Parent of the Year...

I might win Parent of the Year Award*. I, an emergency room nurse, have now ignored, denied, and ultimately dismissed both of my children actually being ill. I kept telling them, oh you're not really sick. I truly told Reba to quit fake coughing. Jacob had pneumonia from allergies I ignored until he broke out in freaky hives I couldn't deny. Reba has an upper respiratory infection complete with eye and ear infections - now on antibiotics because I finally gave in and took her to see Dr. Joe. See, I win.

Currently Reba is upstairs hacking up a lung and Jacob is coming down off the albuterol buzz from his night time breathing treatment. -

-I just sealed the deal for the title - Reba just coughed so hard she threw up. I stripped her sheets and put her back to bed. Her hair smells like vomit and our humidifier doesn't work. (I did make her brush her teeth - I hate that taste.) I didn't even put jammies back on her.

Ultimately I did seek treatment for both children, but clearly they were not O.K. My only consolation is that a friend who is a practicing Hematologist/Oncologist let her 11 month old get a double ear infection so badly that pus was coming out of her eyes. Baby's O.K., no harm done, but it must be a professional hazard - ignore your own child's illness until they literally have pus coming out of their eyes. I overheard on my way out of the office, Dr. Joe on the phone with the Parent of the Year* Nominations Board, "No that's Sarah with and "H" - great I'm doomed.

I also told Brian he wasn't sick. He's seeing the doctor tomorrow morning.

Stalking the Neighbors

Transitions are hard, no question about it. For us it has been new schools, new jobs, new church, new friends, new neighbors.. Both children took to almost everything immediately with the exception of new neighbors. I guess it doesn't help here that all neighbors stay indoors or at the pool all summer long (here in Austin people come outside in the fall when the weather reaches sane). Also our neighbor to the West of us disappeared for three months this Summer and the neighbor to the East of us is more of a recluse (he recently moved out - we have our fingers crossed). My children, accustomed to having bedtime stories read to them by the neighbors between their bedroom window and the neighbor's kitchen window, are suffering from withdrawal.

Then the heavens opened up and just up the street appeared the NEW NEIGHBORS! Hallelujah! We are saved! This family is the epitome of Texas (these are the folks whose dishes I bought). The parents were both raised in the country and their three year old has a love affair with his cowboy boots. This family loves to be outdoors and we frequently meet up with them outside and let the children play. Brian is already planning his first hunting trip with his new found friend.

Our desperation for new friends suddenly became acutely apparent when we discovered Jacob staring out the window waiting for the neighbors to surface. At first sight of the 3 year old, boot wearing, bike riding boy Jacob exclaims, "Can I go out and PLAY?!?" I am eager to say, yes, but I also wonder if we are the weird neighbors that come by and over-stay their welcome - you know the ones...

Hopefully they are just as relieved to have us for neighbors. We have been blessed over the years with amazing people living close to us: Sarah and Tim, Sal and Patty, Doug and Toni, Olivia and Darell just to name some of our favorites. We have had great examples to learn from. It is our hope that we can be just as good neighbors to our Texas friends as ours have been to us and that we form those friendships that have so endeared our past neighbors to us. I have already rescued New Neighbor Mom from an embarrassing swimming pool blooper this summer where she put her 3-year-old's inner tube on and couldn't get it off (she's pregnant). That must count for something. In the meantime, I think we should probably find Jacob a better pastime than stalking the neighbors.

Sunset

Just a pretty sunset... Looking through some old picutres - Carpenteria, November 2006.

Nothing Wasted

After a 6 month craze (read compulsion) of making bags this last year I ended up with quite a few leftover tidbits of fun fabric. In a stroke of genius and a bit of nostalgia I decided to square off my scraps and piece them together for an easy fun quilt. I had never made a honest to goodness quilt that wasn't a rag quilt style. I secretly felt like I was cheating with the rag quilts. The result was something simply fabulous.

I love this quilt. It doesn't have a pattern other than each square was cut to 7 inches, I did blocks of four with coordinating colors, and colors start from left top to right bottom in a rainbow-ish color scheme. The back is white flannel I bought for nothing in particular with a red stripe down the middle for interest. It took me only a few sittings of several hours (with one little boy sitting next to me, eyes wide in amazement as the big picture took shape). In the end it was well worth the little time invested (and the incessant questions of whether or not said little boy could have this one).

This project just hot off the old Brother machine and I am eager to tackle something more. The next project will be more complex and probably have a pattern. More importantly I will know next time to use the safety pins for basting the layers together before quilting, to pre-wash everything, and that sewing machine needles are different for a reason. I might even go shopping at Goodwill for some good fabrics (an idea I got from another blogger/recycling enthusiast). A more pressing issue is the need for a bigger and better sewing machine.

After using all the scraps from my purse craze I got a little tiny urge - to make another purse... so I did.

On the Verge

Do you ever feel like you are just on the verge of something incredible? I have had this feeling for the last - well, few months. In the months leading up to now I have experienced incredible blessing. We bought a house, we moved to a new state with a feeling of abundance, my husband and I both got great jobs, found an amazing new church with great friends, and my kids are doing exceedingly well in their new schools. Yet, despite all that we have recently received - I feel like something big is waiting for us. Maybe in the greater sense...

I know with a deep sense of knowing that I am meant for something more. I feel God has put it on my heart that I will be able to affect in a positive way MANY lives. I am only unsettled by the fact that it hasn't been revealed to me how.

I guess I will know in time. For now I will go to work at the ER, come home to my family, and create wonderful things with my hands and my undaunted imagination. What a life!

Scary smart wants to be a doctor...

A set of scrubs I just whipped up. Not as polished looking as the vest for Jacob, but cute...

...for Halloween. We feel it is only appropriate that our scary smart 3 year old wants to be a doctor for Halloween. She's been telling us that she either wants to be a teacher or a doctor when she grows up. We figure either she'll be broke when she grows up or we will. Whichever it may be one thing we are certain of, this kid is scary smart. But don't take my word for it.

Reba is her teachers' absolute favorite. They aren't allowed to have favorites so they spell f-a-v-o-r-i-t-e. A lot of good that does, this kid is learning to spell! Jacob, as any other normal Kindergartner, is learning his phonetics and how to spell (don't get me wrong, my son is brilliant as well). Reba is taking his flash cards when he's not using them and spelling the words with the magnets on the fridge. Seriously.

She also talks non stop, a trait I'm afraid she inherited from me. Besides the "r"s being a little mispronounced (she sounds like she's from Boston) you would think you are talking to an elementary aged child. She also sings - but not just normal kid songs, she makes up words to tunes she knows. Usually she's pretty good, too.

Her Sunday School teacher, Mr. Willy, raves about her. He says she's getting abstract ideas like unconditional love and where Jesus is. I guess her theology is good, but what kills me is when we are sitting in church and the Pastor is doing the prayers for the people - Reba is responding with "Lord, hear our prayer." It melts a Mom's heart...

We are really in for it. She is just smart enough to get in some really fantastic trouble. For now, I will humor her with some doctor scrubs for her Halloween costume, but who knows what's next?

Everything Texas

Check these out! Texas themed dishes! What a find. We were just joking with a neighbor and long time Texan how you can buy anything with a Texas theme to it i.e. cookie cutters, coolers, any kind of apparel, home decor, car paint jobs, grill tools, and well, anything you can think of really. Then we noticed she was selling Texas dishes at her yard sale! Jackpot! We didn't have Texas DISHES yet. Whew, now we are on our way to being true Texans. I think the next logical decision would be to purchase one of those nifty Styrofoam coolers with the state shape and flag on it. Classy.