Game Pictures

I'm posting these before work so I ran out of time to rearrange them. Oh well! Here we are after the game.

Our trusty sports companions after the game.

Sold out crowd!

We were close! Ok, Andrew was using his telephoto lens but they were still great seats!

Large amounts of people screaming and pounding their seats!

We had so much fun! Ok, I've got to go get ready for work!

Last Day

I do believe this is the last day for my high heeled shoes, at least for the next 4 to 5 months. With the back pain I'm already experiencing at 9:10 am, I believe a trip to a shoe store may be in order over my lunch break. I must say that I'm sad. I love my high heeled shoes.

Kicks and Dreams!

I am now officially feeling kicks fairly frequently. The most I have felt was laying in bed after the Bengals game. I guess the baby was still all wound up from the excitement too. I love it when I feel the movement and I wish I knew when it was going to happen so I could be perfectly still and really feel it. I can distinguish that feeling from everything else now and it's so cool!

I am still having very wild and vivid dreams. I had one last night about a friend from church who caught the double flu. It was very gross and very graphic. I won't be telling her about the dream, as it didn't portray her in a very good light, at all! I felt so relieved to wake up from that dream. I really want to dream about babies, so maybe I should read one of those books before I fall asleep! I am now getting up almost every night to use the bathroom. I finally bought a nightlight today so I don't kill myself getting to the bathroom anymore.

The laundry room is getting the second nightlight because, this this morning I found that Dewey had chewed up one of my bras during the night. He sleeps in the laundry room and hasn't chewed on anything like that since he was about 8 or 9 months old, so I think taking walks together and using a nightlight for him is in order. We'll probably keep him in his crate for a while, too. I was pretty mad as I don't have very many good bras!!

Only 7 days 22 hours and 20 minutes until our ultrasound (ok, it took me a while to figure that out, but you get the idea that I'm excited)!!

Who Dey!

About noon yesterday, Andrew calls me and asks how much trouble it would be to cancel my lessons for the evening. I told him it wouldn't be bad, as I only had two of them. He said for me to go ahead and do it since his dad had gotten tickets to the Bengals game! This is especially funny since we had just been talking about how we could get a few tickets to go. Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I must say that I have never seen such dedicated fans (or should I say fanatics!). Anyway, it was a lot of fun and I hope I get to go again someday. I especially enjoyed the Ohio State's marching band at half-time. We had a bit of a walk to get down there so my back is rebelling this morning but it held up amazingly well (thanks to my frequent visits to the chiropractor).

I'm definitely starting to get the itch to buy more baby stuff. Thankfully my husband is reminding me to just wait, since we don't know what gifts we will get. I just like being prepared but I suppose getting things this early is just silly. 9 days until our ultrasound!

Ugh!

Apparently, I'm not one of those pregnant women that gets to stop getting sick at 14 weeks. I got a big whiff of my fridge this morning and it just set me off. Yuck! I hope this goes away after the baby is born (being able to smell the fridge, I mean). Only 10 more days until our ultrasound. I'm very excited (as I've said before)!

Also . . . I'm pretty sure I can feel movement now. It started last week on Thursday when I was laying in bed. I just felt some popping movements that didn't feel like anything else I've ever felt before. I have felt them on and off a few times since then!! Yeah!

Ok, that's all for now. I've got lots to do today, so I'd better get working!

Resolve

Allergies in Pregnancy
by Marjorie Greenfield, M.D.

Women who suffer from nasal symptoms (allergic rhinitis) may find that they get better, stay the same, or feel even worse in pregnancy--each individual's response is different. Symptoms are not life-threatening but can interfere with a good night's sleep and leave you feeling miserable. If you know what you're allergic to and are pregnant, try to avoid that thing (or things) rather than taking lots of medications. It also helps to decrease exposure to cigarette smoke and other known environmental irritants. It's not unusual for women who did not previously have allergies to suffer with nasal congestion while pregnant, as the hormones of pregnancy can cause swelling of the nasal passages and increased mucus production. In these cases, symptoms typically are worst in the second trimester and resolve within a few days after childbirth.

I'm still suffering from a sore throat, ear popping, and sinus congestion. It just doesn't seem to want to go away. I have had allergies all my life but if they get this bad, they usually resolve within a week or so. I have a few ideas of things to try that are natural, so I will try those before just deciding to stand it! I'm also thankful that I have a chiropractor appointment today as I'm having a hard time taking a deep breath because of a sharp pain in my ribs. I'm pretty sure that something got pulled out of place while we were hiking during our camping trip. I love my dog but he can pull pretty hard when he wants to go somewhere fast!

We had a good time last night attending a Cincinnati Red's game. We had great tickets on the 2nd row right by 3rd base. I'm not so much a sports fan as I am just a fan of the atmosphere of major league sports. Anyway, we had fun even though the Red's didn't have a good game!

Only 15 more days until our ultrasound! I'm so very excited!

Weekend Camping and other stuff

We had a great time camping this weekend. Our camping site wasn't the greatest but now we know to call and ask which sites are good for tents or just know because we've been there before. We had a good time hiking, paddle boating, reading, watching movies (yes, we brought our laptop), and cooking campfire food! :) I've got pictures! If I ever blog from home again, I'll have to put some up. We took Dewey with us. It was a bit annoying when the barked at night but I had a good time with him anyway (I can't speak for Andrew).

I also had my yearly dentist appointment this morning and . . . no cavities. I guess Epic Gum and toothpaste can keep my money (they have a cavity free guarantee). I'm a bit sore from the cleaning because my cleaning person was a bit violent.

Still no official baby movement yet. I have felt a few things that feel like fluttering but I'm not absolutely sure what it was yet, so I'm not going to say it was the baby moving. I'm hoping to feel something very soon! I now officially have one pair of pants that won't button. I took them camping with me, so I was extra dirty wearing some pants twice! I have a few other pair of maternity pants (which I might really need in a few weeks) but I need to get them hemmed. I can do one pair by myself but I'm hesitant to hem my jeans. I might see how much it would cost to have someone else do it.

First day of preschool here today, so lots of work to be done. Lots of crying preschoolers too! :(

Classes, house, and other stuff

We just got signed up with our local Bradley method instructor. It's a good thing that I called when I did because her next class starts September 16th. If we waited for the one after that, it would be too late. Our baby would already be here. So we are unofficially signed up (I have to send my deposit). It is a 12 week class that meets on Sunday night, which is a good time for us. I'm also getting ready to sign up for classes at the hospital. Because we are taking a Bradley method class, we have decided not to take a Lamaze class through the hospital (it's pretty expensive too). We are going to go to the "curious couples" session to view the birthing unit, and fill out paper work. I'm also going to take a separate session called "Save-A-Baby." Since Andrew already has CPR training, he isn't going to go to this, but I am.

We found out last week that our renter in Sterling has to move out. So, once again, we're left with an empty house. I just skipped the whole rental thing this time and contacted a realtor. I hope we're able to sell it soon. I wish we could keep it, for sentimental reasons, but it is just so hard to manage from here and is becoming a headache. It would be nice to sell it and get a little cash so we could properly finish our upstairs!

For some strange reason, my body has decided to be queasy again (Andrew says, "hm, you must be pregnant"). The past three days, I have strugged with my fridge and with eating breakfast. I'm going to try taking the B vitamins again and see if that helps. I was hoping to be over this by now, and so far I haven't gotten sick, but I have sure felt like it! I'm just thankful that I do feel better by evening, so I can get some things done around the house. Also, by the time 9 pm rolls around, I feel so exhausted! I'm going to try getting lots of sleep tonight and see if it helps this washed out feeling I still have. I am very thankful to be over my cold! Yeah yeah yeah! I've got to work on staying healthy for the rest of this pregnancy, because that was miserable!

Andrew had his yearly dentist appointment this morning. He is cavity free! We've been using the Epic system (gum and toothpaste) and it seems to have lived up to its cavity free guarantee. It uses xylitol instead of fluride (which I've been reading lately how bad this is). I'm about ready to order some more. I have my dentist appointment next week, so hopefully I get the same report, as we don't have dental insurance anymore!

Dreams

I believe I had my first pregnancy dream last night. In my dream, we already had the baby but I was searching high and low and we could not find any diapers or wipes, and we NEEDED them! That's really all I remember about the dream. It's funny because we already have some diapers (since we're planning on using cloth diapers) but I guess it's because we don't have wipes yet.

I'm starting to feel like we're having a girl. I'm not sure what is leading me to these thoughts. Anyway, only 23 more days and we'll know. I just hope the ultrasound isn't wrong!!

Relief!

Yea! I am finally feeling much better. I prayed so hard for God to clear my ears and He did on Sunday morning! I woke up with a clear ear and told Andrew that I felt like having a party! It's been a little sensitive since then but has remained clear and I'm very thankful! I'm still tired but that could be because I didn't get to bed until about 11:30 pm last night and I still had to wake up at 6:15 for work!

I had an experience with tight pants this weekend, so while I was down at tri-county, getting measured for my bridesmaid dress, I stopped by a maternity store. I found a pair of pants and although they're still pretty loose and I have to keep pulling them up, I am in LOVE with how comfortable they are. I just need to do laundry so I can have the pants clean that I know fit me still. From what I've read, the baby will double in size during these next three weeks, so at least I have some pants to fit, just in case things grow faster than I imagine. I'm so very excited for our next prenatal appointment and ultrasound on September 20. I hope the time goes fast!

Andrew and I are finally getting away this weekend for our long awaited camping trip. Some friends of ours are planning on joining us for one night. I've already made a list of things to bring with us. We're planning on taking Dewey, so it should be fun! I'm excited for him to use the doggy door in our tent. I just hope he doesn't bark in the middle of the night due to strange noises. I'm looking forward to relaxing for a few days. The weather is supposed to be pleasant, so I hope the forecast doesn't change.

Thats all for now!

About Me

Want to know about me? Here it goes . . .

I had a wonderful, loving childhood on a farm in rural Kansas with my parents, sister, brother grandparents, and lots of cats and dogs.

I went to a small private Christian College where I met my hubby. We married the year before I was a senior.

I worked at my alma mater for 1 1/2 years. That's when I began to blog at the prompting of my sister.

In November 2005, we moved to Ohio. In August of 2006, we began the adventure of building our own house.

We completed our house in March of 2007. We got pregnant with the precious baby girl in May of 2007 and I puked a lot! :)

Abigail was born in early February of 2008 and that's my story up until now.

This blog chronicles my life as a working mom just trying to make things run smoothly at home and at work! My relationship with Christ is the most important thing to me. I am also deeply in love with my husband!

My favorite thing to do is to spend time with my husband and daughter. Following in second place are things like reading, taking bubble baths, watching a good movie, blogging (yeah), organizing (I'm a freak, I know), traveling, budgeting (ok, I'm really a freak since I LOVE this) and teaching Sunday School at my church (yeah, grace-chapel.com).

3rd Prenatal Appointment Update

I saw the midwife again today for another routine check-up. I have lost 1/2 pound since my last appointment (yea!), my blood pressure was good, etc. We heard the baby's heartbeat again today and it was nice and strong. She found it right away, as the baby has definitely moved up a bit. I've noticed my pants are tighter! I also asked her about my cold. She said that she has done a lot of research on the immune system during pregnancy and has discovered that it is a bit lowered so the body doesn't attack the baby. So, what takes a person 7 to 10 days to get over, will take a pregnant lady about 14 to 20 days. She said to give my cold another week, and if it doesn't clear up to call them and she would check me out again. The biggest news of the day is that on September 20, 2007, we will find out the sex of our baby!! That is when my 20 week ultrasound and appointment is. We have to go downtown to Christ hospital for it, and I will have to see another doctor in the practice, instead of the midwife, for this appointment. This all seems so surreal to me, like it is happening to someone else (but I'm very glad it's happening to me!!). Perhaps it is just because I'm still living in a tunnel (plugged ear). It has popped a few times today, so I'm taking that as a sign that it is trying to clear up. Andrew issued me a challenge today to try and drink 16 cups of water. A little tea is part of that. I've had about 6 1/2 cups so far, so I've just got to keep pace. It's probably good for me to keep swallowing.

Ok, that's all for now. I can't wait until our next appointment!!!!! :)

It's still a battle!

My cold is not clearing up like I thought it would but it could be much worse, so I'm trying to not complain and be too much of a baby but, as usual, I'm failing at that. I did break down today and visit the doctor (gasp!). I have nothing infected (sinuses, ears, lungs, etc) so there is nothing they can give me. I was actually impressed with this doctor because she did not try to force any antibiotics or other drugs on me, just because I came to the office. I didn't need them so I didn't get them and I like that. I also got to spend plenty of time with her. She is a family doctor so perhaps we'll consider listing them as our child's doctor as well! As were still debating the vaccination issue, I wonder what she thinks about it. Anyway, not much else is going on. I'm trying to just lay low (literally, in my bed!!) and let my immune system fight this stuff. It will help not to have voice lessons to give in the evenings! :) I can tell I'm getting a bit better since I am actually thinking about other things such as mowing and cooking. Even though I don't feel like doing them, at least they are being considered. All for now folks!

Yuck!

I have been hit hard by a terrible summer cold. Ugh! I'm back at work today feeling better but still a bit sluggish and achy (mainly my ear). I am now determined to find a way to keep my immune system boosted so I can stay healthy this winter. This was not much fun. I did recently read that pregnant women have a slightly lowered immune system, in order to protect the baby from the woman's body. So far, Andrew has been fine. I thought he might catch it but since it's been almost a week since I started feeling bad, I think he might be in the clear. I know I need to do better at eating healthy foods and taking regular supplements (besides my prenatal vitamins). The poor baby has probably been rattled a lot, due to my constant coughing! I've also discovered that the things they "allow" a pregnant woman to take for colds during pregnancy don't really have any ingredients in them that work! You can't take the good stuff! I tried some Tylenol cough syrup and about 2 minutes later, my cough was worse. Needless to say, I didn't take that again! So far water has been the best thing: drinking it, hot showers, hot baths, hot towels on my ear, etc! Andrew is getting lots of good experience being a nurse. His best advice, which probably has some truth to it, is to just relax!

I received my Mei Tai carrier! I tried it out with Casey the doll and works great with her! :) Perhaps when I'm feeling better, I'll get Andrew to take some pictures of me and the carrier!

Only 4 more weeks until we find out the sex of the baby!

I'm so tired I can't think of a good title!

First of all, my car died on me yesterday while I was running an errand. My husband rescued me by picking me up from work, buying a new battery and installing it. The car is fine now! Then I got a terrible sore throat last night. I went to sleep very early (fell asleep around 9pm) but woke up quite a bit because of the fire in my throat. I thought about taking a single Tylenol but I resisted and just gargled with salt water a few times during the night. I slept in this morning and just came in to work late. I felt ok while lying in bed reading but definitely feel worse at work so I am definitely fighting something. That's how it goes, isn't it?! Well, I'm enjoying some decaf tea this afternoon and will see how far I make it into the day!

Family Visit

We had a wonderful weekend visit from my family. We went to the Cincinnati Museum Center on Friday, and to the Creation Museum on Saturday. The rest of the time we spent just hanging out, playing cards, swimming, and talking about babies. It was so much fun and I feel very sad that they are gone, so I can't think about that too much (since I'm at work!). I would especially like to thank my wonderful mother who cleaned out my evil fridge and made it smell as nice as possible. I think she also polished my stove! I appreciate all of them making the long journey to come and visit us and see our house. It was so much fun and I already miss them a lot!

The pregnancy seems to be going fine. I am feeling a bit better. I still have a few moments of nausea and tiredness but it is much much better than it used to be. I feel pretty tired right now but we had a busy weekend. I'll catch up on my rest this week! :) I have been feeling lots of stretching and pulling and my tummy area has definitely gotten bigger but I haven't gained any weight since my last appointment (yeah, yeah, yeah), so I guess that is what is supposed to happen! We have 5 more weeks until we find out the sex of the baby. I feel so nervous and excited for that moment. I have an appointment a week from this Friday and I'll find out then, exactly when that day will be, but I know they do the ultrasound at 20 weeks. I'm 15 weeks tomorrow, so only 5 weeks to go before we know for sure! If any family member is reading this and doesn't want to know the sex of the baby, they had better warn us ahead of time and we'll try our best to keep it a secret from those people.

I ordered a few more cloth diapers today. One of them comes with a cloth diapering guide, which will be useful. I wish I had a real baby that I could test all of this on, but I guess that is coming in the future. My mom left my favorite doll with me, so at least I have a model. We're getting much closer to having enough newborn sized diapers to work for us. I need to start collecting a few more size small, because you never know how long he/she will stay in the newborn size! Could be a week! :) I also bought a Mei Tai carrier. I have done lots of research on carriers and we're both pretty excited about "wearing" our baby rather than using a bulky carrier. There was one I looked at with all these metal bars and stuff and looked horrible! I have been taking advice from someone else who has done a lot of baby wearing, so I feel pretty confident in these choices. I plan to also purchase a Moby carrier (perhaps even after the baby arrives) because these look so secure and comfortable, and maybe a sling carrier for the newborn and very small infant stage. We'll see.

We have not caught or seen any mice or evidence of mice since Thursday morning. I hope this means that they are gone!! I'm going to set a few more traps, just to be sure, but we were seeing fresh poop daily and we haven't seen any since we caught the one in the trap. I'm still a bit scared of going out in the mudroom area or in the trash pantry. I need Andrew to help me clean up that area, as the mouse shredded a few paper items in there and I don't really want to go exploring. I stuffed a few openings with steel wool but I'm about ready to use the expanding foam to really seal them! I HATE mice! I hope I can start to feel comfortable again soon. I might just have to get over things!

Ok, this was a really long update! Have a good day!

400th post!

I have sad news to bear upon the anniversary of my 400th post. A war to end all wars has erupted at our house because I discovered this morning . . . our house is not mouse free! I actually saw one (the first time EVER) this morning, when I was headed to let Dewey out of the laundry room. Andrew was able to let it out the back door (I was still streaming in the bathroom) and he said it was very small. I cannot express with words the loathing that I feel when it comes to varmits of any kind living in my dwelling! I actually don't even feel like going home tonight! It is horrible horrible! So, we set another trap (I'm going to buy more at lunch, probably way more than the rational mind would conceive as necessary) and will hopefully get rid of them. I'm about to turn out a huge bowl of poison on them, but I am fearful of my dog eating it. Andrew theory (which does make me feel better) is that since I plugged the hole in the garage (where we thought the mice might be coming in) last night, the mouse today couldn't find a way out of the house. I am also going on another hunt today for expanding foam. Soon our house will be sided with expanding foam instead of vinyl siding. Don't put it past me!

This is WAR! I did not put this much time, effort, and money into this house to suddently have it invaded by the most unwelcome guests imaginable!

He Came, He Stole, We Conquered!

We finally . . . . finally caught our mouse last night! I had set a "traditional" trap in the garbage pantry floor (we have a food pantry and another pantry where our garbage can is) and we got him. Things didn't work out as perfectly as I had wanted, because I was actually the one to discover the dead mouse this morning, as I was working on my crockpot chili for tonight. I admit that I am still a big baby about mice, so I screamed and ran to get Andrew to throw it away. I am hoping against all hope that this was the only mouse in our house and that we can block the one passage way that I think he used. It certainly was a relief to catch him. Maybe it will now be safe for me to purchase more rubber spatulas without them being nibbled on!

Special thanks: to Wayne who set the first two traps (although they didn't work), to Andrew who set the next four traps (which didn't work) and is brave enough to clean up any dead mouse parts, and to my parents, Grandma Myers, and Andrew's Aunt Anne, who all offered their cats, if we were unable to catch the mouse!

RIP little thief!

Progress!

We made so much progress upstairs this weekend! I painted the bathroom on Saturday night, and the ceiling on Sunday. Then Wayne and Susan came over to help us tile the bathroom floor. Susan also trimmed the "baby's" room, which will also serve as a guest room for my parents this weekend. The tile is down in the bathroom and Andrew will grout it tonight. The toilet and vanity will go in on Tuesday night. We aren't going to worry about doing the shower at this time, although you all know how much I can't wait to use the bathtub, so I might push for that sooner rather than later! I wish I had pictures, but we were lazy and didn't take any, in the midst of painting and tiling. Perhaps I can get a few in tonight. I feel like I'm starving now, so I'll actually go eat my lunch during my lunch break.

Settling Down!

I'm looking forward to settling down into a routine after this baby arrives. I was thinking about our lives these past few years and all the changes we've had. Of course, I realize that we are about to go through one of the biggest life changes possible: a new baby.

2003: Got married and Andrew got a new job.

2004: Went to Europe, I got a new job, and we bought our first house.

2005: We quit our jobs in Sterling, Andrew got a new job, went back to school, and we moved to Ohio.

2006: I got a new job. We bought land and started building our new house.

2007: We finished building our own house and discovered that we're having a baby!

I feel like I've been through plenty of life changes to last a while now!

Yea, Yea, Yea!

I am beginning to feel a bit more normal. I hope that I'm not jinxing this by mentioning it, but I hope it's the end of the queasiness. I still felt a bit funny this morning but have certainly perked up after lunch and I don't feel like dropping to the middle of the floor for a nap! Hopefully I won't take my new found energy for granted and start to overdue it (I've had visions of me finishing the painting in the baby's room tonight)! :)

Our project for this weekend is the upstairs bathroom. I absolutely cannot wait until this is done and I can use my new, very deep, bathtub! We are hoping to get the tile in, so we can get the toilet in, before my family comes for a visit this weekend. I'm very excited about having them come and visit. It will be the first time that my parents and brother have seen our new house! Too bad it's not finished! Oh well!

I'm beginning to order a few baby things so that we don't have a huge cost all at once. I'm also trying to only buy things that I don't think anyone else will buy! I ordered a few premade cloth diapers and glass bottles (no plastic for us!) this week. I'm excited for them to arrive to finally see how this "type" of cloth diaper works.

Ok, I guess that's it for today. Maybe I'll be really ambitious and take pictures of the upstairs bathroom progress tonight, but I'm not making any promises. My lunch break is about over! Bye for now!

It should be going away now!

I am 13 weeks along today. I am waiting for some sign that my morning sickness has passed, but so far, no such luck because I lost my supper last night and well . . . 1/2 of my breakfast this morning. I've also begun having sinus headaches constantly. Some days are worse than others. I've read that this can happen more frequently because of tissue being more inflammed because of Estrogen. Despite all of this, I still feel so thrilled that this is happening to me. Even though this is a common experience for women, I still feel like it is a miracle! I just keep telling myself that the sickness should only last a few more days and that seems to get me through.

On Sunday, our pastor challenged us to fast from something this week, although not necessarily a food fast, and take that time to quiet our lives down and spend more time praying. So, I decided to give up TV for the week. I generally don't watch all that much TV to begin with (or I didn't think so). Last night, since I didn't turn on the TV, I was able to get some reading done, actually cook supper and fold and put away the laundry. I even felt like I had time to rest and relax as well. Many times I don't feel like I have enough time to get things done, but when I look back on the day, I will have wasted hours watching TV or a movie, not necessarily with a purpose, but just flipping through the channels for a moment and getting hooked on something. It will be interesting to see if I can be more rested this week, just by giving up TV, something that I felt before was "relaxing". Andrew is fasting from playing computer chess this week, which I was thrilled to hear, as that should free up some extensive time in his schedule!!

I'm off to work now!

Yeah for my mom!

Take a look at what my sweet talented mother is making for us! Diapers! I bought the pattern and materials but took one look at it and realized it was probably beyond me (I might try it later, maybe) so I passed it off to my mom and look what she has already done. Isn't it cute?! I can't wait to use these on our precious baby!

Not sure why she used this doll as a model. We had better looking dolls, I promise!

So Tiny!

P.S. Yes, we are going to give cloth diapering a try (for health and cost savings). But really, isn't the diaper just so cute?! Thanks Mom!

We're in love!

We got to hear the heartbeat this morning! I don't think I have ever heard anything so sweet before in my life. It definitely feels real now. The visit wasn't very long besides that. I discovered I need to do a little better with nutrition and exercise (I've done well for two nights but that's about it) as I had gained more than I thought already. My goal is to stay the same for the next appointment or perhaps even drop a pound or two. We did chat a little bit about the hosital and birthing classes. I did ask her about her thoughts on Natural Childbirth. I'm not going to write much about that decision here, because I don't want to get discouraged from doing what I want by people's comments (although I haven't yet). She said everything sounded great with the heartbeat. The only downer was that Andrew has to have a blood sample drawn to test his blood type. He's not very excited about that. Since my blood type is a negative, we have to check and see if his is a positive or not. If it is, I have to have some sort of injection at 28 weeks to protect the baby from my body making antibodies against it. I'm sure everyone else understands this better than I do. Well, I'd best get back to work. I got so much done this morning that I'm way ahead. Maybe I'll get done early!

P.S. Oh! And if anyone knows how to overcome the exhaustion of 1st trimester pregnancy, let me know. It has decided to finally hit me hard this week. I feel like laying down right now and taking a LONG LONG LONG nap!

Second Appointment

We have our second prenatal appointment today at 11:20 am. I'll let you all know how it goes. I believe we're going to listen to the heartbeat! :)

Beans?

I finally spilled them! Only two people were in my meeting (the other two weren't here) but I told them anyway. My boss and co-worker were very happy for me. I still feel sort of weird, like a different person! They assumed I was returning after the baby was born (which is my current plan) so that wasn't ackward. Ok, better get back to work. I'm so relieved that everyone (pretty much) knows now.

It's about time?

We had a great trip to Kansas! It was so much fun to see old college friends, visit with family, and attend our friend's beautiful wedding. We truly did have a great time. I will hopefully post again with pictures soon. I always feel like I'm just catching up on things. My morning sickness is still hitting me hard, but only at home. I was fine while we were in Kansas. Anyway, I feel so nervous today but I think it's about time to tell my boss and co-workers that I'm expecting! Ah! I just wish I could have someone do it for me or just know when the right time is. I feel like I ought to tell them before Friday, because I will be out of the office a bit longer because of my second prenatal appointment. It's right around lunch time, but it may go a little past 1:00 pm. Anyway, my nerves are shot. I just need to get up the guts to walk in there and do it! Ah! I guess I will let you all know how it goes.

Mentally Challenged Mouse?

Ok, I've been seeing evidence of a little rodent invader in our BRAND NEW HOME for a month or so now (we THINK we brought it in with a box). We've had traps set and well, we have a dog, so I thought that would take care of it. I first noticed some poop under the sink and so we set two traps. Then last night the strangest thing happened. We were playing cards with Andrew's cousins and I went to go look for a pen. I opened one of our kitchen drawers only to find one of my pampered chef rubber spatulas had been nibbled on. It definitely happened on Wednesday night as I had put utensils away in this drawer earlier that day and the spatula was still intact. There were shreds of plastic/rubber in the drawer and no poop. It was really torn apart (I wish I had a picture, but I've been short on time). After more careful examination this morning, we discovered that all of our plastic/rubber spatulas in that drawer had been nibbled on (three of them)!! It is sooooooo creepy! I can't stand rodents!!!!!! That is an understatement. I'm not sure why it is not taking our bait in the traps and also it is not eating any food in the house, just plastic/rubber. Weird! It can get in the pantry, so I'm not sure what is going on. Anyway, I'm so freaked out that I wanted to call an exterminator but my husband said no. So, it is now his job to catch and kill whatever it is that is eating my kitchen utensils!

Doubts!

I've had this very weird feeling that is hard to describe since I first discovered my positive pregnancy test. I have felt like it all is a fake. After the first test, I asked Andrew to verify the positive nature of the test, which he did. Upon returning home from camping, I took a second test which was also positive. We took pictures and compared stuff. Yep, positive . . . positive! I was still paranoid, so I preceded to take three more tests (all positive)!! Of course, my husband thought I was nuts but that is nothing new. I continued to progress with nausea, and yes, vomiting, tiredness, irritability, etc. Deep within my heart, I still doubted that this could be happening to us even though my mind said it was true. I suppose this doubt is one not-so-subtle way of reminding me that this is my first time through this process! At the doctor's office I had another test and a blood test. After feeling like I couldn't tell anyone at work, until I was absolutely sure, I called the doctor (midwife actually) today to ask about my blood test results. She told me about all the other tests they had done (and all of them said that I don't have some horrible disease that will affect my baby, I'm not anemic, and my blood type is A-). She finally asked if that was all I wanted. I sheepishly asked if she could just confirm for me that the blood test was also positive. She said, "Oh, this is your first pregnancy, right?" Hmm, yeah, very much so! Anyway, she said both tests run that day (just a yes/no, and also hormone levels) very much indicated that I am, indeed, going to have a baby around February 5th. It's weird that after about 7 weeks of already "knowing" this, it is finally starting to sink in. I feel so nervous right now, as I now have no excuse not to tell my co-workers, which I am about ready to do!

Update: Ah, I chickened out telling my co-worker (the boss is going to wait until next week, as he is gone), perhaps I will later today! Why does this stuff make me so nervous? I need Andrew here to tell everyone, since he is good at that!

Weekend!

I feel so tired that I can hardly remember what we did this past weekend. So, I'd better write it down before I forget! On Saturday, I did my usual job of helping Andrew's uncle clean the church then Andrew and I headed off for a wedding. Andrew was the official photographer. We looked through his photos last night and there are some very good ones. After we finished with the wedding, we went to see a movie. On Sunday, I taught Sunday school, then we headed out to go on a canoeing adventure with some of our friends from church. It took us about 4 hours to go 6 miles in our canoes, but we stopped many times in order to let Andrew (and occasionally other guys) jump off of branches and ropes into the river. Then, there were the times that we got stuck on the bottom of the river. It was occasionally deep (where the rope swings were) but there were plenty of spots that weren't even 1 foot deep. Anyway, there were five canoes and we all stuck together and had a lot of fun. I was so exhausted after that experience that I went home and read for a while and went to bed. I must have pinched a nerve paddling, or something, since my left arm ached all night. It has done this before and I feel an ache in my left shoulder, so they must be related. It feels better now. I got a decent amount of sleep over the weekend but I still feel pretty exhausted today. I think all my jobs are catching up with me. So, after my lessons tonight, it will be early to bed so I can focus more at work tomorrow!

Luxury Awaits!

This past week my husband and father-in-law have been working on our upstairs bathroom. Andrew got the tub drain finished last night. So, if we were to lug buckets of water upstairs, I could take a bath. The supply is not finished yet. The bathtub is pure luxury compared to the one downstairs (which I like for other reasons) and has a nice sloped back and it is deep! I can't wait to take a bath. Not to long now! :)

I thought wrong!

My sickness has returned! Yuck! Needless to say, I'm quite hungry right now, as I lost my breakfast this morning! :( Oh well, I'm feeling a bit better now, and I just have to think that I hopefully only have about 2 or 3 weeks left and that's when most women start to feel better!

Ah! Blogger won't let me add a title! Oh well, I guess it will save at least 5 minutes of me sitting here thinking up one. I thought I was beginning to feel better, however I did not feel good yesterday. I started to perk up in the afternoon, only to be hit by a KILLER sinus headache in the evening hours. I couldn't even read or watch TV. I sort of felt like I was dying about the time Andrew got into bed at 11:00 pm. It cleared up in the middle of the night, because I remember waking up and taking the cold rag off my head because I felt better. Sorry if this whole paragraph doesn't make sense. I feel like if I blink my eyes, they might stay closed for a while. I got 8 hours of sleep last night, and took a nap in the afternoon, but I guess I need more than that! :)

I may have overdone it on Saturday. I cleaned the church, mowed the front yard, cleaned the house some, and then decided to actually paint the nursery upstairs. It may have all been too much! Ok, I'm off to actually concentrate on some work today. It's VBS week! Ah!

Big Projects!

It's a new record! We've lived in our house about 4 1/2 months and we have already started working on it again! Of course, we have somewhat of a deadline, since we need a spot for the new little person that will be living with us in February. We started priming the walls and ceiling in the baby's room last night. I know that some people say not to paint during pregnancy, but I asked my mid-wife and she said it was fine, as long as the room was properly ventilated . . . so we opened the windows. I was also careful not to get any paint on my skin, which if you know me well, you know is a pretty big accomplishment! I also got out of cleaning out the rollers. We got the whole room primed (Andrew did the ceiling) and I went and bought the paint today. It is going to be a cheery yellow. Even though we plan to find out the sex of the baby, I think it sounds annoying to have to repaint that room, if additional children happen to be of the opposite sex! So, we're going with yellow and if it's a boy, the room will have blue accents, and a girl will, obviously, have pink accents. Both colors will look great with yellow.

Our biggest obstacle when trying to finish our upstairs it the cost of carpeting! We want to get the same stuff we have downstairs, since we love it, but it was pretty expensive. I guess I need to actually get a quote before I rule out being able to dig into savings to afford carpet right now. It would be nice to move up there soon! Hopefully the main cost downstairs was running the carpet down the stairs and around our winder step! I think I will go call the carpet guy right now for a quote. I have been talking to several plumbers to see if we can get someone to hook up our tub in the upstairs bathroom. It needs a drain, faucet, and shower run. One guy said $425 which sounds incredibly high! If it is going to be that high, Andrew would do the work himself. It will just save an enormous effort to have someone come in and do that part. The rest of the plumbing should be simpler. I do feel a bit overwhelmed by the thought of priming and painting the master bedroom (which is HUGE) myself, so if you live in the area (hint, hint) and want to help us paint, please let me know, and I'll let you know when we are doing it! :)

Ok, I'm ahead for a usual Friday, probably because I've begun to feel better, but I'd still better get back to work. I still gagged at my fridge and at the church fridge this morning but at least I don't feel nauseated all day! I hope it doesn't return! Happy home improvement!

Mom-in-training?

I'm not sure if my body is just trying to train me to function with sleepless nights or what, but I feel like I'm in training. I did take a significantly long nap yesterday, but I was so tired in the afternoon I felt like I couldn't walk another step when I got home. So I took a nap. When it came time for bed, I finished reading about midnight. I usually read until I feel like I have to prop my eyes open, which some nights is at 10:00 pm. I laid there (I may have slept a little) until 2:30 am when I fully woke up and couldn't sleep anymore. I went out to the couch, with the idea to pop in a movie (always makes me sleep), but just listened to music on my iPod instead. The fridge noises kept bothering me so I went back to bed about 4:00 am and I seriously don't think I slept much, if any during that time, since I had to keep skipping the fast songs on my iPod. I finally fell asleep (for good) about 4:30 am, only to be awakened by my alarm at 6. Well, I made it and I'm here at work today, and I haven't fallen asleep yet! Still being gagged by the fridge and feeling a bit queasier today than the last few days but I think it is lack of sleep and lack of water. I'm going to go drink some of that now! I don't think my bed has ever sounded so good before!

Training and Gross Things!

Dewey decided last night that we needed some training in the art of getting up at night. He was in the laundry room, like usual, except he was whining and barking for an extended period of time (we're talking 1/2 hour +, the time was fuzzy since I was half awake)! So, I finally got up and took him outside (in the rain) to pee. He continued to whine about 15 minutes after that, probably just wanting to sleep in our bed. Apparently, I'm a softy, because as soon as Andrew went out to him and just said "no Dewey" in a gruff voice that even scared me, Dewey was quiet for the rest of the night. I guess we're discovering who the disciplinarian might be.

Also, please skip the next part if you don't want to read about gross things!

La

La

La

La

I just had the pleasure of getting sick at work today. The worst part is that my nose started to bleed right during the "up chuck." Anyway, no harm done. It quit very quickly afterwards. I thought I was starting to feel better as I have been supplementing with B vitamins (and some say that helps morning sickness) but I guess surprises can still happen! At least I feel better now! So, hopefully this will make for smooth sailing during our staff meeting this afternoon, as I'm just not ready to tell the news yet, although the time may come more quickly than I anticipate! I'm looking forward to the rain they say is coming this afternoon and I'm looking forward to getting a lot of sleep tonight, after last night! :)

Dreams!

I'm beginning to have very vivid dreams. Two nights ago, I dreamed I was back in the midwife's office. They had me lay down on a table so they could inject my spine with something that would make me sleep. They wanted to record my brain waves. I remember the painful injection and the falling asleep in my dream. Weird!!

I'm already so sleepy today. If I had the guts, I would call in sick (since I still have all my days) and just sleep, but I doubt I can bring myself to do that!

First Appointment Update!

I had my first appointment yesterday! It went very well. It was really pretty short and simple. I am going to a clinic that has two midwives (I met with one of them yesterday) and about eight doctors. They like for you to have an appointment with everyone before your due date, just in case they are on call for the delivery. This freaked me out a little at first, since I've never been to a man doctor before, but everyone keeps telling me that I absolutely won't care during the birth. I like the place, so I guess I'll just have to overcome this one detail. The midwife set my current official due date as February 5th, 2008. I did the other standard things like pee in a cup and have a few other tests run. I still have to go have my blood work done in the next few days. There are about 12 locations in the area I can do it. I'm probably going to try and get it over with at lunch today. I hate needles and blood, so I was hoping they would do it while I had Andrew there with me, but oh well. She said my next appointment on July 27th would be more extensive. I would get to hear the heartbeat (they only can see it now with an ultrasound) and I would get more information about birth classes, etc. Yikes! Does that mean I actually have to give birth?! :) Anyway, my queasy stomach has just started for the morning, so I'm going to try and eat a healthy breakfast before it gets the best of me. I am going to leave you with a picture I took about four weeks ago, just in case you still had any questions or doubts.

Two Posts! You Guys are Lucky!

To take my mind off of my queasy rolling stomach, I was browsing the good ole' Target for some things.

*Disclaimer: Yes, I know it is very (too) early to be looking at this stuff. Yes, I know I have many months to plan and prepare but I'm not getting any of this (yet), and that's why I'm going slowly . . . one item at a time. But . . . it's fun to think about!

So, what crib do you like better?

Rochester Crib w/ Drawer at Target - $199.99

OR

Aspen Stages Crib with drawer at Target - $369.99

Both seem very acceptable to boy or girl. I just love a dark stain on wood but I'm also open to white (seems like that could be dirty). Ok, well that took about 5 minutes of my time. Perhaps I'll eat a cracker! :)

Plans . . .

My crazy and exciting plans for the evening include . . . . SLEEP! I have never been this tired in my life. Feel like I could sleep sitting up and I can't have a shot of caffeine as a pick-me-up.

Also, the refrigerator and I had another wrestling match this morning. The fridge won! The freezer doesn't have the same effect, weird!

We finally got a much needed soaking rain this morning. Hopefully our patchy grass will grow a bit. I made Dewey go out into the rain this morning to pee. He has been such a good dog lately. I can even let him out into the garage and say "sit" and he stops and sits before exiting the garage (so I can tie him up). He was scared of the thunder.

Perhaps I'd better work, so maybe I can go home early and catch a nap!

I'm Beginning to Understand!

I was thinking the other day that I really haven't been very hormonal (yet?). Apparently that day has arrived. I'm so glad the church is primarily deserted today, otherwise I might be discovered crying. My functional brain realizes that the things making me upset are very unimportant and would normally not bother me, but not today! Part of this problem may be due to lack of sleep. Normally I get between 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours of sleep per night. I've been doing about the same thing lately and it's just not cutting it for me. I actually took a nap during my lunch hour (in the youth room). It's not like I've been doing anything really important. I was mainly waiting to see whether some visitors were coming last night and got caught up in a TV show. I'm beginning to understand what all these books are talking about. My symptoms just show up a few days later than what the books says (so I naively think they aren't going to happen).

Also, the fridge has become my enemy. I promise that we do not have smelly or moldy food in our fridge, however each morning when I go to open the door, I inevitably feel extremely nauseated. It's funny because the trash (in our house and in the garage) does not bother me much. We have been in somewhat of a dilemma what to eat for supper. Andrew has been spending hours finishing up his latest class (which is done with tonight!) and I can't hardly open the fridge to even begin to prepare stuff, so we've primarily been snacking. Thankfully, my main cravings include fruit, so at least it is a healthy snack. On the down side, we're slowly running out of food, so I'm going to have to face the dreaded grocery store soon. The only way I can get through it, is if I stay in the produce section (which isn't bad) or if I bring a mint along for the occasion. That flavor and scent overwhelms all others, and then I'm ok.

Please don't think I am complaining about all of this. The weird thing is, as uncomfortable as I am, I actually like feeling this way, because I know things are going ok! I'm very excited for this and I don't mind feeling a little sick for a while! I am getting very excited about our first appointment next Monday (partly because I took the day off). I just have LOTS of questions about what to do and what not to do, so I hope they can be answered. I even called our insurance today to make sure everything is covered and in network . . . and it is. Beyond the blood test and meeting with the midwife, I have no idea what all is going to happen. I've read that first appointments can be fairly long, so I prepared A for that, so he can tell his boss the appropriate thing.

Ok, I'm feeling better now, so I guess it's back to work!

Father's Day Reflections

This post is a little late, I realize, but better late than never. I just wanted to write a bit about how important my dad has been to me. I have many wonderful childhood memories of Dad reading to me. I don't remember these times, but I'm told that when it came time to read at night I would insist that my dad be the one to read. Many other fond memories include spending hours playing catch with a balled up sock in the living room (we were entertained with very little, I guess) getting "cork its" from Dad and getting the torture chamber. When Mom was gone to a church function or whatever, we knew we could get Dad to give us something that was a little forbidden from Mom, usually juice or milk in a bottle, etc. I do remember going shopping one time with Dad and getting the exact shirt that I wanted! :) Mom would always be very sensitive and nurturing when we were sick and I remember one time I had a bad reaction to a vaccine when Mom was gone. I went to tell Dad I had been sick and he said, "Oh, I'm sorry." This reaction definitely help prepare me for the way my husband now reacts! My dad loves the Royals, Wheaties cereal, coaching boys basketball, and CATS! As I grew up, I started to have more responsibility on the farm (like changing flood irrigation at 6 am) and during one of those times I had a bug fly up my nose while we were on the 4-wheelers and as I sneezed it out, I will never forget how hard my dad laughed. It was funny! My dad worked so hard (and still does) to give us a secure childhood and life and a happy one! There are times that I feel sad that my children won't have the same childhood that I did, but I am glad of the fact that I can send them off to the Fairchild Farms for a true farming experience with my dad!

You Guessed It!

We're expecting a baby in early February. My first appointment is next Monday and I have already taken the day off of work! Yeah for sleep! Andrew said he would have to tell his boss (since Andrew is coming with me to the appointment) and I think that is fine.

The rest of this post will most likely be about puking, so if you don't want to read it, stop here!

So, I really didn't think I would be the type of person to actually get physically sick (a little nauseated maybe) but my second episode was this morning! Both times have been because of something stupid I did. The first time I took my vitamins on an empty stomach (still managed to wait until Andrew had left the hotel room) and this morning I threw out some stinky soup. I knew the thought of it made me gag but I told myself it wouldn't be a big deal. It was the smell that got me this time. Andrew was in the bathroom and so I had to use our back yard! Sorry if this is too much information. I think things like this will spur Andrew on to finish the upstairs bathroom more quickly (which he already hopes to have done by August). I was hoping none of our neighbors were out for a morning stroll! I haven't tried the crackers in bed thing, but I may have to start trying that. For the most part, I feel fairly good, so long as I have something in my stomach and I don't think about yucky foods (like green peppers and eggs, which I'm sure I will love again in a few months).

I was feeling so good last night before bed that I was beginning to worry about my hormone levels or that everything was ok with the baby, so I guess that is what I get for worrying, a great big reminder. I'm hoping to have a new look for my blog but I need the help of my ultra talented husband, so it may take awhile before we have the time!

A Post from the Road

I apologize for my vague posts and lack of frequency. To see what news we've been holding in, please go to the bottom of the blog to view my new ticker! More news and hopefully a new skin to the site will be forthcoming!

I don't think we're in Kansas anymore!

We're on our way to Kansas tonight (actually stopping in St. Louis). I'm excited to get to see my family. I will make sure that Andrew brings his camera so we can have pictures for my blog. I hope blogging hasn't taken over my old scrapbooking habits. When we get back, I will convince Andrew to get my card table from storage (aka Grandma M's barn) and then I'll set it up in the basement. Now that I have an area to work, maybe it will be little easier. Anyway, a bit off subject there. Perhaps I'll blog from the road!

MIA

Sorry that I haven't posted very often and that my posts have been boring! I am in the midst of working on a new template for my blog to make things more interesting and will try to put it up once we get back from Kansas! Tonight I am practicing with the piano player from the Monroe Pres Church, as I am singing there on Sunday, and then tomorrow night Andrew and I are going to enjoy a nice homemade pizza and movie. We used to do this all the time, but haven't lately, since our small group meets on Friday nights. We used to get mexican food, so I'm still having a debate between making Mexican food or having my yummy homemade pizza (I use a WW crust and lots of fresh veggies. Of course, there is always plenty of cheese too.). The weather here has been absolutely amazing this last week. It's supposed to be in the 90's today and so I'm holding out hope for perhaps a swim this weekend. It doesn't feel like summer until I've been swimming!

Yards and Such

Our major project this last week has been getting our yard to grow. We thought that it might be hopeless, due to lack of rain, but we've begun to see a few little sprouts shoot up. There IS hope! I wish I had some pictures to post, but we just haven't gotten around to doing so. We enjoyed a nice little thunderstorm this evening to help water our grass. The next two weeks will be filled with us preparing to head to Kansas for a wedding the weekend after next. We are leaving on Wednesday night, and staying in St. Louis, in order to have Andrew arrive for the wedding festivities (he's a groomsman). I have to work ahead at work, so that's what I'll be doing. It works out well, if I know when I am going to be gone, and I can get stuff done ahead of time. Guess that's all for now!

Camping

Our camping trip went well. It was a little busy, but we had fun with everyone. We lived in luxury in our new tent, with out double high air bed, so it was very comfortable. The only thing that wasn't fun was the pit toilets, but we survived! :)

Andrew forgot his camera, but I'll try to post some pictures that other people took on the trip.

We have a pretty relaxing week planned. I canceled my voice lessons for the week, just to have a week off, so I'm looking forward to having a free evening. Maybe I'll actually do some work around the house!

Happy Anniversary Honey!

It was this day, 4-years ago, that I had no idea what I was getting into! :) I mean that in the very best way possible. I felt like I knew you very well that day, but I had, and still have, a lot to learn about you. Every day, I am impressed with your ability to laugh. You are able to laugh at yourself and you help me to lighten up and realize that it is ok to have fun and enjoy things. You are able to put up with me, with a kind patience, when I know that I am being very difficult. You love me even though I complain too much, demand perfection in house cleaning (you must make the bed this way!), and get so overcommitted that you are the first thing in my life that gets no attention. You know to head directly for the ice and a band aids when I start shouting "Andrew . . . emergency", as I have a lot of accidents, but they are rarely emergencies! You amaze me constantly with your giving heart, your kindness, your devotion to God and to your family, and your patience. I knew the moment we started the criticism fast that you would beat me, hands down, since that is the way you live your life, not judging other people. I have loved every moment of being married to you (even though it's not perfect), you have taught me so much more than I ever expected, and our life together is really only beginning. As all of my co-workers (all married 30+ years) say, "You guys are just babes". So, I can't wait for the experiences of the years to come. It's never been boring with you, and that is the last thing I'm thankful for, in the list of many wonderful things you have given to me! I love you!

This Little Piggy!

My little piggy (actually my big piggy on my left foot) got smashed by the vacuum last night and is quite sore today. I won't go into detail but it has to do with a bent toenail being quite battered. It's amazing how someone can be both accident prone and have such a low pain tolerance, as I do. It's amazing, I should be put on display! :)

My recital went very well. The students over came their nerves (a lot of them) and all performed wonderfully. It all went so well, that if I have consistent numbers, I will try to have another one in December, so we can get in two per year. I will try to sing something at the next one, although it's difficult for me to have time to work on my own stuff, in between working with everyone else. I'll just have to pick something and start now.

In other news: my cousin, Laura, got engaged this weekend. We're all very excited for her. They think the wedding will be next May.

We have a camping trip planned for this weekend. We're going to eastern Ohio near Belmont to camp with Andrew's family. We're especially excited to try out our new tent that my in-law's bought us for Christmas. Our old one got broken in some stong Kansas winds on it's second use! Unfortunately, due to some long distance trips in the middle of camping, Dewey will have to be boarded for the first time ever! I'm already feeling a bit sad.

Yeah for Bloggers new feature. It's now automatically saves drafts in the middle of typing. This will save us much heartache for those "lost" blogs.

Returning and Recipes

I have just now returned home after a very fun and enjoyable trip to Grand Rapids, Michigan to meet up with my sis and her friend to visit my Grandma. We had a great time together, going to a concert, playing games, watching a movie, eating, and shopping! It was such a fun girls weekend together! I wish I could say that I have pictures to post, but I forgot to bring my camera.

Here is the recipe for the Bulgar Pilaf. It actually calls for Quinoa but I couldn't find anything so the Bulgar worked well.

1 3/4 cups water
3/4 cups bulgar
1/2 cup shelled unsalted pistachios
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon extra=virgin olive oil, divided
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven or toaster oven to 350.

Combine water and bulgar in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain and place in a mixing bowl. While bulgar is cooking, spread pistachios on a baking tray and bake until lightly browned and fragrant, about 10 minutes. Cool and roughly chop. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and scallions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add to bulgar, along with pistachios, vinegar, and remaining oil; stir to combine. Season with salt and peper to taste and serve.

Landlords

Well, we're landlords once again. We were considering selling our house in Sterling, but we could never move forward with our realtor, then within about 24 hours, we had 3 inquiries of renters. So, we're renting it out again. The good thing is our new renter is moving in on Sunday, so right away! I was worried about covering the payments on everything until we sold it and so now we don't have to worry about that. Let's hope the house holds out!

Whirlwind 2 weeks!

Well, we've got a busy two weeks planned, but it's not as busy as last year, when I was singing with the May Festival Chorus (check out www.mayfestival.com). I am going to miss their concerts this year, but hopefully, in the future, I'll be able to join them again as a singer!

Tonight is my dress rehearsal for my voice students. I think they are mostly ready. I have a few that need a bit more work on their songs. We'll see how it goes tonight. I'm giving on lesson tomorrow night. Then the rest of the week (in the evenings) I will be preparing for the recital and reception afterwards. I'm also in charge of our 3 and 4 year old classroom at church. I've been putting together the summer schedule, and it's finally starting to take shape. It's more of a responsibility than I bargained for, but it's only for the summer. Then on Friday, I'm meeting my sister in Michigan to visit our Grandma for the weekend. It should be lots of fun. Next Monday, we will be at the recital, then Tuesday will be another lesson (I have one girl not participating), then on Wednesday evening, we will go down to the Creation Museum in Kentucky to view the grand opening (we are members). Thursday will take us to Grace Chapel for a going away party for some of our friends. Also, two of my voice students have a performance at their school that night, so I MIGHT try to make that. The day after that is our 4th wedding anniversary (I can't believe it) and we are going camping for the weekend.

I can't believe that summer is already upon us. Besides the things listed above that keep me busy, I've been enjoying my kitchen lately. I do wish I had more time to experiment and cook, but I enjoy what I've been able to do anyway. I hope Andrew enjoys it too! :) I'll try to post some recipes on here, when I get a chance.

All for now!

Yard Work!

We finally had our yard graded yesterday! It looks so nice and smooth now. We've still got plenty of work ahead to get our yard presentable, but we're on our way. I took about an hour last night to mow most of the back yard, so our good view has returned. I should take an early morning pictures sometime. It's beautiful! The excavator is still going to come out and rock hound, since the front yard is full of rocks. Hopefully that will help our grass to grow a bit better. Andrew will probably be planting grass the weekend I'm up in Michigan with my sister, visiting my Grandma. I'm looking forward to that trip!

Today is Dewey's day to head to the vet. We're switching vets because the other one was so expensive. We'll see how today goes. Thankfully, Dewey has never been scared of the vet. He loves to meet new people so much that he doesn't care that he gets a little shot at the same time. The only thing he really doesn't like is a bath (or any water of any kind). Perhaps it is because he fell into a swimming pool as a pup, but I'm not a doggy psychologist, so I won't try to figure it out!

Have a great day, ya'll!

Local Happenings

I came across this article today and wondered if my mom made the trip over to see the President (I kind of doubt she knew he was going to be there). Greensburg is approx 1 hour away from my childhood home. I'm so glad that President Bush showed his support for this small Kansas town.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070509/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

Kansas, Kansas

My poor home state has been wracked with terrible storms lately. The town that's been making national news due to its 95% destruction (F5 tornado), was one that I played tennis in frequently. I'm glad I was able to visit the worlds largest hand dug well, before it was all collapsed. Please remember Greensburg in your prayers, as they work on rebuilding their entire town!

I am thankful that my parents are safe, with minimal damage to their property. I believe they had a branch fall on their garage (separate from the house) so it could have been much worse, since there were tornados close by their area. Mom said she spent much of the night in their storm shelter (I heard a rumor of over 50 tornados in the state that night). I'll leave you with a picture looking out my grandparents balcony to their land and the Rattlesnake Creek, due to all the rain.

Our Weekend!

Our weekend went way too fast, but we had so much fun! On Friday night, we had our small group again and like usual, we had some great discussions, and it was a lot of fun. Then Saturday, I cleaned the church, cleaned my house, saw Spiderman 3, went birthday shopping with Andrew (see paragraph below), and went to a Red's game. I have pictures of the game, so we'll see if I ever get around to posting them on here! It was so much fun, but it got started late because of the rain and we were sitting by a few obnoxious drunk people, but I had a good time anyway.

If you've never discovered Andrew's hidden talent for shopping, you should. Anyone who knows him, knows that he is generally free with advice and will say what he thinks (in a nice way) about stuff. Well, this shopping trip I decided to actually listen to him. Besides him picking out a few things that were much lower cut than I would ever wear, he really had remarkable taste. He picked out a fabulous shirt that I would have never looked at, because I thought it would be too small. When I tried it on, it was perfect. He even suggested combinations for me, that looked great (aka, this shirt would go great with jeans, this skirt would go great with this other color). I've had this great fashion resource for almost 4 years now and I never knew he could be such good help when picking out clothes. I know he was uncomfortable for most of the time (me in the dressing room and him standing looking through clothing in a women's clothing shop) but he was an excellent sport and would even go get me a different size, if needed. So, that was a great birthday gift!!!

Wonderful Start

I've had a wonderful start to my birthday. I received a wonderful birthday package from my parents yesterday. My mom had picked out three tops for me. Although they are different than what I normally wear, I like them (which impresses me) and I've already started reading a book my mom sent. Also, Andrew got up early and made me breakfast. I am wearing my pink shoes today and Dewey got to sleep with us last night (and mostly on Andrew's side of the bed). The plans for the rest of the day include a lunch with my co-workers, supper from Abeulos with Andrew (I'm debating just getting takeout, since gas prices are so high) and then just relaxing with a movie and dinner. We are also going to do a few more things on Saturday. Andrew is going to give me my birthday present then. It's what I want every year, and I don't think we've ever done it before. It is for him to go clothes shopping with me (no whining allowed). I like it when he does this because 1) I have someone to carry my bags, 2) I have someone who will be nicely honest with me about what does and doesn't look good (plus I have an issue with looking youthful, so he helps me), and 3) he encourages me to try things on that I never would have thought I liked. I honestly have so little clothes that fit now. Probably 4 or 4 pair of pants, no capri's, one pair of jeans, so it is high time to do a little birthday money shopping. So, we're planning on doing that on Saturday, as well as going to a Red's game. For someone who grew up going to a lot of sporting events (and I wasn't very interested in sports) I have a surprising love for professional sports. I just like the atmosphere and the relaxing "American" feeling that baseball games give.

I'm posting another blog today on my weightloss blog. If you want to read that, send me and email and I'll send you the link to that. Otherwise, I'd like it to be a bit more private!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Pig-Skin Roundball

Andrew's company has tickets to an event tonight, in Middletown, called the "Pig-Skin Roundball". Since Andrew's boss is out of town, we got the tickets. It is a charity event that helps to fund scholarships for Middletown athetics/academics. Tonight we will hear David Pollack (a linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals) and Sean Miller (Xavier men's basketball head coach) speak. I think there are also some raffles and whatnot. Anyway, that's what we're doing tonight!

Bye Bye Bloggers

So many of the blogs I read are ending. I have such a short "blog roll" already and now two of them are quitting! So, if anyone has read any good blogs lately, post them and I'll read (and if I like them) I'll link!

Wood Sugar!

My mom introduced me to Epic gum a few years ago and I just want to promote it a bit, since it's great stuff. The secret of Epic gum is it's use of Xylitol, a wood "sugar" that actually classifies as a sugar substitue. The great thing is that Xylitol is not a chemical, like many sugar substitutes (and real sugar, actually) but is a naturally occuring sugar in your body. If you want more info, click the links below.

http://www.angelfire.com/az/sthurston/xylitol_natural_sweetener.html
www.epicdental.com

We are starting up our small group again tonight. I am excited to get together again with our friends! Also, since I can't remember the password to my weightloss blog (it's been a while since I logged on), I'm going to have to create another one. If you want to read it, shoot me and email @ jaime_schechter@yahoo.com and I'll send you a link. I'm going to try and update it several times a week, as I hope to have a lot to report!

Also, I am finally going to be a paid blogger. I have to wait for the company to start sending me a few assignments, so be warned, there may be a few more links on here in the future. Hopefully, I can tie everything together, so it doesn't seem random! I'm excited to start that. Have a fun evening! It's FlyLady date night and so I'm going on a "date" with my husband to Bible study with our small group!

Truck Pictures

Here is Andrew's "new" truck. We removed the detail from the side of the truck.

We removed it using a hair dryer and that's why I'm being silly. I can't believe I'm showing my silly side on my blog! *gasp*

2 acres

I spent the majority of my weekend mowing. I had no idea how long it would take to mow our property. The main problem is that our ground is very bumpy and strewn with endless metal objects left by the previous owner. I think I stopped over 20 times to pickup and move some sort of dangerous object or a large rock, etc. I know it will get easier every time because this stuff will eventually get all picked up, but for right now, it can be a bit overwhelming!! We are having our excavator haul off a bunch of junk. It needs to dry out a little bit before he can come to haul and grade.

A college friend of ours is coming to stay the night. We're having a small cookout which should be good! :)

I have been enjoying my elliptical machine. I have a very nice setup in the basement. I have a TV and DVD player, a matt, weights, and my elliptical machine. I have been renting and watching musicals from the Library. I really need to be familiar with more musicals (although I know a lot) so this is the perfect way to do it. It's amazing how fast 20 minutes on the elliptical goes while watching Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat! :) I'm done with that now, so I'm going back to the Library today for another one.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I keep meaning to do that, but it seems everytime I'm home, I'm either cleaning something or the computer is busy! :) So, they will come eventually.

Things to come

Yes, I will post recipes soon, as soon as I have time to quit making them and actually post them. My newest endeavor in the kitchen was to make my own pie crust last night, with organic, chemical free "crisco" (no, not the crisco brand that says it's 100% trans fat free, which is even more unhealthly, but this is a pressed palm oil made by spectre). I threw in some whole wheat flour for good measure. I am taking a meal tonight to someone in our church who has cancer and so that was my motivation for chicken pot pie and the healthy crust. We didn't eat until 9:00 pm last night, but (in my opinion) it was well worth it. The crust wasn't heavy or dry from the whole wheat, like I feared, but was flaky and tender. If I were to do this again, I would make the crust ahead of time and just refridgerate. It was a bit much for one night. It was hard to roll out because it was so crumbly, but I finally managed, even though my crust edges weren't that pretty! :) I'll try to post this and the salmon cakes soon.

My elliptical machine arrived last night. I have felt guilty for spending the money on it, but I'll just have to make sure I use it, in order to get my money's worth. As my mom said (in her wise counsel), maybe it will save on medical bills later in the life. Andrew will put it together for me tonight. I will hopefully take some pictures of it.

We are finally going to be able to grade our yard next week or the next. We've been waiting for the cable company to come and bury our high speed internet cable. I called them and bugged them about 10 times, so that might have helped the speedy process. I let them know that they were holding us up from finishing up our outside grading. The excavator is going to come early next week, if there is no rain. It will be nice to be able to plant some grass seed!

We are also, finally, finalizing our mortgage. I've been on pins and needles getting this worked out. One company wouldn't finance us because our upstairs isn't finished. I told them this was ridiculous, since most people have an unfinished basement too, but it was no avail. So we had to agree to a higher interest rate at the bank where we had our construction loan. It will work out in time. We'll probably refinance eventually, but I'm just glad we can get started paying this thing off (even if that will take a while). I'm mailing the final papers back today.

The rest of our time has become engulfed in a crazy obsession with Battlestar Galactica. Andrew has always watched this TV show, and I tried to watch it a few times, just to see what the fuss was about, but could never really get hooked. Well, a few weeks ago, we started out from the very beginning (I have bought Andrew all of the seasons, for different birthday's/occasions) with the miniseries. It's amazing how much more I enjoy it when I understand what is going on. Normally, I have an intense dislike for Science Fiction shows. I'm not a fan of aliens! However, this show not only has Science Fiction elements but it also includes human relationships, human emotions, politics, ethics, etc, so it makes for a very interesting show. We are close to ending season 2 and season 3 has yet to be released on DVD, so our obsession will soon end! It's been a fun thing to enjoy with Andrew and now I can watch the upcoming episodes with more interest, since I know what is going on. I can't believe I have enjoyed it so much. I guess it's just a lesson to all of us (but mainly to myself) not to dislike something like this, until you've actually given it a chance!

A Slice of Heaven (not)

This won't be long.

Last night, as I was chopping an onion for our crock pot chili (for tonight). I turn to look at Andrew and listen to what he was saying.

Slice . . . . . . I howled with pain (Andrew hates it when I cry loudly), and discovered I sliced open my left pointer finger. No stitches required. I thought I was going to die, Andrew assured me that I was fine. It was our shapest knife, so the cut wasn't too big.

This is a reminder that I'm a big wimp when I comes to pain. I got light headed when I saw the sink full of blood and again this morning when I changed the bandaid in the shower! I try to be brave but my body (blood pressure) just reacts without any consideration for what my brain wants it to do!!



We bought a truck! I'll post pictures when I'm at home (by the memory card with the pictures) and when my finger doesn't throb when I type (tomorrow???).

Have a Happy Monday!!

Happenings

I certainly still feel pretty busy, but life has settled down for us, since we're able to be in one spot and have our own place. It's quite nice! I've been enjoying myself lately while cooking (and sometimes while keeping house). The best thing we had this week was Salmon Cakes. I'll try to post the recipe on here this weekend, it's at home.

We are in the midst of trying to find a vehicle (a truck) for Andrew to buy. He has some contacts through his work, but nothing has worked out for us yet. We are going to look at a truck in Indiana tonight. It's a Sonoma, I think. He has been needing a vehicle for some time and we are able to just outright buy one (yeah for the power of cash when bartering with car sales people) with our tax refund and savings. I hope this one we see tonight is the right price and has good features. I like it because it is an automatic transmission (aka. I can drive it). So we'll see.

I've been doing well with my eating (we've been having yummy stuff, so it's not hard) and have just started an exercise plan that I hope I can stick with. I've lost approx. 8 lbs so far. Our bathroom scale isn't very good, so it's hard to see exactly what's happening. I finally ordered my elliptical machine yesterday. I thought I would walk more outside, but it's been so cold lately that I haven't been doing anything. I would like to do something for 30 minutes per day, so I may have to break that down into two sessions, to fit into my schedule. Andrew is going to help me set up a little workout spot downstairs, this weekend, in preparation for the arrival of my elliptical. Eventually, I also need to add a weight bench, a exercise ball and exercise mat, since the floor down there is concrete.

Next Tuesday evening, I am going to begin to take voice students on Tuesday nights, as well as Mondays. My original hope was that several of my Monday night students would switch to Tuesday, so Monday's wouldn't be so full. Only one has switched so far. I have promised Andrew that I will only take 8 students total (the plan was 4 on Monday and 4 on Tuesday) and right now I have 7. I definitely realize that I have overcommiting disease, so I need some sort of regulation (or regulator) in my life, so Andrew has to approve if I am going to add any more students. We are also starting up our small group from church again on Friday nights. It's been so much fun and can't wait to get together with our friends again. The only other thing I've committed to was to take over being "coach" of the 3 & 4 year old classroom, just for the summer to give the current coach a break.

All for now. If we buy the truck, I'll post pictures, and hopefully we'll have more inside and outside (which isn't very pretty right now) shots of the house soon!

Pictures!!

I will begin the picture segment of my blog with a lovely shot of our pup, Dewey. We were trying to capture him smiling, but we didn't quite get it. It's a cute picture anyway.

Dewey leaping in the air!

The office. The only thing that needs finished are the windows!

The bathroom with the beautiful curtain that Susan made us.

Our bedroom with Dewey messing up the neatly made bed. Notice our new bed skirt, also made by Susan.

A view into the living room. Sorry, I didn't get a picture of the piano.

A picture of the kitchen. Sorry, it's kind of dark.

The mudroom/laundry room.

My shiny sink!

Not sure why Andrew took this one, but it's of me, the sink, and the Bar Keepers Friend that I used to make it shiny.


Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures this weekend, when Jenny and her boyfriend Luke came for the weekend. I'm not sure why we didn't get around to it but we'll have to take twice as many next time.

Somewhat Boring Life . . .

So here's an update on our somewhat boring life (which has been such a nice change). Andrew continues to plug away at his new accounting class. I'm not sure the course work is more challenging but it certainly is more time consuming. We've definitely been watching much less TV than before and I've had lots of good time to sit in the office and read while he is working on homework.

My sister and her boyfriend are coming this weekend for a visit. They are arriving Friday and leaving Sunday. If our plan works out we'll have tea on Saturday noon, supper at the Montgomery Inn Boathouse (Andrew and I have never been there) and then we'll catch the Red's game. Unfortunately, you can't make reservations for the Boathouse but you are only able to call ahead and find out available times and we might not go to the Red's game if it's too cold. Right now, they are saying 39 degrees, which is up four from yesterday.

I've primarily been working on getting my Flylady routine's in place. So far, these are my routines. I think I'm about ready to move on to weekly routines as well, but I don't want to go to fast (and crash and burn).

After Work Routine:
Start load of Laundry
Unpack Flylady "Office in a Bag"
Supper (Prep, eat, and cleanup)
Load Dishwasher
5 Minute Room Rescue
15 minute Filing (This will drop off, as soon as the pound of paperwork we're buried under is flung).

Before Bed Routine:
Shine Your Sink (Which lead to washing the dishes, putting away the dish drain dishes, and wiping counters)
Laundry to Dryer
Start Dishwasher
Prep Lunches (all but Sandwich)
Water Plans
Lay out tomorrow's clothes
Think about what's for dinner (put meat in fridge to dethaw, etc)

Morning Routine:
Let Dog Out (Brr, it was cold this morning)
Shower, fix hair and face
Swish and Swipe the bathroom (I clean the toilet and sink with a spray of Clorox and a paper towel each morning)
Morning Devotional Time
(By this time, Andrew's out of bed)
Make Bed
Get Dressed
Finish Lunches
Empty Dishwasher
Fix Breakfast
Fold Clothes and put Away

My morning routine is a bit too long, I think. I was about 5 minutes late for work this morning. I'm trying to figure out another way to fold the laundry, as I've never actually done this before in the morning, it's just in the plan. If you're totally confused, you can check out www.flylady.net or feel free ask me questions. It's so much fun!! I'm going to try to remember to take pictures and post soon!