As promised...

As promised, here are some pictures of the house -

The outside picture didn't turn out so well...I'll have to try that one again some time...

The entryway

The computer room...well, you can't see the computer, but it's in the corner on the left. We put the twin bed in here too.

Guest bath

The beginnings to Madelyn's room. We still have a long way to go obviously!

We put the duckies in her bathroom.

Our living room, and the shelf that goes down the hallway.

I didn't do so great with this picture...you can't see our beautiful French doors or the 2 huge fans on the back wall.

I couldn't get the whole kitchen either. To the right, there is a 6 or so foot counter with more cabinets. I got new towels and stuff with my Christmas money - it's teal, tan, and brown circles.

Our room.

Our bath - you can't see the double shower (on the right) or the huge vanity and toilet room (on the left).

We did finally get a tree up! We got our tree from Lowe's for $5. And now, a couple more Christmas pictures!

We had a great Christmas! We finally finished Christmas last night, and while it was wonderful, I'm kind of glad it's over because it was exhausting!! There wasn't terribly much I wanted. We got some good stuff for Madelyn though, including a matress, pack-n-play, high chair, and clothes. She has a ton of clothes! I did get some me things though - David got me a new phone (which I actually wasn't supposed to get until next week, but they had pity on him when he told them he wanted to get me a phone for Christmas and upped our date), and my parents got me a GPS & a few other little things. That was my problem - I only wanted expensive things! And we had said we were going light this year since moving. And there's always Cirque du Soleil next week! That was supposed to be our present to each other, and the hotel my dad got with his points. David got some things he wanted too, like a rolling tool cart for all of his tools so he can have them at our house instead of my parents' basement! I hope everyone else had as great Christmas as we did! My cousin is supposed to come visit soon, so I better go for now!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas! We have already had a couple of Christmases, with a few more to go! It's always a busy time this time of year, and next year I know will be worse. I have to admit I have been a bit depressed this year, well, mostly today. My uncle is really not doing well. He has a form of dementia called vascular dementia. I think my family has not been telling me much about it because they don't want me to worry, but I've found out a bit more and it's a lot more serious than I realized. He was having physical issues, which led to him losing his job, and them almost losing their house waiting to get on disability. He has been having TIAs, which are mini-strokes. TIAs almost always lead to something more serious, either a massive stroke that is lethal or leaves you pretty much a vegetable. Although they live in Michigan, I have always been close to my family there. We would go visit every summer, and he and David really hit it off (put it this way, my uncle would call us to talk to him instead of me). I found out today that basically he might not live through the next year. This has been really hard for the whole family to accept, in particular his wife and daughter, and being so far away, it's been really hard for all of us here. So please keep our family in your prayers. Sorry for the depressing story, it's just really been on my mind the past few days. In happy news, my doctor's appointment went well on Monday. I now have to go every 2 weeks. It's hard to believe that it's winding down! We've almost got her room in order...maybe if we can get all of the trash out of there then we can get everything completed. We found a storage cube we want to get...we may get that with Christmas money. We have had a wonderful and blessed Christmas so far - I hope everyone else has as well. I have some pictures still, but I don't have the adapter for the computer! I'm so forgetful...

This, that, and the other

So I have really gotten bad with this blogging stuff! Things have been a bit hectic the past few weeks, and my brain is totally fried. Is it really not Friday yet??? The kids dismiss at 12:30 tomorrow, we have to stay a bit longer, but I'm hoping we can leave at least a little bit early? This week has been particularly rough for me, because I've been sick...again. It started Saturday night, with my chest burning a bit. I went through this a few weeks ago, and it never turned into anything. Not so lucky this time. Saturday morning was the child birth class. It was pretty informative, and it didn't last as long as they said it would, which is always good. Sunday we went to see the Rockettes. David uncle got us free tickets. It was really good! That night though, I was feeling pretty bad, so we stayed home from a Christmas party and church. I've just been achy and coughy and yuck since. And today, it's gotten worse as it has now moved into my sinuses. That normally doesn't happen - it moving up, but this time, it's just gotten me. The other SLP at Montevallo also has it. She went to the doctor yesterday and they said it was viral, so they couldn't do much. Hopefully everyone will be better soon! I can't believe it's one week until Christmas. I've had a really hard time thinking of things I want this year. Everything I think of is for Madelyn. David's been a bit frustrated with me because of it too! Well, I guess I better get back to work! More later, including pictures of our almost put together house! I say almost, because we still lack a bit of furniture, and although Madelyn's room is painted (thanks mom & dad!), it's still quite a mess!

Christmas questionnaire

A friend sent me this email the other day, so I thought I would post it. Where do you stand?

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper
2. Real tree or Artificial? prefer real, but ours is artificial because when we got a real one it was way messy!
3. When do you put up the tree? day after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? day after New Years
5. Do you like eggnog? no
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't remember!
7. Hardest person to buy for? David's family
8. Easiest person to buy for? David
9. Do you have a nativity scene? yes - Willow Tree
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? an easy-bake oven we got after we were married, although it will come in handy when Madelyn is a little older
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Polar Express
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? July-September
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? no
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? chocolate pie
16. Lights on the tree? white
17. Favorite Christmas song? "Baby It's Cold Outside" (although not truly Christmas, it's the only time they play it), "Oh Holy Night"
18. Travel at Christmas or stay at home? home
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? no
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? angel or bow
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? one Christmas Eve, then the rest that morning
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? rude people when you're shopping
23. What theme or color are you using? blue again, even though I wanted to do red and cream
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? ham, macaroni, & rolls
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I have something picked out I want from David, but considering we moved, I doubt I'm getting anything...otherwise, stuff for our new house and baby stuff

Speaking of moved - I do have pics of before we decorated, but I keep forgetting the SD card. Hopefully we'll have some after pics soon!

Baby Birdie Trauma

This day just started off horrible! As I was about to eat breakfast, I heard screaming birds from the bedroom. Before I even made it in there, Sunny comes flying through the door and lands on top of the cabinets (which I can't reach by the way, because they're like 15 feet tall). I continue to hear screaming, so I run into the bedroom to check on Bella. Horrifyingly, I find her hanging from her cage by her wing. I tried to get her out, but couldn't. Mission 1 - try to figure out some way that she can stand on something so she's not hanging by her wing. Tried her cage - didn't work. Tried using thier brick - too short. And then there's Sunny's cage (who is still in the living room or kitchen, not even really sure). Their nail brick is in the way. What to do - open Bella's cage door on the bottom, lift her cage up, and set her on his cage - success! Mission 2 - call David to see if he has any ideas - he's coming home as soon as he can. Mission 3 - get her unstuck! Not strong enough to pry the bar with pliers, so I call my poor parents & wake them up. They rush over, David's still on his way, and while she's ok for the moment (although still stuck), I run to find Sunny, who somehow migrated into the pantry - who knows. Mission 4 - run to try to fix lunch really quick, because I have to be at work today for meetings. When I go back to check on Bella, I can't find her! She somehow got loose (I don't know if having a footing calmed her enough to let her find a way to get free or what), and was in her cage, but her wing is bleeding. My parents arrive, I have to leave, so they stay with her until David can get there. There are no vet appointments available, and the emergency vet is only open at night now. He was going to take her anyway, but she seems to be doing fine, so he's just keeping a close eye on her. The bleeding did stop - I think she only bled because it pulled out some feathers. Poor baby. The result? A very stressed out family!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! This week has been a short but busy one so far. Monday, I had my glucose test & doctor's appointment. Thankfully, I passed the glucose screen. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought, although that stuff left me wanting Hawaiian Punch (it was fruit punch flavored - I had my choice of that or orange...). Then I went to work for a half day, then to Pelham to close on our house! Everything went so incredibly smooth. So needless to say, this week has been busy trying to move stuff. I feel kind of helpless with not being able to do terribly much, but it's worked out pretty well with David bringing stuff in & me putting it up. We've actually gone through a lot of boxes already. We're getting lots of extra help on Friday to move the big stuff. So far we have the kitchen, dining room, and part of the bedrooms moved. We're actually going to stay there tonight - that will be quite an adjustment! We aren't taking the animals until Friday after everything is moved, but Daisy has already gotten to go & run through the house. She was so scared at first, but after running through every room a couple of times, she seems to be ok with it. I'm more worried about the cat. I hope he'll be ok. The birds have moved before (Bella twice), so I'm not worried about them. Our major prayer continues to be that our house will sell soon. We're going to touch up the paint, clean up a bit, and replace the carpet once everything is out, so hopefully that will help....

Updates

Well, this past week has been so nuts that I haven't even had a chance to post! First off, house news. We are officially moving. This was such a struggle for me. We had actually discussed it late Tuesday night, and decided to wait until our house officially sold. Then Wednesday, God opened some doors that I had no clue were possible (silly human thinking, huh). It was truly incredible. And there's a chance that we may rent out our house - it would be really great if that worked out. So, we are set to close on Monday (the 24th). We did a walk-through yesterday to fix a couple of things, mainly touch up paint, and we've been busy packing. What else...Madelyn seems to be doing well. She's been pretty active still. I haven't figured out a specific pattern, although most nights she is more active between 8 pm and 6 am. And, she likes to "play" with David after dinner. Here is a typical play date - me sitting on the couch, she starts kicking a bit. David finds this amusing, and decides to tap my tummy. She kicks back. This has gone on for up to an hour. I'll have to admit - it is quite amusing. It's hard to believe that this is winding down! It went so slow at first, then fast, then slow again...I have to go back to the doctor Monday and do the glucose test, fun fun. Also, a lot of my preggo friends have been finding out what they are having the past week or so. So far, we're 50/50 boy/girl (with one deciding to not find out). I know a few more find out in the next couple of weeks...it'll be interesting to see what happens! So after seeing a few other people do this, I'm going to list a few of my favorite things that money can't buy, so here we go!

- Kitty cat dreams (puppy dreams too, but the cat is so much more funny)
- A cool, perfectly clear starry night
- Feeling (and watching) Madelyn kick me to death (other than the bladder)
- Watching David "play" with Madelyn
- A hotter than hot bath (which I am totally missing right now)
- A big, comfy bed (ok, so maybe money can buy that, but not cuddle time on the weekends)
- Watching some of my kids at school accomplish things that people thought would either never happen or would take years to happen
- Spending time with people who I love dearly but don't get to spend a lot of time with

The list could go on and on, but I think I'll stop there for now. =)

Actual quote

We knew of a couple of good yard sales in the neighborhood next to ours, so we got up early and went Saturday morning. The one we really wanted to hit didn't have anything out yet, so we drove around and went to a couple of others first. The first one we went to, a soldier was out looking around and talking to the people who were having the sale. As he prepared to leave, this is what he said: "Well, I guess I better go fight the war on terror before Obama gives up." Ouch. No lie these words were actually spoken. I guess a little touch of what some of the soldiers are feeling, knowing what is about to happen as Obama becomes president. We did get some good stuff at the yard sales. Actually, we stopped at a friend of a friend's, and she gave us a lot of toys and clothes. Yay for free stuff (and nice free stuff at that)! Anyway, I have been off today, so I've just done some housekeeping things. It's been kind of nice - yesterday was a bit hectic, but I guess that's how it will be until after the new year. Well, I guess that's all for now!

Decisions, decisions

I have to say, this week has starte off pretty rough. I have been a bit stressed with work. On top of that, we are still struggling on what to do with the house. After lunch on Sunday, we decided to drive through a neighborhood where we just loved the houses. We actually found one a couple of years ago, but it sold of course. We found what we think is the absolute perfect house for us. And they came off the price more than $30,000 (yes, that is 4 "0"s afer the 3). We had already planned on staying here until our house had sold, but we don't know if this is a God-thing or what. We actually would be able to afford it without selling our house, but I would feel better if we had a little more to put down. So that is what we are looking at right now, with a possibility of moving during Thanksgiving week. I am quickly learning that I can handle major decisions less and less everyday, and my emotions for the first time in a while are totally out there. So please pray that God will give us wisdom as to what to do. While we really want to move, we don't want to put ourselves in a strict financial situation. So that's where we are right now. Anyway, I don't guess I have much other news. Madelyn seems to be doing well. I have given up on trying to keep count of how many pregnant people I know. What's sad, there are people due a month or 2 after me that look way more pregnant than me. Oh well, at least if we do move that I won't be too huge to do anything!

Home again

Well, we are home again. We went back to the beach for one last time this weekend. I have to say it was a better trip than last time, and I think the first time we've been to the beach and one of us hasn't been sick or injured. I do have some pictures, but I thought I would post some older ones first since I'm so behind. We had to come back yesterday afternoon since I had a doctor's appointment. He said everything was going well, and next time I have to do the glucose tolerance test and start the rotation of doctors. I have to go back the week of Thanksgiving, which is kind of bummy. Anyway, while we were out of town, we got news that our furniture was in! Yay! We have to go pick that up sometime, and I guess soon the decorating will start. Madelyn has been super active today. We learned something about her this weekend - human touch calms her down (or scares her one, but I'm going with calming). Although, she did get agitated with David touching her the other morning & kicked him. I was laying on my side kind of curled up, and she didn't appreciate my leg touching my belly, and didn't appreciated any more when he touched my belly. It was quite funny though. It can be hard to work sometimes when I would rather feel her moving around that do the 8,000 things I need to do. Work has been going well, this week is just kind of crazy since I was off yesterday and the health fair is tomorrow, and I had meetings today and Thursday. Friday *may* be normal, we'll see. Well, I don't have much else to post. So here are some pictures of when my family was here...in the meantime, I am majorly in the mood for a new look for the blog - any ideas?

My dad, aunt Sharon, and uncle Michael with my great-grandmother. Everyone has always said that my aunt and I favor quite a bit. Actually, I got called Sharon a lot that weekend, and one of my great-aunts wasn't paying terribly much attention and thought I was her. And you know my dad can't take a serious picture...

Left-to-right: my great-aunt Pearl, my grandmother, my great-aunt Marie, me, and Sophie (otherwise known as mini-me).

Me, my grandmother, and my great-grandmother.

Trent and David - Trent really bonds with David when they're together, which is odd considering his personality. He's had a rough time to say the least.

Michael and his wife, Kim. They live in Atlanta, so we might get to see them again when we go in January (family twice in 3 months? Are you kidding me? This never happens!).

Old friends

Sometimes it can be really awkward to reconnect with old friends. Yesterday I heard from an old friend who I hadn't talked to in over 2 years. Talk about out of the blue! We talked for quite a while last night. It was good to catch up, and also good to hear that it seems that she's changed a lot for the better. In other news...well, there's not too much! I have to say that it is so addicting to look at baby stuff! It also makes me think about all the stuff we need & don't have...not a pleasant thought, but I know we'll get there. Speaking of baby...Madelyn is doing well it seems. She has been super active the past week. Things I have learned she doesn't like? My stomach growling, me leaning over, and being poked. Although I have to say...the kicks tickle a little. Sometimes it makes me laugh. Or maybe I'm just nuts! Things I don't like? My bladder being used as a trampoline...ok I guess that's all. I still have pictures coming...I have to get them off a different computer.

Baby stuff

So I've had a lot of people ask about the room...so here's the plan! We got a cherry finished bed, and we got a matching dresser which can double as a changing table (we figured it could be used longer that way). We are going with a cherry blossom theme for the bedding. They have it at Babies R Us - it's a 6 piece set. I think my favorite part is the lamp! I so want the lamp. You can see it sort of in the pictures:

So here are some of the gifts we've received so far! The last picture is of the things we got at Kid's Market. We got about $100 of stuff for $18. We're going to get a new cover for the Boppy...

On the way

Well, happily, we have finally ordered our baby furniture. I cannot tell you what a struggle that has been! We started the hunt not long after we found out I was pregnant. Since then 3 different cribs we have liked have been discontinued! We had already planned on ordering it this weekend, but with all the craziness we didn't have time. So I went to order it today, and guess what - it's discontinued! So, we were on the hunt again. We found one that is very similar to the other, so we got it instead. Who knows how long it will take to get here, but we are getting ready to move everything else out & that in. We have been given lots of gifts in the past week! I was planning on posting them, but I don't have the camera on hand. All of my family is gone now. They flew back late yesterday. It was good to see them. I have lots of pictures to post from that too. More to come!

Pictures

Well, I have a lot of pictures to post! But since the internet is acting up again, I may not get to all of them. We got back from the beach late Sunday, and David has been sick since. He's better today. I've had allergy issues going on too, so that's been fun. We did have fun at the beach though...we got to see Josh & Angie as well as Tim & Ashley (we didn't get to spend much time with them - that's on next time's agenda). We also spent a lot of time with Linda & Peyton, which is really the first time we've had the chance to do so, so that was really nice. I have to say, I have never seen a child go to sleep as quickly as Peyton! We watched her for a little while Friday night so Linda could get a shower. David was holding her & playing with her for about a minute, then she crawled over to me, laid her head down, and went to sleep! She also went to sleep with David in the pool Saturday. Otherwise, everything is going well. I just wish we could get some movement on the house! I am seriously considering giving up. We'll see. In other news, a dear friend of mine had her little boy yesterday. Please keep them in your prayers - he's in NICU because of breathing difficulties & glucose issues. As promised, here are the pics! The first ones are of the CD release party for Rush of Fools. Next is Eric Timm, who was at church a couple of weeks ago (always good). Finally, the beach!

And........

Meet Madelyn Jewel! They said everything was still looking good.

I actually have been trying to post some other stuff all weekend, but Blogger has been mean to me. So, more to come later...now that Blogger is being nice, the internet isn't cooperating. Yay! No promises on a time frame, but we are going out of town this weekend, so I'll definitely try to get it before then.

Blah

I really don't have anything to post, but maybe I'll think of something. Work has been really frustrating & stressful lately...not going back after maternity leave is looking more and more appealing! David said he doesn't care either way. My only thing is, I truly love what I do. I mean, I guess I better since I went to school 6 years for it, but if things don't get better, I will be seriously considering it. Baby-wise, everything is going well still. I feel little movements every now and then, and that's still funny. We go 2 weeks from today to find out what we're having. Can't wait! I don't really care either way, as long as it's healthy, but I know a lot of people who are voting girl. I really am not sure. Only time will tell (hopefully)! I'm still not too showy (unless you're looking, although a girl at work did tell me that I was finally starting to show), but my clothes would definitely tell you otherwise! That has been one of the hardest things for me. I've only gained 5 pounds, which they say 5-10 is normal for how far along I am, and I have to keep telling myself it's ok to gain weight. I was thankfully blessed with lots of clothes, so I only have bought a couple of things - 2 light sweaters I found on clearance and 2 pairs of pants that I can wear to work. Oh, and for the people who have asked - we have been going to Brookwood. David is trying to make Daisy excited about the baby. Our poor puppy doesn't seem to be feeling well. I think she has allergies. She has lost a lot of fur lately & has been really itchy. She's been nothing short of miserable. David gave her a bath the other day & it didn't help. And then she threw up in the car Saturday. The cat also threw up twice Saturday. He also got a bath last week. That actually wasn't bad. He stuck his head under the faucet. Although he didn't want to get in the shower with me for a couple of days, but he was more than happy to drink the hot bath water the other morning. The weekend was pretty good. We drove by a couple of houses Saturday. There is one we really want to go look at, but still, we can't do anything until ours sells. David spent much of Sunday after church working on Amelia's car...he's actually doing that now too, so I'm all alone. Ok, so I guess I did come up with something to blog about. I hope everyone else is doing well!

Is it over yet?

This week has been a short week, but it still has been the longest week ever! Work has been super rough this week, with tense meetings, missing files, and new kids to test & schedule. I honestly am thankful that it's over, and I'm not looking foward to next week, even if it is better! In other news, everything is going well here. In other news, we officially put our house back on the market this week. I was extremely hesitant since the showings were such a huge deal last time, but since it's like for sale by owner, we can set all of that up. That helps a lot. We actually have already had a nibble! Please pray that it sells soon. Even if we don't get the house we really wanted. I would really REALLY love to be moved before we have to set up all this baby stuff! And even more before it arrives! Anyway, I thought I would leave you with some pictures. These are actually from our movie nights and Memorial Day...I was hoping to post some from Labor Day but our event was cancelled. =(

David had fun on the big slide!

So did my dad!

Becca & Alex

No, Trav didn't really get arrested, but he was actually handcuffed. He said it wasn't very comfy in the back of the car!

David was the game king & I was the tatoo queen!

Go vote! (or don't)

Ok, so I tried to post this yesterday, but the internet killed out, so just note that everything is from yesterday...

Ok, so before anyone gets offended, let me explain the backstory first. Ok, so I left work at 1:30 today since I had a doctor's appointment. Everything was fine, and I actually don't have to go back for almost 5 weeks (Sept 29th), when we get to find out boy or girl! It seems like forever now, but I'm hoping it passes quickly. Especially since my family from St. Simons is coming in October! It's been about a year and a half since I saw them last. Anyway, we had planned on going home after my appointment, but they were running behind, so it was pretty late, and since we still had to vote & David had to be at church at 7, we grabbed something while we were out. Ok, so we go to vote. Well, there are only about 3 cars where we normally vote. No one bothered to tell us that they had moved where we were supposed to vote! So we wound up going aaaaaaalllllll the way to the community center past the middle school (at this point I was really tempted to go home since I had been gone almost 12 hours). We get there, and see a girl we go to church with. We go in together, sign in at our district & vote. I thought there was more to vote for honestly. The only thing we got to vote for was mayor. I thought this was supposed to be for city council and a couple of other things! Anyway, as we were coming out, so was the person we knew. They wouldn't let her vote!! The said that the part of the road (ok, note the PART - other people on her street could vote) wasn't considered city limits. What's that about?! She was trying to do her part and couldn't. I told her I would have made them double check to see if her name was there. So that's my little story. I guess I'll get off my soap box now! Anyway, everything else is going fine (even though I learned that another has been added to the preggo list). Oh, and our hotel in Atlanta is set! We're going to stay at the Hilton for free (come on, how often does that happen) - at least my dad traveling has an upside!

And the toll rises

So as of today, I know at least 11 people who are pregnant all due within about a month of me either way. Seriously people, what happened to 3s? Oh well, at least our child will have lots of friends!

Car trouble, babies, and more...

Ok, so let me set the scene for the car trouble. A couple of weeks ago, my tire warning light (yes, I have a light to warn me if there is something wrong with my tires - it is wonderful) came on. We already knew that I needed tires on the front (my car was out of alignment and it ruined my front tires). So we had them replaced last Monday, especially after we found out there was a screw in one of them. David filled my back tires, and all was well...until Wednesday, when my tire warning light came back on. We were very confused. He checked the tires again, everything was fine. He took them to be checked (I mean, if we didn't know there was a screw in the other one for who knows how long, then something might have been wrong with the back ones, and heaven knows how protective David is, especially now - not that I'm complaining). The tire place said they were fine. So he took it to the Toyota dealership, thinking something may be wrong with the computer that was setting off the light - this happened with the other Camry with the airbag light. The Toyota place quickly figured out what was wrong - the SPARE TIRE was low. How do they even have a sensor in the spare tire??? So for anyone who owns a Toyota, if you have the tire light, just be warned that it may be your spare if the light won't go off and everything else is ok.

Now on to babies. Ok, so babies always seem to come in 3s right? At the present moment, I know 7, yes 7, pregnant people all due within about a month of me. Goodness! There are probably more than 7, I'm probably forgetting someone...as for me, I'm doing fine. Since they moved my room, I haven't had a table, so I've been seeing my kids in the floor, which I quickly learned is NOT comfortable at all! I do have a table as of today, but no chairs (yes, I am the red-headed step-child).

And more - we are house-sitting for my parents through Saturday. My dad was home this week & my mom wanted to go to a convention in Nashville. With all the hotel points my dad gets, they are getting a free hotel at Embassy Suites! Speaking of free hotel - I don't think I posted this yet, but we are going to Cirque du Soleil again in Atlanta on Jan. 3rd!! My dad is going to get us a free room at the Hilton for the 3 days we're there (he has lots of points, we could basically stay wherever we want to, but my mom stayed there a few months ago & said it was really nice - and it's about 2 miles from the arena). It's kind of a combo trip - vacation, birthdays, etc. I wanted to go see Wicked for my birthday, but considering we will have a one month old, I don't think I want to do that afterall. I will go see it someday - it's only been 2 years since I've been wanting to see it. Like I said, I'm doing really well. I go back to the doctor on Tuesday, then not again for a month. It's been an adjustment from going every week because of those cysts! Well, I'm not going to bore you any more. I know this got ridiculously long...maybe someone will make it through it! =)

Yuck!

Well, school is in full swing. It has been super hectic so far! I have moved rooms twice, and I'm in a trailer now & not thrilled about it. I'm more worried about my pre-k kids & not having enough time since I have to go so far. The moving thing has been tough too because...for those who didn't know (which I don't think is anyone, but anyway) I'm pregnant! I'm 11 weeks today actually, and my due date is March 4th. We had decided to wait to tell people for a little while, but some people figured it out before then (you special people know who you are). Really, I can't complain because I feel like I've had it easy so far - not terribly sick, just super tired. And moving rooms twice hasn't helped! Especially since extreme dust triggered asthma & allergies, leaving me miserable since I can't really take anything. Ok, and I know babies tend to come in 3s, but seriously, I think they are in like 23s this time. I know more pregnant people due all within a month of each other that it's not funny! Anyway, I don't have much else other than that. Honestly, I'm just ready for bed - sorry Olympics!

How many places can YOU go in one day?

So yesterday was a super busy day for me! I had a lot of running around to do, and it seemed like I kept running into problems, so I kept going more and more places! So here's my list -

1. Doctor's office
2. Michael's
3. Sam's
4. Hobby Lobby
5. Piece of Cake
6. Buffalo Wild Wings (I was in desperate need for some lunch!)

7. Wal-mart

8. Louise's Cakes & Things

9. Old Navy (I needed some stress relief shopping at this point!

10. My parents to pick up some stuff to work on

11. HOME finally...but not for long! Guess what, the computer died, so then we go to...

12. Best Buy, which was a wasted trip, because what we needed was 5x more than we could get it elsewhere.

Finally we made it back home. I was exhausted & still am today! I am definitely paying for overdoing it yesterday. But the list doesn't stop! There's so much more to do today!

Recipe

So I've had a lot of requests for the Bisquick chicken finger recipe, so here it is!

INGREDIENTS: 3 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips (sometimes you can find prepackaged chicken fingers for less than the regular packaged ones, and it's less work!); 2/3 cup Original Bisquick mix; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1/2 teaspoon salt or garlic salt (I like the garlic salt); 1/2 teaspoon paprika; 1 egg, slightly beaten; 3 tablespoons butter or margarine melted (I actually don't use this...I think it makes them more crispy if you don't).
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with foil; spray with cooking spray. In 1-gallon resealable plastic food-storage bag, mix Bisquick mix, cheese, salt and paprika. Dip half the chicken strips into egg; place in bag of Bisquick mixture. Seal bag; shake to coat. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining chicken. Drizzle butter over chicken (again, optional). Bake 12 to 14 minutes, turning halfway through the time, until no longer pink in center (I usually go the 14 mins if they are bigger, just to be safe).

These are a good alternative if you can't fry/don't like to fry, want something a little healthier, and love chicken fingers (i.e. me)! This seriously is one of my favorite things to make - takes less than 20 mins. I would have it every week if it were my choice!

In other news...well, not too terribly much to report right now. I am savoring my last couple of weeks of freedom, trying to get together with friends that I don't have a chance to get together with all the time. I got 2 in 1 week this week - I thought that was pretty good! And I had a lot of fun too. Oh, and one more thing - please pray that our house sells soon! We actually have someone coming to look at it tomorrow morning, so hopefully that will go well. We are starting to get a bit desperate, and our contract on our other house runs out at the end of this month.

Random Thoughts

I hope everyone had a good 4th of July. We did. I don't have terribly much to post about, so I thought I would just post some random thoughts.

I think dried mango is the best dried fruit ever!

I can't fry anything. Which isn't a bad thing since I don't really care for fried stuff, and it's not good for you anyway. The bisquick chicken fingers are the best!

I have become the poster queen for church. Which reminds me, we're doing the Bee Movie this Friday at Veteran's Park.

My cat & dog are super lazy. The cat covers his eyes when he sleeps and Daisy likes to wrap herself up in the curtains. If she had a human bed, she would have one of those mesh things that goes over the bed.

Sometimes I really hate the internet.

I look foward to getting the mail everyday.

I like getting surprise presents. Actually, I just got one last week from David. I do not like, however, when I know I'm getting a present and don't know what it is.

We are starting a new book for our Bible study on Sunday nights - which I need to start reading!

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC!

No, I didn't just get carried away with the "C"s. I got a letter on Saturday saying that my Certificate of Clinical Competence was approvedby ASHA! Which means, I finally have my "C"s! This is pretty much a huge deal for any SLP who wants to be recognized. There are several requirements to get this. In part, it is a relief to have it, even though I was pretty sure it would be approved. Now I just have to wait to see if my license is approved. They are, from what I've been told, even more particular than ASHA. So, now I just have to wait to hear back from them. Hopefully that will be soon. In other news...there isn't much. We made it through our Bible school stuff successfully. We didn't have as many kids show up that had signed up, but it went well either way. I've been seeing my 2 kids for a couple of days during the week, and not much else has been going on. David and I are trying to figure out what we want to do for vacation...any recommendations? I want to go somewhere different - Savannah, St. Augustine, or something like that. We've also talked about going back to St. Simon's Island (Sophie has really been wanting us to visit) or to Gatlinburg. We are just ready for a vacation!

MIA

Have you ever lost something that is invaluable? My mom has (well, a couple of years ago) and she has gotten a sudden obsession about it! There was a ring that belonged to my great aunt, who gave it to my grandma, who gave it to my mom, who was going to give it to me. It was a platinum wedding set that was custom made. It was gorgeous. She let me wear it once - for my make-up prom. In case you didn't know, I didn't get to go to my senior prom (thank you chicken pox). So, we had a make-up prom - Valerie, Alex, Steven, and me. Anyway, it's been missing since not long after that. I'm pretty sure I put it back in the jewelry box, which one I don't know. I didn't change clothes at home, so I had put it in my purse (unless it fell out at Valerie's and I blocked it out). I wish I did have it somewhere - I think it's going to make her crazy! She mentions it every time I see her. Hopefully it will turn up some day. Anyway, I am thoroughly enjoying my time off. Friday was the movie night that ChristGarden sponsored at Veteran's Park - Shrek the 3rd. We had some activities for the kids to do - Shrek tatoos, ring toss, make-a-crown, pin the tail on Donkey. It was a lot of fun, but we were exhausted by the end of it! We had an open house yesterday, so we weren't home much of the day. This week I start seeing my private practice kids, so it will take up a little more time. Anyway, I was going to post pictures from last week, but I'll have to wait - I don't have them yet. There are some really funny ones of David on the slide!

The End

Well, I didn't realize how long it had been since I had posted! Things have been just crazy lately. I have officially wrapped up with school as of noon on Friday, so I have been enjoying some time off this week so far. I am going to see a couple of kids private practice a couple of days a week, but that doesn't start until next week. I had really planned to not see any kids this summer, but I saw these kids last year, and I kind of felt bad telling them no! Oh well, I guess I can look at it as some extra money, and something to keep me from going insane! I'm not used to having anything to do really! Yesterday was super hectic, but absolutely wonderful. We had a Memorial Day block party for the church, so David and I headed over there around 1 after doing some last minute running around for them. We had about 150 people come, which was awesome. Helena UMC had donated barbecue and someone else donated hot dogs, and we had chips and drinks, and cookies and cake. We also had some inflatables for the kids - a huge slide and a bouncey house. We also had a Alabaster police officer come up so the kids could look around in the car and play with some buttons (under supervision of course). It was a lot of fun. I spent most of the day today at my parents. I got a call at 9:30 this morning wanting to show the house at 10:30. I was still asleep (I don't even know the last time I slept that late - we were so tired from yesterday that even David slept through his alarm clock!), so I threw on some clothes and cleaned up really quick, and my mom helped me get the animals out. Hopefully it will sell soon! We've had a lot of in it, but no offers yet. Well, I guess that's all for now!

Recital, housesitting, and more!

Well, it was a busy weekend! We had the dance recital for the preschool at CLC on Saturday (rehearsal was Friday). It went very well, other than the fact that they were renovating (due to a miscommunication between the daycare people & the pastor). Amelia & I did a dance medley together - I am so sore even though I stretched! I also landed on something on my knee since the stage was not finished - lovely golf ball-sized knot on my knee! Saturday, we came over to my parents to house-sit for the week. They left on Saturday for Canada for work/vacation. Sunday was busy as usual, with church at Calera in the morning and our new church in the evening. We are working on doing some really fun things to get out in the community, some of which include a mini-VBS, Friday Flicks at Veteran's Park in Alabaster, a Memorial Day party, and City Fest. If you want more info on any of these, you can go to www.ChristGarden.com. The website is in the process of being remodeled, but the info is still there. It's going to be a lot of work, but a lot of fun too! I never realized just how much was involved in starting a new church, but Trav & Becca have been really great sharing the process with everyone. Yes we are still very small, and no we don't have a building yet, but it is has been a blessed experience so far. Sometimes God leads you one place so that He can get you to the right place (we had a long conversation Sunday night about that). Anyway, enough of that little spill. I've had a horrible fever blister (I guess since I have been sick). Thankfully it is finally going away. Thank you Abreva! I typically do not believe in these kinds of things, but that stuff is good. School is coming to a rapid close, and also, our anniversary is coming up! We haven't decided what we are going to do yet...we had originally planned to go to Hawaii, but decided to do some other things instead. I've been trying to see what Broadway shows are coming...nothing anytime soon that I'm terribly thrilled about, but for my birthday next year, the show "Wicked" is coming! It sounds bad, but it's really not. It's about Oz pre-Dorothy. And it has some great music!! I have already requested that that be my treat next year. Still waiting for Birmingham Broadway to post their new season schedule...hopefully it will be soon! I have been reading more lately now that I finally have some time. I am about 15 pages from finishing Prince Caspian in anticipation of the movie. It's going to be great! Well, until next time, I leave you with some pictures from Saturday. Enjoy!