Productivity

Boy did I get a ot accomplished this weekend. I found this website and this website via Pinterest (my new addiction) and both helped me with my cleaning and cooking issues.

I spent all Saturday morning shopping and preparing about 12 meals that are in the freezer waiting to be thrown in the crock pot. I also made a big batch of granola, which we eat with yogurt and as cereal. I've got all my meals for the week planned and prepped, lasagna and Mexican stuff shells. Then, yesterday, I got into Gabbie's room and finally started organizing it.

My wonderful step-mommie is spending a couple of days with us while she is in town, so I am putting her to work finishing up the organization in there. Now if I could just get the guest room and my craft area organized it would be great. Byron won't be subing for the next two weeks because of spring break. I'm wondering if I could talk him into painting!!! The living room, bedroom, and fire place need to be re-painted bad!!!! Hey, a girl can dream!!!

Well, I'm off. Hope you all have a great week!

Praying for Change

Good Morning. I hope you all had a good weekend. We did, for the most part. I could have used another day or two to get some things done but such is life. My goal WAS to try and get the house organized but that didn't happen so I'm hoping that this coming weekend will be more fruitful in that aspect.

I've realized that in the past year and a half, my wonderfull organized life has flown out the window. I used to have meals planned and half prepped and now its a mad rush when I get in the door at night to figure out what we're eating. It has added stress that is not needed or necassary. So it is my goal for the month of March to get my kitchen re-organized and my meals planned ahead of time. I've done the research, found new tools that will help get Byron more involved, and now all I need to do is execute them, which is the most time comsuming part. But I do realize that once we start and stick with it, the time involved will be minimal, that's the whole point.

Once that is organized, it'll be time to get the house work under control. Once, again only recently, have we strayed away from picking up on a daily basis to once a week! So now the house looks like a disaster area which, once again, adds stress that's not needed. I have found a solution to that as well and I'm hoping that execution will be pretty smooth. I've got a list of things to do everyday, just a couple, and I think Byron and I can stick with that.

We are still praying for an employment opportunity for Byron. He has been substitute teaching for several months now but we have not heard anything on a permanent position. There are several openings in some other counties that he has applied for, but we haven't heard anything thus far. We are coming up on the year mark since he lost his position and I know that is wearing on the both of us as well. I pray that something will open up and he will be the best canidate for the job. We are so thankful for our family and friends that have helped us throw this horrible time and continue to help us. Some day, hopefully, soon we will be able to show our gratitude a bit better ;)

In other news..... its getting to be spring on the farm. We are contemplating this year's garden rotation and what to plant. Byron is building me some raised beds for the garden and I need to figure out what we're going to plant in those as well. I would like to really get into the co-planting of veggies and flowers so I need to do a bit more research on that topic. We are also adding some chickens, hopefully, to our farm. Byron is building me a small coop that will accomidate 3 or 4 hens. I'm excited to get them!!! We are also contemplating what to do with our cow. Breeding season is around the corner, so we are faced with the decision on whether to breed her or have her slaughtered. Both have pros and cons. I pray that we make the right choice for the future and not just for today. I'm leaning towards breeding but I think Byron is leaning towards slaughter. Only time will tell.

That's about all for today. Until next time.....

So much has changed!

WOW, has it been a long time or what?! I was thinking about my poor little blog this morning and I, once again, decided to pick it back up even though I rarely have time to shower let alone blog!! LOL! Oh well, what can I say. I have realistic expectations though. I know I'm not going to be able to blog everyday, more like every week, but I want to be able to talk about me and my hopes and dreams!! I also want to be able to connect with my family that is now stretched from coast to coast....more on that in a bit. Its a good thing for me to have an outlet, especially when my personal time is so limited. So, once again, here I am sharing myself with whom ever will read.

The last I posted it was right before the holiday mad rush and let me tell you it was MAD!!! I was never so thankful to see a new year roll in as I was this year. I will try and break down everything that has happened since November 2011 as simply as I can put it.

1) Most important....Gabbie turned 1. Now I have a full blown toddler on my hands and all the glory that comes with that.

2) My father and step-mother moved to Settle, WA. While the pacific northwest has always been a place on my bucket list, I wasn't too keen with the idea. I'm still struggling with it.

3) I've decided to apply for law school. I've been toying with the idea for a while and praying for the right path to be revealed. Its not easy being a full time employee, wife, and mother, and adding student to that scares the hell out of me, but I know this is what I want to do with my life.

4) Byron and I have revamped our faith. We began going back to church about a year ago and now we are attending Sunday school as well. We have an amazing new group of friends that we truly enjoy. Because of our faith in God, we have managed not to kill each other over the past year, stay married, and we both became better people. Everyday my faith is tested but so far, all is a ok.

5) My little sister is getting married in May. Yes, Hell froze over!

I think that sums up all the important stuff....on to today.

So, I'm studying for the LSAT on my lunch breaks and in the hour I have between the end of my work day and the beginning of swim aerobics on Mondays and Wednesdays. I'm down 11 pounds!! YIPPY!!! Gotta look good in that bridesmaids dress. I'm trying to get my home life organized now which is proving extremely difficult. I used to be so good about lists and planning meals. Having Gabbie just blew all that out of the water!!

We talk to dad and step-mommie via the Internet which is better than not seeing them at all. They get to see how big Gabbie has gotten and she can see them and form a relationship. Byron's parents have jumped on the video cam wagon as well. We had our first chat with them last night. Unfortunately by the time all the bugs were worked out Gabbie was asleep but we have a date for later in the week. Its good for her to be able to see and hear everyone and will help to cement those relationships in the future.

So, that's that. I'll be working to revamp the blog in the near future. Its far from Summer 2011!! LOL. I hope you all, if anyone, have a wonderful day. I'll be back soon.

Photo Challenge

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

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!

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

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!