The Yorktown Owens

the world needs more love letters

2012-02-22T23:42:00.002-06:00

I have an amazing job. I get paid to teach people magic.

Here's a pic of me, teaching people magic.

Last week, I was super elated when a colleague/friend messaged me on Facebook to tell me she'd overheard a student talking about my class. Specifically, he was saying something about how unconventional my teaching methods are...and how much he appreciates that.

I've been with Tulsa Community College in one capacity or another for about seven years, and in that time, my experience as both a classroom instructor and an instructional specialist has affected me perhaps even more profoundly than my students at times. Never was this more true for me than when a former student, now a nurse, made special arrangements to gain entry to the O.R. where Lucy was delivered in April last year, holding my hand and offering support through what was for me a terrifying experience after nearly losing my life due to complications from Arthur's caesarean section in 2008, giving the comfort that only a woman can as I struggled to overcome an embarrassing anxiety attack.

This is what I do this for, I remind myself now as I stand before each classroom.

I've always known there is a magic to language, and that magic, like the wands at Hogwarts, is infused with power.

Language can be almost telepathic.

Language can save lives.

Language can destroy and build and tear down walls.

To harness this power is a gift.

I try to remind my students of this as often as I can. Few things give me the twitches more than teachers who don't relate what the students are learning to the journey that lies ahead of them...the whole cocoon metamorphosis thing. But thinking of Wendi, my former student-nurse, I can't let go of that image.

That's why when I first stumbled upon Hannah Brencher's beautiful concept for filling the world with random spontaneous acts of kindness in the form of that magic at her site The World Needs More Love Letters, I was enchanted with the idea. She encourages people to write letters to strangers, sending their positive energy out into the universe.

Magic. Beautiful, linguistic magic.

I knew immediately this was going to happen in my classroom. It had to. It was so in line with my teaching.

I knew my students were up to the challenge. After all, they do stuff like this:

(that's me in the pink shawl)

This was their assignment:

And here's what happened.

(That's me in the pink hair there holding the sign. I promise we were all really having a good time...it was just like the fifth camera take!)

Altogether, we put out about 50 random letters all over campus and a few off-campus.
For many students, the experience was not just a way of connecting with others, but reflecting on their own experiences, their own fears and accomplishments.

In a way, they were encouraging themselves.

The best part? I have run into a few people who told me how they came across random letters of encouragement on campus. The library staff came across one and taped it up on the reference desk. And I even found one in a book just a few days ago. Students are reading them and then moving them for others to see! How amazing is that?

So what are you waiting for? Go write a love letter!!!

(a very, very special thank you to my students for participating in this project and letting me post about it. You are all a.ma.zing. You are the reason I do what I do).

Rainbow Road bracelet

2012-02-09T09:46:00.003-06:00

My lovely friend Cassie Angel made this Rainbow Road for me, explaining that when she thinks of me she thinks of bright colors. She is a very talented local jewelry artist and I hope to work with her very soon on our super top secret project. Sssshhhhh.

Isn't it lovely? If you would like one, message me and I will get you her contact info.

cute big easy updo

2012-01-30T08:50:00.002-06:00

I really enjoy wearing my hair up, but I really don't have time to primp. That's why finding easy ways to make my hair look like I put an hour into it make my heart flutter.

I really love the look I wore yesterday so much that I wanted to post instructions and pics here.

This is so easy you won't believe it.

Instructions:

Step one: Depending on how long, thick your hair is, you may need something like a Bumpit. Dumbest name ever, but it's a handy little product. Mine isn't that long right now, so I used two of them on the top.

If your hair is a bit longer and thicker, all you need to do for step one is tease/backcomb your roots, flip your hair upside down, spray, spray, spray with a high hold product--not so high that you get hair glue though--, let it dry, and then pull a section of your hair forward to "store" it for a sec. Pull another section of about two inches diameter from just past the front, the middliest middle, and twist it into the puffiest, biggest bun you can gather...a bun like this one, which can be achieved by twisting a sock into your hair or just poofing the crap out of it.

For me, I pulled the first section forward, then stuck a Bumpit further back on my head because I was going for a thickness near the back of my head. You can even using a second Bumpit, or a third, if you are going for a Marie Antoinette kind of deal.

Step two: Brush the hair from the front very flat, pulling it as wide as possible. Brush it over you bun or bump, then as you pull it behind the bun/bump, give it a little forward push for some extra volume, then bobby pin into place. You may also need to pull hair forward over the bump, but cover the bump as much as possible.

Step three: Leaving the sides out, pull a second small pony directly underneath your bump. Repeating the process above, make a thick loose bun, pull taught while pushing upward, and spray like a bitch.

Step four: In varying medium to small sections, using a smooth brush, pull sections of your hair across and over the bumps, brushing them flat as you go, pinning them into place.. Mix it up by throwing a loose braid or twist in there every now and then....not too many...and above all, spray the crap out of your hair.

Voila. You have an aesthetically pleasing configuration of hair that humans go nuts over.

how to get the perfect shade of lighter pink, lavender, lilac, blue, et cetera, for you hair

2012-01-29T23:06:00.000-06:00

Maybe it's all the Rainbow Brite and Jem and My Little Pony schwag I consumed in the 80s as a genX child. I love coloring my hair unnatural colors. I've recently gone back to a more vivid pink, knowing that it will very soon fade into a pretty pastel. If you've ever done the Manic Panic thing, you probably know that pastels are really difficult to accomplish on your own...if you want true pastel highlights, you are almost better off shelling out the cheese for extensions. But if you want to cheat, do what I do between visits to my lovely friend and family stylist of about twelve years Corie Butler. Take a bottle of the bright color you want--I usually use two or more shades to get a kind of ombre effect, dying the ends first--and mix with conditioner until you get a pale version of what you are going for. Pinks last the longest, but all pastels will require upkeep between visits. I go in for my next appointment on Saturday, so we'll see how it looks before it's total hair makeover time.

By the way...if you adore funky hair but hate the idea of bleaching the sh+t out of your hair, Corie says you should try using oil pastels for a no-commitment color that will take over darker shades and light ones. Who knew? I can't wait to go all rainbow one day just for the heck of it.

And yes, I am the only pink-haired English teacher at the college...that I know of, at least.

Love letters to strangers

2012-01-14T23:33:00.002-06:00

I love writing because I love words. I love words because they mean something...they are useful tools with limitless power that when wielded can destroy or create.

Words are magic.

That's why I fell in love with this website. Hannah, the site's owner, is on a mission: writing love letters to people who need them in a world where love can be hard to find.

I am one of those crazy teachers who thinks she's in Mona Lisa Smile or Dead Poets Society. I can't help myself: if I ever dreamed I could change the world one sweet word at a time, this delusion was solidified when one of my former students held my hand as the doctors cut through the donor tissue that makes up my abdominal wall to bring my daughter into the light and her first breath of air.

That's why when I first came across The World Needs More Love Letters, I knew this would totally make its way into my classroom. When I told my super awesome film student friend Jabari Jackson about my assignment, he decided he'd do me one better: he's going to use his talents to get some footage of our experience. I'll be rolling out the writing project this week for my Comp I and Comp II classes.

Here's the assignment. I'll keep you posted on how it goes!

meditations

2012-01-14T21:35:00.001-06:00

I really love this little list I found on Pinterest. The original source is attributed on the list. I need to meditate on these things this week. When everything I do seems to go into the universe and never make its way back, I need to remind myself it's not about me.

let's stay together

2012-01-06T08:42:00.000-06:00

If you know me or have read my blog much at all, you know that my husband and I have been together a long. mother. effin. time.

We moved in together after the spring that I turned 21. I will turn 36 this next spring.

We did not put a lot of time into thinking about what we were doing, a luxury of youth. Time was on our side. If things didn't work out, I would still have time to move on and enjoy a lovely, optionally promiscuous rest of my twentysomethings. But things did work out. When you think about how young we are, it's hard to believe. We were really young. It was so long ago that--

1. We used to ask for Sunday nights off so we could watch the X-Files in its first run. Justin's big brother Brendan, now known as the Sarge, would leave his 101 dalmatian pajamas all the way in OKC to drive out to watch it with us. I was obsessed with the show. I had the book companion...it was my first foray into dorkdom. Ahem. Into fandom.

2. Justin had a bucket of quarters and a pager; I had a landline. Cell phones were still really big and most people didn't have them until a few years later. I used to accidentally wash his pager in the laundry. He would get super pissed and tell me how expensive it would be to replace; fortunately, it was nearly indestructible.

3. We had a waterbed with black satin sheets and thought this was awesome. It turned out to be less awesome as time went by. I am pretty sure time will tell that waterbeds are terrible for our spines (and romantic lives, but I don't really want to get into that).

4. I was thoroughly impressed by Justin's extensive CD collection. I was still mainly listening to cassette tapes.

5. I was also thoroughly impressed when we got the Internet. Before I moved in with Justin, I thought the Internet was something government agents used to communicate top secret info and break down spy rings. Of course, like everyone else, we had a dial-up connection. I would wait, wait, wait, for it to connect listening to the horrible worse-than-nails-on-a-chalkboard sound and finally the page would start to load and some jerk would invariably pick up the phone and knock us offline. I used the Internet to plan our wedding a few years later and thought it was the most amazing thing ever, and that was still when the web was pretty deep discount looking.

So that was a long time ago, right? I've seen lots of couples get together and break up and been to many weddings only to later be a victim of the brutal ceremonious friend division that comes with a breakup. Sometimes I wish more people would ask how we stayed together so long in an age where almost no on stays together. My cousin and her husband, who we lost earlier this year, seemed to have it figured out, and I know that will bring her comfort the rest of her life and be a blessing to their children. Our friends Melissia and Keith seem to have figured it out. Kate and Chris from St. Louis seem to have it figured out. Everyone else is still getting there, so we'll have to wait and see.

Here are some of the things I believe have kept us together. This is geared towards marriage, but of course could apply to any relationship. Good luck! The world needs more love in it.

1. Annual vacations. Every year we take at least one vacation and as many weekends away as we can. The first year we went to San Antonio, and we've gone someplace at least once each year. Even if you can only get a weekend away, think of it as an investment in your marriage. It's a way to hit the pause button on your life, and getting caught up in all the chaos of your life is what often makes us forget to prioritize our loves.

2. Taking a few minutes each day to talk. We don't always get to but when we can we do.

3. Prioritizing intimacy. If you don't connect physically, your emotions start to follow suit. Then you detach. Sex should be a place to put everything else aside and just connect on the most basic chemical level and is very important in a marriage.

4. Realizing that if there is some stuff about them making you crazy, guess what? There is some stuff about you making your partner crazy. This is normal. It's understanding that you have to put up with a certain amount of another human being's annoying qualities to be in a long-term relationship; you just have to ask yourself if your love for them outweighs your irritation. This is a question you ask in the beginning; you don't get to change your mind after ten years. I promise you, if it bugs you in the beginning, you won't train it out of them and it's not going to get better. If you make a commitment to be with someone, this is part of what that commitment means.

5. Understanding there are some battles you will never win, you will find yourselves having over and over and over, and that doing the same thing over and over and over with the same negative results reinforces bad energy in your relationship. Have a sense of humor about it, but pick your battles. Just be happy he is so handy with tools he can replumb the house, fix the washer and dryer and central heat, build a dollhouse, and deal with his inability to prioritize changing the bed linens. It's not going to happen so get over it. It's not worth wasting minutes of your life you'll wish you had back at the end of it.

6. Disallowing certain things. Don't ever talk about splitting up unless you are having a serious heart to heart in which it's an actual possibility...don't just throw it around. Don't call each other names. Don't give in to anything you'll regret later. This is a person you love and have committed your life to. Remember that you don't want to hurt them, even if you think you do at the time.

7. Disallowing jealousy. Jealousy is poison. If you have to go through his/her cell phone or email messages, you shouldn't be together. Period. You cross that line and you've brought something ugly into your home that will slowly poison your relationship. If another girl smiles at him, flirts with him, be proud that a man so fly is going home with you. If he smiles and flirts back and you know he's a cheater, why the heck you with him in the first place?

8. Find time for joy. We have been to hundreds of movies together and almost 300 live music shows. Dance, have fun, realize how short life is.

9. Don't reprogram your life for a person. If you find your friends, taste in music, taste in everything has changed, your relationship probably won't last forever and you're going to feel pretty empty when it's over.

10. Don't talk bad about that person to your friends when you are mad. Respect the special bond you have by keeping the trash talk out of it. Trust me, you'll regret it and your friends/family will never look at him the same way again.

11. Remember why you loved him/her in the first place. Write love letters or send texts reminding them of this. People step out because they aren't getting something at home. Make your home the center of love and joy. It should be the place they can't get enough of.

12. Have a short memory. Forget about why you were mad easily and never drudge up things that have long passed. You'll both be grateful.

13. Admit when you screwed up at least some of the time.

14. Laugh. A lot. Mostly at yourselves.

15. Love your children with all your hearts, but don't let them get between you. You and your husband/spouse should be at the center of the family. You are its foundation, its heart. Be committed to making that your biggest priority. You are modeling love for your kidz and every relationship they have will be based on how they see you interact.

16. Be affectionate. Don't be afraid to kiss in front of the kidz. It will give them security to know that you are in love with each other.

17. Celebrate your love as often as possible.

random downtown

2012-01-02T13:26:00.000-06:00

views from my office building

party of five

2012-01-01T22:39:00.001-06:00

As I mentioned briefly in my last post, our little nephew Noah has come to live with us for a while. I believe it took his parents a great deal of courage and faith in us to ask us to take him into our care, and we consider him as much a part of our family as Lu and Arthur whether he's living with us or someplace else. He is a wonderful boy with a smile that could melt any heart and a light, gentle but robust sense of humor. Going from three to five in six months has been a challenge, but we have always loved a noisy and happy home. Noah has some challenges of his own to face--he is showing symptoms similar to those of Reactive Attachment Disorder, although there could be any number of diagnoses, and his official assessment is still two weeks away. He needs extra special and constant attention, a very tightly structured schedule, and disciplinary methods which might at first seem counter-intuitive (e.g. "time-ins" as opposed to "time outs"--sitting near him and using calming techniques to get him to talk and open up; meditative techniques [closes eyes, imagines an ocean and counts to five]; remaining emotionally neutral in reaction to an outburst). But this family is like the Marines: we leave no man behind. We're all in this together. His parents and family friends are helping us build a support network for him, and I am amazed at how well he's doing.

(Isn't he the sweetest?)

I plan to blog more about cousin's condition and diagnosis in the future to help other caregivers.

One really cool thing about being a party of five is that game nights and movie nights are way more fun. I love being a mom, always have, but as much as I love the sweet baby snuggles and indiscernible ravings of toddlers, I have always looked forward to the excuse-for-a-second-childhood stage of my children's lives. You know, the part where they can play games and enjoy watching all the shows you grew up on and they're brand new to them!!! The part where their toys are so freaking cool that playing with them is a blast, and you totally want to cut work to hang out with your home skillets. Anyway, we've made it through the first of the Lord of the Rings (Arthur has a Frodo costume) and one Star Trek series (Frodo can name two captains), played some serious dress up, had some messy art parties, and played some awesome new puzzles and games (I am SO hooked on University Games!):

Paul Frank bingo. Easy picture bingo for little kids. We played the heck out of this at El Guapo's the other night!

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus. AWESOME!!!

And Eric Carle's ABC game (We love the Wii ABC game by the way).

Everything is at once a bigger hassle and a bigger blast. I was really quite proud of myself when I mastered getting three kids organized and out the door by myself for the first time for Philbrook's Festival of Trees. Turns out the more you practice, the easier it becomes.

Super Simple Revising Cheat Printable

2011-12-13T12:04:00.000-06:00

This idea isn't a completely novel one; I've seen similar ideas on the web and in other teaching materials. However, I created this one to specifically suit the needs of my writing students. Feel free to download and enjoy. Click on the image for the Google Docs download, and enjoy!

the flip side of oklahoma weather

2011-11-23T14:39:00.001-06:00

It's no secret that Oklahoma's weather is extreme. I don't really know what people from across the country think of when they think of Oklahoma, but I can pretty much guess that just as I involuntarily think of unshaven men in fishing pants when I picture Alaska and my mind's image of Florida is sprinkled with "elderly couples in mint Cadillac" confetti, I can probably assume the universal stereotypes of Oklahoma include some vague concept of a Southern Baptist theocracy in a Devil-went-down-to-Georgia battle with the ubiquitous Indian casinos and thousands of rubbernecking rednecks standing on their porches tornado watching.

And they would be kinda right on both counts.

I've lived in the city my whole life, and I'm indoctrinated to its ways. As I jaywalk to my car every evening, taking in the sounds of cars and trains and the electric buzzing of downtown, the comforting art deco giants looking down protectively, I find the thought of living in the midst of rural quiet a bit unsettling...a bit Deliverance. I'm not going to lie and pretend like I know much of anything about Oklahomans outside of the city. To my shame, when people begin listing off their tribally-named hometowns (Okemah, Coweta, Talladega), I realize my familiarity with most of them comes from watching the storm warnings roll across the bottom of the local news as I watch for Tulsa and pray the storm doesn't interrupt the broadcast of Community.

Most native Tulsans have the similar paradoxically warm childhood recollections of tornado warnings: being rushed into the bathroom, hallway, or (in our case) the "cubby hole" under the stairs, where we'd wait for hours sometimes, eating culinary abominations like canned cheese and chicken-n-a-biscuit crackers (a concept that defies the laws of God and man) while playing Monopoly or Clue by candlelight to the sound of sirens through wind until the storm passed. Honestly, storms are kind of fun to us.

Thunderstorms are kind of fun. Winter storms straight up suck. Case in point, last year's blizzard, when our central heat conveniently went on the fritz while we were snowed in for a week straight and our bath tub froze, literally a week after this sunny day picnic, and the devastating ice storm of 2007 (oddly and unfortunately, I was very pregnant for both of these events).

But even winter storms I can cope with. It's the Iraqi desert heat waves that make this place unbearable. This summer, for example, temperatures lingered over 100 hellish degrees from late June until the end of August in a record-breaking heat wave. On top of all the floods, droughts, microbursts like the one that flipped our neighbors' 18 foot trampoline onto their shed last year, ominous squall lines, golf-ball-sized hail, and other such miseries, the recent rash of earthquakes has prompted an even more menacing threat--a dramatic increase in talk of the "end times" inevitable in this part of the country (shudder).

But the truth is, anyone in 7th grade science can tell you that we live in the middle of the continent--in scientific terminology, the middle middle--near some pretty flat geography, where extreme weather is a fact of life. While it can be a drag, we do get surprised occasionally with unseasonably awesome days, as was the case last week. With three kiddos in the house now that Arthur's cousin Noah is going to be staying with us for a while, I took the hint, grabbing the stroller and a couple of bags for nature hunting.

It was an amazing day. Enjoy our pics.

Recent Kiddos

2011-11-17T04:58:00.001-06:00

Happy 70th bday to my father-in-law John Owen!

2011-11-13T18:00:00.001-06:00

"70"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Little Jay Kay

2011-11-07T23:15:00.000-06:00

Here are a few shots of Art-e rocking a look inspired by Jay Kay in one of my favorite videos of all time.

a good night

2011-10-26T07:41:00.001-05:00

Flaming Lips at the Brady with my sweet boyfriend. Awesome excuse to wear my March of 1000 Flaming Skeletons outfit, which earned me huge props and of which I do not have an image to post.

Printable Lecture Notes Cheat

2011-09-15T10:33:00.000-05:00

As a writing teacher at Tulsa Community College, I often find that students have trouble knowing how to get started taking notes. With those students in mind, I created this handy (and cute) little handout for helping students get going on the whole notetaking thing. It also works for church notes, seminars, business meetings. Please feel free to download the document here and enjoy.

Cheers!

kids

2011-09-11T12:47:00.002-05:00

Lucy in a romper I wore

2011-08-27T08:27:00.000-05:00

I love that some of Lucy's clothes were mine when I was a baby. She's such a little precious peach in this ruffle-bottom romper.

Cute kid pics, August edition

2011-08-24T22:29:00.000-05:00

When I was a little girl, my parents took a f---ton pictures of my brother and I with the polaroid camera and we did the obligatory seasonal Olan Mills trip. I hated the studio portraits because I couldn't then and still can't smile on request. My smiles were skin-crawlingly creepy. I am glad to now live in an age were it doesn't take a roll of film to get a decent shot and we can take as many home photos as we want and some of the time they are as nice as studio pics. My next goal for this year is to take a photography class so my pics can be amazing. Meantime, for having our camera out of commission, it's pretty freaking awesome to be able to take a half-decent shot, or shall I say a shot that rivals anything my old purple 110 could have caught, with my phone. I love living in the future!

Becoming his own man

2011-08-16T22:29:00.000-05:00

I love this shot of Arthur. He loves scary things...loves them. Haunted mansions, The Dark Crystal, ghosts, aliens, skeletons, crystal balls, Tim Burton. He loves all that stuff...definitely our progeny. For this photo, I asked him to make his scared face. I think he did a pretty good job.

When you wait 12 years as a couple to reproduce, you put a lot of thought into the weight of what having children means. I truly believe that as Arthur and Lucy's parents, it's our job to help them find who they are and become the best version of that they can. But actually seeing that happen...well, it blows my mind every single day.

There are so many things that make Arthur his own man. He quotes "The Raven" and can tell you it's by Edgar Allan Poe. He actually thinks the raven's name is "Quoth" (because the poem goes "Quoth the raven"), but nonetheless, he loves it. He eats (rather well) with chopsticks:

And he knows the names of several Star Trek species and all the major characters from Star Wars.

I love the way he takes all his toys and creates elaborate scenarios with them, sending them on missions and having parties and such. I love that he plays with cars and with dolls equally. Hell, his cars and dolls go to parties together. I love that he dances and plays drums and makes up his own songs and stories. I love that he uses words like "actually" and uses the adverb "well" rather than "good" ("I don't do that very well") and that he loves tuna mac as much as he loves pizza. He enjoys helping us cook, and anytime we wash dishes by hand, he immediately brings his little chair up to the sink to help us. I especially love how he's starting to fill the role of big brother (protector, caretaker, teacher, friend):

I know these guys are going to be so close. I just can't wait to see who Lucy will become.

Pictorial family update

2011-08-16T09:05:00.001-05:00

The baby is growing like a weed; she wears 12 month clothing at 4 months old.

Arthur is starting to really love having a baby sister.

Sneaking some love when no one is looking

Lots of playing dress-up for the fun of it

Hanging out at the VFW

Extra people in our bed

Learning new things

Quiet moments are rare these days

Grocery shopping as a family is more of an outing than an errand these days

Constant laughter all over the house

Free Tulsa 2011 Pics

2011-08-13T18:30:00.000-05:00

If there's anything you've learned from reading this blog, it's that Yorktown Owens are some music-loving freaks. We had such a great time last year that I was super excited to take the kids this year. Since Justin would have to meet me there again (he is a fine dining server at Chalkboard Restaurant when he's not busy rocking his GPA and working as a full time stay-at-home-dad), I needed a better system for toting kids around, so I picked up one of these awesome strollers:

It's a Joovy Caboose: Little rides up front, Big rides on a seat in back. Simple, light, easy to use, and very appropriate for the kids' ages, since three and a half is old enough that sitting in a traditional stroller feels a bit baby-ish, but hanging on the back of sister's stroller is perfectly fine.

Turns out there's much stashability factor, too,since I kind of have a reputation for not packing light. Plus, these freaking cloth diapers take up a lot of room (I still haven't had a chance to make that post...turns out Princess Lu has a very, very sensitive bottom; we have had a crash course in cloth diapering). The diaper bag can squash down on the baby's seat under the spot where the car seat is placed and there's another compartment under the boy's seat. Add the mommy hook and we're golden. For this event, we packed:

toys for boy and girl

glow sticks (for tracking errant children with in the dark)

Z bars and clif bars

thick blankets to sit on

baby supplies

hearing protection for little ears

bribes. never leave home without them! stickers are good ones.

extra clothes for kids

swaddler

plenty of water and juice for little boy & little friends

jammies. They'll fall asleep in the car on the way home if not sooner.

backpack carrier

peanut shell sling

Tiffany and baby Lu

River showing Artie how the real art is done

Taeh

Zoe and Lucy

Missy

Zach M. seemed to be having a jolly time

And that's why we have the backpack carrier. It's been a lifesaver.

My homegirlz. Very rarely do we all get to hang out together, so seeing both of them pretty much made my week.

Discipline chart

2011-08-13T11:55:00.000-05:00

You can probably tell by the blog post deficit around here that I am super busy after returning to work. Golly, you'd think they missed me or something.

Anyway, I have been meaning to post a little something about how we handle discipline around here because I know it's something that makes most parents crazy. Fortunately, I learned a few things as a pre-k/kindergarten teaching assistant and in the days when I was watching my friends' kids around 3-5 years B.K. (B.K..=before kids), I got rather hooked on watching those nanny shows. I never felt okay on a personal level with swatting/spanking...I've rarely seen anyone who could execute this disciplinary choice with stoic Vulcan emotions, and I don't like the idea of taking out your emotions/anger on the kids, who are simply making mistakes to learn. You can't learn without making mistakes and pushing boundaries. Our job as parents is to protect them and to set boundaries and help children come to respect them.

Putting aside any Foucauldian issues I have with the word "discipline," I want to show you one of my favorite approaches, and it works very well. We used it at Bryant Elementary when I worked there.

Cousin Noah is on this chart too because he and Arthur are tight homies and he's at our house often. Both boys get a clothespin. This would look way cooler if I wasn't pouring most of my creativity energy into work projects right now, but it's functional and that's what matters.

The color system is easy for a three-year-old to understand, and the emoticon faces are there because since the kids can't read, I felt it wasn't fair to use words they can't decipher and expect them to remember them.

Here's what happens: at the end of the day, if anyone is on green, he gets a sticker and can move forward on his game board.

Obviously, this was the starter board for the kids to kind of come to grips with the concept...the next will need to be bigger/more complex or we'll be shelling out prizes all the time. Notice the fourth day on green gets candy, the seventh gets ice cream, et cetera, until they reach the top prize, a toy. I just used random clip art from the web and colored paper and posterboard to put this together. Because there are two boys, until they both come to recognize their own names I've made it easier by putting their pictures at the top.

Picking out stickers is fun; we let the kids pick out their own and stick them on. This is also a good time to teach working toward goals and talk about how proud you are of them and what they are doing very well at and need to work on, just generally showing your appreciation for how hard they are trying. Encouragement is a very important part of this process.

One final note about the red-yellow-green system is that kids LOVE to be on green. There could be no prize and they want to be on green. Little kids thrive on rules and order because it gives them a sense of stability, as long as the rules and order are positive reinforcement.

Super cute giveaway from across the pond

2011-07-06T18:54:00.000-05:00

I found my UK soul sister recently at Style Fashion Vintage Baby. She has a terrific giveaway with a sweet little purple handbag full of lovely goodies. Check it out here.

Featured on Offbeat Bride

2011-06-18T12:59:00.000-05:00

Remember when we were featured on Offbeat Mama for our little Bonnaroo baby Arthur?

Our recommitment ceremony got a mention on Offbeat Bride this week. Hurray!

Our Reaffirmation Ceremony Part 2

2011-06-16T18:00:00.002-05:00

This was such a fun and amazing night, and we were so glad to have such lovely people present.

Arthur under the carport wishing to high heaven he could just get some cake already.

Lauren and Isaiah. Lauren is a librarian and a terrific one at that. They are a super cute couple.

Lauren, Isaiah and Charley with excellent seats for the ceremony.

Maynard had a pretty good seat.

Lucy with her Papi.

The rope is full of knots tied by our guests, each imbued with love, meditation, prayers and happy thoughts of all of our guests.

Justin cakephotobombing my pic with Kisha. I loved that he kept his rope on all night.

Alex was awfully sweet snuggling the baby.

White knots for marital equality...we believe that anyone who loves each other should be able to marry, regardless of gender.

Greta rocking her knot.

As night fell, woodland creatures and fairies began to appear.

Arthur's bff Jace

Left to right: me, Tina, Kisha, Greta, Taeh. These are four of the best women anywhere!

I adore this pic of Kisha and J.

I can't believe it's been 14 years.

Thank you for letting us share our special day with you!

Our Reaffirmation Ceremony & 10 Year Wedding Anniversary Party Part 1: Decorations

2011-06-03T18:43:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to finally post these pics. We had such an amazing party thanks to all our wonderful family and friends. We want to give our special thanks to those who made it possible: Tina Johnson, Kisha Beckwith-Farrell, Autumn and Hailey Gough, and Taeh Ward, who helped with decorations and planning; Bryan Fix, who provided the cakes; Erick Ballard, Taeh Ward and Lauren Ajamie, who provided photos, and my dad and Taeh for the video of the ceremony; the Diggs family, who helped with the kids while we scrambled to put everything together; Kisha, for her role as our officiant and in planning the ceremony; and Craig Chase and Tina, for participating in the ceremony as our support.

We wanted our party to be bright, whimsical, and cheery, inspired by our favorite band, The Flaming Lips: every Lips show is a glittery journey into happy color, sound and soul-piercing joy.

Originally, we'd planned the party at a downtown venue. Later, we decided to change our plans and have a three-day bash like the one we had when we were married. But during the last half of my pregnancy, I ended up taking on a double workload when we my lab co-coordinator left the college on extended leave and then later retired, so my planning time was badly crunched. Ultimately, with all the challenges we faced and the unexpected, heartbreaking loss of a family member, we decided to tone it down and at the last minute, moved the party to our backyard. In the 12 years we've owned this house, we've never done anything with our backyard, and we were concerned that we wouldn't be able to pull off a small, sweet ceremony and reception back there with such short notice (and with a one-month-old infant!), but we managed it, and it was perfectly wonderful.

Justin and I created these tissue paper flowers together using a tutorial from Intimate Weddings and all of the bright colored tissue paper from Lucy's rainbow baby shower.

The papel picado is from our annual family vacay to fake Mexico at EPCOT in Walt Disney World, but can be picked up online easily. You can also make it with this tutorial from Journey into Unschooling. We strung it across our clothesline...er...thingys. What do you call those? Anyway, it was pretty.

I tied ribbon on the fence between the paper flowers and we lined up benches and lawn furniture (including little kid chairs). We draped pretty linens (including this Liberty of London print in the foreground) over the benches and placed the chiminea and fire pit in the circle.

Even before we had kids, we always felt it important that kids have just as good a time as adults as our guests. The horse was a huge hit; other touches included a small art table and a dress-up basket (for kids and adults). The small table in the background includes a basket full of Burt's Bees Herbal Insect Repellent and sunblock to keep our guests safe and comfy.

Around the corner out of sight, providing an outdoor baby changing station, is the awesome bright red Rock Star Baby pack and play given to us by Erick

The beauty of our backyard party is that we had a terrific, breezy shelter from the sun in our carport. Justin was a little skeptical about putting a buffet table under our carport, but it turned out to be the perfect spot.

We hung brightly colored lanterns from the ceiling with all kinds of ribbon and lace and used vintage linens and lace over pink tablecloths provided by Justin's mom, Betsey. I nailed iridescent lavender and lilac fabric to the open wall and cute floral prints to the side of the house.

I made these pretty hearts using scrap paper with ribbon, rick rack and even bias tape. Some are stamped with "amor" and "love." They got a little tangled in the wind, but thank goodness in Oklahoma for wind in May!

The table was covered with loads of things that make us happy, including photos of me and Justin, pretty vintage candle holders and vases, blue glass stones, lavender hearts, and 1976 quarters Justin has given me as love tokens through the years. That's my garter from the wedding draped across our wedding photo.

We used all kinds of random vintage dishes and baskets for holding food and tableware.

Note the bottle of Franzia chillable red. When we were 21 and the Jamestown Proto-Owens rather than the Yorktown Owens, we drank the heck out of that stuff.

All in all, it was a lovely, whimsical, kitschalicious backyard re-hitching.

Pics of the ceremony and party coming soon!

Peace.

The Owens

More funky awesome baby shoes avec le bling

2011-06-03T00:16:00.000-05:00

These shoes were never going to be white again, so instead of throwing them away, I made them pink and added some sparkle.

The pic doesn't do them justice...they are covered with the cutest iridescent sparkles.

These Hello Kitty crocs were looking pretty rough. Again, the pic doesn't do them justice, but I added a little marbleized paint and glitter, and now they are ready for Lucy's first Flaming Lips show, in the TBD future, Just add some super soft furry bunny ears and she's ready for the ball!

More Glitterfied shoes

2011-06-02T13:15:00.000-05:00

I just can't stop myself.

I love these old flats, but I've had them since I taught kindergarten. Since I've been at TCC for about 6 years, that's while ago. In shoe years, that's like geriatric. I could never bring myself to throw them out because they are awesome. Flats are like the flag corps of shoes, heels being the cheerleaders, stilettos being the slutty hot chicks we are all secretly jealous of and want to be. I love heels, but I am a bare feet kind of girl, and after all, I am a book geek who works in a library. But these shoes had a little something special going on; I can't explain it, but they transcended the typical flatness of flats.

But I couldn't even remember the last time I'd worn them.

Then as I was evening Croc-ing Lucy's holey plastic marvels of modern fashion science, it occurred to me.

Before long, well, bling-a-ding-ding.

Look how pretty! Soon, they will sparkle their way past the reference section and into the hearts of my writing center students. Or not. Anyway, I love them.

Forgive my still-swollen postpartum feet. I gain no weight but my feet carry a Big Gulp of water each after my babies for about two months.

Oh, but hello, pretty red pettiskirt. You make it all better.

Evening crocs

2011-06-02T12:50:00.000-05:00

Crocs are gross. Sorry, crocs fans. They are. They are the plastic birkenstoks of the 2000s.

The birkenstoks of the 2011s are Toms, also gross.

Basically, it's a lazy shoe that people feel okay wearing because everyone else wears them, even though we all know it's just plain wrong, like when a roomful of people sort of gradually fall into an episode of sloppy binge drinking. Everyone knows they shouldn't be doing it, but one or two people said to hell with it, it's the weekend, then the next couple of people said, well, hey, why, not, and so on and so forth.

We'll all regret it when we look back on the photos. It's an excuse to wear slippers outside of the house.

That said, I own a pair of crocs. Gross as they are, they are some of the best possible shoes to have in Bonnaroo mud.

Anyway, Lucy has a pair of navy Crocs by donation. And I thought if anyone can rock the Croc, it's miss Lu.

So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you....

drum roll please...

...evening Crocs! Perfect for that evening on the town that might just end in champagne and gardening!

Some of my favorite makeup in my two favorite looks

2011-06-02T00:27:00.000-05:00

Romantic Boho Princess

Revlon Pure Confection Highlighting Powder

Maybelline Moisture Extreme Candied Apple

Image borrowed from audreydao.com

L'Oreal H.I.P. Shocking Eye Shadow Pigments in Restless

Loose, iridescent shadow

L'Oreal H.I.P. Crystal Shadow Duo in Mystical

http://beautyblitz.com/insider_tricks/detail.aspx?id=1235810

MAX Factor Vivid Impact Eyeshadow Duo Moody Mint

L.A. Colors Shimmering Loose Eye Shadow in Lollipop

L'Oreal HIP Pure Pigment Stick

in Dazzling

Revlon Nail Enamel in Minted

Cosmic Girl

L'Oreal HIP Pure Pigment Stick in Exhilarating

L'Oreal H.I.P. Metallic Shadow Duo in Platinum

This is the first and only true brilliant silver shadow I've found that wasn't a boutique line.

L'Oreal H.I.P. Shocking Eye Shadow Pigments in Valiant

L.A. Colors Shimmering Loose Eye Shadow in Snow White

MAX Factor Vivid Impact Mascara Duo Pink & Black

Bloody Mary's Purple Mascara from Hot Topic

I want to say a couple of things about Hot Topic. First, I have read a couple of mentions of Hot Topic as "gothy" or for those who prefer "the darker side." Yet it's pretty much a raver's paradise. I kind of think that the only place that offers purple mascara and my favorite hair dye, Fish Bowl, along with a striking array of Lolita-inspired clothes and character undies is hardly dark. I'm just sayin.

Second, Bloody Mary's mascara pretty much sucks balls. It's kind of dry after a few uses and doesn't seem to have been produced by anyone with actual experience in cosmetics. That said, it's freaking purple mascara, and it does have a bit of a shimmery quality that makes that first use worth the eight bucks and the awkward conversation with the high school kids who think it's awesome you have rainbow hair at your age and your baby is rocking a onesie that says, "I think I just shit my pants."

True story.

Back to school

2011-06-01T11:21:00.000-05:00

...like Rodney Dangerfield,.

Going back to work tomorrow means saying good-bye to baby snuggles and beer with lunch and the simple pleasure of folding laundry on my own time, not 1 AM. I know that being a stay-at-home parent is a real job and that it's very hard at times, but it's a job where you are with the people you love most all day long, you make the rules and even if your kids are very busy, you make the schedule to some degree. You take a day off if you need it, and while not always possible, taking a nap when you need it won't potentially cost you your family's livelihood.

I love maternity leave. I never want to go back to work. I want to stay home and sell vintage boudoir on my new etsy store Bessie Mae and on finishing up my glamping guide. Crafting, cooking and writing on my own schedule, playing with the kiddos: this life is the best.

Even with the surgery pain and the reverse cycling, being a stay-at-home mom was everything I dreamed it would be and more. I don't want it to end.

Of course, Justin is a terrific stay-at-home Daddo. And I love my job. I adore it. Helping students is one of the most rewarding jobs a person can have. Still, I will miss everyone here like crazy. I am extremely lucky to live close enough to come home in a flash if I am needed or if I have a sudden mommy meltdown.

Pretty floral hair wreaths

2011-05-30T02:46:00.000-05:00

My fashion inspirations may seem like an odd mix to many: Gwen Stefani, Erykah Badu, Joss Stone, Queen Elizabeth I, Dita von Teese, Alexander McQueen, and Laura Ashley.

I recently added a new favorite, Audrey Kitching. She's so super cute. I love clicking through her hair pics alone.

Now check out this awesome headband tutorial from her blog. Matter of fact, Audrey is really, really into floral headbands. I am extra into large, awesome stuff to wear on one's head ever since I fell in love with Ban.do.

Remember the pretty floral wreath I made for my wedding in 1997? Or remember those fairy princess birthday tiaras I made for my cousin's birthday a few years ago?

Using our day excursion to the Renaissance Festival in Muskogee as my excuse, I worked diligently into the night making some new goodies.

Thus inspired, this time I used a soft, thick nylon baby headband for Lucy. I attached pieces of bright colored tulle and ribbons, then hot glued flowers. I tested to make sure the inside was still soft and comfy for baby girl's head as I went along. Obviously, this isn't something your baby would rock all day or all the time, but it is a great prop for a photo shoot.

Some of the flowers had wonderful little opalescent beads on the ends of their stems that looked like tiny bubbles. For safety reasons that should be obvious, I actually disassembled them and added a dab of hot glue, then slid them back into their little holes carefully. Despite all my efforts, I burned the hell out of myself...while putting the glue gun away.

For my adult version, I wanted it to be expandable and was more concerned with cuteness than comfort. I used floral wire, twisting about four pieces together to get a decent base to work on, then wrapped with floral tape, and finally with ribbon. For these wreaths, I used a sheer ivory.

All of the supplies for today's project came from Dollar Tree, mainly because we were there procuring pirate swords.

Anyway, Tina wanted yellow and white to match her dress, so I next cut and tied small pieces of white ribbon and tulle on the wreath, just as I did with the baby's.

Next, I selected my flowers and hot glued to high heaven. Here's the finished product.

Finally, I twisted the end of the wire into little loops to slide the ribbon through, cut two long lengths of ribbon, slid them through the little loops and applied a dab of hot glue to each end where the ribbon folds in half, This way, the wreath is adjustable.

New life for ugly baby headbands

2011-05-29T23:13:00.000-05:00

My girlfriend Taeh calls those horrid little baby headbands "brain squeezers," as pictured below:

Lucy inherited loads of them, and bless her little bald head, just looks plain silly in them. So I did what any mommy would do...I fancied them up a bit!

Get the tutorial here.

Pimped out baby shoes

2011-05-25T11:53:00.000-05:00

So...I am a bit of a hoarder.

Not like the ones on TV. More like the grandma who hangs on to every coupon since 1989 kind of hoarder. I just can't throw away anything that might possibly be useful in the future, no matter how remote the possibility, so that despite the fact that we have probably two dozen pairs of infant shoes that we've either purchased or received as gifts or hand-me-downs, I've been hanging onto some of Arthur's more unisex shoes as well.

So I decided to bling them out a bit, along with a couple pairs of the more drab second-hand shoes, using glitter paint and old nail polish, seriously, and ended up with shoes suitable for a mini Katy Perry.
Here's what we've ended up with:

Recommitment Ceremony Prep

2011-05-20T01:58:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pics of preparations I've made for our ceremony on Saturday. We'd originally planned a big bash at a local venue, but decided in recent months it might be best to tone it down with the new girl arriving just five weeks before. However, throwing a smaller backyard party means more work, so here's some of what we've been up to.

White knots for equality

We used a variety of ribbons, more "masculine" fabrics and lace

Loads of these hearts for hanging

Pretty paper flowers to match our papel picado:

We always like to have a big basket of dress-up clothes for the kids and grown-ups to play with (just like at a Flaming Lips show)

You'll just have to wait and see what this is for:

Really...more kid pics.

2011-05-20T00:05:00.000-05:00

Blogger ate my boob vampire post

2011-05-13T14:35:00.000-05:00

I wrote a really awesome, amazing post about my little boob vampire.

Blogger ate it.
And yes...I saved as I went, but blogger still ate it.

So for now, cute kid pics. I hate "Look How Freaking Cute My Kids Are Cause I Don't Have a Life" blogs, but honest to god, I don't have a life outside of breastfeeding and daydreaming about hygiene. So gratuitous family pics. Eat 'em up, YUM!

Arthur and cousin Noah at El Guapo's

Yoshimi-inspired pink robot made by our friend Cassie Angel

Arthur's Hide-and-Go-Seek fail

Artie dressed up to see Thomas the Train Live (or something like that) with his Mimo and Papi

Artie at Joe Momma's

And finally, Arthur's new favorite toy...a 25-piece Disney Clubhouse puzzle he can finish in about 20 minutes flat. What a smartie pants!

Family of Four

2011-05-13T14:23:00.000-05:00

Lucy & Friends

2011-05-13T14:08:00.000-05:00

More random baby pics of Lucy and some of the new people she's met. The great thing about being a baby is that everyone you meet is a new friend.

Amelia, Michael and Carole's littlest girl (the others are grown now, though they weren't when we met them, which is kind of weird)

With Taeh, at Joe Momma's Pizza

Angelica from TCC

Hailey, our neighbor

Arthur's school pals. He loved telling everyone, "You've got to see this. Look at her ittle feet!"

Easter Pics

2011-05-13T13:32:00.000-05:00

Life, the Universe, and Lucy

2011-04-24T10:53:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter!

It's been a surreal couple of weeks. The days before Lucy's birth moved like molasses. Thank goodness for good friends and the River's Edge.

We were heartbroken to find out that our cousin's husband, a 35-year-old father of three beautiful children, was killed in a car accident this week. I can't calculate the time Justin and I have spent thinking about him and his family. We love them so much and are just blown away at the strength my cousin has in this terrible time. I keep thinking that for every sadness in the world, there is something beautiful, and I've never had more poignant a reminder than this week. Please think of my cousins and send them all your positive energy and prayers. I am so grateful to have known Austin and been part of his spiritual journey. I know he would have adored this little girl.

I am counting my blessings more than ever today.

And isn't she just perfect?

One of my favorite parts about Lucy's birth was seeing all those friends and family make a new (little) friend.

This is my grandma Naomi Ruth Roe. I am sad my Grandpa John couldn't be here to meet the little girl.

...and her brother, Harold. Lucy loved him.

Dr. B, our family pediatrician.

Angelica, who lives up to her name, is a sugarcube of a girl who works in the dean's office. She came by to help me with the kids since Justin started his new job the Monday after I came home from the hospital. Check out that pretty smile! I think Lucy was very taken with her (and vice versa).

Arthur was very disappointed that Lucy was so little. "She's not apposed to be that little!" He protested. He was expecting more of a companion. I caught him trying to coax her into getting up and crawling, poor kid. Thankfully, he's started to settle into his big brother role. I sneaked this pic when he didn't think I was looking.

Not long before Lucy's birth, Justin told me our fortunes were about to change. After three years of layoffs and heartache, I hoped he was right. The week Lucy was born, he received two good job offers. Starting a new job the week Lucy arrived was kind of crazy, but we are happy to see our luck is changing.

Lucy's finally here!

2011-04-17T17:09:00.000-05:00

Thanks to the fabulous Camera Tamera for taking such lovely photos!

Random Cute Arthur

2011-04-09T08:01:00.000-05:00

Hard to believe he was just a little baby not so long ago. Now he's the big brother!

Arty with Artie in the Yardy

2011-04-08T09:12:00.000-05:00

I am not much of an artist...I spent all of my middle school art class in the corner of the room laughing with my girlfriend Dusti and some cute Asian Buddhist kid. But who doesn't love to play with colors and paint?

When it's very nice outside, I sometimes drag all of our fun art supplies out to the lawn and bring the neighbor kids over.

This week, I worked on Lucy's memory book. I love making these silly little memory books from blank journals, painting the pages with gesso and paint to thicken them up and give them a little texture before I hit them with my ninja sharpies, adding glitter, old greeting cards, stamps, etc. They aren't masterpieces, but they are as fun to fill in as they are to make. Arthur helped me paint the pages (between his twin unicorn paintings) and add glitter, stamps, stickers and other clip art.

Anyway, it will be nowhere near complete before Lucy comes home from the hospital, but that's all right...I will have something fun and easy to work on while on maternity leave!

Five days left: Lucy's room chronology

2011-04-06T21:29:00.002-05:00

This has been a chaotic, crazy process building a bedroom for our little girl in such short time on a very tight budget. We couldn't have done it without the help of our friends and family.

I am happy to say that our tight budget days are soon to be over; after nearly three years of struggling after not one but two layoffs, Justin has a solid, well-paid full time job starting the week after Lucy is born. Things are looking up for us.

Anyway, the first step in getting Lucy's ready was moving our bed into the "closet," the little sideroom next to our bedroom, so that we could store Lucy's baby gear in our bedroom.

Next, we addressed the ceiling problem in Lucy's room. This room had been added on to the back of the house and the ceiling was badly damaged, so several years ago, Justin and I took a hatchet to it and removed it, exposing the rafters.

The first step in installing a ceiling was adding insulation.

He then had to finish the drywall.

Before painting the bedroom, Justin decided to paint a chalkboard for the little girl to play with.

The next step was finding willing workers. Thank goodness for all of our helpers, especially Carole, Taeh, Justin's dad John, and Craig. And of course, I can't forget Arthur.

We painted the room colors inspired by the Flaming Lips album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots.

I believe this shade of orange is called "burnt pumpkin."

Justin created a textured ceiling using a comb and then painted it this lovely golden yellow. He also installed a ceiling fan, seen below, and a light for a hanging lantern, not pictured.

The next step was to paint the floor, which he then coated with two coats of polyurethane.

Finally, we were able to add curtains and move her belongings in. Arthur was very happy to help.

The curtain rods are made from galvanized steel conduit and cost approximately 4 dollars to make.

Justin added some shelving for the baby's belongings.

Pictured below, directly behind the tent toy, is where the door will be.

Next, Justin added some shelving and rods in the closet that had formerly held our camping gear in a disastrous cluster**** of a pile. These are all clothes for newborns, to give an idea of how many clothing items she's been given. The shelves are quite deep as well.

Next, having emancipated our bedroom from the chaotic stacks of rubbermaid boxes that held Lucy's things, Taeh and I moved our bed back into the bedroom. Hurray!

That massive lump in the bed is my pregnancy setup: memory foam and a full body pillow.

More destruction; Justin took to the wall with a saw.

In the process, he discovered a window on what had been the original back of the house.

Tonight and tomorrow, he will be finishing the door. We're down to the wire here, but looks like we'll make it, god willing and the water don't break!

Three weeks and some change

2011-03-18T18:49:00.001-05:00

Have I been pregnant for like five years or does it just feel that way? Finally, it's almost time to meet Lucy.

Arthur talked so much about his baby sister Lucy at school that the teachers asked his Mimo and Papi if she'd been born already.

If she doesn't come early, her bedroom will be ready on time. I am totally nesting...it's super cliche. I'm complaining about needing a break from work, and I spent the whole spring break painting, washing her clothing, going through our things and throwing things away and donating other things, organizing and reorganizing. I am in a complete frenzy thinking about the fact that any minute I could go to the hospital and the house wouldn't be ready.

I found like eight bucks in change so far while cleaning...almost enough to buy a purse-sized Very Sexy body spray.

Our baby shower was this week, but I don't have any pics to post yet. Arthur's birthday is on Saturday, but I don't think he really cares that much. He's too busy getting spoiled with both parents home all week...the very last time this will ever happen (next time he'll be sharing us with Lucy).

Here are some pics of the boys enjoying a tres leches cake.

Under the pear trees

2011-03-18T07:47:00.000-05:00

Many times, I've thought how I'd love to get rid of the ugly chain link fence around our front lawn. But watching a toddler play freely on a lovely spring day, I've never appreciated it more. Perhaps we can replace it with something nicer someday? Justin has talked about making our lawn into a pretty little enclave, a crazy old lady's wild garden with gnomes and birdbaths, like the statue cemetery we had on Jamestown 14 years ago when Justin and Lee would steal statues from other people's lawns (we were kids, after all). I really kind of love that idea.

I hope to spend many more days for the duration of my pregnancy meditating on the beauty of nature as I relax in our little front lawn.

2011-03-15T18:31:00.000-05:00

Arthur in his paint clothes helping out. Not coincidentally, this piece of wall will be made into a door by next week.

First coat of "Shrimp Toast" and a chalkboard. The Yoshimi mural will go around it.

Contrasting wall. Colors taken from the album cover.

Lucy's ceiling

2011-03-14T18:49:00.000-05:00

I will post a picture of the texture Justin is adding later on. We just finished picking out paint for the walls/ceiling and should be putting together the mural soon.

Random Arthur

2011-03-12T08:10:00.000-06:00

T-minus 4 weeks and counting

2011-03-12T07:59:00.000-06:00

Insulation and ceiling, check and check.

Little angel card

2011-02-25T16:25:00.001-06:00

Cute Bridal Shower Card Image

2011-02-25T10:48:00.000-06:00

I love old cards. I save them...I am kind of a hoarder of ephemera. I just scanned this image in and am posting it in my blog for everyone else to steal/enjoy.

Love.

Mr. T. says...

2011-02-17T20:07:00.000-06:00

Haunted PBJ

2011-02-17T20:00:00.000-06:00

Arthur loves scary things. Haunted Mansion at Disney World, Scooby Doo monsters, The Dark Crystal, Goey Ghost (his creation), scary Lar-Lars (also his creations), and Halloween...he adores them.

Two dresses for LuLu

2011-02-13T06:26:00.001-06:00

Taeh and I had a sewing + brownies night. I made a couple of little tiny dresses based on a pillowcase dress pattern for my little LuLu, inspired by the little pillowcase dresses we made at my friend Valerie's Little Dresses for Africa party.

This dress is repurposed fabric. I loved the original dress for ages. It was vintage and beautiful, a long 1970s hippie dress. I wore it until the seams fell apart, then sewed them back up until I knew it was time to throw in the towel.

Taeh sewed a little "L" on the back of the dresses, for "Lucy," of course.

I love the little flower applique I made for this one. The best part about these dresses is they will stretch for the better part of her first year, maybe two, just by letting out the straps. Sweet little Lucy, can't wait to meet you!

C-section packing list

2011-02-10T15:42:00.002-06:00

We're two months out with absolute certainty that Lucy will be born via c-section. It's a bit scary to think about, especially since I had such a yucky chain of events when Arthur was born, but I am handling it in the only way I can, micromanaging every little thing. I am working on fixing up the Ultimate PostPartum Chillspot in our house. Hubs even has plans to install a satellite dish for me so I can have good TV at 3 AM feedings without going through the drama of Netflix-via-Wii (somehow I tend to choose the most disturbing films anyway: Precious and Iowa, for example, when I need more zone-out type of viewing, just enough to keep me from nodding off since breastfeeding always was a soporific experience for me; the minute baby's head touched boob, I was out).

I am also working on the ultimate packing list since my last stay, which I expected to last about two-three days, turned into weeks, ultimately stretching from March 20th until the end of April--among the many bad things about that, perhaps one of the worst was that I couldn't go get the crap I wanted. Thank heaven for my parents' super-flexible schedule; they were constantly running for special shampoo and body wash, magazines, clothing, makeup, you name it. This won't need to happen again. I'm packing early just in case and making sure that I have everything I could possibly want with me. I don't pack light--honestly, I don't get why people do. In my mind, I classify light packing as valiant but wholly optional asceticism alongside natural childbirth and undergoing a root canal sans medication. Believe me when I say I still respect my natural birthing girlfriends who have their babies at home (Miranda and Brook), but in much the same way I respect the folks who climb Mt. Everest or run 10K marathons--I don't understand it and I've stopped trying, but I am sure there's a really, really good reason, one which I will never, ever understand.

Here's my list so far.

*bath robe & comfy lounging-around robes
*cute pajamas (to allow for incision checks and for boob access)
*nursing cover
*cloth nursing pads
*lozenges for after-surgery throat
*deodorant
*cellie
*charger
*laptop
*wireless card
*extension cord
*phone list
*portable DVD player
*DVDs
*CDs for CD player in room that I won't be able to reach
*nursing pillow
*nice pillows for me and hub
*extra, more acceptable blankets (2--1 for me and 1 for hub)
*camera
*batteries
*cherry blossom shampoo and conditioner fr/ Bath and Body Works
*smell-good spray
*mints
*cute nursing bras (purchased at Target)
*baby book
*clean tees and unders for man
*Vitamin Water
*snacks
*candy
*collapsible cooler (won't have my man eating junk food and need something extra in case they hit me with a Hot Pocket again)
*frivolous literature
*list of postpartum demands (sushi being the number one)
*fancy shower gel
*hair brush
*cute hair stuff (must look fly for pics)
*makeup (I found I felt about sixty percent less like crap when I threw on some makeup last time I was in the hospital)
*dry shampoo
*webcam for video diary
*back scratcher
*frivolous literature (I have two Choose-Your-Own Adventure books in my bag right now)
*magazines
*nail polish and removal pads
*framed photo of the fam since they won't be with me the whole time
*jacket in case the weather changes before we leave
*big brother gift for Artie when he comes to visit so he feels special
*handmade thank-u cards for the nurses/doctors/assistants
*toothbrush
*toothpaste
*cute but dark panties (I don't care what those other mommies say...I am simply not wearing ugly grannies or mesh hospital undies. A big part of my recovery is always making sure I don't feel like a slumpish sloth, which starts with cute panties. I always wear cute panties because I believe a happy attitude starts with lace on the hips. Try it...you'll be a convert.)
*glasses case
*lens cloth
*contact lenses for if I feel up to it
*cute but flowy outfit to wear home
*shoes suitable for walking the halls but that still look hottie hot
*decent feminine products (This is another one I disagree with the other mamas on. They will tell you just to use the hospital pads, but frankly, those are gross. I even saw where some suggested Depends...ick!!! As a person who hasn't worn pads since I was a kid, I find this sort of appalling. Unless you have some bizarre health issues and plan on practically bleeding out postpartum, both Kotex and Always make some nicely thin and yet crazy absorbent products that don't make me feel like I've just given up and stepped onto the fast track to frumpy old housewifery. I also packed a bunch of Always Clean wipes to clean things up a bit--highly recommended. These products worked well for me last time and I plan to use them again).
*change for the vending machine
*face wipes
*tweezers so my brows don't get shabby
*pens and paper so I can keep track of important ideas like a list of people who pissed me off while I was incapacitated, artistic renderings of hot pockets, things I want to say and blame on the percocet, etc.)

A nice cold bath...

2011-02-10T08:36:00.001-06:00

This is ice, which I found in our bath tub this morning as I was getting ready for work. The ice is from having left our faucet dripping, as the news reporters always suggest. Apparently this is only useful to a certain temperature below ) fahrenheit. At present, it's 8:35 AM and still -5 degrees F outside. I just keep loading and reloading the weather forecast for next week, when highs will be in the 70s.

I must remember this in August when we've been sitting at over 100 degrees for several weeks.

Where our bed moved

2011-02-07T06:57:00.001-06:00

Remember when we were living in the living room? It's hard to really get anything done when you have to move around a bed every time you walk through the living room. But we are still out of a bedroom, so we moved into my boudoir, which is up for remodel, too.

Sorry for the lo-res pic. Our camera is still down, thanks to our blizzard.

Imagine lugging a big pregnant belly through a room full of baby storage into this one. Now imagine...part of that wall is coming down in the next month. The clock is ticking and time is running out! Will we have a bedroom big enough to put a bassinet in? Will we have a room to put Lucy's belongings in?

First look at new blue

2011-02-04T17:28:00.000-06:00

I've been using these snow days to paint, paint, paint. I can't post pics of the whole kitchen yet because we still need knobs, handles, and a tall or non-pregnant-with-ladder person to finish the work, but I am happy with what we have so far. Here's a little sneaky peek of the windowsill, which makes me happy.

Arthur's Blythe dolls

2011-02-04T00:45:00.000-06:00

Arthur was helping me shop on Etsy before Christmas and went nuts over a Blythe doll. Unfortunately, we couldn't afford one and I didn't really want a knock-off.

We were wandering through the store tonight with Taeh and Arthur declared, "I want that one!" and pointed to a little Blythe doll smack in the middle of the Littlest Pet Shop dolls (which we also really like). He picked out two; one came with a scooter. They are little bitty versions of the originals, but he is super happy and up way too late playing with them.

He named this one Alice Annisenis.

And this one is Pepper.

Lucy at 29 Weeks

2011-02-02T17:29:00.000-06:00

Snow Day

2011-02-01T09:24:00.002-06:00

This is the first storm I remember being officially classified as a blizzard. It's still coming down pretty hard, so who knows how much snow we'll have in the end. It certainly is beautiful.

Nothing like a nice cup of cocoa after a cold romp in the snow!

Built-in Storage Bench

2011-01-30T23:11:00.001-06:00

In order to get Lucy's room ready, we have to be able to move everything out of there...all my hobby things, camping gear, musical instruments, years worth of things we've collected in the eleven years we were together pre-kids, back in the days when we each had our own room for hobbies. Things have changed!

So...Lucy's room needs a ceiling, a hole in the wall, and some storage built, but before that happens, we had to figure out where we would put all the things from what had essentially become a storage area next to our laundry room (in the midst of this chaos, we have two rooms that look like we are absolute hoarders).

Justin had the amazing idea to turn the open living room/dining area into one big living area, which I was super down with because we are practically on top of each other as it is and we already moved our little dining table to the kitchen.

This is the view looking in from the original living area. All this is recently added living room space. It's nice and big now. Double this and you have the whole room.

Ignore the pouting child on the sofa.

Justin suggested that we use the original living room area for additional seating, our musical instruments, and sort of a "living" family area, a place to play. He set up a place for me to put my sewing and craft things. Notice we are no longer sleeping in the living room. Thank you memory foam; thank you snoogle.

At first it seemed cool, but it started to feel like more clutter. It didn't seem to have a place in our living space next to our piano and other instruments.

That poor piano is going to get repainted very soon, by the way. I am so excited about the color that I want to shout it from the rooftops. But that will be a surprise...

Anyway, we had a terrific idea to turn the window area into an L-shaped storage bench. I am so lucky to have a handy guy.

The bench will be a seat but also is big enough to provide a bed for overnight guests or napping mommies.

I will post more pics when he's done. I plan to cover it with a padded surface and paint it.

This was my contribution. Hey, I'm pregnant! I chose the fabric and painted. That counts for something, right?

I love a man who knows how to handle a power tool.

He built two doors into the bench. The main part of the "L" was about 6.5 by 2 feet. He built the short section to be open underneath for toys and other items.

I chose oilcloth for the fabric because we have little kids. I went with a small aqua gingham, which I picked up from a local store called Tatermash. The woman who helped me was incredibly sweet and even assisted me with my disastrous algebra skills to ultimately save me a yard's worth of money. Surprisingly, two yards cost only $9, much less than what I'd expected to pay.

Because the oilcloth was 48" wide, we cut up the middle.

We used a staple gun to attach the fabric to the doors, which we removed to install the padding on.

The crazy winter storm that is keeping the rest of the country indoors hit here too, so instead of running to the fabric store for more batting (we had 1 package of Poly-fil from making felt plushies), hub went around the corner to Family Dollar and bought a two-for deal on cheap pillows, which I cut open to salvage the stuffing.

We stuffed...

And stuffed. We don't really know how to do this kind of thing, so we were winging it with a broomstick. Seems to have worked out all right.

At the end of day 2 in our free time, we managed to get this much completed. I will post a pic of the finished project tomorrow!

Block Party

2011-01-30T21:40:00.000-06:00

Sunny Day Picnic

2011-01-30T20:48:00.001-06:00

The weather was outstanding yesterday, but there was no time for the park with Justin's work shift starting at 4:30, so we took to the front yard with burgers from Brownie's. It's hard to believe we might be getting a foot of snow tomorrow. That's green country for you!

And there was delicious mochi for dessert...

Slap happy

2011-01-30T19:41:00.000-06:00

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

2011-01-26T11:41:00.000-06:00

Someone in our house is obsessed with a celebrity.

A Teddy Bear for Lunch

2011-01-24T23:02:00.001-06:00

Arthur is spoiled. This is what his Daddo sends to school with him:

Isn't he lucky? My sandwiches never come like that.

There are tons more fun kid lunch ideas at Cute Food for Kids.

27 Weeks Pregnant

2011-01-24T21:38:00.000-06:00

Still operating without our camera, but for phone pics they aren't terrible. Hard to believe my belly is so big already!

Disney World at Halloween Pictorial Part Seven: Downtown Disney

2011-01-24T20:35:00.000-06:00

This is the end of the Disney photos. Thanks for checking them out!

Look over yonder behind the Mickey topiary. It's Basin, my favorite Disney World shop.

I'm pretty sure this one is my mom's favorite.

All in all, it was a great time. If everything goes well, we are headed back for #4 in four years, this time at Christmas again (I love Halloween, but I am a teacher...I was pushing it to go at Halloween this year).

If you are thinking about going to Disney World and it's a stretch to make the trip, here's our advice. Plan it out two years in advance, unless your kids are really little, then think, really think about the age that they would enjoy it the most. If you know you have the means to go back again, don't hesitate to take little kids, but if it's a once in a lifetime trip, make sure your kids will get the most out of it. Disney costs a lot--I mean a lot, of money, but it's a blast.

Arthur's best advice on what's fun at Disney: "Figment the dragon." (Figment at Journey into Imagination, EPCOT)

Justin's best advice: "If you are going to spend the day at EPCOT's Food and Wine Festival, have more than four dollars on you. Because there is a lot of nice-looking food there which you can not eat if you only have four dollars."

Justin got burned on that one.

Check out the rest of our vacation:

Part 1: Flight and check-in

Part 2: Hollywood Studios

Part 3: Magic Kingdom

Part 4: EPCOT

Part 5: Islands of Adventure

Part 6: Animal Kingdom

Disney World at Halloween Part Six: Animal Kingdom

2011-01-24T19:25:00.001-06:00

Cousin Noah on the Triceratops Twirl

See more of our Disney Halloween vacay:

Part 1: Flight and check-in

Part 2: Hollywood Studios

Part 3: Magic Kingdom

Part 4: EPCOT

Part 5: Islands of Adventure

Disney World at Halloween Pictorial Part Four: EPCOT

2011-01-24T18:41:00.002-06:00

Unlike everyone else, who seem to prefer Hollywood, EPCOT is my favorite park. I remember visiting when I was a little girl in 1984 when it was practically brand new, which I find hard to believe when we ride through the outdated but kitchalicious Spaceship Earth.

As a mom, I really appreciate the abundance of characters for little ones to meet and greet on the way in.

It's too bad I lost our autograph book on Halloween (I shouldn't have been using it for freewriting). Arthur will appreciate it more next year, anyway.

I was thrilled beyond words to witness the Captain Eo revival firsthand and finally share it with my hubs. This 3D Michael Jackson wonder, complete with George Lucas Star Wars rejects, is a can't-miss.

Seriously. This stuff is golden. Makes me want to thrust my hips.

Innoventions is a cool place for little ones to play with hands-on learning activities. Arthur is counting money in these pics.

Can't resist taking a photo of the fiber-optic ground, which is much cooler in person.

This thing at Journey into Imagination is too awesome for words. The boys are conducting music and images with their hands.

See more of our Disney Halloween vacay:

Part 1: Flight and check-in

Part 2: Hollywood Studios

Part 3: Magic Kingdom

Part 5: Islands of Adventure

Part 6: Animal Kingdom

Disney World at Halloween Pictorial Part Five: Islands of Adventure

2011-01-24T17:22:00.002-06:00

Going to Disney World almost four months pregnant has its challenges, as was brutally apparent on our trip to Universal's Islands of Adventure. I was so excited to finally experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

We ate at Three Broomsticks. I was a little disappointed to see that the menu was much more limited than the one I'd seen advertised online (a more current one is here) and the service was pretty abhorrent. "You can tell this isn't Disney," someone in our party remarked. But it was good food. I enjoyed the shepherd's pie with a "pumpkin juice." Moments later, however, I found myself retching in the bathroom pictured to the left, above, which happened to have piped in Moaning Myrtle. Borderline hyperemesis in 90 degree heat is bad enough at a theme park, but the Moaning Myrtle was the nail in the coffin.

I really enjoyed this store window. You can't tell from the pic, but they sold white chocolate "sugar skulls"--really, really cute ones. I wanted to take one with me so badly, but I knew they wouldn't survive the 90 degree afternoon in my backpack and wasn't about to trek back here after a full day at the park. Next time, perhaps.

I am incredibly jealous that Justin got to ride the cutting-age Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which he declared to be the coolest ride he'd ever seen, apologizing emphatically for having enjoyed such an incredible thing without me. When I asked my companions what that meant, it seems the ride was beyond description...from what I gather it's some kind of cross between a roller coaster and a badass cinematic 360 degree dark ride. I suppose I will find out in December!

This is Suess Landing. As we were in the company of two two-year-olds, we spent an awful lot of time here.

Arthur particularly enjoyed this ride, the High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride.

This was one of the few prego-approved rides I got to enjoy. It's kind of the Dumbo-style ride, but you control the up and down movement and there are large fish that spit on you.

Twin roller coasters. I've ridden these both before and they are truly badass.

See more of our Disney Halloween trip:

Part one: Flight and check-in
Part two: Hollywood Studios
Part three: Magic Kingdom
Part four: EPCOT
Part six: Animal Kingdom

Table Revamp Featured at Mod Podge Rocks!

2011-01-23T16:27:00.000-06:00

Hurray! We were featured on one of my favorite blogs, Mod Podge Rocks!

Check out the post here.