Musings of a Classic Housewife

A Little Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:28:00 +0000

Could we take just a moment and say a prayer for Japan and all those in the pacific region who are suffering from this earthquake and tsunamis? Let us pray and meditate on their safety over the next few days. Let the emergency relief personnel find all those who might be trapped alive. Let them stay safe in rescuing the stranded. Let the healing and rebuilding come smoothly for the people effected. Let God's love show through this tragedy.

Thank you. I have a very good friend stationed in Okinawa and when I heard last night, at nearly midnight here, that the earthquake had been the largest recorded my heart skipped a beat. Thankfully he was logged online and after a few agonizing minutes he responded that he had felt nothing. As you may have read, the earthquake hit mainland Japan. He is alright, and it looks as though our military men and women in Hawaii will be fine too, but the people of Japan and any Americans visiting there are going to be healing for quite some time after this natural disaster. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you, Barbara Billingsley, for being June Cleaver

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 04:43:00 +0000

The actress who played one of my icons, June Cleaver, has passed away. Rest in peace, Barbara. You were such an inspiration to so many loving moms.

Barbara Billingsley, Beaver Cleaver's TV mom, dies

Associated Press - October 16, 2010 11:08 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES - Even decades after the show ended, Barbara Billingsley expressed surprise at the lasting affection people had for "Leave it to Beaver" and her role as the warm, supportive mother of a pair of precocious boys.

The actress, who gained supermom status for her gentle portrayal of June Cleaver in the 1950s television series, died Saturday after a long illness. She was 94.

"We knew we were making a good show, because it was so well written," Billingsley said in 1994. "But we had no idea what was ahead. People still talk about it and write letters, telling how much they watch it today with their children and grandchildren."

Billingsley, who had suffered from a rheumatoid disease, died at her home in Santa Monica, said family spokeswoman Judy Twersky.

When the show debuted in 1957, Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver, was 9, and Tony Dow, who portrayed Wally, was 12. Billingsley's character, the perfect stay-at-home 1950s mom, was always there to gently but firmly nurture both through the ups and downs of childhood.

Beaver, meanwhile, was a typical boy whose adventures landed him in one comical crisis after another.

Billingsley's own two sons said she was pretty much the image of June Cleaver in real life, although the actress disagreed.

"She was every bit as nurturing, classy, and lovely as 'June Cleaver,' and we were so proud to share her with the world," her son Glenn Billingsley said Saturday.

She did acknowledge that she may have become more like June as the series progressed.

"I think what happens is that the writers start writing about you as well as the character they created," she once said. "So you become sort of all mixed up, I think."

A wholesome beauty with a lithe figure, Billingsley began acting in her elementary school's plays and soon discovered she wanted to do nothing else.

Although her beauty and figure won her numerous roles in movies from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s, she failed to obtain star status until "Leave it to Beaver," a show that she almost passed on.

"I was going to do another series with Buddy Ebsen for the same producers, but somehow it didn't materialize," she told The Associated Press in 1994. "A couple of months later I got a call to go to the studio to do this pilot show. And it was 'Beaver.'"

After "Leave it to Beaver" left the air in 1963 Billingsley largely disappeared from public view for several years.

She resurfaced in 1980 in a hilarious cameo in "Airplane!" playing a demur elderly passenger not unlike June Cleaver.

When flight attendants were unable to communicate with a pair of jive-talking hipsters, Billingsley's character volunteered to translate, saying "I speak jive." The three then engage in a raucous street-slang conversation.

"No chance they would have cast me for that if I hadn't been June Cleaver," she once said.

She returned as June Cleaver in a 1983 TV movie, "Still the Beaver," that costarred Mathers and Dow and portrayed a much darker side of Beaver's life.

In his mid-30s, Beaver was unemployed, unable to communicate with his own sons and going through a divorce. Wally, a successful lawyer, was handling the divorce, and June was at a loss to help her son through the transition.

"Ward, what would you do?" she asked at the site of her husband's grave. (Hugh Beaumont, who played Ward Cleaver, had died in 1982.)

The movie revived interest in the Cleaver family, and the Disney Channel launched "The New Leave It to Beaver" in 1985.

The series took a more hopeful view of the Cleavers, with Beaver winning custody of his two sons and all three moving in with June.

In 1997 Universal made a "Leave it to Beaver" theatrical film with a new generation of actors. Billingsley returned for a cameo, however, as Aunt Martha.

"America's favorite mother is now gone," Dow said in a statement Saturday. "I feel very fortunate to have been her "son" for 11 years. We were wonderful friends and I will miss her very much."

In later years she appeared from time to time in such TV series as "Murphy Brown," "Empty Nest" and "Baby Boom" and had a memorable comic turn opposite fellow TV moms June Lockhart of "Lassie" and Isabel Sanford of "The Jeffersons" on the "Roseanne" show.

"Now some people, they just associate you with that one role (June Cleaver), and it makes it hard to do other things," she once said. "But as far as I'm concerned, it's been an honor."

In real life, fate was not as gentle to Billingsley as it had been to June and her family.

Born Barbara Lillian Combes in Los Angeles on Dec. 22, 1915, she was raised by her mother after her parents divorced. She and her first husband, Glenn Billingsley, divorced when her sons were just 2 and 4.

Her second husband, director Roy Kellino, died of a heart attack after three years of marriage and just months before she landed the "Leave it to Beaver" role.

She married physician Bill Mortenson in 1959 and they remained wed until his death in 1981.

Twersky said Billingsley's survivors include her sons, a stepson and numerous grandchildren.

___

Associated Press writer Bob Thomas in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

A Little Bit of Progress

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 03:05:00 +0000

Things have been really rough in our house lately but it's finally working it's way out now it seems. Through it all I've tried to be a good wife and mother and failed several times. I didn't give up though, and in the last few months it has paid off. Little Bit is as happy as can be and flourishing, DH feels loved and thinks I am wonderful, and I've come through it all sane.

I have made some progress though. I've gotten some more boxes unpacked and all the dishes finally washed. I've even kept up on the laundry and dishes so they don't pile up again.

About my Marriage

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Thu, 20 May 2010 19:23:00 +0000

How long have you been married?
2 Years in August

Is this your first marriage?
Yeppers.

Is it how you imagined it would be?
Actually no. I am sad to say that we were in love but sorta felt like if we don't marry each other we'll never marry. When he left for basic training though, every thing changed. My Mr. Right Now became Mr. ~~Right~~ Perfect! We have learned to love deeply with the little time the Army allows us. We are hoping this anniversary will be spent together. Our first, and our birthdays, were not.

What would you change?
I don't think I would change anything per say but I wish it weren't so hard. For example, I wouldn't wish my husband had a different job because he loves what he does in the Army and it more than provides for our family... but I do wish it didn't mean he'd be in danger or that we would be separated so much. I suppose I would change the Army, not us. lol

Are you married to your soulmate?
Yes. I just didn't know it at first.

What do you argue about the most?
Um, I don't remember. We haven't argued in a while because I've been dealing with postpartum depression and he has been so understanding of my mood swings. Maybe the house? Truthfully I am the hard one about it. We both want it clean but he wants it clean and a happy wife. He asks me to do one thing a day. I just plain want it clean so I overdo it and he gets upset that I run myself ragged. Does that count? I bet we'll argue as his deployment draws nearer.

What do you see eye to eye on the most?
Parenting, politics, movies {minus my affection for chick flicks, but he'll snuggle with me sometimes}, the importance of education and books

Where did you meet your spouse?
AFROTC in college {woot for ROTC huh?} He was actually my ex-fiance's best friend and at first we hated each other. {We are both still good friends with my ex by the way. Long story short- we weren't in love any longer and decided we were just friends.}

Where was your first date?
Our first official date was after we were married, but our courting centered around deep talks late at night in the dorm common room and playing D&D with our small group of friends. Our characters became a couple about the same time we did.

Where were you when you became engaged?
We were in our apartment. He had grilled a tenderloin just for us to share. I was watching Project Runway and he was snooping around in the kitchen, asking me random questions about the oven. Finally he came in and sat down to eat with me. He was cutting a piece of the meat off and out of no where our cat jumped up and grabbed the steak! Had his fork not been in it, Shadow would have taken off with our dinner. After that excitement was over he went to get something from the kitchen. It was a cookie he baked for me.

I should have known he was up to something... he sat down and watch PROJECT RUNWAY with me!

Did you live together before Marriage?
Yep, much to my parents' disapproval. He thinks it's important to do so; I'm not sure either way. For us it was a matter of money.

What was your wedding song?
Nothing Else Matters by Metallica but we didn't dance at our wedding. It was a reception in a restaurant so we missed out on a lot of the things I had dreamed of. We are going to renew our vows one day and do it our way, not my mom's who paid for our wedding.

Who was in your wedding party?
From Left to Right: My brother, My best friend, Jae, {us}, His best friend, Chris, His sister. My half sister, my birth mom's daughter, was my flower girl. Isn't she cute in her little bonnet?

Do you get along with the in-laws?
Yes, he however hates his mother. I keep it civil but I know full well why he would rather have nothing to do with her. He gets along with my parents too. We both have issues with my mom as well because of how she treats me sometimes.

Whats your view on Children?
I would like 2 or 3. We have our son right now.

Does your spouse feel the same way?
Yep! Except he wants a horde of them. :0P

Are you a 2 peas in a pod or oppsites attract couple?
Can we be both? I would say we lean more toward opposites but deep down we are the same.

Do you go out without your spouse?
No, just shopping because he hates going to Wal-mart lol.

How long are you away from your spouse before you start to miss him/her?
Right away. I need to work on that before he deploys. :0P

Have you ever compared your spouse to someone you have dated in the past?
Yes. He is Soooooo much better!

Do you trust your Spouse?
Absolutely. He is the only man I have known whom I can trust.

Does your Spouse trust you?
Yep.

How well do you know your spouses favorites?
To a tee.

How well does your spouse know your favorites?
Pretty darn well for a guy lol.

Do you get along with your spouses friends?
We had the same group of friends so yes.

Does your spouse get along with your friends?
Again, yes.

Did you go on a honeymoon?
Not yet, but we are living in Alaska now so I think that can be remedied!

Do you watch the same TV shows?
I watch his shows, he does not watch mine. Right now we don't have cable so it doesn't matter.

Can you agree on Pizza toppings?
We get pepperoni and I pick off mine and give them to him.

Who takes out the trash?
Whoever gets to it, but he'll do it for me a lot.

Who does laundry?
I do. He's at work during laundry times. We share with our neighbors, but it's free!

Who is the first one to wake up in the morning?
He is, unless you count me being up at 4am to soothe the baby. He has to shave and get into his uniform pretty early.

Do you have any traditions?
Not yet.

Is there anyone in your spouses family that you cant stand?
I don't get along with his mom or granddad, but I am civil and kind.

Anyone in your spouses family you adore?
No, not really. They don't really care about me much. All of his cousins and uncles are divorced so they have no faith in me.

Do you know your spouses passwords/pins?
Yeah, I normally set them up so he doesn't have to worry about it.

Does your spouse know your social security number?
Yes but in the military mine isn't important.

Do you ever nag your spouse?
He thinks I do because his mom did. I have stopped giving him reminders though because that's what he was associating with "nagging".

Do you admit wrong doing?
Yes. And I apologize.

Does your spouse?
Yes. And apologizes.

Thanks Amanda for the prompt. I had fun filling in your questions.

You can head over at Trying My Best to be a Proverbs 31 Woman. There might be others who have answered along with her.

The Last Straw

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Fri, 14 May 2010 06:59:00 +0000

My husband broke my heart tonight. He didn't know he did, but his words pierced through me more than my overbearing mother, abusive brother, or cheating exes ever have. As I finally shared with y'all today, I have been battling an extreme depression for months now, even before Little Bit was born. I bet you couldn't really tell could you? Yeah, I'm really good at hiding it. In fact, DH didn't know I was as depressed as I am until last week when I finally let him in on my little secret. Since then he has been very concerned, and rightfully so. Don't worry, I am not suicidal. I lost a dear friend to suicide and would never commit such a selfish act. That does not keep me from wishing some horrible accident would end my life. Of course, another part of me is terrified of something happening to me and leaving DH and LB alone in life. So anyways, now you kinda see the extent of my dark secret that is depression. I struggle to pull myself out of bed in the morning. Most mornings I wake up with DH, feed LB, see DH off to pt/work and then go back to bed, hoping and praying that LB will sleep long enough for me to get a nap. Lately I have been so depressed and exhausted that I let him cry. I am not of the school of letting children until 8 months cry it out by the way. I just can't will myself to interact with my son on those days.

I have some confessions to make and I hope you don't look badly on me for them. I don't feed my son his bottles. He eats 5-7 times a day. Since he was born I have held him and his bottle less times than I have fingers. The first little paper they sent home with us said do not prop the bottle. I had horrible PPD and my son screamed at my breast when I tried to feed him and DH had just had wrist surgery. Neither one of us was equipped to hold LB's bottle. Since then I have gotten worse and worse. I am still depressed but I have come to terms with not being able to breastfeed him. No, now I prop his bottle so I can surf the internet, read all the blogs I follow and who don't even know I exist, and check my e-mail a billion times a day. Blogging has really been the only thing holding my sanity together. You are mostly moms or military wives/gfs. You get me. You know what I am going through. DH tries his hardest, but he has no idea what it's like. I rarely hold me son either. He has a flat spot, not because he sleeps on his back, but because he spent so much time in his swing or bouncy chair. I felt angry, I felt unloved, I felt hurt, I felt depressed, now I feel guilty for not holding him but as I sit here, typing... I can not make myself stop and hold him. I need to tell someone this. I need to tell you this. If I stop now, let this post auto save and never press publish I'll just slip further and further into despair. If I hold my son instead of typing out this confession to you then I'll begin to resent him and none of this is his fault. My hormones and neurochemicals are off balance. It's that simple and that complex.

Now to tell you what my husband said to me that torn my heart out and literally brought me to my knees screaming. At the time I had no idea if he was being hurtful or caring. He came out of the bathroom and said "Honey, I've been thinking about it and I think we ought to hire someone to come clean the house. It obviously isn't going to get done and this way you can have more time to spend with Little Bit and blog." Right there. Right there, in those innocent words were "You aren't good enough. You love your bog more than me because you won't take care of the house. You are lazy. You are a bad mother. You are a failure!" He essentially told me "I have to spend my hard earned money on someone else to come in and pick up where you have failed." I stood up, walked as far away from him as possible {which happened to be in the back room that I had just worked so hard on a couple days before}, fell to my knees, screamed into my hands, felt my heart ripping in two, and cried. I was shaking uncontrollably by the time DH finished brushing his teeth and got curious as to where I had gone. He asked if I was okay and I knew in that moment that he hadn't meant his words to be a crude warning to shape up or "ship out". He really did think he was helping me by hiring a maid. I sobbed a cracked "no" and attempted to explain my plight.

I struggle to get out of bed each morning; this depression you've seen this week has been going on in secret for months; I try and try and am never good enough; not for my parents, not for my friends, not for my ex fiance, not for you; you never tell me I'm doing a good job; I'm such a failure and you just told me so. The whole time I was thinking in my head...it hurt so bad because you are right. I care more about my blog than about my son or my home, and as an extension, you. I was so upset because I was guilty. Because he was right.

So, I am going away. I am not naive. I know I need to spend some time online to keep my sanity, but I will not be here in such force as I normally am. I will miss your posts. I will not reply to every comment. I may not do all my memes. I will do Motivation Monday and Feel Good Friday because those two especially keep me going. I will likely only keep you updated via my new depression blog. Its on the right sidebar in case you haven't read about it in my other posts today. I will be copying this post to all my other blogs so all my readers know. I know you all understand, and truthfully, I doubt many people would notice that I disappeared for a few weeks... but like I said, I needed to write it down. I needed to tell someone. I needed to tell you. Thanks for listening. Thanks for caring.

PS I am not going to take the time to proof this blog entry so I hope it is understandable and not too choppy.

post signature

Building a Cathedral

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Mon, 10 May 2010 05:08:00 +0000

This is why I do what I do!

I found this video on a post by Scrapping Servant. What a wonderful thought. I love that the video has subtitles so the words can really sink in as I read them. This short clip is so powerful that I am posting it on all of my blogs. I hope you enjoy it and it touches your heart in some way.

If I were... by Rose Tea Cottage

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 22:32:00 +0000

My friend, the Duchess, over at Rose Tea Cottage wrote this today and asked what we would be. I was so inspired I decided to respond to all her prompts. So here is my If I were...

If I were a month, I would be May
If I were a day of the week, I would be Sunday
If I were a time of day, I would be mid afternoon

If I were the weather, I would be a thunderstorm
If I were a direction, I would be south
If I were a scent, I would be vanilla sugar

If I were a tree, I would be a weeping willow
If I were a flower, I would be a dandelion

If I were an animal, I would be a hippopotamus

If I were a fine bone china, I would be a dainty teacup
If I were a car, I would be a 1985 GMC Sierra
If I was a painting, I would be drawn by Gil Elvgren

If I were a drink, I would be coffee
If I were a fruit, I would be a strawberry
If I were a dessert, I would be anything chocolaty, filled with cream cheese

If I were a perfume, I would be which ever kind my grandma wore
If I were a gemstone, I would be an Opal
If I were a castle, I would be built on the side of a green, grassy hill

If I were a musical instrument, I would be a violin
If I were a sound, I would be a giggle
If I were a song, I would be Bring on the Rain

If I were a colour, I would be pink
If I were an emotion, I would be giddy
If I were a taste, I would be spicy

If I were a museum, I would be a children's exhibit
If I were a country, I would be America
If I could be anyone, I would be a wife and mother

Thank you Duchess for that fun exercise. It really made me sit and think about what I love and what I would be like. I loved reading all your thoughts and finding out a little more about you. How ingenious.

Simple Woman's Daybook - April 6, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 02:56:00 +0000

Outside my window... the sun is shining bright after such a dark winter.
I am thinking... about the things I plan on crafting this week.
I am thankful for... running water.
From the kitchen... are scrambled eggs and cheese.
I am wearing... a jean skirt and tie-dyed shirt.
I am creating... a home for my family.
I am going... to finish the last bit of the dishes tonight.
I am reading... children's books to my son.
I am hoping... the problem with our well problem gets solved quickly.
I am hearing... Fly Me to the Moon.
Around the house... are scattered crafting materials.
One of my favorite things... is finding a GREAT deal like a $100 baby carrier for $2.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Calculate our finances, cuddle my son, snuggle my husband.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing:

Simple Woman's Daybook - March 30, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 20:13:00 +0000

Outside my window... the snow is melting.
I am thinking... of all the things I need to get done this week.
I am thankful for... my home.
From the kitchen... is the lingering smell of fresh homemade bread.
I am wearing... work out pants and sport bra so I can do all my heavy box lifting and unpacking today.
I am creating... hand embroidered greeting cards to send to friends and sell on etsy.
I am going... home to visit family this summer.
I am reading... my friends' blogs.
I am hoping... I have the energy to complete all my tasks this week.
I am hearing... silence, beautiful, no crying baby, silence.
Around the house... are still boxes needing to be unpacked...but less than last week!
One of my favorite things... is taking a hot bubble bath at the end of a busy day.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Unpack boxes, do laundry, get our taxes finished.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing:

Baby's First Blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 03:13:00 +0000

chcfvtytt34

bvtr tfyghgjkjggc xxdfcrthjh5e trhgfnreg

Tackle It Tuesday! - Unpack Living Room Boxes

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 01:22:00 +0000

This post brought to you courtesy of 5MinutesforMom!

The challenge: Unpack ALL the boxes in the living room, tonight! For some perspective... our living room is about 20X40 and half of it is covered to the ceiling in boxes. Imagine this half full of boxes... {You can use the ruck bag and stroller to help judge size :0P}

The stakes: I win a special pampering act from the hubby if I can do it... he suggested a candlelit bubble bath with a massage afterward but we can't find matches lol. My little gift to myself for unpacking some of them is that I get to go to Wal-mart today and buy the rest of the blue fabric with sweet pink roses on it before I use up the cut I already bought (which is usually my rule so I don't waste money on fabric I don't use). I'll update you on whether I accomplished my goal, how long it took, and what we decided on as my prize. I'm pretty excited about this actually. Wish me luck!

Update: I did not unpack every single box but you know what? I unpacked over half of them! Woohoo! I am planning to finish unpacking the rest while the Little One naps before my hubby comes home. I am so excited. Of course, next I have to put everything away...but this is a HUGE start to having an unpacked and livable house. We moved from Texas to Alaska; I was 7 months pregnant; our stuff arrived at the house merely two weeks before I was induced. It's been four months now... I think we are doing just fine don't you?

Simple Woman's Daybook - March 23, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 20:38:00 +0000

Outside my window... the sun in shining again after a long, dark winter!
I am thinking... about how quickly our son is growing and how it isn't fair.
I am thankful for... my husband.
From the kitchen... is a scrumptious chocolate chocolate chip cake.
I am wearing... pajamas...it was a long night so I'm staying comfy today dang it! :0P
I am creating... a pink and white knitted blanket for the baby girl we hope to have one day. You can't pray for rain and then go out without your umbrella.
I am going... a little stir crazy in the house but it's still too cold to take the Little Bit out for a walk.
I am reading... my friends' blog entries to catch up on the wonderful happenings in their lives.
I am hoping... the Army decides to pay off my husband's largest student loan after all. Right now they are only paying his small, Stafford ones, which is a blessing, but that large one is a huge financial block.
I am hearing... our son cooing! He's begun "talking" a whole month earlier than even girls normally do.
Around the house... are boxes needing to be unpacked. Please pray I have the strength, endurance, and motivation to unpack them today.
One of my favorite things... is the scent of my husband on his pillow.
A few plans for the rest of the week: snuggle, snuggle, snuggle this here baby before he grows up!
Here is picture for thought I am sharing:

Interesting Happenings...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 04:08:00 +0000

All day today I felt tired, depressed, and even angry. Then I learned we were having family over on Monday night. I begrudgingly began doing dishes (again...I've cleaned 3 sets and have 2 more to go) and wiping down kitchen counters. I got the floors vacuumed and made dinner as well. I sat down, still angry and depressed. The hubby sat down to eat, brought me some dinner, watched as I showed him my ideas for our Super Mario Bros. nursery and gave me his input and then I started to feel a little better. Now I have the sudden urge for chocolate! I want to bake these, and chocolate cookies, and chocolate cake... but I don't have all the ingredients so I am eating dark chocolate chips instead. I think I'll go to the store on my way home from church tomorrow and get those missing ingredients. I know I bought some baking soda but I can't find it for the life of me... oh well. Maybe once I get my sudden craving for chocolate satiated I'll be in the mood to clean. If so then it only took one day for my BC to kick in. I hope it doesn't go away too soon... I really want to get those boxes unpacked but I won't have time until tomorrow or Monday.

Just Great...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:43:00 +0000

Family is coming. I am so very excited to meet my husband's grandmother's cousin...but I have been so exhausted and depressed this last week that I haven't even washed the dishes. Okay, so I washed two sets (have to wait for them to dry in our drying rack) but there are still more to do. Not to mention the cluttered computer desk, floors that need vacuumed and mopped, bathroom counters needing wiped down and the Little One's crib clear out and toys corralled. I have no idea why they are everywhere... he doesn't even play with toys yet. *sigh* I am tired, cramping and all I want to do is curl up into a ball and cry but I have to find the motivation from somewhere to clean this damn house! My hubby's grandmother is a queen of clean and I know she'll hear all about our house and how we are living. His family already thinks I've useless because I don't work. I do not need the stress of being a bad housekeeper too. Why couldn't she come visit AFTER my monthly boost of energy to clean?! I wish I had tears left to cry right now but I'm feeling fairly numb today. I really wish I could blog all about it...but I can't. There are things I don't want the world to know.

{Mis}Adventures of Knitting

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:57:00 +0000

Well my very first project isn't very pretty. In fact it is turning into something only a mother would love which is good because I planned I sending it to my mom for mother's day. I figured it wasn't anything pretty, but I spent a lot of time on it and it was the very first thing I knitted so she would love it. I started with a casting on of about 9. My creation is growing... I now have 22 stitches. I have NO idea how that happened but it did. I also have no idea how to go from one needle to the other when I begin a new row. I can get the last stitch off of the left needle easy then when I switch the needles, point my work to the right, and go to make the first stitch... I don't know what to do exactly so I have ended up with very uneven edges. Some parts of the edge are really stretched out and other parts look like a mess of knots. I also find myself catching threads of my yarn from the previous row when I go up through the loop which has made some parts skewed when I didn't notice it and kept going. When I did notice it I stopped, pulled my needle out and tried again which of course had me dropping stitches. That brings me to the funniest {mis}adventure yet... I dropped the first stitch a moment ago and at the same time dropped my right needle. *Plunk!* My needle fell right into the full glass of juice I had on the floor. My husband had no idea what had happened and I was laughing to hard to explain {or breathe for that matter}. Then he saw only one needle and said "I take it you had an open glass over there?" I just nodded and continued to try to breathe. It was so funny and as good a stopping point as any I suppose. I'll have to figure out how to fix the dropped stitch tomorrow. I foresee yet another blotched side piece in tomorrow's future. Maybe now that I have this down I can start a new project {probably a scarf or something easy like that} and have it look normal. I am ending up with a sorta triangle shaped hot plate holder for my mom... I'm sure she'll love it no matter what it is.

My Husband Now has a Knitting Wife

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 05:16:00 +0000

I was at Walmart a couple days ago looking for cute buttons for my scrapbooking and stumbled on the yarn section. I've never been inclined to knit or crochet but I found myself picking up the skeins and squishing them in my hand. They were so soft and cuddly! I threw one into my basket. I had no idea what I was going to do with it but I would figure that out later. Maybe I'd just leave it like that and cuddle it sometimes. As I was leaving the row I looked over at the looms and needles and starting thinking to myself... maybe I could knit. I didn't know which to pick but the knitting needles were cheaper so I bought those instead of the crochet needles.

I got home that night and decided I would look up online how to do it exactly. I couldn't bring myself to pay $15 for a knitting book when I wasn't sure if I would actually take it up and when I can find info for free online. I looked up pictures and watched movies for two hours. I just couldn't figure out the stupid knit stitch! I was cursing (lightly) and almost to tears when I finally watched a movie on youtube listed by a young man. He was so funny! At one point he said it wouldn't make any sense yet but to "just do it!" and he would explain later. DH and I laughed so hard. I looked at a couple more close up pictures and finally my yarn was more than just twisted on my second needle. It didn't look right but I figured... I did something that isn't falling apart so I should keep going. Sure enough, two rows later I was knitting! It doesn't look very pretty and it is only about 3" long, but it's mine! After a while it finally got relaxing. They should tell you when you first begin that the first couple of rows won't look like much...

So here I am: An Army wife, a mom, a classic housewife, a cook {and baker}, a scrapbooker, a seamstress, an interior decorator {well of my house at least}, a thrift shopper, tea cup collector, tea party thrower, church goer and Bible reader {again, finally}, pearl necklace and apron wearer, and knitter. Only a few months ago... I would not have imagined myself any of those things {beside wife and mom of course}. And here in a few more months I'll be making Cody's baby food. And you know what? It feels good!

Lazy or Tired?

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:44:00 +0000

Lately I have been sleeping in as long as my son will let me. We all go to bed around 9 or 10pm but I tend to wake up at least twice during the night for some reason or another. My husband gets up 7 hours later at 0430 to shave and get dressed for work. I wake up around 0500 to either get his lunch ready, if I didn't do it the night before, or check on our son. Thankfully he is usually still asleep. Then my hubby heads off to PT and work around 0540. If Cody is still asleep I go back to bed. He normally only gives me 30 more minutes though. I get up, prepare his breakfast bottle, feed him and then hope he falls back asleep so I can snuggle back into my sheets. I don't think I have gotten more than 3 hours of consecutive sleep in 10 months.

I keep struggling over whether I am being lazy or tired. I have things to be doing but there is no way I am getting them done without several cups of coffee or more sleep. Should I just go back to bed and get more rest so I can function? Am I being lazy if I need caffeine to otherwise keep me upright? Sometimes I think I should just suck it up, get out of bed, have a cup (or three) of coffee and work until all my daily chores are done. Then I think, I have a 3 month old baby, I should sleep every chance I get. What do you think? I just can't decide if it is my stupid pride of God urging me to stop being so lazy.

Mmmm Something Smells Good...

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 04:17:00 +0000

And I hope it tastes good... I am baking some Pumpkin Muffins but it called for 3 c flour and sugar and 4 eggs! I think maybe it is just a double recipe. I hope they are yummy because I'll be making close to 50 of them! The hubby was sitting here and said out of no where, "Man, now I really want muffins." So I looked it up online, saw we had the ingredients and set to work. He laughed and was so happy when he finally realized what I was doing in the kitchen. Well the timer is going off. I'll let you know in about 10 minutes if they are any good.

Hurray! They turned out pretty yummy! We have so many though. I think I'll send my husband to work with some tomorrow.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:14:00 +0000

Outside my window... snowflakes are gently and silently falling from Heaven.
I am thinking... about the hard work I put towards cleaning and redecorating our bedroom and how beautiful it turned out.
I am thankful for... being able to stay home and take care of my son and household.
From the kitchen... are smells of ground meat browning.
I am wearing... a brown dress and a ribbon in my hair.
I am creating... a lovey and comfortable home for my husband, son and myself.
I am going... to my Bible study and woman's worship service on Thursday.
I am reading... Proverbs 31 in my Bible.
I am hoping... my son's tooth comes in soon so he isn't hurting anymore.
I am hearing... my husband taking off his combat boots after just arriving home.
Around the house... are baby toys and the pitter-patter of cat's feet (or perhaps more like galumphing).
One of my favorite things... is my beloved stuffed hippo.
A few plans for the rest of the week: unpack more boxes, clean up the nursery and rearrange it, and take out all the trash I have gathered from unpacking.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing:

If you would like to join the Simple Woman's Daybook head over to Peggy's website and read about how to do so.

Well That Was a Workout!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:31:00 +0000

I finished picking up everything off the floor in our bedroom which itself was a feat! Then I put away all the clothes on the bed. Finally I COMPLETELY rearranged the furniture! I moved the pack n play to the living room with the rest of the baby's toys, my hope chest to the foot of the bed, my vanity to the opposite side of the room which is now my side of the bed due to my hubby's surgery, and finally I moved our dresser out of the closet and across to room to his side of the bed. Oh and I moved our black bedside tables out to the den across the house.

I had this dilemma. I like black furniture and the hubby likes natural wood. In fact, he thinks black furniture is cheap looking because his mom used to paint EVERYTHING black apparently. So here I was with my dream of my black wrought iron bed, two black side tables (one square and masculine and the other curvy and feminine), a black vanity (which right now is still cream and gold) and a shabby chic bedspread with pinks, greens and blues galore! However... my husband wouldn't feel at home in our bedroom so I struggled with how to solve this. Soooo when the movers arrived I had them put our oak dresser in the closet. Problem solved! Not really. I didn't have enough space to hang all our clothes. Then a couple nights ago I decided to pull the dresser out of the closet but didn't know where to put it so it wouldn't clash with my motif. Last night I had a sort of epiphany.

I thought I could use the dresser and my vanity, which is roughly the same size, as bedside tables. So there it is. When you enter our bedroom now you see the foot of out wrought iron bed, a sheep skin with a cream hope chest on top of it painted with soft pink roses. Then you see his dresser on the far end of the room next to the bed topped with a couple of his books and a picture of our wedding day and finally my vanity on the other side with my Bible, a couple small shabby chic picture frames, a mirror, and a vase of faux flowers. When you turn to leave you see our closet doors. The handles broke off when the previous owners were here so we were unable to close them lest they stay that way forever. I fixed that today too. I tied a white ribbon around the doors and finished them in a knotted bow to use as door pulls. I am pretty proud of myself. I can't wait for my husband to get home and see his new clean, half masculine, bedroom! I have decided to use crisp white pillow covers and duvet cover with light blue sheets and accent pillows of soft blue and pink as not to overpower the room in shabby chicness. lol

What a Productive Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 06:34:00 +0000

I feel quite accomplished today! I was up before dawn (with a nap mid day when Cody fell asleep) and am going to bed after my husband and son have long ago dived into blissful dreams. I washed the mound of dishes that had piled up from unpacking boxes and cooking lunch and dinner yesterday. I did three loads of laundry and would have had more done but someone was using the washer and dryer on my day. Oh well, I am only one load behind and they are non-essentials. I vacuumed the floors today, cleaned the bathroom, and wiped down the kitchen counters and appliances. I folded and separated all the laundry that has been laying around since that day I did something like 13 loads. I'll finally be able to put them away tomorrow when I rearrange the bedroom. I started the rearranging today by moving the recliner I had used postpartum out of the bedroom and moving over the pack n' play, bedside tables and bed. It is back to being centered in the room which leaves a lot more space to move around. I cleaned up all the clutter on the floor and threw out all the trash. I even organized my husband's uniforms that had been thrown on the floor for lack of storage space. I gathered up all the trash around the house and put it on the porch to be taken out to the dumpster tomorrow once the sun is up. I feel as though I got quite a lot done today even though I didn't finish all the tasks I had planned. They will easily be completed tomorrow and holding my son when his gums are hurting him is much more important.

Tomorrow I plan to finish rearranging the bedroom, finish cleaning the dishes I unpacked yesterday and find a cabinet to put those in, clean up the clutter in the nursery so I can begin decorating, and unpack some more boxes. I can't fully rearrange the nursery until I have unpacked all the boxes in the den. Right now there is an extra dresser and a full sized bed in Cody's nursery that I plan on moving into the den area and making shabby chic. It'll be my own little room (though it's actually quite large lol) where I can go and relax, read a book, drink some coffee or tea, and most importantly... craft! I'll make sure to take after photos when I am finished. I'm too embarrassed to show before pics of our clutter! *blush* Well, it's time to go gather up my last load of wash from the dryer then off to bed with me. I will share my grand decorating/rearranging plan with you tomorrow. Goodnight and God bless. I hope y'all had just as productive a day as I did.

Weekly Chores

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 03:02:00 +0000

These Chores will be Completed and Re-listed Weekly:

~~Clean Bathroom~~
~~Clean Kitchen~~
~~Vacuum Floors~~
Mop Hard Wood and Tiled Floors
~~Do Dishes (Daily if possible)~~
~~Change Sheets (to be washed)~~
~~Do Laundry~~
~~Fold Laundry~~
Organize Bedroom
Organize Nursery
Organize Desk Area
Organize Play Area

How Do You Stay Bitterless?

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 03:30:00 +0000

How can you be a housewife and mom without becoming bitter?

I don't know that answer. I hope to find out. Not many people find my life glamorous, rewarding, appealing, or even worth while. They say it is lazy, degrading, even idiotic not to have a career (my mom and MIL included). Many other wives and mothers fight back at these words claiming that being home with their children and caring for their husbands is fulfilling, rewarding, and hard work. I wholeheartedly agree with the hard work part and I would like for it to be fulfilling and rewarding but I am having trouble achieving that aspect. I love taking care of my husband and being home with my son but it is very frustrating at times.

For example, tonight we were struggling to hook up our new XBOX360 that had been gifted to us. When we plugged it in the screen was so blippy we couldn't even read the options for set up. We called the friend who sent it to us and he walked us through the process. It didn't work. I decided we should try hooking it up to the other TV since I seem to remember the one we had it on had issues with the coaxial cables. I happen to be pretty savvy with electronics simply from trial and error but my husband insisted on being the one to set it up. He spent 15 minutes moving things around when he only had to plug in one cord. He said he wanted to un-clutter the cables. I started to feel bitter. Why is that a problem you ask? Why not just let him have his 15 minutes? It wasn't him moving slowly that upset me. It was the feeling I got that he didn't think I was capable of doing it and that I should be in the kitchen cooking his dinner instead. (He threw a "what's for dinner?" in there during this hour we took hooking it all up.)

He tells me all the time that my cooking is amazing and that I am doing a good job taking care of our little one but then every now and then he says something that sounds reminiscent of "a woman's place is in the kitchen." He'll comment on how I haven't unpacked all the boxes yet (we moved in 3 months ago and during that time he was in a cast and I had a c-section and postpartum depression) or that there are dishes in the sink and laundry on the floor in the bedroom (which by the way are his dirty clothes). I find myself becoming bitter.

I know people make fun of the 1950's wife saying that she was stupid and supposed to be pretty and quiet. Her husband was a domineering man who kept her "barefoot in the kitchen", or more like dressed to the nines doing housework in her party dress, pantyhose, heels, and perfectly made up hair and face. The truth is that during that time men appreciated their wives for the sacrifice they made. Women didn't have to stay home anymore. It was the time of Rosie the Riveter. Why then does it seem like too much to ask that I be a housewife yet not be treated like a housewife? Shouldn't my love and devotion be accepted and appreciated without assumptions and exceptions? Shouldn't a husband say thank you for dinner, doing the laundry, and cleaning the house, without then saying but...?

How do I give myself as a wife and mother and keep from becoming bitter? Can it be done if I am not appreciated and loved in return for hard work? How do you skirt the line between June Cleaver and Joan Crawford (check out Mommie Dearest)? I hope I find my answer before I become bitter and begin taking care of my family emotionlessly like I found myself doing tonight.

Put Down that Book and Close the Internet Now!

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:49:00 +0000

New moms shouldn't read for the first few months. How many times have you heard about a mom freaking out that her child isn't developing or she ruined her little one? Yep, I thought I ruined him. Now of course, this was my postpartum depression talking and now that my hormones are fine I see how silly it was, but seriously I thought I ruined our son.

I read some stupid article that said if a child isn't smiled at and held that eventually they will lose the ability to smile. Now that makes sense but it should have given a time period! I had myself all worked up that because I was too depressed to hold Cody and smile at him that he was never going to be a happy baby. I cried about that for days (which of course didn't help my depression). I finally decided I could only start trying better now that I was getting healthy again and hope it was enough. Sure enough 2 weeks later he smiled! He's even started to coo and I think today I heard a giggle!

So don't believe everything you read, or at least don't take it out of context; better yet don't read ANYTHING about child development until close to 4 months old. You'll feel better, spend more time simply enjoying your new bundle of joy, and s/he probably develop even better because of the unconditional (and un-worried) attention.

It's Official

noreply@blogger.com (Jeannette) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 06:42:00 +0000

I'm a mom. I wipe up drool, change poopy diapers in a flash, tote a little person around as if the extra 20lbs is nothing, and say things like binkie and blankie and lovey in a high pitched tone...to everyone (by accident).

I was sitting here, watching Elizabeth, snacking on my coveted Milano cookies and bouncing a baby boy on my knee. I finished my cookie, looked down to coo back at my little Mr and all of a sudden went picking in that minuscule nose saying "Gimme that booger!" I made myself laugh. I've wiped kid's snotty noses for years while working in various daycares, but this was completely different. It was pretty hilarious. Next I suppose I'll be saying "Excuse me, I need to go to the potty" while out with girl-friends.