tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-360830762011-10-10T11:17:16.910-05:00Celebrating silliness and siblings, exploring excitement and exuberance, honoring home and hugs, and doing it all without really knowing what the heck I'm doing.Cherylnoreply@blogger.comBlogger394125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-79146475546135258682009-03-16T08:38:00.004-05:002009-03-16T08:48:04.090-05:002009-03-16T08:48:04.090-05:00

I thought of naming Anna "Sunny." She is loving yellow above all other colors now, so maybe it was an appropriate name to consider. The way her personality is developing, "Sunny" might be a great nickname for her.Happy St. Urho's Day to the folks out there who know about him! As a 100% Finnish person, it's my duty to spread the Finnish cheer and craziness at all times. Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka,

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-70050806487533871892009-03-02T21:28:00.004-06:002009-03-02T22:13:03.835-06:002009-03-02T22:13:03.835-06:00

Am I irrelevant now that I'm not blogging all the time? Does that really matter? Frankly... no. Here's the deal. I'm living offline right now. Some days, I don't even check my email more than once. *gasp*Rather than work my cute butt off by building up the "Cheryl" brand online, I've retreated back to life with my kids. I'm focusing on quilting and cooking and praying. Chris and I joined the

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-45272026462148271552009-02-10T09:11:00.003-06:002009-02-10T09:20:11.897-06:002009-02-10T09:20:11.897-06:00

As many of you know, Chris and I married after being matched up by eharmony. We committed to each other very quickly for reasons we're not really sure of. We just went with our intuition, and thankfully, it's worked out well for us. We'll be married four years this March, and we're still finding new reasons to love each other every day.Silly Valentine's Day. I'm not an overly sentimental, mushy

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-26249609872519021552009-02-04T12:13:00.004-06:002009-02-04T12:47:09.220-06:002009-02-04T12:47:09.220-06:00

I am in full-fledged quilting mode, spending at least four hours a day at the task. I have beautified my sewing table and laid in a cache of unheard audiobooks. I have more fabric than I know what to do with thanks to too many trips to the fabric store.I have had many questions as to how I manage to quilt while taking care of the kids. The answer is complicated, but I'll give you a picture to

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-6588920374366586002009-01-27T21:41:00.004-06:002009-01-27T22:38:13.958-06:002009-01-27T22:38:13.958-06:00

First off... I shared this story with Chris today. Heard it on Catholic Radio, got warm fuzzies. I think it's a good lesson to learn.A momentous occasion occurred today when Chris brought Momma Val's quilt to the post office. I was so glad to pull it out of the dryer this morning and see that all the stitches held, the colors didn't bleed, and it looked cozy. Mission accomplished. Whenever I look

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-4872163651268250162009-01-14T08:39:00.002-06:002009-01-14T08:56:04.896-06:002009-01-14T08:56:04.896-06:00

Last week was manic in its activity. I squeezed in 20 hours of work and at least 10 hours on the quilt. As I systematically took care of business and nudged myself towards efficiency, I even had the emotional nerve to start going through the bills that have piled up. We still can't pay any of them, but at least they'll be at hand when we finally have a surplus again.It's nice to feel capable

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-23923490179912132572009-01-02T06:15:00.004-06:002009-01-02T06:40:49.898-06:002009-01-02T06:40:49.898-06:00

Chase after me, little boy.Let's race and see what wonders we can rouse from the ordinary.Hold my hand and explore this world with me.Count to ten. Say the alphabet.What color is this?Roar! A lion is attacking.No wait... it's the tickle monster!Worlds of expression dance across your face.Anticipation for a trip to the library.Consternation when you can't find your airplane.Fury when Anna plays

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-18292596217807496932008-12-25T20:24:00.003-06:002008-12-25T20:50:39.842-06:002008-12-25T20:50:39.842-06:00

Another Christmas under the belt. A success.Yesterday morning dawned cold and snowy. The day became even snowier, and it seemed determined to bury us in for the duration. As more than six inches of fresh snow fell in our yard, we wondered if we'd ever make it out of town that afternoon to spend Christmas at my parents' house.By the time we left home around 4, the snow had stopped, but the roads

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-15799608700645862792008-12-24T14:19:00.004-06:002008-12-24T15:02:15.259-06:002008-12-24T15:02:15.259-06:00

Yesterday morning I had this crazy idea to invite a whole passel of people over for pancakes following the half day of work today. Because of family obligations and the crazy amount of snow, only one family joined us, but we still had a fantastic visit.I'd promised homemade pancakes, but I'd only ever made pancakes with a store-bought mix, so I searched online for the best recipe. I even stopped

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-91445368756252070512008-12-12T21:27:00.001-06:002008-12-12T21:29:04.511-06:002008-12-12T21:29:04.511-06:00

Anna, Ben and I went from having the stomach flu around Thanksgiving to having colds this week. Ben is on his nebulizer a few times a day, and Anna is constantly dripping copious amounts of snot and very fussy. So of course it's the perfect time to start sleep training again.Yeah right. We started training her again because her sleep patterns were getting worse and worse, finally to the point

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-6616370650697289762008-12-01T21:54:00.004-06:002008-12-01T22:13:33.375-06:002008-12-01T22:13:33.375-06:00

We started decorating for Christmas yesterday. I put lighted garland inside the arch between the living room and dining room and hung beautiful glass ornaments from it (and only broke one in the process). Chris put up the Christmas tree, including the lights.While reading FamilyFun magazine, I was enamored with their Sparkling Ice Crystals. They looked so beautiful and so simple to make. This

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-3531973027025097732008-11-26T18:32:00.001-06:002008-11-26T18:34:47.768-06:002008-11-26T18:34:47.768-06:00

I count my blessings every day, and I try to live with as much gratefulness as I can muster. Thanksgiving comes easy to me, and it’s my favorite holiday. All the best food with no gifts.This year, I am thankful for the small grins my daughter gives me when she’s privately delighted. I’m thankful for the wrinkle in her nose and the downcast eyes when she’s scolded and trying not to cry. I love the

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-58155193815227786022008-11-16T08:03:00.002-06:002008-11-16T08:26:11.129-06:002008-11-16T08:26:11.129-06:00

Anna started walking when she was 13 months old. Really, she started just after her first birthday, but she didn't start walking on a regular basis until a couple days ago, when walking became her ideal mode of transportation. She quickly learned the value of walking upright and how it eclipses crawling both in speed and convenience.My little girl. She's walking. She toddles along, straight

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-39593503694859930322008-11-10T11:05:00.002-06:002008-11-10T11:18:58.109-06:002008-11-10T11:18:58.109-06:00

This morning, Ben had a temper tantrum for no less than 30 minutes in our bedroom while Anna and I peacefully ate breakfast in the kitchen. From what I can make out from his shrieks and rants, he was angry that I had changed his diaper on the right side of the bed. Apparently, he wished that it had occurred on the left side, but he hadn't known that until after the change was done. Eventually, he

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-58068512162031284432008-10-19T20:10:00.003-05:002008-10-19T20:27:36.063-05:002008-10-19T20:27:36.063-05:00

If you look at my fishbowl from a certain angle, nothing has changed. I wake up in the morning and hold a crying Anna. Ben sleeps in for an hour longer. I kick my husband's butt out of bed after he hits the snooze button too many times. I make coffee. I drink it. I stay at home and care for the house and children.It's a trick of the eye and refraction, because something has shifted again.A couple

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-64976676231924151012008-10-16T13:21:00.002-05:002008-10-16T13:32:04.453-05:002008-10-16T13:32:04.453-05:00

Anna had her 1-year well child visit this morning. She's back on track as far as weight goes, and her exam was perfect ... except for one part. Her tonsils."For her size, they are enormous. I was horrified when I saw them," Dr. Sarah explained.Outwardly, she is showing almost no signs of infection. She's drooling a lot, but she is also cutting a tooth. Her ears aren't infected, and her nose isn't

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-68897617820344134542008-10-14T16:29:00.002-05:002008-10-14T16:46:41.726-05:002008-10-14T16:46:41.726-05:00

Did you know that my precious baby girl is one year old today? Hard to believe how quickly this year has gone by. I still remember distinctly what her birthday was like and the crazy week leading up to it. Sigh. She's a year old now.I wish I had good pictures to throw up here, but I don't. She's having another photo-shoot this weekend, so you'll have to wait for those.But let me paint a word

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-74893183573417719502008-10-08T20:37:00.002-05:002008-10-08T20:56:22.412-05:002008-10-08T20:56:22.412-05:00

Tomorrow morning we bring Molly Dog to the vet to get spayed. A couple weeks too late. Not that she's pregnant... but she's been in heat for the last two weeks. Let me tell you. That's a nasty, gross situation.With the weather being rainy and my ears being infected, we haven't gone for many dog walks in the last few days. I needed a break from the mayhem tonight, so I took her for a walk by

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-47917788993925337532008-10-01T12:50:00.004-05:002008-10-01T13:09:06.106-05:002008-10-01T13:09:06.106-05:00

In two weeks, Anna will be one year old. She took her first step on Sunday. Just one step, but it was enough to make me weepy. She's awesome.But this post is about Ben. My dear Benji Boy. Oh, how I love him. In the last week, however, he has presented us with new challenges in patience and compassion. He's dealing with some very strong separation anxiety issues. If we're getting ready to leave

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-17759211259338119552008-09-18T07:29:00.005-05:002008-09-18T07:51:18.883-05:002008-09-18T07:51:18.883-05:00

So we got a dog Tuesday night. I've already been experiencing buyer's remorse, but I hear that's normal, especially if you are not normally a dog person. Dang, dogs are a lot of work! We're house training her, so I have to remain hyper-vigilant about her "needs." I suppose this is practice for pottytraining Ben, whenever he decides he's ready.She's actually a very nice dog. She doesn't bark or

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-36649663105896506592008-09-16T11:01:00.000-05:002008-09-16T11:02:37.692-05:002008-09-16T11:02:37.692-05:00

I think I woke up one day many months ago and decided that I'd become a dog person. My infatuation with all things feline has been a theme in my life, but the slinky, sexy fur beasts have lost their appeal with countless pee incidents and my current cat's insistence on biting my children. Maisie Cat will not be the cozy companion for my children I hoped she would be.Enter a dog. Every boy should

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-24354255482188811202008-09-06T09:23:00.001-05:002008-09-06T09:25:21.864-05:002008-09-06T09:25:21.864-05:00

After the show was over last night, Dino said he couldn't wait to read what I write about my first rock concert. I hope he's not disappointed, and I hope he treats this with kindness.I went to my first rock concert last night at The Fillmor in Downtown Wausau. The venue is beautiful and large and sparkling. Everyone I met was warm and enthusiastic, and I made new friends and had some fantastic

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-46333258624773374332008-08-28T08:27:00.002-05:002008-08-28T08:43:47.864-05:002008-08-28T08:43:47.864-05:00

I don't know how mothers with chronic illnesses get through life. This sucks. When I'm not feeling ill, I'm waiting for the first twinge of an oncoming migraine in hopes that I'll have time to take my new medicine and head off the evil brain cramp at the pass. My "cue" that one is soon arriving is numbness, and last night I laid awake in bed for fifteen minutes waiting for the brief numbness in

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-30123345339486747812008-08-22T16:29:00.002-05:002008-08-22T16:38:48.351-05:002008-08-22T16:38:48.351-05:00

Well, that was a roller coaster ride of hell.First, the result: Tension.Before that, it was maybe my thyroid, migraines, lyme disease, anemia, stroke... etc.I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of this week, just the highlights. A CT scan on Wednesday because during the night I lost all sensation on my left side periodically. A wonderful physical therapy visit yesterday (I'll be going for

Cherylnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36083076.post-89367096045841541372008-08-18T07:41:00.003-05:002008-08-18T07:56:37.408-05:002008-08-18T07:56:37.408-05:00

I can hardly believe that it's been so long since blogging. Kind of crazy. But it is what it is.Truth be told, I haven't been feeling well. It started around Aug. 2 or so. Nausea in the evenings, neck pain when I bend over, pick things up or look far left or right. Over the next few days, the bouts of nausea and pain became for frequent, lasting for longer than before, until it finally lasted all

Cherylnoreply@blogger.com