We’ve been robbed!

Yep. Robbed.

Last night Ev and I went to the grocery store and got back around 5:30.  I had my arms full of groceries (and even Ev was carrying a bag) when we went inside, and I was trying to help her up the steps, so I forgot to lock the van.  And shut the garage door.  Clay came home around 7:30 and noticed the garage door was up, but for some reason it didn’t register that he should close it.  So to bed we went!

This morning we got in the van go to somewhere and noticed that our garage door opener was missing.  Later when we got home we realized some other things from our garage were also gone: our video camera, Clay’s camera, his big toolbox and all his tools, his new weedwacker, and fancy flashlight.  There may be more, but we just moved everything in so we’re not positive about what was sitting where.  Oh, and we realized that the door from the garage into the house had been open all night, too!  I’m pretty sure the burglar didn’t come inside because he would’ve seen our laptop lying out in the open, and that’s about the only thing we have worth stealing, and it’s definitely still here.

So I’m totally weirded-out that someone was in our garage stealing stuff.  We’ve had construction work going-on down the street all week, so I don’t know if it was a worker or just someone random, but supposedly this is a really safe area.  Our next-door neighbors leave their garage door open all day long and sometimes all night long!  (we’re going to go warn them)  Having someone break-in (or walk-in, I guess) my house is one of my worst fears, so it’s weird that it’s kinda happened.  But I am reassured that even though the door to the house was open they didn’t come-in. The thing that really disturbs me is that they took our garage door opener.  That kinda makes me wonder if they’re planning-on coming back.  So I called the door company and they told us how to deactivate it and we’re getting another opener this weekend.

Here’s the bright side of things:  We have renter’s insurance with only a $100 deductible.  (I don’t know why in the world I chose such a low deductible when we bought the policy four years ago, but thank goodness I did!)  The video camera was broken, nothing showed on the screen, so that criminal is going to get a funny surprise when he realizes it doesn’t work!  (not to mention he didn’t even take the charger or the memory card!) Clay’s camera that got stolen was really nice, but we never use it and were planning-on selling it.  So now we don’t have to worry about selling it, we’ll just get the amount it’s worth from the insurance company  The tools being gone sucks, but we should be able to buy everything back with the insurance money.  So, we were going to have to pay to get the video camera fixed anyway, this way we’ll be able to just buy a new one instead, plus a newer digital camera, for only $100.

So…. I’m a little freaked-out, but surprisingly ok about it all.  So, make sure you shut your garage doors, people, even if you live in a small and safe town!

Who needs Pillsbury!

So I went to the grocery store today, and one of the main items on my list was a bag of frozen Pillsbury biscuits—a staple in the Jones house.  Imagine my shock and disappointment when I saw that one bag–12 biscuits—was $5!!!!!  I’m used to paying around $2-3 (or less!), so I wasn’t about to shell-out $5.  (Although this is just one of the many items that are SO MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE here than in Memphis!  My grocery budget is totally blown, I had no idea how much stuff would cost out here!  Some of it is almost twice what I’m used to paying! And NO ONE in the entire state of Washington doubles coupons.  I’m ruined!!!!)

Since my plan was still to make sausage and egg biscuits for dinner tonight (one of Clay’s favorites), I decided to go the old-fashioned way and make homemade biscuits.  I searched trusty www.Allrecipes.com and found a recipe that was very highly ranked and recommended.  I was pretty nervous about making it since I rarely make anything from scratch.  Well…. I am very pleased to report that my homemade biscuits turned-out WONDERFULLY!!!!  Clay loved them and said they were some of the best he’d ever had, and I thought they were pretty darn fabulous, too.  And although I kinda made a mess with the flour all over the countertop, it was really pretty easy and definitely worth it for the taste!  Here’s the recipe:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 1 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually stir in milk until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface, and knead 15 to 20 times. Pat or roll dough out to 1 inch thick. Cut biscuits with a large cutter or juice glass dipped in flour. Repeat until all dough is used. Brush off the excess flour, and place biscuits onto an ungreased baking sheet.
4. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges begin to brown.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/JPs-Big-Daddy-Biscuits/Detail.aspx

I couldn’t agree more!

Thanks, Sarah!

My first time at the birthing center

So I just got back from my first consultation with a midwife at the birthing center. I had read a lot about it on their webpage, so I kinda knew what to expect, but it was still a much different experience than visiting an obstetrician.  I loved it.

As I wrote in a previous post, we induced with Evelyne, and it was a heavily medicated birth. After watching The Business of Being Born, Clay and I decided to pursue a natural birth for this baby. I did a bit of Google-ing and discovered that a very well established and reputable midwife practice and birthing center are less than a mile from our new house here in Kirkland.  (as well as practically next-door to the hospital)  So, at 20 weeks pregnant, tonight we met with a midwife and learned more about what they do.

It was just so great.  So so so great.  We met in one of the birthing rooms, which is basically just a nicely decorated bedroom with a huge bathtub and couches.  It was such a relaxed and comfortable environment.  They have a family room where people can hang-out while you labor if you don’t want them in the room.  It had a tv, couches, and a ton of toys for the kids.  So we dragged a few toys into the birthing room and let Evelyne go to town while we talked.

I was very impressed with the statistics she gave me regarding my chances of having to be transferred to a hospital, having a complication, or receiving an episiotomy.  Clay and I both actually teared-up and I started crying a little bit when she was talking about what the experience would look like and how it would be different from what I had in the hospital.  Specifically, she was saying how they wait until the umbilical cord stops pulsing before cutting it since it gives the baby much more oxygen and a gentler entry into the world.  (she said it’s usually cut so early because the doctor needs to hand-off the baby to the nurses for a check-up, not because of any health reason for the baby.)  She said that never would my baby be removed from me.  Clay could catch the baby as it comes-out, and I can reach down and pull it up onto my chest where it will stay until I’m ready to pass it to the midwife.  They’ll do the exact same check-up on the baby that happens in the hospital, but they will lay the baby on the bed next to me to do it.

I got to hold Evelyne for about 5 seconds before she was removed to the little plastic bed across the room where they cleaned her up.  She wasn’t making any noise and I couldn’t see her because of the crowd around her.  It took about 10 minutes before I could hold her, and it felt like a lifetime.  She was fine, but I was expecting to hear a cry and kept worrying that something was wrong because I couldn’t see or hear her.  So I started crying a little bit tonight when the midwife was telling me that I’M the parent and get to be the one to hold my baby when it’s being checked-out and cleaned-off and no one will try to take it away.  Clay and I both just had such a strong feeling that that’s how it’s meant to be and we’re so excited about pursuing this type of birth. I have a feeling it’s going to be an adventure!

I have my first official prenatal appointment with them next week, so I’ll keep y’all upated!

Oh how I live for these days!

When Evelyne’s naps seem to stretch on and on into the afternoon!

My darling girl has never been a champion napper… in fact from the time she was five months old until around 9 months, she only took two 45-minute naps a day. After that it was just one long morning nap of about 1.5 hours and a short 45 minute afternoon one.  (Curses to you people whose children slept for two 2-hr. naps a day!  Curses!!!)  Since switching to one afternoon nap when she was around 14 months, it’s been better.  I would still say her average nap length is 1.5 hrs., but occasionally it’s over that, and a few times a month she’ll grace us with a blessed 3-hour reprieve.  She’s also much quicker to go to sleep and stay asleep now that she’s older, thank God.

But still I would say the best times are ones like this afternoon…. when I’m able to put her down, do a little something for myself like eat lunch and read, and then fall asleep myself….and THEN wake-up and realize SHE’S STILL ASLEEP!!!!  What, oh what, will I ever do with myself?!  The options are endless!  The quiet is glorious!  Yay for naps!!!!

(By the way, the worst times?  Those would be when I decide about an hour into her nap to fall asleep myself, and then I’m awakened from a deep sleep 20 minutes later by something that sounds like a dying animal crying “Maaaamaaaa!  Maaamaaa!!!”  I then spend the next 20 minutes trying to shake-off the sleep fog that I’m still in while she tries to wake-up herself and is fussy and clingy and cries about everything.  Yeah, those are the worst times.)

No title, I’m not creative.

Just sittin’ here on a relaxing Sunday evening before bed….listening to the rain and enjoying the quiet.

We had some friends over for dinner tonight.  The little girls played together, and Clay and I had a great time getting to know our new friends better.  We spent the afternoon unpacking and cleaning-up so that the house would look halfway decent for company, and Evelyne spent that entire time following us around and singing to herself.  She was so unbelievably content and self-entertaining, I was amazed.  Tonight, she was HYPER and hilarious!!!!  She randomly burst into excited screaming several times, and we would look at her like, “oh my gosh, what is wrong?” and she would be grinning from ear to ear and running in circles—it was hilarious!

I’m sad Clay has to go back to work tomorrow.  Hopefully he won’t work anymore 17-hr. days this week!  We definitely LOVED having him home for a three-day weekend (he works four 10-hr. days and gets every Friday off), so I think I’m going to love this schedule even if the weeks are a bit long for awhile.

Nothing exciting or deep to share…just wanted to say that I’m still here, we’re doing great, and it’s been a wonderful weekend.

Call me a slacker

I’ve been such a blogging slacker lately, sooo…… sorry.

It kinda feels like real life has started again.  Clay’s working at the new job, I’m home with Ev during the days…. it hasn’t been this way since before Clay graduated in May, but we’re sliding right back into our old routines.  Poor Clay has been working his cute little bootie off as he gets slammed with a huge patient load while still trying to learn the computer system and figure-out how to adjust to the new clinic.  He was definitely at work yesterday for 17 hours.  17 HOURS.  From 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.  (lots of paperwork to finish before the weekend)  Thankfully, he works 4 ten-hour days and has Fridays off.  We barely, and I mean barely, saw him this past Monday- Thursday, but the three whole weekend days with him home are pretty great so far.  We know these kind of hours are temporary until he gets caught-up with everything, so I’m just thanking God that he’s an hourly employee and gets overtime for it!!!!

Ev and I LOVE having furniture and a house that looks a bit more normal.  We still have boxes everywhere and a pile of clothes that need to be washed, but it feels like home.  (We packed all of our breakables with our own clothes, and while that seemed to be a great method since nothing but a couple of coffee mugs and a wine glass broke during the move, we had a laundry pile that was seriously about 8 feet long and 2 feet high!)

So far we really like the church that we’ve been going to (all three times), and we’re looking for every opportunity to get involved there.  I’ve spent time hanging with Jennifer and her two sweet girls (her husband works with Clay), and she even took pity on my poor friendless soul and invited me to her playgroup this week.  (which was great, by the way)  Tonight Landon and Chelsea took us out to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory in Bellevue which was AWESOME.  One of my favorite places to eat, and it was great to connect with a college friend and meet his sweet fiancee.

So, I think we’re settling a little bit.  I’m still a little glassy-eyed over our new DVR, and Clay doesn’t know what to do with himself now that he has an entire channel devoted to soccer.  Evelyne’s discovering the joys of Sesame Street for the first time and watches it while she eats breakfast and screams “EH-MAH!!!!!” (Elmo) the entire time. We’ve Skyped our families a few times, and that’s just SO fun, I can’t believe we live in a time with technology that allows us to video chat and see each other!

So that’s really all that’s going-on with us right now.  I’m actually really surprised at how normal everything feels for me right now.  I’m kinda wondering when the other shoe is gonna drop, when am I going to break-down and cry over all the things and people I miss back home?  I do miss everyone…. but I think my mind is preoccupied with absorbing the newness of it all and how to establish a life here that the adjustment has been pretty easy so far.  I am fully expecting to have a 2 a.m. crying freak-out moment in another month or so once it really hits me.  But for now….. we’re good.

Wives and Submission

There is a great series of posts happening over at Dale Fincher’s blog called “The Mystery of Submission- Ephesians 5.”  Dale is the husband of Jonalyn Fincher, someone whose blog and book Ruby Slippers: How the Soul of a Woman Brings Her Home I’ve plugged on here before.  I’m totally loving what he has to say about Ephesians 5 and the ways that we are so quick to infuse our own culture and mindset upon what Paul is really saying about submission in marriage.  I highly recommend you take a trip over to his blog to check it out!

Furnished chaos

At least our house is furnished now.  I can’t tell you how gratifying it was for us last night to sit on a COUCH with our feet propped-up on an OTTOMAN and watch a tv bigger than 12 inches.  There were also pots and pans eating out of REAL BOWLS involved in our evening festivities.  (still with a plastic spoon, haven’t found the silverware yet) And don’t get me started on what it did to us to combine the experience of the DVR and pausing the Olympics combined with all these other luxuries.  And then we slept on a REAL BED that was higher than six inches off the ground, and for the first time in two and a half weeks, I didn’t sleep on a couch pillow.  I did spend so much time unpacking yesterday before Clay got home that I totally screwed-up my back (I have back problems when I’m pregnant) and could barely move last night.

I lost a bit of my motivation for unpacking today, but I need to get a move-on because my brother and sister-in-law and niece are coming for a visit tomorrow!!!!!!!!

They’re here!

Movers are here!!!!  It looks like about 3/4 of our stuff has been moved-in already—so exciting to watch our belongings arrive!  I’ve been so used to living with almost nothing!  I hope they’re not mad when I tell them we have no money left for a tip!