Two Weeks

In just two weeks I will find out what I'm having. Then we can really start thinking about names. So far, we haven't gotten very far with any names that we like. And we have absolutely no idea what we will name a boy if thats what it turns out to be. I actually did start looking at the baby name book the other day. There were many names that were very easy to eliminate! I think today I may try to get through the rest of it, as well as making either cookies or cupcakes or something.

All In A Days Work

While the rest of the world was enjoying a nice (although rainy around here) holiday weekend I was working at my office. Since there were only 2-3 other coworkers there, and relatively few public people, these fellas kept me company for a while. Then they went on their way and we looked out the window and found this girl sitting there. The picture through the window didnt work very well, so I went outside and she let me take her picture. I didnt have my camera with me when I saw a toad on a hike.

Once everyone returned from being off on their holiday weekend, I still worked yesterday and we had outdoor skills training. So I spent the day fishing, canoeing, shooting air rifles, practicing fire building, archery and orienteering. Believe it or not, it was actually hard work. Have you ever tried to actually start a fire with a magnesium bar fire starter? They make it sound very easy on the package:)

Outdoor Skills

Today is the training for staff and volunteers working our outdoor skills camp for the month of June, which basically means I will not have to sit in my office, but will be outside most of the month. I am teaching the wilderness survival part, which is really difficult to cover very much in 45 minute segments. I was almost hoping it would rain out our training today, not because I dont enjoy teaching it and being outside but because the training never works in the allotted time and no one really cares exactly what you are doing, much like any other training I've ever attended. Besides I taught the same class about 50 times last summer, and even if I dont always remember where I parked my car, I remember how I taught. I dont know where I will be helpign for the other sessions, last year it was air rifles, but this year air rifles and wilderness are at the same time (along with canoeing which would be another option). So whenever I actually get to work, that's what I will jump right in to doing:)

Decisions, decisions, decisions

As I have been looking at baby cribs and things of that nature online, I decided that I should figure out what kind of crib I wanted so I could narrow my search (ok, so yes, my search thus far consists of garage sales and craigslist). Ok, so maybe not narrow my search, more like know when I find an unbeatable bargain:) Cribs aren't cheap you know. And Who knew there were so many different kinds of cribs available? You can get cribs with drop sides, adjustable mattress heights, ones that will convert all the way from crib to full size bed, ones with storage underneath, ones with attached changing tables...and the list goes on! Having absolutely NO experience in the whole crib selection department, I am asking you for help! (Yes, comments are welcome!) I want practical, sturdy, safe, with as much extras as I need but not extras that for the life of the crib will simply be extras in the way. Here are a few of the options....

First up is crib number 1. Crib number one can be converted to a toddler bed, day bed and/or full size bed. The mattress has four adjustable heights with the sides not moving....

Next up is crib number 2. Crib number 2 can be converted into a toddler bed and twin size bed. the attached changing table can be converted into a nightstand as the child grows. This crib also features a drawer underneath for additional storage.

Up next is crib number 3. Crib number three has a drop side on it and is not convertible. It is a very simple design.

Ok, now that I have sounded just like the announcer guy on the price is right, you can get cribs with all of those features or just some, these are just a quick sampling. So let me know...what is useful, useless, etc.

Storming

I was jolted awake at 5 this morning by an incredibly loud crash of thunder. Followed by a couple snuggly pets. Now, it is still raining and Kendall doesnt understand why she has to go outside when everyone else gets to go in the house. For me, I have to drive to work in this lovely weather, so off I go. Enjoy your holiday weekend.

What is Good About Chiggers?

Ok, so I'm guessing no one has the answer, and if you search that online all you will find is reference to what is good to stop a chigger itch. So anyway, I'm attempting to write a program at work on Nature's Unloveables (even if somewhere along the way someone changed the name without me knowing it). Chiggers are the top of my unloved list so I thought, surely there is something good about a chigger. Something must eat it, that way it could provide valuable food to another animal. Maybe chiggers are going to be the answer to a cure for one of our diseases (someone should look into that, it would help my program out:) Or maybe a chigger is God's way of teaching us patience and perseverance. Patience by just dealing with the incessant itch, perseverance by not going crazy if you happen to find yourself covered in them. And for my dear friends in Northern Idaho who have never had the delightful experience of getting back from a day in the outdoors to have unexplained little red bumps all over, chiggers are a small mite that in the larval stage sticks its head into you and basically ingests your skin. For the rest of my friends that knew exactly what chiggers are, or at least the itch they cause, watch out...they are out there lurking, just waiting to jump on an unsuspecting victim.

(On a side note, no I am NOT covered in chiggers, I am simply trying to do a program on something I've never done a program on before:)

Two years ago

Two years ago today I was boarding Mariner of the Seas for the first time, setting sail on my honeymoon. Looking at pictures this morning, I sorta thought about how much fun that was, but the main thing that kept going through my head was "I WANT A VACATION!" Yes, I realize that I went on a cruise just a few months ago, and yes, we did have a great weekend away last week, but a person can never have too much vacationing. I think that is why we work so hard the rest of the time so that we can take those times off and thoroughly enjoy them. Unfortunately leave time from work is limited, and we are having to save some of it for November (that isn't the unfortunate part), and gas prices are nearing $4 a gallon which limits how far we can really afford to go. So I will be happy just remembering how much fun our past trips were and look forward to a future trip.

I was also remembering two years and two days ago. It was a beautiful day, and except for the cold I had started to develop, everything went perfectly, and I'm even happier now than I was then.

Missed Kodak Moment

Saturday I didn't take my camera to garage sales. What normal person would? Anyway, my mother and I were driving through town and we had just discovered the fresh strawberries we were going to buy had sold out before we arrived. So we had continued. Kendall was with us, and I happened to look back in the back seat, and there she was, sitting just like a little kid in the booster seat. She was adorable.

Another mystery of the weekend. While riding 4 wheelers out in the middle of the woods we came across a canoe paddle. A fairly nice one. It didnt look like it had been there a long time because it wasnt covered in leaves or even dirt, but was very clean. We were absolutely nowhere near a river, so how did it get there? We wondered if it had fallen out of the sky during the tornadoes last week (Ok, so it is a very good thing we didn't camp last weekend!)

A Beautiful Day

It looks like another beautiful day outside today. Yesterday while out walking through the woods, I was wishing I had my camera. There were some flowers that were pretty, but one of the prettiest things was one that I definitely did NOT want to touch! The poison ivy leaves are a lustrous deep purple turning to green color right now, very pretty if you don't think about the consequences of a brush against one of them! I also see a beautiful blue heron sitting in a lake I drive past EVERY day. I slow down and look for him to see where he's posing each time (besides if you drive even 1 mph over the speed limit the cop would be more than happy to write a ticket). The other day, as the sun was beginning to drop into some dark clouds, he perched on a stick, coming out of the water, with a perfect reflection in front of him. My husband says I shouldn't stop along the relatively busy highway for a picture, and that day I didnt have my camera with me anyway, but it looks like a very photogenic bird.

I'm not planning on taking an hour lunch break at work today if I take one at all, so I wont get any pictures. I want to get off early so I can get ready for my weekend!

Rain Won't Cancel These Plans!

We were worried they would change the forecast again and another camping trip would be out the window. Seemed like a logical concern, considering last weekend. So we decided not to try to camp this weekend, plus with Monday being our anniversary, we definitely wanted to do SOMETHING. So, we managed to find a vacant room with a jacuzzi in Eureka Springs that was reasonably priced and decided that was just how we would spend our weekend...relaxing!

We still want to go camping. It is just hard to plan on travelling with the weather so iffy, and our friends couldnt go this weekend anyway, so maybe some other time, before long.

Now, I must get ready for work. (but I've gotten a load of laundry folded and another in the wash, so at least I've made some progress this morning!)

Lost

Do you ever get that feeling that you know basically where you are but have no idea how to get to where you are going? For some, this might happen on a hike through the woods when asked if you should go right or left, they answer left when the destination is only a matter of minutes away, to the right. You might think that is where I'm going with this, but I was definitely not in the woods yesterday when I experienced my "lost" moment. I wasn't driving either (which has happened many times) and I wasn't inside a building. Nope, I had just made my cartload of purchases at Wal-Mart and continued out the door to the parking lot. You know the people that always park in the far off parking spots so they dont get car dings? That is usually me. Walking is good for you, you know. Well, I had arrived at a different Walmart than I usually go to fairly early and it wasn't very busy. So I parked much closer than was normal. And this Wal-mart is laid out completely opposite of my normal Wal-Mart. Ok, so back to me leaving the store. I pushing all my goodies out the door and start into the parking lot, thinking about which aisle I had parked in. Hmmm....oh yes, I had parked and gone in the other door. Ok, so down the sidewalk I go until I reach where I'm sure I had parked. I walk towards the back of the parking lot...no car, well, at least not MY car. I continue walking, maybe I was one aisle over, crisscrossing back and forth across the parking lot. This continued for a good five minutes. I'm holding my keys in my hand debating the whole time on whether I should just give up, be embarrassed and hit the panic button to locate the car. Then I got smarter. If you hit the button to lock the doors twice the horn beeps once. People do that all the time. So after a good long while and several trips up and down the rows of cars, all the while pushing all my groceries, I hit the lock button twice. My horn honked. Only about two cars from where I was standing. Without technology I'm sure EVENTUALLY I would have found my car, but I was sure glad that I was able to locate it. I had begun to feel rather silly. So if you ever get lost, remember the first thing you should do is remember, don't panic, but it is ok to hit the panic button:)

Storms

Usually when I'm camping I expect a little rain. Only a couple times have I ever packed away a dry tent. This past weekend I was planning on camping, however it just wasn't meant to be. We watched the weather on Friday morning, they were almost guaranteeing strong storms and heavy rain, so we decided that we should postpone our camping trip. I just knew the weatherman would be wrong and it would turn out to be a beautiful day on Saturday. But my voice of reason (my husband and also best friend) told me that it would storm and camping wasn't a good idea. I pouted and complained, but realized that with gas nearly $4 a gallon, if we were going to try for the following weekend it just wasnt a good idea. SO... we stayed home. I did manage to find a bargain at a garage sale. And just for the record, my doubting the weatherman is probably why I've rarely packed up a dry tent. It stormed and hailed and there were tornados and all sorts of horrific storms in the area we were wanting to camp. So now, looking to Saturday, I wonder if the weather will be nice???

Weekend

Have a nice weekend everyone.

Growing up Fast

I thought this was adorable. He looks so grown up and so much like he is up to something! My oldest nephew will graduate from Kindergarten next week, so here's his picture!

Rain today, not Saturday

I have been keeping a close eye on the forecast this week. I really, really, really want to go camping during NICE weather this weekend. But of course there is rain in the forecast, but accordign to weather.com only a 30% chance...that leaves a 70% chance it won't rain, doesn't it? Anyway, I'm very excited and we have figured out a lot of what we are going to take with us, what we are going to do and it should be just plain fun....as long as it doesn't rain. There have probably only been 3 or 4 times my whole life that I've actually packed up dry camping equipment the next morning. And the strong storms are the most memorable nights camping. The good thing is it doesn't look like it should be a constant rain, so it can rain until then if it wants, but Saturday afternoon through Sunday afternoon, I really would like it to be dry.

First Official Baby Gifts

Yesterday, I saw a friend that lives about 7 hours away and she brought me my first official baby gifts. She brought me three little outfits and baby lotion and soap. It was so sweet. Anyway, for lack of anything better to say this morning, I thought I'd just show you what I got.

Homemade Salsa

I went to the store on Saturday, not because I like to go on the weekend, but because they had a really good ad and it was my only chance to go. I found several items in produce on sale...tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, cilantro, all the ingredients necessary for homemade salsa. I had never made homemade salsa before, but really, how hard could it be? You buy the ingredients, throw them in the food processor, pulse until it is salsa. It worked, and even tastes good, with one minor problem. I made enough salsa for a large cinco de mayo party instead of just enough for my husband and myself to eat. I attempted to freeze some of it, we'll see how that works, otherwise, on our menu this week....SALSA!

Updates

This morning I thought I would just update you on a few things.

Mama robin never did return to her nest, therefore, I still have eggs that are probably rotten and no baby birds.

The potato incident last Friday wasn't a single event. Saturday and Tuesday Kendall helped herself to additional potatoes, peeling them as she ate them. I really would like to know exactly how she does that, and definitely why. The remaining potato that she didnt eat is not on the counter.

The weather last night definitely resembled spring with loud storms, strong winds, hail, etc. There was a tornado supposedly touched down just south of Belton but then it went north of us.

And tonight we are maybe going out to do our frog survey again. We are doing a frog event from 6-9 and are supposed to go out after that to do our survey, but it is supposed to be really windy. So who knows???

Planning a camping trip

In a little over a week, we are finally going to get to go camping, I just hope the weather cooperates. Yes, I have been camping in everything from high winds with snow to so hot that the sleeping bag wasn't needed, to it storming so hard that I wondered if a tree would fall across us, but my husband has never camped (at least not in a tent) during those conditions and my friends that are going with us have never gone camping. So I'm hoping for good weather so they will all want to go again someday. Meanwhile I'm trying to figure out exactly what we will need to take with us, what we will eat, and get everything organized so that it will go smoothly. Any suggestions of things I might have forgotten?

Have a great day!