My good friend in Kansas called me the other day to see if everything was okay – she knew I was busy because I hadn’t blogged all. week. long. Yes, it’s true. I have been extraordinarily busy which makes it the perfect time to…get sick. We are all feeling under the weather and have been exposed to a cornucopia of diseases so who knows what we might have (strep? swine flu? both have been going around at church and school). There will be much resting today amid the crankiness. Before 9 a.m. I heard the words, “I hate you!” “Nobody loves me!” “Don’t touch me!” which might seem like a regular day around here but usually we can hold off the sharp tongues until tiredness at bedtime. The only good thing about illness is (and it really has been at least 6 months since we’ve been heavy-duty sick – before Don left Omaha in May)…oh…back to the good things…well, I guess it helps one to appreciate being well and…I really can’t think of anything else!
Category Archives: Family & Friends
What I Designed Today: Business Card Design for Hubby
I was renewing my own business cards from moving, then made some for a friend/client of mine, then decided it was time for Don to have an update on his cards, too. What do you think of his cards? They’re reversible to reflect his complex personality. We both love them! Can’t wait for them to arrive in the mail. Small pleasures, people.
Kid Funnies
The pics above are from our old collection, somewhere in 2002 just after Jack was born. Don’t Cole and Gabe (and Don?) look so much younger? Where does the time go???
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I’ve been keeping track of the funny things my kids say on here. Well, it’s time to backtrack and add some from years past that we have written on tiny slips of paper and carrying around in wallets and purses F-O-R-E-V-E-R. Here goes!
Backstory: On the way to our OB appointment for Jack in my belly while Gabe was about a year and a half old.
Gabe: “The baby can have my car seat and I’ll get a new one, k?”
No response from us as we are considering his sense of entitlement at such a young age.
Gabe continues: “So, after we hear the heart beat, then they cut you open?”
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Backstory: I was trying to get out of a very young Cole (about 8 or 9) if he really wanted to go hunting with his father. I was nervous and he could tell.
Mom: “So, Cole, do you want to go hunting with your father or do you want to go next year?”
Cole {very long sigh}: “I really want to go hunting, even though I know there’s a 50/50 chance I could die.”
Daisy in the Kitchen
So how cute is this?? I was headed back to the kitchen to finish up dinner dishes and look how cute…she’s such a good dog! The pig and puppy are Jack’s and Ben’s, respectively, but they didn’t mind at all. Daisy needed good company!
Bennie: Book Club & Huskers
Rule #1: This book club is not for kids. Do not bring your kids. Find a babysitter. So — I broke rule number 1 already and since I was the only one doing it, I arranged in advance for the hostess to have Lightning McQueen at the ready. She had better toys than we do (dinosaurs and cars do the trick!) and Ben was super quiet upstairs…for the first hour and a half. Nearing the second hour, when he had enough, Ben devised a surefire way to get me to exit Book Club quickly: come downstairs naked. A high school friend reminded me that, yes, indeed, this is how we roll in Nebraska. Unfortunately, my day was not over yet!
I promptly went to Barnes & Noble to purchase September’s book. I figured if I bought the book they’d have to let me come back, right? So….sitting in Barnes & Noble, I purchased a sandwich and cookie. I ate the sandwich. Ben ate the cookie (lunch=cookie when you’ve had the morning that he had entertaining book club ladies). Our conversation went like this:
Mom: “So, Ben, do you even know that you live in Texas now?”
Ben: “Yeah.”
Mom: “Do you like Texas?”
Ben: “Yeah.” (Boys are such great conversationalists).
Mom: “So. Are you a Husker or a Longhorn?” (At this point, I’m just fishing for info).
Ben (mouth full of cookie): “A Longhorn!”
Mom: “Well, that’s not gonna fly! You are a HUSKER!!! You ARE a Husker, right?!“
Ben: “I’m a Husker. Do they fly?”
20 minutes after blog entry: I had to remove the word “naked” from the title and the tags because within this short amount of time I have had too many hits from freaks in this world searching for “naked boys” and getting my blog. Unbelievable. What is this world coming to?! I am actually physically ill over the thought. I didn’t even consider such sick things when I wrote the article. I will take your IP address and send them to the police. Disgusting. May God have mercy on your soul.
Galveston Schlitterbahn II
We had a Second Day pass that needed to be used in the next week or so, so we decided to head down to Galveston today to Schlitterbahn. We had to make one stop on the way, however, and since our GPS is broken and needing to be sent back to HP for repairs we had to take written instructions (gasp! the stone age!). Hmmm…not so good. We took every back road possible and we could have reached our destination a gazillion times faster if we’d have just looked at a map and taken the highways. Oh well. We scored some great deals at the XPEDX Retail Store in Houston then on to Galveston! The boys had a blast and they were so easy to locate in their new rash guard shirts. I hope Cole doesn’t mind matching his brothers. He doesn’t usually care about such things (and I know I’m lucky!). At least, he doesn’t care enough to TELL me. Plus, it’s better than being sunburnt (sunburned?). All in all – a very great day.
Oh! One kid funny: The highway was closed in one spot so there was a massive delay and Don was a true Texan in his SUV and crossed the grass/curb median to the frontage road just like everybody else…Cole asked if it was illegal to which I replied, “Yes!” and to which Gabe replied, “Uhhh….I’m not going to jail!” It’s good to know he’d stick with you through thick and thin!
Kids Started School Yesterday!
Today was just about as perfect a day as anyone could ask for. Not super fabulous, but just right. Kids started the school year yesterday…they are loving it and having lots of fun so far! Hubby home on vacation. Trying to organize the house. Got to help a friend, Bennie had a friend over, made the kids a snack after school, read scriptures, pool swimming, easy dinner, quick shower and the kids are in bed. Time for me to find that book I’ve been trying to read…
Klein Ward Summer Picnic
Gabe & Benjamin getting drinks.
Beanie eats a doughnut for his main dish! Our standards have gotten so low this past year…we hope to reintroduce vegetables now that we’re a bit more settled!
A gaggle of girls catching toads and the jealous boys looking on!
Our new ward is huge. Really big. We have 3 or 4 Sunday School teachers who trade off teaching every week. Seriously. They make up callings so everyone can have one. I realize this won’t last long because there is a new church being built not very far away and everything will be rearranged and we’ll probably lose half the ward but, still…it’s a nice respite. Not that I don’t enjoy serving. It’s just very nice to not have to magnify four different callings for awhile!
So far we have met only really nice people. Nadine’s best friend is my new Mariyn Godby. She’s wonderful (but I still miss you Marilyn!). There’s a piano playing beautiful woman who reminds me so much of my cousin Leslee Bartlett (and she just got called to Stake YW Pres – lets hope she isn’t there quite as long as Leslee was as Stake Primary Pres!). Let’s see…today we saw a glimpse of a Jared Boldt serving in Primary with his computer. It’s funny how you see people you miss in people you meet. I don’t have a new Sheila Lauducci or Benay Derr yet but I’m looking…not that either of those women could EVER be replaced! I just need a cheap substitute.
While we are enjoying our new ward (you can see pictures of the ward party here), we certainly do miss the Gretna Branch. Our hearts were there when it was formed and will always be there – even when it becomes a stake.
Buried Alive in Boxes!
Don’s on vacation this week to help unpack and get things straightened out…and to enjoy the first week in our new home…but instead of unpacking, we’ve mostly been fielding calls and running around trying to help Wells Fargo finally get our mortgage file complete and to closing today. It took an executive complaint – after our third loan officer left (this time for jury duty), I spammed ever single board member and executive that I could guess an email for – and one of my pleading emails got through. The VP and Regional Manager who called us the next day had not heard about the mess from their minions…and one of them mentioned she wished it had come “up” from below instead. She said they received it as an executive complaint. I hope upper management realizes what a mess this North Houston and Woodlands office of Wells Fargo Mortgage is. We think it would be wonderfully ironic should the manager who couldn’t get anything done had to show up to closing today since all of those who have been finally getting our file done are too far away. We HOPE to let you know. Still planning on 1 p.m. signing today…wish us luck prayers! We could certainly use them. I have to say, though, with the attention we’re finally getting that Wells Fargo is trying to make things right and those in authority certainly can get things done…they’re reimbursing us first month principal and interest in a check to any non-profit we name plus no underwriting fee, processing fee or loan origination charge. Plus, an additional credit on the survey (over $2,000 in apologies, basically) to help offset the cost of having to pay the sellers for the week of the lease. We still don’t know the final numbers but I am so relieved they’re making it right…we stepped into a hornet’s nest and a soap opera chain of events behind the scenes at Wells at the Woodlands office and we didn’t know it until it was too late!
Hanging…
No pictures or fun things today yet…we’re hanging in there and praying Wells Fargo gets their act together. The previous owners kindly let us lease back and move in last Friday but the extended contract ends this Friday so we really need them to get our file processed quickly and we keep getting empty promises and the runaround. Pray for us!!! More pics soon.
Settling In…
I’m too tired to even post a picture though I have a few really good ones of piles of boxes. The boys had an 11 or 12 foot tall fort created with boxes IN THE ENTRYWAY so that we couldn’t even get to the door if we wanted to.
We love this house. It feels like a little bit of heaven. We love the paint colors. We love the layout. I adore the kitchen and master bedroom – it is so big that Cole claims we could cut it in half and give him some extra yard outside! I am a bit afraid to go upstairs and see how the boys have unpacked their things! Back to the kitchen…I’ve been there for 2 days straight…it’s not a gas stove or a double oven (both were on my “must have” list) but I am so happy with what is here. I love the tile and the cabinets. I want to paint the inside of them Martha Stewart bluish green (probably the same color the previous owners used on the wainscoting in the laundry room which is DREAMY). Not only did the previous owners leave us a welcome basket of CHOCOLATE (dark, too!), she labeled all the house color paint cans with the room it was used in AND THE YEAR/DATE it was used…seriously, I wish everybody could buy a house from people as nice as we did. We were extremely blessed to meet them. Our own house “touches” will come in good time…I’m going to just enjoy our family being in a home again for awhile first.
The Zellmers really took good care of their home. The only hitch we’ve run into is our fridge won’t fit in the laundry room. Well, it fits in the slot but there is a windowsill in the way…not sure what we’re going to do about that yet. Our chest freezer was going to be sold but now Don thinks maybe that will fit instead. Let’s see…what else do we love? The kids love the big tub in the master bath. It’s not as big as our old one (nor is it a Jacuzzi) but they were all very pleased and seemed to like it more. I think not being a Jacuzzi is a plus.
The dog is in heaven. She keeps trying to sneak off into the field by our home. I bought a new rug for the kitchen today and she has claimed it.
The movers will need to replace 4 things: 1) Ben’s bunk bed headboard/footboard got lost before they even hit Texas (was never received in the warehouse) and 2) The loaders in Gretna damaged a big dresser on industrial wheels that we used to store the boys’ toys 3) my jogging stroller got damaged, and 4) a miscellaneous box of blankets was lost. Not too shabby for 20,720 lbs of stuff, I think. The only thing that breaks my heart is Ben is sleeping in Alex’s old room on the floor for now until his bed can be replaced. It’s okay, though, he is snuggling in blankets and the carpet is very soft. Hmm…as I type this he is sleeping in my bed. Not good.
I hear sawing upstairs. The older boys have taken my serrated kitchen knife and are building cardboard forts in the playroom. They asked for duct tape about an hour ago while I was preparing a lesson for church and I didn’t put two-and-two together…I’d better go take some pictures and see if anybody is bleeding!
More later when we’re coherent again.
Mercer Arboretum in Spring, Texas
We had a great time at the Mercer Arboretum last weekend. Here are some of the pictures but you can see them all at our flickr account.
Jack’s eyes in this one crack me up!
It’s such a beautiful area that people go there to take just about every kind of picture (choir, wedding, etc.). We stumbled upon a crowd of people with matching shirts, cowboy hats and boots. They looked so neat! Then we saw what they were there for: the most beautiful 15 year old hispanic girl. I guess it’s a tradition. All I know is she was luminous. They had two Hummer limos and it was very ceremonial looking. I snapped a couple of shots because I had just never seen anything like it before!
Don’s Cousin Becky!
We have been so time disoriented while not being in school and moving that we lost track of what day it actually was and forgot that Don’s cousin Becky was flying into Houston for a very long layover this past Sunday (she called from the airport while we were getting ready for church). We finally picked her up but I was so sad – I had made dinner for a couple of families in the ward and it took just about every vegetable and good thing we had in the house. I was planning chicken and rice or mac-n-cheese or pb&j for dinner (really) and I was so embarrassed when we had to eat normal just-to-get-by family food. She said she was so sick of rice and beans (she had been traveling internationally) that id didn’t matter. What a sweetheart! We haven’t seen her in about 8 years and she still looks just the same – always beautiful! Thanks for coming to see us, Becky – next time I promise we’ll have better food.
Cicadas Everywhere!
Update May 3, 2024 (almost 20 years later who keeps a blog that long?!): Polished and cropped the photo using my iPhone’s auto filter. I’m seeing a spike in Google traffic for this photo so I thought I’d share an updated one in preparation for the cicada-apocalypse of 2024!!!
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Don brought this in ON THE KITCHEN TABLE and it was alive and had just been born. Gross, huh!!! But kinda cool, too. I love this pic – makes me think of the cliche “turning over a new leaf” somehow. These things are neat at a distance but the other day as I was coming home from a run, one hit me right smack in the shin and freaked me out a little. I’m easily bug-freaked. Imagine that.
Making Balloon Animals & Flowers
Cole has such a great talent for origami. Who knew it would apply equally well for making balloon animals! He picked this skill up very quickly and has created some wonderful things. His favorite tends to be the monkey (I’ll have to get a pic of one of these!) but he made several flowers for a family in the ward whose mother is sick. He is such a talented kid! He calls it aerogami but we call it balloonagami. Whatever you call it, there’s a lot of balloon squeaking going on around here…