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2.24.2012

Five Question Friday



1. What's your favorite way to spend down time (alone or with a significant other)?
Alone time? What's that?! No really... I usually read, or watch movies. And I do that alone or with J... here lately we've been going to bed after Boogie goes down and just reading. We're really exciting.

2. Are you the kind of person that wants things more as soon as you know you can't have it?
Unfortunately, yes.

3. If you were given $1000 to spend on yourself, what would you buy?
LMBO, but what if the things I want for myself are technically for Boogie too? Because I really want a new glider rocker to rock Boogie in... so technically while it's for her it's for my back more... right? And I want an iPad.... but I want it to have fun preschool learning games and interactive books for Boogie.... and I'm already getting a bunch of new carriers for ME (coughBoogiecough).... my world just revolves around my kid. Sorry!

4. Do you ever go out to eat by yourself?
When am I ever by myself? There's always at least Boogie with me!

5. What company would you want to do a blog review for?
Apple. Please, and thank you.






2.20.2012

M.I.A.

Yikes, I've really been M.I.A. this past week haven't I? Guess I have some explaining to do then, eh? Well, for starters, we didn't get the house... and after praying about it we decided not to get it BEFORE we heard we didn't get it. I don't even want to get into the logistics, or the reasons... just that God is showing us the way. We are looking at an apartment, yes another apartment, down the street today. The ONLY reason we are looking at this apartment is because it's managed by the company that originally managed the one we are in. Our current landlord is horrendous. Horrible. Irresponsible... I could go on, but I'll stop there. So, it's pretty much the exact kind of apartment we're in now, same price, same amenities with the added bonus of a deck. It would be a huge weight off of our shoulders to be back with a rental company we trust and actually know us and have worked with us before. So that's that... I'll update later on how that goes.


Last week was Valentine's Day and we were supposed to have Boogie's pictures taken by an AMAZING photographer on Monday, but she got sick and had to reschedule so we decided to take our vacation a little early (which as you'll read later on was a good thing). We left Monday afternoon after J got off work and headed to Gatlinburg, TN. We actually decided to stay on the interstate instead of going through Cosby like we typically do because it had been raining and such a lot that day and didn't want to hit any ice on the way. We ate dinner in Sevierville and finally made it to our hotel around 7ish. We stayed in a phenomenal hotel, it's called the Bearskin Lodge. I've actually posted about it before but we didn't end up staying there during the trip we had planned on in that post. It's on a back road very close to downtown Gatlinburg and it is so so so cozy. It's decorated like a mountain cabin, and the rooms are SO nice. We stayed in a King Suite, it had (obviously) a king sized bed, a pull-out couch, a gas fireplace, a whirlpool tub, and a city view. My only complaint is that there wasn't a rocking chair... but obviously most hotels don't have those! But with a child who doesn't sleep unless she's rocked and nursed... it made our nights a little bit difficult!


On Valentine's Day we decided to drive to Sevierville to eat at our favorite restaurant for Breakfast, the Apple Barn. If you have never been... please go, they have a phenomenal breakfast and their apple fritters, apple butter, and apple julep are to die for! Boogie also LOVES their apple muffins! Then we headed back to Gatlinburg to spend the rest of our day. We headed to the aquarium first, which was quite affordable this time thanks to the hotel management at our hotel who gave us a free pass! We were so excited to see Boogie's reaction to all the fish and ocean animals, the last time we were there she had just turned 3 months and could care less that we were surrounded by such beauty! She had a ball this time though! She also thought all the fish were 'balls', lol! She'd put her hands against the glass and just talk and squeal at the fish, it was wonderful! The best part was getting to see the giant sea turtle in the largest tank, Boogie loves turtles!


The rest of the day we spent walking around downtown Gatlinburg exploring the shops and such, we even decided to kill some time by visiting Ripley's Believe it Or Not... but honestly I wasn't all that impressed! Our day ended at The Melting Pot. I wasn't as impressed this time around, mainly because they had only ONE four course menu to eat from... meaning non choices. Kind of takes the fun out of it! But it was still yummy, and Boogie didn't scream the entire time like she did last time!


Since we went to dinner super super early as to not disturb the couples without children (seriously, we ate at 2:15pm), we decided to go ahead and go to Sevierville again to shop at some of the stores in the Tanger outlet. We didn't really need anything, but we thought it would be fun to look anyways. I actually found some great deals at Osk Kosh B Gosh and Naartjie (which is my new favorite store btw).


Wednesday morning we packed up our stuff and headed home, we stopped about 25 minutes from home to eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel and then stopped at a store in downtown Asheville to get a few used diapers and then we finally made it home. THANK GOODNESS.


The rest of the week is a bit of a blur... I watched a friend's baby on Thursday... and then Friday. Oh Friday. The morning and afternoon were completely normal... and then that evening the norovirus hit me. The norovirus is the virus of DEATH. It is absolutely miserable. I couldn't move, lay down, hold my child, nurse my child... it was awful. I was confined to the recliner in a reclined sitting position, and J had to help me in and out of it because I was so weak from vomiting and dehydration. I never want to relive that again. Thankfully my mother in law came and stayed the night and helped with Boogie, who was SUCH a good girl. She handled everything so well and didn't hate me the next day for not holding or nursing her ALL night. Saturday morning my mom came over when J went to work, I was done getting sick and feeling much better but I was incredibly weak and VERY dehydrated. I had a fever and a monstrous headache and was extremely dizzy. I felt that way pretty much all day until I was able to get re-hydrated with water and Gatorade. I was able to (and felt comfortable enough) to nurse Boogie around 2 that day and thankfully there was still milk to be found!



Yesterday was better, but I was still weak... Boogie and I spent the majority of the day in the recliner resting and her nursing. She was very cuddly, which I'm thankful for... I felt terrible that I couldn't be near her Friday night. I didn't want her to get sick and took some medication that wouldn't have been safe for her if she had nursed (truthfully the medicine didn't do squat... but I was hoping it would give me some relief). I'm still weak today, but I've been able to get up and move and play with Boogie a bit more today. Oh and to top off that weekend... due to not nursing Boogie for almost 16 hours dear Aunt Flo paid a visit after 61 days of not seeing her... yay.

That pretty much sums up our week... I will update again with what we decide to do with this other apartment and with pictures from our trip. Hope everyone else had a MUCH better weekend than we did!

2.10.2012

Five Question Friday



1. How often do you shave your legs in the winter?
Before I got pregnant I shaved them religiously... when I got pregnant I couldn't reach my legs in the winter.... and when I became a mother I gave up finding time to do it. So I shave them when I can... it's not really a priority lol. Thankfully my husband loves me either way ;-)

2. Valentine's Day Cards for your spouse: funny or romantic?
Funny!

3. What are you most looking forward to about spring?
Being able to walk down to the park with Elah... it sucks being trapped in the house all the time. 

4. What's your favorite way to pamper yourself?
A cup of coffee or hot cocoa and a good book!

5. Does your tax return go into savings or do you spend it instantly?
This year half went into savings and half went towards a few bills, a few things we needed, and a few things we wanted... and of course a few things for our girl :)
  




2.06.2012

Wishing and Hoping and Thinking and Praying...

In the past several months if you have been reading my blog you may have noticed a trend... we fall in love with a house, we think we're getting said house... and then everything crashes and burns. Ok, so I'm being a bit dramatic, but that's what it has felt like to us! I'm stressed, I'm frustrated, I'm so ready to be done with this whole house hunting business. If this is stressful I can't imagine what house hunting for a house to PURCHASE will be like. UGH! Anyways... let me give you a bit of the back story first.

We moved into this apartment in April of 2010. ONE week after moving in I found out I was pregnant. First of all, if we had known we were pregnant prior to moving into this place, we would have looked elsewhere and found a house. I never wanted to raise my child in an apartment, but we lived... we made it work. NOW... we have neighbors that make us feel uncomfortable, they are loud, rude, and totally disrespectful. When you live in an apartment building you really should be courteous of those around you. You are NOT the only people in the building for crying out loud! I know my child screams... there's not much I can do about that. I can control how loud my music is, whether or not I choose to slam the door, or if I let my visitors ring the doorbell over and over and over (this is especially irritating when Boogie is finally down for a nap after fighting with her for an HOUR). Is that too much to ask? Ok. So, this past week we had decided to suck it up and stay put. There's always the chance that this time next year we will be moving away to wherever J finds a job as a Certified Dietary Manager. So yea, we can deal for a year right? Then I found this house. A remodeled 2 bedroom house in a town over the mountain for $100 LESS than what we're paying for this apartment. So of course I get all excited.

Fast-forward to today. We go to see the house, and it was seriously adorable. A little small, but doable. When I spoke with the couple who owned it last week I was told we would be the FIRST to see it since I was the FIRST to contact them. Well, lo and behold, a few other couples have already looked at it and put their applications in. Great. So I'm stressed again. Ugh. We are supposed to hear from them by tomorrow night or Wednesday morning as to whether or not it's ours. Until then we're going to look at ONE more house further down the mountain that is a bit nicer and has more storage and such for $50 less than what we're paying now. Please pray for us. I am trying very hard to lay all of this at the feet of God, but it's hard. I know He has a plan, I know He has everything laid out for us. Do you hear me Lord? You're stressing me out!

On a happier note, we got our taxes back this week and my school check (at least the majority of it) will be in my hands at the end of this week so we will have money to put back into our savings AND to buy some much needed new furniture. Goodbye Walmart furniture, hello real wood USED furniture. There's an amazing 'antique barn' in town that has a huge assortment of furniture, rugs, and odds and ends. I found a table and chairs that I am in LOVE with. It's very similar to a set I fell in love with at World Market, but the price is a good bit lower. We're also going to get a dresser and refurbish it as an entertainment center for the living room. Boogie won't leave anything alone these days so that will help with that problem a bit. We also need a new dresser for our room and one for Boogie's room... and I would like to find a new desk. This one broken feet, literally. We also need to find a washer and dryer if we get the first house we looked at... AND a freezer because we are hoping to buy a cow to stock up on meat. That's a lot... but I have high hopes from what we saw at the antique place today! Hurray!

Proud Mama Monday

Saw this fun blogging link up on a friend's blog... you can read about her Proud Mama moments on her blog, A Work in Progress!

Anyways, so this past week Boogie has taken off! She's officially a toddler... which is both exciting and depressing all at the same time! So we celebrated by buying her some new shoes. And no child of mine can go without a pair of chucks!





I also decided to try wrapping again... in the past several months it's been impossible to wrap Boogie. She stretches her legs and I haven't been able to get a good seat under her when I back wrap her... but lately she's let me do it again! I even wrapped her at Target the other day, but after being on my back for about an hour she was over it and wanted to sit in the buggy! But that was better than nothing!




2.03.2012

Five Question Friday



1. What have you done recently that you are proud of?
I've started baking and cooking a LOT more. I've really gotten into it and started trying new things... not everything turns out right but I'm learning and LOVING it!

2. What is your favorite way to workout? Or if you don't workout , what are you wanting to try?
I'm beyond frustrated with trying to workout right now. It's next to impossible with a toddling 13 month old and in an apartment building! With Boogie around she climbs up my legs and whines and cries until I stop and pay attention to her. Then when she's napping I can't be too loud and then when she goes to bed I can't (at least I am respectful enough not to) disturb our neighbors downstairs! I do however really enjoying walking, this past year J, Boogie and I have walked all over downtown! Today I put Boogie in the Ergo and we walked down to the school to hang out with mom and the kiddos! So at least when it's pretty I can do SOMETHING active!

3. If you knew your best friend was cheating on their spouse would you tell?
Yes, without a doubt I would. I would hope that if the tables were turned that my friend would do the same for me, I can't imagine how humiliating it would be for my friend to know and me NOT to know!

4. If you could afford a live-in maid or nanny would you have one?
Hmmm... possibly a maid, but I don't know about a live-in one. I do think it would be a nice treat to have something like Merry Maids come in and do a deep clean 1-2 times a year!

5. Do you stress out about birthdays (specifically the age) or do you enjoy them?
If I had gone way overboard with Elah's birthday I think I would have been way stressed, but we decided to keep it simple. I was a little stressed about getting the decor done, but it was a LOT of fun! I look forward to planning future birthdays for my girl and her future siblings!


DON'T FORGET TO LINK UP!
  





2.01.2012

Just An Update

I haven't had much time to blog these days... I mean I've blogged more than I had been, but not as much as I would like! School is kicking my butt, I'm taking 2 sets of 8 week classes, but that doesn't mean less work. The classes are full semester courses condensed into 8 weeks, so that's double the reading and double the assignments. It's hard to keep up with all of that, chase after a WALKING (yes, walking) toddler, take care of house and home... and still manage to find time to do something for just ME. I'm doing pretty well though, one of the classes I'm taking is an American Women's History class. Very interesting so far... I especially loved all the discussions we've had about midwives.


As for Boogie, she is now a walking girl! She had been toddling a bit here and there, then all of a sudden this past week she took off! And since my last update, Boogie has learned how to safely get off the couch... so we're no longer "superman diving" into piles of blankets. We also moved the couch and armchair around so that she'd stop climbing from the couch to the chair. She fell BETWEEN them a few times and totally freaked me out. Ay yi yi! So my now 13 month old is walking, talking (she adds new words everyday, it's incredible!), and is as sassy as ever. We've gone a few days with GREAT sleep, then we go a few days with no sleep... it's an adventure for sure. But as I have said before, Boogie will figure this whole sleep thing out on her own. Tonight she's only woken up once so far, when she is comfortable enough she'll sleep the entire night through! I have faith!


As for J, he's still enjoying his job although we both wish he could have an occasional Sunday off. It's rough missing out on church for ALL of us. I hope to fix that at some point. He's looking forward to getting the study materials for his certification exam so he can start preparing, I know he'll do GREAT!


As for the entire family, we have gone back and forth about moving. The problem is that if we do move, there's always the chance that we'd have to uproot and move again if J has to find a job outside of this area. Then again, we live in an apartment that is not suitable to raise a child in... the apartment itself is fine, the neighbors not so much. They don't bother us, however living in an apartment means lots of noises, lots of doors slamming, and questionable neighbors doing... well questionable things. I'll leave it at that. One of my other issues is that Boogie can't play outside here, nor do I feel comfortable taking her outside. We need a house. With a yard. Without these neighbors. This past week I've really gone back and forth though, should we move, should we wait, should we buy another vehicle first... so a few nights ago I prayed. I had prayed about it before, but not solely for this purpose. A few hours later I was browsing Craigslist and came across a house in the county over, about 10 minutes away from here. It looked AMAZING. Below what we have budgeted out for, central heat/air, 2 bedrooms (we would prefer 3 but CAN work with 2), a lot of land, and it's been remodeled. So I immediately e-mailed the owners and we are going to see it next Wednesday! I'm trying not to get my hopes up... every time I do something falls through. But the timing has been perfect, and I spoke to the woman who owns it and she seems like a wonderful person, she was very kind and I had a nice conversation with her! I hope that if we get this place that God will work it out for J to find a job in the area. I'd love to stay here until we are ready and comfortable to purchase a home of our own!


As for me, aside from school, I'm thinking about going to a local yarn shop to take a beginner's knitting class! J is off the day that it's held every week, so this would work out GREAT! I've been trying to teach myself and it just hasn't gone so well, so hopefully this can be a fun little activity for me to do just for me. I've also thought about taking a photography class or two after this semester. I don't want to do anything professionally but I'd love to learn to take better pictures of my family and our outings. I've ALSO looked into becoming a doula, I'm actually seriously considering it. However I think it's something that I will need/want to postpone until we're done having children and I'm done nursing the youngest so that I can devote more time to this career. I'm pretty excited about everything, after a year of mommyhood I feel like I can finally take a breath and a moment for myself.


I also wanted to ask for some prayers. I'm struggling with how to deal with certain people. I don't want to go into details or anything, but I'm just struggling with whether or not I should even offer advice to certain people when asked or if I should just keep my opinions to myself. It's a tough road...