tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87843313911465757212024-02-06T21:02:03.147-08:00Amber and ZachAlpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-76542602172673704952016-05-10T04:08:00.001-07:002016-05-10T04:13:53.725-07:00Things The Keep Me Up At NightA casual understanding of the creature that is Zach would suggest I do not think. It would appear to some that I run on instinct, acting on whatever whim has taken hold of me at the moment I am in. The long and messy trail of consequences you can usually follow to me would also suggest that I don't care or give a second thought to a thing once it is done. You must understand this: I have an unusual brain. Rare is the occasion on which something will pop into my head and see completion before I move on to the next thought. But I do think. Sometimes I overthink. I used to take 1.5 or more hours shopping because I could not choose. No, it isn't that I don't think, but how I have cobbled together a functioning existence from the broken pieces of a brain that was never quite right <i>before </i>it was damaged.<br />
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You could learn much about the way my brain works by how I use my computer. I open my laptop, log in, and open Google Chrome - yes, Google Chrome. SUCK IT Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and if I missed you... YOU ARE TOO SMALL FRY TO BE WORTH NOTICE. *contented sigh, then straightens out clothing*I then proceed to go to Facebook, YouTube, or - if I am actually looking for something and not just fishing for entertainment - I go to Google (Bing... -_- you know what it is). Then something catches my eye. Then something else catches my eye. Then something else... Next thing you know I have 12 tabs open, and it is not until embarrassment sets in that I start actually reading some of these things. Sometimes I will even start reading one article, then see something shiny on the side bar.<br />
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However, there are situations in which a thought comes in to my head and persistently exists until I follow through to it's logical conclusion. Recently one such thought emerged. I would have to say it was about May 3rd, 2016 when a thought hit me that made me want to try harder: Amber is catching up. Click the link, look up Zach Nelson, then look up Amber. I'll give you a minute.<br />
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<a href="http://results.xacte.com/?mid=74">http://results.xacte.com/?mid=74</a><br />
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Two seconds. Never mind that my bib was on my back, and hers were on her ginormous... -_- She was two seconds faster than me. Then we attended another 5k on the 6th. Throughout the - I hate to call them this - race she went through many stages on the way to completion. But the day after she said she was not as sore as she had been after the Christie Clinic 5k. I keep putting in minimal effort at these things, and she keeps feeling less and less sore. True, I haven't felt sore after a 5k... ever, but that is not the point. The point where my wife scares the crap out of me is: <i>she is improving while I am standing still.</i><br />
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It does not matter <i>where </i>I am standing still. Ask any person who competes professionally - regardless of event, be it sports, chess, or stock car racing - and they will tell you that it does not matter that they are still king of the mountain, every time they see someone gaining momentum - improving - it makes them a little nervous. Don't get me mistake my meaning, I am not going to sabotage her, but to see her catching up to where I am is a little disconcerting. Though that is true, I can't help but think that to train specifically with the goal of staying just beyond reach would be a bit of a dick move. So this is what it is to have competitive feelings towards someone you love: a win-win situation. Proud of them and motivated to improve if they surpass you; proud of yourself that you fended off the whelp for yet another day if they don't surpass you.Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-72328903422337857242015-05-12T22:19:00.004-07:002015-05-12T22:19:41.328-07:00Brain Explosion 2015 Episode 2Amber and Logan are asleep. The animals have bedded down. I am up. Always up. It isn't that I am not tired; it's more like I am too tired, thinking too much about too many things, and have the usual thoughts that I can normally just brush off. They say that depression gets better, but there isn't necessarily a cure other than time. It'll eventually go away.<br />
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I took my last bottle of Zoloft and smashed it 11 or 12 years ago. I told myself and my doctor that I am never taking it again. I am done, I am better than this. I've removed the problem from my life, so I don't need these. Then I have these quiet moments. The ones where I am left to just my own thoughts and you know what? I am jealous of the claustrophobic, they can leave the cage. I am jealous of the arachnophobic, you can sign up for service with Orkin. What do you do when the thing you are most afraid of is thinking about your life, or remembering you past?<br />
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I used to play video games to occupy my time, but then I became an addict. I stayed up for an entire week playing Diablo 2: LoD, once. I've spent days awake recently with Skyrim, and many other games old and new. You can only do that so many times before you realize that you are sleeping when you should be watching your son. You've got the gate closed to keep him out of trouble, while he is finding a marker and coloring the hearth and the couch.<br />
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I tried booze. Getting drunk and watching Netflix. The problem with drinking with a high metabolism is that it gets expensive, and fast. Unless you want to drink on an empty stomach. Then it costs less to get you drunk than anyone else. My low point there was drinking 1.5 bottles of rum, 6 flavored beers, and 2 bottles of wine. I still went to bed thinking too much. I was uncoordinated and sloppy, but my brain did not shut up. Hell of it is? I remembered everything I did that night.<br />
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One gets tired of being tired, but when I wake up at 5 AM I feel like I was productive. I mean, sure, it's hard NOT to get some things done when you are up anywhere from 17-21 hours of your day. But I wish I could sleep for 8 hours without spending that time fighting in my head. I learned to dream lucidly because I have to. Because my dreams used to be so unpleasant that I had to control them. They're still unpleasant, but now I can toy with what-if scenarios, or - if the dream is not based off of my life - attempt to go for the most positive outcome available.<br />
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So it seems like every time I come on here it is to complain, but I assure you it is better than what I want to do with all these thoughts. Maybe I should see a psychologist...Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-8193974157397675302015-05-09T11:45:00.001-07:002015-05-09T11:45:54.447-07:00<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2000007629395px;">So another fun week at work. By the time Friday arrived I had a table covered in things to do. But through the combination of not taking a formal lunch - I ate at my workstation while continuing to engrave - and having gotten used to my job I rocked out everything but two projects. Sadly, those two projects amount to roughly 100 items to engrave. So... I'll have them done by the end of the day Wednesday, if all goes according to plan. In short, everything is great and life is good.</span></span>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-53700226413280932482015-03-23T12:35:00.000-07:002015-03-23T12:35:01.654-07:00Right in the ChildhoodPokémon Black and White has new episodes on Netflix. Just finished S3:E31 and all I can say is...<br />
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Pokemon, no.<br />
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Pokemon, stahp.<br />
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Pokemon, what are you doing?<br />
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Well, at least their writers know what they are doing. All in this one episode the female character says "maybe Discharge will taste good" and "happy endings are the best." She has said other dirty things in other recent episodes. My childhood cries tears of blood!Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-58930240241282846922015-02-24T04:24:00.002-08:002015-02-24T04:24:43.915-08:00Brain Explosion 2015 Episode 1So here is the problem with me going to bed at a "normal" time. I went to bed at 22:00, and I am now awake. Actually, I have been since 03:00. First thing that kept me up was the realization that I need to do some dishes - still haven't. Second thing that has kept me up is the realization that I need a shower and good lotioning - thank God I can touch every part of my body on my own. Third is the new cat (Oliver) who seems to think "oh, you're up! It must be time to eat." No, it is not. I should not be awake but for the fact that I went to be before midnight.<br />
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So as I am awake I am thinking of lots of things - not freaking out about the new job, I am actually kind of excited about the idea of Amber working less. Thinking of food - doesn't help that I am watching Bizarre Foods. I am thinking about things I want to try to cook. I am also thinking of how easy this whole "fuck you, Hershey!" thing is going to be.<br />
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At the risk of sounding like a chocolate snob, Hershey makes NOTHING I cannot do without. "What about your love of the Reese's Peanut Butter cup, Zach?" Well, my wife makes these chocolate/peanut butter balls that make Reese's PB cups taste like something you scraped off of the bottom of your shoe. Seriously, Hershey, you have NOTHING going for you. Then you go and stop being the American distributor for Cadbury? Go sit in a corner and figure your shit out.<br />
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So they make some products similar to yours? Be honest with yourself, try their product then try yours. Which is better? Step back from your employer and really <i>think</i> about it. Further, in my younger and more competitive days I <i>welcomed</i> rivals. If you have rivals, you have a reason to continually improve. Rivals are good for your skill. Get rid of the competition and you will fall into a state of talent-decay. Judging from where your candies are at now, talent decay is the absolute last thing you need right now.<br />
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But what about the cooking thing? One is simple, the other is a little bit less so. Both require some similar ingredients. There are other foods I am thinking of, but for the most part it is these two on my mind. The one is fairly simply going to be spiced - still up in the air as to exactly which I will use, but I have a good idea - chicken breast, sliced thin on a tortilla with chilies. Simple, serve the different parts on separate plates so that people can mix it as they please. Perhaps a salsa on the side to dip it in, or add directly before you roll the tortilla - I won't judge. Simple, but delicious, food.<br />
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The other bit, my wife can thank someone we went to high school with, strawberry cheesecake chimichangas. I wanna try it for a few reasons, mainly "can Zach still cook?" The other reason being that it just sounds good, but it would be a dessert-first night. Get the fried food out of the way so you can follow it with something simple and clean to help avoid the disgusting post-fried-foods blahs.<br />
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The chimichangas aside from making me think of Deadpool - for reasons that better be <i>painfully</i> obvious - it has made me wonder one of my usual things I brood too much on.<br />
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So this brooding-thing, I am letting <i>this</i> one go. I used to think too much about what I call people I went to high school with. I also used to wonder if they hated me then, or hated me now. Today, something is different. I don't care. "The past is dead, only the future is alive." This is a simplified version of the seventh rule mentioned in the Sword of Truth series. Anyone who has present dealings with me obviously does not care that I was an asshole in high school, and continue to be one in the present. Sure, sure "you're not that bad Zach." You are not inside my head, I'm not bad because I have learned to bite my tongue.</div>
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The last part of this brain explosion: I have wrecked the Empire in Skyrim worse than the Aldmeri Dominion ever did. They may have captured the imperial city, and brought mankind to their knees, but my conquest has been subtle. My conquest has been economic. Have you ever stopped to consider the far-reaching implications of your purchases and amassing of wealth in video games? I sometimes wish economics were a consideration in gaming so that you could see the effect of your hoarding.</div>
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Approaching 500,000 septims (the currency of the Empire in Skyrim) <i>on my person</i>.. At this point, due to all the extra septims I have ensured the minting of, their currency is worth <i>nothing</i>. Perhaps on the paladin I am actually role playing with I will do more to have a less negative impact on the imaginary economic state of the world. So here is your homework people: do you know a developer/programmer/etc... convince them to bring up the notion of creating a game that takes inflation into account. Generally, as you play your speech skills grow allowing you to purchase items for less money. But, let's be real, as you amass wealth in a game and cause the minting of more currency... products should be costing more. It won't be a problem for you, because your wealth is now such that a $5 object now costing $20 won't affect you, but what about the poor of the game? I know that current tech does not permit too much depth in this respect, but one day... Call me a sadist but I wanna see the poor getting poorer, disease becoming a greater problem, and an increase in homeless and thievery.</div>
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Why do I want to see these negative real-world things in my video games? Realism. In. Gaming. I want an arrow to the knee *eye roll* to have lasting effects: even after the arrow is removed, your health is replenished, and the wound closed I want to see you limp. Unless, of course, you happened to go to a skilled healer. Then you add two excellent elements to gaming: different levels of skill with healers: you go to the cheap doctor for the thing that is inconsequential; you go to the expensive doctor to make sure you stay pretty or function well. The easiest way to summarize is that I would like to see less in the way of fantasy and escape from reality and it's burdens in my gaming - though a certain amount of that may be allowed.</div>
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What I would like is for a certain set of games to be more of a... simulation of life in fantastic circumstances: mandate eating, sleeping, use of bathroom (even if you don't show the act), etc... sure this gives you a wall of meters to watch ("you are dangerously tired," "eat something soon or you will pass out," you have a nosebleed from a lack of moisture," etc...). Call me weird, but I want to feel less invincible when I play a game. I want to feel mortal, so that when I beat the villain who has been my nemesis the entire game in two rounds (looking at you Kuja from Final Fantasy IX) I can feel like it is an achievement in and of itself, not a bar set for "can I do it in one round next time?"</div>
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And now that I am no longer mentally overburdened, and you are carrying some of the weight of my brain, I bid you adieu. Have a great day, and I will see you bitches later tonight.</div>
Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-19244339335334596672014-10-16T05:45:00.000-07:002014-10-16T05:45:00.253-07:00Hey, look, it's almost been a year since I posted anything! Time to post something, no? So, in the last year what has happened? Lots and nothing. Lots of nothing? Fair enough: lots of nothing. No major injuries - until recently - and not much in the way of illness.<br />
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In the last year...<br />
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We got Logan's eyesight corrected. His left eye was looking outward, so we addressed the issue with surgery. The surgeon over-corrected (easy enough to do when working with some of the smallest muscles on a little person) so it was then looking inward (toward the nose). Now I am glad to say that his eyes face forward, which will improve his vision and reduce unnecessary headaches later in life.<br />
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I think I figured out what my doctor has not, but it is okay that she hasn't figured out my issues, because they are relative. Awhile back I noticed that I've felt tired all the time, have no ability to follow through on the notion of doing something, etc... So we tested me for tons of stuff. God, in one trip they took 8 vials of blood from me. I should have napped in the truck afterward (the truck reference'll give you a time frame on that one). At first she thought AIDs and a tiny, miniature part of me said "sweet government funded life on disability here I come" the rest, and smarter bits of me said "yeah! And shunning! Loads of shunning. God knows how we'd LOVE to be shunned and thought of as one of this century's lepers!" I think the issue is that my testosterone is down. Why would she not know this? When have I ever tested testosterone? She would have no baseline for comparison. In fact, the only ways about it are to address the issue with pills/shots/etc... and see what comes of it, OR sort myself out without medication. I think I will just take the hard road and hope not to drive my family nuts.<br />
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We bought a house, the address of which I can send to anyone who wants. Y'know, assuming you have my number to request it.<br />
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We got a green cheek conure (bird). She is a mutant, specifically: she has yellow side. I now want to collect "mutant" animals, shave my head, and confine myself to a wheelchair.<br />
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We got a kitten from a "pit bull rescue" in a town that starts with D (which, on a local scale, does not narrow it down as much as you'd think). The kittens were being kept in a birdcage outside. From the way this one moved about after we got him home he had not seen much time outside of that cage. He had fleas, among other health issues. When we gave him a flea bath he was drinking the water like it was the first he'd ever seen.<br />
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Logan started preschool, which has greatly improved his vocabulary and made him speak out more.<br />
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I have started another few projects that I hope to follow through on. One for myself, one for Logan, and a renewal of my fiction work. For the last one, I have a name and a general plot.<br />
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Oh and we can't forget the tons of rejection: thus far I have applied for over 300 positions at 90+ different companies with very few interested parties. Even fewer interested parties who weren't either scams, in or incapable of making me an offer that I could actually accept.<br />
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But that is just what I can think of over the last year. Maybe this year will be a better one for me actually keeping up with this thing, then one day my Facebook will cease to be the way people come to know what is going on in our lives.<br />
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Omega, out.Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-20233667822984407482013-12-10T08:20:00.001-08:002013-12-10T08:20:10.964-08:00Infection...Everyone in the house is sick. I got sick last week, but it was minor. Then Logan got sick on Sunday and it got bad, 104 temp bad. I started feeling sick after Sunday night when I was up all night checking his temp, dosing Logan, and working on the last remnants of homework. Then Amber started feeling it Monday, so between all of being sick she called off for work. So here we are just getting up for the day at 09:30 when Logan pooped himself awake, I've been up since 06:30, and my running theory is that Amber is in some sort of death-like state. As soon as Amber gets up I am running to the store to get bubble bath, Epson salt, crescent rolls, and a few other essentials. Might swing by a video rental place and pick up some stuff. Thankfully we made turkey soup that is still good last week, and I have all the stuff to make chili. Nelsons vs sickness round 1, ready? Go!Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-27242579320185864612012-04-21T08:50:00.001-07:002012-04-21T08:50:39.030-07:00Is it better to silently suffer indignities and injustice from someone who believes they are helping you, or is it better to allow them to know the dangerous degree to which they come close to hypocrisy?Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-34855176648127736452011-12-07T21:04:00.000-08:002011-12-07T21:12:34.795-08:00Things I Am Done Seeing<div>Things I am done seeing as someone's profile picture on social networking websites and dating sites (not like I visit the second sort, but I remember those well enough):</div><div><br /></div><div>Any amount of exposed flesh of a man. Put your shirt back on, this is not a flesh-bazaar. There are more than women on Facebook. (I almost typed fleshbook, God help me now that I put that out there it'll either be a website soon or is and I will now go make myself aware of it.) Even if someone waved a wand and all the men but you disappeared, not everyone would be interested in seeing you shirtless, and quite frankly... at least one of those ladies would be offended.</div><div><br /></div><div>Money, people holding money next to their face/partially in front of their face/in their fist, cars (without the owner OR with a "model" on it), phones, guns, etc... in short POSSESSIONS OR CURRENCY. These do not make you cool, or convince anyone you are rich/successful... any idiot can go cash his paycheck and flash it for a pic. I am sure these things impress someone else, but I am not him.</div><div><br /></div><div>People kissing. I am sure you love/are interested in them but... I want to see your face so I can see if I know you. Hard to do that when someone is busy trying to suck it off your skull.</div><div><br /></div><div>People with multiple other people of the same gender. I realize you like your girlfriends. That's cool... so which person in that picture are you? Kinda want to know who I am adding, or who I am supposed to be considering adding.</div><div><br /></div><div>People trying to look "hard," or express pain... pretty much anything but happiness, or of course a nice neutral look that does not seem sour. Look, I realize that you think you are gangster, or a thug, or feel so much internal pain that you cannot express it all but are trying as hard as you can, or perhaps when I look at your picture I am supposed to think you are artistic or neat. Neat, artistic things are, as my opinion goes, spontaneous. Never planned and controlled. Sure, you can plan to take a picture of tomorrow morning's sunrise, but Mother Nature may well flip you the bird and you'll wake up to clouds.</div><div><br /></div><div>Children. Not pictures of your children, heavens no. Kids are great. Kids on Facebook, not so much. Used to be that you had to be 18 to have an account. Now it's 16, if I hear correctly. Logan will never know the myriad wonderful and hideous things Facebook can introduce you to until he is 18. Unless he does it behind my back of his own accord, then I will ground the holy hell out of him. Promise.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are exceptions to every rule, but in general... save all of these pictures for your photo albums. When I look at your profile picture it had better say something genuine and honest about who you are, what you believe, or what you stand for. If you honestly stand for any of the things I mentioned... more power to you. Not to pick on any particular one too much, but if money is truly so important to you that you need to have it as part of your profile picture, grand. But I do not want to know you. Odds are that if money is that important to you... you are going to bitch like crazy when you don't have it. Further, it is no lie: more money more problems.</div><div><br /></div><div>In short: be you, but be prepared not to be offended when I reject your friend request.</div>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-77620538767732503432011-06-04T06:36:00.001-07:002011-06-04T06:44:59.168-07:00My rock is a mountainI could have never made it through these days without Zach. He has been my mind, my heart, my nutritionist, my cane, my shield, my nurse, my everything. I have never met a man so dedicated to any one thing as he is dedicated to me and now our son. He is my mountain. He is strong and he holds through even the worst of my moments and he is there to celebrate any joy I feel and make it like the whole world is with me cheering. He holds me up and makes me see that it's not so bad and when I just can't see he steers me blindly into any good thing he can find until I can find it. He has refused to give up on me. He has barely left my side and I thank every moment he is near. <br /><br />If there is a person who deserves the world and everything it has to offer it, it is my husband. I am lucky beyond lucky to have him by my side and I hope that someday I can prove myself to him that I can be there as he as been here for me.<br /><br />I love you, Zach. More than I can say.Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-22430071516198246622011-06-03T19:37:00.001-07:002011-06-03T19:41:39.780-07:00Not So FragileTonight Amber pumped 1/2 teaspoon. If you are blissfully unaware, remain so. I went to take the syringe down to NICU for Logan. Upon arriving I was asked if I wanted to assist the nurse with an exam on Logan.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyq6Mlb9twq06-uPzmEkryMncZb9nFhERpt9Mu1GsJjQrdMptxwPPRtfj6D9orAxPlLygVkRMcirl2koeHBzQNAkojbVfusgHG8cP6JGRykQVDgqcULFUXdou6lTRh4xSuqRHaBNvrC-6c/s1600/P1000087.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyq6Mlb9twq06-uPzmEkryMncZb9nFhERpt9Mu1GsJjQrdMptxwPPRtfj6D9orAxPlLygVkRMcirl2koeHBzQNAkojbVfusgHG8cP6JGRykQVDgqcULFUXdou6lTRh4xSuqRHaBNvrC-6c/s400/P1000087.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614188685326435570" /></a><br /><br />Previously I'd been so afraid that he might be too delicate and would not even think of touching him... I wiped his bottom, took his temperature, and he held my hand (actually, barely held my pinky)while the nurse checked his lungs, heart, etc...<br /><br />Not so fragile as I thought.Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-81790596203267185882011-05-20T01:23:00.000-07:002011-05-20T01:32:52.578-07:00One of Those DaysEver have one of those really amazing days, but then you get home and crash? You rode too many highs and now the lows are hitting like fast-forward Mike Tyson. Wish you memorized his pattern during your friend's turn now, doncha? And you promised to do all this stuff... including things that involved leaving the house. Heck, let's not shoot for the stars: you spoke of things that involved getting off the couch. That's just silly. Oh well. You said you'd do laundry (even if you did not fold it). You said you'd do dishes (even if you did not do the hand-wash-only stuff). You promised a pregnant woman apples... and apples she shall have, dammit! Just too bad WalMart has those pesky rules about pants, and shirts... clothes in general. Ugh. Motivation, you elusive jerk, where are you now that I need you?!<br />At the very least you got to call a little boy who was trying to put on some daddy pants "princess." Priceless stuff right there. Maybe one day the rest of the world will catch up to those of us who have integrity, a brain, a spine... Here we are, gods amongst jellyfish. And you know what the hell of it is? I am sick of not tossing the little freaks up on the beach and waiting for the sun to come out from behind that cloud...<br />Sizzle.<br />Sizzle.<br />Sizzle.<br />How's that learning curve treating you, Scyphozoa?<br />Start praying for high tide.Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-49111421453038979982011-05-11T07:03:00.000-07:002011-05-11T07:42:24.058-07:00Everything I'm learning about parenting comes from Family GuyDon't let your kid jump on the bed:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9JqLMG2vbk<br /><br />Feed your kid before they feed themselves (never let them have soda):<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqTH5ll1StI<br /><br />Answer your kid the first time:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNkp4QF3we8&feature=related<br /><br />Baby gates save lives:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm9ExcTOhsY<br /><br />Child obesity is a serious problem:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBsAxbQ6m2U<br /><br />Kids are easily entertained:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PD8W2OogE0<br /><br />Babies don't like formula as much as breast milk:<br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn572zrAgHM&playnext=1&list=PL1434071F0CA74CA5Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-50867382392961368002011-03-15T21:08:00.000-07:002011-03-15T21:29:04.349-07:00Welcoming the second trimester.So I had my second prenatal today. My dr seems pleased with my progress. The baby's heart rate has been steady in the 160s. I have yet to gain any weight but my stomach is getting bigger. If you hang around me you'd notice, but some people just think I'm just fatter.<div><div>I gave up wearing my regular jeans. They were pinchy and I get bloated and it's REALLY pinchy. I was just going to buy bigger jeans but someone gave me maternity jeans and caprees so I figured they are free, may as well use them. I feel kinda weird in them and they don't fit me right, but I'm sure I'll grow into them.</div><div>My favorite thing about being in the second trimester is I'm not as nauseous and tired. I still get pretty sleepy, but it's controllable. I have a new issue, though. I get dizzy if I move too fast or get up fast. Easily avoidable, really. </div></div><div>My mom, my best friend, Zach, and my dr have a running bet. My dr thinks I'm going to have a boy. Mom and Charlie are going with girl. Zach thinks it'll be a girl. I think it's going to be a girl (when I have dreams about the baby, it's always a girl). I will officially find out on April 12th! I am thinking about telling people via home made cards.I know it's kind of dorky but I love sending real mail and getting mail (it's such a dying art). Zach and I are going to look at stationary tomorrow!! </div><div>=^,^=</div>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-15213515129569136752011-01-18T14:40:00.001-08:002011-01-18T14:45:20.453-08:00My rice baby<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Na5vxRJOEcJyy12aTJPnbvK1vqpEtL4a6G4FJwFTY_L7TUpS0nr4Yqf5WdrBxNKwEwccvdVLWqDVpMoWEn91zRz5G1KwB-lIfhXx_bL90qIAp4kIuQr62_hQxDcYpouYs9yNNM6iGTAZ/s1600/1st+ultrasound+1-18-11.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 382px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Na5vxRJOEcJyy12aTJPnbvK1vqpEtL4a6G4FJwFTY_L7TUpS0nr4Yqf5WdrBxNKwEwccvdVLWqDVpMoWEn91zRz5G1KwB-lIfhXx_bL90qIAp4kIuQr62_hQxDcYpouYs9yNNM6iGTAZ/s400/1st+ultrasound+1-18-11.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563659561817463138" /></a>This is my tiny little baby. It's as big as a piece of rice right now and you can watch it's tiny little heart beat at 107 bpm. I was so scared that somehow when I got my ultrasound it would be gone or something horrible. I am so so so relieved that my little trouble maker is there. We're also kinda relieved that it's one, not two. With how heavy my nausea and tiredness has been, we were kinda worried about twins. Such isn't the case, which is just fine. :DAlpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-79622996777269740582011-01-16T16:52:00.000-08:002011-01-16T16:57:54.641-08:00Oh so tiredI barely get home from work, take my meds, eat a small something, and crash in bed. I seem to always be exhausted. I wake up after 8 or more hours of sleep, and I'm still tired! This pregnancy things is nuts! I know I'm not that far into it, so I feel like I'm doing something wrong. I'm trying to change my diet to add more whole wheat and fruit, but I still lack energy. Maybe it's this earache that I've got that's sapping my energy? I grew up with ear infections and swimmers ear what seemed like every other week and I never felt tired from it, but who knows. I'm going to try the library to see if there are any energy boosting recipes I can try to get Zach to help me cook. Luckily we both have the next two days off together.Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-49911816702937490452011-01-09T11:00:00.000-08:002011-01-09T11:06:26.223-08:00Week 5 = barfI'm entering week five of my pregnancy and let me tell you, morning sickness is no joke.. I had to leave work yesterday because I vomited so much I was beginning to shake and feel dizzy. I feared that I would be moving someone somewhere and drop them. I just couldn't do it. I just can't seem to keep anything down. Zach bought me some ensure, so I'm sipping at that and apple juice (for some reason I'm loving that stuff). I'm starting to feel somewhat better. I hope my boss doesn't get too mad at me. I'm going to do what I can for work, but I'm not going to endanger a patient.<div><br /></div><div>Today I plan to get some chores done. Tomorrow is Zach's first day back to school, so I'd like to have the house somewhat clean so we can enjoy some time together. I'm hoping my mom will drop by at some time. I haven't seen her since I told her of my pregnancy :(<br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-6090946557806923692011-01-05T06:05:00.000-08:002011-01-05T06:11:12.475-08:00Pregnant!!So I found out I was pregnant yesterday. About 4 and change weeks pregnant. I did two home pregnancy tests to be sure then the docs wanted a blood test. All came back positive. I'm kinda in my own world now. The doc told me my progesterone was in the 12s when it needed to be in the 20s so they have me...let's just say "taking" progesterone pills to raise that. They promised me I only needed them for 6 weeks, so I'm holding them to that. <div>I kinda lucked out with the metformin I was taking for my PCOS. I had forgotten to take it since December because of all the things that were going on. I read that you can't breast feed if you took/or are taking metformin during pregnancy. Zach feels pretty strongly about breastfeeding, seeing as most of his sisters had done it and he saw the health benefits of it over and over and over again. I've got a long time before I have to think about it, so I'm not going to :P</div><div><br /></div><div>My cinnamon rolls are done!</div><div>Peace out!</div>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-4515862465244230342010-12-30T08:21:00.001-08:002010-12-30T08:27:30.950-08:00Long time no see<div>I hope to post more often, but life happens!</div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cLrAY4k_FDGpK5phmrswNMg8jjfVWc66gN7EsK6eRJQ1n6mke4uDcXUPhWRTyd4EdxtyA-XttP8Ps3b8MPVy5eUuWNfYd51SsLkMdMelyxkC3ET2wlYxi08jriJVNgs6UkulaR3BpwU_/s1600/glass+piggy+055.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9cLrAY4k_FDGpK5phmrswNMg8jjfVWc66gN7EsK6eRJQ1n6mke4uDcXUPhWRTyd4EdxtyA-XttP8Ps3b8MPVy5eUuWNfYd51SsLkMdMelyxkC3ET2wlYxi08jriJVNgs6UkulaR3BpwU_/s400/glass+piggy+055.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556511615104604274" /></a><div>Zoey has found she loves snow. This was her first time in it. She sure had a good time!</div><div><br /></div><div>Zach and I discovered Chicken and Gnocchi soup from Olive garden. After SEVERAL trips there we found our poor bank account was suffering so I decided to copy the recipe. It's still somewhat in the works, but this is what I have so far:</div><div><br /><b style="font-family: georgia; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span class="Apple-style-span" >Amber's copy cat Chicken and Gnocchi</span></b><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" >1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken)<br />1 14 ounce can salt free chicken broth<br />1 quart half and half<br />4 tablespoons butter<br /><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; ">1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil<br />4 tablespoons flour<br />1/2 cup celery, finely diced<br />2 garlic cloves, minced<br />1 cup carrots, finely shredded<br />1 cup onion, finely diced<br />1-2 cup fresh spinach<br />1 teaspoon thyme<br />1 teaspoon parsley<br />1 pound potato gnocchi (you can sometimes buy this at the store)<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; ">Sauté the onion, celery, and garlic in a bit of butter and/or olive oil, over medium heat until the onion becomes clear-ish (Zach says when they turn into ghost onions)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><br />In the soup pot add the flour and butter, and make a roux, let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half (I wonder if you can use half half&half and half milk. It was almost too much cream for me).<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; ">Into the roux/cream add in the onion, celery, garlic mixture, carrots, and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick add the chicken broth (I had to boil it a bit before it became thick). Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasonings, simmer until soup is heated through. Don't overcook the gnocchi or it'll become mashed potatoes!<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; ">I also added 2 cubes of chicken and herb bullion in the end. I would have used "Better than Bullion" but I only had beef. It seemed to give it a bit more flavor. Also, the carrots turned the soup slightly pink. I suppose you can rinse them, but I figured that would kill their nutritional value.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; ">Let me know how I could improve on this, if you have any ideas!</span></span></div>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-33868229563843940612010-10-22T23:17:00.000-07:002010-10-22T23:29:53.288-07:00Zach's StoryWe went to bed at around 0300. After dreams of Voldemort, pickles, flying guitars that could talk, and cupcakes we woke up at 0600. I lay in bed thinking "God please make it 0300 again. I got out of bed around 0620, made some oatmeal, and our day started. Poor Amber. I waited until Amber and her mom left to go to the doctor to shower, then stepped out to head to school. I had my bag, lunch, and even my work clothes... But the keys were still on the recently added hook near the door.<div><br /></div><div>Thankfully our bikes were not locked up so I hopped on mine and rode for the rental office. Halfway there I realize that I forgot to air up the tires for the last... 2 months. After a long, quad-killing, ride I arrived out of breath. Thinking the door was locked I stood on the office porch for 5 minutes. Turns out it was not locked. I got the spare key, rode home, unlocked the house and almost locked the spare in the house, sans-keys. I managed to sacrifice a hand to prevent overwhelming stupidity.</div><div><br /></div><div>I only arrived 35 minutes late for my first class. The teacher was cool about it. Turns out most of the homework group I was in did not show up... For one of them it was very understandable: If you have kids in public school in this area they are sick, or will be soon. School went well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Work was another matter entirely. The guy who was to help me called off. Again. Again... He calls off 3-4 times a week. "It's medical, they can't fire me." Yeah, but they can stop scheduling you so that you can no longer come in and work on Sunday for that $1 premium. Seriously! Only day he works is the one on which he gets paid more. Way to forget that those other 4 days would have made you more money than that one!</div><div><br /></div><div>People are idiots.</div><div><br /></div><div>But it was all worth it when I learned Amber's surgery went well. She will be on her road to recovery for a while, but when it arrives life will go on. Heck... It's going on right now.</div>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-63247706402007644462010-10-19T10:51:00.000-07:002010-10-19T11:00:50.803-07:00dress, hat, and matching bunny<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsozh2gmRaE4iwCt6VAxSr8_7TAtaS3iMOuPBqqcjZL6lp1vK1cc3eLI3Kl0Jv6yM7N4nVE2S-WfpkJjnO4o61DWHsc-Y4YTT1pyqwUPtKE91PGDM7TL9c7lOw-R_J1OfsieXluEc0tU3Y/s1600/10-19-10+021.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsozh2gmRaE4iwCt6VAxSr8_7TAtaS3iMOuPBqqcjZL6lp1vK1cc3eLI3Kl0Jv6yM7N4nVE2S-WfpkJjnO4o61DWHsc-Y4YTT1pyqwUPtKE91PGDM7TL9c7lOw-R_J1OfsieXluEc0tU3Y/s400/10-19-10+021.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529817148732810594" /></a>My first little dress I crotched. I didn't use a pattern, so I have a feeling it might not fit a real baby. Maybe a baby doll?<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVWPbkiDK7eTPz4zy5X1SB7rCKxZYo4i5AmzgA7Ks30LQhu1U8B7SzqLG5jrNQ1crvBn8doAb5AsAZ3jxnmMlHTRNj8PRR3UdaqQ40wAJI5krvCqRYSSbpnO3VNzPm8P9i9Pw0g0lNdAv/s1600/10-19-10+024.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVWPbkiDK7eTPz4zy5X1SB7rCKxZYo4i5AmzgA7Ks30LQhu1U8B7SzqLG5jrNQ1crvBn8doAb5AsAZ3jxnmMlHTRNj8PRR3UdaqQ40wAJI5krvCqRYSSbpnO3VNzPm8P9i9Pw0g0lNdAv/s400/10-19-10+024.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529817144785556530" /></a>This is the finished product. I added some ruffles to the arms to make them a bit longer and added the weird hat.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznTTw841_pNCBuKZPOi7HCYf4He1d15PSyXgpYLLe8ftaQppz-Uf8AJBXI_Navk_re65w3jjNknF_gz1gznlL_Nj5sh85m37JVAlBRYju8KLY3SkM5-dzc0z8I9XCu2h342zOXxT7rtqJ/s1600/10-19-10+030.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznTTw841_pNCBuKZPOi7HCYf4He1d15PSyXgpYLLe8ftaQppz-Uf8AJBXI_Navk_re65w3jjNknF_gz1gznlL_Nj5sh85m37JVAlBRYju8KLY3SkM5-dzc0z8I9XCu2h342zOXxT7rtqJ/s400/10-19-10+030.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529817143240061506" /></a>I had some yarn left so I decided to make my first little stuffed animal. The head is a bit crooked and the ears won't stay straight, but otherwise I consider it a success. Zach wants to name it, but we don't know a good name.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppIzukaPtOTfAjrmS0KFKjAlX8fL4kwvyZbiqIU4UwsjhqqAFBbPiTZ5qnp5mM7n2rTOLpYmPwojePhayMPyjku3wSfrGkEgaX5i4Mpb_GbPvrRwL-ysBNILzjH4IBRr-otKKXrDzdv3f/s1600/10-19-10+031.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppIzukaPtOTfAjrmS0KFKjAlX8fL4kwvyZbiqIU4UwsjhqqAFBbPiTZ5qnp5mM7n2rTOLpYmPwojePhayMPyjku3wSfrGkEgaX5i4Mpb_GbPvrRwL-ysBNILzjH4IBRr-otKKXrDzdv3f/s400/10-19-10+031.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529817137419906418" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw99bM6nYQ5qVwsFtLXDju4oKCxKTuBlU7IweQbDQSQ_EXkf_4nwBH0sDPRGGg-flkDdFfbcYWZDZY6yGUCPCL8Gha145jmjkOyrbMfMM4sqC2jE8f3F4IcnWoNd2we1zfuwtqEHePnS7/s1600/10-19-10+032.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEw99bM6nYQ5qVwsFtLXDju4oKCxKTuBlU7IweQbDQSQ_EXkf_4nwBH0sDPRGGg-flkDdFfbcYWZDZY6yGUCPCL8Gha145jmjkOyrbMfMM4sqC2jE8f3F4IcnWoNd2we1zfuwtqEHePnS7/s400/10-19-10+032.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529817133352481346" /></a>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-59903527182065570782010-10-10T17:36:00.000-07:002010-10-10T17:43:12.611-07:00FINALLY!<div>So when Zach and I got married one of the many things I was thinking about was having children, so in preparation of having said child eventually I picked out fabrics for the baby quilt (sounded fun and could be an heirloom thing, maybe?). Literally 5 and change years later I put the quilt together and this is what it looks like :)</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhx6HIQZACybMVcmvyUxLEyPwzfKQDXOFr2ZCdyNt5b8YKd5sohhzAjaZNDbVSR9t_HiyZcVXELgeTUEBV8cU0ZKT7jk0vsPnzJF6u8nxLyX45oCsKGQRFgXn5sP0XbHkEoYFdQewpp6pP/s1600/10-10-10+001.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhx6HIQZACybMVcmvyUxLEyPwzfKQDXOFr2ZCdyNt5b8YKd5sohhzAjaZNDbVSR9t_HiyZcVXELgeTUEBV8cU0ZKT7jk0vsPnzJF6u8nxLyX45oCsKGQRFgXn5sP0XbHkEoYFdQewpp6pP/s400/10-10-10+001.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526581805250828706" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMI5xbb7opkrSo8phvWg47FwjI6pHNnQN8CqxHEVBv0pHQKr1SWvLztwF5jKIVAWZJnLv8B82bT2qJde1KZHMBpC3-QEIpyhh7dlHm9-09E0nkhXqb3XoKabnW0cRp9rvIPsnAuF5tOUb/s1600/10-10-10+007.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYMI5xbb7opkrSo8phvWg47FwjI6pHNnQN8CqxHEVBv0pHQKr1SWvLztwF5jKIVAWZJnLv8B82bT2qJde1KZHMBpC3-QEIpyhh7dlHm9-09E0nkhXqb3XoKabnW0cRp9rvIPsnAuF5tOUb/s400/10-10-10+007.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526581795744939826" /></a>This is cool! You hang it by the flowery things on the crib and you can put stuff you might need in it. I was ridiculously excited when I finished it.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcseHg0wTxF2IBC0fjT-YMQ9ogOxRMnV6qhIZgRjihUj4yOC28T_VNiBi2pw78TdC7-XOQqBduOEifnDSXxHpwYcrMHdNHP4LTv57J4WPmbWbOKalIWiR3AZx-X2qs1xJMEaT2YNQ6lPy/s1600/10-10-10+006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcseHg0wTxF2IBC0fjT-YMQ9ogOxRMnV6qhIZgRjihUj4yOC28T_VNiBi2pw78TdC7-XOQqBduOEifnDSXxHpwYcrMHdNHP4LTv57J4WPmbWbOKalIWiR3AZx-X2qs1xJMEaT2YNQ6lPy/s400/10-10-10+006.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526581789971815842" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI1_8d1YwmOVQ7EfXnHVd7b9gze7wPv4ys1AEeIhVEr7VS_8TvTRd_4NMhYeIiBxjDbDVx_0vQW14xpr7IQltMt6LpRp2JwOGyzqiThzC6oHIGA4lNaIYm-kPrcRJJegxEBqk0Zhsy0RK/s1600/10-10-10+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPI1_8d1YwmOVQ7EfXnHVd7b9gze7wPv4ys1AEeIhVEr7VS_8TvTRd_4NMhYeIiBxjDbDVx_0vQW14xpr7IQltMt6LpRp2JwOGyzqiThzC6oHIGA4lNaIYm-kPrcRJJegxEBqk0Zhsy0RK/s400/10-10-10+008.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526581780334690322" /></a>This is inspiration for my next project. I have no clue what it may be, but hopefully it won't take more than a few months :p<span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggHf-diC_G6OZ4L8woNNgNIso8ue9fEAtR96JlgahYw1zVbCnAMUipqktKDlLHaP0dyUFP8k61prIgwfVdX7D_hArdq-FOyf6gNcKu4q37iSmfG3KYj0M8YylxP9DlT4ksH7sYfIkfrpvk/s400/10-10-10+005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5526581813253108850" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; " /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><br /></span></div>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-30125325249827099802010-10-08T17:42:00.001-07:002010-10-08T17:47:02.205-07:00Zach's blanket<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxlZIVKc9nxFnfrYKzW1Y5UUqdQjmTc-BfrKV-vDDP1wJy8qJnnHYolfwLZc6mn0Qvor8Hxy8BMabTfTafyoV1li5kf7nO-_HSPBmS_tD9_zaTmLLuja-gNgIZJDfDbA3RVB93a8NugH2/s1600/10-8-10+006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDxlZIVKc9nxFnfrYKzW1Y5UUqdQjmTc-BfrKV-vDDP1wJy8qJnnHYolfwLZc6mn0Qvor8Hxy8BMabTfTafyoV1li5kf7nO-_HSPBmS_tD9_zaTmLLuja-gNgIZJDfDbA3RVB93a8NugH2/s400/10-8-10+006.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525840693070370450" /></a>Zach picked the above color because it was the softest one, other than the monkey print which only had a yard left. I picked the below color because our couch is brown.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUjYC5Ril6BfwX1G7X8XqPHoTTbGimROADvEcM5n5Upqj25QMO_kem3YOi-MnjHzqaACawcpqo6bonDJZfiRdGyMxAMXk05_b1bU3pSfbVSGxqy47_B_cYQ17Un9XfOV9A2CBm09Vt2eg/s1600/10-8-10+005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUjYC5Ril6BfwX1G7X8XqPHoTTbGimROADvEcM5n5Upqj25QMO_kem3YOi-MnjHzqaACawcpqo6bonDJZfiRdGyMxAMXk05_b1bU3pSfbVSGxqy47_B_cYQ17Un9XfOV9A2CBm09Vt2eg/s400/10-8-10+005.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525840689039932722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqU5TnsQGjZ72le4jMmVJgEwv6EdhJbrFMNdMe7btSIkMK2V6dhNW0OQlNuIimaY_pblkNeh3zb1ftPqzWC0CJ4cMOhBogTTcRfwl74xyJkctxawWljJSVVScMDv27mK-2d3S67tQP1atK/s1600/10-8-10+009.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqU5TnsQGjZ72le4jMmVJgEwv6EdhJbrFMNdMe7btSIkMK2V6dhNW0OQlNuIimaY_pblkNeh3zb1ftPqzWC0CJ4cMOhBogTTcRfwl74xyJkctxawWljJSVVScMDv27mK-2d3S67tQP1atK/s400/10-8-10+009.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525840683902655666" /></a>Zach started out cutting but quickly realized that cutting was irritating so I took over and he tied. I didn't mind cutting at all. Goes to show that we are a good match :)<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6Q4yELmTKmfioK1QFt3pTMztlP_B7eTzrabloyrncc9PIXMrZmCIjsxzOC_9Moh5P7Ivdy2duor_St3Cx2LfbnOBt2tqEsQK_QSP7TBZ0Y8XFp88EZrSg9PmNvHhf-JVG9c4ZyJK7HOq/s1600/10-8-10+013.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB6Q4yELmTKmfioK1QFt3pTMztlP_B7eTzrabloyrncc9PIXMrZmCIjsxzOC_9Moh5P7Ivdy2duor_St3Cx2LfbnOBt2tqEsQK_QSP7TBZ0Y8XFp88EZrSg9PmNvHhf-JVG9c4ZyJK7HOq/s400/10-8-10+013.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525840679371373602" /></a>He couldn't resist.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MCyfFd9J_E6_g0zx-Ppoq-ig3kGEiJSNkJpHV_ayG5Z5K8-Lz9IeLHVytFQp0oyGir2a4dQhGy7TbjgddeOAo9WHmk3_jQURJe9pl79tIXaU7d25ij_T4Tlmeq-97uTex8k_F1SDbg5a/s1600/10-8-10+014.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3MCyfFd9J_E6_g0zx-Ppoq-ig3kGEiJSNkJpHV_ayG5Z5K8-Lz9IeLHVytFQp0oyGir2a4dQhGy7TbjgddeOAo9WHmk3_jQURJe9pl79tIXaU7d25ij_T4Tlmeq-97uTex8k_F1SDbg5a/s400/10-8-10+014.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525840678009414690" /></a>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-62836202537219034702010-10-08T17:23:00.001-07:002010-10-08T17:34:50.887-07:00Baby Quilt<div style="text-align: center;">Start!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><u><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN9t5K51vzZbKsIzt5RNi2UxS_d336iq0MDB-2k_d-Y_XMeuQdCetkP9OXk4MCETS5l8bxCcKlFzIZcYju3xuDpGl5iMEUljYaA_QF4fY3cJKx56GUF6z6LGYvmQ9Lm97mRGakJ_l97vsd/s400/10-8-10+004.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525836191279639394" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></u></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQyxsIRBLq_lLDZOyXXswMurv3HnsuUea8g5A6ApPIzblL5sWz1_0bto994c32g5ZoA2lUdeeMN7JVXMajLQ06i680y8Ifn1rkSeG-4Lggwm6HnGYVKK5JcTirZ_jgKmvUb_BVAJwCn4K/s1600/10-8-10+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbQyxsIRBLq_lLDZOyXXswMurv3HnsuUea8g5A6ApPIzblL5sWz1_0bto994c32g5ZoA2lUdeeMN7JVXMajLQ06i680y8Ifn1rkSeG-4Lggwm6HnGYVKK5JcTirZ_jgKmvUb_BVAJwCn4K/s400/10-8-10+008.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525836213770632978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Lf-bP60Z9WAfmWxHKD4vVfPJ5pThpXcDSfooEU8rE8uE3aTZDhsD5W1tGJvcifd3e0GDRXlZdhtidcnBcPPK0dBZcsy9Yxd0kj5xJFZ7deHAVSu4FG8BC8QVEnMVJdYCwpkErBf_3ziY/s1600/10-8-10+012.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Lf-bP60Z9WAfmWxHKD4vVfPJ5pThpXcDSfooEU8rE8uE3aTZDhsD5W1tGJvcifd3e0GDRXlZdhtidcnBcPPK0dBZcsy9Yxd0kj5xJFZ7deHAVSu4FG8BC8QVEnMVJdYCwpkErBf_3ziY/s400/10-8-10+012.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525836203855266946" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4-PWo9xCTFIMme6sfoKjOAVqL2zXIZdMjQGz5icNxmZ9p5RvhF-UUzOtzFHdbGhK41A1LvU-5CQYsCq5b7ROudMBOokrs-V1h-4bIjputSaTNxQCeyEqQB3e2MemT53hOVgrGd1PA1x1/s1600/10-8-10+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin4-PWo9xCTFIMme6sfoKjOAVqL2zXIZdMjQGz5icNxmZ9p5RvhF-UUzOtzFHdbGhK41A1LvU-5CQYsCq5b7ROudMBOokrs-V1h-4bIjputSaTNxQCeyEqQB3e2MemT53hOVgrGd1PA1x1/s400/10-8-10+010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525836195437554466" /></a><div style="text-align: center;">Done!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8784331391146575721.post-80116757624822500542010-10-07T13:10:00.000-07:002010-10-07T13:14:47.996-07:00Pups at play.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuumQ7dZUhhz6gD0PpTZjjYqcvu1kqTHAZx7zXadzrqYSUFLUlo2x2CRKctOpSM9c9bi0u8kyJWHbNrE5K3YDJUBq8P-KzvR6_-6SExwnsCCOoMqLaW5SCAZiV_FvORron7mr1JUfDrpi-/s1600/10-6-10+010.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuumQ7dZUhhz6gD0PpTZjjYqcvu1kqTHAZx7zXadzrqYSUFLUlo2x2CRKctOpSM9c9bi0u8kyJWHbNrE5K3YDJUBq8P-KzvR6_-6SExwnsCCOoMqLaW5SCAZiV_FvORron7mr1JUfDrpi-/s400/10-6-10+010.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525399643712417730" /></a>Even though it was 78 degrees on a mostly black dog, she insisted on sitting on my lap....and drooling on me :/<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02W2DdK4dZ-7Fkn1HgRyVSC4IRqm8sSrBhrlpgt7QBOTAzlCzAsGSEs1mGL3MAOGEbdrJC5BC1q-_fbqob_XjvIPG-h3lFJJpYz9SUnpU6CSsF4PTrdvnFTWKPscvpTFFzn-a2KDmRdiQ/s1600/10-6-10+008.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02W2DdK4dZ-7Fkn1HgRyVSC4IRqm8sSrBhrlpgt7QBOTAzlCzAsGSEs1mGL3MAOGEbdrJC5BC1q-_fbqob_XjvIPG-h3lFJJpYz9SUnpU6CSsF4PTrdvnFTWKPscvpTFFzn-a2KDmRdiQ/s400/10-6-10+008.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525399635325519986" /></a>lol such a big tongue.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwMh_dReVkbnEHKxpNdbhtEF5Hrx7EJiPZkrssgaRoqSRBiHJ6ccyFfkdR_QD4NEtrZ4UCf3ahuH_MnjhCTbC9AqXbFrPxvX_0elTuirtkpsMxtVZVVxQKwS-Au-dZ_VC0Q8DGHrGuENe/s1600/10-6-10+006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwMh_dReVkbnEHKxpNdbhtEF5Hrx7EJiPZkrssgaRoqSRBiHJ6ccyFfkdR_QD4NEtrZ4UCf3ahuH_MnjhCTbC9AqXbFrPxvX_0elTuirtkpsMxtVZVVxQKwS-Au-dZ_VC0Q8DGHrGuENe/s400/10-6-10+006.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525399627396098770" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WtQxtXlBE3hrMTehtqt5MERH5n7s-OeUe0D-aHIje7DL7OqKee_qNtdhzl1T7PFiyBsUw0jVpSd2DYuv7pWfaxs2EWCyw_uLetaHgHEZk_WuFyM141XowK7vALpdhaVz9zURk1O-KKsw/s1600/10-6-10+003.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WtQxtXlBE3hrMTehtqt5MERH5n7s-OeUe0D-aHIje7DL7OqKee_qNtdhzl1T7PFiyBsUw0jVpSd2DYuv7pWfaxs2EWCyw_uLetaHgHEZk_WuFyM141XowK7vALpdhaVz9zURk1O-KKsw/s400/10-6-10+003.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525399616632139938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzhlWMy6BEkp0FXBbDgeFs4kGCycMTepvCvNcCq-ioX7VboscmvR3eOu18Wjz25dGtRC5qd6bmRMI871MKyV9vRxDGggY-Wnmdbm7ECILIChY681UHOG1m0L1IlWQZpg7GZZxrpTuKmMe/s1600/10-6-10+002.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzhlWMy6BEkp0FXBbDgeFs4kGCycMTepvCvNcCq-ioX7VboscmvR3eOu18Wjz25dGtRC5qd6bmRMI871MKyV9vRxDGggY-Wnmdbm7ECILIChY681UHOG1m0L1IlWQZpg7GZZxrpTuKmMe/s400/10-6-10+002.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525399605586478786" /></a>Alpha and Omegahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12115109052007839064noreply@blogger.com0