Happy Birthday #1!

#1 as a baby...

My oldest...aka J-Dog aka #1 is 11 years old today! 11!!!! I feel so old! Happy Birthday J-Dog!

See you in a few days...

I am not going to be around the blogging world for a few days. Why you ask? Because my little sister Ezre (not her real name) is getting married tomorrow! We are leaving tonight to go up for the wedding, and will be gone for a couple of days.


Ezre (along with her twin The Pink Avenger...also not her real name) is 11 years younger than me, and I can hardly believe they have grown up into women and are old enough to be getting married!

I am looking forward to having some time with my family, and to getting to see all four of my wonderful sisters! I hope you will forgive me for putting off Fiction Friday this week.

Baby Ezre...

Ezre with her man...

Wordless Wednesday

Yes, he is wearing shorts and getting his feet wet...in February. And yes, this is the Oregon Coast. He loved every minute of it.

Fiction Friday #22...sorry its short.

"I have to get out of here." Kaitlyn's voice shook slightly as she said it.
Jess looked at her with concern. "What do you mean? We just found a safe place for you to be!"
"Safe? How safe is it? There was just a fire here! Paul knows where I am!"
Jess looked shocked for a moment. "You can't possibly think that fire was for you!"
Kaitlyn shook her head in disbelief. "Don't you think its kind of a coincidence? Somehow Paul found out where I am."
"But no one was hurt! The fire was small and could not have possibly spread quickly enough that we couldn't get everyone out."
"You're right. It wasn't meant to hurt anyone. It was meant to get everyone out of the building. It was meant as a warning to me. I am putting all of you in danger by being here. He knows where I am, I just saw him drive by!"
"What?" Jess began looking around frantically but saw nothing.
"He's gone now, but he will be back, and I have to get out while there is a chance."
Jess sighed. "Where will you go?"
Kaitlyn shook her head again and her voice was small, "I don't know."
"And where will all of this end?"
"Where it always ends. I will end up back with Paul, under his control. But you will be safe."
Jess stood thoughtfully for a long moment, her mind working over the situation.
"I can't accept that. You brought us into this, and now you will just have to accept our help. I know I can't stop you from running away from us too, but I have an idea and I think you should at least take the time to listen to it."

Rob had made it to the part's house without a problem. It had taken nearly two hours to get the order filled because he had arrived early and the parts were not ready to go yet. He felt his restlessness growing but there was nothing he could do about it.
Finally, he finished with what needed to be done there and started back towards town. It was already heading towards late afternoon when he left the part's house and even though he still felt sure that Jess would be safe, he just wanted to get back to her.
The road back was fairly deserted and he accelerated, hoping to cut some time out of the hour trip. As he rounded a sharp curve he saw a board laying across the road and swerved, trying to miss it. He felt a jolt as the passenger tires ran over the board, followed by a sudden bumpy feeling in the way the truck was driving. Pulling over he got out to check the truck. The rear passenger tire had already lost more than half the air in it. Sighing, Rob walked back to where the board was still in the road and pulled it off to the side. There was a cluster of several nails sticking out of the board and he had run right over it with the rear tire. He quickly set to work replacing the tire with the spare from the back of the truck. After putting the damaged tire in the truck he walked back around the passenger side to collect his tools, and it was then that he heard the hissing sound. Frowning, he followed the sound to the front tire. He must have run over one or two of the nails with it, as it was losing air much more slowly than the rear tire had. Still, he knew he wasn't going to make it all the way back to town with it leaking the way it was. He pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open. Just his luck, the area he was in was a dead spot and he couldn't get a strong enough signal to make a call. There was nothing else to do but lock up the truck, start walking and hope he could catch a ride into town. This was just not his day.

Wordless Wednesday

Path to Heaven

So which one do you like better? These were taken with the same camera, just a few minutes apart. In the second picture it was zoomed out more, and it changed the whole color scheme of the picture. Neither of these have been edited, as much as I was tempted to.

Proper Etiquette when interacting with a pregnant person...

I know...I didn't do a Fiction Friday this week. I am sorry. I just wasn't up to it. I will try to do better in the future. I feel a bit like I am in a rut and only post Fiction Fridays and Wordless Wednesday...and that makes for a boring blog. On to today's post!

Despite the fact that I have given birth to five children, and am on my way to #6, I can't claim to be a total expert on the proper etiquette for interacting with a pregnant person, but I do have some tips that I have gleaned through my time AS a pregnant person. Here is some advice that I hope you will find helpful when deciding how you should treat pregnant people when you run across them.

#1. Before...no wait...BEFORE you ask someone when they are due...make ABSOLUTELY sure you know they are pregnant. Looking pregnant doesn't always mean they are pregnant. Trust me. I have been asked several times over the years, both by friends and by complete strangers, when my baby is due. There was always a certain awkwardness in that moment when I had to answer that I was NOT pregnant.

I have to admit though, that I quite enjoyed the moment of shock on one friend's face when I said. "I'm not pregnant, I am just FAT." It was almost worth it to see her embarassment.

Just trust me. If you don't see the outline of a baby's hand, foot or face trying to stretch through that pregnant looking belly, its better to err on the side of caution.

#2. Pregnant women generally don't like people, especially strangers, coming up to them and touching their belly. So far I have yet to meet someone who doesn't get creeped out by this. I remember being pregnant with my first and how incredibly weird it was having people come up to me in the grocery store and just walk up and touch my belly and talk to the baby. Personal space people...one extra person (in this case, the baby) in my personal space is enough. Everyone else should just keep a safe distance. (This includes talking baby talk towards my stomach. Just don't do it.)

#3. Don't look at me with pity when I am in public with my children and I am obviously pregnant. D wrote a post here about some of the looks people give us in the grocery store or other places with our five, somewhat rowdy boys. Add a pregnant Mom to that and sometimes people look at us like we are just plain insane.

#4. There are certain questions you should not be asking, as cute as you might think they are. Here are a few examples:

• A. Don't you know how that happens by now? Or, don't you know how to keep that from happening? (Yes, People. We know how we got this way.)
• B. Are you trying for a girl this time? (There are some people that will keep trying until they get a girl, or a boy if they have all of one kind. In our case, we just want to have a healthy baby, but we still get the comments that having a girl means we can stop having children. Like our other children conceived in this quest to have a daughter were just unfortunate byproducts. It makes me want to have another baby after this one to prove that we weren't just trying for a girl...of course, if the ultrasound is wrong, and we have a boy...then it won't be a problem any more.)
• C. Are all these kids yours? All from one marriage? (Okay, to be honest...we get that question even when we aren't pregnant, but its still irritating.)

#5. When you find out someone is pregnant, choose your words carefully. We started letting people at church know that we were pregnant around 12 weeks. We didn't make a general announcement or anything, but we didn't mind people knowing by then. I was at church, getting a drink of water and a woman behind me asked me when my baby was due. I told her June 10th, and asked her who told her I was pregnant. Her reply was that it was obvious. (I had lost 17 pounds because of morning sickness, and I wasn't showing yet, but I was still a bit overweight...ouch!)

#6. Don't tell all the horror birth stories you have ever heard. Tell good birth stories. A mom to be is often worried about the impending pain (I am, even after having given birth five times) and hearing scary birth stories doesn't help the anxiety.

#7. Don't make jokes about how they are eating for two. They can joke about that, but you shouldn't.

That's all I can think of for now. I am sure there are tons more that could be added, and I would love to hear any tips you have on this topic as well.

Wordless Wednesday

Little Green Frog...

Girfts That Inspire Love

(Note...this post is a repost of a blog I wrote around Valentine's Day last year. I figure most of you have not read it...and it still applies today.)

The title of today's blog was actually the subject line of an email advertisement I received from WalMart.com. When the email was opened it revealed ads for such things as heart shaped diamond pendants, teddy bears, diamond stud earings, chocolate gift sets wrapped in pink packaging, gift baskets, a crystal engraved heart shaped paperweight, and oh, I almost forgot... some lingerie.

So today I would like to talk about Valentine's Day. Let me tell you how I REALLY feel. Valentine's Day is probably my least favorite holiday, and one that really gets my hackles up. In the weeks leading up to it we are bombarded with emails, and radio ads (and if we watched TV I am sure we would also be bombarded by commercials) that are designed to urge men to do something great and special for their woman for Valentine's Day. Usually these suggestions are expensive such as diamond jewelry, dozens of roses, romantic dinners etc. I rarely hear commercials urging women to get gifts for their men, and if there is a gift for men mentioned it is almost always lingerie. (Most women I know wouldn't consider lingerie to be a gift for herself.) Does it seem like there is some kind of imbalance here? The man is supposed to give the woman expensive jewelry, flowers, chocolate, and dinner out...(Preferably all of these, right? or he will be seen as a schmuck who doesn't appreciate his woman) and in return she will (if he is lucky) get some new lingerie. Sounds like prostitution to me.

Valentine's Day tries to program men to spend money on material things to show their love. And it programs women to expect that, and to feel like their men are inferior if they don't do all the right things for that special day. I say, down with Valentines!

So I know you are all wanting to ask the question...do we celebrate Valentine's Day? Well, the kids get to buy their superhero or other types of valentines for their classes, and we usually get a simple box of candy for each of the boys. I think its fine to have a holiday to celebrate love, I just hate the way it has been twisted into a commercial guilt trip for the entire country. My idea of a great Valentine's Day is having a nice dinner at home. I might go out of my way to make something special that we will ALL enjoy, and we spend our evening together. That is it. We have had the discussion in years past about the evils of this holiday and the pressure it puts on men to do something that can often be out of character for them. My husband knows that I don't want flowers, or jewelry from him, and although chocolates are always welcome, I will happily forgo them on that day. Do I hate getting flowers? No, of course not! Although I will admit that they certainly don't last long. Flowers are beautiful, but I don't care if I NEVER get flowers for Valentine's Day. Do I hate jewelry? No, but I am a practical person, and I would rather see our money spent on practical things. Jewelry as an expression of love doesn't make much sense to me...because you can't take it with you when you go.

So all you ladies that have a man who seems unappreciative of you year round but showers you with gifts at Valentine's...maybe you shouldn't be so impressed with that. That is like having to be reminded to get your spouse an anniversary gift. Of course, if you are happy with your one day a year of being spoiled, then by all means, continue on.

And you ladies that have a man that shows you that he loves you on a regular basis, but perhaps falls a little short when it comes to the worldly expectations of a great Valentine, well I say, count your blessings. I don't care if I never get flowers, diamonds, or other showy gifts. I will take what I have any day, and that is a man that is truly my partner in every way. I love you D!

Fiction Friday #21

The Part's Warehouse was not in town. It was nearly an hour drive for Rob to get there, but he felt it was worth taking the time in order to get Topher off of his tail. Jess was at the diner, and Rob knew that Barry would keep a close eye on her. He had always been a protective father. As long as Jess stayed at the Diner, Rob was sure Topher would not be able to cause any problems for her. Even so, he stepped on the accelerator. The sooner he got back to town, the better he would feel.

Back at the diner, Mitch smiled as Grace brought his food to him. He made some small talk before bringing the subject around to the pregnant waitress he had seen sitting at the counter when he came in. Grace laughed and accused him of being a womanizer, going after a married woman like that.
"Come on, Grace. You know you're the only reason I come here so often. When are you going to let me take you out?"
Grace shook her head, not buying into his flirting. "I don't know Mitch. There's a new girl here that just might give me some competition."
Mitch sat up straight, suddenly alert, "A new girl? How long has she been here?"
Grace shook her head knowingly, "I knew you were a womanizer. You're too cute not to be. She just started today, she's new in town, but I aim to keep her in the back doing dishes so I can have you all to myself."
Mitch had given her his best smile, but he could feel his heart sink. The girl was here. He had not been expecting that. After Grace had left he took out his cell phone and dialed.
"Hey, its me. I think she's here. At the diner. No, I haven't seen her, but there is a new girl working in the back, and this is a small town. What are the odds of two new girls coming to town on the same day? You said she might have a pregnant woman with her, and there is a waitress who fits that description that works the night shift here. She was eating her dinner when I came in."
He had listened then, a crease of worry marring his forehead. "I can't do that...There are other people here! Okay, okay. Just give me a little time, at least until the dinner rush is over."
Now he sat there, with his chicken fried steak growing cold and the pile of shredded napkins next to his plate growing larger. What had he gotten himself into? It didn't matter, he didn't really have a choice.
An hour later he was still sitting there, his food untouched. The dinner rush had reached a lull and he knew he was running out of time. Grace came by again, noticing his still full plate.
"Is something wrong with the food?"
He attempted to sound cheerful. "I just can't eat anything until you agree to go out with me." His eyes seemed to plead with her. "When is your next break?"
Grace sighed. "Well, the first half of the dinner rush is almost over. Barry is here, and the other waitress can cover things while I take my lunch, but its only a half hour. I usually just eat something here in the diner. I can probably take my lunch in about 20 or 30 minutes."
Mitch smiled. "That's perfect. But since this could be my only chance to make an impression, why don't you let me put something together for us? A picnic. Meet me in half an hour at the big fountain. Its only a few blocks from here. Please? Just give me a chance?"
Grace was a sucker for good looking man, especially one with a baby face. Mitch had been trying to get a date with her for months, and something in him seemed so desperate that she gave in.
"Okay. I'll see you in half an hour. It better be worth it though." She winked at him to soften the words.
Mitch paid for his uneaten meal and ran to his car. He didn't have very long. He drove across the street to the small grocery store and bought some fried chicken, potato salad, martinelli's and two candles along with some paper cups and two single serve fruit pies. There was a bench near the fountain and he wedged the candles in between the bench slats and sat the bag of food next to them, returning to the diner and waiting in the shadows near the back of the restaurant. As soon as he saw Grace leave and walk across to her car he ducked in the back door of the diner. There was a large garbage can just inside the door, and still out of sight of the main kitchen. Mitch took a large ziplock bag out of his pocket, holding his breath against the strong smell of gasoline as he took a rag from inside it. He tossed the rag into the garbage can, following it with a match, then left quickly through the back door, pausing only to wipe the doorknob with the sleeve of his shirt just in case he had left a fingerprint there.
Hurrying to his car, he raced to the fountain to meet Grace, arriving just moments after she did. She looked a little skeptical at the grocery bag of food, but smiled when she saw the candles, and when he poured their martinelli's into the paper cups. They ate their food somewhat in silence, as he seemed distracted by something. She was just about to ask him if everything was okay when they heard the siren. A fire truck roared by and Mitch watched it until it turned out of sight around the corner. He looked at his watch, sighing.
"Your half hour is almost up. Thank you for letting me do this. I know it wasn't much of a date."
Grace smiled, showing a dimple. "I thought it was cute. Most guys wouldn't come up with something this sweet on such short notice."
Mitch smiled, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind her hear. There was a faint smell of gasoline on his fingers, but Grace didn't think much of it, figuring he had just filled up his car or something.
They said goodbye, Grace kissing his cheek impulsively before she got in her car and headed back to the diner. When she got to the diner, the firetruck was in the parking lot, and everyone that had been inside were standing out in the parking lot as well.
"What happened?" Grace asked Barry.
He turned towards her, his eyes worried. "A fire started in the trash can by the back door. Luckily it didn't spread too far. Most of the damage is superficial, but we had to evacuate the place so the firemen could make sure it was safe. We will probably close the diner for the rest of tonight and tomorrow, make sure everything is in working order and get the smoke smell out before we get back to business."
"How did the fire start?"
Barry shook his head, "The Fire Chief thinks it might have been arson. There was a smell of gasoline in the back hall."
"Who in the world would want to burn this place down?"
"I don't know." Barry looked thoughtful and glanced towards where his daughter was standing next to the new girl.

Kaitlyn stood next to Jess in the parking lot, her heart pounding. She didn't feel safe out in the open, and she had heard one of the firefighters say something about arson. It had been her who discovered the trash can in flames, the wall behind it blackened with soot. She had screamed, and Barry came running. He had put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, but they had called the fire department as well, to make sure the danger was over.
Jess looked at Kaitlyn's pale face, her own face showing her concern. "Are you okay?"
Kaitlyn nodded, not trusting her voice. As she stared out towards the street she saw the silver car come around the corner and she felt her heart pound in her chest. Topher drove by slowly, staring at her. He was smiling.

A few hours later, as Grace was getting ready for bed, she remembered what Barry had said about the smell of gasoline in the back hall, and she remembered the faint smell of gasoline on Mitch's fingers as he had brushed the hair from her face at the end of their date.

Wordless Wednesday

This is a photo of my Grandpa (left) at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. He was a singer and a musician and he built that guitar he is holding himself.

Fiction Friday #20

When Jess woke up the apartment seemed unnaturally quiet. She sat up, stretching and trying to work out the kinks from sleeping on the small couch.
The bedroom door was slightly opened and she went over and peered inside, trying to see through the early evening gloom. Kaitlyn was not there.
For a moment she panicked, running for the front door. When she opened it she stepped back, startled. Barry stood there, his hand raised to knock and a surprised look on his face.
"What's your rush?" He attempted to smile when he said it, but it came off weak.
"Kaitlyn is gone."
Barry looked unconcerned, staring off into space for a moment. Then he glanced back at Jess and said, "Well, the girl looks to be an adult, so I would say that she is probably capable of making her own decisions, wouldn't you?"
Jess sighed, "You might not say that if you understood the situation."
"That may be true, but since you didn't enlighten me as to the 'situation', I only have what I have seen to go on. Kaitlyn seems like a capable girl. She can certainly wash dishes with the best of them."
Jess looked up confused and Barry smiled, nodding towards the stairway, "She came down a couple of hours ago and Grace put her to work in the kitchen. She's quiet, but she sure does work hard." He paused, studying his daughter's face. "Why don't you come down and have some dinner...my treat. You might want to do something about your hair first though. You have bed head."

A few minutes later Jess was downstairs sitting at the diner counter. Grace, the waitress working the evening shift came over and took her order. It was still early in the evening, but the dinner rush was just beginning. Jess kept her order simple and just asked for a bowl of soup and half a turkey sandwich. When the food came she ate it slowly, thinking about the day and wondering what they should do next. She wanted to call Rob again, but she wanted to see Kaitlyn before she did.

The front door of the diner opened and someone came in, sitting down a few stools away from where Jess was. He looked young, probably fresh out of high school and he glanced her way and smiled. Grace came over to take his order and he smiled even bigger.
"Hey Gracie, how's it going? I'll have my usual if you don't mind."
Grace got a thoughtful look on her face, as if trying to remember and the young man put a hand to his chest, looking wounded, "Gracie, I can't believe you don't remember! Chicken fried steak, extra fries and a chocolate malt."
Grace laughed then and ruffled his hair playfully. "Of course I remember Mitch, you're in here twice a week and you always order the same thing."
"Well, when you know what you like, you just keep coming back for more. And there's a lot to like here."
"Then why do you always order the same thing?"
Mitch laughed, "Who said it was the food I was talking about?"
Grace blushed all the way to the darker roots of her honey colored hair and went to see about his order.

Jess was finishing her soup when she felt someone staring at her and looked up to see Mitch watching her. He had a very serious look on his face, and glanced away, then looked back and smiled. "I haven't seen you here before. But you seem to know Grace..." His tone made a question out of the statement.
"I work the night shift. Grace's shift overlaps mine for about two hours."
Mitch nodded, staring down at his hands. He had picked up the napkin in front of him and was slowly shredding it in his fingers. He looked suddenly nervous and became quiet, not speaking again until Grace returned with his malt a few minutes later and then he merely thanked her and sat staring at his drink.

Rob had every intention of driving straight over to the diner to see Jess, but as he drove he noticed a silver car behind him in the distance. He couldn't be sure it was Topher, but he didn't want to risk it either, so he headed back to the garage instead, parking in front on the street. He stepped inside, and nodded to Matthew who looked a little surprised to see him.
"I just need to get something from the office upstairs." He took the stairs two at a time and crossed the office to the window to look out through the blinds. After a few minutes he saw the silver sedan pass, slowing down as it came next to Jess's car. He couldn't see the driver from the angle of the upstairs window, but he knew it had to be Topher.
Sighing, he sat down at his desk, wondering what to do. Finally and idea hit him and he changed quickly into a mechanics coverall and switched his blue baseball hat for a red one with the garage logo on it. Running down the stairs he grabbed a set of keys from a peg behind the front desk.
"Matt, do you have a parts run to make today?"
"Yeah, a couple of them."
"Where's the invoice? I'll take the truck and make the run. If anyone comes here asking for me, just tell them I am out and that the car is here for an oil change. In fact, if you get a chance you may as well go ahead and change the oil." He tossed the car keys to Matt who caught them deftly. "I'll be back in a few hours."
The garage truck was parked out back and Rob hurried across to it, keeping his hat low over his eyes. It was a white Ford pickup, of which there were many around town. He pulled the magnet with the garage logo from the door on each side and tossed them on the passenger side floor. Then he stepped up into the truck, glancing around for the silver car. He didn't see it anywhere, and smiled as he started the truck. Hopefully this would keep Topher from following him. First he had to see about the parts orders, then he would go to the diner and see Jess.