So we called the Energy Trust of Oregon to come and give us a free home energy report. Nothing fancy, just let us know if we are missing anything besides insulation (we live in an old house with no or very little insulation).
A very laid back energy guy came over right on time. He was the epitome of an Oregonian. A little crunchy granola, wearing the Columbia Sportswear jacket and hikers. I'm sure in the spring he wears Birkenstocks. Anyway he was so laid back I swore he fell asleep a few times.
He told us we don't have insulation in the walls (surprise!) and we need to insulate our heating ducts. We also don't have any insulation under our floors except for a strip right down the middle of our house. Why? We have no idea. Next year we will be installing radiant floor heating and then insulating the crawl space so our toes will not be frostbitten in the winter.
He gave us a new shower head and faucet thingies that help conserve water. Also about half a dozen shiny new flourescent bulbs. So we scored about $50 of new stuff!
He didn't really tell us anything we didn't know and I thought he would give us more tips but hey it was free. What I found most interesting however was the Engery guy and Brian were leaving the lights on in every room they examined. I had to go and turn them off. Hummm....
Monday, December 18, 2006
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Are we crazy?
We bought Marco's brother. So now we have two puppies. It will be a good decision in the long run as we actually want to leave the house without Marco. Marco and Finn are best friends and will keep each other company when we have to go out somewhere. Finn is so loving and loves nothing more than to crawl up into your lap and lick your face. When Graedon cries, he's the first one over with some kisses. We really love Finn and he fits in well. Here is Finn.
In other news, I went for an ultrasound last Thursday because my doctor measured me at 13 weeks when I thought I was only 11.5 weeks. Turns out I am 13 weeks! Yeah, I gained a week. We got to see our little guy (*note we don't know for sure if he/she is a boy/girl but I have a feeling it is a boy*). He is so cute and perfect and I guess I really am pregnant. The morning sickness is starting to go away and I'm feeling a little better. Just started walking, weight lifting and Tae Bo-ing this week and it feels good to workout again. I'm going to ask for a balance ball and a pregnancy pilates dvd for Christmas. Trying to avoid the 50lb weight gain that I have with every pregnancy yeah right. I do lose it all but I sure hate carrying all that weight.
The girls are in our church's Christmas play and I have been busy sewing two angel costumes and one magi dress. They turned out great and the girls love them. I'll get some pics posted later. I really have missed sewing and hope to get back to it soon (oh and I miss the $$ from it too - Mama needs a new van. :)
Grae just woke up from his nap all pink cheeked and adorable so I need to go cover him with kisses.
In other news, I went for an ultrasound last Thursday because my doctor measured me at 13 weeks when I thought I was only 11.5 weeks. Turns out I am 13 weeks! Yeah, I gained a week. We got to see our little guy (*note we don't know for sure if he/she is a boy/girl but I have a feeling it is a boy*). He is so cute and perfect and I guess I really am pregnant. The morning sickness is starting to go away and I'm feeling a little better. Just started walking, weight lifting and Tae Bo-ing this week and it feels good to workout again. I'm going to ask for a balance ball and a pregnancy pilates dvd for Christmas. Trying to avoid the 50lb weight gain that I have with every pregnancy yeah right. I do lose it all but I sure hate carrying all that weight.The girls are in our church's Christmas play and I have been busy sewing two angel costumes and one magi dress. They turned out great and the girls love them. I'll get some pics posted later. I really have missed sewing and hope to get back to it soon (oh and I miss the $$ from it too - Mama needs a new van. :)
Grae just woke up from his nap all pink cheeked and adorable so I need to go cover him with kisses.
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Here he is....
Everything came together perfectly so we feel confident God meant us to have Marco. The weather was perfect and sunny, the van we rented turned out to be the same type as the one we are going to buy and I didn't feel too sick on the trip!
Our rest stop on the way to Newport was the Lincoln City Beach. Graedon had so much fun at the ocean. He couldn't stop running and chasing the sea gulls. It was hard to get back in the van but the pull of the pup couldn't be overcome.
We made it to the breeders right on schedule and were greeted to about 5 male puppies all trying to get our attention. The first on that came out barked at us for a long time so we knew that wasn't the pup for us. A sweet little puppy came up calmly to greet Graedon and I so we kept our eye on that one. Another little one came to greet an anxious Ellie and treated her to a lick on the face.
The breeders were really nice and obviously cared about their dogs. After about 30 minutes of checking out the puppies we knew that the first puppy that greeted us was ours. He even crawled into Maddie’s lap while his brothers were play fighting with each other. We loaded him up in the crate we brought for him and were on our way.
He HATED the crate and whined for awhile. He then threw up and went to sleep. We only had to make one stretching stop on the way home. Marco was glad to get out of the van just as much as we were.
He sniffed his way around the house, ate all the old food on the floor, went outside to do his business, snuggled in his fleece blanket we bought him and went to sleep. He is the most mellow puppy we have ever seen. He's so gentle with Graedon and lets Grae lay all over him. All Grae gets is a lick.
Whippets are very thin skinned and don't have much fur so I made a fleece backed nylon jacket for him to wear outside. This was my test pattern so it doesn't fit him to well. At least he wasn't shivering while he was out playing with the kids.
Our rest stop on the way to Newport was the Lincoln City Beach. Graedon had so much fun at the ocean. He couldn't stop running and chasing the sea gulls. It was hard to get back in the van but the pull of the pup couldn't be overcome.
We made it to the breeders right on schedule and were greeted to about 5 male puppies all trying to get our attention. The first on that came out barked at us for a long time so we knew that wasn't the pup for us. A sweet little puppy came up calmly to greet Graedon and I so we kept our eye on that one. Another little one came to greet an anxious Ellie and treated her to a lick on the face.
The breeders were really nice and obviously cared about their dogs. After about 30 minutes of checking out the puppies we knew that the first puppy that greeted us was ours. He even crawled into Maddie’s lap while his brothers were play fighting with each other. We loaded him up in the crate we brought for him and were on our way.
He HATED the crate and whined for awhile. He then threw up and went to sleep. We only had to make one stretching stop on the way home. Marco was glad to get out of the van just as much as we were.
He sniffed his way around the house, ate all the old food on the floor, went outside to do his business, snuggled in his fleece blanket we bought him and went to sleep. He is the most mellow puppy we have ever seen. He's so gentle with Graedon and lets Grae lay all over him. All Grae gets is a lick.
Whippets are very thin skinned and don't have much fur so I made a fleece backed nylon jacket for him to wear outside. This was my test pattern so it doesn't fit him to well. At least he wasn't shivering while he was out playing with the kids.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
We're getting a puppy!
Not much has been going on here lately. We had a nice Thanksgiving. Thursday we drove to Keizer to Brian's brother and sister-in-laws house. What was supposed to be a 1 hour trip turned into an almost 2 hour trip. I drove because I make a horribly sick/throw up passenger while in my first trimester. Well a 2 hour trip made me a horribly sick/throw up driver. Needless to say by the time we got there, food was the last thing on my mind.
Saturday was Thanksgiving at my house with my Dad, brother & family and sister & family. We provided the turkey (brined of course) as well the potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie, apple pie, crackers/cheese/sausage/chips/pickles/olive plate. Sounds like a lot but it really was no problem.
I adore my neices and nephews. My sister has one girl and twin boys who are hilarious. My brother has two girls and then twin girls. I am the only one that doesn't have twins. Do I want them now? I don't think so. Well.....maybe. I guess I don't really have a say in the matter though.
We decided to add to our family and get a puppy. Our criteria was that it didn't shed very much, didn't stink, was quiet, good with kids, wasn't too small, loved walks and didn't really bark. We found exactly that dog. It is a whippet.
Saturday was Thanksgiving at my house with my Dad, brother & family and sister & family. We provided the turkey (brined of course) as well the potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie, apple pie, crackers/cheese/sausage/chips/pickles/olive plate. Sounds like a lot but it really was no problem.
I adore my neices and nephews. My sister has one girl and twin boys who are hilarious. My brother has two girls and then twin girls. I am the only one that doesn't have twins. Do I want them now? I don't think so. Well.....maybe. I guess I don't really have a say in the matter though.
We decided to add to our family and get a puppy. Our criteria was that it didn't shed very much, didn't stink, was quiet, good with kids, wasn't too small, loved walks and didn't really bark. We found exactly that dog. It is a whippet.
This is a generic picture of a full grown whippet. The whippet is smaller than a greyhound but larger than an italian greyhound. We are so excited to finally get a dog. The girls are bouncing off the walls with anticipation. There is a breeder with 3 month old pups for sale in Newport (at the beach). We rented a 12 passenger van and are driving there on Saturday. Our van is only a 7 passenger with no cargo space for a dog crate. Yes we are getting a new 12 passenger Chevy Express Bus Van in April.
I'll post a pic when we actually have the little guy with us. So far God has brought all things together to get the puppy. I told the girls that 4 things need to be met before we can go get the puppy on Saturday.
1. The breeder actually had them for sale and they had a male. -Check
2. The breeder didn't want our first born for payment-Check.
3. We are able to rent a 12 passenger van for the weekend on short notice-Check (& I found a 25% off coupon)
4. The mountain pass didn't have anymore snow. - Still up in the air but the weather report seems favorable.
So we'll see.....
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Just a bee...
I was on the phone with Brian the other day and feeling a lot of morning sickness. All of the kids were upstairs playing. Suddenly I hear a scream, then two, then three. These were heart stopping - somebodies dying screams. I started running upstairs. I think I took the steps 6 at a time.
All the while, I'm thinking that something has happened to Graedon, he's bleeding to death, he fell down the stairs, he's trapped. I hear Ellie screaming "Get Graedon, get Graedon." For some reason I was still gripping the phone.
When I got to the top of the stairs, there was Graedon looking at me with tears in his eyes. Lauren grabbed him and took him to her room. I was so frantic, I couldn't get the upstairs gate open. So I kicked it. Didn't work and hurt my toe. Finally, I wrenched it free and ran to Lauren's room.
Ava was hiding beside Lauren's bed but looked fine. Ellie was in her bed and was fine. Maddie was crying. Graedon was holding a toy and was fine. Lauren was holding Grae and was fine. I looked around for the blood, protruding bones, smashed heads and didn't see anything. So I sank to the ground to catch my breath and try not to throw up.
"What on earth happened?" I roared. "I don't see anything wrong."
"There was a bee in my room," said Maddie.
"A bee. A small stinkin bee. I rushed up the stairs to save you from a bee? Was the bee chasing you? Did the bee sting you? Did the bee ask you for directions to Baskin Robbins - cause that would freak me out too." I asked not so calmly.
"No, it just scared me. I don't like bees." replied Maddie.
I can not begin to tell you how frustrated I was. I was prepared to call the ambulance, to look at a crime scene, I didn't know what. The screams were that awful.
Turns out it was just Maddie screaming in terror. Ellie was screaming because Maddie was screaming. She didn't know what was going on. Graedon was crying because his sisters were screaming and running past him. Lauren was trying to shout "Calm down."
I went to Maddie's room, found the bee (no it wasn't a wasp Maddie) and killed it with Ava's shoe. I left it in the window and told Maddie she didn't have to worry anymore and she had better not react that way again to an insect. It is alright to be scared of bugs but it is not alright to scream bloody murder.
I did devise a plan to fetch the dead bee when Maddie was sleeping and tell her it came back to life when she was sleeping and that I didn't know where it was - but Ava beat me to it and threw it away before bed. Not that I would have actually carried out my plan. 'Cause I am a perfect Mom and would never intentionally try to scare them. ;)
All the while, I'm thinking that something has happened to Graedon, he's bleeding to death, he fell down the stairs, he's trapped. I hear Ellie screaming "Get Graedon, get Graedon." For some reason I was still gripping the phone.
When I got to the top of the stairs, there was Graedon looking at me with tears in his eyes. Lauren grabbed him and took him to her room. I was so frantic, I couldn't get the upstairs gate open. So I kicked it. Didn't work and hurt my toe. Finally, I wrenched it free and ran to Lauren's room.
Ava was hiding beside Lauren's bed but looked fine. Ellie was in her bed and was fine. Maddie was crying. Graedon was holding a toy and was fine. Lauren was holding Grae and was fine. I looked around for the blood, protruding bones, smashed heads and didn't see anything. So I sank to the ground to catch my breath and try not to throw up.
"What on earth happened?" I roared. "I don't see anything wrong."
"There was a bee in my room," said Maddie.
"A bee. A small stinkin bee. I rushed up the stairs to save you from a bee? Was the bee chasing you? Did the bee sting you? Did the bee ask you for directions to Baskin Robbins - cause that would freak me out too." I asked not so calmly.
"No, it just scared me. I don't like bees." replied Maddie.
I can not begin to tell you how frustrated I was. I was prepared to call the ambulance, to look at a crime scene, I didn't know what. The screams were that awful.
Turns out it was just Maddie screaming in terror. Ellie was screaming because Maddie was screaming. She didn't know what was going on. Graedon was crying because his sisters were screaming and running past him. Lauren was trying to shout "Calm down."
I went to Maddie's room, found the bee (no it wasn't a wasp Maddie) and killed it with Ava's shoe. I left it in the window and told Maddie she didn't have to worry anymore and she had better not react that way again to an insect. It is alright to be scared of bugs but it is not alright to scream bloody murder.
I did devise a plan to fetch the dead bee when Maddie was sleeping and tell her it came back to life when she was sleeping and that I didn't know where it was - but Ava beat me to it and threw it away before bed. Not that I would have actually carried out my plan. 'Cause I am a perfect Mom and would never intentionally try to scare them. ;)
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Can't wait for tonight!
If it wasn't that half the people in this house are either throwing up or feeling like it I would totally have an election night party. I can't wait for 8:00 pm to roll around when the polls are closed and the results trickle in.
Politics get my blood pumping. I worked at the Oregon State Capitol during one session as a Legislative Assistant in 1995 (right before my oldest was born). I LOVED it. Loved sitting in on session and committees. Loved the behind the scenes deals. Those who have gripes about politicians need to work for one and see how hard it is to get anything done. It is not pretty but is necessary.
Anyway if Veronica Mars isn't on, the channel will be permantely fixed on results. We have a couple of pretty important races (Governor) and ballot measures (Parental Notification before a minor can get an abortion, Property Rights, Judicial Boundries). Oregon is a liberal state so I don't have much hope for the Parental Notification but hopefully it will do well.
Hopefully the school funding measures will go down. If not than we can expect up hundreds of dollars to be added to our property tax bill. We don't even use these services as we homeschool so I don't want to be taxed for them. Don't even get me started on public education.... ;)
10 more hours to go....
Politics get my blood pumping. I worked at the Oregon State Capitol during one session as a Legislative Assistant in 1995 (right before my oldest was born). I LOVED it. Loved sitting in on session and committees. Loved the behind the scenes deals. Those who have gripes about politicians need to work for one and see how hard it is to get anything done. It is not pretty but is necessary.
Anyway if Veronica Mars isn't on, the channel will be permantely fixed on results. We have a couple of pretty important races (Governor) and ballot measures (Parental Notification before a minor can get an abortion, Property Rights, Judicial Boundries). Oregon is a liberal state so I don't have much hope for the Parental Notification but hopefully it will do well.
Hopefully the school funding measures will go down. If not than we can expect up hundreds of dollars to be added to our property tax bill. We don't even use these services as we homeschool so I don't want to be taxed for them. Don't even get me started on public education.... ;)
10 more hours to go....
Saturday, November 4, 2006
Can you have internet friends?
It has been a really hard two weeks here at the Shearer household. My 3 year old daughter came down with a stomach bug which gave her vomiting and diarrhea. It started last Saturday. At the same time, Lauren (my 11 year old), Brian (the husband) and I came down with a head cold. I was already feeling nauseous so this was just great. We all stayed home from church on Sunday, built a fire in our fireplace and vegged out.
Brian still wasn't feeling so hot on Monday so he actually stayed home from work. Ellie continued to spew forth. She wasn't eating and barely drinking any liquids. She just lay on the couch and slept. I did the same.
Tuesday, Brian went to work for a half day, came home and crashed. So did I. Meanwhile Graedon decided he didn't want to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time at night so we were tired right when we woke up. We missed our church's Reformation Day celebration and the girls were so disappointed. I was too.
Finally on Thursday, Ellie got up, ate, drank and was merry. Bri and I were getting over our colds.
Will we actually make it to church on Sunday? Guess who is throwing up now - Graedon. Brian doesn't want to leave me with Grae all alone while he takes the girls to church. I get so sick when I am around puke that I can't handle it.
During this time, I had announced to my internet sewing friends that I was pregnant and feeling morning sickness all day. I got congratulations and encouragement via email but I also got a package in the mail. In it were lemonheads, life savers, saltines, chocolate, a Burts Bees baby care package and a Parents magazine. Boy did that lift my spirits and the lemonheads calmed my stomach a little.
I've often wondered if internet friends could be "true" friends. I have met many ladies online that I would consider friends. I may never meet them in person but we do care about each other and "talk" via email or message boards. So thanks Internet Friends - your friendship is so appreciated right now - especially since I can't leave the house without wanting to throw up ;)
Brian still wasn't feeling so hot on Monday so he actually stayed home from work. Ellie continued to spew forth. She wasn't eating and barely drinking any liquids. She just lay on the couch and slept. I did the same.
Tuesday, Brian went to work for a half day, came home and crashed. So did I. Meanwhile Graedon decided he didn't want to sleep for more than 2 hours at a time at night so we were tired right when we woke up. We missed our church's Reformation Day celebration and the girls were so disappointed. I was too.
Finally on Thursday, Ellie got up, ate, drank and was merry. Bri and I were getting over our colds.
Will we actually make it to church on Sunday? Guess who is throwing up now - Graedon. Brian doesn't want to leave me with Grae all alone while he takes the girls to church. I get so sick when I am around puke that I can't handle it.
During this time, I had announced to my internet sewing friends that I was pregnant and feeling morning sickness all day. I got congratulations and encouragement via email but I also got a package in the mail. In it were lemonheads, life savers, saltines, chocolate, a Burts Bees baby care package and a Parents magazine. Boy did that lift my spirits and the lemonheads calmed my stomach a little.
I've often wondered if internet friends could be "true" friends. I have met many ladies online that I would consider friends. I may never meet them in person but we do care about each other and "talk" via email or message boards. So thanks Internet Friends - your friendship is so appreciated right now - especially since I can't leave the house without wanting to throw up ;)
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