It Just Doesn't Feel Like Christmas Yet

Yesterday I was driving around and I saw a sign that said the temperature was 78 degrees!!! It is December people. Where is the cold?!?!? I talked to my parents too and there's hardly any snow back home:( I don't know if Sweet Pea will get to go sledding. Now all of this could change in 2 days up there and I hope it does...just not Christmas day when we're flying home. I know that we live in the south, but could it at least be in the 50's? I had to turn on the AC in the car and we almost turned it on in the apartment.

Needless to say due to the lack of cold, snow, or even frost I do not feel like Christmas is less than a week away. Almost all of the Christmas cards are made, a few more knitting projects need to get done, stuff needs to go in the mail, and I need to find something else to get Mr. Man. I have an idea but I just need some time to shop. One of my gifts doesn't even look like it's going to ship for him before Christmas:( Sorry Mr. Man. Maybe it's because there are no Christmas lights up in the house. My goal tonight is to clean the top of the entertainment center. So, if I get that done there will be a picture posted of our Charlie Brown Christmas decorations soon. I hope everyone else is starting to feel Christmas on the way. I'm sure it will hit me soon enough.

#2 Is A...

Little boy! I had my ultrasound today and it's pretty clear we're having a boy. We are excited! Now it's time to start thinking of names. I would put up an ultrasound picture but they didn't turn out very clear at all because he was moving so much. That's all this tired mom can put up for now.

Photo Updates

My sewing machine is back in my hands and is working so well! I don't know what they did but it was worth the $43 to get it fixed. This sweet old couple owns the store and I talked with them for about 15 minutes before I could get out the door. Now it's time to save up some money and search for attachments.

Here are some pictures of my first two projects. The first is a football pillow/blanket that I made for Mr. Man. It was supposed to be a Christmas present like 2 years ago, but at least it's done this year! Merry Christmas hun!!! I made it extra tall so it actually fits him since he's 6' something. The best part about it is you can use the pillow pocket as a foot warmer. I think I need to make myself one in pink because I always have cold feet.

The second thing I made was a diaper and wipe holder. I found a pattern online and worked off of it, but I think I need to do some more work on it because I can barely fit the wipe case and 2 diapers in there. The next design is going to be bigger and have a pocket for a paci. I am quite proud of my first real project though and look forward to making more. It was great to use for church since all we need for her is a sippy cup, diapers, and paci. I have been trying to find this carrier I saw in Baby Talk, I think, that could hold diapers, wipes, and a changing pad all in one small fabric thing tied with a ribbon. Designing a pattern for that will be the next project. I really like things that I can toss from one bag to another easily when I don't need to haul the diaper bag around. I know I'm going to be living with a diaper bag over my arm for the next 3-4 years at least, but at least I can try to make things cute...right? I think I'm finally going to be able to use some of the stuff I learned in math and mechanical drawing in high school. I started looking at cloth diaper patterns online. I don't know when I want to tackle something like that, but we'll see how things go.


These are a few pictures of Sweet Pea's first hair cut. She was mostly good for all of it and the results were cute. You can't really tell she got her hair cut, but at least the kid isn't on the verge of having a mullet anymore.

Pharyngitis

The good news is I don't have strep throat, but the bad news is there's not much I can take to help the sore throat. Thankfully it's feeling better than yesterday and I'm slowly starting to feel more human again. This sadly means that I have to go to work for the first time this week. Once #2 gets here I really hope there is a way I can not work or work very little.

I have some happy crafting news! The Singer 301 was dropped off at the servicing place Wednesday and I should be able to pick it up today! There are some projects on the back burner that really need to get done. Yesterday I got halfway through a dishcloth for my sister for Christmas. We got everyone the same thing and then I'm going to knit some dishcloths and potholders for a little something else. Cheesy gift I know, but when you don't have a lot of money to work with you do what you can. I'll put up some pictures of my little accomplishments once they are done. I can't wait to find out what #2 is so I can start to make some recieving blakets, burp cloths, curtains, and all kinds of other stuff. I think my parents might have another sewing machine in a closet gathering dust that I can try to get home at Christmas to help with what my other one can't do. If I can figure out how to get it home on the plane that would be great.

I had my last final for a while yesterday and I just pray I passed. I'm so happy to be done with class, but sadly I still need to write my term paper and 5 reflection papers:( I can't wait to be out of school. I am a much better person when I'm not taking classes. I'm going to finish my masters someday somewhere, but I'm not in any rush. It was killing me the past two days to ignore Sweet Pea. All she wanted to do was play with mommy and I HAD to study, it was not an option to put it off anymore. So I hope this weekend we can have some good time together. I just hope she doesn't get sick with what I have. Gotta love the circle of sickness.

Icky Poo

So, I have finally caught whatever cold Sweet Pea and Mr. Man had. I hate being sick, and I hate being sick when pregnant even more because you can't take the normal over the counter meds. All I want is something to make me sleep and let me breathe at night. Thankfully I can still take Cold Eze. For the next few days I will be smelling like Vicks Vapor Rub. I hope this passes fast.

Onto some less depressing news. I am starting to feel the need to be super-crafty. I've started knitting again, and as soon as I can beat this cold my grandma's sewing machine is going in to be serviced. I really hope that it doesn't cost too much. I have the desire to sew something which is strange because I don't even remember the last time I have worked on a sewing project. I really want to make some things for #2 and Sweet Pea. I just wish my machine could do a zigzag stitch. Sadly I need to keep reminding myself I need to finish this semester of classes before I dive into a crafting wonderland.

Behold the Wonder of...

Nalgene Bottles
For Thanksgiving we got two cute Nalgene sippy cup bottles for Sweet Pea and #2. They have easy valves to take out and later you can add on a regular top to make it a "normal" Nalgene bottle. I have taken over #2's bottle for now and Sweet Pea is enjoying hers.


Humidifiers
For the past few nights we have had a humidifier up in Sweet Pea's room and sleep has been wonderful!! I don't know if it's the noise or the extra moisture in the room that is helping, but either way I am so glad that we are getting some rest.

Finding Nemo
I had forgotten the wonderful power that Finding Nemo has on Sweet Pea. I set up her play area, put in the movie, and got to do the dishes. Now all of this was conditional on the fact that I had energy to do all of those things, which in itself was a miracle.

Bounty
I have fully realized the true power of the "quilted quicker picker upper" Tonight I really did "rinse, wring, and reuse" and it was great. It is the simple things that are amazing me these days.

Sadly right now Sweet Pea is having a hard time going to bed and has been screaming for about 20 minutes now. I hate just sitting down here and hearing her cry, but I know nothing is wrong and she needs to learn how to fall asleep on her own. I just hope she tires herself out soon and gets to sleep. If not it's going to be a long, long night.

And Another Month Later

Either life has been really boring the last month or too busy/tired to blog. I'm still not sure which applies. I think both. Anyway this is a quick post to say I am alive and I hope to get back to blogging soon.

Here is a long overdue picture of #2.

More to come later.

Praise God There's Only ONE!!

I had my first ultrasound today and there's only one baby in there!! I was so excited when the Dr. Couldn't find the heartbeat and we had to have an ultrasound. I wasn't worried that anything was wrong because the same thing happened with Sweet Pea. It was a good excuse to have the ultrasound done!! My fears of having twins or more is gone and now we can plan to squish everyone in our apartment and we don't have to move again...YAY!!!

Sweet Pea's 1st birthday was this past Saturday and I will be putting up some pictures of her little party and baby #2 when I get a chance.

One Month Later

The past month has been busy. Between going to school, working, being a wife and mom things really pile up. Needless to say I am way behind in all areas. Thankfully there is only 1 1/2 more months of school left. Sadly, this means I have a ton to do in not very much time. Somehow it will all get done.

I've been dealing with the pregnancy ickys and they are slowly starting to get better. My food cravings are much different this time around. This time it's all about salty foods which is more dangerous than sugar cravings I think. Ham, french fries, bacon, sausage, and pancakes. I could eat these things EVERY DAY!!! IHOP and McDonald's here I come!

This coming Saturday is Sweet Pea's 1st birthday!!! A few people are going to come to her "party." We're going to have some cake and ice cream, sing happy birthday, and just have fun getting together. Sadly no grandparents or other family members can come:( I hate living so far away from home.

Speaking of Sweet Pea we have been using cloth diapers regularly. This little girl is what the cloth diapering world calls a "super wetter" because of this we still use Pampers Baby Dry at night. There are some days when I just want to quit using them and sell off our supply on e-bay. It's the smell, I just can't handle it sometimes. We don't have a good bag in our diaper pail and everything just stinks sometimes. Maybe it's because I'm pregnant. Not all days are like this, mainly just the ones where I'm completely exhausted, so this means half of the week or more.

I really like using the Fuzzi Bunz, BumGenius, and Bumkins AIO. Prefolds aren't that bad, but I don't like that she feels wet. I feel the same way about Kissaluvs. I highly recommend the ProWrap cover for both prefolds and Kissaluvs. They have some extra side protection that the Bummis wraps don't. Washing them isn't that bad except we all are very sensitive so it's taken a while to find a good detergent that works. Purex Free and Clear+washing on hot works for me...most of the time. I think I'm just getting lazy with laundry all around. We still have full, clean laundry baskets in our room from a week ago. Someday I'll get my act together.

Good Things

1. $2.17/gallon of gas!!

2. Having $10 of gas money left over -> going to Starbucks and finding out that they have Pumpkin Spice Lattes!!! (Sorry Mr. Man, you can blow the other $6 on whatever)

3. Finding a friend to baby sit so I can go to a board meeting.

4. Coming home to find that our friend/baby sitter has unnecessarily done the dishes and folded the load of laundry in the dryer! THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!!

5. Nap time before work.

6. Finding chocolate cake, chips, and French onion dip at work!

I just hope the day keeps going up and doesn't crash down.

Morning Ickyness

The morning ickyness has started :( I can't call it morning sickness yet, but mornings are even less fun than they were before. *sigh* Oh well, it won't last that long...Right?

Bleh Day

It was one of those days. Mr. Man decided to help a guy out at work and pick up a shift for him. This was a good thing to do to help someone out and get some extra money that we are going to need. Well, it turns out he got stuck there for the WHOLE DAY!!!!! The girl coming in next got sick and no one else could/would come in. So this means that it was me and Sweet Pea all day unplanned:( I love my darling daughter and I love spending time with her, but I had some good plans for today and one thing led to another and it turned into a Bleh day instead of a productive one.

It started out ok. I got some reading done, made some lunch for me and Sweet Pea, starting making some beef roast and other yummy things for dinner with Mr. Man, and then I found out it would be dinner with me and Pea. From then on nothing really happened other than finding out that Sweet Pea likes beef roast...should a 10 month old be eating beef roast? I forced myself to run the dishwasher and wash her diapers, but other than that NOTHING got done. Life will go on of course, but I always hate when days like this happen and you just can't pull yourself out. I'm not mad at Mr. Man at all because there's nothing he could do about it. I just wish that they could get at least one stable non-college person working with him to make life easier, or he finds a great new job.

I hope tomorrow is a better day. Right now I'm going to enjoy relaxing in bed watching some Lord of the Rings and I hope sleep comes soon.

Could Summer Really Be Over?

To my EXTREME delight it is finally starting to cool off. The past few mornings and evenings have been fairly cool here in the hot, hot south and the days haven't been that bad either. I think the weather may start to change. I have heard that we are in for a "hard" winter. I asked what this means and was told that there will be more frost and maybe a snow day. To someone raised in Michigan where we get 300 inches of snow a winter I call that description of winter super mild. Maybe this year we will wear our winter jackets and put our sandals away.

Another highlight to my week was booking tickets to fly home for Christmas!!! I was so happy when my mom said they would pay for one ticket so we could fly instead of drive. I am so glad we don't have to drive. Ariana will be 1 year and 2 months at Christmas and I will be about 5 months pregnant and being in a car for over 20 hours would not be a good thing for either of us and would cause Mr. Man to lose his mind. I'll get to see my family and snow for Christmas!!! The only sad part is I won't be able to go skiing. Oh, well I'll still take the trip home.

One more excitement...my next set of diapers arrive today! More on this to come.

Thoughts on Mommyhood

Last week was the first week of school for me and Mr. Man. Starting school again means we had to change our schedules around and I get to be at home taking care of Sweet Pea for 2 1/2 mornings a week. Plus with the weekend and Labor Day I got my fair share of being home in the morning, and you know what I found out...I loved it! If there was anyway for me not to work I would quit tomorrow. I never thought I would be saying that, but with baby #2 on the way and spending some time at home I am starting to like this full time mom thing more than I thought. Or I wish I could go back to working 2nd shift since mornings and I do not get along well.

Along with wanting to stay at home I have found how much I love making baby food! Once I realized how easy it was and what pureed green beans really can look like I don't want to use jarred baby food unless necessary. There's nothing wrong with buying baby food by any means, but when you are quite poor and a $1 bag of frozen veggies can last 1-2 weeks vs. 2 jars of baby food lasting 1 day the math makes the decision for you.

The discovery of baby #2 helped us to make the decision to really try cloth diapers. I ordered a sample package of AIO's and pocket diapers from Thanks Mama
and love what we got! We have tried a Fuzzi Bunz and a bumGenius and a Bumkins is on the way. I also have some more on the way from Cotton Babies and I can't wait to see how everything works. Like making baby food, using cloth diapers is a lot easier than I thought it would be. I'm no pro by any means but I have noticed in the past few days Sweet Pea's bum hasn't been red at all. We'll see how it goes and I hope it will work so we can save some more money.

Oh Boy...or Girl?!?!?!

Yup that's right we are having another baby. Surprise to everyone!!! We are excited and overwhelmed all at the same time. The little ones will be about a year and a half apart, great for them but no rest for us. We'll make it by the grace and provision of God. Please pray for us!!!

More to come on recent events later.

Will We Ever Sleep Again?

I am currently a walking zombie. Our dear Sweet Pea decided to wake up at 4:30am and did not want to go back to bed. Mr. Man tried to cuddle with her and put her back to bed and that didn't work. Every time he was about to get back in bed she would cry. I swear this girl can see through walls. I tried to cuddle with her and that did not work either. I refused to get up that early in the morning and deal with her so into bed with us she came. Now, this has never happened before with us and I hope, pray it is a rare occasion. She finally fell asleep and woke up because the alarm went off. Sadly we all had to get up and start the day. I don't know why she is starting to do this but it needs to stop we need to sleep. Maybe we will get to sleep in about 12 years or so, but I doubt it.

When Life Hands You Lemons...

You can...

a) Make Lemonade
b) Make other lemon product
c) Throw them back and say "I wanted chocolate!!!!"

So, on the wonderful journey to McKay's last week I picked up a new journal that has lemons and lemonade on the cover and I just started using it today. Why journal and blog you may ask--because I don't want everyone reading every thought that comes to mind. I am a very open person but only to people I know, well most of the time. Anyway, back to my point. Last night Mr. Man challenged me to write down the thinks I'm thankful for everyday to help me to see the good things and not just the bad. I try to be thankful for what I have, but it's hard when it seems as though there's a continuous wave of bad happening. Not that I really have anything to complain about in life. I have a place to live, food, a job, wonderful family, good friends and the list can go on. It's just when the bad happens, no matter how small, it seems to eclipse any good that happens and why I would pick option c to getting lemons.

I have also started to read "Goals" by Brian Tracy to help myself to set some goals and maybe stick to them. I have also started to read "Love Languages of God" by Gary Chapman the same guy who wrote "5 Love Languages." So far they are both good, and I hope in reading them I can begin to move forward in life instead of just being here. Ya know what I mean?

On a more positive note, last night my darling daughter began to express her extreme love for her daddy. She fell asleep without a problem until she woke up about an hour and a half later. Since I had to go and pick Mr. Man up from work I wasn't going to fight her and she came downstairs to play. She started to get whiny so I tried cuddling with her on the couch, and on the way up she spotted a pillow that we got as a wedding present. It has a picture of me and Mr. Man on it. She lit up with delight at seeing her daddy and started beating the pillow saying "da da da" over and over again. It was so cute even though she wasn't saying "ma ma ma" I can get over that since I too am a daddy's girl. To help Miss Sweet Pea I called up Mr. Man and put him on speakerphone so that she could hear his voice too. She was so excited, but when we went to pick him up she played hard to get like she was mad that he went away. Is it possible for a 9 1/2 month old to know so much? I think it is. Thankfully I don't have to pick Mr. Man up from work tonight so maybe we can all get some much needed sleep.

I guess the question of the day is...What do you feel like doing when you get lemons?

Mr. Man

So, yesterday after work I came home to find a WONDERFUL surprise waiting for me. Mr. Man had gotten into one of his super-productive moods and began to clean the house. I could see the living room floor, the kitchen table, all of the kitchen counters, our bedroom floor, dresser, and desk, all of the laundry was ready to be sorted, the dishes were clean, and Sweet Pea was still napping. Could I ask for more? I am so thankful for these days when my dear husband goes on a cleaning frenzy. Oh, and to top it all of he had started to put up candles everywhere! Now our little apartment won't smell so much like baby. I can't say how thankful I am to have a husband who does not care one bit to fill the "woman's place" at home because if he didn't nothing would get done. I am the WORST cleaner! Ask anyone who has lived with me. I try so hard to keep things together but I just can't do it. I have gotten better as I have gotten older but I still need a lot of work. I just hope that I can stay disciplined enough to keep things organized.

Swimming and Bed Head

This was Sweet Pea's reaction to swimming...do I even need to tell a story? She loved it! She takes after her mom and dad with her new found love for water. We had a wonderful time in the pool, and I got to enjoy some time with Leslie while her family enjoyed taking care of Sweet Pea. It was so nice to be cool for one, and spend some time having girl talk. I think that Sweet Pea and I need to take some baby swim classes so that she can have some fun in a pool again. If that can't happen I need to get a kiddy pool with a cover to put on our little apartment deck so that we can all cool down on these hot August days.

I took this picture right after she got out of bed. I think her look and hair explain it all.

This little girl makes the best faces I have ever seen. She is so cute I could just eat her up. Well, until she is screaming or fussing over nothing at all. Sweet Pea is just learning how to give "kisses." A kiss from her is an open mouth attack to the face which is then followed by a lick. Sometimes there will be no lick, but you will get a wonderful slime from the drool that is always on her face. Coming from someone this cute you really can't complain.

Since I have nothing to do at work currently I pick a topic a day to research. Today's topic was cloth diapers. I had started to look into this before Sweet Pea was born and decided that I didn't want to go that way. Then I found g-diapers which are flushable diapers. These are ok, but I think are more of a hassle than cloth diapers would be and they are more expensive than disposable which does not help the financial situation. Thankfully I can use the g-diaper liners and covers if I try cloth diapers which will save some money and make me feel better for trying them. I think that I just need to order a sample pack and try a few cloth diapers out and see what Mr. Man thinks of them. I do have to report that I was able to pick up a Diaper Champ last night and I am quite happy with the new diaper holder purchase.

I really need to start a hobby of sorts so that I can have something else to talk about other than the wonderful world of baby. I love my Sweet Pea, but I need to find time do remember the things I liked to do before she was around. Not that I had a lot of time to do anything before.

I have also decided that next spring I am going to try to plant some vegetables in pots on our deck. One of our old neighbors did this on the sidewalk out side of our apartments. I really like veggies but produce is so expensive. I don't know if I'll have any success with this, but thanks to google I have all of the resources to start my garden in a pot next year.

Baby Manicure

I do not understand why it is so hard to trim baby nails, but I feel like this every time I try to give Sweet Pea her manicure and pedicure. I tried yesterday and failed. I would be willing to pay someone to do this. I've had to cut many a dog nail before, and let me tell you I would rather take a dog nail trimming over my baby girl's any day.

80's Fashion

I never thought this day would come, but 80's fashion is coming back!!!! I was looking through a new Victoria's Secret catalog and saw scary images of puffy pirate shirts, long sweaters with leggings, and even leggings with leg warmers...AHHHHHHH!! Can someone please reassure me that big hair/bangs and bad perms aren't coming back too? One of the few good points of the 80's was the cartoons and that is one of the only things that should come back. Maybe this move back to 80's fashion will help to get the "stretch" out of every pair of jeans, but on the other hand it might create a stretch tapered jean. I shudder at the thought.

I am quite excited for this evening! Sweet Pea and I get to have our first swimming adventure! Mr. Man is so sad that he has to work tonight and he can't go swimming with his baby. I feel bad (I really do hun) but it was the only time this week that I could get together with someone from school and have girl time. This is a rare occasion in my life and I try and take advantage when I can. I am hoping that this venture can also include a trip to Babies R Us to pick up a Diaper Champ. We learned the hard way that Diaper genies are a waste of money. It's amazing how much money we spend each month to collect the poo from Sweet Pea. I don't know what are worse gas prices or the baby industry, but both need some improvement.

8 o'clock pm

Praise the Lord above, I have figured out what time Sweet Pea needs to go to bed!!!! 8pm is the magical time when baby and crib can meet for about 11 1/2-12 hours of sleep. For the past 3 nights now bedtime has been a joy. Yes, she has woken up here and there due to her paci addiction, but other than that bedtime has been smooth sailing and I have been a happier person...well, for the most part.

Not only have I lost my mind for the past week, but I have also lost some sweetness. Mr. Man (who has found my blog) has informed me that I have been quite short with him and rather sassy. I don't deny this one bit, and I have no idea why I'm acting this way. Either I'm still quit hormonally imbalanced from starting the joy of womanhood again, or I'm pregnant. Let's hope that option #2 isn't the case quite yet. Life is crazy enough, money is tight enough, and time is stretched enough as it is. The next few weeks will tell. Though I think I may be addicted to pregnancy tests because I really had the need to buy one while at Wal-Mart today even though I know it's too early to try and test. I know that I'm 98% not pregnant but I just need to know...ya know? (**For those of you reading who attend COGTS please keep any comments to the blog and off of campus. I really don't feel like walking through the doors and hearing I'm expecting twins. I know how the gossip pit works, I sadly contribute to it , but nevertheless I would appreciate any conversation to stay here until at least August 19th when I should be able to take a test...thank you).

Moving on. This weekend the FAM took a wonderful trip to Chattanooga, TN with two friends from school. We had a lovely lunch at Olive Garden that took a bit too long with a server who liked to stay at our table a bit too long. He must have been new because his skills were quite lacking. I have very little patience at restaurants especially when I have a bad server. This guy was not bad, but I guess my standards are too high which they shouldn't be because I have no experience serving what so ever. I hope that my feelings are just part of my hormonal rollercoaster that I'm on right now and that it ends soon.

Does anyone out there is bloggerland know of a good "Pill" to take? I have had little success taking The Pill and would love for something effective to work that doesn't induce major depression.

Sadly my brain has gone to mush and I cannot remember the rest of the thoughts I had left to put down. Super Nanny and some bill sorting are calling my name. *sigh* Oh another evening of fun.

Bird of Paradise

This is one of my favorite pictures ever and it was taken by my mom! Yay mom:)

Thoughts of the Day

* If I only had a brain...that would work when it needs to
So, for the past week my brain has decided to go on vacation. Last Saturday at work (job #1 at PetCo) I couldn't do anything right. I have been working for PetCo for 3 years now and I was acting like a trainee on day #2 of work. Then there have been little things all week that I haven't been able to do. The best was yesterday...I forgot it was going to be Thursday and I didn't even go to work at PetCo. Every Thursday I wake-up before anyone should be and unload the truck for the week and put up new stock. It's not great, but it's a few extra hours of pay that I can't complain about. I don't know how I forgot to go it, but I didn't remember until 12:30pm. Thankfully they weren't mad. Then today I had a board meeting for job #2 (World Harvest Outreach Ministries), which thankfully I made it to, but afterwards I was supposed to call Mr. Man to see where he was. He had to bring Sweet Pea in for her 9 month check up (21 pounds 9 ounces & 28 3/4 inches long now) and I needed to check to see where he was at when the end of the meeting. I never called him. I just asked someone if they could bring me to the doctor's office assuming that he would still be there. No, he wasn't. I got dropped off at home and called to see where he was. Mr. Man was waiting at the seminary across from where the meeting was. My original plan was to go to the seminary after the meeting to see if he was there or just wait there until he was done at the doctor. I don't know who or what is stealing my brainpower but I NEED IT BACK!!!!

* Yay for Bath time!!
I got a wonderful reminder from someone yesterday of the power of bath time before bedtime. So tonight I gave Sweet Pea a bath with the amazing Johnson&Johnson's Lavender baby wash and bedtime was wonderful! She had a wonderful fit while I was trying to get her PJ's on, but after that it was cuddle time and into bed...no bottle necessary. I have no idea if she'll last through the night, but right now it's 7:50pm and I'm enjoying peace and quiet.

Well, I wrote that way to soon. I have now entered into the crying/screaming fit that is bedtime. I am really hoping the bottle and Mylacon will do the trick because I don't know how much crying I can take tonight.

* Thank God for Rain!!!
After too many weeks of blazing hot temperatures God finally sent the rain. You can walk outside and you don't feel like you need a shower for once. I hope that the rain will continue for 3 days so that we can all cool down and the city can get a much needed soaking.

* DSL
Mr. Man and I broke down and upgraded from Dial-up to DSL. I am so happy that we did. Now I can accomplish something in 5 minutes when I sit down at the computer to go online.

* Peanut Butter and Chocolate
I don't know how you feel about peanut butter and chocolate but I adore the two. It has to be one of the best combos in the world when it comes to food. I am quite happy to say that I have found a wonderful recipe to enjoy these two wonderful treats thanks to the website of my favorite morning radio show.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies
1-cup peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)
1-cup sugar
1 egg

Mix everything together and put in the fridge for a half hour. Roll into a ball, coat in sugar if you'd like, make the criss-cross pattern with a fork, bake at 350 for 10-12 min. For the chocolate part press Hershey kisses into the cookies while they cool.

Such yummy goodness for such little work.

Drive Fast and Eat Cheese

3rd Rock From the Sun has to be one of the best shows. Mr. Man and I have been renting the first season and enjoying the laughs together. Last night we watched an episode where Dick learned about death and realized he wanted to live life to the fullest. So, he told Mary that they had to "drive fast and eat cheese." Retelling it this was is just not funny, but if you saw the episode you would be laughing too.

I was so excited that yesterday I got to indulge myself in the world of beauty. I was able to go by myself to get my hair and nails done. 2 hours, pink nail polish, and a wonderful hair cut later I was feeling wonderful. If only I could have had a pedicure too. These treats rarely come in life so I take the most of them while I can. I was only able to get the manicure because it was free and the haircut was in the budget. Now if I can just find the time to paint my toes all will be good. Sadly Mr. Man, like most men, does not understand the concept of pretty nails. I keep trying to convince him that he would really enjoy a spa pedicure without the nail polish. He just doesn't believe me. I can't see how anyone wouldn't enjoy a good foot soaking, mini-leg/food massage, not having to bend over to cut your toenails, while sitting in a massage chair, but I guess that's just my female mind at work.


Bedtime was another adventure last night. I took dish duty while Mr. Man put Sweet Pea to bed. We thought she was going down for the night, but she deceived us! About a half hour and 10 trips upstairs later she won and came downstairs to play. I think gas was the problem tonight or she was just being her wonderful little self. This is a picture of her in Michigan enjoying her first swing and the wonderful cool weather. It's so hard to imagine how someone so cute can cause so much trouble.

Today will be a semi-eventful day for a change. Mr. Man's sister, friend, and 2 big dogs will be spending the night in our little apartment. It's always fun when Clara and 4-legged friends come to town. She got married last month and sadly her new hubby still has to do some work in MI so he won't be coming along. Thankfully Sweet Pea isn't allergic to dogs and loves big ones. I think this is a good thing because she is a tough little cookie and I don't think a little puppy could handle her. Some day we will have a pet of our own. My mom always told me I could have a cat once I moved out. I've been out for 6 years now and still no cat. This is a problem that must be remedied.

Million Dollar Paci

Million Dollar Paci

"It's BEDTIME!!" Those dreaded words that even a 9 month old understands, and hates to hear. Until a few days ago Sweet Pea had no problems going to bed. There were the few rough nights where she cried for 5-20 minutes and then finally took her paci and went to sleep. Last night was not that kind of night. I don't know if it's the switch to homemade baby food, moving to a new apartment, or separation anxiety that is keeping my darling daughter from dreamland, but something needs to be done. Last night we went through our routine as usual and when I put her in the crib she screamed for about an hour. I kept trying to calm her down but she would only be quiet out of the crib. Finally I gave in to her pitiful cries for help and we went downstairs. I watched the end of SuperNanny while she fell asleep on my tummy. Thankfully she stayed asleep when I brought her upstairs.

Tonight, thankfully, was a much better night. PJ's, bottle, paci and cuddle time did the trick. At times a paci is worth a million dollars. I know it's going to be hard to rid Sweet Pea of her paci addiction, but we will cross that bridge later in life.

Along with a smooth slide into dreamland I got another wonderful surprise. A few friends (who shall remain anonymous) brought over half a bottle of wine for my and Mr. Man's enjoyment. Since my dear husband does not enjoy the stuff one bit more for me! Please don't take this delight the wrong way. I am not, have not, nor will I be a heavy drinker, but when the opportunity comes along to have a glass of good wine or a good beer I will gladly take it. Sadly, I couldn't enjoy the wine upon delivery since I have the car and have to pick Mr. Man up from work later on tonight. Thankfully I will be able to fall asleep easily tonight.

I just hate those nights when you can't seem to turn your mind off, and things from the past just keep popping into it. Oh how I wish there was an off switch for the parts of the brain you don't need while sleeping.

On another note, I am on the hunt for a good devotional book. I can never seem to find one that I finish. I don't know if this is the books fault or my own lack of discipline when it comes to keeping regular devotional/Bible reading/prayer time. I am quite flawed in this area. I would appreciate any suggestions for good books or ways to stay on track.

Why 31 Woman?

I'm quite new to this whole blogging craze so I'm not sure where to start, but here are my first thoughts.

First my blog name. "31 Woman...Well, trying to be" The 31 Woman comes from Proverbs 31. I have always enjoyed the Proverb, but after a Mother's Day service I was inspired by it even more. My pastor taught on all of the things that this one woman does. There are the obvious things like taking care of her husband and children and making sure that the house is tended to, but there is so much more. She is also a thriving business woman! She bought land, planted a vineyard, and made money from it. She also makes clothing and sells it. She is wise, and is known (in a positive way) at the gates of the town. Above all she loves the Lord!

This is a whole lot to live up to especially the part about rising early in the morning to get things ready for the day (morning and I do not get along well). My goal is to strive to be like this woman. I have a long, long way to go but I am ready for the journey ahead.

Much of this blog, I think, will be about my journey in life. The good, the bad, and the ugly.