Mishaps

We've had a few interesting events around here lately, so I thought I'd share an oh no, an ew, and a really good laugh.

The Oh No

Saturday we finally got to paint our house. The last two Saturdays we scraped and primed in preparation for family painting day. All week we watched the forecast. By Friday they were calling for isolated thunderstorms. All summer whenever they have said isolated, they meant not us. It sprinkled a couple minutes in the morning and then quit. The rest of the morning and early afternoon it was a mix of sun and clouds and lots of humidity. With seven of us painting we got a lot done quickly. Our house went from white with red brick to two different shades of cream. Around 2:30 as I was leaving to go pick up a couple more gallons of paint, I heard my dad say, "Is that thunder?" I ignored that and left for the store. As I was driving I started to notice the clouds...the really dark thunderclouds directly overhead. Then my mom called. Their NOAA weather radio said the storm was 30 minutes away and headed our direction.

By the time I got home 25 minutes later there was a torrential downpour. I haven't seen it rain that hard in a long time! From inside the house we watched as cream rivers of water gushed across the patio into the backyard. Ugh.

Thankfully, it was only the last 10-15 minutes worth of paint from the front and side of the house. This is what the side of our house looked like after that rain.

It's supposed to be the creamy color...not the white.

My dad came back and helped us catch up on Sunday. Randy's dad came back and helped on Monday and Tuesday evening we touched up a bit and declared it done! Done except for the accent color for shutters and the door that we still have to pick.

Thanks to the family for their help! We really, really, super much appreciate it!

The EW

The last couple of evenings out on the patio there has been a really bad smell. I thought it was one of the polycarts, but trash day was Tuesday, and it shouldn't still be hanging around. But we all noticed it while my dad was cutting Wyatt's hair out there this evening.

Randy finally discovered the source of the stink. A lidless milk can that usually hangs out in the corner by our patio door. Because of the paint project, it was in the middle of the patio and was filled with the downpour Saturday. He took it out to the yard to dump it and spray it out. And out came this.

It might be a bit hard to see, but that is a skeleton. Maybe a squirrel? But we're confused. We moved that milk can to this house, so we think that squirrel had its own mishap this summer. But why is it just now stinking and isn't that a little fast for that much decay? Any biology experts are welcome to comment.

Randy did the nasty job of cleaning it up. He asked if that was worth a few newborn diapers, and I wholeheartedly agreed. I'll take tarry poo over dead squirrel any day!

The Laugh

Ever since Wyatt was about seven months old we've let him "help" with baking. Thanksgiving Day, to be exact, he got to look in the mixer as Randy added flour to the zwieback dough (for you who don't have a German Mennonite heritage - this zwieback is a little double bun, not the hard Melba-like toast). He patted the top of the mixer, and when it was time to knead the dough, he got to stick his fingers in it. I love the look on his face!

These days he loves to stand on a chair and help. He usually gets a scraper and a measuring cup to keep him busy, and we'll very carefully left him turn on the mixer. Last Friday I was making a coffee cake for Randy. A very simple one - dump in all the ingredients and mix. I left the mixer unplugged because Wyatt was playing with the switch. I loaded a cake mix, two boxes of pudding, four eggs, a cup of oil and a cup of water into the bowl. Just as I plugged in the mixer, Wyatt hit the switch. WHOOSH!!! I have NEVER seen such a HUGE mess created SO quickly! My first reaction as I laughed hysterically was to turn off the mixer and find the camera. Thankfully, my phone was nearby, so I caught this very shocked picture of my son.

Look at his hand - "Ew, Mom, WHAT just happened?!" We were both absolutely covered in goo. That entire corner of the kitchen was covered in goo. About the time I snapped the picture he started to wimper. And he continued to wimper until I washed his face off in the bathtub. This was definitely one of those messes that required an immediate bath. I don't think my uncontrollable laughter helped his wimpering, but I'm really thankful my automatic reaction was to laugh and not yell.

I did save the cake. Most of the goo, landed on the counter and the mixer, so I just scraped it into the bowl and finished mixing it. That is after I cleaned and cleaned. Then I cleaned again. That night when I was cleaning up from dinner, I found more. Oh so very very funny!

Oooohhhhh

For all you sewers out there, check out the Homemade by Jill link down on the bottom right. She's doing Children's Clothes week and so far she's posted an adorable pair of baby sweats and a tutorial for toddler t's. SOMEDAY...I'm going to get to those! In fact, I just bought fabric that would be perfect for Shorty's sweats!

Wyatt & His Horsey

Wyatt has a horse that I picked up at garage sale this summer. He doesn't ride it around that much, but he does use it for several other things.

Like brushing his teeth.

And reading one of his favorite truck books.

And learning his colors from Eric Carle.

And yesterday he taught his Hobbs how to ride the horsey. He loves his Hobbs (thanks Thiessen family!!)

Good Bottoms

A couple people have asked if I like the Best Bottoms dipes that came in the mail last week, so I thought I'd do a quick review.

What I like:

1) The price! If you can use one shell with 3-4 inserts, that's a great bargain when compared to pocket dipes.

2) The fit. I like how trim they were on Wyatt. He's kind of a skinny kid, and there was no gaping and no deep red marks. I like how they sized to fit him. In his Bum Genius One Size pockets, he's right between the medium and large size on the snaps. With the Best Bottom, he's definitely needs it snapped down one level, and he doesn't look like he has a huge bum.

3) The Stay-dry insert. We're used to pocket dipes that keep his skin really dry, so I was concerned that the insert would leave him feeling wet. While they're not as dry as a pocket, I was really impressed with how dry the insert kept him.

4) No leaks! I wouldn't say that we've really given them a super testing, but with normal wear there were no leaks.

What I don't like:

1) The insert removal. I'm a weenie. I don't mind washing dipes. I don't mind flushing poo. I DO mind having to really touch a wet insert while I unsnap it so I can snap in a dry one. Ew. I've never done pre-folds, and I'm used to just shaking out the wet insert with hardly a touch. I like that.

2) The poo issue. Pardon the info to come....Wyatt's poos are toddler poos. He rarely has big, nasty, wet ones that would leak off the insert onto the shell. So, when he poos, I'd like to continue using the Best Bottom shell. However, first I have to unsnap a wet insert (yuck), and then, what do I do with it? I can't leave him on his changing table and run to the bathroom to flush it so I can throw it in the diaper pail. I think I put it on top of the pail, but...gross. With a pocket dipe, I just set the dipe aside without worry that it's going to contaminate anything, change his dipe and flush the other one when we're all done. Easy. If I changed the shell with each poo, this would not be a problem.

3) What touches his skin. Hubby's a little more concerned with this one than I am. He doesn't like that the PUL (for you non-cloth-dipe people it's a waterproof fabric that the shell is made from - it has a type of lamination on the inside for waterproofing) touches Wyatt's skin. He thinks it will get hot and sticky. It really doesn't touch his skin that much....just by the tabs on the side, so I really don't think this is that great of a problem.

4) The Hook & Loop fasteners. There's a snap version, but we like h&l, so I tried it. It looks cheaper than Bum Genius h&l, which I am currently replacing on 30 dipes after over a year of use. If I were to buy more shells, I'd go with snaps.

Overall: I'm spoiled by Bum Genius pocket dipes, but as a more economical option, I would recommend Best Bottoms. Since I have a shell and a couple inserts, I'll probably buy a couple more inserts to make it truly a good buy. But I don't think I'll be buying more shells. It's likely to be more BGs for Shorty.

On another cloth dipe note, learn from my lesson. DON'T wait a year and a half to strip dipes for the first time. It takes massive washing with lots of ridiculously hot water to get them back to square one (which means they're absorbent and don't cause a fast build up of ammonia on Wyatt's bum overnight - ouch). I'll be doing the easier version every other month from now on.

Happy Crafting Friday

This summer a wonderful woman gave me permission to write crafting time into my schedule. I think I felt a little guilty taking the time away from work and housework and the dozen other things on my to do list. So now Fridays during Wyatt's nap time I sew or paint or do something crafty but mostly I sew.

Today I actually finished the project I started in one naptime. We're headed out on vacation in two weeks, and I wanted a bag for Wyatt's cars. There's nothing like searching all over a big diaper bag for 15 cars while in a confined airplane seat. I had some leftover Cars fabric and thought this would be a good chance to practice putting in a zipper.

I made it through my first zipper with zero calls to my mom. Pretty proud of that. I just learn it better when I do it on my own the first time. I am going to sit down with her to find out how I could have done it better and easier than my book said. It didn't go too badly though.

The W is orange felt, and I didn't fuse it to the brown felt square before I started stitching, so it's a little lopsided. Lesson learned.

I think we can fit 12-15 small cars in this bag, and hopefully we won't lose any while we're gone...at least the important ones.

I did finish a couple little friends I started last Friday (it was a very good nap day :-) ), but they're gifts so you'll have to wait to see those.

It was a good nap day because a little blond boy woke up at 4:30 this morning and never really went back to sleep. So it's also an early night for Mom and Dad. An early night with a serious prayer that the blond boy sleeps till a sane hour tomorrow morning!

Home Improvements

In a week we're having a painting day at our house - thank you, family, for volunteering! Unfortunately, we're painting the outside (that's two in one year, thank you very much), which takes sooo much more prep than inside! Thankfully, we started last Saturday. And thank you to my parents for helping us get most of the scraping tackled!

Randy was planning to help scrape until his dear wife poked her finger through a couple pieces of siding on the back of the house. Ooops. Off he went to the hardware store to get five pieces of siding.

Then he took off the siding, and this is what he found.

I've never seen wood crumble into dust like that before. Disgusting, huh? Amazingly it only took one more trip to the hardware store.

That's the view from inside our bathroom. We seriously considered getting a new, smaller window, but then we thought about all the extra work and money it would take on the inside. And the same two pieces of glass that make up the window went right back in.

At the end of the day, there were new studs, a new pvc window frame and sill, new insulation, and new siding.

Six Whole Years

Today marks another anniversary for me - 6 years since I loaded up the Focus and moved to Kansas. I had no idea what life would look like after that. All I knew is that I didn't want to be in Minnesota anymore, God had made it obvious that I was not to move to Kansas City, and I had some beloved family in Hutch. So, though, it was a lot sooner than I had planned (even though somehow I always knew I'd end up here), I made the move.

That first year is truly etched in my mind. I was so excited to start this new adventure, and my dear brother and his wife generously opened their home for five months. I found a job that thankfully I stayed at less than a year, but it paid the bills for awhile. In January I bought a tiny little house that I knew was temporary. "Two years," I thought.

In February my brother pointed out this very good-looking usher across the sanctuary at church. "I just met him in Sunday school, and he's super nice and single. [Amazing, we may have been the only two single people in our church over 18 at that time.]You really should meet him." And he had no idea what the guy's name was! Seriously, Jeff, you have to pay attention to these things. By April, at least four people (without my request) had scouted him out for me. And then our associate pastor and his wife started a single's group in their basement. Lo and behold, we finally met. A month later he asked me out on their front step right before we dashed out into the rain. May 20 we went on our first date - Mexican food and two of the longest bowling games two people could ever play. Throw the ball - talk for five minutes - get a gutter ball - ask a zillion questions. On the second date, he kissed me. :-) By the third date, I absolutely knew that I was going to marry him. And on September 3, he proposed.

Somehow, September 4 - April 9, 2005 seemed like some of the longest months of my life. A lot happened, but the move was harder than I thought it would be. And then April 10 happened. The last 5 1/2 years have been the best of my life!

Oh and the house sold almost a year to the day after I bought it. Good thing my brother and his wife let me move in for six weeks till the wedding!

And on another note - my fabric came. It will make a great pillow in the family room, but it's not my living room curtains. And the search continues.

I did, however, just order a Best Bottoms shell and two snap-in inserts. If this is as good as it looks, it'll save me lots of money! I was about to order 4 Bum Genius 4.0s, but I could get 2 1/2 days worth of dipes for the same price!! Can't wait till this one comes!

Five Whole Years

Five years ago today Randy asked me the best question he could have asked. I think my answer went something like, "YES! Absolutely 100% YES!"

Only change I'd make to that answer now would be "YES! 150% YES!"

Purpose & Provision

God has been blessing us with vehicles recently. You remember the story of the Tacoma that we never thought we'd get. Well, a month later He provided the Camry we didn't think we'd get. Randy says we are now like the rest of the world - two Toyotas and a pick up that's not lifted. That second part is a little sad to me. Here are our new wheels - they go with whoever has the boy.

And of course, there's a story to go along with it.

I don't like car shopping. It seems like a ridiculous investment on something that is only going to decrease in value. But it's also necessary and we were prepared for it. Last Wednesday evening we decided to bite the bullet and go test drive some cars. I took Wyatt over to Grandma's for what I thought was going to be an hour or so. Their street was being overlayed with new asphalt, so I parked a block away, gathered Wyatt, the bags, and his dinner and, fully loaded, started down the block. Wyatt couldn't take his eyes off the steamroller and the big trucks, so we weren't paying a bit of attention to the sidewalk. Plus, my feet aren't as easy to see as they once were. Less than half a block away from Mom's house, my flip flop found a rather large crack, and we all went flying. Thankfully, my wrist and elbow got the worst of it, and the bruise on Wyatt's cheek didn't last long. Poor boy was scared spitless and screaming. I gathered him up and cuddled him a minute, then gathered everything else and took off for Mom's. Special thanks to all the construction workers who completely ignored the falling pregnant lady and the screaming toddler.

I had worked most of the day and was tired, so of course by the time we got to Grandma's door, both of us were in full tears. Wyatt's didn't last long...there was a steamroller outside.

I called Aunt Janell (I love having nurses in the family) and she said I better go in and get monitored, especially since I had no idea if I landed on my belly. So Randy and I spent 4 hours in labor and delivery that evening. Shorty is perfectly fine thanks to his soft water bed and God's protection.

Needless to say, no car that night. Saturday evening we decided to try again. Wyatt went to Grammie's this time and we headed to the car lot before dinner. Randy had his eye on a car or two at the car lot next to his office, which is owned by people who go to our church. As we pulled in, we saw a car we hadn't seen before. It turns out that it was the car Kathy had been driving. That day they left for San Antonio, and she left the car at the lot. And that night we left with it. A newer car than we expected with the amount of miles we wanted at the price we planned to pay.

I didn't think about about it till we told Randy's parents about it when we picked up Wyatt, but had I not fallen on Wednesday, we wouldn't have seen that car.

God has His perfect purpose in all things.

On another note, I'm rather impatiently waiting for this to show up at my door and hoping that it will turn out to be my living room curtains!