and instead found fluff. I wanted to be convicted and was instead annoyed. I wanted insight and instead found repetitive banality.

The book promised an intimate journey with God, but completely failed to deliver on that promise.

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Filed Under: Reading

2012 House Goals

January 17, 2012 By 4 Comments

I’ve listed some personal goals for January, but I also have some house goals that I want to accomplish over the next 12 months. I’d love to get more done, but I’m trying to be realistic about what I can manage with two small children and no childcare. :)

  1. Unpack everything. Once we get all our our furniture back we should finally, finally be able to finish unpacking.

    IMG_8526-1
    (A portion of the boxes still left to unpack.)

  2. Shelving in the basement. I’d like to get two or three shelving units so we can get the basement storage area organized. I’ve got baby gear, clothes, extra kitchen supplies (baking dishes and things that get used infrequently), and small appliances (waffle maker, coffee pot, griddle) that also get used infrequently all scattered around, stacked and jumbled.
    IMG_8521-1
  3. Curtains. Our downstairs needs curtains. We have no window treatments at all on the family room, breakfast area, or kitchen window. We have unmatching, not really fitting curtains in the dining room & playroom. I’d like to get all these rooms windows covered better.

    IMG_7921-1
    (These curtains are not very attractive, and not the best for privacy)

  4. Paint the playroom, kitchen, office, and downstairs bath. Honestly I’d like to get the entire house painted, but that goes under the “be realistic” part.

    IMG_5949-1
    (The paint color is very misleading in this picture; in real life it’s much much darker than it seems here)

  5. New counters in the kitchen. This one may not happen once we get an estimate on what it will cost, but it’s definitely a high priority. The current counters are original to the house, and they are stained and chipped and really really ugly. The sink is also a mess and the faucet is awful, so if the money works out we’d like to replace it all.

    IMG_5950-1

  6. Plant some trees in the backyard, behind the fence (it’s still our property for several feet beyond the fence). I’d like to get a row of trees along the back & side fence for more privacy, so some sort of evergreen would be ideal. This also might not happen, because I have no idea what trees cost and the work that goes into planting them. Maybe we can just get a start on it?

    IMG_7923-1

Filed Under: House
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