Nie Nie Day silent auction

I'm auctioning a board that I made. I found these cool vintage looking knobs last year, but was never sure what to use them on.
The board is white, has 5 knobs to hang things on, and it says HERO in cream vinyl, and in red vinyl it says: hero: a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. it measures 19.5 inches x 7 inches.

now before anyone calls me sexist, let me explain my thoughts and feelings as I was making this piece. When thinking about the Firefighter knobs, hero is what kept coming up in my mind. Another hero I've had on my mind was Doug Kinneard, Christian's flight instructor. I've read a lot about Doug in the last week, and although I don't think he ever had anything to do with firefighting, I do know that he served our military and was a pilot in the Gulf War to name a few accomplishments. His family is missing their hero, and I believe he is a hero also. So when I looked up the definition of HERO at Websters.com and it stated clearly "a man", my inner feminist wanted to change it. However, I made this board with Doug in my thoughts on on my heart, and he truly was a man who deserves the title of hero!

I will start the bidding at $1, please leave comments to make bids in full dollar increments. I will pay for first class shipping to the winner. The auction starts at midnight tonight and will end on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. PST. The winner can pay via paypal or check. If you are bidding anonymously, please leave some way I can contact you if you win - like email address.

Thank you for stopping by!

my camera flash washed it out really bad-sorry
vintage looking knobs say "FIRE DEPARTMENT USA"
no flash on this pic


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click pictures below to see other auctions

Design Mom has a FULL LIST of all the auctions! come and spend some money!

thought of the minute...

does blogger's inconsistent behavior piss off anyone else so bad that they want to throw their computer against the wall???? stop with the damn error warnings already!!!

just askin.....

while I'm wondering, when is this little vampire going to quit screaming bloody murder and fall asleep. I'm outa milk, what more do you want??????

(not actual vampire, or actually biting my neck.... but you get the idea!)

silent auction for nie

along with several others in the blogosphere, i will be having a silent auction on Thursday and going through the weekend. Thursday is nie nie day, and i would like to help raise money for their tremendous hospital bills.

design mom came up with the idea for the auction, check out her site to see others that are participating. who knows, maybe you can get your Christmas shopping DONE!!!

what will I be auctioning you ask.... well I've got 24 hours to figure it out don't I!?

kisses,

j

click here for lots more info

camera dependent

remember when i mentioned that my 3 year old "dropped my camera"? well it is dead, dead, dead. so i'm a little dependent upon others photography skills, and their willingness to email me what they took. so thank you to my Mom for not only taking all the hospital pictures, but the one that I used for his birth announcement, and for sending me the first pictures of the "twins" (although they have different mothers and birthdays, they are close enough for me.)

he looks suspicious

Harrison and cousin Charley's first photoshoot. As you can tell..... it didn't go that well.

no words

After reading my beautiful sister Megan's blog, I realized I had no words. So please click here for the story.


i wore pink eyeshadow for nie nie -hey she "dared" me!

(the necklace is by WendyB - you can get one here)

what a week

this week can be summed up with the following group of words:

exhausted, phone calls, visitors, painful uterus and boobs, upset phone calls from those that didn't get their phone call or text, more texting, emails, lots of tears for the Neilsons, tears for the Kinneard family, pictures, nursing, back pain, more phone and visitors, more tears, a couple naps, overprotective big sister, breastpump, crying, baby poop, jaundice, no jaundice, less sleep, very loud crying, and nursing.

tomorrow little Harrison will be one week old, wow that already went fast. His sister won't let anyone near him unless they come bearing gifts FOR HER, I kid you not. She is trying so hard to be his little mama, but she reminds me more of the character Lennie from Of Mice and Men. She loves very deeply, sometimes too deeply.

This week has been bittersweet. It has been wonderful to enjoy this beautiful innocent baby in our home, but all the while it lays on my heart that Stephanie and Christian are so critically injured. I have been praying like crazy and I know so many are. We are going to do a balloon launch on Saturday for them in Queen Creek, if you would like to join us for BALLOONS OF HOPE - email me and I will give you directions. daveclancyfamily@yahoo.com (bring your own balloons)

Lastly (but not leastly) I would like to wish my wonderful husband HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know this has been an extremely lame birthday filled with poopy diapers on both kids, and a wife who just had to "run some errands" and was gone for 3 hours. I just want him to know how much I love and adore him. Never in a million years did I imagine I would be blessed enough to receive such a man as Dave. He is a husband and father that can not be matched. Between myself and my daughter I often wonder if someday he will just not come home from work for fear of us, but alas he always does.

I love you sweetie and hope that you have your best year yet! ALL MY LOVE AND MY HEART, Jennifer x0x0x0x0

pray for NieNie

i met Stephanie after blog stalking her for months, she is just as wonderful as i had imagined. Stephanie and Christian Nielson were in a private plane crash last night. Please send your thoughts and prayers to them, their family needs them right now.
NieNie's blog NieNie's sister C Jane's blog

We fell in love on Friday- Harrison arrives

I was supposed to be induced at the hospital at 9 am on Friday, they let me know "don't call us, we'll call you". I was anxious and hadn't slept the night before, so that wasn't really working for me. Dave and I just happen to show up at the hospital at 2 pm, you know just to check in... I don't think they were happy about it but they took us in.

3:00 pm put in a room

4:00 start the pitocin (aka: liquid HELL)

5:00 dr. breaks my water with the longest stick ever and thinking death would have been a better option, my wonderful doula tells me it won't be necessary and she would breathe me through it.

5:15 begggg for epidural, nurse said dr. would like me to wait a little longer

5:30 please let me die

5:40 beg the nurse to have get the anaesthesiologist to get set up

6:00 anaesthesiologist starts setting up and kicks out my mom and my sister Megan my doula, in tears and fearful the 6-10 tries that he has poked me in the spine are not only making matters worse but that I could end up paralyzed. One look at Dave tells me, he'd trade places with me and he is as freaked as I am!

6:30 another dr. comes in to do the epidural and gets it right. first anaesthesiologist i think feels so bad for what happened that he over did it a tad and now my lower half is so heavy i can't move. it's ok, i think i will stay alive now.

7:00 i'm exhausted, and so thankful for the epidural. Find out that dr's wife's car broke down and he has to go help her and change the battery. (side note: when Jocie was born he had to bring his wife to the hospital with him since she had accidentally cut her hand open with a knife and she needed stitches. he is a good husband)

8:00 realize if I have this kid in 15 min he will be born on 8/15 @ 8:15pm

8:01 nurse checks me and tells me to hold my knees together or this kid is going to be born without a doctor.

8:15 comes and goes.....

8:30 we have a doctor (i made him wash his hands, nobody wants battery grease on their new baby) he says push, push

8:36 pm he hands me a beautiful baby boy, Dave cuts the cord, doc says i did so good i don't even need one stitch!

Harrison came out with his eyes open, and no crying. Dave and I were a little freaked, since our last time doing this was a very loud experience. He has only cried a few times, but other than that makes the cutest noises and whimpers. He didn't cry for shots, his bath, or even his circumcision. The nurses agree we got a good kid, my response was always..."you don't know how long I waited for him, he's my angel!"

We already had a little me running around, I feel so complete now that I have a little Dave to love on!

We are home, Jocie's sleep schedule is so messed up and she is completely OBSESSED with her little brother. Very few people are even allowed to hold him, and then she sits next to them and makes them hand him over. She kisses, hugs, and talks about him day and night. I think she likes him.

Thank you all for your words of encouragement and love! We are home, well and hoping for some rest now. Well, we can hope.


do i look tired????

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he is here!

I'm too exhausted to say more right now:

he is here, he is beautiful, he's a great eater, he doesn't cry - but he does poop... a lot. He got here Friday night at 8:30, he was 7 lbs 5oz, and 20 inches long.

last but not least, when his big sister the 3 year old was snapping photos like a mad woman....
she dropped the camera.

you will see him, just not tonight.

thanks so much for all your thoughts and prayers!
love,
jen, proud mommy of "really is perfect in every way"

WARNING: not for the faint of heart

as you may know by now I'm pregnant.

It seems to be terminal, but we should be changing that tomorrow. My doctor has agreed (with much whining and tantrum throwing- on my part) that he will induce me.

below are pictures to help you visualize my FUN FRIDAY, You can thank me in your comments for not using REAL PHOTOGRAPHS with blood and such.

ps. you know you are dying for some cake now!

i've been reprimanded

wonderful Janie has demanded an update WITH a pregnancy picture. Sorry but this is the best I got.

I have to tell ya, it's been a long week. Without boring the crap out of you: I knew we were going to be slow at work this week with school starting and that my staff was more than capable of managing without me. Being that we, the nation, seem to be having a little economic sputter (we are all broke) I figured what a good chance to be out of work so that I can get right back in there and start paying some late bills here in a few weeks.

so last week I started on the path to "how to induce labor naturally" - this last week+ has included everything off the standard lists and things that have been recommended by friends, family and the nice lady at the photo counter at Costco. (*note- I did not try castor oil, I'm too afraid)

I am exhausted, my feet (which are not happy about the amount of weight gained in the last 9 months) hurt so bad from speed walking and stairs, my back and hips are sick to death of the enormous exercise ball that I live on now,

bounce, bounce, rock, roll, bounce (you get the idea)

my husband is exhausted since I just expect him to be more than a piece of meat... I think the word I used was "machine", did I mention an enema... ya tried that too (not my fav!)

anyway, here I sit pregnant and frustrated. actually I think I'm going over to the depressed side. I know I know, it's not even my due date, but:

1. I have no patience whatsoever!
2. I'm dying to meet this child who I love and I hope will love me as much.
3. I've had contractions for 3 months and they are much harder and often now... but they aren't even real ones.
4. Jocie also thinks she has a baby Harrison in her tummy, and it would be nice to show the child what we have been working so hard for (she always shows me that "Harrison is kicking")
5. there is definitely money motivation, I've got to get back to work ASAP!
6. did I mention my lack of patience???

Anyway, you could imagine (or maybe you can't) the competitive chill that literally went through my veins and took over my body when my Doula (my sister Megan) called to say that she and my sister Rhonda (who's due date is one day before mine) are on the way to the hospital in hard labor.

WAIT, WE WERE SUPPOSED TO DO THIS TOGETHER!

Yesterday afternoon, Rhonda had a beautiful baby girl Charley (named after my dad). We visited them at the hospital. I was so happy to welcome this gorgeous child into the world, and so let down that I had been left behind.

I came home and took a nap and worked several more hours on Breaking Dawn (3/4 way through) and decided that I've got to let some of this angst go.

Although I haven't gone to work in a few days (hey they didn't need me, so I bounced-literally) I am on my way there this morning. I will carry on as normal and try with all my might to pretend I don't care.

I don't care (yes I do), no I don't (yes I do). damn.

I'll keep trying to relax....

however God in case it matters... today 8-8-08 would be a REALLY COOL birthday. Just saying, I'm not telling you what to do!