WalMarts of Stillwater

I posted a status update on Facebook a little while ago.  It has gotten several likes and a handful of comments.  One friend suggested us calling the managers to let them know how frustrating it is this time of year when they seem to "forget" the population of our sleepy little summer town is about to DOUBLE in a matter of days.  So, I am here to help!

My Post:

Dear Wal-Mart(s) of Stillwater - 
THIS IS YOUR WARNING! The kids (OSU students) start coming back in droves this weekend. Greeks are moving in to get ready for fall events. The next week is sorority recruitment. Then Welcome Week for Freshmen. They will need stuff. LOTS of stuff. The rest of us will still need groceries. PLEASE staff accordingly!!!!!!!!!! Have more than 4 check-out lanes open. THANK YOU! 
Signed,
A year round resident of this college driven town for the past (almost) 40 years.

Our Wal-Mart Locations:

Walmart Supercenter

4545 W 6th Ave

Stillwater, OK 74074

STORE PHONE: (405) 707-0744

Walmart Supercenter

111 N Perkins Rd

Stillwater, OK 74075

STORE PHONE: (405) 372-2897 

Let's do this!  Take a moment, call your favorite Wal-Mart store (or both!), and remind them this place is about to "blow up" as the kids would say...  It will help us all...

 

Snow Day

Since I last wrote, a few things have happened with the Weavers that are worth mentioning.  Today was a snow day – among other things – so I’ve had plenty of quality (tormenting) time with my kids.  And, I was lucky enough to have Nana the Wonder Sitter all day as well.  The pesky snow day was late coming, and plans were already in place when school was called off, so we just moved forward with the original plan.  But more on that later.  First, some updates…

Finn has been home for a week now.  He came home 100% healthy, over the RSV, pneumonia, and whatever else he had, and back to normal.  This was a blessing and a curse.  Dad and I came home 100% exhausted.  It was hard to keep up with him and the Big Dream Weaver kids those first few days!  Last Thursday Finn had a follow up with his pediatrician which went perfectly well, then an appointment with the Ear, Nose and Throat doctor that afternoon.   Our pediatrician is working to schedule us an appointment with a pediatric pulmonologist for follow up, and the ENT scheduled Finn for ear tubes a week later (today).  Never a dull moment with him these days!

Friday was a SUPER EXCITING day!  If you’re a follower of the Six Dream Weavers, you know we have been touting BALTO week at Edmond North High School for several weeks.  Their benefactor this year is the March of Dimes NICU Family Support Specialist program.  Last Friday was the final assembly.  The one where everyone gets all emotional and thanks everyone for everything.  But, the best part?  They calculate and announce the final fundraising number!  Their goal for this year was $225,000.00.  We were pretty sure they would exceed that – this is an AMAZING group of kids – but we didn’t know by how much until the end of the 2 hour assembly.  When they raised the balloons to reveal the final number, the roar of the crowd was deafening, and the tears from the March of Dimes section of the stands were freely flowing.  My Instagram (BestWeave) from the moment:

And the final photo with the amount raised:

We are so excited to see how this money is used in the near future to grow the NICU Family Support Program from just one hospital in Oklahoma (Mercy) to at least one more in OKC and possibly Tulsa as well.  Having one at our hospital made a WORLD of difference in our NICU experience compared to many of our friends who had very different experiences at other hospitals.  THANK YOU, BALTO for choosing babies!

After a busy weekend of running the Bigs to birthday parties, basketball games, dance workshops, and church events, we were glad to get back to a routine on Monday.  Sort of.  The kids had the day out of school for President’s day, so Nana the Wonder Sitter was on quadruple duty while Dad and I went to work.  We really felt like we were starting to get back to normal and back into our routine at that point – even though we were still super tired as parents.  We were blessed by friends and neighbors with food for a few days, which kept us OUT of Wal-Mart for groceries and allowed us time to get the house (laundry, clutter, mail piles) in order without having to worry too much about food.  We are so grateful to have such wonderful people in our lives who love Finn as much as we do!

Of course, as we get back to normal, there is another little obstacle for us to overcome!  Finn was scheduled to have tubes put in his ears at 6:00 this morning.  Which isn’t really that big of a deal.  Except that we were having a thunder sleet storm over night and early this morning.  Ain’t NOBODY got time for that!  It was crazy.  And when we left our house shortly after 5:30 am to go across town to the Surgery Center, the roads were pretty bad – and getting worse!  Of course the process at the surgery center was a bit of a hurry up and wait game.  We were called back right at 6:00, but Finn wasn’t taken back for his procedure until 7:06.  During that time, we were obsessively checking local news channel websites and the Public School website for news of school cancellation.  EVERY town around us was called off; we just knew we would be too.  But, in the meantime, the plan was for Nana to come to our house at 7:00 to get the big kids up and off to the bus stop.  So when the School Board finally announced school closings at 6:50 am, my dad was already driving my mom to the other side of town to my house with chains on his tires to drop her off.  We could have avoided that whole scenario if school had been called off earlier!  The kids would have been fine by themselves until we got home.  *sigh* So, Finn was back in my arms by 7:21.  He did great!  Woke up a bit cranky, but overall did very, very well.  After a really great experience at Stillwater Surgery Center, we got home right at 8:00 am, and Dad went off to work, and I stayed home with the kids – and Nana!  It made for a pretty easy day with the extra help.  We weren’t sure how Finn would react, so it was nice to have extra hands to keep everyone clean, dry, entertained, and happy!  Finn did throw up once about 45 minutes after we got home, but he never ran a fever, had not had any more pain meds, and ate well the rest of the day.  They told us he would nap extra-long, too, but they have not met this child!  He was too worried he might be missing something his siblings were doing to sleep!

We really hope this procedure is a turning point for Finn.  We are looking forward to hearing words and seeing him take his first steps.  He has a hearing test scheduled for next week in Oklahoma City, but we’re thinking the tubes will have done the trick and that the hearing test will come back completely positive!  In the meantime, I hope my big kids get to go to school tomorrow, and I am looking forward to a calm weekend – it’s time to start tagging clothes for the Adorable Affordables sale!

‘Tis the Season

I love being a Weaver!  I love that when we go places, people say “Oh! It’s the Weavers!” or “Hey Weavers!”  It feels good to belong to something so good.  This family is pretty amazing.  I am so incredibly blessed to have found a man 7 years ago that loved not only me, but our Lord, and my crazy red-headed three year old twin girls – UNCONDITIONALLY!  He never once hesitated in including them in our times together, and he has been the best Daddy to them they could ever want.  Then, adding our two boys to the mix just made us feel complete.  Completely CRAZY at times, but full.  Content.  Blessed beyond measure.  And this Christmas, the blessings have flowed from more places than we ever dreamed possible.

This has been QUITE a year.  Last year at this time we had just moved our sweet little 4.5 pound miracle to his own room in the big boy side of the NICU, and we were hoping and praying for a Christmas at home.  Every day since then has been a gift.  Sometimes, the gift wasn’t what we expected, or thought we needed at the time, but a gift nonetheless.  And that sentiment has followed us to this Christmas season where we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  We have been overwhelmed and downright surprised by the things others have done for us.  The latest Godsend came in a Christmas greeting card earlier this week:

We were again shocked and awed to tears by the overpowering love being poured out and shown to our family.  We don’t deserve it, but we truly appreciate it!  So, as Britt and I were talking about it, he said to me “You know, we didn’t have this yesterday, and we don’t need it today.  Let’s bless others with it.  And include the kids.”  So, we did.  Last night after dinner, we went to Wal-Mart to find people who could use a little Christmas right now. 

There are 2 kinds of people in this world.  Givers and Takers.  Now, this isn’t to say that there isn’t a little of each in every single one of us, but for the most part you can be categorized one way or the other.  Here’s how that plays out with the Dream Weavers: Britt – giver; Betsey – taker; Emma – GIVER; Lara – Taker; Jake – giver (most of the time – his whims change like the Oklahoma winds, but he is only 5 after all!).  So, while I was completely on board for this adventure, a tiny piece of me wanted to keep it for ourselves.  So glad the “giver” in me won out!  We were blessed in return when we got to spread a little Christmas cheer and wish complete strangers a Merry Christmas.  I interviewed everyone after we got home, and here is how our giving spree went:

BETSEY

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

I saw a woman with lots of baby stuff in her cart including diapers and formula.  I know how expensive that stuff can be! I wanted to be helpful to her and her family.

What was the response?

She looked bewildered and asked what it was for.  I told her it was for a Merry Christmas!  She said Thank you and moved on to get milk.

How did it make you feel?

Mission Accomplished!  I am not one to approach strangers, so I was glad it was over, and I was glad I got to be a blessing to someone else.

*A few moments later, I came around a corner, and saw her handing the card off to another patron.  That REALLY made me smile!

JAKE

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

‘Cause she looked like she needed some money to buy all the stuff in her cart (lots of paper plates, foil pans, cups, etc.)

What was the response?

She looked at it and said thank you

How did it make you feel?

Made me happy to give it to her and say Merry Christmas!

EMMA

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

This lady had 2 kids in her cart – one baby and a toddler.  She might need money for diapers and she looked like a nice person.  I had to chase her down to get to her!

What was the response?

She looked surprised and asked what it was for.  I told her it was to wish her a Merry Christmas and she hugged me.

How did it make you feel?

It made me feel better knowing I was doing something good for someone else

LARA

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

This lady looked like she was last minute Christmas shopping and she might need some money.

What was the response?

She looked it over a few times, and then asked what it was for.  I told her it was for whatever she wanted.  She told me she didn’t need it and to give it to someone else who needs it more.  So I started looking for another person…

LARA’S 2^ND TRY

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

I saw a lady pushing a cart with a baby in it and her mom was with her too and I thought she might need it.

What was the response?

The mom didn’t say anything but the grandma said “Bless her with 100 more!” to me and gave me a hug!

How did it make you feel?

I felt grateful because I was able to do that for someone else.

BRITT

How did you pick the person you were giving your card to?

I had seen this woman in the store earlier, and when I saw her a second time I started to follow her.  She had a little toddler boy and an infant in a car seat and I thought she could use a blessing.

What was the response?

She was very accepting of the gift.  She was appreciative, and VERY surprised!

How did it make you feel?

It made me cry!  Just like when others do it for me.

*I saw this woman a few seconds later, and she was just staring at the card and she was just so happy and surprised.  I also saw her again after she had checked out, and she thanked us again and wished us a Merry Christmas!

Best moment of the night?  As we were checking out with our ingredients for the piecakin Britt was making for his work Christmas lunch, Lara (the taker), said to us, “I really hope we do this again next year!”

Merry Christmas!

How Very Pinteresting

You can find anything on Pinterest

Christmas is just around the corner!  Less than 2 weeks away!  And I find myself amazingly calm.  Strange.  I am done shopping (not that I had much to do in the first place since we are minimalists when it comes to gifts, and we have no money), my cards were sent out 2 weeks ago (thanks to the help of my amazing husband), our Christmas Visitation schedule has been set and approved, I know what we are having for Christmas Eve dinner AND Christmas morning breakfast (as soon as  my Mom tells me what I need to bring to Christmas dinner I will be set for food!), and I found myself with some extra time this past weekend.  Once we got through Lara’s Nutcracker Dream performance, I was almost bored. (WHAT?!?!?!  I know, right?)

But never fear!  Pinterest is here!  I have been a Pinster (a Pinning Gangster) of late for some reason.  And unlike some of my awesome friends, 2/3 of what I pin, I never actually intend on acting on.  I just pin.  It’s addicting.  But somehow, a few things stick in my mind, and I act on them.  Like the crib railingcover I made for Woodchuck a few weeks ago.  Well, this weekend, I got the Christmas Pins bug, and whipped out a few cute things…

One of our family traditions (I have discovered there are lots… maybe the topic of my next post), is that every year we have a new picture ornament of the kids for the main tree.  This started way back in 2002 when Emma and Lara had their first Christmas at 7 months old.  So, for 5 Christmases, that was 2 new picture ornaments per year.  (I do know one year it is one LARGE ornament with a picture of both of them in it…, and maybe another year, too, but you get the idea…).  Add Jake in 2007, and for the last 5 years that’s 3 ornaments per year.  Last year, FOUR new picture ornaments (even though Finn’s first Christmas ornament is STILL not hung…  it got lost in the move, we found it, but it still has no picture in it!  It will be in the tree by this time next week!).  Not counting all the others we acquire and handmade kid gifts and ornament exchanges, and OHH!  Pretty!  I had to stop the madness this year!  So, inspired by this pin I saw on Pinterest, I made this:

YUP!  All four of my kiddos on ONE ornament!  It's one of those brown box ornaments from Hobby Lobby. Spray painted it silver, mod podge, the pictures, then 3 more layers if mod podge. I put the date on the top with stickers. Added a little red bow and a bell! Perfection!  Now my mom wants one, and I can’t find any more of the paper box ornaments.  So, I guess I’ll save the pictures and make it for her next year…  Along with a 2013 version for BOTH of us!

Then, I tried to wrap some of our Christmas presents.  To no avail.  I won’t go in to why, but you can ask my husband, or just trust me.  Sometimes, I don’t make the best choices.  It happens!  But, THIS little gem turned out SO CUTE and I am so proud of it!

 

It was inspired by this pin.  I thought I wanted to do snowflakes, but I LOVED the teal color of these trees, and I thought they would lend themselves well to a wreath.  I was not disappointed!  I bought a pack of 12 (I think there were 12) glitter Christmas tree ornaments at Wal-Mart. Cut the stings off, arranged them in a circle, and started hot gluing! (Is that a verb?)  Finished it off with a cute glittery snowflake ribbon. Easy Peasy!

And last but not least…  teacher presents.  On a less than shoe-string budget.  I saw this pin and made it happen!  I even found the cute tissues at WAL-MART!  I was satisfied with just using the little nondescript packs of Kleenex, but I found the cute Christmas-y “Swankie” tissues!  I got the Hand sanitizers and holders at Bath and Body Works buy 2 get one free (I got 6 of each thing), so each “gift” cost just about $2.  WORKS FOR ME!  The kids handed them out earlier this week, and their teachers LOVED them!

So, now what?  Well, I am making my Christmas Eve dinner from a Pin.  I’ll let you know how that goes!  (If you know me, you know I don’t cook often.  I think Britt was about to pass out when I told him I would pick the menu and cook that meal…)

In the meantime, here are a couple of pictures from Lara’s Nutcracker Dream rehearsal and performance.  I was not able to stay for the Dress Rehearsal, so I don’t have many pictures (no photography allowed on performance night!)  I have no idea why this is playing them in reserve order, either.  I tried... ;)