Reading Suggestion (Twice attempted)

About a woman who moved to Nebraska in the mid-1800's before it was a state. Based on the authors' mother who really did move to the Nebraska area at that time... Written in 1928 originally - somewhat of an "American Classic"...

Tick Tick Tick BOOM

we're celebrating our 1,000 post this upcoming week! remember when we first started? oddly enough i just finished watching another movie with julie delpy as a lead character. coincidence? mm.

if you're one of the author of the 1,000 post, you get the grande prize from me! and if you come close (1001-1005), you can have a little present, too.

note: on amtrak & ipod usage

if you ever live near railroad tracks & there happens to be a walking trail on the other side of the railroad tracks...and if you have to cross over those railroad tracks after a long day with lots get-in-trouble behavior from your kids and so your head isn't really clear & all you want to do is run & run & run on that trail & tune out for 30 minutes while listening to some avril lavigne, let me give you this piece of advice:

don't listen to your ipod before you cross those tracks. don't try to make a playlist while walking & listening. because if you do, you might come closer to being hit by a train than you ever thought possible. you might not feel the amtrak train coming just a few hundred yards away like you thought you would. and you might have one of the biggest scares of your life & that run that you thought would be really therapeutic will actually be full of scared and thankful tears.

NO ANNIE DILLARD

CORRECTION: i think the annie dillard novel is probably only available in hard cover. this is hard on the wallet & i bet it'll be hard to across at the library. and it's longer than i thought.

how's that book you posted about for length, alicia? i didn't get a chance to see the link.

Happy 4th Birthday, Buddy.

I love this kid.

going back to harlan

you have to be kidding me: emmylou harris at harrah's in council bluffs on friday, july 6th?! but it's true. i hope, for my sake, you will go.

to see that white-headed wonder again. seriously.

or meet me in st. louis on saturday, july 7th. free concert. free fireworks. oh goodness!

Two Invitations

Anyone for Shakespeare on the Green Friday night?
6:00 (i'll put down a couple of blankets earlier)
bring your favorite picnic finger-food to share, a lawn chair and a citronella candle, if you have one...

leave a comment if you can come, so i know how much space we need...

AND

my sister emily's giving me a baby shower on saturday, july 7th, and i'd be so pleased if any whocares women wanted to come! for the details, you can click the invite jpg. the shower will be at the whealy house (i think most of you have been there before) at 10 am. if you think you can make it, you can either leave a reply or throw her an email. :)

aldi

i will briefly sing the praises of ALDI again. i haven't been able to plan our grocery shopping there since henry was born. it's a bit much to have all three kids at the grocery story. so we made monday nights "mama goes for groceries" night, with no kids. and let me tell you, friends, this family of five got our week's groceries for $38. i even purchased some pre-sliced stir-fry veggies & splurged on some special purchase chicken.

warning: once you shop at ALDI & are convinced of the savings you receive, you may experience guilt when shopping elsewhere.

Perry Party Pics

All of you who were able to make it, Thanks. It was a great day!
(click the post title for the link my good friend Teri Ispas created).

my favorite clearance item in awhile

One Year Later

since most of you haven't seen violet in a year...here she is. taken after a rain storm.

Darby and Andrew on Youtube

let’s get together and build a tabernacle

i can't believe this. bill mallonee, lead singer of "vigilantes of love", is performing at THE FOUNDRY in benson tomorrow night. what a show to see! the duet that he recorded with emmylou harris ("resplendent") is absolutely heartbreaking & yet the questions resounds in my soul:

how much of this was meant to be?
how much the work of the devil?

and also...if you go (which you should!!)..request the song "love cocoon". kicked outta "christian" music for celebrating married love?! CMON! gimmee a break!! THAT'S WHY I WANT U TO REQUEST IT!

anyhow, if i were there, i'd go. PASTE magazine's 65th greatest living songwriter. GO SEE HIM!

Just a reminder that
ya'll are invited over tomorrow
for the big bash at our place!

the kindness of strangers

so on monday, i got home from my big loop through iowa, illinois, kentucky, virginia, north carolina, south carolina, georgia, alabama, mississippi, tennessee, akansas, oklahoma, and missouri, and waiting amongst the mail on my bed at my return was a super sweet sari bari blanket addressed to me! no note or anything or explanation of how it came to me. but it's really lovely, and i would like to be able to thank the sender. anybody know anything? somehow i doubt it's a secret admirer...

just one

i think this is my all-time favorite piece of candy. coconut! oh sweet coconut!

you have a favorite candy?
(of course you do: don't lie)

A message to moms (regarding an incident last Sunday)

Make sure you keep a better eye on your 18 month old at church than I do. Otherwise, guess what she'll be guzzling out of, much to your dismay. (Thank goodness she choose the juice, not the wine.)

so tell me what you want...

so sistaz, let's talk about iowa city. who's going?

and what should we do?! watch a movie together at the inn? read a book again? fiction? non-fiction? self-help? mystery? horror?

post your thoughts, ideas, suggestions.

Help Me Process

We visited a new church on Sunday. After finding a seat, getting everyone situated, I opened the bulletin & read this:

Parents:

Cherry Hills values children! However, our worship services are not designed for younger children, especially late-infant to early-elementary children. We strive to offer an excellent, safe environment for all children (infant to 5th grade), where they can grow spiritually. This allows you as parents (and those seated near you) to worship without distraction. If a young child remains with you, please sit near an exit and take talking or fussy children to the cry room promptly.

I need some help processing my frustration with this being printed on the opening flap of their bulletin. I'm visiting the church, sitting in the sanctuary with my family (3 children that the service is NOT DESIGNED FOR), and read this welcome (was posted right after "Welcome to Cherry Hills"). Help Me Process.

happy birthday

happy birthday, a.m.

long island

megan's post is really funny.

the votes are in...

thanks to all who voted in the baby whealy poll! the universe ignored your prediction of a girl and has given us a boy!!!

having heard whocares mums singing the praises of boys, i'm super excited to meet our little kiddo.

fun times

Summer Fun

thought i'd post some photos from the last who cares breakfast and ali's grad party. grand times! i'm looking forward to seeing some KY (not the jelly) photos up here soon!

also, the blurry baby/hospital pics are for those of you who might know the brandts who just had their third this weekend. baby girl brandt still has no name, but tons of hair and cuteness.

be good.

i've said it before: it's hard for me to sleep when visitors are in the house. and, really, i could care less (anymore) how much sleep i get. i LOVE having company. as jason prayed at dinner this evening, "thank you for friends & loved ones around the table." this is my sub-conscious sentiment every night that we have visitors come. i just love it. wholly & truly.

ali, darby, & brooke arrived this evening & we had a grande thin crust pizza, a nice talk about farting, & a 2 mile walk to the gas station & back. we had some great conversation & lots of laughs. what may be commonplace for them was something of a milestone for me--i have missed such easy kinship. after being in illinois, i've gotten used to (and worn down by) the social awkwardness that is so inherent to this geographical location. what a salve to have good friends arrive & to affirm that this place isn't the bermuda triangle for openness.

so, by my standards we're leaving late tomorrow morning & driving to lexington, KY. we're meeting up with my old college pal, korrie, to see the be good tanyas record a radio show at the kentucky theatre. i saw "microcosmos" at that theater on valentine's day ten years ago (while in college). also, i dumped my boyfriend that same night. couldn't have been any more romantic! and now we'll see the be good tanyas perform (henry in tote) & i could not be more excited. i hope i sleep at least an hour or two tonight.

let this be a lesson to all of you: WE LOVE VISITORS. WE LOVE VISITORS. WE LIVE NEAR A RAILWAY STATION. WE HAVE KAYAKS. more importantly...we offer easy friendship & immediate love for you & yours. and also: amazing things CAN happen on monday evenings. if i don't poop my pants from excitement, i'll post some pictures from the show next week.

o!

we're moving back! june 29th. to a little brick duplex off of 55th & center. got a to-do list and am checking it twice. 19 days and counting. sayonara, iowa!

Dyer Family Vacation

I think we're ready for our first family vacation. We're wanting to find a secluded-ish cabin with 1 or 2 bedrooms. We'd like to maybe kayak or canoe, bike ride, etc. with the kids. We've thought about Mahoney-- but it is SO busy. We're up to driving 5+ hours from here. Do any of you have a recommendations for me? Thanks guys.

coulda been a contenda

been listening to npr lately? they've been recruiting members of the public, yes, the public, to compete in a "next-great-radio-host" contest.

i've been following the contest, since your friend and mine, jonathan h. (married to monica), submitted an entry. it was a really great entry, too! alas, jonathan didn't make it to the final 10. BUT.

the final 10 are sort of fun and interesting, if you're into that sort of thing...the radio...and this american life and whatnot...so, here's a link to the top 10 finalists to be the next great radio host, complete with their pictures and the audio spots they submitted.

the midwest is well represented here, with three of the ten finalists hailing from caron's back yard, the great state of illinois. my favorites: rebecca watson, anne glickman, carrie kaufman. and i want bee jellyfish's hair.

go

i bought a mini-edition of van gogh paintings a few months ago for annabelle to look through. we looked through the pages & i asked her which paintings she liked the most. she loves this one.

i forgot about the book until yesterday. we were in the kitchen & annabelle said to me, "mom, i put a book under my bed & i look at it in the morning when i wake up. and at night, too." i asked her what book she was talking about & she told me to come up stairs with her. underneath the foot of her bed, next to the van gogh book, was the flashlight she got for her birthday, a little marker & a notebook, some stickers aunt chari sent, another sticker book ali gave her last year, & three quarters.

i haven't asked her if she uses the flashlight to look at the book after we tuck her in. i was just so happy that she showed me her stash.

aldi

those of you who check the motherload blog may already know this... but, aldi has a new meal planning site. i don't know how many of you shop at aldi, but this site is amazing... you can view a bunch of different recipes made with only aldi items, click which recipes you plan to make, and it makes up a shopping list for you!

anyway, i am in awe. i will be shopping at aldi more. for sure.

"i do not want what i have not got"

i just spent an hour on various baby gear websites, trying to research cheap/safe/environmentally-friendly/aesthetically pleasing baby stuff, and am utterly overwhelmed. would the moms in the group throw out a few of your favorite essential baby items? stuff you can't live without? much obliged...

For fans of Arrested Development's Michael Cera

click the link in the title for an article hailing cera as the next great comic genius...

the skinny on ali's graduation party

Heres the follow up info on ali's grad party. It's going to be really fun so you better be there. It'll be at the Fowlers home (email me if you need the address) on Saturday, June 9, 7:30pm.

We'll grill out and have some cake and FUN and celebrate Ali completing her master's degree at Creighton University. Please RSVP to me and also -- we're looking for a few volunteers to bring side dishes so let me know if you wanna.

I hope you all can come!

Skincare

Hey friends. I was was just wondering if you had any recommendations for a natural skin-care regimen. And, not expensive. I've been on a hunt for cleanser and moisturizer and sunscreen that do not have a lot of additives but also unscented-- I have very sensitive skin. Hard to find. Thanks!