Coffee At Our Place

Hannah on choosing a mate

2011-09-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

After Mark, Hannah and I are usually the next ones to wake up in the morning and I waste no time getting my coffee made and dressed for the day. Once the boys are up, it's all who let the dogs out and I won't slow down again until lunch, maybe nap time.

Hannah likes that early time alone with me and will sit near in the bathroom watching me get ready and chattering about school or horses. Today she was telling me how one boy in her class, Charlie, was also in her VBS class over the summer so she had known him for a while.

"I think," she said, very matter of fact, "I'll probably marry Charlie someday. When I'm an adult."

I nearly choked on my toothpaste but I played it cool. "Oh, ok. Well, no rush. You have plenty of time to make up your mind."

"You're right, Mommy, I know. It takes a looooooong time to get as old as you."

Me, laughing, "Yep, a really long time."

Baby Noah is here!

2011-06-22T20:13:00.000-07:00

Noah Mark Wuerslin

Born June 21 at 6:42pm

6 pounds, 11 ounces

Noah is adorable and healthy! He is a little sleepy from being early (36.5 weeks) but he was wide-eyed and alert for all his visitors today. My recovery is going pretty smoothly too. We expect to be sent home Friday or Saturday.

Here are some pictures from Noah's arrival last night. I'll post more pictures as I get the chance.

arriving at labor and delivery - last baby bump picture

Noah with the doctor and Daddy

first kiss from Mommy

good strong cry

Big hugs and much love from our "little" family of six!

Meeting the Siblings

2011-06-22T18:31:00.000-07:00

Brothers and sister meet their new baby brother.

Master Closet Simplified

2011-03-11T20:16:00.000-08:00

I'm popping in for a rare burst of blogging to join in on Simple Mom's Project : Simplify! She'll be leading us in tackling 5 hot spots of clutter in the home. I'm full-on nesting, so the timing is perfect.

I almost didn't participate in this week's hot spot, thinking that my closet is already in pretty good shape. A few months ago, I bought nice hangers and brought in some baskets and tags I already had to give it a more cohesive and sophisticated look, since the bifold doors stay open pretty much all the time making it part of the master bedroom decor.

But then I started thinking about how it's getting warmer and it wouldn't hurt to go through the box of summer maternity items that have been lent to me, and how the dust build-up is so severe that if an item falls from its hanger, I have to put it back in the dirty clothes. (I don't know if it's the wood floors or the age of this house, but gets incredibly dusty. I seriously just dusted my closet a few months ago. Who dusts their closet??) I'm thinking maybe a little unpacking, tidying and dusting and this project will take me 30 minutes or so...

Two hours later and I am thrilled with the results! Here's what I started with:

What I did:

- Today was laundry day, so job one was to put away all the clean clothes you see piled up there.

- cleared out everything on the floor and the shelf above the hangers

- dusted and cleared cobwebs and sneezed 50 times

- went through the hanging items and shifted them around so that the ones I use the most are near the middle. Jackets and coats are tucked back on one side; scarves, belts and extra purses on the other.

- next up, I marched all the random objects (pillow pets, little pink crocs, matchbox cars, etc) back to their proper homes

- went through the summer maternity clothes. I didn't try everything on, since it was getting late, but I was extra picky in making sure I only hung up the ones I was fairly certain I would get use out of. (For example, I have no practical need for maternity dress slacks, and I already know I don't look good in scoop neck t-shirts.) I packed up the rest to give back or donate.

- found some non-maternity clothes and running clothes I won't be needing for several months and packed them up for storage in the basement

Here's a picture of the out-takes (minus dustballs and the kids' stuff which I had already put away):

I put back on the floor my shoes, work clothes (for painting or yard work), a basket of mending, and a basket of shorts.

(Looking to the right)

(Looking to the left)

Now the top shelf:

On the top I had only my suitcases and a sleeping bag off to either side, so I added the small trunk, which was in need of a home, and two now-empty baskets to stash items that I outgrow later on in the pregnancy.

I took the 3M hooks from the garage wall, where they hadn't been working out as grocery bag hooks. I re-hung the hooks in the middle of the closet for my most-often worn jewelry, so they no longer have to sit in a little bowl in the linen closet. Love those little 3M pull-tab hangy-thingies!

Last but not least, I asked Mark to tie a new string from my light which had broken months and months ago.

Let's take a step back to see the end result:

Much more functional and roomy. The clear floor space makes the master bedroom feel like it extends another 18 inches and seeing all those tank tops lined up gets me excited that warmer, sunnier weather is on its way!

Total time: 2 hours

Total expense: $0

1st Trimester Update

2011-01-06T17:38:00.000-08:00

Today marks the end of my first trimester. I am so incredibly happy about this. Even as I write this, I'm extremely nauseous - but hopeful that will be lightening up in the next week and disappearing soon.

Here are some stats on me:

Average number of hours slept per night : 9

Number of hours I could totally sleep if given the opportunity : 12

Pounds gained : 4 or 5

Bump: not very noticeable. Just looks like I ate a lot over the holidays (which I DID)

Number of ChickFilA spicy chicken sandwiches consumed : approximately 54

Number of extra-pickles-on-the-side-please consumed : hundreds, maybe thousands

Super supportive husband : check

Weeks until we can find out the gender : 3

Worst thing I've done : given up waking at a regular time and getting the day off to a predictable routine

Best things I've done : simplified our daily life, gotten my hair done

Cravings : hearty, savory things

Aversions : sweets and coffee (strangely I continue to consume both, but much less than I would)

Add/Drop

2010-11-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

We got great (and surprising!) news this week that we are pregnant with baby #4. While there could be complications later on in the pregnancy, for the time all looks good with the baby and at 7 weeks I am quickly remembering the journey of pregnancy. 1st Trimester: exhaustion and nausea. 2nd Trimester: exhaustion. 3rd Trimester: soreness, hugeness, pre-term labor (we hope not this time!) and more exhaustion. After birth: nursing fun, c-section recovery and sleep deprivation BUT a big bounce back in my energy level. And a precious new baby making it all worth while!

I need a lot of sleep not pregnant, and while pregnant, it's just ridiculous. Last night I slept 9 hours and took two one hour naps today. Today I felt great because Mark was here to let me get all that sleep. Gearing up for the work week ahead, I'm making preparations to pace myself and cut out a lot of what I normally do.

Add:

Sleep

Drop:

Cloth diapers

Couponing

Jesse tree and most of the crafty things I had planned for December ... I'm sad about that but for every 15 minutes doing crafts with the kids, I spend an hour in preparation and clean up. We still have lots of fun things going on this month. Until I bounce back, school will consist of the basics: reading, handwriting, and math.

Messy toys - several toys sets that are difficult for the children to clean up and time consuming for me to straighten up will be put away. I had been thinking about doing this before I discovered I was pregnant, just to allow them time to play with their nativity sets and make space for the few new toys they will receive this year.

Possibly home improvements - I'm reticent to let this go. You should see my kitchen! It is a work in progress, but just a few steps away from being done: paint, new hardware for the cabinets and curtains. I know it will be so refreshing to walk into a finished space, so I'm hoping I some energy bursts to knock that out in the evenings, but if push comes to shove it can wait.

Ethan's funny smile

2010-11-18T11:46:00.000-08:00

Ethan is at such a neat age. His little personality is just bursting forth and he loves to do things that make us laugh. I was taking pictures of the big kids and turned to him and he said, "heeee" and made this face. It was his smiling for a picture face! I caught a couple of different versions.

Looks like he's winking in the second one. What a charmer!

Glue Gun Therapy

2010-11-18T11:19:00.001-08:00

Yesterday was a hard day. I hesitate to even describe it as such, because when I think how blessed I am, I realize that many people would gladly trade one of their good days for my bad one. Aside from the children being off on their sleep, and therefore a little cranky, the day as a whole was actually pretty successful. We learned a lot, ate well, did a few chores and even had a fun outing. But I had forgotten that Mark would be gone for the evening, and when I realized it, exhaustion hit me like a freight train. I fought back tears until every last child was asleep. And then I settled in on the couch with my hot glue gun and made this:

I love it. I am not crafty, but I thought I could pull this one off without someone sweetly sweetly mistaking it for one of my children's works. Also, super cheap. $2 wreath form from Hobby Lobby + 2 x $1 coffee filters = $4. With extra coffee filters left over. Hmm, maybe I should turn something else into a giant snowball tonight?

Directions and inspiration from The Nester. I did not trim it. It would look cute with natural colored coffee filters too.

Hi There

2010-05-28T12:21:00.000-07:00

We're still here!

just having fun...

in the sun...

keeping Mommy plenty busy

Hannah's Birthday

2010-03-23T21:24:00.001-07:00

Birthdays are such a cool excuse to celebrate somebody all day long. Mark took the day off work and we had a great time hanging out as a family, playing with friends, and celebrating our new 4 year old!
Hannah woke up to a life-size Barbie holding balloons for her. She was blown away. She was actually speechless.

We had such a fun birthday party at Hippo Hopp (an indoor inflatable jump castle place) with our favorite people. We absolutely love hosting people in our home, but it was very relaxing and freeing about not having to cook, clean or entertain! I felt like I could really enjoy the day with Hannah and focus on her.

Barbie cake. Of course.

Siesta

2010-03-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

It's hard on the little ones to stay awake through lunch after church. Ethan fell asleep while working on a tortilla at On The Border.

Now that's my idea of a perfect Sunday. Church. Food. Sleep.

Shopping at Trader Joe's

2010-03-23T21:10:00.001-07:00

Going around the wine displays makes me nervous.

Storytime

2010-03-23T21:06:00.000-07:00

I'm putting up some pictures from the last few weeks since it's been so long.

Adam

2010-03-22T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here are Adam's answers, minus the sound effects he made as he pushed his cars and fire truck around.

What is your name? ME!

How old are you? Me

When is your birthday? My pirpay (birthday)

Who is your Mommy? Mommy. My pirpay! My pirpay!

What does Mommy do? I don't know.

What does Daddy do? I don't know.

Who is your brother? E!

Who is your sister? Hannah! Hannah!

Who are your friends? Hannah

What is your favorite color? I like blue.

What is your favorite food to eat? Eat.

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Me! (thinks I'm offering him ice cream)

What are your favorite toys to play with? My waah-truck (fire truck)

Where is your favorite place to eat? Me?

Who is your favorite person? (No answer. Me: Is it Mommy? Adam: Mm-hmm. Hannah: Is it me? Adam: Mm-hmm. Hannah: Adam likes me the best.)

Who is your best friend? Hannah

Where did Ethan come from? Balloon (Ethan is playing with a balloon.)

What is your favorite thing to do? My wah-truck da down. (Now makes his fire truck fall off the couch elaborately and crash and burn.)

What do Mommy and Daddy do after you go to bed? I don't know

Where do we go to church? Wahh-la. Go go Mommy car. Dat dat dat. (Points his finger in various directions as if showing me where to go)

Why do we go to church? I don't know.

Hannah

2010-03-22T19:52:00.000-07:00

I'm borrowing this idea from Emily. I took a break from March Moving Madness today and sat down with the kids to ask them some questions.

Helping Daddy make tapioca pudding

What is your name? Mrs. Lumpy (still in character from playing Heffalump with Adam apparently)

How old are you? (shows me 4 fingers)

When is your birthday? March 17th

Who is your Mommy? You

What does Mommy do? Do things I can't do

Who is your Daddy? Mark. He's at work.

What does Daddy do? Daddy works for a new house!

Who is your brother? Adam (pokes Adam in the chest and they get into a tussle)

Who is your baby brother? Ethannnnnnnn!

Who are your friends? Jackson, Morgan, (Adam shouts: Me! Me! Hannah: No, Adam.) Rebecca and Peyton. And her, Barbie (points to the life-size Barbie she got for her birthday)

What is your favorite color? Purple and pink and blue.

What is your favorite food to eat? Pasta.

What is your favorite song? Swan Lake and The Nutcracker.

What is your favorite movie? Swan Lake... and Nutcracker at Grandma's house!

What is your favorite book? My puzzles (she got a book with puzzles in it for her birthday)

What is your favorite animal? Kevin (a female giraffe toy that she pretends is the bird from Up)

What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Pink.

What are your favorite toys to play with? Barbie and my other dolls.

Where is your favorite place to eat? Here (points at our kitchen table. Oh, melt my heart.)

Who is your favorite person? Barbie

Who is your best friend? Adam (another playful push and screaming follows)

Where did Ethan come from? The hospital

What is your favorite thing to do? To put puzzles [together]

What do you want to be when you grow up? Ballerina!

Where will you live when you grow up? Our new house!

What do Mommy and Daddy do after you go to bed? Do things

Where do we go to church? At Waumba Land!

Why do we go to church? Because we learn things there

What sort of things do we learn about? God

4

2010-03-17T20:49:00.000-07:00

A peek

2010-03-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

In just 12 days if all goes well, we close on our first home. Want to have a peek?

Here are some of my favorite parts...

Mark is parked on a part of the driveway that curves around to allow extra parking. If you turned to the right, you'd see the walking paths along Riverside Rd and the Chattahoochee.

Entryway and stairs

A yard - with real grass!

This bright sunny room is a Formal Living Room. But since there's not much that's formal about the way we live, it will likely be a play room/school room.

We are still alive!

2009-12-08T10:58:00.001-08:00

I haven't uploaded pictures from my camera in ages, sorry about neglecting that and the blog! We've been busy - in a good way - traveling, house hunting, playdating, Christmas crafting, toddler wrangling and baby cuddling. Oh yeah, and the never-ending-mountain-of-dishes-and-laundry-ing.

We've put a bid in on a foreclosure in Roswell. Hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have some more info on that to share with you and I'll use the opportunity to do a photo update. J

Hannah-isms, the religion edition

2009-11-09T18:19:00.000-08:00

Recently, Mark and I were watching a sermon online and Hannah sat down next to us. She pointed to Andy Stanley and asked: "Is that Jesus?"

Getting in the car early one morning last week: "Oh, look, there's condemnation on our car!" I didn't even know she knew that word (condensation, of course!).

Repeatedly over the last few weeks: "It's time for the Mormons!" or "Watch guys, I'm doing the Mormons!" I had NO IDEA what she was talking about until Dana broke the code:"performance".

In ballet class last week a piece of scab from where she had skinned her elbow came off. She brought the scabby piece to her teacher (pan to me: grossed out and embarrassed) and said, "Look at how God is healing me!!!"

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

And Happy Reformation Day!

Couponing

2009-10-30T19:49:00.001-07:00

A few different people have asked me about how I combine coupons and sales to keep our grocery budget low. Not nearly as low as some frugalistas and extreme-couponers, but a fair amount. We like to eat natural and organic foods, support local agriculture through our farmer's market, and like most of you, I don't have a lot of time for shopping. Even a little strategizing and planning can make a big difference in the wallet.

Who wouldn't want an extra $50 (or more) a week to put toward something more fun than groceries?

Here's part of a message I sent to a friend yesterday on this topic:

This is week at Publix to get started with couponing!

You may not have saved up coupons yet, but you can start by keeping the coupon inserts from the Sunday paper (or from the free one the AJC puts in non-subcribers' yards on Thursday) and writing the date on the front*.

Other ways to get coupon inserts:

:: buy the double paper on Sunday at the store: two sets of coupons!

:: ask around. Most people don't use coupons, or just cut a few and throw the rest away.

:: If you feel especially daring and resourceful, you can easily grab several inserts from your neighborhood paper-only recycling bins. I'm not admitting to dumpster diving. Just saying. It's an option.

Until you build up a nice stash of coupons or dated inserts you can save big by shopping the sales and using internet printables.

Two sites to get you started with planning your shopping trips:

Coupon Mom Click on "Grocery Deals by State" on the left side bar. Choose your grocery store (drug stores, Walmart and Target lists are also available) and then just click on the items you want, select deals and bam! you have a list! I print it out, plan out my meals and add to the list anything else I will need to complete the meals. Then I cut out the coupons, write how many of each items to get next to that item on my list, and put the list and coupons in an envelope. Super handy for shopping and checking out with three wiggly littles in tow. When I'm feeling especially Type A I will calculate the cost of each item and estimate my total bill before I go and adjust the list if needed to meet my budget goal. Nerd alert!

Southern Savers is another good source. She includes store flyers that are out and competitor coupons (my main store Publix accepts competitor and store coupons on top of manufacturer's coupons. That's called "coupon stacking")

If you see anything that is a great deal (at least 50% off for most non-perishables) that your family uses regularly, buy enough to last you about two months. Since you're getting these items at pennies on the dollar, it shouldn't add too much to your weekly budget. Slowly you will build up a stockpile of your basics so that you never have to pay full price for everyday items.

Avoid buying anything you wouldn't normally, unless it is free then you can give it to charity, because the time it takes to cut your coupons and do your shopping can be overwhelming. I recommend sticking with just one or two stores. Mine are Publix every week and Costco, Trader Joe's, and the farmer's market once or twice a month.

If you don't see a great special on meat or produce at the grocery store, it's probably cheaper at Costco. When I go I usually grab a 4.99 Rotisserie chickens for dinner that same night. Nuts, quinoa, and brown rice, which are household staples for us, are also always the cheapest at Costco. Trader Joe's is my source for inexpensive organic and natural items. We get our milk, eggs, meat, and soap from local farmers.

*I use the Coupon Mom method of saving and dating the whole insert. I find it saves a lot of time and clutter. Many people cut out every coupon they think they might use and have various methods of organizing them to have on the go. Choose the way that works best for you!

** I met Stephanie Nelson, the Coupon Mom herself, at Costco today just by chance. She was so nice and I totally froze and couldn't think of anything to say. Mary Katherine again, I KNOW! This is why I alway keep the camera with me. And why I really should take the time to do something with my hair before leaving the house.

Check out my friend Amanda's post on saving money on groceries. It is way more helpful than this.

Haps and Mishaps

2009-10-27T20:21:00.000-07:00

I know the last time I was in, I promised pictures. Really they will come. I count it a miracle that I even have those pictures because last week my computer came very close to an untimely death, possibly taking with it a few weeks of pictures that hadn't been backed up. Mark, the miracle computer man, found a way to keep it working, so HALLELUJAH! And I learned a very good lesson about keeping the computer out of reach of certain toddlers and not using it so casually for showing Thomas videos. No more kid videos on the laptop.

Secondly, we've begun an interesting, exciting, and terrifying look into possibly, maybe, perhaps, Lord-willing, insha'Allah, buying a house. When you combine our desired location with our budget you end up with something small, weird, or generally in need of repair and renovations. But that kind of sounds like a description the Doulos, where we happily lived for over two years so... we might find something. Or not. We'll see.

Other general updates: Ethan got his second tooth. And he is adorable. He's been nursing well; no bottles or pumping recently, hooray! Also he is adorable. And his eyes are still blue. At 6.5 months, you think they will stay? For the last few weeks he's been sleeping 11-12 hours at night. That makes him even more adorable.

Adam is trying absorb language like a sponge. He points to things and says, "Dat-dat?" (what's that?), and will attempt to repeat almost any word. He plays constantly with his trains and cars except when he is cuddling with one of us or laughing and running after his sister in his funny toddler stomp-stomp-stomp way.

Hannah talks NON-STOP and that is proving to be a challenge for introspective me who requires quietness in order to organize my thoughts. She is expressive, dramatic, needy, curious, creative, energetic, stubborn, bossy, girly, prissy, and desirous of a very full schedule of activities and outings. All a challenge. But I miss her when she's away for even an hour.

Mark's doing great at work. A couple of local projects lately, no out of town travel so far as we expected for the fall, so yay!

I started to get sick but last night I ate a whole clove of fresh minced garlic and I woke up this morning 100% healthy. A coincidence? I don't think so. Garlic: try it. It also keeps others at a safe distance so as not to catch your germs.

Pictures forthcoming

2009-10-17T18:52:00.001-07:00

We've had a very fun week, what with Adam's birthday and our usual toddler shenanigans. I'd pop some pictures up now, but I'm busy making Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Sheet Cake for Adam's party. If you aren't able to be there with us, you really should make this cake for yourself tomorrow. No one should have to go without it.

Promise I will be back later with photo-documentation!

Wrastlin'

2009-10-09T20:38:00.001-07:00

Don't feel too bad for him - he's laughing! And one day, he will be bigger than her.

Doin' Dishes Music

2009-10-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like a full-time housekeeper ... know the feeling? Can I get a shout out from the mommies?! It's like Groundhog Day meets Mrs. Doubtfire at my place. Without the cross-dressing. Mostly. But you know what turns my lemons into lemonade? Putting on some loud, fun, music and having the kids come "party" with me. They can even be pretty helpful!

Here's a sampling of what we've been grooving to lately:

Forever :: Chris Brown

Somewhere over the Rainbow :: Iz Kamakawiwo'ole*

More Than You'll Ever Know :: Watermark

Afternoons and Coffeespoons :: Crash Test Dummies

I haven't bought a proper CD in a decade, so I need suggestions. What do you listen to when you need a pick-me-up?

*I just saw a picture of him on iTunes... that is not what I pictured him looking like! heh. Isn't it funny how that happens with voices/faces?