House of Eck

The 5th decade

2010-01-27T12:37:00.001-06:00

How on earth did I get to be this old? 40 was ancient when I was a kid. Darn near middle-aged! I remember my parents turning 40, so this is surreal.I'm relieved about excited about my 40s in all honesty. My 30s were a mixed bag. A recap of a decade. At 30, Joe & I got married. At 31, I graduated from library graduate school, moved to Ashland, Wi & later that year to Green Bay. I had 2

5 weeks!!!

2010-01-23T06:36:00.001-06:00

Such a difference 5 weeks makes! Zoe is starting to show personality & rewards our attention with a huge grin. Truly makes any cranky behavior wotrth riding out. She finds her hands every once in a while. They still startle her, esp. when she accidently whaps herself in the face. My 2nd favorite development she's reached is cooing. Zoe'll look at you intently for a few minutes, and start

Milestones

2010-01-19T12:03:00.001-06:00

Zoe found her fist & I'm celebrating my 40th birthday on Sunday.

A brand new day

2010-01-18T16:41:00.001-06:00

I've recently spent a lot of time on my butt, trying to make sense of my life. Nothing quite like awaiting the arrival of a baby to take stock of one's life. Now, Zoe is a month old. We've established a sort of routine, in that I'm on call for her 24/7. Maddie is slowly figuring how to be a big sis. Thankfully I don't have to go back to work til mid-February. I was a bit freaked the first

From my iPod

2010-01-04T17:18:00.001-06:00

I'm currently rocking my dear baby daughter to sleep, thinking it'd be nice to get back to contributing to my blog. Guess what - there truly is an app for nearly anything!

Evil Maddie

2009-11-01T10:05:00.001-06:00

Evil MaddieOriginally uploaded by Karen54301Yup, the toothless vampiress...

So serious...

2009-09-04T10:31:00.001-05:00

DSCF1073Originally uploaded by Karen54301

Maddie on her first day of Kindergarten

2009-09-04T10:30:00.003-05:00

DSCF1074Originally uploaded by Karen54301

Maddie's locker

2009-09-04T10:30:00.001-05:00

Maddie's lockerOriginally uploaded by Karen54301

And she's off....

2009-09-01T09:53:00.004-05:00

...to Kindergarten, that is! Maddie's already met her teacher - Miss Melisa - and knows some of the kids in her classroom, but today was different. It's funny how parents compare our kids to everyone else's. I know Maddie's a fantastic kid. She has a great sense of humor, a growing sense of what's right and what's wrong. She's been reading for a year, and the other day stunned me by telling

21 weeks

2009-08-19T13:34:00.002-05:00

Baby is size of a CARROT, can you believe it? She's doing just fine. I'm not doing as great. Part of this is I'll be 40 in January, not a young chick. Part of it is that I have fibromyalgia and this pregnancy is kicking my behind. Wondering it's time to look at my schedule and ask to cut down my time at work. It's scary to think about. I don't want to be on bed-rest. I don't want to not

bunnies galore

2009-08-10T12:42:00.001-05:00

DSCF0949Originally uploaded by Karen54301Unfortunately, the bunnies like the garden too....

Coneflower

2009-08-10T12:41:00.001-05:00

ConeflowerOriginally uploaded by Karen54301close up

Coneflower & Monarch

2009-08-10T12:40:00.001-05:00

Coneflower & MonarchOriginally uploaded by Karen54301

Rattlesnake Master

2009-08-10T12:39:00.005-05:00

Rattlesnake MasterOriginally uploaded by Karen54301closeup....I think it's like looking at planets in orbit...

Bees love the Rattlesnake Master

2009-08-10T12:39:00.003-05:00

Bees love the Rattlesnake MasterOriginally uploaded by Karen54301My favorite plant has to be the Rattlesnake Master.

Red Milkweed & Monarch

2009-08-10T12:39:00.001-05:00

Red Milkweed & MonarchOriginally uploaded by Karen54301I'm thrilled that my backyard has attracted butterflies, bees and birds.

Barn and house in springtime

2009-08-10T12:37:00.001-05:00

Barn and house in springtimeOriginally uploaded by Karen54301One of my first watercolors....

My watercolor adventure part 2

2009-08-08T12:29:00.001-05:00

DSCF1010Originally uploaded by Karen54301

My watercolor adventure

2009-08-08T12:28:00.001-05:00

DSCF1016Originally uploaded by Karen54301

going home

2009-07-29T10:45:00.004-05:00

I love the home we've made in Green Bay. I didn't think I'd like this town. I grew up in Madison - a long way from this conservative and industrial place. But after a few years, after I figured out the area, I grew to really like this town. When Maddy was born, I didn't have a network. I had a few friends, but I didn't have a job until after Maddy was 4 months old. I haven't stopped working

Flickr

2009-07-21T15:53:00.001-05:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

16 weeks & 5 days

2009-07-20T10:03:00.002-05:00

It's been a month since I've blogged. I'm feeling quite lazy lately. My poor vegetable garden is more weed than vegetables. Perhaps my mood is cuz we haven't had decent rain in a long while - perhaps it's cuz I'm still puking every morning. That takes a lot of out of me. I'm doing well - 16 weeks & 5 days. My belly is rounding out. I'm looking less lumpy and more pregnant. I've been able

Squeaker #2 - week 9

2009-06-17T13:21:00.003-05:00

non-pregnancy stuff

2009-06-04T12:50:00.003-05:00

Well, not really. I mean, I am a huge sack of hormones, attempting to suppress the necessity to cry at the slightest provocation. No, I won't mention that I'm now 10-weeks along and have my OB appointment tomorrow. If everything goes well, I'll be the furthest along in the last 3 pregnancies. No, I won't mention that I'm eating approximately every 1 1/2 hours - anything - but I need to eat,