A Hard-Earned Haircut

I love getting my haircut. I keep it short, so there is not a ton of variety and usually not a lot of change from cut to cut. But I love it anyway. Having a nice, clean neckline is priceless. I have a friend who cuts hair at home (she keeps her license current) and she cuts the hair of a lot of friends. She cuts my kids' hair. She doesn't cut mine. My favorite part of a haircut is sitting at the wash station getting that lovely shampoo with the hot water. My friend has to do it in her sink. I love her, she does a great job cutting hair, but I want the salon experience. Thankfully, I have found a stylist who is affordable. Usually I make my appointments for Saturday mornings, so Husband can stay home with the kids. However, I had to schedule a weekday appointment this last time (I get it cut every six weeks). So, today was my day. I had a sitter lined up and I was hoping to get some Christmas shopping done too. My appointment was at 10:00. At 9:50 my sitter was not here and not answering her phone. I was not going to miss my appointment. So, I quickly clothed the kids (some were still in jammies) and got them in the car. I called my stylist to say I would be late and the kids would be with me. She reassured me that was fine. So we get to the salon, which is by the local university, and there is no parking in front. Okay, there was one space, but I can't parallel park to save my life, so it was not an option. I ended up having to park in front of a university building and walking with my 3 kids to the salon. It is a beautiful day, thank God for that. Still, I can just imagine the looks I was drawing with my kids and my belly and then I had to jaywalk because the crosswalks were out of the way. I figured walking across one street on a red light was better than crossing three streets with crosswalks on two of them. Call the authorities--I jaywalked with children. We made it to the salon and there was no one there but us--yea! My kids played with the stash of toys and we were done in 40 minutes. Short hair rocks! If it had been for color I would have had to cancel. So, here is the result of my salon saga.

No Sleep and It Is All Philippa Gregory's Fault

I have seen The Other Boelyn Girl mentioned on several reading lists. It has been featured prominently in the both the spring and fall reading challenges. A couple of weeks ago I was actually out of books to read. I was waiting on books from paperbackswap.com to arrive and I didn't feel like reading anything over again. I picked up the above book at Target, but then didn't get to reading it until this week (other books arrived in the mail and I wanted to read those first).

Well, I really should have read the Boelyn book over the Thanksgiving break, when Husband was around to let me sleep in and the consequences of late night reading would not be so severe. But, alas, I began the book this week instead. And I have not been to bed before midnight all week. And I'm paying for it. But, it was all worth it. I didn't realize how badly I needed a break from modern fiction. The book is about Henry VIII's court when he is still married to his first bride, Katherine of Aragon. I'm no history buff (at least not English history), but this book drew me right in. It reads like a soap opera, but in a good way. Told from the perspective of Mary Boelyn, the girl who initially is set forward to woo Henry while he is still married, it gives a portrayal of how Anne Boelyn ascended to the throne. It is full of jealousy, deception, debauchery and all those things that are not good. It is very entertaining. The broad outline of the story is true, but the actual details and plots and such are the author's ideas. I was not sure I would like this book, but I found I could not put it down. And apparently there will be a movie.

I have also been devouring Dennis Lehane's books. He wrote Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone and I read both. I have since read another and am waiting on 4 more to arrive. Although the books are classified as mysteries, they are much more than that. Great characters and thought-provoking scenarios.

I need to update my reading challenge list.

You're Going to Wish You Didn't Read This

Fresh on the heels of my previous post about all of the happy times in our home, comes this. A post about poop. And it is not a happy post. I hope it is not too gross either.

I need less poop in my life. We have 3 children using the bathroom these days. We have tried and tried to teach them how to wipe. Our efforts are failing. We give them a chance to prove their skill only to be punished by the tracks they leave. So, all of my children call out to me with their plaintive cry "Mom, I went poo-poo!" and I die a little death. You see, there is something about the kid poop that is different from the diaper poop. I literally gag when I go to fulfill my wiping duty. When will it all end?

I'm so sorry for making you read about poop. I promise to return to more normal, less disgusting topics soon.

I forgot the title!

So the above pictures capture two of the many happy times over the weekend. I did let the kids help with the cookies. They always have fun, and when I just let go and give in to the mess I have fun too. I need to worry less about how things look and just let them have fun. The mess was not too hard to clean up either.

My grandmother sent us the Santa Claus mugs last winter, and I was afraid to let the kids use them. What if they broke one? Well, my grandmother assured me they could be replaced and just reminded me that I need to worry less. She raised 7 kids, so she knows of what she speaks.

We put up our Christmas decorations on Friday, which is our family tradition. We keep the decorating fairly simple, so it only takes about 1.5-2 hours at the most. And again, I have to quiet my overbearing Mommy impulses and let the kids do their thing with the tree. A perfect tree is not one with matching ornaments placed just-so, but one that shows that a family lives here and spent time together decorating it. We have already had one ornament casualty, as Monster grabbed a basketball ornament and dropped it on the tile floor. Live and learn. After decorating and watching some Aggie football (my FIL was in the Corps, it is a marital requirement to be an Aggie) and napping, we popped in The Polar Express for the first time. I even let the kids drink hot cocoa in the living room! The movie was enjoyed by all, especially Monster. This Christmas will be lots of fun as he discovers all of the sights and sounds of the season.

We have our Advent wreath out and ready to go. I have lists for the shopping not yet done. Husband and I are agreed that we are going to spend time with the kids talking about what all this means and growing in faith this season.

We're off to a good start. Our long weekend was not too busy or stressful. We spent time with family and friends, but had a lot of time with just the six of us. There were the usual squabbles among the kids, but nothing too bad. It was an adjustment for Princess and IndieGirl to be around each other for such an extended period of time without the school routine. They kind of had to relearn how to play together with more time on their hands. We saw Bee Movie and we all enjoyed it--funny and entertaining and not objectionable at all. We watched a LOT of football, with more to come this Thursday.

And I must brag on Husband, who installed three new shelves in my laundry room and cleaned it for me. He's a ninja. Maybe, heavy emphasis on the maybe aspect, I will take pictures of my various cabinets and pantry before and after the reorganization effort I plan to engage in this week. Those shelves will be put to good use.

It was not until I received comments that I realized I forgot a title.

The News You Have All Been Waiting For

Did I get my mixer? Yes. I got a mixer. I'll tell you how it all went down. I was alerted to an online sale at Kohls.com beginning at midnight Thursday/Friday. So, I stayed up until the requisite time and began my hunt. Turns out they didn't have the advertised mixer for $129 available online, BUT, they had the Kitchenaid Classic Plus available for $159 and the Plus just means a little more powerful than the Classic, with a 4.5 quart bowl. It was only offered in white. I considered logging off and dragging myself to Kohls in person. Also, a friend mentioned a Wal-Mart option, but there was no way in God's creation I was going near that store. In the end, I decided to go with what was in front of me on the screen. With shipping and taxes I still got it for less than a majority of advertised prices ($239 was the going rate for this model) and I didn't have to go anywhere at 0:dark-thirty. I realized as I was trying to stay awake to get online that there was no way I would make it out of the house in the wee hours. Also, the nearest Kohl's is not in my town, so it would have meant a 20-minute drive in dark and cold weather. So, I will have my mixer in the near future and all is well with the world. Now your holiday weekend is complete.


Also, Husband has joined the blogging world. His will be mostly pictures and brief updates, as he has to update at home and will not be a frequent poster. Check it out.

My Favorite Things

I'm no Oprah, so I won't be giving anything away in this post. And most of my favorite things are simple and silly. Indulge me anyway.

• Etsy--I have purchased several things here now, and I keep going back for more. My children wish I would get off the computer already. I just love that the stuff is unique.
• Cookies. Lots of different kinds. I tried making traditional chocolate chip cookies with vanilla pudding mix added in (thanks for the tip) and they were the best yet.
• My Christmas playlist on the Ipod.
• The spell of cold weather that arrived today. Since we don't have to go anywhere most of the weekend, it will be nice.
• Take 5 candy bars. I have been deprived of the chocolaty, salty, yummy goodness all my life. Not anymore.

And lots more things, but that is all I can think of right now. I'm going to let the girls help me make sugar cookies this afternoon, perhaps I'll take pictures and post them. I still need to post camping pictures too. Oh well--more domestic things are calling my name!

It Pains Me to Say It **UPDATED**

I am going to be one of those people. One of the crazy ones at a store while it is still dark. On the day after Thanksgiving. Normally I avoid the Black Friday craziness. I usually don't need/want anything that warrants getting out so early. But not this year. I found my mixer for a price I can't pass up. So now the only question is do I really need to be there when the doors open at 4:00 a.m.? I mean, how many people are going to be buying a mixer that day? Also, I really want a black one, and the ad is white. I will buy a white one if I have to, to save the money. But I'm hoping for black. I'm so silly.

**Update** Thanks so much for the tips ladies. I did see the one available on Amazon, but Husband really wants me to try to get it for a lower price. I will go to Kohl's when they open, and if I don't get what I want, then I will just get one online probably. Also, I will check the ads on Thursday to see if anyone else has them on sale, since Kohl's is not in my town and is about 20 minutes away. I'm sure to let y'all know what happens in the end.

More Random Bits

I am usually the type of person (like some commentors) that wants my fall/winter holidays to be kept separate. Yet, this year, I find myself already thinking on Christmas. Obviously. I have already begun to listen to Christmas music. Which brings me to my next two points.

My name is Nicole and I am addicted to Christmas music. But not any and all Christmas music. I detest the secular junk about rockin' around trees and roasting chestnuts and all that stuff. I want spiritual songs, please. I have made my playlist for my Ipod and added some new songs to it. I must have about 8 different versions of O Come All Ye Faithful and O Holy Night on the thing. And I never get sick of any of them.

If you are finding it hard to get in the spirit (although I know it is early), listen to Here With Us by Joy Williams. If Iwas even somewhat computer literate I would have it embedded here, but I'm not so I don't. Here is a link to her Myspace page and the song is playing on it already. It is truly a beautiful song. Princess asked for it again yesterday, as soon as it ended. I was happy to oblige.

I am currently bidding on a mixer on Ebay. I guess I wasn't clear on my previous post--I am getting the mixer, but it is not a Christmas present. Still, I feel greedy and selfish getting anything else, so I told Husband to just get a couple of small surprises. And, I'm asking family for gift certificates for cookware stores/websites. My inner domestic goddess is begging to be set free. I'm even going to buy a new apron. But I have to choose that myself.

Husband has the same feelings as me, regarding the season. We are excited about it and we want to get it right. We don't want to be running around and stressing about presents. We want fires in the fireplace and cozy nights. We are going to get our Advent devotions in and make them have meaning. I hope we really do it.

I need to be cleaning. We decorate the day after Thanksgiving, and right now my house is in no condition for any kind of decorating. Hopefully I will get some organizing done at the same time. I need to add on a second pantry, but that seems a bit ambitious.

And we went camping this weekend, taking Monster for the first time. Pictures and details will be posted later today or more likely tomorrow. I get to go out with some beautiful women tonight.

Caught Up in the Frenzy

I hate to admit it, but I have Christmas on the brain. Christmas shopping specifically. I would really like to have decided what we are buying for each of the kids, if I have not already purchased it, before Advent begins. I want to be able to focus on the important things, and not feel overwhelmed by the material stuff.

We have children of excess. They have all that they need and then some. We buy each child 3 gifts for Christmas, and I like to include one spiritual gift of some kind (a book, a Bible-themed puzzle, things like that). I have figured out what to get the boys, with more ideas than I need, so I have passed those on to my parents. I'm kind of stumped on the girls. I just can't put my practical side away and buy things that are frivolous, but that they really want. I need to work on that. We try to not place too much emphasis on the gift aspect of Christmas, but we do still like to give the kids gifts. So, any ideas would be welcome.

As for gifts for Husband and myself, we have pretty much already treated ourselves or will be doing so soon. Husband just bought digital recording equipment for an in-home studio and some accessories. He has wanted this stuff for years, so I'm happy he was able to get it for a good prize. And, he has finally agreed that I can have a Kitchenaid mixer. I have wanted one forever. The hand-held mixer just isn't getting it done for me anymore. I refuse to count appliances as gifts, but I can't justify asking for anything else big this Christmas when I'm getting what I really want now.

I don't want to be a slave to the gifting aspect of Christmas, but it feels like I am slipping into it anyway. Hopefully I can at least get it out of my system soon.

So Worth It

Holy Crap! We won! We won! We won! Not only did we win, we led virtually the entire game (there was about 3 seconds where OSU had a lead). It was so great! The crowd was outstanding, and the large OSU contingent really helped make the atmosphere that much better. I still can't believe we won. So, Husband and I are totally glad we skipped the couples meeting. We would have felt sick if we had missed such a big win (especially since I got us free tickets).

And a shout-out to all the OSU lady fans who boldly wear that Halloween orange, and wear it with pride. I was mighty thankful that our color of choice is green. But you ladies rocked that orange like nobody's business.

So Irresponsible

Husband and I were supposed to join several other couples for a meeting tonight. I've been referring to it as couples enrichment, because I don't know what it will really be all about. It is with friends from church, with a Jesuit priest. I have been looking forward to it. However, on the day of the first meeting, we are bailing out! Just for this month though. The Mean Green basketball team is taking on Oklahoma State at the Super Pit and Husband and I just couldn't stand to miss it. Since we already have a sitter lined up, we are going without the kids. So, hopefully the men will play well. A win would really assuage my guilt.

We need something positive from our team. The football team gave up more points than the basketball team on Saturday. And that is just sad. We were a part of history, but on the wrong side of the score. Who doesn't win when they score 62 points? Apparently that would be UNT. Still, we have high hopes for the future. It helps that we have been Rangers fans for a long time.

Why so Shallow?

I realize I have posted far too much fluff and such these last several days. I've been trying to figure out why that is. I don't have a lot of good reasons. One of the main ones would be that I am just not usually a deep, introspective person. Sharing my excitement (as silly as that may be) about great shoes or cute clothes for the kids is really what I'm thinking about when I post. Maybe my brain is just not capable of deep thought these days. Or maybe I'm too afraid to go deeper. I have this silly hesitation to say too much.

The truth is, life is fantastic right now. We are blessed in ways we cannot even articulate. Husband's job is going amazingly well, especially considering he sells mortgages and the housing market is less than stable right now. Our family is healthy. The kids are thriving (despite my lack of effort in that department). I feel great--pregnancy suits me. Yet, I hesitate to say too much, as if God would decide to take it all away just because I got too comfortable. He is not petty. If he chooses to change things, it will be because it is what we need to grow. So why do I not share my happiness? My contentment? I have no idea. I am content. We are at a point (for the next four months anyway) in our lives where our kids are old enough to do things and carry on conversations and interact with us in new ways. I think about my daily life and I can't complain. There is no deep thought to come here, just an acknowledgment that life is good.

So, thank God that I have the luxury of posting about new clothes and shoes and silly things like that. If I'm struck with insight, I will let you know. I know I should be spending more time giving praise for His love and protection. I'll work on that.


**************************************************************

A funny saying from IndieGirl: All of the babies are in God's tummy before He decides who will get them and puts them in the mommies's tummies!

Over The Top?

I am not usually into cutesy, matchy-matchy type clothing for my kids. BUT. Christmas is a whole other story. Especially since I found dresses and shirts for the girls AND boys that match. Is it too much?

I did, however, temper the matching by adding sweaters for the boys.

Best of all, it was all on sale. Still, when you add in pants for the boys (which I have to continue looking for for Buddy due to his smallness) and black dress shoes, it is still not cheap. I just can't help it. I love to see them all dressed up, but in clothes that they can wear throughout the winter.

Fewer posts about clothes soon, promise.

The One Inside

I had a checkup today and all looks good. We did another sonogram to make sure all parts of the spine were there as well as a 3-vessel cord. I loved seeing the little one. I especially loved hearing the heartbeat, so strong. I found out about a risk that I was not aware of for women having mulitple c-sections. There is a condition called placenta accreta that seems to be more common in women having multiple surgeries. The short version is that the placenta attaches itself to the uterus in an irregular manner. The most likely solution is to perform a hysterectomy as the same time as the c-section. I will have an MRI at around 30 weeks to see what the status is. I have no reason to be anxious or worried about it right now, as there is no way to tell beforehand. And it is such a blessing to be able to find out ahead of time if the condition is present and to have time to prepare for the surgery and recovery. The MRI is standard for any woman in my situation; I'm not presenting any additional signs of higher risk. Still, it is a little overwhelming to think that in 7 weeks I will be confronting the possibility of never having another child. But until then, I'm just going to enjoy this pregnancy and the amazing blessings of life we already have. We are blessed to have had 4 healthy children and one growing inside that appears to be as healthy as the others.

Oh yeah, I'll post an updated picture tonight or tomorrow.

24 Hours

Husband and I have determined that 24 hours is about the maximum time for a good getaway from the daily life, at least when the kids are little. We enjoyed our weekend in Chicago very much, but we also really missed the kids. 24 hours is enough time to eat without interruption, sleep without interruption, and basically do adult things at will. And then we were ready to be back at home with our own crew of littles. Now, this philosophy won't stop us from taking breaks when the opportunity arises, but it is still what we have decided to be true for us, at least right now.

The weekend was fun. The weather was gorgeous--clear blue skies with mild temperatures and very little wind. We walked a lot. In fact, I joked to Husband that I might get weighed at the doc tomorrow and be less than before. We forgot to take our own camera, so I will have to wait for family to send pictures to me. We walked down to Wrigley Field and took a picture outside. I would really like to go back to Chicago in the spring and try to catch a Cubs game and spend some time downtown. This visit was about family and celebrating our nephew's entrance into the Church, so we spent most of our time close to family's home. I realized that I would really like to have the chance for Husband and I to go somewhere alone and do what we want to do, just for a day or so. Maybe I will work on that.

Anyway, I'll post pictures when I have them. Now I must resume the mothering duties I claimed to miss just two paragraphs ago.

Travel Expenses

I'm going to Chicago Friday. Husband is already there. He went a day early to get some good brother time in. His brother and his wife had a sweet baby two months ago. They honored us by asking us to be godparents to the sweet one. So, we're going for his baptism. I'm very excited. I have never been to Chicago. We are only there until Sunday evening, but it will still be two full days kid-free in a new city. I'm pretty excited. Especially because traveling always necessitates a few new items. Here are mine. Or some of them. If I showed all of them this post would never load.

This tote was essential. I packed all of my clothes and such with Husband so he could handle checking a bag and all that. I just have my tote and my purse. Which is so cute and I would show you, but I can't find it online and I'm too lazy to take a picture right now. It is brown with two decorative buckles. It is small-ish. Holds my wallet, keys, gum, sunglasses, and tissues with room to spare. Perfect size for me.

I also bought three books. I'm halfway done with one already, which is why I bought so many. I knew I couldn't wait to start reading them. I'll just take one along. This is my first trip with the Ipod in tow, and that excites me to no end. Really, everything about traveling by myself excites me.

I got some new boots. Not for the trip specifically, but they did go in the suitcase and they will be worn.

They are Michelle D from Dillard's. I love this brand. Always comfortable and not too outrageously expensive. Okay, more than I would spend on a normal day, but I earned some extra cash and I should get two seasons out of them. I like them so much I'm tempted to go buy them in black. Could I be more materialistic?

I also got a new outfit. I really did not have any dressy, warm maternity clothes. And Motherhood prices are so reasonable, I didn't even feel a twinge of guilt buying the clothes.

The shirt looks better in person, promise. I did have trouble wtih jewelry. The design on the shirt is ovals. I really wanted some silver earrings and necklace that mimicked (is that a word?) the shape. I found some earrings at Target, but no necklace, at least not what I wanted. I did buy some earrings and a necklace with a blue stone in them because I think it might work. But I won't know until I put it all together.

So, I leave Friday. A parade of babysitters will be on hand until my parents can make it to town for the weekend. Just preparing for all of the sitters made me tired. Good thing I'm already packed! Have a good weekend.