babycenter / DAILY FARM LIFE / family / MOTHERHOOD

The moral of the story: Always have some knitting in your bag

I’ll tell you the moral of my story first: Always keep some knitting in your bag.

Dan, my father, and I spent Saturday afternoon in the ER. Dan was working on a small woodshed here at the house and fell, falling on his ladder and bursting the inside of his arm open–basically from bicep to tricep. I’ve never seen a wound on a human being like the one I saw on Dan. It was pretty alarming, to say the least. If you’re squeamish don’t read this—–but you could see fat (very little on my lean husband) and muscle, the cut was so wide open. Ick. Sorry for the gory details, but in a way, it’s kind of fascinating, too. The human body is amazing.

Being the girl scout that I am, when he came crawling through the kitchen door and I got a glimpse of his wound, I tied a tourniquet on it and quickly called my dad to get him to the ER. I was able to stay calm although I was a shaky mess on the inside. Thankfully, they took him straight into the ER but after cleaning and some x rays, the waiting began.

I had the (selfish?) forethought to throw the latest issues of Wondertime and National Geographic into my bag before we got in the car to go. I wish I’d also had the selfish forethought to grab some mascara and a hairbrush. But anyway, when I dug in to my bag to get the magazines out, I realized I had a knotted up ball of organic cotton yarn from a dishcloth (yes, I’m still knitting them) that was on my needles and just inches away from completion.

It’s finished now.

And Dan is home. Lucky to only have a nasty wound, many stitches, a bruise any man would be proud of, and a very sore body.

where i'd like to be all day

I have attempted to write this post (not the ER story, but the next part) several times in the last week. But between being sick and this heat, which saps all creativity, I haven’t gotten to it. There are so many things to catch up on–an amazing IKEA date with Emily, some pictures, some thoughts, some milestones, some posts I’d like to revisit….But for now, I’ll leave you with some fun news.

I am back to blogging for Babycenter as part of their Momformation team of bloggers. When I walked away several months ago we didn’t burn any bridges and communication was open. Last month, they asked me to come back and write twice a week, in more of a journal style of post. So my articles over there will be much like the kinds of things you read here.

My feature posts are called A Bushel and a Peck…after this little ditty that my brother-in-law, who passed away a few years ago, used to sing to his children (and mine). You’ll find them on Momformation every Wednesday and Sunday. Hopefully, this week, I’ll put a link in my sidebar so that you can go directly to my posts on the site.

first front hole

My first post was a bear to write. I struggled with how much to share from my background and then had some writer’s-remorse after it was posted. But it always takes me a bit to find my voice again over there. My second post went up today and chronicles the drama of Emma losing one of her big ol’ front teeth last week.

I hope you’ll stop by and see me over there and PLEASE (yes, do note a bit of begging) leave a comment so I don’t get too lonely. I feel really good about my new “relationship” at babycenter. And unlike last time, I think it won’t leave me lonely for my blog but will simply be an extension of myself and what I share with all of you dear friends, here.

Happy Monday. xo.

I’ll tell you the moral of my story first: Always keep some knitting in your bag.

Dan, my father, and I spent Saturday afternoon in the ER. Dan was working on a small woodshed here at the house and fell, falling on his ladder and bursting the inside of his arm open–basically from bicep to tricep. I’ve never seen a wound on a human being like the one I saw on Dan. It was pretty alarming, to say the least. If you’re squeamish don’t read this—–but you could see fat (very little on my lean husband) and muscle, the cut was so wide open. Ick. Sorry for the gory details, but in a way, it’s kind of fascinating, too. The human body is amazing.

Being the girl scout that I am, when he came crawling through the kitchen door and I got a glimpse of his wound, I tied a tourniquet on it and quickly called my dad to get him to the ER. I was able to stay calm although I was a shaky mess on the inside. Thankfully, they took him straight into the ER but after cleaning and some x rays, the waiting began.

I had the (selfish?) forethought to throw the latest issues of Wondertime and National Geographic into my bag before we got in the car to go. I wish I’d also had the selfish forethought to grab some mascara and a hairbrush. But anyway, when I dug in to my bag to get the magazines out, I realized I had a knotted up ball of organic cotton yarn from a dishcloth (yes, I’m still knitting them) that was on my needles and just inches away from completion.

It’s finished now.

And Dan is home. Lucky to only have a nasty wound, many stitches, a bruise any man would be proud of, and a very sore body.

where i'd like to be all day

I have attempted to write this post (not the ER story, but the next part) several times in the last week. But between being sick and this heat, which saps all creativity, I haven’t gotten to it. There are so many things to catch up on–an amazing IKEA date with Emily, some pictures, some thoughts, some milestones, some posts I’d like to revisit….But for now, I’ll leave you with some fun news.

I am back to blogging for Babycenter as part of their Momformation team of bloggers. When I walked away several months ago we didn’t burn any bridges and communication was open. Last month, they asked me to come back and write twice a week, in more of a journal style of post. So my articles over there will be much like the kinds of things you read here.

My feature posts are called A Bushel and a Peck…after this little ditty that my brother-in-law, who passed away a few years ago, used to sing to his children (and mine). You’ll find them on Momformation every Wednesday and Sunday. Hopefully, this week, I’ll put a link in my sidebar so that you can go directly to my posts on the site.

first front hole

My first post was a bear to write. I struggled with how much to share from my background and then had some writer’s-remorse after it was posted. But it always takes me a bit to find my voice again over there. My second post went up today and chronicles the drama of Emma losing one of her big ol’ front teeth last week.

I hope you’ll stop by and see me over there and PLEASE (yes, do note a bit of begging) leave a comment so I don’t get too lonely. I feel really good about my new “relationship” at babycenter. And unlike last time, I think it won’t leave me lonely for my blog but will simply be an extension of myself and what I share with all of you dear friends, here.

Happy Monday. xo.

family / life (in general) / LIVING WELL / MOTHERHOOD

focus on the positive

a bedroom corner

Tonight I was sitting at the kitchen table with the windows open and I overheard Dan outside talking to the girls. He was asking who had left certain things out from yesterday, why there was a set of my cups in the backyard, had someone watered the boxwoods, etc. etc. While he talked to the girls I winced, knowing that these were things I hadn't gotten to today. But I also thought, "Did you notice that I sorted through FOUR tubs of baby clothes in the guest room, got three loads of laundry done, and all the books returned to the library?"

I share this little snippet of our life not at all to imply that my husband is some grumpy, ungrateful man that comes home grumbling and complaining about all the things that didn't get accomplished that day. Because that is so far from reality. And even in this overheard moment he was more asking questions versus laying blame.

I share this story because I realized as I was overhearing Dan that he sounded a lot like me.

All too often, I walk into a situation, whether it be with Dan or with the girls, and completely miss the important stuff. I find all my focus and attention and words drawn to the negatives–the mess I'll be cleaning later, instead of the amazing creative play that is going on in their room, stripped of all bed sheets, pillows and blankets. The chaos of loud laughing and running through the house, instead of the joy of my children having fun together. The annoyance of my oldest daughter wanting to help with her baby sister's bath instead of seeing how much she loves taking care of Elizabeth.

I often do it when I return to the house after a solo outing and Dan stays with the girls. "Couldn't you have at least cleared the dishes from the kitchen table?!" Instead of noticing that he has all three girls sitting on his lap on the sofa reading picture books.

Really what is most important? A good reminder for me tonight.

The picture is a quick shot of our bedroom corner with the new headboard finally painted and in place. Can I tell you how much I love having a headboard? And how much I love seeing the handiwork of my husband all over the house? The bedside table, also his work–made for me as a birthday gift several years ago. The date and year are written on the inside of the drawer.

a bedroom corner

Tonight I was sitting at the kitchen table with the windows open and I overheard Dan outside talking to the girls. He was asking who had left certain things out from yesterday, why there was a set of my cups in the backyard, had someone watered the boxwoods, etc. etc. While he talked to the girls I winced, knowing that these were things I hadn't gotten to today. But I also thought, "Did you notice that I sorted through FOUR tubs of baby clothes in the guest room, got three loads of laundry done, and all the books returned to the library?"

I share this little snippet of our life not at all to imply that my husband is some grumpy, ungrateful man that comes home grumbling and complaining about all the things that didn't get accomplished that day. Because that is so far from reality. And even in this overheard moment he was more asking questions versus laying blame.

I share this story because I realized as I was overhearing Dan that he sounded a lot like me.

All too often, I walk into a situation, whether it be with Dan or with the girls, and completely miss the important stuff. I find all my focus and attention and words drawn to the negatives–the mess I'll be cleaning later, instead of the amazing creative play that is going on in their room, stripped of all bed sheets, pillows and blankets. The chaos of loud laughing and running through the house, instead of the joy of my children having fun together. The annoyance of my oldest daughter wanting to help with her baby sister's bath instead of seeing how much she loves taking care of Elizabeth.

I often do it when I return to the house after a solo outing and Dan stays with the girls. "Couldn't you have at least cleared the dishes from the kitchen table?!" Instead of noticing that he has all three girls sitting on his lap on the sofa reading picture books.

Really what is most important? A good reminder for me tonight.

The picture is a quick shot of our bedroom corner with the new headboard finally painted and in place. Can I tell you how much I love having a headboard? And how much I love seeing the handiwork of my husband all over the house? The bedside table, also his work–made for me as a birthday gift several years ago. The date and year are written on the inside of the drawer.

Uncategorized

New Year, New Look

New Year, New Look

Wow. I'm overwhelmed tonight. Thank you, friends, for your amazing response to the Habit project. I'm so glad it is as meaningful to so many of you, as it has been to me and Emily. And that you just 'get it'. Thank you.

There have been so many things that I've been wanting to share with all of you, so I'm really excited to be revealing all these things this week.

Along with my project with Emily, I've also been working to give this little blog a makeover. I've been wanting to make a bunch of changes for several months now–make things a little easier to navigate, put all the good stuff in one place, add some more elements to my blog…and finally it has all come together. After many hours working on my pathetic DSL (might as well be dial-up) connection and some good work sessions at the library (thank you, Dan), it's all in place. There are still a few more things I'd like to do, but there will always be things to do…..

A big thank you to my cousin, Katie, of Designer Digitals fame, who designed this banner for me, and captured what I was looking for, based on my all-over-the-place descriptions and ideas.

So, if you're viewing this in a reader, you might want to click over and poke around.

new year, new look

You can also get to my blog now with mommycoddle.com. It was necessity, primarily for my mom. Sorry, mom. But how many times have I gotten calls from her cell, "Okay, I sitting here with my friend _____ and I was telling her all about your blog. Now what is the address again? www dot mommycoddleblog dot blogpad dot com, or is it notepad?" Of course, now that I have a working, simple, web address, she's signed up for my email subscription…but it does make it easier for everyone, not just you, mother dear.

And tomorrow (Wednesday), to celebrate the new year, and the new look of things around here, I have something special planned. And then, I promise, I'll be done with all these secrets…..for now.

New Year, New Look

Wow. I'm overwhelmed tonight. Thank you, friends, for your amazing response to the Habit project. I'm so glad it is as meaningful to so many of you, as it has been to me and Emily. And that you just 'get it'. Thank you.

There have been so many things that I've been wanting to share with all of you, so I'm really excited to be revealing all these things this week.

Along with my project with Emily, I've also been working to give this little blog a makeover. I've been wanting to make a bunch of changes for several months now–make things a little easier to navigate, put all the good stuff in one place, add some more elements to my blog…and finally it has all come together. After many hours working on my pathetic DSL (might as well be dial-up) connection and some good work sessions at the library (thank you, Dan), it's all in place. There are still a few more things I'd like to do, but there will always be things to do…..

A big thank you to my cousin, Katie, of Designer Digitals fame, who designed this banner for me, and captured what I was looking for, based on my all-over-the-place descriptions and ideas.

So, if you're viewing this in a reader, you might want to click over and poke around.

new year, new look

You can also get to my blog now with mommycoddle.com. It was necessity, primarily for my mom. Sorry, mom. But how many times have I gotten calls from her cell, "Okay, I sitting here with my friend _____ and I was telling her all about your blog. Now what is the address again? www dot mommycoddleblog dot blogpad dot com, or is it notepad?" Of course, now that I have a working, simple, web address, she's signed up for my email subscription…but it does make it easier for everyone, not just you, mother dear.

And tomorrow (Wednesday), to celebrate the new year, and the new look of things around here, I have something special planned. And then, I promise, I'll be done with all these secrets…..for now.