An Apple A Day . . .

My in-laws blessed us with a whole box of delicious, ripe, organic apples from their apple tree, during their recent visit. Juliette couldn't be happier.

Not-Me-Monday: Sound Asleep

This afternoon I did not sneak into my daughter's room to check on her, only to find her soundly snoring away in this unique pose.

I definitely didn't hurry out of the room to grab my camera, nor did I take a handful of pictures as stealthily as possible, in order to preserve the moment but not awaken my little sleeping beauty. Nope, not me!

I also did not complain several times this week that kissing my husband with a full beard pretty much feels like kissing the carpet. No, I'm always a supportive wife. I'd never make a fuss about my husband's hunting-season grooming style (or lack there of). Not me!

And when my husband came home with a tupperware dish from work that contained moldy lasagna (I can't EVEN remember the last time I made lasagna!!!), I most certainly did not refuse to clean it out. I definitely didn't leave it on the counter for two days until he finally got around to throwing it away. I'm not that stubborn. Nope, not me!

Happy Monday everyone!

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For more Not-Me-Monday fun, check out this link:

Catch-Up

Wow, I haven't posted anything in over a week - it is definitely time to catch-up.

Last week I was down with the flu. It's possible that it was the swine flu, but we don't know for sure. Nearly half of our little town has had it, so there probably is a good chance that is what I had, but frankly I just didn't feel the need to pay for a test to tell me that I was sick. I already knew that I didn't feel well, so I didn't really feel the need to know what it was that made me feel so yucky.

By the grace of God, I was feeling somewhat better by Saturday. It was a good thing too, because we had quite a weekend planned. First we had a chance to attend a college soccer game. One of the interns that worked at Seth's company over the summer is the captain of the team, and she got us free tickets. It was beautiful weather, the game was intense, and we had a fabulous time. Juliette got a little antsy after about an hour or so, so we just let her crawl around in the grass at the base of the stands. She quickly worked her magic with the security guard, and made a new friend.




After the game we hurried down to the neighboring state capital, where my friend and I were going to run a 1/2 marathon the next morning. I was still feeling pretty lousy, but God was gracious, and by the time the race started I felt better. Here is a picture my friend and I at the race start - with the capital building in the background.

Of course the early race start meant that Seth and Juliette had to also get up early to drop me off. Here we are leaving the hotel room. I'm not totally sure Seth is awake.

Do you like Seth's beard? He is growing it for hunting season- but hopefully it will be gone next week after he shoots his deer. I can't wait!

So my friend was gracious enough to run most of the race with me. I'm not sure if I could have finished it without her, but together we enjoyed a lot of good talking and fellowship as the miles passed by. I can't believe how resilient God makes our bodies. Every time I finish a race I am amazed at how adaptable our bodies are - truly we are wonderfully and fearfully made! Here we are at the race finish.


We also were able to meet up with my dad in The Big City, and he was kind enough to do a photo shoot for us. Of course, he was giving me a hard time for wanting to get our Christmas photos done so early, but being the cheap skate that I am, I was itching to take advantage of Shutterfly's early bird specials. Though this isn't the photo I chose for our card, particularly because Jewel's hand is in her face, here is a little sample of the shoot.

Jewel, poor girl, was pretty wiped from the busy weekend and getting up so early to drop me off at the race, so she wasn't that thrilled about posing for pictures. See?

Speaking of Jewel, she has started taking steps on her own. I wouldn't say that she is walking yet, but from time to time she'll take a step or two - or four. She is also really into climbing things. She keeps attempting to climb up the couch, climb on any available boxes or baskets, or even climb into the fridge. Yikes!

I guess that is what happens when you have a mountain-climbing, all-Colorado-14er-conquering, practically half-mountain-goat man for a grandpa. I'm talking about Seth's dad of course. Seth's parents are actually coming tomorrow for a visit. We're looking forward to having them here, of course. And I'm excited for them to see Juliette's new-found skills.

Juliette's sheep costume is finished. Anticipate pics soon!

Last but not least (at least not in Seth's book), we finally broke down and got Dish TV this week. Seth just couldn't stand the fact that his football team has won 6 games in a row, and he hasn't seen a single one of them. So we now have television, after not having it for a year. I have mixed feelings about it, but I have to confess that it will be nice to get to watch something without being constricted to waiting for it to download.

So I guess that pretty much catches us up. Just in time for the weekend - whew!

The Hat is Finished

Now, to get some other things done around here!

Not-Me-Monday: Weekend at Home

This weekend it did not snow - again. Even though the trees' leaves are changing, it certainly isn't more like winter than fall around here. And therefore I did not use the "bad-weather" excuse to stay indoors and practically do nothing all weekend long.

Seth however, had a very productive weekend. He cleaned the guest room, organized the storage unit, and sorted through a couple of closets. And even though I loved the fact that he was cleaning, I did not get frustrated with him one bit when he was turning the house topsy-turvy when I wanted to sleep in. Nope, not me!

Seth even did a bit of reloading. Of course, Juliette didn't want to help. Not my child.

Juliette doesn't like to do anything that her daddy does.

And I would never let my child pretend to play video games. Nope, not me! She's definitely too young to be driving anyways.

We also did not make home-made ice-cream on a cold, wintry Saturday night. That would be silly. We also did not use our ice-cream maker for the very first time, even though it was a wedding present. Nope, not us. We always like to put good gifts to use right away.

I did not spend Friday lamenting about how much I hate Halloween, and then nearly spend the entire day today making a costume for Juliette. Nope, not me! I'm never in conflict with myself.

I also did not eat cherry cheesecake for breakfast. Nope, definitely not me. Of course it does contain eggs and cheese and fruit (a balanced breakfast, right?), but I would never do anything like that anyways. Good thing that was not me!

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Hats, Halloween, and Other H Words

So this is a picture of my latest project. It's a hat for Juliette. Hopefully I'll be finishing it soon, as it is snowing again, and even though I've gone through her entire closet, I can't seem to find a warm hat for my darling child. I hate that!

You can actually get a free copy of the pattern yourself here. I adjusted the pattern to fit her head by using a size 6 needle and only casting on 70 stitches. This works for a child with a 18 1/2 inch head. Hope that helps!

Okay, now I'm going to rant a moment. I completely understand if you want to hurry away now, or even head to the hills, but I'm still going to have my say. Hold on to your hats. Don't say I didn't warn you.

I officially hate Halloween. I know that a few of my relatives are probably going to disown me right about now, and I have (or should I say had?) some friends that might too, but I have to confess that Halloween is horrid to me. I mean, the dressing up is sort of fun, all the costumes and make-up. But there is something just not right about a holiday where it is acceptable to decorate your house by staging a hanging in your front yard. And the ghoulish creatures and freaky characters are just gross - not fun, gross. I hate that our grocery store has a shriveled up, scary looking goblin hitched to the checkout lane. What am I supposed to say to Juliette, "Look honey, there's a terrifying spook that is probably going to give you nightmares"?

Of course the candy is always a nice perk, but serious, who really needs another 5 lbs. on their hips? And then there is always the dilemma that Christians face - how do we participate in a holiday that celebrates demons, witches, and goblins (or at least sort of does)? There is always the Harvest festival idea - which is basically Halloween sold under a different name so we feel less bad about it. But let's be honest - it is just Halloween re-mix style. Still sort of counts as participating in my book.

I don't have the answer here. Some years we've dressed up - some years we've gone out to dinner to avoid having to participate in festivities we really didn't want to participate in. And now having a child, I really don't know what we should do. Do we get a costume for her? Do we take her trick-or-treating, even if it means that I'll be the one eating all the candy? What do we tell her? What is right for our family? I don't know. I just don't know.

Yeah, I really hate Halloween.

Words of Wisdom Wednesday

"Even without all the answers to my questions, [Jesus] is the answer to my life."

- Beth Moore

Daddy, Turn Me Around Please

Sunday Juliette started using her birthday bike as a walker. She's a true Arid High Plains sort of girl - she knows how to improvise and make-do with what's at hand. She sure is proud of her new found toddling skills though, even if she isn't quite ready to try them out minus the bike.

So Sunday night, after Seth took down the tent from our dining room, he helped Juliette cruise. She would push the bike from one end of the living room to the other. When she finally bumped it up against a wall or a couch, she would stop, look straight at her daddy and whimper. Now I'm sure she was saying, "Daddy, turn me around please." Although I have to admit that her tone of voice indicated a bit more forceful request like, "Hurry up old man. Can't you see I'm waiting" sort of thing.

But this morning, as I was contemplating how big she is getting, I was suddenly touched by her example. When Jewel hit a road block, she didn't get mad at what was in her way and she didn't get mad at herself for being in that situation. Instead, she looked straight at the one who could help her out of the whole predicament, and said (I'm sure of it!), "Daddy, turn me around please".

Though I'm loathe to admit it, there's definitely a life lesson for me here. So next time I find myself butted up against wall, instead of getting frustrated with myself, or whatever is in the way, I'm going to say, "Daddy, turn me around please". And even if it does come out all garbled and whiny, I'm confident that He'll know what I really am trying to say.

Not-Me-Monday: Crayola Crumbs

This week I did not feed my child a casserole that contained chipolte peppers. And even though I did my very best to pick all of them out, I did not miss a few. Nor did I watch my sweet little girl's eyes well up with tears as she attempted to eat her spicy dinner. I'd never be that cruel. Nope, not me.


After leaving Juliette home alone with Seth for an entire day, so that I could attend a ladies' day retreat, I did not come home to find this set-up in our dining room:

Juliette did not have any fun with her daddy while her mommy was away.

This week we did not invite several of Seth's coworkers over for dinner, and then just serve them pre-made pizza. I'd never invite people over for a yummy dinner and then only offer them something they easily could have heated up themselves. Nope, not me. I'm practically Betty Crocker, remember?

This week I also did not let Juliette color, only to find multicolored Crayola crumbs in her teeth. My child does not think that colored wax tastes yummy. No way!

I also did not see our doctor riding his four-wheeler home from his clinic this afternoon, instead of driving his car. Nor did my husband leave for work this morning dressed in his camouflage jacket and beanie. And when I asked him if other people at his professional office dressed that way, he did not answer that his outfit "definitely wasn't considered out of place". I don't live in a laid-back, anything goes town. Nope, not me!

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More Not-Me-Monday Fun:

Juliette's Favorite Toy

Juliette got some wonderful gifts for her birthday. New clothes, a book bag, a new bike, some ABC flashcards, and on and on. But her favorite toy of late is this:



No joking. This container has afforded her loads of fun. See?

Put them in, dump them out. Put them in, dump them out. Hours of babytainment.

Forget Christmas presents. Come December, I think I'll just take her "shopping" in our recycling bin.