het huis (as my ancestors may have said)

Here's a few house pictures. I listened to Rhonda and didn't wait till it was perfect to take a few. Dave's mom took this one of the kitchen after she got it looking all pretty. Sadly, the dishwasher in the photo is not in working condition. I haven't found it too dreadful to wash them by hand though. Especially when Dave does it. haha. So, starting at one end of the house, and working our way to the other - the kitchen.

...followed by the dining room - There's a perfect little corner for the sewing cabinet that you can almost see to the right of the pic. Our table has never looked so small. At our other places of residence, we've sort of had to cram it in the dining area and it took up way too much space. Here we can actually walk around the whole thing with room to spare.
Next to the dining room, we have the living room. There's no open concept about this place - lots of separate rooms, even a door separating the kitchen and dining room. Anyway, the living room and looking out into the lil sun parlor (or room of the blazing heat, as of late. We have no AC and soon will have to do something about that. It's been getting rather warm in the living room/sum room). Thus ends the series of rooms. Oh, I should note that the rug is one that was in Dave's house growing up and he's quite fond of it. emotionally attatched to it... I'm sort of scared he might leave me for the rug someday... Anyway, the bedrooms and bathroom are off of the dining room area. They're too scary to be captured on film right now.
The living room from the other direction facing the dining room. Notice the entertainment center piled with junk. lovely. The couch is in front of the non-functional fire place.
So there you have it. But the very very best thing about the house --
OLD house.
NEW house!! = )

A few more of the kid and such

My nephew Mervin, his girlfriend Grace, and my niece Sara (of whom I sadly don't have a picture) came to visit last week. It was grand to have them and their energy around. = ) We did some shopping, ate good food, chatted, watched some entertainment on the computer screen, etc.
Target bag shoes! So economical I predict we'll all be wearing them soon. And don't they coordinate nicely with her dress? Also, they're easy for small children to put on and take off. Just leave them laying around and they'll find them and put them on...
... and take them off.
lil mop o curls. I've been waiting her whole life for her hair to grow. It seems it's getting longer and curlier. But still cant' do a lot with it.
Here's a great idea - give the kid yogurt and walk out of the room. She was rubbing it all over her hands saying "washing hands!" great.
Even curlier with yogurt in it. I should use that in lieu of hair gel - all natural and stuff.

March, for real? oops.

Seems I have started at least 600 posts in my brain the last month and a half, but none of them actually made it on here. Once again, I don't even know where to start. I really need to post more regularly, so the bi-monthly posts don't seem so overwhelming. So without further adoooo - Um, the end of January - it happened. I don't really remember it. February was INSANE. We were hoping to move out of our place the beginning of the month, but there were still people in the new house we were going to rent. Those people were buying a house and it was discovered that there was lead paint in that house, so they kept getting their moving date date pushed back. We had already signed a lease and technically, they should have been given the boot and we should have been able to move in by the 15th. But since I'm married to a kinder soul than myself, or something like that, we tried to work with them so that no one would have to be homeless. We ended up moving all our big stuff into the basement and front room of the new place (areas of the house they weren't using) the weekend of the 10 - 11th. Then we stayed at our mostly empty old house till the 15th. That was a story in itself. Oh the drama. We were scheduled to move out the 15th, and Dave had talked to our landlord and he said if we're out by 8 that would be fine. Well, the afternoon of the 15th, I was packing madly, stopped to take a rest, and there was loud banging on the door. Turns out the next tenants were ready to move in that minute. They had crazy lady on the phone and asked if I wanted to talk to her (crazy lady is the mom of our landlord). ok. What happened next was unlike anything I've experienced. I guess I'm just not used to angry, screaming and yelling phone calls where a mentally unstable person is threatening to call the cops on us because we're not getting out soon enough. She was being unreasonable enough, and given the issues we'd had ever since we moved into the place, I really was in no mood for her shenanigans. So I replied rather firmly and held my own, but it was pointless. She wouldn't let me finish a single sentence and assured me that my husband was a liar and we were NOT told we could be there till 8. She then said she was coming over right away to which I wish I had replied, um lady, if you do come over here and get anywhere near me or my kid, I'LL call the cops, cuz you just aint right in da head right now. she hangs up the phone and I thought, oh lordy, surely this shall be my demise. I'm picturing cop cars outside the house, crazy lady showing up with a gun. What if there's a really crazy cop out there who takes her side and hauls me away in handcuffs and Dave comes home to find no wife and Aleah in foster care? (I can be accused of many things, but having no imagination is generally not one of them. Also, please don't call me or my husband a liar cuz that REALLY REALLY makes me mad!) Anyway, as any sane woman would do, I called Dave at work (any sane woman should call her own significant other, not Dave) and said in slightly elevated tones, "YOU MUST COME HOME NOW!!!!" Thank God he was done teaching. Well, he arrived home, called our landlord, who called crazy lady, and in the end, assured us that neither she, nor the cops would be paying us a visit. whew! That was close. Ok, so that got us to the 15th. We pulled out of the rat den at 7:55, with both our cars packed full. We went to stay with some kind folks from church for awhile until the house would be ready for us to move in.

ok, rewind a bit. The weekend before this drama filled weekend, I traveled to West Virginia for a get together with "old" friends from Red Lake. Oh man, what a hoot we had. Haven't laughed like that in ages. And what a privilege to really connect with people you've known for most of your life! Such good conversations and sharing. So that was the first weekend in Feb. Came home to the aforementioned packing and moving. I should add that moving at the best of times stinks, moving in the first trimester of preg. is especially unpleasant. My poor hubs worked like crazy with his normal job, plus doing a lot of the packing and such.

We now return to this post after a couple day absence. Not sure what I was saying... Ok, so the fun weekend with the gals, then the move the following weekend/week. The weekend after that, I had planned a long time ago to go to Ohio and go to a Steven Curtis concert with my friend Bethany (hey, we know how to party like old people!) and then see Dad and Dru and Dave's grandparents. By the time that weekend came, it seemed like crazy timing, being so in limbo and all. At the same time, we got all our stuff moved and were just hanging out with people from church, so why not take a little road trip. Well, we managed to gather our wits about us and make it to Ohio. The concert was jolly good fun, and also inspiring and the rest of it. And loud. oh my. I felt like I should cover itty bitty baby's ears, but um, that's of course impossible. And so good to catch up with Bethany. We went back to her place and ate way too much peanut butter popcorn like old times and chatted the night away. The next day we met Dave and Aleah at Dad and Dru's place for lunch. Good to see them and where they live! Then on to Dave's grandparents. Well, turns out Dave's grandpa was going to be gone all well and his poor darling grandmother was going to be all alone. So we decided Aleah and I might as well stay and keep her company. We had a great time and it was so peaceful and relaxing, unlike the stress of the previous week. They live in a really nice retirement community and let me tell you, that is the way to live folks! Ever since I've been conspiring how I can come up with something like that for families and folks of all ages. Meals cooked for you on weeknights, housecleaning, eating dinner with friends every night, knowing everyone in your building and having people looking out for you. Of course in the young families building, you would incorporate things such as free babysitting, parents night out alone, fun activities for kids, enriching seminars for parents, etc. etc. Couldn't this go somewhere? Anyway, it was a fun week. One day Dad and Dru came over and we went to Ikea - fun little place. = ) Actually, I think it's about the size of the town I grew up in, but anyway -

Ok, Dave came to pick us up the following weekend and we arrived at our new place. The lead paint fiasco had finally been resolved and the people were out. We sure haven't been setting any speed records getting unpacked and there are days that the mess causes great damage in my soul. But we're getting there. We really like it here. It's an old house with uneven floors and walls, but it's homey inside and very spacious. Aleah does an awful lot of running in here. Dave's mom came up yesterday and spend the day and left this afternoon and she helped us SO much. The kitchen has been transformed. Was wonderful to have her here, not just for all the help, but that was splendid. So Feb. was the moth for trips and moving and craziness and March seems to be the month to have company. Dave's mom left this afternoon and soon, some lil kids are coming to visit - my nephew, his girlfriend, and my niece. Ok, so they're not so little anymore... Anyway, it shall be fun to hang out with them. Then after that a bosom buddy pal (Heather) from Red Lake is coming for a whole week! yahoo! We're gonna have a blast. After that, actually before that ends, my brother and his wife are coming for, um, I'm not sure how long. They haven't told me yet. And then my friend and former roommate is coming to visit at the end of March. So yes, March should fly by and it all sounds like loads of fun.

Dave is on spring break right now and is spending a lot of time looking for jobs. We still don't know if he'll be hired on for more time here at Valpo. The thought of moving again in a few months nearly makes me hysterical so I try not to think about it. At the same time, a permanent job would be really great too. The job market is really tough right now and you can pray with/for us that the right job for him opens up. And now my guests have arrives so I must go. For the few of you that are still reading - catch ya later!