April 28: The Clique

Day 353

It's no secret among my family that I still love to read juvenile fiction. Really, who doesn't? I have a huge collection of Baby Sitters Club books that I pull out every now and then when I want to read something familiar and comforting. One series that I don't read often, but that I do read every now and then is the Clique. It's about shallow, materialistic middle school girls. I call it brain candy. I just finished one of these books last night and I have no need to hang on to it.

April 27: Grow Babies

Day 352

Peter is quite taken with his Pa-pa. Instead of crawling to me to have me hold him, he crawls to pa-pa. Instead of bothering me in the kitchen, he bothers dad who's working on his closet. I'm beginning to feel a bit rejected ;) Dad's doing a bang-up job on the closet in spite of all of Peter's "help." At one point, I walked into Peter's room and dad was drilling a hole in the wall while holding Peter. Peter, of course, thought this was the best thing ever. I need to get a picture of the two of them before Dad leaves!

My purge today is this board book:

April 26: Dad's Here!

Day 351

My dad arrives today for a short visit. He's going to help care for Peter and do some projects around the house...namely putting up shelving in Peter's closet. We're going to make chicken-kebabs for dinner and then hit the Home Depot for some supplies. Mostly, I'm just excited to have dad here for a couple of days!

My purge today is this prenatal yoga DVD. It's not bad, it's just too long! It's a full hour and I just don't have the time for that.

April 25: Scrabbulus

Day 350

Only 15 days left in the purge! What? How can that be?

We were supposed to get some mega-storms yesterday with the possibility of a tornado, but all we ended up getting was some light hail and a good soaking rain. Thanks be to God! Everything is FINALLY greening up in Kansas. We had a over half and inch last night.

Scrabble is not a game Clint and I play together. In truth, we don't have much of an opportunity to play many board games and even if we did, Scrabble would be at the bottom of Clint's list.

Here's a picture of two of my boys this morning...just lounging away while I got ready for work!

April 24: Cat Stories

Day 349

I love cats. There's never been a stray I haven't wanted to adopt or an opportunity to pet a cat that I've turned down. Since my husband disdains cats AND is allergic to them, I will probably not own a cat again for a very long time, but whenever we head to the farm, I love to catch the wild barn cats and pet them. They're pretty tame...

Of all the cats we ever had, Fuzzy and Tiger were my favorites. Tiger kind of went crazy as she got older. She would climb up to the second-story porch, jump on my parents' window screen and hang there meowing. Eventually, she ran away when we had thirteen dogs take up residence with us one summer, but that's another story. Fuzzy was the hairiest cat I've ever seen and she wasn't particularly friendly. I forced her to cuddle with me, but she hated it. We had fuzzy for about 16 years and I've never been as attached to a pet as I was to her.

I picked up this copy of James Herriot's Cat Stories at a thrift store and just finished reading it. It was good, but not as funny as his other stuff because Siegfried and Tristan play a very small role. It was a good, quick read.

April 23: Earth Matters

Day 348

Yesterday's Earth Day event at the university was awesome. I loved being able to spend a few hours outdoors during my work day! I ran out of mugs and handouts!

My mug pyramid.

Tonight my brother-n-law Matt gave a presentation at our library about his job at the Smokey Valley Ranch, which is owned by the Nature Conservancy. The ranch is 17,000 acres and it is amazing. The earliest evidence of human life in North America was found on the ranch. It was also a stop on the Butterfield Overland Dispatch stage line, the site of several Indian settlements and attacks, and Custer camped there. Not to mention all the cool animals, plants and daily operations of the farm! We had about twenty people at the presentation, which was not too shabby.

My purge today (the last of the baby clothes!)

Matching plaid overalls. Peter wore the grey ones once in our church directory picture.

April 22: Earth Day

Day 347

Happy Earth Day everyone! It is also my late grandfather's birthday today (I think). For earth day, I get to go man a booth at the local university. It should be fun. Tonight is my penultimate CCD class! I'm showing a movie for both the last two classes, so I'm pretty much finished!

Today's purge (I'm almost out of baby clothes, I promise!):

This was a really expensive baby outfit that I received when Peter was born. Unfortunately, there's just not a good reason to put him in it and the store where it was bought is over three hours away so I can't return it.

April 21: Old Ladies Love Me

Day 346

When I was little, I had a name for old ladies who I didn't like: "Big Butts." On more than one occasion, I would yell at a woman (always a mature woman) for being a "Big Butt." This early impression of older women has somewhat stayed with me over the years, though now I'm much more tolerant and kindly towards older women. The Golden Girls is my favorite show, after all. However, old women seem to FLOCK to me. They are attracted to me for some inexplicable reason.

Today, I was working when an older woman (probably in her late 70s), came into the Kansas Room and said she'd read my article in the paper. Once a month, I publish an article about my upcoming programs and this month I mentioned that one of my "green" habits is to buy used clothing from thrift stores. This lady said that she too buys used clothing and that she's been cleaning out her closets. Then she says "I have some things out in my car for you to look at if you want them." Clothes. She meant she had old-lady, used clothes out in her car for me to look at. What was I to do? I heartily agreed to go look in her car. Fortunately, she only had four items she wanted to donate to me. Unfortunately, the items consisted of three vests and a homemade jacket. It was a nice gesture, but I will not be keeping any of the items...for obvious reasons:

I think the pink, fuzzy vest was made from the bunny suit seen in "Christmas Story."

The moral of the story is that not only do old ladies love me, but they also love to give me their clothes. Remember the Leopard shirt?

April 20: Busy Day

Day 345

Today was my day off and I took full advantage. I swept and mopped, planted my garden, went to town, brought out all my summer stuff and stored all of my winter stuff and made banana bread. Whew! When I get a burst of energy, I know to take advantage of it!

Since I can't motivate myself to do very much indoor exercise, I've been trying to walk for at least 20 minutes every day. I'm closing in on my third trimester and I'm starting to feel it. Walking just isn't as easy as it used to be. At work, climbing the stairs seems like a monumental task. I'm glad I have my new sandals, because I'm swelling much less and I'm able to stand for more than 5 minutes at a time. Pregnancy is an amazing experience, but it's also uncomfortable.

My purge today:

I have a lot of baby overalls, so I'm purging a pair.

April 19: First Communions!

Day 344

Today was the big day of First Communions for FOUR of my nieces and nephews. That's right. All of Clint's siblings had siblings had babies in the same year...including a set of twins. Clint went to the twins' First Communion while I went to Henry's. We were both planning on going to Gus's, which was later in the day, but Peter's been kind of sickly this week and with the weather being cold and windy, I didn't want to tote him around too much. Everything went well, and Henry's First Communion was really beautiful. The church and the music were gorgeous and Henry looked like such a little gentleman in his suit. Congratulations to Henry, Gus, Ella and Ainsleigh! (I wish I had a picture of the four of them...if I get one, I'll publish it!)

Today's purge:

April 18: Green Smoothies

Day 343

A while back, Clint and I purchased a Ninja blender. We used it frequently, for a while, before putting it back on the shelf. I got it back out last week because I had all the ingredients to make a green smoothie. Let me just say that I love my Ninja and I love how easy it is to clean. After I make a smoothie, I rinse everything, then add some warm soapy water. I blend the soapy water then I rinse everything again and that's it! This is what my green smoothies look like (I had one for breakfast this morning):

My typical recipe for a green smoothie is as follows: some frozen fruit (peaches and mangoes are my favorites), some spinach or kale (this smoothie had both), a banana, an apple, maybe some ice if I didn't add a lot of frozen fruit, and some milk. This is quite a lot of stuff, so there's usually enough for both me and Clint. Clint also makes a delicious non-green smoothie which is just like the smoothie I described except that it doesn't have spinach or kale. I had my smoothie with peanut butter toast and I know it will keep me full until lunch. I'm just like a hollywood celebrity or a northwestern hipster now...with my green smoothies and Merrell sandals (which I've been wearing everyday!)

My purge today:

April 17: Happy Birthday Matt and Henry!

Day 342

Today is the birthday of my brother-in-law Matt and my nephew Henry. There are tons of April birthdays on Clint's side of the family. Henry has always been a bit of a favorite of mine. He was only 5 when we met and he took to me immediately. I'm excited to attend his first communion this Sunday! Three other nieces and nephews are making first communions too. It's a big year for Bains!

This is a picture of all the S. kids with Peter on his birthday. As you can see, Peter is looking straight at Henry. Peter loves his older boy cousins! (and his girl cousins too)

 Today's purge:

I am in the process of developing my new blog, which will debut when this one ends. Less than a month of the purge to go!

April 16: The Best Siblings in the World

Day 341

I'm acutely aware that I have a great bunch of siblings. Not all families are as close as mine and I am so grateful to my parents for fostering such closeness between us all our lives. Even though we're all adults now and have our own families, I feel as close to my siblings as I ever did. In fact, now that we're all older, our age differences seem less important and we all seem more like equals...sharing in the daily ups and downs of life as spouses, parents, working professionals and CCD teachers.

I miss you all so much and I love you...even when I don't answer my phone right away or call as often as I should. You have each helped make me the person I am and I can't imagine my life without you.

Sam, Abby, me, and Mary on my wedding day.
This photo is courtesy of Mary. I finally figured out how to import it.

Today's purge:

I'm not sure how I ended up with two pairs of these pants.

April 15: Sam's Turn

Day 340

Guest Blogger: Sammy; Birth Order: Fourth (youngest)

I can’t believe you are almost done with your Purge Pledge. After giving away so much stuff, I’m sure you now have lots of room in your house to put all the new stuff you are going to buy once the pledge is over : ) Just kidding! I will be sad when your blog adventure is over. Reading your blog posts has become part of the whole family’s daily routine.

I’ve been told that it was a rare occasion when I actually slept for an extended period of time when I was a baby. Mom considered it a blessing if I were to simply take a nap or sleep through the night. Not only was I a poor sleeper…the times I would fall asleep, Luci would often wake me up!:

            Luci: “Sammy…..sam…..are you awake?!?!”

            Me: “WHaaaaaaaaaaa!”

            Mom: “Luciiiiii! Leave your brother alone! I had finally got him to sleep!”

This habit of uninvited awakenings did not stop as Luci and I became older. We shared a room during much of our childhood. Mornings often began in this manner:

            Luci: “Sam…sam”

            Me: *Eyes begin to open*

            Luci: “Good, you’re awake…let’s go downstairs!”

            Me: “Ugghhhhh….OK”

When Luci and I got older we each got our own room. Even when we were both in high school, Luci continued to take the place of my alarm clock:

Luci: *Jumps on my bed and puts face right next to mine* “Sam…are you awake? Good! It’s time to get up! By the way, you’re breath smells bad.”

Me: “Mmmooooooooooommmmmmmm!!!”

Mom: “LUCI! Leave your brother alone! Let him sleep!”

Finally the time had come for Luci to go to college. I can still remember those peaceful mornings. Sleeping in until 9 or 10 in the morning…it was a wonderful thing. However, this pleasure soon lost its appeal. I began to miss having someone so eager to start the day with me…always there smiling when I woke up.

Luci was not only there to wake me up in the mornings…she was always there.

Luci was there to give so many things: advice, a ride to school, help with papers and homework, or anything else that I needed. Now, living some 500 miles away, Luci is still always there for me. Whether it be through a phone call, a prayer, or letter…Luci is still that person eager to be part of my day. Some mornings, right when I roll out of bed, I bet Luci is somewhere in Kansas drinking her coffee…smiling : )

Happy birthday to my best friend and big sister!

Thank you to my wonderful siblings for helping out with my blog this week! Never fear, I have plans to start a new blog when this one ends...though it probably won't be a daily. I have to have a mechanism for sharing pictures of my new little boy and my old-little boy too!

My purge today:

April 14: Abby's Turn

Day 339

Guest Blogger: Abby, Birth Order: First

This blog has been such a gift.  Checking everyday, hoping for an update, new pictures and kind words from my wonderful sister Luci.

Luci it’s your birthday

God bless you this day

You gave me the gift of a little sister

And I’m proud of you today

Luci it’s your birthday

Happy Birthday Luci

(from The Simpsons episode “Stark Raving Dad”)

Luci has been many things to me over her 28 years.  An adorable baby, a little sister who would get into my room while I was at school and pull the tape out of my cassettes, an avid cowboy boot-wearer, and eventually a beautiful friend who I can always turn to in happy times or times of worry or with my questions of faith. 

I feel so lucky to say that my sisters are my best friends (and my brother too.)  I love you today and everyday.  

“For there is no friend like a sister
In calm or stormy weather;
To cheer one on the tedious way,
To fetch one if one goes astray,
To lift one if one totters down,
To strengthen whilst one stands”
― Christina Rossetti

Christmas Eve 2005, Me, Abby and Mary

My purge:

April 13: Birthday Surprise!

Day 338

So, for my birthday (which is today), my siblings are going to take turns guest blogging for me! Mary is up today, then Abby then Sam. Their portions will be in italics.

Guest Blogger: Mary; Birth Order: Second (I'm third)

Today is Luci's birthday!  We (her 2 sisters and brother) have followed her blog closely and have been touched by the tributes she has written about us and our family. So, for the next few days we would like to be her guest bloggers so we can return the favor.

Sweet Luci, what a wonderful sister, daughter, wife and mother you are!  Most of my memories of you as a child involve you working on one craft or another. Decoupaging a surface, making a collage for your wall from old greeting cards, or creating another paint by number masterpiece (majestic wolves).  Some activities were a little less constructive...words carved into the top of a desk or bedroom wall or the hair cut on our favorite Barbie dolls.

These days you are just as creative, you just have different outlets for that creativity. In the imaginative and fun programs you plan at the library to the lessons you prepare for your church class to the pumpkin lasagna you created for Clint. I want you to know that I strive to be as faithful and humble as you are. 

A few years back, on my birthday Luci called me. I answered, but she told me to hang up and the next time she called to let it go to my voicemail. I did, and when I listened to the message I bawled. She had written a beautiful poem dedicated to me. I want her to know that I still have that voicemail saved and when I miss her or have a particularly bad day I listen to it and it still brings a smile to my face. I'm so proud to call you my sister and friend! 

Love, Mary

All I can say is "At work, at home, at play, at rest: Mary, Mary, you're the best."

Mary sent some pictures, but I'm having trouble loading them to the blog...one was of me riding a gorilla statue at the STL zoo. I'm not sure why I ever believe this picture to be a good idea. I was at least 24.

My purge today:

April 12: Boys galore!

Day 337

My sisters visited today and our boys all played together between meals and naps. It's fun to watch each boy discover his similarly sized cousins. It was wild trying to get a picture of them all.

Getting the boys settled..."Greta get your hands off Peter's neck!"

I just love Greta and Petie in this picture.

Greta's eyes are closed, but at least they're all looking at the camera.

Devolving.

Here's some more pictures from outside playtime.

Greta chases Jude.

Petie examines Pa-Pa's sunglasses.

Max kept making a bee line for the barbed wire while the other kids were interested in the cozy coupe.

Jude takes driving very seriously.

Peter is more laid back when it comes to driving.

Check out the sweet red van!

One hand on the wheel, the other out the window!

Did you notice how green everything is in Missouri? Crazy. Things are still pretty dry and brown in KS. Love my sisters and their kids!

Today's purge:

April 11: Epic Fishing

Day 336

Today was crazy. We packed in as much fun as we possible could. We went shopping at the caring center, we bought new shoes (which I sorely needed), we went on a hike with my dad and my brother - sans Petie, and we went fishing. Oh what fishing! In less than two hours, we'd caught 50 fish...almost all bluegill/perch and a few bass. It was pretty much the most active afternoon I've ever spent fishing in my life. After Mass and some delicious pork steaks (which Clint had never had) I nearly collapsed. I can't remember a day so jam-packed with activity! It was great to spend some quality time with my brother too. Tomorrow, my sisters are coming over with their kids and I'm excited to see them!

Today my purge is baby camo pants.

I saw the new girl wearing camo pants and flip flops, so I went out and bought camo pants and flip flops.

April 10: Missouri

Day 335

Last night we drove to Kansas City and stayed overnight at our favorite hotel: Drury Inn. There were about 6 collegiate roller-hockey teams and 8 club volleyball teams staying at the hotel and the happy hour was a bit swamped. Otherwise, the kids were all well-behaved and quiet. We didn't hear anything all night.

Petie loves hotel rooms. He went absolutely bonkers. His favorite occupation was looking in the floor to ceiling mirror. In the below photo, he'd spirited away the wipes and torn most of them out of the package.

Today we went to visit our friends Michael and Kathleen and their baby boy Rory. We had a nice visit and lunch. Their home is beautiful and I'm so jealous of how clean everything was! Rory is adorable and the spitting image of his daddy.

Today I'm purging more baby clothes...of course!

April 9: APRIL IS THE BEST!

Day 334

I love April. It's springtime, it's Easter, it's my birthday (28 this year), and it's my birthday. Did I already mention that? My birthday tends to bring out the best in people. Seriously. My entire life, people have always been exceptionally generous and nice to me on my birthday...even beyond regular birthday salutations. At my last job, we'd go out to eat on birthdays. For my birthday we usually went to a local winery where we'd dine al'fresco and drink wine...paid for by the boss.

Things I don't like about April: pollen, tornadoes, and the return of mosquitoes. Still, the pros outweigh the cons.

More baby clothes today:

Newborn clothes are so tiny! It's hard to believe Peter ever fit in them!

April 8: ACTS

Day 333

I don't know why I didn't go through baby clothes a long time ago! In the process of going through clothes, I discovered two of this onesie.

Mine!

Tonight at CCD, I'm talking about types of prayer using the acronym ACTS (Adoration, Contrition, Thanksgiving and Supplication.) After explaining what the different types of prayer mean, the kids do an activity where I've set up eight stations around the room. At 4 of the stations is a poster with the title of one type of prayer written on it. At these stations, the kids must write or draw their own prayer. For instance, on the Thanksgiving poster, they write what they're thankful for and on the Adoration poster, they draw a picture of God. At the remaining four stations, I have printed copies of a famous prayer by a Saint like the Prayer of St. Francis or St. Teresa of Avila. At these stations, the kids are to read and reflect on the prayers. I love seeing the end results! Only 3 more weeks of CCD to go!

April 7: More of the same

Day 332

I just can't stay away from the hospital. Today I had my 24 week appointment. Nothing much to report. The baby's heart-rate was 146 and my blood pressure was 100/70. Before my next appointment I have to take the blood sugar test to determine whether or not I have gestational diabetes. I'm going to do the test on the same day as a dentist appointment to get as much unpleasantness out of the way as possible in one shot.

More clothes...I'm telling you, there are LOTS. I had no idea I had this many clothes and most of them, Peter never even wore!

April 6: Ear Tubes Today

Day 331

Today was Peter's ear tube surgery and it was one of the less stressful events in Peter's medical history. We were at the hospital at 7 AM and since Peter is so young, we were the first surgery of the day for the ENT. By 7:40, Peter was in surgery and by 8:00 the doctor was back telling us that Peter did great. By 9:30 we were back at home. We are so blessed to have such a resilient and calm little boy. Nothing phases him. We kept quiet all morning, but this afternoon, Peter was raring to go. I can tell that he a) hears better and b) feels better. He's always been active, but it's nothing compared to how hyped up he was this afternoon! This is only a fraction of the mess he created in one afternoon :)

Thank God that everything went well. Today also happens to be the anniversary of Peter's baptism...one year a Catholic Christian!

Here's a picture of the man himself:

Blurry, but still cute.

April 5: Happy Easter!

Day 330

Alleluia! Christ is risen and given us victory over death!

Easter is my favorite holiday. On Easter you can throw off the grey veil of Lent and bust out your best white clothes. It's spring and the world is new again. For me it's less about indulging in my Lenten sacrifices than celebrating the beginning of a new season in Christ. It's also about singing "Alleluia, Alleluia" at Mass.

More baby clothes today:

Two sleepers that have are sack shaped...not my favorites.

April 4: Easter Vigil

Day 329

We made it to the farm yesterday evening and today it's been a lot of fun catching up with Clint's family, eating a ton and enjoying the springtime weather (even if there was a neck-breaking wind). Zoey went swimming in the pond and I found another deer shed on a walk with Clint. If only I could make a living by hunting for deer antlers.

Tonight we're heading back to Ellis for the Easter Vigil. The Vigil is important to me since it's part of the Triduum and if we attended in Ness, Clint's family may feel compelled to attend as well. It's a long Mass and not particularly enjoyable for small children. We don't live far away and this will afford us a night in our own beds too.

Today's purge is a sleeper. I don't care for those "fire resistant" sleepers that pill and feel like alien skin. I prefer cotton jammies.

April 3: Good Friday

Day 328

So earlier this week we bought a minivan. We traded in my Subaru Forester, which we'd only had a year, because we realized that with two babies more space would be necessary. We ended up getting a great deal on a 2014 Dodge Grand Caravan in the color Deep Cherry. I LOVE my minivan. It drives great, has low mileage, stow'n'go seating, rear view assist, a DVD player and TONS of space. I like it better than the Subaru by a landslide. Clint likes it too, which is a major turning point since he insisted that he would never drive a minivan up until two months ago.

All that being said, today I got a flat tire. It's the first time I'd ever had a flat tire and luckily I was talking to Clint at the time because a low-pressure warning had come on. I pulled over and put on my flashers. Clint showed up shortly thereafter and we swapped vehicles. He stayed with the van and waited for a tow to WM. At WM, they put the wrong tires on the car so it took twice as long as usual, but in the end, everything was resolved quite satisfactorily. It was a freak accident. We must have driven over a piece of metal or shard of glass that caused the flat.

Today is Good Friday and we're headed to Ness for Easter. We're stopping in the tiny town of Ransom for Good Friday service at 3 PM. Good Friday is great for two reasons: 1) the reading of the Passion according to St. John and 2) the veneration of the cross.

More baby clothes: