My Crazy Summer Sale!

I wanted to start the summer off with a crazy sale. For the next 10 days you can take 25% off of The Extend-A-Bibs (thats a 3$ savings) All Fancy Shmancy Bows and Ensey Tensey Clips as well as all bow holders. Use coupon code BLOG. Sale ends June 13th at midnight.

Extend-A-Bibs

Flutter Bye Bows

Fancy Shmancy Bows

Encey Tensey Hair Bows

Youve got to be.....

....kidding me!! Wheather you agree with the FLDS or not on there religious beliefs and practices, what we should all be able to agree on is that the way this went down was wrong on so many levels. So much so that the courts said "give the children back"

Now, I read this:

AUSTIN -- With the price tag of providing care for more than 400 children seized last month from a polygamist ranch in West Texas expected to reach the tens of millions of dollars, a legislative panel suggested Tuesday that the state explore garnisheeing the religious organization's assets to recoup the costs.

"That compound didn't grow out of fairy dust," Sen. Robert Deuell, R-Greenville, said after a Senate Finance Committee hearing in which he urged state health officials to determine whether members of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or even the sect as a whole, should be held responsible for the cost of care. "Why should we be footing the bill when they've got assets?"

Really are they serious? It takes alot to shock me these days, but I must say I am shocked. You can read the rest of the article here.

How does your garden grow?

We had some great rains the past few days, but with rains come lots of weeds and grass. So my goal was to spend about an hour or so out this morning weeding. It was supposed to be super hot today, but my wonderful Father kept the sun at bay and the temperatures down, what a gift that was! So what are we growing?

1. a variety of tomatoes
2. bell peppers
3. acorn squash
4. yellow squash
5. zucchini
6. peas
7. green beans
8. red onions
9. yellow onions
10. okra
11. cabbage
12. cantaloupe
13. lettuce

I had black eyed peas and black beans growing but I had to pull them out because apparently they attract some pretty fears bugs. I will grow them later in a plot by themselves. We should have yellow squash abound in about 10 days. Let me tell ya gardening is hard work. I know I keep saying that, but its true. What I realized is we have become a people who stand or sit in most everything we do. Squatting and being bent over is a whole other set of muscles. I come in after an hour of working out there and I am so sore. I know Here's a few pics, its hard to get the whole garden in so its just portions.

I saw this tee shirt on a website that sells maternity shirts with sayings. I loved this one! Its kinda a running joke between my two oldest and myself. In an episode of SpongeBob they are visiting Sandy for the first time in her waterless bubble and while they are sitting in there trying to ignore the fact that they needed water, Spongebob says "we don't need water, waters for sissies" trust me it was funny. So when I saw this shirt it cracked me up.

My Girls

Playing with photos is alot of fun. I like to enhance eyes and age photos, these are two of my favorites!

Summer Fun

These were from a couple of years ago. They were playing in the field across the street. It was a beautiful day and perfect for flying a kite! I adore the expressions on their faces.

Its all uphill from here

You know that when you open the door to that nursery and see your little one diaperless and finger painting with her morning offerings that it really is all up hill from here. Now some might say "what a horrible start to the day" I prefer to swim for my life in a glass half full!

This day can only keep getting better, yes indeed!!!

Edited 30 minutes later:
So, hubby just called to let me know that he got a ticket this morning because our son who was going to work with him today was wearing the shoulder part of the seatbelt behind his back and for not having insurance (which we have, I just hadnt given him the new card yet, the old card was only about 10 days expired) So he assentially just got a ticket for not having insurnace that we have and for my son not wearing a seatbelt that he had on?

Its all uphill from here, right?

This & That

Devon was switching laundry from washer to dryer when I turned around from the sink and no longer saw Ava standing there...this is what I found. She is the biggest goofball around, always doing silly stuff. I weaned her last week because she was only nursing every couple of days and I was tired of being sore all the time. Well, I guess she is missing it because she started crawling up in my lap and sucking on her forearm. She is giving herself hickeys all up her arm.

We have squash and zuchinni peeking out! I love watching things grow!
This was a coy pond that you can burry in your yard and put fish in, my neighbor gave it to me when she moved. I turned it into a lettuce container garden. In a few weeks we should have lots of fresh lettuce at the table.

10 wks & 5 days

Boy time is flying by. I found this great website that has a sono of a baby at this stage. That little kiddo is a regular jumping bean....I love it!

"The brain will continue to grow at an amazing rate and nearly a quarter of a million new neurons are produced every minute! The embryonic heart is completely developed."

Miraculous? Why yes indeed!

Finding Pleasentness

I find myself these days searching for things that are pleasant, trying to focus on something other than feeling horrible. There is nothing worse than standing over cooking meat preparing dinner for your family, when you are white as a sheet.

This has to be the hardest part for me the first 3 months. It seems that without much effort life can come to a grinding halt during this time. I have to force myself to even walk across a room sometimes. Along with the icks my brain shuts down...as I sit here my eyes wish they could shut tight not to open again for 3 more weeks.

I know I'm pouting, I have to pout to keep from falling asleep though ;-) Sorry for being so sporadic in my blogging lately. I am spending quite a bit of time in the garden....they are alot of work, aren't they? Things are growing well, so its worth all the work!

Its getting pretty warm here, it was 98 two days ago....which is the reason I am sitting here typing this out. This is the only room with the air on today (trying to save money) so I am in here cooling down, wishing Franky hadn't torn up the couch that used to be in here, now that would be lovely a nap on a cushy couch right in front of the air. Ahhh......see pleasantries, I found some!

Still Surprised

Its not new news that the Duggars are expecting again, it was announced on Mothers Day that she will be having baby 18(19) on January 1st 09. What I thought was cute was how her children still get excited...some even shocked at the news of a new baby coming. Very Cute! Another interesting fact, Michelle Duggar drinks two pots of coffee a day? Wow, and I felt guilty with drinking my one cup once or twice a week LOL.

You can see the announcement here and another here.

UC Home Birth and stuff

Wow, its been a weird couple of weeks for me. I think my hormones have really done a work over on my state of mind. I'll be very translucent here and say I have been having a hard time getting excited about this pregnancy. Just a feeling of blah has been over me this whole time. All I can figure is it has to be hormones because if you know me even a little bit you know that I LOVE babies and LOVE having them. I am sure it will pass soon.

Some have asked about being my own care giver during pregnancy and what that looks like. I'll give you a short history. My first 4 children where born in a hospital, the last two with a fabulous Dr whom I adored. BUT, I always left the hospital with baby in arms feeling like a protocol like another one through the cattle gates and out the door. I was never fulfilled or happy with my experience. I just knew that it had to be easier than that, that surly babies didn't require all that to make it into this world safe.

I have been studying midwifery for over 3 years now, just as a passion of mine. One day when my children are grown I will put my knowledge into practice with others but for now I use it for myself and a few close friends. I marvel at the miracle of the birthing process, our Creator is truly Awesome. A woman's body in unison with her and our Father can deliver a baby beautifully with very little to no assistance.

So upon being pregnant with my 5th baby we lived in an area of CO that was pretty remote and I decided it was my time, we would do this with no outside help. He was born healthy, my biggest yet at 9 pounds and 22 inches in less than 45 minutes. It was my easiest birth, it finally felt "right" for me. The last two have been also home births and both were super quick and easy with labor and delivery on both lasting less than 3 hours.

So how do I know throughout pregnancy that baby is OK? Well. lets start with what we can control and monitor. Many things you can do yourself. After 12 weeks you can pretty much (not always) assume that you are past any place where you might loose the baby. So the first 12 weeks are spent resting, eating well, and praying for baby. Nothing else is needed. After 12 weeks you can begin to keep a journal of your pregnancy. Begin measuring your fundal height and do it regularly to keep an on going tally. Use this tool as a "common sense" guide. If you are 25 weeks and measuring 33 weeks than perhaps you are carrying twins, maybe you are way off on your due date. If you are measuring that large and rarely feel the baby move, you may have to much amnio fluid. Etc, Etc.

Purchase urine sticks. This will help you to chart any problems or lack thereof just as the Dr office would do. A doppler can be rented or purchased. This will be my first year to use a doppler and I am excited about it. Seeings how this is number 8 I wanted a little bit more control over monitoring this pregnancy and a doppler just feels right. I can monitor babies heart throughout pregnancy and delivery. Check your blood presure at least once a month at the grocery store if you dont have a BP monitor.

Common sense and prayer/listening are the key. We live in a knowledge NOW society. Sometimes just waiting out something and listening to your body and trusting The Lord are the answers. Here's an example, I have a friend and we are due at the same time. She has been super sick with sinus and stuff for a few weeks, she went in to get antibiotics and should be fine shortly. But, she began bleeding a few days ago...not alot but enough for her to be sent to bed and wait it out for the rest of the week. If her bleeding gets heavier, then she is probably loosing the baby, but I think she just needs rest due to all the sickness and coughing etc. She will wait it out for the next few days and watch her body to know what is happening with her. She could run to the Dr and have them poke and prod her to give her an answer or she can wait out the week and let her body give her the answer.

Please don't get me wrong, Dr's are important. There are some cases where it is a must to be under Dr care and if that's the case then so be it. Safety of mom and baby is key. Common Sense comes into play when you know something is absolutely wrong and you seek a physicians help. Its a fine line of not jumping to conclusions and worrying over every little thing and knowing when you need help. Listening to our bodies and our Lord will give us that knowledge.

So there you have it, nothing stellar ;-) I will keep my pregnancy journal on the blog as I take stats and asses each month. So you can get a feel of what it looks like played out. One thing notable this time around is I have already felt the baby move. Last night and the night before I was sleeping on my stomach and could feel pouncing around. It was very strange in deed. Hmmm..... wonder what that could mean? LOL

Take me......

.....and pull me through.
Cause I can’t move without You.
I won’t leave you alone, You say.
It will be ok.


Its not all roses and cherry pie, is it? Often life requires that you step out of yourself completely and just let Him pull you through.

........my heals can sometimes leave deep trenches in the sand.

I close my eyes and sing ...."I wont leave you alone, You say.......

......it will be OK......

.....Great is Your glory as You go before me!

This and That

We are all feeling better now and I am almost completely well. Still feel a bit queasy from early pregnancy but its totally manageable. I am really more in a fog than anything, just like my brain is in a daze half the time. But at least I am not on the couch unable to do anything. Due to these oh so familiar symptoms of feeling like a "lazy summer day" I am going out on a limb here at 8 weeks and 6 days to forecast a boy is on its way.

The garden has really grown this past week. We have added (yes even while I was feverish I was out gardening) 5 more rows of veges. If the birds will leave it alone we should have a great harvest.

I finally figured out the problem with my camera software and can now upload pictures once again. So I'll share a few now.


9 chickens + 7 days = 43 eggs! They've been busy girls.

I had to take this picture the other day, aren't those boys cute!

My new favorite thing, 10 grain cereal.

170 pounds and he still has to sleep with a stuffed animal.

Have a great weekend!!

Money Exchange

I have seen this around blogland for a few weeks and being the slow to jump in person that I am, it has taken me this long to claim my 25$. Its easy though, you just open an account with them (they are like PayPal) and they will start you out with 25$. FREE MONEY....that happens almost never!

If you refer other you can receive 10$. I heard it through the grape vine that Crystal Pain from Biblical Womanhood, actually made $500 in referrals. Not bad!

So if you are interested head on over there and open up your account and get that 25$, you have until May 15th before the offer ends though....so hurry up!

Sick

Sickness has come to our home. Last week the 4 little ones got sick, then the next two oldest came down with it and now it is my turn. So far the only ones spared are Rob and Devon. I feel like I have bronchitis. So needless to say I am tired and taking it easy. The morning sickness has subsided rather quickly I only had a few days of feeling bad.....we'll just have to see if it returns.

Due Date

Some have asked when I am due. My handy pregnancy wheel says December 14th 2008. We dont have a Dec. baby yet so we are excited to have a new month on the Birthday list.

I need to order a new fetal dopplar and a few other things, I love being my own caregiver...who knows you better than, well.....you ;-)

I know.....

.....whenceforth it got its name. You have to sit "en" the middle of it and "Gard" it.

Feeling Green

Thank you Father for this morning sickness, for it means a new life grows within!!

Well, I was waiting for it....the yucks. They have arrived, although not as bad as they could be. I tried the bean cure and well, as much as I would have liked for it to work, it really doesn't. It works for a few minutes then your back to feeling bad. The sheer amount of beans I would have to eat in order to keep the yucks at bay would be more than I could stomach.

I am a bit foggy brained too. So if I make no sense its the hormones talking ;-)

I wanted to let everyone know that the Dress Kits are ready. My camera is not working for me to retake pics of the fabric and upload them right now. I hope to have it fixed in the next few days so that I can get them listed here and in the store. The cost will be $17.00 (postage paid). If you want to go ahead and order using the fabric I have listed here go right ahead. Some of those fabrics have been spoken for, so ask me and I'll let you know if they are still available.

Oh, I almost forgot....Ava's Dr appointment went fine and her bump is nothing serious. It apparently is where a piece of fat breaks off of the bodies fat layer and lodges somewhere its not supposed to be. I forget the medical term. It should dissolve on its own. Thanks for your prayers!

Because.....

....the one thing that keeps me up at night is having a brand new paint color just sitting, waiting for me to put it on the walls so I can say, "geesh, I don't think I like it"



I was supposed to be taking it easy today so that my back will heal, but I am feeling a bit better and that darn 5 gallon bucket yelled at me every time I passed by it.



I don't think I like it, it is way to yellow for my taste. I am notorious for picking out a color, loving it on the swatch and committing to 5 gallons (because our rooms are big and its cheaper to buy 5 gallons instead of 3) then hating it when I get it in the wall.



My problem is the trim. It is very dark, original wood. I don't want to paint it because I could not imagine having to clean white and I love how the dark hides all the finger prints and nicks that come with many mud/peanut butter covered boys. Everything looks different up against dark wood as opposed to white trim. The color is Sugar Cookie, but on the wall it looks much yellower (thats Texan for more yellow ;-). I intended to also use this color in the library, maybe it'll grow on me, well, honestly it will have to grow on me.

If you had dark trim what colors would you choose?

Garden Woes

(not my garden...but inspirational indeed!)

How one ever survived before the advent of grocery stores is a real mystery to me. As I strolled outside this morning to look at the bountiful harvest a growin, I see that Maverick (the dog I will pay someone to take) had made a bed in my lettuce box. Its a big plastic coy pond that I turned into a planter for my lettuce because I naively thought it would be high enough off the ground that chickens would stay out of it, and they do....but apparently it makes a great dog bed. So much for all my little lettuce sprouts. I replanted them covered it with chicken wire and am hoping for the best.

Not all is lost...I think to myself. At least the main garden is fenced. I walk off into that direction and hoist my leg over the fence, which sends shock waves up and down my back....but I press on because to see the garden growing will bring me much happiness. I glance down with joy as I see that the beans and squash are starting to pop through the ground, I was worried that they weren't going to come up as it has been over a week sense I planted them. Walking along I smile at progress and hard work paying off.

Blinking a few times just thinking that my eyes haven't focused in just yet, I wonder where are my tomato plants? WHERE ARE MY TOMATO PLANTS!!!!???? The first 8 in the row are gone...or more accurately had their leaves plucked off all the way down to the ground. It happened between yesterday midday and this morning. Last I checked the smaller kids couldn't get over the fence without help and the older ones know better. I'll never know who the real perpetrator was. All I know is that its a good thing that the grocery store is around the corner. Sigh