Merry Christmas!

We had a very quiet Christmas at the Temmie house. Just the way we like it! Mr. M was thoroughtly spoiled and loved on. And he got his first taste of solid food. Mr. Temmie thinks I'm crazy for taking pictures of every first, but one day he'll appreciate my efforts!!

And even with 6 suprise dinner guests we still had a great 1st Christmas. And by some miracle enough food to go around too. :)

Hope your Christmas was Merry and Bright!

Grab a beverage and snuggle in tight, this is going to take a while!

I am so far behind I think I'm in the lead!


Where to start? How about.....10/10/10. Because it's a fun date and it's the day we Baptized Marcus. :) I already posted a little about the day so here's a few pictures.

The next big event for us was on 10/19/10. That's exactly 5 months after Marcus was born. He became a COUSIN again! Ruby Brianne was born very early in the morning weighing in at 8 lbs. and some change. She was almost as big as Marcus! We weren't feeling well that day so we waited a few days to meet our new cousin. It's hard to tell in these pictures just how close they are in size since Marcus is swimming in his jammies! [sidenote: those jammies fit him now. :( ]

Shortly after cousin Ruby was born, Marcus hit a couple milestones. He rolled from his belly to his back a few times. And he started smiling. Once the smiling started, the giggles weren't far behind. And as lame as it is to admit this, I cried the first time he giggled. It was the most precious thing I'd ever heard. :)

This is his "what damage can I do today" look.

Marcus celebrated his first Halloween on Saturday the 30th because I had to work on the 31th. We really didn't do much. In fact I didn't even dress him up. He had a couple of cute onsies to wear and some halloween jammies. But that's about it. It was cold and rainy and I didn't need the candy! So we just stopped by Grandma and Grandpa's to say hello and then called it a night.

November was pretty quiet until Thanksgiving. We started the morning out by cheering for Aunt Liz. She entered a 5K so we headed to the finish line to see her. She finished in 34ish minutes and the temp that morning was a balmy 8 degrees. Marcus was the only warm one among us since I had him in his snow suit.

Later that day we headed to Grandma and Grandpa's for some yummy food and to look at the Black Friday ads. It was nice.

I must be insane!

So last week I agreed to be a vendor at a boutique. I already had most of the stuff made, but the time to haul, set up, try to sell, and clean up was time away from Monkey. Mr. Temmie was off work so they had daddy/son time while I tried to unload some glass blocks. But still it was a bit crazy and I ended up not selling anything to anyone except family. =/

Now I've gone and agreed to make a WEDDING CAKE for New Year's Day. Of course this is all hinged on me being able to make what the bride wants within her budget, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to give her the look she wants, not so sure about the flavor though! We'll see. Anyway, did I also mention I have to work until 9:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Yea. It's my turn to close out the month so I have to work late. I guess I know how I'll be ringing in the new year; with buttercream and fondant!!! At least this project has a guaranteed paycheck at the end!

I have an epic post I've been working on. I'm hoping it's done in a day or so. Complete with pictures.

Until then... :)

catching up

So it appears that now the Marcus is home I'm down to posting once a month. That's not cool. I'll see what I can do to fix that!



In the mean time some cuteness for your viewing pleasure...

Every time we put him on the changing table he gets the biggest smile on his face! I don't know who or what he's looking at, but apparently it's hilarious. Makes me laugh just looking at his happy little face!

Time's fun when you're having flies! Wait, that's not right...

Things sure have been crazy around here! I'm doing my best not to let the little dude totally take over my world, but, he's the little DUDE and he needs Mr. Temmie and me to do everything for him. We're quite happy to oblige!

So what's been going on....

The day after my last post, Marcus had an apnea spell that required me giving him mouth to mouth, two emergency department visits, an ambulance ride to the local children's hospital and a 4 day inpatient stay. It was horrible, terrifying, absolutely the worst days ever. If you are a parent, I recommend you don't have this happen. Just sayin'...

We were discharged on Sunday 9/26 in the evening. I was supposed to go back to work the next day but thank everything holy I have the best boss. She wanted me to take the week off. I would have LOVED to, but Mr. Mortgage said I could only take 2 days off. The rest of the week I worked. =( Marcus was discharged with a PICC line and orders for 10 days of IV antibiotics. We had a homecare nurse come to the house and teach me how to push his meds. I quickly learned that if I fed Marcus WHILE pushing meds, he was too distracted by his food to notice I was holding his arm still. =)

Since then things are getting back to normal. Of course I hate to write that out for fear I will upset some cosmic balance and things will fall apart again. I was a worried new mommy before, now I'm downright paranoid. I constantly check to see if Marcus is breathing. I don't sleep for more than an hour to hour and a half at a time so I can check on him. Mr. Temmie and I are both afraid to leave Marcus in any room alone even for just a minute. We are pretty scarred by the whole event. One day I hope to relax enough to just enjoy this little guy!

Of course I won't let all this worry stop me from loving every second with Marcus. This last weekend, on 10/10/10 we had him baptized. It was the most perfect day!!! The sun was shining, we were surrounded by family and friends and a moment I thought we'd never get to have, happened. PERFECTION! The day was even complete with Marcus wearing a suit made from my wedding dress (thanks Jen for all your help on that!).

We also still have lots and lots of doctor appointments. Visits for his eyes, weight checks, immunizations, meeting with the development folks. And our latest and greatest is a GI visit due to elevated liver enzymes. Pray that turns out to be nothing please! This poor kid needs to catch a break! Although his eyes are getting better. Rather than once a week visits we get to wait a whole month before he's due for an exam. His weekly check in today has him weighing in at 8 lbs even and we get to wait 2 weeks for the next one. He did get his 4 month vaccines today ( a little late!). So far he really hasn't had a fever. He's slept a little more but that's about it. And we had our first post-placement visit with the social worker tonight. He basically sat on the couch and asked us how it's going. We told him the ups and downs but that we're in this together, all 3 of us, and we're doing alright. =)

So that's life around here. We function in three hour intervals. It's a MILLION times harder to get anything done, but we still manage eventually. Mr. Temmie and I fall more and more in love with Marcus and his big brown eyes and downy soft head every day. Oh and his new thing...smiling! Makes me swoon! =D

I'll do a "picture dump" tomorrow. For now, Marcus is eating and will then go to bed. So that's where I'm headed so I can be ready for 3 a.m. =)

breaking the radio silence

It's been a while. Things have been nuts! I got a call on August 25th from the NICU. They asked if Mr. Temmie and I could get there that weekend because our sweet boy was ready to go home!!!! It was a mad dash to get everything together and work schedules adjusted, but we did it and we arrived on Sunday afternoon to see our boy. We spent the night at the hospital that night and by noon on Monday, August 30, 2010, Marcus was discharged and ALL OURS!!!!! It was so awesome!

We then spent the next week and a half waiting for paperwork to clear so we could come home. We had no computer access and no A/C in 95-100 degree temps. We spent a lot of time at the mall because it was cool, we could be there for hours, and we didn't have to spend a ton of money. =)

Finally we were cleared to go home and it's been wonderful every since. We have all adjusted to each other. We have something that resembles a routine going and Marcus is growing like a weed!

The only sad part is I have to go back to work on Monday. I'm really not excited about this and in fact it makes me tear up a bit every time I think about it. So I'm not going to!

So. We're home. We're happy and healthy. We're head over heels in love with our little man. And he just woke up for his midnight feeding so pictures will have to wait! =)

Ole!

Mr. Temmie loves him some spicey food. When we first dated, I could barely tolerate black pepper. Now days my palate can take a little heat. So the other day Mr. Temmie came home with 1 1/2 bushels of green chilies from Hatch, New Mexico. They had been washed and roasted. All I had to do was cool them and then bag them up to freeze.



Here they are cooling.

And bagged up for the freezer.

That there is 21 quart size freezer bags, each with about 5 rather large chilies in each bag.




Sure hope I don't need that bottom shelf for anything else.

And now begins the days of chili verde, chili rellenos, and anything else I can think of to do with about 30 lbs. of green chili. :)

3 months, custody and another delay.

Marcus is 3 months old today! I don't have a new picture of him though because my favorite nurse is still on vacation. :( I'm hoping to at least have the nurse get his feet and hand prints for his baby book. I can't believe it's been 3 months already. Of course the first 6 weeks we weren't really sure if he was going to be ours or not. Now we know he will come home with us. Let's just pray it happens soon!

***********************

So my last post was about 8/17 being our anniversary. From now on it will be our anniversary AND the day the judge signed the custody order. For all intents and purposes we are his parents!!!!!! I couldn't have asked for a better gift!

************************

Finally, the bad news. More delays. We were so excited to learn that Marcus was doing better with his feeding and we would start to make a discharge plan for him soon. Then he had his eye exam on Tuesday and he didn't pass...twice. =( So rather than wait another week, he is having a follow up exam on Friday. If he passes that test, they will check again on Tuesday. If he doesn't pass this exam, he will have laser surgery right then and there. If he has surgery it could delay his discharge by up to 3 weeks. In addition to the possible eye surgery, these exams he has to have are very painful for him and it's affecting his feeding. He hurts and therefore doesn't want to eat. I'm heartbroken about this news. We have waited so long to have a baby and now that we finally have him, we have missed the first 3 months of his life and have no idea when he will get to come home. I know if he were in the same state I wouldn't be as upset. I could at least be there for him. I could hold him and kiss his downy soft head and promise him ice cream when it was all done. But I'm not there. And I can't go to him. I looked at airfare to fly out for 48 hours. But since we put everything we have and some we didn't have into adopting, we can't swing an extra $500 for a quick trip. So I will just have to keep praying that he will be home soon. And I have to keep finding the silver lining on the whole situation. The more days I work, the more PTO I accrue, the more days off I can take with Marcus when finally does come home. The other positive thing is despite all these obstacles and challenges, he continues to grow every day. As of this morning he is 5 lbs. 8 oz. =)

08/17/02

Warning: Cheese filled post ahead!!

Eight years ago today I married my best friend. It was a warm, but not too warm, August Saturday. We were surrounded by family and friends that are considered family. There was good food, A LOT to drink, music and laughter. It truly was the best day of my life.

We had a very simple and beautiful ceremony at our Parish followed by a reception at my sister's house. I don't think I will ever be able to thank my sister enough for offering her house/yard for our reception. There was a lot of hard work that went into getting things ready for that day. She used to joke that she should have purchased stock in H.ome De.pot because her paychecks all went there that Summer. And we can't forget the fact that her master bathroom remodel that was already started (bathroom was gutted!), ended up being put on hold and then stalled for 7 years! I'm not exaggerating at all either. =( It's done now so that's all that really matters right?

Anyway, Mr. Temmie and I had a great time spending the day with everyone we love. We also found out that an extended family member on Mr. Temmie's side also got married that day. When we left our reception we tried to find theirs but we had bad info on the location. So we scrapped the idea, picked up some burgers and headed to our hotel to watch pre-season football. Like I said, best. day. ever!

The last eight years have been filled with highs and lows, laughter and tears. It's not always "Happily Ever After". But what I have found is that when we hit the lowest of the lows, we're still together and we're there to help each other climb back up and out. In eight years we have learned to communicate better with each other. We have our own language and we can finish each other's sentences...sometimes. ;) We've seen each other at our absolute worst and best. And yes I still get butterflies in my tummy when Mr. Temmie surprises me with a phone call or an evening out. And sometimes I get them just because he is holding my hand.

So to Mr. Temmie: I love your guts babe! Thanks for making the last eight years (o.k. nine if you count the time we dated too!) the best years of my life. Whadda ya say we shoot for another 100 or so more? ;)

Hurry up and wait

Well it seems that Marcus has decided to drink all of his bottles. But he also decided to stop gaining weight. So it's still more of the same. Hurry up and get ready. Then wait. According to one of the NP's we should have a discharge plan by the end of the week. The staff has promised to try and give Mr. Temmie and me 3-4 days notice so we can get our work schedules figured out and get in the car and go. So while we wait we are making sure the laundry is done and the house is clean.



Marcus' good nurse sent me another picture the other day. Unfortunately it also came with the bad news that she is on vacation until the 25th. So no more weekly pictures unless he still isn't discharged by the time she gets back.



Growing stronger every day!

Get it done now, before the baby comes home!

With all the hustle and bustle getting ready for Marcus, I haven't really had a lot of time to relax. Between work, getting ready for the homestudy, and getting to visit Marcus for the weekend I've been running around like a mad woman. I'm tired! I want to rest. I need to rest because soon enough there will be a baby in my house that needs all my time and attention (I can hardly wait!).
This weekend we were supposed to be packing up to head to Lake Powell for a week of camping. But we found out about Marcus and we backed out of the trip. Then we were supposed to be packing up to head to CA to GET Marcus. But he's not ready yet. So now we have nothing going on. While I wish my baby were coming home, I'm beyond thrilled at this turn of events! I get to relax! I'm going to sleep in, play in my craft room and stay in my jammies until 4:00!
I have big plans for tomorrow. I want to finish bro-cha-cho's tapestry since he will be in town for the Lake Powell trip. I want to finish my niece's baby book. I want to start Marcus' baby book. And I want to make the name letters for Marcus' room.
There is also a hot air balloon festival this weekend. Mr. Temmie and I were out to dinner one evening last year and we saw all the balloons. We made a mental note that we wanted to check it out the next year. So that's just what we're going to do! It's going to be awesome! I'll be sure to remember the camera.
I also need to post pics of the baby's room. Thanks to the help from my other bro-in-law, the three of us were able to paint and pull carpet up last weekend. Now instead of an office it's a nursery/office combo. It's so cozy and I find myself spending time in his room just to look at all his things and wait for him to come home. :)

Big day

Today at 1:00 p.m. PDT birth mom will meet the CA attorney to terminate her rights. Mr. Temmie and I will then be given guardianship of Marcus. At that time the 6 month waiting period to finalize will start. We are so close to bringing our boy home we can hardly stand it!




Yesterday I spoke to Marcus' doctor and she filled me in on his status with a little more detail than the nurses. He is doing well, gaining weight and getting stronger every day. He has pretty much stopped his de-saturations completely. He still has had a few but he didn't drop very low and he self corrected so the nurses aren't counting them. So it really is down to his eating. He's only taking 1/3 to 1/2 of his feed from a bottle. They won't discharge until he eats the whole thing consistently. You can do it little guy! We're all cheering for you! :) His doc said he has at least another week in the pokie. I hope that's all he has left!



In the mean time, my favorite nurse is assigned to Marcus today. That means I get more pictures! Here's the newest of him in his BIG BOY cribette. No more warmer!!!! Oh and he now weighs in at a hefty 4 lbs 13 oz.

Update

So the order has been signed. The judge ruled that the CA agency can take birth mom's relinquishment signature. I'm working with my lawyer to coordinate a meeting for this to happen. Once is does, Marcus will be placed with us and then the 6 month waiting period to finalize the adoption will start. I'm so excited right now, I'm shaking! All the waiting and stress and frustration is finally starting to pay off!

And in other good news, Marcus has let up on his de-sats. When I called this morning to see how his night was the nurse said he had only had one de-sat and it was after he ate. Damn reflux!!! But it also means he's getting stronger! And now he just needs to take his whole feeding from a bottle. We're getting close! I feel like I should pack a bag or boil some water or something. ;)

Petition to adopt

As part of the adoption process, Mr. Temmie and I had to file a petition to adopt. The draft arrived the day before I went to California but we didn't have time to look it over until I got back. We did finally get a chance to look it over and make one correction and then I mailed it back to the attorney last week along with a hefty court fee and the attorney's retainer fee. The petition was filed on Friday. A judge will order a meeting between birth mom, a CA attorney [that = more fees :( ] and a social worker so birth mom can sign a consent saying she is relinquishing her parental rights. This meeting could be as early as WEDNESDAY. Once that happens, Mr. Temmie and I are granted guardianship of Marcus. This meeting will also start the ICPC process. This is the interstate agreement that has to happen before we can take Marcus out of the state of CA. I'm praying with every ounce of me that his discharge will line up with the completion of all the paperwork so that when he is discharged, we can visit with his CA grandma for a day or two and then COME HOME!!!!!

Smiles

While I was visiting Marcus last weekend he would flash these heart-melting ADORABLE toothless smiles at me. Now I KNOW they were a reflex, but I couldn't help but smile back and melt just a little more every time he would smile. I tried so hard to catch a picture of one, but he would stop as soon as I grabbed my camera.


I also got to meet some of the amazing nurses taking care of our boy. One of the nurses asked permission to take pictures of him while she was on shift and email them to me. Rather than reply with a "yes" I replied with my email address. =) This is what she sent today:




::Swoon:: I just melted a little more!

Weekend update

Last weekend was the best weekend ever!!! I spent the whole time snuggling, changing feeding and reading to Marcus. I met all his wonderful doctors and nurses. And when it was time to leave, my heart broke. But we will see him again soon!





Now for the part you really care about:





Marcus now weighs 4 lbs. 2 oz. And he ate a whole feeding (40mL) from a bottle yesterday without any desaturations. THIS IS HUGE FOR HIM!!!! Usually he can get about half done before he gets tired and has to have the rest tubed. He also got his 2 month vaccinations. Poor little man! He is also regulating his temp better and they expect him to move to an open warmer by the end of the week. We're still looking at another 10 days or so before he'll be discharged. But in the mean time we are getting all the paperwork filed and in order so that when Marcus is discharged we will get to come straight home (well after a little visit with Mr. Temmie's mom).





And with out further ado....some pictures. =)

My big project.

Time to let the secret out. My big project is really a joint effort with Mr. Temmie. After 7 long years of struggle and heart ache we are finally becoming parents. No it's not another furbaby. It a real, honest to goodness, bouncing baby boy! O.k. maybe not bouncing, but he is a fighter!

Meet Marcus Isaiah!
May 19, 2010
1 lb 12 oz.

This little guy was born to a mom who is not ready to take care of him and had the courage to say so. She wanted him placed with someone in her family and Mr. Temmie and I fit the bill.

For those that know me really well, you know I have a hard time keeping secrets. Well I kept this one from most people for almost 6 weeks. It was BRUTAL!! But now that most of our paperwork is complete, including our homestudy, I feel like I can share. That and the fact that he will be discharged from the NICU in 10-14 days makes it all a little more surreal!

I'm headed to California this weekend for a little, o.k. a lot, of snuggle time and reading books. Then I come home for a week or so and head back with Mr. Temmie to bring our little guy home! I'll try to post some more updates this weekend, but I'll have limited access to a computer. But I'll only be gone for 4 days so if I can't post you can put on your big kid panties and wait! ;)

I fed her...

My inner domestic goddess, that it. I let her come out and play this past weekend. We had a lovely time together. Although letting her use the oven to bake probably wasn't the best idea in the current 100+ degree weather, but the cookies she made were to die for! ;)

I'd like to let her out again this weekend, but I'm headed back to California to work on my project some more. By the way, for all 3 of my readers, I will start posting about said project this weekend. So you can check here for updates. =D It's exciting stuff!

Stay Cool!

desperation

I'm in desperate need of some crafting time!!! But it will have to wait. That big project I'm working on in California is taking up most of my time right now. And while that's a good thing, I just can't wait for my life to return to something that resembles normal! Soon enough though, soon enough.

And as far as revealing that big project...stay tuned! I'll let you all know real soon. =)

Lost connection

I have no Internet at home! =( Poor Mr. Temmie is going through withdrawal! Hopefully we will have a connection again tomorrow since the guy is coming to look at it.

In the mean time, I've actually had time to relax and start reading a new book! It's nothing spectacular, just some chick lit brain candy, but it sure has been nice!

I've also been hard at work on my California project and should be able to reveal soon. And this weekend I have awesome plans to get bro-cha-cho's tapestry sewn together and just chill.





We are having family over for a BBQ on Sunday. Last year I decided to host 4th of July "Olympics" and I think it will be a new tradition. The games last year included dodge ball, hoarse, and extreme croquet complete with doggie land mines and a water hazard. This year we won't have as much yard space (we used the next door neighbor's yard since the house was vacant, this year has tenants) so I'm going to have to get creative with the games. Perhaps a round of Beer Pong would work.....? ;)



Hope you all have a lovely holiday weekend!

Chaos

That is the best word to describe my life. And it takes and entirely too long post to catch up for it!! From the time vacation started until today it has been go go go go go. We hit the road at 9:45 on 6/10 and haven't stopped since.

Our trip to California was full of visiting family, seeing the sites, and working on that little project I was talking about. We tried to pack so much in, we ended up staying an extra day. That extra day with family was nice, but it sure did make the drive home hard! Our goal was to do it one day, but since we left CA so late we had to stop. So that got us home a day and a half later than planned. Now if nothing else had been going on that wouldn't have been an issue. But I was scheduled to curl my niece's hair for opening night of Annie and Mr. Temmie had to pick up my sister from the airport at the same time. So we pretty much got home, unloaded the car, said hello to the pups and turned around and raced out the door again. Here's a not-so-quick and dirty re-cap!

6/10:
-Head for CA
-Win $20 on a quarer slot machine in Nevada



6/11:
-win another $70 on a quarter slot machine before heading out
-Go the scenic route taking and extra 2 hours to get to CA





6/12:
-Nephew's Graduation (reason #1 we went to CA)
-Swap meet (got totally fried in the sun!)
-Grad BBQ
-Work on project (reason #2 we went to CA)



6/13:
-Whole day in Santa Cruz at the beach (remembered the sunscreen!)











6/14:
-Whole day in San Francisco and Alcatraz (forgot sunscreen again got more fried!)
-Work on project some more







6/15:
-A little more time on project (instead of heading for home!)
-BBQ with only family we hadn't seen yet, stayed until wee hours of 6/16

6/16:
-Sleep late and scramble to pack up for home
-try to do 11 hour drive but only make it 7

















6/17:
-Got home at 11:00
-Picked up niece and nephew at 2:00
-Mr. Temmie picked up sis at 2:00
-Curl hair
-Find dinner
-Get to park and thouroughly enjoy opening night















6/18:
-Pedicure w/ sis and little niece in an effort to relax
-lunch with sisters
-Church fundraiser festival
-Dinner and bingo (I won the blackout game! my prize was a pre-planted herb garden in a pot. AWESOME!!!) =)
-Small amount of time spent in the Barley and Hopps tent. ;)

6/19:
-Up early and at church to sign in for 5K
-Mostly walk but jog a little and finish 5k in an hour. (not bad since I didn't really train well! And one sister finished in 34 minutes and placed in her age division.) =)
-Breakfast with sisters who also ran 5k
-Home to shower and back to church for more festivities and more time in the barley & hopps tent. Only it was for tequila and lime concoctions with a saled rim. Yum!
-Quick stop at the store (HAH!) for eggs and milk ($50 later...)
-Home to bake a dozen cupcakes and an Elm0 cake for b-day parties and father's day
-Up until 3:00 decorating said cakes. =(

6/20:
-Couldn't get my arse up to save my life.
-Finally got to church for brunch but didn't feel like eating.
-Helped close out the silent auction at 2:00
-Race home to get Mr. Temmie, cakes, more booze and presents
-Get to mom and pops by 6:00 for dinner and festivities
-Stayed until 11:30 p.m.

6/21:
-Had to drag my hung over arse out of bed and go back to work. Where I must say it has been lovely to just sit and enjoy the frigid A/C. =)

6/22:
-Got home from work and took a nap!

6/23:
-Work and another showing of Annie

6/24:
-More work and Closing night of Annie

Today (Friday):
-More out of town company to visit with and enjoy a cocktail or two on sis's awesome deck.

Are you tired yet? I sure am!!!

I'm hoping at some point to be able to do laundry and get to the grocery store. I've about had it with living in vacation mode! It will be nice to have a dinner menu planned and actual groceries to cook with. It will also be nice to stay home in the evening and sit on the front porch oasis Mr. Temmie and I have created. And maybe, just maybe, I'll actually get those gardens planted and more stuff crossed off the project list! =)

Vacation Eve

At 4:30 today I will be on vacation for 11 glorious days. I can hardly contain myself! Mr. Temmie and I are taking a road trip to visit family and go to his nephew's high school graduation. Wow that makes me feel really old!

Anyway while we are on vacation, besides seeing family we are going

to see this








and this








We are going here








And will go here...A LOT!








I'm also hoping to work on my big suprise project a little. It will make the most amazing trip ever if I can get something done on this one while I'm in CALIFORNIA!

Now I'm off to make my list of things to do and things I still need for the road. And not to worry, Harley and Jersey will be in good hands. My sweet little niece and her parents are going to stay with them for the week. They will get lot's of love and treats while we're gone. =)

Hot date and weekend plans

I have a hot date this Friday and it's not with Mr. Temmie! O.k. so maybe it's more like a "playdate" than a date date. Here's the deal. The new movie Marmaduke opens on Friday. I really want to see it, but would feel like an idiot going without any kids. When I was 20, no problem, who cares!! But now that I'm in my 30's, not-so-much. So, since I don't have any kids, I'm borrowing a niece and nephew and taking them. My niece is so excited and keeps calling the show "Mamatook". I love it! =) I plan to spoil them rotten and then send them home to their parents. Oh and there will be plenty of sugar involved too. =D Although I have to be careful. Last week I went to dinner with this same niece and her mom and by the end of the night little miss had decided she was sleeping over at my house. And the truth is, she's so stinkin' cute I couldn't say no! So if I'm not careful on Friday I could end up with a 3 year old hopped up on sugar sleeping at my house!




The rest of my weekend will consist of cleaning and getting ready for VACATION! I have so much laundry to do I may not see the light of day until Monday morning! But I will get it all done and Mr. Temmie and I will have an awesome road trip to visit his family.

Oh and I'm hoping to work on that tapestry! It seems I have the best intentions every weekend and then run out of time. =( I better get crackin'! Bro-chacho-in-law will be her in 2 weeks!



P.s. I sooo wish this were the one I made. Who knew you could google such a thing and actually find stuff!

3-Day weekend...not-so-much

The air is filled with the buzz of a holiday weekend. It's the official start to Summer. And I have to work. The whole weekend. =( Well only a couple hours tomorrow but ALL.DAY on Monday. Oh well, it's premium pay and I will get off early next Friday. Then it will only be one week until VACATION! I'm looking forward to our road trip and visiting family. Then when we get back, there will be more family to see! We get back just in time for my oldest niece's starring role. She will be Annie in a local city's production of Annie. I can't wait. When she sings, I get chills and usually cry. =) It's going to be awesome!

In the mean time I hope you are all gearing up for Summer and have a great holiday weekend!

Blah.

So not much is new and exciting right now. O.k. that's a lie, I'm working on a huge project right now, but the end result is a surprise so I can't share the details yet. But I will soon. =D

In the mean time I had some fun last weekend. I made some adorable dresses for my niece. I started with a couple of onsies and some extra fabric. One of my sisters helped with a pattern but after that it was all me. I'll post pics later tonight since I don't have the camera with me. I also finally made my mother-in-law's mother's day present. Good thing she lives in another state and is cool with getting a late gift! I made a wreath with painted clay pots. It's so cute. Again, no pics with me so I'll add them later.

I got some house cleaning done too. I was going to plant my veggie garden but thank goodness I didn't! The worst snow storm rolled in Sunday night and by Monday morning there was about an inch of snow on the ground. The local weather guy said it's the latest recorded measurable storm. Happy May 24th I guess!

And finally...today is a big day. May 25th is the day Mr. Temmie and I went on our first date...9 years ago. So to celebrate, I'm having a root canal. Isn't that sooooo romantic?!?!

Love ya Mr. Temmie! ;)

Almost done?!?!

I have been in school for WAAAAAAY too long. When high school ended I wanted nothing to do with college. I was so over school and couldn't be bothered. In fact I was so done with going to class that I sorta quit going my senior year and had to go back later to get my diploma. But I did get the diploma! I also packed my bags and moved 3000 miles away from anyone I knew. That was a little scary! But it also made a huge impact on the person I am today. And I met some amazing people and had some awesome experiences I never would have had if I hadn't gone. =)

I was only gone a year. Granted I could have extended my nanny contract with the family I worked for, but there was a boy back home I wanted to give my attention to. (no that boy wasn't Mr. Temmie and for a while I regretted moving home for a boy, but in the end if I hadn't come home for the boy, I wouldn't have broken up with the boy and then been set up on a blind date with Mr. Temmie. So it turned out to be a good thing.) =) Anyway, when I came home I still didn't want to go to school. So I nannied for a local family and took care of my sister's two kids in exchange for rent. At one point I also watched another sister's son and had 4 kids under 5 in my care from 8:00-about 4:30. Doing preschool drop off for the two older kids while hauling around the two toddler/babies was tough! And that's when I decided I didn't want to watch other people's kids for a living anymore. But I didn't want to go to school either! So I got myself a nice cozy office job at a major soft drink company. It was while working there I started to think I might want to go back to school but it would be several years before I would make that move.

Fast forward several years...I was now working at the local children's hospital in the communications/safety and security department. Most of my co-workers were college students. Mr. Temmie and I were newlyweds and I told him it was time. We had a few discussions and we agreed I would go back to school. That was nearly 8 years ago.

Since I worked full time, I mostly stuck to part time credit hours. A few times I tried to go full time school with full time work, including a semester of 20 credit hours and 40 hour work weeks, but all that really did was tank my GPA. I did manage to get an Associates Degree from the Community College and last fall I was accepted to the University. I'm struggling there. I just want to be done and am quickly losing my motivation. But I HAVE to finish. I HAVE to get a Bachelor's degree. I WANT to teach. I just don't think the education program is my path. So I looked into getting an English degree. I can still teach with an English degree. I have a friend who is also looking into getting an English degree and is will to do it with me. So I pulled the class requirements.

Folks. I'm as little as 16 classes away from a degree. And that includes a minor in Spanish so it would be a BA instead of a BS which is what I wanted anyway and was working towards. I would split it up over 3 semesters, mainly due to needing 3 Spanish classes and having to split them up. It's about 5.33 classes a semester or roughly 15 credit hours a term. That qualifies as full time student. I've done this many before. One of my best terms I had 16 credit hours. It's not easy but it is do-able. Especially if I have a partner in crime. If I choose to go Summer Semester I could be graduating with a degree this time next year.

I think the only obvious choice it to call a student advisor and get the ball rolling. I think this is just the motivation I need to kick it into high gear and FINALLY be done with school!!

Oh Friday, how I love you!

I cannot wait for 2:30! I managed to get in a few extra hours during the week and now I get an early day today! That means big plans at the Temmie house tonight! Mr. Temmie and I are going to pull up some more carpet and enjoy some more hard wood floors. I have a crock pot full of ribs cooking away so I don't have to worry about dinner when I get home and maybe, just MAYBE I might suggest a movie date. We'll see on that last one since Mr. Temmie has to work at 4:00 am tomorrow.

Oh and Jersey did all her morning potties OUTSIDE instead of in the hallway!Basically it's just a good day! =)

Hope your Friday is just as wonderful!

The lightbulb just went ON!

One of the projects on my list is a tapestry for my brother-in-law. I've sorta been avoiding it for the same reason it took me so long to re-upholster the chair...I didn't know where to start! Well I covered the chair and it's awesome so now's as good a time as any to tackle the tapestry! That and he will be here in about 5 weeks and I want to have it ready when he get's here. (here's where I tell his wife, my sister and most likely only reader, not to tell so it can be a suprise!!) ;)

Now, you may be thinking, "What's so hard about making a tapestry?" What if I tell you it's made entirly out of those velvety purple bags that Crown Royal come in? That's right folks. Bro-chacho has saved every Crown Royal bag from every bottle he has ever purchased and now has a big enough collection to make something with it. Pretty cool if you ask me! Which he sorta did and therefore I'm the one making something with them...huh! =)

So, the hardest part has been figuring out how to do the layout. But while I was driving home from work last night, it all became perfectly clear how to do this. Now I just need to sit down and fire up the ol' Singer! (o.k. I think my machine is actually a Brother brand but whatever!) Oh and did I mention that these bags are not all the same size? And some of them have special collector designs on them? Yea. That's a challenge too! But now that I have the layout idea I totally know how to proceed. I can't wait to get started! And I'll definately post a pic when I'm done. I'm betting I can knock this one out in a weekend. =) Stay tuned!

Kindness

So this last weekend was Mother's Day. I mentioned in a previous post how hard this holiday usually is for me. This year I was overwhelmed with kindness. =) A good friend of mine decided to sponsor a homeless pet in my name and the card attached read, "Your babies just happen to shed on the couch...and sometimes poop on the floor." I cried. =) Then on Sunday my sisters all gave me cards. They were special Mother's day cards that all had the same message...you're not the mom but you're the next best thing. More tears! =) One of my neices even decided to make me some sort of critter thing. It's a styrofoam ball and she added eyes, ears, and legs. Then she spray painted the whole thing silver and mounted it on a piece of cardboard. It's adorable and I'm going to put it on my desk at work.

So in the end it was a good day. I did have a total melt down and take it out on Mr. Temmie on Saturday night, but by Sunday morning I was feeling better and by BBQ time Sunday afternoon I was good. Of course the 2 1/2 margaritas didn't hurt any either! Everyone had a nice evening. Even Jersey had a good time despite falling into my dad's pond. Whoops! That'll teach her to chase the kids! =)

Hump Day Eve

Awwwww. Almost half way to the weekend! I'm ready for it! It seems like the only time I have for me time is on Saturday. So as long as I don't overbook myself I should have another productive weekend! In the mean time, I'll just have to put my head down and plow through.

In other news, I joined a fitness team at work. I live for a good competition and this is right up my alley! So far the "pot" is at almost $500. All I have to do is some sort of cardio activity for 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Gradually that amount will be increased. The first time I drop below the requirement, I'm out. This will be good to help me get ready for the 5K coming up. Of course not letting the pups sleep in my bed so I can get a good night's rest will help too! =) Tomorrow I plan to go to the gym with Mr. Temmie after work, but I think I'll take my tennies and go for a walk at lunch too. I need all the practice I can get since my siblings and I have a friendly competition going for the 5K. Loser has to buy the winner a beer. =)Note to self, start saving for beer! I'm a realist, I know I won't win, but I'm gonna try my hardest to beat them! ;)

Productive weekend

I decided not to lounge around this weekend and finally tackle some projects and home improvements. Since I got off work early on Friday I jumped in, feet first and then plowed through until I felt like I was done. First, Mr. Temmie and I pulled up the nasty, stained carpet in the living room. When we bought the house 3 years ago, I pulled back a corner to see what was under there and was pleased to find hard wood. I suggested at the time that we pull up the carpet since we hadn't moved any furniture in, but Mr. Temmie didn't want to. Fast forward to Friday and I FINALLY won! Turns out the biggest hesitation on his part was the condition of the floors. But we lucked out and the floor is in excellent condition. Now all we need to do is pull up the hallway and bedroom carpets!



That little task of ripping out carpet only took 4 hours. It would have gone faster if the darn tack strip hadn't been such a pain!

Then on Saturday I got almost all the mountain of laundry done and...... I CLEANED THE CRAFT ROOM!!!!!!!! I can finally get in there and be creative again!!! I'm so excited! In all honestly if all I got done this weekend was cleaning that room I would be thrilled! I don't have a picture of that though. It's just a room full of all my crafty tools and supplies and a guest bed. :)

Once the room was clean I decided to tackle another project I've been avoiding. Back in February my Great Aunt passed away. When my siblings and I went to help our cousin clean out her house, we all left with various treasures. One of my new finds was an antiquey wing back chair. The D.I. didn't want it so I took it. I've been meaning to reupholster it since I brought it home, but was scared since I've never done that before. I did go to the fabric store with my good friend Tricia and she helped me pick some great material. So last night I sat down with 9 yards of fabric and a staple gun and went to work. Once I figured out a game plan it was EASY!! I also had some leftover material and an old foot stool from my grandma. So that got covered too and now I have a beautiful new set. I'm quite proud of how it all turned out!

Before


After


And finally, I finished one of the dolls I'm making. I have made several of these dolls for friends and family. The pattern belonged to my grandma. She made this doll for one of my sisters and me. I still have mine! Anyway, everytime I've made this doll, I just bought preemie clothes from the store because it was easier. But this time I actually made the dress she's wearing. I don't know who I'm going to give this one too, but I think she turned out really cute!








So that was my weekend! Today I just lounged around. That's what Sunday's are for! ;)

Infertility Awareness Week April 24 - May 1

It is believed that 1 in 6 couples suffer from infertility. Mr. Temmie and I are one of them. The best way to describe what infertility feels like is this: you lose part of your heart that you will never get back. In it's place is deep, dark, void that can never be filled. Infertility is, indeed, a very painful struggle. The pain is similar to the grief over losing a loved one, but it is unique because it is a recurring grief. This process happens month after month, year after year. It is like having a deep cut that keeps getting opened right when it starts to heal.

Mr. Temmie and I have faced this challenge for nearly 7 years. Some days it's easy to forget the pain and live in the moment. Then there are the days, like Mother's day, that are an excrutiatingly painful reminder of the one thing missing from our lives.

So for anyone reading (I think there are 3 of you!) take a moment this week to offer up a silent prayer for the millions of couples suffering from infertility. Pray for their continued strength, hope, and most of all peace with the situation they face. It's really easy to lose all of that and faith as well, and of course those are the things you need most to fight the infertility battle!

If you want to learn more about infertility visit http://resolve.org

New Quarter resolution?

Back at the beginning of the year, hubby and I made the typical resolution to get healthy and lose weight. We even went so far as to join a gym. We waited until the buzz of the New Year died down a bit and the end of January started exercising. We were doing really well and actually went to the gym at least 3 days a week for an hour or more. I lost 12 lbs rather quickly. We also started eating better. If we were putting all that effort into exercise we thought we'd better eat right as to not defeat our efforts. Then I caught a cold. I needed to take a small break to get better and it became very clear who the motivator was in our house. I started feeling better and then hurt my foot. Down again. And just as my foot got better, I got a sinus infection. Talk about bad luck mixed in with a little excuse not to go!! So that all started the end of February. It's now mid-April. High time we got our arses in gear and headed back to the gym. I'm hoping by posting this here it will be another motivation factor. That and the fact that hubs and I want to run/walk a 5K in June. I know I can do it and in just over an hour. So now I want to see if I can do it in under an hour! GAME ON!!!!

Projects: Update

So I still have no time to craft. =( I so badly want to get into my craft room and create something spectacular. Damn work and homework keeps getting in the way. Not to mention potty training the new puppy and making sure the other pooch isn't feeling neglected! But in all this chaos I did manage to get a tutu made. Funny how that wasn't even on my original list. Oh well! Anyway, it was for my 6 month old neice who lives in another state. She looked PRECIOUS in it. I just hope her mom can take her to get professional pics done since my quick snapshots do her and the tutu no justice! I will leave you with one photo that's too sweet not to share. Seriously, baby feet are the CUTEST!!!! =)








P.S. did you see I added the list to the sidebar?!?!? ;)

PROJECTS!!!

I've been feeling very crafty lately but haven't done a whole lot about it. I have a list of several projects that are either started and not finished or waiting for me to start them. Maybe if I make a list I can motivate my inner Martha and get some of these done.

First things first though. I have GOT to clean my craft room. It exploded right before Christmas and it hasn't recovered yet. =(

So here's the list. Let's see what I can get done! =)

1. Clean craft room
2. Make onsie dresses for niece
3. Finish baby book for niece
4. Make tapestry for bro-in-law
5. Re-upholster chair and ottoman
6. Finish yarn-haired baby dolls (3 of them!)
7. Stitch days of the week towels


Hmmm. I wonder if I should somehow add this to the sidebar and keep a running list so I don't forget anything....

Puppies

I have two dogs. Harley is a 3 year old rottweiler/ American bulldog mix and Jersey is a 7 week old boxer. They are my girls. They keep me sane and supply an outlet for all my untapped maternal instincts. Yes I dress them up and put bows on their heads. I refer to my husband as daddy and he refers to me as momma. We know they are dogs. But they are our babies.




Harley






Jersey

test. test. Is this thing on???!

So. I started a blog. Now what? In my experience this is where I tell you random thoughts and show off my cool new __________. I could describe myself, but that's what the "about me" tab is for (when I get around to it). Maybe we'll just call this the icebreaker, nervous laugh, not sure what to do with my hands post and move on. ;)