Wow.
Our friends just got out of the doctor's office. They still don't know what happened to the midwife because the office called and tried to reschedule their appointment for this afternoon but they didn't leave a message. So they still showed up at 10 and just met with the doctor in the practice.
Apparently Lanie is just having braxton hicks. The doctor said they get more convincing with the more children you have. Everything he described as signs of labor... she is having except that her contractions are not that strong. So she can still go anytime... I have a feeling it will be soon. We'll see... for now we are going to take a nap. We didn't get to sleep very well last night with all the excitement! I'm exhausted!
Friday, August 29, 2008
A Baby is on the way!
Ha! Made you look!
Not me silly, my friend Lanie! Her baby girl will be here any time now... at least we hope so.
It all started last night....
We got a call from them letting us know that she was having contractions and they were getting ready to go to the hospital. The had their midwife paged and were heading to trinity because they are supposed to be very open to natural childbirth. More than some of the other hospitals in the area anyway.
Garren has an Iphone so he was giving us a play-by-play while they were waiting at the hospital. They could not get their midwife to answer their pages and they did not see a doctor for three hours! She was only 1.5 centimeters dilated so they just wanted to leave but couldn't without a doctor's permission. Well if one would show up in the first place, then they could go!
So to say the least they were stressed out because they could not get their midwife. So they decided to leave the hospital and come here to hang out with us while Lanie labored some more. Luckily I still had my birthing ball inflated and some organic raspberry leaf tea just waiting to be sipped :). When they got here Lanie and I took a walk to try to help things move along. They live in Aiken so they decided to just stay at our house so they would be closer to the hospital if things started progressing more. So we set her up some soothing classical music and candles so she could take a bath and relax. Which would hopefully help things along too.
We all ended up crashing and I just slept in my clothes so I could be ready at a moments notice. Since the midwife was nowhere to be found Lanie wanted some more support there so I am going to be her doula (as long as her midwife cannot be found)... I am soooo excited!! I feel so privileged to be a part of this beautiful experience.
So she is still having consistent contractions but they are just not really strong. She has thinned out some more too. They had to go to their scheduled Dr. appointment this morning in Augusta so they will find out more of what is going on with their midwife. Just pray for them. Pray that everything goes smoothly and Lanie doesn't have to be stressed that she is not going to be able to have the birth that she wants and is used to.
I'll give more details later! I'm sooo excited, birth is just such a miracle!
Not me silly, my friend Lanie! Her baby girl will be here any time now... at least we hope so.
It all started last night....
We got a call from them letting us know that she was having contractions and they were getting ready to go to the hospital. The had their midwife paged and were heading to trinity because they are supposed to be very open to natural childbirth. More than some of the other hospitals in the area anyway.
Garren has an Iphone so he was giving us a play-by-play while they were waiting at the hospital. They could not get their midwife to answer their pages and they did not see a doctor for three hours! She was only 1.5 centimeters dilated so they just wanted to leave but couldn't without a doctor's permission. Well if one would show up in the first place, then they could go!
So to say the least they were stressed out because they could not get their midwife. So they decided to leave the hospital and come here to hang out with us while Lanie labored some more. Luckily I still had my birthing ball inflated and some organic raspberry leaf tea just waiting to be sipped :). When they got here Lanie and I took a walk to try to help things move along. They live in Aiken so they decided to just stay at our house so they would be closer to the hospital if things started progressing more. So we set her up some soothing classical music and candles so she could take a bath and relax. Which would hopefully help things along too.
We all ended up crashing and I just slept in my clothes so I could be ready at a moments notice. Since the midwife was nowhere to be found Lanie wanted some more support there so I am going to be her doula (as long as her midwife cannot be found)... I am soooo excited!! I feel so privileged to be a part of this beautiful experience.
So she is still having consistent contractions but they are just not really strong. She has thinned out some more too. They had to go to their scheduled Dr. appointment this morning in Augusta so they will find out more of what is going on with their midwife. Just pray for them. Pray that everything goes smoothly and Lanie doesn't have to be stressed that she is not going to be able to have the birth that she wants and is used to.
I'll give more details later! I'm sooo excited, birth is just such a miracle!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Pitchin' the Plan
Okay so I have been super super busy and have neglected my blog :(. I've been sleeping, breathing, and eating this whole marketing plan. But now all that is finally over... well the hard part anyway. I constructed a twelve page marketing plan equipped with graphs and charts as well as a powerpoint when I presented to our "investors." I know its a family biz but if you aren't serious then why are you even doing it? So I got in full business attire and pitched my plan. And they loved it :)
I was just happy to get it over with so I could finally sleep!! I would wake up to feed Corben and I would fall asleep thinking of market segments, product placement blah blah blah.
So the next step is implementation!! We are planning billboards for January and in the meantime we are going to get uniforms, brochures, signs, etc all in the works. I'm excited. I really think the marketing campaign is going to really give us the edge we need.....
oh and just so I can brag a little here is the paragraph describing the marketing slogan....
American Standard’s message for its marketing campaign will center on confidence. American Standard inspectors are trained professionals so the customer can have confidence in the quality of work. CSM’s will guide you through the whole process so the customer can have confidence in the ease of use of the service. Because of this the customer can have confidence in their home – their new home purchase or the home they are trying to sell. Therefore the new tagline behind our marketing campaign is “Confidence in us. Confidence in your home.” This statement presents the two concepts equal to each other; therefore, showing the customer that when you put your confidence in us, you can have confidence in your home as well.
It's sooo beautiful!!!! Oh I get chills every time I read it. Okay enough bragging. I just can't help it... blood, sweat, and tears went into that thing!
I was just happy to get it over with so I could finally sleep!! I would wake up to feed Corben and I would fall asleep thinking of market segments, product placement blah blah blah.
So the next step is implementation!! We are planning billboards for January and in the meantime we are going to get uniforms, brochures, signs, etc all in the works. I'm excited. I really think the marketing campaign is going to really give us the edge we need.....
oh and just so I can brag a little here is the paragraph describing the marketing slogan....
American Standard’s message for its marketing campaign will center on confidence. American Standard inspectors are trained professionals so the customer can have confidence in the quality of work. CSM’s will guide you through the whole process so the customer can have confidence in the ease of use of the service. Because of this the customer can have confidence in their home – their new home purchase or the home they are trying to sell. Therefore the new tagline behind our marketing campaign is “Confidence in us. Confidence in your home.” This statement presents the two concepts equal to each other; therefore, showing the customer that when you put your confidence in us, you can have confidence in your home as well.
It's sooo beautiful!!!! Oh I get chills every time I read it. Okay enough bragging. I just can't help it... blood, sweat, and tears went into that thing!
Friday, August 15, 2008
The next step in self exposure :)
I have been debating on sharing about the first few months of being a new mom. I went through a lot of emotions and they seemed to go to opposite of extremes all the time. I had a lot of spiritual warfare going on, which I didn't realize until much later. I think I've decided to blog about it in hopes that it might help someone else not feel so alone. It was only after I confided in my husband about the whole experience was the cloud lifted. So I think I need to just let it out no matter how it might make me look or feel. So that will be coming soon. I have to prepare myself and take some time writing and rewriting to make sure it all comes out how it is supposed to.
Besides that rolling around in my brain. I am also working on a marketing plan for the family biz. I'm actually enjoying it. It's really bringing back all of my college training in my business minor. I'm surprised at how much I remember. College now just seems like a haze of papers, projects, exams, lack of sleep, and 30 minute drives to class. But I guess it did something for me :)
As far as baby "C" he is as cute as ever and has finally found his consonants in the past month. Da da is in full force. I see more and more of his personality everyday. I think I am in a "honeymoon" period. We have a schedule, teething has been gone for a little while (I can't wait it's return), He is very happy playing on the floor with toys while sitting up and rarely cries when I walk out of the room to check on lunch, clothes etc., seems to be better about taking naps that are not in his crib again, and is responding to training with the word "no". Yay!!! Being a mom feels like a piece of cake right now. (Which is probably the first time since he was born). I know ... I know... just wait until he starts crawling. But hey I can still have hope and faith that he will be an angel from now until forever right?
I love being little "c's" mommy and I hope he love's being G mommy's baby :)
Besides that rolling around in my brain. I am also working on a marketing plan for the family biz. I'm actually enjoying it. It's really bringing back all of my college training in my business minor. I'm surprised at how much I remember. College now just seems like a haze of papers, projects, exams, lack of sleep, and 30 minute drives to class. But I guess it did something for me :)
As far as baby "C" he is as cute as ever and has finally found his consonants in the past month. Da da is in full force. I see more and more of his personality everyday. I think I am in a "honeymoon" period. We have a schedule, teething has been gone for a little while (I can't wait it's return), He is very happy playing on the floor with toys while sitting up and rarely cries when I walk out of the room to check on lunch, clothes etc., seems to be better about taking naps that are not in his crib again, and is responding to training with the word "no". Yay!!! Being a mom feels like a piece of cake right now. (Which is probably the first time since he was born). I know ... I know... just wait until he starts crawling. But hey I can still have hope and faith that he will be an angel from now until forever right?
I love being little "c's" mommy and I hope he love's being G mommy's baby :)
Monday, August 11, 2008
How-to Mondays: One bird, three meals
Welcome back to How-to Monday!
I thought I would devote today's blog to one of my favorite things to do... save time and money! This is a little explanation of how I take a whole chicken and turn it into three separate meals and then some!
First I defrost a whole chicken which you can get from the store for about .99 a pound on average... unless you get it on sale like this week I got two at .58 a pound woohoo! I fill one of my large pots 1/2 to 3/4 full of water. Add some salt, pepper, parsley and any other seasonings that you like and put the bird in to soak in the hot tub a few hours. While the bird is cooking I will cut up several celery sticks and pick off all the leaves to go in because they have soooo much flavor. Don't throw those puppies away! Add in some Chopped carrots and a whole onion. Let all this come together for a few hours.
Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly, I take it out and put it in a seperate bowl. I let the broth cool and skim the top of the fat. Then I dip out two quart bags full of chicken broth and throw them in the freezer to use with other recipes. I usually add some extra water back into the pot because the broth is so concentrated. Then I skim off the dark meat to put back in the soup. I put each chicken breast in freezer bags and freeze. I usually take one out a few days later and use it for chicken pot pie along with some of the frozen chicken broth. The other breast you can use for chicken burritos, chicken salad etc. Now that my soup has the meat added back in, I put three handfuls of egg noodles in and let cook for another ten to fifteen minutes. Then your homemade chicken noodle soup is ready. I usually take half of it and freeze it because it makes sooooo much! So in reality you can probably get a weeks worth of meals out of this. Pretty amazing and great on the pocketbook.
That concludes how-to Monday!
I thought I would devote today's blog to one of my favorite things to do... save time and money! This is a little explanation of how I take a whole chicken and turn it into three separate meals and then some!
First I defrost a whole chicken which you can get from the store for about .99 a pound on average... unless you get it on sale like this week I got two at .58 a pound woohoo! I fill one of my large pots 1/2 to 3/4 full of water. Add some salt, pepper, parsley and any other seasonings that you like and put the bird in to soak in the hot tub a few hours. While the bird is cooking I will cut up several celery sticks and pick off all the leaves to go in because they have soooo much flavor. Don't throw those puppies away! Add in some Chopped carrots and a whole onion. Let all this come together for a few hours.
Once the chicken is cooked thoroughly, I take it out and put it in a seperate bowl. I let the broth cool and skim the top of the fat. Then I dip out two quart bags full of chicken broth and throw them in the freezer to use with other recipes. I usually add some extra water back into the pot because the broth is so concentrated. Then I skim off the dark meat to put back in the soup. I put each chicken breast in freezer bags and freeze. I usually take one out a few days later and use it for chicken pot pie along with some of the frozen chicken broth. The other breast you can use for chicken burritos, chicken salad etc. Now that my soup has the meat added back in, I put three handfuls of egg noodles in and let cook for another ten to fifteen minutes. Then your homemade chicken noodle soup is ready. I usually take half of it and freeze it because it makes sooooo much! So in reality you can probably get a weeks worth of meals out of this. Pretty amazing and great on the pocketbook.
That concludes how-to Monday!
Friday, August 8, 2008
Wii Fit Woohoo!
Okay so we've had the Wii Fit for about a month now. We played around with it for the first week or so and did all the games and some of the exercises :) So this past two weeks I have been trying to be really serious about working out more and have done 30 minutes every other day or every two days so 2 to 3 times a week :) Good start right? Well I have lost 4 lbs so far and have had two people tell me that I look like I am loosing weight in the past day! So needless to say I am very encouraged! It's nice to know that you are exercising and trying to be healthy but when other people notice it makes all the difference.
I am still far from my goal but am only about 2 lbs. away from loosing all the baby weight then I just have to get rid of the pre-baby weight! Okay no more talk about this weight junk... I just had to brag on my Wii Fit!
Have I mentioned that I LOVE IT!!!!!!!
P.S. Even though I don't like talking about weight... I'll still keep you updated on my progress with the Wii Fit.
I am still far from my goal but am only about 2 lbs. away from loosing all the baby weight then I just have to get rid of the pre-baby weight! Okay no more talk about this weight junk... I just had to brag on my Wii Fit!
Have I mentioned that I LOVE IT!!!!!!!
P.S. Even though I don't like talking about weight... I'll still keep you updated on my progress with the Wii Fit.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
More on my book experience....
Okay... so last night I decide I'm going to curl up with the book I have been reading about being a better wife. I turn to chapter 6 or 7 ... can't remember exactly, and begin reading. I'm really seeing a lot of myself in this one.... I'll tell you a secret... I try to be my husbands conscience a lot. I am a very independent person. It's in my genes... all of my siblings are like that... I'm like that. It can be a blessing and a curse.... when it come to marriage, it's a bit of a curse. I don't fully trust my husband to do things the "right" way. I would rather go to the store myself than send my husband because most likely he will get the wrong brand at the wrong price or the wrong amount... etc. And most of the time this is true... but is it really that big of a deal? Should I be nitpicking every single choice my husband makes? Shouldn't I trust his judgment as the head of our household even if it not exactly the way I would do it?
I struggle with this a lot. It's something I need to work on. I've done pretty well in regards to how he interacts with our son. I tried to make that decision before he was born. He was going to do things differently... put his diapers on differently... feed him differently... play with him differently... and you know what ... that's okay. He's going to have his own parenting style. He doesn't have to be an exact clone of myself. However, we do need to agree on important things like discipline and expectations etc... but the small details I just need to get over it. It's not worth causing strife over....I just need to carry that thinking over to other things.
So that was great. The book got me thinking, self analyzing, questioning. Then it just made me mad. I totally get what the author was trying to do but she went a little overboard. So instead of me relaxing on the sofa sipping my coffee I was turning pages with deep sighs and muttering under my breath. My relaxing evening just turned into me being highly annoyed.
She starts the chapter talking about fear... that having fear is healthy, it brings a respect for God etc. I totally agree with that. Then mid way through the chapter she decided to put ridiculous fear in the women that are reading this book. I understand that divorce is looked at as "easy" and being a single mom is glorified sometimes. So she was trying to counteract that... I totally get that.... but... geez did you have to make my reading time so depressing and stressful? I think that level of fear is not healthy. Here is an excerpt to help you understand where I am coming from:
She is talking about single moms:
...They dress cheaply; their hair has a ragged cut, and the dark circles under their young eyes testify to their faded hope...... They are always distracted because they are thinking of their unhappy children or the baby-sitter's new, weird boyfriend who comes over when she is at work. Sometimes they team up with another single mom to share resources, childcare responsibilities, and troubles. Lately, I have been reading how many of these single women are turning to each other for comfort-- sometime for intimacy. Do you think anything might ever drive you to that? A new breed of women. The are independent, in charge and stressed. They grow old early, trying futilely to care for unruly children whom no man wants to stepfather. The grow bitter as they watch eligible men look over their heads at girls much younger than themselves, who have no strings attached. And they grow fearful when they realize that the men who have shown interest in them are hiding perverted intents toward their cute little youngsters. Their kids are angry and often get into trouble.
But all this was not your fault. No, it was your husband who committed adultery, your husband who was angry or got into porn.... He takes the kids every other weekend and spoils them, making them hate you all the more....When you discover a lump in your breast, your teens don't care or understand the gravity of the situation. You struggle alone with your fear and take yourself to the doctor, knowing that even though this might not end in death, it is the end of hope."
Okay, am I the only one that thinks this is a little bit much?? Makes me mad just reading it.... this kind of fear isn't healthy... it's ridiculous....
grrrr..... I have to put the computer down
I struggle with this a lot. It's something I need to work on. I've done pretty well in regards to how he interacts with our son. I tried to make that decision before he was born. He was going to do things differently... put his diapers on differently... feed him differently... play with him differently... and you know what ... that's okay. He's going to have his own parenting style. He doesn't have to be an exact clone of myself. However, we do need to agree on important things like discipline and expectations etc... but the small details I just need to get over it. It's not worth causing strife over....I just need to carry that thinking over to other things.
So that was great. The book got me thinking, self analyzing, questioning. Then it just made me mad. I totally get what the author was trying to do but she went a little overboard. So instead of me relaxing on the sofa sipping my coffee I was turning pages with deep sighs and muttering under my breath. My relaxing evening just turned into me being highly annoyed.
She starts the chapter talking about fear... that having fear is healthy, it brings a respect for God etc. I totally agree with that. Then mid way through the chapter she decided to put ridiculous fear in the women that are reading this book. I understand that divorce is looked at as "easy" and being a single mom is glorified sometimes. So she was trying to counteract that... I totally get that.... but... geez did you have to make my reading time so depressing and stressful? I think that level of fear is not healthy. Here is an excerpt to help you understand where I am coming from:
She is talking about single moms:
...They dress cheaply; their hair has a ragged cut, and the dark circles under their young eyes testify to their faded hope...... They are always distracted because they are thinking of their unhappy children or the baby-sitter's new, weird boyfriend who comes over when she is at work. Sometimes they team up with another single mom to share resources, childcare responsibilities, and troubles. Lately, I have been reading how many of these single women are turning to each other for comfort-- sometime for intimacy. Do you think anything might ever drive you to that? A new breed of women. The are independent, in charge and stressed. They grow old early, trying futilely to care for unruly children whom no man wants to stepfather. The grow bitter as they watch eligible men look over their heads at girls much younger than themselves, who have no strings attached. And they grow fearful when they realize that the men who have shown interest in them are hiding perverted intents toward their cute little youngsters. Their kids are angry and often get into trouble.
But all this was not your fault. No, it was your husband who committed adultery, your husband who was angry or got into porn.... He takes the kids every other weekend and spoils them, making them hate you all the more....When you discover a lump in your breast, your teens don't care or understand the gravity of the situation. You struggle alone with your fear and take yourself to the doctor, knowing that even though this might not end in death, it is the end of hope."
Okay, am I the only one that thinks this is a little bit much?? Makes me mad just reading it.... this kind of fear isn't healthy... it's ridiculous....
grrrr..... I have to put the computer down
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Favs and Friends
Okay so I missed the boat again on the whole "How-to Monday" thing! Oh well... it can take a break for one week. I just feel like sharing not giving a how-to, at the moment.
I have found some really great stuff on blogs this week. I am soo addicted to blogs now. It's like reading my morning paper - only it's blogs. Here are a few neat blogs I have visited lately.
http://www.makeandtakes.com/
a great crafty website with lots of tutorials of stuff you can make
(those get me everytime!)
http://www.frugalhacks.com/
great ideas for frugal living
http://www.momadvice.com/blog/2008/07/amys-notebook-073108.htm
lots of great ideas and advice just like your mom would give you :)
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2008/02/rainy-day-rainbow-recycled-art.html
a resource for fun crafts/activities that you can do with your kids!
(How exciting is that? I can't wait for little "c" to be able to do hands on stuff with me)
Now that I've shared a few of my favorite finds from this week, let's move on to more important stuff...
I've really been feeling a void lately. Mostly regarding friends. Don't get me wrong I have friends but I don't really have a close friend that I know holds me accountable - especially to God and being true to myself. You know the kind of friend that you can be brutally honest, get in their face and they will still love you... actually probably love you BECAUSE you did that?
I need friends like that because it's so easy for me to get tunnel vision. I get caught up in life, work, etc. and my common sense gets left on aisle five of the grocery store because I accidentally set it down while trying to decide between the cheaper pasta sauce with high fructose corn syrup and the more expensive one with better ingredients. You get me right?
One of these friends that I have had in my lifetime, we used to meet up at a coffee shop once a week and share with each other, pray with each other, and just all around encourage each other. Even though we met early in the morning - I looked forward to those meetings. I didn't have to be someone I wasn't... talk about stuff I wasn't interested in... try to find words to fill that lingering silence.... force myself to ask about something that I know they like but I could care less about...
It was just natural... completely natural to be in each other's company. You only find a few of those friends in a lifetime. Makes me kinda sad.
I have close friends but when you have someone that you feel close with on a God level... it's just totally different.
I don't know if I'm making sense. I'm just kinda having a melancholy moment with the computer :)
It's so much easier to share your feelings on a blog than to a person... kinda silly huh?
I have found some really great stuff on blogs this week. I am soo addicted to blogs now. It's like reading my morning paper - only it's blogs. Here are a few neat blogs I have visited lately.
http://www.makeandtakes.com/
a great crafty website with lots of tutorials of stuff you can make
(those get me everytime!)
http://www.frugalhacks.com/
great ideas for frugal living
http://www.momadvice.com/blog/2008/07/amys-notebook-073108.htm
lots of great ideas and advice just like your mom would give you :)
http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/2008/02/rainy-day-rainbow-recycled-art.html
a resource for fun crafts/activities that you can do with your kids!
(How exciting is that? I can't wait for little "c" to be able to do hands on stuff with me)
Now that I've shared a few of my favorite finds from this week, let's move on to more important stuff...
I've really been feeling a void lately. Mostly regarding friends. Don't get me wrong I have friends but I don't really have a close friend that I know holds me accountable - especially to God and being true to myself. You know the kind of friend that you can be brutally honest, get in their face and they will still love you... actually probably love you BECAUSE you did that?
I need friends like that because it's so easy for me to get tunnel vision. I get caught up in life, work, etc. and my common sense gets left on aisle five of the grocery store because I accidentally set it down while trying to decide between the cheaper pasta sauce with high fructose corn syrup and the more expensive one with better ingredients. You get me right?
One of these friends that I have had in my lifetime, we used to meet up at a coffee shop once a week and share with each other, pray with each other, and just all around encourage each other. Even though we met early in the morning - I looked forward to those meetings. I didn't have to be someone I wasn't... talk about stuff I wasn't interested in... try to find words to fill that lingering silence.... force myself to ask about something that I know they like but I could care less about...
It was just natural... completely natural to be in each other's company. You only find a few of those friends in a lifetime. Makes me kinda sad.
I have close friends but when you have someone that you feel close with on a God level... it's just totally different.
I don't know if I'm making sense. I'm just kinda having a melancholy moment with the computer :)
It's so much easier to share your feelings on a blog than to a person... kinda silly huh?
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