Love to win something!

http://www.thehandmadehome.net/2013/04/the-house-of-belonging-a-giveaway/#comment-113000

I would love to win something from The House of Belonging. You should try to win, too!

At least the sun is out today and there is blue sky!!! Hooray for a happy Mama!!!

After paying bills and doing laundry and playing with kiddos, I have to say, I'm not motivated to get dressed. Who cares, right? Of if you do, poop on you :-)

We got back from Gulf Shores a couple weeks ago. Great time, you should see it. Lovely, immaculate beaches. Claire had a blast so now we've added {huge} sandbox to our summer project list. Who can deny a girl such fun-other than the fact I loathe sand any place other than outside. Did I mention we obtained sand in the Sequoia from the defroster? Bleh! Oh well, that's what full service car washes are for....now if it'd just quit snowing, I'd make it worthwhile.

Other projects on my mind: finish our bedroom, paint the main living areas and kitchen, plan landscaping for outdoors, pain the front door eggplant (Free quart of paint at Ace this Saturday-makes for a really awesome project!), paint garage doors something other than (yuck!) brown, plant a vine tunnel for the girlies, landscape, landscape, landscape. There's more, but I don't want to bore you. I better start working all my hours at work or these projects won't be going very fast unless I acquire some more free supplies like the paint.

Now, Mother Nature, please warm us up a bit!! We're ready for the lake in our driveway to start filling...

It's been awhile

I don't have a lot to report, it takes time and that's one thing I am short of these days. Working nights has me taking naps whenever the opportunity arises, which isn't very often. It requires two simultaneously sleeping kids...Anyway, what's in store for us? Well, Kieran is starting to be on the move, Claire is WAY on the move, singing, dancing, you name it! And, just beginning to play things in the imaginary world. It's oh-so-cute. Next month we are road tripping with my sister down to Alabama to Gulf Shores. I am so excited to hang out...and maybe take a boat ride, but play lots at the beach. Claire loves the beach. I mean L-O-V-E-S it! Sure wish it was closer, especially after watching EX-PATS on RSRV youtube channel. Check it out! Anyway, here's the latest picture of the girls-playing together today!  Love and hugs to all our friends and family.

Spring is almost here!

To start off, know that I am giving fair warning that this might be a lot of ramble...let's get started! I apologize ahead of time, it's almost 3 AM and I didn't get a nap tonight :-)

With March just one day away, I am thrilled what renewed enjoyment I get for the season when spring is around the corner. March is always the signal for me. It starts with Nate's birthday mid-month and soon it becomes the time to open the windows every now and then and get some much needed fresh air! I have a lot of plans to get planting so the sooner I get to cleaning out flower beds, the sooner new things can start going in. The anticipation is killing me!

Just a few new things around our house. Nate started working solely in the office for the company he has been working for. The next thing of note, the Jeep is "resting" right now. Nate thinks it needs new spark plugs, but other than that is in ship shape to be sold. We happened upon it's replacement and have been hoping to sell the Jeep. First things first, however...He needs to file for divorce from her! The second car-wife for him is our 8-passenger Sequoia that popped up for sale down the road. So far, she has proven to be an excellent road trip vehicle, fitting two families in it. I'm sure the kids enjoyed it! Now we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of the first camping weekend for it to pull our second home. We just have to decide where she will go first.

Lastly, as news has gone out to most (as far as I know), our family is growing. In August, we will become a foursome. Albeit excited, I am pretty scared that I might lose all my hair, it will all turn grey by Christmas, or that I will never sleep again...Yes, it's only 2 children at that point, I think my feeling of control is going to escape me and I fear how I may take that. Jokes aside, we can't wait to meet this little one!

Hopefully, it won't be so long between posts. In the meantime, I better get to doing my thing.

Road Trip!

First of all, so excited that vacation time is almost here! Not sure who needs it more-me or my husband. I really enjoy him giving in to the suggestions of "let's take a break!" Thursday we are headed to St. Helena Island, SC so we can check out all the close by places to hang out. Last spring, my mom and Claire and I grabbed my sister from Atlanta and visited Savannah and Charleston. We had a wonderful time. Nate was interested, so as unusual as it is for us to visit the same place twice, I couldn't resist this temptation!

Now, Nate and I are hauling our pop-up camper to the east, being hauled by the Jeep AKA my husband's "other wife". He did profess his love to her last summer when someone was interested in buying it.  Only one reservation about this...unlike this being our camper's maiden voyage out of state, this may very well be the last voyage for the Jeep. It is a little old, a little less than perfect, but we have high hopes for it. I guess I figure, what's the worst that could happen? We get a newer SUV? Hmmm....ok, let's not get our hopes up. I really don't want to be stranded in the hills of Kentucky or something.

This trip has helped me learn a few things. I have again figured out how to put a book on my nook and how to charge it! It was WAY dead. I also loaded audio books from two different sites onto my iPod. Well, I am almost done with the second. I am also learning how to pack conservatively so there is room for one of us to sleep on the backseat of the Jeep...we'll see how he does packing :-)

Besides the obvious of missing my dear sweet Claire, I am going to miss the coming home of my friend's baby Lillie. Bless her little heart, she was born 6 weeks early and gave her mom and dad a run for their money at the NICU in Iowa City. She is now doing just fine, coming home so soon. I will be just dying to hold her again when we get home. And, I'm so eager for our date at Little Mexico which has been a long time coming! Missing my friend being close to home, too. 

It's almost here!

A few days away until Claire's big day! I'm just excited to let her show everyone her walking skills because she has it about down pat, especially if she is carrying a toy.

Besides the big day, the weather has been just beautiful. It is so fun letting Claire be outside with her cute little jacket and now with her little shoes. Fall is here and the temperature has been so nice.  It has allowed us to get the grass seed planted in the torn up yard-and the grass is actually growing!

So what will the next endeavor be? To figure out a way to store these things kids require...

Birthday pondering

As the middle of September has arrived, I am getting eager to celebrate Claire's first birthday. Part of me feels like I did when I was a kid, eagering awaiting Christmas to come. I'm not sure why that is, but as special as she is to me, celebrating this first fast year is coming and I just can't wait! I never want to wish away days, but truly, I am just excited to share her first birthday with friends and family.

The planning process has had my mind buzzing for weeks.  I browse and browse and browse and before I know it another day has gone by. First, I anticipated making all these great things but as it gets closer, I've decided maybe I was being too Martha Stewartish. I am not a perfect planner and never have been very good at throwing parties.  Either way, we'll have a good time.  I do know, we'll have BBQ pork and some sides, lots of cool decorations (that I and my friend are making), and hopefully a good crowd gathering for the day.  I've not finished her outfit yet, but I'm hoping she will allow me to put something cute on her head-we'll see though, she's not a fan of headbands any more :-(

For the rest of this month, I guess I will keep making my lists and remaking them because that is what I am good at.  Luckily, I hae no shortage of paper while at work, so I can jot down all kinds of things while patients sleep. Enjoy the cooler weather!