« September 2005 | Main | November 2005 »
October 31, 2005
35 (ish) days till D-Day!
Here is an update about baby Rohlf with a little less than 5 weeks to go.
"Your baby's getting big. He weighs a tad over 5 pounds and is just over 18 inches long. Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight."
Posted by Leah at 11:13 AM | Comments (4)
October 26, 2005
$.39
So... I know that I am a germ freak, but shower liners really gross me out. (Not if they are new however!) But once they start taking on that green/orange/slime-covered look... yeah, that is when I draw the line. I usually try to ignore looking at it, but sometimes enough is enough. I realized about 3 weeks ago I started "not looking" at our shower liner in our bathroom because it was getting gross. I made it a few days and then decided something needed to be done. However, buying a new shower liner every few months is not in the Rohlf budget. And then I remembered something from my bridal shower last year that Wendy put together for me. It was a list of ways to clean random household items and shower liners were on that list. I ran downstairs and found the sheets of paper. It did indeed list how to try to clean your shower liner. You take 1 pint of vinegar and wash the liner on a gentle cycle in the washer. I was doubtful, but I gave it a try. And you know what???? IT WORKED! That thing has no more colors on it or fuzzy textures!! It looks great! I went to Fareway yesterday to replenish my stock of vinegar and realized that for 1 pint it is only $.39! I can handle that.
Just wanted to share my little discovery with ya'll. Hope it benefits someone out there!
Posted by Leah at 01:30 PM | Comments (3)
October 18, 2005
Nesting??? I might never know...
I decided a few weeks ago that I wanted to clean out both of the cars, get rid of trash, dust and vacuum them out. Eventually washing them as well, but we are still waiting for part of our road to be paved. I was waiting for that to be finished before I washed the outside of the cars. Seeing as how it was a beautiful day today, I decided to get the cars done today before it gets really cold. I viewed this as a "getting ready for winter" deed. However, my neighbor walked out and said: "You got that nesting instinct? My wife went crazy a few months before we had our first baby! She went through our house with a fine toothed comb!" I laughed and told him that I was just cleaning the cars before winter came. He didn't believe me. Then I started thinking about it. I have a list of about 15 projects to get done before the end of November. So... maybe I am nesting. Well, I finished one car and started on the next. Then I decided to wash just one of them. And then I remembered that I could pain the baby's dresser as well, so I did that this afternoon. The same neighbor walked by again as I was painting in the garage and told me he thought he was correct in stating that I was indeed "nesting". Part of me wants to agree with him, but part of me knows that I just like clean things and would probably do this anyway! Anyone else doing some fall cleaning/preparing for winter or am I just off my nut? Also, I thought that "nesting" came right before the baby came, not a month and a half out before D-Day.
Hmmm....
Posted by Leah at 03:06 PM | Comments (3)
October 16, 2005
Death-
Have you ever had to watch someone die? Not a short tragic death, but a long drawn out process of seeing them fail more and more each day? My grandpa (dad's dad) just moved in with them last week because his health was failing. He lived alone up until last week, taking care of himself. However, my dad noticed a drastic difference in the way he was living in the last six weeks. It was time that he had someone with him to make sure he was all right. That is all I assumed it was. My parents keeping an eye on him and making sure he was eating all right and not alone for long periods of time. Today, however, I went to visit him for the first time in a few weeks. He isn't just struggling in a few areas, he is dying. In the past week he went from talking, eating and walking to sitting in his chair and his coloring in his face already looking like he is gone. Everything in me just wants to ignore the situation until he dies and then grieve and it will be over. I don't like getting dragged through these emotional valleys of watching someone I love not able to do the smallest things. We had some friends in Ames, Cal and Neva, who were "adopted" grandparents to us kids. They both became sick with Alzheimers Disease and over time just deteriorated. Eventually they had to be sent away to assisted living homes and then to nursing homes. Both places were a few hrs from Ames so I had a convenient excuse to not see them often. I think over those few years I saw them each a couple of times and only for a few minutes at a time. I didn't want to see them suffering, I didn't want my heart torn in two. My natural reaction is to run and hide until they die and then remember them before they got sick. But how much longer can I do that? It might have worked when I was a teenager and because they weren't actually family. But what am I going to do when it is one of my parents or siblings? Will I still want to run and hide or will I face the situation and be there to support, love and maybe even clip their nails and feed them their dinner. I just don't know. I don't think I am at that point right now as I am fighting myself to go visit my dying grandfather who is 10 minutes away. I don't know how to cope with this kind of loss. I have never really had anyone close to me die. But I know that can't go on forever. I really just want to ignore the issue and hope that life goes on like it has. But the reality is... people die....loved ones die. I know this. I just don't like to think about it and I don't know how to deal with it.
Posted by Leah at 04:51 PM | Comments (3)
October 04, 2005
November 8th- Iowa City Vote!
This is for all you Iowa City people. Have any of you seen the "Vote No" signs around town for the energy change? Maybe there are "Vote Yes" signs as well, I just haven't seen them. I did get a mailing that Iowa City wants to take over providing energy in this town and kick Mid-American outa here. I did realize this was going to come to a head at some point, but I wasn't sure what I thought. At the Tuesday morning prayer time I was talking to a girl who knew exactly where I lived. (No one so far has known where Dodge Street Ct is). :-)I asked her how she knew that. She said she has a temp job right now and she goes door to door asking people how they are going to vote on this energy bill. I asked her what the pros and cons were. She said, "Well, it basically comes down to this. If the City takes over and Mid American gets booted, your rates will go up. The City just wants to be gone with large corporations and control things on its own." I still smile when I think of this conversation, I wonder if she is against it because she is a college student and finances are tight! I think I agree with her though. I have heard on the news that because of the hurricane we are already in for an increase of energy prices, so I don't see a need to add another fee on top of that. I am all about keeping the Rohlf budget as is...or at least close to there. I am pretty sure I want to vote no... anyone else have any brilliant ideas of why this would be a good idea? I want to be informed before making this decision, but I also would prefer my extra dollars a month for a coffee or a pepsi perhaps instead of paying higher prices for heat.
Thoughts?
Posted by Leah at 11:12 AM | Comments (6)
October 02, 2005
What did you write on your card?
I am curious... many people who read this probably attended Encounter 2005 this weekend. What did you write down on your white card as the one thing you took away from the weekend?
I was challanged by this thought:
"God has the desire to meet me at the end of this road with my faith still in tact."
Posted by Leah at 06:00 PM | Comments (10)