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.

A weather update for the non-local grandparents.

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."

Relief and Dread.
All at once. After quite a long saga, lots of discouragement, letter-writing, phone-calling and waiting, I received my permit to take the OR state licensing exam for massage. I test March 19th. This is GREAT, since I have not been able to practice massage this whole time, and we have been losing untold amounts of potential income-- not to mention the joy, personal growth and fulfillment I receive from helping peoples' bodies heal themselves. But I feel completely ILL every time I think about the exam. It is a practical exam, meaning I will go into a room with FIVE people watching me and asking me questions and video taping my techniques and answers. There are about eight questions that they will draw and ask at random, and the body of knowledge from which these are drawn is vast. I cannot possibly study enough to feel confident at this point in my life, so my plan is to not really study at all. Maybe I'll pass and will have saved all of that time and effort. Or maybe I'll fail and then I'll know how to study most effectively for the next time. The thing is, I don't mind going into a room and quietly flunking an exam with my pencil and paper-- but fumbling, feeling embarrassed and unprepared in front of five peers for an hour is actually one of my worst nightmares! This kind of reminds me of my experience singing in high school. I loved singing in the choir, and was good enough at it that my teacher wanted me to be in the concert choir. However, at the end of the semester I had to take a sight reading test. I was so anxious and mortified about trying to sight read in front of the teacher that I decided to forgo concert choir the next semester, since repeating the experience was just not worth it! Stakes are much higher this time, though, so whether I pass or not it WILL be worth it eventually. But until then, I am just putting it out of my mind. Prayers here would definitely be appreciated!

Words added to Amelia's vocabulary today:
Shovel
Dirt
Dig
Worm
Grub
Happy


Can you guess what we did all afternoon?

Portland is Beaming!

For the past two days, the weather has been absolutely GLORIOUS! Temperatures are in the upper 50's, the sky is blue and crystal clear. In places like Los Angeles, people take this kind of weather for granted all the time; not one person here has failed to notice and be thankful. Everywhere I go, everyone is grinning. And everyone is outside. Today we did a lot of yard work and got sunburns. Yesterday we went to the Eastbank Esplanade (a boardwalk along the river where people can walk, ride bikes, etc.) and it was packed. I took some pictures, since it seemed like such a significant life event a this point in winter!


Portland looking bright.

Amelia had a blast watching all the dogs and babies go by, and kept remarking on all of the water nearby.

Taking these kinds of pictures makes J and I feel like we're on a date for some reason.

We are now more excited and anxious than ever for Spring to come!

Oh, the things strangers say to parents!


Nursery worker: Well, I was VERY surprised that Amelia had nuts in her diaper bag for her snack. I wouldn't think she'd be old enough for those yet.
(Possible interpretation: Wow, you REALLY don't know what you're doing, do you?)

Me: Actually, she does very well with nuts, and we already tested her for any allergies to nuts, and she can eat them! I was so relieved that they aren't a problem, since she needs the protein in light of the (previously mentioned) allergies to eggs and dairy.
(Interpretation: I've got it, thanks.)

Yeesh!

Church Update

We have continued to attend the Mennonite church for four weeks now. We have really appreciated the church's values related to serving and helping others, practicing evangelism in very physical, tangible ways. We continue to enjoy the worship services, and love that they are in tune with the spiritual seasons of the global church, currently delving into the meaning of Lent. There are so many things that make us want to be a part of this church, and we are so inspired by its mission and vision.

Attending this church has been a big struggle for me, however, because I have been so turned off by the general lack of friendliness. Not once on a Sunday morning has someone approached us to introduce themselves are ask who we are. We even went to an Ash Wednesday service last week that had 20 or so people there, and were obviously new faces (made more obvious by an embarrassingly talkative toddler who also seemed unwelcome) and afterward NO ONE spoke to us except the pastor! I couldn't believe it.

Yesterday, we went to a newcomer's lunch hosted by a young couple with a new baby. This couple was very nice and warm, and there were several other people from the church there as well. Surprisingly, the only other people who introduced themselves and were interested in chatting were the other new people-- the church people (apart from the hosts) were very standoff-ish. Of course, I went right up to them and introduced myself and asked them some questions, but the interest did not seem to be mutual. We are glad to at least have some faces we recognize and can say hello to on Sundays during that awkward time after the service, even if they are all newbies as well.

After talking to several people about their experiences in Mennonite churches, it sounds like the subculture is very tight-knit and hard to break into. However, once we are IN, they say, it's a really great, close community to be a part of! So we plan to persevere indefinitely. I'm hoping that the toughest part is over, but we'll keep you posted.

A Compromise of Principles.


I just can't keep up with Amelia's obsession with being read to. I easily read her 20 books each day, and "book" is her first word in the morning (OK, at least after "Hi!") or after a nap... or actually the word she says the most all day. She follows me around with a book saying "Book! Lap! Lap!" She recognizes the library when we drive past, and she asks when we get in the car if we're going to the "brery." I love to read to her. But I can't do it ALL DAY LONG. So I checked a video out at the library yesterday. She loves it! It is a really silly, low-budget bilingual spanish educational video, and she makes me feel better about it by following along and trying to say the words.
I'm cringing inside, but it's good to violate certain principles now and then, so you don't take yourself too seriously. Also, I got the dishes washed and picked up the house.

For those of you who have given up checking my other blog for updates, I thought I'd let you know that I intend to begin posting again, hopefully at a minimum of once each week. Long sentence!

Nice News!

A local kids consignment store wants to carry the pants and hats that I am making! I will take a bunch in this week, and so I spent a lot of time making tags and getting
Set.
them ready to go. It will be fun to see how they sell. I am aware that the wool pants season is going to be over in a couple of months, so I have been trying to come up with some other ideas for the felt I have on hand (plus materials that end up being too scratchy to wear. I made a little cube chair and round table for Amelia as a test. I like the little chair, and it was easy to make. The table/ stool was a lot more involved, and so I'm not sure if it would be worth the effort.

Here is a pair of my favorite pants:

Some of the items I'm bringing in, all ready to go.


Tags. H. Shack is actually sketching a lamb for me, so these will look even nicer soon.


Cube chair.

Poof table.

Set.


It's fun to try something new, and to take a little risk. I felt very anxious about showing the shop owner what I'd been working on, since I've never done anything like this before. It was really rewarding to just go for it. Now we have to see if the shoppers agree... Thanks, everyone, for your encouraging comments that gave me the extra confidence I needed!

One Minute With Amelia.

Looking for (Church) Love in All the Wrong Places...

Apart from sunshine and family, having a church community is what we are missing the most since we moved from California. I had been going to our church (New Heart) since it started ten years ago, and many people there were like family to me. Jeff and I had been fortunate to join our marriage group even before we got married, and really appreciated feeling known and supported by the families in that community. On the other hand, we were excited about the possibility of finding a new church, since there were other things we desired in a church that were missing at NH. Some of those things included being a community rather than commuter church, having a good range of ages and a wealth of "older and wiser" resources to draw from, and a more formal or liturgical setting. However, we also want a smaller church where we can feel like we know/ recognize most of the people each week.

When we first moved here, we found an Episcopalian church that was walking distance from our home. I really really want to go to a neighborhood church, because I want to see people from that community frequently, and to be able to participate in their lives frequently and outside of the church context. We visited this church right away, and really had a good feeling about it. I really appreciated that they have a healing touch spiritual ministry, and offer classes on the subject. They have a lot of other neat outreaches, and are a very warm, welcoming community. We dove right in and went to the "Journey of Faith" class about the Episcopal church. There we some things that we learned about the church that were really difficult for us to reconcile, and although we were willing to keep attending and building relationships in a church where we felt we didn't believe exactly the same things as most of the others there, if we felt that God wanted us to, what really made us decide to keep looking was the fact that there weren't any other families there with kids Amelia's age. We didn't feel there was a lot of potential for us to make practical friends and connections. However, I still felt pretty sad about leaving, since we'd been going there and trying to build relationships for a couple of months already.

Since then, looking for a church has been a surprising (albeit disappointing) adventure!

Week 1: We went to a Friends church that had been recommended by several people. The feeling there was very odd and kind of depressed. It felt really anemic and awkward. They also started the service by singing an advent hymn that described Jesus: "see how white his skin, how rosy his cheeks!" Everyone looked a little uneasy, which I guess was good. I hadn't had much sleep the night before, and was struggling to stay awake. The service seemed to go on forever, and toward the end they had their signature sharing time. Someone stood up and said they were offended by the hymn, but offered that we all experience Christ relative to our own personal backgrounds. Some other stood up to comment on this, then people offered a couple of praises/ prayer requests. Next, a woman in a fancy wheelchair a couple of feet away from me said that she had a prayer request-- did we know that Evil Knievil had passed away? The lady up front fumbled for a moment and then said that we should pray for Evil's family during this time. She started praying, and as she came to the end she prayed about Evil Knevil's recent death and for his family. There were many stifled snickers throughout the congregation, and at this point in the weird, tense service, I was feeling completely loopy. I got the giggles, BAD. I was laughing so hard that I was crying, and all I could do is hope that it really looked like I was crying. Jeff was patting my back saying "It's OK... It's OK" through the prayer time. After that there was another song and then it was over. We got out of there as fast as we could, and throughout the afternoon I kept breaking in to giggles every time I thought about Evil Knievel.

Week 2: We visited a Presbyterian Church that has a MOPS program. I've never been to MOPS, but thought this might be the right time, since I can't really figure out how else to meet anyone. This church was pretty, and was really basic. The sermon was read a little awkwardly, but wasn't bad. I don't think we met anyone, and didn't really feel any "chemistry" there.

Week 3: We decided we'd like to try a Lutheran church, and found one close- ish to us online. We should have known better, since the site hadn't been updated for seven years. We got there for the 9:30 service to find about three cars in the parking lot. We drove around looking for another church with a service time on their marquee, and ended up going home to eat breakfast and look up a 10:30 service. We found an old Methodist church in the same neighborhood, and high-tailed it over there for the service, only to read on their marquee that their service was actually at 10 a.m.! We went home, defeated.

Week 4: Sunday before Christmas. We went back to that old Methodist church we'd tried to go to the week before. We were excited about a Christmas service, and had a visitor (Luke) with us this time. We joined about five other people in the sanctuary, plus five people singing in the choir up front. They didn't have a program, really-- they just asked for requests for hymns and sang one verse of each for a little while. Most of the people were over fifty. After the singing, a young Korean pastor got up and spoke, preached a nice sermon. There was a fellowship time afterward, and we talked to just about everyone there. This church is on its last leg, so the Methodist leaders sent in a Korean couple to try to revive the church and make it a multicultural one. It turns out that the pastor is also assigned to another church across town, so he and his wife and baby go to both each week, and he preaches twice. There are no kids in the church, and it turns out that they had a really rough time with a premature baby and some health issues early on-- I can't imagine going through that in a new city, without a good community. I really felt for them, and they asked us to please attend their church. I think they knew this was asking a lot, as I am sure they're only there because they have been sent there!

Week 5: We found a very nice-looking Lutheran church in a neighborhood nearby. They also run a preschool there. Oddly enough, they didn't have a nursery, and didn't seem to appreciate having a toddler talking during the service! The church was beautiful and there were a lot of people there, but no one spoke to us. I was even in the cry room with A. with several other people and their kids, but no one was really interested in introducing themselves or anything of that friendly nature. Maybe if we kept showing up they'd want to know who we were, but we didn't really feel like going back.

At this point, we took a couple of weeks off!

Last Sunday was Week 6: We went to a Mennonite church that is still in our quadrant of Portland, but further away than all of the rest. We had heard some good things about this church, but had put off going, since in our "ideal world," we'd be able to walk to our neighborhood church! This church was upbeat, full but not large, and everyone seemed to want to be there. They have a lot of good programs, many of which relate to social justice and being good stewards of the environment, our resources, etc. We especially enjoyed the worship-- there is no choir, but one of the sunday school classes in the morning is "singing class" and I would guess that at least a third of the congregation had been attending! The singing was amazing, all of the hymns were sung in all of the parts and sounded beautiful. The nursery was busy, and although we didn't really talk to anyone there, they were at least friendly. The teaching was pretty good (I feel awkward somehow rating sermons, but I haven't been impressed by any, ever, since we left New Heart.) I think we'll give it another go.

We would sure like to make some friends and get plugged into a church community, but I feel strongly about not rushing the church finding process, since I have a really hard time uprooting and moving on. This feels a lot like starting to date again after being in a long-term relationship (10 years!) I actually really enjoyed dating before Jeff and I were together, and went on blind dates, set-ups, etc., in hopes for at least a good story, if not finding the right one. At this point, however, we're tiring of the church dating scene, especially with so few 2nd or 3rd dates, and would like to find and settle down with our true Church Love.

Floored!
(Thanks, Annie, for the reminder to show the changes.)
The project, as most home improvement projects do, ended up costing at least twice as much in time and money than originally expected, but it was well worth it. We still have a few finishing touches to do, but it looks great, and I am very very happy. This was the one change that I felt like I needed to have taken care of NOW, and then I could be content with waiting indefinitely on all of the rest of the things we wanted to change in our house. We had these superfine white carpets in the living and dining room that were absolutely impossible to keep looking decent. Anyway, I'll just show you....

Before we bought the house:




During the process:

We were dismayed to find the linoleum glued to the floors, which multiplied the work exponentially. Amelia and I went to Olympia for a couple of days to stay out of the dust and fumes.



After:



Thank you Jeff!!! I love the color, and although you can't see it in the pictures, the wood has a very pretty pattern-- we think it might be tiger maple. I am still sometimes surprised to see these beautiful floors in place of those dirty carpets when I walk into a room. I haven't shown pictures of these rooms before, since I haven't gotten to the point that I felt like they were ready, but we're suddenly much closer!

Amelia Update

Amelia is 18 months old now, my official favorite age in the baby/toddler category. She gets that very purposeful, busy look on her face as she gets into things or plays with her toys. I love it. She is only just now really trying to walk every day, and I expect her to be walking around pretty regularly in a week or so. Although I can't wait to see how cute she is marching around in that little body, I have also really appreciated the slower pace she provided with crawling and walking so late.

I recently took her to have her allergies tested, and found out that she has quite a few food sensitivities and allergies. We're still in the elimination phase, then in a few weeks we'll see which foods really give her a lot of trouble as we introduce them. The hardest ones are dairy -- even raw milk, cultured milk or goat milk!! We will save a considerable amount on raw milk from here on out-- eggs, tomatoes and corn. All of these include derivatives as well, so corn is tough to avoid. There are some others as well, but ones we don't eat much of anyway-- soy, banana, cantalope.... The good news is that she doesn't have an allergy to wheat, which was what I was most afraid of, and I also know now that she doesn't have allergies to common things like nuts, pollen, bees, etc. Since she has been off of the offending foods, she WON'T STOP EATING! Literally! She is constantly asking for food, and I need to have something to giver her at all times. This has been pretty tricky, and now that dairy is out, it's even harder. I would like her to at least give me a half hour break between snacks! I am thinking she'll probably have a big growth spurt soon...

Sleep has been MUCH BETTER lately. Many nights, she just wakes up once after we've gone to bed. Some nights, she sleeps for 6-8 hours at a stretch, occasionally more! It is strange to actually getting normal amounts of sleep now, although I have quite a bit of catching up to do. I am so thankful!

Amelia really has been enjoying her cousins. We have three different families of cousins relatively close by, and they all love her. She knows it, and it's fun to see her get more excited about seeing them and playing as the months go by.


What else? The baby obsession continues, but she is her own favorite baby, and is constantly asking me to show her the "loodaloo" movie from the last update. She has added the word "pretty" to her vocabulary, and uses it very accurately to describe jewelry, chandeliers and other sparkly things-- I always feel proud when I agree with her esthetic tastes.

She is no longer the "perfect child" in public, and I have had some pretty mortified moments lately, but that's OK. What really amazes me is not her behavior, but all those people who stare unabashedly! Oh, well. All in all, we think she is such a sweetheart, and honestly enjoy her more and more as she grows.


Amelia self-medicating her post holiday blues...

Ooh, we have a winner!

Thanks, everyone, for you all of your good, clever and humorous input! I like the idea of calling the pants "lambies"-- thanks, Melissa! These pants are soft (not itchy!) and snuggly, and I like that it sounds kind of like "jammies" without being too obvious about the wool part. Also, I was trying to think of a name for a line of clothes if I make other things out of recycled wool, and Brother David (and A. Gretchen too, actually!) came up with "Kids in Sheep's Clothing." I love it. So clever.

Amelia and I spent a couple of days in Olympia with the Shacks (including Luke) and on our way out today we stopped at a shop that sells Heather's handiwork and other recycled or repurposed types of gifts. I brought in a pair to show her, and she said she would like to see more, once I make them! That was encouraging!

Thanks again, everybody!

Christmas Gift Inventory
Jeff kept joking about "Ari-anta's Workshop," which took up our whole dining room for the two weeks before Christmas. We were eating our meals on the floor in the living room. I had so much fun though, and we were both pleasantly surprised by all that was produced:

7 felted wool hats
4 pairs of felted wool pants
3 necklaces
1 pair of earrings
4 packages of home made quince paste (paired with local cheese)
4 bottles of infused vodka
1 bottle of aftershave-- I was infusing one with frankincense and myrrh, and then did my homework and found out it was poisonous to drink, so Luke got a really unique, great smelling bottle of aftershave!
1 watercolor
12 individual CD mixes with original collage art covers
2 Christmas garlands
2 Wool stuffed animals
1 scarf and mitten set

I really should have taken more pictures, but it's nice to at least document by listing. As I already said, it was a lot of fun. I am glad to have the dining room back (once the floors are done, that is!) and to be able to move on to other projects, like getting rid of more stuff.

I am currently working on a slew of childrens' wool pants to take to a local consignment store, to see if they would like to sell them in their "locally made" section. I have them in stripes and really cute colors, some with little embellishments like heart shaped patches, so there is a range of possible looks. But I need your help-- what should I call these pants? A local artist that uses recycled wool already uses the name "woolies" so that is out. Any ideas? Help!

Happy New Year, everyone!
I am hoping to post a series of updates and summaries in the next couple of days.
To get us started, Jeff and I started ripping out our carpet in our living and dining rooms this afternoon, and were delighted to find some nice, rustic fir floorboards! However, we were dismayed to find that linoleum and had been glued tight to them throughout both rooms. Still, we hope to have the whole project finished on New Year's Day. I'll show some photos of the triumph then!

Woolapalooza!

Ever since making these for Amelia, I have been fascinated by all of the options I have for using recycled wool from thrift stores, and have been doing a lot of little experiments as Christmas presents in the last couple of days.

I made Amelia a little set of hat, scarf and mittens. She had just woken up from a nap when I tried them on her, so the pictures are pretty funny and hopefully don't reflect her final opinion.


Oh, and I went ahead and patched a hole while I was at it!

I made a little hat and mitt set for a newborn, and I am trying to sell it on CL just to test the waters for future potential.

My favorite so far is this little doggy doll.

I am having so much fun making these things that I have found myself fantasizing about selling them and making some honest-to-goodness money! If not, I will enjoy giving them to the many little ones around me!

Feeding the Birds!

I took Amelia to the park this afternoon, even though it was under 40 degrees. We had an old loaf of bread to get rid of, so I thought it would be fun to go feed the fowl over there. Amelia has a soft spot in her heart for birds and ducks, and has enjoyed visiting them there before. However, I had no idea what kind of flock we would attract! I think the birds (are they herons?) recognize bagged loaves of bread, because as soon as we got out of the car they all landed around us and walked with us to the water's edge. I wish I had a video camera-- it got so crazy! The birds were all around us and flying overhead, squawking loudly. I was throwing pieces of bread up in the air, and the birds would hover and catch each piece-- it's a wonder we didn't get pooped on. The ducks were also eager, but clearly bullied by the birds. One bold duck got out of the water and stayed right next to us and took bread from my hand for a while. Amelia was also wanting to eat the bread, but I was nervous that some critter would take it from her and scar her for life. Later we moved to the bank and tried to give the ducks more of a shot at it.

These are just some of the birds, one side of the circle that enclosed us.


Amelia joining the feeding frenzy.


I love these action shots, especially the one below of the bird snatching the bread out of a "too slow" duck's beak!


I let Amelia crawl all over the ground, even though it was covered in bird turd-- but I drew the line at picking them up!

We'll have to do it again soon...

One of those Special Days...

It's only noon, and today is already one of those "special" days-- in more sense than one. I'll let a phone message I left for Jeff this morning do the 'splainin'.
"Hi Jeff. Happy anniversary. Thanks so much for the card and flowers this morning-- that was really nice. OK. A few things happened this morning, and I really need you to call me. First of all, when I was getting ready to leave this morning, I realized that Amelia had gone into the bathroom, found a razor and cut her thumb. I cleaned her up, put on a band- aid and went to Lili's for breakfast. When I got there, A had taken the band- aid off, and there was blood all over her and the carseat. The cafe was closed, but someone was there and let me in to use the bathroom and get Amelia cleaned up. I also realized that I didn't have my house keys, just the ones to the car we're borrowing-- we're locked out of the house. So then I went to a diner nearby to eat, and as I was ordering just now, I realized that I don't have any of my debit cards or ID or cash. It looks like they'll feed me anyway, but please call me back so we can go home somehow."

Twelve "missed" calls, a very leaky bloody band- aid and concerns about hemophilia later, we were still locked out and cashless, worrying about my cell phone battery dying, with a poopy diaper and no wipes. After quite a few more phonecalls and Joy's over-the-phone assistance, I called J's classroom and met him halfway to get the keys. Whew! The day's only half over, and it's already one of my most memorable special occasions!

Making lemonade...

I accidentally shrank one of my very few wool sweaters a little while ago. I was so upset, but also determined to put the felted wool to good use. None of Amelia's pants are very warm, so I decided to try and sew her some little wool pants. I think they came out really cute, and they were a super-quick project. I also made a fun scarf as a gift from the same sweater, but neglected to take picures of that one.

Before.

After!

Photo Summary of Thanksgiving Dinner



One of my greatest loves in life is a long meal with people I like. The longer, the better, and five to ten people is the perfect number. Evidence of a nice time had, plus a little peek at our dining room.

OHmelia!
I thought I'd give you an idea of what she is up to.

Her obsession with babies continues, and she watches slideshows of herself and other kids we've photographed for at least half an hour each day. We are working on recognizing the difference between a baby and girls, boys, ladies and men-- she'd like to think we're all just overgrown babies.

She also thinks of the word "baby" when it comes to showing affection. She'll pick my shirt off of the floor and begin cradling and snuggling it, tenderly murmuring "Baby. MMMhhmmmm." The other day, she saw me resting my head on Jeff's shoulder, and got a sweet look on her face as she said "Mama. Baby." She finds things lying around the house and tackles them with hugs, falling to her kness and putting it under her head on the ground, hoping someone will notice and give her a back rub while she snuggles. She is very sweet and gentle with other kids, especially the very little ones. It is wonderful to see that she has a tender little heart, and the affection she shows me always gives me a little boost.

Although she is still incredibly outgoing and socially confident, she reserves some very clingy behavior for me at home, hanging onto my pajama pants and pulling them down in an effort to climb up. She feels that it is her right to be held at all times, and patiently shouts "UP" repeatedly kind of like how me might speak to a clueless puppy, until I either concede or make her lose her train of thought.

She learns a couple of new words each day, and is always trying to figure out how things work. She asks about her Papa (Jeff) a lot, and I usally say "Papa's at work." Once in a while I overhear her saying "Papa, work" in a knowing tone. I am personally amused that she is learning to say please (peeth) at the beginning of a request and thank you (doo!) when it is granted, like a little trained monkey. Wiping her mouth with a cloth napkin at the end of a meal also falls into this category of oblivious good manners.

We are constantly amazed by the depth of her personality as we watch her play, entertain us, show affection, express disappointment or anger, cry out of sympathy for another crying child, or give us the "stink eye." We are enjoying her more and more!

I'll put a little video on the end.

Back in business!

Wow, I can't believe it's been over a month since we had internet. I will have plenty to post about, but here are the headlines that I haven't been able to share:

Thanksgiving was nice, and I enjoyed all of the work. Kind of an inaugeration for our house.

Amelia took her first steps last week, finally, but has done little to follow up since then. However, she does have about 60 words.

It snowed last weekend!

We bought a Christmas tree, and our house is nice and cozy with the seasonal decor.

In the last week and a half, we have had people over for five different events here, as well as a house guest for several days-- whew!

I will share some pictures and more details this week.

Just wanted to let you know that we don't have internet at home right now. After three years of "borrowing" it from unknown neighbors in three different homes, we've finally been cut off! We do need to finally get our own connection, but other things have kept it from being a priority. This next month will be an especially busy one for me (and everyone else!) We are hosting Jeff's family for Thanksgiving this year, and are also expecting our first house guest-- Shack cousin Jeremy! So I have a list about a foot long of things to do , but I am actually really enjoying these tasks. I'll try to post after the first holiday, before we are thrown into the next one (this time, hosting my side of the family and my brother Luke for Christmas!)

Sorry, but I can't help it!
I didn't really have anywhere to go for the "holiday" so I just took her to the farmer's market, and Joy met us there with her kids.

OK, even though I hate Halloween for all of its grossness, I couldn't help but dress Amelia up. I added a tail and ears to some brown courderoy clothes she already had, and drew on her face with (super- washable) marker. She says "meow" all of the time whenever she sees a cat or anyone even mentions a cat. I think she was so distracted by the camera that it took a little while to get it out of her. When I was watching later, every time she heard me asking what sound a cat makes, she kept meowing, over and over again! Too funny.

Show and Tell Time!
I took some pictures of some recent improvements. The funny thing is that most of this hapened within five hours, after a previous weekend where we had two days without Amelia and Jeff had five days off in a row, and our only goal was to get some things done-- and very little actually was accomplished! I guess that some days, things just go your way, and same with the reverse!
I started by refinishing an old piece of furniture with some shiny black spray paint-- it looks so much better, and took all of 20 minutes and $3.35!


I found some salvaged copper tile at the Rebuilding Center for $10, and finished our countertops with it.

Jeff put shelves up in our pantry, also with some salvaged lumber ($2!) from the same place. We will use these for storing canned foods and foods that we're culturing, etc. It feels great to have a few more shelves-- we're starved for storage space around here.

A couple of days later, I repainted some old shelves we had to go with their old brackets. (We've installed them in three different homes now!) We put these up over our washing machine, and I found some penny candy jars and silver scoops for the laundry soaps. For some odd reason, I have always fantasized about having a real laundry room, and putting my detergents and laundry helpers in jars....



It feels SO GOOD to see the kitchen and utility room inching their way closer to being "finished" so I can devote my attention competely to other rooms. I spend so much of my day in these rooms, that they have been the top priority so far. Next project: painting our refrigerator turqoise with automotive paint!

Well, you may have noticed that I've been in a bit of a blogging slump. I do have some home improvements to share, which I plan to do tomorrow, once I get some pictures taken. I have been in survival mode more than usual lately. After our trip to WA for two nights, a couple of nights at Grandma's, some severe teething and a cold, Amelia has not been sleeping much at all, and neither have we. Last night, we were up with her for up to an hour at a time, finally get her back to sleep only to have her wake up twenty minutes to an hour later. Her longest stretch of sleep was two hours! Getting her down for naps has also been arduous, and some days it just hasn't happened, but not for lack of trying.
I have been feeling really rundown and this cold keeps coming and going. I have been having some pretty bad constant headaches, and it has been really hard to get up in the mornings (obviously!) We have been praying that all of this will soon pass, and just asking for extra grace.

Our days have been challenging, but it doesn't mean that we have been miserable! I have had some really nice times with Amelia this week. She has a new word every day, and is constantly making new connections in terms of how the world works and in her relationship with us. It is so nice to get real heartfelt hugs and kisses from her, especially on those difficult days. She has a love and special tone of voice she uses for any "baby" she sees, which includes little ones her size or smaller, and she can now "woof" back at dogs when they bark. She is especially proud of her new ability to drink out of a little silver cup her Auntie E. had her name engraved onto, without much spilling. I just ordered a potty for her, since she has been announcing her "movements" to us before, during and after the fact with "Poop!" She also just says it for fun-- can you blame her?

The weather here has been absolutely gorgeous, and we are so thankful to be able to enjoy the drama of the seasons changing. Our house is coming together, and we love the feeling of working on our living space with the knowledge that we'll be here for more than a year, and that all that work is worth it! Like I said, I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow.

Seattle!
Well, first of all, our destination, as it turns out, was not actually Seattle. The conference was in Seatac-- a city of mediocre hotels and fast food restaurants clustered around the airport that serves Seattle and Tacoma. We did get into the city a couple of times, but we mostly stayed in the hotel where the conference was being held. Jeff really enjoyed the conference, and Amelia and I had a nice time being someplace new. Events included:
-- Going up and down the outdoor glass elevators.
-- Me not cooking any meals for three days, but wishing I could at breakfast (but only breakfast,) since the hotel food was so bad, and ludicrously expensive!
-- Amelia taking naps while I towel-dried the bathtub, filled it with pillows and read fashion magazines.
-- Getting the goahead from J to buy some much-needed winter clothes, and a fruitful pilgrimage to Loehmann's in Bellevue.
-- Taking the bus into Seattle down to Pike Place Market for some great Ethiopian food and the best gelatto I've ever tasted.
-- Just driving around Seattle while Amelia napped, thinking how great it was that I was practically on the set to Grey's Anatomy. Also wondering if Seattle Grace Hospital really exists (it does not, as it turns out) and wondering if it would be worth finding it and going in. Then my pride got the better of me, I came to my senses, and I found an Anthroplogie.
-- Stopping in twice to see the Olympia Shacks.
-- Driving-- yes, I enjoyed it. I don't drive that much these days, and got to listen to a couple of great podcasts.

The most notable thing about the trip was that we were staying in a hotel with hoards of cyber athletes. Apparently, the World Cyber Games were being held there, and there were 15- 25 year old geeks from all over the world there (over 700 total.) I saw two girls, the rest were guys. I couldn't help but notice that Canadians were the only ones to have full red and white, maple leafed, track suits made for the occasion. I asked one of the Canucks (is that the right nickname?) if they were all really here from all over the world to play video games against each other. "Yes!" he said, beaming with pride. "That's hilarious!" I said (maybe it was unkind, but I was completely genuine in my amusement.) "It's not funny," he said, "it's AAAHHHsome!"
So, that was Seattle.

BRRR....

Temperatures have really dropped in the last two weeks, and our furnace and fireplace are not working. It's generally between 58 and 64 degrees in our house during the daytime! We finally got a space heater for litttle A's room two days ago, and someone from the gas company is coming over today to check things out. Not exactly a "warm welcome" to Northwestern weather!
We're going to Seattle this weekend for a conference that Jeff is attending related to autism. I've never been, so it should be fun to check out the city!