Cool things I found for Christmas

I did quite a few personalized gifts this year for Christmas. Thanks to Karenee I discovered Blurb.com. It is a POD(print on demand) publisher. Several years ago my father-in-law gave me a copy of his brother's testimony, which he gave about a year before he passsed away. He wanted me to clean it up a bit, so I have been working on it slowly over the years and my dream was to have it put into a book form, but I didn't even know where to begin. So one day last month I found the link to Blurb on one of Karen's blogs, and knew I had found what I was looking for. The nice thing is you can order just one copy. So I also made a book for splitcat of some of his photography and his old poetry. I never surprise him at Christmas, but I did this year. Both books turned out beautifully. You can choose between softcover and hardcover and you can put your book up for sale at the Blurb bookstore. If I had been thinking straight, I also would have done books for my mom and mil of photos of the kids from the past year, but I missed the deadline and instead ordered photobooks from CVS photo online. They also turned out well.

Another good thing I discovered is a musician named JJ Heller. I saw her in the Family bookstore catalog where it said something like if you like Over the Rhine...so I found some audio clips online and thought splitcat might enjoy it, so after some digging, the nice folks at FBS found the one copy they had for me. I don't know about splitcat, but I really like it.

Oh, and my sister-in-law got my name for our Christmas exchange. She got me this (look for the one called Pirates of the Caribbean 3). When I pulled it out, I started laughing. I just told everyone it was a skin for my phone, so splitcat, who can't see it, says, so who is it? Johnny Depp? She got me the grey one so splitcat wouldn't be too embarrassed to use my phone. It blends right in with my phone so it isn't too noticeable at first glance(I also have a small phone). I also got a USB cord and a mini-sd card(from splitcat) for my phone so I can finally load music on it. I have a Sony-Ericcson Walkman phone, I can listen to fm radio or load music on to it and use it as an mp3 player. My sil gave it to me when she got a new phone.

Overall, a good Christmas was had by all.

Now I am working on getting back into real life mode. I took the tree down the day after Christmas. I usually leave it till after New Years, but I was tired of trying to keep the twins away from it. Yesterday I finally got my room totally cleaned up. I am now going to implement my no folding laundry in my bedroom plan(unless it is the laundry that belongs in there). I end up with stacks of folded laundry all over the place because while I do derive a certain pleasure from folding laundry(especially towels) I absolutely loathe putting it all away. So my new rule is to try and do at least one load per day and it all has to be put away before another load comes out of the dryer. So as soon as my mom brings splitcats camera back(we left it there on Christmas) and I fix a couple of spots, I'll finally put up the pictures of my redone room.

A totally random post on Christmas Eve Morning

I've been up since 5:30, so you're getting a random post. As many of you know, I have very fine, limp hair. It's one redeeming quality is that it is thick. I have spent much of my life looking for that perfect hair product(aside from a perm, of which I have had many) that would allow my hair to hold a curl. So here lately I have been experimenting. I have done a modified pin-curl, which requires sleeping with a head full of bobby pins/clips. It worked pretty well. So I looked up home made setting lotions on the internet, wondering what people used a long time ago. I had heard of using sugar water, but with our ant problem, I didn't think that was a good idea. And I came across a site that suggested boiling some flaxseeds in water, then straining the liquid out and saving it and using it as a gel/setting lotion. I happened to have an unopened bag of flaxseeds, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. At first it wasn't very exciting, but then I noticed the water getting a frothy look that was different from a normal boil/simmer. So I scooped out some of the liquid, and sure enough, it was sticky. When it was done, it was almost gelatinous. Someone had likened it to mucilage glue, and yeah, I've seen similarly textured stuff running out of my kids nose. It was odorless and clear. It took some work to strain it through a mesh colander to separate the seeds out. I put half that was somewhat diluted into an old shampoo bottle I found. I diluted the other half by quite a bit and put it in a spray bottle. So after I showered I put some in my hair and began doing my pin curls. As my hair dried, I would use the spray bottle to wet it down. Well, When I unwrapped my hair and finger combed my curls out, I practically had an afro. I don't know that I've ever had such good curls. But I kinda looked like I stepped out of the 80's. So I used hot rollers to tame it a little. I went to a party that night and my hair was still curly. Everyone seemed to like it. I have never had curls last that long without a perm.
So yesterday, as I was getting ready to go to the Nutcracker at the Atlanta Ballet, I thought I'd put my homemade concotion to the ultimate test. It was raining, and I had freshly washed and conditioned hair. Usually if the humidity is over 10% I can forget curls. They are gone by the time I get from my front door to my car. So I put in the gel and blew my hair dry and put in hot rollers. I still have some curl left this morning. Even after a pony-tail, walking through the wind-tunnel that was yesterday in Atlanta, and high humidity. My mom said when she was little her mother would use beer in my mom's hair as a setting lotion. I just can't do it though. I have such a strong aversion to beer I think I would be embarrassed to buy any. So I'll stick to my flaxseed gel. I also like that it doesn't leave my hands at all sticky, but kind of soaks in and makes my fingers really soft. It also seems to leave my hair soft and shiny. Just don't eat it. Flaxseeds do not hold up in an edible form under high heat.

Another good hair trick I have learned recently is oiling your hair. I know, it seems a little counter-intuitive. But in my setting gel search I came across a forum for people with super long hair-or who are trying to grow their hair long, and they had all sorts of good advice. So I've been using a very mild shampoo and conditioner then using coconut oil(from the organic cooking section of the grocery store--there is also a type in the African American hair care section) on my length(but not near my scalp). I'm rather stunned at the difference in my hair in the 2 weeks I've been trying this. Even splitcat noticed and told me that my hair looked really shiny. It's also gotten really soft. I've also decided to stop coloring my hair. It's going to be a pain to get rid of the color I have, I'll be a little two-toned for a while. But I think that I will probably be almost completely grey by the time I am forty and I am tired of the bother and expense of hair coloring. And I decided that I should just accept that I will go grey at a young age, my mother did also. So I want to enjoy what's left of my natural mousy brown while I still have it.

Also, I had a very good time at the Nutcracker. It is always fun to go to the Fox Theatre. It is a beautiful building, but a little creepy, too. Since it was once used as a Shriner Mosque, there are lots and lots of masonic images all over--the carpet, the carvings, the furniture. For my out of state readers, it is built to have kind an Islamic and Egyptian feel. The coolest thing though, is the theatre ceiling is painted to look like a night sky, and the clouds move across the sky. All the girls from splitcats family and my family attended. So thanks Grandma--we had a great time.

And since I probably won't post for a few days--Merry Christmas.

If I May...

Brag for a moment.

P. has been accepted into the target program at school!!. He and the other first graders who passed all the tests will go to a separate classroom once a week to do more advanced work. They only test in first, third, and fifth grades, so I am glad he was able to get in now. He needs to be pushed academically so he doesn't start taking his intelligence for granted(like I did as a child). His teacher was very proud.

Well, they both had sinus infections, so hopefully we will ward off the ear infections with our antibiotics. My mom called as I was walking out the door because she was able to meet me at the dr. office to help out. Thanks mom. Miraculously, the office was practically empty so we didn't have to wait.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Back to the Dr. we go

Well, the twins are sick again with a cold. I given them a few days to get better, but they have only gotten worse, so I am going to try to get them to the dr. today. I also have to attend the girl's Christmas program at school. It was really cute last year, so it should be fun. My mom is going to take her lunch break early to come and watch and help me with the twins.

I am still trying to finish up my Christmas shopping. I went out Monday when the older kids were at their Grandmas, but the babies were in no mood for shopping, so I didn't get much done. I'm trying to be excited. Baby M. ended up having diarrhea for 2 weeks. I felt really bad for him. So I've been more concentrated on getting my family well than thinking about Christmas. I did take the time to redo my Christmas tree. I had rearranged and messed it up, plus I didn't put enough lights on it, so it looks much much better now. Last night splitcat asked me why I had been angry the past couple of weeks. I was completely surprised. I had been thinking how nice it was that I hadn't been angry for a couple of weeks. But I think I have been very quiet, which could easily be seen as anger. I have been thinking about Christmas presents and other stuff.

I have been able to get out a couple of times. My boss from my last job had a reunion dinner last week, even though I wasn't there at the end when the program was shut down, she still wanted me to come. So I was able to spend some time with my sister(without 8-10 children running amuck) and some old friends. I was somewhat startled to realize how much I have changed in the past 2 years. It was also very weird to be without the twins. It was the first time I had really been alone since October(except for a few late night trips to walmart). Then on Sunday we went to the 4Boydad's house for our semi-annual get together. I left the twins with my mom, I wanted to be able to talk to people without having to chase down a baby. A good time was had by all. A friend I hadn't seen in about 5 years also came, so it was nice to catch up with everyone. I still felt weird without the twins. It's like I don't know what to do with myself when they are not around. My life would be very very different without them around, but I am so glad they joined our family. I do enjoy them.

Speaking of the twins, splicat wanted me to post about all the things people say to me at the mall. Since they look totally different now, and M weighs a good five lbs more than W, I am no longer asked "Are they twins?" I am asked (usually in a little bit disapproving voice by older women) "How far apart are they?" I love to reply in a totally deapan and serious voice, "4 minutes." I've had some women be very visibly taken aback. I can hear them thinking things like, "doesn' t she know how that happens" and they have to rethink their thoughts when they find out they are twins. Some people do ask very tentatively if they are twins or just close together. It's pretty amusing sometimes. But I get stopped at least 3-5 times at the mall. At joann's the other day a lady said, "oh, that was me a few years ago."(as I negotiated the double stroller through the aisles). "You have twins?" I asked. She stared at me for a couple of seconds, "oh, they're twins?" was her reply(we chatted for a few minutes, she was really very nice). So life is never dull. If I need to talk to someone, I jsut have to go to the mall or Kroger on Wednesday(it's senior citizen day, and the grandmas can't resist talking to the babies) .

Well, it's time to get the girl dressed for school, so please pray for the twins if you have a moment to spare.

Taking a trip

Down Memory Lane.

I just went shopping for Christmas stuff. I Had a 20% coupon for Family Bookstore, and wanted to get P a new Bible, and I found.......THE MUSIC MACHINE!!!!!!! ON CD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They also had Bullfrogs and Butterflies. I got both for the Girl. She loves to sing and dance so I got her a cd player/karoake player that's portable. My sister and I sang songs from the Music Machine for years. I still sing some of them. So I opened her cd and am listening to it. I was kinda shocked at how much I remembered.

Now I just need to get Sir Oliver's Song. It was my most favorite ever. If anyone is looking for a Christmas present to give me, this would be nice, if you can find it.

I also loved the Psalty series. What great songs. This has been a pleasant trip. Thanks for sharing it with me.

FYI

The International House of Prayer is broadcasting for free this week as part of their Global Bridegroom Fast. Here is the Link if you are interested in checking it out. If you have DirecTV you can also watch the daily devotional from IHOP on GODtv(or at god.tv) or if you are up in the middle of the night they also broadcast live in the wee hours of the morning on GODtv. It saved my sanity many a time I was up in the middle of the night with the twins. Normally you have to subscribe to get the webcast of the prayer room, so I am taking full advantage of the free week. My favorite worship band--Merchant Band--leads one of the early morning sets, so I am watching/listening to them as I write. It's a lovely way to start the day, with praise and prayer.

Sorry I haven't been posting. Baby M came down with a stomach bug last week, and W. and I succumbed to it in the past few days. I spent as much of yesterday in bed as I possibly could. I feel much better today. W and I seemed to have gotten it to a lesser degree than M.

In other news: My FIL is now resting comfortably at home.

I finally was able to get a little Christmas shopping done. I still have lots to do, though. We did get our tree up and we've been doing our advent readings. P and E. have the Lego advent Calendars. One for boys, one for girls. Splitcat got a reusable advent calendar for me, it is wooden and has doors to open. I get chocolate. So far I've gotten kisses, peanut butter cups, and peppermint patties. I think P. has a better understanding of the religious aspect of Christmas this year. My MIL called today and she is taking all the girls to see the Atlanta Ballet's Nutcracker this year. She was hoping to get the group rate and needed at least three more people, so my mom, sister, and 2 nieces are going, too. I have never been and am looking forward to it. I love an excuse to dress up.

I've been doing a lot of studying of biblical womanhood this week. It is interesting, the wide range of beliefs out there. But now I finally understand why some denominations have such strict dress codes. I haven't drawn any particular conclusions at this point, but it has been interesting. I've read some helpful things and some disturbing things. I may eventually post more about it on my other blog.

Update: My FIL is doing well. They moved him into a regular room this morning, and my bil said he was walking around and in good spirits. Apparently he had some sort of robotic surgery. It was a miracle that his surgery was able to be performed by one of the few Doctors around who can do this surgery. So, Praise the Lord! Thanks for all your prayers.

My FIL is having his valve repair surgery this morning at 9:30. So any prayers are greatly appreciated. Fortunately, they are not going to have to do open heart surgery, but are going in through his veins/arteries. Hopefully this means a much quicker recovery time. Thanks for all your prayers this week.

I just wanted to ask for everyone to keep praying for my FIL. The surgery went well, but afterwards they found one of the valves in his heart isn't working properly, so he will have to undergo more surgery. He's doing well, but he has to stay in the hospital a while longer.

Prayer Request

My father-in-law is having gall-bladder surgery as I write, so if you feel so led, please lift him and my mil in prayer. He's been in the hospital since Monday night, but has been waiting for test results, etc. Splitcat has gone to the hospital to sit with his mom. Thanks!


I forgot to add to my last post that W weighs a little over 22 lbs, and M weighs 28.7 lbs. They are feeling better now since the antibiotics have kicked in.

We have our first official illnesses of the season. W. has a sinus infection and M has an ear infection. I am praying that this is the first and the last of the season.

The boy and the Girl are both well.

I put the babies in their pen for a few minutes before we left for the store this morning. Baby M fussed for a minute then it got really quiet. When I got up to look he was sound asleep. This is unusual for my children. They usually will only fall asleep in their bed or carseat.

I'm not sure what to post, but I am on a serious caffeine high, so I figured I could think of something. I haven't felt this hyper in some time.

Today was my last day of bible study. I really enjoyed the ladies at my table. We had a good time.

I really can't think of anything else to write about. My mind is whirling too fast.

The kids are good. Baby M. is having some reflux again, so any prayer is appreciated.

I feel so violated

My mother called me Monday morning. She said she had to tell me something, and she hoped I wouldn't be so mad I never talked to her again. She said I would probably be mad and then laugh. I said, okay, what did you do.

Well, she says. I was getting ready for bible study yesterday, and I felt like it was time to walk through some change again. As soon as she said that, I knew exactly what she had done.

Did you open Snoopy? I accused.

Yes, I did.

She was right, I was a little mad(I told her I felt violated), but it was really pretty funny. You see, Snoopy was an integral part of my childhood. Snoopy is a 2 ft high plastic bank. I don't know where it came from, it just always was. We dressed snoopy up, I am sure I often anointed him with my tinkerbell perfume, we hauled him around. And we put our spare change in him. We would peek down the slot to see how much money we had saved and try to guess how much was in it. We would plot and plan how we would spend the money when our mom finally cut open the little hole on the bottom and let the change out. I asked her how many hair clips were in it. She said she was surprised that there were only 2, so was I.

But here's the cool part. Walking though change requires, well, change. So she took the change from Snoopy, which was mostly pennies, and made a pile. Then she made another pile with mostly quarters and dimes that she had been saving from her spending money. Then people would choose which pile to start in. So what ended up happening is that the pile from Snoopy ended up representing all our childhood dreams and provision(which it was in fact my sister and I's childhood dreams to spend that change), and the other pile represented the changes and provisions of adulthood. So in walking from the Snoopy pile to the other pile, some were declaring the change from childhood to adulthood, or from believing for a little to believing for a lot. Yet some were compelled to go the other way, recapturing lost childhood dreams. She said she was stunned at how deeply the women in her group were impacted by this simple prophetic act. Then they all remembered the time they had to throw their shoes and begged to do that next week. Bible study with my mom is never dull.

So I had to forgive her for opening Snoopy. She never had a good reason for not opening him before. Even though we pleaded and begged. But Snoopy was opened at just the right time. Thankfully the damage is not irreparable. Because our children play with Snoopy the exact same way we did as children. And I would hate to deprive them of such a valuable childhood experience as dressing up a plastic Snoopy.

Fall Fun

Well, my children managed to have fun despite the fact that I refuse to let them trick or treat. Personally, I would prefer to pretend that Halloween is just another night. But if I stay home I have to deal with doorbell ringers, so we take our kids to a local "do" at a church. It'a free, so that's a plus. The kids came home with plenty of candy. I was going to stay home with all the lights off and the twins, but when I saw those costumes at the Disney Store, and they were a little less then $10 each I simply couldn't resist. So we all went. The twins had a good time looking at everyone, plus there are carnival rides, so they enjoyed watching those. Pooh was good at keeping his costume hat on, Tigger left his on for about half the time, which was longer than I expected. But Pooh kept trying to pull Tiggers head off(he sits behind him in the stroller) and was strangling his brother, so I thought it best to remove the temptation. I think Baby M liked being his own stuffed animal. The girl wore her Aurora Dress from last year, and I think I may get one more years wear out of it. I bought the boy a Captain Hook costume from the Disney store. He wasn't thrilled, he had told everyon he was going to be a ghost(which is against my rules) so he had no choice. Lots of people complimented him on his costume, but he still wasn't thrilled. It should fit at least one more year, also. I believe in getting my money's worth. I realized on Tuesday that P. still didn't have a costume, so I went first to party city. Do not go to party city the night before halloween. It was like a toy store on christmas eve. I left very quickly. I don't like their costumes much anyway, they are expensive and cheap looking. So I went to the disney store. They were having a sale. So I got a good deal for really nice costumes.

You may be asking yourself why I am subjecting you to a video of Baby M crying. Well, I thought you might like to enjoy a little bit of my life. In his defense, he's been really gassy and is cutting like 6 teeth at once. But. He cries. All the time. Loudly. In the middle of the night. Did I mention it was loud? And it's not the help I'm hurt, or I'm sad kind of crying. It's the "I want my mom and I want her now!" kind of crying. Which I have less sympathy for. For instance, he refused to go to bed last night. If he were alone, I would have let him cry. But his brother really wanted to be asleep. I had already gotten both of them up once or twice when I decided to let W. sleep. So I finally get M to bed after 9:30. Then he decides he's just taking a nap and is awake from 2-4:30. I can't leave him in his room to cry because of his brother. So he plays very happily until I just can't stay awake any longer and he's had a light snack and cup of milk. And while he slept in, W. was wide awake at 6 am.

In other baby news, they are babies no longer. I officially took away their bottles. I let them go longer than I let P or E. Mostly because it was easier. But the time had come. It is sad and good at the same time. Sad because my babies are growing up and I will miss them being babies, but good because all things must grow and change and it is so much fun to discover these little people as their personalities begin to really blossom.

Baby M has two volumes--happy or screaming. When he is happy he can be really funny. He absolutely loves stuffed animals. I will try to get his reaction on film, because you can't describe it.

Baby W has a range of volumes. He was experimenting with anger at my parents the other night. He tried to stomp off and fell flat on his face on their travertine floor. Someone told him "No" and he didn't like it. He had earlier expressed his frustration with the limits imposed on him with a heartfelt half grunt-half scream. He tries on expressions to see your reaction. And as soon as he figures out how to swing a leg over the top of his crib or playpen, I am in trouble.

Hallelujah!!! It's been raining for three days. My out of state readers may not know that Georgia is in the midst of a severe drought. All outdoor watering has been restricted for some time now. Now there's quite a brouhaha developing between the state and the corps of engineers. Apparently quite a bit of water is released daily from Lake Lanier(our water source) and sent to Florida to protect an endangered species of mussels. Yeah, mussels.

Hmmm, I seem to recall a time in Georgia's past where state's rights were an issue. That didn't end so well.


A few people have made it over to my "me" blog. (Here's a hint if you don't know how to find it--click on my profile). So far it's pretty random. And my goal is to keep this as my family/general blog and the other as my more personal blog. Sometimes it may be a little shallow, sometimes a little deep. It will probably depend on how much sleep I've had.

Yesterday at the park

A Man who's not afraid of his emotions :)

Oops, this is from Saturday at the in-laws. Sorry it's blurry, but it's the best one of them together
This one is hard to keep up with. He has a mind of his own

A peaceful sibling moment--it's always good to capture those because sometimes they are few and far between

In other things: I've restarted my other blog. It will not be about my family, but a place for my thoughts. If you can find it you are welcome to read it :)