New bump Picture at 25 Weeks

Taken last night.

She's still cooking and hanging out real low. Not really moving or kicking too terribly much - just enough to ease any concerns.

Give the Machine a Break Already!

1) I did make it back to Hobby Lobby last week to buy more patterns…and just when I thought I was done, and all stocked up – JoAnn Fabrics is having a 99 cent sale on McCall patterns! I must take a stroll through those patterns this week.

2) For less than $20 I have sewn 32 Nursing Pads! Yes! I know I’m crazy and insane, but it was pattern-less and fun. (pictured above, so I've lost some skill at a perfect circle, but after the first 8 or 10 it all started to come back and they began to look much better.) I also stopped by the Goodwill on 50% off Saturday and picked up 18 receiving blankets at 25 cents each to start my stash of prefold diapers. Some are crazy cute, while others are going to be cut and hidden within the cuter fabrics to serve as a soaker pad.

3) Chris went to Germany last week for work and got back on Thursday. The first thing he did Friday after work was stop by Shoreline Brewery to buy some beer. He said the German Beer he had was alright, but nothing compared to the beer from the brewery here. This weekend he played with the old radio that was in the basement wall, but now provides musical entertainment in the garage for when we work in the yard. He also fixed the tractor so it runs more smoothly and much more silently.

4) I finished my current reading material, “Dead Reckoning”. This is the most recent of the Sookie Stackhouse series. While it started slow, it was every bit as enchanting as I hoped it would be. (Might spoil some happenings for any potential readers – stop here.) I was excited to see Alcide back (even it was for only a couple pages), glad to see a new side of Pam, and surprised that Jason seemingly fell off the face of the earth. We’ve been left with room for the potential of another book…basically, Sookie is still alive, wounded heart, and holds a precious fairy love token that can make just about anything happen in another chapter (or 16 chapters) of her life next. However, if the series ends with this book – then I’m perfectly content. Yeah, not all the strings were tied up 100%, but each story was left in such a way that by now we know the characters well enough to just assume what decisions they are going to make, or at least, I know I can smile as I have already decided what move I’d like most of the characters to make in conclusion. Perfect. Any suggestions for the next read?

Love me Pies!

I’ve been lonely and bored these past few days with Emilia safely tucked away at her home in Sweden and Chris working in Germany. I’m not afraid to admit it… I pretended to be an old school housewife.

June Cleaver to be exact.

Yes, I had no real plans on Monday other than to (really, really) deep clean the house. So, I entertained myself by slipping on a dress that was a little fancier than a typical sun dress, but not quite dinner-date spectacular, and got to pulling everything out of the kitchen cupboards. Once my counters were free of debris, I decided a good June Cleaver would have something BAKING!

I slopped together some blueberry muffin mix and tossed the pan in the oven. I wasn’t done there. I wanted to bake even MORE! Without a second of hesitation I pulled out all the ingredients to make the pie crust for Lady Eva’s Famous Sugar Cream Pies that we LOVE so much!

While putting some elbow grease into my pastry mixer, I took a winded look down at my feet and the only thing I could think was, “Ah, hell’s bells – I’m pregnant, barefoot, and in the kitchen!” Talk about your all time stereotypes… I was it. I got a good chuckle to give me the strength to finish mixing that crust mix though – then spent 50 minutes rolling and cutting 6 shells (I’m getting pretty fast at flattening them babies out, but there is room for improvement).

I froze the shells and finished the pies up yesterday afternoon… Ate 2 Slices from one and it took all my restraint to keep from grabbing a third slice before covering them with foil and letting them nest out-of-my sight and in the new deep freeze we got from a guy that Chris works with in the garage.

It was GOOOoooooOOOOOOoooooOOOOOOoooooD!

Crazy Dreams!

OMG, OMG, OMG! I had soo many crazy dreams last night, and I did not eat ice cream yesterday! (But I did have the pies and about four glasses of milk, maybe that did it?)

One had me out on a LAKE SHORE fishing. Other people were fishing as well, but I was there by myself – I had a pole, with a line, bobber and hook, but no bait. So, I played it real cool and was like “who cares? I don’t really want to catch anything anyways.” So I tried flinging it out there, but I was too far away from the water that it just kind of fell into some brush and sand. Embarrassed, I got set again, moved in closer and flung it out there (again a regular fishing line with no bait) and two seconds later I tell myself this is dumb and I’m just going to wonder down the lakeshore. I start to reel in when I notice I have something! I start reeling it in and it’s getting harder and harder. These two guys come over to help me, and one is like “oh man. That must be the biggest carp ever.” Well…. It wasn’t a carp, and suddenly we yank on the count of three and this GIGANTIC SHARK comes flying out of the water and lands on the beach in front of us.

There were like 2 more that I can’t really remember, but I remember them being crazy – and at least I remember that shark one clear as day.

$1 All-Week!

WooHoo! Thank you Hobby Lobby for having the Simplicity Patterns for only $1 each this week!

I wonder how in the world they they knew I was waiting for a good sale on patterns to come around again!?!

The limit is 10 per customer, but since I have to go back and get a different ribbon for my top secret current  project, I figure that makes me a new customer today!

There is an awesome purse pattern that I wanted yesterday, but it was all gone. They said it will be in today - so Boo-Yeah! Other patterns I need to re-stock on or just add to my collection: 

1. Window Treatments
2. Slip Covers for 2 Chairs
3. Dresses for my growing belly
4. Travel Bag (eh...why not?)
5.      Baby growth chart  (Instead of marking on the wall you stitch items to it. Looks NEAT-O)
6. Maternity Aprons

And Last, but certainly not least - SHOPPING BAGS!!!

I didn't think about making my own until I saw the pattern. Then I thought, There is not really all that much to making a grocery bag. I'm positive I have the know how, but for $1 - I might as well pick up the pattern, and if nothing else it will remind me that I wanted to sew my own! Mine are getting a bit raggy looking, and yeah - most are only 99 cents to a few bucks, but this is so much more fun!

He he, I'm so excited to finally have things at a point where I can sew again. Hopefully, it is as simple as just  dusting off whipping out that machine and it will come back to me like riding a bike. Once I get it out, all I got to do is get mom over here with her machine for a fabric shopping spree and a couple days of sewing bondage...and she has the patterns for the bibs, lol!

Parent-To-Be Soapbox - JustSayin'

 I want to shout to the world that I love my daddy.... yes, he really is painting my nails for the Colts game! (Another big THANK-YOU to Ashley for putting that wonderful COLTS THEMED gift basket together for me - I LOVE IT!)

In other Father's day news - I have to wish Chris and HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! Think what you might about pregnant people celebrating Mother's Day/Father's Day, but I say if the bun is the oven then it's already bun.

Today at Church all the mother's and father's were asked to stand for a prayer, so I stood. Afterwards, a lady asked me which child was mine. After rubbing my belly and smiling, she gave me an odd look and laughed, "Oh, I assumed you meant you already are a mom!" Um... I really wanted to tell her that I'm pretty sure there is one in there and just because I can't spin her around and dress her up does make her any less of a baby. I already have to take care of her in every way (w/o the diapers though), I laugh with her, talk to her, read to her, get excited by her, get worried about her - watch what I eat and drink for her, and even though Chris only gets to hear what I say she's doing, talk to her, read to her(you know) and feel her kick from time-to-time when she's not being stubborn - she's his baby, so just because he can't spin her around and dress her up doesn't mean he's not a father.

Just to clarify, I understand the distinction - and I love hearing people say, "Oh, the mommy to be!" And use the term myself -  had this been a "special" Mother's/Father's Day thing I would have just stayed sitting. I just thought the reaction from the woman was incorrect. Perhaps I wouldn't have thought anything about it had she said something else like, "Oh, I thought you meant you already had one running around." I know she meant no harm, but it was just one those odd things that just strikes the wrong chord for whatever reason.



"Eat Flame Bozo!"

AH-HA! Out tending to the rock bed and found LITERALLY HUNDREDS of unwanted baby box-elder bugs having a grand-ole-time in the shrubs. I hate that rock bed, wanted to get rid of it this year - and now - being the nesting ground for the bugs that grow-up to wallpaper the siding of my house and fly in my hair- I don't have any doubts about pulling all that fugly crap up in the next couple weeks and doing something else there. I sprayed the crap out of those nesting places, going to Big R to get some more high-power bug killing chemicals to spray it again and again and again! Just when I finally got them off the siding for a few days, I find they have probably only been hatching babies to really attack me for being so cruel to them. They maybe hard to see in the picture, but all the little spots are what these diseases look like as babies - then they grow up to look like stink bugs! Wish me luck!

And,

If I get eaten alive I want each and every one of you to know that I love you. =)

Hitting it Up ~ Amanda Style

1) Emilia has left Indiana and has boarded her plane home to Sweden. I spent my first day without her cleaning, stopping to cry, cleaning, walking around the mall, and sleeping on the couch. We miss her already!

2) I bought and read the first chapter of the last Sookie Stackhouse Novel, “Dead Reckoning”. Not that interesting in the first chapter, but I know my girl Charlaine Harris won’t disappoint with her latest masterpiece.

3) I discovered the Hallmark store has closed at the mall. Bummer.

4) I’m enjoying seeing my belly move from time to time with the baby. Feeling her move every day now.

5) Emilia’s mom was an absolute joy to have (and also very helpful with store runs for items we forgot at the last minute). She’s beautiful and nice. We took her to Chicago and walked Navy Pier, Millennium Park, Grant Park, and other parks within walking distance. We ate at this AMAZING pizza joint – Pizzano’s. We suggest you try it, ask for Uncle Chach’s section – tell him his “Swedish customers sent you!” and get the deep dish – it’s Fab!

6) The going away party for Emilia was a hit (although everyone still thinks it was a graduation party). Chris cooked Brats, Hamburgers, and Hot Dogs. He also made some crazy good Macaroni Salad. I bought fruit and veggie platters. My mom made and delivered some delicious cookies and butter-mints. I worried about not having enough plates and food, but of course – there was plenty.

7) This 77 degree day rocks, and I’m going to go sit on the porch and finish reading chapter 2 before Chris gets home from work. =)

Bittersweet last day

School's Out For Summer!

This is going to be a fabulous summer. Not only am I not working for the first time, but I am not taking any extra classes and just get to enjoy being pregnant. (Yes, I've heard summer seems much, much more unbearably hot when your pregnant - but I'm going to enjoy it dang it!)

Today was the last day. Poor Mrs. Stark found herself right in the middle of a fight while on lunch duty. It was a terrible feeling because they pushed her down and she already has terrible pain with her back, including a machine in there to help control the pain. That was no good.

I got several baby items from other teachers. I'm not 100% decided, but I'm pretty sure that I am just not going to go back next year, and enjoy being home the first year with the baby. However, that decision is not finalized, and is subject to change at anytime.

Want to talk Bittersweet? I really like the fact that school is out. I'm not however completely ready for Emilia to be going home. It has been wonderful having her here with us for the past ten months.... but all great things must come to an end. I can only hope that we have provided her with the best exchange program possible that we could do. I was so sick with the pregnancy that I feel like she has gotten the short-end of the stick. So. I'm excited for summer and not-so-much for her leaving.

Grow, Grow - Beautiful Roses.

Not the best of pictures, but I am just sooooo happy that our rose bushes are actually blooming! We dug them up to replace the landscapre fabric, and assumed we must have given them a good shock, but with some water and some love (mostly from Chris) they finally started looking like they might be getting ready to make their move. Now, some are blooming beautifully. One bush looks great, another is starting to take off, and the middle bush only has one lonely bud - but one is better than none, right? =) WoooHooo!

Gifts from Sweden!

Emilia's mom flew into town this week, and she brought lots of goodies! The baby got a bib, pacifer, bottle and a onsie with the soccer team logo on it (in yellow, just like mine) - and Chris and I got sweatshirts, Chris also got a soccer jersey. (Yes, if you look closely you'll see my bum eye!) Thanks Maria and Toni!

I sported my new sweatshirt to work today and several students asked about it. A few asked what it means, and a couple assumed it was a curse word. I love how they think, lol.

It's no stink eye. It's the creepy eye!

Yes, my eye. It looks lovely, right? Most students ignored it, but a few gasped in either shock or disgust at the sight of it. Not sure exactly what caused it to happen. I had a migraine Monday, a terrible, terrible headache thropping with pain behind that eye for the next two days, and then woke up with a scary sight in the mirror. I wonder if that headache had anything to do with it (?) or maybe Chris hit me while I was sleeping (?).

The Hunger Games

Let me start with a jaw dropping - OMG. I didn't think that this book was going to be so exciting. I started reading it with the mindset that it was going to have that underlying continual disappointance of the Twilight saga books, but it did not! Sure, it's about a teenager, and I thought that would have me too embarrassed to post anything anything about it, but it's not a teenage love story at all, it's action all the way. I'm sure the next book in the series is bound to have a little more teenage drama and angst plugged into it by the way this one ended, but if I could drudge my way through New Moon, I think I can handle "Catching Fire".

I don't want to hear it

Beacuse... "ALL MY BUMP IS IN MY RUMP!" I had to break down and buy maternity pants even though everyone keeps telling me that I hardly look pregnant enough to be 22 Weeks. My butt is huge, my thighs have exploded and everything else that can expand with pregnancy - has started to grow aswell. So... I want to hear people say how healthy pregnant I look, whether they mean it or not just because it is a polite thing for me to hear. Maybe I'm backwards, but when I hear someone say, "You're not big enough to be that far a long," my brain automatically begins to suspect that something is wrong. I bought a few maternity shirts with the elastic bands across them right under the breast just to make my bump a little more prominent. =)

Have to get our Groupon-On

That's right! Quickly fam! Get your Groupon-On for those family round-ups! Only 17 hours left - Seadog only $13, Indiana Beach combo pass only $19. I won't be much fun for either this year, but I got my eyes on that lazy river this year. ;)

More Community Theater

Date Night! Went to the big V for a wonderfully entertaining presentation of "Dial M For Murder". The night had a good turnout of about 55 people. Each night of the play, the group chooses an organization to donate the proceeds of the night to....last night was for Habitat for Humanity. So 55 people at $10 a head + Drinks/Cookie sales = a wonderful donation. Next show for this group will not be until November, but we're glad to see LOTS of great programs poping up in the area for the Summer Theater season.

Always Listen to the SMURFS!

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

Student’s death calls attention to rising heroin problems

By Stan Maddux
For The News-Dispatch

Published: Thursday, June 2, 2011 5:09 PM CDT
***********************************

LA PORTE — The recent death of a girl set to graduate from La Porte High School this weekend has local authorities calling attention to a problem they believe is becoming worse: heroin.

After a teen girl from La Porte died from a drug overdose this past week, La Porte Police Chief of Detectives Adam Klimczak said heroin use has been on the rise here the past few years.

Despite law enforcement aggressively going after dealers, the drug seems to be gaining in popularity, especially among those in their teens and 20s, Klimczak added.

”A whole new group of younger kids are getting involved with this drug that can kill them the first time they use it,” Klimczak said.

La Porte County Coroner John Sullivan called heroin the biggest overall issue facing the city and county.

”This is an ever-increasing problem in La Porte,” he said. “Anybody that says it isn’t, they got their heads in the sand.”

Sullivan said it appears the 19-year-old from La Porte went to Chicago on Saturday with friends to get heroin and wound up in a hospital there from possibly overdosing.

After leaving the hospital, she was dropped off at her Fox Street apartment, where her mother later found her dead just inside the doorway in the living-room area.

Sullivan said while more than one drug was found in the girl’s system, heroin was the predominant substance detected in her bloodstream.

”It’s beyond sad. She was a beautiful girl. She just went to the prom last weekend, and now they have to make arrangements to bury her,” Sullivan said.

Klimczak said especially risky is when a user of diluted heroin unknowingly receives pure heroin. Without a high tolerance, pure heroin, once in the bloodstream, can stop the heart almost instantly.

”It kills you right there,” Sullivan said. “Stay away from the stuff. I say it’s probably the most critical problem we face in our community.”

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

There had to be something better she could have been doing with her time.

MMM...

That's Right.. mmm.... I know a couple, few somebodies who are already jealous.

Thank You Mrs. Applegate for retiring and giving us this wonderful reason to have a luncheon. We were all happy to get some pickle-wraps. =)

Too Tough a'love?

Had a few students complain about a substitute today. Made my way down there, and witnessed it firsthand. This situation started when one student asked to go next door to sharpen a pencil, then two more students tried to rush out and all go at the same time. The sub called them back in. The girls got lipy at the sub, and then the fun began.

For reasons of a professional nature I am not going to discuss EVERY detail of the happenings… but I will tell you that I personally heard – “You’re Garbage…” “You can’t even read, learn to read and then come get in my face…” and “Shoot, I’m 51 years old and I can take you all out. Every single one of you…”
Interesting, right?

All I could do was keep my head down because part of me was screaming “WAY-TO-GO! This is EXACTLY what this group of student’s needs!” While the other part of me wanted to intervene and tell her how inappropriate her reaction is. I did leave notice with the office secretary just in case she gets some angry parental phone calls tomorrow; she knows that I was in there for this particular incident.

While I truly do feel that these students are out of control and need a motivation such as this, I’m not sure all of the events were completely warranted. I'm more of a LEAD BY EXAMPLE...and NOT a - Do as I say, not as I do person.