SCORE!

Yesterday, on my lunch break, I headed over to our local Goodwill and scored big time for the nursery. When I started this game I told myself that I didn't want to spend more than $200 for everything including the furniture. As of today it looks like I'll come in way under budget. Go me!

I can't tell you what I got yesterday until its all put together and pretty. Then I'll go through piece by piece and let you know just how little I spent.

I'm so very proud if myself. Money is super tight right now. Honestly we don't have enough to cover my maternity leave, but I still wanted to have a nice space once Gabbie gets here. I'm so glad I have the thrifty gene and I'm so very thankful for all those wonderful hand me downs. If it weren't for all our friends and family, we wouldn't have been able to make it.

So, The Man comes home tomorrow and we are working on the nursery all day Saturday. I'm hoping the majority of it will be done by the end of the weekend. I will let you know.

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Let the Nursery Preparation Commense

Now that Christmas is over, I can finally focus all my attension on the nursery and let me tell you, I'm EXCITED!!! I've been planning and collection stuff for months and now I get to put it all together. I hope it all turns out great in the end. There are several little projects that I'm working on. A baby quilt is first on the list. I have everything I need for it, just putting it together is the time consuming part. Next is the cutest stuffed hen from Anna Maria Horner's book Handmade Beginnings. It is the cutest thing. Then I've got a diaper stacker to make. I simply can't find one that I like and I sure don't want to spend a small fortune!!

Speaking of a fortune, why is it that all baby stuff is SO EXPENSIVE?? I just don't understand this!! I found a red gingham crib set on walmart.com for $54. It was only 3 pieces; a quilt, a fitted sheet, and the bumpers!! For over 50 bucks!!! I just don't understand. So, I've been to my ole' stand by, Goodwill, and I've found the majority of the things that I need for the nursery. And as soon as I get it somewhat put together, I will take some pictures and show you how inexpensive this nursery has been. Its gonna be so cute!! I'm so proud of myself for staying with a small budget!

As you can probably tell, I'm really excited about putting it all together. I hope that it looks as good in real life as it does in my head. I still have a couple more things to collect, but all in all everything in basically done. Just need a couple coats of paint and it will be done.

The Man is having a time fishing. Its so cold down there that they had to purchase space heaters to keep warm. Apparently the hotel doesn't have a great heating system. They aren't catching much fish either. I just hope he still has a good time. I'm starting to miss him; luckily he'll be home in Friday. I think I can hold out a couple more days. I have plenty to keep me busy.

I got two major things checked off my "Baby List" this week; pre-register at the hospital and find a pedatrician. Both were pretty easy, I have to say, and I shouldn't have procrastinated so long. But I'm glad its done, now I don't have to worry about anything, well at least the major things. There's not much more on the "Baby List", time has really flown by. I forgot to tell you about Gabbie's amazing Christmas present from my Grandfather. I knew he would be making her a toy chest but I didn't think it would be so soon. He completely surprised me Chrsitmas Day with this.



Needless to say I cried hysterically!!! I can't wait to get it in the nursery and filled. I just hope that it fits! Its a bit bigger than I thought it would be. Either way, I will make room!!

Well, I think I'll stop here. I'll be back soon to show you the progress on the nursery. Until then, Ya'll make it a good one!

Up Early

I don't know if it was the baby or the lack of another body in the bed but I was wide awake at 5 am. I got a surprise phone call last night around 7pm from my boss telling me we didn't have to come into the office this morning....Merry Christmas to Gladys!!! So I got up, put some more wood in the fire, and started the coffee. It was a great start to a long day ahead. I hope that my energy leaves stay up so I can get everything done that needs to be. I admit there is not much, but enough to keep my pregnant self busy all day. I think Mother may stop by and give me a hand, which would be a welcome relief. Either way, I will get everything done.

Looks like we may have a white Christmas. We are supposedly getting an inch to two inches tonight and tomorrow. That would be beautiful!! I just hope that it scares the hell out of the natives and they all stay at home. People around here just don't know how to drive period, let alone with white stuff on the ground. I'm trying to figure out what to cook for Christmas Breakfast. Skeeter, Mable's boyfriend, is a some what picky eater and I don't know what to make that doesn't have onions and peppers in it. I think I'll give Mabel a call here shortly and see if she can shine some light. It will be just the 3 of us in the morning so I definitely want to have something nice going on.

The Man headed to his roots yesterday morning. While he didn't want to leave his very pregnant wife alone, I know he was excited to see everyone. He was out late riding 4 wheelers at his aunts and tonight they have another big family gathering. I'm glad he is there, he needs to spend more time with his family, regardless if its over the phone or in person. I can't understand why he doesn't talk to them more. I understand that my family is VERY unique, but still. I couldn't go a week without checking in on everyone. I'm not expecting him to talk to them everyday like I do with my mother and sister, but at least once a week!! Its a battle we've been fighting since we moved to Tennessee and one that I don't see going anyway for a while, especially with Gabbie on the way. Unfortunately I can't force him to call, so its something his family is going to have to talk to him about.

I think the girls miss The Man already. They keep pacing by the door and looking out the windows. I hate to break it to them that he won't be home for a couple more days. Well, I think I've rambled enough. I need to get myself out of this chair and get to work. Merry Christmas!!!

Almost Time

It's almost Christmas time!!! I have to admit that I don't really have the Christmas spirit this year. I don't know if it's because I'm HUGE or if The Man won't be here but either way I'm just not feeling it this year. Regardless of my non-spirit, I still had some holiday baking to do. Unfortunately I was suffering from bad allergies and couldn't taste my wonderful creations. The Man willingly took this role for me ;) I have to admit that, when I was able to taste, all the cookies were amazing!! Here is a list of the cookies I made.

Chewy Molasses Spice

Iced Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

Lime Meltaways

Chocolate Gooey Butter Cookies

Turtle Graham Bars

I also did a simple sugar cookie recipe and dyed part red and green to make the stripped ones. Aren't they yummy looking?! Its been hard not getting into them. I have to say that the Chocolate Gooey are awesome and I will be making more for my family.







While I was busy baking, The Man was finishing up his present for my grandmother. He decided to make her a big dream catcher out of grapevine. Isn't it amazing???!!! I told him he need to make us one for the house. All the feathers were found on our property too. I know she will love it.






Well thats about all for tonight. I have to get The Man packed for his trip and finish my present for Christmas. Until next time, Ya'll make it a good one!!

Thawing Out

We are finally warming up here in TN. 35 is much warmer than 17. Last week and the beginning of this week were so cold. It was quite difficult keeping the house warm...man did we go through the wood. It will be nice to have a couple of days at our usual temp for this time of year.

Have a huge to do list for this weekend and I'm praying that we get at least half of it done. Really there is so much to do. I've got to finish my Christmas gift and so does The Man. Then we have to get him ready for his 10 day trip to NC and FL. Next is baking a ton of cookies for his family, this is their Christmas gift. If I get all that done I'll be happy and everything else can wait till The Man is gone.

I honestly don't know what I'm going to do with myself while he's gone. Gonna be pretty boring around the house. Thank God I have the dogs. I've got the nursery to keep me busy and more of Gabbie laundry.

I'll leave you here. Hopefully I'll be posting some pics of cookies tomorrow. Until next time, Talk make it a good one.

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TGIF

So happy Friday is finally here. It's been a very long week. The weekend will hopefully be good, we have a lot to do since the weather will be above freezing. I'm also hoping to get some things done around the house. I truly wish I had vacation time so I could take a couple days off but no such luck. It would be nice though. Maybe when The Man leaves for Christmas....yea he goes fishing every Christmas with his dad and grandfather. They go down to Florida and fish for a couple days, but this will most likely be the last year, at least at Christmas time. He will be gone for about 10 days so I'll be left to my own devices. I pray that I get something productive done.

Been preparing more for Gabriella's arrival. I had my first breast feeding class this week and I have to admit that it was pretty interesting. I know, I'm a total nerd, but the human body never fails to amaze me, especially during pregnancy. I have another next Monday and am really excited about it. I've also started researching local pediatricians. I'm hoping to have some consulations set up in the next week or so. By the end of the month I should know when the c section will be and we can plan time off work. Needless to say the next several weeks are going to be busy, busy, busy. I pray that everything goes smoothly.

Until next time, Yall behave.

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Baby Shower Weekend

Yesterday we had our first baby shower! It was a blast!!! So good to see everyone, especially our old friends. We got a ton of stuff but are still missing some things that we need. Needless to say we will be making a trip to Babies R Us soon. The family in North Carolina is having our shower after the baby is born, so we will have to get the necessities before her grand arrival. There are pictures floating around somewhere, unfortunately I don't have them. But when I do I will make sure to post them.

In other news, its FREEZING here!!! Glad we have plenty of wood to keep us warm. I don't think the high is supposed to get over 35 the whole week. It will be a test of our heater, to say the least.

I'm getting into baking mode and have found several recipes for this years batch. Every year I send cookies to my family in North Carolina and I'm pulling out some new stuff for this year. My brother in law is especially found of them so I'm making sure he has his own little tin full!! I've been getting a grocery list ready and let me tell you, I think I've got to get 5 lbs of butter!!! I'll be starting on that next weekend; making the dough and freezing it for a week before I bake it and then send it to NC with The Man. Any of you planning on a baking extravaganza???

Not much else going on so I'll stop here. Until next time, Ya'll be good!!

Thanksgiving 2010

WOW!!! I can't believe that the holiday has already come and gone. It went by so quickly. I had an amazing time with my wonderful family. I wish they could have stayed just a couple days longer but I know that I will be seeing them again soon. I would have posted much sooner, but I didn't take a single picture of our weekend. Not one!!! So, I had to wait until a family member got them all together. I don't know if I ever mensioned that we celebrate Thanksgiving in a non-conventional way. We spend our holiday outside, around a fire, and instead of turkey and dressing, we make a special soup that we cook on the fire. We don't watch football or the parade. We don't worry about place cards or stemware. We drink our beer around a fire and spend time with family. Pretty simple and non-complicated. Here are some pictures of our festivities.

The Man and my Cousin wresteling.




My Poppa and my Grampie. Two of my favorite people in the whole world.



The Women in our family have two traditions on Thanksgiving. One is drinking off the "Rock of Life". Up north the Rock was a stone wall and now that we are celebrating in Tennessee, we had to make do with what we had. That didn't stop us from continuing the trasition. This is my sister, Mable, My Mother and My Grammie.





The second tradition that us women have is our annual mudslide toast. Usually this happens first thing in the morning, but this year was a little off. Once again we had to make some adjustments but we still continued the tradition. We toasted to several things this year including family, next generations, and Miss Gabbie. Yes, I did partake in this tradition, although I did not partake that much. Just a sip or two.





These are just a couple candid shots of Mother and I, Mom and My Uncle Joe, and our lovely mailbox baring the Point Shelter sign. Point Shelter was where we used to celebrate Thanksgiving. It just seemed fitting to have the sign out.





That's about all for right now. I'll be posting several times this week...lots going on. I hope Yall have a great day.

Almost There

CREDIT

Its official... I'm in my third trimester!!! We are getting so excited about the arrival of Miss Gabbie. Now that there's light at the end of this tunnel, I realize just how much I have to do and how little time there is. I've come to terms with the fact that I probably won't get everything done but there are still a couple projects I really want to finish before she gets here.

Looking back I really can't believe I'm in the home stretch. It seems like just a month or two ago I was telling the world I was pregnant. 9 months seems like a long time but it really isn't, at least it hasn't been for me. I'm glad I took advice from other women who told me to sit back and really enjoy being pregnant. I've been keeping a journal since week 12 and I'm very thankful for it. Not only it is a way for me to record Gabriella's first days of existence, its a way for me to record my pregnancy as well. I plan on giving it to her someday, when she's old enough to truly appreciate it. She will then have a first hand account of our first days together. Being a HUGE history buff I think things like this are truly awesome. Hopefully she will too =)

Hump Day

So glad its Wednesday. That means another week is almost over. I don't know if its the hormones or if its just me but I'm really sick of people whinning and complaining. Every day I listen to my co-workers moan about the silliest things. Things that don't even involve them and its all the time. I literally walked in the door and they were already at it. Then it just escalated from there.

My saving grace is my boss and buddy, Nick. He's exactly 3 years younger than me, we have the same birthday, and we are almost identical in personality. So when it gets really rough in the room, I step into his office and vent. He returns the favor by calling me in the office so he can vent. It's a win win situation.

I think the older I get the more like my father I get. I just don't care about stupid stuff and I really really don't get along with ignorant, narrow minded people. Unfortunately, I'm surrounded by this caliber of people on a daily basis and now that I'm getting more hormonal, its not a good combination. Ok I feel better now.

There hasn't been much going on besides cleaning and reorganizing the house. We are getting ready for the holidays and the arrival of Miss Gabbie all in one swoop. We've gotten a lot done but there is still more to do and time is ticking away.
I'm hoping to get the remainder of everything done this weekend. Then I can focus on finishing my sisters Christmas present and Gabbies quilt for the nursery. I at least have to get my sisters done. I can work on Gabbies while on maternity leave.

Well I guess that's enough rambling for today. I'll post pictures of the newly spruced up house as soon as its finished. Hope Yall have a good one

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Chilly Willy!!!!

WOW!!! Last night the low was 27!!! BUUUUURRRRR!!!! Thank the Lord for our fireplace. The Man woke up bright and early to re-stoke it. Now I've got my cup o' coffee and Fox News. Typical Saturday for our house. I'm debating on what to do today. We need to head to the grocery to stock up on staples before Thanksgiving plus I'm out of peanut butter and coffee creamer...talk about a nightmare!! Other than that there isn't much else that needs to be done. We've kept the house clean all week and there's only as small bit of laundry. So hopefully I'll get into the studio and get some work done there.

Last night we were at my Grandparent's celebrating Mother's birthday. It was great spending time with everyone. It was chilly out but we had a big fire and good food. In my family...this is all that matters!! We are all gearing up for Thanksgiving. Our family tradition is shifting this year; we usually all head up to Northern Illinois for the holiday but my Grandparent's are not able to make that trip anymore, so we are moving our Thanksgiving fest to The Farm. This means that I'll be hosting some 20-30 people...Lord Give Me Strength!!! It won't be too bad because Mabel will be here with me. Now its just getting everything decided on and planning it all. I'm starting to shop now to avoid a big financial crunch when it actually gets here. I'll have a house full so I have to stock up on everything. It will be some work but good work. I'm really looking forward to it!! Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday!! As it gets closer I'll be posting some pictures of Thanksgivings past to give you all an idea of what it was like up North.

Other than that, life is normal. Baby Gabriella is kicking away! I don't think she likes the computer on my stomach!! Well I better stop here and get some breakfast, unusually hungry this morning. Maybe I can talk The Man into taking me to Cracker Barrel....hey a girl can dream!!! Until next time, Ya'll take care!!

Busy Busy Busy

Well it turned out to be a busy weekend after all. Shortly after making my post on Saturday, we headed off to my Grandparent's house and were there the majority of the afternoon. We then headed home and to my surprise started deep cleaning. Now by deep cleaning I mean going through drawers and cabinets, getting rid of unused things, wiping everything down...that sort of cleaning. We basically started working on my to do list, which I'm ecstatic about. Here are some after pictures.






We spent all Sunday working as well. Honestly I wanted to work in the studio but I'm glad we continued and got everything done. Now I can proudly say that half of my list has been completed. Now its onto the other half, which will be much easier to accomplish. Hopefully that will get done in the next couple of weeks. My goal is to have it all done by Thanksgiving, which only gives us a couple of weeks but I think we can handle it. I will definitely post some pictures as soon as at least one room gets done.

While I'm glad to see a stop to all the darn political ads, I am proud that I have the opportunity to vote. I never really thought about it much until I was finally able to vote in my first presidential election. Of course the voting location was very busy and as I sat there waiting for my turn I couldn't help but think about all those people who fought for my right to vote. Women did not have the right to vote in this country until 1920 and Native Americans finally became citizens in 1924, gaining their right to vote. All those people that went before me, who fought, were imprisoned, and probably died, all so that I, a Native American woman, could cast her vote. It truly brings tears to my eyes.

Just had to get that off my chest. I guess I'll stop here. Hopefully I'll be back soon. Ya'll have a good one!

Cold, Cold Saturday

Thank the Lord we put plenty of wood in the fireplace last night...cause its COLD out there!!! Frost is currently covering the fields and parts of the yard. I don't know the exact temp but its in the low 30s. Glad I don't have to head out til later when it warms up a bit.

Not much happening around here. Same old story. We're heading to my Grandparent's house later on this morning to help them with some yard work. I've got a funny feeling that my Grandfather has already done most of the work, but we'll be there regardless. Don't have much planned for the rest of the weekend, just gonna keep cleaning/re-organizing my house and sewing in the studio. I still have a lot to do but it's slowly getting done.

I had a doctor's appointment last week and all is well. Baby Gabriella and I are both healthy and baby is right on track. Only 3 more weeks til my third trimester is here. I usually only refer to the one pregnancy book I have to check the development of the baby, but here lately I've had to make sure that all the
stuff I'm going through is normal too. All of a sudden the "typical" pregnancy symptoms have come back: heart burn, swollen feet, and my carpal tunnel is KILLING me!!! Then my entire pelvic bone started hurting really bad!! It hurts to walk and don't even ask me to lift my legs. I was told that everything is normal for my current stage. My doctor advised me that all the first trimester ails have a habit of showing themselves again in the third trimester. I guess only time will tell, I just wish the pelvic pain would go away...I can handle everything else.

I can't believe how fast time has gone by. I'm glad I still have the next couple of months to enjoy the pregnancy before its over. I've decided to hold off on worrying about the nursery until January. This will help me focus on all my non-nursery projects and give me more time to get all the nursery stuff together. Plus we won't have the crib until January anyways so it all works out. Now I don't feel so rushed, even though I do have a lot to finish. I have my sisters Christmas presents to finish, a T-shirt quilt for a good friend, and all of Baby Gabbie's nursery stuff, of which I've started all the big things. As soon as I get more done I'll start showing it off.

Well, I've got my cup o' coffee, the news is on, and the fireplace is pumping out the heat....Life is good. I think I'll sit here a while longer and then get ready for some yard work. I hope ya'll have a good weekend!!!

Almost Friday

So glad the week is almost over. Mabel is coming home this weekend, which I'm really looking forward to. Poppa and Step-Mommie are also coming down. It's going to be good seeing everyone.

Friday night we will be at my grandparents around a fire. This has been a weekly date for a while.now. Unfortunately we haven't been keeping up with it in the past several weeks, mainly because its been too hot. I told The Man that we really need to get back in the habit now that its cooling off at night.

Saturday is the Jack Daniels World Champion BBQ. Needless to say we will be heading to Lynchburg to partake in the good food. Last year we had a blast and this year will be even better.

It'll be a busy weekend but its worth it. Now I've got to head home and clean for all this company that's coming. I'll keep you posted on how the weekend goes. Yall have a good one.

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Gabriella Grace

I forgot to mention that The Man finally chose a name for the baby, Gabriella Grace. Although he is arguing with me on the middle name, I don't for see it changing!! I'm glad we finally have one, The Family has been waiting very patiently. Now I can get to embroidering some things!! It feels good to have her named, now she can really have an identity. Now all I have to do is be patient till she gets here!

Home Sweet Home

We made it home safely. I wasn't able to post last night because we didn't get back to the cabin til late. But I'm here now so without further ado....

First we stopped at a welcome center in the park. It was a really nice facility. They had a book/gift shop, a museum full of helpful info on the different species in the park, and they had several guides that would answer all kinds of questions and help plan hiking/camping routes. They had several nature trails there that we took.

I told The Man that, in a way, this was our first family vacation...although the baby hasn't been born yet, she technically was with us!







Then we headed further into the park. For those of you who've never been to the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, I highly recommend it. There is so much to see and do. There are all kinds of hiking trails and walks to take. There are also a TON of small pull-offs along the roads so you can pull over and take in the scenery. We basically just drove around the park and saw only a small portion of it. The portion we did see was beautiful.







After so much driving and site seeing, we headed back to the cabin for a small rest before we hit the town. The cabin was so cute and cozy, I loved it. It had everything we needed. The only issue was that it wasn't pregnant lady friendly...meaning that the bedroom was up stairs in the loft and the bathroom was down stairs. For someone who goes pee approximately 3 times a night...this was an issue. Other than that everything was great.



After a couple hours of rest, we headed out into Pigeon Forge and surrounding area for dinner. The Man wanted to go out to eat for our anniversary, which was the point of the whole trip. I didn't mind the eating out as much as I minded the god-awful traffic!!! It was ridiculous!!! But what can you do, right. While stuck in traffic I was able to get some shots of some of the local attractions.


These guys were outside Dolly's Dixie Stampede. They are life size and made out of straw!!


This building was built to look upside down. It was really weird seeing it..definitely made you stop and look. I think its a dinner theater.


I LOVE pumpkins and this HUGE one put an instant smile on my face!!! Its as big as the building behind it!!!


This is a replica of the Titanic. I guess its a museum. Just really funny driving through Pigeon Forge, TN and seeing half the Titanic on the side of the road complete with iceburg!!

All in all we had a great trip. We will definitely be doing that again!! Its good to be home though. We missed the girls or should I say The Man missed the girls. Makes me wonder if he's ever going to be able to leave the baby!!! I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. After a trip like that I almost need an extra day to catch up on sleep before heading back to work.

I should really unpack and head to bed. Besides, I don't have any more pictures to show off. I hope Ya'll have a great week!!

Day One

Well we arrived in Gatlinburg safe and sound. Our cabin is so cute. Just enough. The Man now wants to find a small lot up here and build a vacation cabin....wishful thinking. It would be nice though. There's so much to do up here.

We started our first day by sleeping in a bit. We woke up and drove through Gatlinburg's famous Arts and Crafts Community. Talk about some beautiful work. If only I had an extra couple grand laying around. After that we headed to the main strip and walked it. Too many people for my taste but The Man loves looking at all the little shops. Didn't really buy anything but that's ok. We did find a bakery called The Donut Friar. Oh my...the smell was heavenly. They only accepted cash though so we are gonna have to head back. I'll let u know how it goes. It was a very beautiful day...nice and cool but the sun was shinning with a slight breeze. Perfect in my book.

Tomorrow we are heading into the Smokey Mountain National Park. Needless to say I'll be posting a lot of pictures.

We are really having a good time. It was fun just walking around together and being in a different place. I'm really looking forward to seeing the park tomorrow. Hopefully we will come out with some really good pictures.

I'll be back tomorrow with a bunch of pictures and a recap of the day. Yall be good til then.

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Tuesday's Thoughts

I'm so ready for this weekend. Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow. It's gonna feel great not to have to go to work for two days!!! I'm so ready for a break.
I got a huge list together yesterday with all the things we'll be needing. The cabin has a full kitchen in it which I'm taking full advantage of. I have a very small list of things to get from the store before we head out. I'll start getting all that together tonight along with a small load of laundry. The Man is on fall break so he took care of the majority of laundry yesterday....God love him. That saves me a lot of time.

The Man has narrowed the baby name list down to 5 names: Evangeline, Daphne, Gabriella, Felicity, and Avery. I'm not sure about Daphne but the others I like. I'm hoping we will know definitely by the end of the weekend then I can really start making/shopping. My sewing machine has an embroidery attachment and I'll be putting her name and initials on EVERYTHING!!!

I thank God for giving, caring people. Today Mother was helping a family friend with some well needed purging. In return she gave us a TON of baby stuff, most of it is new or gently used. We got a highchair, stay and play playpen, Little Tykes outside swing and wagon, and a bunch of clothes. If people keep up like this we won't have to buy ANYTHING which would be a great blessing.

The Man and I have decided to really focus on eating healthy and exercising. At this point in time I can't really work out hard but I can go to the gym and walk, which I what I plan on doing starting next week. Our gym is a minute from work so I'm going to go on my lunch break, that way I don't cut into my personal time. The Man is going to head there after work which will be good for him. Then we will both get home about the same time.

I think I've rambled on enough for one day. Ya'll have a good one!

A Good Weekend!

I'm so sad to see the weekend come to a close but all things must come to an end. I had a really great weekend and I didn't do anything!!! I was in the studio all day Saturday and finished a couple projects including my diaper bag. Isn't it great?! Its nice and roomy and I love the fabric. There is a divider inside along with some pockets. I got the pattern from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings. I love this woman, she is my idol! And I love this book. It would be a great gift for any mom to be.





I also tried out another recipe I found on Food Gawker, Apple Strudel. I was simple, easy, quick, and oh so good. The only thing I'll do different next time is to sprinkle some sugar on top of the pastry before baking. It would give a bit of extra sweetness. Other than that it was fabulous!!




I feel like I accomplished something this weekend besides cleaning. It probably would have been better if I'd have cleaned but I just wasn't in the mood. This coming weekend is our wedding anniversary and we are heading to Gatlinburg, TN for the weekend. The Man is really looking forward to this. It won't be as extravagant as originally planned but it will be great. We've been wanting to get away before the baby comes and now is really the only time we'll be able to. I know I'll be taking plenty of pictures and making several posts. We head out Thursday morning and come back Sunday evening. We have alot to pack up so I'll be busy. I'll keep you posted on the progress. Until then, Ya'll make it a good one!!!

I'm so thankful that it's Saturday. I was up early this morning and now I'm sitting here with my cup and my wonderful pumpkin scone getting the day started.



I was surfing through Food Gawker when I came across these Pumpkin Scones. I skimmed through the ingredients and preparation and decided it was easy enough for me to try. Let me tell you they are wonderful!!! Not to sweet and not to dry either!! I will definitely be making them again. I think next time I'm going to try a cream cheese icing along with the spice icing...The Man requested it. He loves the pumpkin/cream cheese combination.


Not much planned today. I think The Man is going to go fishing which will leave me to my own devices. I'm debating on whether or not to sew all day long or actually use my time wisely and get some well needed cleaning/organizing done. I'm completely torn so I'll have to get back to you on that one. I really wish I had a week off BEFORE the baby comes to get all the cleaning, reorganizing, and redecorating done. For me its things like a messy pantry and dusty baseboards that drive me CRAZY!!! Usually this time of year I'm going through all the closets getting rid of stuff we don't use. I've already gone through some of the closets but I know there is a TON of stuff in this house that doesn't get used and could get donated/sold.

Well The Man is finally awake and making his way to the coffee pot. I guess I'll stop here and refill my cup as well. I hope you all have a GREAT day. Until next time...Ya'll be good!!!

Getting a Kick Out of My Daughter

The last ultrasound left us with a disc of pictures and a couple, short video clips. One of the pictures captured her leg beautifully. It is one of the most clear pictures we got.



Today I felt those little legs full force. She as been so active the past 24 hours its not funny. Now I know that this is only the beginning but I can't imagine what it is going to feel like in a month or so. I mean really, I could tell when she was sleeping because I wouldn't feel anything for 20-30 minutes. Then, almost like clock work, she would start up again. It was truly amazing!

Mabel called me twice today and both times she went NUTS!!!! As soon as I started talking about her to Mabel she was kicking like crazy! I say kicking but I'm not sure exactly what body part I'm feeling. Most likely its a leg...hopefully. If not then she doesn't get that right hook from me! Even though I've felt it all day, it's still so weird and involuntary. I can't wait til The Man is able to feel her. I think he'll get a kick out of that...pardon the pun.

On a more serious note, I woke up this morning and something was seriously wrong. My father wasn't here. Now, I know that everything happens for a reason and that change is for the better but I can't help but feel sad. I got so used to having him and Step-Mommie around. It even got to the point that it felt weird when they weren't here. Now all of that is gone. I know they'll be down to visit but it won't be the same. Hell, even the driveway looks empty without the Airstream parked in it.

I know I'll get over it but part of me doesn't want to. After years of not being around my Poppa, I truly loved having him around all the time. I'm very thankful for the time that we did get. I know that I'll think of him and Step-Mommie every morning while making the coffee, especially on the weekends! I know that they will do well in Ohio and that we will be visiting!! I wish them both the best and a reminder that they always have a home down here at The Farm.

Side note: We still haven't picked out a name for the baby. We've been compiling a list and will hopefully have one narrowed down in the next week or so....at least I'm praying that we do!!! We are going to Gatlinburg next weekend for our anniversary and I'm hoping we chose a name then, if we haven't before that. Say a prayer that it's not too painful!!! I'll let you know what we come up with. Until then Ya'll have a good one!