Well, I guess it's about time I put up a new post. I don't have exciting pictures or video clips or anything... but I guess I could put together a LIST(!) of recent projects, since that's mainly what we've been doing for the past three weeks.
-- We replaced both exterior doors (front and back) with salvaged glass doors from the rebuilding center! It is SUCH a huge improvement, we get so much more light in the living room and kitchen. It was quite an undertaking, but also a big educational opportunity, and the next time we have to do it will no doubt go more smoothly...
-- We got the perfect rug for our living room, and now we're done with the room indefinitely, until we decide to attack the walls-- but we're in no hurry.
-- Jeff's parents moved to a smaller house, so we had to take back the things they'd been storing for us. It was exciting to realize that some things we had needed to find for a specific purpose were already ours, once we figured out how to make them work. We also had to do some more serious purging, but made some substantial dough on Craigslist-- not to mention meeting the interesting people that wanted our stuff.
-- I now have TWO work spaces! I have started doing billing for my brother's business, and will soon be managing the booking for my parents vacation rental, and needed a niche where I could keep that stuff organized and available. Now there is a desk/ paperwork area in a corner of the dining room! Our spare room was a mess where guests could stay and Amelia could keep her books and toys. With CL funds, we gave it an overhaul, painted it a super- cheerful color, and made it a sewing room for me-- hurray! Amelia also has a little table and chair and shelf for her things in there, so the hope is that she can play there while I get something done (we'll see...)
-- We've been working out in the yard as the weather has permitted, but are still not technically gardening... There has been snow and hail in April, and I have been rather disgruntled. But the weather is beautiful today, and I planted several mammoth sunflowers in a row along the back fence. Our lilac trees are just about to bloom, too!
-- In the next few weeks we are going to enclose our yard with a fence. I am really excited, because right now working outside is pretty inefficient, since I am constantly getting up and checking on Amelia as soon as she is out of my sight. Also in the plans this summer is painting the outside of our house! I can't wait, since our paint outside looks really terrible, and the color is just awful, and our whole yard will look so nice with a freshly painted house.

There is nothing like fixing up your own house. It is so rewarding to see the differences. We've never had the freedom before to change our home environment so much to our liking, and are at the point now that we feel really good when we come home to our house, and just enjoy looking around. We know we won't be here for more than 2- 3 more years, but it is all more than worth it, and we are always happy to find that we can do a lot with very little money. Of course, my list of projects is never-ending. And our bathroom is just plain embarrassing. We'll get there... Sometimes I fantasize about hiring a contractor to come in and just transform a certain space, but when it comes down to it, I like knowing that we have our fingerprints all over this place, and it is very satisfying!

But don't just take my word for it...
(Really sorry it's sideways again.)

Hurray for Family Day!

Ever since Amelia was in my belly, I've been looking forward to her being old enough to enjoy going to museums with Jeff and me. The day finally arrived last Thursday! We went to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI.) They have a really big play area for little ones, most notably a big sand box enclosure and a cool water play area. We also played with flubber and looked at some exhibits about human anatomy and stages of embryonic development. It is right on the river, and there is also a submarine there that you can take tours of (maybe in another year,) as well as an IMAX threatre. Amelia loved every minute of our time there and periodically recaps: "Sand. Water. Play. OMSI. Kids. Fun. Fun OMSI!"

To make the day even better, we went to a Swedish cafe for breakfast that morning, where we ordered Amelia her very own side of bacon-- what could be better?
On the way home from the museum, we stopped by a friend's house to drop off a birthday present for their son, a little boy that A seems to have a special kind of adoration for. She always gets the silliest little grin on her face when we say his name, it's really funny. Anyway, rather than just dropping the present off, the family invited us in and our proceeded to whip up some crepes and for us! I love those impromptu social times, especially when they involve good food.
The days ended with bunnies bounding around the yard while we got into the dirt up to our elbows.
We had such a great time together as a family, and Amelia was extremely happy all day the next day-- which is especially a gift, since she'd been very sick for about a week prior to Thursday.

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.

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!

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...

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!

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!

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.