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Road trip–Family, Cousins, and Water Country

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We took a somewhat last-minute trip to Williamsburg, VA, to see family—and we also decided to go to Water Country USA since we were able to get free tickets for being military.

Saturday night we met with Stef & Al (my third cousins, I think—I’m bad at figuring out those type of family relations) and their kids for dinner and then swimming back at our hotel pool. It was nice visiting with them—I can’t even remember the last time we saw them!

Sunday it was off to Water Country to meet up with Lisa & Timmy and their kids for a day of fun in the water! They were visiting Williamsburg for a week’s vacation so we were more than happy to come up and see them!

I didn’t take my phone and didn’t have a waterproof camera, so we didn’t get a ton of pictures…but we did get a few. Owen took a little bit to get comfortable playing in the water, but once he did, he had a blast! It was enjoyable for me as well since I didn’t have to worry about running around to all the rides…sometimes being eight months pregnant has its advantages!

Also, major thanks to Timmy for splurging on a cabana…that really IS the way to go for a whole day at the park!

Taking a break for ice cream!

COUSINS! Of course, Owen is the beast of the group…he’s almost 3.5 while the others (from left to right) are almost 6, almost 8, and almost 4. 😮

Mama, I’m floating!

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We have tried repeatedly to let Owen float in our arms, but he’s not a big fan (he ESPECIALLY HATES being put on his back, even when we have a secure hold on him). So I was a bit surprised when on his own, as he was holding on to the side of the pool (which we usually discourage, since it’s not meant for that), he let his legs float up behind him. And he was loving it! And of course he was splashing and hanging over so far the water was spilling out!

Owen being Owen in the pool:

And more Owen being Owen, this time going through phrases from three different books (see if you can hear lines from Hit the Ball Duck, My Daddy And Me, and Elmo’s Potty Book).

Pool tiger!

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He didn’t love this tiger when we first got it…he’s really too big for it (in our shallow pool) for him to actually sit with his legs through it (they touch bottom) so it just floated around the pool for a week or so. We did sit him in it like an inner tube and that was okay for a few minutes…but today he WANTED to play with it. And it was SOOOO cute—he just kinda put his head down on it and moved/floated around the pool for quite some time.

Closer and closer…

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So we had storms last night so today was pretty cool. At the warmest part of the day (when the sun was actually out) Owen didn’t want to use the pool…but then of course wanted to use it after dinner when it was too chilly. But, he agreed to play in his water table on the deck with his new water toy. Which lasted for about 10 minutes.

Then he started shooting the water towards the pool. And going a few steps closer to shoot at the pool. And then closer. Then he was getting water out of the pool (to use in his toy).

Pretty soon, he was in up to his elbows. :>>

I stopped him before he toppled over the edge. 🙂

Owen got a pool!

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Well, I guess technically we all got a pool… 😉

After some thought, I decided I’d rather spend the money on a smallish above-ground pool (even if it only lasts for a season) instead of $400 for the three-month Country Club pool pass. (If you remember, the community pool is close, but the hours and dates stunk, the kiddie pool wasn’t very good, and it’s quite expensive.)

This way, I don’t have to convince Owen he wants to go during the limited hours they’re open (and be upset that we’re wasting money when he refuses to go), I don’t have to haul everything down there (toys, diapers, snacks, sunscreen, water, towels, etc.), we can easily work around his nap schedule, and when Katie arrives we can be outside when she’s napping and I don’t have to drag her along. Oh, and Tom and I can use it when Owen is napping or after bedtime.

So, we did a tiny bit of research (I asked for recommendations on Facebook and read Amazon reviews) and we ended up at Walmart picking up a 12′ x 30″ pool. It sat in the house for a day, during which time Owen was very excited and kept asking daddy to build his pool. 🙂

It took Tom quite a bit of work to get it set up (it has to be on very flat ground, and nothing in our yard is flat) but once it was up and filled and tested, we were good to go. Except then Owen refused to go in. |-| And once Tom physically grabbed him and lifted him in, Owen clung to him like a spider monkey.

pool1

It took a good five minutes before Tom got Owen’s feet in the water, then deeper, then setting his feet on the bottom…and then Owen LOVED it.

pool2

Then daddy had to get out to start grilling dinner, so it was mama’s turn with Owen.

pool3

I think if we wouldn’t have had to eat dinner, he would have stayed in all night. 🙂

Happy Mothers Day

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http://themommyhoodmemos….for-birth-kits/

:heart: Happy Mothers Day to five new mothers who will benefit from the Clean Birth Kits I just donated… :heart:

The Mommyhood Memos Bloggers for Birth KitsBloggers for Birth Kits is a simple initiative to rally bloggers to reach out and help mamas in Papua New Guinea. These women may seem very different to you… but they are mothers with the same heart—mothers who desire to deliver healthy, thriving babies just as we do.

Every minute a women dies of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. Ninety-nine percent of these deaths occur in developing nations. For every woman who dies in childbirth, another 30 women incur injuries and infections, which are often preventable. (Source: World Health Organization.)

Clean Birth Kits
Photo from http://themommyhoodmemos.com/bloggers-for-birth-kits/

The specifics:

  1. Soap (for the birth attendant to wash her hands). Use a hotel-size soap or cut a regular bar of soap into 1/8-sized pieces. (Microwave the bar of soap for 30 seconds to soften it for cutting).
  2. One pair of plastic gloves (for the birth attendant to wear).
  3. Five squares of gauze (to wipe the mum’s perineum and baby’s eyes). Gauze pieces should be about 10×10 centimeters or 3×3 inches.
  4. One blade (to cut the cord). You can buy individually wrapped sterile blades at the pharmacist or buy utility blades (much cheaper) at the hardware store. We teach the women to boil the blades for sterilization, so utility blades work just fine.
  5. Three pieces of strong string (2 for tying the cord, 1 for “just in case”). String should be about 30 centimeters or 10 inches long.
  6. One plastic sheet (for a clean birthing surface). Sheet should be approximately 1×1 meter or 1×1 yard and can be purchased at your hardware or paint store.
  7. One sandwich-size ziplock bag (to pack the contents).


I strongly urge you to visit the site and make a donation for yourself…and other mothers who are less fortunate than you.

Volcano Take 2 & Owen’s first s’more

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zipn1Pmmqlw

Watching the volcano.

Attempting to roast a marshmallow. He looks close, but he was actually about two feet too far away. We kept trying to move his chair closer, but he kept dragging it back. I guess all our warnings of “FIRE! HOT! DANGEROUS! STAY BACK!” worked a little too well. 🙂

Investigating the still-cold marshmallow.

Where the marshmallow actually spent most of its time…

Daddy to the rescue!

When it finally came time to eat it, he was more interested in watching himself eat it than actually eating it.

Volcano, Take 1

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Well, we were going to have a “volcano” (fire) tonight with s’mores (Owen keeps asking about marshmallows)…until Owen was eating a marshmallow and didn’t quite chew it fully before swallowing…so he half choked and ended up barfing all over Tom. So that was the end of the volcano (good thing Tom hadn’t started the fire yet) for the night.

Stupid @#$% Secretary of State

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Stupid >:XX Secretary of State.

I wanted to change my registration from North Carolina to Michigan so I could use my old personalized plates. The first phone call—five weeks ago—went perfect.

I mailed in the $8 check and the necessary form (which the lady walked me through completely) and waited. And waited. And waited. And forgot about it for a bit. And waited. Then noticed that the check had been cashed—yet I was still waiting and waiting and waiting for the new registration to appear in the mailbox.

Three weeks—THREE!—after the check was cashed, and two weeks after I sent the check in, I finally called. I was ready to pitch a fit because I was POSITIVE they had mailed it to the wrong address (either address on my license), even though I know I put our current address on there.

“Oh, your husband needs to sign the form since the North Carolina registration is in his name.”

SERIOUSLY?

And it took five weeks to tell me this? Oh wait, they didn’t tell me anything, I had to call and get the information myself after waiting for FIVE WEEKS. And it obviously didn’t hamper them CASHING THE CHECK.

And why yes, of course it makes sense since the current registration was in his name…but the nice lady who originally walked me through every single box on the stupid form never once specified that he had to sign it (and stupid me, obviously, didn’t even think about it since I’d never done this before).

GRRRRRR.

Refinancing—woohoo!

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I just dropped off our streamlined refinance docs…so in less than a month we’ll be closing and reducing our payment by just over $300. I’ll take that, thankyouverymuch.

Yes, it adds some years to our mortgage (we’re at 23 and it goes back to 30), but fingers quadruple crossed we’ll have sold the house WAAAAAAY before then…and if we don’t sell it and have to rent it, hopefully we’ll make a few bucks or break even instead of being in the hole every month. And in the meantime, it will help pay for the new car. 🙂

A great food day!

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Tom and I decided to go to Wilmington for an overnight trip…with plans to go out to eat, of course. Well, on the way there, we decided to stop at Jebby’s on 17 (that I spotted on Yelp)—a bar that was really REALLY good. I had She Crab soup, a fried oyster po’boy, and breaded fries (yes, breaded fries—they’re as decadent as they sound); Tom had the oyster stew, a fried egg/bacon/cheeseburger, and onion rings. All fresh and hand made (even the dressings and dips). We will definitely be back.

Then we got to Wilmington and decided to see if our friends were up for dinner—which they were, so we told them to pick the place. And we ended up at manna which was absolutely AMAZING. It was one of those menus that you didn’t know what half the items were but you knew they’d be delicious. And they soooooo were. I’d go back in a minute. Here’s what we ordered (don’t you love the names?):

  • Bread & Butter—house-made bread with home churned manna butter
  • (Me) Beet Box Salad—roasted beet & goat cheese terrine, field greens, orange supremes, pistachios, red wine, and ginger vinaigrette
  • (Me) Iron Chef: Bobby Filet—seared filet of beef, housemade chorizo, confit of root vegetables, shaved brussels sprouts, sauce of porcini
  • (Tom) Duck, Duck, Roots—confit of root vegetables, candied duck, olive oil, balsamic cardamom reduction, truffled cream, preserved lemon, spiced walnuts
  • (Tom) The Porkshank Redemption—braised & smoked pork shank with chilies, cocoa, ras al hanout, almond & cilantro barlotto

Plus we all got to try each other’s dishes, so I got to try two other apps/salads (including a cheese & local charcuterie course) and three main courses (including lamb and grouper). Plus we all split a chocolate cake dessert.

Total food coma. But soooo worth it. SO WORTH IT.

The bonus? Our friends surprised us and picked up the check…so when we do it next (when both husbands are home from their months away), it will be our treat.

Thoughts on Old vs. New

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It’s funny the stupid little things you miss on a new car…

  1. I lost my flip down sunglasses holder (that was one of my all-time favorite things about my old car). I can put them in the center console (which I didn’t have before) but its going to take some getting used to.
  2. The sippy cups we have don’t fit in the 2nd row side cup holders.
  3. There isn’t a decimal on the digital odometer (but it’s on the trip odometer). Strangely, no other gauges on the panel are digital.
  4. The turn signal is super loud and annoying.
  5. The rear window wiper control isn’t with the other wipers—it’s on the center panel.
  6. The remote lock and unlock noises are different from my old car so I can never tell if I did it right.
  7. I miss the extendable visor blinds.

But on the flip side:

  1. The ride is SOOOO quiet.
  2. And smooth.
  3. I like the integrated Bluetooth.
  4. I love that I can play mp3 CDs—or use a thumb drive! Or just plug my phone in to AUX.
  5. I have volume controls on the steering wheel.
  6. There are retractable shades on the moonroof as well as the glass openings above the second row.
  7. I still have a moonroof!
  8. I have a regular power outlet somewhere (I think in the cargo area).
  9. I love the backup camera that appears in the rear view mirror.

Magazine Overload

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I didn’t think I got that many magazines, but I’m really behind on them at the moment (with how crappy I’ve been feeling, I couldn’t even bring myself to read) so I actually sorted and counted them. I get 10. TEN. Eleven if you count the one Tom gets that I do look through.

Holy crap.

I would have guessed three or four—though looking at all of them I obviously know I get them all. I think it’s just when you get one here and one there (repeat eight more times) over the course of a month, you don’t consciously think about the fact that YOU ARE GETTING TEN MAGAZINES.

Luckily most of them don’t require a lot of time—which is why I haven’t unsubbed any of them yet. I also don’t pay near full price for any of them (I only buy when it’s a steal of a deal) so it’s not an expensive habit.

So what’s stacked on my coffee table right now? And how many of each?

Entertainment Weekly (6)
Real Simple (3)
Food Network (2)
Everyday Food (2)
Cooks Illustrated (2)
Consumer Reports (gift) (2)
Readers Digest (gift) (2)
Parents (3)
Parenting (2)
Family Fun (2)
Family Handyman (Tom’s) (2)

I know: 88|

Goodbye, old girl…

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Goodbye, old girl. Thanks for the 10.5 years of great service. May your replacement do just as well.

And I’m honestly a little sad. And yes, I’m such a sap that I actually teared up. How pathetic is that? I think it’s just because it saw us through the first 10 years of marriage, four moves, and our first child…and that car has a lot of memories associated with it.

/sniff

Then Tom sent me this picture…I like to think the old girl was telling the new one stories about us. 🙂

Welcome home! (It’s a 2012 GMC Acadia, fresh off the lot.) The only bummers are the new monthly payment…and I lose my TRAVCTY license plate since we registered it in North Carolina to save money (though I’m still trying to figure out how to switch the registration back to Michigan—I’ve got to make some phone calls).

I can finally make sausage gravy!

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I originally saw the basic recipe on Buns In My Oven and then added onion and garlic to make it more me. But all credit for this recipe goes to Buns—including being the impetus for making my first ever from scratch sausage gravy. Delish! And so easy! I cant believe it took me this long!

Yeah yeah yeah, my Aunt Marge has told me for YEARS how easy it was but I just never believed her. I even searched recipes but for some reason they just seemed like too many steps. But now that I can make regular gravy from pan drippings—and I happened to run across this very simple recipe—I figured it was time to try. And I’m so glad I did! YUM!

The so-simple recipe? 1# sausage, 1/2 cup onion, 1/4 cup flour, 2 cups milk, spices to taste (S&P, garlic). Of course I cheated on the biscuits and used frozen Pillsbury buttermilk biscuits but let’s just take things one step at a time! :p