Our House in the Middle of Our Street

Just look at that carmelly-covered loveliness. Even though we couldn't make it in the morning, we soaked up some sun, took the dogs on the 2 1/2 hour walk, discovered a "secret garden", and ate hot dogs, hamburgers, and the best carmel apples you will ever taste . A very good day, in my book.

As I was on bedrest last week, I had a lot of time to whittle away. What better to do with it than my old passion of reading a book? Well...I read three instead. My favorite was Gluten Free Girl by Shauna James Ahern, and by favorite, I mean, a better memoir than Julie Andrew's Home was! It has a lot to do with me, as I can totally relate to this woman, because she has celiac disease. Her book's subtitle is a perfect mantra for the gluten intolerant: " How I found the food that loves me back". This book is about a woman's life journey from a packaged-food, slightly overweight childhood, to a gourmet 4 course meal chef (gluten-free, of course) who meets the love of her life in one of the sweetest ways I've ever heard. This woman has lived all over the world, and therefore has defined her gluten-intolerant life (read: no pasta, bread, cookies, cake, etc.etc....) in one word: YES. Included are a few amazing recipes, one of which I am going to try out before I...

Hey you Lincolnites, ever heard of Stransky Park? I didn't know the official name of it, I just called it "the water fall park". Around 17th St., in between Van Dorn and South main streets, there is a gated park that is half blacktop/half nature park. It has a giant rock waterfall, with a small pool at the bottom, tons of shade, and numerous benches. To listen to the waterfall and watch your child play with other kids is one of those, "ahh" moments, feeling of contentment about the here and now. It's also a great park to walk the dogs, as they can lie in the shaded grass while you read a book while listening to the background noise of the water. My church, Grace Chapel, has a mom group that is starting to get together bi-monthly, or more (still in the works) for a playgroup and mom time. Here's the bug, just relaxing after a sip. Two hours spent there and he went to sleep within minutes!

(picture from journal star) Something I look forward to at the beginning of fall other than the huge difference in humidity, is the AppleJack Festival in Nebraska City. It is something I have gone to for as long as I can remember; my mom and her family grew up there. I always drive by my grandma's old house (if I was older than 16 at the time, I would have bought it!) to see how it's changed since I was playing badmitten in the backyard. My grandmother used to work at the apple orchard, and for some reason, those orchards feel very homey to me. I don't know why, perhaps it's also part of the season I love best--cool weather but still sunny, lots of great festival food (carmel apples that will break your teeth!), and most importantly, the beginning of the my favorite time of year, early fall through Christmastime. This weekend, starting the first day of fall, the AppleJack Festival Starts up and the tiny town comes alive with parades, contests, face painting, and tours ...

Last week was shaping up to be any other, normal, busy week for us. Playgroup on Thursday, a relaxing Friday, a busy weekend with church and family.... As of Thursday morning, I experienced a very scary episode that led me to believe there was something wrong with my pregnancy. I rushed to call my midwife, who told me to contact the OB I was working with (there were weird antibodies in my blood from when Lukka was born, so the OB specialist was just going to check my blood every few weeks to make sure it didn't get any higher in concentration) who could get me in right away. An ultrasound later, he prescribed bedrest for Thursday afternoon-Monday afternoon, when I go in again for a check up. Needless to say it's been a long weekend with a rambunctious toddler, and trying to maintain a clean house for people who wanted to see it today (although we changed it to tomorrow). Thank goodness family came to my aid and my SIL watched Lukka Friday morning and my mom came over Saturday m...

A few months ago I picked up a Lincoln Passport at Pioneers Park. In it are some great places to go all over town, most of them free or very cheap. A fun adventure for (what I thought) was going to be our last summer here. Although we may or may not be leaving by June next year, we have had some fun at our local museums--most of which Lukka has never been to. Last week's trip was Morrill Hall. For $45/year, you can get a family pass, and if you have children it is worth it! What a great museum. I hadn't been there in years and it has been totally renovated to be kid-friendly, they can touch a lot of the exhibits, look in microscopes, and even walk on dinosaurs (see first picture)! Almost every animal on display (whether actual bones or recreated) were found in Nebraska!~ That is one long neck! Lukka touching the head of a stegasaurus....I think. The thigh bone of a large dinosaur! I couldn't even get it all in the picture. Here is the goof playing hide and seek throug...

One more post about birthing babies, after all, it has been on my mind lately. My friend who recommended The Business of Being Born also led me to this great online magazine and, more importantly, this article . Has anyone been given this pill (Cytotec) to induce labor? I was told it was an option by my OB, but I was just given a lot of pitocin instead. Turns out this medication cytotec is used by OBGYNs to induce a quick, hard labor, that guarantees a baby within 24 hours. However, the one little detail they leave out when they give it to you? It's not FDA approved for this use! Here is a small excerpt from the article by Ina May Gaskin: ...the package insert contains an explicit warning that "Cytotec may cause the uterus to rupture during pregnancy if it is used to bring on labor." The insert goes on to say that uterine rupture may lead to "severe bleeding, hospitalization, surgery, infertility, or death." How is it possible that the vast majority of ho...