Making my Sister Feel Better...

She's right you know, blogs make you look so nice all the time. Because who really writes about how they fought with their husband or spanked their kid? (not that you should write about those things, I'm just stating a fact). So, to join my sister in the inner secrets release, here are some things I've learned about myself lately.
#1 I really enjoy shopping and I start to feel store-deprived after just a few days. For one thing, I knew this about myself earlier but have been reminded of it lately. For another, it's an exaggeration to a point because if I'm hiking in the mountains for a week or something where stores are not nearby, I'm not tempted and I do not miss them. However, grocery shopping is one of my guilty pleasures because it means I get to walk slowly up and down a whole bunch of isles perusing the sales and hunting down good deals. Following grocery shopping I always have lots of food in the house and we can finally eat a real meal. (as I can promise you I've probably put off the act of heading to the store for a few days at this point).
#2 A dirty/messy home makes me agitated by I don't always have the gumption to do anything about it.
#3 I tend to unfairly blame my husband for said mess when I'm feeling lazy (sorry honey!).
#4 I don't work out as much as I should and my lack of grocery shopping at times leads me to eating foods I shouldn't.
#5 We go WAY to long between loads of laundry at our house. Occasionally Andy has gone on a long trip only to come home with MORE CLOTHES THAN HE LEFT WITH b/c he bought more. I can't really take the blame for this because he fails to put his dirty clothes in the laundry quite often...but still.
#6 If you tell me a recipe is good, I most likely do not know what is in it because I guessed on ingredients as I made it.
#7 I want one of those defrosting plates.
#8 Indoor plants tend to die in my care.
#9 It's not always underwatering- quite often it's over-watering.
#10 My car needs a bath – BADLY
#11 I hate spending money on store-bought cards so those thank you/birthday/wedding cards you get from me where I went the extra mile to write a special note in a handmade or blank card out of a package of ten are really just me being cheap. That doesn't mean I don't mean what I wrote though!!!
#12 I like to be right.
Now here is another thing on my mind, and it is totally off-subject: Death of a Salesman. Ever read the book? It's not really relevant to what I'm going to say except that it keeps popping up in my head. I work in sales. Being a Christian is kinda like sales. Your life has gotta make other people want what you've got. I've realized this before but it's been refreshed. Thankfully God is in control over it and not me because I would inevitably screw it up. But I think I might have a gift for one and not the other...we will see. Cryptic- I know. Don't read too far into anything yet.

Oh For The Love of Gardening And Birthdays!

Well, I'm 24, and though 24 is young to some, it's the oldest I've ever been so don't knock it. :) Just kidding.

We had the whole Fam Damily over today for a mirade of birthdays:

Sydney - April 11th - One Year Old

Raegan - April 13th - Three Years Old

Krista - April 16th - Twenty-Four Years Old

Lori - April 23rd - Not Telling :)

It was a lot of fun and we finally got to make good use of not only the yard (more on that later) but also the sun porch which was just wonderful. It was so nice to sit out there in the 70+ degree weather and be shaded from the heat while enjoying the fresh air - LOVE IT! The men grilled up some hotdogs and burgers, we had salad, corn, potato salad, beans, spicy dip and chips...and of course, birthday cake. We sang, alot, at least four times for RG who loves the frivolity of it all and getting dressed up like a "princess."

Then there was Syd who being her typical unique self crawled around on the floor with a bracelet in her mouth:

Yes, we had a blast at the Heemstra Family Household and we are all ready for sleep (even Sam is passed out on the floor after almost a full day of being stuck in his cage).

Thank you to my hubby who spent all day yesterday helping me clean the house, shop for food, and fix up the yard to make it guest-worthy. Now we just pray for grass!!!

an addendum

Aside from Syd being a little under the weather everything went smoothly. Until...Autie Krista forgot that even though her niece is a big girl and goes on the big girl potty, she still needs to wear pull-ups when she is sleeping. Oops. That is officially the second time in one week that my bed has been peed on. Yes, I am afraid one of the cats has crystals in his urine and had an accident on the bed. (off to the vet we go) Anyways, lest I get too confident in my abilities (yeah, right) Raegan and her bladder kept me in check.

Watchin the Kiddos

Thursday, April 3rd - my house. I'm sitting here in front of the computer deciding what I'd like to do while my nieces nap in the only two bedrooms of my house. Andy is leaving for Florida in an hour or so and is taking a shower after having told me that he would like "five kids" lol after his 12 hour experience with RG and Syd. Me, I think I'd like to start with a newborn and work from there.
For those that will ask me once I relinquesh custody of the girls to their grandma and grandpa if I still want kids, the answer is yes. While playing "mom" for awhile is a lot of work, I can safely say that it is my kind of work. For one thing, while I know this isn't true for at least the first six months and is never a guarantee- I got more sleep last night than I typically do since the girls sleep until 7/7:30 and I normally get up at 6:30. Obviously it doesn't always work this way but having just stepped in for a day as a pseudo-mom, it was a plus. I also rather enjoyed staying in my pjs and eating breakfast with the girls rather than running out the door with a granola bar and coffee. Of course this has been a rather lazy day with no commitments, but I don't really remember the last time I actually got to sit down to eat a bowl of cereal in the morning unless it was a Saturday. Even Saturdays don't usually work that way since after never being home all week and having to devote my lunch breaks to running home and letting the dog out, I usually have way too many chores and errands to run on Saturday mornings to allow for a sit-down breakfast. Not to mention the fact that I only get two Saturdays a month off anyways.
Another plus is that though the work is non-stop (if these were really my kids and I was a SAHM I know I wouldn't be relaxing right now while they both nap) it is the kind of work that feels important and meaningful, rather than just something I enjoy, but is in the end a means to a paycheck.
Anyways, those are my thoughts on this sunny afternoon after spending an hour and a half outside on a blanket with Syd while RG ran around with the neighbor boy, while I chatted with the neighbors and soaked up the warm sun - something I rarely see during the week normally. The funniest part of all this - Samson has been cooped up in his cage or stuck outside all day and night so he is currently passed out on the floor amongst a pile of toys and with a little pink sketcher shoe between his front legs :) I'd take a picture but he'll wake up long before I get to the camera... I'm not sure he's ready to be a big brother just yet!