March 19, 2008

  • There she goes!

    Today was the day. Noelle apparently decided by whatever unknown determining factor that today was the official day that she should start walking. And walk she did. From person to person and back and forth going as far as 10 steps before falling down, getting up again and toddling on. I was so amazed! She went from taking the occasional, random, almost looking like an accident step or two to really and truly toddling literally overnight. She does really well as long as she doesn’t try to go too fast.

    Tomorrow I have to pack up and get our things in order to head out for almost two weeks. We will be traveling to KS for two weddings a week a part! Greatly looking forward to spending time with old and new friends and family. The first wedding I will get to meet lots of Steve’s old friends from way back…The second I am personally greatly anticipating because I will get to see my dear friend married!! Sooo excited for both couples.

    Remember that post I made a few posts ago about the crazy lady? God must’ve seen my smug incredulousness that anybody could allow themselves to get so out of control and decided to teach me a lesson in humility. The past few days I have felt like I was on a crazy emotional roller coaster for NO reason whatsoever! Hoping to snap out of it soon…Before I snap someone’s head off like the lady (that I am now feeling a great sense of genuine compassion towards) did to me. My ever helpful, kind, patient and loving man gently reminded me that we DO have access to some really fantastic hormone support products just in case that was the problem. I have noticed improvement already after taking some. Bleh. Been years since I’ve felt this far out of sorts emotionally.

    Remember me mentioning that Mac laptop? May I just take a few moments to rant and rail in all my crazy hormonal frustration against the idiotic quirks this machine has put me through??? What? no? Sorry, you can’t say no. It’s my blog and I shall rant if I wish to and I do so there. (Wow, that felt strangely good to type…Instant regression back to the third grade) Anyway, back to the stuuuupid laptop.
    1) The battery decided to die on me. No gently tapering down or slowly losing it’s ability to hold a charge. ZAP. From one day to the next if the power cord is disconnected it DIES. Like, shuts the whole computer down and every program in it. So I call Apple Care and they have me download some patch that is supposed to fix the problem and tell me to wait 24 hours. I do as they instruct and it didn’t fix anything. So now I’m afraid to call back because I think they’ll want me to mail in the whole lap top so they can fix it and I JUST got everything set up on this one the way I want it! Feeling like all my efforts on this machine have been a total waste of time and besides, I don’t have a backup laptop to use if they end up needing this one for a couple of weeks while they fix it.
    2) It ate Iphoto. Yes, laugh if you must but it is true. It was there and now it isn’t. The ONLY thing we can possibly figure out happened is that Noelle decided to “play” on the keyboard and work her uncanny and dark magic. Seriously this kid can do more on a computer than one would think humanly possible. According to all the info I can find is that if it is deleted off the machine (which apparently she managed to do) you have to re load it from the original disks which I don’t think I have. And even if I do it’s a pain and I don’t want to have to do that.
    3) Because Mac’s have what some call that “really cool” charger feature with the magnet that holds it in place instead of it having an actual “plug” that would HOLD it there with any resistance worth the name the slightest “tug” causes the charger to disconnect at random times throughout the day. Having a Toddler around guarantees this. I’ll be doing live chat support, or writing an e-mail or any other work related project and BOOM. The screen goes black. I’ll look over and there will be Noelle with the cord around her foot or trying to drive a toy over the cord or simply standing behind it holding the cord in hand while trying to explain how it just HAPPENED to leap out and jump into her hand in baby babble. She knows it is a big “no no” to pull on the cord and her facial expressions when she gives into temptation would be hilarious if I wasn’t so dadgum frustrated. I then have to restart the machine and wait for it to load every program, reconnect to the internet, log back into whatever sites I was on etc etc etc. Let’s just say I spend an embarrassing amount of time each day simply waiting for it to work so I can work.

    Anyway. That is the end of my “I currently hate Apple products” tirade. Check back in with me after a couple of days on the road and I’ll be raving about how much I love the maps feature of my iPhone and how I couldn’t live without it’s inestimable coolness. Yes, I am woman. I will be changing my mind. Its guaranteed. The laptop may still be on probation for a long time though.

    I am off to bed. Will try to keep updated from the road over the next few days.

    Oh, by the way, does anybody know what the weather is like in Kansas City area these days? Trying to figure out what to pack and realized I have no idea what Kansas weather is like this time of year.

March 10, 2008

  • Days go by, Seasons change

    Our lives and the business seem to be going through yet another major change. Growth spurts in the company are usually paired with lots of extra work for us, and usually new personnel which then results in a time of us being able to “take it easy” for a while until the next big change comes up. A couple of the biggest changes have happened within a week or so. We hired a new couple on, plus another guy, lost an employee and last but not least John is leaving for Africa this coming week.

    I am working with training our new guys, looking for another employee, and doing a really poor job of Managing Customer Service inbetween. John has needed help tracking down misc. items for his trip. I still need to mix him up a “potion” for mosquitoes I came up with. He’s still bringing a commercial hunters bug spray liberally infused with Deet as backup but wants to give some natural stuff a try first. I think we finally got him everything else, now he just needs to pack. Going to miss that guy around here! A month will probably fly by though. If you think about it please keep him lifted up in prayer for his health and safety this coming month and for his team mates as well. Some of you may be familiar with Gospel Link and Dean Kershner. He is going to be traveling with that orgnization in a group headed up by Dean. Should be a fantastic experience for him!

    Got back into baking bread for the past couple of weeks. Steve’s parents have a wheat grinder and Bosch mixer that they haven’t used for a while so graciously have allowed me to borrow it until they want to use it again. It’s been nice having delicious homemade bread in the house again! Although quite honestly it does make me feel like a steriotypical homeschool graduate baking my own bread with freshly ground wheat. lol Cooking more “naturally” has been going a wee bit better lately. It has been helpful to get a lot of foods out of the house. If they aren’t around I’m not tempted to “cheat” and use them. Also made my first batch of cultured Sour Kraut. Made it nice and spicy for Steve based off of a South American Recipe taken out of Nourishing Traditions. Am trying to learn how to make one new recipe a week out of that. It is a GREAT book for those of you who are not familiar with it! Like a cookbook/text book on good nutrition and healthy eating all in one.

    Noelle continues on her quest to gain enough confidence to strike out on her own walking. She still occasionally takes the random step or two by herself but by and large prefers to have something close by as backup incase she loses her balance. Poor tyke has learned the hard way it’s just not worth falling too many times on our hardwood floors. She now has two bottom teeth incase I forgot and omitted that milestone in a previous post. Is working on a top one now. Her new favorite past-time is blowing kisses. She blows a kiss where most of us would say “Thank you” She is soooo cute puckering her chubby little face up and making a loud kissing sound. Just take my word for it that it is truly one of the most adorable things ever! Even from this admittedly very biased perspective.

    I spent this weekend being a totally lazy bum. We had planned on going hiking if the weather cooperated but we ended up getting snow Friday, Sat. and today. It has melted away but the cold/gloomy weather and a mild case of depression were enough to make me want to do absolutely nothing.

    Here’s hoping things get a little easier this next week.

February 26, 2008

  • Frustrating Individual

    So I am trying to get back into the customer service swing of things. One of the things I do is take all the IMs from the live chat support we have on our site. When a call comes in my computer “rings” like a phone and I know there is a message to respond to. So earlier today I click on the box as it rings and accept a call from someone I shall call RG.

    “I ordered DAYS ago and you CHARGED my card…It has been at least a WEEK and I STILL don’t have my PRODUCT! PLEASE ADVISE!!!!!!!”

    So I respond: “So very sorry. Give me just a moment to look up your order and find out what is going on.”

    “Ok. Thank you”

    (Insert about three or four minutes while I fight with our super slow internet to pull up the order)

    “Ma’am I apologize for the delay, I am having internet complications.”

    “Complications! What do you MEAN complications??”

    “What do you MEAN temporarily unavailable???? What does that MEAN????”

    Realizing that I have a rather volatile individual on my hands and concerned that I would get disconnected again before I could sort out what her problem was I asked for and received her phone number and gave her a call.

    THEN the real fun began.

    “This is crazy, just CRAZY I tell you. If you people are going to STEAL my money like this I am just going to report you to the Better Business Bureau!!!!”

    “Ma’am give me just a minute to find out what is going on. If there is something wrong I give you my word we will make it right.”

    FINALLY I get the information on her order and find out that she placed an order on Wednesday afternoon, we boxed it up and FedEx picked it up on Thursday. She paid for regular FedEx Ground delivery. According to the tracking information it was on the truck for delivery today.

    After explaining the apparently novel concept that FedEx Ground does not transport or deliver packages on weekends, and further explained that due to storms in various areas of the country some FedEx deliveries have experienced one to two day delays I was treated to this response…

    “Well, if they KNEW they were not going to deliver on the weekend they should have PLANNED for it and had it to me by Friday! I mean, if they know these things are going to happen they should plan accordingly for them and not make me suffer for their lack of followthrough. I expect a full refund and I am just so upset I could scream.”

    After a few minutes of me earnestly and painstakingly explaining some of the realities of shipping life to her and reassuring that she would get a full refund on everything if she wished I THOUGHT I had managed to successfully calm her down when I literally hear a scream on the other end. Later I put two and two together and realized that she had logged into her account on our website while we were talking. What followed was an ear blistering rant on us stealing her credit card and putting charges on it without her permission etc. etc. etc. How DARE we charge her card today???

    After another several minutes of confusion and anxiety on my part and wild threats on hers a light bulb went off for me. “Ma’am… Have you ever ordered such and such from us before?”
    “Why yes, several months ago.”
    “That is what you are seeing. That is the old order showing up on your account. We haven’t charged your card for anything today.”
    “Are you SURE???”
    “Yes, ma’m. Absolutely positive. That is your old order. Do you also see the order you placed last week? Yes? Good. Those are the only two orders you have ever placed with us.”

    By the end of the conversation with her I was about ready to scream myself and get down on my knees and beg the woman to never buy anything from us ever again. Her hysteria, wild accusations and feeble grip on reality was enough to make my stomach churn. Later I went back and looked at her order…Yup. Sure enough. Every hormone balancing product we carry. If EVER anybody needed help in that area it’s probably her! So, I don’t know whether to be selfish and hope that she returns the products and we can refund her and go merrily on our way, or be selfless and hope that she takes the products for her poor families sake. I cannot imagine living with an individual like that day in and day out.

    Yeah, people like that are why I have my moments of totally hating customer service.

    Bleh, thankfully tomorrow is another day!!

February 24, 2008

  • Catching Up

    Feels like a long time since I have taken the time to sit down and blog! Everytime something happens that I feel is blogworthy somethings happens, I don’t get around to it and before you know it whatever it was is old news.

    So, abbreviated notes version of the past few weeks.

    - Work: I am now managing Customer Service for our company. I mostly love it, occasionally get enormously frustrated with it and rarely hate it. Most days it’s not bad at all. The business keeps us busy as usual. We are excited to get a new couple on board! They are supposed to get here the first week of March. Will be a crazy couple of weeks for them and us getting them settled in and trained.

    - Tornadoes: Yup. We had a couple come through this area. Ourselves, property and home were spared, however just a few miles from us got hit pretty hard. We were out visiting friends the night they hit and had no idea. Driving home we had quite the time of it because several Hwy’s were covered over in trees.

    - Travel: We are traveling through MO and to KS the last week and a half or so in March. I am really excited!

    - Computer: I am now the not so proud user of a Mac laptop. It has been quite the learning curve for me to figure out the unique quirks and foibles. For example it is giving me fits right now because it won’t allow me to post smiley faces or pictures in my Xanga post. Yet another thing to figure out. In the meantime if you want to see the latest pictures of Noelle they should be showing up in the film strip on the lefthand side of the homepage.

    To borrow an ending from Emfriend…BompBomp…The end!

February 2, 2008

  • Insomnia Induced Crazy Ramble

    Such an official word to simply say “I can’t sleep.”  Tis true though… I can’t and it is nearly 3 AM.  This is becoming a real problem.  Going on my third, or is it fourth night of very  little and broken sleep.  My brain just will.not.shut.off.

    Rather than lying there dying of boredom I’ve brought a laptop to bed with me awaiting my brain falling pray to numbing exhaustion and letting me get a few hours of fitful rest.

    Our days are so full these days.  Overflowing, bursting at the seams.   We are running in a couple of dozen directions all at once.  Sometimes I wonder how on earth I can get everything done that really, honest and truly needs to be done.  I’ve cut out most of the non essentials long ago…Ok, well, not ALL of them, I still haunt my favorite sites at least a minute or two per day but lots of other used to be past-times have fallen away.   Now essentials like laundry and household management are also falling away …I am still struggling to hold onto my goals of serving healthy/from scratch homecooked meals to my family but it’s gotten to where a great week is where I have managed to cook one meal per day. 

    I love working with my husband.  I don’t mean just living with him, loving, paying the bills together, raising our daughter…I mean the actual business/work/professional part of our lives.  It has brought me more satisfaction than I have ever had from a job that actually earned a pay check worthy of the name.  In this area we have discovered that we truly are well matched and make a fantastic team.  So totally different in personalities and strengths, yet learning to be able to play to the others strengths, and protect the others weaknesses, learn and grow this company together.  As we face new challenges at every turn (Mostly due to rapid growth) we have to re group, problem solve and learn anew.  This is a part of my life that is so dear to me.

    Dearer still is our Doodles, and lagging far behind it all is our home.  NEVER a good household manager under best of circumstances now having genuine reason to get behind sealed the cluttered fate of our poor home.  Steve witnessed my plight,  my agony of guilt over simply not being able to do it all and decided that it is time I got some help.   Someone will be coming to help me by doing light housework two days a week for a couple of hours.  I can’t WAIT.  Will be such a relief not to have this constant emotional burden and feeling like an insufficient homemaker.  This will also free up a little more time for me to focus on what I really do and truly love doing for my family…Cooking nutritious meals.  Hopefully I’ll be able to do more than one meal every day now.  This too should help with the panicky feeling I used to get every time company came.  Simply no time to prepare the house as I wished and so there is always a feeling of being un prepared.  I love having company but I hate the pre company scramble/panic/rush that I was almost always invariably reduced to.

    Our Doodles is growing so fast.  She has her first tooth.  Is almost nine months old.  Trying very hard to walk everywhere instead of crawl…Unfortunately she lacks the confidence to step out on her own and when the furniture handholds run out she loudly requests hands to help her get where she needs to go.  I have taken to ignoring her requests which forces her to succumb to the indignity of crawling.  The other day she had to crawl all the way from the kitchen, through the dining room, and then through the living room to get to me in our bedroom.  I heard her complaining and growling to herself all the way but what cracked me up was the look she gave me as soon as she saw me.  Plopping on her bottom with a tired “Oomph” sound she gave me the most pathetic and indignant look I have ever seen as if to say “Do you know how FAR that is to CRAWL??  On hard floors all the way no less… Oh the indignities I must suffer…Mom, you should feel very guilty.  Very guilty indeed.”  I couldn’t help but turn my back to hide my giggles at her theatrics. 

    I love our crazy, busy world.  Alternately adore it and am so glad to never have the opportunity to be bored with feeling as though I will never catch up, that there is more on my plate than I will ever be able to handle and that one day one of the really important balls I am trying to juggle is going to come crashing down leaving chaos and havoc in it’s wake.  It’s a struggle for me.  A huge struggle.  I am a very task oriented, type A perfectionist.  The whole blonde, bubbly air head thing is mostly a front.  Not to say I don’t have my genuine moments! lol But really and truly all my heart desires is that whatever I do, that I do it well. I feel so sad having to come yet again to the realization that there is no way perfection will ever come from me.  There is no level of perfection I will ever obtain, and I will not be able to make the right judgment call over what is most important all of the time. 

    Years ago I used to paint ceramics.  Occasionally I would get a piece finished that was perfect.  Absolutely beautiful in every single detail.  Every eye lash in place.  Every colored fleck of the eye complete.  The hair textured.  A feeling of such unspeakable joy would fill me at having done it right.  At having been able to create something that was beautiful and as perfect as it could realistically be.  Something unique that could never be duplicated.  Occasionally I would attain that level of satisfaction out of playing a piece of music.  It would flow from me with such power and emotion moving expression I would sit trembling after it was over knowing that the piece had been played as perfectly as I was capable of playing it.  My life does not have room for even tiny glimpses of perfection like that anymore.  They are missed.  I still long to do just one or two things well, perfectly  To feel again that satisfaction of having done something as well as I possibly could…But then I look over at our sleeping daughter.  The her lips are exquisite.  Her eyes wide set with long lashes.  Her petite nose just barely upturned.  Cheeks just chubby enough…   In a purely physical sense she is perfection deeper and more complex than I have ever dreamed of attaining.  And I realize, in my heart of hearts if my life were to end today, the most important work of my life has been done.  God used me to bring forth a totally unique soul into this world.  She is the most beautiful and perfect work of art making my previous efforts fade into nothingness by comparison.

    My prayer is that God will keep the important things, the things of true importance first in my heart and mind.  That the millions of details and tiny tasks that beg for my attention from work, social life and responsibility, home and community do not successfully steal my patience, kindness and love from those closest to me.

    Time for me to attempt sleep yet again…

     

January 24, 2008

  • Five Generations…

    The week before Christmas we traveled down to GA and got to spend some time with my Mom’s side of the family.  Here is a really cool picture…Noelle makes FIVE living generations. 

    L-R: Me, Noelle (in the back)Granny Roberts, Grandma Wilson and my Mom.  I am so glad Granny Wilson got to see her.  Our chubby little Doodlebugs highlighted how very frail she has become.  It was hard to see her that way.  Steve got to meet her for the first time so that was special too!

    Noelle got to hang out a little with her Great Grandaddy Roberts.  He thinks she is a very special and pretty girl.

January 18, 2008

  • About time for a new Adventure

    Feels like it has been months since I have posted a real, honest to goodness, picture free post.  I look back at my posts from years ago now from my days of singlehood.  Ah, to have that much time to write funny stories again! It is slightly embarrassing to have turned into one of those “Picture Posts” only people.  I used to secretly think it was just because they were lazy and didn’t have anything better in their life going on other than their kids.  The first part is false, but the second part is definitely true!

    I am toying with the idea of writing a book.  This would be laughable to anybody who knew how all my previous attempts at writing a book began and tragically ended.  Perhaps even laughable to think that I would ever attempt it in the first place.  I always start the same way.  Great idea, engaging characters etc etc etc.  Excitedly write away on it.  Start getting it out on paper, tweak it around until it has the style and flow that I want.  Get bored.  Quit writing.  Wish someone else would finish it for me.  Feel guilty that it isn’t finished so try not to think about it.   Bury it away until a new idea/story line strikes me and start process all over again.  This time though, I am really thinking about DOING it and FINISHING it.  I think underlying fear of rejection has held me back in the past.  If I never finish it, it’ll never hurt that it doesn’t get published. 

    Perhaps I am finally mature enough not to care.  To put the effort into getting the thing written out for ME.  Just so I can say I did.  Just so it’s done.   Steve has been so marvelously supportive of me in this.  Now it’s just up to me to  make it happen or not.  Although I feel more ready than I have ever been there is still the side of me that wants to hold back, to wait, to put it off yet again… Meh.  Enough of that.

    I think I shall begin this new adventure with the goal of finishing.  Not expecting anything amazing, or even good. I’ll be content with mediocrity.  Just to have a finished product will be a cool thing for me. 

    So let it be written…So let it be done!

December 28, 2007

  • Christmas Day

    We spent a quiet and peaceful Christmas at home this year.

    It was Doodles first time to open presents.  It was a lot of fun for us to watch!

    Noelle AKA Doodles still in her pink PJ’s and her pink fleece vest (Compliments of her friend Emmy!)

    Grandma Tallent helping her un wrap her presents from her cousin Amanda.
    “Can I eat it Dad?”

    “Thanks.  MmMmm.  Tasty.”

    Playing with the puzzle ‘Mandy gave her.

    Today she got to wear one of the adorable outfits she got from Amanda.


    I gave her some frozen bread to gnaw on.  Figured it was healthier for her than eating dead lady bugs off the floor.  We’ve had an absolute infestation of them.  They pour into the house faster than we can keep them vacuumed up.

    She is definitely fully mobile now and is as a result a much happier baby.  She crawls her way around really well and constantly surprises me with how fast she can get from point A to point B.

December 26, 2007

  • Clones

    Noelle and her Daddy are so much alike.  Aside from the whole gender thing they could be clones.  Their baby pictures look so much a like it is just uncanny.  I was able to get these pictures a few weeks ago and haven’t had a chance to post them until now.

    Both sleeping.  Both have their hands over their eyes.


    Just a few minutes later in sync the hands fall away and flop down.

      I thought it was hilarious.  So glad I was finally able to sneak out of the room, grab the camera and capture it.  The other times I tried to get pictures of it they woke up with identical indignant expressions upon their sleep befuddled faces.

    They are both so wonderful.

December 20, 2007

  • Vacation in Helen GA

    Steve, Noelle and I have spent the past week in Helen GA.  It has been a wonderful time of rest and relaxation.  A MUCH needed break from our hectic lives.  Noelle is recovering from a cold but has had a good week in spite of it.  Without further ado…Pictures!

    Steve and Noelle watching the water.


    Daddy and Me


    Steve and his Baby Girl

    Our Little Funny Face

    Doodles and I having fun


    Swinging Around, Look and Noelles jolly little face!


    Noelle and I in the Hansel and Gretel Chocolate Store.  She’s not as thrilled about the chocolate as I am.  She’ll learn. lol

    We head home tomorrow.  Although it’s been good to get away and have a break it will also be very good to get back home and start organizing and cleaning our messy house!