The realtor’s sign has never, ever looked as good as with it’s “SOLD” sleeve on it. Cole admitted he went out and hugged it after he watched the realtor put it on. HOORAY! Fingers still crossed for a smooth closing…
Category Archives: Family & Friends
Contract Signed – Prayers for Closing!
We have a signed contract and signed counter offer. Now, pray that all goes smoothly (don’t you think we deserve some of that smoothness?) through closing. It has been a rough year. We have learned much about our limitations, of which there are many. Showing a large house with 4 boys for 10 months has been no easy task, and the last month without hubby has been lonely. Those who love me best outright lie and say that I’ve handled it very well. I highly doubt that, but my only real benchmarks are: nobody’s dead, the house did get clean enough to sell and we all made it to church on time most of the time. Even if one week Ben was in his camoflauge rain boots (it was National Rain Boots Week, didn’t you hear?). I am now in MESS mode – living proof that we do have lives and we don’t have to clean all the time!!! I will NEVER apologize for a messy house again – I will be proud to LIVE there with my complicated, busy life. Socks and shoes strung out all over the mudroom means that my kids are here, alive, healthy and playing and remembered to take their shoes off – good kids that they are. Books and magazines strewn about means we have a little time to sit. And think. And ponder. And perhaps even learn something. It’s only day one but I have high hopes for days 2, 3 and beyond…here comes SUMMER!!! I say, bring it on!!!
p.s. The clematis pic is from our backyard deck – we will miss some of the plants we have babied for six years. Don found a replacement “vine” in Texas but it was a little too Little-Shop-Of-Horrors looking for me!
Last Day of School
I’m extremely sad today. My boys are growing up. No more kindergartner for 2 years (and then I’ll REALLY cry!). Not to mention that my kids are about to wreak havoc on my life for the next 3 months! I absolutely love having them home but — let’s be honest — I’m not going to enjoy cleaning even MORE than I already am for showings, etc. I think we’ll be playing outside. A lot. I think I might pull out some summer plans that we made last year that we never got around to doing for one reason or another. The kids had some great ideas:
– talent show
– visiting an old folks’ home
– plant a garden (we’ve put off too long thinking we’re moving)
– surprise a family with cookies
– study birds
– visit a farmer’s market
– make homemade syrup night (elderberries, anyone?)
– pumpkin patch
– art night at a museum
– bike night
– rolfson track & field
– numbers night (I don’t even remember what this is!!!)
– tent in the backyard
– camping
– dance night
– cooking night
– campfire night
– no tv week
– reading night (okay, so we practically do this one every night)
Not a bad list to start, right? I’m going to aim low – one special thing a week. I can handle that!
Buffalo Diversion While Getting Sod
Some nice person from church has a tiny bit of sod we could use to patch in where we sold our playset a few weeks ago so I drove into Papillion to pick it up. Along the way there was a field of buffalo – with TWO BABIES!!! Two baby buffalo – they were so cute that on the way home, I pulled over to get a better picture (where, oh where is my Nikon D90 when I need it – hurry up and get out of the shop already – did I mention I kicked it out of the car and broke MY SECOND over-a-thousand-dollars camera?). Anyway, I was midway through the street and the big one actually growled at me so I was not brave enough to get any closer. It looked like it would come through that measly barbed wire fence and get me! I’ve never heard a buffalo growl before – and neither should you. Trust me! The video of Jack is just a bonus for his Dad who is still lonesome for us (I hope) in Texas. It was in the car on the way to get the sod.
Escapades with Ben & Minky Fabric Ideas
Today I went to JoAnn’s. Actually, twice. I hesitated going at all because Benjamin was grumpy and I was too. I knew the day would go much more smoothly if I just stayed home. My friend was going, though, and I love to feed off her beautiful energy so I went along with the idea, hopped in my car, and met her there. It helps that our children are in love (she’s 2 and Ben just turned 3 and he calls her is “grill-friend”). Anyway – Ben would not put down a bolt of fabric. It was hideous green with dinosaurs but he loved it. It was in the same aisle as the Minky fabric and he actually pulled down a matching soft green dotted fabric too – yes, he had two bolts. Unbelievable. Then he wouldn’t let them go and so I gave in (I had two 50% off coupons to use) and got 2 yards of each fabric to make a quilt for him. We had the fabric cut and when they bagged up his fabric, he wanted the bolt instead. He cried and cried for the bolt of dinosaur fabric. It was insane. I tried showing him we had purchased some and it didn’t suffice (anybody else going through the stubborn 3 year old phase?). I purchased some matching green thread and went to lunch with my friend. Afterwards, I found another coupon that was going to expire on Saturday so I went back in for binding material. I lost track of Ben and — guess what? — he came walking out of the aisle with the newly-put-away bolt of dinosaur fabric. What a crazy kid. On the way home, he slept with the fabric in his car seat. I told the realtor no showings for tomorrow because I am going to have to make that stupid quilt in one day. We’ll see how it goes and I’ll be sure to post pictures tomorrow. The pictures above are inspirational ideas found on flickr from Southern Sassy Pants, Snug A Bug Blankets and Baby Gees.
Post Birthday Gratitude
Thank you, friends & clients, for the birthday cards in the mail!
Thank you, dear Facebook friends, for taking the time to email me short notes of love and encouragement.
Thank you, dear sister, for bringing over flowers and checking up on me (even if Mom did ask you to do it!). It helps.
Thank you, dear sister, for taking care of Mom & Dad this week and helping me feel better with an overly generous gift card (which will be completely used by me, I promise, I’m not even sharing!).
Thank you, crazy friend, for being so utterly creative and helping me have fun and vent my frustrations at the same time. I am so glad you didn’t get a ticket by that policeman.
Thank you, kids, for always being willing to help and snuggle only sighing mildly when you’re asked to pick up your things for the zillionth time.
Thank you, Don, for bringing home chocolate upon request and letting me sleep in.
Thank you, neighbor and friend, for your listening ear, cooking magazines, and rescuing my child from wandering the neighborhood.
I have been blessed!
Easter Egg Hunt in Gretna
So, when was anybody going to tell me I was behind on my monthly banner? I guess I liked March so much that I’m two weeks into April and haven’t realized it. It has been a crazy couple of weeks which is why the posts have been few and far between.
Friday night we went to a friend’s home for an Easter egg hunt. It was very fun and the weather cooperated. We enjoyed getting to know the Darby family better and seeing many friends. Great food, good company. You know what I liked best about the night? Everything was casual and perfect. If Stephanie was stressed at all about putting a big party together, you couldn’t tell by me. She was cool as a cucumber and everyone had a good time. Am I the only one who stresses and freaks out about everything being perfect before I can have people over? You’d think I’d enjoy having my home sparkling clean every week just in case of a showing but I need to learn how to relax and live with a little dirt. We had so much fun letting the kids hunt for eggs on their acreage – and I think Ben was worn out for 2 solid days afterward.
Click here to view all of the pics from the party.
Gabe’s Baptism & Birthday
This past Sunday was about as perfect as any day could get. Gabe was sweet and brave and got baptized on his 8th birthday. His teacher, Miss Gibb, came and many friends and family. We are so lucky to have him in our family! Gabe is funny, smart, generous and kind (not to mention cute). We had a lovely time at the church during the baptism and yummy treats and cream filled cake afterwards. Thanks to all who came for making it such a special day. It was good to see cousins that we don’t see enough as well as old friends from Papillion. We love you all.
Cole Gets His Black Belt!!!
About five or six years and $$$ later, he’s earned it! We are sooo very proud of him.
The Eymann Family in Nebraska
Above: The Eymann Siblings in Nebraska. This is a picture of my mother’s mother and her siblings. Back row, left to right: Ollie, Daisy, Violet, Robert, Rose, Lillie Della. Front row: Lottie Ollie Thornton Eymann and Ernest Gottfried Eymann. Photo courtesy of Darlene May Jackson Bartlett’s personal collection.
Above: Lillie Della Eymann, photo courtesy of Darlene May Jackson Bartlett’s personal collection.
Genealogy. Family history. Whatever you call it – I just love it. My grandmother was Lillie Della and my mother tells me wonderful stories about her. She was a caretaker, friend, hard working individual. She was a medical wonder – she helped deliver babies and was the person everybody ran to if they had any problems. I hope to put up a Bartlett and Eymann genealogy website soon. I have so much information that I want to share in hopes of finding more! It is addicting. They say the Holy Ghost goes to bed at midnight but the Spirit of Elijah is just getting up about then…that’s why genealogy seems to include all-nighters doing research on the computer.
Cheap & Easy Recipe: Ben Likes Hootenany Pancakes!
Ben likes hootenany pancakes so much that he sang for them and we got it on video. It’s a classic Rolfson recipe and oh-so-easy-and-cheap. It is a staple in our household for breakfast OR dinner. Sometimes we even have to make two pans.
Hootenany Pancakes
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
6 or 7 eggs
pinch salt
1 stick butter
Cut 1 stick of butter into several chunks and put in bottom of 9×12 or 10×13 pan. Place in 400° F oven until melted. While butter is melting, whisk or blend flour, eggs, milk and salt. When butter is melted, pour into pan with swirling motion. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. Pancake will puff up! Best served with elderberry syrup but also great with jelly, powdered sugar, etc. I have been known to serve these in the car in baggies – cold – and the kids eat them just as well. Enjoy!
Becoming the Villain in a Quickdraw McGraw Cartoon
First I suppose a little back story is in order. Gabe and Jack have been participating in a reading competition at school. When they read for 15 minutes a night for a certain number of nights they received a certain shell or starfish or sand dollar as a prize. Well, with them both enjoying reading, they got all of the prizes available. At the end of the competition (Friday February 27th) they held a prize drawing that included all of the kids’ names. Jack’s name was drawn and called out over the intercom to come get a prize and he was awarded a ukulele. He was very happy to get it so we ‘tuned’ it last night and the kids have all been playing it and singing along.
Fast forward a few hours and the kids (except for Cole) are in bed so that Lizabeth, Cole, and Don can have an online scrabble tournament on Facebook. After three games we notice that it is almost midnight and we still have not prepared for the house showing at 10:30 the next morning. We hastily created a list of things that we needed to accomplish before the showing so that nothing gets missed, set the alarm for 5 a.m. so we can get it all done and head to bed, noticing that now it is after 1 a.m. Somehow we are ‘blessed’ with a wakeup call (wrong number) at 4:30 a.m. We decided that we should get up and moving anyway and began the day by making beds and doing dishes and shoveling the 6 inches of new snow.
Later when we are well into the cleaning routine and the kids are up the hilarity begins. Jack and Ben are standing in the hallway when I hear the following discussion:
Ben: "Is that your bitar?"
Jack: "It’s not a guitar, it’s a ukulele."
Ben: "It’s not a huku-lady, it’s a bitar!"
Jack: "No, it’s a ukulele not a guitar!"
Ben: "It’s not a huku-lady, it’s a bitar!!!"
This continued back and forth for probably ten or twelve times before I totally lost it and began laughing out loud. Then on and off throughout the day the same discussion has ensued. Ben still thinks it is a ‘bitar’ and NOT a ‘huku-lady’ no matter who tells him differently.
After the showing when we were all back home and resting, the kids were watching a Scooby-Doo video Ben was playing with the huku-lady when a scene right out of a Quick-draw McGraw cartoon occurred. (For those of you who are too young, look here: QuickDraw McGraw cartoon at YouTube) Ben climbed up onto the chair where I was dozing and kabonged me right on the forehead. I awoke, grabbed the kabonger and very loudly explained that we do NOT hit people. He cried for a bit until I hugged him and we were all better. Then Cole looked at me and said, “Dad you’re bleeding!” Sure enough, I had a split in my head right above my eyebrow. We debated for a bit whether or not it needed stitches, and finally decided that since no one lost a finger or had a chopstick in their ear, we could skip the emergency room and applied a little tape and I went back to dozing. I really didn’t want to either visit the ER nor pay the $100 deductable for said visit.
Added Monday morning by Lizabeth: I think it’s funny that Don categorized this under “Things to be Thankful For” on my blog. Nice perspective! Or, perhaps…you’re not thinking clearly from being bonged on the head?!?
The Benjasaurus Reads!
He’s so darn cute. Just wanted to share something simple since I’m really under the weather today. That’s what I get for bragging that we just hadn’t got sick like everybody else around us. I should know better by now. Plus, I’m thinking it’s time for a giveaway – gotta think up something good to share!
Weekend at Nana & Papa’s House
We had to get away. From the constant weekend cleaning for open houses and showings. So, we thought we’d be proactive and go stay with my parents for the weekend and just hang out. We had a lot of fun! Don, Cole, Gabe and I tried rollerblading for the first time. We ate glorious food cooked by somebody else. I love having my Mom around – I will miss her so much when we move – she is fun to talk to. My Dad watches Western movies all the time. One of the best things I like about my parents is that I know they both are always there for me. They’re the kind of parents who would respond if I murdered somebody like this, “Well, she must have just had a bad day!” Okay, so they wouldn’t justify murder but they would find SOME way to be my advocate. They are about as Christ-like as parents get and I’m so glad they’re mine.
Kid Funnies: Jack & Texas, Gabe & the Furnace
We were talking about how diverse the kids’ new school district will most likely be when we move to Houston as compared to Gretna, Nebraska. Jack proclaimed with much disappointment, “We’re going to be Texans?!? I wanted to be German!” He then went on to proclaim “No, no…I really wanted to be Egyptian!”
Cole informed me that when Gabe walked in from school he proclaimed, “Oh, yeah, baby! The furnace is working!” Cole thought it was funny because most of the time people only say anything about the furnace when it’s broken.
Where do they come up with this stuff???