Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Update

We're getting better around here. If only the Max not sleeping well thing would fix itself we'd be back to normal. I don't do well without my sleep. His appetite seems to be returning today, and that was my big worry he's lost a pound over the last week or so. But we did get out to go to Walmart and the yarn shop today. I'm more than half done with a spring sweater for Max and because he's so long in the torso I need to alter the pattern to make it fit well on him, and that meant more yarn. I'm using a cotton/nylon mix and I think it will be perfect for this sweater and still be durable and washable for this little guy.

I'm working on a TO DO list for the new house as we'll have lots of visitors over the next two weeks to knock out projects. Gosh that list is long. I'm going to print it and post it at the house, so I don't have to remember every little thing that needs done because I never know how long I'm there with the little guy. I'll probably have to walk through the house though to make sure everything's on the list that needs to be, and then I'm guaranteed to miss something too.

Adam and our good friend John started laying the wood laminate flooring in the dining room on Monday! I can't wait for that, once that is up the wainscoting can go up and then the light fixture needs changed and that room is DONE! I can make that little check sound as I mark off another room. Yeah!

In the next week (or so) I'll be goin through the box room and all the boxes and boxes of stuff that we've had packed for 9 months and some more that we've had packed for years to figure out what to do with it. I think I might be surprised at what I find in there... Oh wait, I know what it mostly is... my guess is 2 out of 3 boxes are books.

I'm almost finished reading the Twilight series, I have about a quarter of the fourth book left. Twenty minutes of me reading turns into two hours every time...

Sorry no pictures this time around, but my camera is almost full so I need to go through that. Next time, I promise.

Monday, February 23, 2009

6 - Musical Monday


So this month we've been to the doctor three times. One ear infection, one round of shots, and now, one mysterious flu like intestinal virus thingy, which I think means, they aren't sure whats wrong with Max.

After almost a week of being stuck in the house, I needed something upbeat for my Musical Monday and was thinking about recent events in our house. Currently Jack Johnson's Curious George soundtrack is in our changer, and just in the past week or two we finally saw the Curious George movie. Again like so many others, we like this cd because it's specifically kid friendly and we've loved Jack Johnson's mellow tunes for years

So here's your Musical Monday- Talk of the Town by Jack Johnson.


It makes me feel like I am on the beach with my toes in the sand, instead of doing loads of yucky laundry. I think I need more than just Jack Johnson to get through this week. :)

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Randoms

Adam is working at the house this morning and I'll be working there this afternoon. Max is feeling better but not 100% so we are splitting baby duties for the day. I'm kind of excited to get out of the house (even though just to the other house). Adam is removing the elusive wallpaper on the ceiling of the staircase and a side wall up the staircase and I will be painting the last of Max's room (except some decorative painting I have yet to decide on) and hopefully putting it back together (doors back on the cabinets and things)

House design
I'm loving this quiz found from howaboutorange. The quiz shows your design style based on how you rate rooms. I'm 37% Modern Elegance, 37% Nantucket Style and 26% Arts and Crafts. Hmmm interesting combination, but you know what? It's totally right.


Cooking
Further adventures in cooking and using our ever present bread machine, lead me to making homemade pizza dough last night. I figured I couldn't go wrong. I Googled "pizza dough bread machine" and after some filtering came across this recipe and thought, "Best ever pizza crust! Perfect!" And let's be honest, in my book, anything with garlic in it is a go.

I was sneaky and substituted half natural whole wheat flour with the white all purpose. I knew it would change the texture, but figured I'd go ahead.

It was the most delicious homemade pizza we've ever made.

Adam mentioned trying making one of the pizzas in a skillet instead of just on a cookie sheet, I indulged him and it was good too!

I had mushroom, spinach, and salami on mine and Adam went for just plain ol' pepperoni and cheese.


Max liked the pizza too.


Max

Max finally woke up this morning without a fever! He had only a slight one later this morning. And he slept consistently from 12 midnight to 6:45 this morning, without once waking up! I told Adam last night that I think Max waking up when he is sick is especially difficult because I'm not used to it, if he was more constant about waking up, I don't know that it would be as hard. Hopefully we're over the worst of it, and hopefully if it was a virus, Adam and I don't catch it.

This morning we woke up to a few inches of snow and Max wanted to just stand on the couch and watch it all blow around in the wind. He did that for almost a half hour.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Thankful Friday - - -


I missed yesterday because I was busy in the afternoon with a feverish little boy. He got vaccinations on Monday and the flu is going around. Two possible explanations for his mysterious high fever and possible dehydration.

I've been on the phone with doctor and nurse for the past 24 hours.

Today I'm thankful for caffeine, specifically Diet Coke. Because when you're child looks like this, how can you not stay up all night with him?

He did enjoy this awesome awesome homemade pizza I made for dinner tonight. I'll blog about that later though....

Monday, February 16, 2009

Musical Monday #5


I thought I would run out of children's music quickly but I guess I'm still going strong. Some of you may remember my stint of working part time for Pottery Barn Kids. I really did like working there, and I especially loved the Musak that they played in the store. They purposely had a great mix of music that MOM and kids would enjoy. Now that I'm a mom that's pretty important to me. I first heard songs from this cd there, and my all time favorite was Bongo Bong.

This song also reminds me of little miss Kate who used to bang on her daddy's bald head to this song. I miss you Koogs.

This version has another song remixed in but the song is still there. Max likes to bounce himself to the song. So fun. We dance together to it.

Food Round Up and "a Boy and His Dinosaur"

Food
I've been meal planning for a month at a time. It doesn't seem to be helping in the $ category but it's been keeping me a little more sane, and we have had something to eat for dinner every night, without frantic trips to the market. It's been nice.

A few weeks ago our Sunday school class had a Souper Bowl and had a great time trying different soups and having some wonderful bread. I won the best overall soup with a slightly altered version of Amber's recipe for Green Chili Chicken soup. It's one of our favorites around here.

Green Chili Chicken Soup
2 cooked chicken breasts shredded or chopped (I used leftover crockpot chicken and loved it)
1 can diced green chilies (I use more sometimes)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of mushroom (or celery)
1-2 cups milk
Mix all together and bring to simmer, allow to simmer stirring frequently for 15-45 minutes
16oz block of Velveeta
Cut up and melt in soup before serving over Fritos

It's a taste that reminds me of Texas :)

Along with the meal planning I realized how lame our eating schedule is. I mean how many nights in a month can you have frozen pizza anyway? Tonight I tried a recipe from an old church recipe book called Brush Pile Pork Chops. It was a feeble try because Adam has an aversion to pork chops. It didn't win him over but at least he ate most of it anyway. The rice was really good.

Brush Pile Pork Chops

4 pork chops
1 cup quick cook rice
1 packet onion soup mix
Brown chops in a bit of oil and remove from pan. Stir rice in with drippings and mix in soup mix. replace chops on top of rice and add enough water to just cover chops. Simmer until tender and water is mostly evaporated (about 15 minutes or so maybe a little longer).

For youth group yesterday I was in charge of the "snack." We usually have a meal type thing (pizza, chili, sloppy joe, etc.) but I decided we would have what every kid dreams of for a meal. Brownies, chips, and soda. The regular brownies were a hit and the S'mores Brownies had a mixed review. They were one the side of the box. It was worth a try, but I threw away almost half a pan of them today. Luckily there's not marshmellow on my couch.



Lastly I made these for a Valentine's Day treat. I actually made two batches and both times proceeded to eat them until they were gone. They are dangerous delicious things.

Pretzel Turtles

mini pretzels
rolos
pecan halves
place the pretzels on a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper on it. place the rolos on top and put in oven for 4 minutes at 250 degrees. Press pecan down on top to squish it all together a little. Put in fridge or freezer to solidify chocolate again. Try not to eat them all in one sitting.... That's why there's only one left on the plate.

Max
Today Max had his 9 month check up. He weighed in at 22 lbs 13 oz (82%) and 28.5 inches (59%). The doctor was impressed with his motor skills, he's standing for 5 seconds at a time on his own and cruising along all the furniture, and loved how social he was.

He was so excited to see the nurse that came in to give his shots, but when she turned on him, he gave her the most betrayed look, that we both laughed really hard. He doesn't get mad about the shots themselves, he gets really mad that you are pinning him down. Poor kiddo he's had a low fever all the rest of the day and has been really sleepy, but luckily cuddly, so sweet.

This afternoon he was in love with his pet dinosaur, he was even wearing his dino shirt today.

Friday, February 13, 2009


Today is Max's 9 month birthday. I can hardly believe how fast and slow this time has gone. Now it seems like every weeks seems like a day, it's flying by so quickly.

I expect Max to be walking soon, he already pulls himself up and lets go. He thinks he's bigger than he is, he's growing much too fast for my tastes. But such a wonderful happy kid he is. Always smiling and exploring and making so much noise. What a rough and tumble boy he is.
Here's a little month by month break down (with a couple extras) of some of my favorite pictures of him. Enjoy!

Thankful Friday

Thursdays are my catch up day. I normally don't spend a lot of time on the computer on Thursdays, hence the missing Thankful Thursday post from yesterday. Here's my Thankful Friday instead...




Today I'm thankful for my Valentine as tomorrow is after all Valentine's Day. He is truly working to be the man that God wants him to be and I appreciate that with all that I am. He's more wonderful as a husband and father everyday and it's been fun in this past year to watch him mature and grow in his role as father, husband, nurturer, and provider.

He was even smart enough to get a babysitter for tonight. Yeah!

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Home Remodeling Part 14- Max's Room



Adam and his dad did make it through to Max's room also- it's looking good but needs some more paint.

Max's room, we should technically call it the nursery because someday it will house more Kipps, will be what used to be an office. We chose this room because it is on the first floor (as is the master bedroom). It is off the dining room across the house from the master bedroom though. It's in an interesting spot, but will be very functional for a nursery and will make the absolute best craft room when it's done with the nursery phase. It has two closets, a built in desk and cabinets above it for storage. It's awesome.

We decided we loved the living room color so much that we would paint the nursery that color too, but at 50% the hue. It looks almost the same, but a tad lighter and we really like it.

We also decided that we would leave the doors off one of the closets and that the changing table/dresser would be perfect in this spot (thanks for the inspiration Amber, as I was thinking of your cute closet for Ben the whole time). So it's being painted in the trim color to make it brighter in the small space.

We've already got most the stuff for Max's room waiting in boxes to be unpacked. It is of course rockets/robots/retro space as it always was, but I love the blue we decided on because it can also be feminine if you just add pink or purple to it and it coordinates with the bedding we already have for a boy.

The guys ripped up so much carpeting we can't fit all of it into the dumpster, but in Max's room there was half linoleum and half carpeting that they pulled up. We'll be using FLOR tiles in that room since it will be occupied by little ones and crafts. They are awesome modular tiles that can be replaced easily, perfect for the use of that space.

Here are some pictures of that space-

Before
Paneling of course!


Dark picture of the two closets (we're leaving the doors off the left one which can been seen from the doorway)


Wonderful storage and desk


During
Painting - you can see the color and the cabinets where the doors need to go back up


Adam putting a coat in the closet (pun intended)


The strong boys pulling up carpet (it had been glued down)

Monday, February 9, 2009

Home Remodeling Part 13- Painting Progress

This weekend has been full of painting. Adam's parents came into town and we've been there since Saturday just painting away.

Here's the progress as of Sunday early afternoon.
Living Room
Before (In Progress)


After (In Progress)



Dining Room
Before


After (In Progress)


I'll have another post later- We've started the nursery and also are going to be pulling up carpet too today.

Musical Monday the Fourth


Since Adam was in high school he's liked They Might Be Giants and owns every album, so in 2002 (even before we were married) when they released a kids album he had his hands on it. We've loved it ever since and now like to listen to it with Max.

It's a fun album and there are only one or two songs that annoy me (I can't say the same for most kids albums). Our favorite song is Where do they make balloons? and here's someone's video montage for it. Enjoy

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Thankful Thursday




Tonight I'm thankful for people who have befriended us here in Washington, IL. It seems kinda silly but in the ministry, it's hard to have friends. You are supposed to be friendly with everyone but not always real. It's a hard and delicate balance that we sway on everyday. Sometimes we second guess our actions, words, body language, lifestyles, etc. depending on the things people say to us. Really we are at the mercy of God for every aspect of our lives (literally) and everyone is constantly watching our "job performance." It's an interesting life, but I truly appreciate those who in and out of our church have come alongside us to let us be US.

Today I had three hours to myself while friends watched Max. They not only watched him but also had us over for dinner. Not only did I have three hours of alone time (spent at the house painting and painting and painting) but I didn't even have to cook dinner. Ah, bliss. It's refreshing to realize that six months into this we are becoming comfortable with the people that surround us in love- and hope we are able to show that love back to them in a real way.

Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Wow is it Wednesday?

I'm still here folks, but this week has been a little crazy!

We took Max to the doctor on Monday. He has another ear infection :( poor little one. He has in the past taken these completely in stride, but this time he has been a bit of a bear when I want him to sleep. He's been up multiple times for the past few nights and I'm exhausted! This morning I even fell asleep on the couch while I definitely should have been paying attention to him. Luckily this afternoon he's been asleep for over two hours for his nap. It's been nice. And quiet. And productive for me. By productive, I mean I've kinda done some laundry, some pilates, kinda made half a list, and sort of read some blogs. I'm apparently too tired to finish any task that I begin.

I haven't completed any crafty things but I have a few that are almost done or part done or kinda done. Apparently I have finishing issues lately. Here are those projects in all their unfinished (but hopefully finished soon) glory.

Here is one completed fingerless mitt. These are super easy. I've altered the pattern from crochet me's basic fingerless mittens. The most difficult part was getting started, I think that's why I'm stalling starting the second one...


Next we have some bibs I've stitched up for Max. Considering he's gotten 5 teeth in one month we've been a bit overwhelmed with all the drool. They are from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing. I just love that book and for everything I've made from there, I have never been disappointed.


Lastly here's a sneak peak at the newest baby afghan I've got going. It's green (the color is off in the picture, I can't wait for some good natural light) and I decided to just go with a basic ripple pattern, classic, but interesting.


I've still been doing 30 Day Shred, yesterday, I was amazed at my endurance and strength! I did completely take Monday off and today I did pilates again because my knee hurt a little (I think it bruised it yesterday in a "running around the house playing with Max" incident). But I have noticed that I feel much more energized after I do exercise instead of exhausted and am able to focus much more for the tasks I do afterward. It's helped me deal with the no sleeping at night thing.

The no sleep thing has also not been helped by the fact that I've been reading the Twilight Saga. I finished New Moon last night and Adam has banned me from starting Eclipse tonight because I need to sleep and have lots to do tomorrow. I don't know that I'd say they are the best written books I've ever read but they sure do make for a great and addictive story.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Musical Monday #3

It's Monday again :) I've been looking forward all week to this one. Continuing the theme I have with "children's songs" I decided to choose something a little more for the mommies out there.

This week it's Sara Groves' Station Wagon: Songs for Parents



It's a sweet cd filled with songs you would sing to your child but it's not of the Twinkle Twinkle variety. But she's got such a sweet voice and sweet heart and her piano playing is wonderful!

I bought this cd at a Sara Groves concert when I was pregnant. It's one of those cds that I would listen to on my way to work in the morning and would make me weep in anticipation of having Max - you know that hormonal crying, it's that same one that made you cry during diaper commercials.

It made me continue to cry for the first 6 weeks of Max's life when I kept it on continuously in our little apartment in Dallas. It was calm and mllow and helped me relax when I was panicking about being a mom, having this child, and packing to move across the country.

Tonight the lyrics to this song made me tear up. Enjoy.

Prayers For This Child
I do not know how I am to pray for this child
as a mother I don't want my baby denied
but in the waiting in the waiting
I learned

every instinct in me wants to shield him from pain
take the arrows of misery heartache and blame
but in the sorrow in the sorrow
I learned to hold on

I only have two eyes - be all seeing
I only have two hands - be everywhere
I do not know enough - to be all knowing
I give this baby up into your care

I do not know how, how to pray for this child
I want to guard her from everything wicked and wild
but in the trial in the trial
I learned to hold on
And in the trial, in the trial
I learned to hold on to the heart of God

Sunday, February 1, 2009

Super Day!

Max and I stayed home from church today, he's been teething again and it's resulted in a super runny nose. As much as I wanted to drop him off for two hours in the nursery to get away from his whining, I thought I'd do the responsible thing and stay home with him. We still went to lunch with a couple families from church and it was great. There's normally three families that eat together and today we had five. It was great fellowship for me since I'd missed out on the fellowship I depend on during the morning.

So during church I Shredded while Max napped. It was nice to do today. I'm actually enjoying it. Really enjoying it. Still can't do all of it, but enjoying it.

We had a Super Bowl party tonight for the youth group. One of the kids asked if I Shredded. I said yeah and that I was totally addicted to it. And then I figured out that he meant something to do with the guitar. Ummm yeah, I'm that sad. I'm also old, Bruce Springsteen was cool in my lifetime, that makes me old. Apparently Glory Days is an oldie song.

This morning I endured a good 15 minutes of this