"Why didn't you tell me" Wednesday #2

Why didn't you tell me:

- that I will almost always "get ready" for my day, just by brushing my hair/teeth and putting on clean PJs

- that I will go days without straightening or curling or fixing my hair...

- that I will go even LONGER without shaving my legs...

- that I will develop a DEEP appreciation for house shoes (I LIVE in my UGGS too)

-that getting a few minutes in the shower will be the absolute highlight of my day on most days (

Show us your life Valentines day....

my funny valentines



kelly's korner is at it again... and, of course, I just had to join!... she wants us to share Valentine's stories... My favorite one just hasn't been written... yet



This will be our first Valentine's Day as parents!! (we knew last year that we were having a baby, but I was so very sick, I honestly do not even remember what we did... I probably tried to eat some rice and not throw up).


This year we are going to a Japanese steak-house for a VERY early dinner (like 4:30 on a Saturday--ha). A kind friend offered to hop on down the street to watch Luke for us.


This Valentine's Day will be a memorable one for us because every day is new and special now that we have our baby that we prayed and yearned for. We waited on our little Valentine for many years. He has made our hearts fill to a capacity that we never thought imaginable. I am so blessed to be Luke's mom and Josh's wife.

Things I love Thursdays... #2

Yes, I am continuing in true cleaning-geek fashion.... I love the Clorox wipes. My favorite would be the Lemon Fresh ones. I use them EVERYWHERE!! I use them in the kitchen, in the bathroom, on random stuff (like icky doorknobs) and most recently to disinfect Luke's stuff (such as the excersaucer stuff that the dogs LOVE to put their snouts on all the time)!

Since I missed posting yesterday, I am going to try to make up my Wednesday post tonight... keep your fingers crossed and go pick up some Clorox wipes! :)

Tuesday cheer

Okay, so I have been holding out on you... I am FINALLY sharing this with the WORLD! We had Luke's 4-month pictures made and THIS is what happened... Just look at the JOY on his face!!
We have a WONDERFUL photographer that we have the priveledge of working with. She does AMAZING work... but even this photo just GOT her! We were so excited and amazed that Luke kept his sweet smile and that she grabbed a wonderful memory for us!You can check here out here.

to tweet or not...

This whole twitter thing is bugging me. I haven't thought to join until recently. I see so many updates via twitter.... I will be honest, I have NEVER even visited the Twitter website to check it out, much less to set up an account.... I don't even know how to tweet.... I do think it is funny that the updates are called "tweets". I have wondered about joining the world of twits, tweets, tweeters, or what-have-you! Maybe I will check it out... what are your thoughts.... do you tweet?
p.s. we are getting snow again! Ugh... I am tired of snow....

Blissdom is sold out and I am only 45 minutes away!

So, this week, I have been thinking about how all of my favorite bloggers are just down the street in Nashville and I AM NOT!!! Oh, the pain!! I have been checking out their sites and seeing how much fun they are having! The local news even ran a piece on all of them! If you haven't heard, they are all at BLISSDOM!!

Today I read the post at LIFE IN GRACE and she mentioned her friend @ Blessed Moon was having a blog party and so here we go! Thank you for having me to your party!!

ME...

I love to blog, I started it as a way to communicate with the world while waiting for my son to be born. I was very sick during my pregnancy, I was laid off from my job, and I was enjoying the peeks into the lives of all of these great women so I started Clarksville Capers.

I love to decorate and I love to see how other people live. I have too many hobbies to keep track of (but not enough time). I am married to the most wonderful man, I have finally been blessed with a sweet baby boy, I have a dog that I love and one that is growing on me. Add all of that to the 2 cats, the bird, and the lizard and life gets hectic. Oh yeah, did I mention.... I am NOW a FULL-TIME student! WHEW!

Luke makes a purchase....?

Somebody has a "new" friend....

(he picked him out all by himself....)

I think the "new" friend is cute...
maybe because he looks like our "old" friend.... Dante!
(I think that is why Luke was drawn to him in the first place)

Things I love Thursdays!

Since you have hung in there this long, through my sporadic blogging and now through my renewed regular blogging (ahem, I know it has only been a week), I am going to share even more with you! We started with a theme this Wednesday and now here is a new Thursday series....

THINGS I LOVE THURSDAYS!!!

#1 I love....

a good vacuum! I have an obsession with clean carpets... I am a BIG fan of a certain brand... in fact, I don't even call it vacuuming, I call it Dysoning!!

My original DC07 died this summer after a few months of desperately trying to revive it with random parts suggested by the company. It was a wonderful purchase and I worked it to death over the 6-7 years that I had it. I know, you might think that isn't enough time to justify the purchase price of such a machine, but I dysoned daily... and not just my floors, I used EVERY attachment that came with it VERY regularly! Remember, I have 2 dogs, and at one point had 4 cats and a bird! I also love shaggy carpet (frieze, I think). So, based on all of this, when the original purple dyson died, I had to drive an hour to go pick up my second one!! This one has something called "airmuscle" and it SUCKS, but in a very good, picking up every last particle of dirt and pet hair kind of way!

I love my vacuum so much, that I have been a little disappointed that I haven't had the same amount of time to bond with my new DC28. At first I was too pregnant, then I couldn't use it because of my C-section, and now.... it is that whole "time" factor... Nevertheless... it is one of my MOST FAVORITE things....

I love the color of it, I love how easy it is to use, I love how well it works, I love that it is RELIABLE, I love that it does not use bags, I love that the filters are washable, I love that there is NO BELT to change, I love that the attachments are on board and easy to get to, and I LOVE, LOVE the carpet lines it leaves behind after I use it (see... I told you I have an obsession)!

"why didn't you tell me" Wednesday

You guessed it!... It is NAP-TIME!! As I hurry to eat my lunch I am starting off a new thing here at Clarksville Capers... I have steadily kept track of all these wacky things that I wish somebody would have told me... most of them relate to becoming a mommy and since most of my followers are girls, I thought this would be a fun thing to do. You will either wince at my misfortune, recall your own similar experience, or use it to keep yourself from feeling alone if you find yourself in the same predicament! Please feel free to share comments with your own experiences, as long as you don't mind if I share them in later posts!

#1 Why didn't you tell me....

that even though when you become a mother, you will never be alone, but yet, you will feel very lonely...

I am blessed to have finally had a baby after many long years of praying for one, but in my greatest joy, I have found isolation. I don't have the baby-blues or any sort of depression about it--I love my son (even when he wants to wake up every 2-3 hours at night, when he smiles at me, I smile back, because I am thankful he is here). The isolation I feel is because, as a new mom, you are struggling to just perform he basic functions for yourself, while tending to a whole new life.

1. I used to be "on the go" a lot. Now, if I even feel rested enough to think of venturing out, it requires a ton of work and prep just to make it out the door. Namely, the getting ready part for me is so hard. Putting on "real" clothes is just a luxury!

2. There is no such thing as a "quick" visit with a friend. Part of this is because I am so far away from many of my friends, and part of it is because I just cannot function enough to get out sometimes.

3. I used to talk on the phone "A LOT". Now I have to remember to call my friends to check in with them-- to let them know that I am still alive. Part of this is because of my next point...

4. My schedule is so crazy. For the past year, due to my sickness or now catering to my son's needs, my schedule is just the total opposite of everyone else's. So, even if I could settle down for a quick chat, it is while most of my friends (and my husband) are in bed or at work! If I do actually manage a call, it could be cut short because of "bodily functions" ;)

5. Because I am so drained, I don't feel like I can comprehend much or hold any sort of intelligent discussion that doesn't involve my child or my lack of sleep, and I know that most people don't want to hear this... so, I keep to myself (except for here... where it is my world-bloggers!).

6. I feel that because I feel this way, that something is not right with ME... and that is why I am being so open and honest in these upcoming posts. It wasn't until a friend of mine called to check in a few weeks ago, that these things were validated and I realized "My GOD, I am not the only one"

Coffee tables and muddy melting snow

So, yesterday, I was trying to "tidy up" and I look at my coffee table and almost EVERY remote that we have was magically gathered on my coffee table. I know, I have tried a basket by the T.V. and now a pretty box that looks like a book, but they always seem to land on the coffee table and then the poor things just cannot seem to find their way back across the living room to their rightful spots. Keep in mind, the Wii remote is missing from the picture and that almost all of these remotes can function as a universal remote, but apparently it just isn't cool to have ONE to do it all... you must have 3 or 4 or 5.... :)

Today, the snow is melting. I cannot stand to go outside because not only is the snow still out there, it is now joined by its friends: mud, slush, and ice. Yuck. As I type, I am listening to large sheets of snow/ice fall off of my roof. Luke is happily taking a nap! Yes, this is the SECOND week of consistent naps! Praise God!! While he naps, I usually get dressed and ready for my day, make and eat lunch, and catch up on email and read some of my thrilling textbooks, all while shuttling loads of laundry up and down the stairs. Corporate America needs to look to hire more moms-- we sure can multi-task!!

P.S. I am going to start Labeling my posts this year. I didn't start off doing this and now I regret it. I guess I can always go back (when I have time) and catch up

ARGH!!

Okay, so the new header is up... it isn't how I really wanted it, but it will just have to do for now... I had a hard time figuring out how to get TWO stinkin pictures to work as one. I did download Picasa and made a collage, and that is the best that I could do. Next time I will just pick a better header, but this one matches Luke's snowgear for now!! So, yes, we got TONS of snow... and I am ready for it to MELT!

I know I have been "not blogging" for a while now. So sorry! I am not only enjoying my very-active-almost-5-month-old baby, but I am in SCHOOL FULL TIME!!! Yikes! I have been working on some new blog posts and I am going to get back in the blogging habit now!

Thanks for your patience with my lack of postings... let the fun begin!!