Making a House Our Home

Summer seems like the appropriate time of year to work on projects. Britt and I have been working on some "home-making" projects - which means they are decorating projects. We painted our guest room, which ended up being a lot more work than we thought. Instead of taking 2-3 days, it took us 3 weeks. We didn't work on it everyday, but it was 3 weeks before we finished. But at least it's done! Then we put up some wallpaper in our bedroom on one wall. I am so thankful that we only did one wall because it was hard! Well, from start to finish it only took us 4 hours so I guess that's better than the painting. We have many more projects to do, but at least this was a start.

Enjoy the pictures of our pretty home:

Little Girls Get Special Treats When Their Mama is Tired

Britt hurt his back over the weekend and thus has been laid out since about Saturday. That means I pretty much have two people that I have to run around caring for, bringing stuff to, and keeping entertained. And I'm pregnant. So as you can imagine, I've been a little worn out. Yesterday I told Charissa that she had to do a quiet activity and sit still for just a few minutes so that I could rest. If any of you know my child you know that she doesn't sit still. She runs. She investigates. She's loud. She rarely does quiet and still.

That's where Bambi comes in. Charissa got to sit in her new pink chair, have a cup of milk and a graham cracker, and watch Bambi. Well ... we watched about 20 minutes of it before she got restless and started a-wandering again. But we had lots of fun. I realized after I put it on, that it was actually a good movie to watch and talk about animals because the animals were mostly realistically drawn and were acting normal (except for that whole talking thing). So we pointed out birds and bunnies and flowers and trees ... we had a good time together. So even though Bambi might be one of the most boring Disney movies ever, there are some merits for watching it (no offense to those who love Bambi).

Here's some pictures of Charissa enjoying the movie:

Lady in Making

For my third birthday I got my ears pierced. The story goes that for months I begged my parents for earrings and they finally consented. I vividly remember that day: Two women with big, bushy hair stood on either side of me with earring guns and simultaneously shot holes in my tiny ears. I think I cried for like 2 minutes and then began to admire my new earrings. As I got older, I began to question my parents about how much I really "begged" for earrings and how much was their idea. To me, three years old just seemed really young to be craving earrings. My mom has never moved from her stance that it was my idea and I begged until they finally caved. I am finally beginning to understand the indwelling nature of women from the time they can roll over.

Charissa is a lady in making. She loves ALL things girlie. She has four purses that she rotates between. She puts stuff in them, takes stuff out of them ... there's a lot of activity with purses. She has compacts, lipstick holders, credit cards, a llama - everything you need in a purse. She loves hair bows. She asks for them. She'll see a bow, point to it and say "bow" until you put it in her hair. And then she just smiles and laughs. Charissa LOVES makeup. She takes my blush brush and wipes it all over her face. She'll sit still and let you put lipstick/chapstick/lip gloss on her. And she even knows what eyelash curlers are for! She'll hold them up to her eyes and go "mmm" as if the noise is important to the curling (NOTE: She doesn't actually curl her eyelashes as she doesn't have the dexterity to move the slider up and down). This morning she kept asking for "more" blow drying. Charissa would brush her hair and I would blow dry, which is so silly because she has like 14 hairs. She's just a very girlie little girl. And don't even get her started with lotion. We have to hide lotion in our house because if she sees it she'll ask for it and want to rub it in her hands and then her arms and then her feet and then her legs ... and if she runs out of skin she'll rub it on you. And Charissa will do this over and over again until she's just slimy. I've tried to explain to her that she's using a 24 hour moisturizer, but she doesn't seem to care.

Can you imagine what she's going to be like at 16?

In the Time of Strange Dreams

I have always dreamed vividly and been able to remember them quite clearly when I wake up. Now, that I'm pregnant, it's increased by at least ten-fold. I'll dream several distinct dreams in one night and remember them all. And the will all be just crazy scenarios.

For instance, last night I had a dream that I was being held hostage on a deserted island by Martha Stewart. There were a couple of other people there: my brother Rusty, Martha Stewart's 16-year-old illegitimate daughter that no one knew about (not a real person ... that I know of), and Sawyer from LOST. Other than the face that she was crazy and wouldn't let us off the island, it wasn't that bad. We lived in a mansion, had cable TV, and we even had these nice fancy dinners with individualized seashell place cards. Very Martha Stewart. I even got to ride a giant seal around in the ocean. At least I think it was a seal. My zoology isn't extensive.

So today I will be on the look-out for Martha. You know .... just in case it was prophetic.

Grocery Store Fun ...

I went to the grocery store by myself the other day because Britt was home to watch Charissa and I thought, "Hey - it'll be easier if I go without her." How wrong I was. I think I need Charissa around to help me concentrate and stay focused. Without her I was running around trying to get things quickly, but I kept forgetting things and having to go back and forth and back and forth. It was ridiculous. And then when I was in the cereal aisle I moved a bag of cereal to see how much was in it, and when it moved I saw these spindly bug/rodent/lizard legs and screamed and jumped way back. Five seconds later I discovered that it was a plastic lizard hiding beneath the cereal bag and I wasn't in any mortal danger. I finally finished all my shopping and went to check out. I decided that it would probably be faster if I went to the self-checkout line. Wrong again. Apparently I was moving too fast for the scanner and it would tell me to "remove the last item" even though it was already rung up. And to top it off I rung up my 8.5 pound cantaloupe as horseradish root, which is a meager $5.99 per pound item. I opted not to pay $52 for the cantaloupe and sought the assistance of the kind lady who oversees self-checkout.

All in all, it was quite the experience.

A Fun New Website

A good friend of ours pointed us to this website called GoodReads.com. Basically, you can go online and rate books, talk with other people about books, get suggestions on what to read, and if you have any friends who are also using the site you can find out what they have read and are reading. It's so fun! (Yes, I do realize I'm a nerd.) I spent a ridiculous amount of time online yesterday adding books that I had read to my "bookshelf." And, they have trivia questions about books and I really love testing my knowledge of literature.

I am so thankful for this because I was just talking with some friends about how I don't feel like I'm studying anything anymore and I really want to be intellectually stimulated. Sometimes I really miss school. Not the tests or the deadlines or the pressure, but I do miss the classes and reading and learning. Right now I'm reading one of my old history textbooks, and I'm really enjoying it. Plus, I'm finding out how shockingly little I retained. Always fun.

So go to the website and enjoy books!

A Case of Mistaken Bunny

Right before we put Charissa in her crib for the night, Britt always holds her, reads her a Psalm, and prays with her. She somewhat quietly sits and holds her Bunnifriend and her Okra while she listens to her daddy. Last night, Britt handed her the Okra and what he thought was Bunnifriend, but was actually a very similar looking pink bear. They sat down in the rocker and he starts reading to her, and Charissa took the strings on the top of the bear to chew on them like she normally does with her Bunnifriend. And that's when it hit her - those strings had never been chewed on before. So she kind of pulls the bear away from her and looks at it quizzically, and then she looks in her lap to see if her Bunnifriend is there. She was so confused and kept looking at the bear like "who are you and what are you doing here?" Britt and I were trying so hard not to laugh because it was just so funny to watch her as she looked for her precious nighttime friend. She finally dropped the pink bear on the floor and we got her the real Bunnifriend, and there was much rejoicing by all.

Strange Things Are Happening ...

What do these things have in common:

• extra long, strong nails
• frequent naps
• 430 AM potty breaks
• pickles

If you guessed, "The Treeces are having another baby!" then you would be correct! I know most of you know that we are pregnant, but I just wanted to be official and tell everyone. Right now I am 15 weeks along, and we are due on December 22nd. That's right - it's going to be a Christmas baby! This pregnancy has been pretty easy compared to when I carried Charissa - I haven't been nearly as sick and I hardly feel pregnant at all. In fact, I'm still not even showing, which is really odd with the second baby. Oh well - I'm ok with delaying maternity clothes.

We find out on July 25th if we are having a girl or a boy. Feel free to make bets, predictions and random thoughts on what we're having.

Pictoral Update!

I finally downloaded my pictures from my camera! YAY! So here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

We flew to see my grandparents last month, and Charissa loved the airport! She was so happy ...

and then she fell asleep as soon as we got on the plane! She was great!

Charissa was fascinated by my grandmother's potatoes. She loved to put them in tupperwares and cart them throughout the house.

I think Charissa recently discovered "dress up." She asked to put on a sleeper and her black tights. Yes, she did look ridiculous, but we had fun.

These are just a few pictures from a photo shoot I did with her ...

In this dress up game, she wanted to put on Britt's clothes. They didn't quite fit.

One morning Charissa was reaching for my peach at breakfast, so I gave it to her thinking she would just play with it and then she'd give it back. I was wrong - she ate the whole thing!

I think she's confused as to why I'm taking pictures at breakfast.

Definitely a peach fan ...

When Girls Watch the NBA Finals ...

Last week when the NBA Finals were on I decided that instead of doing my own thing while my husband watched, I would actually watch them with him. In retrospect, I'm not sure that was helpful. If you had been a fly on the wall at our house, this is what you might have heard me say:

• How do you become a referee for the finals? Do you have to be top in your referee class to get that job? And how come they just wear black shirts instead of the black and white striped ones they used to wear?
• That player* has weird eyebrows. I think he shaves them. (*The term "that player" was used a lot because I learned only 3 of their names.)
• The coach looks like a college professor. Do you think he's like one of those high school coaches that teaches classes and does coaching? He really wanted to be a history professor, but somehow got roped into coaching the basketball team?
• That player is really short. How in the world did he get drafted to play in the NBA? He looks like a midget compared to the other players.
• What's a "Celtic"? What's their mascot? What is the Lakers' mascot? A giant blue blob?
• What's with all the Lakers' players having long hair? Are they the hippie team of the league?
  
• Do you think that the guys sitting on the bench during the finals feel like they really earn the title of "NBA Champion"?
  
• That player needs to shave his goatee off. He looks like a goat.
• And on and on it went ....
  

My husband wanted to talk about stats, where the players used to play, team strategies, and stuff like that ... we talked about that some. Mostly he answered my insane barrage of questions about clothing, height, and the personalities of the players.

It just goes to show you that girls can be interested in sports too. Maybe not the same things about those sports as they guys are interested in ...

She Definitely Doesn't Take After Me ...

This afternoon Charissa and I were hanging out in the living room eating our afternoon snack. She had wandered over to the other side of the room and I wasn't watching what she was doing too closely because I was reading. Suddenly she comes over to me and drops a bug right in my lap. I'm screaming my head off and she's smiling up at me like "look at the little toy I just found!" Thankfully, she had pretty much killed it already in how she was holding it, so it didn't take too much work for me to finish it off and scoot it out the door (that's right - scoot. I'm not picking up any bug even after it's dead.)

My husband told me to be thankful that's she's not scared of bugs like I am, but I still think it's gross and weird that she'll pick up a bug. She definitely doesn't take after me.

My Sweet Little Girl

This morning I was feeling especially tired and a little unwell so I made sure that all the doors were shut and there was nothing Charissa could get into, turned on some music for her, and then laid down on the couch to rest. I had no intention of falling asleep, but I guess I must have drifted in and out of sleep for about an hour. Charissa was so sweet - she just played by herself and would occasionally come over and check in with me. Sometimes she brought me a toy that she needed help with, but for the most part she was quite content to play on her own.

I am so thankful for my sweet little girl. She is such a blessing to me.

Tuesday Tip - Laundry Booster

Is it some kind of standard that Monday is laundry day? It seems like a lot of people do their laundry on Mondays. Of course, there are probably a great number of you reading this thinking "You do your laundry on a specific day? I do mine whenever we're out of clothes and I just can't wear that shirt one more time." To each his (or her) own.

So as I was doing my laundry yesterday I ran across a white shirt of Charissa's that was barely white on the front. She wore it to a wedding shower on Saturday and I think she took a taste of all the food back with her on the shirt. I could identify punch, cheese, salsa, and crumbs of what I thought was cake, but who knows for sure. It was at this moment that I was really glad I know of a little laundry secret: powder dish-washing detergent**. On extra dirty or stained loads (like Charissa's) I put in all the clothes, the regular laundry detergent and then I sprinkle in some dish-washing detergent (about 1/4 cup if I'm going to give a measurement) and VOILA! clothes are clean! Her little white shirt is white again and has a hint of a lemony scent.

On a different note, Charissa was extra-helpful to me yesterday as we cleaned up and did laundry. She pushed the laundry sorter from Britt's and my bedroom closet to the washing machine (no small task for a pint sized girl), she helped push clothes into the dryer (including saying "uh-oh" anytime something fell on the floor and then picking it up for me), she pulled clothes out of the dryer, she wiped off the tub with a clean rag (don't worry - no cleaning products for her!), and then she took her daddy's gym shorts to him so that he could put them away (and she did this without unfolding them!). She is really a very helpful little girl. And very observant. She's really starting to understand simple commands so she is able to do little things around the house like putting the shoes in the shoe basket, or shutting a door, or taking something into another room or to someone. I love my little Mama's helper.


** BORAX will also do the same thing and boosts the stain-lifting and cleaning properties of laundry detergent. I just rarely have BORAX in the house. Although I should because it is the "I Can Do Anything" cleaning product.

Sweet Moments and Silly Moments

Charissa got sick yesterday and worse as the day got along. She's actually quite a champion when she's sick and doesn't act too different. But she did get pretty pitiful last night as we were putting her to bed so Britt decided that we should just hold her and rock her to comfort her a bit. I can't remember the last time I rocked her to sleep. Actually, I can't remember the last time I held Charissa when she wasn't squirming. She just laid there so sweetly and stared into my eyes. It was such a sweet moment. Then she reached up, grabbed by nose, and burst out laughing. So we both dissolved into giggles and gave each other nose kisses. We kept on laughing and playing until Britt walked in and laughed at us and told me it was time to put Charissa to bed.

I love these precious little moments with her. She knows that she can safely rest in my arms, but she also knows that we can tickle and giggle any time of the day (or night apparently).

I love my sweet baby.

Tuesday Tip - Don't Watch LOST

For those of you who have never watched LOST, seen it a few times, or don't even know what it is, I give you this warning: Don't watch LOST! Don't be tempted by people who say, "Oh it's the best show! It's so intriguing and it makes you think. And at the end of each show you just want to watch the next one!" Don't do it. Don't get sucked in. That's what the people at ABC want. They know that after you watch the first episode, you'll never stop. You'll watch episode after episode as fast as you can. You'll think about it during the day and wonder what happens to Jack and Kate next. You begin to call people by nicknames like Sawyer. And it only goes downhill from there. There are tons of websites theorizing about LOST and the situations that come up during the show. Once you start watching, it's addicting and it just draws you in closer and closer.

Trust me, I know the dangers. I've been sucked in. I never saw it coming when some friends invited us over for dinner and to watch a little television. It was a set-up. They planned it all along. Now, I can't stop. And if you think I'm bad, you should talk to my husband. I've never seen him so into a television show.

I only hope this message helps some of you who are considering watching LOST. Just say no. Turn off the TV and walk away.

Be Careful What You Teach For

I was so proud of myself a few weeks ago when I taught Charissa how to "put back." After she has dumped/pulled/thrown/sifted through everything in her toy baskets, I tell her to "put back" and she'll start putting things back in the bins or on the shelf ... or just bring them to me. She's not a bad little helper.

But then the other day I found my shampoo in her toy bin. And then I found her sippy cup in the shoe basket. And her bat was in the tub. And my eyeliner in the trashcan. She's putting them away ... just not in the right places. So now I'm trying to figure out how to teach my oh-so-willing-to-help daughter where things go and that she can't just put anything she wants in any container.

Charissa makes me laugh. Almost as hard as Britt makes me laugh. They have very similar senses of humor. But doesn't that make sense considering she looks just like him?

Just a friendly reminder ...

... it's time to register to vote! The registration deadlines for the May 6 primary is April 11th (one week from tomorrow). Here are the different ways to register:

1. In person, at a county board of elections office.

• Go to www.sboe.state.nc.us to find the closest one.

2. In person, at one-stop absentee voting sites.

• You can register (and vote at the same time) at any one-stop absentee voting site. Check the Board of Elections for locations and hours.
  

3. In person, at many government offices.

• You can get a registration form at Driver's License offices, Employment Security Commission offices, most Social Service agencies, and many libraries and schools. Government offices will also turn in your filled out form for you.
  

4. In person, during a voter registration drive.

• Many civic groups and political parties set up tables in public places. Usually they will turn completed forms in as well.
  

5. By mail. (This method is the easiest and you can complete it in about 5 minutes from the time you read this. As long as you have a stamp.)

• You can get a form from the County Board of Elections, or print one off from the State Board of Elections' website at www.sboe.state.nc.us.

Rules About Registering:

• You must be a US Citizen and at least 18 years old by the date of the next general election
• You must be a resident of North Carolina and the county precinct where you want to vote for at least 30 days before the election
• You can't be a convicted felon still serving any part of your sentence.
  
• You must provide your North Carolina driver's license number (if you have one).
• If you don't have a NC driver's license, you must provide the last four digits of your Social Security number on the registration form.
  

I know I don't usually blog or talk about political things, but I do think it is our civic responsibility and obligation to vote. It just makes me sad that more people vote for American Idol contestants than vote for our nation's leaders.

Tuesday Tip - Water Conservation

After my first shower in our new house I realized that we needed a new shower head pretty badly. The shower just dribbled this pitiful spray of water that made for a frustrating experience. On one of our numerous trips to Home Depot we looked around for a new shower head when one of the employees directed us to the Niagara Conservation "I Save Water" Kit. Inside the bag there was a shower head, 2 bathroom faucet aerators, a kitchen aerator, toilet water saver, leak detectors, and some information packets. And it was only $10!** And they work so well! The water pressure is amazing, and it uses half the water of normal shower head and aerators. So you can save a lot of money on your water bill and heating bill, as well as saving thousands of gallons of water every year.

The thing I like best about this kit, is that I don't notice the difference. Except for the improvement. I'm using less water, using less electricity, but I don't feel like I'm giving anything up. All the parts are easy to install (we installed all the parts in like an hour), and aren't really noticeable.

Enjoy saving water, while still having nice showers.


**At the Niagara Conservation website, the kits sell for $25.

Happy Anniversary TCC!

This past week our church, Treasuring Christ Church, celebrated their three year anniversary. At the fellowship we had a time-line up on the wall showing different highlights in our past and how the church had started. I was really blessed by the time-line because it evidenced how our church had been prayed over and sought for years before the first meeting. And how our pastors prayerfully went about starting the church. I started attending TCC about 6 months after the first meeting, so I've been there a long time but I wasn't there in the beginning when the origins was explained so it was fun to learn about.

Serving on the fellowship committee I have the unique opportunity to serve food when we all eat together. It's pretty much the highlight of any fellowship for me because I get to talk to almost everyone at our church. It's brief, but I do get to look them in the eye and have a conversation with them. And they're always glad to see me because they know I have the food. Even though we aren't a big church (150 strong!), it can still be difficult to see everyone on a Sunday and so it's nice to be able to just say "hi!" to those I often miss.

For the fellowship I made a cake in the shape of a church. Here are a few photos:


For a while people wouldn't cute into it, but then a certain 4 year old lopped off the steeple and the cake got eaten. Which I'm thankful for because I didn't want to bring the whole thing home with me. It was really fun to get out all my cake tools and decorate it - but I haven't done anything like this in years so I was a bit unsteady. But it turned out pretty well. So the next time you need a church shaped cake (or a house) let me know and I'll show you how to make one.

At long last - a post!

Sorry that we've been gone for so long from the blogging world. It's taken us a bit longer to get back to "normal" than I thought it would. But at long last we're feeling like we're at home and things are going really well. Every once and a while I do wander around my house wondering where something is, but for the most part I feel organized and settled. So now we can be back to communicating to the outside world.

I think in the last week and a half I've seen my husband work harder than I ever have before. He's cleaned carpets until 2:30 in the morning, installed lots of cabinets, hooks, rods, and blinds, and built me an attic! Well, he didn't actually build the attic, but he did take a non-functional attic and made it very functional. And that's just a little taste of what he's been up to. I am very appreciative of all the hard work that he's done, especially since he did it all for me. Britt probably didn't care too much about doing all these things, or at least he wouldn't have cared about doing them all in the first week. He did it for me so that I would feel more at home and settled here. And I love him so much more for it!

I don't have any pictures from the last two weeks, but don't worry - you'll get a few shots of Charissa soon. Or you can just look at the slide-show again. :)