No-Likey!

I bought a container of hummus from Organic Springs (our local health food store) for a quick lunch. I know Abbie has eaten (and loved!) hummus that I bought before- I guess this one had a slightly stronger flavor. I gave her a teeny tiny taste... and she freaked out! She said "YUCKY, No-likey" and proceeded to wipe her tongue on my skirt. She then hid behind the couch and refused to come out until I put the tub back in the fridge. She's never acted that way before... I guess she really, really didn't like it! On another note, I'm working on a felt hummus pita sandwich set for a custom order. It's quite cute so far... I'll post pictures once I get it done!

Yay for new fabric! Boo for awkward situations!

I went to Joann's yesterday to stock up on some more fabric. (Yeah, like I don't have enough already *giggle*). Thomas dropped me off with Isaiah, while he and Abbie went to Best Buy. While I didn't have much cash on me, I knew I had at least $50 in my bank account. No worries. Had a blast picking out fabric for a few custom orders, and getting some ideas for a rag quilt I want to make. When I got up to the counter, the total rang up to $30. I handed over my debit card and was looking over the sales flyer on the counter. The lady then said in a not-so-friendly voice "I'm sorry, this was declined". Umm, what? I'm racking my brain, trying to figure out how that is possible. I just checked the balance a couple days ago. The only thing I have coming out on auto-draft is my student loan which isn't due for another 2 weeks. Still confused, I start fishing around in my wallet. Managed to come up with $10 in ones and quarters, and asked her to try the remaining amount again. Nope, still declined. Then she started in with the comments: "You know, it's not like we can just put this fabric back, you already had it cut. Next time, you need to make sure you have enough money before you get things cut." At this point, I want to crawl into a hole and die. I told her that my husband would be here in a few minutes and I'll get some money from him. She just kinda rolled her eyes. And then another customer came along behind me. The cashier made a big to-do in an overly-loud voice "I'm going to have to void this since you can't pay. I'll just have to cancel it and put your stuff over here. Sorry." I walked outside to wait for Thomas (I had forgotten my cell phone, of all days!), but not before I saw the cashier and the hoity-toity lady behind me exchange glances, with a dirty side-look at me. After an eternity, Thomas finally showed up, and I mooched $20 off of him. If you've never shopped for fabric, they ring up the price as they are cutting it, and give you a ticket to take to the cashier. So, all the cashier has to do is scan in the ticket, and the total comes up. Well, the cashier tried to re-do this, but it wouldn't let her do it twice. So, to further make things more "fun", the cashier had to enter the SKU, price and yardage (about 25 digits total) for EACH piece of fabric I had.... and I had 10. Boy, was she banging on the keyboard hard by the time she got done. I apologized a million times and slunk out the door, wiping away tears, as I felt so humilated. In the car, I used Thomas' cell phone to call the bank to see what was going on. Asked for my available balance in my account... $55.67. *blink blink* I told her what happened, and she asked if it said insufficient funds. I told her no, I remembered the cash register just saying "card denied, press yellow key". The bank woman said that the problem must have been either Joann's system being down, or the cashier not running the card through correctly. So, it wasn't my fault at all! I put up with that lady's belittling attitude, her snide remarks, the stares from other customers. I apologized to her... when it was HER fault!! *sigh* At least I have a lovely pile of new fabric to sink my energy into.

What a coincidence!

I checked out a library book the other day (A Vegetarian Epicure- a cookbook by Anna Thomas), and in the middle of the book, I found a bank receipt. The date on it was 4/13/1997. April 13th? That's my birthday. And it gets better, because the time stamp was 11:49. The exact time I was born! I love strange coincidences like that! Feel free to share your own...

We're home!

We're back from Outer Banks, and as expected, everyone had a great time! Abbie loved the "seaside", as she called it. However, she was scared of the water. It was funny, though, because she ran up to it, and when a wave came up, she yelled "OH NO!" and ran back. She collected a bunch of seashells, which we'll add to her nature basket. She also loved all the airplanes that were flying overhead (planes are her current obssession). Oh, and the tunnel on the way there- she squealed in delight when we drove through it. Isaiah wasn't afraid of the water, but wasn't impressed, either. He was fascinated by all the sand, though. He probably played in the sand for several hours over the past few days. I have a feeling that a sandbox is in our near future. He was also mesmerized by the kite I brought. Both of them did great in the car, which was nice since it was about a 6 hour trip. Evenings were rough, though, in the hotel. Trying to get them to calm down, sleep in a new place, and most of all- stay somewhat quiet. Definitely not a fun challenge! It was all worth it though, seeing their faces when they caught their first glimpse of the ocean. I'm already looking foward to next year! We took over *400* pictures, so please be patient as I go through them and upload a few. I'll try to post them tomorrow morning!

See ya!

We're headed down to Outer Banks, NC this week for a couple days. I'm looking foward to it as it will be the kids' first trip to the beach. Abbie's so excited to see the ocean, and already has her bathing suit on. Isaiah will love it as well, I'm sure, although, will probably eat his fair share of sand. Plus I get to meet one of my dearest online friends who I've known for over 2 years, and her kidlets. Fun for all! "See" ya on Friday... and stay tuned for lots of pictures!

Six Weird Things About Me

I've Been Tagged by Mama's Magic THE RULES: Each player of this game starts with the 6 weird things about yourself. People who get tagged need to write on their own blog their own 6 weird things as well as state this rule clearly. In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says you are tagged in their comments and tell them to read your blog. #1 - I hate soggy cereal. So, the way I eat cereal is by pouring a bowl of milk, and a cup of cereal. I will then put 1-2 pieces at a time in the bowl and eat it. I can keep track of all the cereal and not have any get "lost" in the milk and turn into mush in the bottom of the bowl. *shudders* #2 - I'm afraid of escalators. I'd rather take the stairs and almost always do if I have a choice. I just get so nervous and panicky. (I had no idea why, until I mentioned it to my mom. She said when I was around 3, we were at the mall. I wandered a couple feet away, stepped on the escalator and was freaking out, how it was carrying me away from my mommy.) #3 - I can't do basic math in my head. I'm such a visual person, I have to physically see the problem... I can't manipulate objects/figures in my head at all. I probably look like a dunce, when I have to write down simple addition and subtraction problems. *blushes* #4- I'm obsessed with the Discovery show How Its Made. I rarely watch TV, but I do watch this show several times a week. I find it mesmorizing. Although, I prefer the handmade products, as opposed the mass-produced ones. The latter can be a bit scary, seeing the sheer number being made in such a short time. A bit depressing, thinking our materialistic our society is. Still love the show, though. I think it's the catchy music. #5 - Whenever I pass a car with a headlight out, I say "Popeye!". My dad and I used to do it... and it's always stuck with me. Even when no one else in the car knows what I'm talking about, and looks at me funny. LOL #6 - I find the sound of the refridgerator running at night comforting. I don't know why, I just do. I *think* it's because being on the second story, I couldn't really hear it at home. But whenever I stayed the night at my Gramma's, I slept in the living room and could hear it. So, maybe sub-consciously I associate the sound with my Gramma... and we all know thoughts of grandmas are usually happy and warming! I'm not sure who to tag... it's almost 2am and my brain is starting to fall asleep on me. Tell ya what, I'll break the rules and if you read this and haven't been tagged, go post 6 weird things about you on your blog and a link back, leave a comment on this post, and I'll add your name to this post. (*ducks any tomatoes being thrown at me for not following the directions*)

I :heart: Goodwill!

I love thrift-shopping! On the way home from grocery shopping, the kids fell asleep in the car. So, I convinced hubby to stop by Goodwill and let me run in, while the kids took a much needed nap. I knew I only had a few minutes, before Thomas started to get disgruntled, so I was practically running through... but I still managed to pick up a few things.

I found these wooden bowls for $0.25 each. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with them quite yet. Maybe I will put on my mantle with some lavender blossoms, once they finish drying in the closet. Any ideas for the other two?

I also found these pajama pants which I had to have! They are a bit worn, but that's the best way to buy PJs... already broken in and snuggly. My sister is going be jealous over these, but she's the Goodwill Queen around here, and has the best luck finding such great stuff. I also found Abbie an adorable dress for fall, a like-new Fuzzi Bunz cloth diaper for only a $1, a Hanna Anderson sleeper for $2, and a few books for the kids because you can never have enough books!

Lazy Days of Summer

Sorry for not blogging more, but there really hasn't been much to blog about! It's been so hot lately and my car doesn't have air conditioning, so we've been staying inside mostly.

We did go out the other day to draw on the sidewalk. (Abbie was

so confused as she kept trying to take paper outside after I told her we were going to go color... and was pleasantly surprised when I told her to draw on the ground!). Even Isaiah did a great job, as he only ate a *little* bit of chalk. Both of them are proved to be quite the artists... and soon had the entire sidewalk filled with beautiful artwork.

Of course, we've been doing other things- chasing each other around the house, crawling behind the couch, playing peek-a-boo under blankets, pretending to be airplanes as we spin around in "kirkles", taking long mid-day baths. As you can see from the picture on the left, we spend most of the day just being outright SILLY!

Oh, we did make homemade pizza the other day, but I forgot to take pictures. Again, Abbie showed her artistic side as she decorated her pizza- all the mushrooms stacked up in the middle, and zuchinni slices going in a circle around it. Oh and cheese everywhere... EVERYWHERE!

Hopefully as the weather cools down, we'll be able to go on more outings. For now, we'll just keep coming up with ways to entertain ourselves.

Happy 1st Birthday, Isaiah!

Yesterday was my little man's first birthday! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Isaiah Lincoln was born at home on July 8th, 2006. He weighed in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces. I will never forget, how seconds after he was born, he stared right at me, with his blue eyes looking into my soul. Even now, we have such a special connection, it's hard to describe.

And if you don't mind, this proud momma would like to show off some pictures...

A couple hours after birth:

First time leaving the house at a week old:

And now at a year old, and weighing in at almost 20 pounds...

Brightest blessing, Isaiah. I hope you 2nd year brings you as much happiness as your first year brought me.

There's a turtle in my bed!

This morning, I woke up to a baby turtle crawling on my chest. Apparently, Thomas had woken up early and walked outside to find the little guy crawling across the sidewalk. Knowing my obsession for all things turtles, he brought it in to show me. Of course, I knew Abbie and Isaiah would want to see it, so I woke them up as well. They were estatic! We watched the turtle crawl all over the bed, and let them hold him. After Thomas took him back outside, the kids and I pretended to be turtles in our shells, by hiding under the blankets. Definitely a morning to remember! I mean, how often do YOU wake up to reptiles in your bed?

My Magical Cup of Tea

First of all, I need to tell you about my mug. I bought it from Alewine Pottery down in Gaitlenburg, TN. It's handthrown and glazed. And I absolutely LOVE it. Isn't it gorgeous? Although it probably sounds crazy, but everything seems to taste better when I drink from it. In the story The Little Prince, the prince explains how the water taste sweeter because of all the hard work that went into finding the well and drawing up the water. I guess it's like that. At least that's what it reminds me of... simpler times and the beauty of handmade things. (Okay, I guess it DOES sound crazy.) Anyways, yesterday both kids fell asleep at the SAME time. (Which is nothing short of a miracle lately). So, instead of doing something constructive like cleaning the house, I decided to enjoy a cup of tea. I made some mint tea with raw wildflower honey... and it was perfect. Just the right amount of honey, the right temperature. It was SOOO good. I snuck outside and sat on the picnic table behind the house. The late afternoon sun was filtering through the trees, throwing sunbeams across me and my tea. A bunch of goldfinches were flittering around feeders. The smell of lavender blowing by on the breeze. I wouldn't have blinked an eye if a faerie fluttered by, because it was just that magical of a moment. And then both kids woke up and spent the evening alternating between crying and destroying the house. But, also like in The Little Prince, how the desert is beautiful because of the well it hides, life is beautiful because of the special moments like these it hides. Just gotta keep living for those. :-)