I want to be a dog........

"I wish I could be a dog one day."

This is what Katie said today when I picked her up from MDO. She had made a dog craft which I guess is what made her think of this. I laughed & told her she couldn't be a dog one day but maybe she could dress up as a dog. She has already started asking for a dog costume. The other day she wanted a robot costume, so Chris cut up some boxes and made one for her. Of course, Gracie had to try it on, too. (Like her 'high water' pajamas?!?!)


Mrs. Z was gone from school today because her grandmother died. She had told me last week that she'd had a stroke and hadn't been given much time, so we knew it was probably going to happen soon. She was having to go all the way to Pennsylvania. Gracie told me today that her grandmother had died and we were talking about that was a sad thing. She said something like, "That's a very hard thing to have to go through." I thought that was a rather deep thing for a 7 year old to say. I'm wondering if maybe the substitute had said it.


My grandfather, Bigdaddy, is very sick right now. I hate that we're not closer to him (he's in Huntsville, AL). I'd like to take a trip to see him; it's just a matter of finding the right time. It's tough when grandparents are sick.


I did a little '17 week nesting' today. Seems a little early, but I dusted & vacuumed & mopped & straightened, etc. I went to the grocery & came home to put everything up and put something in the crockpot for dinner. All of that (the grocery & crockpot part) was all done before I took Katie to MDO at 8:45. What's up with that? Totally not like me! I'm ready to get painting on Gracie's room which will soon be Gracie & Katie's room. I'm thinking pink with maybe 1 wall pink & white stripes. Chris & I are pretty horrible at painting, but one of our friends has offered to help and his wife (Mary Beth-see links) has said that he's really picky about things like that. Come to think of it, I think she volunteered him. I might need to check with him myself before I get too set on having stripes! Of course, Gracie's room is currently RED, so KILZ will have to be used which will probably mean that I'll need to be nowhere around.


I've been looking for bedding for the girls. I found a quilt at The Company Store that I LOVE, but it costs a lot more than I want to spend, especially since I have to buy 2. I really don't want to spend a lot because I change my mind a lot and I don't want to freak out everytime something gets spilled. I also want to get them matching dressers. I also want...........well, I'll just stop there because the list could go on & on! I do have a girly nursery to put together, too!

Gracie started back to violin lessons last week. She was practicing "Hot Cross Buns" for her homework this week. The dentist referred us to an orthodontist for her yesterday! :-( The dentist is going to probably end up pulling some teeth as she is 'crowded.' Chris talked to the orthodontist & the secretary at the dentist today. I guess the orthodontist will just consult (at no charge!) then the dentist will do the pulling. We don't have coverage for orthodontic services on our dental insurance :-( but Chris said to add it is quite a bit more per month and the coverage isn't even that good, so it may be better to just save more money in our FLEX account for something like braces rather than get the extra coverage. I don't know. *sigh* I hope Katie & this new baby won't have dental problems too. I've always thought Katie has really pretty teeth so there's hope!

I finished "Home to Holly Springs" by Jan Karon. I enjoyed it a lot. I'm currently reading, "When the Heart Cries" by Cindy Woodsmall. It is about an Amish girl who is struggling with wanting to marry a Mennonite boy which isn't going to be something her parents will approve of. To make things worse, she was r-a-p-e-d by a stranger-an "Englischer". Her parents don't want to call the police because they believe God should take vengeance, not man. She is just beginning to heal emotionally from the attack, although the community has noticed that she's been more withdrawn, when she finds out she is pregnant! Poor thing. Her fiance (the Mennonite boy) comes to see her because he's heard horrible rumors about her and discovers she is pregnant. He runs off, sure she has betrayed him. That's where I am. I'm anxious to see if he forgives her and if her parents allow her to marry him without shunning her. I guess she can't officially be shunned since she hasn't been baptized into the Amish church yet, but it will still be seen as dishonorable to her family to choose someone outside of her Amish faith. There are 2 more books in the series, although one hasn't been released yet. I've always enjoyed reading Amish fiction. I'd love to visit an Amish community.