Friday Free For All

WARNING: POST WITH NO DIRECTION

I will be following the lead of Alana, Tara, and Earen, in writing a 'random' post. I had a few more inspirational ideas in my head, but I'm too tired to think that much. Plus, a little randomness does a heart good, right?

*I have spent so much time looking at houses online, talking about houses, reading about houses, praying about houses, looking for someone to show us houses, and just thinking about houses that I have now begun dreaming about houses. I have looked at the online pictures so often that I actually dream that I'm walking through them. Sad, isn't it?

*To preface the above random thought: our townhouse in CO is under contract, and set for closing on Oct. 26 (Hooray!). This means that we are free to start looking at houses here in MI. We've had a slow start in finding the right realtor, though. The first one wasn't a good match (he didn't know the area we were looking in, and neither did we), and we just now got set up with a realtor that we think will be a good fit. But because we haven't had a realtor, we have had to do a lot of searching/looking/researching on our own. This is way more time consuming than I thought. Fun, and a blessing, but time consuming.

Here are some of the things my house obsessed mind is thinking about today.

-We found a house online that we love. It's beautiful, and has a big yard. Problem is, it has a pool. Pools and little kids? Scary. Not sure we want to go down that road (but it sure would be nice for when the kids are a little older...we've always said we want our house to be the house that all the kids hang out at).

-The other house that we are excited about? (Just from looking at pictures...haven't actually seen the house yet). Our new realtor called me yesterday to tell me that she just found out that the guy who lived in the house before killed himself, and 3 other people. He didn't do it on or near the property, but still...that's a little spooky. It was a domestic dispute, and very sad. We've talked about it, and decided that we still want to see the house. As Christians, I believe that evil stuff like that can't have any power over us. We just might want to walk through the house, and pray over every room. Seriously. But somebody is going to buy that house...maybe it should be a young happy family.

Moving on from house stuff.....

*We're not set up with a doctor out here yet. We got a few referrals from people about a certain doctor, and I made Allie's 9 month checkup appointment for next week. They don't have any of our paperwork yet, though, and I don't know if we're technically 'patients' yet. This is a little frustrating. I've called them twice today, wanting to talk to a nurse. I have some questions about Becca, and wondered if she needed an appointment today. I called this morning at 8:15 and left a message. They said I should hear back within the hour. I called back at 11:45, and left a message. It is now 3:15. Guess I'm not bringing her in today. I hope this is just because of our status, and not how they always work. Maybe I'm just spoiled-our last pediatrician had a nurse advice line. You could call and ask them questions anytime during business hours, and they were extremely helpful.

I have questions about Becca because she's been acting different this last week or so. She started out doing really well with the whole potty training thing, but has lost her momentum this last week. She still wants to wear underpants, and not diapers, but she doesn't want to go on the potty. She just holds it.

I don't think it's a coincidence that she's also started complaining about her tummy hurting, this past week. At first it was just during the day, and sometimes she would feel better if she ate (so I thought maybe she was just figuring out what hungry feels like). But last night she was up for 2 hours, crying on and off (she hasn't woken up during the night since she was 6 months old).

We brought her into bed with us, and tried to get her to go to sleep. She wouldn't. So I laid on the floor near her crib for a long time. She still wouldn't go to sleep. She just cried, and said her tummy hurt. I wanted to talk to the dr today, and see if she needs to be checked for a bladder infection, or something like that. She says her tummy feels better today, so I'm not super worried about it, but I still want to know.

I also wonder if this could just be her way of handling all the changes in her life lately. We've moved twice in the last 4 months, and are in a completely different state now. Not to mention that Allie is mobile now, and always in Becca's business. Maybe this is how she's venting her frustrations? I don't know. I just wish I knew what to do to help the little bug. Any ideas?

*Humidity is something else. I knew that it was kind of annoying in the summertime-you can't walk out of your house without wondering why you spent any time at all doing your hair. (Because it is now matted down all over your head). I forgot what it's like when it's cold. It goes right to your bones. Michigan has the kind of cold where you just need to sit in front of a fire to get warmed up. I'm used to CO weather...where 50 degrees is warm out, because the sun is shining. (And it's dry)

*God is good. All the time. He really is. There is no way that I could look at the events in my life, in the last year, and not see His hand in everything. Why do I ever worry? Why am I even thinking about houses so much? He cares about those details, too. I need to just wait for His direction.

*I have actually cooked meals every night this week. This is a big improvement from cooking 1 night last week. I've made some decent meals, too. Last night I made smothered chicken. It was yummy. Why don't I cook like that more often? I always mean to. When we were going through our pre-marital counseling, the woman doing it said that I should have a meal ready every night. And not just have it ready, but make it look nice. Soft music, candlelight, not putting the food on the table in the dish it was cooked in. It sounded easy enough. Ha!! I think I'm definitely not living up to that part of the agreement. (And as a side note-we had dinner at her daughter's house last week. She made this really good chicken tetrazini. She had candles on the table, lit them, and played soft music. Everything was perfect. I asked her if she always cooked like this, and she said 'yes'. I'm in awe, folks. In awe.)

*I really haven't missed watching TV over the summer. I kind of liked not having any commitments, actually. But it feels good to have some of our favorites back. We watched 'The Office' last night, and are looking forward to 'Friday Night Lights' tonight. It's relaxing...cozying up to my hubby on the couch, eating popcorn, and watching our favorite shows.

*I haven't bought the girls Halloween costumes yet. I wish I was one of those mothers who knew how to sew, and could make them costumes. But I'm not (at least, not yet). So for now, I buy them at Old Navy. Hopefully there's still something cute left.

*Have any of you heard about Jessica Seinfeld's book 'Deceptively Delicious'? I saw a few minutes of her on Oprah the other day. It looks pretty genius. She's all about making purees out of veggies, and hiding them in your children's food. Now, I'm all for teaching your kids to make healthy choices on their own. But there are some things that kids just won't eat. And heck...it would be good for me, too!! Might have to check it out.

*Allie loves to dance. It cracks me up. If there is music playing, this girl is bopping. Actually, it doesn't even have to be music. I can clap my hands, or say a nursery rhyme, and she just gets her groove on. The funniest thing about her is that she does it completely deadpan. Her expression doesn't change...she just starts to dance like she can't control it. You can't watch it, and not smile.

Okay...I think I've cleared enough cobwebs out of my head so that I can finish the rest of my day in peace. Thanks for listening!