Cool Beans

Another encouraging story.  A Starbucks barista in Washington state is donating a kidney (KIDNEY!!!) to a customer.  A customer!!!  Read about it here.

Making a difference in someone else's life can be a simple thing...and other times a very complicated, life-risking thing.  Kudos to Sandie Andersen!  There are still some truly AMAZING people in our confused, depressing world today!

Did you notice my "punny" title?  Get it?  Like coffee beans.  Like a kidney is shaped like a bean.  HaHa!

Interesting at Least...

I have heard much of this before...but it still shocks me.  How is a person supposed to verify if all/any of this is true?  Either way, we should be investigating those we will be voting for and against!

The Great Outdoors

Jadie and I are so excited!!!  Next month, we are going camping with Lance and Stephanie!  It's been a whole year since we've been able to do any camping.

We just reserved a spot at Belton Lake, and man, am I glad we did it when we did!  There were only 2 tent sites left!  

We do plan to take Caleb...I'll let you know how that goes!  The last time we took Caleb, he was only 6 months old.  This time, he'll be much more aware and excited about this adventure!

Yes, we will take sunscreen...and a lifejacket.

Belton Lake even has a playground!

Pictures to come...next month that is!

Sick as a (you fill in the blank)

Seriously, this go around has been the opposite of fun.  It felt a little like what I was subjected to last month, but that was before it got out of control.  Wednesday and Thursday I had a sore throat and mild headaches.  Friday was more challenging with fever and neck aches added on.  Saturday and Sunday were outright horrible.  I literally spent those two days sleeping it off on the couch.  

I know that wasn't too detailed...let me elaborate further. On Friday, I skipped a trip to the zoo with some mom friends and also a picnic that my sister had invited me to.  After the picnic, my sis stopped by to hang out for a while and see how I was feeling.  I was beginning to drag and my throat was annoying and painful.  She decided to look at my throat with a flashlight.  Let's just say she was disgusted.  So, I called the doctor (which I hadn't planned on doing since I usually wait these things out) to try to get in.  No such luck.  But they did call in a prescription for a Z-pack (antibiotics).  Thank goodness!  Even with the antibiotics, I still felt like sleeping all day (because I was tired and because I couldn't feel the throat pain in my sleep:-))

So, needless to say I've really assisted Jadie in having a nice, fun-filled Memorial Day Weekend!

Ain't No Reason

My sister sent this video to me a while back, but we were transitioning to a new computer and our old one wouldn't access the link she sent.  So I watched it for the first time this morning.  It really causes you to think a little deeper...deeper than--as he puts it--our comfortable routines.

I think you'll enjoy this one.

Weekend Happenings

We had our last MOPS meeting on Thursday.  Fun, but bittersweet day!  After a lunch visit with Bonnie and Desiree (welcome back!), Caleb and I headed out to Keller to spend a few days with my mom.  

Mom and I had a great time cleaning out some of her old clothes!  I got to see her prom dress, her going away outfit from her wedding, and (no kidding!) an outfit that looked like something a clown would wear (except that the material was modest).  She had a lot of vests too!  We burned a lot of calories laughing!  

We enjoyed another laugh session when mom busted out the family photos from the 80's.  None of us were looking our best.  I kept teasing mom for dressing me in such nerdy clothes.  The truth of it is...all of my friends looked just as nerdy!!!  Family vacation pics were also pretty fun to see.  It's amazing how pictures can just flood back memories of the way things used to be.

Caleb and I returned to Waco Saturday afternoon in time to grab some Whataburger and head over to Jadie's mom's to help her put up some pegboards for a crafting space in her home.  

On to Sunday, Jadie's birthday!!!  We went to church and then to lunch at Rosati's with some friends.  After lunch, Jadie set up a tee time and I rode along with him while he golfed his 3rd(!) game of the weekend.  Jadie's mom kept Caleb for us (thank you).  

I baked Jadie's favorite cake today (a day late for his birthday)...it didn't have any poof to it...it's so rich and brownie-like (but with icing too).  I can only tolerate the cake part...no icing for me.

Last thing...update on Caleb's speech development.  So far, his name has evolved from Blah-blah to Be-bob to Hey-bub to (now) Ca-bub.  We're getting close.  We just need to work on those L's.

Plastic Problem

I've been pondering this lately...

You know how just about every store (HEB, Target, Home Depot, etc.) has started selling reusable bags to reduce our use of plastic bags?

Aren't the people who are willing to purchase these bags the same people who were probably already recycling or reusing their plastic bags in the first place?

Nightmare Alert!

I was tossing and turning this morning and finally woke up at 5:30a.m.  What caused all of this drama?  I had a nightmare!  Yes, it involved being a TERRIBLE parent!

So, here's the narrative for you.  Jadie, Caleb, and I were riding down the highway in the pickup truck...not sure where we were going, but it was a long trip.  For some strange reason (as is the case in most dreams), Caleb and I were riding in the bed of the truck on a mattress.  We drove up on a terrible accident involving 2 vehicles and about 7 or 8 people who had all been thrown from the vehicles.  There was some sort of chasm and two people had fallen into it.  Jadie got out of the truck to help pull the people out and generally be of help.  Caleb and I were engrossed in watching what was going on.  I was laying on the mattress closest to the accident, and Caleb was sitting up behind me.  After about 5 minutes of watching what was going on with the people in the accident, I turned around to say something to Caleb.  HE WAS GONE!!!  I woke up with my heart racing and beating myself up for not being more safe and attentive.  What a warning to always keep our eyes on our children.

Not to mention that I should probably stop riding around in the back of the pick up truck on a mattress!

Stealing Is My New Hobby

Not really.  But copying a good idea...that's more like it!  I saw one of these hanging on my sister's wall a month or so ago and I thought it was such a clever way to display her jewelry.  She has many more dangle earrings than I do, so hers looks even more decorative.  But I still LOVE mine.  Jadie added cup hooks to the bottom so I'd also have a place for my necklaces.

by the way, this entire project was under $10...maybe even below the $5 mark.  I got the shutters at Laverty's for $3 and I don't remember how much the cup hooks were, but cheap's the word!

Coveted Couple Shot

***Enthusiastic Whistle***

We haven't done a couple shot in a few months.  Imagine that.  Jadie just isn't really into posing for the camera.  Except that he keeps saying we need to have new family portraits done sometime soon.  

It's too bad I could edit this photo to crop out the blankets draping over the couch, TV antenna, and set of plastic drawers complete with a box of kleenex on top.  Oh well, we are real people, you know.  And I guess if you didn't notice those items before, you're welcome.  I'm glad to point them out for you.

So, I begged Jadie for a picture of the two of us on an occasion when we're at least semi-dressed up.  We were about to head out to Texas Roadhouse on Friday night for dinner.  Jadie had spent the day golfing with some guys (and 2 ladies) from church and Caleb and I waited until he got home to eat dinner.  I thought I'd suggest Roadhouse since it's Jadie's favorite.  That's the way to get him excited about dressing up and leaving the house.  And you just can't beat Texas Roadhouse's call ahead list.  When we got there our wait was only about 5 minutes.  

Clean Kiddo...Clothes and All

So he's not as independent as he thinks...apparently I still need to remind him that the clothes come off first :-)

Morning to Myself

I don't really remember when I last had a childless morning...but yesterday I did!!!  My sweet and generous friend Melanie called me a few weeks ago with a proposal.  Why don't we start a kiddo switcheroo?  So, yesterday she kept Caleb for me for 3 hours!  I was FREE to do whatever I wanted!  In a couple of weeks, I'll keep her little one so she can experience her own version of solitude.  I know she'll love it as much as I did.

What did I do?  Well, in my normal, over-detailed fashion, I'll tell you...

8:45 am--I arrived at Books-A-Million ready for a cup of coffee and some time to do my BSF (bible study) for the day.  They didn't open for another 15 minutes.  I drove over to Panera instead.

8:50 am--I ordered a spinach and bacon souffle and a water.  I enjoyed some time alone studying the Word.

9:45 am--I ventured over to Marshall's looking for one last Mother's Day gift, and perhaps a shirt to go with a skirt a bought 2 weeks ago.  No luck.

10:15 am--On to Pier One...quick exit as I was just browsing the Clearance.

10:20 am--I checked out Children's Place to see if I could find a few t-shirts for Caleb.  It seems that most of his current clothes are long sleeved.  I didn't see anything I couldn't live without.

10:30 am--Next stop, Old Navy.  They had lots of shirts to match the skirt I mentioned before, but none that sat right on me.

10:45 am--I drove over to Kohl's to wrap things up.  I accomplished all of my goals in one place!  I found a shirt to match my skirt, a candle for the Mother's Day gift, and 2 t-shirts I thought were cute for Caleb.  And I threw in another candle to fill our home with fragrance.  On top of my finds, I had a coupon for 15% off of my entire purchase.

11:30 am--Pick up Caleb (and visit with Melanie!) time.  I really enjoyed my time yesterday and I can't wait to return the favor!  Thanks Melanie!!!

Smiling on Command

Caleb is now smiling for the camera...we're in for a whole new era of picture taking...

Marker Maniac

Today our nephew Chris stayed with us because he had a day off from school.  He's in 5th grade and has already passed both his reading and math TAKS.  Way to go Chris!

Anyhow, I experienced a phenomenon this afternoon.  I was in the bedroom for about 10 minutes; Chris and Caleb were in the living room.  I walked into the living room to tell Chris it would be a few more minutes before we left the house for errands since I needed to charge my cell phone a bit more.  

When I walked into the living room, I saw Caleb standing by his tricycle and Chris laying on the couch with Dusty.  Caleb's arms were BRIGHT PURPLE!  And so was his tricycle!  I am now thankful for washable markers.

Apparently, unbeknownst to Chris, Caleb had colored up both arms and every exposed surface of his tricycle.  Yipee.  That was a fun mess to clean up.  But seriously, the entire mess cleaned up with only 3 baby wipes.

The phenomenon...how in the world could Caleb accomplish all of that coloring without Chris ever noticing?  

Here are the pics...and sorry I didn't get one of Caleb's arms...

Nothing Big

Let's see...the last two weeks...

• Two Sundays ago, we visited the 4th church on our quest to find a new church home. We enjoyed the Sunday school class, the worship service, and the time spent with friends (two of Jadie's friends from high shcool go there, along with their wives). We visited again this past Sunday with my mom. The worship service was much better for Jadie!  Yeah!!!  Last night, we visited the Wednesday night service, partially because we were told that it would be even more contemporary because it was geared toward the teenagers.  We were told right...Jadie loved it and I did too!  I even saw a friend  (and fellow blogger) that I haven't seen since right after Caleb was born!  Hi Kim!
• We got our MacBook.  Jadie still needs some convincing since he's not familiar with it...and he's upset at the fact that it cost more than any other brand of laptop...but I'm still thinking it'll grow on him once he figures things out.  I'm psyched about the fact that it takes up only a fraction of the space that our desktop computer takes up.  AND I can be in the living room blogging while Caleb plays!
• This past weekend, we held a garage sale with my mom.  We were open Friday and Saturday from 8am-2pm.  I'd say it was a success.  Mom made about $125 and we made right around $200.  Pointers for those of you thinking of doing a garage sale...here's what sold well for us.  Towels, sheets, shoes, laen equipment, home decor.  Not so much luck with selling any CDs this time.  Last year our CDs went like hotcakes.  I guess the selection this year wasn't wht people were looking for.
• Monday evening I went to The Elite Circle Grille with my sister and her friends to celebrate my sister's birthday.  Let me tell you, their happy hour is the place to be.  I'm not sure if it's just Mondays or everyday, but appetizers were half price as were drinks (which I did not partake of).  We split 5 appetizers between 6 of us and no kidding...my total was $2.58!  Those who had a frozen margarita paid $3.50!!!