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.....

Quiet Morning

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!!

A Sense of Accomplishment

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

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

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!!!

Taking a Breather

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

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

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

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!!

I'm Still Here

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!

2 Years Ago Today

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

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!

New Year's Resolutions

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...

Wishing for Spring

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!!

Busy Busy Busy

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






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

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

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

It's Been A While

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!!