Happy Halloween!

Today, James and I went out to decorate the front porch with sidewalk chalk to help welcome Trick or Treaters.

Maybe THIS will give me some motivation (and willpower)

It's not baby weight. I really didn't gain too much during the pregnancy. And James is 2 now, anyway. It's being less active, not having the same lifestyle I used to, and not being in sole control over what food is in the house. Basically, it's a lack of willpower. I do well for a while, but have not been able to lose the weight that I want to. So, when I found the Big Picture Scrapbooking class on Wellness, I thought I would give it a try. Maybe if I'm in a class with others (including Sue, who I met on the CC message board) AND it involves scrapbooking . . . maybe it will be more motivating! The class starts tomorrow, and here are the pre-class assignments I've done. Most of the products used are from Coordinates Collections, primarily the Jane Austen kit. Don't those pretty papers look motivating?

So, wish me luck, everyone. I don't know what the class will involve, but I plan to post more. Feel free to ask me how I'm doing to keep me honest!

Colds Stink

While Blake and I did CPR training, Larry and Debbie took James to the Botanical Gardens and the children's garden there. They had a lot of fun, and Larry got some great pictures.

Then we all went out to lunch and had plans to go to a winery in Augusta, since it was such a beautiful day and the drive would be lovely with the trees at this time of year. But, Blake hadn't been feeling very well, so we didn't go. Maybe Sunday. Blake slept all afternoon.

By that evening, I had the cold, too, and have felt lousy all day today. I hate it when perfectly good weekend plans are ruined by colds. Hopefully, James won't get it, or will get it and be over it before Halloween.

Elmo Goes to the Library, H & B Go Someplace Far Different

Playgroup had a Halloween Party at the library. While we were waiting to get into the meeting room for the party, we wandered around the children's area. James immediately found and grabbed the big stuffed Elmo they had (that looks like his at home). The librarians were saying they wished they had a camera. I'm glad I had mine. That kid sure likes Elmo.

For the party, there was a story and a couple of games, but mostly just a lot of kids running around in costumes. He had a lot of fun. But, he still hasn't figured out about sitting in a circle.

That night, Larry and Debbie came to watch James, and Blake and I went to see Body Worlds 3 at the Science Center http://www.bodyworlds.com/en.html. James had a lot of fun staying up late and playing with his grandparents, and I really enjoyed the exhibition. Blake wasn't so sure, and I think he has finally decided that he didn't like it. I was surprised by how much was included. I had heard about the plastination and the posed bodies and had seen photos, so I expected that. What I didn't expect was the different body parts that were shown, both healthy and diseased. I'm glad I don't smoke. It was a very educational show.

Happy Anniversary!

Tuesday was the anniversary of the day Blake and I met at Cherry Street Artisan, a coffee shop in Columbia. It was the luckiest chance meeting of my life. I was just there to kill time and read my book (What's the Matter with Kansas) while my car was being repaired. And he was there before the Mizzou football game. He was moving in two weeks, so we met just in time!

Rather than pay $60 for a sitter, we decided to spend a romantic evening at home. I made confetti for the table with my Cricut, Blake went to get winery food, and we had some wine and Frangelico. We started the festivities with James, which was fun for a while, until he kept demanding "MORE AGAIN!" but only wanting chocolate.

And, here he is, with his chocolate goatee, dancing. Not sure if the red eyes are from the camera's flash, or from all the chocolate . . .

I am so happy that Blake and I are together and with the life we are making. I'm looking forward to many more years together.

Elmo goes to the zoo

James got his first opportunity to wear his Halloween costume when we went to the Pumpkin Prowl at the zoo. As soon as he saw me get the costume on, he grabbed it and said "On!" But, we waited until we got to the parking lot to actually put it on. He was so excited to be Elmo, and we were really surprised by how many people we heard say, "There's Elmo!"

The zoo really had some great decorations set up. I thought these jack-o-lantern figures were cool.

I wasn't as excited about the giant spiders set up near the insect house, especially the ones in the tunnel, but Blake and James were fine with it.

In the children's zoo, James enjoyed the guinea pigs, but was not allowed to pet the lizard, because he kept trying to pull its tail.

This little kid was happy to be sitting next to Elmo in the jeep. James appeared to enjoy his elevated social status.

Blake helped James through some of the balance activities in the children's zoo. They had fun, and James even climbed into the hippo's mouth, which he had refused to do last time.

I love going to the zoo, and we got a membership, so we'll have lots more opportunities.

On Sunday, we went for a walk at Quail Ridge Park, where there's a 3 mile paved trail. It was a GREAT workout for me, as there were lots of hills. I'm looking forward to going there for more workouts. There is also a dog park there, but we're just not sure how well Joey and Nutmeg would do off-leash around a bunch of other dogs.

It is called Still Heather, after all

My blog. It's definitely a place to keep friends and family posted about life in the Hemen/Theiss household, but it seems to be mostly about cute pictures of James. Here's one now -- from playgroup today, as the kids decorated a banner and ornaments for troops in Iraq (took forever to get them all to sit for the picture, then James got up to start clapping . . .) Not a bad thing at all, but thanks to Beth's Mental Graffitti blog http://mentalgraffitti.blogspot.com/, I found A Fancy Word for Simple http://fancysimple.blogspot.com/. There's a lot going on there about girl power. Pretty fun. Today's challenge? Twenty Questions about being a GIRL.

1. Name -- Heather

2. Pink - Love it or Hate it? Always hated it, but actually starting to like it now. On occasion.

3. Signature shade of lipstick, lipgloss, etc. -- no signature, but seem to use browns.

4. Do you have a best girl friend? Well, I've done a terrible job of keeping up with her since I moved, but Lori is my longtime, true friend.

5. Do you have a woman mentor? Not really.

6. Are you a woman mentor to someone else? No.

7. Tomboy or Princess? Neither, but would probably lean towards princess. I could handle being a princess :)

8. Favorite Girl Band -- Well, Sheryl Crow has a band.

9. Are you a mom? Do you want to be one? Yes.

10. Do you and your mom have any rituals? Not so much a ritual, but we used to take vacations together on a fairly regular basis. Now, it is much less regular.

11. Fashion magazines - yea or nay. Nay. They usually make me feel bad. Or frustrated that it's always the same information, recycled again.

12. Do you have a feel good outfit? A red blouse.

13. Have you called your grandma or special aunt, or special older lady lately? No.

14. Signature Scent? This changes each time I run out and buy something new. Right now it is Armani Code.

15. Favorite female tv character -- Miranda from Sex and the City

16. Favorite place to hang out with gal pals? Mall or at a scrapbook crop.

17. Did you ever ditch your girl friends to be with a guy? Do you still? I don't remember ever doing this, because I hate it. But, probably have.

18. Friend you call when you need a laugh? Any of them.

19. Friend you call when you need a shoulder to cry on? There are a few, who know who they are.

20. Have you reminded your friends of how much they mean to you lately? No. I have been terrible about this lately. This will change.

Has it been a week already?

Yikes! Apparently it has been busy around here, since it has been a week since my last post. Here are some of the highlights:

My mom came for a visit and took us to the zoo. James had fun in the children's zoo. He was afraid of the goats, who kept swarming around me because I was silly enough to carry in the zoo map (goats do love paper). He liked the guinea pigs, though, and pet them. He also enjoyed looking at the bears and the penguins. With the bears, I wonder if he realizes how different they really are than the cuddly toys he has . . .

Maybe it was because she had an early flight, but I think Mom fell asleep here because what is exciting viewing for a 2 year old really doesn't have enough character development and plot twists for an adult.

That night, we went out to our favorite Japanese restaurant, Ariake. We loved it! The food is great, it is entertaining, and there is a girly drink there that I've become rather fond of. However, James did not like the chef shooting peas at his mouth, and REALLY did not like the fire.

Saturday, Blake and I got to go out for a bit while Mom watched James. Much needed and much appreciated time away. But, we need to start thinking of more creative uses of this time than going to a mall . . .

That night, after Mom had left, we went to a hayride with playgroup at Valley Farms. It was so much fun. The hayride was short, but probably about right for the under-5 crowd. But then there were horses, sheep and rabbits to see, as well as lots of pumpkins, a little barn with hay to crawl on and a slide.

Here, James is having fun being pulled by Blake in a wagon.

The little boys all wanted to get at those sheep, each trying different approaches that were thwarted by parents. James tried to go over the fence, Elliot under, and Brody through the middle. Pretty cute.

Then there was dinner and a bonfire. The bonfire was fun, and we had marshmallows. Yum! It's been a while since I've had them.

Another fun event during the week was Mom's night game night. We actually played 2 different games. I love games, so that was great for me -- especially since the 2 games were Scene It movie edition and Cranium Pop 5.

Reflection Time

On an assignment, which fits well with the title of this blog, here are some reflections about my life, where I was and where I am going.

10 years ago -- I had just started working back at Mid-Mo Mental Health Center. I was returning to the site of my first job as an Occupational Therapist. When I came back to that job, I made some wonderful friends. I had been in my house for 2-3 years at that point, and had 2 cats, Aslan and Mica, and 2 dogs, Nutmeg and Joey. I wish I'd had a blog then, because I'd be able to remember so much more!

5 years ago -- I was still working at Mid-Mo, and had been the director of the department for about 4 years. Working with my higher-ups wasn't always easy, but I was fortunate to work with wonderful people in my department. Still in my home, with my wonderful pets. At this time, I was training for my first marathon, to be done in Honolulu in December.

3 years ago -- I met Blake while hanging out at a coffee shop, waiting for car repairs to be completed. I didn't realize at the time, what a huge event that would turn out to be. Still at Mid-Mo, still in my home. I was sad during this time, as my cat Aslan quickly became very sick and had to be put to sleep.

1 year ago -- James had just turned 1! Blake and I had been in our home for just a few months. We had to have Mica put to sleep, which was very difficult for me. I was still getting used to my job as stay-at-home-mom, which always seemed to be changing. I also had found our playgroup, which was helping me to make friends.

Now -- I feel at home in the St. Louis area, and comfortable in my job. James is 2, and learning and surprising me every day. We still have Nutmeg and Joey, and are cat-sitting Amos for a year. The biggest change is that Blake and I are engaged! I did not really plan on this as my life 10 years ago, and I wouldn't change a thing!!!

5 years from now -- James will be 7 and in school. Blake and I will be married. By that time, we should be much more settled in terms of finances and responsibilities. I don't know how my career will pan out. I am preparing to be able to work as an occupational therapist, but don't know if jobs in mental health will be there. I am remaining open minded about my options. I would hope that Nutmeg and Joey would still be with us, but they are already pretty old for dogs.

10 years from now -- James will be 12, I will be older than I've tended to think about for myself. Blake and I will have been together for a long time. By that time, we may be living anywhere. My biggest goal will be to work at our lives being happy. I am happy that I have started this blog, and that I scrapbook, because I will have documented our lives. I like that. I miss not having easier access to the reminders of my past.

Weekend fun

We had a fun weekend around here. As, I'm sure is obvious after seeing a picture of Play-Doh, which I will get to later. First, as I was brushing my teeth Saturday morning, I heard sirens. Ok, somebody was probably speeding. But, then I heard loud drumbeats, which intrigued me enough to look out the window. There was a parade going down the street, which we were able to see out our living room window. It did't seem like much of a parade, but anytime I can sit in my pjs in the living room watching a parade, I'm all for it!

Later, Blake had the idea of family Play-Doh time. James loves the dope, as he still calls it, at the top of his lungs. Blake decided on a timed challenge, in which we would see who could make the tallest structure out of their container of Play-Doh. I won 2 out of 3, the first of which is pictured.

I also got started making Christmas cards. I really like the design, but won't show it here, as some of the readers of this blog will be receiving them. One down, about 49 to go!

Here is a picture of James on Sunday morning. He has grown quite attached to not just Elmo, but also to the dinosaur he got for his birthday. He can even say dinosaur, which I think is the first word he gives 3 syllables to. He sleeps with them both, and now brings them out with him when he leaves his room in the morning, and often after naps, too. He'll go back for them if he forgets. It's pretty cute.

Sunday did not start out with a parade. It started with James repeatedly getting into Blake's office and bringing drinks into the living room to spill them. A little later, when we tried to access the internet, it wasn't working. I figured James had unplugged something. Nope. Get ready for a rant . . . or you can skip the rest of this paragraph, if you want. I'll never know. There won't be a quiz. Ok, here goes. On Saturday afternoon, I got a notice from them that we have not paid our cable internet bill for September, and we need to pay or we’ll be shut off and have to pay $35 to reconnect. Saturday afternoon. Odd that they’d say we didn’t pay, because we have it automatically withdrawn from our checking account. Sunday morning – the next morning after receiving this notice – no internet. I call them, explain that we just got the notice the previous afternoon, after my bank was closed anyway, and besides, they are supposed to automatically withdraw it. She says that the card used to pay it expired in July. Ok, some things taken out of our bank use the bank acct. number, and some use my debit card. Everyone else who uses the debit card sent me a notice that it was expiring, but not my cable company. Fine. I give them the new expiration date and ask that the internet be restored. She says I have to pay the bill first. Fine, that’s why you have the card number. Use that. She says it is declined. That’s odd – there is plenty of money in the account. Did I forget some big bill? Crap – Blake will kill me if I’ve overdrawn the account and we’re shut off! I'm getting worried. But we try Blake’s debit card. Declined. Credit card – Declined. Another – Declined. Now I'm thinking that we're the victims of identity fraud and have been cut off. She says we could pay online, maybe that would work. She has apparently forgotten that THEY SHUT OFF MY INTERNET, and that’s why I am calling to make this payment. So she says call the phone payment center. No matter how many buttons I push, I never reach it. A third person I talk to finally gets it to go through. I hate the cable company. Rant over.

So, time for some fun. Actually 2 hours late for some fun -- Coordinates Collections had an all day cyber crop, with new challenges each hour for things to scrapbook, techniques to use, etc. It was really a lot of fun, and I got to try some things I'd never done, like stitching. I got a lot of stuff done, and completed all of the challenges. Jamie, the owner, gave each of us that completed all the challenges a prize, so I'll be receiving that with an upcoming shipment. She always has good prizes, and it was really nice of her to do that, because I just expected the first person to finish to get one. I just kept going because I was having fun and always like a challenge. Here are a couple of the layouts I did, both from our time in Florence. The pictures of David are postcards. The actual priceless statue was guarded by a very short, middle-aged woman, who, to be honest, looked a little "off". But, I knew she was in charge, because she kept yelling, "No Pictures!!!" And in the next room, guarding those artworks, was a similar looking woman doing the same thing, only much less frequently, because everyone was pretty much just there to see David.

Well, I've definitely rambled long enough! I don't expect too much more excitement for a couple of days. At least not on the scale of parades and Play-doh.

Spend a crisp fall morning outside!

That's what the info about our playgroup activity for today said: spend a crisp fall morning outside! Of course, that was scheduled and written in August. When we actually went for today's activity, weather forecasters were talking about the possibility of a record high and it was HUMID. But, our outing to Daniel's Pumpkin Patch was fun. There was a hay maze that looked a little cramped for my tastes (James seemed to agree), a petting zoo, and, of course, pumpkins. There was also a train that we heard was rather bumpy and not well liked by the younger ones, so we skipped that, too. Some of the moms got the cutes pictures of their kids sitting on the hay bales or pumpkins. I couldn't get James to agree to that, so my photos are a little less posed. So, the favorite parts were for James to pick up and move pumpkins around, and the petting zoo. James got to see all of these animals that he usually sees in books, and has learned the names of and sounds they make. He kept trying to touch the pig's toe. He's really big on toes right now. So then he touched his own toes. And the toes of the lady standing next to him. People and pigs don't mind when random toddlers come up and touch their toes, right? But, by far, the biggest hit for him was the litter of black kittens. He got to pet one (and touch its toes) and tried to give it a kiss, before I and the person holding the kitten intervened. If I'd known that his favorite part of the day would be a cat, we could have stayed home and tried to touch Amos' toes! At the end, he got a pumpkin to bring home, which will be the beginning of our Halloween/fall decorations.

Looks hot, doesn't he?

Barely big enough for James, so there's no way I'm fitting in!

Pig! Toe!

"I think that would look better over here . . ."

OK, what's up with these?

No big weekend plans at this point. Hoping to spend some time reading and relaxing!!!

Is There a Dirty Diaper Around Here?

Yesterday evening was an interesting one. I looked at my phone to notice I had 2 messages from Blake's dad. Larry called to see if he could stop by, as he was in town for a conference. I missed the calls, apparently Blake missed calls, AND when Larry stopped by and knocked on the door, I heard the dogs barking, but thought it was the annoying neighbor girl, so didn't get my lazy rear off the couch. Oops. Fortunately, when I noticed the messages, he wasn't too far away, so he got to come over, see us, and play with James. AND, he helped fix a problem that we found a few minutes earlier. . .

There was a foul smell coming out of James' room. Which was odd, because James hadn't been in there for hours. We couldn't recall any diapers being changed in there. We couldn't find any pet "accidents". Finally, we thought maybe it was coming from the half bath attached to his room. That door, unfortunately, is locked. And wouldn't be unlocked. Larry and Blake had to disassemble the doorknob to get in. Apparently something didn't have enough water, which led to a sewer smell. It was pretty awful. But, it's gone now, the door is blocked by a dresser, and Blake will get a new doorknob, which I will install.

In less smelly news, we had some nice weather earlier this week, and I've done more yard work, and on Monday we walked to Rendezvous Cafe on Main Street. It's only a few months old, and I'd gone there for a Mom's Night Out. It is very good -- cafe, coffee shop and wine bar -- all the best things in one place! But we were the only ones there on Monday, so I hope business picks up.

Oh, and as a bit of an update -- for anyone who wants to hear any specifics about the wedding planning, you'll have to wait! We really aren't doing any planning, beyond me reading magazines, at this point. We want to wait a bit and get the finances in better order first. But, we'll keep everyone posted once we get going on it!

My Fun Weekend

I had so much fun this weekend! I went to a crop at Page Makers, a local scrapbook store. 25 hours, from 5 to 9 of Friday night, 9 to 9 on Saturday, and 9 to 5 on Sunday. It was for Scrap Pink weekend, to benefit breast cancer research, so there were all kinds of pink goodies, prizes and make and takes. I got started on my album from our Italy trip. I'm posting some of the pics here, but the pics aren't so good. The pics still aren't good, but a little larger on the link to my scrapbook pages on the right hand side of this blog. I love the actual pages, though! After the whole weekend, I still have 2 pages left to do of Rome, then moving on to Florence and Sorrento. I have lots left to do, but it is fun. While there, I won one of the big prizes, a Circle of Friends crop, which is all day with up to 15 people, and they provide us with lunch. So, we decided to do it with all of the people who were there this weekend, and I'll invite some of my playgroup friends, too.

Huge, HUGE thanks to Blake, who took care of James and things at home all weekend. He even had the house picked up when I got home last night. He worked so hard all weekend.