I haven't tackled the first floor windows yet, but I was hosting my book group, so suddenly I felt the drive to clean, clean, clean!
Here's my list of accomplishments for the day:
-read a chapter of our book
-read the comics with Hannah
-swept and mopped the entire house
-dusted & straightened (with Hannah's help)
-2 loads of laundry
-made peanut butter scotchies for the book group
-washed, dried, and put away the dishes
-mowed the lawn
-watered the garden and plants
-swept the patio
-showered
-bathed Hannah
-scheduled the refrigerator repairman
-quick trip to Walmart-quick and Walmart usually don't go together, but today must have been my day!
-filled gas tank-even went inside to get my favorite Polar Pop
-and STILL managed to complete 85% of my daily puzzles!! (gotta keep my priorities straight)

I do realize that this list is nothing to some of you overachievers. But at times, I guess it just takes the knowledge that people will be coming over to see my mess to move me to do something about it.
I'm pooped.
Good night, Internet.

Isaac is gone for two weeks to "write a small book so he can get a floppy hat." Or to finish his thesis...however you want to look at it. He's promised to post his progress daily on his blog.

Since he's been working non-stop....the basement while he was home, and now deep into his books....I feel like I need to pick up the pace around here while he's gone. So today, I started washing the windows. Turns out I don't fully know what I'm doing, but I still managed wash all the 2nd floor exterior windows. It was a very good thing Vickie stopped by or I would have flooded the house. So now onto the first floor tomorrow....

Playing Tag

Laurie tagged me, and this gives me something to post, so here goes:

My Joys:
*Hannah
*Anticipating baby #2
*Spending quality time with people I love.

My Fears:
*Money. Yuck. Still trying to be a better manager of it.
*Wasting my life on petty, temporary goals.
*Being too much of a know-it-all that I push people away.

My Goals:
*Accept myself as God does.
*Love and care for my family and friends.
*Running another marathon....Chicago 2009.

My Current Obsessions/Collections:
*'Crosswords, sudoku, and cryptoquip....no big surprise to anyone, I'm sure.
*Waffles. Not very healthy, the the waffle iron is rather dangerous, but oh the heavenly breakfasts I'm having!!!
(update: I sadly had to throw it away. Supposedly it's a fire hazard when the plug is VERY warm to the touch and the entire appliance exudes a burning rubber smell....)
*My coupon collection....I know, no surprise here either.

Random Surprising Facts About Me:
*My blood type is B negative.....I know, shocking, huh?
*I really, really dislike seafood.
*I don't know....I'm probably more of an open book than I care to admit.

Alright...now it's my turn to tag 4 people:

1. my sisters
2. my childhood friend Jen, from Iowa.....I think you might read this periodically. =)
3. Babs (Sorry, Vickie. I stole a tag from you!)
4. Steph

Emma Kay Forman

Yesterday, we spent a good chunk of the day waiting for her arrival.....and here she is!
7 lbs. 12oz. 19.5 inches long. lots of dark hair!
Congratulations, Chris and Gretchen!

The new parents....



Uncle Isaac delivering food.....


Her first bath...

Her daddy admiring her soft hair.

11 weeks

Dear baby,
This week was technically our first meeting and I was so very excited and relieved to see your heartbeat. I will continue to pray that you will grow to become a healthy little one.

You have a big sister who, for a few months now, has been praying you would come....and is honing her teaching skills. I'm pretty sure she feels the urgency to learn everything there is to learn. "Why?" and "How come?" are her favorite and most often asked questions.

Your daddy is also preparing for your arrival. As I write this, he is finishing our basement...so you and your sister have a space to play and that we can have room for your nursery. So far, I'm just trying to feed you the right things....and trying to stay away from the wrong ones...which is harder than I'd like.

There will be many more people to introduce you to and and even more things to tell you. But for now, I just want you to know you are loved and we cannot wait to meet you.

Love,
your mama

Just call me fashionista

I'm not much of a trend setter. In fact, once I find a shirt I like, I usually just buy that same shirt in several colors. I usually start liking whatever the "new" thing months or even years after it's been around.

Over the past year, I've dreadfully noticed how the 80's styles are coming back. But I've recently discovered how much I loved a specific style of shirt. It reminds me of my favorite outfit in junior high. I LOVED this burgundy and black striped shirt with black leggings I bought at Maurices. I think I also had a green and navy striped one as well....Paris Sport Club. Do you remember it? Designed for daring teenage girls like me.

So here's the official shirt of the summer for me....I already have one in grey and black. I know, so very adventurous of me. But I even bought leggings! Now I just have to muster up the nerve to wear them.

Have you ever had one of those dreams where you are being pursued, but you can't move because it feels as if your feet are cemented to the ground? Or the dream where you somehow forget to get dressed before you head off to school, then the rest of the dream is spent desperately and futilely trying to get some sort of clothing on?

Well, these last several days have felt a little like that. It recently dawned on me that I never printed Laurie's newsletters, just emailed them....that was on April 8th! April 8th!

So I went to print and the old printer is discontinued and my computer no longer has a driver for it. So I find the driver online....and still doesn't work. Isaac says he'll have to get a CD from work. I can't wait that long, so I grab our other printer.
Out of ink. Of course. I go to refill the cartridge, take it home, still doesn't work. After 3 more trips, I am able to print 9 newsletters. Out of 108.

So this morning, I drive to Walmart and purchase new cartridges. Should have bought 2 sets. You'd think I have learned.

So far, I have about 40 completed (along with an additional apology/take responsibility for the tardiness schpeel) which my computer has printed at an agonizingly slow pace (I need more ram or something, Isaac says).

Okay, so it may not be as bad as public nudity, but this newsletter, of ALL newsletters is time sensitive. AARRGH!!!
What was I thinking?! I guess it doesn't matter at this point, but I'm looking forward to this heightened heart rate and sense of panic to subside.

the Sauder girls & kids

Hannah and I had a really nice time in Omaha catching up with my sisters and being amazed at how much the babies have grown. Here are a few pictures from the weekend:
(This has been sitting in my unpublished posts, waiting for me to add comments, but it's taken too long already. So feel free to suggest the appropriate captions.)

I saw a fox on the trail this morning.....a FOX!!

Update in pictures

Lots of activity here the last few weeks, but I just can't seem to muster up the energy to write about it. So here are some pictures:

For my birthday, my thoughtful husband and great friends planned "The Amazing Birthday Race." My apologies for my lack of pictures here. We were divided into teams, and sent on various missions....one was to eat a cheeseburger next to Abe Lincoln on the bench...Ryan actually bought a double cheeseburger since it was cheaper....but not as fast to eat.

They also made a crossword puzzle all about me (I felt a bit narcissistic...and by the way, I do NOT snort when I laugh),

Played sudoku with sidewalk chalk and a driveway, and took pictures with strangers doing various things. Our team found the PERFECT group of strangers: junior high girls!! (I wish I had the pictures to prove it!)

Vickie's birthday followed, so I made her a cake...


Followed by the anticpated Fondue Friday! Other than making WAY too much, it was very yummy. And I can't wait to try some more recipes! If it weren't for Chris, I wouldn't even have this picture. So thanks, Chris!


This past weekend, Hannah accomplished a few firsts....
using scissors....(She caught on rather quickly!)

...and planting a garden. This is a first for me as well!



Here are just a couple cute pictures taken this past week.



In the next few days, I'll be in Omaha catching up with my sisters and holding my niece and nephew. So more pictures to come!

My twin?

Another one to add to my pile

I have a few other books to finish before I start anything else, but Ben Witherington gives a persuasive review of The Year of Living Biblically.

If you have time, check it out and let me know what you think!

100 Things to do before I go...

Okay...so 100 is a bit much, but my mom raised me to finish what I start, so here goes:

76. Finish other things I've started. =)
77. Celebrate my 70th wedding anniversary.
78. Spoil my grandkids.
79. Adopt or help someone adopt.
80. Explaining the Lenten and Easter season to Hannah.
81. Strengthen my patience.
82. Relish conversations with girlfriends.
83. Know the names of everyone living on my street.
84. Go mountain climbing.
85. Visit with my sisters while our kids play.
86. Buy a cabin in the mountains....big enough to share.
87. Learn how to bake chewy, chocolate chip cookies.
88. Bring baby Gaff #2 home (no, not an annoucement!).
89. Plant a garden with Hannah.
90. Go back to Mexico with Isaac.
91. Take at least one ESL class this fall.
92. Make homemade pasta.
93. Laugh, the side-hurting kind, almost everyday.
94. Make Hannah and Isaac laugh like this on a regular basis.
95. Read the comics with Hannah every morning.
96. Use our car less and the trail more.
97. Kiss the Blarney Stone.
98. Take advantage of the free concerts & events in town.
99. Find more ways to ease Isaac's load...and do it joyfully.
100. Start each morning thankfully and prayerfully.

What we've been up to...

While I'm trying to come up with my last 25 "100 things..." (much harder than I thought it would be), here are some photos of the last week or so.
Palm Sunday, we were in Indiana visiting the Gaff family. Here's Uncle Nick dressing up as Tinkerbell.

After the whole Tinkerbell episode, she warmed right up to him. Who wouldn't? =)

Decorating Easter eggs...



A big Easter egg hunt on a cold, cold morning....


It was fun after all!!

Empty eggs?!

Easter Sunday...
Daddy and his girl

Hannah and Grandma and their puzzles

Another hunt at Vickie's house with H's new friend/superhero, Ben

I took this about 2 weeks ago.
I knew it was going to be a good day when the paper accidentally printed THREE of these:

theodicy

I keep hearing about the release of a new book, God's Problem, by Bart D. Ehrman. He's been interviewed on NPR, and since it's the Easter season, many people have been discussing it. From my limited understanding, the author questions an existence of God because of the presence of suffering in the world.

I read Ben Witherington's blog and I like what he says concerning this issue:

"In one sense of course, Bart Ehrman's views are understandable. If you are raised to believe that a good sovereign God before the beginning of time pre-determined all things that have happen in this world, then indeed you have a severe problem of logic when it comes to both sin and suffering, both misery and mayhem. But in fact the God of fatalism with all things predetermined is not the God of the Bible. That is the God of Islam, but not Christianity at its best.

The Bible teaches that most of human suffering is of our own making, not predestined by God. There is this little doctrine called the Fall, and also the matter of humans being created with wills of their own. Both the Fall and at least the power of contrary choice in fallen persons more than adequately explains most of the wickedness we see in the world--- it is, as Tennyson used to say 'a case of man's inhumanity to man'."

This is such a crucial topic...one that Christians need to carefully think about, study, and discuss. I think I might add this book to my list of must-reads. Anyone want to start a book group?

100 Things to do before I go...

Okay the handful of you who are kind enough to read this.....I need some ideas!!!
If 100 is too much, go for 10.
Pretty please?!

51. Reduce our need for "storage"...simplify.
52. Go whitewater rafting again.
53. Help pay for a student's college tuition...and Hannah's, of course.
54. Go to Haiti with my parents.
55. Take a similar trip with Isaac and Hannah.
56. Go for coffee with Isaac on a regular basis.
57. File our taxes without professional help.
58. Learn how to change a tire (yeah, I don't know how...).
59. Learn how to play Bridge....fits with my love for crosswords.
60. Explore Washington D.C.
61. Travel to the old & new 7 wonders of the world.
62. Take one of Dr. Castelein's & Dr. Lowery's courses.
63. Spot a moose at Yellowstone.
64. Go to a Broadway show.
65. Visit every continent (or all but Antarctica).
66. Be a more informed voter.
67. Laugh and talk with friends on our patio late into the night.
68. Study more about planets, stars and galaxies.
69. Gaze at the stars on summer nights.
70. Enjoy and honor my family's accomplishments more than my own.
71. Audition for a community theatre or choir.
72. Regularly seek God's approval over the approval of others.
73. Be teachable.
74. Speak out of kindness and love.
75. Eat ice cream.....guilt free.

100 things to do before I go...

This is more difficult than I thought. Please post yours.....I need more ideas!!

26. Invent and patent something
27. Teach Hannah how to ride a bike.
28. Hike the Grand Canyon.
29. Expand my cooking repertoire.
30. Go on a 2 week vacation without computers.
31. Read everything written by C.S. Lewis.
32. Complete a Wil Shortz crossword without help.
33. Host a block party.
34. Write a children's book.
35. Take Hannah to Chicago via Amtrak.
36. Speak basic Spanish.
37. Work for Habitat for Humanity.
38. Establish a way to volunteer monthly as a family.
39. Get this dang basement finished.
40. Improve my piano skills.
41. Take violin lessons.
42. Take art classes.
43. Establish Fondue Fridays.
44. And Waffle Wednesdays.
45. Write thank you notes to my teachers.
46. Start a neighborhood book group.
47. Put some of my dad's lyrics to music.
48. Be less selfish about my time.
49. Listen to others better.
50. Overcome my fear of needles and give blood.

Evidence that she is a reflection of what she sees....

"I'm not very happy of you." (followed by an exasperated sigh)

"I will in a minute"

"Ah, he's being sweet."

"You need to go to your room and get dressed."

"You know what the Bible says? It's my turn first." (She got this one mixed up....just to clarify.)

"Mommy, I like you just the way you are."

"What you said?...What she said?"

100 things to do before I go

One particular blog I subscribe to, made a list of things she'd like to experience/accomplish in this lifetime. I enjoyed her list, but felt a bit leery to make my own for various reasons. One is that sometimes these lists can shift my focus onto things that won't last...until she convinced me it was worthwhile by challenging us to ponder these questions:

-What would surprise me if I found out I hadn’t done it by the time I died?
-What are the little things I expect to just unroll in front of me?
-What are the big, amazing things that absolutely wouldn’t happen without some heads-down, teeth-clenched work?
-What things have I been concentrating on that don’t really matter?

So I'm going to give it a try and post 25 at a time. If you feel so inclined, I'd love to hear your ideas and read your list!

1. Learn how to swim.
2. Write a song.
3. Run the New York City Marathon.
4. Ability to and continue to run.
5. Read everything by Henri Nouwen.
6. Start a business....maybe cake decorating??
7. Pray more and more.
8. Be comfortable in my own skin...body, personality, etc.
9. Hike Pikes Peak and Longs Peak.
10. Listen to Hannah read her first book and write her first sentence.
11. Buy Isaac a bass guitar and a piano.
12. Attend Isaac's graduation next June.
13. Finish my masters degree.
14. Always have time to make a meal, visit, serve, and encourage others.
15. Be willing to let others do the same for me.
16. Pay off our debt, mortgage and all, early.
17. Enjoy long conversations with Hannah, as an adult.
18. Enjoy long conversations with Hannah, right now. =)
19. Go camping, the rugged kind, and enjoy it.
20. Backpack Europe.
21. Explore Hawaii.
22. Take Tae Kwon Do lessons.
23. Recycle more and find ways to waste less.
24. Grow an herb garden.
25. Establish meaningful family traditions following the church calendar.