Modest Kittee

24 weeks and counting...

2011-05-18T13:03:00.000-04:00

As I'm typing this a bouncing baby girl is disco dancing in my belly. Some days she's quiet and then there are days like this that make me remember that I am growing another human being in there. How amazing is that? Sometimes it's easy to forget that you have a little creature inside you, well apart from the constant hunger, thirst, need to go tinkle... If I allow myself to slow down and just think about it, it is quite amazing. Most the time I feel like a content cat, streached out enjoying some sun rays but other times I kinda feel like a "red shirt" from the "Aliens" movie just waiting for some scary monster to burst from my stomach!

In other news, my wonderful love bug daughter has caught one whollup of a cold. Poor baby is coughing and her nose is dripping like a facet. I'll have to keep a close eye on it because this is her first "coughy" cold. Not much I can do though but give her plenty of fluids.

Perfectly Painted Piggies

2011-04-27T11:29:00.005-04:00

Little purple piggies on a warm summers day. :)

Now you might ask, "How in the world did you paint your 15 month olds toes nails so neatly?"

And I would answer...

Strap her down in her high chair and distract her by her favorite lunch!
HAHA! :)

Happy Easter. :)

2011-04-24T11:11:00.002-04:00

Happy Easter everyone.

I hope that this day finds you well and you're spending it with people that you love.

For Easter this year we are going to have a simple picnic by the lake with our daughter.

We made tea eggs last night and enjoyed them with breakfast.

Tea Egg Recipe:

Put eggs in a pot, cover with water.
Add 1 cup Soy Sauce
Add 2 family sized tea bags
Add 1 stick cinnamon
Add 5 or 6 pieces of Cloves
Add 6 Star Anise.

Bring to a slow boil, boil for 20 mins.
Take eggs out carefully not to burn yourself and using a spoon "crack" the shell all over.
Put back in pot.
Turn burner down to simmer and simmer for 4 hours.

Turn off burner, let it cool down. When cool, put in fridge over night.
The next day (or the day after that) put back on the stove and reheat slowly until warm.
Basically the longer you let them "soak" the more delicious they will be and the prettier the design will be on the egg!

Under cool running water, peel and enjoy!

Shining my sink and other things like that...

2011-04-20T10:06:00.005-04:00

So in my quest to keep a healthy, happy, clean home, I'm back at it again, shining my sink. I know I've mentioned flylady.com before right?

Well if I haven't and if you're a perpetual procrastinator like I am when it comes to cleaning, check it out! It's like a 12 step program for lazy housewives.

Step one of the program is no matter what, keep your sink shiny and clean. Not only is this a pro-health tip since the sink is the dirtiest area in your home (even more so than your TOILET yuck!) but it really does help motivate you to keep other areas of your home tidy too! Amazing!

Another amazing thing I have to help me clean, and you can see some of it there ont he back of my sink is this product called Babyganics! http://www.babyganics.com/

This line of products is my 'miracle' cleaning stuff. Its totally all natural and safe for babies, pets (pregnant adults too!) I just love it. I always get the Lavender smelling kind when I can find it. It's actually the only natural cleaning product that I have that does what it advertises that it's going to do and does it well! You know how you can get some kinda all natural window wash or something and it leaves the window all smudgy etc? Well this stuff cleans it crystal clear! I love it! Even their dish washing powder has been amazing. (I've had some bad luck in that department with other natural stuff.) Plus their prices are pretty reasonable! Anyways, I'll shut up now but if you can grab some of this stuff sometime, do it! Give it a try!

Now that my sink is clean and my counter tops AND the floors in there, my next project today is vacuuming the floors in the living area, up the stairs and then tackling the fish aquariums. Oh le sigh... the fish aquariums. DH and I used to be so dedicated to these poor fish but now with life in the way, these aquariums have slid to the back burner.

Well no more, today Nemo gets a tank cleaning!

And if you're wondering what our dear daughter thinks about this...well let's just say she takes a more relaxed approach to cleaning.

I am a woman.

2011-04-19T13:24:00.008-04:00

I am woman.
I am made up of skin, flesh and bone.
My eyes have witnessed many things.
I am a daughter.
I am a wife.
I am a mother.

My skin is not perfect.
My toes are crooked.

My lips have spoken uncountable words and kissed away uncountable sorrows.
My elbows rough, a testament to my work.
One billion freckles reside upon my skin.

My stomach always more fluffy than flat houses the future hopes of the world.
My hands sometimes so cracked and dry from washing are strong, loving and care worn.

My heart beats for those I love.
My passion burns deeply and is eternal.

My hair is hardly ever perfect.
I only wear makeup once and awhile.

Dinner is sometimes ordered out.

Sometimes I don't get to the laundry until it's piled up.
Sometimes my kitchen floor is not sparkling clean.

Sometimes I'm not the perfect daughter.
Sometimes I'm not the perfect wife.
Sometimes I'm not the perfect mother.

But I am a woman.
and I am strong.

I am the voice of the world.
I am the womb of the world.
I am the caretaker of my blessed children.
I am the loving spouse to my husband.
I am a daughter to my mother.
I am the rock that our house is founded upon.
Like millions of women before me.
I am strong.

The ugly truth...

2011-04-18T12:28:00.002-04:00

Pregnancy is absolutely murdering my complexion this time around. Long gone are the days of my crystal ivory skin smoothly draped across my high cheek bones. Now I'm left with a 5 mile long forehead pocked with more pimples than your average 15 year old boy.

My poor face is so red and blotchy that my color auto correct software on my image program casted an eerie blue tint to my photograph.

Nothing I do has helped. I've tried all natural approaching, washing my face more...washing it less, I've tried different bottles and jars, different lotions and liquids masks and muds.

I suppose I should just accept the fact that my skin isn't what it used to be and just pray that after I have this baby that it clears up and goes back to normal.

Most pregnant women worry about stretch marks, gaining weight and what not. This pregnant woman is praying that her face isn't scared for life. LOL

(Yes I'm being over dramatic!)

Oh skin...why have you forsaken me!

It's a GIRL!

2011-04-17T13:09:00.002-04:00

Think pink folks because we are having another princess!

We are so excited! Daddy was a little sad at first but now he's totally on board. How couldn't he be? He already adores our current daughter.

So now we are in preparation mode.

I ordered a fabulous double stroller today. Well i hope it lives up to its reviews.
http://www.amazon.com/Britax-USA-U281772-B-Ready-Stroller/dp/B003OBYTHM

Thing is complex as something dreamed up at NASA I think! LOL
Anyways, it arrives here this week, I'll most certainly show you guys my review once I experience it.

The other thing we are working on is our current daughters room. We need to upgrade hers so that we can re-claim the crib for our new one coming. We are going to pick up a bed at IKEA called KURA, its so cute. :) Here is a photo to show what we plan on doing, only in colors more suitable to our pallets. :)

So all in all, exciting times around here!

Big Day Tomorrow!

2011-04-13T13:20:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow we get to check in on this little fellow/fella and see if it's a girlie or a boy!

My gut intuition is that Ehvee is getting a little "bother" err, I mean brother but my husband is not convinced. I guess we'll see who's right tomorrow in the AM!

Lazy day!

2011-04-12T16:24:00.004-04:00

Gosh just not motivated to anything today and I don't know why. I did manage to get the laundry done but the dishes? Nope not yet! I have to do them later though! Dinner? Heck feels like a take out night to me! I didn't take anything out and everything is frozen.

Ever just have one of those days?

Anyways- Going to post some fun pictures of my tulips and my little girl on our trip to the zoo this last weekend.

Enjoy!

Musings and random thoughts.

2011-04-08T13:49:00.002-04:00

This is a photo of my tulip garden. I wanted to get a better photo the other day but then a rainstorm came up and destroyed some of my tulips! My pretty black ones are out there now in full bloom, I'll grab a photo of those this afternoon.

This weekend is supposed to be exceptionally beautiful. I'm grateful because this means my little girl gets to go outside and enjoy the weather. She loves being outside so much!

In sad news, I believe that my Japanese maple is dying. I'll have to snap a photo of that as well. I've done the research on it and I believe it has Verticillium Wilt, which is unfortunately a death sentence for the tree. As some of you may know, Japanese Maples are not cheap, so we won't be replacing it anytime soon.

Let's call this "Day of the Headache!"

2011-04-06T13:07:00.003-04:00

Urgh! These nasty prenatal/stressy headaches are undoing my sanity! I thought seeing the Chiropractor would be the answer but I think she turned out to be a headache in itself!

This is the story...

Finally after a week and a half of constant nagging sometimes debilitating headaches, I broke down and called a Chiropractor. This was no easy feat because my employer swapped insurance companies this year and I had not even received my new cards yet. This lead to me making a bajillon phone calls, talking to my HR, having my husband pick up a printed copy of a temp card all so that I could go and see this woman.

The first appointment was amazing! It was my first experience with a chiropractor and although some parts were scary (can we say neck crack from a horror movie!??) the majority was great! She worked out some kinks in my back that I have been carrying around for years! Especially around my bra strap region...you know from where you hunch over all day if you're like me and you have a bigger, ahem, front side? I'm sure picking up a 26lb toddler doesn't help my back issues either but anyways, that was not the primary reason for my visit. My reason were these headaches!

So wham bam, crack you mam, I felt so much better after that appointment!

But then she told me "come back tomorrow so we can check you out and make sure everything set ok." This is where I felt a bit skeptical, come back so soon? hmmm But since I'd never done a chiropractor routine before, I figured ok, why not. Even though going back across town two days in a row is a major inconvenience.

Yesterday rolls around and I woke up feeling like a new person. So I happily wait until 5pm when I had my second appointment with her. The appointment time arrives and I go in and she works on me but this time she cracked an upper area in my back above my bra line and I swear if I'd been a lesser person I'd wept on the table! That hurt so dang bad! Then she flipped me over and did my neck again but only cracked it in one direction that time.

I had brought Ehvee with me, because its a kid friendly office and she even had her daughter there the day before. Her daughter is also 15m old so I kinda felt like we had a "bond" or that we "clicked" after that first appointment...well not so much after the 2nd.

She told me to sit up and Ehvee was playing and I offhandedly mentioned that I'd heard about some infants being adjusted and did she do that too? She replied yes, and talked about it for about 2 mins and then said "Ok well I didn't schedule any time today to speak to you about infant adjustments so I'll just stop now." Then she went on to tell me she needed to see me TODAY again for another adjustment.

Ok back up that train! Whoa! 3 days in a row?

Ok, now I do have insurance, but it's limited on chiropractic services. I want to say like 10-15 visits a year, but even so if it was unlimited, it's still a 25.00 copay every trip!

That would have been 75.00 this week alone!

So I said to her, "Hmm, I don't think I can make it tomorrow and my insurance is limited. How about we start scheduling stuff like maybe once month? Maybe every other week?"

She replies "No, that won't work at all. It wouldn't be effective treatment for you. If its a money issue we can always finance your treatments. I'm going to need you to come in by Friday at the latest this week, then 3 more times next week, 2 times the next week and then 1 time a week for the rest of your pregnancy if we are lucky."

Secretly in my head I'm pretty steamed now. So I just replied "Ok no problem, I'll check with my insurance and check my schedule. I'll give you a call about when I can come in next."

Really? Is she nuts? So I left the appointment pretty t-'d off to be honest because I felt like she was ripping me off. And today I feel like a mac truck ran over me last night. My neck is so stiff and sore and that spot in my back that she cracked feels hopelessly bruised. Worst of all my headache is back with a vengeance!

Anyways, I talked to my husband about it, he wanted me to try and work something out with her but I've decided that I'd rather spend 75.00 a month on a quality pre-natal massage instead. At least then I can decide when to go, how often and I don't have to have my neck cracked.

Anyone have any experience with this stuff?

Big, Big, Big News!

2011-04-05T12:04:00.004-04:00

TTC #2 Worked! We are officially pregnant again! And I am officially a slacker! I can't believe I haven't updated my blog in so long! But if you read back through my archives you'll see that's not too much of a surprise! Haha! One of these days I'll be a more faithful blogger.

Well as you can see by the bump I've been pregnant awhile now, I'm 18 weeks today in fact. Next week is the anatomy scan! We'll get to see what's baking in there finally! I've been buying blue clothes, blue this, blue that, trying to force the luck in our favor. How silly right?

In other news, Ehvee is growing like a weed! Can you believe she's 15 months old on the 14th? Crazy right? She's such a talker too! She's saying things like "Good Girl" "Thank you!" "Tree" "Shoes!" "Socks" "Kitty" I can't even list all the words she's picking up daily!

Hmm...whoa... I better watch my language right? haha!

My husband is pretty good about not using curse words...can't say I'm the same. I have a nasty mouth, it's better now than it used to be don't get me wrong but I'm constantly saying "Sh**t!"

It's almost like a reflex for me. I drop something "sh**!" I forget something, "sh**!" I think you get the idea. I guess I need to carry around a little pocket sized hand soap thing, so when I catch myself in the act, I can just take a lick of the soap! Hmm, I wonder if that would curb my appetite some!

In other news, this year has been the "Year of the House" for us. I think my nesting instinct is being reflected towards home improvements. I can't count the number of trips we've made to Lowes and Home Depot to get the outer part of the house looking tip top this year. I will have to take some quick photo's today at some point to post. Not to brag, but my tulip garden this year is amazing! I had some run in with deer but after hanging little mesh baggies of Irish Springs out there, they deer have stayed away!

Makes me wonder...do deers have potty mouths too?

Ah the joys of trying to lose weight.

2010-09-01T09:59:00.002-04:00

Yep I'm at it again. Will I ever be one of those "success stories" that you read in blogs and see on TV. I doubt it. I'm just a struggling mom, trying to lose 50 lbs.

My problem is consistency. Simply that. I'll start out with good intentions and then fail.

What I really want is to just lose a few lbs and get more in shape. My stomach is so gross after having Ehvee. Ok it was gross before but now it's like "mega" gross. LOL

So what I'm doing is watching what I eat, drinking tea (peppermint) when I feel like snacking (which is all the time) cutting out that after dinner bowl of cereal and walking. Now that the weather is starting to get nicer, I am totally going to take full advantage of that!

Wish me luck!

I'm at 212 now. I'll update as that changes.

Btw...

2010-08-30T09:30:00.002-04:00

Wont' you follow my precious daughters blog?

http://ehveesblog.blogspot.com/

I know she would appreciate you support!

I'm more commited...

2010-08-30T09:26:00.003-04:00

Than ever to go Veggie. I've been testing the waters the past few weeks and I'm about ready to dive in. I still bought some fish to have but NO RED MEAT. SO its veggies or fish for me right now.

It's a personal choice I realize. But I don't think it's really sustainable to eat meat. I read someplace that 1 lbs of meat is equal to 16 pounds of grain. Can you imagine how much more people could eat off 16 pounds of grain than just 1 lb of meat?

I also realize that fish is not an entirely renewable resource either right now, that people are overfishing like crazy etc, etc. But I do need some protein in my diet and I think this is a step in the right direction.

Anyways, I hope to post happy recipes as I stumble along!

Weekends are king.

2010-08-28T22:54:00.003-04:00

Saturday was great, and I still have Sunday. :) I love life !

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Weekends are king.

2010-08-28T22:54:00.001-04:00

Saturday was great, and I still have Sunday. :) I love life !

Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.5.2

What a great day!

2010-08-25T13:52:00.001-04:00

Weather is really cooling down. Enjoyed a good lunch of left over lasagna from last night and I am having fun with my new smart phone. In fact this post was made with it! It is the glorious new Samsung Vibrant! Talk about awesome! Sometimes I tend to get nervous when buying the "bleeding" edge of technology, but no problems here. I am in love!

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Good and Happy- Friday!

2010-08-20T08:40:00.004-04:00

And everyone is so tired we could just pass out where ever we land. Hubby was up until 5am last night working on a work project, when he finally came to bed, of course Ehvee woke up because she thought it was time to get up and decided to try and play with him. That made for a fun hour or so while he tried to get sleep and she was bouncing all around us. Wasn't so cute though at 7:30 when Daddy had to get up and go into the office. Thank God today is Friday so he can sleep in tomorrow.

In other news, Ehvee has outgrown every single one of her long sleeve sleeping outfits. So I need to hit up the store today and pick up a few. Which I'm dreading because they are so darn expensive. I tried to find a few pair at the local used clothing store (Once Upon a Child) but unfortunately there were none in her size. Do people stop putting their babies in footies at 12 months? At any rate, I need to find her some long sleeved tops. It gets chilly at night and her little arms get cold if I don't cover them. She uses a sleep sack when she's in her crib but that doesn't have sleeves. When she's co-sleeping with us, then it's a moot point because I keep her warm but we are trying to transition her to the crib.

Oh even more exciting news.. I am now TTC! That's (Trying to Conceive!) for you non internet lingo laymen. That's right! If I get pregnant this cycle we would have a newborn and a 16 month old! Glutton for punishment? Or a smart move? (Keeping them all in diapers and being done with diapers all at once!)

>

2010-08-18T13:46:00.002-04:00

As it so happen, life is continuing on even with the presence of my dear mother-in-law.

I'm going to lose some weight by the time she leaves because I can't eat in front of her without catching the "are you sure you need that" eye. And while my husband loves her cooking and yes it is tasty, it's like having Chinese take out every single night.

SO tonight I'm cooking! Hurray. Going to do Turkey Ranch Burgers. Lately I've been pretty much vegetarian but while she's here...I have to cook some meat products. At least it's not beef or pork.

Hmm what else.. Oh I believe that Ehvee may be cutting some more teeth! She's gone into "hyper" drool mode again and has been trying to "itch" the roof of her mouth on anything she can get her mouth on. I spent like 10 mins right before her nap using a textured teething pacifier scratching her top gum. The "reverse" bunny may not be her look much longer!

The Mother In-Law is here....

2010-08-17T09:36:00.005-04:00

For the next two weeks! EEEEK! Don't get me wrong, I think she's great but omgosh what am I going to do for the next two weeks? I work from home so I have to be with her 24-7!

At least hubby is happy a pig in sunshine. He loves his mom's cooking. Can't blame him for that, it does taste pretty darn good.

Ehvee is a bit of a super fuss this week too because of well meant over-stimulation. :) Sometimes she just wants to be left alone. I know that grandma is just enthusiastic to play with her however. So there isn't much we can do about that.

Anyways, I'm sure we will all survive. Besides...my MOM and dad are coming down in Oct! Muahaha!

Caffeine Allergy!

2010-08-12T13:01:00.004-04:00

Apparently, it exists. There is such a thing as having an allergy to caffeine.

Some of the symptoms include:

Skin problems such as hives, eczema, rashes, acne, severe itching.
Headaches/ migraines.
Anxiety and panic attacks.
Can’t focus or concentrate
Tongue, glands, or throat swelling.
Heart racing/ palpitations.
Angry, irritable, bad mood.
Fatigue.
Dizziness.
Extreme jitters.
Chest Pain.
Depression.
Numbness in face, hands, or feet.
Muscle pain.
Shortness of breath/ tightness of chest.
Delusions/ hallucinations.
Flu/ cold like symptoms.
Vision problems.
Cold sweats.
Eyes swollen shut.

For years now I've known that caffeine had a negative effect on me. It just suddenly happened over night too. I went from a very bad year of slamming 6 redbulls in a row to drinking 1 and having the worst panic attack of my life. I thought for sure I was DYING.

This isn't uncommon. After doing some research, that seems to be the case with most people who develop an allergy to this.

http://www.allergyremedy.org/caffeine_allergy.html

So looks like my instinct is correct and I'm completely taking caffeine out of my diet before my allergy to it gets worse. Right now I only have the jittery, anxiety attack, skin itchy...parts. I'd rather not get seizures and heart problems.

In other news I'm now Vegetarian!

I've gone the entire week without meat! Now I'm no Vegan ...dont' get me wrong. I can't give up cheese but I've definitely given up meats! I've even started compiling a lovely recipe book!

More on that later!

I'm still alive and kicking...

2010-08-10T13:10:00.003-04:00

My God, I wish that I was a more consistent blogger! I ain't doing too bad this year I guess but I've certainly could do better.

What's new?

Not much, I fell off the wagon with my exercise, I have to get back on it. :) The weather has just been so hot! It saps the willpower and energy right out of me.

I'm doing good on the diet however and I've even started my own little cookbook. I'm slowly filling it with healthy recipes.

I'm also trying to get my house in order. I love flylady.net but again I have a problem with "staypower." Kinda life long theme with me!

Lastly Ehvee turns 7 months old this Saturday, which also happens to be the day my MIL comes down to visit for a couple weeks. (Yet another reason I MUST get this house into some sorta shape. LOL)

Exercise, Diet and Motivation

2010-07-14T11:07:00.003-04:00

Finding motivation to get up at 6:00am is pretty hard for me. Co-sleeping with Ehvee means that when I try to get up in the morning, I have to get past the gigantic wall of cuteness laying in bed next to me. Who in the right minds would want to get up and leave that peaceful, cuddly and sweet baby there without you?

But that is the crux of the issue isn't it? Because SHE is my motivation for getting up and strapping on my running shoes. Let's face it, being fat brings a multitude of potential medical problems. Diabetes and heart issues run in my family. What sane person would allow themselves to continue to be at the brink of disaster when they have a precious little life to look after for the rest of their lives? Having a daughter really drove home the point for me. If I lack the motivation and will power to get up and exercise for myself, I damn sure have it for my daughter. I'd do anything for her and staying healthy and living longer for her is priority ONE.

So there I was this morning at 6:30 am, hoofing it around my block which I found out due to a great website that I joined http://www.dailymile.com that my route is a little over a mile and a half long! Which is fantastic! So that makes 2 days in a row that I was successful in getting my fat butt out of bed.

Now that I'm getting the motivation and exercise part licked...diet is next. This may be my toughest challenge. So far today I've had a bowl of corn flakes with soy milk and a cheese log as a snack. (2% string cheese kids snack thing.) I'm STARVING. So I'm trying to fend off the hunger by drinking, water, diet coke (bad I know but it's left over from a BBQ I had this weekend and once it's gone, it's gone) and tea. I find that tea helps the most. Herbal teas that is. Licorice is possibly my favorite. I actually haven't made a cup of it since before I got pregnant with Ehvee so I'll have to check to see if I have any left. If not... I'm off to the store.

I think I'll make some tea eggs today too. That's a healthy snack in moderation. The protein is great for you and the added spices give the eggs a wonderful special flavor.

I really do need to lock down on a better diet though. This hit or miss stuff isn't going to work out.

In other news, Ehvee is a fuss pot. She turned 6 months old today. (Happy Mini Birthday my girl!) She's taken to this new thing where I cannot put her down without me being there or she will fuss...fuss...fuss. I'm all for the Attachment Parenting thing but dang girl, I have to work! You're only 3ft away from me, you're surrounded by toys, please play for a few minutes without me!

Cutest Baby Ever!

2010-07-13T13:48:00.001-04:00

My daughter of course. :)

My A/C is out!!

2010-07-13T09:46:00.002-04:00

And Ehvee and I are melting! The A/C went out last night and the earliest a repair guy can get here is between 12-5pm. Of course that means I can't leave the house and escape the heat because they didn't give me an exact time and by coming so late in the day, I'm afraid he won't be able to fix it today!

Thank God it's a mostly cloudy today. Too bad it's not raining that would help a bit.

I kep trying to convince DH to move us to Seattle but he complains it rains too much there. We've been living in the south now for almost 10 years and I can't stand it. Yes I was born here but dang I hate it. I'd give anything to relocate someplace that actually has seasons for a change. In the South it's like ... Hot, kinda hot, REALLY HOT, OK COLD WET, Getting Hot again... That's the entirety of the year. I long for a crisp fall and a snowy blanket of white covering the ground. Especially today. Maybe I can just go shove my head into the freezer? Same thing right?

Poor Ehvee...so fussy in all this heat. I have about 10 fans going but all that seems to be doing is moving the hot air around. How in the world did people survive before A/C?

This morning it wasn't too bad, but it's starting to warm up. I got up at 6am and took a nice long walk around the neighbor hood and it was pretty great. Trying to lose weight is PITA. Especially after the baby, really. People who warned me that it would be were right!

AP (Attachment Parenting.)

2010-07-10T09:06:00.003-04:00

It has come to my attention that I may be an AP parent and I'm perfectly fine with that. I've been chided lately for spending too much time with my baby girl and "spoiling" her. Most specifically my own mother is the culprit of this. She hates that I co-sleep more than anything but co-sleeping is what works for us right now. We've taken the precautions, we put up a bed rail, never sleep with her over tired, after drinking etc (not that I drink anyways lol.) For us it works and creates a happier, healthier home.

But for my mother she see's it as the devils work. Examples are that "You'll spoil her. You will be sleeping together until she's 12 now...etc. You will crush her in your sleep!" The list really goes on and on.

The onslaught also continues when I wear DD. "Why not just put her in the stroller? Won't be so much fun when she weighs 40 lbs." etc. Gotta love my mother. :)

But whether it's a stranger or my very own mother... BUTT OUT.

I'll raise my daughter how I please, thank you very much!

Back from Cancun!

2010-06-29T14:44:00.005-04:00

The above photo was taken at 6am in Cancun Mexico, June 2010. Beautiful right? Our trip was an adventure to say the least. Some moments were great other not so great but all in all it was enjoyable.

I'm sorry I've been such a craptasticular blogger lately. Life sometimes just really gets me down and blogging falls by the wayside.

That being said I have challenged myself to something wonderful. I have started a "50 By Xmas" challenge for myself. What this means is that I will lose 50 lbs by Christmas this year! That's the plan anyways. Here is why:

1. My mother in law struck a deal with me. If I can lose 50lbs and get in better shape to look nice in a wedding dress, she will pay for some of the tab for a beautiful ceremony. Since DH and I did not have a formal ceremony before, this is our opportunity to do so now.
2. Get in shape for baby #2. Originally I wanted to try again this fall but now I'm thinking I should wait until new years. It will be fabulous to be in shape for the next baby. Not only will I have a better chance at a healthy pregnancy but I will also get a cute baby bump!

In other news I have bought a lovely rose bush that I am planting by my mail box this evening. It's SO hot outside though I kinda dread going out there an digging away through the soil. I have to though because all my little annuals have died by the mail box and it's looking quite hideous. I'll have to post a picture after it's in the ground.

Actually that may be a fascinating photo series. :) Mailboxes across America. LOL

Onward to Cancun....

2010-06-15T15:38:00.004-04:00

Well folks we take off bright and early tomorrow morn for Cancun! Actually it's called Playa Del Carmen, I am told it's basically across the street from Cancun. I have mixed emotions about this trip because I am extremely nervous about bringing my 5 month old to Mexico. This will be her first trip on a plane, (5 hour flight) and her first trip out of the country! I can't help but worry about every little thing from forgetting something simple to something majorly tragic happening.

I know in my heart everything will be ok and I've sure been praying about it for months now but I still can't "not" worry about this trip! If I wasn't being forced to go, I think I may have had to have gracefully declined the invitation but unfortunately that wasn't the case. My SIL has paid for this trip for my DH and I and there is no backing out of it. (It's her wedding.) I can't believe she chose to marry in Mexico of all places. :) Couldn't she have picked NY or something much more simpler? I know that is ridiculously selfish and I'm sure the ceremony is going to be stunningly beautiful, I'm just scared because of my baby.

I should have internet access down there and if I do, I'll keep in touch.

In other news, I got yet another promotion at work which has brought my stress load up from "Kinda stressed" to "OH MY GOD I"M FREAKING OUT STRESSED." So that is an interesting situation. Luckily they are giving me some time to get my ducks in a row so when I take over my new team it will be a little bit easier on me. I just hope I can do a good job. Work outside the home these days is not ranking as high on my priority list as it used to. I'm much to worried about my DD and taking care of her.

Anyways, hope you folks have a great week!

Ack...Promotions.

2010-06-08T12:08:00.002-04:00

Well folks I just got promoted at work. It was an unexpected promotion and I'm going have a lot less time to do anything other than work and take care of Ehvee. I'm pretty stressed out right now but I'm hoping that once I get the system put into place, things will smooth out.

A difficult decision...

2010-06-02T13:54:00.001-04:00

Well folks today I made a decision that I may end up regretting later but it seems like the right choice for my family right now. I have decided to wait before DH and I try for our next child. This decision came to me this morning when I was looking up what jogging stroller to purchase so that I can work out more easily in the evenings. It was then I realized that if I got pregnant again so soon I wouldn't get much use out of the stroller. LOL

See I've always been overweight and in the past two weeks DH and I have completely changed our lives. We've been eating only healthy foods and exercising daily. We've kept this up now for 2 weeks and I'm impressed with us both.

Now this is a selfish reason but I really want to have a cute pregnancy bump next time. My last pregnancy it took people 8 months to know I was pregnant and not just fat. This time around, I want to be as healthy as I can possibly be for my family and the new baby (God willing) to come.

A teething baby is a FUSSY baby!

2010-06-01T14:17:00.002-04:00

Need I say more? Ehvee is sooo fussy right now and trying to shove everything and anything into her mouth to try and chew on it.

Poor thing!

Day one in a 30 day series "Sky" and other thoughts.

2010-05-26T10:52:00.005-04:00

Day 1 in my Sky photo series. This image was taken yesterday afternoon. All day it had been rather gray and overcast and by the evening it was clearing out and left a spectacular mix of bright blue and white with deep dark grays.

If anyone else would like to participate in the sky photo series I'd love it! Just leave a comment with your photo link or post a link to your blog showing the photo.

In other news, I'm still waiting on my new pair of glasses I ordered last week. Last Weds I had gone to a local vision place to get my annual exam and ordered some new glasses. Apparently my vision had not changed that much which I found surprising because ever since I got pregnant with Ehvee, I felt that my vision was significantly less. The doctor told me that it was really my astigmatism that had changed not so much my vision but he was able to correct my vision back down to 20/20 again. What I'm excited about is that I also ordered a pair of sunglasses. I rarely do that, maybe once every 5 years or so. It's so hard for me to justify the cost of sunglasses because I always have to get prescription ones. But since we have a trip to Cancun coming up next month I felt it was wise to order a pair. I have fair eyes anyways and the sun is brutal to them. I just wish I could do like most people and buy a dollar store pair. LOL
Ehvee had her first bites of cereal this week after her pediatrician gave us the go ahead. She's weighing in now at a whopping 15lbs12oz too! They said she fell into the 90th percentile for weight (little chunker!) 75th percentile for height and then the only 20th for her head circumference. He did not seem concerned about that last bit but after coming home and doing something I most likely should not have done (Googled it.) I'm a little concerned. Now I'm worried about her head being too small. She has another check up in July, her 6 month check up and I'm going to pray that its' balanced out a bit. (I don't want to think about the alternatives.) But I will just have to trust her doctor and believe that it's nothing to worry about for now. Else I wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
Lastly I've started a new diet. Well actually it's not fair to call it a diet because it's a complete lifestyle change. DH had a doctors appointment last week and they basically told him, "Lose weight or die." So we both decided to lose weight. Since Saturday we've been eating healthy and working out every day or every other day. DH is doing the Couch to 5 K program and I'm doing walking for now. I'm so proud of him because he's gone out and jogged twice now, right on schedule with the program. We've been together 8 years and this is the first real effort at exercise I've ever seen him do. I hope to join him soon with the jogging thing, but I'm so overweight right now and I don't have a jogging stroller yet. LOL So I want to lose a few lbs by walking before I start running. That way I can get a little better shape and I can save up some money for a jogger.

Whew busy!

2010-05-25T13:33:00.003-04:00

I had an idea for a great blog post today but unfortunately things are just too crazy around my house today to actually post it!

My boss from England is flying in and it appears that his flight is going to be an hour early! Plus I've spent all morning cleaning up my entire house for his visit. LOL It's not like I didn't know he was coming, I just procrastinated the big clean that I needed to do for his arrival. I'm sure some of you folks know what I mean.

So that being said, I'm hoping I'll have a bit more time tomorrow to make the post I intended to post today.

I'm also going to start a photo series where every day I will post a new picture. :) The theme is "SKY." I'll take a photo of the sky outside my house each day for this project!

Lazy Thursday

2010-05-20T13:26:00.002-04:00

I think I have about a mountian of clothes to fold but I just don't have the "get up and go" to do it. Ehvee is being a little bit of a fussy gussy today, I have her on her playtime mat right now doing some "forced" tummy time. Poor girl will spin round and round on her tummy and cries the whole time. I know she's a little behind developmentally in the tummy time department so the past 2 weeks I've been giving her 2 to 3 sessions of tummy time a day for about 20 mins each regardless of how she "feels" about it. LOL She got so mad one day she just passed out on her tummy!

In other news Ehvee and I have gotten a routine down that includes taking a daily walk around the block every morning after breakfast. Sure is nice to get out of the house and enjoy the fresh air. I tell her "Nature Ehvee, this is nature!" She coo's and looks up at the trees. I'm pretty sure she's going to be a green freak like me. I'm way more at home in the moutians or in the forrest than in the city. That is for SURE!

Tomorrow Ehvee is due for her 4 month shots. While I'm happy to take her to her Pedi to hear how well she's doing, I hate that she has to get her vaccines. Poor thing. Last time I went alone but this time I am dragging DH along! LOL

Back at the Helm.

2010-05-17T17:48:00.002-04:00

Sorry folks that I haven't updated in a few days. I had some inlaws come in this weekend so I spent my entire weekend cleaning and entertaining. I'm sure you folks know how that is!

Anyways their visit went well and we were able to get Ehvee's 4 month photos done. We took over 300 photos lol and 90% of them turned out great! But of course I'm biased about that.
In other news my little girl developed a rash due to her Pampers DryMax diapers. If you aren't aware of this situation you should check out this link: Pampers DryMax Sparks Federal Investigation. At first I was rather enraged at their public stance found here: DryMax Faq
"When a baby's skin is exposed to urine or feces for prolonged periods the skin's protective barrier can be compromised." So what are trying to say exactly? How dare they imply that mothers who have reported issues with their product do not care for their children properly?

Well needless to say I sent them an email and I'm actually surprised at their response. They admitted to their being a high number of reported rash problems, want me to follow up with a snail mail package they are sending out and they cut me a check for 40bucks to cover the cost of the jumbo box I have here that I'm obviously not going to finish.

I guess the media pressure is finally getting to them. You know I may not have been so angry if they had not had posted that faq? I'm just glad I noticed my girls rash in time and did some research on it and discovered it was the DryMax diapers before it got more serious. Now we are a Huggies / G-diaper family. I'd love to go full cloth some time but for now I have Huggies as my backup. Huggies has no smell also where is the DryMax ones smell like chemicals plus Huggies seem MUCH softer. I didn't like Huggies for Ehvee when she was a newborn, they did not fit her really well but now they actually fit perfect. Food for thought.

Mothers Day

2010-05-09T19:37:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone had a beautiful Mothers Day today with your loved ones.
God Bless. :)

DH and I had a perfect day walking around a nature park near here and then later taking a long stroll around our neighborhood.

Beautiful Sun Day, err Saturday!

2010-05-08T11:33:00.002-04:00

What a beautiful day. Well actually it's a bit warm out, it's supposed to reach the mid 90's today which is a little uncomfortable for me but I still love days like this. Lazy days, with no real direction or plan. The kitchen is clean, I did all the laundry yesterday so nothing to do! So DH and I are going to go walk around the local mall since it's nice and cool. We are still observing the spending freeze for the next week and we've been doing great on it so there won't be any wild shopping sprees while there, I assure you!

I may allow myself a small purchase of a book however at the book store. I haven't had any good reading material recently. Honestly I haven't had time to read with Ehvee around. But I keep telling myself once she starts sleeping more regularly the more chances I will have to do "me" stuff. :) That is until the next baby comes that is!

So that's it for today. I hope every enjoys a fabulous and blessed weekend!

Breastfeeding, what I know better now.

2010-05-07T09:11:00.003-04:00

It was a long 20 hours of labor and her heart rate was dropping on each contraction. The doctors tried to reassure me but I could hear the concern behind their voices. "You really should think about a c-section now." Ten minutes later I was whisked away and stretched out on a long, hard, ice cold operating table.

"You are going to feel some tugging and pulling."

What seemed like an eternity passed and then the most beautiful sound I ever heard rang out. "Waaaahhhhhhhhh....Waaaaaah!" My daughter lifted her voice for the first time.

Screaming and shaking they came over and presented her to me. Her little fists clenched, her eyes shut tightly, her mouth wide open as she let out another heart piercing cry. I reached my hand up and over to her and ever so gently I stroked her cheek with the back side of my fingers. She stopped crying, her eyes opened and just for one brief moment in time our eyes locked on each other. She was the most beautiful creation I had ever witnessed and the love I felt for her almost split my soul in two.

Then the took her away and she started crying again and I realized that I was feeling the surgery. I could feel the doctors stitching me back up and it was not pleasant. The pain was almost overwhelming but I bared it just so I could keep looking over at my beautiful daughter.

A short while later I am in my recovery room, my husband, the proud father was holding our daughter for the first time.

Then a nurse came in, disturbing this profound and beautiful moment and said that since I'd had such a hard delivery and both mom and baby were very tired that I should supplement with formula tonight. She promised that it was best for both of us and not to worry we could always breast feed in the morning. While I did breastfeed her a few moments later, in my drug induced stupor, I agreed to the additional supplement.

That was mistake 1. I'm not saying that the one bottle the supplemented in the hospital was the worst thing in the world but it was one of the stones that paved the way to my breast feeding failure.

After our recovery and we were safely home breastfeeding was a scary, exhausting endeavor. Sure I had taken the breastfeeding classes, I was supposed to know that breastfeeding is very demanding on a new mom, especially after a c-section but really I had no idea how tough it would be.

No one really mentioned that you would be up every hour or two to breastfeed your baby for 30-40 mins at a time. Which if you do the math on that, that means that even if you instantly fall asleep after your baby has finished feeding, you only get a 30min-45min nap before you need to wake up and feed your baby again. This was incredibly taxing on me, as it is on all mothers, especially those who went through a c-section. I look back now and realize that maybe it wasn't so bad but at the time it seemed impossible with the pain and lack of sleep.

No one really mentions that your parents and in-laws are going to tell you to "stop starving the baby" and give them a bottle either. That wasn't mentioned in my breastfeeding classes. I found myself double teamed from both sets of grandparents. Both sets equally unintentionally making me feel horrible when she cried and fussed because obviously I wasn't "feeding her enough."

"You aren't making enough milk yet, you really need to give her a bottle, she's so hungry."

Talk about bring a new mother to tears. It's not enough my hormones were raging out of control for the first 2 weeks postpartum but the added guilt that I wasn't feeding my child was all consuming.

I remember instances of my mother in law (again meaning well) running up the stairs to check on the baby after she heard her crying for a few moments. She would rush to my side, take the baby away from me and go offer her a bottle down stairs. I was heartbroken and I felt worthless as a mom. I know that she was just trying to do what was best for both me and my daughter but unfortunately it wasn't what I really needed.

What I really needed was a helping hand to comfort me and tell me everything was going to be alright. To give it a few days with my breasts and not to use the bottle. To tell me that my baby was not starving and she was getting exactly what she needed from my breasts.

Well that isn't what happened.

Even our pediatrician was pushing formula on us. So I gave in and offered supplementation with formula after every offering of breast. It became a crutch and one that we were never able to put down.

My breasts began to produce less and less milk and my left breast completely dried up. I never could pump very much either.

And now at nearly 4 months old, my baby girl refuses my breast. It breaks my heart so much to hear her scream and wail. We were down to just a few breast feedings a day but as of day before yesterday she's given it up entirely and weaned herself off of me and only accepts the bottle. I knew it would eventually happen. It's just so much easier to drink from the bottle. Especially when I stepped up to level 2 nipples at 3 months. That was really the final nail in the coffin of my breastfeeding her. I should have known better, but I didn't. At least now I do know better.

I remember fondly our breastfeeding days, her sweetly suckling at my breast. Her contented smiles and sighs as she would feed and often drift off to sleep there. I'll always treasure that. I just wish I could have done it at least a few months more if not until a year.

In addition there were other issues that prevented me from meeting my breastfeeding goals of 1 year. I started back to work 2 weeks after she was born. I should have NEVER done this. That was the biggest mistake I made I believe. Even though I was working from home, work demanded my attention from 8-4pm. During those hours I am forced to pay attention to work when I'm not paying attention to her. It's a "rob Peter to pay Paul" situation. Breastfeeding was taking up 40mins min at a time for me to feed her and every 2 hours that wasn't leaving me anytime for work. I felt (and still feel) split in two during the hours of 8-4. Between her, my work, and the house work, it's quite maddening some days. (Though I am so thankful to be able to work from home because I could never leave her at daycare.)

If God blesses us with more children, I will do so many things differently.

I won't let nurses or family members bully me into feeding them formula. I will take the full 12 weeks leave of absence from work no matter how tight of a financial bind that puts us in. We will just have to tighten up our boot straps and get through it.

And lastly I will realize what a blessing a breastfeeding child is and I won't give up so easily.

When God made mothers....

2010-05-06T21:13:00.002-04:00

When God Made Mothers
By the time the Lord made mothers, he was into the sixth day working overtime. An Angel appeared and said "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"

And the Lord answered and said, "Have you read the spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic; have 200 movable parts, all replaceable; run on black coffee and leftovers; have a lap that can hold three children at one time and that disappears when she stands up; have a kiss that can cure anything from a scrape knee to a broken heart; and have six pairs of hands."

The Angel was astounded at the requirements for this one. "Six pairs of hands! No Way!" said the Angel.

The Lord replied, Oh, it's not the hands that are the problem. It's the three pairs of eyes that mothers must have!"

"And that's on the standard model?" the Angel asked. The Lord nodded in agreement, "Yep, one pair of eyes are to see through the closed door as she asks her children what they are doing even though she already knows. Another pair in the back of her head, are to see what she needs to know even though no one thinks she can. And the third pair are here in the front of her head. They are for looking at an errant child and saying that she understands and loves him or her without even saying a single word."

The Angel tried to stop the Lord. "This is too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

"But I can't!" The Lord protested, "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart. She already heals herself when she is sick and can feed a family of six on a pound of hamburger and can get a nine year old to stand in the shower."

The Angel moved closer and touched the woman, "But you have made her so soft, Lord."

"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?" Asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason, and negotiate."

The Angel then noticed something and reached out and touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak with this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak." the Lord objected. "That's a tear...

"What's the tear for?" the Angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her disappointment, her pain, her loneliness, her grief, and her pride."

The Angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything for this one. You even created the tear!"

The Lord looked at the Angel and smiled and said, "I'm afraid you are wrong again, my friend. I created the woman, but she created the tear!"
- Erma Bombeck

Sweet Contentment :)

2010-05-05T19:32:00.005-04:00

Nothing sweeter than a baby sleeping peacefully. Sorry the photo is a little blurry, she was in motion when I took the shot. She loves her lamb swing. If you are about to have a baby yourself I totally encourage you to purchase one. My Little Lamb swing. Kinda expensive but totally worth it.
It's great for when she's awake too, because she entertains herself by looking in the mirror or watching the mobile part go round and round. Plus it keeps her up off the floor which makes me feel safer when I have to go upstairs for a moment to load the washing machine etc. Since I have my furry friend Pixel Puss wandering around and all. Being up off the floor is a great bonus.

Speaking of Pixel...she was conked out today as well enjoying the warm sun streaming in from our windows. :) She's SO lazy but what cat isn't? Notice she's sporting a lovely "lion cut." I had my vet give it to her a few weeks ago to cut down on the amount of loose cat hair floating around the house. It really worked! I suggest it to anyone who is tired of cat fur being everywhere. It doesn't hurt kitty at all and in fact I think she enjoyed it like a "spa" day for kitties!

Now this is yesterdays dinner but I wanted to share it anyways. It's been years since I lived in Louisiana and the Mississippi area but sometimes I just get a craving for good ol'cajun food and I whip up a dish of nummy nummyness! Red beans and rice and sausage! Delicous!

Lastly in regards to day 3 or 4 of the spending freeze...its' still going strong! I did have to pick up a few supplies today at Sams club and Walmart but I did stay in budget. I bought bulk packs of chicken and beef and split them all up when I got home into individual bags for dinner in the future. I think for example the chicken breast pack had 12 breasts in it, that is 6 dinners and it was only 10 bucks. I've seen chicken breasts 2 to the pack go for 5.00 at regular grocery stores. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a huge fan of Walmart. I think they are a black hole company that suck up a good portion of Americans money and suck up and swallow whole the small business market but you just can't bet a deal like that. So I don't do my every day shopping there but when I want to buy something in bulk I do.

I just can't afford not to.

Secrets to a Happy Homemaker

2010-05-04T15:01:00.002-04:00

Over the years I've matured from being a rebellious teenager that hated to wash the dishes to a proud mother who prides herself in keeping her home presentable. I am by no means a "neat nick" in the slightest though I strive to be. My floors are not vacuumed every day, there may be a few dishes left in the sink over night and there may be a load of clothes waiting to be folded but this is a happy homemaker. Notice I'm saying homemaker and not home? My home is a happy place as a well but I don't think you can have a happy home without a happy homemaker.

What makes up a happy homemaker you ask? Being content and humble with what you have and what your place is in the world. Now I don't mean it in a way that is negative like "know your place" but more rather, accept and get comfortable where you are at right now. Be happy to have the things you have, be thankful for what blessings that have graced your life. Don't spend your life worrying about what you don't have. Wake up each day and just do your best and good things will follow.

Be a happy homemaker and have a happy home.
Day 3 of the Freeze!
Going great...I can't spend money if I'm not out in the public. Working from home today.

Day 2 of the Freeze! And "I has Feets!"

2010-05-03T18:00:00.004-04:00

How's everyone getting along? I managed to spend a whopping 50 cents today! That's it! I shouldn't have even spent that but my stomach was a little upset so I had a can of Sprite at work.
It was so hard this morning driving by Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts without stopping. I only go into the office 2 days a week as it is but it's still a huge temptation. But I did it!

I hope everyone else who is participating on this spending freeze is doing well also!
Evelyn has discovered her feet! See those cute little lady bug feet? She's learned how to kick her feeet up into the air and grab them! So cute. Dh caught her doing that today while I was at work. I was a little sad I missed it but when I got home she went to doing it again with her cute little pink socks! :) Such a cutie!

Day 1 of the "Freeze"

2010-05-02T19:22:00.004-04:00

Good evening everyone! To those of you participating in the "spending freeze" challenge I hope your day went fantastically! Dh and I had a great day today. We actually went to the grocery store with a list and stuck to it! We also got some lovely tripled coupons. All in all spent 34.00 for the goodies we needed. Other than that today was a bit of a bore. We lounged around relaxing in between house chores that desperately needed to be done. I did manage to wash both the cars today though! LOL

So anyways, keeping it short today, I hope everyone has a fabulous day tomorrow! Even if it is Monday. ;)

The "BIG FREEZE!"

2010-05-01T19:21:00.003-04:00

So folks I've been giving this some thought for awhile now and today I'm putting my thoughts into action...

For the next 15 days I am going to challenge myself to a spending freeze. During this time I will not purchase anything that is unnecessary. The only allowable items will be food (from the grocery store for home cooked meals,) gas for the cars, medicines and any needed toiletries.

I think the hardest thing for me will be cutting out all the fast food places and ...gulp...Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts Coffees!

This challenge may sound weak to some of you more "hardened" thriftinistas, but 15 days is a hard tow for a consumerist like me!

So what say you? Will you join me on this challenge?

Yard Sale Success and Big Girl Bed!

2010-05-01T14:31:00.007-04:00

The yard sale went off without a hitch! I actually made a lot more money than I expected selling odds and ends. I did not however sell that brown table I wanted to sell so that I could replace my current dining set. Boo! Overall I believe I had about 50 or so people drop by and look this morning and 90% of them left with something in their hands! The strangest thing I had happen though was this man came up and purchased a blender I had for sale then left it behind! How odd! He was speaking to another couple when it happened. I think the couple was looking at the blender as well so I'm not sure if he gave it to them and they left it or what. It was very strange. So if you are the man that bought my blender and left it behind...it's still sitting in my garage waiting for you to come back and claim it. LOL

Tonight is the night. Baby E is going to sleep in her big girls bed. She's out grown her bassinet, her little head and feet were touching the top and bottom of it, so she's moving into her big crib tonight. I'm a little sad that she's growing up so quickly and I'm more than anxious moving her "so far" away from me. (Cough Ok so it's just the foot of our bed and not beside my head like her bassinet...lol) DH just got finished moving the Angel Care monitor and the crib is good to go.
SO tonight should be very interesting. I hope she's able to sleep well and I hope I'm able to sleep well. LOL I've also stopped swaddling her. Although she loves her Woombie I've taken to putting her half in and half out of it so she gets used to having her hands out. I think now that she's starting to "rollie pollie" about she needs those little arms and hands free.

TGIF, Babywearing, The Duggers, Long Hair and Yard Sale

2010-04-30T09:04:00.007-04:00

As you can tell by the topic title, this post is going to be rather spastic today and cover a few subjects of interest.

First off "Thank God it's Friday!" Am I right? OR am I right? After a vacation it's so hard to go back to work and these last two days have been killer! To add to the mayhem tomorrow is our communities yard sale that I've been waiting months for. This means that I don't really get to relax today after work because I will be hustling around the house like a hurricane picking out stuff and pricing it for the sale tomorrow morning. I'm excited though for the chance to make a little extra cash. Who couldn't use some more of that? This economy has even those of use with tight belts cinching in a bit tighter! So I'm hopeful I can unload some stuff tomorrow and what doesn't sale is going to be donated to charity. Either way it is getting out of my house. I hate clutter! Especially now that I have a little one.
Ok now onto "Long Hair and the Duggars."

Love them or hate them they are fascinating aren't they? Count me in on the "love them" camp. I admire their family, if they are anything like they portray themselves on TV what a blessing. I have no idea how Michelle Duggar keeps up with all those children when I can hardly keep up with my ONE little girl! Michelle is such an inspiration for me. Whenever I'm having a hard day I think about the stress she must endure with the children and the TV production and it makes my day seem a bit simpler by contrast. Silly I know but it really helps! I'm also inspired by her multiple VBACs as I am hoping to have a VBAC myself God willing, when DH and I have our next baby.

So that aside the Duggar ladies and myself do have one thing in common...our hair! I love long hair, as aggravating as it is sometimes. I can't imagine how those Duggar girls always wear their hair down however with all those grabby baby hands around! Baby Ehvee is QUICK to grab onto any stray hair I foolishly forget to pull back and YEEEOOOWCH! I'm "quick" to put it back up! Kinda sad that my long locks are always up and out of reach right now but at least my hair is getting in great shape and has virtually 0 split ends!
They say that a womans hair is her "crown." I'm not a zealot or anything but I kinda believe that. Do you have long hair? What do you believe? Why do you keep it long?
OK last subject of the day as I'm running out of time... Ehvee is waking from her morning nap and I have to get back to my 9-5.
Baby wearing!

Oh don't you love it? In the photo I'm wearing Ehvee in a Mei Tai styled carrier by BabyHawk. This is practically the only carrier that Ehvee will tolerate. I mean she still likes her Bjorn because she can face out but I think once she gets a little bigger this BabyHawk will become the carrier of choice. I wish I had more opportunity to wear her right now but unfortunately I don't. I can't wait till she's a little bigger though so she can more easily go out and about with me. Especially when I get a chance to finally wear her on my back!

I'd love to buy more carrier but unfortunately DH had nipped that in the bud for now. LOL (Budget tight etc...yadda yadda lol)

So for now I must live vicariously through others on one of my favorite websites: TheBabyWearer . Please check them out if you haven't already and you have the slightest interest in this phenomenon.

Over the Hills and Back Again

2010-04-29T13:35:00.006-04:00

Well folks we are back from the North Georgia Mountains! The photo there is from our hotel room. Nice view huh? Oh did I say hotel btw? Yes I did. Let me tell you why...

Our cabin was unacceptable! First of all it lacked central heat and air. They provided plug in electric heaters for heat. This would have been fine if we weren't traveling there with a 3.5 month old! Furthermore the cabin was on a busy street which they neglected to mention when they rented it to us 2 months ago when I made the reservations, so as we were walking through the door the sound of busy cars were buzzing by.
Speaking of buzzing, the final straw for us was the BEES! That's right BEES! Inside the cabin! There were 2 dead on the kitchen counter, 3 dead on the floor and one buzzing around our heads alive! Oh and I almost forgot, the giant spiders web on the arm of the sofa complete with the friendly little spider was...awesome. SOooo, needless to say we got our money back (which was a chore thanks to the extremely rude rental lady) and went else where! Which was kinda a bummer because in stead of being .02 miles from my parents home we were 11 miles. But it was worth it to stay in a lovely place like we did. Unicoi State Pa rk was the place if anyone is curious.

But all that aside, our trip was great! Ehvee did so well on the drive down there and the drive back. The first day there we visited with G-Ma and G-Pa, the usual family stuff and the second day we took a drive down into Atlanta to the big aquarium there. Ehvee was so fascinated by all the fishes! All of which could have eaten her for a light snack if they had wanted to! LOL
While we were in Cleveland Ga visiting my parents we also visited Cabbage Patch land or BabyLand General .
Everyone had a blast. DH thought that Ehvees head and the Cabbage Patch dolls heads were about the same size. LOL Please ignore the 40 some odd pounds I need to lose post baby weight.
But as you can see, yes indeed her head matches the dolls lol. We also bought her her own Cabbage Patch doll. Her name is Ashlin Sierra. Cute huh?
This one is a little different than the one we got her. I'm too lazy to upload the real one but it's got the same face as this one. :) The hair on her real one matches her real hair and is more brown.

Now what did I learn on this trip? What's it like traveling for 6 hours+ with a 3 month old? Not as bad as you think! If we did anything wrong we over packed, but I'd rather have something and not need it, than need something and not have it! We followed the advice of our pediatrician and just pulled over every 2 hours at a rest area to feed her, change her and walk her around. She really enjoyed checking out all the beautiful flowers and trees along the way. She actually did not cry too much and slept very well in the hotel room in her pack-n-play.

I'm hoping that this trip has prepared us for our "big" trip this June when we goto Cancun for my sister in laws wedding. I'm a bit nervous about that one. I've never taken Ehvee on a plane before and this is going to be a long flight. Well the flight is really broken up into two parts because we have a lengthy (2 hours) layover in Texas some place. Then we are staying a week in Cancun. I've never been to Mexico before so this is going to be quite the experience for all of us. Then this coming Christmas we are flying to Taiwan! This poor child is going to be so traveled. I need to get her a frequent flyers card or something!
Anyways- I hope you enjoyed reading about our little adventure in the mountains!

Heading to the Mountains!

2010-04-24T11:33:00.002-04:00

Well folks today is a rip roaring busy day because we are getting ready to drive over to the mountains of north Georgia tomorrow. The Helen area to be specific, also known as where I grew up! My parents still live there and it's time for Ehvee to go visit them for a bit on their turf instead of the other way around. It's a hardship on my aging parents to make the drive from there to here so we are going to visit them this time.

I'm pretty excited. I haven't been "home" in about 6 years now. I miss my mountains. Of course they are calling for rain all weekend and the first part of the week...so basically our entire trip will be shrouded in rain but hey...who cares! The only real bad part about it is the 6 hour drive in the pouring rain. I hate driving in the rain! Seems like it brings all the stupid people out and about doesn't it?

Speaking of driving, Daddy plans on riding in the back seat most the trip to entertain and keep an eye on Ehvee. Since this will be her first "long" road trip, we think it will be best. I've calmed down a lot as a first time mom but I still worry quite a bit about her safety. All it took was one article to send me in a tizzy worrying about SIDS and car seats. (As if I didn't already worry about SIDS enough as it is.) Which reminds me...going to pack the Angel Care monitor to bring with us. I'm not sure how awesome it will work in her pack-n-play though. So far we've only been using it in her bassinet. (Which she's "just" about outgrown...)

The chore list for today is staggering but I'm almost done and it's not quite lunch yet. (Though my stomach disagrees and is rumbling loudly.) I wrapped up the dirty dishes, got all her bottles washed and ready to go, only have one more load of laundry to do, cleaned the cat box...(yuck) and now really all that's left is packing! I'm stupidly excited to pack her bag haha! I sure hope I don't forget anything.

Daddy is outside mowing the jungle...err I mean lawn before we go. Since the grass is already pretty tall and it's expected to rain here too all weekend, it just means that it was going to grow a foot high if he didn't. He loves to mow the lawn, loves it about as much as getting a root canal. Our yard is decent sized but not quite big enough for a riding mower. I think though if we had a riding one, he may not hate it so much. I don't like nagging him about anything because he works very hard during the 9-5 work week but geeze, we don't want to invite snakes!

So all that being said, I'm not sure how much blogging I'll be able to do from the road. My next update may not be until later this coming week! Until then, have a great weekend everyone!

Woombies and Sleep

2010-04-23T12:24:00.004-04:00

Evelyn in her Woombie.

Nothing is more peaceful than a happily sleeping baby. Baby Evelyn is pretty good about taking naps and she's just now learned how to sleep through the night (although I'm not sure how long that will last!)

What I learned early on for the greatest success in her napping and sleeping is swaddling her.

That's right, old fashioned swaddling. If I don't swaddle her, you can bet with in moments she will wake herself right back up because she has this habit of grabbing at her face or ears. I tried a few different swaddling techniques over the past few months, blankets, swaddle me's etc. but what I found that works best for me is a product called "Woombie." It's basically like a little sleeping bag for babies. Its soft and stretchy so while she is confined and she cannot fling her little arms around she can still move them a little bit which I think is much better than being so "restrained" in traditional swaddles. Also this eliminates the risk of a blanket getting up around her face or neck potentially suffocating her. Which is a big relief to me, so "I" can sleep better.

She seems to be happy and sleep longer and have more restful sleep using it so why not. :)

So my suggestion to you new mothers out there or mothers with infant sleeping issues, try a Woombie!

My return to Blogging!

2010-04-22T14:29:00.004-04:00

Wow has it been a year since I last blogged? Crazy!

So much has changed in my life. Most notably is that I had a baby! Yes, it finally happened! I had a baby girl! My husband and I are so happy to finally have the joy of our own child in our lives. She's really something else. Boy o'boy....or rather girl o'girl did she change our lives!

We also bought our first home. Strangely and ironically we conceived our daughter just 2 days before we closed on the house. I say ironically because we had always waited for children until we had steady employment and a house. Funny how things work out right?

What else? We are going on a trip this weekend to visit my Mom so she can play with Ehvee (our daughter.) I was hoping that the weather would be nice but they are calling for rain. YUCK!

That's all for now. I will post back soon with my guide to a 3 month old baby!

I am still alive I promise!

2009-01-11T19:38:00.002-05:00

It has just been a busy week.

I will post much more later about some serious life changing events. (All good!) I've finally found my spiritual path and calling.

Currently I'm working on a giant (maybe a bit over my head) shawl! It's turning into a yarn gobbler. I had no idea so much yarn could go into a shawl. I'm already 3 skeins in. Is that normal? LOL I need to post pics soon.

Ugh Crohns...

2009-01-04T19:56:00.003-05:00

It has reared it's ugly head. So posting has been light.

Tomorrow I return to the 9-5. After a two week vacation it's going to be so hard to sit still at my desk again for 8 hours straight.

I was supposed to goto the grocery store today but that did not work out. My stomach just wasn's having it. Add to that...I got a migraine last night while crocheting at 11pm and then it struck again today around lunch. I spent the better part of the evening sleeping.

Felt so bad for DH since it's our last day of vacation and all I could do was sleep.

Oh well. =) Thinking positive. Going back to work means getting out of the house and seeing co-workers again.

Many Blessings!
-Kittee

Resolutions...

2009-01-01T19:23:00.001-05:00

2009

Most people make them and hardly anyone keeps them...

But this year there are a few I want to keep.

1. Get religion. I want to be closer to God and learn and grow through a more spiritual life.

2. Be a nicer person. To smile every day and not let my temper get away with me.

3. No more cursing. I really want to cut out curse words. They are not lady like and they do not make me "cooler" or "tougher."

4. Lose 30 lbs. Yes the obligatory weight loss resolution. But this is for my health. My BMI is in the upper 30's. I need to drop that down. I weight 200lbs atm. So I need to drop my caloric intake to 1500 to lose some weight. (2000 calories maintains 200lbs.)

5. Exercise. Not just for weight loss but for my health again. I need to get a little more fit. I plan to do this by walking. Even though my current neighborhood is a little shady and dangerous. Maybe I should use the Gym tread mill, though I love connecting with nature. Ok maybe I should just get a can of mace.

6. Improve my marriage. It's pretty amazing right now but I could be a better wife. I need to be more supportive and...ahem, I need to "spice" it up!

7. Buy a home. This is a big one. Both Dh and myself want this but with the economy the way it is...we are kinda scared. I mean, seriously, we could lose our jobs any moment. Tough tough to make a big decision like that. But anyways, it's a goal.

I *think* that is it. =) 7 goals for 2009.

Birthday came and went...

2008-12-31T14:35:00.002-05:00

And I had a wonderful time. =)

I got myself a new puzzle to put together with DH. Then we went to Melting Pot! We had LOVELY evening, I'm telling you! I did discover that Cheese is not my friend lol. So Dairy is most definitely off my list of edibles anymore.

Today I also broke down and bought myself a formal dress for the party next month. I'm still going to sew the other one but -just in case- I have this back up plan. =) It's a lovely red little number.

Also Michaels was having a huge sale so I picked up some more Alpaca yarn for my shawl I am making. I started on that earlier today and I have 1 row of triple crochet so far. This wool is SO soft. It's like working with butter in my hands. I'll post some pics as soon as I make a bit more progress. It's going to be offwhite with some blue.

Many Blessings Y'all!

-Kittee

Early Birthday Gift!

2008-12-29T14:18:00.003-05:00

Hubby surprised me today with this! My early birthday gift! It's blue topaz my birthstone. It's soo sparkly! I am so very happy! Of course tomorrow is my actual birthday so I think he's taking me either to the Melting Pot or Ruth and Chris's Steak House. =) Not sure which yet, I enjoy both of them so doesn't matter.

Most importantly I'm happy he's back home. So nice to be able to talk to someone and cook for someone again lol.

Many Blessings!
-Kittee

Welcome Home!

2008-12-28T18:08:00.002-05:00

Well after a week of being separated...my husband is back home! Every year we do things a little backwards than the rest of the world. We split off to go visit each others folks instead of spending it all together. Now I know that sounds silly but it works for us. The in-law situation...as it is...isn't ideal. So we do what we can to keep the peace. So once a year I have to live without my husband. I'm lucky actually. I think of the women out there with husbands in the military and my heart cries for them. I couldn't imagine that sorrow.

So that being said- Welcome Home Hunny!

Tomorrow we plan on doing a little after Christmas shopping, we both have a full week off of work together. Who knows what we will do with the rest of the time. The weather is very nice right now so perhaps we can do a hiking trip or something outdoorsy!

It's hard to drag him out of the house. He loves computers and indoor actives too much!

Anyways...

Many Blessings to you all!

-Kittee

Does anyone else do this? And 3am ? What the heck?

2008-12-27T16:09:00.003-05:00

Please tell me someone else out there in blogland does this as well? I always take regular o'mac and cheese and "dress" it up. LOL

A letter to the "gentleman" who tore through my apartment building parking lot at 2:43 am last night who repeatedly laid on his horn, honking, honking, honking while driving around and round in circles for over 5 mins...

Please, I pray that your car won't start the next time you decide to get drunk and do a stunt like this. I pray that in the future you exercise some sense and foresight and not only inconvenience me and all the other neighbors here by waking us out of a dead sleep at nearly 3am but you also do not in the future endanger lives with your drunken escapades.

You should know "good" sir, that if I had thought for a second that the police would get here in time to catch you in your act of stupidity, I surely would have called them. I hope you learn to respect others before something horrible happens to yourself or innocent people.

Sincerely,

One very upset woman who lost a good 2 hours sleep last night due to your "fun."

---

Now I'm not a mother yet but this is a good time as any to remind folks about MADD.

There are a few things I am very passionate about in life, and drunk driving is one of them. Why the government bans Marijuana and not Alcohol is BEYOND me. But anyways, that is a whole nother blog debate. :)

Sew What? =)

2008-12-26T18:02:00.005-05:00

Worked on two skirts today! Allow me to apologize for my big belly. =) One of the problems with my health is my weight but I am working on it.

The first skirt is a pants conversion. I want to get away from wearing so many pants and wearing more skirts so it was only natural to convert an old pair of jeans into a new skirt!And the second skirt is made out of fleece! I found out the hardway however that it's synthetic fleece! LOL I had made a cargo style pocket to attach to the skirt. I had hand basted it and I was in the process of ironing it before I machine stitched it when the entire pocket melted to the iron! Oops! So no pocket for this skirt. I like it without anyways, the pocket would have made it too bulky perhaps.

And that was it for today so far. I was going to start on my formal gown but I started to not feel so well (grr Crohns) so I am taking a break. Hopefully I will feel better later and I will be able to at least get the dress pattern out to make sense of it all for tomorrow.

God Bless you all.

-Kittee

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2008-12-25T20:18:00.008-05:00

I pray today was well spent with family or friends are at least with family and friends close at heart.

God bless you all.

Now what did I do today?
Why I continued cleaning of course! LOL

Today I tackled the office/art room. I did not get it looking as clutter free as I would have liked but I have too many art supplies and not enough space. Until I can figure that out, this is as best I can do. I hope that when my hubby gets back, we can perhaps pick out a new desk set so we can free up some space and make things even neater. As it stands at least, I got everything neatly put in it's own little container.

So when it was all said and done:

Tomorrow will be spent sewing. Enough cleaning for a few days. I still have a couple days to finish before hubby is back so tomorrow is just for sewing and crocheting! I plan on working on my formal dress and a couple skirts.

Speaking of crocheting!
Thanks to Youtube I have now learned how to double crochet! These socks WILL get done!
If I don't run out of yarn! I had no idea it took so much yarn for a pair of socks!

The cleaning and the screening!

2008-12-24T16:42:00.004-05:00

Flylady would be so proud. I'm not sure if any of you are followers of her methods but they really do work. I've been taking baby steps though, by starting with just keeping my kitchen sink always clean and polished. Today I took the plunge and redid my living/dining room area. Simple for some I am sure but keeping a neat and tidy house for me is a challenge. Usually I am just too tired after work to keep up with it, which leaves me only the weekends to do major cleaning, and if the husband wants to go out on those two days...the house gets forgotton!

It doesn't help that we also live in a small apartment. Space is premium here and sometimes I feel like I'm being crowded out by our things. It's going to be a new years resolution for me to declutter and downsize our material items.

So that being said here are before and after pictures of my challenge today.

As you can see my sewing supplies were laying out everywhere and we still had boxes cluttered in that corner since moving into this place over a year ago.

And here it is now! Tada! There is the new screen I bought yesterday and all my sewing supplies are neatly packed in their new storage containers! I even cleaned off that bookshelf to the right of the screen and organized it. It doesn't seem like I did too much but let me tell you, there was A-LOT of junk and old papers I shredded and threw out. 4 garbage bags worth! Can you believe that?

Now sometime tomorrow I am going to start in on our office which is just as bad if not WORSE that that corner was. I know its going to be a all day project maybe even carry over into 2 days. Then lastly before my holiday is over, I am going to tackle my closet and get rid of all those extra clothes that are in there taking up valueable space. I am not wearing half of them and they would do someone else a whole lotta good. So I am going to happily donate it all to the local thrift shop. I am not going to lie though, it will be difficult for me to give away perfectly good clothing. Growing up poor I was taught to value everything I had so its hard to part with stuff sometimes. But I really want to downsize and get organized so it's just something I have to do.

Plus if, Lord Willing, we are able to get a house next year sometime, it will be so much easier to pack and move stuff if we've already downsized and gotten rid of stuff we do not need.

Anyways, I know this is a very odd way to spend Christmas Eve but being alone kinda makes me go cleaning crazy. 8) I hope everyone out there is enjoying their holidays!

Many Blessings!
-Kittee

Alpacas and random thoughts...

2008-12-23T19:25:00.005-05:00

I want to have Alpaca's some day. I've joked with my husband before that once we are able to buy a home, it must have a little land, so that I can have some Alpaca's and a horse or two. He thinks I'm joking. I am serious! When I was a little girl growing up, my family had a very large farm with horses, sheep, cows, chickens, ducks...you get the picture. It's now been nearly 20 years since I've experienced that life style and the older I get, the more I realize how badly I miss it.

Speaking of Alpacas. I bought some Alpaca yarn today. It is so luxuriously soft and wonderful. I cannot wait to start crocheting something with it. I'm hoping to make myself a nice tall soft pair of stocking/socks. I bought two lovely colors, I figured I can stripe or do some type of pattern with it. I still have to finish up my hubbys socks I started working on a couple nights ago though. I want to have them finished by the end of the week.

Lately I am feeling the "call" and boy is it strong. I do not know what direction God is trying to lead me these days but I feel his voice speaking to me now more than ever. I've always considered myself very spiritual and faithful but I just don't know where I stand. I was baptized when I was a teenager in a Baptist church but to be honest, the Baptist church has never felt like home to me. I've been doing some studying from Judaism all the way to Islam and I still feel lost. I consider myself a Christian, I just don't know what kind of Christian. I hope this makes sense. I want to start attending a church in my area, but I don't know which one to try. I feel like I need to get out in the community and make some friends and contribute my time and energy but ...back again ...to I just don't know where to start. To make matters more complicated, my husband is rather "religion leery." So I'm afraid to appear too much like a zealot to him. It's a difficult situation.

I am a conservative liberal? Is there such a thing? In my ideal life, I am a housewife and mother running my home like clockwork. I would wake up each day, get the kids a hot breakfast, get the hubby to work, clean, do some home schooling and crafts, do some crocheting perhaps read a book etc... in my real life I work 9-5 and I feel stressed out all the time to make sure the house is "passing" tidy. Sometimes I want to go back in time and slap that first woman who screamed "WOMEN SHOULD BE ABLE TO WORK TOO!" Now it's almost that we HAVE to work. It's very difficult to live with one income these days unless your husbands are fortunate enough to have amazing jobs that pay well and with the economy these days, those are few and far between.

My mother always encouraged me to grow up, get educated, be strong and get a fantastic job. Never let a man out do you! But secretly all I wanted in my heart was to be married, have children and stay at home. I am a pretty good artist, I could make a little pocket money if I stayed at home. But right now that just isn't an option for me. Hopefully someday it will be. (soon!)

As far as the conservative liberal part... Is it possible to believe that I should wear skirts and dresses, act a lady, be feminine and have conservative values for myself but believe it is ok for others to believe and act in the way they see fit?

Many Blessings,

-Kittee

Have I lost my mind?

2008-12-21T14:19:00.003-05:00

I am asking myself this because I am going to attempt to sew myself a semi-formal evening gown for a holiday office party that is in Jan. Now I love sewing and I consider the little Walmart special sewing machine I picked up last year to be a great purchase in my life but I might have bitten off a bit more than I can chew this time ladies. As you can see in the above photo I am going to try the long red dress on the bottom right of this McCalls pattern. After spending a good hour in JoAnns trying to select a semi-formal dress pattern, I became dismayed because there simply wasn't a modest dress option that I was sastisfied with. 90% of the patterns were sleeveless or had deep plunging neck lines or fell above the knee on the hem. I am not a skinny girl by far either so I really wanted floor lenght, at least 3/4 sleeves which I simply could not find. So I took a look at the regular dress patterns and then I found this one.
I figured that with the right rich fabric choices, I could create a formal dress with this pattern.

Sitting beside me and older lady was watching me sigh and toss and turn the pages and she asked me what my dress would be for and she agreed with me that if I got some type of velvet or satin this dress would be gorgeous. So pattern in hand, I headed off to the fabric section...husband in tow. LOL (Bless his heart he was with me today trying to help me figure this out. He kept saying "Whatever you like hon, it will be pretty etc." LOL)

To be honest, I was scared of the satin. It's not a forgiving fabric and so I headed to the velvet section. Real velvet seemed too heavy for this dress and did not have any give to it and this pattern said I should go with something with some give so I found the crushed variety. They had a handful of colors, blues, bright red, creme...standard blacks but this deep red stood out to me. I hope it's not too "cheesy or trashy" looking! Then for the "cammy" to go under I decided to do a "fake" one and sew in a little cover piece in the shiny gold fabric. To accent the waste line, I figured a fancy button or some bead work would be nice when my husband showed me the flower button. So I had to chose that. :) He picked it out so that makes it special to me. It matches as well, so it will work as a little embelishment piece to help dress this pattern up.

What do you folks think? Will this dress be "formal" enough for a semi-formal affair? I hope so. I really didn't want to "buy" something already made and it would have been hard to find one anyways so I figured why not make it. I have 2 weeks off for Christmas, I need something to do with my time!

God Bless,

-Kittee

Beautiful Day...

2008-12-20T21:48:00.003-05:00

Today was wonderful. Woke up slowly to the sounds of birds chirping and a cool breeze coming in our bedroom window. Rolled over and remained safely in my hubbys arms for a good hour. Got up went and did some much needed grocery shopping and then had a wonderful lunch on the sofa together.

We stayed cuddled up all day, watching tv and reading books and then I cooked a fantastic dinner (If I do say so myself!) It was mushroom rice and chicken casserole. I was going to take a picture but I'm afraid growling hungry stomachs got the best of us and before I knew it, it was in our bellies and no longer available for photos! Oops! :)

Then we watched another movie and spent some much needed "special" time together. (teehee)

Today was a great day. I haven't felt this way in years. =)

Hope everyone else out there is also enjoying this special holiday season with friends and family. If you do find yourself alone right now though, take heart and remember the memories of the past and know that you know who is always by your side. :)

Many blessings!
-Kittee

Tree's and gifts...

2008-12-19T17:50:00.003-05:00

Thought I would start off by sharing a photo of our Christmas tree this year. I'm afraid it's not a grand display as some of you folks might have in your homes, but I've grown to love our darling little blue tree. Being that my husband and myself live in an apartment still and we lack children, we don't have much room or reason to have a giant tree yet.

Today at work was interesting in that I did not do any "work" lol. A co-worker friend of mine and myself went around town finishing up some last minute shopping for the company Christmas party, had some lunch and then spent the entire afternoon, 4 hours of it, wrapping gifts. Over 40 gifts we wrapped and I made handmade bows for each and every single one. I had so much fun with all the ribbons. I went ribbon crazy! (I had to cover up the bad wrap jobs some how LOL!) I am terrible at gift wrapping. Plus we accidently bought the wrong tape. We bought "magic" scotch tape but there really wasn't anything magic about it as it did not dissappear and left ugly tape marks all over the paper. Hence some creative ribbon positioning haha. Too bad I did not have my camera there to take a few pics of all the pretty bows!

Other than that, I'm surely glad the weekend is here. I am still a bit tired from being in the hospital earlier this week. I wish I could say tomorrow would be restful but unfortunately I have to go grocery shopping. Our fridge is empty and my cuppboards are bare. I'm looking foward to some fresh veggies though, so I'll keep thinking positive happy thoughts and try to forget about how crazily crowded the store will surely be tomorrow.

Hope everyone is well!

-Kittee

Rain and fog...

2008-12-18T21:32:00.003-05:00

Today nature brought out the fog and gentle misty rain from the heavens. I returned to work after being out for 3 days due to my Crohns. The office was very quiet as most folks have already started their holidays. My husband and myself will not start until next Tuesday. We may choose to take off this coming Monday as well but we haven't decided yet. We have some vacation time but we could save it and have it carry over into next year. As it stands we still get about 2.5 weeks off due to regular company vacation days.

I can't wait! There is much sewing to be done.

Yesterday I made the cutest blue jean skirt out of a old pair of pants. I will post pictures tomorrow or Saturday after I get a chance to hem it up a bit. It's a tad bit long at the moment and would most certainly cause me trip if I wear it.

Today we managed to make it down to the mall for some last minute shopping. My hubby ran off all secretive like and went to pick up my gifts. It was so cute to see him sneak about and then after we got home he ran into the bed room and shut the door to wrap the gifts up and put them under the tree before I got a chance to sneak a peek.

While we were at the mall and I was forced to go off on my own, I was able to find the most amazing cute pair of leather and fleece booties to wear under my long winter skirts. I was thrilled to find them for such a bargain price. (30 dollars, regular 80!) I'd been holding off on buying a pair of boots just because of the high prices. I'm glad my patience preserveered. I'll have to snap a quick picture of those too with the skirt!

Now normally I'm not a consumerist. Infact, I hesitated on buying the boots, but I did need something to wear with the skirts that would be reasonably warm. Flats or flops just won't work this time of year very well. I'm trying to downsize and reduce, not add, so as soon as the weather gets a bit better, I plan on donating alot of my old shoes and clothing to the local thrift store.

Anyways- that was my most facisnating day. :)

Ok I admit it...it's been 6 months since I last posted...

2008-12-17T22:07:00.002-05:00

What can I say? Life got in the way of blogging. Other things took a higher priority and I simply let my blog slide by the wayside.

I hope this time I can be a bit more "religious" about my posting habits.

Christmas is fast approaching, I hope everyone is enjoying a wonderful holidays season!
I cannot wait to catch up on everyone's blogs.

Unfortunately upon resetting my blog template I lost all the links that I had to other folks blogs, so forgive me, I will be re-adding folks over time.

More to come later...

Please enjoy the photo of the crisp winter evening I took a couple nights ago. I so love the beautiful canvas God paints every night for us.

-Kittee

The End of Cheap Oil and The Rise of the Scythe

2008-07-06T22:21:00.001-04:00

Thought I would share this today as I found it quite refreshing to see the "old ways" still in good practice. Hope everyone is doing well.

Being a little "Cerious"

2008-06-25T14:25:00.003-04:00

Just sharing a couple new pic's that I took of Cerious just now!

Can anyone tell me what those mystery extra pads are called on her rear legs? She has an extra pad like a dew claw pad but no claw on her back legs!

Cleaning!

2008-06-24T09:33:00.002-04:00

Only I would spend my only day off this week scrubbing my bathroom tiles and grout trying to get out the nasty orange mold that has crept up and taken hold!

Only I would spend this one day catching up on a pile of clothes that need ironing!

Oh how I long to finish my chores so that I can sit down and enjoy the new book I picked up!

Great news!!

2008-06-19T16:56:00.003-04:00

Thank the lord! The insurance company has finally come through and they are going to cover my expenses 100%!

July 1st I will receive my first Remicade infusion and I am praying that it will alleviate some of the torment I am currently living through. I am a little nervous about the procedure as it is very much like chemotherapy in that they hook you up to a machine and infuse you with the medication over a period of 3 hours. Since I've never had this medication before I am concerned about side effects.

I'll keep you folks updated on how that goes!

In other news, I'm settling into my role as a manager now at work. It's a lot different than I expected, a ton more paper work but I am enjoying it so far. I still wish I was working from home more so though!

Unexpected...

2008-06-14T17:15:00.002-04:00

Sorry I've been rather quiet lately! I got promoted at work...

I did not expect it and I couldn't turn it down either because of the pay increase. It's fun though and I hope I can fill the role well. It figures however the more I try to pull myself away and become a full time house wife, the more work pulls me in.

Visit my other blog!

2008-06-09T15:34:00.004-04:00

Please visit "Portraits by Kittee!"
This will be my new blog area to post all my new portraits I am creating for you fine folks out there. There you can view my new paintings as well as place an order for your own!

Many blessings!

-Kittee

New Portrait Complete!

2008-06-09T11:34:00.004-04:00

Hope everyone enjoys! A lovely lady Corgi portrait. "Wyllow"

"Cerious" has arrived!

2008-06-08T21:05:00.002-04:00

"Cerious Girl" has arrived! My hubby and I picked her out ...no...she picked us out today at a local animal rescue. More info to come tomorrow! I'm too busy spending time with her to post much!

Another Portrait...

2008-06-06T19:06:00.003-04:00

And of course you folks should know that I would have to paint my beloved kitties right? Here is the first one. Sir Widget! Side by side comparison included to show the original photograph that I based the painting off of.

Pet Portraits...

2008-06-05T21:42:00.005-04:00

I need to start painting again and what better way than to paint some lovely pet portraits. I've started out tonight with the lovely little fellow on the left there. He is a Papillon dog. They are a fascinating breed, named after their ears which are butterfly like. My apologies for the watermark. I've had so many of my paintings used without my permission I've decided to go ahead and take this step to protect myself. If your interested in ordering a portrait of your pet, I can show you examples that are watermark free. I'd love to paint your pooch or kitty. (Or any pet really!) Just ask me!

In other news, I still haven't heard from the insurance companies. Looks like I am going to have to call them next week. Work is still "work" and our AC is pretty much out at the office so it's been sweltering in there with this unseasonable heat wave we are having currently.

Good news is that at least for today my Crohns was behaving! I think it must be the Vanilla frostys from Wendys keeping it tame. (LOL!)

Anyways folks, I hope you all enjoy your Friday tomorrow!

Many Blessings,
-Kittee

We decided... a cat it shall be.

2008-06-03T21:27:00.003-04:00

Sunday we have an appointment with a local no-kill cat rescue to take a look at what they have there. Adoption councilors will help us decide what kittys if any would work out for us. I swear I'm nervous as anything lol!

In other news my Crohns is really bad today. It's been acting up the past few days or so but today it really reminded me that it's still in there lurking...

Meanwhile my insurance company never sent that letter, so I had to phone them and finally get them to fax the sheet over to my current insurance company. I am hopeful that this will be settled soon and I can start the Remicade treatments. As much as I wish my Crohns would just "go away" I don't see it happening with just Prednisone alone.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Many blessings,
Kittee

In search of a new furbaby to take in to our home...:)

2008-06-01T21:19:00.002-04:00

So after much debate my husband and my self have decided to open our doors to a new baby in our lives...a furbaby of course! So I've had my heart set on a Ragdoll or a Scottish Fold kitten for years now so I emailed a few breeders to get an idea of what a pet quality kitten runs these days.

Well I've gotten quite the sticker shock! Oh my goodness!

I am not sure what to do at this point but concede that perhaps I should listen to my inner voice and adopt a loving kitten from a animal rescue. Pixel came to us that way and she's been a pure joy, I'm sure you folks know as I often post about her.

I know there is no way I can afford the prices I've been quoted so far for one of those pure breeds!

Another thought going through my mind is ...maybe I should branch out and get a dog this time? I have taken to morning walks and stuff and it would be very nice to have a partner to go with me. But then again my husband an myself work all day long and that means the poor bugger would be at home alone for 8 hours a day with only a 1 hour break during lunch for me to visit and let him out. Cats are just so much more independent.

So I'm just not sure. I know if I adopt a dog, he will have to be older and house broken already. I cannot potty train and work a full time job.

Any thought?

All's quiet....

2008-05-31T21:44:00.002-04:00

I must have scared you folks away with my post yesterday! Anyways today went fairly well. Still grinding the 9-5 and wish I had tomorrow off but alas I am supposed to be there again. I am in the midst of a Crohns flare though so I might have to call in. Hate to do that but I may have to.

Tonight I start a new book..."A Gift From Brittany." I am looking forward to it.

Ya'll be good!

Many Blessings!

-Kittee

Not perfect...

2008-05-30T20:22:00.002-04:00

I am going to let you all in on a little secret...

I am not perfect! Of course you already knew that because no one is perfect however I bet what you did not know is that I have a very bad dirty habit that I need to break.

I curse.

Like a sailor. Not very lady like right?

I work with men at my 9-5. Well mostly men and these guys are not gentlemen. They fling curse words as eloquently and smoothly as afternoon poetry reading sessions in the park. While this is no excuse, I've certainly picked up and slipped up into the ugly habit of cursing right along with them.

This needs to change. It's ugly and immature of a woman my age. It is hard though. I say to myself every morning that I will not curse that day but in evidently I've slipped up again by lunchtime. I am trying harder though.

So if anyone has any tips for me to help me break this nasty habit, please do share!

Many blessings,

Kittee

A reward...

2008-05-27T20:57:00.002-04:00

Ok enough was enough. I took my full two days off work. No regrets. I know they wanted me to come in for yet more overtime and were even guilting me to do so but to heck with it. My sanity is worth more to me than the money.

Alright so I cheated and worked 2 hours from home this morning. I figured I would at least "try" to put in some effort but after the two hours were up I just couldn't stand to do it anymore. Even though I know our company is going through a huge product push and they need everyone 100% on staff, I just can't see why I'm doing so much work for so little reward besides the OT pay. But anyways, that is a story for another time. No more shop talk today.

So work forgotten my hubby and myself enjoyed a nice day of loafing about. We went out and enjoyed some wonderful Pho soup and I had myself some tastey boba tea. Thai variety.

Then we headed off to the public library where I picked up a couple new books to read before bed and those would be:
A Gift from Brittany - Marjorie Price, A memoir of love and loss in the French countryside.
Achieving Moral Health- Charles M.Shelton Ph.D.
Sink Reflections- Marla Cilley (Flylady)
and lastly
Arthur Schwartz's Jewesh Home Cooking (No I am not Jewish but I want expand my cook book.)

Then I cooked a most excellent dinner that would have made my late grandmother proud, beef tips, mushrooms with a nice dark gravy, yellow rice and Italian green beans. Totally delicious!

And after two loads of laundry, some light sink polishing, a throughly cleaned bathroom all that's left to do is enjoy the evening. I hope everyone else does the same!

God Bless!

-Kittee

Still alive...still working hard.

2008-05-24T20:49:00.003-04:00

Hello folks, I hope you are all doing well, my apologies for not keeping up with my blog as often as I should. I would love to update it daily but with my current situation with my job I am in a rather mentally fatigued place right now which leaves me little energy for most tasks even those I love.

Work is going to be chaotic for a good month or so more so I just have to grin and bear it for now. I let the last week slip away from me though and I felt myself sinking back into my old "lazy" ways. Glad I caught myself before I totally went under and made myself realize that even though I am worn out from work I still need to prioritize time for myself and what's really important in my life.

My family, my own mental and physical well being and my house. Thankfully I have not let the house work slip other than one night of a few dishes left in the sink which I promptly cleaned in the morning. That was enough of a guild trip to keep me on the ball with the housework. Now what has been slipping is my health and my sanity. The Prednisone is taking a toll and I've put on 10 lbs that I've lost. This is so heart breaking because I do not want to gain weight but the steroid is making me so ravenously hungry! Top it off the long hours at work and the company feeding us pizza, subs, cakes and donuts...coupled with a healthy appetite well you can see where this is going...straight to my hips! I need to drink more water and most certainly less caffeine. I have gotten back into the habit of drinking coffee in the AM again. VERY bad Kittee very bad! So starting tomorrow I need to get back into my healthy diet again. Not for the weight but for my healths sake for certain.

So all that being said, I did make some time for myself last night and today and I was able to catch up on some reading and just let me say that as always some of my best reading can be found here at Domestic Felicity. This young woman is a real inspiration. I only wish I was as insightful as she is at her age. If you have a chance, please check our blog.

God Bless-
-Kittee

Hard at work...much OT being made.

2008-05-20T15:30:00.003-04:00

As you can see I am hard at work lately. I still have not heard back from the insurance companies yet but I'm waiting for that form to arrive to fax.

Yesterday the hubby and I were able to sneak a few hours away from work and have a nice lunch and buy some groceries after. As tired as I was, I was in a baking mood so I baked us a wonderful home made from scratch "Cheddar Bread." Ok well from scratch really means, a prepackaged box of bread mix, that I kneaded, let rise twice and added cheddar. It tasted heavenly!

Then for desert I cooked us some nummy cookies! All in all a enjoyable day. However waking up at 2am to go into work from 3am to 3pm was not so much fun.

Many blessings to all!

-Kittee

An update...

2008-05-16T18:05:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone, firstly let me thank you all for the prayers and warm wishes I received. I am doing better now, its just that my 9-5 kicked into hyper drive this week and now the insurance company is giving me trouble about covering a very important treatment for my disease. Let's just say I've been burning my candle at both ends especially these last two days where I had to volunteer for extra hours at work due to our situation there. This weekend has little hope for rest but hopefully I will get some days to rest soon.

There is some bright light on the work horizon though the above being said because there may be a chance, albeit a small one that I may get to work from home for the next 3-6 months. That would be fantastic for me! So I hope you folks will remember me in your prayers for this. It would be such a blessing because of my disease. I could work through my treatments during this time and hopefully put it into remission before having to return back to my "desk" at the office. I could stay more relaxed and focused on getting well at home. I so hope this chance goes through!

Now more about the insurance company...

I am trying to keep my calm and my patience but it's really hard to do when they basically hold your life or your quality of life in their hands. What I need is a series of Remicade treatments that are at first I believe 3 of them in a 8 week period then 1 treatment ever 6-8 weeks there after for maintenance. The problem is that these treatments cost 20 thousand dollars each! Until I have these treatments which would hopefully put me in remission, I am taking Prednisone which unfortunately has some rather serious side effects and can cause really horrible long term side effects and the risks go up the longer you use it. I've only been on it so far for 2 months now which is not very long but I have to remain on it until I've had 2 treatments of Remicade.

So that is the back story and where I a now, here is what the insurance company is attempting to do to me...

I had an appointment last Monday to speak with a financial planner about the treatments, they set up the insurance stuff, your co-pay stuff etc for you and help you get ready to start treatment. The councilor was unable to help me because the insurance company wants me to file a paper proving insurance over the past 63 days. Which I found odd, since I've been their insure-e since Nov 07. Apparently they are trying to claim that my Crohns disease which wasn't diagnosed until last month was preexisting! So why I had to do this next part, I will never know but I had to go back 5 years and provide insurance records for those years, proving that I had no gaps in coverage or they can deny my claim. Sadly I did have a few gaps because I did not have insurance while attending college a few years ago. So I really have no idea now what they are going to do. My insurance company from 2.5 years ago agreed to send me a letter of coverage but they wouldn't fax it to my current insurance company even though I requested it and my current company needs it asap so they can determine if they are going to cover me or not right now for these treatments. Now I must wait on this letter coming via snail mail, she said 7 to 10 days...before I can personally fax it to my current insurance.

None of these folks seem to realize that the longer they take to sort this out, the sicker I can become and the worse my side effects grow. Currently I am pretty lucky, I only have bad acne (I feel 15 again) and I am developing "moon face," but these side effects could grow worse!
I am also retaining a lot of water today and my fingers are all swollen. And thats just from the drug that is keeping me from being grievously ill with the Crohns. I haven't even discussed those symptoms and problems!

Anyways I have three options available to me right now.

1. Pay Cash.
2. Wait for insurance, and hope the cover it.
3. Quit my job and let welfare cover it.

Obviously I cannot do 1 or 3. If all else fails the insurance company legally has to cover it in Aug by then any preexisting clause falls away and they can no longer deny it. (Or so they say.) And yes Aug. is only a couple months away but that is a very long time to wait when your sick and taking dangerous "bridge" drugs to keep you alive and well enough before you can get the real treatment.

This whole situation just leaves me wondering...what is wrong with our medical coverage here in this country?

Anyways, thank you for allow me to vent. I promise to try to make my next post more enjoyable and positive to read.

God bless,

-Kittee

A little blue...

2008-05-13T22:56:00.001-04:00

Hi folks, just a quick update. Medical issues have reared their ugly head again and I'm feeling a bit under the weather. My apologies for not updating the blog properly. Hopefully I'll be able to return in force tomorrow!

Many Blessings!

-Kittee

Small update for a quiet Sunday...

2008-05-11T23:50:00.003-04:00

Nothing too exciting to report today. Was a nice and quiet Sunday in which I finished up on my first cloth grocery bag, played a little internet games, cooked some yummy chicken spaghetti and had dinner with the hubby after he got home from work.

Tomorrow is rather busy though with a trip to the doctors office planned, office max and then some financial check ups in the afternoon. Getting ready to buy a house means cleaning out any possible skeletons in your financial closet!

Lastly I heard a really great song today, you can hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjsD2hO__0E It is "Martina McBride - Blessed."

So here's hoping everyone had a blessed day!

-Kittee

Inspired by Tracy...

2008-05-10T14:09:00.003-04:00

Just a simple update to share a simple hairstyle that I love to wear. It is called a "Figure-8" and it is held securely by a simple wooden hair comb.

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday as much as I am everyone! The air is just cool enough to have the windows open and there is a lovely breeze coming through the windows making the house smell so fresh and nice!

I baked a batch of cookies to share with my friend who is coming over in a few moments and brewed a fresh pitcher of sweet tea. Tis a good day my friends. A good day indeed!

Delicious Friday is here!

2008-05-09T23:20:00.005-04:00

Friday is finally here and I get to look forward to a wonderful 4 day weekend ahead of me without the interference of the 9-5!

Pixel Puss to the left here is ready to celebrate! My poor hubby though is stuck working all weekend. Bless his heart. I feel sad that we don't get time to spend with each other until he gets off work.

Tomorrow I have a very exciting day planned...I'm doing nothing! Just kidding, I am going to catch up on some sewing and a friend is dropping by in the afternoon to visit. Hmm I need to figure out what to cook for dinner.

Tonight was my pizza recipe, wanted to use up that last pizza crust before it got freezer burned. It was delicious as always and for a summer time treat I made white chocolate covered fresh strawberries and little chocolate candies for desert. Hubby was in love.

Confessions of a clean-o-holic...

2008-05-08T21:37:00.005-04:00

Tracy left me a comment yesterday which made me smile with pride.

"You seem to get through ever so much in your day. I feel exhausted just reading about it all! I admire your ability to care for your home and work full time as well."

So I thought I would share some of my tips to help all of you other folks out there stuck in 9-5 land.

Kittee's tips for keeping a tidy, loving home while working full time.

1. Do it now, not later. My usual routine is to start cleaning immediately after I get home from work in the evenings. I never sit down and "rest" for a few moments because if I do, then I will be lazy and getting back up is very hard once your comfortable. (This only takes 15 to a 45 mins tops!)

2. Make the bed! Just the simple act of making your bed each morning not only helps you create a cleaning routine but also sets a nice tidy tone for the day.

3. Polish your sinks! That's right. Do not let a single dish stack up in there. Keep it empty and clean. I know it sounds silly but it really works! If your sink is clean, your kitchen is clean. If your kitchen is clean, your house feels clean.

4. Vacuum every other day. Just do it. Everyone loves those carpet marks your vacuum leaves and the soft fluffy carpet squishing between your toes.

5. Dust, a-choo! I use polish on all my wood tables once every other day and run a swiffer over my electronics and shelves.

6. Do your laundry every time you get a load. Don't let it pile up!

If you do just a little bit every day to keep your house tidy, you won't have those days where everything is piled up in monstrous fashion waiting to drain you of what little energy and fun you have left in you on your weekends. I admit I used to be a procrastinator when it came to house work. I would let it pile up so badly until some days I had 7 or 8 loads of laundry to do!

Talk about exhausting!

So I hope these tips help someone out there. I know they are elementary to some but just by following something simple like this, you can develop a nice routine and your house will stay spotless all the time! Which means you have a lot more time to spend doing much more productive fun things rather than cleaning!

God Bless!

-Kittee

Words to remember...

2008-05-07T23:01:00.004-04:00

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Thoughts on Writing...

2008-05-06T22:48:00.003-04:00

A good book, brings wonders to life through dreams and imagination. Do you remember being small and filled with wonder while reading? I do. I would spend countless hours during my youth curled up under a shady pine tree, snug under my blanket or daydreaming lost in musty smelling pages at the back of a class room reading line after line of endless adventure.

Now I ask myself, is it possible that I bring a little of this adventure to others as it was brought to me? I hope so! I dream so!

When I stopped by the library yesterday I picked up a couple of books on creative writing. It is my hope that these books will spark the old flame that was once so brilliant inside myself. I was an avid writer in my teenage years, stories and poems, I knew no bounds. Where ever I was, I had a notebook and a pen with me, so that at anytime I could write something down. Words flowed out of me like water, as easy as breathing. I do not know why I let "life" get in the way of my passion but it did. I'm sure that happens to the best of us from time to time. We get so wrapped up in the fuss of the day that little things slide by unnoticed, unkempt and forgotten. Left in the back corners of our minds gather dust until one day, when we are ready, we find them, dust them off and give them new found appreciation.

So now I am daunted with the task of figuring out what I want to write about. Shall I write a children's book and illustrate it? Should I write a high fantasy book? Should I write a biography or a book on modesty? For now I just do not know but I am content in the fact that I know I am preparing myself to write...something.

Many Blessings,

-Kittee

Beautiful Morning

2008-05-05T07:08:00.004-04:00

Good morning everyone! Tis a glorious day to be alive isn't it? Many blessing upon you!

Well after a long work week at the 9-5, they have graced me with today off to relax. This morning I need to drive my hubby to work, go by the public library to return some books, mail some packages, (I sold some stuff from my shop!) and then I get to spend some time with a new friend this afternoon at her house sorting out some Breyer Horses. I am honored she invited me over and I am thrilled to finally be making some friends up here in NC.

I wish I had tomorrow off as well as there are many sewing projects that I would like to work on, but sadly I am stuck working the next 6 days in a row! Very stressful times right now on the work front. They have me working every single weekend for the next two months which means I will not be able to goto the flea market and sell my goods until fall. I guess this is ok however since I need to gather up some "stock" and the weather will be cooler then.

Anywhos! I promised you some recipie goodness so here it is!

Kittee's Thrifty "Leftover" Pizza

1 Ready to cook pizza crust
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
2 small stalks celery chopped or cut thin slices (rounds)
1/4 cup of frozen peas
2 left over turkey breakfast sausages
1 left over chicken breast
1 slice left over meat loaf
1 Cup shreded cheese of choice
1 small can mushrooms drained and dried

Season to taste. Now for me this means...
Sprinkled Garlic Powder
Sprinkled Sea Salt
Chesapeake bay Seasoning
Mrs Dash.

Place ready to cook pizza dough on your baking sheet, lightly oil crust with olive oil. Open the spaghetti jar and spoon out enough to cover the base of your crust. I like mine a little light on sauce but you could always put as much as you want. Tomorrow you will use the rest of the sauce in spaghetti. (Thats why I use spaghetti sauce instead of those pre-packaged pizza sauces, no waste!) Now add a thin layer of cheese, some mushrooms, celery and your meats. Add another layer of cheese and sprinkle your frozen peas on top. Finally add rest of cheese. Pop in the oven at 400 degree's for 20 ish minutes or until done and golden brown on top. I love my cheese browned so I leave mine in a little longer.

I hope you enjoy this recipie! It tastes amazing and you've used leftovers!

Many blessings!
-Kittee

Busy Bee!

2008-05-02T22:30:00.002-04:00

Talk about busy! I got so much accomplished today! I am so happy I did not have to do my 9-5 and that I was able to get in some much needed sewing time. A list of my accomplishments today would be:

1. I finished my mom's tunic.
2. Finished all the baggies for the hair sticks.
3. Mopped all the floors.
4. Laundry.
5. Took photographs of all my Cloth Pads and Hair sticks for Etsy.
6. Got everything listed on Etsy.
7. Took a nice evening walk with hubby.
8. Cooked lunch and dinner.
9. Discussed with my Dr. a new medical treatment option I will be starting soon that has much promise and it has the added bonus of being 100% safe to conceive on!
10. Cookies, milk and blog time!

Too bad I have to work the 9-5 tomorrow or I could knock out some more sewing!

Now yesterday was also a lot of fun because I got a chance to meet up with a couple of online friends from a forum I frequent. We had a nice time at a local restaurant and we shared stories with one another about our lives and families. It was very cool to get out and meet new people as I have not really established my "circle of friends" here in NC since I've only been up here such a short while.

Next on my social agenda is to find a local church that I will feel comfortable in. This is a big step for me and I am a little nervous.

Lastly...I have a ton of food photo's and recipes to share with you all but I am going to wait until tomorrow or Sunday to post them. This little woman is all tired out and I'm seeking a warm bed and a good book!

Many blessings!
-Kittee

"Cooking, sewing, and cleaning."

2008-04-30T11:10:00.003-04:00

So I'm at work today as I post this, which as you folks may know is quite unusual for me to post so early in the day but I wanted to share my current thoughts before I lose them to the activity of the day.

Today is one of those days when you woke up you kind of had a feeling that it might be better to stay in bed and sleep another hour. Nothing particularly is wrong per say you just had a "feeling" that staying warm snug in your bed was a better option than getting up and moving about. That being said, I did get up and I did move about and I did go into my 9-5 today. My husband and myself actually. I am not sure I mentioned it before in fact I'm pretty sure I did not but my hubby and myself work at the same location which is great! Up until this week however, they had us on different shifts, I was working mornings and he was working evenings. Due to an upcoming project however, they saw fit to move him to the morning shift, temporarily for the next month. I believe we are going to get spoiled by this. Yesterday was the first day we worked together and it was wonderful. We got up at the same time, went in at the same time, shared lunch together and came home to enjoy the evening at the same time. How wonderful to spend time like that with your spouse!

And speaking of coming home together, the hubby finally got to see my evening routine. He was shocked at the amount of daily work I do to keep the house in tip top shape! He was so sweet though, he kept asking if he could help me. Bless his heart! He also got to enjoy the smells of the wonderful meatloaf that I made yesterday as it was made and cooked. He said it was the best meat loaf I'd ever done. *smile*

But I digress back to my current day...

So on the way to work we decided to stop off at Chick-fil-a for a breakfast treat. We rarely do this fast food thing anymore but this morning we opted for it. Sadly when we arrived it was nothing but trouble. The drive through line was all the way around the building, and upon going inside we discovered it wasn't much better. So 17 mins later we collected our food and headed over to the office. (17 mins for "fast" food! lol)

At the office we were greeted at the door by a few systems being down, ( we are technical folk, I won't bore you with specifics) and a really slow server. So it feels like everything we try to do here today is in slow motion! (Do you sense a theme with my day so far?)

So a few minutes ago I sent a very cute ICQ message to my hubby, since he sits across on the other side of the building, that I wished I was at home "cooking, sewing and cleaning." And that thought struck me as funny because usually us women are taught that "cooking, sewing and cleaning" is demeaning work that no woman in her right mind would actually "want" to do.

So call me crazy then. =)

Can I go home now? *laugh*

Tea and cakes...

2008-04-29T22:28:00.003-04:00

I have grown to love tea so much. Nothing is as calming to the soul to me currently as enjoying a hot cup of tea with a cookie or a muffin in the afternoons. Just the simple act of putting on the kettle immediately puts my mind at ease. I pour a cup and settle down by an open window, inhaling the sweet aroma of the spring breeze, letting my mind drift away from the busy day and settle into my favorite place...home.

Busy Sunday...

2008-04-27T23:24:00.003-04:00

I wish I could say that I reclined in peaceful repose as depicted in the painting to the left however I cannot. Today was my "Friday" and it was doosey at work. We were short staffed and it was extraneously busy.

Persevering though to the afternoon, I set a crock pot to cooking on some type of bagged chicken and dumplings from the freezer section at the grocery store. 8 hours later hubby and I sat down to a delicious dinner! I was surprised on how good it was. I admit I was a little dubious until I had that first spoonful. Yum.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, which will be my only day off this week. I need to get some groceries, work on some sewing projects and whatever else the hubby would like to do. Perhaps we will go see a movie. I know he's been itching to go to the theater and lately due to my Crohns I haven't honestly felt up to it. So while I'm feeling good, we had better enjoy it while we can.

Speaking of Crohns... I know I have not posted much about it here but basically it is a digestive tract disorder where your intestines are chronically inflamed, ulcerated or what not. Sometimes it is extremely painful and debilitating. For example, when I first started getting sick I had no idea what was wrong with me, only that my stomach felt like I had swallowed glass all the time. 6 months later and an astonishing 45lbs lighter I was diagnosed after multiple medical tests not limited to, CT scans, MRI's and Endoscopy's. 3 weeks ago they started treatment which for now is a steroid taper. Currently I am on 25mg of Prednisone down from an original starting point of 40mg. And I have been feeling great! In fact, more than great, I thought that I had recaptured my early 20's again. That being said, since I dropped down from 30mg to 25mg of the Predinsone I've started to notice my old friend "swallowed glass" feeling returning. Very disheartening. I thought for sure that these meds were "curing" me. Now Crohns is lifelong and incurable but some people can go years and years in remission and I was so hoping that, that would be the case for me as well. Apparently not, or maybe I've just been having a bad few days. I am pretty nervous about dropping down to 20mg next week but I have to, Prednisone is not something you can take high doses of for very long without some rather serious side effects. Tomorrow I am going to phone my doctor to schedule the follow up appointment. She phoned me last week asking that I do such so we can discuss "maintenance" drugs. Suppose my hope of not having to do that is out the window now. Perhaps tomorrow I will feel better though, I do not like feeling "run down" and "hurtful" again, especially after feeling so very well the last 3 weeks.

In other news, I have decided to commit myself to writing a novel. I've been telling myself for the past 15 years that I would write one but my friend procrastination has been keeping me away solidly. Not anymore! I just need to figure out what in the world I am going to write about! Silly me...writing a book with no idea on the topic! Ha!

Many blessings,
-Kittee

Porcupine Tree - Lazarus

2008-04-26T21:54:00.001-04:00

Lazarus

As the cheerless towns pass my window
I can see a washed out moon through the fog
And then a voice inside my head, breaks the analogue
And says

"Follow me down to the valley below You know
Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul"

I survived against the will of my twisted folk
But in the deafness of my world the silence broke
And said

"Follow me down to the valley below You know
Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul"

"My David don't you worry
This cold world is not for you
So rest your head upon me
I have strength to carry you"

(Ghosts of the twenties rising Golden summers just holding you)

"Follow me down to the valley below You know
Moonlight is bleeding from out of your soul
Come to us, Lazarus
It's time for you to go"

Not enough hours in the day...

2008-04-25T22:08:00.000-04:00

There never seems to be enough hours in the day for me to accomplish everything that I would like to get done. As I sit here right now I am wishing that I had just two more hours so that I could finish up some more sewing. Unfortunately it's 10pm and I still need to bath and read before sleep at 12.

I did a fair amount of work today so I should be satisfied and yet my mind is racing about other projects that I did not get to touch today. That denim fabric I purchased last week for a new skirt is practically screaming at me to get it out right now and start deciding on a pattern. *smile*

Ok so enough complaining! Here is what I did accomplish today...

Cloth pads...lots of them! I am so pleased with how they turned out. Tomorrow I am going to make little baggies to keep them securely in so if you want to take them with you you can do so and not fear them getting soiled or dirty in your purses or bags. This also serves double purpose as the storage baggies after "use" so they stay sealed up until you can get home and toss them in the wash. Also I am going to design at least one more style for "light" days or for use as a pantyliner. The above cloth pads have 4 layers, 2 soft cotton flannel, 1 PUL layer (water proof) and finally 1 layer of terry cloth. They are incredibly thin for what sounds like a lot of stuff inside. It feels good to make something so "green" and useful with my own hands. I can't wait until I am ready to start selling them. I mean you cannot go wrong with cloth pads. You are helping the environment by not using up disposable papers and plastics and you are helping yourself by not putting chemical laden paper up against your most sensitive parts. Sure you have the hassle of washing them but it's not a big deal at all. Just a tiny bit of something like oxyclean and your all set. I'm told that you bleed less and cramp less with cloth pads as well. So I see no problem switching and in fact, I'm looking forward to my next visit from Aunt Flo to make the official swap! (And I can honestly say those words have never been ushered from my mouth before. Ha!)

Now since I have so much scrap fabric lying around I thought to myself..."Now what can I possibly do with this stuff and not waste it?" Ah ha! Cat toys of course! So I set to work making some simple "Cat Tri's" toys. They are shaped like those little footballs children make out of paper and they fly around the room at about the same rate. My cats cannot get enough. Heck, they were pulling them down off my sewing table before I could even finish!
Must be the catnip layer. :)

Lastly while all this crazy sewing was going on, I was baking some chicken breasts for use in spaghetti...

Kittee's Kickin' Chicken Sketti

3 Chicken Breasts
1 Jar Sauce of choice (I used

Classico Caramelized Onions & Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce)

1 box whole wheat noodles

Place chicken breasts in shallow roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste, put a couple teaspoons of water in the bottom, cover with tin foil and put in oven for 2 hours at 350 degrees. Remove chicken and let it cool down, mean while get a skillet out and pour in your selected sauce. Add some water if your sauce is really thick. Chip up the chicken or shred it and dump into sauce. Stir and mix well and cover. Let simmer for 1 hour. Boil your noodles, drain and eat!

So folks I think that about covers it for today. :)

Ya'll be good now and god bless!

-Kittee

On the topic of Modesty...

2008-04-24T22:34:00.000-04:00

As I have mentioned before I am currently reading "A Return to Modesty" by Wendy Shalit and while I am not finished with the book quite yet I still would like to lightly brush on the subject of modesty as I had something interesting happen to me today.

I am a avid forum frequenter and on one of my forums today there the topic of modesty came up and the other folks there were discussing this and that about their take on the subject so I posted mine...

Like it or not, people are visual creatures. The first thing you notice about someone is how they look and present themselves. If I see a girl on the street wearing "hoochie mama" clothing , I am going to assume she has loose morals on the other hand if I see a girl on the street wearing an ankle length skirt and 3/4 length sleeves I am going to perceive her as a "lady." Naturally clothing ultimately does not make the woman but it does give me my first impression.
I believe modesty is important for young ladies today. It helps remind them to be "ladies" and not "Bratz." Also dressing more modestly has the bonus effect of having our young men and boys treating the girls differently and usually with more respect. If they see a young girl with a mini-skirt on and a low cut shirt they might think she's "easy" and treat her as such. Where as if she is dressed more appropriately and modestly they will understand that she has more on her mind that just attracting attention of a "sexual" nature.

This opinion was not well received. In fact I had more than one woman vehemently disagree with my thoughts. One poster stated...

"Just because I'm displaying skin doesn't mean it's there for touching."

Excellent point however, like it or not, if you display it , you are creating a certain "image" about who you are and other people read into that how they will.

"Just because I'm walking around in this pit of lions with raw steaks hanging around my neck doesn't mean it's ok for the lions to eat me."

Which sparked more debate where some of the women claimed I was being demeaning to men and assuming that they are creatures incapable of controlling themselves. Which of course was not my intention or meaning.

Finally one person posted that she felt that women who dress modestly are fooling themselves if they think they are protecting themselves by their clothes alone. To which I responded...

It is not that (at least for me) that I believe that by my choice of dressing modestly that I am "protected" from harm by the opposite sex. I dress modestly to present myself in such a way to not distract anyone from their day to day activities. By wearing longer skirts and shirts with sleeves, I am personally making a statement that I wish to cover up my skin and that I am more "conservative" in my morals and attitude. I am also married, and I do not need to advertise my "goods" nor would my husband appreciate it if I was wearing skin tight, belly shirts etc. It would not be appropriate. (At least in our opinion) for me to dress as such.

Now I have not lead a sheltered life by far and from my experience girls and woman who choose to wear more revealing clothing get more attention from the males than girls or women who dress more conservatively. Take that how you will and form your own hypothesis.

To which more argument sparked and ultimately the thread we were posting in was closed. I just do not understand why some women will want to wear skirts barely long enough to cover their privates, with shirts hardly covering their breasts and wonder why men treat them "cheaply." Why would you want to do that to yourself?

I just long for a return to a time when ladies were ladies and men were men. When it was not uncommon or unexpected for a gentleman to open a door for us girls or greet us politely and respectfully. Todays "reality show" mentality is certainly a glimpse into our declining modesty. Our youth is growing up watching these terrible programs, being bombarded with images of drunken, half naked girls throwing themselves on anyone, living wildly and irresponsibly. Add to it the media feeding them images of what they "should" be...

In the end I suppose it comes down to personal choice. What you will and will not allow to influence your life. In my life, I refuse to watch reality TV. I refuse to wear skimpy clothing and when I have daughters of my own I will not allow them to dress or act like little "Bratz." And if I am blessed with sons, I will be sure to teach them common courtesy and respect for ladies.

Many Blessings,
-Kittee