Christmas Lights

Today we were industrious and put up the Christmas lights outside. Given my 'delicate' condition, I let Lance have all the 'fun' of climbing on the roof and doing most of the work. I put the clippies on the lights and the boys mostly got in the way and trampled the plants in the flower bed.

This year's experience was about a million times better than last year's, mainly because it was about 30 degrees warmer, if I remember correctly. This year we didn't need coats; last year we lost feeling in our extremities.

We also did something new this year: we put white lights on our little conifer bushes out front. I know, we're getting so fancy! (But not fancy enough for Josh - he thinks we need some sort of inflatable monstrosity out front. Sorry to disappoint, kiddo.)

Black Friday

I've never been one for shopping on Black Friday. It's just not my thing. I don't like crowds or fighting for deals or getting up early on holidays. But this year I succumbed.

It's all Gigi's fault.

No really, she totally used peer pressure to get me to go with her to JoAnn Fabric this morning. I believe her exact words were something along the lines of, "Do it! Do it! You'll be cool and people will like you!" Or maybe it was just, "Please?", but I'm a little fuzzy on those details right now.

Whatever, I'm glad I went. I stocked up on some really cute snuggle flannel for more rag quilts. Yes, we need more rag quilts. Or maybe I'll give some away. Whatever. That's not the point. The point is that I needed that fabric and I got it at a fantastic price.

I also got some cute fabric to recover the pads on a used glider/rocking chair I bought. It's the greenish paisley, which doesn't really match my house but I just loved the fabric. Besides, it's just going in the nursery/guest room and nothing in there really matches anyway. (What? The baby doesn't care...)

Time to get cutting and sewing.

Thanksgiving

I didn't blog yesterday because I was EXHAUSTED after our Thanksgiving dinner. Seriously wasted. Which, I think, is a sign of a good Thanksgiving, right?

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year. Our guests included the Culvers, the Frys, and the Trembaths. (All of whom, by the way, were also at Lance's birthday party last June. Random, huh?) So that meant eight adults and ten kiddos - a pretty big group.

I brined my turkey again this year, and I have to say, it was way good! So juicy and tasty. (It more than made up for my pathetic-looking (but still yummy) pie.) Josh's favorite part of the whole turkey process was the turkey 'waving' and talking to him - something my mom used to do with me everything Thanksgiving. (Hey, a headless, featherless bird waving at you? Pure comedy.)

It was a potluck evening, and I'm pretty sure we had enough food for 180 people, not 18. And it was all so good. Yeah, potluck Thanksgiving = the way to go.

I cooked and cleaned and whatnot all day. Everything, except take pictures. Doh. But I did manage to get just a few.

Lance and Josh checkin' out a little football. (That's how close Lance thinks the couch should be to the TV.)

My little pilgrim was very proud to bring this hat home from preschool, but I couldn't get him to hold still for a picture.

This pilgrim had the same problem.

After dinner the men and the kids played arcade games. Because apparently at the Madsen home, Thanksgiving naturally leads to Street Fighter.

We also had a healthy supply of pies and desserts. Awesome.

Josh: won't eat more than three bites of dinner, will eat two pieces of cheesecake. That boy ain't right. (Or he's just smarter than we thought...)

A New Enemy

Oh pie crusts! Why have you forsaken me?!

I mean, for the love, people. Why in the world did BOTH of my pie crusts do this? And it's not like I made these crusts - they're the pre-made kind. You can't get much more idiot-proof than that, but there you go.

My Thanksgiving pies are just gonna have to look a little funny.

Perhaps I will have to tackle pies next year (as a replacement for cakes). Lance would luuurrrvve that. But I would hate it.

Because I hate pie crusts.

Grrrrrr...

(On a different, happy note, I am loving the updated version of Picasa! What a fun collage, right?)

Bad Morning

No self-portrait Tuesday today, because I don't want to remember what I looked like on this date.

Remember how pleased I was that I hadn't thrown up once this pregnancy? Well, no more.

My undoing? A stupid cold I came down with yesterday. (I always get a cold the week of Thanksgiving.) It was just more than my poor tummy could take.

I was making Josh and Spencer breakfast and feeling just awful, when all of a sudden *bam*! So there I was, takin' care of things in the kitchen sink with my two little yahoos making comments like "Ewww!", "Gross!", "Yucky!", and "Mommy sick! Eww!"

The empathy was overwhelming.

Then I drug my dizzy self over to the couch and collapsed, all the while listening to Spencer cry and howl because I hadn't finished making his breakfast and he didn't want to wait for Daddy to do it.

Needless to say, it was a looonnnggg, treacherous morning.

In Print

Anybody who knows me well knows that in the past I have had issues with my name. (I'm over them now, really! It's everyone else who has the problem!) Ahem. Anyway.

You can imagine my delight and surprise when I started reading a novel with a main character named Maren. (The book is The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve, my latest author obsession. I've read just about all of her books now and they've all been really good. Okay, some better than others, some really great, but all good enough to finish. You know what I mean? And who recommended Anita Shreve to me? Was it you, Ashley? Thank you thank you!)

But back to the important stuff.

I found a book. With my name in it! Woo-hoo! I was so excited to get into it and discover how great this Maren was. Because if her name was Maren, she had to be great, right?

Um, yeah...

Okay, in this lady's lifetime she:

• Had a sister who hated her
• Watched her mother die in childbirth
  
• Married a man she didn't love
• Immigrated from Norway to the U.S. in the late 1800's
• Lived on a small island off the coast of New Hampshire
• Had an incestuous relationship with her brother
• Ended up going crazy and killing her sister and sister-in-law
• Framed an innocent man for the killings
  

Yeah, so that Maren's life was the exact opposite of mine. And in her defense, she had a pretty rough time of things. By the end I wasn't too surprised she went a little nutso with the axe.

Not that my life is all peachy-keen. Just in the past hour I have had to put a certain rocket-armed toddler in time out three times for throwing Duplo blocks at my head. And the third time he grinned at me with that evil toddler grin of his, knowing full well what he had done. It's a good thing we don't have an axe around here is all I'm sayin'.

Still, it was pretty cool to see my name in print.

Winter Weather Forecast

The Lafayette, Indiana winter weather forecast for 2008/2009 is as follows:

• No significant accumulation snowfalls. At all.
• That's it.

Why? Because the Madsens finally broke down and bought a snow thrower yesterday. Murphy's Law clearly says that now that we have invested the money and the space for the snow thrower we won't need to use it.

Lance and I have have decided that no snow for the winter is worth the money spent.

Cake of the Month - Cheating

Despite my nausea, my cake-each-month goal is still intact. I just had to 'cheat' a bit this time.


I'm not one to usually buy mixes like this, but I got it for free and now seemed the perfect time to use it. (I made it the night we told the boys about the baby. Because when you announce a baby on the way, cake must be eaten!)

I used flour baking spray and parchment paper, just to make sure that my cakes didn't stick! (Ignore the lemon Gatorade in the glass. I was going through a 'water makes me sick' phase I am happily out of now. Now what to do with all that Gatorade I bought...?)


Apparently, cake sticking wasn't to be my problem this time around:


Well for the love!! Why are my cakes so thin and lopsided. It's not like I mixed it wrong or didn't smooth the batter in the pans. Why is life so hard, can somebody tell me please?!!?

Whatever. A little slicing with the bread knife and cakes are now pretty even. Kinda.

Whatever.

Then it was time to put on the raspberry filling. As predicted, I didn't think there was nearly enough. But I didn't have any raspberry preserves, so we just had to make do.


Kind of a dramatic shot for such a lumpy cake.


Next it was time for frosting. I had to include a whole cup of butter into the frosting mix. Yowza. (With that much butter you'd assume that it was the best tasting white chocolate frosting in the world. You would be wrong.) I was tempted just to leave the frosting like this, to see how the boys would react.


But I just couldn't do it.


It looked kinda plain, so I added some sprinkles. Sprinkles make any cake look and taste better. Just ask anybody.


The verdict? Well, I thought it was okay. Not great, but not gross. Just okay. Certainly not as good as other cakes I have made. Somewhat easier, though. This didn't stop the boys from enjoying it. (But then again, they'd eat just about anything with sugar in it.)

Spencer ate just about every bite. Except the end, with all the frosting on it.


Which turned out okay, because Josh became somewhat obsessed with the frosting, and that's all he would eat. He even tried to sneak more when he thought we weren't looking. We were.


So, it didn't turn out exactly like the picture on the box. But were you really expecting it to? (I wasn't!)


Only one more cake of the month to go! Any requests?

Questions and Answers

Over the past few days I have, understandably, answered lots of questions people have for me. Not that I mind - nothing helps morning-noon-and-night sickness like being the center of attention for a little while.

So I thought, in the interest of posterity, and to answer all those burning questions you might not have even thought of but now must know the answers to, I would have a little bloggy question and answer session. Most of these questions have actually been asked; some haven't. You'll just have decide which is which.

Q: So wait, you're pregnant? Why didn't you announce it on your blog?
A: Um, yeah. I thought it was pretty apparent in this post. Okay, so I didn't just come out and say it, but I thought it was implied. And kinda clever... oh never mind.

Q: So when are you due?
A: My as-of-now, mystical due date is June 13th. But I'll probably have the baby in the first week of June.

Q: Why?
A: Because I have to have a scheduled c-section, and they usually do those about 5-7 days before the due date.

Q: Why the c-section? Do you think you're a movie star or something?
A: Because I've already had two unplanned c-sections already, and the risk for hemorrhaging during a VBAC is too high. If I could, I would totally do a VBAC. (Recovery for c-sections just stinks.) But I can't, so I've made my peace with it and am now kinda happy I can just choose a day. It makes for much easier planning!

Q: Um, are you sure you're only 10 weeks along?
A: Okay, rude. I know, my belly is already poppin' out somewhat fierce. But you carry to term a moose-of-a-baby like Josh and see how well your skin and muscles recover. Ain't no amount of sit ups that are gonna fix that belly, sister.

Q: Have you been sick?
A: Yes. Oh yes. But not nearly as on-the-floor-wishing-for-a-quick-death sick as I was with Spencer and Josh. More of a lying-on-the-couch-wishing-I-could-sleep-through-the-first-20-weeks sick. In fact, I have yet to throw up once; an accomplishment I am unreasonably proud of. I am sickest in the mornings and evenings, which means poor Lance only sees me sick.

Q: Oh yeah! How's Lance with that new-fangled certification of his?
A: He's doin' great. He gets to wear a crown and carry a USB scepter around work, and everyone has to bow and curtsy as he walks by, shouting his praises. It's pretty awesome.

Q: Do you think it's a boy or a girl?
A: I kinda think it's a girl, just because I haven't been as sick. But this means nothing, because I was absolutely sure Josh was a girl, and look how that turned out.

Q: Are you going to find out the sex?
A: How little you know me. Of course I am. It's a surprise either way; finding out with the ultrasound just means you're surprised a little earlier.

Q: Do you have names picked out?
A: Yes.

Q: Um, are you going to tell me what they are?
A: No.

Q: Why not?!
A: Because since we're going to know the birth date and the sex, we might as well have some sort of surprise. And because we're mean like that.

Q: Oh c'mon. You can tell me! I won't tell anyone, I promise.
A: No.

Q: Please?
A: No way.

Q: Please? Please? PLEASE?!
A: Now I'm not going to tell you even after the baby is born. Go away, you're bugging me.

Q: Are you always this grouchy when you're pregnant.
A: Yes. Just ask Lance.

Preschool Thanksgiving 'Feast'

Today Spencer's preschool had their Thanksgiving 'Feast', complete with the kids singing songs, cookies, juice, and all the Friendship Fruit Salad you could eat. (What, you don't know what Friendship Fruit Salad is? Perhaps you need to go back to preschool. Everyone brings in cut up fruit, you mix it in a big bowl, and viola! Friendship Fruit Salad.)

We were kind of far back from the stage, so the pictures and video quality aren't the greatest. But it still makes for good grandparent eye-candy.

By the way, Spencer's favorite song? "The Turkey Pokey".

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Belated Self-portrait Tuesday: 10 Weeks & Dinnertime Negotiations

In other non-tummy-related news, I was interested to watch these negotiations occur at the dinner table tonight.


The deal? Eat one piece of dinner, get one small bite of dessert. (Our RS randomly brought us dinner, including dessert, tonight. Unusual , but great!)

Spencer stood close by as an impartial observer.


Josh tried to use his ninja-like stealth to sneak a bite of dessert. Fortunately, Lance has dealt with many a ninja in his day.


Poor Josh. He was very upset at being caught. It's hard being two.

Baby Quilt

Around March our ward Relief Society had a service auction. Each sister donated a service (babysitting, free meal, computer help, etc.) or some sort of item, and then we bid on them with 'money' we had earned by doing good things (saying our prayers, reading our scriptures, going to church, etc.) We even had a real auctioneer, which made it all the more fun.

Anywho, my good friend Gigi makes the most beautiful rag quilts for babies, and I totally wanted one. I saved lots of my money just for that and won!

For months after she kept telling me that I needed to pick out the fabric I wanted her to use. I just couldn't decide. Plus, it's not like I had a baby around who desperately needed to quilt. I told her I'd call in the quilt once I had need for it.

Well, Gig, I now have need for it.

I'll be needing that quilt on or around June 13th.

Pink or blue TBD.

Discuss.

Joshie Lyrics

I heard Josh singing this little dittie while we were in the car yesterday:

It's raining, it's pouring
The old man is snoring
Ashes, ashes,
We all fall TURKEY!

To his credit, it was raining. And Ring Around the Rosies has kinda the same tone/beat to It's Raining It's Pouring. But I have no idea where the turkey fits in. (Maybe it's because we went to the grocery store the other day and I told him we were going to look at buying a turkey for Thanksgiving. Boy was he dissapointed when he realized we weren't buying a live turkey but a boring old frozen one instead. Bummer.)

Mommy-Joshie Dates

For the last month or so Joshie and I have enjoyed little Mommy-Joshie dates on Friday mornings while Spencer is at preschool. (I'm usually working out or cleaning the house the other days Spencer's in school.)

It's nothing grand or spectacular; just getting a little breakfast and sharing it. My only rules are that I can't spend more than $5 for both of us, and that we can spend as much time eating as Joshie wants. Joshie loves this. He generally eats more than his share (which is fine), talks my ear off, and just enjoys having my full attention.

Today we went to Panera Bread - fancy, I know. We shared a hot chocolate and a bagel with cream cheese, Joshie eating only 1/3 of the bagel but 2/3 of the cream cheese. Eventually he cut out the bagel-middleman and just ate the cream cheese with his fingers. That and his cream cheese beard made for a pretty cute kid.

The most interesting thing I've noticed since starting this is how well behaved he is. When we're out to eat with Spencer or with the whole family, Joshie is a typical two year old: getting in and out of his seat, whining, refusing to eat, making messes, etc. But when it's just the two of us he is so pleasant and civilized! (I'm all about civilizing my kids - they need it.) He sits in his chair, he eats his food nicely, he says 'please' and 'thank you', and you can tell he is just pleased as punch to be there. It's like he knows this is a special treat just for him.

It's a special treat for Mommy, too.

Must Have It

I went to a Pampered Chef party this evening. It's the first time I've been to one in literally years. (The last one I went to was at your house, Marisa. That's PJ - pre-Joshie.)

The thing I like about Pampered Chef is that I always discover something that I never knew existed but now must have. Tonight was no different.

Behold the Mix 'N Chop!


"Unique, beveled pinwheel blades efficiently chop and crumble foods for even cooking and seasoning. Its high-quality nylon design follows the curves of your cookware and won't scratch its surface. A soft grip and thumb rest help you comfortably grasp the handle and chop more easily. "

Fantastic! Just the other night I was bemoaning the fact that using a wooden spoon just doesn't cut it when cooking ground beef. Problem solved. Love you, Pampered Chef!

I also picked up a few more cookbooks. I LOVE Pampered Chef cookbooks. They have great recipes that are easy to cook and, even better, pictures of each recipe. (I hate cookbooks without pictures.)

Happy day.

My New Imaging Informatics Professional Hero

Good job, Lance! I am very proud of you!


And what a hunk! Am I right ladies? (Yes, yes I am.)

Self-portrait Tuesday: Orange Rolls

Today, as you can see, we made orange rolls. Yummmm...

I use Andrea's super fabuloso recipe, only I also add a few chocolate chips. Yummmm...


I had a little helper. And by helper I mean thrower of sugar, roller-arounder in flour, eater of chocolate chips, and poker of dough. But whatever. Tomayto, tomahto.


Unfortunately, despite all of the help he gave Joshie didn't get to eat an orange roll. Our rule is, if you don't get dinner, you don't get dessert. (Not that we have dessert a lot. But when we do, that's the rule.) He refused to eat his dinner. It's not that he didn't understand the concept - I just don't think he believed we'd follow through on our threat.

We did.

So he tried whining. And crying. And tantrum throwing in his tantrum corner.


(In front of the door to the garage.) ((Having a tantrum corner is actually handy; it's out of the way and I always know where he is when he's angry.)) And that was all before the rolls were even done.

When the rolls were ready Joshie followed Spencer up to the bar, completely expecting to get his share. The result? Well, you can see for yourself here. (*Warning* These videos will break your heart. The only way I got through it was staying behind the camera. Otherwise, I totally admit I probably would have caved in. It's a good thing solid-as-a-rock Lance was there to stop me.)

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It's Not November...

...until the Madsens visit the Urgent Care Center!

Yes, two years ago I had to go in at the crack of dawn because of a nasty ear infection. On Thanksgiving morning. (And yes, I was making dinner that day.)

One year ago we had to take Spencer in for his cracked elbow. It was a Sunday evening, of course. Because apparently kids can't get seriously hurt or sick unless it's a cold Sunday evening.

Which leads us to this evening.

Poor Joshie. He had bad diarrhea today. He had to stay home from church with Daddy and Spencer. (Side note: I had an early meeting and so I got to go church by myself. I have to admit it was one of the best sacrament meetings I've had in quite a while!) But he was getting better. Until his late afternoon nap, after which things took a loud, tantrum-y turn for the worse.

Josh just would not stop crying. He was MAD. He was ANGRY. He didn't know what he wanted, but he knew it wasn't anything we had to offer. GRAAAWWWWEEERRR! So we tried to give him a bath to help calm down. No dice. He just screamed and bellowed and didn't want to get out but didn't want to be in, either. BAAAAAAAWWWWWRRRR!

But during this bath we noticed some pretty nasty diaper rash in a rather... ah... sensitive area. No wonder the kid was angry! So we called the pediatrician, who recommended a trip to Urgent Care. After Lance dressed a flailing, out of control Josh and strapped him in the car, Josh and I were off.

Josh calmed down during the car ride and even behaved while we got him checked in. (Which was really quick, since they know us pretty well.) He even let the doctor check him even though I could tell he didn't like it one bit.

The diagnosis? A fungal infection. Treat with an anti-fungal cream, it'll be gone in a couple days.

That's right. I paid a $25 co-pay to be told he has baby jock itch.

Silver lining: our reason for an Urgent Care Visit could have been much more serious. As we well know. Let's hope next year is just as minor.

Toss Josh

Because sometimes you gotta toss a kid around, just to show him who's boss.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Little Helper

Joshie has decided to take on a new job: setting the table.

I get everything out and set it on the counter, and then he puts everything in the right place on the table. Well, pretty much the right place. He takes more of a Picasso approach to table setting.

I admit, it takes all the self-control I can muster to not move the plates or cups away from the edge of the table. This is highly insulting to toddlers, and a mistake only made once.

It's so darling to see him strut around, puffed up and proud of his accomplishment!

Blankie Boys

My boys are blankie boys.

Blankies are magical things. They can instantly heal injuries (both real and imagined), fix a broken heart, and protect you from things that go bump in the night. If we're going in the car, so is blankie. (Although it's a family rule that blankie stays in the car.) If it's naptime or bedtime, blankie's there as well. I'm pretty sure blankie would go in the tub I would let them. (Maybe I should; blankies are often dirty and smelly.)

Wherever my boys are, their blankies are not far behind them. And that's okay by me.

My dad sent alink to a short cartoon called "Pajama Gladiator". The boys watched it and instantly fell in love. The idea of a blankie defeating alien space monsters is just too good to be true. They and their blankies are at this moment fighting monsters and other assorted bad guys.

Now I just have to convince them that this doesn't necessarily mean they'll be getting cookies at the end of their adventures.

Watch it here.

Peace

For 60 minutes today Josh finally stopped whining, crying, destroying, and causing general mayhem.

It was, so far, the best part of my day. And, I suspect, his.