New stove

We bought a new stove this week. First stove we've ever had to buy. I was a little apprehensive about it because it was a big purchase and I can always find a way to thnk that I'm 'not worthy' of something I really want. We had seen this particular stove on clearance at Lowes a week before. We ooohed and ahhhed over it before looking at others not on sale and then moved on because we didn't NEED a stove.

I've been cooking A LOT since Kathleen's diabetes diagnosis (it's easier to count carbs that way...figures). I made pancakes one morning and although I might admit here (and to no one else!) that it MAY have been operator error, the pancakes burned on the outside and were raw on the inside. It's been very hard to regulate the temperature of the oven, and this gave me reason to believe that now the cooktop was 'acting up' too.

Randy had to go to Lowe's for something else and let's just say, two hours and one frustrating (okay, HIS word would be b*tchy) phone call later, he came home with this:


I love it. It's just so brand new and shiny and clean and MINE! Of course, now I have no excuse not to cook.
Crap.

What I've been up to...

I am so proud of this latest project of mine. Back in July when we bought the house we spent a lot of time at Home Depot and I bought a nice ceiling fan/light I wanted to put in the kitchen (on clearance!). I told Randy "no rush, whenever" and although I know he's a busy guy, c'mon now, it's 9 months later and no fan installed.

So, those of you who know me...you know what comes next! I decided to put it up myself. I love the fact that I am pretty self-sufficient in the do-it-yourself department. And I pride myself that I can do just about anything. A long time ago I put up a ceiling fan into an existing light fixture and I didn't burn the house down. (For me, that's a sign of a job well-done: no fires, floods or broken body parts! haha) So I thought "I'll save my dear overworked husband time and install it myself." Okay, okay....I actually thought "I'll show HIM for waiting 9 *&#$ing months and it's STILL not done!" (Nothing like a little aggression and a type A personality for getting things accomplished.)

I knew that the 'old' ceiling fan had a bigger base than the new one and I needed a medallion to cover the excess. One trip to Lowe's and ACMoore and a night at the table painting the medallion to match some plates that I have on display in the kitchen and I had a beautiful ceiling decoration. I got the fan out of the garage and found that it had a brownish-gold finish. Ugh. Took that sucker back to Lowe's and got one with a brushed nickel finish to match the cabinet hardware.


Anyway, fast forward a couple hours and this is what I ended up with:

I love it! I obsessed over centering the fan on it and my friend Tara said "Don't worry, nobody ever looks up anyway." Um. No. EVERYBODY will look up at this because I will point it out whenever someone steps foot in my house. "LOOK WHAT I DID!!"

Note: Although it looks great in this picture, it didn't work and tripped the breaker when I turned the power back on. Randy came home at 8PM from motorcycle racing in NJ and was a "little" ticked that he had to fix it. Too bad for him. Unfortunately he couldn't figure out the screwy wiring the house has by himself either and my dad made a home-improvement house-call. They finished after 11PM.

Lesson learned for me: Don't care it didn't work...I still did it BY M-Y-S-E-L-F! Lesson learned for Randy: don't put off home-improvement projects that you know your wife will do by herself and you'll probably have to re-do at some late hour when you are totally exhausted with your wife standing nearby gloating.

The Pursuit of Happiness....

Spring break is over. WooHoo!!! Although it was a wonderful week weather-wise - blue skies, warm temperatures, beautiful days - it was a bad week boredom-wise. Seriously. If I hear "I'm bored" or "I want someone to play with" ONE MORE TIME I will lose it. The beginning of vacation was fine as both girls were here and kept themselves entertained with Nintendo DS and The Sims and Guitar Hero. It was great to sit here on the couch and knit while listening to them giggle hysterically from the basement. Then. It. Happened. Kathleen went to her father's for the weekend and Shelby slipped into high-maintenance mode. OMG I wanted to put her on the corner with a sign around her neck: "Friends Wanted to Play"

Now, I know I'm risking a "back in my day" story, but I am pretty sure I remember it correctly that when I was a kid I was in charge of finding my own fun. My mom did not spend and hour going through her rolodex of friends who had kids looking for someone to come over and play with me. Granted, there were kids in the 'hood. We just walked outside, followed the sounds of kids playing and joined in. I also feel that this was a good thing because I can now fill a day with activites I enjoy (not housework lol) and never feel bored. Ever.

I truly don't feel like a bad mom telling my kids to just go find something to do. Why do parents these days feel they have to schedule their kids' lives to mimic a corporate takeover? 9AM breakfast; 930 read books; 11AM board games; 1145 lunch; 1PM ....you get the idea.

As a mother I am responsible for many things in my kids' lives: shelter, food, clothing, safety, health, etc. Some days this is easy, some days just those things present their own challenges. I can add 'happiness' to that list in the general sense, but not in the sense that I have to manage every waking moment of their lives.

There. I said it. Now go out and play.

4-14-2008 - Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Day

Today is Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Day. I have supported many worthwhile causes in the past but never once imagined I would support one that so directly affects one of my children. Our lives have forever been changed by Type 1 Diabetes. I believe there will be a cure in Kathleen's lifetime and on that day we will celebrate!! Until then, she lives with this disease and we understand that today is necessary. I realize that many people don't know exactly what Type 1 Diabetes is, and how it differs from it's more common cousin Type 2. Type 1 Diabetes Awareness Day is a day where we can all learn exactly what Type 1 diabetes IS and ISN'T.

Some facts about Type 1 Diabetes:
* Type 1 Diabetes can strike at any age, it doesn't only target children, though it is more common to get Type 1 Diabetes as a child.
* Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease much like Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis or Multiple Sclerosis. The body has attacked itself, in this case the cells in the pancreas that make insulin.
* People with Type 1 Diabetes are completely dependent on insulin to stay alive.
* There is no cure for Type 1 Diabetes.
* You cannot outgrow it.
* It cannot be cured by diet or exercise (or with cinnamon, fish oil, foil hats or any other "cure")
* You do not get it by having a bad diet, or by eating too many sweets.
* Type 1 diabetes is no worse or more severe than Type 2. It is simply different.
* People with Type 1 diabetes are not prohibited from eating sweets. They simply must eat a balanced diet like everyone else.

Type 1 Diabetes isn't:
* Type 1 Diabetes isn't caused by something we did or didn't do to ourselves or our children.
* Type 1 Diabetes isn't contagious.
* Type 1 Diabetes isn't a death sentence.
* Type 1 Diabetes doesn't prevent us or our children from doing everything possible in life.

Please share this information with as many people as you can. The misconceptions about Type 1 Diabetes are endless and the entire Type 1 Diabetes community is taking this opportunity to put an end to these misconceptions . Through the greater awareness of the truth about Type 1 Diabetes we hope to advance people and organizations who are dedicated to finding a cure.

For more information on Type 1 Diabetes and research towards a cure, please visit:
http://www.jdrf.org/
http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.org/

ScrapShare Blog Challenge - #12 Getting to Know You

1) Right now I want: a cure for Type 1 Diabetes
2) I wish I knew how to: enjoy exercise, or at least stick with it until I do
3) When I want to indulge myself, I: sit on the couch all day knitting and watching soap operas
4) You’ll never see me: without bangs. I am trying to grow mine out now, but because I hate my high forehead I'll probably cut them eventually
5) A childhood memory that I love: Family picnics. My mom and her two sisters took turns having family picnics at each other's houses almost every weekend. I loved thatQ!
6) 2 things I do every single day: stay up too late and be on the computer
7) Happiest moment of 2008, so far: I really have to think on that one...man...there are many, but I can't pick one right now.
8) Describe yourself in 3 words: creative, passionate, selfish
9) 2 scrap related goals for this year: make time to scrap every week and commit to it and tackle those boxes of old pics
10) You have $40 that you MUST spend on yourself – what do you do with it? buy yarn :)