Sunday, August 29, 2010
Playing at the Park
We enjoyed the afternoon at Basil Griffin Park. Seth was a little unsure about some of the equipment thus the stoic look. He loved the slide (a familiar piece of equipment). He did venture to walk a few steps on his own on the wood chips, and while the video doesn't capture it, he tried saying "duck" by saying "dudu." Here is a short video of Seth playing at the park:
Giving It Another Go
Today we went to an "organized" church service for the first time in about two years.
I haven't written much about spirituality or church or anything like that on this blog. I wasn't going to, but it's a big part of our lives, so here it goes. When we moved to BG five years ago we had just left a great church in Cookeville and were hoping to find a similar thinking and similar functioning one in Bowling Green. After an exhaustive search we ended up settling for a church that had small groups and basically just stuck around because we had met some friends. Some of those friends are still around to this day, so I am thankful for the experience. While the small group went through some changes, and our conflicting beliefs led us away from the first church that we attended, we switched to a bigger and more contemporary church that we tried to plug into. Bryan got more involved than I did and ended up becoming a sound tech while I sat down below all by myself in this huge church of thousands of people feeling lonelier than I think I have ever felt. We tried to connect to people, but it just wasn't working. The music was pretty awesome, the teaching was simpleminded and it worked for a while. Then one day Bryan was asked to come to a newer church in town to run sound there and help them get set up. We switched churches yet again and got involved in this new church only to find that the fakeness and selfish values of the church were too much to handle. All the while, a few of us from the small group from the beginning church (although none of us went to that church anymore) kept meeting. There were just a few couples, but it was enough and our friendships grew. Although we were growing as friends, we grew more and more unhappy with organized church. We wanted to be real. We wanted to grow closer to God. We wanted to grow closer together. We didn't just want to show up somewhere on a Sunday, go through the motions, and call it good. Some of our friends knew of a few others around town that felt the same way and so we started meeting together. We formed our own "relational" church. For the last two years (up until the last few months or so) we met once each week for a Bible study and for some music, and we grew more spiritually and relationally than ever before. Things started to get more complicated with our group with some new people attending, then we switched locations for our meeting place, and finally over time schedules conflicted and we stopped meeting. With no regathering in sight, Bryan and I decided we needed to do something. So we scoured the Internet to find a possible church to attend today. We knew going into it that there would be things that we didn't like, but we were willing to keep an open mind and try to subside our negativity that we tend to have toward most corporate organized churches.
Going to a new church has a lot of unknowns, especially when you throw a kid into the mix. Where were we supposed to go first? Where was the nursery? We ended up heading toward the main building and decided to just ask where to take Seth. A kind lady walked us to the nursery and we checked him in, received a beeper, and then walked to his room only to find no one was there. We waited for a few minutes and the couple taking care of the babies arrived. We quickly explained Seth had already eaten, he had a cloth diaper in his bag (which I am sure they thought was weird), that if needed to put the dirty diaper in a ziploc bag, and he had water and a snack in his bag if he got really fussy. We did not mention that this was the first time we had ever dropped him off with any unknown person or environment. We left our baby boy in a content state (thank goodness) and we headed to the service.
As we were walking into the auditorium, directly beside the coffee bar they had set up, was a sign saying that no food or drinks were allowed in the auditorium "in reverence to the Lord." What's the difference in drinking coffee right outside of the auditorium or inside it? I'm pretty sure that God doesn't care where the heck you drink your coffee.
The music varied greatly from three people singing "praise and worship" songs to an entire choir singing a special hymn, bells being played in some mysterious place that we couldn't see to a really awesome sounding guy playing a guitar and singing a country version of an old hymn. We sang a few old school hymns and then it was time for the sermon. I would like to point out that the pastor came to meet us while we were waiting at the nursery and he came back over to greet us again during their 30 seconds or so of "meet and greet" time during the opening song. While that is his job, and maybe he was just trying to guarantee that we would come back, I was kind of impressed with that.
As for the sermon, it was kind of a stretch to get the points that he was trying to make out of the scripture that he used, but it wasn't the worst sermon in the world by any means.
The service ended by everyone joining hands and us singing a short verse of "I'll Say Yes, Lord, Yes." Super weird for visitors!
We picked up Seth and found out he had only gotten a little fussy the last ten minutes before picking him up (mostly due to a much needed nap). I'd say that wasn't bad for his first experience left with complete strangers.
Generally we are looking to connect with people and better connect with God (spiritually, not religiously). It is really hard to evaluate how well you would connect with people at a church by attending a service on a Sunday morning. Yeah, you are in a big group of people, but the whole thing is set up for you not to really interact with those people. Now we are forced to make a decision whether we are going to go back to this particular church or another based on the way this church's service was organized and the very few people that we encountered during our visit. Could we endure their Sunday morning gatherings if we could meet and connect with these people? Probably, but we sure can't tell from our experience today. So the search will continue...
I haven't written much about spirituality or church or anything like that on this blog. I wasn't going to, but it's a big part of our lives, so here it goes. When we moved to BG five years ago we had just left a great church in Cookeville and were hoping to find a similar thinking and similar functioning one in Bowling Green. After an exhaustive search we ended up settling for a church that had small groups and basically just stuck around because we had met some friends. Some of those friends are still around to this day, so I am thankful for the experience. While the small group went through some changes, and our conflicting beliefs led us away from the first church that we attended, we switched to a bigger and more contemporary church that we tried to plug into. Bryan got more involved than I did and ended up becoming a sound tech while I sat down below all by myself in this huge church of thousands of people feeling lonelier than I think I have ever felt. We tried to connect to people, but it just wasn't working. The music was pretty awesome, the teaching was simpleminded and it worked for a while. Then one day Bryan was asked to come to a newer church in town to run sound there and help them get set up. We switched churches yet again and got involved in this new church only to find that the fakeness and selfish values of the church were too much to handle. All the while, a few of us from the small group from the beginning church (although none of us went to that church anymore) kept meeting. There were just a few couples, but it was enough and our friendships grew. Although we were growing as friends, we grew more and more unhappy with organized church. We wanted to be real. We wanted to grow closer to God. We wanted to grow closer together. We didn't just want to show up somewhere on a Sunday, go through the motions, and call it good. Some of our friends knew of a few others around town that felt the same way and so we started meeting together. We formed our own "relational" church. For the last two years (up until the last few months or so) we met once each week for a Bible study and for some music, and we grew more spiritually and relationally than ever before. Things started to get more complicated with our group with some new people attending, then we switched locations for our meeting place, and finally over time schedules conflicted and we stopped meeting. With no regathering in sight, Bryan and I decided we needed to do something. So we scoured the Internet to find a possible church to attend today. We knew going into it that there would be things that we didn't like, but we were willing to keep an open mind and try to subside our negativity that we tend to have toward most corporate organized churches.
Going to a new church has a lot of unknowns, especially when you throw a kid into the mix. Where were we supposed to go first? Where was the nursery? We ended up heading toward the main building and decided to just ask where to take Seth. A kind lady walked us to the nursery and we checked him in, received a beeper, and then walked to his room only to find no one was there. We waited for a few minutes and the couple taking care of the babies arrived. We quickly explained Seth had already eaten, he had a cloth diaper in his bag (which I am sure they thought was weird), that if needed to put the dirty diaper in a ziploc bag, and he had water and a snack in his bag if he got really fussy. We did not mention that this was the first time we had ever dropped him off with any unknown person or environment. We left our baby boy in a content state (thank goodness) and we headed to the service.
As we were walking into the auditorium, directly beside the coffee bar they had set up, was a sign saying that no food or drinks were allowed in the auditorium "in reverence to the Lord." What's the difference in drinking coffee right outside of the auditorium or inside it? I'm pretty sure that God doesn't care where the heck you drink your coffee.
The music varied greatly from three people singing "praise and worship" songs to an entire choir singing a special hymn, bells being played in some mysterious place that we couldn't see to a really awesome sounding guy playing a guitar and singing a country version of an old hymn. We sang a few old school hymns and then it was time for the sermon. I would like to point out that the pastor came to meet us while we were waiting at the nursery and he came back over to greet us again during their 30 seconds or so of "meet and greet" time during the opening song. While that is his job, and maybe he was just trying to guarantee that we would come back, I was kind of impressed with that.
As for the sermon, it was kind of a stretch to get the points that he was trying to make out of the scripture that he used, but it wasn't the worst sermon in the world by any means.
The service ended by everyone joining hands and us singing a short verse of "I'll Say Yes, Lord, Yes." Super weird for visitors!
We picked up Seth and found out he had only gotten a little fussy the last ten minutes before picking him up (mostly due to a much needed nap). I'd say that wasn't bad for his first experience left with complete strangers.
Generally we are looking to connect with people and better connect with God (spiritually, not religiously). It is really hard to evaluate how well you would connect with people at a church by attending a service on a Sunday morning. Yeah, you are in a big group of people, but the whole thing is set up for you not to really interact with those people. Now we are forced to make a decision whether we are going to go back to this particular church or another based on the way this church's service was organized and the very few people that we encountered during our visit. Could we endure their Sunday morning gatherings if we could meet and connect with these people? Probably, but we sure can't tell from our experience today. So the search will continue...
Saturday, August 28, 2010
A Look Inside the Toy Basket
I am kind of obsessive when it comes to toys. Obsessive in the fact that I don't like a lot of them. I have worked with kids of various ages for about 10 years now, and I have seen lots and lots of kids play. What I have learned over the years is that kids tend to like playing with things that aren't necessarily considered toys. So when it comes to Seth and his toys, we tend to stay away from buying a lot of them. We have one basket in our living room that we use to house the toys, other than a magnetic farm set we have in the kitchen. The toys from the basket usually get taken all over the house within minutes of waking up each day, but we try to keep the amount of limited to what can fit in the basket. That way, Seth actually plays with what is in it and piles and piles of unused toys don't clutter up our house. 
We have a few toys that were given to us, some I have picked up from Mighty Dollar for Seth, but a lot of Seth's toys are items that were just around the house. Here's a look at what's in the toy basket right now...
The rest of the items in the basket include a shape sorting container, a ball, another book, a plush camera, a beanie baby monkey (he loves monkeys right now), a small white basket, and stacking rings.
I know that over time the toys are going to get bigger and they won't always fit in one basket in the living room. But we hope to keep the mindset that less is more and the not-so-ordinary toys can be just as fun when it comes to playing.
We have a few toys that were given to us, some I have picked up from Mighty Dollar for Seth, but a lot of Seth's toys are items that were just around the house. Here's a look at what's in the toy basket right now...These are the favorites right now. They include a small dump truck, a rubber duck, stacking cups (super favorite), a touch and feel book, a paper holder (the beige thing) because it has sand in it and he likes to shake it, an old remote control, the nasal aspirator, and an empty Aveeno shampoo bottle.
The rest of the items in the basket include a shape sorting container, a ball, another book, a plush camera, a beanie baby monkey (he loves monkeys right now), a small white basket, and stacking rings.
I know that over time the toys are going to get bigger and they won't always fit in one basket in the living room. But we hope to keep the mindset that less is more and the not-so-ordinary toys can be just as fun when it comes to playing.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
An Evening at the Park
Tonight we decided to enjoy the beautiful weather and go to the park near our house for some fun. Seth had a blast!
Seth waited at the bus stop, but a bus never came. :)
We did a little more swinging...
and then we headed home.
He did some swinging...
He liked passing wood chips through the window.
We played on the slide and investigated some of the big kid equipment.
He liked passing wood chips through the window.
We played on the slide and investigated some of the big kid equipment.
Seth waited at the bus stop, but a bus never came. :)
We did a little more swinging...
and then we headed home.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
The last few days in pictures...
The last few days in pictures...
Seth decided he would help daddy while he was working with his tools.
We went to the pet store and Seth was a big fan of the water dragons. One came right up to the glass to greet us!
- During the weekend, Granna and Papa (Bryan's parents) came to visit. We hung out at the house for most of the weekend and enjoyed their company.
Seth decided he would help daddy while he was working with his tools.
We went to the pet store and Seth was a big fan of the water dragons. One came right up to the glass to greet us!
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Coloring with Star Crayons
The other day we made star shaped crayons. Seth and I decided we would try them out. We took some old wrapping paper and laid the white side up on our front porch. We taped it down and got to coloring. Here's what we learned.
After trying to eat the crayons for several minutes, he finally realized that they didn't taste good enough to eat. He tried a few scribbles and then moved on to more interesting things...
like playing with the empty wrapping paper roll.
Maybe it was the brand of crayons that we used (RoseArt) or perhaps all melted crayons have an oily residue, but we had colorful skin and colorful clothes after our adventure in coloring. (Notice the star shape on Seth's pants.)
If you want to see how Seth's first encounter with star crayons went, you can watch it here...
Seth is adorable no matter what he is doing.
After trying to eat the crayons for several minutes, he finally realized that they didn't taste good enough to eat. He tried a few scribbles and then moved on to more interesting things...
like playing with the empty wrapping paper roll.
Maybe it was the brand of crayons that we used (RoseArt) or perhaps all melted crayons have an oily residue, but we had colorful skin and colorful clothes after our adventure in coloring. (Notice the star shape on Seth's pants.)
If you want to see how Seth's first encounter with star crayons went, you can watch it here...Wednesday, August 18, 2010
A New Look
It's funny how one piece of furniture can change the whole look and feel of a room. While you might be thinking that I am talking about our long awaited new bed that we recently got, I am not. The bedroom is almost ready to reveal, but I am tweaking just a few things first. The office has changed yet again. I know, I know. Can't I just quit messing with it, for crying out loud? The thing is, I knew I was going to change it a little because I still needed to solve our baby proofing problem from our office makeover. 
Remember the white cubby shelf? Well, it is a Seth magnet right now and would have probably been for a few years to come. It was old, it was cheap, and it worked for the purpose of the redo, but I knew it was going to more than likely resume its home back in the basement as soon as I found something that could replace it. 
While out shopping on National Thrift Shop Day, I came across the coolest rustic cabinet. Now my intentions for the office were to paint whatever cabinet I got the color red. Red was an accent color already and it would pop in the room. Even while standing in the store, I could envision the cabinet red. It would look so good. After negotiating a price, I bought the cabinet, went home to trade vehicles (luckily Bryan rode his motorcycle that day), went back to pick it up, and then placed it in its new home in the office. As soon as it was in the room, I had a problem. The wood was just so classic looking. You know, like the kind of piece you would want to have for years and years and it would never go out of style. I realized I no longer wanted to paint it. Thus the reason the whole look of the room changed.
Bryan thought I was crazy for saying the decor I just picked out and really liked in the office did not go with the cabinet or vice versa. But I knew I had to change some things to ease my mind so that I could be happy with the room again. I am outright admitting it is one of my faults. I care too much about the way my house looks. I don't know why, but I do, that's just who I am right now.The inspiration board that I loved so much with my cute fabric was traded in for a larger more classic board that I managed to make for $10.00 because I luckily already had the frame in the basement. Don't worry, the other inspiration board is stashed in the basement until I can put it to use again and I am still determined to make some kind of quilt using that fabric.
I added a vintage fan (that I had been eyeing for the past two months at a consignment store) and a fern on the cabinet. I took away the turquoise pillow. I added a candle and the globe that has been in every one of my classrooms to the bookshelf. I traded the white vase that was holding my pens and pencils to a simple glass.
I think, even though the changes were relatively simple and cheap (besides the new cabinet), it gives the office a completely different feel. Instead of the trendy feeling it had a few days ago, it now has a more classic style (as best as I can make it with a futon in the room). While I like trendy for some things, I have found that I like pieces that can last a long time. When I shop, I can always hear Bryan asking me, "Is this a long term investment or something you will be sick of in six weeks?" I find I am much happier when I make long term investments. That's why I think this new look is going to last for a while.
Remember the white cubby shelf? Well, it is a Seth magnet right now and would have probably been for a few years to come. It was old, it was cheap, and it worked for the purpose of the redo, but I knew it was going to more than likely resume its home back in the basement as soon as I found something that could replace it. 
While out shopping on National Thrift Shop Day, I came across the coolest rustic cabinet. Now my intentions for the office were to paint whatever cabinet I got the color red. Red was an accent color already and it would pop in the room. Even while standing in the store, I could envision the cabinet red. It would look so good. After negotiating a price, I bought the cabinet, went home to trade vehicles (luckily Bryan rode his motorcycle that day), went back to pick it up, and then placed it in its new home in the office. As soon as it was in the room, I had a problem. The wood was just so classic looking. You know, like the kind of piece you would want to have for years and years and it would never go out of style. I realized I no longer wanted to paint it. Thus the reason the whole look of the room changed.
Bryan thought I was crazy for saying the decor I just picked out and really liked in the office did not go with the cabinet or vice versa. But I knew I had to change some things to ease my mind so that I could be happy with the room again. I am outright admitting it is one of my faults. I care too much about the way my house looks. I don't know why, but I do, that's just who I am right now.The inspiration board that I loved so much with my cute fabric was traded in for a larger more classic board that I managed to make for $10.00 because I luckily already had the frame in the basement. Don't worry, the other inspiration board is stashed in the basement until I can put it to use again and I am still determined to make some kind of quilt using that fabric.
I added a vintage fan (that I had been eyeing for the past two months at a consignment store) and a fern on the cabinet. I took away the turquoise pillow. I added a candle and the globe that has been in every one of my classrooms to the bookshelf. I traded the white vase that was holding my pens and pencils to a simple glass.
I think, even though the changes were relatively simple and cheap (besides the new cabinet), it gives the office a completely different feel. Instead of the trendy feeling it had a few days ago, it now has a more classic style (as best as I can make it with a futon in the room). While I like trendy for some things, I have found that I like pieces that can last a long time. When I shop, I can always hear Bryan asking me, "Is this a long term investment or something you will be sick of in six weeks?" I find I am much happier when I make long term investments. That's why I think this new look is going to last for a while.
Evolving Meals
Since Seth started eating fruits and veggies we have made an effort to sit down and have a family meal together for dinner and sometimes for lunch too each day. It has been so lovely.Recently the meals that Seth has been eating has changed. Fewer purees are being made. In fact, I haven't made a puree in over two weeks. Seth now eats what we eat, with some modifications. Take for instance our meal of meatloaf the other night. He had meatloaf mushed up, sweet peas (a favorite), mashed potatoes, and grapes/blueberries. (He could possibly turn into a blueberry in the very near future from eating so many.) While meals are getting easier to prepare and less time consuming, they are not getting any neater. Seth loves to feed himself, which I love because it allows us to all eat at the same time without Bryan or I trying to eat a bite in between each spoonful of food that we would give to Seth.
When our little 11 month old eats,
although he eats very well, he makes quite the mess...
at least we have Bella to help us clean up the floor. :)
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Star Crayons: Semi-FAIL
Every year when I see the school supplies on sale, I always look for ways to take advantage of the cheap supplies. For the last few years I have wanted to melt crayons into different shapes. I never got around to it until this year and I thought I would try melting them outside on the sidewalk. So I bought several boxes of $0.20 RoseArt crayons (the Crayola ones weren't on sale at Target). I found a star mold in the basement and got to work peeling and breaking the crayons to fill the mold. 
I managed to put them out on one of the coolest days we have had for the last few weeks, so they didn't melt very well. They just softened. While we were warming some taco shells tonight, I placed the mold in the oven to finish melting the crayons. About three minutes in, the mold started melting. Bryan looked in the oven at the melting mold as I was realizing my huge mistake. It was an ice cube mold!!! We scrambled to get the mold out without spilling melted crayons all over the oven and don't worry the taco shells were saved! Probably not smart to melt crayons while preparing dinner, but you live and learn I guess. Even though I used the wrong mold due to the fact that I have a few ice cube and a few oven safe ones, I was still able to get a few star shaped crayons out of it once it cooled. 
I managed to put them out on one of the coolest days we have had for the last few weeks, so they didn't melt very well. They just softened. While we were warming some taco shells tonight, I placed the mold in the oven to finish melting the crayons. About three minutes in, the mold started melting. Bryan looked in the oven at the melting mold as I was realizing my huge mistake. It was an ice cube mold!!! We scrambled to get the mold out without spilling melted crayons all over the oven and don't worry the taco shells were saved! Probably not smart to melt crayons while preparing dinner, but you live and learn I guess. Even though I used the wrong mold due to the fact that I have a few ice cube and a few oven safe ones, I was still able to get a few star shaped crayons out of it once it cooled. 
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Summertime at the Orchard
Yesterday we went to Jackson's Orchard for some fun with Nana and Pop. Seth got to ride in a red wagon for the first time and he had a lot of fun. Pop pulled him around everywhere. Seth will be getting his own red wagon for his upcoming first birthday (don't tell him though, he doesn't know).
Seth loved playing in the plastic log cabin that was in the picnic area.
He loved peeking through the window at us.
Then we went to visit with the goats. Billy came over to greet us. 
To cool off from the hot weather we enjoyed some apple cider slushies.
Seth loved drinking from the straw!
We picked up a watermelon and some butternut squash
before leaving to enjoy the rest of our day.
We had a wonderful time at the orchard!
Seth loved playing in the plastic log cabin that was in the picnic area.He loved peeking through the window at us.
Then we went to visit with the goats. Billy came over to greet us. 
To cool off from the hot weather we enjoyed some apple cider slushies.Seth loved drinking from the straw!
We picked up a watermelon and some butternut squashbefore leaving to enjoy the rest of our day.
We had a wonderful time at the orchard!
Friday, August 13, 2010
Roasting Coffee at Home
Bryan likes coffee. Not frappe, cappuccino, froo-froo coffee drinks, but plain ole black coffee. He has perfected his brewing over the years and he grinds his own coffee beans each morning to try to make the freshest, tastiest cup of coffee exactly how he likes it. So being the coffee enthusiast that he is, he decided he would try his hand at roasting his own coffee beans recently. First he purchased a West Bend Poppery II Popcorn Popper on Ebay. Yes, I did say popcorn popper. Weird, I know, but it works. Next he ordered green, unroasted coffee beans online. After the equipment and ingredients arrived, Bryan started roasting.
He placed 1/3 of a cup of unroasted beans in the popper.
He turned the popper on and watched intently for chaff. He got so excited when he saw the first one. I love his expression.
In case you are like me and you don' know what in the world chaff is, it looks like this. It is the skin that comes off of the beans and it flies out of the popper as the coffee is roasting.
Then Bryan had to listen for cracking. It was the best indication of the progress. There are two cracks, a first and a second. This helps determine when the roasting is done.
The roasting took about 6 minutes which was a little longer than expected, but finally it was done (although it ended up not being long enough).
Here are the roasted beans.
This morning, (not 12-24 hours later like it was supposed to be to allow for off-gasing, but he was too anxious) Bryan ground his beans.
He brewed his coffee in his press.
He poured himself a cup of freshly brewed coffee and...
this expression says it all.
It didn't taste all that great. This evening he brewed some more of the roasted beans and it had a completely different taste, which was better. I have a feeling there will be several more tries before he masters the perfect roast, but I think coffee roasting might be around for a while.
He placed 1/3 of a cup of unroasted beans in the popper.
He turned the popper on and watched intently for chaff. He got so excited when he saw the first one. I love his expression.
In case you are like me and you don' know what in the world chaff is, it looks like this. It is the skin that comes off of the beans and it flies out of the popper as the coffee is roasting.
Then Bryan had to listen for cracking. It was the best indication of the progress. There are two cracks, a first and a second. This helps determine when the roasting is done.
The roasting took about 6 minutes which was a little longer than expected, but finally it was done (although it ended up not being long enough).
Here are the roasted beans.
This morning, (not 12-24 hours later like it was supposed to be to allow for off-gasing, but he was too anxious) Bryan ground his beans.
He brewed his coffee in his press.
He poured himself a cup of freshly brewed coffee and...
this expression says it all.
It didn't taste all that great. This evening he brewed some more of the roasted beans and it had a completely different taste, which was better. I have a feeling there will be several more tries before he masters the perfect roast, but I think coffee roasting might be around for a while.Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Are You Ready for Some Football?
Football season has rolled around again. When it comes to football in our house, I despise just about everything about the sport, matter of fact I pretty much hate most sports. There is one thing I can get behind though and that is an adorable baby boy in a cute outfit. Seth was given an Alabama football uniform several months ago by his great-grandparents. The Tillery's are huge Alabama fans and while Bryan is not as passionate about the team as his father, brother, and grandfather, he still tends to route for them often. Perhaps Seth will follow in the Alabama-football-loving footsteps.
Seth's Toughest Football Face
Ready to Tackle
Our Little Football Hunk
Seth's Toughest Football Face
Ready to Tackle
Our Little Football Hunk