I love surprises....

I think it's neat how people grasp onto things that remind them of times in the past. I am that way...I guess you'd call it nostalgic, huh?
Anyway, I have many incredible and wonderful memories of my grandparents, and I'm truly blessed to be 32 years old and to have my grandmother in my life still... As a pre-teen and teenager, I spent several weeks during the summer in Illinois with my grandparents... During those summers, this incredible flower would bloom next to my grandparents' house. They are a breathtaking transparent pink...and I swear they glow...

Whenever I'd ask my grandma about them, she'd refer to them as surprise lilies... They have that name because one never knows when they'll bloom. So, sometime in July, they usually appear in one day. There isn't any foliage...a long green stalk just emerges from the ground with little cocoon-like pods waiting to bloom.

Of course, when we moved into "our own" house, in my nostalgia, I had to get some of these surprise lilies... After searching for awhile, I finally found the bulbs...and let me tell you, they're pricey little buggers ($20 for ONE bulb!). So, I bit the bullet and ordered 2 for me and two for my mom (who is also nostalgic :))... We planted them...probably 4 years ago. For 2 years, nothing appeared...and I'll admit, I was sad. I so wanted to have these flowers next to MY house, too...

Last year, the surprise lilies surprised me in early July. They bloomed again this year... :)

For some reason, these surprise lilies just give me warm fuzzies... And yes, they really do take your breath away... :)

God's Beauty vs. Nature's fury...

We've found a beautiful creation in our cherry tree in our front yard. Ryan actually discovered the masterpiece...or maybe it was Beezer... I'm sure if dogs could talk, Beezer would claim this...
Ry took the dogs out late last week...and Beezer, being a boy doggie, likes to lift his leg on anything. On this particular afternoon, he chose the drooping branch of this cherry tree. When he was finished and his leg was heading back toward the ground, I guess it hit the branch in such a way as to disturb our guests. Several stinging creatures went at him...but he wasn't stung, thank goodness. After my super hero husband came in for me, put away his cape, and checked Beezer for any stings, I took a look at it. I wasn't sure what type of nest it was, but after some investigating, it appears to be a hornet's nest. It's actually quite beautiful...it's amazing to see that these little insects can build such a structure... It reminds me of those tops that we played with that had the "push down" rod that made it spin...


I stood outside watching the little fellows (err, maybe "little its" since some of them are drones?) for awhile... They fly right into or out of their perfectly shaped circular entrance/exit... They go to search out whatever they like...and return back. They didn't bother me...I wasn't that close... I was amazed at how they created this nest but also wove in part of the leaves...incredible...







I guess hornets aren't the best architects, however, because on Sunday night, we came home to find the lower part of the nest on the ground. Only about a quarter of the nest remained... We were a little excited because we thought we'd been relieved of having to spray the nest and risk being stung. But, alas, upon my further examination with a flashlight, the little buggers were still in the nest!!! I could see ALL of them working there...WOW... I didn't stay around long, however...but figured that, by morning, they'd be smart and leave...

Now, today is Tuesday, and in less than 48 hours after the apparent destruction, they've rebuilt the entire nest. It's not as big as it was, but they've sealed up the whole lower half with a dome and have a new exit/entrance pointing directly at the ground beneath... I'm thinking it will be hard to spray in there...unless we're lying on the ground, which I don't think we plan on doing.


In my research, I've read that the nest is usually vacated in the winter months... So, knowing how we tackle projects around here...we'll wait until they move to Florida in November... :)

Dogs and Gas

There have been a few interesting (and now humorous) events of the last few weeks... :)
As you know, we have been doing some traveling... Our first leg - the PA/NY leg - was in mid June. We came back to VA for a few days before the second leg - to Illinois - and in those few days, we had some interesting dealings with a dog and some gas...
:)
First, Hooch, as we called him, because he looked a little like the dog in the cute Tom Hanks film... :) Ry was out walking the dogs when a "large cat" approached him...only to find out that it was a dog. The dog was friendly...and well behaved (put our dogs to shame :))... He appeared to be well-cared for...he was clean and used to people. We petted him for a little bit in hopes that Animal Control could come to get him, but it was too late (1 AM)...and we'd have to wait until morning. So, Hooch spent the night on our deck... We fed him, gave him some water, and gave him some comfie rugs to sleep on...and he was good. :) He never barked or ANYTHING... When we got the things all set out for him, he ate, drank, and then laid down on the rugs we put out for him. So cute... :) Animal control came in the morning to take him, but the officer said he thought that he was probably a fighting dog...or he'd been in some fights. He noticed some scarring on his face/muzzle and legs. :( How incredibly sad........ The theory may have also explained why he was on the skinny side, too... We hope that the predicted history for Hooch wasn't true... The officer loaded Hooch up and took him back to the shelter. He thought his owner had called and reported a dog missing that matched his description...we hope so! Gosh, I wish we could have a dog haven here at the house...we'd have no room at the inn. :)

And some gas...............
On Father's Day, when baby K went down for her nap in the afternoon, I went out and trimmed some of our bushes. We could hardly make our way up the sidewalk to our front door due to an overgrown bush...and there was a honeysuckle along the side of the house that was out of control, too. I LOVE to garden, but since I was pregnant all last summer and just don't have the time to garden THIS year, all of our areas have sort of gone to pot. ANYWAY, I was determined to do a little trimming before Ry mowed...
So, I plugged in my trusty Black and Decker electric trimmers and managed to pretty much butcher the bush in the front near the sidewalk enough so we can walk without being attacked... :) Since I had time, I decided to also tackle the honeysuckle. Well...while I knew the propane gas tank and lines running to the house were near the honeysuckle, I was careful... BUT, the honeysuckle vines managed to wrap themselves around another one of the lines that I DIDN'T see (camouflaged)...and well, the clippers stopped and all I heard was "psssssssssssssssssssssss." The gas was pouring out...Ry was in the back yard walking the dogs...so we immediately got away from the house... I ran in to get the baby and the phone. We called 911 and had a visit from the local fire department... They were able to get the tank shut off (Ry tried but the smell was too much for him even after a few minutes)...and there was a large nest in the top of the tank where the shut off was... The fire fighters (who looked like they were about 12 years old but very sweet!) evacuated us and the neighbors (the other set of neighbors was camping) to another friend's yard...turned off the gas and then walked in the house to check it for any overabundance of gas...it was clear... So, our gas company had to come out to repair the line...what a joy... *sigh* Happy Father's Day.......................
Thankfully we were A-OK...and while I was very embarrassed, it could have been much worse... :)
Lessons learned...
~Black & Decker makes one heck of a set of hedge clippers - if you are in the market... :)
~Don't go too wild with your clippers when you have a few bushes to tame.... :)
~Don't call me to trim your hedges or bushes :)
~Donate to your local fire department because they're really important to us all... :)
~Always love a stray pet... :)

More stories to come later........... :)

2 months...in a quick post :)

It's been a long time...sheesh... :) I am glad I don't have many blog followers... :) No wonder, huh!? :)

First, I resigned from teaching on June 5th... A difficult decision only because it's another major change from the "pre-baby norm" for me...and in the economic state of our country, how many people are quitting their jobs??!! Me... :) I can't wait to have every day with my Babe... :) I will be keeping a few other teachers' kids, too, to help with the income... :) It's going to be lots of fun! :) Who wouldn't want to see this kid every day all day?! :)

We're in the traveling mode for the next few weeks... Right after we were free from school, we got in the van and made a trip north...stopping in PA to sleep over, then onto NY (with lots of traffic!) for a visit with Ry's family... :) We had a nice time... :) K got baptized...we went to a few picnics...fun times... I had some sort of flu...which made traveling pretty interesting... :) After around 7 days of the fever/achy/upset stomach/can't keep anything in for more than 20 minutes, I think I'm finally feeling a little better... :) Then, we headed back to PA for another sleep over...and stayed an extra day to shop and to hang out with my parents... Then, onward to VA, again...home sweet home. Our trip back took 8+ hours (instead of the 4-5 hours) due to a 24+ car pile up on 95 just outside of Baltimore... We hung out at White Marsh for a little bit...a nice little shopping area... :)

On Monday, we'll head out to go to Illinois so that we can visit with my grandma... I'm always excited to see her and to enjoy a very relaxed time there... But this trip is even more special because my grandma gets to meet her great-granddaughter... That's super special... :) My parents are there, now, too, so we'll all be there together... Thank God for Aerobeds! :) hehe :)

Now that it's summer, maybe I'll have more to post about...and definitely more time... :) Nap time is short, but at least it gives me some time to do things on the computer... :)

Baby K is growing so much... She's got two teeth now (bottom) and seems to be chewing A LOT...so maybe there will be more to cut through in the coming weeks? She's REALLY pleasant for a teething baby...altho we have had some choppy nights of sleep... She's turning over and back very quickly... She's most definately talking A LOT...she doesn't mince her words in baby babble... :) I guess that she gets that honestly, eh?! :) She's sitting up... I guess the next milestone will be crawling... :) She claps and waves...and even makes a "hey" sound when she puts her arm up to wave... :) She loves to swim... She doesn't get a sippy cup and would rather get her water through a straw that we hold, cover the top, and then put it in her mouth... When the water is cold, she always gives a little growl as she swallows...so cute... :) Oh, and she doesn't like the word, "No" when it comes to her putting her hands on dishes when she's got her food in front of her... Boy, what a temper! :) The joy...it's so indescribable... :)

OK...I need to do some things to prepare for the trip before turning in for the night...her 6:30ish wake up call every morning to eat comes so early when you go to bed so late... :)
:)

Oh, and Happy Father's Day to every father out there! :) What a priceless gift...to be a parent... :)

I always wanted to take up photography...

Here are a few shots from this evening after a nice springtime storm... :)

the proof is in the soup...

First, can I just say that I am watching the weather forecast for the next 7 days...and they're predicting SNOW on early Tuesday morning...after temps in the 60s and 70s... crazy...
:) I can handle another snow day...really...no problem!

So, there's no foolin' that I'm pretty much a zombie by the end of the week... It used to be that I'd be beat on Thursday but could muster up enough energy for Friday... Lately, I'm beat on Wednesday, drag on Thursday, and I just want to go to bed at 4:00 PM on Friday... I don't know how to balance all that's required as a momma, teacher, wife, housekeeper, etc.... I'm not very good at it... but, that's not the topic... :)

Yesterday, Ry sends me an email hinting that he'd really like pizza from a local pizza place because he had a faculty meeting after school (I don't get the connection...but again, off topic...)... At the end of the school day, just before I'm to walk my kids out to the buses, I shoot him a quick email saying that soup would be good...and grilled cheese...the weather was rainy and cool, and it was just perfect weather for it... But...he never got it...

In my tiredness and attempt to hurry, I sent the dinner email to my PRINCIPAL, who had just emailed after Ry... She didn't really mind, but imagine how dumb I feel wondering why she's replying to the email SHE sent about the xerox training time since I hadn't written to her... :)
Her response: While having soup with you sounds wonderful...maybe you want to forward this to Ryan. :)
I'm glad she has a sense of humor...

So when she stepped in my room this morning while I was teaching math, I paused (making sure she didn't need anything) and she simply replies, "I don't need anything...just peeking in...and seeing about my soup..." I don't blush often, but this gave me good reason to do so...

Lesson... When you're an exhausted momma and teacher, always make sure you're replying to the correct email... :)
:)

a few cute pictures :)

going out in the snow for the first time (early March) :)

posing in the cutest V-tine's Day outfit... :)

another V-tines Day outfit...i am in love with her ears

getting ready to leave for school...wearing her cute
hat...Ry calls this her Russian hat... :)

uneventful :)

it's been awhile since i've blogged... i always have good intentions of writing something fun or interesting that's happened, but usually, i fall asleep or have to tend to baby K...so my thoughts are fleeting! :)
i think we've officially got 46 days left of the school year... i'm eager to be at june 9th... i spend most of my weeks exhausted and playing catch up...wishing for time at home with my most favorite little girl... but, i can feel the end in sight...and that's what's getting me through right now... :) with that being said, our spring break is late this year (since Easter falls in mid-April), so the kids are ready for some time off, too... very chatty, argumentative, and just tired, too... i'm ready to see those big yellow school buses pull away for awhile... :) of course, the passing days moving me toward the end of the year mean that i am going to be making a pretty important and serious decision about returning next year or taking some time off to be a momma... i plan on doing some number crunching to see that it will work out, but i'm leaning more toward the being a momma idea...
while i'm totally fine with this being a momma thing, it's so scary to break from the "norm" and branch out to another endeavor... i have a number of ideas for some income...but it takes courage to leave a job that you really enjoy knowing that you're going to fill your heart and soul... :) i will be praying a lot about this decision in the coming weeks...
baby K is doing wonderfully... she's growing and is more entertaining each day... :) she's rolled over in the last several weeks...she loves grabbing at her feet...she giggles and smiles all the time... :) i love her babbling and talking...she gets so serious and passionate about talking. :) i love her little furrowing brow as she shows her serious nature...and of course, in the next moment, she flashes that gorgeous toothless grin...
we gave up on cereal after giving it the good ol' college try for about a month. we were having issues with her "staying regular," she'd fuss non-stop with us when we'd feed her, and she never really seemed to get the hang of keeping the cereal in her mouth... so, after some excellent advice from some special ladies in my life, i decided to stick to my gut feeling and take some time off... we'll revisit it again in the coming weeks. :) she continues to grow and thrive...and she's doing so well... :) we're still battling with her refusal to nap at the sitter's during the week...and that makes for some grueling evenings of crying and absolute exhaustion, but we're managing. :) generally, she naps all evening, eats, has a bath, and heads back into her slumber! we won't talk about what happens for the hour or so BEFORE she finally gives up and falls asleep in the afternoons... :)
she's loving her toys - rattles, blocks, her smurf, her dolly, and her cute lamb. :) i can't believe that she just turned 5 months this past monday... time is flying...
i'm eager to get outside with her more... we took a long walk last weekend since it was so nice...she loves the fresh air and the new sights... :) of course, it would be nice if it would stop raining so we could go out more... :) but, it is spring! :)
we bought a white noise machine a little over a month ago, and it has been wonderful for her sleeping... we've never really had a problem with her sleeping through the night or anything (she's done that since she was only a few weeks old), but she does tend to wake a lot throughout the night for no real reason...and, when your alarm goes off at 5:30 in the morning and you have to function with 22 kids at school, after a few nights of those multiple wake ups, i pay the price... :) anyway, a sweet parent of a student in my class (and a co-worker!) mentioned that her two kids both slept with a white noise machine and they sleep like champs... :) i happen to agree - it has been wonderful...and i like sleeping with it, too! :)
my last confession here...buying baby clothes is a lot of fun and addicting...i see sooooooo many cute things out there and i can't help myself, oftentimes... :) my mom has the bug, too...so needless to say, baby K will be well dressed for the many months to come! :) i keep telling ry to not let me buy anything, but he just gently reminds me that i asked him to tell me not to buy anything, and we put the outfit(s) in the cart... :) i was thrifty today and went to a local consignment sale at a church nearby... i got 18 high end items (gap, gymboree, janie&jack, oshkosh, ralph lauren) for $100...the clothes range in sizes for now through 3 years of age... :) fun times! :)
and, can i just say that my most favorite kid's show right now is Handy Manny? :) he's so daggone cute...and the tools...adorable. :) we watch at 7 before we have to leave for school...and i spend the day whistling or humming the songs in my head... :)
that's all for now... :) i know it's a boring post... :) but, i got tired of seeing those "100 questions" on the blog and wanted to write something else... :)
i hope i'll have something more newsworthy to post another time! :) until then, be well! :)

100 questions

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? mine are open only b/c of the stuff hanging on them! :)

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels? yeah :)

3. Are you afraid to fly? no

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before? no :)

5. Do you like to use post-it notes? yes, i'm a teacher :)

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? yeah, we cut them but we don't use them all...only some :)

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? ouch...what kind of question is this?! bees? :)

8. Do you have freckles? no...

9. Do you always smile for pictures? most of the time :)

10. What is your biggest pet peeve? parents not being parents

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk? no :)

12. Have you ever peed in the woods? yah, when I was younger and far from home on a walk :)

13. Do you prefer the beach or mountains? mountains

14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing? only for Katherine :)

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils? no, not usually

16. Favorite reality TV show? "American Idol"

17. What size is your bed? King

18. What is your Song of the week? probably "I'm Yours"

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink? yah

20. Do you still watch cartoons? Sometimes... I have a feeling that, when Katherine grows a bit more, we'll be watching them a lot! :)

21. What's your least favorite movie? anything with serious violence

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? i have no idea :) in a cemetary :)

23. What do you drink with dinner? usually water :)

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? honey mustard, if it's good...katsup...bbq sauce... I LOVE Chick-Fil-A's honey bbq sauce... :)

25. What is your favorite food? depends on the day... probably mac n cheese :)

26. What movies could you watch over and over and still love? Flashdance, Dirty Dancing, and many others :)

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you? ry :)

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout? yeah, i was... :)

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? no way...not unless the magazine would want to go bankrupt!

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper? thursday :)

31. Can you change the oil on a car? no, i haven't ever... :)

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket? only once...

33. Ran out of gas? no :)

34. Favorite kind of sandwich? turkey club :)

35 Best thing to eat for breakfast? pastries? :) muffins... i love a good toasted bagel, too... :)

36. What is your usual bedtime? between 11 pm and midnight

37. Are you lazy? yah :)

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? a witch, woody woodpecker, a clown, a baby, a bug... i can't remember them all... :)

39. What is your astrological sign? Scorpio

40. How many languages can you speak? one - English...a little bit of French... :)

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? too many...Parents, Women's Day, Real Simple...

42..Which are better legos or lincoln logs? I like them both... :)

43. Are you stubborn? yah

44. Who is better...Leno or Letterman? Leno...I'm sad to see him going...

45. Ever watch soap operas? Yah...Days and GH...a LONG time ago

46. Afraid of heights? no

47. Sing in the car? sometimes.

48. Sing in the shower? no.

49. Dance in the car? no :)

50. Ever used a gun? nope

51. Had picture taken by photographer? Yes

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy? no...i love them :)

53. Is Christmas stressful? it has been until this year... :)

54. Ever eat a pierogi? yeah, YUMMY! :)

55. Favorite type of fruit pie? probably rhurbarb or black raspberry/blackberry :)

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? teacher, doctor

57. Do you believe in ghosts? no...

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Yes, several times...

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Yes, several times... :) (hahaha)

59. Take a vitamin daily? yes

60. Wear slippers? no, usually socks with my crocks

61. Wear a bath robe? no

62. What do you wear to bed? t-shirt and PJ pants

63. First concert? Yanni or Sarah McLachlan...I forget :)

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target

65. Nike or Adidas? Nike

66.Cheetos Or Fritos? Cheetos

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Peanuts

68. Ever heard of the group Tres Bien? No.

69. Ever taken dance lessons? No

70. Is there a profession you picture your significant other doing? anything with space, the FBI, working with the elderly...he has many talents :)

71. Can you curl your tongue? yes

72. Ever won a spelling bee? haha...no :)

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy? yes

74. Own any record albums? yah, but they're at my parents' house :)

75. Own a record player? at my parents' house :)

76. Regularly burn incense? no

77. Ever been in love? yah :)

78. Who would you like to see in concert? "Casting Crowns" again would be good...Sarah McLachlan, Michael W. Smith again... :)

79. What was the last concert you saw? Dave Matthews Band

80.Hot tea or cold tea? hot :)

81.Tea or coffee? hot tea

82. Sugar cookies or snickerdoodles? hard choice...probably sugar cookies

83.Can you swim well? I can swim...but I wouldn't bet on myself in the Olympics or anything :)

84. Can you hold your breath without plugging your nose? yes :)

85. Are you patient? Yes, but being a teacher eats it away...

86. DJ or band, at a wedding? probably DJ

87.Ever won a contest? I don't think so... :)

88. Ever have plastic surgery? no way

89. Which are better black or green olives? neither - ew!

90.Can you knit or crochet? I learned to do both... :) I am not really good though...

91. Best room for a fireplace? living room?

92. Do you want to get married? already am! :)

93. If married, how long have you been married? a little over 5 years

94. Who was your HS crush? Probably Jeff

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? no way :)

96. Do you have kids? one so far... :) More to come, Lord willing! :)

97. Do you want kids? yep :)

98. What's your favorite color? yellow and purple

99. Do you miss anyone right now? my family - mom, dad, grandma... :)

100. Did you watch Next Great American Band on FOX? no... what a stinky question to end with... :)


If you're reading my answers... let's see yours now! :)

passing time...too quickly

say it cannot be... yesterday, i spent the better part of the late morning putting away Baby Girl's clothes that are too small...and i went through hand-me-downs, de-tagged new outfits, and washed the newest sizes. i held up the sweet little fleece sleeper that we brought her home in...so tiny... i can't believe she fit in it a mere 4 months ago... it's only been 4 months! if i put the little ducky sleeper now, i'm not sure it would cover half of her little body! what am i going to do when it has been a year...or 5 years...or high school!!?? god help me!
while i love her at this age, i miss the days of her newborn little body...even waking me up every 2 hours... :) now, she takes a few spoonfulls of rice cereal...she loves to stand on her legs with support...she's grasping at things...jabbers a lot...loves chewing on her hands, and she even found that she could suck on her thumb yesterday... it's so amazing to watch her develop and grow...yet, it's bittersweet, too.... :)
but, in the two trashbags full of adorable girl clothes, rests my hope that another baby girl (or boy, but with some different clothes of course :)) will wear the cute ducky sleeper or the infamous "twinkle" outfit...or the winnie the pooh onesie...things that we hardly even wore...the things that once graced the little body of Katherine... :) but first, let me enjoy every moment with my incredible little beauty! :)