Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Bah!
Well, one week after taking the exam I got my results. I did not pass. I had to score 70% or better in three different sections, and although I passed two, I got 67% in one-- so close! Naturally, I am seriously bummed and have quickly gotten that stomach ache back that I just barely managed to shrug off. I knew this was a real possibility, so I am just trying to get over it and move forward, especially since I will now be able to prepare more effectively this time around. Sigh.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Yesterday's Checklist Item

Jeff is on break for the next two weeks, and all we really have planned is a big meeting with a tax person tomorrow and a long list of home improvement projects. Yesterday we went to the Rebuilding Center (a really amazing and inspiring place) to find some supplies for a project we finished in a couple of hours. The most boring place in our living room was the wall behind our couch-- I felt disappointed every time my eyes wandered over there. I'd had an idea I'd wanted to try for a while, but we needed a nice, weathered board-- which we found for $1.50! Rope and hardware cost $6, and we were so pleased with the big improvement!


The board itself was pretty old and dry, but had a nice color and wood grain pattern. I cleaned it up and then applied several coats of wood block oil, and we were both amazed at how nice it looked afterward!


Here's a bigger view of our living room. We are still missing a rug, which we plan to order soon!


It's amazing what a difference $7.50 and a couple hours can make!

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Happy Easter!



Although we couldn't quite figure out how to explain the death and resurrection of Christ to a toddler, we still tried to make today special. Amelia is allergic to eggs but we have several interesting decorative eggs in the house that she is obsessed with, so hunting for eggs was a big hit! Some friends and the Dennis's invited us for a little kid egg hunt, and this morning we had one at home to give her a competitive edge against the other little ones still figuring out what was going on!




Amelia has had a blast today, and was walking around at our friends' house saying "Easter, yea!" She's in other room jumping up and down with a bag of empty eggs...

Thursday, March 20, 2008

It's Over and Done With, It's Over and Done With...
(If you know this song, then we can exchange a private chuckle.)

Well, I took the exam. I made mistakes, several of which I am aware of, probably quite a few others that I am not. I am just hoping that I did enough correctly to make up for the blunders. The muscles I drew weren't too hard, although I did mess up there too, I found out as soon as I went to the car and looked it up. Again, hopefully all that I did know will outshine! The exam itself was very intimidating, and I don't know when I've ever felt so nervous and awkward! Most of the mistakes I made were because I basically just blanked out on the spot. Oh, well. I am hoping I don't have to wait a full month to get my results. I'd say I have a 50-50 chance of passing and failing. But I DON'T want to have to do it again!!!

I really really appreciated having you all supporting me mentally and in your prayers. That made me feel much better going in, and even throughout.
I am still thinking about it constantly, going over everything that happened and trying to figure out what result I should expect. Hopefully, this will wear off soon. I need to keep busy or something. We went out for a nice dinner last night, and that really helped! I AM really enjoying not feeling like every spare moment should be spent preparing. So glad it is OVER!

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Tomorrow's the Day...
I take the board exam tomorrow at 3:45 p.m. About a week ago, I decided that I really should study. I have been studying as much as a full-time mom can, which is about 2 hours (or less) a day, more on the weekends. In the meantime, I've been thinking about it all the time, wondering whether anything I'm studying is actually sticking to my brain. I'm having someone watch Amelia for four hours today so I can try to review all of the material one last time. The exam is in Salem, so we'll all drive out there and then go out to dinner afterwards. I won't know for up to a month whether I passed, but I can't wait to at least be done for now. Please say a prayer for me tomorrow afternoon!

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Mullins Family Milestone
Yesterday, we got our first pets! We found a couple of lionhead bunnies on Craigslist, for free, including a hutch and all of the necessary equipment. The couple giving them to us even DROVE THEM DOWN from Vancouver in their truck for us! Anyway, they are super super cute, one of them was a show bunny (I picture a little bunny dancing the cancan whenever I hear that!) We thoroughly traumatized them by bathing them, blowing them dry and clipping their nails as soon as they got here-- they had been in a pretty yucky environment. We also completely cleaned their cage. The hutch is functional, but not very good so Jeff plans to build this one for them soon.
Joy and Chris and the kids came by right after their baths to enjoy them, and the rabbits hopped all over our yard and got to eat REAL rabbit food. Fortunately, Chris is a rather gifted bunny- catcher, and we were able to put them away before they ran into the street or were pounced on by our neighbor's cat. We're planning on fencing in our yard completely as soon as we can, to give them and us more freedom.
Amelia is so excited! She has a very sincere love for animals, especially ones that are small and soft (she actually kisses the pictures of kittens in her books.) She has been saying "Bunnies! Cute! Bunnies! Soft!" throughout the day. She even named them: Buddy and Honey. It's really gratifying to watch her enjoy them, and to teach her how to respect their space while expressing her affections. We have only gotten pictures with us holding them so far, but I'm hoping to capture some video of her cooing and literally hugging the leg of the rabbit hutch soon.






Thursday, March 06, 2008

A weather update for the non-local grandparents.

Tuesday, March 04, 2008


That Silly Sub-Conscious!

So the other night, I dreamt that I won some kind of drawing for several free tanning salon sessions. This was REALLY GOOD NEWS, never mind that I have never even seen the inside of a tanning parlor. I guess my subconscious is totally embarrassed by how white I've become, and ready to do whatever it takes to get back to that healthy glow. OK, so maybe it's not just my inner self that is embarrassed, but I still think I'll wait for the real thing.

In other dream news, last night I dreamt about going to some kind of European deli and befriending a man named "Vintage."