You Has Me for Companion on the Ship

It's been awhile. I stopped blogging for a number of reasons. But now I want to start again - mainly because I enjoyed looking back to see what life was like with Lydia. Now I have another little baby to blog about and keep up with. It's fun going back and think about how things used to be. All the things that I was worried about or excited about. And, I always liked blogging and reading other people's blogs. So here we go...again.

Meal Planning Monday

We started out the summer going to HEB on Tuesdays. Then it changed to Mondays. And then it changed to Sundays. And now we're back to Tuesdays. But, when the school year starts, I will most likely change it back to Mondays. So, Meal Planning Mondays will begin. 

I did my meal plan yesterday, as I thought we'd have time to go to HEB today, despite piano lessons. But, Brian had an early morning training until 9:30 (and he got home at 10:15) and piano lessons started at 10:30. And it takes Brian a long (long, long) time to shop at HEB, so he wouldn't have had time to go in between lesson times. So, no HEB. It's a good thing we have three meals that roll-over to this week from last week. There were several times last week we either went out to eat (like on my birthday) or ate at my mom's house.

When I plan meals, I usually only plan five. I will plan more if there is a special occasion or someone is coming to visit.  We almost always eat out on Thursday nights, as that is Grandkid Night at my parent's house. And more than likely we will eat out on Sundays and there will be left overs for another meal. It has worked well this way for a long, long time.

Here are the five meals for the week - in no particular order: (they will be linked to their recipes)

1. Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

This will be paired with some fruit. We had this recipe two weeks ago and Brian loved it. It really is quite delicious. I didn't include the quinoa, as that's really expensive and not particularly my favorite thing. We've been trying "healthy" meals, and this was very good. Instead of using a tortilla to wrap it up, you use a lettuce leaf. This was not a favorite of Lydia - she didn't even want to try it. I didn't make her eat the chicken as the buffalo sauce was a little spicy.

2. Sour Cream Enchiladas

This will be paired with brown rice, a salad and some fruit. We haven't tried this recipe yet, but it looks pretty tasty. I am always a fan of enchiladas. And hopefully Lydia will like them, too.

3. Skinny Chicken BaCado Casserole

This will be paired with salad and a fruit. We actually had this recipe tonight. It was pretty good. Because it's "healthy" there really wasn't a sauce (and I am a big fan of sauces). It was really easy to put together and pretty tasty. Brian didn't pick up any turkey bacon, so there was no bacon in the casserole (which is fine by me). The avocado was kind of weird on top of the casserole, but other than that it was pretty good. I added cheese to mine, but Brian didn't like that (don't know why). Lydia loved the chicken in it, but not the pasta so much (she's not a huge fan of wheat pasta). I will definitely make this again, though.

4. Something to Grill

Brian doesn't know what he wants to grill yet, but he wants to grill. This may cause a problem when it's me who is going to HEB tomorrow....hmmm...will have to get him to go back to get something that he wants. He knows he wants to pair it with corn on the cob and beans.

5. Teriyaki Chicken with Vegetables

Paired with brown rice and fruit. We had this recipe two weeks ago (one of my first "healthy" recipes). It was really good! Brian loved it. Lydia liked the chicken, of course. I ended up buying already made teriyaki sauce, as that was easier (and cheaper). Very yummy!

Now it's time for Music Monday! 

I will post music videos of songs that (1) mean something to me, (2) I'm really into this week, (3) are funny or cute. I love music and always try to listen to it whenever I can. I love listening to Pandora stations while cleaning the house or working on the computer. I love listening to AirOne (or is it Air1?) on the radio in the car (when I'm allowed to - most of the time we listen to the Frozen soundtrack or Lydia's made up songs). I'm always singing a song (my go-to song of choice is Do You Hear the People Sing? from Les Miz) to my kids or to myself. And I love that that has rubbed off on Lydia. She will make up songs and sing while swinging or sitting in the car. She will even perform them for us! Love it!

This weeks song is Oceans (Where Feet May Fail) by Hillsong United. Here is a brief story of why I came to love this song:

Brian and I tried for two years to get pregnant with our second child. After about 6 months of trying, I started getting upset every month when I learned I wasn't pregnant. We started using Ovulation Prediction Kits (OPKs), I started keeping track of all my "symptoms" on a get-pregnant-fast app on my phone. We went to see my doctor after a year of trying. He recommended Brian getting tested and then me. Brian's first semen analysis didn't look too good, so he had a second and it looked great. I had an HSG (where they look at my ovaries to make sure no tubes are blocked) and everything looked good. I had tons of blood work. It came back that my TSH level was too high (not good for getting pregnant) and indicated that I may eventually have Hypothyroidism. One of the main symptoms of Hypothyroidism is infertility. That, plus Brian's irregular semen quality and my irregular ovulation equals a very, very hard time at getting pregnant. So, we decided to start fertility treatment, and got into a medical study where we got a free IUI. And voila (praise God), we were pregnant! After two years of trying.

All this to say, music really helped me through my journey of infertility. The weeks and months were hard. I would be mad, then sad, then apathetic. This was one of the songs that helped me through. I started hearing it on the radio all the time. It made me cry. It made me hopeful. It made me trust God.

Here's an awesome story about why this song really touched my heart and life. I went to a preschool conference last year in Austin. The verse for that conference was Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Wow. That verse alone spoke to me. God had plans for me! Not plans to harm me (not give me a child), but plans to give me hope. I needed to hear that verse...and I heard it almost the moment I walked through the door. See, my period had come super early (like 15-20 days early)....and I had gotten it the morning I woke up to go to this conference. God knew I needed that verse that morning. He also knew I needed this song. And this was one of the first songs the awesome singers sang at opening worship. It took all that was in me to not cry in front of everyone. Wow! This song will always be special to me. When I listen to it now, I am filled with faith and hope and love. I know that God led me through a tough time and I made it through. I came out stronger (I hope) and braver and wiser and more faith-filled.

I have two miracle children and I will never, ever, ever, stop thanking God for them.

Some standout lyrics:

My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

You Dress A Lot Better, That's For Sure

(Lydia's been watching High School Musical 2 over and over and over...had to quote it this month.)

Day 9: What's In Your Bag/Wallet

-old silver wallet that doesn't really hold much except for my car insurance...
-preschool work badge
-a flyer for a Noonday Collection Lunch (back in October....)
-small red wallet that holds everything
-car insurance
-small notebook with a pig on it
-recipe for 8 Can Taco Soup
-tissues
-checkbook
-notes from the last Mentoring Moms meeting about disciplining your children
-compact mirror
-receipt for preschool registration
-a brown marker
-a comb
-Lydia's mittens
-snacks for Lydia
-random pieces of paper

We've been pretty busy this past week or so. Lydia had her Valentine's Day Party at Bibleland on Tuesday and had a good time with the Monkey class. Leah and my Giraffe class also had a lot of fun - even though I forgot to bring the cute pictures we had made for the parents! Thursday, Leah had a gathering of several mommies and babies at her house, which was a lot of fun, if a little crazy. Friday, Lydia had her Valentine's Day Party at Preschool, which was a lot of fun. I also finally cleaned the entire house that morning.

Friday  night we were going to go out to Olive Garden with Lydia (her first "fancy" restaurant"). She picked out her dress and wore her new Cinderella heels (and took her baby), but the wait time was over an hour. We decided to go to Red Robin instead. It was an early night for us, as we were all tired that evening. Good thing too, as Lydia woke us up at 1:00, having thrown up in bed!

I slept on her floor all night, waking up again at 3:00 when she thew up again. I also woke up to all of her little noises, ready to clean up or rush her to the bathroom. She did wake up around 5:30, but it was because her throat was hurting. Despite hardly sleeping, Lydia still woke up by 7:30 this morning! We had a birthday party to go to in New Braunfels, but cancelled as Lydia wasn't feeling well. I went back to bed after giving Lydia the iPad and she let us sleep until about 9:45, thankfully!

Brian went to HEB for me while I folded laundry and kept Lydia company. She did throw up a bit again sometimes before noon, but hasn't since then. She has been complaining that her throat hurts, though. I hear the sickness may be going around - a 24-hour stomach bug thing. Brian took some Peptobismol, which will hopefully prevent him from getting sick. I'm pretty good at staying healthy (knock on wood).

The weather has finally gotten warm and will stay that way for awhile now! Yeah! When Lydia gets up from her nap I will try taking her out on a walk to get her some fresh air. Maybe tomorrow, if everyone is feeling good, we can do something fun together as a family.

This Just Got A Lot More Complicated

So, I'm not good at blogging everyday...but I am good at typing! Leah sent me a typing test and I scored 121 wpm with only 3 mistakes my very first time! Boo-ya! The average is 30 wpm and "professional" is 50-80 wpm. Yeah, I'm way beyond that. Of course, the next few times I did it, I got just a little over 100 or just under...beginners luck.

Today I slept in too long (I was up late watching Out of Time - so good!) and got to HEB late. After (finally) getting out of bed, I got Lydia breakfast and put on a show while I cleaned the front of the house. Then I made the grocery list, looked through coupons, and got Lydia dressed. We didn't head off for HEB until 11:00 - when I usually like to go between 9:30 and 10:00! After HEB we headed over to Leah's house to decorate cookies with Adah. Leah found a simple icing recipe (with grape Jello) that the girls used brushes (as in paint brushes - cleaned, of course) to put on the cookies - very cool! And they enjoyed doing it! When we have our mom and kid's Valentine's Party, we will have the kids "paint" cookies!

Lydia went down for a nap around 2:00, but woke up before 4:00...ugh. I had piano lessons from 3:00 to 6:00 and then we sent Lydia down to my parent's house for her weekly dinner and play with them. Brian and I headed out to Olive Garden (we had gift cards) and enjoyed a simple date night for my half birthday! That's right - I'm 27 1/2 now! Wow!

I have a lot of catching up to do - 3 days worth!

Day 6: What Are You Afraid Of

More like, what am I not afraid of?! I have always had a mild fear of clowns - ugh, they're just so creepy looking! I don't like walking around in the dark - I always turn on lights as I go, or carry my phone as a flash light. I don't like the deep end of pools or swimming in water where I can't see the bottom (i.e. the ocean). I'm afraid of big bugs, snakes, big dogs, anything that may bite me, etc. I am mostly afraid of actual things that could hurt me...no real phobias, though. 

I really, really don't like have my head under a pillow. The other week when I was suffering from a bad migraine, Brian thought to put a pillow over my head to block out the light. That totally freaked me out! My oldest brother, Jay, used to do that to me when I was little - and hold the pillow over my head for a long time. Still freaks me out to this day!

Day 7: Your 5 Favorite Songs

Hmm...let's see if I can think of five...

1. Let it Go from Frozen - totally stuck in my head and I like playing it on the piano

2. Worn by Tenth Avenue North

3. I Can See the Light from Tangled

4. Amazing Grace, the original hymn (especially sung by Charlotte Church)

5. Colored Kisses by Danny Kaye - because that is Lydia's favorite song (she calls it Daddy's Kisses) and I love singing it to her at night

Day 8: 5 Current Goals

1. To get pregnant soon and give Lydia a sibling

2. Loose some weight...hard to do when I don't like to exercise

3. Keep the house decently clean

4. Finish a whole load of laundry in one day - takes a lot of effort for me

5. Read x many books this year (haven't decided on how many, but I want to read a lot this year)

I'm Guessing You Don't Have Much Experience With Heat

Today was an "easy" piano day. Two of my morning students were unable to make it, so Lydia and I got to hang out together. She loves to pretend that she is the piano teacher and I'm the student. I've recently started trying to teach her a few things about the piano, but she is not too keen on being a student - she just wants to be the teacher, so I think that will have to wait. After she helped me put away laundry and put some laundry in the washer (she really likes doing this...maybe she'll be the laundry-doer soon), I decided to do a messy activity with her.

I put some water into four different containers and then made each container a different color. I put a towel down under Lydia's little table and then laid out several bowls and pans and spoons. Then I let Lydia play with the water. She loved scooping the water out of the containers and mixing the colors. She pretended to make pies and just had fun moving the water from one container to another. Thankfully, Lydia is pretty neat when it comes to "messy" activities - she doesn't try to spread the water everywhere and I when told her to keep the water over the table and towel, she obeyed. This kept her busy for quite some time.

Then we had lunch and I let Lydia pick out a movie before nap time to calm down. She chose The Sound of Music...and I promise you, she sat there and watched it! She even asked questions about what was going on or made comments about what she saw. She told me, "I like to watch your movies." Yeah! A fellow old-musical-movie-lover!

This afternoon I only had one piano student, so Lydia and I had more time together. It was too cold to go outside, so we snuggled on the couch and watched more of The Sound of Music. Tomorrow it's supposed to be cold and rainy...don't know if we'll be working at Bibleland or not. Brian is hoping to just have a delayed start - if he has another "snow day", he won't get Memorial Day off!

Day 5: Your Proudest Moment

I have had several "proudest moments" in my 27 years. The first would be making a speech at my high school graduation as the salutatorian. There may have only been 33 students in my graduating class, but at least I was number 2! Graduating from college was a pretty proud moment - I didn't go to my graduation, but I still got the diploma in the mail! And of course, the best moment of my life that I'm pretty proud of is when I became a Mommy and got to hold Lydia in my arms for the first time. It's a pretty great achievement!

The Cold Never Bothered Me Anyway

(I cannot get the song "Let it Go" from Frozen out of my head! Unfortunately, I don't know all the words...but the words I do know, I sing very loudly around the house...at random times throughout the day.)

Already failed in my 30 Day Challenge...oh well. Yesterday, Leah and I went to Kid to Kid (a kid's consignment store) right when it opened at 9:00 in the morning to shop for cowboy boots! On day a year, the store puts all their boots out for everyone to buy up...since it's almost Rodeo time in San Antonio! Leah and I wanted to get the girls a new pair of boots. Adah wears Lydia's old pink boots from two years ago everywhere...Lydia doesn't have any cowboy boots, but loves the boots that she does have (a black pair and a purple pair).

It wasn't too crowded when we got there, but there didn't seem to be very many boots out. We quickly realized that the other customers had just grabbed as many boots as they could and were sitting around the store getting their kids to try them on. The longer we walked around, the more boots appeared back on the shelves. Just when we were giving up in finding the right sizes (8s for Adah and 9s for Lydia), we found an undiscovered shelf of boots! I found the perfect pair for Lydia and Leah managed to grab a good pair for Adah. Yeah! And I found a super cute button up cowgirl shirt for Lydia to wear to Rodeo Day at Preschool! She is all set for Rodeo Day and Fiesta!

Saturday night we had the Carabajals and Katie over for some chicken pot pie (that was delicious) and Rock Band! Lydia loves playing Rock Band but wasn't too keen on sharing the microphone or the drums. We let the girls stay up until past 10! Lydia still managed to wake up around 7:00 this morning, but we convinced her to go back to sleep until 8:00.

Today was a very lazy day, unfortunately, since it was beautiful outside - 70 degrees! We slept in, had breakfast and lazed around then finally got ready and headed out for a walk to the Corner Store (the Family Dollar). I found Lydia a pair of pink slip on shoes for only $5, plus finally picked up a dish holder to dry dishes on our counter, as we are no longer using our dishwasher. After the walk, all three of us took naps until almost 5:00! It was a nice three day weekend (snow day on Friday) and I'm not ready to head back to work yet tomorrow.

Day 3: Your Favorite Quote

My favorite quote for along time has come from one of my favorite books, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It is when Jane is young and sad (of course) and doesn't think that anyone likes her. But, the maid, Bessie, is out walking with her and wants a kiss from Jane because she does, in fact, like Jane. And it ends with Jane saying, "Even for me life had its gleams of sunshine."

and I'll do Day 4: Your Dream Job

My dream job has always been to be a stay at home mommy with nothing to do but stay home and take care of the my children and the house. And to volunteer at BSF, like my mom, go on play dates with friends, and manage to keep the house as clean as I would like it. One day, that dream will come true.

But, despite that being my dream, I really, really do love what I do now. I have managed to make working a couple of part time jobs work for our family - most of my week is spent with Lydia. I teach piano three days a week (Lydia's home with me), teach at Bibleland once a week (Lydia goes with me), and teach at Preschool once a week (Lydia goes with me). We are rarely apart, which I love. I am her main source of love and education and attention. Just like I wanted it to be.

One day I'll be able to stay home and just enjoy my children (and hopefully keep my house clean), but it doesn't have to be one day soon.

Some People Are Worth Melting For

Day 2: 20 Facts About You

1. My middle name is Colleen - I used to think it was a made up name as it combines my parent's middle names (Colman and Eileen)

2. I will be 27 1/2 on January 30th

3. I used to dream that I would become a world famous composer....

4. I always knew I'd marry a tall guy

5. I don't really remember what my natural hair color is (and don't know what it would be right now)...but I love dying my hair brown

6. I like to play all my games on my iPhone before I get out of bed (on mornings I don't have to get up super early) - I play Scramble with Friends, Matching with Friends and Jewel Mania

7. I used to not like Oreo cookies (because of how my brother ate them and the fact that chocolate gets stuck in your teeth), but now I really like them...I started liking them again when Lydia wanted to eat them all the time

8. I brush my teeth a lot...twice in the morning (every morning), often in the afternoon, and always before bed (sometimes twice)

9. I haven't had a cavity since I was about 8 years old...good thing as I really dislike the dentist

10. I finished my first book of 2014 - Those Who Save Us...I plan on keeping track of all the books I read this year...haven't figured out my goal yet, though

11. I wish my eyes were as blue as Lydia's

12. I am about 5 ft. 2 in tall and enjoy being below average in height...although sometimes it would be easier to be a bit taller

13. I like the fact that Lydia (and any future children) will most likely be taller than me...I don't mind be the shortest

14. Lorie Line is my favorite contemporary composer...very playable and pretty!

15. I have 22 piano students, but secretly enjoy my girls more than my boys....

16. My favorite dinner is meatloaf with potatoes (mashed or not) and cooked carrots...always has been

17. I take after my mom in that even though I may be super stuffed, there is always room for French Fries

18. I would rather be hot than cold...I really don't like being cold, especially when I'm inside

19. I would go to Disney World every year if I could

20. My favorite fairy tale is Rapunzel, but my favorite Disney princess movie has always been Sleeping Beauty

Winter's A Good Time To Sit Close and Cuddle

Okay...so, another 30 day blog challenge. Haven't blogged or updated in awhile...just needed something to write about (other than everyday life).

A brief update: I now have 22 piano students - that's right, 22! And, despite less free time, I love it! I have all ages (4 to 17, plus one adult) and all levels...and all teaching styles! It can be a bit frustrating at times (with my students who don't practice) and exhausting (with my students who need constant entertainment), but it's totally worth it and one of my favorite things to do. Lydia is doing great with all the extra lessons. She plays all morning on Mondays with my homeschool families, she has always liked taking long naps and then watching a few shows on the iPad, and is pretty good at entertaining herself. She's always allowed to come out and join me as long as she's quiet (and is wearing pants).

On another note, Lydia's preschool experience is going great! She absolutely loves her teacher and doesn't mind staying extended day on Wednesdays. At home, she is always pretending she's a teacher and is starting to imagine more and play independently (sometimes). I love hanging up all her artwork and hearing about her day. We have parent/teacher conferences at the beginning of February and I'm ready to hear all about her progress! Lydia also has a speech therapy evaluation in February - we'll see if she will need speech therapy. 

Anyway, on to the 30 Day Blog Challenge!

Day 1: Your Blog's Name

My blog is called "Fiddle Dee Dee" and for those who don't know, that is from my favorite all time movie (and the greatest movie ever made) Gone with the Wind. It is something that Scarlett O'Hara says over and over, when she's frustrated or doesn't want to listen to someone else's opinion. I love movies, which is also why all (almost all) of my blog titles are quotes from a movie.

This month, my titles will be from Disney's Frozen. Lydia and I went to see it today and it was so good! We've already watched the video clip of Elsa singing "Let It Go" and I have the piano music for that song. Lydia claims that Frozen is her new "favorite princess movie". Leah and Adah joined us at the movie theater and we were the only four people in the theater...which was great! Lydia sat great through the first half of the movie, but when Adah was ready to get up and move around, Lydia joined her. They didn't make too much noise and would pause in what they were doing to watch certain scenes. There were some scary parts that Lydia wanted to sit on my lap for, but over all it was a great movie! I've always enjoyed "sister" movies.

Well, Some People Use Their Imagination

First, I have to post about Thanksgiving. I hosted this year and invited my family and Brian's family. I had it all planned out - we were going to do a craft at 11:00, eat at 12:00, play games, eat, play some more games, and eat left overs. Basically, we were going to eat all day! Yeah! And guess what, my planning worked out and everyone had a great time.

In order to fit 13 people around the table, we added one of my parent's large folding tables to our table - making it a "L" shape. I put my grandmother's table cloth and table runner on the tables, plus some fake leaves for decoration and vases with fake flowers (all from the dollar store, go me). On the entry table, I had Leah write on a large, black foam board the Bible verse Psalm 100:4 ("Enter His gates with Thanksgiving and into His courts with praise...) and made a "Thankful Tree" out of small branches. Everyone wrote on a cut out leaf what they were thankful for and hung it on the tree. Both the poster and the tree look so good, I am leaving them up for a bit longer (even though we have moved onto Christmas decorations).

The Pfeiffers (Al, Karla, Tamara) and the Tzaperas' (Michael and Sara) arrived around 10:00 and helped get everything together before more people arrived at 11:00. Then we started our Turkey Place Mat craft. Everyone did a great job creating their place mats! I had the pieces already cut for the turkeys (head, body and feathers) for people to put together. They could then decorate their feathers and turkeys however they wanted. It is always so neat to see how different each turkey turns out. It just shows how everyone in one family is different, but we can all still get along and love each other!

Lunch was ready by 12:00 and everyone sat down to eat! We had the craft table turned into the buffet table where everyone could help themselves to all the food. During the meal, I had a conversation bowl. Everyone took turns picking out a conversation starter and we all answered the questions (ex: "What circus act would you perform if you worked at the circus?). That was a lot of fun!

After cleaning up, we enjoyed our desserts before several people headed off to my parent's house to watch football and Lydia headed off to take a nap. Karla, my mom, Thomas, Sara, Michael and I stayed behind to play games. We played two rounds of Goop and one game of Settlers. The football-watchers returned (yeah, the Cowboys won!) and we snacked some more. Some people made their dinners of left over turkey on sandwiches and then we played one game of Apples to Apples. 

My mom helped me clean up and then the Dunlaps headed off. Many of the Pfeiffers were tired, but Brian and I stayed up to watch a movie. Lydia slept on the floor in our room, giving her room up to the Pfeiffers. All in all, it was a great day and I had a great time hosting both families.

The day after Thanksgiving, I was ready to start celebrating Christmas! I turned the clock to play Christmas music and had my Pandora station set to the Josh Groban Christmas station. The Pfeiffers headed out after Lydia went down for a nap. After Lydia's nap, we decided to head over to Six Flags to take in their Christmas celebrations. Lydia was able to meet Santa and sit on his lap - she was so excited! We then caught the Majesty of Christmas show - it was really, really good! Lydia and Brian enjoyed looking at all the lights around the park.

Saturday, Brian went out to get our Christmas tree. Lydia was excited to put up her pink Christmas tree in her room and decorate it with her own ornaments. She loved hanging the ornaments on the big tree, too. Brian spent the rest of the afternoon outside putting up Christmas lights on the front of the house. He is an awesome Christmas light-hanger-upper!

Today marked the first day of December! And it also marks the end of an awesome vacation. Brian and I are not ready to head back to work tomorrow. I need to get back into my routine - I have 17 piano students to teach this week, a Bible lesson on Tuesday and a music lesson on Wednesday! But, only three more weeks before Christmas break!

We took our Family Photos this afternoon (Leah's a great photographer) and I have my Christmas cards ordered and pictures ordered to hang up in the living room. Here's a few photos: