Mandy Pinwheels

Christmas Edition: Meet Jingles

2012-01-17T07:41:00.015-05:00

Since i'm really behind on posting some of Emma's first Christmas fun, I figure I can do it in several little parts. Just so you don't get bored :-)

Emma's first Christmas gathering was at my grandparents {her great grandparents} the weekend before Christmas. She was a little unsure what was going on. She thinks the Christmas tree is a toy and wanted to take everything off of it. But once we started to pull out her gifts, she started to get the idea.

On Christmas Eve she turned 6 months old. I can't believe how big she is. It seems like yesterday I was bringing her home from the hospital. Anyways, I was hearing all kinds of talk about the "Elf On The Shelf". I saw some of the books and dolls at Target, but couldn't see myself spending $30 on this "Elf" package. Growing up we always had a Christmas Elf. It wasn't anything fancy, no gimmick to make moms spend tons of money.I mentioned the Elf idea to my grandmother and she found a "knock-off Elf" for me to use. And I think it's cute! So Emma woke up on the 24th to her first letter from Santa, delivered by Jingles the Elf.

Of course she really didn't get into the spirit by reading the letter and jumping up and down. But I read it to her, and then she wanted to read it herself.

And then she wanted to eat it...

Jingles joined us on Christmas morning by popping up in Emma's stocking.

Christmas morning's up next. It was a small one, but Emma got lots of fun things :-)

I Heart Faces: Best Face of 2011

2012-01-10T16:41:00.004-05:00

Here is my Best Face from last year. Although I had about 1,000 I could have picked, this one was one of my personal favorites. Emma was 3 days old when I took this. We were so tired but I couldn't resist getting her while she was peaceful.

2012

2012-01-06T07:50:00.002-05:00

I am still trying to get caught up from the holidays. It was always a little crazy when it was just Chris and I. Add a baby into the mix and it makes it even more crazy! But we are so blessed to have so much family wanting their time with Emma. I'm finally getting everything put away and into its home, Christmas decorations were down last week but with the snow we got I haven't made it to storage {doing that today since it will be 55*}, and trying to make sure I have all the photos uploaded and printed for her book.

We thought 2012 would change our crazy bad luck, well on January 2nd, Chris got into an accident due to the snow. Everyone was OK, but it was just our luck! Thank goodness the lady he hit decided not to go through insurance, she had hardly any damage, but his car is banged up. So let's hope that will be the last of the crazy for awhile.

Oh La La

2011-12-17T12:44:00.009-05:00

While I was getting some Christmas photos of Emma I decided to get some fun ones. I wanted something to add to the hallway photos and decided it was time to pull out the pink tutu that our friends got for us. It's so cute!

Emma The Elf

2011-12-16T12:22:00.008-05:00

I was finally able to get Emma's Christmas photos done the other day. Her tooth finally came on through and she was happy again. I see the second one starting so i'm sure this happy baby won't stay that way long.

{I think this photo is rather creepy but everyone else seems to like it.}

I was able to get 20+ good ones. Which is like setting a world record in this house!

The Horse Parade

2011-12-15T07:43:00.007-05:00

I decided to take Emma to see the horse parade. It's in the town that my hubby grew up in, and it's a "big" deal to the locals. It's a great parade, only if you go at night really. They light up the buggies and horses so it's very magical. But when you have a baby with a sleeping schedule you have to go to the daytime parade. I thought she would LOVE it. The jingle of the bells, the big horses, the buggies. Nope...she was BORED! She played with her blanket, then she tried to open her bottle, and then she wanted to play with her uncle. I guess when you spend most of your life on a farm with horses and Amish buggies these things don't seem as exciting. Ha-ha

I can't believe they paint the horses nails. Ha-ha

Maybe next year when she is older she will like it. She had more fun in the car talking to us then she did at the parade :-)

Meeting Santa

2011-12-08T08:28:00.007-05:00

We took Emma to meet Santa for the first time last weekend. I was worried she would do what most 5 month old babies do. You know scream and cry and we would end up with the dreaded freaked out photo. But she was really OK with it. She didn't understand why she had to sit on some strangers lap while I fussed over her and the camera. Things went well until he looked at her and said Merry Christmas. Then she wasn't a happy little girl. I guess she isn't into Christmas! Ha-ha

Check Check

2011-11-30T09:49:00.002-05:00

I'm sure that most of you follow me on facebook so you know all the crazy things that have been going on. But I hope these next few days will be a chance to get things together, move back in, and also get family/friends through all their health issues. I have lots of pictures I need to post...Emma is growing like a weed!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-09T11:16:00.006-05:00

I forgot to post the pictures from Halloween. Emma was supposed to be a bee, but she is so tall that I couldn't get her in it. So we had to go with play B {bee ha-ha} and make her a little Labybug.

Oh No

2011-11-04T12:11:00.002-04:00

Ok Jen Reil...I gave you the wrong email so that I could follow your blog. Not sure why I gave you the wrong one, lets say it was mommy brain!

Can you resend the link to my correct email?

Mommy's Little Model

2011-10-19T20:30:00.021-04:00

I am one of those "paparazzi moms"when it comes to Emma. When I was little {and I don't want to tell my age} my mom had TONS of photos of me. She used the old Pentax camera with film. You know, before you could just delete or edit a photo. And since my hubby upgraded my cameras {remember I got 2} before Emma got here, I decided I needed to make sure to use them every chance I get. {Just in case I ever need another upgrade}

I love this outfit! I bought this shirt before she was born and I was worried it would be to big for her. Well I used it as a long shirt, almost like a dress, and some leggings.

She keeps looking like her daddy more and more everyday. I'm hoping when she gets older she will have a little bit of me in her!

Her first pair of blue jeans!

Her poor ears 8-(

Self portrait. I'm getting good at holding a baby and a large camera at the same time.

Umm...

2011-10-17T09:58:00.001-04:00

...I haven't blogged in forever! I have tons of things that I would love to post, but I just don't take the time. So my question is...do I stop blogging all together {everyone reads it on facebook} or do I keep going and count on you all to keep me accountable?

Where Did September Go?

2011-09-26T14:36:00.013-04:00

I keep reminding myself that we are in fall now. With Emma on formula, we have been out and about. She is doing great! It's like a whole new baby. She sleeps 7-8 hours a night, takes small naps during the day, and plays her little heart out. Today she rolled over for the first time, but now I can't get her to do it again. Here are some of the recent photos from some of our adventures.

Fall weather has slammed us and she needs a hat. I thought she would scream when I put it on her but she loves it.

Nana {Emma's great grandmother} got her this little activity center. She loves it. She is all about batting at the toys and kicking around.

Emma now has kitty cats. Pappy and Grammy found some kitties in a dumpster when they were so small, we are talking eyes not open. They took them to the farm and keep feeding them and loving them. Now they live at the farm and Emma enjoys her kitties. She has Judy, Larry & Niles.

I just realized I haven't uploaded about 200 photos! I guess I had better do that and then share them :-)

The ABC Blog Game

2011-09-08T09:56:00.003-04:00

I saw this on Jennifer's blog and wondered when someone was going to start one of these up this year!

{a} age :: 29
{b} bed size :: King
{c} chore you hate :Dusting, moving everything is a pain!
{d} dogs :2 Nancy Drew and Murphy Bruce
{e} essential start to your day :Diaper changing, feeding Emma, then rocking her back to sleep and maybe getting a shower before she wakes back up.
{f} favorite color :Pink
{g} gold or silver :Gold
{h} height :: 5'7".
{i} instruments you play :I play some good air guitar.
{j} job title :: Wife, Mom, Homemaker
{k} kids :: 1
{l} live :Ohio
{m} maiden name :Lamb
{n} nicknames : Mommy,Hunny, Zelda Marie
{o} overnight hospital stays :Gallbladder attack and Emma's birth
{p} pet peeve :Family drama
{q} quote :1 Corinthians 13:4
{r} righty or lefty :Lefty
{s} siblings :: 2 brothers
{t} time you wake up :Emma wakes me up around 530
{u} university attended :Wright State University
{v} vegetables you dislike :Tomato {Oh wait they say that's a fruit}
{w} what makes you run late :Emma! Ha-ha
{x} x-rays you’ve had :Teeth, Chest, Back, Hips
{y} yummy food :Chipotle {And I get to have that next week!}
{z} zoo animal favorite :Elephants

Please let me know if you do this on your blog!

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T08:20:00.005-04:00

We hope everyone has a great Labor Day! It's a cool 65 degrees outside today! Emma and Mommy are headed to the farm for the day. { E I E I O...she loves that song!}

I Took A Real Shower!

2011-09-02T18:39:00.000-04:00

Thanks ladies for all the comments. I, only in my head, feel like I failed my child by not providing her with the BEST I could. But I have to say..today was better. Emma took her final bottle last night at 930 and slept till 130. She ate 2 ounces {kinda nice being able to measure what she gets} and crashed until 530 {which she wanted another 2 ounces}. So she does sleep better it seems. This morning was a little nuts because I had tons of phone calls to make, bottles to now wash, and laundry to pack up. She took 4 ounces around 10 then we headed out the door to my grandmothers. I went there to take a shower. Have you ever wanted to enjoy a shower? Not that hop in and hop out before the baby wakes up and needs food kind of shower...i'm talking stand there-wash your hair and shave your legs shower. I also needed a few minutes to pump at least an ounce because I am in PAIN! I see why some people do the gradual weaning, but she refuses me now. She loves her bottle. I think she likes to hold it and play with it. She smiles while she eats {which makes the formula leak out but who cares}. So I thought maybe taking an ounce out would make me feel better. It did...for an hour. I feel like i'm carrying 20 pounds worth of rocks around today! I hope this doesn't last long. I love being able to have caffeine again! Cold turkey when she was 3 weeks old was killing me. The headache never went away and when you don't get real sleep you feel like a zombie mom. I had a Creme Soda today...oh heaven! Tomorrow I plan on having a Diet Dr. Pepper. Oh how I have missed it. I think if I was stranded on an island all I would need is my Diet Dr. Pepper. I'm also excited to have Chipotle! With a bland diet I was VERY limited to what I was able to eat. The hubs promised we would get it on his day off....and i'm counting down the days. So maybe I am a little selfish when it comes to formula, I feel like a real person again. It was nice to be able to fold laundry, walk the dogs and shower knowing someone else could feed Emma. {Is that really a selfish feeling?} She took her bottle for my grandmother today and loved smiling to her through the whole thing. She didn't nap ALL day, which I hate because I fear she will be impossible tonight. But she was so awake and wanting to talk, play, and just be a part of the group. I loved it! She crashed in the car on the way home and right now I have her sleeping in her car seat. I plan on waking her up around 7 to get her bottle, jammies, and maybe some play time in so that she does want to sleep. I'm still having mixed feelings about formula but I can see now that she is a happier baby. Maybe she wasn't getting enough milk in one sitting, or maybe she likes having a mommy who is showered and not crazy!

Am I A Bad Mommy?

2011-09-01T16:47:00.001-04:00

For the past month I have been struggling with breastfeeding vs. formula. Here is why: Emma is 2 months 1 week old and still isn't set on a routine. I have a few ideas of what she will be like during the day, but that's a guess and doesn't always happen. We tried to get her on the "3 hour feeding program" that a friend suggested. A couple problems with that program is that it doesn't allow for any changes or growth spurts and the need to nurse more often, I don't like to nurse out in public {I always go to the car}, and she isn't always hungry in 3 hours. I also tried the "feed on demand program" and it turned into feeding every 1 hour. Well that seemed worse. I didn't think she was getting enough milk, until I went to the pediatrician and they told me she was 11 pounds, and she was always so gassy. They said she had colic and I did lots of research on the condition. She only really has the fussy period after feeding and around 6pm. She never wants to take a nap, because she wants to nurse, and she never sleeps more then 2-3 hours at a time at night, because she wants to nurse. After talking to lots of mommies I got a lot of mixed comments and suggestions. You never know who to listen to, even her doctor didn't help me with my decision. I even got some stares when I asked questions to other mommies that makes me fee like a rotten person! Last night was my breaking point. Emma didn't nap all day, was fussy and only wanted to nurse. {By the way she has 3 teeth starting to come in and she doesn't take a paci...guess who the paci is!?} I am tired of feeling trapped because she wants to nurse every hour. {But I do love the bonding and being the one to comfort her needs.} Around 8pm she started to go to sleep...then she woke up 15 minutes later and was screaming and trying to nurse. When she finished she was still fussy. When I pumped I didn't get nearly the amount that she needs per feeding. {This happens every time I pump} One car ride and 6 feedings later she settles down...for an hour. Finally I grabbed the bottle, put in the formula, and tried it. She had 2 ounces,cuddled up against me, and crashed. She slept for 6 hours! 6...did you hear me?! I was shocked. I slept for about 4 before I realized how long it had been and then I worried she was not breathing. Typical mommy worries. She was fine, hands over her head, out like a light. When she did wake up it was because her Pamper leaked and she was soaked. {That would wake me up too!} I tried to nurse her but she wasn't really interested. Back to bed we went for 3 hours. She does wake up by 6am no matter what time her last awakening was. So we were up, and this time she nursed but not for long. I got ready for my OB appointment and she took her little morning nap. Before we left I offered her food again and she took it but was more interested in talking to me. I love when she does that! Of course she waits till we get out into public to want to nurse. While im sitting in the waiting room I put together a bottle. {Which by the way is so funny because I have no clue what i'm doing. Other moms were looking and offering advice. I felt so silly and the hubby was laughing as well.} She didn't want to take the bottle because it was room temperature. Not her usual warm meal. She fussed and fussed and I finally gave in and nursed her while sitting on the table waiting for the doc. {What a sight I was when the doc walked in.} After talking to the doc I explained my situation and my lack of sleep and being so upset with my whole life. We talked about PPD and I said I don't feel like I have that but I just feel like I can't function or do anything right with Emma. She doesn't seem satisfied with nursing, I can't leave her sight or she flips out, and I am tired of playing the role of paci. My doctor rocks and said "Umm, you know they do make formula. Don't feel like you have to nurse because all your friends did." It was like a "duh" moment for me. My mother, mother in law, grandmother, and hubby had been saying the same thing to me for weeks, but I felt like a bad mommy for not giving my baby breast milk. I have spent many days and nights crying over the possibility of formula. Isn't nursing the right/best thing to do? Yes. I am a full believer that nursing a baby is the best, until it makes the mommy go insane and having to call her mother in the middle of the night to come up and help her deal with an upset baby. { I had lost it and really needed help.} The doc assured me that Emma has received all the benefits of breastfeeding and switching now would not scar her for life. I am still worried about the bonding part, but it's hard to bond with a crying baby when you are crying yourself. When we got home from the doc I made up another bottle...and she chugged it. Then....a 3 hour nap! She woke up happy and was ready to talk and play. So am I crazy to think that maybe she would do better on formula? Maybe I can now get out of the house, go to the store, go to the park, heck go on a walk with a happy baby? Or am I a selfish/bad mother?

Holy No Time Batman!

2011-08-19T18:32:00.012-04:00

I swear I thought I had no time before Emma was here, but I was wrong. Emma is 8 weeks today and I feel like the time has flown by. I don't feel like i'm accomplishing much. Heck I know i'm not! It was nice to have the hubby home for these 8 weeks, but now he has returned to work and it's all on this stay at home mommy. So far, so crazy! But Emma has been growing like a weed. She is laughing, smiling, baby talking and can almost hold her head up without support. Such a big girl!

My goal is to figure out this stay at home mommy/wife job. One of these days i'll have it all together!

Before Colic

2011-07-27T13:24:00.004-04:00

I was uploading photos the other night and found some of the cutest ones. These were taken about 2 weeks before we discovered Emma had colic. We are in the middle of the battle right now. She is a month old and at the peak of the colic phase. I just hope we can make it through this. There are lots of tears, mostly mine, and screaming, mostly Emma. Her little belly hurts and sometimes the drops help. Last night was her best night in a long time. She slept from 8pm till 130am. And only got up at 130 to nurse, then slept till 530. Which isn't like her at all. My mom gave her alittle rice cereal in her bottle {pumped milk} and maybe that helped. I'm going to try it again today and see if that helps. If it does look at world, we will be using that everyday!

Active Emma

2011-07-17T21:28:00.005-04:00

Emma is 3 weeks old already and starting to become more active. I loved her as a newborn, but I must admit I enjoy the smiles, baby talk, and her expressions. She loves her toys and will "talk" to them. She recently starting to touch them and then laugh.

Emma Grace Enters Our World

2011-07-12T17:13:00.017-04:00

I don't want to talk much about the birth of Emma. It was something very unexpected, but the result was a baby. As you all know we got induced on Thursday June 23. That night they hooked me up to the IV and also gave me some sleeping meds. I knew I wouldn't sleep. Who could sleep knowing you were having a baby the next day?!I didn't really sleep hard but I know I was relaxed and enjoyed just laying in the bed not having a care in the world. {Really good drugs!}

Friday June 24 they broke my water at 9am. For those of you who have never experienced this, it's GROSS! I felt like I wet the bed with 1000 gallons of water! And {TMI coming} it was SO warm. Once they did that I decided I needed to try to go to the bathroom. Perfect timing right?! When I stood up to get out of the bed, I think my water broke for a second time. I flooded the floor. {Thank goodness my mom was there to help me clean it up. I was so embarrassed!} They also started the Pitocin.

Around 11am I asked for some meds to take the edge off. I didn't want the EPI because I thought maybe I wouldn't need it. {Ha!} They gave me something that really makes you crazy. At one point I went to the bathroom, 20 minutes later Chris knocks on the door and asks me what i'm doing. In which I respond "I'm just sitting here talking to this tree. What are you doing?" Yeah, good drugs. Once they removed me from the bathroom I started to pick off my IV. Oh my it was a weird drug. I remember sleeping A LOT for the next several hours. The nurses would come in every hour and check to see my progress.

Around 2pm the weird drug was worn off, and the contractions were coming FULL SPEED. I'm a giant baby and any little pain sets me off. But this was PAIN! I couldn't catch my breath and I started to flip out. So the EPI was ordered. Once again, another great drug. I lost total feeling from my hips down, and I loved it! I was at 6cm by this point so I thought I had a long way to go.

By 3pm I was at 8cm. Wow we are moving right along. But I decided to nap anyways.

5pm the doc came in and said I was at 10cm and it was time to start pushing. Are you kidding me? That was way to fast! Once I started pushing, it was the quickest experience I have ever heard of. 15 pushes and she was out! She was born at 5:40pm.

This is where I don't like to talk about the birth experience. But I will share because many people have heard the story and it's easier to type it then to talk face to face.

Right after she came out they put her on my now smaller belly and I got to look at the top of her head. I started to feel a little odd but I thought it was just because I had a baby. They took her over to the little warmer and Chris went with her to watch them check her out. I noticed the doc was still trying to do work on me, but I didn't know why. Not to mention I was starting to feel light headed. They threw on some oxygen and told me to relax. I looked over at Emma and yelled to my mom that I was going to get sick. Which I did...that's all I remember. I came to and all I heard was they were setting up the OR and I needed to get in there ASAP. The doc looked at me and said I was bleeding to much and they needed to get me to a better room and try to stop the bleeding. I remember being taken out of the room but I wasn't 100% sure what was going on. I had lost so much blood I was pale {according to everyone}and I didn't even know who I was.

Next thing I know i'm in the OR and there are about 12 people standing around me. The anesthesiologist was by my head and telling me what was going on. I had hemorrhaged after delivery and they needed to give me at least 2 units of blood. {I'm so afraid of needles and blood so you can imagine my reaction...but instead I was watching them hook me up and finding it all amazing. Yup, I was that out of it.} I went in and out of dream land hearing everything going on but not realizing that it was happening to me. I know I went into shock because they hit a button and someone brought in a "bear hug" to keep me warm. {It's a plastic blanket that pumps hot air.} When the surgery was over my doc told me everything looks great. I ended up with 72 stitches!

In recovery I was starting to come back to life. I asked what had happened once again and the nurse explained it to me. Then I remembered I had a baby, and I hadn't got to hold her. The nurse was amazing and went and got Chris to bring Emma to me. But I still couldn't hold her because I was loopy and also still receiving more blood. But when I saw her she was so beautiful. The lactation nurse came in and pumped me so that Emma could have some food. This was 6 hours after her birth. Recovery was a weird time for me because I was trying to come out of my drug coma, getting life back from the blood loss, and also having a change in hormones.

Once back in my room I got to hold Emma. I was feeling great! I had new blood, I was hungry and I had my baby. Chris went home for an hour to shower and I think he needed some alone time. My mom told me how he was scared he was and I felt so bad for him. I never thought about the "what-if"like he did. I guess I must have been a mess before the OR because mom said everyone, even the family in the hall, thought I was gone when they wheeled me out. And of course mom sat in the room and cried telling me the story. But I am so thankful I don't remember, or I didn' realize at the time, how bad things were.

That night the nurse took Emma to the nursery. I hated that because I wanted her in the room at all times, but they said I needed to recover and sleep. But at 6am I requested they bring her back. Once they did I slept like a baby. And I got to change my first diaper! Oh and feed her a few times. I was doing so good they unhooked my IV, let me take a shower and brought me TONS of food. I have to say my doc is amazing. She didn't want me laying around, she wanted me to be a mom.

I got to come home on Sunday. I was shocked they let me go that soon but all my tests came back good and she said she wanted me to recover at home and get into mommy hood. Which we jumped right into!

Even though the end of the birth was terrible, I loved going through the labor process. Sure I was drugged with my EPI, but I was able to enjoy pushing and seeing her little wrinkled face!

{Yes I was massive at 39 weeks. Since we thought she was going to be large we thought it may be time to get her out!}

{This was the next day and after I had a much needed hot shower. I got to spend some time loving Emma and getting to really see her, drug free with new blood!}

Adjusting

2011-07-11T20:53:00.003-04:00

We are still adjusting to life with a newborn. She needs to nurse every 2 hours, then get lots of diapers changed, cuddle time and of course some crying. That takes up about 23 hours out of my day! The last hour is shower and chores. I have lots of cute photos I can't wait to post. Another day....when I have my game face on!

Welcome Emma Grace

2011-07-01T08:24:00.004-04:00

Emma entered into our lives on Friday June 24, 2011 at 5:40pm. She weighted 7 pounds 9 ounces, and was 20.5". A tiny little thing compared to what they thought she was going to be! So much for that 9 pound baby huh?

I'm Having My Baby When???

2011-06-23T15:40:00.003-04:00

I've been having high blood pressure and swelling issues for about a month now. Finally my BP and swelling came down to normal, but they were concerned the baby may be getting to big. So we did an ultrasound {which I couldn't tell what anything was!} and they said she looks normal at 7 pounds 14 ounces, but give or take a pound. Ok a WHOLE POUND could make a big difference! They felt my pelvis was narrow but the doc believes I can do this. We went in to the doc on Wednesday thinking he would say c-section....but he didn't. Instead he said "I think it's best to do an induction." I responded with "And when do you usually like to do those?" Doc looks at me right in the eye and says "39 weeks!" To which Chris and I both say at the same time "THAT'S TOMORROW!!!" And trying not to laugh my doc says "Well yes."

Talk about panic. I knew I was going to actually HAVE this baby, but I never really thought it would be real. Does that make sense? So after we set up our appointment for our induction we had lots of people to call. It's nice to be able to give people a time frame, but also takes the fun out of it. I go in at 10pm and they will be doing something that requires gel {TMI} and in the morning break my water and add the Pitocin if needed. Our hopes is she is born by Friday night! We have been cleaning the house, packing and repacking everything, getting the dogs an appointment to be in the kennel for a few days, getting our house sitter moved up a week, and trying to spend as much time relaxing as possible. Which means I haven't slept or relaxed since 9am yesterday!

As soon as i'm home and able I will post lots of pictures.

Amish Shower Gifts

2011-06-08T18:20:00.013-04:00

{I'm way behind on updating. We have the house torn apart trying to get the new flooring in before the baby gets here. Which we think will be anytime. I went to the hospital yesterday because of high blood pressure {wonder why?} and they said it could be preeclampsia. I go in Monday for my 38 week, and I think if all the tests come back, they will induce. Panic time!}

This was from my mom. It's a Amish Basket Baby Cradle. And of course an Amish doll; no face. Now Emma has a doll and some place to let her sleep when she gets older. The wrapping was a blanket made by Lydia {Amish} for me.

Another Amish Basket. They call it a car carrier, but i'm going to use it as a changing table organizer. Lots of little places for tiny baby needs.

This is an Amish Diaper Bag. They only sell them to the Amish, but mom was lucky enough to get one. We don't know what we will use it for {since we also got a diaper bag that's bigger} but we will find something fun to do with it.

This is a gym from my grandmother. It will have to stay in the box until we need it. It's so big! Lots of fun activities for her to play with.

This is from my friend Lacy. It's a tutu for pictures! Of course Chris had to run out and pick up some Chucks for her so we can do a "punk" baby photo session!

We received TONS more gifts and Emma is truly blessed. Most of the pics are now on my facebook {family and friends only} so you can take a look over there :-)

Tornado

2011-05-29T11:50:00.008-04:00

Just when I thought our stress was over, we get hit with a tornado. You heard me correctly- tornado. I have lived here for 6 years and never come close to being in the path of one. {I have been in 2 my whole life; when I was a kid and we were on vacation in Oklahoma.} This was scary. We had the take cover in our hall bathroom. The dogs were going nuts, which was our first sign that something wasn't right. I grabbed the camera and started to video tape the hail storm, but when the windows started to shake and the curtains began sucking in I decided it was time to run.

We were in our bathroom when we heard people in the hallway talking VERY loud. We think they may have been yelling for someone to take cover. So Chris left our safe haven and opened the door..letting a few new neighbors into our place. Since we couldn't all get into the bathroom we stuck them in our kitchen-it doesn't have any windows. Once the power went out we weren't sure where the tornado was, so we just braced ourselves.

When Chris returned to the bathroom it sounded like machine guns going off. You could hear glass breaking and just a loud noise. {I have to admit it really does sound like a train going by.} After about 10 minutes everything stopped. We came out of the bathroom, checked on our guests in the kitchen and then went outside to check on damage. Oh the hail! It was the size of apples! The hail caused to much damage to the trees it looked like fall. I couldn't believe that hail could get that big. Of course there were little pieces as well, but the size of some of them were so crazy.

* I tried to upload more photos and actually post this but for some reason blogger is acting up again. So this is all I can post at the moment and I will get the rest of the photos in another post, if it allows. I may need to re size them.

I Got Outside

2011-05-22T14:20:00.008-04:00

Yes, the rain stopped once again for awhile...but the 80* heat came instead. While I was waiting on the insurance man to get to the house and give us the news on what they would cover, I decided to snap some photos. It felt good to hold a camera again!

I'm still trying to get the house back together from the flood. I need to upload all the photos from both showers again, and then I will post some of the cute and fun gifts we received.

Fix It Friday # 99

2011-05-20T09:50:00.008-04:00

I haven't done anything for I Heart Faces in months. I blame the stress of being pregnant. Is that a real excuse?! Only a month to go, then I will have TONS of photos so that I can do more on the site. But FIF was something I had time for today. Mostly because i'm sitting here at my parents waiting for the OK to move back into my house, thanks to the flooding of our dishwasher.

{I Heart Faces Photo}

{My Edit}

Baby Shower Fun

2011-05-19T11:34:00.016-04:00

These last few weeks have been crazy. We had 2 baby showers, doctors appointments, death of a family member, and our condo flooded from our dishwasher. But I would like to share some of the shower pictures from the 1st baby shower, because not everyone could make it. We had a big crowd, around 35-38. Lots of family and friends..lots of kind gifts and diapers!

The detail of this baby was something else. We didn't design the cake, we left it up to our favorite cake lady to make it special. I about cried when I saw this, it was perfect!

I had the decorations on the tables very plain and not "to much". I found a poem online and decided to print it out, frame it in a painted pink frame {when you can't find the pink you want to make it yourself} and use it as the main centerpiece. Everyone loved it and thought it was a nice way of saying "thank you" from Emma. {Don't worry, everyone got thank you cards as well.}

The white pails were filled with "Easter" M&M's. Since it was the week after, I got them for a great deal and they were pastel colored. Oh and they had little lambs on them, perfect for our farm themed nursery. The baby jars were for the game where you have to smell it and guess the food. No one had any luck, and after tasting some myself I realized I would NOT be feeding this to my baby. I'm going to make my own baby food. {1- It's way cheaper, 2- It's better for her 3- It smelled so bad I wanted to get sick!}

We got so many great gifts. Lots of clothing, lots of bath time fun, and of course some special home made things. As soon as I get the photos uploaded, since I didn't take them myself, i'll post some of the cute things we received.

Nursery Complete

2011-04-26T15:16:00.010-04:00

With all the rain that we have been getting in Ohio, we decided it was best, and safer, to stay around the condo and work on the babies room. And the bedroom, and the bathrooms, and the kitchen...Am I nesting already?

Sometimes we would go about 3-4 hours without a drop of rain. This gave us time to paint the items we needed to and also make quick grocery trips. In the past week we have had over 8" of rain. And we aren't out of the woods yet. We are flooded beyond control in this area, and the further south you go the worse it is. But the only good thing about rainy days is the work around the house you can get done.

Grandpa Penwell was shopping again. There is now wall art to match her bedding.

We hung the lamp over the changing table. I found this lamp about 4 years ago at a house my grandfather was trying to sell. It's so groovy. My goal was to use it in my office, but we never hung it up. Perfect for baby Emma!Oh and I just picked up the sock monkey today. I thought it was so cute. {Love after Easter clearance!}

Chris and I found this sign at P.Graham Dunn in Holmes County last summer. It was black but I wanted it to either hang in the hallway or save until we moved and hope to get a fireplace to set it on. Well, Emma is now the owner of it. {See a pattern here? She gets all the cool stuff I was saving.} Chris painted it pink to make it match the room and I stuck the beanie babies {farm animals} up there for decoration. I love this sign. It's sitting above where the rocking chair will be, and it's a reminder for me to be still. Which I will need lots of practice doing!

When I dust again i'll post the whole room. I'm ADD about dusting, so I don't want to show a dirty room! Ha-ha.

Blooming

2011-04-19T13:45:00.013-04:00

Everything around here is blooming. I love it! Now that I have a camera again I can get out and really capture this wonderful spring. I took my hubby with me last week to test the new camera out at a local park. Everyone else must have had the same idea, because it was packed. Lots of babies getting their first photos in front of the tulips. Plus all the animals were hanging out around the pond. It was a great day!

The flowers where the highlight of the park. Everything was full of color and life it really made you feel good. Spring is that time when things start fresh, and this was just a reminder from God that everything and everyone gets a fresh start. I love it!

This week we are getting lots of rain and terrible storms. So my photography of spring is put on hold. I'm hoping next week that the sun comes out and I can get some farm babies to photograph for the nursery.

Nursery Update

2011-04-15T11:48:00.008-04:00

We have been working our little booties off to get this nursery done. The paint smell is finally gone, bedding cleaned, and clothing put into the dresser and hung. We still have the final touches and accessories that need to be added, but the major haul is over. Thank goodness.

We moved this crib around so much because we didn't know where we liked it. Finally I decided right by the door so I could hear her better and also sneak little peaks without having to walk into the room. With 2 dogs always at my feet, being quiet is sometimes a problem.

The bedding looks amazing. I'm so glad we picked farm as our theme.

The comforter will stay on the crib until she gets here, then it will go over the rocker. We know we are getting lots of handmade blankets so anything we use right away will be those. But when she gets older we will use this comforter. I hope she wants to keep it as a toddler in her little bed. {Which we have already.}

Grandpa Penwell went alittle crazy and bought her a nice little shelf. Actually all the furniture and bedding is from them. But he can't stop shopping. Here I thought it would be me! Ha-ha. This stand has been nice because we already have so many outfits and sleepers, this will make little pieces like socks, shoes and bibs an easy place to store. It also gave us room for accessories and books!

One day it will all be complete. Now that I have a camera again, I can get more and more photos. I feel whole again :-)

I've Been....

2011-04-12T14:31:00.002-04:00

...without a working camera for over a week now. Our big mama Canon took a turn for the worst last week. I noticed the images weren't coming out sharp, they had lots of grain to them. After playing around with the settings, and trying everything I could in my power to make it work....I had to retire her. She works OK outside in high level lighting, but the sensor is gone and we just can't get a good photo. Perfect timing right? Spring flowers, baby on the way. But I have a wonderful hubby who saw my pain {and heard my tears even in the shower} and ordered a new camera for me. So I hope to get it in the mail soon and get back in the game.

Did I mention our point and shoot took a crapper as well? Ya, it's been 0 cameras in the house...talk about depression!

Yellow

2011-03-31T16:06:00.008-04:00

Last Sunday my FIL and hubby started to paint the nursery. After 8 hours, and 2 coats later we thought we were done. Only to open the door the next morning and see our old brown color coming through in spots. Talk about upset! We purchased the pricey paint that had the primer in it, after the people at Home Depot told us that it would only take 2 coats and if WOULD work. Ha! The hubby called Behr paint and told them what happened and wondered what we should do. We had already spent so much money on 2 gallons of paint and it didn't work. They explained to us that Home Depot should have known better, that going from a dark brown to a yellow wouldn't cover without at least 1 coat of primer. So wait, we just wasted our money?! Thank goodness Behr took our side and are paying us for the next gallon of paint to cover up the first 2. They think 1 more gallon should fix it, and if it doesn't they will pay for the whole thing. Great customer service, but a pain to have to paint one more time.

After painting they put together the crib and changing table/dresser. That was a process. I never knew how many parts come with those things! The whole family was in there. My SIL is great with putting together furniture so she was incharge. My MIL and I sat back and helped when needed.

As I walked the dogs that night I was shocked at how bright the room is! Without any blinds or curtains it really lights the front of our building up.

I hope this weekend we can get the final coat on, open the windows {if Ohio weather works in our favor}, and get the bedding in so I can take photos. Fingers crossed!

Baby Room Upate

2011-03-25T14:58:00.012-04:00

This whole week we have had to spend at home getting the babies room together. We weren't planning on being home bodies, but when my FIL said that he wanted to paint this weekend, we had to become hermit's and get this done. Chris did 90% of the work. {I think since I get to have the baby, he can work on her room right?}

The room went through lots of repairs. We had to seal off the old AC unit, which took Chris 2 days to complete. Then most of the room needed to be sanded from filling in the old holes. And of course we did the first of the carpet cleaning. Now all we need is to get the room painted and we can put together the crib and dresser/changing table.

I wanted to take this unit out and just drywall and pretend it was never there. But I guess when they put in the new AC unit they used the power source from this box, so we are stuck with it. It wasn't a big deal until I wanted to use that space for a shelf. So now we may have to add little decals or something to cover it up even more.

Murphy has been a BIG help. Chris finally had to close the door because he wanted to help so much. And by help I mean stand under your feet, play with the stirring sticks, and lick the paint samples. But it's still great to see him so interested in the babies items. We always go in the room and say "Here's baby Emma's room." And he looks around for her. So cute. The best is I can be standing in the kitchen and say "Wow, Emma is kicking mommy really hard." and he will run to her room. So he is catching on that someone or something named Emma will be in that room. Wait till he meets her and realizes the screams and smells that will be coming from that room! Ha-ha.

Chris and I have been going back and forth about the whole bedding set thing. I have done even more research, asked around and even talked to another baby nurse about the whole SIDS thing and the bumpers. Finding out that it's just something to be aware of made me think that I wanted the bed set because I want a cute nursery. Then I realized that I was going to keep her in our room for at least a month while i'm learning to breastfeed, so it wouldn't matter anyway.

The other night Chris got a text from my FIL saying he wanted to swing by. It's not like he is ever up this way, so we thought it was important. Maybe he wanted to see the room and know what type of paint to get. That was my thought. But when he walked through the door he had our bedding set! Chris and I said we would do without because we didn't want to spend the money on that when we could use the money to buy other things. So the in-laws decided to get the bedding as an early shower gift. So now we are back to using the bumper, but the blanket will be hung over the rocker so that it won't cause SIDS. And if I find that Emma likes to roll towards the bumper, it will come out. 90% of moms I have talked to said their kids didn't start rolling til 4-5 months and they never rolled all the way to the bumper. When the kids got older they took it out because the kid always wanted to stick their little hands out and throw things. So I figured we would give it a try. {One mother said it actually helped save her kids head many nights because they would bang their little head on it trying to pet the dog!}

So that's where we are this week. I hope we can get all the decorating done in time for the shower so that I can have pictures so that everyone can see them. That's the goal for next week!

Baby Classes and Cleaning

2011-03-16T12:11:00.007-04:00

It seems like the weeks are flying by. I have lots of energy during the day, but when I finally sit down to enjoy some TV I crash. Which isn't leaving me much time for photos or blogging. Hoping now that the spring weather is upon us I can get motivation, and keep sinus and allergies away, to get outside and explore. Not really explore but enjoy some quiet me time before it's me and Emma. Not that I won't enjoy having her with me all the time, sometimes you just need to get outside and take a look around, be still.

Our classes are wonderful. I've learned so much. Tonight is our last Lamaze class. The only thing I enjoyed about this class was the hospital tour. Sad right? They have to tell you to go all natural and to let nature take it's course. Well, i'm all for the drugs to help with the pain and make this a more magical experience. So when I ask questions the nurse looks at me and says I can do it without. Ok lady, like you know me. I don't do pain. I don't do any situation where I can't control my emotions and the things that come out of my mouth. Does she want to see the Devil himself that day? I would suggest they have a more open mind and let women who want to have the drugs get them without a lecture. I've talked to my OB, looked into the safety of them, and talked to close friends who got the drugs. Their children are fine and they said they could enjoy the wonderful experience of birth. I hope tonight we get a better nurse who will be more open minded and actually answer my questions. I don't like the unknown, and hospital stays freak me out. Doing my research and knowing ahead of time will help me to remain calm and not walk out and just let the baby inside for her whole life.

The baby care class was great. I learned SO much. I didn't know you weren't supposed to use those bumper pads or the comforter that they sell at the stores. They are so unsafe. I'm already scared of SIDS, now I have to worry about their bedding? So we decided to skip the pricey bedding and get some cute sheets, a nice blanket that has the same pattern as the set, and use our decorating skills. I also didn't know that you aren't supposed to use any blankets at night when they sleep. Of course I raised my hand and said that seems mean and I don't want her to freeze. But they make these awesome HALO blanket sacks that they recommend. It keeps them warm and safe from blankets. Once again, we had to change the registry. Bath safety wasn't scary to me, even when she brought in a 2 day old baby to show us how to do it. I felt like that part I have down and i'm not scared. Chris on the other hand is afraid when she cries during a bath. This little baby kept flipping out and Chris didn't like that. But I told him you just have to do it fast and then wrap them up and love on them, she will be fine.

The breastfeeding class has me scared and worried. But lets not talk about that here. I'm sure no one wants to talk about that ;-) {Or in your case read about that.}

I'm a spring cleaning machine these days. I have my schedule worked out, and sticking to it has helped. The month of February got things started and now in the middle of March it's going strong. I have to make little changes due to plans, appointments, and the unexpected. Everything is getting cleaned like normal, and then some. Ever see a 25 week pregnant lady mop her floors on hands and knees? My husband thinks i'm crazy. A- It kills my back and hips. B- I'm getting more round and lose my balance, resulting in lots of head first spills to the floor. C- I always have to get up and pee every 5 minutes. But I want my floors clean! I know i'm not "nesting" yet, but I just have this urge to make things clean. It's spring that's what you do right?

I Heart Faces: Sun Flare

2011-03-14T18:49:00.005-04:00

I was going to attempt to take a self pregnancy portrait of myself today for this challenge, but since it decided to stay cloudy ALL day, I had to search my computer. This photo was a challenge in itself. It had been sunny ALL afternoon while we were taking the photos. As soon as I wanted to get a great sun shot, it went away. So she sat there for a while and then BOOM, I had to grab it. I was amazed at how it looked after all that waiting. Love it.

Make sure you head over to I Heart Faces and see all the amazing photos this week.

Hello March

2011-03-01T12:34:00.010-05:00

Well February was a flop, as far as blogging and photos go. This past week we have had some wicked weather, which meant the ol' sinuses were on the war path. What's not fun is being 5 months pregnant and not being able to take your regular sinus meds. But there are a few over the counter meds i'm allowed to take, but they don't seem to have the punch in them that I need. The other day we went from 63* at 430am with tornado and thunderstorms to 34* at 11am and snow. Talk about crazy. But spring is around the corner and I am looking forward to this month.

It's going to be a full month. And i'm so happy to be enjoying my pregnancy now. Well there are all sorts of things I hate about it, but mostly I enjoy it. Oh and as far as those "What to Expect When Your Expecting" books go, they are out the window! There needs to be a book that says "You will have stretch marks ALL over your body." "You will burp like a man for no reason other then you picked up a pen." "You will decide that putting on pants will become a reason to cry, even though they are elastic jeans that are made just for pregnant women." and "You will throw things at your husband because you can't get your boots off." I think I shall write a book and tell ladies the reality of being pregnant. It's not all cute little belly and people congratulating you. But like I said there are some great perks to being pregnant.

Emma Grace has been moving like a crazy lady. I think she is practicing for Lord of the Dance. And she does it at 4am every morning. {Except this morning and I still woke up out of habit.} She enjoys Elvis and Winnie the Pooh songs. {For some reason she really takes off when I play "In the Ghetto" by Elvis. I think it's funny!} Oh and she is craving spicy foods. So I try to get Chipotle every once in awhile to feed her need. Then I get heartburn all night and end up telling myself i'll never do it again.

Her room is starting to become a reality for us. We moved the desk out to what used to be our dining room. So now my creative space is an open door. But on the good side it's right by the kitchen and I can snack all the time. Ha-ha. Right now Emma's room is full of things people have already given us. Mainly clothing! She has more things then I have ever had in my life. I don't think she will be able to wear it all before she grows out of it. We boxed up some of her later in life items and took them over to my mom's barn so that we can get them as soon as she is ready. Oh and why are stroller systems so bulky? You would think they would find a better way to store these things. Here soon we will have to move it to the car just for closet space! We finally settled on a theme.

This is what I keep going back to. I have lots of cute idea's for cheap decorating items; including using some of my many farm beanie babies from years past. Chris has a little wooden rocking horse that was his as a kid, so that will go in there. I can't wait to order the bedding {it's an online only item, so we doubt anyone will buy it for us}, start painting and getting it all ready for her.

So that's where I am these days. Tonight we start our first of many baby type classes at the hospital. We are doing it early so we can work around the hubs schedule. I'm sure we will be the only 23 week couple there, who cares. Tonight's class is "Baby Care". I think it's about bathing, diapering, and all the basics of a newborn. I'm looking forward to seeing how Chris handles it.

Our Godson Is 1?

2011-02-21T11:55:00.001-05:00

I can't believe that our Godson, Chace, is already turning 1. Where did the year go? He is a great kid, lots of personality, and has a great team of parents to raise him. He is truly blessed.

{I know this photo wasn't from today, but it was special because it was a celebration. And the only photo I took today was of my swollen feet. And I don't think I want to share that!}

I'm Up And Running

2011-02-18T18:08:00.014-05:00

Wow, that was a crazy week. I could check email and things on my iPod, but the computer was a whole different issue. All the posts that I did would not post. And I lost them. So now i'll do the quick overview so that I don't have to remember everything. Ha ha.

Monday
Happy Valentines Day! We don't celebrate it like we used to. Right now we are on a strict budget, so wasting our money on gifts, flowers, or cards wasn't our thang. But I did go shopping with my grandmother. She took me out for my birthday and bought me all kinds of cute preggo tops! And one pair of pj pants for the hospital.

Then we headed to Panara for some soup! It was nice to be out and about. Now that the belly is starting to stick out, people are very happy to talk to you about babies and birth.

Tuesday
Chris bought Emma her first real Bengals gear. I shouldn't have let him shop alone!But he did find them on clearance, so I couldn't be to upset.

Wednesday
We cleaned the closet out once again in the babies room. We decided to move a shelf that was holding our CD's and little things out into the living room for video games, and Emma's "necessary" items that we may need on the fly. We also found a good home for his guitar that he hasn't played since we were married. And it is going to a great person who will be giving it to an under privileged kid.

Thursday
I made the mistake of taking the hubs with me to Babies R Us to pick something up. Now we don't know what we want to do the nursery in. Here are the choices that I have narrowed it down too.

We had another ladybug picked out first, but when I found this new pattern, I liked it better. Chris like the bee's, he thinks its really cute and could look cute in our house. I also like the farm because it reminds me of my parents farm. So we are torn. Any help would be great! :-)

Internet Issues

2011-02-17T09:27:00.002-05:00

I've tried to update the blog everyday, but the posts aren't sticking. So I hope today I get an answer from either blogger or my internet company....I just hope I don't have to start over.

Fix It Friday #86

2011-02-12T13:28:00.008-05:00

{I'm still trying to get myself back into the habit of I Heart Faces. Until the baby comes I don't have access to many models! Ha-ha}

Photo, News, and Updates

2011-02-12T13:07:00.014-05:00

It has been a crazy week. I am actually worn out from all this running around, doctors appointments, registering, lunch with girlfriends, birthday and cleaning!

Monday
We got to see our little baby for the first time! 19 weeks and 4 days, although I am not good about keeping track of the weeks AND days. It was so nice to actually see that all this sickness, tiredness and pregnancy craziness if paying off. We invited both our moms to come with us. We also wanted to find out if we are having a little boy or a little girl. We are having a GIRL! I was shocked, since I had in my mind a boy. I had to ask several times if they were correct, and this poor lady checked a few times for us, and even printed out a few photos to prove it to me. So Emma Grace Penwell should be here June 30th. We are right on schedule. She is measuring in at 12 ounces. She is a thumb sucker we believe since she kept putting her hand in her mouth. Here is one of the many pictures we received; it's her profile and left hand, the one that she keeps sucking.

Tuesday
I had lunch with my girlfriend Heather. We always go to Panera Bread. I enjoyed my soup very very much! She got me a cute blouse that will work in the spring/summer. Unless i'm massive in which case i'll have to leave open and put a tank top under it.

We had lots of birds come to the bird feeder now that it's thawed. Murphy was like a cat and kept trying to get in the window, so I had to leave the blinds up all day.

Wednesday
This day is a blank for me. I know we went to visit our Amish friends who are moving to Mississippi. She is due a month after I am, and we have become very close. Sometime in August I plan on making a trip with my mom and Emma to see her and her baby. No picture today. 8-(

Thursday
Happy 29th birthday to me. I started the morning off with donuts from Bill's Donuts, a tradition. Then Chris and I went to Babies R Us to get registered. I was overwhelmed by all the items the you NEED. Lots of things I can live without, but also so much we don't have! We also were at 20 weeks today.

Friday
I went to visit my old college roommate Emilee and her little girl Elle. It was so nice to see Emilee after almost a year. Last time I saw her she was pregnant, and now Elle is a year old. Can't believe that we are mom's. After all the crazy stuff we used to do in college, we feel so grown up. She is a van mom, and I am in the process of finding the van I want also. When did things change?

The photo for today will be the Fix It Friday post.

Fix It Friday #85

2011-02-04T14:41:00.007-05:00

{It's been MONTHS since I have done anything I Heart Faces. I hate that, but I blame this pregnancy!}

{Original}

{My Edit}

We Ventured Out

2011-02-03T14:13:00.001-05:00

After being stuck inside for 2 days, I finally ventured out today. I had a dentist appointment that I couldn't reschedule again. I guess I have the "pregnant lady gum bleeding" thing that 90% of pregnant women suffer through. I knew they were bleeding alittle, but when she was cleaning them it looked like I had been punched in the mouth! And they told me it would only get worse. Lovely!

The roads weren't great but better then they had been. Schools went back, but on 2 hour delays. We also got some great sun which helped melt the sidewalks and parking lots. Once this all clears we are about to brace ourselves for the next big snow, which should be Monday. It couldn't have picked a worse day to snow, that's our ultrasound day! And i'm going even if it's a level 3 blizzard! I need to see this baby, know if it's a boy or girl, and start too look into registering. So snow beware, i'm a momma on a mission!

Ice Ice Baby- Storm 2

2011-02-02T16:58:00.008-05:00

Last night was crazy here. We weren't sure what the storm was going to do. At some point we got rain because the temperature jumped into the upper 40's for about 2 hours. Around 9pm it dropped into the teen's and the ice/freezing rain returned, also freezing all the rain we had received. Another snow day for the kids, another movie/cleaning day for us. The dogs hate it still, they slip and slide all over the place when they go out. I feel so bad for them, it must be cold and weird going to the bathroom on ice!

The snow is coming down today and we are also dealing with 40mph winds. I know the groundhog says that spring is right around the corner...I hope it's true. I usually like winter, but being pregnant and afraid to venture out for fear of falling or accidents has really changed my mind.

Ice Ice Baby-Storm 1

2011-02-01T16:35:00.015-05:00

{My goal for this month is too get back into the swing of an everyday blog update. Now that the first trimester is over, thank goodness, I feel more like myself and can actually stomach the site of the computer and my camera. It was so crazy with all the sickness, stress, and overall weirdness of being newly pregnant that kept me in almost a depressed stage. I wasn't, but I just couldn't keep myself from feeling terrible, tired and well sick. But it's been a few weeks since my last morning sickness episode and i'm starting to feel the baby move around. I hope this trimester brings that pregnancy glow and happiness I hear about.}

This morning we got hit with an ice storm. As the morning went on they bumped our county to a Level 1 Ice Emergency. So all our doctors appointments got canceled; which was OK with me. We will be getting ANOTHER ICE STORM starting later tonight. So today I was preparing for power outages. It may seem weird, but in the dead of winter that last thing you want is the power to be out for a while. I'm afraid of freezing to death! So I found as many blankets as I could and put them on stand by, I found all the oil lamps and flashlights and lined them up on the table, I also found the batteries incase the flashlights die, I prepared food that wouldn't require being made or heated up, and I had the cell phone charged incase I needed to call for help. It may sound nuts, but i'm one of those people that needs to be prepared. I could go to my parents house, but with the ice being the way it is right now, I can't get into the car!

Chris broke the ice scraper just trying to get this first layer off. So he has decided that if the power goes out we will stay in bed with 10 blankets, 2 layers of pants, and 3 pairs of socks each. Sounds like a plan to me!

The dogs HATE this stuff. They can't walk on the sidewalks because they are a solid sheet of ice, I can't take them out because i'm afraid to fall, and the bird feeder is frozen so Murphy has nothing to watch out the window. Poor dogs.

Do you like our parking lot? And people wonder why they are sliding into cars trying to get a spot. I have watched 2 cars slide into a spot, almost hitting the cars next to it. Remember, this is only round one!

This month has a lot of changes coming. And i'm putting my best foot forward and making these things happen. I have a new calendar with only cleaning things on it. I want to get into a routine before the baby gets here. One section of the house will be cleaned everyday, weekends I left open for little quick pickups. We have had lots of people stopping by and visiting and I know once the baby comes it will get worse. Which don't get me wrong I love when people stop by, I just hate that the house looks like a baby is already living here! So today we scrubbed the bathrooms from top to bottom, and tomorrow we will do the same for the living room/entrance area.

I'm also in a bible study for this month that i'm super excited about. It's called Adventuring Through the Bible and it's basically going through every book and getting the main point/story of it. And I love it! I even went to the library and picked up a few Francine Rivers books about Ruth so that I can learn more about this amazing woman. So excited and eager to learn!

Getting Through It All

2011-01-15T11:03:00.003-05:00

I'm still praying everyday about all this craziness we are dealing with at the moment. But things are starting to look good as far as settling with the accident. They gave us a rental car until we can get our car to the body shop and get it fixed. The agent from her company is really nice and so far we haven't had much to deal with, other then having to struggle for a week to find the right insurance information from the lady since the cop didn't get it right. But God stepped in and helped us through.

I am starting to feel more energy these days. I'm also starting to eat weird and crazy things. Yesterday I went to Walmart and picked up all the groceries we needed, it had been 2 weeks! When I was unloading my stuff the cashier asked if I was pregnant. My first thought was that she was calling me fat. Then she pointed out that I had pickles and ice cream! And lets face it, I love my pickles. But I don't mix it with my ice cream or other treats. I just grab a few out of the jar every...3-4 minutes! Ha-ha.

I think i'm starting to feel the baby move. I feel these little flutters that are like popcorn going off. They last for about 10-15 seconds at a time, but only when i'm laying down at night. So we will keep track of this and see if it keeps happening. On February 7th we hope to find out if we are looking for boy or girl names. {Although we have them 85% picked already}

The office is getting packed with baby items thanks to our loving family. So far we have:
Crib
Changing Table/Dresser
Stroller System
Swing
Diaper Genie
2 potties
Jumper
Bathtub
Umbrella Stroller

Which is a lot for this small room that is also hosting my treadmill and office junk. As soon as the weather breaks we will have to start moving things around and getting ready to decorate for a baby. My only problem is deciding if I want to do a neutral theme so we can use the bedding again, or just go all out and make each baby {when we have more} their own personal theme/nursery. Any thoughts moms?

2011= Can I start over?

2011-01-11T15:12:00.001-05:00

So far 2011 has been terrible. And too top everything off I was in a car accident on Sunday. I'm taking it easy until I get too see my OB again. I went to the ER and they said things looked good, but i'm still scared and hoping things are OK with the baby. Please keep my family in your prayers as we are dealing with a lot of issues right now.

Finally a New Year

2011-01-02T11:47:00.004-05:00

I told myself that I wanted to try to blog everyday this month, just to make up for not being around. Yesterday we got into the new Wii game "Wheel of Fortune" and had so much fun I decided not to stop and take time away from that.

Today we are cleaning up/out the office of Christmas gifts that need homes. We also have lots of baby stuff already that we need space for-including a stroller/carrier combo that is already put together. It's so big and takes up lots of space right now. And we stacked all the baby items in it, so we can't move it till I get organized. Let's hope I can do that this week.

I didn't make any resolutions like usual. By the end of the month they are all out the window and I vow to do it again next year. But I do have "goals" that I have for this year. The biggest being more organized so that when the baby comes I won't be a mess and need to call for help. I also need to get meal plans together every week so that I can get a grasp on cooking and storing things in the freezer. Oh and keeping the house picked up because at any moment, someone could stop by and I don't want to feel embarrassed about my home.

This afternoon I am planning on downloading all the 100's of photos from Christmas and getting some ordered for people. Also I need to get some fun preggo photos together because I have had a few emails about the belly. I just look fat, not preggo yet! Ha-ha.

On a side note we did hear the babies heartbeat. It was 158, which I hope means a girl!

Morning, Afternnoon And Evening Sickness

2010-12-16T10:00:00.002-05:00

Whoever said being pregnant was a wonderful experience needs to be in my shoes! This has been a terrible experience. I have been sick so much, I have lost weight! They finally gave me a pill that they give chemo patients to maybe stop the nausea so I can function. I plan on updating here soon, since i'm starting into my second trimester and feeling better! Sorry for not posting, but I have been so sick there isn't anything "nice" to post about!

Coming June 30, 2011...

2010-11-06T16:07:00.002-04:00

Baby boy or baby girl. We can't believe that I didn't have the flu. For 2 weeks I thought I was in the process of getting the worst flu of my life. I was tired ALL the time, sick as a dog {if you catch my drift}, and had really strange aches and pains. Not to mention stomach cramping.

So when we went to the doc and got a Congrats your pregnant,we were in complete shock. I promise I will post LOTS more. I have pics from last month, updates from festivals, and also some pregnant type photos.

Well Hello There

2010-10-27T13:21:00.002-04:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been a month since I last blogged. October is our craziest month. We have over a dozen birthdays, a few anniversary parties, a few good but no go interviews, 2 festivals, and in between small basket selling adventures. My computer is loaded with fall pictures that I would love to share, I just need to sort through them. I did manage to get all the sessions done and too the people; which was a priority that I couldn't skip. Can't wait too see which ones they pick for Christmas cards! { Which by the way I need to start thinking about. }

Once I get a chance to catch my breath and get life back on track i'll post all about the adventures we had. It may be an all photo post; hope you don't mind!

7 Months: Baby Chace

2010-09-23T14:43:00.021-04:00

Our Godson is now 7 months! I can't believe it. I remember driving to the hospital in the snow/slush to get the first look at him. He was a cutie from day 1. It's amazing how in such a short amount of time he has made his own little personality, attempt to crawl, and really like watching Spongebob!

His expressions crack me up. He always smiles, but never when I turn the camera on him. I think he is confused by the whole thing. Plus his parents were standing there singing to him, and he didn't know why we were all laughing.

Since we are all Bengals fans it only seemed right to make sure he would become one. So they decked him out in his Sunday Bengals gear and he rocked the photo session!

Then we decided to get some cute little playing ones, let him do what he wanted and see where it would lead us. This was the first time he had really discovered grass...

When we told him no and took it out of his hand he decided he was going to eat it anyway he could!

Thanks for letting me be a part of his 7 months! I can't wait for the many more pictures to come! {Oh and I will be posting the most recent ones for a preview here soon.}

Our Last Trip to Holmes County

2010-09-21T15:02:00.014-04:00

I should say "for the summer". We will be up that way many more times, and probably this year! This trip was a fun one because my hubby got to come along with mom and I. We did our usual running, seeing families, picking up or dropping off for the Amish. We also got to explore some farms and play around with some animals. Always my favorite part!

This farm is actually a new tourist attraction. They are still Amish but considered Mennonite so they are allowed to have a full swing business. Still great people and we love stopping in to check out the bakery! They let people play with the animals there and also ride in a buggy. But since we can do that at any time, we skipped that part. But boy those tourist ate that up. I think I should start my own business and ask the Amish to take people for a ride....they charged $3.00 a person for a 2 minute ride!

I loved this rocking chair. I thought I had the hubby talked into until we saw the price and realized we would rather have a new car then this chair. Who is going to pay that much for a rocker? {Some poor tourist lost in the "Amish" moment!} I think i'll ask one our of Amish friends to make one for us when we get a house, it will be about 90% cheaper!

Please excuse the unshaven truck driver. I think he was striking at that time; he wasn't going to shave until I stopped nagging him about it. Which, after about 3 weeks I had to bite my tongue!

We are against Puppy Mills of ALL kinds. When we saw they were selling puppies, like a puppy mill place, I started to leave. Then I asked one of the kids there and they said that people sometimes drop off puppies at the farm because they can't care for them. Or sometimes they do sell them for friends of theirs who need to get them sold for one reason or another. I still asked if they breed them for the purpose of selling to tourists and they said no. Most of them were not 100% pure breed. {Never hurts to ask!} And since they are a popular tourist site, they figured they could get them to good homes faster then a breeder or a store. {But not being a Puppy Mill. They have had people contact them about this issue, so they knew what I was talking about. And I have to say, they don't sell them for lots of money like a puppy mill or store would.}

I was about 2 seconds away from taking this little girl home!

She looks like our Nancy, who we don't know for sure what type of breed she is. They received the 3 pups from an English friend who was shocked that her female Pug was prego. Guess the neighbor dog found his way over and they think he is Beagle. So that would be a Puggle, which is a new hybrid breed. But they can't say the Beagle is 100& pure breed. So we think Nancy may be a Puggle, only really fat! Hehe. The little brown one was a pure breed; he was dropped off by a kid who couldn't care for him. I did hear the story on that one, and sounds like the kid wanted him to have a better home. Plus he was really hyper {before the picture} and I don't think the kid bargained for that.

If only I lived in a bigger house I could have more dogs. I think it's time to move! I need more dogs, although I want a big dog next time. Something that will look like a killer/protector but be as sweet as Nancy and Murphy!

I Heart Faces: Smirk

2010-09-20T10:29:00.006-04:00

I have a TON of smirk photos, and I never realized it until this weekend. My poor hubby is the model for most of my photos so he makes lots of smirks to mess up my photos. But instead of using him, like always, I thought I would share one from my latest session. It was a last minute thing; the baby was there, awake, and we had great sun.

He is so cute when he does this. It's like he wants to smile, but wants to play games with you at the same time.

Welcome Fall

2010-09-19T13:01:00.008-04:00

I am so excited for my favorite time of year. Fall means festivals, chili cook offs, Bengals football, and of course Halloween decorating!

I have started to pull out my totes of Halloween things. Last year, I realized I only had 2 things that didn't break when I moved a few years ago. After Halloween last year I went to clearance sales, garage sales, and Thrift Stores and found a bunch of cute things. Yesterday I stopped into a crafting store and they were having a pre-fall sale and I got 2 cute decorations for the yard. I love 75% off!

I've been really busy with photography lately. Everyone is taking advantage of this nice weather and getting holiday card photos done or new babies being born, and of course my little photo drives!

I Heart Faces: My Summer in Review

2010-09-09T13:51:00.014-04:00

The gals over at I Heart Faces are on their vacation, so we get to do a fun theme this week. It's all about our summer. The places we went, activities we did, and it doesn't have to have a face. {Call the press, no faces!}

I went to my first ever I Heart Faces Walk. It was in German Village and the setting couldn't have been better. The buildings were amazing and had an old school type charm. Can't wait to go back and get more photos!

We had a barn built on the farm this year. The whole Amish Community pitched in and completed the barn in 1 day. Amazing.

It was a whole family event. Everyone had a job. The hubs build the cupola on top, none of the Amish could figure it out!

We had a raging bull come on the farm, and refuse to leave. After we finally evicted him he went to the neighbors house and did $3,000 worth of damage. Later we found out he wandered onto a Dairy Farm down the road and um...met some gals. So the owner of that farm took him to an auction house, since no one wanted to claim him because of the damage.

That was the highlight of my summer. What did you do this last summer?

Fix It Friday: Better Late then Never

2010-09-05T20:44:00.008-04:00

The weekend is coming to an end, and I just realized I didn't post my FIF entry. I love holiday weekends, but I always am so busy I can't do little things I enjoy. So this is better late then never!

{Original}

{My Edit}

Great Deals

2010-09-01T14:27:00.003-04:00

We are all trying to get the best deals out there. I have found many websites that I follow to let me know what deals are out there. It's a game really now; finding the best coupons, compare shopping, and also getting rewards for buying stuff you use everyday.

Right now P&G has an great coupon deal. For every $50 in P&G products, you can send in to get a a coupon book with $110 in savings. This is stuff I use all the time, i'm buying it anyway, why not get more coupons and savings! I'm only $2.00 shy of my first booklet.

The deal of the day for us at Walmart today was the Gain Liquid Dish Soap. It's on sale for $1.97, which is a good deal anyway. But if you get the paper there is a $1.00 coupon in the P&G booklet, which brings the Gain to $0.97. I wish I had more then 1 coupon, I would have stocked up!

Where do you find good deals?!

Fix It Friday: Saturday Edition

2010-08-28T11:18:00.010-04:00

Always a day late. But good news readers, i'm back into a schedule and plan on update more then once a month. I'm super excited to share the events, and photos, from the summer! For now, lets get to the FIF fun!

Angie always takes AMAZING photos. This one was no surprise to be gorgeous, even without edits.

{Her original}

The photo reminded me of "Reflection". Maybe she was reflecting on the fact that school is about to start, but either way it was a deep reflection moment. Or maybe she was tired of getting her photo taken for the 1,000 time! HA-HA.

{My Edit}

Sticking to my "Reflection" theme, I softened the look, cropped the extra background out, brightened the flowers on the ground, and did a "reflection" background using the Picnik program.

Oh my Mess....

2010-08-17T18:01:00.006-04:00

We have been moving furniture around. We got a new large chair, put the glass coffee table in storage and trashed the fish tank stand. {Fish all passed away..finally} While doing this I decided to put things in different places and also redecorate with things. I still need to change out the hall photos from our wedding to other things. After 2 years, it's not cool to have all your wedding photos up. {Or is that just me?} So the other day I couldn't take the dining room table mess and Chris was at his grandparents. So I dove in with full force!

We got a new set of pots and pans. When the other ones started to get holes and dented, it was time. So those needed to be put away. The big red pot was going to storage. I always need those bigger ones, and this one wasn't damaged. Also the hubs old brace was STILL on the table, something that drove me nuts for a week. The rest needed to be boxed up for storage.

Finally a clean space. Everything that needs to go into storage or to goodwill is boxed up and ready to go. I can't stand clutter! Next i'm going to clean out the office again. How does that get so cluttered?

Life Gets In The Way

2010-08-14T14:06:00.003-04:00

So I didn't get to post everyday in the month of July like I had planned. Life, like they say, got in the way. Shall we do this in list form?

- Interview at place #1 for a receptionist. I was "over qualified" and also knew the owner of the company. So I thought I had a great chance to get this job. He told me he was interviewing 300 people, and he had lots of great applicants. I never heard back. So that put me into a sad and worthless mood.
-Holmes County to take and pick up things for the Amish. I will post photos on another post. But the hubs got to come with mom and I and we had a great time.
-Our farm was attacked by an angry bull. It now involves the police and our neighbors, who we are finding live in campers in the woods. Thank goodness they live across the street and down the ways. And our other neighbors are complaining as well.
-Chris had his surgery. Finally after 6 months, he will get a real cure and get back on the road.
-Interview at place #2. This was for an HR assistant, which is what I went to school for. I was so excited and just couldn't wait for this chance to interview. He had over 1,000 applicants and I got into the top 50. The interview was going awesome until the end when he told me that I wouldn't be hired into the company, I would be hired through a temp agency. Umm,what? That wasn't in the ad or brought up on the phone. I told him I wasn't comfortable and he came up with weird reasons for wanting to go through a temp agency. So I would have to pay $200 to belong to this temp agency, then I would temp for 6 weeks while a lady comes back from maternity leave{me helping her get caught up}, with the possibility of only being a temp. Maybe someone should have put that in the ad. He had me come in for a second interview where I explained that i'm not going to drive an hour to take a temp job, plus pay $200 for a job only to maybe not get hired on.
-I have another interview with place # 3 next week!

So that was what has been happening in my life. I have tons of photos to go through, tons to post, and a husband to care for. Have you been busy as well?

Fix It Friday

2010-08-13T14:30:00.008-04:00

So...I haven't been around the computer/blogger world for about 2 weeks. I'm so busy, stressed, and trying to find the right pace which I need my life to go. But I wanted to jump back into the world and try to get some photography going back up again in my life. And what a better way then to do a FIF?!

{Original}

{My Edit}

Dutch Oven

2010-07-28T10:39:00.001-04:00

My mom bought me a Dutch Oven because all the my Amish cookbooks says I need one. Has anyone used one of these before? I've used one camping, but i'm afraid to use it in the oven. The Amish use theirs on their wood burning oven/stove. But ours is electric, would it work the same? Help!

I hate being on the phone....

2010-07-27T20:33:00.000-04:00

Today I spent a few hours on the phone. I thought I would be at least 5-8 hours on the phone. But the early bird does get the worm. I was off the phone in 3 hours. Shew, close call.

7am-8:45am- Unemployment. I was on hold for an hour and a half and got to speak to someone for at least 15 minutes. Thank goodness I called first thing, their lines were so full that people couldn't even get placed on hold. But I got my extension! I was praying so hard for weeks that I would be able to get it. Now if I could only find a full time job that would work out better.

9am-9:30am-Chris doctor to talk about going on a payment plan for his medical bills for all his procedures he has had this year. They were nice enough too let us make payments till the end of the year.

9:45am-10am- My thyroid doc and insurance company. My insurance denied my doc appointments and all that blood work resulting in my receiving an $1,400.00 bill...for 1 visit! They claimed it was pre- existing and didn't know I had insurance before this new insurance. So I had to call all 3 of our insurance companies we had last year and get letters sent. What a pain. I'm hoping they approve it and cover the cost, I have to go again in August.

So then after all that I took my shower and cleaned up the little weekend messes we left around. Then I think I sat and watched HGTV for hours. I don't know why, it wasn't like I was really into some of the shows, but I couldn't turn it off. I had it on in the background while I was doing little projects but found myself staring at the TV.

I Heart Faces: Purple

2010-07-26T12:00:00.006-04:00

Seems like all the colors I am getting these days are pink and blue. Everyone wants maternity or newborn photos done. But I did find one that was purple, why was this so hard? Guess I need to ask people to start wearing more colors!

I like the photo because not only is his shirt purple, but the fountain behind him has purple water. I didn't notice it while I was taking the photos, but he pointed it out before he walked away. Then it really popped when I started to edit.

Sunday Does Not Mean Day of Rest

2010-07-25T23:48:00.001-04:00

You would think that one day a week I would allow myself a fun rest day. I seem to work harder on Sundays then any other day. Today was no exception. We had lunch with my parents and got the oil in my car changed. OK while I cooked, helped cook, my dad and hubby changed the oil, so I didn't really physically change the oil. Afterward I came home and decided to do a major kitchen clean out. We scrubbed cabinets, cleaned out cabinets, cleaned out pantry closet, cleaned out under the sink and even scrubbed the top of the fridge. Which by the way gets really dusty! Then I decluttered the pictures we had on the fridge, thanks HGTV Get It Sold for making me get rid of this personal stuff. Then it was time to sweep, mop, and get some laundry done. One of these Sundays i'm going to rest.... maybe.

Hiding In The Woods

2010-07-24T11:32:00.001-04:00

The other day while we had the barn raising, they put their horses in our woods. It's a great way too keep them cool, a place for the manure, and they can eat the trees. Well eating the tree bark wasn't too good but it gave them something to do I guess.

Everywhere I looked there was a horse. Can you believe they all got along so well? I'm thinking they would get upset with another families horse being so close but they acted fine. Guess they are better behaved then dogs!

Fix It Friday

2010-07-23T16:52:00.011-04:00

Such a cute photo this week. Makes me want to get out and take some wildflower photos!

{Original}

{My edit #1}

{My edit #2}

Barn Posts

2010-07-22T16:37:00.001-04:00

After a good nights sleep, I am wide awake now and getting lots of phone calls from my mother about seeing the pictures. So I am going to share just a few with you from yesterday. Mind you, I wasn't supposed to take photos. I tried my hardest to not get any faces, since they don't allow it. If I came across one that had a defined face, I just deleted it. Take a look at the fun we had!
{Thank goodness for a zoom lens. I was able to stand inside the other barn and manage to get a close photo.}

{This was how much they got done before lunch. So this took about 4 hours to do.}

{We announced lunch and they just dropped their tools and ran. They LOVE pizza!}

{They all left their hats by the water cooler. They got to clean up for lunch out of our outside bathroom.}

{This was about 3 hours after lunch. I ran into town to get some more nails and when I came back, the whole roof was done and most of the siding.}

{The cupola my hubby helped make with Eli S.}

{The final product. We still have to put the side door on. We have it, but they were so tired and it was already close to 8pm. 12 hours of labor and this whole barn was completed!}

Barn Raisin' Today

2010-07-21T23:12:00.001-04:00

I'm beat and can't even begin to go through all the photos tonight. But today was amazing. We stayed at the hubs grandparents cabin last night. No AC and loud neighbors kept us from really getting any sleep. But it was nice at 5:30am to only have a 20 minute drive to the farm! We had about 20-25 Amish men and boys show up to put this barn together in 1 day. I can't wait too share the pictures. But for now I need a shower and lots and lots of sleep!

Surgery

2010-07-20T11:09:00.002-04:00

We met with the hubs hand specialist today. They are going to go ahead and do the surgery; pending his company approves it. After 5 months and many many doctors visits later, we are finally making progress! This doctor is great, he really listened to us about our situation and needs to move this along. Now we play the continued waiting game to get a new surgery date set! Right now the hubs is home, since he has to claim Workers Comp for a few weeks. It's an adjustment for me. But nice to have helping hands around the house!

I Heart Faces: Over My Head

2010-07-19T16:55:00.004-04:00

I was searching for a few different photos for this weeks challenge. So far, i'm not really liking some that I have picked. So I let me doggies pick. {I'm not a crazy person I swear.} So I wrote down numbers and the first one they went to, that was the winning one. Here is what they picked.

"Thy Kingdom Come...": 7/17-18/2010

2010-07-18T16:53:00.001-04:00

"Thy Kingdom Come...": 7/17-18/2010

They played this in church today. What a great video!

Gonna Have A Barn Raisin'

2010-07-17T16:48:00.001-04:00

This coming week we will be having a barn raising at the farm. In one day, 40 Amish men and boys will build a barn that is huge. So today we went over and got everything together that we could and made sure they still wanted pizza. It's such a treat to have pizza for them. We also picked up a car load of soda, another big treat. Can't wait too share those pics with you all!

Fix It Friday

2010-07-16T19:31:00.010-04:00

Take a look at this cutie. Such a fun photo this week!

{Original}

{Edit 1}

{Edit 2}

Creative

2010-07-15T22:45:00.001-04:00

While out on a photo drive with mom, I saw this barn. At first I thought it was just for decoration, but asked the owner {Amish} and they said it does function. The way the property is set up, they weren't getting enough wind power to do anything. So the idea of getting it higher was the way too go. Their well is under the barn now, or inside the barn if you will. I just thought it looked so cool. What an idea!

Too Cute

2010-07-14T19:13:00.001-04:00

I think I need to live on a farm....

Don't you agree?

Visiting

2010-07-13T12:37:00.000-04:00

The other day, while in Wayne County, we stopped into Maddie Stutzmans house. She is one of our Amish friends from down there. My mom got to know her family very well, including her mother. She is so tiny and sweet I wanted to stay there! She invited us into the doddy house. {Parents house after the become to old} She has fresh strawberries and pies and was just like a typical grandparent. "Have a piece of pie. Life is too short to count calories." They had just been out working in the fields and I wanted to catch a picture of how wonderful, and county, it looked.

Big Ben

2010-07-12T12:17:00.001-04:00

We got to see the biggest horse in Holmes County the other day. I was shocked and just in awe of this giant. I was scared to get close to him, his rear end started where my head was. Since i'm used to getting poo poo-ed on{I always get bird droppings on me whenever I go to the zoo, Disney or just out hiking.} I decided it was better to stand back and just take photos.

He stands 19' tall..amazing. I'm not much of a horse person; a really bad experience once that left a horse standing on my foot for much too long. But he was amazing and I just loved him. Would have been hard to put him in my purse and leave!

Good Day at Church

2010-07-11T12:39:00.002-04:00

You know church is going to be good when they play "Breakfast at Tiffany's" for an opening song.

We are still in our One Hit Wonders series and so far so good. The next couple weeks will be the best ones yet, and i'm really looking forward to them. Today we had a guest speaker come in and talk about the story of God. At first I wasn't sure what in the world this guy was doing, he started "in the beginning" and I was scared that he would end up taking ALL day to do the whole bible. But he just did the basic important "in the beginning" stories. And it was like story time. He told the stories like a child was listening, and I enjoyed that. It was easy to follow, funny, and just a really great message how i'm part of the greatest story ever told. Although right now my life isn't good and i'm super stressed out about money, jobs, losing our house, not having insurance for at least a month and possibly my hubby losing his job after his surgery. But I know it's in God's hands and I can't force God to "give" me what I "want". I know he hears my prayers and pleads, but he will only give me when he knows I need, and what I want will come when He is ready. I need to learn patience, but it's a hard thing for me. I'm a right now type person. Why put off tomorrow what you can do today. But God doesn't follow that saying, and He has every right not too. I just need to let him guide me and let me know what my life is going to do for HIM.

Our ladies group ended out of no where the other day. We were only a group of 3, but the leader up and changed churches on us and sent out an email that it was over. The other gal and I were shocked and really needed this time of worship with each other. And this other gal and I are in the same situation with jobs, money, etc. So its important for us to stay connected. Now we are planning on doing our own thing until we can find a group right for us.

Please keep me in your prayers. I know everyone is struggling right now so I can't be all "you need to pray for me because i'm in pain and trouble". But if you have any extra prayers you can throw out, we would love to have them!

I'm Addicted To Goats

2010-07-10T22:45:00.014-04:00

Remember my last post about wanting a goat? Well I still want one. Not for my city condo, but when I get to move to the country. My hubby wants those fainting goats, but i'm OK with the plain ol' billy goat. They are so sweet and just like dogs! They follow you around and want attention.

{Does anyone know what those hanging things are on the side of his face? They are kinda creepy}

Who doesn't think this face is cute?

Fix It Friday

2010-07-09T23:28:00.007-04:00

Not much to really blog about, but wanted to get this photo up for the day. It's really late and i'm just about falling asleep at the computer. But here is my edit.

{Original}

{My Edit}

Real "cheap" Italian

2010-07-08T19:28:00.004-04:00

Our friends, the Gibson s, came up to visit us tonight. We wanted to make the hour long trip too see there new place, but with Chris working later, we would have been sitting in major traffic and then having to leave after only two hours of a visit. So instead they were nice enough to head our way. And the best part, they brought our Godson Chace. He is 4 1/2 months. He is getting so big! We played around the house for awhile. {I have 0 baby toys, so he was pretty bored. But we do have two dogs and he was liking the craziness they had.}

I'm not sure if you have a Fazoli's in your area, but I would like to talk about ours. I used to LOVE this place. I'm not a big Olive Garden fan. 1-It's way over priced 1-It's a really "fancy" type place when you are just out running errands and 3-The food isn't really all that great. But tonight we were all craving pasta so we decided to head back to a place we haven't been to in at least 2 years. When did it become so fancy? They now have real plates, not the plastic we used to get. And real silverware! And real glasses, not To-Go ones! I'm sorry, I didn't know that we were in Italy itself. They must have taken a hurting to these new items because they were just as expensive as Olive Garden. Don't get me wrong, the food was still good. My little hole in the wall, commercial, fast food joint is all grown up. *sigh*

Walmart- Where You Can't Just Buy One Thing

2010-07-07T19:25:00.011-04:00

I always hate going to Walmart. I always end up purchasing way more then I think I need. And it's worse when the hub's comes along. He always "needs" this or that. This trip was with my mom. We are both coupon freaks and deal searchers. On our last trip to Walmart, we made out like Bandits....this trip, due to the over pricing since the store is remodeling, we didn't make out too great. But, the deals I picked up were great. And being on a strict budget right now, I wish I could find more deals like these. Oh and since our Walmart is a mess with remodeling and they aren't stocking the shelves, we are driving to another Walmart. Not as close, but the prices make up for the gas we used getting there. Wait, it's by our church so we are over that way anyways...duh!

Walmart Price: $2.97
Final Cost after $2.50 coupon- $0.47

Walmart Price on Nivia- $4.00
Final Cost after $4.00 coupon- FREE {Love my online coupons!}
Walmart Price on Softsoap- $2.97
Final Cost after $2.00 off coupon- $0.97

This is my Kroger deal of the week. But since the coupons were only good at Kroger, I had to make a quick stop there and use these up before they expired.
Kroger Price on Dove Deodorant- $2.75
Final cost after Kroger Customer Coupons- FREE {They send me coupons for free items once a month.}

My hubby says that I don't need all this stuff at one time. What he doesn't understand is that when it's free, you can find room for it! I don't have much storage space, but I don't mind jamming it on the shelf. Who can pass up free?

Do you coupon? Online, paper?? Where are you finding deals? Let me know, i'm always interested!

"Remember Me"

2010-07-06T19:47:00.003-04:00

Today I watched "Remember Me". Not because it had Robert Pattinson in it, i'm not a Twi-hard..or whatever they are called. I wanted too see this movie when it was out in theaters, but with the $12.00 a ticket price I held out for a DVD release. And I love that our library has new releases for FREE. But I have too say, I would totally buy this movie if I could. It was a great movie with a great life lesson. I didn't see the end coming, and I really didn't know what this movie was about. I knew the basics, but when it ended it left me stunned and just in awe. I recommend this movie for anyone with a heart, lets face it, some people don't have hearts these days! Ha-ha.

Sneaky Sneaky

2010-07-05T21:45:00.001-04:00

We didn't do the regular 4th of July events. Instead we worked on the farm, as you saw from yesterdays post. We got to the farm at 2:00pm, and left at 12am....only to get home around 2; shower, wash dogs, repack bags. Wake up at 5:30am and head back down. But I didn't want to miss this....

Technically I didn't break any rules-their faces aren't showing. But it's still wrong and I said an extra prayer! :-)

Barn Raisin'

2010-07-04T19:32:00.001-04:00

My parents are putting up a barn at their farm. All the Amish men want to help, so sometime soon we will have a frolic. But right now Eli Stutzman has framed it up and we are able to get the gravel moved around, cement placed, and horse posts up. It was so hot, but so much fun and really wonderful to be a part of.

I can't wait till they start really putting it up. Even though i'm not "allowed" to take pics, I may try to sneak some of their backs only. Its something too keep for my parents.

Happy Birthday/Parade/Eclipse

2010-07-03T23:45:00.001-04:00

It was a crazy day. And hot, I must mention the heat. We have been in the 70's for a week and now we are back up into the 90's+.

The morning started out like any typical Saturday..only it was my hubby's 26th birthday! I told him you might as well say you are 30 because after 25, they don't care. I had to mark something one time that said 26-40...I could have been 40 for all those people knew. He took it better then I took 26. Maybe it's a female thing. Or maybe he was just happy to be home and get presents. Most wives buy their husbands expensive useful things. Not I. He received a remote controlled helicopter. He has been asking for one for the past 6 years that I have known him. {We just realized we have been together for 6 years, only married 2} I didn't make him a big breakfast, but I did swing by McDonald's for him! :-)

My brother was in a parade so we had to attend for support and photos. We have gone the last few years, and it's always the SAME parade. In a small, and I mean small, town what can you expect. I think there may have been one additional TRACTOR in this year's parade. {We have two traffic lights in this town...super country}

{This is a result of my hubby asking me to take a picture of the bagpipes after they walked past me. Next time, speak up hunny!}
{We must have been the loudest Bengals fans in that block!!}

My parents neighbor was in the parade as well. She was walking for breast cancer and promoting upcoming events. Such a fun lady!

Towards the end of the parade my brothers Dogs on Hogs group came through. We were hoping to sneak out of the parade early; such goes our luck.

After the parade we were off to see Eclipse. We met his mom, sis, and her boyfriend for the movie. I think the movie was OK. I had just finished the book, so I felt like they were racing along. I was having a harder time seeing the movie, we were in the second row {not sure why since there wasn't anyone in the theater} and my eyes/neck weren't having it. So I may go see it again here in a few weeks....maybe....if I can't take the wait for DVD release.

I Heart Faces: Walk Across America: Part Four

2010-07-02T20:24:00.021-04:00

Are you tired of the walk posts yet? Good news, last one! Now that all the people/model photos are out of the way I can show you the fun setting we used for this walk.

We took the photos in German Village in Columbus Ohio. {Home of THE Ohio State Buckeyes!}Most of the places our photos took place were at people's residences. We didn't know anyone who lived there, and we didn't get sent away either. So it worked out great. The houses and little gardens were amazing. So much detail everywhere you looked.

It was overwhelming all the things you could take a photo of. I used up two memory cards trying to capture everything. {Yes, I have a real problem}

Melissa found a cat in a window and we captured some fun photos of it before he went back inside. I was so worried it was going to fall out of the two story window!

It was a great place with lots of awesome spots for photos, and lots of fun details!

I Heart Faces: Walk Across America: Part Three

2010-07-01T20:05:00.000-04:00

Wow, finally able to sit on the computer and blog, edit photos, and respond to emails. I've been taking care of my mom after her surgery and we seem to stay busy all the time. Between doing things at her house and then coming home to do chores and errands, I don't feel like being anywhere near the computer. {Only for job searching time} Since I have the night off I thought I would continue on and try to get the Walk Across America posts completed so I can start on my photo/blog everyday in July goal accomplished.

Lifeguard Chelsey, the name given to her by Angie, was the best model to work with. She was older and loved doing any type of pose you would ask. I had a great time letting others pose her; thanks Mom-A-Razzi for your awesome skills!

She had a very "classic" style about her photos. No matter which way she posed or looked, it turned out amazing. I think she was an awesome model for my black and white obsession! :-)

I also loved the look of "magazine" type photos. While following other photographers around, I really learned that you don't always have to do the basic pose.

She was an amazing model and I really hope one day I get to photograph her again. Hint Hint, we need another walk!

Fix It Friday

2010-06-26T15:37:00.007-04:00

I should change the name to Fix it Saturday! That seems to be the real day that i'm able to work on it. :-)

{Original}

{My edit}

I Heart Faces: Teens

2010-06-21T18:52:00.010-04:00

So....I had a photo picked out in my mind all weekend for this category. And when I went to search my computer and external hard drive to find it...no luck. I pulled out discs hoping it was on one of those; since I backup all photo shoots with people. WHERE ARE ALL MY DISCS!? I have been cleaning out my office for weeks now. Getting rid of crap that has no meaning, purpose, want, you name it. I know I wouldn't have thrown those away. The creepy part is that the basket I had them in is missing also. So now I get to play "Dog the Bounty Hunter" and look for this basket who has clearly jumped bail on me. Which leads me to having to pull from what I have currently on my desktop. Thank goodness for the I Heart Faces walk and our funky and cool teen model. Shew, saved me this week!

Fix It Friday

2010-06-19T14:32:00.010-04:00

{This week I planned on getting more posts done, but in my defense, my mother had some major surgery and I have been at her house taking care of her. This week I think i'm going to pack the iMac up and take it with me. I miss the internet on a much larger computer! Ha-ha.}

{Original}
{I love those big eyes!}

{My edit}

I Heart Faces: Walk Across America: Part Two

2010-06-15T19:39:00.012-04:00

Another post about the I Heart Faces Walk. {Remember i'm trying to blog more and this was the best way for me to do it.} This time i'm going to share my pics of Caryn. She was a wonderful model and very pretty to photograph. She had that charm about her, like she was made for this job.
The nice thing about the area we were shooting in was that there was little traffic. It was OK to stand in the street and not have to worry about holding up traffic, or getting killed for that matter!
Thank goodness the people that lived in the area weren't home, or they just didn't care us using their homes for a background.

Even with the rain she dolled herself up and played in the rain. So easy going! It was fun to work with her, and watch all the other women posing her.

I Heart Faces: All About Babies

2010-06-14T11:48:00.007-04:00

Be still my heart...and uterus! Babies everywhere these days. Maybe this is God's way of giving me a {small} hint that it's time to take the leap and get my family started. Until I really listen to those hints, I enjoy the babies of family and friends. This was from my most recent photo shoot. I have a few baby ones, but this one was so emotional for me for some reason. It's the excitement of the new baby coming into the world that just gets me. This new member of our family {cousins} should be here in a few weeks. She is actually due on my hub's birthday-July 3rd. That would be so much fun!

If you are brave, and not as emotional as I am these days, head over to the I Heart Faces sit and see all the cuteness going around.....don't tell me about them though, i'm trying NOT too look!

I Heart Faces: Walk Across America: Part One

2010-06-10T12:09:00.020-04:00

Last Saturday I participated in the I Heart Faces Walk Across America. {By the way, we didn't actually walk across America...for those of you smarty pants!} They had several cities in America doing the same walk we were. It was a great time! And I was so happy too see Canon outnumbered that other brand. :-)

I made the long trip to Columbus German Village that morning in the rain. Scared it would be a wash out, but still hoped to get some photos in. It was like God listened and stopped the rain just in time. {Later it poured!} I got to meet lots of awesome ladies. {You can see their blogs over in my I Heart Faces Friends Section} I was so happy to finally meet Angie, Co-Founder of I Heart Faces. We had been blogging buddies for so long and emailed, twittered, and blog commented that it was nice to actually see a body. How crazy is this world we live in? It's all technology! I took over,well....a couple hundred photos. I had to switched memory cards in the middle of the walk. And lets face it, they all didn't turn out like I thought, but I had some amazing ones as well. Thanks to Mom-a-Razzi for her posing skills!

I thought I would drag these posts out, mostly because I have lots of photos I want to share, and I want to have more then 2 posts this month! HA! But you can see all the photos on my facebook page and soon i'll have an online link so you can see them all, if your not a facebook friend. Today we will start with Weslea, Angie's daughter. {And boy do they look alike when you see them in person..so cute!}

She was a great sport and I think she had a great time. Thanks Weslea!

I Heart Faces: Play

2010-06-08T16:19:00.009-04:00

This week is a cute week over at I Heart Faces. Who doesn't like play time photos?! I was trying to find some more recent play ones, and this one was super cute too me.

The father is in the army and was enjoying some time with his expanding family before he was deployed. "M" didn't want to get his photo taken so they decided to play a tickle game, and it worked like a charm. {And the fact that the hubby was looking at the camera like he was told to do by his wife cracked me up!}

Scott Family Photos

2010-06-01T11:04:00.018-04:00

We had planned to take the family/maturity photos on Thursday night at a great park. I was all set, packed up and ready to go with the weather let loose. It poured-lighting-thunder-wind....So we decided we would have to reschedule for Friday morning bright and early before they went to the zoo for the day. We were on a tight schedule since "T" would be heading back to Germany on Sunday.{Turns out the whole family decided to go back so they could be together.}

It was a hot, and I mean hot, morning. We couldn't make it to the park of our choice, so we settled for a small spot at a restaurant. Hey you make due where you can right?

We wanted to make sure we captured some of father and son. Daddy is in the army and getting ready to be deployed, so these photos will mean a lot to "M" as the year goes by.

"C" is due in July with boy number 2. So she wanted to have some belly photos done that morning also. {Which was so much fun for me!} She doesn't look pregnant from the back, so we had to do some fun angles to show her little belly.

I had a great time with this family. Can't wait till they come back with a new baby!