Labor Day - 2012

Are you ready to be bombarded with photos??? GOOD! 'Cause there will be lots of them in this post!

The last time I went to my mom (and now) step-dad's cabin, was Labor Day 2010, I rode with my sister, and took Julia with me. She was only 6 months old at the time, and it wasn't an exactly restful weekend for me. LOVED the view, the atmosphere, everything...but that little goober would NOT sleep at night!

This year, though...this year was different. When I mentioned the trip to Michael, I originally wanted the four of us to go. I know he would love it up there just as much as I do, and we're hoping to make one trip up as a family in the near future. His reaction to my suggestion was...unexpected to say the least! He said to me "Well, maybe I'll just keep the kids home, and let you go alone..." WHA??? I thought he was joking. Seriously!!! The subject came up a few more times, and I kept referring to it as "our trip". Well, one time he said "Our trip? I thought you were going alone?" I was shocked. Stoked. Excited. Nervous... Long story short, I got to go up north, away from civilization without the kids for three. whole. days. It was wonderful. My phone didn't work. I had no laptop. We watched ZERO TV. Now, that's not to say that there weren't working phones, or other techy goodies (their iPad) that could have entertained me. I managed to stay away for the most part! I actually managed to stay off the iPad until the day we left. Even then, it was just to hop on to show mom some pictures (and I responded to a message that I got), but I left all 99 Facebook notifications, and the other three messages alone. It was so nice. I was so relaxed by the end of the weekend that I almost didn't know what to do with myself. We ate well, took boat rides, my sis and I went for a walk, watched the sun set a couple of times...oh...and I got to drive a REALLY nice truck! :-) Anywho...the weekend was fabulous, and I can't wait to go back with Michael and the kids!

Ready for some pics? Ok, here you go!

The sunset on the ride up...

The view...all day...every day.

The start of one sunset.

The only firework pic I could get!

The road my sis and I walked on (well, one way...came back another way)

A cool looking tree on our walk.

 Some neat dead trees in a clearing. (I was wishing I had my zoom lens right about now)

Another pretty stinkin' cool tree.

 On the lake...

 On the lake...

 On the lake...I really like this one.

 A sail boat on the lake...

The beginning of a gorgeous sunset.

 Gorgeous sunset continued

 Gorgeous sunset still continued

Gorgeous sunset continued...fire in the sky.

And the gorgeous sunset concluded. :-)

Hope you enjoyed them as much as I do...
God Bless!!!

Made some changes...

Got bored with my layout/colors/fonts. Whatchu think? :-)

God bless!

Honey, what would you do if you'd never met me?

The first time I heard this song, I was at my sisters house helping her out at the end of her surro-pregnancy. She said "Ooh, ooh...listen to this song! It's so sweet!" We sat there as this song played on Music Choice, and I grinned quite a few times thinking about how nice it would be for a guy to actually say some of those things. We chatted about how it would be cute if one of our husbands called in and requested that song for us, and dedicated it...the song just makes me smile. More now, because the next day, when I got home from her house, that song came on the radio. Michael said "Oh! I heard this earlier today and it made me think of you!"

Heart. Melted... I love that man...

God bless!

In case you didn't know...

I'm doing a photo project this year. It's called Project 52, P52 for short. Here's a link to the blog that I am poorly maintaining, but it has all of the photos for this year so far!

http://myphotoproject52.blogspot.com/

Check it out, and don't be afraid to leave a comment!

God bless,

A Little More Than Eight Weeks

So I'm just over eight weeks pregnant with baby #3 right now, and this pregnancy is already proving much harder than the first two combined. I couldn't really "talk" about the first two much at this point because we waited to announce until the end of the first trimester, but I really don't remember them being THIS bad. The nausea is relentless. It's never ending. The number of nausea free days that I've had so far could probably be counted on one hand. I haven't gotten sick yet - thank goodness - but I'm beginning to wonder if it would make me feel better if I do! LOL Oh, and the dreams. Oh my gosh the dreams. They aren't making things much easier. I've decided to make a separate tab to keep track of them because they're coming so frequently, and they're just so...odd, disturbing, not cool. So, if you want to catch up on those, keep your eyes peeled for the new tab that will be called "Pregnancy #3 Dream Tracking"

We had our first appointment on July 31st just to confirm the pregnancy, and then just this past Wednesday (8/21) I had my new OB appointment, and we had an ultrasound. I was thinking that seeing the nugget on that screen would make things sink in more, but really...it didn't change anything! This pregnancy is going right along with the "it just feels right" feeling that my hubby and I have had since day one. It's odd, and relaxing at the same time. ANYWAYS! Back to the pregnancy talk. I was very excited when I discovered that the doctor office got a new ultrasound machine. The old one they had was incredibly grainy, and while they could measure the heartbeat, there wasn't any way to listen to it. The tech did some measuring, showed us the little blinking blip that was the heart, then...it happened. She focused on that blip, flipped a switch, and we heard it. That wonderful "whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh". I said "Oh! You got a new machine!!!" She chuckled and said "Yep!" We got a couple of pictures, and were on our way.

Well, I should get going. Julia is coloring in the living room, and Justin is napping. I need to finish my tea since it seems to be settling my stomach for the most part.

God bless

Here's the crafty project!

I absolutely love how these letters turned out! I wish the cuts would have been a little cleaner, but you really can't tell from more than a couple of feet away.

Her walls have been painted pink since she "moved into" this room, and the polka dots have been there the whole time as well. I did not have dots with me when I picked out the paper, so you can imagine how ecstatic I was that they're almost a perfect match! I just want to move a couple of dots to make it look a little more balanced, but here it is!

God bless!

I did something crafty!

It's been on my list of things to do for a while now, but I've finally done it! I made letters to hang in Julia's room! I'll probably post them tomorrow because I'm short on time and it will be somewhat of a tutorial, so hang tight! I love how they turned out!!!

God bless,

Struggling - An Update

Ok. So on my previous post I let you all know that I was struggling on a handful of things. Well, I'm going to give you some insight into exactly what I was dealing with.

The major thing (not the only thing) was that I started to question my marriage. Not because I'm not happy, or because I don't love my husband, but because I'm not living the life I thought I would be, which I mentioned a little bit about here. I thought I would be a housewife before I became a stay-at-home mom. Figured once I got married I wouldn't have to work and that would allow me to adjust to being at home all day before throwing a baby into the mix. Well, that didn't happen, but I'm thankful that it didn't. I loved my job. Even though I missed my baby girl every day that I stepped foot in that building, and I counted the minutes until I could be with her again, it really made me appreciate the time that I did have with her. When I was finally able to stay home with her, I was ECSTATIC!!! Little did I know that in less than 4 years of marriage, we would be getting ready to welcome our third baby. I still don't think it has quite set in yet, but it's getting there. Maybe once I get the ultrasound it will finally hit me. I wouldn't have it any other way right now, but it was a lot to think about. In essence, I was giving up my dream life to be happy with the life that I have now...and I am happy. Very happy. It took a late night, laying in bed, lights off talk with my husband to help me realize it, but it's true. He's mine, this life is mine, and I'm going to make the most of it no matter how annoyed I get with him or the kids! lol

After all of that ate away at me for a few months, other things started going on too. Maybe I read into them too much (who, me???), but they were there for sure. Then...I got sick. Nasty sick. I started feeling like I was failing as a wife and mother. Like my kids and my marriage weren't getting the attention they deserved. Then, my aunt passed away unexpectedly at 55 years young. That alone is not easy to deal with... All of this and a handful of other things started adding up and taking it's toll on me. There is a group of ladies that I have been really close with ever since I was pregnant with Julia - we all met on Babycenter. We were all part of a group on Facebook, and I left unexpectedly, without an explanation which caused a lot more problems than I expected. After a few weeks, I requested to rejoin the group. I had come to terms with a lot of what I was dealing with, and really wanted the interaction back. Well, they decided not to take me back. It knocked me down a few notches again, but I can understand why they're hurt. They deserved an explanation, and I didn't give them one until after the fact. In the process, I said a few things out of anger, frustration and confusion that probably made them more angry. I felt like I lost a lot of friends that day. Hopefully I can get back with all of them soon, but if they don't want me to, I'll have to accept it! For now, I'll continue to maintain the friendship that I have with the few ladies that I've talked with since then, as well as the ladies in my smaller group.

The icing on the cake was getting that unexpected positive pregnancy test. Holy moly. That was THE BIGGEST "OMG" moment of my LIFE. Bigger than when Michael proposed. I don't think my heart stopped pounding for 4 hours. Heck...it still pounds when I think about it sometimes! LOL!

Anyways, long story short...I'm doing much, much, MUCH better now, and I don't really feel like I'm struggling at all anymore. I think the two biggest helps were getting it out to my hubby, and being able to talk to my priest. They really helped me a lot!

If you've made it this far, thanks for reading!

God bless,

If you think I have my hands full now...

Come and talk to me in about 8 months! LOL! Yep. We're anxiously awaiting baby #3! Julia will have just turned 3 when this little nugget is born, so I'll be dealing with three babies ages three and under! EEK!

God bless :-)

A little bit about me - Part 2

So, after my first "about me" post, I thought I should continue my story and keep giving a little insight into what is "me".

My feelings get hurt easily - Even if it's something that is not directed right at me. If it's something that I can relate to, someone close to me gets hurt in whatever way, or something that I've done and someone thinks it's wrong, it hurts my feelings. I know, I know...I need to grow a thicker skin, right?

I don't like being ignored. OMG, it drives me NUTS. If I ask a question, don't just blow me off. RESPOND. Or if I'm trying to carry on a conversation with you, don't just blow me off. RESPOND. Being ignored is one of my biggest pet peeves...right along with my next point.

I hate being interrupted - I think this could quite possibly be my biggest pet peeve ever. It's rude, inconsiderate, and downright mean. I hate it. HATE it.

I hate spiders. I don't know what it is about spiders that just creep me out, but holy cow...if I see one crawling towards me (like I did the other day when I was changing Justin's diaper), I jump and get as far away as possible!!! I can't stand those little eight legged things. They give me the heebie jeebies!

I am A.N.A.L. about vacuuming. Seriously. We have a small-ish living room, and with all of the furniture and stuff that covers it, I would say there's about a 10X15 piece of carpet to vacuum. It takes my husband about 5 minutes. It takes me 15-20. I'm very methodical. Everything that can easily be moved gets moved first. Then I vacuum one area and put everything that goes in that area back. Then I move to the next part. Generally moving in a straight line across the floor. If anything can be put back at that point, it gets put back. Then I move back to the next part. All the way across the floor. Put things back when I'm done. Move on to the next part, and so on. I also go back over any foot prints that I or the kids may make in the process. I'm kind of starting to give up on the kids' foot prints because they run rampant half the time, but oh well. I love seeing the lines from the vacuum, especially without footprints on them!

I love to submerse myself into things (books, crochet, photography) but can't. With the two kiddos running around like wild children half the time, I don't get much time to myself. A few days over the last couple of weeks I have sent myself to my room when Michael got home so I could get some quiet time. While Justin is asleep, it's a little easier because Julia will listen most of the time...but I like to spend quality time with her in that instance because Justin still requires a lot of my attention. *sigh* It's a work in progress!

I am working on accepting the fact that I'm not living the life that I thought I would. I had a chance to talk to Michael about it a while back, and he was mostly understanding. I am happy with the life I have, it's just not what I always thought it would be. But that's not necessarily a bad thing! Michael came along into my life and threw a major kink in my plans...in a good way. I love you honey...and thank you for being understanding!

God bless,

Praise God!!!

Julia is better, and Justin has already shown a few symptoms of Hand Foot and Mouth Disease. I may be speaking too soon, but I think it's safe to say that he won't be suffering through the fevers that Julia did!!! This makes me very, very, VERY happy!

Oh, and my little girl...my little two year old is about 98% potty trained! She's had a handful of accidents in just over a month. That's to be expected for the next few months at least, probably the next year or so. As long as we keep an eye on her, she uses the potty nearly all the time! She even wakes up from naps and over night dry.

*sigh*

Proud mama moment...  :-)

God bless!

Help me improve my blog!

What kinds of things do you like to read about?
What do you avoid like the plague?
What would keep you coming back to visit?
What would make you come out of the woodwork and leave me a comment?

Help a mama out here! :-)

God bless!

You Give Me Fever...

Ok, so not really me, but Julia! The poor child has been dealing with a fever that just won't quit since Sunday. :-(

We were at my sister's house for a welcome home party. We all went and jumped into the pool for a bit and were having a good old time! The kids were loving it, and it made me realize that we need to get Justin into swim classes right away! The kid is a fish. He didn't want to be held, just wanted to kick and put his face in the water.

When Julia got out of the pool, she sat on peoples laps until we were all done playing. She just hung out, laying back and relaxing. Or so we thought. Once we got inside, she clearly looked like she wanted to go to sleep. After all, this was the second day in a row that she didn't really take a nap aside from maybe 15-20 to or from wherever we were heading. I didn't really want her to go to sleep so close to bed time, but I didn't want her to feel miserable either. Well, she crashed on her auntie Stephie's shoulder so we laid her down on the couch. We figured - give her a 20-30 minute cat nap and see how she feels after. I laid down on the couch in front of her and started trying to wake her up. I brushed her hair back, rubbed her arms, legs, and back. She really wasn't interested in waking up, but when she did, that's when I started getting freaked out. She wouldn't focus on me. Her eyes were all bloodshot, shifty and her pupils would dilate then constrict. I was starting to think that she was still sleeping, but with her eyes open.

I finally got her to wake up fully and acknowledge me. Then I kissed her forehead and she was on fire. I asked Stephanie for a thermometer, and stripped her tank top off. Her whole body was warm. When Steph came back and we took her temperature, it was 104.1. Too high... We got some cool towels and a cool wash rag and started wiping her down, and eventually, just covered her with the cold towel. Between all of that, and Michael sitting in the bath tub with her running cold water over her, we managed to bring the temp down to about 100. We got everything packed up and decided to head home. Michael sat in the back to keep an eye on both of the kids just to be safe.

When we got into our neighborhood and came close to the stop sign, Michael said "Um, why are there firetrucks in front of our house???" All I could think was "Oh please don't let our house be burned down!!!" Well, that's a blog post for another day...I will tell you, our house is not burned down, though! We pulled into the driveway and got inside. Julia was starting to feel warm again, so I checked her temp. It was back up to 103.9. I got a diaper bag ready, and once everything had been unloaded, I took her to the emergency room. Mind you, she had been on Amoxicillin for an ear infection, and for whatever reason, the pamphlet said not to give acetaminophen (Tylenol) while on the Amox. I didn't want to take the chance with Ibuprofen (Motrin), so I didn't give her anything. Well...needless to say they basically made me feel like a fool for freaking out over my daughter having that high of a temp. They gave her what looked like a double dose of Motrin, and sent us on our way saying "keep giving her Motrin".

*sigh*

Sunday night was "ok", I guess. Her temp never really broke, and Monday was when it got really fun. I started alternating Tylenol and Motrin every four hours, checking her temperature constantly. She hovered right around 102 for most of the day. When Michael and I went to bed - around 10:00 - I checked her temperature again and it was 105.6. 105.6!!! I FREAKED. I ran to the bathroom, got some more Motrin for her, and told Michael to bring her to the bathroom for me. I threw my swim suit on, and got the water going. Michael brought her in to me, and sat her on my lap. I explained to her that it was going to feel really cold, but it was only because she was so warm. That was quite possibly the most torturous 10 minutes of my entire life. Poor Julia screamed and cried the entire time we were in there. She kept saying "No mommy!!! STOP!!!" It. broke. my. heart. I hated every second of it. By the time I got out of the tub with her, we managed to bring her temp down to about 102 again. The rest of the night, even with alternating, it hovered right around 102. I was checking every hour on the hour, just to be safe.

This continued on pretty much through Wednesday night, and into this morning. Up until Wednesday afternoon, her temp had only dropped below 100-101 maybe four times. I had called the pediatrician three times, she had been to the emergency room once, and to the after hours clinic once. However...since her ears, nose, throat, and lungs checked out ok, the doctors just kept saying "It's probably just a virus, keep doing what you're doing." Yeah...keep watching my poor lethargic, feverish two year old suffer from a fever that won't go away. Thanks! I'm sure I'll quite enjoy that...

Anyways, thankfully her temp this morning hasn't gone above 100.8 without medications yet. Here's hoping that it stays down...

God bless!

Struggling

The kids are sitting down to breakfast, and I've had a lot on my mind. I'm taking advantage of a small break in my day of chasing two toddlers to get a few things out there.

I've been dealing with a lot of personal struggles lately. Some of which are known, others are mostly not known. I have shared them with a handful of people over the last few days, and it felt good to get it all out. I actually managed to work up the courage to talk to my husband about it last night, and I think that was the biggest relief for me. Now that he knows where my frustration is stemming from, he can be more understanding of my mood swings so to speak. Some of the things are about my husband and myself, some are about my lack of ability to let things go, others stem from the simple fact that I don't want to accept things that are happening. No, I won't go into details here, but know that I am working on things.

This next part should probably be a post for another day - like the "More About Me" post that I have saved as a draft right now, but like I said...I'm taking advantage of some down time!

I don't like having things crammed down my throat. Specifically religion (though I am a practicing Catholic) and politics. I don't mind that people are passionate about these things at all. But having my faults and ideas - or the fact that I've done/enjoyed something that another person looks at as unacceptable - pointed out as a 'bad' thing makes me feel, well, bad and goes right back to those struggles that I deal with regularly. It's even worse when someone that I'm close to points these things out. I'm a very emotional person, and I have a tendency to take things personally. You can add that to the list of things that I'm "working on". If I typed this list out, it would easily reach to the stop sign at the end of the road.

Anyways...the kids are done so I must go!

God bless,

The Unexpected

We've all thought about it, tried to prepare for it, thought about what we would do if it ever happened to us... However, sometimes, we don't really have to deal with it. The "worst case scenario" that you always prepare for, yet hope for the best.

Then, you get hit with something totally unexpected that you can never prepare yourself for. The death of a loved one way too early...at too young of an age. Back in May 2009, a very dear friend of mine, Adam, passed away from cancer. He was too young, but too special for the living world...

Just this past Monday, my family was rocked with the shocking news that my aunt had passed away. Too young...again. She was an amazing woman. She could always make you laugh or smile even if you wanted to cry. I'll never forget one of our trips to Cedar Point. Having a conversation at Cracker Barrel, and realizing that the next table was eaves dropping. Out of nowhere, my aunt said "BANANA!" really loud. The looks we got from that table were priceless, and we were cracking up! She used the word "spit" a lot...and it always made me chuckle.

My heart is breaking for my uncle, their two daughters, and the rest of the family. Please...if you love someone, let them know. All the time. They won't be around forever...I didn't tell her often enough that I loved her. I still do, always will, but now...

God bless,

It's Independence Day!

Not only is it the day that we celebrate our Independence, it is also the day that my little family gets to celebrate our son's birthday! Our little firecracker...our little "all American boy". :-)

One year ago today, Justin decided to join us in a fast and furious way. By this time last year, he had already been keeping us company for almost six hours. He was 7lbs 10oz, 19 3/4" long, and absolutely perfect! We're going for is one year check up very soon, but based on my estimates, and standing him up against Julia's growth marks, he's about as tall as she was at 16 months old, and probably weighs darn near 30 lbs!!! He's our little hoss, and our future line backer.

Here is is the day he was born...

Meeting his sister for the first time...

And today...at one year old! My little big boy!!!

God bless, and Happy Independence Day!

Ultimate Body - Update

Back on June 8th, I posted my "Ultimate Body" plan. Well...I am pleased to announce that I have exercised every Monday, Wednesday and Friday except ONCE! I've even been able to add some walking or swimming on the occasional off day. I am so happy that I've been able to keep up with it, even with being sick for the last five days. I haven't weighed myself, but I can feel a difference. This week, I plan on adding a second workout to the one that I'm doing already, and I plan to get my eating back under control. After all, what good is exercising if you still eat crap food???

Also, a while back I did the GM detox diet which can be found here. It was tough, especially with Michael saying 'Hey, wouldn't this be good for dinner?' and 'You know what would make that salad even better? Slathering it with ranch dressing!' Either way, I succeeded, and will probably be doing it again in the near future. After just one week, I felt a LOT better, even though I didn't see a huge change in my body. I did drop 9 pounds, though!

The challenge this week? Justin's birthday party. Oh man...there will be so much good food!!! Must. Control. Myself!

Anyways. I need to shut this thing down and try to get some sleep. Hopefully it will help kick whatever bug I've got out of my body!

God bless!

A New Challenge - Day 5

Well, today marks the last day of the Commenting Challenge hosted by Jenna at Jenna's Journey. I hope you've enjoyed my postings here this week, and that you'll keep coming back!

I said last night that I was going to catch up on commenting from Wednesday, but I didn't. :-(  I plan on going through these blogs like a banshee tonight, though! Y'all watch out! haha!

Today's topic: Tell us about your dream vacation!


Where would you go? Have you been there before? Who would go with you? What about it draws you in?


Hm...this one is tough! I've already been on one dream vacation! OK, maybe two. See...In October 2007, my mom and I hopped on a flight to Ireland for a week. It was FANTASTIC (aside from the fact that Travelocity pretty much ruined our plans, forcing us to rely on public transportation) and I would do just about anything to go back. We actually have family history there, so we wanted to see if we could come up with anything interesting. The only problem was we didn't do our research beforehand, so we weren't able to dig very much up.

The second one would have to be Cancun in January 2007. It was an awesome trip. I would actually like very much to go back there as well. We got to see many different areas while we were there. We snorkeled, rode jet ski's around a guided tour thing, went to Chichen Itza, Xcaret...and got to swim in the gulf. The hotel was gorgeous, and I really enjoyed our morning gecko visit!

If I had to choose one place to go as my dream vacation...I would have to say Bora Bora with my hubby ...the pics look AH-mazing... either that...or Greece...

Well...I hate to cut this one short, but I've got some commenting to catch up on, and I'm already getting tired!

Good night, and God bless!

Odd Observation

I've noticed that when I post pictures on my blog, and then post a link to Facebook, the pictures don't show up as a thumbnail option until MUCH later. I wonder why that is...

A Couple of Pictures

Because my little man fell back asleep, and I had a little time on my hands. :-)

Julia being a cutie patootie...

Justin being...well...Justin! (This one was VERY underexposed, so it didn't turn out that well...)

*sigh* I love my kids. Even when they drive me crazy :-)

God bless!

A New Challenge - Day 4

Welcome to Day 4 of the 3rd Annual Commenting Challenge hosted by Jenna at Jenna's Journey! If this is your first time here, please click on the link above for more information. If you're returning to my blog, welcome back! I'm glad you've all stopped by!

I was pretty under the weather yesterday, so I didn't get to complete my commenting duties. I'm still not feeling well, but I will be trying to catch up today!

Today's topic: Tell us about your hobbies! What do you do in your free time? What are your favorite books, movies, music etc?


I have a lot of hobbies! But, what is this "free time" that has been spoken of? LOL My "free time" is usually from 6:00 am until 6:30 am, and then from 8:00 pm until I decide to go to bed. Occasionally, I'll get about an hour, maybe an hour and a half of quiet time in the morning. It just depends on how the kids decide to sleep. Most days, they don't nap at the same time, either, so I can't really sit down and do anything during the day. Granted, when Justin naps, and I only have Julia to care for, I can get my exercising in, and maybe get some chores done around the house so it's not a total loss. It still isn't really time for me to do the things that I want. What are these things that I like to do? My hobbies you ask? Well...I like to crochet, take pictures, partake in what has been lovingly dubbed "recoil therapy" (a.k.a. shooting guns), read books, blog/FB/Babycenter/Pinterest, catch up on TV shows that I don't get to watch when they're on TV, ride my bike - which I haven't done in over two years, sewing, random crafting, cooking, and baking. As you can imagine, with two kids ages two and one (next Wednesday!), there isn't much extra time in my days. Justin is usually up within an hour of my alarm going off, and Julia has started waking an hour earlier than normal. Justin still takes 2 naps a day, but Julia is on one...so...yeah. You can see how that goes!


Oh man...my favorite books? As of late, the Fifty Shades trilogy. I finished it in 12 days (pretty impressive with two kids running around if you ask me!). I'm currently trying to finish the Harry Potter series which I started sometime before 2007. I really enjoy a lot of books by Dean Koontz, and can't wait to get back into some of those...along with some Dan Brown books. As I mentioned yesterday, I have a massive "to-read" list on Goodreads, and it just keeps growing.


As far as movies, I love a LOT of different movies. I am a Disney fanatic at heart, but also really enjoy movies like The Departed, Snatch, Fight Club, What Women Want, Nine Months, The Wedding Planner, Dumb and Dumber, The Mask...the list goes on. As you can see, there's a wide variety there, similar to my taste in music! My CD collection consisted of everything from classical (Handel, Chopin, Beethoven), to pop (Britney Spears, N'Sync, Destiny's Child), to Rock and Metal (Clutch - LOVE CLUTCH!, Slipknot, Metallica). Again...the list goes on! 


I guess my Heinz 57 blood leads to a lot of Heinz 57 tendencies! :-)

Thanks for stopping by again! Please don't hesitate to leave a comment, even if you're not part of the Commenting Challenge!

A New Challenge - Day 3

Hi there, welcome back! As most of you know, I'm participating in the 3rd Annual Commenting Challenge at Jenna's Journey for the first time this year, and as of tonight, we'll already be half way through! If you're new to my blog, and are interested in this challenge, click on the link above to see what it's all about!

Welcome to Day 3! Our topic today is two-fold:


Tell us about your social media! Where can we find you? Link to your twitter, pinterest, Facebook, instagram, or google +. If you don't use these sites, then tell us why not!


Also, what are your favorite websites? Are there any that you check daily? What do you like about them?


Well, this one has a lot of questions, too! Let's break it down again!
Tell us about your social media! Where can we find you? Link to your twitter, pinterest, Facebook, instagram, or google +. Well! I don't use Twitter, Instagram, or Google+. I just never really got into them! They don't really appeal to me. However, I use Pinterest and Facebook like it's going out of style!

My Pinterest boards cover everything from party planning, to every day foods, kid stuff, crafts, and making clothes.

I use Facebook both personally, and for my little side crochet deal. It's very slow moving, but it keeps me busy when I do start getting orders. :-)  I adore crocheting, so it's nice to have this as a fallback.

Also, what are your favorite websites? Oh man...along with Pinterest and Facebook, I like Babycenter, Ravelry, Goodreads, Swagbucks, and of course Blogger!

On Babycenter, I'm actually a Group Owner on my July 2011 birth club, as well as a couple of other small groups (Picture Banners - this one is a private group, Amateur and Beyond Photography - I'm only a Group Owner here to help the weekly photo contests run smoothly). I usually hop onto Babycenter a few times a day just to make sure things are running smoothly in my groups.

Ravelry I only check every once in a while. If I'm looking for a certain pattern, though, I can spend HOURS there. It's like a black hole...I have so many projects that I want to do, and not nearly enough time!

Goodreads gets checked three times a week at most. I have about 25 books on my "to-read" list, and again...not nearly enough time! If I could crochet, read, and blog at the same time, I would be a happy camper! That requires more than the two hands that I have, though, so it ain't gonna happen! HA!

Swagbucks is an AWESOME site! It gives out points to be used towards anything in their SwagStore. I use it to redeem $5 Amazon gift cards. I've earned over $150 in gift cards so far! It's allowed me to get $75 off of the double stroller that we now have, along with getting money off of many, MANY other purchases! You should come check it out! Just click on the link above, and sign up. It's totally free! All you have to do is use their search engine instead of Yahoo, Google, etc., and you'll gain points to use towards your purchases!

Blogger...well...I check at least once a day, just quickly to check for new comments and the visitors that I've gotten that day.

How are my fellow Comment Challengers doing??? Are you all enjoying it as much as I am?

God bless,

16 Blogging Prompts

So, I was visiting over at Jenna's Journey again this morning, and I came across this post when perusing yesterday's Commenting Challenge post again. I will have to keep this one handy so that I can have something to fall back on in case I start having a writer's block WEEK again!

Thanks for the ideas, Jenna!

God bless,

When the boy sleeps...

It makes for a happy mama in the morning!!! Justin slept better last night than he has in the last - oh - three weeks I'd say. He actually SLEPT from about 7:45 until 5 am. At which point I went and gave his binky back to him, and he slept until almost 6:30 this morning!!! It was WONDERFUL. Julia also slept all night with no bad dreams waking her or us. So...yeah. I finally got longer than a 4 hour stretch of sleep!

That is all. :-)

God bless!

A New Challenge - Day 2!

Hi there! If you're just joining me from Jenna's Journey and the 3rd Annual Comment Challenge, welcome to day 2! If you're unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, simply click on the link above and it will give you the information you need. This is my first year participating, and I'm looking forward to hopefully meeting some new people.

Today's blog topic: Tell us about your blog. What do you blog about? Why do you blog? How did you start blogging? What kinds of things do you/are you willing to share with the world? Where do you find your topic inspiration? (Hint: Don't share about your social media just yet!)


Let's go one at a time with this one.
Tell us about your blog. - Well...my blog itself is simple really. I don't like an overly fancy appearance aside from maybe a nice background now and then. I do have comment moderation turned on because I was getting a boatload of spammy comments at one point, so don't let that deter you!
What do you blog about? - I blog about whatever crosses my mind at any given moment. I think I've covered everything from losing a friend or family member, spouting off random nuances about myself, to being over the moon happy with the birth of my little girl and little boy.. My family, my personal life...you name it!
Why do you blog? - It's a release for me. A lot of times I can just write and feel better. Other times it makes me feel like no one is watching/reading, or that no one cares because I rarely get comments from people that stop by. Sometimes it makes me feel alone, but more often than not, I can post a story like I did the other day which will make me giggle for hours! I love to share my thoughts with the blog world, and anyone that will read them, really.
How did you start blogging? - Well, my now husband had a blog when we started dating, and once I read his (and got over the fact that I thought he was absolutely insane based on his writing), I decided to start mine up too. The fact that he had an outlet that was so easily at my disposal really appealed to me. I had no idea that it would get me to where I am today, though! My first post stated that there would be poetry...but that has been all but nonexistent. Whoops!
What kinds of things do you/are you willing to share with the world? - I'll share whatever comes to mind! I do have a mental filter most of the time, but I created this blog to write and share about me, so that's what I do! Whatever strikes me - provided I can remember what I wanted to say when I get a chance to sit down - will be published.
Where do you find your topic inspiration? - Anywhere. Everywhere. In everything. My marriage, my family, my absolutely adorable children... My wedding was a big one, as was my sister's gestational surrogacy journey which uprooted me and the kids for a whole fun filled month! My gardening has been a topic since I moved into this house four years ago, of course my ongoing crochet projects (too many to link!), and my adventures in photography as of late (That blog seriously needs updating...AGAIN). I still have lots to learn about photography, but it's quickly becoming a new love of mine.

Well, I think that about covers it! Sorry about the link overload. I wanted to help you find a few things around my blog easily!

How about you? Why do you blog? Hope you stay for a while. :-)

God bless!

A New Challenge

If you're stopping by from Jenna's Commenting Challenge, I welcome you! If you're just a regular reader, welcome back and I hope you enjoy my new challenge, you know, because I always want more things to do in my "spare" time. :-)

This one is a little bit different though. This is an annual Commenting Challenge hosted by Jenna over at Jenna's Journey. I've been following Jenna's blog for a long time now, but this is the first time that I came across the Commenting Challenge. I'm really looking forward to participating this year! It's a 5 day challenge to comment on 10 blogs per day (or however many you can) in an effort to get to know some fellow bloggers a little bit better. Each day, there will be a new topic posted to spark a bit of a discussion if you don't have something to post already. If you'd like to participate with me, click on the Commenting Challenge link, and join up! I look forward to meeting so many more of you!

Today's topic: Tell us about YOU! What's your name? Where do you live? Who lives with you? Do you work outside the home? Have kids? Pets? (Psst! Don't spill the beans about your blog or hobbies quite yet!).


Well, if you've not been around my neck of the woods before, I'm Stacy, and I live in Michigan with my hubby of just over 3 years, and our two little ones. We got married in May 2009, and got pregnant with our first right away. I am a stay at home mom, and I absolutely love it even though my kids drive me nuts sometimes! Ha! My daughter is two years three months old, going on 16 with her little attitude, and my son will be one next Wednesday. ONE! Where did the time go??? We don't have any pets, though if we did, I would love to have a kitty (as would my daughter). My husband, however, would only want an outdoor dog. I can't do that though, so it looks like no pets for us! Until the kids figure out how to sweet talk us.

Pull up a chair, leave me a comment, and hang out with me for the week! I'd love to have you :-)

God bless,

A little bit about me

I got to thinking last night, and I felt that I needed to give a little bit of insight into me for all of you. Read if you want, look over it if you don't. Either way, I'm hoping it will help me feel better about some things to get all of this out.

We'll start small.

I'm a closet perfectionist...most of the time. There are times that I just don't care how something turns out, but then there are times that I do...and re-do...and re-do...and re-do until it is just right. It's a random fault of mine. When it comes to painting...those lines at the ceiling and trim darn well better be pretty straight or it will drive me nuts until it's fixed. There are a few spots in our bedroom and in Justin's room that are bad...well, we won't even go there...

I have what I have begun calling perpetual cabin fever. There are things that I do each week that do get me out of the house, but lately...it just doesn't seem to be enough. I want to get out more, but I just can't get myself motivated to do it more. The other day, I went and saw an old friend of mine who had twins a couple of months ago. It was so nice to get out of the house! And to get my baby fix since my babies aren't really babies anymore! I've started craving the interaction with people, and just wanting to get OUT of this house. Every day I psyche myself up to go out and do things, and because of nap times - and the fact that they don't line up at all - I never get to do them. I would like to work again, maybe. But definitely not full-time. If I did, it would be part time, maybe just a couple of days a week.

When I shave my legs, I swear I can never get both of my legs entirely. I'm not talking about the random hairs here and there, I'm talking the entire back of my thigh, or one whole side of one of my calves. I miss a LOT. I think my brain is just so scrambled at this point that I can't think straight.

I am passionate...about a lot of things. It might not be something that I've been passionate about for my whole life. It could be something that I just really started learning about in the last year...or ten. But I'll tell you what...if it's something that I really love, I can talk your ear off, or show my true colors. There are some not-so-positive things that I am very passionate about as well...in the sense that I would do just about anything to bring a stop to these things. I know that I'm not alone in that aspect at all.

Now we'll get into the "deeper" stuff so to speak.

I am selectively HIGHLY OCD.
  -  The flowers in the front flower bed MUST be lined up. I know a lot of people that can just throw stuff in and it's good. Not me. I have to follow the curve of our flower bed, along with making sure that the multiple rows/lines/diagonals are all just right.
  -  Towels and sheets. Holy cow I never thought folding towels and sheets would be such an issue!!! I'm still working on getting Michael to do them the right way. He's coming along just fine, but I need to revamp the linen closet again because it's completely disorganized. I did a whole "Linen Closet Rehab" when I was 9 months pregnant with Justin. It was my nesting (along with other things I had done that day).
  -  Our bottles have colored rings on them, and they MUST match. I can't stand when they're mismatched. I'll use them that way if I have to, but it will drive me nuts until they're all washed and I can fix them. When washing bottles, I do it in a very specific order: all bottle bodies, all rings, all nipples, all gaskets, all caps. When I set them out to dry, I put the body of one bottle, then the bottom ring with the top ring overlapping the bottom ring in front of it, then the nipple with the gasket on top on front of that, then the cap in front of that. Can you say ANAL? In my defense, it makes it crazy easy to find all of the MATCHING bottle parts at first glance. Yeah...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!
  -  When cleaning and organizing...I have gone behind Michael and put things back the way they were before cleaning. *blush* I can't help it. Sometimes things just "fit" better where they were! That and I'm such a creature of habit that I like things to remain one certain way sometimes.
  -  Hanging diapers on the laundry line is like therapy for me. I have a very methodical way that I do it. Pockets overlap just slightly, with the same tab in front each time. That way, when you're looking at them, you don't have one whole diaper staring at you, or two sides of one diaper completely covered. I know, I know...
  -  Putting toys away is another fun one. All parts of one toy set must go together. Like the train set! All of the tracks are in one bin, all of the cars are in a bucket in the bin above. All of the "play diapers" are in one bin...it goes on...
There are more things to put under this category, but this post is running long enough as it is and I haven't even gotten to all of the points I want to!

I have some very irrational fears. I'm working on them in my own way, and having the kids now help me with some of them a little bit as well.
  -  I do NOT like spiders. I see one, it must die...like yesterday. I used to be able to pick up a daddy long leg, but I don't think I can even do that anymore. I was exercising yesterday, and I saw one crawling on the wall...slowly. I kept my eyes on it as much as possible (while also watching my exercise DVD), and when it started getting close to getting away, I stopped what I was doing, ran to get some toilet paper, squished that little bugger, and flushed it. *shudder*
  -  I also really, really, REALLY don't like severe weather. I can handle thunderstorms a lot better now than I used to (that's another whole blog post in itself), but if there's a threat of violent weather...I turn into a completely different person. I get shaky, scared, paranoid...I watch the weather on TV for as long as the threat is there. Normally, if there was even a remote possibility that there could be tornadoes, I would pack up a diaper bag for the kids, and put it in the closet (we don't have a basement...yippee) along with a huge bottle of water (or 2), a flashlight, my camera, my laptop, Michael's laptop, and anything else that I consider to be of high enough value/importance. It really got ridiculous. Now, I have a bin in the closet that is stocked with a change of clothes for the kids, snacks, bottled water, diapers/wipes, and a handful of other things that we might need. I know it might be totally useless if a tornado hits, but it makes me feel better that instead of trying to scoop up two toddlers and a handful of other stuff, I can just grab them and go.
  -  I am strangely afraid to go out with my two kids by myself. If I'm going to be with someone else, I'm fine. But alone? Yeah...convincing me to do it alone will take a lot of, well, convincing. When I am able to do it, I am ecstatic! I have managed to get out of the house to go to Target, the Post Office, Michael's things like that, but the whole time I'm out, I'm terrified that one of them is going to start throwing a massive tantrum, run away from me, have a major blowout, or we'll get attacked. Again...probably not going to happen, but this one contributes to the cabin fever...a LOT.

Ever heard of Trichotillomania? Yeah. I have that. Self-diagnosed of course. Granted, it's not hard to tell that it's there. Eyelashes, eyebrows, the hair on my head. All of it is "fair game". I have to fill my eyebrows in all the time because they're only about half there. I really don't like this about myself, and I am working on making it better, but it's not easy. I relate it to stress, high-anxiety, and depression. All of which I can be on the verge of on any given day. I'm also a picker. It started with just my upper arms. You know those little bumps that you get (well...I get)? They pop like pimples...and I pop them. I also pick scabs. I do not, however, pick my nose hehee. Anyways...it's gotten a lot worse over the years. I've moved from just my upper arms to my entire arm, my face, my legs. It's really kind of depressing. Now, between the picking and the pulling of hair, I can't leave the house without putting on makeup. I miss the days that I could just up and leave without worrying about what other people would think. Normally, I don't let "other people" get to me, but I know that there are a lot of "judgy" people out there that would think not-so-nice thoughts if they saw me au natural. 


Well, if you've hung out with me this far, thanks! I hope I didn't freak out out completely, and I hope that this will lend a little more understanding into the little being that is "me".


God bless,

A/C or Sunshine?

Now that it's getting warmer, and summer is here, which do you prefer? Air conditioning or the good old sunshine and blazing heat?

Personally, I like both. I love the warmth of the sun, and the healthy dose of Vitamin D it gives me (plus it wears the kids OUT), but I love having the A/C to fall back on if it gets too hot. I'm not really a lover of the extreme heat...just the sun. Throw a pool in the mix, and I could be happy all day!

How about you? Which do you prefer?

God bless!

My Lilacs are Sick!

They've done so well since I planted them in the corner...

A little over a month ago, Michael was treating the lawn for clover. He read through the instructions on the bottle and went to town on the grass. He sprayed either near the lilacs and the wind carried the chemicals, or he actually sprayed in the lilacs. I double checked the bottle yesterday out of curiosity and noticed that it said not to use near ornamental bushes, trees, or plants. He didn't realize that lilacs are an ornamental tree, so now they're all droopy and one of them has dead leaves on it. They look so sad!!! Anyways, we moved them out of their original home and put them in a new home in the back yard last night. I'm hoping they perk back up with some extra loving so that I can see and smell some new pretty blooms next year!

Here is a picture of the bushes the year after I planted them...

You can see how many flowers are one them in that picture. For being only one year out, they were doing fantastic!!!

Here are a couple of pictures that I took after we moved them yesterday. They have grown quite a bit, and we had a good amount of blooms last year...but look how sad they look :-(

Hopefully they recover fully!

God bless!

Ultimate Body

I started a board on Pinterest and called it "Ultimate Body". I've been wanting to get myself back into shape for a pretty long time, and have just been too stinking lazy to do it. Well...this week I started. FOR GOOD! I'm done feeling frumpy. I want to feel GREAT about my body again! I'm happy with it as it is considering I've had two kids and a lot of people tell me that they wouldn't know if I didn't tell them.

Anyways...getting back to wedding weight is my goal. I felt FANTASTIC when Michael and I got married. I was 100% comfortable in my skin and was not embarrassed to show off my shape in my bikini on our honeymoon.

My plan is to exercise Monday, Wednesday and Friday with random walking/swimming at least one of the other two days. This week, I've worked out all three of those days! The kids LOVE to be outside, so I might count moving my lilacs as my extra workout since I want to get them off of the hill that they're on.

Now...to get my eating under control. I'm not doing too bad, but I know I can do better.

Enjoy the beautiful weather out there!!!

God bless!

Close Encounters of the Furry Kind

I decided to have a picnic lunch with Julia today. We don't spend a lot of time outside before Michael gets home on a normal day, so I thought this would be fun! Well, I went out to lay the blanket on the ground and noticed a squirrel sitting by the tree eating some of the fallen bird seed. This is not out of the ordinary. I didn't think much of it until I started walking towards him and he didn't move. Now, that isn't always out of the ordinary, but I got within about three feet of him before he just turned a little bit. I snapped a picture with my phone before he finally decided to duck behind the tree, then I headed in to get Julia.

I snagged my camera, Julia's lunch, and we outside. The squirrel was still sitting there but he slowly made his way onto the deck railing, staying within ten feet of us. It was quite distracting for Julia, as you can imagine. I hopped up and started taking some pictures of him. He came pretty close to our blanket, probably because he smelled the food, so I picked up Julia's lunch, and said "let's go back inside, kiddo." We got up and I started heading towards the house. Julia took a few steps towards the squirrel, and he took about 5 steps towards us! I really didn't want to have to deal with a squirrel attacking me or my daughter...lol As we walked away, he decided to sniff the blanket we were sitting on. He never got ON the blanket, but got pretty close...then that little goober had the nerve to follow us to the door!!!

It was quite the adventure. As I sit here typing this, he's back under the tree eating the fallen bird seed again.

Here are some pictures...Enjoy! (None of these have been edited.)

His beginning "perch".

Checking us out as we headed towards the blanket to eat.

Zoomed all the way out so you can see how close he was.

Say cheese!

He investigated the blanket (which, mind you, is still in the yard...lol)

Following us to the door. Sorry 'bout the bird poop. I think we have a nest in the tree. 

And another "perspective" shot.

All in all, it was a good lunch! And adventures are always fun. What kind of "close encounters" have you had with some furry friends?

God bless!

Things One Can Accomplish...

When you stay off of your computer, and your husband (or significant other) gets home from work super early...

This was my to-do list today. Clean the 1/2 bath and full bath, sweep, vacuum the living room, stairs, and upstairs, stuff diapers, clean the kitchen, dust, clean the living room, clear off the stairs, cut out my quilt pieces, put away bottles, and put away the stack of coupons that have been staring me in the face.

Now, to a normal every day person, that to-do list may not seem that daunting. Probably three to four hours of  uninterrupted work. Throw a couple of toddlers in the mix and it's all over, though! Obviously, a couple of them seem relatively simple...like putting away the bottles and coupons. Those only took a couple of minutes each.

When I put Justin down for his nap at 10:00, I got cracking! I started in the half bath so that I could get that completely cleaned and get the door closed if he was to wake up early. I think I spent about 45 minutes in there, while Julia played very nicely by herself in the living room. Occasionally, she would come and check on me to see what I was doing. I've never seen someone so enthused about cleaning the toilet!!! Once that was done, I started the dusting (focusing on things that were on the hard floors), then the sweeping. In the middle of my floor sweeping fury, I had to stop and make lunch for the little miss. Got her all situated, and kept moving! Once I got to the point that I had to start sweeping the kitchen, I switched gears, picked up all of the Lock'N'Locks, and scrubbed down the counters and the stove so that I wasn't dropping crumbs onto a clean floor. Plus, this allowed the wee one to finish eating lunch (and hence, creating a mess on the floor) before I swept it all. See? There is always a method to my madness!

Julia was taking a little longer with lunch than I expected, so I decided to pick up the living room for one of three times today. By the time I finished that, she was done eating, so I changed her diaper, got her dressed and put her down for her nap. It was shortly after 12:00. I finished dusting the living room, then swept the kitchen floor and put the coupons away. Just a bit later, Michael had gotten home, and even though both kids were awake, I could really work uninterrupted!!!

I started with putting the bottles away...I needed something easy at this point. LOL We all went outside as a family to get the garden all set up with 2X4's and fishing line for the vine-like plants. It was a disastrous tangled mess last year so I had to do it differently this year. After that, I headed upstairs with the vacuum cleaner, and he stayed with the kids downstairs. I think it took me an hour to vacuum the upstairs...I moved EVERYTHING. You wouldn't have known that we emptied the canister on the vacuum before I started, either. It was gross. I made a mental note to never let it get that bad again.

I turned my focus to the storage area that used to be our stairs, and our bedroom wound up looking like a bomb had gone off with all of the stuff I stacked on the bed. A few things got re-organized in the process as well. Michael made dinner, and we all ate. After that, I got back into my groove. I finished the upstairs - putting things back where they belong - and moved on to the stairway. That only took about 5 minutes to vacuum. Thankfully we had the gate set up so I wasn't fighting with two little climbers.

Michael took Julia outside for a bit, I was in the house with just the little man so I tackled vacuuming the living room. Now...if you know me, you know I am borderline OCD with my vacuuming. I have to do it a certain way or else it will drive me NUTS. And don't even get me started on when people walk on it immediately. Anyways...I cleared the floor and got moving. It takes me 15-20 minutes to vacuum a piece of carpet that's maybe 13X14 and half covered with furniture. And that's when I DON'T move the furniture! Anyways. I finished and took Justin outside for a bit to enjoy the fresh air some more too.

Michael brought it to my attention that it was bed time and I thought to myself 'holy cow, where did the time go???'. I headed upstairs with the little man, changed him, gave him his bottle, laid him down and tackled the full bath.

It was a long, tiring day. I'm not exhausted which I find odd... I feel accomplished. Good even. As I sit here looking at the last two things on my list - stuffing diapers and cutting quilt pieces - I really want to stay up to do them, but I think I will let them wait until tomorrow. They will be high priority!

Sorry if this came out as a jumbled rambling mess...

God bless!

Had a Pretty Good Weekend!

Michael and I went to visit with the in-laws this weekend. It was the weekend for the baby shower for our new twin nieces. I finally got to see them in person! :-)  They're so teeny and adorable...they'll be 2 months old on 6/17.

Anywho. We got to go to church kid free for the first time in...well...a little over 2 years on Saturday evening because plans wound up getting changed, so that was a nice break.

Gotta run! House duty and kids are calling!

God Bless...

The Garden is Growing!

Michael and I went outside the other day to play with the kids, and I decided to venture over to the garden to peek at any possible progress. It had only been a week so I wasn't expecting much. When I got there...I saw green! In the rows, and it wasn't weeds!!! I have peas, green beans, cucumbers and a lone little squash plant coming in! I had NO BEANS last year, so I'm totally excited about those! I've also got two tomato plants and 3 pepper plants still in cups on the window sill inside. I will probably get them in the ground and caged at the end of the weekend. I can't wait to see how well the garden does this year!

God bless,