Simply Gladys

Photo Challenge

2011-11-09T18:42:00.000-08:00

Finally I have a spare moment to make a decent post. As I have previously explained, I am participating in a 30 day photo challenge called Gratitude. I am going to (attempt) post daily with the respective picture. Since today is November 9th, there will be 9 pictures in this post. So, without further ado....

Day 1 - Favorite Food

These are Peanut Butter, Pretzel, and Chocolate Chip Cookies. My wonderful sister, who's real name is Allie, sent me a link for them a while ago. They are my new favorite food!

Day 2 - Smile

I cheated on this one because you CAN'T beat this smile!!! I didn't take it recently so its kinda cheating!

Day 3 - Happiness

This was an easy one. There is nothing that make me more happy than cuddling with Gabbie. Here we were watching her favorite movie, Tangled, before bedtime.

Day 4 - Leaves

This is a breath taking Ginkgo tree. Its gigantic and has the most beautiful yellow leaves! I took several pictures of the tree and leaves!

Day 5 - Morning Sky

I take the "back roads" in the morning to get to the main highway. I find it's a time for me to say my prayers and thank God for the new day. This is one of several scenes that I pass daily. Its very simple, but there's not alot that is more beautiful to me.

Day 6 - Books

Books are gold to me. I am very grateful for books. This is a corner in the library at work. It is one of my favorite places in the office, a whole room full of books that I've never read. Unfortunately I can't understand them.... they're all legal books! LOL!

Day 7 - Something Funny

This one was actually rather difficult. this was the only thing I could think of. For those of you not in the interior design know, faux mounted heads are all the rage right now. They are making them out of everything from paper mache to knitted ones. This is actually going to be a Christmas present!

Day 8 - Favorite Color

my favorite color is red and I attribute it to this suitcase. I have had it since I was very little. It was obviously used for spending the night at my grandparent's house. Now it is in Gabbie's room and I think, sub-conscientiously, it is the reason for the colors in her room.

Day 9 - Inspiring Person

I cheated again. there is nothing more inspiring to me than my daughter. This picture was taken early the morning after she was born. I miss those quiet mornings.

I will be posting the rest soon enough. I suppose I should be you all up to date. I honestly don't know where I left off so I'll just cover my bases. Byron passed his test but there are no open positions at the moment. He is substituting every day basically and we are patiently waiting for something permanent to open up. I am working at a law firm as an assistant. I love my job! It is new, exciting, and never boring. I'm learning alot and I feel good about myself again....well at least I'm starting too. Gabbie is 9 months old as of last week. My how time flies. We are preparing for the holidays. It looks like we will be heading to Carolina for Christmas. I'm excited about it but I just don't like traveling during the holidays... they're busy enough to begin with. But I will be meeting my new niece, Emily, so that makes it better. Emily was born October 14. She's absolutely beautiful.

I think that is about all. I'm exhausted so I'm going to bed. I will talk to you all very soon. Until then!

Sorry

2011-11-09T05:15:00.000-08:00

Ok so I lied. I got home last night and only had energy to transfer the pictures from my phone to the computer. Hopefully I will have more energy tonight. Hope everyone has a great day. Talk to you soon!

Promise to Myself..... AGAIN!

2011-11-08T06:28:00.000-08:00

Good morning world! I know earlier this year I promised myself that I would keep up with this blog for several reasons. During my short sabbatical, I have felt the need for it even more. So, once again I promised myself I would make more of an effort to keep this thing going. So, in light of this new leaf I am making a couple of changes. First, I am coming out in a way. While I won't be retiring my blog and starting new, I am going to start using real names. I will always be Gladys, she's like my alter-ego, but I want people, what few of you there are, to know me 100%. So, my name is Cassandra Lee Locklear, Casey for short. My daughters name is Gabbie. My husband is Byron Gable Locklear, sexy isn't it?! Wow I feel better already. Ok, the second is I'm going to try very hard to post pictures more often. I know that relatives from out of state read this and want to see what we are up to. I am going to try my best, even if that's all I post lol! Ironically I have started a 30 day photo challenge this month. It is entitled Gratitude, which is appropriate not only for the month of November but for this point in my life. I have started late but will make up the couple of days. So I will be posting the daily picture here. I will make another post tonight with all the pictures to date and then every day after. I really like the idea of the challenge.... it keeps you in the present. So, I will be back here tonight to show you what I've taken thus far. Until then!

Exhausted

2011-10-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

I just realized that I haven't made a post in awhile. Sorry about that. Its been crazy around here. I will try and make a full post on Saturday. Just to get you up to speed.... The Man passed his test. YIPPY!!!!!! We are so relieved. He is meeting with people at the board of education tomorrow to see if there are any positions open. I am struggling and exhausted. Its been difficult getting into a routine but I'm making it. Miss Gabbie is doing well. She changes every day and never fails to amaze me.

I will be back soon to.give you all the.details. Until then!

Quiet Morning

2011-10-08T04:25:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!! It has been a LONG week. Work wise I'm doing well. Its a fast paced environment so I get home exhausted. Its good to be back doing something though. I'm finding it difficult to getting used to the juggling again. I know that this will come with time, but I hate forgetting things and not having dinner at least prepped at night. Next week I'm really going to focus on that.

The Man and Gabbie are still sleeping and I am enjoying the quiet for a change. I can truly say that I haven't had much quiet time lately and its something that I enjoy. No TV, no screaming baby, no constant talking, no noise. Just the hum of the laptop and occasionally the refrigerator.

Last Sunday we took a long walk around the farm and I snapped a couple pictures. Gabbie had cabin fever BAD!!! She had been cooped up inside for too long. So we bundled her up, put her in the stroller, and took a nice long walk.

We also harvested our honey this week. Its was cool to finally see a result of all our work. Thank the Lord for our mentors! We wouldn't have been able to do it without them. We got around 25 lbs of honey and its a good quality too! its about 16.5% water and it tastes wonderful. As you can tell its got a gorgeous dark amber color which is indicative of poplar trees. The Man has a renewed interest in beekeeping now and we both want to try and expand next season. Only time will tell.

I am currently waging war inside my home. For those of you that know me personally, you know I am scared of one thing in this world...mice. Well the other day I went to open a lower cabinet and one of those nasty things was right there!! Of course I started screaming bloody murder!!! I know I live in the country and I know that it is "inevitable" but I will not tolerate them in my house. I can't imagine how the hell it got in to begin with. I want to call out an exterminator but I know that would be beyond our price range! As we speak my wonderful silent morning has been invaded with tiny chewing and scurrying sounds!!! ITS BACK!!!! I think I'm going to call a local pest company and see what they charge. I know that they're in the attic as well so The Man and Poppa may have some work to do VERY soon. God this is driving me CRAZY!!!

Today we are planning on taking Gabbie to the pumpkin patch. This was an annual tradition when Mabel and I were small. Mother and Poppa took us every year. It is something that I want to start with my children as well. Mother and I are going to do a bit of grocery shopping as well. She needs food and snacks for Gabbie during the week so we are going to hook her up. I will definitely be taking pictures so you will be seeing our day!

I need to get some projects done. My niece Emily will be here any day now and I have to get her present done. The Man is contemplating driving to NC when she is born. Gabbie and I can't go with but I think he needs to. I will just have to wait to see her beautiful face :( So I need to get that done soon that way when we get the call he can take it with. I've start on my Christmas presents and need to get them done too. I can't wait to see what everyone else I making!! It should be interesting!!

The Man is officially done cutting wood!!! YIPPY!!! We have about 2 years worth in the barn! I'm so happy that this big job is done! Its reassuring to know that we will heat this winter! LOL!! He also called and got the propane tank filled just to be on the safe side. Its like an insurance policy for us. Now he can move on to some smaller projects he's been wanting to do. He hung up Gabbie's swing in the back yard. Now we can go out and swing anytime we want!! Gabbie is happy about this!! He built a fire pit out of stone in the back yard. Now we have a place for Thanksgiving, which is fast approaching! His number one project now is to rid the house of MICE!!!!

I'm still hearing our little friend so I think its time to wake him up and at least have him scare the damn thing out of the house! Lord give me strength! I'm too scared to open the cabinet and scare it myself! Pathetic I know! But everyone has a fear, right?! I'm sure I'm not the only one that's scared of mice, am I? I will be back soon, hopefully tomorrow. If not then next weekend, unless I can wake up early one day during the week. Until then you behave and have a GREAT weekend!!

Pumpkins and.... Lilacs?!

2011-10-02T08:44:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add this to my post earlier so I decided to make a new one. Its very appropriate for a Sunday morning.

Yesterday when we pulled up in the driveway I saw this.

Now, I have waited each spring for this bush to bloom. Since we have owned this house it has NEVER bloomed after the spring. So why is it blooming on the first of October??? I don't know if you can see in the picture but the leaves are starting to die. They're all brown and spotty. It has gotten me completely baffled. Oh and it smells heavenly; just like it was spring and not 50 degrees outside! I'm so stumped at this! So, like I do when I can't figure something out, I called Mother. She said that its a message from God, a blooming bush instead of a burning one. She seems to think that God is sending us a message, telling us that everything is going to be ok. That even in the cold, something beautiful can grow.

All I have to say is that if God is trying to tell us something; he/she picked a fabulous way to say it!!

What A Week!!!

2011-10-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted!!! This has been one hell of a week. Work has been crazy!!! So busy!! They have assured me that its usually not like that but wow!!! I can't breath during the day! So that's been stressful. Tuesday I picked Gabbie from mothers and she was kinda cranky. We got home and she wouldn't eat her dinner. I put her down and picked her up 5 minutes later and she was burning up!!! Weird!! Her temp was 100.9! I gave her Tylenol and figured it was another round of teething kicking in. I WAS SO WRONG!!! The next 2 days her fever never broke, she stopped eating, diarrhea, and vomiting. I took her to the doc Thursday morning. No ear infection, no strep, so the doc tested for a UTI. We went to the hospital for some blood work and a antibiotic shot. I knew then that there was a problem. The nurses had to PULL the blood out of her with a syringe!!! After we got all the way home the docs office called to see if she had taken an liquids, which she did not. After about an hour the doc personally called and told me she was admitting her. The blood work came back and her white blood cell counts were through the roof and she was badly dehydrated.

Talk about an emotional wreck! She was a trooper though. She didn't start drinking anything until late Friday afternoon so we had to spend a second night. We finally got out yesterday afternoon when her blood cell count was back to normal. She's now at home and back to herself. We are still dealing with diarrhea but I pray that will soon pass. So yeah... I need a vacation now!!! OR a good stiff drink!! I never want to go through that again. Now I'm not an overly dramatic mom; I know that shots aren't going to kill her but that little girl got prodded and poked so much that when a nurse came in the room she started crying!!! They didn't even have to touch her!! I felt so bad for her! She couldn't play much and she couldn't get down and crawl because of the IV. It was bad! I hope we never have to go through that again. Through it all she still kept up good spirits which totally amazed me. I think we saw her true personality and I hope she stays that way.

She's sleeping right now so I get a bit of a break. I've got my chocolate raspberry creamer and silence for a bit. The Man is at church, we decided it wasn't a good idea for Gabbie to be out and about just yet, so I'm going to enjoy myself for a bit. Don't know what we are going to do today. We were supposed to extract honey on Friday so we may be doing that today. Our mentors will call when they are done with theirs so they can help us. I will keep you posted on that!! Its gonna be AWESOME!!! I'll stop here and use my time wisely. Until next time!

Good Morning

2011-09-27T04:01:00.000-07:00

Top O' the Morning to you!!! Ok so I'm not exactly that chipper at the moment but I'm feeling a bit ambitious so maybe I will be after I drink a cup o'coffee. Today starts my first full day of work in just over 3 months. For some reason I'm scared. Not necessarily of work, that's the easy part, but of juggling home, husband, and Gabbie. I know that everything will fall into a rhythm but right now its kinda scary. I am ready though and I know its in every one's best interest. Gabbie has gotten even more clingy than before with both The Man and I so she will be heading to her Grandma's everyday now. This will help with all that and get her on a schedule for when The Man goes back to work, which will hopefully happen soon. The Man will then have the free time to get some things done around the farm that he's been wanting to tackle.

I didn't get to make Gabbie's onesie for the big game because this fit her. Well it sorta fit her! But still.... isn't that much more fabulous than a onesie?!

Yesterday I went into work for a half day. Its going to be difficult learning all the legal language but I'm sure in a couple of weeks it will be second nature. In theory the job is pretty easy but when you add on learning the lingo it takes a bit more. Today is jam packed!! I will be handleing all of the real estate and have 2 closings today!! YIKES!!! Thank the Lord that her current assistant is still with us so she can show me how things work. I learned yesterday that I better catch on quick because I only have like 2.5 weeks before her current assistant is gone!! Yep, the stress is on! Like it ever left HA! It just switched forms.

Well I guess I should get ready for the day. Until next time!

Ask And Thou Shall Receive

2011-09-22T05:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted. This time I do have an excuse. No Internet! Since we live in the boonies Internet service comes at a premium. We have ours through our cell provider and it is limited to 5GB a month. Well The Man lives on the Internet and since he doesn't have a bedtime....well you can guess what he's up all night doing. Needless to say our inter net ration was used up quickly which is ok because I didn't have much to report... until yesterday. Yesterday I finally got a job!!! Its with an attorney as her legal assistant. Not exactly in my field but still interesting. It will teach me new things, which is always a good thing, and who know, maybe it will lead to a career. Either way I'm excited. I start Monday so these are my last days to get everything together. It will be bittersweet. I've gotten used to spending all my time with Gabbie so it will take some getting used to but it's a good thing. She's gotten really clingy lately and that's never a good thing. Its not my style. So its a good thing for everyone. That and I'll be weaning her as well so its good for Mommie too!

We have a busy weekend ahead. Poppa and Step-Mommie are coming down for a visit. There are some major issues going on at Poppas work and he needs to blow off some steam. So they'll be heading down today so Poppa can shoot some guns and do some manual labor. We have wood that still needs to be split and a leaky roof. Once all the work is done there is a festival down town that Step-Daddy's band is playing in and then there is Sunday. Sunday is a HUGE day in our family; Bears vs. Packers!! We are GIANORMOUS Bears fans!! So we will be getting together at Gramie and Grampie's to watch the big game. I have to make Gabbie a football onsie to go with her Bears socks before then!! I'll make sure to post pics!!

As for me I have alot to get done between now and Monday. I need to get this house in shape and get everything and everyone back in some sort of routine. We're not too out of shape so it shouldn't take much but The Man is going to have to get to sleep at a decent time now! LOL!!! He's not going to like that!! I will be cleaning and putting out my autumn decorations today. I pray Gabbie takes several long naps so that I can get all this done. Well I suppose I should stop here and get going. I think I'll need another cup o'coffee though!!! Until next time!!!

PS I want to thank all of you for your support and prayers. We are so thankful for all of you. I pray that The Man has passed his test and that life goes back to normal soon. I know that it will and that all of you had a hand in it. Thanks again for everything.

Farm Animals, Tests, and a Break

2011-09-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted lately. I don't really have a good reason, just haven't had much time to myself. Miss Gabbie is sleeping now so I have a moment to fill you in on the past week. Last weekend we went with Mother and Step-Daddy to the State Fair. We had a blast!! It was fun watching Gabbie experience new things. We witnessed 2 milestones; sharing food and a FEAR of all farm animals!! Yep, all of them, pigs, horses, cows, chickens, rabbits...all of them!! It all started with sheep! I thought she would be fine with them considering we have two rather large dogs. Not on your life!!! She let out a blood curdling scream that I had NEVER heard before!!! Needless to say we heard the same scream all day when we moved from livestock barn to livestock barn. The sharing of food was so cute and it made up for her newly discovered fear. She was gnawing on a pizza crust and offered some to her daddy. It was too cute! Then she offered some to her grandma. Now anything that she has in her mouth, food or otherwise, gets offered! She also had her first ride with Mother. They rode the carousel and it was so fun watching her. She really liked it!

The Man is studying for the Praxis again. He takes it on Saturday and I pray that he passes. We heard yesterday from a teacher that his former position will be open again next school year and the the principle wants him back ASAP; word is that there is a teacher going on maternity leave after Christmas. I pray that he can pass so he can get back to teaching. I know that not working has taken its toll on him. I'd be willing to bet that he is mildly depressed over all of this and I know that passing will help, even if he can't teach again til next year. I can't say I don't blame him. We are in 2 different situations when it comes to being unemployed. I was fired from a job that I wasn't passionate about so it wasn't a blow to me, just inconvenient. The Man, however, couldn't teach and that is his passion. He was meant to be a teacher and he is an amazing teacher. So for someone to say you can't do what you love and what you are called to do is extremely difficult. That combined with that whole "I am Man I must provide" mentality makes for an upset husband. I try to show him the bright side but he's one of those "half empty" people. Its an ongoing battle between us; some days he wins, some days I win. Either way I know that we will look back at this time, some day in the distant future, and be thankful for it. That is if I don't kill him first ;) LOL, just a joke!! I promise!

Mother is taking Gabbie over night so I will have some ME time!!! I've got a lot of things to get done but I'm contemplating spending my time doing fun things instead of the alternative. I know The Man will be studying the majority of the time so I should use my time wisely but I love the ideas of just sitting down with a good movie and crocheting. I'll weigh the odds.

Other than that there isn't much else going on. We are hanging in there and except for the obvious, are doing as well as we can. I will definitely post tomorrow morning since I will have it all to myself and I'll let you know what I did with my free time. Until then!!

Recovering

2011-09-07T07:58:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing weekend! Filled with the typical, good food, family, guns, and of course, my beautiful daughter. All the women folk in our family took a stab at shooting skeet and let me tell you, it was fun!! Every one of us hit the clay at least once and the shot gun we were using wasn't made for women either. It was a blast. I was able to unload some built up stress by unloading several hundred rounds of hand gun ammo. Poppa, Step-Daddy, Mabel, and I had a great time with the hand guns. It was fun spending that kind of time with our fathers! Poppa is teaching all of us the details and concepts of using a hand gun for self protection. Regardless it was a blast and now, next time he is down, Poppa will be teaching several other family members the ropes as well.

Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures so there is nothing to post but I'm sure you can use your imaginations! The Man, his father, and Poppa also slipt a TON of fire wood. We will definitely NOT be cold this winter. I'm very thankful for The Man's father and Poppa for helping him. It would have taken The Man way too long to get all that work done himself, even though I know we would have done it.

I'm working on an afghan for Emily, my niece. The Man decided that he didn't want me to do the typical quilt for her. I found a very cute pattern of something I had never tried before and so far its working out great. The pattern isn't as big as I'd like so I'm going to adjust it a bit to make it larger. I'll let you take a peek when I'm finished.

Not much else to report. Gabbie is miserable with her teeth. She's up all night long, which means that I am as well. I'm giving her tylenol but its not helping her sleep much. I'm going to try the teething tabs, several of my mommie friends have recommended them. Hopefully it will work and she can get some sleep in. Maybe I can as well ;)

I guess I will leave you with that. Until next time!

Finished!!!

2011-09-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

I can finally say that 95% of my projects are finished!!! YIPPY!!!! I shall now show you want I've been working on the past couple of weeks!

First are the bags for my sister and cousin-in-law. They are both young girls and LOVE their bags!! These are made from my diaper bag that I made last year. Needless to say they are HUGE; just big enough for the girls. They had a bit of fabric left over so I made them both a same zipper pouch and a roll up tote. I hadn't made the tote before and changed it a bit after making the first one. These are nice to have around and it fits in your had so you can throw them anywhere!!! I'll be making more of these!!

I hope the girls like them. I know they've been waiting and I'm so sorry that I haven't gotten them done sooner. In my defence I did warn them that it may take a bit considering I have a 7 month old to chase after!!

Next are two small projects. This is something that I found on one of the many craft sites I visit on a daily basis. Its simple. A painted frame wrapped in twin. Use small clothes pins to attach photos. Its so cute though!!

The next is too simple. We did these magnets as a family craft project several weekends ago. I had this metal tray laying around. I bought it at the Dollar Tree during Christmas. Simple add ribbon and viola! A cute magnet board. Insert you favorite picture, Mother and I cuddling when I was very little!! Too cute again and so simple!

I've also crocheted 2 beanies for The Man, which i didn't take any pictures of. Again I found a very simple pattern and made one in about a day.

You will probably notice that there's not anything for my niece. That's because The Man voiced his opinion and told me NOT to make her a quilt. He had something else in mind and we both agreed to go with his idea. So I'm starting over on her main gift but will continue with the little things I had planned. I will post them when they are finished and safely in the hands of my sister-in-law. I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise by posting them before she sees them!!!

I am child and husband-less today. The Man is off cutting wood and Gabbie is with her grandmother. I will be finishing up all my cleaning for the up coming weekend. my in-laws are coming in from NC, Poppa and Step-Mommie from Ohio, and Mabel from Bama. Yes another family weekend!!! Gotta love them. Hopefully I will get some baking done. The Man wants some cookies and I always bake for my father-in-law. Its tempting to sit and craft though. I'm gonna hurry and get it all done so maybe, just maybe, I'll have a bit of time to craft in peace.

Well, I'm off!! I'll see you after my weekend, hopefully I'll have some pictures to show off!! Until next time!!

A New Leaf

2011-08-29T04:37:00.000-07:00

I did something yesterday that I haven't done in months.... I got on the scale!! While it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, it was still bad. So now its day one of getting healthy. There's really no excuse, its not like I'm working. LOL!! I'm not one of those No Carb dieters. As a bio major I know you need carbs to remain healthy. My problem is moving! But like I said, there's no excuse. So I've promised myself that I will move, in some fashion, 30 minutes a day which I can split up in 15 or 10 minute intervals. No eating after 8pm at night and I truly need to get back to drinking more water during the day. I find myself downing a liter at dinner time because I'm so thirsty. I'm also going to eat breakfast, which I did while I was pregnant and have since gotten out of the habit. Nothing drastic, just sensible changes.

Not much planned for today. We got the majority of the cleaning done yesterday so I'm going to focus on the guest room today and getting this darn sewing done. The Man will be heading out to help our friend again. I think he's gonna stop and help my grandfather as well. So it will be Gabbie and I today. Hopefully she will take a couple good naps ;) Tomorrow we are going to wrap up the Airstream clean up. Its been rough and I know its not 100% (that would probably require a professional, in my opinion) but it will be ok for Poppa and Step-Mommie when they get in. I still have to wrap up their laundry as well which I'll be working on the remainder of the week along with washing sheets and good stuff like that.

As for the rest of the week, I believe there will be more peach butter, more cleaning, more sewing, and may throw in a couple craft projects. Who knows, only time will tell!

Milestones

2011-08-28T07:02:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy week here. Miss Gabbie decided to crawl and is now into everything. To top it off, Friday evening she stuck my finger in her mouth and, to my surprise, I felt a tooth!! I can't see it yet but I can feel it and it has broken through the gum. Of course in turn she's a bit fussy. She's ok during the day when her attention can be diverted but the past couple of nights have been rough. I haven't slept much!! I feel so helpless when I know she's hurting. Its horrible but its something I better get used to. So if any of you mom's have any helpful hints on making teething as pleasant as possible, please feel free to pass them on.

Friday Gabbie and I spent the day with my Mother and Grandmother. We did a bit of shopping and had a blast!! I wish I could have bought some things but I know exactly what I want when we have some money rolling in!! We went to Old Time Pottery and let me tell you... I could have spent a fortune!! I love all the fall stuff that they have!! The Man got some down time while we were gone to study for his test coming up in September. In turn, I got "me" time yesterday. The Man is helping a good friend with some home maintenance projects and Gabbie went to her grandma's. I was going to work on my sewing but I found this project while surfing and just had to make one.

The one on her blog is a bit fru fru for me (I'm not much of a flower person)so I had to find something else to stitch. I came up with this...

I took the angled view so that you can see the different colors in the tree, it's not solid orange! The Man even liked it!!! It was pretty easy, I just drew the outline on the pegboard and dove right in. I want to make a couple more to swap out when the seasons change! It was fun too. I watched a couple good movies and it was done.

So now I still have sewing to finish but I know that I can get it done. I will be working on that today and tomorrow. I should probably get going, need to get a bit of cleaning done since I didn't yesterday. Until next time!!

A Sense of Accomplishment

2011-08-25T07:01:00.000-07:00

Good Morning! Don't know why but I feel good today. The past couple of days have been full of accomplishment. Yesterday I bit the bullet and went to the health department to get Gabriella and I on WIC. Not my finest hour but the benefits will help us immensely. It was funny. You always hear horror stories about how the staff are rude and stuff. I guess they realized that I wasn't the average joe because no one was rude to me. The head nurse who filed the paperwork for us was extremely helpful. I had lots of questions and I guess it was obvious that I had no clue what I was doing. The nurse helped a lot. We talked about the colorful people she encounters on a daily basis and I confessed that I never thought I'd be in my current position. She assured me that's what these programs were there for; people in my situation that need a bit of help. It felt much better after talking with her and the other staff. They answered all my questions and told me exactly what to do when I got to the grocery store. I commented on the large amount of food that we can get and the woman replied "That's where your tax dollars go, use them." Very true!!! So I came home with my head a bit higher. I know that we won't have to spend too much at the grocery store now although coffee and creamer are not on the program.....darn!!!!

Another accomplishment was Tuesday when I took this 27 pounds of peaches.....

And turned it into this.....

6 pints of spiced peach butter and 16 half pints of peach preserves, minus the ones we ate. Yep....accomplishment!! So my totals for the season thus far are 16 half pints and 15 pints of sweet pickle relish, 13 half pints of blueberry jelly, 1 quart of blueberry juice(for more jelly), at least 10 quart bags of tomatoes, 30 quart bags of sweet corn, 42 quart bags of Dixie lee peas and its not even apple season yet!!Not bad at all! And let me say that the peach butter is out of this world!! Can't wait to eat that this winter. Next on my list is freezing butternut squash for Miss Gabbie, applesauce, and of course, apple butter!!! Thank God that we have a local apple orchard where I can buy all in bulk!

I wonder what I'll accomplish today?! More yard work I think. Mother wants The Man and I to help her mulch her house now. So I think we will be packing up Gabbie and heading to her house for the day. It will be nice to get out of the house, something I don't do very much anymore. I think tomorrow I'm going to try and wrap up these sewing projects. My in laws are coming in next weekend and I have to have a BUNCH of stuff done by then. I'm just about finished with the purses for my sister and cousin-in-law. Then I have a couple little things for them to use up the rest of their fabric. Gonna do some zippered make-up bags and little things like that. Then I have several projects for my niece, Emily. Although I better just focus on the main one and then move on after that. I'm getting carried away!!! I want to make her all the things I wanted to make for Gabbie when I was pregnant!!! I just couldn't because I was pregnant!! Like I said, I'm going to start with the main one and as soon as its finished I'll move on to the next. I have a funny feeling that everything I make for Gabbie, from here on out, I'll be making another for Emily. I'm still trying to figure out if I should do all Emily's stuff in pretty, light, and feminine or bright, fun, and cheery. What do you think?

Speaking of Gabbie...look out world, she's about 2 steps away from crawling or walking which ever happens first. She's pulling her self up and all that good stuff. We have to lower her crib because I found her half standing up in it this morning! YIKES!!!! She's scooting along though and getting into a lot more than I'd like. Time to baby proof the house. God give me strength and patients with this!!! Every day she does something new, learns something new, develops something new. Its truly amazing to watch her learn and discover. She never fails to amaze me.

Well I better have one more cup o' coffe and get going. Lots to get done and then we have to go to Mother's!!! Oh, I think I hear a tractor outside. Looks like we will have hay bales when we get home. I'll make sure to show you! Until next time!

Before and After

2011-08-22T07:25:00.000-07:00

Well, once again an unplanned event came up. Friday evening The Man decided he wanted to join Mother and Step-Dad on their trip down to visit Mabel. So we woke up extra early and headed down to Birmingham to surprise Mabel. She, Mother, and I spent a couple hours shopping while the guys and Gabbie played video games. We had a great steak dinner on the grill and some awesome extras courtesy of Mabel. It was a great day until the drive home. Its a 3 hour drive and for some reason it seemed so much longer than that. We finally got home at midnight. Needless to say we spent the majority of yesterday recovering.

Here are the pictures I've promised. First the Before of the yard

And After....

It's amazing what a days hard work will do. Now for Friday night's shots.

We basically just sit around a fire, if its not 100 degrees, eat, and drink a couple cold beers. I've spent many nights like this since I was a child and fortunately, Gabriella enjoys it just as much as I do. She loves watching the fire and spending time with her family.

Today I plan on cleaning, laundry, and hopefully finishing up some sewing. I also need to spend a couple hours applying again. Neither of us have heard anything and we are both starting to get truly discouraged, especially The Man. Some days I wake up and I can't believe we are in this situation. I hope and pray that something comes around soon. Well, I better get going. Until next time!

Random Home Improvement

2011-08-19T14:56:00.000-07:00

So Mother came over the other morning and instead of working on cleaning the house, she wanted to tidy up the outside. Mother can't stand being inside so I really wasn't surprised by this. I was surprised, however, by what she wanted to do. She wanted to do some major work, which we did, and lay down some mulch, which we did, alot of mulch!! I don't have the pictures uploaded yet but I'll get the before and afters up asap! Needless to say it looks great! So, that's what we've been doing the past 2 days and because of that don't have much to report.

Tonight we are at my grandparents house for dinner and a fire. I plan on taking pics to show you all just how we spend our Friday nights around here. Tomorrow its cleaning since I didn't get any done as planned! Oh well....that's my mother for you. I just wanted to check in and let you know what we've been up to. Hopefully I will have some pictures to post tomorrow morning. Until then!!!

Good Morning!

2011-08-17T05:07:00.000-07:00

I'm just a posting fool!! I was up early and figured I'd show you another quick creation inspired by Step-Mommie. Isn't it cute?! Love that fabric! I learned one valuable lesson with this one: if you don't drop your feed dogs then it doesn't turn out quite as planned. Oh well!! I won't do that again!

So I'm sitting here, snuggled up cause its 63 degrees outside and we have all the windows open. I've got a cup o' coffee in my fave mug and yesterdays mail that I can finally read, yes, it's a poultry catalog. What's in a poultry catalog you ask, well poultry. Babies! Yes you order specific breeds of chickens, turkey, ducks, etc and when they hatch, they are shipped to you. How cool is that!!! So I'm dreaming about my future chickens and drinking coffee in the amazing weather. Its a great start to, hopefully, an even greater day.

Mother should be here soon so I'll leave at that. Until next time!

Finally Finished Something

2011-08-16T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well I've been working on my sewing projects, among other things. I finally finished one although the rest are coming along pretty well. This was something that I thought of one night and just had to make one. As you know our bedroom is getting a makeover and the dresser needed a little color. I'm not about to paint it so I decided to make a runner for it. To the fabric pile I went and I pulled out a charm pack that Step-Mommie gave me. Our room is red with hints of turquoise and although there is no turquoise in the charm pack there is plenty of red. Plus I love the fabric. It give the room a bit more of a country feel to it.

It was the first official thing that I've quilted. All my other quilts have been tie. I also did a self-binding quilt, which was a first as well. Its not perfect but it does the trick. I don't have any before pictures but here is one of the bedroom now. I'm glad that I'm a Goodwill addict cause I wouldn't have had all this random stuff laying around. Add in some paint and a couple of nails and you get a some-what cute bedroom. I'm changing the window treatment but to what I don't know yet. Definitely something different, too much floral. On the opposite wall is the dresser and a wing back chair that desperately needs to be reupholstered or at least slip covered. The sconces are our IKEA buy. The Man was constantly rolling over and knocking the lamp off the nightstand. I told myself that sconces would be great but couldn't find any that were in our price range and not ugly. I had found some on IKEA's website but they weren't available to ship. So when we went to visit Poppa and Step-Mommie we grabbed 2 and they were 10 bucks each!!! You can't beat it!!!

Here are some pictures of Gabriella I took the other day. I just have to say that she takes my breath away. She's so beautiful.

She's already such a country girl. She loves being outside and loves playing in the garden, especially the peas.

Speaking of country, our bee keeping mentor came out to The Farm yesterday to help us catch the bees up. We have been seriously neglecting them for quite some time now. Luckily for us, they were doing just fine. It turns out that we will have a honey crop this year after all!!! YIPPY!! Come October we will be harvesting about 30 to 40 pounds of honey! I'm so very happy that our hive is doing well. The hive has grown significantly since last year and we may be able to split it in the spring. And to think that we were contemplating getting rid of them. So glad that all is well in bee land!

Well, I think that's about all for tonight. Mother is coming over in the morning to help me get some serious deep cleaning done, so I better get to sleep. Until next time!!

PS I can't figure out how to "comment" back on my posts, so thanks to all who comment. I'm still trying to figure out how to get back to you but I'll get there!

Overwhelmed and Humbled

2011-08-11T13:56:00.000-07:00

I don't know if you listen to modern country music but there is a song that talks about seeing God today. I don't know who its by or the entire song but the gist of it is that God is all around, always watching. I can honestly say that I saw God today, or, at least, the workings of God. In order to explain I have to admit some very SCARY things.

I paid the bills last night and, after everything was taken out, we had $60 left. TOTAL! Never in my life, even in high school and college, did I have only $60 dollars to my name. Needless to say The Man was panicked. I simply told myself that we would just have to stay put until Tuesday when I get my unemployment check, but The Man was concerned about any emergency that would come up between now and then. I try not to be pessimistic about things but he did have a point. An emergency presented itself this morning as I went to feed the dogs. Only a days worth of dog food left! Now, under normal circumstances this would be FAR from an emergency, but when you only have $60 bucks, its down right catastrophic! I tried to put it out of my head and figure out how we would get the girls feed. I knew that something would happen and we would have a tad bit more funds to buy dog food. I figured that I'd search the house for lose change and cash it in. Ummm.... that's a really good idea now that I think of it. We need to do that!! There's probably $100 bucks lying around! Sorry....on with my story. Any who, I went on with my day (childless again thanks to mother) and got some sewing done along with reorganizing/cleaning my sewing closet. All the while the amount in our checking account kept popping into my head.

This afternoon The Man went to the mailbox and found an overwhelming surprise... God, in a sense. Inside was a letter and a check from my brother and sister-in-law. This isn't the first time they have saved us and I'd be willing to bet that it won't be the last. Needless to say I cried my eyes out. Even The Man got a bit misty. I swore then and there that as soon as we pull ourselves out of the crater that we're in, we will do something amazing for these two, just as they have for us. So this blog post is dedicated to them. I'd like to introduce you all to my amazing brother and sister-in-law, Flappy and Whippy. That "bump" is my sweet niece Emily, whom I can't wait to meet.

I know that they visit my blog often so if you're reading this you two, Thank You from the depths of my soul. You have no idea how much you mean to me. Whippy, I have some more stuff for you, not too much, that I'm sure you'll be able to use. I'm also about to start something "pretty" for Miss Emily. I pray that it is finished by the time Labor Day gets here. I wish you guys were able to come as well but I understand why you can't. Please know that you guys are always with me, in my thoughts and prayers, every day. I miss you tremendously and can't wait until we see each other again. If ever you need me, I am always here.

Well, I think I've been emotional enough for one day!! So there are two morals to this story. Moral #1: never doubt that God will take care of you. Moral #2: Family is the second most important thing

Until next time!

Taking a Breather

2011-08-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

Mother came and picked up Gabbie earlier so I can take a brake for at least a couple hours. I've been sitting here filling out applications for everything under the sun. If we don't hear anything soon I honestly don't know what we'll do. As soon as I make this post, I'm heading to my sewing closet to get some projects done. I just have to take a break from reality for a while. Hopefully The Man will go fishing in the morning so I really have some quiet time. We will see.

Not much else going on here. The garden is wrapping up. I have about 5lbs of tomatoes to put up tonight and a bit of peas. There are 4 batches of relish in the fridge at the moment. As soon as all of that is done there won't be much after it. The Man and I are getting the garden ready for the next planting. I'm excited about this because we've never planted fall crops. I hope they do well.

I guess I'll finish up with my applications and head to sew. Until next time!

Hanging In There

2011-08-04T17:57:00.000-07:00

We have been busy since my last post. We had an amazing time in Ohio with Poppa and Step-Mommie. We will definitely be visiting them again. There is so much to do up there!!! Once Gabbie gets older we will have a great place to vacation to on the cheap ;) Our vacation was short lived though. As soon as we got home it was back to reality. Reality entailed tomatoes, peas, and cucumbers. Prior to our long weekend away, we went through the garden and picked all the cucumbers and all tomatoes with any bit of color to them. When we got in, all the toms were nice and ripe. I put up 18 quart bags of peas, 5 bags of tomatoes, and have 3 batches of sweet pickle relish in a brine. We've been going dawn til dusk. Finally everything was done this morning and The Man and I took the day off. It was hot, 99 degrees, and over cast all day. We were just waiting for the sky to open up, which it finally did this afternoon.

Now that the majority of our garden is slowing down, we are trying to plan for our fall/winter crops and early spring crops. I got online and ordered several seed catalogs to help us out. The man at the Co-op said that their fall seed and plants won't be until the end of the month. Hopefully we can get a plan going by then. We have big dreams, as you know, and we are slowing making them come true, at least as the farm goes.

I have to admit that we have had a bit of a push when it comes to The Farm, or at least I have. Before Gabbie was born I was told to read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingslover. I bought it and had just started it when Gabriella made her grand appearance. Needless to say it got pushed to the side for a while. I picked it back up again a couple of weeks ago and have been reading like a fiend! What she and her family have done is what The Man and I want to accomplish as well.

She has become my personal inspiration not only as a "farmer" but as a mother. I was truly touched and influenced by this book. If you want, not only a good read but a lesson on cooking, family, and exactly where your food comes from, read this!! She's an amazing person and a great writer. She writes like you were sitting at her kitchen table chatting away about the garden. I love her!!

With my new found focus and determination came the inevitable equal and opposite reaction, i.e. I heard about the job I've been interviewing for. They decided to got with another applicant. I was crushed; hysterical was more like it. I honestly thought that I had it. I needed that job so bad!!! I get teared up just thinking about it. So now we are back at step 1. The Man hasn't had any leads and I haven't had any more. I'm trying to keep my faith but I can honestly say I'm at bottom now. I know that with the support of my family we can make it through financially but I also know that can't last very long. I applied to a bunch more places today, we both did. There's not much out there that would pay what we need to get paid. I've got all my feelers out to everyone I know. I even have a convent, a whole convent, praying for us (a friend from high school is a nun!)I honestly don't know what else to do. I feel like a failure not only because I didn't get that position but because I put myself in this position.

I guess its normal to feel like this but I can't help but say "what if" and "if only". I'm trying to remain grateful for everything but its very difficult. I feel like a disappointment and I can't stand that feeling. I pray that it passes quickly and I get my old confidence back soon.

Tomorrow is a busy day, playing catch up from today. My aunt and uncle from Illinois are in and Mabel is coming in as well. The weekend will be full of family time which I badly need right now. I am so very grateful for my family. I'd be lost without them. I hope that one day I am able to "pay" them back for everything whether it be monetary or not. Until next time!

Finally a Spare Moment

2011-07-26T19:40:00.000-07:00

I haven't had a moment to think let alone make a post. It has been one thing after the other. I don't even know where to start. Ok...well we had a great time in North Carolina. We went to the beach and spent TONS of time with family which was great. I spent quality time with my sister and mother in law and had a great time with them. Here are some shots of the trip.

We were on our way back when I received a call from mother saying that my step-father's mother had passed. So we drove straight over and spent the next several days with family again. Mabel came straight home as well. She took several days off so that we could help Mother and Step-daddy clean out her apartment and get things like that in order. While we were together for a terrible reason, it was good to spend some time with Mabel. I miss her terribly. She also got to spend some quality time with Gabbie.

Mabel left yesterday and my work started. We pulled all the corn and I put all that up. I started shelling peas and made 10 pints of pickle relish today. There are still more cucumbers to be pickled and I know that there are jalapenos that need to be picked and pickled as well. I'm gonna try my best to get them all done tomorrow. Here's a picture of the cows that I promised. They are too cute! Not as cute as Gabbie helping me shell the peas!

I got some good news today. I've been called for yet another interview, which I know is a good thing. I just feel like I'm jumping threw hoops but I guess thats the point right. So I'm getting all dressed up and headed to Nashville tomorrow morning. I pray that they give me the job. It would make things much better and hopefully The Man will hear something soon as well. Our old boss called today and told him that the heads at our old company don't want to risk hiring him back. This was a blow to the both of us but I figured it would happen. I understand where they are coming from. So we are still searching for him but I have faith that something will come up.

We are headed to Ohio this weekend to visit Poppa and Step-Mommie. We have been meaning to visit but life has gotten in the way. Now that things may be changing in the employment department I think we should head up while we still have the freedom to. I'm really looking forward to seeing them.

Well I think I have gotten caught up now. Its getting late and I need to head to bed. Wish me luck!!! I will let you know how it goes!! Until next time!

On The Road

2011-07-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

We are currently on our way to North Carolina. Gabbie is pitching a fit, poor thing. I hope she knocks out soon. Enclosed spaces and a child screaming at the top of her lungs are not a conducive blogging environment. Oh, I think she may be out.....she's definitely fighting it. We got a late start this morning. I thought The Man was going to set an alarm and he thought I was.... talk about a lack of communication. Gabbie woke me up around 4:30 am, half an hour after we were supposed to be on the road. So we didn't hit the interstate til 6am. Oh well. Gabbie slept through Atlanta which was a surprise to me. Now hopefully she will sleep the rest of the way. Yea, right, I know. Hey a girl can dream. I'm excited to get there. My sister in law is due in October and I can't wait to see her. I will have someone to talk "baby" with ;) I wish the two of us were closer... I need to work on that. Either way, I'm ready to see her and her husband. He is amazing! We were friends before they were married and she couldn't have picked a better man. I get a smile on my face just thinking about him. He can always make me laugh. These days I need a bit more laughter in my life. I think that in and of itself is worth the 8 hour drive.

It sounds like we will be heading to the beach!! So excited for Gabbie to see the ocean for the first time. It will definitely be a memorial trip. Also looking forward to my mother in laws good cooking. While I know that I am a great cook (yes I will toot my own horn on that one), she is so much better. I know The Man is looking forward to it as well.

In Farm News we now have 9 heifers on our property, those are female cows that haven't had babies for those not down with the farm lingo. One of them is ours though we haven't picked her out yet. The farmers that hay our fields are giving us one for letting them use our back pasture. Awesome deal! So I guess its offical, we are farmers! I took pictures and will post them when I can get to my computer. They are too cute. 7 are nine months old and 2 are six months old. Now alls I need is a chicken coop and some good laying hens! Good God when did I get so damn country? Now that's a funny thing, I will have to blog about how I got where I am one day, although I will have to contemplate it a bit more because even now I'm not 100% sure. All I know is that our dreams of being farmers and living off our land are starting to take root. I just wish we could make a living on it but once again, that's another blog post.

Well my fingers are starting to hurt for typing this post on my phone. I will be back soon. Until next time!

PS I almost forgot to tell you that my interview went really well. If I don't hear back from them I will be surprised. Thanks so much for all the support and prayers. Keep them coming. Oh and Lisa if you are reading this, I am going to find a way to get you some jelly, even if I have to over night it!!

Update

2011-07-12T06:39:00.000-07:00

The Man heard from our old boss at the lab this morning. He's been talking to the President and Vice of our former place of employment about getting The Man back into the lab. He's talking with HR to get The Man into the next round of interviews. Boss man said he's not promising anything because the heads don't like to re-hire, which I can't blame them, but since The Man was an OUTSTANDING employee they may let him back in. SO.... our plans to travel to NC our put on hold until we hear from HR, which will hopefully be soon. Ironically, if hired, The Man will be working my old job in the mercury lab!!! HAHAHAHAHA! He's not to happy about that because he'll actually have to work instead of sitting in front of instrumentation all night long. Yes, I said night. The second ironic thing is that it is our old shift, Tuesday - Saturday second shift. At this point beggars can't be choosers but The Man did ask when the earliest transfer to his old job would be, even though it would be the same days and shift, he's really not to keen on being in the Hg Lab.

I still haven't heard anything concerning myself. I plan on calling a different lab that I applied to at the end of the week, again. From what I've heard they are hiring for a bunch of positions but I guess they aren't in dire need. I'll let them know again that I'm available for interviews. Honestly I really don't know exactly where I've applied, I guess I should have payed more attention. Oh well, you live and learn.

So now our plans are halted. I'm probably going to make some more jelly then and I've started working on our master bedroom which, according to my WONDERFUL husband "looks like a prison cell". Talk about a motivator. Luckily we have TONS of pictures and general "stuff" that I can use to do a FREE makeover in the room. I just wish I had some turquoise paint but then again that would mean creating an even bigger mess and I don't know if that would be smart considering our plans at the moment. I'll also be sewing those purses which I pray I have done by the time we head east but who knows.

I guess I'll stop here and start getting some things done. Until next time!

Sunday

2011-07-10T19:58:00.000-07:00

It was great seeing Mabel. I just wish that I could have had a couple more days with her. I can't wait for the day that I can see her whenever I want, if that day ever comes. Gabbie enjoyed having her Auntie here. It never fails to amaze me how much I miss her. We haven't spent a significant amount of time (more than 2 weeks) together since my senior year of high school. You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but its just the opposite. It gets harder and harder every time she leaves.

Here are the photos of some of the things I've been working on. The Man talked to his family last night and it sounds like we will be making a trip to North Carolina this week. That means that I have to finish a couple more things before we go. I've promised my sister in law and cousin some purses and I need to get those done.

We didn't do much today; cleaned up the house a bit. I've been battling a migraine all day so I didn't do as much as I hoped to. I pray that it passes or it'll be a long night. I know its short but I'm beat. I think I'll go take some tylenol and go to sleep. Until next time!

Quick Post

2011-07-09T22:00:00.000-07:00

Well I was up early again today. That's 2 days in a row. I have been knocking out some sewing projects though. I've been wanting to get a light sleep sack for Gabbie. Some mornings she's kind of chilly so I wanted something light to put her in. In light of our situation I decided to make her one out of an old button down shirt. It turned out so cute! I spent the majority of the day on it and was looking forward to the great sense of accomplishment that comes over me when I actually finish a project. So I went to try it on her and guess what..... it was too damn short. But instead of getting mad I decided that I'm going to make it look as cute as possible and give it to my sister in law who is expecting a little girl in October. Yesterday morning, while nursing Gabbie, I remembered a bunch of burp cloths I was working on at the beginning of my pregnancy. So instead of going back to sleep, I stayed up and finished those for her too. Needless to say, when all is said and done, she will have a whole bag full of stuff.

Mabel came home yesterday. Its been great spending time with her. I so wish she lived closer... like next door. We've been spending family time all weekend and I'm so very thankful for my amazing family. Everyone has been helping us out so much. We really are blessed.

Well I'm gonna try to sleep. I will post some pictures tomorrow of Mabel and Gabbie along with my sewing projects. Until next time!

Let The Games Begin

2011-07-06T17:43:00.000-07:00

I've noticed, as an adult, that when I'm stressed I always end up in the kitchen. Yesterday morning I was up early making blueberry jelly. This was my first canning session of the season and I'm ready for the garden to start producing. Hopefully it won't be too much longer!! There is something so very relaxing about canning for me. I enjoy making food and I take pride in the fact that I won't have to go to Walmart for jelly in the next year. Considering our current financial situation, its a really good way to save us some money. I plan on making the very best of our situation and canning as much as I am able. We still have alot left over from last year so I'm trying to find ways to use/reuse last years bounty. So if anyone has any good recipes please pass them along.

I'm up early again this morning, just couldn't go back to sleep after nursing Gabbie. Is it possible to pray too much?? I found myself waking up in the middle of the night to roll over and I heard myself praying. I like to think that God always wants to hear our prayers but if I were in that position I would be like "OK Gladys, I get it. I heard you the first hundred times! I'm taking care of it!" Luckily God is a bit more patient than I am.

I wish I had a couple hundred dollars to blow. I'm so in DIY mode. I feel like painting and sprucing up the house. Before the bottom dropped out The Man and I were looking into a patio and painting the living room and I'm still in that mode. One day we will be able to work on the house again. Maybe I should buy that lotto ticket ;)

Don't have any plans for today. I hope to get the house cleaned and work on a couple sewing projects that need to get finished. If I do anything worth showing off I'll let you take a peek. Until next time.

When It Rains.....

2011-07-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

Well if I thought life couldn't get worse I was sorely mistaken. The Man has been trying and trying and trying to pass his praxis test for chemistry. In my opinion, its completely ridiculous but alas its a must in order to get a license. He wasn't able to pass it in time for the new school year to start. So now, we are both in the unemployment line. Needless to say, I'm beyond terrified and I'm not even going to try and describe the state my husband is in.

We are keeping faith and praying, praying, praying, although I hope not too excessively. I honestly don't know what we're gonna do. I keep telling myself not to worry, to keep my head up, keep on truckin' etc. Then I stop and feel the hot hand of fear wrap around my throat. I know I'm probably entitled to a nervous break down right now but that's just not possible. Plus it would leave The Man open to one and while he also deserves one as well, I can bounce back from mine alot quicker than he can.

I know that God never gives us more than we can handle, but I'm getting really really close to my breaking point. I don't know how we are going to pay the bills, I don't know how I'm going to properly care for my daughter with no health insurance, hell, I don't know how I'm going to care for my husband and myself. I'm so very thankful for my Poppa and Step-Mommie. They took us grocery shopping over the weekend, so that's a bit off my mind. Maybe I should pick up a lotto ticket.

Mother took Gabbie over night so we have had a bit of down time, time to cry, time to panic, and time to come up with a game plan. We don't have any options, we have to find jobs asap. Well, I'm going to finish watching a movie and go to sleep. Until next time.

Monday

2011-06-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

We got an update last night on the cousin situation. My male cousin has admitted to the molestation. He is home from the hospital and is meeting with a therapist. They have him on meds and all that good stuff. I don't know whether or not my aunt and uncle are going to press charges or not. I'll let you know as I get more info. I have to say that I'm thankful for this. He needs treatment and help so very bad. Now the family can start healing from all of this.

I went today and dropped off a couple more applications. Keep your fingers crossed. I also put a call into a good friend of ours. He works at a Forensic lab in Nashville. They are hiring in all their departments. I sent them an application and resume as well. I'm really hoping to hear from them. Although it would mean traveling an hour plus to get to work, it would also me that I get to use my mind!! I've heard really good things about this company too and I know from what our friend is saying that its much better than the previous lab we worked for.

Don't have much else planned for the week. We are planning on going blueberry picking with mother this week which means that I'll be making jam. I'm excited! Part of me wishes the garden was in full swing so that I can spend my time not working by putting up veggies and canning. I'm sure I'll find something to do though.

Hope you all have a good day. Until next time!

A Good Day

2011-06-25T13:40:00.000-07:00

We have had such a great day. Woke up early and had coffee outside. Then we got dressed and headed down to the farmers market. I was in search of green beans to make Gabbie some baby food. We were in luck!!! Got some of those, some zucchini for dinner tonight and a bucket o' blackberries for dessert. I have a feeling that we will be heading there more often. There were farm fresh eggs, homemade breads, jams, and all kinds of produce. All the produce looked great too!

After that we went to one of my favorite places for a hike, Old Stone Fort Archaeological Park. Its one of two Mississippian mounds in Tennessee and only a 15 minute drive from the house. It was Gabbie's first hiking trip and she had a BLAST!!! I figured she would either fall asleep or start fussing but she did neither. She was awake and alert the entire time except for the last 5 minutes when she finally fell asleep, like she knew that the end was right there. It was a great day!

I was so excited this morning. I truly felt like a kid again. As children Poppa would take Mabel and I hiking all the time. We went all over the place!! We were always getting into something one the weekends. And yes dad, if you're reading this, I did end up with rocks in my backpack. I haven't split them yet but I'm almost positive of what I'll find;) I finally know what it feels like to hike out with a pack full of rocks. I think that was where you made a mistake, you carried them. I think that if Mabel and I had had our own packs and had to carry all the rocks in them, we would have brought alot less home. So when Gabbie is big enough for her own pack, she's definitely getting one!!

Even Auntie Mabel was there in spirit (raccoon tracks)!! I think next time we are going to take the girls with us. Now that we know how Gabbie is going to be, it will be easy for me to wrangle the dogs. Now we're home napping. Gonna have a great dinner and hopefully we'll sleep through the night, but I'm not holding my breath!!! Until next time!!

A New Day

2011-06-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for your love and prayers. I truly appreciate them. Unfortunately in the state of Tennessee, employers can hire and fire at will, with no reason. I know that this is a blessing in disguise, we just have to wade through it now. I will keep you all posted on our progress. I pray that I can report some good news in the near future.

Promise to Myself

2011-06-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

I suppose its not surprising that I've been so busy, too busy to post. There have been alot of changes to my life and I have promised myself that I am going to post more often even if there's not a single soul that reads it. I've always found writing therapeutic. I've kept journals since I was a young girl and now that I'm a big girl I still want to continue with that. I kept a journal through my pregnancy for Gabbie to one day read. I'm still keeping up with that and I plan to keep it going but I need an outlet just for me, my blog. So here I am, at a low point in my life, having a therapy secession.

First, and the most major, I was fired from my job. Yes... you heard me right. No warning, no notice, nothing. I was called into the office and told I was being let go. Talk about a nervous break down. I just kept thinking, "I have a 5 month old daughter and a house payment. What are we going to do?" I kept praying and praying... and praying and praying. I know that God never gives you more than you can handle, but Lord I've had enough. I know it can always be worse too. I'm trying to look on the bright, see the silver lining, and have faith, but its hard. I woke up this morning expecting to be depressed, but I wasn't. I actually felt good. It was then that I knew everything was going to be ok, somehow. I know there is no point in worrying myself to death, it won't make anything better. So I've given it all to God and I'm going to do everything I can to get a new job ASAP.

Second, I found out last weekend that my 15 year old female cousin was molested by our other male cousin. This was a shock. I've know for years that our male cousin needed some help, he hasn't been "right" since his mother passed when he was very young. This has thrown our family for a loop. I love both of my cousins so very much, and I hate to see either of them suffer and hurt. But that's exactly what they are both going through. My male cousin is in a mental hospital now, finally getting the help that he needs. My female cousin is hanging in there. Her parents are consulting an attorney and I'm uncertain of what they are going to do. I pray that in time, my family can heal from this. We are all so very close, I hate that something like this has happened.

Third, The Man's job is in jeopardy. He has yet to pass the Chemistry praxis and he has to pass in order to continue teaching. He was able to take it one last time and I pray every day that he has passed. Needless to say, he has been in a funk. We won't find out his test scores til July 5. I honestly don't know what we are going to do if he doesn't pass....Lord that's too much!!! I'm not worrying about it though...it won't help. I keep trying to tell The Man that but he won't listen. He's such a worrier, just like mother. I pray that he finds peace with all this. I know he is completely freaking out inside, he just won't show it to me.

Fourth, my step-grandmother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She opted for chemo but I have a feeling its not going to do any good. She is fading fast. Honestly its probably better that way. I hate that she has to suffer at all, let alone for an elongated period of time. My mother and step-father are her primary care givers. Mother is doing everything she can but I know that she's not going to last long. I've told them to look into a full time nurse. I pray that God does not allow her to suffer long.

Needless to say, its been rough. Although there are so many things going wrong, there is still plenty to be thankful for. I know that it can always be worse and I pray that it doesn't get worse. I am so thankful for my family. I know that regardless everything will work out. My daughter will be taken care of, the mortgage will get paid, and some day soon The Man and I will crawl out of this rut in the road. Seems like all I do anymore is pray but I guess there are worse ways to pass the time.

My daughter has become my air. Just looking at her makes everything worth it. She's truly amazing. She's learning so much, every day she changes. I thank God every day for her. If The Man and I weren't in such a financial black hole, I wouldn't mind getting pregnant again. No I'm not crazy... I just LOVE being a mom!!! It is something that I've always known I was supposed to be. Now that I am a mother, I can't wait to have more children. Its funny, 5 years ago the only thing I wanted was to get my PhD and have an amazing career. Now the only thing I want is to have more babies and put up some tomatoes!!! Talk about a 180!! I still want my PhD, but I know now what my calling really is.

Thank you, whoever you are, for reading this and listening. I am making a real effort to post more, because I know that it will help me overcome. Plus its free therapy!!! I leave you with some new picture of my amazingly gorgeous daughter. Until next time!!

I'm Still Here

2011-05-14T15:30:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy, chaotic, and less than perfect lately. The Man and I are trying to roll with the punches but its not easy. We are having to take a hard look at our finances and make some even harder decisions. Its time to trim away all the excess and hopefully we can come out on top. We are also going through the house and barn and getting rid of the things that have been laying around for a while. We need to build up our savings again... it's been whittled down to nothing with my maternity leave. Times are tough now but I know that it will get better.

We've also been dealing with some family issues. Let me just say that things are better but far from over. I have to admit that I wish certain family members lived closer, not naming any names, but I understand that it's not possible at the moment. I just miss my family, that's all.

Gabriella is growing like a weed. She's almost 4 months old and I can't believe it! She keeps us on our toes but I'm really enjoying it. I've been trying to get myself on some semblance of a schedule but haven't had any luck just yet. I'm just trying to get somewhat of a hold on things. Unfortunately there aren't enough hours in the day. I just need to train my body to survive off of 5 hours of sleep. Maybe then I'll have time to take down the Easter decorations!!!

In other news, it looks like we will officially be farmers soon. Our cow friend wants to trade the use of some of our property for a cow and the education on how to care for it. he wants to put a couple heifers on our back property and give us one as payment. I told The Man definitely!!! We also have started on the garden for the year. Our cow friend came and tilled it up for us with the tractor, which saved The Man days of hard work. Now we're all set to plant. I can't wait...so ready to can, pickle, and make jam!!!

I know I'm supposed to have Easter pictures up but I still haven't gotten them. So I'll leave you with a couple recent shots. Hopefully I can get them soon. Until then... ya'll make it a good one!

Happy Easter

2011-04-25T12:34:00.001-07:00

Wow did we have a busy weekend. We had all kinds of company in, Poppa and Step-Mommie and Mabel were all in. We decided to have Gabbie baptized in the Catholic church as well so it was a double whammy for us. I dont have any pictures yet but when i do I'll post them. It really was great and she did such a good job through the whole thing. Now I need another day off just to rest from the weekend.

Life has been chaos still but its starting to get on schedule. Gabbie has been sleeping through the night, like 9 hours sometimes, which is great. Shes gotten into a real good schedule with everything. I'm so thankful for that. I need to work on her night time schedule a bit but i'm not complaining. Juggeling everything else has gotten a bit easier although I'm still running around crazy half the time. All in all I think I'm doing pretty well considering.

That's about it for now. As soon as I have pictures from this weekend I will post them. Until then here is one from last week. Until next time, Ya'll have a good one.

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Crazy Week

2011-04-10T11:29:00.001-07:00

Well I survived my first week back at work..... barely. I dont know how working moms do it. By friday I was exhausted. I was up early and asleep late and still didnt keep it all together, plus I'm pumping to keep Gabbie on breastmilk which is much more taxing than I had thought it would be. I'm sure it will get better as time goes on but for right now its pure chaos.

We have family in this weekend so there wasn't much relaxing going on but its been nice seeing everyone. I don't have much time so I'll have to keep this short and sweet. I just wanted to let you know that I'm alive and I did survive this week.

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2 Years Ago Today

2011-04-01T03:44:00.000-07:00

It was 2 years ago that The Man and I closed on our house. I really can't believe its been that long, but it has. I've been sitting here, drinking my coffee, and thinking about all the changes we have made to the house thus far. Mind you they have been small changes but never-the-less, still changes.

We removed the hideous mauve fruit wallpaper from the kitchen, painted it my fav color, and fixed the pink counter tops.

Then we painted the horrendous 70s brick fireplace! Unfortunately I didn't get any before pictures but you can only imagine. We painted it and removed the faux built-in book cases that were on either side.

To celebrate our first anniversary in the house, we planted 4 fruit trees, 2 peach and 2 apple.

We won't be changing anything to commemorate the 2nd year just yet but I'm sure before the summer is over there will be another change to The Farm. It may be the addition of a four-legged food source!! I'm hoping!!!

In other news, I'm finishing up my overhaul of the house before life falls down around my ankles on Monday. I'm dreading going back to work. I pray that I have the strength and energy to keep everything together. I know everything will eventually fall into a rhythm but I'm such a "planner" that I want everything to go as smoothly as possible. Pray for me!!!

Well, it's about time for The Man to wake up so I'll stop here. Until next time, ya'll have a good one!!

I'm Alive....Barely

2011-03-30T07:48:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted in a while...sorry about that. As you can imagine life has been busy. I'm wrapping up my maternity leave and not too happy about it. While I've been gone we got a new boss at work and from what I've heard he's a douse. My previous boss has warned me that we will not get along. So not only do I have to return to work but I have to return to a new and not so great boss. Lucky me! In hind sight it has pushed me even harder to get my application and resume out there. I need to find a new job, hoping it will be teaching. I just can't afford to work at the current place of employment much longer, not with Gabriella here. I've been praying and praying that a school system likes me enough to hire me, keep your fingers crossed.

By the way, the above picture is Gabbie at 2 months. She was 2 months yesterday, by week, and by date will be Friday.

Spring has sprung here at the farm. Everything is in bloom and pretty, although I had to use last years pictures for the new header because its been so rainy I haven't been able to take new one's. Oh well, a tree bloom is a tree bloom, right?! We are busy getting the yard and flower beds cleaned out and ready for new plantings. The Man has some plans for a couple new beds this year and we are making a BIG bed for Gabbie, called Gabbie's Garden. Cute, I know!!! Basically it will be a very large patch of wildflowers for now. When she gets older she can pick out what she wants to plant.

We are also getting the garden ready. Yep, its that time again. We want to "perfect" it this year. I'm hoping that we do. I'm also hoping that we have the time and energy to work now that we have a little one in tow. I know we will but at what price. Thank the Lord that my mother has the summer off and will be here to help out. I didn't get a quarter of my usual canning and freezing last year because I was in my first trimester. Now that I'm not pregnant, I can't wait to get my hands in the dirt and start growing things to "put up".

Well, I just put Gabbie down for a nap so I better use my time wisely and get some work done around this house. Who knows when I'll have time to dust the baseboards again. Until next time, ya'll have a great one!

Spring is Here?!

2011-03-13T05:51:00.000-07:00

We are having an amazing weekend here in Middle Tennessee. The weather has been WONDERFUL!!! Yesterday the high was 70 and it was nice and sunny. I couldn't help but get out to take some well needed pictures. Our trees are starting to bloom as well so it was picture perfect. Here are just a couple.

I'm praying that the weather stays like this but my better sense knows better. Its like this every year; it gets nice then BAM it gets cold again! I just hope that its not too cold because our fruit trees are blooming as well and I want peaches this year!!!

Poppa and Step-Mommie came a day late but they came. We were afraid they wouldn't make it but they did!! I'm so thankful too cause I was looking forward to the visit... I miss them! Plus I know they wanted to see Gabbie :) Don't know yet what we are going to do today but either way it will be fun. I've got a couple sewing projects that I'm hoping to work on.

I'm also going to start getting ready for the week ahead. The Man is on Spring Break, Thank the Lord, and we are traveling to North Carolina at the end of the week. Its going to be tough but we really don't have much of a choice; there's rarely a time when the both of us are off work at the same time. I'm going to start getting everything ready for my return to work as well.

Well, I need to get up and get going. There are things to clean, cook, and sew. Until next time....Ya'll make it a good one!!

One Month Old

2011-03-06T06:40:00.001-08:00

Guess who's a month old?? I can't believe it either. Time flies!!! This was taken on the 1st. She's changed so much. Her monthly check up went well. She now weighs 7lbs 14oz, a whole 2 lbs heavier that when she was born. She's also grown 3 inches, she's now 22 inches long. The doc is very happy with her progress and commends me on my very healthy supply of milk. It's definitely not skim!!!

We started her on a bottle this week too. I will be returning to work in a couple of weeks and I wanted to make sure that she would take a bottle without any problems. She did great!!! There have been no issues and no nipple confusion either. She can have a bottle at one feeding and the breast at the next with no issues. I had heard horror stories of babies refusing to take a bottle. I have to admit that I was scared. While I enjoy nursing her, I really need a break at times. I was looking forward to not having to nurse her every 2 hours. Thank the Lord she did well. Now Daddy can feed her! To celebrate, Mother and I went out shopping yesterday, with out Gabbie, for several hours and I didn't have to worry at all. It was wonderful!!!

We have a busy couple of weeks ahead of us. Next weekend Poppa and Step-Mommie will be visiting. I'm looking forward to seeing them. Its weird how we went from seeing each other all the time, when they lived in our driveway, to not seeing each other at all. Some weekends I still find myself listening for the screen door, waiting for Poppa to come in and get his morning coffee.

The weekend after that we are taking Gabbie on her first trip to North Carolina. The Man will be on spring break and its the most opportune time for us to make the trek to meet the rest of the family. It will prove interesting to say the least. I already have a list together of all the STUFF we will need to bring!! Needless to say, there's alot!! OMG!!! I'm really looking forward to it though. I haven't been back in a year. I miss my sorority sisters and I can't wait to spend some time with them. My mother-in-law is also having a baby shower for us so we will be coming home with 3 times the stuff. Hopefully there will be plenty of diapers!!!

The weekend after that is my grandfather's birthday and my aunt and uncle from Chicago are coming down. I miss them so much and I can't wait to introduce them to Gabriella. I think my other aunt and uncle will be down for Easter, which is a BIG holiday in our family. Gabbie already has her Easter dress, a gift from a family friend. I can't wait to get some "professional" pictures of her. I might have Poppa take some next weekend while he's here. He's always taken great pictures!

Well, Gabbie and The Man are hungry so I better get on breakfast. Until next time... Ya'll take care!

Gabbie and I

2011-02-26T10:34:00.001-08:00

There aren't very many pictures of Gabriella and I that are flattering, but this one is an exception. Most of the pictures we have are of me, doped up, in the hospital with her. This was taken last week when I was in normal clothes, not pjs, and had make up on. Its an awesome picture and thought I'd share it.

3 Weeks Today

2011-02-22T16:30:00.000-08:00

Gabriella is 3 weeks old today. Wow does time fly by. It really doesn't feel like she's been here for 3 weeks, but she has. My hormones have started leveling out a bit so I'm not as overly emotional as I was last week, Thank God! Gabbie is starting to sleep fairly well at night as well. Sometimes she's on a 2 hour schedule and other nights she sleeps longer between feedings. Some days are better than others, but all in all she's a pretty good baby. The Man may have to start sleeping in the guest room though, she's been keeping him up at night. She doesn't cry when she's ready to eat instead she makes this grunting noise and, unfortunately, she does it in her sleep as well. So, all night long you hear Gabbie grunt and, I have to admit, it can get pretty annoying.

She met her paternal grandparents this past weekend. They drove in from North Carolina on Friday and left yesterday morning. It was a nice visit. They also brought along The Man's grandfather so there were 4 generations together, so I just had to take a picture.

She also met her Uncle Patrick. Patrick and I went to high school together and have remained good friends. He made a special trip here from Alabama yesterday to see her. It was nice to visit with him. We hadn't seen each other since our wedding in 2008 but we have been in contact through out my pregnancy. He would always make sure to call after my doctor's appointments, making sure that we were OK. I'm lucky to have him apart of my life. Last night we sat and told The Man all the crazy stories from high school. I would go back to high school in a heart beat!! It truly was the best time of my life!

These are just a couple random pictures of Gabbie on a really cold day, all bundled up! The outfit she's wearing is a newborn size and she was swimming in it! But she had to have something warm cause it was really cold that day. The other is a picture that The Man took of Gabbie and I taking a nap. I love nothing more than holding her and taking a cuddly cat nap.

There are a TON of other pictures. Unfortunately they are not on my camera. I've been asking mother to burn me a CD with all of the ones from her camera but I haven't gotten one yet. I'm hoping I will soon and when I do I'll be sure to post more.

Gabbie is sleeping so I'm going to get some chores done and a couple other things I've been meaning to do. Until next time....Ya'll make it a good one!

Big Thanks

2011-02-16T18:01:00.001-08:00

I'd like to thank all of you who stopped by and left words of comfort and wisdom. They really made me feel better. It's nice to know that I'm not alone, regardless of feeling that way some times. I truly appreciate all of you.

Today was a better day. I slept last night, which was a major part of my problem yesterday. I've always been one of those people who literally can't function without sleep. I get sick both physically and mentally if I don't get enough sleep. I'm very thankful that I did last night. I was up and going today. Mother came by and helped with several things. I'm so greatful to have her. Tomorrow my grandmother is coming over to help as well. Honestly there's not much to do, so I guess we will just visit.

Gabbie is sleeping now so I think I'll join her and, at least, close my eyes for a while. Thanks again all of you, you all helped a lot.

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An Emotional Wreck

2011-02-15T17:24:00.001-08:00

Its been a rough couple of days. My hormones are all kinda crazy and life added to that isn't making it easier on me. On top of basically being the sole caregiver for Gabriella, I'm dealing with the dogs acting out, the medical bills that keep coming from my car accident last month and from Gabbie's birth, I still haven't done our taxes, my in-law's are coming this weekend and I have to get the spare room in decent shape, and my c-section incision is now infected and hurts really bad. I know that this is not an unique situation but I can't help but break down and cry sometimes. The Man is freaking out with all the crying but I honestly can't help it; sometimes I truly feel helpless and I melt down. Usually about 20 minutes after I feel like a damn idiot and tell myself that it's all going to be ok, which, deep down, I know it will be. I know I have to keep focused on Gabbie and not let all the other stuff get to me but with my emotions in a chaotic state, it's easier said than done.

I just have to keep on keepin' on. I know that in the end it will be ok. I'm so thankful for my family, especially my mother, who have helped so much over the past couple of weeks. I know that regardless of what's going on, I have an amazing support system and a TON of people who are willing to help. The Man continues to be amazing, taking care of what he can and helping with what he can't. I know that he feels bad that he can't help more. I told him to live it up now, because as soon as Gabbie is on a bottle, he's in charge of the late night feeding!!

I've made a mental list of things to do to take my mind off of all this stuff. Things like taking a shower, stepping outside and taking a couple of deep breaths, and surprisingly, saying the rosary. Now I'm not a practicing Catholic by any means, but I was raised in the Catholic church and spent 75% of my education in Catholic school. I guess the rosary is a comfort item for me and a prayer method. There have been a couple times since Gabbie's birth that I felt the urge to say the rosary. I don't know why, but I when I'm done, I definitely feel better.

I think I'll stop here and try to get the taxes done... at least get them started. Thank you for listening to me, I feel better now and I've realized that my blog is another thing that I can do to take my mind off of life. I'm thankful for that.

Parenthood

2011-02-07T19:05:00.000-08:00

All I can say is...well actually there are no words to describe the past couple of days. Gabbie and I were released from the hospital on Friday morning. Since then life has been filled with tears, family, poop, sore nipples, cake, more poop, sleepless nights, more tears, and did I mention poop. Its been crazy and beautiful all at once. I'm exhausted but I'm hanging in there. The Man has been amazing!!! Not only is he taking care of me but he is taking care of Gabbie too. The house has been filled with family and I loved every minute of it. I love to watch my family with my daughter; it's awesome to see how much she is loved. These are just a few pictures of her birthday and homecoming.

Yesterday and today she went for her first outings. We had to take care of the insurance stuff and she had her first doctors appointment. Gabriella is a very healthy little girl. When we were released, she weighed 5 lbs 8oz. Now she weighs 5lbs 13oz which is 1oz away from her birth weight!! YIPPY!!! That means mommy's milk is doing its job. The Man and I were very relieved to hear that she is doing so well. When we spoke with the pediatrician in the hospital, he was a bit concerned about her weight and not getting enough breast milk. At that time, my milk hadn't come in and Gabbie wasn't having many bowl movements, thus resulting in her being borderline jaundice. Now we know she is good to go!

The Man goes back to work tomorrow but my mother is taking the next couple of days off to help me around the house and get into some king of route. Next weekend the in-laws will be in town so I need to have the house ready to go for them. We are also going to conquer the little things that got skipped on my "to do before she's born" list, things like organizing the linen closet and getting all my craft/sewing supplies in order. I want to keep all my craft stuff at hand because I'm still working on several little projects, but I want it all to be easily put away.

Life is as good as can be expected. There have been good moments and not so good ones. There have been times where my patients was tested along with my sanity but I wouldn't change it for the world. When I start feeling helpless, I just look at that little girl and everything is automatically better again. Don't get me wrong, its been rough but we've gotten through it. I know that this is life now...unexpected, unrehearsed, unknown. It's kind of exciting and scary at the same time. There's no longer a tomorrow where I know what will happen and what I'll have to do, there is no consistency to life and I kinda like that.

I know that I'll be relying on my blog to vent and let the world know just what I'm going through. I'm glad that I have blogging as an outlet and I'm sure that I'll be taking advantage of that. Well it's almost time to wake Gabbie up and get her some dinner so I will stop here. Until next time....

I'm a Mommy

2011-02-02T04:58:00.001-08:00

Gabriella Grace was born yesterday, Feb. 1, at 10:55 am via c-section. She weighs 5lbs 14oz. Here's a sneak peak.

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D-Day

2011-02-01T00:52:00.001-08:00

Well, today is the day. I went to the doctor around 2pm yesterday with some lowered fetal movement. Turns out my blood pressure wasn't doing so well. So they admitted me and are going to induce in the morning....or a couple of hours really. I'm ready for her to be here but not knowing anything about labor and delivery scares the hell out of me. Just the unknown of it...but I'll find out soon enough.

As of about 2am I was 2 centimeters dialated...so we r moving in the proper direction.

So I'll be back in a while to let u know how we are doing. In the mean time send prayers and happy thoughts.

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TGIF!!

2011-01-28T07:06:00.000-08:00

Well it's finally Friday and I'm excited. Not only is it a doctor day but this weekend is supposed to be in the 50s so I will actually be able to get out and do things! I realized on my way to work today that this is one of the last weekends that I'll have to myself. From here on out it will be all about Gabbie and the other children that we want to have. It's rather bittersweet. I know that The Man and I won't be able to just throw the dogs in a kennel and leave for a long weekend, not that we did that often aways, but still. It's know that life will never be where it is at this moment again and that's almost scary. If we want to go out we'll have to find a baby sitter and then we won't be able to stay out til all hours of the morning. If we need to run to Walmart real quick, it will involve taking an enormous amount of stuff with us. Don't get me wrong, I'm ready, we both are. It's just the finality of it all. When we found out I was pregnant it was just a future idea...nothing that influenced us immediately. Well now, here it is.

I'm very thankful that The Man and I went away for our anniversary. I don't think we realize now just how important that was. Like I said, it will never be just us again. Honestly, I wish we could do it again before she comes, but that's out of the question now. We have promised each other that at least once a year we will go away, by ourselves, without any children. We both have talked long and hard about this and we both agree that it isn't a question of want...it's a need. We both agreed that it doesn't have to be some extravagant vacation either...just a long weekend somewhere so we can focus on each other and not everything or everyone else. We also said that we would take a family vacation every year, which is something that neither of us did as children but wished we had.

I know I'm getting pretty deep for a Friday, but I guess these are things that I should be thinking about now...right?? I've been thinking this whole pregnancy about how much my life has changed...but it really hasn't. Yea I had to stop drinking beer and I gained a bunch of weight, but nothing really changed. Now that I'm a week and a half away from my due date, I feel like I'm about to base jump and I don't know if the parachute will open or not. I know I'll be a good mother, but it's maintaining the other things, like myself, in the process. I always told myself that I wouldn't let go of my personal goals and dreams when she came. I hope that I have the strength and patients to continue with them. I know that The Man would never let me do that, but I don't want my own identity to become that of my daughter. Does that make any sense?

In light of all this philosophical thinking, I made a decision yesterday to apply to graduate school for fall semester. I don't know if I'll get in, I like to hope so, and I don't know if I'll have the time or if we'll have the money, but its something that I need to do. I HAVE TO!!! I'm an eternal student, and being out of school the past couple years has truly been hard for me. Plus, I think I'd be keeping with my New Year's Resolution if I at least applied! Like I said, nothing may come of it, but at least I'm moving in the right direction, in my own direction.

Until next time...Ya'll be good!

New Year's Resolutions

2011-01-23T18:10:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've ever stuck with a resolution...have you?? This year, because I know it's going to be CRAZY, I didn't limit myself to one specific thing, like lose weight. I simply told myself that I'm going to be the very best mother that I can. I figure that covers just about everything, right? For me it covers being healthy, being organized, saving money and getting out of debt, relaxing more, providing my family with food by cooking and gardening, and a bunch of other things that I haven't thought of yet.

So, I've got to start somewhere. Obviously, I can't start on the weight loss just yet although I do have a game plan for it. I figure I might as well start with getting organized. Now I'm a half organized person to begin with so I figure its not going to be a huge challenge for me. What I didn't realize is that not only am I going to have to keep my house and finances organized but I'm going to have to keep my time organized. This poses a problem, since I've never had to use my time management skills outside of work. While I have the ability, I don't know if I have stamina to use it ALL DAY LONG!!! We shall see....

So, I sat and contemplated which aspects of the house need to be organized the most and came up with a couple of things. First, the bills and mail....WOW. We always have stacks and stacks of envelopes laying around. I definitely need to come up with a system for this. Another aspect is meals. I cook just about every night but its sporadic and usually unplanned. So I figure it would behove me to start planning a weekly menu, especially since I'll be nursing Gabbie at the same time. This way I know exactly what to cook and everything is prepped and ready to go. It will also help financially because I'll have to plan shopping trips. Another thing is laundry. We usually get the laundry done when we're completely out of underwear but with a baby its going to double. I need to get a system going so that I'm doing a little at a time and I don't have to spend an entire Saturday getting it done. I also want to get in the habit of washing things like sheets, blankets, etc on a regular basis. While I wash our sheets often enough, its not one of those things that is routine for me.

There are a couple issues with my resolution. First, I'm going to try and implement it while on maternity leave. Key word there is TRY. I'm not going to push myself and have a ton of unattainable dreams, but I figure that while the rest of my life is being re-vamped I might as well add one more thing to the pile. Secondly, for the majority of the things I want to change and organize, I have no clue how to. I know there is a system out there that will work for us, it's just finding it. So all you mom's out there....HELP!!!! The third, final, and hardest issue is getting The Man to agree with the system and stick with it. Its pointless for me to come up with a system to organize the mail if he doesn't agree to use it too. If it sounds like I'm speaking from experience...I am.

There are several other aspects of my resolution but I'm only going to tackle the organization first. Once that is done and is working, I will move onto the next facet. I'm trying not to have unrealistic goals so I'm going to take it one day at a time. Wish me luck! I will let you know how it goes.

Until next time...

Quick Check In

2011-01-22T20:10:00.000-08:00

I'm alive, I promise! And no, Gabbie isn't here yet. The past couple of weeks have been BUSY!!! We are trying to get everything that needs to be done before Gabbie gets here. Needless to say there hasn't been a minute that I'm not going. On top of that I'm exhausted so its been a ride to say the least.

I was in a small car accident this past Tuesday. I slid of the road while on my way to work. Talk about scared!!!! I knew I was ok, but I wasn't sure Gabbie was. We were in the hospital for several hours before the doctor felt comfortable letting me leave. I was having a contraction about once an hour and the doc didn't like that. I explained to him that I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions for several months now and one an hour wasn't abnormal. He wanted to keep me over night but I luckily didn't have to. As for the car...well I'm hoping it can be fixed. We are going to take it to a good family friend and see if the steering column can be re-aligned. If so then it can be saved!! With a little bit of patients, a new door and headlight, she'll be on the road again. So say a prayer that the steering isn't royally messed up.

I've gotten the nursery just about finished. I will post pictures this week!! Its not exactly where I want it but it will be completely functional as soon as she gets here. Honestly there's not much more to do...just a couple small sewing projects that, at the moment, are HUGE projects!! Hopefully I'll work on it while I'm on maternity leave.

Well its way past my bed time so I'm going to go. I will be back this week for a full run down. Until then....

A Side Note

2011-01-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

On a side note... Happy New Year. I realized that I hadn't even addressed the fact that it's 2011 and that I've been blogging for a year now. WOW doesn't time fly?! I'm sure that 2011 will prove to be an interesting year, probably the most interesting of my life, and I'll be trying my best to post more often, since I'll have more to share. I have a feeling more people will be reading my blog just to find out how the little one is doing. I'm sure I'll have alot of family members checking it out.

My wish for 2011...to be the best mother that I can be, in every aspect. The Man and I have our individual goals but for me I just want to be better all around. I hope that 2011 proves a great year for everyone.

Wishing for Spring

2011-01-09T08:11:00.000-08:00

Well it's about 20 degrees outside and the only thing I can think of lately, besides the baby, is getting the garden going and canning. Crazy, I know. I blame it on the fact that I was in my first trimester while the garden was in full bloom and wasn't able to really rid myself of the canning bug I get every year. So here I am, several months away from planting, going through catalogs and websites seeing what we can plant and I can put up. It's a good distraction from the up coming events that are sure to turn my life upside down. The Man and I are wanting to plant nothing but things that I can can or freeze and we also want to plant early and late so that we get as much yield as possible. After a couple of years we've got it narrowed down to what works and what doesn't; what we eat and what we don't. This year should prove productive and I'll be giving Miss Gabbie her first lessons in canning.

Speaking of Gabbie, the family is on red alert. Only 4 more weeks til my due date but the reality is she could come at any time. Everyone is making plans and getting things together for the big day. Mabel has a bag packed so she can leave as soon as she gets the call. Mother has the list of people she needs to contact as soon as The Man and I call her. Its like a secret opt mission. I'm getting my bag together this weekend along with some things that the baby needs and the car seat. Its so weird, so surreal. After thinking, "Oh we've got 9 months", we don't have any time left.

I'm still working on the nursery, its not going as planned. Honestly, I think there is too much furniture in there..but I don't know what to get rid of. The crib turned out to be twice the size I anticipated, which put a dent in the whole thing. Then we got Gabbie's toy chest, which has to be in there. So I'm at a stand still with that. Hopefully I'll get in there today and move things around a bit.

On a happier note, her quilt is moving right along. I've finished appliqueing on the Dresden plates and decided to hand quilt it, at least a bit. Since its not a block quilt it would be difficult to quilt without just free motioning it. I don't think free motion would give the look that I want so I decided to take some advice from Anna Maria Horner and hand quilt it in chunky stitches. I'm using different colors of cotton so it will add more than texture. I just started on it last night, once there are more stitches for you to see I'll post a pic. Here is one of the Dresden plates...my very first. It turned out pretty darn good!!

I think I'll stop rambling now. I'm going to have another cup of coffee and try to get something done today. Hope ya'll have a good up coming week!!

SCORE!

2010-12-30T07:48:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-28T16:54:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-24T05:29:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-22T17:01:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-17T17:06:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-10T13:02:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-05T15:12:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-29T18:30:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-18T17:33:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-17T13:21:00.001-08:00

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!!!!

2010-11-06T07:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-11-02T17:39:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-21T17:39:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-17T19:00:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-17T18:13:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-15T15:31:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-12T16:10:00.001-07:00

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!

2010-10-10T19:43:00.000-07:00

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!!!

2010-10-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-04T18:28:00.000-07:00

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!

It's Been A While

2010-10-03T06:37:00.000-07:00

WOW!! Didn't realize that I've been gone a while! Sorry about that. There have been a couple developments over the past week or so. Firstly, Poppa and Step-Mommie are moving to southern Ohio. I'm very happy that Poppa finally found work and that they are both happy. Their new home is close to us which is VERY good! It will be fun to go somewhere new to visit them and see, taste, do new things. This also means that I will have to start blogging more often to keep them up with The Farm News. This will be good for me cause I've been on myself to blog more, regardless if anyone out there is reading!

The Man and I took a fishing trip last weekend. Just went to a local lake but had a BLAST!!! Didn't talk much just enjoyed the scenery and caught a couple fish. I didn't do much fishing. I caught a turtle and said "Okay I'm done." I've been obsessed with the Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan. I'm on book 4 now and let me tell you....it's amazing. I highly recommend this series! These are some of the scenery pics I took while fishing. I truly love Tennessee...every mile is beautiful!

After we got home from our trip, the dogs got to run. I have to give you some background info first. This summer was HOT here!!! Step-Mommie went and bought a kiddie pool for the girls to cool off in. Unfortunately they wanted nothing to do with it. So it sat there and collected nasty water and dirt. Fast forward...we let the girls out to run and Bly decides to cool off in the NASTY water!!! It was hysterical!! Isn't she cute!!!

This weekend we've been working on the fireplace/ Project Redo House. It finally got cool enough out to start curing the new fireplace, which involves a series of 6 fires, each getting hotter and bigger. With the fireplace up and working the dining room table has to be moved. We are going to replace it with 2 wing back chairs to make a little sitting area. Now I'll be able to read Percy Jackson in front of the fire!! YIPPY!!!!

When everything is nice and set up I'll post some pictures!!! I know Poppa and Step-Mommie will want to see the final project. Today we're gonna get them all packed up and ready to hit the road and get some small projects done in the house. I'll be busy getting the dining room moved and all that stuff. It should prove a busy day.

I hope that you have had a great couple weeks and I promise to keep up with you all a bit better from now on!!! Until then, Ya'll make it a good one!!

Blessings!!!!

2010-09-22T16:07:00.001-07:00

Well I have good news!!!

We are so excited!!! I never would have guessed it was a girl. Actually I would have bet money that it was a boy but I would have been wrong!! It's a little girl! Mother and baby are both healthy and happy. I felt her move for the first time the other night...talk about weird. After I realized what it was it was pretty cool.

Now for the fun part...shopping and the nursery!! I went straight to Joann Fabrics after the ultrasound and got some fabric to make a diaper bag and some cute burp cloths. Then I'll move onto the nursery. Mabel and I were talking for almost an hour about how to do the nursery.

Speaking of Mabel...she's psyched. So is the rest of the family. Mother went with The Man and I to the ultrasound. She was completely amazed at our modern technology. She never had an ultrasound with us girls. She thought it was so cool that they were able to look at the baby's brain and heart. And of course seeing her grandchild was great too.

I have a feeling the next 20 weeks or so are going to go quick. Now there is so much to do!!! I have to completely pack up my studio (which I started this past weekend) and make it and the rest of the house ready for baby. I plan on making 80% of the bedding for the nursery so I have to do all that. The Man wants to put bead board up in the nursery which will take a bit of time. We also have to paint a couple pieces of furniture to paint and fix up. Luckily we have all the major pieces of furniture for the nursery. My wonderful mother in law found us a crib, Mother is giving us a glider that she isn't using, I found a pretty changing table at Goodwill for $20, and I have a chest of drawers that was in my bedroom as a child. We only need a couple small pieces and tons o' decor!!!

We also have to come up with a name!!! We have her middle name, Grace, already but we can not decide on a first name. It will be a battle but I'm sure we will be able to agree on something. I will let you know as soon as we decide. I will also post some pictures of the nursery in progress.

Until then I wish all of you happy tidings!!! Ya'll make it a good one!!

Almost Healthy

2010-09-13T15:57:00.000-07:00

I've been sick again and finally am starting to feel better. I had to take 2 days off work, which was well needed. I got some things done around the house but I was cautious not to over do it. I really need to start feeling better. The doc said its a bad sinus infection and gave me an anti-biotic. I'm hoping that it kicks whatever I've been battling for the past month.

My loving girls took care of me the whole time, while also taking advantage of the fact that I wasn't in the mood for discipline. They both lounged on the couch as did I.

In other news, we have started "Project Re-do Home". The Man and I have been wanting to get the house in order before the baby come, and we kicked off this past week. We started by taking an old 30s vanity I had and turning it into 2 bedside tables. I got the idea here. I just love that website and will be using it for other projects. Then we took the console table from our bedroom and used it in the living room with some re-arranging involved. I will post some before and after pictures once I get them off of my cell phone! We still have a lot to do but it's a start.

Going back to work today was a bit hard, I'm really starting to dis-like that place. It didn't help that my manager was giving me a hard time about being out. I really wanted to tell her "I quit" right, then, and there....but I didn't. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself when I took my lunch break. I was driving around town because I just had to get out of the office. Without thinking I pulled into Goodwill parking lot and just sat there thinking. Then it hit me....it could get so much worse. I thought about a family friend of ours who is past her due date and has nothing for her son; no diapers stocked up, no car seat to bring him home, no crib to put him in. Immediately I felt ashamed of myself for being so dramatic with things. SO.....I went into Goodwill and bought her a bag full of clothes for the baby. All kinds of stuff, even threw in some bibs and cute little hats. I'll send them off to her next week because I think I'll be purchasing some more things for her.

I've also decided to start selling Gold Canyon Candles. Mother has been selling them for a while now and I LOVE THEM!!!!! They beat any candle on the market and I have tried them all. No candle smells up a room like these do. The Man is obsessed with them!!!! We need the extra money so I thought this would be the best way to get it and with the holidays coming up they should sell well (at least I'm praying they do). Ironically Mabel has started selling them as well so it truly is a family thing!! I still have to get all the info together but that shouldn't take long. I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm an really getting excited about my ultrasound next week. Only 8 more days and we find out what we're having. The Man had a dream last night that it was a girl and she had my father's blue eyes. We will see =) I can't wait to make that post!

I'll leave you at that. I hope that everyone has a good week and try to do something good for others!! Ya'll take care!

2010-09-08T17:54:00.000-07:00

For the past several months I haven't been feeling quite like myself. I feel like I've lost myself somewhere along the way. I'm sure everyone gets like this once in a while, but for me its been going on for a while. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy, its just that I can feel that part of me isn't the same; like I'm lacking somewhere, like I'm not grounded...just floating some how. I look back at myself when I was in college and find that whatever I'm missing now, I had then. I was more spiritual, more connected, maybe even more sure of myself. As a result I've been trying to get back there, where ever "there" is. I've been reflecting on it a lot and one person keeps coming back, an old professor of mine who truly changed my life. I recently re-connected with him and instantly felt better; not "there" yet but better. He reminded me of a poem that I used to love. He would read to his students at the end of class, kind of like a purification, and when he read this poem it spoke to me, then and now. Its amazing that after all these years, he and this poem still have a power over me. The poem is called "Where I Was That Day" by Kim Blaeser. I'd like to share it with you...just in case you need some grounding as much as I do =)

Where I Was That Day

It wasn’t just the pill bugs
gray, many-legged and pulling that stunt
like they always did
closing in on themselves
contracting into the tiny round mass
like an image of the origin circle.
And it wasn’t the turtle alone either
who became so neatly one half of the earth’s sphere.

It was partly that day when I stopped at the little creek
and noticed the funny bumps on the floating log
and how they seemed to be looking at me
and how they were really little heads with beady bulging eyes
and how when I came back a half an hour later
the bumps had been rearranged on that log.

It was partly the butterflies that would materialize
out of the flower blossoms
and the deer that appeared and disappeared into the forest
while standing stalk still
whose shape would be invisible one minute
and would stand out clearly the next
like the image in one of the connect-the-dot puzzles.

It was the stick bugs, the chameleon
the snakes that became branches
the opossum who was dead then suddenly alive.
And it was me who fit and saw one minute so clearly
and then stumbled blind the next
that made me think we are all always finding our place
in the great sphere of creation,
that made me know I could learn a way
to pull the world around me too
to color myself with earth and air and water
and so become indistinguishable
to match my breath to the one
to pulse in and out with the mystery
to be both still and wildly alive in the same moment
to be strangely absent from myself
and yet feel large as all creation
to know
to know
to know and to belong
while the spell holds
learning to hold it a little longer each time.

That’s where I was that day
I watched you from the arbor
never blinking
while you looked all about for me
and then turned back home
thinking to find me in another place
while I was there everywhere you looked.
I knew then the stories about Geronimo were true
and that he did turn to stone
while the cavalries passed him by
mistook him for just a part of the mountain
when he had really become the whole mountain
and all the air they breathed
and even the dust beneath their horse’s hooves.

And I walk about and try to find the place I was that day
but getting there seems harder now
I feel heavier, my spirit weighted down
and I’m thinking I must shed something
like the animals shed their hair or skin
lose even their antlers annually
while I hold on to everything.
And I’m thinking I must change my colors
like the rabbit the ptarmigan, the weasel.
And I’m thinking I must spin a cocoon
grow wings and learn to fly.
And I’m thinking I must hibernate and fast
feed off my own excess for a season
and then perhaps emerge
in the place I was that day
and stay there longer this time.

And I walk about and watch the creatures:
the tree toads becoming and unbecoming a part of the trunk
the rocks in my path that crack open into grasshoppers and fly away
the spider who hangs suspended before me
and then disappears into mist or air
and I feel comforted
knowing we are all
in this puzzle together,
knowing we are all just learning
to hold the spell
a little longer each time.

Just reading it makes me cry and feel better all at the same time. She completely describes how I feel. Now I just have to figure out how to get back there; that's the hard part. It took me a long time to find myself in the first place and now I have to do it again.

He also sent me this picture of myself. I'm praying, in a traditional Native American way, way back when I was in college. That's where I need to get back to. Its funny how he knew exactly what I needed, even though I hadn't spoken to him in over a year. It makes me believe even more that Creator brings people into your life for a reason, whether they stay only a short time or forever really doesn't matter. For me this professor has been around a long time, and he is still teaching me.

17 Weeks and Counting

2010-09-01T18:38:00.000-07:00

I had my monthly doctor's appointment today and all is well. I've only gained 2 pounds! The baby is healthy...heart is beating away. I've started "showing" and had to go get some maternity clothes since nothing in my closet would fit. We did a routine blood work scan for some birth defects but most importantly we scheduled my 20 week ultrasound for September 21. This is the BIG ONE...when we find out the sex of the baby!!!! I'm so EXCITED!!!!! I really can't wait. All the way home I was thinking about how I get to start on the nursery soon. So far I'm looking for something like this for a girl.

Credit

Although I'm more of a bee person I love the color combination with this set. I've kinda been leaning toward strawberries instead of ladybugs but I can't find anything like that. So, if it's a girl, I'll probably end up making most of the bedding myself. I just love the thought of using red instead of pink. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE PINK, its just so typical. Plus what is more country than strawberries??

And something like this for a boy

Credit

We are really outdoorsy people and I think the forest animals would be great. We love to camp, hike, bird watch, fish, etc. I can just see all this outdoor stuff in his room. So cute!

I still feel that it's a boy. Don't know why but either way I will be happy. I know The Man really wants a boy but deep down he'll be just as happy with a little girl too. Personally, I think having a little girl scares the heck out of him. I think he's afraid that he'll turn into the worlds' biggest push over and to tell the truth...HE WILL =) If it is a girl, I have to prepare for World War III....we have to decide on a name. The Man doesn't even want to discuss girl names at the moment. I guess he has a point...there's a 50/50 chance that it's not a girl so why talk about it. Only time will tell. I know Mother and Mabel are crossing their fingers for a girl. They're about the only one's that think it's a girl. Almost everyone says it's a boy. Maybe I should be collecting bets....hhhuuummmm...sounds like a good idea. LOL.

In other news: Mabel is coming in for the holiday weekend along with my Aunt and Uncle from Illinois. I'm so excited to see all 3 of them. It is going to be a great weekend here in Middle Tennessee....the high is only supposed to be in the low 80s!!! How great is that?! It will be nice to see everyone, it's been a while. I miss my family like crazy especially now that I'm pregnant. I want to be able to share everything with them but I'll settle for what I can get. I'm hoping that Mabel is able to come back for my ultrasound. I can have 3 people in the room with me and The Man and Mother have filled 2. If not then its fine...like I said I want to share everything with the family.

I'm hoping to take some pictures this weekend and share them with you. I hope everyone has a great long weekend. Spend it with family!!! Until next time: Ya'll make it a good one!

Starting To Feel Like Fall

2010-08-24T06:53:00.000-07:00

For the past couple nights we've been sleeping with the windows open and let me tell you...I've been sleeping well....it's been great. The mornings have had a slight chill in the air. I'm hoping this means that Fall isn't too far away. I'm so ready for it to be here. I'm truly a seasonal person, meaning that I change as the seasons do. I don't usually complain about the current season because I understand that it needs to take place on order for the other 3 to occur. Key word there is usually....in this case, I'm ready for summer to be over. Out of all seasons, I dislike summer the most. Even though I love to garden and can, I just can't stand the heat.

Credit

I'm ready for cool nights by the fire, soup, hot apple cider, cinnamon, scarves, sweaters, and most of all pumpkins. These are some of my favorite things and they all occur when Fall gets here. Plus my favorite holiday is in Fall....Thanksgiving. So there ya go. That's why I can't wait for Fall to get here.

As children, we would always visit the local pumpkin patch and apple orchard when autumn came. This was something I always looked forward to. I told myself that as soon as the baby is old enough we would start the pumpkin patch tradition. It would give me an excuse to act like a kid again...plus pumpkins are my all time favorite. They make me so happy. The Man hates when fall comes around because I could spend a fortune on pumpkins and I normally do.

As you can probably tell...I'm ready for it to come!!! I'm hoping that in the next couple of weeks it will.

Wonderful Sunday

2010-08-22T14:20:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning to these guys in the field!

A flock of wild turkey!!! There were 3 hens and about 10-12 chicks out there! It was so cool!

I then spent the rest of the day cleaning our bedroom! Talk about dusty...it was horrible. I some how made it through and decided to re-arrange in order to make it more accommodating for the baby, which meant moving this in.

My Grandfather made this cradle for me a couple years ago right when The Man and I got engaged. Isn't it beautiful?! Its made out of cherry. I can't wait to put the baby in it. The cool part is that it swings!!! So amazing. He also made us a matching potty chair which is just too cute! When I get a chance I'll post a picture of it. I know that corner looks a little bare right now but as soon as we find out what it is, I'm going to hang a mobile and stuff like that.

That has been my day thus far. The bedroom finally got done after about 5 hours of deep cleaning. It feels good to have one room checked off my list of things to clean. Now all I have to do is figure out what to cook for dinner. Maybe we'll order pizza.

Well that's all for today. Hope Ya'll had a great weekend and you have an even better week. Until next time, Ya'll be good!

Books and Hay

2010-08-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

What is it about a bale of hay that puts a smile on my face? I don't know either but they do. Our fields got hayed yesterday and now we're surrounded by round bales. It's the quintessential country landscape....an open field full of hay bales.

I really look forward to this event, some how I find it relaxing to sit and watch the tractors. So that's what I did yesterday when I got in from work...sat and watched. I also lusted over the tractor but that's a different story.

I also joined a book club yesterday.... The Magnolia Book Club created by my lovely sister, Mabel. It's really.a great idea...she created a blog so that her friends that.live.out.of.state can still participate and those that live close but.have busy schedules can participate without the demands of a regular book club. Needless to say I.was in. You can check it out here.

The first book is "The Help" by Kathyrn Stockett. I've had this book on my wish list for a while now but just haven't gotten to buying it. Well, I will now. I'm really excited about the book club. Mabel has got lots of great ideas on how to make the books more interactive and how to make others more conscience readers. I admit that sometimes I fly through a book without ever really thinking about it. Well, Mabel is going to highlight aspects of the books so that one has to "think" about them. I can't wait to see what she comes up with. Either way it will be GREAT!!! I encourage anyone who is interested to follow along, it's open to all those who are interested.

I'm attempting to make dinner, do laundry, and blog at the same time and it's not working well. My pasta pot is boiling over as I type, so I'm going to say good-bye for today. Ya'll take care!!

New Week

2010-08-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

The weekend was way too short even though I got quiet a bit done. Got some well needed laundry and cleaning done yesterday. Mother and Step-Dad came over to help us out with some things. The Man and Step-Dad were busy cutting down a tree....like we need more wood!!! Mother and I got some cleaning and about 2 weeks worth of laundry done. I also put up a months worth of laundry that had been sitting in the baskets! Terrible, I know, but now our bedroom is looking less like a Goodwill and more like a bedroom! Now if I can only get the rest of the house done!

Speaking of that, I made a wish list of things that I want to get done around the house before the baby come. I would like for the house to be in order that way I don't have to worry about it, not to mention I won't have the time anyways. There's a lot to get done...master bedroom, living room, sitting area in front of fireplace, where/how to move my studio....almost every room in the house! Fortunately I now exactly want I want to put/buy/make for each room so it's just a matter of doing it and having the time and money to do it. Basically I'm going to start in one room and move to the next.

I've found several websites and blogs that have given me really good ideas on a very tight budget. Let's face it, we need to save as much as possible but I really want my house looking good. I know that we'll be having a lot of company over once the little one gets here and I will want the house looking it's best. So, I'll be visiting Goodwill on a daily basis looking for the things that we need. I'm praying that I find everything I need on the cheap....it would be great to come in way below budget. I've also researched some ways to reuse/re purpose some of the things that we already have laying around...which is AWESOME!!!! I'm hoping to start next weekend...either way I'll let you know how it goes!!

I spent the whole day in the studio today working on Mable's Christmas presents...yes that's plural! I decided that I was going to make everything that I've been meaning to make her, which comes to 3 presents. Unfortunately she reads my blog so I can't reveal what they are. You'll have to wait til after Christmas. I've gotten started on 2 of the 3. The first is half way finished. I have to make a trip to my nearest JoAnn Fabric for the remainder of supplies. The second is about a quarter of the way through. This one is alot more tedious that the first so it's going to take some time. As for the third present, I'm still collecting supplies for it but as soon as I have everything I need, it will be done pretty quick. That's on top of all the other projects I'm working on, about 4. Needless to say I'm in over my head. Oh well!!! We'll see just how far I get.

I suppose I should put the computer down and keep working...cause I got a lot to do!!! Until next time....Ya'll make it a good one!

Feeling Punny

2010-08-10T18:09:00.000-07:00

It hasn't been a good day. Didn't sleep well, stomach was upset and I think my sciatica is acting up. Then I woke up to find that my pants, the one's that are usually loose, were too tight to button!!!! Yep, it has finally hit. I've had a head ache for 4 days straight and Tylenol isn't helping!!! And to top it off I've got a bad case of heart burn and gas!!! Can I get more pregnant?! Don't answer that cause I know I can! It just all hit in one day and I wasn't prepared....especially for my pants not buttoning! I know, I know...I'll get over and it could be worse. Just feeling a bit sorry for myself.

We had a beekeepers meeting tonight but blew it off, even though we didn't NEED to. We should have gone so we could talk to our mentors about our queen issues. Alas, I was not feeling it after work, neither was The Man. He was busy tinkering on his Jeep. So I actually moved all the crap that's built up in the studio and started on Mable's Christmas present. I was trying to think out of the box but it just wasn't working. So I stuck with the first thing I was going to make. For Christmas this year my family is doing "Make It, Take It". This is how it works: Every one's name goes into a hat, you draw a name, and your gift to that person has to be home-made. Everyone in my family is creative in some form so it works out well. This way you don't have to worry about buying for everyone and everyone gets a really great, thoughtful, hand made gift!!! I drew Mable's name and have been debating on what to make since last Christmas! Oh well....at least I've got a couple months to work on it, along with all the other projects I've got going. I better find some serious energy in the next couple of weeks!

I think I'm going to head to bed early...it can't hurt. I hope ya'll are feeling better than I am. Tomorrow's Hump Day...praise the Lord!!! Ya'll make it a good one!

Presenting Baby

2010-08-03T15:31:00.001-07:00

Today was one of the best days of my life!! I had my monthly baby doc appointment and got to see and hear my little one for the first time. Talk about emotional! First I heard the heart beat...which was cool. Then I had to get some genetic screening done which includes an ultrasound. This is a close up of Baby. I labeled the photo below so that you can see exactly where "things" are. I know there are people in my family, not naming any names(Mable), who wouldn't know up from down!!!

Unfortunately the Baby takes after The Man, once it gets comfy it won't move a muscle. It wouldn't move into the proper position for the test...I had a 2 hour long ultrasound!!! Needless to say I'll be heading back Friday morning to see if it decided to move. I'm praying! 2 hours with that thing rolling around your abdomen can be some what painful after a while. Luckily the doc printed off the photo, for my "troubles". LOL!!!! I could lay there all day and watch that little thing roll around inside me. You should have seen it....I would start laughing or talking and it would start kicking like crazy. Weird that you can't feel it even if you're seeing it.

I think its a boy...at least that was my gut reaction. Our "boy name" is Conrad Waltz after both of our grandfathers...and the first thing that popped in my head was "Hello, Conrad!" I'm probably wrong, I normally am, but hey...I don't really like calling it an "It".

I'm at a healthy 13 weeks now. I didn't gain a pound during my first trimester so I can expect to pile them on during the second! Everything looks normal!! Now we play the waiting game for the next 7 weeks until we get a second ultrasound. Then we get to find out if it is Conrad or if we'll have to start World War III deciding on a name for a girl!!! Only time will tell.

Well, it's been a long emotional day and unfortunately I have to go cook dinner. The Man is asking for spaghetti, his fav. Until next time...Ya'll behave!!!

Long Live The Queen

2010-07-31T07:15:00.000-07:00

We have a New Queen!!! She's the one in the middle with the long abdomen. Thank the Lord!!! I was really getting scared!! she hasn't started laying much, but she will. Now, hopefully, we can get our hive population back up before winter hits. There has been a definite population drop, you can tell almost instantly. The life span of a honeybee is not very long. We were without a queen for about a month, which means that there were no new bees for a month. Needless to say, it's a good thing we've got a queen!

Here is a full frontal shot of the garden I've been promising for the past month! We're getting to the last days of it now. The corn has all been harvested and put up. The zucchini and squash are done producing, Thank God! We didn't get many purple hull peas this year, which is really disappointing to me because I LIVE for purple hull peas during the winter. I don't have any in my freezer! I think that it has something to do with our garden pest, Templeton, as The Man so kindly calls it. I call it a pain in the you know what! It needs to be eliminated...hopefully it hasn't reproduced. Yes, it is a field RAT!!! Not a mouse, but a rat and it enjoys purple hull peas as much as I do. We need to get the .22 out and have some target practice!

That's about it in our world. Been a some-what lazy weekend so far. The Man was busting up firewood yesterday and moving it all in the barn. Don't know if I told you or not but we invested in a good wood-burning fireplace the other weekend. Now we have to stock pile wood. I was in the house cleaning and cooking. Made some good chili and a blueberry buckle. It was all YUMMY!!!!! Today I have to cut the grass and put up laundry. Yep, I'm busy!!! I think I'm going to try to get in the studio and work. I realized the other day that I've only got it for another couple of months before I have to pack everything up and move in all the baby stuff! It's bittersweet.

Well, I think that's it for now. I'll be back this week with an update....got a baby doc appointment!!! Until then, Ya'll have a GREAT day!!!

Bye Bye First Trimester

2010-07-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well it's my last week of my first trimester and I'm feeling energy return to my body. Today the high is supposed to be 100 degrees!!! Needless to say, we're staying inside today. I'm in the process of making Paczki (pronounced PONCH-KI), Polish yeast doughnuts, per The Man's request. Let me tell you it is VERY difficult to make these without a heavy duty mixer. I've had to mix the dough my hand! At least my bi-seps have benefited from this. Oh how I wish I had a fairy godmother who would give me all the small things that I truly need, like a mixer. Oh well....maybe I could put one on the baby's registry. After all, it will be a Polish child and I'm sure it will want Paczki as soon as it is able to eat "real" food. Wishful thinking right.

I've been "putting up" veggies all this week. I've made 2 batches of salsa, which turned out AMAZING, and we've started putting up the corn, also AMAZING. We've put up about 8lbs of corn so far and we've still got 3 rows to go! I think I'll end up finishing that today. The tomatoes are starting to come around in more quantity so I'll be canning those as well. Poppa and Step-Mommie bought me a pressure caner so I think I'll use that for the tomatoes, just to see how it works. Hopefully we'll be harvesting another round of purple hull peas!! Now these are my favorite. Last year I put up a bunch but this year they're not producing like they should. I'm hoping that it's just taking a bit of time. I really want a freezer full of peas come winter. We've already been freezing squash and zucchini, which I am sick of seeing. I don't think we'll be planting those next year!! We've had too much!

Everything else is coming along well. The beans are the next thing to harvest hopefully in the next week or so and the watermelon and cantaloupe will be soon after that. Hopefully it will cool off enough for me to get out to the garden and take some pictures! Seems I haven't been doing that lately. Sorry.

I guess I'll stop talking about the garden now. Unfortunately that's about the most exciting thing going on right now. Pathetic, I know. My life revolves around The Farm and The Baby. Since there's not much news about The Baby, its all about the garden. Well, I think my dough needs to be punched down and I'm gonna get some other baking done that I've been meaning to do. So I will leave you all in peace! Maybe, just maybe I'll take some pictures of the yummies and post them tomorrow! Ya'll have a good one!

Just Checking In

2010-07-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have been so tired lately that I've completely neglected making a new post. Sorry about that. The Farm has been buzzing lately....literally. We found out that our queen bee has died and the hive is all in a flutter. They are trying to rear s new queen as we speak. I pray that their efforts are fruitful. We have been busy caring for them lately. I got stung for the first time...they got me twice in the thigh and let me tell you those little girls can pack a punch. They have been more aggressive now that they are queen-less, they're not too happy about that. I will keep you posted on their progress.

The Farm is also buzzing with company this week. My sister and brother in law are visiting from North Carolina this week. We have missed them so much...its been great having them here. My parents in law and other sister in law will be here tomorrow....yep we will have a house full. It'll be nice visiting with everyone. We are going to be out and about tomorrow so I will be posting some pictures shortly.

Other than that life is good, except for the constant sleepyness, heart burn, and waking up three times a night to pee. Just found out that Mabel is coming home tomorrow. She's going to help me out with the garden and putting up all those veggies since I just can't find the energy to do it. I'm really excited to see her....I miss her so much.

Well I guess that's about it for now. Yall have a good one!U

Happy Independence Day

2010-07-04T08:56:00.000-07:00

Good morning! I hope that everyone has had a wonderful weekend. We haven't been doing much here at The Farm. I wasn't feeling well yesterday so I didn't do much of anything. I'm feeling much better today so I'll start cleaning up soon. Don't really have plans for today...just The Man and I. We'll probably grill out something later on. Other than its going to be a regular day around here.

Not much else going on. Planning for a visit from my in-laws in a couple a weeks. They are planning on coming on the 16th. It will be the whole family...mom, dad, little sister, middle sister and her husband. The middle sister and her husband are planning on staying a week while everyone else is only staying the weekend. I'm looking forward to spending time with them. We don't get to see each other often so its always fun when we are together.

I'm also getting ready for our annual Sister Sister Sleep over. My mother, aunt, sister, and I get together for one night and spend quality time. We eat, drink, and have a blast! This year we will be having it at my aunt's house since The Man is here at our house. Last year we had sister sister Christmas Eve and we had a blast. We decided that it should be held at another time during the year because Christmas is so hectic. We haven't set a date yet but it will be this summer. I'm excited and I've got a lot of things planned for it. I will keep you posted on how things develope.

Other than that life is simple. Gearing up for canning season to begin. I've been putting up plenty of zuchinni and squash. Well, I guess I should stop typing and get to work. Ya'll have a great day.

The First Baby Appointment

2010-06-29T18:22:00.000-07:00

We had our first doctor's appointment today. It went well. We didn't get to hear the heart beat, which I was disappointed in, but everything else was good. The doctor said I was having a fairly easy pregnancy and was moving along as I should be. I'm at 8 weeks and due February 10, 2011. She did say that I would most likely have to have a c-section. My pelvic bone is just too narrow, but that's ok with me, just as long as we're healthy. The Man came in with me and the doctor explained to him everything we had discussed prior, which I really liked. She assured him that a c-section was nothing to be worried about and that the baby and I were doing just fine. We will get an ultrasound and be able to hear the heart beat at my next appointment in a month. I'm patiently awaiting that!!!

That's about all the news I have. Not much else going on except putting up produce from the garden. I'm hoping to have the majority of it done by the end of the weekend...keyword there is "hoping". Well, here's to hoping!! I'll let you know how it goes! Until then, Ya'll take care!!

Thank The Lord It's Friday!!!

2010-06-25T15:48:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad that it's Friday. I don't think it could have come quick enough. Its been a rough week, been really tired. I'm just happy that I get to sleep a bit more tomorrow. I think The Man and I are going to do some major grocery shopping tomorrow. My cabinets are getting low and I DON'T like that. So we'll pack up and travel 30 minutes to one of my favorite stores, Aldi. I love this place..if you've never been to one I hope that some day you will. When The Man and I were just starting off in college we started shopping here to save money. After we moved from North Carolina we have one in town which was a dream come true. Now we have to drive a bit to get to one but hey...it's better than not having one around.

I have to start "putting up" some produce as well. This is the hardest and most rewarding part of my summer. While it's hard, hot work it is totally worth it in the winter when you can't get fresh veggies. Right now the zucchini and yellow squash are plentiful. So I'll be vacuum sealing them to use in soup and casseroles this winter. I'll also be grating zucchini and freezing that to use in zucchini bread. I have a feeling the cucumbers will be next and that means pickles!!! Also have the radishes that are due...even though I don't know what to do with them really. I've got a recipe for Radish Relish but don't know if I'll like it. I'll have to come up with something else to use them for. Needless to say starting this weekend....I'll be busy!!!

I've got my first baby doc appointment on Tuesday. I'm really excited about it, don't know why but I am. Hopefully we'll get to hear the heart beat. I guess that kind of proves there is something in there. I will definitely let you know how that goes =)

Other than that there's not much else going on. I hope all of you have a good weekend. I'll take some photos of the garden so you can see what I'm up against.Til then Ya'll take care!!!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

2010-06-20T06:22:00.001-07:00

Good Morning! Couldn't sleep any more so I decided to get up and start the day. Today is Father's Day so we'll be heading over to Grammie and Grampie's at some point today to meet up with the family. I'm a big fan of Mother's Day and Father's day...don't know why actually but I guess it's just because its the only day set aside for so many of my loved one's. That and I think being a parent is an honor and those that are should be honored for it.

My Poppa is the greatest, although I haven't thought so all my life, then again who does! There are 3 things that I am extremely thankful for that my father has provided... my education, my trip to Alaska which completely changed my life, and my little sister, Mabel. There are other things of course but those 3 are at the top. I love the fact that I get to see my father almost every day and I'm kinda dreading him getting a new job cause I know it won't be near home. But duty calls and I'd rather him work now and be home when the baby is born than the alternative.

My Grampie and I have been close since I was born. Don't know why but that's just the way it is. I like to think it was divine intervention but I think we would have been that way regardless. He's the most amazing person I've ever met. You just have to know him to understand what I'm talking about. There's really not much I can put into words about my grandfather, he's just awesome!

My step-father willingly walked into "fatherhood". He doesn't have any biological children but he does have children. I commend both of my step parents for all that they've done and truly didn't have to do. It's a selfless thing to take on someone else's children and make them yours over time. I know it wasn't easy, especially with me, but I'm glad they stuck it out. Now I'm even more thrilled to make them grandparents.

Last but not least is The Man. He's a father to the little pea inside me something I'm sure he didn't expect so soon. I know he will be a wonderful father. Hell he's a child himself!!! LOL!! But in all seriousness, he's really an amazing person as well. His family will always come first and I know when he holds that little bundle his life will change forever, just as it did with my Poppa, Grampie, and Step-dad.

That's a tid bit on the fathers in my life. I don't know what I'd do without them. I hope that each of you has amazing fathers in your life. Ya'll go out and honor your fathers!!!

A Great Weekend

2010-06-15T07:30:00.000-07:00

We had to get out of town this weekend. The town in which we live is home to the country's largest outdoor concert festival that lasts 4 days. So every year there is an influx of people....about 100,000 to be exact. Needless to say we were sick of being at home. So we decided to take a short trip to Huntsville, Alabama, which is about an hour or so from us. Poppa and Step-Mommie came with and Mabel met us there. It was a great family vaca on the fly. We mainly ate but we did do a bit of sight seeing while there.

First we ate lunch at Wintzell's Oyster House for lunch. They have the best fried shrimp and key lime pie.

Then we headed to Gander Moutain which is kinda like a Bass Pro Shop but better. We all checked out the firearms and I fell in love with a Banelli Ultra Light. Too bad I didn't have the cash!! It sure would be fun to shoot.

For those of you that don't know...my family and I are "into" guns. I know it sounds red-neck but its true. We love to go out in the pasture and shoot on the weekends. Its quite a stress reliever for me and it can get a bit competative as well.

I also found something else I've been wanting at Gander Mountain....a kayack....and not just any kayak but a HOT PINK one!!! How cool is that?!

After Gander Mountain we did a bit of shopping and met up with Mabel. Then we headed back to the hotel for a rest before dinner, and believe me you have to rest before you eat here.

The famliy is part German and with that comes the immense love for German food and beer. This is one of our favorite German places and let me tell you it's worth every calorie!

I got the Blackforest Snitzel with hot German potato salad and red cabbage. It was amazing!

And for dessert one of their famous homemade cakes. This was the double chocolate fudge and it kill all my pregnant cravings for chocolate.

Needless to say we were exhusted when we were finished but we lived up to the family motto: "We don't quit when we're full, we quit when we're tired". But we did the good thing and went back to the hotel and when swimming, all except Poppa who was just too tired. It actually felt really good to swim and I'm thinking of starting to do that in the mornings before work.

Sunday we went to the Space and Rocket Museum. I've been in love with this place since I was a child and my fasination has not changed. It is a truley cool place and I recommend it to anyone.
The first thing you see is an SR-71 Blackbird, once the fastest plane in the world. As a girl I dreamt of one day following in my Poppa's foot steps and becoming a pilot. This is the plane I wanted to fly. It's totally cool. I find it funny that the awe I had for it as a child is still there.

Then next thing you see is this GIANT rocket. It is so big! Totally awesome!

Starting next week the museum is having a Star Wars exhibit, which I think The Man wants to drive back down and see. They had alot of Star Wars memorabilia around and even had employees dressed up as Jedi.

We went through a bunch of exhibits and saw an IMAX movie about the dream of space. There were a couple scenes that brought a tear to my eye, they were so beautiful.

Poppa was trying out the sleeping restraints and Byron really wanted to drive the space roover! Then we decended upon the gift shop where we found the coolest hats. Of course Mabel and The Man couldn't refuse trying some on.

Two of my favorite things at the museum are a piece of moonrock, something I always wanted, and the actual capsule from the Apollo 16 mission. The capsule is so cool, you can see charing on the outside from re-entry. I know, I'm a nerd, but I love this kind of stuff!

It was a really great weekend and I'm so glad that we got to spend it as a family. I think there will be more of these quick weekend trips cause we had suck a blast!

In other news I've been having more pregnancy symptoms, the newest is my feet and legs retaining water. I never exspected this to hit at 5 weeks but it did with avengence!!! I can't even get my shoes on! Panicing I called the doc and got in for some bloodwork. Everything has come back normal so its just me being pregnant. I guess it could be worse. I have to keep my feet up as much as possible and stay out of the heat, both of which are do-able!

I guess that's about all...at least I hope so!! I've written enough don't cha think! I'll leave you at that, need to get my feet up anyways. Ya'll have a good one!!

And Baby Makes Three

2010-06-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

photo credit

That's right....I'm pregnant! Found out the other day and it has been confirmed by my general physician. We're so very excited. We were going to wait a short while before telling everyone but that was just not possible. The reaction was just about the same across the board....screaming and crying. I think out of all of them my sister was the best. She just kept saying " Oh My God" over and over again for like 5 minutes straight! It was so funny! I wish we could have recorded every one's reaction.

The Man's reaction was equally amusing. I'm glad I grabbed the positive test in the bio-hazard bag before leaving the doc's office because he didn't believe me. He was in shock for a long while, then I told him he was gonna be a Daddy and he got a little teary eyed. I think that broke the spell a bit. Now he's in full baby mode, which is amazing. I didn't think it would hit so fast. He's checking out things online and thinking of names. He's so cute.

As for me, well I've got heartburn....BAD! Mother said she was never sick with me nor Mabel and I pray everyday that I will be the same. I have had a couple small bits of nausea and some constant heartburn but if that's all then I'll take it. I'm also extremely tired. I came home from work yesterday at 5pm, took a nap til 6:45pm, woke up to cook dinner and was back in bed by 8:15pm. The Man was like "What's wrong with you?" But when you think about what my body is actually doing....its not hard to believe why I'm so drained. Being the science geeks that we are, The Man and I understand completely what my body is doing and I intend to give it as much sleep as it needs =)

I think the most exciting part is getting to share all of this with my family. They're all so excited! My Grandfather, who makes beautiful things out of wood, said he better head to Home Depot, and my sister and aunts said they can't wait to start shopping. I feel so blessed to have a family that supports us so entirely. I've got a funny feeling that our child will want for nothing. I'm so glad we get to share this with all of them. Honestly, The Man and I wouldn't have made it this far without all our their help and support.

Lord, I'm only a couple of weeks in and already I'm getting emotional! I just think I've got the most amazing in the world....that's all. Well, I'm getting tired (imagine that) so I'll stop myself here. Ya'll take care!

Good Weekend

2010-05-31T17:17:00.000-07:00

It was a pretty good holiday. I got half the day off work and got home just in time for the family to head down to The Farm for a cook out. The Man got a new Webber grill which got broken in with BBQ chicken and some hot dogs. There was also some green rice, potato salad, tomato salad, green bean salad, onions with blue cheese, and a ton of desserts courtesy of my wonderful mother. The whole family was here and we spent the afternoon laughing and carrying on as usual.

Now The Man, Mable, and I are cleaning up and then its to the couches for a movie. Mable has been home for a couple days now and it has been great spending time with her. I miss her terribly and I love every moment I get with her. Last night was a blast. We grilled pork steaks, ate el fresco, and had Smores' for dessert. Tomorrow it's back to the grind but at least she's staying one more day!!! I'm excited about that.

There's not much going on in other news. The Man is out on summer vacation...lucky. Don't worry I'll be keeping him busy....he just doesn't know it yet. Poppa and Step-Mommie are in Southern Illinois for the holiday weekend so we're without our neighbors, which has been kind of awkward. Hopefully they'll be back soon...I know the girls miss their Nannie Jeanie.

I guess that's about it for now. Ya'll have a good holiday.

Highlights

2010-05-22T07:22:00.000-07:00

Good Morning!!! Finally found some time to show you all whats been going on 'round these parts. Firstly, The Man made me the quintessential country accessory....a clothesline. Its awesome!!! What country home would be without one. Plus if flows with our self-sustainability theme. The Man pulled the plans off line and did it in a weekend. Check it out!

This was a brilliant addition....The Man took some of our old coffee containers...you know the plastic red ones, painted them my favorite color, turquoise, and screwed them to each of the posts. Voila...instant clothespin holder! Talk about recycling! He's so smart.

All of my roses are in full bloom. I love them so much that I'm planting 2 more rose bushes this year, a JFK and an Arizona. Hopefully they'll thrive as much as the other two have.

The beginning of the summer means a couple things around the farm, 1) planting the garden and 2) haying the fields, both of which have happened. There's just something about seeing those huge bails in the fields that I love so much, especially when you see all the beautiful green grass underneath. Lord, when did I turn into such a country girl?!

The Man and I really went all out this year on the garden, as you have heard. Hopefully everything will flourish and we'll get a really good crop. Its hard work but so worth it in the winter months, something we learned first hand this year. Isn't he so cute? I love my farmer!

Well that's about it for now. Hopefully the sun will come out and we can go spend an hour or so with the bees. I'll definitely have some pictures then considering we haven't seen them in over a week!! I'm sure they've been busy.

Until then Ya'll have a good weekend!!!

The Verdict Is In

2010-05-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

For the past several months now my hands have been really bothering me...really achy, falling asleep while I sleep, and really sore during the day. They've even been keeping me awake at night. To be brutally honest they've been bothering me for over a year now but its just recently that they've irritated me enough to see a doctor about it. The verdict...classical carpal tunnel in both hands.

Yep!! So, I got a shot in both wrists and some braces to try for a couple months. If that doesn't work then its surgery for ole Gladys. The good part is that I caught it early and I'm intelligent enough to do something about it.

In other news, we finally got the garden in. Among the previous things stated we've planted 2 types of peas, pole beans, radishes, beets, zucchini, squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, and a lot of corn! Needless to say, we'll be busy this summer. Its a good thing The Man has 2 months off!!! He'll be helping me put all this wonderful veggie goodness up.

Been discussing adding to the farm lately. The Man and I feel the addition of cow and chickens are necessary. Hopefully they will come in the near future along with our second hive of bees. If only we had the funds to purchase the 25 acres next door.... a girl can dream!

Well, I think I'll give my hands a rest. Next time I'll include some new pics of the bees and the farm. Ya'll have a good one!

I'm Alive

2010-05-11T19:21:00.000-07:00

Its been a while!! We've been a little busy around here. Mable graduated from college this past weekend so we were out of town for that. I am so proud of her. I will post pictures when I have them....idiot me forgot the camera. It inspired me to grab the bull by the horns and apply to graduate school myself....something I've been putting off for a while now. It was a fun trip and I can't wait til Mable comes home, hopefully soon, for a visit.

The Man and I are gearing up for the gardening season. We started planting today: tomatoes ( 3 different kinds), bell peppers, cayenne peppers, jalapenos, and okra. We'll be putting in all the seeds either tomorrow or Thursday and there are a lot of those....corn, cucumbers, beans, squash, zucchini, purple hull peas, carrots, radishes....all kinds of good stuff!!! I know it seems like a lot for 2 people but we grow for the entire family and we sell some as well. I also put up a lot for the fall and winter months but more on that later. As soon as we get everything in I'll give you a grand total of everything we've got.

We're also getting ready for a second bee hive. We got a huge order in yesterday with all the pieces for the new hive. Now all we have to do is get it together and wait for the phone call to pick up our bees. We haven't been into the hive in a week or so to check on the bees so we'll be doing that in the next couple of days as well. I'll make sure to take pictures!

The Man gets out for summer vacation soon and I'm getting jealous. How I wish I had 2 months off with him. I can only imagine the things I could get done. I have to make sure I get a "Honey Do" list going because he's definitely not sitting around watching cartoons while I'm working all day! =)

Think I'll stop here for tonight. Hopefully I'll be back soon with some pictures!! Until then....Ya'll make it a good one!!!

Hump Day

2010-04-28T18:37:00.000-07:00

So glad the week is almost over. It has been a doosy! Haven't been feeling so hot and work has been a bit stressful. Plus I've been helping The Man write a paper for his class (he's enrolled in a Master's program) and I really don't feel like doing that tonight. So ready for the weekend even though its supposed to rain again. We were going to plant the garden but I think that will have to wait til next week.

The Bees are doing well. Making plenty of comb as they should be. For some reason they are chewing through the wax foundation...we are going to call our mentors and see what they say about it. I hope its nothing serious. I'll be doing my own research in the meantime. Other than that everything is fine with them. We're exspecting a big order of supplies and the pieces for our second hive in the mail soon. We'll be busy putting all that together.

Mabel graduates from college next weekend and I'm trying to think of something to make for her. I know she needs money but I also wanted her to have something to mark the occation. Graduating is a BIG deal. A lot of people take it for granted. I wanted to make her a quilt but I know I don't have enough time for that. I really wish i did. Even that wouldn't be enough though. Hopefully I'll be able to think of something. I'm so proud of her. It will be a great weekend.

I think I'm going to head to bed with my Kindle. I'm reading a really good book. Ya'll have a good one!

Day 2

2010-04-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

We went out to check on the bees yesterday afternoon and they were doing very well. So good in fact that they had almost drank a whole quart jar of 2:1 sugar syrup. That's alot in 24 hours! Needless to say I'll be buying a 50lb sack of sugar in the near future.

The Man is really getting into the Bees. I have to tell you all this because he has made fun of me for YEARS!!! And now the tables have turned!

I like bugs. I took an Entomology (the study of insects) class in college and fell in love. I even have my own insect collection which I still add to. So naturally keeping bees was high on my list of things to do. When we bought The Farm I knew it was only a matter of time. The Man, like I said, has made pure fun of me for years...even up to and through the bee keeping class. But the other night after we put the bees in and came back to the house he was so worried about them. he kept saying, "Should we go check on them/" or "Lets go see what they're doing." Its so funny!!! Yesterday when I got home from he work he didn't even hug me! He told me to hurry up and change so we could go check on the bees!! KARMA!!!!!!

Hopefully we'll get out to the hive today...gotta get the package out and the last 5 frames in. If not then tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes. I promise this blog won't turn into a bee blog..its just the most exciting thing right now! Ya'll have a great weekend!!

Bee Day!!!

2010-04-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

All I can say is WOW...it has been a long day!! The Man and I were driving down the interstate with 12,000 bees in the backseat just buzzing away, the queen safely in her cage, which I has holding. We made it home just in time to get them in the hive before it started raining and got dark. We are offically Bee Keepers!!! I am so excited, as you can see from my picture! The Man looks so cute in his veil! I'll be taking more pictures as the hive progresses so don't worry. It has been a long day so I'm not going to be much longer, just wanted to let you all know that all went well, no one got stung, and the bees are home safe and sound! Ya'll have a good weekend!!

Queen Cage...You can't see her...But she's in there

12,000 Bees...Wish you could feel the heat they put off