savvy by design

Is Christmas over already!?

2011-12-29T11:30:00.000-08:00

It's so bittersweet. On one hand I can take a breather from all the intensity of the birthdays and Christmas. But it's my favorite time of the year and I miss is so much when it's gone. If you didn't notice I decided to give myself a break on blogging. The 2 AM late nights were getting to me!

I have made a pact with myself. I am going to start prepping for Christmas in the summer!!! Because after that it's birthday season for all the nieces and nephews then it's our household birthday season and then BAM it's Christmas. Then I hide under the covers for a few days sleep in and bribe the kids with leftover christmas candy to play nice and give mommy just a few more minutes. HA! No not me... I wouldn't do something like that!

But the season isn't over yet! We still have New Years - a time to reflect on the year, count our blessings and give ourselves a break before we do it all over again!

Take it easy and remember how blessed you are this year. It's been a hard year for us but man we have so much to be thankful for.

Here's your little New Year's present from me. Enjoy.

Holiday Hustle: Kid's Christmas Ornament

2011-12-08T11:46:00.001-08:00

The activity on our advent calendar yesterday was for us to make an ornament together. I had a pre-made foam ornament kit that I picked up last year, so that's what we used. Well I ended up doing most of it because it was not kid friendly at all. If you have to use a glue gun to make every single step come together... it is NOT KID FRIENDLY. So out of my frustration I decided to make one of my own that they could have a bigger part in. Enter the popsicle ornament. It's a great staple and there is so much you can do with it. So if you have some popsicle sticks and some yarn you are pretty much set. Here is what you will need for the basic ornament:

**I actually ended up using 4 sticks but you make it how you like it. The yarn is only $1.50 at Michael's this week (by the way) and they have lots of yummy colors.

Start by tying a piece of yarn to one end of the stick and cut off a long string of yarn for your big guy to wrap around it however he likes. Like so:

Have him do that with all three (or four). His attention span may only get him through a few but that's ok just work with them wherever they are. Then tie the end off by looping it through the other strings for him. I left a little space in the middle to make it easier to glue them together. Then glue the sticks together with your glue gun and tie on a little extra yarn for a hanger.

You could stop there if you wanted but I had the perfect little embellishment in my stash so I couldn't help myself. So I glued that on and had him hang it on the tree all by himself. He was so proud and you have an ornament that any mommy would be proud to have on her tree.

Enjoy!

A Little Tour

2011-12-04T20:49:00.001-08:00

As promised here is a little tour of some holiday crafts we've put together and decorations we have on display in our house this year.

Remember that chain that was left on the side of the Trader Joe's bag after you made your fabulous gift tags with me? My oldest and I had the best time putting that chain together and it gave me a teachable moment to talk about pattern and have him help me make sure the pattern was correct on our chain. He loved helping. So I hung it across one wall and used some twine to attach some $1/a pack foam snowflakes that I got from the bargain bin at Target. Gave it just a little added touch that it needed and Corben loved seeing his work on display.

I noticed that my decorating this year is very much a homage to my love of typography. The Joy on the side is actually a sequined table runner I picked up from Target after Christmas for $5 or $6, I think. I used some zots to attach it to the wall, which I also used to attach the chain to the wall also. It's just the right amount of stick. When you want it to stay, it's not coming off the wall but when you are finished, you can get them off your wall with a little effort and (in my experience) no damage to the dry wall.

Next up is my super fast Advent Calendar. A few days late I decided we needed an advent calendar. Corben was already asking me how long until Christmas and I really wanted to make one anyway. So I used the "advent calendar for the procrastinator" (perfect title) from the little red house.

I picked out papers from my stash. I did several different combos but settled on this one. When I stepped back to look at it, I realized it has a little bit of a masculine feel to it (I do live with three boys so I guess that's okay) and I questioned the "christmas-yness" of it. Then I realized what it was that made me choose it. Doesn't it give you that cozy sweater/ski lodge feeling? Makes me want to go get a cup of hot chocolate and put my feet up in front of a fireplace. Yep. That's what it was.

So I made the little envelopes put some number stickers on them, hung them on some jute over a doorway and we now officially have an advent calendar.

I really enjoyed putting it together and planning all the little things we were going to do for each day. I'll have to share the list with you. But for now I need some sleep!

Hope you enjoyed a mini-tour of some of our holiday decorations.

December is here!

2011-12-04T13:05:00.001-08:00

Am I the only one running around like a crazy person this year? December is here and the holiday season is in full swing at our house this weekend. We finally picked up our tree and pulled the decorations from the attic. It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas and I love it!

The month of December is especially crazy at our house because it's also the month of my husbands birthday, my oldest son's birthday (4), and my mother-in-laws birthday. Whew! I'm feeling the stress for sure, but trying to not allow that to get in the way of making Christmas magical for my kiddos and take the opportunities to share with them the real reason for the season.

I love Christmas and I especially love decorating and crafting for the holidays. So as I'm doing the "Holiday Hustle" with my family this year, I'm inviting you to come with me! As I'm prepping for birthdays and Christmas by crafting, decorating and making gifts for those dearest to me, I'll be sharing with you along the way.

Corben (my almost 4 year old) wants a Lego Star Wars Party and my husband is turning the big "3 - 0." So I've got some late nights ahead of me to say the least. But until then I'll show you some fun things we've done around the house to decorate with the kids and make the house a little more cheerful with some great budget friendly ideas. I'll be posting that tonight.

Thanks for hanging in there with me and Merry Christmas!

Pimp That Trader Joe's Bag

2011-11-29T06:16:00.001-08:00

I heart Trader Joe's. Since moving close to one I can't keep myself out of there and at least drop $50 everytime I go in! It's my go-to place for organic produce at a great price and just yummy stuff in general.

I couldn't wait for them to do their Christmas bags again this year. Every year they have specially printed bags just for Christmas. I loved the design so much last year that I cut out some of the pictures and framed them for Christmas decorations. Well Trader Joe's was so kind this year and designed their bag to be cut out on purpose! Wasn't that so nice of them? They provided cut-outs for gift tags and a chain decoration!

But lets be honest if we just used them cut out, they would be kinda flimsy. So I decided to pimp my gift tags and give them a little more character and weight with crafty things I had around the house like card stock, yarn, beads, ribbon, embroidery thread, and glitter. If you have this in your arsenal already, you are all set!

First I cut out the tags that Trader Joe's so nicely provided on their bag. But I didn't use their cut lines, I cut on the outside of them because I thought that would be a great template for some embroidery floss. Then glued them on some black cardstock and cut them back out. I thought they were very pretty with just this added step. So if your not real crafty, you could stop there if you wanted.

If you want a little more pizzaz then pull out your extras and go to town stitching on embroidery floss, using ribbon and yarn for the tag string, sewing on some beads and finishing it off with glitter.

Then here you have it! Some of my favorites:

Gift tags for pretty much nothing. Thanks Trader Joe's! I couldn't have done it without you!

Here's where I'm linking up this week.

New Reading Wall for My Boys

2011-11-28T11:04:00.001-08:00

This whole thing started when I saw the awesome idea for gutter shelves on Gus & Lula.

I saw them on Oh Dee Oh a while back but never got around to it. Then the boys' books became such a headache. They were always all over the floor or in a bin or shelf and always getting pulled out or forgotten about because they were put away.

I cannot tell you how magical these shelves are to my children. They just love it! They love going to get books and they love putting them away again!

We read more because they are more accesible and they can clearly see which book they want to get and bring to me. I'm so glad I did this. They make me smile every time I walk into their room.

I fell in love with the bunting that Gus&Lula used and I just happened to have some Ikea fabric in the same print as their bedding lying around. So a little bias tape and a few cuts from my rotary cutter later... voila custom bunting for their room.

I enjoyed making these so much, I may just make some more and put them in my etsy shop. I just love this print, it's perfect for a little boys room.

Then last but not least... I was so inspired by these large scrabble wall tiles from Too Much Time On My Hands that I could not wait to make some of my own to decorate my boys' room with. And what better word to go over a book shelf?

I cut squares from some free wood scraps that I picked up from Home Depot and free-handed the letters while looking at a photo of scrabble tiles. They aren't perfect but I like that. It was made with love (and some time and sweat sprinkled in). So that's what I've been up to. How about you?

I have a new frugal tutorial coming. Hope to finish it before naptime is up!

Here's where I'm linking up this week.

Handmade For My Boy

2011-11-21T12:05:00.001-08:00

See what a great cardboard tube can do? I got the idea from a post on the crafty crow when I was researching ideas on what to do with all those fabric tubes I had laying around. But my husband was really the one the got excited and put it together with a little help from me. It was fun for us to make something together and see our little boys face light up when he woke up from his nap. And one of the first things he said was "Daddy can we make one for brother too?" Such a sweetie pie!

My boy was also in need of a new scarf so I used the great tutorial over on living with punks as a guide with a few modifications to make it a bit smaller for a four-year-old. He said he wanted a green scarf with red polka dots. Does anyone else have an almost 4 year old that so specific about what he wants? :) So my mommy interpretation is below - green plaid with red buttons for fun. He loved it!

I'll be finishing up a new tutorial to share very soon and hopefully getting photos together of some of the other things I've been doing around the house. I've been a busy bee lately. What have you been working on?

Supplies On The Cheap

2011-11-21T11:38:00.001-08:00

This weekend was pretty amazing. I scored some great deals on Saturday and then took the rest of the weekend to spoil my oldest with some handmade goodies.

Look at all that beautiful fabric! As I said on my last post, a fabric warehouse was doing a huge sale on fabric. The picture above is all of the fabric/crafty goodness I got that morning. 10 bolts of fabric and a yard of leather for $10 total!

My next stop was Joanne's. They were having a grand opening and they kept sending me coupons. I ended up having four 50% off one item coupons and they had sales on all the fabrics that I needed to too!

I spent $35 on $70 worth of stuff. And I finally got a rotary cutter! Wow! What was life like without this thing? It's awesome, especially because I cannot cut, much less draw, a straight line to save my life!

After getting all of my stuff home, I decided to store the fabric off the bolt. My dear husband helped me take it off and fold everything and after all was said and done we had a pile of really heavy duty cardboard tubes left over.... hmmmm. My wheels started turning and before you know it my husband joined in on making something with them! I've got more plans for them too.

It seemed like such a waste to throw them out! Especially when you are on a budget, crafty supplies are not priority - so you use what you have.

So next up I'll share all the spoiling that I did for my big boy this weekend. I love making things for my boys and he was all smiles :)

Weekend Deals!

2011-11-17T17:29:00.001-08:00

Photo by: cuttlefish via flickr

I am so excited about this weekend!

Not only is Chick-fil-A doing a free breakfast tomorrow but I have the chance to score some free bolts of fabric on Saturday! Yes FREE!

There is a warehouse getting rid of 8,000 bolts of fabric on Saturday and you can take home up to 3 bolts for free and most of the others are $1! For a whole bolt!

I can't tell you how fast I'm going to tie my shoelaces and run to this place on Saturday morning. Woohoo!
It's like early Black Friday for crafty people!

Then comes the icing on the cake. I know! I feel like a game show host... "and that's not all folks"...this weekend, the very first Joanne's Fabrics in Charlotte is having their grand opening! Ask me if I have 50% off coupons... go ahead ask :)

Can you tell I'm excited?

Over the next few days I'm completing my scrabble tiles and bookshelves in the boys room, sewing a brand new bag (momma's got a brand new BAG!... sorry I had to do it), and I'll share some of my fabulous frugal finds from this weekend.

3 Ways to Use Your French Press

2011-11-15T13:22:00.001-08:00

It's no secret to those of you that know me that I have a love affair with my french press. Ok well... coffee in general. But my love of coffee was just the beginning of a long love affair and my transformation into a coffee snob... yes I admit it... when it comes to coffee I'm pretty snobby.

Growing up, my parents made coffee like you make tea. No not the process... it actually looked like tea... you could see through it. GASP! I know, I know. Those coffee snobs out there can pick themselves up off of the floor now. It's a sad past but I've come a long way.

Since those dark days, I now own an espresso machine and can froth with the best of those green apron adorned Starbucks baristas. If you want a challenge let me know :) But when I want a good ole dependable cup of coffee I turn to my French press.

As if I wasn't obsessed enough with coffee and all it's glorious processess, I soon found another fabulous concoction: Cold brew iced coffee.

Oh My! You can just imagine the money I've saved from doing my own espresso and iced coffee from home. I rarely patron the local Starbucks, unless I want that coveted "mommy break" that I talked about here.

So here's my quick list of how you can squeeze all the use out of that French press.

1. Delicious hot brewed coffee. Simple and straight forward and you get a wonderful tasting hot coffee every time. Tutorial here.

2. Cold Brew. After reading the tutorial on smitten kitchen on how to cold brew coffee, I thought - why don't I just let this sit in my french press overnight and I have a built in filter. Filter with a cheese cloth or paper towels? Nope... my french press will do it in no time. Then throw the container you poured the coffee in into the fridge and your good to go for several glasses of iced cold goodness.

3. Loose Leaf Hot Tea. I suppose you could do the bagged tea but loose is cheaper and better in my opinion. Just brew it the same way you do the hot coffee.

Who knew the French Press could be so versatile? Makes me fall in love with it even more. That's where you get me... I love it when something is pretty... but OH if it can be functional and versatile at the same time, I am completely in love! Maybe that's where my love affair with Apple came from too... I digress... Happy Tuesday!

Great Minds Think Alike :)

2011-11-15T06:55:00.001-08:00

As I was reading some of my favorite blogs this morning, I came across this new post from Too Much Time On My Hands.

Ha! I was actually just thinking about this as a possibility for expanding upon my paint swatch ornament idea. Why couldn't it be garland etc?

I think I'll take a crack at it and share what I come up with.

Great minds think alike huh? LOL

Paint Swatch Ornaments

2011-11-14T11:50:00.001-08:00

So the secret is out. These cute and simple ornaments are made from paint swatches!

I love the weight and sturdiness that it gives and the added bonus is that it makes these pretty cheap to make. I was inspired by a magazine article that used scrapbook paper. You can use scrapbook paper if you want different patterns etc. But I like the simplicity and sturdiness of the paint swatch much better.

So let's get started... this is what you will need:

Use a 2" die cut circle punch to punch out 8 circles (4 of each color) from the swatches. Then fold them all in half with the wrong side out, just like this:

Now use your glue stick to glue the wrong sides together, alternating colors. make sure they are lined up correctly so the back of the swatch does not show at all. Then when you get to your last one, just glue it to the first one. You'll have a beautiful dome shape.

Take some pretty ribbon or string and thread it through. ** The ribbon is a little easier if you put it in the middle before you close the dome together. Tie a knot at the end and on the other side snip the length you want, fold it over and do a slip knot to create the loop you need to hang. You can stop there or go a little bit crazy and add a bow at the top or brush some white glue on the edges and sprinkle it with some glitter. Simple and beautiful. I can't wait to hang these on my tree this year!

So easy! Hope you enjoy making them with me!

Check out where I linked up on my where I like to party page!

Handmade ornaments

2011-11-11T12:12:00.000-08:00

Yes it's that time again! ::sigh:: Christmas!

I always feel bad for Thanksgiving every year. It gets the shaft, but you have to prepare for December early right?

I saw an idea for this ornament while perusing the magazine section on a "mommy break." You know what I'm talking about. The time you get to go somewhere by yourself and listen to the beautiful sound of silence as you get to look at whatever you want without the interjections of "Please don't touch that, Stop bothering your brother, stay with mommy please, yes we will get a snack in a minute." And if you are feeling really crazy you'll buy yourself that expensive cup of coffee, not because it's expensive but because you just want to revel in the fact that SOMEONE ELSE served YOU!

Sorry... I'll put my daydreaming aside and get back to reality.

I saw these and I thought it would be a perfect project for the kids to do. So this is the first draft so to speak.

Since this one, they have gotten more intricate with bows and glitter and other little touches I came up with. But there is one more shocking secret to this cutie that I'll share with you next time. :) I love surprises. Next post I'll show you how to make these yourself for almost NOTHING :)

This year's goal is for almost all of our ornaments to be handmade. The kids love crafting so I can't wait to get them in on it! Happy Friday Everybody!

Anthropologie Necklace

2011-11-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

I've been experimenting with lots of different crafts lately. I'm trying to get a feel of what I really love to create. What really inspires me.

I've realized that working with my hands in general is an inspiring thing. I was especially surprised at how exhilarating it was to saw wood by hand. Maybe the men are on to something? I felt so accomplished after sawing my wood down into squares for my wall tiles for the kid's room. I took great care to sand them and get them ready for a coat of paint and sealer. When you take great care in doing something, you know your heart is really in it. You're not careless, you take the time to notice every detail.

Well I'm not going to share the wall tiles with you quite yet. I'm going to save the big reveal for when they are up on the wall with my new gutter shelves. I can't wait!

So in the meantime I'll share with you a little piece I made myself recently based on an anthropologie necklace. I found the tutorial over at Flamingo Toes.

I had all the materials but I wanted to give it a little bit of my own twist too.

Here is the original necklace from Anthropologie:

I thought it was a little too much ruffle for me so I decided to just do the ruffles on one side. And since I had some fabric left over from that grey sheet I thought I would just use that. Since grey is so in this season! Woohoo!

The length was perfect! Just cut a 2 inch wide strip down the length of the sheet and sew the two sides together to make a tube. ** Note to self and the rest of the world out there. Please sew a ribbon or string to one end on the inside so it will be easier to turn inside out. Not that I am speaking from experience or anything. An hour later.... (during which I was not struggling to turn it inside out ::ahem::) Pull some round beads out of your stash or pick some up at your local Michael's/Hobby Lobby/Joanne's. Depending on how long your want your necklace to be depends on the amount of beads you use. I had varying sizes that I put into my tube and then tied a knot in between each one. When I got to the length I liked, I stopped there.

You should have something that looks like this (please excuse the bad lighting, I do my crafting at night when the munchkins are asleep!):

Now for some flair! Instead of using the same material, I wanted to do a contrasting color. So I looked through my fabric stash and found a shirt that never quite fit me right. But it was a gorgeous purple, and purple and grey are perfect together. So I cut it up into little two inch circles. I'd cut 20 or so. But that really depends on how ruffle-y you want it. Don't worry about your circles being perfect... you won't be able to tell... trust me ;).

Fold the circles in half and then half again. Then take your needle and thread and sew it to a knot on the side of your necklace. Then go at it and make it as ruffle-y as you want.

Don't forget about your necklace ends! just turn them inside and sew them closed and your are ready to go. Go show off that fabulousness that you made with your own two hands.

Projects in the making

2011-11-07T12:46:00.000-08:00

Next up I'll share my experiences with the gutter book shelves, making large scrabble tiles as a cute kids room decoration and some hand-made ornaments for the holidays.

I may even throw in a giveaway :) Stick around, it's going to get interesting. Or crazy. Whichever comes first.

Mod Ruffle Wreath

2011-11-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

I just love the look of the wreath by Jones Design Co.

And she made it look so easy so I had to try one of my own. Hers turned out a lot more cozy and wintery because she used wool but I used what I had on hand.

So I layed out a tired sheet that had been in our closet forever. It was a pretty grey, so I thought why not? I went to town cutting it into 2" strips. Silly me didn't remember to take photos until much later. I'll do better next time I promise.

I went to Lowe's earlier that day and picked up some pipe insulation for 1.20 cut it in half and ducked taped it into a circle.

Instant wreath base for only .60 :)

Whip out your hot glue gun and cover the entire wreath base by wrapping a fabric strip around it and hot glueing as you go.

Then go crazy twisting and looping to make ripples and ruffles and hot glueing them in place. I did two lines around the circumference but I kind of wish I would have done three. Use your discretion until you get the look you like. Next, cut a small strip to make a hanging loop and hot glue it to the back.

I really love grey and yellow together so I made a fabric rosette out of an old yellow t-shirt to add a little pizzaz.

but it wasn't quite finished. It just needed something... you artsy people out there know what I mean... that gut feeling that it needs a finishing touch.

Yes this wreath deserved a little something extra...

BAM. Ahhh there it is! An even BIGGER flower!

This sweet wreath is now proudly hanging on my front door. I just love the romantic look of it.

New Look!

2011-11-02T10:18:00.001-07:00

I thought it was time to give this old blog a little facelift and some perky new colors. Hope you like it. Let me know what you think!

I just couldn't resist this design especially because of the subtle handwritten note on the side that says "I am thankful" :)

I am. I am so thankful for so many things. Now if I can just remember that on the days that the floor is covered in cheerios and little boys are catapulting themselves off my furniture.

Happy Wednesday!

Stay tuned, the next post I'll show off my new wreath and tell you about some more projects.

Crafty Experimenting

2011-10-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

I'm back and ready to do some craftiness. The photo above is a little sneak peek :) I've had a huge itch to craft and create lately. It's something that has laid dormant for a long time for one reason or another. Mostly because of not having enough space or a yard to take things out and paint them etc. Excuses... excuses...

But no more! Carpe Diem people!

I can't believe that I've put something on the back-burner for so long that makes me so happy! And the kids are excited about the extra Lowe's trips and the chance to help mommy make something :)

Stay tuned for some crafty goodness :)

Lost

2011-10-11T05:27:00.000-07:00

At 16 weeks we lost our baby.

No one should ever, ever have to go through something like this. I always considered myself so fortunate to have had such uneventful pregnancies and births and I feel even more so now.

I thank God that there is no question in my mind that I will see my angel again in heaven someday. I am sad that I was not able to watch my little one grow up and experience each new stage. I am definitely holding my little ones a little tighter and giving them that extra kiss at night not wanting to leave the room. They are so precious and life is so fragile.

I thank God that I was able to go through most everything at home. The hospital and dr. visits were horrible. So much so that I would tremble in the waiting rooms... the anxiety was awful. The day my ultrasound was clear, I was so happy I would not have to come back for a long time. I was planning a home birth this time and my treatment has solidified that choice.

The one visit I had with my midwife before this happened was one of the things that got me through. I was treated like a person and she asked the important questions to make sure I was taken care of on every level: emotional, mental and physical. Having children/creating life is so much more than a medical procedure for a woman. It affects us on every level of our being. It is a physical, spiritual, mental and emotional experience and we need to have all of those areas discussed and supported. And the midwife did just that.

We want to try again when we are ready.

It will take time to heal and it hurts to see a baby and feel sadness instead of awe and that welling up of motherly love that I would usually feel. I don't want to feel that way, but I do.

Everyday is new and I feel like I have a new perspective and a new drive. God has given us so much peace and protected us when we needed it most. We will carry this little one in our hearts forever and know we will see them again one day. Praying God is giving my little one lots of hugs and kisses for me.

Completely Happy :)

2011-08-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

What a sweet little pumpkin, right? This is not a picture of anyone I know but how can you not immediately feel a connection with this little one. I actually came across it when doing research for a design. It's just so adorable it brought tears to my eyes.

Sappy I know.... but I guess it's all the hormones. Yep... I know what your thinking.... hormones? Well when your 13 weeks pregnant with your third, the hormones will get the best of you.

Yep, we're expecting baby number three in late February! This will definitely be my last pregnancy which is sad and exciting at the same time. Pregnancy is such an amazing experience but I look forward to watching my little ones grow and what the next phase of our life will be like. I feel complete and happy... maybe even completely happy? :)

Eight years

2011-07-05T10:55:00.000-07:00

About eight years ago, Chad and I were dating and took a day trip up to Charlotte to hang out and check out what Charlotte was like. When I was in high school and trying to map out my life and decide where I would go to college. Charlotte was where I wanted to be. I had my eyes set on Winthrop University, which is right outside of Charlotte in Rock Hill, SC. They have a wonderful and challenging arts program there.

Charlotte was perfect. Not too far away but not too close either. Just right! Charlotte has been on my brain since I was 16 years old. It's crazy to even think about. And here we are, in the city that I dreamed about and then fell in love with when Chad and I visited here that spring 8 years ago. I decided to finish my degree at USCA but this was still where I wanted to be in the future. Do you think God calls you to a city? Puts that burning desire in you and that peace to know you are home?

I think so.

Charlotte has so much to offer. It has a great arts scene, tons of activities and places to go for kids, IKEA (Oh my goodness how could we live without IKEA being 15 minutes away?) LOL, diversity, sports, Lake Norman, etc.

I love the diversity - I've met people from Romania, Brazil, Africa, Italy, etc just in the six months of living here. It's so enriching to learn about other cultures. There is a sweet family that live two doors down from us. They are from Africa and have only been in the states for about 2 years. Our youngest are actually the same age... only two weeks apart! They were ministers in Somalia and started a church there. The kids play together and we have such a good time talking about parenting and what life is like in Africa.

I know God has so much in store for us here and I can't wait to see it all come together.

It took us eight years, but it's good to be home.

Insert title here :)

2011-06-25T11:05:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about the title of this post and I couldn't quite put my finger on the words to perfectly capture what I'm trying to say. A problem I'm all too familiar with. I can never fully explain myself, how I would like too. I guess I'm just too complex :) (my husband would be shaking his head yes right now LOL)

Through talking and sharing over the "girl's weekend," I realized there was a reoccurring theme. I have a running bucket list in my head. Through the whole weekend I ran across things that would spur me to say, "Yeah, one of my goals is ________" or "Yeah, that's something I want to do one day." I started to realize... I have a lot of those. The older I get the more I realize how much of a dreamer and visionary I am. And how a personality/spirit like that can be an amazing asset or a tragic stumbling block. It can cause you to not be content, which is something I've had to temper. In the past I've looked to the future and felt like I had to do this or that and then I would "make it" or be where I want to be.

I want to be right here, right now in this very moment. I'm content with most things in my life, but I still desire to experience and to learn. Which is the good part left over after the contentment is dealt with.

I think that is the creative nature in me. That is something I never want to temper. I get that from my dad... no, not that one... my heavenly father. God created me with a hunger to create and to experience his beauty and wonder through the world and with a little child-like curiosity sprinkled in to make it interesting :). I came across this amazing article about creativity and the Christian - it truly inspired me and reminded me that I do do my father's work. Check it out here.

I think a lot of personality traits can go either way depending on life experiences and if we choose listen to those mentors that God places in our path. If left to themselves, they can become negative but if tempered correctly it can be an amazing attribute. I'm trying to keep this in the front of my mind with the boys and encourage the beauty in their unique traits, like Corben wanting to take charge or to touch or question everything!!! Or Devlin being a go getter and wanting to see what something sounds like when you bang it on a hard surface (hence some of my favorite ceramic coasters broken!) or discovering whats in the very back of that drawer/bin/box. (insert bull in china shop here) LOL

They have some personality traits that if left to themselves could be seen as a bad thing but oh if tempered correctly watch out world for what my boys have to offer and what they dream to do and be. :) Corben's thirst to know how things work, understand people and to lead the way and Devlin's desire to explore and create new things combined with his kind heart… they will be great men someday, I just know it.

It only took us four years...

2011-06-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was an adventure four years in the making. Four years ago to the exact weekend. "The girls" (My high school friends Jamie and Melissa) went on a bachelorette weekend to celebrate Melissa's upcoming nuptials. While we were out on the town, we met a group of ladies who had vacationed together every year since they graduated high school. They were all in there mid-to-late thirties. We were so impressed by that! They were from all across the US but once a year they put aside their crazy schedule and made their childhood girlfriends a priority. We wanted this for us too.

We've been through so much together and have stuck it out and loved each other in spite of some of it and through it all. Each of us is very different from the other and we like to poke fun and roll our eyes but when things get tight we come together like no other. They were there for the birth of both of my little sweet potatoes, have been there to pack or unpack for every single move, they are Aunt Jamie and Aunt "Sassa" to my boys and the list goes on.... These girls have been my sisters in life when I didn't have any. Growing up with three brothers makes you yearn for some sister-hood!

So that was our goal, every year, we would make a trip together. Well... two babies, being broke and moving around later. We finally did it! Friday morning we all set out to meet up in Charleston for a weekend of reconnecting, getting a little crazy, sharing some tears, and basking in the warm sun and new experiences. It was a blast!

Savvy Tips and Tricks

2011-02-09T07:43:00.000-08:00

As most of you know if I can get away with making something at home rather than buying it, that's the route I am going to go. It's healthier, cheaper and just all around better for everybody. I was reading through some of my favorite blogs this morning and realized I have a lot of go-to things that I do that I have never shared before. So for those of you that are interested. Here is a little list of home-remedies/homemade things that I do on a regular basis:

1. Homemade vapor rub - The store bought stuff is not safe for little ones so I came up with my own about a year ago and everytime someone is congested or stuffy I make a small batch and rub, rub, rub! A lot of recipes call for beeswax etc. But I wanted to do something that I could just whip up with what I had on hand. So I use about 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil (great for your skin) and then 10 - 15 drops each of eucalyptus and peppermint oil. Avoid rubbing this on the face because of the peppermint oil. It will smell very potent but trust me, once you put it on it is not that strong. If it's in the middle of the night and they wake up stuffy I'll just put a few drops of Eucalyptus on a cloth diaper and put it in front of their fan. The whole room smells soothing and you'll see a great difference in their coughing. I even do it for myself too and put a cloth under my pillow. Sleep like a baby when I'm sick!

2. Homemade Apple Sauce - Ok organic applesauce is ridiculously expensive but I won't compromise on it because apples are one of the worst for pesticides, over 50 different pesticides are found on apples EEk! So I've found a way to do it for even cheaper than regular applesauce and it's pretty easy too. I keep a lookout for clearance organic apples at my local health food store. I can get apples for about 85 cents a pound. Not bad for organic apples. They just need to be eaten soon orrrrrrr made into applesauce :) So break out your apple slicer (love this thing! Saves my life on a regular basis... quick healthy snacks BAM) core/slice about 2 to 3 large apples and then chop them into chunks into your blender. That's right... don't peel them... trust me. Put them in with skin on... the skin has the most nutrients, why rob your applesauce of those nutrients? Add a little water and a tablespoon or so of lime juice (you could use lemon but I like lime... it's a little smoother). Blend until you get a smooth consistency, turn your blender off and then taste a little... YUM! Tastes like you are biting into a fresh apple and it's so sweet! No need for any sweeteners! Try it... you'll see. Put your applesauce in a clean empty applesauce jar and voila. And what do the taste testers say? "Mom I like this applesauce, it's yummy."

3. Another sick little one remedy - Garlic is a great natural antibiotic and honey is great to sooth a cough in a pinch. So why not grate up some garlic in some honey and give them a spoonful. Fresh garlic by itself is AWFUL. Yes I've tried it. Hey when you are sick and don't have time to be... you'll try anything!! But this way is not so bad, the honey covers the taste pretty well and it coats your throat.

That's all I've got for now. I'll think of more savvy ways to do things and share!

Preschool Beginnings: Making it fit your budget

2011-02-08T13:36:00.001-08:00

Preschool is a very supply intense age. At least the way I like to do preschool :) Lots of crafts and hands-on activities. Tracing, sorting, counting - all these concepts could run you a pretty penny if you buy those supply sets out there but there are a lot of ways to cut down on the cost by just being a little creative.

One of my preschoolers favorite things to do is glue. There are lots of fun crafty things you can buy like pom-poms and googly eyes to make things super cute and fun but you can still make things fun with the basics. Their favorite so far is beans! They love glueing beans on their numbers of the week sheets. And after they glue their beans on their numbers we take the time to count the number of beans they put on their sheet. Number recognition and math with dry pinto beans :) If you want to add sorting to your activities then add in some black beans and have them separate the two types of beans. You can find lots of fun sensory activities to do with beans/rice etc on the web. Just google things you have on hand and the word "craft." You'll be amazed what people have come up with. I just scored 1000 colorful paper clips at target for 1.24 and I found some fun things we can make with them. Can't wait!

If you are a coupon-er like me don't forget to use your scraps! I keep a lot of my good scrap pieces of the print-out coupons I cut. The large pieces can be used to draw on and the other strips can be cut up and used to glue on your letter of the week sheets that you make on colored construction paper. Eco-friendly and budget friendly.

Play-dough is cheap to make and makes for hours of fun. I recently made a batch for the first time and love it!! It's perfect and has lasted for about a month. I'm right on the edge of having to make another batch. Use playdough to make shapes of things that start with your letter of the week. Get their imaginations going and see where it takes you. If you want a great recipe for playdough here is the one I used: Playdough tutorial

Hope that got your creative wheels going. I'll share more on my preschool adventures here and you can learn along with me! :)

Preschool Beginnings

2011-02-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

Preschool is just ABC's and 123's right? When did it get complicated? Ok, I know it's probably me that's complicating things because, of course, I want to make sure I am "in the know" about every different way preschool can be taught. Did you know there are even different schools of thought on whether or not you should teach the alphabet in sequential order or should you teach capitals or lowercase first etc etc.

A few weeks back I decided it was time to get serious about doing a more structured preschool. Corben is three now and is ready to take on a little more structure. It helps him a lot to be engaged in different activities throughout the day. We have been doing a little bit of letters/counting throughout the past year but nothing really structured or consistent.

So I figured out a way to get myself into a routine and get organized about it. Accountability. You know that fascinating concept that God came up with to make sure we keep each other in check. Our friends live a few doors down from us and have two munchkins that are close in age with ours. Corben loves playing with his best friend Joe and Devlin is just enamored with little Jetta. So why not have a class and teach everybody? It would give Corben some classmates and give Lanie a little break throughout the week and a chance to get in some intense schoolwork with the older boys. So that's what I did. Twice a week my four students get together to have class from 10 AM - 1 PM.

I didn't really know what to expect at first. I was just going to go "all in" and see what happened. I was so surprised at how anxious they were to learn. Their little faces just lit up whenever we switched to a new activity. Wow! I thought it would be so hard to keep their attention but it's been great. I switch up activities often and make sure we have some free play in there too. So we can get all of those wiggles out.

I'm learning a lot and enjoying it! I like reading about all the different philosophies on education. Now the hard part is trying to decided which ones I think will be the most beneficial.

Here are some websites that I have enjoyed visiting so far. They have great hands-on ideas for little ones:
www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com
www.notimeforflashcards.com
http://lovemylifex4.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

Going Cold Turkey

2010-12-31T10:35:00.000-08:00

We no longer use a microwave. I know... take a moment to breathe in the vast meaning of that statement.

It has actually been something I've thought about doing for a few years now but never had the guts to actually do it. I mean... how can you live without one. It's just crazy thoughts!

Well the last place we lived had a microwave built in, so we put our old microwave in storage. And it got damaged in storage. So what better time to give it a try than when you don't have one and have to go spend money to get another.

Honestly it hasn't been that much different. It takes about the same amount of time to microwave something as it does to heat it on the stove in most cases. And I've been using our small counter top oven like crazy. I can use that to heat up leftovers etc.

I haven't really noticed a difference until I tried to heat up a wrap today. Warm outside... cold inside. So with a little trial and error, I realized I needed to cover the dish to really trap the heat and get it to the inside without burning the outside. Things you don't tend to think about when you have a microwave because microwaves cook from the inside first.

Give it a try if you're feeling gutsy. I'm sure it's way better for you in the long run. Next stop.. a hand cranked coffee grinder... LOL no really... I want one!!

Our family Christmas letter

2010-12-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! We aren't doing Christmas cards this year so here is our family update and I'll post a family picture soon to go with it. It's a low key Christmas this year! I know it seems like I have abandoned this little blog and that is probably true, but I've had good reason. These past few months have been a roller coaster ride that has landed us in Charlotte, NC.

Yes. Chad is no longer with Peachmac. So what did we do after that? Pick ourselves up and move to the city we have been dreaming about living in since we were newlyweds. We have always felt a pull to this city. It just never seemed the right time or we didn't have the funds to just uproot and move.

So here we are and we are loving every minute of it. We live about a mile from Uptown in the most quaint neighborhood. I love our cozy house tucked in between beautiful old trees. And the best part is, we are not alone. Our long time friend Garren had a lot of work coming from Charlotte so they decided to uproot and move here too. A few houses down actually. What a blessing to have someone you can depend on and feel comfortable with right after landing in a new place. We couldn't have asked for better circumstances. We are all so excited about what this city has in store for us. I couldn't feel more at home here. There is this peace and comfort like seeing a friend you haven't seen in years and picking right back up where you started. "Hello Charlotte it's been a few years how are the wife and kids?" Then you crack an inside joke and giggle about "that one time." You know... and if you don't ... you should get one of those friends. They are great.

Anyway...Garren and I have been hitting up Meetup groups around town and getting to know lots of people in our field. It's awesome. We had coffee this morning with some great guys, one from Romania and one from Italy. I love learning about new cultures and sharing ideas. It's amazing. Getting to know different kinds of people expands who you are and enriches your understanding of life. I'm working on making contacts for copywriting work and have a few good leads. We are on the edge of everything new and exciting. Can't wait to find out what is going to happen next.

The boys are no exception. Corben just turned three yesterday and as a surprise, we moved him to the top bunk of his bed. Oh the joy and surprise in that little boys face. I just wish I could bottle it and sell it! Well I would probably keep it all to myself :). He is getting so big and his imagination is running wild. Devlin is walking all over the place and getting into everything. He is such an explorer and wants to be in the middle of it all! His joyous spirit is what gets me through some days! He just walks around laughing most days. He is such a great communicator. He will tell us yes and no to what he wants and hardly ever fusses about things. Corben had a really difficult time with being frustrated at this age. So I am happy to skip that phase!! They are great boys and I am so blessed to be their mommy. I feel privileged to watch them grow and see their bond as brothers strengthen. I know they will be great men someday.

So there it is. Sorry for not writing but now that we are settled in there is so much to share, you'll probably soon get tired of my posts. Merry Christmas Everyone!

Mom seeking other great Mom - loves her kids, loves her God, and maybe has a little granola/craftiness going on.

2010-08-04T18:31:00.001-07:00

"Aristotle said that "friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies." And while that would certainly be nice, a soul to go have a cup of coffee with would be good too. But sometimes, it seems like even a java buddy is hard to find when you're a mom"

Amen and amen. I found this post on momversation.com and had to watch the video. Of course the quote is what captured me right from the beginning. That quote from Aristotle is one of my absolute favorites. The man knew what he was talking about.

But why is it so hard to make mom friends? I'm going to be really transparent and awkward on this post because that's what it takes... it's like dating again. You are picking up a mom! "Hey you wanna hang out sometime?" "Love your diaper bag, wanna playdate?"

REALLY! It is the most awkward thing! I thought I was done with the whole dating thing but even then... thank God I wasn't the one doing the picking up because I sure would have been horrible at it!

When we moved here I joined the MOPS group and it was great! I loved the monthly meetings but I still never felt like I quite fit. We only met once a month and did one outing a month. I really wanted to find some "playdate or lets get some coffee" kind of moms. Don't get me wrong - I have two mom's that I hang out with here and there but I really want something deeper than that. So where would you find other mom's... other christian mom's that would be a Godly influence, someone you could pray with etc. At church right? Well, I don't really know any moms at church :(. But that's a whole other post and rant.

Seriously... I have wandered around Joanne's fabric store in hopes that I would bump into another crafty mom and we would live happily ever after... or sometimes I would settle for some sort of conversation from another adult woman. Yes I'm that creepy shopper that talks to much and tells you her life story.

It's just so flippin hard! Your schedules have to match up, your kids have to mesh, you hope your priorities and lifestyles match up, and then you think about "well... maybe she already has lots of mom friends... maybe she doesn't have time for another friend" and then you talk yourself out of it alltogether. Which I am sooo famous for! That right there is why I don't call people - "Well they are probably busy, it's probably too late, they are probably doing this or that, they are probably busy with the kids... so I'll just call later...." THEN IT NEVER HAPPENS!!!!! I never thought that being so OVER considerate would inhibit my life so much!!!

So there it is... my frustrations right now. Now go and shake off all the awkwardness. I'm sorry people, it's just where I am right now. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

So Adorable!

2010-08-02T21:21:00.000-07:00

This is the coolest and cutest thing I have ever seen! This mom sets up photo shoots during her babies nap. Why didn't I think of something so fabulously creative and deliciously cute? Ugh so adorable I could just pinch myself. Check out all of them here.

Me VS Processed Food... The Journey Continues

2010-08-02T12:01:00.001-07:00

This is the best explanation of raw milk that I have seen so far. The video is pretty long but very worth it!

It's an adjustment to consider drinking raw milk, especially because of all the propaganda that we are fed on a daily basis. We've actually been doing almond milk for a while and I really like it. It's great in coffee... gives it a creamy nutty flavor. I'd love to get raw milk but I'm pretty sure it's illegal in GA. So for now I will probably stick to almond milk...

Check it out! The differences between pasteurized milk and raw milk are amazing!!

Baby, I Like it Raw from Sickly Cat Network on Vimeo.

Stick it!

2010-07-18T16:33:00.000-07:00

A new stick shift that is...

We have finally gotten the Jetta back and it is now a stick shift. I looooove stick shifts. Don't get me wrong - when the very first car Chad and I bought together was a stick shift... I was not happy. I'm going to pay all this money for a car I can't even drive?? I hated it... but I warmed to it eventually.

And I'll tell you a little secret. I was better at driving it than Chad was... shhhh don't tell him I told you!

I love the amount of control you have with them and I think they are safer to drive. You have no choice than to pay attention to what you are doing while driving. The car won't work if you don't! You can't be lazy like an automatic you have to be aware of your car and the road at all times. When our boys grow up... their first car will be a stick shift... and a beater... everybody's first car has to be a beater! How else will you have great stories to tell your grandkids?

Okay.. .so my first car wasn't a beater... it was a 1998 Geo Prizm. Oh how I miss that gas mileage... I could fill it up for 10 bucks (when gas was 98 cents a gallon of course). It was a great little car and served me well my first few years of driving. Chad's first car was a 1979 Toyota Corolla!!! LOL and it's still running to this day supposedly. I think he bought it for a couple hundred bucks or something. Aaaahhh I can't wait to do the same kind of stuff with my kids.

I don't care if we could get them a new car. Do you really think an inexperienced 16 year old driver should be behind the wheel of a brand new car? Ummm... no. Do you know how many cars my brothers wrecked during their early driving years. YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW. Then again... my brothers were (ahem are) pretty crazy but that's another story.

Anyone else have a great first car story?

A Day of Sweet Victory!

2010-06-30T18:52:00.000-07:00

We had two great victories today!

Devlin "officially" crawled today! He's been moving backwards and doing lots of "downward facing dog" poses trying to get the idea down. Today was the day that he put the pieces together. You can see a little of it in the video above.

Just when I thought the day couldn't be any better. Corben goes #2 two on the potty for the first time!!! He goes "pee-pee" like a champ but he always seemed scared to go #2. He would ask to be put on the potty but then he acted like he was holding it in. Then of course he would go a little while later in his big boy pants.

We did the same song and dance this time but I tried to explain what to do again and then I bribed him! LOL I told him I would take him to the coffee shop and he could have anything he wanted... a sprinkle cookie, cupcake WHATEVER! I used lots of big fun words to describe the desserts like gigantic, humungous, huge (with the motions and voice inflection to go with them). Okay, I was getting tired of cleaning poo out of cloth underwear! I got desperate.

He kept getting on and off the potty. So I went on doing things around the house. Then I saw him dart for the bathroom. So I followed but stayed back just in case he needed "privacy" ?? I glanced in and saw him pushing and then a few seconds later I hear, "MOMMY!!!"
"Yes, sweetie"
"I GO POOOPEEE ON THE POTTY!"

Lots of joyful dancing came after that!!!!
I couldn't be more excited! And on the day that Devlin crawls! I was praying and hoping that I could be done with potty training before he crawled. I was thinking that going #2 was going to take a while for him to be okay with doing.
YAY!

Oh and in case you are wondering. Corben chose the "sprinkle cookie" so that is exactly what we went to get after dinner. :)

"Life isn't about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself."

2010-06-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

I guess I'm starting a trend of using a quote as a title. I just love them so much that I can't help myself.

This post is to let you know that I'm quitting my day job. That's right I'm not going to be a mom anymore. LOL. No. My other day job :).

That's not entirely true either... I guess the best way to describe it is that I am going to start shifting my focus away from graphic design.

I hate that everybody and their brother is a "designer." They have the programs so they are a designer, right?
It's like saying I have a stethoscope so I must be a doctor. Being a designer is a lot more than owning the expensive programs.

But besides that, I have struggled for years with everything going to the web. I hate doing coding/programming for web design. I've put off learning a lot of code for years. So what did I do? I outsourced. I work together with a friend of mine I design the look and feel of the site and he does the programing for me.

I like the setup but I don't like not having control over the entire project. Yes I know I can be a little bit of a control freak when it comes to design. Ok, Ok in general ... there I said it! It just puts me in an uncomfortable position with clients. So what to do? Everybody wants some sort of digital design nowadays...

Everybody also needs something else to go with that - COPY. Or text for an advertisement/project in layman's terms. I always enjoyed writing and I wish I would have thought to take some copywriting classes in college. I took english and creative writing etc. I guess I just didn't have the vision at that time. But oh well.

So that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to be a copywriter. Most copywriters work from home and the work doesn't take a lot of time and you can make decent money. Which is pretty much the setup I have now. Clients email me the specs and I go to work. With my background in business and design it should contribute a lot to this new venture.

I am considering taking a copywriting course although my mentor thinks I shouldn't worry about it. I've been giving clients copy and slogans for years for free! Which is true. I've always loved everything about Advertising. Especially coming up with slogans etc.

I'm not giving up design totally. I love it too much. I'll still do a little to keep my hand in it, but I want to really focus on this new venture.

So long story short... I'm doing a few pro bono projects to get my feet wet, buying some books to immerse myself in and stalking the really awesome copywriting blog called copyblogger.

I don't want to ever stop creating myself. Forget finding myself, I'm not lost - I know exactly where I'm going.

Your dream kitchen... only smaller.

2010-06-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

Childhood is just not complete without a play-kitchen, am I right?

I have been thinking about getting one for Corben ever since he had such a great time "making pizza" with his friend Ella at the Children's museum. As I was debating about which kind to buy I came across these amazing ones that people have created from nightstands or old cabinets!!! I am sooo in! So the search begins for an old nightstand via craigslist or a yard sale.

Pictured above is my favorite one so far from the ikea hacker blog. You can see the post about it here.

There is a whole flickr group dedicated to it too... check it out here.
They are amazing! aah to be a kid again... washing the dishes would not take nearly as long!!

"In the craziness, I see genius."

2010-06-01T18:06:00.000-07:00

I've talked about how much I admire Albert Einstein. His genius was unique. He saw the beauty in creativity and that makes me love him so much more. It wouldn't be right if I didn't mention my love of another genius.

He has a similar love of creativity and creative people. He loved them so much he wanted to make products just for them. That's right - Steve Jobs. The man that started it all. The title quote was Jobs talking about how creative people can be a little odd, different and even seem a little crazy sometimes but those are the people he loves. Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, huh? He loves me... he really loves me. :)

You have to admit he was a handsome guy back in the day right? What can I say, I have a thing for geniuses :) I guess that's a huge compliment to my hubby. Love ya!

Love the commencement speech he gave back in 2005. Funny seeing as he never graduated college.
Check it out below... It's 15 minutes but sooo worth it.

Terrific Two's

2010-05-10T12:53:00.000-07:00

Let's be real...sticking to your guns is not easy!! In fact it stinks.

Corben asked to go to McDonald's to play today so we went and got a snack - some yogurt for Corben and a dollar sweet tea for Mom. Then I got everyone settled in the play area. Corben was sitting in his chair happily eating his yogurt, baby in a high chair mouthing a spoon I gave him and me sipping my sweet tea.

Another mom was next to us with her two boys and the usual conversation came up.

"Wow, bless your heart how close in age are they??"

Me - "About 21 months apart."

"Well you look like you've got it down. How is it having them that close?"

Me - "Some days are better than others." :)

I was a proud mom at that moment. Look at my sweet boys being so good. Sigh.

Then Corben took his shoes off and got down to play so I moved to his side so I could get a better view of the slide where he was playing. Corben comes back over and tells me to sit in "your" seat and points to the seat that I was in first. I explain calmly that these are everyone's seats and mommy came to sit here so she could see him. Do you want to sit with mommy?" He then starts to push at me and scream that it is "HIS" seat. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. So I pick him up and put him in my lap and tell him that he needs to calm down or we are not going to be able to play anymore. He squirms out of my lap and throws a fit and of course by now the playplace has filled with other parents and their children. I scooped Corben up, got baby out of his high chair and took them to the bathroom.

Then we marched back to the playplace put Corben's shoes on, packed up our stuff and went back home. Our outing lasted a whole 30 minutes.

Being a mom is HARD. Being consistent is even HARDER! I told him we would leave if he acted out. So we had to leave even though he asked so sweetly to stay when we were in the bathroom. But I couldn't... I told him we were going to leave if he threw a fit. So that's what we did.

I really do understand why so many parents don't discipline and aren't consistent. It seems like it would be so much easier to just live and let live. I could have just moved and laughed it off "oh he's just type A like his daddy." I would have totally bypassed the whole situation (well sort of... it would continue to rear its head until its dealt with). But I would have been encouraging the selfish behavior that we have been working through. It's not about me. It's about them understanding actions have consequences. Honoring your parents, using self control, sharing etc etc. All those lessons that are tied up in those short thirty minutes of life.

I don't always handle situations the best but I do the best I can with what I know. I was having a hard time with discipline a while back and started reading some of the articles online from No Greater Joy Ministries. It really encouraged me. He encouraged parents to not be too hard on themselves and that there are not enough hours in a lifetime to devour all the knowledge that you need to be a parent. But you do have God and he has all the wisdom you need.

I can definitely see that I'm going to need a lot more grace and a lot more face time with God as they get older. This must be where praying without ceasing comes from! It gets easier right?

At least I didn't say to the lady. "Oh it's great, having two this close is sooo easy!"

Thanks for letting me vent a little.

Making fresh bread everyday.

2010-04-26T08:26:00.001-07:00

I know some of you read this title and got nervous and sweaty. Being a mom of two little ones I would normally be right there with you. Making fresh bread everyday sounds wonderful... for someone else that has lots of time and maybe for me when my kids are grown and I have nothing better to do than bake lots of stuff for the grandkids (Can't wait for those fun days too). But wait, this is something you can do! I promise!

And guess what.... you don't need a breadmachine and you don't have to knead anything! I'll give you a little background first before I give my secret away. Since moving to Macon a mommy group has formed out of people I have met through different circumstances and I have been so blessed by them in so many different ways I can't even describe. They were my saving grace especially when Chad was working non-stop. One of the ladies is a beautiful Italian girl with a grandmothers heart. She is always baking things and bringing them to the group. Everything she cooks is soooo good. One day she told us about this great book called "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." I was a little skeptical at first but she let me borrow the book and I gave it a try. I had thought many times about getting a bread machine because there is nothing like fresh bread and it is way more cost effective to make your own.

So I gave it a try. Now my first boule loaf was not pretty needless to say, but it was sooo yummy and after a few tries I was getting beautiful loaves and it was so easy. Since then every time I have guests I bake them fresh bread. It takes no time and I can use the dough for boule bread, pizza, stromboli, flat bread etc etc. It's wonderful dipped in spinach dip! When my girl friends came down to visit we put away a whole loaf with some spinach dip.... YUMMMMM!

There's a couple tricks that make it so easy but mainly it's because you mix it ahead of time and then store it in your fridge for up to two weeks. Everytime you need a fresh loaf, you just cut off a chunk, let it sit while you make dinner and then throw it in the oven. Beautiful bread everytime! You can find the recipe for the basic bread online HERE. Give it a try! If you like it, get the book - there are so many wonderful recipes you can make. You will impress your guests everytime!

Who needs a bread machine and who has time to knead??? NOT ME!!

The Beach

2010-04-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was my brothers wedding in Charleston so we decided to make a vacation of it. So we rented this house on Seabrook Island for Friday through Monday. We were originally going to rent a hotel but found that a house was about the same! We booked it a week before and didn't know much about where we were staying. We just wanted to be near the beach and that's all we needed to know.

It turned out to be a wonderful family area to stay. It is a private island so no fighting crowds for beach space and there was so much wildlife. It was just gorgeous. The island had horseback riding, biking, tennis, restaurants and a little "town" area with beach shops and a soda fountain in the drug store. We had a blast. While on the beach I captured a shot of someone riding a horse on the beach and a beautiful sailboat going by. Wow. I think next time we'll have to do the horseback riding thing!
Unfortunately it was really windy. So we only stayed on the beach for a few minutes. So the rest of the time we enjoyed biking the island with bikes that were provided for us, and just being lazy and enjoying our kids!

The town area had some wonderful restaurants and a grocery store so there was no need to leave the island for anything. It was sooo nice. We ate at a wonderful authentic Italian place (I know we are at the beach and we should eat seafood, but I'm just not a big seafood person). But I LOVE italian food. Their pizza was out of this world.

The rest of the days we just ate simple meals in the kitchen and then had a big brunch for John's wedding. Which was gorgeous. They got married at a gazebo right on the pier in Charleston. I wore my BIG hat and felt like a real southern lady :).

To be honest I didn't know how a vacation would be with two small children but after a little bit of adjustment the first day, it was great. So our first family vacation was a success... now I'm ready for the next one!!!

You'll never look at your food the same way again!

2010-02-10T18:42:00.001-08:00

I have been soo into documentaries lately. It has helped that we now have Netflix. Maybe I'm the only one, but if I am going to rent a movie... I want to be entertained and I just don't think of documentaries as entertaining... they are more educational. If I want educational, I'll read a book.

But if you can rent a movie any time you want and have instant movies available - you are more willing to watch a documentary. That's just me anyway. So back to my real point. A few weeks ago I got the chance to watch Food, inc. and was totally blown away.

Not only was the documentary well done - it will totally change the way you view your food. I always thought of myself as pretty food conscious. I read labels like a crazy woman. Making sure there is no MSG, high fructose corn syrup etc. etc. I try to make my meals from scratch if I can help it. But after watching this I felt the conviction to take it to the next level and get more aggressive about eating organic.

I have to admit that cost has deterred me for a while. I've bought organic here and there but didn't think it was that big of a deal right? So what if there is a little pesticide residue on my veggies. It will wash off right? I challenge you to look up some of the fruits and veggies you eat on a regular basis on sites like what's on my food. Yeah, it's crazy. But back to the cost... in a previous post I talked about my new coupon fetish. Well, there is a coupon site for organic coupons too. If you are interested check out this coupon blog. A lot of the organic companies have coupons you can print off their site every month. So it's not as bad as I thought.

So go watch this documentary! If you want to be savvy and well-informed, you won't be sorry.

No more diapers

2010-02-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

It's potty training time! If you need an excuse as to why I haven't blogged in a while.. there it is!!!

About a month ago...all of a sudden Corben started coming to me and demanding to be changed if his diaper was the least bit wet. So... I decided to start.

Am I using any certain method, No. Not that I know of any way. I've try to make it work for us and be age appropriate for Corben too.

I'm not sure I buy into all the "readiness checklist" stuff. If they don't like their diapers being messy anymore... I think it's time. Now, Corben just turned two so connecting the ideas of going to the bathroom are a little more difficult than with a child that is closer to three but I still think he's ready. The more we try, the more he is getting it.

I have to admit my heart did break a little when I put some big boy underwear on him for the first time. This is a big deal... my baby is not going to need me nearly as much very soon.

So I've tried pull-ups, bare-bottom and underwear. After trying out all of them I think it makes sense to have him in underwear so he can get used to wearing them. The pull-ups are nice if we are going out on an errand. They won't cause a mess but if we need to go potty they are easy to pull down. I do not like them for everyday use because Corben doesn't get "messy" if he has an accident hence there is no incentive to go on the potty. Corben hates to be messy by the way... I wonder who he gets that from???

So at first there were some tears and not wanting to sit on the potty but I stayed consistent and decided to add a timer to give him something to focus on. So we "try" for three minutes. Sometimes I will go longer if it is obvious he needs to go. So we are making small advances. Just today he came to me twice and said potty instead of "stinkies or wet diaper." I'm taking every small progression as a victory and trying to remember he's still young... it may take him a little while but he'll get it soon enough.

Sometimes I feel ridiculous when I talk him through going to the potty and I feel like all I do is ask him if he needs to go. I've tried several different ways of explaining it to try to get him to want to go potty. Explaining that it's messy to go in your pants but you'll be dry if you go on the potty. I even have a little potty cheer which I won't share here. :) I even tried to appeal to his sweet side... "Your pee-pee wants to be put in the potty but it needs help. Can you help your pee-pee go in the potty?" Oh the joys of potty training.

As far as incentives - we are doing the potty chart with stickers which Corben likes to do and I'll give him a chocolate chip if he actually goes in the potty. I still go back and forth about the chocolate chip idea. Will I be giving him a chocolate chip every time he goes after he's trained? When does it stop??

I ordered the "No diapers for ducky" book which I think will help the potty seem less intimidating and speak to him more on his level. Not to mention he loves books. I didn't go for any of the anatomically correct books with the step by step guide to going to the potty... I just don't think he can think of it cognitively like that yet. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe I'll change my mind and get one. Who knows. Right now I think he benefits more to relating to how things feel and sound. I talk to him about what it sounds like when he goes potty and try to help him connect that with pushing it out. It seems to be working. So this is what I've been working on lately.

Say a prayer for me! I know this will be behind us before we know it but for now it's a lot of work!

Couponing

2010-01-05T11:35:00.000-08:00

On the subject of savvy. I don't think I have ever posted about my couponing fetish. This started probably about 4 or 5 months ago. As if I couldn't get any stranger or more of a "mom." I am totally addicted to couponing. Who can blame you when you can get free stuff??

I usually save at least 50% if not more on my grocery bill and end up with a few free items every week. Some examples of free stuff I've gotten: cream cheese, tissues, eye make-up, hot cocoa... etc etc. And I never pay more than 5.50 - 6.50 for huggies/pampers. It pays to do this! It just takes a little bit of time but for the most part these sites walk you through it and match up the coupons to the sales for you. My favorite is www.southernsavers.com. And in the past few months I have been doing all my shopping at Publix when I used to be an avid Kroger shopper. If you use publix coupons and stack them with manufacturer coupons. You can save a lot!! And they take competitor coupons too! Is there such a thing as a mom geek? Because I think I am falling into that category. Oh well, if it helps me be able to stay home with my kids and be a good steward of our money then so be it! These sites even helped me get great deals on customized Christmas gifts. I only had to pay shipping on photo mugs, collage photos/posters, desk calendar etc.

Here are some of the sites I use:
www.southernsavers.com
www.iheartpublix.com
www.dealseekingmom.com
www.moneysavingmom.com

Give it a try!

I survived!

2010-01-05T11:22:00.000-08:00

I know my posts have been so few and far between lately. But now that I am getting a little break throughout the week. I hope to have more time for it.

Chad has started to have days off. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! I was spoiled last week. He had two days off and got off early for New Year Eve and New Years Day. I didn't know what to do with myself! Taking care of two kids alone is no easy task. But we made it! I didn't know if I would be able to handle it but with the help of a few key people I could vent to. I survived and my kids did too :)

Corben is just blossoming lately and he seems to be getting less and less frustrated and fussy. Which I am very excited about. Devlin is a sweet butterball. More than once Chad has asked me if we should put him on a diet. No! It'll all come off when he starts moving around. But for now I just love those cute chubby rolls! He is so happy and it's just magical to see him laugh at something Corben is doing and Corben getting so excited that he can make his baby brother happy. Those moments are what make the rough times totally worth it.

On the subject of rough... Corben was sick this past Saturday. After napping in my arms he woke up and vomited all over himself and me. LOVELY! So I quickly gathered all the yucky clothes and got Corben in a bath. While everything was in the wash I realized I hadn't put his blanket in with everything. So I put it in and washed it all again. A few minutes later I realize.... my phone was in my jeans... I washed my phone.... twice.

We still have Chad's old phone so I'm going to see if I can get that one reactivated. Well I have a great "mom" story under my belt!

Merry, Merry Christmas

2009-12-19T17:19:00.000-08:00

Ahhh... Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby are singing my favorite Christmas carols, the tree is glowing, and there is snow on the ground... (ahem, not here... but up north). It's Christmas! I love Christmas. Everything about it just puts you in a good mood. Christmas has been different for me this year. Good different.

I want to preface this post a little... I debated on writing my thoughts and feelings down because it might seem like I'm "trying" to be a good Christian by saying some of these things. I know a lot of this stuff is said all the time with no real conviction behind it but I started this blog to be honest with myself and transparent to my friends so with that said... I'll continue.

For the past month Chad has been asking about my Christmas list. What do I want for Christmas? It has to be something fun and not a practical thing. Okay... I can do this. So I tried to come up with something. I kept trying and kept trying. Maybe I haven't been window shopping enough lately?? I didn't have the slightest clue as to what I wanted for Christmas. I kept racking my brain for weeks. I came up with a pathetic little list. Nothing special... just stuff. I found myself thinking about it again this past Thursday. What do I want? What do I want? I was listening to a local Christian radio while running some errands and they started talking about a baby in the hospital that needs a heart.

As they talked about needing a miracle, I started to think about my boys. Both beautiful, healthy, happy kids. Uneventful pregnancies, wonderful births, and no issues. These overwhelming feelings of thankfulness came over me. My mind ran through all of the memories in the past few years and how lucky we are to have the things that we have. God gave me a present that day. My heart and head wrapped around the fact that we are so blessed.

I realized that I was content and I was treating that as a bad thing. I was trying to force myself to want something. I really didn't want anything. I was content. I think in today's society, that is a miracle in itself!!!!

So this Christmas I want to give. That's what I want.

Finding another pediatrician

2009-12-05T18:07:00.000-08:00

I was dreading this part of moving. We had finally found a pediatrician we absolutely loved in North Augusta and then I was going to have to start all over again. I had a lot of thought and prayer behind my first interview with a doctor here.

I asked some of the ladies at MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) for some suggestions and the one with the most recommendations was Dr. Slade. So I did some research and read his bio on the practice's website. He's a christian and actually went to MCG. Okay, I'm interested. The practice even has after hours care where the doctor's rotate during the evenings. How nice. Because your kid never gets sick when it's convenient - hence Thanksgiving this year. Corben got sick a few days before Thanksgiving and then by Thanksgiving day - I had a sore throat, Chad had flu symptoms and the baby had a cough. LOVELY! Luckily my stuff was just minor so I could take care of everybody else. It wasn't exactly the Thanksgiving we imagined but we still had a lot to be thankful for.

Back to the pediatrician - I set up an interview with him this past Thursday. I was nervous. I consider myself a pretty weird mom. Back home I didn't feel so weird because I had other mom friends that had similar philosophies. But I know we aren't the norm so it makes me feel like a little bit of a freak but oh well. If being a vaccine skeptic, natural remedy peddler, breastfeeding, baby-wearing, cloth diapering, anal about how much processed food my kid has, pro-organic, anti-daycare, mom makes me a freak... I think I'm okay with that. I think. A lot of it has to do with loving my kids and then the other half is my need to be an over-achiever. If I'm going to do something I'm not going to do it half way - especially if it comes to my kids. I do give myself a break though... I don't start twitching when thinking about giving Corben Chicken nuggets from a fast food place. LOL! I've toned down a lot, I promise!

Anyway back to the pediatrician... again! I mainly just wanted to get a feel for him as a person and his medical philosophy. I want someone that is practical, laid back, respects my role as the parent, is an educator as well as a doctor, doesn't over-medicate or "medicate the parents," and won't treat me like I have three heads if I want to go about things in a different way. I want an environment that encourages open conversation. We started off with the general conversation about moving to Macon and then he asked if I had any questions. I shared with him about our previous doctor and the not-so-great experience we had with our first. And basically wanted to know his experience and medical philosophy on alternate vaccine schedules, breastfed babies, natural remedies etc etc. His responses were very positive. Of course he is totally behind vaccines but wasn't condescending about it at all. He gave his son all the vaccines on the normal schedule, etc. But he followed that with, in the end the parent has to be comfortable with the decisions. Bingo! That's where I am right now in my decision about vaccinating. I don't feel comfortable doing the normal schedule. Something deep down just doesn't feel right, so I can't do it. If something happened and I went against my gut instinct I could never forgive myself. He was very nice and laid back and even cracked a few jokes. And he kept talking about how cute Devlin was. It's always a plus when a pediatrician loves kids :). He said that this was not a practice that medicated the parent and that there are a lot of things that will go away on their own without antibiotics etc. He talked a lot about working as a team and that in the end the parents are with the kids all the time so they will have to make the final decision on what is best.

So my conclusion... I like him. That's exactly what I want in a pediatrician. Someone working along side of me to make sure my kid is as healthy as possible. I'm so glad I didn't have to do multiple interviews. God's looking out for me, once again!

aahh Baby it's cold outside!

2009-12-05T17:54:00.001-08:00

I love Christmas and all the cold weather that comes with it. Some snow would be nice too but living in the south, you never know if you'll see it. I remember when we lived up in PA. My brother and I went nuts when there was only two inches of snow on the ground. We were making snowmen and having snowball fights. Everybody thought we were crazy but two inches was a lot to us!

I can't believe it's December already! I feel like I have accomplished a lot lately. I've been working a good bit, which is nice to make some extra money for Christmas and all the birthdays we have in December. It's Chad's birthday, then Corben's, and then Chad's mom's is Christmas Day. Could December get any busier?

I have to admit there are still boxes lurking around. With the holiday's coming up and all the family that is planning to come and visit, I have a renewed drive to get the house looking nice. It's just hard to get motivated when you are in an apartment. I keep telling myself it will only be for a little while longer. We have started to look at houses in the area. Just leisurely. We probably won't do anything until close to our lease being up but it's good to go ahead and start looking. I can't wait to know I'm going to be in one spot for a while!

I miss everybody in Augusta very much and am hoping that maybe we could come for a few days around Christmas. I'd love to be able to catch up with people if I can!

I'm in love!

2009-09-22T18:39:00.001-07:00

I talked Chad into letting me order a Milkies Milk Saver! It came in the mail yesterday and I could not wait to use it. My friend Sara sent me the link to their site months ago and I could not get over how ingenious it is.

It collects your milk while you nurse on the other side. So no more wasted milk! It so disappointing to fill up disposable nursing pads when you could be storing that precious liquid!!

I am just so impressed with how easy it is. Who has time to plug yourself up to a pump? I've gotten about an ounce to 2 ounces when I use it. So I could get about a bottle a day potentially. And it's virtually no effort! If you want to know more about it, check out their site - www.mymilkies.com.

Had to share! When I have more time (haha!) I'll get my birth story up. But until then, it will probably just be short random thoughts and rants from all the craziness of moving etc.

HELLO BABY

2009-09-07T09:34:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted. Most of you know that baby Devlin arrived the afternoon after my last post. Woo hoo! I was so excited to be going into labor! Labor was about 4 hours and I was very happy with my experience with the midwife. I was up laughing and talking not long after labor. The combination of hormones and all that weight gone probably had me doing more before my body was really ready.

The transition has been very smooth. It's like he came out a 2 month old! He latched on perfectly from the start and he has good head control to somewhat be able to do it himself. He is eating like a champ and we don't have any issues with jaundice. He's been such a great baby so far. He loves to sleep and eat and that's about it! God has really answered my prayers. I was concerned about how I could handle the transition with the impending move in a few weeks. Corben loves him already and wants to see everything I'm doing that involves the baby. I didn't sleep for the first few days but I think I've given up on that from now on-- if we have more kids. The adrenaline from natural birth is so strong, I can't sleep the first night.

He's still a little off on his days/nights but it's starting to work itself out and I'm getting 2 to 3 hours stints of sleep at a time. Well I'm going to take advantage of nap time and rest a little before it's time to feed baby again. I'm sure I'll post the official "birth story" soon.

Where are you baby?

2009-08-31T18:15:00.000-07:00

So I am one day past my estimated due date. This baby feels sooo heavy. I feel like I'm rolling over with a watermelon on my stomach at night.

I have had a lot more pain, so much so that I find it hard to walk if the baby is in a certain position. It's like someone stabbing me with a knife and twisting it at random times. Sounds lovely huh?

I have another appt tomorrow. I was really hoping I wouldn't be going. We've done everything except caster oil and cohosh to induce labor.

I'm munching on fresh pineapple as I type. Yum. I bought some primrose oil caplets. Chad's rubbed the pressure points to induce labor. Sex, even though it is not real appealing at this point in pregnancy. I've taken a relaxing bath. Walked, walked and walked!!!

Maybe if I jump backwards under a full moon? Any suggestions?

If I don't go into labor tonight. I'm having her strip my membranes tomorrow. Let's get this show on the road!

Preggo update 3,452... just kidding.

2009-08-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Another appt. today. At this rate I'll be going everyday soon, at least it seems like.

I finally have some hard data, more for Chad's sake than anything else. He freaked out when he found out that the midwife doesn't really check me until closer to the birth. He needs numbers, hard evidence. Which most of us that have had children know that dilation doesn't really mean a thing. But I guess it's nice to know my body is somewhat preparing.

So I'm 2-3 cm dilated and she wants to see me again on Monday. So I don't know if she has a hunch that I'm going to go soon or what. Today would be awesome. Chad is off today and tomorrow morning. That would be soo convenient but who knows. Baby will come when he's ready.

That's all I have for you for now! Keep us in your prayers!

Preggo update week 38

2009-08-18T14:52:00.000-07:00

I ended up having my drs appt today rather than Monday which has totally thrown me off. My midwife actually wasn't able to be there this morning but they were still able to do my ultrasound.

The tech checked everything and was super nice she even printed out some 3D pics for me and just told me not to show anyone. She was so excited to try and catch his little face and I wasn't opposed to it :) We actually got to see him open and close his little mouth it was so great. I think the ultrasound tech was just as excited as we were! It's so nice to find people that are passionate about what they do. I just love that. Everyone should love their job that much. She said she has been doing this for thirty years now and she still gets excited when she gets to see things like that. How cool is that?

Anyway - back to the info I was waiting for. The baby is weighing in at about 7lbs 9 oz which is what Corben weighed when he was born and we are pretty close to about the same time that Corben was born. So the weight is definitely in the normal range. She said I had upper average fluid (about 18.5). The average is between 5 - 20. So I'm still average and she said it's much better to have more than little. So that could be one of the reasons I was measuring big and she also said that the other tech tends to measure large sometimes. I didn't think about differences from one tech to another. So my mind is at ease. I don't think I'll be birthing a 12 pound baby :) YAY!

Everything is looking great and I went ahead and scheduled my next appt to see Amanda for Friday because Chad is off that day for sure and it's close enough to my usual Monday appts. So I have no info to give on dilation but it not going to tell me anything magical anyway!

My energy levels have been really crazy lately. They go between the two extremes of exhaustion and lots of energy. The other night I couldn't even sleep because I wanted to get up and clean the house! I ended up getting back up and doing little things around the house until 2 in the morning. Even after that I couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep well.

I'm looking forward to labor that is for sure! That's all for now! Maybe the next post will be "Hey we're in labor!" ::crossing fingers:: :)

Oh yeah. Makin a baby is hard work.

2009-08-15T18:43:00.000-07:00

I can't help but share this.

I'm so getting this. I've always loved these vintage woman posters but have never seen one like this! I don't really want to pay 35 bucks for the shirt so I may just get the pin. But it's so me... I love it!

This is from Muthacrafter (a seller on etsy). Brilliant.. just brilliant.

Preggo update week 37

2009-08-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my midwife appointment.

Everything looks great. Blood pressure, weight etc.
I am measuring 40 cm at 37 weeks though! I'm just hoping that the baby was in a weird position or something instead of being really big or having a complication. She scheduled another ultrasound for next week to make sure everything was still okay. I'm trying not to worry about it. Maybe it just means that the due date is off and I should be having the baby soon (crossing my fingers).

She didn't check me. She said that she usually doesn't until 38 - 39 weeks unless I just want her too. So I decided to just wait. It doesn't really mean anything anyway. I could be dilated the same for 3 weeks before I go into labor. So we'll just wait and see.

I've had about 3 or 4 contractions today. So my body is getting ready.

I'm doing my 2 cups of raspberry tea a day and trying to make sure I keep walking (even though I feel huge) to keep my stamina up and to help the baby get into position.

I just finished my new nursing cover and I love it. I tried a different pattern this time and added a little terry cloth pocket to the underside. I think I'm going to make some cloth teething rings now. It looks so easy I just have to try it. Here's the tutorial if you want to take a look.

Keep us in your prayers as we await the delivery of a healthy baby boy!

Are we there yet?

2009-08-08T16:55:00.000-07:00

Ok. I feel gigantic! I know I've got to be bigger than I was with Corben at week 37. The baby is definitely dropped and I've been having braxton hicks now and then. I have lots of pressure and it seems like the baby is pushing against my cervix.

I'm so ready to have this baby! I really don't want to go much longer. I can't imagine how big I am going to be if I do! Ahhh!

I have my next appt. Monday and I am anxious to see if I am dilated any. I feel like my body is getting ready but you can never know for sure.

It's so frustrating. Especially because I really didn't have much happen before my water broke with Corben. And now I'm actually experiencing braxton hicks for the first time this time. Sometimes they are somewhat painful too. It's getting me even more anxious. I think I would just rather have my water break and everything just happen all of a sudden. Than have all these little warning signs. Just come already! My midwife is back in town. Chad is a few weeks from starting a new job. This week or next would be perfect! Please? Can you hear me in there?

Celebrating Devlin

2009-07-31T19:26:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my baby shower and I can't say enough. It was just perfect! Down to every little detail. I felt like all my favorite things and favorite people were all put together in one place.

The theme was a combination of things - Quotes, chocolate, and coffee with blue and brown as the colors. All some of my most favorite things!

They had beautiful quotes about babies placed around for decorations, a chocolate fountain, cheerwine, and coffee among other delicious treats of fruit, chocolate covered pretzels, cookies, brownies etc.

I think I'm going to have to lay off the sugar and caffeine for the rest of the day because baby had plenty of that today already!

Sometimes I feel like people don't really know me... like really, really. You know what I mean? It's partly my fault because it takes me a while to open up to people. But today I felt fully known and fully loved. For someone to take that much care and time to throw a party for me, just means the world to me.

And to have so many people come to celebrate our new little one and just spend time enjoying each others company. Was so so nice. I can't say much more about it than it was perfect. Just perfect.

Dr. Appt update

2009-07-29T10:23:00.000-07:00

It's been so crazy around here. I have at least 5 posts I need to do!

Had another Dr. appointment Monday. Everything is going well. They did another ultrasound and he's supposedly already 6 lbs 14 oz! He doesn't need to get much bigger! The Tech even switched over to the 4-D to try to get a look at the face. I was so excited! But of course my little stinker didn't want to move his hand! So all I got to see was the eyes and nose. But it was beautiful!

I'm really excited to see him soon. My baby shower is this weekend and I am so excited to have some time to relax and enjoy my friend's company!

It seems like all my days are running together already! More Dr.'s appointments, trying to make playdates before the baby comes, organizing everything Corben and I will need once I go in the hospital, and getting the house in order. The list just keeps going! I feel like it's taking forever to get here but yet coming so fast at the same time!

Who said weddings have to be boring?

2009-07-23T17:05:00.000-07:00

Okay if we ever renew our vows this has given me a great idea for how we should do it. This is hilarious!

I think we should do this to "Now that we've found love" by Heavy D & the Boyz. If you've ever watched the movie "HITCH" (which you should - Will Smith's superior acting, a love story, and plenty of funny moments, what's not to love?) They dance to this song at the end and it's hilarious. LOL I'm excited already.

Hey Sara want to do some choreography?

Preggo update week 35

2009-07-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Back by popular demand. My preggo update...

I'm 34 weeks and am into my 35th week. I'm SOOOO uncomfortable!!!!! Okay now that I got that out.

I'm having lots of pelvic and back pain, some acid reflux, and some trouble sleeping well. But no swelling this pregnancy! I do have that to be thankful for. I guess it makes a difference when you aren't spending 8 hours a day in an office chair.

Some days are better than others, especially in regards to energy. We are definitely gearing up for the baby to come. We had a refresher childbirth class. Even though we gave birth only 19 months ago it was still a good thing. I was so excited when I found out that the teacher was actually my lactation consultant from when Corben was born. I loved her! She even answered some of my breastfeeding questions months later and was such a great help. I would love it if she happened to be my labor and deliver nurse! She does a lot now that I think about it. She's a nurse, lactation consultant, and she teaches classes. Her card has so many initials behind it that it goes to the next line. I have no idea what most of them are but it makes me feel like she must be a very capable nurse! She was very encouraging and told me that most moms find it to be much easier to breastfeed the second time because they are not so stressed and tense about it. That made me feel good. When I told her who my Dr. was she also seemed excited about that and told me that I'm in good hands. That made me feel good too since I am using a midwife for the first time.

We really enjoyed the class and I think it helped Chad wrap his brain around the idea that the baby is going to be here soon. We have been dealing with so much lately I think it's sneaking up on both of us. However, those round ligament pains do remind me all too often now! I can definitely feel the baby lower in my pelvis and sitting on anything other than my exercise ball is pretty uncomfortable at times.

I have another Dr. appointment and ultrasound on this coming Monday to make sure everything is going well. I think I go every week after that.

Now we just have to get the house ready and I think we are going to try to make a day trip to the beach before it gets too close. There just aren't enough days in the week to get everything done!

A Day Sent From Up Above

2009-07-09T11:36:00.000-07:00

Wow, I didn't know I had that cheesy title in me.

It's what this day has done to me. I think I have a new best friend. I happened to come in contact with the coordinator of the Tuscany spa school of message about six months ago. She's such a fun, sweet person. We haven't gotten to really hang out much because we are both so busy. But the few interactions I've had with her have really made a mark. Anyway. She coordinates the school stuff and it just so happens that they are doing their prenatal message section and they needed some pregnant bodies to facilitate some practice.

Well, you know I am all about furthering someone's education and was happy to donate my body to science and lots of rubbing. Nicole you are awesome!

It was sooo nice! It was free, 90 minutes long (90 minutes!), and ssssssssssoooooo wonderful for a pregnant body. The girls were really sweet and made sure I was comfortable the whole time and made sure I was okay with every part of the message.

Then to top it all off. I came home to relieve my parents from looking after Corben for me and they had cleaned the house. Wow... I was totally pampered today. God you are looking out for me. I am sooo blessed.

Especially after dealing with all the car switching drama the past week. This was a much needed mental and physical break.

Sigh...........

Minivan MOM

2009-07-08T11:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's right. I'm officially a minivan mom. We sold our car and bought a minivan today. I think I'm actually the first in my family to give in, besides my parents. My oldest brother has three kids all in car seats and they still bought a Yukon because he couldn't bear the thought of owning a minivan. The Morlan pride runs deep my friends. I fought it as long as I could but I couldn't negate the logic and practicality of it any longer.

It's definitely comfortable and roomy. And not nearly as hot as the black car we had (uggh, it took forever to cool down that car). The previous owners liked to name their cars, so it is "Dan the Van." I think we should get some spinner hubcaps and some racing stripes for it. Hey, it is the sports model :)

It took me a little while to get used to the idea and surprisingly Chad didn't care in the slightest. He was happy to get a van. Go figure... like I said, the Morlan pride runs deep.

So I'm embracing the Minivan Mom idea :) It's only for a time. I'll have my little sports mini cooper one day, but for now... I'll be driving my van and paddle-shifting my little sports car in my head.

Preggo update week 32

2009-06-28T17:16:00.000-07:00

It's probably about time for another preggo update!
I have my next appointment tomorrow morning and am already in my 32nd week! Can you believe it? I think I start going every two weeks now.

I'm getting pretty big and baby Devlend loves to move around. He's going to be a feisty one or maybe just a kick-boxer. He'll move my whole body sometimes.. it's crazy. Corben was a little more subtle in his movements and stretches. Everything is going well, I'm just ready for this summer heat to pass! At least I'm not swelling yet. Thank God for that!

We're starting to think seriously about the birth, who's going to watch Corben, and the fact that we probably need to be prepared for a fast delivery. Baby will be here before we know it!

Finally a Belly Shot!

2009-06-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

I finally remembered~!

FREE CHOCOLATE

2009-06-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

Ah free chocolate...

I had to share this great find. Every Friday thru September... THRU SEPTEMBER! You can go to this site and get a coupon for free chocolate from Mars company.

There is a limit of 250,000 coupons per Friday so go right at 9 am.

I know all you pregnant ladies out there are drooling already. Get your chocolate on... for free!

Real Chocolate Relief Act

A little bit of nostalgia makes everything better

2009-06-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

We went to see Chad's parents again this past week and will probably be the last time before the new baby comes. We are happy that they now live closer and we are able to see them more and Corben is getting to know his other set of grandparents.

However it is always a very hard trip for me. Chad's parents are much older and have had a lot of health problems, so they aren't really able to help much with Corben. I freak out a little inside when his mom picks him up. She's really not supposed to lift that much weight. So because of this usually Chad ends up trying to help his mom & dad with projects that they are not able to do. Then Corben is in a new place with lots of new stuff to teach him not to touch etc. Then add on the fact that I am pregnant and already tired :). I'm sure you get the idea...

This trip was actually better than past ones. I tried to take Corben outside to run around any time he seemed to get restless. I think the change of scenery on a constant basis helped a lot. And for some reason... my third trimester feels like it should be my second. I've gotten my energy back. I've been exhausted throughout the first and second trimester. The second was slightly better than the first but once I hit the third ... I was back again!

I just thought I didn't get my energy back during the second trimester because I had a toddler but I think this pregnancy is just different. I can't wait to see what kind of individual Devlend is going to be... because he sure has been very different from Corben so far :)

So on the way home we stopped for some gas at the only gas station for a good long time outside of Anderson, SC. And of course it is also a bait/tackle/hunting shop also :) The bathrooms were even marked "Doe's" and "Buck's". Yeah not kidding. Anyway, I walked by the coolers and I noticed that they had glass bottle sodas!

You hardly ever see those anymore and they had Cheerwine in a glass bottle. If you've grown up in this area you probably know what Cheerwine is but if not... It's not wine... it's a soda that is cherry flavored. It's soo good. And to top it off, it's made with real cane sugar, no high fructose corn syrup. What's not to love? Every time we would stop at a gas station growing up, my dad would get me a 33 cent Cheerwine. Maybe it tastes so good to me because it reminds me of my childhood.

So of course I couldn't pass it up. It was a little bit of heaven. That was my Job 8:21 for the day... a cool crisp bottle of cheer :) A little bit of nostalgia makes everything better.

Spilling the beans. Are you ready?

2009-06-08T19:21:00.001-07:00

All right, I'm going to share our name pick...

I've had plenty of time since all the baby naming drama, so I'm ready to spill the beans.

Here it is ... drum roll please...

Devland (or Devlend) Cruz Gammon

I like Devlen better but Chad is insisting on having the "d" on the end. So I'm warming to it. It means "fierce courage" and is very Irish, which is one of the reasons why I love it. We really like it and feel like it is sophisticated and different but not crazy different.

It fits us :)

Dirty Hippie Is BACK!

2009-06-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

I hung out with a long time friend today and it got my wheels turning about a lot of different subjects. I've been having some writer's block lately but I got some fuel to my fire today and am going to jump into some really interesting conversations.

The first one I love, because it validates my skepticism and who doesn't like to be validated? :) As I've talked about many times before... the more I learn, the more skeptical I am about my food, what I put in and on my body etc.

Which brings me to my next point... Jet fuel in my baby's formula. Don't know if any of you have heard about this but, to be honest, it didn't surprise me a ton. Here is the link to an article about it http://www.yourlawyer.com/articles/read/16363 and you might have seen it on the news etc.

The rocket fuel component, perchlorate, has been found in baby formulas. The EPA knew it was there but didn't think it was at a level high enough that would harm infants. Well guess what? They forgot to think about the fact that formula... gets mixed with water which has also been found to have percholorate in it. So the combination can make it to toxic levels. OOPS! Oops and my infant aren't two words I want in the same sentence.

I have been repeatedly shown that natural, in most every area of life, is the way to go... You can't rely on other people to make sure that what you eat and use is of good quality and safe. It's been proven time and time again that the FDA isn't really doing much for us. It's time for society to be more RESPONSIBLE. I know that is a dirty word and most everyone just wants to do what's easy and convenient for them so that they don't have to use their brains. But we are reaping the consequences because of that line of thinking ... or not thinking :).

So call me a dirty hippie if you want... but it's not looking quite so dirty anymore.

Have you made someone's day lately?

2009-05-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

It's amazing how someone can bless you so much within just a few short minutes of knowing them. Corben and I stopped by a yard sale on our way home this morning and while I was sorting through clothes Corben made friends with the woman having the yard sale's little boy. He was a little older than Corben but so sweet and couldn't wait to show Corben how things worked and what to play with next. I talked with the mom while sorting through clothes and she commented on how beautiful Corben is. What mom doesn't love that? Her daughter even held him in her lap and played with him a few minutes. He was having so much fun. I hated to have to leave.

I noticed on the way in that there was a box of A Beka curriculum for kindergarten that didn't have a price on it. So I asked her about it and she took me over and told me about it and asked if I wanted to homeschool and my response is that I want too :). Same response I gave to breastfeeding and having natural childbirth... I want to. I've never experienced it or tried it... but I want to. She told me I could have it! Really? I thanked her many times over and payed her for the baby clothes I picked up. Then I had to sadly pick Corben up and take him to the car. He was so heartbroken and cried the whole way to the car. He was enjoying himself so much and they were such a sweet family. It was only a few minutes of interaction but it made my day. I was blessed.

I did feel bad for Corben though. It just reiterates the fact that Corben does not get enough socialization. He loves being around other kids. He'll mostly just watch them, but he loves it. I feel so awful every time I think about it. It's hard for me to really play with him these days, now that I am getting bigger. Keeping a boy occupied requires a lot of roughhousing, flips and chasing :). And I just don't have it in me much. Poor guy. So later today I took him to a park with a special toddler playground to make it up to him. And of course I over did it. My back hurts from putting Corben on top of the slide over and over and I am exhausted... but Corben had a good time and got to watch other kids run and play and even go up and stare at a few toddler aged friends :). And I got to see some other moms too.

It was a good day... I'm going to go lie down now! :)

I may be messy but I'm not lazy

2009-05-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

I love this mug over at perpetualkid.com

And my husband can vouch for all the type A people - what is says is totally true.

Drama & Smiles

2009-05-19T16:30:00.000-07:00

Just when I think things are going smoothly somebody goes and acts like an idiot. Why? Why can't things just flow smoothly? Wouldn't that be interesting if God gave us some "no idiot" dust that we could sprinkle on people when they need a good turn around? Okay I know we couldn't do that all the time... but maybe just a few sprinkles that we could use at strategic times in our lifetime. Unfortunately we can't live peoples lives for them... even when we really, really, really want too.

One can dream I guess...

Life will never be perfect or stress free so we just have to focus on those little things that make us smile. That's why I love the verse Job 8:21 - God promises that he will give us something to smile about everyday. What an awesome promise. Some days I see those loud and clear and some days I feel like I need to remind God "Okay God you said you will give me something to smile about, I really need that right now." It never fails...

My something to smile about today was playing on the floor with Corben and he decided he wanted to lay beside mommy and rest too. He kicked his little feet in front of me and looked up at the TV. I couldn't help but smile at those little toes and feet... that used to be so tiny and now are growing strong and keeping mommy chasing after them everyday. I'm so blessed to be a mom... who couldn't smile at that?

Okay now I'm ready to have this baby!

2009-05-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Woohoo!

We have a name! It's a miracle!

I think we have finally figured out our process. So if we decide to have more kids we'll know what to do. Chad ended up sitting down with the baby name book for hours, yes hours, pouring over every name and making a list that he was comfortable with. It was nice to see him put so much effort into it. Since it's mostly been me pouring over websites and books every free second I get for months now. I think just spouting out names doesn't really let him get a real sense of the name so he just tends to say no to most of them.

Which of course makes me feel like he just shoots down everything I like. The funny thing is, some of the ones he chose were ones I had mentioned before. He just needed his own time to sit down and process them.

Men are so odd and I'm sure I'll spend the rest of my life trying to figure them out. But that's okay, I think we get each other once we really take the time to understand how the other person works.

I'm so glad this is over. It was really affecting how I felt about the new baby. All I was getting was negative responses from everyone - at least it felt that way. So it doesn't make you too happy especially when you are hormonal anyway.

So with that said, I am going to pray about whether or not I want to share the name we picked out. I'm really excited to share, but more than anything I want to be excited about my baby and not let anything get in the way of that.

I don't think most people quite understand how much naming means to me. I have loved names all of my life. Even when I was younger I had a baby name book (which freaked my parents out a little bit) but I was always fascinated by name meanings and origins. It was just fun. Names are so important, its one of the first gifts you will give your child and you want it to be perfect, from your heart and a reflection of both parents.

So for right now we are still telling people we are naming him Beauregard (ha ha).

Pregnancy, work, and letting go

2009-05-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

Well the warm weather seems like it is finally here to stay and summer is right around the bend. The pool in our community just opened up and I can't wait for the whole fam to go and enjoy the water. I found a really cute maternity swimsuit. It's strange that I am more comfortable in my pregnant body than I am in my "regular" body. I feel pretty and that's a nice feeling. Even though some days I'm sure I'm not (you know those - I don't have time to shower, baby woke up way earlier than usual, I didn't get a nap, and baby is cranky - kind of exhausting days) but there's just something beautiful about being pregnant that tends to overflow to the outside. Not to mention that God helps us out by making our hair fuller and shinier and our skin glow.

I'm still transitioning out of my "regular" job and God is providing lots of freelance opportunities, which is what I want to focus on from now on. I'm excited to not feel as stressed and to take more time for my son and my pregnant body. I can tell a difference already in Corben's behavior and I'm sure it has a lot to do with me having more patience with him. I want to give Corben more opportunities to socialize and for me to socialize too! It's not only great for him but a life saver for me, it's not just a "want" anymore, it's a necessity. Remember a few posts back I talked about slowing down and focusing on my family etc. Well this is the start. I didn't know if it would feel right not having a "regular" job and wondered if I could let that go. But it does and I'm still going to get to do some design stuff as I designate that I have time for it. That's what I need right now and that's what my family needs right now.

I keep promising that I will post a photo and I keep forgetting! I'll try to do that asap!

Have a great day!

I'm back! A quick synopsis.

2009-05-02T12:07:00.000-07:00

I know I've been a little slack lately about posting... so here I am trying to get back on track.

I feel like I've been pulled in all directions lately but am hoping it will slow down soon. It should since I decided to finally let go of my usual gig at the Vineyard. I will still be taking on projects, just totally on my schedule which is what I need right now. My time is not my own with chasing Corben around and trying to take care of the baby in my tummy too.

God finally got me to a place where I was ready to go. It would have been even harder for me otherwise. But I'm ready. It is time.

So much has happened lately...
Corben is now settled into a big boy bunk bed which he transitioned to with such ease at 15 months! I was so surprised at how well he did. He's such a big boy now (insert sniffle here). When we transitioned Corben, we totally redid his room with IKEA kids stuff, I'll have to post some pics soon. It's so cute and so functional. We will be able to fit both boys in one room with no problem.

Pregnancy is going wonderful. I am just so tired all the time and with all the stress I have been under trying to tie up some projects and tell my boss that I'm leaving... I've felt it even more lately.

We still have yet to decide on a baby name... so if anyone has any suggestions, please throw them our way. Or I think we will just name him Bob or something. For those of you grueling over baby names like I am, I found this awesome website that really helps you narrow it down. It looks up names based on names that you input that you like. I don't know how many times I come up with a few names that are along the lines of what I want but not quite. So instead going through lists and lists of names, it narrows down the choices based on the types of names you already like. Check it out... I can't get enough of it www.nymbler.com.

That's all for now. I promise I'll be back soon.

The Cadillac of Strollers

2009-04-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

I have had so many posts rolling around in my brain lately. I finally have a chance to sit down and write one! My parents went up to the IKEA Charlotte with us yesterday to pick up a bunk bed for Corben. We had a lot of fun and my mom was in heaven. She loves decorating/interior design.

We were all in the cafe, eating some scrumptious IKEA food when I saw a women put her small newborn in the lower portion of a jogging stroller. I was looking from the front so I couldn't see everything but my first instinct was alarm. You aren't supposed to put little babies in the bottom of that! When she wheeled by I couldn't help but inspect more.

There was a little napper area in the back of the stroller. Her 2 year old was strapped in front and her newborn was cozily snuggled in the napper in the back/bottom. I was immediately in awe of this stroller.

Later we passed by her and I asked her about the stroller. She said it was wonderful, especially if you have your kids close together (her two were 20 months apart). Corben will be about 21 months when our new little one is born. She said it was pretty expensive but her mother-in-law bought it for them and she couldn't be more grateful.

I knew as soon as I got home I would be looking up the specs on a Phil & Ted's stroller. I have been checking out lots of double strollers lately, especially ones that accommodate an infant and a toddler. Most of these stroller weigh anywhere from 35 to 50 pounds. Can you imagine lugging that thing in and out of your car! 50 pounds!!

This stroller is only 24 pounds and is about the footprint of a regular full size single stroller. I'm in love. I don't know if I could see myself spending between $500 and $700 dollars on a stroller. OUCH!

But with as much as I take Corben for walks and like to get out of the house. It may be worth it. I'll be daydreaming about this one for a while...

Drum Roll Please......

2009-04-07T10:07:00.000-07:00

Alright everybody! I know you are dying to know the news...

Surprise! It's a B-O-Y!

I think he fooled almost everybody! Chad was a little disappointed we weren't having a girl, especially since he "knew" we were having a girl. Now we just have to figure out a name!

So the one person who voted that it would be a boy... you were so right!

I'll post some sonogram pics as soon as I can. Two boys, wow.

Come on out and vote!

2009-04-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

Only a few hours left! Make sure you get out and vote... for my baby that is :) Don't forget to take the poll on the right to predict what we are having!

I'm really nervous actually.

We really don't know how many children we plan to have and are just kind of seeing when our family feels "complete." But who knows... this could be it. We may feel complete after two. What if this is the last time we find out what we are having? Just kind of crazy to think about!

Preggo update week 19

2009-04-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

Hello Everybody!
I'm almost half way there. Can you believe it? I'm feeling lots of stretching lately so I'm assuming that's the baby making some room in there. I have my ultrasound next Tuesday. So when we find out I'm sure I'll post here ASAP.

We tried to call everybody the first pregnancy and we were on the phone all day! So we're going to try to be a little more efficient this time.

I'm feeling pretty good overall. My nausea came back for a few days during my second trimester which was really strange but I haven't seen any signs of it lately. I'm starting to want healthier food again. I would have to make myself eat a banana or a veggie. I just wanted bread or chocolate milk etc. Not really healthy stuff. Which is a big difference from Corben. I wanted fruit and milk... I would eat a whole quarter watermelon in one sitting. Yum... that does actually sound pretty good right now :) Publix here I come. So I'm happy I'm getting some healthy cravings. I always feel so guilty if I don't eat well.

I do still have that deep craving for McDonald's sweet tea. This was a tradition when Sara and I were pregnant last time. I can't be out and about without getting one. And for a buck who can resist?

I think it would be fun to do a poll on who thinks it is a boy or a girl. So following in Micah and Melissa blog's footsteps I'm going to do my first poll. Who, by-the-way just had a beautiful little boy a few weeks ago. Little Paul is adorable! Anyway, come on and take the poll! I want to see what you guys think. I'm biting my nails in anticipation.

NOte to self: Kicking the habit of biting my nails needs to go on my 101 list!

Awesome Video

2009-03-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

I found this on another blog and couldn't stop watching it. Very creative and unique concept. I had to share...

We'll water down your juice and sell it to you at double the price!

2009-03-28T18:56:00.001-07:00

Yes people. It's watered down juice. Welch's - being the brilliant company that they are - are selling this to you at the same price as the 100% juice and touting it as "a lower calorie alternative" Are you kidding me? Buy the 100% juice and dilute it in half with filtered water. Bam..."Aquajuice" at half the price.

Do people really fall for this? Makes me sad. Are we really this dumb?

I noticed this today as I was walking down the juice aisle and could not believe it. Welch's I need to come work for you. If you can actually make money off this... wow... you guys are doing something right.

Got an old button up shirt?

2009-03-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

I came across this adorable little girls dress idea over at crafster.com. You can find the tutorial here. I can't wait to do this with one of Chad's old shirts... too bad we've gotten rid of a lot of his "surfer dude" wear... Too bad... I mean thank God! :)

You can take the boy out of Florida but you can't take the Florida out of the boy.

Dirty Hippie in the garden

2009-03-24T16:09:00.001-07:00

Well I guess it's time for another episode of the "dirty hippie." It's spring and it seems that the whole family is really into working out-of-doors right now. Chad is working the backyard and planting seed to grow better grass, and I've decided to try to start small with an herb garden.

I'm just doing potted plants for now. It's a long way down to our backyard from the deck and I don't think my pregnant behind is going to go up and down to water a garden for the next few months. Not happening. I didn't want to take on anything that big anyway. It seems that every time I try to grow something it dies. So we'll see...

What I've got so far are Basil, Oregano, Peppermint, Rosemary, Parsley and I tried one veggie - zucchini. My first trip to Lowe's (Before doing any research, this was all a little on a whim), I picked up the zucchini, peppermint, basil, and rosemary. All of it to go in a nice rectangular planter I bought (except for the zucchini of course). I brought it all home only to find out that the rosemary grows so big that it will need it's own pot and the peppermint is so aggressive it will take over whatever it is planted with. Ugh! So another trip to Lowe's and now I have a much bigger "little" garden than I bargained for. But I'm happy with it. It looks cute... now lets just see if I can keep it alive and cook with it. I'm so excited about that! Last year I would visit the local farm just to get a little bag of fresh basil... yum. Basil is probably my favorite herb and I only discovered it a few years ago.

Corben also enjoyed the whole experience. I gave him a pot and some rocks and his "choo choo" to play with and he went to town putting everything in and out of it and then running around yelling GROW! As I'm mixing potting soil. It was pretty hilarious. I don't think he connected the plants with growing. I think it was the fact that I kept bending over and then standing back up as I'm putting soil into pots. I sing this song to him that my mom used to sing to me when I was little and it goes a little like this... "Read your Bible, Pray everyday, and you grow, grow, grow." And when you say the grow you go from a shrunken position to standing up. Corben thinks it is hilarious.

Or I could just think that my child is a genius and just figured out for himself what plants do... yep that's probably it :)

25 Things

2009-03-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well, while you are waiting for my 101 list, here is the 25 things list that is floating around facebook. I finally gave in and did it. So I thought I'd share it here too...

Okay I finally give in! Here are my 25 Things!

Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you.

1. At some point in my life I want to be a graphic designer for the CIA.

2. I took stage combat in college. Most fun I ever had in college. What's better than pretending to beat people up and it looking real?

3. I consider myself a pretty carefree person. The small stuff usually doesn't hurt my feelings.. well unless I'm pregnant and hormonal. But I am also secretly type A. I am very particular about certain things in my life. Mostly about business and graphic design.

4. Clubs I was in throughout my entire school experience: Drama Club, DECA, National Honor Society, SAT team, Bible Club, Beta Club oh and we can't forget the best one BHFA (Brazen Hussies and Floozies Anonymous) You and me Ash!

5. Chad and I constantly battle over the car air conditioning. I like it either totally on cold or totally on heat and when it gets to a comfortable temp I turn it off. He likes airflow constantly. I don't think I've ever used the medium temperature setting in my life!

6. I want to be a good dancer. At least enough to feel like I know what I'm doing on the dance floor. Salsa baby!

7. I always feel the need to educate people on why my profession is important. I'm sure one day I'll just submit and buy the shirt from Veer that says "I draw pictures all day." Sigh.

8. I have several goals as far as traveling: Ireland, New York, Backpacking through Europe... and what the heck... Fiji... because who would ever say no to Fiji.

9. I'm a pretty shy person when I first meet people. And it usually takes me a while to really open up to people and be myself. Unless I am the host of the party or in a leadership role... then somehow I can turn on the "outgoingness."

10. I have been married for five years and have a wonderful 15 month old boy and baby 2.0 on the way.

11. I have a notebook fetish. If I come across a pretty blank notebook I just have to buy it. I'll usually fill up a 1/4 of it with to do lists/thoughts/grocery lists/meeting notes etc and then it gets lost in the shuffle somewhere until I find it months later.

12. I love making homemade gifts for people. I just think it is so much better than buying something. Not that I don't buy gifts... I'd just rather make them.

13. I wanted to be Shirley Temple when I was a little girl. I would tell my parents "I'm not Gifton, I'm Heidi."

14. I like to mix corn and mash potatoes. It just tastes so much better that way.

15. My son's laugh can totally change my day.

16. Being a mom is one of the most challenging and rewarding things I've ever done.

17. I love coffee. It's amazing how a drink can bring people together so easily. "Hey wanna grab some coffee?"

18. Going back to the split personality free spirit/anal person that I am. I am definitely that way as a mom. I don't mind if my kid gets messy. I think it's all part of the learning process. But when it comes to how he's taken care of I'm pretty anal. I like to use cloth diapers/wipes, make my own wipes solution, I made a good bit of his baby food, I read labels religiously to make sure he isn't getting too much processed sugar and high fructose corn syrup, and I keep his meals pretty simple, fruits, veggies, fish/chicken, yogurt and cheese. All natural baby soap, sunscreen... well you get the idea.

19. I really love snowboarding. Okay I hated it the first day... but the second day rocked!

20. I am learning to sew and can't wait to get really good at it.

21. I can no longer say I have a favorite color. I guess it the curse of the job. I gravitate towards a group of colors like: Green, Brown, Blue, Orange, Red.... okay wait... never mind.

22. I have to write everything down or I will forget. I usually email myself with to do notes so that I don't have to worry about a physical list. I have a digital copy I can find anytime. I know it's sad :)

23. I've realized as I've gotten older everyone has a different idea of what a "good" movie is. I can watch a movie and think it is good because it was extremely entertaining, action-packed or dramatic... but I can also think a movie is good because it tells an interesting story in a very artistic way. Even though the latter may be a little more subtle.. it's still good.

24. I am near-sighted, I should wear glasses or contacts but I usually don't.

25. I once dyed my hair red and accidentally put chunky highlights that were neon macaroni orange in them. Oops! Thank God for my awesome hair dresser Monica! Wine and girlfriends doing each others hair does not mix. Hey it would have been cool if I was a rock star right?

101 Things

2009-03-19T09:07:00.000-07:00

I am officially starting a 101 in 1001 days list. You can find more info on this challenge at http://www.dayzeroproject.com/.

As you have seen I have many things that are on my "mental list" to do but I think taking it a step further - writing it down and putting a time table on it, will give me that extra push I need to do these things that I've always wanted to do. I'm still working on my complete list and will post it as soon as it's finished. It's hard to come up with 101 things! I want to give myself plenty of time because I know there will be those things that pop in my head that I only think about now and then like working for the CIA... you know... little stuff :)

One of the things on my list will be from my last post about making more handmade stuff. I have to share another blog that I just adore homemade by jill. She has her favorite projects listed on the side bar and they are so great! Perfect for baby shower gifts or things for your own little one. She always has such great and simple ideas and she's a new mom herself of a cute little boy.

On a side note. Please be praying for God's direction in our family this year. We have a lot to accomplish and some great opportunities that may be heading our way. But we need the wisdom and discernment that goes along with all that.

Love and Blessings!

Handmade Baby

2009-03-13T09:13:00.000-07:00

photo provided by: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=10872832

I've really been wanting to make some toys for the two little ones in my life. I think it's a great way to #1 know where the toys are coming from and what they are made of and #2 have a family heirloom that maybe they will save for their little ones someday.

I have all the tools and skills to do it. I just need to get on the ball! Here is a great website with tutorials and ideas that you can use to make your own toys/dolls. A lot of them are very simple and you don't have to be "super-crafty" to do it.

makebabystuff.com

If you look around you can find lots of cute things to make for baby like clothes and nursery decor.

I know not everyone feels this way but I think something handmade is a million times more special than getting something from a store. Especially in this day in age. Time is so finite and people are rushing about all the time. To know that someone stopped their busy schedule to make you something is just amazing! I love it!

Speaking of... go support handmade stuff! Find something cool on etsy.com for yourself or a friend.

New Hair woohoo!

2009-03-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

Get ready for a new haircut! Okay I won't show you my belly yet but I'll show you my new haircut. I'm sad, I know.

I'm going first thing in the morning to see the fabulous Monica and finally get my hair cut off! I sadly haven't had a haircut in .... about 10 months probably. Wow. I didn't realize it had been that long! Time flies when you are chasing a baby around! I'm thinking of doing something based on one of Katie Holmes haircuts but I'm not sure. I'll see what Monica thinks.

I'm very excited! I always feel like a new person afterward.

So until tomorrow. I know all of you will be glued to the computer in anticipation. :)

Preggo update week 14

2009-03-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

Hello All,
I just had my second appointment and the last of my first trimester. Everything is looking great. All the blood work they did came back fine but they did one more test today to check my thyroid since I had heart palpitations with the last pregnancy. I'm curious to see what will come back from that. Overall I am feeling much better and more motivated to get off the couch, which is a major improvement.

So the big ultrasound is my next visit April 7, so we'll see what happens. What do you guys think? Boy or Girl?

These are the tentative names we have so far. The boy name is majorly up for debate.

Genevieve Elise Gammon
Maximus Alan Gammon

I think I would be happy if the first name and middle name were switched with the boys name. I'll have to suggest that to Chad. Maximus just seems a little over the top for a first name. We would call him Max... but still.

I love baby names. One of my favorite blogs "How About Orange" featured this website today http://www.whatalovelyname.com I didn't find it extremely helpful but it was fun nonetheless.

Thoughts anyone?

Baby Walking

2009-02-20T09:59:00.001-08:00

Well, I guess it's official Corben is walking!

He took his first steps about a week after turning one but it has been a process since then. He is a very careful child and likes to feel things out before he jumps into them. Case in point: His birthday cake. He touched the icing and tasted it ... then tasted a little more. I had to stick my finger in and show him the cake in hopes that that would get him going. But he was methodical... a little bit here and there until towards the end he was starting to get into it but he still didn't get really messy. He takes his time... he figures it out and eventually gets there.

So he has been "walking" for a while. Taking a step or two on his own and then walking along the couch then walking between two objects and now he is getting up and walking pretty regular. And he has figured out that he can carry things with him! He loves this! It's the best thing since sliced bread.

I guess I just expected him to do what everyone else said he would do. I would be asked if he was walking yet and I would say "Well he takes a few steps on his own" and they would reply "OH! just wait next week he'll be running around the house." Well that didn't happen. Walking was a few months in the making but that's just Corben. And I love that.

Valentine's with the other man in my life

2009-02-14T15:59:00.001-08:00

Today was Valentine's Day. If you looked outside you wouldn't think so. It was so dreary and rainy. Chad had to work so we are going to celebrate tomorrow. So I was at home bored while Corben was taking a nap.... Okay there were things I could be doing but who wants to clean on valentines day? There was nothing on tv, not even a chick movie? wha? So I decided after Corben got up we were going on a date.

We went over to the Evans shopping center and walked around the stores for a little bit and let Corben "pick out" a card for daddy. Then we went to Panera for dinner. I have been craving the Broccoli and cheese soup, YUM! I had to stay away from it while breastfeeding cause the broccoli gave Corben gas. So I have to get it while I can before the next one gets here! I ordered the broccoli and cheese soup and got Corben a grilled cheese which comes with an organic blueberry yogurt (Corben's favorite). I tore his sandwich into little pieces on his plate and we both ate our dinner. I had such a good time. He was soo good and just ate his little sandwich and yogurt like a big boy. I think we'll have to do this every year. I made conversation.. even though he didn't have much to say but some grunting for more :) But I think he enjoyed our time just as much as I did.

Afterwards, I had to pick up a few things at kroger and right when we came in the door all you saw were balloons everywhere! Corben started pointing up and had this big smile on his face. I couldn't resist getting him one. I found the little ones on a stick that he could hold really easy. His face lit up and he held on and played with it the whole way through the store. I had to dodge a few balloon swipes near my face but I didn't mind, he was having so much fun.

I'm so glad I decided to celebrate Valentine's with him. It made my day. I am going to miss our time with "just us." I know the new baby will be wonderful and add a beautiful dynamic but I will miss our little trips with "just the two of us." I feel a Will Smith song coming on. Okay better stop the post now :)

Pokes, cupcakes, and will you be my friend?

2009-02-13T10:36:00.000-08:00

Okay so am I the only one that thinks all this myspace/facebook stuff is kinda ridiculous? First it was myspace now facebook is more popular so you have to have a facebook page and a myspace page and keep up with all of it! Who has time for that?

I think I'm getting old. I find myself more and more thinking, why are these things so popular they are such a waste of time! Those young whipper snappers with nothing better to do :) Okay so I don't go that far but I don't think I'm far off.

I sit here complaining but yet I have a myspace and a facebook page. And I will keep them because how else will I stay in touch with all these people I barely see anymore? So I'm forced to keep up with the hype and the annoying task of updating my page. Which I rarely do. Facebook confuses the heck out of me. Why do you have to download an application to send someone a "gift". Why would I want to poke someone? Isn't that a little invasive. I don't go around poking people. What does all this mean?!

Maybe I'll feel better if someone sent me a cupcake... but why would I want a virtual cupcake... if you say your going to send me a cupcake there better be yummy icing and some cute thing on top that I can sink my teeth into. Don't taunt a pregnant woman! It's not pretty.

Preggo week 11

2009-02-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

The nausea has subsided. I have enjoyed the taste of food for two days so I feel safe in saying that. I went two weeks straight feeling nauseated constantly. I had to force myself to eat anything. I thought I would be a skinny little thing by now but I've also laid around on the couch a lot so there was not a lot of calorie burning going on. I actually felt good enough to go outside and go for a walk with Corben today. So there is a light at the end of the belly.. so to speak.

I'm hoping this is the last of the nausea. I didn't want to be sick my whole pregnancy! So say a little prayer for my tummy... It's nice to be able to eat when your growing a little human!

It's official... we have a peanut!

2009-02-02T19:37:00.001-08:00

We met with the midwife today. I didn't realize they were going to do everything in the first visit. Everything! Take blood... pap smear... and ultrasound! Boy am I glad Chad was off today or Corben would not have made it through all that!

I really liked the midwife. She's very sweet and we had plenty of time to talk. She took extra time to try and find the heart beat even though she said their was a chance she wouldn't be able to get it clearly this early... but there it was... loud and clear... A good strong heartbeat. So good the midwife thought I might be farther along than I thought. But the ultrasound had my due date right where we estimated... August 30. Big, Hot and sweaty! Not looking forward to a pregnant Georgia summer. So far so good! Our little peanut is doing well.

I'm not totally set in stone on going with the midwife yet. I still have time to feel it out but I feel good about it so far...
We'll see!

The death of a life's work

2009-01-30T18:48:00.000-08:00

Okay I don't know where to start so here is the past two weeks in a nutshell

Work computer crashes... a few days later... my home computer's hard drive dies... I lose my life's work... I mourn losing my life's work... I get the flu... I sleep an entire day and barely move...well only enough to munch some toast...

Lord I need some grace and a good day! I'm hoping my friends tea party will give me some fun and recharging.

Maybe this is my chance to be free of my past work and start fresh with design. Be different, edgy, exciting in my creativity. I have to put a positive spin on this! It's just too sad to think about it any other way...

My first appointment finally!

2009-01-27T11:49:00.000-08:00

I finally remembered to call the midwife today! I have an appointment for 2:15 PM on Monday. Yay!

I'm debating on taking Corben with me. They said that she doesn't mind if children come with you. I'll see how I feel about it. I just hope there aren't as many visits. I don't want to have 2 hour long ob visits with a one year old every month and then very week.

It's a whole new dynamic!
I hope I like the midwife... if I don't I'll probably go back to my old OB. We'll see.

Snow

2009-01-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

It's a snow day! We actually have snow in SC/GA. I got Corben all bundled up and took him outside to catch some snowflakes.

Yipee!

Reminds me of when I was in 7th grade and my family moved to Pennsylvania for my Dad to pastor a church there. We got a couple inches of snow that year and my brother and I were freaking out! Of course everyone there thought we were crazy because they were used to seeing feet of snow. But a couple of inches was amazing to us. We built snowmen and had snowball fights. It was great. It's the little things people! You have to enjoy the little things...

Preggo Update

2009-01-16T18:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't really said much about the upcoming new arrival so I thought I would do a little "preggo update." So far its been mostly nausea setting in. I feel tired but don't have time to be tired because I'm chasing a one year old around. It's a whole new definition of tired! I'm craving stuff but I don't know if it's just because I'm hungry more often or what? Graham crackers are definitely my friend!

Oh the diaper changes! I just know I'm going to hurl this pregnancy... not because it's nausea I can't control necessarily. It's the nausea and changing a disgusting diaper at the same time. NOT FUN AT ALL! Oh and on top of that...Daddy made changing time play time so now everytime Corben is on the changing table he kicks his legs wildly and laughs... so it makes it very hard to change a diaper!!! Thanks daddy! But I love you anyway!

Ugh I don't like disciplining. I know what my parents meant when I would get a spanking and they would say they are doing it because they love me. It would be so easy to just let my kid do whatever the heck he wants - like jump wildly off the changing table or pull out all the dvd's and crawl all over them ... sigh. Parenting is a lot of work and discipline!! More for you than for them! It's hard to be consistent every single time. You find yourself saying things too many times "Corben... no touch" as he takes his hand away... looks at me and then goes in to touch again.... I just want to say "no touch" again but I know I need get up off the couch and discipline or "train". It's just so easy to say ... don't make me tell you again... you heard what I said... don't do it again... one more time and I'm gonna.... It's just laziness, PARENT!! You are a parent... be one!! Sorry...little tangent there. Aren't there just times you wish you could just stop people in there tracks and give them a good shake... or kick in the rear? :) Love... can't you tell I'm in a loving mood?!

Okay I'm done with all my rabbit trails. Pregnancy is going great. I'm going to call the midwife first thing next week and make my first appointment.

Minty Fresh!

2009-01-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

Chad found this website through a friend and so far I am extremely impressed with it. Believe me, I am the free spirit in the relationship so spreadsheets and financial blah is not my favorite. But this website is totally free and will alert you when your bank account is low, you've went over your budget on a certain category etc. How cool is that? It even breaks down your monthly spending with pie charts (now I am a visual person!) I love it... and the best part - totally free! It tracks everything automatically. No need to calculate your receipts to figure out what you spent in each budget category... it does it for you and you can see automatically where your money is going and if you spent too much on shopping this month! Oops!

www.mint.com

Check it out. You won't be disappointed. Not to mention their logo is pretty snazzy too. :)

Great Are You

2009-01-10T16:43:00.001-08:00

When I was checking my friend Sara's blog this week she had one of her favorite songs called "who am I" as a feature on her "favorite Friday" at first I mistook it for a song by a not extremely well known band called Downhere. After looking back at their cd on my itunes library I realized that the song is called "Great Are You," "who am I" is a phrase in the chorus.

I started listening to a few of their songs that I haven't heard in so long. They are really amazing. My two favorites are "Calmer of the Storm" and "Great Are You." Of course the song "Rock Stars Need Money" is hilarious but not as spiritually fulfilling :) "Calmer of the Storm" really speaks to me. It talks about the storms of life and how we want so much to control our will and God's. Man are they reading my mail. I'm a "fixer" if something goes wrong I can take care of it, handle it, flip it around backwards and hang it by it's toes until it works. I, I, I... Do we see a pattern here? I'm so glad that I came to know the Lord at a young age because... sometimes I really think if I was left to my own devices I would be an agnostic or just think that I am capable enough to handle the world. I need God, I can't do this thing called life on my own. I can't have a good marriage, be a loving mother, a calm discipliner, an understanding wife. I would not know the peace that comes through a relationship with him. And I would not be as willing and able to give grace even when, in my own flesh, I feel the person doesn't deserve it. Of course they don't... do any of us? Does that change the fact that you should freely give? Nope.

Here is their song "Great Are You." I couldn't find a great video of it because they aren't a huge band but this should suffice. I love live music... but that's another post...

How I love your works, My God, My King...

Good God, Good Doctor, Good All Around.

2009-01-06T09:29:00.000-08:00

I had my first interview with a pediatrician. I never got around to doing interviews before Corben because ... let's see.. I was working full time, OBGYN visits, lamaze classes etc. So it just didn't happen. I'm kind of glad I did it now after I've been a mom for a year, I feel like I know more of what to ask, what my practical concerns are...

Of course the doctor started off with the normal spiel about how the office is run. What appointments will be like, how long, and that I can call him anytime etc. Then asked if I had any questions. I was very upfront about my main concern which was in general his medical philosophy on the big issues like breastfeeding, vaccines, when to start solid foods, and am I going to be asked to come in every time I have a question about something or does he promote trying to take care of issues at home.

I was very impressed with his answers and he seemed very down to earth and sensible. That's all I wanted! He admitted that vaccine concerns are valid and any type of intervention has possible side effects. He had a child die from Amoxicillin. It's very rare but it happens. Thank you! Finally someone that admits that there should be caution with anything we give our children. I'm not crazy! Okay maybe a little :) He said that usually the way he handles it when parents don't want any, is that he suggests some that he thinks are very necessary and then there are some that aren't as necessary. In hopes that they would at least try the more pressing ones. He said he's perfectly fine with a modified schedule and for the past seven years he decided to not give the MMR until after two because of all the concerns from parents about autism. He doesn't personally believe that there is a correlation but that's what he decided to do in his practice. He actually cares about what the parents are concerned about? Enough to change how he gives vaccines... against the suggested schedule??? I totally expected to be disappointed to tell you the truth. I searched for pediatricians in the area and many of them had strong opinions about it on their websites. So I knew I should not even try with those practices.

We discussed his experience and training with breastfeeding moms and babies and when to start solids etc. And I was upfront with my view on going to see doctors - of course I want your opinion but there are going to be those times when I feel like I should go with my motherly instincts. He said "a lot of mom's come in with lots of questions and I'll go through each one with them and make suggestions and give my medical opinion and if you want to try another way then I just note that on the chart and it's no big deal."

The biggest issue was for me to feel like I can have an open conversation with my son's doctor. If I can't then I know my son isn't going to get the best medical care. And I do feel like I can talk to this doctor. He was reasonable and approachable.

That's all I wanted and I got it with the first doctor I interviewed. God is so good. Now I don't have to worry about where Corben will get medical care and if I will have to fight my doctor every visit or feel like a crazy person just because I want to do something different.

Peace. God takes care of us every step of the way.

So we'll probably have our 18 month check up with the new doctor and then shortly after we'll have well baby checkups with the new addition.

I could not be happier and the best part is he is right around the corner. I could walk to the practice if I wanted to. How nice is that? If there is ever a major concern and I need to bring Corben in I won't have to go far.

.. Did I mention that God is good?

Big and Glorious!

2008-12-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Oh I couldn't agree more. Bring on the glorious round love!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T18:22:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everybody!

Here is my unofficial Christmas Letter...

Well, it's been a wonderful, crazy, joyous year. We brought home our new baby boy last year right before Christmas and have been enjoying his sweet spirit and contagious laugh ever since. My family started a Home Inspection business in January and we are still plugging away at laying the foundation and getting our name out there. Since then we have been working hard to learn how to be good parents and to change our family tree (as Dave Ramsey would put it). Recently Chad got on a Peachmac and was promoted to Assistant Manager soon after. I have been continuing to work with the Vineyard and several other companies in the area while at home raising our son.

I love my job as a mom and graphic designer. But I think mom takes the cake hands down. Corben's smile is all it takes to make my day better. God is so good to have entrusted us with such a wonderful little person. It was a rough start with Corben's sensitive stomach and possible colic but we made it through and it was all worth it.

We moved into our new house just over a month ago and are in love with it. There is plenty of space for Corben to play and we don't feel like we are all on top of each other! Corben is wanting to walk but hasn't quite gotten the guts up to take those first independent steps yet. Which I'm okay with.... I want him to be a baby as long as possible. I know that might be a little selfish but he can take his time. No rush :)

Today was an abundance of emotions. I am so exhausted, elated, and anxious with anticipation for the new year. We had wonderful news this morning that I wrapped and put under the tree for Chad. A pregnancy test that was positive :) We are very excited. It's a little sooner than we had planned but we are both very happy. On this day especially we see what joy a baby can bring to a family and to the world. So merry Christmas everybody! Surprise!

Merry Christmas Eve's Eve

2008-12-23T12:26:00.001-08:00

That one could just go on forever right?

So in the tradition of my other fellow bloggers... A cup of cold water, and sterling and topaz. (Had to throw some link love your way).

I am going to post my christmas letter here. Well really it's the christmas letter I would have sent out. Okay, I'm not very good at the whole mail thing. Email I can do... but snail mail... not my niche. Those of you that have received thank you cards from me months later know this too well. Hey they got there didn't they... took me a while but I did it. This is one of the many areas of my life I am working on. I know the power of a handwritten note or thank you note so I am trying to make them more of a priority. Anyway! Little steps first... this year I did our first Christmas cards! Yay! They are really cute and have Corben's pic on it. I was so proud that I got those ordered and sent out. Okay... maybe just a few days before christmas but they are gone! Grace people... Grace. So next year the goal is to get the christmas tree up on Thanksgiving, Take picture soon after, order cards and have them out by the end of the first week of December with a christmas letter.

This year I got the cards out but no letter. So the people that follow my blog can feel extra special because they are some of the few people that will see my christmas letter this year. I will post after Corben goes to sleep this evening.

So I know New Year's is right around the corner and I've been thinking about some of the things I want to change about my life. Not just because it's new years but because it is just part of my personality. I think it always a good thing to sit back and evaluate yourself, ask God to evaluate you and to even go so far as to write down some of the things you want to improve. So that will be another post soon but you already got a little taste. You guessed it - being timely with thank you notes, invites etc. is definitely one of those things!

Got to go love on my baby ~ stick around... my christmas letter is coming soon!