today's exceeding thoughts

• So I was sewing again...using my new pattern-following skills, when the sewing machine died on me. SOOO frustrating. So my all-fixing hubby came home and went over it, oiling and cleaning and tuning-up. It worked slick as a whistle. For all of .5 seconds. Then it died again, worse than before. I think we'll have to buy a new part/parts, and I don't know how much that kind of thing runs. Poor old sewing machine. And I'm eXCEEDINGLY frustrated that my project is on hold---it is turning out so cute!--despite that fact that I was making it Ethne's size, with a little room to grow, and it fits Hazel perfectly. Hmm.
• Today my sister played a cruel trick on me, though it was unintentional. She called and left me a message leading me to believe something that was eXCEEDINGLY exciting--kinda like winning the lottery-- and so then I called Brett and told him, and he told the people in his lab, and none of it was true after all. Which was exceedingly sad.
• This morning Jethro came out in the front room to dress for school and he had forgotten to grab underwear when he got all the rest of his clothes, and didn't want to go back in to his room for fear of waking the girls, so I grabbed a pair for him from the laundry basket of clean but unfolded clothes (see it's sometimes good to not have them folded and put away right away) and gave it to him and he started putting it on on top of his other underwear. I was like, "Uh, Jethro, you wanna take your other ones off first?" :)
• Which reminds me the other day he was getting into the bathtub and forgot to take his socks off first. Haa ha.
• After my sewing was foiled for the day, I went to Jethro/Hazel/Ethne's room and started going through every single toy and every single book and throwing away or Goodwilling everything I could. We have WAY too many books. I mean, I love books, really, but it's getting a little out of control until we can move to a house with a little more room for bookcases.
• I have grand ideas of actually decorating that room. We moved Ethne in, so that Talmage can finally sleep in the crib, so now that there's the bunk bed and a pack and play and the toys and two book shelves it is exceedingly crowded and 99.9% of the time looks like a pig pen. Hopefully when it's decorated a bit better, it will at least be cuter, if not roomier.
• I bought a swimming suit. It's cute. I hate swimming suits.
  
• I have been EXCEEEEEDINGLY tired lately. One day this week, all my kids were up at 6:30. I was ready to fire myself. I hate mornings. Well, not the whole morning, just the part where I have to wake up. (I sound like such a teenager don't I? Except that teenagers don't have to wake up 2-3 times a night to nurse a baby. At least, most teenagers don't. I guess I did when I was still a teenager, but I was unusual (and married).)
• Brett's watching a movie right now with Samuel L. Jackson in it. That guy is exceedingly freaky.
• I'm swapping some crafty stuff for something really cute. More info later. I'm exceedingly excited.
• I think that's all I've got. Better get to bed. Then again, I won't really get to bed until Brett does, and his movie's not over. But you know.
• Oh, I remembered something else (I knew I would). Today Brett came home and said, "Let's celebrate!" and I said, "Celebrate what?" and he said, "That I made it through another week of school without running into a bridge embankment." Hooray! He is eXCEEDINGLY sick of school.
  

13 pictures of Ethne (I know it's not Thursday)

Ethne's nursery leader was telling me that she thinks Ethne's changed this past month. Woke up...saw that there was power out there, and grabbed as much as she could get. I hear her. Ethne's suddenly remembering things and telling us about them, being bossy, loud, and crazy. Although, some of that is not a change--she's always been crazy. CRA--ZY. We love her so much (and then we want to lock her in a closet). :)

Just the usual...

a bunch of random pictures.

Cute, cute kids

We printed crowns as well as masks on Saturday.

Hazel's was pink. Imagine that.

Ethne wears hers with her own style.Cute picture of my sweet Hazel--love that face. I had the thought today that she will be going to kindergarten this fall, and it already made me very sad! Especially since she was awesome and went and played with Talmage for a long time so I could get the dishes done and cook dinner.

And here's a picture of Hazel when she was 1, just for fun.Weird picture of Ethne. :)

Tried to feed Talmage some green beans.

He was more interested in his feet.Fun, fun, fun Sundays. (you can click it to see it bigger)

The end.

Goodwill is my best friend

A few recent good finds from Goodwill--

Red cowboy boots for Hazel. Can't wait until spring and I find the perfect spot to take pictures of her in her denim skirt, red boots and cowboy hat. Cute stuff.
These brown pants from Banana Republic that I love.


This belt. I really like it.
And the very best? In fact, the Find of All Finds. This coat. (Although I wish I could have gotten a better picture. Black is hard to photograph and see details.) I'm so proud of this purchase. It's a very nice coat and it fits perfectly.
When I looked at this picture I laughed because I thought I looked like a sister missionary.
And another good thing about Goodwill? The nice guys who compliment me. "You have three kids? Hmmm. For having had three kids, you look really good." That was kindof a backhanded way of giving a compliment, but I definitely appreciate the sentiment. :)

Masks

Wordless Wednesday

Things

So things have been a little crazy. And tiring. But I think we're good now. It started last week when I took Ethne in to the doctor for a well-child check (yeah, a little late, but who's keeping track?). As usual, they told me she is very small. This I know. In fact, she's not even on the chart for weight. Hmm. But that is not news. They did find she had an ear infection, which was surprising because she hadn't acted sick in the least. So the doc gave me a prescription for antibiotics to use only if she started acting sick. I did not use the prescription, HOWEVER Hazel woke up crying several times that night saying that her ear hurt. Power of persuasion? Anyway, I took her in the next day and she did have an ear infection so I got her antibiotics. After that night, though, she never acted uncomfortable at all.

Anyway, we were all well and good except that Ethne and Talmage had colds/coughs. Then Talmage's got worse, and we took him in and he has RSV. It is not fun. At all.

Anyway, here are some pictures from the last little while. Ethne with a cracker in her mouth.
The girls playing outside when it was nice for a couple days. Now it's cold again and rainy. And it probably will be rainy every day until April.

Hazel got her hair cut.

Jethro and Brett made marshamallow guns and went outside and shot each other for a long time. Brett said he only made Jethro cry about 6 times or so.

And this is a picture of the first owners of the cute red dresses from Gap. My sister Amy's kids, Olivia and Megan. So now we can do like they do in the fashion magazines and have a poll for Who Wore It Best? Just kidding. :) I gotta say, they get points for their awesome red shoes.
And a couple of lists.

Things that can sometimes be worrisome/stressful:

• RSV
• job searching
• economic recession (especially in connection with prior item)
• having a husband trying to get a thesis written in the next 1 1/2 months
• the baggage retrieval system they've got at Heathrow
  

Things that are reassuring/I am grateful for:

• Albuterol
• that my husband is smart and skilled in many and various ways
• this
• chocolate
  

And Heather, yes Brett is looking for jobs. His first choice industry, with academia being a close second as long as it is a job, and anywhere near Logan being top of the list. Why--does John have a job he can put a good word in for Brett?! :)

(Late) Love post

A heart that loves is always young.
Greek Proverb

Where there is great love, there are always miracles.

–Willa Cather

Who, being loved, is poor?

-Oscar Wilde

I like not only to be loved, but to be told that I am loved.

-George Elliot

In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities.

–Janos Arnay

Thou art to me a delicious torment.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Your love is better than icecream.

Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love.

~Albert Einstein

Life in abundance comes only through great love.

Elbert GreenHubbard

Man's love is of man's life a thing apart;
‘Tis a woman's whole existence.
-Lord Byron

Love comforteth like sunshine after rain.

–William Shakespeare

May be we are not such fools as we look. But though we be, we are well content, so long as we may be two fools together.

–R.D. Blackmore