what does that really mean anyway?
Thanks to Kara I found this really neat blog. After spending an outrageous amount on groceries yesterday and coming home with not much its been eating me alive to find better ways to spend our hard earned money... Low and behold I stumbled upon pure gold, in the form of a blog. I'm still trying to understand the logistics of some of these deals but I'm sure that re-reading it a few times will help out. Let the savings begin! :)
So a couple weeks back, I send out an email to all of my mothers side of the family, in search of my Cousin Arianna's blog address. Since switching over to Mac computers, I lost it and wanted to get back connected with her... unfortunately no one responded... Well today, upon checking my blog out for any comments on what to do with my office, she responds! At first, I didn't know who it was by the username, but upon clicking on her name, I realized it was her. Now I've got lots of blogging to catch up on. Its been since Aug 08 that I read anything she wrote. She will be added to the blog roll so any of you can check her out too! (I hope you don't mind Ari!)
Here are 2 of my new years resolutions:
While I enjoyed my trip to Raleigh, I was ready to come home by the time the week came to a close. Being a "city girl" I never thought I'd ever say the words, I'm so glad to be back at home (now, Zirconia NC aka the sticks) Thinking on how my life has changed in the last 6 years still amazes me. I never thought I'd be dying to get back to a small 2 bedroom home nestled (like that word Dustin?) in the back woods of N.C. but I was. I didn't realize how hard it would be to tame a 1 yr old and get a new born on a schedule while away, but it proved that I was totally wrong. Both Pressley and I were out of our normal enviroment and it was more of a stressful time, spending the majority of my day telling her No, or chasing after her to prevent her from going up the stairs. :) The Joys of mother hood...
After I got back from Raleigh, I spent the next two weeks... doing... ummm I don't really remember! It obviously wasn't anything too important if I can't remember what it was, I'm sure it was going Christmas shopping, cooking, cleaning... resting, ... thats probably it. I guess looking back, I didn't do a darn thing, but isn't that what you supposed to do while on Maternity leave? It was a sweet time with my babies though, I enjoyed that!
I'll leave Christmas break for a future blog entry, and I will add pictures... But for the next one, I will simply post our Olan Mills Christmas picts... Enjoy them when I get them up!
okay those of you out in cyberland that keep up with my blog, I'm sorry that I've not done a better job at blogging, but that should probably tell you how my life has been very stressful and hectic~ tonight I have spent quite a bit of time reading blogs from all my friends and smiled in delight and things I learned! Congrats Kellan and Rob!! Sara -- wow, another boy! Good for you!! ML- I loved reading about your holiday adventures! and Jana, you're lucky that Brody didn't get into your Christmas decor (I was less lucky!)
I will be going back to work 1 day a week starting Monday, January 5th. I will begin picking up where I left off at that point, Family Christmas pictures, Thanksgiving, Christmas, babies that don't sleep at night... toddlers that do the funniest things... family times... wow, I've got a lot to tell you about.
But for now, I'd like to wish everyone a blessed new year!
So the other day, I went across the street to Duncan Donuts. I knew that my father and my uncle would be excited if I brought home donuts, so I ordered 1 dozen assorted doughnuts. To my surprise, they didn't ask me what type of donuts I wanted, so I was certain that when I pulled to the window they would ask me which types I wanted. However, upon pulling up to the window, I was met with a box of donuts. DO you know that they don't let you pick out which donuts you want!!!! Isn't that RIDICULOUS!... anyway. This blog seems pretty pointless... I'll blog important stuff later.
J
Here's how last night went... I finally fall asleep around 9:30ish... at 12:00 am, the stupid beagle's are back barking up a storm... finally fall back asleep 45 minutes later... from 3:00 - 5:00 I had contractions every 12-15 minutes apart... I finally get up, and they stop. ugh. I am over this pregnancy... It dawned on me on my way to work, the first trimester of this pregnancy was such a nightmare compared to my Pregnancy with Pressley, so why wouldn't the 3rd Trimester be any different? My luck, I'll be having these contractions for another 4 weeks... Oh and who ever posted on my poll that I will make it to 40 weeks... you're dead meat! :)
Dustin and I have had this little motto for a while, and its been on the blog, but I've never really expanded on it. "Whatever it takes"... Having been married only a short time, and having a little one too, life is tough! I know, I know--- Everyone's life is tough in its own way, or it could always be alot tougher than it is now. But over the last few weeks, Dustin and I have been trying to focus only on positive things... removing the negative...
wow, where am I going with this? I started out talking about doing "whatever it takes" then jumped to being positive. : )
Maybe I'm supposed to write about both...
Whatever it takes-- so as I said before, Dustin and I started saying this when we were both so tired and didn't have any more to put into doing something... but finishing what we were doing was important... or if I didn't want to do something for Dustin... but he needed me to do it, I made the promise to him to do "whatever it takes" and he promised the same to me. We both hope that we can instill this principle into the children... that they can look back on their lives and say that their Mom and Dad loved each other and them so much that they would do whatever it took to make a difference. : ) That is a legacy I'd love to leave...
Onto the next, being positive--- also, another great legacy! With so much bad happening around the world, it can be so easy to get wrapped up in sad things... Its sad that the only thing on the new these days is bad news. It has got to the point where Dustin and I don't even turn the news on in the morning so we can start our day off on a good, happy note! I know that it is important to know what is going on in the world around you--- but really, is it necessary to do a news broadcast of a murder every night of the week... or the fatal crash that killed a family of 5? Yes, people do need to be informed or those things... but to focus so much of your time and attention on it?
For the last couple of days, our water supply has been getting smaller and smaller... did our well run dry, you ask? No-- if it had then the other houses would be effected too... so maybe its the pump... who knows... either way- last night was our first official night with out running water. No dishes or clothes can be washed (yay for not having to do them...), no showers/baths can be given (yuck)... and the list goes on. So what do you do when you want a cup of coffee so bad you'd kill for it? --- run down to the "crick" and boil ya some!?! ---um, no! Luckily, I had a few water bottles filled up in the fridge to get my caffeine fix for the morning... but man is it a bummer when you don't have water... I never realized how much I relied on it! It is huge! Making a bottle is tough with out it... However, I'm sure Couper enjoyed his fresh spring water! Today, before heading back to the sticks, I'll pick up a few gallons at the grocery store!!-- that should work until we get things working again!
Funny story, I had to get ready at the YMCA today--- shower, hair, make-up... the whole nine yards... boy was that an experience! I have never had to get ready in public place before and there are somethings I learned that I thought I would share with you.
1. Don't forget to pack a towel if you're getting a shower away from home. Yeah, that wasn't too enjoyable, realizing I didn't have a towel
2. Wear your blinders while in the ladies dressing room... those old ladies are relentless when it comes to talking in the showering area--- naked. GAG!
3. If you're planning on blow drying your hair--- don't forget your brush!
All in all, it was a fairly un-eventful trip... I never realized how nice it was to take a shower in a big shower stall with lots of hot water and A GREAT DEAL OF WATER PRESSURE! I think I may sneak back tomorrow just for those things! ... but I'll be prepared with my towel & hairbrush, & make sure that I don't look to friendly while walking into the dressing rooms!
Okay so first off, AT&T is the only phone company in the area... secondly, they are the worst phone service provider ever.
Two weeks ago, our phone line was hit by lightening and didn't work after that, so I contacted them because it is imperative that Dustin have access to a phone at all hours of the night for his job... they told me it would be 1 week before they could get a tech out to repair the line... WHAT THE HECK! 1 WEEK! I was so mad! I told them that if they couldn't get someone to our house before that then they can cancel our service we'd find another means of communications... the lady thanked me and said let me transfer you to customer service where you can cancel your account. OH BOY WAS I GETTING REALLY TICKED OFF! at that point I hung up... called Dustin and tried to vent as much frustration out on him as is humanly possible... So we got our bill... and there are no adjustments for interruption in service... okay so I have to call them... on hold for about 15 minutes to get transferred to repair... only to be told I need to speak to customer service again to get the credit on my account... (um why do I HAVE TO CALL TO GET MY ACCOUNT CREDITED???) either way, I got that handled...Was the money I saved worth the time I spent? not at all...
Then yesterday I begin trying to add a new email account to our work email... hmmm do you think I'm going to have issues? No, you wouldn't think so? It should be simple to add another account... I've done it before... but nope... this time, they've changed the procedure. Does it work? nope! So I try to do an online chat with a representative... but its not any type of chat system... I have to download a application... do you think they offer that application in mac version? Nope, so onto my next option... email... I email them the issue I'm having... do they get back to me? Nope... (my blood is boiling now) so I call them... on hold for 15 minutes again, switched all over the place... back and forth... FINALLY get tech support on the line and guess what... THEY CANT HEAR ME! Well, the thing with that is, our office phones are AT&T too, so they are the ones responsible for that issue... shocker... so I have to hang up with that tech rep... needless to say I am beyond frustrated with this stupid AT&T.
Hmmm... well I am not too sure if this is my way of nesting this pregnancy or what... but instead of organizing the house, I have been in quite a bit of a crafty mood... Apple Butter, Hair Bow making... what else! I think I'd like to try my hand at cooking... I found this cook website The Pioneer Woman that has a ton of neat stuff on it! Recipes that look so scrumptious... they've got my mouth watering... the only problem is, I'm not too good in the kitchen! HA! For the last few weeks I have been craving a chocolate pound cake... yesterday it transitioned into a chocolate cheese cake... now its both... a bite of one... then a bite of the other.. oh dear! Here goes that 3rd trimester extra weight gain again if I'm not careful!
I am curious as to what my weight is now (we don't have a scale at home...) I feel like I'm not as massive as I was last pregnancy (this time) and that for 30 weeks, I'm kicking butt in the looking like a whale arena... but we will see! I have a Doctors appointment today-- so maybe if I've not gained too much, I'll treat myself to a WHOLE CHOCOLATE POUND CHEESE CAKE! :) or maybe a pound of chocolate cheese cake...haha!
On a more serious note, Dustin and I have been trying to eat healthIER... for the last 2 weeks I've been eating, brown rice, steamed veggies & baked chicken for lunch... and snacking on boiled egg whites through out the day... I've not had a problem with it until today, I'm eating as I type but my tummy is telling me that it is still hungry... is it my metabolism speeding up? hmmm? Who knows... either way I've been trying my hardest to eat better than I did while I was preggers with Miss Priss...
well, here it is the first day of fall! What more beautiful weather than this! I think it dropped into the 40's last night, and was crisp and cool this morning. I just love it. I'm trying to make our house smell like you're stepping into Martha Stewart's house... or at least how I think hers would smell... pumpkin-y or maybe apples and spices? either way, both of those smells are just scrumptious! I bought some potpourri this weekend and dumped it in a nice jar... but its not potent enough... should I buy more??? Idk! I just want that wonderful fall smell in our house! :)
If I can find the time, I'd like to get some pictures done of Prissy... I will probably do them myself, in the front pasture... it is so pretty and green right now... I bet I could get some good shots... I'll keep you filled in on that and hopefully I'll have a few priceless shots to show ya!
Pressley learned how to blow kisses this weekend! She is just a pure doll when she does it! Her little kiss sound is adorable too!
She also learned how to play peek-a-boo; but hasn't gotten that one down pat yet... She covers one eye up and 1 cheek up... its too cute!
Brae is kicking up a storm these days... Sleeping is still hard... my hips have begun to fall asleep w/i a hour or 2 of falling asleep... what joy! We are 30 weeks now, wow... where did the time go! If I go into labor the same time I did with Pressley-- then I've got about 8 more weeks... shew! We can't wait to see her!
Another exciting thing about fall-- ALL THE TV SHOWS COME BACK ON!
here's how my evenings will go:
Sunday- Desperate Housewives
Monday - Samantha Who
Wednesday- LOST & Private Practice
Thursday - Greys Anatomy
WOOO HOO! I CANT WAIT! :)
Well, once again, I've been hit by the country bug--- I was given a huge amount of apples the other day and was told- Go make apple butter. So, I got the recipe, peeled the apples, cored them and put them in the crock pot to cook over night. I didn't know how much I would actually enjoy doing it, but I really did! The smell of cinnamon, cloves, sugar and apples cooking in your house always make for a welcoming scent! Plus with the weather being a little chilly and rainy, it has made the house very cozy! Last night, I started my second batch of apple butter, and so far it has turned out better than the first batch. Man is it Good!
Another sweet thing I have at my house is our sweet little girl! She is such a dear! Last night, we were playing in the floor and Pressley walked over and grabbed a book out of her toy box, brought it back to me and sat in my lap. It was so sweet to see that she just wanted to spend some quiet time reading with her Mommy! I don't think I'll ever forget that moment as long as I live.
**The above picture is not my corn, nor my kitchen... but I thought it went well with the jist of the blog**
hmm so I got a little carried away apparently... I shucked, cleaned, creamed & put up about 24 ears of corn yesterday. I had such a fun time doing it too! Had I had the camera, I would have done some artistic pictures! But, its still in Dustin's truck!
Jane, the lady that watches Pressley had a "creamer" which made the creaming process a whole lot easier! I thought it would make a more than I ended up with but, it should cover us for about 4 meals of corn. I sampled it before putting it up and I thought it was just delish! :)
I've got pictures from this past weekend that I will upload on here as soon as I get the camera out of Dustin's truck before he leaves for work... On Sunday, Dustin, Pressley and I packed it up and headed for Liberty, South Carolina. The drive down SC HWY 11 was breathtaking and Table Rock Mountain was beautiful too, but meeting his Grandfather (Tubby's) Family was the most wonderful of all. Liberty, S.C. is a small little town that looks like something out of a old story book. Dustin & I pulled into his Great Aunt Nora's house right before his Great Uncle Ray got there! (Since we've been doing family research, we found out that he's got some family still alive that would know about his family history... and boy did they!) Both Nora & Ray were such sweet people. They told us stories of Tubby when he was young, and of their father. Nora got out a couple photo albums and we were shocked to find pictures of Dustin's father as a child. Dustin was floored by emotion, it was very important to find this lost information on his father & grandfather! Nora, gave Dustin some pictures of Tubby and offered some others but Dustin wanted to come back and make copies of them so he wouldn't take something special to her. Nora also had a book called "The Chapman Family" and gave Dustin a copy of that too! He was so excited! We learned that several of the Chapman's were buried in Liberty or somewhere in Pickens County. So after leaving Nora's house, we headed out to find the grave of a Confederate Soldier who was also his Great, Great, Great Grandfather, George Chapman. Like I said, we've got pictures, so I will get them on here as soon as I can.
Let me start with a short preface:
We live on Rock Creek Rd. Rock Creek Rd is a road where several cattle farmers keep their cattle. With in maybe half a mile, there are 4 cow pastures full of cows.
When Dustin and I first moved to Green River we would always see cows out of their fence. Sometimes they'd be full grown, sometimes yearlings and sometimes they'd be a new calf. Either way, we'd do our best to herd them up and get them back into the pin that we thought they were from... It was a daily chore, rounding the cattle up... if only we had a cattle dod that would do the work for us... nah- that wouldn't be as entertaining as chasing a cow around an empty field in your truck... :) On one accasion we had a few cows in our front yard so I decided to hop onto the 4 wheeler and round em' up and get them back where they belong! Not such a good idea... after several attempts at herding them to the lower pasture, the farmer came by and with a quickness (and a few laughs) rounded them up with in a matter of seconds. :) I still blush thinking about it--- I can hear him now, "you know that city girl that lives up yonder..." LOL
Well- to my point- last night, right before 8:00 p.m. I had a knock at our door. Now, if you've ever been to my house, people don't just drive up our driveway or come looking for something this deep into the mountians. So I found it a little suspicious. I cracked the door open and found a lady standing outside my door wearing a suit. She immediately told me that she was driving through and there were a bunch of cows out and wanted to let someone know so they could take care of it. I laughed and told her my little stories. She ended up being from the local cemetery, selling burial plots. I should have told her if she wasn't careful, she might be needing a burial plot. You don't drive into the deep mountians and stop by people's houses that late in the evening. But I didn't. I told her we were going to be creamated and our ashes scattered at sea. :)
... now to proof read my little story and make sure it make sense!
This weekend was the 30th anniversary of Bele Cher Dustin & I have been in the area for 3 Bele Cher's now, but haven't made it to one until this year! Well, it was an interesting time. Anytime we go to Asheville there are always someone we do a double or triple take at... but this weekend, Asheville was FULL OF QUACKS! Between the goths, hippies, homeless and the Gay Pride... our night was full of never ending entertainment. I guess Asheville is a mecca for the Homosexuals and is advertised in San Fransisco and Mass as a city that is welcome to that type of lifestyle... All that being said... we had our extremely religious people with signs shouting that all sinners are condemned to Hell and the Homo's right in front of them shouting their beliefs. To be honest, it was very sickening... I kind of felt like I was in that 1970's movie A Thief in the Night All in All, we took $40.00 out of the ATM, bought 2 limeades, 2 corn dogs, 1 cheese fry and a candy apple... good eating & good times... 
So, living 4 hours away from your family is tough. Each day, I sort-of dread the lul of lunch time at work. Mostly, my boss and I go grab lunch... or one of the 2 friends I have in town go and each lunch... or sometimes, more rarely than any, Dustin & I actually get to eat together. But today... today was a ton of fun! I saw that Oreo commercial where the Daddy & son are about to eat an oreo--- little did you know that they are eating it via webcam... So I got the idea Justin & I could have lunch together... via WEBCAM! We both went and got our lunches, came back... logged onto Skype and sat and talked and had lunch! It was quite fun and hopefully we can do it more often!
...It is finished! :) Maggie & Chris' baby shower turned out well! Everything was perfect (to me) and I enjoyed spending time with mom getting ready for the shower!
Here are some pictures of the shower...
