Starting now...

My blog, may it rest in peace.

2008-07-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, I have had considerable trouble keeping up my blog for, oh, about the past 14 months (coincidence?). So, I've made the difficult decision to consolidate all my online social networking to Facebook. It's much easier and quicker to upload pictures and I think I can do just about everything on there that I can on this blog.

I know a few people who read my blog aren't on Facebook yet, but perhaps this will be incentive (ahem, Ashley!). I'll keep my blog here in case I'm inspired to come back to it, but I'm pledging to be much better about posting updates and pictures on Facebook.

Love!
Nicole

Healthy(er) Cake Recipes

2008-07-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

When I was planning Brett's birthday cake, I wanted to do something a bit healthier than a normal cake, just since he hadn't really had tons of sugar and such so far. So my mom lent me her food allergy cookbooks she had gotten when my sister, who has severe food allergies was younger.

These are recipes from two that we sampled that were delicious and have no eggs, less sugar, etc. The apple cake is terrific and ended up being Brett's cake (frosted with Cool Whip). I listed the original "food allergy" ingredients, but if you don't have allergies, you can just substitute normal flour, etc.

I also have them as Word docs, email me if you'd rather have those.

Eggless Chocolate CakeFrom All About Food Allergy by Faye M. Dong

1 ½ cups pure all-purpose white wheat flour
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp corn-free baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup cold water
¼ cup + 1 Tbs vegetable oil (not olive oil)
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt. Make a well in the center. Pour water, oil, lemon juice and vanilla into well; beat until smooth (batter will be thin). Pour into greased and floured 8” square pan. Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until tester inserted in center comes out clean. Invert cake onto wire rack to cool.
Serves 8.

Apple Pudding Cake
From Baking For People With Food Allergies from the US Dept. of Agriculture

¼ cup milk-free margarine
½ cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup rice flour
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ cup water
3 cups apples, peeled and chopped
¼ cups nuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8x8x2 baking pan.

Mix margarine, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Mix flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and baking soda. Add flour mixture alternately with water to creamy mixture. Stir in apples and nuts, if using. Pour into pan. Bake 40-45 minutes and serve warm.

Brett's first birthday

2008-05-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

Today is Brett's birthday! How lucky we are to have had this sweet boy for a whole year! We got him a wagon for his birthday and he enjoyed his first ride up to Ginger Sue's on the square for pancakes this morning!

Brett and Grandpa's piano and lights extravaganza

2008-05-01T06:56:00.000-07:00

Brett LOVES to turn lights off and on. It's his favorite. Now he has set it to music as shown in this video!

Brett and Grandpa's Piano and Lights Extravaganza from Nicole on Vimeo.

Barry Gibb Talk Show

2008-04-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

I was looking at videos from Saturday night Live on NBC.com and ran across one of my favorites...

...and now back to posting about Brett

2008-04-13T12:44:00.000-07:00

After a one-post break, I'm sure you are ready for more pictures of Brett. :)

Here is when he got a can of Diet Coke out of the recycling bag:

Fun time-wasting link

2008-04-13T12:39:00.000-07:00

Wow, a post that doesn't involve pictures of Brett! I have some new ones to post, but I"ll put them in a separate post just so I can say I posted about something else for once.

I ran across this link on YouTube and it has lots of cool time-lapse videos of this guy doing various art things...painting the Mona Lisa with Microsoft Paint, sketching presidential candidates on money, painting using french fries as a brush and ketchup as paint...he's really good.

http://youtube.com/eclecticasylumart

Oh no! Where's Brett?

2008-04-02T21:05:00.001-07:00

I think we lost him in our brown duvet cover!

Brett's sign language

2008-03-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

Brett's favorite "sign language" is to wave both his hands...it means hurry up and feed me, I'm excited, I'm mad, I want up, and many more. I was excited to get this picture where his hands are actually in motion.

Tim and Ashley, this one's especially for you...

Easter and thereabouts

2008-03-26T21:01:00.000-07:00

So it's been a while! Brett's almost 10 months old and is crawling and pulling up like a maniac! Here are some recent pics...

Here's his Easter outfit...

Here's what happens when Brett kisses the baby reflected in the front door...

Caught in a tight spot

2008-01-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

When you can only crawl backwards, sometimes you end up places like this! I could see he was headed for under the bed, and like a good mom, I didn't help him, I ran for the camera.

Brett at 6.5 months

2007-12-22T09:59:00.000-08:00

Oh, so you're bored with Brett's new winter hat? That photo contains enough cuteness to sustain you for at least six months, but if you insist on more cuteness, here you go. :)

Brett's new hat

2007-11-07T10:07:00.000-08:00

Brett is loving his new winter hat...

Brett's Halloween

2007-11-01T08:32:00.000-07:00

Brett ninja'ed it up big for Halloween!

Grandpa! Do not reveal my secret identity!

Even kung fu masters get sleepy sometimes...

Brett joined his cousins in the Halloween fun!

Halloween preview

2007-10-25T12:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek at Brett in his Halloween costume...He is "Brett (not Bruce) Lee, the Little Dragon."

The second picture is from our Home Group social last Tuesday where the kiddos dressed up!

A Hard Days' Night of the Living Dead

2007-10-25T12:09:00.001-07:00

In honor of Halloween, here's a trailer to what must have been a classic horror film...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIWsMKZt3Eg

Brett in nature

2007-09-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

My parents grow these plants called elephant ears that have really huge leaves. They'd been talking about wanting to clip one and take Brett's picture on it, because the leaves are about as big as him! Here are the super-cute results...

What's up in Brett's world

2007-09-13T17:18:00.001-07:00

So I haven't updated for a while...doc says that one of Brett's hips is normal now, and the other needs just a bit more time in the brace to mature, so he's going to keep wearing the brace at night until mid-Oct., then stop. Then he'll have an x-ray at 6 months and another at one year to make sure everything is still OK.

He went to his first Royals game...

Daddy bought him his own Bumbo chair...

He made his first visit to Home Depot with Daddy...

This is where the term "dead asleep" came from...

2007-09-13T13:44:00.001-07:00

Trip to the lake

2007-08-27T20:59:00.000-07:00

We went to Table Rock Lake weekend before last with Tim, Ashley and Crosby.

Brett and Crosby let us embarrass them by dressing them in matching outfits...

...for a little while, anyway!

Ready to swim!

God will provide

2007-08-13T17:58:00.000-07:00

You always hear that "God will provide," and if you're naturally skeptical like me (or maybe it would be better described in this case as "not very imaginative"), you wonder how on earth it will happen since no one owes me a large sum of money. But maybe it's little things like this. I went to Target today and for some reason they had 84-packs of size 1 Luvs on clearance. For $4.24. It would normally be around $15. No other size was even on sale. There were two packs there, but I did'nt know until I got to the checkout that they were on clearance. Then, it was too late to get the other one without leaving Brett at the checkout, but I got out to the car, drove out of the parking lot, then decided it would be dumb not to get the other one too, so I went back. 168 diapers for like 9 bucks. Indeed, God will provide.

Here are some cute pics I took today:

First shots

2007-08-08T20:08:00.000-07:00

Brett had his 8-week check-up today (OK, so he's 10 weeks old, apparently it doesn't matter that much!), which means he had to have 4 shots for vaccinations! I was explaining it to him yesterday and I told him that typically we have a "no needles in the baby" policy, but that we had to waive it for today because the shots were for his own good. He took the first one like a champ, mostly because he was really hungry and they'd just given him an oral vaccine, which worked out well, but then he definitely protested the other three. He has his first little Band-aids. I can't imagine how hard it will be to watch someday when he's in major physical pain, because it was hard enough to watch this. Oh, how I wish there was a way to keep him from ever feeling physical or emotional pain. But, I guess that wouldn't be a normal life.

As an update, he weighed 11 pounds and half an ounce, so he's still doing well gaining weight. His height was 23.5 inches, although neither Craig nor I thought the nurse stretched his legs out all the way, so who knows on that one!

Brett's brace

2007-07-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

So we went back to have our second ultrasounds of Brett's hips today and to see the ortohpedic doctor again. He would like Brett to wear the brace, but he only has to wear it at night for right now. Yeah! Then we'll have ultrasounds once a month for the next few months to see if his hips are maturing (How do you know if your hips are immature? Do they make bad choices?) Incidentally, Brett also rolled over for the first time on the doctor's table while we were trying to entertain him for the hour and a half we waited for the doctor. It was totally by accident and I'm not sure he knows how to repeat it, but it was fun!

Here are a couple pics of him in the brace. I can't remember if it was Ashley or Craig who I asked if they thought I could decoupage it. :)

Job decision...

2007-07-30T08:56:00.000-07:00

Well, the long-awaited and much-discussed job decision has been made and was officially announced at PV today...I'm going to stay home with Brett full-time! It has been a tough decision. Craig and I have both wanted me to be able to stay home with him, because both our moms were able to stay home and we knew we had benefitted from it, but I so believe it what we're doing at PV that it was really hard to imagine not being a part of the staff anymore.

I am so looking forward to being able to devote myself to Brett full-time, but I never thought that deciding to stay home would be the scarier decision for me. I mean, working full-time is what I know how to do, what I know I'm good at, and where I get a lot of the affirmation in my life. Now it's a whole new ball game. But it is a privilege to be able to take this time to devote totally to Brett, and I hope I never forget that!

Hip dysplasia update

2007-07-26T19:01:00.000-07:00

We saw the orthopedic doctor Tuesday, and he'd like to repeat Brett's ultrasounds to be sure he really really needs to have to wear a brace. He said he does not have a hip dislocation, which is more severe, but that his hips are just not maturely developed yet. So, next Tuesday we'll get more ultrasounds, then meet with the doc to see what he'd like to do. He said it would probably look like him wearing this all the time for six weeks to three months. Hopefully he has the same sassy attitude about it as the kid in the picture. That's the next step in our adventure!
This was taken when we took Brett to meet his great-grandma Swanson. Brett has 4 great-grandmas and a great-grandpa. Lucky boy!

Seriously...

2007-07-24T07:47:00.000-07:00

...is this kid delightful or what?

Brett's weight update

2007-07-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

We went to the doctor yesterday for yet another weight check, and good news! He now weighs 9 lbs 7 oz, which means he's gained 40 ounces per day over the last two weeks, and our doctor likes babies to gain 30 ounces per day. So that means he's gaining what he should as well as catching up some to where he should be. This is probably mostly due to the fact that I've given up breastfeeding, and we are giving him all formula. That was a really hard decision, but it's what's best for him. It's weird, because breastmilk is what's supposed to be best for him, but in this case, what was "best" wasn't actually best because he wasn't getting enough. But he's on track now.

Other less great news is that Brett does indeed have hip dysplasia, which is when the top of the femur bone doesn't attach into the hip joint like it's supposed to. It's because he was breech, and his legs weren't at the correct angle in his hip joints at the time all that was developing. So, we're going to the orthopedic doctor at Children's Mercy next Tuesday for him to tell us what we need to do to correct it. Our pediatrician has said it will likely mean he needs to wear a splint or brace at night for some amount of time. I really hope he doesn't have to wear this (which can be a typical treatment for hip dysplasia). But, as I keep reminding myself, there are parents out there whose children have cancer, so I'm sure as heck not going to complain about this!

Fun at Emily and Josh's wedding

2007-07-15T20:26:00.004-07:00

He's a natural!
It takes a village...
Brett decided to make his "evil" face in this one!
Brett! DO NOT spit up on the bride!

Productivity

2007-07-15T19:54:00.000-07:00

I was just reading a post on Ashley's friend Sara's blog, and it really struck a chord with me. Sara and her husband just adopted so are going through the same kind of "new parent" adjustments I am right now, and she blogged about productivity, or the seeming lack of it, with a new baby.

I'd have to say I agree that's one of the hard adjustments I'm going through right now too. It is absolutely incredible to me what I haven't been able to get done in the last six weeks, and it's also incredible to me why I care when I have a wonderful, amazing, beautiful boy to spend every day caring for. I would so love to have the perspective to be able to not care whether the house is clean, laundry's done, dishes washed or whatever. But just today I was feeling totally overwhelmed about it again.

Someone I very much respect has told me that if she had one thing to do over again with her kids, she would rock them more. I try to remember that when I get stressed out, but it's not easy. So, let me help my conscience a bit by saying THANK YOU to those people who have given gifts, brought meals or done other nice things for which you have not yet received a thank-you note (it's on the to-do list), thanks for humoring me for my poor judgement in insisting on a complicated birth announcement, those of you who have not yet received one (they're going out in waves), and if you come to our house, please overlook the clutter and dog hair.

pictures of Brett

2007-06-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

Hey Swell, there's something new on here finally! :)

A few weeks ago, we had pictures taken of Brett...here is a link to a slideshow the photographer, Alison Demski, put together with some of the pictures. She did a great job, the only question is how we're going to afford all the pictures we want to buy!

Baby Brett is here!

2007-06-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

Thank you for the support, visits and prayers surrounding baby Brett's birth! It's good to be home and we are working on getting adjusted to being mom and dad!

We've been mostly just staying at home in the eating-sleeping-diaper change cycle, but we've taken a couple of outings to places that will become important in Brett's life...

Target

Chipotle

Baby coming soon!

2007-05-25T15:32:00.000-07:00

Here's the update...if Baby Swanson hasn't come on his own by Monday, we'll go in Monday night to prepare for baby to be induced on Tuesday morning. We joked that we'll give him the full 40 weeks to make his own decision, but then we have to start being the parents and laying down some boundaries for him. Hopefully this will set a good precedent. So this time next week we should be back home with baby!

Winding it up

2007-05-21T06:53:00.000-07:00

I'm working on winding up work this week...weird to think I have only 5 days left at PV for a few months or for much longer than that. Plans for what is possible for my job position as far as part-time options are supposed to be made during the first part of the summer and I am to decide whether I want to choose that option or stay home by July 16. I don't know how I will feel about all this at that point, but I know I want to make a choice that makes baby the priority of my time, and I give you permission to keep me accountable to that decision.

I think it will become very clear to me what I want to do after baby is here, whichever way it goes, so I'm trying not to worry too much about it. For those of you who have listened to me worry about it for the past 6 months or so, you didn't miss anything, I just decided to start not worrying. :)

Welcome to Life 2.0

2007-05-17T07:28:00.000-07:00

I've decided "Life 2.0" is a good way to describe what we are about to embark on with the birth of baby. It will definitely be a whole new version of the old program, with many upgrades and improvements, but undoubtedly some bugs and glitches that we'll have to work out. (As a matter of fact, that would have been a super-cute theme to do for baby announcements...oh well, too late! Anyone else should feel free to use that idea!)

It's just undescribably weird to me not to have any idea what life is going to be like after the baby is born. I no longer know what an average day in my own life is going to be like. I know it won't take long to figure it out, but standing on this side of the situation, it's very odd. I don't feel like I can make commitments for "A.B." (after birth) because I don't know what will be good times to do things and what will be bad times, or what I can expect as far as how much control I'll have over what I can and can't do. When I went to my dentist last and they wanted to set my next appointment for July, they asked if 10:30am was an OK time, and I thought "I have no earthly clue." Sounds great, but what if that's the middle of naptime or feeding time?

I told Craig and a few others that I think there are some things that are so big and overwhelming in life that God must just make it so our brains can't take it all in and comprehend the full magnitude of it. Otherwise, how could I be sitting here acting relatively normal and working on work stuff knowing that we'll be parents in a week and a half? When I say, "we're having a baby in a week and a half," that registers almost no emotion, like I don't even understand the words. The only explanation I can think of for this is God's gracious protection for my emotional health! Apart from that having no theological basis, I believe it! :)

Progress!

2007-05-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

So I went to the doctor today and she said I was dilated to almost a 2 (out of 10). She said "rough guess...I'd say a week. Or your due date. Probably won't be this weekend." As excited as I've been to hear a prediction of progress, I almost wish she wouldn't have said that, because I know everything at this point is a total guess and I don't want to get my hopes up. Not to mention that "a week or my due date" is 11 days different. But she did bet us a Diet Coke that it was a boy just from examining me before we had our ultrasound, so who knows?

Waiting...

2007-05-08T11:17:00.000-07:00

This waiting to have a baby is weird. I know I'm still 3 weeks (2 weeks and 6 days) out, but technically it could be any time. I've never had a major medical anything, so the idea that labor will happen at any moment makes me feel a lot like a ticking time bomb.

It's funny how it changes the way I look at things. I feel more compelled to pick up around the house with the thought that it might be the last time I leave the house for a couple of days and other people might be there while I'm gone. It makes me want to get loose ends tied up and over-communicate about everything at work, in case it's the last day I'm there maybe for a few months or maybe forever.

It makes me think...isn't this the way we are supposed to live as followers of Christ? Not the obsessive house-cleaning part, but the part about living as though we aren't guaranteed tomorrow to finish things up? Keeping loose ends tied up in life and in relationships, not waiting to have conversations we know we need to have, etc.? Hmmmm...interesting.

Where are they now?

2007-04-23T06:53:00.000-07:00

If you were asking this question about Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, here's the answer:

http://tv.msn.com/dearcorey

Apparently, these two have their own advice column now through MSN where you can go an ask them about life's greatest questions. And they're going to have a reality show on A&E. Maybe I could ask them what we should name our baby?

Hiccups

2007-04-10T09:22:00.000-07:00

The last week or so the baby has been getting hiccups a lot. At least I think that's what they are. If not, then he has an incredible sense of rhythm to his kicks. I feel bad for him because he's probably thinking "what in the world is happening to me" as I often do when I have hiccups. I wish I could tell him that hiccups were the only thing in life that happen to you that are beyond your control, but I think we all know that's not true!

It's so alien...I'm looking down at my shirt and it is moving by itself. That is one of the neatest and most bizarre parts about being pregnant!

Cleaning resources

2007-04-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a couple of resources that have jumped out to me since the cleaning post...maybe these will help those of us who are challenged:

Real Simple daily plan that allegedly allows you to maintain a "sparkling house in just 19 minutes a day."

Real Simple's definitive cleaning schedule, aka the "periodic table of cleaning." Incidentally, I think I've had a copy of this on my fridge since it was originally in the magazine, and that doesn't help. You have to actually follow it. Just FYI.

Let's talk about cleaning

2007-04-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

I've had this conversation with a few of you before, but this efficient housekeeping gene was never installed for me. I feel like I spend so much of my free time at home cleaning or picking up or something, but there's got to be a leak in my system somewhere, because I can still walk into our kitchen or bedroom at any given time and chances are, it's a disaster of clutter and needs to be vacuumed, dusted, something. I have paid enough attention to confirm that this is a real problem and not just the "one thing's out of place so the house is a mess" sort of syndrome. I'm not sure if it's a discipline problem, a systems problem or what. Do you guys have tips, ideas, thoughts, routines, that help you? Emily, can I just follow you around for a few days and see how you do it? :)

The infamous window boxes are done!

2007-03-27T20:32:00.000-07:00

Tonight I finished another decoupage project for the nursery...these are boxes that will go at the top of the nursery windows instead of fabric valances. After months and months of thinking about this, I still really like the stripes, which is kind of a miracle in itself!! Thanks again to super-creative Hannah for coming up with this idea!

Miranda on Guiding Light

2007-03-14T10:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot from Miranda's latest soap opera appearance...she's the one in the middle with curly hair. I also have a video of it if anyone wants to see!

Nursery decor

2007-03-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

Many of you have heard me attempt to describe what I am doing with nursery decor involving scrapbook paper, and I now have some pictures to show what in the world I've been thinking. One of the things I wanted to do was decoupage some wooden storage bins with some of the paper I like, and I've got them done! It's true that these aren't done in the famous striped paper that started this whole idea, but I'll be using plenty of that soon too! Here are before and after pics.

thisisbroken.com

2007-02-28T14:17:00.000-08:00

Whenever I need a mental break from work — you know, once every six months or so :) — I like to check out the blog thisisbroken.com for some comic relief. It's a site where people can submit pictures of signs, products, computer screen shots, etc. where things are just funny or don't make sense. Parking signs right next to each other that contradict each other, foreign translations that just don't quite translate, etc. Check it out.

Fun on Starbucks.com

2007-02-23T14:21:00.000-08:00

Hee hee hee, I'm posting about Starbucks on my blog...luckily I don't think Craig ever reads it!

My friend Amy sent me a link to the Starbucks website, where you can design your own custom drink and it will create a graphic representation of it designed by fashion designer Mychael Knight. To the left, you will see my current drink, a grande decaf nonfat dry hazelnut cappucino with an extra shot. I would never actually order all those options at once because I'd feel a little too yuppy, but that is how I like to roll. (Remove the decaf after baby.) If you get lucky, you could get your drink on one of their limited edition T-shirts, but seems like they go quick.

Go here to make your own drink illustration! (Communication types: how's this for fun, interactive viral web content that educates people about your product?)

My sister's TV debut

2007-02-14T08:02:00.000-08:00

My sister Miranda, the aspiring actress, has had her network television debut! She was an extra in an episode of One Life to Live that aired on Feb. 12. The picture below is a still shot from one of the scenes where you can see her best...she's the one in the background in the black dress. She got onscreen shots four or five times, but this was the best one. She'll also be "girl who gets flirted with in a diner" on OLTL March 1, and then she'll be "girl mistaken for a main character's deceased daughter" on Guiding Light March 7. Set your DVRs!

PS, Technically, I guess I can't say she's an "aspiring" actress anymore because, well, she has been on TV! :)

When will winter be over?

2007-02-09T09:31:00.000-08:00

So as you noticed, since I haven't blogged in a long time I just threw up a desperation post of the top ten facts about Jack Bauer, copied from an email. These are admittedly very funny, but it seems to be cheating. I think I haven't been in the blogging mood lately in part because this whole winter thing is really getting to me this year. Cold makes me miserable. I don't like not being able to go outside very much. I don't know if I'm just getting old, but this winter is definitely making me crochety.

A few bright spots:

I was sitting by the big window in our living room on a recent Saturday morning and I could hear birds chirping, and it was like there was a little hole in winter and spring was peeking through.

Most of the snow and ice is finally almost totally melted from our front yard and sidewalk. This is especially good, since because the way the sun hits our street, our neighbors across the street haven't had snow in their yards for days and days.

Those few hours, was it last Tuesday? It was 52 degrees. I went outside at work and stood in the sun for a few seconds without my coat. As I went back inside to get back to work, I believed especially that humans were not meant to work in offices with no windows in front of computers.

Wow, so this was uplifting, wasn't it? I just wanted you all to wallow in my wintry misery with me for a few minutes. :) Thanks for indulging.

Top Ten Facts About Jack Bauer

2007-02-09T09:28:00.000-08:00

For my 24-watching friends, this is pretty amusing...

If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.
Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys.
Jack Bauer doesn't miss. If he didn't hit you it's because he was shooting at another terrorist twelve miles away.
If Jack says "I just want to talk to him/her" and that him/her is you -- well amigo, you're in trouble.
Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.
Jack Bauer does not sleep. The only rest he needs is what he gets when he's knocked out or temporarily killed.
As a child, Jack Bauer's first words were "There's no time!"
Jack Bauer's family threw him a surprise birthday party when he was a child. Once.
Everytime Jack Bauer yells "NOW!" at the end of a sentence, a terrorist dies.
If you send someone to kill Jack Bauer, the only thing you accomplish is supplying him a fresh set of weapons to kill you with.

Zen clock

2007-01-24T13:54:00.000-08:00

Emily sent this link to a cool clock today. The clock shows the year, month, date, day, hour, minute and second at once. It gives me somewhat of a "Zen peace everything is aligned in the universe" sort of feel to look at it. Then again, it's the end of the day so maybe anything that's not associated with real work gives me that feeling. Who knows. Check it out.

http://home.tiscali.nl/annejan/swf/timeline.swf

Web searching and shopping for the common good

2007-01-18T14:24:00.000-08:00

Today I attended the monthly meeting of a group of church communicators from the KC area. It's a great group and so good to get together with people facing the same joys and challenges in their jobs as I do. One of the people there, Jennifer, showed us two websites I thought I'd share:

www.igive.com / You can shop here at your favorite web retailers and they will donate a percentage of your purchase to a non-profit of your choice.

www.goodsearch.com / Use this site as a search engine (it's powered by Yahoo!) and Yahoo! will donate money to the non-profit you choose from a list. You can also list your non-profit here to receive donations.

Pregnancy etiquette, part 1

2007-01-12T15:41:00.000-08:00

So far, it's been a joy to be pregnant. As a brief baby update, he (yes, he!) is doing very well and seems to still be a quite active and squirmy young one.

But what I'd really like to blog about today is one of the things that is not a joy about being pregnant, and that is when people knowingly or unknowingly breach the bounds of what I'll call pregnancy etiquette. So let this be a helpful guide for things not to do or say to people who are pregnant. For the record, I don't believe any of the people I know read this blog have committed any of these offenses, so don't be concerned that this is a veiled attempt to tell you anything!

I invite any of my pregnant or have-been-pregnant friends to contribute other ideas in the comments.

We'll start with a classic...

Uninvited tummy-touching. Now, I admit, there is a bit of gray area here. Not all tummy-touching is unwelcome, even if it is uninvited. For example, Emily is a tummy-toucher, but that doesn't bother me in the slightest becuase she is a close friend, and that's just who she is. But if you don't know someone that well, I'd recommend asking first.

Calling her fat. Why, oh why, would this be OK? But I really did have someone tell me "you're getting fat!" I think this was meant in the way of "you are starting to show," but still not appropriate under any circumstances. Think about it. A pregnant woman has like 25-30 pounds of weight gain in front of her that she really has no control over. And she gets weighed by a doctor once and month, and said weight is going to be commented on whether it's too much, not enough or just right. And everyone she walks up to who knows she's pregnant looks at her face and then her stomach (not necessarily in that order). And she needs people calling her fat? Other people are perhaps less sensitive than me, but in my world this also goes for "wow, you're really starting to show," "You're getting really big," or "You're huge!" (which hasn't been said to me yet but I've heard it said to others. I'm sure my time will come.)

Asking her if her pregnancy was planned. Yes, really. This has happened to me several times, the lastest being today and prompting this rant about pregnancy etiquette. I can't believe anyone would think it appropriate to ask this. I think I'd be slightly taken aback if even a close friend asked me that, but so far none of the people who have asked me (that I can recall) have been on a friendship level that would allow for that sort of question. Craig and I did plan our pregnancy and this question offends me, so I can only imagine if the pregnancy was not planned, you were a bit upset about it and you were trying to put your best face forward, and some yahoo has to come right out and ask you. So don't do it.

I believe this may become a series of blog posts as the pregnancy progresses, but we'll see! And just so it doesn't sound like I'm down on being pregnant (which I have loved so far), here are some of the joys of pregnancy:

seeing/hearing/feeling the baby move
anticipation of meeting the little one
an even more meaningful reason to eat right and exercise
an excitement added to each and every day
anticipation of change
the increased bond between you and your husband
sharing baby news and seeing your friends' excitement
wearing elastic waistbands and still being hip
and many others!

Baby pics

2006-12-29T06:39:00.000-08:00

Craig and I had a sonogram Wednesday and wanted to post the pics...it's pretty amazing what you can see these days during a sonogram! The top picture is the baby's whole body in profile (the head is on the left). The bottom picture is the baby looking at us (the head is on the left side and you can see the eyes, nose and mouth).

Brain break

2006-12-19T12:27:00.000-08:00

I received this link from my friend and co-worker Andrea as a terrific "brain break."

www.thesurrealist.co.uk/slogan.cgi

You just enter your name, and the website inserts it into a marketing slogan for you. My most recent was "If you've got the time, I've got the Nicole." It creates some pretty hilarious slogans.

If you go create a fun slogan, post it in comments for us to enjoy!

Serial reader

2006-12-14T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have a problem I don't know how to solve. Here's an example. See all those books listed at the left under "recent reads"? Those are all books I was in the midst of reading when I started posting on this blog. With the exception of Simple Church, I haven't finished a one of them. And I have approximately 4-5 books that I've received/bought since then that I haven't even started.

Here's what usually happens: I LOVE a new book. So I get one and dive in. Then I stop having/making time to read and it sits for a while. Then a new book comes along and I get excited about that one and start reading it, but with limited time I don't go back to the other book. I'm a book-hopper. It really frustrates me. I'm also a craft-hopper (knitting, paper crafts, drawing, etc.), but let's take one issue at a time.

A haiku about Fridays

2006-12-08T14:37:00.000-08:00

A long time ago in a comment, my sister said she thought I should write a daily haiku or something of that nature. Well, obviously I didn't take that challenge, but the prospect of a weekend ahead has me feeling a bit poetic, so here's a haiku about Fridays:

friday afternoon
freedom stretches out ahead
sweet release awaits

Can I get an amen?

An interesting way to give

2006-12-06T07:16:00.000-08:00

I get an email newsletter each day called "5 minutes of caring" from an organization called Cool People Care. It just has little tidbits of things you can do to care for others in about 5 minutes. Today there were several websites listed where you can easily find ways to give this holiday season, and one I really liked was called DonorsChoose. It is a place where teachers can go and post needs they have from their classrooms, from pencil sharpeners to books to curriculum supplies, and then people go on the website and can choose to fund all or part of the teacher's needs. It was something I thought all my "teacher friends" would like to see!

An argument for doggy clothing

2006-12-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

Craig and I have an ongoing discussion about whether dogs should be allowed to wear clothes/costumes. I say if the doggy is cold and there's a cute sweater he could wear to keep him warm, why not? Craig says under no circumstances should this happen. I believe these pictures are an argument for dog clothing and accessories. This is Mosley James, Joy's son and Mandy's nephew. Would you agree?

What I'm thankful for

2006-11-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are just a few things I'm thankful for...

an incredible group of friends
terrific family
a healthy baby (so far)
that God knows my heart and loves my anyway
a house we love
gainful employment
good books and music to expand the boundaries of my experience

There are so many things to be thankful for that making a list seems a bit futile...but those are a few things. I am thankful for each of you who reads this because you have added so much to my life!

Top kid names at PV

2006-11-21T19:44:00.000-08:00

Today at work, our database manager, Ron, ran me off a list of the most common names of kids at Pleasant Valley as my own personalized baby names list. It was so thoughtful--I loved it! Here are the top 10:

Jacob
Austin
Zachary
Hannah
Madison
Tyler
Lauren
Matthew
Caleb
Grace

Chronic(what?)cles of Narnia

2006-11-21T06:46:00.000-08:00

You guys may have seen this video from Saturday Night Live before...I don't know why, but every time I watch it I think it's just about the funniest thing I've ever heard. I think this link is the easiest way to get there.

FYI, there is one bleeped out bad word, and if you let the video player keep going so it plays the Natalie Portman rap afterwards, there's lots more. We do not want to offend on the Nicole Swanson blog.

Our new bathroom

2006-11-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

I had promised a blog post with pictures of our remodeled bathroom, so here it goes! Craig worked really really hard and with minimal help from me--but with lots of help from Billy Ford on the tiling! Thanks to Paul too for his help and lending his nice paintbrushes!

This first picture is the BEFORE before picture--when we first moved in, just to give you some context of where we came from. Note the shiny pink wallpaper.

This picture is "during," we'd already changed the walls to blue but were now replacing the flooring and the sink and repainting the walls.
Ahhh...after. Much better. :)

Emily Ann Jewelry online debut!

2006-11-17T08:31:00.000-08:00

Three posts in one day...it really is either feast or famine on my blog! But I am so excited about this so I had to share immediately!

Many of you know my friend Carrie Plummer, and some of you also know that she is a jewelry designer of great talent and creativity. Some of her creations from her jewelry line, Emily Ann, are now available for purchase online at The Soap Box Company (www.thesoapboxco.com Go to "products," then "gifts" to see the jewelry with prices.) Go check them out! All are one-of-a-kind and handmade. If you see one you like that is no longer available, she can make similar items, or even custom items. I own several pieces and never fail to get compliments on them!

Look around the Soap Box website while you're there...it has really fun natural bath and body care products (I've blogged about it before.) .

Something to think about this Thanksgiving

2006-11-17T07:18:00.000-08:00

If 20 people sit down at your Thanksgiving table, representing the world’s population:

3 would be served a gourmet, multi-course meal, while sitting at decorated table and a cushioned chair.

5 would eat rice and beans with a fork and sit on a simple cushion

12 would wait in line to receive a small portion of rice that they would eat with their hands while sitting on the floor.

This info came from the One organization.

Scoops/SRO... Rest In Peace

2006-11-17T07:13:00.000-08:00

Sad news for Liberty-ites...Scoops, formerly known as SRO, is closed down for good. We tried to go there about a week ago and it was closed...not the kind where it reopens tomorrow, but the kind where the chairs are all stacked up and everything's piled in front of the door. Then Craig drove by yesterday and there was a sign on the door that said "Tony's Cajun Cafe coming soon." So let's take a moment, all you who have fond memories of good times and good frozen custard, and post a comment about your favorite Scoops/SRO memory.

I've had many a tasty treat at Scoops, but I'm sure my favorite memory is the night Craig and I got engaged...we went to (then) SRO and got custard, then went up to William Jewell and sat on the tree swing together, and that's where Craig popped the question.

What's your favorite memory (or your favorite frozen custard concoction?)

I think it's safe now...

2006-11-15T10:57:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to return to a regular blogging schedule, which I have clearly not been on even after Mandy's best efforts to get me back on track, I'm going to blog about what actually has been on my mind the last several months! I think it's safe because I've gotten to tell most of the folks who look at my blog (all 8 of you) that Craig and I are having a baby in May! It's been hard to think of other things to blog when, let's face it, that takes up 97% of my thoughts.

So I can say that we went to the doctor yesterday and heard the baby's heart beat again, which is good stuff! All seems to be well at this point. We were supposed to meet our actual doctor for the first time, but we saw a different doctor. They didn't explain and we didn't ask because we were in and out so fast!

Anyway, I promise this won't totally turn in to "baby blog," but I'll definintely keep you updated!

The first trip to Crate and Barrel

2006-11-02T12:31:00.000-08:00

I have been called out by Mandy Sharp on my lack of blogging activity, so thank you for keeping me accountable, Mandy!!

Last night I went to the new Crate and Barrel. My friend Hannah and I went to a benefit they had for Children's Mercy where they opened the store a day early and we bought a ticket and went to shop and eat fancy hors d'oeuvres and rub shoulders with rich people. Or at least they looked like rich people. I actually just bought coffee for Craig (a special blend by Intelligentsia, our tourist destination coffee shop in Chicago) and some tablecloths and napkins for my mom. But I'm sure there will many future purchases, and it was just good to be in C&B in my own city!

Kid encouragement

2006-10-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

I was not feeling so thrilled about going to work today. I was still tired from driving home from Chicago yesterday, I am behind on some things at home and just wasn't feeling it. Then there was a wreck right in front of the road I need to turn onto to go to work, so I had to go way out and around and come in another way. Then a couple work-related things happened. So needless to say I was in a bad mood. But then I went to my mailbox, and there were 5 notes that kids in our Awana program had created to appreciate the staff. They were so cute and heartfelt that I couldn't help but feel a bit better. Below is one of my favorites.

Acoustic Ninja coming to town!

2006-10-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

I am so pumped about this!! Trace Bundy, aka the "Acoustic Ninja," is playing at the Uptown Theater Nov. 3 at 7:30. I've seen Trace play several times and it just about defies description. He plays a style of acoustic guitar unlike anything you've ever seen, and the best suggestion I have is to go to his website, www.tracebundy.com, and watch the videos.

He's coming to the Uptown with a band called Urban John, and they are described as an ambient, groove-driven trio, which sounds interesting to me!

Tickets are only $10 and you can get them here.

Real beauty...or not.

2006-10-13T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes there are email forwards worth looking at...I thought this was one of them. Thanks, Emily, for sending it on.

Wonder why our image of beauty is so distorted? Here's a clue...
http://campaignforrealbeauty.com/

Spencer's First Homecoming

2006-10-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

For those of you who remember Spencer as a small child or perhaps a small child in a turtle costume...he went to his first homecoming this weekend. Here's a picture of him before the dance. Hipness is obviously the major criteria for his outfit. He went with a group of friends.

Feel old yet?

Slow blogging week

2006-10-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry it's been a slow blogging week. I can think of lots of interesting things during the day but then when I sit down and think "OK, now write something interesting," it's all gone!

OK, here's something...we had a lunch workshop yesterday with a speaker who came to talk to us about building volunteer teams. Here's the main takeaway, and if you're like me and pretty "achievement oriented," it's a bit of a mind-blower: The goal is not achieving the task, it's building the team. So in other words, you may end up with the perfect product, but if you haven't developed the team and the people along the way, you have not succeeded. Or, you may have a less than perfect product, but if you developed the team and people are closer to God because of the way you've led them through the project, you have succeeded.

Much processing to do on that one, and probably much changing of the way I do ministry. But the key point of why we are supposed to do it this way is, as the speaker said, "Everything else will fade away except God's Word and people." Bulletins will not last, banners will not last, brochures will not last, the website will not last, but people will last. Hmmm...

In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day

2006-10-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

One of the speakers we heard from at the MinistryCOM conference I went to last month was Mark Batterson, pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. He's got a book coming out tomorrow, Oct. 2, and it sounds like an interesting read. Here's a synopsis...

Your greatest regret at the end of your life will be the lions you didn't chase. You will regret the risks not taken, the opportunities not seized, and the dreams not pursued. Stopping running away from what scares you most and start chasing the God-ordained opportunities that cross your path.

In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is inspired by one of the most obscure yet courageous acts recorded in Scripture: Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it (II Samuel 23:20-21).

You can check it out here.

Nothing but bad news.

2006-09-27T20:43:00.001-07:00

Can I just tell you that I really dislike watching the local news? There is nothing that will make me feel depressed about the world faster than watching it. Really, Craig and I will watch for about 7 minutes and then have to change the channel. Tonight: woman found in trunk of car at Liberty Hospital. Woman tries to smother her foster child at Children's Mercy. Someone robs a Quizno's. Do I really need to know these things (except maybe the Liberty thing--that was like 4 minutes from our house)? Can't I just live in happy oblivion imagining that we aren't all out killing or trying to kill each other? Oh, it's OK, an "Everybody Loves Raymond" rerun is on now. Thank goodness. :)

Random thoughts

2006-09-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

likes:
creating things
when a design works
new paths in life

dislikes:
boredom
condescension

Crate and Barrel coming soon...very soon...

2006-09-20T19:28:00.000-07:00

one of my undercover spy in the southland has informed me that the Crate and Barrel near Town Center Plaza now has the name and logo of the store in place. It shouldn't be long now... (thanks Colie!)

Incidentally, can I just say that I can't spell "barrel" right the first time, ever? (Should have two l's.) Or exercise. (Should have a c after the x.) Or broccoli. (Should have two c's and two l's).

New Toy!

2006-09-19T15:13:00.000-07:00

Today at work I got a real grown-up graphic designer tool...a digital drawing tablet. It's pretty sweet. It sits on my desktop in front of my monitor and I can draw on it with a pen stylus instead of having to use a mouse. Like much new technology you are first learning to use, I'm still at the "is this really going to make me more efficient, because everything takes longer" phase, but I'm getting it!

The Soap Box Company

2006-09-16T19:16:00.000-07:00

I was just looking at the website www.thesoapboxco.com. It's a company run by my friend Jeff's sister, and they sell all natural bath and beauty products. Unique, feminine indulgences and always free goodies and specials.

Childlike wonder at the air show

2006-09-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

Today, Craig and I and a bunch of friends went to another friend's apartment in the River Market to watch the air show at the downtown airport. He had a great view from his apartment, but we also got to go up on the roof where we could see everything perfectly. The highlight was the Blue Angels exhibition. It is amazing how their feats of flying prowess turn all of us instantly in awestruck kids, oohing, ahhhing, yelling, clapping and covering our ears. It was just fun. Really fun.

On a side note, being down in the River Market never fails to make us miss living down there. We love having a house, but I will always love the downtown vibe. What a great neighborhood the River Market is.

Official geek-ness

2006-09-14T19:03:00.000-07:00

I decided today that I am officially a geek. Because at the end of the day I was really excited about what I was working on, and what I was working on was...examining census data. I came back from the ministryCOM conference in Phoenix with a real sense that to be able to be sure we are putting the most effective communications out there, we need to know that our perceptions of who makes up our community are right. I got on the census website and downloaded some numbers, and just had a really fascinating time looking at them. Interesting.

New Barenaked Ladies CD

2006-09-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

Exciting event in Nicole-world: Barenaked Ladies new CD came out Tuesday. Check it out here. No seriously, just do it.

The Bitfall Project

2006-09-12T12:34:00.000-07:00

File this under "what will they think of next?" The Bitfall Project uses strategically timed droplets of water to spell words and display images for just a few seconds. Check it out:

Bitfall Project 1

Bitfall Project 2

A pile of useless expensive things

2006-09-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Next to our microwave, there is a pile of useless expensive things. It's a small pile, just two things: my broken iPod, and a pair of pricy sunglasses with a shattered lens. (Actually, Craig got the sunglasses for free from work, so they are only theoretically expensive, but anyway...) Every time I look at them, sitting there so pitiful, not realizing their potential, it makes me think about the true nature of "stuff." I know that money can't buy you love, or happiness, but I do remember the sense of coolness I felt when I first bought that iPod, and the first time I wore those sunglasses, but what are they doing for me now? Nothing except making me mad at Apple. (The sunglasses manufacturer can't be held responsible...the sunglasses shouldn't have been in the car cupholder anyway.) God's teaching me something here, I have a sneaking suspicion.

OK, so I'm finally doing it...

2006-09-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

I've thought about starting a blog for a long time, and haven't because of the following questions:

Will I update it? Answer: I think so.
Will anyone look at it? Answer: Ummm...
Is my life eventful enough to have anything to write about? Answer: Perhaps, but if not, I'll just tell my sister's stories, because they are generally way more interesting!
And the big question...am I brave enough to put my thoughts out there for the world to see and comment on? Answer: I am at this moment.