Good Times With Gerb

I got to spend the weekend with the one-and-only Gerberta. Let me tell you why Gerberta is such an outstanding friend.

a) Do you know anyone else by that name? Nope, I didn't think so. Not many people can say they have a BFF named Gerberta. I can.

b) She didn't even get irritated when she had to wait at the airport for 1/2 hour for me to pick her up. At least, she didn't act irritated. She was her smiley self.

c) We both enjoyed a few waxy chocolate donuts during the weekend. Thanks, Gerb, for turning me on to that good idea of a snack. We also enjoyed cheesecake, Thai food (did you enjoy it Gerb?), and even hot dogs (at 10:30 am) together. Good thing we both have pregnant appetites.

d) Yes, that's right. Once again, Gerberta and I are going through the ups and downs of pregnancy at the same time. (She's not the only one--there's a whole slew of babies coming next spring--but that's another subject...) The ups, such as, she got to come to my ultrasound with me last Friday. And the downs, such as crying over something silly at the grocery store, and spending lots of time on the couch.

e) We love games. We squeezed in Settlers, Blokus, and Ticket to Ride this weekend. And she's not a sore loser. ;)

f) We are quite the bargain shopping team. Her visit coincided with the semi-annual city-wide Yard Sale. We didn't let the freezing rain or driving in Doug's old, breaking-down car deter us from our bargain hunting. It was so much fun! And, I'd say it was successful. When Gerberta arrived on Friday, she brought with her a purse and one duffle bag. But she left with all this:

g) Gerb understands that my home (especially when I'm pregnant and hosting company and dealing with a delicate potty training situation--once again, another story) is not a showcase, but a lived-in space. And even though we all love a spotless, glamorous place, she was ok with my imperfections.

h) We're both sure that at least one marriage will occur between her (going-on-nine) kids and my (soon-to-be) five. We're betting on Herbie and Hannah. It's the easiest and most legit way we can figure out to become "family". But to me, she feels like family already.

The Biggest BOO!

Every October, we get BOO!d. Someone comes along one night, early in October, and leaves a Halloween treat and a BOO! sign on our front porch. We've never caught the BOO!ers. This year, I realized that the first day of October happened to fall on a Monday, so I determined that we would be the ones to start the BOO!ing for FHE that night. We took buckets of candy to 3 families in our ward, and had a giggling good time doorbell ditching them (even though our crew is not the sneakiest around, I'll admit). Since Monday, I've seen a few new BOO! signs on other people's houses, so I knew the ball was rolling. And I was feeling so smug about being the first BOO!er this year.

Last night, just as it got dark, there was a loud knock on our own front door. Not expecting anyone, my first thought was, "Who could that be?", and then a split second later, I realized, "It could be a BOO!" I ran to the front window, anxious to catch someone running away from our front porch. I didn't catch the BOO!er again this year, but what we did see made us all gasp and laugh hysterically. Check it out:

I'm pretty sure this is the biggest BOO! ever. The garbage can wasn't full of candy all the way to the bottom, but it did go a good 6 inches down. Here's the loot, all organized into individual flavors:

Bummer of a time for Doug and me to be on a sugar diet, don't you think?!

My Gift

Happy Birthday Mom! Actually, it's a Happy Birthday/Happy Mother's Day present. Expected to arrive around May 10th. :)

I know it doesn't look like much now--it's only about 1/2 inch long. But I'm pretty sure that in 7 more months, it will be an adorable little thing!

The New Do

Jennifer cut my hair for me yesterday. It was the longest it had been in about 16 years, which was fun for a while, but took too much time and effort (unless I just stuck it in a ponytail, which was not very attractive for a woman my age ;) ). So I had been thinking about cutting it for quite a while, but this time I finally got the courage to do it. I really like it. It feels like the new, old me.

This morning I was getting myself ready for the day and enjoying the ease of my new style and how little time it took to dry and finish my hair. Just as I was finishing up, I heard a crash downstairs, and Hannah started crying. So I ran downstairs to see what had happened, and this is what I found...

Good thing my hair only takes a fraction of the time to dry and style now! Just imagine the trouble she could get into when my hair was longer!

Think Happy Thoughts

I don't like getting wet in the rain, but I do like to listen to the rain on my rooftop.
I hate it when my feet are cold, but I love my soft slipper socks.
I can't stand wearing turtlenecks, but I love sweaters.
I really dislike the inconsistent temperature controlled by our furnace, but I do enjoy sitting by a fire and reading. (Just bought another case of firelogs yesterday, and trust me, it won't last long around here.)
It makes me sad that the trees will soon be naked and gray, but the colorful fall leaves I see all around me are so beautiful right now.

I'm trying hard to focus on the positive...and it's only September!

A Dry Day

You may know that dry days are almost as rare as sunny days around our house. But today was a very special day that met both uncommon conditions, in more ways than one. Yes, it was sunny and pleasant, weather wise, but also...

Hannah stayed dry in her panties ALL DAY LONG! Yahoo! We ditched the diapers on Monday, and today was her first day without any accidents. And that put me in a sunny mood, even though I wished we could have left the house (and the nearby potty) for longer and enjoyed more of the sunshine outside.

That's ok. The sun will (eventually--who knows when) be back, but hopefully the diapers are gone for good. :)

Good Sabbath

Today was a good one. Doug stayed home to nurse himself back to good health, so it was me and the 4 girls heading to Sacrament Meeting. They were surprisingly well-behaved today, which means that I was able to get a lot out of the meeting. The theme was "Reverence", and the speakers were inspirational. I came home feeling well fed.

Driving in the car this afternoon, Lauren said to me,
"I'm glad that Heavenly Father is real, because then we don't have to be invented."
She went on to list all the creations that would not exist if He wasn't the one who created them.

It's so nice to have a pretty-darn-perfect Sabbath Day once in a while--just to know that they still exist, even for imperfect me. What a gift after a rather long week.

I'm grateful.

The Worst: Part II

Guess who's sick now? The nice guy, Doug. No good deed goes unpunished. The poor guy started puking his guts out in the middle of the night. And what did I do to help him feel better? Well, I gave him more room. I scooted over to the farthest edge of my side of the bed and turned my back to him and worried all night that I would breathe his air and catch his sick germs. Because, vomitting, that's one symptom I have not experienced in the past week, and I'm not seeking to elongate the list of symptoms I have expereinced with my recent illness.

It just goes to show who's the more compassionate half of this couple. (Hint: It's not me.)

The Worst and The Best

Viral respiratory infections are the worst.
It started as an itchy throat, but I toughed it out. Then along came a dry cough. The next day, my nose started to drip. I'll stop there, but suffice it to say that every night since Thursday night, I have gone to bed thinking "Tomorrow I'll feel better." And then I feel worse the next day. It hasn't stopped me from normal life until today, when Doug made me take it easy.

He is the best.

He stayed home and let me sleep in and hang out in my pajamas all day. He got the girls off to school. He worked from home. He did laundry. And he made me a yummy lunch. Now he has taken all the girls to the park, and then he's bringing home a pizza for dinner. He is truly the best.

But as wonderful as he is, and as nice as my lazy day has been,
I really hope I'll feel better tomorrow.

What's for Lunch?

Today I made black bean dip. I've been snacking on it with pita chips, but I think I'm going to make a quesadilla and dip that, and officially call it "lunch". I probably should have soup, because it might make my throat feel better. I have an annoying itchy/sore throat, which came on yesterday. Emily started hers a day before me, and she has stayed home from school for two days now. And it's only the second week of school. This is not a good beginning.

Anywho....here's my yummy black bean dip recipe. (Actually, it's not mine. Originally, I got it from Family Fun.) You should make some. Your tastebuds will thank you, even if your throat complains.

BLACK BEAN DIP
1 15.5-oz. can black beans
1/3 cup medium-hot salsa, plus 1 tbsp. for garnish
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, plus extra for garnish (optional)
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced

To make the dip, drain and rinse the black beans, setting aside 1 tablespoon for garnish. Combine the black beans, salsa, cilantro leaves, lemon juice and garlic in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Garnish with the black beans and, if you like, cilantro leaves or salsa. Makes 1 1/4 cups and serves 4 to 6.