Birds and Flies

My two nemesis of the summer are birds and flies! Seriously. I always liked birds until this spring when our covered porch has become the home to a bird's nest that is tucked up under the eave. At first, I thought it was cute as the mother bird was flying back and forth with all the straw, and it reminded me of the book The Best Nest as they built their home. Then came reality. The baby birds hatched, and I don't know if the original group is still in there, or if the mother bird had more eggs and began a second litter (what do you call baby bird groups?). Either way, they are still there . . . three months later! It wouldn't be so bad it if didn't interfere with using my nice, covered patio. The mother bird chirps at us constantly when we are near the nest (which is right above the table and chairs) as she guards her territory. I have had the parent birds swoop in and appear to dive at me in a rather aggressive way too. Then, there is the mess. Yes, bird droppings all over my patio chairs. We can't even sit down, and I've been hosing them down almost every other day. So, I have basically no outdoor living space because I am hosting baby birds. I keep thinking the nest MUST be empty by now, so I begin to get it down, but then a baby bird's head will pop up with a wide-open beak, thinking I'm its Mommy when it's really the Terminator. I can't take the nest down with a baby bird in it, so for now, the birds are winning.

Then, there are the flies. Is it always like this in NW Arkansas, or is it just my neighborhood? I've never had so many aggressive flies around before, and we have lived in Arkansas for 19 years! I can handle those pesty flies that land on your food, but these are flies that are determined to attack me. I have had one in my ear, on my eyelid, and flying into my face! I think I kill about 6 or more per day with the fly swatter, and there are still others that are evading me. It's a war zone outside, as these flies are swooping and buzzing all around my porch, and they were on kamakazi missions the other night at the neighborhood pavilion during our HOA meeting. Everyone was swatting and shooing the flies away constantly as they targeted our faces, and there was no food in sight. Is this some kind of a sign of end times or something? It somehow seems like it should be Biblical like the locusts.

So far, I'm not faring well this summer with anything that has wings. Good thing I'm not flying anywhere by plane!

Jump Zone

Here are a few pics of our recent Jump Zone experience. Fun was had by all! Arden warmed up to about three of the jumping areas and went in on her own. She kept taking the balls out of one inflatable which were supposed to remain inside of it. She just didn't understand why she couldn't walk around with them and put them inside other inflatables! Hudson and Owen jumped until they were red-faced and sweaty. Hudson even made a new "friend" named Zachary, and the three of them chased each other up and down every bouncy attraction. Owen got a rug-burn (or plastic-burn) on his elbow from one slide, but it wasn't too painful. Arden completely surprised me by climbing up onto a random mother's lap who was sitting behind me. I turned around, and there she was, all snuggled up with this person we've never met!! It was pretty funny, but it also made me realize that I can't turn my back on her for a second. She also went and sat on a random girl's lap in the toddler area. I snapped a photo of that one. Usually, Arden is a bit shy with strangers, so it was odd that she plopped herself onto two stranger's laps at Jump Zone!

Summer Fun

Well, we've been enjoying a break from the frequently wet weather that plagued our area until mid-June. The first couple times in the pool were seriously frigid, and the boys were covered in goosebumps. I couldn't get into the water past my knees. Every other day it was raining, so the pool water never had a chance to warm up. Of course, that didn't stop the boys from wanting to jump in until I dragged them out once their lips starting turning blue!

It's been really hot for almost two weeks now, and we go to our neighborhood pool almost daily. It's fun to be able to run down the street for a quick dip in the pool. We've had fun being at the pool when a lot of our neighbors are there and getting to visit, and Owen has enjoyed playing with the other boys his age and borrowing their pool stuff. I'm pretty frugal, and I just can't see spending $25 on some foam "surfboard" that you supposedly jump onto and "surf" in the pool. I've watched these kids do it, and basically all they do is run and jump while trying to land on this 10x25 inch piece of foam. I've never seen anyone actually land on it much less surf, and it looks like you could accomplish the same thing by just yelling "cannonball" which would be free. So, Owen is getting to borrow the other kids' surfboards since his mother is too cheap to buy him one.

Arden likes the water but only manages to stay in the pool for five minutes at a time. She enjoys going around and rummaging through everyone's pool bags and trying on the flipflops and Crocs that are by the chaise lounges. That keeps her busy for a good hour! I apologize to my nice neighbors for my daughter who is trying on all their shoes, and luckily she is young enough and cute enough that they don't mind. Now, if she is still doing this in a few years, we might have a problem!

Yesterday, we got in the pool and discovered that there was a rat stuck in one of the drain vents. It appeared to have found its way in from the nearby, undeveloped field. So, my solution was to move the kids to the other end of the pool and patrol the vent to make sure that the rat didn't escape. If it had gotten out, I planned to yell "the rat is coming" and vacate the pool if the rodent made his move. I figured that no rat could swim fast enough to get across the entire pool to get to us before we could get out (although this rat appeared to like water!). The kids played on the steps at the opposite end of the pool, so I figured we were safe. Eventually, Owen did say the rat "creeped him out," and we left earlier than normal. It's pretty sad that I was so hot and desperate to cool off that we shared our pool with a rat! I think the rat was "taken care of" last night by the HOA Association, so all should be fine today. That's me, living on the edge -- no rodent can deter me from my pool time! I grew up in Africa!

Tomorrow, we plan to go to Jump Zone where they have an indoor area with a bunch of inflatables since I have a BOGO free coupon. That will hopefully get some of my boys' energy out because they have been doing some serious jumping on beds and couches lately. I wonder what happens in the summer that makes kids have so much energy! I'm exhausted . . .

Summer at the Library

For those of you who live in my area, the Bentonville library has planned a lot of fun, free activities for kids this summer. I am always looking for activities for my young children that are inexpensive, and I'm excited to see the Bentonville library's summer schedule.

Every week there is story time (this is done year-round):
Baby play and rhyme: Thursdays at 9:30
Tales for Toddlers: Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9:30
Preschool Stories: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 10:30

This summer, the library is hosting special weekly presentations every THURSDAY at 2:00 pm:

June 18: Children's Theater performance (*Owen will be performing in this after attending the camp!!)
June 25: Magic with Scott Davis
July 2: Music performance with Brian and Terry Kinder
July 9: Marty the Balloon Man
July 16: Crystal Bridges Art Experience (best for ages 5-12)
July 23: David T. Magic
July 30: Sugar Free All Stars music concert

Hope you and your family can enjoy some of these great, FREE experiences!

Show Us Where You Live Fridays: Office

Welcome to our office!

This is one of my favorite rooms because it has high ceilings and gets great morning light.

Our office is off the dining room and foyer at the front of the house. It has ten foot ceilings with glass French doors. The French doors have a glass transom window above them which adds architectual interest and great light into the space.

The room isn't very big (12 x 12), but we've managed to fit all our essentials into the space. One wall holds the computer desk which is in an L-shape. That wall also holds a lateral file cabinet with a small television on top. On the other main wall there are tall windows with a chair and ottoman in front. The third wall has a full wall of bookcases to hold our many books. We have an extensive book collection, so this is probably only about half of our books, and the others are in various smaller collections throughout the house.

I work from home on the computer, so I spend a lot of time in this office and really enjoy the space.

Thanks for stopping by!

100th Post

I can't believe this is my 100th post! Wow. I am so behind in scrapbooking (Arden's baby book has stopped after her first month photos in January 2008, and she is now 17 months old), but blogging is much easier for me to do since it doesn't involve getting out a bunch of supplies or keeping kids away from my layouts. I can blog while chaos is around me and while children are running in and out of the room . . . which is the norm at my house. I hate to think that I won't scrapbook anymore, but I'm not pushing it on myself anymore and trying not to feel guilty. Blogging is my current venue for documenting my family and our life. I plan on printing out my blog in a blogbook soon and doing that every calendar year, so that all the digital photos and journaling can be preserved in a format that my children can easily access. I'll try to finish Arden's baby book this summer, but the rest of my scrapbooking of regular family albums might not make much headway until Arden starts school.

As is customary for the 100th post, here are 100 random facts about me:

1. I have lived in several foreign countries since my parents were missionaries.
2. I wet my pants in second grade when the mean teacher wouldn't let me go to the bathroom.
3. I don't like indoor pets.
4. I love Chinese food.
5. I read mostly fiction over non-fiction.
6. I'm horrible at navigation and usually get lost on a regular basis.
7. I like the tv shows "House," "Grey's Anatomy," and "Lost."
8. My favorite date was a Brad Paisley concert with FRONT ROW seats!
9. When I was little I used to pretend I was one of the Charlie's Angels.
10. Because of #9, I once tried to smoke a cigarette and hid them in my underwear drawer when I was 8 or 9.
11. I love chocolate -- but I'm picky about the brands, types.
12. I enjoy decorating and probably would have done interior design if I could have had two careers.
13. This will be my 17th year teaching! Yikes!
14. I have only taken two semesters off from teaching in my entire life (after Owen's birth then after Hudson's birth). I went back to college instruction when Arden was two weeks old.
15. My favorite book is Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons.
16. I faked the eye test when I was in fifth grade in order to get glasses, so I could match my best friend.
17. I was born in Sydney, Australia.
18. I regularly talk to myself outloud.
19. I am not a nightowl or a morning person, and I'm not very talkative for the first hour I'm awake.
20. I have never pulled an all-nighter.
21. I graduated from college in 3 years with a 4.0 GPA. I think my hardest semester was 21 hours.
22. I have never colored or highlighted my hair.
23. I really like my ears and my feet.
24. I can get a shower, do makeup and hair, and get dressed in 20 minutes. Pretty good, huh!
25. I always make my bed and the kids' beds. Every. Single. Day.
26. I squeegie my shower doors every day.
27. I love steak medium rare.
28. I don't mind going to a movie theater by myself if there is something I want to see.
29. I always write handwritten thank you notes for gifts, and it bothers me when I don't get one after I've given someone a gift.
30. I sometimes get migraines and take Imitrex.
31. I enjoy shopping and selling on Ebay.
32. With each child's birth, I have fallen more and more behind with scrapbooking.
33. I have an actual job for a college where I am an adjunct instructor of English and am teaching 4-5 courses each semester. Since I work online, most people assume I am only a stay-at-home mom and can't imagine why I'm so busy. Yep, I'll have 125 students come August 17.
34. I am still in contact with over 30 of my former high school students who are now married with their own children.
35. Arden was almost a natural childbirth (non-intentionally), and it was still less pain than my spinal headache episode after a spinal tap.
36. I got chickenpox when I was 16, and it was horrible.
37. I have never broken a bone or had a cast.
38. I never had a boyfriend in high school.
39. My dad died when I was 36.
40. I love guacamole!
41. I am usually reading two books at the same time.
42. I love reading blogs and surfing the internet.
43. I enjoy flipping through a good tabloid at the grocery store checkout aisle.
44. I pay all our bills and do our taxes (with Stuart's money!)
45. I wear SPF moisurizer on my face every single day.
46. I floss my teeth every day.
47. I always wear my seatbelt.
48. My first car was a brown 1970 Ford Maverick with a column stick shift.
48. My first job was at The Fudge Factory at the mall when I was 16, but I got fired for eating the fudge.
49. I worked at The Waffle House for three years in high school and college.
50. I have never fired a gun.
51. I do not like cats.
52. I don't have allergies.
53. My hair was blond when I was growing up.
54. My feet are 1/2 a size larger than before I had children.
55. I am the same weight as before I had Owen.
56. I don't like wearing bracelets.
57. I can't wear flip flops or sandals with anything that goes between my toes.
58. I only eat Claussen brand dill pickles.
59. I like wheat bread.
60. I was the third generation in my family to graduate from Oklahoma State University.
61. I spoke at my dad's memorial service, and it was the hardest but best thing I have ever done.
62. I love Pottery Barn.
63. I want to go back to the Outer Banks beaches.
64. My favorite place in the U.S. is Disneyworld's Magic Kingdom.
65. I was a Klingenstein Fellow at Columbia University.
66. It bugs me when people can't use "me" or "I" correctly.
67. I have never been on a diet in my entire life.
68. I usually have a stash of hidden candy in my house.
69. I don't enjoy cooking.
70. I am very motivated and driven.
71. One of my pet peeves is a person who doesn't follow through on a commitment.
72. I don't answer my phone if I am busy.
73. I read the newspaper (paper version) every day.
74. I want to ski again. I really love it, though I am not good at it.
75. I graduated from high school in 1987.
76. I do not drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or have tattoos.
77. I have dreams about my teeth falling out when I'm under stress.
78. I prefer a shower to a bath.
79. I don't like to wear anything polyester. It just feels funny; I'm just a cotton girl.
80. I am always working on some sort of home repair or decorating project.
81. I rarely drive over the speed limit.
82. I don't do roller coasters.
83. One of my favorite drinks is a Sonic Cherry Limeade during the summer.
84. I hate vacuuming.
85. I enjoy cleaning a bathroom.
86. I'm nosy.
87. I don't eat game meat.
88. I love 80's music and 80's movies. Nothing beats Pretty Woman and Footloose!
89. I like fresh flowers.
90. I am thrifty and penny pinching.
91. I do not own an iphone, ipod, or i-anything.
92. I try to follow Dave Ramsey's financial tips.
93. I have gotten more open to change with age.
94. I am loyal.
95. People think I'm crazy because I actually love hospital food.
96. My favorite brand of shoes is Born.
97. I do laundry every day.
98. My favorite smell is grapefruit soap (by Crabtree and Evelyn).
99. I hate coffee, but I drink hot tea almost daily (usually English Breakfast or Constant Comment).
100. One of my favorite belongings is the Bible my dad gave me when I was 17.

Adjustments and Home Improvements

Cabot House

Bentonville House

We have now lived in our Bentonville house for five months. We are ending our first semester of school here, as Owen gets out for the summer this week. In some ways, it feels like we have lived here forever, but in other ways it feels like we just arrived. It's still a strange feeling sometimes. We drove back by our old house in Cabot last weekend when we were in the Little Rock area for Memorial Day weekend, and I found that I didn't miss it. I was relieved that I didn't feel sad because I didn't know what it would be like to see the street again . . . to look at the yard we once mowed, the fence we built, or see the brick color that I carefully chose myself. I will always love that house because we built it and selected every detail from the carpet color to the counters to the light fixtures. It was the house where I brought home two of my three children from the hospital. I was happy to see that it still looked exactly the same, and the new owners hadn't changed the exterior at all. However, my main impression was, "Wow, it's so small!" I don't know how we ever fit our three kids into their two, small bedrooms. I am so thankful that we were able to increase our square footage by about 40% in our new house.

Now, don't get me wrong. We didn't get to go and buy a perfect house that was also bigger. My new house is far from perfect; in fact, it was previously a foreclosed property. It's in a great location, we have wonderful neighbors, and it is much more space for our family. It even has a neighborhood playground and pool, which we love! However, it doesn't have all the "personal" touches, upgrades, and trim that my Cabot house had since we built that house ourselves. In my Cabot house, I picked out all the light fixtures, paint colors, and installed extra built-in shelving in every closet. However, this new house is your typical "spec house" that was thrown up as fast as the builder could get it built in order to make a profit. It came with the lovely "builder's grade" carpeting, fixtures, etc. So, it has been a lot of work in order to make it feel like home.

Here are some of the things we've accomplished (with a handyman, landscaper, etc.) since January:

cleaned carpets
cleaned all tile and sealed grout
replaced dining light fixture
replaced Arden's light fixture
replaced glass globes in existing kitchen light fixture
installed 3 dimmer switches
installed a new refrigerator
replaced 5 wooden closet rods that were bent
caulked seams in crown molding in three rooms
painted approximately 50% of the interior walls with the same color paint
painted Arden's room a different color (green) to match her bedding
painted all baseboards in three baths, entry, and kitchen
installed built-in, wood shelves in the bonus room closet and guestroom closet
installed an underground drainage system (with drain boxes) around entire yard
caulked and painted exterior trim around garage doors and on covered porch
installed a Bible verse with vinyl lettering over a 12 foot doorway
installed a new sink basket and kitchen faucet fixture in kitchen sink
purchased a tv, 2 bar stools, 7 ft silk tree, mattress, and chair/ottoman from Craigslist (*used)
bought a foyer cubby unit for the entry way to provide more storage
installed 2 new showerheads in two bathrooms
replaced damaged guttering on back of house
fixed a wobbly ceiling fan
repaired leaking cartridge valve on master tub faucet
reattached loose handrail up the stairwell
repaired dog-eaten, damaged wood trim on baseboards and doorways in laundry room
replaced torn door insulation stripping in laundry room
reglued a piece of crown molding on top of the kitchen cabinets that literally fell off
caulked leaking vent in attic
installed new doorknobs
programmed new garage door openers
replaced two dead bushes
replaced cracked valve on sprinker backflow unit
lots and lots of cleaning

I enjoy being in the house now, and it really feels settled and homey. But, it has been a HUGE amount of work! I didn't expect to have to do all this updating, repairing, and landscaping in addition to unpacking a whole semi-truck of our belongings. It makes me want to stay put for a long, long time and not have to do this again! The NWA area is feeling like home, and Stuart loves his job. So, all is good. We've come a long way in getting the house back to the way I wanted it to look and feel. I installed a few fixtures that were identical to my "favorites" from the Cabot house which makes it feel more like home. We have a few more big projects like finishing the fencing and installing wood floors downstairs, but that will have to wait. We're out of money until next year! So, now I just have to keep saving, saving, saving!

I Won Some Free Fashion

*Update: I had a wonderful time with Katie, and she was very helpful in figuring out how to pull together new outfits with my existing clothing. I scraped together a very small budget, and she shopped for a couple of outfits for me with pieces that could be mixed and matched with my existing wardrobe! I felt her service was extremely helpful, and I'd love to use her again!


In a local kids' directory magazine, I saw an ad for a Northwest Arkansas personal style consultant. She had a blog called "You and Improved," so I checked it out, and she gave some good style tips about what to wear this summer. Everything she modeled was actually something I would wear and not "runway" crazy. Her listed services included organizing your closet, helping you select the best style of clothing for your body type, and personal shopping (ie: she goes and buys you 5-7 "key pieces," then you try them on and pay for what you want to keep).

She had a May contest for three free hours ($90 value) that would be given away on June 1 via email. I entered the blog contest and never thought about it again. . . until this morning. Low and behold, at 7:52 am, there was a message in my email inbox that stated, "Congratulations, you won!"

So, now I get a three hour, free consultation with Katie. She appears down-to-earth in her blog, and she is a Christian and young mom herself. She will come to my house and go through my clothes (that won't take long!). Then, she will give me tips on how to put outfits together and make a "shopping list" for me of items that I should start buying over time to improve my wardrobe and personal style.

I'm excited! Maybe this will make me look like I'm in my 20's again -- well, that's probably not realistic. So, maybe she will at least help me find a place to shop that has pants that fit me. Maybe she can make some fantastic outfits out of my ten tee shirts and four pairs of jeans that I wear everyday! Maybe she can teach me how to wear one of those long necklaces since I have no idea how to pull that off.

I do feel that since I left the full-time work force and had my third child, I have lost all sense of fashion. I don't know where to shop anymore or what styles are even popular for my age. I don't have the money or time to roam the mall endlessly to get ideas. I always end up grabbing what's comfortable, so I realized lately that all I own are tee shirts and jeans . . . and they aren't even cute tee shirts. Who knows, maybe I can look polished and pulled together by my 40th birthday next year!