Moving on...

Since all the posts older than 1 year old have been deleted, I guess I should replace my change-of-blog-address on here, especially since I am still linked with this screen name on various people's blogs.

If you wonder where I've been for the last couple years, I've been at my new pleo name: aprilstarr. Also my new real name ... well, new when I first signed up for it a couple years ago. Previously, April Smelser, now April Starr. Though I still consider myself a Smelser, and do consider myself random. Perhaps just not TOTALLY random.
  • mamalady
    I guess you're not as random as you used to be.
    by mamalady at 10/20/08 6:28PM

I finally did it...

I have a new screen name, at last!

aprilstarr
  • timstarr
    It's a very pretty screen name. :)
    by timstarr at 04/19/07 2:55PM
  • autumn_rain
    Love the name!!!
    by autumn_rain at 04/19/07 3:25PM
  • missyaggie
    so utterly original, too ;)
    (Yes, I know, like I have room to talk!)
    by missyaggie at 04/19/07 4:51PM
  • mamalady
    okey dokey
    by mamalady at 04/19/07 6:25PM
  • sellerofpurple
    Nice! thanks for sharing. I suppose Cody would appreciate it if I changed my e-mail address (it's currently llhanson80)! I will, I will! :)
    by sellerofpurple at 04/19/07 6:37PM
  • rose_of_sharon
    Whats a 'new screen name'?
    by rose_of_sharon at 04/19/07 7:24PM
  • wordwielder
    I've been thinking about doing that, too! It will be my reward for.....well, I'll share that when I switch names. :)
    by wordwielder at 04/19/07 7:48PM
  • bitty
    Congrats!
    by bitty at 04/20/07 10:48AM
  • slave_of_jesus_jdb
    April Starr? Who's that?
    by slave_of_jesus_jdb at 04/22/07 12:01AM
  • mr_and_mrs_berry
    Just lovely my dear, just lovely :)
    by mr_and_mrs_berry at 04/24/07 10:51PM
  • lilsis
    haha! I like how your ad asks, "Are you the world's best mom?" and offers a parenting style quiz! HAHA!
    by lilsis at 04/27/07 2:46PM
  • schmidtkins
    well, that is a good name
    by schmidtkins at 04/29/07 1:04AM
  • cosmogirl
    hey how are you ? are you going to singin school this year ? Jenn
    by cosmogirl at 05/15/07 5:28PM
  • jaydon
    I really enjoyed visiting with you and getting to know you better. I love your smile and laughter. What a joy you are to be around.
    by jaydon at 06/01/07 7:54AM
  • riyankery
    sad!
    by riyankery at 07/28/07 7:55PM
  • eladea
    i like your Jane Austen quote.
    by eladea at 08/25/07 10:23PM
  • shousinator
    Hi April. How are you?
    by shousinator at 12/02/07 7:43AM

Here goes...

Well, I've been tagged. I think I'm one of the last people I know to get tagged, so I'm not going to tag anyone else ... you've probably been tagged already! But I'll play along, so here are 6 weird things about me:

1. I am often afraid someone is going to slit my throat. If I ever get really scared, watching a suspenseful movie, or even sometimes just uncomfortable in a situation, I find myself covering my neck with my hands. I have to cover my neck to deal with the "open neck feeling". Yeah, weird, I know, but this is supposed to be 6 weird things about me...

2. I sometimes find myself saying in my head "34, 35, 36..." (or other numbers) because I've been counting my steps, or the yellow stripes in the middle of the road. (Just in case you're worried, counting yellow stripes only happens when I'm not driving.)

3. I hate socks. My feet are always cold as a result (just ask Tim), but its better than wearing socks.

4. I don't care for maple syrup. Of course, I eat it whenever it's served, but I prefer jelly on a rolled up pancake ... like a crepe. I guess this is a weird thing because I like almost every kind of food, but not maple syrup, though I don't know why. I mean, its so sugary, what's not to like?

5. When I'm feeling stressed or emotional I do strange things in my sleep, such as talking in my sleep, looking for plates of food in the covers, standing on my knees and reaching out for people who aren't there, or waking up afraid someone is going to cut me open.

6. I cannot STAND the sound of touching raw wood, but the only way to overcome the terrible cringes it gives me, is to continue stroking the wood until it makes no noise... and I'm not going to elaborate on this at all, because no one ever understands it anyway. :)

Weird enough? I think so.


pregnancy
  • humankumquat
    haha, the open neck feeling...
    by humankumquat at 04/12/07 10:44AM
  • marieb
    hey girl you are over half way done with waiting on sprout to come
    by marieb at 04/12/07 5:18PM
  • brightsmiler
    i haven't been tagged...
    by brightsmiler at 04/12/07 10:30PM
  • brightsmiler
    I do your #2 also!
    by brightsmiler at 04/12/07 10:32PM
  • shousinator
    Hey! How are you?
    by shousinator at 04/12/07 11:55PM
  • mrs_worm
    Hey... Tim mentioned you needing to meet Baby J... you definitely do!! I told him that if you were up to traveling and could come visit to meet her, I would let you go through all my maternity clothes and borrow whatever you wanted!!! I have small through large sizes... and several med- boxes FULL.. and one large box too!!
    by mrs_worm at 04/13/07 3:58PM
  • pancake
    HEY SWEET APRIL!! I'm always glad that we find a common weirdness in each other...I totally don't like maple syrup either..I think it tastes gross in the back of my throat, like boogers. I MISS YOUR FACE!
    by pancake at 04/13/07 11:47PM
  • mayflower
    I think we need updated pregnant pictures!
    by mayflower at 04/14/07 9:43AM
  • krazyqwilt
    we did 5 quilts today in the class I was teaching and boy am I tired! They aren't too hard if you go slowly and ask questions if theres a problem. Lots of people to help here.
    by krazyqwilt at 04/14/07 9:53PM
  • lilsis
    I MISS YOU, TOO!!! Hey, Holly & I want to come see you sometime!
    by lilsis at 04/15/07 2:26PM
  • bookworm14
    That's the best tag list I've seen so far.
    by bookworm14 at 04/15/07 3:26PM
  • lromanic
    i agree with her
    by lromanic at 04/16/07 8:38AM
  • mamalady
    I'd love to see pictures, too! Pretty please: )
    by mamalady at 04/17/07 9:35AM
  • spacehobbit
    Have you ever tried sugar cane syrup? It's super sweet and super gooooood. :)
    by spacehobbit at 04/17/07 10:37AM
  • rebekah
    Thanks!! I've been doing pretty well so far, until the last couple days. Blech. Hopefully this won't last long. I'm excited for you two, too!
    by rebekah at 04/17/07 2:58PM
  • rebekah
    And your cousin Holly is the dearest person ever--she came over to say hi the other day right as I was heading out the door and ended up staying and handwashing all of our dishes. Yay!
    by rebekah at 04/17/07 2:59PM
  • smilingwide
    Brianne was telling me about your open neck-feeling...
    by smilingwide at 04/18/07 5:43PM
  • smilingwide
    I hope you think that this is cool (I think that it is awesome!): I named a sweet, weird chicken after you. I'll have to introduce you to her next time you are at my house. Or maybe I can figure out how to post pictures of her on the 'nast.
    by smilingwide at 04/18/07 5:45PM
  • girl
    HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
    by girl at 12/04/07 9:06AM

17 weeks and feelin good!

Well, actually I'm 18 weeks now, but I've been meaning to post this week, because I've been feeling soooooo much better! What a lovely feeling! The sun is shining! The windows are open! I'm feeling good! Perhaps I have been feeling better because of the "17" in "17 weeks". As you know, if you know my husband well, 17 is a very significant number to Tim. Here I am (sporting a increasingly large belly) feeling good at 17 weeks.

I've decided to make a quilt for Sprout. Since we're not planning to find out if Sprout's a boy or a girl, I'm making it in light yellows and greens ... pretty gender neutral. I've never made a quilt before and the instructions I have are rather ... sketchy ... for the particular quilt I want to make. Then again, when it comes to sewing, I'm not very good at following instructions so maybe it'll be ok ... aaah! At least I know people who know how to quilt. Putting the pieces together looks times consuming but straight-forward. The part I'm worried about is the end of the directions: "Layer, quilt, and bind raw edges with remaining fabric..." Wait! Could you elaborate a little more on the "quilt" command in that sentence! I quilted a pillow top once, but I don't remember how I did it...

I feel like doing spring cleaning! My energy level is still not 100%, but hopefully I'll be able to get a lot done before the lemons rot. I was reading an interesting book called "Feather Your Nest" written by a eco-friendly woman persuading feminists that household work is actually very fulfilling. Very interesting, though I'm no feminist, and using Windex or bleach doesn't really bother me that much, but still she had lots and lots of excellent tips on cleaning, well, everything! I even found out how to get wax out of my tablecloth ... good thing too, I was considering getting rid of it. She had some very neat ideas about cleaning with lemons (such as cutting a lemon in half and dipping it in salt as an abrasive) that would leave your place smelling all nice and fresh. Using entire lemons to clean, though, just seemed wasteful, until I was in the grocery store and found a container of reduced produce lemons for 99 cents. There must be 20 lemons in there! So now I can find out whether her tips actually work without having to feel too bad if its a flop ... as long as I do it before the lemons really go bad.

Thank you everyone for your kind well wishes! I've been feeling increasingly better for a while now. I still have down times, but they are *much* less intense, and becoming fewer and farther between. Oh so nice to feel oh so good!

*singing*
I feeeeeeeeel good,
duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh
I knew knew that I would now!
duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh
I feeeeeeeeel ni-ice,
like sugar and spice!
duh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh nuh
So good!
dun dunSo nice!
dunI gotta you!
  • casebolt
    Glad you are feeling better!
    by casebolt at 03/26/07 10:20AM
  • sutherlandfam
    What a beautiful picture of you and sprout! :)
    by sutherlandfam at 03/26/07 11:37AM
  • disastermaster
    I have not read your blog for a while and just caught up. I would like to think some of the strangness I am reading about is due to the baby.........but I know better. I am very glad you are doing well.
    by disastermaster at 03/26/07 12:58PM
  • beka34
    wow, i haven't been to your blog in a while! congratulations!! i hope your pregnancy goes well!
    by beka34 at 03/26/07 4:22PM
  • ajsb
    I am so happy you are feeling better ..enjoy
    by ajsb at 03/26/07 5:31PM
  • ajsb
    You look so cute pregnant
    by ajsb at 03/26/07 5:32PM
  • joes_wife
    Very cute picture! I came here from your Mom's blog and now I just have to know how to get wax out of a tablecloth. We lived in Bulgaria for a while and I have this beautiful piece from there. The kids "blew" out the candle the other day and now it has specks of wax. Any hints you know can be left on my blog if you don't mind :)

    Congrats on Sprout. What an exciting time!
    by joes_wife at 03/27/07 8:45AM
  • enyek
    You are beautiful! And I am glad you are feeling better too!
    by enyek at 03/27/07 8:47AM
  • bitty
    Glad that you're feeling better! We're all eagerly awaiting the arrival of Sprout. :)
    by bitty at 03/28/07 10:18AM
  • bitty
    tag! (see my blog for the rules of the game)
    by bitty at 03/28/07 10:54AM
  • littlelamb
    You're so beautiful! I can't believe you're 18 weeks already!!! I'm glad you've got at least some energy back...I hope it continues to increase!
    by littlelamb at 03/28/07 4:36PM
  • mayflower
    Hey... what's the trick for wax removal? I have a tablecloth with that problem...
    by mayflower at 03/29/07 7:39PM
  • brightsmiler
    you are adorable! I'm glad you are feeling better :)
    by brightsmiler at 03/30/07 11:14PM
  • mr_and_mrs_berry
    Hi dear April, Tim, and Sprout. Baking Soda makes a really terrific scouring agent to, especially on bathtubs and porcelain and use Windex on the chrome fixtures for sparkle. And start making frozen cassaroles. And don't forget to lay in a store of toilet paper. The Countdown is really moving along! :)
    by mr_and_mrs_berry at 03/31/07 3:10PM
  • 7laughinghardmans
    I fail to see the need to switch homes for the summer! [ you're really sounding like a Mother April! FUNNY!
    by 7laughinghardmans at 03/31/07 9:11PM
  • andymuffins
    WHOA! I didn't even know you were pregnant!!! How are things going!?
    by andymuffins at 04/02/07 3:23PM
  • buelalberta
    aww april! you are way to CUTE!!!! i'm so happy for you! how's everything going?
    by buelalberta at 04/02/07 11:19PM
  • moonpi
    How's the quilt going? I can't wait to see the finished product!
    by moonpi at 04/05/07 4:39PM
  • sunny_smiles918
    Wow April! Congratulations! I haven't been keeping up very well...sorry! Congrats to you and Tim! "Sprout's coming arrival is so exciting!
    by sunny_smiles918 at 04/05/07 4:58PM
  • mamalady
    We miss you : )
    by mamalady at 04/05/07 11:22PM

News!

Wonderful news in our extended family... Jody is going to have a wee little one as well! Sooooooooooooooo excited!!!!!!!

In other news, I do believe I felt the baby move last night! Tim and I were just starting to watch a movie and I felt this fluttering/slight poking in the baby-area. It happened again a few minutes later. Wow! Little Sprout's getting bigger and bigger!

Wednesday I have my next appointment. We'll be able to find out if Sprout's a boy or girl ... but I think we're not going to find out and we'll let ourselves be surprised.

I am really hoping that I'll be feeling better soon. I keep thinking the end of all this icky part is in sight, but it just keeps coming! I really need to be getting more done, and get a job for the next few months, but right now I spend most of my time between the bed and the bathroom and the couch. :( Tim has been so sweet and sympathetic, but I feel awful for not getting more done. I woke up the other day determined to get things accomplished, and so I went right to work - only to find myself running to the bathroom, then crawling into bed and feeling pretty horrid all day afterward. Very aggravating. But!! I am out of my first trimester ... not by much, but I am ... and from what I hear/read I should be feeling better soon and back to being able to get stuff done! Huzzah!!!

By the way, hot and sour soup is no longer a craving. In fact, it hasn't been for quite some time. I've had many other various cravings between then and now ... currently, it's pickles. Dill pickle spears to be exact. My sweet hubby just brought home two jars (I eat them a jar at a time...) and my mouth is watering. :)
  • denisemccaskill
    I can't believe your pregnant! Congratulations!!
    by denisemccaskill at 03/07/07 10:53PM
  • sellerofpurple
    I miss you! How's life?? Did you find out the gender? Boy or Girl? Or will it be a surprise? I'm dying to know! Call me anytime! Love ya!! :)
    by sellerofpurple at 03/08/07 3:40PM
  • enyek
    Poor April Mommy! Don't pressure yourself, nothing you can do about it. Just have happy baby thoughts, enjoy that wonderful husband of yours. Pickles - how classic!
    by enyek at 03/09/07 10:59AM
  • sarahphim
    It was fun to see you guys yesterday. I hope you're having a good day today!
    by sarahphim at 03/09/07 3:49PM
  • krazyqwilt
    I was the asme way my first time, hope it goes away for YOU! Mine didn't until way late then I delovered early, ha!
    by krazyqwilt at 03/10/07 7:11AM
  • tweedledee
    Yaaayyy. Glad pickles are fairly healthy for you! =]
    by tweedledee at 03/10/07 8:28AM
  • blessings_of_a_mom
    Get the rest while you can April, because once Sprout is born you will never get sleep like this again.
    by blessings_of_a_mom at 03/12/07 1:11PM
  • mamalady
    Crazy isn't it? Only 4 at home: ) Classically, I am excited for Adam while dad is already missing him. I will miss him, too. Is'nt it funny how dad and I are?
    by mamalady at 03/13/07 12:57PM
  • autumn_rain
    hey april I really hope you are feeling better really really soon!!!!
    by autumn_rain at 03/13/07 7:15PM
  • mr_and_mrs_berry
    Hey dear April. Try eating something with protein in it in the night or before you go to sleep - cheese and crackers or peanut butter - one theory that seemed to work (maybe I just reached that time) was that protein takes longer to digest and so helps keep the queasiness at bay when you stand up the next morning. Love you.
    by mr_and_mrs_berry at 03/14/07 3:05PM
  • mamalady
    thanks for doing the SuRvEy-tj[-=
    by mamalady at 03/15/07 3:41PM
  • autumn_rain
    I am SO excited about Sprout!!! Sprout is getting soo big...I love reading the little baby ticker things:) love y'all three and all:)
    by autumn_rain at 03/16/07 6:00PM
  • micah
    hang in there, april! i'm real excited for you guys.
    by micah at 03/20/07 6:48AM
  • lromanic
    glad to hear you're starting to feel better!
    by lromanic at 03/21/07 8:12AM
  • nottoscale
    oh man... I hope it's just peer pressure and not pregnancy... but I'm suddenly craving pickles too...
    by nottoscale at 03/21/07 10:36AM
  • autumn_rain
    LOL!!! Glad you are being able to say "I feel good":) Hope it stays like that sis:)
    by autumn_rain at 03/21/07 1:43PM
  • ashli
    APRIL!!!!!! Wow...I'm still in shock that you're pregnant, ALREADY. Actually, I'm not. You're a "Smelser", genetically inclined to be a fertile myrtyl. :-P Ok, so seriously, we're all dying to see pictures of you with your cute pregnant belly! Post some already! Miss you.
    by ashli at 03/22/07 1:18AM
  • tonyh
    Wow, friend, how are you doing? I don't think I've talked to you since... I brushed my teeth in your kitchen a week after your wedding! lol btw, I am so excited for you and Tim- you are going to make awesome parents!
    by tonyh at 03/22/07 11:49PM
  • lori_in_pa
    April, postpone puking and post.
    by lori_in_pa at 03/24/07 10:51AM