Goodbye Oliver

I am sad to report that we found our long time Cat, Oliver deseased on the road this morning. Goodbye and God Bless you, Oliver Twist.

Spring in the Park (a few pics from Easter weekend)

The BIG Ultrasound...

SO...we originally planned to not find out the gender of this little one until it's birthday. But, when the day arrived and we had the opportunity to know....well we decided we did want to know! We found out the sweetest way. The ultrasound technician whispered it in Isabelle's ear and she announced it to Noah and I. Isabelle: "a BOY?! " At first I was a little shocked. But it didnt take me very long at all to be excited! Wow, we are going to have a boy! A son! Isabelle is going to have a little brother! Now...I think I am going to have to go shopping! I don't think we have one boy thing in this house! Well...besides Noah. hehe

DIRTy Work

Your family and your love must be cultivated like a garden. Time, effort, and imagination must be summoned constantly to keep any relationship flourishing and growing.
We offically started preparing the vegetable garden. How exciting! Isabelle is Noah's little garden apprentice. She just loves to be in the dirt helping out! Noah plants the seeds, Isabelle stomps on them. They are like peas and carrots together. I wonder how did Noah ever get the garden planted without Isabelle's help?

Updates Coming Very Soon!

Sorry there have been no updates lately. Things have been very crazy busy. Stay tuned for the next update coming very soon (hopefully on sunday). You will find out if Isabelle is having a little brother or a little sister! You will find out whose been playing in the dirt (hint: it's not just Isabelle) You will see new spring photos! Exciting stuff people! Hope everyone is getting ready for the Easter Bunny! I haven't spotted him yet, but I know he's around here somewhere...

Women's Stories, 31, Bandaids

Photo of Isabelle enjoying Usborne Books!

Freeport Arts Center - 13th Annual Women's Stories. I attended the performance today because I submitted two stories (The Scent of a Doll & Our Three Legged Knight) for the commemorative booklet and I was surprised that they were actually perfoming/reading one of my stories (Knight) at the event! It was really such a pleasure to listen to the stories including my own! After the performance, one of the readers shared with me how much she enjoyed and was inspired by my story since she is going through some painful struggles with her own dog. Today reminded me of how good it feels and how important it is to be a writer!

This month I offically turned 31. I must admit Im not accepting that number well, because I still have not accepted 30 yet! Plus I have this one gray hair that just wont go away. I cut it , it comes back. joy. Ive been keeping busy starting my Usborne Business and also working on a couple scrapbooking projects. So thats been so fun and great. Also in good news...Today I started feeling my first offical baby kicks! Ive been feeling them very lightly for days now, but not strong like today, so today is the offical kick start! Today Isabelle is obsessed with wearing bandaids and drawing apples. Today the sun is shining and the grass is finally turning green. I can actually feel Spring in the air. I even wore sandals for the first time this year! I forgot what grand attire that sandals are!

The Grocery Store Socialite & misc.

It's not in every household that you get to walk through a path of hi-ho cherrio cherries and candyland cards to get to your computer.

I had a Dr. Appt today. The Dr. Said all is perfect. Measurements, heartbeat. Yay! My next appointment in April will include an ultrasound in which we could find out the gender but Noah and I have opted to wait until the baby is born. It will be hard to resist when we have the opportunity to find out...but I am going to try my best to stay strong.

So after the doctors office, we attempted the Grocery Store, which is always quite challenging and I must admit , I venture into this task with a high level of dread...especially today, on senior citizen discount day (extremily crowed and slow moving). But, you have to do what you have to do to get the things done that have to be done. Isabelle insisted on bringing her little purse into the store, so right away, she pulls out her disney princess camera and starts taking pictures of the shoppers. Say Cheese!

Next, she had a huge fit because for some reason she wanted to go in the liquor department. She kept saying Play, play and pointing to the freezer. I am like no way kid! Believe me kid, I wish I could go into the liquor department right now! After a small fit in front of all the elderly citizens...we continued our journey... She threw misc items in the cart, I took them out. She ran a distance away...I chased after her leaving my purse, cart and mind behind. (It's an amazing miracle that I ever come home at all with enough ingredients to make up any entire meal without forgetting something). Then we proceed to the deli counter in which the nice deli lady gave Isabelle hard salami and a Cookie! Isabelle put the salami in her purse as soon as the lady whipped out the cookie. As everyone knows, Cookies take priority in that situation.

Early on in our journey Isabelle picks up a stuffed animal cow that is being sold at the store. Fine, I tell her, you can carry him around for the time we are here, but then you have to say good bye when we leave. Shes whipping the cow around by the tail, dragging it on the floor, etc...so I decide to ditch the cow. When she regains interest in finishing her cookie, I make my move. Well, wouldnt you know it we are in the next isle and Isabelle realizes THE COW IS GONE.

Oh my. Well, she took it upon her self to ask every single person that we came across: Where's the Cow? Where's the Cow? Hands up in the air in wonderment, Where's the Cow? Pig tails in her hair, her purse on her arm, she was on a mission. Standing in front of carts, blocking walk ways, Where's the Cow? I feared we would never be able to leave this establishment. Constant questioning of fellow customers. Stopping in Isles in despair.

On the last leg of our trip, Isabelle sees a little girl about her age, goes up to her and says Hey Kid, Where's the Cow? They ate a candy cane together (a nice old man gave them each one) and then I told her we had to GO! So.. Isabelle said, BYE Friend! and we got into the checkout lane, loaded, unloaded, paid and Exhaustidly (<--is that a word?) finished our grocery shopping trip. But not before she got to ask the very last person we saw in the store, "Where's the Cow?"

Irish Elviss' & real pineapple

Photos my brother sent me. A self portrait of my brother--------------->


A photo of Irish Elviss -->
It's kind of blurry but you get the picture!




So I recently purchased and ate a real to goodness, fresh pineapple! (Fact: Bette Midler used to work in a pineapple factory). It was super. When I was little I used to believe I would get slivers in my tounge if I ate real pineapples. I dont believe that any more. Talking about fruit, I really must say that I am so disappointed in the Strawberries that I have been getting from the store lately! Not only are they not that sweet (I know its not the greatest season for their grandest tastes) but they have gotten quite rotten quite quickly. Like bam, I turn around and theres mold growing on them and I didnt even get a chance to try them. Oh well, I guess I must wait for proper timing to be statisfied in this department. Speaking of Strawberries, our garden produces great ones in the summer. So that's something to look forward to. I remember this one song called: Strawberry Fields Forever, well that doesnt really make sense cuz strawberry fields exist only late summer in my opinion, but maybe I just don't understand.

Snow Magic

I can't believe how much it is snowing this Sunday. Yesterday, it almost felt like spring! Today, Winter is reminding us that it is just not ready to let go yet. I looked outside today and I was suddenly reminded of one of my favorite gifts of winter. I gazed out the window into the cold wet world of white and I saw a beautiful flash of BRIGHT RED fly by and land not too far away. Seeing the Northern Cardinal is always a little magical to me, but especially in the background of white! It's such an amazing & beautiful bird. So, if the snow must come and stay for just a little bit longer. I guess that's o.k. with me.

Usborne Books Consultant

I have just signed up to become an Usborne Books at Home Consultant! I have been thinking about doing this for awhile and now felt like the right time to explore this business opportunity. Ive never done anything like this before (sales) and to be honest, I am a bit unsure of my abilities in this department, but I am excited to give it try. The reason I choose to do Usborne is because I truly love their product and I know that it is something that I believe in and feel passionate about: Educational & Entertaining Children's Books! Im still waiting for my supplies/materials to be delivered, but so far I have gotten some wonderful information & support from the company and I wanted to share my website with you, so you can see what the products are! My website is: www.ubah.com/E2791

Adopt A Gnome

Adopt a Garden Gnome today!

This Gnome (his name is Mary) is available for adoption for a mere $2.35 a day! For less then a cup a coffee, you can feed, cloth and educate this poor country gnome. With your contribution you will not only recieve a warm heart from knowing that you are making a difference in someones life, but you will also receive (about once a month or every 3-4 months or so) a color photo and a letter from your gnome in regards to his process. With the funds you provide today, you are giving hope for tomorrow to the the Gnome population and to gardens around the world.

(disclaimer: this particuliar gnome has in the past been incarcerated for insane behavior that included a garden rake, hoe and shovel. This garden gnome has a tough time getting along in society and tends to like to get lost in cornfields. But this gnome is always wearing the color red, so eventually we find him and bring him home. If for some reason your adopted gnome has gone missing for a long period of time, your contribution will be saved in a jar until his safe return.)

Five Quarters of the Orange

Book Review:
Five Quarters of the Orange, Joanne Harris

• A Masterpiece
• Toast of the Town
• Worth Telling A Friend
• Needs A Boost
• Crappy

I rate this novel worth telling a friend. Harris is the same author who wrote: Chocolat. I like her writing style. This story is dramatic and the characters are very interesting in their behaviors. This story is about a grown woman who is reliving (and facing) her past through decoding her mothers recipe/scrapbook. There are many secrets as the story unfolds. Although I have a few minor unanswered questions at the end, I enjoyed reading this book.

Toddler Time

Isabelle Claire is 2 1/2. Experiencing life with her as a toddler has been quite challenging and tiring...and so wonderful & amazing. Every single day she tests my limits. Every single day she makes me smile & laugh. There are a million things she does, but I just wanted to note a few things that come to mind when I think of her:

Fruit snacks. Juice. Cheese. Popcorn. “oh Cute”. “I love it”. “There it are”. Dora. Sponge Bob. Disney Princesses. Dancing. Bubble Baths. Friends. Bear Bear Blanket. Light up Shoes. “I do it”. Pigtails. Putting stickers all over her face and body. Wearing “Precious” Princess Dresses right now, especially a Cinderella outfit from Santa. Drawing snowmen and on her easel. She’s such a smart girl, we get nothing past her. When we color, she demands that I color more then her (she supervises the operation). She is learning her colors wonderfully. I think she will be right handed (Noah and I are both left handed!). She is such a ham for attention! She counts 1, 3. or 3, 1. She is pretty stubborn about the 2, but she’s coming around. Among many funny things she says, she calls her pajamas: Jamins and Snoopy : Doopy. She loves to perform "cheers" with beverages (and food). She has her occasional full blown outright tantrums where she throws her self to the ground in desperation to get what she wants. She gets into every single thing possible. Baby Dolls. She enjoy taking care of her baby dolls. She feeds them and sings to them and “reads” them stories. She pushes them in the stroller and sometimes she throws them across the room. She is feisty and strong headed. She is beautiful and so sweet. Books. We could read books together all day. She has no favorites, she like them all. She must turn any & all lights on whenever she can. She remembers which items are presents and who gave them to her. She has a need to climb on top of everything. My monkey. She loves to JUMP. JUMP. JUMP. Talking on her play phones (and now the real phone) is one of her favorite pastimes. She carries on some pretty interesting conversations. She likes to boss Lancelot around. She points her finger & shouts at him. She also like to feed him & give him hugs. She likes to serve tea and “saza” (pizza). Speaking of hugs, she is such a snuggly and polite little girl. She always gives and asks for lots of hugs and kisses. She says pease and tank you, hello & goodbye all the time. Potty Training has been going slow. She like her potty o.k…but likes her diapers much better. Sleeping in her big girl bed is also a challenge for us right now. She likes to sleep with us, so when she falls asleep, I have to sneak her into her bed, but if she wakes up, she’s back in ours. She loves to clap and cheer and dance for everything. She gets so exited and giggly so much. She likes to help around the house, throwing things in the garbage (items that might not be garbage) and putting things away (full bags of groceries in the fridge or cabinet). She makes her share of messes pretty quickly too. These days she quite often talks non-stop unless she is napping. When she finally falls asleep, she looks so peaceful. She is the closest thing to heaven on earth. Isabelle is growing up so fast. I wish she could stay a toddler for a little while longer…

Isabelle has a new cousin!

On February 24th, Elizabeth (Noah's sister) and her husband Josh welcomed their healthy baby son into the world! We send them Congratulations & Best Wishes! We can't wait to meet Alexander James!

Princess & The Potty

Once upon a time (in fact quite recently and frequently),...in a land that was frozen over with ice (Illinois in February), there lived a little princess whom.....kept putting her potty on her head! Ugh! Who would have known that potty training would be so challenging (for us both!). Looks like we are stuck with the Royal Diapers for a bit. Isabelle has no interest whats-so-ever in this subject. Me: "Isabelle, do you want to go sit on the potty?" Isabelle: "NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" and then she runs far far away. The End.

True Ghost Stories Wanted

I am in the very beginning stages of researching a book that I am interested in writing. I need your help! I am collecting and documenting TRUE ghost stories. If you or someone you know would like to share a tale or two about a spiritual encounter, a haunted house, a paranormal experience: please contact me. Privacy will be respected. Thank Boo!

Fanfare

The Knight with 3 Legs

Many of you know that we have had a long run battle with Lancelot's front right leg since he injured it. We tried everything to save and heal his damaged limb, but finally came to the conclusion that we had no choice but to have his leg amputated. It was a scary process to go through but I am so thankful and glad that we were we all brave enough to do this. Lance recovered strongly and quickly from the surgery. He is like a brand new puppy! He is so happy and full of energy. It's such a joy to see his spirit restored. He runs around, plays and does everything that any other dog can do. Every day Lance proves to us that we made the best decison.

Big Sister

For those who don't know, and for those who do, we are so happy to announce that Isabelle will be a BIG SISTER in Mid-August 2006 and we couldn't be more excited! We have made it through the first trimester. I have already had an ultrasound and also just heard the heartbeat again a few days ago. My tiredness and morning sickness is settling down, I feel like I can start functioning like a half way normal person again! So now on to some fun stuff! Figuring out names, planning the nursery...etc...

Welcome!

Isabelle Claire (aka Pook Monster)

Welcome to our blog! I thought this would be a wonderful way to keep family and friends updated on some of the happenings around here (and in my head)! Im sure this journal will not be consistant or routine (as my life is not) in any manner, but I thought it would be a fun way to share some misc. musings and moments of life. I will try to update at least every couple days. So check back often! Please comment when you feel interested to do so. Hopefully you enjoy & thanks for visiting!