Chloe Hunting 

Lael Stealing an Egg From Halle's Basket 

Little Lael 

Chloe Distracted by the Egg Hunt 

Dean showing his prizes 

Trying to get them all together 

Almost a perfect shot 

Amanda's attempt at order 

Tisra and Lael 

Friday...

started out as any other day. It was my last day to babysit Blake and since he had been so delightful the day before I expected that Friday would be the same-eat, diaper change, sleep. Chloe woke up with a bit of a fever so she was lying on the couch watching TV for most of the morning. I noticed that it was overcast but I didn't think much of it and made plans for dinner that evening with Todd and Christina and their boys which was supposed to be celebrating Christinas last day at work. Blake was really fussy and since I didn't think I could get everything cleaned and ready for company Christina offered to host at her house. I should add here that her last day at work was supposed to be the Friday before but they decided to extend it by a week- it's funny how things work out. Anyway, Christina called me around 1:45 and asked if I'd been watching the weather because there were some urgent storm warnings, I said "no" and turned the channel despite Chloes protest. At first I didn't even see any warnings for Sumner county and didn't think anything of it because the weather wasn't bad outside. It was overcast-period- no wind, no rain, no lightning, no thunder-nothing. I prayed because I always do in situations like that. I asked the Lord to protect us and to protect those that were in the bad areas and I had peace in my spirit about everything so again I though it was no big deal. The only thing you could see on the radar were small cells that were passing through different areas and the weather people were freaking out about them. Then a larger cell started to come up in the Sumner county area. The worst part looked like it was pretty far to the north of where we are but there was a small part at the bottom that the meteorologist called a "hook". They said it was very dangerous and it was headed for Goodlettsville, Centerpoint road in Hendersonville, and Beech schools. Centerpoint runs on one side of us and Amanda was at Beech. I took all the kids and put them in the hallway (the only part of our apartment that isn't on an outside wall) and covered them with pillows and blankets and put Blake in his carseat. The lights flickered and the cable went out and that was it for us. After quite a while I called Christina to see if she would check her computer for the weather so I could see if it was safe to bring them out and told her about the warning for Centerpoint since that road runs right past their neighborhood. I didn't think about their house except that maybe I should take the kids there because it would be safer than to stay in the apartment. Again I had peace and didn't think that it was necessary to move them- I'm so thankful for God's faithfulness. About 20 minutes later Christina called me to tell me that their house had been hit and that they wouldn't be able to live there for a while.

Amanda called me a few minutes after that to tell me that she'd gotten the lead in a school play (yay!) which was completely overshadowed by the news of T & C's house. She then called a friend that lives two doors down from them and found out that their subdivision had sustained a lot of damage. Amanda's friend Elise's house was hit while she was their and she was quite freaked out. Thankfully everybody we knew that was hit were safe, had a place to stay, had clothing and probably most importantly- insurance. I watched the devastation on the news for the next several hours, concerned that perhaps there were more cells coming but thankfully that was it.

From what I can tell, the path of the tornado came through Goodlettsville, through Mansker Farms, down Hunt(s) lane in Hendersonville, skipped over Glen Brook shopping center to the Stop 30 Road area (where Josh and Melissa live- we checked and they are fine) and down New Shackle Island Road and stopped about a half a mile from hitting Beech High School where Amanda was. I pray for her everyday and I never take it for granted that she's going to be ok, I'm very thankful. From there I'm not sure where it picked up again but it headed to Gallatin and really devastated things.

I am thankful for so many things- my families safety, my friends safety, that it wasn't as bad as it could have been, and so much more. You never know what is in store for you or your family but I know that God does and I'm thankful for His faithfulness.

April 7, 2006

So, should I go with the obligatory "I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but I've been"...blah, blah, blah. So for the week (or so) in review...

Mary- the bread turned out on the not so great side of so-so. I used a recipe from Allrecipes and my beef with that site is that if you read the reviews (which I do because I want to know if it's a good recipe) you have a "too many cooks in the kitchen" thing going on- I added this, I took that out, the cook time is wrong, you don't need this, I prefer it with that...- you get the idea. So, I made it according to the directions and some of the comments were right; the cook temp and/or time were definitely not correct. Anyway, it could have been my error but the bread was very dense and very yeasty tasting; too much in my opinion. It was also a very time consuming pain-in-the-butt. Since Travis and I are on a new budget and I figure we spend at least $40 a month on sandwich bread I thought I could save that by making it myself- ha! There are easier ways to save $40- like changing my own oil or digging my own ditches! My Mother was kind enough to bring her bread machine when they brought Amanda home from AL and I've heard that it's easier so we'll see.

I no longer have Barbie Doll hair- I know you were all sweating that one. I also bought a new straightener so I will only have Barbie Doll hair on special occasions and will make sure to warn you beforehand ;)

I haven't done much painting in the last two weeks, mostly because Amanda was in AL so I didn't have time and because I still have Blake. Today is my last day to watch the little sweetie though and I'm relieved. Not because he's a bad baby (is there such a thing?) on the contrary, other than not liking to take a bottle, he's quite the sweetie but he is time consuming and is all the reasons we decided to not have another one. And it is also Christina's last day at work so I am supposed to have a celebratory dinner for them tonight but Chloe woke up with a fever so we'll have to see if that happens. I also haven't painted much because I have decided that I do-not-like-watercolor. Maybe I'm just not good at it or maybe I'd like to do a mixed medium sort of thing but it will definitely not be my primary medium. Even when I paint with watercolor I end up mixing it so thick that it doesn't look like watercolor. I like how Chloe paints with watercolor. It's sheer and pretty and the colors mix together beautifully but I just can't seem to do it. Maybe it's my personality. I don't know but acrylics are definitely next on my list.

And- I'm getting a new Creative Memories album. My mother in law has just started her business up again after a long hiatus and I'm really excited for her. There are some new products for making scrapbooking easier and faster-namely their picfolio album- so even really busy people can do scrapbooking quickly. Yes it's a shameless advertisement. Stay tuned for your invite to a class when my M-I-L comes to visit-not scheduled but I'm sure it will be in the not too distant future.

So many good things are happening in the Buttons lives that it's too much to put into one catch-up post so I'll do what I can in the time I allow myself to be on the computer. I'm definitely trying to limit that so that I can be more productive at home. I'm considering home schooling Chloe though so help me pray about that. I'm not sure that I'm the teacher type but I definitely want what's best for her so I suppose I could make the adjustment. We'll see. More later...

Barbie Doll Hair

I'm having a great day today. I've gotten some things done and am in the process of baking bread. Well, making bread, I'm waiting for it to rise- I hope it does. Anyway, I have put myself on somewhat of a computer sabbatical. I've been so behind this week since Amanda has been out of town. She's visiting my parents this week. So, I have to do everything myself and I'm way behind. Actually, Travis helped put laundry away last night and that's been a great help.

So since Amanda has been out of town she took the hair straightener with her. Typically through the week I wash, dry, and straighten my hair daily. I takes about 15 minutes to do all of that and is not really a big deal. But since my hair is wavy and after blow drying I'm left with a frizzy mess and can't leave out the straightening step. So I the only hair device I have is a curling iron and am forced to curl every layer every day, therefore I am stuck with Barbie Doll hair. I suppose I could just not fix it but then I'd hate looking at myself in the mirror. Ah, vanity!

Speaking of Amanda- I really miss her! I don't think I will be able to handle it if she goes off to college (insert knot in the stomach feeling here). She's having a great time seeing all of her friends and Taylor is with her too so I know they're having a blast.

Now I'm off to check my bread dough. Ooh, and my friend Tracy's husband is home safely from Iraq- yay!

My Favorite Things Part 2

OK, the question has come up several times lately- "Is this the same Amy". I guess the answer would be yes and no. Really, I think the last in the last year or two God has really done some wonderful things in my life. And as far as my new interest in art, I've always been interested and doodled but I didn't know what to draw or to paint. I probably never would have tried because I didn't think of myself as "an artist" but Travis thought I had some talent. He really encouraged me after just seeing me draw little flowers on Chloe's Magna Doodle. So I looked up some things online and drew a droplet of water. Travis thought it was the greatest thing he'd seen (at least he acted like it was) and encouraged me to get some art supplies. I can't even begin to describe what having him in my life means to me. He always encourages me and thinks I'm the greatest (I'm feeling a little teary now). I think that I'll accomplish a thousand times more with him than I ever would have without him. He even had me sign the tulips picture and he's putting it in his cube at work.

So last night I finally purchased some watercolor, decent paint brushes, artist pencils, and a sketch book. I found everything at Wal-Mart but apparently there had been a run on watercolor supplies because all of the watercolor paper was gone. I just looked at it last week-bummer. So I did some watercolor in my sketch book. I tried the droplet of water again (see link above) but I didn't do a great job. I can do the drop by itself but when I try it on a leaf I just can't get the shading right. It ended up looking like a deformed lime. In everything that I've read so far they say that watercolor is more difficult because if you mess up you really can't fix it and they're right. I haven't used actual artist acrylics yet, I've only used the craft kind, but even with that an accidental brush stroke can add to the character or take the painting in a different direction or you can just paint over it so I think I might like acrylics better. Not that I don't like watercolor, I just need more practice.

So, on to things that you may or may not be interested in but are some of my personal faves.

Garden Botankia is a great online store that used to have shops all over the U.S., I think they tried to expand too quickly and closed all the stores and went strictly online. They are opening at makeup counters in department store in some locations now. What I love- their lipstick. It feels completely amazing on your lips. Their products are petroleum and cruelty free and for the most part I think they're botanically based (hence the name). I tried their makeup and skin care while I was in college and I loved it. They have lots of fun products (even though I love Arbonne they don't have much in the way of fun products) that are constantly changing. In the stores you could mix your own lotion or perfume with their essential oils in pre-made bases (like body shop) and I don't know if you can do the lotions now. I know you can custom design your own perfume- very cool. I loved their fruity scents- pink grapefruit and mango were my favorite- but I'm not sure if they make them anymore. The definite down side- it's online so you can't try the products before you buy them. I purchased two of a lipstick color that I wore in college because they were on clearance but the color was not quite the same. I still like it but I loved the old color.

CB2- New from Crate and Barrel. Love the modern designs and that they show the furniture in a room. I can't afford to buy from them yet but it's definitely put me in touch with my modern side (I didn't know I had one). The Crate and Barrel website has a clearance section that sometimes has really amazing deals. I saw the coolest shower curtain for $7.

Home Goods- If you've never been there before you've gotta go. There's one in Henderonville ;) It's like a Ross but cleaner. I think it's the same company. The merchandise also looks better, as in not beat up. They have great glass ware, cook ware, cook books, bedding, cute kids stuff, seasonal decor, furniture, etc. I really like this store.

About.com- This is where I got my very first art tips and they send me a helpful art newsletter every week or so.

Ok, that's enough for now. I'm off to do something important and house cleaning related.

A Few of My Favorite Things

Grrr, I did all of this earlier today and lost it! I don't feel like re-doing it so this post won't be as good but here goes....

In this photo Halle is running away from me to the "safety" of Chloe who is obviously on the potty.
Chloe's silly face and cute piggy tails.
Tulips I painted last night while the rest of the family was watching Deal or No Deal. I'm ashamed to admit it but we like that show. This week I'm getting some actual artist paint, paint brushes, and paper. I got a new book and I'm really excited about it.






My two favorite scrapbook pages- so far. And I found water color and paper that are acid free so I think I can paint my own background pages for scrapbooking- very exciting.

Really, that's all I feel like doing now. It was a good post and it took me a while to finish it so you will all have to wait to find out things that I like. It's killing you isn't it? I didn't think so.

And now that I look at this post on my blog the format is all messed up. Grrr...

If Jesus Christ Had a Church....

Amanda has visited the youth group at New Song a couple of times now and after I picked her up this past Saturday I asked her what she thought of it. The conversation went as follows. (Oh yeah, Taylor went too)

Amy- So, Manda, how did you like the youth group?

Manda- Mom, they are sooo nice! As we were leaving this girl chased us down just to tell us goodbye.

Taylor- Yeah, if these people were in Hendersonville I would be much nicer.

Amy- Taylor, you're always nice.

Taylor- Yeah, but I wouldn't be so rude.

Manda- OK, if Jesus had a church...oh, wait, um yeah, He has a church...

So basically (bad theology aside) according to Amanda , if Jesus had a youth group it would be the one at New Song.

I love my kid.


This is Taylor in case you were wondering. 

The Magic Blanket Ride

Travis likes to play a little game with the girls called "magic blanket ride". I'm not sure what is magic about it or how the title came about but I'm going to assume that Chloe made up the name.
"Booty-full"

Halle is trying to climb in the "magic blanket" with Chloe.











Halle and Chloe 

Droplet of Water by Amy Button.

Can I say it's by "Amy Button" if I copied it from a project on the internet? This is my first try at an art project. Well, at least an art project like this. The finished product will *hopefully* be a water color painting. This was done on a piece of scrap paper with a mechanical pencil, which really aren't made for drawing so I was excited that it turned out this well.

The painting I want to do is a "project of the month" from a website so it's not like this will be my own work but it's good practice. I'm sure you're thinking " I didn't know Amy painted". Well, I haven't but I've always wanted to. I just didn't know how to add depth and I thought that one day I'd take an art class. Then I thought I'd see what I could find on the internet and I was really surprised. I think that Chloe is the one that has really inspired me. She calls herself an artist and she loves to draw and paint so I thought it would be something we could do together. I also thought it would be cool if we could decorate our apartment with our own art work. It's an ambitious plan but Travis likes the idea a lot and has really been encouraging me. So we'll see how it goes. Wish me luck.

Re-Covering the Couch

Well, I finally did it and I must say that I'm mostly pleased with the results. I would be more pleased if I could steam all of the wrinkles out but, alas, I don't have a steamer. This is the new slip cover I got at Target and the plan is to cover the throw pillows in chocolate brown and blue. Both colors are in the slip cover but you probably can't tell that from the picture. I also found some chocolate brown fabric on Wal-Mart's dollar table that I would like to cover the chair in but they didn't have enough so I may have to look at a few different stores to see if I can find it. I would also like to do a window covering in blue, make some blue pillows for the chair, and strip and re-paint/stain the living room tables.

Well, um, I though we were back to normal

Well, yesterday I thankfully proclaimed normalcy in the Button household but it turns out I was wrong. So here's a synopsis:

Chloe threw up for 24 hours straight. I have 3 kids and I've never seen anybody throw up that much. She couldn't keep down a sip of anything so I took her to the Dr. this morning fearing that she might be getting dehydrated. The Dr. said she wasn't but recommended a shot of phenigryn to help her stop throwing up. I said OK on the shot, desperate for anything to keep her from throwing up. I didn't realize that it was such a painful shot though and I felt bad about that. The poor thing was so sick and I tried to carry she and Halle to the van but I couldn't quite get both of them the whole way. So my poor, feverish, sick little punkin limped the rest of the way to the van. After sleeping for several hours, she is now eating crackers and sherbet and spent some time coloring and is in a great mood ( of course she is- she's Chloe).

Halle had a fever yesterday and spent about 6 hours napping. This is very un-Halle like. If she takes one two-hour nap a day I feel very blessed. She's struggled with a cough for about 4 weeks but hasn't had much fever, if any, so I hadn't taken her to the Dr. yet. But with her uncharacteristic behavior and that darn cough I decided to have her checked out as well. The Dr. said she thinks that her cough is probably asthma related and prescribed a nebulizer and a steroid. She was also behind on some shots so we had that done as well. After returning from Target for prescriptions Halle threw up again- twice. I think it's a side effect of the vaccination rather than having the stomach virus again but I'm keeping an eye on her. On a positive note though, it was really nice shopping with Halle. I usually have at least two girls with me and I haven't had very many opportunities to just shop with Halle. I picked out clothes for she and Chloe and she voiced her approval by hugging the outfits- so sweet!

So, back up a couple of hours before I went to Target...
Amanda came home from school in a foul mood and not feeling well. She's running a fever, feels achy, and has a pretty bad cough. She will probably be going to the Dr. tomorrow. I'm glad I already told Christina that I couldn't watch Blake tomorrow.

I will be very happy when the sickness cloud passes over the Button house. We've intended to go to Life Groups for the last 4 weeks and haven't been able to because somebody has been sick every week. Tomorrow, as much as possible, I will be washing sheets, pillows, pillow cases, and cleaning up every thing else that may have gotten "throw up germs" on them. And hopefully I will be starting my recovering the couch project! Last night when I went to Target on a Gator Ade run I ran across a couch cover that was originally $100 and it was on clearance for $25, yay! I will have to do some work on the couch since it's a pillow back but I think it will look nice. Then I have to cover the chair but one thing at a time.

So, soon I'm sure that health will return to the Buttons and I will have something more interesting to post about.

Back to Normal

Yesterday was the first day in two weeks that I have actually felt normal. And I am so glad. Saturday Trav and I decided that I would be the one to go to church and he would stay home with Halle, who is on the mend from a nasty stomach bug she had late last week. Saturday proved to be a difficult night sleeping wise because my stomach was aching (most likely from my antibiotic) and Halle awoke in the wee hours screaming and flailing her arms in what was most likely a " I'm not feeling well and I'm really angry that I'm not asleep" fit. Nevertheless, I decided that I was going and I'm so glad I did. The more services I attend at New Song the happier I am that we're there. It's certainly not convenient but maybe the Lord will see fit to help us remedy that in the not too distant future.

Today I am babysitting again but just the baby this time. I really couldn't babysit all of them, it would just be too much. Blake however isn't much trouble at all. He's about 8 weeks and has a schedule of eating and sleeping so it's not difficult at all. Halle showed some signs of jealousy but she hasn't done too bad and she's been asleep for almost 4 hours so today has been a breeze. Oh, except that Chloe is now throwing up- I guess she caught Halle's bug. But even still with the two little ones sleeping it's fine. It's hard to watch Chloe not feel well though.

So since I'm back to my old self it's time to get back on the workout wagon again. I was doing so well before I got sick but now it's been almost 2 weeks since I've worked out. I have set a goal for myself to be at my goal weight by May 31st. I haven't figured out the weeks yet but I think it's a little more than a pound a week. Barring any unforseen obstacles I think that should be completely doable. I do tend to get sick more often when I'm exercising so hopefully the little bit of extra time will help. I have heard and read that when you lose fat it releases toxins into your system since that's where toxins are stored so I plan to drink detox tea, take lots of vitamins, and drink more water. Exercising has never been my problem when it comes to weight loss. My issues are portions and snacking. I have a serious "salt" tooth. I love all things salty and crunchy. Even when I eat pretzles I just eat too many. I eat them trying to fill up as though they were a meal rather than just having one serving. So, I'm going to develop an eating plan and stick to it. I will probably allow myself a day a week that I can eat whatever I want to but other than that I'm eating healthy. So maybe our next sewing party could have a healthy theme?

Now I'm going to devise a list of the things I haven't done in the last 2 weeks and catch up on everything. Yay! I don't like cleaning but at least I'm off the couch.

I'm Alive

Yay, I'm Alive! After my visit to the Dr.'s office today it was confirmed that I have a sinus infection. I actually get them frequently but they usually last 4 or 5 days and I get over it by myself. This time, however, after struggling with it for a full week I decided it was time to go to the Doctor. Travis has been a saint. He's taken care of the girls for the last 4 days- feeding, playing with them, bathing them, etc.. He's also taken care of me. He got up at 5am Sunday when I woke him up by whimpering- I'm pathetic. I guess I had a fever because I was freezing and my whole body ached. He got every blanket in the house to put on me, gave me his sweatpants and put his big socks on my feet. He didn't complain at all and was so sweet. I hope he never gets sick like that but if he does he's getting the royal treatment. I've taken a couple of doses of Augmentin (yay Augmentin!) and hopefully I will feel better tomorrow.

More later....

I don't feel well. Actually I haven't felt well since Tuesday. I thought I was getting better but when I got up today I felt worse. I'm tired but I can't sleep, I'm achy, and I have a sore throat. And that my friends is why I haven't posted this week. Actually, I haven't done much this week but feed the girls and watch T.V. Oh, and host a sewing party. I was feeling better that day though. And I might add that I had a very nice time. I really dislike being sick so often. Anyway, enough whining.

I did think this was interesting though. Arsenic in chicken feed? Hmmm, I'd like to meet the brainiac that thought of that....

If you can stand another plant post...

Ah, I'm so excited. I have long wondered why people with homes don't plant more trees, especially the fruit bearing kind. And while I still don't have the answer to that question I did find this great site that has lots of fruit trees for sale. They have other kinds as well but I figure that if you're going to have a tree it should have fruit on it. I mean really, have you seen the prices of cherries at the grocery store?

When I was a kid we had fruit trees at our house but unfortunately we were the only house on the whole block that had GRAPEFRUIT trees! Everybody else had orange trees. I couldn't figure out how we got so unlucky. I hated grapefruit- and still do. So mostly we used them to throw at each other or to feed the cows that lived in the pasture across the street. Yes, cows do eat grapefruit. Oh yeah, and lawn clippings too- that was a great place to get rid of lawn clippings. Anyway, I must now find out which trees will grow in what climate and how many types of fruit trees I can have at my apartment- oh yeah, we're still in an apartment. I guess I'll have to leave it up to you guys to plant fruit trees- for now, but one day...

The Moss Rose and Phlox that Chloe and I planted last week are growing nicely. A few weeks ago we bought some lemons with the intention of growing a lemon tree. After a doing a little research it seemed easy enough so we planted a seed, watered, and waited. And then...nothing. It was a little disappointing for both of us because, darn it, I really wanted a lemon tree! Actually, I still do and will probably order either dwarf seeds or an actual dwarf tree. Ooh, and while I was researching all of that I found this! I've seen a few Banana Trees here and in AL and wondered how they kept them alive; and now I know.

So, back to the flowers. You'd think with all of this plant talk that I'd just uncovered a dormant green thumb. Well, I don't know about that but I do want to do some constructive, learning type things with with Chloe during the day. And hey, seeds and dirt are really cheap. So thankfully, I chose two hardy, drought resistant types of plants. It will be at least two more months before we get any flowers and at some point I'm supposed to divide them. Divide them? Ugh! They're drought resistant but are they Amy resistant? Hopefully they are. But even if not Chloe is still excited that they sprouted. I guess that's progress.

Ten Top Trivia Tips about Amy!

1. There are roughly 10,000 man-made objects the size of Amy orbiting the Earth.
2. The International Space Station weighs about 500 tons and is the same size as Amy.
3. A Amyometer is used to measure Amy!
4. If you cut Amy in half and count the number of seeds inside, you will know how many children you are going to have.
5. Koalas sleep for 22 hours a day, two hours more than Amy.
6. It can take Amy several days to move just through one tree.
7. Amy is incapable of sleep.
8. If you chew gum while peeling Amy then it will stop you from crying.
9. You share your birthday with Amy.
10. Amyolatry is the mindless worship of Amy!

It said "copy and paste the html". Well, I did that and it didn't work quite right so follow this link to find out things you didn't know about yourself. And I really didn't know I'd gotten that big. Why didn't somebody tell me?

http://thesurrealist.co.uk/trivia.pl

Halle's Valentine's Day outfit from Grandma 

My first two completed scrapbook pages! 

Chloe with straight hair- courtesy Amanda 

Chloe's Valentine's Day outfit from Grandma 

The NEW yellow blender! 

Halle's busted lip :( 

The snow picture I didn't get around to posting. 

Very Quickly

I can't get my new computer or actually Picasa to upload pics from my camera and it's taken up a lot of time this week. So very quickly...

Got a new blender- yay- I love Kohls!
Planted flower seeds and they are actually growing- unlike our lemon tree experiment.
Got new lipstick from Garden Botanika- so awesome. I swear someday I'll learn how to do the link thing.
Did another scrapbook page.
Going to sewing party-must go get ingredients or be a slacker and buy something already made.
Go to the Post Office.
Must fix hair while Halle is napping.

I'll do better later....