Jewlery designers????

I'm terribly allergic to most jewelry on the market. It's disgusting when I wear it -- my skin gets itchy, red, slimy and then starts to peel off. YUCK!

But, I recently bought some hand made jewelry and it seems to be OK. I don't really want to keep paying someone else to make something I think I can do myself. I know what to buy for supplies so that I won't start to itch, but now I just need some advice on how to get started. And maybe a tutorial or two.

Anybody?????

Why is work always HARD work?

I have a friend who asks me to do odd jobs every once in a while for extra cash. I'd really like a new TV and entertainment center, so when he called a couple of weeks ago I jumped at the chance to do a little work on the side.

Last night, after working about 8 hours to make three signs, I begged Jared to help me finish. He noted, "Why do Dirk's projects always sound so great in the beginning?"

We both agree that in the end, they turn out to be a huge pain in the *$&%^(%. I'm still not finished with the job -- four more signs to go. I have to say I'm grateful for the chance to earn a little money, it always comes in handy. It's also a great teaching tool for my kids -- Maddie keeps asking if I've done enough work to earn what I want to buy. She's even offered some of her money to help :). I think in the long run that might be the best benefit of my taking odd jobs.....

But someday, when I've saved up enough $$ from my blood(yes blood -- you obviously don't sew if you don't believe I bleed when I work), sweat and tears, hopefully I won't have to work too much in front of our new TV.

Who knows when we'll get the TV, but I'm still hoping! And working.

Christmas at our House

Maddie got her bed for Christmas -- it was a big hit!

We had a terrific Christmas week. We spent most of it in pajamas, stinky and as happy as pigs in the muck!

Here's some picts:

I love her bright "Christmas" eyes.

The boys.

John didn't really understand much of what was going on, but he did enjoy dumping out his stocking and eating the baby treats inside.

Breadsticks

Growing up, my family had a unique but wonderful Christmas tradition -- warm breadsticks. My dad is the master of making breadsticks. He would make pan after pan of these tasty, buttery treats.

My brother, sister and I would hand deliver them to our neighbors as soon as they popped out of the oven. They were carefully prepared on holiday paper plates, the long breadsticks hanging over the edge. Each plate was counted out for the assigned household -- two breadsticks per person.

All of the circle waited anxiously for the breadsticks. They'd be notified ahead of time which day we would be making our special delivery. Every house would leave their front porch lights on so that we knew they were home and they wouldn't miss out on their family's allotment that year.

I wish I was home now, waiting to eat the slightly over cooked breadsticks from the end of each batch, sopping up the extra butter and cheese left in the pan. But, my dad is in Iowa this year and I'm in Connecticut -- I'll have to make my own tasty breadsticks. So, here it goes:

To my neighbors who are lucky enough to share in the tradition, you're welcome. I know it is not in any way a normal Christmas treat, but you're not required to reciprocate in any way.

To my circle neighbors that missed out this year, I'm truly sorry, but we'll eat your share!

Ready for Christmas

We've painted our faces,

Trimmed up the tree,

Sent things to far away places,

And let 'the Jesus people' free.We tasted the cookies,

played in the snow,

opened up a couple of goodies,

and sang carols we know.

We're ready for Santa,

we'll send up three cheers --

come Santa, come Santa,

come to our house right here!

Favorite Photo

We went with our friends one Sunday afternoon in October -- that's how far behind I am in my blog posts -- to various sites around town to take family pictures for Christmas cards.

Our little town is beautiful. It's a great place for pictures, painting and beautiful scenery.

I'll keep the picture on the Christmas card to myself(until you get it in the mail), but here is my favorite of the family:

Here are some of the others:

Florence Griswold Museum

About a mile down the street from my house, there is a famous art museum known as the Florence Griswold. It has a few formal viewing rooms with travelling art exhibits that trade out about every three months. Our town is actually well known in the art world. About 100 years ago, an artist set up a summer camp at the Florence Griswold home, and other artists would rent rooms there. The would travel all over the area painting local landscapes. Mrs. Griswold also allowed her favorite artists to paint on the doors and walls of the house. So, it's got a very interesting flair.

We took my parents there to see all the sights. They had a great Christmas decoration -- local artists had each painted a pallet with a design of their choosing. All the pallets are hung on a giant Christmas tree. Maddie loved playing "Where's this?" with little flip cards trying to find snippets of each painted piece.

Here are some pictures of the landscape behind the house:

A Boy & His Grandpa

From the instant my dad walked through the door on November 25th for their Thanksgiving visit, little John was constantly looking for his grandpa.

Little John would run as soon as my dad started to speak to find him and give him a gigantic hug. Sometimes he would hug grandpa, run to play, and run back again to share a little more love. He just wanted to be near his grandpa as much as possible.

It was so sweet to see the little boy's love for his grandpa. Little John is pretty giving with love for others, but it was really interesting to see how much he recognized a special connection with his grandpa.

There really is something to families being forever. Even my one-year-old recognizes it.

Cleaning House

So, it's time to get rid of some things clutering my house. I've put a bunch up on Craigslist. Let me know if you are interested in anything.
Nov 12 - Bouncing Buddies Cradling Bouncer Seat Bouncy Seat - $10 -
Nov 12 - Victoria’s Farmhouse Unfinished Doll House -- $90 OBO - $90 -
Nov 12 - End Table -- $20 OBO - $20 -
Nov 12 - Sewing Table -- $40 OBO - $40 -
Nov 12 - Stuffed Bear Chair Toy $35 OBO - $35 -
Nov 12 - Havana Joe/Hush Puppie and other shoes - $30 -
Nov 12 - Cuisinart Smart Power 7 speed blender--$35 - $35 -
Nov 12 - Cowboy boots brown leather -- $30 OBO - $30 -
Nov 12 - In-Step 10K single jogging stroller -- $50 OBO - $50 -
Nov 12 - KitchenAid Mixer with paddle & hook -- $75 OBO - $75 -
Nov 12 - Graco SnugRide Infant Car Seat – like new - $40 -
Nov 12 - BabyBjorn – Infant Carrier Navy Blue - $10 -
Nov 12 - Antique Vintage Dresser -- $300 OBO - $300 -
Nov 12 - Antique Vintage Rocking Chair -- $300 OBO - $300 -
Nov 12 - Pottery Barn Girls Rug - $50 -

Birthday Bash!

We had Maddie's birthday party on Saturday. It went so great! I can't believe we invited about 25 kids. I think we had about 20 party goers between the ages of 4 and 8, and about 10 parents and siblings that joined in. All in all, it was a great event.

I have to thank a few people that helped make the event a success. For pictures, I need to thank Emily's brother and Adrian who took the photos here. Click on their names to check out their blogs. Also, Emily really pitched in and painted faces for over an hour. One of the kids in Maddie's class at school brought their moon bounce -- what a bonus!

We luckily had fantastic weather, so we had all the kids stay in the backyard as much as possible. We had coloring, pizza, games, cake and party favors. I'm extremely proud of Maddie's shirt and crown. I put those together myself. I also made all the carnival games for the kids to play. Maddie and I made the castle cake.

Here's the photo festival:

Halloween

We had fun Halloween night. We carved the obligatory pumpkin, then prepared for trick-or-treating. Our town does a big event on the Main Street. Everyone trick-or-treat's in their own street, then goes into town about 6:30 PM.

We walked a few blocks going door to door in town. I didn't even dress John up for it -- too big of a hassle -- he just sat in the stroller. Maddie had fun though. She went as a Mickey-Mouse queen. I didn't even take a picture that night -- UGH! But, here's a picture of the family the week before at the ward Trunk-or-treat.

Happy Birthday Maddie!

I can't believe she's six. It's gone by so fast! I guess I only get to give six wonderful things about my little girl, but I could give a thousand. Here are my favorite six:

1-- Sings. Sings. Sings. She sings more than the singing bush from Three Amigos. She is always singing. I can hear her up and down the neighborhood, riding her bike, singing a song. It always makes me smile.

2-- Femininity. She's got so much! She always wants to look her best, have on jewelry, lip gloss and a fancy dress. For her birthday, she's going to dress up so we can go out to dinner at the restaurant of her choosing -- Denny's.

3 -- Smarts. She is so smart it scares me. She reads everything, understands everything and has incredibly complex follow up questions.

4 -- Kind. Maddie is always looking out for everyone's feelings. She wants to involve everyone and help them to have fun too. She's always making new friends and meeting new people.

5 -- Inventive. She's always got a new story, game or idea. If something doesn't work out the way we had planned, she'll always come up with some other idea that can work just as well.

6 -- Determined. When Maddie wants something, nothing gets in her way. She can move mountains with her determination.

I love my little girl so much. I feel so blessed to have her in our lives. She's one of the greatest gifts I'll ever receive in life. She makes every day better just by being around.

I know that all children are cherished, but when after fighting for two and a half years just to get pregnant, and then struggling through the pregnancy, I'll never forget the moment when I knew she was here and safe and OK. I was filled with such joy. She's never done anything to tarnish that feeling. It just grows everyday. I love you Maddie!

Here's her kindergarten class singing to her today:

Taking a Tumble

I have no idea how it happened. One moment I was talking to Maddie, pointing to the waspy-thing I had just sucked into the hand-vac.

The next thing I knew I was rolling end over end down the stairs. All the way from top to bottom -- 15 stairs. There is a giant streak on the wall about 3 feet above the carpet where my tennis shoes raked the paint. New paint required. I broke 5 posts on the railing with some part of my body -- I think my head. Five new posts, new paint and some kind of new knowledge required to put that back together.

My only injuries are a big bump on the noggin, a twisted ankle and some scraped skin off my hands and shins. I can't believe I didn't break something. Sometimes blessings come in the strangest ways -- today I feel blessed just to be in one piece.

I was alone with the kids today -- Maddie watched the whole thing screaming at the top of her lungs. It really freaked her out. She wasn't the only one. But, I have to say, I was pretty ticked off that the vacuum broke into a bunch of pieces on the way down, scattering the contents everywhere. That darn waspy-thing was still alive. You can be very sure I stepped on him until his life was over. Darn bug.

Scrambled Egg Snob

This was my breakfast this morning --- I love scrambled eggs. I eat them almost every morning. This may come as a shock to some -- those acquainted with my early years in life. Until I lived in Maryland(at the age of 26 or so) I never ate scrambled eggs. I'd touch eggs if they were an omelet, but not scrambled. I first really started to like scrambled eggs at IHOP in Rockville. But, I never made them for myself.

In 2004, we went to Montreal, Canada for a virology conference. Our first night there, we searched for a place to eat and were sent to a funny little basement restaurant called the Move and Pick. It sounds like a discount store to me, but it was a great little gourmet restaurant.

Each type of food had a different station -- Crepes, Omelets, Hamburgers, Steak, Chicken, Salad, Fruit, etc. It's where we were first introduced to strawberry crepes with chocolate sauce --YUM! I chose an omelet for dinner. They had ceramic pots with all the different choices for omelet toppings. I asked them what was the favorite -- spinach, mushroom and cheese was the reply. I decided to give it a try. They put all my choices into an omelet pan and whipped up my dinner right before my eyes. I can still taste it. It was beyond incredible. I went back to ask which kind of cheese they had used -- it was Gruyere.

This was my first time eating Gruyere cheese. It's a salty, nutty, flavorful hard imported cheese. It's found in most grocery stores, but it is pretty expensive. I usually only buy it at Trader Joe's because it's about half the cost there. We really love this cheese -- Maddie begs to have it just plain because it tastes so good. I use it in pasta dishes, quiche and now scrambled eggs.

Just plain scrambled eggs aren't cutting it for me anymore. I want flavor. Gruyere is where it's at for me. I love that extra punch it gives the eggs. This is where my snobbery comes from. I simply can't go back now that I've tasted the gourmet side of life. Plus, it always makes me think of Montreal and the funny little Move and Pick.

Fun in Florida

We had a great time visiting Jared's parents this last weekend. We left Thursday morning and got back very late Monday night.

The flights were pretty good -- I'm glad we don't have to pay for John's ticket, but in some ways, I really can't wait to pay for John's ticket. Holding a 26-pound wiggly ball of muscle is tiring after 5 hours. Oh, and he so very desperately wants to kick the seat in front of him. And to the lady in front of us who leaned her chair back putting her bright blond hair right there in front of his face. Yep. I'm sorry he pulled it, but you kinda deserved it.

We had dinner together as a family -- Jared's grandma who is lovingly referred to as Grandma 'Dock by some and just 'Murdock' by others was able to join us. Gina and Doug, my sister and brother-in-law just recently moved to the Jacksonville area and were also with us for most of the weekend. It was so great -- Maddie got to play with her cousin Josh for 4 days straight! She just adores her cousin Josh. Considering that their both the oldest and pretty much only children in their families(John's just not a factor much yet) they got along really well.

Friday we got to tour Gina's house, eat at Longhorn steakhouse, go to the park and rest a bit. Jared, Gina, Doug and I went on a double date that night. We headed out to Cruisers -- a great little diner -- for a fun filled evening. I just love hanging out with my husband. He's a pretty funny guy. He had us all rolling over paying the bill. Such a dumb thing to think is funny, but it was funny. Then we went to Truffles dessert house and begged our way in the door even though it was an hour past closing. We got four gigantic chocolate desserts to share around and headed home.

Saturday was a blast. We got to go to DisneyWorld. It's about a 3 hour drive from Jacksonville, so we hopped in the cars about 7:30 AM and drove down. We rode so many rides! It was pretty packed, but we got on Buzz, the Rockets, Space Mountain, It's a Small World, Pirates, Splash Mountain, the Haunted House, Big Thunder Mountain, Dumbo, Aladin's Magic Carpet, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, and more I can't remember right now. The kids got to do so much! Huge thanks to Jared's mom -- she watched little John and the others so we could go on the big roller coasters. We had a fantastic time! I just love Disney. I know it's supposed to be a happy place, but it's amazing just how much fun you can have with 50,000 other people. We drove home that night and got in about 2 AM. Oh, so very tired.

Sunday we ran out to Ponte Vedra to see our friends Eve & David that moved from Maryland a few years ago. It's always fun to catch up with them and see what latest projects they have going. Then we went to church with Sarah. After our short naps, we drove over to Grandma 'Dock's house for dinner. Yum! No one else makes roast beef and rolls the way she does. We went home and I went to bed and Jared played guitar hero with Doug all night.

Monday we all got to go see the dentist :) It was Maddie's first visit and everything was great! It helps to have Grandpa be your dentist.