Baby Girl

Denial

Josh is 21.  But I refuse. It's not ok.  I forbid it.

Happy 21st Birthday Joshua!!

You are my best Josh!! Always and forever!!

Running the Race

Sjoberg 540
Stream 336

THANK YOU to everyone that voted for me and gave their time and resources and advice so generously!! And thank you also for all of the prayers! I am SO VERY GRATEFUL for all of the wonderful people I met and also very proud of all of those who won their races tonight!!

Onward.

Sent

April 3rd Election!

Thank you Tim!

My youngest son Tim has always marched to his own drumbeat. He does life with such spirit! I love that. He will set people straight. He doesn't tolerate bullies or disrespect to teachers. He will go talk to the young girl with autism sitting in the cafeteria alone. And invite his friends to join them.
He started Weightlifting Club at the middle school yesterday and asked his buddy to help him get going on the treadmill to warm up. Someone overheard and said, "What? You don't even know how to use the treadmill?" 
Tim answered, "No I don't. There is a first time for everything. Do you remember when it was your first time?"
The young man replied quietly, "Yeah." and walked away. 
Thank you Tim. I needed that today.

Vote for Meeeeeeeee

Perks

Tim "Mom, I am so glad I am 12!! I can finally figure out what this shotgun thing is all about!!"

12!!!

My Timbug is 12 today!!
You are my best Tim!!
I love you!!
We love to talk about the fact that mom had you at 40 years old and during the waterbirth mom got to lift you out of the water for your first breath. Those memories mean the world to me.

To Patrick Love Carlababe

For the Love

I wait for the same moment every year on Christmas Day. When my family just looks at each other and smiles. In love and gratitude that we have each other. That we do life together and are FOR each other and have so much fun. We take that moment to be still and look around at what we have.
"I love you! Merry Christmas!" is said and meant. 
And YES I cry because my heart is full. 
Thank you Streamers for blessing my life in so many ways. If you know me then you know that growing up in an abusive home was one of the loneliest places I have ever been. 
I am no longer there. I am here. With you. With your love.
Thank you, Lord!!

Merry Christmas 2017!!

Gimme

Every year I get a little overcome by the Christmas spirit. I get caught up. In addition to asking if we can open presents every single day in December, I ask my husband for a Christmas puppy. In a stocking. Wearing a bow. Waiting for me. Whimpering for me. Loving me. Needing me. All fluffy and cute and cuddly and mine. And my husband says no. Something about the joy. And the pain. And he sighs because we have the same discussion every Christmas.
I love our traditions.

Yeah Right

Oh Carla. 
I love that on the Friday before Christmas you think you can
"just run in and pick something up real quick." 
checkoutlinesformilesgirl

Pin That

Buy little Christmasy houses at Walmart on clearance for 99 cents each. Take all of the cotton out of the bottles of vitamins and supplements that your husband orders from Vitacost and use it for snow. Set it all up on the coffee table and you got yourself a village for under $10.(minus the cost of vitamins and supplements from Vitacost)

Christmas Reading

3 books I read every year. I have read The Christmas Box for over 20 years. The theme? Redemption.

PS  The Best Christmas Pageant Ever book was in a box of freebies at our public library. It has WITHDRAWN FROM HUDSON LIBRARY stamped all over it. And a pocket in the back for the check out card. Published in 1972 when I was 7. 
More than you wanted to know.

Pounding the Pavement

Door knocking with Carla Stream. She asked "What has it been like 9 hours already?"

Uh, 40 minutes babe.

This is what I said while door knocking yesterday. "Hi my name is Carla Stream and I am running for County Board. I need signatures on this petition to get my name on the ballot for the April 3rd election. If you would be willing to sign I would really appreciate it."

This is what this INTROVERT was afraid she might say, " UM I UHHH. Hi. I don't normally talk to strangers and I don't remember my name. But I am running for something. County Board?? This paper is important. I'm not sure why. You should sign it. And don't be alarmed when I burst into tears and run down the street."

If We Make These It Will Come

Sanity Fairy

Years ago when I had 4 Streamers under the age of 8 I didn't think I was going to make it. Seriously. My youngest was fit to be tied ALLOFTHETIME. But a miracle came into my life in the form of a friend. She earned the title of Sanity Fairy and would stop by with treats and games and fun and conversation. She would love up my kiddoes and tell me that yes indeed I was going to make it. And it seems that I did make it through those crazy, physically exhausting, mind numbing days.(The days are long, the years are short)
This post is in honor of my very own Sanity Fairy named 
Kristi Noser who still sprinkles sanity over my life. I love you very much. And I cherish our friendship.
If you have a Sanity Fairy of your own then bless her good today. 
If you don't have one, get one.

Happy Thanksgiving from The Streams!!

The annual Stream family turkey coloring.  And writing out what we are thankful for.
Love you alls.  All y'alls.
PS We learned our Thanksgiving names from a meme on facebook.
Patrick  Henny Messy-Dressin
Carla  Hot Bunns Pie Head
Josh  Yammy Feather Bottom
Sarah  Yam Bam Tryptophanny
Nathan  Deep Fried McStuffins
Tim  Salty Wishbone

I am Mr. Stream

I got to spend the morning with this beauty at Joyful Noise preschool!! It was Grandparents Day and I was asked to stand in the gap! How wonderful to reminisce to when my now 20 year old was in the very first Joyful Noise preschool class.
Thank you Brynnbug for always calling me Mr. Stream and saying that you are thankful for Mr. Stream's cats!! Iloveyou

Happy 14th Birthday, Nathan!!

We love you and we love celebrating 14 years of YOU, Natedog!!

PS
I love our birthday celebrations!! Full of love and laughter and homemade cards and inside jokes and a birthing story thrown in! 

1985

Carla Nelson and Shelly Hieb
B/F, F/F's for 32 years.

Sigh

Dearest Hobby Lobby,
Please get it together. It doesn't have to be like this between us. 
Love you,
Carla

I Do Stuff

HOME

21 years ago today we moved into The Streamstead. It seemed so big as I was pregnant with our eldest son Josh. We filled this home with kidlets(making it seem smaller)and put off home projects to raise them!! We have gone back and forth about staying or moving. We are staying. Staying and doing all of the things to the house that we dreamt of doing 21 years ago!! Adding that 5th bedroom to an unfinished corner of the basement, tiling a shower in the master bath so 6 Streams don't have to use the same one. New carpet, new flooring, finishing the laundry room, taking out a half wall to OPEN it up, and various other exciting things!! woot
PS Children actually did come trick or treating while we were hauling in furniture. kindabusyherekids

Happy Birthday to Me!!

52 YEARS OLD!!
HALFWAY TO 104!!

Exempt

There was a message waiting for me on the answering machine.  It was from Nathan's math teacher stating that he was 1 of the 2 students out of 75 8th graders who received 100% on his math pretest.  HE DID NOT HAVE TO TAKE THE MATH TEST THE NEXT DAY!!!  Whoooooop!
Way to go, buddy!! 

Losing It

I didn't want to walk this morning. So I did. I ran too! That'll show me. The scale flashed a number I haven't seen in 4 years!! I have lost 15 pounds since surgery in March! 
Exercising more and eating less. Hey that could catch on.
I will be working on a book today. And a video. Maybe a shake.